Elizabeth had known him now for over a decade. Matthew first appeared to her in her dreamland, just after she turned ten. Surprisingly, he seemed more like an imaginary friend than anything to her, which was normal at that age. He let himself be seen to her as a playmate her own age, and he grew up with her. When she turned 13, he was 13. When she turned 16, he was 16. It was only when she turned 18 years old did he reveal himself. He loved her.
Her dreams were always perfect; if she was happy when she faded into slumber, he would play games with her and have tickle contests, things children do. But as she grew into her teenage years and started to have more heartache, sometimes he would appear in her dreams sitting next to her on the edge of a pond in the middle of the night, and he would listen to her troubles. He was the perfect best friend, and he wasn't even real. It was because of Matthew that she had few real friends and not a terribly high amount of boyfriends, either. She seemed sort of a loner, but Matthew was all she needed.
As time went on, she wondered about her sanity. How on earth could she dream about someone for what was now seven years that didn't even exist? She could not remember a night she did not dream, and she could not remember a dream without Matthew in it. Her dream self never thought to ask him why he was "haunting" her - she did not want to make him go away. She wanted him to stay in her dreams forever. After all, he was perfect; standing at just a few inches shy of six feet in height, piercing grey eyes, and what seemed like the most welcoming body she had ever seen on a person of the opposite sex. She could recall back to a few times in her young teenage years that she had fallen "deeply in love" with him - but, like all the others of her many years, he was just a crush and after a few weeks of batting her eyelashes at him and touching his shoulder and playing with his curly hair, he faded back into a good friend. It was better that way, anyway.
Matthew was just beginning to wonder what he would think of her if he revealed himself to her. It was a few weeks before her eighteenth birthday, and he did not appear in her dreams that night. He was there, but he was hidden. Elizabeth was devastated. This was the first time in almost 8 years he had left her alone. She woke up and she cried for a good hour before she rushed to get ready for school. What had she done? Why had he left? She needed him. He couldn't just leave her!
Just as she was slipping her shirt over her head and wiped one last tear from her eye, she felt that familiar pulling sensation that happened to her just as she fell asleep at night. The doctors had said this was probably because her brain liked to "hiccup" when going from "awake mode" to "sleep mode"; it was normal. She almost fell to the floor with sudden drowsiness, but somehow she felt something hold her up long enough for her to hear Matthew say, "I did not leave you. Do not worry, Elizabeth. I am not going anywhere. I will meet you in your dreams tonight." and she fell to the floor. She felt another sensation, this time a lifting one, as she found her energy rushing back into her. She felt a sudden surge of elation and she jumped up, giggling to herself. Matthew had not left!
He watched her jump and skip about her room through the smallest crack in her closet. This was the way he watched her during the day. She was so beautiful to him - more than a picture of perfection. He had not seen beauty like this in his 300 years of life, nor had he felt this love. She was so perfect. He watched her turn her back to him and noticed a small red spot on her white shirt... oh no. He reached his hand up quietly and wiped his mouth, only to find that he had rushed back so quickly from his feeding that he still had blood on his teeth and lips. He had stained her shirt when he mingled his soul to hers. He silently cursed at himself for his carelessness. He watched her fade from his vision, and close the door behind her as she headed to the kitchen. He closed his eyes and thought to her, 'I love you.' - he was never sure if his message got through to her, if she could actually hear it, but he said it every time she left nonetheless.
Matthew had discovered some time ago that he could mingle his soul with others that he was truly connected with. He could swiftly bring himself behind them and plunge himself into their souls, and be with them in their minds - which was how he was always in Elizabeth's dreams. Throughout his three centuries of being able to do this, he had only been able to do that with one other person besides Elizabeth, and in the end she had rejected him when he finally revealed himself. He had to be more careful this time. He had, being very discreet about his existence, and always making Elizabeth happy. Keeping her happy and feeling loved was what she needed; was what he had to provide for her to have her.
He slumped himself down to a corner of her closet and slept while she was at school. Modern times gave Matthew more spaces to rest than olden times, when he was forced to sleep in a coffin to get rest at all. Elizabeth's parents were never home until well after she was, and well after dark, so her closet was his perfect resting place. He would never have to stray far from his love.
He awoke a good few hours before she was due home, and he could not find slumber again. He instead sat up and thought about how he was going to reveal himself to her. As of late, he had become more bold when he was in her dreams. Their encounters were becoming more than friendly interludes, they were beginning to become quite erotic. She allowed him to see her body, and sometimes to play with it as well. What Elizabeth didn't understand was that when he mingled their souls together during her slumber, he merely made himself miniature, and in a way "cloned" her as a miniature version of herself. The caresses she felt were real. He had wanted it to be like this, to be able to physically spend time with her without her being aware of it. She still had full control over what her dream self did; she made her own decisions. That was the only way he could know if she really felt that way for him, or if she was only dreaming it.
Matthew was one of those vampires that was able to shrink his fangs down to the normal size of a human canine. He could control how long they were, and when to let them show. Only when he thirsted could he not control them, but that was never a problem with Elizabeth in her dreams. He thirsted for her, but only to make her his... not to merely feed from her. He did not want to take her life, he wanted to give her a life with him. Yes, he would reveal himself on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. Finally the time came. It was the eve of her eighteenth birthday and in Elizabeth's dreams, Matthew and Elizabeth were sitting on a branch of a tree, and they talked of their futures. Well, mainly Elizabeth spoke.
"I think I want to move to go to college. I really don't like my reputation around here, and I think I deserve to have a better life, don't you, Matthew?" It always surprised both Matthew and Elizabeth that she never once called him "Matt" like most would these days - nicknames were "in", after all. No, he seemed too mysterious and dark for that.
"Yes. Moving would be a good thing for you. I believe it is time you tore yourself apart from your childhood home and moved on to bigger things. Better things. It is time you enhanced your life." He took a deep breath and decided that now would be as good a time as any. He was sure that if he was still human, his heart would be pounding, his whole body would be shaking, but, being a vampire, he seemed perfectly calm to Elizabeth. He hopped down off of the branch, and lifted his arms up so that Elizabeth could do the same. She jumped into his arms and he placed her on the ground. She stood there, her beauty seeming to radiate around her being, and smiled up at him. He did not smile back, but instead leaned down slowly to kiss her tenderly. He realised that this might be the last kiss they ever shared. If she rejected him, he would disappear from her dreams, from her life. He had already decided this.
She kissed him back softly, and felt his warm tongue lick her lips and seek a slow entrance into her mouth. She opened her lips slightly, just so his tongue could make entrance. He continued to kiss her with all of the love in his being, and he slowly began to let his fangs grow. Not fast enough or long enough for her to notice while the kiss went on, but enough to show her after the kiss was broken. He finally decided that they were at the proper length, short enough so as not to frighten her, but long enough to give him away. He pulled from the kiss, and then brought his mouth back down. He often bit her bottom lip after he broke their kisses, so Elizabeth was expecting this. He opened his mouth a little more and then pulled his head back, letting his fangs catch her bottom lip slightly. He wasn't sure if she noticed, but when he had completely pulled his head away and opened his eyes, he knew she had.
The look on her face. At first it seemed to him sheer terror, and he had to control himself from disappearing instantly in that moment from her sight. Just as he thought she was about to scream from being so frightened, her face changed to an emotion of what he swore must have been curiosity. Her eyebrows lowered and it seemed like she was questioning him if what she was seeing was real. He slowly nodded. She reached up her right hand to his mouth and then brought her hand back down. What if he was truly some savage beast that would rip her arm off and then suck the blood out of her just to get a mere meal? She was frightened again.
