Chapter 22-24

When he hears a knock at the door Damon speeds over and answers it, revealing the beautiful Bennet.

"Glenda." He greets teasingly.

"Drac." She replies equally friendly as he laughs rolling his eyes.

"Wait here, I'll go wake the kids." He says then stops turning back to her.

"I'd be careful, there's a pissed off vampire around here." He says looking around.

"Other than you?" She jokes as he runs up the stairs.

Walking into Stefan's room without knocking Damon comes face to face with the adorable sight of his baby brother cuddled into his Ellie's neck, with her legs wrapped around him like a panda to bamboo.

So of course, he ruins it.

"Wake up!" He shout and Stefan sits up wide eyed with Elena still around him.

"Ooh, is the sexy dream starting?" Elena mumble looking up at Damon.

"No, sorry. Sabrina the Teenage Witch is downstairs. Might want to go save her from Enzo." He says as she jumps up and runs downstairs in Stefan's shirt and a long pair of socks.

Enzo is about to introduce himself to the witch when Elena comes barreling towards them.

"Bon Bon! I've missed you." She says into Bonnie's hair after pulling her into a tight hug.

"I missed you too, sweetie. But, we did see each other yesterday." She says amused as Elena pulls away.

"I know, I'm just sleep deprived. Feels a little like I'm high. It's great." Bonnie laughs and turns back to Enzo.

"Oh right, Bon this is Enzo the recently rescued and Enzo this is Bonnie Bennet, mega powerful witch with beautiful eyes." Elena introduces them, Bonnie smiles at the compliment.

"It's a pleasure, love." Enzo says as Bonnie nods and shakes his hand.

"Same." She replies and turns towards Elena, handing her a small pouch.

"One daylight ring, courtesy of grams." She says and Elena jumps and down.

"Thank you, Honey bee. My love for you is unparalleled." She says bringing her into another hug.

"Hmm hm. You know, I've heard you say that to both Caroline and Tyler before." Bonnie teases.

"Yes, but I only mean with you." Elena assures in a husky tone, making Bonnie laugh.

"Sure you do. I love you, Ellie." Bonnie says turning around and opening the front door.

Dropping her playfully sultry tone Elena giggles and yells,

"Awe! I love you too, honey!"

Elena turns back to Enzo and grabs his left hand.

"With this ring, do you, Lorenzo st. John take me, Sexy Doppelganger to be your new, weird friend." She ask and he laughs.

"I do." He tries to keep a straight face as she slides the ring on his ring finger.

"I now pronounce you, a day walker." She laughs as he brings her into a hug

"Thank you, Ellie." He says sincerely and she smiles.

"We had a deal. Now, what do you want to do?" She asks curious whether he's going to leave or not.

"I don't know if I want to stay here, but I dont exactly have anywhere to go."

"I have a friend. I called him earlier to see if he'd be willing to let you crash at his place for a while. He said sure. If you really don't want to be here I'll give you ride." Elena tells him.

"That's really nice, Ellie. But I don't want to put anyone out." He says.

"You're not. Slater's really cool and totally obsessed with me." He raise a brow confused.

"Let's just say, my existence has supernatural significance. He's a total nerd. Slater's spent his immortality, learning. More specifically, learning about vampire history. He'll probably want to know all about Augustine. But only if you want to tell him." She adds noticing the hesitant look on his face.

"Yeah, okay. But only for a little while." He responds and she smiles.

"Okay, let me go get my stuff and say bye to the boys." Elena runs up the stairs as Damon walks into the room.

"You don't have to do this, Enzo." Damon says with an exasperated sigh.

"What should I do, Damon? Stay here? Help you open the tomb so I can watch you live happily ever after with your love, knowing you killed mine? Let me be clear, the only reason your brother isn't dead is because I like Ellie a little more than I hate you." Enzo says then walks out the front door waiting for Elena.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive? You barely got any sleep. Why don't I drive? Better yet, why don't you just stay here and I'll take him." Stefan fuses over Elena as she puts her clothes back on.

"I'll be fine, mom. I've hit that 30 hour mark where I feel completely energized." Elena assures him.

"That's terrible idea. You could fall asleep at the wheel and die or Enzo could attack you and die or that Slater guy could attack you and-" Elena cuts him off with a teasing smile.

"Die? I'll be fine. Enzo's a good guy and Slater's way too lame to kill me. I promise to get a coffee and call you on the way back." She says placing her hands on his shoulders.

"No! Do not call me while driving." He stresses.

She laughs and kisses him on the cheek walking out of the room and down the stairs.

"Uh oh, are you gonna go all mother hen on me too?" Elena ask holding her hands up when Damon does a once over with his eyes.

"No. Well, not nearly as dramatic. Just please be careful and call me when you get there. And... never mind." He says turning around.

