A/N: Hello, there. Alrighty, so I started this before 5x13 aired, so I'm sorry if it doesn't go along with the recent events.

Be warned, if you're a Katherine fan, this probably isn't the fic for you. After 5x12, I just couldn't help but hate her.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please leave by a review! :) Shout out to Siberia21: Dear, I'm so totally sorry I didn't send this to you first, but I was just so anxious to post it! Your opinion is always the most important, though :)

Her spirit wants to jolt out of her body, wants to soar high and high into the deep blue sky above her form and get lost in the twinkling stars. But for some reason, she latches on, grabs ahold of something, anything, as tight as she can manage. And then shes still there, looking out of her eyes but unable to speak or move for herself. Because somebody else is already in that position.

Hatred fills her up like smoke, thick and clouding. Katherine laughs at her.

You don't give up, do you?

Go to hell, she spits back.

Looks like I won't be, after all Katherine thinks smugly, and Elena hurls every bad word at her that she had always held back from saying out loud. It does nothing, just makes her laugh, because she knows she's won.

For now, at least.

Katherine smiles flirtatiously at Stefan, using Elena's smile, wearing Elena's clothes and trying to say things that Elena would say.

Stefan looks confused, but also relieved. It's not me! She screams, but he doesn't hear her, only hears Katherine's honeyed words.

While her doppelgänger is focused entirely on the youngest Salvatore, Elena is looking vehemently around for the older one.

You won't find him, Katherine sing-songs to her.

Elena doesn't like the smugness in her voice, the tone that tells her she did something horrible.

What'd you do? She asks, her, or Katherine's, stomach sinking.

I did you a favor, Katherine sneers. Suddenly she's looking at Damon in a memory, a memory she doesn't remember living. It must've been when she was struggling to stay in her body.

I need you, he's telling her. His eyes are burning, burning in that special way that she loves. Love. God, she loves him so much. Loves him more than she's ever loved anyone else, she knows that now.

But then her own lips are moving, saying things that aren't true, and then she tells him it's over. The burning in his eyes simmer until they completely die out.

Elena sobs, shaking with an odd combination of grief and anger. Katherine ignores her and continues talking with Stefan, grinning and twirling her hair, while Elena vows revenge.

Katherine falls into routine of becoming Elena, just barely fooling everyone. She knows that Caroline is more easily deceived, and Stefan too, so she spends most of her time around them. Bonnie, on the other hand, and Jeremy, she tries to avoid. They're the ones who narrow their eyes at the things she says, who watch her more closely.

Elena tries to not think of replies to people's questions about her, but sometimes she can't help it, and Katherine takes advantage of it. More and more, Katherine is her nailing her persona more and more deeply into the ground, and she fears that soon she'll be become dormant.

Damon makes himself scarce, barely ever around and most definitely avoiding her-Katherine. The few times she's seen him, she lights up inside, while Katherine darkens with nervousness.

You're scared, Elena mocks. You know that eventually he'll realize it's not me and then make sure you stay dead next time.

I'm not scared of anything, Katherine scoffs. Maybe I just don't want to deal with post breakup awkwardness.

Elena ignores the latter half. Don't underestimate Damon Salvatore, she says, her voice tinged with pride. Katherine makes a disgusted sound and goes back to what she was doing.

It's her lips pressed to Stefan's, his hands cupping her face and her waist, but it's Katherine's heart who's in it. Elena is fuming inside, trying to block out what's happening while Katherine shoves her tongue down Stefan's throat.

I hate you! Elena wails. I hate you ihateyouihateyouihateyou-

Shut it, Katherine growls and shoves her away.

He's only kissing you because he thinks its me! She taunts. Once he finds out you stole my body, he'll hate you.

I said shut up! Katherine thinks harshly and again attempts to smother her down, but Elena forces herself back up persistently. But it doesn't matter, because Elena knows she hit her in the spot where it hurts the most.

The front door slams closed, and Elena's heart picks up when she sees Damon standing there. He narrows his eyes and shoots Stefan a look filled with betrayal before stomping out.

"Damon, wait!" Stefan calls after him, while Katherine hides her smirk and covers her face with a sad look.

