everyonelives | there are prizes all around you if you're wise enough to see

Yeah. Cooper, in a lot of ways, he's happy. And I like him. The boy he's with. William. And I'm sure you'll meet him soon enough.

( After everything. Also, it's weird to ... gossip about William's notoriety. She wonders if he would make the connection between Star City and William Queen. )

Good. I'm glad. He deserves to be happy.

[And he does mean that, even if he has mixed feelings on his own happiness at the moment, given everything that's happened.]

You do, too. ( It's a reflex. ) If - when you get to. Maybe this really is a second chance. It's okay to hope.

( To treat it like it is. )

Did you want to... make any calls?

[He pauses, making a face before shaking his head.]

Not until I talk to Coop.

[So he knows what's been said to who.]

Probably wouldn't go over well on the phone regardless.

Okay. If you need anything, we'll all be in the main room.

( A hand on his shoulder, she presses a kiss to his forehead and then pulls him close.

And then she lets him stay back, gathering his thoughts.

As for the others, only when Jeremy has arrived, a big hug shared with his sister, do Dean, Sam, and Elena sit the Gilberts down at the War Room table. Jeremy can't believe it as he takes the steps down into the bunker and his dad and mom meet him at the bottom stair.

It's been a long, long, long time without them. He's lived without them longer than he lived with them.

Keeping his composure, he posts up with a leg on one of the chairs, ready for a lecture. )

Edited 2024-12-18 01:51 (UTC)

[Miranda sits herself down next to her son, trying to resist the urge to touch him overly much. her hand rests on his arm, marveling about how grown up he is, and wanting to know all the things they missed in between.]

Do we need to talk about this now?

[Jeremy just got here. Surely it can wait until they have some time to catch up.

Elena takes a deep breath because as much as she sympathizes, they need to get Jeremy up to speed as well. "This is important, Mom. It can't wait."]

( his pants and bootes are still stained, but at least he managed to pull a clean t-shirt on. he tries not to feel like he's fourteen or fifteen years old all over again with his mom's hand on his shoulder.

trap. spell. no. personal shit can wait. )

I want to know everything. And then we'll catch up. I promise. Okay, mom?

( Grayson sits in a chair closer to his daughter, who's standing with the Winchester boys.

"I feel like you're about to give us a lecture," he says, trying to mask his worry. He'd like to think if this were too good to be true, or if it were temporary, they'd tell him. But, he doesn't know what to think. So, all he can do is be here. And, sit.

Dean takes a breath. He feels like he's about to give a lecture.

"The rune that brought you back latched onto Elena's memories of you. It tied into a spell that tethers an ancient body-stealing witch to her long-ago corpse in case anything ever happened to her current occupant. Except, in this case, instead of her corpse, she made alternatives. Not her bodies. But, bodies connected to Elena, and to the Sullivan's, in order to ensure she has somewhere to jump should anything happen to her in -- her current body."

He feels like he's running away with this and he looks to Sam. It's a lot to cover, and he's trying to do it step by step, okay? )

[Elena gives him a reassuring nod - he's doing great and this crazy party had to start somewhere.]

The witch in question is part of a coven called the Colony. Their Inner Circle has been body jumping over and over again in order to maintain their hold on their power. Their heirs are trying to keep that from happening again. That's why we were going after the bodies in the first place.

[Miranda nods slowly as she takes in the information. "So if she dies, then there's a chance she could jump into one of us? But only one of us."

Sam nods.]

Fortunately, there is a loophole. If one of you kill her, it breaks the bond, and she can't jump into anyone.

And she dies. For good. No do-overs.

( no jumping, do not pass go, do not collect $200. )

If we kill her. We being me, Miranda, or

( "Lucas," Ezra contributes, also here. Grayson sits up straighter, looking at his wife, son, and then back to the Winchesters. )

What happens if one of us isn't the one who kills her?

( Dean shifts, moving his weight to the other foot.

"Then she'll end up in one of you," he says simply. "But, we don't know who."

"Even if we had the time to trace it back, she has Mayflower magic behind her. Old stuff I've only seen modified and modernized. It might take me days to unravel how any of it really works," Ezra explains.

