a/n: charlotte's outfit for this chapter is above!
☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐗 ━═☆
"Well, he will get married in time and you will have lots of kittens running around here, don't worry," Serena rolled her eyes, stating as Cassie patted Ginger's head, smiling beamingly at him. The youngest Bernard claimed that they should get another cat so that Ginger won't feel lonely when they were at school but there were a few protests, only from Serena.
"I don't mind," Charlotte shrugged, taking a sip of her orange juice, "The more the merrier."
Serena nudged her, shaking her head as she whispered, "Don't encourage her."
"She is kind of right?"
Serena didn't bother to hide her glare as the doorbell rang, cutting the conversation short. She rose to her feet just as Charlotte did, "Don't worry, I will get it."
"Okay," Charlotte nodded before picking Cassie's backpack, "I put in some snacks for you to eat in the park, yeah?"
"Skittles?"
"And m&m's."
They paused as Serena swung the door open, muttering, "Mom?"
"Hey, honey! I am early, isn't this amazing? And at such a convenient time! I got an email from Carol a week ago stating how Cassie put in my name with yours to volunteer at the Public Park and I just had to be there!" Coralie rambled ahead before embracing her shocked daughter in a tight hug.
"You decided to be a mom out of the blue?"
Coralie shook her head, smiling nonetheless, "C'mon, sweetie, don't say that."
"What do you want me to say that—"
"Mommy!" Serena's response was cut off as Cassie ran up excitedly into her mother's arms, "Yay, I missed you a lot, Mommy!"
Coralie sent Serena a glance before smiling down at Cassie, "I missed you more, honey." Charlotte stood aside by the dining table, wishing the Earth could swallow her whole right now, she had never felt more out of place before Coralie spoke up, "And who are you supposed to be?"
"I am Charlotte—"
Serena interjected, picking up her handbag, "Don't bother with introductions and being nice," She dragged Charlotte over to the door, "We are leaving."
✵ ✵ ✵
It was Mystic Falls' Historical Society Volunteer Day, preparations were underway as Carol Lockwood was giving a speech, "This is all part of the historical society, continuing efforts to give back to the community," She smiled in advance before continuing, "Thanks to the generous donation of the Fell family. We are now standing on the sight of our newest public park. Thank you to everyone who has shown up today to lend a helping hand."
"I can't believe you did that."
Serena turned around, facing Charlotte as she took in a deep breath, "Look, Charlotte...I can see from your point of view on anything but this! When it comes to that woman who gave birth to me, I know better. She is not here for a family reunion."
The brunette vampire shook her head, shrugging, "She is your mother and she misses you, you could have at least pretended to miss her back."
"That's not who I am, I don't pretend to be okay to make others happy, I am not that stupid. I am not you. I care about myself because if I don't then no one will ever," Serena raised her voice, louder than intended as Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, stepping back, "It's about time you realized that too. I am gonna go help set the benches."
Charlotte shoved her hands in her jean short's pockets, muttering, "Wow..."
In a while, Charlotte found something to preoccupy herself with as she started painting the veranda with Caroline and Elena, the blonde vampire was rambling on, "So suddenly, she's in the running for Mother of the Year just when I'm trying to avoid her the most."
"I know someone who's doing that, too," She sighed, turning to Caroline and Elena, "Why or how can Serena hate her mom that much...I mean she is her mom, right?"
Elena shrugged her shoulders, "You heard what Jenna said."
"And she didn't wait even a day in Mystic Falls after Serena and Cassie's dad's funeral," Caroline added, crossing her arms, "Coralie doesn't do parenting. I don't think there was a time where parents were involved in school events where she turned up. It was always either Rena's dad or her Nana and now they are dead..."
"But she always visits, right?"
Caroline inhaled sharply before answering, "Look, Cher. Rena is a laid back kind of girl, she doesn't give everything much thought but please, when it comes to Coralie Bernard, let her handle this and don't get between her and her mother. It will never end well."
"I just don't want to her to lose her mother, no one recovers from that," Charlotte exhaled, slumping her shoulders back as Caroline took her wordings into thought, remembering how her day had been going.
Caroline looked ahead of her, finding Stefan standing away as she asked, "So, how are things with you and Stefan? Anything?"
"No, not since the fight," Elena shook her head, sighing as Charlotte raised her eyebrows, as far as she knew, Stefan and Elena never fight, "He's been pushing me away because he thinks that Katherine might get jealous enough to hurt me. I just don't know how to change his mind."
Charlotte shrugged, "Well, he's not guessing her actions here. Take it from a girl who was killed by her for jealousy issues or being present at the wrong place and in the wrong time."
