Due to the wonderful outpour of support, here's another update! Thanks to everyone, I was so touched at your responses! It's such great inspiration for me. I can't wait to hear what you think of this! I'm going to let the end of the chapter speak for itself, so here's the usual author's note and plea: please review xoxo

Brace For Impact

"Those who hate most fervently must have once loved deeply, those who want to deny the world must have once embraced what they now set on fire."

-Kurt Tucholsky

If All Else Remained

Chapter Eleven

Brief Recap (by request):

Someone is impersonating Bonnie and Shane.

Bonnie completed the expression triangle unconsciously.

Klaus told Caroline Hayley's been supplying him information on Katherine.

Stefan, Caroline, and Elena locked Damon up for two days, so the vampire blood Elena fed him would leave his system.

Elena and Damon fought because she doesn't see why Damon needs her to care about him to be with her and Damon thinks she has no feelings for him with or without her humanity.

Damon left and Elena went to follow him.

Damon went to an out of town bar where he ran into Katherine.

She made it two steps from the door before the obnoxious twosome surrounded her. Their stalker-like obsession with her was really starting to grate her nerves.

Elena continued to stare at her lap. Occasionally she would switch to examining her fingernails or the hem of her dress, but she was definitely not gracing the two annoyances in front of her with her full attention.

"Elena," Stefan called to her in his typical beleaguered way, "We should talk about this. After we exchange facts, you can go off and do whatever you want."

"Why doesn't Damon have to be here for this crucial exchanging of facts?"

"Because he's been stuck in here for days and probably doesn't know anything anyway."

Elena finally looked up at this. "You're lying," she said blankly, "Damon is the one who spoke to Bonnie last. He must know some things we don't."

Stefan paused suddenly hesitant. Caroline looked to him concernedly. "Stefan, what is it?"

"I think we should keep Damon out of this. Considering… everything that happened recently, I don't think it's a good idea to involve him." Caroline looked shocked at his words. Obviously the thought never occurred to her since she's far more concerned with attacking Damon than protecting him, Elena thought viciously.

"Stefan," Caroline started reluctantly, "I don't think it's possible to leave Damon in the dark. I understand why you want to but-"

Elena cut her off remorselessly, "No, you don't. If Damon's not around, who can you possibly find to blame for everything?"

Caroline turned on her. "Umm yeah, I do actually understand. You know why? Because I have empathy, I can still feel. And before you assume so much, maybe you should try living with emotions first!"

"Because you having your emotions equates to caring at all for Damon's wellbeing." Elena scoffed, "You'd probably kill him yourself if given half the chance."

"No, I wouldn't actually. Just because I see Damon for the manipulative bastard he really is and did not want you falling for his tricks, does not mean I want him dead. Like it or not, Damon is part of our team. And considering the dwindling numbers, maybe it's about time you all listened to me and let us regroup!" Caroline was breathing heavily by the end of her rant. Her chest heaved with unrestrained anger.

Elena just scoffed in disbelief.

"Caroline," Stefan whispered softly as he reached out to touch her knee in a comforting manner. "Let's just get this over with so everyone can go their separate ways."

"Fine," Caroline snapped still incensed. "Klaus told me that Hayley was feeding him information on Katherine who he was tracking to kill her, maim her, or whatever diabolical plan he had in mind. Shane's apparently dead somehow. Bonnie attacked me and threw me into a lake filled with vervain but apparently that wasn't Bonnie, not that Damon bothered to explain that one-"

"Because you had drained him to unconsciousness," Elena interrupted matter of factly.

"AND," Caroline's voice rose in an attempt to drown out Elena, "Damon somehow ended up cured. That's all I know, okay?"

"Damon told me that Rebekah speculated that Silas could take on the form of others. Between Shane apparently being dead on the island as well as walking around in Mystic Falls and Bonnie being in two places at once, I'd say she's right."

"Well, if that's all there was to say, I'm going. Thanks for wasting my time." Elena got up to leave. As she was walking out, she heard Caroline and Stefan behind her.

"God, she makes me so angry!" Caroline huffed.

"She's makes everyone feel that way nowadays."

