1864

"Mr. Damon."-She called from the top of the staircase. He turned to look at her and chuckled at her childish moves as she hurried to meet him. Her genuine smile was contagious and he found himself smiling back at her just as brightly.

"Hello, Miss...-"-His voice faded and her face dropped.

"Have you already forgotten my name?"

"Now, what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."-He kissed the top of her hand.-

"So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes."-She quoted proudly.

"Now, Charlotte Pierce…"-Her heart skipped a beat at his tone.- "Even so, you are not easy to forget."

"You are quite a charmer, Mr. Salvatore."-She felt giddy just by being in his presence. She wondered how could Katherine remain impassive.

"Only when I have the privilege of such lovely company."

She gaped at him, marveling in his words and the effortless appeal he carried in them.

"I've never met a man like you."-She confessed, like the words had rushed out of her lips before she could stop them. She was astounded by her show of sudden boldness in front of a man she barely knew.

"I certainly hope that is a compliment."

"That is for me to know and for you to dot dot dot..."-She joked, only to tease him. He grinned back at her.

"I've never met a woman like you either… I think we will become great friends, Charlotte."

"Well, Mr. Salvatore, I am glad to hear that. I'm in desperate need of an adventure."-She curtsied.

Keep your eyes closed.

Take a deep breath, Caroline.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Feel the negative energy leaving your body.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Caroline twitched as she opened her eyes and found Damon Salvatore frowning, centimeters away from her face. She paused her meditation video, annoyed by his interruption.

"It's my meditation routine... Have you ever heard of personal space?"

"So, basically, you are sitting on your ass while Bonnie looks for a way to bring your boyfriend back from the purgatory?"

"Excuse me? It's not like I'm a freaking witch. Plus, I'm helping."

"How?"

"I'm getting rid of all the negative energy. It'll make it easier for her to do the spell."-She narrowed her eyes.- "Sadly, I can't get rid of you."

"Quite sad, I'm kind of a fountain of bad energy."

She scoffed.

"Trust me, I know."

She waited for him to leave, but he didn't move.

"You're ruining my chakra, Damon. Namaste."-She pushed him away.

"Try learning the meanings of the words before expanding your vocabulary."

She rolled her eyes and proceeded to do the hardest yoga pose she knew. She remained arrogant when Damon stared at her as if she were a freak of nature. Good, that will shut him up.

"That looks extremely uncomfortable."

"I'm a cheerleader. I'm flexible."-She tried to distract herself from the discomfort. She wasn't about to give Damon the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.

"Blondie, I dated you. You're not that good."

Like on cue, she yelped out of pain as she lost her concentration and hurt herself. Damon smirked contently, knowing he had hit a nerve.

"Not that good?!"-She expressed indignantly from the floor.

"You don't even make my top ten."-He shrugged and left the living room. She followed him to the kitchen.

"I don't care about your opinion. You're a vampire gigolo! You're just trying to piss me off…"-He waited patiently for her to snap again.- "Stop it! I'm mind blowing! Take it back!"

"Why? Didn't you just tell me that you don't care about my opinion?"

"Ugh!"-That was probably the most entertainment he had gotten in a week.- "Everyone keeps saying Charlotte changes you for the better. Well, you're still an ass to me!"

The mention of Charlotte brought her memory back. His mood instantly became dark. Even Caroline, who especially enjoyed giving him hell, regretted reminding him of Charlotte. She watched as his characteristic playfulness and vanity left his face, replaced by disappointment and anger.

"Luckily for you, that won't be a problem anymore."

She shifted in her place awkwardly. She was so used to both of them being rude to each other that she hadn't thought it was possible to hurt him. She put her hand on his arm and spoke reassuringly.

"She is going to be alright. Bonnie always saves the day."

He nodded, wanting to believe her words… They were the same ones he would repeat himself.

"For what it's worth… Even if Charlotte's life wasn't on the line…"-He struggled to finish his sentence. Being nice to Blondie was a difficult task. She grinned and he rolled his eyes.

Caroline picked her stuff up from the floor. She was still living with the Salvatores; not because she was scared of Klaus, but because she was terrified of herself. If Klaus showed up at her house, she didn't know what would be her reaction.

