Charlene "Charlie" Monroe was out of luck since the day she was born, until the day she died. . . .
And much to her surprise, after that, too.
Charlie found herself in the middle of a road, without knowing where to go or what to do. So, she started...
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⌠𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟔⌡ ───────»⁑«───────
"New Orleans?" Stefan asked looking at Charlie, who was sitting beside him in the car, looking ahead into the night sky. "Why?"
"Why not?" Charlie shrugged. "There's music, booze, people. Everything you need to control that big beast inside you."
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" Stefan asked skeptically, looking at her with a frown. "I've lived for almost a century and a half and couldn't find a way to control it. And you come along—a baby vampire, might I add—and I'll find control?"
"Oh, Steffy, don't be so judgy," Charlie said, clicking her tongue. "Trust me on this."
Stefan eyed her for a moment and then nodded. He had nothing to lose.
"Besides," said Charlie. "Control comes after."
"After what?"
"A week of us getting wasted," Charlie said, and when he raised an eyebrow at her, she rolled her eyes. "You have to mourn your brother and I have to mourn myself. Pretty egotistical of me, but who will mourn me otherwise?"
"Ok," Stefan nodded. "That I can do."
"See? We're already getting along," Charlie said with a smile.
"But why do I have to mourn him first?"
"Because that's the first step," explained Charlie. "You have to get rid of all your guilt, of all your demons. You have to accept the fact that Damon is dead—and I say this with the utmost sensitivity—, you have to let go of the guilt you have with all the killing and making your brother turn, and killing your father—"
"How'd you know that?"
"Klaus talks," Charlie shrugged. "You have to get rid of all the guilt. That's step two. And then, step three is getting yourself to accept that you're a vampire."
"I know I'm a vam—"
"Knowing and accepting isn't the same," Charlie said promptly, cutting him off. "You know you're a vampire, yet you're searching for human life. And when you "find" it, you fuck it up because you think the vampire in you will ruin it."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that you can be a vampire with humanity, but you sure can't be a human with vampirism."
"What?" Stefan voices out the word that we're all (at least me) thinking. Even though that in his case it's because of absolute and utter confusion, and in my case is because—When did Charlie become wise?
I'm sorry, but you're not human anymore. You have to stop searching for a human life. You have to understand that that's over. And once you do, you won't feel guilty about feeding off humans, you won't feel repulsed by the thought of human blood to the point that, when you do have it, you can't stop. It's like chocolate and a child. When they're little they don't even know what it tastes like and might even find it gross. But then they taste it and don't want to stop. It's almost the same, you see?"
"Not really. . . ."
"Basically, if you accept the fact that your a blood-sucking freak, then you will have control and then you'll be able to live your life with humanity—instead of living a human life with vampirism. And then you won't have to turn off that humanity in order to realize it!"
"I think I get it," Stefan nodded and Charlie gave him a small smile.
"Besides," she said with a shrug. "If you can't find control just turn it off and we'll have the time of our lives!"
At this, Stefan rolled his eyes making Charlie laugh. And then. . . . Stefan's phone ringed. Stefan gestured for her to get it, seeing as she was closer to it and he was driving, and, rolling her eyes, Charlie picked up the phone.
"Darling?" came Kol's voice and Charlie clenched her jaw, not daring to say anything. "We know you're there. . . ."
Silence.
"Just come home, Charlie," Kol pleaded, his voice full of emotion and Charlie shook her head, refusing to say anything. "Nik is going mad without you and it has only been half an hour. He destroyed the entire parlor."
Silence.
"I'm going mad without you."
Charlie bit her lip, ignoring the fact that Stefan was there, and tried to control her breathing.
"You know we'll look for you," Kol said. "I would kill everyone and everything to have you back. Is that what you want darling? I can kill the doppelganger! I can kill that bitchy woman that sneered at you!"
Charlie breathed out a shaky breath.
"Just come home to us, darling," Kol said, sighing when he didn't get an answer and Charlie heard something break suddenly—what sounded like a glass bottle—and then he hung up.
Charlie breathed in deeply and threw the phone at Stefan, trying to calm herself down as she hastily blinked, trying to dry her eyes from the tears.
"So. . . ." Stefan started after a few moments of silence. "Is it true?"
"Is what true?" Charlie asked, turning to him with a frown.
"Are you—are you really Klaus's and Kol's—"
"Soulmate?" Charlie finished for him and Stefan nodded apprehensively. "I don't care."
"But is it true?"
"Why would I care if I don't care?" asked Charlie in return, making Stefan nod, reluctantly taking the message and shutting up.
"Look, the sun is rising," he said, changing the subject.
Charlie exhaled a breath she didn't know was holding and turned to the sky, seeing it lighten, its colors changing, as the sun began to rise. "The sunrise is gorgeous. . . ."
"Yeah—"
"Holy Shit!" Charlie gasped suddenly, making Stefan swerve the car slightly.
"What happened?"
"Gorgeous!" Charlie exclaimed as if that explained everything.
"We already settled on that—"
"No, Stefan!" Charlie cut him off. "Gorgeous! We're changing our destination. Head to Whitmore."
"Whitmore?" Stefan asked, seemingly more confused by the second—something I would understand if I was him; but seeing as I'm not, I'm not really confused.
"We need to save a lovely British vampire," Charlie said. "A friend of your brother."
"Who?" Stefan asked confused, not aware that Damon had friends.
