☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎 ━═☆
Charlotte Bernard always wanted to be a mother. Raised with two older sisters, she never really got the chance, and being the youngest of her family's heirs added on to that. However, she always caught herself wondering what it would feel like to be responsible for someone because you love them more than yourself, you love them so much that the mere thought of losing them hurts like hell.
Now that she was standing in front of Cassie Bernard laying in a hospital with stitches all over her face and a cast on her left arm, that feeling was awful. She might have not known Cassie long enough but seeing a child that is her own blood, lying there brought her even more pain than if she was in her place.
"She is fine, you need to go home and rest," Charlotte turned to Serena, squeezing her shoulder in reassurance, "I am not leaving her side, I promise."
Serena shook her, crossing her arms, "I am not going anywhere."
"You haven't slept in days, Serena. The doctors said she is fine and I won't leave her side, you are no good for her if you are not taking care of yourself," Charlotte stated, looking from her to Cassie.
"Tell you what? Go home, get us a change of clothes and I will ask the doctors to put in another bed because I am staying here, if not for my baby sister then for my best friend right in the next room," The human sighed, finishing, "And you can't change my mind."
"Fine," Charlotte nodded, reluctantly, "Can I get you anything?"
"Just a change of clothes and coffee."
Charlotte nodded before walking out of the room, closing the door after her. She looked over at Matt sitting outside of Caroline's room, "Any news?"
Matt shook his head before Bonnie walked into the hospital, wandering over to them in a hurry, "How are they?"
Charlotte tilted her head towards Cassie's room that had a glass window, answering, "They aren't up, yet. Cassie is stable but Caroline..."
"What happened?"
Matt sighed, answering, "We were driving and Tyler heard this noise and he got—"
"A noise?" Bonnie cut him off, questioning before Charlotte raised her eyebrows. That supposed noise was meant for vampires to hear only, how could Tyler hear it, as well?
The Donovan continued, explaining, "He got this migraine or something and he lost control of the car and...," He trailed off, shaking his head, "Cassie hit her head on the dashboard and...I thought that Caroline was fine and then...and then she wasn't so..."
Bonnie patted his shoulder, reassuring him, "She will be fine..."
The brunette witch looked over at Serena's state before asking Charlotte, "How is she doing?"
"Physically, well...Mentally, I think I shouldn't answer that," The vampire crossed her arms before running a hand over her face, "But she has every right to be freaking out and I have no idea what I should tell her..."
Bonnie nodded, taking Charlotte a few meters away from Matt, "Thank you."
The Bernard raised an eyebrow, blinking back, "Why are you thanking me?"
"A month or so ago, I lost Grams trying to get Katherine out of the tomb, she wasn't there but you were. Ever since that day, I have tried my best to hate you because she died opening the tomb you were in...But then you turned out to be you...and it was impossible to hate you," Bonnie sighed, apologizing as Charlotte's lips parted, not knowing how to reply, "Now Serena, one of my closest friends, is suffering the same loss and you are here for her when we can't be...and that means a lot to me."
She shrugged, sighing, "She is family, Bonnie...we don't bail on family, ever."
It seemed like Bonnie had something else to say before Elena came in, asking, "How's Cassie?"
"Getting better," Charlotte rubbed her hands together, answering hesitantly.
Elena sighed in relief before questioning, "Great. What about Caroline?"
It was Bonnie's time to answer, shaking her head, "She's weak. They don't know if she's going to make it."
"What?"
Bonnie embraced her best friend, attempting to soothe her as Charlotte patted Elena's back as Damon peered over them, about to approach them.
"Is there something that you can do? Like a spell or something?" Elena asked, hopefully.
Damon answered for her, challengingly, "She doesn't know how, do you?"
"No, I don't."
"No, you don't because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that," He stated, looking down at her distastefully.
Bonnie raised an eyebrow, replying, "Well, I can take down a vampire, that spell was easy to learn."
