A/N: Here's the new chapter! So, whose silhouette it is going to be? ;) Thank you so much guys for following, favoriting and especially reviewing!

Tell you what... since you all made the last time a total success, what do you say we do it again? As soon as the 200th review is reached, the next chapter will be published! BUT... now that I know you, my (logged out) crafty reviewers, I would like to ask you to play along and talk to your friends about the story or put a link on your Tumblr/Twitter/whatever... The more readers, the more reviews to keep this story very alive :)

Now, enough with the rambling, happy reading! (:

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters. This is a work of fiction written for entertainment purposes, but the original characters and original storylines present in "My Paper Heart" are my own work.

KATHERINE'S POV

I was really annoyed with myself when I realized I was lurking at the edge of the woods. It was so beneath me. And yet, here I was. Hidden and pacing impatiently outside the high school to get a chance to talk to her.

The sound of slamming doors snapped me out of my thoughts. I raised my eyebrows in surprise when I realized Maya was the cause of it. What was she doing outside all by herself? Something was wrong. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she was acting like a vampire without her daylight ring. She started running with what looked like extreme difficulty in my direction. I could hear her ragged breathing and recognized she was in pain. Something was definitely wrong. My first instinct when raw groans started to pass her lips was to dash off and help her. But I controlled my impulse. I wasn't sure she would want my help. She probably wouldn't even want to see me. I stayed hidden, but kept my eyes locked on her. She reached the edge of the woods and stopped a reasonable distance from me, stumbling a few times before finally crashing hard on her knees. Her fall sent my previous consideration to hell.

I sped toward her, but stopped dead in my tracks, a few feet away, when I heard her scream. It was powerful, and filled with such incredible pain and despair that it froze me to the bone.
After shaking myself out of my shocked state, I started coming closer to her again when I heard her whisper something while trying painfully to lift her heavy eyelids. I froze instantly once more when I saw her eyes. The beautiful icy blue was gone. In place of her natural color were two shining bronze orbs with a black outer rim and incredibly small, dark pupils. They were impervious and piercing. I instinctively edged backwards. I stood there hesitantly for a few seconds before her body suddenly went limp. I flashed and caught her head before it hit the ground. She was unconscious.

The closest place to shelter her was her house- but I couldn't get in. My hotel room was at the outskirts of the town, right behind the high school, but I wasn't thrilled with the thought of revealing my favorite hide-out to one of them. I glanced quickly at the front doors of the school, expecting to see her cavalry arriving. But the front steps remained deserted.

A clicking sound made me look at Maya again, and I thought for a second that she was about to wake up. The noise was coming from her teeth, chattering with fever. She needed to be taken care of. I slid my hand behind her head to her shoulder, hooking my other arm behind her knees. I picked her up carefully, leaning her body against my chest, and sped as fast as I could.

I barged in the bed & breakfast, carrying Maya quickly toward the stairs.

"Oh my! What happened to this lovely young lady?" Mrs. Flowers asked in an old-fashioned, alarmed tone.

"I need some water and a clean towel," I directed, already halfway up the stairs. "And extra comforters."

"Sure thing, dear!" she exclaimed, already disappearing behind her private door.

I kicked open the door of my room. Taking two more steps, I laid her down on the bed cautiously. Her clothes were already soaked through with sweat. I reached for the door and closed it quietly. Then, I turned around and examined her thoroughly. Her clothes needed to be removed before her state got worse.

Undoing the zippers, I gently took off her buckled boots and tossed them carelessly on the floor. Grabbing her wrist carefully, I removed the bandage around her hand. Her knuckles were, surprisingly, not that swollen- and already tinged with shades of brown and yellow. This was interesting, knowing that I had perfectly heard them break last night. I let go of her arm and sat down next to her on the bed.

Straightening her limp torso up to lean her head on my shoulder, I grabbed the hem of her emerald neck tie top and pulled it up softly. While putting her down on the bed, I couldn't help but notice her lacy black bra. My fingers moved to the top of her jeans to undo the buttons. When the hem of her tiny matching panties appeared underneath, I had a hard time keeping my focus. I reminded myself that she was sick and, incidentally, unconscious. I smiled at her choice of underwear for a school day, though. Just a regular girl, huh?

I grabbed the sides of her pants and pulled them down, keeping my eyes locked on her feet. Picking up her top, I threw them both on the chair next to the bed. I went to take the corner of the bed sheets and cover her up when my eyes landed once again on her practically naked body. I couldn't refrain myself this time from let them roam over her entire figure. It was incredibly firm and muscled, but soft and curved in all the right places. Her caramel skin was shining with sweat. She was beautiful.

A soft knock against the door snapped out of my awe. I pulled the covers over Maya and stood up to open the door.

"Thank you, Mrs. Flowers. You can put the bowl on the bedside table," I informed her in a distinguished tone. "Could you wash and dry these for me?" I handed her the drenched clothes. The old woman gave Maya a sympathetic look.

"Of course, dear. Does the poor thing need anything else?"

