I HATE TO SEE YOUR TEARS, DARLING, BUT THAT MAY BE WHAT GETS YOU OUT OF THIS SITUATION.
[ season 2 — episode 8 ]
CHARLOTTE LANCASTER DIDN'T CONSIDER HERSELF PRO-VIOLENCE — though she did understand that vampires had to feed on humans to survive, so she found it in herself to look the other way. The other exception to violence that Lottie had no problem making was watching her friends plot the murder of Katherine Pierce.
So, no one heard a single complaint from Lottie as they all convened at the Salvatore Boarding house to create a plan. Though the nineteen-year-old wouldn't be taking part in it — she was only human, after all, with nothing special about her. Her only responsibility for the night was to throw on a pretty dress and mask and parade around as the surviving member of the Lancaster family that the town of Mystic Falls knew.
She wasn't thrilled about showing up on the arm of Damon Salvatore, posing as his date for the night. Though he was as much of a gentleman as Damon could stand to be, and they got along well given that she was older than everyone else involved in the supernatural mess, it wasn't his hand that she wanted leading her out of the car and to the wonderfully decorated mansion.
Getting ready had been simple. She didn't have anything to be nervous about — Lottie was confident that this plan would work now that Katherine didn't have Mason Lockwood helping her out. Lottie mourned the needless death of Tyler's uncle whom she grew up with, but at the end of the day, he chose Katherine and knew the consequences.
It was easy to not think about how Damon ripped his heart from his chest with Finn Mikaelson's lips whispering sweet compliments as she got ready for the night. Lottie shyly met his gaze through the vanity mirror in her bedroom. She slipped a golden mask over her eyes for the masquerade before turning to face the oldest Original — Kol was watching her as well from across the room, leaning casually against the wall as he practically leered.
"Do I look alright?" Lottie asked, doing a little twirl. The short, white skirt with golden flowers embroidered on the material fanned out as she did.
"Like an angel," Finn told her with a smile.
"Like our angel," Kol spoke up before coming closer. "Don't forget, Darling, who you belong to if that oaf dares to put a hand on you tonight."
It was hard for him, being so possessive over a girl he couldn't even touch. It made the youngest brother's chest ache.
"Damon's not an oaf, Kol," she said, shaking her head. "And you know he's far too wrapped up in Elena's beauty to think of me. No need to be jealous."
"There is every need," he grumbled.
"He'll be too busy with Katherine tonight, anyway. You two can keep me company," Lottie declared, looking between the brothers.
"I can't wait for the tantrum that our brother will inevitably throw once he realizes he was not the one to kill Katerina after all," Kol said with a smirk.
Finn matched it — no, he hadn't been awake back when Klaus last tried to break the sacrifice, but he knew how much his half-brother hated to have his toys taken away like a child. "He should be ashamed that a few adolescent vampires are closer to catching Katerina than he's even been."
Even the two Originals thought it could be done — that Katherine could be killed. Bonnie managed to spell a room to keep her trapped, and Caroline did a fantastic job of luring Katherine into the room. And Damon and Stefan were inches away from staking her in the heart before the plan fell apart.
The whole night fell apart.
Katherine was linked to Elena — who wasn't supposed to even be there, but Alaric was bad at distracting her — meaning the human doppelgänger felt every injury and didn't heal as the vampire did. Bonnie managed to take her pain away, but still. And all the while, Tyler killed a girl on accident and triggered his werewolf curse. With the full moon approaching, that was going to be a disaster.
At the end of the night, Katherine wasn't dead, something Kol groaned about, knowing only his brother and mate could hear his complaints. But at the very least, Katherine was trapped in the tomb that Damon thought she'd been trapped in for a hundred and forty-five years. The irony was fitting, Lottie supposed.
The rest of the night was supposed to be simple. Lottie was instructed to drive a still-injured Elena home while everyone else dealt with the aftermath of the night.
So, why was it that some guy in a jester's mask felt the need to knock Elena and Lottie out in the parking lot before either girl had a chance to scream?
☽︎
It was Finn's voice that coaxed Lottie back to consciousness. Though she kept her eyes closed from how much her head hurt, she could hear him begging for her to wake up. To free herself.
Free herself from what?
