Chapter 14
1979
Charlotte remained in the French quarter of New Orleans for quite a number of years. She ruled side by side with Marcel, and they were certainly doing well together. Charlotte helped with the rebuilding of the opera house and she had singlehandedly pushed the witches into their own little segment of the Quarter and Marcel had driven the werewolves out of town. At this high point in their lives, they were sat in the drawing room of the compound, drinking a glass of bourbon, and watching the flames, just as a man walked through the door, causing Marcel to look back.
"Ah Thierry, there you are, come and join us." Marcel told him, holding up his glass.
The man, now known as Thierry, nodded and walked in to join them, and lounged in an armchair opposite to Charlotte.
"So, Thierry, what have you been up to, we missed your company tonight." Charlotte told him.
"Nothing really, I've just been walking around the perimeter of the Quarter." Thierry shrugged as he poured himself a glass.
"Has there been any news?" Charlotte asked.
"The witches say that you are an abomination, and they seek to destroy you." Thierry told her, and he looked worried, whilst Charlotte and Marcel laughed. "Charlotte this is serious, we need to double the protection on the pair of you, they could go for Marcel in order to hurt you."
"Thierry, relax." Marcel laughed. "Charlotte and I will be fine."
"As will everyone else, well those who are on our side." Charlotte told him as she stood up, stretching. "It's late, I'm heading to bed and you should both do the same."
"We shall." Marcel told her as he stood, looking at Thierry. "Come on Thierry let us get some sleep." He looked back at Charlotte. "Good night Charlotte."
"Good night Charlotte." Thierry echoed as they all went to their own rooms to sleep.
The next morning, Charlotte woke up to the smell of burning, she quickly got up and dressed, before she walked to her window, and what she saw made her gasp. Outside of the compound, the building in front of them was on fire.
"Marcel, Thierry?" She called as she left her room, though as she got to the wooden balcony overlooking the courtyard, she froze, seeing Marcel and Thierry both tied up and a woman with white hair standing over them.
"Well good morning little Charlotte." The woman smiled, flicking a dagger in her hand.
"What do you want?" Charlotte asked.
"Well, you are rude." The woman told her, circling the two vampires beside her, before she suddenly pulled Marcel's head up so that he was looking up at her and the witch held the dagger to his throat. "Let us do this logically you little trollop, come down here."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Let my friends go and I will consider it."
The witch looked at her. "This isn't how it happens." She suddenly pressed the dagger harder into Marcel's neck, causing him to wince.
"No, but this is how it will happen." Charlotte told her simply, before she suddenly threw her hands out in front of her and the witch was thrown backwards into a wall and she was held there, with the knife being forced from her hands, and where she could watch Charlotte untie her friends. However, just as Charlotte pulled Thierry to her feet, they were all thrown backwards, as they hit the floor; they slid along it, until they came into contact with the far wall. When they got the chance, Marcel and Thierry forced themselves to stand, and they got Charlotte to her feet, disappearing to hide.
"What do we do?" Marcel asked her.
"We fight back, she's one witch."
"Charlotte, she has magic." Thierry reminded her.
"And you have me." Charlotte told them. "Just get me close enough, I'll do my best to weaken her and then you two rip her heart out."
Marcel nodded. "Let's do this."
At everyone's nod of understand of their strategy about what they were set to do, they all whooshed off towards the courtyard. When they got there, Charlotte held a hand out towards the witch, before she started to say a spell. At feeling the effects of the spell, the witch turned around and looked at her, and as a last ditch attempt before she fell to the floor, she threw her knife at her, watching as it went straight into her right side, and Charlotte fell to the floor just as the older witch did.
"Charlotte!" Thierry ran to her as Marcel stood in front of the older witch.
"Now you know, never come near any of us again." He told her, before he suddenly thrust his hand into her chest. As the older witch gave a jolt, his hand clamped around her heart and he yanked it out. When he was sure that the witch was fully dead, he whooshed over to Charlotte and pulled the knife out, watching her wound heal.
