A/N: *Waves* Unfortunately this will be the last update for around a week because I'm going away on a little trip – very sad I know, I'm sure you'll all miss me terribly. On the plus side a little suspense never hurt, right? I sincerely hope you all enjoy Damon's interpretation of Isobel. This one was fun! Do let me know what you think by reviewing as ever! And I shall hope to see you all next week. As always, I do not own the Vampire Diaries. Sucks.

Isobel

"But falling over you is the news of the day
All the stars come down in you and
Love will not fade and
Love, love, love, will not fade away"

Well this is a nice way to start the morning, a phone call with Elena; she was calling for Stefan but that's beside the point.

I tease her about Stefan "He's just back to boring, straight laced, off-the-junk; you've successfully cured him of anything that was interesting about his personality" – "don't forget who helped me"- "I hate myself" – god she makes me...happy. So weird.

"Have fun with the Mystic Queen, I know I did" – she hangs up on me. Too soon? Ah here's Stefan – "'Lena called."

Another phone call and I'm wanted at the school apparently. I walk into the classroom – "Sorry I'm late dog ate my..."

Or. Not.

Lots of brooding faces in this room, what's going on here?

Isobel. Seriously will the things I do in the past never stop coming back to bite me in the ass? She's here in town. I look to Elena to see how she's handling this bombshell; not well by the looks of things. Would she be mad if I just killed Isobel – for real this time? Probably, it's bad enough that I turned her birth mother.

What does she want? Ric apparently lost the power of speech when he saw her because he is beyond useless so again I ask "What does she want?" – "She wants to see me, Damon" – Elena. She speaks. But I'm sorry what now? Isobel wants to see her? No. That's most likely...not a good idea.

"You don't have to see her if you don't want to" – "I don't really have a choice" – "She's threatening to go on a killing spree" – Oh. I suppose that changes things, that's probably not okay with them. Maybe I should revisit my thoughts to kill her.

"I wanna do it. I wanna meet her" – Okay okay no killing jees. I still don't think it's a good idea but I understand why Elena would want to meet her so Ric arranges a meeting for them at the Grill.

I hate being outside. I should be in there. I mean, it helps that I can hear everything but still I feel useless out here.

Ric says I'm not to kill her but I already got that memo. "I looked for the woman I married but she wasn't there" – yeah that's the switch for you. She flipped the switch, no humanity.

"Stefan has his humanity, he's a good guy. Hell you're a dick and you kill people but I still see something human in you" Really? Interesting.

Time for Ric to get some Vampire101 as I fill him in on the switch – "the problem is your instinct as a vampire is not to feel"no guilt, no shame, no regret.

"I mean come on, if you could turn it off wouldn't you?" – "You haven't" – "Sure I have Ric, it's why I'm so fun to be around" – yeah, you keep telling yourself that Damon, it won't make it true.

After the epic failure of a meeting at the Grill I decide to pay Isobel a little visit. Nicest foreclosure in town, I taught her that. I can be a good teacher, when I want to be. I'm playing strip poker with her sexy little minion when she arrives. "What are you really doing here?" she asks, oh we'll get to that don't you worry Isobel.

"Well you blew into town, saw everyone except for the man who made you; I'm a little hurt" and ouch! Bitch grabs me by the hair and pulls my head back. "Did you bring the device?" I'm a lot older and a lot stronger than her but I let her think she's controlling things for the moment. What is it with girls and pulling hair? Hurts.

So Isobel dated Uncle John Gilbert when she was younger, the pieces are beginning to fit together in my mind – poor Elena. But let's deal with that later, what does she want with the invention?

"Me personally? I don't want anything with it" Katherine. She wants the device? Why? And please god, stop. Touching. Me.

"...can't control Katherine. She does what she wants" Yeah well so do I, Isobel comes at me again but again, older and stronger so I'm ready and it's my turn to be in control of this little game.

"What should we do now?" oh yuk...I have to kiss her, well I probably don't have to but it's the easiest way to get what I want and all I can think is 'this is Elena's mother' yuk. O-Kay that's enough of that, I throw her to the floor and wrap my hand around her throat; she won't be able to get up now.

"Now that I have your attention, listen up. You do not come into my town; threaten the people I care about. Going after Elena? Bad move. You leave her alone or I will rip you to bits because I do believe in killing the messenger. You know why? Because it sends a message" I smack her head off the floor, hey I said I wouldn't kill her I never mentioned anything about not hurting her. "Katherine wants something from me? You tell that little bitch to come get it herself."

And I'm done. Message delivered. Message received. Time to go home.

Elena and company are at the house when I get there. Really? She just wants me to hand the device over to Isobel? I'll get Jeremy back myself. Wish my message to Isobel would have been a little more effective. I'm not handing the thing over – "I like being a living – dead person" – "but it'll be useless – Bonnie can take its power away" – yes Elena you said that already, twice, in fact.

I don't trust little witch, I tried to kill her and she's like a baby witch.

"I've been practicing" – great – "It's not piano lessons honey" – my favourite book? Really...what's that got to do with anything? Right...right a book, god people are so demanding. "Call Of The Wild – Jack London" man I love that book. Okay great so she's got a party piece, flying books, I still don't trust her.

