Charlotte DiLaurentis

"I know you won't believe me, but I love all of my dolls. That's why you're still alive."

- CeCe to the Liars in Game Over, Charles

Charlotte DiLaurentis (formerly known as Charles DiLaurentis; alias CeCe Drake) is a character on Pretty Little Liars, first introduced in Season 3. She is portrayed by Vanessa Ray.

The best friend, mentor and older sister of Alison DiLaurentis, CeCe moved back to Rosewood two years after her disappearance. She was revealed to have dressed up as Red Coat in order to help Alison out in Ravenswood.

After killing Darren Wilden she fled to France, but later returned to Rosewood during Christmas time. She made an appearance as the main antagonist in Game Over, Charles and was revealed to be "A" and a transgender Charles DiLaurentis who hired Sara Harvey.

Biography


Charlotte DiLaurentis was born as Charles DiLaurentis and assigned male at birth. Charles lived with her father, mother, sister Allison, and brother Jason until she was 5 years old. One day her mother was playing in the garden with Jason and Allison was crying in her crib. She told Allison she would get help and tapped on the window for her mom to hear and come help but she didn't as she was talking to a neighbor in the yard. Charles then took it upon herself to make Allison feel better. She told her she would run her a bath as that always made Charles feel better. Charles took baby Allison to the tub and dropped her in. Charles didn't know what to do as Allison started to drown. Mr. DiLaurentis ran in and saw Alilison in the tub and freaked out on Charles as he thought Charles was trying to intentionally hurt Allison. According to Charlotte, as a child she always asked her mother to buy her dresses but her dad wouldn't let Jessica. Charlotte surmises that her dad sent her to Radley because of her insistence that she was a girl and not a boy and that he knew that the bathtub incident was an accident but he just used it as an excuse to send her away.

Mr. DiLaurentis and Jessica decided to send Charles away to Radley Sanitarium. In Radley, Jessica would visit Charles regularly. Jessica bought Allison a yellow dress for Christmas when Charles was 12 years old. After that for every outfit she bought for Allison she would buy the same one for Charles. Later Charles was on the roof of Radley with her best friend Bethany Young. Charles had the yellow dress on and a scarf and was twirling around and then sat beside Bethany they sat on the ledge of the roof talking. Charles says that she wishes we could find a way out of here. Bethany says that getting out is easy. And that the hard part is staying gone. Charles says that they need to come up with a really great story that is fabulous and devastating at the same time. Suddenly, Mrs. Cavanaugh came on the roof and Charles went to go hide behind a power box so Mrs. Cavanaugh wouldn't see her as a girl. Mrs. Cavanaugh went up to Bethany near the ledge and Bethany pushed her off the roof. Charles ran over to Bethany and asked her why did she do that. Bethany then said that Charles did it. Everyone believed that Charles pushed Mrs. Cavanaugh because he was the boy in the dress. Jessica paid off Darren Wilden to make sure Mrs. Cavanaughs death was ruled a suicide.

Later, Charles was diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder (IED). Though this was because everyone still thought she pushed Mrs. Cavanuagh. Bethany was the one with IED. For the next 2 years, Charles was medicated with tranquilizers. One day Charles almost drown in her own drool. According to Charlotte, she was let out of Radley for a funeral because they felt bad that she almost drowned. The funeral was for Charles. Jessica and Charlotte burried "Charles" in the grave at aunt Carol's and then Jessica finally accepted her daughter and called her Charlotte. Charlotte then thought she would be able to go home to her family but Jessica took her back to Radley.

After Bethany lied about Mrs. Cavanaugh, Charlotte couldn't trust anyone. She needed to get out of Radley so she found a way. She dedicated herself to math which kind of made her feel like she wasn't locked up. Jessica then came to visit her and told her that the Board of Directors of Radley has given her permission to attend classes at the University of Pennsylvania.

Charlotte thought going to school would be fun but it was easy for her as she already knew what she was being taught. One day she called in a bomb threat to cancel classes. She used the opportunity to go to Rosewood High for yearbook picture day. There she met Jason. He didn't recognize her and just thought she was beautiful. She told him she didn't go there but that she wanted to get her picture taken as she would be the hottest girl in the yearbook. She then told him her name was CeCe Drake.

