𝟕𝟏

a/n: Charlotte's outfit for the chapter is above!

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄━═☆

"Seriously, Caroline? I am going to be late for class because you two have a stupid assumption?"

Caroline scoffed, shaking her head, "It's not just an assumption, it's a disaster!"

Charlotte took in a deep breath, rolling her eyes. Miss Mystic Falls was supposed to be an example, a role model for her year but no, the first day as Miss Mystic Falls and she was already missing class. It was bad enough that she had to sleep on the swing in the yard because Damon's room was right next to hers. Damon's room where he and Elena had sex together, all night.

She felt like gagging as she remembered it, shaking her head at herself.

Stefan stepped in, reminding Caroline, "Look, we don't know anything for sure."

"Yes, we do!" The blonde stressed out, "Elena is sired to Damon! Which means her one singular burning desire is to make him happy, just like Klaus and his hybrids!"

"No, it's not. A vampire sired to another vampire is one in a million. Maybe it won't affect her the same way," Stefan shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe she just really likes him and you don't like that."

"That is not what it is," Caroline denied.

Charlotte sighed exsaperatedly, "Well, until we have solid proof of this theory. Please don't go around telling people especially Elena, yeah? Yeah. Nice conversation," She picked up her bag from the chair, not acknowledging Stefan as she turned to Caroline, "I will see you in class, bye."

She walked past the two as Caroline furrowed her eyebrows together, "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"She is completely ignoring your existence," Caroline stated, seeming out of the loop.

"And that is new?" Stefan raised an eyebrow.

The Forbes paused for a few seconds, "Wait, so you let me rant about how disgusting the thought of Damon and Elena together is and couldn't care to mention what the hell is happening between you and Cher?"

He sighed, "It's not that big of a deal—"

She interjected, "Yes, it is," Adding, "I know a mad Charlotte when I see one and that was a beyond mad Charlotte, mad enough to not even care about lashing out."

"Well, if you are not going to talk to her to fix things between you too, at least ask her to talk to Damon. Knowing him, he wouldn't trust that this is the truth unless Charlotte is the one saying it."

✵ ✵ ✵

Missing a call from Paulina and hearing Serena talk all morning about how the Gilbert vampire was so close to spiraling again, Charlotte took an early leave and went back to the Salvatore Boarding House where Paulina was waiting for her.

She walked inside to hear some noise coming from the library. The brunette frowned, "Lina?"

"Here!"

Charlotte walked into the library, only to find her friend rummaging through bottles of liquor, "What are you doing?"

"I ran out of vodka and wine."

"But you had like two whole suitcases full of both."

Lina raised an eyebrow, looking up at her, "Did I?" She shrugged, pulling the led off a bottle of Bourbon, "I didn't notice. And how the hell is it possible to have this amount of Bourbon, it's not even that good."

"Damon is obsessed," Charlotte stated.

"Clearly."

The Boarding House's door was slammed shut as someone came in before Lina, as though she was the owner of the house, called out, "Who's there?"

Not even a minute later, Stefan was walking into the Library and Charlotte almost immediately turned around, facing Lina, "Oh, Charlotte, great, you are here. I was looking for you."

Lina took a mouthful from the bottle as Charlotte disregarded his statement, making the Gilbert blurt out, "And why were you looking for her?"

"I needed to ask her something," Stefan shook his head, exhaling, "Charlotte. Charlotte, I am trying to talk to you."

"Do you hear that?" She looked up at her friend, furrowing her eyebrows together, "It's like a buzzing sound."

"So annoying," Lina rolled her eyes, "Can't even make out the words."

"Charlotte, it's important, please."

"And the buzzing continues."

Lina chuckled, "Man, this is so entertaining to watch," She walked around Charlotte and took a seat, crossing her legs together.

Stefan moved from the entrance of the library to the petite brunette who took in another deep breath, "Listen—"

She spoke up, cutting him off, "Lina, stop drinking. That's enough, you should probably eat."

"I am a vampire, I am not Jeremy," Lina rolled her eyes, huffing out, "Speaking of, what did Stefan do to Jeremy that was so bad for him to enter the dog house all over again?"

Charlotte crossed her arms together, "He is not in the dog house. He is in the cold, dark, and empty street."

"Damn, you invented a new level," She commented, turning to Stefan, "You should probably get a medal for that or something."

