𝟓𝟎

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

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘━═☆

The fear of isolation was one denied by many. It was dangerous, trapping, and heartbreaking. It could only hurt when you are trapped in your own mind. Actually, it could kill.

Serena down her stairs, rubbing the back of her head. It was almost six in the morning before she stopped at the last two stairs, hearing shuffling from the kitchen. She held her breath, retreating upstairs with steady steps.

She was beyond scared. It couldn't have been Damon, he never hangs around the house, he just comes to wake her up and annoy her in peaceful mornings. She sent Ginger back to the adoption center months ago and Charlotte...she wouldn't come back.

Serena tiptoed to her bedroom. She picked up her phone from the nightstand and dialed Damon's number quickly before she heard footsteps on the staircase.

The brunette's breath was held in her throat before her phone stopped ringing and Damon, presumably, answered, "Damon...I think there's someone in my house."

"What? I can't hear you?"

She sucked in a deep breath, whispering, "There's someone in my house, Damon."

"Sorry...hold on?"

Serena shook her head, "Damon, I said—"

She stopped, hearing his voicemail, "Nope, still can't hear you. You want to know why? Because I'm not here right now. So leave a message at the beep!"

Serena pursed her lips together, hanging up before she picked up a hockey stick from under her bed, it didn't even belong to her but somehow she remembered it being there. She held it out as a form of defense before proceeding steadily out of her room.

The Bernard girl didn't even get to fight back when she felt someone's hand cover her mouth and suddenly she was struggling to breathe. Serena tried to push him—or her off of her but it was to no avail.

The brunette closed her eyes and the next time she opened them, she was screaming herself awake.

It was just a nightmare.

Serena tried to calm herself down, rubbing the sweat off her face with her hand before her eyes looked at the door. It was slightly open. Fear ran down her spine, she never leaves the door open.

But what if it wasn't just in her head?

✵ ✵ ✵

"Hey, hey, I have got you, you are okay," Paulina held Charlotte in her arms, rubbing her arm soothingly, "You are okay...Just sleep, it will be fine, Cherry."

She kept holding onto Charlotte until she fell asleep and Paulina sighed, resting her head on a pillow before looking at Rebekah who stood at the door. The Gilbert raised a finger in front of her mouth, asking the blonde to stay quiet before she slowly got off the bed and walked out of the room.

"She is unstable," Rebekah started, crossing her arms together.

Paulina massaged her temples with her hand, sitting down on the couch nearest to Charlotte's room, "She has been through a lot, Rebekah."

"All vampires have their phases."

"She is not all vampires," Paulina shook her head, looking up at the blonde, "She is Charlotte. The girl who already lives with so much guilt for becoming a vampire and now she has a reason to direct all this hate onto herself. I don't know how to help her without changing her."

Rebekah's lips parted, aiming for a reply before a scream rung through the house and both vampires ran into Charlotte's room. She was screaming and crying in her sleep. Paulina ran over to her, holding her up, "Charlotte! Wake up!"

"No! No, no, no, don't cross the street!" She screamed out as Paulina and Rebekah held her down, in a failing attempt to wake her up, "No! Cassie, no!"

"Charlotte, wake up!" Paulina called out, her hand tapping Charlotte's cheeks, "Charlotte, it's just a dream, wake up!"

The Bernard girl gasped awake as Paulina sighed in relief. Charlotte blinked back, using her knuckles to rub the tears off her face. She pulled herself up against the headboard, hugging her knees close to her chest.

The blonde Mikaelson uttered softly, "I can leave you two alone if you do not want me here."

Charlotte shook her head, biting her bottom lip, "I don't want to talk with anyone."

"Even me?"

She looked up, almost doubting her ears when she recognized the voice. It was Elena. She fidgeted with the ends of her sleeves, "Paulina let me in...I wanted to see you. I..uh, missed you."

The Gilbert vampire exchanged a look with Elena before she and Rebekah exited the room.

Elena rubbed her hands together, "I got you pancakes? For breakfast and all," The vampire frowned before Elena smiled, "I know it's usually your thing but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try to cook...for once."

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena barged into the Salvatore Boarding House, calling out, "Damon! Where the hell are you?! Eating off another girl or what?" She looked through the living rooms, scoffing out in frustration when she found him tied to a chair, a fireplace stoke in his chest with his ring on the floor.

"What the fuck happened to you?"

"Help now. Questions later?"

Serena nodded, pursing her lips together, "Yeah," She curled her hand around the iron stoker, hesitantly.

