They were standing in a warehouse now. Well, Klaus and Stefan were standing, Charlotte was sitting on a crate by the wall. Her head was down and her eyes screwed shut while she did her best to ignore the sounds of a woman crying in pain as Stefan chased and then fed on her.

The woman had been a gift from Klaus to Stefan. His eyes had glinted in amusement when Charlotte realised what he was doin and had let out a scoff of disgust, and then a grin formed when Stefan hesitated and tried to not feed on her.

When Stefan hadn't immediately hunted the girl like Klaus wanted he was more than happy to remind Stefan he wasn't in charge. At Stefans hesitation Klaus abandoned the girl and grabbed Charlotte, he hadn't even had to do more than bare his fangs before Stefan had leapt at the girl Klaus wanted him to feed on.

Klaus let Charlotte pull away once Stefan took off after the girl and Charlotte had moved as far away as she thought Klaus would allow.

They all knew the girl wasn't a gift, she was really just another way for Klaus to prove that he was in charge. Charlotte felt her heart clench with guilt knowing Stefan had no choice to obey, knowing he was doing it partly to keep her safe.

Charlotte knew ripper Stefan. She'd watched him before but it was different now. Being here as he fed, knowing she should be able to help him, to stop him but that she had to hold herself back. She'd thought it was bad watching the world go by on the other side but this was so much much worse. Now she was sitting here listening to the woman's cries, knowing if she moved to stop it she'd been tugged back, forced to open her eyes and watch the destruction.

Damon was alive at least.

Stefan had gotten a text from him earlier. He'd passed the phone to her to read whilst Klaus was monologuing and watching his family loaded onto a truck, each individually wrapped in their own special coffin.

They found out that Klaus knew that Katherine was on vervain too, he knew that she mightn't give him the cure. He knew it all, it was only in a fit of compassion that she had done the right thing and saved Damon.

Looking up Charlotte saw that Klaus stood in front of her, watching her with amusement as she pretended she couldn't hear her brother.

"Isn't it beautiful," he gestured to Stefan, now holding the woman up, all the fight gone from her body, slowly dying as Stefan drained her. Charlotte screwed up her nose in disgust, shifting away from Klaus as he sat down beside her.

"Now, I have big plans for your baby brother. I'm sure he'll do all that I say," Charlotte rolled her eyes at this, "I trust I needn't explain what will happen if you see fit to make things difficult."

"Why am I here Klaus?"

"My dear Charlotte, you lack faith in the quality of your company," Klaus said, his tone light and mocking, before he leaned in close, his mouth to her ear. "Your brother tried to take it all away, he turned my blood against me, he took my vampire, my wolf, and he tried to take my doppelgänger. He tried to take from me, so I took from him. We're teaching him a lesson."

"Are we done here?" Charlotte said standing, she was angry at his answer and flustered by his blatant cruelty, she wanted to be as far from him as he'd allow, "Can we go?"

There was a thud of a body falling to the floor. She turned to face her brother, his chest heaving as he looked anywhere but at the girl dead at his feet.

"Now we can go."

Klaus grasped her elbow lightly, leading her to a car with Stefan following along in silence. Charlotte wanted to look at her brother to let him know it was okay, but she didn't know what to say, or how to help him.

Approaching the car, Klaus let go of her elbow, speeding around her, he opened the passenger side door, gesturing for her to climb in. Charlotte looked at him in disbelief, not quite sure how he could attempt to be charming when he'd just explained that the whole purpose for her being there was to cause pain to Damon and to threaten her other brother.

Stepping around him she reached for the backseat door, tugging it open and slamming the door shut behind her without looking at Klaus again. He chucked in amusement watching her as she slid to the side, buckling herself up and then curling into a ball her head resting on the window.

They drove through the night and well into the day.

Klaus drove at first. He was the only one who actually knew where they were going, and he was the only one who actually cared if and when they got there. They drove in silence, the two Salvatores sat staring out their windows at the world they were leaving behind. They'd barely passed the 'you are now leaving the town of Mystic Falls' sign before Charlotte was asleep, her knees clutched to her chest she wrapped her arms around herself, exhaustion overpowering her.

She was still yet to eat a proper meal and although it was the beginning of summer, the car blew cold air at her. Still wearing Damons shirt and trousers, her arms were littered with goosebumps, her long hair around her shoulders working hard to keep her warm.

The cold reminded her of the Other Side and she hated it.

It had been late when they first left, throughout the drive Stefan and Klaus had swapped over once or twice, Stefan having at least some inkling of the final destination. Charlotte probably could've too if she wasn't hellbent on pretending that she wasn't there, upset that she was used as a pawn to hurt Damon and control Stefan.

At some point they stopped at a gas station, but Charlotte was in and out of sleep at the time. By the time she lifted her lids to look up where they were, Klaus was stepping back into the car, his mischievous smile on his face and blood around his mouth.