"Charlotte, look, you don't even have to forgive me—"

She cut him off, finally facing him, "I don't even have to do anything that has to do with you so please, be a decent person and keep your distance."

"I will, I will," He sighed before asking, "Just please speak with Damon."

"Why?"

"About the thing earlier?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "I won't ruin his happiness for a completely stupid and unrealistic thing. He messes up a lot but he is not an insensitive asshole like you."

"Oh, burn," Lina whispered out, giggling before taking another mouthful of Bourbon.

The Bernard huffed out, moving to rip the bottle out of her hands, "No, no, no, no," She whined out, "C'mon, now. You just stole my joy."

"Stop it."

"What if it's true though?" Stefan asked, taking hold of her wrist to make her face him, "What if...by some miracle, that assumption is true...Would you really let Elena live a lie so you wouldn't break Damon's heart?"

Charlotte uncoiled his hand from her wrist, stating, "It can't be a lie. She chose him before turning into a vampire. She is not around him now for the sire bond, that's absurd."

"Elena is sired to Damon?" Paulina spoke up, "And I thought I am unlucky? Poor her or him...Honestly, they are both disgusting...Maybe they deserve each other."

"Lina!"

"What?"

"Can we stop with the commentary, please?"

Lina's lips formed a pout, huffing out, "Sure."

"She didn't choose him."

Charlotte's eyes widened before shaking her head, "No, no, you don't understand. I mean, the night before Matt's truck drove off the bridge. She told me, she told me that she wanted to be with Damon. That she chose him and you chose me."

"She chose to be with me and I didn't choose the same," Stefan claimed as Charlotte looked up at him, refusing to believe that.

"And the plot thickens..."

"Elena wouldn't lie to me," Charlotte only managed to let that out.

"And I would?"

"After yesterday with Jeremy, there's nothing absurd and stupid that I wouldn't expect you to do," She replied, folding her arms together.

The two stared at each other. Charlotte was still processing what he had just said. Elena wouldn't lie to her. She would never. Even if she did, she would have her reasons, right? Very valid reasons, Charlotte hoped.

"Will you talk to Damon or not?"

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders about to answer before someone spoke up, "Talk to me about what?"

Lina said out of nowhere as the room had suddenly gone quiet, "Your taste in liquor sucks."

✵ ✵ ✵

Sometime later, Charlotte had told Damon everything about what Stefan and Caroline have discovered about the sire bond. They sat down on the couch facing each other with Lina in a farther away chair and Stefan standing a few meters from Charlotte with his arms crossed together, awaiting his brother's reaction.

"Sired? Really, Charlotte?" He scoffed out, shaking his head, "That is the most pathetic nonsense I've ever heard come out of your mouth, and you are known for saying some questionable things."

"We are not certain yet but—"

Stefan cut her off, stating, "It was your blood that turned her, right? I mean, she's been different from day one because of you. You can't deny that."

"Sure I can. I finally got Elena to a good place about being a vampire," Damon rose to his feet, claiming, "And you can't stand that she's happy because of me," He turned to Charlotte, "Even you...even you, I thought...uh, I guess I was wrong."

Charlotte took in a deep breath, "Damon, I promise, we are not—"

"Prove us wrong—"

Charlotte lost her temper, turning to Stefan, "Stop cutting me off! You asked for my help so for God's sake, let me finish a sentence!"

Taken back by her outburst, his lips were clamped shut as she turned back to Damon, "We are not saying that the only way your relationship could work with Elena is if she is sired to you—"

Damon interjected, "It sounds like you are."

"One more time, one more time," She held breath, counting to three, "If one of you cuts me off one more time, I am never talking to either of you again. I am trying to speak here, okay!? Okay."

Charlotte exhaled, "Damon, test it. Tell her to drink blood from a human bag. And before you say she can't, just test it."

"If we are wrong, forget this conversation ever happened."

"No, no, if you two are wrong, which you are, your apologies better be epic."

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders, "The only apology you'd be receiving is from your brother or Caroline, if you are lucky enough. I won't apologize for something I didn't do."

✵ ✵ ✵

Damon came back from the High School after talking with Elena, only to prove them right. Stefan had just got off the phone with Caroline after she talked with Tyler about the sire bond, only to discover that there's no equivalent equation for sired vampires.

