When Lilly arrived home after her talk with Zach she walked right into the middle of an argument between Jenna and Jeremy which ended with Jeremy slamming the door to his room violently and Jenna looking at Elena in desperation.

They hadn't even noticed Lilly until she shut the front door rather loudly.

Jenna seemed truly lost. The poor woman hadn't signed up for this. Providing food and a roof for her sister's kids was one thing, dealing with moody teenagers another. Especially when it was a troubled teenager like Jeremy. That wasn't a problem easily resolved between ordering pizza, juggling lecture schedules and finishing an essay.

Studying Psychology prepared Jenna for a lot and it had even helped her with the kids, but this was out of her comfort zone. She didn't know what to do with Jeremy anymore. Appealing to him with stories of her own past obviously hadn't worked very well and being strict didn't seem to make much of an impression either.

Thank god the other kids didn't act like that. Elena was no trouble at all. She behaved almost too well for a teenager and even helped with keeping the younger siblings in line.

Lilly was easy too. There had been the one issue with her overdoing her training to the point of exhaustion, but after the trainer put a stop to it, that wasn't a problem anymore either.

Jeremy was the only one to cause Jenna serious problems, but those brought her to her limits. His teacher had pointed that out to her today. The teacher was an ass, but he did have a point. Jeremy was out of control and Jenna had no idea how to rein him in. She'd never had to deal with teenagers and there hadn't been a training period. What if she couldn't find a way to stop his delinquent behavior? What would the consequences for him and the rest of the siblings be? Would it only affect him or would the authorities doubt Jenna's ability to care for the kids all together and take them away?

Lilly noticed the expression on her aunt's face and almost felt sorry for her, but her brother took precedence and Jenna had some part in his bad mood. She didn't yet know what exactly happened, but she intended finding out soon and it didn't much matter anyways.

Her twin was in a bad state, which meant someone had upset him and in Lilly's eyes that equaled a crime. It didn't really matter whether it was done unintentionally or with the best of intention...the road to hell was paved with good intentions. They all needed to leave her brother alone.

She knew Jenna cared for them though and was only worried that someone came along and took them away because they found her incapable. Lilly feared that too and so still willing to give her aunt the benefit of the doubt she merely announced her presence and made to go to Jeremy. "I'll talk to him" she reassured, almost as an afterthought. Informing other people wasn't her priority.

Jenna looked truly grateful at that announcement, but Elena, who had looked clueless too, now approached the stairs with a determined expression.

Oh no, none of that. Lilly stepped into her sister's way to stop her. "I got it" she said pointedly.

Elena's expression turned sour. She did not like being told off when she was in one of her mothering moods, but even she had to admit that Lilly probably was the best option. If anyone had a chance to get through to Jeremy it would be Lilly. So she begrudgingly stepped down and allowed her younger sister to pass.

Lilly didn't really care. Jeremy wouldn't have let Elena in anyways. She was relieved not to have a fight on her hands right now though. She was worried and eager to get to her twin. An argument with Elena would have been a complication she didn't need.

Her previous confidence went out of the window fast when she knocked on her brothers door and was answered with an aggressive "Go away!" from Jeremy.

On some level she knew this wasn't aimed at her and Jeremy had no way of knowing it was her at the door, but it still stung.

Despite the rude words she carefully opened his door and peeked in.

"It's me" she meekly announced, a little afraid he might not want to see her either.

Her twin had never refused her company before and she didn't really expect him to do so now, but a little voice in her head kept telling her to prepare for disappointment.

They were as close as twins could be and especially after their parent's death contact, physical contact, had become more important for the both of them. They became more affectionate with each other. They hugged more and during the first weeks had often slept in each other's bed, holding tightly onto their other half after crying themselves to sleep.

The past months had been hard and neither one of them would have made it through without the presence of the other one.

Despite this connection there had been rocky patches. Lilly worried about Jeremy's drug usage for a while and even though she would always take his side when push came to shove, they had exchanged words about it.

