Everyone has felt robbed of something; their boyfriend, that big promotion, the chance to do something or other. It doesn't matter the situations, they don't all need to be listed.

There are a few people on this earth who have not been robbed of anything. Innocent, untouched souls who have never felt that constricting anger unfurling in their chests.

There are a few who have been robbed of everything. Strong, beautiful souls who have somehow managed to keep living despite the fact that the constricting anger is all they feel.

Matthew Michael Donovan is one of the strongest to ever walk the earth.

Vampires never should have been created, this is true. Witches sprouted from the strongest of human souls fighting for those who remained in the world of the living, and like everything in this world, it was corrupted.

Esther Mikaelson is one of the most feared and truly corrupt witches to ever have existed.

She created the thing to plague so many of the people walking this earth.

This how Matt Donovan's life was supposed to go: He was to be born February 26, 1993 to Kelly Donovan and Peter Maxwell. His father would name him Matthew because it was his father's; his middle name was after Michael Jackson. His sister would be born two years after him. Peter would flee with the classic, 'I'm going to the store, I'll be right back.'

Matt would grow up happy in the small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, despite his absent father, his family's more than unstable financial situation, and his mother's incessant party life.
Kelly would leave as soon as Matt turned fifteen and got his job at the Mystic Grill. Matt would be left to raise his thirteen year old sister all by himself.

Sheriff Forbes would turn a blind eye to the minors living by themselves because her daughter begged her desperately. The Gilbert family would do what they could for them, offering dinner every night. Tyler Lockwood slipped twenty dollar bills into the couch cushions every time he visited, and Matt would pretend like he didn't know. His friends and Miranda and Grayson would come to every single one of his football games. He would start dating Elena and never stop loving her.

Miranda was supposed to be the one who talked some sense into Vicki before she smoked her way out of school. Elena would take a break and screw around with some college guys, but she would marry Matt in the end. His baby sister would marry some loser and Matt would have to watch as he left her with the kids, but Tyler would marry. He was free to do so because Caroline left him on the aisle way and disappeared to New York City. He would be the best man at Jeremy and Bonnie's extremely small union.

Matt was supposed to have three gorgeous kids with Elena, and they would raise them in Elena's childhood home because her parents had moved next door.

Matt was supposed to be happy.

Instead Stefan Salvatore tracked down his girlfriend and Damon followed. Instead his baby sister was killed by a vampire. Instead Elena fell in one with two and became one. Instead Bonnie, who would have been a witch anyways, became a witch who died over and over, who threw herself into darkness. Instead Caroline became a vampire. Instead Tyler became a wolf. Instead, when he found someone he loved, she was killed at his own hand because of the paranoia sprouting from his childhood. Instead Damon ripped out his best friend's throat. Instead he was used as a pawn in the games of those who see themselves above him. Instead he was hurt and angry and struggled with depression- he went through all of this completely and utterly alone.

Instead he was miserable

.

Yet he lives.

He lives because he is strong and his soul is beautiful and he could have died at the hands of vampires or wolves or witches or whatever the hell else but he fought. He fought with everything he had in him even when he didn't want to and he lives. He is alive and he is beautiful and he is strong.

Everyone who's ever loved him never stopped loving him. Everyone who's ever made eye contact with him has never forgotten them. Strangers remember him, and even though vampires ruin everything good in this world, it is a shame he is not one. Eventually he will fade into the background and no one will remember him. He deserves to be remembered. However, it would be just as big a shame if he were a vampire. All that innocence, all that love and all that beauty and all that strength just burning up and leaving ashes behind.

Matt Donovan has fought his own demons all his life. Now he needs to fight the real demons. He will follow in Rayna Cruz' footsteps.

He'll put off Caroline as long as he can. Elena and Bonnie are both human now. The others he could care less about.

This was not how it was meant to be, but he is so strong and he is so beautiful and he will fight so others won't have to.