Damon was in the library, rummaging through old papers as Charlotte stood by before Stefan came in, asking, "What are you doing?"

"Elena is sired. You were right, I was wrong. Happy?"

"This is not exactly something to be happy about," Charlotte said, rubbing her hands together, "How are you going to fix it?"

"Well, I'm working on it. Here."

He held a picture up for Stefan to see, "Remember that?" Stefan took the picture from him, commenting, "New Orleans."

Charlotte tiptoed on her toes, trying to see over his shoulder what was in the picture before he moved, his shoulder almost connecting with her jaw. Stefan just gave her the picture as she pretended she wasn't dying to know what that was.

"1942, to be exact."

"What was in New Orleans in 1942?" Charlotte shrugged her shoulders, questioning.

"Other than bourbon and beads...," He turned to Stefan, "Me and my brother."

"Oh yeah," Stefan nodded, asking as he turned a hat in his hand, "What was the name of that girl you used to hang out with?"

"That was no ordinary girl. That was Charlotte."

"Hmm, cool name," The Bernard commented, raising her eyebrows as a cute smile took over her lips.

"Not a cool person," Damon stated, slightly diminishing Charlotte's excitement, "She was crazy about me from the minute we met. So, of course, when she asked me to turn her, I did."

He proceeded to tell them about he had once asked her to take care of his drink for him and joked saying, 'show no mercy' only for her to snap someone's neck after they had accidentally spilled his drink.

"That was my first clue."

"She was sired to you, and I can only assume you took full advantage of that until you got bored of her, right?"

Damon rolled his eyes, "More like when she went all Fatal Attraction on me, then I had to make a clean break."

"How'd you do that?"

He suddenly found the square card he'd been looking for, "Ah, phew, here," He handed it to Stefan, who flipped over, and saw written on it 'Valerie LaMarche, 920 Dauphine St.'

"Who's Valerie LaMarche?"

"The witch that I found to help me break crazy Charlotte's sire bond," Damon took a swig of his drink, "Pack your bags, baby bro. We're going back to Bourbon Street," He turned to Charlotte, "Brothers' road trip."

"I didn't even want to come," Charlotte huffed out.

"So New Orleans wasn't on your list of places to visit."

"To visit for fun, not with Stefan's company," She pursed her lips together, standing up, "But good luck, wishing you all the best," She patted Damon's shoulder, walking to exit the library.

"Who's going to New Orleans?"

Damon turned to Lina, scoffing out, "What the hell are you still doing here? For the last time, you are not welcome here!"

"I want to go to New Orleans."

"Is she deaf?" Damon turned to his brother, shaking his head, "It's a brothers' road trip. No girls allowed."

Lina shrugged her shoulders, "Well, that's a shame cause I am coming."

"No one wants you here."

"Charlotte wants me—"

Damon cut her off, "Charlotte is not coming."

The Gilbert vampire turned to Stefan, "I will help you come out of the dog house, can I come?"

He rolled his eyes at the two of them, "Just do whatever you want."

"Yes!"

"No, you are not getting in my car."

She smirked, "Try and stop me, dickhead."

✵ ✵ ✵

It was nighttime already. Elena has brought a wooden crate into the parlor filled with wine bottles, welcoming Serena, Bonnie, and Caroline as Charlotte shut her phone after checking on Lina to hear she was less tipsy than when she had left with the Salvatore Brothers.

"One for you," She offers Bonnie a beer, "One for you," She hands Serena beer as Charlotte picks up a blood bag from the two that were in the box.

"I'm assuming this is for Caroline," Bonnie said, holding up the last blood bag in the box.

Caroline reached out for it but Elena grabbed it first, "Actually, it's for me."

"So you are back to what's normal for a vampire now?" Serena concluded, "If any of this is considered normal."

Caroline blurted, "I thought—"

"Oh. Are you saying that—"

Elena drank the blood bag and took it out of her mouth, showing her friends that she can now keep blood from a blood bag down, "Thanks to Damon, I am now a functional dysfunctional vampire."

"Fantastic!" Serena cheered her on.

Bonnie nodded, adding, "That's amazing."

Caroline paused, exchanging a look with an oddly quiet Charlotte, "Uh, what do you mean thanks to Damon?"