Lilly's worries were defused in an instant when Jeremy grabbed onto her wrist, pulled her into the room and forcefully threw the door shut behind her. He locked the doors to both the hallway and their shared bathroom too. That made it quite obvious that her presence was okay, even wanted, while everyone else's was not.

Lilly laid down on Jeremy's bed and after only a short moment he plopped down next to her.

Neither one of them said a word for quite some time, they just lay there together. They just lay next to each other, both staring up at the ceiling and lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence though. The twins were comfortable together. Always. They didn't need words.

Their mother had once told them that even as infants they had been able to calm each other. When one of them was fussy just laying the other in the crib next to the upset baby often solved the issue. Lilly had thought their other half not being close-by probably was what made them fussy in the first place. Miranda adding that putting the babies together even helped to allay tummy aches or teething pains only confirmed that thought, but it had been water under the bridge by then. When the twins learned about this they were old enough to express their needs with words or satisfy them themselves.

Either way, being together always helped the twins. Issues certainly weren't magically chased away just by the other half's presence and problems didn't solve themselves just because the twins embraced. The closeness, however, helped them cope with the torment and bear the anguish.

Helping Jeremy cope with whatever plagued him was Lilly's sole reason for being here, on a bed with him, now. She had a good idea what the problem was without Jeremy spelling it out for her and Jeremy knew that. She wouldn't talk about it unless he wanted to, initiated it. Her presence alone might be all he needed, wanted for now.

Lilly reached down to Jeremy's hand and intertwined their fingers. Both siblings sighed almost inaudibly. The physical connection somehow helped them feel closer, more protected. It always felt like they were coming home. They could feel each other without touching, but it made it more noticeable, more real somehow, that there was another person who would always have your back, always understand you, no matter what.

"I miss them." Jeremy eventually broke the silence. What he said wasn't anything new or anything Lilly didn't know already. It was merely him indicating that he was ready to talk.

Lilly squeezed her brother's hand. "Me too." This wasn't news to Jeremy either, but it was her way of saying that she was available to listen.

It was a silly game, not really necessary at all, but it did help pushing everything else out and concentrating on each other. A long practiced ritual to reassure each other that it was their personal time now. They were alone, in a locked room. Nobody could interrupt or would listen in to them when they bared their souls to each other. Nothing said in this situation would ever make it outside this room. This was strictly between the twins.

"Seeing Vicky in hospital just made it real again" Jeremy began. "I'd managed to push it out until I saw her bleeding. And then seeing her in that hospital bed…." He trailed off unable to express what this situation had made him remember, but the tears running down from his eyes made it quite obvious.

Lilly understood enough. "Pushing it out isn't gonna work. Not this way. They would be devastated if they knew about the drugs, Jer." They both knew she was talking about their parents. Vicky had been the topic, but their parent's death was the actual problem.

Jeremy only groaned in response, but he did turn onto his side and was facing her now. Lilly wouldn't lecture him with empty phrases like Elena frequently did. When she mentioned his drug consuming she had a point and he had a feeling it would change things for him drastically.

Lilly didn't disappoint. She took a deep breath before turning onto her side to face Jeremy and began. "I wanna be numb too. I know it is your way of coping and it works." He knew she wasn't asking him to share his stash even before she voiced her 'but', there was more to it. "It's destroying you though. And it makes you numb to everything. Even me."

She was crying now and it was getting harder for her to get the words out between sobs. "M-mom and d-d-dad wouldn't want this and...and I..." she had to take a breath to bring the rest out, tears streaming down and soaking the pillow. "I n-need you, Jer. I need my t...twin. I don't know w...what I w-would do if anything happened to y-you!"

The last part had almost been a wail and Jeremy felt his heart shatter. Lilly felt abandoned and he was the cause. He had been too caught up in chasing the next high to numb his own pain that he lost sight of his sister's plight. He wasn't suppressing his own tears anymore as he wrapped his arm around his twin and pulled her close. "I know" he mumbled into her hair. "I will always be here for you, I promise."

