Hi! :D I can't believe how close to the end we are! There's been so much drama ha ha and there's still more to come lol Just one more chapter after this and then the epilogue. Speaking of which, I would like to know your ideas of what you want to happen to all of our characters for the epilogue.

A big thank you to LucyRider17 and alwaysnnever for reviewing :) As always, I love you! xx

Ps. sorry for any mistakes.

The house was alive with the sounds of people scurrying around; shouting at one another to make sure they were ready on time. Damon and Elena's wedding had finally arrived and in a little over an hour the couple would officially be married.

Klaus sighed to himself as he straightened his tie and watched Damon and Stefan finish dressing. Charlotte had left earlier that morning to dress at Elena's house and to help the bride prepare for her big day, along with Caroline.

Damon listened as Stefan chatted to him but couldn't help but notice Klaus's silence and frowning features. Remembering how his sister had worn a similar expression to the day before, Damon excused himself from his conversation with Stefan and approached Klaus.

"Klaus, what's going on with you and Charlotte?"

Klaus felt his face go pale and his mouth tightened into a grimace. As far as he was aware, no-one knew of his and Charlotte's argument two days before concerning his brother, Kol. So, it confused him that Damon was asking questions about his relationship with Charlotte.

"Nothing. We're fine."
"I'm not an idiot. You've barely spent a minute anyway from my sister since the accident and yet, when I came around yesterday morning there was no sign of you and Charlotte was upset. So, I'll ask again and this time, please remember that she's my little sister. Choose your words wisely."

Sighing with a heavy heart, Klaus rubbed his temples and paid no attention to the strange look Stefan was sending his way. He felt stuck. One part of him wanted to confide in his life-long friends; get their perspectives on the situations, whilst the other part wanted to ensure his best-friend's wedding went off without a hitch.

"Klaus, what's wrong?" Stefan asked; worried about both his best-friend and his sister after overhearing Damon's speech. "Is Charlotte okay?"

Another huff of breath broke free from Klaus's lungs and he ran his hands through his hair; pulling slightly on the ends. He knew, now, that there was nothing else for it. He couldn't keep his thoughts and feelings to himself anymore.

"We had an argument."
"An argument? Is that it?" Damon scoffed lightly.
"What was it about?" Stefan asked Klaus' ignoring his older brother's eye rolling.
"It's not important. We sorted through that."
"Then what's with the sulky face?" Damon said with a smirk.

Klaus let out a small laugh. It was just like Damon to turn to humour in any given situation.

The sound of Giuseppe's voice on the other side of the door interrupted the conversation taking place between the three men, and they quickly realised that they would be late for the wedding if they did not finish getting ready.

Giving his friends a weak smile, Klaus shrugged on his suit jacket and made his way out of the room; greeting Giuseppe as he went. His short conversation with Stefan and Damon had only served to increase his curiosity of Charlotte and Dean's relationship and her past in San Francisco, and he wasn't sure how long he would be able to resist asking his girlfriend the questions he so desperately needed answers to.

"You look beautiful, Elena." Caroline gushed as she handed Elena her bouquet and waited patiently for the wedding to begin.

They were standing behind the white double doors that would open and reveal the beautiful bride, and her equally beautiful bridesmaids, once the wedding to start. Nerves consumed Elena but she was brimming with excitement at the thought of finally becoming Damon's wife.

Next to her, Caroline stood, happy for her best-friend, and wondered whether she too would eventually become Mrs Salvatore.

Charlotte smiled as she looked on; smoothing out the bottom of her short, purple bridesmaid's dress. Her hair, just like her dress, was smooth and straight; having decided to alter her trademarks raven coloured curls for the special occasion.

"Do I look okay?" asked Elena, chewing lightly on her bottom lip.
"You look amazing. Stop worrying. Damon isn't going to be able to keep his eyes off of you." Caroline replied with a genuine smile.
"What if something goes wrong? What if our marriage doesn't work?"

It was clear to both Caroline and Charlotte that Elena was incredibly nervous. Her brown eyes were full of fear and doubt and she was practically bouncing on the spot. Caroline tried to sate Elena's fear but to no avail and with the wedding beginning soon, she knew something needed to be done and fast.

Charlotte had also come to this same conclusion and she approached Elena with a smile on her face.