"I will. And I'll talk to Enzo. I promised he would forgive you, and he will. He just need time and fortunately, you have it in spades." She says turning him around and hugging him.

"I gotta go. Take care of Stefan for me." Elena says walking out of the door.

"Sorry I took so long. You ready?" Elena asks Enzo and he nods.

"Don't be. Stefan seems to really care for you." He says, very clearly imply something.

"Yeah. Me and Stef have gotten really close since they showed up." She says shrugging walking with him to her car.

"Damon also cares for you."

"Enzo, you're about as good at being subtle as I am at being unattractive. Out with it." Elena says with a raised brow.

"Are you in a relationship with Stefan?" He asks as she starts the car.

Elena laughs and looks over to him.

"No. I don't do that. I love the guy but only as a friend, friend I want to bone, but a friend." She says smiling at his confused face.

"Bone?" He asks

"Pounding it out? Making the beast with two backs? Hiding the bishop? Doing the nasty? Sex, Enzo. Sex." She laughs and he looks away.

"Right. Well if you want to "bone" him why aren't you in a relationship?" He asks amusing Elena with his use of bone.

"Because I also want to bone Damon and inability to feel romantic attraction plus hots for brother equals shitty relationship." She says driving out of the Salvatore's driveway.

"Makes sense, I guess. So how far away is you friend?" Enzo asks changing the subject.

"About two hours, but we have to stop at Target to get you some essentials."

"Target?" Enzo asks confused again.

"Heaven on earth. It has food, clothes, makeup, popcorn. They have popcorn, Enzo. It amazing."

"I believe you." He says amused.

"You're right. That was wonderful." Enzo says as they get back in the car after their trip to his new favorite place.

"I told you. Target is heaven on earth." Elena says handing him his icee and bag of popcorn.

"This is the place." Elena says as she pull up to Slater's apartment building.

"Before we go in do you want to go grab a bite while I call Damon? I'm sure Slater's gonna bombard you with questions so, this might be your only chance to get something fresh."

"Alright, I'll be right back." Enzo nods getting out of the care as Elena rolls down the window and yells.

"Remember, snatch, eat, erase!" She teases as he rolls his eyes with a smile.

"Damon Salvatore, how can I please you?" Damon flirts as soon as he answers the phone.

"Careful, Ocean Eyes. Thay voice is really getting me going." She teases.

"How was it? Oh, and I can't find my wallet, I'm sure that has nothing to do with you right?" Damon asks already knowing the answer.

"I have know idea what you're talking about, that good bye hug was completely innocent. And as for how is was, I did something bad." She says with a grimace.

"Yeah, you stole my wallet. Evil little pickpocket. I should have known when you caressed my ass." Damom mutters as Elena starts laughing uncontrollably.

"Why are you laughing like that? What did you do?" He ask as she continues her manic laughter.

"It's really bad, Day." She days calming a bit.

"Ellie, what did you do?" He asks.

"I may told Enzo that... Limp Bizkit is considered the greatest band of all time." Elena confesses.

"No you did not." Damon states incredulously.

"I did. I'm so sorry, it was right there. He ask what that song was and the words came out before I could stop then. You should have see his face, Ocean Eyes. I think he considered flipping the switch." Elena says throwing herself into another fit of laugher as Damon loses it.

"That might be worse then what I did to him" Damon says through a laugh

"I know. I bet it's gonna turn out terribly. I can't wait. Anyway, Enzo's back from feeding, I'm gonna take him up to Slater. Tell Stef I'll call him in little bit." She says

Damon's says okay and hangs up as Enzo approaches the car confused.

"Why do you have tears on your face?" He ask and Elena starts laughing again.

"Alright, that's the last of his stuff. Thank you for doing this Slater. I know you don't owe me anything." Elena says setting down the bags of Enzo's stuff.

"You kidding me? You gave ability to walk in the sun, I owe you for the rest my life." He says making Elena smile at him.

"You know, truthfully I'm still kind of shocked you're actually the doppelganger." He says looking her over.

"You couldn't handle it." She says simply as he blushes a deep red and stutters.

"What? No. I, uh. Wasn't."

"I'm messing with you." Elena says walking over to Enzo who's checking out the place.

"Nice right? Most vampires are living the good life." Elena says and Enzo laughs.

"After being in that cell, I'd take anything. But this is great." He finishes looking at her.

"Hey, I bought you this. It's kinda shitting though. It's all they had." She says handing him a package.

"Thank you, El. What is it?" He asks confused.

"Oh, right. Duh. It's a cell phone."

"Ah, yes. The doctors often spoke on these." He says reading the box.

"Speaking of, I almost forgot. I had Damon compel the doctor to forget what happened, but he will most certainly notice his missing captive." She says with a raised brow hoping he gets message.