"Which is why we only have a short window," Dean takes back over.

Jeremy hates all of this, hates that his parents were pulled in, that they can't just get a second chance. That they have to go after a witch. Witches were nasty and the last thing any hunter wanted to encounter.

He watches his sister, Sam, even the squirrelly witch who looks like he's only here to contribute because he has to. Something else nags at him.

"What aren't you telling us?" Jeremy asks, sitting forward, sliding to the edge of his seat, his shoulder moving out of his mother's range. )

Lucas has already agreed to go. Ezra has witches on the ground there already, so hopefully this will be easier than someone going in blind.

[Miranda frowns as she tries to process this. "Is Lucas ... good at this? Killing ... witches?"

It feels weird to say, but it seems as though everything is working out in their favor.]

He's a hunter. He was raised into this, like Sammy and me. ( not even close to how he and his brother were raised, but the fundamentals, deep down, they're there. ) If anybody has a better chance, they're not in this room, and it won't matter anyway because they're not one of the three of you.

( They'll discuss strategy soon, learn about his experience, how they could use it to their advantage. )

You were all owed the explanation. ( and so here they are. ) Look, we have experience in this, in people coming back. A lot of experience. So, we can get everyone set up, settled. And, you have the bunker long as you need it. Right now, it's safest here, anyway, what with Hernandez'... bogarting your returned bodies.

( sometimes, Dean just doesn't say it pretty, does he.

Jeremy stands, then.

"So, mom and dad are staying here while Lucas, a hunter none of us know, is entrusted to kill the thing that will keep one of them from getting possessed." )

Lucas has a chance of getting possessed, too, Jer. He's stuck in this, same as them.

[She knows what he's getting at and if she could just leave this to Ezra and the other witches to handle this she would.]

And if someone else does it, it won't work. You can't do this for him or them.

["Why would he?" Miranda blinks at that, alarmed. The idea of her son being at risk for this is not a question she's willing to consider. "I understand why you've been dragged into this, Elena, but he doesn't have to be."

Elena flinches, and while she tries to hide it, it's not hidden well (3). She swallows, refocuses on her brother and tries to stay on the matter at hand.]

Point being, while we don't know Lucas, we do know his brother and his parents. They can be trusted.

( His determination doesn't waiver, putting his parents lives into the hands of some guy,, but his mother's confusion snaps him out of his righteous moment. It also softens Elena's side. The fact that it has to be Lucas, if not his parents, further presses at him. That he can't do anything for them, himself. That he just subtly outed himself for what he's been up to the past decade, longer even...

Grayson sees Elena's flinch (13) and makes the connection that there's something his kids aren't telling him. That even though Jeremy isn't directly 'magically' involved in this, he's involved in something. He's a few chairs away from his wife or his instict would be to grab her hand.

Jeremy kicks himself for his display, deflating and sitting back down.

"The less that converge on Mexico City, the better," Ezra says. "They're not on high alert yet, and news of Kirsanov's untimely death hasn't made it to the home office, but it's almost a matter of time." He makes it clear that he understands Jeremy's needs, but at a certain point there are too many cooks, and there is nothing subtle about a caravan of people. One of which has - literally in the physical sense - nothing to do with this.

Dean also catches Jeremy's stance, his -- lack of laundered attire below the belt, and gives his girlfriend a look. Is her little brother Jeremy Gilbert a hunter?

Jeremy has explaining to do as he's satisfied enough and sits back down, still frustrated. )

You said, Mexico City?

[Elena gives a small nod at Dean's silent question, because yes. That's exactly what her brother is.]

Yeah. Mexico City.

[Honestly, she doesn't want Jeremy anywhere near this, because she's not sure she trusts the witches involved, but she knows that Jeremy isn't going to like that answer either, so she keeps it to herself.]

I know it's not something you want to leave in the hands of a stranger, but Lucas is a good guy. And he's capable of getting the job done.

( "I heard you the first time, Elena," he says, shifting back again. He brings a leg up to rest on his knee. )

I know we pulled you all into this, but, this Lucas guy seems like he's got the stuff.

