When Paths Collide

You Are Loved

"Thank god." Lily let out a sigh of relief. "I thought that maybe..."

"You'd see my dead body the next time you saw me?" I questioned. "I wasn't dead, but I was pretty damn close to it."

"It was just a hangover," Leo said as he walked past us.

"Fuck off."

"Language." Lily reprimanded, gesturing towards who I assumed was Jace and Kimberly.

"Doggie!" Jace exclaimed, running over to us, more specifically King, Remy, and Chase.

Catching him before he ran straight into King, I glanced at Lily for help.

"Jace, you can't run at the dogs." Lily started. "Why don't you ask Aunt Violet if you can pet them?"

Aunt?

"Can I pet the doggies?" I nodded, letting him go to pet Chase and Remy, King allowing it but keeping his gaze on me.

"Aunt? Isn't it too soon for that?"

"We used to talk about this in high school."

"Lily, that was high school."

Lily eyes widened in realization before a teasing glint glimmered in her light brown gaze. "Are you insecure?"

"Lily- no- stop, I'm not-"

Leo cackled in from where he was playing with Kimberly. "The heartless CEO of Wolfe is insecure."

"Leo-"

"Scared?"

"No, it's just, we had a rough patch during high school and I didn't expect you to refer to me as an aunt to Jace and Kimberly." I paused for a moment, debating with myself. "And I have never been called 'Aunt Violet' by anyone."

Lily exchanged a shocked look with Leo before speaking. "Doesn't your brother have two children?"

I nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Dante and Victoria. I saw both of them when they were born, but I never got around to see them after. As a result, I have never been called 'Aunt Violet'."

"Not once?" Leo narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Never."

"Even I visited Lily and the kids."

"Congratulations, you're a better sibling than me. Most people are, though."

Lily led us over to the couch to continue talking, Jace and Kimberly, who had joined her brother to play with the 'doggies', went outside to play with them.

"You're too hard on yourself. I think you just need to remind yourself that you are not what Vlad called you."

"What does Vlad have to do with this?" Leo asked.

"Vlad was an ever-present presence, always looming over me. He told me what I could and couldn't do. Telling me who I was allowed to talk to and who I wasn't."

"Essentially, Vlad controlled her whenever he was around." Like a puppet on a string. Lily glanced at me, asking permission to continue. I gave her my silent approval. "When he believed she stepped out of line, he would force her back, whether it was words, violence, or both depended on his mood."

"He would blame me for our mother's death, our father's death, and would take his anger for Victor leaving out on me. Sometimes it was one slap to the face, stopping there if I apologized or took back what I said or for something I did, other times it was worse."

"We knew about the slapping, but what else did he do?" Leo made his anger noticeable.

"I told Lily and Jaxson about it, but sometimes slapping me wasn't enough and he would resort to cutting me. It usually occurred when he got drunk and when he cut my face I would make up a decent excuse. When bruises that would raise suspicions were visible, I would have either Lily or Jaxson cover it up."

"Remind me why we never reported this?"

"Vlad was the only family I had left. In a way, I still loved him, still cared about him. Obviously not enough as he's six feet under now."

Lily nodded. "I think you're still thinking of what Vlad has done to you."

"You're fucking worthless!"

"I wish you were dead!"

"Mother gave her life so you could be here, and it was all a waste!"

"Because you killed Mother, Father took his own life! We are in this situation because of you!"

"Pathetic!"

I closed my eyes, desperately trying to block out his voice.

"You still think you're worthless. You still think you're pathetic. You still think you're unworthy of love and affection. You're punishing yourself for having a heart." Lily said, reading me like an open book as she and Jaxson would do in the past when I refused to talk. "You put on a mask, giving most the impression that you're emotionless. You radiate power and distance yourself to keep people from hurting you, but on the inside, you're scared."

I opened my eyes, gazing into Lily's eyes, Leo intently watching and listening.

"Your face may not reveal anything, but your eyes are a different story. You're breaking yourself, you keep blaming yourself for something you didn't do, you make sure you don't forget whatever bad things you have done in your eyes, you focus so much on others' desires that you push away your own."

"Stop, please." It was getting to be too much, the way she could see through all my defenses.

"Violet," Lily's voice was soft, and in one swift motion, she was crouched in front of me, clasping her hands over mine. "It's okay to love, and it's okay to want to be loved. We all want that for you, just as you want that for us. For me, for Leo, for Jay. Just as you wanted that for Jaxson."

Tears began to well up in my eyes despite trying to keep them at bay.

"You want what's best for us, telling us when we're in the wrong or making a bad decision and supporting us with what makes us happy."

"Please..."

"Violet, stop trying to ignore your own desires, stop trying to bear the weight of our problems on your shoulders alone. We're friends, we're here to support you. Please, let us."

The tears finally fell, slipping down my cheeks, a few falling on Lily's hands before Leo came over and brushed them away.

"We may have had a falling out, and I may think you're too serious sometimes, but I'm still your friend. I'm still here for you."

I lowered my head, trembling slightly, trying to keep a sob from tearing its way from my throat.

Jaxson used to say the same, telling me that he would always be here for me as I was for him. Trying to get me to relax and have fun, saying that life's too short to brood all day.

I gritted my teeth together, as more tears begin to fall. Lily let go of my hands and silently moved to my left, pulling me into her embrace. Leo moved to my right and began to braid a lock of my hair, knowing that I would do so when stressed.

"Vio, please, remember that you are loved. Remember for us, and if you can't do it for us, remember for Jaxson." Lily murmured.

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A/N: I think that this chapter was poorly written, but I'm going to be honest and say that I teared up while writing Lily's and Leo's words to Violet.