Chapter 48: A Night Like Tonight

"I still can't believe she's kicking you out. Just because you added another layer of emotions to your relationship, a layer that's always been there. It's not right," Caroline huffed as she spread out on the end of Charlotte's bed. Charlotte and Jeremy sat leaning against her headboard, his arm draped around her shoulder as she snuggled into his side. Kol still sat on the window seat, on the outskirts but still a part of the group. He reclined back against the wall, more relaxed now that Sheriff Forbes had left for another night shift.

"It was my fault. I shouldn't' have told her when she was already worked up about me breaking the rules." She hadn't meant to tell her mom like that, and she was convinced under better circumstances her mom would have reacted better, would have been happier for her.

"It's fine." Jeremy squeezed her closer into his side. "You need your room back, and thanks to Kol, I don't have to go back to the house anytime soon. Other than to grab my stuff."

"You should probably grab it during school, when Elena and her two rabid suitors won't be there," Kol suggested.

"I'll go with you," Charlotte said.

"You'll get in even more trouble if you cut class and mom finds out. I'll go," Caroline insisted. "The SUV is back from the mechanics and you can load all your stuff up in one load.

"I'd throw my hat in the ring, but that would leave Charlotte unprotected," Kol said.

"No, I'd rather you stay with Lottie." They had no idea if or when the people who were after her would strike again, and he'd rather her not be alone. She was strong, and could hold her own in a fight, but if she was outnumbered there was only so much she could do on her own.

"Hold up, rewind, why does Charlotte need to be protected?" Caroline asked, sitting up and turning so she had all three of them in her line of sight.

All three of them shared a look, silently debating who would tell her, before Charlotte shared what she'd withheld from Caroline the night before. Predictably, Caroline freaked out.

"We have to tell mom," she said, once she was able to form a coherent sentence other than 'oh my god.'

"Seeing as she shouldn't even have told you, I'm going to go ahead and answer that one with a resounding 'no.'" Kol said. The last thing they needed was more people to know what Charlotte was and for gossip to spread among the supernatural community.

"Kol's right. There's nothing she can do about it and she's already freaked enough as it is. I'm not sure she can handle both her daughters being supernatural let alone that someone is hunting me down because of it."

"Kol is not right. Mom might not be the most supportive lately, but she's still our mom. Maybe entrusting her to know would create a bonding experience."

"Or have her smother me more than the grounding she gave me. And it's not like you tell her everything either. Like when Katherine was coercing you into spying for her." Katherine could have killed her…again, and yet she hadn't said a word to their mom. She hadn't even told Charlotte, so in a way, Charlotte was already sharing more than Care had.

"Yeah, but she didn't even know I was a vampire then."

"And she doesn't know I'm an amplifier now."

"So, you're going to wait until something happens and she finds out through default?" She asked, her eyebrow raised. "Or, if god forbid, they get to you, you're going to make me explain everything?"

"That was the plan before you said it out loud and made me realize how sucky that would be," Charlotte pouted, pulling Jeremy's arm further around her. She never wanted to put Caroline in that situation.

"If you must tell your mother," Kol sighed. "Might I suggest a version of the truth where you don't use the word amplifier? Perhaps just tell her how you made some supernatural enemies on our road trip. Hell, you could blame me, I'm sure she'll readily accept that it's my fault."

"Or you could tell her about me being a potential hunter and insinuate that's why we're both being tracked down," Jeremy said, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"No. I'd rather that not get out either. Especially with Klaus in town, no offense," she added to Kol, who just raised his hand in a 'none taken' gesture. "I'll come up with something. A version of the truth."

She waited up for her mom, handing over a cup of tea and sitting at the kitchen counter as she told her version of the truth. A version that led her to the shooting range with her mom in lieu of the dance committee meeting. Her mom insisted she take a refresher course on gun etiquette and the best areas to aim for on an aggressor. It didn't make any sense to her, seeing as she wasn't old enough to carry a gun, but it made her mom feel better and eased the tension between them.

"I'm glad you came to me, told me what's going on," Liz said after they slid their sound-canceling ear covers off. "All I want is for you and Caroline to be open with me so I can help guide you in the right direction. You're both growing up so fast, I only want to make sure I do my job as your parent and set a good example. Including apologizing when I'm wrong. I'm sorry I reacted so harshly when you told me about you and Jeremy."

"I'm sure it was a shock," Charlotte tried to let her mom off the hook, but she wasn't having any of that.

"No, it wasn't," Liz said, causing Charlotte to send her a questioning look. "I've watched the two of you together since before you could walk: crawling after the other, crying when you were separated. I think you had more separation anxiety with Jeremy than me or your father. It was only a matter of time, really. Since you were kids, it's always been you for him. Just like it's only ever been him for you. I'm really happy for you both."

"Thanks, mom." It felt like the weight that had settled in her stomach at her mom's initial reaction to her and Jeremy suddenly dissolved. "Really, it's nice to know you approve."