( So, the protective older brother/son attitude can be set aside. Glad he was raised right, family sticks up for one another, but they have their marching orders.

Or, the Gilberts don't. )

If Elena says that he's the best one to do this, then I believe her. His life's on the line, too, right?

( "Dad, I got it," he says curtly. "So, in the meantime, mom and dad, they're -- they're alive again?" )

We're sitting right here.

( "They are," Dean says.

Ezra adds, "Pulled from their deaths," wincing because he's not sure why he had to add that. "And unless something happens to Hernandez, not by Lucas', or Elena's parents' hands, they will remain themselves. And alive. Provided they don't, you know, die again." He draws his lips together and takes a step back. He is not the helpful one in this.

And Dean thought he was floundering. "Right. Any other questions?" )

[Miranda has questions, but they're not about this situation. They're more about her family, because she doesn't like the silent conversations that seem to be happening around her awareness.]

Not about this. We understand this well enough.

[She pauses as she glances between Jeremy and Elena.]

But I think we'd like to speak with our children alone, if you don't mind.

( Dean nods, exchanging a look with Sam, giving Elena a quick glance (he's here when she's done).

Ezra pulls himself out of the conversation easily, to find Irina and spend some kid time. Give his brain a break. He introduces himself to Mary.

Within minutes, the four Gilberts are together. Jeremy decided they need beers for this (he needs a beer for this), but he brings four over leaving two in the carton in the fridge.

He takes a seat, reluctantly, trying not to look at his sister because he sees his mother reading their looks.

Grayson turns his beer lightly, studying the label. Of course he doesn't recognize the label. As far as he's concerned, he has questions, but he knows Miranda does, too. )

[Elena also takes one of the beers, taking a bigger swig than she probably should, but she can feel the mounting pressure, of all the things she left unsaid so far, but she takes the seat next to Jeremy, trying to present a united front.

"Okay, I'm aware that we've missed quite a bit, but I think we need a bit more information. So how exactly did we get - here?"

She gestures to the bunker around them and Elena can't help but feel the need to be a bit obtuse.]

Think you might need to be a little more specific, Mom.

[That earns her a mom glare for her trouble, but Miranda rephrases. "Given what Abby said when you were younger I expected that you might ... stumble your way into something like this, but when did this become a bunker in Kansas with the Winchester boys?"]

You say that like Sam and Dean are bad people. They're not.

["Elena - "]

Just want to make sure that's clear. But I'm here, specifically, because my name wound up on a supernatural hit list, and Dean and Sam let me stay here so I would be safe.

["And was this before or after you and Dean became ... involved?"]

After. But not long after.

( Jeremy's ears perk up, squinting, making the connection to Abby Bennett, but not how his mother's involved, or that she'd know. )

Bonnie's mother?

( Grayson looks to his daughter, back to his wife and then to Jeremy.

"So, Dean's a new development," Grayson says. )

John and them skipped town the night -- they were gone come morning. We didn't hear from them in years.

( And Jeremy also wasn't involved, so he doesn't know what to contribute and what not to contribute. He also knows his sister is the one in the hot seat right now.

"So, us finding you with Dean and Sam Winchester, that's a thirty years later coincidence," her dad asks. )

Twenty years.

[Which may not be better, but it doesn't feel as monumentally long.]

And I don't know if I would call it a coincidence, but no. Sam and Dean haven't been with me or us the whole time.

[She then turns on her mother.]

What exactly did Abby tell you, Mom?

[She doesn't really ask, because she knows. She knows what Abby sacrificed for her - and then sacrificed even more later - because people were trying to protect Elena. She's saying it because other people in the room don't, and she wants to make her mother say it. Confirm how much her parents have kept from her over the years.

Miranda doesn't like that, however, but she squares her shoulders. "This ... powerful vampire came looking for you. He said you were some kind of doppelganger, and he wanted to take you away. You were three."

Elena nods.]

So you knew that I was a doppelganger and you never told me. I'll just add that to the list along with vampires and the fact that I'm adopted.

[Miranda blinks, surprised at the bitterness in her daughter's voice, along with the one-two punch of vampires and the adoption to boot. "I thought we'd have more time."]

