ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH | TVD [2]

XXI • BEFORE SUNSET

twenty-one. before sunset

Gilbert Residence

A grieving Elena drapes a largely white dusty cover over a vintage armchair in their final recently-deceased legal guardian's unoccupied bedroom. Both she and the equally grieving Jeremy pour dark red paint into a paint trough and begin to paint the unused room separately together on opposite sides. Now they only have to take care of each other after their guardians' demise, unfortunately; that being Alaric, Aunt Jenna, Uncle John, even their parents.

Rosie Kartwright steps in and watches them paint, "Going darker, huh?"

The Gilbert girl looks around their landscape, "It's the only colour we had."

"That's what happens when you decide to paint your dead guardian's room in the middle of the night." The pathetic teen's underaged brother piped in.

The genuinely sympathetic hybrid sighs tiredly as she folds her arms, "I don't suppose anyone tried to talk you guys out of doing this so soon."

"We have to keep moving. Otherwise we'll start thinking and we don't want to think." The chestnut brunette declared over their recent depressing loss.

"Want a hand?" The caramel brunette offered, smiling warmly.

"Uhh, sure. Just grab a paintbrush." The eighteen-year-old girl replied.

Rosie does as she's told when Jeremy chooses that particular moment to ask her, "So, are you and Stefan like, back together or something?" How can she get back together with him when she recently made out with his brother though? Does Stefan even know about what happened between them when they were in Denver? Now he's only starting to feel really sorry for him.

Elena raises her eyebrows in surprise and looks over at her best friend, who's equally surprised and unexpected to be delivered the awkward question when she looks at him with her pale cheeks evidently blushing.

Rosie forces a fake laugh, "What? No, we're just...I – I was just checking up on you guys. Seeing how you were doing, after everything. That's all."

"We're fine. But if you are trying to be good, like you always are, why don't you do the right thing and give us one day. Just one day without any vampires in it because that would help out a lot." Jeremy sets his messy paintbrush down near the trough and walks out of the room due to the awkward hybrid's sudden presence with the true intention to be an aide.

Elena drops her paint roller in a trough and walks towards her best friend.

Rosie fakes a smile over his delivered bitter words, "Ouch."