***

I WAS IN the hallway with Elena and Matt, as Elena explained this "Uncle John" to us. Well, she was filling in Matt on the situation, and explaining it to me since I didn't know him. "He said his trip is open-ended," Elena explained to Matt.

"Uncle John, I never really liked that guy," Matt said.

"Does anyone?" Elena questioned with a scoff, turning to me. "He's a bit... Weird. I can't really explain him, Charlotte, you'd have to meet him yourself," she said to me.

"I don't think I want to," I replied with a chuckle, as Matt chuckled with me. 

"I'm here for moral support if you need me," The blond busboy explained, jokingly.

"Thanks, I think I'll suffer this one alone; you've been through enough," Elena said with a sad smile.

"Thank you by the way, for just... For everything, you did at Vicki's funeral and the memorial. I couldn't have done it without you," Matt sincerely thanked her.

"Of course Matt," Elena explained with a nod, as they looked at each other. Elena checked her phone for a moment, then looked back up. There was a long pause before Elena smiled and began to talk again, "So, is Caroline still baking for you guys, around the clock?"

"She finally went to her dad's, which is a good thing because my mom was going to strangle her if she dropped off one more lasagna," Matt explained with a smile, closing his locker as he walked off.

Elena smirked and locked arms with me, "Come on, I have to talk to Alaric, he texted me a second ago and told me to see him before class. Come with me." I gave her a look and she smiled at me, "There's a reason it wasn't a question, Char. I need you there for my moral support."

"I thought you wanted to 'suffer alone'," I replied, looking over at her.

"Alone.. with my best friend," Elena corrected with a smile. "Besides, it's Matt. My ex. I'm dating Stefan, as you know—"

"Can't forget," I cut in with a large fake grin. "I've definitely heard things that I don't need nor want to hear," I said with a playful shiver, as she slapped my arm harshly. "Ouch!"

"Anyway, he's my ex. He's Caroline's boyfriend you could say, and he's not you. He isn't my best friend or a female," Elena replied with a smile.

***

Alaric, Elena, and I were stood in his room. "I made a copy of a paper Jeremy wrote for me. I think you should take a look at it," Alaric explained. He was sitting on his desk and he grabbed the paper, inspecting it for a moment, before handing it to Elena.

We both read it together, it reading 'Fact or Fiction: The Truth About Vampires in Mystic Falls'. Elena looked from the paper to Alaric, "Jeremy wrote this?"

"He's very clear that he didn't think it was real," Alaric explained to her.

"Yeah... Well, he could be lying to cover up that he actually does know about vampires," I explained as Elena gently elbowed me, causing me to give her another look. I find myself giving her looks more when I'm being logical and she's not.

"I really hope you're right because I've done so much to protect him from all of this," Elena explained to Alaric, as she handed him back the paper.

Alaric sighed as he spoke again, "So, how do you deal with it?"

"What do you mean?" Elena questioned.

"With all the lies and the secrets. You have to lie to everyone who's important to you," Alaric reminded.

"You should be asking that to the vampires in this town, me included," I said to Alaric, "Not to her. Not to the girl who's only trying to protect her family. Her little brother. Not to the person who cares most about the people around her. Ask me how I can lie about my entire being. Ask me about how I can kill a human being and not feel any remorse whatsoever because the blood lust is so strong that their life doesn't matter. Ask me those questions. Don't ask Elena about how she can protect her family. Don't ask her about how she can withhold truth to keep the people that she loves safe, okay?"

"Charlotte, you and Stefan are good people. But at the end of the day, you're vampires. Just like you said, you can kill people without remorse," Alaric said to me.

"They're different, Alaric..," Elena explained softly, "They wouldn't do anything to hurt me. In fact, everything they've done is to help me in some way. They care about me. Protect me. And they don't feed on humans."

"Yeah... Decades sober, Ric. I've been drinking animal blood since I can remember," I explained to Alaric, "Elena is my number one priority, especially as the only human that's my best friend and that knows about what I am. I can't lose her. I won't lose her. Certainly not by the hands of another vampire."

***

Elena opened the door for Damon and me. She sent us both a text in a group chat she just made, telling us it was about Stefan. I knew after he had that bit of human blood that he wasn't going to easily go back, and now that Lexi was gone... Well, I'd have to help him. Lexi always said he'd depend on me if something ever happened to her. Guess what? Now is that time... Stupid Damon... "Oh, good, you're here," Elena said, snapping me back to reality.

"You ask I come. I'm easy like that," Damon replied with a cocky smirk, walking in after I did.

I rolled my eyes at him and spoke to her, "We're both here. He's mostly here because it's for Stefan. But you know you're the main reason I'm here. I can take care of Stefan."

Elena nodded with a smile, bringing me in for a hug as Damon gave me a jealous look. He can be jealous for all I care. "That's great, Charlie... Thank you," Elena said sincerely, as she pulled away, pointing upstairs once she saw Jer in the kitchen.

"No Elena, I will not go to your bedroom with you and Charlotte," Damon loudly and dramatically called, as Elena grabbed his arm. He chuckled as Jer looked at us before Elena brought us up to her bedroom.

"Ah, just like I remembered," Damon noted with a smile.

