CHAPTER 19.5: If I die young, bury me in satin
WARNINGS: blood, character death, profanities, toxic relationships, matt donovan bashing, stefan, damon

THERE WAS A KNOCK ON THE DOOR and Elena opened the door to reveal Alaric Saltzman. "I heard you're driving," Elena said in greeting, holding her dress.

"Yeah, I am—Let me get that for you," he said, taking the dress from her.

Elena gave him a grateful smile, "thanks." After what happened today, her and Caroline really would rather not do this, but Athena refused to let another vampire thing ruin something that the girls wanted.

Elena walked toward the kitchen and Alaric closed the door, "how, uh, um... How is Stefan?" He asked.

Elena froze for a second before turning to face him with a confused face, "what do you mean?" She countered. He didn't see what happened on the football field, did he?

"He just seems on edge," Alaric explained.

Elena swallowed as Athena came down the stairs, "he went through a lot, he was in a bad shape for a while. But, uh, he's bouncing back... slowly." Elena really didn't want to talk to Alaric about Stefan, especially after what happened earlier. She didn't know what to think anymore.

The Heretic was dressed in a black tux with a green undershirt that matched the color of Caroline's dress. Despite not being able to escort her, Athena still wanted to match the blonde—but in all honesty, she didn't get much of a choice when Caroline had thrown the shirt at her face while racing out the door. Not that she minded.

"Alaric," John said loudly as he saw the man. "Hey, buddy. What are you doing here?" He asked as Elena rolled her eyes and went into Athena's arms. The Heretic slid an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her back with her other hand. Caroline's dress was resting next to them in the bag.

The blonde was helping Jenna fix up her hair and makeup upstairs so neither of them were downstairs yet.

"Well, I'm the chauffeur," Alaric explained.

"Oh, I thought I was driving," John said as he turned to Jenna who was coming down the stairs with Caroline right behind.

"No need," Jenna said, "we're going with Rick." Alaric smiled at John.

"Are we ready?" Elena asked. Jenna nodded. The brunette turned to Caroline, "can you ride with us? Please?" The blonde turned to look at Athena.

"I'll be right behind you guys. Don't worry," the Heretic promised, kissing them both on the forehead, "you're safe with me, alright?" She whispered, giving them a serious look. They both nodded and hugged her.

"Aww," Jenna cooed, "that's so sweet, but we've got to go. Move your butts, ladies!" Caroline and Elena laughed as they were ushered out the door. Athena grabbed Caroline's dress and followed them out.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

IN AN ATTEMPT to get away from Jeremy, Anna happens to run smack dab into Athena. The Heretic grabs her around the waist as she lunges for the drink she had in her hand and catches it on her index and middle finger. She tosses it a bit and catches it without any of the liquid spilling out of it.

Anna sucks in a sharp breath through her teeth, eyes wide, "I'm so sorry," she apologizes as Athena chuckles and lets her go gently.

"It's alright. Where's the fire, huh?" The Heretic asked with a teasing smile, tilting her head a bit in question.

Anna gave her a nervous smile, glancing around, "I'm trying to find Mateo," she explained. They had come here together so Anna could keep up the "normal" look.

"Ah, loverboy," Athena said. Anna rolled her eyes. "I just saw him. He's around her somewhere. I'll help you look, love." Anna gave her a quiet 'thank you' as Athena walked away.

"Anna!" She sighed and turned to face Jeremy. She'd have to get this over with eventually.

"What is it?" She asked, glancing around for Mateo. She walked over to Jeremy, looking done and bored with the conversation already.

Jeremy gave her a small smile, "come on, don't be like that."

Anna raised an eyebrow, "why not?" She looked around and then stepped closer, lowering her voice, "you were pretty much just using me to turn you into a vampire so you could be with somebody else."

"No, I wasn't using you," Jeremy denied.

Anna smiled sarcastically, raising an eyebrow, "really? Then how would you like to define it?"

Jeremy glanced at the people who were near them and put an arm around her shoulders, guiding her away. She felt uncomfortable under his touch now. "Look, I don't think it's any worse than becoming friends with me so you could give your mother my blood," he argued.

Anna's face dropped and she looked at him with fear, "how do you know that?" Athena was gonna lose her shit when she found out he knew everything.

