15. Stand By Me

"What?!" a shocked Brayden asked, standing in his room talking to Stefan on the phone, who just informed him that Jeremy was dead.

"It was Katherine" Stefan informed, "She must have been following them this whole time, when me and Fae went down the well we saw Elena holding Jeremy's dead body and crying.

"What about Silas and the cure?" Brayden asked, "What happened to them?".

Stefan sighed, "If there was anything in there at all, it's all gone".

"Wait, if Elena is with Jeremy's body, where's Bonnie in all this?" a confused Brayden asked.

"I have no idea" Stefan replied, "According to Elena, last night Jeremy had gone missing and Bonnie had gone to find him but she never came back, Brayden, Elena's in there waiting for the Gilbert ring to bring Jeremy back to life, but Jeremy was one of the five, a hunter".

"He isn't human, he's supernatural" Brayden realised, "The ring won't work on him anymore".

"Yeah" Stefan confirmed.

***

After returning from the island, Brayden and Caroline met up with Stefan and Fae at the Gilbert's house, Damon and Kaitlynn were still at the island looking for Bonnie, though the group was extremely angry with Bonnie and Elena, Jeremy's death shocked all of them, so for a brief second all of their anger was gone and filled with remorse but despite that deep down they all knew that this was karma for what they did to Kol but no one said it out loud, not yet anyways.

"How long has been like this?" Caroline asked, talking about Elena was refused to believe that Jeremy was dead, still wanting for the Gilbert ring to wake him up.

"From what we saw, since the very moment she saw his dead body" Fae replied.

"She hasn't said anything except she's waiting for him to wake up" Stefan added.

"Do I need to remind you all that he's not going to wake up?" Brayden asked, "Why is no one telling her this?".

"Look, deep down, I think she knows" Stefan replied, "But right now, I think her denial is protecting her from letting it all in".

"Denial doesn't help Stefan, it makes things worse" Brayden retorted.

"Brayden's right" Caroline said, "She can't stay like that forever".

"We know, but despite how angry we all are at her, we all can admit that neither one of us want to break the news of her brothers death to her" Fae said.

"You know, you can help her" Stefan told Brayden.

"Not happening" Brayden stated, knowing where his brother was taking this.

"How can Brayden help Elena?" a confused Fae asked her boyfriend.

"The sirebond" Caroline realised, "Brayden can use the sirebond to convince her that everything's okay".

"Like I said, that's not happening" Brayden repeated, "I'm sick and tired of this sirebond crap, I don't want to use, I won't use it especially not to bring Elena freaking Gilbert out of her denial phase".

"I'm not in denial".

The group of four turned and saw Elena standing in the entryway of the kitchen.

"I know that he was supernatural" Elena said, "But did you see that? His tattoo's gone, the tattoo had the spell that opened Silas's chamber, maybe it being gone means that he fulfilled his supernatural destiny, maybe he's back to normal, it's possible, right?".

"Elena" Caroline said.

"It's possible, Caroline" Elena snapped, "There's a chance, it may be miniscule, but it's hope, and I'm gonna hold onto that hope with everything that I've got because there is no way that--", Elena hesitated saying the next words, she then gathered herself and looked at Caroline, "There is absolutely no way that my brother is dead, I'm not in denial".

***

Brayden and Caroline stood on the Gilbert's porch.

"What would Katherine get by stealing the cure?" a confused Caroline asked.

"There's only one thing she wants, her freedom from Klaus" Brayden reminded, "She probably wants to bargain the cure in return for her freedom".

"I just can't believe after all that, the cure is just gone" Caroline said.

Brayden sighed, "After what she did to Kol, I can't help but think this karma, but even I can admit that staying a vampire without her family is hard, Elena won't survive it".

"We can't think about that right now" Caroline said, "We need to make plans, lists, we need a funeral or a cover story, or a funeral and a cover story, I should go tell my mom because she'll know what to do".

"Call Matt" Brayden suggested, "Maybe he can help Elena come out of her denial".

Caroline nodded her head, "You're right, I'll do that, I'll call Matt" she said, "And then I will go tell my mom, and then I will make a list or a casserole or, I don't know, whatever people are supposed to do or make in these situations", Caroline turned to leave when suddenly a smell hit her senses, "What's that smell?".

Brayden smelled the same thing Caroline did, he sighed and shook his head, "It's Jeremy's body" he whispered, "It's starting to decompose, Caroline tell Liz to get Dr. Fell over here, we're going to need a doctor".

***

Brayden stood on the Gilbert porch talking to Damon, "Did you guys find Bonnie?" he asked.

"No I'm still looking" Damon informed.