"Why didn't you kill him?" He asks confused.

"Consider it a gift from me to you. If your talking suggestions, I'd recommend tying him up, bleeding him of vervain, then compelling him to run like the cops are after him. He'll be so paranoid you won't have to do anything. Or just you know, murder him. Dealer's choice." She shrugs making him laugh.

"I'll take it into consideration." He says

"Anyway, I thought you could call me. Update me on your life or whatever. The more gruesome the details the better. Slater has my number. I'll have him put me on speed dial." She says turning to Slater who nods and leaves the room.

"Just press this button and I'll answer." She says pointing to the keypad.

"Why are you doing this, Elena?" He asks and she glares at him.

"Ellie." He corrects with a smile.

"The phone? It's really no big deal. I stole Damon's wallet." She says patting her pocket.

"No. Not the phone or just the phone. Why are you helping me? From what you've told me we weren't close." He says as she laughs.

"I don't know. You're life has been one tragedy after another but you've stayed yourself through it all." She shrugs.

"I'm not as good as you think, Ellie." He shakes his head.

"I know that. But I don't really believe in good or bad. You could be a monster Enzo. You could hate everyone and everything and take your anger out on the world but you never have. And you never gave up. You're a survivor Lorenzo st. John. And I... admire you." She tells him honestly.

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Anything, my beautiful savior." He teases as she rolls her eyes.

"Forgive Damon."

"Not that." He say instantly.

"Here me out. Not for him. okay? For you. You need him. Not today or tomorrow, but, forgive him eventually." She says.

"I can't promise you anything, but I'll think about it. For you." He adds.

"That's all I'm asking. Well, I'm gonna head out. Unlike you I have school on Monday and a severely messed up sleep schedule." She says and he grabs her hand.

"Thank you, Ellie. For everything. I'll call you as soon as Slater teaches me to use this thing." He says lifting the phone in his hand.

"Anything for you, Zoey." She says

"Dont call me Zoey." He says shaking his head.

"Okay. Lori it is." She adds making him laugh.

"See you around, Enzo." She says walking out of the room.

"Special." He mutters with a smile.

Breathing heavy, Elena drops to the ground with a grunt after working out with Tyler.

"Okay, you get started. I'm just gonna take a quick nap." She says stretching out in the fallen leaves.

"No way. Not again. I'm not falling for it this time." Tyler shakes his head plopping down next to her.

"Last time you said "you get started" I did everything and you took all the credit." He says.

"Not my fault you fell for it." She says sitting up.

"Fine I'll help, but I want waffles." She says standing up and pulling him with her.

"Okay, deal." He nods then narrows his eyes.

"Hey. You asked me for my help not the other way around." He says as she laughs.

"Too late, Lockwood. I want whip cream on those waffles." She says turning around and looked up at the subject of their negotiation.

A few yards into the woods on the Lockwood estate stood a large tree house, the mayor's wife had built for her son and his friends years prior.

"This is a really cool idea El, but what made you think of doing this after all these years?" Tyler asks climbing up the ladder after Elena.

"This is Remy's first birthday without our parents, I want it to be special and to bring back good memories. With this whole council and Augustine thing, Rem's been really down about them. I want him to remember how much they loved him." She says looking around the tree house.

"That's a really good idea, El." He says putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course it is, I came up with it." She says with a smirk making him snortand shake his head.

"Alright, let's do this." Tyler says.

"Rem, wake up. I've got waffles!" Elena says knocking on her brother bedroom door.

"Good morning, brother mine. Your almost 15, do you feel any different?" She asks teasingly when he opens the door.

"The only thing I feel is the urge to slam this door in your face." He says groggily through a yawn.

"But then you wouldn't get these delicious waffles." She says holding the plate up to him.

"Yum- wait. Who made them?" He retracts his hands from the plate with a suspicious look.

"Ha ha. They're safe, Mrs. Lockwood made them. Or more specifically, Mrs. Lockwood's chief made them." She says as he grabs the plate.

"Mmm, so good." He means shoveling the waffles into his face.

"Slow down, Rem. They aren't going anywhere." She teases earning a middle finger.

"Alright, when your done take a shower and we can hit the road." Elena says sitting down next to him.

"where's your suitcase? I want to make sure you packed everything." she says raising brow when he looks to her wide eyed.

"Well, you see. The thing is... I haven't technically packed it yet." Jeremy says setting down his plate.

"Ugh! Rem, I told you to pack days ago. You can't wait last minute. What if something you wanted to wear is in the laundy?" Elena exclaims rummaging through his closet.

"I'm sorry, mom" He says teasingly making her turn to him wide eyed.

"Oh my god. I really did sound just like her." She says with a laugh making her brother smile.