"Yeah, I know that," The brunette human nodded, sighing, "She's dangerous and I know that he's just trying to protect me but it feels like giving up and I just..."
"You guys deserve better than this, alright? So, if he's giving up, don't let him."
A few meters away from the veranda, Serena was clinching nails into the wood by striking it on the side as a way to let go of her anger towards her mother and not think about what she had said to Charlotte, "Such a manly job, don't you think?"
"Go away or I will be forced to make a scene and alert people that Coralie Bernard is back in town and there's not one detail about her that changed, you are still the same selfish woman who left three years ago," Serena warned, crossing her arms as she turned to face her mother.
Coralie rolled her eyes, "Honey, you can't keep holding on to that."
"I was fourteen and you left me and Cassie to go pursue your dreams...you are not our mother and you never will be—"
"Listen, Serena, I get it. You are a teenager, your emotions are too intensified but I am your mother, you can't hate me," Coralie interjected, shrugging her shoulders, "Not when I am here for you and Cassie. I want to take you both with me."
"Take who?"
"I...know this nice guy, we have been dating for two years now and he proposed!" She revealed, smiling excitedly at her daughter before pulling up her hand— to show her the ring as Serena grimaced, shaking her head, "So, I had this great plan of mine...Where we four would live in Canada, now that your grandmother is out of the picture, you have nothing in Mystic Falls—"
"Mom, I don't want to live with you!" Serena blurted out, cutting her off, "Why can't you get that?!"
They started to receive looks from all present volunteers before Serena shook her head, shoving past her mother and towards the woods, "I am done here."
"Oh, my God...that's exactly what I didn't want to happen," Charlotte commented, shaking her head as she turned to Caroline, "Happy?"
"I am gonna...talk to her," Caroline walked past her and after Serena as the brunette shook her head, sighing exasperatedly.
"Someone needs to fix this. I know that it shouldn't be me but—"
Charlotte paused, looking down at Elena, who was supposed to be listening to her but she was exchanging looks with Stefan, "Oh...why don't you go talk to him?"
"You think I should?"
"I don't think you should give up on someone that makes you happy and vice versa, it's just...wrong," Charlotte answered, taking the brush from Elena's hand, "Go on."
Elena nodded before rising to her feet and heading towards Stefan as Damon joined Charlotte, "What's her problem?"
"Not mine or your business," She responded, painting the wood in a darker shade of brown.
"What's wrong with Serena and her hot mom?" He shrugged, asking once again.
Charlotte turned to him with her lips pursed into a straight line, "The same answer. Go bother someone else."
Damon chuckled, teasing her, "Oh, but it's not as fun. I like bothering my only friend."
"Take care of your wordings and actions or you will lose that friend, too," She warned, dropping the brush in one of the buckets, "This day couldn't get any worse."
"Ouch, I thought you had a soft spot for me?"
"That's not me, you are with the wrong girl," She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "That would be Paulina, remember her? Oh, how would you, there's Katherine now."
Damon furrowed his eyebrows, catching on her bitter tone, "Where is that coming from, Char?"
Charlotte exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair, "Look, I am sorry. I don't know what I am saying," She shook her head at herself, "And I don't feel fine at all. I saw Katherine...and she kept playing with words about something and I just don't know what to believe but I haven't slept in days! From all of this thinking going on with me!"
"Well, what did she say to you?"
Charlotte sighed, shaking her head, "I don't even know what I heard because it can't be true. Katherine is just bluffing."
Damon raised his eyebrow as she rolled her eyes and before mustering up a reply, she heard Elena and Stefan's quite loud argument, "You know, I can't...I can't do this anymore, Elena."
Charlotte grimaced, turning to look at them as Elena shrugged, replying, "Fine, Stefan. Whatever."
Elena continued to walk away from him as Damon turned to Charlotte, "Relationships are about communication."
"Shut up," She shoved past him and after Elena, "Elena, wait!"
Charlotte followed her away from the Public Park, the brunette human was sat on a rock, throwing a few flower petals on the ground. She sighed, sitting down beside her.
"You okay?"
"No...," Elena exhaled sharply, trailing off.
The Bernard vampire nodded, crossing her arms, "So, who else knows about the faux drama in yours and Stefan's relationship?"
"What?"
Charlotte shrugged, "C'mon, Elena. I am not stupid. I have dated Stefan, I know him when he is fighting and when he is giving up and that's not it. I thought you could be honest with me?" She raised an eyebrow, awaiting Elena's reply.
