everyonelives | because the lives of the wicked should be made brief

Matt?

[She turns to face him, staring and taking him in. She can't tell if he's the trap because he's been on her mind so much, or if he's just the option that's available with her parents back from the dead but it doesn't matter.

She moves towards him without really thinking about it, arms out to catch her friend who she misses so much and just steals the hug while she has it. Before she has to think too hard about why he's here.]

Were your ears burning? I've been thinking about you lately.

Yeah, it's me. Don't -

( He doesn't want to think about why she might be here. What it might mean. He's clinging to hope they need him for something, that this is like Bonnie's grandmother and they just found another bridge. Because Elena can't also be dead.

She pulls him close for a hug and his arms wrap around her. ) Don't tell me something happened. Tell me you're not supposed to be here, that you're just here to get something from me, or check up on me, but don't -- ( He works over her words and the smile he can hear from her voice. ) Would you believe me if I said I could tell Jenna hey for you?

I would. And I may take you up on that when we're done here.

[Because they will be done. She does have to get back to the real world. She has a life to live.]

And no, I'm not dead.

[She remembers what dead feels like. This isn't it.]

I am in trouble, but people are coming for me. I'll be okay.

( Elena's always important, it's kind of her thing. But, he knows he stepped up as a friend where he could. While Elena was gone. With Mystic Falls. With Bonnie. And he never asked anyone for help. Not his entire life. With anything. With bills. With insurance. With anything.

He pulls back.

As happy as he is to see her here, she doesn't belong. Not that he does. )

So, is this like your waiting room for your kidnapping? Or, are you stuck here?

( What's he doing here? )

Can I do anything?

I don't know. These witches, they want my blood for this big ritual, but that's not until tomorrow. I think they knocked me out because they were tired of hearing me talk.

[She was being annoying, as is her right as kidnapee. She steps back to look around once he pulls back, trying to figure out what the plan is, exactly.]

I'm not sure what kind of spell, but there has to be a way out somewhere, right?

I don't know, Elena. You're the expert on all of this. Closest I got was Bonnie stopping my heart ( Twice. The last time that happened, that had been a close call. It's hard to believe it's all years ago. ) or listening to my resurrected sister and almost getting you killed.

( Maybe don't ask him? )

You know what this reminds me of, though?

I will take any suggestions you have to offer.

[It's probably not going to be completely like what this is, but at least it will give her a place to start in trying to figure this out.]

This looks exactly like the Other Side before it collapsed, straight down to the trees and the lighting. You think it's acting like it?

( He might not be able to help her with what that means, but, it's an idea! )

Yeah I did notice that.

[But then her brow furrows as she turns to look at Matt more closely.]

But how do you know that? When were you on the Other Side?

When I died, I didn't just remember all the times I'd been compelled, ( Thanks, Katherine and other vampires who'd compelled him. ) I remembered coming here. Back when the Travelers were taking over our town, Sheriff Forbes stabbed me. I died with your family's ring on and I woke up here. I found Vicki, but - ( She was sucked into Cade's Hell, apparently. ) And then Kol, and I saw Bonnie, and she told me I had to find my body again. When I woke up, I didn't remember any of it.

( Until he died. And, Kol urged him to remember The Other Side was collapsing. )

[Elena nods, because something about that feels right. That she has to find her way back to her body in order to get back to her life. But then a furrow of concern appears in her brow as she looks back at him because Matt died multiple times with that ring on his finger.]

Did that happen every time? You coming here and having to find your way back to your body?

( He thinks back. )

Yeah, apparently. Those times are less clear, though. I remember that trip. ( Not the one where he was killed so Elena would turn her humanity back on. ) But not the others, not really. Not sure that's your deal, though, or if we're only in -- your mind, or, somewhere else. I'm kind of sick of the other somewhere else's we could be.

Oh really? Bored of eternity already?

[It's teasing, but there's a bittersweet edge to it, knowing this may be the last time they get to speak. She remembers the previous last time, and their promised goodbyes, but none of those things actually came to pass.

She tucks her arm in his.]

If you want to be my other-worldly escort, I won't say no.

