Stefan's POV

"Aw, Damon, really?" I put my hand up to shield my face and grimaced. I had walked into the house to find my brother standing in the living room grabbing a bottle of Bourbon and two glasses. This wouldn't have been strange had Damon not been naked.

"What? We were out of alcohol in my room. Come to think of it, I honestly don't remember how we got into my room." He shrugged and started towards the stairs.

"And you couldn't be bothered to put on some pants!" He turned back and smirked, raising the crystal bottle like a toast.

"Nope. Beware, if you keep up this complaining, Briana and I might move our little party down here-"

"Don't. You. Dare." He laughed maniacally and began walking up the stairs.

"Don't tempt me," he called down the stairs, and I shivered. Hopefully, my brain would find that too traumatizing and block it from my memories, but I knew it probably wouldn't. I just wasn't that lucky. I could hear Briana giggling upstairs.

In roughly ten seconds flat, I had grabbed my journal and a plastic bottle of Bambi blood and I was out the door. I really hated my super hearing when Damon brought women home. Although, it is better that he's distracting himself instead of lusting over Katherine, who is now back. My head had hurt for a while after she'd attacked me, and I'd almost attacked Damon when he said they kissed. He KISSED my girlfriend, or at least he tried to. This is exactly what I'd been afraid of.

I don't know what Katherine was planning, but it was obviously more complex than revenge on somebody. I hadn't heard any news over somebody being murdered. That's what the most frustrating thing about her is: we probably wouldn't know what she wanted or was doing until it was carried out.

Damon's POV

I was lying to her.

I don't know why that's all I could think of right now, lying in my bed (I still don't remember getting into my bedroom) with a glass of Bourbon and a beautiful girl. I lied a lot. A lot. Briana was probably lying to me about some things, or at least with-holding information, and we all had a right to.

Then why can't I stop feeling guilty? It was annoying, this tiny, freezing part of me that grew in my heart that didn't beat and I hated it. There was this constant pull for me to just turn it off, but I didn't really feel like it. As far as anybody knew, I'd already done. It's why I was such a dick, but really, there were some feelings I rather enjoy. This guilt, though? Not so fun.

I'd been tempted to, as I put it, 'move my little party' downstairs, just in case anybody else had the poor fortune of walking in, but Briana was comfortable up here. Just as I'd hoped, she seemed to trust me more and more, but my triumph was dulled from the fact that Elena had thrown my feelings back in my face. Why would I think she would kiss me back? Because I freaking love her, that's why!

"Damon? Are you all right?" I blinked a few times and shook the thoughts from my mind. I get distracted really easily.

"Of course! Do you think something's wrong?" I asked with my deepest tone. She played along.

"No," she began, pressing her mouth to mine and murmuring against my lips, "I think something is very, very right." And I had to convince myself that it was. I was a liar, and anyone who tried to tell themselves otherwise was an idiot.

Everything was right. Very, very right

In bed with this angelic women, I thought of how I'd reacted when I'd found out Katherine was back. For a second, my entire body went cold- colder- and I felt like I was going to throw up whatever blood I had choked down that night, which is ridiculous. Vampire don't get nauseous, but then again, several odd things had been going on lately.

"You've got to be kidding me," I'd muttered, then darted off to pull one word out of that little rat John Gilbert, and that one word turned out to be all I needed.

"Katherine."

And then on top of that, when Stefan had completely overreacted when I'd told him I'd tried to make a move on his girlfriend. I'd tried to explain it as easily as possible.

"What happened earlier tonight when you two were together?" I struggled to find words that wouldn't embarrass me and piss Stefan off, but I'd failed in both departments.

"Well.. to risk another frown line encroaching on an already crowded forehead, we... kissed." I crossed my arms nonchalantly. I noticed Elena's mouth twist in anger.

"And you thought it was me?" The disgust in her voice twisted my insides violently.

"What do you mean, 'you kissed'?" he forced. I puffed out my lips and ran a finger across them jokingly.

"When two lips pucker and you go, mwah," in my best impresion of a kissing noise. And then Stefan had attempted to rip off my face. I'd darted around the room to end squarely next to Elena, probably the last place I should be. "Don't be stupid, Stefan." My brother made another jump at me but his girl sprang up from her chair and put a hand on either of our chest's.

"Wait, wait, wait. He kissed Katherine, not me." She turned to me, the warning on her face blatantly obvious. "I wouldn't do that." I clenched my jaw and scowled, then averted my gaze.

