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.
Full Summary: Bulgaria 1492 Katrina 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.
AN: oh eww I just realized how long I've kept you guys waiting. :P hope you think it was worth it! Sorry!
****BY THE WAY ELENA'S THOUGHTS ARE IN BOLD&ITALICS AND A.J.'S ARE IN BOLD!***
The Secrets of the Girl
Chapter Seventeen
KNOW THY ENEMY
A.J. POV
Elena's distress woke me up and I sat up, turning on my light and slipping into my white furry slippers. I got up and hurried down the stairs. I saw Elena and Jenna at the door, Jenna wearing a hurt look and Elena wearing a shocked one, "Elena what's wrong?" I asked peering through Elena and Jenna to see a woman with dark hair.
"Who are you?" I asked sleepily.
"You must be Aileen." She said sweetly.
"It's A.J. actually; who are you?" I asked again.
"I'm your mother." She said smiling.
I glared at her, "Isobel." I stated.
"So you're the woman that's dating my husband." Isobel said to Jenna, "I need to speak to the twins, may I come in?" She asked.
"NO!" Elena and I said slamming the door on her.
Jenna looked at Elena in disbelief, "You knew she was still alive? Both of you?" She asked looking at me, "Ric? John? Did they know?"
"I can explain everything, Jenna, no! Jenna, please!" Elena yelled following Jenna up the stairs.
I heard a door slam and slumped down the door, and onto the floor. "Aileen I know you're still there, I can hear you breathing." Isobel said through the door.
"Screw off!" I sent into her mind and hurried up the stairs and into my room.
I pulled on skin tight skinny jeans, a dark green Henley, and my leather jacket. I laced up my combat boots and slipped on my ring and locket before giving my hair and makeup a once over and heading down the stairs. I got down the stairs only to see John talking to Elena and Alaric. "But maybe had you been a little more honest with her from the beginning-"
I saw Ric punch John and grinned, "Finally! I was about to do that myself actually." I told him hopping off the bottom step.
"Sorry girls." Ric said looking at the both of us before leaving.
"You know this is your fault." Elena told John, "Right?"
"Right." John agreed.
I laughed as I pushed past him into the kitchen to get a poptart.
Elena and I were sitting in her room when Stefan walked in on the phone with Caroline. "Oh this is bad. Between Isobel and Jenna and now Matt; this is a disaster." Elena said after Stefan hung up and told us about what happened with Caroline and Matt.
I put my head in my hands and rubbed my temples. John came to the doorway, "Elena, Aileen can you come downstairs please? I need to talk to you." He said.
Elena scoffed and I could feel a migraine coming on. "I have nothing to say to you." Elena spat.
"Please it's important; you too Stefan." John said spiking our curiosity.
Elena and I exchanged looks before standing up and following him out the door. Elena and I went down the stairs and turned to go into the kitchen only to stop suddenly when we saw Isobel standing in front of us. "I asked John for a do over." Isobel informed us.
I clenched my fists and the lights flickered as I turned to John, "You invited her in?" I demanded.
"She has information about Klaus." He said, "Please, just listen to her."
Elena and I turned to Stefan for his opinion, "Alright what do you know?" He asked.
"Since I was last here I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus." Isobel said as I watched Elena pace from my perch on the island in our kitchen.
"We knew our best chance was to find him before he could find you." Isobel continued.
"Best chance of what?" Stefan asked.
"Keeping the twins alive." John answered.
"You know I am really getting tired of listening to you talk." I said glaring at him as the pans shook above me.
John looked at me with sad eyes and I glared back, "Were you able to find Klaus?" Stefan asked Isobel as Elena rubbed my knee.
"No, nobody knows where he is but there are these rumors flying around that a doppelgänger and a psychic exist." Isobel said.
"Which means that every vampire who wants to get in favor with Klaus will be lining up to capture you." John added.
"I'm not buying any of this." Elena said stepping forward, "The last time that you were here you made it very clear that you didn't give a damn about me; now all of a sudden I'm supposed to believe that you want to help?" She asked in a mocking tone.
"Aileen wasn't around then." Isobel stated calmly.
I hopped off my perch, "You little bi-"
"Isobel has been helping all along. Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was anyone of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was alive and it would bring him straight here to Mystic Falls where you were bound to be discovered." John explained, "So we killed them."
"And you almost killed Stefan and Damon in the process." Elena said angrily.
