Chapter 15

The blood tasted like iron and hot garbage. Audrey had never tasted something so disgusting. She searched for something to grab on, to gain balance. Her eyes were just rolling, everything was dizzy. She tried to open her eyes to see something, but her eyes were already open. Then she felt something cold be placed on her lips. And a liquid was poured into her mouth, it was sweet and tasted good. Soon she was able to grab it and draw in more. Audrey opened her eyes and saw Damon pull his wrist back. Then she went unconscious. Her head dropped to the ground, creating a tiny wound on the back of her head.

"Where am I?" Audrey asked with a soar throat.

"You're in a hospital," a cold hand touched her cheek, but the voice was female. Audrey got her eyes open and saw brown curls fall over her forehead.

"Elena?" Audrey sighed and tried to get into a sitting position. The girl chuckled darkly and moved her face further away.

Audrey frowned and placed her hand on the side of her head, "Katherine."

The girl smiled devilishly and looked Audrey from head to toe. She looked behind her like to check that no one was storming inside the room. Katherine got a little closer and leaned on to the handrail that was on Audrey's left. Katherine smirked and stayed quiet for a while.

"The one and only," she said but scrunched her nose, "kind of."

"What are you doing here?" Audrey asked and raised her other brow.

"Thought I'd check up on my doppelgänger," Katherine's fingers went up the rail. Audrey made a short laugh.

"I thought you hated me."

"Why would I hate you? Though you look exactly like me, you are surprisingly not annoying. You aren't in love with Stefan, are you?" Katherine smiled widely. Audrey chuckled. Her throat was dry and soar. Her voice sounded like a smoker's, though she wasn't that, not any more.

"You want to say it's all about Stefan, but it's not, right? You're here for something else. The question is, what? What do you want?"

"I know you had vervain when I 'compelled' you the other day," Katherine said with a serious face. Audrey didn't have the energy to act scared so she just smiled tiny. "It kind of was a test that you passed."

"Yeah. So what is this thing about doppelgängers?" Audrey looked into Katherine's deep brown eyes, they were a bit deeper than hers. Though they both had amazing hair and bone structure. I guess they really were each other's mirrors.

"Don't worry about it," Katherine raised her hand on Audrey's head level and she moved her head bit back. In her surprise Katherine's hand stroked her hair before she pulled it away. "You need to get better. Between you and Elena, you're my favorite," Katherine whispered with a wink.

"You're probably the only one who thinks that. It's kind of ironic," Audrey tried to speak louder, but failed miserably. Katherine snickered and started to back down slowly, eyes still on Audrey.

"I don't think that's true Audrey. People do care about you, but enough that. This visit can be our little secret," Katherine smirked before swooshed away. Audrey turned her head to her right and looked at the drop. She was so sick of hospitals. When Audrey was little she got sick a lot, but after she turned 14 she started to get better. And for a few years only time when she got sick was when she had a flue.

Audrey's eyes started to slowly close and she drifted to sleep. She dreamed about her mother and father. The times she yelled at them, but apologized. She was always a daddy's little girl.

In her dream Grayson sat on the kitchen level, drank coffee and ate a sandwich that Miranda, her mother, had made for him. Audrey and Elena ran to the kitchen laughing. Jeremy came after them, trying to stand up with his baby feet. Elena ran in circles giggling and trying to pull Audrey with her. Audrey smiled widely but ran to her daddy. Grayson laughed when the little girl got to his feet. Grayson put his sandwich back on the table and grabbed Audrey to his lap.

Audrey could feel someone lift her from the bed, but she didn't have the energy to wake up so smoothly she continued dreaming. She was finally getting some goodnight sleep. She lost her sense of time.

A warm hand stroked her cheek, causing her to wake up. Elena smiled to her sister who started to wake again. She had been passing out for the past day.

"Hey," Elena was sitting on her sisters bed. Elena surprised when a smile appeared on Audrey's face.

"I had a dream about when we were kids. Mom and dad were there,and Jeremy," she smiled still looking kind of sleepy. "When we were happy."

Elena chuckled choking back her tears.

"Can you come sleep with me?" Audrey asked her throat clearer now. Elena nodded and laughed with a tear falling down. She moved the blanket out of the way and got next to her. Audrey turned to her side and smiled to Elena.

"I'm sorry. I've been an asshole. I am so sorry, you know I love you, right?" Audrey breathed deeply. Elena's lower lip started shaking.

"I thought I'd loose you. I was so scared," Elena confessed and moved closer. Audrey pulled Elena to a hug.

"Damon had to feed you his blood," Elena whispered and Audrey buried her nod to her shoulder.

"It's okay 'Lena."

Audrey was determined to go with Elena, Damon and Ric to the University where her biological mother worked. Though it had been only two days since her little accident. Nobody could stop her, not even Damon or Stefan, who was currently trying to talk her out of it. Elena was packing so Stefan decided to talk to Audrey.

"I really think you should consider. Elena's already going, you don't need to," Stefan folded his arms over his chest and leaned on the wall.