"For what it's worth, I appreciate that. Maybe she is changing you after all."

She left the living room and Damon fixed himself a drink, thinking about their conversation. He knew he should've been enjoying with Charlotte what could probably be her last day, but he couldn't bring himself to lie on that bed next to her while she hallucinated and cried out of pain… Especially not when he had denied her pleads for him to kill her and end it all.

"Charlotte is calling your name…"-Stefan said as soon as he entered the boarding house. Since Jeremy had been working with Bonnie all night, he had stayed with Elena so she wouldn't be alone.-

Damon downed his drink.

"I know; I hear her. Would you really run away with me?"-He quoted.- "She's remembering the roundup."

"What happened that day between you two?"

"I asked her to marry me."

"What?"

"I asked her to marry me, Stefan."-Damon repeated, pretending to be annoyed at his brother. He was mostly pissed off at himself.

"But you were in love with Katherine..."

"She chose you. It was enough having to lose her and my brother; I didn't want to lose Charlotte too... Of course, then I fucking blew it off as always. Go figure."

"You left her behind to save Katherine..."-Stefan said, realizing their story was a lot more complicated than he thought.-"You never told me."

"She begged me not to leave, Stefan... I can't even be mad at her for sleeping with Elijah and, therefore, getting bitten by his psychotic brother because who can blame her? He was there for her when I wasn't. He saved her and it kills me to know that I can't do the same thing. Have you seen Bonnie lately? Even lightning a candle makes blood drip from her nose. We both know she won't be able to do the spell. I can't save her; I can only push a fucking stake through her heart and watch her die."

Stefan listened quietly as Damon ranted. As twisted as it was, seeing his brother feeling again, caring so deeply and unselfishly for someone, brought him joy. Charlotte and Damon deserved to be finally together and happy. She was a wonderful woman and he got along with her even better than when he was human. He didn't want her to die; not only because she was his brother's girlfriend (or something along that line, he wasn't sure), but because she was his friend. Suddenly, the mention of Elijah brought him a new idea.

"But maybe Elijah can."

He hated Stefan.

He was going to spike with vervain every single one of Stefan's drinks for the next century.

"You did the right thing."

The right thing?

Damon stared at his cellphone, unable to believe that he had, in fact, called Elijah Mikaelson and asked for his help.

A while later, somebody knocked on the door and the Salvatore brothers looked at each other knowingly. Stefan nodded, understanding the silent petition for him to be the one to open the door.

There, in a black suit, stood Elijah. A midaged woman dressed in a dark tunic and wooden jewelry accompanied him.

"Greetings."

"Elijah."-Stefan opened the door wider and motioned them to enter the house.

"Stefan, Damon."-He nodded, acknowledging their presence.-"This is Rosalia. She will be helping Bonnie return Niklaus to his body."

"She's a vampire."-Damon accused, narrowing his eyes.

"She used to be a very powerful witch… She might be a vampire now, but she still holds her expertise on witchcraft."

"Bonnie is on her way. Thank you for your help."

Stefan was ass-kissing Charlotte's senile lover. What a great day.

"I am only doing it for Li..."-He stopped. Charlotte's real name was something very few people knew. He liked to keep it as a special secret between them.-"For Charlotte."

"We appreciate the gesture. I'll make sure to tell Lilyana you stopped by."-Damon said, smirking as Elijah looked obviously unhappy that he knew their secret.

"That won't be necessary; I will tell her myself. Please, show me the way to her bedroom."

Damon could see the shock in Elijah's eyes after seeing Charlotte. She was sleeping, squeezing her eyes shut and mumbling incoherent words. Damon knew far too well what he saw; a broken Charlotte... The living corpse of a woman.

"I've never seen anything like this."-Elijah confessed. It was well known that a werewolf bite was a death sentence for a vampire, but he had never seen proof of it. He doubted any vampire had endured such burden for as long as Charlotte.

"She's not a thing."-Damon shook his head, trying to atribute his lack of sensibility to the surprise. He sat on the bed and rubbed her back.-"Char..."

She slowly woke up and smiled. He rolled his eyes.

