Requested fic for… Missing and re-imagined scenes from 2x12. Sebastian attempts to give Lizzie the perfect day in the Prison World which leads to a painful conversation about his past and his fears. With the dangers of the world, Lizzie must try to find Sebastian and convince he's worth saving.

Hello, my lovely readers. This is my over-due Valentine to the Sizzie readers. On with the show…

'Tis True, How I Feel for You:

In over a hundred years of life, Sebastian found himself recalling as many good days as he had fingers on one hand. Today. Today he felt would mean he could begin to count on the other hand, beginning work on his toes and then move on to other bits to count his joys. And all of this was thanks to Elizabeth. She brought him a kind of joy that he did believe was possible to find, again. He found himself smiling as he clenched the keys to the home he planned on taking her to in his fist before taking her toward the house. Their house. They would have a good life for the next millennia or five.

~0~

Elizabeth laid with her back pressed to his chest and Sebastian enjoyed the scent of her shampoo. Thus far, there had been no surprises to ruin their joy. He had seen not a hair of the others who roamed this world. He could sense when they were near and intended on making sure not a single one of them set eyes on his Elizabeth. He would keep her safe. He had to.

"Sebastian…" Elizabeth set aside her glass of wine. Sitting up, she turned her blue eyes to meet his. Her expression had suddenly turned serious and Sebastian forced himself to smile, to remain relaxed as his stomach tightened. This is where she would tell him she wanted to leave. She wanted to return to her family. After the perfect day… Sebastian should have known she would not choose him. Not in the end of things.

"Yes." Sebastian forced himself into a sitting position, waiting for the words that would end this lovely dream he'd been having.

Elizabeth inhaled sharply. "I have to ask you something." She paused, again. Sebastian was growing weary of her hesitation. He wished for her to tell him what she had to say and to leave. At least he would have the memory of today to carry with him for the rest of his days, here, in his world.

"When Alyssa Chang did the spell… The one to show us how you felt…" Elizabeth's brows drew together with worry and her words trailed off.

Now, Sebastian could see where her thoughts had been leading her. Some part of him felt relief while the other felt trepidation. They had not spoken of the unseen feelings of unworthiness he buried deep within. "Ah, yes, the crystal ball." He let out a chuckle and slid off the couch to walk closer to the fireplace. He kept his expression light as he spoke. "I believe the witch intended to tell you all what she thought you would want to hear. She's a malicious child. Really."

"Right. But…" Elizabeth replied. Sebastian turned his head to look at her. She was looking at her knees, her mouth pursed to continue. "But that's really how that spell works. It tells the truth of how you feel. How you really feel." Her eyes went up to look at Sebastian.

Inhaling, Sebastian let out a low chuckle. "Yes. Right. I'm sorry. The girl's magical toy was capable of digging into my very soul and dredging up my darkest fears." He moved to take hold of Elizabeth's hand and knelt before her. "It is true. I do fear how I feel for you. You are kind, and good." He stopped himself and let another chuckle. "When I was a boy my parents sold me —"

"They what?" Elizabeth cried. Her eyes widened and she moved to the floor, facing Sebastian. "That's terrible. They were terrible people."

"Yes. They were." Sebastian shrugged. "And so I would run from the merchant ship's crew. Time. And time again. They would capture me. I would find myself living in conditions a human creature would prefer not to live in. Punishment for my attempting to free myself." He felt tears prick at her eyelids and he gritted his teeth, trying to force them down. "When you are treated as trash…you begin to think little of how humans treat each other. You begin to care less. It is an awful existence when you find yourself enjoying cruelty when you can choose another path. But I was angry."

Elizabeth wiped a tear off her own cheek and nodded. "It's not your fault."

"Oh, but the things I chose to do after I became a vampire. You see, Elizabeth, I enjoyed it. I relished becoming the monster that my tormentors created. My thirst for blood. It was unquenchable. My thirst for seeing others suffer." Sebastian saw Elizabeth's feelings written on her face. "But with you, Elizabeth, I feel so very much. It is difficult for me to relish the thrill of a new kill. It is harder to bury my pain. It is harder to pretend that I do not want a home. I do not wish to be a monster to you."