In her confessional to Allison, Charlotte says that she did date Jason but that she didn't have sex with him because he is her brother. She said that Jason was mad all the time because CeCe wouldn't have sex with him. She said who could blame him because she's gorgeous.

Jessica didn't know that CeCe Drake and Charlotte were the same person until Allison and her family were leaving for Cape May. Before Allison arrived, Charlotte admitted that she wasn't attending classes and that she was running around Rosewood with Allison and Jason. Jessica told Charlotte that Mrs. DiLaurentis thinks Charles is dead. Charlotte believed that the grave was for her new beginning but in actuality Jessica used it for her own purposes: to lie to Mrs. DiLaurentis that Charles was dead. Jessica says that she lied so that Charlotte could finally be herself and that Kenneth would of never allowed his son to be a girl. Kenneth then shows up and doesn't recognize her as Charles. Charlotte then decided to leave them alone but forgot that she was supposed to go to Cape May as Kenneth reminded her. She then turns around and goes to Cape May with her family.

That summer in Cape May, Charlotte planned on telling Allison that she was really her sibling. Though Bethany ruined everything according to Charlotte and found out that Jessica was having an affair with Bethany's dad. Bethany stole Charlotte's clothes and pretended to be her to leave Radley, as Charlotte was allowed to leave to attend classes. Charlotte went to the DiLaurentis house and saw a girl dressed in her clothes and thought it was Bethany going to hurt her mom. She hit her on the head from behind with a rock and Jessica screamed through the window. Charlotte hit Allison thinking it was Bethany. Jessica then proceeded to bury Allison thinking she was dead while Charlotte sat against a tree crying saying that she thought it was Bethany. Mona actually hit Bethany as she was trying to kill Allison but Bethany was in Charlotte clothes which were the same as Ali's.

Jessica paid off Darren Wilden AGAIN but this time to take Charlotte back to Radley and say that he didn't find her in Rosewood, just on the side of the road outside near Radley. Charlotte thought that eventually Jessica would forgive her but that it never occurred to her that Jessica never would completely.

When Charlotte got back to Radley, her leaving privileges were taken away. Charlotte was alone again. Then Charlotte met Mona. Mona was so high on the drugs that she was being given that she thought Charlotte was Allison. Charlotte told Mona that she would keep getting better if she kept taking her meds. Charlotte had Mona tell her everything about the liars.

Later, the doctors starting weening Mona off her meds and Charlotte had to stop visiting Mona as Mona would realize she wasn't Allison if she kept seeing her. Charlotte knew she could never trust Mona as Mona ran over her true friend, Hanna, with a car. Just before Charlotte stopped seeing Mona she told her that if she helped her get out of Radley she would play the 'A' game with her. Once Charlotte got out she purposely met Aria, Spencer, and Emily at the Brew. She told them she was friends with Ali and her name is CeCe Drake. Charlotte hated the liars because Mona told her that the liars were happy Allison was gone. That made Charlotte mad as the liars were supposed to be her friends.

Charlotte then started seeing a blonde girl in a redcoat following the liars. She thought it couldn't of been Ali as she saw her mom bury Ali. But she knew that if it was Ali was alive she would show up if the liars were in trouble. The night of the plane crash, Charlotte sent a decoy to distract the liars. The decoy was Sara Harvey, in a red coat. Sara was supposed to keep Mona busy while Charlotte trapped the liars. But then Shauna showed up and the plan went array. Charlotte then saw Mona talking to Spencer, Hannah, Emily, and Aria asking if they saw Ali. Mona said that Ali pulled them all out of the fire and Hannah said that Mona was hallucinating. Charlotte then knew that Ali was alive.

Charlotte went to France after the liars thought they killed 'A' (Shauna) in New York. Charlotte was intending on ending the 'A' game. But she returned because the 'A' game was like a drug to her. And Charlotte was good at the game. It made her feel great to succeed at something. Charlotte then attacked Allison in her home to make the liars know the 'A' game was back on. Charlotte then captured the girls and put them in the doll house. Charlotte said that she would never kill any of the liars as they were her dolls and she loved them.

