"What are we gonna do, Jeremy?"
"I don't know...," his friend's body tenses, his face troubled, he looks in pain. Enzo doesn't have a big brother, or any brother, but he has Jeremy. He's his hero. Jer's a little older, he does all these cool things, like taking him fishing, teaching him to ride a bike, climbing trees on the Gilbert estate to reach the most juicy fruits, the ones that grow on the high branches. He and Jeremy have picked fresh pea pods and grape tomatoes, popping them in their mouths straight out of Mrs. Gilbert's large garden. Suddenly the mood strikes him and Enzo feels like having one of the great big red apples that are growing near the back of the Gilberts' property.
"Can we have an apple, Jer?" Maybe their clandestine adventure will distract his friend and give him a short respite from the biggest thorn in his side, his little sister? According to Jeremy, she's a devilish little imp. More than once he's ranted about how she ruins all his fun and how their parents always take her side. Enzo doesn't mind Elena. Sometimes he even finds her cute but he's never had a sister either. Sure she can be a bit annoying when she follows them everywhere like a lost puppy, interrupting their "secret games" just because she can. Jeremy tells him things about her that make him feel wary when she's around.
"If you want to...," Jeremy responds with obvious disinterest and Enzo's forehead furrows in concern. Still when his buddy starts to run, he chases after him.
They follow the path that winds around the pond. It's rather big and also deep, they often take a swim in it when the weather is hot. Enzo bends over to splash some water on his face and then hurries to catch up to his hero.
When they reach the back of the property, there it is, towering above the middle of the orchard, a beautiful apple tree with emerald green leaves. Luscious red ones dangle from the branches waiting to be savored. The aroma of them wafts through the air. Looking up, Enzo smiles when he sees squirrels scampering around on the higher tree limbs.
Jeremy climbs up first with Enzo right on his heels. At one point Enzo's fingers accidentally touch Jeremy's foot when he's reaching for a branch to latch onto. Jeremy shoots daggers at him for coming too close. The boy waits till his friend is in safe distance away. He knows Jeremy doesn't like to be touched nor does he like anyone within arm's length. Enzo has no idea why but it makes his friend nervous and jumpy, even angry at times. As for himself, when he climbs he feels better having someone close in case he makes a misstep or can't quite reach the top on his own.
After Jeremy hands him one, Enzo stares at it for a moment then polishes it with his tee shirt. Wet and crisp, it breaks between his teeth with a soft crunch as he bites into it. Icy sweetness fills his mouth and for a moment a stillness falls over them as they eat them. Enzo keeps chewing, taking bites till it's all gone. Not ready to go back yet, they grab another one and sit on a thick branch for awhile while they gobble them down. All of a sudden Enzo can hear Jeremy take a sharp intake of breath. Looking down he sees the reason for his friend's reaction.
"Are you here? Jeremy? Enzo?"
Enzo looks at Jer, waiting to see if he's going to say anything.
"Yep." It's rare that he graces his sister with an answer.
"Do you have apples? Will you get me one too? Please?"
Enzo's already looking for a big red one, he wouldn't say 'no' to her sweet plea. Jer already has one in his hand though.
"Sure, if you can catch it." He throws the fruit without warning. It happens quicker than Enzo can even blink. Elena cries out in pain as the heavy apple bounces off her shoulder.
"Why did you do that?" She cradles her arm, her eyes tearing in silent reproach.
"I didn't do anything!" Jeremy now seems scared too and Enzo isn't sure if it was on purpose or not. Elena stands there for another minute, perhaps waiting to see if either of them will climb down to help her but there's just stony silence from her big brother. She reluctantly turns around and quickens her pace, hurrying home to her mama.
Enzo looks up and Jeremy's shaking. "Are you alright?" he reacts to his friend's discomfort with concern.
"See? Now she's running to mom and dad to tattle. She always does that. And then I get punished... What if she tells them that you were here too? They might forbid you from coming to visit as well...," he adds, looking at his friend contemplatively.
Would they do that? They probably would, to punish Jeremy and himself.
What are they going to do?
The rest of the afternoon is clouded with uncertainty about their situation. Jeremy's silent, as if in another world, Enzo follows after him, wishing that he knew what to say to make his best friend feel better.
