After venting his feelings out to Miles, Carlisle felt somewhat cathartic. A wave of calming energy had overcome him, and for the first time inwer the past couple of weeks, he wasn't having to actively suppress his internal rage. This was progress. Good progress. But there was still someone else that he needed to talk to. He needed to clear the air with. Though he did wonder if Lilith was going to turn up, afterall, this wasn't her jam. He got that. It wasn't his either. He would rather be over by the council stones where things were quiet and peaceful. His place on the veranda was a halfway happy compromise.

He was pulled out of his contemplation when he was suddenly met with Caitlin out on the veranda with him. He knew he was supposed to have a serious conversation about the circumstances that had brought her back to the coven. But he couldn’t be arsed having that conversation right now. To make matters worse, she was practically offering him a joint.

”Given the trouble you are in, do you really think that it is worth you going around carrying one of them out in the open, and then offering it to your new boss?”

"It's not like I got nailed on a DUI." Cait shrugged.

Carlisle let out a deep sigh, that wave of calm had now gone, and was replaced with rising anger once more. The sigh was his attempt to try and centre himself. ”Not now Cait…”

Cait shrugged a second time. "You do you, bro." She stepped further onto the veranda, taking another toke. Dude's gonna die from stress one of these days.

Looking into the crowd, Carlisle scanned and monitored, looking for that familiar hairstyle that belonged to Lilith. No matter how hard he looked he couldn't quite find her however. With a second sigh, he moved into the party pushing past Caitlin. The room was alot more crowded than he thought it would be. The loud music made it even harder for Carlisle to focus on who he was looking for. After a longer scan, he eventually locked onto Lilith at the drinks table and walked on over to her, standing next to her.

"I am glad I found you. Wanna bring the drink outside where it is a bit quieter"

After Grandpa John had woken her up, forced her to shower, made sure that she could walk in a straight line and drove her to the party - Lilith had finally arrived at the Coven House. Still ever so slightly tipsy from her whiskey bender only a few hours previous, Lilith quickly found the booze selection once she was in the house. Reaching for the closest bottle of Jose Cuervo she could find, Lilith blindly poured the contents from the glass bottle into her newly claimed solo cup. As she reached for the orange juice in the cooler beneath her, Lilith stood back up only to hear Carlisle's voice as she unscrewed the lid.

”Carlisle. Darling,” she began, fighting with the stupid plastic protective piece on top of the opening of the bottle as she spoke. ”I’ve had a long day. I really wanna get wasted.” Pouring just enough OJ for color into the cup, she sighed before sitting the juice back down on the table and screwing the top back on. ”So. Unless you can convince me that whatever conversation we’re about to have is more important than my liquor - I’m standing right here.”

Carlisle let out a soft sigh. She had been drinking already. He really did do a number on her with his little act before. He picked up the bottle of Jose and the OJ bottle carefully balancing them in one arm, while he used his other arm to wrap around Lilith's waist and act as a guide as he moved her away from the crowd and towards the more peaceful areas of the room.

"I got all the drink you need, let's go to the table out on the veranda and get you some more drinks mixed" He knew giving her more drink at this point was not exactly the responsible thing to do. But she was an adult, and he trusted her not to go overboard with it. But he would rather be able to keep an eye on her. Taking them out onto the veranda, he found the metal table and set down the drinks on it before guiding Lilith to a seat. Once she was properly sat down, he would sit down himself. "I appreciate that I haven't exactly made the day any good for you. In fact - I am most likely the reason you are drinking right now" Carlisle took a long drink from his 'Wine' glass, needing courage to be able to say what he wanted to say later, even though the fake drink wouldn't do anything except make him go to the toilet later and piss out red urine.

Lilith wasn’t the sort of person that liked to be touched casually. With her current state of mind and the amounts of alcohol that were already running through her system, she didn’t have the strength to argue with Carlisle as he directed her onto the veranda. After all, he had just politely stolen all of Lil’s party supplies - and she did want those back.

Sitting across from him, Lilith sighed as she took another drink from her cup.

”Why do you always think everything has to do with you, Carlisle? Do you know how much shit I have going on in my life right now? How much shit I’ve had going on for the last month?” As she rambled on, Lilith’s tone became increasingly frustrated. ”No. You don’t. Because you haven’t stopped long enough to care or listen. You’re just suck in goddamn Carlton Town.”

Carlisle put the two bottles up onto the table, and made sure that Lilith could reach them. With a soft sigh he listens to her. He had a rough idea about what she was talking about. He hadn't had the time with preparing the coven for today, that he could have sat down and spoke to her properly.

"Well that is kind of the point I want to talk to you. I haven't exactly been a good friend the past few months. I know I have been selfish. I have been putting my needs above yours, and that's not how Friendships work." Carlisle let out a soft sigh, brushing his hands through his head. "Also, you were right. That book you told me not to touch. Turns out it was cursed. Apparently I am under the effects of some kind of Lycan curse"

Listening to Carlisle speak, Lilith continued to sip on her drink and focus on the bass of the music softly thudding beneath her feet. She would have happily accepted his apology, and might have even let him off fairly easily - had it not been for the final thing he had said.

”I know I’m right,” Lilith retorted harshly. ”When have I never not been right,” she questioned him. ”You’ve gone and fucked yourself up, Carlisle. Do you have any fucking clue how many different possibilities there are for the shit that could be going on with you right now? How many Lycan curses there are in existence? Do you even know how to fight one? Or how long you’ve been cursed? You’re so fucking stupid sometimes, I swear.”

Reaching into the pocket of her skirt, Lilith pulled out a zip-lock bag, and promptly removed a blunt from the bag before lighting it. Taking a long drag, Lilith sighed once more.

”You really frustrate me, ya know that,” she continued, blowing smoke out through her nose like some sort of pissed off dragon. ”I literally had a whole ass vision about you not touching that stupid book, told you about it, and you completely ignored my warnings. What kind of person ignores a diviner's visions?” Reaching for the bottle of tequila with her free hand, Lilith didn’t bother to mix her next drink and instead chose to drink directly from the bottle.

”I care about you. I don’t tell you not to do things because I don’t want you to have fun, Carlisle. You’re reckless. You don’t think. You get yourself hurt - constantly. And usually I don’t mind picking up the pieces, but sometimes I think that I just need to leave you in the holes you dig for yourself.”

Carlisle couldn't hide the fact that he was hurt by her words. Words like stupid stung deeply more than he wanted to admit. But she was right. Carlisle was reckless. He always thought he was being helpful ”I….I….I” he stuttered, struggling to put her sentences together. ”I wanted to read the book because I thought it might help me understand your situation better. Thought it might have helped me find a way to be useful. I didn’t stop to think that the curse might be real.”

”I should have listened. And now I have to try and shake this curse. I will do it on my own. Don’t worry. I will give you the time you need to unwind.” With a soft smile he looked at Lilith taking a drag from her joint. Moments ago he had admonished Caitlin for having one, but around Lil, he didn’t seem to care at all. ”And about this morning, and what I was going to say. Don’t worry bout it. I shouldn’t have tried to say it. Can’t even be a good friend, what chance do I have of being a decent boyfriend huh?” He said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

Continuing to drink and smoke, Lilith listened to Carlisle as she rolled her eyes during the right moments. She had all but tuned him out before he steered the conversation back in the direction of this morning's events. Mid drink, Lilith choked on the tequila as Carlisle uttered the ‘b-word’.

”So that is what you were going for this morning,” she thought aloud, her brow furrowed. ”Not a good idea,” she simply stated. ”Last few months aside or not - just… I… me, you…”

Flopping her head back in frustration, Lilith stared at the stars as she finished speaking.

