The banshee

•38•

       •He's gone•

*3rd person pov*

-Boarding house-

Lydia woke up when she felt something on her waist, Stefan. She smiled as his arms wrapped around her middle, pulling her closer to him.

"Good morning" Stefan whispered in her ear, placing a kiss on her head. Lydia whispered a good morning as she placed her hands on top of his.

Lydia was sitting in the living room facing the fire, wrapped in a blanket, with a warm cup of tea. Stefan walked downstairs and saw her huddled up close to the fire, smiled and joined her.

"Damon just called me, he said something about going to find the cure with Elena and a few others, they left yesterday" he told her as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
"They're still looking for the cure? How do they know it isn't just a story?" She asked, looking into his eyes.
"I guess they're just hoping it's true.." he answered back, looking into Lydia's eyes.

     Lydia let out a sigh and snuggled into Stefan's chest, Carol knew that they were having a date night so she figured Lydia wouldn't be home that night, she had grown to really like and trust Stefan so she wasn't worried about Lydia's safety either.

     Eventually Stefan reluctantly unwrapped his arms from the pretty girl and got out of bed. Lydia let out another sigh as she just wanted to stay in bed but her annoyance was cut short when Stefan took his shirt off.
     Lydia's jaw dropped, well shit.

  "Is there something wrong Lydia?" He asked with a smirk, pulling a new shirt over his head.
Lydia just nodded yes, Stefan was confused.
  "Why the hell aren't you shirtless all the time?" She asked with a dead serious expression on her face but a playful tone in her voice. Stefan rolled his eyes and laughed a little causing Lydia to laugh as well, grabbing Stefan's hand, they both headed downstairs for breakfast.

     Lydia and Stefan sat at the table and ate their breakfast when both of their phone started ringing like crazy. Lydia grabbed her phone and saw that it was from Elena, she answered and was immediately met with the voice of her frantic friend.

**phone call**(Speakerphone)

Lydia: Elena?

Elena: Lydia-Lydia I can't-he's gone..

Lydia: What? Elena breathe, who's gone?

Elena: Jeremy...Jeremy's gone..

Lydia: What do you mean gone Elena?...

Elena: Kathrine showed up and...

Stefan: She killed him?..

Elena: She killed him..

Damon: Hey guys, we're on our way back now...we'll be at the Gilbert house if you want to meet us there..

Stefan: Yeah we'll be there, text me when you are and we'll come over..

**end of call**

     Lydia was in shock, she couldn't speak, she couldn't move, she was frozen. Jeremy was dead. Her friend was dead, she started getting a weird feeling yesterday when Stefan was making dinner but she wasn't paying attention to it, she was so distracted by the date they were having that all of those feeling were involuntarily forgotten about.
     Lydia felt like screaming, not a banshee scream but a normal angry scream. She could've prevented it, she could've tried to at least. She felt sick, she couldn't believe she didn't notice he was in danger.

  "Lyds..." Stefan tried getting her attention, he could see that she felt guilty, that she was angry at herself for not noticing his life was in danger.
  "I didn't even-I don't know-I..I could've saved him, if I had listened to those stupid voice he wouldn't be dead right now.." she choked out as tears started streaming down her face.
  "Lydia look at me, this is not your fault okay. They are far away on some island looking for something that might not even exist, you are here with me..they are the ones that could've saved him, I know you feel guilty even though you shouldn't but you can't do this to yourself lyds...you can't save everyone, I learned that the heard way. Please listen to me when I say this isn't your fault." He spoke while holding her face in his hands. Lydia thought about it for a second, her sobbing slowly stopping as she nodded slowly.

     Stefan let out a sad sigh, he hated seeing Lydia like this, he hated that Jeremy is dead, he hated that no one in this town could escape from death. It was always going after someone, wether it be a friend or a brother, a mother or a father, death was always waiting for its next victim to walk into a trap.
     He picked Lydia up bridal style and carried her to the couch, he started a fire, placed a warm blanket over her, and went to make her some tea.
     Lydia smiled at his attempt to make her feel better but the guilt was still evident in her head. She kept telling herself that if she would've pursued the feeling, she would've gotten a name, she would've been able to tell Damon and Elena that he was in danger and they could've saved him.

     Lydia tried pushing those thoughts away and just focused on the fire in front of her, she watched the flames dances around the logs and she calmed down a bit.
     Stefan came back with a cup of tea, he gave Lydia the cup and sat beside her, pulling her closer to him. With his arms wrapped protectively around her, Lydia felt safe as the crackling fire lulled her to sleep.

     As Lydia fell asleep, her mind started racing. Jeremy Gilbert was dead, if it was effecting her this much...how would Elena feel. Hopefully she doesn't resort to flipping her humanity, hopefully she is strong enough to get through this. Then it hit her, they live in mystic falls, they have vampires, werewolves, hybrids, and witches, she's learned that anything is possible here...maybe even bringing someone back from the dead.
     She shot those thoughts down, you can't bring someone back from the dead, Jeremy isn't supernatural so he wouldn't be on the other side, he really is dead she thought.
     Jeremy Gilbert is dead.