Afterwards, she had said something about how we don't have time to fight, although I always think there's time for violence, and Stefan had sided with her when she'd said we have to talk to John because 'he must know something, Katherine tried to kill him'. I said ignore the bitch, lure her out and stake her. Plain and simple.

She'd still turned me flat on my face, hidden under what she had really said, and that's mostly what I got from that entire conversation. I felt shamed, embarrassed, desolate, things I'd never been willing to show, and never would be. I was Damon, the emotionless asshat who lied and always would because that's what I have been made by changing times and several cruel undeads, and that would never change. I am Damon, the one who is sleeping with one girl, secretly in love with another, and still on my ass for the girl who never gave a damn for me. It's complicated.

Briana's POV

When Damon pulled away, he looked happy, worn and nostalgaic, as someone who had just had sex would, but he seemed heartbroken. I had to do it.

"Elena rejected you, didn't she? Are you all right?" He stopped the chuckling he'd been just doing into his fresh glass and completely halted, frozen. He licked his lip nervously and set his drink on the bedside table.

"What're you talking about?" he deflected, glancing anywhere but my face.

"Don't play dumb, just tell me. You tried to kiss her and found out it was Katherine. Elena nor Stefan probably took that well, I would assume. I know," I gave up the ridiculous possessiveness I'd experienced last night and forced out, "that you loved her. Love her. It must have come as quite a shock. Are. You. Okay?"

Damon finally gave up the innocent act and crawled out of bed, grabbing a random pair of blue jeans that hung over the back of a chair. He sighed and pinched his lips, irritated all of a sudden. I sat up, realizing something. He'd been hurt. He needed some way to stop thinking about. How about a beautiful girl to have sex with? The thought made me tense up and crack my neck, turning it to the side, trying to hide my anger. I hadn't known him long, I had no right to act like this.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no romance movie girl who falls in love after three days and gets all crazy when she thinks- or in my case, knows- that the main guy is after another girl. Actually, I was more like a small child with a shiny new toy; he was mine, and I was never one to share. When Aaron, however many years ago, had left me to go back to the village and find a better life, one that didn't include a bloodsucking demon, I'd nearly gone mad. Nearly. However, I had lost it for a bit and killed him and his wife. My life sucked for the first twenty years or so.

"No," he said, "I'm not okay. And why are you asking me this anyway? We just slept together! Don't you have anything else on your mind?" He shrugged on his pants and went to the closet for a clean shirt. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't turn the spotlight on me, Angel. I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but I've seen how you can snap over the years, and it isn't a pretty sight to witness-"

"And how do you even know so much about me in the first place? Do you really have so little to do in life, which I guess all comes circling back to the million dollar question: why are you here?" I was in front of him in a second, and finger pointed in his face, and I saw his fury and confidence dim a bit.

"Don't test me, Damon. I'm not a patient woman, and I know so much about you because from the moment I first saw you when I'd happened upon that forest and you were still in a Confederates uniform, I knew you would be important, and you were. You turned out to one of the spectacular duo that won Katherine's heart. When I'm not watching you, I have people do it for me. I am very old, and very powerful when I want to be. Do you know how well known your name is, whether infamous or glorified?" It was true. Damon had been her notorious lover, and Stefen the apple of her devious dark chocolate brown eyes.

"No! Because you know everything but won't tell me. I'm sure there are a lot of things happening that I probably should know and don't, so why don't you just tell me? Why am I important? Or Stefan? Or Elena and her bitch look-a-like? You mutter in your sleep about people coming for the her, the one who changes everything. Who is she?"

The pleading changed my stand-point completely. Everything clicked into place, and my frustration and pity became sadness and betrayal. It made perfect sense. The way Damon, who acted strong enough not to need anything, was pleading, begging for information about Katherine, Elena and what might involve them. I knew his plot.

"That's what you've been playing at, haven't you?" I said, barely able to muster a whisper, "The information. Who am I, what do I know, and how can I help you before you throw me away? You want information to help Elena! Deny it, tell me it's not true, that you didn't just sleep with me to pull the facts out of me." He looked away, and I wished that I really could've just been a distraction like I thought I had been at first. "Okay, fine. The doppleganger is Elena, and yes, they are coming for her. Don't think you can do anything about it. The people who want her have a maniacal way of getting what they want."

"Who is coming for her?!"

"My family!" I screamed, the words tearing out of my mouth, my throat growing tight. Damon looked like someone had just stabbed him. "Happy you figured that out? The Originals, namely Niklaus. wants Elena, for reasons I can't tell you-"

"Why?" I've always hated that one-worded question. There were always too many answers.

