AN: I do not own the Vampire Diaries; all rights belong to the CW, Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson, and L.J. Smith, I only own what you don't recognize.

On another note, FanFiction was not letting me log in all weekend so I apologize for the wait! Enjoy! ;)

P.S. I also just wanted to note that any italics are visions!


Full Summary: Bulgaria 1492Katrina and Elizabeth Petrova; identical twins, except for one difference; their eyes. While Katrina had warm brown eyes, Elizabeth had eyes the color of shocking lapis lazul. When Katrina had a child out of wedlock, her family banished her to Europe; not wanting her twin to be alone Elizabeth followed her. Once in England the two easily became English and one of the Lords that resigned there took surprising interest in Katrina's looks and Elizabeth's powers. Modern day; Elena and Aileen Joelle aka A.J. Gilbert exact copies of Katrina and Elizabeth. After the deaths of their parents A.J. fled to a preforming arts school in Boston and Elena stayed home with what remained of her family.


The Secrets of the Girl

Chapter One


BAD MOON RISING

A.J. POV

I sat on the couch next to Elena and Stefan at the Salvatore boarding house as 'Rick' came in. "Elena mentioned you needed my help." He said.

"Whoa." Rick said as he saw me.

"I'm A.J., Elena's twin." I said smirking at him.

"Alaric Saltzman." He said sitting down across from us.

"We were hoping you could shine some light on the Lockwood family." Stefan said.

I rolled my eyes; there is nothing supernatural or paranormal about Tyler. The only thing abnormal about him was the size of his ego. "Now why would I know anything about the Lockwoods?" Rick asked.

"Well you wouldn't but your dead- not dead- vampire wife might." Damon said sitting down.

"And we're back to mother dearest." I groaned leaning back against the couch.

Elena slapped my thigh, "Isobel's research when you were at Duke together?" Elena pried.

"You said she had spent years researching this town." Stefan added.

"Isobel's research here rooted in folklore and legend." Rick said spiking my curiosity, "At the time which I thought most of which was fiction."

"See folklore, legend, and fiction; there is nothing supernatural about Tyler Lockwood." I said leaning back curling one of my legs up to my chest and wrapping my arms around it.

"Like that amazing vampire story." Damon said annoyingly.

"Just because one is real doesn't mean they all are." I snapped.

"You're just blinded by your idiotic teenage lust for him." Damon snapped back glaring.

"What if I am? Jealous?" I asked smirking at him.

"Aside from the vampires," Elena said interrupting our spat, "What else?"

"The lycanthrope." Rick said sighing.

Damon and Stefan exchanged looks and I laughed, "You guys think Tyler is a werewolf? Seriously? I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if he turned into a wolf every full moon." I said looking at them disbelievingly.

"No way, impossible." Damon said leaning forward in his seat, "Way too Lhan Chaney. I've been here for a hundred odd years and I've never come across one, if werewolves exist; where the hell are they?"

My eyes went wide as I got a vision.

Mason Lockwood was in the woods slightly sweaty and in running clothes with earphones draped around his neck as he came across stone stairs leading down into what seemed like a cellar like area. Tyler was watching from behind a tree a few yards back as Mason went down into the cellar.

I came back into reality as Rick spoke, "Well why do you suspect the Lockwoods?" He asked.

"Because vervain didn't affect the Mayor on Founder's Day but the Gilbert device did." Damon said looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

I rolled my eyes as Elena had already filled me in on everything. "And it affected his son Tyler." Damon said turning to face me.

"Well maybe the Lockwoods have some kind of hereditary brain tumor and that's why it affects them! Who knows! But I have known Tyler all my life, and I can assure you he does not turn into a wolf!" I snapped.

The vision came back yet I could still hear Stefan.

Tyler watched Mason come out of the cellar, "At the school carnival, his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behavior when he fought one of the carnival workers." Stefan said. Tyler crept towards the cellar, standing above it and looking around for Mason. "So it suggests some kind of supernatural entity." Stefan finished.

"We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure out what it is." Elena said.

"Isobel's things are still at Duke, well her office is. She is technically still missing." Rick said

"So can we get access to it?" Damon asked irritating me.