"Well, he suggested that I try it again. So I did and it worked. No more snatch, eat, erase."

Caroline asked, "So where is my least favorite Salvatore?"

Elena sat down on the couch opposite Caroline and Bonnie, holding up her phone as she read the text message Damon sent her, "Out with Stefan for the night, don't wait up. Brother bonding."

The blonde pursed her lips together, "Hm, so you guys check-in text now? What else do you do?"

Charlotte exchanged a silent look with Caroline, raising her eyebrows, indirectly telling her to drop it.

"I know that you're not the biggest fan, but he kind of just changed my life. Would you mind laying off on all the hate?"

Bonnie spoke up to break the tension, "OK, new girls' night rule -- no boy talk, yeah?"

"But I really need to have a girls' night boy talk," Serena shook her head, "I have been off the market for a while now, and trust me, I am not registering well to having any kind of someone in my life."

Charlotte smiled, looking at her niece, "You know Alec is kind of cute. And super polite."

"He is actually very straightforward, we are working on that."

The oldest vampire in the room raised her eyebrows suggestively, "Ooh, what else are you two working on?"

Caroline popped in, "And how old is he?"

Bonnie turned to her, "I need to see a picture."

"How long have you been together?"

"Hold up," Serena stopped them, "We are not together together...we are...I like you and you like me together."

"Baby steps, that's cool, too," Charlotte commented, showing her approval, "Just make sure to put a label on it when both of you are ready."

"If he's crazy cute, does he have any interesting ex's?" Caroline asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, no. He doesn't do dating."

"Um...why not? He is a super spy?"

Serena chuckled nervously, shaking her head, "Uh...what were you gonna show us, Bonnie?"

The witch held up a bag full of a certain black herb as Caroline guessed, "Is that stoner tea?"

"It's spirit tea. It opens up your chi, or whatever," Bonnie chuckled but they didn't look convinced, "Come on, it's not drugs! Shane is helping me do natural magic without having to access the spirits."

Caroline hummed, nodding as Bonnie shook her head, "Don't judge."

Caroline exchanged a look with the girls, the three brunettes looking back at her with straight faces before she huffed out, "OK, fine! I hereby vow not to be judgmental for the rest of the evening! Even if you all are potentially ruining your lives as I stand idly by, it's your choice."

"Sounds good to me," Serena raised her beer.

Elena stood up, "I'll drink to that. Cheers."

✵ ✵ ✵

A while later, they somehow ended up in Damon's bathroom. Elena was lying in the tub with Charlotte opposite to her as Bonnie playing the videos she took, giggling aloud, "Check this out, Vamp-speed video."

She handed Elena her phone as she laughed out, "I look like Superman. Watch this," Elena paused the video at the point where she was super speeding back into the room. The capture showed a giant blur behind her due to the speed at which she was running. She showed it to Bonnie and Serena who then passed the phone to Charlotte and Caroline, "This year's Christmas card."

"Being a vampire is so weird," Elena shook her head, laughing out, "Oh my God, I love this bathtub. Why don't we come and hang out here more often?"

"Because it's Damon's bathtub and that's weird," Charlotte replied, shaking her head, "But sitting here is oddly comforting."

"I know right!"

"But Cooties," Caroline cut in, "Think of all the germ-ridden skanks that Damon has lured into his den of inequity," She giggled out as Elena sat up, not looking very amused.

"Oh, uh, fun is over," Serena commented, shaking her head, "You two are about to ruin a very fun girls' night."

Caroline sighed, "Okay, I'm sorry. I've been good all night. I am stopping now."

Elena raised her eyebrow, stating sarcastically, "No, don't stop on my account. Rip away. I mean, it's only Damon, right?"

"Well, say what you want about Ripper Stefan, but at least he wasn't a man-slut."

Charlotte exhaled sharply, "Are we really doing this?"

The Gilbert girl asked Caroline, ignoring her friend's attempt to end that, "So, what exactly was it about him that made you jump right into bed with him as soon as you met him?"

"I didn't know what a sociopathic narcissist he was."

Serena exchanged a look with Bonnie, raising her eyebrows and mouthing, "Yikes."

"He's always been there for me when I needed him."

Caroline rolled her eyes, retorting, "Yeah, because he's hoping you'll sleep with him."

