Matt's spine grinds painfully against the railing as he backs up in response to that voice, pressing himself back against it as far as it'll allow him to go without cutting him clean in two or letting him fall to the ocean below. He doesn't enjoy reacting to her like that, doesn't like that his body seizes up seemingly of its own accord in response to the very real threat Elena's proven she is while her emotions are off and she no longer cares about herself or anyone in this town.

Not even him, if what they did didn't work. Something had to be done, but Matt still felt bad about tricking her, even if it worked. (Especially if it worked.) The decision was made before he had time to think on it, because there was no reason to think, only do. He could die for this girl who died for him, this girl who he once loved with all his heart who now had to live out the rest of her days as a vampire, because she demanded Stefan save him and not her...

He wants to believe it worked, wants to believe that it wasn't all in vain. Things have to go right in their world sometimes, right?

But something's not right. Elena doesn't... No, she looks more like herself than she has in months, more like the girl who swore she was fine when she really wasn't, the girl who had the ability to discern between fine and not fine.

Christ, he really was dead.