Klaus had been doing his best to wake Charlotte for at least fifteen minutes now. Normally she drifted awake a little before him. He'd feel her shifting in his arms and it was him who wouldn't let her loose and the day begin, but today it was her that was refusing. He'd been whispering and then talking to her, he tugged a braid of hers and even tried removing his arms and shaking her shoulders but all he'd received was groans and whines.

Klaus tried tugging Charlotte's braid again, "Stop," Charlotte whined out, shuffling down in the sheets with her eyes screwed up tightly.

"Come now, Rebekah wants to go shopping and if I have to deal with it you do too," Klaus pulled the blankets back away from her head laughing as her only response was to push her head somewhere between him and the bed itself.

"No," Charlotte was blunt again, "Nik, my head hurts I don't want to go shopping."

"Please tell me you're not scared of my sister."

"I'm not scared, my head hurts."

Klaus murmured in disbelief, "Darling, I'm so much worse than Rebekah."

Charlotte's head was still buried in the sheets as she spoke, "That's not helpful now I'm scared of both of you." Klaus laughed at her reply. He knew she wasn't really scared of Rebekah, she had to know that nothing would happen to her. Standing up, Klaus sped to the end of the bed and pulled the sheets away leaving Charlotte cold.

"What's going on darling?" Klaus asked when Charlotte only pulled the pillow over her head.

"I don't know," Charlotte lied, "my head hurts so much."

Charlotte hadn't fallen asleep easily the night before. Often she'd drift off first and Klaus listened as her heart slowed but last night it was him who'd drifted off first. Charlotte lying awake in his arms well into the evening and then the early hours.

She felt guilty laying in Klaus' arms as she knew the reason why his one goal to make more hybrids was failing.

She felt guilty knowing where the necklace his sister wanted and needed was when they didn't.

She was worried too about what would happen when the truth finally came out and Klaus and Rebekah realised Stefan and Charlotte's betrayal. She'd been up half the night thinking about what she and Stefan could do. They couldn't stop Klaus, Charlotte had only spent a summer with him but she knew he'd do whatever it took to make his plan succeed. If they couldn't stop him then all she could do was to try and protect her brother when the truth finally came out.

Charlottes head throbbed with anxiety and stress, the lack of sleep not helping either. She sometimes had headaches like these as a child when she worried too much, headaches where the lights were too bright and the world too loud. All she wanted to do was shut her eyes and lay under the covers until the day was over and it was gone.

She knew she needed to face reality and so reluctantly she pulled the pillow up and away, sitting up and then curling her knees to her chest in a ball. Klaus was on his phone texting someone but as Charlotte sat up he moved to her and pulled her into a hug, his fingers massaging her head softly.

"Come on, get dressed," he told her gently, pulling away, "Stefan's getting you something you'll be alright."

Charlotte nodded weakly and rolled from the bed. She didn't exactly know what Stefan could get her to stop her head pounding like this but she didn't have the energy to argue. Dressing slowly, she pulled on her only clean trousers alongside a long sleeved shirt of Klaus' that was dark and soft and felt warm.

-

Now they were in a fancy boutique store, watching Rebekah try on dress after dress after dress. Stefan had brought along some aspirin and a bottle of water which she'd dubiously taken but it had begun to work with the pounding in her head dulling to a soft thud.

Charlotte had given up any attempt to hide her real affection for Klaus. She'd realised how pointless any type of pretending was after Stefan had walked into Glorias bar the night before to see her clutching to Klaus like a child, covered in her own blood no less, without blinking. She knew he knew that she'd always support him and so she'd admitted to herself that he wouldn't hate her for leaning into her feelings a little.

They sat now on a big red couch, Klaus and Stefan were gleefully chugging champagne a shop assistant had brought them while Charlotte was curled into a ball, leaning against Klaus with her eyes closed. His arm was stretched around the couch back and her head rested somewhere between his shoulder and his chest.

"There has to be more to this dress," Rebekah called with exasperation from the changing room.

