She can hear her boots click against the pavement. Her original plan was to enter Mystic Falls that day. She knew what she wanted, but she also knew what was best. Her motto had always been to get what she wanted. Now she wasn't so sure.

It had been over five hundred years since she felt this uncertainty. It was a long time, even for a vampire. Yet only now did she feel a desire to do something that could be remotely considered good.

She wanted to tell her. She wanted to tell that one human who made her feel something in the entire world. She wanted to let her know, she wanted to pour every single emotion she'd refused to feel into what she could give that one girl.

She shook her head. She was letting her emotions take over her need for survival. After an hour of pacing, pondering and rage, she decided she would leave Mystic Falls.

It wasn't the right time. There was absolutely no reason to be in town, and she knew Stefan Salvatore was coming. He hadn't arrived, but he was coming. She had hoped to get to the girl first, but now she saw that was impossible. She wasn't right for Elena. It was clear as day.

Elena needed someone pure. She needed someone good; someone who she knew was going to be there for her. Katherine knew Stefan's past all too well. She knew the beast he tried to contain. She also knew how he'd learned to control it, and she envied him.

She envied his self-control. She envied how she knew he would win the girl's heart. He was kind and tender while she was dangerous and easily angered. Just by thinking about how she would have to see her previous love with her current drove her into rage.

She grabbed a branch of a nearby tree and snapped it in two easily. She wanted something else to break. She wanted to hear the snap of a human's neck when she was finished draining them of blood. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Flicking it away, she tried to shut off her humanity, but she was distracted by a loud crash.

She sped to Wickery Bridge, the source of the commotion. She heard a vampire speed away. Briskly, she walked to the edge of the bridge and saw a car underwater. She recognized the scent: Elena.

Without thinking twice she dove off the bridge into the water. She held her breath, knowing if water got into her lungs it would be excruciatingly painful. She swam down to the car taking in the sight. The mother was already unconscious, and then she saw Elena.

Her first instinct was to grab Elena, but she saw Elena's father struggling. She easily ripped away the doors of the left side of the car. He shook his head and pointed to Elena. She wasn't breathing. The father shook his head once again but Katherine didn't need to be told twice.

She grabbed Elena from the car and swam to the surface as quickly as she could. When their heads broke she quickly gasped in a breath of air and brought Elena to the shore, setting her down softly to the ground.

She pushed on Elena's chest, watching as the young human coughed the water out of her lungs. Elena shivered and looked up at Katherine, her eyes wide with shock.

"Who are you?" she asked, panting, trying to regain her breath.

"Not important," Katherine replied, keeping her face stoic.

She watched Elena's eyes roam her figure. Noticing every curve and every physical feature.

"How do we look exactly alike?" Elena asked.

Katherine chuckled, "You're asking the wrong questions," she replied.

Elena looked at her surroundings and sat up. Katherine couldn't help the sharp intake of breath she made when she felt Elena's hand on her knee for support.

"Where are my parents?" Elena asked, still looking around.

Katherine shook her head and looked to the lake. Elena followed her gaze and began to cry. Elena attempted to stand, but before she could Katherine wrapped her arms around the human.

Elena screamed. She begged for Katherine to let go, begged for Katherine to get her parents back. Katherine held tightly to her doppelganger, using a limited amount of strength to keep Elena from diving into the water after her parents.

After a few moments of yelling Elena's screams turned to sobs. Elena blindly let her head rest on Katherine's chest. Katherine put her arms around her human doppelganger and held her, feeling her body tremble with each sob.

Katherine ran her fingers through Elena's hair, hushing her human relative quietly as she held her. Katherine knew this moment was too good to last. She could hear the sirens in the distance, even though they hadn't hit Elena's eardrums yet.

She laid a kiss on the top of Elena's head. Elena turned to look up at Katherine, her eyes red and puffy from her sobs, and a tear escaped her eye. Katherine brushed the tear away gently with her thumb, careful not to apply pressure, afraid Elena would break.

Elena brought her lips to Katherine's cheek, lingering. Katherine felt the warmth in her cheek from her blushing. Elena removed her lips away and gazed into Katherine's eyes as if she could see every emotion the vampire had attempted to conceal, their faces only inches apart.

"Thank you," Elena whispered.

Katherine cupped Elena's cheek in her hand and felt her own pupils dilate, knowing what she had to do.

"Forget me," she whispered to Elena, "forget you ever saw me. When Stefan Salvatore tells you he rescued you from this accident you will believe him."

She paused to watch Elena's pupils dilate in response to the compulsion. She smiled, but it was a bittersweet smile.

"Now sleep," Katherine compelled her sweetly, "sleep until you're strong enough to wake."

Katherine watched as Elena's eyelids began to flutter. She laughed as her human look alike attempted to stay awake, but a human could only be so strong. Katherine smiled when Elena fell limply into her arms.

After a few moments Katherine laid Elena onto the soft grass, pushing a wet strand of hair out of her face. She brought her face down to Elena's and didn't stop herself when she planted a kiss onto Elena's lips. When she had finished lingering she brought her lips to Elena's ear.

"I love you my doppelganger," she whispered, knowing Elena wouldn't hear her words or remember their encounter.

She sped away, and from the distant trees, she watched as the paramedics put Elena into the ambulance. She saw Stefan watching from the other side, closer to Elena than she would be in a long time. Not wishing to think about how she would have to see Stefan with her love, she sped away, not returning to Mystic Falls for a long time.

Elena gasped for air. What happened? She remembered telling Stefan to save Matt, but after that everything went dark. She looked around, seeing all the medical equpment. She sat up quickly and stared at her surroundings, still confused and in shock.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She expected to see Stefan but flinched when she saw the twin pair of brown eyes looking down at her.

"For a second I thought I was going to have to kiss you, Sleeping Beauty," Katherine said teasingly, a smirk etched on her face.

Elena looked up at Katherine, admiring the twinkle in her doppelganger's eyes. She put her hand on Katherine's neck and bravely put a kiss to the older vampire's cheek.

She pulled away and saw the confusion in Katherine's eyes. Elena even saw the slightest hint of vulnerability, or stranger yet, affection.

"I remember."