a/n: Lottie's outfit for the chapter is above!
☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓━═☆
Charlotte Bernard wasn't one to hold a grudge—if she was, then trust her, her life would have taken an entirely different path. She was a forgiving person. She believed that everybody deserved another chance, that people weren't born bad and never meant to come out that way.
Her father believed the same and raised her with such beliefs that made her feel linked to him. Going against all of her morals and beliefs would severely cut ties with what's left of her father in her and Charlotte would rather die than do so.
She didn't like how people presumed it naive to not take action when things get really bad, but she knew she was right. At the end of the day, when all was said and done, Charlotte would only have her actions and the parts she chose to keep of herself when she became a vampire.
She wouldn't trade anything about herself for the world, it was...absurd.
Doing it for someone else was even much more absurd. Had she wanted to become an entirely different person that it wouldn't be for anyone. It would be because she chose so. Those decisions were the ones that stick after everything else is gone.
If you asked someone who knew Charlotte from the day she was born till that very second what changed about her they would tell you nothing, absolutely nothing. That's what they saw. A nice girl with a kind smile who wanted to help everyone even if it placed her in rather peculiar situations.
However, if you asked Charlotte Bernard what changed she would tell you so much, so freaking much.
She could feel it. Something inside her wasn't the same since she had turned into a vampire and accepted that fate, knowing her father would not be okay with his favorite most cherished daughter becoming a demon of the night. Charlotte thought she could surpass that but was unfortunately mistaken.
She desperately tried to hold on to every part of herself that was human since she had been freed from the tomb. Charlotte kept mending the pieces to a broken heart of glass but the glass was too delicate, valuable and most kinds of it can never be fixed.
Cassie Bernard died. It was Charlotte's fault and she wouldn't let anyone convince her otherwise.
She knew that on that day something inside of her broke. It was worse than Stefan leaving her, than losing her family without a goodbye, than death...
Death was quick, it didn't give her a chance to scream and cry. It went by, just like that. Losing Cassie wasn't quick. She cried, she screamed, she was hollow inside but it never stopped. It always hurt.
She could remember the excited glint in Cassie's big brown eyes whenever she ran up to her, greeting her like she hadn't seen her in years when it had just been hours. Worst of all, getting attached to Cassie and feeling the sense of responsibility towards her came at a time where everything in Charlotte's life was falling apart. She thought Cassie was all she had at the end of it.
Then she died because of her.
People knew Charlotte, the cute girl who was driven with a sense of justice to always do the right thing, no matter what. They never knew the guilty Charlotte, her guilt consumed her. She judged people's mistakes a little too harshly sometimes but she was never as harsh on anyone as she was on herself, it was ironic mostly.
It felt right to judge herself that way because she knew that no one said it loud enough to knock some sense into her. Charlotte Bernard was damaged but she foolishly claimed it was nothing that time couldn't heal.
Time healed, just not the wounds she can't see but feel as though it was millions of wood splinters scraping against her heart. It was suffocating but she numbed it, knowing it kept her feeling even if it was pain. It was still an emotion.
Oh, and Charlotte Bernard was very much used to pain.
✵ ✵ ✵
Serena was still in bed, scratching the back over her as she rolled over to see her phone. It buzzed in her hand, receiving a text.
Char✨: Morning, breakfast? I made some for takeaway! Can I pass by yours?
She blinked back, looking at the time. It was nine in the morning. The Bernard quickly sat up before looking over at the room, "Damn, really outdone it this time, Serena..." She whispered to herself, looking over at most of her clothes ripped off on the floor. It was a pretty wild night.
Serena assumed coffee at the Mikaelsons didn't sober her up although after last night she wouldn't need a few drinks to sleep with Rebekah Mikaelson. She had a small smirk playing at her lips as she took a glance at the blonde naked girl wrapped up in the covers next to her.
The brunette sighed, leaning back on her bed as she felt Rebekah move beside her and she asked, "How does breakfast with Charlotte sound? She is a good cook."
"Oh, don't I know...Lottie is quite dedicated."
Serena chuckled, "Well, I will need that breakfast if I am ever hoping to get out of bed on both of my legs."
Rebekah raised an eyebrow at the Bernard, "Really? I feel quite well. You are not used to vampires going down on you, are you?"
"Well...no, not really," Serena pursed her lips together, leaning on her elbow as she turned on her other side, looking down at the Mikaelson, "It was different but good. I am not as breakable as Matt Donovan, trust me on that."
"Feminist? I love those."
