"Well, isn't this a fine bit of nostalgia." Charlotte spoke to herself as she sorted through her closet. She had purchased a new wardrobe long ago, and her human one just did not do the job. She wasn't human anymore, why act like it? The cheap blouses and ill fitted jeans would do her no good in this new life.

As soon as he closet was purged of just about everything, she took a deep breathe and restocked her clothes.

Things were changing. She needed to accept it. This was a fresh start. A new beginning. Her family had welcomed her home.

Once she finished that, she waltzed around her room, tearing down any piece of sentimentality. That life was over.

Pictures of Mara and Collin and Elena and Jeremy all found their way into the trash. Except for one. Her parents.

And then she threw that one away too.

"You're here."

"Yeah." Charlotte smiled as her little brother enveloped her into a hug. His grip was firm, tight, refusing to let go. But she made him. She didn't have much control.

"And you're staying?" He asked her, eyes expectant.

"As long as I'm wanted." She smiled at him and sat on her bed. "Sit down. Catch me up."

"There's not much to catch up on, really." Jeremy shrugged, sitting down in Lottie's desk chair.

Lottie raised an eyebrow. "I'm here to take care of this family now," she stated firmly. "I've seen you talking to yourself. There's something you're not telling me. And you're going to spill right now."

Jeremy looked to the side, as if someone else was there. Then he nodded.

"Do you remember Anna?"

"Your ex girlfriend?"

"Well, she was sort of a vampire."

"Why am I only finding out about this now?"

"Because, well, it wasn't important. But she died, and recently I've kind of, well, been seeing her."

Lottie nodded, taking the information in. "Seeing her as in?"

"It's like she's still here."

"So ghosts are real too? Well, that's good to add to the list." Charlotte knew that her little brother wasn't crazy. He was the most sane person she knew. "How often is she around?"

"All the time."

"Is she here now?" Charlotte asked him.

He looked to his side, then nodded.

"Well, hi, Anna." Charlotte said, then turned back to Jeremy. "Do you know why this is happening?"

"I sort of died."

"God, this is so boring." Charlotte groaned as she flipped the pages of the journal.

"You're a lot more whiney now that you're a vampire." Alaric complained.

"I get it. Lexi, Lexi, Lexi. Now what do we do about it?"

"I have an idea." Elena said. "Jeremy. He has his link to the other side."

"I don't want our little brother dipping into the dead." Lottie crossed her arms. "That's a slippery slope, Elena."

"Come on, Charlotte." Alaric said. "It's for the best. I don't think that Jeremy will-"

"Jeremy will what?" Her little brother stopped by the table.

Elena smiled at him. "We've been reading through Stefan's journals. It seems every time he's in a dark moment, Lexi is the one who pulls him out of it."

Charlotte stayed quiet.

"And you want me to contact Lexi?"

"I thought if I knew how she did it, maybe I could help him." Elena insisted.

"I don't even know if she's on the Other Side-"

"Is that what it's called?" Elena asked.

"That's what Anna calls it. There's not like an official brochure or anything."

"So it's like purgatory?"

Anyway, as Jeremy and Elena discussed it, Alaric eventually came to Charlotte's side. He really wasn't comfortable with Jeremy playing in the ghost world. It worried Charlotte, because of how much she revered the dead and wanted to leave them in peace. It worried Alaric because he didn't want to deal with another dead vampire after Vicki had almost blown up his car.

They moved their meeting into the Grille to discuss the logistics. Elena was hell-bent on receiving Jeremy's help. Alaric and Charlotte were not.

"Elena, please. Let's drop it." Charlotte begged.

"I can't drop it, Charlotte!" She snapped back. "I don't know what else to do."

"Don't you think we have a few too many dead vampires in our past to be sitting here thinking of them watching us?" Alaric insisted. Jeremy looked to his side, just an empty chair. Charlotte knew Anna was here.

"Is Anna here now?"