”I’m not good with these things, Carlisle. And I really don’t want to hurt your feelings. And I really don’t like or understand the concept of…. All that.”

While Lilith did not want to hurt his feelings, he certainly felt hurt. But it was hurt that he deserved. He had some work to do. He had some introspection to do. Still, that sinking feeling was opening up inside the bowels of his stomach. He took a long drink from his glass. The last part of her sentence was still hanging into him like a barbed fish hook. He was resisting the urge to say something. Something nuclear. Pushing it deep inside him. But as he focused on that, the anger and frustration from the curse was pushing it forward. Sadly, the curse won.

”Don’t understand the concept of boyfriends, yet was all too quick to have a boyfriend with Miles” He said, venom dripping slightly from his lips. Carlisle quickly regained his composure, burying his head in his hands. ”Fuck… that wasn’t me speaking. It's the curse. It keeps taking control of my emotional insecurity” Above them, the barrier over the sky flickered once more.

A short, sarcastic laugh creeped up on Lil, forcing its way out of her mouth before she pressed the bottle to her lips once more. Smacking her tongue against her teeth, Lilith looked at Carlisle with a cold expression.

”You’re honestly holding something against me that I did years ago? How on fucking earth are any of my past or current relationships ANY of your business?” she sneered, nearly slamming the bottle on the table as she leaned forward. Crossing her arms she added: ”Oh please. Do continue. After all - curse or not, you have some things to get off of your chest right? Your stupid, petty, childish jealousy over some guy I had a thing with years ago?”

Taking a deep breath, Lilith took one final, long drag from her blunt before throwing it on the concrete and stomping it out with her boot. Leaning back in the chair so that it was teetering on the back two legs, Lilith placed her feet on the table and crossed her ankles before speaking once again.

”Tell me, Carlisle -” she spoke venomously, her eyes flicking back upwards to meet him. ”Does his mere presence threaten you that much?”

Carlisle had alot on his chest. That was for sure. Miles was his friend, best friend even. But Miles also had plenty of things that Carlisle did not have. So yeah. Jealous. That was how he felt most of the time. Shifting and squirming uncomfortably he tried at first to avoid her gaze, before finally settling himself and speaking.

"Honestly. At times it does" There. He had verbalised his complicated relationship with Miles. Didn't exactly make him feel any better. "Here is the thing. Miles is really nice. But, when it comes to girls… it gets complicated." Shifting in his seat once more, Carlisle tried to lower his gaze away from Lilith, but her sheer venomous aura was almost locking his eyes to hers. " Throughout senior year and College, I would find girls I liked, then go to Miles for advice, and Miles would then sleep with them and take them from me. Everytime he would come up with another excuse as to why he had to do it. 'Oh Carlisle, you wouldn't be compatible with her. Oh she wasn't that good in bed, I am doing you a favour' "

Carlisle was struggling to hold his emotions together, a small tear escaped from his left eye, clearly this was a sore subject for him. "Coming back to Tanner and spending the last two years with you. It's been like, the best. I know you don't have the same feelings as I do, but you are amazing." As panic set in, his voice began to get faster and faster bordering on hyperventilating. "And now he is back. And history will repeat itself. I already told him that I like you. So he is probably going to swoop in and take you away from me too. The edges of Carlisle's body had began to nervously shake. Taking a few deep breaths to recompose himself, Carlisle drew a long sigh "I want my turn. I am fed up with Miles threatening any relations I have with amazing women. This is worth fighting for. If I have to start changing my ways to be within a chance, then change I will. I can't promise it will be an immediate change though. But I will work on it. And I will succeed" If Lilith was using her empath abilities to read Carlisle then he was telling the truth. There were years of hurt buried under his words: nights being forced to sit in the college dorm corridor while Miles 'entertained' another girl. All the excuses that came after. And there was a determination in his soul now. Lilith was worth fighting for.

The brunette sat there staring at him, listening as he spoke. Lilith knew that Carlisle was being genuine, but part of her didn’t care - because she didn’t want him to care. All in all she was confused and just pissed off - mostly because of the vibe coming from inside the house that she was so desperately trying to ignore. Lilith didn’t know what was going on in there, but she sure did plan on avoiding it. The downside to Lilith’s empathy was that other people's emotions around her sometimes affected hers, especially when she was so wasted.

”You’ll ‘change’? Carlisle, you shouldn’t have to want or need to change for anyone. That’s just being toxic to yourself.” Reaching forward to grab the bottle of tequila once more, Lilith kept her legs crossed on the table as she spoke between drinks. ”Your turn,” she mused, staring at the golden liquid now as it sloshed around. ”As if I’m just some prize that you can both win at the county fair and pass around? A child that you can share custody of? Your turn? Fuckin’ spare me.”

As she spoke, Lilith’s southern accent came out more and more. Angry and drunk, she removed her feet from the table and let the chair fall back properly on the ground before standing. Bottle still in hand, she slid the chair back under the table with force as she grumbled: ”And to think that he actually defended you to me of all people. That should tell me all that I need to know about both of your characters, hm?” Scoffing, she pressed the bottle to her lips, looking him up and down with an expression that could only be described as disgust.

While Lilith was a tad angry at Carlisle, it was really the whole entire principal of the larger picture that had her so irate.

”I’m not someones fucking possesion,” she cried out, her knuckles white as she continued grabbing on to the tequila. Standing with her free hand on the back of the chair, Lilith was doing the best that she could not to sway or slur her speech.

"I didn't mean it like that…" Carlisle quickly defended. It was becoming clear that Carlisle was in a lose/lose situation. Any attempt at trying to fix this only seemed to make it worse. "I wasn't trying to say that you were a possession. It was more my frustration at the situation in general. Not you" Carlisle drew a long breath. It wasn't easy trying to sort through the absolute mess that was his emotions.

"Don't blame Miles for anything. It wasn't his fault. It's all mine. He actually gave me advice to try and 'woo' you for a lack of a better word." He ran his hands through his hair. A nervous tenancy he seemed to do to give away his distress. " If anything it is just a bad reflection on my character. I was desperate. And in the process of trying to be selfish I ended up pushing everyone close to me away. Good one Carlisle. I am going to turn into my mother. I can feel it" With one more sigh he took the final drink from his 'drink'. Right now he kinda wished he had done alcohol.

"Miles has matured a bit over the past few months. More than I have, that's for sure. And it would be stupid for me to try and block you two getting together. I know he misses you. And then I dumped on him my feelings for you. No. I should just stand aside. You do what you need to do." Carlisle was hurting, he could feel a lump forming in throat as he spoke those words. He didn't know want to do. What to say, to make any of this right.

" I guess it's the pressure of it all. Miles and Serena coming back at the same time makes me feel like I am trying to fight too many battles at the same time. And what if I lose them all? What if by the end of all this, I end up exactly how my mother said I would be? It scares me." Carlisle broke into a nervous chuckle, trying to disguise his hurt. He was sitting across the table from one of the world's strongest empaths, but he was going to try nonetheless. " Ignore me, I am just wallowing. Go, go enjoy the party, do what you need to do. And whatever happens, I am okay with it. Promise" He finished, giving off a broken smile.

What I need to do is find the pause button for this bullshit, she thought, standing there as she let him speak his piece. Caught between wanting to console him or sending him to the Shadow Realm, Lilith sighed and took another drink before she spoke.