"You're lucky nothing kills you." Thierry told her.
"I know." She sighed in relief when it was fully healed. "I hate these witches."
"I know, so do we at the moment." Marcel told her, looking at Thierry. "Do me a favour; bring me the head of that witch, only the head." As Thierry done as he was told, he helped Charlotte to her feet. "Let's find the other vampires; we need to make an announcement."
Thierry put the head into a bag, before Marcel got rid of the rest of the body, and then went on to joining the others in the town centre where he called their day walking vampires out into join them.
When everyone who could was standing before Charlotte, Thierry and Marcel as they all stood upon the balcony overlooking the quarter, Marcel told them what had happened back at the compound.
"They wish to take our most precious individual from us." Marcel told them, sliding an arm around Charlotte's waist.
"We made a promise to Elijah himself that if she ever came here, then we would protect her. We are failing in our task." Thierry informed them.
"Then we need to do something about this."A man with dark skin and a black haired afro spoke up.
"But what Diego, did you have any ideas?" Marcel asked him.
"Stick the woman's head on a spike and burn the body." A woman shouted. "Show those vermin that they can't mess with us vampires, and try and harm one of our own."
Marcel looked at Charlotte, and he saw the look she had, he recognised it as one for revenge. "Charlotte?"
"Burning the body would ensure that the witches don't retrieve her powers, and putting the head on a spike would certainly make a statement, though it does seem a bit medieval." She told them.
"Yes, but this is what is the fun part." Thierry told her.
Charlotte rolled her eyes at him. "Blood thirsty, brat." She told him playfully, before Marcel sent the rest of his vampires away and he looked at them.
"Thierry, take the head and go with, Charlotte, Diego and some others and stand outside of the Witch's cemetery show them the head then set it on fire, I will stay here and deal with the body."
Thierry nodded and he took the bag with the head, before Charlotte went to get the rest of the vampires they needed, and then the group set off towards the witch's cemetery.
Modern Day
It had been a few weeks since Charlotte and Elijah had gotten engaged, and right now, they were both tucked up in bed together, Elijah shirtless and Charlotte wearing a pair of pyjamas. Elijah had wrapped his arms around her, and he was holding her tight to him, so her back was to his chest. He was the first to wake up, and he looked down at his still fast asleep fiancée and he smiled, especially when his eyes focused on the ring that she wore with pride and honour, before he moved to kiss her neck, causing her to stir.
"Mm, Elijah?" She whimpered.
"Good morning, my love." Elijah told her, nuzzling her.
"Good morning." She smiled, opening her eyes and she turned over slightly to look over at him, as they were about to share a romantic kiss, there was a fierce knock on the door.
"Go away." Elijah groaned.
"Rebekah told me to come and tell you that if Charlotte doesn't get her butt downstairs right now, then she will personally come up here and drag her out by her ankles whether she is decent or not." Klaus' voice sounded through the door.
"Tell her I will be down shortly." Charlotte told him, before there was a click and the door locked, though she knew that that wouldn't stop Rebekah. However, right now she didn't care; all she cared for was the man lying beside her.
Elijah looked down at her, kissing the top of her head. "You should get dressed."
"It's only shopping for the wedding Elijah." She told him, sliding his arms around his neck. "I would rather do this." Using the grip that she had on the back of his neck, she pulled him closer and their lips met in a kiss.
Their kiss was long and loving, and she felt Elijah's hand find her thigh as he leaned over to get a better position on the kiss. However, it was broken abruptly by another knock on the door; however this one was fiercer.
"Charlotte Salvatore, get your butt out of there right now." Rebekah's voice shouted through.
Charlotte and Elijah both groaned that time. "Okay Rebekah, let me get dressed." Charlotte shouted back and she gave Elijah another soft kiss, before she got out of bed and went to get changed.
Elijah remained in bed, turning on his side to watch her, the blanket up to his waist. "You look very beautiful from behind." He told her in an offhanded manner.
"Should I be happy that you find me attractive or insulted that I'm only attractive from behind?" She asked him playfully as she pulled her jeans and shirt on, and she smiled as she felt his arms around her.