"She already did that," Charlotte took a sip from her blood bag as they all turned to her, noticing Elena's look, she shrugged, "That was a secret?"

"Charlotte—"

The Bernard didn't attempt to sit up as she threw her empty blood bag away, "Why did you lie to me that day?"

"Lie about what?"

The brunette scoffed out, sitting up, "So you didn't lie about who you chose? You told me that you chose Damon and that Stefan chose to be with me."

Elena held her breath before answering, "And that's what happened."

"Is it? Is it really? How would you feel if I lied to you about having feelings for him?"

Serena stepped in, "Okay, let's hit pause," She exhaled, shaking her head, "What the hell is going on?"

"I didn't want to hurt you, Charlotte—"

Charlotte pursed her lips together, "Well, too late," She got up from the bathtub, "I have to be honest with you about everything. No matter how little or stupid and when you hide things? Oh, I just didn't want to hurt you."

Serena, a little tipsy and annoyed from the way things were turning out, said, "C'mon, girls, let's just all be good loving friends."

"Friends?" Charlotte rose her eyebrows, stating, "Let me tell you something real quick about friends," She turned to Elena, claiming, "Friends don't lie to friends," She finished, looking at Caroline, "Or judge them."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte parked her car in front of the Salvatore Boarding House after driving Serena home, getting in to see Bonnie helping Elena off the floor, "What is going on?"

"Caroline got kidnapped."

"I am sorry, what?"

"The hybrids."

She clamped her lips shut, "Someone call Tyler."

✵ ✵ ✵

They were walking through the woods. Tyler on the phone with Hayley and Elena checking to see how Bonnie's locater spell was going, "I get it, Hayley. I'll find them and I'll get them in line."

"Bonnie says no luck with the locater spell."

"They've gotta be here," Tyler said, hoping for it, "They're not dumb enough to risk getting caught by Klaus in town."

"Why would your presumed pack kidnap Caroline?" Charlotte questioned, speaking up for the first time since they had arrived as Tyler turned to face her.

"Kim is trying to prove that she's the Alpha. If I can make her submit, the pack will fall in line and we can finally get them free of Klaus," He stated, shaking his head, "You'd think they'd play along with how much they hate him."

Elena raised her eyebrows, "But Adrian doesn't, does he? I mean he's still sired to Klaus."

"Being sired doesn't mean you feel differently about someone. I hated Klaus but I still did everything he said," Tyler explained, shrugging his shoulders, "The bond affects how you act, not how you feel."

Elena exchanged a look with Charlotte who didn't react before they heard Caroline's scream ringing through the Woods. Charlotte vamp-sped towards the sound, shortly followed by Tyler and Elena.

They arrived at the barn with Caroline screaming as Kimberley put the vervain shackles around her hands, "Stop! Stop it, Kim. Caroline's with us. All right? We're all on the same team."

"She's on your team, not mine."

Behind Tyler, Elena, and Charlotte, the other hybrids entered the barn. The hybrids restrained them while Kimberley continued to torture a screaming Caroline.

Charlotte shook her head, "You better hope you are on our team because, after this stunt, you are dead."

"I don't think you are in a position to make any threats, pretty girl," Kimberley smirked, turning to her.

Veins grew under Charlotte's eyes, "You know how old I am? Actually, scratch that, you know how angry I am?" She threw her head back, forcing the hybrid holding her to stand back, "Let's not make this ugly, okay?"

"One bite and you are dead."

"One bite and Klaus will rip your head off," Charlotte responded with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, "But please, try. Come for me. I am just a poor pretty girl, right?"

Kimberley exchanged a look with the other hybrids before Charlotte spoke up, "But girl for girl, unless you are terrified that you are going to lose to me? Are you? I wouldn't blame you, it's okay to be a little nervous—"

Charlotte was cut off when Kimberley moved to attack her, the brunette vamp-sped out of her way, chuckling, "You need to be faster."

Kimberley's fangs came out as Charlotte chuckled, "Fangs sure are scary but how do you know that you can actually bite me if you can't even catch me?"

She moved to grab a hold of her again and Charlotte let her catch her that time before switching positions to have Kimberley's back against her chest with her arm around her neck. The hybrids moved to intervene as Charlotte shook her head, "Ease up, we are just playing around. Kim is a good and mature person and she was just joking with our friend Caroline."