"Go shower while I pack. Seriously, why did you wait so long?" She asks pulling his suitcase out.

"Because there is no reason to pack three days before you leave when you can do it day of. The bag still gets packed. What does it matter when?" Jeremy says taking some clothes out of his dresser as Elena turns to him looking him in the eye.

"You forgot."

"I forgot." He nods walking out of the room.

"Okay. So you've got your IDs, bathing suits, snacks, emergency money, sunscreen. What else? Am I forgetting anything?" Jenna asks helping pack Elena's car.

"No, you're good, Jen. We have everything we need." Elena says as Jeremy gets in the car.

"You're right. I'm just worried. Is this a bad idea? Should I be letting you two drive so far?" Jenna stresses herself out as Elena puts her hands on her shoulders, making Jenna look at her.

"Jen, stop freaking. We are only going for a night and we will call you at every stop we make. The drive is only a few hours and we are just going to get dinner then go straight back to the hotel. I promise everything will be okay." She assures her aunt.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know what I would do if something happened to either of you. I'll be fine. You two have fun. I love you." Jenna says calming down.

"We love you, too. If you find yourself stressing again, call my Care Bear. She's been texting me all morning. You guys can worry together." Elena says getting into the car after hugging her aunt.

"Wow, this is the place?" Jeremy says looking out the windshield as Elena pulls up to the hotel.

"Yep, nice right?" She says parking and turning off the car.

"Very. Thanks for doing this, Ellie." Jeremy says getting their bags out of the car.

"It's your fifteenth birthday, Rem. It's a big deal." She says as her brother smiles.

The next morning Elena woke up her brother with a speaker playing "Birthday Bitch."

"One time for the birthday bitch,

Two times for the birthday bitch,

Three times for the birthday bitch,

Fuck it up if it's your birthday, bitch"

"Ellie, what are you-" Jeremy tries to ask waking up.

"If you a bad bitch

And it's your birthday

G'on head and fuck it up in the worst way" Elena continues singing/yelling.

"El, I get it." Jeremy tells his sister amused at her dancing.

"You the birthday bitch

It's time to do some birthday shit

I wanna see that birthday cake" Jeremy throws his head back and laughs as Elena stops singing.

"Say it." She says with a smirk as he rolls his eyes.

"I don't wa-" she cuts him off.

"Say it."

Jeremy huffs.

"I'm the birthday bitch." He says quietly.

"And?" She asks with barely contained laughter.

"It's time to do some birthday shit." He finishes louder as she pulls him into a hug.

"Yes you are, baby brother. Happy Birthday!" She says as he smiles.

"Now, go get dressed. It is indeed time to do some birthday shit." She says as he walks away laughing.

Walking into the building Elena watches as her brother looks around amazed.

This was the real reason Elena insisted on driving so far to stay in a hotel for one night, she convinced her friend Rivera to open her art exhibit on Jeremy's birthday to surprise him.

"This is why we came here?" He asked his sister making her nod.

"Thank you, so much. This is amazing." He says still looking around with bright eyes.

"I'm glad you like it. Go look around I need to find someone." She pushes him away as he nods distracted.

"Yeah, okay."

Walking further into the gallery Elena spots the artist that manages to stun her with her beauty every time she sees her.

"Ellie!" Rivera exclaims walking over to her.

"I'm so glad your here. So many more people showed up then I thought would." She says bringing Elena into a hug.

"Of course they came, they'd be stupid not too. You're an amazing artist." Elena pulls away admiring the girls messing curls and paint stained hands that remind her of their first meeting.

Flashback

Walking into the occult shop she called days prior trying to find a copy of a rare foreign horror flick for the scooby gang movie night, Elena comes across something far more interesting.

A few feet from the entrance a beautiful girl sways to the music playing through her head phones with a paint brush in her hands, completely oblivious to the doppelgangers stare.

"Excuse me." Elena says tapping the girl on her shoulder making her turn around.

"Yes?" She asked, her breath hitching at the sight of Elena.

"I'm sorry. I completely forgot what i was gonna say." Elena says a little dazed looking into her eyes.

"Then, why don't you start with your name? I'm Rivera." She introduces herself holding out her non paint covered hand.

"Elena." She says gaining back her confidence.

"Well, Elena why is it you're here?" Rivera asks wiping the paint off her hand.

"I came for some movie, but it seems I found something better." Elena says in sultry tone making Rivera gulp.

End of Flashback

It wasn't long before Elena noticed the amused glint in the artist's eyes when talking about the grimoires found in the shop, making her realize the girl standing before her was in fact, a real witch.

"Thank you. But, i couldn't have done some of these without my beautiful model. Now, where is Jeremy?" Rivera asks with a smile.

