Welcome to my story. We're starting in S1E8, with canon up until this point. This will be a Delena centric fic looking at S1/S2, told from the viewpoints of Damon/Elena/Caroline/Stefan and other characters yet to appear. It gradually diverges from canon as the story progresses.

Mature warning for language and implied sexual contact. There will be more smutty scenes eventually, but not until towards the end of the story.

Please enjoy the story, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.

x-x-x-x

He was taking longer than he needed to, letting the hot water run over him as he replayed that moment again. She had asked him to leave her alone. Could he? There were so many times of the summer that he knew he should have done just that, moments he could have walked away and left Elena to her life. Every time he tried, he returned to her window. Watching her sleep, her brown hair splayed across the pillow, her diary carefully tucked under- watching her was like an addiction. That was before she knew him, before she kissed him, Stefan was sure he would find it impossible to walk away now. He had lived 162 years, but he had only felt a pull like this once and that was over a century ago.

Stefan sighed as he turned the water off, Lexi wouldn't let him linger in the shower forever wallowing in his misfortune, hearing the front door thud. Great, that probably meant his elder brother Damon was home to antagonise him some more- if he didn't try to sleep with Lexi again. That hadn't ended well last time, though Stefan was sure Damon's returning humanity might prevent him trying to burn her alive on a rooftop. Maybe. He wrapped the towel around his waist and padded back to his room.

"Are you out of your freaking mind?" His blonde best friend hurtled into his room, screeching at him. Stefan knew he probably was out of his mind, always had been, but what could Lexi be referring to this time? He had known her most of his vampire life and she was the closest friend she had- she already knew all his deepest, darkest secrets. What could she possibly have learnt during his shower that she didn't already know?

"What are you talking about?" Stefan shrugged.

Lexi took a few steps backwards, grabbing the miniature of Katherine off his desk. She brandished it at him, "I just met Elena, you have some serious explaining to do."

Stefan froze. He hadn't mentioned to Lexi that Elena didn't just look slightly like Katherine. She looked exactly like Katherine- identical in every way. Katherine had been his first love, when he was just a young human she had entered his home under false pretences and seduced him quickly- not that it took much effort. She was the reason he was a vampire, and the reason for Damon turning too. More importantly, she was the reason Damon hated him- for Stefan had been responsible for her death. Gesturing to the bed, allowing Lexi to sit, Stefan started to pace ready to explain the predicament he had found himself in.

As he opened his mouth to try to find the words, Lexi interrupted, "You have some serious emotional damage!"

Didn't he know it? Hell, didn't she know it? She was the one who coaxed him back from the brink of insanity each time he teetered on the edge- or fell off it completely into the pits of hell. Of course he was damaged, but this was different. This felt like healing.

"No, it's not what you think. She's not Katherine." He emphasised the last part, he had spent all summer reminding himself of that fact.

"Then they're related because they could be twins."

"I don't know." Stefan answered honestly. He had considered investigating, but that meant admitting to himself how similar she was to Katherine. Mostly, he tried to ignore it, to not notice how they pulled the same faces in their sleep or how they had the same mole on their right hip. It meant admitting his attraction to Elena might not be completely separate from his past.

"You don't know?" Lexi asked incredulously, waving her hands up. "You didn't find out?" Lexi knew him best, she knew he would usually research every odd occurrence in Mystic Falls, trying to protect the Salvatore descendants.

"No." He paused, gulping, anticipating her reaction to the next part. "Maybe, I don't want to know. I have no idea what ties Elena to Katherine." She raised an eyebrow, she was really going to make him go there. "Ok." He paced again, a few more steps to the window. He could do this, if he wasn't looking at her. "Yes, yes, the resemblance is what drew me in at first, but that's it." He turned. Was she about to tell him what he already knew? Was she going to remind him he was out of his mind and needed to run? When he dared meet her eye, she just stared at him, daring him to explain more. "Katherine and Elena may look the same on the outside.. but on the inside they are completely different."

Lexi snorted, "Oh, so Elena is not a raging bitch then?"