"Just pull the damn thing out, Serena!" He grunted out before stumbling back after removing it quickly, "Now the chains, please?"

The Bernard girl rubbed the back of her head, "Uhm...these are too complex for my camp girl skills, Damon."

"What?" He scoffed, shaking his head.

She shrugged her shoulders, replying, "They don't teach us how to untangle someone from kilos of chains at H.S.S.C.G."

The vampire attempted to untangle himself before pausing to ask, "At what?"

"Hot Sweet Summer Camp for Girls," Serena answered nonchalantly before her eyes fell on something that wasn't supposed to be on the floor, Damon's ring, "Oh, my God..."

She bent down to get it before the curtains, somehow, opened up. Panicking, Serena quickly pushed Damon's chair away from the sunlight, making him fall on his back before she sighed in relief, running to put the ring back on his finger.

"This the most awkward unusual heroic thing that I had ever done."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte took a bite from the pancakes Elena had made as the Gilbert girl raised her eyebrows, awaiting some sort of review. Charlotte almost gagged, asking, "Did you not add sugar?"

Elena shook her head, claiming, "No, I followed the recipe. 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar."

Charlotte forced herself to swallow the bite she had taken before stating, "I think you mistook the sugar for salt and salt for sugar."

"Oh, my God...it must taste horrible."

"No, no, no, it's amazing. It's lovely! I loved it so much," She lied through her teeth, reassuring Elena as she reluctantly smiled as if praising her, "You did a great job."

Elena chuckled, shaking her head, "You don't have to lie about that. I am the worst cook and I know it."

Charlotte coughed out, holding back a laugh, "Alright, okay."

"I am sorry," Elena sighed as the vampire looked up at her as if she was mad, "I should have talked to you yesterday—"

"Don't apologize," She cut her off, shaking her head, "I wouldn't have let you. I wasn't in the right state of mind and even now, I don't think I am."

"I want to help you, okay? You didn't mean any of what happened and it isn't your fault so I want to help you get better. Get back to who you are, who you have always been," Elena reached for Charlotte's hands, squeezing them in reassurance.

I think I killed that girl, too.

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena shook her head, turning to Damon when he started the car, "It wasn't just a dream, Damon. The door was open."

"Then you could have forgotten it?"

She gave him a look that said, really? "Damon, I have been sleeping in your house for the past three months. Tell me about once that my bedroom's door was open," She waited for his answer before he shrugged, "That's because it never happens! I can't sleep with the door open, alright? And there's only me in my house, so?"

"So maybe you should stop spending time alone in your house that contains memories of all the people that you have lost?" He suggested, turning to her.

Serena pursed her lips, "That's not it. I know there's something or someone behind this. There has to be."

Damon pulled up near Caroline and Bonnie in his car, "Greetings, blondie," He turned to Bonnie, "Witchy. I think you got your voodoo wires all crossed when you got rid of Vicki Donovan."

Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows together, "What do you mean, why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure I just got spit-roasted by Mason Lockwood's ghost."

"And I am 100% sure that someone was in my house today but it was like I couldn't see them," Serena added, avoiding Damon's glance, "With what happened with Damon it can't be a coincidence."

"And why would you think it's Mason?" Caroline asked Damon, folding her arms together.

Damon shrugged his shoulders, recalling, "Maybe because he chained me to a chair and shoved a hot poker in my chest. Let's just say I'm having déjà vu."

Caroline looked at Bonnie, knitting her eyebrows in confusion, "I thought you said that ghosts couldn't physically interact with people."

"They can't."

Serena raised an eyebrow, "Or couldn't?"

The Salvatore rolled his eyes, instructing, "Yeah, well, I don't have time for a vengeful Lockwood. When I kill someone, they're supposed to stay dead. Whatever you screwed up, fix it," He drove away fast with his tires squealing as Serena waved back at Caroline and Bonnie.

✵ ✵ ✵

Elena managed to convince Charlotte to get out of the house and try to enjoy the Night of Illuminations, "It will be fine. Trust me, just try to let your old life back in."

"I tried that yesterday then your boyfriend tested my control over blood and everything just went crumbling to the ground," Charlotte said, folding her arms over her chest.

Elena nodded, sighing, "It will get easier. Trust me, it will."

"How?" She asked, raising her eyebrows, "How does one kill people and find a way to live with themselves after that? How do they do it?"

