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THE LIFE AND DEATH OF
LOTTIE SAINT–JERMAINE

THE SAINT–JERMAINE'S WERE GOOD PEOPLE: THAT WAS A FACT.

They were known throughout the northern parts of Chicago, mostly due to their involvement in the community. Mr Saint–Jermaine and his two eldest sons worked down on Main Street, at the SJ & Sons hardware store. They sold anything you'd need to fix a hole in your drywall, a leaky faucet, or even a squeaky door hinge.

They lived in a modest two story home that was within walking distance from the store. There were three bedrooms split between five children, and the den on the main floor had been made into the parents' bedroom to accommodate. They had always wanted to give their children the best they could afford, and so it was no trouble to

Harrison Saint–Jermaine was the youngest of the five children, and by that point, the age gap between himself and the eldest of the bunch had stretched beyond ten years. Matthew had all but moved out when he married his girlfriend fresh out of high school before Harrison had even started kindergarten.

He was always doted on, as any youngest sibling would be, but nothing would ever match the affection that their parents had toward Lottie.

Lottie was the only girl, and that alone seemed like such a prize for their parents who thought they were having twin boys. Their names had been picked out already, but when a baby girl was born just minutes after the birth of Alexander, the name Charles soon turned into Charlotte.

She was like the crown jewel of the family, even after Harrison was born and was deemed the last child their mother would ever have. She would remain the only daughter, but being raised by her older brothers provided her with the most rambunctious personality.

She could be wild when she wanted to be, or when she needed to be, but she was also soft. That softness attracted the attentions of many, and Harrison was never surprised when suitors came to their doorstep to ask for her time. They were always turned away by the girl herself, then chased away by the house full of blue collar men if they refused to retreat.

However, Harrison could remember the first and only time a scenario like that didn't happen. A time where the exact opposite had occurred.

It was a few weeks after his sister's twenty first birthday that she began going out more. Their eldest brother had a friend of a friend who owned a private bar in the downtown core, and she'd been able to go with an exclusive invite. She always loved the promise of the city life, and she would've been a fool to decline.

After that, after a few too many late nights where she'd sneak back into the home that only she, Alexander, and Harrison now occupied with their parents, a blond man started coming around to collect her.

The first two times, he'd done so when Mr Saint–Jermaine was at work and when their mother had been out with the other ladies she had afternoon tea with. Harrison was in the front living room when he watched his sister giddily answer the door, before a British accent filtered into his ears.

That alone was odd, but it had been a while since his sister seemed so enamoured by someone. He tried craning his head out the window to catch a glimpse of the mystery man, but failed time and time again.

Each time, she'd return with a shy smile and her back against the front door, her feet tapping against the ground as she squealed. Eventually, Harrison had had enough of all the guessing games he'd been playing.

"Who is he?" he asked one night before bed, lingering in Lottie's doorway.

Lottie was sitting at her vanity, taking off the makeup she wore. "Just a friend," she answered with a dismissive shrug.

"Just a friend my ass—"

"—language, Harry."

"Still," he persisted with a frown. "He makes you happy... I just wanna know his name."

The brunette spared her brother a glance before her hand lowered away from her face. "His name is Nik."

"And is he kind to you?" was his next question— and really, it was the most pressing question.

Lottie smiled.

"The kindest."

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Months after, Harrison became Lottie's in-house confidant.

He was the only family member she bothered to talk to about her recent romance. She kept most details to herself, but always gushed about how wonderful he treated her. How he always paid extra attention to whatever she was saying. How she had swayed his dull opinion on birthdays into one that celebrated them fully.

Then, little gifts started appearing at the house. Though Lottie always seemed so dismissive about them, for the entire family was raised to be just as humble as their parents, even Harrison could see the twinkle in her eyes whenever the doorbell rang.

Jewellery, dresses, the works. Anything a girl could want or need, Nik was more than willing to give her, despite her supposed requests for nothing. All she wanted was his time, and that was certainly something he gave to her freely.

Lottie Saint–Jermaine and Niklaus Mikaelson soon became the IT couple of Chicago's inner core, and the very moniker bestowed upon them reached Mr Saint–Jermaine almost instantly.