"Weren't you, Kim?"

Kimberley didn't reply, grunting out as Charlotte eyed the hybrids holding Tyler and Elena, "Let them go."

They didn't make move as Charlotte huffed out, "Is it my fault for playing nice? Okay, let them go or I will rip her head off. Cool?"

Charlotte threw Kimberley Tyler's way as soon as he was a free man, "I think you can take it from here."

She and Elena moved to untie Caroline as Tyler started, "Kim put you all at risk today but I'm not gonna hurt her. I'm not Klaus. I don't kill and torture my own friends to get what I want. Now, we broke the sire bond, but if you want to be free we have to work together."

"No one can step out of line. Now, you're either with me or you're against me. Submit. Submit or you die."

Kimberley fell down on her knees and Tyler kneeled down with her, keeping his hand in her chest and his grasp around her heart, "I'm....I'm sorry."

Charlotte and Elena were just leaving the barn with Caroline before the eldest of them spoke up, remembering, "Wait, wait, I forgot to do this really cool thing I saw someone do before."

She ran back inside as Tyler let go of Kimberley and she was catching her breath, "Respect your elders."

Charlotte almost did a happy jump as Kimberley looked up at her, "I am kidding that was just super empowering. Also, sorry for ruining your prestige and all. Just don't come after my friends again."

"Drink some blood, you should stay hydrated...but like vampire version. See you! Bye!"

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte got back to her room as fast as she could. They could work out their...issues tomorrow. Once she had fully grasped how she was feeling about today's events. She got changed into her pajamas and was getting ready to sleep when she heard a knock on her door.

"Unless your name is Stefan Salvatore, you can come in."

"Nope, it's the good Salvatore," Damon came in, wiggling his eyebrows as Charlotte sat up, chuckling.

"Hey, how was the trip? You guys found something?"

"Kind of, but that's not what I am here for," He said as Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows together, "Lina is waiting for you downstairs."

Charlotte's lips formed a small pout, "You are letting her stay over?"

"Not a chance in hell but she is waiting for you downstairs."

Charlotte got out of bed, shrugging her shoulders. That was a very skeptical conversation. Since when did Damon knew how to hide things?

The brunette descended the stairs, frowning when she didn't find Lina on what she claimed to be her 'favorite chair in the whole universe'. Where the hell was she?

"Lina?" She stopped at the bottom of the staircase, looking around the parlor before turning to the door, only to lose sense of the world around her. She held her breath, looking ahead of her. She wasn't sleepwalking, was she? Cause that would be a very detailed dream.

"Charlotte..."

That was her voice, right? Of course, it was, she would recognize it anywhere for years, she was the only person who actually acknowledged her as a kid. It couldn't be real though. She was dead, right?

"This is about to get really awkward, Cher," The blonde released a deep breath. She was nervous?

"I am not imagining this, right?" Charlotte finally spoke up, "Because if I just imagined Angelina Forbes on her feet and talking to me, trust me I will wake up crying...like really hard."

Angelina chuckled, shaking her head, "I am the one who needs confirmation this actually happening, trust me."

Charlotte raised a hand to her mouth, tears escaping her eyes, "You are alive. You are alive and you are here...and...you are okay."

"I am right here, yes—" Angelina was cut off mid-sentence when Charlotte vamp-sped at her, wrapping her arms around her. She was expecting laughter and excited screams but Paulina knew better, Charlotte just held onto her, crying as she repeated, "You are here, you are here."

"Char, I am trying to hug you back but you're trapping my arms," Angelina smiled, shaking her head. Charlotte pulled back, chuckling with tears in her eyes, "I am here. I am right here."

"We are all here...you are both here," Charlotte spoke up, sobbing out, "You are both here...with me."

"You don't wanna know how?"

She shook her head, "That's not what matters right now, I feel like if I didn't hug you enough, you are going to disappear again."

"Please stop crying or I will start, and trust me, I won't stop," Lina chuckled, sighing exsaperatedly.

Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, "I will, I will...It's just that...I am not alone, anymore. I am not...doing it without you two anymore," She attempted to hold her tears in before sobbing out and pulling the two of them in a close embrace.

And for the first time in forever, or at least since getting out of that God-forsaken tomb, Charlotte Bernard felt whole.

✵ ✵ ✵