Tyler went down into a dark cellar and opened an old door which led to- My vision was cut short as my sight returned to reality.

"Rick we need to know what we're dealing with. If this wolf man thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know how it ends; not good." Damon said. "It means that Mason Lockwood is a real Lon Chaney and that little punk Tyler, may just very well be Lon Chaney Jr. Which means Bela Lugosi meaning me, is totally screwed." Damon said scowling.


"You two sure you wanna do this?" Stefan asked as I stood leaning in 'Lena's doorway and my twin packed.

"Which part; digging through our birth mother's life work," Elena started.

"Or going to Duke with Damon?" I finished crossing my arms.

Stefan chuckled, "Either, both." He said.

"Well I'm for sure about the first part but-"

"Damon killed our brother so she thinks Damon and I will end up killing each other." I said rolling my eyes.

"But Rick is a good buffer so we can all bond in our anti-Damon solitary." Elena added, "I wish you were going though."

I backed out of the doorway and headed downstairs just to see Alaric and Jenna talking. I just couldn't get away from these damn couples! I stayed on the steps where they couldn't see me and I couldn't hear them. "Elena! A.J.! You coming?" Jenna called up.

As I came down the stairs Rick went out the door and I stopped by Aunt Jenna, "You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah you know just men and their baggage." Jenna said fake smiling.

I smiled back and hugged her, "I'm just a phone call or a text away, okay?" I said pulling back.

"Alright, now be good!" Jenna called after be as I walked out the door.

I proceeded down the driveway and scrunched up my nose when I saw who was leaning on the car. "Eew, do you really have to come?" I asked Damon throwing my bag in the car.

"Would you rather I taught Blondie how to hunt bunnies?" Damon asked smirking at me.

"The only bunny you know how to hunt is a Playboy Bunny." I said, "And really I'd just rather you'd leave me and Elena alone."

Damon's smirk grew, "By the way I forgot to mention how cute your pj's looked last night." He said as Stefan and Elena approached.

Stefan gave me a look and I just rolled my eyes sending him my best 'don't worry about it' smile and got in. "Sorry you can't come to Stef." Damon teased as Elena threw her bag in to me.

"Call me if you need anything," Stefan said to Elena, "You too." He said pointing at me.

"Will do Stef a Roo." I said rhyming on purpose to make him smile.

I saw Damon frown out of the corner of my eye before he smirked, "I'll take really good care of them." Damon said waggling his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes at him as Elena pulled Stefan down for a kiss. Make that a very long kiss. I watched as Damon's face turned into one of hurt as they continued to kiss. I felt my heart strings give a tug at his expression and leaned up and over Rick so I could press down on the horn, making them break apart.

"Okay time to go." Damon said opening his door and getting in.

I subtly kicked Elena as Stefan opened her door and she climbed in and gave her a pointed look. She gave me her innocent face and I turned so my back was against the door and my feet were in Elena's lap as we drove off. "Ah, ah, ah; put your seat belt on." Damon scolded me turning around.

"Ah, ah, ah; we don't like you turn around." I said pulling out my sketch book and earning a laugh from Alaric.

There was a breeze and suddenly my feet were on the floor and my seat belt was snuggly around me. "Alaric! He touched me!" I complained pouting.

"Damon don't touch the twins." Alaric said half-heartedly.

"Of course I won't, Rick." Damon said smirking.

I watched as he reached around his seat and gave my knee a squeeze, "I promise."

"Asshole." I hissed under my breath.


We had been driving for about 30 minutes, me drawing and Elena sending cutesy messages back and forth with Stefan, before Damon opened his mouth again. "How you doing back there?" Damon asked.

Elena continued to stare out the window while I continued to sketch out the jaw of the face I was drawing. "You know this whole pretending to hate me thing is getting a little silly." Damon drawled smirking at me.

Alaric scoffed, "I don't think they're pretending; you did kill their brother." He said.

"You tell him Rick." I said as I began to outline the nose.

"There is a HUGE asterisk next to that statement- he came back." Damon protested.

"Yeah thanks to a ring you didn't know he was wearing." We said in unison.