"There's not," Charlotte replied, eyes still shut, aware of how small modern clothing was compared to what she and Rebekah had last been allowed to wear. She remembered how uncomfortable it was for her when she'd first needed to wear modern clothing and she'd at least been around to watch the styles change. The switch from the styles Rebekah wore in the twenties to now must've seemed baffling.

"So women in the 21st Century dress like prostitutes, then?" Rebekah asked. Charlotte could hear her footsteps as she left the changing room and looked up to see Rebekah in a particularly small black dress that she would've been chastised for if she used as a nightgown, "You know," Rebekah continued, "I got dirty looks for wearing trousers."

"You wore trousers, so women today could wear nothing," Klaus answered.

"I wasn't even allowed to wear trousers," Charlotte muttered under her breath, quietly but not quiet enough for supernatural hearing and she heard Stefan let out a snort of laughter.

Rebekah barrelled on again dismissing both of their answers, "And what is this music, it sounds like a cable car accident."

"It's dance music," said Stefan.

Rebekah was disgusted, "People dance to this?"

Stefan let out a light murmur of agreement and Klaus spoke again, "Are we done?"

"And why are you so grumpy?" Rebekah turned to Klaus, who's hand was absentmindedly running through Charlotte hair.

Klaus downed more champagne before he replied, as though he was building up to the argument that was sure to come, "I needed one thing from you for my witch to find out why my hybrids were dying. One thing- your necklace. And you lost it," As he snapped at his sister Klaus tried to stay still for Charlotte but she could feel his chest rumbling as he snapped at Rebekah.

"I didn't lose it. It's just been missing for 90 years," she said. Rebekah tended to sound like a child when she and Klaus argued Charlotte realised, she hoped that wasn't how it seemed with her and Stefan. Rebekah at this point seemed to give up on her brother, twirling around in front of Stefan instead, "So, what do you think?"

"I- like it," Stefan replied easily after a moments hesitation, "What? I said I like it?" he added on when Rebekah looked back disdainfully.

"I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan."

"Nice one. Good work," Klaus added, holding up his glass to cheers Stefan.

"You're the one who pulled the dagger out of her," Stefan retorted.

"I heard that," Rebekah called out snappily.

"All right. I'm gonna get some fresh air," Stefan pushed himself to his feet and walked from the shop.

Charlotte shut her eyes again, her headache was receding slightly but it was nowhere near gone. The music in the store was loud and the lights were bright so at least by closing her eyes her head pounded a little less. She felt worried as Stefan left the store, she knew the thoughts racing through his head now, but she didn't want to think about it. However irrational the thought, she didn't want to think about it in front of Klaus or Rebekah lest they realise anything was up.

Charlotte could hear Rebekah enter and exit the changing room nearly a dozen more times over, occasionally she would open her eyes and compliment her but really she felt exhausted.

An hour had passed and they were still in the same store they'd begun at. Charlotte was fairly impressed at Rebekahs energy to continue shopping although she wished it would dull a little. At some point Charlotte had picked up Stefans abandoned glass, her headache dulling enough to allow for her worries about Stefan to increase so she'd started drinking the champagne too.

Charlotte was now nearing on tipsy, her stomach rumbled loudly and she realised that although she'd split a bottle and a half of champagne with Klaus, she hadn't eaten since the day before.

"Rebekah, we're leaving you. See you at Gloria's," Klaus called out.

Klaus had heard Charlotte stomach too, realising just as she did that she was hungry and tipsy, he'd rather fix one problem than have her drunk and malnourished. Tugging Charlotte to her feet he downed the remnants of the champagne directly from the bottle and pulled her from the store before she could reply.

-

Tipsy Charlotte giggled a lot, this was probably the first time she'd drunk alcohol in the day and she had only one thing on her mind.

"Nik, please can we get fries?"

Klaus laughed at her and agreed. He liked tipsy Charlotte, she fell up against him more and he had to use their joined hands to keep her from tripping but each falter only made her laugh and giggle. Her face wasn't furrowed now, he knew the headache she'd had earlier still surely lingered but it didn't bother her as much and she looked happier and less concerned.

