[Elena does remember hearing about Penny. Caroline left detailed notes on the things she missed. Her head also ducks some when he says she's hard to get over. She doesn't mean to be.]
Probably didn't help that this was the first time in a while I've really been with someone.
[Someone not Damon. Someone not a random date for an attempt at that normal life.]
I am sorry you lost Penny. Did you find her over here?
[Maybe it helps that they can be together now, even if Matt can't be back with the rest of them.]
[She can see it, and she squeezes his arm gently as she turns to face him more.
She knows how it feels to have killed someone. Even if the blood on her hands isn't someone she particularly cared for, she knows how it feels to know that the reason that person isn't there anymore is your fault. She can't even imagine what it would be like if it was someone she loved, someone she was thinking of spending her life with.
But she also knows Matt, and if he needs to hear it, she'll say it.]
You're a good man, Matt. I know we didn't always make it easy, but when I felt like I was flying off the rails and didn't know which way was up anymore, I knew you would help me figure it out. That you would remind me where the line was.
[She gives him a small smile before nodding.]
One mistake, one accident, doesn't change that. But I know it isn't easy to live with.
( He knows, at least that she left at first. That's being at Peace when you take glimpses back into the life you lived, but he's not about to admit to being that kind of guy. )
You know, I always knew if any of us got out, that maybe we'd be better off. Like that town would swallow us whole.
[She pauses as she tries to figure out how to say it in a way that doesn't sound like she was doing it for a guy, but at the same time ... yeah, kinda.]
I left because I was running for my life, again, but ... the guy I'm seeing lives in Kansas most of the time, and ... I don't know. I decided to stay instead of going back.
( Peace does something else even to the most bitter of them. Matt was already on his way to not hating all vampires for vampire's sake before Damon killed him, and, really, that should have driven that particular nail in the coffin hard. But, you don't resent outcomes at Peace. You go forward.
Not being at Peace, but in this extended hike, isn't helping his thoughts. That they at least get to do it, but he didn't get to. That like his sister and, soon after, his mom, he bit it. He bit it hard, thanks to a vampire Elena's thankfully no longer with.
Still, he lets the silence walk with them for a few minutes, because he doesn't like what he'd say otherwise. They have more important things to worry about. )
[Elena glances back to him, feeling the complications in his silence and frowning. She wasted too much of her life not really listening to Matt when maybe she should have.]
We may not get to talk again. If there's something you want me to tell -
[But before she can finish that statement, she gives a hiss of pain and glances down as one of her arms starts to bleed in the crook of her elbow, red rivulets starting to drop down her hand.]
( Matt wouldn't have said anything, wouldn't have burdened her with unfinished business or a life not lived, not when she gets to.
One hand goes to her side and the other one comes to her arm to brace her against him as pain shoots through her. Her blood seeps under and between his fingers. Letting go, he takes off his button down and wraps it around her arm, pressing. It's not going to do anything. This ... isn't happening to her, here. )
Come on. We have to hurry.
( The woods finally end, maybe because the ritual has been keeping them at bay this entire time, but the manor beckons them beyond, bathed in sinister moonlight. )
( That this fake manor isn't in the middle of a forest thanks to a spell is lost on Matt, but at least they made it this far.
When he was dead, he walked himself to his body. It should be this easy, shouldn't it?
He hobbles the two of them up the front steps, past an unglamoured Impala and another car, but there are no bodies as they haven't entered the spell yet. )
[Her eyes turn to follow the Impala, and there's a small heartbeat of relief. She knew he'd come, truly, but she didn't think he would be there so soon.
But she needs to get back to her body so she doesn't linger, leading the way into the manor and trying to find what she's looking for, but she can't recognize any of it.
Or maybe that's just the blood loss making her a little woozy (1).]
( Matt does he best to try and navigate and search using logic and maybe an otherworldly pull (13). Why wouldn't Elena's body pull her back? And, by proxy, him? )
[Because this spell isn't as simple. It's meant to keep her away, keep her from being a problem for as long as she possibly can. They probably intended for her to exsanguinate while her mind was here, distracted by the things she's lost.
Matt is a wild card, however, and he is able to see through some of the finer mesh in the cage, until Elena starts to blink.]
Wait, I think I recognize this hallway. Maybe we're close.
( She's weakening as she bleeds, but Matt is going to make sure she doesn't just, that she fights back and has everything at her disposal. That she has the fighting chance he never got.
He looks in any door they pass down, not missing a beat. )
[It takes them a moment, but eventually they manage to poke their head in the right door, where they see George Harper leaning over a bowl of what seems to be Elena's blood, while more drains from an IV in her arm.
