𝟑𝟏

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

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄 ━═☆

"I was there with Elena, you know," Charlotte rolled her eyes, walking with the Salvatores through the Woods and straight to the Fell Church's ruins, "You are both overreacting. She was completely safe with me."

"Let it be known. I trust Elena around Katherine more than you, vampire or not," Damon retorted, crossing his arms.

"Uh...what? Why?" She scoffed, asking, "I am dangerous and I could hurt Katherine if it gets down to it."

Damon shook his head, descending the tomb, "In your overly nice mind, nothing gets far enough for you to attack."

Charlotte crossed her arms, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Being good and rational does not make me weak. It makes me strong."

"Does it keep you alive?"

"Well, I am breathing now. Aren't I?"

"If that's what you call it—"

Stefan interjected, shaking his head, "Okay, shut up, both of you. This is not the time, nor the place."

"Fine," Charlotte shrugged her shoulders before turning to Damon, whispering, "We will finish this later." Noticing Stefan rolling his eyes at her, she crossed her arms, "Alright, let's do this."

She stood aside as Damon and Stefan grabbed the stone door, Damon taking the right side and his brother taking the left, "1,2,3...," He mocked count before pulling the stone door off the entrance of the tomb.

They successfully removed the stone door from the entrance of the tomb, placing it to the side and approaching the entrance. The Salvatore brothers leaned against the frame of the entrance while Charlotte stayed in front of the door with her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for Katherine, who came around the corner, looking hungry.

"Please...come on in. There's plenty of room for all of us..."

"Thanks but no, thanks."

"I would say you loved it here, any ideas on how to make the most of my time in here?" Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow, "I thought you were the girl who saw the best in the worst, so please, enlighten me."

Charlotte shook her head, replying, "You are trying to manipulate, thinking I would run away and that would satisfy you for the time being but times changed and so did I, Katherine."

"Times did indeed," Katherine responded, glancing between the Salvatore brothers, "You have replaced your mightiest bodyguard with these idiots."

"We're here for the moonstone."

Damon asked, raising an eyebrow, "Feel like tossing it over?"

She shook her head, proposing, "Tell you what, you get your little witch to hocus pocus me out of here," The vampire doppelganger shrugged, finishing, "You can have whatever you want."

Stefan raised an eyebrow, recalling, "I thought you liked it in here. Nice and safe where Klaus can't get to you."

She gritted her teeth, rolling her eyes, "I've had time to reconsider."

"Meaning you're hungry."

"I'm starving, Damon. And dirty. But above all, I'm bored," Katherine had progressively gotten closer to the entrance, stumbling and grasping at the wall as she did so.

"Yeah, well, payback's a bitch," Damon interrupted her, smirking smugly as Charlotte shook her head at him.

"At least running from Klaus wasn't boring," She sighed, offering, "So here's the deal, you get me out of here, you get the moonstone and I'll disappear from Mystic Falls forever."

The three vampires exchanged a look before Katherine started to walk away, "Let me know what you decide," She finished, holding up the moonstone and stumbling back into the recesses of the cave.

✵ ✵ ✵

Elena swung the front door open, finding Stefan, Charlotte, and Damon standing on the front porch, "Hey. Uh, can we talk?" Her boyfriend asked.

"Why? Why are you two here? It's just Charlotte that I called over for breakfast," Elena raised her eyebrows, stating before the brunette vampire avoided the glances she received from Damon and Stefan.

"Well, you see I am here for breakfast," Charlotte spoke up, raising her hand before she added, "But on the way to you, I found them talking about getting Katherine to hand over the moonstone and I thought it would be good if someone rational went with them."

"Come on in," She stepped aside and the three vampires walked in, Charlotte taking the lead, making her way to the kitchen as she knew Elena probably hadn't eaten breakfast just yet.

Charlotte was making pancakes and omelets with a bright smile on her face. Stefan and Damon were telling Elena about what Katherine said. Obviously, the news wasn't the best of the best but it was the start of the day and she couldn't afford to be gloomy, not before noon, at the very least.

"You don't believe her, do you?"

"No, of course not. We just want the moonstone," Damon shook his head, claiming.

Stefan chimed in, stating, "According to Rose's friend Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break."

Charlotte smiled, laying the breakfast plates on the table, "No spell, no doppelgänger sacrifice. Therefore, you live."