"Somewhere around here. Come on, let's go find him." Elena saysgrabbing Rivera's hand.

"Rem, this is my friend and the artist, Rivera. Vera, this is Remy." Elena introduces the two.

"All of this is amazing. It's nice to meet you." Jeremy says gettingdistracted by the art.

"Thank you. And likewise. Ellie tells me you're an artist as well. If you ever want my Imput, you could send some sketches over." She says kindly making the boy's head snap to her.

"Wow, that would be great." He says with a big smile making the older girls smile back at him

"I'll let you get back to the exhibit, but I'd advise you not go over to that section, though." Rivera says in a hushed tone making Elena smirk knowing exactly what pieces she's talking about.

"What? Why?" He asks confused until noticing the look on his sisters fave making him blush red with a look of realization.

"Right. Okay." He mutters putting his head down walking away from the laughing pair.

"You were right, he is adorable." Rivera says when their laughs quiets.

"I know. He really loves your art. You out did yourself." Elena says turning to her friend.

"Thank you. I only wish Danny was here." She says looking at Jeremy with a sad smile thinking of her own brother.

"He's not coming?" Elena asks confused.

"You told him, didn't you?" She asks with a gentle tone.

"Yeah, I didn't want to keep secrets from him anymore." The artist says quietly making Elena's heart tighten.

"You should've seen his face, you would think i was turned into a vampire or something."

"I can't believe this. How many times were there for him when he tried to numb his own magic? And he can't handle you liking girls? Fucking pathetic." Elena exclaims with a scoff.

"It is what it is. I guess dad had a bigger influence then I realized." She shrugs with a hurt look on her faced.

"No, fuck that! And fuck him. If he can't appreciate how absolutely kick ass you are, then he doesn't deserve to be in your life." She rants making Rivera look at her with as fond smile.

"I wish I could fix this for you. Want me to beat him up?" Elena asks with a hopeful look making Rivera laugh and shake her head.

"No, that's okay. I just wish he was more like Jeremy. That kid seriously loves you."

"Sorry, Ver. But no one in the world is like my little brother." Elena looks over to him with a proud smile.

"That might have something to do with you. I mean, what older sister would drive all this way to take him to an art exhibit?"

"That was pretty great of me." Elena say teasingly making the witch laugh.

"But it wasn't entirely selfless, I did sneak out to see you last night." Elena says smirking, seeing the witch blush lightly.

Once Jeremy finished admiring all the the 15 year old appropriate art, he went to find his sister.

"Hey, Rem. How was it? You see enough?" Elena asks ruffling her brothers hair.

"It was amazing! You are so talented." Jeremy praises Rivera as she smiles.

"Thank you. What's your favorite piece?"

"The library one. No. The beach one. Wait. The one with Ellie and the flowers." He rambles making Elena laugh.

"That's my favorite too. Wait right here, I'll be one second." Rivera tells them walking away.

"Are you ready to go? Jen's been texting all morning. I think she misses us." Elena says.

"Yeah. This was, this was amazing, Ellie. You have no idea how much I enjoyed myself." He tells her honestly making her heart swell.

"Well, you gonna need to learn how to place your pieces when you have your own shows."

"I don't know. I just sketch, I've never done anything like these." He gestures to the wall.

"Maybe I'm biased, but I'd walk through an entire warehouse filled with your sketchs. You're crazy talented and this will be your life some day." She says as he brings her into a hug.

"Here." Rivera says holding up a rapped frame as they pull away from each other.

"You don't have to do this. I saw the number of bids." Jeremy say shaking his head.

"You kidding? Your sister was my muse for almost all of these pieces. Without her none of this would have been possible. So take it. Happy Birthday, kid." She says placing the painting in his hands making him take it to the car.

"Thank you, Vera." Elena says kissing her.

"If that's the payment, I can go grab some more." Rivera say after breaking the kiss making Elena laugh and kiss her again.

"It was good seeing you, Ver. If you ever need me, you have my number." Elena says as Rivera walks her out.

"You too, Ellie. I missed you." Parting from their goodbye kiss, Elena gets in the car driving away from the witch.

"What are we doing at Ty's?" Jeremy asks his sister confused when she pulls into the Lockwood's driveway.

"It's still your birthday, I've got one more surprise." She says with a sneaky smile.

Following behind Elena through the woods, Jeremy bumps into her when she stops.

Elena runs behind the tree that holds their treehouse and he hears grunting and a loud sound.

For a moment he thought his sister was starting a lawnmower, but that thought was quickly put aside when he sees the small lights wrapped around the tree shine brightly.

"What do think?" Elena asks her brother with her hands on her hips.

"What is this?" He asks confused.

"This is your real birthday surprise. Come on."