Someone was picking her up and carrying her, not bothering to be gentle. Then she was set down on a rather uncomfortable surface. Then she heard the sound of feet retreating.
After a moment, Lottie managed to pull her eyes open and look around, feeling a bit dazed. She was in some kind of old house, with paint peeling off the walls, broken windows that let in small beams of light, and cobwebs in every corner. She'd been placed on an old couch that had long since lost all its stuffing.
"Finn," Lottie whispered a bit fearfully. He was in her line of sight within a second. "What's going on?"
"It seems the doppelgänger has been kidnapped. You were taken as well since there were to be no witnesses," Finn explained, a deep frown on his face. He could recall how the trade-off happened and remembered how the vampire named Trevor said he was looking forward to having a snack. "Kol is searching the rest of the house."
"Wh - where's Ele—" Lottie cut herself off when the same man from earlier came in, this time with a barely conscious Elena in his arms. Her wrists and feet were bound, which was pointless as she was injured and harmless. "Elena!"
Elena stirred more as the man set her on the couch, next to Lottie. Then he began to remove the ropes around the younger girl.
"What do you want?" Elena managed to ask. Her head fell to the side and she spotted Charlotte as well. "Why'd you take us?"
The man simply shushed her, not caring to answer her questions.
"Please, she's hurt," Lottie said with a frown. They didn't know why they were taken, but Elena needed medical attention. None of the vampires had a chance to feed her their blood after the masquerade.
"I know," the man said with a smirk. He eyed the blood stains on Elena's shirt. "Just a taste."
Then his face morphed, eyes turning red and veins appearing underneath them. He lunged at Elena, but another person arrived to stop him.
"Trevor!" the woman snapped. Lottie looked at her with wide eyes, taking in her sharp features and more commanding presence. Kol was standing next to her, his arms crossed and looking displeased. Lottie suspected he knew these vampires. "Control yourself. Not her."
"Buzzkill," the one named Trevor muttered. But then he smirked and his eyes fell on Lottie, who had already wrapped a protective arm around Elena. "Good thing the human managed to pick up a treat on the way."
Before Lottie knew what was happening, she was sped against a wall with fangs digging into her neck. Lottie had never been bitten by a vampire, so she'd never heard herself scream as she did — so loud that it drowned out the concern from Elena, Finn, and Kol. After only a few seconds, Trevor was ripped off of Lottie and thrown across the room by the woman.
Lottie sunk to the ground and placed shaky hands over the large bite on her neck, crying from the pain. Both Finn and Kol knelt before her, wishing they could do anything at all — hold her, heal her, kill Trevor.
"We agreed she'd be offered to him as well," the woman told Trevor sharply.
"I'll kill him," Kol snarled as Trevor left the room, clueless to the rage he'd created. "Once out of my coffin, I'll spend every waking moment hunting that bastard down."
"What do you want with me?" Elena managed to ask, nervously looking between the woman and the still-crying Lottie.
The woman finally took the time to study Elena. "Oh my god, you look just like her."
"But I'm not. Please, whatever you—"
"Be quiet!" she snapped over Elena's crying.
"But I'm not Katherine. My name is Elena Gilbert," Elena continued. "You don't have to do this."
"I know who you are, I said be quiet," she instructed.
But Elena kept pressing. "What do you want?"
Lottie choked on a gasp as Rose smacked Elena hard, sending her back onto the couch and completely unconscious. "I want you to be quiet," she muttered.
"To be fair," Kol began, eying Elena's body. "Rose Marie did warn her."
Rose was her name, though Lottie didn't really care at that moment. She focused on herself and pulled her hand away from her neck, whimpering from how the blood coated her hands and stained the white lace of her dress.
"You," Rose said, now looking at Lottie. "Stay here. Don't cause any trouble."
Lottie nodded shakily and watched as Rose went off to likely find Trevor.
"Ástin mín," Finn said softly. It meant 'my love' and were some of the few words in his native language that Lottie could identify. "We need you to find something to help stop the bleeding."
"There's a blanket over here," Kol said, his eyes falling on a couch. Though he cringed when he saw how dirty it was. He didn't really understand how infected wounds worked, but supposed it was better than watching his mate slowly bleed out.
