A life in the shadows

62

"What do you mean she's not dead? We both saw her, Matteo." Damon exploded.
"She was, but now she's not."
"How? I want to see her."
"You'll have to wait a little while. She's with Kaia."
"Why?"
"Damon, I promise you. She's okay. Look at me. Would I ever do anything that might harm her?" Matteo said, as Damon glared at him.
"Why can't she be here, then?"
"She's just learning how to survive. How to deal with everything."
"I want to see her."
"And you will. Just not now." Damon scoffed and left Lacey's apartment.
"Well, that went well." Siobhan remarked. Matteo rolled his eyes.
"You couldn't help me out?"
"I could've. But you looked like you could handle it."
"Gee, thanks." He said, not at all thankful.

After Jessamine had finished designing the old Salvatore estate, Marshall had come with his team to start building. That's when Matteo and Siobhan decided to get their wedding attire picked out. Siobhan went dress shopping with Kaia, Jessamine and Rebekah. She liked Elena, Caroline and Bonnie, but she didn't want too many people there, so she invited the three people who meant most to her. Kaia, who she'd known since she was fifteen, who'd been a better mother to her than Esther was. Rebekah, her big sister. And Jessamine, her best friend, aside from Matteo, who she'd known for over seventy years.
Currently, they were looking at dresses in a Vera Wang store.
"I think that looks beautiful." Kaia told her. "What do you think?"
"I like it." Siobhan said.
"But...?" Jessamine asked.
"I don't know. It's not what I want to wear on my wedding day. It's not the dress, it's truly remarkable, but I don't know." She struggled to explain it.
"I think I know." Kaia said, a grin on her face.
"You think it's time?" Jessamine asked and she nodded. Rebekah and Siobhan looked confused.
"Time for what?"
"There's one more place to go." Kaia smirked. "Go get changed."
"What are you planning?" Siobhan asked suspiciously.
"Just go." Jessamine ushered her.

Matteo, on the other hand, had worse luck finding a tux. He had included both of his brothers and Olly in his hunt. All three men were, well they were men. Matteo found himself wishing Elijah was there. At least he knew how to dress to impress. These guys weren't exactly a suit and tie type.
"Guys. Can you focus?"
"We are focused."
"You're trying to talk me out of getting married, Damon. That's not being focused."
"I'm just making sure you're ready for this commitment."
"I'm ready, Damon."
"Look, Damon. We get your upset about not seeing Lacey, she wants to see you too, but she's not ready to be out in public." Olly said. "Unless, of course you want her to end up killing someone, and you know that'd break her."
"It's been a week, already."
"You'd think they'd known each other for longer than two months, the way he's acting." Matteo rolled his eyes.
"Shut up." Damon scowled. Then added. "And that's a crap tux."
"Thank you for your input. It's about time I get some real feedback." He replied. Damon just stood up and walked away. "Okay, I didn't think he'd do that."
A few minutes later, Damon came back with a suit. "Here. Try this."
"Thanks." Matteo took it and walked into the changing room. Once he was ready, he came out. "What do you think?"
"Looks great."
"Dude, you look awesome." Olly smacked his back.
"Olly, don't damage the suit."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He rolled his eyes. Matteo looked to Stefan.
"That one looks good, Matt. What do you think?"
"Yeah, I like it."

"Oh my god, you didn't!" Siobhan exclaimed as Kaia and Jessamine led her and Rebekah into an unfamiliar store. She recognised the dresses, however, and the woman standing at the front of the shop.
"We did."
"Did what?" Rebekah asked, confused.
"Becky, this is Mrs Grant. She makes the best dresses, only this store doesn't exist in this country. It's not supposed to, at least." Siobhan explained.
"Oh." Rebekah said, before plastering a smile on her face. Of course Siobhan had an idea of her dream dress. Rebekah was just sad she didn't know that about her. There was a lot she'd missed out on, a lot that Siobhan's friends knew about her that Rebekah didn't.
"Bekah." Siobhan started, as if sensing her slightly sullen mood.
"This place is beautiful."
"Remember what I said, when you were turning sixteen?" Siobhan asked. "On your birthday?"
"You said a lot of things."
"After Mikael-" Rebekah's eyes widened.
"We're not bringing that up."
"What did you say?" Kaia smirked mischievously.
"Mikael was telling Rebekah of the men who'd come to ask for her hand. And she turned them all down. I told her, if I married before her-"
"Silvia, no!" Rebekah protested. "That was over a thousand years ago. You were twelve! Hey, look at this. Wedding dresses!" She tried to change the subject.
"We'll come back to it." Siobhan grinned.

"Okay." Matteo decided. "So I'm getting this one."
His brothers and Olly nodded in agreement as he walked back into the changing rooms.

"This is it." Siobhan smiled widely looking at herself in the mirror. "I love this one."
"You look stunning." Rebekah approved.
"Will you marry me instead?" They all laughed at Jessamine's comment.
"Sorry, love. I'm taken." Siobhan replied with a wink.
"You look beautiful, Siobhan." Kaia blinked back tears.
"Don't go all proud mama bear on me, 'cos if you cry then I'll cry." Siobhan tried to cover her own teary eyes with a laugh. "I am going to get changed."

A/N- sorry about the lack of descriptions on the guys' bit. I'm a girl and I really have no idea how boys work so... I tried.