A life in the shadows

5

"I trust your instincts, Matteo. So I need an honest answer. Will this plan work?" Elijah broke the silence.
"I don't know, E." He shrugged. "This town doesn't really do wonders for my... instincts."
"I've never seen you not know things."
"Do me a favour and don't talk about these... 'feelings' I get in front of Elena. My brothers are already curious about me. They haven't gotten to know this other version of me yet. The post death me. I guess I'm not ready for them to realise I'm not totally the same old Matteo." Elijah smiled sympathetically at him and they both walked back into the mansion.
"Matteo, they're your brothers. They won't judge you, they love you."
"I know. But I can't tell them. Not just yet." Elena walked back up to them.
"I won't say a word." Elijah vowed before turning to Elena who had reached them. "Welcome back."
"Tell me. What is Klaus's curse?" She demanded.
"Please." Elijah gestures at the chair and Elena took a seat. "My family was quite close, but Klaus and my father did not get on too well. When we became vampires, we discovered the truth. Klaus was not my father's son. My mother had been unfaithful many years before. This was her darkest secret. Klaus is from a different bloodline. Of course, when my father discovered this, he hunted down and he killed my mother's lover and his entire family. Not realizing, of course, that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day."
"A war between the species?"
"The vampires" Matteo paused dramatically, "and the werewolves."
"So Klaus' real father was from a werewolf bloodline? What does that make Klaus? A werewolf? Or a vampire?" Elena said. Matteo walked away from the two and to the window. He was being summoned. He looked confused before he turned to Elijah and Elena.
"I am so sorry, but I have to go." He said, a strange look on his face. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Elena said.
"Yes, we'll be fine." Elijah assured. Matteo nodded and walked out. He decided to walk and follow the path set out for him.

"Siobhan?" Matteo called as he ended up in the forest. He'd recognised the energy as hers a few minutes back. Siobhan had been with him since the very beginning. They'd had the same mentor, and had a friends with benefits thing going on. Matteo also has feelings for her that he kept to himself, afraid it would change things.
"Matt!" She jumped on him and he stumbled back a step as he supported her weight.
"Hey, darling." He grinned at her. She planted a kiss on his lips.
"Kaia's pissed." She told him. Kaia was their mentor, their friend, and their teacher. She'd helped them learn how to control their powers. She was also the one who'd caught Matteo every time he'd tried to go see his brothers and brought him back. In her defence, it was against their laws and she had to stop him.
"How bad is it?" He said carrying her out of the woods.
"Now that you're here, she can't take you out. So she sent me as your reinforcement."
"I could do worse." Matteo smiled.
"You're lucky she likes you."
"She doesn't like me. She just doesn't hate me." He said. Siobhan rolled her eyes and tried to wriggle out of his arms, so he put her down.
"You're so adorably innocent, Matty. It's why everyone likes you." She said cupping his cheeks in her hands. She pulled his face towards her and kissed him again.
"In the woods?" He asked her, pulling away, and raising a brow.
"There's no one around here." She shrugged. "We'll be able to sense anyone who comes through."
"I-" she cut him off by kissing him again, this time tugging at his shirt.

"So this is the town you were born in and the town you died in?" Siobhan asked, as they walked through the town. "It's not what I expected."
"What did you expect?"
"I don't know." She looked around. "I guess something a little less urban?"
"I lived in a small town, Siobhan, not on a farm."
"Show me around?" She said as she started to walk.
"Siobhan." Matteo said, reaching out for her hand and pulling her back to him.
"Yeah?" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I know Katherine messed me up, when I was human." Siobhan looked down at the ground. "Then when we met, it was an instant attraction. And we fell into a comfortable arrangement. I liked what we had. I didn't want to mess us up, but being back here? It's made me realise that I-I don't want to hold back anymore. I want to be with you. Really be with you."
"I'd like that." She smiled at him looking up.
"Really?" He said.
"Matteo, I know you're not this oblivious." She rolled her eyes, "Against my better judgement, I've been in love with you since we met, and you know it. But you weren't ready and I accepted that. It wasn't your fault, and somehow I'm inclined to believe you're worth the wait."
"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?"
"You might have mentioned it once or twice." She grinned. Matteo took her hand and dragged her towards the boarding house entrance.
"I want you to meet my brothers." He smiled down at her. "You know, Stefan and Damon."
"Ah, yes, the famous Salvatore brothers." She said. Matteo smiled before falling back. His body started to spasm. She frowned before simply picking him up and walking into the boarding house. They were already in the driveway.