"Why are you two so sure I didn't know?" Damon asked.

Elena and I raised identical eyebrows, "Did you?" We asked.

"A.) stop doing that and B.) Yes." He said looking back at us with what was supposed to be a reassuring expression.

"He's lying." I stated turning back to my sketch.

"A.J. I saw the ring it's a big tacky thing; it's hard to miss." Damon said smiling at me.

"Lies." I sang sketching away.


I twisted my lapis lazuli ring around my finger as we entered the building, "So Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department, given that meant paranormal phenomenon is rooted in folklore." Rick said, "Excuse me, hi, I'm Alaric Saltzman. I called earlier." He said as we approached a woman in her early twenties with brown hair.

"Yes, I'm Vanessa Munro, research assistant, comparative folklore." She said shaking Alaric's hand before staring at us.

"Uh let me just grab Isobel's keys." She said.

"I'm sorry these are my friends A.J., Elena, and Damon. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition." Rick said.

"If it is Damon can wait in the car by himself." I offered smiling innocently at her.

"Oh please Isobel's office is right through there." Vanessa said making my smile drop.

"Isobel was one of my first professors. She was brilliant, and one of the reasons I went into folklore." She said, "I have to ask, has there been any news?"

"No, no I'm afraid not." Rick said.

"It's right this way." Vanessa said opening the door for us.

I walked in first looking around; so this is where mother dearest spent her time in college. It was covered in artifacts and maps and had shelves full of books on different myths and legends. "I'll just grab the light. Feel free to look around; it's fascinating isn't it?" Vanessa said before exiting.

I walked over to one of the shelves and ran my hand over the spine of the books, brushing off some dust as I went. "Where'd she go?" Damon asked after a few minutes.

Suddenly Vanessa came in and pointed a cross bow at me. Damon saw her and sped over taking an arrow through the back. I gasped as I saw it poking through his chest. Alaric ran over and pinned her to the wall and I watched as Damon fell down to the ground groaning and kneeled next to him.

Alaric had managed to get a struggling Vanessa out of the room with help from Elena. Damon was bent over a desk and I had my hand on the end of the arrow poking out of his back. "Pull it out." Damon said through gritted teeth as I hesitated, "I can't reach it A.J. just pull the damn thing out it hurts." He half coaxed half growled.

I pulled it out, twisting it once or twice just for fun. He groaned as he straightened up. "Big baby." I muttered setting the arrow down.

"That bitch is dead." Damon said facing me.

"Oh no, you are not going to kill her." I said as he went for the door.

"Watch me." Damon said.

"You touch her and I will never speak to you again, and you can be damn sure I will make sure Elena never does." I said crossing my arms.

Damon turned around to face me with an amused expression. "What makes you think that has any power over me?" Damon asked, "Because I took an arrow it the back for you? You are severely overestimating yourself."

He tried to grab my shoulder but I pushed him off, "Right I forgot that you hate me; is that why you were in my bed last night protecting me?" I asked taking a step closer to him, "Especially considering you know that I know that you didn't know Jeremy had that ring. Admit it; even if it's just to yourself, you care about me even if it is just because I look like her."

I looked up at him for a moment longer before brushing past him out of the office. I saw Alaric sitting down Miss Assassin. "Katherine and Elizabeth Pierce cannot be alive and Damon Salvatore died in 1864. Okay I read Isobel's research-"

Alaric cut her off, "Then you should know exactly how possible this is." He said.

"I'm Aileen Joelle aka A.J. Gilbert and this is my twin sister Elena we're Isobel's daughters and descendants of Katherine and Elizabeth Pierce. This annoying creature next to me is Damon Salvatore, who you just shot." I said leaning on the couch.

"I'd be extra nice to me right now." Damon said doing his 'I'm so bad ass' look.

"I swear I thought you were Elizabeth, you're eyes, and her research says that Elizabeth was the most dangerous twin." Vanessa said.

"You forgot sexy." Damon said smirking and wrapping his arm around my waist.

I shoved him away from me and turned back to Vanessa, "I have powers just like Elizabeth, and I'm sure by now you have figured out what Damon is so whatever my sister asks you I suggest you do." I said sternly.