”If you keep on goin’ like you’re goin’ you’re sure as hell gonna prove ‘em all right,” she stated matter of factly. ”I always knew you had feelings for me - or at least had my suspicions. I just ignored them. Always tried not to read my friends. It’s not fair to always know if I’m being lied to or not. Sometimes I just want to be a dumb, naive little girl,” she sighed, taking yet another drink. ”I never asked you about it because I’m selfish. Because I wanted my friend. It’s not that I didn’t or don’t want to feel the same about you, it's just….” Releasing her grip on the back of the chair, Lilith waved her hands wildly in front of her for a brief moment in frustration.

Resteading herself, the young woman looked over at him once again.

”Kiss me,” she blurted out. ”We both know you want to. It's the only way I’m ever going to know if I feel the same, and I’m drunk off my ass anyway so just… kiss me.”

Carlisle sat there for a moment stunned. It took him a moment for him to register what she was implying. He got what he wanted right? So why was he hesitating now? Was it the fact that she was drunk? Did he feel like he was taking advantage of her? Possibly. But he wasn't going to get another chance like this. At all. Ever. He had to take it.

If he was really going to do this. He had to do it right. But what exactly was right? After all, this was his first kiss. Okay… Go with your gut right?. He would grab hold of her hand from across the table and stand her up, guiding her around the table so she was in front of him. All the while making sure that he was gentle with his touch. That was important to him. Once she was in front of him, he sat back down and pulled her down to sit on his knees. His brain was telling him this was the most romantic thing to do.

With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and finally made his move. Leaning in he softly and gently planted his lips onto hers, wrapping his arms around her and raising one to grab her hair from the behind. His heart rate at this point was off the charts. It felt nice. Peace was restored in the universe. Wasn't sure he was doing it right, but for a first attempt this wasn't bad surely? Do you use tongues In a kiss? Carlisle decided not to press his luck and broke away after five or so seconds. Letting go of the back of her hair he opened his eyes and took a content sigh, looking up at her. The sunlight from the setting sun bounced off her hair perfectly. Was he alive right now?

Lilith allowed Carlisle to take the lead, doing her best not to make things more awkward than she already had. As Carlisle kissed her, a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Was this wrong? Was this going to ruin their friendship no matter which way it went? Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, Lilith did what she could to focus on the fact that Carlisle’s lips were pressed against hers.

Once things had come to an end, Lilith quickly stood up and cleared her throat before taking the final drink of Tequila.

Avoiding all eye contact with Carlisle, Lilith moved to light another blunt as she grabbed the baggie from the table. Striking the lighter, she felt her face burning red, her eyes hot. Sure that Carlisle was waiting on some sort of response, the young woman sighed. Frustrated once more, she took a few puffs before speaking.

”No dice,” she grumbled. Still standing, Lilith crossed her arms as she stared through the back door of the Coven House to where the rest of the party was going on. Quickly wiping away a single, angry tear, Lilith took a deep breath as she tried to keep her hands from shaking.

”I… Nothing,” she said with a shrug. ”It wasn’t a bad kiss, Car, I just… I don’t feel that way about you. I have love for you - as my friend - but I’m not going to be in love with you. I’m sorry.”

Carlisle watched as Lilith walked away. Every second that she didn't say anything felt like an eternity. Had he done something wrong? He must have done. He must have forgotten what Miles had told him to do. What was he going to do now? Eventually Lilith broke the silence. It was his worse nightmare come true. He couldn't see Lilith right now, and perhaps that was for the best. A stream of hot tears flowed down his face, corning two straight streams of tears. He did his best to suppress making any noise.

"I.. I.. No… I.. No…. I.." Words were failing him. The deep breaths were starting to become faster and faster. Upset, betrayal, sadness, confusion, anger. His emotions were cycling through so many states he could quite contain them all. Standing up, Carlisle brushed his shirt across his nose, wiping away the snot that was starting to appear.

He would walk past Lilith, not evening stopping to look at her. "It's fine. As you said. No dice. Run along. I am sure your 'prince' is somewhere inside that room" He said, his words laced with equal parts sadness and malice. Clearly he had no control over his emotions right now. With that he took a few more steps away, avoiding eye contact with her at all cost.

”’Run along?”’ she growled. ”Who the fuck do you think you are, Carlisle Aston? What gives you the right to speak to me the way you have the last few weeks, hm? ‘I’m so worried about losing my friends’” she mocked him, clearly not giving a shit about what was flying out of her mouth as her mental filter disappeared. ”For someone who’s so worried about making the wrong decisions, you sure do keep on fucking up, my guy!”

Taking another drag, she shook her head, looking at her feet before she looked back up to stare daggers at the back of his head. Arms outstretched in defeat, Lilith shouted once more. ”I mean - what do you want me to do? Lie to you? Because I could, Carlisle. I could lie and be a bitch and use you, but I’m choosing to be honest. I am choosing to be the good person here and you just keep stooping lower and lower.” A single finger now pointed in his direction, she fought back the angry tears threatening to roll down her face. ”If you wanna keep fucking disrespecting me, so help me, I’ll beat the fucking gentleman back into you.”

Carlisle stopped. He shouldn't have taken the bait. He wanted to keep her as a friend. He should keep walking away. But no. He turned around. "Oh no. Heaven forbid I treat you badly. The past two years. Two years, I did everything to make your life better. I wanted to make your life better. I loved you. But clearly that means nothing. Cause Fucking Miles is back on the scene and you will go running back to him. Well you know what Lilith. Fuck you, and fuck him" With that Carlisle turned around, giving Lilith one last flip of the middle finger before running off towards the Alchemy lab.

While Lilith might have been trying to be the bigger person, she also liked to have the last word in any situation. Carlisle had no right to speak to her the way that he had been. Friends didn’t treat friends this way, and people who ‘loved’ you damn sure didn’t.

”Make my life better,” she shrieked, reaching for the empty bottle on the table as he turned away from her once again. ”All I ever have to do is look after your stupid ass!”

With the final word being said, Lilith slung the bottle - aiming for the back of Carliles head.

Carlisle was walking away and was suddenly smacked in the back of the head by something. He let out a howl of pain and fell forward, the impact knocking off his balance as he fell face first into the patio, once again his nose smashing into the wooden floor and shattering for the second time for the day. "FUCK!" The pain was overwhelming. With a whimper he lay there for a moment, not getting up as the tequila bottle rolled infront of him, the edge of it coated in a red liquid. His blood. Carlisle just began to cry out loud lying there on the veranda.

Seeing her friend in pain allowed the tears to freefall down Lils face. She knew what she was doing by throwing the bottle, but that didn’t mean that a small part of her didn’t regret it; and if there was one thing Lilith had learned from growing up around a plethora of men - sometimes they just couldn’t take the hint until it literally hit them in the face. So there they stood. Well, she stood. Carlisle was on the ground crying like a child.

”No,” she spoke, slowly walking over to him to pick up the larger pieces of the broken bottle. ”Fuck you. I haven’t even really spoken to Miles and you’re already acting like a fucking… a bitch. An absolute bitch, Carlisle. Quite frankly, worse than any woman I have ever encountered in my existence. Imagine what would happen if we actually did get back together. Jesus fuck.” Glass now in hand, Lilith stood up as she sighed once again, opening the screen door as she stepped inside. One foot still on the veranda, she looked down at him again.

”I hope this gives you some time to reflect. When you’re ready to be my friend again - then we’ll talk.”

After his discussion with Carlisle, Miles returned to the party making a beeline for the drinks table. He needed a drink real bad after all that introspection, it may have been mainly Carlisle’s introspection but the energy itself was enough to leave Miles feeling uneasy. He picked up a bottle of bourbon from the table and filled half his solo cup with it, downing a good couple of mouthfuls it would be a start at least. From there he watched around, his eyes were soon drawn to the middle of the room where a fight was brewing. A smile formed on his face, finally the distraction he was wanting. He stood on the sidelines, contributing to the cheers in Delaney’s favour. As the fight closed and Erin pulled Delaney away Miles raised his bourbon-filled cup in their direction before taking another sip.