"We can always heal her with vampire blood?" Charlotte suggested, lowering her voice.
"No, no way," Elena shook her head, dismissing the idea.
Damon agreed, nodding, "No, just enough to heal her. She will be safe in the hospital and it will be out of her system in a day, she will be better Elena."
"It's too risky, I can't agree to that."
Bonnie turned to Damon, "Do it," Seeing Elena's expression, she shrugged, "This is Caroline. We can't let her die. Do it."
"If I do this, you and me, call a truce?" He asked, proposing as the brunette witch looked him down.
"No. But you'll do it anyway. For Elena," Bonnie tilted her head, shrugging, "And if you don't, some other vampires don't require anything in return," She finished before walking away from the three.
"That looked like it hurt," Charlotte pursed her lips in a straight line, wriggling her eyebrows in Damon's direction before strolling away from him and Elena.
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte stopped at the Bernard's Household before pulling her keychain from her back pocket and unlocking the door. She closed the door after her before vamp-speeding upstairs and getting one of Serena's bags from underneath the bed then stuffing it with a few of hers and Serena's clothing along with some of Cassie's undergarments.
She sighed, packing another bag with sandwiches for Serena and a few juice packs before her phone buzzed from where she left it on the nightstand.
The vampire picked it up, reading Elena's name on the screen, "Hey, any news about Caroline?"
"No, I went home. Look, I need you to get here as fast as you can."
"Is it urgent?" Charlotte questioned, resting both bags on her shoulders as she skipped down the stairs, closing the lights on her way out, "Because I need to be back at the hospital in...well, now."
"Katherine's back in town," She heard Damon say after he took the phone from Elena.
"Damon!"
"She was gonna know either way."
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte exhaled sharply, tying her hair up in a messy bun before using a clip to keep her bangs out of her eyes. She put down the bags on Elena's kitchen table before asking, "Okay, now I am ready to hear what happened."
"Katherine showed up, pretended to be me," Elena answered, walking into the room before adding, "I told Jeremy, I can't lie to him anymore."
"Did she say what she wanted?" Charlotte asked, sitting down on one of the diner's chairs.
Stefan shook his head, "No."
Damon commented, chuckling unironically, "Woman certainly knows how to make an entrance."
Stefan shook his head again, asking, "She said she fooled one of us, at least. What does that mean?"
His brother sighed, revealing, "She pretended to be Elena too when I showed up earlier tonight."
"Great...as if the troubles weren't enough," Charlotte crossed her arms, inhaling sharply.
Stefan turned to his girlfriend, asking, "Are you alright?"
"No, I'm not alright," Elena stood up, shaking her head, "I thought that with all the tomb vampires gone things would get better."
"So did I," The brunette vampire shrugged.
"Katherine was in this house, that means she's been invited in, what are we gonna do?" Elena questioned, using her fingers to massage her temple.
"Hide our kids?" Charlotte suggested, just as Damon said, "Move?"
The brunette Gilbert nodded, muttering sarcastically, "Very helpful, both of you, thank you."
Elena took a seat, attempting to calm herself down as Damon continued, "If Katherine wants you dead; there's zero you can do about it; you would be dead but you're not. So clearly she has other plans."
"Right and we need to find out what those other plans are and not provoke her in the process," The youngest Salvatore said as Charlotte nodded, remembering John's words from earlier. Why would Katherine need her alive, there must be sort of motive behind that, interrupting her train of thoughts, Stefan asked, "What happened tonight when you thought she was Elena?"
"To risk another frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead...," Damon trailed off, hesitantly, "We...kissed."
"Wow, okay...I have definitely been out of the loop and I am only appreciating that now," The Bernard commented, shaking her head.
Elena raised her eyebrows, "Wait...and you thought it was me?"
"What do you mean you kissed?" Stefan stood up, taking a threatening pose as Charlotte rested her chin on her clasped hands, watching them in amusement.
