A/N- I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I'm sorry it took so long to get this out. Happy reading! :)


Fade Into You


"I'm a vampire." Elena said out loud. She was testing the different ways on how to tell Liam that she was a vampire and she was getting tips on exactly how to say it from Charlie and Caroline while they were setting up for 'Friends-giving.'

"I don't know." Caroline said as she and Charlie placed name cards on the different plates. "Maybe a little less emphasis on vampire."

"I'm a vampire." Elena tried again.

"There are only so many ways you can say it." Charlie mentioned. "Why don't you just get it over with. Just shout it out. Ya know, kind of like ripping off a band-aid, quick and painless."

"Well, maybe Liam will stop digging into Lady Whitmore's miraculous recovery and you won't have to come clean." Caroline suggested.

"Or he'll keep digging, realize that I force-fed her my vampire blood and then just, bail."

"If he does that then that puts the rest of us in danger." Charlie said. She still hadn't gotten any of her memories back, but she had been spending a lot of time with her friends and family and she was starting to pick up on their traits and character habits. She was also staying with Caroline and Elena at the dorm so the two vampires were filling her in on a lot that she couldn't remember. She was starting to feel more like she belonged.

"Good point." Elena said.

"Okay. You know all of this can go away with one fell mind wipe." Caroline said.

"So lie, and lie - again, and again, and again..."

"Okay. If you want to tell him the truth, I support you 100%. But if you're rushing into this to escape some conflicted feelings over a certain ex who just came back into your life, then I suggest you keep your fangs to yourself."

"I have to agree with Caroline." Charlie said. "I mean, I don't know what the norm is on stuff like this, but isn't telling Liam you're a vampire just... a little too soon?"

"Maybe. Well, probably." Elena said, distracted when Jo walked in. "Jo. Where's Alaric?" Elena asked.

"Don't kill the messenger." Jo winced. "Something about an impromptu guys' weekend."

Elena and Charlie stepped out into the hall to call Stefan, Damon, Enzo, and Alaric.

"You can't miss Friends-giving. I mean, Matt and Jeremy are already cleaning up the whole Tripp mess, and Caroline's mom has to work. We're already low on friends as it is. Besides, it'll be the perfect opportunity for Charlie to learn more about everyone." Elena complained to Alaric.

"Well, if it's any consolation, our Thanksgiving was roadside chili." Alaric said.

Alaric then told Elena about the fact that there may be a chance that Bonnie was still alive.

"What do you mean Bonnie's in the prison world? Damon said that she wasn't there, that she found peace with... Why didn't he tell me this?"

"Why wouldn't I consult you in a decision that might permanently change your life? Hmm. I wonder." Damon sassed over the phone.

"He didn't want to get your hopes up. He honestly thought Bonnie died trying to free him and Charlie. If she sent her teddy bear over, it could mean she's still..." Ric trailed off.

"Bonnie's still alive? Oh, my God!" Elena said, happily.

"Wait. Bonnie, the person, friend, who sent Damon and I back from that prison thingy?" Charlie said, trying to remember what her friends had told her about Bonnie.

"Yeah. She's a really good friend of yours." Elena confirmed for Charlie.

"Yeah. So we're in Portland right now, trying to track down some Gemini thing."

"Ascendant." Damon corrected.

"This is amazing." Elena said, still excited that Bonnie was alive.

"Alaric, you might want to keep the news to yourself. I tracked this lead months ago. It was a dead end." Stefan informed him, but spoke low enough so that Elena wouldn't hear.

"Stefan sends his love." Ric said and hung up.

"Wait. What-" Elena could only say before Ric hung up.

Caroline appeared behind Elena and Charlie. "Bonnie's alive?"

Elena nodded and they both laughed. Charlie smiled too, but couldn't really feel the happiness that Caroline and Elena felt simply because she didn't remember who Bonnie was. However, she was still happy that a friend of hers was alive.

The moment was interrupted by Charlie's phone ringing. Enzo had given her the phone that she left with him so that she could call someone if she needed something.

"Hello?" She answered while stepping away from Caroline and Elena without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello, Gorgeous." Enzo said, over the phone.

Charlie laughed. Enzo would still take every chance he could to flirt with her, including now. "Hey, Enzo. What's up?"

"I was just calling to see how you were. How's the Friends-giving going so far?" Enzo asked.

"Pretty good. It's only me, Caroline, Elena, and Jo right now. How's the search for the Ascendant that you didn't tell me about?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But your brothers and Ric thought it would be best just in case we didn't find anything. But we just got here, so I'll let you know when I find out more. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Enzo said. He had been really worried about her, because with every day that passed and she couldn't remember anything, the more frustrated and angry she became. He hated seeing her so down. She was able to learn more about her friends and stuff, but she just wanted to remember, and he couldn't blame her.

Charlie smiled. "Thank you, Enzo. That's really sweet." She really appreciated that he called just to check in on her. Enzo was the only one who knew how much this was really affecting her. The other's knew she was getting angry about this, but he was the only one who knew how irritated she truly was. She didn't want to worry anyone else, even though Enzo assured her that they would understand. She still didn't want to add onto the problems that they currently had.

"Well, sweet is my middle name." Enzo said.

Charlie laughed. "Is it?"

"It is. I actually have a few middle names including charming and dashingly handsome."

They both laughed and it was nice. Enzo liked that she was forgetting about things for a moment and taking a break to just smile. But unfortunately, he had to get back to work trying to find this Ascendant.

"I'll see you later, okay? And then I'll tell you more about how I swept you off your feet and made you fall head over heels for me."

"I look forward to it. Be safe. Tell the guys I said hi."

"I will."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye." Enzo said and heard the dial tone, indicating that Charlie had hung up. But before hanging up on his end he whispered, I love you.


