Scarlett Vanderburg's POV

I smile at my phone, a text from Calix coming through. He had just landed in Greece, visiting his mother and sisters for a couple days before the brunt of the case work hit us and we're in and out of court for the unforeseeable future. He had already sent me dozens of photos and even more texts which I happily responded to in between meetings and paperwork. My gaze was trained on my phone as I approached the door to my residence and I didn't see the person in front of me until I bumped into them.

"Oh, sorry." I apologise quickly but my face hardens when I'm met face to face with one that looks a lot like mine, just with forest green ones. "What are you doing here, Tristan?"

"I-I I'm sorry Scarlett, I don't know. I heard you were staying here and I wanted to come and maybe talk to you, definitely apologise." Tristan looked so flustered, unlike the over confident, energetic kid I had looked up to for half of my childhood. I had always been closer to my brothers, Kaitlyn and Hadlee were always going out and about leaving me out but Elliot and Tristian had always let me play video games with them, or taken me out with them when they were teenagers. The older they got though the less frequent it happened and soon enough the only time we spent together was forced by our parents.

I don't know what made me invite Tristian up to chat. Maybe it was the complete despair in his tone, or the sad look in his eyes but I did. He followed me through the lobby to my elevator and watched as I pressed one of the three buttons on the pane, one to take me to my penthouse, the other to the lobby and the third to take me to the underground garage.

Tristian was silent on the way up, his shoulders were tense and he looked almost like he was holding his breath but I didn't pay him any attention, instead a smile formed on my face reading the incoming messages from Calix. He hadn't wanted to leave me, but he knew it would be better to see his family now and I had encouraged it. It might be better for us to have a little bit of space at the moment.

Our relationship had progressed so quickly, he had gone from someone I only heard about in the news to one of my closest friends in a matter of weeks. We were heading to something more but we couldn't yet and we both knew it.

As I stepped out of the elevator and a large mound rushed towards us, I had been looking after Zuppo while Calix was away and I loved it. It was nice having something to come home to. I hadn't realised how lonely my home life had been until I started looking forward to seeing Calix and Zuppo every night.

"Hi sweet boy." I coo stroking his fur for a second before he loses interest heading back to his bone. I pull my coat off and hang it on the rack and look towards Tristian. "Can I take your coat for you?"

Still looking a bit unsure, he hands me his coat and I hang it next to mine. Then he follows me to the kitchen and I gesture for him to take a seat at the table there.

"I don't have long, I have a friend coming over in a few minutes." I told him, he had exactly twenty minutes until Quinn arrived, and he wasn't fond of any of my siblings. Not that I was either. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

He had been talking in my apartment with wide eyes. "Is that friend my boss?" He looked truly shocked at what came out of his mouth like he hadn't meant to say it. "I'm sorry, I didn't come here to antagonise you or anything, I promise."

I stare at him for a second longer, taking in his remorseful face before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. "Your boss is currently out of the country, so it isn't Calix. What do you want Tristian?"

"I wanted to apologise." My face must have betrayed my suspicions because his features fell even more, he looked like someone had killed his puppy. "I truly am really sorry Scarlett, for everything we put you through from the day you were born to letting you take the blame for something you had no part in and for all the little things we had done since you've been back."

Truthfully I blamed Tristian the least out of all of them, he was just like me. Wanting to fit in without siblings, the same reason I took the blame about the incident. And he hasn't once participated in anything the others have done since I have been back. It had mainly been Kaitlyn and Hadlee sometimes.

"I want to ask you one thing." I say keeping my voice even and he meets my eyes. "Why, what was going through your head when you let your little sister take the blame for what you had done, get supposedly sent to Juvie for the rest of her childhood?"

Anguish takes over his features, like I hadn't ever seen before and I worked with people like him on a daily basis, but I had never seen anyone as remorseful as him.