Yes.

"No." He shook his head. "I,uh, have to go check my schedule."

As one brother left, another arrived. Damon's brother, to be exact.

Stefan sat down. "Hey, guys. Who forgot to invite me to the family summit?"

"Well, you aren't exactly family." Charlotte snapped. He rolled his eyes and picked up a journal, looking through it.

"Hmm? Wow. All these words. I forgot how much I used to care."

"I didn't." Elena replied. Charlotte and Alaric looked at each other.

"You know, Elena, it's probably best you not torture yourself with memories from the past. It's best we both just move on and accept things as they are."

"Stefan, you don't have to be here right now." Alaric told him as Charlotte began to clench her fist, ready for attack.

"You know what, Alaric, you're right. I don't. But Elena's here, and I look out for Elena. Besides, there's going to be people everywhere tonight. So there's going to be lots to eat."

Charlotte stood up as Elena gave him a look. Stefan only laughed.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Loosen up." He told Elena. Then he looked at Charlotte. "And this response is rich coming from you. You have the makings of a ripper, Charlotte. My own protege."

She was about to attack when Ric held her back. Stefan walked away.

"I'm going to kill him, Elena." Charlotte seethed.

"Hey, hey. Don't listen to him. You aren't a ripper."

"I can't let it go, guys." Elena shook her head.

"I'll grab Jeremy." He insisted.

"I'll be right back."

Elena went to the bathroom and Damon joined Ric and Charlotte.

"I've had enough vampires today." Ric told him.

"You're quite the gem too, Ric." Charlotte retorted.

"I meant Damon." He apologized.

"Oh, come on. Have a drink with me. We've got trouble."

"No, you've got trouble. See, we're not a team. You tried to kill me. All right? We're not friends. I don't like you anymore."

"Ah! But remember back when you liked me and we conspired to kill Uncle werewolf Mason Lockwood?"

"Yeah, and?"

Charlotte shook her head, bored of the men's conversation. She took a final swig of her drink and exited the bar, only to run into someone who seemed like a stranger to her, but was much, much more.

"Sorry."

"You should be." He replied as he gripped onto Charlotte's wrist.

"Do I know you?" She asked as she tried to undo her wrist. He was too strong.

"You don't remember me, do you?" He smiled. "You killed me."

Charlotte remember him, now. The first attack. The massacre.

"I was a werewolf, you know? So that means that when you killed me I went to the other side. And I got to watch you. It's a nice day to be alive, though, isn't it?"

Charlotte broke then with the memories.

"But it's okay. I don't want revenge. Don't worry." He insisted as he pulled her away and into the alley. "I'm going to help you. This guilt has been tearing you apart. That's a good sign. Guilt is a very, very good thing."

Then he snapped her neck, and it went dark for her.

When she woke up she was tied to a tree in the middle of the woods. "I'm actually from Mystic Falls, you know. Adopted into a nice family. And then I took a trip to Richmond. Wanted a bite to eat. Apparently, so did you."

"Please. I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry." She cried. "It was a mistake. I know. I'm a monster."

"I know, honey. I know." He knelt down and looked her in the eyes. "Like I said. I'm here to help you. And you want help, don't you? That's why I'm here." He grinned at her as he picked up a stick from the ground and plunged it into her. "I'm here for you, Charlie. Don't worry."

Charlotte had never been more confused. Why? Why was he doing this?

She knew she had wronged him, and so many more. She deserved it. But it was slow torture masked with the idea of his trying to help.

"Please, stop." She cried silently.

"See, sweetheart? I wonder what's got you more upset, the pain or the guilt? Or maybe they go hand in hand."

"I'm a monster." She cried. "I'm a monster. I'm a monster." She chanted over and over to herself.

"Let it out, Charlie." He rubbed her shoulder. "Let it all out."

"Please stop." She whispered.

"Is that what your victims said to you?"

