𝟓𝟓

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

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄━═☆

Charlotte was still getting through what happened the night before after knowing exactly what a panic attack means, she remembered that it wasn't the first time she had one. It just hurt less at the time.

Last night Charlotte had no idea what was going, she could feel her lungs closing in. The air wouldn't come in, or at least she convinced herself that it won't. She truly hated and feared confined spaces. Stefan knew that.

He, out of everyone around her, knew how scary it was for her to have to go through anything that was merely like the time she spent in the tomb. It appeared he just didn't care anymore which did disappoint her.

Charlotte wanted to believe in Stefan, that none of what was happening was his fault but he pushed her to a point where she could no longer feel sympathy for him. She didn't hate him, she just never wanted to be near him ever again. While she liked having him around her, she felt that standing in the same room as him after what had happened would make her develop negative feelings that she didn't want.

Bonnie, Elena, and Charlotte were in the Old Witch House as the witch sighed, "I've been having these dreams for days now. It's like the witches are trying to send me a message."

Elena let out a long breath, shaking her head, "I just can't believe that you guys kept this from me this whole time."

"We didn't want to keep it from you—I didn't want to," Charlotte responded, her hands falling at her sides.

Bonnie nodded, claiming, "Stefan thought, if you knew where the coffins were, Klaus could threaten people to get the information out of you."

"So, these are the rest of his family?"

"Yeah. Elijah and another," The witch said before pointing over, "This one...is the one we can't open. We don't know who is in it, or what's in it, only that I think my dream's telling me it'll help us kill Klaus."

Stefan walked in on them, raising his eyebrows as he spotted Elena, "What the hell are you doing?"

Bonnie sighed, stating, "I needed her to know about the coffin."

"And I needed you to keep her out of it, Bonnie."

"So what are you gonna do, Stefan?" Elena folded her arms together, raising her eyebrows as she asked, "Are you gonna kidnap me so that I won't tell anyone?"

"Don't tempt me, Elena," He retorted just as Charlotte scoffed out, shaking her head.

"I am out of here. I will wait outside for you two," Charlotte slung her bag over her shoulder, "I am sorry, girls but this...all of this—it's making me sick," She nodded towards both of her friends before walking out and past Stefan like he wasn't just standing there.

She really wished he could like...stop existing.

✵ ✵ ✵

A while later Bonnie and Elena were searching through a pile of driver license records for Bonnie's mother Abby. They were looking through the records of everyone who is named Abby Bennett as Charlotte came back to the dining table, placing a tray of cake in front of them.

"Thanks," Elena picked up a small part, smiling at the Bernard. She turned to Bonnie, showing her a record for a woman named Abby Bennett Wilson, "Los Alamitos?"

"Too old."

"Honolulu?"

"I wish," Bonnie shrugged, shaking her head before looking down at the pile, "How many of these are there?"

"A lot...like a whole lot," Charlotte pursed her lips together, looking down at them.

Elena nodded, stating, "I asked the sheriff's office to pull up every single Abby Bennett in the country."

"I know we haven't been able to really...that things had been weird, because of Jeremy, so, thank you for helping me with this," Bonnie let out a long deep breath before turning to Charlotte, "Both of you, I know you have a lot to deal with."

"There's nothing more important, Bonnie," Elena squeezed her friend's hand in reassurance.

Charlotte smiled, shrugging her shoulders, "Well...it's better than wallowing in bed all day."

The witch shook her head, smiling back at her nonetheless before she sighed, "It's surreal. Having to track down a woman, who bailed on her own kid."

"You know, you don't have to, right?" The Gilbert girl reminded her, claiming, "Let Stefan obsess over opening up the coffin. It doesn't have to fall on you."

"Nobody is making you do anything that you feel uncomfortable doing, Bonnie," Charlotte added, breathing out in frustration, "I mean, screw Stefan and his revenge schemes!"

Bonnie folded her arms over the table, raising her eyebrows, "What happened between you two?"

The brunette vampire exchanged a look with Elena before pursing her lips together, "He is an asshole who has no care in the world so if he wants me to not believe in him anymore or care about his wellbeing then fine! There could have been other ways to do that, though."