"That being said," her mom said after turning in the gun and the ear cover Charlotte had been using and heading out to the car. Charlotte desperately wished she still had her noise-canceling ear covers when her mom spent the majority of the ride home reciting what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech on the birds and the bees that included details on proper protection.

Later that night, laying in her own bed and on the phone with Jeremy, who'd officially moved into his and Kol's apartment, she relayed the afternoon's events. When she got to their awkward sex-talk, Jeremy couldn't hold back his laughter.

"It's not funny. You're lucky I talked her out of giving you the speech as well. She considered it. Especially since you aren't living at home anymore." During lunch and the two classes after it, he'd gone with Caroline to pack up his stuff and move it to his and Kol's apartment. Thankfully, neither Elena nor either of the Salvatore's had been around, and he could pack in peace.

"I know, I'm sorry," he tried to stifle his laughter. "I appreciate you talking her down for me."

"You're welcome. How was your afternoon? Were Caroline and Rebekah at each other's throats during the dance committee?"

"Surprisingly, no. The real drama was when Care shut down Elena's attempt to reprimand me for moving out. After Elena left, they sort of bonded over their mutual distaste for her."

"Wow." That was beyond unexpected. "I'm glad Care was there to stand up to Elena for you when I couldn't, and though I'm beyond surprised her and Rebekah managed to have a civil conversation, she could really use a friend seeing as she's on the outs with Bonnie and Elena for the whole exiling you to Denver stunt."

"I wouldn't go as far as using the word 'friends.' Maybe frenemies?" They'd need more than one day of surface-level bonding to be friends. "Now, back to the dance. Caroline mentioned you both ordered your dresses. If I were to get you a corsage, what flower would go best with your dress?"

"You don't have to get me a corsage." He'd never gotten her one before.

"I want to." He wanted to set this dance apart from every other one they'd gone to together when they were just friends.

"A rose, white or pink," she said, smiling at her ceiling. Reaching out her free hand for a pillow to hug to her chest to calm her heart down, she came up empty. Sitting up, she glanced around her floor for her pink decorative pillow, but it was missing.

"Did you swipe one of my throw pillows from my room?" She asked, settling back into her bed after coming up empty handed.

"Guilty," Jeremy said, glancing at the pink pillow that still smelled like her and made his new room feel more like home. "Do you want it back?"

"No, keep it." It was only fair, seeing as she'd kept his sweatshirt, folded in her bottom dresser drawer. After saying their goodnights, she pulled it from the drawer and slipped it on, wishing it still smelled like him instead of laundry detergent.

"I'm free!" Charlotte shouted out the window of Kol's car when he pulled out of the school lot towards the apartment. "We're going to stay up all night, eating junk food, playing Xbox and at some point, I will clear your new living room so I can dance. I brought my ballet shoes."

"I thought you had to be home by ten?" Kol reminded her. He didn't want to be the buzzkill, but he also didn't want her getting grounded for missing curfew.

"Right. That's new. We'll work our schedule around that." Her mom never used to care how late she stayed with Jeremy on weekends. But the days of crashing at his place were gone now that he lived with Kol, a vampire, and her mom knew they were more than friends. She didn't care if they were just innocently playing video games or watching movies, sleepovers were a big fat no.

"On the bright side, I've got the new Alien Invasion waiting for you. I didn't even remove it from the plastic," Jeremy said. They'd been anticipating the game's release for months. It'd come in a week ago, but he'd waited for Lottie's sentence to be over before playing it.

"What's 'Alien Invasion'?" Kol asked, making them share an excited look

"Just wait, it's insanely addictive," Charlotte said, leaning her arm out the open back window.

They'd been playing Alien Invasion for three hours straight. The sun had set, and their eyes were glued to the tv as they fought off the humans who'd been abducted by an alien species. They'd sporadically shove food in their mouths in the brief moments they let go of their controllers.

Charlotte's avatar crouched down as she explored her part of the science lab where the humans had been holding the aliens for observation before they broke out. Light's flickered around her quadrant on the bottom right side of the screen, and when her character turned around to find one of the alien subjects lunging at her out of the dark she screamed bloody murder before violently hitting the X button, blowing up the alien.

"I think you gave me hearing damage," Kol said, pressing his fingers below his right ear. Charlotte sat sandwiched between him and Jeremy on the couch, and her scream was loud enough to wake the dead.

She let out a softer squeak of a scream when someone pounded hard against the front door.

"It's not ten yet, so I know it's not my mom," Charlotte said once she recovered enough to check her phone for the time.

"So, my sister, or one of your siblings," Jeremy said, pausing the game.

"If you don't answer this door, I swear I will break it down," Klaus shouted from the hall.

"Shit, it's Friday," Kol said, rising slowly from the couch. "I missed family dinner."