She should've asked for a snack then, but she didn't exactly know how to remind a thousand year old vampire that as his human captive, he needed to organise regular meals for her. The sun was setting as they turned off the highway they were on, taking an exit to a small rest stop town, the decision of how to bring it up was soon to be made for her.

Klaus seemed to like tugging her places.

Gripping her hand to pull her from the car, her elbow to direct her sight, a hand on the lower back or wrapped around her waist or shoulders, guiding her to wherever he wanted her. She wasn't sure if he liked to listen as her heart rate quickened, gripped with panic, or if he just liked to remind her she was his plaything, that he was in charge and she wasn't going anywhere without him or his permission.

As it happened, today was a combination of them all, pulling her from the car, he moved his hand to her lower back, nodding to Stefan with a reminder of some direction he'd clearly been given earlier. She didn't like the way she was tugged around by him, feeling like a dog on a leash, but she did like the warmth of his hand as he pulled her towards him.

She could still feel the cold of the Other Side, it felt like it was encompassing her whenever she let her mind rest. Even in the summer heat she could feel it, but his hand reminded her that she wasn't there anymore, that she was alive.

Charlotte and Klaus walked down the small town's main street, peaking down the side streets as they walked until one was deemed satisfactory and in they turned. Walking into the darkness Charlotte folded her arms across her stomach, tapping her fingers nervously until Stefan reappeared. He had two pretty teenagers following him like they were going backstage at their favourite concert.

Klaus gave Charlotte a knowing, warning look that meant sit down and shut up, before he pulled the prettiest of the two towards him. Compelling her to stay quiet, he dove quickly in to her neck, beginning to feed.

Charlotte watched for a moment, realising quickly that it wasn't a feed, heal, compel situation. Neither of the men before her looked as though they were grabbing a quick bite and Charlotte hesitated for a moment, before making a decision.

Klaus was turned away from her and distracted, sliding slowly and staying from his sight line, Charlotte slid from the alley. She walked and then ran, trying to get as far as she could as quickly and quietly as possible.

She hadn't expected to actually make it from the alleyway, expecting a hand grabbing her violently or a growl of disapproval but it seemed she'd made it away unnoticed. Her hands were clenched with regret having left Stefan, but she wasn't sure if she had any other option. She looked behind her as she ran, anxiously checking she was still alone.

Ducking into another alley, this one near a bar, Charlotte closed her eyes and covered her mouth. She needed a moment to catch her breath and calm her beating heart, a moment to figure out her next move. She couldn't believe she'd actually made it away, and now she was alone in an alley of this small town, a day's drive from Mystic Falls.

Her mind was racing as she thought frantically what she could do now when a gust of wind blew over her. Charlotte opened her eyes to see Klaus himself. His arm was beside her head, blocking the main street from view, and he was leaning over her with a sickening grin as blood dripped from his mouth to his shirt.

"You weren't planning on leaving poor Stefan and I alone were you now, love?" Klaus asked, malice in his voice.

Charlotte didn't reply, her breathing quickened, heart rate speeding up as panic washed over her. Her fingers fell from her mouth to her stomach, tapping furiously to distract herself. She couldn't even let out a gasp of shock, all she could do was feel her breaths become heavier as panic engulfed her.

She was waiting for the blow or the bite or the crack of her weak human neck. This was the moment he'd snap and kill her, she knew it.

Charlotte could see Klaus' mouth moving, he was saying something to her but she couldn't hear it. She could hear it, but she didn't know what he was saying. She couldn't focus on the words coming from his mouth, all she could focus on was the pain in the chest.

She'd seen vampires pull hearts out from their victims before and she had to glance down at her chest to make sure that she did in fact still have her heart still present. That Klaus hadn't pulled her heart from her chest as punishment for leaving.

Maybe he'd make Stefan do it, a final act of loyalty so he could trust him.

The hand that had once lent on the wall beside her head moved to her shoulder, concern gracing its owners face. His touch snapped her out of her daze, she felt the warmth on her shoulder and she flinched away. As she flinched away, she could feel him growling out orders to her, orders she had no way to follow, too gripped in panic and terror to focus.

Charlotte's eyes glazed over his face and she felt a tug at her neck, his hand gripped her chin, holding her steady from flinching away as he held her necklace in hand.

"Calm down" Klaus compelled, her eyes dilated and her body complied.

Her heart rate began to slow back to normal, her fingers stopped tapping so ferociously, lifting slowly to her neck that now lay bare. They still shook of course but she crossed them, holding tightly on to her shoulders steadying them and herself. Her head spun and her stomach turned, she could see spots before her eyes and the alley seemed to move before her.

"Klaus," she spoke, her voice soft and slurred, "I don't feel very–"

Before she could finish the sentence, her eyes fluttered shut and her knees gave out.