Elena took a sip from the fresh juice Charlotte had just poured into four cups before asking, "How do you destroy it?"

"By releasing it from the moonstone."

She raised her eyebrows skeptically, "How do you guys even know this is gonna work?"

"'Cause we have a crafty witch on our side," Damon had a smug smirk painted on his lips as he replied.

"You discussed it with Bonnie?"

Charlotte nodded, speaking up after she swallowed her first bite of pancake, "She agreed to do anything she could to help us. I adore that girl. She doesn't have to do this but she still is for her friends. It's quality you don't see much today."

Elena smiled briefly at that before shaking her head, remembering, "It's Katherine who has the moonstone. She's not gonna give it to you."

Stefan shrugged his shoulders "We're gonna get it from her."

Damon rolled his eyes, rephrasing, "Well, what he means to say is, we will pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to."

"Which we won't have to do," Charlotte turned to him, pointing her fork in his face.

"Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it," The green-eyed Salvatore explained, putting it out simply.

"Wow," Elena nodded, taking in a deep breath, "I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out."

"Yep," Charlotte smiled, taking another bite of her pancakes.

Damon finished after her, taking full pride, "We're awesome."

"Except for one thing," She paused, stating, "I don't want you to do it."

The Salvatore brothers exchanged looks before Charlotte turned to Elena, "What is that supposed to mean? This is the only way we can get rid of the curse, the sacrifice, and everything bad, for now."

"What about Klaus?"

"We'll find him right after we get the moonstone," Stefan answered, crossing his arms.

Elena raised her eyebrows, questioning, "Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including the three of you," She pointed from Stefan to Damon to Charlotte. The brunette vampire didn't know whether to be happy that Elena considers her a friend and someone she cares for or absolutely mad that she was willing to let her life go by, just like that.

"Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life."

"I know," She nodded, shrugging her shoulders, "Everybody keeps saying that." Elena got up and left the room as Stefan and Damon exchanged a look again.

"We are still going through with this," Charlotte started, rising to her feet, "I am going to do the dishes! Finish your juice, nobody is drinking it after you."

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena bent down, fixing her sister's hair as she shook her head with a melodic laugh escaping her, "You couldn't wait till we go home? For real, Cassie, this is just a knot."

"Because you are too lazy to brush it for me," The youngest of the two stumped her feet on the ground, not taking her sister's word for it, "I have to brush Ginger's hair and you brush mine. These are the house's rules."

"These are your rules," Serena corrected, turning her sister to face her.

"The same thing," Cassie shrugged, flipping her high ponytail over her shoulders.

Serena chuckled, shaking her head, "You are gonna be a handful when you get to be a teenager."

"Like you? Everyone is just so free, nobody tells you to stop talking during sessions or that you should just go to the bathroom in your break time...and you never put so much time in homework," Cassie listed, crossing her arms as she looked up at Serena, "What's so bad about that..."

"Don't worry, you will hopefully never see the bad parts. Just the freedom part...," She finished, trailing off as she spotted Caroline in the distance speaking with Tyler, "Let's go home, yeah? I will make you Cannelloni today!"

"Really? I love that so much, best pasta in the world...ever."

✵ ✵ ✵

In the parlor of the Salvatore Boarding House, Bonnie spoke to Stefan, Jeremy, and Damon about their plan as Charlotte listened intently, munching on a pack of tomato flavored chips, "I might be able to lower the tomb spell long enough for you to get in there and grab the moonstone from Katherine."

Charlotte went to speak up, recalling last time before Jeremy beat her to it, "How? It took both you and your Grams last time, and look what happened to her."

She nodded, turning him down, "I'm well aware of what happened. I've learned a few new things."

"Bonnie—"

Bonnie deflected Jeremy's concern, looking over at Stefan as she asked, "How will you get it?"

"She hasn't been feeding," Stefan shrugged his shoulders, answering, "She's weaker. We're not."

Damon raised a glass of blood towards Bonnie, supporting his brother's statement before she asked, "You wouldn't be underestimating her, would you?"

"It's a plan. Is it perfect?" Damon asked before scoffing out an excuse of an answer, "What plan is?"

"Well, there's good well-thought-out plans and then there's yours...," Charlotte trailed off, chewing on her chips before Damon turned to her, "You asked," She shrugged, dismissively.

"Let me do it," Jeremy spoke up, holding out his ring, "I've got my ring. I can get in, get out, no spells necessary."