Portland, Oregon

"Is that the reason Caroline assigned me the turkey and the Cranberries. Stefan wasn't invited." Alaric said as they tried to find the Gemini Coven.

"See what you did?" Damon said. "Now we're pulling your weight. I really hope you figure this out before Christmas."

"That's gonna be awkward." Enzo said. "The rest of us will be forced to watch as Caroline and Stefan send each other longing looks across the dinner table. We'll all enjoy the tension in the room as you share awkward glances but neither of you will say anything as you deny your feelings for each other."

"Do you have a point, Enzo?" Stefan snapped.

"My point is, for the sake of your friends, just man up and tell her how you feel." Enzo said.

"Yeah. Why don't you just date her, put us all out of our misery?" Damon agreed with Enzo.

"Well, I'm glad you're all finding amusement in this, but I don't think about her that way. She's my friend." Stefan said.

"Who would make a great girlfriend. Look, one, she's hot - objectively." Damon said.

"Two, she puts up with you." Ric added.

"Big plus. Three, very, very well organized." Damon said.

"Organizational skills?"

"There are no drawbacks to this woman, Stefan." Damon argued.

"Well, she did sleep with you." Enzo said to Damon.

"See? Another plus." Damon said.

"Oh! Look, we're here." Stefan said as they walked up to an empty field. "Behold, the Gemini Coven, exactly how it looked four months ago. And like I said 3,000 miles ago, it's not here. Can we go home now please?"

"You know what? Check the GPS again." Ric said. "Just because we don't see anything doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"Not unlike Caroline's feelings for Stefan." Damon said.

"Hilarious. Keep them coming." Stefan said.

Damon pulled Ms. Cuddles out of the back pack and began to talk in a high pitched 'teddy bear' voice. "Oh, no. Is Stefan feeling sensitive about ruining his friendship with Caroline? She really liked him and he broke her heart."

"See, Stefan?" Ric said. "Even the bear knew."

"Charlie can see it and she doesn't remember you two." Enzo added.

"I saw it from a mile away, and my brain's made of cotton." Damon said, still in a teddy bear voice.

"Give me this." Stefan grabbed the teddy bear and kicked it into the air.

The bear flew through the air. The air began to ripple when the bear hit it, and before their eyes, appeared a house.

Damon smiled and ran up to the porch and picked up the bear. "Ms. Cuddles - one. Invisible creepy mansion - zero."


Whitmore

Elena and Charlie walked into the room carrying more dishes of food when they saw Liv stuff her jacket into Tyler's hands and angrily walk away. Elena mouthed 'What's with her?' but Tyler just shrugged, not knowing himself.

Elena turned around to see Liam. "Liam, hey. You're here."

"Bearing the white wine of surrender. I owe you an apology." Liam said. "I checked Lady Whitmore's medical records again, and everything was normal. Which I would have known had I double-checked them before making accusations that were unfounded, baseless... dickish. Is that enough adjectives?"

"I think you could use a couple more." Charlie said as she walked towards them after setting a dish on the table and stopped next to Elena. "Hi, Liam."

"Hey, Charlie. How's the um, memory coming along?" He knew that Elena told Charlie that he knew, so he didn't feel too out of place asking, but he still didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"It's um, getting there. No sudden revalations, but I'm managing." Charlie smiled and nodded.

"That's good. I'm sure it'll come to you." Liam smiled.

"Thanks."

"Am I glad to see you." Jo said, walking towards them and grabbing the bottles of wine from Liam. "You too, Liam."

"Come on." Elena said and handed a dish to Liam. "Would you mind?"

"Sure." Liam grabbed the dish and walked away as Elena thanked him. She wanted to talk to Jo away from human ears.

"Hey. Um, did you...?" Elena trailed off.

"Risk my career switching Lady Whitmore's medical chart?" Jo guessed. "I'm glad it worked."

"Yeah. Thank you." Elena said, and went back to the table to finish setting up.

"Hey, Jo. Can I ask you something?" Charlie asked her.

"Sure, Charlie. What's up?" Jo asked.

"Well, you know how I can't remember anything since being back here?" At Jo's nod she continued. "I still don't have any memories from before I came back. The only thing I knew was my name and that I was a vampire. That's it. But even still, there's nothing from before and nothing seems to be triggering any sort of memory."

"You don't remember anything?" Jo asked. "Not even a picture of anything from your past, or something reminding you of something that you've done?"

"Nope, nothing. But, you're a witch right?"

Jo nodded. "Sort of."

"Is there anything that you can do to bring my memories back? Anything that can maybe just... trigger something. I'm tired of not remembering." Charlie asked.

Jo thought for a moment. "There are a few things I can think of. Wait until we're away from human eyes, then I'll see what I can do."

Charlie sighed in relief. "Oh, thank you so much." She pulled Jo into an unexpected quick hug that she returned before going to help finish setting up.


"Alright!" Caroline announced, getting everyone's attention. "If everyone could gather around the table at their assigned seats, then, um..." She was interrupted by Luke walking into the room.

"Oh. Sorry I'm late." He apologized.

Caroline just continued talking. "We will each share something that we are thankful for in 100 words or less, so..." With that, everyone sat down.

Liv and Tyler stood away from the table, appearing to have a serious conversation.

Charlie, who was sitting to Caroline's left, was staring off into nothing while biting at her fingernails, which Caroline noticed. Charlie never bit her nails, so this worried her.

"Charlie?" Caroline said, but still Charlie continued to stare into space. "Charlie..." She said again but got the same results. "Charlie!" She said and shook her.

"Huh?" Charlie said, coming out of her trance. "What?"

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked, worried. "Are you okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just got lost in my thoughts for a minute sorry." Charlie said and put her hands in her lap after noticing she was biting her nails.

