The Queen Slayer {2}

Yearning Heart

Rudy Hopkins was dead.

Another Mayor of Mystic Falls was being lowered into the local cemetery.

The issue was... barely anyone was here for the actual funeral. 

Silas had decided to use Rudy as a prop, letting him bleed out slowly in front of half of the town who had been completely under his sway.

Half of the town who were now hell-bent on finding Katherine.

Something that Buffy didn't give a rat's ass about right now. 

Jeremy, Matt and Damon were handling the search for Katherine.

Rudy had been her Godfather and he had put up with some much of her crap. He had taken care of her, defended her and cared for her like his own daughter. With the news of the Mayor's murder being kept quiet for the time being because of what Silas had done, the funeral was smaller than it should have been which broke her heart to pieces as she sat in the front row beside Liz.

Watching as his coffin was lowered into the earth.

Rudy's family hadn't been able to get here due to a storm cancelling their flights out and Bonnie still wasn't answering her phone. Plus, the phone number she had for Abby was disconnected leaving Buffy unable to let her best friend know that her father was gone.

Buffy had left another message begging her to call her back, but she hadn't been able to even utter what had happened over voicemail.

She couldn't tell Bonnie her father was dead over voicemail.

Blinking back tears as she spotted the Priest glance over at her, Buffy squeezed Liz's hand once more before forcing herself out of her chair, desperately fighting against the way her body was begging for her to crumble. With every step she took closer to the platform right in front of the headstone, Buffy felt her knees growing weaker, wanting nothing more than to crumble into a billion pieces.

With all eyes now glued to her as she stood in front of the small crowd, Buffy tried not to sob as she let her eyes drift to the photo of Rudy that resting beside his new headstone.

His smiling face as he held a five-year-old Bonnie in one arm while a 6-year-old Buffy was on his back, both girls giggling happily with him.

Silas had killed him.

Rudy had been a kind honest man who wanted nothing but the best for the citizens in this town. Yet, he had been taken from this world by a madman who just wanted to prove how powerful he was.

"With Bonnie not being able to be here." Buffy whispered against the microphone, her lips quivering violently as tears blurred her vision "And Rudy's mom being too sick to travel, she asked me to speak for him."

She hadn't been able to say no when Rudy's mother through her sobs had asked her to speak on behalf of her son. She had wanted to ensure that at least someone who loved Rudy like family, someone he had loved like a daughter spoke about his kind heart and love for his family.

"I didn't find out Rudy was my godfather till two years ago, he hadn't wanted to upset me because he had a falling out with my father when I was little." Clutching onto the stand in front of her, Buffy let out a small whimper as she allowed her eyes to glance back at the photo once again "But even then, he did so much. He was a single father but when my mom would show up on his doorstep, he never said no. Not even on that Christmas morning when she begged him to take me for the day."

Now that Buffy was older, it was easier to recognise the signs she had missed as a child. 

The constant yelling from downstairs that was ceased the second she appeared at the top of the stairs, the harsh glares and snide comments.