"Stop smiling when you see me. It's annoying."-It wasn't. It made everything in his life brighter and better.

She replied in another language he couldn't recognize. Damon frowned.

"It's Bulgarian... She said you have beautiful blue eyes."-Elijah intervened.

"Lijah."-She mentioned him contently, reaching her hand to touch him. Damon felt forgotten and pushed away to a corner when Elijah sat on the other side of the bed and captured all of Charlotte's attention. He got up and stood away from them, giving them some fake privacy.

"Hello, krasiva."-He kissed her hands.-"How do you feel?"

"Like shit."-She chuckled sadly.-"I hate your family."

"I guarantee you, Niklaus's actions will not go unpunished."

"Good. Make him eat his liver."

He grinned. Damon had never seen Elijah being so expressive. It surprised him that they were close friends. Damon and Charlotte's friendship was understandable; they were similar and their differences complemented each other... But Charlotte and Elijah didn't have anything in common. She was wild, free, fun. He was too proper, boring... Antique.

"Just so you know, it would be awfully improper to die when we already made plans to travel."

"Don't put my ashes on couch. I'll pull your feet in your sleep."

Was she planning to run away with him? How could she joke about dying? How could he not say anything to her? Damon watched them, feeling sick, as Elijah smiled and she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, he recognized the cruel amusement that characterized her hallucinations.

"I have to leave. I can't stay."-She tried to get up and Damon was instantly by her side, pinning her down carefully.- "Leave the bed. I have to leave the bed."

"Why?"-Elijah inquired curiously. Would he stop looking at her like a science fair project?! She was not a damn baking soda volcano, she was a person, a dying woman!

"You taste like solitude and tears and empty glasses."-She bursted into tears.-"And she's kissing him, she's kissing him, oh God, she's kissing him. Moans. Sex. How can she do that? She's my friend. I walk away. I want to stay. I want him to kiss me."

"Who?"

"Where do we go? Where do we go now?"-She sang loudly, breaking into laughter.-"I hate myself. Can I buy a ticket, Sir? Yes, Ma'am, where to? I don't give a damn. I'll be lonely anyway."

Elija kept nodding, as if he totally understood what she meant.

"What is she rambling about?"-Damon couldn't help himself.

"Post Guns 'N' Roses concert, 1987."-Elijah said simply, shocking Damon. He hadn't thought that night had hurt her so badly. He licked his lips and proceeded to wipe away her tears until she couldn't see anything but him. He couldn't mend their broken past, but he could spend his eternity making up for it.

"I'm here now. You will never be lonely again."

Damon kissed her and Elijah was the one to watch them silently this time. At first, he thought the intolerable vampire was just doing it to show that Charlotte was somehow his property, but after noticing his guilt and preoccupation, he realized it had nothing to do with him. Damon wasn't acting that way to compete with Elijah, he was doing it because he truly cared for Charlotte.

"You taste like love."-She spoke dreamily and then fell asleep just as fast.

Silence fell in the room as the door creaked, revealing Tyler Lockwood… Actually, Klaus. None of them could get used to the idea that the teenager that was currently staring at Caroline intently and showing no remorse, was the Original hybrid.

Caroline stopped laughing next to Stefan. She dimmed, sinking in the couch and avoiding his gaze.

Damon clenched his fists at the sight of him. It was all his fault. He had the nerve to show up at his home as if it were normal, as if someone innocent dying because of him was part of his daily routine. He wanted to kill him more than anything. Elena had lost Jenna because of him. He had lost Ric.

He was losing Charlotte.

"Breathe."-Elena whispered in his ear. He hadn't noticed that veins were beginning to show under his eyes.

"This is all his fault. I want to feed him his own eyeballs. I want to break every bone in his body continuously until he begs me to end it. I want to tear each one of his limbs off and shove them up his…"

"Stop it."-Stefan scolded him.- "We need him."

"It is of very bad taste to speak in third person of someone who is present."-Klaus spoke calmly from his seat, smirking at Damon.-"Please enlighten me with descriptions of all the ways you wish to torture me; don't fret, I can assure you I've done worse."

