AN: I feel so heartless killing off Alaric! I mean, did you guys see the way he bawled as faux-Jo was dying in the last episode?! I'll give him a nice send-off. No Alaric h8 for this chapter, okay?
Alaric was dead. Jo had died too, feeling the aftereffects of a vampire soul trapped in a weak, human body soon after.
'I should have stopped him,' growled Damon. 'We saw what that stone did and still, we- no, I encouraged you, Bon.'
The wind whistled through the air, stirring up the autumn leaves in the graveyard.
'It's not your fault, okay? I made my own choices. As Ric made his.'
A priest was conducting the funeral, his voice a low murmur reciting the prayers.
'This is such bullshit,' stated Damon.
Matt threw a side glance at the heavy-hearted vampire, about to open his mouth but Bonnie stopped him.
'Not now, Damon.'
'Back me up here. You know it's true.'
She looked up with a soft gaze and squeezed his hand. To Damon, it was the only source of warmth he could feel in his heart.
'I do. Of course I do.'
Damon had offered to lower the bodies down after the dues were paid and everyone left. A moment longer spent outside meant a moment unspent in the presence of alcohol. Very strong alcohol.
'Here, let me,' offered Bonnie, pulling him away from the edge of the rectangular pit.
She held his hand with her left, and with her right, she raised her arm in the air with a delicate twirl of her nimble fingers.
The two coffins flew up and landed in the graves, as light as feathers, barely making a sound.
Magic was a powerful thing, thought Damon, as a sensation of closure washed over him. When he closed his eyes, he saw it in the form of colours. Closure transformed from a dusty pink to a vibrant purple, fading slowly as he opened his eyes.
'Thank you,' he said, as he kneeled on the ground, collecting a mound of dirt in the palm of his hand and throwing it over the wooden boxes.
'You're welcome. And for what it's worth, Damon...you were right. It's bullshit. We don't know if there's a heaven or hell out there.'
'Is there anything out there, Bon?'
'Now that the Other Side is gone? I don't know. All I do know is that we can just keep our fingers crossed and hope that wherever Jo and Alaric are, they're together.'
