"Settling for mortals is the first sign of weakness..." -Kol Mikaelson

Chapter 1

The car headlights illuminated the long road ahead. Audrey Dillon peered into the darkness, praying that there was somewhere nearby where she could rest. The clock on the dashboard read 8:45 but as Audrey drove on it felt like much later. The road seemed endless and deserted making the hair rise on Audrey's arms.

Her mind wondered as the night drew on. She stifled a yawn, contemplating whether she should just pull over and rest or not. Her eyes drooped at just the thought of resting and the car suddenly swerved, heading towards the lining of trees on the side of the road. "Shit!"

She slammed her foot down on the brake just as the car rolled off the road and into the grassland. Tree branches scraped the hood of the car as it slowed down, sounding a lot like nails on a chalkboard. The battered old car squealed in protest as Audrey pushed her foot down on the brake again. The car gave one final jolt forward before the engine cut off completely.

"Stupid car..." Audrey smacked the steering wheel with the palm of her hand, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. The light from the phone lit up the car and highlighted Audrey's face as she waited for her phone to load. Everything Audrey owned seemed to either be second-hand or in poor condition.

There was a bleep from the phone as it finally loaded, another bleep signalled that it had lost signal.

Audrey let out a nervous laugh, "this is what happens in the horror movies, right before the stupid girl climbs out of the car to check her engine." She thought aloud, gazing out the car window as if waiting for a crazy killer to jump out from the behind the bushes.

"Well I can't just sit here…" She grumbled pulling her seatbelt off and forcing the car door open.

The wind howled, blowing Audrey's dark brown hair from her shoulders. Dead leaves tumbled across the ground and high up in the trees; a giant black crow cawed, spreading its large wings out in a menacing way. It was a moonless, cold night.

Audrey stumbled blindly, holding her arms out in front of her as a shield. She let out a small cry of pain as she rammed her leg into what was probably a very long and sharp tree branch. She clenched her teeth together, grasping onto the car roof for support. Why did her car have to break down now?

"Excuse me miss?"Audrey gasped, spinning around as best as she could on one leg. A man not much older than her stared back at her, hands raised in defence. The corners of his mouth curled up in a smirk, "now what would a pretty young lady like yourself be doing out at this time of night?" He questioned, his voice was thick with a Southern drawl.

Audrey ducked her head, her hair falling in clumps, making a curtain to hide her face from the mysterious stranger. She shifted her feet nervously before looking back up at the man.

"My car broke down." She admitted sheepishly, hoping the stranger would be able to help.

"Well my trucks parked right over there." He replied pointing at a truck that sat on the side of the road, headlights on and engine purring. "I could give you a ride into town, there's bound to be a mechanical shop somewhere."

Audrey smiled gratefully before remembering her injury. She winced slightly and the man's smile faltered quickly. "You, uh, you hurt yourself?" He asked scratching the back of his neck.

"Just a little bit," Audrey mumbled rolling her jeans up to inspect the cut. "I can't see anything!" She groaned, "Hold on I'll just grab some stuff from my car then we can go." Audrey told the man before pulling her car door open and climbing in.

She grabbed her handbag off the back seat, watching from the window as the man walked across the road towards his truck. Once Audrey had crammed everything she needed into her handbag she jumped out of her car and limped towards the man's truck.

"Friends call me Travis." The man said, greeting Audrey with a warm smile as he leaned lazily against the car door. Audrey extended her hand, "nice to meet you Travis."

"What? I can't know your name?" He asked, crinkling his eyebrows together in confusion. Audrey pretended to think about it for a second, "nope!" Travis sighed, gazing up at the millions of stars that littered the night sky. He seemed deep in thought as he studied each and every one of them; mischief flickered in his green eyes.

Finally he looked down, his eyes full sorrow as he stared at Audrey. "I guess that makes it easier."

Audrey tilted her head to the side, suddenly not feeling comfortable around Travis. "Easier to do what…" She wanted to ask but never got the chance to.

In an instant his face morphed into one of a monster. His green eyes grew darker, the rims of his eyes becoming bloodshot. The veins below his eyes became visible, stretching below his eyes. Fangs as sharp as razors replaced two of his front teeth, looking lethal as he hissed.

Before Audrey could speak, Travis gripped her shoulders in a firm grip, baring his fangs as he brought his head close to her ear. "You're not even going to struggle?" He asked, his cold breath tickling her ear, making her shiver. "Would you like me to pretend to be scared?" She retorted in a mocking tone.

"Wh—" Travis never finished his sentence. Audrey had wriggled free of his grasp while he was distracted and had pulled a wooden stake from her jacket. She twirled it between her fingers quickly before plunging it right next to where his heart would be. Travis bent forward, obviously not expecting his dinner to fight back.

He clawed at the stake trying desperately to pull it from his chest. "Who are you!" He spluttered; sweat forming on his face as he managed to grasp the stake. Audrey leaned towards him, looking completely calm and innocent as she removed his hands from the stake.

She grasped the stake, pulling it from Travis's chest and watching as he groped at the wound.

"Audrey Dillon." Audrey replied, her dark blue eyes sparkling. The colour drained from Travis's face, he opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "D-Dillon?"

Audrey gave Travis a sad smile, "you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Before Travis could even blink Audrey plunged the stake into his heart. His eyes bulged and his face turned a sickly gray. Audrey side stepped out of the way and let Travis' corpse fall to the ground.

"I'm sorry, but you are a monster." Audrey whispered to the dead body. A feeling of bliss swept over her but also a feeling of remorse. Travis didn't seem like the other soulless vampires she had come across. In the end, he was evil like all vampires; he was cheating death.

Hello! This is my first VD fanfic, I do hope you've enjoyed the first chapter!

I knew from the moment Kol walked in saying, "Long time brother,' that I wanted to write a fanfiction about him.

I hope you like Audrey, my OC. Tell me in a review what you think!

I hope you don't think I'm being forward and pushy, but I would really love five reviews for this chapter. I read every single one and they always inspire me. If you have any ideas for the story or what needs working on I always take them into consideration.

-Elise