"I have a safe house that I can take you to." Isobel said standing up.
I moved in between her and Elena, "The deed is in your names, no vampires can get in without your permission. Not even me." Isobel explained, "Let me help you."
I stepped closer to her, "You want to help?" I asked and she nodded, "Then get the hell out of my house before I throw you out." I said using my powers to push her back down into her chair.
Damon and I sat on a couch in the study across from Stefan and Elena. "Do you think that Isobel's telling the truth that word has gotten around about the doppelgänger and the psychic?" Elena asked.
"Look I don't trust a word that she says but I think we'd be stupid to ignore the warning." Stefan said.
"Well I agree our birth mom might be a psycho bitch but it's always good to be cautious." I added in.
"You know you two should just stay here, it's better for us to keep an eye on you." Damon said tightening his grip on me.
"What in the house that any vampire can enter? No." Stefan said shooting down the idea, "Their house is safer."
"Well then we'll stay there." Damon said linking his fingers through mine.
"Fine then one of you two bodyguards is going to have to come with me to the Lockwood luncheon while the other stays with A.J." Elena told them.
"That'd be me going with you then." Stefan said shooting Elena a smile.
"That means A.J. is coming with me and Bonnie to do witch stuff." Damon said.
"Does that mean you're taking us to the-"
"Sh." Damon said silencing me by placing a finger on my mouth.
"Don't get quiet on my account." Katherine said as she walked in, "If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom; please do tell."
I looked at Stefan, "Please make her go away." I pleaded to him.
"Seriously. What is the plan to get us out of this mess, hm? I delivered you a moonstone, a werewolf, and a dagger to lure and kill Klaus and right now all you have is a moonstone or so you tell me." Katherine said while Elena sat with her arms crossed and a pissed off look on her face.
"Want me to burn her hair off?" I asked her still glaring at Katherine.
"Not yet, Stefan would be disappointed in us." She thought back.
"No we have it." Damon told Katherine.
"Where is it?" Katherine asked.
"It is in a very safe place." Damon said vaguely.
"I've been honest with you, your time to return the favor." Katherine told us.
"Let me be honest with you; don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust." Damon said with a smirk.
"Fine be that way." Katherine said before walking out.
"Can we set her on fire?" I asked looking up at Damon.
Stefan and Elena laughed, "I'm serious." I said looking over at the couple.
"Tell me again why bringing my little brother into this is a good idea." I said as Jeremy, Bonnie, Damon and I made our way through the woods.
"He's dating a witch now, he'll get used to it, don't worry." Damon said smirking at me.
I rolled my eyes, "Because that's so reassuring." I said sarcastically.
Damon grabbed my hand pulling me close to him and kissing my temple. I smiled up at him and he returned it with a rare and real smile. "Is this the spot Emily Bennet was killed too?" Jeremy asked.
"The founders thought it was poetic; burning her where the other witches burned." Damon answered.
"How do you know where the witches were burned?" Bonnie asked him.
"Cause I tried to save her. Emily was just my way of getting Katherine back." Damon said causing me to roll my eyes, "Before I knew what a nasty little bitch Katherine was."
"And still is." I added as Jeremy laughed.
We kept walking until we came up to an old white building. "You sure it's the right place?" Jeremy asked.
Damon nodded before continuing inside. We walked in after Damon looking around at the abandoned building. I eyed the set of stairs that lead up to the second floor as whispers filled the air. Jeremy stepped on a loose board and jumped causing me to stifle a laugh. Damon gave him a smug look and I hit his arm. Damon froze in a beam of sunlight as the whispers got louder and laughed darkly, "Whatever witchy prank you're pulling, don't its not funny." Damon told Bonnie.
"I'm not doing anything." Bonnie denied.
"I can't move and unless Aileen is doing this, which I doubt, you're the only one who would." Damon told her.
"Its not me." I said holding up my hands.
Damon began to burn and my eyes widened, "Bonnie…" I said.
"Ah, my ring's not working." Damon said in a tense voice, "Do something."
I looked away from the burning vampire in front of me and over to Bonnie as she concentrated.
Damon broke free and bent over panting for a few seconds before standing up. I reached for his hand only for me to be shocked severely causing me to jump away. "I don't think the witches like you being here." Bonnie said bluntly.
"Or you being with my sister." Jeremy said.
"That's actually probably the psychics." I said referring to what Elijah had told me.