"I've always been better with actions than with words."

"I believe I'm getting a bit out of character. Now, please bear with me here... What would the awfully boring, uneducated, and absolutely idiotic Tyler Lockwood answer to that?"-His gaze returned to Caroline.-"Maybe you can help, Caroline. You are in love with him after all… Aren't you?"

"That is not funny."-Stefan intervened.

"It's hilarious for him."-Caroline broke her silence. She spoke, looking directly into Klaus's eyes with determination and anger.-"Betrayal, lies, hoaxes, taking advantage of other people to meet your sadistic goals...It's all a big joke for you."

"I guess this is pure comedy."

Damon vampire sped to reach him, but Stefan was there to stop him. Klaus smirked again and waved his fingers from his seat.

"Enough."-Rosalia's voice rang, silencing them.-"We are ready to begin."

Bonnie entered the living room, holding Jeremy's hand and looking frightened.

"Sit."-She ordered Klaus.

"I see the lack of manners isn't just Damon's trait."-Klaus was taking advantage of their situation. He knew they couldn't hurt him, so he was being a jerk. Damon felt even sicker.

He complied the order and Bonnie put the palms of her hands on his head.

"You can do this, child."-Rosalia said, holding a motherly tone in her voice.- "The power to do the spell is within you. Think about your fears, your loathing, everything you have lost. Embrace revenge, pain. Draw the power from the darkness that inhabits you."

"That's not how Bonnie's magic works…"-Elena whispered to Stefan and he pretended not to worry.

Bonnie took a deep breath and started chanting a spell. Soon enough, she started to shake and cry.

"Don't stop, Bennett witch."-Rosalia commanded. Bonnie shouted the spell and tried to keep going.-

Jeremy stood next to Elena, not knowing what to do. Bonnie was practicing dark magic and it was getting out of control; he loved her, he couldn't let her get hurt. Dark magic had consequences.

Still, that meant losing Charlotte. He didn't want to lose another person that actually cared for him. They had already lost their parents, Jenna, John, Alaric… How could he go through it again? How could he go home and watch Elena's youth drift away as she tried to become a parent once again?

A soft touch stopped his internal debate. He looked down to find Charlotte's hand resting on his. She simply nodded, and he knew what to do.

"Stop, Bonnie. This is not good for you."-He took a pair of steps forward, holding his hands up.

"Don't listen to him. Focus on the darkness. Soak every inch of your body in it."

"Bonnie, I love you."-He said and she almost got out of her trance. She shook her head and tried to remain unaffected.-"You don't have to do this."

Jeremy tried to reach her, but she raised her hand and threw him against a wall before he could try to stop her. Bonnie then created a circle of fire around Rosalia, the bodies of Tyler and Klaus, and her. She heard the screams of the spirits, every dead witch incriminating her actions.

"They made you do this. They didn't want to help you. Don't listen to the spirits."

She concentrated on the spell.

Darkness. Her Grams was dead. Her mother abandoned her. Despair. Her father didn't care about her. Elena was a vampire. Hate. Klaus had ruined their lives.

"Care?"-Tyler, the real Tyler, asked before he started screaming and grasping his head. In the coffin, Klaus gasped for breath.

"Bonnie…"-The ghost of her grandmother held her hands.-"You can still stop this. It's dark magic."

"Finish the spell!"-Klaus shouted, back in Tyler's body.-"Finish the spell now!"

She closed her eyes and didn't stop chanting her spell. As soon as she finished, she opened them again to look at her one more time.

"I warned you, child. Dark magic always has consequences."-Sheila's grip on her wrists tightened.

"Let me go!"-Bonnie attempted to pull her hands away. To anyone who looked at her, she was fighting against an invisible force.

Bonnie watched her grandmother's skin dry and crack, horrified.

"You made your choice. Now they're taking it out on me."

Somewhere in the distance, her friends called her name and begged her to stop, but she couldn't pay attention to them. Not when her Grams was being tortured because she had gone against nature.

"No, no, Grams! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. They can't do this to you!"-She cried hopelessly but it was useless.-"Please, don't do this to her!"

She fell to her knees, sobbing. The flames that surrounded her died.

