𝟕𝟓

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

uh, some tissues? just in case.

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄━═☆

"Wake up, it's your birthday!" Charlotte rolled over, shutting her alarm off.

Not the time. Definitely not the time to turn 19 in her own eyes or in other words, 163 years old. Yet to everyone, she would still look the same 17-year-old Charlotte Bernard. Not a day past that. The blessing and the curse of being a vampire.

She took the bed covers off, stepping out of bed. Lina and Angie were out of town last time she checked, some old business with Angie, and Lina tagged along because she had nothing better to do so even if Charlotte wanted to celebrate the day, it wouldn't work.

She swung her bedroom door open, jumping up in surprise when a balloon popped out, "Happy Birthday!"

Charlotte shoved the two inside her room, shushing them before quietly closing her door and pulling in the bunch of balloons they brought with them.

"Way to blow off my excitement, Charlotte," Lina folded her arms together, huffing out.

Angelina raised an eyebrow, "What happened? We left you in a better mood."

The Bernard girl picked up all the balloons and shoved them way back in her closet, hiding any trace of what had just happened as she answered, "Right now is really not the right time to celebrate."

"Who cares? There is never a right time for anything!"

Charlotte shook her head at Lina, claiming, "Well, now would be very bad timing. Kol compelled Damon to kill Jeremy and now we have Damon locked downstairs which means soon enough, Kol will strike again."

Angelina raised her eyebrows, questioning, "Who is Jeremy and how is his death a problem?"

Lina shrugged, answering nonchalantly, "He is Elena's little brother, very annoying but nothing compared to our doppelganger friend and no one would miss him."

"I would," Charlotte responded almost immediately before dismissing it and pulling out something to wear, "But that doesn't matter because he is not dying. Okay, we have this under control. All I need is your support."

The Gilbert and the Forbes vampires exchanged looks as the Bernard girl pulled up her skirt, "And please, no mention of...," She trailed off, pointing at the balloons in her closet, "...this."

"But it's your first vampire birthday with me—"

Charlotte interjected, pulling the blonde vampire into a hug, "I know, and trust me, I appreciate this. I appreciate the two of you being here and remembering it," She pulled back, looking at the two of them, "But I don't have time to do this today, not when it kind of feels like the end of the world."

Lina sighed, dropping her purse at the bed, "Fine, how could we be of help?"

"Just one second," Charlotte said before greeting her niece on the phone, "Serena, hi," Rolling her eyes, she continued, "Yes, I know it's early but listen to me. You stay inside, okay?"

"What the...There is a dance today."

"You do realize that there is no one other than you and Jeremy who walks around with the map to the cure, right? And that one more vampire kill and you lose control over your conscious and kill every vampire you know?"

She could practically see her niece huffing out before replying, "I can see your point, yeah."

"Great, awesome conversation."

Charlotte hung up, turning to her friends, "Okay, how could you be of help? Babysitter duty."

"For Damon?" Lina's ears perked up, grinning.

The Bernard vampire shook her head, "As fun as that would be for you, no, for Serena. I don't trust that she will stay inside long enough."

"What about the whole 'kill every vampire she knows' thing," Angelina questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, don't worry. If she doesn't kill any more vampires, she is completely safe to be around," Charlotte assured her before pouring some blood from a blood bag into a small plastic vial, "I gotta go give Damon his breakfast."

She walked outside past the two as the Forbes rubbed the back of her neck, murmuring, "I am completely lost right now."

Paulina rested an arm around her friend's shoulders, replying, "It's this whole vampire hunter thing. I will catch you up on the way to Serena's. You have so much to learn, hun."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte descended the steps to the cellar, whistling to herself before greeting Damon, "Good morning, feeling any better?"

"You coming to snap my neck again? Because I woke up feeling completely un-murderous," He stated, groaning as he looked up to see her, "And I'm pretty sure that it's safe to set me free."

She unlocked the door and bent down to hand him the vial of blood, "Happy breakfast."

