It's been so long since I've gotten to write! I'm glad to be back and able to update at least once this week. I'm ambivalent about this week's episode, so I don't have much to say about it... meh. And now a month-long break. Meh, again.

But in my world... Damon and Elena are doing just fine :-) This chapter is about Damon recognizing why Katherine rejected him, owning it and moving on. I'm not sure how people will view this exchange. It's pretty short, but I think Damon hears what he needs to hear. It's something I've wanted to see happen for a long time. Katherine comes back in the show and stomps all over his heart, insults, him, etc... but he never gets to really hear why it was always Stefan.

Once he figures it out... it'll be easier to let himself trust more.

Anyway, I hope that comes across.

Thanks to everyone for the great response to this story! Hope you keep enjoying. :-)

XOXO

"I wondered how long it would take." Katherine smirked, twirling one of her curls around her finger. "He's hard to resist, isn't he, Elena? All that dark sexuality…" Katherine bit her lip. "Gets you every time."

Damon stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows. "What do you want, Katherine? You run out of places to hide?"

"Don't be mean, Damon." Katherine pouted, then gave a cat-like smile. "I came to visit. The least you can do is invite me inside." She tilted her head. "Oh, wait, I don't need you to."

"You're not staying here." Damon insisted. "Been there, done that, never happening again."

Katherine chuckled. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"Whatever he has to." Elena moved to Damon and slipped her hand into his, linking their fingers. She glanced up at him, giving him a small smile when he looked down at her in surprise. This was her chance to show him that she would stand by him, support him. His thumb stroked hers and she shifted closer to him.

"Ugh." Katherine rolled her eyes. "Great, you guys are all new lovey-dovey sappiness. Gag me."

Damon tore his gaze away from Elena and tilted his head at Katherine. "Is that an invitation?"

"Mmm…" Katherine smirked. "For you… always."

"What do you want, Katherine?" Elena let all the frustration she felt come through in her tone. The vampire world that had somehow collided with her world was on the verge of quieting down and Katherine shows up, promising to bring trouble with her. It was the last thing they needed.

"I've been hearing rumors about the originals and I need accurate information." Katherine shrugged one shoulder. "There's no need to make this big and dramatic. I'll come in, we'll all have dinner, you'll fill me in, and I'll leave. Trust me," She rolled her eyes, gesturing around her. "I have no desire to settle back down in this town."

"We tell you what's going on and you go?" Damon asked cautiously.

"I'll be gone before you can wave goodbye and then you two can get back to your… eye contact."

Damon looked down at Elena, silent communication passing between them. She gave a small shrug and squeezed his hand, trying to convey that she would follow his lead on this one. After a long moment of contemplation, Damon turned his gaze on Katherine.

"Fine." He smiled coldly. "Won't you come in, Katherine? We'd love to have you. Really."

XOXO

"Are we really going to let her stay here?" Elena whispered as they walked into the main room of the boarding house.

"Until we see why she's actually here, yes." Damon whispered back, pressing her fingers. "Nothing is ever simple with Katherine."

"I just want her gone, Damon."

"I know." He gave her a long look, then pressed a kiss to her temple. "You don't need to worry, Elena."

"No, Elena," Katherine cooed from the other end of the room where she was pouring herself a drink. "We wouldn't want you to worry. Not sweet, wonderful, perfect Elena."

"Back off, Katherine." Damon's hard voice reverberated around the room. "You say you came for information, I'll give you information. The original family is back intact, including the witch mother, minus the slayer father."

Katherine cocked a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "So you blew it with Mikal."

"Stefan blew it." Elena chimed in. "Sort of. It's complicated."

"You don't need the details." Damon interrupted. "Klaus lost control of the coffins he's been toting around with him. One thing led to another and suddenly we were all the middle of an original reunion. Except mommy. She's having a bit of a mood swing."

"Let's just say something more specific." Katherine suggested.

"She performed a ritual at a ball last week." Elena picked up the thread of the story. "She put my blood in the champagne toast and then performed some ritual that linked all her children together. If one dies, they all die."

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "Even hybrid children…?"

"Even hybrid children." Damon held out his hands. "And then all of this is over. Unless you…" He glared pointedly at Katherine, "Do something to mess that up for us. You wouldn't do that, now would you, Kat?"

"I want Klaus dead more than anyone, Damon." Katherine smiled tightly. "But am I the only one here that thinks it's just a little bit odd that you haven't heard anything in a week? What's mommy dearest's timetable here?"

Elena looked up at Damon, worry in her brown eyes. "We've been so preoccupied…"

"Of course." Katherine rolled her eyes. "You're in the sunshine and rainbows stage. The forget-about-deadly-hybrid stage. Good thing I stopped by to keep us all focused."