"We're doing this Damon. And we're doing it my way. Now give me the device" see – demanding little thing. I don't like this, not one little itty bit. "I don't trust you" I say pointing at judgy. "But you can trust me" Elena. Yes that's true. I can trust her, I do trust her. I know Stefan's looking at me all judgy like as well now but I give in. I trust Elena; only Elena and she says it's okay.

I put the device in her hand and close her fingers around it; holding on and relishing in that burning for just a minute. I see Stef's eyes flash to our hands and Elena says "thank you" and now I need to leave and have a drink before I do anything else that shows the world I've fallen for my brother's girl. Again.

Witchy is doing the spell which is kinda creepy if you ask me, what with the flames rising and the flickering lights and now we have to go give it to Isobel.

God, Elena is perfect – how did she get to be so strong? Stefan and I show up and Elena calls her house where her brother has been safely deposited by the sounds of things.

And then Elena has to go and ask Isobel why she knew I would give her the device. Don't say it Isobel. Don't say it. Fuck she said it.

"Because he's in love with you"

Noooo. It's not even true...is it? Am I? Fuck. I spare a glance at Stefan but he's studying something highly interesting on the ground.

"As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm – you're doomed. Katherine was smart, she got out. But we all know you're not Katherine" God dammit Isobel, can't she just shut her mouth, like, ever? She was right about at least one thing though – 'Lena's not Katherine.

I don't think I've ever seen Katherine, all I see is Elena. She's the opposite of everything Katherine is, it's like fire and ice, light and dark, good and bad. Elena is the epitome of purity and goodness, Katherine is...well, let's just say Katherine's a bitch and leave it at that shall we?

When Isobel leaves Elena is upset and all I can do is stand idly by and watch as Stefan her boyfriend goes to her and comforts her. Wicked thoughts invade my mind. If I hadn't compelled her, that first night...could that be me? Would things have been different? Am I...in love with her?

She looks up at me but then hides herself away which is just...great. She can't even bear to look at me. Fan-fuckin'-tastic. Damn Isobel. Stefan looks over at me and there is no need for me to be here. I'm not wanted, my purpose has been served.

So I turn and walk away into the darkness that no longer feels like such a friend to consider if I'm in love with another woman who not only loves my brother but will never love me in return. What the fuck is wrong with me?

When Stefan gets home I offer him a drink and an opportunity to unleash whatever it is he's brooding over. "It's about what Isobel said." Of course it is. And here comes the little 'jealous boyfriend' speech about how 'history will not be repeating itself' with Elena.

"I know that you and Elena have bonded and I know that she cares about you" she does? Well that's good to know – never really been altogether clear on that before. "She considers you a friend" – "Same here. Elena's a very good friend. Actually she might qualify as my only...friend" hmmm..."I mean honestly. We're just friends." Yeah. Sucks to be me. I fill him on my theory about Uncle John Gilbert actually being Papa John Gilbert. Uh-huh let him deal with that bombshell.

"Oh and when you do tell Elena and she needs a friend to talk to about anything – I'm here for her" Goodnight brother, chew on that. While I chew on the fact that now everyone knows about my 'feelings' for Elena. Hiding those didn't last very long. Should have known better than to try I guess.

Dear Diary,
I met Isobel today – I was very nervous – she said I look just like her (Katherine) so there's yet another person in my life who knows Katherine. "She would be fascinated by you" she said, well let's hope she doesn't come to find me – really don't want to meet this girl. And I'm worried about what would happen with Damon/to Damon if she turned up again. But I doubt she will so hopefully I won't have to worry about that.

Isobel asked me why I chose Stefan, "Why didn't you go for Damon?" not that she really expected an answer but it did make me...question it anyway. I don't really have an answer for it though. I mean, I'm with Stefan so it's not really an easy thing to question. And when Damon came to town he was very...different from how he is now.

I think...a lot of Damon's changing has been because of me...does that sound really stuck up? And I wonder...if I had met him first would he have been different from the start? Maybe if I had met him first...but I didn't...so there's no point in really questioning it.

Bonnie helped us figure out what the invention was – apparently Jonathon Gilbert didn't actually invent anything – Emily Bennett spelled everything with magic. Isobel kidnapped Jeremy so we would give her the invention and when she came to the school she said "I think you underestimate how much Damon cares about you" – I guess that should have been my first clue. I convinced Bonnie to un-spell the device and Damon gave it to me.

I don't know why I did it – I knew I shouldn't have asked her but once I started I couldn't stop the words from coming out. "But you took a risk with Damon. How did you know that he was going to give it to me?" I asked her. "Because he's in love with you" well I guess that was my second clue.

But I mean...that's ridiculous right? Isobel doesn't know what she's talking about, Damon is not...capable of being in love with...Damon loves Katherine, not me...doesn't he? I mean I know that Damon cares about me, sometimes he's vulnerable and unguarded around me and I get through to him. I SEE him. And he saved me, carried me from the car when I crashed it...and that dance...

But when Stefan came and hugged me, I looked at Damon and I saw...something...in his eyes...and then I had to look away because I'm afraid of what he might have seen in mine if I'd kept looking at him.

Isobel said that we all know I'm not Katherine. And she's right. I am NOT Katherine. I will NEVER be Katherine. Damon is my FRIEND. I care about him...he cares about me. He is NOT in love with me. And I am not in love with him. I am not Katherine. I am Elena.
Elena