a/n: This story is a special gift to Elejah88. She supported and encouraged my Elejahness- my fanfic writing from the first story I posted here. Xoxo

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Mystic Falls

Katherine Mikaelson walked in the Grill looking around it, making a face like it was the worse dive on the planet.

Seeing her sister now get out of the kitchen, she walked over to her greeting her with a little smirk.

"Katherine?!" Elena said stunned seeing her twin stand in front of her, quickly changing her face to a stern one."What are you doing here?"

"What? Can't a sister visit her sister?!"

Elena passed by the brunette to the bar ignoring the comment.

Katherine spun around on her heel, pouting with annoyance that her sister dismissed her. Checking her nails, she approached her sister,"I've come to ask for a favour."

"You asking for a favour, this is rich!" Elena shot a look at her twin not believing she said the word favour.

"Well, not really. I have actually come to collect a favour so to speak."  Katherine tilted her head, her eyes, her whole demeanour standing as a threat.

Elena felt like something kicked her in the gut, as she knew what her sister was talking about.

"I don't believe that you are actually - you are serious?"

"A promise is a promise. I helped you once and now it's your turn to help me." Katherine said.

"What do you want?" Elena said, looking at her sister. "You have more money than this whole town put together."

"I'll meet you at the Salvatore wreck of a Boarding House. We'll talk there." Katherine putting her sunglasses on, turning away to leave.

"I live at Matt's." Elena said.

"Matt's? Well, it figures." Katherine said."I told you that the Salvatore are deadwood."

Matt, their High school friend walked in from the storage room and same as Elena looked stunned seeing Katherine standing in the Grill.

"What is she doing here?" Matt shot with a scoff.

"Visiting. I felt homesick." Katherine replied, a devilish smirk dancing on her lips.

Elena could see Matt starting to lose his cool, so she now took her apron off and said that she was taking her break now, turning to Katherine asking her to come with her.

"Bye, Matty."  Katherine waved a little bye with her fingers at the man and followed Elena out of the Grill.

Katherine unlocked her SUV and the women got in, driving away.

✨

New Orleans

"Yes, Katherine is gone to New York." Elijah said to his childhood friend and colleague Camille O'Connell.

"She is gone again?" Camille was surprised to hear it."She just came back from a holiday in Cancun."

"Yes, I know. It's fashion week in New York. Plus she has a meeting with this designer someone. She wants to start a clothing line." Elijah replied, taking a good sip of Bourbon.

"Really?" Camille looked at her friend sceptically.

"She said she talked to you about it."

"Yes. Sorry. I forgot. But I was not sure that she had a meeting scheduled," Camille said,"it was just an idea. She didn't really say that she is taking real steps in bringing someone in on it."

"Yes. She showed me the drawings and we talked about it briefly last night." Elijah said.

His phone rang and seeing it was one of his business partners, he excused himself and went out to take the call.

Camille just nodded and shook her had a bit thinking of Katherine and her new scheme.

The truth was, she didn't believe Katherine was serious about it. Though she was always OK with the brunette since the day Elijah introduced them, somewhere deep down she had always had an odd feeling about the woman. The way Elijah was take in by her, marrying her within six months after meeting her on a holiday in Hawaii. And seeing how she twisted Elijah around her little finger, didn't sit well with her. So, she had her investigated. And nearly finding out that she was cheating on Elijah with one of his business associates, but it was never confirmed. Savvy as Katherine was, she always was sure to cover her tracks. Yet Camille pulled her up once about her suspicions and Katherine knew how to tell her off.

Camille plucked her phone from the bag her and called a friend of hers from New York, asking her to check up on Katherine.

✨
Meanwhile in Mystic Falls

"WHAT?"  Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing-"I am not doing that. I am not posing as you. Are you crazy?!" 

Elena jumped out of the SUV and started walking back into town.

Katherine followed her sister, catching up with her. She grabbed her by the arm, looking at her evilishly. "Oh, you will do it or otherwise Stefan never gets out of prison."

"What are you saying? Are you mad?"

"No. He has a hearing coming up, right? And they just might prove that he didn't kill his brother, or new evidence will spring up that he was the one at the night Damon died."

"You wouldn't?"

"Oh, I would. You owe me!"

"I can't believe you are using this to - it's his life here at stake."

"And I am paying the best lawyer there is to get him out. In six months he will be out. And you will be with him. I mean if there is still something going on with you, too. But you broke his heart as you switched over to Damon."

"You bitch." Elena spat at her twin.

"Oh, come on Elena. Don't play Saint. Because you're not one." Katherine said.

"You are so - evil. I wish-"

"What do you wish- sis? That I died that night instead of Damon!? You would have loved that, wouldn't you?"

"No, I don't. I wanted to say that I wished you were different. This guy - you married doesn't know what you are really like, does he?"

"Well, no. I am more you than myself with him. All saintly-well, most of time. Like you, which is so tiring."

"Why did you marry him if you don't love him?"

"Because he is loaded. It's as simple as that. And Elijah is hot, but he is kind of goody two shoes and believes in love, the soppy kind. The always and forever. That's why I need a break. It's exhausting."

"This is ridiculous." Elena shook her head. "I am not doing it."

Elena turned around, started walking in the direction of the town.

Katherine pouted wickedly and took her phone out. She dialled the lawyer's number.

As the lawyer answered, she started talking to him about Stefan's case.