Damon shrugged, "Well, you know, when two lips pucker and they go...," He paused, puckering his lips as he made kissing noises before Stefan rushed at him, using vampire speed but Damon vamp-sped away as well, standing next to Elena as he said, tauntingly, "Don't be obvious, Stefan."
The green-eyed Salvatore started towards his older brother again before Elena got up and placed her hand in front of him, "Stefan wait, he kissed Katherine, not me," She turned to Damon, shaking her head, "I wouldn't do that."
"Love to break it you, three but we don't have time for this guys," Charlotte spoke up from where she was sitting in her same place but with her arms crossed, then.
Stefan nodded, turning to Damon, "Later."
She rolled her eyes before Elena shared, "John must know something. There has to be a reason why Katherine tried to kill him."
Charlotte's ears perked up at that before she revealed, "Yeah, he actually mentioned that when he sort of kidnapped me so I wouldn't be taken with the other vampires—"
"He did what?" Stefan interjected.
"Kidnapping slash protecting? I really don't know half of what he meant but basically, Katherine gave him orders that I stay alive...and she must have something out of that," The brunette vampire tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before adding determinedly, "I would like to know what."
"She's Katherine. She loves to play games and you're fooling yourself if you think you're going to find out what she's been up to before she wants you to know," Damon reminded them, smirking knowingly.
Stefan shook his head, disagreeing, "No, actually Elena's right, John could know something through Isobel," He turned to Elena, continuing, "Your mother, she was in touch with Katherine so maybe we can go to the hospital and get him to talk."
"And we could ask him why Katherine turned on a new leaf with Charlotte."
The raven-haired Salvatore claimed, "I've got a better idea."
"What's that?"
He shrugged, smiling skeptically, "I'm just gonna ignore the bitch," Damon waved at them, attempting to make his way out of the kitchen, "See you."
Elena asked, looking from Stefan to Charlotte, "Is that smart?"
"Well...if you are asking me about my experience, I would say it's just waiting for the flood," Charlotte forced a smile on her face, shrugging.
Damon retorted, trying to prove a point, "If Katherine thinks she's been ignored it will lure her out, she'll make a move."
"Yeah? And then what?"
"Stake her, rip her head off, something poetic. We'll see."
Charlotte rose to her feet, slinging her bags on her shoulder, "Well, whatever it is. Count me out. I have got people to take care of and as far as I want to know about Katherine is why she was protecting me. Other than that, I don't plan on killing her or anyone."
✵ ✵ ✵
The second day, Serena was sleeping on an extra bed in Cassie's room while Charlotte was feeding Cassie yogurt, spoon by spoon, "I like the one with fruits more."
"Well, I will get you the one with fruits as soon as you heal up and make it out of here," She smiled, using a tissue to wipe off a bit of yogurt on Cassie's mouth, "Just be good and don't mess with the monitors, alrighty?"
"Alrighty!" Cassie nodded with a beaming smile on her face as Charlotte adjusted the pillow for her, "Can you turn on the TV? My favorite cartoon plays now."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow, tilting her head towards the sleeping Serena, "I don't know...it might wake her."
"Why is she sleeping anyways?" Cassie huffed out, picking an apple from her tray of food before throwing it at her sister, "Seerie, c'mon! Those beds are for sick people!"
The vampire Bernard chuckled, shaking her head as Serena fluttered her eyes open, rubbing her head where the apple recently collided, "What the..."
"Wake up, big lazy sister!" Cassie's melodic laugh rung through the room as she called out, placing her hands in front of her mouth.
"Cass, you are up?" Serena practically jumped up to her feet before embracing her sister, tightly, "God, you had me so worried."
"Easy, you will squeeze her back to sleep," Charlotte chuckled, patting Serena's back jokingly.
"I am fine, Seerie, look I lost my fifth teeth," Cassie pointed to her mouth as she smiled, toothfully, well missing a tooth if you are counting.