"I only asked for one night, and you couldn't even do that," Klaus said, barging into the room when Kol unlocked the door. He paused when he took in the mess of junk food covering the coffee table and Charlotte and Jeremy on the couch.

"This is what you were doing instead? Eating chips and candy instead of the impeccable five course meal I had prepared."

"You mean having fun with people who haven't tried to kill me? Yes. I'm sorry you don't know any for you to hang out with."

"I should probably be getting home," Charlotte said, grabbing her bag from the floor. She really didn't want to witness whatever epic levels of family fighting the Mikaelson's could reach.

"I'll drive you," Jeremy said, rising with her.

"You don't have to go, it's not even nine," Kol insisted. He'd been having fun and he didn't want it to end.

"Now you notice the time," Klaus snapped.

"To be fair, you could have called to remind him," Charlotte said as she slipped on her backpack. Klaus blinked at her, startled she was butting into the conversation. "Instead of waiting for him to miss the dinner altogether so you could berate him. It would have been the brotherly thing to do."

Klaus opened his mouth to respond but shut it when he couldn't think of a smart comeback for what she'd said. When she and Jeremy left, he finally turned back to Kol.

"I suppose I could have called," he said, sounding as though it physically pained him to admit it.

"I did get the champagne," Kol said, moving towards the kitchen. "Would you like a glass?"

"I suppose I could stay for a drink." Klaus glanced towards the TV. "What were the three of you doing?"

"Playing a game," Kol said, handing a glass to him and moving towards the game system to shut it down.

"Want to explain the rules?" Klaus asked, reaching for Jeremy's abandoned controller.

Jeremy took his time kissing Lottie goodnight. Parked outside her house in Kol's car, leaning over the center console towards each other, his right hand cupped the back of her neck. Her lips were soft against his even after her lip balm wore off. Occasionally his fingers would tickle the back of her neck, making her smile against his lips, but she didn't pull back. Her fingers ran through his hair as she gently pulled him closer. He would never get enough of this.

When Caroline's ringtone filled the silent car, they both jumped at the sound, their teeth knocking together before they pulled apart for the first time since he'd put the car in park. Lottie's cheeks were flushed a light pink that had him wanting to pull her right back into him even as she answered the call.

"Care, hey," she answered, sounding short of breath.

"Sorry to interrupt, but mom's due home in five minutes, and I doubt you want her to catch you two locking lips."

"How did you know?" Charlotte asked, glancing towards the house.

"I saw the headlights pull up a half-hour ago. When no one came in, I kind of figured you two were taking your time saying goodnight."

Had they really been out there a half-hour? Looking to the clock on the dashboard proved they had. Her eyes flicked to Jeremy's, catching him staring at her lips. She really wanted to pull him back to her, but she also really didn't want her mom to catch them making out.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll be right in."'

She didn't risk another kiss goodbye. She knew his lips would draw her in all over again. Sharing a long look, she bit her lip, saying she'd see him tomorrow before slipping out of the car. He waited until she was safely inside before putting the car in drive and pulling away. His whole body buzzed, and it had nothing to do with the vibrations from Kol's sports car.

His mind still on Lottie, Jeremy unlocked the apartment door to find Kol and Klaus sitting on the couch, bent forward with their attention intensely fixed on the TV. Dropping his keys on the table by the door, he grabbed Lottie's pink controller and joined them in the game. It wasn't as though he'd be able to sleep when his body still hummed from their goodnight kiss.

"Are you sure about the red lip?" Charlotte asked, looking into her vanity after Caroline leaned back to admire her lip-lining skills. She'd planned on going with a pale pink lip, more subdued.

"Yes. It's a nice pop of color. And it'll have Jeremy thinking about kissing you all night. Not that he wouldn't already, because you look amazing."

"We both do," Charlotte said, pulling Caroline in so they were both framed in her vanity mirror. Pulling out her phone, she took a photo of their reflections as they made silly faces.

"Thanks, it's fun getting dressed up. Even if it's just for me." There was a wistful tone to her voice that had Charlotte turning to study her.

"I still can't believe Tyler hasn't checked in. It's been weeks. I know he's trying to break the sire bond, but it only takes a few minutes to call."

"Technically, we broke it off until he severs the bond. If he even can break the bond. He doesn't owe me a call," Caroline tried to brush it off, but Charlotte knew it hurt her.

"You deserve someone who won't let time, distance, or stupid sire bonds stop him from showing you how much he cares. Someone who makes you feel as special as you are." She wanted to kick Tyler in the balls for not reaching out.

"For all I know, he doesn't have any service wherever he is." It was an excuse, but Charlotte let her have it. When the doorbell rang, Caroline rushed to let Jeremy in, allowing Charlotte to make an entrance.

Jeremy stood transfixed, pausing mid-sentence when she emerged from her room. He took in the feather hairpiece in her low side-bun and the sequins on her dress shining in the light. His gaze dipped to her red lips when she stopped before him. Her blue eyes shined when his gaze traveled up to meet hers.