Klaus and Charlotte had a particularly satisfying lunch of french fries with what Charlotte thought was an obscene amount of ketchup and now had returned to Glorias bar.

"Charlotte darling I think you're turning into an alcoholic," Klaus told her when he returned from a phone call to see her with a glass in her hand that Gloria had offered her.

"Yes dear," she replied, mocking the endearments which seemed to be embedded in every sentence he said to her, "I must do in order to spend time with you, dont you know?"

Klaus' eyes narrowed in response but he didn't speak, only turning and making himself a drink and in turn refilling hers. He was fairly certain that Charlotte had passed tipsy and was heading towards drunk but who was he to tell her to stop if she wanted champagne and it made her happy. He'd much rather a happy Charlotte than one who's face furrowed with concern or disapproval, her happiness made him feel a little lighter too.

They were sitting inside Glorias still closed bar watching her work, Rebekah sat strewn across the bar top whist Klaus and Charlotte were sprawled on chairs beside it. Gloria sat in the middle of the room at a large table with candles surrounding her and an enormous book before her. She was muttering softly working at casting an incantation to find the necklace which Klaus and Rebekah were searching for.

Stefan finally appeared in the bar with Rebekah being the one who first noticed him enter, "You left us," she said as he gave his cursory glance over Charlotte to make sure she wasn't hurt.

"Yeah, sorry," he apologised, "retail therapy was making my head explode."

"Tell me about it," Klaus agreed while Charlotte drunkenly nodded along.

"What's she doing?" Stefan asked watching Gloria at her desk.

"She's failing," Klaus replied, loud and moody, Charlotte pinched his leg at his harsh tone. Although Charlotte didn't actually want Gloria to succeed, at least she was trying to help, it's not like Klaus was doing anything right now.

"Hard to find something without anything to go on," Gloria muttered, distracted from her spells.

"What about Rebekah," Charlotte suggested to Klaus beside her, "If she wore it for so long, can Gloria use her?"

Charlotte thought that perhaps if Gloria used Rebekah, that instead of seeing Elena wearing the necklace she'd only see a memory of Rebekah with it. She didn't quite expect that she would be correct nor that anything would actually come of it but Rebekah heard and jumped from her seat.

"Yes, use me," Rebekah agreed, "I only wore it for a thousand years."

"See?" Gloria looked between Klaus and Stefan as Rebekah walked towards her, "Now these two offer me an actual solution. All right, give me your hand sweetheart."

"She's uh-, she's looking for the necklace, huh?" Stefan asked and Klaus nodded. Charlotte offered Stefan her glass and he downed it quickly, Charlotte was worried about Stefan but she didn't want to say anything that would draw attention to him. She shot him a weak smile that he returned with a similar level of apprehension.

"I found it," Gloria said at last, pulling Charlotte from her thoughts. Klaus could hear Charlottes heart begin to race and he reached for her leg beside him, squeezing it tightly, thinking she was as excited as him.

"So where is it?" Rebekah asked eagerly.

Gloria sighed and looked annoyed, "It doesn't work like that, doll. I get images. There's a girl with her friends."

Rebekah cut her off, petulance in her voice. "A dead girl with dead friends, if I don't get my necklace back."

"Well, I have to dive back in to get the details."

"So dive," Klaus had stood, he was leaning over her now, grumpy and demanding.

"I need more time, and space," Gloria said. Klaus didn't move and she added to her statement, "You're harshing my juju"

"We can wait."

Gloria held Klaus' stare in hers unwilling to waver, "I'm sure you can. But that's not what I asked."

"Hey. Hey, you know why don't we just come back later," Stefan said at last, easing the tension and grasping Klaus' shoulders, "I'm hungry anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat."

Charlotte would've been a little reproachful at Stefans statement in another circumstance but she knew it was just a ploy to pull Klaus from the bar. When Klaus turned to her as though asking what she wanted she shrugged her shoulders and so Klaus relented, sending Rebekah and Stefan off to fetch whilst he and Charlotte returned to the warehouse where the coffins lay.