After climbing up the tree after his sister, Jeremy sees that the inside of the tree house is cleaned and set up with a air mattress and sleeping bags.

Looking around he sees the projector screen pulled down and his playstation set up infront.

"We haven't done this in forever, Ellie." He says looking to her with a smile.

"I know, I just thought it would be fun." She shrugs turning on the projector.

"Here. Sit down." Elena pats the spot next to her after handing him a bag of chips.

"Ellie, come meet your baby brother." Jeremy's eyes snap to the screen hearing his dads voice.

"Ellie, meet Jeremy. Jeremy meet your sister Elena." A tired Miranda Gilbert is shown on the screen hold a new born Jeremy in her arms.

"Remy." A very small and very adorable Elena says.

"What was that, honey?" Grayson asks his daughter.

"Remy. I'm gonna call him Remy." She states as Miranda places the baby in her small arms.

The screen goes black before another video starts playing.

"Come on, Jeremy. You can do it." An excited female voice says.

"Jeremy's about to take his first steps." Grayson turns the camera from his face to little Elena holding her brothers hands as he stands up.

"Come on, Rem. Walk towards me. You got this." She says scooting back as he takes his first step towards her.

The family cheers as Elena scoops him into her arms.

Another video starts.

"Today is Jeremy's tenth birthday and we are about to wake him up." Grayson says as Elena opens her brothers door.

Walking over to his bed Elena pops a confetti popper while blowing on small party horn, cause her brother to shoot up so fast he falls out of the bed.

"Happy Birthday!" She yells as he rubs his arm.

"Not cool, Ellie." He grumbles as she smiles.

Jeremy pauses the video and turns to his sister with a watery smile.

"What made you get these out?" He asks.

"I know how guilty you've felt about missing them and I just wanted to let you know it's okay." She says placing her hand on his arm.

"They were part of the council and dad tortured vampires. I shouldn't miss him." He said wiping away his fallen tears.

"You're allowed to miss him, Rem. And I'm so sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't. He wasn't a council member to you, he was your dad, who loved and took care of you." She says bringing him to a hug and rubbing his back.

"Thank you for doing this, El. I know how you feel about him." Jeremy pulls away and nods his head towards the still image of a smiling Grayson Gilbert.

"No, dont thank me. I do hate a lot of what he stood for, but he loved us. A lot. And he'd want you to be happy." She says.

"Ellie, what have you been preparing for?" He asks out of the blue surprising Elena.

"It's a pretty long story and I don't want to ruin your birthday. I'll tell you tomorrow. Okay?"

"Are you in danger?" He asks looking at the video of his parents.

"Hey, look at me." She says and he complies.

"I not going anywhere. Some shit is gonna go down, but I will always come back to you." She states definitively.

"You can't know that." He says in a tone that breaks her heart.

"I can and I do. Rem, I could be on the other side of the world, or the other side. Hell, even in a prison world and nothing could keep me from you. You are the most important person in my entire existence. If I have to haunt some witches or make a deal with Cade himself, I will come back to you. You mean everything to me. It's you, you should worry about. If anything ever happens to you I'll burn this whole town to the ground as the opening act." She finishes jokingly with tears in her eyes.

"Do you understand me?" She asks as he nods.

"Good. I love you, Remy."

"I love you too, Ellie. Thank you for this. Thank you for everything." He gestures to the screen.

"Yeah, what are big sisters for?" She jokes making him laugh.

On a seemingly unimportant night a certain raven haired Salvatore walks through a crowded Mystic Grill.

"What can I get you?" A bored voice with a undertone of caution asks when Damon reaches the bar.

"Bourbon." He says with a smirk taking a seat on a bar stool as the bartender nods and turns around.

"Alright, anything else?" The bartender asks setting his drink down.

"Well, Ben is it? I'd really like the location of Annabelle." Damon says nonchalantly sipping his drink, making Ben's heart race and eyes go wide.

"I- uh, don't- uh-" he stutters our before Damon interrupts.

"Listen, this is really simple. Either you take me to Anna or I rip out your heart." He shrugs, Ben stiffly nods and walks around the bar.

"What do you want with Anna?" He asks as Damon guides him out the back.

"Personally? Nothing. Now, stop talking. Your voice is really giving me the urge to remove your vocal cords." Damon says.

"This is the place?" Damon asks looking around the motel in slight disgust taking out his phone.

"Yes." Ben answers through clenched teeth.

"Hello." Stefan answers the phone.

"Hey, she's staying at the motel off main. Room 218." He says hanging up.

"Call Anna. Get her here." Damon demands impatiently.

"How'd you know?" Anna asks the Salvatore brothers and the doppelganger as she walks into the motel room.

"All of your questions will be answered once the bus boy leaves." Elena states commandingly surprising Anna.

