Ashley Moore is Rivera's faceclaim
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 snort and 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 says grabbing 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 getting distracted 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.
A.N. I was feeling very gay and very emotional when I wrote this.