"I had a panic attack because of his messy plan to outvillain the villain and by the way, I didn't even know what a panic attack meant until then!" Charlotte hadn't realized how mad she truly was until then when Bonnie took in a deep breath and reached out, patting her shoulder.

"It's okay...you don't have to talk about him or this," She said, attempting to soothe her.

Charlotte shook her head, insisting, "Yeah, I do...so that the next time I want to help him, I can remind myself of that moment where I was traumatized, when I felt like couldn't breathe and it was all his fault."

Bonnie frowned, she had never seen Charlotte, in the amount of time she had known her, sound so...not Charlotte. It was different, not sure if it was a good kind or bad but Charlotte Bernard was surely changing.

The witch sighed, stating, "Anyways, the coffin is spell shut. That makes it a witch problem. So it does fall on me. I was bound to see my mother again sooner or later."

"Sooner," Damon entered the house, holding a manilla folder in his hand, "Abby Bennett Wilson, Monroe, North Carolina. Born in Mystic Falls Hospital, graduated at Mystic Falls High...blah blah blah," He handed Bonnie the folder and she opened it eagerly, looking at the driver's license record, "A little compulsion helps sped up the research process."

She confirmed, "This is her."

"Yep. Road trip. I call shotgun."

Elena rose to her feet, shaking her head at him, "Yeah, no."

He raised his eyebrows, asking, "Want me to hang out in the back with you?" Damon had ruffled Charlotte's hair, claiming, "This one always beats me to the passenger seat."

The Bernard rolled her eyes at him, swatting his hand away as she tried to straighten her hair and Elena stated, "You're not coming, Damon."

"Why? I'm the one who found her."

"Okay, Damon," The doppelganger crossed her arms over her chest, trying to find an easy way to approach this, "Look. Bonnie hasn't seen her mom in over fifteen years. We don't need your snarky commentary narrating the experience."

The two of them looked at each other for a long time as Charlotte glanced at them, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, "What's going on with you two?"

"We kissed. Now it's weird," Damon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, answering, "Have a great trip," He excused himself, walking out the door as the two brunettes turned to look at Elena.

"What?"

"I can explain..."

Charlotte ran a hand over her forehead as she asked her friend, "So what you two like each other now? Are you like...a thing?"

"No, we are not," Elena shook her head, sitting back down.

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders, agreeing with Charlotte's assumption, "People who have a...thing kind of kiss each other..."

"It was just once," She pursed her lips together, sighing.

The brunette vampire raised an eyebrow, popping up the important question, "Do you regret it?"

Elena had really hoped she won't ask that. She didn't want to lie to Charlotte of all people, and when the Bernard told her how Stefan would be destroyed if he knew about this, she did think it over but it was too late to pretend nothing happened.

"Yes? No...I don't know."

Charlotte chuckled humorlessly, shaking her head, "That's not an answer and you know it."

"I just...I need a break from all of this. From Damon, Stefan...everything."

The three brunettes calmed down for a few minutes. The atmosphere kind of eerie before Charlotte spoke up, "Anyone wants tea? I bought this tea, it makes me so calm and keeps me refreshed."

Bonnie smiled at the random cut in through the tension before looking back at her mother's file.

A knock on the Gilbert's door broke the silence once again as Elena rose to her feet and opened the door. Coming back a few seconds and walking straight up to Charlotte, "Someone wants to see you."

"Me?"

"Mhm."

Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows together before getting up and walking to the door. She opened it once again, finding none other than Paulina Gilbert outside, rubbing her palms together.

She looked up when Charlotte finally opened the door, greeting, "Hi..."

"Hi."

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena finished cleaning her bedroom and her sister's, closing the door after she was done. Ever since Cassie died, her room was always clean. Nothing was touched and she made sure no one entered that room when in the house like it would set it on fire or something.

She knew it wasn't the best coping method to pretend like Cassie never left even when it is what it is but it just gave her some calm in that short time.

Serena was placing the mop and broom in their cupboard, turning to see her mother packing her stuff, "Back to Canada already?"

"I...got promoted for a pretty good position," Coralie revealed, sighing, "I didn't ask him to take anything from you..."