"Factual," She shrugged her shoulders, correcting, "I came back from the dead before and I did elbow him before plus proudly punched him in fifth grade," Serena had a smug smile on her lips as she claimed, "If I could handle our principle's glare that day then I could deal with a vampire going down hard on me."
Rebekah smirked, "Aw, very violent from a young age I see."
"Call it my badass bitch awakening," Serena stated, running her tongue over her bottom lip, "That's what I called it but my friends weren't very...fond of it."
"You have such dull friends."
"At times they were proven to be the dullest," Serena agreed, huffing out.
✵ ✵ ✵
Elena knocked on the Salvatore Boarding House before standing back and shoving her hands in her jacket's pockets. She waited a few minutes before Damon swung the door open.
"What do you want?"
"Good morning," The brunette ignored his question and walked past him into the house, revealing, "You should know that Esther is planning on killing her entire family. She's linked them all together with a spell. Whatever happens to one, happens to all of them."
"Well, that's great! Klaus will finally be dead," Damon poured himself a drink before raising an inquisitive eyebrow, "We win. Why do you look like someone just shot a panda bear?"
Elena sighed, answering as though it was the most common thing, "Uh, because to kill Klaus she has to kill all of them, including Elijah. And he doesn't deserve this!"
"I'm supposed to care about Elijah?"
She sucked in a deep breath, adding, "Neither does Lina...shouldn't you at least care about her and how she will feel if the love of her life is permanently dead?"
Damon reminded her, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, "Few days ago, you were pissed that she tried to kill you. It's a win-win."
Elena pursed her lips together and turned to leave before Damon rushed in front of her, blocking her path, "Don't do anything to screw this up, Elena."
"Why are you doing this?"
Stefan walked in on them, claiming, "He's right, you know. Klaus has to die. They all do."
Damon raised his eyebrows, "See? It's democracy in action."
The Gilbert girl shook her head at the two of them before making her way out, accidentally shoving past Damon and spilling his drink.
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte held two plastic boxes in her hands before sparing one to knock on the door. A few minutes passed and Serena opened the door, running a hand through her tangled hair.
Charlotte smiled before meeting the eyes of Rebekah Mikaelson a few feet beside her niece, "Umm....," She raised her eyebrows before a chuckle escaped her lips, "Uh, hi?"
Rebekah chuckled, greeting the brunette vampire, "Hello, Lottie. Got any extra cookies in there?"
The Bernard vampire tried to adjust to the scene and rubbed the back of her neck, "Yeah...yeah, I always get extra in case..."
"In case a one nightstand would like to sit for breakfast?"
"Uhm...yeah."
✵ ✵ ✵
"Don't you think a heads up would have been nice?"
Charlotte asked, folding her arms over her chest. She had just gone through the most awkward breakfast in her entire life and Serena was merely amused as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Look, it just happened and...I didn't tell you because I didn't know what your reaction might be," Serena shrugged her shoulders, excusing, "You are old school, okay? I was worried."
"Worried about what?" Charlotte questioned, confusion taking over her features as she stated, "I have nothing against Rebekah or any of the Mikaelsons, you know that."
"More worried about your reaction of me with a girl than the identity of the girl," The brunette human sipped on her coffee, glancing at her ancestor's reaction.
Charlotte frowned, blinking back, "Why would I react suspiciously to that?"
Serena pursed her lips together, "I mean...you know you are old and you don't know how things can go now—"
She interjected, "Stop beating around the bush. Get to it."
"I thought you were homophobic."
Charlotte scoffed out as Serena sighed, "I know, I know, I am sorry, okay?"
"What part of me gives off a homophobic person's vibe?" The vampire asked before stating, "I would never judge anyone's choice of whom they want to be with. Be it a girl or a boy, or a freaking turtle even."
Her niece took in a deep breath, "Alright, I am sorry, Char. I just had to be sure," She placed her mug on the island, "Mom and Nana Izzie weren't okay with my choices, so I had to predict the worst which is you acting like them. I am just sorry."
Charlotte's eyebrows furrowed, noting how hard it must have been for Serena before squeezing her shoulder in reassurance, "Look, let's say I am a judgemental person, hmm? I would never ever judge you. Your choices are yours to make, screw what anybody else thinks."
"Thanks...Really, Charlotte, I mean it. Thank you."
The brunette vampire smiled before raising an eyebrow, "So...how was it?"
"Shut up, you did not just ask that."
Charlotte shrugged her shoulders, laughing, "What? What's wrong with that?"
Serena shook her head, holding back an amused laugh, "You are spending way too much time with Caroline, it's starting to rub off on you.