"You look perfect," he said when he finally found his voice. "Ready to dance the night away?"

He'd been practicing his moves every day while she was grounded. Caroline even helped the day Lottie went to the shooting range with her mom, standing in as his partner. He wanted to surprise her with some flips and lifts.

Charlotte anticipated getting a couple dances out of Jeremy before migrating to the refreshment table for the rest of the night, but he'd really meant it when he'd said they were going to dance the night away. And not just an easy shuffling either. Wrapping his arms around her he lifted her in the air, moving her in flips and lifts like she weighed nothing. Out of breath, with wide smiles, they paused at the next song change and headed across the gym to the refreshment table. When the crowd parted, they found Kol standing with a glass of punch.

"You came!" Charlotte hadn't expected him to make an appearance by the way he'd called school dances 'silly.'

"My brother dragged me along," he nodded towards the dance floor where Klaus pulled Caroline into an upbeat swing dance.

"He must be acting civil tonight." Caroline wouldn't have agreed to dance if he'd used one of his usual arrogant lines on her. Especially not while already feeling self-conscious and neglected by Tyler.

"I gave him some pointers on how to woo a woman as headstrong as your sister," Kol said, his eyes cutting to Charlotte. "You look lovely, Little Dove. And it seems like the practice paid off, mate." He raised his glass to them.

"Were you in on it?" Charlotte asked, picturing the two of them following dance tutorials in their living room.

"It was all his idea," Kol said, tipping his head to Jeremy. "He kept at it for two weeks straight, causing several of our neighbors to complain. Of course, they shortly forgot why they were complaining."

She fixed him with a disapproving look for compelling his neighbors, and he gave her a half-apologetic shrug. He was a vampire, an Original, he wasn't going to stop using that to his advantage. And he had a feeling she knew that. As long as he didn't go on a murderous streak or hurt anyone, she'd let his questionable morals slide.

"Will dancing make you forget about my minor transgression?" Kol asked. He wouldn't stop compelling or eating people, but he also didn't want Charlotte to be cross with him. "With your blessing, of course, mate."

"Go for it," Jeremy said, pouring himself a glass of punch. "I could use a break."

Kol led the way onto the dance floor, easily finding the rhythm of the music. Together they performed a passable version of the Lindy hop. Charlotte's feet never once faltered and she easily moved through the steps without looking down once. Moving in a circle, her pink cheeks and smiling eyes had him reconsidering his opinion on school dances. At least this school dance. When the upbeat song changed to a jazzy romantic one, Jeremy cut in.

"I thought you needed a break," Charlotte said, letting him pull her into him. He'd only sat out one song, not that she was complaining. She rather liked being in his arms.

"I want to hold you close more," he whispered in her ear, pressing his cheek against hers and resting his left hand on her waist. He gently squeezed her right hand, as they slowly spun.

His warmth seeped into her everywhere they touched, and his heart thudded in time with hers. Closing her eyes, she surrendered to the music and the feel of his hand on her waist, leading her through their simple dance. When cold air kissed her cheek where his had pressed against hers, her eyes fluttered open.

"Lottie." She felt the vibration of his voice against her collarbone, still pressed against his chest.

"Hmm," she hummed leaning back just enough to meet his gaze. His heartbeat sped up, and he was thankful for the white gloves she wore when his sweaty palms slipped against them. She really did look beautiful tonight with her pink cheeks, red lips, and long lashes making her eyes all the more captivating.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked, nervous flutters erupting in his stomach. They'd stopped dancing at that point, simply standing close together on the dance floor. She blinked up at him, a slow smile spreading across her face as she nodded her head in reply.

"I really want to kiss you right now, but I don't want to get lipstick on you," she said, drawing his attention back down to her lips.

"I don't care about lipstick," he said, leaning closer.

Just before their lips touched, Elena ruined the moment, her voice drawing them apart.

"Jeremy, we need to talk." She'd been hanging back, letting him have space, mostly because Caroline, Charlotte, and even Kol Mikaelson had ensured she kept her distance.

"I don't have anything more to say," Jeremy straightened up, his gaze turning hard as it fell on her.

"I just want us to work past this." She wanted him to not be angry with her, to come home, to not look at her like he hated her.

"You had Damon compel me, Elena. He made me leave town and forget Lottie. You forced her to endure her father's funeral without me. You went too far. And you're not even sorry you did it. So no, we can't work past this."

"But," Elena started, but was cut off by Damon claiming they needed to talk. Just how she'd interrupted them.

"She kind of ruined the moment, huh?" Charlotte said, trying to lighten the mood and relax Jeremy's shoulders.

"It's not too late to get it back," Jeremy said, smiling down at her as he reached for her hand and spun her into him.

She pressed her hands against his chest to steady herself and his arms wrapped around her waist. Her heels made it easy to close the distance. His grip tightened around her as he returned the kiss. When she pulled back, his lips were tinted a faint red from her lipstick. Reaching up, she wiped at the residue with her thumb. He caught her hand in his, stilling her fingers.