( Even ten years would feel monumentally long and she gets look for her focus on semantics. Forgive him for wanting to make sense of this. These are the two boys he happens to remember last - other than Matt's heart being broken - he assumes, he guesses he doesn't know what transpired after that - but it feels quite clear to him.

What doesn't feel clear to Grayson is Abby's involvement, what she has to do with Elena and why she was run off. Or ran off. As far as he knows, she abandoned her family.

Jeremy furrows his brow, waiting for an answer, too. He grimaces after that, remembering Elena learning she was adopted. And learning it from her journal, among other things. But they've grown past petty sibling squabbles and one-time vampire drama. For the most part.

"Elena," Grayson says, trying to temper Elena. )

And me? You kept Elena in the dark, but you didn't mind when John Gilbert told me all about our family's legacy, wrapping everything in a "story."

( Grayson turns to his youngest.

"I told John you were too young to involve you in anything, you weren't old enough," he fights. )

Right. You made decisions for us. And you were our parents. I guess that was your choice to make.

[Elena squares her shoulders, trying to stand firm on her own terms, rather than letting her slink back into her parents. They look at her and she feels like she's seventeen again, the disappointment permeating, but she needs to remember that she's an adult. She's a doctor. She's done far more good than the damage she did by barreling through everyone's lives as a teenager, bringing in dangerous creatures, even if some of their presences were beyond her control.

Her parents don't get to let her feel like she did everything wrong simply because she wasn't the perfect girl they wanted her to grow up to be.]

But that also means you don't get to judge us on how we handled the reality of the world that you didn't prepare us for.

We did what we thought was right. You were kids. You both were kids

( He doesn't have a strong leg to stand on, and he's taking a dual stance with his wife. But, he doesn't like hearing about Abby's involvement or where that came from. Now is about a united front. They made mistakes. All parents do.

Grayson squares off in response, bristling. )

We're not judging you. We're curious. We've missed twenty-something years in our kids lives. I'm not going to apologize for asking questions about it, or for how we decided to parent you. Now you can feel however you want to about it. We're not taking that away from you. But, don't sit there and act like we were the bad guys. All we wanted was to keep you guys safe. Both of you, Jeremy.

( Jeremy swipes his beer,

"Yeah, bang job you both did. We were a founding family. It was going to catch up to us, both, either way." He emphasizes both, the th sound viscerally dropping on the tip of his tongue. There's more, more that Grayson and his mom couldn't possibly know about, like how he's a Hunter with a capital H, because both he and Elena got to have special genes.

Lucky them. )

[Elena glances to her mother, because it seems like Miranda was judging her, and she's not wrong about that. Miranda's jaw sets as she crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"Where was Jenna in all this? She was supposed to - "]

Jenna is dead. Less then a year after you both.

[Miranda looks as though she's taken a blow to the chest. Part of her had been hoping she'd get to see her sister again after all this time, that Jenna would be able to protect them, but in a lot of ways she knew what she was doing by putting Jenna in charge instead of John. John might have been better at preparing them to be a member of the Founding Family, but Jenna wouldn't lead them into danger.

Elena's face softens some, but she doesn't relent. She glances over to her father.]

John too. He tried, but by the time he got back to town it was way too late.

[By the time he returned Elena's life was already mired in vampires, in Salvatores and the Originals and Katherine were already on their way.]

At the end of the day, all we had were each other. And that didn't always work well either.

[And by we, she mostly meant her.]

( the pit in his stomach, lodged their since they began their car ride, drops. the first of many, he assumes. a lot can happen in twenty years. and a lot of people can die.

Jeremy sets his beer back down, because that does hit. He was there. He lived through it. Through Jenna being brought into the vampire crazy - to her being taken. Thanks to Klaus. He digs in his heels, grounding himself against the chair, knowing they were going to go into uncomfortable territory and bad memories. Before they get to the good ones. If they make it. )

What was John too late for. What actually happened. Tell us real things, Elena. Tell us what we didn't prepare you well enough for.

( Tell them how they failed as parents. )

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