"It's just...we have to lead Katherine to believe that we are no more," Elena revealed, turning to her brunette friend, "She is manipulating Caroline, that's why she was trying to drive a wedge between me and Stefan."
"Clever."
"That's all you have to say?"
She chuckled, shaking her head, "Well, your acting skills could use a bit of training. You and Stefan don't fight, everyone knows that."
The Gilbert girl shrugged her shoulders, "But all couples fight, and everyone knows that."
"Good and healthy couples, like you and him, talk not fight and not in public," Charlotte responded reasonably.
"So, you have never fought with a boyfriend of yours?"
Charlotte pursed her lips in a straight line, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to think of a time when she and Stefan fought, it was rare, maybe it never did happen, not even once, "Nothing I can remember," She replied.
"Well, that's obvious," Elena smiled, shrugging nonchalantly, "You are perfect, why would anyone fight with you?"
"You'd be surprised with the fights I had with Lina, your ancestor," She laughed, running a hand over her face. That part was easy to remember, she and Paulina Gilbert fought a lot. Most of the time Paulina was right, according to the situation but Charlotte made sure morality took the first place.
"Really? Tell me about it, you never talk about your old life," She asked, placing her hand under her chin.
"I just don't like remembering how much I miss her," Charlotte justified, pursing her lips in a straight line, "She was such an amazing girl and my first best friend, ever...We used to do everything together and I thought that she would be there for me, every part of my life but she is not here now."
Elena raised her eyebrows as she paused, "And that kind of makes it harder to go through with this."
"We are friends, right?"
Charlotte nodded, without hesitation, "Of course we are. Do you have a doubt?"
"Nope," Elena shook her head, "Just checking. I know I am not Paulina, and I will never replace her but I want to be your friend if you would let me?"
"Elena, we are already friends and I am the lucky one to have you," Charlotte smiled, responding.
She paused, rising to her feet as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Elena followed suit, asking, "What's wrong?"
"I don't know, something's up," She started walking into the woods, followed by Elena, "I just heard a gunshot."
"A gunshot?" Elena gaped, finding it hard to follow the vampire as she quite literally sprinted past the trees, "What's going on?"
Charlotte stopped in her tracks, hearing the Sheriff shooting as she threatened Damon and Stefan, she turned to Elena, "It's Stefan and Damon..."
"What?"
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte and Elena were running in the woods, looking for Liz, Damon, and Stefan but suddenly the Bernard stopped, "What is it?"
"They've been here," She stated, bending down to look at a plant that was dripped with blood, "Oh, uh..."
"What?"
They both paused as Mason walked in, asking, "What are you two doing out here?"
"Have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked him, crossing her arms.
"Yeah Elena, I've seen him. Seen Damon too."
Charlotte looked alerted as Elena questioned once again, "Where are they?"
"You don't need me for that," Mason said, turning to Charlotte, "I'll let your friend here sniff them out," He raised an eyebrow, "Does your family know what you are? I will be happy to tell Coralie and Liz."
Charlotte took a threatening stance but before she could go anywhere near him, he caught Elena from behind and strangled her with an arm under her chin, "Don't be stupid! Necks snap easy around here."
"I can take you," Charlotte said, looking ahead of her and behind Mason to find Caroline, holding a finger above her mouth, to stay quiet.
"Wanna bet?" He dared, challengingly.
Charlotte nodded, tilting her head before Caroline rushed over behind him, grabbing him as he reluctantly let go of Elena, "Yeah, we do."
Charlotte took over after Caroline, pushing him against a tree, "You are not so good at sniffing people out, are you?"
Serena chuckled at her reply before Caroline kneed him in the groin and pushed him down onto all fours. She then kicked him hard in the stomach which sent him flying against a tree before falling on the ground, "Come on, let's go."
Serena and Elena were ahead of the two vampires as either checked that Mason Lockwood was still very much knocked out.
✵ ✵ ✵
Serena, Elena, Charlotte, and Caroline arrived at the ruins as Serena questioned, "Where in the hell are we?"
Charlotte tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, listening in on Sheriff Forbes as she spoke to Damon and Stefan, "He's not gonna tell us anything. Kill them both."
Charlotte's eyes widened in panic as she turned to look at Caroline. They both exchanged a look as Elena asked in worry, "Guys, what is it?"
"My mom. She's killing them." Caroline answered as Charlotte shook her head, descending the stairs before Caroline clutched her hand.
"No, no, no, no!"
"What do you mean no?" Charlotte scoffed, taking Caroline's hand off of hers, "I can't let them die."