"Leave it. I really don't mind, and you touching my lips is driving me crazy." Her skin was soft and made him want to kiss her more than what would be deemed appropriate by the dance chaperones.

Caroline didn't want to admit she was having fun dancing with Klaus, but the truth was hard to conceal. He'd been around during the 20's and he expertly swung her around the dance floor. Besides, he was being fairly tolerable tonight. He'd yet to say anything too egotistical. In fact, he'd yet to say much at all after asking her to dance. She paused when a slow song came on before taking the hand Klaus offered.

"You would have loved the 1920s," Klaus broke the silence between them, adjusting his grip on her waist. "There was a sense of danger with speakeasy's, which provided an unparalleled energy."

"What makes you think I like danger?"

"You've consistently rejected me, the Original Hybrid, and helped your friends plot against me. If that isn't courting danger, I don't know what is."

"And yet, with every failed plot to overthrow you and each rejection, you're still here." He hadn't abandoned his attempts to win her over, nor had he killed her.

"You've provided something I haven't had in decades."

"Surely you've been rejected before me." She couldn't be the first who resisted his infuriating charms.

"You provide a challenge worth my every effort." He didn't point out how she wasn't rejecting him at the moment. He didn't want to ruin their momentary truce.

Caroline didn't know what to say to that. A common occurrence when he said anything like that so seriously. But that time, she didn't scoff at him. Tucking her chin, she broke their too-long eye contact, settling on a point over his shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw Tyler crossing the gym. She started to smile, until she noticed the pissed off expression on his face.

He didn't say a word to her, grabbing a hold of Klaus and pulling him off her, only able to because he'd been distracted by Caroline.

"Tyler, mate, where've you been?" Klaus greeted him with false civility.

"Out of town," Tyler said through gritted teeth.

"Funny, I don't remember giving you permission to leave."

"Did you also forget Caroline's my girlfriend?" Not that Klaus would care about taking what wasn't his.

"Tyler, keep your voice down," Caroline said, glancing around at their classmates. She didn't want him to make a scene in front of everyone.

"We were only dancing. Besides, if I recall correctly, you two broke up," Klaus said, making Tyler take a challenging step forward.

"Excuse us," she said to Klaus, forcefully pulling Tyler to the hall, away from prying eyes.

"What are you doing, Care?" Tyler asked before she could say anything. "Dancing with Klaus?"

"I wanted to dance, and he asked me. It's not like I had any other offers." It's not like she thought there was any remote possibility that Tyler would show up tonight.

"Can't you see he's making moves on you. I can't believe you're actually falling for it." Klaus didn't care about anyone but himself, but as soon as he threw a little attention Caroline's way, she overlooked that.

"At least he's consistent in his pursuits. I don't hear from you for weeks and you show up here expecting me to be waiting on the bleachers for you to ask me for a dance?" She wouldn't let Tyler make her feel stupid. Not when he'd been the stupid one who didn't communicate.

"I'm focusing on getting my life back. I thought you understood that." It wasn't as if he wanted to be a hybrid in the first place or be sired to Klaus.

"I do. But I can't just put my life on hold, so I'm focusing on my sister and me. Because that's all I have right now. As much as we said our breakup was temporary, it's feeling pretty damn real recently."

"And where does you entertaining Klaus fall into focusing on you and your sister?" He spat out, bitter. "I thought you were better than that, than falling for him."

"I'm not falling for him, Tyler. It was a dance, one moment of cease-fire. I thought you were better than petty jealousy and shaming me." The Tyler she loved wouldn't say such things to her. "You're reverting back to the dick you were before."

His face looked pinched as he glared at her, unable to reign in his anger.

"I shouldn't have come." With a sigh, he walked away from her and the dance.

"Where are you going?" she called after him, her voice cracking at the thought of him abandoning her.

"Away. Before I say something I can't take back." His temper was boiling hot under his skin and he didn't want to hurt Caroline more than he already had, unintentional or not. He'd seen it happen with his father and mother countless times growing up. Though he couldn't deny he favored his father's anger, he didn't want to be like him. So, when he couldn't promise not to be intentionally cruel, he did what his father never had and walked away.

The sharp sting of tears pricked at her eyes, but she refused to cry. Blinking them back, she re-entered the gym, her eyes searching for Charlotte as she moved through the crowd. When she found her, smiling up at Jeremy, who wore a faint stain of her red lipstick, Caroline started to turn away. She didn't want to ruin her sister's night with her Tyler drama.

"Caroline, what's wrong?" Charlotte asked, catching Caroline's arm as she tried to turn away.

"Nothing, I just came to tell you I'm heading home early."

Caroline never left dances early if she could help it.

"I'm going to let you two have a moment," Jeremy said, backtracking to where Kol sat on the bleachers.

