𝟐𝟏

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄 ━═☆

Charlotte took in another deep breath as Serena channeled her rage and raw anger at Coralie Bernard, her mother, into tightening the corset around Charlotte's waist, "Hey, take it easy or you might mistakingly stop me from breathing."

Serena rolled her eyes, "Stop being a baby, you are used to these dresses."

"1800s' girl 101, Serena," Charlotte sighed, biting her bottom lip, "You never get used to the feeling of a corset around your waist, it's awful."

"But it curves you up pretty good," Serena reasoned, shrugging.

✵ ✵ ✵

"No, no, no, no, no! It's all wrong! The marching band should be in front of the Historic Society," Carol Lockwood shook her head, snapping at them before turning to her son, "Tyler, honey, get up on the float," She sighed, turning to some of the students helping, "Boys, I asked you to put chairs on the Founders' Float!"

"Ladies! Time to get on the float."

"Alright, alright, calm down, Mrs. Lockwood," Charlotte nodded, taking Tyler's extended hand so she could get on the float, "See? Everything in place!"

"No, everything is not in place," Carol shook her head, looking around, "Where's Elena and Stefan?"

"I am sure they will make it in time, Elena was just around the corner," Charlotte answered, attempting to assure Tyler's mother.

Carol sighed, shaking her head as Bonnie, Serena, Cassie, Caroline walked up to the group, the witch's camera on display and ready to take pictures, "Aw! Don't they look cute! Bonnie, camera now! We are making memories of Tyler Lockwood from 1861, wow."

Serena chuckled as Cassie giggled, pointing up at him, "They look stupid! Seerie!" She commented.

Charlotte smiled lightly from where she stood with her back straight, nostalgically enough that feeling never got old. She smiled along with Tyler as Bonnie captured the picture, "Alright, Serena's turn. Get up on that float."

"I am not dressed stupid enough," Serena smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever, get up," Charlotte took Caroline and Bonnie's assistance to get off the float before she helped Serena get on it.

Serena shook her head scoffing as Tyler rested his hand around her waist, "I am going to kill you, just not right now or around this many people."

"C'mon, Rena, you know you love me."

"I tolerate you, big difference," She corrected him, taking his hand off her after Bonnie took the picture. Serena glanced at him before jumping off the float and picking Cassie back up in her arms.

✵ ✵ ✵

In good time, everyone took their place as Carol Lockwood commentated, "Let's give a big hand to the Mystic Fall's high school Marching Band!"

The marching band and the cheerleaders paraded as everyone applauded and screamed in excitement, "And for a little local history, Mr. Saltzman's students have recreated Virginia's Battle of Willow Creek," She said as the float arrived in the street, Jeremy and another student are in it, they waved to the crowd before pretending to shoot at each other.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our stunning Miss Mystic Falls Court and their handsome escorts!" She stated, clapping with the rest of the crowd as the float arrived on the street, Caroline and Matt taking the lead, followed by Charlotte and Tyler, Elena and Stefan, and the rest of the Mystic Falls Court, including their escorts.

"This is Caroline Forbes, Miss Mystic Falls," Carol introduced, smiling, "Aren't they beautiful?"

Charlotte smiled shortly, looking at the applauding crowds. She couldn't exactly enjoy the moment, knowing that this was Serena's place, not hers. Although, it was a little nice to feel okay with wearing what used to be her normal clothes.

What wasn't okay was remembering the last time she and Stefan were dressed like this and in a Founder's party, as well. Time was a peculiar thing.

✵ ✵ ✵

"How much is that for?" Charlotte asked from where she stood in the Mystic Grill with Cassie holding her hand, in front of a section for candy, Founder's Day specialty.

"Just a dollar, miss."

"Well, we will take two, one for me and one for the cute lady," Charlotte said, smiling down at Cassie before she pulled two dollars from her jeans' pockets.

"Thank you, Cherry, cookies are my favorite," Cassie said, taking her cookie from Charlotte.

The older of the two nodded, taking a bite of hers, "Mine as well, they were my sisters' favorite and mother's, and father, too. It's a family thing."

"Make that a three," Serena put up one dollar on the table before taking a cookie for herself, "I am just that cherry on top for the fam."

Cassie shook her head in confusion, "No, you are Seerie and she is Cherry."

"Playing with words, Cass, playing with words."

Serena chuckled, ruffling her little sister's hair, "So, spill."

"Spill what? Is there something on my trousers?" Charlotte asked, checking herself for liquid stains.

The human Bernard rolled her eyes, huffing, "Something is going on between you and Salvatore, like walking on thin ice...I want to know what it is."

"Oh...that," The vampire commented with fake enthusiasm, shrugging, "Stefan is walking on thin ice. I am perfectly fine."

"I can see that...I meant Damon."

Charlotte shook her head, her eyes falling on Damon who attempted to talk to her twice already before she answered, knowing quite well he was listening to that conversation, "Nobody is walking on thin ice. We were best friends, and now we are not even remotely friends."