"It will work, Elena. You and Damon are perfect for each other." Charlotte began; her hands on Elena's shoulders. "Besides, you already dated Stefan and I hate to break it to you, but if you mess things up with Damon I don't have any other siblings for you to date. I am definitely off-limits."

Charlotte noticed Caroline staring at her with wide-eyes and a look of shock on her face. For a second, Charlotte wondered if she had upset Elena but when she saw her soon to be sister-in-law crack a smile and laugh lightly, Charlotte knew she had said the right thing.

"Thank you, Charlotte." said Elena.
"No problem. That's what bridesmaids are for."

The sound of Charlotte's name being called out interrupted the moment the three women were sharing and they all turned to see Klaus walking quickly towards them; a look of sheer determination on his face.

Caroline and Charlotte shared a curious look as Elena wondered if Klaus's appearance meant that something had indeed gone wrong.

"Klaus, if everything okay?" Elena questioned the man; doubt causing her eyes to fill with unshed tears.

Klaus had kept his gaze firmly on his girlfriend until he had heard Elena address him and he turned to face the young bride. Instantly, Klaus felt like an idiot. Clearly, his presence had upset Elena and he was sure Damon would verbally abuse him for upsetting her.

"Everything's fine, Elena. It's perfect, I promise."
"So, Damon's okay?"
"Yes. He's a little nervous but he can't stop talking about how much he wants to marry you."

Klaus was certain he'd said the right thing because Elena's almost tears quickly went away and her frown was replaced with a sparkling smile. He ignored the glare Caroline was sending his way and re-focused his attention on Charlotte, who was staring at him quizzically.

"What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you."
"Can't it wait?" Charlotte gestured to the bride; making reference to the nuptials that were about to take place.
"Love, please. I really need to talk to you."

Caroline and Elena watched as Klaus pleaded with Charlotte to leave with him so they could talk privately. Eventually, Klaus's pleas began to grind on Caroline and she decided to take control of the situation.

"Klaus, the wedding is starting in ten minutes. Get your ass back to Damon and Stefan, now."
"Please, Caroline."

Caroline fell silent. In all the years she had known him, she could not remember a single moment when Klaus had said 'please' to her or when he had sounded so sincere and desperate. A pang surged throughout her heart and she sighed softly as she looked into Klaus's blue eyes.

"You have five minutes. Bring her back here before these doors open or so help me god, you'll find yourself on clean-up duty!"

A sly grin spread across Klaus's face and for the first time ever, he felt thankful to Caroline Forbes.

Mouthing a quick apology to Elena, Charlotte allowed Klaus to grab her hand and lead her away from the two women and door a corridor until they reached the entrance of the church.

It was a warm spring day and the sky was bright blue and littered with white, fluffy clouds. It was the perfect day for a wedding. A wedding, Charlotte thought, she should be getting back to before it started without her.

"Klaus, what-"
"What happened in San Francisco?"

The unexpected question hit Charlotte with a force. Her entire body tensed up and she took a step back from Klaus. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around herself in a protective stance and let her eyes fall to the floor. She cursed herself for introducing Klaus to Dean.

Klaus surveyed Charlotte's sudden change in demeanour with intense worry. He had expected her to deny anything had happened or even to shout and scream at him that it was no of his business. He hadn't, for a single second, entertained the thought that she would close herself off to him.

"Love…"

Klaus made to move the gap between himself and Charlotte; placing one of his hands on the bare skin of her arm. His heart swelled with hurt and disappointment when his hand was removed by Charlotte. She was finally looking at him but her eyes were brimming with anger and hate; not the usual love, lust and adoration he had come to expect.

"You talked to my mother, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I wanted to know about Dean." answered Klaus, honestly.

A shriek of forced laughter fell from Charlotte's lips and she took another step away from Klaus. The nerve of her mother! Charlotte thought. The nerve of Klaus!

"Then why didn't you ask me instead of going behind my back and speaking to my mother?!"

The rage was really beginning to boil up inside of her and Charlotte knew that Klaus could see it too. His actions were cautious and he was being extremely careful with his words but none of it mattered; she was too far gone in the anger to turn back.

The knowledge that her mother had interfered in her life, in her relationship, and had divulged information about her past, that she didn't want to made public, made Charlotte want to scream until her voice gave out.