"Okay. How've you been holding up?" Caroline asked her friend.

"Um... okay. Nothing different really. I just..." She trailed off.

"Charlie, you can tell me anything, you know that right?" Caroline assured her.

Charlie sighed and leaned closer to Caroline to try and keep their conversation somewhat private. "I don't have any memories of anyone or anything but I still... What I mean is..." Charlie kept getting lost, trying to explain this in the easiest way possible. "Okay, there's some part in my brain that tells me that I know you guys.' It tells me that I love you all and would do anything for you, I just don't... remember you. I know that doesn't make any sense, trust me I'm confused about it to. And that's what frustrates me. I know you, but I don't know you."

Caroline thought about it for a minute. "No, I get what you're saying. There's something in your brain, or even your heart, that tells you we are your family and friends, you just don't have the memories to back it up. It's like a gut instinct right?"

"Exactly. But it's frustrating beyond belief because I want to remember everything. I just can't." Charlie said.

"Don't stress about it Charlie. It'll all come back to you. Maybe stop trying to force the memories back, just let them come to you. It'll be alright though. I promise." Caroline said.

Charlie smiled. "Thanks, Care."

Caroline's eyes widened and she smiled. "You just called me Care! You haven't called me that since you've been back."

Charlie thought for a minute. "I guess you're right. I don't know, it just came out of nowhere."

"See, so stop fretting about it." Caroline said just as Tyler and Liv walked back over to the table.

"Thanks." Charlie said again.

"Uh, anyone want to see some embarrassing baby videos of Liv?" Luke asked.

"Oh, you know what? Now would actually be an excellent time just to shut down anything with an on-off button." Caroline said, ever the organised host.

Luke ignored her, however, and proceeded to play a video on his phone.

"No, please, let the food get cold. Whatever that is is far more important." Caroline sassed.

Luke played a video of both himself and Liv when they were much younger. The person holding the camera was talking, and the voice sounded extremely familiar.

They were still watching the video when Jo walked in. "What are you watching?"

"That kind of sounds like your voice." Elena mentioned.

"That is my voice." Jo said, walking over to them. "I took that video 18 years ago at a birthday party for the twins."

"Oh, my God." Liv said, realizing who Jo was.

"Lukas and Olivia?" Jo asked.

"Jo as in Josette?" Luke asked her.

"Hang on. You guys know each other?" Elena asked confused.

"I'm their sister." Jo said, tearing up after realizing these were the twins she hasn't seen for 18 years.


"So if you don't know each other, then how did you all just happen to end up at the same tiny liberal arts school?" Caroline asked.

"We had a family friend here... Sheila Bennett." Jo answered.

"You knew Bonnie's grams?" Elena asked, surprised.

"She took me under her wing. She also helped my family put Kai away." Jo told her.

"Kai... Kai." Charlie repeated, looking like she was thinking about something. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Are you talking about Damon's Kai? The one he and Charlie were stuck with?" Elena said, pretty much answering Charlie.

"As in our brother." Jo said. "My twin. Yes, he would have been there with Damon and Charlie if that's where they were sent."

"There are two sets of twins in your family?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah," Luke confirmed. "There were until my coven put Kai in a prison world."

"Now there's just Luke and me." Liv said.

"I'm sorry." Liam said and stood up, making the others aware of his presence. "Did you say coven?"

"Oh, my God." Elena muttered when she noticed him. "Liam..." She said then sent at look to Luke and Liv. "Is still here."

"I think he meant 'oven.'" Tyler said, in a lame attempt to cover up what was just said.

"Yeah." Elena agreed.

Caroline jumped in to try an save everyone. "Oh, look! We don't have a wine opener on the table." She said then compelled Liam. "Liam, you have a wine opener in your room. Why don't you get it? Take your time." Liam left, unaware of what was really going on, then Caroline turned back to the group. "As you were saying, you put Kai away?"

"Yeah. We sent him to a prison world about 20 years ago." Jo said.

Elena looked at Charlie. "Charlie, I know you don't remember anything. But now would be a really good time for you to suddenly get your memory back. Is there anything you can tell us about Kai while you were over there?"

Charlie thought for a second, struggling to remember anything. "I'm sorry. The only thing that comes up when I hear the name Kai is 'psychotic' and 'insane.'"

"Damon said he was crazy." Elena muttered.

"Kai killed four of our brothers and sisters to make a point." Jo told them, so they would understand just how 'crazy' he was. "But he was really targeting Lukas and Olivia."

"Why them?" Tyler asked.

"Because in our coven, twins are in line to be leaders."

"Hence our lame-ass name - Gemini." Liv said.

"Kai wanted to be the leader, but that wasn't possible if Lukas and Olivia were alive." Jo said. "So I protected them with magic, but Kai figured it out, and he snapped."

"Charlie's right. He was a psychopath, so they sent him away. Kai went to his prison, Jo dodged a bullet, and now the leadership falls on us." Liv said, leaving an awkward silence.

"Okay. Well, now that we've all gotten to know each other a little bit better, could someone please pass the dinner rolls?" Caroline said.

"Sorry that my family drama isn't appropriate dinner conversation, Caroline." Liv snapped.

"That's not what I meant. It's-" But Caroline was interrupted when Liv stood up abruptly to leave.

"Liv-" Tyler tried to stop her but failed.

"Just... leave me alone." She said, then left.

"Okay. I think I may have missed something." Elena said. "If you and Liv can both be the leaders of your coven, why did she just get so upset?"

"Because there aren't two leaders, are there Jo?" Luke asked his older sister.

"In our coven's tradition, after their 22nd birthday, the twins merge their strength. The stronger one wins, absorbing their twin's power, and the weaker of the two..."

"The weaker of the two what?" Tyler asked when Jo trailed off.

