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(I made a gif for this chapter, but of course Wattpad won't let me upload it because it's too big. If you copy and paste that link into a search engine it should take you right to it) (I just remembered you can't copy and paste on here so the only thing I could really do is put the short link in. You'll have to type it into the search bar exactly like you see it. Sorry for all the confusion!)

Klaus sat on the porch swing of the Gilbert house waiting for Caroline to arrive. It was early morning and Audrey was still asleep on the couch. Caroline's car pulled up quickly and she exited it in a rush meeting Klaus on the porch.

"What's going on? Is Audrey okay? Did Elena call?" She questioned in a panic.

"Caroline stop, sit down," Klaus stated calmly. Caroline shut her mouth and sat down beside him. "Damon called me last night, apparently Katherine was following them and fed Jeremy to Silas, killing him," Caroline's eyes widened with shock. "I haven't told Audrey, but they're on their way here and I don't know what to do." Klaus explained glancing through the front room window at his sleeping soulmate.

"Oh my god," Caroline gasped, tears welled up in her eyes as she covered her mouth from shock.

"This is going to kill her," Klaus said softly. Caroline nodded as more tears fell down her face.

"Jeremy was the only family she had left. Her and Elena have been growing estranged ever since Elena turned her back on Audrey when it was revealed you two were soulmates. Jeremy was the glue keeping them together and now that he's gone everything's going to fall apart," Caroline explained.

"Do we tell her-?" Klaus began.

"No, she has to see for herself. All we can do is be there for her," Caroline said cutting him off. "When she lost her parents, John, and Jenna she still had Jeremy. They had always been close but their parents dying brought them together even more. Audrey swore to herself that she would always protect him no matter what and that he would always be safe, happy, and healthy. This will break her." Klaus looked down with despair. Losing his little brother hurt like hell but he could handle the pain because all he had ever known was pain. Audrey was different, she was innocent. This would be the last straw. Caroline wiped away her tears and stood up. "Come on, the least we can do is make some breakfast for her." Klaus nodded and stood up to follow her into the house. They made sure to move quietly so that Audrey wouldn't wake up but Klaus stopped when he saw a picture frame hanging on the wall. It was Audrey and Jeremy when they were children. She had her arm wrapped around his neck bringing him in close, looking at him with a soft teasing smile while he was laughing, trying to get out of her hold on him. Klaus smiled as a memory of him and Elijah at that age came to mind.

-

Audrey woke up as the smell of bacon wafted through the room. She stretched her arms out and sat up slowly looking around with confusion. Was Klaus making her breakfast? She yawned tiredly and stood up to go see for herself. Sure enough Klaus and Caroline were both in the kitchen making breakfast. "Good morning!" They said at the same time. Audrey cocked an eyebrow at them and crossed her arms with suspicion.

"Good morning?" Audrey questioned more than stated. "You two made breakfast?"

"Yeah, am I not allowed to make my best friend-," Caroline started.

"And my soulmate," Klaus winked.

"Breakfast?" Caroline finished with a sweet smile, holding out a plate for Audrey to take.

"Something's definitely up between you two, but bacon and blueberry pancakes are my weakness so I'll let it slide," Audrey laughed grabbing the plate from Caroline. As she piled food onto it, Klaus and Caroline shared a look of concern, Damon and the others could arrive at any second. Audrey finished getting food and started walking back into the living room but the front door opening stopped her. Elena walked into the house looking distracted and panicked. "Oh my god!! You guys are finally back! How was it-," She cut herself off when she saw Stefan walking into the house carrying a body wrapped in a blanket. Audrey's world came to a stop and the plate she was holding fell out of her hand, crashing to the floor loudly.

"Take him up to his room," Elena instructed Stefan, following him as he carried Jeremy up the stairs. Audrey couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't even comprehend what exactly was happening. Klaus placed a hand on her shoulder cautiously.

"Love?" He asked softly. She finally took a deep breath in but it was painful. Her heart was thundering in her chest as she stumbled towards the stairs. Her mind had shut off, her body was acting on impulse as she raced up to Jeremy's room. The moment she saw him lying in his bed she collapsed in the doorway.