"Oh my God! Bonnie!"-Elena ran to her side and held her in her arms as she wept.

Caroline stepped forward cautiously. She walked towards Tyler, evading Klaus's gaze.

"Care."-Tyler breathed out a sigh of relief. He hugged her.-"I thought I'd never see you again."

"I'm here. You're back."

And Klaus Mikaelson, he realized bitterly, suddenly stopped to matter to Caroline Forbes. It didn't make a difference that he had been a gentleman, that he had showed her a different reality where they could be together and happy, that she had (as hard as she tried to deny it) fallen in love with him… Now that Tyler, who wouldn't ever be able to be enough for her, was in his body, he was back to being the evil hybrid that she despised.

Charlotte's eyes fluttered, trying to remain open. The world felt too heavy. Everything was so absolutely confusing. She could barely make up the shapes and sounds that filled her senses. As she saw Klaus walking away without anyone but her noticing, she only had one final thought in her mind before passing out:

Hell, we'll finally meet.

Damon allowed himself to smile, to laugh at the situation. Bonnie was crying on the floor, Elena was crying because her best friend was in pain, Jeremy was barely recovering from being thrown against a wall, Tyler looked utterly confused, Stefan was even broodier than usual... But Damon still couldn't keep himself from laughing. He laughed at the stupid, ridiculously difficult lives they had ended up with. He laughed out of relief because Charlotte was safe... Because earlier he had been sure that he'd have to kill her that afternoon, but now there was hope. There was a future for them; an eternity, to be specific.

"Char?"-He called her name after he had a great laugh. She had been lying too still, but he had just assumed it was because of the pain or that she had fallen asleep.. He shook her body and she still didn't answer.-"No, no, wake up!"

His eyes searched frantically for his brother, silently asking for his help. Stefan couldn't remember the last time he had seen Damon need him so desperately.

"Caroline, where is Klaus?"-Stefan quickly tried to fix the situation, since Damon was busy trying to keep Charlotte alive. Caroline gulped as she wasn't able to find him in the room. They were such fools, she was such a fool... Of course he would've left.

"I'll get him. Stay with Tyler."

Caroline vampire sped out of the boarding house and tried to focus her senses so she would be able to locate Klaus. Even now that Tyler was back, he just couldn't stop being a problem.

Stupid Original idiot! Couldn't he be the good guy for once? Couldn't he just keep his word and save Charlotte?

No, of course not. He had to be the villain. He had to do everything he could to make her hate him, to make it wrong for her to like him, to make loving him seem like a crime against nature.

"Screw you, Klaus! You heard me!"-She yelled and stomped the ground.-"I hate you, you sadistic, egocentric, ungrateful jerk! Screw you! Go die or something!"

"Disappointingly for you, I've heard a lot worse."

She turned around at the sound of his voice, boiling with anger.

"Bonnie did what you wanted. She just risked her life, she pissed off the spirits to return you to your body! How could you leave? How could you do this?"

"I'm a thousand years old. Call it boredom."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine. Then maybe it's because I'm pure evil, and I can't help myself."

"No, it's because Tyler is back in my life. You were hurt… Which means that there is a part of you that is human."

"We both know you don't mean that, love. You just said you hate me."

"I've seen it. I've… I've caught myself wishing that I could forget all the horrible things that you've done."

"But you can't. Can you?"

"Every bad thing you've done doesn't disappear just because you do a decent one."

"So what difference does it make whether I'm the villain or the hero? In the end, I'm never going to be worthy of forgiveness for you. "

"I know that you're in love with me… And anybody capable of love is capable of being saved. Prove me that you can be much more than this, Klaus. Prove that you can be compassionate, that there really is something worth forgiving. Prove me that your love can conquer your hate."

"I've been around for a long time, Caroline. I invented manipulation; don't test me."

"I'm not manipulating you."

"Then what exactly are you doing? We both know this conversation has no purpose. You are telling me what I want to hear; but in the end, you're going to use me to save your friend, and then you'll return to your pretty little boyfriend. "

She took a deep breath. She thought she wouldn't have to resort to making promises that she didn't want to keep.