"Why? Because there are things I've learned over the past millenium, something very important being that you can't change your fate, Damon, and you can't change hers. I know you love her but if my brother wants her, he'll have her in the end." All the fight had drained from me, and I felt like I'd ran ten miles and then cried for an hour. "I've already said too much."

"Too much?" he wailed. "You've barely said anything! All I know is that too many people know our name, which is never good, and that your brother wants to kidnap Elena, and I'm supposed to accept this." I put my hands on either of his cheeks and held his face pointed towards mine until he had no choice but to look at me.

"Love in itself is noble and pure. The people who fight against it and for it are not. You think love will conquer all in the end? Life's not a fairytale, it's no story. This is the real world, and your enemies are too strong to fight against." I released him. "However, though your chances with Elena are very few, the chance she might live are in your favor due to one very curious thing. Your last weapon, I'd say."

I walked towards teh hallway, despair eating away at me, and Damon said, "Why are you hear, Brianna?" Briefly, I turned back with a cryptic look on my face. It took me a moment to speak.

"I am here because it is time. My brother had become corrupt, and the others are not at rest forever." But he hadn't realized what I was saying yet. I sighed. "I am here because eventually, my family will be too, and when they are... I'm going to kill them." His jaw dropped and he went to say something, but stopped. A second later, he tried again.

"And what happens when you do that?" I already knew this. I would return to my original form. I had plenty of years mounting up, and no way to save those until I was ready to accept them. I faced the hall, my hand resting on the doorframe and whispered something that physically pained me to say, but I knew had to be done.

"I'm going to die."

Elena's POV

I had just entered the memorial for Mayor Lockwood, and mor people were here for the town than for the actual man who had died. He'd been a dick, but Carol and Tyler couldn't be left in the dust. I'd spoken with John at the hospital, but all he said was that I should've driven a stake through Stefan's heart a long time ago. Hatred was the natural emotion I felt around him no. Stefan had come to the car later, attempting humorously to say he'd only 'talked' with John, but I knew better. He'd threatened him.

Immediately, he went off to do something with only a vague explanation, but I didn't mind. I drove to the Lockwood mansion with Jeremy, Jenna and a lasagna, stopping at the sight of Damon on the front porch. He seemed... overwhelmed. Like all of his anger, stress, fear, worry and hurt had mixed into one powerful emotion. He was just tired. I pushed the two in the front door and muttered something about being right in. They moved on.

I walked up to Damon, who seemed to be staring at the nothingness passed the lake and trees, the setting sun that sent rays of violent orange over his pure white skin. I stuck my hands in my pockets casually and looked up at him.

"Hey, how're you doing?" It was the first thing that popped into my head. The question seemed to irritate him.

"Just great, Elena, I'm walking on sunshine. Thanks for asking." He sent me a icy, slightly intoxicated glare.

"Damon," I scolded.

"Elena," he returned. I took my hands out of my pockets and flexed my fingers, regret pooling in me.

"We should be able to talk about this." Us. "You and me are close enough now. I really want to know how you're doing." He took a swig of the amber liquid from a glass I hadn't noticed before. He finally let himself speak honestly.

"I kissed you, thought you kissed me back, doppleganger hijynx ensued... how d'you think I'm doing?" He stared at me intensely, that same tired look overtaking him again.

"I think that you're hurt," I stated, and his face morphed into something evasive and snarky.

"Nah, I don't get hurt, Elena-"

"No," I interrupted knowingly, "you don't admit that you get hurt. You get angry, try to cover it up and do something stupid." His lips pinched and he glanced away, both of us positive that I was right. But then he did it. That freaking suave smart-ass face where he assumes things... and usually assumes correctly.

"Your scared," he jabbed. "You think Katherine's gonna send me off the deep end, don't you?" It was my turn to purse my lips and avoid his steady gaze. His glare was accusing and cut down, painful. "I don't need her for that." As he walked away, leaving me feeling like crap, his curiosity got the best of him.

"You know what?" I turned to him. "Why is it such a surprise that I would kiss you?" A lot was riding on my answer. But I couldn't lie to him.

"That's not a surprise." Hope flickered in his silvery eyes. "I'm surprised that you thought I would kiss you back." His expression flattened. Momentarily, he tried to smile, but figured it wasn't worth it. Before he walked away, he looked at me with more sadness then I thought he had emotions in his body.

"Now I'm hurt." And he left. Weirdly, as he went and nearly ran into Bonnie who was hustling towards me, I could've sworn he said something that sounded like, "No need to lecture, Briana. I guess I have no more noble causes to die for."