a/n: Charlotte's outfit for the chapter is on the left and the dress for the decade dance is on the right!
☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄━═☆
"Am I a bad person?"
Charlotte asked, looking down at the feather boas spread across the table in the gym where her classmates were decorating for the twenties' decade dance.
"No."
"Depends."
Elena responded just as Caroline did. The Gilbert girl gave the blonde vampire a look before Caroline shrugged her shoulders, "You did leave town without telling me and I had to know about that from Elena, who deserved to be the last person to see you but apparently I didn't."
"Caroline, it's not like that," Charlotte shook her head, looking up at the hotheaded blonde, "I don't like goodbyes. I am never good at them. I cry too much and I hate crying, okay?" She watched Caroline look between her and Elena before claiming, "She...she cornered me! It was awful!"
"I did corner her," Elena admitted before sighing, "Can't we just be happy that Charlotte is back and everything in Mystic Falls is right again?"
"Fine," Caroline huffed out before poking the Bernard's nose, "No, you are not a bad person, Charlotte. Actually, you are everything far from that."
"Why would you think that anyway?"
She ran a hand over her forehead, exhaling sharply, "I lied. I didn't say the full truth but I guess it's still a lie, too, right?"
"I think that depends on the lie?" Elena raised an eyebrow.
"Share the details and stop being cryptic," Caroline rolled her eyes.
Charlotte folded her arms together, "I think I was too harsh with Kol," She watched Elena's lips part, about to respond before she continued either way, "I mean I know he deserved it after threatening Jeremy's life but I know people who have done worse to me and I went past it."
"But that's good for you," Caroline cut in, stating, "You are not supposed to let people walk all over you just because you did it before."
"I know, I know," She nodded, running her tongue over her bottom lip, "What I am saying is...I had another reason that made me so adamant on leaving but I didn't tell him that reason."
"What is it?"
Charlotte inhaled, revealing, "Look, I like Kol and he likes me back but I am not ready to do this whole thing again. To just like—love someone so much that they have power over me and I get my heart broken all over again."
"You said he was willing to wait?"
"I saw the way he looked at me and I felt bad that my feelings weren't the same, okay?"
"Just because it didn't work with Stefan doesn't mean it won't work with every other good guy out there and no, I don't mean Kol as a good guy because good guys don't threaten their girlfriend's best friend's brother," Caroline said, holding the clipboard close to her chest.
"That is stating that Stefan is a good guy?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow as a scoff escaped her lips, "Good guys don't lock their friend's inside car trunks and make them relive the most traumatizing experience of their life, Caroline!"
The blonde girl sighed, "I know but he had been trying his best to work his way back in your good graces, so...can't we just give him an exception on good guys' definition?"
"Oh," Charlotte smiled, raising an eyebrow as she asked sarcastically, "Just like Kol's exception?"
Caroline rolled her eyes at Charlotte's remark just as Elena asked, picking up a chandelier, "Where do you want me to hang this thing?"
"You know what, if Rebekah wanted to hang this monstrosity she should have shown up to do it herself," She took the chandelier from Elena and handed it to a passing-by student, "Just no!"
The blonde girl saw Matt and Jeremy hanging up stars in the ceiling, "What are you doing? You can't just hang them! They're supposed to trickle down!"
"Trickle, duh!"
She rolled her eyes, a small smile on the tip of her lips, "Look at them all bromancy."
"Yeah, I asked Matt to help Jeremy readjust. He got him his old job back at the Grill."
"That was...nice of him," Caroline commented, exchanging a look with Charlotte who rolled her eyes as a subtle reply that Matt wasn't doing it to deliberately light the nonexistent flame between him and Elena.
"Jeremy has got a lot on his mind," Elena sighed, shaking her head, "The whole thing with Alaric has got him really stressed out."
"You sure it has nothing to do with witnessing you and Damon getting hot and heavy in a skeevy motel?"
"Don't remind me," Charlotte grimaced, shaking her head, "That was the most awkward moment of my life after breakfast with Rebekah and Serena. Jeremy was two seconds away from burying himself alive."
The Gilbert girl had a small smile on her face as she rolled her eyes, "I didn't tell you that so you could torture me with it."
"Aww, what are friends for?" Caroline shrugged her shoulders before asking, "So who are you bringing to the dance?"
Elena wrapped a feather boa around her neck, furrowing her eyebrows together, "What do you mean? I thought the three of us and Bonnie were going as girl dates."
"Which is not lame or anything," Charlotte shrugged her shoulders, commenting.
"Yes, it is," Caroline disagreed before revealing, "Plus, Bonnie has a date."