He frowns, almost as though he doesn't understand what he's seeing, but they can see her body.]
[She's not going to be able to fight until that's resolved, and they're not getting any more of her blood.]
Then grab the scalpel or the IV stand.
[And hopefully buy herself enough time until Dean gets there. She takes a deep breath, before looking at Matt and pulling him into one last hug, because this is probably goodbye for a while.]
( More of Elena's blood brushes against. He doesn't let their hunger linger. She has work to do.
He plants himself on his other side of her, behind George Harper, lowering himself down, bracing himself against the edge. He know he can't do anything but watch, if he still has access to it, after, but he wants to see what happens. She deserves the win. And she's not alone. )
[Elena takes a deep breath, before placing her hand on her own shoulder and her eyes slowly open back in her own body. She still feels a little drugged, but she's with it enough to remember where she is and what she needs to do. She quietly slips her hand out of the cuff, and reaches for the IV in her arm, delicately withdrawing the needle with a wince (10).
George seems oblivious, focusing on the magic problem he's trying to solve (5), and stays focused on the matter at hand. Elena slowly climbs to her feet, before catching sight of something in the corner that she isn't sure should be there.
She tips her head at Matt, careful not to say anything aloud. Maybe it's the spell still lingering? Either way it makes their goodbye seem a little anticlimactic.]
( Matt winces, too, looking away. He watches George's - is he humming? Gross.
But, then he catches sight of her - and him - in the mirror and looks back, equally confused.
He shrugs, like some spirit guide? Would he be in the mirror if he were? He waves an arm, but, they have to be focused and he looks back, then at George.
He holds onto the table to keep crouched, because he suddenly feels a weight in his body he didn't before and points with his chin to the scalpel.
[Right. Priorities. Worry about hallucinating Matt later.
She does look to the scalpel at first, as she takes and wedges a piece of cotton into her elbow to slow the bleeding, but she's also feeling a little woozy, so she goes for the IV stand instead. It has a little more heft and a little more accuracy in her current state. And then, keeping her grip steady, she turns and slams it into the head of the witch bending over his work (14 vs. 7), sending him stumbling to the ground.
Not unconscious, not on the first try, but a pretty solid hit.
George tries to snap himself back into focus, and he does notice Matt crouching there (15). And curious man that he is, he can't help but ask: "Where did you come from?"
Elena doesn't like that question so she tries to hit him again (5 vs. 16). This time he's ready for her though, and ducks before pushing back to his feet.
"Naughty girl, Dr. Gilbert. I thought you had an arrangement."]
Again, I said I'd go quietly. Didn't promise I'd stay quiet.
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everyonelives2025-07-26 07:05 pm
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Probably didn't help that this was the first time in a while I've really been with someone.
[Someone not Damon. Someone not a random date for an attempt at that normal life.]
I am sorry you lost Penny. Did you find her over here?
[Maybe it helps that they can be together now, even if Matt can't be back with the rest of them.]
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( She shouldn't carry that. And it's selfish of Damon to make it her problem. All these damn years later. )
Not like that.
( She understands accidents. He still holds himself accountable. Maybe his stubbornness and hatred brought him that. )
She forgave me.
( He hasn't forgiven himself. Elena can see it on his face, even in the forest's lighting. )
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She knows how it feels to have killed someone. Even if the blood on her hands isn't someone she particularly cared for, she knows how it feels to know that the reason that person isn't there anymore is your fault. She can't even imagine what it would be like if it was someone she loved, someone she was thinking of spending her life with.
But she also knows Matt, and if he needs to hear it, she'll say it.]
You're a good man, Matt. I know we didn't always make it easy, but when I felt like I was flying off the rails and didn't know which way was up anymore, I knew you would help me figure it out. That you would remind me where the line was.
[She gives him a small smile before nodding.]
One mistake, one accident, doesn't change that. But I know it isn't easy to live with.
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( And then, Damon. )
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I'm not in Mystic Falls anymore either. And it's actually ... been really freeing. I feel like an entirely different person.
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You know, I always knew if any of us got out, that maybe we'd be better off. Like that town would swallow us whole.
( Damon beat the town to it. )
Was it - med school that got you out?
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[She pauses as she tries to figure out how to say it in a way that doesn't sound like she was doing it for a guy, but at the same time ... yeah, kinda.]
I left because I was running for my life, again, but ... the guy I'm seeing lives in Kansas most of the time, and ... I don't know. I decided to stay instead of going back.
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( And there's nothing wrong with that. )
Whatever the reason, Bonnie, Care, you, Ty. There's a whole world out there for you.
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[She's gone more often than she's home, but she's doing important work.]
I feel like all of us are starting to find our place in the world.