Lottie followed Kol's instruction and slowly got to her feet before getting the blanket and pressing it to her neck. Both men flinched as she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
"Kol, you know these vampires?" Lottie asked, speaking so quietly that she almost couldn't hear herself over the blood drumming in her ears.
"It's to do with our brother's curse. No doubt, they plan to hand the Gilbert girl over in hopes of freedom — they're the reason that Katerina managed to escape five hundred years ago," Kol explained shortly.
"S - so, your brother is coming?" she asked with a frown. Lottie didn't know any of their names — Finn and Kol wanted to keep her as separated from their wretched siblings as possible. "Maybe he has you with him."
"I don't think freeing us will be that simple," Finn said, standing behind her. He watched her neck carefully, wishing more than anything that it'd magically heal over.
"The hardest part is keeping you alive if he is coming," Kol muttered. He knew Klaus would instantly kill Lottie if he was the one that Trevor and Rose were meeting to hand over Elena. "He has no way to know what you mean to us."
"We'll be okay," she whispered, reaching out to brush her fingertips through his own. They passed through each other, but he appreciated the comforting gesture.
Then Lottie moved to the couch to check on Elena. It took a few minutes, but eventually, she began to wake up again. She went to speak, but Lottie placed a finger to her lips to silence her.
Rose and Trevor were talking close enough to hear.
"So, you called him?" Trevor asked Rose, sounding fairly nervous. Why were they nervous? They weren't the ones being kidnapped.
Against Lottie's pleading looks, Elena got up to go and eavesdrop better. The older girl had no choice but to follow, leaving behind the blood-soaked blanket.
"No, I called one of his contacts," Rose snapped at her friend. "You know how this works."
"Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?"
Lottie's back was to her mates, meaning she didn't see how they relaxed at the mention of Elijah. No, he was no saint, but there was a chance he'd let Lottie go before whisking Elena away to their dastardly brother. Elijah, after all, was a sucker for a pretty, tear-filled face.
"They say he got it," Rose went on.
"Wonderful, and what?" Trevor questioned.
Rose sighed and rolled her eyes. "So, that's it, Trevor. He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait."
"Look, it's not too late. We can leave it here. We don't have to go through with this," he said anxiously.
"I'm sick of running!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah? Well, running keeps us from dying."
"Elijah's old school. If he accepts our deal, we're free," Rose said. She went to say something else, but one of the ancient floorboards under Elena squeaked as she made a wrong step. Rose instantly glared at the two girls, who flinched. "You! There's nothing around here for miles. If you think you're getting out of this house, you're tragically wrong. Understand?"
"Who's Elijah?" Lottie managed to ask, not familiar with the name.
"He's your worst nightmare," Rose said ominously.
Kol managed to cover up a snort and looked at his oldest sibling. "I'd like to think I'm worse."
"Well, yes, that's why you're not let out of your coffin at the moment," Finn said, rolling his eyes.
Though Rose wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy, Elena and Lottie still followed after her.
"Why am I here?" Elena asked as Rose moved around the room, finding some lights that managed to still work. "And why not just leave Lottie out of it?"
"You keep asking me these questions like I'm gonna answer them," Rose said with a smirk. "And your human friend is collateral damage."
"Why won't you?" Elena asked, crossing her arms.
Rose shook her head. "That's another one."
"You got me, okay? It's not like we can go anywhere," Elena said. "The least you can do is tell me what you want with me."
"I personally want nothing. I'm just a delivery service," she stated. Lottie watched how she carefully placed a painting over a window — Rose didn't have a daylight ring.
"Delivery to who? Elijah?" Elena questioned.
"Two points to the eavesdropper."
"Who is he? Is he a vampire?"
"He's one of the vampires — the Originals."
Lottie's head whipped around as she looked at Finn and Kol. Finn was innocently looking around while Kol grinned sheepishly. Now, she knew that this Elijah was one of their brothers, but she wasn't sure if it was the second oldest or the bound hybrid.
"What do you mean the Originals?" Elena asked, clueless to how much Lottie knew.
"Again with the questions," Rose muttered while looking at something at a desk. "Haven't the Salvatores been teaching you your vampire history?"
"You know Stefan and Damon?" Lottie asked, tilting her head. If they had, why didn't they come and speak to the brothers instead of kidnapping Elena?
