𝟕𝟑

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

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄━═☆

It was daytime and a memorial for Carol Lockwood was taking place in the gym of the high school. Charlotte might have not known her that well but she could imagine what Tyler was feeling then. Plenty of guilty covered with rage. He didn't want to grieve, he just wanted Klaus Mikaelson dead.

The students were lighting candles in glass cups as part of the service as Liz spoke at a podium in front of the stand, "Carol Lockwood always said that togetherness in times of tragedy leads to healing, that one community is stronger than a thousand of its members."

"But how does a community stay strong after losing its leader? And Carol was so much more than a leader; she was an open-minded friend and a concerned mother, taken from us too soon by a terrible accident."

At the mention of a terrible accident, Tyler lost it, shaking his head, "Screw this," He stood up abruptly.

"What? Tyler? Tyler?" Caroline called after him but he just left the gym.

Charlotte watched him leave and took a deep breath, looking down before turning around to see Bonnie and Elena a couple of rows down from the last.

"Please join me in observing a minute silence in her memory," Everyone put their heads down for a moment of silence.

As the moment was over, Charlotte looked up and watched Elena leaving the gym, "Thank you so much. In the wake of this tragedy, the town has selected an interim mayor."

"Many of you may already know him. Please welcome Mr. Rudy Hopkins," Liz introduced as Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows together. It was Bonnie's dad.

The vampire turned around to see the Bennett witch matching her confused glance, she looked just as surprised as the rest of them to see her dad at the podium, "Thank you so much, Sheriff. Carol Lockwood put this town first."

"That's why I'm here to talk to you guys. You folks are the future of Mystic Falls."

✵ ✵ ✵

After the Service, all students were walking out of the gym. Caroline and Charlotte were walking out together as the brunette said, "He asked me to distract, he didn't state a particular way so if anything, it's kind of his fault."

"Charlotte, you slept with the enemy."

The Bernard folded her arms together, "We have all done our fair share of sleeping with enemies, okay? I am not the first and probably not the last to."

Caroline shook her head at that, "Okay, and what is up with that Angelina girl?"

"Angelina Forbes? My friend and your ancestor?"

"Yes, that one," The blonde vampire exhaled sharply, "Paulina kept making all the jokes about now that she is back, I should just get lost."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Typical Lina," She chuckled and continued walking, only stopping to realize that Caroline isn't walking with her, "What?"

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Charlotte scoffed out, shaking her head, "Caroline, no, you are not and never will be Angelina's replacement. Just like Elena is not and never will be Paulina's replacement."

"It is, however, true that I got to know you two to feel connected to them," She shrugged her shoulders, "It gave me a little feeling of home to do right by you two to be doing right by them."

"But I am your friend because you are Caroline. Not because you are a Forbes."

Caroline inhaled, nodding, "Much needed reassurance."

Charlotte patted her back, telling her to start moving so they could find Tyler. Just a few minutes later, Stefan called Caroline, asking, "How would you like to drive the white oak stake through Rebekah's heart?"

Charlotte commented, "Well, that was random."

"You are with Charlotte?"

"Nope, it's Charlotte's evil look-alike skank," The brunette replied, folding her arms together.

Caroline turned to her, stating, "No one called you that."

"I am sure everyone is thinking it so I thought I should help out."

"So yes or no?" Stefan said after it quietened down for a bit.

The Bernard shrugged her shoulders, "I will go see what I have to do for the day, I don't want in on any of that."

✵ ✵ ✵

She remembered that she needed to speak with Elena now that she had the chance. She walked upstairs and through multiple corridors, everything empty and not a sound. Charlotte was beginning to think that Elena had already gone home and was ready to leave before she heard some noise behind her.

The brunette vampire turned around, "Hello? Anyone there? The Service is over, you should probably leave."

No response came as the brunette walked closer to where the sound came from. Empty classroom with an opened door, she sighed, turning around as an involuntary gasp left her lips.

"Rebekah, hi."

"Charlotte, nice to see you," The blonde Mikaelson had a wide excited smile gracing her pink lips, "You are not in on the find and stake Rebekah plan, are you?"

"Nope, just minding my own business," Charlotte shook her head before realizing, "You wouldn't have happened to run into Elena, Stefan, or Caroline on the way here, would ya?"

"You are asking just the right person."

✵ ✵ ✵

Rebekah practically dragged Charlotte into the library but the brunette didn't put much of a fight, she didn't want to waste her breath and knew it was impossible for her to take on Rebekah.

She saw Stefan, Caroline, and Elena sitting around the same table along with April Young before furrowing her eyebrows together. What the hell was April doing there?

"Charlotte," Elena stood up the moment she knew it was Charlotte that Rebekah was dragging into the room.

Rebekah raised an eyebrow, "Did I say you could move?"

