My jaw drops the moment Brett and I step foot inside the venue our parents picked out.
It was gorgeous!
My eyes were immediately drawn to the large television screens on the sides. They both portrayed slideshows of pictures of us growing up.
I look to my left to find Brett just as astonished as I was.
The sound of everyone clapping and cheering finally zones in as we're suddenly engulfed by our parents.
"Happy Early Birthday!" Mom exclaims as she squeezes the life out of Brett. His squished face amuses me before I feel Dad kiss my temple.
"Happy Early Birthday!" He then gives me one of his famous hugs that I love so much. Our parents switch twins before they encourage us to enjoy our party.
I spot Grace running towards me before I smile and open my arms for her.
Brett smiles at us before Elisa squeals and kisses him out of no where. It was always hilarious to see him caught off guard.
"Happy Birthday Babe." She lets out after she pulls away excitedly. I notice that she left some of her bright red lipstick on his lips. Grace and I let out a laugh as my brother just stands there in shock.
"Uh thanks." He fails to hide his blush as he rubs the back of his neck. Grace then pulls Brett in for a hug while Elisa does the same to me.
"Happy Birthday Bree." She says as she rests her chin on my shoulder.
"Thanks Lise." I hug her back tightly.
Pretty soon, Dante and Daniel make their presence known and wish us both happy birthday. As I was hugging Dante, my eyes skim through the room, hoping to find a certain speedster of the future.
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I try to locate Bart as I walk around the venue. Family and friends constantly wish me happy birthday and I kindly thank them with a smile.
But my smile fades away the second I turn back to look for my son.
I know.
Even the thought of calling him my son is freaking me out. But it's the truth isn't it? He's going to be a big part of my life one day.
"Bree," A familiar voice grabs my attention. I immediately turn around to face someone I was not expecting to see tonight.
"Jeremy..." I let out in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"I hope you don't mind but Josh invited me."
"Of course he did..." I mutter under my breath.
Seriously Josh?
"Anyways, I got you a present." He purses his lips and hands me a glittery gold gift bag. "I hope you like it and don't hate me for it..." I furrow my eyebrows as I push aside the tissue paper. "It was kind of last minute..." He finishes before I pull out a familiar stuffed toy fox. My jaw nearly drops to the ground, causing Jeremy to smile.
"Oh my God..." I cover my mouth as tears form in my eyes. "Toffee." Jeremy nods.
I immediately look at his left arm. I once ripped his arm off and Mom had to fix it with a yellow thread. It was the only color she had left. Sure enough, the yellow stitching was there.
"It's my Toffee." I point out before Jeremy nods again. "But, I thought I lost him at school?" Jeremy eyes fall as he scratches the back of his neck. "Someone stole him from my desk during recess and-" but I cut myself off in realization. "It was you!?" Jeremy purses his lips and looks into my eyes. "I don't believe this. You. Took. Him?" I smack his arm with the gift bag between every word.
"I was 10 and stupid, okay!?"
"Oh my- all this time you had him..."
"I'm sorry, Bree...but you knew the type of person that I was before. It wasn't right the way I treated you, Brett and the others. I just hope you can forgive me and give me a second chance..."
I stare at him in disbelief before I look back at Toffee.
He was my favorite toy when I was a little girl.
Toffee had gotten me through some tough times. I was devastated when I couldn't find him anymore...
"Bree?"
It's funny...Toffee comes back to me the day I need him the most. The day I find out my brother from the future is actually my son.
"Bree?" Jeremy says again. I snap out of my thoughts and look at him again. "I uh," He lifts up a small envelope in his hand. "I kinda didn't know what to get Brett so I got him a Pizza World gift card."
That's when I realized something...
"Do you know where he is? I saw him earlier but I lost him." He admits as he looks around.
"Oh, I can give it to him!" I assure before snatching the envelope from his hand.
"Oh, I could've-"
"Thanks for the gift Jeremy!" I say before taking off to find the others.
Song in Background: Domino - Jessie J
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
We can do this all night
Damn this love is skin tight
Baby come on
Brett and Elisa jump up and down to the rhythm of the song. The venue's lighting made Elisa's beautiful golden locks look amazing with every bounce. She lets out a laugh, showing Brett that she's having fun. He can't help but smile back.
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Pull me like a bass drum
Sparkin' up a rhythm
Baby, come on!
Bree continues to look around for Bart when someone suddenly spins her around and catches her hand in his.
"Hey Birthday Girl!" Josh greets with that smile that makes her knees turn to jelly. Bree notices her hand in his and instantly begins to panic. He lets go and gives her a quick hug, completely unaware of his affect on her. "Sorry I didn't greet you guys earlier. I was in the restroom." He admits as soon as he pulls away.
"Oh...It's okay." Josh nods and notices the fox head peeking out of the gold gift bag. "Hey, you got Jeremy's gift." That's when she remembers...
"Yeah about that." She gains the confidence to grab his hand and lead him to where the others are.
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Brett and Elisa continue to dance before Elisa slows down.