"I know of them," she corrected. "A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones. I'm more of a sucker for the bad boys though but I digress."
"Who are the Originals?" Elena again asked.
"Trevor and I have been running for five hundred years. We're tired, we want it over. We're using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess," she explained.
"But why me?"
"Because you're a Petrova doppelgänger. You're the key to breaking the curse."
"The curse? The sun and the moon curse?" Elena asked, putting together the slightly fake pieces.
Lottie didn't take her eyes off her mates. If this was happening, if Klaus was coming and planning on breaking his curse, then Elena would die. But maybe once he was content, he'd free his siblings. It may have been selfish, but Lottie was almost excited.
"Oh, you do know your history," Rose went on.
"What do you mean I'm the key? The moonstone is what breaks the curse," Elena said.
Rose shook her head. "No, the moonstone is what binds the curse. The sacrifice is what breaks it."
"The sacrifice?" Elena asked, horrified.
"The blood of the doppelgänger. You're the doppelgänger. Which means, in order to break the curse you're the one who has to die," Rose explained, not feeling very sympathetic.
Elena stepped toward Rose. "Tell me more."
"Captivity has made her pushy, eh?" At the sound of Trevor's voice, Lottie whipped around and eyed him fearfully. Some of her blood was still on his cheek. "What do you want to know, Doppelicious?"
"Who were you running from?" Elena asked.
"The Originals, Lena," Lottie told her. Though, of course, Elena had no idea what that meant. "Whoever they are."
"The first family, the old world," Trevor stated. "Rose and I pissed them off—" Rose quickly cleared her throat while shooting him an unimpressed look. "Correction, I pissed them off, Rose had my back and for over half a millennium, they wanted us dead."
"What did you do?" Lottie asked softly. She knew enough of Finn and Kol's family to know they weren't always kind. And Kol mentioned they were part of the reason Katherine escaped.
"He made the same mistake countless others did," Rose said, shaking her head. "He trusted Katerina Petrova."
"Katherine," Elena whispered.
"The one and only, the first Petrova doppelgänger."
"I helped her escape her fate and now I've, sorry, we've been marked ever since," Trevor finished.
"Which is why we're not gonna make the same mistake again," Rose said sharply. Then she turned on her heel and left the room, soon followed by Trevor.
Against her better judgment — and Finn and Kol telling her to stay put — Lottie followed after the two vampires into the first room that she'd been attacked in. It was almost like they were trying to make the tragic house look more presentable, like Elijah would care about the state of the meeting place.
"You didn't just trust Katherine, did you?" Lottie dared to ask, looking at Trevor.
He paused, in the middle of picking up a painted canvas. "No," Trevor answered quietly. "I wasn't the first and I won't be the last." Then Trevor took the painting and placed it over a boarded-up window, blocking out more sun. Lottie cringed when she heard the skin of his fingertips sizzle.
Lottie didn't know why, but she grabbed a piece of plywood and placed it over another window, hiding even more of the sunlight from the two vampires that could burn from it. Rose and Trevor watched curiously, not understanding why she seemed to be helping them.
"Playing cleanup will not earn your freedom," Rose told her. "We need everything we can to appease Elijah — dinner included. You'll be dead by sundown."
"And he won't be nearly as gentle as I was," Trevor said, glancing at her neck. The blood wasn't fully dry yet, and Lottie hated the feeling.
"You call that gentle?" she asked in disbelief. Her eyes had never even stopped watering from how much her neck throbbed.
"He may not even drain you. Just kill you. The Originals don't like to share," he said, shaking his head. "You're no good with a bite taken out of you."
"Some of us can share," Kol muttered, looking at his brother.
Finn rolled his eyes, wondering if Kol would be singing the same tune once they had their bodies back and actually had to share the girl — assuming she made it out of this predicament.
It wasn't long before Rose brought Lottie back into the room with Elena, making both girls sit still. When the vampire's back was turned, Elena shot Lottie and secret smile and flashed a crumbled-up piece of paper.
Stefan and Damon are coming for you guys. —B
Lottie had to physically restrain herself from sighing in relief. However, that relief went away as soon as Kol made a comment about how Elijah would easily kill the Salvatore brothers. It would be effortless. Lottie may have accepted Elena's fate but that didn't mean she wanted more to die than necessary.