"The weaker one dies." Luke answered, stood up, and left.


"I think I met your dad." Ric said to Jo over the phone. The guy that they had met at the creepy witch house had turned out to be Joshua Parker; Liv, Luke, Jo, and Kai's father and the leader of the Gemini Coven.

After finding out that Damon was with Kai in the witch prison world, he made himself and Damon disappear so Ric, Enzo, and Stefan could no longer see them or the house.

"Well, that's improbable considering he lives in Portland." Jo said to Ric.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually in Portland." Ric admitted.

"Ric, you need to tell me what's going on right now." Jo demanded.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, noticing Jo's distress.

Jo listened to Ric for a minute. "The guys' are trying to get back to Kai's prison world and they ran into my father. That's not a good thing."

"What? Are they okay?" Charlie asked.

"My dad and Damon disappeared." Jo answered and then continued to listen to Ric. "Ric, listen to me. If my dad knows that you want to open Kai's world, he'll think you're going to free him. He's going to retaliate. And I hate to break it to you, Ric, but you traveled 3,000 miles for nothing. The Ascendant's with me."

"You got to be kidding me, right?" Ric asked in disbelief.

Suddenly, Jo collapsed and grabbed her head.

"Jo?" Charlie said, bending down to her level to help her.

"Something's wrong." Jo said.

"Elena." Charlie called for her to help.

"Jo, what's wrong?" Elena said when she got over to them.

"I think my dad..." Jo trailed off.

"Jo, what the hell is going on?"

"My dad's trying to kill me." She realized and grabbed at her head, another shot of pain running through her.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Liam, the 'unknowing-of-the-supernatural-human' who was still in the room, asked. "Her dad's trying to kill her?"

"Jo. Jo, answer the phone." Ric said from the other side of the phone, worried.

Elena picked up the phone while Charlie helped Jo over to the couch so she could lay down. "Ric?"

"Elena, what the hell's going on?"

"Something's happening to Jo. You have to find her dad and stop him from whatever he's doing to her." Elena said.

"Well that's gonna be a problem because even if we could see the house I haven't been invited in." Stefan was the one who answered this time.

"Invite him in." Elena told Jo and held the phone next to her.

"You can come in." Jo groaned still in pain.

"But we can't even see the damn house." Ric said.

"They need magic!" Jo realized then leaned over to cough. She brought her hand away from her mouth to see blood.

"Crap." Jo said.

"Elena, we have to do something. Definite signs of hemoptysis." Liam thought this was strictly medical.

"Shut up, Liam." Jo then said to Elena. "Ask them if they see an old tree stump in the front yard?"

"Yeah, I see it." Stefan answered.

"Go there now!"


Elena was gathering ice into a towel when Liam started demanding answers.

"You need to tell me what's going on."

"You need to get more ice." Elena said, then handed off the ice she already wrapped in a towel to Charlie so she could go help Jo.

"I'm not an idiot, Elena." Liam said. "I know you're lying to me, so whatever it is, just tell me. Please."

"Elena." Charlie called over to them and they turned to see Jo convulsing on the couch.

"She's crashing!" Elena said while Charlie stood back not knowing how to help her medically.

"Dr. Laughlin, look at me." Liam said.

"Jo, can you hear me? Jo!"

"Come on, Dr. Laughlin. Please wake up." He then said to Elena. "Check for dilation."

Elena pulled Jo's eyelids back to reveal that the white's of her eyes were no longer white, they were blood red.

"Holy crap." Liam said, shocked. "What the... what happened to her?"

"Call 9-1-1. I'll start CPR." Liam said but Elena didn't do anything. "Call 9-1-1, Elena. We need help. She's about to die."

"Liam... Liam there's not enough time." Elena said.

"Elena." Charlie said to her. "We need to help her."

Elena nodded, knowing what she had to do in order to save Jo. Dark black veins appeared on her face and her fangs elongated before she bit into her wrist and fed Jo her blood.

"What are you doing?" Liam asked then saw her face. "Elena, your face."

"It's okay. My blood will heal her." Elena assured him.

It was quiet for a few moments before Jo gasped and woke up.

"Jo?" Elena and Charlie asked.

"I'm okay." She told them.

"I'll get you some water." Elena said then went to get water with Liam following after her.

"You sure you're okay?" Charlie checked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"What the hell happened?"

"My dad was trying to kill me." Jo told her. "Which I could say I'm surprised, but I'm really not. He'd do anything to protect his precious coven."

Charlie and Jo turned back to Elena just in time to see Elena compel Liam to forget everything he saw today and that he and Elena ever dated.


Charlie was back at Enzo's apartment and had just washed her hands free of Jo's blood when Enzo walked in.

"Hey."

"Hey. How'd everything go here?" Enzo asked.

"Well, Jo's alive, so that's a plus. But Caroline's 'Friends-giving' was a major bust." Charlie said and she poured the both of them a glass of Scotch. "What about you guys'?"

"Wasted trip to Portland for a magical Ascendant that's been here the whole time? I'd say it was your average day."

Charlie laughed. "Sounds like fun." Before Enzo could reply, Charlie's phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her back pocket and scrunched her eyebrows together when she saw the name on the screen.

"Who is it?" Enzo asked.

"It's Luke." She said then answered. "Hello?"

"Charlie?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"You're probably wondering why I'm calling you right?" Luke asked considering they rarely ever talked.

"Just a little bit."

"Well, I wanted to thank you for helping save Jo today. And Jo was looking through some old grimoires..."

"And..."

"We think we know how to bring your memories back."


Charlie and Enzo made their way over to Ric's apartment. They walked in to see pretty much everyone there. Her brothers, Elena, Caroline, Tyler, Ric, Jo, Luke, and Liv were all in attendance. The only ones missing were Matt and Jeremy.