"I will let you know." I grabbed the handle of the door and stood behind it to encourage her to leave. I closed the door after her and walked toward the bedside table. Dampening the towel a few times with cool water, I wrung it out a little bit before delicately laying it across her forehead. I went over her face slowly with it, dabbing her sweat.

Illness was an unfamiliar weakness to vampires. Unless, of course, you inopportunely crossed the path of a werewolf. The last person I took care of like this was my little sister. That had been more than 500 years ago. I still remembered the patient administrations of care- but doing them made me feel incredibly awkward. The situation was way too human for me.
Plus, the mysterious torment she was so obviously enduring reminded me of how painful and terrifying it had been to go through the deadly urges of being a new vampire. Especially as a teenage girl with no one left in the world to guide you by the hand, and soothe your soul with loving words.

I looked at her bitterly, starting to regret rescuing her. But, since I had been stupid enough to bring her here in the first place, I focused on dampening the towel again to brush the thoughts from my mind. I removed the covers and started to wipe the sweat from her neck and chest. She was still shivering, her muscles twitching randomly every now and then. I gently slid my hand under her shoulders and turned her to one side so that I could clean the sweat wetting her entire back. After letting her rest on the bed again, I refreshed the towel once more and put it down on her forehead.

Even in her current state of drenched hair and gaunt features, her resemblance to Damon was astounding. Now that she was unconscious, I was quite free to scrutinize her face. She had the same defined, dark eyebrows as he did. The same high cheekbones, too. The same fleshy lips. But her features were infinitely more delicate… she really could have been his sister. My lips curled upward at the thought. Damon would have loved it- back in 1864. He would have had someone a lot like himself to get him through the constant belittlements from his father and the competition building between him and his saintly innocent brother.

Maya would have been a great support for him, because their resemblance extended beyond just physical traits. They both radiated similar charisma and nonchalance. She was equally and annoyingly as stubborn as Damon. They both shared a witty spirit and an obvious fondness for snarky comments. They had the same way of hiding themselves behind thick walls to keep people at bay.

But there was actually a big difference between Damon and Maya. It was that difference which kept me from falling in love with him instead of Stefan back in 1864.

Damon was acting reckless and tough, using inappropriate one-liners and rude jokes to push other people away. It was a defense mechanism that allowed him to escape the possibility of rejection, to see deception in people's eyes. But the truth was, he was desperately seeking love and approval, and had been since the very first day I met him. It was this desperate and constant need that had always prevented me from feeling anything more than ambiguous feelings for him. Becoming a vampire had only increased that side of him, even though he was now much better at hiding it.

Maya was the exact opposite. She was using the same trick to keep her distance, but for a different purpose. I had observed her long enough to know that she wasn't seeking love for two substantial reasons.

First, she was furiously independent. This was evidence by the way she had banished both of the Salvatore brothers from being her body guards. And the way she kept walking around alone, even though she knew I was after her. You just had to also consider the fact that she was an eighteen orphan girl living in a big, empty house in the realization that she had no problem enjoying her own company.
Second, she was reserved about pretty much every aspect of her life. She always had that detached attitude about everyone and everything that made you think that even after a hurricane, she would still be standing there with the same unfazed expression on her face.

From my own experience, I knew for a fact that it was nearly impossible to keep a secret when you were a part of a Scooby gang. Especially their supernatural, messed up Scooby gang. And yet, she had successfully kept at least two significant secrets from them for two years.

And despite all of that- despite all the barriers she had build up to keep people away- she had caring and protective friends. She was loved despite herself. And that was highly ironical once you had figured out that the last thing she wanted was love. She was actually running away from it.

The only one who seemed to really break her defenses, and deeply touch her heart, was Elena. Which was beyond irritating, but awfully convenient for me. For once, being a doppelganger would serve my goals. I just needed to figure out if those feelings were a dead end for sure.

No matter how many times I tried to cool her down, she was still burning with fever. Her sweat had dampened the sheets. She had already been unconscious for six hours. If her fever didn't come down within the next few hours, I would have to take her to the hospital. Knowing now for sure that she was part of the supernatural world, I would need to find a compliant doctor free from vervain. With the town council's latest antics, there likely wouldn't be one anywhere nearby. It was a real risk, but one I would have to take if push came to shove.

I gazed down at her trembling form and made a decision. Standing up and walking toward the bathroom while taking off my top, I opened the door and left it that way. Unbuttoning my jeans, I removed them and grabbed the handle of the shower door to open it. Then, I made my way back to the bed and called Mrs. Flowers to put in a request for her to change the bed sheets and wait for me in the bedroom.

I tossed the covers aside and hooked my arms around Maya's nearly naked body, picking her up. When I straightened myself up, her head rolled against my collar bone and landed in the crook of my neck. A weak hum passed her lips and the twang reverberated through my throat, causing shivers to run down my spine. Damn it! This situation was a constant, fucking temptation.