"What?"
The blonde vampire nodded with a nonchalant shrug, "Jamie called and wanted to see her so she asked him."
Elena nodded along, humming before Caroline asked, "So here's a thought, why don't you ask Stefan?"
"But...we just established he is not a good guy?"
"I can't ask him on a date, I just made out with his brother."
Charlotte raised her eyebrows, turning to her friend, "That's your only reason for not going with him? Wow."
Caroline shook her head at Charlotte before addressing Elena, "All the more reason! Look you're supposed to be figuring out what you want, that's what Stefan wanted you to do, right?"
"Yeah, but—"
She interjected, huffing out, "But nothing! I've watched The Bachelor, okay? Fair is fair. It is Stefan's turn."
"Yeah, and you're not biased or anything," Elena rolled her eyes.
"I am team Stefan, he is your epic love. Just ignore Charlotte, she is jealous because Damon missed his chance," Caroline folded her arms together as the Bernard girl scoffed out.
"I am not team Damon," She declared, continuing before Caroline had a chance to interrupt her, "Nor am I team Stefan. I am with whoever makes her happy because that's how it should be."
Elena smiled, nudging Charlotte before she added, "As long as that person is anyone but Stefan."
"Oh, c'mon, if he was that bad you wouldn't have stood up for him so many times."
"People can fool you, the best liars are the ones who twist the lie and turn it into a truth." Charlotte shrugged her shoulders in response to that.
✵ ✵ ✵
"It's sickening, she doesn't stop talking about you," Serena huffed out on the other line.
Charlotte rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips after hearing Serena's voice. The human Bernard was currently in London with Paulina Gilbert, searching for answers about her family's ancestry, considering she had died once again and woke up half an hour later.
Charlotte was surprised, to say the least, and was tempted to drop everything and go all the way back to town to give her niece a good old scolding for trying to test a theory.
"Yeah, that's normal with me and Lina. It goes on for weeks before one of us gets off a high horse and apologizes," She replied, looking through her wardrobe.
"You feel like getting off yours? Because she is not budging anytime soon."
She shrugged her shoulders, sighing, "I guess this is just the part we accept that neither of us is wrong and we are not meant to be friends."
"What? After all of this?" Serena scoffed, asking aloud.
"I am not in the wrong, Serena, neither is she. So, I guess...that this is it."
"I am not accepting that and by the way, I don't think she will," Her descendent stated, and Charlotte pursed her lips together, sitting down on her bed, "You are best friends. You can't just walk past that."
Charlotte folded her arms together, "My other friends hurt her and her family...I can't that back. I just have to accept that she hates me and she has every right to."
"Can we stop talking about this?"
She could practically hear her niece rolling her eyes before claiming, "Okay but I have to go, we are supposed to see this Liliana girl? Or whatever...so, I will call you later."
Charlotte sighed after the call ended and rose to her feet. It was so last plan to turn the decade dance from the seventies to the twenties and consequently, the Bernard vampire had nothing to go with.
She shrugged to herself, pulling out her phone to call Caroline, "I can't find anything to wear."
"What? The dance is tonight!"
"I know," Charlotte rolled her eyes before suggesting hopefully, "I could always just sit this one out, pull my laptop, and put on Buffy the Vampire Slayer?"
Caroline scoffed on the other line, "You are not funny and you are not missing this for the lack of a dress. Hell, you could show up in jeans but you are not sitting this one out."
"Our family kept boxes of clothes through the decades..."
Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, looking over at Stefan who stood in front of her room, hands shoved in his pockets. Caroline squealed out, "Great. Absolutely amazing. Stefan saved the day, yet again! I will see you, don't be late."
"Thank you," She said after Caroline hung up.
"Your welcome—"
She interjected, raising her eyebrows, "You could clearly see I didn't want to come but you just had to interfere, didn't you?"
"I was just trying to help you," He shrugged his shoulders, claiming.
"Well, do me a favor and stop trying," Charlotte tried to move past him and out of the door before he grabbed her arm. The brunette huffed out, "Look, you said you understand that we are never going back to being friends or people who tolerate each other."
"I know what I said," Stefan nodded, pursing his lips together, "But I was wrong. I can't just do that."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow, "Really? You couldn't have done a lot of things those past few months but you did them anyway. Make this another thing you will have to do anyway."
"I don't want to lose you, Charlotte."
"You never had to lose me before but you pushed it too far...I can't take this. I can try and be okay with you being happy while I am miserable but you can't use me like that and apologize like you accidentally spilled my coffee," She shook her head, sucking in a deep breath, "I am done with this."
