Post homecoming, Charlotte was defending Stefan less and was growing more annoyed with him. Klaus had freed Stefan from his compulsion but his humanity was still off and he hadn't returned to being the brother she missed.
Charlotte was so worked up with the anxiety of it all she was barely sleeping more than a few hours each night. The only times she actually did seem to sleep was when she stayed over at Matt's and that was only because he'd stay up talking her ear off until she drifted off, distracted from her worries by his babbles about a television show. She was pretty certain that he only talked that much at night because he knew she couldn't sleep properly but she wasn't going to complain about the distraction.
Despite her and Matt's best efforts, no matter what they did they just couldn't seem to stay out of the supernatural world. No matter what she said and vehemently swore, she couldn't stop worrying about the problems plaguing her brothers and their friends. Charlotte wished there was something she could do to stop this war between Klaus and her brothers, all she could see was it ending in pain.
After the dance, Stefan had taken off without another word and she suspected that he'd done something else to make Klaus mad. They both knew from their summertime how vindictive Klaus could be and yet since their attempted murder, Klaus hadn't said or done anything to retaliate in any form.
His silence signalled to Charlotte that there was a bigger plan afoot and that Stefan had likely done something big. She wished he could've left it well enough alone after he'd been freed from the compulsion because she knew however hard Stefan hit, Klaus would hit back harder.
It'd now been more than a week since Charlotte or Damon had seen or heard from Stefan or Klaus. Damon was still annoyed and drinking excessively, hurt by the betrayal while refusing to understand any reasoning behind it while Charlotte grew more nervous by the day.
"You okay?" Elena asked.
She and Charlotte were at the Grill with Damon, watching as he drank and played darts by himself.
"What makes you think I'm not okay?" Damon asked, rolling his eyes and pulling the darts from the board.
"Well you're day drunk," Charlotte replied.
Elena nodded her head in agreement, "it's not exactly your most attractive look."
"Oh," Damon approached Elena and Charlotte crinkled her nose, knowing Damon was switching from ranting about Stefan mode to flirting with Elena, "What is my most attractive look?"
"Ah ah," Elena replied, "I'm not saying you have any attractive looks. Just that this is my least favourite one."
Damon glanced to Charlotte, smirking at her disgust before replying to Elena, "Noted. I'll see if I can make any improvements."
"Don't mind me," a voice broke out behind them.
"Klaus," Charlotte grimaced, Damon moving between Charlotte and Elena, and Klaus as they all turned.
"Are you gonna do this in the Grill?" Damon asked, "In front of everyone? A little beneath you don't you think."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Klaus replied, "I just came down to my local pub to grab a drink with a mate, maybe see a pretty girl," with this he flashed a smirk at Charlotte who screwed her face up, "Get a round in then, would you Tony?"
Elena gasped beside her and Charlotte followed her line of sight. Elena had been telling her about how she felt sure she'd been being followed and the way she was looking at Klaus' hybrid Charlotte knew she hadn't been overreacting.
"Surprised you stuck around long enough for happy hour," Charlotte said, pulling the attention from Elena who couldn't take her eyes off the newest hybrid.
"My sister seems to be missing, sweetheart," Klaus came closer, "need to sort that out."
"Cute," Damon cut in, "Blonde bombshell, psycho? Shouldn't be too hard to find."
"The truth is I've grown to rather like your little town. Thinking I might fancy a home here," Klaus pulled the darts from Damons hands, eyes following Charlotte as she caught his arm so he wouldn't retaliate. Klaus continued, "I imagine you're wondering, how does this affect you? The answer is, not in the slightest. As long as I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves you can go on living your little lives however you choose. You have my word."
"Does your word mean much anymore?" Charlotte asked cooly, Klaus' mask fell for a moment as he watched her and then it was back up and his eyes were rolling in annoyance.
"What more could you possibly want?" asked Elena.
"Well," Klaus' eyes flickered to Charlotte who was looking at the floor, deliberately looking away and his tone darkened, "for starters, you can tell me where I might find Stefan."
"Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass," Damon told him.
"Well you see that is a shame," Klaus descended on Damon as he spoke, fury lacing each word, "Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mine."
"That sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem," Charlotte spat out, wanting him to take his focus off Damon.
