Thank you to everyone who reviewed and let me know that you still wanted to read this story. After starting the new chapters I gained some more inspiration for this story and I'm very excited for the different ideas I had for this story. Thank you also to everyone who has voted in the poll I had on my profile. If you have not done so, I encourage you to go vote. I thought about only keeping it up for a while, but I've decided not to close the poll until the story is finished, just because I don't want to create bias or kind of give away how this story will end. I've got many ideas, and you may notice that things might not play out exactly in the timeline they do in the show, but stay with me, I promise it will be worth it. /strong/p
I'm thinking maybe another 4-7 chapters for this story. I've already got several written thanks to all of your kind words. I'll let you guys get to the story now and please let me know what you think!
Much love! XX
"Because"
Enzo woke up abruptly from a dead sleep and panicked for a moment. He turned over to see that Charlie wasn't there and his undead heart stopped in his chest. He noticed a note left on her pillow and snatched it up with lightning speed.
'Didn't want to wake you. I'm going to the Boarding House so we can figure out what to do with Caroline. Call me when you wake up. Love you. Xx'
Not wasting anymore time he grabbed his phone from his nightstand and called Charlie.
"Convince her that my humanity is still off." Stefan said as he, his siblings, and Elena were discussing how to get Caroline back. "I'll tell her that my run-in with our mother had no effect on me, and I want to keep the party going."
Damon, slightly amused with his brother, said "Ah, look at that! Saint Stefan has a plan. Let me guess, whoever's holding the kitten gets to talk about their feelings?"
"Torture her until she breaks." Stefan said in a very Damon like manner.
"Sold!" Both Damon and Charlie said at the same time.
"That's very unlike you brother… I like it." Charlie said with a smirk. Damon could see the underlying hurt that was in Charlie's eyes. Of course, Stefan had no idea because he still thought that what their mother said was true. But Damon knew that with every passing minute Charlie was having an internal battle with herself that he couldn't help her with. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted her to talk to him. He could only hope that she would talk to someone. Himself, Enzo, hell she could talk to Matt for all he cared she just needed to talk to SOMEONE. He feared what would happen if she continued to keep this hurt bottled up.
"So, do I need to remind you that the last time Caroline thought that we were trying to flip her switch, she went on a killing spree?" Elena added.
"Well, she's not gonna find out this time." Stefan said while sipping his drink.
"See," Damon said. "He'll be convincing."
"Fine," Elena gave in. "Say she believes you. How do you know she's gonna even want to see you again?"
Charlie, from her spot perched on the chair, said with a smirk. "Oh, she'll want to see him."
"Charlie," Stefan reprimanded, "Shut up."
Damon, not able to withhold poking fun at his brother added, "I mean, it's a bit of a tricky bet for you. Isn't it, brother? She's gonna expect a lot."
"Okay, what am I missing here?" Elena asked, incredibly confused.
"Nothing." Stefan said quickly, hoping to move on from the subject.
Elena, finally realizing what Charlie and Damon were eluding to said, "Hang on a second. Did you and Caroline…?"
"Do it?" Damon asked almost with glee. "Yep!"
"Oh, this was after she flipped…?" Elena trailed off then realized it was best not to follow that line of questioning.
"It's not exactly how I wanted things to go down, but I can't change it now so can we just drop it?" Stefan asked.
"Okay, sore subject. Understood." Damon gave in. "So, what do we do once you earn her trust?"
At that moment, Charlie's phone started ringing. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw Enzo's name flash across her screen. She stood up from her stop and walked out of the room, ignoring the questioning look that Damon was sending her while Elena and Stefan continued to talk about the plan.
"Hey." Charlie answered her phone as she made her way into the library.
"Hello, gorgeous." Enzo responded as he got out of bed and started to throw on some clothes, eager to find her and get her to properly talk to him. "I was surprised to see your side of the bed empty this morning."
"Yeah." Charlie responded. "Sorry. The sooner we get Caroline back the better."
"I understand." Enzo said and then paused. "Talk to me Charlie. You know you can't avoid this forever."
Charlie sighed. "I don't know what to say, Enzo. I don't even know how I feel. I want to talk to her, I want to avoid her, I just… how do I start any of this?"