"I'm gonna go wait outside." Damon said walking past us and outside.
"I'm gonna go explore." I said before turning and heading up the the old and probable very unsafe stairs.
I walked up slowly gripping the railing and testing each step before I went up it. I reached the top and turned down the the hallway. I waked over to the the first room on the right and pushed open its slightly ajar door. Inside was two old fashioned couches and chairs all surrounding a rug that had a wooden chest on top of it. I knelt beside it and let my fingers brush over the worn and dusty wood. Images flashed by of a group of women sitting in the room, piling things inside and locking it.
I pulled my hand back, breaking the trance before I touched the old fashioned lock. It sprung open under my touch and I looked around almost expecting to see the women around me. I lifted the lid and saw journals and several small boxes. A shiver ran up my spine as I felt something brush a piece of hair behind my ears. The whispers started up again and I tried to pin point what they were saying. Candles around the room lit up suddenly and I gasped, "No harm, we mean no harm." I managed to make out.
I lifted one of the boxes out and opened it. There was a letter inside a sealed envelope along with a picture of a baby girl. I sat the box on my lap and sifted through a ribbon, a necklace, and a picture of a group of women in old fashioned clothes. Underneath all of that was a small leather bound book. I picked it up and opened it. 'Ruth' was scrawled across the first page in swoopy lettering.
My phone rang and I quickly opened it, "Hello?" I answered.
"Get out here, now." Damon's voice came through before he hung up.
I placed all of the contents back into the box before placing that into the chest and closing the lid. I heard the lock click, "I'll be back." I promised before hurrying out and down the stairs.
I walked outside and Damon grabbed my hand, "C'mon the Sheriff says your dad is dead." He said.
"What-" I was cut off as Damon pulled me to him and sped away.
We stopped outside the Lockwoods' and Damon let go of me, "Stay." He ordered before heading inside.
I sat down on the steps and began playing Temple Run. "What's your high score?" A British accent asked me.
I looked up to see a blonde man- a very attractive blonde man. "40,000 something; I suck at this game." I answered pressing pause.
"May I?" He asked gesturing to the spot next to me.
"Go ahead." I said smiling at him.
The man sat down and I noticed his eyes which stuck out as familiar to me, "Do I know you?" I asked scrunching my eyebrows up in confusion.
"I don't know, do you? I'm Nik, no 'C'." He said offering his hand and a gorgeous smile.
I smiled back, "I'm Aileen but everyone just called me A.J." I said shaking his warm hand.
"Do you mind if I call you Ailey?" Nik asked. (AN: A-lee not Ah-lee)
"Nope." I said still smiling.
My phone buzzed and I clicked on the new message, 'Meet me out back- D.' "I have to go, it was nice meeting you, Nik." I said standing up.
"It was a pleasure, Ailey." Nick said kissing the back of my hand.
A shiver went down my spine and I gave him a warm smile, "Bye." I said before hurrying around to the back of the house.
I stopped at the side of the house and looked back only to see that he had vanished. My eyebrows scrunched up but I shook it off and continued to Damon.
Damon and I walking into his house with John slung over Damon's shoulder. Damon dropped him and I rolled my eyes as I stepped over him, "You go get cleaned up, I'll be in the kitchen." I said making my way out of the room as Damon examined his blood splattered clothes.
I plopped myself onto the counter with an apple and bit into it, "Aileen." My voice said with a cold tone to it.
I turned my head to see Elizabeth smirking coldly at me. She grabbed me by the throat and I dropped my apple as I watched her bring out a needle. I kicked it out of her hand and I threw her up against the opposite wall with my powers. "Nice but I guess you haven't learned everything yet." She said smirking.
Elizabeth pointed her finger at me and a knife sliced into my stomach. I gasped and slid down the cabinets as blood gushed out of the wound. I pulled the knife out as I heard papers rustling, "Dear Damon, looks like we got your girl too. Much love, Lizzy." Elizabeth read out loud as she knelt down by my side, "Lets make this a little more dramatic shall we?" She asked before the knife flew out of my hand and into hers.
I watched as she held the knife so that the blood on it would drip onto the paper, "That should do it." Elizabeth said smirking.
She placed the note on the ground before grabbing me by the collar of my shirt as we heard footsteps, "DAMON!" I yelled hoping he would get there in time.
Elizabeth slapped me, "You little bitch." She spat before speeding us out.