The doppelganger sat back down as Charlotte pulled out a chair and settled down as well, "Class is in session. You've all been compelled; you know the rules."

"Answer my questions honestly, no disobedience, no one leaves."

Rebekah turned to the helpless human, saying, "April, my sweet, take notes. This is how you get answers in this town."

"Let's start with a little quiz. In the year 1114, my brother learned, thanks to yours truly, about a brotherhood of vampire hunters with tattoos that grew with each kill. These tattoos revealed what, Elena?"

Elena crossed her arms over the table, answering, "A map."

"Which led to, Caroline?"

The Forbes vampire sighed, "A cure for vampirism."

"Perfect, so we're all caught up," She clapped her hands together before turning to the Salvatore, "Stefan Salvatore, the last time we saw each other, you had a vampire hunter, but in order to decode the map, you needed the location of the hunter's sword, which you got out of me using some very dirty tricks."

"Assuming you found the sword, you also found the cure, and yet, you're all still vampires, which means something went wrong," She paused, turning to April who was writing things down, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you asked me to take notes."

Charlotte turned to look at April, feeling bad for her as Rebekah chuckled, "I wasn't being literal, darling."

"But now that you mention it...a flow chart would be nice, which means index cards and push-pins. Go, fetch," Rebekah ordered and April got up quickly and left the room.

Stefan spoke up when she turned back to him, "You're wasting your time. We don't know anything."

"So, you just gave up? I thought you would do anything to save Charlotte, give her back the life she lost because of you? Even if it meant taking the cure yourself, so you could grow old and die with her?"

Charlotte looked up at that, furrowing her eyebrows together, "He said that?"

"Why do you look so surprised?" Rebekah looked back at the Bernard who leaned back into her seat and didn't speak up, "Last I checked, you were all too close to being the couple of the year which means I am missing something. What is it?"

"He stood me up, had Jeremy kill a vampire, and I slept with your brother," Charlotte answered, forcing a smile onto her lips, "Now let us go."

Rebekah raised her eyebrows, "You slept with Niklaus? Again?"

Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut as the three other vampires in the room turned to her that wasn't exactly common knowledge to the rest of them, "Yes, thank you for the valuable addition, Rebekah."

The Mikaelson smiled but she was not quite done yet, "I am confused, here. I thought Stefan was your epic love, Charlotte?"

Charlotte looked down at the table, refusing to speak up as Elena shook her head, huffing out, "And I think you're sad and bored and in desperate need of a hobby."

Rebekah ignored her, turning to Charlotte, "How could you do that then? How could you hurt him like that?"

Charlotte looked up at Rebekah and didn't answer, making the blonde repeat herself, "I asked you what happened, you have to answer."

"We are not together, I can sleep with whom I want to sleep with and do whatever I want. I did not ask him to keep hoping that anything can go back to how it was," Charlotte breathed out, answering, "You want the truth? Well, here it is, for the first time ever...I don't feel guilty."

"How does it feel like to speak your mind for once, sweetheart?" Rebekah raised her eyebrow, asking.

"Lucky me for not having any dirty secrets," The brunette shrugged her shoulders.

"But Elena here does, doesn't she?" The blonde Mikaelson folded her arms together, "According to a very reliable source, you two are not on the best of terms?"

Neither brunettes spoke up as Rebekah asked the older of them, "I thought you would forgive her for anything and pretty much die for her?" Charlotte turned to look at Elena for a brief moment but didn't respond, "How did that turn out, she is a bit of a backstabber, huh?"

Caroline spoke up after what felt like forever, "What does any of this have to do with the stupid cure?"

"You're right. We got off the point. Charlotte, how do I find the cure?" Rebekah asked the Bernard, chuckling, "Unless, you'd rather talk about Elena and your very busy love life all day."

"There's a professor. He knows where the cure is."

"Thank you. And, uh, where do I find this professor?"

✵ ✵ ✵

Time passed with them sitting in the library, no one daring to speak up before Kol Mikaelson walked in the library, laughing out, "Sister...Look at this! You're even worse than Klaus."

Charlotte looked up to see his eyes already found her but she didn't find it in herself to keep his gaze so she went back to looking at her nails, "Kol, finally. Did you bring what I asked for?"

Kol shoved the professor into the library as Rebekah smiled, greeting him, "You must be Shane."

"And in return, I would just like to borrow one of your...students," He said and didn't wait for Rebekah's approval and Charlotte sighed exsaperatedly, "You look you wouldn't mind getting out of here."

"I am fine, thanks," She replied, not meeting his gaze.

"Well, I need to talk to you, it won't take long."

Charlotte looked up at him, contemplating it before rising to her feet and following him out of the library. She shoved her hands in her skirt's small pockets, standing in the hallway.

