a/n: charlotte's outfit is still the dress from the last chapter!
☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄━═☆
Charlotte peeled her eyes open, blinking a few times before she raised her hand, grimacing at the spot where the vervain was eating at her skin a few hours ago. It was barely healed, due to her blood diet and the fact that she missed it today because she was, you know, kidnapped.
She looked beside her, finding Elena in last night's bloodied clothes, as well. Charlotte leaned over on the uncomfortable they were laying on, nudging her, "Elena, wake up. Elena!" She whispered out.
"Charlotte?" The Gilbert recognized, looking around herself, "Where are we?"
"I don't know," She answered, examining the place, "Someone sprayed vervain in my face and everything went dark...He snapped my neck, that weird looking man snapped my neck."
"We need to get out of here," Elena stated, rising to her feet.
Charlotte scoffed, asking, "Where is here?"
She looked ahead of her, noticing a figure, leaning against the wall, "Who are you and what do you want?" Charlotte questioned.
"You look just like her," The female with a curly lob stated, addressing the only human in the room.
"But I'm not," Elena interrupted, saying, "Please, whatever you—"
"Be quiet!"
Elena rose to her feet, continuing despite Charlotte's protests, "But I'm not Katherine. My name is Elena Gilbert; you don't have to do this."
She rolled her eyes, stating, "I know who you are, I said be quiet."
"What do you want?"
"Elena, I don't think that—"
Charlotte's warning was cut off as the redheaded vampire slapped Elena across the face, hard enough for the brunette human to fall on the couch, unconscious, "I want you to be quiet."
The brunette vampire was tempted to get off the couch and take her chance at their kidnapper before she spoke up, "I wouldn't recommend it."
"You wouldn't? Really?" Charlotte raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "You know what I am and how old I am, yet I am not tied or vervain'ed."
"Hurting you would be a stupid move. Just don't ask questions I can't answer."
"Can't or won't?"
✵ ✵ ✵
Cassie ruffled Ginger's hair as he was too engrossed in his breakfast before making her way downstairs, questioning, "Did Cher get here last night?"
"No," Serena answered, shaking her head, "No, she didn't."
Cassie, noticing how tense her older sister was, nodded, coming up with an excuse, "Well, maybe something came up."
"Yeah sure."
"Cherry wouldn't bail on spending time with us," She defending, not liking her sister's bitter tone, "She is family."
Serena rolled her eyes, pretending to remember something, "Who else used to be like that? Oh, this family's members certainly burrow their tricks from one another."
Cassie raised her eyebrows, scoffing, "Are you saying that Cher is like mom?"
"Your words, not mine," Serena shrugged her shoulders, swallowing her orange juice in one shot, "Let's go, you are gonna be late for school."
✵ ✵ ✵
"So, Damon said that it would be appreciated if you are not Tyler's friend anymore," Caroline sighed, finishing, "He is a werewolf now which stands for pretty dangerous."
Serena shook her head, "And I am supposed to listen to Damon because he is?"
"Because he doesn't want you dead."
She lowered her voice as they walked through the school's corridor, "You are the vampires, you beware of Tyler. All of this has got nothing to do with me!"
Caroline chastised, shaking her head, "Serena, could you just stop being stubborn? Damon is just trying to protect you."
"From what and for what? That guy is a total douche that I want nothing to do with," Serena scoffed, shrugging her shoulders as she took in a deep breath, "I appreciate the nice gesture but none of you get to tell me whom I befriend and whom I don't."
"I will see you in Spanish," She excused herself, leaving a belwirded Caroline Forbes in the school's corridor.
She passed by Stefan and Jeremy as they were talking before she started, interrupting, "Just because Charlotte doesn't want to be my friend anymore, doesn't mean she should skip school to avoid me so please tell her that—"
Stefan cut her off, "Charlotte skipped school? That's not like her."
"Aren't you two in the same house? Wouldn't you know if the person in the room next to yours went to school or skipped?" Serena asked the obvious, rolling her eyes at his cluelessness.
"But she didn't make it back, last night," Stefan shook his head, revealing, "She told Damon she will spend the night with you and Cassie."
"Really? Because I stayed up till 12 and it didn't sound like she was there."
"Elena didn't make it home, as well," Jeremy added, speaking up, "Her bed hadn't been slept in and Mrs. Lockwood said that her car was still in the driveway."
"Well then, where the hell are they?"
✵ ✵ ✵
Elena was waking up while Charlotte focused her supernatural hearing on her two kidnappers as they talked, the female asked, "How's the girl?"
"Still passed out."
"And the vampire?"
Charlotte tucked in a stray strand of hair behind her ear before the male vampire answered, "She hadn't moved a muscle in two hours. I think she is in shock."
She turned to him, asking spectically, "You didn't touch either of them, did you?"
