A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers you guys are awesome!

So... sad chapter right here. That's all I'm going to say.

Poison & Wine - Chapter LV

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The next morning I woke up in my bed. It had taken me forever to fall asleep because I wasn't sure what was going on with Klaus at this point, with everything going on. Last night I had decided to stay in my old home because I felt like I needed to confront them about Kol when they got home. We needed to have a serious talk, because now every night I closed my eyes I would have flashes back to it and feel the pain all over again. I felt like I was going crazy.

I moved into the bathroom and brushed through my hair before I decided to go make coffee. As I started walking down the hall I noticed Jeremy's door was open. Wait, were they already back? I hurried down the hall and ran into his room to see Jeremy lying on his bed. I went over to wake him up, but my hand touched cold, pale skin. And it stunk really bad.

I couldn't help but scream in utter horror at the realization that felt as if it was crushing me completely.

Jeremy was dead.

Instantly Elena, Caroline, Stefan, and Elijah were in the room and I begun to sob. Elena ran over to me. "No, Andy, he's fine. He's okay," She tried reassuring, but it was not the time for her to be trying to comfort me.

I shoved her away from me. "I didn't want him to become a hunter! I didn't want him to look for that stupid cure but you did because you couldn't handle being a vampire... " I continued to sob. "This is all your fault! We have no one left, Elena, no one!" Perhaps I was being too mean, but I felt like a part of me had just been destroyed... I finally felt that I had absolutely no one because Elena and I haven't been like sisters in months. Our relationship had been rocky, and now with two deaths of people I love dearly back-to-back with Elena as the cause of each, I couldn't even stand the sight of her.

Elijah managed to restrain me, and I eventually gave up trying to fight against it. I just continued sobbing as he picked me up and brought me downstairs and onto the porch. He sat me down on the porch swing and bent down in front of me, cupping my face in his hands as he did so.

"Jeremy's dead, Elijah," I cried. "First Kol and now Jeremy! I can't-can't breathe―" I started hyperventilating.

"I need you to breathe, Andrea, and I need you to calm down," He said softly but it didn't work. I felt like my head was holing to explode from the devastation and sorrow I was feeling. "Andrea, listen to me. Just breathe!" He ordered in a booming voice. I instantly sucked in air and my sobs were silenced though tears still ran down my face, though it still felt like my heart had been crushed into a million pieces.

We sat like that for a couple of minutes and he moved to sit beside me. I eventually couldn't help but ask, "How did it happen?"

"Andrea―"

"Don't give me that tone," I said, looking over at him. "I deserve to know why my brother is lying in his bed upstairs, dead."

Quite reluctantly Elijah told me the whole story. He said that he had been following Stefan and Elena with Emmeline while Katherine had been following Jeremy and Bonnie. He said that Katherine had stolen the cure from Silas before they could get their hands of it. All they know after that is Katherine allowed Silas to feed off of Jeremy and took off with the cure before they got there; they have no clue what happened to Bonnie. He said Damon had stayed back at the island to find her because they were hoping that she could bring back Jeremy.

But I knew better. Jeremy was long gone and I hated my sister even more now for letting him die.


Meredith ended up coming and spoke with us for a short minute, but we didn't follow her inside. Matt arrived a couple of minutes after her and gave me a hug that I didn't return before continuing into the house. Elijah and I stayed in silence because we didn't have to say anything to the other. The silence was enough comfort. I felt myself in shock after that, but I wasn't in denial.

After about a half hour of just sitting there, Elena walked out with Matt. From my peripheral vision I saw her start to walk over, but Elijah stopped her with a shake of his head. She walked away with a frown. When she was long gone, with Elijah's hand in mine I headed back into the house. Once upstairs I went to where Stefan was waiting by the door of Jeremy's bedroom. Meredith was in the room checking over Jeremy's body. "Hey," Stefan said to me softly. I ignored him and kept my eyes on Jeremy's body.

Once she was done with her examination, Meredith pulled the blanket over Jeremy's face and left the room, giving me a sad look as she passed me. Stefan was now on the staircase landing, adjusting pictures on a shelf on the wall, while Meredith adjusted the thermostat. "I'm bumping the A/C. We're not gonna be able to leave him in there for much longer," She said.

Stefan exhaled. "Yeah, I know," He walked up the stairs and sitting down on the top step. I moved into Jeremy's bedroom, dropping Elijah's hand from mine as I did so.

As I stood and stared down at his body, I listened to Stefan and Meredith's conversation outside.

"I've been alive for almost two centuries now. You'd think with the amount of people that I've seen die, it would hurt less each time. Never does," Stefan said, sadness lacing his voice.