"He's here!" Trevor exclaimed, rushing suddenly into the room. The man looked terrified as he moved to Rose's side. "This was a mistake."
Rose shook her head. "No, I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me."
"No!" he pleaded. "He wants me dead, Rose!"
"He wants her more," she said, nodding to Elena, who got off the couch.
"I can't do this. You give her to him, he'll have mercy on you but I need to get out of here," Trevor said, panicking.
"Hey! What are we?" Rose asked softly, grabbing his shoulders.
Trevor took a deep breath. "We're family, forever."
Then there was a knock on the door, making both vampires freeze. Elena studied their reactions with interest. "You're scared."
"You're only just now picking up on that?" Kol asked, rolling his eyes. He thought this particular Petrova doppelgänger was stupid.
"Stay here with them," Rose told Trevor, "and don't make a sound."
As Rose went to greet Elijah, Finn couldn't help but follow. It was, after all, his first brother who he hadn't seen in centuries. Kol stayed behind with Lottie, who was the only one to remain sitting.
"You're bleeding again," the youngest muttered, looking at his mate's neck in anger. God, he hoped Elijah killed the welp that was cowering across the room.
Though she couldn't respond, Lottie placed her hand to her neck again. She winced at the stinging feeling and how uncomfortable the fresh and dried blood touching felt.
"I hate to see your tears, Darling, but that may be what gets you out of this situation," Kol told her. Lottie nodded subtly. Crying wouldn't be hard — she was in pain, terrified of Elijah, and wanted nothing more than to fall against Kol's chest to let him hold her, which wasn't possible.
So, by the time Rose came back with the guest of honor, Lottie was curled into herself, hiding her face in her knees as she cried. And she didn't dare move to draw attention to herself when she heard the two people enter.
Unlike Lottie, Elena turned on her heel quickly and laid eyes on Elijah. He looked as stunned as she did scared, hardly able to believe that there really was a doppelgänger. Before she could react, Elijah sped to Elena, looking down at her in disbelief. Then he knelt and sniffed her neck.
"Personal pace, brother," Kol said in an almost joking tone. Though he was furious at Elijah for helping Klaus dagger him and leaving him in a coffin and putting his mate in danger, he still missed his brother.
"Human. It's impossible," Elijah said, all too unaware that two of his brothers were in the room. He continued to look at Elena, who resembled Katherine exactly. "Hello, there."
God, Lottie realized. There was no way the Salvatores would arrive before Elijah took Elena away. And if he didn't take her with him, then she might never find Klaus and the coffins that Finn and Kol resided in.
So, against the instruction to stay silent, Lottie let out a sniffle. It was enough sound to draw attention to her.
All Elijah saw was a quivering blonde girl on the couch, hiding away from them all. And then the most heavenly scent hit his nose — he didn't know if it was her blood or just her, which piqued his curiosity more than he cared to admit.
"And who do we have here?" Elijah asked, taking a step toward her.
"She was in the presence of the doppelgänger when we picked her up," Rose said, keeping near the wall. "We suspected you might like a snack."
"Leave her out of this. Please," Elena said selflessly.
Elijah hardly listened to either of them. The ancient vampire was more concerned with why the sound of the girl's blood pumping through her veins was louder than anything else in the room. He moved to stand right in front of her, unaware of how Finn and Kol tensed, ready to attack even though attacking wasn't possible.
Lottie flinched as a warm hand gripped her jaw, moving her head away from her knees. Elijah guided her face up so that she was looking at him through teary vision, taking in a handsome face dressed in a well-fitting suit. As Elijah stared back down at her, his jaw went slack for just a moment, a reaction hardly noticeable by anyone.
Anyone that could be heard anyway.
"Goddamn it!" Kol shouted in frustration. Finn let out a low growl of frustration.
They both knew the look on Elijah's face.
Lottie flinched at the outburst from her mates, not understanding what prompted them to start shouting. Kol was muting something about 'of all the bloody odds' and 'no way am I allowing this.'
