Empty Chairs At Empty Tables
Title: Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: Tyler, Caroline, Elena, Jenna, Alaric, Jeremy, Anna, Matt.
Pairings: Caroline/Matt, Anna/Jeremy, references to Tyler/Vicki, Jeremy/Vicki, Elena/Matt.
Rating: PG
Summary: The thoughts of the characters at Vicki Donovan's funeral.
As Mayor Lockwood stood up to make a speech, Tyler sat thinking This is bullshit. He didn’t even know Vicki, who was he to spout all this crap about what a loss she was to the community? Tyler had felt like an impostor himself at the funeral, after the way he’d treated her, in fact he’d wondered at one point whether he should even show his face at all, but his parents, talking about her like they knew her?
Tyler could still remember what his mother had said at the Founder’s Party and Heritage Display. That’s what you get when you bring white trash to the party. Why had he not defended her? Because he thought his parents would see it as “bringing shame on the family”? Pathetic, that was what he was. And as Tyler made his way through the line, shaking hands with Matt, he wondered if his friend was thinking that of him too.
Tyler glanced over to where Jeremy Gilbert sat, Elena on his left and Jenna on his right. He’d always thought that guy was kind of a douche, but he was starting to have a newfound respect for him. He’d treated Vicki right; she’d died knowing that Jeremy cared. Tyler was never going to get the chance to make things right with her.
Caroline had made her way over towards Matt when she first arrived at the church, but one look at the glare she’d received from Ms Donovan had sent her scurrying back to her seat beside Tyler, several rows behind. Then she’d watched as Elena had made her way towards them, shared a hug with Matt’s mother, told “Kelly” how sorry she was.
Caroline wished that it had been anyone else who’d found Vicki, anyone else who’d been the one who’d broken the news to Matt. That was what she was always going to be to him now, the one who’d destroyed him by telling him his sister was dead, while Elena was the one who’d comforted him. It would be all Matt saw every time he looked at her. She’d been trying to make it up to him ever since, him and Kelly, but the last time she’d dropped round something she’d baked for them, Ms Donovan had grimaced as she’d said “Lovely, another lasagne.” Matt had eaten her first efforts because he’d felt sorry for her, but then she’d caught him secretly disposing of one lasagne, pretending to have eaten her horrible cooking just to make her feel better.
She hardly even knew what to say to Matt right now, just like she hadn’t known what to say to Elena when it had been her parents. Elena, on the other hand, seemed to know all the right words, and Caroline couldn’t compete with that. She knew it was selfish to think that way, but she couldn’t help but think that she was always going to come second best to Elena.
Elena could feel Caroline’s eyes boring into the back of her head, but that was the last thing she could worry about right now.
Damon had sworn he would be able to take away all the memories. He’d promised her. But then, he’d also said he’d taken care of Vicki. “She won’t be found,” he’d said. “And Jeremy won’t go looking. I said I’d deal with it, and I did.” She should have known better than to trust anything Damon Salvatore said.
Jeremy had already started asking questions. In fact, Elena was wondering why more people hadn’t, since Jeremy was right - if Vicki had OD’d like the official story claimed, someone else would have had to have been there, to have buried her. Elena had thought that by having Jeremy’s memories taken away, she was doing the right thing for him. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
“Hey, Elena?” Matt whispered to her. “Thanks for everything back there. I’m not sure how I’d have made it through the day without you.”
And there was another thing to feel guilty about. Matt was never going to know exactly how his sister had died. He’d spent the last few weeks wondering why Vicki had never tried to get in touch with him, and Elena had listened to him talking about it, knowing she could never tell him why.
Jeremy had dreamed about Vicki the night before the funeral. It had been about the night of the Halloween party, the night he’d thought she’d tried to leave town, but in the dream, she’d tried to bite him, and then he thought he remembered someone trying to stake her, although he’d woken up before he’d known who that was.
He didn’t want to think of Vicki like that. He wanted to remember the good times with Vicki, how she had made him feel that life was worth living again after his parents died, not as someone who’d tried to attack him. That was how he was going to talk about her in his speech (she deserved someone who cared about her to speak, instead of just the mayor’s bullshit).
As he got up to speak, he saw Jenna smiling sadly, Tyler with a look on his face he couldn’t identify, Elena looking thoughtful.
She knows something, Jeremy thought, and then wondered where that had come from.
The town’s seen too many funerals in such a short space of time, Jenna thought, but it must be so much worse for Jeremy and Elena. They’ve been through enough. She still found herself thinking the last few months were some crazy kind of joke, that any minute Miranda would call her to talk, then she’d remember and the world would come crashing down around her ears.
Then of course there had been Bonnie’s grandmother. That had come as a shock to the entire community. Bonnie was still out of town, still too upset to return to Mystic Falls apparently. And then there was Alaric, sat beside her, there to lend moral support to them all even though he hadn’t known Vicki. Jenna wondered if this was reminding him of his ex wife, Isobel.
