𝟏𝟕

a/n: charlotte's dress for the founders' party is above ⬆

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ━═☆

Charlotte had no intention of attending the party for Founders' Day 150th Anniversary whatsoever, it would bring up memories for the last time she had attended that but Damon was persistent on them three blending-in as he dragged her and Stefan there.

"This is not how I planned to spend the night," Charlotte grumbled as they stopped in front of the door, the shorter brunette standing between the Salvatores.

"You were going to sleep, nothing interesting," Damon deadpanned as she nudged him, huffing.

The Bernard shook her head, crossing her arms, "Not interesting but comfy."

"Oh god! I shouldn't be here," Stefan stated, looking the Lockwood mansion over with a scowl on his face.

Damon shook his head at the two, "Could there have been a better time for you two to be back as friends and annoy me?" He asked as Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Come on, don't be downers, it's a party for the founding families! That would be us. That would be rude to skip it."

"I don't want to run into my presumed family," The Bernard sighed, following them inside as she stopped at the door, "Well, look at that...fate doesn't want me here."

She shrugged, turning to walk away before Damon placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face the door once again as Serena and Tyler, "Char! You came, finally someone fun."

"That actually hurt," Tyler joked, feigning hurt as he turned to Charlotte, "Hey, guys, come on in."

"Looks like fate wants you here," Damon shrugged with that sinful smirk wide on his lips as he pulled her to where Stefan stood still, watching them in amusement.

Stefan huffed out, rolling his eyes, "I really liked you a whole lot better when you hated everybody."

"Didn't we all," Charlotte agreed, crossing her arms as she looked around to be on-guard if Izadora Bernard happened to be there, she wasn't ready for another interrogation as she barely escaped the last time.

"And I really liked it a whole better when you two wouldn't agree on a thing," Damon shot back, rolling his eyes, "But, I still do hate everybody. I just love that they love me."

He chuckled, turning to Stefan, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good, I'm fine," Stefan answered as Charlotte pursed her lips in a straight line, she knew he was nowhere near fine but sorting their problems out didn't mean that they were mystically friends again. Pun intended.

"No cravings? No urges? Is that whiskey you've been drinking all day doing its job?"  Damon asked, teasingly as Stefan laughed, brushing it off, "We are who we are Stefan. Nothing's gonna change that."

Charlotte crossed her arms, shaking her head at Damon, "Would it kill you to not keep reminding us of our current species?" Damon shrugged in response as she huffed out, "I am going to find myself some juice as I pretend and wholeheartedly hope Izadora didn't come."

The vampire Bernard made her way to the bar, looking over at Sheriff Forbes and Izadora Bernard talk, she gives the older women a hand wave before she sat at a stool, "Got any juice, here?"

"This is a bar," He shook his head, chuckling.

"Well, does your bar have water?" She asked as he nodded, "Good, get me some. Ice cold, please."

"You didn't come here to drink water, did you?" Serena showed up beside her, wiggling her eyebrows mischievously.

Charlotte shrugged, deadpanning, "Unfortunately, I did."

"You know Nana Izzie didn't stop talking about you, she likes you," Serena stated, sitting at the barstool as Charlotte raised an unconvinced eyebrow as the human chuckled, "I promise she does."

The vampire shook her head, "I don't know. She creeps me out with her constant questioning. Did she want to be a detective or something?" She asked as a matter of fact but Serena took it jokingly.

"No, no. She is just old and likes to claim the all-knowing title," The younger Bernard explained sighing, "That's one of the reasons my mom is never there when Nana Izzie is but you will get used, don't worry. You are family."

"Hardly," Charlotte shook her head, picking up her glass of water to take a sip, noticing Sheriff Forbes' gaze on her as Nana Izzie added in some words. The brunette instinctively used her supernatural hearing dismissing the ideas swirling in the back of her mind about morals.

"I am telling you, Liz. This is no coincidence," She heard Izadora saying, "All of those attacks aren't magically coming up."

"We don't even know if a vampire could live that long," Liz argued back, shaking her head.

Izadora scoffed, "So what? We will wait till our kids are dead so we could prove it?" She asked as Liz visibly tensed.