Charlotte didn't want Klaus focusing on her brother or her friend but then the moment his attention turned to her she lost her confidence, wanting to hide away. She was almost surprised at the fear she now felt in his presence.
"Well, this is me broadening the scope, sweetheart," Klaus leaned in as he spoke, his breath tickling her neck before he stood again, eyes matching hers, "Besides, someone took my sister perhaps I should take theirs," his hand lazily ran down her arm as he spoke and Charlotte stepped back, "We both know how fun that was last time."
Klaus could hear Charlotte's heart racing and he let out a smirk, pleased at how flustered he'd made her. Glancing between Damon and Elena who looked equal parts furious and terrified, he gave Charlotte a final look before walking to the bar.
Charlotte had planned on waiting at the Grill until Matt's shift was over, but after Klaus' visit Damon and Elena practically forced her back to the Salvatore house. She agreed reluctantly but really she knew it was useless. If Klaus wanted to take her he'd take her, there wasn't any point to hiding away at home but she didn't want to fight with Damon over it.
All that being said, Charlotte was surprised when an hour later there was a knock on the door, pulling it open she saw Klaus before her. His presence surprised her, and she knew the smirk that rose to his lips was because of the way her heart raced when she saw him.
"Klaus, you shouldn't be here," she sighed, keeping her hand blocking the doorway so he couldn't get past her without pushing, "What do you want?"
"Charlotte, love, not everything is about you," he replied, smiling when she rolled her eyes, "I'm here for your brother."
"Stefan's not here, we told you we don't know where he is."
"Your other brother darling," Klaus replied, gently pushing her hand from the door, "come now, you can tag along on our little chat."
Damon was pouring himself a drink in the library when he heard someone behind him, he turned and was surprised to see Charlotte standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her body as she glared at Klaus beside her.
"I think it's about time we had a drink, don't you?" Klaus asked Damon.
"I'd say we were overdue," Damon replied, his eyes checking over Charlotte in the same way Stefan's used to during their summer with Klaus.
"Well you've been so busy, what with all your plotting and scheming."
Charlotte scoffed at Klaus, moving towards Damon and pouring herself a drink as he replied, "You know me. Never miss a chance to plan an epic failure."
Klaus trailed after Charlotte, his eyes following her and then his feet, "Don't be so hard on yourself. Who could've guessed your own brother would betray you?"
Damon knew Klaus was trying to get a rise out of him and he wanted to match Klaus' energy, especially as Charlotte was here, listening too.
"Well, I did have a front-row seat when your sister lied to you."
Klaus' eyes flickered to Charlotte to see if she knew about Rebekah before he replied, "Yeah, well, she's fickle, that one. And you say you have no idea of her whereabouts?"
"That's the thing with younger siblings," Damon laughed as he spoke, "You just never know what they're gonna do."
Damon fixed Klaus a drink and topped up Charlotte's which she'd easily downed with the tension in the room.
"Cheers mate," Klaus said, clinking glasses with Damon.
He'd tried to clink his glass against Charlotte's as well but she'd knocked her drink with Damon and then pointedly pulled away as Klaus approached, stubbornly eyeing him as she gulped it down.
"Down the hatch," Damon replied.
Charlottes glass was empty again.
Klaus wanted to tell her to slow down but he knew all it would make her do was speed up. He could see she hadn't been sleeping, she had bags under her eyes and she looked worried as she watched Klaus and Damon.
"You know darling," Klaus said to Charlotte, "the legal drinking age is 21 in this country."
Charlotte had never been good at hiding her emotions, whenever she felt something deeply it was as though he could literally see it falling off her like waves. That's how she looked now, even when her face was pulled into a smile towards her brother it was really a grimace, her eyebrows were furrowed and Klaus knew that her head was racing with anxiety.
"Good thing I was born in 1844 then, isn't it," Charlotte snapped back causing Damon to let out a snort of laughter.
She wasn't laughing with him and Klaus could tell by the way she stood close to his side that she was worried Klaus was here to hurt them. He wanted to remind her that he wouldn't touch her but she knew her priorities were her brothers not herself and that she didn't exactly trust his word.
Klaus rolled his eyes before turning to talk to Damon again, "You know, we've actually got a lot in common you and I."