Trevor rolled his eyes, "Give me some credit," He sighed, questioning, "So, you called him?"
"No, I called one of his contacts," Rose answered, raising an unimpressed eyebrow, "You know how this works."
He asked her again, "Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?"
Charlotte perked her ears up, giving herself a mental note to remember the name as Rose said, "They say he got it."
She heard Elena pull herself together and sit up before she turned to her, placing a finger on her mouth, motioning for the human to stay quiet as she continued listening in, "Wonderful and what?"
Charlotte saw Elena get up and make her way to the stairs as she shook her head, mouthing, "No, no, get back here!"
She shook her head, following Elena as she silently prayed she won't trip and fall on her back in those extremely high heels she was wearing, "So that's it, Trevor. He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait," Rose told her partner.
"Look, it's not too late," Trevor sighed, suggesting, "We can leave them here. We don't have to go through with this."
"I'm sick of running!" Rose shouted back.
"Yeah? Well, running keeps us from dying."
"Elijah's old school," Rose reminded her friend, taking a deep breath, "If he accepts our deal, we're free, and let's not forget how important that vampire is to his family."
Charlotte softly gasped, accidentally making one of the boards underneath her squeak as Elena turned to her, mouthing, "Seriously?"
"You two!" Rose saw them before walking over, "There's nothing around here for miles. If you think you're getting out of this house, you're tragically wrong," She questioned, stressing, "Understand?"
"Yes, we do," Charlotte answered, just as Elena questioned, "Who's Elijah?"
"He's your worst nightmare," She answered Elena before turning to Charlotte, "This sentence was not directed to you."
"Something here is fishy and I am not liking it."
✵ ✵ ✵
Serena, Bonnie, and Jeremy were in Alaric's classroom, there was a map and two candles on the table as the Bernard girl asked, "I am new to this whole witch GPS thing but how does this work?"
"I'll use Jeremy's blood to draw energy for the tracking spell," Bonnie answered her brunette friend before turning to Jeremy, "You're blood-related; it'll make the connection stronger."
"What about Charlotte?"
"If we are lucky enough then they are in the same place."
"Lucky?" Serena scoffed out, shaking her head, "Since when does magic has to do with luck?"
Bonnie sighed, "I don't have anyone with a strong connection to Charlotte to track her with, so I need to work with what I have."
"And what if Charlotte is in danger?"
"Charlotte is a pretty old vampire, she can handle herself. Elena can't," The witch replied as Stefan walked in.
"Alright, Alaric said we've got to clear out of here within ten minutes. I've got weapons, he stocked me up."
"You are supposed to be Charlotte's friends and none of you care enough that she had gone missing?"
"You are viewing this the wrong way," Bonnie shook her head, insisting.
"Am I? Am I, really?"
"Maybe she got away for a vacation when we finally got rid of Katherine," She suggested, shrugging her shoulders.
Serena rolled her eyes, "Yeah, because that is so like Charlotte," She crossed her arms, inquiring, "Why wouldn't it be Elena who got away for a break after being stuck in the middle of Stefan and his brother's drama. Which is more likely to happen."
"I am sorry that you—"
"Shut up," Serena turned to Stefan, interjecting, "The last thing I need right now is your fake ass apology."
She shook her head in frustration, "I can't stand this inhuman amount of stupidity and I am out of here," Serena, meaningfully or not, shoulder-checked Stefan on her way out of the classroom.
The brunette Bernard strolled down the corridor, making her way out of the school's doors. Tyler was playing across the field, he saw her leaving and stopped playing as he ran after her.
She stopped after he called over her, "Tyler, I am really in the worst mood right now. So, if you know what's good for you, you would go back to the field this instant and not talk about what I think you wanna talk about."
"You know about this, how?"
"And he is doing it," She sighed exsaperatedly, squinting her eyes shut before inhaling sharply, "Know about what?"
"About what I am."
"I know what you are not," Serena corrected, pursing her lips in a straight line, "Which is certainly not a killer. That's why Caroline and I covered up for you. No need to thank us. Now bye."
She turned away before he grabbed her arm, "You are lying."
"Tyler—"
She was cut off as Caroline took his arm off of her, twisting it behind his back before she threw him on the floor, "Get away from her."
Serena stepped back away from the two, merely glancing at Caroline to show her disappointment before walking away. She got inside her car and drove away from the scene, sighing in disbelief.
✵ ✵ ✵
Rose was in a room, alone before her two supposed hostages joined her, Elena asking, "Why are we here?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "You two keep asking me these questions like I'm gonna answer them."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall, "Why won't you?"
"That's another one."
"You got us, okay? It's not like we can go anywhere," Elena pointed out, continuing, "The least you can do is tell us what you want with either of us."
"I personally want nothing," Rose shrugged stating before she turned to them, "I'm just a delivery service."