"No, we won't," The Sheriff shook her head, crossing her arms over chest, "But I can't just take her because she looks like your dead relative from 1864."

"Her body was never found, it's a possibility," Izadora claimed, seeming persistent as Charlotte gulped, sitting back up on the stool, "That girl was invited into my home, she could kill my kids whenever she feels like it."

"Fine, then we will test it with vervain," Sheriff Forbes offered as Charlotte shook her head at herself, getting up from the barstool, ignoring Serena calling her over.

If Caroline's mother didn't kill her then it would be Damon for answering that amount of questions to a presumed Wikipedia of the Bernards. So at a totally going to fail attempt, she stopped in front of Elena and Stefan.

"I know, I am ruining the mood but I think I am about to get myself killed," Charlotte broke it out, simply as Elena almost choked on her drink, "Yeah."

"What did you do, wait really?" Stefan asked, trying to gain his composure but with his daily drinks at that time, he really wasn't the guy to come to with a life or death matter.

"What...are you being serious?" Elena asked, worry covering her features.

Charlotte nodded instantly, "So, remember how Serena would pester me about meeting her family tree of a grandmother? I did and now she thinks⁠— no, not that she was determined. So she knows I am a vampire," She revealed, shrugging as Elena tried to process all she just said.

"Is that bad?"

"Oh, it's terrible," Stefan deadpanned.

"Thanks for the assurance, absolutely needed that."

Elena sighed, shaking her head at her boyfriend, turning to Charlotte, "Did you tell Damon?"

The brunette vampire smiled, shaking her head, "Dreading that."

"Hey, it's okay," Elena placed a hand on Charlotte's shoulder in an attempt to assure the girl, "I am here, in case Liz or Miss Bernard try anything," She smiled comfortingly as the vampire nodded, finally noticing something in Elena's eyes.

The day Katherine force-fed the Bernard her blood and snapped her neck, just a few seconds before that, Charlotte looked at the vampire, silently begging for an ounce of good in her but there was none.

First time Charlotte had seen Elena Gilbert, she was determined that somewhere behind all the nice girl act, there was something that connected her to Katherine other than their looks but with the genuine care in the Gilbert girl's eyes at that moment, any doubts Charlotte had vanished into thin air.

"I can't be too sure, but thank you," Charlotte smiled, in appreciation, "This means a lot to me."

Elena didn't get to reply as both brunettes were cut off by Izadora Bernard's chirpy tone, "Darling, Charlotte!" She smiled, her eyes wrinkling at the wideness of her smile, showing Charlotte just how old that woman truly was. It was a miracle she was still alive after all those years.

"Elena, honey, would you excuse us?" Izadora raised an eyebrow, addressing the Gilbert.

Seeing the distressed look in Charlotte's eyes, Elena shook her head, "I promised Charlotte to stick around all day, can't leave her now. Sorry, Miss Bernard."

"This is a family matter, honey. Why don't you go find dear Jenna until I finish my talk with Charlotte?" The elder female suggested as Charlotte bit her tongue, sucking in a deep breath.

"Elena is like family to me, I don't keep secrets from her. A lot like Serena, feel free to discuss anything," Charlotte channeled her inner Paulina Gilbert and spoke back.

Izadora Bernard raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "Very well then," She gave a visibly forced smile, handing Charlotte an envelope, "I found this while looking through family albums, thought you might want to keep it."

Elena looked between the two confused as Charlotte took the letter cautiously, nodding, "Send my deepest condolences to your sisters, must be painful to lose a parent but both..."

Izadora turned her back at them, heading down the hallway as Charlotte ripped the envelope open, "What is it?" Elena asked, watching the brunette's face colors fade as she shook her head.

"It's nothing," She dismissed, putting the envelope in her clasp, "I need to go, bye,"

"Charlotte, wait!" Elena followed the brunette out of the party but by the time she had reached the door, Charlotte had already vamp-sped away, "Damn it."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte knew nothing about vampirism except for their insatiable need to drink blood. Of course, Damon had mentioned a few abilities that she didn't care to work on, like speed and strength. Her first time to actually speed out of a place was then, she appreciated Elena's concern but she didn't want anyone to be seeing that letter with her or giving her the sympathetic look.