They won't forbid him from visiting, no one will actually tell him anything the next time he comes over to play, they never do. Not knowing what happened, Enzo's still anxious and a little wary of how he'll react but somehow finds the nerve to ask him about it. Jeremy's face tightens and after a tense minute his answer is resolute.
"Never ask me that again."
He thinks it must have been horrible and he's grateful to have escaped the punishment.
They manage to avoid the little tail for the next two weeks. Until...
"Don't you think it's exciting that I get to stay overnight for the weekend?"
"It would be," his friend frowns. "But it's for -her- birthday."
Enzo can see why Jeremy has a problem with it. Still he's looking forward to it. There will be a bunch of kids swarming the place, fun, games and a big birthday cake. Frowning when he sees the look on his friend's face, he tries to cheer him up. "We don't even have to be around her. She'll be with her girlfriends right?"
"Yeah, but mom and dad will insist we play with her. She will do something again, I just know that."
Enzo sighs. "I don't know why she always comes back. We never do anything to her but it always ends badly."
They don't say anything for a long moment, both deep in their thoughts. "Maybe...," Jeremy starts again, "no, you won't do that."
"Do what?" Enzo encourages.
"Maybe if we scared her real bad, she'd stop following us?"
"Would she?...," he thinks about it for a bit. "Then we must do it."
"You think so?" Jeremy looks excited and Enzo wants to keep him in a good mood.
"Yes. What do you think we should do to scare her?"
"Maybe giving her a bath in that pond? She's not supposed to even come out here alone. It's too deep but maybe if we play and run near...? Well she might even get punished herself," Jeremy says proudly.
Enzo's not sure, but his plan does have some logic and Jeremy certainly knows better what to do with his own sister. "Okay," he smiles at his best friend. Then, a thought occurs to him. "Won't they punish you too, if she tells them that you pushed her?"
"I won't," he affirms and Enzo has a feeling he has been waiting for it since the beginning. "You will."
He thinks he might not have heard him right but there's a growing sense of dread in his belly that it's exactly what Jeremy meant to say. He slowly starts shaking his head 'no'. "No, I can't... I won't..."
"You have to! Don't you see? If I do it, they'll know it wasn't an accident. They think I'm bad. You, on the other hand, they think you're good, Enzo..."
Up to this moment his tone was pleading, desperate, compelling. But now there's a different tone in it.
"They think you're good because they don't know about it - what you did..."
Enzo's gut churns uncomfortably. "I don't know..."
"You do know." Jeremy won't let him off the hook. "The cat..."
Enzo's cheeks are burning now. A hot mix of shame and regret. One of their neighbor's cats was hit by a car. It was still alive when they found it at the side of the road. Entrails spilling. They were both fascinated, staying around to see how long it'd take the cat...to die. Jeremy pulled out a knife and they considered ending the animal's suffering. Many times before, Jeremy did the same to lizards, frogs... even one very unfortunate little mouse got caught up in his twisted games. Enzo was never brave enough to bury the knife in a creature's belly... He really wanted to make his friend proud.
"Okay," he says reluctantly. But promise me we won't get in trouble."
"I promise we won't," Jeremy says lightly. "She won't say a word. She will be too scared."
Enzo leaves with a heavy heart that evening.
On the day of the party, everything goes as Jeremy said it would. They play hide and seek in the garden, all the kids together. Enzo can hardly concentrate. He's been hanging around the pond the whole afternoon and suddenly Elena's running along the path, skirting the perimeter. He starts shaking wildly and moving backwards but Jeremy's right behind his sister and he stares him down from the distance. When Elena's passing him he takes a run-up and nudges her over the edge.
He realizes his mistake as soon as she doesn't come up to the surface. "Jeremy!" he calls panicking. "She's not swimming, she's not coming to the surface.." his voice trails off as he looks at his friend in terror.
He planned this... She can't swim, that's how he knew she wouldn't be able to tattle about this... or ever again.
He didn't plan to help her out... And it was Enzo who did it. It's all his fault.
