Hi Everyone… this is an idea I've had in my head for since we first heard Rebekah's desire to become human in Season 4.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Vampire Diaries. If you recognize lines from The Originals (although she isn't a part of it in this fic) or The Vampire Diaries, it is not mine.

Moments from when Rebekah takes a nonlethal cure from Elijah and lives a beautifully human life. In this, also, the prom episode has occurred after Klaus and Elijah are in New Orleans (4x20) so the siblings all know about Hayley and the baby.

This will have two or three parts.

She didn't take the job as a busboy. Matt offered once she became human, but she turned it down in favor of her fresh start. Of the humans, Matt was the only one Rebekah said goodbye to the day after prom. Her past she would leave behind in Mystic Falls; her future was to be somewhere- anywhere- else untainted by her vampire past.

"You can come with me, Matt. Leave it all behind," Rebekah offered, knowing the answer.

"That sounds amazing, like what I always wanted. But you know I can't."

"Would it really be that horrible if you came with me? I'm actually not bad company."

He shook his head again. "I have people here who need to remember who they once were. We've all changed so much and I like to think that by being here, I can help a little."

She looked at him. "Don't doubt that, Matt. You're a much better person than any of us."

He shrugged, neither disagreeing nor agreeing. "I hope you make it count, Rebekah. There are so many people that I wish could have become human again: my sister, Elena, Jenna, even Caroline's dad. Don't waste it."

"I won't. I promise."

Matt smiled, "I believe you. Don't be a stranger, though. If you're not going to talk to your family again, talk to me. Let me know that you're okay."

Rebekah looked at him, this human boy who had taught her why she wanted to be human. She impulsively hugged him and whispered, "I will. Thank you."

Then, she left Mystic Grill without looking back.

Next, she went back to the mansion. No doubt Klaus would be searching for another way to rid himself of Silas so Rebekah had little worries of running into him at the house.

Walking into her room, she began packing a couple of bags with things she would be living off until who knows when. Folding one of the lasts of her shirt, she jumped when she heard a voice from a few feet behind her.

"I thought I might find you here." It was Elijah, her brother who had gifted her with all she ever wanted.

"I just came to collect the rest of my things. I'll be leaving shortly." He nodded, staring intently at her.

"You're not staying," Elijah stated.

"No, how could I?" She asked as she folded a shirt. "Klaus will no doubt try to make my life miserable if I remain near him and there are too many risks here for someone who wants to die as an elderly human."

"I'll protect you, Rebekah. When have I not?"

She gazed sadly at him. "I know you will, but I need to protect myself. I thought that maybe I could convince you to join me but…" Rebekah trailed off, not finishing the sentence. They both knew that he would remain near Klaus, especially with the announcement of his future child.

"I do hope you find what you're looking for."

"Me too… I just want to be free." She looked at him imploringly, hoping he will understand. It is after all, all she ever wanted.

Elijah took a few steps towards her, wrapping his arms around her. "You are free," he said, comforting her. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, letting her eyes glisten.

"Thank you." Lifting her head, she pressed a kiss against his cheek before stepping out of his embrace and reaching for the bag on her bed.

Only one tear fell as she walked away from her dear brother, Elijah for possibly the last time.

Rebekah threw the bag into the trunk of her red convertible. That along with cash, identification papers, and information on bank accounts she has had access to for years would be all she needed in this new life. She looked at the mansion one last time before opening her door. She did not know where she would go next, but it would be some city in which she had never lived.

Rebekah was about to enter the car when she heard an angry voice behind her. "So that's it. You weren't going to say goodbye to me?"

"Hello, Nik. Come to rip my neck out? It is what you wanted, is it not?" She asked him, turning around. This was it. If he decided to kill her, this life would be over before it began.

"I don't understand, Rebekah. Why would you choose to become human, choose to leave our family?" He asked, sounding more like a lost brother than the powerful hybrid that she had only seen recently.

"It's all I ever wanted, Nik, I've never made that a secret. I want a home, a family; I want someone to love me." She looked imploringly at him, "And I want to live."

"Then go." He said resignedly. "Leave and never contact us."

There were no tears as she started her car and drove out of Mystic Falls for the last time.

Eight months later, Rebekah was getting ready to transfer as a new student into the University of California- Los Angeles. She had traveled around the nation for the summer, making peace with cities she had traveled to as a Vampire. Chicago and others were off limit to her in her guide to moving on from the past. Rebekah was surprised when she discovered that she should have applied to colleges while in high school because that was an experience she never had as a vampire. Compelling someone to let her in was no longer an option and she began to realize how hard she would need to work to succeed as a human. So, she enrolled at a community college and lived in a small apartment before applying as a transfer student to UCLA. When she was accepted into the January admit program, she celebrated with one of her friends she had made while working a minimum wage job at a shack on the beach. There was no fancy dinner with wine, but rather a night out clubbing with her fellow employee, Amanda. Amanda had also been taking classes with Rebekah when she offered to talk to her boss about getting a job at where she worked. Amanda was different than other people Rebekah had been around. She wasn't loud or extremely social; instead, she preferred to do the behind the scenes work in the back while Rebekah managed the register. When she applied as a transfer to UCLA at Rebekah's insistence and was also accepted, they decided to room together for the second semester of freshmen year.

Rebekah soon found herself caught up in her new life. At an Intro to Biology lecture, Rebekah realized that she wanted to be a doctor. She wanted the opportunity to save the lives of those who didn't have access to vampire blood like April did on prom night. So she studied even harder. She didn't join a sorority like she imagined as a vampire; instead, Rebekah spent long hours in the library training her mind to be as photographic as it was as a vampire. She was surprised to discover how much she did learn as a vampire and put those memories towards her high GPA. She dated a few men over her four years as an undergraduate and experienced a break up where a man did not die or betray her by threatening her family. She chose to put her more idealistic dreams of love on hold until she had conquered applying to medical school.

