My life is so messed up. Here I am, lying in D's arms, in his bed and all I can think about is how the hell am I going to tell him about Nik? He won't understand. I'd like to think that he would, but he won't. And how do I tell Nik about my growing feelings for Damon? He won't understand either! After only one kiss/intense make-out session in that motel, I seem to be growing deeper feelings for a certain Salvatore, but I'm technically with Nik.
If I tell Damon, he'll likely go after Nik and try to rip his throat out for having his way with the person D calls his adopted little sister, all while sending me looks of betrayal and disappointment.
I can't lose Damon. Not now that I've just got him back. Not ever.
"Char? What's wrong?" Damon asked while stroking my arm that was across his chest. "You seem stressed?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Ok then, I'm going to shower." He got out of bed, "Wanna join?" he waggled his eyebrows at me while I threw a pillow at his head.
"Charlotte?" A voice called through the house.
"Up here Elena." I shouted downstairs. Three pairs of footsteps ventured upstairs and stopped at the entrance to D's room.
"What are you doing?" Caroline asked. I looked up from my lounged position on D's bed and put my book down.
"Reading."
"Oh."
"Come in. I don't bite." They cautiously entered the room and sat precariously on the bed. "What's up ladies." I asked.
"We uhh…" Bonnie started
"We need to borrow some dresses for the decade dance." Caroline interrupted.
"Sure. What era is it?"
"The 20's."
"I loved the 20's!" I exclaimed.
"Yes you did." D said, emerging from the bathroom in only a towel. The girls looked away from his half naked body and he smirked. "Like what you see girls?" he asked rolling his hips. I rolled my eyes and threw another pillow at him.
"Put some clothes on." I said.
"Why? It's my room. Maybe I want to walk around like this. Or maybe I prefer to be fully naked. What do you think girls?" He taunted while he went to drop his towel. Caroline, Bonnie and Elena shot out of the room in a flash.
"Happy now?" I said to his smirking face.
"Very." He replied.
"I better go pull out my best flapper wear." I said while getting off the bed.
"Have fun." He called as the door closed.
"Ok ladies, this is my entire wardrobe from the 1920's." I said while gesturing to the many boxes I had lugged down from the attic. "Dig in."
They pounced on the boxes and 'oohed' and 'ahhhed' at the dresses. Caroline plucked a red flapper dress with white horizontal stripes along the bottom from the pile and held it against her in the mirror.
"It suits you." She turned to me.
"You think?" She turned back to the mirror and admired the dress.
"I know." I pulled the matching accessories from the box and handed them to her. "Tyler's jaw will be on the floor when he sees you in that." She beamed at me.
"Thank you."
"No biggie. Just take care of it."
"I will." She placed the dress and accessories into a dress bag and laid it on my bed.
"Now, let's get you two sorted." I glanced around the room and spotted two boxes. "Bonnie try the box on the right and Elena take the left one." I ordered. They jumped up and opened the boxes. They gasped when they saw the contents of each one.
"Are you sure?" Elena asked.
"Positive. Take them and the three of you will be the belles of the ball." They rushed towards me and encased me in a group hug. I laughed and hugged them back. "Wait…who are your dates?"
"Well, I'm going with Tyler of course." Caroline said.
"Stefan." Elena stated.
"What about you Bonnie?" I asked.
"Jamie called and…I…well I asked him." we all squealed and gushed over this new information.
"Who are you going with Char?"
"I'm not in high school girls."
"Yeah, but you're chaperoning." I faced the girls.
"Pardon?" I asked coldly.
"You're signed up as a chaperone." Elena said meekly.
"STEFAN SALVATORE YOU GET YOUR ASS HERE RIGHT NOW!" I heard a gulp and a chuckle from downstairs.
"Yeah?" he asked from the doorway. Damon walked in and sat on my bed, wanting a front row seat for this.
"You signed me up for chaperoning?!" I spat at him.
"Yes?"
"Why?" I shouted at him. "I hate chaperoning!"
"Because…because you're my sister and sisters are supposed to help their little brothers."
"He's right." I glared at Damon and he held his hands up in surrender. "Anyway, we have got to go see Meredith." Damon declared while grabbing my jacket and throwing it at me.