"I wish I had all the right answers for you, but I don't." Enzo said with regret. "But what I do know, is that I love you. And no matter what happens I will be there to help you. Tell me what you want me to do." Enzo said. He knew he needed to tell Charlie that her mother was the one who turned him back in 1903, but under the given circumstances he thought it better to wait. Her relationship, or lack-there-of, with her mother was more important than that piece of information at this time.
Charlie paused for a minute as she thought about what she wanted to do. After contemplating it, she decided, "I want to talk to her. I think I've put it off long enough, better just to rip the band-aid off I guess. Will you go with me?"
"Of course." Enzo said without hesitation.
Enzo, knowing that Lily was at the Grille, texted Charlie to meet him there. He walked in and saw her sitting at a table and all words escaped him. He had hated this woman for years, ever since he was turned in fact. There were so many pieces that started coming together it was difficult for him to get his thoughts straight.
"Thought you were learning to be a sheriff?" Enzo asked Matt when he walked in.
"Thanks to Stefan and Caroline, I can barely tie my shoe at the moment." Matt announced. "What, are you here to stalk someone?" He asked, not forgetting about the whole Sarah Salvatore thing.
"I'm through with all that." Enzo said. "Definitely wasn't worth it. I've decided a direct approach is best." It was at that moment that Lily noticed his presence and a look of recognition crossed her face as she stood up and started to make her way over. Enzo continued, "One of your diners has some questions she needs to answer."
"I can't have any trouble here, man." Matt said with exasperation.
"That will depend on how this conversation goes." Enzo muttered.
"I know you." Lily said as she approached the two looking directly at Enzo. "You came to my house a few days ago."
"Yes." Enzo agreed. "As chance would have it, I'm connected deeper than I thought."
Lily continued staring at Enzo, not being able to put a name to the face that she knew she had seen before until it finally hit her, "My God. Lorenzo." She said as she brought her hand to his face. Enzo responded by pulling away quickly, not being able to handle the affectionate gesture from someone who's caused so much pain to not only himself but the people he loves. "It's you." Lily continued, not caring about his dismissal.
"You two know each other?" Matt asked, confused but not really surprised.
"The phrase, 'small world' comes to mind." Lily said.
"So does, epic understatement." Enzo said with contempt.
"Uh, my lunch companion has yet to arrive. Won't you join me for a drink?" Lily asked.
"Don't mind if I do." Enzo replied and followed her to the table.
"That was painful to watch." Enzo said as the waitress walked away.
"It was my first time actually." Lily responded. "How did I do? Was I a blithering idiot?"
"I've seen worse." Enzo said.
"What have you been up to all these years?" Lily asked him, thinking that he was just wanting to catch up. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but I've been imprisoned for the last 100 years."
"Oh, trust me. I'm aware." Enzo said. "Although I have to admit, I was a little relieved when I found out that you'd been imprisoned for the last 100 years."
"Why on earth would you say that?" Lily asked, the hurt she was feeling apparent on her face.
"You turned me and left me on a passenger ship full of headless corpses!" Enzo stated as firmly as he could. "So yes, I was relieved to know that you hadn't just left me to my own devices. But that doesn't forgive everything else you've done." Enzo said eluding to what she did to her children. He was waiting for Charlie to get there to talk to her mother. It was her business to tell, not his.
"Oh, I see." Lily said with realization. "All this time, you thought that I abandoned you." She reached over the table and grasped his hands in her own. "I would never do that, Lorenzo."
"No, you'd just abandon your own family." Charlie said from behind them, startling the two.
Charlie, deciding that Damon and Elena were more than capable of watching over Stefan as they deployed project "get Caroline back," decided that she would meet with Enzo and her mom at the Grille.
She stepped foot inside the Grille and instantly regretted that decision as she saw her mother and Enzo, neither of which noticed her presence, sitting at a table with her mom reaching across and grabbing his hand the way a mother would. After hearing what her mother said to Enzo, she couldn't stay silent anymore.
"Charlie." Enzo said as he tore his hands away from Lily's and stood up to face her.
"You two know each other?" Lily asked, very confused.
"You could say that." Charlie said as she watched Enzo with utter betrayal on her face. "You two want to tell me how you know each other?"