"Why?" Serena asked, looking behind her at what Charlotte was looking at, "Vamp code?"

"No, he did something that...I can't forget and even though forgiveness is limitless with me, it will take time."

"Well, he offered me his deepest condolences and cheeseburgers for the three of us and I wanted to know if we are cool with him or...," Serena trailed off, smiling suggestively.

"We are not," Charlotte shook her head.

Cassie looked up at them, asking, "Can we take the cheeseburgers and hate him still?"

"We don't hate him, I just don't want to be around him, at the moment. We can't hate people, hate is a terrible word and action, Cassie," The vampire shook her head, bending down to Cassie's height, "And we certainly can take the cheeseburgers but we won't."

"But I really love cheeseburgers."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, shrugging to herself, "Well, I guess I will eat the cotton candy by myself..."

"Cotton candy! I want cotton candy!" She clapped her hands excitedly before Charlotte turned to Serena, smirking smugly.

"Your turn."

The brunette teenager rolled her eyes, "I really really hate you, right now."

"Liar," Charlotte huffed out, waving at her and Cassie as they made it out of the Mystic Grill and through the enormous crowd.

"Back in modern times?" Stefan asked, making his presence known before Charlotte turned to him, shrugging.

She admitted, crossing her arms, "That era suited me better but I am doing well here."

"You really are, Cher," He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets, "They needed you and you didn't give it a second thought."

"Well, you know how I get when it comes to family," Charlotte sighed, taking the last bite of her cookie, "I had two sisters, eleven cousins, and many aunts and uncles but now...I feel alone and Cassie and Serena are making that feeling go away, pretty quick."

"I am just happy that you are feeling much better," He finished, nodding after her.

Charlotte nodded, rocking from one foot to another, "Well, I am even happier that you are back to you and everything between you and Elena is going good. She is an amazing girl."

"She is," He agreed, crossing his arms.

"Yeah...I am going to go check on the girls," Charlott excused herself, forcing a smile as he nodded, muttering a 'sure'.

She found Serena and Cassie pretty quick, they were eating cotton candy and laughing happily, and before she could walk over to them, a cloth was placed on her mouth and Charlotte lost her consciousness.

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte peeled her eyes open, scanning the place where she was in before realizing that she had never been here before. She attempted to stand up before realizing that her hands were cuffed, along with her legs. Well, at least then there was no vervain.

"Hello! Anyone! I am warning you, I know the Sheriff and this will not pass by!" She called out, trying to pull herself away from the wall or break the cuffs.

John Gilbert walked in with a glass of water, "There's no need for the empty pointless threats. If anything you should be thanking me."

"Thanking you?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows, "You kidnapped me! I am sorry, I didn't know that this sick action was something to be grateful for."

"It is when you could have been hunted down with the other vampires now," He shrugged to himself, rising to his feet.

"What did you just say...?"

John rolled his eyes, "Don't look at me like that. You could have been with them but apparently, you have to stay alive because Katherine needs you to."

"Katherine Pierce?" She asked and he nodded, "Are we speaking about the same Katherine because as far as I know, she despises me with her every fiber...and we have never really been friends."

"You will know why soon enough."

John walked toward his desk, looking down at the device but before he could activate it, Damon walked in, "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Damon, get out of here!"

Charlotte's warning went unnoticed as John activated the device, "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do."

Charlotte felt a high-pitched whistle through her ears and screamed out, grabbing the sides of her head before John walked over and pulled a curtain over, hiding her to make sure that as soon as the deputies came over to take Damon, they wouldn't see her.

"Please, make it stop, ugh!" Charlotte screamed out, banging her elbows on the wall. It was like needles piercing through her skull to no ends.

✵ ✵ ✵

Back in town, Serena and Cassie were sat in the backseat of Tyler's car along with Matt, with Caroline in the passenger seat as Tyler was driving each of them home before he heard that high-pitched voice in his head.

"What the hell is that?"

"Ty, what's the matter?" Serena asked, worriedly looking over at him.

He screamed out, "That noise!" Tyler let go of the wheel, grabbing his head as he screamed.

"What is happening?" Cassie asked, sniffling as she held onto her sister and Matt's hand, "Make him stop, he is scaring me!"

"Tyler! Tyler!" Serena and Caroline called out as he lost control of the car.

"Caroline, the wheel!" Matt screamed out as Caroline tried to grab the wheel before Tyler screamed and the car crashed into the wall, Cassie being the one seated on Serena's lap was pushed farther ahead, hitting her head on the dashboard.

✵ ✵ ✵

The device was stopped as Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut before taking her hands over her ears, noticing the blood that was leaking out of her ears. She listened ahead to John dragging Damon somewhere as other footsteps followed and she started pulling herself up. Charlotte kept pulling on the chains as she gritted her teeth.