Damon looked at the vial she gave him, "Seriously?" She shrugged her shoulders, "You bled me dry. At least spring for a bag or something. I'm thirsty."

"And risk you attacking poor me? I don't think so," Charlotte responded, pursing her lips together, "I did, however, get you a water bottle."

"Not what I had in mind."

She smiled, "Well, work with it."

Charlotte looked up, hearing footsteps nearing the door before Stefan walked in, "I thought I told you to just leave it at the door."

She rose to her feet, replying, "He is not going to get past me. I am the one who caught him, you know."

"And you are not letting anyone forget it," The older Salvatore groaned out, rolling over to lay on his back, "Hello, Stefan. Still mad?"

Stefan didn't get a chance to reply as another greeting came in, "Hello, mate," Klaus walked in, making Charlotte turn to Stefan for a much-needed explanation.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Damon questioned.

Klaus smiled, answering, "Babysitting."

"Oh."

"I thought I was on babysitter duty?" Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows together.

"Give him a vial of blood every couple of hours, so he doesn't desiccate," Stefan handed two vials of blood to Klaus, "If he gets too much strength back, or if he just annoys you, bleed him out again."

"Hey!" Charlotte waved her hand in front of Stefan's face, "What happened to me being on babysitter duty?"

"Seems like someone is doubting your abilities," Klaus commented, smirking to himself as Charlotte scowled.

Damon chuckled, looking at his brother and Charlotte before addressing Klaus, "He is still pissed at her for screwing you."

"You sure about that?" The Mikaelson raised an eyebrow as he revealed, "'Cause I saw him trying to sneak out of Rebekah's bed this morning, which would suggest to me that he's moved on."

Charlotte's eyes widened, "Wow."

Stefan sighed, walking out of the cellar as the brunette followed him out, "Hey, I am trying to talk to you. Would you stop acting like a three-year-old and listen to me?"

He paused, turning around suddenly that she almost pumped into his chest. She inhaled sharply, stepping back, "Thank you."

"Why is Klaus here?"

"He is supposed to watch Damon while I get the dagger off Rebekah so we can put Kol down," Stefan answered her, adding, "And I didn't tell you that you were on babysitter duty. I said we."

"Because you think he can get away with me on guard, right?" Charlotte stated more than questioned.

"That's not what I said."

"It is what you intended."

His lips parted, about to disagree, about to defend himself, about to tell her that he doesn't think she is that weak but all he did was clamp his mouth shut and walk upstairs as she called after him again, "Wait."

Stefan stopped but didn't turn to face her as she inquired, "About Kol...Klaus is not going to put him down forever, is he?"

"You can ask him that yourself."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte tapped her nails on the kitchen's island as she read Serena's text, I AM OLD ENOUGH TO NOT NEED A BABYSITTER.

She chuckled to herself, typing, They are just there to keep you company, Rena.

Lina specifically said she hates being a babysitter to girls my age. She read her niece's reply, shaking her head. It did sound like something the Gilbert would say. Charlotte sighed, sliding her phone in her skirt's back pocket. She grabbed a pack of chips to keep her hands busy before heading back to the cellar.

"I see the two of you are getting along," Charlotte commented when she saw Damon had gotten out of bed and was actually taking part in a conversation, "What are we talking about?"

"We are not talking about anything," He pointed from himself to her before laying back in bed.

She scoffed out, "You can't be that mad because I shot you, I mean...some part of you must be a little proud. You didn't see it coming, huh?"

"I didn't think you would be dumb enough to trade places with someone about to die," Damon said as she shrugged to herself, making him restate, "Actually, that sounds just like you."

Charlotte nodded before addressing Klaus, "Ehm, can I..uh, speak to you for a minute outside?"

"Go ahead," He said, motioning for her to lead the way outside and she did.

Charlotte stopped after they were in the hallway and turned around to face the Mikaelson, "I have a nagging question."

