Disclaimer: L.J. Smith created these characters and the CW created this universe. I just play in it.

Author's Note: Hello, all! Time to post this since the Delena goodness we've been waiting so patiently for seems to have a cop-out plot excuse. (Damon sire-bond? Can't she like him back just cuz?)

So this fic is a bit different from the last. We're in the season 3 universe, with the exception of the whole dark-Alaric thing, and this is an original plot. Klaus needs human-Elena safe for an endless supply of hybrids, Stefan is trying to keep his emotions turned off, and Damon and Alaric are fast friends, trying to get this Originals thing under control. Oh yeah, and Elena has only an inkling about Damon's feelings for her, but he is still a lovable asshole who is alternately friendly and… inappropriate. Have fun.

Prologue

The remote Highland pub provided little shelter from the brutal winds swirling in the dark. Inside, the inhabitants paid no mind to the foreboding weather, save one scared and foolish man.

"So the legend is true," said his cloaked companion, stroking his chin and leaning back in his chair. "The blood of a doppelganger, freely given… could it really have such power?"

"I'm not rightly sure about the legend, but the existence of a Petrova doppelganger? That's true enough," the man said, his eyes darting about the pub to see if anyone was listening. The bartender had his back to them, polishing a pint glass with a dirty towel, and the few other patrons seemed to be involved in their own conversation in the corner.

"Calm yourself, old man. You forget our hearing is… exceptional. Your whispers mean nothing here," the cloaked man said, his tone bored but his eyes shining.

His fears were confirmed; he was the only human here. He pressed on. "From what we know, a doppelganger only comes around every five hundred years. My sources tell me that Katerina's still about, only she's been turned vampire these long years."

The cloaked man made an indistinct noise of impatience. "Then why bother telling me this, you fool?"

"Didn't I say every five hundred years? There's another one," he said, a rush of bravery filling his words with impertinence.

"Another?" the cloaked man repeated, suddenly more interested.

The old man nodded. "Across the sea; in America, she is."

"Hm. Care to be a bit more specific?" he said dryly.

"I've researched her bloodline and it led me to only one logical place: Virginia. Mystic Falls, Virginia."

The cloaked man stood. "Thank you for your assistance. Is that the extent of your knowledge?"

The old man sighed. "I have but one last piece of the puzzle to share, but…" He hesitated, knowing that once he said his piece, he was done for.

"Spare me your insignificant worries; you knew your fate the moment you came to us," he said without emotion. "Her name, please."

He swallowed thickly, knowing he was condemning the girl, but he'd come this far… "Elena Gilbert."

"The most useful final words a man has ever uttered," the cloaked man said. He glanced at the small group huddled across the tavern. "He's yours to do with as you wish." He strode out into the dark, impervious to the screams of his informant, his mind already on travel arrangements.

Chapter 1

"Stop, stop!" Elena shrieked, doubling over in pain.

"What, can't keep up?" Caroline smirked, jogging in place.

"Caroline, this isn't fair," Elena said, trying not to whine. "I'm only human," she said, holding her side and gasping for breath. She tried to think of the last time she ran for the sake of exercise and came up blank.

"Hey, you said you wanted to go for a run; it's not my fault all your best friends are supernatural beings. Besides, haven't you had enough practice running for your life? A jog around town should be a cakewalk for you," she teased.

"Ha ha, very funny," Elena replied. "I think what's missing is the adrenaline rush that comes with trying not to get killed. But you're right; it was dumb to go for a run with a vampire."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You're not dumb, Elena. I'm just messing with you. I actually like this new running thing – it's refreshingly normal, and we haven't had a lot of normal in our lives lately." She looked Elena up and down, noting the sweat making Elena's shirt stick to her back, something Caroline definitely didn't miss about being human. "Still, you're a hot mess. Tell you what: let's run – I mean, jog – back to your house. You can take a shower and we can go shopping instead. It's been forever since we just went to the mall to hang out."

Elena thought it over. "Ok, let's go. It makes for a better distraction anyway," she said, turning around and giving a pointed look to the figure tailing them. Klaus kept her on 24/7 security detail and it was driving her crazy.

"Hear that? You can stalk us at the mall like a normal high school loser," Caroline shouted at the man. "Come on," she said to Elena, a wicked glint in her eye. "Last one there is hybrid food!"

Elena groaned. "Not fair!" she said, already taking off after Caroline.

"Also not fair," Elena said, eyeing Caroline as she dramatically sipped the last of her milkshake.

"Why? Because I'm a vampire with eternally impressive physique?" she said, playfully flexing her muscles for the food court crowd.

"Yes, and free to drink all the milkshakes you want," Elena said wistfully, playing with the straw in her Diet Coke.

She jumped a little bit as someone appeared next to her. "You could stand to drink a milkshake or two," Damon said, plopping down beside her, grabbing her Diet Coke without asking and taking a long sip.

"Hey!" she protested. "Get your own drink."

"Are you offering?" Damon said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Ugh, no," Elena said, reflexively sliding her hand up to cover her neck.

"I still say you need a milkshake. Skin and bones, sister," Damon said, pinching the side of her ribs.

"Stop that," she said, swatting his hand away.

"I'm just sayin', you need a little meat on you. Then your milkshake would bring all the boys to the yard."

"What are you doing here, Damon?" Caroline said, exasperated.