"No. No, it never does," She responded. "I see this every day. Sometimes I think that denial is the worst part for people like us, because we know the truth. We can see they're on a collision course with it, and all we can do is brace ourselves for impact."

It was silent for a second before a phone rang. Stefan, answering it, asked, "Did you find her?" There was a pause. "They're both losing it, Damon. We can do what we can to delay things here, but we've got to get Jeremy to the morgue before it gets ugly."

I flinched at imaging of my little brother who would always try to out-draw me on that slab. All because of a stupid cure that they didn't even have now.

Stefan spoke again, "I think you have to. At this point, the sire bond is probably the only thing that's gonna keep Elena together. I can go back to find Bonnie,"

I felt shaking again and I turned towards Elijah. "The last thing I said to him was that I hated him and would never forgive him for killing Kol," I whispered, feeling like I was going to barf. "I meant it at that time, too. And I hate myself for that."

"Jeremy knew you loved him, Andrea," Elijah said as he pulled me into his arms.

I didn't respond as I hugged him back tightly. The moment was interrupted by Stefan walking into the room. "Damon just called back, he found Bonnie,"

I looked up at Elijah before looking back at Stefan. Elijah spoke for me, "You should call Elena then."

"Yeah, I will," He nodded as he looked down at his phone and headed out of the room. I glanced back at Jeremy's body before I followed after him.

"Hey," Stefan said into the phone as Elijah and I followed him down the stairs. "Damon found Bonnie. The plane is there waiting for them when they get off the island. They'll be home in a few hours." There was a pause where Elena spoke. "Yeah, he said she's fine. Listen, Elena. You might have been right. There might be something." I froze, looking back at Elijah. There is a way to save Jeremy? "Let's just see what she says when she gets home, okay?"I watched Stefan as he hung up the phone, seeing that he was reluctant to hope. I instantly crushed all my hope, knowing I wouldn't be able to handle it if it was all for nothing.

It wasn't long before Elena and Matt arrived. When they got here we all waited in different parts of the house because we all knew if Elena and I were in the same room, I wouldn't react well.

I was a little upset that Klaus hadn't come for me, but I highly doubted that he knew. Elijah had been here the entire time and said that he hadn't spoken to him since being on the island. He also said that Rebekah had stayed back on the island.

By the time Damon and Bonnie arrived, it was nighttime. They finally managed to convince me to sit in the same room as Elena, telling me if I didn't then I wouldn't be able to find out what Bonnie says. So I had to endure it. We - Bonnie, Elena, Caroline, Matt and I - were sitting at the kitchen table while Elijah, Damon and Stefan were talking outside.

Bonnie explained that she would have to kill twelve people in a certain spot and that it was called an Expression triangle. She said she needed to complete it for Silas. Matt was the first one of us to manage words. "What? Bonnie, you can't kill 12 people," He said.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's the only way to get enough power," Bonnie looked at each of us.

"To do what?" Caroline asked.

"When Silas was buried by the witch Qetsiyah, she left him with the cure and two choices: stay immortal and rot or take the cure and eventually die in there of old age. Qetsiyah one-upped him again because she knew that he wanted to die so that he could find peace, be reunited with his one true love. So she created the Other Side as a purgatory for all supernatural beings, ensuring that if he died, he'd end up there forever. Because I'm one of Qetsiyah's descendant, I can make the Other Side go away... Once the veil is dropped, the Other Side doesn't exist anymore. There's nothing separating us. We're all just one,"

"Bonnie, you are talking like a crazy person," I spoke up finally. "Silas is the one that killed Jeremy! You can't be serious about killing 12 people, and you sure as hell can't invite every monster who has ever died back into this world."

"Andy, I think she knows that," Matt said, and I glared at him before I looked over at Elena, but was just staring straight ahead as the others continue to argue. She looked as if she was actually debating this.

"I can do it. I have the power. We can bring everyone back - Jeremy, Alaric, Vicki," Bonnie argued, then looked at me. "Kol... " I felt my heart nearly stop. I hadn't even considered that.

"Bonnie, stop it. You can't just say these things," Caroline said, taking my side.

Bonnie sighed, frustrated that we weren't agreeing with her on this. "It's gonna be fine... "

"No," I quickly said. "That would mean bringing back Esther and Mikael and I won't do that to Klaus - I can't do that to him." The phone rang, breaking Elena out of her reverie and ending the conversation for now.

"I'll get it," Elena immediately said.

"Elena, I'll get it―" Matt started but Elena interrupted him.

"I said I'll get it," She got up and answered the phone as Elijah, Damon and Stefan came back inside. "Hello?"

Elena paused, flinching slightly at whoever was on the phone. "Jeremy can't come to the phone right now. He's not-" She paused for a second. "I'm sorry. He's dead." She hung up and walked out of the room, while we all looked at each other. Damon went after her and I stood and wrapped my arms around Elijah. He pulled me into his embrace.