"You look close to tears. You're even doing that glancing at the ceiling thing you do to fight them back. Who made you cry? Klaus?" Charlotte looked around for the Original Hybrid.

"No, surprisingly, not Klaus," Caroline said, a small huff of laughter escaping when she realized the most likely culprit for her tears was actually the one who'd made her night fun. "Tyler."

"He's here?" Charlotte whipped her head back to Caroline.

"He's gone now, we got in a fight and he left." Her tears looked close to spilling over, her eyes glistening. Tugging on her arms, Charlotte pulled her into a hug.

If she didn't want to kick him in the balls before for not calling, she definitely did now. No one made her sister cry and got away with it.

"He's an ass for making you cry," Charlotte said. "I'll get Jeremy to stop for ice cream on our way home."

"No, I don't want to ruin your fun." Caroline pulled back, dabbing at her eyes with the knuckles of her pointer fingers.

"I can't have fun knowing you're hurting. Wait here while I get him."

It seemed as soon as Charlotte left, Klaus was beside her, holding out a handkerchief for her.

"If you need a shoulder to cry on, mine is readily available," he offered.

"And get mascara all over your suit?" She teased, using his handkerchief to wipe the tears. It was more effective than her skin.

"We both know you're too prepared to wear anything but waterproof, but I'll let you keep your excuse for distance," he whispered it, like a secret between them. It was a toss-up whether the secret was her waterproof mascara or her needing an excuse.

Charlotte and Caroline walked hand in hand out the front door and across the red carpet the dance committee had rolled out for the night. Jeremy trailed behind them, giving them space. Caroline clearly needed her sister right now. She'd looked as though she'd been crying when he joined them again. Pulling the keys from his pocket, he paused when Caroline came to a stuttering halt, forcing her to release Charlotte's hand as she kept walking.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked, turning with a frown. Caroline tried to step forward but met an invisible barrier that pushed her back.

"Esther's back," Stefan answered Charlotte's question, coming to stand beside Caroline and pointing to the salt circling the school.

Bonnie couldn't break the barrier spell. Esther was channeling too much power and none of the vampires could leave while the barrier was still intact. Esther was forcing them to wait like sheep to slaughter. Jeremy and Charlotte made the obvious suggestion of them going to stop her since the barrier didn't keep them inside, a suggestion instantly refuted by Caroline and Kol.

"If she succeeds in whatever she's doing, she's coming for all of you. I won't let her hurt you," Charlotte said to Caroline, hopping off the desk she perched on while they waited to see if Bonnie could free them.

"And she has Alaric. Regardless if his alter ego is currently in control of his mind, I'm not letting him die either," Jeremy said, returning from Alaric's school closet with a crossbow and throwing knives. He handed the knives to Lottie.

"She could break both your necks with a snap of her fingers," Kol said. He didn't care if Jeremy had his ring, or that Charlotte technically wouldn't stay dead. Dying again could make Jeremy snap just like his guardian, and it would reveal what Charlotte really was when she came back.

"Then we'll have to be quicker than that," Charlotte said, pulling off her gloves and setting them on the desk. They'd only hinder her throwing.

"I don't want you to risk your life for me," Caroline insisted, stepping in front of Charlotte when her and Jeremy headed towards the door.

"You'd risk yours for me." If the roles were reversed, Caroline would move heaven and earth to protect her.

"That's different, I'm a vampire."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows, reminding her she wasn't the only supernatural Forbes.

"It wouldn't matter even if you were human. You'd still do it. Please, let me save you."

Groaning, Caroline reached for her clutch, pulling out a handgun much to Charlotte's surprise.

"What, mom gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday, and we don't have the best track record with dances." Technically, she wasn't allowed to conceal carry, but there was no way she was strapping the ugly thing to her dress. Taking the knives from Charlotte, she handed her the gun. "Be careful."

Charlotte's knee bounced as Jeremy drove them to the cemetery. With one hand on the wheel, he reached for her hand, capturing it in his.

"Hey, it's going to be fine. Even if Esther kills us, she's a witch. We'll come back."

"But will we come back as ourselves?" she asked.

He didn't have the answer to that question. He just squeezed her hand tighter.

The cemetery at night was creepy under normal circumstances. Knowingly hunting down a powerful witch in it made it even more chill-inducing. Holding the gun with both hands, trying to keep her hands from shaking, she kept her finger off the trigger so she wouldn't skittishly shoot at shadows and give away their presence. They made their way over the dirt paths covered in pine needles, careful not to trip over tree roots as they scanned their surroundings.

As they got closer to the crypt, they branched off, Charlotte going left while Jeremy went right. She'd just circled around the trees, getting closer to the crypt, when Esther stepped out. Taking a steadying breath, she raised the gun, imagining Esther as the paper target at the range as she took aim.

"How foolish of you, to risk your lives for those who will kill you," Esther said.