"I know," Her daughter nodded, folding her arms together, "You still did let your new husband into my dad's house. My dead dad's house. He might have been okay with that but I, I find it very disrespectful to his memory."

Coralie sat down, running a hand over her face as Serena shrugged her shoulders, forcing a chuckle to escape her lips, "But why would you care, right? You never loved any of us—"

Her mother interjected, explaining, "I do love you! I loved your sister and I loved your father. I had to leave to build another life for myself when this one was crumbling down...I had to be happy and I had to try another time."

"Right, you had to be happy," Serena folded her arms together, shaking her head. It wasn't surprising at this point, "Maybe you did love us, Cora. You just loved yourself far more than us. I don't blame you...it could have been the way you were raised but I refuse you to let that be a possible chance of what I might become."

She turned around, making her way out of the room before her mother called out, "Serena, can you come with me? I need you...I have never needed you more. I am alone and...I don't know how to live like that."

The brunette shrugged her shoulders, responding, "I have gotten used to it. You can adjust."

✵ ✵ ✵

"I would like a black coffee," Paulina ordered, crossing her arms over the table from where she was seating with Charlotte at the Mystic Grill, "And she would have a...chocolate milkshake?"

Charlotte nodded, confirming, "Yeah, thanks, Dan."

"Right up, Charlotte."

The waiter walked away as Paulina asked suggestively, "Friends?"

"He is my class partner in English, rough life at home so he needs the job but he is a really good writer and it won't take him long to write a New York's best-seller," Charlotte smiled, sharing with her friend. Paulina nodded at her enthusiasm. Charlotte always loved speaking about people's successes like a proud mother even though, she wasn't.

"Huh, sounds like a bright future."

"Oh, very bright."

Paulina took in a deep breath, "I am sorry about last night. If Klaus had listened to Stefan then he wouldn't have done what he did...I am sorry for dragging you into this. I never meant for you to get hurt."

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders, "A little late for that. I guess I signed up for this, somehow."

"You didn't know what you were getting yourself into."

"It wouldn't have mattered," She replied, sighing as she rubbed the back of her neck subconsciously, "I mean at the time...I would have left either way even if I knew how it would turn out. Teenage love, huh?"

The Gilbert vampire clasped her hands together, her eyes laying on her engagement that she had never taken off before she spoke up, "I would have normally killed Stefan after something like that—" She paused, taking a look at Charlotte's unreadable expression, "I don't know any other way. It's just how I am."

"It's not how you were," She stated, trailing off as Dan came back with their drinks, smiling before he walked away.

Paulina chuckled softly, claiming, "Life as a vampire does that. It changes your perspectives," She wrapped her hands around her cup of coffee, "It's no lie that it amplifies the person you are but staying that way...keeping the innocence. That's your internal battle, I lost and I took it with grace."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows, "How could you be my best friend and sound like you have not changed at all...Then be that badass who scares everybody," She was curious as to how it worked while Paulina laughed at her choice of words.

"I spent my entire life looking for you. I fell in love because I chose to stay with Mikaelson and get help to find you," She shrugged her shoulders, answering, "That's how I have always kept going. You are my anchor, wanting to find you and make sure that you are safe and happy is my priority. It kept me grounded, holding on to little parts of me."

The Bernard had a soft smile on her face, listening to Paulina. It was rare to talk to her these days about a...happy theme. It was nice, a lot like the old days. Times were they didn't know of vampires, weren't ones, and had it easy, sort of.

"I wish I could help you have Elijah back, I do...but I don't know how without losing everybody that I care about's trust in me," Charlotte admitted, running her tongue over her bottom lip.

Paulina reached her hand forward, smiling as she squeezed Charlotte's hand in reassurance, "I understand and I am not asking you to."

"So...?"

"So be a teenager, live your life, go to school, get perfect grades," The Gilbert gave her an oddly familiar smile. She hadn't seen Paulina smile like that in forever.

"And don't even think about Stefan's problems, if he thinks it's okay to push you in the middle of it again then I am going to do something I should have done a century and a half ago."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, the smile still on her face, "Please tell me you won't kill him."

"Okay, I won't tell you but now you know," She smirked, taking a sip of her black coffee.

"Lina!"

