Charlotte Salvatore was wearing a modern dress for the first time and it felt bizarre.

There was a homecoming dance coming up, Charlotte hadn't planned on attending it, she was obviously older than school students but Matt had invited her to come with him and when she found out Damon would be going too despite being even older than her, she agreed. It wasn't a date between the two of them, it wasn't like that, Matt and Charlotte just got along. They were good friends who needed each other, human allies in a world of supernatural chaos.

Once she agreed however she realised there was a whole host of other problems she hadn't even considered. For one, Charlotte had been unconscious for a century and a half and not only was she ill equipped to dress for a high school dance, she didn't even really know what she should wear even if she had options. Although Damon had organised a closet full of clothes in her absence, she still felt uncomfortable in certain elements and continued to pilfer looser clothing from his closet.

Charlottes confession to Matt that she literally didn't have anything to wear was solved when he made a referral to the organised one of the group. Caroline, thankfully, had been more than happy to loan her a dress when Charlotte explained that her only other options were going shopping or digging through the box of clothing that women had left behind after a night with her brother.

The dress was shorter than she expected but not as short as the dress Rebekah had tried on in the store when she'd first woken. It was black and silky coming halfway down to her knee with a cinched in waist and short sleeves which fluttered lightly as she moved. She felt out of place in a dress so small but she liked the way it made her look, she liked the feeling of the fabric fluttering along her thighs as she moved and she liked how light the dress made her feel, she felt confident.

Caroline had attempted to lend her high heels too but they was less of a success than the dress. In Charlotte's day they wore slippers not heels for balls and when she'd tried on the ones Caroline lent her the fall she took nearly broke her nose. Damon and Matt had nearly cried with laughter as they watched before agreeing it would be best if she wore boots instead.

She hadn't expected to be bothered, but Charlotte was surprisingly nervous to actually attend the dance. Although she felt nice when she tried on Carolines dress and put on Elena's makeup, once the actual time came she felt out of place, from too old a world to fit into this new one. She was half considering tapping out when Tyler called to tell them the gym was flooded. Elena had asked to tag along with the pair and the two girls had both watched Matt with curiosity as he and Tyler spoke on the phone.

"Keg stands and beer pong for Charlie's first homecoming," Matt had told them with a laugh causing Elena to grimace and Charlotte to shrug, half relieved with what felt like a lighter homecoming.

Arriving at the Lockwood residence was bizarre, Charlotte couldn't believe that so many people attended a school in a town so small. The people around them seemed older than she would've expected at a high school dance too. That being said, she and Damon were older than high schoolers and here they were, so perhaps that was normal in a town like this.

As soon as they arrived, Caroline appeared, running up anxiously to the trio, "Hey, Klaus is here," Caroline told them, her eyes on Charlotte who stepped back with shock, her heart racing as her fingers wrapped across her stomach nervously.

"What?" Matt exclaimed wrapping an arm around Charlotte's waist and pulling her to his side. He knew even despite everything she said about being over him and wanting him out of her life for good, that she still held pieces of feelings for him. He knew that she wasn't ready to see him yet and that right now her head was racing with nerves.

"Apparently," Caroline continued, "our sired hybrid friend Tyler, thought it would be okay to let his master throw a party," Elena and Matt both sighed and Charlotte realised neither of them were shocked because of whatever plan her brothers had cooked up. Caroline looked between the three with confusion and a little disappointment, "I expected more surprise."

"You've got to learn not to be surprised by anything Klaus does," Charlotte answered. Neither Matt nor Elena had replied when Caroline had stopped talking and by the way she felt Matt tense beside her, she knew that Caroline was as removed from the plan as she was.

Elena shot her a grateful glance before peeling off, "I'm gonna go find Bonnie."

"What's going on?" Caroline questioned, "And why is Elena with you guys?"

"Plans changed," Matt sighed shifting his arm to Charlottes hand to tug her away, "lets get a drink."

Charlotte and Matt made their way to a bar with equally concerned faces, "Matt, this isn't gonna end well," Charlotte groaned out as they walked.

Suddenly an arm wrapped around Charlotte's waist pulling her to a stop, "What won't end well, darling?" Klaus chirped out.

If Charlotte could hear Klaus' heart in the way he heard hers it would've been racing. This was the first time he'd seen her since the incident at the school, where he'd left her alone in the classroom, miserable and loathing him. Klaus couldn't even let himself think about her hatred of him all he wanted was to pull her closer like that evening they spent together.