Elizabeth nodded. "I know. I know, Sebastian." She used both hands to wipe away her tears. "And when we get home, we can work through all of that. Emma. She and my dad. They made a huge mistake sending you here. But they were not bad people. I will make them understand that you are not a monster. I will not let them throw you away like garbage. You are not garbage."

Sebastian let out a harsh laugh. He couldn't help himself. "You wish for me to return? You wish for me to endure a life with those who look on me as something irredeemable?" His lips pulled back from his teeth.

"Sebastian. Listen to me. I can fix this. I will fix this. I promise you." Elizabeth reached out to place her hand on his arm as Sebastian moved away from her. "Sebastian!" she cried as he shook his head, striding away. He needed to collect himself. His thoughts were becoming a tangled mess of displeasure and panic.

"Sebastian!" Elizabeth caught up with him, placing a hand on his arm.

Feelings still overwhelming him, Sebastian whirled around and let out a hiss. Elizabeth let out a cry of shock, stumbling away from him as Sebastian allowed the predator to take over. He moved toward her and she backed up into the coffee table. Her knees bent and she fell to the floor. Red wine strained her dress, and she groaned, her eyes on a cut from one of the glasses. Her eyes now went up to Sebastian's. Her look of fear made him whirl on his heel and he sped out of the room, out of the house with no idea where he was going, but knowing he mustn't stay here any longer.

~0~

With a cry of pain, Lizzie pushed herself to her feet. She took another look at the hunk of glass embedded into the palm of her hand. "Great job, Lizzie," she moaned. She and Sebastian had been having the perfect day together and now… Now, she'd ruined everything. "Why do I ruin everything?" she wondered to herself.

Shaking her head and feeling really pissed off, Lizzie made her way to the kitchen. "First-aid kit?" she groaned, looking through the cabinets and finding nothing. "Shit." She wondered if there would be one in one of the bathrooms but she seriously doubted it. With an eye roll, she decided to do things the old-fashioned way. Grabbing a clean dish towel, she laid it down on the counter and then pulled out the piece of glass with a sharp inhale and a cry of pain. "Ouch." Turning on the sink, she rinsed the cut and decided to head to the hospital to properly clean the cut after she tracked down her wayward boyfriend.

Wrapping the towel around her hand, she jerked drawers open before finding some packing tape. "Good enough," she muttered to herself. Taking some tape, she wrapped it around the towel and ripped it free with her teeth. "See. I can do this."

Feeling encouraged with the unwieldy bandage on her hand, Lizzie left the house and felt so happy that Sebastian left the car behind. If she had to run around the Prison World in high heels, she would be seriously pissed. Of course, she could just ditch the shoes. But they were so cute…

"Focus, Lizzie," Lizzie whispered to herself. At least there was no one around to see her talking to herself. Unless Sebastian was still there, watching her… Superstitiously, Lizzie turned around in a slow circle, peering around the grounds to see if she could see Sebastian. Nope. Nothing. Not a tiny glimpse of her Run-Away Prince Charming. Opening the door to the vehicle, Lizzie slid behind the wheel. "You're not getting away that easily." She might not be the girl who chased boys anymore. But she certainly would not allow Sebastian to offer all of these epic words about his past and then just run off because she wanted him to return to their world with her. Nope. They were going home. Even if she had to siphon him and throw his unconscious behind through a portal. The image made her smile as she buckled up.

~0~

Night had fallen as Lizzie made her way through the town of Mystic Falls. She'd begun a door-to-door search. She'd felt certain that Sebastian would not return to the school. Although part of her wanted to return and find out if Jo and their dad were okay. But she wasn't going to risk their having found a way home and her dad forcing her to abandon Sebastian to this world. He needed help. And he would get it.

There was a flash of movement from the hospital and Lizzie parked in the parking lot. "Sebastian?" she called. Getting out of the car with caution, Lizzie could feel her fingertips itching to drain someone of their magic. Her eyes swept the seemingly empty parking lot. Something did not feel right. She could sense that someone had been here. And not long ago.

