Book Four: Solitude (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Nine

Diana sits with Derek in the church, neither wants to be here, but it's all about community spirit and mourning. Not that anyone threw Alaric a memorial. Not that he even got a proper funeral. Diana looks down at her ring, her finger brushing over the metal. Her heartbreaking all over again when she thinks about that. That she never really got to say goodbye. Elena walks into the church but pauses seeing Diana sat on one of the pews at the back, Elena takes a deep breath and walks towards her sister. Derek stands and steps into her way.

"Don't" Derek stops Elena. "Just...not yet, she's okay, I've got her but...she's not ready to talk to you"

"I just want to make sure she's...."

"She's fine" Derek stops her. "They all are...." Elena nods a little. "Give her time to grieve" Derek then takes his seat again, his hand covering Diana's. Elena quietly walks away. She sits down next to Matt and Jeremy. She is pale. Matt and Jeremy look at her.

"You okay?" Matt asks, Elena nods in answer. 

"Hey, April was looking for you. She wanted help with her speech." Jeremy tells Elena, Elena looks around.

"Where is she?" Elena asks. Up in the balcony, Connor is loading a gun. He has April gagged and tied up, leaning against the balcony's wall.

"I don't know," Jeremy admits. Stefan walks into the church. He stops next to Tyler and Caroline.

"What are you doing here, Tyler?" Stefan asks him.

"Being sensitive to the community's loss."

"With a hunter out to get you?"

"I'm not letting a hunter stop me from where I'm supposed to be."

"Also, if he shows his face, I'm gonna kick his ass." Caroline points out. Stefan walks away and moves down a row. Carol Lockwood is at the podium, preparing to start the memorial. Stefan sits down, two rows behind Elena.

"Before we begin the Mass, we'd like to open the floor to anyone who would like to share a memory about our late friends on the Town Council. I know that April Young wanted to say a few words about her dad. April? April, are you still here, honey?" Carol asks as she looks around. Up in the balcony, Connor puts a wooden stake into his gun. "Is there anyone else who would like to share a recollection or a memory about Pastor Young?" Carol asks the room. No one gets up for a moment. Connor, in the balcony, points his gun at various people, getting ready to shoot if one of them reveals themselves to be a vampire. Finally, Elena stands up. Stefan and Caroline appear to be worried. "Come on up, Elena," Carol tells her. Connor points his gun at Elena's back. Elena proceeds to walk up to the podium. Damon enters the church; Stefan, Tyler, and Caroline all turn to look at him. Damon dips his hands in a bowl of holy water and touches his forehead, chest, and shoulders in the formation of a cross. "Don't know why that always makes me smile." Damon sits down next to Stefan and looks at Elena who has made her way to the podium.

"She doesn't look so good." Damon points out.

"Maybe you should have told me she was rejecting all food sources," Stefan argues.

"Jealousy's beneath you, brother."

"Oh, bite me." Stefan snaps at Damon.

"I uh – when I talked to April earlier she was kind of nervous about coming up to speak," Elena admits. "And now that I'm up here, I'm kind of nervous too." Stefan and Damon glance at each other. Elena holds on to the sides of the podium and looks straight at Diana who glares back at her. "The worst day of loving someone is the day that you lose them" Elena then looks down as something small and sharp hits her chest. Diana lowers her wrist and tucks away her wristbow.