"That's not important," Jeremy shook his head.

"Seriously, Jeremy?" She asked, her voice slightly higher than usual, "this stuff is not a game! You need to tell me how you know that. How much do you even know?"

"Everything. I know everything," he replied.

She snarled a bit and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Listen, I care about you. You need to tell me how you know," she said. Part of the deal that Athena and her mother made was that nobody else found out about vampires. If Athena caught a whiff of this and thought it was one of the tomb vampires, they'd all be slaughtered with the exception of Anna considering she wasn't in the tomb and she was now semi part of the Vultures through Mateo.

Jeremy opened his mouth to speak when Mateo appeared, slipping an arm around her waist and pressing a quick kiss to Anna's lips. Anna smiled slightly, relaxing in his embrace. Jeremy looked between the two, hurt and confused, but also angry.

"Athena said you were looking for me?" Mateo kept his eyes on Jeremy as he spoke to Anna. His gaze shifted to her as he asked the next question, "is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine," Jeremy snapped, "we were talking and you interrupted. Leave."

"Jeremy," Anna hissed, glaring at the boy and placing a hand on Mateo's chest when she felt his anger spike. She looked at her boyfriend, "calm down." She raised her hand and placed it on the side of Jeremy's head, searching for the information she needed. When she found it, she dropped her hand.

"What was that?" Jeremy asked.

Anna turned to Mateo, "we have to find Athena," she told him, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. He let her. Jeremy follows closely behind. When they find Athena, the woman is talking with Jenna and Alaric—well, Alaric is standing there awkwardly while the two chat. It's clear that Athena doesn't like the history teacher. "Athena," Anna grabs her arm and the Heretic turns. She glances at the other two before leaning up to whisper in her ear.

Athena's eyes flare. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA PUSHES OPEN the door to the changing room where Elena and Stefan are in. It hits the wall with a loud thud and swings closed. The two inside jump. "You keep a damn journal?" She demands, looking right at Elena.

"W-What?" Elena seems confused and taken off guard.

"You—What the fuck are you doing in here?" She grabs Stefans collar. "I thought I made it pretty damn clear that you aren't to be near Elena nor Caroline right now... or ever," she snarled, shoving him backward and stepping in front of the brunette.

Stefan's nostrils flare and he clenches his jaw. "What happened today was because of you. You tempted me—"

"Life is a fucking tempation, Stefan," she interrupted, "don't blame the fact that you can't control yourself on me. You don't know the urge that I have every damn day to kill and kill and kill like you've never seen. Yes, you tear people apart and you feed until there is nothing left then you move onto the next and the next. But, with great power comes a lot of fucking hunger. Even the times where I don't keep myself fed, I can control it. I can hold back. Especially when it comes to fucking teenagers and kids! You're over a century and half old and yet you still have no damn control. So, yes, I tempted you to show them how dangerous you are and how destructive you can be. They deserve to know the truth, especially Elena because she is with you." She stabs a finger into his chest.

Stefan shook his head, scoffing through his nose. He looked at Elena who looked away. "I see how it is. Yeah, screw Stefan. I'm a good brother. Damon is the one that kills and ruins lives. Athena cut off her brothers because of something that happened in the past. And yet you still trust her more than me? I thought you believed in me!" He snapped at Elena. Tears slowly welled up in the brunette's eyes.

"Oh, boo-frickin-hoo. Get the fuck over it," Athena said with a swift roll of her eyes.

Carol opened the door after knocking, "Elena, the line-up is starting..." She noticed the three.

Elena rubbed her neck, swallowing back her tears, "I—I just need a minute."

"You're not even dressed yet," Carol sighed, "escorts wait downstairs Stefan." Stefan gave one last look to Elena then left the room.

Athena turned a bit and pressed a kiss to Elena's cheek, "no rush," she whispered, before leaving the room as well.

Carol gave her a look, "hurry." Then walked out. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA IS STANDING next to Damon. They are watching the girls come down and join their escorts before going outside. Tina Fell just walked down and was escorted outside by her escort, Bartholomew Whitmore. She notices that there is a random guy now standing at the bottom of the stairs instead of one Matt Donovan.

"Where the fuck is Matt?" She demands quietly.