Elena came to a halt, standing in front of Charlotte, "I don't know. I honestly don't know because everyone has a different personality, morals...different everything. But Charlotte you hate what you did, you regret it and that's good. That makes you better. It makes all of this worth it, you don't go around killing people and enjoying it. You just have to turn the guilt into a lesson, not lifetime imprisonment in your mind."

"I hate the way I am so much, Elena," Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut, stating, "Every ounce of self-love I had for myself... it's gone."

"You will just have to fall for yourself all over again," She shrugged her shoulders, smiling in reassurance, "I can help, if you want. I love how selfless you are. I love that you are the only one that really gets me. I love your honesty. I love your long maths lectures—" Elena paused when Charlotte chuckled, shaking her head, "I could keep going?"

Charlotte gave her a small smile, leaning over to hug her, "Thank you."

"Anytime."

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena had asked Damon to drop her off at one of her friend's house to get some homework she missed. She did get the notebook she needed before leaving. Serena intended to walk back home before furrowing her eyebrows together.

The brunette looked around herself and across the street, getting the sudden feeling that somebody was watching her. What pushed the paranoid itching feeling to the next level was how empty the streets were. It was mildly unusual in her friend's neighborhood.

"It's all in my head," She told herself, continuing to walk forward.

"Serena," She heard her name before shaking her head, continuing to walk forward, "Serena, I am real. Look at me."

She sucked in a deep breath, turning around. The brunette dropped her notebook to the ground as she gasped out, "Nana Izzie...How, how are you here...How is this possible? You are human."

"No, no, we are not, dear."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte had left Elena a few minutes ago to get a corndog. She was walking with her hands in her pockets with a smile on her face as she took in a deep breath, letting go of her problems for one split second.

Then, a problem popped up, saying, "Ah, what a day to be hanging out and enjoying the sun."

Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, keeping a smile, now reluctant, on her face, "I am not your girlfriend, nor your friend, and definitely not someone who wants to see you. Just go annoy someone else."

"You hurt my feelings," He faked a pout as she raised her eyebrows in amusement, "Oh, wait— I have none."

She nodded to herself with a small shrug, "Yeah, I have been there. Sucks to be you," Charlotte crossed her arms together, asking, "Wasn't it you who also told me that shutting off one's humanity is a wall. It does nothing and eventually, everything falls apart?"

Stefan chuckled, mocking out, "I didn't shut it off because I am scared of being a bloodsucking monster. I am not you, Charlotte."

"No, no, you are not," She agreed, her hands hanging at her sides, "Which is why I hope that when you turn it back on, it won't hit you like a train and you will be able to forgive yourself."

"That was heartwarming...heartwarmingly pathetic—"

He was cut off by a sweet voice, claiming, "Really? Give her some points. She did good enough, it was inspiring."

Stefan frowned as Charlotte raised her eyebrows in confusion. He turned around to find none other than Lexi Branson standing behind him, "Lexi!"

"Hi!" The blonde greeted, smiling ever so casually.

"You're dead."

"Well, technically, so are the two of you," She shrugged her shoulders, replying before turning to Charlotte, "So nice to finally meet you, by the way."

Charlotte smiled nervously as Stefan asked, "Then how the hell can I see..."

She cut him off, raising her eyebrows, "See me? Yeah, I have no idea. And I have no idea how long it's going to last, so let's get right to the point," Lexi stated, sighing exasperatedly, "You're off the rails. Big time."

"Look, I don't know how you're here, but you need to leave me alone, okay?" Charlotte was confused. Stefan looked mildly shaken by that blonde woman. He started to move away even.

Lexi grabbed his arm, stopping him, "Now what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't help you out of this mess you're in?"

Stefan shook his head, "I don't want your help."

The brunette almost chuckled at the irony of that moment. It was as if she could see herself in Stefan and Paulina in Lexi about two weeks ago as Lexi reminded Stefan, "You know, you say that every time," She paused, mimicking, "I don't want your help. I don't want to get better. Leave me alone."

Stefan said, shrugging his shoulders, "Well, maybe you should listen this time."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, taking a chance, "Or maybe we should do this," She slammed his head against a car window before he fell to the ground, unconscious.

She looked up at Lexi, "Hi...nice to meet you, I guess."

"I already love you."

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena was still very much in shock. She couldn't process anything, letting her supposedly dead grandmother take her back to their home. They were sitting in the dining room when she started, "I don't know how much time I have here, darling. So I will try to be quick."