"I found Lorenzo when we docked in New York and knew I needed to save him." Lily said not seeing the obvious tension in the room. She hadn't been able to properly talk with Charlotte since she returned. She just wanted to explain herself to Charlotte. Lily knew that she would understand if she could just explain. "So I turned him, but before I could get back to him we were ambushed by the Gemini coven. Poor Lorenzo here thought that I had abandoned him all this time."
Charlie couldn't believe the words coming out of her mother's mouth. "Oh, poor Lorenzo. Yeah, I'd have no idea what it was like to know that someone you cared about simply abandoned you without a second thought." She said as she stared her mother in the eye.
"Charlie, let's sit down. There's a lot we all need to discuss." Enzo said with trepidation, knowing that Charlie was only hanging on by a thread. He could see it in her eyes.
"Yeah. I'd say so." Charlie said as she sat down at the table with her mother and boyfriend. Neither of whom she particularly wanted to see at the moment.
"So how…" Lily trailed off looking back and forth between Charlie and Enzo. "Lorenzo… this is the Enzo you were talking about?"
"Small world isn't it?" Charlie asked, her voice full of sarcasm.
"That's what I said!" Lily exclaimed, still not seeing the tension in Charlie's soldiers and the look of apology on Enzo's face as he started at Charlie.
Charlie turned her focus onto Enzo and asked, "Did you know?"
"No!" Enzo said as fast as he could. "I had no idea that she was the one who turned me until yesterday. I hadn't had a chance to tell you yet, you have to believe me Charlie." He said as he stared at her with longing and adoration. He grabbed her hand under the table. "You have to know, that if I had even the slightest idea that it was your mother who turned me I would have told you."
Charlie thought for a moment and realized that he was right. There was no way that he could have known. Charlie didn't even know that her mother was alive in 1903. There was no way that Enzo would have known and if he did, she knew he would never keep that from her. She squeezed his hand to let him know that she believed him and Enzo squeezed her hand back happy that she wasn't angry with him.
"It's such a coincidence that you two found each other!" Lily said with a smile on her face. "I never would have thought that you two would ever meet. I'm so glad you're able to join us Charlie. I've been wanting to talk to you since you rescued me from the prison world."
Charlie, trying to put her anger and hurt aside for the moment, responded "Yeah. I've been wanting to talk to you too."
"I'm so glad to hear that." Lilly said.
"Why?" Charlie asked, not able to hold it in anymore after no one said anything for a moment.
"I'm sorry?" Lily asked confused.
"Why didn't you come back?" Charlie asked. "Why did you leave us with dad? You knew the kind of man he was and you left your children to suffer at his hands."
"When I turned, and realized that I was a ripper, I knew that I could never subject you three to that." Lily said. "Your father banished me, the blood lust took over, and that was all I cared about."
Charlie sat staring at her mother the whole time. She knew that she needed to come here. She knew that she needed to talk to her mother and get answers. That didn't make hearing the words any easier.
"You looked Damon and I in the eyes and said that what you felt for us was gone. As a mother, how can that just… go away?" Charlie asked, hurt beyond words. "How could you not care anymore? … How can you not love us anymore?"
"It's not your fault." Lily tried to assure her. "You just remind me of a very dark time in my life."
"I'm sorry to be such a burden." Charlie said with a scoff. "I'm sorry that your maternal instincts didn't tell you that your human kids needed you while you were off ripping through the east coast."
"I'll admit, that I lost my maternal instincts when I turned." Lily said. "Like I said, the only thing that mattered was the blood, nothing else. But I found help with a group who took me in, and with them I was able to find myself again. You see, I was trapped in that prison world with six others. Caring for them as we starved, surviving on two drops of blood a week just to preserve our rations."
"Sounds like a chore." Enzo chimed in when he saw that Charlie was lost in her mind and, therefore, lost to the world around her. He squeezed her hand, but when he felt nothing in return he started to worry.
"Loyalty is never a chore, Lorenzo." Lily said with determination. And that's when Charlie snapped.
"Are you kidding me?" Charlie asked in outrage. She was barely able to contain her voice, trying her hardest to do so knowing that there were humans around. "Are you seriously spewing this shit right now?"
"Excuse me?" Lily asked confused.