"Stefan..." She starts, but he turns around to glare at her. And then his expression changes to confusion when he stares into her eyes.

"You know, it almost looks like your enjoying this." He says, narrowing his eyes. Elena jumps up and down with glee while Katherine stutters.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Stefan." She replies, feigning to be hurt.

He stares at her for a beat longer, all the while Elena screaming at him to realize what has happened.

But then he sighs and heads towards the door. "I'm going after him. God knows Enzo will have a field day when he sees another opportunity to get Damon to go off the deep end."

Katherine blinks in understanding while Elena screams in frustration.

While Elena is laying underneath Stefan, it's Katherine who's moaning and writhing in pleasure. Elena is sick with disgust as Stefan's tongue touches her neck, and his hands cup her breasts. Once, she enjoyed this. Loved it, loved him. But now there's only one person she wants to be underneath, or on top, or on her knees...

Ugh, would you stop? I'm kind of in the middle of something here, if you don't mind, Katherine thinks, once again trying to push Elena firmly into the recesses of her being. But she doesn't budge an inch.

I do mind, actually, Elena hisses.

I know, Katherine remarks snidely and goes back to do whatever it was she was doing with her hands. Ugh.

So Elena distracts herself with memories of the nights she spent with Damon. The way his soft hair felt between her fingers, how he'd shudder when she scratched her nails against his scalp. His flawless skin bare against hers, the moonlight casting his eyes an impossibly silvery blue as he hovered over her. His legs tangled with hers, lips hard yet somehow soft on her skin, his length throbbing inside of her...

Seriously, stop. Your little fantasies are totally turning me off.

They aren't fantasies, they're memories, She replies wistfully.

Katherine doesn't reply, and a moment later she feels her climax course through her. Elena shudders with disgust while Katherine plops down on the bed, exhausted.

The memories of Damon leave an aching pain inside of her that throbs dully. She curls in on herself to try and diminish it.

You're really hung up on him, aren't you? Katherine asks.

It's a moment before Elena replies, I love him.

Katherine is quiet, before she replies, her voice surprisingly free of sarcasm. I'm starting to see that.

Days pass, and those days turn into weeks, with Katherine still in control of Elena's body all the while. Her fury diminishes each day, until it eventually turns into resignation. When Katherine senses this, smugness fills her up so entirely that it makes Elena nauseated.

While Katherine busies herself with her fake relationship with Stefan, Elena spends her time thinking of Damon, watching Damon, and thinking of Damon some more. The times when she sees him are the highlights of her days. Most of the time, a man named Enzo is by his side, and Elena thinks of the vampire as a tiny devil whispering in Damon's ear while there's no angel to whisper into his other ear. She recognizes the careless expression on his face; it's the one he wore when he first sauntered into Mystic Falls, and it worries her. The Damon she had come to know; the one who always tried to do right by her but somehow still couldn't contain the darkness inside of him, that was the Damon she had gotten used to and had fallen in love with. But this Damon was practically a stranger to her, and that worried her. What worried her more was that she didn't seem to care that he was killing people regularly again; she still loved him. Irrevocably.

To his credit, Stefan did seem to do his best to control Damon, which Elena respected. Katherine, however, looked as if she had no thought of Damon whenever they were in the same room. And Elena could see the flash of pain in his eyes when Katherine- or she- brushed him off. It baffled Elena; didn't he get just a little bit suspicious that she could drop Damon so quickly? Didn't he remember their summer together? Didn't he remember that when he first woke up every morning, he found a fresh cup of coffee next to him and Elena beaming at him, wearing that expression that screamed a love so deep that there were no doubts about it? Was he so insecure that he could think that she could fall in love with him so deeply and then out of love in a blink of an eye, like some hormonal middle schooler? Of course he could; what was she thinking? Damon was one of the most insecure people she had ever met, at least when it came to love.

While Elena was thinking all this, Katherine decided to chime in. Of course he's insecure when it comes to love. Who do you think made him that way? She says proudly, as if breaking, no, stomping, on Damon's heart was an accomplishment.

He loved and waited to save you for over a century, and you act like your proud of it. You deserve to rot in hell. Elena replies vehemently, disgust and anger coursing through her. Surprisingly, Katherine doesn't reply, and she's shocked when a tiny twinge of remorse comes and go in a blink of an eye.