( Just that there's always somewhere else they didn't know existed. Now isn't the time to talk about Peace, to tell her what it's like. Besides his rib about saying hey to Jenna. Guess that tells her everything. )

I don't think I'd have a choice? But, of everyone you might get, I don't hate that it's me. You'll need to lead the way, though. Like I said, I have one memory and last time my body was in the sheriff's office. Where's yours?

I don't know.

[Which is unfortunate to admit, but it's also the truth.]

When they kidnapped me, they used someone who can travel anywhere simply by opening a door, so while I was in Kansas, now ... I don't know. I could be anywhere.

[Which is rather daunting, but her people will find her. She has to focus on that if she wants to make it through this.]

Someone can do that?

( Like teleportation? It sounds cool, but everything that could be magic sounds cool until it's put into practice. And usually, Matt gets the brunt of it. )

So, maybe we're not in Mystic Falls. But, I'm here and you're here and this is what we were given. Maybe you can give yourself something else. Transport us... to you.

[Elena takes a deep breath, trying to see if she can sense the other part of herself somewhere out in the ether (8). She doesn't sense much, but she knows that wherever her body is, it's definitely away from Mystic Falls.]

Maybe ...

[She points away, further into the woods.]

That way?

( Having been on this side longer than her, and her tether to this "Other Side," he rolls better to sense the direction they should be going in (14) )

[He's able to adjust her path ever so slightly, and they start heading off into the woods, following the tempting lure of Elena's own body. She can feel her gut churning, hoping that they won't be wandering for too long.

But, to avoid walking in silence:]

So do you want me to catch you up?

[On their friends, their little Mystic Falls family. She doesn't know how much he can see of their lives, but she'd be happy to tell him.]

Yeah, sure. It's been a minute. I don't check in as much as I should. ...Most of us don't.

( Normally, they're there for the big moments. Or, when they're thought about. )

You've been thinking about me lately?

[She nods, looking out into the trees as they walk.]

My parents came back. Which has been ... really, really weird. Like, good, don't get me wrong, but ... they missed so much and so much of it awful. And naturally, they asked about you. But it wasn't just that.

[She swallows hard.]

Damon called and decided to start rehashing our breakup and you - or more specifically the lack of you - was definitely a part of it. So ... hard not to spend some time contemplating the Matt-shaped absence in my life.

Wow. That's - should we start with your parents and then move on to Damon? ( One thing and then the other. ) When you say, they came back --

Yeah, so. The witches that kidnapped me are from a coven called the Colony.

[And as they walk she explains the situation with the Colony and how they were helping trying to remove certain bodies from play. Then, the caves and the spell that triggered some resurrections in order to provide them extra bodies to jump into.]

Fortunately we found a loophole but ... that also means that they're back and I've had to explain ... everything that happened after they died from Stefan to Klaus to being a vampire. Jeremy was there to help, fortunately, so it's not just me talking about it all the time, but a lot of it happened to me.

[She swallows.]

My mom isn't taking it well. Dad's trying but Mom ... I think she would prefer if Jer and I just stuck our heads in the sand and pretended the supernatural didn't exist.

Maybe she's just scared. Scared of all the life she hasn't seen you live, and what she's now seeing your life is like. I'm guessing they know you've been taken, so that isn't easy. I'm not saying cut her some slack, because there's a lot she probably is judging. And I didn't... take any of it well when it came down to it. But, she's your mom.

( He tries not to bring himself into this. He took everything in stride, then slowly, piece by piece, grew to greatly dislike the supernatural and what it did to his life and his friends' lives and his hometown. )

She hasn't had everything, she only has what she heard. And she probably doesn't like any of it. How can she. But once she focuses on you. In the here and now. When you're safe and not kidnapped, cause we're getting you back - maybe then she'll chill. Put her own life back together.

[She nods slowly as she takes that in.]

It's only been a month, give or take. And I know it's a lot to get used to. Like I lived it, but trying to summarize it to explain it to them is exhausting, I can't even imagine what hearing it is like.

[It's just hard when she feels like she isn't want her parents wanted her to be.]

I just can't help but feel like I've disappointed her.

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