"Okay, now why are we all here?" Damon asked.

"I have an idea on how to bring Charlie's memories back." Jo said, causing everyone's eyes to widen in shock. "But since I don't have any magic, Luke offered to do the spell for me."

"Well he should considering it's his fault she was gone in the first place." Enzo snapped.

"We've been over this Enzo." Stefan said. "Luke feels bad about what happened but he was saving his sister. They are back now, that's what matters."

"I was only doing what any of you would've done to save your family." Luke said.

"Okay." Jo said and grabbed an old and tattered grimoire. "Now this spell is very old, and a little tricky."

"But I can do it." Luke promised.

"If this goes wrong and something happens to her, I'm holding you personally responsible and no amount of magic will keep me from ripping your heart out." Stefan, uncharacteristically said.

Everyone was shocked to hear Stefan say something like that. Damon and Enzo, yeah, but not Stefan. But Stefan still felt like everything that happened to Charlie was his fault. Maybe she wouldn't have gone to the Grill and died if Enzo hadn't been dead, then she would have never been stuck in the prison world and lost her memories when she came back. But the main reason he threatened Luke was because he loved his sister, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

"As strange as that was to hear coming from Stefan I agree with him." Damon said. "Have you ever done this spell before?"

"Well, no. But I know what I'm doing." Luke said.

Charlie turned to Jo. "Are there any weird side effects I should be worried about?"

"Your head may hurt a little bit from all the memories suddenly coming back to you, but it should go away fairly quickly. Also, you may have a few blank spots in your memory that will come back with time. But other than that you should be fine."

"'Should be fine.'" Enzo repeated. "Are there any guarantees with this spell or are we putting this all up to chance?"

"This is an old spell. I'm talking, the start of the Gemini Coven, old. But old spells are powerful and are more trusted to work than a newer spell. So if I were to believe any spell would work, it would be this one." Jo told them.

"Charlie? Do you want to do this?" Ric asked her.

Charlie thought for a minute and weighed the pros and cons. But in the end, she really just wanted her memories back.

"I want to do this. I want my memories back."


Jo, Liv, and Luke got to work setting up candles around the room. In the center of the room sat a single chair with another ring of candles just around it. Herbs were placed in bowls here and there and everyone else was gathered on the other side of the room, outside of the ring of candles that circled the chair.

"Is anyone else a little creeped out right now?" Caroline asked and Elena nodded her head in agreement.

"Jo knows what she's doing." Ric assured everyone while Jo was closing the curtains to block out any of the remaining light coming from outside. While her back was turned, no one could see the small smile on her face from knowing that Ric had faith in her.

"I'm not worried about Jo. It's him I don't trust." Enzo pointed to Luke.

"Look, I can do this okay." Luke promised everyone for the last time. "And your right. It is partly my fault that Charlie lost her memories in the first place, so let me make up for it by bringing them back."

Luke guided Charlie into the chair and stood behind her while Jo and Liv joined the rest of the group. Luke handed Charlie a knife and held a bowl out to her. "I need some of your blood to make a connection."

She took the knife and cut into her palm before making a fist and squeezing to get enough blood into the bowl. Once Luke had enough blood he added some herbs and mixed it together.

"Alright. It may sting a bit, Charlie. Are you ready?" Luke asked her.

Charlie took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

Luke dipped his fingers into the bowl that had Charlie's blood in it, then placed them on the side of her head; much like Sloan did when she was digging through Stefan's memory. He closed his eyes and began the spell, which just sounded like a bunch of foreign words to the rest of the group, aside from Jo and Liv. As the spell went on, Luke began to talk louder and the flames on the candles grew taller and brighter.

Charlie suddenly yelled out, having her eyes shut tight trying to hold in the pain. 'A 'little sting' my ass.' She thought to herself.

"What's going on?" Elena asked Jo.

Jo smiled a little bit. "It's working."

Luke continued the spell for another five minutes when he suddenly stopped. The flames on the candles surrounding the chair blew out completely and Charlie's head slumped forward. She was unconscious.

Luke opened his eyes and took his hands off of Charlie's head.

"Well?" Enzo asked.

"It's done."

Everyone rushed towards Charlie all at once before Jo stopped them. "Hey, hey. Back up a little. She's alright."

"Why is she unconscious?" Stefan asked.

"It's part of the spell. Just give her a little bit of time and she'll wake up." Jo said. "Until then, let's move her to the couch."

Enzo lifted her out of the chair and placed her on the couch. Once he set her down, he gently smoothed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.

They all started to clean up the room while they waited for Charlie to wake up.


Two and a half hours later, Charlie still hadn't woken up.

"Why isn't she awake yet?" Enzo asked.

"She was dead when she came back right?" Jo asked.

"Yeah. Kai shot her in the neck with an arrow right before the Ascendant brought us back here." Damon said and looked over to Charlie, thinking about when she died in the prison world. For the first time since he got back, he noticed their mother's necklace was no longer around her neck. He hoped Charlie had just taken it off, but he had the feeling that it had broken and fell off when Kai shot her with the arrow. If this worked and she had her memory back, she would be really upset to know that it was gone again.

"That's why. It'll just take a little bit more time. Don't worry." Jo told them.

"Hey, Jo?" Elena asked. "Would this spell work to bring back my memories of Damon?"

Everyone listened closely, wondering if something like that really would work.

Jo shook her head sadly. "No, I'm sorry."

"Well, why not?" Damon demanded.

"Charlie completely lost her memory, which is why the spell would work. Elena's memory has just been altered through compulsion, she didn't lose them. I don't know of a spell that would change that. The only way I know to undo the compulsion would be from the vampire who compelled you in the first place."

"But that was Ric, and he's not a vampire anymore." Elena said.

"I'm sorry." Jo apologized. Elena was really kicking herself right now for ever wanting Ric to compel her.