"You had three children!" Charlie exclaimed. "Three children who loved you more than anything, who were suffering at the hands of your abusive husband and you don't even care? I get the blood lust thing, trust me I do. When you first turn that's all you can think about. But what about after? I mean, did you ever try and find us? Did you ever even think about us?"
When Lily didn't say anything, Charlie knew she had her answer.
"I loved you. And I mourned you." Charlie said with tears in her eyes. "I was a child who lost her mother and best friend and you don't even care! I knew something wasn't right when I saw you in the prison world. I've searched and searched but I haven't been able to find it."
"What's that?" Lily asked.
"The look of a mother who loves her child." Charlie admitted. "I saw it for a split second when you were talking about your precious coven you were trapped with. But I haven't been able to see it when you look at me, or Damon or Stefan ever since we found you. You're not my mother anymore. My mother loved me. My mother cared for me, rocked me to sleep, told me stories of a better future. My mother made me want to be a mother. My mother protected us from father's anger."
"There was nothing I could do to save you from that, Charlie." Lily added adamantly.
"Like hell there was nothing you could do." Charlie said between clenched teeth. "You finally had the power to stop him and save us when you turned. But you chose not to. You chose to find a new family. When Stefan turned, he killed dad. He saved us by destroying the man who caused us so much pain. That's what families do for each other. They protect and love one another. They do everything in their power to save them. Do you have any idea what Damon went through when you left? To save Stefan and I from dad… I can't even imagine how Damon felt. But he did it because he loved us. Because we're FAMILY."
"Charlie," Lily said with regret. However, she knew that everything Charlie said was true. And even now, after hearing Charlie pour her heart out, it didn't change the fact that Lily still felt nothing for the woman in front of her. She loved her family, her new family. She didn't have enough love in her heart to extend to her biological children. She just… couldn't feel it. No matter how much she wanted to that feeling just wasn't there.
"I'm going to continue to mourn the mother that died in 1858." Charlie said as she stood up. "Things were better when I thought she had actually died. I don't need this version of my mother sitting before me. She's not my mother anyway."
Charlie started to walk away and Enzo stood to follow her. Lily, feeling like she still needed to explain herself stood up as well and said, "Charlotte!"
Charlie whipped around, uncaring that she was raising her voice and that people were now staring at them. "NO! There is ONE person who is allowed to call me that and you are not them! Just forget that I exist, Lily. You seem to be really good at that." With that, Charlie stormed out of the Grille. The door slamming behind her with finality.
"I feel sorry for you." Enzo looked back at Lily. "That you'll never get the chance to know how amazing your children truly are." He said before walking out the door after Charlie.
Enzo made his way back to his apartment after walking out of the Grille. He hadn't seen Charlie anywhere, but he knew that it was better to leave her be right now. He knew that she would come to him when she was ready. He walked in the door and was surprised to see Charlie sitting on the couch, the bottle of Scotch sitting unopened on the table in front of her. Enzo removed his jacket, throwing it on the chair as he passed before taking a seat next to Charlie. She reached out and grabbed his hand in hers before holding it between her own in her lap. She didn't need his words at this moment. She just needed his presence.
Enzo leaned over and placed a kiss on the side of her head before she laid her head on his shoulder. Enzo removed his hand from hers and wrapped her up in his arms.
"Damon has the cure for vampirism." Charlie said all of a sudden. "He told me when we got back from 1903. He said he's gonna give it to Elena… and that he's gonna take it with her."
Enzo paused for a minute. What was he supposed to say to that? With everything else going on right now, he didn't really think that now was the time for Damon, or Elena for that matter, to become human.
"How do you feel about that?" Enzo asked.
"Elena wants to be human. Let's face it, she was never made to be a vampire." Charlie said. "Damon knows that. Damon also loves Elena more than anything…" Charlie trailed off as she thought about it. "I've never seen Damon as happy as he is when he's with Elena. If being human with Elena is what makes Damon happy… I'm not going to stop him."
"Did you tell him that?" Enzo asked.
"I did." Charlie answered. "I figured, if I needed to be human in order to be with you… I'd do it in a heartbeat. I can't blame Damon for his decision."
Enzo squeezed Charlie a little tighter, then pulled back to look at her. "Have you ever thought about it? Being human again?"