"What if we made a deal?"

"Depends on what would this pact include."-He replied curiously. She never stopped surprising him.

"You save Charlotte, I..."-Another deep breath.-"I break up with Tyler."

He didn't show any trace of happiness. She thought he would be pleased by her offer.

"I told you once: small town boy, small town life; it will never be enough for you. You can fool them, but you can't fool me. You are meant for greater things. I offer you the world, Caroline. I surrender it to your feet; rule it, wreck it, it's all your choice. It's yours to take whenever you are ready to do so. I already had you against your will; next time I do, it will be your decision."

He stepped forward and locked his lips with hers. She stood there, petrified for a moment; but soon she was kissing him back. He suddenly tore his mouth away from her, leaving her craving his touch.

"I'll save Charlotte… But don't forget, dear."-He whispered dangerously, seductively.-"I'm not doing it for them. For all I care, I would be feasting in their pain right now."

1864

"Are you certain that your father won't notice you stole this bottle of liquor? It looks very expensive."

"Let him notice. I couldn't care less."

Charlotte nodded understandingly and took a swig from the bottle. Damon, even though he was angry at the moment, couldn't help chuckling at the expression of disgust she made. She handed it back to him.

"You don't have to drink with me."

"If I don't, you'll drink the whole bottle."

"My father is not a good man, Char. I wish Stefan could see it."

"Stefan and Katherine are the light of Giuseppe's eyes. And we, well… We are the Union."

"I understand why he hates me. I'm a disgrace, I left the confederacy. "

"War is tearing this country apart. You don't have to fight a battle you don't believe in… If he wants to "defend" his people, then he should go fight himself. "

"But you, Char? I can't understand it, you're a respectable lady, you are sweet, beautiful. He has no reason to reject you."

"Didn't you just hear me? Make your father and I play an hour of croquet and he will order the whole South to cut my head off after listening to my opinion."

They were both silent for a while, engaged in their own thoughts.

"Was your father as much of a disappointment as mine?"

"All he ever did was whine about what an awful daughter I was, compare me to my younger brother, and say I was the curse of the Vanev family."

"Sounds familiar."

"That…"-She took the bottle from him.-"…And hitting my mother. He was incapable of kissing her lips, but he sure could slap her across the face."

His heart tightened. He could tell that it was a personal, difficult confession.

"One day, I hit him. My mother had to beg him not to kill me. She promised him she'd turn me into everything he wanted me to be. She'd do anything as long as he allowed me to live. I can't stand Giuseppe because he reminds me of my father."

"Katherine has never said anything about your family… But she must have helped you, right? I mean, she is your sister. She loves you."

She looked down sadly. If Katherine had been around, if Katherine really had been her sister… Everything would've been so different.

"Of course. We survived together."-She replied coldly. She hated lying to him.

He took her hand and kissed it.

"I know why you are here, drinking. I know you can't hate him… I couldn't hate mine either. Didn't matter what he did, I was still waiting for him to love me. Sometimes I still am."

He nodded. She put into words everything he was ashamed of saying out loud.

"I'm glad I met you, Pierce. I hope this friendship never ends."

"It won't."

"It's us against the world."

"Always."-She offered him the bottle.

He admired how calm she looked.

"Can you feel it, Damon? Nothing exists but us. There is no time, no expectations."

She was right. There, sitting on the porch, breaking the rules of society, looking up at the stars; time felt as if it were frozen... As if it never had existed in the first place.

"Maybe everything happens for a reason. Maybe those struggles were fate's only way of bringing us together."

"Then I'll gladly navigate through any storm as long as it brings me back to you."

Her eyes snapped open as she gasped for breath. She tried to focus her blurry vision.

A pair of blue eyes stared back at her. She rejoiced in the sudden relief that extended through her entire body.

"Where do we go now?"-He said, making the world disappear as he put a lock of her hair behind her ear.

Maybe she had made it to heaven after all.

Thank you for reading!

Sorry for any mistakes. I hope you enjoy it!

Special thanks to Valkyrie101, SomebodyWhoCares, Brightlikethestars1864, totalRandum, and the guest who reviewed the last chapter!