At least if felt like spring outside once Star did get Sky to leave that old abandoned building. Not that she could be sure of that either, but at least it wasn’t freezing cold, or blistering hot, and that was at least one good thing in an entire world full of bad. The two of them then just walked for a long time, until they finally saw a sign for the nearest highway; and then they walked for an even longer time.

It was nearing sunset when they finally had followed a sign to a roadside rest stop, and numbly went inside. At least they could try and wash some of the grime of the day away in the restrooms. If only they could wash all the pain away that simply too. Star considered it one more tiny victory when Sky emerged from the restroom again after her. In the state they were both in, she had almost feared having to go in after him, and feared even more finding that he had broken his promise to her after all and hurt himself terribly again. Star wanted to hurt herself like that every second as well, but somehow there was one tiny sliver inside that she held onto, hoping that maybe, somehow, some way, they could finally be happy again, if only for a moment.

They then allowed one sad look toward the food court But both quickly remembered the empty pockets of their worn black t-shirts and jeans, above practically shredded combat boots and let out a tiny breath before heading outside once more. Outside, Star looked down the highway in the distance, still not having any clue where they were even going.

As she pondered the question, the two heard a young woman squealing happily as she exited the rest stop doors behind them. Assuming that it was someone much happier than they, and therefore nothing of pertinence to them, neither turned back at the sound.

“Oh my god! It’s the twin goth-lings!” they heard her greet them as both turned at that, and found Astrid’s smiling face.

They were both more than a little speechless as their eyes moved over she and Saul both still beautifully decked out in all their black-clad finery and flair, though both now in their early twenties.

“Shit, it is them” Saul agreed with his own smile, as the couple both moved forward to happily embrace the two teens who simply stood there, dumbfounded by the very fact of seeing them again; not to mention a few hundred other reasons.

“You two look like you have had a really long trip” Astrid teased them as she finally released them and moved her eyes over them with the same smile, which seemed to hide a bit of worry behind it.

“Shit it’s been what, three years?” Saul continued their happy reunion as Star and Sky tried to find any of their own words, still.

But once they heard Saul’s statement, there was an obvious crack, “did you say three years?” Star asked shakily.

“Yeah about that” Astrid stated as she looked to Saul for confirmation of the guess.

“We’re seventeen now” Sky stated softly, as though just realizing it himself.

“Did you say seventeen?” Astrid asked, a bit of a crack in her own composure then, before continuing, “so the two of you were only fourteen when we...last saw you” she decided on as she and Saul exchanged worried looks.

“Yeah let’s just not mention that little fact, like ever again” Saul stated with his own discomfort before adopting another smile, “so where the hell are you two going anyway?”

The two then appeared as deer in headlights for a moment before Star gave them the first answer she thought up, “our car got stolen. We’re kinda stuck here.”

“Shit, you locked ours up, right?” Astrid asked her boyfriend worriedly.

“Damn, it’s a good fuckin thing we ran into you two then” Saul returned, “guessing you just might need a ride.”

“Yes, please” Star agreed, almost letting some tears escape as some small relief flooded her.

“Road trip!” Astrid giggled as she gestured for them to follow she and Saul through the lot.

Not long after being invited into the back seat of the car of their former friends, and lovers, Star and Sky almost immediately gave into exhaustion and fell asleep. And as strange is it was, it was the first decent sleep either of them had gotten for longer than they could remember.

The next wave of worry hit them though when they woke to the feel of the car stopping sometime late that night. The two awoke and rubbed at their eyes as they found themselves in a motel parking lot. Saul and Astrid were already exiting the car and moving to the belongings packed into the back to decide what they’d need for the night.

Star swallowed a bit as she looked at Sky before both of them took a breath and moved to exit the car as well. “Uh, Astrid” Star began in a tiny voice as she moved to where the older woman was digging through their belongings still.

“Get some rest?” she smiled sweetly over at her.

Star swallowed again, as she cast another look up at where Sky was now nearly a foot taller then the two women, and then back to Astrid, “all our stuff was in the car...like, our money. I’m sorry” she whispered sadly, eyes down.

“Oh don’t worry about it, babe” Astrid smiled again, as she found what she was looking for at last and closed the hatch as Saul moved to light a cigarette and offered it to where Sky took it with shaking hands, “so do you two want a separate room, or...” she left that question unspoken.

“Separate’s fine” Star quickly answered, “but only if it’s not too expensive” she quickly added.

“We’re on our way back from spring break. Money is not really a problem right now” she smiled again as she moved toward the office to get them their rooms.

When they were safely tucked into their room for the night, Sky moved to the bed, finishing his cigarette in silence, eyes down, still. Star took a breath and moved to a place on the other side of the bed, to join him in reclining against the headboard.

“I’m still amazed we even ran into them” Star attempted.

