𝟕𝟔

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

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐗━═☆

Charlotte tried to remind herself that she was no stranger to death. She was no stranger to grief. It always hurt the same, no matter how many times she had been through it. She tried to tell herself that what happened to Kol wasn't her fault but that nagging voice in the back of her head always pressured...What if you had gotten there faster? What if you weren't suddenly glued to their porch and took an action?

All the What ifs were killing her. She can't turn back time. He is dead. It's over. Charlotte just wished she wasn't there to see it for herself because she couldn't close her eyes for two whole minutes since then.

Lina was in shock when the news hit her. The denial phase. The phase where she repeated to herself plenty of times that Jeremy and Elena couldn't pull something like that off and Kol wouldn't be weak enough to fall for it.

Charlotte pulled herself off the carpet after taking a look at Angelina and Serena, they fell asleep somewhere around five in the morning while trying to soothe her and Lina. It wasn't very effective.

She slowly closed the door after her before descending the stairs. Charlotte assumed. it was somewhere around ten in the morning by then.

"Trouble sleeping?" She asked when she spotted Lina sitting on the couch, staring at the television that wasn't even on.

"Didn't really try," Lina replied, tapping the empty space beside her for Charlotte to take a seat and the petite brunette complied, "I never thought I would say this...But I might as well miss him."

Charlotte exhaled sharply, running her tongue over her bottom lip, "I can't get it out of my head...Every time I close my eyes, I just...I see him. I see him screaming in pain as that fire consumes him," She shook her head at herself, "And I am just standing there."

"It was too late, you couldn't have done anything," The Gilbert turned to her, stating, "You can't blame yourself for that."

"I know..."

Lina huffed out, rising to her feet, "I can't even remember the last thing I said to him...How stupid is that?"

She stood there, rubbing the back of her head, trying to shake out any memory as Charlotte looked up at her. Lina shrugged her shoulders, "What? I am forgetful."

The Bernard shook her head, "No, not you...," She pursed her lips together, saying, "I remember. I remember the last thing I said to him and trust me, it was not a decent goodbye."

Her friend patted her shoulder, reassuring her, "No matter what it is, it can't be that bad—"

"I told him that if he hurt Jeremy, I would never forgive him," Charlotte let out, breathing heavily, "Now, that's one thing I would take back in a heartbeat..."

The older of the two shook her head, claiming, "You didn't know, you couldn't have predicted his death and set out the perfect goodbye." Charlotte rose to her feet after that, "Hey, where are you going?"

"I need some air. Being stuck here...it's not helpful."

Lina nodded, raising her phone up, "Want to be there when I make the phone call to let Elijah know his youngest brother is dead and his only alive brother is locked up in Elena Gilbert's living room?"

"It feels like something to say in person."

She sighed, "I know...I just...am not ready now."

Charlotte gave her a small reassuring smile, "It's okay. I understand...and I know he would too."

"You think so?"

The Bernard let out a chuckle, "Please, it's Elijah, he could win thousands of gold medals with how understanding he is. A bit of a proud know-it-all though so don't tell him I said that," Charlotte put on her shoes, pausing at the door, "Seriously, never mention that to him."

✵ ✵ ✵

"How is that driveway always empty," Charlotte thought out loud, parking her car and getting out.

She took in a deep breath, "I am officially going mad now and about to talk to the air," The brunette shook her head and sat down, crossing her legs and leaning her back against the car, "Here it goes."

"Now, I am doing this based on theories and I am sure of nothing," She said, folding her arms together, "But let's just pretend that you, Kol, are somehow listening to me from the Other Side. It would help with the whole 'feel better' thing."

She tapped her nails on the asphalt, inhaling sharply, "I obviously do not like how the last time I spoke to you went," Charlotte tilted her head back, continuing, "You know the part where I made it seem like I don't care about you whatsoever...okay, I kind of do. Just not that way."

The Bernard shrugged her shoulders before pulling her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, "Knowing myself, I will blame myself for this forever. I never got closure with Cassie and...trust me, that didn't go well. So I am doing this. Even if I seem like a crazy girl talking to herself."

"I am also a crazy vampire girl who believes everything is possible...so," Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, "I care about Jeremy, I see him like a little brother, and maybe because everyone says I have this maternal instinct and I suddenly consider myself a mother to anyone who desperately needs one."

"It's not that I would choose him over you or anything...I just get defensive and aggressive when the people I love are in danger," She stated, smiling to herself, "Something we both have—had in common, Kol."

"Rest assured that I will never forget you though," Charlotte finished, rising to her feet, "No, really, you taught me a basic everyday thing. Driving. That's pretty big, okay?"

"And you are like the first guy I have ever seen burn to death...I think," She ran a hand over her face, "Okay, I am rambling and if you are actually here, I hope you are laughing and not mad at me for having no filter."

"I am not miserable. I am just grieving...Something I am not so good at."

She opened her car door, murmuring to herself, "I mean, you would think with each time it gets easier but spoiler alert, it doesn't."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte parked her car in front of the garage in the Salvatores' driveway. She got out of the car and walked back to the house. She already knew they were out of town along with Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie, Professor Shane (who was apparently alive now), and surprisingly Rebekah Mikaelson.