"We need to see all of Isobel's research that leads to Mystic Falls." Elena said.


"This box tracks Katherine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April 1864." Vanessa said setting a box in front of Elena.

"Is that all there is about her?" Elena asked.

"That I'm aware of." Vanessa said.

"Well what about Elizabeth?" I asked hopefully.

"Ah, unfortunately we have even less on the older twin." Vanessa said going over to Isobel's desk and opening a drawer.

She took out manila envelope and two diaries, "This diary," She said holding up a leather bound dark green one, "belonged to a Mr. George Lockwood. While this one," She held up a red leather one that had swirly faded golden writing and a lock on it, "Belonged to Elizabeth we assume by the writing on the front."

I took them from her, "Thank you." I said smiling.

"Don't thank me yet, we can't get that open, no matter what we do the lock won't break." Vanessa said.

"Still thank you." I said smiling at her still.

I watched as she turned back to Elena and examined the lock. I recognized the shape from somewhere and my eyes widened as the realization hit me. I slipped it into my bag along with George Lockwood's while she had her back turned and opened the envelope.

"Here take this." Elena said handing her vervain.

"Does vervain really work?" Vanessa asked quietly.

"Nope, not at all." Damon called from the next room.

"Can he hear us?" She asked even quieter.

"No; that would be creepy!" Damon whisper yelled.

"Can he read minds too?" Vanessa asked sarcastically.

"You know if you wanted to see me naked all you had to do was ask." He said cockily.

As I rolled my eyes and went over to the door way where he was standing Elena spoke, "No that he can't do."

"But he is very capable of being a first rate jackass." I said before closing the door in his face.


"Any luck?" Damon asked sneaking up behind Elena and me.

"There's nothing in here about Katherine that we don't already know." I said scanning a few papers before putting them in the useless pile off to the side.

"Ah, man you know if we were friends I could tell you what I know but since we're not…" He trailed off.

"Are you trying to manipulate us?" I asked raising my eyebrows at him.

"Hey guys check this out." Rick said handing a book to Vanessa.

Elena and I pushed past Damon and we made our way over to the desk, "There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls but these are some records of lesser known legends; everything from Scandinavian Skin Walkers to the Marshall Derite." Vanessa said something in a foreign language, "Which roughly translates to the Curse of the Sun and the Moon."

"It's Native American." Rick said.

"Aztec." Vanessa and I said as I peered over Damon's shoulder at the drawings.

I looked up to see everyone staring at me, "We did a project in my art class at my school and anyway those are defiantly Aztec drawings." I said tracing one of the figures.

"It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced in Virginia." Vanessa explained, "The short story; 600 years ago the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside and made farming and hunting impossible. Until an Aztec shaman cursed the two races, making the vampires slaves to the sun and the werewolves servants to the moon. As a result vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky whoever is unlucky enough to fall prey to the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

"Can they control the transformation?" Damon asked.

"Damon if it's called a curse then why would they be able to control it?" I asked in my 'duh' voice.

"Werewolves will attack humans but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice-vampires." Vanessa said

"Dun, dun, dun, DUN!" I said ominously.

Elena elbowed me and gave me a pointed look. I stuck my tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes. "Well if werewolves were hunting vampires I would know about it." Damon said.

"No, you wouldn't. There aren't that many werewolves left alive, vampires hunted them almost to extinction." Vanessa said

"Why would they do that?" Elena asked puzzled.

"To protect themselves," Vanessa said turning her attention to me, "Legend has it that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires."

"Ooh." Damon said.

My eyes widened as I looked at Damon; if Damon though for a second that Tyler could kill him, Tyler would be dead within hours.


Elena and I went outside; the information on Elizabeth was tucked safely into my bag. Elena called Stefan and she walked a few feet away from me while she warned him about the werewolf legend. "Everything okay?" I asked as she walked back looking worried.

"Stefan might have lost Caroline." She said as we went back inside, "But he can track her; he said he'd call back soon."

"Have you done any research on doppelgangers?" Elena asked as we went back in the office.