“So we’re gonna go all the way back home with them then?” Sky asked, though he hesitated a bit on even using the word home, all things considered.

“Well what else can we do?” Star asked.

“Then what? I mean, they still think we’re twins who enjoy Saturday night orgies with all our pretty pan-sexual pals. How long do you think we can pretend that that’s still us?” Sky asked as he looked over at where Star also cast her eyes down sadly.

“I can’t believe that back when we were fucked up fourteen year olds going home with college kids for all sorts of...experimentation, just to forget how bad we wanted to fuck our own alleged twin; that that was actually the happiest time of our lives” she sniffled a bit.

“Actually, I think the day we flooded the house was the only happiest moment in my life” Sky admitted with a long breath.

“Mine too” she whispered.

The two then curled down into the covers for the night, trying to sort out what their next move could possibly be. But when their bodies brushed against one another under the cover, they both let out a slight gasp and immediately tensed up and pulled away from each other again.

Star sniffled again as the two stared up at the ceiling, both biting back tears, “are we ever gonna be able to touch each other again?” Star couldn’t help asking with desperation.

“We spent a year being forced to...then the last time we did... we murdered over fifty people...should we ever even touch again?” he whispered through his own tears as he turned away, burying his beautiful face in the pillow to try to stem that flood of sadness and pain, any way he could.

Apparently they were closer to their old hometown than they thought; as the next afternoon, the campus where Astrid and Saul were now completing their junior and senior years, soon came into view. Star and Sky swallowed hard as they pulled in in front of the apartment they remembered all too well.

“So, did you guys wanna go home as soon as we get the car unloaded, or stay here and...visit a while” Astrid asked with a slight flirtation.

Sky and Star both looked more than a little uncomfortable, trying to find any words they could. Then Star attempted another half-truth to avoid sharing all the pain of the actual truth, “we’re not really....living with our parents anymore.”

Saul and Astrid looked a little surprised by that, but Saul soon moved on, “so where are you two living now?”

“Haven’t really figured that out quite yet” Star admitted in a whisper.

“Shit, you two were running away?” Saul asked with only a bit of surprise.

“Something like that” Star admitted quietly. It was the truth. It just wasn’t Brie and Connor they were specifically running from anymore, or anyone else still left living.

“Well, what happened? If you don’t mind us asking. I mean, aside from what always happens with people like us and people...not like us” Astrid asked with concern as well as curiosity.

Star was at a loss for an answer that time, despite there being many. Sky simply looked down, his tension obvious. Finally, after another breath, Star found some version of the truth, “our parents and, other people they knew...they did some bad things to us.”

The couple looked a bit more than worried at that revelation, before Saul had to speak up, “how bad are we talking?”

“Really, really bad” Star admitted as she finally let the tears escape again, hiding her face in her hands as she did.

“Shit, no wonder you two have been so...distant I guess isn’t the right word” Astrid returned sadly, “I’m so sorry that there are fucking pricks like that in this world” she whispered, seeming to genuinely feel for the two teens.

Star took another long moment to try and compose herself, as Sky was trying to hold back his own sniffles as he locked his eyes on some random spot across the lot. Finally, Star found her voice again, “I’m sorry. I didn’t wanna dump any of this on you guys...but when you asked about taking us home...” she simply looked down again.

“Oh sweetie” Astrid began, sniffling a bit herself then, “never ever apologize for something like that happening to you” she told her as she reached into the backseat to wrap her arms around Star, placing a gentle kiss against her cheek. It was then that Star dared to let herself wonder if maybe, just maybe the two of them did actually have some people left in the world who they could finally trust.

When Star’s tears at least seemed to slow, Astrid finally released her from the hug, also moving to place a gentle squeeze upon Sky’s shoulder before looking back at Saul. Both of them were then looking more than just a bit upset by Star’s heartbreaking confession.

“We should probably let Lucien and Kali know that the twins might need a little more then our usual method of TLC” he attempted a slight smile.

Moving quickly past the part of the story where she forgot to mention them not being twins at all, Star spoke again, “you mean, you guys want us to stay here?” Star asked with a bit of surprise.

“Well, it’ll definitely be close quarters, but where else would you go?” he responded with another sympathetic smile.

“Yeah just wait out here while we talk it out with Kal’ and Luce, ok?” Astrid asked gently.

Star simply nodded and even Sky finally let himself give the slightest nod as well, though it was filled with more than a bit of anxiety about the entire situation at all.

Once the two headed inside, leaving Star and Sky behind to wait on news of their possible new living situation, awkward as it was sure to be, Sky finally spoke, “So I notice you seem to still want them to believe we’re twins.”

“Any idea how we’d ever explain not being twins, without having to explain all the other stuff too?” she whispered.

“Fair point,” he agreed, sighed, and looked back up at the apartment, just waiting for this next strange part of their lives to be determined for them now.