"I'm a bartender." Ben says annoyed walking towards Elena.

"Impressive." She mocks making the Salvatores smile and Ben take a threatening step forward.

"Enough!" Anna yells pulling him back.

"Ben, leave. I'll fill you in later." She says making narrowing her eyes when Elena smirks.

"No, I should be here-" Elena interrupts.

"Isn't there a bar that needs kept? Begone." She shoos him causing him to roll his eyes and leave.

"Your parties always sucked by the way!" She yells as he slams the door.

"He's gone. How'd you know?" Anna asks impatiently making Elena raise a brow.

"Brave aren't we? I might buy it if you weren't nervously pacing, Annakin." Elena teases making Anna clench her jaw and huff.

"What? Not into Star Wars? I thought you'd like it. All nerdy and cute like." Elena leans forward.

"Or was that just your ploy to seduce my little brother." She asks some how managing to intimidate to much older vampire.

"How did you-" Anna asks Elena cautiously.

"Doesn't matter. What does matters is what's happening tomorrow. We're opening the tomb! Yay!" Elena cheers making the brothers laugh and Anna eyes go wide.

"Then why are you here? You don't need me." Anna says before realizing they have no reason to keep her alive.

"Well you see, dear Anna. I recently lost my mother. Very tragic. So murdering your mother along with the rest of the tomb vamps, and delaying your reunion indefinitely, might weigh a little too heavy on my nonexistent conscious." She shrugs.

"That's it? That's why you're here? Because you feel bad for me?" She asks suspiciously.

"Eh, more or less. But, I am a Petrova. We're very selfish. So I'm gonna need something from you in return." She smirks.

"Alright, boys. Welcome to my Batcave." Elena says lifting up the storage unit door and turning on the light.

"Holy shit, Ellie. What is all this?" Damon asks shocked looking around at all the weapons.

"Oh, you've found my toys. These are my favorite." Elena says picking up and spinning her twin karambits around her fingers.

"Can you really use all these?" Stefan asks picking up a crossbow.

"Hmm hm. I have been training since I was 8." She shrugs walking over to the cabinet at the back.

"Ellie, this might me the coolest thing about you." Damon says taking off the brass knuckles he put on.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, Ocean eyes." She winks turning back to the drawers.

"Ah ha! Found it." She says says turning around holding up Emily's talisman.

"El, why do you have all these freezers filled with blood bags?" Stefan asks making Damon walk over to him.

"I'm holding it for a friend." She shrugs, when they look at her with twin raised brows she rolls her eyes and continues,

"Relax, it's mine." She says simply.

"You understand that makes it SO much weirder, right?" Damon asks amused.

"To quote myself "some shit is going down." And I'll need my doppelblood when next season's big bad comes to town." She says smiling when they don't understand her reference.

Infront of the old Fell's church Elena flanked by the Salvatore brother greets the two Bennet witches.

"Bon Bon. Grams." She says hugging them.

"Have you got it, dear?" Grams asks Elena causing her to hold up Emily's talisman.

"Yep." She drops it into the older witches hands.

"Elena." Anna greets cautiously walking towards them.

"Annakin. Did you do what I asked?" Elena asks with a raised brow.

"Yes. Ben's dead and I vervained, tied up, and handed Noah over to the Salvatore's uncle or I guess, nephew." She's says holding up her phone displaying a picture of the bartender's corpse.

"Perfect! Thank you, Anna. I know it couldn't have been easy. You and Noah have been friends since 1864." She says with fake sincerity shaking her head, Anna just walks away making Elena smirk and turn to the brothers.

"That was little cruel, Ellie." Damon reprimands teasingly.

"She's was planning to let her mother slurp down Remy like a go-gurt. Forgive me for my insensitivity. She's getting her mother back. That's as far as my courtesy extends." Elena shrugs following the witches under the church.

"Grams, just so we're clear, you're not gonna keep the tomb sealed are you?" Elena asks making grams smile.

"No, I know what they mean to you." She says softly nodding her head towards the brothers.

"Those jokers? Nah, I just keep 'em around for the view." Elena jokes winking at them making Bonnie laugh quietly.

"Air. Earth. Fire." Sheila lights the torches.

"Water." Bonnie hands her the bottle.

"Hey, Stef go get the gasoline." Elena whispers to him, watching the witches in fascination, he nods and walks up the stairs.

The witches channel the talisman changing the ritual slightly.

"Incredible." Elena breaths out when the door opens.

"The seal is lifted. I promise." Shelia assures Elena when she grabs Damon's hand stopping him from entering.

"You guys ready?" Stefan asks holding the can of gasoline.

"Yep." Elena digs into the bag on her shoulder containing blood bags and tosses one to Anna making her look to her with confusion.