"I'll be right back." She tries to inform over the music. Brett nods and watches as she heads toward the restrooms. He realizes that all that dancing's made him thirsty. He heads for the soda bar and takes a seat on a comfy red stool.
"What'll it be?" Asks the bartender.
"Uhh," Brett's blue eyes stare at the menu above. "Can I get a Cherry Coke?" The bartender nods before preparing and handing him his drink. "Thank you." He says before taking a small sip.
"Happy Birthday Brett." He hears someone say next to him.
"Thanks-" He turns his stool and almost chokes when he recognizes the person sitting next to him. His company's blank expression urges him to swallow the lump in his throat. "Oliver..."
"You got a little..." Oliver motions to the corner of his mouth. Brett immediately rubs his thumb over his lip to find Elisa's lipstick smeared on his skin.
"Eh heh." Brett nervously laughs as he wipes the rest off with a napkin. Oliver gives him a small yet intimidating smile.
"Now, you're like a nephew to me Brett and you know that. Remember the drone I once got you?" Brett nods, still too intimidated to say actual words. "And I'm sure William's given you the talk but it won't hurt you to hear it again..."
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Bree pulls Josh to the snack table where Grace, Dante and Daniel were enjoying some cupcakes.
"Jeremy Webb is here!" Bree announces in panic.
"What!?" Daniel almost chokes on his cupcake.
"Tell me about it!" Grace exclaims. "You can thank Josh for that one." She points to the boy with her hand.
"What's the big deal?" Josh shrugs.
"Why would you do that?" Bree genuinely asks him.
"I thought he was your friend!"
"Did you forget that Brett kidnapped him like two weeks ago!?"
"I thought you said he didn't recognize him?"
"Still! Brett could say or do something that could trigger his memory!" Bree exclaims before she looks down and realizes they were still holding hands. An amused smile grows on Grace's face. Bree immediately lets his hand go before continuing. "We need to keep them separated." She then spots Elisa exiting the restrooms nearby and calls her name. Elisa looks in their direction to find Bree motioning for her come over.
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"I love Elisa dearly. She's a tough girl. She can handle anything that comes her way. But if a boy comes in the picture and finds some way to break my little girl's heart...I'm gonna have to come after you." Oliver admits casually. Brett's blue eyes have never widened so much. "You understand right pal?" He smiles and pats Brett's shoulders.
"Oliver." They look to their side to find Felicity with her arms crossed.
"What?"
Felicity rolls her eyes before smiling at Brett.
"Happy Birthday Brett." She happily hugs him.
"Thanks Felicity." He smiles but it fades away when he looks at Oliver. Felicity pulls away and rests her hand on his shoulder.
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"So we basically got to make sure Brett and Jeremy do not interact." Bree explains to Elisa.
"Umm Lise?" Dante asks, eyeing his best friend in trouble. "Looks like your parents are catching up with Brett at the soda bar." He shares before Elisa's eyes widen.
"Oh God..." She mutters before heading to rescue her boyfriend.
"Ok well," Bree turns back to her friends. "While she handles Brett, can one of you keep an eye on Jeremy? I need to look for someone."
"On it." Josh announces as he walks away with a half eaten cookie.
"Does this have to do with the speedster from yesterday?" Grace asks.
"What speedster?" Dante furrows his eyebrows at Bree.
"No, it was nothing. Look, I gotta go." Bree fibs before taking off.
"Bree wait." Grace says but it's too late.
"Well...see ya." Daniel waves before taking off as well.
Grace furrows her eyebrows and looks back at Dante in disbelief. He takes another bite out of his cupcake before looking at her.
"Want another one?"
Grace lets out a sigh.
"Sure."
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"Don't worry. I know that you're a good boy and you'll treat Elisa with respect." Felicity assures.
"But I will come after you." Oliver adds. Felicity gives her husband an annoyed expression.
"What are you gonna do shoot him with an arrow?"
"I'll consider it."
"Don't worry, he's kidding!"
"Dad says Oliver never kids." Brett informs, not daring to take his eyes off him. Oliver can't help but laugh at the memory.
"Your dad's talking from experience."
"Mom! Dad!" Elisa greets them with welcoming hugs.
"Ahh! I missed you!" Felicity admits as she hugs the life out of her daughter.
"I missed you guys too." Elisa says before she goes to hug her dad. "Please go easy on him." She whispers before kissing his cheek. "So where's Josie?"
"Barry and Caitlin have her." Oliver informs.
"Oh well, C'mon Brett." She pulls him off his seat. "Let's go find my sister." They take off before he can say anything.
"Thank you." Brett finally sighs causing Elisa to smile.
"You are welcome."
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"Hey Cisco, Cynthia!" Daniel greets as he sits at the couple's table. Cynthia smiles and waves at him before Daniel lowers his voice at Cisco. "Tell me you brought it."
"I don't know why you're dying to get this..." Cisco trails off as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small S.T.A.R. Labs box. He hands it to Daniel who immediately opens the box.
"Trust me. The least you know the better."
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Daniel heads outside the venue and into the hallway. He glances behind him and before he could tell what's happening, he's slammed onto the wall. He shuts his eyes and clenches his jaw once he sees the face in front of him.
