***

ELENA HAD CALLED me when it happened. Katherine showed up at her house, cut her father's ring off, and tried to kill him. What a night... At least she didn't actually kill him, even if she tried. I'm glad Elena doesn't have to experience the pain of losing both sets of parents.

Elena and I walked down the hallway of the hospital together to visit John. Though he did try to kill all of the vampires in town, he's still Elena's father and a fellow victim of Katherine Pierce. "Are you ready for all this?" I asked Elena softly, my hand rubbing her back in a comforting manner.

Elena ignored my question, only looking at me, then. She walked into the open room to see John lying in a hospital bed, asleep. "John?" Elena asked softly, warily. John started awake and panicked when he saw Elena. Probably thought she was Katherine, most likely. He attempted to press the button to call the nurse, but I took his hand gently and moved it away as Elena explained, "I'm Elena. I'm not - I'm not Katherine. And we know that she did this to you, but what we need to know is why."

"Where is she?" John asked softly, warily once again.

"You tell us," I replied softly, crossing my arms.

"I don't know," John replied, trying to sit up. I pushed him back down, shaking my head at him.

"John, you're a little too weak to act all tough right now. Just sit back, rest yourself, and answer our questions, okay?" I said softly to him.

Elena put the Gilbert ring in John's hand as she spoke, "Please, tell us why she's here. What does she want?" John didn't respond to us and I only sighed. It didn't seem like John was going to budge.

"She'll try this again; we can't help you if you don't have trust in us," I said softly to him.

"In you?" John asked weakly.

"In your daughter then," I replied simply.

"My daughter should have driven a stake through your heart by now," John said as he stared directly at me, and a look even I didn't realize I was doing spread across my face. He then looked to Elena, "I never spoke with Katherine directly, she never trusted me." Figures. He looked back over at me, "So either kill me or get out because I can't stand the sight of you and your brothers with my daughter."

"You see the world with such hatred. It's gonna get you killed," Elena said, justifiably harsh. You could tell she was extremely upset with her father's response, but she couldn't do anything about it.

Stefan and I discussed what I would do to John before I left with Elena. Stefan wanted me to do it for him because Elena didn't ask him to come: threaten him with my blood. If I kill him, I would have turned him. And he'll hate himself more than he already does. I agreed with the plan because it was to get him to leave and help Elena.

I walked over to him as Elena left the room, grabbing him by his face, "You may be alright with dying, but I think I've got a better alternative for you, John. Something that will be more than an acceptable punishment for what you did and tried to do." I but my wrist and put it to John's mouth, forcing my blood down his throat so he'd ingest it. "Now you have my blood in your system. A simple snap of the neck, and poof: you're undead. You're a vampire. Take my advice: you have about a day before the blood leaves your system. That's enough time to leave town, or so help me, John, I will turn you and sit and watch you hate yourself more than you already do." I released him as he gasped in horror, and I walked to the door, "Your clock starts now."

***

Elena and I were walking away from the hospital outside, "Hey, want to swing by the house with me to pick up Jenna and Jer? Then we're gonna head to the Lockwoods'."

I nodded, smiling innocently. She didn't know what I did, "Yeah, I'd love to. Jenna would probably want me there anyway."

Elena looked down and saw a message from Jenna, which I read: 'Don't forget to pick up Charlotte with us.' She chuckled and looked over at me, "You're right. Hey, how did you leave John in there?"

"I...I asked him to leave town," I said, not looking Elena in the eyes. Asked..? That was definitely not what I did.

We both stopped walking and looked at each other, "Asked? You threatened him." I only inhaled deeply and nodded in shame, but she seemed to actually approve. "Good. I want him gone, Char. I know that I shouldn't feel that way but I don't want someone like that in my life. Or Jeremy's life."

"I know. I made sure of that," I said softly, as we walked off to her car. "Don't let Katherine get to you. She has a weird way of doing that... She got to the guys and to basically everyone she's met."

***

I arrived at the Lockwood Mansion with Elena, Jeremy, and Jenna. Elena wanted me there for her, and Jenna wanted me there because she felt better knowing I was safe after everything that happened since we've grown close. What she didn't know was that I was a vampire.

"Looks like the whole town has turned out," Jenna commented, as I gently took the basket she was carrying from her. "Thanks, Char," she said softly.

"Yeah. Well, he is... He was the mayor," Elena corrected herself.

"Why don't they save it for the funeral?" Jeremy asked a little insensitively.

"That's what people do. The Lockwoods were here for us when we went through this. It'll be quick; we'll drop off the food and pay our respects and go," Jenna explained, looking over at us.

"In and out? It sounds like a plan," Jeremy said softly.

"Jer, you're being a little insensitive," I said softly, nudging him.

"Sorry," He muttered softly, but also with an attitude. Unlike Damon— who apparently threatened him —I couldn't be mean to Jeremy. He was already like my second family, Stefan being my first family of course. The only family I have.

Elena and I saw Damon, "You guys go on ahead. Charlotte and I will be right there, okay?" We walked towards Damon, and Elena spoke first, "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Great Elena. Walking on the sunshine, thanks for asking," Damon said sarcastically yet softly.

"Damon," Elena replied softly.

"Elena," Damon shot back, soft once again.

"We should be able to talk about this. Damon, we're close enough now. I really want to know how you are doing," Elena said softly. "I know that the kiss was a shock... And that it hurt more than you thought..."

"You kissed me. Or I thought that you kissed me. Doppelgänger hijinks ensued. How do you think I'm doing?" Damon asked softly. "All it did was make me realize that you aren't the one for me."

"I think that you're hurt," Elena said to him.

"No, I don't get hurt, Elena," Damon replied back.

"Wait, what..?" I asked them softly, looking between the two. "You... You and Katherine kissed?"

"Actually, correction, Katherine kissed me. I thought it was Elena, I wanted to see if there was something there, but then after that, I realized that I didn't feel anything with it. Especially since it was Katherine. Now all I can think about is what she did to Corinthia," Damon grumbled.

"You don't get to feel sorry for yourself Damon," Elena said softly, starting to walk off. But Damon stopped her before she could.

"You know, why - why is it such a surprise that I would think that you'd kiss me?" Damon asked.

"Because I'm saying your brother, Damon. I'm with Stefan. Not you," Elena replied back harshly.

I sensed that things were becoming — once again — a little personal between them, and I just quickly made my way to Jenna. I felt like she was the best bet right now, she was calm and cool. A good friend to have when I needed a break.