Charlotte killed Wilden because he found out Alison was alive. Wilden would of never let Ali come back and tell her story. So she killed him. She sent Sara Harvey to the church during the funeral as The Black Widow to confirm Wilden was dead.

Before Charlotte said goodbye to Allison in New York, she snuck home to say goodbye to their mom. When Charlotte arrived, she was dead. Charlotte believed her mom was the only person who truly loved her. In Game Over, Charles, Sara Harvey sets a bomb to detonate inside of Radley as part of Charlotte plan to kill her and Ali. The liars see Sara setting the bomb and she tells them to get out of there. But Spencer disables the bomb just as Charlotte presses the detonation device while Allison is begging her not to. Charlotte then runs on to the roof and gets on the ledge about to jump and commit suicide. The liars run to the roof and beg her not to as Ali begs her sister to not jump. Charlotte jumps down from the ledge onto the roof and lowers her hood and then says "game over".

Series
A Reunion
 * -|Pretty Dirty Secrets=

CeCe and Jason talk. She says she was worried about him and she gets why he thought she had help Alison run away, before they knew she was dead. CeCe also said she has her reasons for dumping him and that she'd rather not tell him why. Jason then blames her for Ali being the way she was, CeCe tells him he isn't innocent either cause of his N.A.T. Club and that wasn't such a wonderful example for his sister. When Jason leaves she tells him there's a liquor store next door and that he should grab a drink. Once he leaves, she is clearly upset with him.

Crazy
 * -|Season 3=

Aria, Spencer, and Emily hear CeCe use a quote Alison would always say. CeCe overhears them and approaches them. She introduces herself as one of Alison's friends and said Alison told her about all of them. After leaving, the Liars note how alike Alison and CeCe are and debate whether it was CeCe that looks and acts like Alison or vice versa.

When Emily and Nate were looking for something he wanted to get Jenna for her birthday, CeCe could tell Emily didn't like it and assumed she had feelings for Nate. Thus, she steals Jenna's number from Emily's cell phone, and calls Jenna saying she was Nate's girlfriend, and wanted Jenna to back off. Emily is surprised, but CeCe thinks she is grateful.

The Kahn Game

CeCe tells Spencer she knows a guy who can help her get into the college she wants because she is an alum of UPenn. After Aria and Spencer ride with CeCe to the party, CeCe plays a round of Truth with Eric Kahn, Noel's older brother. She promises Spencer that she will give her college application to the admissions counselor, but at first it is unclear what she did with it. Spencer suspects that CeCe in fact did not come to the party to give the application to "Steve", but in fact, made him up, so she could hook up with Eric. Later, Spencer receives an email from the college acknowledging receipt of her application, thus confirming that CeCe did, in fact, give it to the guy.

Single Fright Female

CeCe is seen posting something at the front of the school when Spencer asks her what she's doing. CeCe tells her she's trying to spread the word about a fashion show. In a flashback, CeCe and Alison talk in her car, and Alison tells her about how she'd set up Paige by writing her a love letter, pretending to be Emily. CeCe says she's proud of her. When Paige appears for the setup, Alison confronts her and threatens to tell her father, who is the deacon at the church. Paige screams at Alison to give her the note back, but Alison says that she owns her now. CeCe gleefully speeds away from the scene with Alison.

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno

When Emily finds Alison's old biology notebook, she discovers a photo of Alison and CeCe in Cape May. Emily later goes to CeCe and asks her who "Beach Hottie" is, but CeCe says she doesn't know. When Emily asks if Jason knew, she says if he did he would've done something to the guy for talking to Ali. When Emily ask why, we flashback to a night when CeCe was hanging out at a crab shack and spots Alison, she tells her that she is 2 weeks late and scared she is pregnant because she didn't use protection every time. When CeCe asks her if she told 'him,' Ali says she can't because he would kill her. CeCe then tells Emily that she isn't a doctor, but Ali thought she was pregnant.