"Audrey, listen, he's wearing his ring see?" Elena assured showing her sister his hand. "He's going to be fine. He'll wake up any minute," Elena had a wild look in her eyes, a look of desperation. Audrey felt numb to the core but believed her sister's words. Stefan pulled the younger Gilbert onto her feet and gave her a soft, comforting look.

"Can I get you guys anything?" Stefan asked.

"No, we're fine. We're just gonna sit here and wait with him until he wakes up. Let me know if you hear anything about Bonnie, okay?" Elena said grabbing Jeremy's hand to hold.

"Yeah, sure," Stefan nodded walking out of the room slowly. Audrey pulled the blanket up to Jeremy's chest and grabbed his other hand as she sat beside him. She reached out and brushed his hair off his forehead. She convinced herself that he wasn't cold to touch and that he didn't look like a lifeless body.

"What happened?" Audrey whispered, her voice cracking.

"Jeremy and Bonnie got separated from the rest of us. Shane tried sneaking them away so that they would be the only ones at the tomb. None of us knew it but Katherine was following us. She tricked Jeremy by pretending to be me and when they found Silas and the cure she fed him to it, but look," Elena stated pulling Jeremy's shirt down to show his shoulder. The tattoo was gone. "He fulfilled his purpose as a hunter which means that he's back to being human. The ring will work!" Audrey sighed with relief and leaned forward to kiss Jeremy's head.

"Come on Sunshine, I can't lose you too," Audrey whispered praying that the ring would work.

-

Klaus stood at the bottom of the staircase eavesdropping on the two sisters. They were both in denial which meant that this was going to be excruciating.

"How long has she been like this?" Caroline asked Stefan.

"Ever since we found his body. She hasn't said anything except that she's waiting for him to wake up," Stefan sighed with defeat.

"But he's not going to wake up, she knows that right?" Stefan held a finger to his lips telling Caroline to be quiet. He walked over to the sink and turned on the tap so that Elena couldn't hear them.

"Look. Deep down, I think she has to, but we're talking about Elena here. She feels grief more powerfully than anyone else. I think her denial is the one thing protecting her from letting it all in," Stefan explained.

"Audrey is in denial now too," Klaus chimed in.

"But they can't stay like that forever," Caroline frowned with worry.

"I know, but I don't want to be the one to break them out of it, not until we know that Bonnie is safe. Not until we get Damon over here to, you know...," Stefan trailed off.

"Use the sire bond to convince her everything's okay?" Caroline finished for him.

"We're not in denial," Elena said appearing in the kitchen. Audrey walked downstairs following her sister into the kitchen. Stefan turned off the tap to the sink and stared at his former love. "I know that he was supernatural, we both do, but did you see? His tattoo is gone. The tattoo had the spell that opened Silas's chamber. Maybe it being gone means that he's fulfilled his supernatural destiny. Maybe he's back to normal. It's possible, right?"

"Elena," Caroline said, trying to reason with her.

"No she's right, it's possible," Audrey spoke up. "There's a chance, it may be minuscule, but it's hope and I'm going to hold on to that hope with everything that I've got because there's no way that my-," her throat began to tighten and tears threatened to break the surface. "There's absolutely no way that my baby brother is dead," She grabbed her head with frustration and shook it. "We're not in denial," She turned to walk back upstairs but Klaus stood in the way stopping her. She looked up at him with her wide doe-like eyes and he could tell that she was losing it on the inside. "He's not dead." Klaus nodded at her and embraced her.

"You're right," He agreed. She smiled as she pulled away from him and went with Elena back up to Jeremy's room. Once the two were gone, the three remaining in the kitchen shared a look of concern. Caroline shook her head, grabbed her phone, and rushed out to the front porch to call someone. Stefan followed her while Klaus stayed back. A horrible smell began to drift throughout the house and Klaus realized it was Jeremy's body beginning to decompose. He sighed to himself with defeat. He was out of his element and had absolutely no idea how to handle this situation. He was never the nurturing type, in fact, he loathed emotions and compassion until Audrey came along. He walked back over to where the pictures of Audrey and her family hung and grabbed the one of her and Jeremy. It was written all over her face how much she loved her brother. A bond so sacred that nothing but death could come between it. He slid the frame into a pocket of his jacket and stepped out on the porch as Stefan and Caroline were finishing their conversation.

