In Caroline's bedroom, the four girls laid messily across her double bed, trying to sleep despite the sunlight pouring through the curtains. They'd had a long night, from consoling Caroline when she eventually broke down about what happened, to watching trashy movies and eating any available junk food until they fell asleep. Caroline and Audrey had claimed the middle of the bed, curling up into each as they slept, while Elena and Bonnie slept on either side of them.
A phone buzzing broke the silence they slept in, earning a chorus of groans and whines from each of them. "Go away!" Caroline whined, pushing Elena out of bed and pulling a pillow over her head.
"Uh." Elena groaned, crawling along the floor with a huff, and grabbing her phone from the dresser to answer it. "Hello?"
"Shh!" Bonnie hushed with a sleep filled glare.
"Elena!" Caroline whined, giving her the same glare Bonnie was.
Audrey pulled the pillow out from underneath her own head, and sat up, chucking it at her twin with full force. "Out!" She ordered, pointing at the door with a frown, before laying back down in bed.
Slowly, Elena crawled out of the room and into the hall, allowing the three to try and get back to sleep. Audrey knew she needed to get up herself, knowing she'd promised Jenna she'd keep her company today, after her aunt was roped into the Historical Society high tea event. But, she couldn't bring herself to move, and instead snuggled herself deeper beneath the sheets.
Being late would be worth a little extra sleep, and nothing would change her mind about that. Before she could fall back to sleep, a ringing sound filled the room once more, earning yet another chorus of groans from the three teenagers.
Caroline pulled the sheets over her head, burying her face in her pillow as she asked. "What is it now?!"
Audrey sighed as recognized the sound, and pulled the sheets over her head. "My alarm."
"AUDREY!"
* * * * * * * * * *
Audrey picked up the pace slightly, as she walked up the driveway toward the Lockwood house, pulling her hair up into a ponytail as she did so. After eventually dragging herself out of Caroline's bed, the Gilbert girl raced home to shower and change, before heading to meet Jenna for the historical society event. She would of made it with some time to spare, but she ended up being distracted by a call from Elena, who was heading to the lake-house with Stefan for the weekend. With everything going on, Elena needed a break from everything going on, and it gave her a chance to avoid John more.
"What are you doing here?" Damon Salvatore rose a brow at the girl, who was getting out of his car as she walked past.
Audrey slowed her pace down slightly, turning back to look at him. "I'm meeting up with Jenna." She rose her own brow at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to figure out if Papa Gilbert is big fat liar or not." He said bluntly. "He gave me some information, and before I put it to the test, there is an original I need to chat to."
"Elijah." Audrey slowly nodded in realization. "How do even know he's going to be here?"
"Tip from my new girlfriend." He joined her side, walking up the porch with her. "Andie Star, action news."
"What happened to avoiding all women for the sake of women everywhere?"
"I hadn't seen her naked."
Audrey pulled a face, scrunching her nose in disgust. "You're a pig, you know that?"
"So you've told me many times, little Gilbert." Damon smirked, earning a eye roll as they made their way inside.
The event was already well under way as they walked in, classic music playing as the guests socialised with one another. If it wasn't for Jenna's sake, Audrey wouldn't be there at all. She'd never been a fan of big town events, and she usually only went when Elena or Caroline forced her to. The eldest Salvatore stood by her side, as they made their way into the main room, the teenager scanning the room for her aunt.
"There you are." Jenna sighed in relief, as she appeared in front of the pair. "I was wondering where you'd got to." Her eyes flickered to Damon, not trying to hide her obvious distaste for the man. "Damon, what are you doing here?"
Before he could answer, Andie suddenly appeared between him and Audrey, pecking his lips with a sweet smile. "Hi. You came."
"Hi." He smiled back gently, noticing Jenna's look of surprise. "Thanks for introducing us, Jenna." With one last smile, he walks away, leaving Jenna and Andie both staring after him.
Audrey rolled her eyes at the word damn leaving Andie's lips, and glanced over to where the Salvatore heading, spotting who he was walking toward. She mumbled out a quick excuse about getting a drink, and headed in that direction with her eyes set on the original in question, an innocent smile on her lips as their eyes met. Elijah returned the smile almost instantly, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Damon, who looked between the pair with a slight frown.
"Oh, Audrey." Carol Lockwood smiled widely at the girl, grabbing her hand and tugging her to join them, patting her shoulder. "Audrey, this is Elijah Smith. He's in town doing research for a book he's writing." She introduced, and looked at Elijah. "Elijah, this is Audrey Gilbert. She's Jenna Sommers niece. Her family is one of the town's founding families."
Elijah took her hand gently, kissing the top of it, discreetly exchanging the smallest of smirks with the Gilbert girl. "Pleasure to meet you, Audrey."
"You too." She nodded politely.
"Oh, excuse me a moment." Carol excused, following after a waiter with a frown.
Damon took that as his opportunity, leading Elijah into the empty study to talk privately, tugging Audrey in with them. She rose a brow at the Salvatore, who gave her a unimpressed look back, which only confused her more.
"What can I do for you, Damon?" Elijah asked, as Damon closed the door behind them.
Damon looked back at him with a smile, one Audrey could tell was forced. "I was hoping we could have a word."
Elijah looked over at Audrey, clearly skeptical of the Salvatore's intentions, and Audrey couldn't blame him. Audrey only had the vaguest idea what Damon was up to, and even then, she doubted it was as innocent as he made it out to be. "Where's Elena?"
"She and Stefan have went away for a few days." She told him. "After what happened with the werewolves, she wanted a break." She gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks for having your witches intervene. You saved Caroline's life."
He smiled back at her. "You are welcome."
Damon sat down at the desk, watching them carefully as he butted in. "Which adds to my confusion on exactly why you're here."