What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted

CeCe is at the Brew when Emily spots her and starts asking questions about "Beach Hottie," She leaves, stating that she doesn't have time to answer questions since she has to get pictures for her store's website. She winds up calling Aria, to ask if she could help with the photos, since the first photographer she hired was unprofessional. CeCe later leaves Aria and Wesley alone to go get some dinner and never returns. She calls to tell them her car got towed, but she is lying because she is sitting in her car while making that phone call. Only minutes prior, Jason and Emily were involved in an elevator accident - an act of deliberate sabotage.

In this same episode, Jason relays a flashback to Emily of the night Ali died. He recalled seeing 'Alison' arguing with Melissa near his house, but when he called her name, it was CeCe dressed as Alison.

Hot Water

Hanna sees Wilden put CeCe in his car. He is beyond perturbed that CeCe would go around telling anyone that he slept with an underage girl and got her pregnant. Later, Emily goes to visit CeCe at her apartment and realizes that she is packing. CeCe reveals that Melissa took the photos of Alison, herself, Wilden on that boat and that she is leaving Rosewood. Fueling the CeCe is Red Coat rumors, a red garment is visible in CeCe's suitcase while it lies open on the sofa.

I'm Your Puppet

Spencer finds out CeCe had a visitor pass to Radley signed by Wren, and she was visiting Mona while she was there. According to Wren, he got into a lot of trouble for allowing her a pass at a time when Mona wasn't supposed to have visitors. But he let CeCe see Mona because she was desperate to see her. CeCe also was traumatized by Alison. She apparently got CeCe thrown out of college. CeCe wanted to act as a mentor for Mona. Apparently, it was Melissa who called CeCe to tell her that Mona was in Radley. But why?

A DAngerous GAme

She appears only in photo from when Hanna is showing Malcolm pictures of people who are suspects of taking him to the carnival but he says it wasn't her.

'A' is for A-l-i-v-e
 * -|Season 4=

Mona admits to seeing CeCe while being locked up in Radley, but she doesn't remember what they talked about because it was before they changed her medication. At the time due to the medication, she believed she was talking to Alison, not CeCe,

Crash and Burn, Girl!

CeCe does not make an appearance, however when Toby and Caleb go to investigate Red Coat's flight plan, they question Nigel Wright a second time, he reluctantly reveals that he was paid to set up an anonymous private flight for CeCe to The Lodge at Thornhill on the night of the fire in "A DAngerous GAme."

Into the Deep

CeCe again doesn't make an appearance, however at the hospital, after someone attacks Jenna Marshall, Shana tells Spencer that Jenna is afraid of CeCe Drake.

The Mirror Has Three Faces

After Caleb finds CeCe's address from an old cable bill, Aria goes there and talks to CeCe's old roommate. She reveals that Alison got CeCe kicked out of college after she pushed a girl down the steps at a frat party in "The Badass Seed."

Jessica DiLaurentis has a flashback of a time when she received a phone call from Radley Sanitarium saying Alison had checked in. When she got there it was CeCe dressed as Alison. Jessica tells Spencer and Hanna that CeCe and Alison's friendship was obsessive, toxic, and that they 'wore' each other's personalities. They realize that the "Alison" Masks that Alison purchased weren't for them, she probably had them made for CeCe.

Bring Down the Hoe

CeCe Drake is seen in an apartment filled with pictures of Alison and the liars, dating all the way back from Halloween 2008. She is seen speaking to someone, saying that she needs them in an urgent tone. The red trench coat is seen sitting on her chair. Red Coat is seen at the dance, and is in a pile of hay, but when Spencer and Emily dig through, all thats left is a red coat. Aria goes to Ezra's apartment, and a blonde in a black hoodie is shown spying on them through the door. This person is CeCe. While It's shown that CeCe has the red coat in her possession, it is shown she is only an A-Team Member, not Red Coat. Why she has the red coat remains unanswered.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't

A sketch of a blonde woman resembling CeCe is shown and wanted for questioning in the murder of detective Wilden, which is later, reported on the news. At this point the Liars are convinced that CeCe did indeed murder him. As the girls realize that there are in fact two Red Coats while saving Emily in Ravenswood, Spencer chases after one while Aria chases after the other.