"I called, I left plenty of messages—"

"I know," Charlotte ran her tongue over her bottom lip, claiming, "I read them all."

He raised an eyebrow, "And?"

The Bernard shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know...what do you want me to say?"

"I told you that I was doing it for my family and the only reason I lied is not to make it hard on you," Kol explained out as the brunette looked up at him, "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you can't stand me being here."

Charlotte shook her head, "It's not that. I don't hate you for what you have done," She nodded to herself, continuing, "You did what you had to and I understand that, I promise you, I do," He hung on to her every word as she sighed, "I am not holding it against you...and that's it."

"That's what? Over? Just like that?"

"We weren't exactly in the running for the couple of the century," She replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"But I cared about you...I do care about you. I am willing to change—"

"No," Charlotte cut him off, shaking her head instantly "I don't want you to. You are a good man, I know that...I don't need you or anyone to change for me, please...please don't ever do that for anyone."

Kol's lips parted as she continued, "I like you because you don't expect anything from me, Kol...Unlike everyone else," Charlotte folded her arms over her chest, "You don't force me to choose and you are a good person, I know that but you have been around for a very long time, and it's not a crime to put your family first, even I would have done that."

He was confused for the most part as he asked, "Then what do I need to do?"

"Nothing," She answered him, pursing her lips together as she looked up at him after avoiding his gaze for too long, "Here's how it goes...I met a guy, he was curious...a little bit intrusive, mostly good intentions though. We connected. Life came in the way and it didn't work out."

Charlotte inhaled sharply, "But we both knew, deep down, that...it was just life being cruel."

She uncrossed her arms when his hands reached out for hers, "It wasn't your family that made this impossible to work. You are doing the right thing standing up for them, even if it takes some pretty messed up things along the way."

"Well, in that case...you need to get out of here. Very quickly," He stated as Charlotte raised her eyebrows, not budging, "My sister will get vengeful and you don't want to find yourself at the receiving end of her unavailable mercy."

"Well, I am not leaving them in there either," The brunette scoffed, shaking her head at him, "You know I wouldn't leave them."

Kol titled his head slightly, clicking his tongue at the top of his mouth, "I also know that it's not very smart to not drink vervain in a town full of Original vampires."

Her eyes widened, trying to pull away from him but he held his grip as she kept repeating over, "No, Kol, don't you dare! No. You wouldn't—"

"For what it's worth, I am sorry," He cut her off, claiming as he looked down into her eyes, compelling, "You need to get out of here as fast as you can and don't come back for them."

✵ ✵ ✵

She had it planned. She would murder Kol Mikaelson the next time she sees him, metamorphically or literally, she wasn't sure yet. Charlotte ran her hands over her face, pacing in the Salvatore Boarding House. Rebekah wasn't exactly a horrid person but her anger wasn't sweet either.

All the brunette had to do was hope for the best. They would be fine. It wasn't their first time in situations like this.

She sat down and pulled her phone out, calling Caroline for what could have been the hundredth time but still no response, "Here goes nothing," She dialed Stefan's number and after three rings, he answered, "You are alive!"

"Yes, no thanks to you."

"And just the right amount of bitter," Charlotte replied, exhaling as she rose to her feet, "How fast can you get back here? I need to talk to you before I, uh, leave."

She turned around when the door behind her was swung open, "So Kol gets back to town and you are ready to leave again?"

Charlotte hung up, "Pretty fast then," She pursed her lips together, "Not that it's any of your concern, I am not leaving with Kol. I am going to check on Jeremy to see what has staying with Damon for the past few days has done to him."

Stefan walked past her and into the parlor to pour himself a drink, "So what did you want to talk about before making your exit?"

The brunette vampire folded her arms together, "About earlier...with the whole compulsion thing. I meant what I said."

"I meant it at all," Charlotte repeated, sighing, "I have been feeling sorry lately for the way things have been playing out for the both of us...Sorry but not guilty."

She rubbed her hands together as Stefan replied, "You do realize that implying how sorry you are for me is not a great...motivator?"

"Here's the thing, I have been honest from day one," Charlotte claimed, shrugging her shoulders, "You chose to fix something that I wholeheartedly believe can not be fixed...and it's not because I can't stand to look at you, which should be fact by now but...I guess you are a lucky one."

"It can not be fixed because I don't know how to trust you anymore. You lie, Stefan, that's all you have been doing lately and when you don't lie, you don't respect my decisions and I can't work with either."

"Decisions? The ones that always end up with you about to die?"

She shook her head, whispering slowly, "That wasn't your opinion when saving Matt first ended up with a vampire Elena."

"Because you are not Elena to me—"

"You respect her but you don't respect me," Charlotte cut him off, stating, "And unless you manage to work that out, any hope for this going anywhere...is pretty much daydreaming."

✵ ✵ ✵