When Paths Collide

Violet

"You're hot." I suppressed the urge to chuckle as her eyes flashed in horror at what she said.

Andrew snickered at her as he walked by, heading towards Lily and her kids.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." She murmured, mind seeming to wander off a bit. "However, thank you for catching me." She straightened herself.

As formal as always.

It took me a moment to realize that my arm was still around her waist before I returned it to my side.

"No problem," I mumbled, grabbing a drink before heading over to Grace in the others and handing the drink to Scarlet.

Grace kissed me, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Violet leave. Resisting the urge to follow her, I berated myself.

You have a girlfriend. Stop thinking about Violet.

And yet, I felt as if my heart broke, watching her shut herself off from everyone.

Stop. She broke your heart before.

And yet, she wasn't trying to. She didn't mean to do it. One thing led to another. I got mad, accused her of being selfish, and she reacted.

"What happened over there?" Ryan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "She didn't try anything, did she?"

"You're hot."

"No," Ryan was always mistrustful of Violet. Her breakdown on national television didn't help the situation. "Andrew merely pushed her into me, whether it was an accident or intentional is anyone's guess."

"How is she?" Scarlet asked.

How is she? I never got to ask. The only thing I can go off of is that she fled a bar with her brother the night the breakdown happened and disappeared. So I can safely assume she was scared.

"I never got to ask." I walked away before I could even try.

"She seems like she's the same as she was during high school," Ian remarked. "Obviously she seems more mature, but she still holds that look."

Glancing towards him, I let my confusion show. "What look?"

"You never noticed? It's the look of someone who is ready to kill if necessary. So much hatred and anger masked by a cold gleam." Ian explained. "Someone who is rarely ever happy or hopeful." He met my gaze. "She lost someone recently."

I was completely lost at this point, but Ian was always good at reading people and it was best to listen to him. "There's the cemetery where Vlad's grave is."

"Should we start there?" Nicholas asked.

"We?" I questioned. "This is a private matter, I don't think we should try digging into something she obviously doesn't want us digging into."

"It's a cemetery, it's open to the public." Ryan scoffed. "She can't tell us to leave."

"Let's at least check it out," Grace said, grasping my hand and intertwining our fingers.

"Tomorrow." I reluctantly said.

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*The Next Day*

It all started with a light drizzle, and by the time we got to the cemetery, it was pouring.

"Should we turn back?" Scarlet asked, the gray sky lighting up with a flash of lightning, soon followed by a clap of thunder.

If I was being honest, it reminded me of Violet.

"No, we're already here." Ryan was being stubborn at this point.

We trudged through the cemetery, but stopped in our tracks as we caught sight of someone.

There, on her knees, was Violet and her three wolves. King lifted his head and growled, but judging by the lack of reaction from Violet, she knew we were there or she was numb.

I walked forward after signaling for the others to wait there.

I stood behind her, King narrowing his eyes at me. He stared at me for what seemed like an eternity before relenting and nuzzling back into Violet's side, convinced I wasn't a threat.

"Violet?"

No response.

I tried again. "Vio?" I couldn't help it. The nickname just slipped out.

She shifted a bit, so I assumed it was a good sign.

"How long have you been out here?"

"Dawn."

It was storming at dawn, as I woke up to multiple loud claps of thunder.

It's noon. Oh god, she's just been sitting out here since dawn.

"Come on. Let's go home." I mentally slapped myself.

We don't live together. We aren't closer anymore.

It was as if we were still comfortable enough to share the same bed.

"Home? What home?" I noticed the edge in her tone.

"Fine," She tensed up, clearly thinking I was going to leave.

She clearly doesn't want to be alone.

I almost chuckled to myself.

But she's too stubborn and prideful to ask.

I turned towards the others, waving them off. Ian seemed to get the idea first and lead the others out of the cemetery.

"Why did you come out here?" I asked, sitting next to her after Remy moved and sat next to me.

There was a moment of silence before she mumbled, "Punishment."

"Punishment for what?" Why was she trying to punish herself? What did she do?

"Killing Vlad, being responsible for Jamie's death, and..." She trailed off as her voice began to break. "Varren."

Varren? Who's Varren.

Remy seemed to know what I was wondering as he nudged me and looked at one of the tombstones.

Varren Wolfe
Run With the Wolves

"She lost someone recently."

Judging by the newer look this tombstone had, I figured it was Varren Wolfe she had recently lost.

But who was Varren Wolfe? Victor had only two children, Victoria and Dante. The rest of Violet's family were dead.

After a moment, painful realization dawned on me.

Violet had lost a child of her own.

It seemed like a painful thing to bring up in front of her, so I decided to ask Andrew about it, as he was the one who's been around her the longest.

For now, I'll keep her company.

I pulled her closer to me, only then noticing that she was shivering. Taking off my jacket, I draped it over her as she leaned into my touch.

Some things never change.

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A/N: I don't really have much to say other than I hope you enjoyed.