Brayden sighed, "Look, why don't you and Kaitlynn come here and I'll go to that island and look for Bonnie".

"And this change of heart has nothing to do with Stefan wanting you to use the sirebond to help Elena?" Damon asked.

"It has everything to do with that" Brayden stated, "Call me heartless, call me a monster, but I can't help but think this is karma for the genocide she committed, and while I'm suffering from Kol's death, I use the sirebond to ease her pain? How is that fair?".

Damon sighed, "Fine" he said, knowing his brother was right, "Me and Kaitlynn are on our way".

"Good" Brayden said, hanging up on his twin.

***

Brayden and Stefan stepped outside to talk to their brother, who was finally back from the island with both Kaitlynn and Bonnie, after his call with Brayden, Damon and Kaitlynn turned to leave the island when they finally came across Bonnie, who the whole ride back, kept telling the duo what Shane told her.

Currently, while the three brothers stood outside, Bonnie, Fae, Kaitlynn, Caroline and Elena sat at the Gilbert's dinning table.

"It's called an expression triangle, I need to complete it for Silas" Bonnie informed.

"Are you insane?" a shocked Fae asked, "Do you even realise how dark expression is? It will ruin you Bonnie".

"She's out of her mind" Damon informed his brothers, "The Nutty Professor's got her totally brainwashed".

"Bonnie, we are not killing twelve more people!" Kaitlynn snapped.

"I know it sounds crazy but it's the only way to get power" Bonnie defended.

"To do what?" a confused Caroline asked.

"I mean the whole flight back home, all she talked about was how she was the one who can drop the veil between this side and the other side" Damon revealed.

"Drop the veil?" a confused Brayden asked, "What does drop the veil mean?".

"What it means is the myth about Silas being able to raise the dead is not just one, or some" Damon replied, "It's every supernatural being over there".

"Once the veil is dopped, the other side doesn't exist anymore" Bonnie continued, "There's nothing separating us, we're all just one".

"Three massacres, three hot spots, and the witch spell of the century" Damon said, "Every supernatural being over there is back with a vengeance".

"Bonnie, you are talking like a crazy person, you are not killing twelve people" Caroline snapped, "And you sure as hell can't invite every monster who's ever died back into this world".

"I can do it" Bonnie argued, "I have the power, we can bring everyone back, Jeremy, Alaric, Vicki".

"You have lost your kind!" Fae yelled, "You will be unleashing hell on this earth Bonnie, you're not doing this, end of discussion!".

The argument was suddenly cut short when the phone started ringing.

"I'll get it" Elena said, speaking for the first time since Bonnie got here, as Elena walked over to the phone, the three brothers entered the Gilbert house again, "Hello".

"Elena? It's April Young, I was looking for Jeremy, his cell phone keeps going straight to voice mail".

"Jeremy can't come to the phone right now, he's not--", Elena hesitated for a moment, "I'm sorry, he's dead".

***

"Put his body on the couch" Elena instructed Damon, who on her insisting brought Jeremy downstairs, everyone except Fae and Bonnie were still present, Fae had gone to drop Bonnie home after having enough of her talks about Silas and veil.

"Elena" Caroline called out, seeing the doppelganger rummaging through her cupboards, "Elena, you need help finding something?".

"Got it" Elena informed, taking out a bottle of lighter fluid and spreading it all over the kitchen counter.

"What the hell are you doing?" a confused Brayden asked.

"We need a cover story, right?" Elena asked, tears slipping down her face, "You think I didn't hear you guys talking earlier? Well what we going to say? Animal attack? Tumble down the stairs? No, we burn the house down with him inside of it".

"Elena, stop it!" Stefan yelled.

"Why?" Elena yelled back, "Because you want me to not be in denial? You want me to face the truth? This is the truth Stefan, I don't want to live here anymore", Elena poured the lighter fluid over Jeremy's sketches, "I don't want these sketches", she kicked the Xbox, "I don't want this Xbox", Elena threw the empty bottle of lighter fluid on to the floor, she then opened a cupboard near the TV and pulled out a bottle of bourbon, "Not going to need this bourbon anymore, Alaric's not here to drink it, I mean unless you guys are willing to bring back every supernatural creature on the other side to get him back", Elena looked at Damon, "Would you? I know you want your drinking buddy back, would you Damon?", she then looked at Brayden, "How about you Brayden, wouldn't you want to bring Kol back? Huh? Because I wouldn't", Elena walked over to Jeremy's dead body and start spraying it with bourbon, "I don't know, I mean, does that make me a bad person? I--I have no idea", Elena took the Gilbert ring off of Jeremy's hand and threw it over to Brayden who easily caught it, "He's not going to need that anymore".