"Who's dying again?" Serena looked between the three, feeling more than just out of the loop.
"We have to stop her!" Elena insisted.
"No, I can't," Caroline shook her head, desperation filling her blue eyes, "Charlotte, Elena, she's gonna find out about me," She said before Charlotte ran downstairs and into the ruins, "Charlotte!"
Charlotte found a deputy in her way and hesitated before taking his gun from him, then hitting his head with it. She took a deep breath as Liz raised a gun in her way, pausing to recognize her, "Charlotte, what are you doing here?"
"Elena...?"
She muttered as the vampire looked beside her to find none other than Elena Gilbert had followed her, she answered, "You can't kill them. I'm not gonna let you."
From behind Elena, a deputy came up and quickly pushed her forward and readied his gun. Charlotte sighed as another deputy held her hands behind her back, "I would advise you to let go this instant."
Before he could respond, they heard a noise and the door closed itself, "What was that?"
"Who else is with you?"
Just as the question left Liz's mouth, a quick flash was circling the room before Charlotte pushed her head back, forcing the deputy to let go of her as he clutched his bloodied nose. She backed away from him, feeling the veins grow underneath her eyes. The brunette vampire shook her head at herself, taking deep breaths.
No, I am stronger than this. I can do this.
She stood aside as Caroline bit the same deputy who was holding her, she ripped through his neck before dropping him to the ground. The other deputy fired at her, but only shot the first deputy. When he stopped shooting, Caroline rushed from behind him and knocked him to the ground before revealing herself to her mother.
"Hi, mom."
✵ ✵ ✵
Later, Damon and Stefan were awake and Charlotte was sitting with Serena as far away from the deputy Damon was feeding on, as possible, maintaining her, hanging on a thin thread, control.
Damon turned to Stefan, stating, "You need to drink some deputy blood."
"No. I'm gonna be fine. It's just gonna take a little bit longer," Stefan reassured from where he sat beside Elena.
Caroline glanced at him, tilting her head, "Damon's right, you know. If there's ever a time to break your diet..."
Elena interrupted, harshly, "He said he didn't want it, okay?"
He shrugged, turning to Charlotte, "You good?"
"I am fine," She replied, rising to her feet, "We are not gonna stay here forever, are we? I don't like confined spaces," Charlotte clutched the daylight necklace around her neck, attempting to calm herself.
"Well, this is a most unfortunate situation," Damon started, standing up as he turned to Sheriff Forbes, "Two deputies dead and you."
"What am I gonna do with you?"
Caroline desperately turned to her mother, "You won't tell anyone, will you? Mom?" She shook her head, practically begging, "Mom? Please. Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right?" She insisted, looking into her mother's eyes, "Mom, please. He will kill you."
Liz looked up at him, saying, "Then kill me."
"No!"
"I can't take this. Kill me now," She shook her head, backing away from her daughter.
He bent down, looking in her eyes, "But you were gonna drag it out so painfully," Damon suddenly grabbed, quickly putting her to her feet.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Caroline screamed out.
"You can't just kill her, stop right there!" Serena called out, trying to shove past Charlotte who sternly shook her head, holding her back.
"Relax guys. No one is killing anybody," Damon shrugged, looking down at Liz, "You're my friend," He let go of her before glancing at the deputies, "We've got to clean this up."
✵ ✵ ✵
Cassie shook her head, sniffling as she looked around the house for Ginger, "Ginger! Where are you?" She called out before bending down to look under the couch, crying even harder when she didn't find him in any of his usual places.
"Mom, have you seen Ginger? My cat?" She asked as Coralie walked into the room, carrying the dinner's tray in her hand, "I can't find him anywhere."
"Oh, that fluffy thing? I let him out of the house," She shrugged her shoulders, putting the tray on the table, "C'mon, dinner," Coralie crossed her arms as Cassie continued crying harder, "I can't deal with pets, Cass. He is better off out there."
"You let him on the streets alone? What if someone hit him? He's so small..."
Coralie rolled her eyes, sitting down on the dining table, "Well, he is no longer your responsibility, sweetie."
Cassie shook her head, using her knuckles to rub the tears off her face, "But he is my pet, he will always be my responsibility. Charlotte told me that he—"
She interjected, huffing out, "Charlotte said. Charlotte blah, blah, blah...," Coralie sighed, forcing a smile onto her maroon red lips, "Can we stop talking about this teenager? Who gave her permission to live in my house? Or try and fail to take care of you?"
"She wasn't failing," Cassie muttered, shaking her head, "Seerie is right, you don't love us."