"Well, we can't think about that right now. 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. I guess she'll know what to do," Caroline stated almost frantically.

"We should get Matt over here," Stefan suggested.

"You're right. I will do that. I will call Matt, 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 agreed, beginning to walk away. She stopped when she smelled the scent of Jeremy's body. "What's that smell?" She asked Stefan and Klaus but she already knew the answer.

"It's his body. It's starting to decompose. Get Dr. Fell over here too," Stefan stated with sorrow. Caroline nodded and walked to her car. Once she left Stefan turned to Klaus. "Do you have any idea on how we should get them to break out of it?" He questioned but Klaus shook his head solemnly.

"Audrey knows that he's dead. Deep down she has to, but she won't allow herself to accept it. Neither of them will," Klaus explained. "Denial is tricky, especially when there's false hope attached to it. They aren't going to realize that until the illusion of hope is smashed,"

-

Audrey held Jeremy's hand tightly and closed her eyes, silently praying to some higher power of any kind to help her brother. Elena watched with sadness and walked slowly to her room. She slid off her jacket and grabbed her journal that was laying on her bed. When she walked back into Jeremy's room, Dr. Fell was already there.

"Elena and Audrey?" She questioned as she walked further into the room.

"Meredith? What are you doing here?" Elena asked with confusion. Audrey shared the same look as her sister.

"I came to check on your brother. May I?" Meredith answered then asked. The girls knew she meant no harm and allowed her to examine Jeremy.

"Yeah, um...," Elena stuttered watching as Meredith approached Jeremy's bed. She grabbed his left arm and began to check for vitals. "You're not going to find any vitals. It's the same thing Ric used to go through. He'd just be dead until then he wasn't," Elena explained as Meredith continued checking Jeremy.

"Once, he was gone for almost an entire day," Audrey chimed in with her sister.

"Ric died, like 4 times before he lost his mind and Jeremy has died a few times too-3 I think - so we're gonna have to-," Elena rambled but paused when Stefan and Klaus stepped into the room. "So we'll have to keep an eye on him because we don't want him to go crazy like Ric did," she continued. Meredith looked at Stefan with concern before she turned to the girls.

"Girls...it looks like Jeremy died of extreme blood loss. His neck also appears to be broken. The lack of blood explains why there's no lividity, but his muscles have tightened past the point of rigor mortis," Meredith explained in a comforting tone.

"No," Elena and Audrey said together.

"If he's left unattended to, soon he'll start to bloat. Within a few hours, his skin will discolor, and-," Meredith continued but Elena was shaking her head furiously.

"No! He's-Stop! He's not dead!" Audrey shouted at her.

"I need you to release the body to me. We'll get him to a funeral home and prepare him for a viewing where you and his friends can say goodbye to him," Meredith finished but Elena had heard enough and rushed at Meredith slamming her against the wall.

"He's not dead, okay?!" Elena shouted angrily. Stefan rushed over to them and pulled Elena off.

"Elena, stop it," He shouted over her but she had snapped. He restrained her as she struggled in his hold. Klaus rushed over to Audrey pulling her into his arms when she rose to her feet.

"Now you're all about science? Where was science when you used vampire blood to save my life? There is no science, it's magic. We need magic! We need Bonnie, somebody just get me Bonnie!" Elena yelled nearing hysteria.

"Elena? Audrey?" A soft voice questioned breaking the tense mood. Elena stopped struggling against Stefan and looked at Matt who was staring at Jeremy's body in horror. Tears welled up in his eyes as he saw the youngest Gilbert laying lifeless.