Forcing herself to concentrate, Lizzie went inside the hospital. She wanted to call out for Sebastian but felt it better not to. What if he was wrong? What if someone else was here? Her Evil Uncle Kai for instance. Gulping, Lizzie made her way down the hall.

Every time she thought she heard a sound, Lizzie jumped. Her entire nervous system was shot as she continued her search. All she found was where someone, namely a vamp, had gotten into the blood supply. Possibly Sebastian. Possibly another, unnamed vamp. Finding no concrete evidence that Sebastian was here, Lizzie forced herself to leave the hospital. Part of her felt happy to be gone. Some sense told her that something dangerous had been here, and not long ago.

Where in the hell was Sebastian?

~0~

Having canvased most of the town to come up with nothing, Lizzie wondered what her chances were of learning how to pilot a plane to go to touring Europe in her quest before she thought of a place he might be. The site of their first date. Maybe it was a long shot, but it was better than Lizzie plummeting to her death. Her family would be so pissed.

~0~

Sure enough, Sebastian sat in the grass. His eyes were on the water. "There you are," Lizzie groaned. She sounded just like her mother when Lizzie was young and used to run away and hide on the school's grounds. "I've been looking for you all over." She came to a stop beside Sebastian.

Sebastian did not look up. "Elizabeth, I cannot come with you." His words carried a weight that made her inhale. He was arguing. He'd made up his mind. He did not want to come back.

"A lot of people have done a lot of terrible things," Lizzie said. She took a seat next to Sebastian. "Like Jo. She made up this lie once. About a fire. But I forgave her. And Hope. You met her. She killed a bunch of vampires this one time. But it was okay because they were Nazis and helped kill her mom. And my mom…" Lizzie trailed off as Sebastian turned his eyes to hers. "My point is—people do terrible things—that doesn't mean we throw them away. What my dad did to you—that was wrong—he was wrong. If you give us all a chance, we can show you how there is no one path. We're all struggling to be good. Can't we struggle together?"

Sebastian let out a quiet chuckle. Taking the back of her hand, he kissed it before looking into her eyes. "Elizabeth Saltzman," he began. "You have no idea how much I relish every moment we have together." Lizzie's heart swelled. "I will always remember how you loved me." His eyes went back to the water and Lizzie felt like she was losing him. "But I know what I am. I will not change easily."

Grabbing onto his turn of phrase, Lizzie grabbed his face, cupping it and moving her own so their noses almost touched. "Not easily. Nothing worth having is easy."

"You are a poet," Sebastian sighed.

"No. That's a cliché," Lizzie replied with a smile. "But some clichés are true. "And you were right."

"About?" Sebastian's eyes registered his confusion.

Leaning closer and nuzzling his nose, Lizzie grinned at him. "'Tis… 'Tis true, how I feel for you. I love you Sebastian. Whatever your last name is."

"Actually, it is," Sebastian began when Lizzie pressed her lips to his. Their kiss lingered for a long time before he pulled back, looking half-drunk and rather pleased. "While you are in the mood to confess things… I have something I must say as well…"

"And that is?" Lizzie replied, tilting her head to the side, holding Sebastian's hand, waiting for him to say something sweet.

"I lied. Before. When I said we were alone…" Sebastian looked away from Lizzie. "There are others here."

"What?" Lizzie scrambled to her feet. "Sebastian!"

"I wanted one perfect day with you, Elizabeth. And I am sure your sister and father are unharmed," Sebastian said as he got to his feet.

"They had better be!" Lizzie yelled, stalking toward the car. "Because when we get home, I am so not speaking to you for a…week…"

"No copulation then?" Sebastian called from other the side of the car.

Lizzie scoffed. "You'd better believe it, mister!" she glared at him over the top of the car. Well, at least he was coming home with her. And they were going to have the biggest argument as soon as they saved her family from whatever was out there. She shook her head. She had the worst taste in men. She felt sure of it when she caught Sebastian smiling out the passenger side window. "And you can stop smiling or I'm ditching you on the side of the road, again…"

The End

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Peace,

-J