"Uh-uh." Damon shook his head. "Thanks ever so much, Katherine, but no. We don't need your help. You wanted an update, you got it. Now its time to go. As in all the way gone. For a long time. Let's start with forever and see where we go from there."

"Damon, maybe she's right…" Elena bit her lip. "Why haven't we heard anything? How long is this going to take?"

"Elena, don't let her put ideas in your head." Damon glared at Katherine. "Everything is fine. Esther wants to right the world. She will."

"When did you become an optimist, Damon?" Katherine smirked. "Has love changed you that much?"

"Shut up, Katherine." Damon sneered. "You don't know a thing about love and even less about me."

"Ooo, feisty." Katherine sauntered forward. "I like it." She leaned toward Elena. "Damon's always hotter when he lets his aggressive side show, don't you think?"

Elena clenched her jaw, her heart beating fast in her chest. There was no way she was going to let Katherine see how on edge she was, though. "See that's the difference between you and me, Katherine. I don't pick a side of a person to love. When I love, I love completely. You should try it sometime."

"Hmm…" Katherine shrugged. "Sounds boring. Tell me, Elena. When you fall out of love, do you do that completely, too? Or will you always still love Stefan?"

Damon bared his fangs and launched himself at Katherine, pinning her up against the wall. "You're done, Katherine. Say your goodbyes quickly because I just ran out of patience."

"You're not going to kill me." Katherine rolled her eyes. "You never do."

"Damon, wait." Elena moved across the room, laying her hand on Damon's back. "She's not worth it. Let's just get her to leave."

"No." He snarled the word in Katherine's face. "We have unfinished business."

"Damon, please…"

Damon looked over his shoulder at Elena. "I'm not going to kill her, Elena. But Katherine and I are going to have a talk. One you shouldn't be here for."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Elena." Damon ground out her name. "Trust me, okay? I need to have a conversation. Go home." Damon let go of Katherine and backed away, keeping a wary eye on his sire. "Pack, say goodbye to Ric, come back. Everything will be fine."

"Damon…"

"Elena, if this is going to work out, you have to trust me. You want me to trust you, right? It's a two-way street."

"I do trust you." Elena moved toward him and took his face in her hands. "I was going to tell you that, but you got all aggressive." She smiled at him to let him see she wasn't upset. "I'll be back in an hour, okay?"

"Thank you." He slid his hand down her arm, squeezing her shoulder.

"Sure." She glanced at Katherine, narrowing her eyes at the look of fascination on the vampire's face. Just to make sure they were all clear on where they stood, she rose up and pressed her lips to Damon's, kissing him softly, sweetly, adding a hint of spice with a flick of her tongue against his bottom lip.

She pulled away, touching his face. "I love you, Damon."

He tilted his head and stared into her eyes, an uncharacteristic look of peace settling on his face. "I know."

"Good." Elena swept his hair out of his face. She glanced at Katherine again. "I won't be long."

XOXO

"So sweet…" Katherine smirked. "All sweet kisses and long looks and breathy promises. How does it feel, Damon? You got everything you ever wanted… is it enough?"

Damon let his vampire features slide out as he advanced on his former obsession. "Shut up, Katherine. It's my turn to talk."

"Mmm…" Katherine chuckled softly, moving to walk her fingers up his chest. "So hot when you're aggressive…"

He grabbed her hand and spun her around, pinning her arm behind her back. "You keep coming back. There must be a reason, Katherine. Maybe you wanted to know about Klaus, but that's not the only reason. Tell me why."

"Maybe I wanted to see you again." Katherine looked at him over her shoulder. "I miss you when I'm gone so long…"

"Bull." Damon jerked her arm. "You don't care about anyone but yourself."

"I care about Stefan…" Katherine smirked. "Maybe I came to see him in his darkest moments. Enjoy them with him…"

"He's not interested."

Katherine pulled away from his grasp and turned back to face him, raising a delicate eyebrow. "What is this really about, Damon? You've got something on your mind. You could have interrogated me about my reasons for being here in front of Elena."

"Perceptive." Damon spoke through tight lips. "Let's get down to business then. You once told me you never loved me."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Not this again…"

"Yeah, Katherine. This again. For real this time, though. I want to know why." Damon advanced on the vampire who so closely resembled Elena on the outside, but possessed none of her inner beauty. "You made it perfectly clear that you never felt anything for me, but you've never told me what it was that was so repulsive to you. Was it the way I accepted what you were and loved you anyway? Maybe it was the way I never questioned you on anything, came to your room when you wanted, left when you told me to. Was it that, Kat? Was I just too damn accommodating?"

Letting out a huff, Katherine perched on the antique desk against the wall. "Yes, actually. If you must know I found your doting adoration equally boring and irritating."