"Ever since we found the cure in the first place." Charlie said. "I think all of us have."
"Would you take it? If given the chance?" Enzo asked.
Charlie paused for a moment. "I really don't know." She answered. "It's not even a possibility for me so there's no reason to dwell on it."
"Is there anything you need me to do?" Enzo asked, knowing that she had a really long, tiring day.
"Just hold me." Charlie said, grabbing Enzo's hand before heading to the bedroom for some much deserved rest. She stopped suddenly thought, surprising Enzo before turning to him. "You know what I just realized?"
"What's that?" Enzo asked.
"I never knew how old you were until just now." Charlie explained. "If you were turned in 1903, that means I'm older than you. I always thought I was younger for some reason."
"Does that mean you're a cougar?" Enzo asked with a laugh.
"Shut up." Charlie pushed him away with a laugh. Her laughs grew in volume as Enzo threw her over his shoulder and carried her into the bedroom.
Charlie sat up quickly from a deep sleep, not understanding why she suddenly woke up or why her heart was pounding. She looked around and realized that she was in her room at the Boarding House. Something was different though. It was definitely her room, but it wasn't just her room. She couldn't pinpoint what it was, but there was just a different feeling about it.
The more she thought about it the more confused she became. The last thing she remembered was talking with her mom and storming out the Grille. Everything after that was just blank. She didn't remember coming back to the Boarding House, let alone falling asleep in her room. Maybe she drank so much last night that she blacked out and ended up passing out. Although that would've taken a lot of alcohol. She looked down at herself and saw that she was in shorts and an over sized sweatshirt that said "Portland" on it.
So she blacked out but remember to change her clothes? And since when did she own a 'Portland' sweatshirt? She heard a loud noise coming from downstairs and figured that was probably the noise that woke her up. It sounded like it came from the kitchen. Damon was notorious for making a mess in the kitchen when trying to cook breakfast. Either that or he and Elena were… gross. It wouldn't be the first time Charlie walked in on them making out in various states of undress throughout the house.
She reached over on the bedside table to grab her phone and realized it wasn't where she normally left it. She probably left it downstairs or something. She grabbed some socks, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and threw her hair up in a messy bun for making her way out of her room and down the stairs. She padded her way into the living room, avoiding the kitchen at all costs, just in case. She looked on the table and the couch checking to see if she could find her phone, but no luck. She made her way into the library where she liked to spend her time and checked her favorite chair, but it wasn't there either. She decided to finally suck it up and head to the kitchen and ask if her phone had been laying around anywhere. She also wanted to ask what the hell happened last night as she still couldn't remember leaving the Grille.
She walked into the kitchen, relieved to see only one person, and not two people on top of each other, standing at the sink with their back facing her. She made her way to the other side of the kitchen to grab a glass for water, throwing out a 'morning' to Damon on her way.
She poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge and as she was putting the pitcher back in, she asked, "Hey, have you seen my phone? I can't find it anywhere."
She had started to take a drink when a voice, that definitely wasn't her brother, responded with, "No, I haven't seen it, babe."
She turned as fast as she could, although it seemed a little slow for her. The movement and that face that stared back at her however shocked her so much that she started choking on the water that got lodged in her throat after hearing the unexpected voice.
"Whoa." The person said, grabbing a towel to help clean up the water that she spit out while tapping her on the back a couple of times. "You okay, Charlie?"
Charlie took two large steps back from the person, still not quite believing her eyes. "Kai?" She asked surprised.
"Uh, yeah?" Kai chuckled back while tossing the towel onto the counter. "You okay?"
"How are you here?" Charlie asked.
"Um, I live here?" Kai said with a questioning tone as he took a step toward her. When he noticed that she took a step away from him he started to worry. "Baby, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"You mean like you?" Charlie asked in exasperation. "How'd you get back from 1903?"
"1903?" Kai asked confused. "What do you mean 1903?"
"The last time I saw you was in the 1903 prison world." Charlie said, confused as to why he didn't remember. "You were wounded and-and shouting my name. Damon stopped me and I… I couldn't help you." Charlie remembered the last time she saw Kai. She thought about it a lot. Probably more than she should, but she couldn't help it.
Kai looked at her with sympathy. "You've been getting that dream again?"