"No, no. No Matt, it's okay," Elena cooed walking into his arms to hug him tightly. "Bonnie will be here soon, and she'll fix everything and it will be all fine. Everything's going to be all fine," Elena assured him as they rocked back and forth. Stefan escorted Meredith out while Klaus, Audrey, Matt, and Elena ventured down to the dining room. Matt made Elena tea while Klaus ushered Audrey to a corner of the house where they could talk in private.

"Audrey..., are you okay?" He asked her, staring at her with his deep blue eyes. She looked back at him with the most helpless expression he'd ever seen. She blinked a few times as tears welled in her eyes and her lip began to tremble.

"I'm trying-my hardest to keep it together, but I'm on the verge of going insane," Audrey admitted truthfully. "The only thing keeping me from completely losing it is knowing that Bonnie will have a way to fix this. She's brought Jeremy back before and she can do it again. I have to trust that she will because otherwise Jeremy is-...," She stopped herself and shook her head. "No! He's going to be okay. He has to be okay." Klaus pulled her closer until she was pressed up tightly against him.

"Shh, you're right. It's going to be fine," Klaus assured her even though he was lying. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. Her brother was dead and magic wasn't going to bring him back, not without serious consequences. Audrey felt the tension leave her body and she melted into her soulmate. Whenever he touched her she felt complete relaxation and at peace, as if nothing could disturb or upset her. She wanted to feel like this all the time.

"Audrey?" Matt questioned as he stepped into the back room. She pulled away from Klaus and looked at her friend. "I want to show you and Elena something," She glanced back at Klaus with a look of concern. He knew she wanted to stay with Jeremy, but he wasn't going to allow it.

"Go, I'll stay here," Klaus said, taking everyone by surprise. "You need to get out of this house for a while," Audrey thought about it for a moment and finally agreed.

"Thank you," She whispered. He embraced her one last time and sent her on her way.

-

Matt, Audrey, and Elena all sat in his truck as he drove to the back of the high school. When he parked the car they all got out together and Matt took each of their hands. "You brought us to the stoner pit?" Audrey asked Matt as they walked up to the spot all the stoners would gather to smoke pot and ride skateboards.

"I want you two to see something," Matt answered as he walked them to a concrete wall with graffiti tagged on it. In large letters was the name Vicki.

"Vicki," Elena read aloud.

"Remember when Jer was so into my sister?" Matt asked the girls with a smile.

"It was right after our parents death," Elena chuckled.

"His rebel phase," Audrey finished.

"I found this after Vick died. It made me smile...and this," Matt said, pulling away a board from the wall to reveal another tag that read J + V.

"Jeremy and Vicki. Did he do this?" Audrey asked with a smile, reaching out to trace the letters.

Matt nodded. "After they found Vick's body, I remember thinking that things didn't feel over, you know, that there was no possible way that she could be gone forever. And then she wasn't. My point is, this town, this crazy ass world we live in, sometimes not being willing to accept that someone is gone, is because maybe they're not...at least not completely."

"Is that really what you believe?" Elena questioned Matt.

"Yes," He answered truthfully.

"If I compelled you to tell me the truth, is that what you would say?" Elena questioned again.

"I would tell you that it's okay to have hope because sometimes that's all that keeps me going," Matt replied causing both girls to smile.

"Thank you, Matt," The girls said together. Matt nodded and brought both girls in for a group hug. Elena's phone ringing cut the moment short but she sighed with relief when she saw it was Stefan calling.

"Stefan?" Elena asked. Audrey's eyes widened and she mouthed to her sister to turn the speaker on.

"Hey," He started. "Damon found Bonnie. The plane is there waiting for them when they get off the island. They'll be home in a few hours," both girls sighed with relief.

"Thank god, is she okay?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, he said she's fine. Listen, Elena. You might have been right. There might be something," Stefan answered vaguely.

"She knows what to do, doesn't she?" Audrey asked this time.

"Let's just see what she says when she gets home, okay?" Stefan replied.

"Okay. We'll be home soon," Elena stated before ending the call. The two sisters looked at each other with excitement. Their prayers had been answered, or so they thought.

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