During a brief struggle in which her Alison mask is kicked off by Aria, CeCe is revealed to be one of the Red Coats, and was at the time presumed to be the evil one that had been working against the Liars. During the struggle, CeCe attempts to escape by grabbing onto a rope, only for it to snap. Aria tries to pull CeCe up as she pleads for Aria to help her, however she proves too heavy for Aria as her sleeve rips and she falls to the ground. As the Liars gather together they are unsure if CeCe is dead or not. While the Liars are contemplating calling the police CeCe’s hand is seen twitching, and when the Liars turn around CeCe has seemingly disappeared, whether she got up or was dragged away is unknown.

In Season 5 Premiere it is revealed that on the day CeCe was fighting with Aria, dressed in the red coat and the Alison mask, she hadn't been trying to harm the liars at all, she was helping Alison to save Emily's life. The two 'Redcoats' were Alison and CeCe, and the girls' assumptions that one of them was good and the other evil - was wrong. Alison and CeCe were working together to help the girls.

Love ShAck, Baby

According to Travis, CeCe was lasted spotted in Maryland on the run from the authorities. It was revealed that she make huge money deposits before Wilden died.

She's Come Undone

It is revealed that CeCe witnessed a fight between Spencer Hastings and Alison DiLaurentis the night of Ali's disappearance. Also, Jessica DiLaurentis payed CeCe to be quiet about it.

A is for Answers

CeCe is arrested by the Rosewood Police. She tells Gabriel Holbrook she knows who killed the girl who is in Alison's grave, and that person is after Alison. She also mentions she knows Alison DiLaurentis is alive, and that they've seen each other many times. She is later seen being taken away and exchanging looks with Jessica DiLaurentis.

EscApe From New York
 * -|Season 5=

CeCe manages to escape police custody and makes her way to New York to find Alison. Alison asks CeCe how she found her, and Cece tells her "we don't just look alike, we think alike too". After helping Alison in Ravenswood, Cece now needs Alison's help.

At a diner with Noel, Alison gives CeCe her passport and plane ticket, and the close friends say goodbye.

Having donned a wig and sunglasses, CeCe arrives at the airport with a one-way ticket to Paris, under the alias of Vivian Darkbloom.

How the 'A' Stole Christmas

Someone dressed in a white coat and hood stands in the crowd as Alison makes her grand entrance at the Masquerade Ice Ball, and watches as Spencer and Hanna leave the Ball.

In the Winter Wonderland Maze, the person dressed in the white coat meets up with Alison, and reveals herself to be Cece Drake, “Merry Christmas, Ali”.

Cece hands Alison a present, and after Alison finds a perfume named ‘Alison’, Alison questions Cece, and Cece tells her that there’s a shop in Le Marais that helps you make your own fragrance. Going on, Cece explains that it’s a tiny store, but she spent the entire day there, “the owner gets you talking, and the next thing you know he’s created a scent that’s perfect for the person you’re telling him about”. Alison thanks Cece, and not just for the perfume, for coming to see her. Cece tells her that when you lose someone, the first Christmas is always the hardest. When Alison says she thinks her mom is still looking out for her, Cece says that she’s sure Jessica is. Alison mentions that she had a dream about her mom the other night, she came to warn Alison about Mona, and Cece assures Alison that Mona can’t hurt her anymore, “you know that”. Alison doesn’t look so assured, and Cece tells her that she can’t let her guard down, “your ex-friends are here tonight, and I don’t think they came to say Merry Christmas”.