No, she wasn't. For the first time in the conversation, Stefan knew exactly what to say. He sat next to Lexi and smiled.

"No. Elena is, Elena is warm and kind. She's caring and she's selfless and it's real. Honestly, when I'm around her I completely forget what I am."

Lexi's face dropped. "Oh my God, You're in love with her."

Her face and tone weren't the excited, happy expression he had expected from his best friend. She looked shocked momentarily but then seemed to be planning. Stefan stood up again and began pacing as she muttered to herself.

"Stefan, you have to leave Mystic Falls. Now."

"What?" He hadn't meant to shout his response, and he certainly hadn't meant to grab the nearest chair and crack the back of it. He wasn't prepared for Lexi's suggestion.

"Stefan, you said you forget what you are. What happened the last time you forgot what you were? The last time you lost control for a second around humans?" Lexi paused, standing and taking his arm, "Stefan, you lost a decade to the ripper. You can't do that again."

Stefan gulped, he could feel the tears so he took Lexi in his arms. "I need you Lex, I can't leave. I've tried all summer but I can't leave her."

"Let's go."

x-x-x-x

Damon stared down at his drink. The bourbon choices here really left a lot to be desired. He would have to compel the management into ordering something remotely drinkable. He swilled the remnants, bracing for the slight burn the cheap liquor would cause when Caroline interrupted his serenity.

"Are you enjoying the party?"

Damon cocked an eyebrow up at the young blonde. She really was brazen, it had taken him a while to put together the two sides to her. She was confident enough to walk up to an older man and flirt her pretty little socks off, and she could throw one hell of a party at a moment's notice- but she simultaneously had the lowest self-confidence of any girl he had met. He'd compelled her to forget about his vampiric tendencies, but she still knew he had hurt her, yet here she was. Risking more pain for his approval- like his opinion was worth anything to anyone. It seemed the poor girl had just spent too many years playing second fiddle- to Elena's beauty, her mother's job, or her father's gay lover. Not that Damon could blame her father, he had spotted a picture of Stephen in her room and he was pretty sure he had gone there a decade or so ago. Richmond's nightlife could be quite interesting at the time.

Whatever had caused Caroline's insecurity, he was planning to continue to use it- though maybe he would ease off a little bit. She was, after all, quite a force to be reckoned with when he wasn't compelling her- maybe it would be fun to tango on even terms.

"Do you have my necklace?"

"Not yet."

"Then I'm not enjoying the party." He smirked at her.

Her desire for everyone to enjoy every event she hosted would be enough to get her to try and get his crystal back off the baby Bennett witch. He didn't need to force her to do it, yet.

He swilled the cheap amber again, before downing the last of the bottle. Time to go see if his baby bro and the blonde vampire decoy had arrived yet- they had promised to come down once ready.

It really was a shame that Lexi was the first vampire to visit them since they discovered the town council were on the hunt. Damon had ripped out the throat of the first threat- a Fell descendant with the compass that could detect vampires (that Damon had now safely stashed away), but he couldn't continue killing here and getting away with it. For now, the council thought vampires could only come out at night, so he was protected by the daylight ring he wore- as was Stefan who had a matching piece. Lexi wasn't though, in her 350 years she hadn't managed to bribe a witch into making her a daylight ring, so she was stuck to the shadows. His plan for her would upset Stefan, which was admittedly a bonus, but even Damon would regret this kill.

Lexi could be fun sometimes.

He would gain the trust of the council though, and he needed it. He couldn't stay in Mystic Falls for as long as he needed if he needed to dodge them. More importantly, he would stand no chance at finding the grimoire- one of the council families had to have it.

x-x-x-x

Elena stepped through the door to the grill, scanning the scene. Caroline wouldn't let her avoid the party, but she was hoping Stefan had managed to get out of it. At the very least, she was hoping he wouldn't turn up with the blonde who had been wearing his towel. They'd only broken up a few hours before, wasn't it too fast to move on? Maybe not for vampires.

Arming herself with a coke, she stood against one of the columns, hoping that showing her face for an hour would satisfy Caroline's demands and nobody would demand more of her.