She blinked back, looking at him, and for a single moment...For just one single moment she let herself believe that it could work, that she could forgive, that it wouldn't have to be the end of the world, and maybe because Charlotte truly hated pretending to hate Stefan. Out of all the people who had hurt her and made her happy at the same time, he was the one she never wanted to lose.
"You have already lost me, Stefan. You just haven't let yourself admit that." Charlotte said, proceeding to take his hand off of her arm, "Rings a bell?"
She couldn't handle seeing his face after that as she turned her back on him and walked out of the room and descended the stairs. He will get over it. She told herself.
I am not Elena, he is not in love with me. It will pass.
✵ ✵ ✵
The party was in full swing in the gym hall with lots of students dancing to the music by the time Charlotte Bernard arrived. She felt very much out of place as she looked at everyone dancing and seeming as though they were having the time of their lives.
Charlotte walked over to the punch table, greeting Matt and Caroline, "Hello?"
"Look at you, you look amazing!" Caroline beamed at the Bernard, looking her up and down, "So Stefan did come through, huh?"
"Actually that was Damon," Charlotte revealed, pursing her lips together as the blonde vampire raised her eyebrows, "Yeah, just don't comment, Caroline. Please?"
"How can I not?"
"Well, comment about that," Matt pointed over at Tyler who was greeting people in the crowd. Charlotte frowned, she hadn't seen him since Caroline's birthday and she heard he left town to try and break the sire bond. She guessed he didn't care anymore.
"Are you crazy? If Klaus sees you—"
He cut her off, "I am not going to let Klaus ruin my time with you. Okay, this is a decade dance and I am here to have fun."
"Tyler, this isn't a joke!"
"I can pretend I'm sired if I have to," He shrugged his shoulders, telling the worried blonde, "But I'm not missing this when it means the world to you."
"So hang on, I'm about to sweep you off your feet," Tyler swept Caroline off her feet and spun her around as Matt and Charlotte chuckled, watching their interaction.
"Would you like to dance?" Matt asked, turning to the brunette vampire.
Charlotte nervously shook her head, declining, "No, Matt but thanks for the offer," She sighed, shrugging her shoulders, "I will just hang around here. You go and have fun."
She quite literally sent the blond boy off and stood in her place, looking around the decorated gym. Everyone was having fun. The atmosphere was serene, no troubles, no drama...just teenagers having the time of their lives.
The brunette picked up a strawberry and dipped it in some chocolate before taking a bite of it. She sighed, sitting down. This was obviously not fun for her, Charlotte knew so but she told herself if it meant the world for Caroline then she will just have to deal with it.
She stole a glance at Caroline and Tyler, slow dancing and as she turned away, she saw Klaus walking up to the two and shook her head, quickly moving to stop him midway.
"Hi, Klaus! How are you these days?" The brunette greeted, smiling as she turned around to make sure Tyler and Caroline hadn't noticed him.
"Charlotte, love, get out of my way."
"I can't," Charlotte shook her head, replying.
"Oh, you can't? Why is that?" Klaus raised an eyebrow as he stared down at the petite girl, intentionally or not, sending shivers down her spine.
Charlotte cleared her throat before taking his hand, "Because...I am lonely and I am asking you to dance. So, c'mon, dance with me," She asked him and noticed as he took look at the couple behind her before adding, "I dare you because I am a terrible dancer."
"You are covering up for them—"
Charlotte shook her head at him and dragged him over to the dance floor with her, "Uh, that would require them doing something wrong and they are not. They are a couple of teenagers having fun in their school's dance."
"I never told Tyler to get out of town," He claimed and attempted to pull away from her before the brunette held onto him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Klaus raised an eyebrow at her before she sighed, "I am just keeping my dance partner. I owe you a dance, remember? We never got to it in your family's ball."
"You are old enough to know it's bad to leave a girl alone on a dance floor, right?" She smiled hopefully, raising her eyebrows.
He turned back to her and Charlotte let out a sigh of relief as Tyler noticed the Original's presence and made his way past the crowd to a somewhat secured place. Klaus' hand was on her waist as he pulled her closer to him and she pursed her lips together, realizing the situation she placed herself in for Tyler to get away.
"I heard about you and Kol."
"Funny. I didn't realize you two were best buddies," Charlotte rolled her eyes in response to his latest statement.
Klaus chuckled, shaking his head, "We are not," He shrugged his shoulders, "However, he told Lina, who is my best buddy as you called it, and she told me."
"You talk to Lina?" She asked, nowadays it seemed like Charlotte was the only person who didn't talk to the Gilbert vampire and despite contrary belief, it hurt her.
"Yes, don't you?"