"C'mon! C'mon!" She screamed out, pulling back even harder before she broke the chains off the wall, "Yes!"

Charlotte pulled off the curtain, passing by as she found John walking out of the basement before he threw a match, "Oh, not so fast!" He attempted to pull a syringe out of his pocket before he realized that he ran out of them.

She shrugged before speeding up to him and hitting his head against the wall, a little harsher than intended before she bent down to check that he was still breathing. Relief washed through her after she checked his pulse and rose to her feet.

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena, Matt, and Caroline were out of the car; as the ambulance arrived, Tyler was on the ground, unconscious while Serena was sat next to him and Cassie, whom she and Matt pulled out minutes ago.

"She is going to be okay, right?" Serena asked as two of the paramedics pulled her sister on a stretcher, right after checking her pulse, "Please tell me that she will be okay."

"She will, hon, she will," One of the paramedics assured her, walking by before Caroline walked up to her.

"She will be fine, Rena."

"Hopefully," Serena nodded, running a hand over her face, "Are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Caroline nodded, assuring her and Matt.

"No, they need to check you out," Matt insisted.

"No, I'm fine, I'm fine. They're helping Tyler and Cassie," She said as one of the paramedics examined Tyler, he opened one of Tyler's eyes before backing away.

"What the hell?!"

"Hey, what's wrong?" Matt asked. walking over to them.

"His eyes!" He said before they all looked at Tyler and suddenly he gasped awake.

"What happened?"

"Dude, don't scare me like that!"

He turned his head to see Serena screaming out, "Caroline! Caroline, wake up! Caroline, you were just fine, wake the hell up!"

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte tried to open the door by the handle before she staggered back as the handle burned her hand. She shook her head at herself. No, this was not it. She had to get Damon out of there. He doesn't get to die mad at her, or the other way around but either way, Damon Salvatore was not dying today.

Not if Charlotte Bernard had another say in that matter.

She shook her head once again before making it out of the building, she vamp-sped around the building, finding another entry before she sighed in relief. The brunette was about to open the door before someone spoke up, "You can't go in there!"

"Bonnie, he is my best friend and I am not leaving him to die!"

The witch looked as if she had something else to say before Stefan arrived, "Charlotte, are you okay?"

"I am fine, are you?"

"Yeah, we need to get in there fast enough," Stefan said, pulling the handle.

"The fire will take you out," Bonnie reminded them, hoping they would retract.

"He's my brother, Bonnie!" Stefan replied before going into the building, followed by Charlotte as he tried to open the basement's door but the doorknob is too hot.

"We can knock it down, together," Charlotte suggested and he nodded before they both stood back and marched forward towards the door, taking it down.

Charlotte coughed out as they stepped in, realizing how large the fire was. Suddenly, the flames diminished, somehow and Charlotte led the way through the basement and to Damon, "C'mon, Damon, get up."

She helped him up along with Stefan before they vamp-sped out of the basement. Outside, it appeared that Bonnie was making a spell that helped them get Damon as fast as they did.

✵ ✵ ✵

"Matt, what the hell happened?" Charlotte ran into the hospital, asking worriedly before the blond stood up, speaking as calmly as he could to assure her.

"It's okay, we crashed but everyone's okay..."

"No, everyone is not okay!" Serena spoke back, shaking her head as she attempted to control her tears, "Caroline won't wake up and those motherfucking doctors won't tell me what the hell is going on with my sister!"

Charlotte did what she was best at and embraced Serena, running her hand up and down her back. Even if she was more worried than Serena, herself, she just had to make sure that everyone was fine before anything else.

"She will be fine, it's okay."

"Look, I am sorry...I don't even know what happened," Tyler apologized, joining them before Serena pulled back from Charlotte, turning to him.

"This is all your fault," She shoved her fists against his chest, pushing him back, Tyler, knowing that her sister and possibly last living relative was in surgery, stood back and let her push him back before Matt and Charlotte held her back, "This all your stupid fault that my sister is in surgery right now! If anything happens to her, I will never forgive you!"

"Serena, you don't know what you are saying," Charlotte spoke up soothingly, "I just need you to calm down and everything will be fine."

Just as Serena took in a deep breath, Sheriff Forbes walked up to them, Charlotte turned to her, "What happened? Are they okay?"

"Is Cassie alright?" Serena questioned.

"She is okay, they are treating some injuries. They sedated her so it won't hurt but she is completely fine," Sheriff Forbes assured her, "As for Caroline, there was some internal bleeding; they're taking her into surgery."

"What else did they say? Is she gonna be okay?"

Liz sighed, crossing her arms, "They're gonna do everything they can," Serena and Matt nodded before sitting down, "Tyler, have you talked to your mom?"

"I left her a message telling her I was here," He answered, nodding.

"You need to call her."

"What is it?"

She was hesitant before revealing, "...It's your dad."

✵ ✵ ✵