Charlottes finger moved to the trigger, but before she could press it, Esther raised her hands out to her sides. Like a marionette, Charlotte's body was forced to turn by Esther's magic until Jeremy and her faced off across the clearing.

"Jeremy?" her voice hitched.

"I can't control it, Lottie," Jeremy said, his limbs shaking as Esther forced his finger towards the crossbow's release. His only hope was that Esther would make Lottie shoot first.

Panic tightened her throat, and hatred burned in her stomach at the witch who was their puppeteer. Closing her eyes, tears traced down her cheeks. She couldn't kill Jeremy. She wouldn't let Esther force her to do something so horrible. The warmth spread out from her stomach, and her eyes flashed open when her finger twitched away from the trigger. Grasping for whatever hold she had on her free will, her heels sunk deeper in the mud while her arms slowly, painfully, tracked back towards Esther.

Esther's eyes widened when the blonde girl slipped from her control like a horse pulling free from its reigns. She felt the girl tug on the tether of magic connecting them, then that tether snapping as the gun once again pointed at her. There was no way a human could fight against her magic, case in point being the boy still had his weapon trained on her. So, what was she?

They stood in a draw, her gun aimed at Esther, while Esther had Jeremy's crossbow aimed at her. Before either of them could make a move against the other, Alaric emerged from the tomb, running a stake through her back and into her heart. As soon as Esther fell, her magic retreating from Jeremy, he dropped the crossbow and ran to Lottie, wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered half in her ear and half in her hair. He'd never been more terrified than when he realized Esther could use him to kill her. If he'd shot her, she wouldn't have come back. Potential hunter meant he was still human.

"It's okay. We're okay." She hugged him back, her grip just as tight.

"How did you break free?" She'd had to have used her power. He just didn't know how she knew what to do. She'd struggled so hard to use it back at the hotel in New Mexico with no success.

"I don't know." All she knew was she couldn't hurt him.

"Jeremy?" Elena's voice called out to them. He stiffened before turning towards her. She stood beside Alaric, her white dress bloody.

"What the hell is going on?" Alaric asked, glancing from them to his bloody shirt, to the bloody stake he held. "Where's my ring?"

Elena explained what went down while they were stuck at the dance, and Jeremy reluctantly listened along with Alaric. Alaric was in transition, and he refused to feed. He didn't want to give his alter ego the ability of immortality to do even more damage than he'd already done. Charlotte stood beside Jeremy after she'd said her goodbyes, their hands entwined. It killed her to see a piece of him breaking. He was losing yet another guardian. First his parents, then Jena, now Alaric. He kept losing the people he cared about, and it wasn't fair.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" She asked as they sat in his car, still parked by the cemetery.

"I don't want to get you in trouble." Saying yes would be selfish.

"And I don't want to leave you alone." The last time she made that mistake and gave him space after he lost someone, he'd pushed her away and they didn't speak for months. As much as she didn't want him to go through the pain of losing Alaric alone, she was also terrified of what would happen to them if he did.

Her hands tugged at the string of pearls around her neck, her fingers repetitively rubbing over the smooth surface. Her nervous fidgeting caught his attention.

"Hey," he said, gently. Reaching out, he stilled her hands. When her eyes met his, he continued. "I promise you it won't be like after my parents. I'm never going to abandon you again."

"I still want to stay with you. My mom won't even notice I'm gone. She always sleeps in the days before she switches from night to day shift. And I've got clean-up committee with Caroline tomorrow morning, so me not being there when she wakes up won't be completely unexpected."

She'd just have to have Caroline pick her up in the morning on her way to the school and bring her a change of clothes.

"Okay," he caved, knowing the night would suck a lot less if she was with him.


A/N: Hello everyone! It's another long chapter today. I hope you enjoyed it! I really don't have much to say here. I hope everyone's staying safe. There were some differing opinions on the Original characters and ships you guys like and don't like, but two things seem to be pretty unanimous: you all pretty much hate Hayley, and several of you mentioned liking Vincent (guess I'll find out who that is). Thanks for your feedback on the show! I'm super excited about when they go to New Orleans. I'm not sure how much of Season 4 plotline I'll be keeping and how much I'll be changing for my own. It'll be tough to weave both together, so the plot might be drastically changing soon. The only announcement I have left is that I will be posting a decade dance aesthetic as well as two new videos to my Instagram (gracelesslyfalling) if y'all are interested.

Guest review responses

Shadow: I'm glad you like the moments between Jeremy and Lottie as a couple. They're the heart of the story and I love writing them together, both as friends before and especially now that they're in a romantic relationship. I agree, Care is a much better surrogate sister than Elena, because she doesn't try to force what she wants on Jeremy or Charlotte. Thanks for sharing your favorite and least favorite couples from the Originals! I'll keep that in mind when writing.