"Matt, will you take Bonnie home?" Stefan asked.

"Sure," Matt nodded. Before they headed out, Bonnie told me to think over what she said. I didn't respond and she left.

Elena hurried down the stairs and walked back into the room. "Where's Bonnie?"

Stefan answered, "We told Matt to take her home. We thought it'd be best."

"Okay. I guess we're gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way," Elena said.

"Do what?" I asked cautiously.

Elena spoke to Damon, who has arrived downstairs. "Put his body on the couch," She ordered as she went into the kitchen and started opening and closing cabinets.

"Elena? Elena, you need help finding something?" Caroline asked her.

Elena took a bottle of lighter fluid out of a cabinet and squirting it over the counter. "Got it," Caroline stood in astonishment and looked over at Stefan.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked her.

Elena continued to squirt the fluid everywhere. "We need a cover story, right? You think I didn't hear you guys talking earlier? Well, what are we gonna say... animal attack, 'tumbled down the stairs'? No. We burn the house down with him inside of it." She made it to the living room and started squirting the couch.

Stefan raised his voice. "Elena, stop it,"

"Why? 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, and Andy hasn't wanted to live here since our parents died... I don't want these sketches," Elena sprayed Jeremy's sketches with lighter fluid and kicked something. I flinched at the movement. "I don't want this XBOX," She threw down the empty bottle and reached into a cabinet. "Not gonna need this bourbon anymore, unless my ex-alcoholic sister who hates my guts wants it. 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." She turned to Damon. "Would you? I know you want your drinking buddy back," She walked toward him. "Would you, Damon? Because I wouldn't." She walked over to Jeremy's body and splashed bourbon over him. "I don't know, I mean, does that make me a bad person? I-I have no idea," She pulled the Gilbert ring off of Jeremy's finger and tossed it to Damon. "He's not gonna need that anymore."

Caroline shouted, "Elena, stop it. You're scaring me!" I hadn't even noticed the tears that were currently soaking up my face.

Elena took down a picture frame from the fireplace mantle. "What else are we supposed to do with the body, Caroline? I mean, there's no- there's no room in the Gilbert family plot." She threw the frame down on the floor and the glass cracks. "Jenna and- and John took the last spots." She three the empty bottle of bourbon against the wall and it shattered, then grabbed a match from the mantle and lit it.

"No, no, Elena. Stop," Stefan tried to stop her, but to be honest I thought this was a good idea. There was no way I'd ever live in this house again after everything that has happened.

Elena started shouting, "There's nothing here for me anymore, Stefan. 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 to- I mean, how am I gonna- I can't even- There's nothing left for me- aah!" The flame had burned down on the match and started to burn her hand. She droped the match but Damon vamp-sped over to catch it before it can ignite on the lighter fluid everywhere. Elena sobbed and started to crumble.

"Elena, I need you to calm down," Damon said.

"No, no, no, I can't. I can't. I can't. I- " She fell to her knees, immeasurable pain and grief distorting her face. She grabbed at her head. "No. It hurts. It hurts. Just make it stop. Please make it stop. It hurts." She continued sobbing loudly and I had to look away because if I didn't then I would pity her, which would lead me into forgiving her. I didn't want that.

"Damon... Help her," I finally pleaded. I might resent her, but I didn't truly hate her.

Damon crouched down next to her and pulled her to him. "I- I- " Elena continued crying.

"I can help you. I want you to let me help you," Damon said and she shuddered as he touched her face. She sat up, pulling away as Damon gently caressed her cheeks and smoothed her hair back. "I can help you."

"How?"

"Turn it off."

"What? No, no," Stefan protested as he and I both took a step forward, but Damon held up a hand to stop he and I from intervening.

"Just turn it off, and everything will go away. That's what you have to do. It's what I want you to do. Just turn it off," Damon ordered.

I watched as Elena's tear-stained face turned utterly expressionless and still. The light left her eyes, as though something inside her has died. I saw my sister disappear right before me. "I need to get out of here," I whispered to Elijah before I ran out of the house. As soon as I got onto the porch, I bumped into someone. Looking up, I saw Klaus.

"Andy―"

I cut him off by wrapping my arms tightly around him. "I just want to go, please take me somewhere else," I pleaded with him in a soft voice.

"Come on then," He grabbed my hand and started to pull us away.

"Wait, Elijah," I looked back to see the said Original already in the doorway.

"Take her to your house, Niklaus, she needs somewhere else to stay," Elijah said, then looked at me. "I'll make sure Elena's okay. You two be careful." Without another word I let Klaus pull me away. I didn't even glance back at the house once.

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The End of Chapter LV