Elizabeth threw me into the backseat of a SUV and climbed in after me, "DAMON!" I shouted into his mind in a panic.
"GO!" She commanded the driver who stepped on it.
My wound stung and my eyes drooped as she brought out a rope and tied my hands behind my back. Elizabeth also tied my ankles before buckling me into my seat. "Sorry about your outfit." She said gesturing to all the blood, "It was necessary to get you out of there though."
I rolled my eyes through the blood loss induced haze my mind was becoming. Elizabeth's blue eyes identical to mine turned dark red as veins appeared under her eyes and she bit into her wrist. She placed her wrist over my mouth and I took the blood greedily not thinking about the consequences. "Good girl." Elizabeth said before pulling her wrist back.
I felt a needle stab into my leg and whimpered slightly, "Relax its just a light sedative to keep your powers at bay." Elizabeth said settling into the seat next to me.
"Why did you take me?" I asked sitting up straighter.
"Just doing a favor for Isobel." She answered.
"Should've known." I spat rolling my eyes.
"Well we've got a little while to go before we get to our destination." Elizabeth said turning to me.
"Please don't tell me this is gonna be story time." I said with a groan as I struggled with the bonds around my wrists.
"I just wanted to tell you something that Stefan is too ashamed to tell you and Damon is too naïve to think will ever happen again." She said with a slight smile.
It was odd looking at her, almost like looking at a slightly eviler version of yourself. I sighed, "What? I already know about the whole you being with Lockwood and Damon while Damon was also with Katherine who was with Stefan." I told her trying to slip out of my bonds still.
Elizabeth grinned, "Lockwood was just for appearance means also to make Damon mad." She said hinting at something.
"What did you have another blood bag?" I asked sarcastically with a slight smirk as the bonds cut into me slightly.
Elizabeth's grin widened, "Stefan wasn't as innocent as he wants you and Elena to think." She told me.
My eyes widened, "You're not saying…" I trailed off and stopped my struggling.
"Damon wasn't the only one in love with both twins." Elizabeth stated.
My stomach sank as I thought about Stefan's harsh reaction to me at first.
"Bitch sure knows how to make an entrance." I said stepping out from behind Damon.
Elena shot me a look that clearly said, 'You're not funny.' Stefan rushed me and next thing I knew I was pinned against the wall, his hand cutting off my air in a death grip. I gasped for air and clawed at his hand, "STEFAN!" I heard Elena scream. The only thing I could see was his green eyes and the hate that was clearly there, "What the hell are you doing here huh?" He demanded shaking me, "What are you two doing!"
"I'm not-" I rasped out before it hit me like a slap to the face.
I sent Stefan flying back into the back of the couch and rubbed my throat. I cleared my throat before sauntering over to him and sticking out my hand, "Hi I'm A.J. Gilbert, your girlfriend's twin sister and you are the second Salvatore brother who thought I was Elizabeth in the last hour." I said sweetly.
His eyes widened in realization, "You're her doppelganger." Stefan said taking my hand and allowing me to help him up.
"But…but…" I trailed off, frozen in disbelief.
"You never wondered why he was so nice to you after you first met? He felt attached to you because of me. He didn't want you with Damon because of me. Don't tell me you were so stupid not to notice his little brushes and glances. The way he was so protective of you."
"What did you see?" Damon asked holding onto my waist.
"Let. Me. Go." I demanded looking at him with a cold mask.
I saw him visibly recoil before stepping back, "Aileen-"
"You slept with her?!" I demanded tears streaming down my hard face.
Damon's eyes widened, "A-"
"No." I said cutting him off, "You don't get to talk, you just get to leave me the hell alone."
I walked past him and up the stairs to the entryway, "You are not leaving, not like this." Damon said pinning me to the wall.
"Damon, my threat from when I met you still stands, I have no problem in tearing you limb from limb until you are a writhering mass of blood and flesh before taking a wooden stake and plunging it into your heart." I snapped.
"Damon let her go." Stefan's voice said.
Damon backed away from me and turned to his brother with a furious look. 'Thank you.' I mouthed to Stefan over Damon's shoulder and ran out the door.
"No." I stated in disbelief.
Then with a breeze he disappeared and Elizabeth's necklace was once again around my neck. I sat on my bed, Damon loved me, but he thought it was selfish of him so he decided to compel me to forget. A sob left my mouth and I smothered it with my hand. I grabbed my phone and with shaky hands dialed Stefan's number, "A.J.?" He answered.