Charlie, confused beyond belief at this point, asked, "A dream?"
Kai approached her slowly, afraid of how she would react. "Yeah, babe, a dream. You've been getting them since your mom died a few years ago."
Charlie was frozen where she was and let Kai approach her. She said under her breath again, "A dream?"
"The one with the vampires and the witches." Kai answered for her. He slowly reached out and put his hands on her waist. Charlie jumped a little bit at the contact, not expecting to feel the way she did when he touched her. But, for a reason she couldn't understand, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling, so she didn't tear his hands off. "The counselor said that they were more like night terrors than bad dreams or nightmares. I didn't know you were having them again. Do you want me to get that prescription refilled? I know how they impact your sleep when you get them. I could feel you tossing and turning a little bit last night."
"Prescription?" Charlie asked. Confused could no longer describe how she felt anymore. There were no words to describe her state of mind. Did she die last night or something?
"Yeah. I mean, I am a doctor." Kai said and pulled her just a little closer to him, starting to really worry about her. "If you need them, we can get them refilled. It's no worry, baby. Just tell me what you want me to do. You're starting to scare me here."
Was this an alternate dimension? Did she die and this is the new 'Other Side'? Was she dreaming? The way Kai's hands felt on her hips felt too real to be a dream. Did a witch get in her head or something? She decided to play out the dream or the vision, whatever the hell it was. Maybe then she would wake up.
"Umm, no. I'm sorry. I uh, I guess the dream just really messed with me or something." Charlie said, not really knowing what else to say. "I'm sorry I scared you."
"You sure you're okay?" Kai asked, rubbing his thumb along her cheek.
"Yeah. I'm totally fine." Charlie assured him. "I guess this dream just um, felt a little real or something."
"It's understandable baby." Kai assured her before kissing her on her forehead and stepping back towards the stove. Thankfully in all the fuss the pancakes he was making didn't burn. "What time are you girls heading out for the bachelorette party?"
Charlie, still kind of lost in her thoughts, jumped back to 'reality' when he asked the question. "Bachelorette party?" She asked.
Kai put two stacks of pancakes on two different plates and grabbed two glasses for orange juice out of the cupboard as he answered, "Yeah. I thought that you, Bonnie, Caroline, and Jo were going to surprise Elena today with a bachelorette party? I thought it was the same day as Damon's bachelor party but maybe I was wrong." He said stepping away for a second to look at the calendar to see if he was right.
"No." Charlie said suddenly pulling his attention back to her. "No, you're totally right. I guess I'm still a little out of it. Um, I think I'm supposed to meet the girls at 11." Bachelor and bachelorette parties? Damon and Elena were getting married?
"Well then you still have enough time to eat, so come on. Sit, sit." Kai insisted placing a plate on the island and urging her into a seat. "I'm meeting with Stefan, Matt, and Ric at noon to surprise Damon. He has no idea!"
Didn't Kai hate everything and anyone? What the hell was going on? And if that was the case, was everyone here in this alternate dimension with them?
"Oh yeah?" Charlie asked. She took a bite out of her pancakes and practically moaned. They were the best pancakes she had ever had.
Kai looked up from his own place across from her after hearing her reaction to the pancakes. "Really? That good?"
Charlie hadn't realized that she made the noise out lout until she saw the look on his face. "Oh, um, yeah. They just, they're just really good pancakes."
Kai looked down and let out a little laugh before making his way around the counter-top towards her. He spun her around on her seat until her back was against the island and he placed his hands on either side of her, caging her in.
Something in the back of Charlie's mind told her to push him away, to slap him, anything. But there was this nagging thought that was pushing its way through that wanted to know how this would play out.
Kai bent his head down slowly until his nose skimmed her neck, causing her to inhale. He put his lips to her ear and said, "Have I ever told you how sexy you are in my sweatshirt?"
He brought his hand up to her neck and tilted her chin up towards him. His lips were so close to touching hers… just a breath away…
Charlie sat up abruptly, panting for air, her undead heart racing in her chest. She looked around and took in her surroundings. She was in Enzo's bed at his apartment, and that's when she remembered what happened after she left the Grille. Why couldn't she remember that in her dream? But was it even a dream? It felt to real to be a dream. Only one thought came to her mind, 'What the hell?'