"Wait, why?" I asked as he dragged me out of my room.
"I'll tell you later." I huffed in annoyance while he wrapped an arm around me and steered me downstairs, ignoring the knowing looks from the group of teenagers.
"You're signed up too." Stefan mumbled with a smirk from the bedroom, earning him a glare from his brother.
We silently crept through the corridors of the hospital searching for Meredith. We spotted her walking down an empty corridor so we decided to play a trick on her: I ran at vampire speed behind her, she turned to look but then continued walking until she bumped into Damon with a small jump and a glare. We chuckled at her face.
"Don't do that! It's not funny." Meredith made to walk past us.
"Oh come on, it's a little funny." I laughed while Damon blocked her path.
"What do you want?"
"We need medical advice…for a friend." I nodded solemnly. D had filled me in during the drive to the hospital.
"It's Alaric." I said.
"You remember him right? About 6ft 2, tried to hack you into pieces." I scowled at Damon.
"How is he? Are those herbs that Bonnie made for him working?"
"I don't know. Can they work if he doesn't take them?" I tossed the jar of herbs around in my hands while Damon spoke. Meredith sighed.
"We found these in his loft untouched." I said sadly.
It was the afternoon of the decade dance and I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom surrounded with piles of dresses, shoes and jewellery from the 1920's.
"What's up?" a voice from the doorway asked.
"Caroline told me that I had to dress up for the dance." I said while looking up at D who was now sitting next to me.
"So?"
"I want to wear everything." He laughed.
"Well you cant."
"I know that! I'm not a child." I said pouting at Damon. He smiled.
"Well, you'll look lovely in whatever dress you wear." He said before pressing a light kiss to the tip of my nose. "See you when you're ready." He said before leaving the room.
"Wait!" He stopped and turned to look at me.
"What?"
"Are you dressing up?"
"Hell no."
I slid my purple flapper dress onto my body adding the necessary accessories; earrings, necklace, a purple feather in my hair, etc. I admired myself in the mirror.
Once fully dressed and made up I did a final once over in the mirror - Perfect.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in." The door opened and Damon stepped into the room.
"Wow." He breathed, I beamed at him.
"You like?" I asked while striking a pose.
"Wow." He walked up to me and spun me around. "You look amazing Char." He whispered into my ear. I shivered.
"Thank you." I whispered. "We have to go." He sighed.
"C'mon then." We walked to the car hand in hand.
The school gym was decked out in 1920's finery and was filled with couples attempting to dance. In the middle of the dance floor Bonnie and Jamie were laughing and dancing while Caroline and Tyler were by the drinks table with Elena and Stefan.
"Hey!" I called out to the small group as we approached.
"You look amazing Char." Caroline praised while D handed me a drink.
"Thanks you too. Both of you." I smiled at Elena. "Hey Tyler, Stefan. You both look very dapper."
"As do you Charlotte." Stefan smiled.
"Why thank you baby brother. Now, go dance with your girls." I ordered. The couples left and I smiled at the sight of them all having fun.
The dance continued and I had to admit, Caroline did an amazing job on the decorations. I joined everyone at the drinks table and chatted lightly before I felt a tap on my shoulder; I turned and was greeted by the face of Nik. Shit.
"You look stunning this evening Miss Edwards."
"Thank you Klaus."
"Would you care to dance?"
I didn't need to turn around to know that Damon, Stefan, Tyler and probably Matt had looks of hatred on their faces from Klaus' presence. While the girls were most likely shocked beyond belief. I took a deep breath and accepted his hand while we walked onto the dance floor just as a slow sang began. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we began to sway to the music.
"You do look stunning Charlotte."
"Thank you."
"It's nice to dance with someone who actually experienced the 1920's."
"It was an amazing era."
"I agree."
"Yes well, that was when you met Stefan." I looked pointedly at him.
"I do believe that my presence has annoyed Damon." He smirked while I turned my head and saw Stefan dragging Damon away to cool down.
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"He doesn't know about us."
"I guessed that."
A loud, "US! WHAT US?" could be heard from the distance and I groaned as I realised that Damon had been listening to our conversation. Nik chuckled darkly and I scowled at him.
"This isn't a joke Nik."