Harrison could remember seeing her father pull the girl into the kitchen late one night, pressing her for more details with an almost stoic look on his face. He thought the older man was going to rip into Lottie, yell that their relations were improper, that the wealthier man wasn't a good influence. Hell, maybe he'd even say that she needed a family man to settle down with, instead of a frequent partier such as Niklaus.

But no. Their father saw the tears well in her eyes as she claimed she was falling in love with him, and pulled her into an embrace.

The Saint–Jermaines always believed in true love, as their own love was allegedly so unorthodox that it had driven them from their home town of Mystic Falls. Their estranged grandparents and cousins and everyone else who still resided there were testaments to that.

Harrison recalled Alexander sneaking up behind him to watch the spectacle, too. "I hope she knows what she's doing," he whispered to the boy, worried about his twin who he'd barely seen as of late.

The younger boy shook his head. He always had the most faith in his older sister.

"She's smart; she's gonna be fine."

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Nik ended up being well acquainted with the family, coming to a family dinner with a bouquet of flowers for Mrs Saint–Jermaine. That immediately earned her favour, as the woman had only just been saying that she wanted some flowers for their new dining room table.

He was ever a gentleman. Offered to help in any way he could, conversed with their older brothers who had stopped by after a busy work day. He looked at Lottie like she'd hung the moon and stars just for him, and she looked at him all the same.

The blond man left, and had nearly every member of the family eating out of his palm. He was charismatic, that was for sure, and as long as he kept making his sister happy, Harrison would gladly have him around. Besides, it was nice that the man asked him about his own aspirations, given that no one really paid the seventeen year old any mind in that regard.

He said nearly, because Alexander didn't seem too fond of him. He chalked it up as twin intuition, but Lottie always waved away his concern with a frown.

Nik would remain a constant in their life for the next few two years, with him whisking Lottie away as often as humanly possible while making the time to attend the monthly family dinners that Mrs Saint–Jermaine established.

Though, on one particular night when the house was meant to be vacant, Harrison and their parents rolled into the driveway to find her bedroom light still on. And the front door ajar.

She should've left around ten minutes prior to their arrival from picking Harrison up from a baseball game, but the light being on signified that either she was running late, or Nik hadn't picked her up yet. But the door? The door being opened immediately set their father on edge.

The three entered, and were immediately greeted by flashes of crimson. The entire home looked like a warzone— like a massacre had taken place while they'd been gone for all of twenty minutes.

Harrison was the one to notice the trail of red leading up the staircase, and his feet kicked into gear before his rationality did. Someone could've been in the house, but all he cared about was his sister. "Lottie!"

His parents yelled after him as he rushed further into the home, a metallic smell radiating from her bedroom at the end of the hall. The door was opened, and his feet stopped in their tracks in the doorway so abruptly, that their father bumped right into him. Then, they were faced with a sight they never thought could be imaginable.

Lottie's crumpled body was on the floor by her vanity, her eyes wide and all too empty.

She'd been wounded her so badly, covered in slashes and looking like she had been mauled by a vicious sort of animal. There was a gash on her forehead, just trailing into her hairline, and for some reason that was a detail he would always remember. It was either that, or her lifeless eyes that somehow still seemed so frightened.

When the authorities were called and the weeping family members were ushered outside, Alexander showed up in tattered clothing and a hazy memory.

His fingers were stained with blood as he approached, his breathing erratic, and everyone immediately pointed their accusatory fingers directly at him. He'd shaken his head, almost growling out his denial. "I didn't do it! I didn't do it!"

The frenzied look in his eye shook the youngest boy to his core as he watched Alexander be taken in by police, where it would later be identified that the blood on his hands was indeed Lottie's.

Alexander Saint–Jermaine had taken his own sister's life in a merciless fashion, and that was the last time Harrison saw his brother before he disappeared from police custody just two weeks after his initial arrest. That was before they packed up their belongings, moved to a quieter part of town, and altered their last name.

No one spoke of Alexander ever again.

And subsequently, no one had heard from Niklaus Mikaelson ever again. 

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[ wyn's note ]

the life and death of lottie saint-jermaine (as told by key eyewitness harrison saint-jermaine) !!

when you see this, the next chap should be out! double feature whoop whoop!

thanks for all the support cuties xx