Charlotte inhaled sharply, "Not after recent events."
"She will come around," Klaus, seemingly all-knowing, assured the Bernard girl as she nodded, murmuring, I hope so. Noticing her mood going down the drain, he stated, "You would've loved the 1920s, Charlotte. The girls were reckless, sexy, fun. They literally used to dance until they dropped."
"That's a very...nice way for you to put it out," A soft laugh escaped her as she shook her head.
He playfully rolled his eyes at the petite brunette, "You should be nicer to me. I'm leaving town tomorrow," Charlotte raised her eyebrows at that, "I'd invite you to come with me but we both know you're not ready to accept my offer. Perhaps one day, in a year, or even in a century you'll turn up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer."
"And we will start with Venice, yeah?"
"Of course."
He stared into her eyes as though piercing through her soul and Charlotte looked away, clearing her throat, "So, Rebekah didn't come to decorate the gym with us earlier and I am pretty sure I haven't seen her yet."
"Wait, you didn't see her this morning?"
"Yeah, Caroline was having a fit," Charlotte shrugged her shoulders before asking, "Why? What's wrong though?
"Excuse me," He pulled away from her and walked straight out of the gym as the brunette's eyebrows almost raised to her hairline. She followed him outside, hoping to get an answer on what the hell was happening.
"Klaus, wait, is Rebekah okay?" She asked, stopping beside him out of the school. Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows together and looked down to find the salt line.
"What is this..."
Charlotte pursed her lips together, not knowing what to say as someone stated, "Your mother is back."
The two of them turned around, finding it to be Stefan with his arms crossed over his chest. Charlotte noticed his gaze at her and deduced it had something to do with her choice of a company before she walked back into the school.
✵ ✵ ✵
Later, in the classroom, several candles were lit and Bonnie was chanting. Charlotte was standing beside the witch as Damon, Stefan, Klaus, Jamie, and Jeremy were sat around the classroom.
Jamie asked after a little while, "She does this all the time, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, there's nothing to worry about," Charlotte patted his shoulder in reassurance.
Klaus sighed in frustration, asking, "What's taking so long?! All boundary spells have a loophole."
"Just give her time," Charlotte turned to the hybrid, sighing exsaperatedly, "She is trying."
"We don't have time!"
He slammed his hands on a desk, stating so before the brunette shrugged her shoulders, "Well, too bad for you because instead of being impatient, you should just be thankful she is doing this when it has nothing to do with her."
Before the hybrid had a chance to comment or speak back, Matt walked in, stating, "People are walking right out of the dance, past the barrier."
Jeremy added, nodding, "Matt and I can leave, we can stop Esther ourselves. We just gotta find out where she is."
"Jeremy, no. This is risking it way too far," Charlotte shook her head, disagreeing, "No offense to you or Matt but you can't take on a thousand years old witch."
"But—"
"No, buts, Jeremy. End of discussion."
The teenager shook his head, sucking in a deep breath as Stefan stated, "It's suicide, Jeremy."
Klaus rushed over and grabbed Jamie by the throat, strangling him, "Suicide would be disappointing me! Now work your magic, witch, or I'll start killing people you fancy."
Bonnie yelled out, tears of frustration, fear, and worry filling her eyes, "Let him go!"
"Not until you get us out of here."
"Ah, don't be stupid, Klaus," Stefan advised, shaking his head at the Original hybrid, "Bonnie doesn't give a damn about us. The only reason she's helping us right now is to save Caroline and Charlotte. You start killing the people she cares about, she'll tell us all to go to hell."
Klaus seemed to be considering Stefan's words as he reluctantly let go of Jamie, letting him fall to the ground while gasping for air.
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte and Caroline were standing in the empty gym hall as Bonnie tried to work her way around Esther's cloaking spell.
"Thank you," Caroline spoke up as the brunette vampire furrowed her eyebrows together, "For what you did, for Tyler...It means a lot. Sorry, you had to dance with the devil for him to run away though."
"It wasn't that bad," Charlotte folded her arms over her chest before claiming, "The bad part was being reminded that he is the devil when he was off threatening Jamie in that classroom."
"Look you don't have to feel bad about seeing the good in people," Caroline squeezed her friend's shoulder in reassurance, "Just accept that some people can't be all good."
"It's hard but I will get there, don't worry."
Their conversation was cut off when Stefan walked into the gym, giving them the latest update, "They're at the old cemetery. Jeremy and Matt are headed there right now."
"You let them go?!"
"They're gonna get themselves killed!" Charlotte scoffed out, reminding him.
Stefan sighed, stating, "I didn't have a choice. We're useless right now stuck in here."