Another 30 minutes later and Charlie was still unconscious. Every one was getting more and more worried with each minute that passed that she still didn't wake up.

"What's taking so long? You said she'd be awake by now." Stefan asked Jo.

"I didn't say when she'd be awake. I just said it would take awhile."

"Are we sure Luke did the spell right?" Elena asked.

"He did the spell correctly. It's just taking her a bit-" Jo started to explain but was cut off by a loud gasp.

Every look over at the couch Charlie was on to see her sitting straight up, finally awake. Everyone rushed over to her, but Enzo got to her first and knelt down next to her.

"Charlie?"

"Are you okay?"

"How do you feel?"

"Do you remember anything?"

Everyone kept shooting questions at her not giving her a chance to answer any of them. She blinked a couple of times before turning towards the group. She shifted on the couch and set her feet down on the floor. She slowly and carefully looked at each person that was there, seeming to study their faces before going on to the next one.

Once she had looked at everyone's hopeful faces, she finally stopped on Enzo's. She seemed to stare at him for what felt like forever. Everyone was silent, not knowing what she was thinking, or if she even remembered them.

"...Charlie?" Enzo asked carefully.

Suddenly, Charlie brought her hands up, grasped the side of Enzo's face and pulled him closer before crashing her lips onto his.

Taken by surprise, Enzo froze, but only for a second before eagerly returning the kiss and bringing his own hands up to thread through her hair.

A collective sigh of relief was heard throughout the room, but Enzo and Charlie were lost to it all.

"Well, I guess that means she remembers." Caroline said, and everyone laughed and smiled at each other, happy to have Charlie back.

But no one was filled with more relief and happiness than Enzo. Finally. He finally had his Charlie back. His one true love. His hope. Of course he was happy when she was back before but she couldn't remember him. Now she could, and he was getting the reunion that he was hoping for when he first found out that she was alive. Nothing could take this moment away from him.

The two were so lost in each other, they had completely forgotten where they were until Damon's voice broke through the haze.

"I'm glad you two are happy and all, but that's still my sister." Damon said, and the rest of the group laughed.

Enzo and Charlie broke away from each slowly. Enzo still had his hands cupping her face and Charlie placed her hands on his forearms. Charlie opened her eyes and the biggest smile she probably ever had broke out on her face. She looked at Enzo before looking to everyone else before saying...

"I remember."


She remembers! Finally! I know you guys were wondering when she would get her memories back and well. Ta da. Now before you finish this chapter I have a little surprise for you. A lot of people were wanting to know what the Originals reactions would be to Charlie dying. So I've decided that instead of making another chapter for it, I'll just add it to the rest of this one for like a 'Bonus.' So, here it is.


New Orleans, About a Month Ago (At the End of Summer)

Elijah sat in his room at the Abattoir, surrounded in nothing but silence.

It had been four months since the downfall of the quarter. Four months since they had to send Hope away for her safety. Four months that Hayley has been killing without remorse due to her new hybrid status. Four months where Niklaus began to further lose his mind, more than he already had. And well over six months since he had heard from Charlie.

He hadn't spoken to or seen her since she came to visit when he was bitten by Klaus. She didn't stay long. She just knew that things in New Orleans were complicated, but it was still a nice surprise. He wished she had stayed longer though. If only things weren't so messed up.

Things in New Orleans were getting out of control, and he could only assume that things in Mystic Falls were just as bad.

He thought about Charlie a lot since she left. Some of his time was spent thinking of the 'what ifs' which is a dangerous road to go down. What if Charlie had chosen to join him? What if things were different? What if she had felt for him what he had for her? In the end, he figured it was a good thing she had declined his offer to join him. He would never be able to forgive himself if she had gotten hurt, caught in the crossfires of the war between species.

He decided to call her. Maybe a chat with her would brighten his mood a bit. So that's what he did.

Continuous rings were heard until her voicemail picked up. "Hey, it's Charlie. Leave a message… or don't. I really don't care." He decided not to leave a voicemail and would instead try to call back later.

He walked into Klaus' art room only to be surprised when he noticed Marcel was there too.

Marcel hadn't been around the compound often. Only occasionally and for short amounts of time. But today, he and Klaus were sharing a drink together. Strange. Especially considering Klaus' behavior lately. But hey, as long as Klaus was out on a rampage, he would embrace the good mood while it lasted.

"Ah, brother." Klaus acknowledged Elijah. "I was just telling Marcellus about how I was finally able to break free from the curse that was keeping my werewolf side dormant for such a long time."

Elijah sat on the chair in front of the couch which Klaus and Marcel were currently sitting on. "Ah, yes. The dreaded curse."

Klaus eyed him suspiciously. "What has you in a particularly foul mood today?"

"I'm not in a foul mood Niklaus." Elijah said.

"If you say so. Something is obviously bothering you though. Come on. Share with the group." Klaus prodded.

"There is nothing bothering me. I simply tried to call Charlotte and there was no answer. I am in no different a mood than I was yesterday or the day before." Elijah explained then paused a second. "You haven't happened to have heard from her have you?"

At this point, Marcel was beyond curious about this conversation. Not the fact that Elijah was asking about someone, but that he was asking about a woman while looking so… vulnerable? Is that the word he wanted to use? Maybe not vulnerable, but lost. This woman obviously meant something to him.

"Ah, I understand now." Klaus said. "But, no I have not heard from any of the Salvatores', or anyone in Mystic Falls for that matter, since I spoke with Bonnie about the destruction of the Other Side."

Marcel spoke up. "Wait, Salvatore. As in Charlie Salvatore?"

"You know her, mate?" Klaus said and Elijah sat up a little straighter.