"Why don't you just stay focused on keeping Elena and Audrey safe and leave the rest to me."
Elijah moves to exit the room, but Damon speeds in front of him, blocking the way out. "Not good enough."
"Forgive me, my dear." Audrey blinked at Elijah's words to her, confused, but her confusion was quickly cleared up with what happened next. Elijah grabs Damon by the throat and vamp-speeds him into a wall. Damon, in retaliation, grabs Elijah's throat. The original grabs Damon's hand and easily pulls it off of his neck, making sure to crush Damon's hand as he does so. "You young vampires, so arrogant." Elijah drops Damon's hand from his own, but continues to hold Damon up against the wall by the throat. "How dare you come in here and challenge me?"
"You can't kill me, man." The Salvatore groaned out in pain. "It's not part of the deal."
"Silence." Elijah grabs a pencil lying on the desk and stabs Damon in the neck with it. Damon clutches at the pencil and yells in pain. Elijah lets go of Damon, who falls against the desk and removes the pencil, painfully. As the raven haired man claps his hand over the bloody wound, Elijah whips out a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes the blood off his hands. "I'm an Original. Show a little respect." He then dangles the handkerchief in front of Damon, who grabs it hastily, and places it on his wound. "The moment you cease to be of use to me, you're dead, so you should do what I say. Keep Elena and Audrey safe."
He looked over at the stunned Gilbert girl, and gave her a small nod, before he walked out of the study.
* * * * * * * * * *
Audrey sat alone in the Grill, playing a game on her phone until a bag was placed in front of her, and she looked up at the waiter with a grin. "Thank you." She handed him a couple bills, before grabbing the brown paper bag and styrofoam cup, making her way outside.
After what happened at the historical society, Audrey had bowed out of the event early, telling Jenna she had a headache. In actual fact, she was making a quick get away from Damon, who she knew would of hit her with a barrage of questions. Plus, she felt no sympathy for the Salvatore at all, as he made the mistake of provoking Elijah to that point. She didn't understand why he couldn't trust the deal like she and Elena were. Wanting to avoid running into John at home, the Gilbert girl stopped at the Grill on her way through town, using the money she had to buy herself a burger and milkshake.
"Excuse me!" Audrey paused as a man jogged over to her. "Audrey Gilbert?"
She quirked a brow, taking a cautious step away from him. "Do I know you?"
His lips twitched into a smirk, glancing over her shoulder. "Grab her."
And all hell broke loose. Audrey screamed as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist, her body being tugged back against someone's chest. A hand soon clamped over her mouth, shoving a cloth in her mouth to muffle her screams, as they carried the the thrashing girl into an empty alleyway.
"Brady sent the all clear." One of the men behind Audrey said. "He's going for the sister now."
"What about Jules?" Another asked.
"Dealing with the vampire who killed Mason." The man in front of her answered, grabbing a blade out from his jacket pocket. "You know what we've gotta do. Let's just get it over with."
Audrey's eyes widened in alarm, and began shaking her head rapidly, letting out muffled sobs as tears fell down her face. Her body thrashed violently, trying to break the tight grip the pair behind had on her, kicking her legs out at the one with the knife. Fight. It was the only word going through Audrey's head, and that was exactly what she was doing. Fighting the best she could, despite how tired her body began to fail, or the nagging voice in her head saying to let the inevitable happen.
"Don't worry." He grabbed her face by the chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. She could feel the cool top of the blade pressed against her skin, making bile rise up in her throat. "I'll make it quick."
"Sadly, I can't offer you the same mercy." A familiar voice echoed from behind.
The man spun on his heel to look at who was there, keeping the blade against Audrey's throat the best he could. "Who the hell are you?"
The original said nothing, rushing forward and grabbing him by the throat with one hand, shoving his other hand in the wolf's chest. Audrey let out a cry as she was dropped to the ground, the men holding her quickly starting to run in the opposite direction, as Elijah yanked the man's heart from his chest. Elijah dropped the body to the ground, tossing the heart in his hand away to the side, before rushing in front of the the other two wolves. He placed a hand on both of their hands, knocking the pair together forcefully, before snapping both of their necks.
Audrey spat out the rag that had been shoved in her mouth, scooting back on the ground until she hit the wall behind her, her body trembling. She combed her fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face before wiping at her face, leaving tear stains on her cheeks.
"Audrey." Elijah spoke gently, bending down in front of her.
"W-what was that?" She choked out. "Why were they...?"
"It appears the wolves learned of the doppelgangers existence, and intended to make it so the curse couldn't be broken." He explained, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, and using it to wipe away the tears still falling. "It won't happen again, I've made certain of it." He then took her hands, gently pulling the girl up to her feet. "I'm sorry this happened to you."
"You'd think I'd be used to it." Audrey admitted quietly, her eyes glancing at the bodies laid on the ground. The glint of the disregarded knife hitting her eyes. "But when he pulled out the...I-I couldn't..."
"It's over now." He assured her, and froze in surprise as she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him tightly as she cried into his chest. Elijah slowly wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace, rubbing her back soothingly. "You're okay, Audrey. You have my word, I won't let anything happen to you again."
And Audrey didn't doubt him for a second.
It's another short chapter, but I'll be updating this story again later, and that will be a much longer update. It's the dinner party...we know what's coming. A lot of Elijah and Audrey interaction this chapter, and he killed the werewolves trying to hurt her. Audrey trusts him a lot more now than she already did, so what happens next chapter isn't going to go down well with her at all.
Their little embrace made me smile too, I couldn't resist putting that in there.
Damon and Audrey, I can see potential for development there. Nothing more than friendship, but I can see it working. Let me know if that's something you want me to explore, but if it is, it will take some time. Audrey has issues with both Salvatore brothers that need to be addressed first.
I hope you all enjoyed!