Erin gave Miles a small smirk of recognition from across the room as she found her friend somewhere to sit, dragging her towards the veranda. Lilith stumbled in, nearly knocking both of them over. Grabbing the brunette's arm with her free hand, Erin did her best to steady her fellow woman before continuing on her way.

Once inside the Coven House, Lilith did her best to stand up straight and take another deep breath to recenter herself. Looking around the room, Lilith beelined for the drink table as quickly as she could. Luckily, the crowd in the main room was tight, and practically helped shove her there. Still holding on to the contents of her broken tequila bottle, Lilith felt the glass bite into the palm of her hand. Looking down briefly, she saw a few small cuts appearing on her hand. Strangely enough, this worked to ground her better than anything else.

Completely and utterly stuck in her own little world, Lilith reached out to grab another bottle of tequila before stumbling and grabbing the edge of the table. While doing so, she managed to knock one of Carlile’s many bowls of chips to the floor.

Shaking her head, the young woman looked at the mess beneath her feet.

”Fuck,” she muttered, trying to bend down to clean the scene of the crime.

From his place on the other side of the room Miles spotted Lilith stumbling through the crowd. He contemplated going over to her but what would be the purpose? They had their reunion if that’s what he would call it. He almost talked himself out of it until he eyed the broken tequila bottle in her hands, parts painted red with blood. He sighed, there's no stopping the impulse to talk to her now. Besides, he needed a refill.

By the time he got to the table Lilith was already knelt over the floor picking up chips. Miles placed himself next to her ”What happened to you?” he asks, nodding at the broken glass bottle stubbornly in her hand.

Picking up the chips one by one with her free hand, Lilith was caught in almost a trance-like state before a familiar voice brought her out of her dissociation. Looking up, Lilith slightly jumped in shock as she was met face to face with Miles. Locking eyes with him briefly, she tore her gaze away from the dark haired boy to focus on the chips once more.

Debating on whether she wanted to actually engage in this conversation, it seemed as if the alcohol was now controlling her body as she blurted out: ”I hit Carlisle.”

Miles’ brow furrows at her statement. Honestly that was one of the last things he expected to hear from her, her and Carlisle were best buds… right? ”I’m sorry, what? Why?” While saying the words it sounded like a loaded question. Carlisle was much more raw than usual today and he had alluded to ‘officially’ asking Lil out.

”He um… I asked to be left alone, you know,” she began with a shrug of her shoulders. ”And so he took my liquor out onto the veranda and told me he had some things to talk to me about - nothing out of the ordinary, ya know.” The full effect of the alcohol now finally starting to kick in, Lilith resituated herself so that she was now sitting on the floor. Getting more and more upset by the minute, she didn’t realize that her grip on shards of glass was getting tighter. ”And then he just started like… attacking me! For no reason! Well, I guess he had a reason, but it’s a shit reason, and he can shove it where the sun don’t shine, along with the rest of this fucking tequila bottle.”

At her mention of Carlisle wanting to talk Miles couldn’t help but give a chuckle. ”Yeah, he seems to be in that kind of mood today,” Lilith then talked about Carlisle attacking her, a wave of confusion rushed through Miles, it was so unlike his timid friend. That was when he was reminded about the curse. ”Like, physically? Looks like you won. Is he still breathing at least?” he asks, making a mental note to check in on Carlisle later.

His eyes moved to Lilith’s hand again, as her hand wrapped tighter around the glass more blood seemed to spill as the glass cut deeper into the palm of her hand. ”The first thing we’re gonna do is let go of that,” he says matter of factly, attempting to take it from her. ”Wannna hand getting up?”

”But my trinkets,” she pleaded weakly, finally letting Miles take the broken glass from her as she leaned her head against one of the legs on the table. In response to his question about Carlisle, Lilith had waved a drunken hand dismissively in the air, brushing away the bad vibes. ”I guess he’s alive,” she pondered. ”At least he was when I told him to go fuck himself.”

With a sigh, Lilith looked out towards the crowd as a small groan escaped her lips. ”I don’t even know if I should move right now, man. Feel like I’m on a fuckin carousel or some shit. Another drink sounds magnificent though.”

At Lilith’s beg to keep her bottle Miles couldn’t help but chuckle. It was adorable, really. On taking the bottle he grabs a solo cup and attempts to push the bottle into one of the cups jagged end first. It only sat a quarter of the way into the cup and was unstable at best but it was better than nothing. ”Party favour to take home,” he says, placing it on the back of the table behind all the other liquor bottles.

Miles looked between Lilith and the table above her. Yes, another drink would be a great idea. Miles was only just starting to feel the buzz from his last drink, he had a lot of catching up to do to get to Lilith. ”How about this, I get you to a couch and grab us some drinks? Or would you rather everyone spill their drinks on you?”

Inhaling deeply through her nose, Lilith closed her eyes for a brief moment before looking at Miles once more. ”As if I could be any more of a mess,” she grumbled mostly to herself. ”That sounds fine, but uh…” Looking down at her lap, Lilith laughed as she poked her thighs. ”I can’t feel my legs right now, homie.”

Miles shakes his head, ”I got chu,” With that he slips an arm under her legs and hooks the other under her armpit. He pulls her out from the table in a somewhat ungraceful fashion to avoid knocking her head before properly scooping her up. He stumbles a couple of steps, recentring himself. Lil was light enough really but Miles wasn’t the most stable at the moment. Once Miles adjusted her in his arm and stabilized himself he carried her to the reception room adjacent to the dining hall before placing her on the couch. ”What will it be?”

Once in Miles’s arms, Lilith wrapped her own arms around his neck, holding on for dear life. The few lights that were still on in the house were a little too bright for Lilith. Burying her face into the bend of her arm and also somewhat Miles’s neck, Lilith closed her eyes again as she let Miles carry her to their final destination. Breathing in his scent, a wave of old memories and emotions came flooding back into her drunken mind, her arms wrapping around Miles ever so slightly more. She wouldn’t remember this in the morning, and hopefully he wouldn’t overthink any of it. Truth to be told, Lilith was too drunk to care anyway.

Once on the couch, Lilith propped herself up on one of the arm rests, her legs stretched out beside her.

”More tequila,” she nearly sang. ”Always… tequila.” With her last word, Lilith fell back into the couch, getting more and more comfy as the seconds passed. ”Well, what are you still standing there looking at me for,” she questioned, her accent slipping out once more. ”Hop to, Homer!”

As Lilith’s arms wrapped tighter around Miles’ neck he couldn’t help but let a small smile play on his lips as he was momentarily transported back to their high school days. As she settles on the couch his eyes fixated on her for a moment, partially out of caution that she may fall off, partially because she really did look adorable in this moment. At her question and command he shook his head, an attempt to suppress the thoughts and memories. He gives her a wink before meandering back to the drinks table. He swipes a quarter filled bottle of tequila and a half filled bottle of bourbon from the table and returns to Lilith. He held the tequila bottle out to her, ”Just promise not to smash me over the head with it, you already have your trophy for the night,”

Taking the bottle from his hands, Lilith laughed once again. ”Well, that’s up to you,” she joked. ”We match energies over here.” As she watched Miles sit down on the couch beside her, Lilith opened the bottle and took a drink. ”You sure this is tequila? Tastes like water.”