"Ms. Caroline Forbes," Mayor Lockwood announces next as Damon and Athena share a look, "and her escort Jeffrey Lockwood Hamilton." There is a round of applause as her girlfriend slowly walks down the stairs.

Athena hesitates. She doesn't want to ruin Caroline's chances, but then she remembers how upset the blonde was when Athena couldn't be her escort. And since Carol's "replacement" fucked up once again, she didn't care. Athena maneuvers through the crowd and slides in front of Jeffrey.

Caroline instantly lights up when she sees her. Athena feels like her breath had been knocked out of her lungs, breathless from the mere sight of her girlfriend. She had seen the dress before, but now that it was on Caroline... it looked absolutely amazing. It hugged her nicely and accentuated her curves. Her hair fell over her shoulders perfectly and her make-up was natural, just adding to the beauty that Caroline already was.

Athena gives her a wink and a dashing smile. Athena stretches out her hand for the woman and Caroline slips her hand into Athena's. The Heretic leans down and places a kiss on her knuckles before escorting her outside. Caroline smiles and looks around at the people in passing.

"What are you doing?" Caroline whispers. She wasn't mad, she was curious.

They walked down the steps, "giving you what you wanted. A pretty girl like you should not have a 'fill-in'," Athena murmurs, kissing her girlfriend's cheek before they get into their positions.

Inside, Mayor Lockwood announces the last and final girl. "Ms. Elena Gilbert, escorted by Mr. Stefan Salvatore." Stefan isn't there at the bottom of the stairs and Damon notices.

Elena slowly begins to descend, releasing a shaky breath. Her smile drops a bit when she sees the fill-in escort even though her nerves just increased. Stefan was gone and she had no idea what he was doing. He was hurt which makes everything worse.

Damon sees this and tries to walk over, but finds his feet glued to the floor. Somebody slips in front of the fill-in and Elena almost stops dead in her tracks.

The girl is two inches shorter than Elena, but the brunette is wearing heels so it adds about 2 more inches to her height. Mystery girl has dark brown eyes that are breathtaking. Her hair is the same shade if not a bit darker, it's straightened and cascades around her head like a curtain. The girl has an all black tux on.

Elena looks over at Damon who gives points to his feet as he tries to move. She looks at the girl who holds out her hand. Elena swallows and slides her hand into the mystery girl's. Her skin is warm and her hands are callous, electricity flies through their fingers causing a shiver to run down Elena's spine. Elena stares into the girl's eyes, getting lost as she searches her gaze, trying to figure out who she was. She was young, probably younger than Elena, but the oldest Gilbert had no idea who she was—she had never seen her before.

The girl leans down and barely brushes her lips over Elena's knuckles before she leans back up and begins to escort her outside. "Who are you?" Elena asked quietly through a smile as she tries to not show how confused and worried she is.

Mystery girl gives her a closed-lipped smile and gives her a once over, "you look very pretty," she compliments. They walk down the stairs.

Athena is focused on Caroline who smiles at her and mouths, 'I love you' to her. Athena smiles and mouths it right back.

"Who is that and where is Stefan?" She hears Jenna ask. Her head turns slightly as Elena and her escort get into position. The mystery girl meets her eyes. They hold their eye-contact as a whispered name falls from Athena's lips,

"Lorelei?"

The dance begins and Athena rips her gaze away from the girl to take a step toward her girlfriend.

"I saw what happened with Stefan earlier," she hears her say to Elena quietly as they do their dance.

"Did you stop Damon from stepping in?" Elena asked the girl.

"I did. I needed to get close and I couldn't have him getting in my way," the girl replied easily.

"Get close to who? What do you want?"

They go silent as they raise their hand and go in a circle, never touching. Athena momentarily forgets about everything around her, focusing on Caroline. The dance, despite whatever anyone would say, was extremely intimate if done properly.

As soon as Athena is allowed to touch Caroline, she does without a second thought. Caroline seems just as relieved to be in Athena's arms as she is, her eyes softening. They move around the 'dance floor', staring each other in the eyes and never losing contact for a second. As they get to the end, Caroline leans her forehead against Athena's and closes her eyes for a moment, before they have to pull away and finish.

When they're done, Lorelei bolts and Athena rushes after her without a second thought. Elena and Caroline watch them go, confused. They're walking quickly, trying to not draw too much attention.