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Not being at Peace, but in this extended hike, isn't helping his thoughts. That they at least get to do it, but he didn't get to. That like his sister and, soon after, his mom, he bit it. He bit it hard, thanks to a vampire Elena's thankfully no longer with.
Still, he lets the silence walk with them for a few minutes, because he doesn't like what he'd say otherwise. They have more important things to worry about. )
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We may not get to talk again. If there's something you want me to tell -
[But before she can finish that statement, she gives a hiss of pain and glances down as one of her arms starts to bleed in the crook of her elbow, red rivulets starting to drop down her hand.]
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( Matt wouldn't have said anything, wouldn't have burdened her with unfinished business or a life not lived, not when she gets to.
One hand goes to her side and the other one comes to her arm to brace her against him as pain shoots through her. Her blood seeps under and between his fingers. Letting go, he takes off his button down and wraps it around her arm, pressing. It's not going to do anything. This ... isn't happening to her, here. )
Come on. We have to hurry.
( The woods finally end, maybe because the ritual has been keeping them at bay this entire time, but the manor beckons them beyond, bathed in sinister moonlight. )
Your body has to be in there!
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Would it mirror where I am back in the real world?
[She glances back at him.]
I think they took me upstairs? Maybe the third floor?
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( That this fake manor isn't in the middle of a forest thanks to a spell is lost on Matt, but at least they made it this far.
When he was dead, he walked himself to his body. It should be this easy, shouldn't it?
He hobbles the two of them up the front steps, past an unglamoured Impala and another car, but there are no bodies as they haven't entered the spell yet. )
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But she needs to get back to her body so she doesn't linger, leading the way into the manor and trying to find what she's looking for, but she can't recognize any of it.
Or maybe that's just the blood loss making her a little woozy (1).]
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Matt is a wild card, however, and he is able to see through some of the finer mesh in the cage, until Elena starts to blink.]
Wait, I think I recognize this hallway. Maybe we're close.
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( She's weakening as she bleeds, but Matt is going to make sure she doesn't just, that she fights back and has everything at her disposal. That she has the fighting chance he never got.
He looks in any door they pass down, not missing a beat. )
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He frowns, almost as though he doesn't understand what he's seeing, but they can see her body.]
What do I do, do I just jump back into it?
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Yeah, I had to climb back into my body. Technically. Do you want to make a plan? Quickly? Say you remember this.
( Matt scans the scene. )
I'd go for the scalpel still by your wrist. ( He crouches. ) One of your wrists is loose.
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[She's not going to be able to fight until that's resolved, and they're not getting any more of her blood.]
Then grab the scalpel or the IV stand.
[And hopefully buy herself enough time until Dean gets there. She takes a deep breath, before looking at Matt and pulling him into one last hug, because this is probably goodbye for a while.]
It was really good to see you, Matt.
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( More of Elena's blood brushes against. He doesn't let their hunger linger. She has work to do.
He plants himself on his other side of her, behind George Harper, lowering himself down, bracing himself against the edge. He know he can't do anything but watch, if he still has access to it, after, but he wants to see what happens. She deserves the win. And she's not alone. )
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George seems oblivious, focusing on the magic problem he's trying to solve (5), and stays focused on the matter at hand. Elena slowly climbs to her feet, before catching sight of something in the corner that she isn't sure should be there.
She tips her head at Matt, careful not to say anything aloud. Maybe it's the spell still lingering? Either way it makes their goodbye seem a little anticlimactic.]
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But, then he catches sight of her - and him - in the mirror and looks back, equally confused.
He shrugs, like some spirit guide? Would he be in the mirror if he were? He waves an arm, but, they have to be focused and he looks back, then at George.
He holds onto the table to keep crouched, because he suddenly feels a weight in his body he didn't before and points with his chin to the scalpel.
All the while thinking... )
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She does look to the scalpel at first, as she takes and wedges a piece of cotton into her elbow to slow the bleeding, but she's also feeling a little woozy, so she goes for the IV stand instead. It has a little more heft and a little more accuracy in her current state. And then, keeping her grip steady, she turns and slams it into the head of the witch bending over his work (14 vs. 7), sending him stumbling to the ground.
Not unconscious, not on the first try, but a pretty solid hit.
George tries to snap himself back into focus, and he does notice Matt crouching there (15). And curious man that he is, he can't help but ask: "Where did you come from?"
Elena doesn't like that question so she tries to hit him again (5 vs. 16). This time he's ready for her though, and ducks before pushing back to his feet.
"Naughty girl, Dr. Gilbert. I thought you had an arrangement."]
Again, I said I'd go quietly. Didn't promise I'd stay quiet.
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