He wasn't stupid enough to promise her he was staying with her forever. If their parent's death taught them anything it was that life was fleeting. Anything could happen anytime and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Lilly understood the promise for what it was. Her twin would watch over her always, even if he couldn't physically do so anymore. She wrapped her own arms around him and with her face pressed to his chest she mumbled "I know. And so will I."

Jeremy hadn't apologized and Lilly hadn't blamed him. They didn't need those acts. Each sibling had said what they had to say and the other understood. This was how they worked and what made being with each other so easy. No gestures were needed. It went without saying that things would change now that the problem had been issued.

They both squeezed tightly and didn't try to suppress the sobs or the tears. They were grieving together. For the people, the futures lost, for their own futures and for each other. Until sleep finally took over. Neither one loosening their grip on the other, even in sleep they stayed locked together.

Accordingly the next morning was unpleasant. Jenna and Elena found the twins fast asleep and locked in a tight embrace. They knew what this meant. Having seen them like this several times over the past months they knew they had given in to the grief. Meaning well they jumped into action, determined to force both teenagers out of their low and make them feel better.

Neither Jeremy nor Lilly appreciated this, since they both felt they were fine. They had grieved. Last night. They were done now. All they wanted to do was move on and act like nothing ever happened. It was what they normally did and it usually worked. Never change a running system, right?

So when the maternal duo barged in, the twins exchanged an exasperated and slightly desperate look and groaned simultaneously. The common goal now was to escape as quickly as possible.

Despite still being tired and sluggish Lilly hurried past them to her room, grabbed an outfit for the day and fled into the bathroom. She didn't lock Jeremy's side of the shared room. The shower curtain would hide her modesty and she simply couldn't just leave him to the proverbial wolves.

Jeremy never joined her in the room though. He must have valued privacy over cleanliness. At least his toothbrush was gone when Lilly finished, so he wouldn't forgo dental hygiene in favor of bubblegum.

Unsurprisingly Jeremy was nowhere to be found after Lilly got dressed and went downstairs. He'd left the premises as fast as he could. To Lilly's intense relief neither her aunt nor her sister were in the kitchen either. Maybe she had beaten them to it. Not about to waste precious time contemplating her luck though, she quickly purred some coffee into a travel mug and reluctantly made her way to school. This was the perfect opportunity to skip classes all together. One call to Tyler would fix it for her, but she didn't have it in her.

She was up early enough to take her time walking to school and unfortunately her conscious kicked in so instead of daydreaming she spent the time mulling over this morning's events. She knew she was being mean by avoiding her aunt and sister. Their overbearing act was rooted in worry, after all, and Lilly had to appreciate that. While really appreciating their care she also wasn't in the mood to relive the pain again that was dealt with and concluded last night. However, she could have handled it a little more maturely and should have voiced her thoughts instead of fleeing.

With a heavy sigh she entered the school grounds. She wouldn't apologize for going with what felt right, but she wouldn't keep pushing her family out either.

Making this decision helped Lilly feel better about herself, but it didn't help make the extremely boring school day pass any faster. The only bright spot in a dull day was awaiting her in the afternoon.

It was the first day of training for this season and when she entered the gym she was immediately surrounded by her equally excited teammates. The last training session had been at the last day of school followed by a competition on the corresponding weekend. Since then most of the girls hadn't seen each other. Most went on vacation or to visit relatives out of town. Lilly was the sole exception with her parents being too dead to take her anywhere except the graveyard. Her teammates were understanding and asked her how she had been. Despite the support it still stung.

Lilly distanced herself from all the accounts of fun vacations and got warmed up instead.

She had been doing gymnastics since she was six years old. Her mother had taken her and her brother to baby gymnastics classes and while Jeremy fussed and only reluctantly joined his sister, Lilly had loved it.

As soon as she was in school and the opportunity of a gym team was in her reach, Lilly jumped on the chance. She was really good at it too. Always at the top of her team, performing the most difficult tricks within hours of learning the technique. Encouraged by her proud parents she strived in the sport.