"Lorelei," Athena says as she pushes past someone in her way. The brunette turns to look at her over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner of the building into the shadows. Athena turns the corner and finds herself alone with only darkness as her friend.

Athena swallows and leans against the wall, trying to regain her breath. She didn't realize she had been holding it. She closes her eyes.

That was real. She was right there. Elena saw her, she was touching Elena. Everybody saw her. She was there. Right there, Athena thinks, trying to keep herself from spiraling. She had been trying and trying to find Lorelei and Davina, but every spell she tried came up with nothing. They were cloaked, preventing Athena from finding her daughters.

And when one was right in front of her, she couldn't catch her.

"Fuck!" Athena shouted, punching the wall. It crumbled underneath her strength. She stepped back and sighed.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

INSIDE, THE GIRLS were all lined up, ready to be crowned. Athena was standing beside Damon who had been freed of the cement spell that had been placed on him the second that Lorelei and Elena started dancing together. It made sense, he couldn't stop it without making a scene—exactly what Lorelei needed.

"Before I crown the winner," Mr. Lockwood said with a smile, "I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community."

Everyone applauds.

Just to embarrass them, Athena cups her hands around her mouth and calls out Caroline and Elena's names. The two blush a deep red and shoot her a glare that screams 'shut the hell up'.

Damon snickers silently as Athena gets a scolding look from Carol and a bunch of the older members.

"So, without further adieu, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls..." He drags it on for a moment before announcing, "Ms. Caroline Forbes!" Everyone applauds once again and cheers while Caroline laughs in disbelief.

"That's my girl," Athena grins, whistling and clapping her hands.

Caroline steps forward and Mr. Lockwood puts the Miss Mystic Falls cache on her.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

 CAROLINE IS LEANING against Athena, her arm wrapped around her girlfriend's waist. Athena has an arm around her back. Caroline has Athena's jacket on since she had gotten cold. They are whispering to each other affections and kissing each other every once in a while.

"Caroline, Athena." The two turn, finding Carol Lockwood staring at them with her hands crossed in front of her. "I thought I said that Matt was your escort. This went against tradition—"

"I still won. Like I said. Matt wasn't even here. Athena filled in for my replacement because you picked a flake," Caroline argued, giving the woman a cold glare, "it seems not everyone agrees with your... tradition." She gives the woman a mocking smile and then pulls Athena into a heated kiss.

The Heretic groans, pulling Caroline closer to her and kissing back eagerly. Carol quickly walks away, uncomfortable. Caroline bites Athena's bottom lip and pulls it as she pulls away. Athena huffs through her nose, overwhelmed with the sudden need to take Caroline right there, right now. She doesn't, but God does she want to.

She makes a move to lean back in when someone yanks the back of her shirt and tugs her away from the blonde. She spins around, ready to snap whoevers neck when she sees Violet, Akemi, Ace, Mateo, and Anna.

"I'm so sorry, Caroline, but we need to borrow your girlfriend," Violet says, pulling Athena quickly through the crowd with the rest of them close behind.

"What's going on?" Athena asks as she fixes her collar once Violet lets go.

"Upstairs there was a sign of a struggle, the mirror's glass was shattered, and there was blood. Stefan's blood," Mateo explained.

"And there was a sign of a struggle," Anna finished.

"We heard Damon and the Sheriff talking about it," Akemi added.

Athena nodded, "do we know who it is?" They all walk outside.

"Amber is missing," Ace proposes, "she's most likely the one who struggled."

The six share a look and then nod. Akemi goes with Mateo, Violet goes with Anna, and Athena goes with Ace. They spread out, searching through the forest and trying to see if they can hear anything.

"I felt Lorelei's presence earlier," Ace said as they walked quickly through the forest where Athena heard heavy and panicked breathing.

"I saw her, but she disappeared right after the dance," Athena said with a frustrated sigh. She stops and closes her eyes, trying to pin-point exactly where Amber or Stefan is. She inhales deeply and listens closely.

There was a dripping sound and the very present smell of blood. Her eyes opened and she slowly lifted her head.

There, lying on a branch, was Leah Gonzalez. Her eyes were open, but void. Her skin was deathly pale. Her arms dangled off either side of the tree branch, blood slowly dripping down them and onto the forest floor. Her clothes were shredded and torn, blood everywhere.

