The last place Matt ever expected to find Rebekah was at Vicki's grave. It was a slip up, mentioning his sister to her at all (but how can he not mention her, it'd be like pretending she was never there at all). Still, he had been coming to pay his respects, and who should be standing there but the beautiful blonde original (in his head, it's okay to admit she's beautiful, it's not like anyone with eyes doesn't already know that).
He approached her, wondering if it was some sort of scheme. He hated thinking like that, but he knew it would be foolish to forget what she is (but he found himself doing that all the time anyways). "Why are you here?"
"I was paying respects," She said in a quiet voice. She had seen more people die in her time than live, it's the unavoidable truth of being a vampire, and yet, she still knew the sting of loss. It never lessened over the years. She had been around Matt's age when Henrik died (the catalyst to everything else) and then her mother (not by at the hands of her father, but her brother. the same brother she had pledged herself to for a thousand years). And then, she found herself speaking again.
"I lost a younger sibling myself, back before my parents turned us."
It surprised Matt, hearing that. It was too easy to forget she had to have had a life before this, before she was like this. She had lived more lives than he could ever imagine. But he tried to push it away, that pang he already felt whenever he thought of Vicki.
"That so?" He tried to sound casual. He doubted he succeeded.
She nodded. There was something about Matt, something so normal, it made her compelled to show an amount of honest that one would usually have to try hard to get out of her. "Niklaus took Henrik out late at night, to see the wolves." She didn't have to expand for him to know what she meant. Werewolves. "He did not survive. He was just a child."
"I'm sorry." His words came out more choked than he would have liked. More strained than he had planned on. But he knows that weight of loss. No one that young should experience that kind of loss. And it struck him in that moment that she, just like him and all his friends, had been thrown into all this unfairly.
"Me too. " She paused, looking down at the grave once more. "Do you wish to tell me about her?"
And he can't. His throat constricted as soon as he tried. It was still too hard, too recent. The loss too acute. It had only been a couple of months ago that he had been trying to kill himself just for a chance to see Vicki again.
"No."
She peered at him for a moment. "Would you prefer I leave you alone? I didn't mean to intrude." And she hadn't. But there was no grave for Henrik anymore, it was lost to time and progression. So she had chosen his sister's place instead.
He nodded and in another moment she was gone. There was both a sense of relief and disappointment at that. He knew it was better she left. The last thing he can do is trust her, but more and more, he's seeing that she was just a girl, really. She had lost like all of them had. And in a thousand years, she still felt the sorrow of loss. That had to mean something.
He glanced down at his sister's grave now, gulping.
This Loss Isn't Good Enough For Sorrow Or Inspiration- Matt/Rebekah 620 words
He approached her, wondering if it was some sort of scheme. He hated thinking like that, but he knew it would be foolish to forget what she is (but he found himself doing that all the time anyways). "Why are you here?"
"I was paying respects," She said in a quiet voice. She had seen more people die in her time than live, it's the unavoidable truth of being a vampire, and yet, she still knew the sting of loss. It never lessened over the years. She had been around Matt's age when Henrik died (the catalyst to everything else) and then her mother (not by at the hands of her father, but her brother. the same brother she had pledged herself to for a thousand years). And then, she found herself speaking again.
"I lost a younger sibling myself, back before my parents turned us."
It surprised Matt, hearing that. It was too easy to forget she had to have had a life before this, before she was like this. She had lived more lives than he could ever imagine. But he tried to push it away, that pang he already felt whenever he thought of Vicki.
"That so?" He tried to sound casual. He doubted he succeeded.
She nodded. There was something about Matt, something so normal, it made her compelled to show an amount of honest that one would usually have to try hard to get out of her.
"Niklaus took Henrik out late at night, to see the wolves." She didn't have to expand for him to know what she meant. Werewolves. "He did not survive. He was just a child."
"I'm sorry." His words came out more choked than he would have liked. More strained than he had planned on. But he knows that weight of loss. No one that young should experience that kind of loss. And it struck him in that moment that she, just like him and all his friends, had been thrown into all this unfairly.
"Me too. " She paused, looking down at the grave once more. "Do you wish to tell me about her?"
And he can't. His throat constricted as soon as he tried. It was still too hard, too recent. The loss too acute. It had only been a couple of months ago that he had been trying to kill himself just for a chance to see Vicki again.
"No."
She peered at him for a moment. "Would you prefer I leave you alone? I didn't mean to intrude." And she hadn't. But there was no grave for Henrik anymore, it was lost to time and progression. So she had chosen his sister's place instead.
He nodded and in another moment she was gone. There was both a sense of relief and disappointment at that. He knew it was better she left. The last thing he can do is trust her, but more and more, he's seeing that she was just a girl, really. She had lost like all of them had. And in a thousand years, she still felt the sorrow of loss. That had to mean something.
He glanced down at his sister's grave now, gulping.
What it meant, he couldn't figure out though.