"I never said it was luv." We continued to dance until the song changed.
"Thank you for the dance Nik."
"It was my pleasure." He kissed my hand. "Until next time." I nodded and walked back to astonished group.
"Hey." I said lightly.
"You and Klaus?" Caroline asked. Shit, I forgot that she's a vampire too. She was probably listening in too. I sighed.
"Yeah. Where's Damon?"
"Behind you." A dark voice said.
"Damon." I turned to him.
"What?" His voice was filled with anger and betrayal.
"Let me explain." I pleaded.
"Explain what?" I sighed and pulled him into the corridor.
"Damon. Please?"
"What Charlotte? What do you need to explain?"
"Klaus." I said meekly. He scoffed.
"Klaus."
"Damon you don't understand. I…"
"You what? You slept with him? You went behind everyone's backs just to be with him?!" He was getting gradually louder. "WHAT IS SO DAMN SPECIAL ABOUT HIM THAT MADE YOU KEEP HIM A SECRET?!"
"Damon, it's not like that." I said, my eyes filling with tears. His eyes softened slightly but soon became angrier.
"What is it then?"
"Yes, I slept with him. But Damon, I don't know why I did and I regret it so much." I could hear people breathe against the closed door to the gym, listening to our conversation but I ignored them and concentrated in Damon. "I betrayed you and I'm sorry Damon." He scoffed again. "Damon?"
"You lied to me Charlotte." He whispered sadly. My heart broke. I caused this pain.
"I know."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"If you were with him…"
"I'm not." I interrupted him but he continued.
"If you were with him, then what was all that at the motel?" I looked into his eyes. "Was any of it real?"
"Yes." I whispered.
"Yes?"
"Yes." I sighed. "I feel nothing when I'm with Klaus. He just satisfies me and it was a new sensation. He's an original vampire, and he's just so…Klaus." He nodded and went to leave. "But you!" he stopped and turned. "You are home. You make feel so special even when we aren't touching. You're everything Damon. My everything."
I finished and I looked at him waiting for his reaction. He didn't say anything.
"Damon?" I asked. He walked towards me. "I'm sor…" he cut me off with his lips and I melted against him. Our lips moved in harmony together and I felt myself being pushed against a locker as Damon moved down my body to caress my cheeks, neck, anywhere possible.
A chorus of ahhh's came from the gym door. The girls were now standing in the corridor with huge smiles on their faces while the guys just looked uncomfortable.
"I forgive you." I gazed up at him and into his eyes.
"Thank you."
"But…you have to end it with him." I nodded eagerly. "You're mine now." I melted into him again as our lips met again.
"Took you long enough brother." Stefan joked. Damon broke apart from me to glare at his brother who just smirked at us.
Damon and I were dancing together in the gym when we saw Stefan.
"We need to tell him about Alaric." I said while Damon spun me around.
"I know." He said while we continued to sway.
"Now Damon." He groaned.
"But I'm dancing. With my gorgeous flapper girl."
"Damon."
"Fine." He took my hand and we walked to Stefan and Elena. "We four need to talk."
"If Alaric's sick then we need to find a cure. Something."
"We tried medicine. We tried magic."
"Why don't we get him off vervain? We can compel him." I rolled my eyes at Stefan.
"To do what? Pretend to be Alaric?" I deadpanned.
"Look, the guy that we know is gone! We're talking about a guy who not only hates vampires, but vampire sympathisers." Damon said while pulling me to his side and wrapping an arm around my waist.
"Which makes one of his obvious targets you!" I stared pointedly at Elena.
"You think he'd go after Elena?" Stefan asks such stupid questions.
"So wait what are you suggesting we do?" Elena asked before I went to hit Stefan.
"I'm suggesting we put him out of his misery." I pulled away from Damon.
"What?" I asked.
"No way in hell." Jeremy said from behind Stefan.
"I agree with the kid." I said to Damon who ignored my glare and continued.
"Oh come on. It's what he'd want. It's a mercy killing." I continued to glare at him.
"You're out of your mind!" Jeremy spat.
"Jeremy," Elena began but he just walked away. She ran after him.
"Wanna dance?" Damon asked me. I rolled my eyes but accompanied him into the gym.