Bad as it was she will never see her sisters again but the small pit of closure that she was about to get was a direct threat from Izadora Bernard.

The brunette sighed, walking into the Salvatore Boarding House, she didn't have much energy to take herself upstairs so she just sat at the staircase steps, looking down at the envelope in her hands.

Charlotte opened it once again, pulling the black and white picture from inside. Where she, Emmeline, and Fallon were standing idly, according to their ages with bright smiles on their faces. It was one of the best times she had had with her sister, just the night before Emmeline's wedding.

She blinked twice, a soft smile gracing her lips as the day replayed in front of her eyes.

Emmeline and Fallon's laughs rung through the house as they chased a fifteen-year-old Charlotte, who was convinced that had she taken her sister's wedding dress then the marriage could be called off, or postponed at least, "Charlotte! C'mon! If you give me the dress, I will get you five cookies or wait, seven!"

"She is lying but you really need to hand over the dress for her last fitting," Fallon chuckled aloud, almost catching up with Charlotte before the teenager took an unexpected turn and descended the stairs quickly, "If Uncle Emmett sees you, you are grounded, Cherry!"

"He is not here!" Charlotte yelled back, sprinting down the hallway where she stood at the house door.

"Wait, Cher, don't go outside! You might ruin the dress," Emmeline called out, panting heavily as Charlotte sighed, turning around to face her sister.

"I don't want you to go."

"Me neither...you should have kept running," Emmeline chuckled, shaking her head before opening up her arms for Charlotte, "I wish I could stay here forever but you know I can't."

Charlotte nodded, handing the dress to Fallon who smiled, petting her sister's head, "I am still here and so is she, so let's make the best time of it."

Charlotte nodded, embracing her eldest sister tightly, "If you squeeze once more, I might not make it to the wedding day," Emmeline smiled, rubbing her sister's back comfortingly.

"Cookies and hot chocolate or pillow fights?" Fallon smiled mischievously at the two, "I would say pillow fights and the loser makes the treats!"

"Agreed!" Emmeline and Charlotte called out in unison as the three girls placed their hands on each others' in a circle, chanting, "Last one upstairs does the dishes for a week!"

Even though Emmeline knew it was her last day there, she raced her sisters upstairs barely missing Charlotte sprinting into their bedroom cheering with victory, "Fallon gets the dishes!"

"Oh, please, I let you win on purpose. You were in a bad mood," Fallon shrugged, dismissing her youngest sister.

"We couldn't quite hear you, sister," Emmeline shook her head in a sing-song tone, smiling mischievously at Charlotte and Fallon.

"We don't speak loser language."

Fallon scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Oh I will show you loser," She grabbed the closest pillow, jumping on the two as their laughs bounced off the enormous mansion's walls. It was probably one of the countless times the Bernard sisters were truly happy with one another but close to the last.

Charlotte felt her chest tighten as her eyes filled up with tears that she couldn't control before she pulled herself off the floor and walked out of the Boarding House, simultaneously walking to the Cemetery. Much to her luck, it hadn't changed since last she had been there, visiting her father's grave.

Except for the new headstones, she nodded to herself opening her phone's flashlight as she looked over at the names. Her eyes stopped at Emmeline Fell Née Bernard, a few inches beside hers was Fallon Lockwood Née Bernard.

Charlotte sighed, controlling her sobs before she felt a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay..."

"They were my big sisters," She stated, looking over at Elena, "I didn't get to see their children...or say goodbye to them or Paulina, your grandmother...or even Angie. I don't know if she moved on or not...," Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stop her tears, "If they were happy."

"They thought I was dead," She pointed to a grave behind Elena where her name was written, "I hate this."

"I don't want to live like this," Charlotte ran a hand over her face, swallowing a lump in her throat, "I don't want to be a monster with no family, no loved ones...nothing."

Elena didn't know how to comfort the brunette as she nodded embracing the girl, she rubbed her back as Charlotte returned the hug gratefully. She needed that more than she knew.

"It's going to be okay."

✵ ✵ ✵