Today had been one hell of a day, first she had escorted Jeremy to the police station to give Liz Forbes their statements about Vicki's disappearance. Vicki was dead- she knew it and Stefan knew it. Damon had turned her into a vampire and Stefan had staked her in Elena's defence. Nobody else knew though, and Damon had compelled Jeremy to forget. Watching Jeremy rattle off the exact lines she had given Damon, word for word, had unsettled her. Elena hated lying, surely mind control was worse? Straight after the interview she had asked Stefan to stay away from her. To say it hurt would be an understatement, and Elena wasn't sure she had made the right choice. A part of her craved the excitement, danger and mystery that came from dating a vampire. Did that make her a terrible person?

As her thoughts drifted back to unexpectedly finding a girl dressed in nothing but a towel when she had tried to visit Stefan to fix it, a different Vampire captured her attention. Damon sauntered towards her, wearing his usual black jacket and smug grin.

Even Elena had to admit he was hot, insanely hot. Stefan had the traditional chiselled jaw, he was like a Greek god made real, but Damon was something else. Elena thought it was all in the eyes, she knew just who he was and what he was capable of and she could still get lost in those eyes if she didn't remind herself how dangerous they were.

"Big news!" He exclaimed as he came to her, using jazz hands as a gesture. He really did have too much confidence. "Stefan smiled today. Alert the media."

Elena's heart sank.

"Did that have anything to do with the girl in a towel?" She wasn't sure if she wanted the answer. It shouldn't bother her, she reminded herself. She didn't want to be Stefan's girlfriend. She didn't want any of this.

"Sure does!" Damon grinned at her, showing his devilish smile. She almost broke right then and there, her lip quivered and faster than she could react she felt herself being held.

x-x-x-x

Oh fuck, Damon thought to himself. He'd meant to tease Elena, annoying her meant annoying Stefan, and he needed a distraction. His blonde vampire bait- avoiding calling her by name was helping- hadn't arrived yet and he wanted the plan to go off without a hitch.

For some reason though, Elena was about to cry. Damon didn't want to deal with crying teenagers tonight. Especially not crying teenagers who could ruin his plan.

"Shh. Shh. Lexi is just Stefan's friend. His pal. His bestie. His b-f-f.'

Damon felt ridiculous using the language of Elena's generation, but it stopped the tears before they really began. He stepped backwards, keeping his hands on her arms and looking down on her.

"If you saw Lexi in a towel, it wasn't what you thought. Stefan has never slept with Lexi, and he never would." He paused, then added, "He couldn't, she's had the better Salvatore brother." He wriggled his eyebrows for maximum impact and Elena let out a reluctant giggle before regaining her composure.

Damon took his chance.

"She's here for Stefan's birthday, as is this little shindig. It seems the guest of honour is missing it, have you seen him?"

Elena gulped visibly in front of him, and he heard her heart skip. Something wasn't right still, and a second later he knew why.

"I haven't seen Stefan since this morning, when I asked him to stay away from me."

Damon's mouth formed an O shape as the cogs turned in his mind. If Stefan had actually listened to her- which he might have done with Lexi whispering in his ear- he might not turn up tonight. He needed a new plan. As he turned on his heel, considering which patron of the Mystic Grill to make into his unwilling new vampire target, Elena stopped him.

"What did you do to my brother?"

Damon had compelled him, but Elena knew this.

"I'm going to need a less vague question."

"When you did what you did to Jeremy's memory of Vicki, what else did you do to him?" Damon hadn't done anything other than what she asked. He wasn't even sure why he volunteered. Another baby Gilbert knowing the secret wasn't a big threat to him.

He thought back to that night. She had stood there, bleeding in front of him, and had the audacity to call him out- to slap him. He was amazed. When he'd passed by her house that night it had been to start an argument, rile her up, see that defiance again. It thrilled him.

Instead he had volunteered to be one of the good vampires- helping her out. He still didn't know why, but he had followed her instructions. He reminded her what she had asked.