Elena could not help but be reminded of a time where she spoke similar sentiments about Damon to Stefan right before Stefan was captured by the tomb vampires. Stefan had replied much the same way.

"I'm sorry. He just makes me so cranky," Elena whined after Damon had finally left. He was the most infuriating person she had ever met! Acting like nothing had changed despite the fact that he turned her mother into a vampire.

"I know. He makes everybody cranky," Stefan reassured her as he wrapped her in a comforting embrace. There was nowhere else Elena would rather be than in Stefan's arms as far away from his psychopathic brother as possible.

It seemed so long ago now. So much had changed. She had changed, and there was no going back now. But Elena was fine with that.

She agreed with Stefan, too. She wanted to keep Damon in the dark about the big Silas plots and daily supernatural threats. It was too dangerous for a human to be involved.

But even as she thought that, she wondered: was that what Damon had felt while she was human, and he tried desperately to keep her out of his plans? When he chased her down and even trapped her in her house?

It was strange how Damon turning human had caused everything to turn on its axis. Maybe if she still cared she would be more understanding, but since she did not, she would not.

Katherine was reclining against the bar in a deliberately casual way. Her hair was straightened which had thrown him off, but if Damon had been unsure before, he was certainly not anymore.

"So what triggered this oh so unwelcome visit, Your Evil Highness?"

"What do you mean? I already told you I came to check up on you."

Damon just glared at her stonily.

Despite Damon's attempts to stop her, Katherine trailed her finger along the rim of his glass of bourbon and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Don't be like that, Damon."

It was the exact same words that Elena had spoken to him an hour ago and yet the differences were jarring. Katherine was emulating her usual seductive charm and teasing him while Elena honestly could not comprehend why Damon was rejecting her. In some ways, they were two sides of the same coin. On the other hand, the two Petrova doppelgängers really were night and day.

Damon sighed irritated and dropped all pretenses. "What do you want, Katherine?"

The evil ex is question snagged his drink without answering. She slowly dipped her index finger into it and lifted it to her lips as if sampling the liqueur. It is always like that with Katherine. Everything is a show.

"Well," Katherine drawled, "Since you're so curious, perhaps you can tell me why Klaus is suddenly aware of my movements and tracking down and killing my… friends."

"'Friends.' Interesting euphemism for endless horde of pathetically suckered in boytoys."

Katherine just shook her head slowly with that teasing smirk that used to drive him wild gracing her lips. "Well, I'm hurt, Damon. And here I thought we were friends," she sighed dramatically ignoring Damon's incredulous look. "So friend to friend, who is selling me out to Klaus?"

"It's too bad. I wish I could help, but," Damon raised his hands helplessly, "I have recently cut back on my late night chats with the hybrid psychopath. So sorry."

"You expect me to believe that when your brother and his useless blonde sidekick are so buddy buddy with Klaus?"

"Believe what you'd like, but I can't help you here. Guess you'll just have to find another friend to ask."

Katherine's head tilted to the side as she assessed him. Her eyes cut into him as she let her typical façade roll off of her. "Are you lying? Because I can make you give all your secrets away. Tell me, Damon, when was the last time you drank vervain?"

Ice shot through Damon's veins. He had just ran out of the house after being cooped up for two days. He was so desperate to escape that he did not even think of the vervain that had undoubtedly left his system as the vampire blood did during his stay in the Ritz Savatore Jail Cell Carlton.

Damon snarled, "You sure know how to treat your friends. And how hard can it be to find one minion who betrayed you? Don't tell me you have an army of them lurking outside of Mystic Falls?"

"Maybe I do," Katherine replied, "Didn't I tell you, always stay a step ahead of your enemies."

"Great. But I still don't know anything, so get lost."

Abruptly Katherine started laughing. "Don't worry, I can still read you like an open book, Damon. I know you don't know anything." Katherine pretended to pout, "But I do want to check up on you. It seems my doppelganger still has her humanity off. That surprises me, weak willed thing that she is, I figured she would only last a day."

Damon swiped his drink back. There would be no getting rid of her now. Even as a vampire, Damon could not stop her when she was in this obnoxious mood where she delighted in inflicting her presence on others.