Miles takes a seat on the end of the couch. Sitting on the edge, he sits his elbows on his knees and takes a swig from his own bottle of bourbon. At Lilith’s question he gave a shrug. ”Should be, don’t put it beneath Carlisle to switch them though,”

Continuing to drink, Lilith shrugged her shoulders, crossing her legs as she turned to face Miles on the couch.

”He’s jealous, you know. Of you.” she blurted out. ”He apparently thinks he’s in…” Lilith stopped mid-sentence, searching her brain for the right word to feel the gap. ”He feels… strongly about me. And I don’t feel the same. I don’t and I never will, and it pisses him off, and now my friend is acting like a bitch, simply because he can’t what? Fuck me? I mean, COME ON!”

Miles gave a dry laugh at Lilith’s first comment ”I can’t imagine what for,” he states. Only a half-lie, Miles had always had an inkling there was some bitterness in Carlisle occasionally, although he could never exactly put his finger on why he knew Carlisle was weirdly disillusioned by his own life, often seeing anything else as better. Not that Miles really helped with his devil may care attitude to his own.

”He thinks he’s in love with you, I know,” Miles says plainly, taking another mouthful of bourbon. He stayed silent as Lilith ranted, truly like old times it seemed. He wasn’t really sure what to say, he was more of the listening type than a problem fixer. Miles just gave a sigh, had he made things worse? Maybe if he hadn’t said anything to Carlisle over the past months hyping him up, his attraction might have dwindled and Lilith would be more at ease. That wasn’t his thing to fix though. ”He asked me to talk to you, when we were out fixing the wards. I said no… I guess he just gets a bit obsessed,”

”That’s one way to put it,” Lilith sighed. ”He kept ranting on about y’alls time in college. How it was ‘his turn’ to finally get what he wanted.” Bottle of tequila pressed to her lips, Lilith took a moment to decide what to say next. She didn’t really know what to talk about with Miles anymore unless the conversation topic was about Carlisle. The thought pained her ever so slightly, but she shoved it down with everything else she had ignored in the last twelve hours.
”He seems thoroughly convinced that we’re like… together or something though. And I think that’s what pisses him off the most.”

”His turn, huh?” Miles muses, ”Gotta say, I’ve heard Carlisle say some dumb things but that one’s a first,” The pair quietly cradled their drinks in silence for a moment. It wasn’t the kind of content silence there used to be between them but instead it was awkward, uncomfortable even. As if they’d forgotten how they used to interact… or were avoiding it in fear. Lilith’s next statement brought another dry laugh to escape Miles although it stung a little. He never expected their reunion that morning would bring such a large whirlpool of emotions, even less so that some of those emotions caused him to miss her more than he realized. ”Bold claim considering we haven’t talked in 6 years,”

”Exactly my point, but he’s convinced,” she stated, shrugging her shoulders. ”Don’t know why, don’t particularly care…” Lilith trailed off as she placed the bottle of tequila upright in her lap between her legs. Anxiety now setting in, the young woman focused on her hands, starting to pick at the skin around her left thumb. ”All I know is I need my friend and now…” Taking a deep, shaking breath, Lilith felt the heat rise to her face as she fought back her emotions. ”Well, I guess he’s gone over something that’s stupid and literally doesn’t even exist.”

The thought made Lilith laugh again - except for this time it was short and cold. Taking the last swallow of her tequila, the young woman began to play with the bottle, tossing it from hand to hand as she sorted through her thoughts.

”Whole lotta bullshit,” she mumbled.

Miles remained silent as Lilith shifted through her thoughts, he wanted to offer to be that friend again, part of him wanted to challenge her on her closing statement about nothing existing but he said none. The pair remained in silence for a while before Miles finally spoke up again. ”Hey, I’m… uh.. Sorry about this morning,” in all honesty he didn’t really regret that morning but he thought it was probably the right thing to say right now. He hesitated on what he wanted to say next. Although there was a weird layer of awkwardness to it, there was something nice and nostalgic about it but the thought had been plaguing him for a long time now ”I know you’ve been avoiding me, I know mum’s been helping you with that. I guess I just wanted to see you again. It’s just… 6 years is a long time and.. I don’t know,” Miles looks to the ground, picking at the label on his bottle. ”Do you think we could put high school behind us?”

Listening while Miles spoke, Lilith continued to toss her bottle from hand to hand. The quiet clanks that it made as it softly banged against the rings on either of her hands worked to soothe her. She had a good rhythm going - right up until Miles’s question. Now completely drunk out of her mind, Lilith’s concentration broke as she watched the bottle slip from her hands and roll across the floor.

Hesitating for a moment, she bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop anything regrettable from popping out of her mouth.

”Yes and no,” she spoke slowly, pondering his question. ”If you’re scared we’re not on friendly terms or ‘sumthin, there’s nothing to worry about. This town is actually big enough for the both of us - believe it or not.” With another sigh she added: ”Now if you’re expecting things to be like they were before - no. There’s a lot of trust that I lost for you, and I’m not sure if you’ll ever be able to get it back.”

”Yeah, I guess that’s fair,” he replies softly, looking over at her. He seemed unable to draw his gaze away, no matter how much he wanted to. Was he pink from the liquor or the conversation? Even he didn’t know. He took another swig of his bottle, wishing the alcohol would do more for him at this moment. Maybe blurting out everything he was thinking would fix things? Yet there was a small part of him not inebriated enough to let things go. ”I’m not Car, I’m not gonna beg for your forgiveness or ask for my turn or anything. I’ll be surprised if I make it through grandpa John anyway,”

As the alcohol coursed its way through Lilith’s veins, she placed her head gently on Miles’s shoulder. They weren’t on any sort of terms that would have allowed her to be this close to him sober, but right now she didn’t care. ”I’m not asking you to beg for it - just prove it to me.”

At Miles’s mention of her Grandfather, Lilith felt her face grow hot for the umpteenth time tonight, her vision blurring as tears pooled in her eyes.

”Yeah, well… for what it’s worth I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him much longer.” Reaching up to wipe her face, the brunette rolled her eyes. ”He liked you until you started doing dumb shit, ya know. He really, really did.”

Miles fought the urge to kiss the top of Lil’s head as she rested it on his shoulder, instead opting to rest his on top. ”And how would you want me to do that?” he asks. Miles wasn’t really seeking an answer to jump at a chance to fall at her feet but rather was unsure what proving it looked like to Lil considering there wasn’t anything between them. What was the point of proving commitment for a friendship- or perhaps more- that didn’t exist?

”What do you mean not much longer?” He asks, unmoving from his spot. The thought that John ever liked him was boggling to Miles, he was sure the older man really hated him from the get go. Maybe it was a southern thing? ”Li- is grandpa John okay?”

Pulling her feet up onto the couch, Lilith made herself as small as she possibly could - an old coping habit she still clung onto like a child. Despite the copious amounts of alcohol in her system, she still felt her blood run cold. Crying silently, she listened to Miles question her.
”Um… no,” she responded quietly, her voice nearly a whisper. Staring at her lap, Lilith wrapped one of her arms around Miles’s so that she could toy with her hands once more. ”He has cancer,” she continued, her voice now sarcastic as she threw up another defense mechanism. ”Stage two pancreatic they said. And in his words ‘I’m too old and too stubborn to fight it.’ So… I guess he’s just dying.”

A meek ”Oh,” was all Miles could muster as the colour drained from his face. As much as John and him were often at the end he still had a large hand in raising Miles and a part of Miles had some admiration toward him. Miles pulled her in, leaving her hands free so she could continue to fiddle with them. ”I’m so sorry, Li,” He says softly, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes also.