"And descriptive," Serena added, scoffing out, "I mean what the hell do you mean by we are not human? If I was anything but that I would have known by now. I am surrounded by supernatural creatures, Nana."

"And that's wrong, dear," Izadora shook her head but her face didn't show the usual disapproving glare. It was just a deep concern for her last living granddaughter, "You call them your friends but they are anything but that."

Serena shook her head, correcting her, "They are my friends, Nana," She claimed, crossing her arms over the table, "You were wrong. They are not all bad."

"Like whom?" She asked, raising her eyebrows, "Like Charlotte? The girl who killed your sister?"

"No, like Damon," Serena said, shrugging her shoulders, "When Cassie died...I had so many bad thoughts that normally would never cross my head. I almost killed myself and if he wasn't there for me then I wouldn't be the mentally stable girl sitting in front of you now."

"Damon Salvatore?" Izadora scoffed out, shaking her head, "That vampire killed me."

Serena's face fell and her heart sunk to her stomach as her lips parted, "Uh...what? But you tripped, you tripped on the stairs..."

She reached out for her granddaughter's hands, shaking her head, "Darling, I have been living in this house since before your father was even born. Don't you think I would know every inch in here by heart? He snapped my neck and faked the reason for my death."

"Why...why would he?" Serena shook her head, feeling the tears form in her eyes. She refused to believe this. Damon became her best friend over the summer and he was one of the only people she relied on...she refused to lose him but he didn't exactly leave her a choice.

"Because I am a vampire hunter, one that got help from witches to make me stronger, live longer but it could only last so long...over time, it had some side-effects," Izadora said, looking down at her hands before looking up at Serena, "And you are a vampire hunter, too. It's in our blood, sweetheart."

"I...don't want to do that," She shook her head, blinking back, "I don't want to hear any of this...I don't even want to be here..."

"Serena—"

"No, no, no, stop," She placed over her mouth, holding her tears back, "I can't take this...just leave. Please leave me alone."

"I just want to help you. Show you the true colors of those you call your friends."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte and Lexi dragged Stefan's unconscious body to the city jail where they tied him to a chair based in the center of one of the cells. It was the perfect place for Lexi to work on getting Stefan's humanity back without being interrupted by unwanted visitors.

Charlotte called Elena the moment the two had restrained Stefan and she wasted no time hurrying to meet him.

Elena, knowing what Stefan had started with Charlotte just a day before, walked straight to Charlotte, asking, "Are you okay? Did he say anything?"

"I am fine, Elena, don't worry," She assured her, rubbing her arm in reassurance before Lexi walked into the cell and the brunettes followed her in tow.

"Klaus really did a number on him, huh?" She asked, looking over at him.

Elena nodded, stating, "He compelled him to turn off his humanity."

"Well, we're just going to have to convince him to turn it back on," Lexi said, turning to take confirmation from both girls, "I have to warn you, it's not going to be pretty."

Elena and Charlotte exchanged a look before the latter spoke up, "We can handle it."

Lexi kicked Stefan's leg, singing out, "Wake up, sleepyhead," He opened his eyelids, looking up at her before she asked, "How you feelin'?"

He looked at the chair and the chains and struggled with the restraints, "What is this? Let me out of here!"

"Shh. Inside voices, please," Lexi smiled, ordering with her hand raised in front of his face, "I'm trying to get inside your head."

"Elena, Charlotte, Get rid of her, please!" Stefan looked at the two brunettes standing at the end of the room, begging.

"No," Elena responded simply.

Charlotte sighed, claiming, "We are going to pull you back Stefan, real you. So I could back to having only a few reasons as to why I don't like you," She crossed her arms over her chest when he made eye contact with her, not even flinching.

"First step, drying him out. Starve away the blood lust. Strip away the temptation."

Stefan chuckled, shaking his head at Lexi, "This isn't going to work, Lexi. You can't do this."

"You heard the not pretty part?" Lexi turned to them, stressing over her last warning.

Charlotte nodded, "We are not leaving."

The blonde sent her smile, "I know you won't."

Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion before Lexi leaned in front of Stefan, looking him in the eyes. He asked, panicking, "What are you doing?"

He suddenly started growling in pain. His arms and hands start to desiccate, or at least that was what he felt like, "What are you doing, Lexi?!"

"Doing what I do best, sweetness. I'm saving your life," Lexi smirked, answering.