"My victims didn't feel a thing!" She shouted back at him amongst the tears. "I never wanted to hurt anyone, but once I started I couldn't stop."

"Tell me about your family, Charlotte? You have a family you really love, don't you?"

"Why are you doing this?" She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. The dead came back to haunt her. She never thought this day would come.

He yanked the stakes from her.

"Tell me your life story like you made them tell you theirs." He whispered into her ear.

She then fell to the ground, unable to sustain the weight placed upon her.

"Have sex with me like you forced them to have sex with you."

"I didn't force anyone!" She cried out as he started to unbutton his jeans.

"Sweet Charlie. So guilty."

And then he bent over. Charlotte could only look toward the sky as the lanterns filled the stars. She couldn't fight. He must have given her vervain. She was paying for her sins.

And then her savior came, snapping his neck. "I've always thought the dead should stay dead."

Charlotte looked to her savior, the gorgeous strawberry blonde she thought she had said goodbye months ago.

Jenna turned to Lottie. "How are ya, kid?"

Charlotte burst into tears then, unable to contain her guilt, her sadness. Jenna sat beside her,removing the roped from around her wrists.

"I'm so sorry, Jenna." She sobbed into her aunt's shirt-the same one she had been wearing when Klaus killed her.

"Charlotte. I need you to listen to me, okay?" She told her niece. "I need you to pull yourself together. You need to forgive yourself."

"I'm a monster, Jenna."

"No, Charlotte. A monster wouldn't feel guilt. A monster wouldn't have your protection. A monster would protect her siblings with the tenacity that you do. I know-I know what you've been contemplating. And I can't let you end your life, Charlotte. That's why I've stuck around on the Other Side. I've been waiting to talk to you."

Charlotte looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"I'm here to help you, Charlie." She said the exact same thing as the werewolf, yet it was so different. It was full of love, honesty, compassion. "You need to be strong. Fix things. You're no different than you were before."

"I can't, Jenna. I don't know how."

"I'm running out of time, Lottie. After this, I'm gone. I'm leaving the Other Side. I'm finding peace. But I need you to listen. You are my niece, and you will always be my niece. You will always be Miranda's and Greyson's daughter. John's niece. Your siblings sister. Your friends' friend." She gripped Lottie tight. "Remember."

Charlotte nodded and gave her aunt a smile.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Please don't tell anyone I was here. They-they'll be hurt. But you needed me more than they did."

"You're moving on? You'll see my parents?"

Jenna nodded.

"Tell them-tell them I love them."

"They know, Lottie. They know."

"I love you, Jenna."

"I love you too."

And then she faded, and Charlotte broke. The man in front of her faded too.

She was alone now.

"These images tell a story... to learn the story, you have to decipher these images." Alaric and Charlotte pondered at the photos as Damon and Elena sparred at the other end of the room. Elena tried to stake him, but Damon disarmed her with ease.

Charlotte was exhausted. The events of ghost night still haunted her, and she hadn't managed to get any sleep the following nights. She found herself thinking of Mara, Collin, and how much she missed him.

"Charlotte?" She heard.

"What, sorry?"

"You've been staring at that picture for about two minutes. Something on your mind?" Alaric asked her. She shook her head.

"'Ghost of Christmas Past' Mason Lockwood set up the cave and lead us to a weapon that can kill Klaus." Damon replied as he continued his fight with Elena.

"Yeah, but doesn't Mikael have the weapon?" She asked.

"Yes, so connect the dots. The wall leads us to Mikael." Charlotte inferred.

"Who we have already found. . .and lost." Damon then overwhelmed Elena. "Bang. You're dead."

Elena pushed Damon off of her and went to the table Ric and Charlotte were working at.

"These images at the very least might tell us what that weapon is." Alaric insisted.

"So we figure out what they mean." Elena shrugged.

"Which means we need a translator." Charlotte suggested.

"So we go straight to the source." Elena finished.