"What? He deserves it."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte had gone back to Elena's house to get her clothes from last night. She slept in one of Elena's pajamas and changed in one of her outfits in the morning. The Bernard knew no one was inside so she bent down, taking the key from under the doormat.

Charlotte unlocked the door and walked in, straight upstairs with her bag on her shoulder. The brunette opened Elena's room and took her already folded clothes off the bed and as she made her way downstairs, she heard the door slam shut.

She continued walking downstairs with a frown on her face as she heard, "You're kidding me, right?"

Charlotte tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, listening to Elena's response on the phone, "No, Stefan, I'm not. We need a night off from your insanity."

"Klaus is getting antsy. He knows that I'm stalling. We need to move faster."

"Well, we're doing everything we can. So, could you maybe not call every five minutes?"

Charlotte walked downstairs finally, stopping to see that Stefan was holding Abby Bennett's driver's license record as he replied, "Sure, Elena. Whatever you say."

"Umm...this is not her."

Stefan turned, raising an eyebrow, "It just happens to be the only file on the table, right?"

"Yep, that is exactly what it is," She pursed her lips together, nodding.

"You are a bad liar, Charlotte, don't try," He rolled his eyes at her, making his way to the door as Charlotte followed him, biting her bottom lip. She really didn't want to do this but for Bonnie's sake, she kind of had to.

"Look, wait! I am coming!"

✵ ✵ ✵

It was a silent car ride. Charlotte wished the ground could just open up and swallow her whole for jumping into that car. It was for Bonnie's sake and Stefan was unpredictable, last night had proved just that. She wasn't accepting an apology, in fact, she silently thanked him for not speaking up.

Well, that was before her phone rang anyways.

Charlotte's eyes lit up, reading the caller's ID before she swiped her finger across the screen to answer, "Hey, Kol...haven't from you in a while."

"I could say the same," He chuckled and Charlotte smiled with a roll of her eyes before he continued either way, "It's been a hectic week with trying to wipe your ex off the map. What about you, what have you been doing?"

Charlotte gulped. That was certainly not what she had in mind when she answered the phone. She knew that saying things like that was normal for either Paulina or Kol but the trouble was, said 'ex' was with her in the same car. She didn't even need to look at him to know he had heard that.

The brunette sighed, replying, "Uh, school. Studying. Living my uneventful life."

"Doubt it's that uneventful," Kol said. She heard something snap in the background before he came back, "Lina filled me in about last night. Well, not the whole thing but it's fine if you don't want to talk about it."

"Yeah, it's not worth mentioning," Charlotte rubbed the back of her head, leaning her elbow on the window's frame, "Am I going to see you any soon? The Homecoming party was kind of ended on short notice."

"Oh, darling as soon as this melodrama blows over, I am all yours."

She had a smile on her face, hearing that. Charlotte didn't know what was it about Kol that just had her smiling all the time and feeling better, no matter what she was doing or where she was. Maybe it was just the first time she let herself go with the flow without worrying about what might happen or what anyone must think.

"Well, make it blow over faster than that."

She could hear his melodic laugh, a reply about to come out before the phone was snatched out of her hand. Charlotte gasped out, watching Stefan roll down his window and throw it out before rolling the glass up again.

"Are you crazy?—How could you just...do that!? I wanted that phone and I was speaking with someone unless of course, you are deaf," Charlotte huffed out, scowling as she looked at the Salvatore who continued driving ever so nonchalantly.

"Was that Klaus' brother? Kol?"

"Even if it was, that is none of your business," She reminded him, running a hand over her forehead, "Now, I am going to have to buy a new phone and stop by his place to apologize because you are crazy."

Stefan shrugged his shoulders, "I think he already knows I am."

"God, could you be more frustrating?!"

"He is Klaus' brother and you could do better."

"Better like who? You?" She scoffed out, asking before he took his eyes off the road and turned to face her. Charlotte held her breath, regretting that she spoke so mindlessly, "That didn't work out so well, did it?"

She finished, pursing her lips together before folding her arms over her chest and turning around to look outside her window.

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena high-fived her friend at the bar, stepping from behind the counter and taking a seat on a table to have lunch. The brunette was taking the foil off of her sandwich and just as she was about to take a bite, something knocked her soda off the table on her lap.