So Salvatore didn’t show his face, Alaric thought to himself as his gaze swept over the assembled mourners. Probably for the best. If I’d seen him here today, I’d probably have given him another punch.
He couldn’t prove anything. The official story was that she had overdosed, after all. But Alaric was sure Damon Salvatore was behind this somehow. He’d done this. All these people mourning today, that was because of him.
Even if she had been invited, Anna still didn’t think she’d want to step any further into the grounds of the church where Vicki’s funeral was taking place.
The last 145 years for her had been about finding a way of getting her mother out of the tomb. That was all that had mattered. She hadn’t expected to develop feelings for anyone along the way, and certainly not a Gilbert, a descendant of the man responsible for her mother’s incarceration. Yet in that moment when Pearl had slapped her in the Grill, Anna had thought that given the choice between her vampire people and Jeremy, she was no longer sure which she would choose. Jeremy clearly cared for her, he wanted to be turned so he could be with her. At least that had been what Anna thought, before she saw how he’d reacted to this Vicki’s death.
Now she was realising all over again that there was nobody she could rely on after all.
Matt knew he wasn’t being fair to Caroline, pushing her away while accepting the comfort offered by Elena. He knew how it had felt being kept at arm’s length by Elena, after all. But he also knew that it wasn’t for the reasons Caroline thought. Elena could more easily empathise with what he was going through, having lost her parents several months earlier, whereas Caroline might not find it so easy to understand.
Ironically, it had been his mother, and the way she had been rude to Caroline after dropping off the lasagne, that had made him realise what he was doing to her. He’d find her after the service, talk to her, explain.
Maybe if he’d tried harder to track her down, Matt thought, she wouldn’t have been out there alone for so long. But he’d just expected it of Vicki to disappear without a word, always thought it might happen some day. It had happened with his mother enough times, after all. He knew that a part of him would always blame himself for what had happened. But he also knew that he couldn’t change the past, and didn’t have high hopes for the future with his mother, who had taken off to get drunk right after finding out that Vicki had been found, and hadn’t reappeared for 24 hours.
Matt glanced around the church, at all the faces who had turned out to support him; Tyler, Elena, Jeremy, Caroline. Bonnie had sent a card, unable to return to Mystic Falls quite yet, but he knew she was there in spirit. He looked around at his friends, and knew they were his family now.
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: Tyler, Caroline, Elena, Jenna, Alaric, Jeremy, Anna, Matt.
Pairings: Caroline/Matt, Anna/Jeremy, references to Tyler/Vicki, Jeremy/Vicki, Elena/Matt.
Rating: PG
Summary: The thoughts of the characters at Vicki Donovan's funeral.
As Mayor Lockwood stood up to make a speech, Tyler sat thinking This is bullshit. He didn’t even know Vicki, who was he to spout all this crap about what a loss she was to the community? Tyler had felt like an impostor himself at the funeral, after the way he’d treated her, in fact he’d wondered at one point whether he should even show his face at all, but his parents, talking about her like they knew her?
Tyler could still remember what his mother had said at the Founder’s Party and Heritage Display. That’s what you get when you bring white trash to the party. Why had he not defended her? Because he thought his parents would see it as “bringing shame on the family”? Pathetic, that was what he was. And as Tyler made his way through the line, shaking hands with Matt, he wondered if his friend was thinking that of him too.
Tyler glanced over to where Jeremy Gilbert sat, Elena on his left and Jenna on his right. He’d always thought that guy was kind of a douche, but he was starting to have a newfound respect for him. He’d treated Vicki right; she’d died knowing that Jeremy cared. Tyler was never going to get the chance to make things right with her.
Caroline had made her way over towards Matt when she first arrived at the church, but one look at the glare she’d received from Ms Donovan had sent her scurrying back to her seat beside Tyler, several rows behind. Then she’d watched as Elena had made her way towards them, shared a hug with Matt’s mother, told “Kelly” how sorry she was.
Caroline wished that it had been anyone else who’d found Vicki, anyone else who’d been the one who’d broken the news to Matt. That was what she was always going to be to him now, the one who’d destroyed him by telling him his sister was dead, while Elena was the one who’d comforted him. It would be all Matt saw every time he looked at her. She’d been trying to make it up to him ever since, him and Kelly, but the last time she’d dropped round something she’d baked for them, Ms Donovan had grimaced as she’d said “Lovely, another lasagne.” Matt had eaten her first efforts because he’d felt sorry for her, but then she’d caught him secretly disposing of one lasagne, pretending to have eaten her horrible cooking just to make her feel better.