"If you wake up now and cry foul, I'll snap your neck," I growled under my breath while carrying her into the bathroom and stepping into the shower. I cautiously let go of her legs and snaked my arm firmly around her lower back to support her body into a standing position. Reaching my hand out, I flipped the nozzle on. The spray of cool water made her tense and unconsciously lean further into me. I grabbed her thick hair and held it over her shoulder so the water could cool down her neck and back. I rubbed my hand slowly over her limbs to wipe the sweat away. When I reached the small of her back, I gritted my teeth and took an urgent breath. I quickly moved my hand away and raised it to wrap my palm and fingers around the back of her skull. I pulled her head back softly and placed it under the cool stream. I kept her in this position for a while so the water could impact her body temperature. I locked my eyes on her face in the meanwhile to kill time and prevent myself from glancing down at her figure in soaked, sexy lingerie. The water was running fluidly along her contours, except for a few droplets that had formed above the outline of her mouth, languidly flowing here and there upon her fleshy lips. The sight of it was quite mesmerizing. The only thing I wanted at this precise moment was to catch one of the beads with the tip of my tongue… If I kissed her now, it was highly unlikely that she would remember it. She would probably not even feel it. I slowly leaned closer and locked my eyes on her lips when I noticed they were turning purple. I quickly turned off the water and carried her outside the shower.

I wrapped her in a big towel and rubbed her through it to get her mostly dry, my own body and hair drawing a small puddle around my feet. I dumped the linens carelessly into the basket and took her into my arms again. Her body was slightly cooler and finally cleared from sweat. This meant that I could feel now how soft and silky her skin was against mine. I needed to put her back in bed as quickly as possible before I lost it. I liked to think that I had perfected my self-control over the years- but there was only so much even I could take.

When I entered the room, the bed sheets had been changed and Mrs. Flowers was waiting patiently for me with a warm smile on her lips. Compulsion really was one of the vampire tricks I liked the most. I laid Maya down on the mattress and swayed toward my dresser. Since she seemed to like lace, I picked up a deep purple lacy boy short with matching bra.

"You will change her into those while I dry off and get dressed," I ordered Mrs. Flowers, handing her the lingerie. She was a distinguished old lady with a strong tendency to smother. I knew she would take good care of Maya without any dirty, ulterior motives in mind. I disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. Once I had dried my hair and slipped on my clothes, I went out to find Maya alone, tucked neatly into the sheets. The thought of taking a quick glance under the covers to see what she looked like in my underwear crossed my mind, but I put a hand on her forehead instead. She still had a fever, but it had come down a considerable amount. I settled comfortably in the chair next to the bed and watched over her.

I used to think that the reason I was attracted to her was due to her resemblance with Damon. I had lied to her when she asked me why I hadn't hurt her before, when our path crossed during the last two years. I would have turned her into a vampire without blinking. That part was true. But I would not have let her be used as the vampire in Klaus' sacrifice. Just like I couldn't possibly let Damon die if I had a chance of saving him without jeopardize my own survival.

But once I had the opportunity to get to know Maya a little bit more, I realized the pull I was feeling towards her was more than just physical. She was a better version of Damon. A lovable version of him. At least as far as I was concerned.

Of course, that fact was highly insignificant compared to my interest in her supernatural secret. Since the very first day she had unmasked me on the sidewalk, I knew I would not rest until I found out what she was. She had me drawn into her with curiosity.

A flash of what happened on her porch last night suddenly passed through my head, causing me to groan unwillingly.

I usually kept my temper in check around humans. They were so breakable- yet so annoying. Tricky combination. But Maya made me lose it.

Though it was far from the first time someone had called me a cold-hearted selfish bitch, it made me furious to hear her say it. The fact that she admitted she believed there was more about me than I was willing to show in the same sentence made her words cut unexpectedly deep. And there was no reasonable explanation for it. After all, I couldn't care less about what people thought of me.

I shouldn't have pinned her by her throat. I should have let go of her as soon as she hit the door… but my biggest mistake had been to kiss her. She was incredibly proud and had firmly resisted me for over a week. I knew- even back then- that forcing myself on her was counterproductive, and would only spur her determination to reject me all the more.

But I hadn't been able to restrain myself. The rage she threw at me and the boldness she had shown just turned me on beyond belief. And here was my mistake. I hadn't expected the effect she had on me. This kiss had ignited a surprisingly wild, burning desire inside of me, making me hate the way she looked at me afterwards. The fury, disgust and hurt so evident in her eyes. I had been restless since then at the thought that I had probably broken the thin connection that had slowly emerged between the two of us.

I sighed heavily at the reminder, because if I was being honest with myself, I knew already what this was about. She had remained unfazed by my seductive tricks, my witty lines and my persuasive moves. She had seen through every single of my manipulations and schemes- even the spell I had Lucy cast. She was constantly driving me into a corner, leaving me no choice but to face the barest, rawest part of me. It was a side of her that I loved as much as I hated. Because it was awakening a part of myself that I had buried long ago. I wasn't completely certain I liked the fact that she was bringing up feelings I would rather leave dead.

I wrinkled my eyebrows in annoyance. All this introspection she was causing by her presence was truly starting to get on my nerves. I considered picking her up right then and there and taking her to the boarding house to drop her discreetly on the Salvatore brothers' doorstep. The idea was really tempting, but I reminded myself that taking care of her would probably help me by redeeming myself in her eyes.