"Hey, you still dodged my question!"
Her niece shrugged her shoulders, "It was...fun."
"Fun?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows, repeating as she stated, "Serena, that's one word. Literally, one word. I need details. Just lay it all out."
The Bernard human walked around her ancestor, taking a seat on the couch. She folded her arms together and stated, "Well, it was different. Good different, I liked it and I am assuming she did because obviously who else is a better company than I am, right?"
"Sweetheart, your ego is not leaving me room to reply," Charlotte chuckled in response.
✵ ✵ ✵
Elena ran over her forehead from where she stood with Caroline, stating, "Look, I have to tell her. Even if we can't stop it, she needs to know."
"Yeah, and let's all risk Damon's reaction to that."
Elena shrugged her shoulders, her eyebrows furrowing together, "I mean what am I supposed to do, Caroline? I can't lie to her and I can't pretend that it isn't my fault that the one time she is actually happy with someone, he is about to die."
Caroline ran a hand through her hair, "You know, I hate this, too."
"So what now?"
"Prevent it?"
The Gilbert girl folded her arms over her chest, "Prevent it, how? Caroline, the full moon is tonight. Bonnie is helping. There's no way that tonight is ending without being heartbroken that one of her friends or most of them had a hand in this."
Caroline pursed her lips together, claiming, "She deserves better than this."
"I know but I don't know what to do..."
The blonde vampire's lips parted, about to come up with a suggestion before there was a knock on her door. Elena sighed, stating, "I am going to go get that."
✵ ✵ ✵
Serena scoffed out, "No, you didn't. You couldn't have."
"Yeah, I did. It was quite fun actually."
Serena raised an eyebrow at her ancestor, concluding, "You, Charlotte Bernard, the sweetest girl in town came up to Miss Gibbons and doubted her grading abilities?"
"I deserved an A+, she gave me an A," Charlotte defended her point, shrugging as she took a sip of her chocolate milkshake, "Plus, she is really not that scary if you come up with the facts."
"I am in utter disbelief, right now," She shook her head, chuckling in amusement.
It was evening and the two Bernards had gone to the Mystic Grill as Serena still had her shift to attend to. Serena left Charlotte to take someone's order and the brunette vampire furrowed her eyebrows together, taking note of Matt closing the Grill's back door as he so anxiously checked if someone had been watching.
She got off the barstool and made her way to the Grill's back door. Matt had blocked her way, shaking his head, "You probably shouldn't go out now."
"Why not?"
"Charlotte, just...don't."
She raised an unamused eyebrow before pursing her lips together, "What is going on behind my back?"
"What? Nothing is happening," Matt shook his head, claiming.
"You are not a very good liar," Charlotte stated, shaking her head, "Matt, just get out of my way, please."
The blond boy stepped back and she nodded as a way to thank him before opening the Mystic Grill's back door. Her eyebrows rose, almost to her hairline as she took in the scene in front of her eyes, "What is going on here?"
She looked down at her feet, noticing Stefan and Alaric knocked out before turning to Paulina who shrugged her shoulders, "They started it."
Charlotte's eyes widened at Paulina's ever so nonchalant reply before Elijah had arrived turning to Klaus who had Damon in a chokehold, "Leave him! We still need them, Niklaus."
"What did mother do? What did she do, Elijah?"
Elijah walked down the stairs towards Damon, holding a phone, "You tell me where the witches are or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now."
"What the hell?" Charlotte scoffed out, looking from Paulina to Damon.
The Salvatore looked up at the clock tower before shaking his head, "You told me we had until after nine."
"That was before you daggered Kol," Paulina stepped in, reminding him, "Plus, Bex is not going to have any problem starting her work early."
✵ ✵ ✵
"Look, I need an explanation," Charlotte shook her head, asking after Paulina pulled her out of the Mystic Grill, "I don't know what's happening and I am kind of freaking out."
Paulina folded her arms together, "Elena helped Esther link the Mikaelsons so she would kill them tonight, using the help of Bonnie and Abby Bennett, and to stop that, Elijah and I took Elena, a bit of a motivation technique for the Salvatores to rethink their moves."
"You are just going to let Rebekah kill her?" Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows together, asking.
"Yeah because she deserves it."
The Bernard pursed her lips together, reminding the hotheaded vampire in front of her, "But Elena is my friend."
"Well, your friend tried to kill the love of my life and his family," Paulina retorted, shrugging her shoulders, "Remember when I was all about you picking a side? It never got this far but now it has."
