Charlotte wasn't surprised when it was Stefan that came to collect her from the classroom but she was surprised by the way he talked to her. Stefan was normally the more kind and compassionate of her two brothers, when Damon would tease her Stefan would be the one who came to her defence.

Instead, Stefan had come barging into the room, laughing cruelly when she asked about Elena and mockingly pointing out Rebekah's attack on Charlotte. He revealed the ending to the evening, Klaus had won of course. Elena didn't have to die but her blood was the solution to creating more hybrids and she was currently in the hospital making a very charitable and non-optional donation for him.

She worked out fairly quickly that Stefan had turned his humanity off by the way he talked to her.

Charlotte hadn't been surprised when Stefan came to collect her from the room, but she was when the car slowed to a stop and they arrived at their destination. She expected that they'd be back on the road now Klaus knew the reason why his hybrids hadn't been working, armed with the doppelgängers blood they'd be off to find more wolves and build Klaus' army.

She presumed at least that she'd be taken to Klaus, whatever their differences she expected him not to let her leave, to prove he was in control. Needless to say when they pulled up in front of the Salvatore house Charlotte took a moment to even comprehend where she was.

No humanity Stefan wasn't chatty, well he was, but only to spout out callous comments and so Charlotte hardly responded, not wanting to keep him talking. They had driven in silence aside from the occasional cruel quip about Charlotte and Klaus' now dead relationship and so she didn't understand why they would stop here. It certainly wasn't as though this Stefan cared about Damon and she doubted he cared enough to bring her to see him.

Charlotte didn't leave the car as suddenly as Stefan when they arrived home, she was stunned for a moment, staring in shock before composing herself. By the time she finally came inside she saw Elena, alive although weak, and Damon, both looking with worry and contempt at Stefan. She didn't catch what he'd said, but Charlotte knew it was something callous because it took them a moment to even notice her, standing in the doorway nervously.

"Charlie," Damon croaked out at last, shock on his face at his baby sister in the doorway. Elena had filled Damon in on Charlotte's presence in the gym and they'd both expected after she was practically carried away unconscious by Klaus that he'd have tossed her in the back of his car and taken her with him like he planned to take Elena.

In a flash, he was in front of her, pulling her through the threshold into his arms, "Hi Damon," Charlotte mumbled out, half inaudible, overwhelmed to finally see her brother again, relieved he didn't hate her after their last meeting. His arms were tight around her and his hand was on her head pulling it closer into his shoulder, he felt relieved knowing she was home and safe again.

"Careful brother," Stefan broke their moment, "little Lottie's been sleeping with the enemy."

Charlotte stiffened in Damons arms, mortified as Stefan lazily left the room going upstairs but Damon didn't ask, instead he only pulled her to the couch beside Elena and bombarded her with questions.

Charlotte assured him that Klaus hadn't hurt her but she could tell neither Elena nor Damon really believed her, they knew Klaus and both felt sure he'd gotten inside her head. Damon tried to ask about Klaus' plans too but she was as in the dark as they were. There wasn't anything she could really tell him and eventually both her and Elena were yawning and Damon gave in, showing Charlotte to a room he'd organised for her before taking Elena home.

Charlotte had opened the cupboard after her shower, presuming correctly that Damon had stocked it for her and pulled out some pyjamas. Curling up into the bed she felt cold. It was the first time she'd gone to sleep at night without being curled into Klaus' arms, dressed in his clothes, in months.

She didn't like him, he'd betrayed her trust and proven he'd do whatever it took to her or to Stefan to get what he wanted, but she felt a little lonely laying here without him. She'd spent the past three months with him, he was the first person she'd gotten close to in a century and a half. Her feelings only days ago were so positive it was hard for her to switch into the negative mindset that she needed. She had to keep reminding herself what he'd done, who he was.

Charlotte didn't end up leaving the Salvatore house for a few days, she got to know all of her brothers friends, but it was a little awkward for her. They all acted as though she'd been tied up and blindfolded the whole time, traumatised from her summer away. She'd tried to explain that it was fine, Klaus was actually generally speaking nice to her but she knew they didn't really believe her.

The way they talked to her when they came round, as though she was made of porcelain made her uncomfortable. Charlotte was friendly with them all, but it took her a few days to actually make friends with them, not sure how to interject herself into their chaotic lives.

As it turned out, the first person in Mystic Falls that she became properly friends with was Matt Donovan, he was human too, an anomaly in Mystic Falls it seemed, and he didn't talk to her like she was a 150 year old recently resurrected ex- kidnap victim. Instead he talked to her like a normal person.

She'd been in the Grill on her first or second outing when Damon had abandoned her to talk to Liz, Caroline's mum, and he'd come over to introduce himself.

Matt was nice, he was easy to talk to and he was fun.

A lot had happened even only in the days since she had returned to Mystic Falls. Her return from the Other Side and from her summer kidnapping paled in comparison to the lives her brothers and their friends lived each day. Charlotte met Matt in the aftermath of those from the Other Side being able to return, he had a lot of questions about life over there and he seemed grateful to talk about Vicki, his sister, to someone impartial.

Klaus hadn't stayed in town but Rebekah had and she'd moved into the Salvatore house which could certainly be a lot.

Like Charlotte, Rebekah didn't have many relationships in Mystic Falls however Rebekah seemed to think the solution to this was destroying people, particularly Caroline, and adopting Charlotte as her closest confidant. Charlotte in turn, found hiding in her room or spending time at the Grill or with Matt, to be an appropriate response. It wasn't that she didn't like Rebekah, she just wanted out of the vampire realm and she worried that by being close to Rebekah she'd only be drawn in deeper.