But maybe this could work to his advantage.

"Yeah, well, we can't all be callous bitches like you." Katherine just gave him a close-lipped smile in response. "But since you insist of joining me and stealing my drink, it's only fair that you give me a drink in return."

"You want me to buy you a drink? Now where has your sense of chivalry gone, Mr. Salvatore?"

"No, I want you to give me a drink." Damon nodded his head towards her and kept his gaze serious. Katherine paused as his meaning sunk in and considered.

"Now why would I want to do that?"

Damon just threw her a unconvinced look, "Maybe because you did it years ago? Maybe because I just saved your useless ass in New York? Maybe because you're already wasting my time, so you might as well make it worth my while."

Katherine was still smirking at him. "Or maybe," she drawled as she leaned down to dip her hand under the hem of his shirt and trail her fingertips across his collarbone, "Maybe because if I do that, you'll find out what I want to know like a good friend."

"I think we can work something out," Damon replied as he struggled to not jerk away from her roaming hand. After everything, being this close to Katherine always made bile rise within him fueled by his own disappointment at the loss of the life he thought he would have and his own past stupidity. Katherine was a walking talking reminder of how moronic he had been and how even now, he was making the same mistakes with another vastly superior Petrova doppelganger who could not love him.

"So why hasn't Stefan swooped in to your rescue?" Katherine asked. Damon cursed internally. Why did everyone have to ask him that? Why could people not just do what he asked?

"Stefan's been busy with homework. You know Mystic Falls' High School curriculum is really bringing him down."

"Oh, of course," Katherine agreed, but her eyes were cold as she appraised him once more. 'So why don't you just ask your precious Elena?"

As Damon opened his mouth to fabricate some sarcastic story, he noticed that Katherine's eyes were no longer trained on him. Instead, they have drifted towards the entrance of the bar. You have got to be kidding me, Damon thought as he resignedly turned in that direction. He already knew what would be there, but he figured he better face the music now.

Elena was standing there with her now standard expression of blank faced impatience. However, Damon noticed there was an unusual underlying tension. Her lips were pulled taut in a straight line and her eyes were narrowed in displeasure.

Damon realized that Katherine's hand was still absentmindedly caressing him and sighed internally. Just his luck.

Elena turned around and began to leave before shooting the Damon and the Evil One another glance, indicating with a nod that they should follow her.

"Well," Katherine smirked as she removed her hand and gave Damon a not so light pat on the cheek, "We better go see what Her Majesty wants of us. Maybe she can tell me what I want to know."

Elena was fuming. So Damon left her to go flirt with Katherine? How dare he act like it would be so awful to be with her when her humanity's off and then go gallivanting off with her?

"Why are you here?" Elena asked completely composed as soon as Katherine emerged from the bar.

"Well, I was trying to find out which of my soon to be dead acquaintances was feeding Klaus information about me. Sadly, Damon was no help at all- at least, in that capacity."

Elena bristled at the implication, but then paused. She wanted to know who was running to Klaus about her and did Caroline not just say it was Hayley?

"But you can help, can't you, Elena?" Katherine had been watching her closely and seemed to pick up on her change in disposition.

"So what if I can? I can't think of anyone I'd rather help. Maybe I'll go to Klaus after this and tell him where you are, so he can rid the world of you finally."

Elena was smirking at Katherine's angered face when she felt a jab in her side. Damon was next to her and giving her a look. She knew what he was telling her, not to bait Katherine, but she did not care. It was about time Katherine got a taste of her own medicine. Besides, Damon had taunted Katherine countless times.

"Tell me who it is," Katherine demanded.

"No, I'd rather watch you suffer."

Arguing with Katherine was pointless. She had such tunnel vision on whatever it was that she thought would help her.

Then something changed in Katherine's expression. Before she was enraged and now her stance had settled into a resolute determination.

In a flash, Katherine appeared behind Damon, yanking him back flush against her back. Elena saw Damon's eyes widen for a second before they narrowed in anger.