"Stop messing around," Elena said, closing the door to the bedroom. Damon went to get in the bed and took the teddy bear laying on it, before jumping himself onto it with his shoes still on. The disrespect... Kidding, kidding.

He made himself comfortable, putting an arm behind his head as he put the bear on top of his chest, holding it to him. "Did you know that your uncle has been kicking it with the Founders' Council?" Damon asked Elena.

"What?" Elena asked in disbelief.

"Yep," Damon easily replied.

"Perfect, we'll just add it to the growing list of how everything is falling apart," Elena sarcastically replied, a sarcastic smile gracing her features to match her attitude.

Damon noticed a broken lamp, pointing at it with the Teddy Bear's paw, his eyes zoning in on it, "What happened right there?"

"Uh... Nothing," Elena replied, looking uncomfortable. She obviously didn't want to talk about it, meaning it must've been about Stefan. They probably did some really rough things... That, or something completely opposite. With the way she messaged and the way Stefan is acting, I'm assuming it wasn't the sex option. "Look, Damon, I'm worried about Stefan. He says that everything's okay but he's clearly struggling. How long is it gonna take before he goes back to normal?"

"A few days, give or take," Damon roughly estimated.

"It's been a few days," Elena pointed out.

"Give then, I don't know. What's the big deal?" Damon asked her.

He got out of the bed and handed her her teddy bear, walking towards her dresser as he opened it and looked in it. "He's not himself, Damon," Elena explained to him.

"Well, maybe his problem is that he has spent too long not being himself," Damon replied, taking a striped bra from Elena's drawer, Elena taking it back to put it back in the drawer.

"Please don't make me sorry for asking you. Charlotte, come on?" Elena begged, but I thought it best not to reveal my plans till Damon left. I didn't trust him, certainly not now when Stefan was all junked up on human blood.

Damon took a picture from her mirror, and she tried to take it back but she was too slow. He turned around and started to speak. "It is what it is Elena. The Stefan you know was 'good behavior Stefan', 'reign it in Stefan', 'fight against his nature into an annoying excessive level Stefan'. But if you think there isn't another part to this then you have not been paying attention," He explained, pouting at her and making a kissy face, tsking her. Instead, though, Elena took the picture back.

"He's not you, not even close," Elena fired at him.

"Well, he doesn't want to be me. That doesn't mean that deep down though he's not," Damon replied, "Mhmm." He got close to her, her sort of tilting her head back away from him then walked out of the room and left.

"Well you two were of no help whatsoever," Elena replied to me, looking over. "But I could tell you have an idea," she added.

"Lexi... She always helped Stefan he got like this. I might be able to help him get out of this binge and this weird.. bloodlust. But I'll need your help. He loves you more than anything, 'Lena. Even me," I said to her, "And I love him more than anyone, even you. He's my brother, and he saved me. It's my turn to save him now.."

And with that, the building blocks of my plan began to form as I explained it all to Elena...

***

Everybody had gone to the Founding Family party, but I wasn't interested in it. Booze, Salvatores? No thanks. They don't mix well. Just the Salvatores don't mix well, not them with booze. It's me with booze that doesn't mix well. I've never been a fan of straight alcohol. Especially not vodka, which Damon has definitely laced in my drink once before. I think it's bitter and gross.

I don't mind a glass of wine, or champagne every now and then, maybe a shot or two of regular alcohol... But a glass or a cup full? Especially cheap beer? I'm out. It's disgusting, and not to mention I'm a lightweight. I can't hold my liquor worth anything. After a few shots of alcohol, I'm done. I can't even walk straight after three, let alone a glass full.

I decided to stay at home. I walked into Damon's bedroom. I found Corinthia's picture, just looking at it for what felt like an eternity... I couldn't take her out of my mind. And I hated it. My brother was going to kill himself trying to not ingest human blood, and Damon didn't understand why that's a bad thing. And here I am, thinking of my doppelgänger. It was selfish. It was dumb. But she's out there in the world, and actually a good person...

***

I was downstairs when Damon got home. They were at the party for hours and after about at least two, I had found a way to stop myself from staring at the picture. I put it away and left the room, making sure I didn't look or touch anything else. I was watching tv and drinking water when he got home. He poured himself blood and offered me some. I accepted graciously. I hadn't had human blood in decades, but I didn't turn into a ripper when I drank it, either.

I took a sip and couldn't stop the moan from the taste. The sweet, sweet taste of people blood. People that didn't have to die for this blood. I assumed since Stefan was gone and was also junked on people blood, it was only fair for me to get a cheat sip too. I finished the blood and Damon smiled, "Great, Charlotte! I'm proud of you."

I only narrowed my eyes as I finished literally every last drop of the blood in the glass. "I can pour you some more, if you want it?" He offered, holding out his hand. I handed him the glass, but shook my head no. I didn't think it was fair to ask Stefan to stop when I was over here indulging in it.

Damon nodded, putting the glass into the sink to be washed. I said my goodnights to him since it was already late and headed to bed. I heard Damon and Stefan talking lowly in the living room, but didn't hear anything in particular. My hearing was good, but apparently not that good. Not a surprise there... I had no idea what had gone down in that living room as I fell asleep...