Ace's eyes glowed yellow, pain written clear on his face, as he slowly dropped to his knee, lowering his head. Athena climbed up the tree and grabbed the girl's body, cradling it close to her. She didn't care about the blood staining and seeping through her clothes. She just wanted to get the girl home.

She slowly climbed back down. Ace stood up, fighting back the tears and the sobs that threatened to be unleashed, "go find Stefan. I'll take her back. I'll get Luther and start the plans for a burial." Athena nods and hands the girl off to Ace.

Leah turned eighteen in a week. She was going to get her immortality ring.

Now, she is dead.

And Athena knew just who did it.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ATHENA STOOD ON a branch above Stefan. Damon was trying to talk him down, but all Stefan could focus on was Elena's face that expressed her horrification. Damon tried to get a hold of Stefan but he threw him.

Bonnie started an aneurysm spell on Stefan. He clutched at his head, clearly in pain. She continued it until he calmed then she released the spell.

Athena dropped in front of him. He stumbled back in surprise, looking at her blood soaked clothes. "You worked with her," Athena said as she stepped toward him. She looked tired, defeated. "You worked with the vampire who wanted me dead. In exchange for my life, you gave her Cassidy's," she slowly revealed.

Stefan stepped back once more, blood dripping from his mouth. He looked between Elena, Bonnie, and Damon before setting his gaze back on Athena.

"You were a distraction tonight," Athena told him, "a distraction so I'd come out here to find you... only to find her dead. To find her USED AS A GODDAMN MESSAGE!" Athena yelled, her anger getting the best of her. Her breathing grew rapid as black veins started to pulse under her skin. Her eyes turned black. "So, now, you're the message."

Mateo came up behind Stefan and injected him with vervain. The boy's eyes were red and tears stained his cheeks. Stefan groans and slowly falls to his knees. He doesn't quite go unconscious so to finish the job, Mateo kicks him in the face, knocking him out cold.

Anna appears and takes the syringe from her boyfriend, stuffing it in her coat pocket. "We should kill him," Mateo said.

"No!" Elena cries.

"You can't kill him!" Damon said angrily, turning to Athena, "yes, he messed up, but he is still your brother."

"He is not my fucking brother," Athena snarls, "to me, he's already dead. He died the second Cassidy did. And so did you." She turns toward Mateo, her eyes softening and going back to normal, "Anna, take him to the boarding house." The girl nodded and grabbed him before vamping off. Athena turns to Damon, "the only reason he is still alive... is because he's a pawn. You make him understand that. If he tries to retaliate—" She looks his dead in the eyes, "you both die."

Caroline walks over, gasping at the sight of her girlfriend. "Athena," she rushes over, "what happened?" She demands. Athena merely scoops her up and disappears after seeing Damon's nod.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

 CAROLINE LIGHTS ONE of the candles that surround the grave. Mateo and Ace are lighting the others. They are at the cemetery, in the closed off section that Athena owns.

They had all changed out of their formal clothes and put on something darker.

Black jeans, shorts, or dresses. Black shirts or sweatshirts. And a black cloak with silver lining and a red velvet inside. Athena, Violet, Quinn, and Luther have gold lining. They all had their hoods pulled over their heads. Red and black face paint created masks around their eyes.

Caroline wipes a tear that fell from her eyes as she lights the candle Luther placed right above the headstone that the other witches had created.

Leah Gonzalez

August 6th, 1992September 31st, 2009

There was the pack crest—A wolf standing on a rock and howling at the moon as the moon dripped like it was blood—above Leah's name. Caroline brushed her fingers over it and the stone glowed a golden color at her touch. Caroline retracted her hand quickly, gasping.

Mateo and Ace shared a look despite their blurry vision. Luther and Quinn looked at each other in shock. The other wolves whispered amongst themselves before quieting down, knowing they'd talk about it later and that this wasn't the time. Akemi and Violet each turned their heads to Athena who was standing beside Hayley who had stumbled across Ace and Luther digging a grave for Leah—she had helped them bury her. Athena just stared at her girlfriend, her brain too scattered to comprehend what had just happened.