She hardly even knew what to say to Matt right now, just like she hadn’t known what to say to Elena when it had been her parents. Elena, on the other hand, seemed to know all the right words, and Caroline couldn’t compete with that. She knew it was selfish to think that way, but she couldn’t help but think that she was always going to come second best to Elena.
Elena could feel Caroline’s eyes boring into the back of her head, but that was the last thing she could worry about right now.
Damon had sworn he would be able to take away all the memories. He’d promised her. But then, he’d also said he’d taken care of Vicki. “She won’t be found,” he’d said. “And Jeremy won’t go looking. I said I’d deal with it, and I did.” She should have known better than to trust anything Damon Salvatore said.
Jeremy had already started asking questions. In fact, Elena was wondering why more people hadn’t, since Jeremy was right - if Vicki had OD’d like the official story claimed, someone else would have had to have been there, to have buried her. Elena had thought that by having Jeremy’s memories taken away, she was doing the right thing for him. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
“Hey, Elena?” Matt whispered to her. “Thanks for everything back there. I’m not sure how I’d have made it through the day without you.”
And there was another thing to feel guilty about. Matt was never going to know exactly how his sister had died. He’d spent the last few weeks wondering why Vicki had never tried to get in touch with him, and Elena had listened to him talking about it, knowing she could never tell him why.
Jeremy had dreamed about Vicki the night before the funeral. It had been about the night of the Halloween party, the night he’d thought she’d tried to leave town, but in the dream, she’d tried to bite him, and then he thought he remembered someone trying to stake her, although he’d woken up before he’d known who that was.
He didn’t want to think of Vicki like that. He wanted to remember the good times with Vicki, how she had made him feel that life was worth living again after his parents died, not as someone who’d tried to attack him. That was how he was going to talk about her in his speech (she deserved someone who cared about her to speak, instead of just the mayor’s bullshit).
As he got up to speak, he saw Jenna smiling sadly, Tyler with a look on his face he couldn’t identify, Elena looking thoughtful.
She knows something, Jeremy thought, and then wondered where that had come from.
The town’s seen too many funerals in such a short space of time, Jenna thought, but it must be so much worse for Jeremy and Elena. They’ve been through enough. She still found herself thinking the last few months were some crazy kind of joke, that any minute Miranda would call her to talk, then she’d remember and the world would come crashing down around her ears.
Then of course there had been Bonnie’s grandmother. That had come as a shock to the entire community. Bonnie was still out of town, still too upset to return to Mystic Falls apparently. And then there was Alaric, sat beside her, there to lend moral support to them all even though he hadn’t known Vicki. Jenna wondered if this was reminding him of his ex wife, Isobel.
So Salvatore didn’t show his face, Alaric thought to himself as his gaze swept over the assembled mourners. Probably for the best. If I’d seen him here today, I’d probably have given him another punch.
He couldn’t prove anything. The official story was that she had overdosed, after all. But Alaric was sure Damon Salvatore was behind this somehow. He’d done this. All these people mourning today, that was because of him.
Even if she had been invited, Anna still didn’t think she’d want to step any further into the grounds of the church where Vicki’s funeral was taking place.
The last 145 years for her had been about finding a way of getting her mother out of the tomb. That was all that had mattered. She hadn’t expected to develop feelings for anyone along the way, and certainly not a Gilbert, a descendant of the man responsible for her mother’s incarceration. Yet in that moment when Pearl had slapped her in the Grill, Anna had thought that given the choice between her vampire people and Jeremy, she was no longer sure which she would choose. Jeremy clearly cared for her, he wanted to be turned so he could be with her. At least that had been what Anna thought, before she saw how he’d reacted to this Vicki’s death.
Now she was realising all over again that there was nobody she could rely on after all.
Matt knew he wasn’t being fair to Caroline, pushing her away while accepting the comfort offered by Elena. He knew how it had felt being kept at arm’s length by Elena, after all. But he also knew that it wasn’t for the reasons Caroline thought. Elena could more easily empathise with what he was going through, having lost her parents several months earlier, whereas Caroline might not find it so easy to understand.
Ironically, it had been his mother, and the way she had been rude to Caroline after dropping off the lasagne, that had made him realise what he was doing to her. He’d find her after the service, talk to her, explain.
Maybe if he’d tried harder to track her down, Matt thought, she wouldn’t have been out there alone for so long. But he’d just expected it of Vicki to disappear without a word, always thought it might happen some day. It had happened with his mother enough times, after all. He knew that a part of him would always blame himself for what had happened. But he also knew that he couldn’t change the past, and didn’t have high hopes for the future with his mother, who had taken off to get drunk right after finding out that Vicki had been found, and hadn’t reappeared for 24 hours.
Matt glanced around the church, at all the faces who had turned out to support him; Tyler, Elena, Jeremy, Caroline. Bonnie had sent a card, unable to return to Mystic Falls quite yet, but he knew she was there in spirit. He looked around at his friends, and knew they were his family now.