The fact that Klaus seemingly hadn't trusted her enough to ask her himself about her past infuriated Charlotte to no end.

"Would you have told me the truth?"

Klaus knew the answer before Charlotte even opened her mouth to speak and he shook his head with disappointment and frustration. How was he supposed to have a future with Charlotte if she wasn't even willing to discuss her past with him?

"There isn't anything to tell."
"Like hell there isn't. Just look at you! You look like you're about to walk out on me this second and all I did was ask about San Francisco."
"It isn't any of your business."

Charlotte replied; deciding to try a different tactic since she suspected Klaus knew she was lying with her last answer.

"You're my girlfriend. Is it so wrong for me to want to know what the hell happened to you? To know what is going on between you and Dean?"

Klaus said the name with a tone of disgust that did not go unnoticed by Charlotte.

"What the hell have you got against Dean? You don't even know him?"
"Well, he clearly knows you." said Klaus with a roll of his eyes.

The way he responded to her made Charlotte believe that Klaus was insinuating there was more to her and Dean than there actually was.

"He's my friend, Klaus."
"Not according to your mother."
"My mother?! Do not believe everything she says. She's hated him every since he introduced me to Robert!"
"Who's Robert?"

Charlotte clamped her hand over her mouth. She had said too much; revealed too much. There would be no going back now. Klaus would never allow it. He would never forget it.

With curiosity burning intensely inside of him, Klaus purposefully softened his tone and facial features and closed the gap between his and Charlotte's body; pleasantly surprised that she did not bat his hands away from her shoulders as he latched onto her.

From the look of sheer terror in Charlotte's eyes, Klaus knew there was something eating away at his girlfriend. Half of him wanted to forget she had said anything and just comfort her; stop the tears that were threatening to spill from her ocean-blue eyes. The other of him yearned to know who Robert was, who Dean was and what had happened in San Francisco to make Charlotte look at him with such panic and dread.

It was this half that won.

"Sweetheart, please, just tell me what happened in San Francisco."
"No."

The word came out weak and quiet and it was this that bothered Klaus more than the actual answer he received.

"Please, Love. I need to know."
"Why? It doesn't matter anymore."
"It matters to me. Between your mother telling me Dean is love with you and you-"
"She said what?!"

Charlotte pulled herself away from Klaus's grip.

"That bloody woman! Is that what this whole thing is about? My mother telling you that Dean loves me?"
"I-"
"Get one think straight, Klaus, Dean. Does. Not. Love. Me. We're not like that. I don't love him either. You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

Storming away from Klaus, Charlotte suddenly stopped and turned back around. She knew that the wedding was about to start and she and Klaus had been gone longer than they should have been, but she couldn't go back in without making sure Klaus knew where he stood with her.

"You really want to know who Dean is?"
"Yes."
"That first day I came back and we played pool, you asked me where I learnt to play and I told you I had a boyfriend whose older brother ran a pool hall. Dean's the older brother. There. Are you happy now?"

They stood, staring at one another, in silence. Klaus could see that Charlotte's words were true but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more she wasn't telling him. The way Charlotte and Dean had interacted the day before bothered him greatly. Klaus was a man and men could always recognise a look of lust.

"Did you sleep with him?"
"What?"
"Did. You. Sleep. With. Him?"

Each word hit the air like a punch and Charlotte let out a groan. Klaus was glaring at her and Charlotte suspected that he would not let her leave until she gave him what he wanted.

"I'm waiting, love."
"Yes!"

Involuntarily, Klaus's hands curled up into fists. The jealousy he felt coursing through his veins was nothing like anything he'd ever felt before. It burned him from the inside out and his mind raced with images of his girlfriend writhing about beneath Dean.

"How many times?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes!"
"Why?! Tell me why it matters so much when you're the one I love; you're the one I'm with."

Klaus never got to respond. Emerging from inside of the church, Caroline stood on the edge of the threshold and yelled at Charlotte and Klaus to get back inside as the wedding was about to start.

Breaking eye contact with Klaus, Charlotte ran back into the church and plastered a fake smile on her face. She knew that once the wedding was over she would have to face Klaus again and reveal her past to him. The mere thought of it made her want to run away in terror but she did not do that. Instead, she took her place, smiled, and walked down the aisle.