As Elijah had no idea about the others present, he thought Lottie flinched out of fear of him. Which, she was scared of him, though he wasn't her greatest concern at the moment. She wanted to know why her boys were so upset and wanted to comfort them. But she had to survive their brother in order to do that.
"Your name," Elijah said as softly as he could manage. It shocked the others in the room to hear him speak so gently to the human girl he'd only just met.
"W - what?" Lottie asked with a confused frown. Did he always get the names of people before he ate them?
"What is your name?" he asked her once again. His thumb moved along her jaw as he spoke.
Lottie swallowed thickly, which caused her throat to ache. Elijah didn't miss how she winced. "Charlotte Lancaster."
Elijah nodded before offering her a hand to help her stand. Lottie silently took his hand, confused by the polite gesture. Then she held her breath as his hands were at her jaw again, tilting her head to the side to examine her injury. His own jaw tightened as he watched the blood continue to drip down her skin.
"Are you going to kill me?" Lottie managed to ask in a whisper.
"No," Elijah assured her, his thumb caressing Lottie's cheek. "I am going to heal you and deliver you safely to your home."
That, at least, made Elena sigh in relief.
Lottie couldn't take her eyes off Elijah as he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt before biting into his wrist. She'd never had vampire blood before but she understood what he was doing. Though she didn't know why it required him to pull her against his chest while placing his wrist to her mouth.
Finn and Kol, who weren't quite as clueless, watched on jealously as Lottie's lips fell on Elijah's wrist, drinking his blood while he ran his other hand through her hair, somehow not catching on any of the bloody tangles. The wound on their mate's neck healed over perfectly, only leaving behind blood that stained her skin and dress and hair. When Lottie pulled away from Elijah, she self-consciously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and took a step back from the Original.
"Thank you," Lottie said softly.
"Do you remember who bit you?" Elijah asked her in a hard tone.
Lottie wasn't really sure why he'd care about that. "Yes, Sir."
Kol scoffed from the side. "Oh, she's done it now. Just had to call him that," he said to his brother.
"This really doesn't seem fair," Finn mumbled. "And given the odds, we both know it's likely that N—"
"Don't even make me think of it," Kol muttered, looking back at their mate.
Lottie didn't have to say Trevor's name as she glanced at him nervously. Elijah seemed to realize he was the one to bite her. Even if she hadn't indicated to him with her eyes, he could smell her blood on his breath, and that enraged him.
"One last piece of business and we're done," Elijah said, turning toward Trevor.
The vampire was shaking and avoiding eye contact. "I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, very sorry."
"Oh no, your apology's not necessary," Elijah said casually.
"Yes, yes it is. You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you," he stated.
"Oh yes, you are the guilty one, and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you, and that now I honor. Where was your loyalty?" he asked.
"I beg your forgiveness," Trevor said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Shut your eyes, ástin," Finn said in an almost disappointed tone.
"So granted," Elijah said, making Trevor smile in relief.
Lottie turned her head away just before Elijah's hand moved at an impossibly fast speed. Trevor's head was smacked clean off his body, blood splattering everywhere. Just hearing it and Elena's scared gasp made Lottie shut her eyes tighter.
Rose let out a cry of anguish. "You—"
"Don't," Elijah interrupted, "Rose, now that you are free." Then he looked at Elena. "Come."
"No, what about the moonstone?" Elena dared to ask.
"She really is stupid," Kol said, shaking his head. Lottie peeked her eyes open and watched Elijah's reaction. He was quite thrown off guard by her bringing it up.
"What do you know about the moonstone?" he questioned.
"I know that you need it and I know where it is," Elena stated.
"Yes?" he said eagerly.
"We can help you get it," she told him.
"Tell me where it is," he ordered.
Elena shook her head stubbornly. "It doesn't work that way."
Elijah raised an unimpressed look. "Are you negotiating with me?" Then he glanced at Rose, who was still more focused on mourning Trevor.
"It's the first I've heard of it," she managed to say.
Elijah turned back to Elena and looked at her to try and compel her. But when it didn't work, he surveyed her form, noticing the necklace she wore.
"What is this vervain doing around your neck?" He harshly yanked the necklace off and threw it across the room before grabbing the back of her head. Lottie could tell it hurt.
"You don't have to do that," Lottie said, moving forward. "It's in the tomb underneath the church ruins in Mystic Falls. Stop hurting her."