"What the hell?" She rose to her feet, looking at her jeans before quickly picking up tissues to clean it, "Watch where you are going, you idiot!"

The idiot turned around, raising his eyebrows, "Me? I didn't do anything."

"Except for ruining my lunch break, yeah sure."

He shrugged his shoulders, casually dismissing the matter off before he asked, "Hey...have you seen anything...unusual happen today?"

Serena tilted her head, pretending to think about it for a few seconds, "Oh, let me think. Unusual, I could swear I have seen something unusual today," She had her hand underneath her chin as he looked at her hopefully and she smiled, replying, "Your idiocy level. I mean we usually don't welcome that much of assholes...But oh, well, you live and see."

The black-haired boy rolled his eyes, "Look, you want a sorry? I will apologize. Just answer me. Anything unusual?" He asked desperately, "Yes or no?"

Serena huffed out, "If it will make you shut up, no. I haven't."

"Okay, great!" He nodded, shaking her hands in greeting, "I am Alec and you are? Wait, doesn't matter. Just, uh, go on with your...life? You know, do normal petty people things."

The idiot—or should she say, Alec said before making his way out of the Mystic Grill.

She watched in awe as he left before shaking her head, "Now that...was unusual."

✵ ✵ ✵

Stefan parked the car in front of Abby's house which happened to be in the middle of nowhere. He got out of the car as Charlotte followed in suit, "Look, I get it. You are mean and evil and that's like your new look...well, everybody changes. Point is, if you ruin this for Bonnie, I am going to make you hate your life."

At her threat, he turned around, raising his eyebrows, almost impressed. "And I know a few people who would love to help," She faked a smile tauntingly before walking past him just as Elena made her way out of the house.

"Hi, Elena. Nice lake house."

"I tried," Charlotte shrugged her shoulders when Elena turned to her.

Stefan shook his head, addressing the doppelganger, "So, what did you think, I wouldn't find out?"

Elena huffed out, "Honestly, I didn't care."

"This is exactly why I didn't want you in the loop, Elena."

She crossed her arms together, "Yeah, because now you can't do whatever you want."

"I think...I should leave you two alone," Charlotte started before Stefan kicked a chair and broke it in anger, "Or maybe not..."

Upon hearing the noise, Jamie stepped out, asking, "Hey! Everything all right out here?"

"Hey, Jamie, go back inside, okay?" Elena turned to him, hoping he would listen, "Please, trust me, it's better off for you there."

"I don't think so," Jamie shook his head, walking up to Stefan.

"Jamie, was it? Please...just get back upstairs," Charlotte felt bad for him, choosing to step in.

"I said, I don't think so."

Stefan grabbed his throat, pulling him up to compel him, "Go back upstairs, before I tear your damn throat out. Do you understand me?" He set him down and Jamie left the barn.

Charlotte scoffed out, folding her arms over her chest. That had nothing to do with her anymore. Stefan chose this path for himself, he should deal with it.

"I don't think you've realized how bad you've gotten!"

He sighed, claiming, "It's the way it has to be, Elena."

She tilted her head back, asking, "Oh, yeah, right. Out-villain the villain. I get it."

Jamie came back with a shotgun, "You're not supposed to be here, neither of you."

"Jamie, what are you doing?"

"What I was told," Jamie answered, his tone in monotone, "They are not supposed to be here."

"Elena, he's compelled..."

Charlotte screeched out in pain when he shot her leg before aiming at Stefan. He shot the Salvatore several times until he fell on the ground on his back. The Bernard involuntarily lost her balance and fell to the ground.

She could see Jamie rushing to tie Elena up. She tried to reach out and pull the bullet out of her leg, to get on her feet quickly and just as she did, Jamie had pulled her hands behind her, tying them with a vervained rope.

She bit her lip, holding back a scream when the vervain made contact with her skin. Surely she had been ingesting it but not as much as Stefan or Damon, neither was she that fast at building tolerances.

"Why are you doing this?"

Elena questioned him but he didn't answer as Charlotte took a look over at Stefan, groaning on the ground and writhing in pain, "Jamie, let me go. Jamie, he needs help!"