Starlight: Yes, you get it all. Forbes sisters bonding, Jelottie adorable overload, and OT3 cuteness as well as Klaroline cuteness. You kind of get that in this chapter too, but they kinda have to deal with Elena. Can I just say, I love your double reviews. It makes me so happy you love the story enough not to just review once, but twice. I'm pretty sure this chapter answers your questions in your second review, let me know if it didn't. Hope you enjoyed this update!

To the guest who put Alaric in his place: I agree, he was a parental figure but let Elena walk over him with her decisions.

Mimi: Yes, Kol is amazing. He's found his family/tribe. I believe that all his character wanted was to be loved and accepted unconditionally, and if he got that he would have whoever showed him that love's back no matter what. Yeah, Caroline isn't one to force her opinions on Jeremy or anyone. She shares them, but let's them make their own decisions. Good to know your favorite and least favorite characters and ships in the Originals. Your opinions seem to match pretty with a lot of others. If I do the Kol/Davina ship I will try my best to make it better. Not sure what Kol's future love life holds at the moment. Right now he's just enjoying having friends who are loyal to him.

RiRi: As you can see, you were right. Elena did interrupt Jeremy at the dance. It was pretty much a given. I'm so so so happy you love the Charlotte/Jeremy/Kol friendship. I am having a blast writing their dynamic. I love imagining Caroline and Klaus being a tag team when it comes to trying to keep their little siblings out of trouble. Caroline would help Klaus not to be overbearing. Haha, I love your input about when we get to The Five and how Jeremy got hot when he became a hunter. I'm glad you both enjoy their cuteness now and are looking forward to it getting steamier later on. I wish this website let you leave an emoji or gif because I'd love to see the one you would choose!

Oz: Glad you liked the last chapter! And I'm really happy you like how not all the characters are picking Elena over the OC. I try to think of the characters personalities, and also how they've changed or grown in this fic, and fit them into a category of either siding with Elena or Lottie. Because not everyone will be on Lotties side. Damon is all about Elena and doesn't really care about anyone else. Stefan is a little more level headed but also caught up on the Elena train right now. Rebekah hates Elena so she's bound to side with anyone against her. And so on. Caroline is absolutely the MVP, she doesn't let anyone mess with people she cares about, especially Charlotte and Jeremy. Kol might be added to that later once she gets to know him more. I'll try to work on Charlotte interacting with the other Mikaelsons, but I want to do it organically so no instant connections here. Charlotte (and all the younger siblings group) pranking Elijah would be funny. Them starting a prank war with him could be fun. Thanks for your opinions on the Original cast. I've been hearing good things about Vincent, and some unfavorable things about Hayley lol. I secretly love how everyone lists her as a character they dislike.

To the guest who says Caroline is the best big sister ever: Yes, she is. She is MVP. I love how everyone thinks Hayley is the worse. And pretty much everyone thinks Vincent is one of the best.

To the guest who likes how Caroline is ready to protect her baby siblings: yep. She is fierce when it comes to protecting them. And it's not a one-way street. Charlotte would do anything for her sister.

Jules: I love your rievew about Kol finally finding his "always and forever." It's sweet, and true. Found families for the win.

To the guest who can't wait for Jelottie's future wedding: Oh, me neither. I already started a private pinterest board and am filling it with inspiration should we get to that in this story.

To the guest who says originals is better than TVD: I'm excited to watch it then! I love how you and everyone else are just hating on Hayley. I'm hearing very good things about Vincent so I'm intrigued. And I see you're a fellow Klaroline shipper. Hmm, if I could change anything on TVD before it got bad…probably the inconsistency in writing Jeremy and his Hunter powers. They could have done so much more with him but he kind of got cut out of the plot a lot. What about you? What would you change?

To the guest who called Ric out for being a hypocrite calling the Mikaelsons selfish and dangerous when he is buddies with the Salvatores: touche. Also, I feel like, since he became buddies with Damon after getting to know him, maybe he'd do the same with the Mikaelson's? who knows?

To Morgan, who thanked me for updating: You're very welcome. Thank you for leaving a review, it helps me feel more connected and happier during the craziness we live in now. Seriously, you have no idea how nice it is to hear from you, and from everyone. I'm so happy you think my characters are well written. Kol and Jeremy's bromance is going to be epic, just you wait. And I'll try to work in more Elijah and Klaus. Once they move to New Orleans, you'll probably see them more involved.

To the guest who broke down all the Original characters and ships for me: thank you. Vincent seems a popular favorite, and I think you share a popular opinion with hating Hayley lol. Elijah does deserve an epic love, and you're not alone in thinking he deserved better than Hayley. If I do Kol/Davina I'll do my best to write Davina better. So far I've heard she's back and forth and annoying at times. Hopefully I can fix that without taking her too far Out of character.

To the guest who liked the reincarnation image I posted: Thanks! I love making videos and aesthetics and sharing them to my Instagram (I assume that's what you meant when you said wattpad). I'm so glad you enjoy them!

Rach

xoxo