"Damon, Charlotte!" Stefan ran up to us.
"What?" Damon snapped at him for interrupting us.
"Esther's got Elena."
"Let's go." We ran out of the school but stopped at an invisible barrier.
"Salt." I declared while looking at the trail of salt surrounding the school.
"It's a binding agent for a spell." Stefan told Jeremy who had passed through with no problems.
"We're trapped here." Damon said. I groaned and rested my head against his chest.
"Sorry to spoil your seven minutes in heaven." Damon said while I smirked at Bonnie who was clinging to Jamie. "We have a problem."
I was leaning against Damon in the cafeteria, not really paying much attention to the spell that Bonnie was reciting, but to the way Damon's arms encircled my waist and held me close.
Klaus was shooting us dirty look while he kept one eye on Bonnie and one on us, but I ignored him and drew random patterns on Damon's wrist with my finger. This action seemed to only infuriate Klaus more.
"What's taking so long?! All boundary spells have a loophole." Klaus growled at Bonnie. The door opened and Matt stormed in.
"People are just leaving the dance. Walking straight through the boundary."
"Well if Matt and I can leave the dance we can find Esther ourselves. We've just got to find out where Elena is."
"It's suicide Jeremy." Stefan told him. Klaus walked over to Jamie and hoisted him into the air with his hand wrapped around the boy's neck.
"Suicide would be disappointing me. So work your magic witch or I'll kill any people that you fancy."
"Let him go!"
"Get us out of here." He ordered.
"Oh don't be stupid Klaus, Bonnie doesn't give a damn about us, the only reason she's helping us is to save Caroline, Tyler and Charlotte. If you start killing the people she cares about, she'll tell us all to go to hell." Stefan informed him.
"Plus, I'll kill you if you lay a finger on Charlotte." Damon growled. Klaus released Jamie.
I watched as Bonnie ripped a map off the wall of an empty classroom. Damon and Klaus soon followed us in, Damon waving a small vile of blood and Klaus with a face like thunder.
"Jeremy made a little blood donation for your locator spell." I heard Damon say as Klaus took a seat next to me.
"Do I have to do this with you two lurking over me?" Bonnie asked.
"Two?" I piped up.
"I don't mind you being here." I smiled at her and moved to stand next to her.
"You're still mad at me for what happened to Abby. Let me apologise; I'm sorry Elijah forced us into turning your mother into vampire to save Elena's life. I didn't exactly have a choice." I frowned at his un-tactful choice of words.
"There's always a choice! But whenever you make ne, someone gets hurt."
"Let's cut the dramatics and begin shall we." Klaus intervened. I inwardly thanked him for diffusing the situation.
Bonnie glared at Damon before pouring the vile of blood onto the map. She did some sort of witchy chant and the blood began to move, but only slightly.
"Esther's fighting me."
"She can't possibly have this much power. She's channelling something." Klaus seethed.
"A hotspot?" I suggested.
"Get the humans ready, I know where she is." He spat.
"They're at the old cemetery; Jeremy and Matt are headed there now." Stefan an I told Caroline and Tyler.
"You let them go?! They're gonna get themselves killed!"
"We didn't have a choice Caroline! We're useless right now, being stuck in here." Stefan shouted.
"Hey she'll be fine. Elena always manages to find a way through stuff." I told Stefan, attempting to calm him down.
"Yeah well, I'm just as worried about what Esther's up too. She led Klaus here for a reason. If she succeeds with whatever she's doing."
"Klaus could get killed." Tyler interrupted. "And I die along with him."
"No-one's gonna die. Ok." I shouted at him.
"Bonnie's still looking for a way around the boundary spell. It's not too late." Stefan and I swiftly left the gym.
Damon and I walked hand in hand down the corridors of the high school, enjoying each other's company.
"So, are all the decade dance's this successful." I asked sarcastically.
"Pretty much." I looked at him shocked. "During the 50''s one Elena had a vampire stalker who we staked in the cafeteria, the 60's one consisted of Bonnie dying and now there's this one."
"Wow." I said, unable to fully describe my shock.
"Yeah." He chuckled as we walked outside, noticing a conversation occurring between Stefan and Klaus,
"There were moments. A real friendship. A brotherhood." Klaus said solemnly.