"Elena, stop it, you're scaring me!" Caroline yelled, as Elena poured bourbon over the family photos by the fireplace.

"What else are we supposed to do with the body, Caroline?!" Elena snapped, "I mean, there's no room in the Gilbert family plot", Elena threw the photo in her hand on to the ground, "Jenna and John took the last spots", Elena grabbed a match and lit it on fire.

"Elena, stop" Stefan pleaded.

"There's nothing here for me anymore, Stefan" Elena cried, "Every inch of this house is filled with memories of the people that I love that have died, my mom, my dad, Jeremy, and Jenna, and Alaric, John, even John, I mean, they're all dead, everyone is dead, so--what am I supposed--? I mean how am I--? I can't even--there's nothing left for me", suddenly the match burned Elena's hand causing her to hiss in hand and drop the match to the floor but before the fire could hit the ground, Brayden speeded over and caught the match in his hand.

"Elena, you have to calm down" Brayden said, looking at the hysterical doppelganger.

"No, no, no, I can't, I can't", Elena fell to the floor, sobbing her eyes out, "I can't, I can't, it hurts, it hurts, just make it stop, please make it stop, it hurts".

"Brayden" Kaitlynn called, gaining the middle Salvatore's attention, "You're the only one who can help her".

Brayden sighed, he looked at his girlfriend, who gave him a small nod, "Help her, Brayden" Caroline whispered, tears in her eyes.

Brayden looked down at sobbing Elena, he knew nothing he said was going to bring her comfort at this moment, there was only one thing that could truly help Elena.

Brayden kneeled infront of Elena, "I want to help you Elena, but you've got to let me" he said.

"How are you going to help me?" Elena whispered.

"The only way I know how to" Brayden whispered back, "You want the hurt to stop? Then you have to turn it off".

"What? No" a shocked Stefan said.

Brayden ignored his brother's protest, "Elena, turn it off and it will stop hurting, just turn the switch off, it's what I need you to do, turn it off Elena.

Elena stared at Brayden for a moment, then the group present there watched as she turned her humanity off and immediately the grief left her eyes, and was replaced with nothingness.

***

"It was a mistake" Stefan stated, as the three brothers talked outside on the porch.

"No it wasn't" Brayden snapped, "You wanted me to use the sirebond to help Elena and I did, by doing the one thing that will help her, you want your ex-girlfriend to survive Stefan? Then this is the only way in which she will".

"We'll help her, keep an eye on her" Damon assured a worried Stefan, "When she's ready, Bray will use the sirebond to bring her back".

"Her humanity guys, that was all she had left" Stefan snapped.

"What was she going to with this so called humanity of hers?" Brayden snapped back, "She has no one to care for anymore Stefan, jack shit is her humanity going to do for, instead it's just going to make things worse".

Stefan sighed, "She had you" he reminded, "She loves you, or at least she thinks she does".

"But I'm not hers" Brayden retorted, "She knows that I will never love her, even if her feelings for me are real, it's just not possible for me to love her, and Stefan, Elena lost her brother, no one will be enough to fill in that void, think what you would go through if you lost Damon and me and then ask yourself will Fae be able to fill our void in your heart?".

Stefan thought about Brayden's question for a moment, "No" he finally whispered, realising Brayden was right, "Fae wouldn't be able to fill in that void".

"Exactly" Brayden said.

***

The three brothers entered the Gilbert house again, where Caroline and Kaitlynn were still in.

"We tried talking to her, but she won't listen" Kaitlynn informed, pointing to an emotionless Elena who had a lit match stick in her hand.

"Elena, don't do this" Damon said, "We can find another cover story".

Elena shook her head, "This is the best one" she said, "No one will ask questions".

"If you burn down the house, it will be gone" Stefan reminded, "What if one day, when this is all over, you want to come home again?".

Elena stared at the match stick in her hand, she then looked at Stefan, "I won't" she assured, letting the match stick drop to the ground and fire to engulf the Gilbert house.

Elena opened her front door and stepped out of her house, Brayden, Caroline, Damon, Kaitlynn and Stefan right behind her, with Damon and Brayden holding the hands of their respective girls, as they walked away, the Gilbert house burned to the ground behind them.

***

Presenting 4x15 of They Don't Know About Us!

How was the chapter?

Thoughts on Stefan telling Brayden about Jeremy's death?

Thoughts on Brayden not wanting to use the sirebond to help Elena?

Thoughts on Brayden eventually ending up using the sirebond to tell Elena to turn her humanity off?

Thoughts on Elena burning her house down?