Charlotte sighed, speaking up gently, "Jeremy, I know you want to help but—"

Damon cut her off, shaking his head at the youngest Gilbert, "Gee, thanks, you 16-year-old child," He mocked interest, huffing out, "Why didn't we think about that? Why are you even here?"

"Maybe I can help better the plan," Bonnie stated before asking, "Do you have anything that belongs to Katherine?"

Just as she finished, Damon turned to his brother, significantly. That look didn't go unnoticed by Charlotte as she crumbled her empty chips bag in her fist and walked away to throw it in the garbage can.

A while later, Stefan had left the parlor room, reentering with a picture of Katherine in his hands, "This belonged to Katherine. Found it with her things after I thought she was dead, but it was hers," He held out the portrait of Katherine, and Bonnie took it.

And you just happened to want to keep a picture of hers.

Bonnie placed the portrait in a ceramic bowl, dipping her fingers in a glass of water and letting the water droplets drip from her fingertips into the bowl. Flames sprouted from the bowl. She shut her eyes and began to chant a spell in Latin.

"What will this do?"

She reopened her eyes, watching the picture burn, "I can turn the metal into ash. Blow the ashes on her, and it'll incapacitate her for a minute or two," Bonnie proceeded to the part they needed, "Long enough for you to get the stone and get out."

Another while passed before Charlotte opened another pack of chips, just as Bonnie poured the ashes from the bowl onto an end table. She turned to Charlotte, raising her eyebrow, "Can you chew without a sound..?"

"Oh, I am sorry," She apologized, raising a hand over her mouth, "I am just trying to keep my teeth and salivary glands working as much as possible to silence the cravings...Trying to reduce my intake of blood."

"Why?"

"The safer the better?"

The conversation died out as Stefan and Damon re-entered the room with supplies for the excursion, "Still gotta get the torches."

"Alaric's stake gun's in my trunk," Damon nodded, recalling before turning to Charlotte, "Ready?" She nodded, closing off the pack of chips to finish it later before following Stefan outside.

✵ ✵ ✵

Cassie looked over at her sister, speed typing on her cell phone, "What's going on?"

"I am checking on Char, she is not replying. Something must have come up."

"You are checking on her for the food?" The youngest Bernard raised a suggestive eyebrow, "I knew it. You don't cook."

"I do cook...I do omelets, pancakes, cornflakes, and I did a milkshake once or twice," Serena shook her head, defensively taking claim of her works, "Plus, I helped Nana make a blueberries cake once and you loved it."

"You mean you watched Nana make the cake."

Serena placed a hand on her chest, feigning surprise, "Cass, don't attack me like that."

"Just saying the truth, sis. It does hurt."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte rubbed her hands together, walking beside Stefan and Damon as they were approaching the tomb before Bonnie caught up to them, "Sorry I'm late. I had to grab the grimoire from home."

"Jeremy couldn't take the pressure, huh?"

Bonnie turned to Damon, "He said he'd be here."

Stefan, Bonnie, and Charlotte descended the stairs to the tomb, the Bernard graciously letting them take the lead as she collected herself together, taking a deep breath.

It's fine. I am not alone. I am not weak and I am not afraid of her or that place.

Stefan and Bonnie had made it down into the tomb, Charlotte falling after their steps before Stefan dropped his bag and started rummaging through it, the Bernard girl spoke, looking just beside her feet, "Isn't that the moonstone?"

She picked it up, confusion written all over her face before Katherine, her lips drenched in blood, came to the entrance of the tomb, "I hate to interrupt," Charlotte looked up at her, exchanging a look with Bonnie and Stefan, "But today has just been full of surprises."

She pulled Jeremy out from behind the wall. His eyelids fluttered and the bite mark on his neck oozed blood as Charlotte stepped away, blinking back the sudden turn of events.

"I'm sorry. I took some powder..."

Katherine smiled, speaking up, "Don't worry, I know that he's wearing his ring, so no matter how many times I kill him, he'll just keep coming back for more. So, I'm going to be in the back playing with my new little toy," She shoved Jeremy back into the cave, "And you guys just give me a holler when you've got the tomb open."

✵ ✵ ✵

Bonnie had set up a circle of torches in the antechamber. She lighted them with a flame as Stefan questioned in frustration, "Where the hell is Damon?"

"We can't wait, we have to get him out of there."

Stefan shook his head, reminding the witch, "She's fed, she has her strength back."