"I know about your little Gilbert blood thing. I'm normally into biting but your mom's not really my type. Well, actually she is, but this doesn't seem like the appropriate setting." She smirks as Anna's mouth drops.

"El." Stefan says nudging her ribs with a smile.

"What? She's a total MILF." She says to him making Damon snort and Stefan groan.

Walking into the tomb Elena hear ominous whispering and laughs.

"Creepy." She sings making Stefan laugh.

"Let's start at the back. I'm looking for someone." She says pulling a confused Stefan behind her.

"Who? I thought we just wanted Pearl."

"This guy named Harper. He's totally adorable and doesn't deserve to die. Not like the rest of these assholes." She says looking around at the desiccated vampires.

When Elena finds him she pulls out a blood bag and cuts it open putting it to his mouth, he immediately begins to drink it, his hands moving to bring it closer.

Stefan hands Elena the gas can and helps Harper stand.

Elena starts at the back pouring the gasoline on the ground walking backwards.

On the other side of the tomb Damon realizes Katherine's not there and starts yelling.

"She's not here!" Elena and Stefan hear him and make their way to him.

Damon is still yelling and punching the wall. Exhausted, he slids down the wallk with his head in his hands.

Elena nods for Stefan to take Harper out of the tomb and tosses him the bag with the blood bags.

"She's not here. She was never here, Ellie." He whispers when she kneels infront of him taking his face in her hands.

"It's okay. You're gonna be okay. But we gotta go." She kisses the top of his head lightly, pulling him to his feet.

"She's not here." He whispers one last time as Elena nudges him towards Stefan, turning back to tomb pouring more gas.

Elena lights the match and watches the fire spread throughout the tomb.

"Your mother wants to stay in town, Anna." Elena says making Anna turn to her surprised.

"And she can. No interference from me or the Salvatores, as long as you do something for me." She says making Anna roll her eyes and Pearl put down the blood bag.

"What would you like for us to do?" Pearl rasps out.

"I need you to give Katherine a message for me. I know you can find her, Annakin." She says.

"What do you want me to say?" She asks reluctantly.

Elena looks over to the brothers seeing Damon's heartbroken face.

"Tell her, game on." She says with a smirk reminding the duo of Katherine and walks away towards the Salvatores.

"Come on. Let's go home." Elena grabs both their hands walking with them towards her car.

Once they get to the boarding house Elena immediately walks over to the bar and pours three drinks.

Damon silently drops down onto the couch and takes the drink Elena offers him.

Stefan sits down on the other side of the couch and Elena sits in between them handing Stefan his drink.

"Damon, I know you're going through something, but this is the longest you've ever gone without talking." Elena says making him turn to her.

"She wasn't there, Ellie. What more is there to say?" He asks rhetorically in a quiet tone.

"I don't know what to do. Okay? How do I fix this?" She asks standing up and pacing, making Stefan smile at her concern for his brother.

"I don't either." Damom says with heavy emotion in his voice making Elena whimper.

"Look, the emotions thing doesn't really come easily to me, but the caring about you thing does." She says making him look to her with sad eyes.

"So, tell me what to do and I'll do it. You want to lay in the road together and eat a stranger? Done. Wanna party with some compelled Kappa Kappa Gammas? I'm there. Make fun of Stef's hero hair? Already doing it." She says making Stefan say,

"Hey." And run a hand through his hair with furrowed brows, she sends him an apologetic smile.

Damon smiles a little a grabs her hand gently pulling her to his lap.

"His hair is stupid." He mutters childish into her shoulder making her laugh and Stefan roll his eyes with a smile.

"I knew she wasn't there." Damon says after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Elena and Stefan look to him confused.

"I believed you, Ellie. Honestly I think I believed you from the start. I trusted you more in that cemetery when we first met then I ever trusted her." He scoffs as Elena pulls him to her tighter.

"I have an idea!" She exclaims pushing Damon off her and jumping up.

"What?" Stefan asks her amused.

"New York! Let's go this weekend. And it's Halloween. This is perfect!" She says getting excited bouncing a little.

"El, are you sure? What about your aunt Jenna-" Damon interrupts him.

"Yes. Let's do it. Let's go to New York." He agrees making Elena squeal and bring them both into a hug.

"Oh my god! This is gonna be so much fun! I'm gonna go call my Care bear, she'll find the best hotel and bars and everything." Elena says walking towards the door only for Damon to grab her arm and pull her to him.

"Ellie, it's 2 a.m. I'm sure she's asleep. Come on, let's go to bed." He says pulling her to the stairs.

"Why, Mr. Salvatore. What kinda woman do you take me for?" She asks in a southern belle accent making the brothers laugh.

"The kind that's gonna cuddle me 'cause I'm sad." He says teasing pout making her laugh as they walk up the stairs.