"Yeah. I met her in the 1940's when she was here looking for her brothers. It's been a little over a year or two since I last saw her when she came down here with her brothers looking for a way to break a sire bond. She's a feisty little thing. And she can kick ass with the best of 'em." Marcel said.

Charlie Salvatore. He hadn't heard that name in a while, but he could never forget it.

Charlie was a spitfire of a thing who rolled into his town because she heard her brother's were there. By the time she got there though, her brothers had already left. So instead of leaving, she decided to embrace the wonders and parties that New Orleans had to offer.

A couple of Marcel's guys had found Charlie while she was feeding in the quarter so they tried to take her back to Marcel. Charlie, however, didn't like that idea. So instead she fought them, knocked them out, and went on her merry way. Marcel had been watching the whole time. He admired her fighting spirit, and she didn't actually kill any of his guys so… thus the start of a new friendship.

Of course he noticed how beautiful she was. Dark blonde hair with the most gorgeous eyes he had ever seen. However, nothing ever happened, even though Marcel had taken quite a liking to her loyal personality and bad-ass attitude. She just needed a friend, especially when she came back to New Orleans in the 60's. She was on the edge of losing her emotions and humanity, so Marcel became the caring friend that she needed to help her stay grounded for the four or five years she stayed in town. Even to this day they remain good friends. She'd visit every once in a while when she was in the area or she just wanted to get away. Marcel really enjoyed the friendship he had with her.

"She sure can." Klaus agreed. "I haven't seen her since she was down here a couple months ago after I gave you that nasty wolf bite." He said to Elijah.

"Wait she was here?" Marcel asked. He was a little upset and honestly a little hurt that she didn't stop in and say 'hi.'

Elijah spoke up. "She was only here for a couple of hours at most and it was when we were still out at the plantation house. She had to get away from Mystic Falls for awhile, but she could tell that things were about to stir up here so she decided to leave. I'm sure she didn't mean to offend you." He said for Charlie.

Marcel nodded in agreement, but he'd have to call her and mess with her about not stopping in to see him.

"Why were you trying to call her Elijah?" Klaus asked with a sly look.

"Wait, what's that look for?" Marcel asked.

"Our dearest Elijah here grew a bit attached to the young Salvatore back in Mystic Falls." Klaus explained.

"Really?" Marcel asked, a little surprised. "Can't say I blame you though. She's an amazing girl."

Elijah, not liking to direction the conversation was going, steered it in a different direction. "I was simply calling Charlotte because I haven't spoken to her in a while. That's all."

"She let's you call her Charlotte?" Marcel asked surprised. "I called her that once and she almost bit my head off."

Elijah couldn't help but feel a little smug that he was the only one with the privilege to call her by her given name.

"Try to call her again. I'd love to have a nice little chat with her." Klaus said. He liked Charlie. She was one of his only friends and he could honestly say that he missed her.

The phone rang, but again Elijah got her voicemail.

"Fine then. Let's call her twin. See what he's up to these days." Klaus said and pulled out his phone to call Stefan.

The phone rang three times before Stefan's voice was heard through the speaker. "Klaus. Didn't think I'd have to hear from you again for at least 20 years."

"I'm just full of surprises, mate." Klaus sassed. "So what has the Mystic Falls gang been up to since I left?"

Stefan sighed over the phone. "What do you want Klaus? You didn't just call to chat."

Klaus chuckled. "Actually I did 'just call to chat.' However, I did not call to chat with you. I'm just trying to get ahold of the lovely Miss Charlie Salvatore, but she has not been answering her phone. Would you happen to know why?"

All was silent. Nothing, not even breathing could be heard on Stefan's end of the phone. The three vampires shared confused looks.

"Stefan?" Klaus asked when he still hadn't said anything.

Stefan waited a moment longer before finally giving the answer he knew he couldn't avoid. "Charlie's dead."

Again, all was silent as three hearts broke for their friend.

Marcel, because he knew that he would never be able to see his little spitfire who came in and shook things up again.

Klaus, because he had a true friend in Charlie and it tore him up that she would no longer be around.

Elijah…

Elijah was devastated. So much had been lost that summer, but he never would of thought that he would lose Charlie. The first woman who invoked true and genuine feelings to arise in Elijah, to make him feel nervous and vulnerable again, the woman he could have honestly saw a future with had things been different… was gone.

It was silent for several minutes as everyone, even Stefan, collected their thoughts.

Elijah finally spoke up. He had to know. "What happened?" He asked in a strained voice.

"The only way to bring back those we had lost that were on the Other Side before it disappeared, was to perform a spell and overwhelm Bonnie in supernatural deaths. We were able to create a doorway back from the Other Side. Damon and Charlie initiated the explosion that would kill all those supernaturals."

"I don't understand." Klaus said. "Who needed to be brought back from the Other Side?"

"Me." Stefan again surprised everyone. "A traveler that took over Tyler's body killed me in order to prevent the Travelers from using the doppelgangers for a spell. After that, Tyler died, plus there was Ric so they both came back." Stefan paused another moment. "Then there was Enzo."

All three sets of eyebrows furrowed. "Who?" Klaus asked.

"She probably never told you about him. She didn't even tell me about him. He was the one she loved that she thought was dead. Turns out he wasn't dead, he was just being held captive in the organization she and Damon managed to escape from 60 years ago. They thought he had died when they couldn't get him out. He was alive this whole time. Well until I killed him." Eyebrows furrowed again, confused as to why Stefan would kill the one his sister loved. Before they could question him, Stefan continued. "Long story short, one of our enemies came back and infected him with a virus that makes him crave vampire blood. He lost control, tried to attack Elena, and out of instinct I killed him. Since Enzo and I were both gone, she and Damon killed themselves in the explosion in order to help open the door to this side. She did it for Enzo and I."