"Well, what are we going to tell Elena if he goes and gets himself killed to save his sister and we let him go through with this...you are going to tell her that we didn't have a choice?"
The Salvatore took in a deep breath, processing her words, "No one is going to die, okay? Bonnie is still looking for a way around the boundary spell. It's not too late."
He claimed, walking away as Caroline turned to Charlotte, "Easy on him, it's not his fault."
"I know but I am worried, okay?" Charlotte folded her arms together, biting on her bottom lip anxiously, "What if—"
Caroline interjected, shaking her head, "No, don't think like that. She will be fine. Elena always manages to find her way through this stuff."
"And...what if she doesn't?"
"You are the most optimistic person I know so don't go there ruining my hopes, please?" Caroline asked, raising an eyebrow before pulling Charlotte into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly, "She will be fine. They will all be fine."
✵ ✵ ✵
Bonnie had finally broken through the boundary spell and they were all at Mystic Falls Old Cemetery. Klaus had already taken Esther's body being the first to leave and discovering that Alaric killed her.
Esther remade him to be an Original like her children, giving him an indestructible white oak stake but Alaric chose not to complete the transition.
"I can't imagine what they must be feeling," Caroline sighed, looking at the Salvatore tomb where Elena and Jeremy were, saying their goodbyes to Alaric.
"Pain...a lot of it. Guilt, maybe," Charlotte answered, running her tongue over her bottom lip, "He was their last parental figure...I know I never moved on from losing my dad but I would hate to have to lose people who took his place—or tried to, as well."
She held her breath as Elena walked out of the tomb, followed by Alaric. She walked over to Caroline and Charlotte as Alaric Saltzman took a lot at everyone standing outside. His eyes moving from Stefan to Damon, Caroline, Charlotte, Elena and Tyler, Matt, Bonnie, and Jeremy before he stopped on Meredith, who was crying.
They could all see the tears gathering in his eyes before he forced a smile on his lips and went back into the tomb, closing the gate after him.
✵ ✵ ✵
Elena was agitated as she cleaning up Alaric's vampire hunter gear in the classroom. Charlotte ran a hand over her face, stating, "You don't have to do this now."
"No, I'd rather get it over with now before some janitor comes to clean out Alaric's stuff and realizes the history teacher was a vampire slayer," Elena shrugged her shoulders, pulling things out of his locker.
"Elena," Charlotte pulled her away from Alaric's locker, "Hey, Elena, please. Just listen to me."
"I can't Charlotte, okay? I can't think about the fact that Jeremy and I don't have anyone to take care of us anymore or that we've lost another friend," She sighed, placing a hand over her mouth, "I just, I can't think about any of it."
"Elena—"
Elena cut her off, shaking her head, "I'm not done!"
"I know, I know you are not but I need to listen to me, now," Charlotte took in a deep breath and started, "A few months ago, a very close friend of mine told me that when life hits you, you need to get back up and turn the pain into a life lesson..."
"Now, I don't know what is there to learn from this but I know that you need to get back up. You can't push your grief away and you can't make it sweet. It's painful, it's hell but when all is said and done, you can think of Alaric and be happy that he was part of your life and helped you in so many ways."
Elena paused, taking in her words before she sobbed out, "I don't have anyone anymore."
"You will always have me," Charlotte reassured her, laughing through her tears, "And trust me, I am some good company."
She hugged the Gilbert girl as she cried out on her shoulder, "It will be okay."
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte drove back to the Salvatore Boarding House after driving Elena to her house. She knew that tonight should be reserved for her and Jeremy only and Charlotte needed to rest either way.
She walked inside, adjusting her feather boa on her shoulders before noticing Stefan in the parlor with a drink in his hand, "Is she okay?"
"She is going to be," Charlotte nodded, answering. She moved to make her way upstairs before pausing, "I need to ask you something."
Stefan shrugged as a sign for her to go ahead, "When you called me that other day, that was the same day Elena was going to Denver with Damon to see if she really has feelings for him."
"Yeah, it was the same day."
"I know, that wasn't my question," She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, "Did you call me because they were going to Denver, together?"
He furrowed his eyebrows together, "I...I don't understand."
Charlotte sighed exsaperatedly, questioning, "Am I the backup? When you thought you and Elena were over, you called me...Am I her backup to you?"
"No, no, that wasn't why I called you," He shook his head quickly, denying.
She pursed her lips together, exhaling sharply, "Well, I hope that's true because after everything you have done that made me hate you. That one would top 'em all."
✵ ✵ ✵
*charlena is thriving at its best.
*stefan, I don't know what to tell you now