“It’s not your fault,” she mumbled. “It’s not his either. Just the universe putting me through another test and taking away my best friend to do it.”

As she spoke, Lilith felt Miles’s arms wrap around her. Still picking at the skin around her fingernails, there was a long moment of silence as Liliths mind raced. A dark cloud hung over the room, seeming to center itself around Lilith.

She had wanted to tell Carlisle all of this. He should have been the first to know. Instead, now it was Miles. Lilith wasn’t upset about confiding in her old friend - just that she hadn’t been able to tell Carlisle what was going on. More so that he hadn’t even cared enough to ask. Being able to lean on Miles though - now matter how briefly - was nice.

”He’s supposed to be there Miles. To teach me things and tell me how stupid my boyfriends are. He’s supposed to be there when I come home, glass of whiskey in hand and a glare on his face. He’s supposed to mend the fences because I just can’t seem to do it right. Who am I supposed to talk to now? Who’s going to be there for me? How am I supposed to run this huge ranch?” Nearly hyperventilating now, Lilith tried her hardest to catch her breath, now gripping onto Miles’s shirt sleeve.

”Hey, it’s gonna be alright,” Miles says gently, imbuing his words with the slightest bit of calming magic, not enough to get Lilith back to normal but hopefully enough to alleviate some of her anxiety. He gently massaged her head with one of his hands. Part of him wished he had answers for her, pretty par for the course but Miles was not a solutions man. ”Li… if I know your pa, I know he gave you everything you need to survive,” he says softly

Lilith knew that there was no point in arguing. While she agreed with Miles’s statement, she also couldn’t help but freak out. Sure, John had given her all the tools and shown her what to do - but would she remember it all?

It took a moment for the young woman to stop shaking, doing what she could to shake the oncoming panic attack. Lilith focused on the texture of the fabric beneath her hands, Miles’s fingers in her hair, and the sound of the music right outside the door. Breathing in and out almost steadily now, Lilith’s drunken mind was unsure of what to say next. Wiping the few final tears from her face, Lil closed her eyes as exhaustion began to creep in, somehow situating herself even closer to Miles.

”I really missed you,” she sighed. ”It’s stupid and I don’t know what to do about it, but it’s true.” Drunken words were sober thoughts, and Lilith knew that Miles understood that better than anyone else.

Lilith seemed to move ever closer to Miles, a closeness he knew she wouldn’t dare come sober but he also knew that even drunk Lilith’s actions and words were only impulses of her desires, whether willing desires or not. That was when she said the words, words that Miles was subconsciously waiting for, even if he didn’t know he wanted it until now. For some time he remained silent. With the liquor finally hitting hard, it took Miles a little longer than usual to process those words and even longer to formulate a response.

”When I was in Olympia I missed more things from Tanner than I thought I would but, honestly, there was nothin’ I missed more than you. I know it sounds cheesy and dumb and like the kind of thing people say in movies that makes you wanna barf but… I don’t know. What do we do about this?” Miles replies, finishing with a sigh. He stared at the wall on the other end of the room, unable to look at her with that confession. He supposed part of him was always quietly waiting for confessions of withheld feelings but drunken words they’d barely remember in the morning probably wasn’t the best way to go about it he figured. It was pretty on brand for them both though.

Thankful for the first time in her life that Miles wasn’t looking at her, Lilith couldn’t help but to give a small smile as she listened to his own confession. Opening her eyes, the brunette hyper fixated on a loose string connected to the hem of Miles’s jacket. Toying with it between her index finger and her thumb, she didn’t really know how to respond to Miles. She had only just now admitted that she still had feelings for him, and she definitely didn’t know what to do with them or about them. Still though, she didn’t want to leave him with a stupid answer, or worse - none at all.

”Truthfully, I dunno. I’m just trying to make it ‘til tomorrow my dude. But I know that I don’t… mind feeling this way. I thought I would, but I don’t think I do.”

Now completely hammered, Lilith was doing the best that she could to keep her eyes open. She wasn’t tired, but she had nearly put down two bottles of liquor in the course of the last few hours.

Miles smiled softly, his eyes fixating on the loose thread Lilith was playing with. He didn’t know how to respond, or more accurately he knew many ways he could but didn’t know which was the right response. He looked up at her face, her eyelids seemed to be growing heavy. Exactly how much had she had to drink. ”Hey, don’t pass out on me after that grand confession,” he coaxes, a playful smile forming on his lips. He pulls her up a little straighter. His eyes settled on her face, almost waiting for hers to meet his.

A laugh escaping her lips, Lilith apologized. ”Sorry. Gramps and I might have pregamed a little bit.” Looking back up at him to meet his gaze, a small smirk danced across her face. ”And that bottle I threw at Noodle?” Dropping her voice to a whisper, Lilith scrunched her face playfully as she spoke once more. ”I drunk that one too.”

Miles shakes his head incredulously with a chuckle. How she wasn’t straight up dead yet was beyond him. Although Miles was usually the heavier drinker of the two Lilith could always hold her liquor so much better. Her confession of feeling the same way he had had only made it harder to restrain himself, even more so with her looking up at him. With a hooked finger he gently lifts her chin toward him before leaning in and bringing his lips toward hers.

This setting was all too familiar and comfortable for Lilith. She was used to getting drunk off of her ass, and Miles having to be there. He’d fall for her adorable antics and then next thing you knew - there they were. It was almost comical how most people thought it was Miles who had had the drinking problem in their relationship.

Caught somewhere between wanting to smack Miles’s hand away in shock, and wanting to close the very short space between them, Lilith quickly decided on the latter option. Leaning into Miles, Lilith pressed her lips to his.

Immediately her body felt like a live wire, goosebumps racing up her arms. Raising an arm to position her hand behind his neck, Lilith began to play with the hair at the base of his neck before fear took over once more - causing her to pull away. Her face still inches from his own, Lilith kept her eyes locked on to Miles’s be for uttering a single ”Fuck”, the realization of what had just happened hitting her like a ton of bricks.

”I am so sorry,” she breathed, heart racing.

As Lil pressed her lips against his, a wave of nostalgia came over Miles, warm, comforting nostalgia. Oh how he missed this, the feeling of her face against his, her hand playing with his hair. His heart started to race but only moments later she pulled away. Was that apology for him or someone else? He wasn’t certain but he replied anyway. ”Don’t be,” he replies softly, ”I guess I should be the one saying sorry,”

Lilith shook her head in protest. ”You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Miles pulls back, a small smile on his face. He fought himself to hold in the words he knew Lilith probably didn’t want to hear. Hell, he didn’t even think he wanted to say them but the truth serum of the bourbon won. ”I still love you, Li. I’m sorry, part of me wishes I didn’t then we could both move on… but I do” he says gently. Part of those words felt sour after the conversations he’d had with Carlisle but he couldn’t stop himself. Part of him wanted to prove to his friend he wasn’t the guy who’d steal his crushes anymore, he knew he would have been successful if it was literally anyone else. Here history went, repeating itself once more.

Her eyes scanning every movement that Miles made, Lilith could tell that he was being genuine - even without her abilities. Wishing that she could tell him off or find dishonesty in his expression, a small part of Lilith was almost disappointed when she did neither.

She wanted to yell at him, beat her fists against his chest, and remind him of every wrong doing he had ever committed. Instead she sat there, her face ever so slightly red as she turned away from him. In no way was she actually angry at Miles - she was just confused, conflicted and mostly, well - drunk.

”What is it with you boys and that damned word,” she joked.