One night, Elena wakes up, and knows instantly that something is wrong. Katherine's thoughts are completely silent, which means that she's asleep. And when Katherine is asleep, then usually Elena is asleep as well. Except that right now, she isn't...

Testing herself, Elena swings her legs over the bed silently and stands up, throwing a glance at the sleeping Stefan next to her.

She's actually in control. Fully, completely and absolutely in control of her own body. Oh, how she wants to scream with joy and jump up and down. But she doesn't; if she's going to do this, she has to be very, very careful so that Katherine doesn't wake up and take control again.

She looks back at Stefan, considering. She could wake him up, explain what has happened and try to convince him to believe her. Tell him things, small things, that only he would know about, that Katherine would have no recollection of because she never lived it. But something stops her, and her eyes draw over to the door.

Damon. She wants Damon.

She steals along the hallway, the lacy black night gown that Katherine had chosen to wear that night fluttering behind her. Once she gets to his door, Elena takes a deep breath and pushes it open as quietly as she can, keeping her thoughts equally as quiet. And then she sees him laying there, sleeping. It brings back so many memories of their summer together that she wants to double over with nostalgia.

His inky hair is stark against the white pillows, and the moonlight is reflecting off his bare chest, making it glow inhumanly. She steps closer, and sinks with softness when she sees the stubble gracing his jaw. She remembers him compulsively shaving every morning, remembers pleading with him to leave the dark whiskers be because she liked the way it felt against her face and neck when he would kiss her. She remembers sitting on his bathroom counter, wearing nothing but his shirt while he stood in front of her and let her run the razor down his perfect jaw, while he teased that she would nick him and ruin his 'perfect face'.

The memories cause a painful sadness to steal over her, and she stands up taller and shakes the past away to do what she is here to do. Quietly, she sits on his bed and runs a finger down his cheek. He stirs a little, then startles awake when his eyes land on her.

Damon looks up at her with an unreasdable expression. "Bored of my brother already?" He asks without emotion.

The way he spits out his words makes her flinch, but she doesn't back down. "Damon, you have to help me." She says urgently, helplessly. The tone of her voice must alert him, for he immediately sits up.

"What's wrong?" He asks, looking over her for invisible injuries. There he is, her Damon.

"I don't have much time." She whispers, checking to make sure Katherine's mind is still silent. "It's Katherine. She took my body. All these weeks, it's been her. It was her who broke up with you, not me. Her who sought out Stefan. Her who's pretending to be me. I'm stuck inside, just like the way Matt was. That girl, her daughter, helped to do a spell so that she could take over my body. Damon-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, just calm down. When exactly did this happen?" He asked, lowering his voice and keeping his eyes guarded.

Elena pressed her lips together and thought. "It was... It was the night of Matt's party. I was running to you, remember? We hugged, and then, then she was there, inside of me."

Damon is silent for a long moment, looking her over, from her face and down to the lacy nightgown that Elena would never chose to wear herself. And then she sees it in his eyes; he believes her. Oh, she wants to cry with happiness.

And cry she does. Tears start falling down her face and she chokes on her sobs. "Damon." She sniffles. "I've been watching you, missing you. I don't love Stefan, she does. I love you, I'll always love you! You you you you you!Please, believe me." She cries out passionately. Damon hesitates a moment, an unreadable expression gracing his face as he watches cry. Then, his shoulders fall and he pulls her closer, gathering her in his arms.

She clutches on to him greedily, burying her face into his chest and inhaling his scent while her nails dig into his back. "I've missed you so much. You can't imagine how it was; having to be there while she's with Stefan, watching her disregard you like you were nothing. I love you, Damon. I love you so, so much. Please believe me!" She sobs into his shoulder.

He strokes her back and presses his face into her hair. "God, Elena. When you broke up with me, I thought- I did horrible things. Things that will make you hate me."

"I could never hate you." She whispers. "And I know about Enzo, about what you guys have been doing. And we can deal with it later, but I just need this moment. Just, please, give me this moment, and get this bitch out of my body. Please." She pleads, her voice muffled by his skin. He shushes her, and presses her closer.

