❝what's to come, i don't know❞
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"MATT?" Charlotte approached the blond boy, her brows furrowed in confusion as she took in Caroline's slumped form. "Is she okay?"

Matt shrugged, sharing her concerned look. "She's pretty drunk,"

Caroline gasps lightly, sitting up as she registers Charlotte's presence. "Charlie, I'm sorry I'm such a bad friend,"

The Gilbert girl's frown deepened and she shot a look over her shoulder at Cory, who was waiting for her to return to the dartboard. She waved him on, and he shook his head briefly before turning away to continue the game. "What are you talking about, Care?"

"I'm so shallow," She shakes her head, her voice trembling along her slurred words. "I'm not– not deep, I'm like kiddie pool shallow."

Charlotte reached for her hand, clasping it tightly. "You're not a bad friend, Care. We all still love you, no matter what."

"I think she should get home,"

Charlotte nodded at Matt's words and she let go of Caroline, gesturing behind her. "I'll go with you, just let me get my stuff."

Matt nods and he stands, attempting to help Caroline as she stumbles to her feet. The drunken teen wobbles and Matt catches her, heaving her up into his arms easily. Caroline brushed her hair off her face and gave Matt a small nod. "I'll meet you out there,"

She watches them walk off, and then turns back through the crowd, making her way to Cory. "Hey, I'm going with Matt to take Caroline home."

The boy's brows furrow and his eyes dart to the exit Matt had just carried the blonde out of. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, I just think she had too much to drink. Will you take my car when you leave? I just don't want to leave it here overnight," She pulls her keys out of her back pocket and he takes them, giving her a nod.

"I'll probably leave soon, I can stop by Caroline's and pick you up." He sniffed, looking around the crowd with a sheen of disgust. "Besides, the only hot guys in this town are into you and your sister. It's no fun for us normies."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, giving him a scolding look he shrugged off. "I'll see you later. Don't wreck my car."

Without waiting for his undoubtedly snarky retort, she headed out the door, ducking past the two police officers that seemed to be blocking it off. A swirl of anxiety washed through her stomach and she stepped outside, the brisk fall air sending a chill through her.

The sight that greets her is unexpected, but nauseatingly familiar. The flashing red and blue lights glare in her eyes and she squints, adjusting to the darkness as she spots a familiar face. "Sheriff Forbes? Is everything alright?"

The short-haired woman looked up, her eyes wide at the sight of the young girl. "Charlie, what are you doing out here?"

"I'm going with Matt to take Caroline home, I figured he could use the help. Is everything okay?" Her eyes dart past the Sheriff to the frazzled woman standing between two deputies, and Liz shifts, blocking her view of the girl suddenly.

"Everything's fine, Charlie. Thank you for being there for Caroline," She smiles, giving Charlotte a look of gratitude. "Be safe out there, please."

"Of course," Charlotte nods, her brows twitching confusedly. "You, uh, you too. Goodnight, Sheriff."

"Night, Charlotte,"

Charlotte turns and walks towards the parking lot, but she feels the Sheriff's gaze on her back the whole way. She rolls her shoulders out, discomfort seeping into every inch of her body.

Reaching into her back pocket, she grabbed her phone and shot Elena a quick text so her sister wouldn't panic at her disappearance.

"Hey," Matt's voice broke through her rapidly trailing thoughts and she looked up from her phone, tapping the back of it impatiently as she awaited a response from Elena. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Charlotte mutters, ducking down into the passenger seat as Matt gets behind the wheel. She can't help but look at the flashing lights as they slowly fade from view the farther they drive, and feel like everything was definitely not alright.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Charlie? Are you home?"

Charlotte looked up from the book in her lap, the sound of Elena's weak voice from the other side of her door garnering her attention quickly. She darted her gaze to where Cory was sprawled across her bed, passed out and held her finger in place as she closed the book, standing to greet her sister.

"Elena?" Charlotte's passive look quickly shifted into one of worry at the sight of her twin's tear-stained cheeks. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Elena pushed her sister towards her bedroom, careful to shut the door quietly so she didn't wake up Cory.

"Elena?"

The girl paced, running her hands through her long hair anxiously. "He killed her, Charlie,"

"Elena, what are you talking about?"

"Damon killed Lexi,"

Charlotte's book clatters to the ground with a thud that probably wakes at least one resident of the house, but she can't bring herself to care. "What? I was just– I was just there, Elena. She was fine, she–"

Her twin shook her head, a new wave of tears falling down her cheeks. "Stefan and I saw the whole thing, and now he's," She sighs shakily, dropping her head into her hands. "Stefan left, he said that Damon can't live after this."

"I don't," Charlotte shakes her head, stepping towards Elena. "He's going to kill Damon?"

Elena nods, a strangled whimper climbing up from her throat. "He can't kill his own brother, Charlie, he can't. He'll never forgive himself,"

"No, I know, I," Charlie sighs, her eyes taking on a distant look. "I know."

"Charlie," Elena looked at her sister helplessly, and Charlotte felt guilt wrack her body like a forty pound weight had just been set on her chest. "I don't know what to do."

Giving her sister a small, pitiful smile, Charlotte opened her arms and Elena took the cue and let her big sister hold her as she cried, worried for Stefan, torn at her worry for Damon, and wanting nothing more than to have a bit of normalcy back in her life.

Charlotte held Elena and murmured soft words of comfort to her, ignoring the tickle of the single tear she let spill over her waterline onto her cheek.

Pulling away, Charlotte laid her hands on Elena's shoulders and gave them a light squeeze. "I know you want to help him, Elena, but I think right now we should just stay out of it. There's a lot we don't understand about their lives, and I'm sure they both have completely valid reasons to act the way they do right now."

Elena nods, wiping at her cheeks with a sigh. "I know, Charlie. I'm just scared."

"I am, too," Charlotte whispers, somewhat reluctant to admit it. "But everything will be alright. You should try to get some sleep, Elena,"

"Yeah," Elena nods, suddenly exhausted at the reminder of sleep. "Yeah, I will. You should, too."

Charlotte moves to pick up her book and gives her sister a small smile. "Night, Elena."

"Night, Charlie,"

She shut Elena's door tightly behind her and tiptoed back into her own room, double checking to make sure Cory was still asleep before she stepped into the bathroom.

She set her book down on the counter and moved to turn on the shower, feeling the frigid water drip against her skin as she pulled away and slipped out of her pajamas. The tub slowly filled and she stepped into it, instantly shivering at the icy temperature.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she slid down into the water, submerging her head beneath the surface. Darkness filled her vision and the sounds of the faucet, and her breathing, and everything else slowly drifted away the longer she stayed under.

Her racing pulse slowed and she finally relaxed, frozen in the limbo between her conscious state and the next. Free from the panic, from the fear, from the guilt.

In the darkness of her bedroom, her phone sat atop her desk. The screen lit up, and a familiar vampire's name popped up on it as it vibrated quietly. But Charlotte didn't notice, didn't care to even wonder about what was going on outside her bathroom door. She just laid in the water, and wondered why the only time she felt alive was when she was trying to kill herself.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Charlotte looked up from the bag of takeout as Bonnie walked into the room, and she shared a look with Elena from the other side of the island. Charlotte glanced to her left where Caroline stood, stubbornly keeping silent amidst the tension in the room.

She nudged her elbow into Caroline's ribs and the blonde gave her a glare before she surrendered. Heaving a sigh, Caroline turned to look at Bonnie. "I'm sorry. There, I said it. If you want the ugly ass necklace, keep it. It's yours."

Charlotte sighed, closing her eyes exasperatedly. "A backhanded apology isn't an apology, Care," She shot the blonde a look. "But your effort isn't going unnoticed."

Caroline muttered her thanks, giving Charlotte a small smile.

"Will you hate me if I tell you I threw it away?"

Charlotte's gaze snapped to Bonnie and she looked at the witch incredulously. "You threw it away?!"

Her voice overlapped Caroline's, and Charlotte glanced at her sister as Elena gave her an odd look.

"I know it sounds crazy, but the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it."

"You could've just given it back to me,"

Elena scoffed, giving Caroline a look. "Why, so you could give it back to Damon?"

Caroline huffed and rolled her eyes, looking away from Bonnie. "Screw Damon. Are we doing manicures or what? Who has their kit?"

"Mine's in my bag,"

Caroline nodded and went to retrieve it, and Charlotte popped open her food container, reaching for some of the fries in it.

"So, Elena,"

Elena hummed at Caroline's inquisitive tone, urging her on as she reached over and took some of Charlotte's fries. Charlotte glared at her sister and smacked her hand away, earning a huff of laughter from Bonnie.

"How long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last? Is it like, a permanent thing?"

Elena heaved a sigh, giving Bonnie and Charlotte a slightly irritated look at the probing question. "I don't know, Caroline,"

A quiet scoff came from the blonde and she turned around to face the other girls with a glare. "Why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?"

"What?"

"Caroline!" Charlotte and Elena both scolded the girl, their voices pitched in unison.

Three sets of eyes dropped to the necklace hanging from Caroline's hand and Charlotte frowned in confusion. "Bonnie, why would you lie about throwing the necklace away?"

"I'm– I didn't," Bonnie shakes her head as Caroline walks over, dropping the amulet on the counter between them all. "I'm not lying to you, Caroline, I swear."

"It's true," Elena shakes her head, still looking bewildered at the sight of the jewelry. "I watched her throw it into a field."

"Well, then explain it." Caroline shrugged, a stubborn demand to her voice.

Bonnie looked to Elena, her jaw clenched worriedly. "Emily?"

"Who is Emily?"

"The ghost,"

Caroline's brows raised and she gave a quiet Charlotte an incredulous look. "Oh, the ghost has a name now?"

Elena holds a hand up, silencing the blonde. "Caroline, please,"

Bonnie leans forward, her dark eyes full of fear. "I wonder why she won't leave me alone,"

"Emily's been haunting you?" Charlotte shook her head, confusion lacing her tone as she looked at the necklace Damon had urged her to get for him. She frowns to herself at the sudden battle in her head, deciding if she'd rather help Damon get what he wants so he can leave, or if she wants to cut all ties to him before she's in too deep. She could take the necklace sometime tonight, or simply just text him and tell him about the whole situation.

She thinks about it momentarily, but quickly nips the thought in the bud. She'd only be hurting people more than she'd be helping if she did that.

"Okay, what is going on? Why am I not a part of this conversation?" Caroline's exclamations echoed through the kitchen and Charlotte turned to face her, guilt flooding her at the blonde's hurt look. "You guys do this to me all the time."

"No, it's not,"

"Yes, it is," Bonnie sighs, looking at Caroline. "I can't talk to you, you don't listen."

"That's not true!"

Bonnie raised her chin, giving Caroline a knowing look. "I'm a witch."

"And don't we all know it?"

Charlotte gave Caroline a scolding look as Bonnie reiterated her point. "Caroline, don't be like that."

"That's what I'm talking about, I'm trying to tell you something and you don't even hear it!" Bonnie walked off, emotion thick in her voice as Elena reached for her.

The twins shifted, turning to look at Caroline with matching looks of disappointment on their faces that made the blonde shift defensively.

"I listen! When do I not listen?"

Charlotte sighed and pushed away from the counter, reaching for her keys atop it. "Caroline, you owe Bonnie an apology– a real one. Go talk to her."

Looking to Elena, Charlie swung her key ring around her finger. "I am going to go back to town because they forgot my milkshake."

"Are you sure? It's just ice cream, Charlie," Elena raised a brow, and Charlotte held a hand to her heart, feigning hurt.

"Just ice cream? How dare you, Elena? It's more than ice cream, it's strawberry ice cream with whipped cream, and a cherry on top."

"Okay, just," Elena waved her off, laughing softly. "Just go. I don't want to hear you wax poetic about milkshakes." 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── 

author's note; idk what's been in the air this week but i need everything to calm tf down i'm STRESSED

edited and published; 3.24.22.

- liz