Serena nodded, using her knuckles to rub a few stray tears from her eyes, "Yeah, you did. You look even cuter, Cass."
"I know right!"
Charlotte smiled at the two before rising to her feet, "I am going to go check on Caroline again and get you breakfast," She said, turning to Serena pointedly, "Perhaps Cassie can grant you your appetite back."
"Of course I will as soon as she turns on Tom and Jerry!"
"I will, I will...even though it's boring," Serena rolled her eyes before picking the television's remote from the nightstand.
The vampire Bernard closed the room's door after her before knocking at Caroline's and opening the door seconds after that, she peaked her head inside, smiling hopefully, "How are you doing now? Tell me that I am not the worst friend because I fed Cassie and left Matt in charge of you, please?"
"You are not but he ain't that bad," Caroline chuckled, rolling her eyes as Matt scoffed, seemingly betrayed.
"Ain't that bad?" Charlotte rolled her eyes, as well before walking inside, "He got food stains all over the hospital's gown. You never fed anyone in your life, Matt? C'mon...now, she needs a change of clothes."
"Oh, please no. I am literally so tired, I just want to sleep," Caroline yawned, stretching her hands up.
"Like hell, I am letting you sleep in a dirty gown, nuh-uh," She shook her head, taking the covers off her before offering Caroline a hand, "Honey, if you thought you were smothering, you clearly hadn't met that side of me yet."
✵ ✵ ✵
"I want to be there but I can't," Serena started, running a hand through her messy curls, "He lost his dad and I was the worst person to him yesterday but I can't go and apologize because I can't leave my sister's side."
"Yes, you can," Charlotte shrugged with crossed arms as Serena turned to her, "Don't look at me like that. I am right here and she is asleep. I don't have to be present at the funeral but you should, you are Tyler's best friend before whatever it is you two had or have. You can't leave him in something like that."
"But you will take care of her, right?"
The vampire raised an eyebrow, "Serena, go home. Wear something suitable before I kick you out of here, myself."
"I liked you a whole lot better when you were too cute for anyone to comprehend," The human shook her head, supporting a small smile.
Charlotte smirked, shrugging, "I am still too cute, I just know when to be and when not to be cute."
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte tucked Caroline in bed after her shower before making it out of the room in time for Elena's call, "Hello, you good?"
"I am but what John said..."
"Anything helpful?" Charlotte asked, checking Cassie's room to find her sound asleep, "About you? Me? Katherine? Just anything?"
Elena sighed, "He wasn't very helpful but he said that Katherine doesn't trust him enough so that's why."
"She tried to kill him to cover up for something," The Bernard stated, sitting down on a chair in front of Caroline and Cassie's rooms, "He knows something."
The Gilbert exhaled sharply, revealing, "Well, he did say something about why she needs you alive. Apparently, someone is threatening her..."
"Katherine is being threatened?" Charlotte scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Isn't she like the biggest baddest vampire around?"
"Not according to John..."
"This is like a puzzle, except I am not really having fun and I can't wait to know why the hell she is back in town and what she wants from me," The brunette pulled a coffee pack from her bag before injecting it with blood for her daily intake.
"Me too, how is Cassie? Serena says she is all good and ready to wreak havoc," Elena chuckled, remembering how her friend put it out.
"Now, she is wreaking havoc with angels since she is asleep," Charlotte smiled, downing the coffee and blood down her throat and sighing in appreciation. It really was hard walking around a hospital when you were hungry for blood.
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte stretched her arms, yawning from where she was sleeping beside Cassie. The youngest Bernard holding onto her. See, the original plan was Charlotte sleeping in Serena's bed since the said girl was staying at the Lockwood's for the night but that changed when Cassie claimed she had a bad dream.
Charlotte looked around her, hearing footsteps outside. She rose to her feet and opened the room's door, "Hello, anyone here?"
✵ ✵ ✵