"You're beautiful from any angle, and you know it." He told her, nuzzling her neck, before he let her go and find his sister as he got dressed.
When he was dressed, in a black suit and navy blue shirt, he walked downstairs to be greeted by the sight and Charlotte sitting on the floor, with Caroline in front of her, the two of them holding hands and Charlotte had her eyes closed, whilst both Rebekah and Esther sat in the armchairs watching and Klaus, Kol and Finn stood watching.
"What's going on?" Elijah asked when he reached the floor.
"Charlotte is trying to determine the future, mother's orders." Finn told him.
Elijah watched Charlotte, and he walked to her when she suddenly gasped and let go of Caroline's hands, and despite the warning his mother gave him, he knelt down behind her.
"Are you alright?" Elijah asked her, his hands resting on her shoulders.
"I've got a really, horrible headache." She told him, before she looked at Esther. "I told you this was hopeless."
"Did you see anything?" Esther stressed.
"No." Charlotte told her, as Elijah helped her to her feet and Kol got on her other side.
"Then you weren't trying hard enough." Esther told her. "We must try again at once."
"No." This time, it was Charlotte who told her, as well as Elijah, Kol, Klaus, Caroline and Rebekah.
At seeing all of his siblings' side with Charlotte, Finn joined his mother's side, taunting his soon to be half sister.
"What's the matter Charlotte?" He asked her. "Too scared to face my mother yourself, instead you have my family and a trollop do it for you?" at the 'trollop' he looked over at Caroline, who was pushed behind Klaus' back by Klaus himself, as Charlotte held Elijah back from getting at his brother.
"Grow up Finn, childish games aren't becoming of you." Charlotte told him before she looked at Rebekah. "What did you want me for anyway?"
"Because there is a wedding fayre in town, some English thing that's being brought over, but anyway how about we all go to it." Rebekah suggested which had Kol groaning.
"Oh god, that would be wonderful." Caroline squealed, which had Klaus laughing, and Rebekah smiling.
Charlotte watched them. "A long as Elijah goes, I'll go."
Then everyone looked at Elijah, and Charlotte ended up giggling since Elijah had found the best spot to tickle her.
"Fine, to make my Bride-to-Be happy, I'll go." Elijah told them, and he laughed as Rebekah and Caroline started to jump around the room.
"Oo, we need to get Damon to come, since he's giving you away." Caroline told Charlotte, looking over at her. "He is giving you away, right?"
"Of course, he is the only bother, present company accepted, who was actually happy to see me alive." Charlotte told her. "He just doesn't know it yet...Actually; could we make a stop at his place?"
"Of course." Rebekah told her, as she got her jacket and handbag. "Now come on, let's go." They all ushered out to the cars, Niklaus, Kol and Caroline getting into Rebekah's, whilst Charlotte and Elijah got into Charlotte's.
As they all drove off, Charlotte drove her and Elijah towards the Salvatore Boarding House, whilst Rebekah drove the others towards the Wedding Fayre, after she got Caroline to text Elijah the location of the Fayre. As she pulled up in the driveway of her brother's home, she looked over at Elijah.
"Are you coming in with me?"
"If that's what you want." Elijah told her.
She thought about it for a minute, before she nodded, and they both got out of the car, holding hands as they walked over to the front door, where Charlotte was the one to knock. However, Elena was the one to answer the door.
"Oh it's you, what do you want?" Elena asked, seeing Charlotte and Elijah.
"Ah Elena, we came to visit Damon, is he here?" Elijah asked, his voice silky smooth, almost like chocolate.
"He is, but she isn't coming inside this house, at least not while I'm still here." Elena told him.
"Oh grow up Elena." Charlotte told her, and she let go of Elijah's hand and pushed past the young vampire, walking in to find Jeremy walking around shirtless and eating a bowl of cereal, whilst Stefan lounged on the sofa drinking a glass of bourbon.