So they made a plan. Alaric would do his best to translate, Elena would get a story from Rebekah.

"Hey, kid." Damon looked over to Charlotte. "You're coming with me. Let's check on Stefan."

Charlotte knew Damon wanted more than her company. It was a demand, not a question. She followed him.

"What's your deal?" He asked her as he drove to Stefan's jail cell.

"What's your deal?" Charlotte retorted sarcastically at Damon.

"Oh, the use of sarcasm in order to hide actual emotions. I've never dealt with that rick before. Come on, I invented that trick! What's on your mind, kid?" he asked.

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're my best friend." He shrugged. "And because you're no good when you're down in the dumps."

She groaned. "Listen, I had to deal with an unfortunate ghost the other night, okay?"

Damon raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell anyone that. What happened?" He demanded.

"This werewolf I killed had some plans of revenge, okay? I don't want to talk about it. Drop it."

"How ironic. I dealt with a werewolf too. We can relate. Tell me what happened, Charlotte. You're obviously not emotionally capable enough to deal with it on. Let me help you out." Damon offered.

"It's over!" Charlotte snapped. "Stop the car. I'm leaving."

"Fine."

Damon pulled over. Charlotte exited the vehicle. He drove away.

"Are you pleased?" She shouted in the air, knowing the werewolf was watching.

If her experience gave her even a bit a comfort, it was that she knew someone had to be watching over her. Jenna was watching over her, but she's gone. She found peace.

But she must have someone on her side.

The day went on. They were able to dissect the message. Klaus killed Esther. Mikael could kill Klaus. Everybody was happy, except for Charlotte. But she was in a rough spot. She was never happy.

Elena had managed to manipulate Rebecca emotionally to the point of her confession. Bonnie and Alaric solved the mystery.

Oh, and Damon and Stefan went on a night on the town.

Idiots.

Damon sneaked into Elena's room, as he tended to do, and then went to Charlotte's to give her the update. She sat at her desk, mindlessly typing at her computer the English assignment she had due later.

"Hey, kid. Figured I'd give you the update."

"Are you ever gonna stop calling me kid?"

"Nope. Anyway, we got Mikael."

"Cool story." She acquiesced as she rolled in her chair over to her printed. "This means?"

"We'll be able to kill Klaus?"

"Right. I know the story. I'm guessing Klaus isn't the only one who's gonna get killed, but what do I know? I'm not exactly emotionally invested in the operation. How was your brother bonding?"

"He's a bigger dick, but a dick on our side." Damon shrugged, walking over to Charlotte's desk. "Jane Austen. How boring." He commented looking at her paper.

"Keep him out of my sight if you want him alive for his operation. And don't you dare let him near Elena, or I'll rip your throat out."

"You talk so big for a newbie vampire." He laughed.

"I've got a lot of underlying rage and emotion to power me through a fight."

"Have you ever even been in one?" Damon laughed.

"I've been in a handful. Vampires are so territorial. Why? Is that a challenge?"

Damon grinned. "I could finish you any day."

Charlotte shook her head. "I'll see you tomorrow, Damon. Get out of my house."

"Let's say that Mikael followed Elena in here. He tried to grab her, so he could use her as bait."

"And I what? Vervained him?" Elena suggested.

"No!" Damon and Charlotte both shouted at the same time. "We vervained him! This guy is an original. To make it realistic."

"I vervained him." Charlotte corrected. "Klaus knows that I'd be the most willing to do something incredibly idiotic and rage filled to protect that one." She nodded towards Elena.

"Fine. Charlotte vervained him." Stefan rolled his eyes. "And in the process we discovered he had a dagger on him."

"What, so we just looted him after? That doesn't seem likely," Charlotte criticized.

"I'll make it sound likely. Klaus has no reason not to believe me, remember?" Stefan shook his head. "He was planning on using it on Rebekah-"

"But we had Elena drive it through his heart instead," Charlotte finished.