"What are you-" Katherine clasped one hand over his mouth. His arms were trapped between the two of them as he struggled. It did not matter how much he wriggled, her grip was unyielding. Even if he were still a vampire, Elena was not sure he would be able to move.

"Poor little Elena can't seem to face her problems," Katherine cooed mockingly, "You have to rely on turning off your humanity. Don't worry, though, I can help. You know the funny thing about the switch is that it's faulty. Sometimes all you need is a jolt to remind you to care."

Katherine's eyes hardened as she tightened her grip on Damon. He looked uncomfortable as if he were having trouble breathing under her firm grip. Katherine seemed to be bracing herself for something and did not appear to notice Damon's squirming. Deliberately, Katherine reached towards Damon's trapped hands and pulled something there. Elena saw as Katherine held up the last Gilbert ring to show her.

"Tell me who is squealing on me to Klaus is or I will kill him."

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Elena said unflinchingly, "You won't hurt him. I know you care about him." That was true. Katherine was an evil, manipulative bitch, but she was consistent. In terms of priorities, the top was always herself, a little lower was Stefan's wellbeing, a bit lower than that was Damon's, and way, way down was everyone and everything else. And below that, further still, was Klaus and Elena herself. Maybe she would beat out Klaus on a good day, but she would not count on it.

Though Elena was sure if it were Katherine or Damon's life on the line, Katherine would not hesitate to pick herself as she always did. But for a petty threat to talk? No, Elena had a feeling that counted on and cared for the Salvatores more than she was willing to admit. Damon may talk about how Katherine could not care less about him, but Elena knew there was a reason that Katherine left him alive. She was so pragmatic and yet turning Damon had ruined her chance at fooling Klaus into thinking she was dead in 1864.

Katherine smirked. "Oh, I would, and I will if you don't start talking."

The tickling sensation started again, but Elena was resolute. "I won't tell you." Katherine was all about leverage but Elena had bought enough of Katherine's bullshit for one lifetime. She would never kill Damon over something like this. She had saved his life before with a far more significant cost to herself than this before. Even if she did not care for Damon at all, Stefan would lose it if Damon died. Elena understood as Katherine did that Stefan relied on Damon more heavily than he was willing to admit.

"Last chance," Katherine gritted out as she adjusted her grip on the still struggling Damon. He froze briefly as she maneuvered him and then started fighting wildly, muffled noises leaving his mouth.

Elena felt a vague sense of triumph even as the tickling spread when she watched Katherine's narrowed eyes and pursued lips. She had no leverage here, and Elena wanted to revel in her victory. Beating Katherine Pierce gave her such a sweet rush of elation. She had never been able to win against her as a human. Never with her humanity. But she was now.

Suddenly, Katherine straightened and whispered directly into Damon's ear, but Elena could hear her perfectly, "It must be so hard never being loved enough. Don't worry, lover, I can make her care." She kissed his cheek softly before addressing Elena, "This could have gone very differently. I guess you will have to bury a body once again and so soon at that!" Katherine's lips had thinned to a straight line, all traces of her usual sensuality and showiness gone from her expression.

She was bluffing, Elena was sure, but the tickling sensation felt like it had permeated every fiber of her being. She wondered if she was shaking outwardly as well as inside.

"Don't worry, this one is a hundred and fifty years overdue anyway." And with that, Katherine closed her eyes and moved.

Elena heard a noise but it did not make sense. There was a rushing in her ears and her vision blurred, but she did not know why. Damon had stopped struggling. He was lying limply against Katherine, his head lolled into her neck. It almost looked like he had nuzzled there to kiss her. But he was not making a move to do so. In fact, it did not look like he was moving at all.

Something was bothering Elena. She could feel the niggling awareness return. But it was not like she had merely forgotten something this time, and her brain were trying to remind her. No, it felt more powerful now. The tickling had transformed into a sense of numb emptiness. And still Elena did not understand. Then Katherine released her hold on Damon, and he careened forward.

Damon collapsed to the ground ungracefully. His body was positioned awkwardly, one arm twisted behind his back, a leg prone and bent uncomfortably, and of course his neck contorted in an unnatural way.

He was dead.