And so she did. While Amanda majored in business and began her first job, Rebekah gained a spot at Stanford Medical School where she was no longer the top of her class. She worked hard for another four years before graduating. It was on that graduation day that Rebekah felt truly happy. Amanda and her parents were there. After discovering that she did not have a family to return to during holidays and breaks, Paul and Karen offered their homes to her and adopted her as a sort of second daughter. They supported her like she imagined Mikael and Esther might have done in another universe.

"We are so proud of you, Rebekah," Karen said, pulling into a hug. Paul beamed at her while hugging his own daughter who was graduating from Stanford's MBA program. He had watched Amanda's and Rebekah's friendships grow over the last eight years into one of sisters.

Rebekah grinned while Amanda pulled her mom away in order to give her own bear hug. "Congrats, Bex. Can you believe we made it? How am I not going to be near you next year?"

While they hadn't attended the same programs at Stanford, they had roomed together in a house with six other girls in the Palo Alto area. Next year, Amanda would be returning to Los Angeles to work as a financial analyst while Rebekah would be staying in the Palo Alto region to do her surgical residency at Stanford. This summer, the two women would be traveling to South America and Europe as a last "Harrah" before beginning their jobs.

"We will Skype. A lot. I'll probably be falling asleep while you tell me about a nice guy you met while waiting in line at Starbucks." They grinned at each other again, before something caught Rebekah's eye. She tuned out Amanda's parents who were calling for pictures while she squinted her eyes into the distance. She thought she had seen someone she hadn't seen in over eight years: her brother, Niklaus. The last time she had heard from anyone in that crowd was Matt two years ago. He and Rebekah had kept in touch and had called each other a few times a year to check in on each other. He had moved to a town an hour outside of Mystic Falls where he was managing a night club. Two years ago, he had flown to Palo Alto to visit Rebekah. He wasn't surprised that she had kept her accent, but he was surprised at how much better she seemed. While she was quieter, Rebekah had transferred her spoiled cockiness into confidence that one could instantly respect. She didn't expect things to be handed to her on a platter and had found true friends she could count on. He was proud of her.

Now, she was surprised to see him in the distance. When she didn't respond to Paul's questions, Amanda tugged on her arm. "Rebekah, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Rebekah didn't take her eyes off of Klaus. "I'm fine; I just need to check on something." She walked away, ignoring their eyes trained on her back.

Klaus met her halfway, smiling lazily. "Hello, sister. I hear congratulations are in order."

She didn't say anything for a moment but stared at him. He looked exactly the same while she knew she must have looked older. Her hair was styled differently, her skin tanned from the California sun, and slight wrinkles were etched into her skin from the sun and studying.

"Why have you come here, Nik," she asked warily. "I haven't tried to interfere with your life in New Orleans or Mystic Falls, why are here in mine?"

"Can't a brother check in with his dear sister who he hasn't seen in years? Don't you want to introduce me to your friends?" Klaus grinned, knowing he held the power in this situation. One move and everyone in the graduation courtyard could be killed.

She was about to respond when Amanda walked over to her, pulling her aside. "You okay? You look a little shaky?"

Rebekah looked at Klaus one more time, before nodding to Amanda. "I'm okay let's go." She turned away, hoping Klaus would let her walk away when she heard him call out, "Rebekah aren't you going to introduce me?" She could feel the smirk in his voice. Some things have not changed at all.

By this point, Paul and Karen had joined them, their grins fading as they felt the tension between Rebekah and this stranger.

"This is Klaus." They looked curiously at him as he smiled charmingly.

"Her brother," He added.

"Oh," Karen said excitedly. Rebekah had rarely spoken about her family, instead choosing to say they lived far away. "It's nice to meet you."

"Truly, the pleasure is mine." Klaus said.

"We should probably be going," Rebekah said to them.

"Nonsense, sister, you only graduate medical school once, let me take all of you out to lunch. Rebekah won't mind, right, sister?"

Yes. "No, of course not." As long as they are not the dinner.

Later, as they sat down looking at the menus, Karen began talking to Klaus. "Tell us about yourself, Klaus. Rebekah has never mentioned you before."

"Really? I am quite surprised, we traveled a lot together when we were younger." The conversation went on, Klaus answering questions perfectly and charmingly.

Later, Rebekah gained another chance to talk to him alone.

"What game are you playing, Nik? These are good people. They have looked after me, become a family to me."

"We were your family, Rebekah. And you chose a tiring life over us. I should have destroyed you for that betrayal," he said bitterly.

"But you aren't. Why not?" She thought about the past eight years and what could have changed when the answer came to her. "It's because of your child, is it not?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps she has taught me that I should care for my sister." He looked up from his wine glass into her eyes. "Perhaps I was wrong all of those years when I treated you as I did."

"I loved you. More than anyone. But you still chose yourself and your hybirds," she spoke bitterly, memories of the past returning.

"I know." That would be as close to an apology as she would receive.

She gathered her coat. "Are you happy, Nik? Because I am now. Truly."

"Good. I do love my family, Rebekah, always and forever."

"I know." She released the breath she felt she had been holding the whole day.

"Goodbye, Niklaus."

"Goodbye, sister."

She walked out of the restaurant; feeling like a load had been lifted from her. These last few years she had walked without her family, not knowing what would occur if she ever met either of her brothers again. She had lived in the moment for her future, unsure of what it would hold. This interaction with Niklaus, who she had been sure would kill her if given another opportunity, had given her true freedom to move on from her old life. She truly was happy.

Review Please!

I'm really bad at updating but I will finish it.