"And what happens when he asks to see Mikael's body?" Elena asked.

"Good point! You, my brother, have been compelled to do what Klaus says. So the idea is to lure him back here and kill him- last thing we need is you getting tripped up and tongue-tied." Damon critiqued.

"I'm just in charge of getting him back here." Stefan shrugged.

"If we tell him Mikael's dead he'll want proof." Elena insisted.

"Then I shall be dead." Mikael spoke, out of no where, scaring Charlotte. The Original father was intimidating, terrifying.

"What if her wants to see you in person?"

"Well that means our plan is working. Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here- and I will kill him."

"Seems simple enough." Charlotte shrugged.

"One question- the dagger doesn't work on him. How are you going to kill him?"

"Well, I'm in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned."

"Where is it?" Charlotte asked.

He shook his head. "I'm not telling you that. That's my insurance policy that none of you will leave this in my heart." He raised the dagger. "And since a vampire cannot dagger an original without dying, the responsibility falls to you."

He passed that dagger to Elena.

"You want me to dagger you?"

"Klaus will leave nothing to chance- especially when it comes to trust."

"I hate everything in my closet. I have nothing to wear to homecoming." Elena complained. Bonnie and Charlotte sat in her room, Lottie filing her nails and Bonnie talking with Elena.

"So don't go. Let's hang here and watch movies and eat crappy Chinese take out."

"Caroline will kill you if you don't go. And so will I."

"Caroline actually has a date. And you don't have to go either." Bonnie insisted.

"No. I have to go. I'm told that it'll be healthy to start doing normal things. And apparently homecoming is one of them. Besides, if you two don't have dates it's your own fault. There isn't a guy in school who wouldn't want either of you."

"Thanks, Lot." Bonnie sighed.

"You know you can talk to us about Jeremy, right?" Elena insisted.

"I don't need to talk about it. He fell in love with his ghost girlfriend and lied about it. What's done is done."

"He's still an asshole boy. Just because he's our brother doesn't make a difference." Charlotte shrugged.

"He hurt you, Bonnie. I'm mad at him too."

"You are mad at your little brother. You'll yell at him a little, teach him a life lesson. You can't really be mad like I am mad."

"Bonnie. . ."

"And you shouldn't have to be. He's your brother, so no. I can't talk to you about it."

Stiff silence filled the air until Charlotte broke it.

"Dress, Elena. If none of yours work, take one of mine. I've got plenty."

Charlotte was sporting a form fitting red dress and a pair of black pumps as she strode up to Tyler Lockwood's mansion, where the party had been moved to. She tossed her jacket at a couch in the foyer.

She loathed Tyler Lockwood.

Something was going to happen tonight.

She weaved her way through the drunken crowd until she spotted Caroline, Elena, and Matt. But it wasn't Elena. It was Katherine, she knew that. She was told that. In her dress.

"So Klaus is here." Caroline grimaced.

"What the hell?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah! Apparently our sired hybrid-friend Tyler thought it would be okay to let his master throw a party! I expected more surprise!"

"Dump his ass already, Caroline." Charlotte groaned. "Do you realize how incredibly horrible and disastrous this is? I feel the need to compel each and every person at this party to leave and never come back."

"I'm gonna go find Bonnie." Katherine walked away.

Caroline looked at Matt. "I thought you were taking Rebekah?"

"Change of plans. I need a drink." He walked away too. Charlotte shrugged.

"When in Rome."

And she, too, got a drink. Until she saw Mara. Her heart dropped a bit. She was there, dancing with Chase. She felt weak. Her senior homecoming was supposed to be glamorous, magical, in a group with Mara with some hot, funny guy who thought she was a princess. At lease Mara had that.

But not for long. Charlotte still cared about her way too much. She strode over to Mara and grabbed her hand, ripping off her ring. She didn't think Chase had any vervain.