Elijah looked at Lottie and slowly released Elena, who held her head. He moved to stand in front of Lottie once more. "Are you telling the truth? You can't be compelled."
"How did you kn—" Lottie cut herself off with a frown. She'd never been able to be compelled, but how did Elijah know that? Only those back in Mystic Falls, Enzo, and her mates knew of that fact. "No, I'm not lying. That's where it is."
"What is it doing there?" Elijah asked.
"It's trapped with Katherine," she explained.
"Interesting," he noted. Admittedly, Elijah was impressed that someone managed to trap Katherine after so many years. Before he could ask more, they heard the sound of glass breaking from somewhere else in the house. Elijah looked at the door warily. "What is that?"
"I don't know," Rose told him, shaking his head.
"Who else is in this house?" he demanded.
"I don't know," she insisted.
"Seems the Salvatores have come to die," Finn muttered. No way would Elijah let them get away with Lottie now.
Elijah grabbed both girls — Lottie didn't understand why he was holding her so gently while carelessly dragging Elena. As they reached the foyer of the house, people with supernatural speed began to flit around them. Elijah threw Elena into Rose's arms but kept Lottie near.
"Rose," Elijah said in a firm voice.
"I don't know who it is," she said, shaking her head helplessly.
"Up here." Lottie recognized Stefan's voice coming from the staircase.
It was disorienting as Elijah used his speed to move himself and Lottie up the stairs.
"Down here." That time, it was Damon who spoke, back down by the stairs. Then a small stake soared through the air, landing in Elijah's hand which wasn't wrapped around Lottie's waist. In the time it took him to remove it, someone rushed in and ripped Lottie away from his grasp.
Lottie let out a relieved breath as she saw Damon hiding both her and Rose out of sight of the Original. Stefan must have grabbed Elena. Damon gestured for both of them to keep quiet.
Without Lottie at his side, Elijah was furious. "Excuse me. To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?" he asked in a taunting voice. As he spoke, he grabbed a wooden coat rack and broke it in half, fashioning a stake.
"I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want the girl and Charlotte unharmed," he declared. "I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"
"This isn't gonna turn out well," Kol whispered.
It was then that Elena appeared at the top of the stairs, her arms wrapped around herself nervously. "I'll come with you, just please don't hurt my friend. They just wanted to help me out," she said innocently.
Elijah sped in front of her, the stake still in hand. "Where is Charlotte?"
Elena narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You said Lottie could go home. Only I leave with you."
"What game are you playing with me?" Elijah asked impatiently. "Where is Char—"
Elena moved suddenly, pulling the pin on one of Alaric's vervain hand grenades. She ducked out of the way just as it exploded in Elijah's face, burning his skin. Though he healed immediately — faster than any vampire they'd ever seen.
Elijah got back up and moved toward Elena, but Stefan came out and shot at him with one of Alaric's weapons. It didn't do much damage, though, so Stefan rushed at the Original and tackled him down the stairs. Elijah got up immediately, only to be blindsided by Damon, who ran the coat hanger through his chest and pinned him to the wall with the sheer force.
Lottie let out a startled gasp as Elijah died, his skin turning grey and veiny. Though in the back of her mind, she knew he wouldn't stay that way. Finn and Kol told her all about how Original vampires couldn't die as easily as regular ones. Her need for Klaus to bring his siblings' coffins to Mystic Falls was the only reason she didn't offer that information up to the others in the room.
As soon as Rose saw that Elijah was dead, she was running out the door. Damon stepped after her, but Elena spoke up, still standing on the stairs. "Just let her go."
Damon looked up at Elena and smiled, happy she was unharmed. She smiled as well and descended the stairs, only to run into Stefan's arms. Lottie winced, knowing that was like a punch in the gut to Damon.
"Hey come here. Are you hurt? Are you okay?" Stefan asked gently. She nodded while burrowing herself into his arms. But Elena at least had the decency to look at Damon and mouth a 'thank you.'
'You're welcome,' he responded. Then Damon's eyes fell on Lottie, taking in her bloody appearance. "You good, Charlie?"
"Better now," she admitted, letting out another relieved sigh.