Damon clenched his jaw and stared at her. "That's it? That was the only problem? I loved you too much?"

"You were a given." Katherine shrugged one slim shoulder. "Sure, you were fun from time to time… good in bed… fun to look at. But you weren't a challenge. Stefan always was."

"Stefan?" Damon scoffed. "Stefan. He worshipped you. That night… outside your room… he threw himself at you… pledged his undying love. How is that a challenge?"

Katherine smiled and shook her head. "I know. But that's what it made it interesting. He loved me completely, and all on his own. But I always knew… I knew I could lose his love. It made me interested in keeping it…"

Damon felt a sudden urge to laugh and went with it. Raising a hand, he dragged his fingers through his hair, his laugh deepening, growing more dangerous. "Do you have any idea how messed up you are, Katherine? Do you have any idea? I mean… wow. You are such a twisted… sick… person. You wouldn't know love if it staked you in the heart."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Dramatic, much?"

"No." Damon sped toward her, taking her by the shoulders and pushing her across the wall. "Do you know… how long I waited to save you? Do you know what I felt when I realized it had all been a lie? Do you have any idea how many times I have wondered what the hell is so wrong with me that the women I care about never feel the same way?"

"Let go of me, Damon. Or I'll throw you across the room. You know I can."

Damon loomed over her, his face mere inches from hers. "I dare you to try. All this time and hurt, Katherine… and it was all because you don't have a shred of humanity left."

"Humanity is overrated."

Damon stepped back, dropped his hands, shook his head. "Not when you realize what love actually is. Not when the person you want loves you back."

Katherine stepped away from the wall and brushed herself off. "You know… when I came back and you were all aggressive and horrible, I actually considered giving you a second chance to prove yourself worthy."

"Lucky me."

"But," Katherine turned her cold stare on him, "Now I'm glad I didn't fall for it. Because underneath it all, you're still the same lovesick fool you always were. All devoted, and caring, and pathetic. It makes me sick."

Damon nodded and took her face in his hands, stroking his thumbs over her cheek. "Well, then… one last bad boy thrill for you. Just cause that's the kind of guy I am."

Hardly blinking, he snapped her neck and tossed her one the floor. He stepped back, surveying her body, relishing in the fact that he felt nothing toward her anymore. Not love. Not in a long time. Maybe never. But not hate anymore either. No self-loathing, no doubt, no worry that he was un-loveable.

The only emotion he felt was pity. For Katherine.

And hope. For himself. He could move on with Elena, and maybe even believe that he did deserve to be loved.

He nudged Katherine's temporarily lifeless body with his toe and smirked. Boy was she going to be pissed. That was fine. He wasn't going to be here when she woke up anyway.

There was a different Petrova doppelganger waiting for him. A sweet, wonderful, sometimes obliviously stupid one. But she was his. She always had been, even if he was the only one who knew it sometimes.

Now it was time to go claim her.

XOXO

Elena smiled as she packed her bag, throwing in a few of the items Damon had been interested in over the years. She wasn't sure if they would get to a point where he would be able to appreciate the red lace boy shorts during her stay, but just in case…

She blushed at the thought, the palms of her hands tingling, her stomach fluttering. Damon… just kissing Damon was mind-blowing. More with him would be…

She blushed a deeper red and gave herself a mental lecture. There was no guarantee that he was ready to actually be with her. She'd hurt him and it might take a while for him to get over that. She'd give him all the time she needed.

Her own reflection caught her eye and she raised her hand to her lips, tracing her finger over the same spot Damon's lips had touched less than an hour earlier. If the way he kissed her… the way he'd responded the last time she told him she loved him… was any indication, they were making good progress.

As long as Katherine didn't hurt him.

She returned to packing, determine to get back to Damon as soon as possible. She didn't hear Stefan enter the room as she pulled a nightgown from her drawer. When she turned around, she nearly ran into her ex-boyfriend's solid chest.

"Oh!" Elena jumped backward. "Stefan, you scared me. What's wrong? Did something happen to Damon?"

Stefan gave her a long look. "I haven't talked to him. I just stopped by to see you. Going somewhere?"

Elena looked down at the short night gown in her hand. "Uh, yeah… I'm staying with you and Damon for a few days while Ric is gone. Just to be safe."

Stefan nodded. "Good. I was going to suggest that."

She managed a weak smile. "One step ahead of you." She moved around him, folding the night gown and putting it in the bag. "Was there something you needed?"

"Does there need to be? Maybe I just wanted to see you."

Elena swallowed hard, a tight feeling constricting in her chest. "Stefan…"

"Elena, the other night… I meant what I said. When I let myself feel, I only feel pain. So much pain."

"Stefan, don't."

