napalm skies <<>> kol mikaelson

18

"i hear your voice in others. like thunder in a sun-filled sky."

18 | TENSION

June, 2010

Charlotte's leg bounced up and down like a jackhammer, her heel clicking on the concrete floor with each jerk and fidget of her muscles. She was anxious, fumbling with her fingers as her eyes stayed locked onto the open coffin in the middle of the room, waiting for some kind of movement, some kind of sign that there was life.

Charlotte almost believed she had dreamt the whole thing. She almost believed she was hallucinating when Nik pulled the dagger out of Rebekah's heart. She never would've guessed that he would wake them before Mikael was taken care of. She never would've guessed that she would get her sister back once more.

Charlotte had decided to wait for Rebekah while Nik and Stefan strolled down memory lane. Stefan had been concerned at first, but Nik easily convinced him to leave her behind. She could handle herself, and besides, it's not like she would ever run. Klaus knew better than anyone that she would never leave.

And now, with Rebekah back in play, things were getting more complicated by the second. Charlotte wondered how much longer it would be before Klaus let Stefan remember their time together in the 20's. It was clear that Nik was easing into it, perhaps for Stefan's own sake, but Charlotte secretly wished he would just get it over with. She was tired of lying to her brother, and all she wanted was for him to remember her wedding night, to remember how happy she had been.

This entire summer, she had felt the judgement of Stefan like it was the devil's gavel slamming down on her conviction, baring her crimes to the world. This entire summer, she knew Stefan thought differently of her than ever before, saw her as dangerous, as cruel. He saw her as the monster she had created for herself, the same monster he fought so hard to keep at bay. He watched her revel in the torture, in the bloodshed, and she never missed the disappointment in his eyes.

But she wished against all odds that he would be forced to remember. She hoped that he would realize that he wasn't a saint either, and that he had no problem with her lifestyle in the 20's. She wanted him to remember Kol, to realize why she stayed with Klaus the way she did. She wanted him to realize that she was still his sister, full of love and adoration—the only thing that had changed was where her true loyalties lied.

She would always pick Kol. She would forever be tied to the Mikaelsons, and she hoped that Stefan would remember and realize that, so she would stop getting the feeling that he wanted to change her.

There was a shift in the air, and Charlotte's leg stopped bouncing. She held her breath, eyes wide and trained on the small bit of blonde hair she could see from over the edge. The room was silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

And then Rebekah shot up, gasping loudly and grabbing her chest, eyes wide and frantic and scared.

Charlotte rushed to her side, calming hands rubbing the Original's arms and bringing her attention to something other than the memories of the past. "Shhh, it's alright," she whispered, bending down to catch Rebekah's gaze. The blonde stared back in confusion and fear. "It's okay, Bekah. I'm here."

Charlotte's calming voice seemed to do the trick, because soon Rebekah was taking deeper breaths, her chest rising and falling at a slower rate, gaining control back. As if on cue, Charlotte heard footsteps from behind and saw the poor compelled service man that Klaus had kept for Rebekah when she woke up. Charlotte didn't even hesitate; she flashed toward the man, bit harshly into his neck, and then forced him down toward Rebekah's lips. She latched on immediately, draining him dry while he silently drifted away.