It was like clockwork.

She'd wake up, every morning, at 3 am, jolting into a sitting position, her mind still foggy from her reoccurring dream. She'd look around the room, her senses on overheight, until she realized she was in her bed and had succumbed to the intenseley realistic dream once again. She'd lay back down again, her head hitting the pillow that smelled only like her,not a trace of his signature scent of aftershave and Dove soap. She'd bring her fingers to her lips, wondering how it was possible to feel numb from a kiss that happened only in her dreams. And her chest would hurt, as if her heart were made of lead. The only thing that could relieve her was closing her eyes and trying to relive the dream.

His blue eyes. It was always his blue eyes that she'd first notice. They were warm and kind and nothing like the usual hostile glares he threw her way in between classes. She could remember feeling as if she'd absolutely die if he averted those eyes, which was a ridiculous notion because she was Rebekah Michaelson, an original vampire, and he was Matt Donovan, an eighteen-year-old weak human. She knew, however, no matter how much physically stronger she was than him, this human boy had the power to destroy her.

Don't look away, she'd think. Please. And, as if he'd read her thoughts, he'd smile. It was the type of smile he usually reserved for the people he cared about, like Elena or Caroline.

It was a smile that said everything Rebekah needed to hear. I forgive you.

"Matt," she'd begin to say.

But the rest of her words would get lost in the fuzz of her mind as he kissed her, because she could not concentrate on anything except the fact that she had never been kissed like this. She had never felt the sensation that radiated through her body. She was acutely aware of every place his body connected with hers—his hands warm against her cheeks, the feeling of his muscles beneath the fabric of his shirt, and, of course, his lips pressed hard against hers, as if he couldn't get close enough to her.

And just as she'd think finally, she'd be sitting up in her bed.

Alone. Completely and utterly alone with the loud silence of the night.

On one particular night, she awoke to sounds emanating from outside her bedroom window. It was footsteps, she was sure, and she flew out of bed with her Original speed. The thought came quickly to her mind.

Niklaus. He's up to something.

No. No, she would not let him dagger her yet again.

Not now. Not when she was so close to finding the-

No, it wasn't Niklaus. They were human footsteps—more slow, more methodical.

She flew to her bedroom window, peering outside. The early morning was still dark, but Rebekah could make out a figure making its way across the lawn. She watched closely as it approached the house and cast its eyes upward, squinting into the dark.

Matt. She could sense that his human eyes could not see her at the window, because he appeared to hesitate, as if wondering what to do. His eyes shifted from her window to the front door and back again

He was wearing only a t-shirt, despite the chill, and his hands were stuffed into the front pocket of his jeans. His body posture demonstrated a sense of vulnerability, and Rebekah couldn't help but long to see his blue eyes. She quickly opened the window and leaned out, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"Matt? What the hell are you doing here?"

Matt jumped a little at her voice as it cut through the silence of the night. He cleared his voice before speaking. "Uh, hey. Can you come out here for a second? I want to talk to you."

It occurred to her that perhaps this could be some type of trap that Elena designed, but there was a tremble in Matt's voice that provoked her curiosity.

And then there was that intense desire to see his eyes. Those blue eyes.

She shut her window and raced downstairs, wishing, before she opened the door, that she had checked her reflection in the mirror upstairs.

He was still below her window when she stepped outside and closed the front door behind her. Matt turned his head in her direction, and an expression she couldn't read crossed his face. She wrapped her arms around her herself and took just one step toward him.

"Hey.

"Hey."

There was a vast space between the two of them, and they stood this way in silence for a moment. Matt was avoiding her gaze, looking this way and that, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

Look at me, she thought. And just like in her dreams, he seemed to have read her thoughts, because those blue eyes were now focused on her with a gaze so intense, Rebekah was sure she would have flushed if she was human.

"I want to find the cure for you." He said it so quickly and so softly that a human would not have been able to have heard it. But Rebekah had heard it.

She couldn't put into words the feeling that took hold of her. Her thoughts became a whirlwind, circling around her mind so fast she thought her head might spin.

She could feel her gaze on her face, could tell he was waiting for a reaction, waiting for her to reply, but now she was the one who couldn't bring herself to look at him.

She made it a point not to meet his eyes as she replied.

"If you think I am dumb enough to not understand what you're doing, you are surely mistaken. You and Elena think you can trick me into helping you find the cure so that you can kill me when I'm mortal to extract your revenge."

Tears began to water her eyes and cloud her vision, and she began to retreat. She would not give Matt Donovan the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She couldn't bear to think about him telling Elena that she had cried, that she had them get to her so easily.

"Rebekah." Matt's voice was firm in contrast to his previous timidity. He grabbed her wrist in a vain attempt to hold her in place, despite the fact that Rebekah was ten times stronger than he was.

As if realizing this, Matt's next words came out in a rush.

"Elena has nothing to do with why I'm here. You deserve this cure."

Rebekah gazed down at where his hand cupped her wrist.

It's a trick, she thought.

For some reason she could not explain, she made no attempt at moving.

"I didn't see it before," Matt continued, "but I do now. You deserve to the life you want. You deserve to get married and have kids and grandchildren and form a family that loves you. You don't deserve all this pain and hurt and betrayal. You don't."

Rebekah didn't know how much time passed before she replied. For what felt like forever, she was unable to open her mouth. She was really crying now. She knew that tears were running down her face, that she must look ridiculous. Why was she crying? Why was she crying?

"How do you know I deserve it?" she finally said.

For so long, she had been told nothing but how unworthy of happiness she was. She had begun to believe it.

"I see the way you care for Klaus, even after all the horrible things he has done to you and your family. Someone who is capable of that kind of love doesn't deserve this life."

At this, Rebekah broke free from his grasp on her wrist. Without thinking, she threw her arms around him. She felt as if she'd fall if someone didn't hold her up. Immediately, Matt's arms wrapped around her body as she fell against him. The smell of him was just as it was in her dream. His hands on her back were firm and protective, and she almost laughed at the idea of a human boy protecting an original vampire. Is this what it feels like, she wondered. To feel safe?

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked, even though something within her was certain he was.

"We've both suffered so much, Rebekah. I lost my sister. You sort of remind me of her. She was incredibly strong-willed and stubborn but had a good heart." Matt held on tighter to Rebekah as his voice began to waver. "She deserved a better life. If the grief I feel is anything like the pain you feel, I want to help. All this hurt, it needs to stop. I'm going to do everything I can to help you find that cure."