Goodbye To You and Everything You Knew
A/N: Spoilers for and up to 3x10. Jeremy's leaving Mystic Falls and I wanted to give him one last moment with Elena.
Any and all mistakes are mine.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries. Warner Brothers Television, The CW, L.J Smith and Harper Paperbacks hold the rights to characters and settings. Title and lyric derived from 'Goodbye To You' by Michelle Branch.
'The one thing that I tried to hold on to'
Elena places a kiss in his hair as her hands cradle his face. Her tenderness makes his chest ache. She's close enough he can hear the shuttering breath she draws as she pulls back.
"Take care of yourself Jeremy." She says, her voice strong and sure, even if the downturn of her mouth betrays her inner emotions. He can't help but smile. In these little moments he can see a little of their mother in her. Miranda Gilbert's quiet strength is in how Elena holds herself straight and shoulders squared; tall and proud and ready to face anything be they vampires or annoying little brothers.
His sister is the bravest person he knows. Even before Klaus threatened her life. She's always been his rock. In the days after their parent's death when everyone would have expected her to break, she hadn't.
Elena had dried her tears and then his own.
He never said thank you.
The sound of the bag zipping puts a feeling finality over the room. Shouldering it, Jeremy looks at Elena. Her eyes are cast down and she's holding herself with her arms.
"It's not forever Elena." He tries to be light but he feels like once he leaves he'll never look back. Never give Mystic Falls another thought.
She laughs but it's a dry, broken thing. "Right."
He doesn't know what possesses him to drop the bag and take her in his arms instead.
"I love you, you know that, right?"
She makes a choking sound against his shoulder, "I love you too, Jer."
He can't help but feel as though this is the last time he'll see his sister for a long time. He's not saying goodbye though, just in case, there's been too many of those between them to last a lifetime.
It's her who pulls back first this time and smiles up at him. He can't recall when he got taller than her. He's never given it much thought until now.
"I hope one day you'll understand. That I never wanted you to get hurt."
"What are you talking about?"
She only smiles, and he can tell it's fake and brittle. Not answering his question she says, "Alaric's waiting downstairs."