(CHAPTER EIGHTEEN :
HEAD VS HEART)

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TRUST WAS A RARITY with a cure for vampirism in reach. Even Damon challenged my intentions, which was exactly what lead me to the Mikaelson Mansion. After being accused of siding with the enemy, I was pressured into proving my worth. As promised, I stepped back in the race for the humanity — Kol and I being two of the few that didn't want the cure. Despite no longer being directly involved, the Scooby Gang wanted to use me to gain more information, given how much I told them Kol knew with the sole hope of deterring them from unleashing Silas.

"I know I always leave you wanting more, but this must be a new record." Kol whistled lowly from behind me.

I tensed, recovering from his sneak attack, I had expected him to be inside the mansion and not standing behind me. "Maybe I'm here to see Rebekah." I provoked him, turning around to finally face him. In the words of Damon, I was meant to use my 'sex appeal' but it didn't feel right to manipulate Kol after being honest with him about my feelings. No part of me wanted to return to square one and I definitely wouldn't sacrifice what we built for Damon to cure Elena.

"You're not." He denied. "But, if you are here to do something that isn't me, you can head on in and wait in the parlour. Door's open, I only went for a quick feed." The Original instructed with a wink, to which I rolled my eyes.

"I can tell, you're such a messy eater." I swiped a drop of blood from the corner of his lip with my thumb. "And you were right, I'm not here for Rebekah. I'm here for you, we need to talk . . . about Silas." His shoulders slumped and the artificial smile on my face widened, I knew he wanted to talk about the other day and I did too. Unfortunately, I had to prove myself to my friends, that I was valuable to the group and to achieve that, I needed to do them this favour. "I'm a little surprised you're still in Mystic Falls considering Silas might rise soon. I thought you would have squeezed your ego into a suitcase and got the Hell out." I commented conversationally. "I know I said I would help you but Damon is hellbent on getting that cure for Elena. It won't be easy to get him to give up, we're talking about the same Damon Salvatore that spent the better part of a century trying to get Katherine out of a tomb she wasn't in." I added, deciding to ignore Damon's advice and rely on honesty. Perhaps if I was honest with him, he'd give me the information desired without question.

Narrowing his eyes, a doubtful expression formed on his face. "It's not smart to play both teams, darling." Kol advised with a suspicious undertone. He was smarter than most gave him credit for and was able to clock minor shifts in presentation, so I was wary under his gaze.

"Prove to me I'm not making a mistake by helping you then!" I argued, gripping his shoulders and pushing him to the point he staggered a few steps. "If I'm risking losing friends for you, I deserve answers and not a half-assed fairytale. You've been alive a thousands years, I meant it when I said I believe you, but I need to know how we can defeat Silas? What are his weaknesses? What does he look like? Are they any accounts of him? How do you get to the cure?" I raised my voice and combed my fingers through my hair anxiously.

"If you don't want the cure, why would you need to know how to get it?" Kol clenched his fist. "Did your friends send you here?!" He exploded, having caught me red-handed.

I froze, thinking what to do next. Plan B — Damon's plan — was looking like the best option. "Sometimes I think you only hear what you want to hear." I claimed, rejecting his accusation and taking slow steps closer to him. "Nobody sent me here, I came because I needed reassurance, Kol. I haven't been like this," I gestured between the two of us, "in a while now. It's alien to me, I don't want to lose my friends if you decide I'm not enough for you one day. You've been daggered for a long time, there's new blondes for you to toy with now." Some of my own insecurities fed into what I was saying, but it was primarily an attempt to disguise my ulterior motives.

"I don't want a new bl——" Without thinking, I cut him off and pushed him against the wall, knocking one of his brother's paintings down in the process as I asserted my dominance, kissing him. Whilst he relaxed and deepened the kiss, I was on high alert, never being the type to seduce a man. As if he sensed something was wrong, he flipped the roles, trapping me against the wall.

I tried to keep my composure. Damn Damon and his plans. "What are you doing?" I heard my voice break, but pretended as if it never did, leaning in to kiss him again, only to be stopped by his hands clamping around my neck.

"You were never a good actress, Charlotte." Kol stated roughly, my body crumpling like a spitball as he snapped my neck with ease.

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PORTLAND, OREGON [1908]

Darkness shrouded our bodies as we sprinted through the words, our hands intertwined with the only sound being two unsteady heartbeats vibrating against the night. Undeniably, there was an excitement that came with running away from the life that was thrusted upon us both. However, the thrill of our great escape was overpowered by the fear in my chest, pounding against my rib cage like an animal in captivity. For a woman like myself, it wasn't uncommon for our actions — what we did and didn't do — to be dictated by fear because there was a lot for us to fear in the world. All what I was risking for him made me wonder, was one boy really worth this trouble?

"What if we get caught?" I panicked, hiking up the skirt of my dress higher as we continued to dart through the clearing. In spite of the flames swallowing my lungs, I knew I had to keep running. Every night it was the same routine — look and run.

Kol raised a finger to his lips, signalling for me to be quiet before sighing once he realised we were safe from prying eyes. "Then I hope you're a good actress." He mused, knowing it was impossible to comfort me. Neither of us knew the consequences of what would happen if the town found out I was cheating on my golden boy fiancé. I was scared I'd be crucified whilst Kol could simply relish in the adrenaline and secrecy.