Damon smiled and wrapped one arm around her in a hug. But then he frowned. "I see blood but no injuries."
"The headless guy bit me. But then Elijah healed me for some reason," she explained, looking at the temporarily dead Original. She didn't know why, but the sight made her sad.
From the side, Kol and Finn shared a look. "Our girl isn't the best at picking up on hints," Kol said quietly, knowing she couldn't hear them from the other side of the room.
"Should we tell her yet?" Finn asked, frowning as he looked at Elijah's body. "He'll come for her."
"Not yet. I don't want her seeking him out," he muttered. "Lijah already has an unfair advantage with being able to touch her. I mean, did you see the way he was holding her earlier? She's supposed to be ours, Finn. Not—" Kol took a moment to gesture to all three of them. "—ours."
"There's nothing we can do about it, Kol," Finn said, doing his best to keep a level head.
"Except make him feel incredibly ashamed about being put down by two baby vampires in under a minute," Kol grumbled. "I'll never let him forget this."
☽︎
It was odd how Finn and Kol could walk through walls and were unable to make contact with Lottie, but they could lean against furniture and take up space on the bed. The logistics of the whole situation drove them mad.
For instance, Finn could place his hands on the bathroom counter on either side of Lottie, essentially caging her in. But he'd simply pass through her if he got any closer. So, he settled for the close proximity and watched as she combed her freshly washed hair which was now free of blood.
"I don't know what I would've done if you were taken from us today," Finn murmured, a sad look in his eyes.
"But I wasn't," Lottie said softly. "Don't give today any more thought, Finn."
"I hate how we can't protect you like this," he said, shaking his head.
"But you do," she assured him. Lottie's hand hovered near his cheek, wishing she could feel him. "You've always been honest about the dangers around me so that I can be prepared. You instructed me on how to behave around Elijah, which must have worked, because he didn't harm me."
Finn bit his tongue, not quite ready to blurt out that she was the mate of yet another Original brother. Considering what she'd been through today, it wasn't the right time.
Instead, he led Lottie out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. It wasn't long before Kol appeared as well, finished with his lurking for the night.
"Our dear brother is awake," he announced. It didn't take long for Elijah to reanimate and make his way toward Mystic Falls with his witches — it also wouldn't be long before he discovered where Charlotte lived. "And boy, is he in a bloody horrible mood."
"It's to be expected," she told him. "I know that today was, well, scary for me, but I am glad you both got to see your brother. I know how much you miss your family."
"Though I must admit these past years away from them and with you have been... refreshing," Finn told her with a soft smile. The girl before him truly changed his entire outlook on life, even if she wasn't aware of it and how he used to hate just simply existing.
"I'd say more than refreshing," Kol said, donning a flirty smirk. "I do hate I missed you changing out of that dress."
Lottie rolled her eyes playfully. "I had to throw it out completely. No way could I explain that much blood to the dry cleaners."
And it wasn't as if Kol didn't have plenty of other opportunities to see such things. Though Lottie had no problems with the brothers seeing her in varying states of undress, the thought still made her cheeks burn.
"I'll buy you a thousand dresses when I'm capable again," Kol promised. Though they knew Lottie didn't have any trouble with affording things, as every last belonging of the Lancaster name went to her when her parents died.
"Perhaps your sister and I can go shopping," she said with a smile.
Kol groaned at that. "Gods, no. She can shop for hours."
"As can our Lottie," Finn said with a smirk. "Or do you not remember the torture that was her helping the Forbes girl find a pageant gown?"
Lottie rolled her eyes playfully and moved to pull the comforter back on her bed. "If you two are going to be mean, then I'm going to sleep."
"Then it's a wonder you're not always slumbering away," Finn joked, as Kol jumped on the end of the bed — the blankets didn't even shift as he did so.
"It's unfair how you torture me so," Lottie said dramatically while throwing her head back on the pillow.
"Trust me, Darling," Kol said, moving to hover over her. "You'll have a whole new meaning of the word when I can finally get my hands on you."
Lottie's mouth felt dry as she looked up innocently at his dark brown eyes. It was a promise she knew he'd keep, a promise she'd been looking forward to for such a long time.
"Like I said," Lottie whispered, her eyes falling on his lips that she'd never been able to kiss. "Mean."