*Y/N's POV*

Thankfully, when I fell back asleep I didn't experience that dream again, but instead, I went back to my usual state of dreams, and see Alastor ahead of me, humming under his breath.

I run to him. "Alastor!"

He turns, surprised at first, before his smile hides his shock away, replacing it with a pleased look.
"Y/N! I'm so pleased to see-OOF!"

I collide into him, throwing my arms around him, squeezing his slender waist as tight as I can, afraid to let him go.
The sudden touch makes him tense under me, and almost push me off, but when he realizes that it's me, and that's something's wrong with me, he awkwardly pats my back.

"Y/N darling, is something the matter?"

"Oh Alastor," I say, refusing to let him go. "I had a horrible nightmare."

His eyes widen. "O-oh...I see, well then," he pats my back a little too rough, "you're safe now."
"No," I finally pull away, letting him go and taking a step back.

He stares at me, confusion written in his face.
I inhale a quick breath. "I had a dream that I was someone else..." I say.

His brow furrows. "Someone else? May you be a little more specific?"

I twist a strand of my hair, getting the shivers as I tell the story of this...dream, this nightmare I had.

"I saw you," I begin to say, "but you were a man. A human, I mean to say. And I wasn't ME, I was another girl. And..." I trail off, swallowing the lump in my throat before I continue.

"You kept calling me...Elizabeth."

In a spilt second, Alastor rushes to me, grabbing me by my shoulders, squeezing me a little too tight that I feel his nails dig in my skin.

"What are you doing?! Th-that hurts!"

"Tell me every detail of this dream. RIGHT. NOW." He shakes me. "What happened? Who else was there? WHAT DID YOU SEE?!"

I try to get him to let go, but his grip is too tight, and it's only getting tighter.
"Stop!" I shout, "Y-you're scaring me!"

His expression changes in an instance, as if those words were the magic words.
He let's me go, taking a step back.

"I'm sorry," he says, "I just..." he trails off, unable to finish his sentence. He only lowers his head to the ground, one hand raised to the back of his neck, and for the first time ever, I hear him swear.

"Son of a bitch," he says under his breath.

I approach him. "What is it?" I ask, feeling my breath being shortened from fear.
He looks at me, opening his mouth to speak, before closing it again and turning away.

"I never wanted you to know..."

"Know what?"

"Oh Y/N...it could have been so different if we had never known."

"Known what?!" I shout, stepping closer to him, "Alastor what is going on?! Why did I dream that I was someone named Elizabeth?! Who even IS Elizabeth?!"

Silence stretches between us, the only sound is the wind in the air and rustling of bushes and leaves.
He stands with his back to me, hands clenching before relaxing at his sides.

"Because you are Elizabeth..." he whispers.

All breath has left my body, the weight of the realization that my nightmare was true...that in someway, I am this Elizabeth.
I feel my knees shaking, as my mouth goes dry.

"What...are you talking about?" I whisper, "I'm...not Elizabeth. I'm Y/N."

"Yes, that's right," he looks at me, "but you have Elizabeth's spirit inside of you."

He waves a hand in front of us, and a little cloud appears, much like when he was explaining to me who he was nearly two months ago.

But this time, there are no images of him.
Instead, I see a young woman with a round face shape, rosey cheeks, and bright E/C with short H/C, surrounded with a group of friends somewhere in New Orleans, a bright smile on her face.

"This is her..." he says faintly, his voice sounding pained. "She was my friend ever since I was four. We grew up in the same New Orleans neighborhood, after all," he chuckles softly, but its not a joyful sound. "She was the only one who understood me, besides my mother. And after growing up, my feelings for her turned to love."

The image changes to now her dancing with Alastor, the look of pure love and content in there eyes...there smiles soft and there faces glowing.

"We were engaged to be married, but one summer's day, right after I had bought ownership of a radio station, Elizabeth fell victim to a shooting."

The image changes to a man pulling a gun out through his car window, and Elizabeth throwing herself in between the bullet and Alastor to protect him.
Just like in my dream...

"She died shortly after being shot," he whispers as the cloud disappears in front of us. "It was her death that pushed me to become what I am," he points at himself, before sighing. "At first, it was to avenge her death. But past that...it was merely for the thrill..."

"Wait," I whisper, turning towards him, all the missing pieces of the puzzle falling together all at once, scrambling it. "You said not to long ago that there was something tying us together..."

He turns to face me again, not saying a single word.
But the look on his face is an answer enough for me...

I lose my balance, and fall to the ground.
Oh my god...

"I..." I trail off, barely able to speak, "I'm..."

He kneels in front of me, taking my hands in his.
"Yes," he whispers, a soft smile forming on his lips, "you are the reincarnated soul of Elizabeth..." I see a slight twinkle in his eyes from tears, "you came back to me."

His words push me over the edge.
I force myself onto my feet, backing up away from him.
"No, no no no that- that can't be!"

"It is," he rises to his feet, happiness written in his smile. "That is why our paths continue to cross. Why we keep seeing each other," he grabs my hands, laughing softly, "because you are my Elizabeth reborn! You always told me you'd never leave me," he laughs, spinning me, "and how true that was!"

"Bu-" I stutter, before I'm interrupted when he stops me and pulls me closer to him.
When I look up into his eyes, dread fills my stomach.

He's not seeing me...but instead, he's seeing Elizabeth.
Alastor smiles, cupping my face in his hands. "We'll never be seperate again...my love."

NO!

He leans in to kiss me, but I push him away forcefully, stepping back. "No," I whisper, shaking my head, feeling my heart break at the realization of this moment.
He's only done this because he believes me to be Elizabeth...if we hadn't found out about this, he would have never called me his love.

Never...

"What's wrong?" he asks.

I lick my lips, glancing down at the space between us.
"This..." I point at him, "you won't see me as ME anymore. Instead, you'll look at me, and pretend I'm Elizabeth. When you hug me, touch me, or even kiss me, you'll think of me as Elizabeth."

I inhale a shuddering breath, clenching my hands into fists.
"That isn't right."

"But, darling," he says, "you are Elizabeth." He tries to approach me again, but I don't allow it.

"No I'm not!" I push him away again, "I'm Y/N! A twenty-six year old who lives in the year of 2023! Not a twenty-two year old who lives in the 1920s!" I shout, breathing in and out heavily from feeling the anger bubble in my chest.

And the heart break from Alastor only wanting to accept me as Elizabeth. Not...for who I am now...

His eyes widen. "You said...we'd always be together."

"No, ELIZABETH did," I say, "and if you won't look past that and see what's in front of you, see me for who I am, or see my love I have for you..." I trail off, inhaling a shuddering breath before I say my final words.

"Then I suggest we don't see each other anymore."

Alastor's smile falls, and he gasps softly.
"No, Y/N don't!"

I pinch myself.

★★★

I wake up in my bed, silent for a few moments, before I allow myself to sob.
I bring the pillow to my face and cry.

Guess I now need to get a new prescription for my pills...

I don't want this to happen, if anything, all I want is to be with him. To be there for him, to hold him, to kiss him...
But I won't lie to myself. And I won't allow him to lie to himself too.

I may be Elizabeth reborn, but that does not mean that I am her.

I'm Y/N.

I wipe at my eyes, bringing my knees up to my chin, still crying softly.
I should have known...he'd never love me for me...not after everything...

I hold myself tightly, burying my face in a nearby pillow.
Why, Y/N, why did you allow yourself to fall in love with him?

Why can't I just have a normal life...like everyone else?
Why did this have to happen to me?