"I don't know, I wanted to talk but the others didn't let me and I stupidly followed them like I always did even though I knew it was wrong. I guess I had spent my whole life trying to live up to the seemingly high standards the others had set and then when I wanted to get some clean to mom and dad they put all these ideas in my head that they would hate me and disown me, and every time I brought it up they put more and more ideas in my head. I'm sorry that it sounds like I'm blaming them, I'm not. I really am sorry I wasn't brave enough to speak up for you, you're my little sister and not standing up for you is really my biggest regret."

He was being truly sincere. I knew at first how older siblings had a way of making you want to listen to them, so it softened my heart a little to Tristian's situation. But not enough to let this all go, at least not yet.

"Wait." Tristan frowned, looking up at me. "What do you mean by supposedly sent to Juvie?"

Well the truth was going to come out eventually I guess. "I wasn't sent to Juvie, the cops didn't believe I did it, and Meredith Vanderburg who was at the station at that time pulled some strings and got me to go to Atkins instead."

"The rich people go to correctional school? How did you do that without mom and dad knowing?" His eyes widened as I pursed my lips. "They knew, how come they told us all differently for years?"

"Oh please, Tristian. I was this quiet shy kid. Do you really think mom and dad would believe that I was the one that vandalised a building or smoked?"

"And they just let you go, why didn't they punish us, we definitely deserve it?"

"They have been punishing you for years." I can see it sinking in, all the extra chores, all the more severe punishments they had gotten, the extreme rules they have to live by even now. "And I think going to Atkins was the best thing for my future, I mean look at me now. So even though what you all did was fucked up it's in the past, I've forgiven you all. I just don't think I can have a relationship with you, at least not when all I think when I see you is your betrayal."

Tristian's head fell forward, like he had gotten scolded. "You shouldn't have ever forgiven us."

"You're right she shouldn't have." Both of our eyes turned and there was Quinn Atkins, his arms crossed and he was giving the other male in the room a death glare. "What's he doing here, Lettie?"

"Watch your tone with me." I used the same snapping tone he had used with me and his gaze softened. "You can go get ready, I'll only be here for a few minutes."

Quinn looked reluctant to leave me in the room with Tristian but with a look from me he does what I ask. Then I look back at Tristian who's now fiddling with his fingers. "I didn't forgive you all for your benefit, but rather for mine. All of that unforgiveness weighing on you is so heavy and forgiving you made me feel better so it's in the past."

He looked confused but didn't push anymore, getting the cue and standing up ready to head out. "Can I ask you one thing?" he asks softly, repeating my questions from earlier. "Can I try, try to make it right instead of messing it up?"

"Are you doing this for me or to make yourself feel better?"

"You." He replied with no hesitation and I knew he was telling the truth. "But if you don't want to then I won't. I'll stay away and won't bother you, I promise."

"Okay." I sigh, not really sure what came over me.

"Okay?"

"Yeah we can try, and I only mean try to fix our relationship. But if you pull any stunts like you have before, trust me when I say I know most of New York's justice system." The smile that overtook Tristian's face was blinding.

"You won't regret this," he promises.

"I hope not." I sigh and watch him step into the elevator. "Hey Tristian, can we keep this between us please, at least the details?"

"Of course." He nods. "Goodnight Scarlett."

"Night."

"Is the blond gone?" Quinn asks, coming down the stairs.

"I'm blonde, and so are you." I point out and he shrugs. "Yeah he's gone."

"Are you okay?"

"Surprisingly, yes. Tristian is the one I was least mad at. He was just like me, doing everything to get attention from our older siblings and never wanting to disappoint them . And I think he's been through enough. He's struggling and if I can help him than I want to."

"You're a better person than I am Lettie. Just don't let them break your heart again." Quinn sighs, pulling me into his trademark big brother bear hug. "Love you Lettie bug."

"Love you too, Quinny." I smile at him. "Now I need to get dressed, I feel the need to dress up and go out."

"Go get dressed."