"The word means a lot of different things to a lot of different cultures, but typically a doppelganger is a living breathing double of oneself." Vanessa said leaning back in her chair.

"Does Isobel have anything that explains the link between me and Katherine?" Elena asked.

I cleared my throat and gave her a pointed look, "or A.J. and Elizabeth?" She added.

"What I gave you two is all she had on Katherine and Elizabeth unfortunately." Vanessa said, "But I can tell you that doppelgangers usually torment the people they look like; trying to undo their lives.

"And more things we already know." Elena said.

I squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, "Just- I wanna know why we all look alike." Elena said frustrated.

"Head scratcher isn't it?" Damon said.

"Shut up." I snapped throwing a ruler at him.

"Do you know something or are you just being yourself?" Elena asked making me smirk; I'm not the only twin with an attitude with this guy.

"Well if I know anything I'm not gonna tell you, not with that attitude." Damon said.

"That's good, Damon, this is coming from someone who wants to be our friend." I said, "Friends don't manipulate each other."


I got in the car and closed it on Elena; locking her outside with Damon. I pulled my sketchbook out innocently as Damon unlocked the door but didn't let Elena open it. After a few minutes Elena got in with a big book. I didn't say anything, just continued to sketch the face of the man I hadn't seen in a dream since I was 7.


When I got home I ran over to my bike, "Where are you going?" Elena asked.

"To see Caroline, Matt broke up with her." I said strapping on my helmet.

"I'd have figured you had enough drama for today." Damon said smirking.

"Drama with you? Yes; but I always have time for Care." I said putting my bag in the compartment and driving off.

I got off my bike in Caroline's driveway and jogged up to her door. As I raised my hand to knock, Caroline opened the door and came into my arms. I held her as she sobbed, "It hurts, so much." She choked out.

"I know sweetie, I know." I said walking her into the house and closing the door behind us.


I got home around 2 and went straight to my room. I tossed off my shoes and started stripping, leaving a trail of clothes to my closet where I grabbed a pair of sleep shorts and a long tee. I turned to my bed and collapsed with a groan turning off my light.

Suddenly a thought from earlier that day crossed my mind again and I bolted straight up. I turned on my lamp and hurried over to my bag, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I through it on the bed and ran over to my closet. I grabbed a box from the corner and climbed on it so I could reach a box on my very top shelf. I pulled it down and ripped off the lid grabbing a velvet black case from inside and tossing the box back up on my shelf.

I hopped off the box I was standing on and hurled myself onto my bed, grabbing Elizabeth's journal out of my bag. I took a few deep breaths letting myself calm down before opening the velvet case and taking out the necklace within. It was a silver locket in the shape of a heart that had small rubies around the edge and a larger one in the center.

I held my breath as I pressed the locket into the key hole and the lock popped open. A grin came over my face as I lifted the cover and was greeted with a picture. It looked like Elena and I both with curly hair dressed in clothes from the late 1800's standing in front of the stables from my vision. The curly writing on the paper frame that held it said 'Katherine and Elizabeth, 1864. Salvatore Stables.' My breath caught as I picked the picture up, I could tell which one was Elizabeth by the necklace that rested on her chest.

It was the very necklace I had used to open the journal. I flipped the picture over to see writing on the back, 'To my beloved Damon, Yours Always- Elizabeth' My eyes went wide and I put the picture back into the journal locking it.

I clasped the necklace around my neck and grabbed both journals and the envelope before going over to my bulletin board and taking it down to reveal a small silver door with a keypad. I punched in the code quickly and opened the door. It was a small safe that my dad had installed shortly after I had started training and held some of my dad's (both of them) documents and a vervain grenade and vervain darts, along with a stake and a gun loaded with wooden bullets.

I quickly put the new information inside before closing the door and locking it. I put my bulletin board back up and turning off my lamp as I crawled under the covers. I had just found what I was looking for.


AN: So after about a week? Or two? Maybe? Of a wait there was the 4th chapter! Its longer than usual so I hoped you enjoyed! I have the next few chapters written so I should be posting one this weekend and the next!

Review and tell me what you think! (only if you want to-no pressure)

-ConflictingLoyalties563 ;D