"But there is hope." Stefan moved toward her, taking her hand in his. "There's so much that I regret. But that night, after the ball… you showed me you still care. And so do I."

She shook her head. "Stefan, you don't understand…"

"Just let me finish." He pleaded, his pain and vulnerability showing through his eyes. "I know you and Damon have been… talking. But where is that getting you, Elena? And where do you even want it to get you? He's not right for you. He never will be."

"Stop it, Stefan." Elena held up a hand. "I mean it. Don't talk about him that way."

"He's a loose cannon." Stefan pushed on. "Maybe he's controlling himself right now, but its not in his nature. How long will that really last?"

Elena's mouth hung open. "Are you serious, Stefan? You want to talk to me about how long Damon can control himself? Have you seen yourself these last few months?"

"I know." Stefan's voice cracked and he moved closer to her, touching her face. "I know and I'm sorry. But I've fixed things worse than this and I want to try. I want to get through the pain and get back to you. Elena, please…"

She sucked in a shaky breath and looked into his green eyes for a long, terrible moment. And then she shook her head, whispering, "No, Stefan. What we had died a long time ago and what I have with Damon is just beginning. It might be hard, but it will be worth it. I'm so sorry…"

Stefan's gaze grew hard. "He doesn't deserve you."

"It's not about deserving. He loves me, Stefan. In a way… I think he loves me more than you ever did. And he's a good man. You know that. You love him, too."

"Elena…"

"I'm sorry." Elena whispered, genuinely feeling for the man she used to love with all her heart. "I'm so sorry because I never meant to hurt you. I never would have hurt you Stefan, if you hadn't broken my heart. You left me and I let you go."

"You gave up on me. Not something I ever thought you would do."

"It wasn't like that."

"You gave up on me. Did you ever really even love me, Elena?"

"You know I did." Elena's voice cracked and she felt her heart doing the same.

"I don't know anything about you." Stefan sneered. "What is it, Elena? Do you just want him? Do you just want to finally act on that attraction you've always felt for him? Did you think I didn't know?"

"I love him." Elena spoke slowly, willing herself to stay calm. She was so focused that she almost didn't see Damon's arrival in her doorway.

"Of course she's attracted to me, Stefan." Damon's silky voice cut through the tension in the air as he sauntered into the room. "She's only human after all."

"Damon," Elena moved toward him, desperately glad for his presence. Without a moment's hesitation, she rose onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing against him. He was safe from Katherine and here in her bedroom. She breathed him in deeply, savoring the moment as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him.

"Well hello to you, too," He murmured in her ear. "Everything's fine. Katherine is… incapacitated for the moment."

"Katherine?" Stefan ground out the name. "She's back?"

"She is." Damon kept his eyes on Elena, sweeping her hair back from her face. "Stefan, you may want to leave now. Or you can stay. But either way, I'm about to kiss Elena."

Elena barely sucked in a breath before Damon's mouth covered hers. His hand cradled the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair, and she slid one of her hands down his chest, gripping his shirt. He angled his head, deepening the kiss, drawing her in. His mouth was possessive, sure, strong, but his hands were gentle, stroking her face, caressing her hair.

Seconds passed before he began to slow the kiss, dropping a few tender kisses on the corner of her mouth, along her jaw, before pulling away. He smiled down at her and she blinked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Wow." She murmured.

He gave her one of his crooked smiles. "And that's just the beginning. We're going to make this work. It won't be perfect, but it'll be good. You're the only one I want." He touched her chin, stroking his fingers along her jaw. "Even if it took you a really long time to figure us out and even if you occasionally say incredibly obnoxious things."

Elena gave him a half smile, sensing his teasing mood. "Call it a character flaw?"

"Mmhmm." He leaned down and kissed her. "But that's okay, Elena. Because I don't love often, but when I do, I love unconditionally."

"I really, really like that about you…" She stretched up onto her toes and drew him in for another kiss. He made her see stars for only the briefest of moments before he pulled back.

"Oh, yeah." He snapped his fingers and pointed at Stefan who was standing stock still in the corner of the room, hands balled, jaw clenched. "I forgot to mention. I snapped Katherine's neck and she should be waking up… now-ish. So we might want to, you know… get ready for a fight to the corpse."

XOXO

I'd love to hear what you guys think. I may end it here and turn the idea I originally had into a slightly different story. Or I may keep going. I'd be interested in what you'd like to see. I really want to explore the idea of Elena deciding if she wants to be with Damon forever, she has to let him turn her.

I also have an idea for a sweet, compulsion story. I know, that sounds weird, but just go with it. Before I can write it, though, I need to figure out where the line between T and M is. Anyone willing to give me their two cents on that? Send me a PM and I'll owe you big time!

Review, review, review! :-)