Stefan's screams of agony rang through the city jail. It was hard to concentrate on anything but them. Charlotte couldn't not flinch or wince every time he let out a scream but she had to remind herself that it was for his own good. He was sweating, grunting out, "I'm starving! I'm starving! I'm starving! Let me out! Let me out. Please let me out!"

Elena gasped out, not taking her eyes off Stefan, "What's happening?"

"He's hallucinating. That's three months without any blood," Lexi explained, taunting Stefan's mind. She knew they didn't have enough time. She had to starve him to break through, "Now he's at nine months."

"Two years," Charlotte's heart skipped a beat, "Five."

"Did I ever tell you how glad I am that you're dead?" Stefan's jaw clenched before he spat out between loud grunts of utter pain.

Lexi smiled, knowing he didn't mean any of that, "Oh. I missed you, too, friend."

Elena began shifting her weight from one foot to another beside Charlotte as she raised her hands to her ears to block out the sound of Stefan's cries. "...I can't do this, I need to go," She eventually ran out of the cell, leaving Lexi and Charlotte with Stefan.

Charlotte could see things from Elena's point of view and she didn't blame her. She just wondered how she, herself, was still standing there, waiting for Lexi to break through Stefan by starving him. Even though the fear of starvation was her greatest after spending 145 years starving underground.

Sweat was all over Stefan's head as he turned to Charlotte, begging, "Charlotte, Charlotte. I'm hurting. Please help me."

"Don't listen," Lexi turned to her, stressing over, "Shut him out."

Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, folding her arms together when Stefan continued, "I'll do anything. I'll change. I promise."

"It's a lie," The blonde claimed, adding, "He'll say anything right now."

Stefan looked at her apologetically— made up fake apologetic face, "Char, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Just make it stop. Please, just make it stop."

"We are not stopping until you turn it back, Stefan. So, don't waste your time," She said, watching as every glimmer of hope was lost when he opened his mouth again.

"You know what? I don't want your help, anyway. I wish I'd never met you. Every single moment that I've spent with you has been a complete and total waste!" He viciously growled out, "You are weak and you have always been. You are the last person that can help me."

Charlotte blinked back as Lexi explained, noticing her emotion, "You see that? That's the ripper talking," She instructed, looking over at him, "Once he's weak enough, you have to cause him pain. Make him feel things. Anger, rage, anything. You have to make him see past the blood," She drove a stake through his body then pulled it out, "Think of it as a regimen. Day in and day out. Like running the treadmill. Like making coffee. Until he's ready to be saved."

Stefan growled out, "I will rip you apart, Lexi!"

"You can't. I'm already dead!" Lexi smirked in retaliation before driving a stake through his body again, harder that time as Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut, cutting out his screams.

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena sunk to her floor, holding her head in her hands with her knees against her chest. She didn't know how to feel. Everything was going wrong. It was like the world gave her a few glimpses of happiness before hitting her harder than the last time.

She was happy, her dad, mom, grandmother, and sister were alive. Then her dad died and her mom left them. Then her grandmother died and they got Charlotte. Then Cassie died...at the hands of none other than Charlotte, herself.

And there was Damon...She trusted him but then she discovered that he killed her grandmother.

Serena shook her head, sobbing out, "Why...why does this have to happen?" She kicked down one of the decoration statuses, screaming out, "Just why?!"

Her phone rang beside her and she looked down reading his name. Serena shook her head at herself, pursing her lips together before sitting down on the couch.

"They are all liars...Everybody lies."

✵ ✵ ✵

Lexi didn't have much time left before Bonnie sent all of the ghosts back to the Other Side. Charlotte and Lexi left Elena to speak with Stefan, knowing she could have better luck breaking through to him, while they wandered back up into the dark empty street of downtown Mystic Falls.

"He has told me so much about you," Lexi said, looking over at Charlotte who smiled nervously, "So much that it feels like I am standing in front of a celebrity."

Charlotte nodded, crossing her arms, "I bet that was before Elena. He really loves her."

"Yeah," The blonde nodded before claiming, "Not as much as he loves you."

"That's...over now. Has been for 145 years."

Lexi smiled, raising her eyebrows at the brunette, "You really think that, Charlotte?" She sighed when the Bernard nodded, "I have been watching over you and Stefan. There's not much to do on the Other Side, you know."

"He will come back to you, sooner or later," She insisted, smiling over at the petite brunette, "That kind of love never dies."

"I don't know what you are talking—" Charlotte paused when Lexi disappeared. She looked around herself but Lexi was gone, "...about."

✵ ✵ ✵