Resting in the circle of Elena's arms, Enzo feels strangely detached. Moments of his life pass by in his mind as if he's watching a movie. He's never gotten rid of the nightmares about drowning little girls, disemboweled creatures, everyone pointing at him, calling him names, locking him up to die... Ever since that horrible day, he's never given up on trying to make it up to her, protecting her, loving her. He hasn't really ever been afraid that she would someday learn the truth, he's always had it planned out, what he was going to say to her, explaining his role in her never ending nightmares. But with the distance of time as it so often is the case, she didn't want to remember and he respected her wishes. So the burden lies on his shoulders alone.
He's always been different, he knew, he could feel it in the way others looked at him but with Jeremy, he felt normal... In hindsight, maybe hanging out with Elena's brother was what pushed him over the edge.
The day Jeremy killed Gibby, Elena's beloved cat, he knew it wasn't meant just to scare her, he was sending a message to him, that he's still there and that he remembers. He knew Jeremy was determined to ruin his sister's life, which Enzo simply couldn't allow.
Having Vicky drop something into his vodka was the easiest thing in the world. Pretty high herself and believing it was a joke, she led him upstairs for a sexual romp. She thought it was going to be a big surprise, conjured up by his friends... not friends really. Jeremy was a loner, he had no friends, only the cronies and leaches who thought he could get them riches once Elena was out of the way. It wasn't hard at all to slip her something stronger than she was used to but he didn't anticipate her running around trying to recollect her own memories about what happened to Jeremy. Such a useless pathetic girl... he did what he had to do to protect Elena. He prepared the needle and helped her with the hit. She had no idea it would be her last one.
Now he just feels sort of numb yet relieved that it's over, he doesn't have to carry it all alone anymore. She knows and she's still here, sitting on the floor, cradling his upper body on her lap, her hand rhythmically moving over his shoulder and neck, into his hair to comfort him. He closes his eyes and prays for everyone else to disappear.
Damon's watching the two on the floor, knowing he should separate them, he has to. Enzo needs to be secured and taken outside to the squad car so he can be transported to the precinct. And yet, he can't quite bring himself to interrupt their intimacy, perhaps the last time they'll be able to connect this way. He wonders if Elena is even able to comprehend the information that Enzo shared or if she believes in the veracity of his confession. How will she see him now, knowing that he killed her brother? Her only focus seems to be providing him comfort. Damon's heart is breaking knowing there's nothing he can do to make this easier for either of them. Since when does he feel such turmoil inside for a confessed killer? But having heard him speak, so detached, he's going to recommend that he have a mental health evaluation. She's changed the way he looks at so many things...
He looks up and studies the faces of the assembled actors. They're standing around and he can see the same bewilderment as he himself feels. He notices Elijah stopping his brother from interfering with a subtle shake of his head. Parker turns his head away knowing Elena is in no danger except for the emotional fallout that's bound to come. Elijah is stoic, calmly waiting for the moment when she needs him to intervene.
Aloof, the paramedics are still working on Bonnie but there isn't the frantic bustle as it was before. Soon, they lift her onto a gurney to transport her to the hospital. With a nod from Damon, Luka follows, he's rather shaken and someone needs to follow the ambulance anyway.
He shares a look with Ric and sighs.
It's time.
They both move to the pair. Elena looks up as soon as they approach but immediately she averts her eyes from his. It's... painful. He's sure she will never be able to look at him and not relive this moment. Ric touches Enzo's arm rather carefully, he must as it's Elena in the middle, they don't need any harm to come to her. With gentle hands, he pries his grasp from Elena, Enzo doesn't fight. She lets him go and accepts Elijah's hand to help her up. Once on her feet, she turns to sit on the rack but doesn't lift her gaze to anyone.
As soon as Enzo's led out, police and other authorized people swarm in, the flurry of activity is almost like a beehive. Damon pulls Elijah aside and with his okay, he instructs all the non-official people to vacate the room and gather in Elena's office. Considering the bombshell that dropped, Kol excuses himself to give his men a head's up. Kai walks over to Elena, whispers something in her ear and then helps her up. Taking a deep breath, she gets up and starts to walk away, he follows directly behind her.