Charlotte and Elena, the only ones able to move their heads, turned around when Abby called him over, "Jamie!"

"Bonnie?" Elena saw Abby pulling an unconscious Bonnie near a car, "Bonnie!" Jamie ran to her while holding the shotgun and helped her load Bonnie into the back seat of the car.

✵ ✵ ✵

Jamie was walking to the barn. Elena was moving her hands up and down so the rope tying her was rubbing on the post she was tied to. Charlotte could hear it as she adjusted herself against the post to not feel the vervain burning her skin, "Keep trying. You have a better chance than me."

"I've almost got it," She tried to cut the rope with a nail on the post.

"Abby hasn't called yet."

"Jamie, please, just let us go," The doppelganger asked in an attempt to distract him.

Jamie cocked his gun, "No! Please don't do anything. Look, I don't know why I shot him, I don't know why I'm holding this gun, but if you move or do anything, I'ma shoot him again."

"Okay, I won't."

Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, asking, "Who gave you that gun?"

"A woman came by earlier today, she gave me a wooden buckshot and told me if anyone got in our way, I'm supposed to shoot him."

Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, connecting the dots. Paulina wasn't one to send people to do her work, most of the time. Sticking with her hunch, she asked, "What else did she say?"

"If Abby didn't find the location of some coffins, I'm supposed to shoot myself..."

"What about me? What did she say about me?"

"I'm not supposed to hurt you or her," Jamie answered, pointing over with his gun to Elena.

Good job, Char.

Charlotte put on her best act, furrowing her eyebrows together as pretending to groan out, "Are you sure? Because these vervain ropes are burning me...I could lose my hands?"

Jamie walked toward her, looking concerned that she almost felt bad for doing what she had to do. She bit her bottom lip as he proceeded to untighten the hold on her wrist. Suddenly, she released herself and smashed his head against the post she was tied against.

Charlotte was rushing over to untie Elena but she shook her head, "Help him first."

The Bernard shook her head before sitting down in front of him, asking, "What can I do to help?"

"Every time I move, the wood shifts inside of me. I can feel it scraping against my heart. You need to get the pieces out..."

She nodded and dug her fingers into his chest, pulling the first wooden bullet out as he screamed out. Charlotte was freaking out, not knowing what to do. She was trying to help and pull the pieces out but every time he screamed, she was even more scared to keep going.

"I'm just trying to help!"

Elena had managed to untie herself, during the time Charlotte pulled out the first two bullets and she rushed to help as he screeched out, "Just get it out, Charlotte, please. Just get it out."

"Keep screaming, maybe we will feel sorry for you," Elena said, trying to pull another bullet out.

"Oh, good. You are helping and I am going because...not to sound mean or anything but I wish the bullet actually gets inside his heart," She cleaned the blood off of her hand in his shirt.

"She didn't mean that...well, not entirely," Elena claimed just as Charlotte walked out of the barn.

"Even if she did, I get it."

Charlotte walked out of the barn and sighed, realizing that he was probably her only ride back, "God...why did I keep delaying driving lessons," She folded her arms, leaning back against his car as she waited for Elena to be done with this already.

A few minutes had passed since she left the barn before Stefan walked out, all emotion was gone from his face. She frowned, asking, "What happened?"

He opened his car door and Charlotte got inside, closing the door after her, "Stefan...what happened?"

"Elena kissed Damon," Stefan said as she bit the insides of her cheeks, not knowing what to say before he raised an eyebrow, "But you already knew that, right?"

"Right..."

It was silent for a while. Not a comfortable one or filled with tension. Neither knew what to say and Charlotte was debating getting out of the car and hitching a ride with Elena after they knew what the hell happened to Bonnie.

Her train of thoughts was cut off as Stefan admitted, "I shouldn't have locked you in that trunk. The car and that—that was too far."

"You knew...you knew more than anyone that I am not over it. I am not over what happened to me because I got involved with you but yet...you used that. You used me to get to Klaus and Lina," Charlotte said, inhaling sharply. Deep down she wanted to forgive him, it was in her nature but she couldn't, not this time.

"And I don't think I can get over that either..."

"I understand."

"Good," Charlotte nodded and turned around, sighing as he started the car.

✵ ✵ ✵