"To who? Elijah?" Charlotte deduced, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Two points to the eavesdroppers," She pursed her lips in a straight line, seeming amused as she confirmed it.
Elena questioned, "Who is he? Is he a vampire?"
"He's one of the vampires," Rose corrected, stressing over her words, "The Originals."
"What do you mean the Originals?" Charlotte asked that once.
"Again with the questions," She rolled her eyes, asking, "Haven't the Salvatores been teaching you your vampire history? I know you have been asleep for a century and a half but try and keep up with your history."
"How do you know that?"
"News travels fast about someone of importance to the Originals," She answered, crossing her arms.
Charlotte raised her eyebrow, concluding, "So an Original wants me?"
"Something like that."
"Last I checked I don't know any Originals," She shrugged her shoulders, showing her clear as day confusion.
"Someone valuable to the Originals wants you alive and well, which directly makes you valuable to them," Rose declared, finishing.
"That's what Katherine has been hinting at," Charlotte realized, turning to Elena before she glanced back at Rose, "Surely you know that someone."
"Of course I do."
"A name would be nice."
"Elijah's current fiancée, she is crazy goods but when she wants something, she gets it," Rose crossed her arms, sitting on one of the tables, "As for the name part, I am sure he will tell you about it when he sees you."
"Wow...okay, thanks for nothing at all."
✵ ✵ ✵
Rose continued to inform Elena of why she was there and the unknown truth that she was the key to breaking the Sun and the Moon Curse, not the moonstone. That the blood of the doppelganger breaks the curse which stands for, the doppelganger needs to die.
While Elena let that information sink in. Charlotte sat beside her on the same couch from earlier, looking down at her stained yellow dress, deep in thought. Who was protecting her? It's a she. Someone she must have known because no vampire could be doing this out of the goodness in their dead hearts.
But who could it have been...More importantly, who knows her other than her classmates and a few others in Mystic Falls. This position was reserved for a vampire with many connections but she was in a tomb for most of her vampire life.
"He's here!" Trevor came rushing into the room, the panic was easily recognizable in his voice. For a five hundred years old vampire, he certainly seemed more scared than either brunettes who had no idea who Elijah was; that fact alone terrified Charlotte, "This was a mistake."
"No, I told you I would get us out of this," She packed a few things into a bag, looking up at him, "You have to trust me."
"No! He wants me dead, Rose!" Trevor shouted back, pacing around the room.
Rose placed her hands on his shoulders, shooting back, "He wants them more," She pointed towards the two brunettes who watched the scene play out in different expressions. While Elena was partially scared and confused. Charlotte had no idea what to expect.
"I can't do this," Trevor shook his head, "You give them to him, he'll have mercy on you but I need to get out of here."
Rose snapped, "Hey!" He reluctantly turned to her as she asked, "What are we?"
"We're family, forever," He answered as Charlotte looked at them, a small smile appearing on her face at the sweet gesture that was soon cut off by a loud bang on the door.
"You're scared," Elena realized, looking at Trevor.
Rose gave her a glance before turning to him, "Stay here with them and don't make a sound."
Charlotte crossed her arms, furrowing her eyebrows as Elena rose to her feet, pretending to be pacing around before she turned to her friend, mouthing, "Stefan and Damon are coming for us."
Maybe that was supposed to get her hopes but as she caught another look at Trevor, the five centuries old vampire, any ounce of hope she might have had, disappeared. Charlotte had her head in her hands as footsteps were approaching, getting clearer and clearer each second before they stopped.
She didn't look up until Elijah rushed over to Elena, smelling the her neck to realize the truth, "Human...It's impossible."
Charlotte could practically feel the fear bouncing off Elena's loud heartbeat as she rose to her feet and stopped between her and Elijah, "Do you mind taking a step back?"
It might have been reckless and stupid but Charlotte wasn't ready to lose a friend like Elena or worse, go through the struggle of explaining to Damon and Stefan how she let Elena be killed by one the strongest vampires to ever live.
"Charlotte Jillian Bernard, isn't it?"
"Been a while since I heard my full name but yes, it is."
He nodded, recognizing her face from the continuous pictures he had seen for her as he stated, "Very well then. We have a long journey head of us. We should be going."
Elena turned to Rose, desperation filling her voice, "Please, don't let him take us."
Feeling a tiny bit of remorse, Rose looked down, shutting out her pleas just as Elijah looked between the two brunettes, "One last piece of business and we're done."
He went toward Trevor as said vampire looked down, apologizing, "I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, very sorry."
Elijah shook his head, dismissing it as he slowly circled him, "Oh no, your apology's not necessary."
"Yes, yes it is," Trevor insisted, continuing as he put his head down in shame, "You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you."