Once Damon has a word with Ric, he almost runs out of the room. He should feel exhilarated that they can finally close this case after five long years but the only sensation that surrounds him is defeat.
Numb herself and running on fumes, Elena feels an uncanny need for normalcy. She insists on making coffee herself and then digs through the cupboard above the coffee maker to find some snacks. Not one of them dares to talk her out of it, they all sit quietly in her office, including Kol who joined them after speaking with his men. Damon enters the room, his eyes immediately drifting to Elena but she's untethered from her moorings, drifting alone in an empty sea. He wishes he could take her in his arms and tell her that somehow, someway everything will be okay.
He backs out for a few minutes to give Katherine a call and let her know that he won't be returning. With the promise of explaining it all later, he reassures her that he arranged for his parents to get her home safely. Just before going back inside, he receives a welcome text from Luka that Bonnie's going to be alright and shares the news with the people present.
His work here is far from over, there are going to be long interviews and more questioning, needing to know if any of them knew about Enzo's... proclivities. Judging by the blank faces, he doesn't think so. Tonight he needs to write up his report on Enzo's arrest which means he can give Elena a break, Tyler, Kai and Kol's testimonies will do. He's about to suggest everyone else go home when Kai, obviously frustrated, can stand no more. The air is so thick that it's almost suffocating.
"Now what? Are we just going to sit here and do nothing? He needs a damn good lawyer."
Elijah shoots him a displeased look but Kai's beyond the point of caring.
Damon looks at him calmly. "I was just about to ask you, Mr. Mikaelson and Mr. Lockwood if you can give me a statement about tonight's events. The others may go home, we'll be in contact with each of you tomorrow for questioning."
"Again?" Kai's not too pleased. "We've all been going over this for five years now. You have your killer and a shook group of people," his eyes shortly travel to Elena. "Isn't that enough?"
"I'm sorry, I understand your frustration, your anger even but there's so many things that need an explanation. This has been a puzzle since Jeremy's case was opened all those years ago, I need for all the puzzle pieces to fit together."
"And what puzzle would that be? You're really unbelievable, Salvatore. You're not going to stop until you pry every secret out of his cold dead hands. What the fuck else do you need to know? You have your killer isn't that enough?"
"Mr. Parker, I have to be able to give the DA everything he needs to successfully prosecute this case."
Kai tightens his lips in anger before lashing out again, "It doesn't matter to you who gets hurt so go ahead and ask so we can all get the hell out of here. What are you fishing for? What is it that keeps you awake at night?"
"I don't think I understand... I get your anger, he was one of you. However, Mr. Parker, this investigation is still ongoing. Enzo's motivations need to be uncovered so I have the complete picture to be able to close this case for good. Why did Jeremy hate Elena so much that he'd plot her murder when she was still a child? What does...?"
"For god's sake, someone say it already! He was schizophrenic! Jeremy was schizophrenic. He was paranoid in all things Elena," his eyes drift over to her downcast ones. "That's why he was violent and unstable in all things having to do with her."
The deathlike silence that follows his statement is deafening. Damon isn't shocked, it makes more sense than anything he's heard so far, and it certainly explains a lot. He's just waiting for Elena's outburst, giving Kai a piece of her mind for blowing the lid off the Gilbert family secret. Instead there's only stark silence.
His eyes snaps to her when she starts to speak, addressing him without bothering to meet his eyes.
"Can I go home now, detective or do you need a statement, an explanation right now?"
He swallows thickly and hopes his voice won't betray him. As much as he wants to shield her from all of this, he has to finish the job. "You can go home. Please just don't leave the town, we'll contact all of you tomorrow."
He watches as Elena gets up and leaves the room without so much as a goodbye or even a stealth glance at him. Elijah gives him a short nod then follows after her.
At least he knows she's safe in his care.
Elena's in shock, she needs a little time to process everything that's happened on this night.
Eva and I want to thank you all so very much. You keep us excited and motivated, without your support, we wouldn't be here.
Thank you Eva. I love you dearly.
Chapter title: 'This Boy's Story'.
This year's holiday one-shots will start posting soon.
Thank you all again, you're the best there is in the DE fandom. Hope you all have a terrific day.