"Well, rude." Elena told her, letting Elijah inside before she shut the door, before she sat on the sofa opposite Stefan.
Charlotte just rolled her eyes at Elena before she looked at Stefan. "Is our brother here?"
Stefan looked at her. "Well that's a nice greeting, no hello Stefan, how are you?" He asked.
"You lost all sense of pleasantries from me when you all tried to kill me." Charlotte told him, looking back at him and then taking Elijah's hand when she saw him tense. "So, is our brother here or not?"
"Yes Charlotte, I'm right here." Damon told her as he came downstairs, and he looked at her. "What can I do for you both?" He asked, looking at the couple, ignoring the looks that the others gave him.
"I need to ask you something important." Charlotte told him.
"Come into the kitchen, it will give us some privacy." Damon told them, and he led them into the kitchen.
When they were alone, and Damon had shut the door of the kitchen, he looked at them as Charlotte sat on top of the counter, and Elijah lent against the counter beside her. "What's up?" Damon asked.
"Well, as you know, Elijah and I are getting married this summer." Charlotte started.
"Yes?" Damon pressed.
"And in the absence of our father, and with Stefan wanting to kill me, I've come to ask you if you would give me away at my wedding."
Damon stayed still and silent for a while, as he just looked at her, before he actually started to tear up. "Of course I will, come here you little madam." Damon held his arms out to her, watching her get back to her feet and walked to him, and he pulled her into a tight hug. "It would be an honour." Damon told her, before he looked over at Elijah. "Are you alright with that?"
"Of course I am, you make her happy Damon, and you are her oldest brother." Elijah gave him a reassuring smile as Charlotte pulled out of the hug. "But that brings us to another question."
"What?" Damon asked carefully.
"Well, my dear little sister had found a wedding fayre, and is carting us all to it today, Charlotte and I told her that we would meet her, my brother and Miss Caroline there, would you like to come?" Elijah asked him.
Damon looked down at the hopeful look on his sister's face, before he looked back over at Elijah. "Yeah, I don't see why not."
"Yay, we sort of have to leave now though, so are you sure you want to come?"
"Yeah, I'll just get my jacket." Damon smiled, bringing them back out into the hallway, Elena had gone back to hers and Damon's room, and Stefan had gone to hunt, but Jeremy was still there, sitting on the sofa as if he was waiting for them, and now his witch girlfriend had joined them.
Damon left Elijah and Charlotte there in the hallway as he went upstairs to get his jacket, and Jeremy and Bonnie took this as their opportunities, so they got p and walked to the couple.
"Charlotte, Elijah?" Bonnie asked, her head bowed low though she saw Elijah walk slightly ahead of his fiancée to protect her.
"We don't come to hurt her Elijah." Jeremy assured him. "We have actually come to apologise."
Elijah raised an eyebrow as he looked at them, but Charlotte looked at them.
"Apologise?" She asked them, walking out from behind her Elijah shaped shield.
"Yes, w understand that just attacking you without having a chance to know you, was wrong and very foolish, but we have come to say that we are really, really, really, sorry about that and we wish to make it up to you somehow." Jeremy told her. "We just assumed that you were like the other Mikaelson's, so we didn't want to take any chances."
"Did my brother put you up to this by any chance?" Charlotte asked them.
"Well, he sat us down and told us what you were actually like." Bonnie confessed. "But we decided to do this on our own accord."
Charlotte nodded. "Okay, I accept your apology, and as for making it up to me, how about we all go for drinks tonight, to celebrate the engagement?"
Bonnie nodded. "That would be wonderful; I know of a bar in town that you'd love."
"Great." She looked at Elijah. "Are you alright with that?"
"Yes, I think that would be a good idea, providing that you don't get too drunk."
"I won't." She kissed his cheek, before looking at them as Damon joined them. "I'll text Damon with the details."
Jeremy nodded. "Alright, we shall see you later then?"
"Yep, see you later." Charlotte then left with Damon and Elijah.