Elijah nodded, visibly agreeing, "Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you and that now I honor," He turned to the redhead before looking back at Trevor, asking, "Where was your loyalty?"
"I beg your forgiveness."
"So granted," As he began to smile in relief, Elijah smacked his head off in one swift movement.
Elena gasped as Rose cried out, Charlotte raised her hands to her mouth, swallowing a lump in her throat at the scene she had just seen. This couldn't be happening.
"You—"
"Don't, Rose, now that you are free," Elijah spoke up, warning. He turned to the girls at the end of the room, "Come."
Charlotte's feet were glued to the ground as she attempted to understand what was going on before Elena blurted out, "No, what about the moonstone?"
Elijah's interest was piqued as he turned to her, "What do you know about the moonstone?"
"Elena, don't. Stop," Charlotte said, hoping the brunette human would take her words back, which she didn't.
"I know that you need it and I know where it is."
"Yes?"
She responded, "I can help you get it."
He demanded, "Tell me where it is."
"It doesn't work that way."
A look of amusement appeared on his face as he turned to Rose, questioning, "Are you negotiating with me?"
She gritted out, swallowing back her tears, "It's the first I've heard of it."
He took a step closer to Elena, looking into her eyes as he opened his mouth, ready to compel her before his eyes fell on the terribly familiar necklace around her neck, "What is this vervain doing around your neck?" Elijah pulled the necklace off her neck and threw it away, compelling, "Tell me where the moonstone is."
Charlotte bit her bottom lip, realizing how terrible things are going to get then, "In the tomb, underneath the church ruins."
"What is it doing there?"
She answered in monotone, "It's with Katherine."
"Interesting," Elijah commented as Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, just knowing of that information. Damon couldn't have...Of course in his sick mind, he was doing Charlotte a favor returning to Katherine the same stab she gave her years ago but he would be indirectly going against all of his best friend's morals and beliefs.
They heard breaking glass in a different room as Elijah asked Rose, "What is that?"
"I don't know."
"Who else is in this house?" He asked again, accusingly.
"I don't know!"
The Original grabbed hold of the two girls as they moved into another part of the house. They came to halt at the bottom of the stairs as blurry figures kept rushing past them. He dropped his grip on the girls before pushing them over to Rose.
"Rose," He spoke up in a dangerously calm and sophisticated tone.
Rose shook her head, speaking up honestly, "I don't know who it is."
"Up here."
A voice called from upstairs as Elena and Charlotte exchanged a look, knowing who it was before Elijah vamp-sped upstairs, finding no one.
"Down here," Damon called out, making Elijah vamp-speed downstairs, imagining it to be Stefan.
Charlotte heard a loud shot before her back was pressed against someone with a hand clamped over her mouth. She was ready to scream before sighing in relief, finding it be Damon, gesturing for her to be quiet.
"Excuse me," Elijah called out, "To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't," He warned, breaking a wooden coat rack into a stake, "Do you hear that?" He asked, demanding, "I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want the girls, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll."
"Do we understand each other?"
Elena appeared at the top of the stairs, "I'll come with you, just please don't my friends, they just wanted to help me out."
"Where's Charlotte?" He went upstairs with vamp-speed, asking, "What game are you playing with me?"
She threw the vervain bomb in his face. It exploded. His skin burned but he healed almost immediately. Elijah went toward Elena but Stefan arrived in time and shot him with the compressed air weapon.
It didn't hurt him so Stefan threw the weapon and rushed at Elijah and tackled him. They fell down the stairs. Elijah got up immediately but Stefan stayed on the floor. He went toward Stefan but Charlotte appeared and staked him, pushing him against the door.
Once his skin turned gray and he was for sure pinned to the door. Charlotte backed away from him, seemingly regretful, "Oh, my God...I just killed someone..."
"Charlotte...," Elena walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It's—"
"No, it's not okay....It's not. I killed someone."
"He was a vampire."
"That makes no difference...I killed someone..."
Damon turned to the brunette sympathetically, "Look, Char—"
He didn't get to continue his sentence as a rush of wind went past him and Charlotte was gone.
✵ ✵ ✵
Charlotte's guilt was eating at her but every time she convinced herself that it was a natural reaction and she saw Stefan in danger, it didn't settle right in. Elijah was going to kill him but that didn't make up for the fact that she killed him. Rose said he had a fiancée, a supposedly good life and she just ruined that.
Serena swung the door open after a few knocks, finding Charlotte outside. Her cheeks were stained with dried tears and some of her mascara, her hair was pulled up like last night with a few wild strands here and there and she was in last night's dress, except it was ripped around the ends and stained beyond repair.
"Hey..."
"Hey," Serena greeted back, sighing as she wrapped her arms around Charlotte. Engulfing her ancestor's petite figure as Charlotte cried on her shoulder.
✵ ✵ ✵