"Acting is an intricate lie and I don't want to lie." I mumbled, blinking rapidly in an attempt to keep myself awake given it was the late hours of the night. "I want to be with you. I don't like sneaking around or running in the woods or taking refuge in stranger's gardens the second we hear a noise. We shouldn't have to hide our relationship like this." I declared, playing with my fingers nervously.

"We're not hiding." He disagreed, tugging me to a halt and wrapping his arms around my waist. "It's better this way, I don't fancy sharing us with the world because they wouldn't understand." The Original resolved, imagining how unaccepting his family would be of a human. Noticing how distracted I was as he spoke, he tenderly pressed his lips against my neck and I smiled up at him.

Adjusting my position, I turned my body to kiss him on the lips. It was soft and sweet, something new for us, but I liked it. Within seconds, he broke the kiss. "Why did you pull away?" I gulped, thinking I did something wrong.

He untangled himself from me. "I can hear something." Kol replied, more attentive than before.

Then, a bright flashlight shone onto the two of us and I squinted to see Marie from Mother's book club. And that was how I became the talk of the town, my cheeks tinted pink as Kol yanked me up so we could flee the scene without interrogation. I hated how we were always running.

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Rubbing my neck, I grumbled. "I didn't get anything from that conversation except a broken neck, Day." I huffed, switching the phone to loud speaker as I pulled my body up from the hardwood floor of the Mikaelson Mansion. It appeared that Kol had abandoned me, not that I could fault him given how mad he was with me. A part of me was grateful none of his siblings had stumbled home to see me unconscious on the floor — I was positive I would have received more than a few fractured neck bones from Klaus. 

"Oh come on, he goes all goo-goo eyes the second you so much as look in his direction." Damon whined. "You must have got something out of him." He pressed, the clink of a glass on the other side of the line informing me was pouring himself a well-deserved drink.

"Nope, nada." I emphasised, placing the mobile against my ear as I began to walk to the Salvatore Boarding House. "He figured out that somebody sent me, so you'll have to send the reinforcements and their hero hair instead. Count me out of your plans from here on." I suggested they followed through with their original idea which involved Stefan romancing Rebekah and Caroline working on Klaus. 

He sneered. "We have no choice but to send them in — your awful seduction skills sent us back to square one." Damon mentioned and I could almost hear his eye roll. However, there was enough humour I managed a pity chuckle in response. "And what do you mean count you out? You may have zero sex appeal, but we need you to win over the homicidal maniac that doesn't want us to get the cure!" The Salvatore stressed, the burden being on him to fix the sire bond mess he created. "God, I need another bourbon." He muttered to himself, of course I still heard it though.

"Gee, at least I'm needed." I remarked sarcastically. "But, I mean it, I'm out, Damon. Kol sounded serious about Silas raising Hell on Earth and I want to help him, I promised I would even." I confessed, chewing on my bottom lip in anticipation for an eruption from my best friend. 

"Promises don't count if you're acting." Damon countered quickly.

"No, it was before you roped me into this entire scheme." I explained carefully. "You can't change my mind on this. Kol was scared and if he's scared, we should be petrified." I told him in an unmoving manner.

From the base of his throat, a growl of frustration escaped the man. "We need this cure for Elena, don't let him pollute your mind like that." He cried out, a growing anger seeping into the cracks of his voice. "I don't care if your Romeo is scared, let him be! All that matters is you don't let your puppy love get in the way of saving Elena." As the sound of shattering glass echoed through the phone, I shook my head. 'Elena, Elena' was the basis of too many of our conversations since they became official and I missed when we could be snarky with each other rather than hurtful.

I contemplated what he was saying, wanting to lead with my head and not blindly with my heart. "You're right. I was just think— —" I tried to reduce the tension.

"Then don't think." He interrupted without delay.

I bit down on my tongue. "Don't talk down to me." I said coldly. "I'm taking a step back, but I'm still your best friend, when it comes to it, you know I'll come running in a heartbeat. I'd rather not put my neck — literally in this instance — on the line for a cure I no longer want." I defended, too irritated by the world to be mad at my friend as well. "If I think for a minute that this hunt for the cure will put you or anybody else I love at risk, know that Silas won't be the only one wreaking Hell on Earth." I cautioned, the sound of leaves crunching beneath my boots prevailing when a heavy silence pursued my warning.

Excruciating silence ticked away from Damon's end, a sharp sigh breaking the awkwardness between us. "Just hurry up." He urged. "And bring more bourbon, I'm almost out." With that hasty demand, a loud beep signalled the end of the call.

From vampires to werewolves to witches, Damon and I had witnessed the rise and fall of many supernatural creatures over the years. Yet, it was an immortal — one its purest form, unlike that of the Originals — that seemed to have had him calling fable. And even if I had a healthy amount of doubt about Silas being unstoppable, I knew from experience that underestimating a rival was a fatal mistake. Knowing that, the pressure was on for me to make a decision — to stand with Kol and defy Damon or support Damon and ignore what Kol had learnt over his extensive years of travelling. I didn't want to betray my friends, which the first option involved to an extent. But, if I did listen to Kol, it would be for their sake and they would forgive me if the betrayal saved them in the long run . . . Right?

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A.N: There wasn't much action in this chapter, but we do finally see Lottie aligning with Kol and wanting to stay away from the cure race but I have a feeling Damon is going to drag her back into the chaos very soon. Like next chapter soon.

Given 2018 is almost over, what's your biggest achievement this year or something you're proud of? However small or big!