Miles gave a chuckle, part of him was disappointed she didn’t give some form of answer, even if that answer came in the form of a punch in the chest. All the same her reply also told him so much in itself. ”What, scared of that word or something?” he replies in jest

Still staring out the door in front of her, Lilith felt her jaw clench as her expression hardened.

”Yeah. And maybe just more than a little bit.” Trying to keep her tone lighthearted, Lilith continued to let the words fall from her lips. ”But that doesn’t change the way I still feel about you, no matter how hard I fought it.”

Miles decided to brush off Lilith’s first comment, he was not in a state to have that discussion right now. He purses his lips, holding in the goofy smile that would be spreading across his face. ”So what are we to do, hm?” he asks jovially while leaning back into the arm of the couch.

In all honesty, Lilith could have walked away from this conversation and acted like it never happened as soon as she woke up tomorrow morning. Instead, here she sat, Miles asking her what to do about whatever their relationship was once more. Her attention now shifting fully back to Miles, Lilith turned to face him again, propping herself up with her right hand as she leaned forward towards him in her drunken state.

”I’m not trying to disappoint either of us, but I don’t think I should be makin’ any calls about the future right now,” she responded. ”We could try that whole kissing thing again though?”

After the fight was over, Erin had slipped an arm around Delaney’s waist, guiding her out onto the veranda.

As they stepped out into the night air, Erin took a deep breath and helped her friend onto a bench before ordering Serena away to go find medical supplies. In the meantime, Erin had grabbed some spare napkins off the corner of the snack table on the way out the door. Now looking at Delaney with concern, she began to dab at the small cuts on the other woman's face.

”Can you please explain to me how you can’t go ten minutes without getting into a fight without me? Do you know how offended I am right now,” she joked, trying to play off her concern.

Wincing at the small dabs, she eyed the woman. They were harmless compared to what she was hit with, but it didn’t mean they didn’t sting like a bitch. Delaney huffed out a breath and allowed her favourite person to clean up after her mess. Again. She felt like absolute shit.

”This time it wasn’t me. Bitch collided into me and then dumped her bottle all over my new outfit.” She scoffed and rolled her eyes. ”Ruined a perfectly good jacket. Who does that sewer rat think she is?”

Listening to Delaney speak, Erin's eyes narrowed in frustration. ”Sounds like home girl just showed up looking to start shit to me,” she responded with a sigh. Standing up and moving so that she was standing behind Delaney, Erin began to pull her friend's hair back from her face and up into a bun.

”I’m glad I hit that bitch,” Erin stated sourly, her face scrunching up in disgust as she pictured the newcomer in her mind.

”Glad you hit who?”

Hearing a deep voice, Erin looked up to see Rowan walking over their way. Her expression quickly changed as she tried to hide the small smirk forming.

Rowan, on the other hand, was clearly concerned. As Erin watched the young man take in the scene before him, she could have sworn she saw a small anger brewing in his eyes.

”D,” he questioned, his voice firm. ”Who did this?”

Delaney hissed out a breath at her hair being pulled, the strands tugging at the spot where she was hit with the bottle. She could have sworn shards of glass were still mixed in. ”Tulip, I love the hell out of you, but you need to stop bringing strays home. Especially rabid ones.

She smelled him before she heard his voice. The combination of his cologne, charcoal from the grill, and a small hint of turpentine from his woodwork hit her senses and she bit back a groan. Her second favourite person had arrived.

Glancing up as much as she could at the voice, she let out a resigned breath. ”That new girl, whatever the hell her name is. Kolby’s new meat stick.”

As Erin continued to pull back Delaney’s hair and remove what glass she could. Meanwhile, Rowan took a seat on the bench beside Delaney to assess the damage himself.

With a small huff and a disappointed expression, Rowan rolled his eyes at the mention of Kolby. ”Well, I can’t hit her - but I can hit him,” he offered. Looking up at Erin he added: ”Tell me you guys got at least a few good hits in?”

Erin laughed. ”You bet we did. Broken arm, bottle over her head. Left her in her own mess - literally. Maybe we did too much, but -”

”Justice isn’t always fair,” Rowan interjected.

Practically on que, Serena walked up with a basic med kit and a few healing potions. Quickly handing them to Rowan, she turned on her heel before being stopped by her cousin.

”And where do you think you’re going,” Erin asked inquisitively.

”To get wasted,” Serena retorted as she turned her back on the group once more. ”I did my part, now I deserve my reward.” Holding up her right hand, Serena held up a peace sign, walking back through the entryway to the house. ”Later losers.”

Rolling her eyes and moving back in front of her friend, Erin picked up the med kit off of the bench and offered it to Delaney.

”Want me to keep playing doctor, or can you handle yourself?”

Her entire body tingled at being this close to Rowan. Delaney looked back up at her best friend and gave her a small grin. ”I can handle the rest from here. Thanks lovey.”

Taking one of the potions from Rowan, she looked it over before downing it in one gulp. Her nose scrunched in distaste before letting out a slow breath. She glanced at Rowan next to her and bumped his shoulder with her own. ”As much fun as it would be to see you knock the shit out of Kolby, I wouldn’t want you to start anything just because of me.”
Rowan chuckled. ”I have my own reasons for wanting to hit that one. Besides, I wouldn’t be starting anything.”

”Just finishing it,” Erin replied with a laugh of her own. ”I’m going to go get us all something to drink. Be back in just a sec.”

As Erin walked away, Rowan turned back to Delaney, leaning back on the bench and stretching one of his arms out behind her so that it rested on the back of the bench.

”So,” he began, trying his best to keep things casual. ”What’ve you been up to besides all this mess?”

Delaney’s eyes widened just slightly as she watched Erin walk away. That witch knew what she was doing. She cleared her throat and poked at her nose, wincing. It was still incredibly sore and she knew the bags under her eyes would be a lovely shade of purple.

She cleared her throat as he started to speak. Delaney swore at herself. You’re not a school girl anymore, talk to the man. But hello, have you seen him? Why am I talking to myself? Talk to him!

Taking a breath, she plastered a small grin on her face before turning to her head to respond to him. ”Oh, you know me. Work. Work. And then some more work. Now I have to find a spot for all this Coven crap now.”

She shrugged as she watched him. ”What about you? Didn’t see you at Huskers on your usual day. Everything okay?”

Careful to keep his eyes glued onto the party goers he could see through the door, Rowan did his best to keep his expression calm and collected. She knows what day I come in? Better yet - she was looking for me?

Clearing his throat, Rowan was unable to hide the small half smirk that had formed on his face despite his best efforts. ”Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just got a little busy with work. Helping dad at the Mill, busting out commissions. Usual things.” After a brief pause he quickly added: ”I’ll be sure to come and see you Saturday though. Schedule should be pretty clear then.”

Don’t grin like an idiot don’t grin like an idiot don’t grin like an idiot. Crap. Delaney felt the corners of her mouth raise in a smile. ”Saturday would be great. Pretty busy night though. But I should definitely see you.”

She scrunched her nose, immediately regretting it. She huffed out a breath and groaned. ”Okay. Be truthful with me here. How fucked up do I look?”

At her mention of it being a busy night, Rowan had to fight the urge to laugh once more. Delaney knew good and well that he’d be there until after close, helping her clean up if she needed just as usual.

Turning his sole attention back to Delaney, Rowan took a moment to look her over from head to toe. Glass in her hair, eyes bruised, hair sticking to her face - she was still the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen.

”Well,” he sighed, grabbing one of the small pieces of glass he saw from her hair. ”You’re beat up - that for sure. But I’d bet money that if Erin would let us borrow that camera of hers, we could still get ya on the cover of Vogue.”