"I love you, Elena. And I'm gonna get you back." He whispers, his voice gruff with emotions.

Elena looks up at him, at those silvery eyes and his full, rosebud lips. And then they're kissing, just like that. She buries her fingers into his hair as he lifts her up onto his lap, her legs wrapping around his waist. She shudders as she feels the stubble of his face rubbing on her neck as he kisses her shoulders, the odd feeling causing tingles to shoot up her spine.

She pushes the sheet away from his body and smirks when she sees that he's completely naked. Typical Damon, God forbid he wear clothes to bed.

But tonight, it's just perfect, because she wants, no, needs him too much to go slowly. And she doesn't know when Katherine will resurface, so she quickly presses her lips back to his and moans when their tongues intertwine. One of his hands in knotted in her hair and the other is pushing up Katherine's nightgown. She grips his shoulders as he pushes aside her underwear, and she bites her lips as she lowers herself onto his length. They both cry out at the feeling, and while her head falls back, he sinks his teeth into her neck. Elena gasps and yanks at his hair, causing him to shudder.

It's all frenzied thrusts and sloppy kisses and heavy breathing and moaning but it's still one of the best nights Elena can think of. He thrusts into her once more, powerfully, and then she's crying out and he's groaning into her neck and she loves the feeling of him trickling inside of her. They collapse on the bed, still in each others arms, and Elena busies herself with tasting his skin, knowing she might not get another chance for a long time.

"Don't worry." he breathes into her hair. "I'll get you back, whatever it takes. I should've noticed it before. I'm so sorry, Elena."

Of course, there's nothing to forgive, and Elena places her full trust in him, just like she always has. For once, she doesn't care if he has to be ruthless. She wants her life back. She wants Damon back.

When Katherine wakes up, she knows instantly that something is wrong. The sheets underneath her aren't polyester, but egyption cotton. The arms wrapped around her feel different, the sun is shining in through the wrong way, and Stefan's bed definitely isn't this big.

Almost afraid to turn her head, she does it anyways and looks to see Damon. Not Stefan, but Damon. Dear Lord, what the hell happened last night? Did he roofie the bourbon? Did she sleep walk in here?

No, you didn't sleep walk, She thinks. Except no, it isn't her that thinks...

Elena, She hisses, fury building up inside of her. What did you do?

I got my chance, and I took it, Elena replies simply.

Katherine looks over at Damon, who's still sleeping and has a peaceful look settled on his face. The sheets were a mess and there were marks on the headboard.

You didn't...

Oh, I did. Multiple times, in fact. And he knows everything now, and he's not gonna waste a single second in getting you the hell out of my body and strait to hell where you belong, Elena chides, feeling great.

Katherine is silent as she slips her nightgown back on and slips down the hallway and back to Stefan's bed, who's also still sleeping soundly. She lays in bed and tries to go back to sleep, not wanting to think about what's to come.

The days pass by while Katherine is always, always on edge. She pulls away from Stefan, which makes Elena feel sad when she sees the hurt in his eyes because of it. But she has stopped sleeping with him, which does make Elena happy, because even though it's not her directly doing it, she still feels like she's betraying Damon somehow.

For some reason, Damon doesn't tell Stefan about Katherine possessing her. Maybe it's because he doesn't think he'll believe him, or maybe because Stefan'll think that Damon just wants a reason to justify her going back to Stefan, but either way, the younger Salvatore remains in the dark.

Every word that comes out of Damon's mouth that is directed towards Katherine is taunting. He'll say things like, "Elena, do you remember the song we danced to at that night club a few months ago?" or "Elena, what did you say Jeremy wanted for Christmas again? I can't seem to remember."

Elena cheers him on while Katherine glares at him with enough hatred to fill the Pacific and mumbles excuses about not remembering either.

One day, Katherine walks in on Damon and Bonnie huddled together in the library, their voices barely audible. Immediately knowing what they were conspiring about, she had her fingers wrapped around Bonnie's neck in a blink of an eye. The next few minutes were spent by Katherine and Damon throwing taunts back and forth, all the while poor Bonnie was just barely breathing. Eventually, Damon sped up and pushed Katherine so that she went hurtling into a table, while Bonnie was pushed safely behind Damon's back. Katherine may be older than him, but Elena's body was younger, and that made all the difference.