"Oh, he already has brother." Damon said.
"And a sister." I added.
"Not to be territorial or anything." Damon said with a smirk as he wrapped an arm around my waist with a silent message of; MINE.
"Oh no. of course; the Salvatores and their unshakable bond." He mocked the boys rocky past while glaring at the arm that was pulling me closer to Damon's body.
"It's done." Bonnie emerged from the school, breaking the glaring contest between Damon and Klaus. "Esther's not fighting me anymore. The boundary spell is broken." Klaus ran off into the night.
"Thank you Bonnie. For everything." I said, she nodded and returned inside.
"Is that…" I asked pointing to the body as we entered the cemetery.
"Esther." Stefan and Damon said together.
"Mother." Klaus said, before picking her up and running off with her.
"Even though she tried to kill him." Damon muttered.
"She was still his mother Damon." I said before walking into the Salvatore mausoleum. "So she failed to turn you into a weapon?" I asked Alaric.
"Yeah. It seems that all those dead witches on the other side didn't want another Original." He laughed.
"Well I for one am glad that you aren't a vampire." I said as I caught round him. He laughed into my hair and returned the hug.
"Hey! Hands off my girl!" Damon mock scorned as he stood in the doorway.
"Your girl?" Alaric asked in shock, I looked away. "About time." He laughed at Damon's scowl.
"Wait, so is this the end of evil Alaric?" I asked.
"Yup. The witches sorted that out too."
"Thank god. I missed normal Alaric." He laughed gain.
"Come outside, everyone wants to see you." Elena said as she dragged Alaric outside with Jeremy in tow.
"Well, I guess that's the end of our Esther problem."
"Mmhmm." I agreed as we followed them outside. We stood on the steps of the mausoleum with our arms around each other, and watched as Alaric embraced every member of our little group including Meredith. Everyone had tears in their eyes, all so happy that Alaric wasn't dead, a vampire, or evil Alaric.
"Well I for one am disappointed." Everyone curiously looked at Alaric. "I didn't get the chance for Damon to give me a dream." More curious looks while Damon groaned. "You know; rainbows and rolling green hills."
"I was drunk when I told you that." Damon pouted while Alaric laughed.
"Yeah, and I told you that I'd use it against you." Everyone smirked at Damon's face.
"Damn you." Damon smiled at Alaric, relieved that his best male friend/drinking buddy, was ok.
"Thank you guys." Alaric started, turning to face everyone else, "For being my family. Even when I was evil Alaric." Everyone laughed before heading their separate ways home.
Damon handed me a drink as he plopped onto the couch beside me in the boarding house.
"Thanks." He nodded in response and we clinked glasses. "Where's Stef?" I asked.
"Elena's." He responded.
"Oh." I finished my drink and placed the glass on the floor. "So, your girl huh?" I asked with a smirk.
"Only if you want to be."
"God, you're so romantic Damon." I mumbled as I got up to leave the room.
"Wait." He called. I stopped and turned to him. He grasped my hand,
"Miss Charlotte Edwards, would you do me the honour of being my girl?"
"Let me think about it Mr Salvatore. I'll get back to you." I said with a smirk before I sauntered off towards the stairs. I could hear Damon growling in annoyance before I felt a hand grab me and turn me around.
"Allow me to persuade you." He breathed before he attacked my mouth with his. He broke away quickly though and smirked at my hooded eyelids. "That ok?" he taunted. I shook my head and pulled him to me again.
We stood, lost in each other until I felt Damon pull away again. I was about to protest but he picked me up bridal style and carried me upstairs where he lowered me onto his bed. He kicked the door closed behind him.
"More?" He asked.
"More." I said before succumbing to his body.
A.N. Hey to my readers! I just want to say thanks for all the awesome reviews! And, well, you can probably tell by now that Alaric isn't dead or a vampire, because I love Alaric and I couldn't bear to kill him. So I made the dead witches make him normal Alaric again! Yay! And, I finally got Damon and Charlotte together, so for those of you who didn't get it, they had sex at the end of the chapter. *giggles* ;) Also, if anyone wants to see Charlotte's flapper dress, just PM me and I'll send you the link. So, yeah, thanks again. Bye!