"Hey Dibny." Jeremy greets as his good hand tightens the grip on his shirt. Daniel lets out a sigh, disappointed in how quickly he was caught.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm the stripper. What do you think?" Jeremy asks sarcastically.
"I mean in Central City, smart ass." Daniel retorts before Jeremy smiles at him. He lets go of his shirt and turns away before punching his nose. Daniel lets out a groan as he holds onto his nose.
"Why do you think? I got expelled! Someone gave the principal footage of me handing out you know what."
"So you finally got caught?" Daniel summarizes as he holds onto his nose.
"No. I was framed."
"By who?" Daniel scoffs. "Someone who looks exactly like you?"
"Don't play coy. I know you did this!"
"How? It's not like I can shape shift."
"You got your computer nerd friends to help you somehow! Either way, I know it was you!" Jeremy shoves Daniel onto the wall.
"Leave him alone." A young voice commands.
Jeremy turns around and Daniel looks over his shoulder.
Bart stands a few feet away with round thick glasses and blue spray painted hair.
"Who are you?" Jeremy furrows his eyebrows at the boy.
"A friend of Bree's." Bart simply informs. "And I'm gonna tell her what you just did if you don't leave right now." Jeremy looks back at Daniel, whose blood was starting to drip from his covered nose. He presses his lips into a tight line before straightening the wrinkles he made on Daniel's shirt.
"See you around." Jeremy whispers before he glances at the 13 year old. Bart crosses his arms over his chest before Jeremy decides to head back to the party.
Bart waits until Jeremy disappears before turning his attention to back Daniel.
"Here." He hands Daniel a handkerchief from his pocket which he immediately accepts to cover his bleeding nose. "You okay?" Daniel looks back at Bart.
"Yeah...thanks." Bart purses his lips and nods. They're both quiet for a second before Bart breaks the silence.
"I know he's rough now...There's a lot going on in his life. But just wait, eventually you'll see that he's really cool." Daniel furrows his eyebrows at Bart's choice of words.
"What are you talking about?" Bart widens his eyes.
"Nothing! Gotta go! Bye!"
Elisa was currently catching up with her little sister on one of the couches as I stand and watch. I look to my right and spot a small boy with blue hair and glasses walking past us. He's in a hurry, almost as if he was running away.
Who the hell is that?
But after a second, I almost slapped myself for not recognizing him.
"Bart!" I call once he's near the photo booth. He turns around and I motion for him to come towards me. He gets the message and begins to walk toward me when he suddenly freezes. His eyes widen at something behind me before he turns around and takes off. "Bart, wait!" I was about to chase after him when someone grabs onto my shoulder.
"Brett, c'mon," I look back to find Josh pointing at the photo booth. "Dante wants to take a picture of just us guys. Have you seen Daniel?"
"Uh..." I glance back in the direction my nephew went. "Give me a minute." I state before going after Bart.
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I walk out onto the alley but Bart's no where in sight. He must've went the other way...I'm about to head inside when I suddenly hear a sniffle.
I turn back and around and follow the whimpers until I find him behind a large dumpster. He was sitting on a wooden crate while a tear slid down his cheek and onto his shoes.
"Bart?" I ask, making my presence known. He takes off his fake glasses and wipes his eyes with his sleeve. I let out a sigh and sit next to him.
"I need you to do something for me." He finally lets out.
"O-okay." I stutter. I'm just happy that he's finally talking. "What is it, exactly?"
"The reason I'm here. I...I thought I could do it but I can't. Not with them in there."
"Who's them?" I furrow my eyebrows. "Bart, talk to me. Please?" I'm not even embarrassed about the desperation laced in my voice. I just wanted answers.
"I want to but...you're gonna wish I hadn't..."
"Bart, trust me." I place my hand on his shoulder. "I might be able to help." I comfort my nephew for a while before he finally gives me a nod. I mentally prepare myself for the information he's about to spill.
Bart lets out a sigh before he finally looks at me.
"In the year I came from..." Bart trails off. I nod to persuade him to continue.
But nothing could prepare for the words that came out of his mouth...
"Mom died seven days ago."
I swear my heart stopped beating.
"I'm here to stop that from happening."
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Now you guys know why Bart is here...
I know I've been saying this a lot but you'll get more info about Bree's death in the next chapter.
How do you think she died? Any theories?? 👀
Ok, so much to talk about!
Brelisa:
This chapter had a couple Brelisa moments so you're welcome. 💕 Also can we talk about Oliver Queen being a protective father! 😂💚
Jeremy:
I just want to know what you guys think about him at this point. Him and Daniel obviously have a past. 👀
And finally Bart:
I know he sounds like a crybaby but he lost his mother and he couldn't tell anyone about it.
Bree wants answers but how are you supposed to tell your mom about her own death?
Last chapter I was thanking you guys for 6k reads. This time I'm thank you guys for 7k reads! 💚👏🏻
If you guys enjoyed this chapter please consider giving it a vote 💕
Until Next Time,
- heaven 💜