Meredith sat alone on her bed watching the clock slowly tick by. The seconds seemed like hours, ticking by slowly as every minute drew closer. She clutched her wedding picture in her hands, holding it so tightly that the glass looked as if it were about to shatter under the pressure. His eyes, full of life and hope looked up at her smiling. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and fall onto his beautiful face, the liquid making his face seem obscured and deformed. Meredith looked at her past in the picture. She had been so happy and so ready to spend eternity with him. Something had taken it away. Every dream and every hope she had died with Alaric. There was nothing left to live for, but so much more to die for. She had thought about it, taking her own life. In the end, she was too much of a coward and afraid of what death might bring so she pleaded to God to end her life and unite her with her husband. There was no answer. Hell, she had even thought about asking Damon or Stefan just to drain her dry of life, but she knew neither of them would succumb to her plea.

She looked to the clock and then to the mirror across from her bed. Nothing in her wedding picture resembled her now. Her eyes were red and dry from staying up all night and the bags under her eyes were a plum shade of purple. Meredith must have aged five years in two months.

Ding! The timer in the bedroom went off. Meredith slowly got up and moved towards the bathroom. Her feet felt like lead as she lifted each one and forced them to keep moving forward. She opened the door and moved cautiously towards the marble counter and picked up the slender piece of white plastic that lay on top. With trembling hands she looked down at it with shock. Two pink lines now sealed her fate. She was pregnant.