And apparently, Katherine sensed this too. "Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work." She spit out, fire rising inside of her so high Elena could practically taste the flames.

"Ooh." Damon mocked, flaring his eyes. "Someone's testy today."

"You won't get away with this." Bonnie spoke up from behind Damon. "You don't belong here, in any sense. You don't deserve to be in her body, your very presence contaminates her. And when we get you out, nature will make sure you end up exactly where you belong: Hell."

Elena feels pride swell up inside of her at her best friend's words, and she can tell Damon is impressed, too, by the way he throws her a grin. He grabs Bonnie's arm and leads her to the door. "Have a nice evening, Katherine."

They disappear outside, and there's a moment where Elena feels so thankful that they're actually working together, as friends, for once.

Whatever they're planning, it won't work. Katherine repeats, more to herself than anyone else.

I don't think you believe that, Elena replies.

Anger rises up, once again. Everything that has happened to me since I've been here has been YOUR fault. Everything! And you're foolish to love him. It is Damon, after all. His passion, his fire, it's too much for someone like you.

Maybe it's what I want. A love that consumes. Elena says back heatedly.

Katherine scoffs, Right. A love that consumes. Do you even know what that means, little girl? His love will eat you up alive. And don't act like that doesn't scare you, because I can feel that it does.

It does scare me. Elena admits. But it's a good kind of scary.

Katherine is about to reply when Stefan shuffles into the room, narrowing his eyes at her. He looks towards the door. "Did I just hear my brother call you Katherine?"

She blinks, and lets a hurt look fall over her face. "He basically just told me that I'm exactly like her." She says, even managing to make her voice crack. "I'm not like her, am I, Stefan?" She asks, irony so heavy in her voice it makes Elena want to roll her eyes. Stefan doesn't notice it, though, which isn't surprising.

From there on it's shushing words and comforting arms, but Elena doesn't care, for all she can think about is that, soon, she'll have her life back. She'll have a love that consumes her. And Katherine's right, it does scare her, but somehow, she doesn't feel an ounce of fear at all.

"They're planning something." Katherine spits out, stalking around the circular living room of Nadia's apartment. "Damon and Bonnie, they're whispering amongst themselves and sneaking around and... and I don't know what to do!" She finishes, looking to her daughter for help.

The woman in question is sitting silently on the sofa, a thoughtful expression on her face. Her dark eyes scan her mother from head to toe before she finally speaks up. "They shouldn't be able to do anything." She starts, her accent heavy. "The spell that was cast was permanent, no witch should be able to undo it. And even if they did find some way, it would come with a huge price."

This seems to calm Katherine some, because she plops down next to Nadia on the sofa and rests her head back. The panic in her is diminishing, but the panic in Elena is rising. A huge price? Those kind of prices usually came in the form of a-

"Yup. I know how much you hate sacrifices, Elena." Katherine says out loud, ignoring Nadia's bewildered look.

"Wait a minute- please do not tell me Elena is still in there." Nadia says, sitting up immediately.

Alarmed, Katherine sits up too. "You mean she's not supposed to be? I thought that's how the spell worked!"

"No!" Nadia exclaims, and repeats Katherine's earlier movements by pacing around. "She was supposed to die, and you were supposed to take her body! That's how it works. She's most definitely still not supposed to be in there. This is bad, Katherine, very bad. A witch, definitely a Bennett witch, can cast you out with a snap of her fingers!"

Katherine's eyes widen and Elena feels that same overwhelming fire rise up, feels it licking her insides. Her thoughts are suddenly taken over by images of passports, of air planes and different countries; of running.

"We have to leave, Nadia. Soon, now." She speaks calmly, although she is anything but.

Nadia looks at her with wide eyes, and for a moment, Elena sees a child in this wise woman, a child who doesn't want to lose her mother.

"You go pack, and meet me at the airport by eleven." She says. Neither hug each other, only give each other a parting glance before Katherine rushes out.

As soon as Katherine steps through the boarding house door, Stefan is waiting for her on the couch. He perks up when he sees her.