"Well, it doesn't seem like you are waiting for approval to ask," He remarked as she furrowed her eyebrows together, "What is your nagging question, Charlotte?"

"When you mean...dagger him for a while...," Charlotte trailed off, worry evident in her brown doe eyes, "How long is that 'while' you are intending?"

"You are worried about him," Klaus realized, stating.

She didn't make any move to deny or confirm that as she asked again, "How long?"

"Long enough to get the cure," The hybrid answered as she sighed in relief, he added, "And to teach him a lesson."

"What?"

Klaus shrugged his shoulders, continuing, "It's family matters, don't worry yourself."

"But he spent years in that box. Years—"

He cut her off, "All well deserved."

"No one deserves to be paralyzed and locked up as time passes by them, no matter what mistake they make," She shook her head at him, "Do you even care about any of them? Kol? Rebekah? Or are they just the things you use from time to time and put away when they cease to be of importance to you?"

"You have no right to speak to me like that!"

"You have no right to treat them like that. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you have to do it," Charlotte said, pointing her finger at his chest, "You know, a good brother would have gotten rid of those daggers when he knew something like this can hurt his siblings. Not treat them as weapons against his own family."

He looked down at her and she raised an eyebrow, waiting for a reply. She knew he was going to disagree. Yell, do anything to prove himself right but all he did was shrug indifferently, "Well, looks like me not being a good brother does have its advantages, huh. How else would we put down Kol..."

Charlotte walked back downstairs without saying a word.

✵ ✵ ✵

That was not how Charlotte wanted to spend her birthday. She didn't have anything planned but right then, anything would top being around a grumpy bitter Damon and Klaus Mikaelson, in whatever mood he was in.

She called Stefan again, in hopes of knowing if there were any updates about the dagger quest and yet again, he didn't answer.

She was about to drop her phone on the couch upstairs before her phone buzzed in her hands and she answered quickly before checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hello, darling."

She recognized his voice immediately, "Kol."

"I am on my way to see the Gilberts, thought I should let know we might be discussing a truce," Kol sighed, chuckling, "They don't really think I am going to fall for that, do they?"

"Kol," Charlotte took in a deep breath, walking out of the Boarding House so Klaus wouldn't be able to hear her, "You need to listen to me. We can work this out. No one has to get hurt. Not Jeremy, not Elena, not you."

"So they think they can hurt me? I could just rip off his arms and all of this cure quest will be a bad story for future Gilbert generations."

"No, Kol, please don't," Charlotte pleaded, holding her breath, "I know you are doing what you think is right. I understand that, I do. But please don't hurt him. He is the closest thing I have to my niece and I am not talking about Serena. Keeping him safe, doing right by him...It's the only form of closure I have."

"It's the only apology I could give him," She ran her hand over her forehead, letting out, "He lost everyone, Kol. Parents, aunt, uncle, Alaric...His life got turned upside down because of people like me. I owe it to him to bring his life back to normal."

She nearly sobbed out, "I owe it to him to make sure he makes it past high school as a functional teenager with both arms."

"So, I am begging you...If you ever cared about me, don't hurt him."

Charlotte sighed, waiting for his reply as he said, "You know I care about you."

"Well, in that case...I need you to know that if something happens to Jeremy tonight because of you, I will never forgive you."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte kept calling Stefan but to no avail and moved on to calling Elena who after a few tries finally answered, "What is happening? Why is no one answering their phones and what shady thing are you guys planning?"

"Kol just left."

The brunette vampire furrowed her eyebrows together, "Left? As in...he came, discussed a truce and just left?" That didn't sound like him. He wouldn't have suddenly turned civilized overnight. Would he?

"I was supposed to stall and now he is gone," Elena said, sighing exsaperatedly.

"Why are you stalling now?" Charlotte questioned, "They didn't find the dagger yet, right? And Klaus is still here, Matt won't be enough to dagger Kol."