Despite Mystic Falls being a small town with very little chance of a national trainer ever visiting, Lilly gave her best. She was aware of her slim chances to be recognized and chosen for a nationally competing team. The girls that performed on that level usually had a lot more training than her three times a week.. It didn't bother her all that much. She was in it for the sport, not the medals, so competing on a regional level was enough for her, even so the confidence boost of being able to compete in a national contest wouldn't have hurt, at all. She always had the chance to make it to state championship. That wouldn't take professional training but might open the way to it.

Lilly would welcome the training that came with being on the up and up to becoming a national champion. Not so much for the title, though that would be nice. She was in it for the training, for the effects on her body and psyche.

She loved gymnastics. It took her mind elsewhere. It allowed her to completely emerge herself into the exercise, into the movement. Lilly wasn't herself anymore when she showcased her abilities. Her body was doing the work, while her mind could stray without her consciously acknowledging it. Once a competition routine was done she usually was too exhausted to talk or think much. That was a state she reveled in, aimed to achieve and rejoiced when she got it.

Regular training was good too. If done right, it took her thoughts off of other things, including and especially her parent's death. Training was her escape. She could push her body to the extreme, demand everything of it, numb the emotions in the process. When Lilly was training nothing else mattered. It was just her body and the bars. Or the beam, which was her favorite. She would twirl and jump and pivot and whirl, leaving her thoughts outside along with the rest of the world.

Training had used to be her escape, her sanctuary. Like Jeremy's escape were the drugs, Lilly used sports. When she was training nothing else mattered, just her body and its limits. Pushing those limits was her personal drug.

Shortly after the accident that killed her parents Lilly used the sport to numb herself. Training hard and taking her body to ever higher limits and far beyond those was her poison. She reveled in the feeling of utter exhaustion that left no room for anything else. Not grief, not loss, not loneliness. Just exhaustion.

Lilly in her grief had ignored all the warning signs her body sent and had still pressed on. After her trainer found her unconscious on the mats for the second time, he put a stop to it. She hated him for robbing her of her outlet, but on a rational level she understood why he did it. Her continually passing out during training wouldn't do anyone any favors, least of all herself. Her trainer was protecting her in the only way he could.

Her cover blown Lilly couldn't train anymore. She understood why hunting her exhaustion wasn't accepted, but she wasn't even allowed to do regular training. Nobody trusted her not to overdo it. Hence Lilly was beyond glad for regular training sessions to start again with the new school semester. It had been hell for her to be idle for the rest of the summer after she'd been cut off. All the torture would end now.

So while the rest of the girls where most excited to meet their teammates again Lilly herself couldn't wait to get started on the real training and her trainer didn't disappoint. To Lilly's immense pleasure the trainer didn't go easy on his team. He chased the girls across the football field, made them do sprints and had everyone perform their competition routine, commenting relentlessly on all the mistakes and making him do it over and over again until he was satisfied. When he'd finally been done with the gymnastics they had to run around the field again to build up stamina, and he was taking their times now. He wasn't happy with their times. They'd all decreased over the summer. Everyone but Lilly. She was the only one to keep on par with her previous time. After being cut of training running was her only way to stay fit. Now she was barely out of breath after the measuring run. Both her and the trainer knew she hadn't even scratched on her potential, but both had their reason not to bring it forward.

Lilly would have stayed longer to train some more, but her trainer kept a close eye on her and wouldn't allow her to do anything more than exactly what he ordered them to. Hence she was now in the locker rooms with her teammates who were more excited about tonight's event than the training.

Reluctantly she agreed to watch the comet with her team. They wouldn't let her leave before she gave in and she did like her teammates. They used to have a lot of fun together. Before...everything happened. Maybe it could be like that again. Lilly could hope. The hard training had mellowed her quite a bit, so that probably played a role in her agreeing so easily.

At home Lilly didn't run into anyone. Her family seemed to all be busy with their own issues. Taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes took Lilly hardly any time without interruptions She even got to do her homework and relax a little before it was time to meet the girls in the town square.