She made her way upstairs and into Stefan's bedroom. The brunette opened the second drawer beside his bed, smiling in victory when she found his car keys. Charlotte made her way back downstairs and drove his car out of the garage that can apparently house only one car.

She left her car back in the garage and kept his in the driveway, telling herself that he will understand why his vintage shiny car gets to stay outside in the cold and her car, which she bought with Kol and suddenly finds it hard to use, gets to stay in the garage.

The brunette stood there in front of Stefan's car after closing the garage, she was beginning to understand why it always feels like he has a thing for his car.

"Hey..."

She turned around to find Caroline standing a few meters behind her, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you...after everything that went down yesterday, I thought you might need a friend?" Caroline answered, walking up to her, "How are you?"

"I am fine," Charlotte nodded, folding her arms over her chest, "I mean, aside from watching Kol burn to death and being lied to by my friends for what...the third time? I have honestly lost count by now."

The blonde released a breath after the conversation died down, "I didn't know..."

The Bernard shrugged her shoulders, "It doesn't matter anymore. He is dead."

"No, it matters. You are hurt, that matters," Caroline held her breath, nearing her friend, "And it is okay to just let it out."

"I will let it out," Charlotte nodded to herself, pursing her lips together, "I am sick of this, Caroline. All of this. I don't want this life. I am tired of being lied to constantly. I hate losing people and I just want it all to be over."

"Listen, it's hard, I know but—"

Charlotte interjected, laughing humorlessly, "Hard? You think this is hard?" She laughed so hard that she wanted to cry before shaking her head, "Yeah, of course. I watch the one guy that helped me deal with all of this shit—" She took in a deep breath as Caroline raised both of her eyebrows, she had never heard Charlotte curse before, ever, "Burn in front of my eyes. I can't even sleep because as soon as I close my eyes. He is there, screaming in pain and I am doing nothing...Just nothing."

"It's not hard...It's hell."

She rubbed the back of her head, sighing, "And no, I don't need a hug or a classic 'It's going to be okay'...I just need someone to tell me that this will stop happening. That one day, I will just wake up and the people I love will stop dying or lying to me."

"It will," Caroline placed her hands on the brunette's forearms, stating, "They will come back with the cure and everything will go back to normal."

"What even is our normal, Caroline?" Charlotte replied, furrowing her eyebrows together.

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte let Caroline take her back to the Gilbert house to work on the mess that went down last night. They got in through the backdoor and Charlotte frowned, spotting Tyler Lockwood.

Caroline questioned in confusion, "You're still here? What are you doing?"

"Gloating," He replied, pouring himself a drink.

Charlotte nodded, pursing her lips together. Klaus emerged from the living room and walked as far as he could within the confines of the spell, "Hello, Caroline," He greeted, adding when he saw her, "Charlotte."

She made no movement to reply and walked by Tyler, pulling out a table cloth from the cabinet. Caroline shook her head at her boyfriend, "Come home. Don't stoop to his level."

"He destroyed my life," Tyler reminded her before turning to the Original hybrid, "I plan on being present for every second of his misery until I can kill him myself."

"Fine. You can gloat and multitask," Caroline exhaled, looking around her, "This place is a disaster. Starting with a horrific burnt corpse."

She moved over, helping Charlotte spread the table cloth to cover up Kol's body. Klaus watched them with a slightly tortured expression before speaking up, "Tyler's mother is dead. So is my brother. We're even."

He addressed Charlotte, continuing, "Call Bonnie. Get her to let me out of here."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows at that as Tyler and Caroline looked at her, awaiting some big refusal but the brunette pulled her phone out of her back pocket.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked, watching Charlotte dial Bonnie's contact.

The three of them watched her put her phone on speaker and it rang a couple of times before the Bennett witch answered, "Charlotte?"

"Hi, Bonnie," Charlotte greeted as Tyler furrowed his eyebrows together, not understanding what was happening, "How likely are you to release Klaus if I asked you very nicely?"

"I am sorry, what? The signal here is really bad, I can't hear you."

"Do you mind releasing Klaus so he could go on with his life?" Charlotte repeated herself, looking down at her phone to avoid the glances of the three supernatural creatures in the room.

"To risk him killing the rest of us? No, not until we get the cure."

"Alright, thank you, Bonnie. Bye now."

Charlotte hung up and slid her phone back in her pocket before turning to the Original hybrid, "There, I tried. But as you can very clearly see, I have no say with what happens here."

Tyler grabbed the brunette's arm, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

She looked up at the hybrid, "Let go of me, Tyler."

Caroline stepped forward, trying to interfere between the two before he spoke up, "He killed my mom, he killed Jenna. He made our lives a living hell and you are just standing here trying to help?"

"I am having a bad day, you keep this act up and we will both be having a bad day," She said, raising her eyebrow at him and after contemplating it, the Lockwood let go of her.

She moved past him to the fridge and pulled out a blood bag before throwing it to the Mikaelson at the end of the room who caught it with ease.

Charlotte folded her arms together, "I will go check if upstairs is just as messy, if so, you two get upstairs and I will clean here," She sighed, looking from the couple to Klaus, "Let's try to keep this a safe environment, yeah?"

✵ ✵ ✵