Trivia

 * Charlotte is a transgender woman, and was born as Charles DiLaurentis.
 * After her transition she went by the name CeCe Drake so that no one would know her true identity.
 * Charlotte was admitted to Radley Sanitarium by her parents when she was Charles DiLaurentis when she was seven or eight. At the age of 16 Jessica helped her to transition into a woman, and faked Charles's death.
 * While she was still Charles, she befriended Bethany Young. However, Bethany betrayed Charles and killed Marion and blamed Charles. She was then incorrectly diagnosed with IED (intermittent explosive disorder), but it was really Bethany that had IED.
 * However, she was re-admitted to Radley under the name Charlotte DiLaurentis.
 * She knew Mona during her time in Radley, and picked the game up from Mona during that time. Mona told her everything about the girls, but only because she thought she was talking to Alison due to the medication her doctors had prescribed her.
 * Here are the things she did as A. Source
 * Put a snake in Spencer's dressing room in "Single Fright Female".
 * Drove a car in the Fields' House.
 * Put Emily in a coffin and placed her in on sawmill conveyor belt.
 * Blew up Toby's House.
 * Left a message in Hanna's teeth
 * Put finger bones in Spencer's wedding dress for her mom's bridal show.
 * Kidnapped Mona and faked her death.
 * The body in the barrel was a cadaver she stole from a medical school.
 * Charlotte caused the elevator incident that nearly killed Jason in "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted".Source


 * Charlotte got kicked out of UPenn because of that stunt Alison pulled at the frat party in "The Badass Seed".
 * She may have been the reason why Spencer didn't get into UPenn as revenge for her expulsion.
 * She is seen eavesdropping on Ezra and Aria's conversation at the end of "Bring Down the Hoe".
 * In "Into the Deep", Shana reveals that Charlotte is the one Jenna fears. CeCe herself gave Jenna an intense look in "The Kahn Game". Jenna could fear CeCe Drake because of the phone call that CeCe made threatening to "rip her eyes out".
 * It's revealed that Charolotte was the one who hit Jenna on the head and left her in a lake.Source


 * Charlotte and Alison were very close friends, and bonded quickly. However, it was pointed out by multiple people that Charlotte was a bad influence on Alison. It was also pointed out how similar they were/are.
 * Jason didn't approve of their relationship, he thought that "CeCe" was a terrible influence on Alison.
 * In "The Mirror Has Three Faces", Jessica DiLaurentis revealed that Charlotte and Alison 'wore' each other's personalities.
 * A doctor at Radley described there relationship as "toxic".
 * Alison and Charlotte were extremely close friends, and had a big sister/little sister bond. Charlotte was a mentor figure for Alison.
 * While under the name of CeCe, the two went to Cape May together. During there time there, Alison had a pregnancy scare. She confided in CeCe, and told her about the beach hottie and board shorts. CeCe then helped her. ***Charlotte also helped her bully/blackmail Paige.
 * When Charlotte was friends with Alison, she dressed up as her sister and admitted herself to Radley under the name Alison DiLaurentis. However, she was released when it was revealed to be a prank.
 * She briefly dated Jason. (her brother), but only to get to close to and know her family. It was revealed that they were not in a sexual relationship.
 * An important clue that fans have pointed out was that CeCe told Aria in "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted" she owed her one and later in the episode "A" is spinning around a liquor bottle to see which liar it lands on. It lands on Aria but the other "A" readjusts the bottle to land on Spencer.
 * She seemed to be wearing Ali's yellow top, on the night when Ali disappeared when talking to Melissa Hastings, but it was revealed that it was really Bethany that Jason saw, not CeCe/Charlotte.
 * Also during that night, Bethany stole Charlotte's clothes and dressed exactly like Alison did. CeCe was outraged, and snuck out with her, and when she reached the DiLaurentis's household she saw a blonde girl in a yellow top. Thinking it was Bethany, she hit Alison over the head. When she learned that is wasn't Bethany but Ali, she was crushed and thought that she had killed her sister.
 * When the Liars found Ezra's lair, they found that he had made a money transaction into Charlotte/CeCe's account.
 * In "Love ShAck, Baby", it is revealed that the police believe Charlotte was paid to kill Detective Wilden.
 * In "EscApe From New York," CeCe clears the TSA checkpoint disguised as Vivian Darkbloom with a plane ticket to Paris, France.
 * However, it was revealed that she never really left as she was "addicted to the game", and loved being A so she stayed behind.