Hearing it Elena ran back to her sister slapping the phone of her sister's hand.

"You - I can't believe it. You would really do this?" Elena said in disbelief.

Katherine made a smile her eyes popping out screaming - you betcha.

Elena knew that her twin was capable of it. Her head was now throbbing heavily. Katherine picked up her phone from the ground and looked at her sister, as the lawyer was calling her back."What shall I tell him,sis?"

Elena shook her head for a second. She now grabbed the phone off her sister again, swiping the call off. "And how do you imagine me posing for you. He is your husband - and - he would want to - sleep with you"

"Ah, there is no problem. For about a six months now - we - kind of have not been together. He - well, had a thing once with a woman at work. A real bitch. I found out and - well, haven't forgiven him for it - yet. We sleep in separate rooms at the moment. Well, the last six months. Elijah is so busy with work anyway. You will hardly see him. We are going to a marriage counciling. You don't have to worry about that. Elijah thinks that we do not need it really." Katherine said. " I have also made out like I want to do my clothing line as part of a charity thing and then maybe a real thing. You studied to be a designer- and so I - you will be very busy, too. "

"You really thought about everything." Elena inhaled deeply, her head starting to bang slightly.

"To the last detail." Katherine replied, chuckling."I will also throw in a few hundred thousand so you and Stefan can reboot the Boarding House." Katherine said.

"I do this--but only to get Stefan out. He didn't deserve to be in prison for something he didn't do. I don't want your money. And after this I don't see you or hear from you ever again!"- Elena said looking at her twin dead seriously.

"You got it." Katherine said.

"Cross your heart and hope to die?" Elena said.

They did this oath thing when they were kids. That was the only one thing Katherine stick, as it carried some superstitious weight she believe in, even though an onlooker wouldn't believe that brunette held anything holy.

"Yes." Katherine said.

"You say the words!"  Elena demanded.

Katherine rolled her eyes, agreeing to do the childhood pledge, making the cross over her heart kissing the two fingers as a completion of the oath.
"Cross my heart and hope to die."

Elena nodded and with a heavy heart now got into the SUV with her sister.

They still had to work the details. Elena had to pack for New York and tell Matt that she was leaving.

Matt was not thrilled about this sudden turn of events. Elena, of course, didn't tell him the whole truth, well, just the designer part of the story.

"This is a good opportunity for me. I can't pass on it."

"After everything she has done, you will leave with her? She will screw you over, like she has done it with Stefan." Matt looked lost at his friend.

"She didn't screw him over. The prosecution twisted everything."

"But not about Vicky, and you know it. She was driving the SUV and not Vicky and she laid it all on her." Matt said.

Elena sighed. "I know. Matt - I am really sorry, but - I just - I can't pass on this. I lost - everything. I sold the house to pay for the lawyer's fees. Look at my life. I am living with you. Working as a waitress. I - am really sorry, but I got to go."

"Marry me" Matt blurted out.

"What?" Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yeah. And we can run the Grill together. I decided to buy it of Tyler." Matt said.

Elena's eyes glittered with tears now. Matt was the good guy. The best. He had always been there for her. She knew that he was in love with her. But she couldn't accept his proposal. She was not in love with him.

"Oh, Matt. You are - the greatest. But I can't. You know I can't. I -"

"Yeah - I - just - don't go with her. We will figure things out"

"I - got go." Elena gave her friend the biggest, warmest hug and quickly turned away rushing out of the house. Jumping into her sister's SUV, she didn't turn to look back, as she knew she would start to cry.

✨

A week later later, Elena got out of the SUV in front of the Mikaelson House in the French Quarter. She took a deep breath and walked into the house, opened to her by one of the staff.

"Hello, Mrs Mikaelson"  the man said.

As Katherine told her, Elena now acted as if she was her sister. "I will have a whiskey sour after I take a bath."

"You're back?! Shouldn't you have come tomorrow." Elijah said walking from the side room to the entrance Hall.

Elena's eyes froze for a moment, looking atvthe man a tad bit startled, but quickly snapped out of it, switching over into Katherine mode. "I missed New Orleans. New York can be too much."

Katherine's words drummed in her head.

Just be standoffish with him. Remember that we are not on real speaking terms. I have still not forgiven him for Hayley. But you can share maybe a kiss or something. Keep him interested. But still make him understand that I - you are hurt by his betrayal of our love. And make sure that bitch Hayley doesn't come near him. I have told her that she will regret it if she tries anything with him again. He is mine. I am still not ready to let him go. Just be yourself, well me, actually, though it's not much of a difference.

Elena gulped silently, steading her nervous. She thought that this will be a piece of cake. She could master it. But now standing in front of him, everything suddenly was different.

When Katherine said that he was charming, devilishly good looking, she was not mistaken. He had a strange kind of smouldering old school flare about him. Elena swallowed hard. She found herself being mentally paralysed. "Maybe we can have a cocktail together and you can tell me all about New York. And - maybe we can talk?"

Elena nodded a little, but then remembering Katherine's words, changed her demeanour swiftly."It's been a long drive. I need a bath. Later. "

Elijah nodded. "All right. Fine."

Elena walked away, taking the stairs.

Elijah looked at Elena leaving, and put a little smile on. His heart fluttered a bit as the twinkle in her eyes he had seen seemed to promise hope for his marriage, not knowing this in actual fact was not his wife, Katherine.