gilbert boy ▪ tvd

o n e

The Gilbert family was widely known in Mystic Falls as "perfect." Miranda and Grayson were important figures in the town of Mystic Falls, the children were all well-behaved and rather intelligent. They had a bond that never seemed to falter; it allowed them to share anything and everything with the others. 

Charles Grayson Gilbert was the 'golden boy' of Mystic Falls. Perfect grades, perfect appearance, and a perfect reputation. He almost didn't seem real until you met him. He was the captain of the varsity football team, president of the student council, a musician, a painter, and a hopeless romantic along with the perfect gentleman. 

He held open doors for women of all ages, treated his sister on dates to show her how a woman should be treated, and he taught Jeremy everything he needed to know about being a gentleman. And he always kept his promises. He babysat brother and sister as well as her playmates, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, and Tyler. 

Charlie was described as charismatic, warm, passionate, and most of all, kind. He included everyone and made them feel welcome. He was the dream guy and almost all of the girls fawned over him like a celebrity but there was one girl that had stolen his heart: Celia Monroe. They were a cliche. They started dating their freshman year of high school and they never seemed to leave the honeymoon stage of their relationship. 

But the older Charlie seemed to grow, the more he began to realize he wanted more than just his average life. Sure, he had a pretty great life, but it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to travel, he wanted to go somewhere where no one knew who he was. A blank slate to start over to remake himself but he could never leave his family. They relied too much on him for him to leave. 

He was his little brother, Jeremy's, role model in life. And he set the bar pretty high for what a man should act like; everything Jeremy did was to make Charlie proud. Elena adored the way Charlie showered her with attention and protected her as if his life depended on it.

All over the Gilbert home were pictures of the perfect family. Two kind parents, three children, and a dog. Joe-Joe had been Charlie's best friend since he was a kid. The golden retriever was always with Charlie when he could be and Charlie could never ask for a better companion than him and Joe-Joe loved his owner. They would never survive without the other. But all good things must come to an end. 

The Gilbert family was woken up in the middle of the night by Sheriff Forbes, giving them the grim news. Charlie Gilbert's car had crashed into the side of the Wickery Bridge, submerging in the water below, his body nowhere to be found. There was blood and glass everywhere but it was like his body vanished into thin air. They drained the water, but his body wasn't there either. After a three-week-long search, they hadn't made any progress.

When school started up again, it wasn't as bright without Charlie's melodious laugh bouncing off the walls, it was dreary without seeing him running through the halls to catch up with his friends, and it was silent without the sound of his saxophone being heard from the music hall.

The accident was just before his senior year-- that was five years ago. Elena was going to be a fifth-grader and Jeremy was going to be in third grade. Elena felt a void where her brother was supposed to be and Jeremy was heartbroken. Some days the little boy would sit in Charlie's old room, staring at the musical instruments that laid against the wall or the videogames they used to play together.

Miranda and Grayson Gilbert tried to stay strong for their kids but it was hard. Their firstborn was missing, meaning they had to bury an empty casket. He could be dead somewhere or still hurt and it pained them to even think their child was really gone forever.

Celia lost the love of her life. She went into a state of denial, depression slowly setting in. When she finally graduated, she got her life together when she went off to college but she never did get over Charlie's death. It hurt too much to think about being with someone other than Charles Grayson Gilbert.

His memorial picture still sits in the trophy case, his smiling picture reminding everyone that it really did happen and that he isn't coming back.

▪ ▪ ▪

He took a trip out of town to go and visit a college that was looking to give him a full scholarship through their athletics and quite possibly their music programs. He knew his parents would have something to say about the fact that the college was far away and that he should be pursuing a reasonable degree. 

It was late and he could feel the exhaustion beginning to creep up on him now. He closed his eyes for a second before he opened them. A deer stood in the middle of the road, his eyes wide as it stood in the headlights. Charlie's first instincts were to swerve the opposite way. 

It was like slow motion. His body being jolted around as his car rammed through the side of the Wickery Bridge. Then came the water. Everything was dark as he gasped in his seat, his car settling at the bottom of the lake. Water was filling his car but he couldn't move to save himself. Blood poured down from his forehead into his eyes making him close his eyes, waiting for the end. 

It felt like an eternity as the water finally reached his throat. He tried to breathe in as much air as possible until he couldn't anymore. His body felt like lead as water filled his lungs, his brain slowly shutting down...