"Charlotte, what are you-"

"I want you and Chase to leave now. You thought it was totally lame and that Tyler Lockwood was a dick and didn't want to associate. You're going to go take a drive and find a nice clearing and spend your night there and talk about your feelings together and you're going to have more fun than you'd ever have here. Forget seeing me tonight."

She gave Mara her ring back and waltzed away from her old best friend.

As she walked away, Tyler grabbed her.

"What the hell are you up to, Gilbert?" He pulled her into his dad's study-a place he only went when he meant business.

"Get your dirty hands off me, Lockwood." She cringed at his touch. He was such and asshole. "And nothing is going on with Klaus? I didn't even know he was here until like twenty minutes ago." She rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance and ignorance.

"I know you and your band of rebels are up to something." He pinned her against the wall. "And whatever it is-you're going to pay. Klaus is going to know and people are going to die because you all thought it was smart to make a move on him."

"Listen. . ." Charlotte gave him a condescending smile. "The only moves I'm going to be making are drunken ones on the dance floor, which I would love to willingly do as soon as you get the hell off of me."

And then Damon walked in, throwing Tyler off of Charlotte.

"You Hybrids are not very hospitable. Is this any way to treat a guest?"

"Whatever move you're making, Klaus is gonna be ready for you. He'll kill anyone at this party if he has to."

"Tell someone who cares."

And then the two started their riff raff fighting, and Charlotte, finally able to do something, tried to separate the two to the best of her ability. As soon as she finished one, the other was up and going again. Then Bonnie walked in, giving everyone a migraine.

"Thanks, Bon." Charlotte mumbled.

Tyler left and Damon started lecturing Bonnie. Until he showed them something.

"Is that the-"

"Sh! They're everywhere."

He had the white oak stake. The only weapon capable of killing a vampire.

"Why do you have it?"

"Because I'm the only one who can get in the house."

And at that point Charlotte knew- it was officially going down. Someone was going to die, and hopefully it was Klaus.

Within a few minutes Hybrids started ushering people outside.

"What's going on? What's going on!" Lottie shouted, trying to find someone she knew. She found herself in the main area, Katherine in Mikaels grasp. She assumed Klaus believed it to be Elena, meaning Charlotte needed to play her part.

"Elena!" She rushed towards her. "Let her go. Let her go!" She screamed. Klaus grabbed her.

"Anyone ever tell you it was rude to interrupt?" He glared at Charlotte, gripping her tightly on the shoulder. "If you step out there, he'll kill your sister. I'm the one he wants and I'd rather not see my Doppelganger dead." He growled, whispering into her ear so only she could hear.

"Please, please. Let my sister go." Charlotte hyperventilated, masking her utter disgust for Katherine.

"No, Mikael. Be my guest. Kill her. I'm calling your bluff."

"Please. Please stop. Don't make him kill her, Klaus." Charlotte begged.

"Kill her."

"Come outside and face me, you little coward. And I won`t have to." Mikael taunted.

"My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her. Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!: The entire time Charlotte cried hysterically as Klaus kept his grip.

"Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great."

And then he stabbed Katherine with the dagger. Charlotte fell to the floor, screaming. As Klaus was distracted, Damon came from behind him and put the White Oak Stake into his stomach. Charlotte rose from the ground with a smile and Katherine followed suit.

"Good acting, sis." Katherine muttered sarcastically, winking at the Gilbert.

"Katherine. . ." Mikael muttered.

"Kaboom." She muttered as she pulled two wolfsbane grenades out and throws them at the hybrids. Damon went to stake Klaus, but Stefan pulled him off. Charlotte, in instinct, went to finish the job on Klaus, but was pushed away, and before she could regain her position, Mikael was already dead at Klaus's hand. Charlotte opened her mouth and went to push Stefan off of Damon.

"What the hell did you do, you little traitor?"

"He earned his freedom!" Klaus announced. He went over to Stefan, looking him in the eyes. "You no longer have to do what I say. You're free."