"I...uh, was just stalling for Jeremy to get Bonnie, we need her for something—"

Charlotte cut her off, "Okay, none of this makes sense. I am coming over to your house."

"No! Don't come!" Elena immediately said before adding, "You need to keep watching Damon."

"It's okay, Klaus is here," She dismissed that, indifferently.

"And now we suddenly trust Klaus?"

"Okay, what the hell is going on? I am confused and you just keep—"

She interjected once again, "I am sorry, I need to go but you keep watching Damon."

Charlotte blinked, realizing that Elena had just hung up on her. She walked back inside and into the cellar. Klaus questioned eventually as he pulled out his phone, "Any updates?"

She shook her head, "Nothing about the dagger."

He exhaled sharply, addressing Damon, "Your brother's lack of communication is infuriating."

"It's one of his trademarks, like his brooding and his hair."

Klaus rolled his eyes, "I don't understand what's taking so long. I mean, how hard is it to steal a dagger?"

"From Rebekah who has been stabbed in the back plenty of times, mostly by her beloved brother?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows, stating before exchanging a look with Damon as they both shrugged, "Pretty difficult."

Klaus sighed and tossed the Salvatore a vial of blood, "Sweet."

"God, this is such a horrible pass time," Charlotte commented, moving over to sit beside Damon.

"You don't like our company?"

"I am curious if even either of you likes their own company," She responded as the hybrid feigned hurt, pointing at his heart. Charlotte shook her head, "I am just regretting not running off with my friends to celebrate my birthday somewhere fun and not down here."

"Oh, right, it's Jan," Damon realized before claiming, "I would have gotten you something if I wasn't locked down here, you know. I always get the best gifts."

She scoffed, shaking her head, "Damon Salvatore, for the last time, allowing me to take your car for a few hours does not count as a birthday gift."

"It doesn't? But you had fun? You said you did."

"Yes, Damon," Charlotte patted his shoulder with a small smile gracing her pink lips, "I did have fun, thank you."

"It's your birthday?"

She shrugged to herself, looking up at the Mikaelson, "Unfortunate for me, huh."

He was about to respond before his phone rang and he answered, "Well, if it isn't the happy homicidal maniac."

Charlotte rose to her feet, catching on to who was on the phone, "Did you know that your darling former blood bag and her brother are trying to kill me?"

The brunette eyes widened as Klaus turned to her, his lips parting, "What?"

"Don't pretend like you're not in on it," Kol barked out, not falling for Klaus' cluelessness, "Your obsession to find the cure clearly trumps any sibling loyalty you once felt."

The blond hybrid replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm going to rip off Jeremy's arm and kill Elena just for sport," Kol stated and Charlotte picked that up as he finished before hanging up, "Then I'm coming for you."

Angry, Klaus moved over to grab Damon by the neck and shoved him against the wall, "What the hell's going on?"

"Klaus, put him down," Charlotte said, trying to pull him off of the Salvatore, "He doesn't know anything, neither of us does."

"What are Stefan and Elena planning?" He pushed for more answers.

"I don't know," Damon struggled to let out, "I've been stuck in the penalty box with you since yesterday. Stefan won't talk to me, and Elena won't come to see me, so maybe you're right. Maybe she's written me off."

Klaus compelled him, "Tell me what you know."

"I don't know anything about a plan."

"Stay here till I return."

Charlotte shook her head, following the hybrid outside, "Klaus, wait! I am coming with you!"

"You know something, don't you?"

She exhaled, raising her eyebrows, "You really think I would be asking you to shorten Kol's time in a box and planning his permanent death at the same time?"

"Your friends are not new to these acts."

"Neither are you," Charlotte replied bitterly, "I am not like you or them, in that department."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte arrived with Klaus at the Gilberts' House, the door was wide open. She was already invited in, plenty of times and was ready to get in and stop this madness from going on but looking ahead of her, her feet were paralyzed.