"Really? Well, yeah, maybe we can bond over our mutual loathing of my brother," Charlotte pinched Damon in his side and he pulled a face at her. She knew his loathing of Stefan was half an act but she didn't like his all or nothing response.
"Why are you so mad at him?" Charlotte sighed, "He stole something?"
"My family, the Originals," Klaus said, "as you know darling, they were boxed up, awaiting the day when I saw fit to wake them but Stefan went in and pinched the bloody lot."
"Of course he did," Damon replied walking away from them to the window, "Ah, such a buzz-kill, our baby bro. Well, I'd love to find him. Trouble is I sure as hell don't work for you and neither does Charlie."
Klaus spun on his feet, turning to look at Damon, "You know, your drink stinks of vervain. So I can't compel you. Charlotte won't help if you're hurt and so there'd be no point in killing you."
"Klaus," Charlotte warned, stepping closer between them in hopes of preventing any violence.
"Hush now," Klaus shushed her before continuing, advancing forwards with each word he spoke, "You're the ones with the most hope of getting me what I need. And yet, it would seem a demonstration is in order."
"Don't you dare," Charlotte placed her hand on his chest, pressing him back from Damon.
Klaus laughed before looking over her again to Damon, "Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I told you to find Stefan. Oh well, it seems you people respond best to displays of violence."
Charlotte's hand tensed on Klaus' chest and he looked down at her. Her heart had leapt into her throat with his threat and she felt ill with terror.
"Don't fret darling," Klaus told her looking down his eyes less malicious now, "I remember every word you ever said to me, I know what will happen if I touch him without reason. Now, why don't you both take this as an example of my reach," his hand reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, "There he is," Klaus said down the line with a smile, "so that thing I told you to do. Why don't you go ahead and get on with it?"
"What did you do," Charlotte asked, her heart was racing and she felt terrified, "who did you hurt?"
Charlotte knew how Klaus worked. He liked violence and manipulation and he wasn't a half hearted person, she knew that whatever Klaus had done would be big and would mean someone was hurt. She looked to Damon too and while his face looked stoic she knew there was panic behind his eyes at whatever Klaus had done.
"No need to worry darling," Klaus replied, setting his hand on hers which still sat on his chest and then grinning when she wrenched it away, "you'll find out soon enough."
Damon stormed from the room, presumably to call Elena, but Charlotte and Klaus remained, hearts racing. Now they were alone it was as though the anger left them both, Klaus' maliciousness left him and Charlotte's fight left her. It was as though all the energy that was racing through her seeped away in a moment, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
"You look tired, are you sleeping okay?" Klaus asked, softer than the rest of their interactions.
This was the same Nik and Charlotte dilemma as always, when it was just him and he he was soft and kind, and when others were around he would snap at them and be cruel.
Charlotte scoffed at his question grabbing his drink from his hand, she downed it quickly before practically slamming the glass on the table and wrapping her arms around her waist. She didn't reply but when she saw him stepping closer she stepped away, turning from him and curling up on the couch.
She felt frightened for whatever Klaus had done, guilty for not stopping it, and worried about what he was going to do next. Charlotte hated that he could act like this and hated that he was acting kind afterwards, faking concern for her.
"How are you?" Klaus asked, rounding the couch and moving to sit on the table in front of her. He could see the bags beneath her eyes and he knew she wasn't sleeping. He didn't want to judge but she was chugging liquor in a manner that she certainly couldn't have handled in her time with him and he worried about her.
"Stop it. Stop pretending you care and stop pretending it matters," Charlotte muttered, rolling her eyes and turning her head to face away. Klaus reached out to place his hand on her knee but he froze when she flinched away.
"You know I'd never hurt you," Klaus told her, hurt by her instinctive reaction.
Charlotte buried her head in her knees and folded her hands on her head, "Leave me alone Klaus."
She didn't pull her head from her knees, instead squeezing her eyes shut and listening as Klaus waited several beats, expecting her to give in and pull her head away, before eventually sighing and standing to leave the room.
"If you ever need anything you can always call me," Klaus told her as he walked from the room, "No matter what."
a.n. hi!! so i posted the little description thing of my Elijah story and I'll get the first chapters up soon! it's called petrichor i really hope u like it, I'm keen for u to meet elijah and Frankie ! xoxoxo hope u liked this chap sorry it wasn't too action packed but it'll pick up soon xxox