Caroline stood up and looked over at Luther with a fearful and apologetic expression, "I'm sorry, I don't—"

Luther hushed her, "it's alright. You did nothing wrong," he whispered back, gently nudging her in Athena's direction. The blonde nodded and went to the other side of Athena, slipping her hand into the redheads.

Hayley grabbed Athena's other hand as well and Athena squeezed them both. As everyone slowly gathered around, each morning the soul they had lost. Athena let go of the two women's hands and stepped forward, looking down at the grave. She took a deep breath before she began.

"Today... tonight, we lost one of our own. Her name was Leah Gonzalez. She was a werewolf who I stumbled upon many, many years ago. She was scared and alone back then. She had no place and no one to call home. So, I brought her in where she met her brothers, her sisters, her aunts, her uncles... and her parents," Athena gave a small nod to the Gonzalezs'.

Mrs. Gonzalez—Valerie—was crying softly, holding a tissue to her mouth in hopes to keep her sobs quiet. Mr. Gonzalez—Norman—had silent tears falling from his eyes, holding onto his wife.

"They had taken Leah in about a year after she stayed with us. They had noticed she was having a hard time fitting in and vowed to help her. To guide her. To love her. Even though you are vampires, she could've killed you with a single bite. They are her heroes and she loves you too." Valerie sobbed and turned away, hiding her face in Norman's chest as the man released a shaky breath. Athena licked her lips and gestured to the werewolf representative, "Luther had become her mentor. You taught her how to control herself and to run free during full-moons. She may have been a pain in your ass, but she was one of our best hunters."

Luther and some of the other wolves laughed along with Athena.

"Then we have her brothers who have stuck by her since the beginning," she gave Ace and Mateo a small smile. They were both standing next to their significant others' each with tears in their eyes. "I remember finding you three up late at night, trying to sneak out. Sometimes you'd succeed... sometimes you didn't. And I am so, so thankful to this little girl—who isn't so little anymore—that she..." Athena stopped, closing her eyes as tears threatened to spill. She released a shaky breath that trembled through her body. "That she kept my little Prince on his toes and reminded him that I would come back for him," Athena finished, tears falling from her eyes as she smiled over at Ace who slowly fell to his knees and sobbed.

Athena swallowed roughly, her throat hurting from trying to keep back the tears. At this point, nobody was left with dry eyes. They were all crying.

Athena took the sword—Leah's sword—from Akemi and took a deep breath. "Leah Gonzalez was a beautiful soul who did not deserve this fate. She was kind and loyal. She made everyone around her smile from her sarcastic remarks and her funny jokes—at least she thought they were funny," a lot of people laughed at that as Athena tried to lighten the mood just a tiny bit, "Leah will be missed and she will never be forgotten. She was a fierce warrior who fought for what she believed in and for her family."

Athena weighed the sword in her hand, her eyes darkening. She gripped the handle in both hands and lifted it up. She used her strength to shove it into the ground.

"And now we will fight for her. The person who did this... will be found and will be killed," Athena concludes.

Lincoln walked toward her with a purple ribbon. She knelt down and let him stand on her thigh. Lincoln wrapped the ribbon around the hilt, right underneath the crossguard.

"Long-live the Queen," Luther said as Athena stood back up with Lincoln on her hip. The flame of the candles danced in her eyes as she looked at the grave.

This time... Claire Valkwood would not survive.

Athena would make sure of it.

Ace walked to her and Athena wrapped her arm around him. He wrapped his arms around her middle and rested his head against her chest. Lincoln rests his head on shoulder, slowly falling asleep.

Caroline and Hayley walk over too as everyone else besides Mateo, Valerie, and Norman slowly leave the sight. The blonde steps beside Ace and he shifts to lean against her. Caroline runs a hand through his hair before running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck over and over again. Hayley stands beside Athena and Mateo leans against her. Hayley startles slightly, but relaxes and wraps her arms around him as he silently sobs.

"I'm glad you could make it," Athena says to the brunette. Hayley's eyes flick toward hers and away from the boy's head.

"Me too," Hayley whispers, turning back to look at the grave.

AN: yes, i know i should just kill both Salvatores already, but they are needed. but please give suggestions on how i should torture them in everyday life! 

Finished: June 13th, 2022
Word Count: 5141
Edited: