"I love college,"

"You've never even been to college, Lot." Elena responded, brushing through her hair.

"Says you. College is where the best parties are, and the best drinks. Everyone is just so drunk and kinky. The don't care if I take a bite. They're into it."

"I gotta agree with Lottie," Damon remarked walking into the room.

"You've been to college too?" Elena asked incredulously.

"Several times. I needed something to do the last few hundred years."

"What's your type, Damon?" Charlotte asked, lounging across Elena's bed and flipping through a Cosmopolitan.

"I've always been into the drunk, sleezy girls."

"You would be. I always go for the academics."

"You would."

"There's just something about a boy reading Bronte that just gets me all hot and bothered," Charlotte laughed.

"Ew. Okay. Now we're getting gross." Elena remarked. "How do I look?" She was wearing a striped sweater and jeans. Damon and Charlotte looked at each other.

"No." Charlotte responded. "You can't wear that to college! Find something trendy, sexy. The best way to feed is when you like amazing."

"I always look amazing, so it's not an issue," Damon joked. Charlotte threw the magazine at him.

When Elena finally finished getting ready, Damon, Charlotte, Bonnie, and Elena packed up and went to some Occult Studies lecture by some professor who replaced Bonnie's Grams. The lecture was boring, so Damon and Elena and Charlotte just started picking out primary targets.

"Stoners are gross. They're always paranoid and their blood tastes like hemp, or whatever else their taking," Damon explained in a whisper.

"And stay away from meth heads. At all costs. Don't do it," Charlotte explained.

"Okay, what about her?" Elena pointed to a closed off geeky girl.

"No geeky girls," Charlotte and Damon said in unison. "They're so self conscious that any attention the get leaves them paranoid."

"The sleezy girls. They'll get with anyone," Damon explained.

"Excuse me?" The professor called to the back of the room. "Am I interrupting you? Or maybe it's the other way around."

"Sorry, professor!" Charlotte called back. "I was just explaining to them what the word 'occult' actually meant."

While Bonnie talked to professor Shane, Damon and Charlotte taught Elena the basics: Compel, Feed, Erase. Elena found a girl and started, but then backed out last minute because she had a sister. Damon and Charlotte tried to explain to her that everyone had family, and she was going to have to put it past her. Charlotte also suggested her method of finding the scumbags of the world and feeding from them, but Damon shot her down really quickly. Elena needed to be able to feed from anyone.

Then Bonnie came back with a flyer for a frat party: killers and victims. Damon and Charlotte knew that this would be a very, very good thing.

So Damon went as Jack the Ripper, and the girls went as the girls he rippered. Charlotte could tell picking Jack the Ripper was done slightly out of spite to Stefan. It was a bit funny, she thought. So they were on the prowl for someone to eat. Then Charlotte spotted someone for Elena. Elena spotted him at the same time. It was some guy slipping roofies into a girl's drink. Charlotte had a flash back to that night with Kol, and then laughed it off, encouraging her little sister.

Elena did a great job. It was clean, unemotional, automatic. But Charlotte heard her whisper to Damon that she wanted more.

Charlotte watched from the back as Damon and Elena got with some girls. But something was wrong. Elena was enjoying it, but too much. It was to quick for her. And Damon might not have been the best influence. Bonnie walked in after a talk with Shane.

"We have to go home," Charlotte warned.

Elena seemed to agree, begging for Charlotte and Bonnie to get her out of there.

"It's okay. We just need to give it a break for today. Tomorrow we can go to the park or something, get some fresh air," Charlotte talked Elena out of her shame.

"Why did I think this was a good idea?"

"Because Damon was here, and Damon makes everything seem like a good idea," Bonnie said spitefully.

"I should have been here with Stefan," Elena declared.

"Elena, this is my fault," Charlotte confessed. "I should have known Damon would be a bad influence. Next time, Stefan and I will take you out. I wanted you to know it could be fun, just not this fun. I'll make it up to you."

Damon emerged them, announcing it was probably time to go home.

And then Bonnie and Damon got in a fight, and Charlotte couldn't help but back up Bonnie.

"Charlotte, you were all over this before!" Damon yelled.

"That's because I didn't know it would have such a bad effect on Elena! I can handle it, so I assumed she could too! I should have known Stefan was right. Elena is not me. And she sure as hell isn't you."

Elena looked traumatized.

When they got home, Stefan was there, "talking to Jeremy." Apparently there was no new news on the hunter. And it was extremely awkward between Elena and Stefan. So they had their talk, and then Charlotte pulled Stefan aside to talk to him.

"I'm sorry."

Stefan understood what she meant.

"You couldn't have known."

"I was all black and white. I thought either she had to feed on animals or revel in the feed. I was wrong. Damon is a bad, horrible influence on her."

Stefan nodded.

"Help me teach her, Stefan. I think there is a middle ground. I saw the look in her eyes. It was bad."

Stefan nodded and but his hand on Charlotte's shoulder.

"We've got this, Lot."

Charlotte had been on the hunt for Connor. Stefan had strictly instructed her not to kill him, and he seemed pretty serious. So Charlotte listened, while she did reply to Stefan with a snarky "no promises."

And all was well until Stefan called Charlotte telling her that Connor had taken Jeremy, April, and Matt.

Anyone who screwed with her family deserved to die.

She raced back to the boarding house.

"We need a plan," Stefan declared.

"Step one: get Jeremy out. Step two: Slaughter Connor for touching my little brother." Charlotte explained.

"I'm gonna rip out his throat and feed it to him," Damon declared.

"We need to be careful. He had Jeremy and who knows how many more hostages."

"You're right. We'll carefully get out Jeremy, and then I'll kill him."

"You're right. There are so many of us, he can't take us all," Elena declared.

"And I just called in some hybrids to help." Tyler stated.

"And my mom has squad cars everywhere."

"Great. No cops, no interruptions, no problem. Let's go," Damon announced.

"One wrong move and he could kill Jeremy. Connor isn't an idiot, you guys," Charlotte explained. "Like I said, we have to be careful."

"I'm with Charlotte. We don't know what kind of traps this guy has. We can't all go now."

Damon and Stefan went at it then about why they should or should not attack. They settled on a one hour recon.

When Charlotte finally met back up with Elena, Stefan, and Damon, Stefan, in a shocking turn of events, vervained Damon after Damon threatened to barge in and kill Connor. Stefan was up to something, and while Charlotte didn't know what it was, she knew it was probably in Elena's best interest. So she went with it.

And then Stefan and Elena went into this whole "Stefan let me come," "No Elena you can't," Casablanca level shit. Charlotte left the room and waited for Stefan to walk out, sans Elena.

"Sorry, Stef. Can't get rid of me that easily."

"Don't I know it," he responded. "Follow my lead, okay? I need you to trust me: whatever you do, you cannot kill Connor. We need him."

"Stefan, give me one good reason we need him."

He inhaled sharply. "I can't. Just-he'll help us save your sister, okay?"

And that's all Charlotte needed to hear.

She and Stefan stalked through the tunnels as Stefan chatted with Connor on the phone, coaxing him into obeying. Mostly just trying to appease, or make Charlotte's and his job easier. They went to the bar. Charlotte spotted Matt and April. She rushed towards them and waved Stefan on. She handed Matt a map of the tunnels.

"I don't have time. Take this, it'll show you out. Get April to Caroline."

"Charlotte, you and Stefan be careful. That guy's armed. He might kill Jeremy."

"I know, Matt. But I'll die before Jeremy does."

It all happened in seconds. Traps went of left and right, and Connor had thrown Jeremy into a ticking bomb. Charlotte was about to go and grab him, but Stefan grabbed her first, covering her mouth with his hand and keeping her behind the wall. He knew her too well to let her go.

"We can put an end to this!" Stefan called. "Let Jeremy go, and I'll get you out of here, unscathed."

"Sure, you and your friend come out and I'll hand the gun over."

Stefan whispered to Charlotte, "He knows you're here." Then he called to Connor. "You don't have to do this! No one needs to get hurt!"

"I don't make deals with vampires!"

"If you die right now, Connor, everything you've done will have been for nothing!" Stefan called back.

Then Elena appeared, begging for her life. Then Connor shot Jeremy. Stefan and Charlotte emerged, Charlotte running to cover where she can help Jeremy and Elena, Stefan remaining in the open. Connor shot Stefan. Charlotte was busy with Elena and Jeremy, but Stefan got Connor. They were out.

Jeremy began to explain to them something called a hunter's mark, and how only hunters could see it, and how he had obviously been compelled. Elena was suspicious of something. But she wouldn't explain to Charlotte.

Elena went down into the tunnels. It had been a while, and Charlotte was growing worried. She followed her. She was running when she found Connor with his hand around Elena's neck and a stake to her heart.

It didn't take a second for Charlotte to kill him.

Elena couldn't stand the blood, so as soon as Connor died she drank his dead body dry.

Charlotte just killed a man in front of her sister, who just drank him dry. Charlotte promised she wouldn't kill him. But obviously her promises meant nothing.

Elena was guilt ridden, and so was Charlotte. Elena because she just drained a dead man, Charlotte because she let her. Elena was fragile. Volatile. And Charlotte just killed a man.

Charlotte always thought in the shower. When she got out, the lights flicked off. That was odd. Once she turned them back on, she went to splash some water on her face. When she looked back up, Andrew, the boy she had killed in the woods all those days ago, was standing behind her. When she whipped around and swung at him, but he was gone in thin air. She looked down at her hands, then to her wrists. The words "murderer," and "monster," lay etched into each wrist.

Charlotte couldn't be in that godforsaken house anymore. All that surrounded her was death. Her dead parents. Her dead aunt. Her dead pseudo father. Charlotte went down to the kitchen at three in the morning. She went for a bottle of tequila, Jenna's favorite. When she took her first swig, she heard a voice behind her.

"A little early to start drinking, isn't it?"

Connor was standing behind her. She flung the glass bottle across at him, but it only shattered as it hit the wall.

"You can't be here. You're dead."

"So? You know I'm not the first one to visit you after death."

Charlotte began backing away from him, but she backed right into the warm, familiar hands of Andrew Godfrey. "How's my little monster doing?" He whispered in her ear. "Are we ready for another lesson?"

"Leave me alone!" Charlotte went for a knife and began swinging it. But it seemed to do nothing.

"Charlotte? What's going on? Are you okay?" Jeremy came rushing down the stairs.

"Jeremy! Get out of here!"

Jeremy came and grabbed Charlotte by the shoulders. "Lottie, you're okay. There's no one here. It's just me."

Just when Charlotte started to calm down, Jeremy's face twisted into Andrew's.

"You didn't think your family actually cared about you, did you?"

Charlotte whipped the knife in her hand across Andrew's throat, leaching a perfect waterfall of blood.

He fell to the ground. She felt Connor crouch down next to her. "Nice job. You just killed your own brother."

And there it was, Jeremy's lifeless body.

"No!" She cried. "No! No! Elena! Elena help!" She screamed, the pitch of her voice high enough to shatter a window. "Help!"

Elena came down the stairs to find Charlotte crying in a pool of Jeremy's blood, leaning down, crouching next to the flow from Jeremy's neck.

Charlotte had blacked out in her hysterics. When she woke up, she was lying in her bed with Stefan and Damon watching her. She shot up.

"I killed him. I killed my brother."

"You didn't mean it."

"I killed by brother!" Charlotte yelled back. "I took a knife to his throat. Oh my god. My brother is dead. And I killed him."

"He's not dead. He still has the ring."

"Where is he?"

"School. Bonnie has him working on something."

"Or maybe he just didn't wanna be in the house with Nosferatu over here," Damon remarked.

"Where's Elena?"

"We sent her with him. We thought it would be safer."

"I can't stay here. I'm going to hurt someone." Charlotte stood up and rushed to her closet, finding a bag and packing random items into it. She went to rush out of the room, but Stefan stood in front of the door, and Damon stood behind her. It reminded her exactly of what happened last night, whatever did happen last night.

Damon grabbed her shoulders. "Not so fast."

Charlotte sank away, terrorized by his touch. "Please don't touch me."

Charlotte had never feared Damon before. Never. So when Damon felt the anxiety taking over her body, and heard the fear lacing every word, he turned Charlotte around.

"Hey," he said, "I'm not gonna hurt you. You know that."

Charlotte started crying then. Nobody knew why. She was starting to go into hysterics.

"That damn hunter must have hit her with some werewolf venom again." Damon sighed.

Stefan's phone rang. "It's Klaus."

"Make a deal with the devil and you gotta make a price. Luckily, though, we need him. So answer it."

"Klaus. I messed up."

"Oh, mate, I know you did. But it doesn't matter. We've got hundreds of more years to find the other four!"

"You're calm, who's dying today?" Stefan asked cautiously.

"No one, but I am a bit worried about dear Elena's sister."

"About her, I think she's been-"

"Where are you, Stefan?" Klaus interrupted.

"Elena's."

"How funny, so am I."

Stefan heard a knock on the door. "Stay with her." He instructed.

He went down and opened the door.

"It would be so much easier if you just invited me in."

"Connor gave Charlotte a dose of werewolf venom. She's been hallucinating all night and day," Stefan explained.

"Close, but not quite," Klaus replied. "I killed the original five, remember? I know how it works. The witches created the five to bring down vampires, and when someone stops nature, nature fights back. Connor may be dead, but if you let Charlotte be he's gonna bring Charlotte with him."

"That doesn't make sense. He's dead."

"It doesn't matter. Now, if you just entrust Charlotte into my care, I'll keep her nice and safe. She won't hurt herself or anyone else."

Klaus was in pain thinking of what Charlotte must have been going through. If Charlotte had a nasty reaction to werewolf venom, imagine how she must be reacting to killing a hunter.

"Not gonna happen. Damon and I will take care of it."

"Get away from me!" Charlotte shrieked from upstairs.

"Charlotte, calm down!"

Charlotte raced down the stairs, away from Damon, and out the door, past Klaus. Klaus grabbed her arm and prevented her from going further.

"Sure you can."

"Please don't hurt me," Klaus looked at her gently.

"Charlotte, love," Klaus spoke slowly. "It's Klaus."

Charlotte seemed to come to. "Klaus? What's going on?"

"Darling, we're going to go on a little trip."

And with that, they were gone.

Klaus had taken Charlotte back to his house and led her into a windowless room.

"Sorry about the lack of windows, Charlotte. It's to protect the art, and you, from taking off your ring and burning yourself in the sun."

"Why would I do that? What's going on?" Charlotte asked.

"You killed a member of the Five. It's going to drive you crazy, and you're gonna hallucinate. Nature's ensuring that Connor can get his last kill, even if he's dead."

"I don't want to die," Charlotte told him.

Klaus gave her a sad smile. "Good. Because I'm not going to let you die."

If it were anyone but Charlotte, Klaus would have been a lot harsher. But it was Charlotte.

Klaus didn't fully understand his relationship with our feelings towards the girl. He was quite fond of her, he supposed. There was something about her integrity, loyalty, and even sense of humor that attracted him. And something about her begged that he protect her, refrain from completely hurting her.

He supposed the two were very similar in character. Dark, artistic, incredibly intelligent and good looking. She reminded him of himself. The darkness inside her paralleled that of Klaus's, yet she tried her very best to combat it. And yet no one truly appreciated her, saw her beauty, took care of her. She was alone. Thirtsing for someone to care. Just like he was.

"I'm scared."

"You should be. Maybe next time you'll listen to Stefan."

"He was going to kill my sister."

"And now you're going to suffer her burden," Klaus sighed. "I'm going to leave you alone now. I'll be back in a bit to check on you. But be wary, hallucinations manifest themselves in some strange ways."

Then a knock on the door signaled that it was Klaus's time to leave. A hybrid walked in.

"This is Chris. He's going to make sure you don't hurt yourself too much."

And then he walked out.

Charlotte was terrified, but she didn't exactly regret her decision. Connor was about to kill Elena, and all she did was save her sister's life.

"Is that really how you're justifying it?"

"You're a hallucination. I know that." Charlotte inhaled, trying to expel the hunter.

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't make me any less real," Connor shrugged. "I don't know why I'm bothering with you, though, it's not like you're a vampire worth my time. You can't even teach your sister to feed properly. Why should I find you a threat?"

Behind Charlotte appeared Elena, mouth covered in blood. "Why couldn't you help me, Lottie? I'm a monster now, because of you. You couldn't save me the night I died and you can't save me now. Just like you couldn't save our parents, or John, or even Jenna, no matter how hard you tried."

Charlotte looked away from Elena to find Jenna sitting on her bed. "Poor little Lottie tried to save me. And now she's a monster. At least I was able to die before becoming like you. How long have you been a vampire? And how many people have you killed already? Hundreds? Thousands?"

"I'd estimate about three hundred." Andrew said from behind her, once again wrapping his hands around Charlotte in a familiar embrace. "That guilt is just tearing you apart, isn't it, Charlie? That's step number one, you know that."

Everybody was surrounding Charlotte. Elena. Jenna. Connor. Andrew. They were closing in on her. She collapsed to the ground.

"This can all go away, love."

She heard the familiar, comforting voice behind her. Klaus.

"You know how."

Klaus took her hand and moved it to her heart, pressing her nails into her chest. Charlotte began to rip out her own heart.

The door opened and Chris came in, dropping the duffle bag he was carrying. He saw Charlotte ripping out her own heart. He didn't know what to do, so he snapped her neck.

When Charlotte came to, she heard voices. Chris. And. . .the voice that made her try and rip her own heart out.

"She tried to rip her own heart out, Klaus."

"That's brutal. I don't want you to leave that door. If you hear anything, snap her neck. This hunter is going to take her down, and he isn't going to be gentle about it."

Charlotte heard Klaus walk out of the room. She sat up to find Chris organizing a duffle bag.

"I've got some stuff for you. Klaus said you're gonna be here a while."

"Thanks for, uh, not letting me rip my own heart out," Charlotte remarked.

"Any time. I've got a tooth brush, hair brush, um, other stuff."

"Thanks, man." Charlotte remarked, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

Chris left the room to be permanently stationed outside of her door. Charlotte took the hairbrush and started to yank it through her destroyed mess of hair.

"Want me to help?"

"Mara? What are you doing here?" Charlotte gasped, completely unaware that she could in fact be hallucinating.

"I felt it's been such a long time. Want me to do a braided crown? Just like old times. I know that Collin loved your hair like that, right, brother?"

"You know I did. You know, Charlotte, I always thought that we would end up together. Maybe get married, pop out a few kids, but obviously that won't happen, will it?"

"I'm sorry I became a monster," Charlotte confessed.

"Don't say that You'll! never be a monster, Charlie!" Collin insisted. "This was beyond your control. Vampires kill people. And it isn't your fault you got turned. It's not your fault that you killed people. It's impossible not to as a vampire."

"I don't like killing."

"We know you don't, honey," Mara doted. "You can't help it. It's what you are."

"I've been better," Charlotte protested. "It's been so long! I don't have to kill people anymore!"

"Charlie, it isn't that easy," Collin explained, rubbing her back. "Take Stefan, for example, no matter how hard he tries he can't help but be a monster. I'm telling you: it isn't your fault. We know how hard your trying. It's just what you are. It's impossible to be good."

"How do I stop killing people?"

"You stop being a vampire."

"How?"

Mara and Collin looked at each other. And Charlotte realized what they meant.

"I don't want to kill myself. This is a trick!"

"Of course you wouldn't trust us," Mara told her snidely. "You wrote us off as soon as you became a vampire."

"I didn't want to hurt you!"

"Lots of good that did. Did you know your good friend Damon fed off of Mara?" Collin explained.

"He wouldn't."

"He did. It was while you were on one of your drinking sprees. So it's not like you can do anything to stop him."

This went on for what seemed like hours. And they were starting to get to her.

"I know you can do it, Charlotte. I believe in you."

Charlotte started running down all the ways a vampire could die. Sunlight, not an option. Stake to the heart? Klaus made sure there was no wood in the room. Obviously trying to rip her own heart out didn't work before. So that only left removing her own head.

She started clawing at her neck. If she could get far enough, she would be able to remove her head from her body. It may hurt now, but she would soon be at peace.

She was interrupted when she saw the door open. Elena, covered in blood, and Connor entered the room.

"Stay away from me!" She shrieked.

"Oh my God, Charlotte, what are you doing to yourself?" Elena begged. "Stefan, what is she doing?"

"I don't know, Elena," Connor told her. "Charlotte?"

"I'm doing it, okay? I'm killing myself! Just leave me alone!" She cried back, continuing to tear herself apart.

Connor and Elena took a step towards her, but Charlotte wouldn't let them touch her. She took the chair sitting closest to her and plunged Connor into the nearest wall. She snapped Elena's neck. And she raced out of the room, out of the house, away from the hallucinations.

Charlotte sprinted through the town, all of her hallucinations chasing after her. Elena. Connor. Mara. Collin. Jenna. Andrew. Klaus.

She finally stopped in the woods and collapsed near a tree. It was where the sacrifice took place. Where she died the first time.

There she saw her parents. They were egging her on, convincing her to end her life. Now she could. It would be as simple as removing her daylight ring, and it would all be over. Dawn was approaching. It would be so easy.

She took her ring off and threw it across the forrest. It could be anywhere.

"I hope Elena takes care of Jeremy," Charlotte told her parents.

"She will. You know your sister."

"I hope so."

A few peaceful moments passed as Charlotte awaited her death. She felt at peace.

"It's almost time. You're doing the right thing." Connor said from beside her.

"I know."

"Charlotte?" She heard call out. "Charlotte, love!"

Klaus rushed up next to her. "There you are."

"I'm doing it. I'm doing it. You don't have to rip my heart out," she mumbled, defeated.

"Why would I rip your heart out?"

"Don't let him stop you, Charlotte. He's the one who killed your aunt, remember?"

"Charlotte, where's your ring?" Klaus demanded.

Charlotte didn't respond.

"Charlotte, damnit. Tell me where your ring is!"

"It's gone," she spoke softly. "I'm ready to die."

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way, but I'm not ready to let you die."

Klaus grabbed her to take her inside, and Charlotte started screaming, crying for him to let her go. He would not. He took her to the nearest cover.

"Let me die! I'm ready!"

"Like hell!" Klaus shouted back, holding her arms behind her back as he waited for that damned Jeremy Gilbert to take down Chris and make this over. He couldn't bear seeing Charlotte in so much pain.

Then, it passed. Charlotte felt the curse life off of her. She felt real peace.

She turned around and looked at Klaus with the saddest, most gentle eyes. She remembered all the pain, all the destruction she just endured. And how Klaus didn't let her die.

"Thank you."

Charlotte couldn't help but collapse into Klaus's arms and behind to bawl. She would never have showed this much emotion in front of him, but she was broken, now. And she could stop the flow of tears coming from her.

Klaus just stood there, holding her, letting her get out everything she needed to. He knew that this was long overdue.

I hope you all appreciate this Klaus/Lottie time. I know I did. I loved writing this chapter. I hope you like reading it.