The night out with her team was fun. They joked and laughed a lot. The comet was beautiful, they all enjoyed watching it and after the spectacle was over they decided to conclude the night with drinks at the grill.

However when Lilly returned from a bathroom break she found everyone else gone. Her team apparently had decided to leave without her.

Lilly looked around the bar to see if either of her siblings or any of her friends were still here. She came up empty. It was quite late after all.

Reluctantly she stepped outside and eyed her surroundings. Wrapping her jacket around her body tightly gave her at least a small boost in confidence, but she still felt very much alone when she couldn't spot any of her friends or their cars.

It wasn't really this cold yet and Mystic Falls was safe enough for her to walk home alone. She stared at her silent phone for longer than she'd like to admit, internally debating whether to call one of her siblings to pick her up. Shaking her head she tugged on the lapels of her jacket and took a few hesitant steps.

It wasn't that she was scared. She just wasn't used to walking alone in the dark. It felt dangerous, even though there was no objective reason for her to feel that way.

Just when she'd finally decided to act like a big girl and brave the darkness she noticed Stefan watching her from a short distance away. Zach's warning flashed into her mind and she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. She frowned.

As she decided to confront him about his staring, which would no doubt have happened in a very snippy tone, he stepped up and addressed her. "You okay? You look a little lost."

Lilly's confrontational words died in her throat at his kindness. He'd obviously been worried. This was embarrassing. Lilly had to swallow before she was able to speak. "I...uh..." She took a deep breath. "I was out with friends. I thought I would catch a ride home with Elena or Jeremy, but it seems I missed them..." So far so good. Stefan was still waiting patiently and that gave her the last push to explain her predicament. "Uh...I don't really like walking alone at night..." She trailed off and had to swallow again. Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment by now.

Stefan didn't seem the least bit fazed with her stuttering. He simply offered his arm for her to take. "I'll walk you home." He offered this like it was the most natural thing in the world. There wasn't even a hint of amusement on his face. Lilly had quite expected him to make fun of her, ridicule her of being afraid of the dark. But Stefan was the perfect gentleman.

"No, no, I'm sure you have to..." Lilly started but she wasn't sure what else he might have to do. She hardly knew the guy. "I...don't want to bother you" she finally objected halfheartedly, but took hold of his offered arm anyways.

"It's no bother at all." Stefan gently tucked and she allowed him to steer them towards the Gilbert house.

His rather stoic behavior had seemed hilarious to her earlier, now she was grateful for his patience and giving up her weak protests she let him lead her home.

What Lilly couldn't know was that it came quite naturally to Stefan to escort a girl home. Young unmarried women wouldn't be left to walk alone in his human days. Not even during the day and certainly not at night. Granted, in his days it wouldn't have been suitable for the two of them to walk alone either. They would have had a chaperon watching their every step. But that was a custom Stefan could easily overlook as long as he got his hopefully soon-to-be-girlfriend's little sister home safely.

Stefan's presence made the walk seem a lot shorter and a lot less daunting. She really hadn't wanted to walk all alone, she realized. He also was a great conversationalist. They easily found common interests and talked about anything from hobbies to politics. If not for Lilly's home coming into view just then they would have launched into a discussion about the female perspective in 19th century literature, but it wasn't to be.

They arrived at Lilly's porch in no time and Stefan let go of her arm.

"Thank you so much for walking me home, Stefan." She reached up on her tip-toes to place a kiss on his cheek. She was very grateful for his company and he hadn't made it seem like a chore. "I hope you and Elena work out. You are a great guy."

Stefan seemed at a loss for words after the rather blunt words and Lilly's affectionate gesture. He certainly wasn't used to being treated this way.

Lilly used that moment to walk up the porch steps and unlock the door. "Have a good night." She waved goodbye and he managed to return the gesture in time, before she shut the door and disappeared into the house.

"Sleep well, sweet Lilly" he whispered in response, aware that she was already inside and wouldn't hear the words.