"Hey, where'd you run off to?" He asks, patting the spot next to him. She hesitates for a moment, knowing she needs to hurry but wanting desperately to wrap herself in his arms. She gives into the latter.

"Just, over to the Grill to say hi to Matt." She lies, her eyes darting around almost frantically. She takes a deep breath. "Listen, Stefan. I think I'm going to head back over to Whitmore. I really want to stay here with you, but I can't just abandon college anymore."

Stefan blinks at her and nods slowly, thoughtfully. "I knew you'd have to go back at some point."

Katherine nods vehemently. "Of course, I might be busy, studying and stuff, so-"

"So we won't see each other often." He sighs.

In that moment, Katherine hates herself, and Elena can't help but feel pity for her.

Don't you dare feel sorry for me, she hisses, I hate you.

All the pity vanishes in an instant. You can't hate me possibly anymore than I hate you.

Katherine doesn't answer, just buries her face into Stefan's chest. Right when their lips are about to touch, the door bursts open and Damon walks in, holding a very familiar dark haired girl by her neck.

"Nadia!" Katherine exclaims, immediately jumping up. Bonnie walks in right after Damon.

Nadia is slack and immobile, and it's obvious that Bonnie is doing this because she's mumbling very quickly under her breath. Damon has a hand perched over her heart, ready to tear in and wrench it out at any moment. Katherine freezes.

There's a very silent moment where Katherine is breathing hard, Damon is smirking, Bonnie is chanting, and Stefan just looks downright confused.

Barely, Damon nods his head a little at someone behind Katherine. Quickly, she whirls around to see Jeremy, and then he's plunging something in her neck before she can react. The last thing Elena sees before everything goes black is the blue of Damon's eyes.

When she- or Katherine- comes to, she's sitting in a metal desk chair with vervain soaked ropes tied around her wrists and ankles. Bonnie, Damon and Stefan are surrounding her, with Damon and Bonnie in the forefront, and Stefan in the back, looking pained.

"Are you sure, Damon?" He asks, and by the look on Damon's face this isn't the first time he's asked it.

"Yes, Stefan. When this is over, you'll see that I'm right." He replies before kneeling in front of Katherine, who glares at him. Elena wishes she could soften her eyes, could reach out and touch his face, but she's still powerless.

"I'm sorry for the vervain, Elena." He whispers.

Don't be. I love you. She replies eagerly in her head. Katherine scoffs with disgust.

"She said she doesn't forgive you." Katherine mocks back petulantly. "She says that she hates you."

It's not true! She immediately exclaims, expecting something like this from Katherine.

She's not sure, but maybe something of her shines through in 'Katherine's' eyes, because he just smiles and leans back.

Katherine swallows. "Where's my daughter?"

"She's perfectly safe, back in her apartment. And she'll stay that way so as long as you never touch Elena again." Bonnie speaks up, crossing her arms. Katherine's eyes go from her to Damon to Stefan, who's just looking at her like he can't believe what he's seeing.

"You have to understand." She pleads, addressing Stefan. "I would have died. My daughter needed me."

"She doesn't need you." Stefan shakes his head. "She's managed to go all this time without you. Elena, on the other hand, has people who actually need her." He says, shooting a glance at Damon, who does nothing to deny it.

Katherine doesn't know how to reply to this, so she doesn't. Damon stands up and nods at Bonnie, who then opens a large book and from there it's all chanting, chanting, chanting. A strange tightening starts in her toes, and works it's way up until her head feel so tight it's going to implode on itself.

And then, something jolts in her, or maybe out of her, because then it's Elena breathing, Elena crying and Elena struggling to be free of the bonds.

"Damon." She wails, so happy and devastated at the same time. Immediately, he goes to undo the ropes, but Bonnie stops him.

"Ask her something; something only Elena would know."

She wants to protest, wants to just be in Damon's arms already, but she waits patiently while Damon thinks of something.

His lips quirk up ironically, and he kneels down in front of her. "What do you want out of life, Elena?"

She smiles, and answers it like answering what color the sky is. "I want a love that consumes. I want passion, adventure... and even a little bit of danger."

Damon grins, no, not grins, actually smiles, and then the ropes are off of her and she's hurling herself at him, clinging to every bit of him she can hold on to.