He wanted her back and he wanted her to be his.

This was the first time Klaus had seen her in clothes that fit her and she was even more beautiful. Klaus had seen Charlotte in all manners of dress of course, he'd seen her in nothing and he'd seen her in his clothes but he'd never seen her like this. She was wearing a little black dress that floated as she moved and made her look like an angel, more beautiful than she ever could in any shirt of his.

He wanted his eyes to linger on her body as he pulled her towards him, the dress fitting so well. No, it didn't even fit well he could see the silver line of a safety pin on the waist cinching it tighter. Even with an ill fitting dress made for someone else she was the most beautiful person in the room.

She was wearing makeup too and it occurred to Klaus this was the first time he'd seen her dressed up. There was silver glitter slathered on her eyelids and her eyelashes were coated black with mascara. Her face looked mostly the same as he knew so well, he could still see all her freckles, but he could see her blush had been deepened and her lips were tinted pinker than he knew them to be.

Matt realised Klaus was attached to her at the same moment she did, dropping his hand she tried to wiggle away from Klaus.

"Matty, can you just get me whatever you're having."

Charlotte wanted Matt gone so Klaus didn't try to pull anything, she could tell he didn't want to but meeting each other's eyes he reluctantly turned to leave, pulling out his phone as he did to no doubt text the others.

"What's not going to end well, love?" Klaus asked again.

He knew she didn't forgive him in fact she likely hated him, there wasn't really any point to giving into that for him though, instead he decided he'd pretend they were as they used to be.

"Homecoming," Charlotte snapped out finally pulling his arm from her waist as she turned to face him, "Klaus I thought you were off finding wolves, why are you here? Leave me alone."

Klaus knew she was lying but he smiled changing the subject, "Would you like to dance with me?"

Klaus could switch from murder to charm in half a blink and back again.

"No, I'm here with Matt," Charlotte told him, half to annoy him and half to make him remember that she wasn't with him in any capacity anymore. She felt frustrated that he could pretend that things weren't different between them, as though he could forget their final night in Chicago.

Klaus stepped forwards, gripping her hips gently as he tugged her close, his eyes narrowing, "I don't share what's mine darling, you should know that."

His touch on her hips felt electrifying and internally she wanted to lean in but she forced herself to remember, to remember the sound of him snapping her brothers neck and the taste of his blood down her throat as he held her head in place.

"Good thing I'm not yours then," she replied obstinately.

"You were."

"And now I'm not," she said, "If you don't mind I'm going to spend my night with people I like and who I trust," she turned to pull away but Klaus caught her arm.

His eyes met hers and it wasn't anger in them but concern, his voice softened, "Charlotte you should go home."

"You can't make me leave just because you don't want me here with someone else."

"I don't know what your brothers are planning but I don't trust them," Charlottes brow furrowed and Klaus was relieved at least that whatever was coming she wasn't involved, "Darling, leave before you get caught up in this. I expect you to know that if your brothers make a move I'll make one back and I don't want you to be there for it."

Klaus didn't want Charlotte to be involved and he didn't want her to witness his murdering of her brothers when they inevitably betrayed him. While admittedly he would likely be kinder to them than they deserved for her, if anyone tried to harm him, he would always hit back twice as hard. Klaus wasn't a forgiving man he didn't trust them and whatever their next moves were.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and Klaus let her tug her arm away, joining Matt at the bar who'd been watching nervously.

"Hey," Matt called out as she approached, handing her a full solo cup, "you good?"

"Yeah," Charlotte replied, considering all that just happened, "he says I should leave before things go down."

Matt looked back to where Klaus had been before asking, "does he kn-" Charlotte shook her head and Matt cut himself off, knowing there were ears everywhere. Tyler appeared before them anxiously and both Charlotte and Matt downed their drinks as he tugged them upstairs.

When Tyler had pulled them from the party there were several things they would've expected but to be presented with an unconscious Caroline, who was that way thanks to Tyler, was not one of them.

"What'd you do to her?" Matt asked as he and Charlotte stared down with shock.

"It's just vervain," Tyler explained, Charlotte let out a scoff as though it was a reasonable response, "She'll be fine. I need you guys to get her out of here as fast as possible."

"What's going on Tyler," Charlotte asked.