She watched Jeremy impale Kol with the white oak stake as the Original vampire screamed and burst into flames. Tears rushed to her eyes but she couldn't move. He continued to scream out in pain, staggering through the kitchen before falling to the floor, dead.

She couldn't scream at them to stop. She couldn't even take in what had just happened in front of her. Kol died. He burned to death in front of her eyes and she did nothing. Charlotte didn't do anything. Her friends killed him. Jeremy and Elena killed him while she just stood there.

Tears were rushing down her face but she couldn't pull her gaze away from his body that all that was left off was ashes then.

She could feel everyone moving, she could feel Klaus' pain as he screamed at the rest of them but she couldn't tear her eyes away and face everyone else.

He is dead.

Elena shook her body, trying to get her out of whatever it was, "Charlotte, look at me. Charlotte."

The brunette vampire blinked back, pulling her tear-stained reddening face to look at the doppelganger's guilt-stricken face. She looked down at Elena's hands on her arms and took them off of her before turning away from the door.

"Charlotte!" She called after her, "Charlotte, he was going to kill Jeremy! We had to!" Charlotte kept walking and passed the street before Elena moved over and grabbed her arm.

"No!" Charlotte yelled out, stepping away from the Gilbert, "No! I don't want to hear about you having to do it! I don't want to look at you and I don't want to understand. I just want you to leave me alone!"

"Charlotte...he tried to cut off his arms. My brother...Jeremy."

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut, "None of this would have happened if you hadn't invited him in," Charlotte nodded to herself, "You planned this all along, didn't you?"

"And you didn't tell me," She stated, tears falling down her face no matter how hard she tried to hold them back, "Because...oh, wait, let me answer that. You didn't want to hurt me."

"Right?"

"Charlotte—"

She interjected, raising her voice, "Am I right?"

"Yes...you are right."

The Bernard chuckled humorlessly, "Well, guess what?" She shrugged her shoulders, "I am hurt."

"I told you, I told you not to lie to me and you did...You promised no more but you went and did just that," Charlotte sniffled back, holding her breath, "And the worst thing is...I can't tell if it's your fault for being such a horrible friend and sister...or is it on me for trusting you over and over again."

She held back a strangled sob, "I honestly do not want to look at you again, Elena. So please, for God's sake, just go get your stupid cure and stay the hell away from me."

Charlotte finished, backing away from the Gilbert girl before vamp-speeding away.

✵ ✵ ✵

She let her legs carry her to Serena's. Where else would she have gone anyways? Sooner or later, someone was supposed to tell Lina the news so that it would go to Elijah as well. She stopped at Serena's porch looking over at the street.

Just a year ago, she was here in the middle of the street. Holding Cassie in her arms, begging her to open her eyes and be okay again, and just an hour ago, she stood at the door as Kol Mikaelson burned to death in front of her eyes.

She sighed, taking in a deep breath and moving over to knock on the door. A few moments passed by before Serena opened the door enthusiastically until she realized it was Charlotte, she called back inside, "No, it's not the ice cream."

She laughed to herself before looking at Charlotte's face, "Hey, are you okay? What happened?"

"Lina is still here, right?" Charlotte asked first thing, pulling herself together.

"Yeah, yeah, come on inside."

Lina was downing a glass of wine on the couch, laughing at some joke Angeline blurted out before spotting Charlotte. She immediately stood up and ran to the brunette, "Hey, hey, what is going on?"

Charlotte looked at her and shook her head as a sob escaped her throat, "I couldn't do anything. I promise I wanted to...I..," She trailed off, sobbing out as Lina held on to her, running a soothing hand over her back.

"It's okay, it's okay, just let it out."

"It's not okay," She broke down, yelling out, "I was there...Lina, I was there. I saw him...I heard him scream," She sobbed out, shaking her head continuously, "I should have done something but I—I saw him burn to death and I couldn't move... He is dead."

The Gilbert vampire pulled back, questioning, "Who? Who is dead?"

"Kol. Kol is dead."

✵ ✵ ✵