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After Avid's death in Oakhurst, Scott grieves. As someone as old he, he hadn't grieved in a long while, so it hits like a stake to the heart.
Like the one that killed Avid.
It was what, 2006 now? Its been a few hundred years. Scott's changed since Oakhurst, that place where he had slept for 600 years, it changed him more than becoming a vampire. Not mention as well as living with Shelby and Drift of course, theyve helped keep him on track all these years.
He'd just finished his trip to the store, some fresh meat, of which is so expensive these days. Scott fortunately enough with the wealth he accumulated over those 600 years has been able to withdraw and invest it. Not to mention the money Shelby has been making from her writing career. The vampire diaries had blown up as they say.
Hes not really focusing on much, just reminiscing, he finds himself think about their approaching trip to Oakhurst. Visiting Oakhurst didnt bother him as much anymore, It's reminds him now of the good he had before it was lost.
Everything was fine. Until someone bumped into him, a familiar voice mutters an apology ducking their head. Ashy brown hair fills his vision, and despite the minor annoyance that appears he replies. After all it wasn't entirely his fault
"Sorry I wasnt watching where I was going either, So I hold just as much fault-" Familiar violet eyes meet his and he feels himself freeze. "Yes sorry again." The person who wears a dark green cardigan dashes off. Scott quickly comes back to his senses, was that..? Swiftly turning around in the crowd trying to find Avid, who has vanished, just like he did that day.
How could that have been Avid? Avid was dead. It could have been someone who looked like him... but what would they sound like him? Maybe he had relatives. Scott knows for a fact he never married. Reincarnation wasn't possible, was it? No, Scott shook his head, Avid was back in Oakhurst buried in the ground by his own hands. Scott had to find them, he had to make sure what he saw wasnt real. Avid was dead. There would be no way for him to possibly be walking around centuries years after getting staked in the heart. That always killed.
Scott spends the next few hours trying to find the stranger with oh so familiar eyes. Worried texts from Shelby sent his way, going unnoticed or ignored. He has to find Avid, no not Avid they weren't Avid. He was finding them to be sure of that. Eventually hes making his way back home in a daze, he hasn't had this much difficulty with Avids death in a while. Sure its only been a few hundred years but Scott only mourned for a good two hundred of them. It was only healthy to let himself grieve afterall.
Sure it would hurt nowadays, and the anniversary maybe be coming round, their yearly visit on the horizon, but thats more bitter-sweet rather than mourning. Vampirism solves all conditions. Vampires don't struggle with ghosts, they don't go crazy like others. Though he shouldn't call people crazy, Shelby has been trying to teach him the more modern terms and information on such subjects. He doesnt hallucinate, thats a human affliction.
Now more or less stumbling home snow flakes beginning to fall, much like that night he found out. God, Scott used to be such a feared vampire, a lord, an emperor, a king. Though now, hes grown to care. Something that, despite these feelings right now, tearing him up, he doesn't regret learning. He makes his way up the stairs slowly, usually he would pounce up the stairwell or at least use some of his inhuman speed. But today he wanted to keep it slow. He had just seen someone who is supposed to be six feet under.
Hed haf just seen his dead lover? Crush? They never even had the time to find a label for themselves. I mean Avid has kissed him but back then Scott has been unsure. Feelings were something he hadn't felt in years, probably not even when he was human. The rich didnt need to care afterall.
He doesnt want to pull his keys out so instead he knocks on the door. He hears panicked voices and loud shuffling, perking his head up when his name is mentioned. The door swings open and Shelby breath catches before relief covers her features. "Scott. Thank god-" Though its quickly gone when she takes in the expression on his face. "Scott?" Drift moves away from the phone telling whoever was on the other end he'd call them back, assuring them theyd found Scott. Must have been Pearl or maybe Cleo, afterall they stayed in contact and its not like Scott hadn't disappeared and turned up in oakhurst before. Though it could have been abolish, the man always had tabs on Scott. Especially if they were worried that Scott was off murdering innocents again.
Scott just glides over to their mini library looking for the oldest of magic or history books they have. "Hey Scott how about you come sit down?" He shakes his head scanning the covers. Pulling off a book about death. "I-I-" His breath catches, and he clears his throat. Yet fails again to answer his fledglings.
What's wrong with him?
Hes usually fine.
He can deal with the pain, its something that hes found faded with time.
Why did it hurt so much now?
Shelby and Drift's voices fade out with the growing static in his mind, fuzziness overtaking his vision. The book falls onto the ground with a slam seemingly to have fallen out of his grip, curse his shaking hands.
They don't normally shake like this. Neither does his chest feel tight or his nails feel as though they are about to teach the fabric of his jeans.
Scott finds himself being guided to sit as wetness trails down his cheek, crimson faling onto his lap. Despite the fact thats hes dead he finds himself taking on old instinct, breathing in deeply to gound himself. He usually avoids "human" techniques of calming himself, an old habit drilled into him. But right now its the only thing thats working, he can't hear his housemates, his fledglings, whose concern swells a small amount of guilt.