”Not a chance in hell of you touching my equipment,” Erin called out, now just a few steps away from the pair. Taking a seat on the ground in front of them, Erin handed both Rowan and Delaney a red solo cup before cracking open the bottle of rum. ”Respectfully, of course,” she added, looking up at Rowan for a moment before her eyes flicked over to meet Delaneys. ”Shots?” she asked, a mischievous smile now plastered across her face.

Delaney couldn’t help the slight flush in her cheeks at his compliment. If only that man knew what he did to her. Her attention then went back to Erin and she raised a brow at the empty plastic cup in her hand. Then, she saw the bottle.

She was about to respond yes, absolutely before she caught Erin’s grin. Her brows furrowed before catching on. Delaney bit back her own smirk before reaching out her cup. ”Yes, please. Fill er up.”

Upon request, Erin poured a decent sized shot in her friend's cup before doing the same for Rowan. Giving it another thought, the blonde quickly poured an extra splash into the young man's cup before filling her own. Raising the solo cup in her hand, Erin pondered for a moment on what to say.

”Here’s to be the new generation or something,” she said with all of the cheerfulness she could muster. Throwing her head back as she took her shot, Erin caught a glimpse of the night sky as her eyes froze on the stars. Hands falling back to her lap, Erin kept her eyes glued on the sky with a confused expression.

”Hey, uh, guys? Either this shit is super strong, or somethings happening with the barrier.”

Delaney threw back her own shot before looking up at the sky. She furrowed her brows and tried to see what Erin was seeing. Then again, she was already three sheets to the wind before the added shot. But, as she studied it, her head tilted to the side in thought.

”Ah, hell. You’re right, I don’t feel that weird vibrating thing anymore. Thought it was just having the shit beat out of me.”

Looking up at the sky, Rowan watched along with Erin and Delaney as the blue hue seemed to flicker and spasm, folding in on itself until it disappeared. With a huff, Rowan looked back down at his empty cup before reaching forwards and grabbing the bottle from Erin.

”I’m no Montgomery,” he stated, pouring more of the alcohol for himself. ”But something tells me that’s not supposed to happen.”

That was it. The vibration she had felt all her life was gone. She rose a brow at the empty feeling. What was the best cure for emptiness? More alcohol. Delaney shook her head and grabbed the bottle from him once he was done. She poured herself a triple shot before knocking it back.

”Unfortunately, this is our circus, and these are indeed our monkeys. But I’m definitely not drunk enough for any of this.”

”Me either,” Erin sang, now grabbing the bottle from Delaney as she poured herself another round.

”Is there even anything we can do.” Rowan questioned. ”Not trying to be pessimistic - just realistic.”

Knocking back her next shot, Erin began to pass the bottle around to her friends once more. ”Well, I know I can’t fix it. Neither can Laney, sadly. But -”

Stopping mid sentence, Erin had made eye contact with Lilith from across the veranda as the brunette seemed to wave them over her way. ”I think she might have some info for us though,” Erin sighed. Standing up with her cup still in hand, she reached her free hand out to Delaney as Rowan stood up himself. ”C’mon.” she said, nodding her head in Lilith’s direction. ”Let’s go see what all this shit’s about.”

She absolutely one hundred percent did not want to go. Huffing out a breath, she slung back her last shot before taking her friend’s hand. Delaney pulled herself to her feet before wobbling slightly. She squeezed Erin’s hand in reassurance before nodding. ”Hold up.”

Delaney turned back to Rowan and grinned up at him, thanking her liquid courage. She managed to stand on the toes of her heels before planting a kiss along his jaw. Her voice lowered for just a moment towards him. ”You look scrumptious tonight.”

Winking at him, she looked back at Erin and nodded. ”Alright, I’m ready for Lil to further ruin my evening. Let’s go.”

With a smile, Rowan dropped his head and redirected his attention to his feet - doing the best that he could to hide the giddy school boy expression on his face. As Delaney grabbed onto Erin, Rowan took his place beside the pair and wrapped an arm around Delaney’s shoulders as they walked. He couldn’t help but to laugh at her comment about Lilith; she was a sweet girl, but her overall attitude and her future predictions could be a little off putting at times.

As they all walked over, Rowan tried to make out the scene before him. Miles was clearly drunken, Daniel and Victor looked concerned, and Carlisle…

”Hold the fuck up,” he said, holding out his free hand, palm facing forward. ”Why does he look dead?”

”Lycan curse,” Lilith stated simply.

”Because that doesn’t raise anymore questions,” Erin grumbled, liquid courage now coursing at full speed through her veins.

Giving Erin a brief glare, Lilith took a deep breath before speaking again. ”A few weeks ago, Carlisle let me know that he was doing some personal research in the basement. Specifically - the forbidden library. I had a vision, told him not to fuck with this book I saw, and he ignored me - obviously. He told me earlier today that he had been placed under a Lycan curse, but there’s so many variations of them I didn’t have the time to research them all. And quite frankly, I’m tired of cleaning up his messes.” Sighing, the brunette rolled her eyes. ”But here we are again.”

Feeling the rum hitting full force, Delaney groaned and leaned into Rowan’s hold. She buried her face against the side of his chest and inhaled his scent. It was one of her favourites.

She looked over her shoulder at the frozen Carlisle and scrunched her nose, instantly regretting it. Delaney wrapped her arm around Rowan’s waist and grumbled. ”No. No, no, no. All I wanted was a nice little party and to see my man here.”

Glancing over at Carlisle, she huffed out a breath. ”Always gotta ruin everything. Stupid Grover.”

Still very drunk herself, Lilith chuckled at Delaney’s comment as Rowan tried to get to the bottom of the situation.

”Lilith - not trying to be rude - but what exactly do you need us for?”

”I was wondering if you’d be kind enough to help us move him to a safe place. Either that or vote on rather for me to banish him or not…” Trailing off, Lilith’s eyes now met Erins. ”I’d really appreciate it if you went and found your cousin - discreetly. Someone needs to tell Serena what’s going on. And Delaney…” Looking at the other girl, the realisation that Delaney may not be able to help right now hit her like a ten ton weight. ”I can’t bring the barrier back up by myself, but I was thinking that if you’re willing to help, maybe we could work something out?”

Erin nodded her head, slipping off to find Serena. If Lilith wanted to handle another awkward situation, Erin was going to let her. Lil might have been a strange one - but at least she had a decent mind.

Listening to Lilith speak, Rowan instinctively pulled Delaney closer. He understood where Lilith was coming from, and fully agreed that the barrier should go back up as soon as possible - but that didn’t mean he wanted Delaney exerting herself anymore. Shrugging his shoulders, Rowan looked down at the blonde before sighing.

”You know I’m always willing to help in whatever way I can,” he began, his gaze now meeting Liliths. ”But ultimately, it’s up to her.”

Delaney tried to break through the haze that was a half bottle or more of rum. She didn’t want to help. All she wanted was to stay wrapped up in Rowan’s arms. Besides, she was drunker than all hell plus recovering from getting her shit rocked. She had syphoned some energy to Erin earlier, but it had left her quickly drained.

She watched Lilith’s face before groaning. Of course she had to help the woman. This was their home, their safety net. Delaney had to do whatever she could.

With a small nod, she looked straight at Lilith. ”Fine. But only if I get to makeout with Rowan later, cause your girl deserves a little reward after this shit show of a night.”

Laughing, Rowan kissed the top of Delaneys head as he smirked. ”Sounds more than acceptable, don’t ya think,” he joked towards Lil.

With a laugh of her own, Lilith nodded her head. ”More than a fair trade, my dear. Now let’s get this show on the road.”