Charlotte opened her mouth, pausing as Bonnie spoke up, "We still have what's left of the ash," She handed him an envelope with ash, asking, "Do you think you can get close enough?"

"You guys are forgetting about me!" Charlotte spoke, showing every bit of frustration she had in her, "I am a vampire as well and I can hold her back. We will both go in."

"No, you can't—"

"Stefan, I have been training with you, with Damon. I took on an Original vampire, granted that killing him was a mistake but I can hold Katherine back! I kn—"

He cut her off, shaking his head, "That's not what I meant. You are not going inside that tomb again, I know what it puts you through and I am not allowing it."

"Trust me, I am okay and I need to help someway."

"Well, find another way because you are not going in there, clear?"

Charlotte shook her head, scoffing, "I am the only one capable of deciding what I do and do not and I said that I am going in there to help Jeremy out," She crossed her arms over her chest, "If I were you, I wouldn't try and stop me."

"Fine...," He reluctantly trailed off before turning to Bonnie, "How long can you put it down?"

"I don't know, a while?"

"Just get us in there as soon as you can," Stefan nodded, inhaling sharply.

Bonnie had her grimoire opened, her eyes were tightly shut as she began chanting a spell in Latin. The two brown-haired vampires watching her. She had a dog tag clutched in one hand as she continued chanting the spell.

The brunette witch resumed chanting the spell and the flames flared up. Katherine, dragging Jeremy behind her, came back towards the entrance, commenting, "Ohhh, something's happening."

Charlotte and Stefan looked back at them as Jeremy called out, desperately, "Bonnie, no!"

Charlotte frowned, taking in his warning as she turned to Bonnie, "You have to stop her, she's not strong enough!"

The flames flared up higher as Katherine smirked in satisfaction, "Maybe she is."

✵ ✵ ✵

Bonnie's nose was bleeding as well, but she continued to chant the spell. Charlotte shook her head at Stefan before walking over to her, concerned, "Bonnie? Bonnie?" She called out, attempting to grasp her attention.

"You gotta stop her!" Jeremy screamed out again before Katherine elbowed him in the face and he fell to the floor. Stefan looked back at Jeremy, checking that he was okay before Charlotte grasped Bonnie's arm, shaking her.

"Bonnie! You need to stop, Bonnie!"

She continued chanting as Charlotte called her over and over again before she suddenly fainted. Charlotte panicked, laying her on the floor as she tried to shake her awake with Stefan, "Bonnie. Bonnie, wake up, please!"

"Bonnie, wake up. Bonnie," Stefan called over, shaking her but to no avail as Katherine spoke up.

"Yes, please because I'm still in here!"

Katherine impatiently paced around inside the tomb before Bonnie finally woke up, "Are you okay? You all right? No injuries, nothing?" Charlotte asked, concern seeping through her doe eyes as she pulled Bonnie's chin up, checking that her nose stopped bleeding.

Bonnie frowned, surprised that Charlotte would show so much care towards her after her obvious disinterest in locating her when she and Elena went missing. This might have been the only time she was thankful Serena didn't fess up about what happened that day.

Nevertheless, she sat up with the help of Charlotte, shaking her head at herself, "It didn't work," She looked into the cave, upset as Charlotte held onto her arms, making sure she won't fall back down, "I'm not strong enough. Even with help, I can't do it."

Katherine sang out, shrugging her shoulders, "Ahhh, that's too bad, I'm still hungry," She grabbed Jeremy's shirt and pushed him up against the wall, extending her fangs as she prepared to bite him. Stefan vamp-sped into the tomb, grabbing Jeremy, he threw him out and restrained Katherine against the wall.

"No!" It all happened so fast, all Charlotte could do was scream after Stefan as she placed a hand on her mouth.

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte used her knuckles to rub her tears away as she folded her clothing into the closet, pausing when she found Elena at her bedroom door. She took in a deep breath, sniffling as she swallowed a lump in her throat before Elena walked in.

She gathered that Elena knew what happened by how reddened her eyes were, "I am so sorry I couldn't do anything," Charlotte started, shaking her head at herself.

"I know," Elena nodded, holding back her tears before she sighed, "But I didn't come here for that."

Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows before Elena continued, "Katherine didn't lie...Paulina is alive."

"What?"

"I saw her and Elijah today, Charlotte."

✵ ✵ ✵