Elijah knew there was someone in her life that Charlie loved. She had told him herself that there was someone who already held her heart. He was happy that she was able to be with the one she loved, even though it did hurt a little bit. But nothing hurt like the pain he felt knowing she was gone now.

"I still don't understand." Elijah spoke up. "If they opened a door, why isn't she alive?"

"The spell required was very powerful. The witch was losing her strength so her brother stopped the spell before Damon and Charlie were able to cross through. Bonnie, Damon, and Charlie are gone now that there is no Other Side." Stefan said.

Damon had died too. Stefan lost the only family he had left. Elijah felt extreme sympathy for the Salvatore. He knew what it was like to lose a sibling.

"I'm terribly sorry Stefan." Klaus spoke up. He too felt sorry for Stefan. He knew how much Stefan loved his brother and sister.

"If there is anything we can do, please let us know." Elijah told him.

"Thanks. But, uh, there's really nothing anyone can do." Stefan said. "I'll, uh, talk to you later I guess."

"Thank you for telling us." Elijah said.

"You're welcome. I know how much you guys meant to Charlie. She loved you guys.'" Stefan said, and with that he hung up.

No one said anything for a while, all lost in their own thoughts. Elijah stood up and left the room without warning.

Klaus turned to Marcel. "She meant a lot to him."

"She meant a lot to everyone who knew her." Marcel said and stood up too. "I'm gonna head home. Try to wrap my head around this." He said and left.

Klaus sat quietly in his art room. He was grieving for the Salvatore sister whom he had grown to truly care about. A tear or two even managed to escape before he collected himself. He was not weak, he did not show pain or grief. But in the privacy of his own home he allowed himself to grieve the loss of a woman who managed to get the immortal hybrid to care. The woman who managed to look past his rough exterior to the person he was underneath that he hid from the rest of the world. The woman who was able to accept who he was.

The woman who was his best friend.


Dead.

Charlotte Salvatore was dead.

Elijah couldn't believe it. All this time he thought she was just too caught up in Mystic Falls drama to call him when she was actually gone from the world all together.

He was honestly frozen in shock. It hadn't really sunk in that she was dead yet. He didn't want to believe it.

Elijah cared about Charlie. He knew he was never in love with her, their relationship never crossed over into love or romance. But he did have strong feelings for her and he did love her. He loved her as a friend. For the person she was. For accepting and trusting his family when no one else would. For showing him feelings within himself that he thought were long ago destroyed.

For just being Charlotte Salvatore. Someone who stood up for what she believed in. Who stood by her family even when it hurt her to do so. Who would do anything for those she loved. Who embraced being a vampire, the good and the bad without crossing too far over into the darkness that their kind was drawn to.

He didn't know what to do. It just didn't seem like she was gone yet. Maybe tomorrow or the day after it will finally sink in. Maybe even in an hour or two. But right now he was in denial.

He was in such denial that she wasn't really gone that he called her again. He called her phone and wished with everything he had that Stefan was telling them all a lie and he would hear her melodic voice on the other end of the phone.

But that didn't happen.

However, something did happen. Someone answered the phone. A male someone.

"Hello?" A deep British voice rang through the phone, sounding confused.

Elijah didn't know what to say so he uncharacteristically stuttered, "Um, hello. Uh, with-with whom am I speaking?"

"Enzo. I'm going to assume I'm speaking with Elijah." Enzo answered back.

"How did you know that?" Elijah asked.

"Caller ID." Enzo answered. Duh.

"Yes, of course. I apologize. I'm not my usual self. I, uh, I just found out about Charlotte." Elijah said.

Enzo was quiet for a minute before he sighed slightly. "Who told you?"

"Stefan."

"I see. To be honest I'm surprised you didn't know before now." Enzo said.

"Things have been… complicated lately." Elijah said back.

They were quiet for a moment before Enzo broke the awkwardness. "She told me about you."

Elijah was slightly surprised. "She told me about you as well. Well, not you per say. She just told me that she lost the love of her life years ago and she didn't think she would ever be able to love anyone as mush as she loved him."

Enzo smiled on the other side of the phone. "Look, I know you had feelings for her."

Elijah answered honestly. "Yes, I did."

"And it's not like I can be jealous or anything since it would be perfectly acceptable if you two were together since she thought I was dead." Enzo said.

"But she never felt that way for me." Elijah said. "She knew in her heart that you were the only one for her."

"And she's the only one for me." Enzo said. "But I did want to thank you. She told me a while ago that she does care about you and she does love you. That you made her feel safe and happy which she said she hadn't felt in a long time. That's all I ever wanted for her. So thank you, for protecting her and making her safe and happy when I couldn't. It really means a lot."

Elijah didn't really know what to say. "Charlie's an amazing person. I would have done anything for her." Elijah said simply.

"Yeah, she is. I'm working on getting her back though. Her, Damon, and Bonnie. I'll be sure to have her call you." Enzo said, dead set on bringing them back.

Elijah could hear the determination in Enzo's voice. "I would appreciate that. If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

"I will." Enzo said. "Thank you."

"Take care, Enzo."

"You too."

With that, the slightly awkward conversation between two strangers was over, and Elijah was left to his own thoughts.

He didn't know what to think of Enzo, he still didn't really know Enzo. But if Charlie loved him, he couldn't be all that bad right?

That was when it finally sunk in. Charlie was dead.

In a fit of very Klaus like rage he picked up the nearest object, which happened to be a vase, and chucked it at the wall where it smashed into pieces. He was angry. Angry as hell that Charlie has been dead for four months and he was just now finding out. Angry that she was dead at all. But most of all, he was sad. Extremely and devastatingly sad. With everything that's happened lately, this was just the tipping point.


So, what did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. About Charlie getting her memories back and the Originals reactions. Leave a review and let me know. Love you all! :)