"Oh, honey, I...," Coralie paused as Cassie ran to the house's door and swung it open before running outside, "Cassandra!"
She rose to her feet, running after her daughter. She didn't make it past the porch before finding her at the door, holding Ginger in her arms with Charlotte and Serena, standing with her, "Get that thing off my porch and out of my house."
"If he leaves, I will leave!" Cassie turned to her mother, holding her ginger-haired cat in her arms.
Charlotte cleared her throat before bending down to her niece's height, "Hey, Cass...I have an idea," The brunette child raised an eyebrow before the vampire continued, "Why don't I keep Ginger with me and you can visit him whenever you want and play with him as much as you want?"
"But...I got used to sleeping beside him."
The Bernard vampire smiled weakly, sighing, "Your mother is allergic to his kind like your grandma was so she can't live with him but you know I will take care of him, right?"
Cassie sniffled, furrowing her eyebrows, "You will get him dry food and clean up his litter box?"
"Everyday."
She held him close as Serena turned to look at Coralie, she shook her head before grabbing her mother's hand and pulling her inside, "What the hell are you doing? Rearranging our life like you have a say in it?"
"We are leaving Mystic Falls, why should we keep a cat?"
"We are not going anywhere," Serena insisted, correcting her, "You, however, are leaving, right after Nana Izzie's funeral and that's it. For good this once."
Coralie claimed, crossing her arms over her chest, "I can't leave my kids, I can't leave you."
"It's not your first time but let's make this your last, yeah?" Serena suggested, smiling forcefully.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
She raised an eyebrow, asking, "What do you know about me, hmm?" Serena waited for her mother's answer before replying, "You know I am a teenager but you can't remember exactly the number. You know I live in Mystic Falls...and that's it, huh?"
"That's because you never tell me anything," Her mother responded, huffing out.
"I am not supposed to!" Serena yelled back, losing her temper, "I am not supposed to tell you how to be a mother and there's not enough sorry's in the world that can make up for what you did to me, so leave, please. Be happy in your way and far away from me and my sister!"
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte sighed, stopping in front of the Salvatore Boarding House just as Caroline parked her car, "What's Ginger doing with you?" She asked, looking at the box in her hand, holding a ginger-haired lazy sleeping cat.
"Cora sort of kicked us out."
Caroline nodded before they both stopped at the door, the blonde raising her knuckles to knock, in a small while, Elena swung the door open, "Hey, sorry that took forever. I just didn't know how long my mom was gonna be here."
"Damon says it'll take three days tops for the vervain to leave her system. Maybe even sooner," Elena answered, escorting them both inside.
Charlotte watched Stefan approaching them before sending him a small wave, stating, "I am gonna go sort my wardrobe and put Ginger's litter box in my balcony then take him on a tour in this gigantic place. I will be back as soon as possible."
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte rubbed her hands together, stopping in the living room when she spotted Caroline, "We can safely say that Ginger chose Damon's room to reside in and I don't wanna hear his whining so I left him under the bed."
She chuckled, pausing once she had seen Caroline's expression, "You talked to your mom?"
"No, she doesn't want to see me," She stated, holding her knees to her chest, "You were right. No one wants to lose their mom, ever."
"I was speaking from experience," Charlotte shrugged her shoulders before sitting beside her.
Elena rejoined them in the living room, sitting beside Caroline so that the blonde vampire was in between, "Can I take you home?"
Caroline shook her head, "I can't go home."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm scared," She replied.
The Gilbert raised an eyebrow, asking as concern was seeping through her doe eyes, "Why are you scared?"
"Caroline, you can talk to us," Charlotte spoke up, reassuringly.
"Katherine's gonna be there and she's gonna want me to tell her everything that happened today," She revealed, hesitantly before inhaling sharply, "She told me I had to spy on you and report back to her."
"We know," Charlotte responded for the both of them.
Elena nodded, sighing exasperatedly, "I've been so mad at you. But then, I tried to put myself in your position so that I could understand why you would do this to me and to Stefan because he's been such a friend to you," She paused, questioning, "Who did she threaten?"
"Matt, she threatened Matt and I'm so scared of her!" Caroline swallowed back a lump in her throat, calling out loud, "I am so scared of her."
"And you should be," The Bernard stated, nodding, "We all should be, she is unpredictable."
Caroline shook her head, asking, "Why is she doing this? What does she want?"
"That's the million-dollar question," Elena sighed, replying before embracing Caroline, it didn't take long before she pulled Charlotte into the hug, "You too."
✵ ✵ ✵