Matt and Charlotte ended up getting close a lot quicker than they probably would've without the trauma of their supernatural experiences but it was what they both needed. Matt's other friends tended to get a little wrapped up in their own problems to consider him and Charlotte felt like an outlier.

Really they both got on so well because of their desire to stay as uninvolved from the supernatural world as they could.

Matt let Charlotte talk about Klaus too. He was understanding and he didn't judge her for her feelings however confused they were. He certainly didn't like Klaus, he'd technically killed two of his close friends but he let Charlotte talk about him, try to sort out everything that had happened between them. Matt could see how messed up Charlotte's head was over it all and she needed someone to vent it out to, knowing that she couldn't bring it up to Damon without a mocking response.

Fortunately the blood had passed through her system without incident and she was now 100% vampire blood free. She still hadn't forgiven Klaus, not in the slightest but she'd made it clear she wasn't interested in aiding Damon in revenge, she just wanted to move on.

Charlotte had experienced so much in those short months with Klaus that being home and hating him wasn't a track she could switch on to. She'd lost all faith in him but the feelings she had hadn't gone away exactly, they'd just been pushed down and so she needed to talk though it all to remind herself of what he had done to hurt her and her family and why she couldn't feel that way anymore.

Damon had bought Charlotte a phone and he and Matt caught her up on all the pieces of the modern world that she'd missed out on learning about on her summer road trip. Whilst she'd been away Charlotte had really wanted a phone, she wanted the option to call her brother and to fiddle on it when she was bored like Klaus and Stefan did.

Once Charlotte actually had one of course, she realised that now she was home there wasn't really anyone to call and she wasn't quite adept enough to fiddle on it for hours. With the Salvatore house being the rendezvous point, everyone she wanted to find was either there or at the Grill and she found herself preferring to search for people rather than call them whenever she needed company.

As a result, in the two weeks since she'd been back, she'd been chastised sixteen times by Damon for not answering her phone when he'd called. She always intended on bringing it with her of course, but she'd spent a lifetime not needing to carry anything and she was prone to forgetting it.

Charlotte had taken to spending her afternoons when Damon wasn't around, hanging out at the Grill with Matt or occasionally Caroline or Elena. Even when Matt was working she'd often sit in a booth with a book, chatting with him when he had time and reading when he didn't.

She was here now at the Grill, sitting at the bar and joking around with him when her phone, that she'd actually remembered to bring with her, rang. Pulling it out of her pocket, Charlotte's face crinkled in confusion when it came up with a random number rather than with the name of one of her friends.

"Hello?" Charlotte answered, unsure who could be calling her phone when she only knew a handful of people.

"Hello darling," a voice replied.

Klaus

Matt was watching Charlotte on the phone while he absentmindedly wiped a glass, stilling as her face fell in shock.

Charlotte didn't know why but she almost felt a little frightened at hearing his voice. She was surprised, thinking when he'd left her in Mystic Falls that perhaps he'd leave her alone for good, hearing his voice again put a note of anxiety she hadn't expected inside of her.

Steadying her voice, Charlotte replied, "Klaus, what do you want."

"Nik," he corrected.

Fuck that, Klaus had done the one thing she'd said she didn't want no matter what. Klaus had compelled Stefan. Klaus had hurt them both. He was Klaus again, not Nik.

"Klaus," she replied stubbornly, "is this going somewhere."

"Your brother is luring me back to town, can I trust him?"

"I don't know, you're the one who compelled him to obey your every word and to be a dick. Sounds like whatever he's doing you made it happen."

"Charlotte," Klaus growled gently. God his voice could be so silky sometimes, even with the rage in it the growl tickled and felt warm, "tell me what you know."

Charlotte sighed, grateful that at least she'd avoided any involvement in her brothers plans so she didn't need to lie, "I'm not involved and I'm not helping you."

"Are you over your little tantrum Charlotte, I've been missing you at-"

Charlotte cut him off before he could continue knowing he was only trying to rile her up, "Goodbye Klaus."

"Klaus?" Matt asked when she hung up, looking over at him, "how'd he even get your number?"

"I don't even know how anyone has my number except you and Damon," Charlotte replied, "how do I get on the messaging page again?"

Charlotte handed her phone to Matt who fiddled with it, handing it back and allowing her to text Damon an update of what happened. Barely a moment after the text was sent her phone was ringing again.

"What happened?" Damon asked, "did he threaten you?"

"I'm fine Damon," Charlotte smiled gratefully at Matt at this point who was sliding a plate of fries over to her and then picking several off to eat, "he only asked if he could trust Stef. What are you guys planning?"

"Don't worry about it Charlie we've got it. What did you tell him?"

"I told him I wasn't involved and that was it."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the Grill with Matt. I'm fine D, he's getting off in twenty we'll be home later."

Damon was talking to her again but she wasn't paying attention, instead she was focused on Matt who was making faces, opening and closing his mouth and hands to signify that Damon wouldn't stop talking.

Charlotte giggled and heard Damon call her name again, "Charlie are you even listening? Klaus is coming back, you've gotta get home where he can't get you."

"Damon I'm fine. I'll talk to you later, love you."

Damon was annoyed when the phone clicked off but he couldn't really blame Charlotte for wanting to live a real life and for wanting to stay out of all of the supernatural drama.

They'd only talked a little since she got home about everything considering how the world was burning around them but he did know about the Other Side. He knew how much she hated it there and so it was natural she'd avoid the supernatural as a result. All of their lives had been flipped upside down because of the supernatural world but Charlotte's especially was altered, first in 1864 and then when she'd been taken by Klaus.

Damon supposed, regrettably, if Charlotte was to be friends with anyone in Mystic Falls, Matt was the best option really. At least as a human Damon could take him out if need be.