"Same as you, doll. Shopping with the Sweet Valley High crowd. Let's see what we've got here." He reached across Elena to steal a peek at the bags they'd accumulated, accidentally-on-purpose brushing his arm across her breasts in the process. He ignored her eye roll and sifted through the closest bag. "Boring shirt, boring shirt… bingo!" He pulled out a matching panties and bra set, holding it up to Elena. "Nice."

"Damon!" Elena grabbed it out of his hands and stuffed it back into the bag. "This is not for you to touch."

"Oh, give it time, you'll change your mind," he said confidently.

"Not likely," Caroline snorted.

"Shut it, Barbie," he said. "Now let's get back to the matter at hand," he said, gesturing to the lingerie bag. "I know you bought it in blue, Elena, but I think we need to go back to the store. I picture you more in red."

"Picture all you want, Damon, it's not happening," Elena said firmly.

"See that, Caroline?" he said. "She's already encouraging me to fantasize about her."

Elena needed to derail this topic of conversation, and fast. "I'm sorry, what are you doing here again?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

Damon drained the last of her Diet Coke, earning another irritated look. He slid his arm across the back of her seat. "Elena, buddy, I thought we were firmly in the friends zone. Can't a friend just stop by to say hi?" he said with innocence.

"A normal friend, yes. But somehow I don't envision you hanging out at the Mystic Falls Mall for the hell of it. So spill," she commanded.

Damon sighed dramatically. "Fine, if you must know, I took a break from my death-to-Originals plotting to check in on you."

"Why? Klaus already has that covered," Elena said, glancing over to the table full of hybrids, trying their best to look nonchalant as they choked down nachos.

"Just a little favor for Alaric," he said casually.

"Come on, Damon, I don't have time to play games. What's going on? Is Alaric ok?" Elena said, starting to get worried.

"But there are so many interesting games we could play," he said, lightly tracing a finger up her arm.

Elena wasn't having it. She grabbed his wrist. "Damon, please," she pleaded.

He gave up. She was no fun. "Alaric is fine. He just sensed something was amiss because there may or may not have been a break in at the house."

"A break in?" Caroline interrupted. "Is he ok? Did they take anything?"

Elena let go of his wrist, relieved. Damon continued. "He's fine, nothing was taken or destroyed that he could tell, but everything was slightly askew. Things were just enough out of place that he knew it wasn't Elena and her normal routine."

"That's so weird," Caroline said.

"I don't understand," Elena frowned. "Who would want to go through my house? What could they be looking for?"

"We don't know," Damon said, glancing down long enough to reply to a text from Alaric.

"What?" Elena asked, leaning closer to look at his phone.

"Nothing, I'm just telling him that you're fine and reassuring him that I didn't freak you out about the break in. Honestly, with the year you've had, this is a mere blip on the crazy scale," Damon said.

"True, but still…" Elena said, frowning and chewing her lip.

"Hey, relax," Damon said, stowing his phone back into his pocket. "Look around you, what do you see? Hybrids, Vampire Barbie, and most importantly, me… with a Bennett witch on standby. We're like a supernatural Justice League looking out for your safety."

Caroline crossed her arms. "Would you stop it with the 'Vampire Barbie' cracks? I have it on good authority that you spend way more time on your hair than I do, 'Vampire Ken'," she said with air quotes.

"Don't forget Stefan," Elena said quietly.

Damon's sarcastic reply to Caroline died on his lips. He withdrew his arm from Elena's chair. "How could I?" he said. "Yes, let's not forget my baby brother, currently walking the fine line between recovering bloodoholic and emo hoodie guy. You've got Stefan watching out for you too, though God knows where he is right now."

Elena sighed. Things with Stefan were so awkward right now. From what she could tell, he had freed himself from Klaus and was becoming more and more like the Stefan she first met. But he had done and said so much as Stefan the Ripper that it was hard to separate the two in her mind. She looked at Damon. He had been through quite a journey himself since she met him – how strange that now she found herself trusting him more than she trusted Stefan. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Now was not the time to think about all that.

"Care, you want to take a bathroom break?" she said.

"Sure," Caroline said, reaching for her purse. "Watch our bags?" she asked Damon sweetly.

"It would be my pleasure," he replied, matching her tone with a sarcastic edge.

Elena turned to Damon. "And you? Hands out of the bags. I don't want to come back and have anything misplaced… or in a different color," she warned.

"No trust? You wound me, Elena," he said, clasping his hand over his heart.

"You'll get over it," Elena replied, suppressing a smile. She held in her comments until they were in the restroom, far from his hearing and surprisingly alone.

"What do you think, Caroline?" she said, still worried about Alaric.

"I think he's into you. But surely you know that. He could have called you to check on you, but he showed up here. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. He's always hanging around, too. Like, more than usual since you two finished with your 'let's find and fix Stefan' mission."

Elena blushed. "I didn't mean that. I meant about the break in."

"Oh. Well I have no idea," Caroline said, touching up her makeup. "I think that – aah!" Caroline dropped her lip gloss and doubled over in agony.

"Caroline!" Elena shrieked, watching her fall to the floor. "Are those wooden bullets?" She knelt to her side and looked for exit wounds.

"Yes, but luckily you're easier to subdue," said a voice from behind her – in a strange accent. She opened her mouth to scream… and then the world went black.

Author's note: Just a teaser, I'm afraid. Next time, on Blood of the Doppelganger: Who attacked Elena and Caroline, and why? Stefan reaches out to someone from his past for answers, and one of the members of Scooby's gang gets bodyguard duty.