"Somethings going down against Klaus, and this house is full of hybrids that can't let anything happen to him."

"What do you mean, can't?" Matt asked, Charlotte was confused too. Was this was Klaus was alluding to?

"I can't explain it. I can't fight against it. I just know I need to protect him no matter who gets in my way."

"By attacking Caroline?" Charlotte spat out, disgusted with him. There seemed to be disturbing similarities between Caroline and Charlotte, and Klaus and Tyler, and it made Charlotte's skin crawl.

"I'm protecting her," Tyler replied, stepping forwards to them both, "This is the only way to keep her safe. Please just get her out of here safely. Get everyone out."

Charlotte and Matt were both alone now, Matt had crouched down but Charlotte was frantically dialling Damon and Stefan to try to warn them.

"Matt, they won't pick up what do we do?"

"Text them. Come on Charlie, both Tyler and Klaus have warned us. Something big is going down and we need to get Caroline out before they take her out, none of us are any match against any one of them."

Nodding anxiously, Charlotte texted both brothers before helping Matt pull Caroline to her feet. Grateful that she hadn't worn heels, they half carried her outside to Matt's car nearby, loading her in and driving her home.

-

Charlotte and Matt were sitting in his living room eating ice cream when Damon finally called her back. Her phone was on speakerphone as Damon ranted down the phone about Stefan.

The plan apparently had involved Klaus' father, Mikael, who was a vampire hunter who hated no one more than Klaus. Elena, who was really Katherine, had posed as bait for Klaus with the plan being that Mikael would lure him out while Damon staked him.

Even Stefan had been in on it. At the last moment however, just as it seemed Klaus was down and Mikael would win, Stefan had switched sides, helping Klaus and gaining freedom from his compulsion. Charlotte knew her brother, she knew Stefan and she knew humanity or no humanity that he wouldn't betray them. She was sure that Stefan knew something more and that he'd switched sides at the last moment for a reason.

Charlotte had learnt after their summer together that Klaus was never on the back foot, he was always ten steps ahead and Charlotte felt sure that Klaus had a revenge plan organised even in his death.

"We blew it Charlie," Damon sighed out, "we had everything planned out and we blew it."

"Damon, maybe Stefan-"

Damon cut her off and Matt rolled his eyes, "Maybe Stefan what? He helped us only to screw us over at the last minute."

"Tyler said those hybrids couldn't help protecting Klaus, what if they were going to retaliate, maybe Stefan knew more than you did."

"We had him. We had Klaus," Damon was yelling now, "This could have all been over."

"Damon stop it," Charlotte had to yell to cut him off, "we'll figure this out, we'll get through this."

"We're never getting Stefan back," he whispered, "you know that Charlie, don't you?"

Charlotte realised that Damon wasn't just fighting to get Stefan back for himself and for Elena, he was fighting for Stefan for her. She realised now that Damon just wanted to have their family back like when they were all human, Damon wasn't hurt by the betrayal, he was hurt that Stefan had betrayed him.

"Then we let him go," Charlotte lied, "okay? Then we let him go, I'm not letting you kill yourself over this. I can't lose both of you. Damon I can't be in this new world all alone."

Damon sighed out. Charlotte hated him hurting, all she could focus on was that he was okay and that even if their plan had failed, no one she cared about had gotten hurt.

She'd felt terrified after Klaus and Tyler spoke to them. She knew she couldn't do anything to stop Klaus' retaliating against Damon if he truly did make a move and so really, she was just glad they were all okay and alive. Damons phone beeped, another call was on the line and he dejectedly said goodbye.

"Matt, can I sleep here tonight?" Charlotte asked, she felt overwhelmed after the night they'd had and she didn't want to go home and listen to Damon complaining about Stefan. She wanted to just relax and pretend she lived a normal life.

"God yeah," Matt laughed out, "no need to go face Damon again before you have to."

After the night they'd had, Charlotte wasn't exactly sure on her stance on high school dances, perhaps a 6/10.

There wasn't nearly as much dancing as she's expected from the plethora of prom movies she'd incidentally watched over the years and the attempted murder was definitely a solid low. She'd hadn't been able to spend much time at the actual dance either but she enjoyed the dress she wore and the process of getting ready to look all girly. It was the first time she'd been excited for an event in a hundred and fifty years and although it certainly didn't go to plan, on the whole she certainly didn't hate it.