When they eventually got there, they found a slightly annoyed Rebekah waiting for them with Klaus, Kol and Caroline who was trying to put some distance between herself and Niklaus, though she looked relieved when Damon got out of Charlotte's car.
"Finally." Rebekah told them. "Come on, no time to waste." She grabbed Charlotte's arm and dragged her inside, so forcefully that Charlotte almost fell over a few times. Once they were inside, she looked at her brothers and Damon. "You men go and get yourselves some ideas, Elijah please have an idea of who will be your best man, by the end of the day. Us girls will go and get Charlotte kitted out."
The look of fear on Charlotte's face made Elijah pull her away from his sister and Caroline and hug her, kissing her forehead. "You'll be fine." He told her, before she was taken away by Rebekah and Caroline and he went in the opposite direction with Damon and his brothers. Caroline and Rebekah brought Charlotte over to where they were able to try on dresses, and Rebekah and Caroline made themselves comfortable as Charlotte picked some dresses and the woman who was helping the customers went with her into the changing rooms. She tried on each dress, and showed the girls, before she decided on the perfect one, it was a stunning white dress, with no straps, a tight bodice, pinched in waist and it fanned out at the waist, not a massive amount but just enough for it to be comfortable for Charlotte, and it had sequins creating a pattern on the bodice and then leading into the dress. After they had ordered the size in the dress, the girls then moved on to the underlying clothes that Charlotte could wear, then onto shoes and eventually onto the bridesmaid dresses. Since Charlotte and Elijah had decided on silver, because it reminded Charlotte of magic, and of light blue due to it reminding Elijah of the dress that Charlotte wore on their first date back when she was human, they decided to find bridesmaid dresses. This as when Charlotte gave them a surprise of her own.
"Have you decided on who your bridesmaid is going to be?" Caroline asked as they walked towards where the bridesmaid dresses were.
"Yes, I have." Charlotte told her, as they got to the dresses.
"Who is it, then?" Rebekah pressed.
"My two best friends." Charlotte told them, and she laughed at their curious expressions. "I mean you two, of course."
"Oh my god, really?" Caroline squealed, hugging Charlotte. "Thank you, thank you, and thank you."
Rebekah joined in the hug. "You won't regret this Charlotte, I promise."
When they finally let go of Charlotte, the girls went to pick out a design that they liked, and they decided on a dress in light blue, once they were ordered in the right sizes, they carried on. Overall, the girls ended up with a lot of bags and the men ended up with hardly any, though they expected this.
When they eventually got back to the Mikaelson mansion, Charlotte told them that they were going to meet Bonnie and Jeremy at the Mystic Grill before they went on to another town to celebrate the engagement, and they all parted ways to get ready. Charlotte was one of the first to finish getting ready, and she was sitting in the kitchen with a glass of water, but she soon tensed up at feeling someone behind her, only to be pinned to the opposite wall by Finn, with his hand around the neck.
"What the hell, Finn?" Charlotte managed to choke out.
"I don't know what you're doing with my brother, but if you had any sense, I suggest you leave him alone from here on out." Finn warned, his grip tightening on her neck as he spoke.
"Or, what?" She choked out, now struggling for air.
"Or, you will regret it."
"I'm not scared of you Finn." Charlotte choked out, before she suddenly fell to the floor as Kol and Klaus grabbed Finn and dragged him away from her as Elijah helped her to her feet.
"Stay away from her Finn." Elijah warned.
"Why should I? All she is going to do is stab you in the back and kill you Elijah; I'm looking out for you." Finn told him as Klaus and Kol let go of him.
"Because you know that she won't do anything like that, because you know how much she loves me, you're just trying to cause trouble." Elijah told him.
"She is a little trollop Elijah, a whore, a slut; in fact she probably has been in bed with every man in town."
No one expected what happened next, but both Charlotte and Rebekah let out a scream of shock as they watch Elijah walk over and suddenly punch Finn hard enough for him to fall back onto the floor. Everyone stood there in shock as they watched Elijah take a handkerchief from his pocket and clean Finn's blood from his knuckle, before they all set off for the Mystic Grill.