"Stefan?" I asked shakily, "Can you come over here? I really need to talk to someone."
There was a click then a breeze and Stefan was sitting in front of me. I wrapped my arms around him and began to sob into his shoulder. "Shh." He said stroking my hair.
"Stefan it hurts." I sobbed, "Why does it hurt?"
I felt Stefan sigh, "Because you love him.
"No Stefan loves Elena, only Elena." I said firmly looking up at my ancestor with furious eyes.
Elizabeth shrugged, "Maybe but just remember if Elena and Damon end up together don't say I never warned you about Stefan." She said calmly.
A pang rang through me as I thought of my sister and Damon together, "I won't need to." I told her glaring at her.
Elizabeth just gave me a patronizing look. I turned away from her to look out the window and a few minutes later we pulled up outside a cemetery. The car came to a stop and Elizabeth untied my ankles, "C'mon." She said coldly pulling me with her out of the car.
"Why does she have blood around her mouth?" Isobel asked as we approached her and Elena.
"Are you okay?" Elena asked me.
I nodded to her feebly still shaken from what Elizabeth had revealed to me. "We had to do a bit of healing. Hello, Elena, I see that you two figured out how to use that bond." She said as she untied my hands.
"And why was healing necessary?" Isobel asked sternly.
"Because she's a fighter." Elizabeth stated shoving me over to Elena, "Now stop talking to me like an ignorant human."
Isobel sighed as a man approached Elizabeth from behind, "She's yours." She told him.
The man plunged a needle into Elizabeth's neck and her eyes rolled back into her head before she dropped. The man loaded Elizabeth up into the car and they drove off. "Wow. Bitch move." I stated as Elena gripped my arm.
Isobel's phone rang, "Yes. Let them go? I'm done?" Isobel sighed happily and hung up her phone.
"Who was that?" Elena and I asked.
Elena shifted her grip onto my hand, "I am so sorry girls. I was such a disappointment to you. Aileen, be careful with Damon." Isobel said with a sad tone.
We watched as Isobel grabbed her necklace and ripped it off. Elena gasped while I froze as we watched our birth mother burn alive. Elena pulled me back a few steps as Isobel screamed and I continued to stay frozen with a horrified expression on my face.
I walked into the Salvatore's living room to see Damon and Stefan sitting across from Elena who had a stack of papers in her lap. "What's going on?" I asked worriedly as I took in Elena's expression.
"They're giving us their house." Elena said holding up the papers.
"To keep you safe." Damon said walking over to me and kissing my temple.
I saw Stefan's face scrunch up and I gave him a weak smile as I tried not to think too much about what Elizabeth had said. "I need to talk to you later." I thought to him.
"Sure why not- as long as I don't have to clean it." I added wrapping my arms around Damon's waist as one of his went around my shoulders.
John started gasping and we all turned to look at him before Damon went over and picked him up off ground. "I swear I had no idea what she was gonna do." John choked out before looking over to me and Elena, "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."
I sighed, "Damon let him go; we need to talk." Elena and I said crossing our arms in unison.
"I always knew that she and Katherine were close but I never realized that her and Katherine were working against me. Two of the world's most uncaring and selfish vampires and yet they were genuinely friends." John said as Elena and I sat across from him.
"If that's what you thought of her why did you ever put your trust in her at all?" Elena asked while I sat quietly.
"Because I was there when she gave birth to you two, Elena. I saw how heartbroken she was to give you up." John paused, "And because she was the first girl I ever loved and when she said she'd help keep you girls safe, I believed her. At this point I will do whatever you want me to do. If you feel safer with me not around then I'll go."
Elena shook her head and John stood up. "You screw up everything John. Everything you touch just falls apart…but you're the only parent we have left so maybe I can learn not to hate you. For Elena's sake." I said making him turn to me.
"Okay." John said.
"Okay." I said before standing up and heading up to bed.
AN: Okay guys so the conversation with Elizabeth was totally spontaneous and not at all was I had originally written BUT….I like the twist personally! :D I hope you do but leave your opinions in a review! Its Christmas break until January 7th so I will DEFINETLY be posting more!
Also I just want to add that I'm almost with my first version of all the 2nd season chapters so hopefully tomorrow I will be getting Season 3 in one of my presents! :D
….if not I might cry.
Anyway don't forget to leave your comments!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
-ConflictingLoyalties563;D