"You can't talk me out of this Stefan," Audrey closed her bag and scowled him. He raised his brows and chuckled.

"Fine, just don't die on me okay?"

"Oh I won't. I have Damon there to protect, who has avoided me for the past days," Audrey grabbed her bag and ran her hand through her hair. "Shall we?"

They walked downstairs where Elena was already waiting and talking to Jenna. Ric had already went outside and they could hear the honk of the car. Audrey sighed and walked outside, Elena and Stefan coming after her. Damon leaned on the car as they walked. Ric already at the drivers seat Audrey knew that her and Elena would take the backseat.

"Sorry you can't come too, Stef," Damon said mockingly with a cocky expression.

"Call me if you need anything," Stefan ignored his brother and said it to Elena. Damon just scoffed and looked at Audrey who was completely ignoring him. She made no eye contact. Audrey walked past him and opened the backseat door, got in and sat behind Ric. Elena and Damon got in as well and the journey to Duke begun.

Audrey mostly minded her own business without saying anything. Half way there Damon turned around and looked at Audrey who had buried her face in her hands. He furrowed his brows.

"How are you doing back there?" he sounded kind of worried.

Audrey replied with a chuckle, "I'm fine, thanks."

"I don't think she wants to talk to you," Ric said slightly leaning over to Damon.

"You are absolutely right, Ric," Audrey glanced at him through the rear view mirror with a tiny smirk. "Actually I'd much rather poke myself in the eye with a fork."

"Need I remind you that I saved your life," Damon said with a cocky smile.

"Okay stop it you two are acting like five-year-olds," Elena cut in.

"One of us is," Audrey raised her brow to Damon before glanced back to the window.

Duke University seemed nice. So nice that Audrey could imagine studying there. They all walked around the yard, heading to Isobel's office.

"So Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department given that most paranormal phenomenon is rooted in folklore," Alaric explained. They arrived at the office and Ric walked forward to the brunette woman.

"Excuse me, hi. I'm Alaric Saltzman, I called earlier."

"Yes, of course. I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant comparative folklore," Vanessa looked strangely at Elena and Audrey, in which Audrey reacted with a tiny cringe. Ugh she probably was five.

"Uh, let me just grab Isobel's keys," Vanessa said with a kind smile and went back to look for it. After a while she got back.

"These are my friends Elena, Audrey and Damon. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition," Ric apologized.

"Oh please, Isobel's office is right through there. Isobel was one of my first professors. I'm a grad student, she was brilliant and one of the reasons I went into folklore. Uh I have to ask, has there been any news?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Ric said. Liar, liar pants on fire.

"It's this way," Vanessa directed them over to Isobel's office room and opened the door, letting them enter.

"I'll grab the light, feel free to look around. It's fascinating isn't it?" Vanessa said before leaving. Audrey glared around the place. Exactly what were they looking for? Audrey glanced at Damon after a while. He frowned and looked to the door.

"Where did she go?" he asked. Soon Vanessa came back with a crossbow. She aimed at Audrey who's eyes got widened when Vanessa shot. Then Damon got in front of the arrow, saving her. He growled as Ric grabbed Vanessa and pushed her against the wall.

Audrey stared at Damon in shock. The arrow stuck out of his back looking very painful.

Somehow Audrey had gotten herself in a situation where she was removing the arrow out of his back.

"Pull it out. I can't reach it Audrey. Just pull the damn thing out. It hurts," Damon said and leaned against a coffee table. Audrey had got sick of him commanding her so she grabbed the arrow and pulled it out.

"Happy?" she asked and dropped it onto the floor. Damon shivered a bit and took a deep breath.

"That bitch is dead."

"No, You are not going to kill her," Elena stepped in. She looked demanding.

"Watch me," Damon said with a tilt of his head.

"If you touch her I will never speak, touch or even glance at you again," Audrey stepped forward. Now she was demanding.

"What makes you think that has any power over me? Because I took an arrow in the back for you? You're severely overestimating yourself," he said with a crooking of his brows. Elena rolled her eyes and walked away.

"No because I kissed you. That has a power over you, because you know you'll want it to happen again. But fine do whatever you want, I'm sure I'm just making this up," Audrey lowered her voice extremely as she spoke. She had taken a step closer to Damon who smiled with a furrow.

"You're trying to manipulate me." He figured. Audrey smiled and curled her lips in a grin.

"Or not."

Using his own ways against him; sneaky and devilish. Audrey watched him under her brows with her grin loosening into a more serious expression. They started to walk to Vanessa who was with Ric and Elena, Elena probably introducing herself.

"I'm Elena Gilbert and this is my sister, Audrey Gilbert. We are Isobel's daughters and descendants of Katherine Pierce. And this is Damon Salvatore who you just shot," Elena explained as Audrey and Damon walked in on the scene. Audrey smirked cheaply. Though she didn't want Vanessa to be killed, she just didn't like the woman.

"I'd be extra nice to me right now," Damon smirked as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Look, we need your help okay? We need to see all of Isobel's research, anything related to Mystic Falls."