gilbert boy ▪ tvd [completed]

|f i f t e e n|

When Stefan walked into Gloria's bar, it's empty besides Klaus, Gloria, Rebekah, and Charlie-- who is lying across the bar, a book lifted above his head as he reads. 

"You left is," Rebekah pouted. 

"Yeah, sorry. Retail therapy was making my head explode." He looked at Charlie and raised an eyebrow at Klaus, silently asking him what was wrong with the Immortal. 

Klaus rolled his eyes, "Don't even mention it; he's in a mood." 

"He snapped my neck for complimenting Rebekah's dress," Charle stressed his words as he glanced at Klaus, who rolled his eyes again. "But my darling Glore was sweet enough to supply me with alcohol to curb my anger," He winked at the older woman making her chuckle slightly as she continued working on her spell. 

"What's she doing?" Stefan asked, his attention fleeing to Gloria, who was chanting under her breath, her eyes closed. 

"She's failing," Klaus deadpanned. 

Charlie scoffed as he turned on his side and propped his head upon his hand, leaning on his elbow. "It's kind of hard to find something when you don't have anything to go on." He had spent enough time with witches to know what Gloria was doing. 

Charlie hummed in agreement with Charlie. "So use me. I only wore it for a thousand years," Rebekah pointed out. 

"See? Now this one offers a solution." Rebekah sent her brother a smug smirk before she hopped onto the table Gloria was working at. "Alright, give me your hand, sweetheart." Rebekah holds out her hand before Gloria and closes her eyes to focus on her lost necklace. 

"She's uh, she's looking for the necklace, huh?" Charlie glanced at Stefan, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion, but he didn't say anything. It almost sounded like Stefan was nervous. 

Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie all stood around the Gilbert household kitchen. "The problem with my dad's normal side of the family is normally made for a really boring summer." 

Caroline sighs, "After the last few days, I would kill for a normal family," Bonnie and Elena look empathetic to Caroline's situation. She ignores their looks of pity and quickly helps Elena decant the chili into another dish. "Since when did you learn how to cook?" 

Elena looked sheepish. "Damon helped a little." 

Bonnie's eyebrows furrowed, "Damon's helping you cook now?" 

"Both of you stop judging. This was usually...Charlie's job when it came to these things. And since he isn't here, I'm doing it." Elena seemed uncomfortable talking about the Immortal and quickly changed the subject. "And besides, he's just trying to be good...ow!" She gasped. 

Caroline placed the dish she was holding back down. "Ah! Did I splash you?" 

Elena shook her head as she looked down at her chest. "No, no, my necklace." She moves her hair out of the way before she peeled her necklace off of her skin with a flinch. There's a burn the shape of her necklace on her skin, and she was quick to look up at her friends, confused and scared. 

Gloria's eyebrows furrowed, "I can sense something," She calls out, and the others move toward her, intrigued. 

Caroline took this as her chance to criticize her friend over her current choices. "Maybe it's a sign you shouldn't be wearing it?" 

"Caroline..." Bonnie frowned at her blonde friend. 

Caroline raised an eyebrow at her friends. "What, I'm just saying. If you're going to be cooking without Stefan, or Charlie, for that matter." 

Bonnie rolled her eyes at her friend before she looked at Elena, holding out her hand. "Let me see it." 

Elena unclasped it and held it up for Bonnie to see, and she went to touch it, ut it electrocuted the two of them. Elena dropped the piece of jewelry, and the two of them looked at each other in shock. 

Gloria dropped Rebekah's hand and looked at the boys. "I found it." 

"So, where is it?" Rebekah asked impatiently, leaning forward. 

"It doesn't work like that, doll. I get images. There's a girl with her friends-" 

"Yes, a dead girl, with dead friends, if I don't get my necklace back!" Rebekah snapped, interrupting Gloria's explanation. 

Gloria pursed her lips, "Well, I'll have to dive back in to get the details." 

"So, dive," Klaus said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

Charlie rolled his eyes at their impatience. "Bloody hell, give the woman her space. I'm sure she'll find it eventually." 

Gloria sent Charlie a thankful look before she looked at the hybrid, her eyes narrowed. "I need more time. And space. You're harshing my ju-ju." 

"We can wait," Klaus smirked. 

"I'm sure you can," Gloria nodded in annoyance. "But that's not what I asked." 

Stefan stepped forward and looked at Klaus, "Hey. Hey, you know, why don't we just come back later. I'm hungry anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat." 

Klaus looked to Rebekah, who smiled as she hopped off the table before leaving with them to go and feed on some helpless humans. 

Charlie rolled his eyes as he settled at the bar top, grabbing a bottle of whiskey as he shook his head. "Bloody vampires." 

▪ ▪ ▪

A few hours later, when Charlie wasn't answering his phone, Stefan went back to Gloria's bar. "There you are," Gloria called out as she mixed a few things behind the bar. 

"Thought you were resting," Stefan said, his eyes narrowing on her. 

Gloria smirked as she turned toward him, "Well, not we both have a secret." 

"What did you see?" 

"It's what I heard that's interesting. You know, the girls with the necklace, they were talking about you..." She trailed off as she motioned to the body lying on the floor next to the bar. "And sweet Charlie boy over there." Stefan gulped as he looked to Charlie and then Gloria. He knew he was in trouble now.

▪ ▪ ▪

Charlie felt like he had been hit by a truck; his body felt like lead, and his brain felt like mush. Why did everyone always resort to using witchy-woo to subdue him? Why couldn't they just brawl it out and be done with it?" 

A groan escaped his lips as he propped himself up on an elbow, shifting one leg, so he was more comfortable. He blinked a few times, and his eyebrows furrowed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Bloody hell," He mumbled before he flopped onto his back. He clenched his eyes shut before he heard a sigh, and he popped one eye open only to find Rebekah standing over him. 

"Gloria must have done a number on you; you've been out since last night," Rebekah said before she held out her hand. Charlie sighed before he allowed her to help him up, but she just threw him into the side of the moving truck. He hissed in pain but didn't defend himself. "Nik trusted you! Why didn't you tell him the doppelganger was alive?!" 

His eyebrows furrowed as he got up, placing his hand on the wall to support his weak body. "What are you talking about? Why would he need to know that?" 

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Don't be coy! The doppelganger has to be dead for him to make hybrids!" 

Charlie's eyes widened in disbelief. "Well, it's not like there's an instruction manual for a curse that was cast over a millennia ago!" He snapped back, making Rebekah scoff and cross her arms. "I'm telling the trust, Rebekah." His voice was firm as he stood up straight, walking closer to her. "We may have known each other for a short time, but you have to know that I don't lie." 

Rebekah studied him for a moment before she sighed, "You don't have to convince me, Charlie. Tell that to Nik."