"But he's acting differently." She protested- the kid had started studying, stopped drinking and drugs.

"Elena, I took away his suffering." That is what she had asked him to do. It sounded like it had worked out for the kid, so why was she complaining?

He gave her a long, hard, stare- willing her to end the conversation there. Luckily she did, turning back to her drink.

Damon looked around the grill. Still no sign of Stefan, or vampire target numero uno. Perhaps he would have more luck with the necklace- he spotted Caroline's blonde curls bouncing towards him and quickly plastered a grin on his face.

"Where is it?"

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Bonnie won't give it to me."

Damon shrugged, "So rip it off her neck." Caroline wasn't a vampire; it shouldn't burn her as it had burned him.

Unfortunately, Caroline confirmed it had. Dammit. He needed that crystal; he couldn't open the tomb without it.

"I need that crystal." He grimaced at Caroline, sharing his displeasure with her. He didn't mean to be threatening but so much of his plan was falling apart tonight he couldn't help himself from snapping at her.

"Why are you being like this? I'm so good to you. You know, it's just some stupid necklace."

There she went again, desperate for his approval. God she was pathetic. She was gorgeous enough to have any guy in this bar, but she was bending herself over backwards to accommodate him, just because she needed approval. This girl needed a wakeup call, he was done.

"No, you are the only stupid thing here." He turned away, before his anger got the better of him and he decided to twist the knife and call her out. "And shallow." That was enough, he should walk away now. He'd hurt the girl enough, hopefully enough so she would grow a backbone and know her own worth. As he turned away, he saw Elena, and his mind strayed back to Katherine and the plan. Actually, it wasn't enough- he was mad, and she should know it. He turned around once more and sneered 'And useless.'. He watched her shoulders sink before he walked off.

He needed a new plan, and he was going to go sleep on it. He sauntered out of the grill almost sure he would be returning to an empty boarding house.

x-x-x-x

Caroline shrunk within herself for a moment. Useless. She was useless. He was right.

She didn't know why she so desperately wanted to prove him wrong, but she did. The need to get this right burned in her chest, but she didn't know why. Yes, he was hot. Okay, maybe that was an understatement. He was the hottest guy in Mystic Falls. She beamed with pride, she had got the hottest guy in Mystic Falls. She couldn't help the grin that lit up her face.

Yeah, he was a dick. He hadn't treated her right from the start- she knew that. He was little, okay a lot, kinky- and he would snap at her. She shouldn't want to be with him, and she didn't. Not really. She wanted to know she could be, and to know she could be she had to get this right.

She needed Bonnie's necklace.

On a mission, she went to find Bonnie.

As she spotted her, Caroline deflated herself. Let Bonnie come to her, a good guilt trip should fic this.

"Caroline."

"Don't talk to me."

"Don't do that, let me explain." Bonnie's features creased with concern. Caroline knew she had the advantage.

"What is there to explain? You get to keep something that isn't yours, and I get called stupid, shallow and useless. That's the price." That ought to do it, Bonnie would be handing it over any second.

Bonnie didn't fold however, she tried to blame Damon.

"Don't let him treat you like that."

"Yeah, as opposed to how my best friend treats me." Caroline knew that was a low blow, but walking away at this exact moment should work. It had worked a dozen times before. Caroline wasn't useless, she almost always got her own way. Unless it was a choice between her and Elena of course.

A few steps later she was at the bar. She sat and waited. 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, Bonnie would be handing her necklace over any moment now. Once Caroline got to 10 Mississippi she had to admit she was wrong. She risked slowly turning around. Bonnie wasn't even considering coming over, she was arm and arm with Elena- both leaving.

Maybe she was useless?

Not only had she not got the necklace, but she'd also deliberately manipulated Bonnie. Why? Sure it wouldn't be the first time, but every time before it had been over something important like a boy or cheerleading. Caroline froze. Is that who she was? Someone who cared more about boys or hobbies than her friends? She bit back tears. Yep, that's who Caroline Forbes was. Damon was right, she was shallow.

She needed a drink.