"So what do you want me to say?" Charlotte felt cornered, her heart swelling with the amount of things she had to say but wouldn't.
Paulina exhaled sharply, stating, "I want you to know that this is the person I am. I am a crazy vampire who doesn't care but I have a family, okay? They are my family and I am not losing them to anyone or anything. Your choices are yours, I won't judge them but I have the right to hate them, at the very least."
Charlotte was awfully reminded of her conversation with Serena earlier. Everyone has a choice. What if she just didn't know who to choose? Oh, it was worse than that. Charlotte didn't want to choose, she knew enough to wish things were better but they are not.
She shook her head, feeling her eyes water with tears yet to be spilled, "I don't know what to do, Paulina...Please don't make me choose."
Paulina took in a deep breath, saying, "It's up to you now. Just know I didn't start it. I just had enough guts to finish it."
She turned away from Charlotte who wrapped her arms around herself, sucking in a deep breath as a sob wracked through her body. Nothing was ever going to work out.
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte pulled her duffel bag off of her wardrobe and threw in some of her clothes. She made a choice. She managed to make one that would hurt her mental health the least. She couldn't pick Paulina and hurt Elena or vice versa, so she chose not to choose.
Mystic Falls was as crazy as it is, the Salvatores trying to overthrow the Mikaelsons and Charlotte getting caught in the crossfire. She was sick of it. No more playing in the middle ground, no more getting hurt over other's grievances when she had yet to deal with her own.
She pulled her bag off the bed and made her way out of her bedroom, descending the stairs. Stefan and Damon had yet to make their way back but Charlotte stopped in her tracks when she found Elena sitting in the living room, presumably waiting for her.
"Charlotte..."
The brunette vampire inhaled, seeming relieved, "You are alive...That's great, I had a feeling Elijah wouldn't break his word."
"Yeah, he didn't," Elena nodded, rising to her feet. She walked up to the Bernard girl, "I am sorry. I wanted to stop this, I really did."
Charlotte pursed her lips together, "I believe you, probably always will."
Elena was relieved. She wasn't ready to lose Charlotte, it wouldn't be something she can get over. That was before Charlotte opened her mouth again, revealing, "I am leaving."
"Going back to Serena's?"
"No," Charlotte shook her head, running her tongue over her bottom lip, "I am leaving Mystic Falls as a whole."
The Gilbert girl's eyes furrowed together, "But why?"
The Bernard sighed, starting, "I know it's not your fault, that you have to toughen up and be this person to survive in the midst of it all...I understand, I swear I do," She could feel her eyes watering as she continued, "But I am hurt, okay? And I deserve time to heal. I didn't think that you could forget how much Lina means to me and go on with this plan. It surprised me and it put me in the worst position."
Charlotte's tears were running down her cheeks, "I never wanted to hurt either of you. It didn't have to be a war but it seems like that was decided long before I had a say."
"Charlotte, I am sorry," Elena stated, tears flowing down her face as well, "I thought I was doing the right thing."
"I don't blame you, Elena," Charlotte claimed, shaking her head, "I really don't. If it's anyone's fault. It's mine, it always is, right?" She raised an eyebrow, chuckling humorlessly.
"No, no, it's not."
"Yeah, it is," The vampire repeated, nodding to herself, "I thought that I could have it all but no one has it all...It's overrated; being happy, you know. I just...just really wanted to be happy for a while," She admitted, shrugging her shoulders, "For a change even."
"Charlotte, please don't leave me," She asked, sobbing out.
Charlotte exhaled sharply, "I have to but I need you to know...That I don't hate you or blame you for anything...I just...I need to focus on my mental health and myself. I can't do that here," She stated, sighing exsaperatedly.
"Goodbye, Elena," The brunette forced a small smile onto her lips before turning her back on the Gilbert girl and walking out the Salvatore Boarding House.
She ran her hand over her cheeks, rubbing the tears away as she walked onto the paved road. It hurt so bad, she lost two of the most important in her life on the same day. Charlotte didn't know how to fix it but she meant what she told Elena, she needed to focus on herself for the time being. It was for the best.
Slight problem was, Charlotte Bernard had no idea where to go. Outside of Mystic Falls, she had no one and no place. Kol Mikaelson was leaving Mystic Falls as well, for his own good. He asked her to come with him and to her and his surprise, she did.
She opened the passenger seat's car door to Kol's car before getting inside, "Hello."
"Hello," He greeted back as she placed her duffel bag in the backseat, "You okay?"
Charlotte pursed her lips together, "I will get there."
✵ ✵ ✵