Take Me Home

Could you take care of a broken soul?
Will you hold me now?
Will you take me home?

* * * 

Ryan sighed and finished loading the dishwasher. It was the least he could do since Trudy made dinner for him even though she wasn't there.

Being a human sucked but he didn't expect it to suck this much.

His single minded pursuit to find and build everything he ever thought he wanted was going well except for one thing.

He wasn't happy.

Trudy was... nice. She had similar goals to him. She was also available, nice, and a genuine human being as far as he could tell. She asked too much about vampires, but he understood curiosity. Even better, he could actually talk about his past life with someone. It felt strange because Hope was the only one he could do that with before, but he told Trudy a bit of the truth and she didn't try to have him committed or run away screaming like most humans would.

So, why wasn't he happy?

The doorbell rang and he glanced at the time.

It was eight o'clock; Trudy's book club would last for another couple of hours. She didn't have many friends but the ones she did have were probably all at that club.

He hadn't yet made any friends himself, so he wasn't sure who would be at the door but he went to answer it anyway figuring it might be a neighbor.

It wasn't a neighbor.

The silhouette of a small powerhouse of a woman stood a couple feet from the front door, facing away with her arms crossed around her waist.

He didn't need for her to turn to know who it was.

"Hope," he said, emotions warring inside. He missed her when he left Mystic Falls. When she showed up on his doorstep, he was elated until his new world clashed with his old one.

Until he found out her humanity was off.

"I thought I made it clear you should go home," he said, hand gripping the doorframe tightly. Trudy had already invited her in, so if she wanted in she would come whether he wanted her to or not. Hopefully she would respect his words even in her humanity free state.

She didn't respond, only continued to stand silently.

"Did you want something?" he asked. "Or just come to start World War II with my life? I'm not sure it can survive another attack of the tiny tribrid."

Her shoulders started shaking.

"Great, there you go, laughing at me again," he sighed. "Whatever you want, just out with it before Trudy gets home."

Her head tilted back slightly, her first big movement since he opened the door.

The pale light from the half moon overhead came into contact with her face, enough for him to see a glimmer on her cheek.

She wasn't laughing.

She was crying.

"Hope?" he stepped forward. "What's wrong?"

If she was crying, that had to mean...

"You were too late," she sniffed, her voice raspy from the tears she was failing to hold back. "I already did something I couldn't come back from."

Her humanity was back on.

Thank God.

"You came back anyway," he said softly.