Its not enough, why can't he just be fine? Hes been to therap, sure hes never even mentioned Avid, but he should be able to cope with this. More crimson falls down his cheeks. He hadn’t cried in so long. The last time was his coven's first time back at Oakhurst. Shelby and Drift were panicking around him Drift back on the phone probably talking with cleo about how to stop a panic attack. Panic attack... That's what Scott was experiencing right now huh? Sure he didn't need to breathe but it didnt mean the stress could mimic those human experiences. His brain was reacting like a human. Was that because hed let so much humanity into his life?
His fledglings are so worried. He hates putting this stress on top of them its not their job to be talking him down from this horrible human experience. Maybe he can't tell them its alright he opens his mouth aiming to calm them but the wrong words come out.
"I saw him." Is the only thing Scott says. Haunted by a ghost that should have passed on.
"Scott?"
"What?"
They both exclaim in unison Scott leans forward pressing his palms into his eyes, "I saw Avid."
"What do you mean you saw avid?" Shelby furrows her brows. "If you weren't a vampire Id suggest you were delirious but, that possible." Drift pops over to the kitchen opening up the fridge looking for something. "Unless we can deliriously thirsty."
"Scott, not that I don't believe you and I know saying this make you think I don't believe you and I do b-" Scott cuts Shelby's ramble off. "Just get to the point." He sighs reeling in the emotions he let slip.
"Its just... Are you sure it wasn't someone who looked like him, a doppelgänger perhaps?" Scott shakes his head recalling those violet eyes again. "I saw him. He spoke to me..." He looks into down at his hand mumbling "And I would recognise his voice anywhere."
Shelby nods solemnly and Drift returns with a bottle of blood for Scott. "Whens the last time you ate?" Scott takes a moment to think unable to recall as he was out there looking for so long. Given he doesnt reply Drift hands him the bottle, and Scott becomes aware of how thirsty he is. He quickly downs the blood before continuing.
"Its not like those times when I'd see someone with similar hair or similar eyes. They weren't Avid and I realised as such." Scott pulls the book he had closer skimming though the text. "And he wasn't like a creature of the night, he was younger, human."
Somewhere in the city a man with violet eyes perks his head up. The journal he was writing in swiftly scribbling down a new entry.
"Avid? You're home early did something come up?" A young lady in her twenties rounds the corner. "Work was fine Elle I just- something came up." Elle walking into the room leans on the chair that her friend sits on. "I saw Scott again."
Elle hums "Scott, thats the one from oakhurst right?" Avid bobs his head then rests it on the desk. "I bumped into him by mistake. He recognised me." Avid scrunches up his face. "I thoigh you said you wanted to see him again?" Elle reminds him of a conversation they had after coming back from the dead.
"I do, its just- how do I go about it." He rubs his eyes. "You just tell him..?" The tone she uses makes it seem like the easiest thing on the planet. "Its been 200 years Elle, he probably has moved on. Besides how am I supposed to explain this?!"
"Dude you just gestured to all of you." Elle deadpans, Avid groans "no how am I supposed to explain to the hot and sexy almost two thousand year old vampire that the guy he was pinning is half demon and crawled back out from his grave just to see him again?"
"I wouldn't call him hot..." Elle mutters into her hand turning away and Avid gasps loudly.
"How dare you he is the hottest."
-
"Ok... So you saw Avid??" Shelby waits for Scott's nod of approval.
"If that was truely Avid then how did he come back?" Shelby whips out her laptop. "He didnt recognise me." The older vampire mentions. "Well I doubt he crawled out of the ground, there was no body afterall with him being a vampire." Drift states Scott grimaces. Unbeknownst to her that Scott had in fact carried his body all the way up that mountain.
"There was a body..."
"WHAT?!?!?!?"
"SO HE COULD HAVE CRAWLED OUT OF THE GROUND?!?!!?"
Drift turns to face her girlfriend with a sigh concerned that she was more focused on that rather than the fact that Scott never told them he had to bury his lover's unmoving body.
"To be fair i was grappling with the grief that the first person to teach me to feel again died." Scott replies pushing the book away from him. "No Scott thats extremely important, have you talked to your therapist about it?" Shelby discards her previous question and scolds the man.
"Yes I told her about it." Scott lied, and the pair let out sighs of relief. They didn't need to know though
"What should we do?" Drift takes the book from the table and putting back on the shelf. "I don't know..." Scott's voice is quiet uncharacteristically quiet and he just sits there.
Shelby and Drift moves away from the table giving Scott a moment to what? Organise himself? Not like hes gonna do that. Recognise his emotions? Too many to count. Breathe? He has no need to. Calm down? That sounded good.
Scott got up from his place at the table, the wooden chair scraping along the floor causing him to wince. Sensitive hearing sucked sometimes. He slowly made his way over to the couch beside the window.
Planning to just sit there and look up at the sky. Then when he closes his eyes he can ablest pretend Avid is there with him looking up at those same stars.
But who knows maybe Scott didnt have to pretend maybe Avid was doing that very thing right now.