the worst day of loving someone is the day you lose them.

"Oh, no, nothing. I just hadn't, uh - I didn't realize." Landon said lamely, gesturing towards the memorial still set up. He had known Matt Donovan, even if only in passing moments when he was a student. He honestly hadn't known that Matt was still alive, but he wasn't going to be a jackass and say it. "I just got back into town, it's just my timing that it'd be when something like this happened."

Nodding her head, Elena understood. ❝ You don't need to explain. It's been hard on the town losing Matt but he's in a better place now where he won't have to suffer. ❞ Elena had to think like that because if she thought for a moment that he was getting tortured or something she would lose her mind. ❝ Sorry you came back at such a sad time here. ❞

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I did knock..although admittedly, not very well." Adelia smiled apologetically. It was a weak excuse and she knew it. "I'm okay. Just, you know..checking in." Losing Matt didn't feel real for her, but she knew that it was different for her than her mom and her friends.

❝ No, you're okay. I just wasn't paying attention enough. ❞ Elena spoke shaking her head. It would always be hard on her and the kids. More for her and her friends with growing up with him. Of course Matt's kids as well. ❝ I'm fine, really. ❞

"She looked like she was ready to square up with me until she realized I didn't have food. It would be funny if she wasn't scary for a tiny terror." Aaron joked, shuddering dramatically. His cousin's human fists wouldn't hurt but he didn't want to be on her bad side. "Consider me company, then." He said with a tiny grin. "What's worse, us staying here with all the pictures or going for a walk where people might come up to you to apologize?"

With a laugh, Elena smiled nodding her head. Even though her daughter was human, she could be feisty which she got that from both Damon and herself. ❝ Honestly both, but going out sounds like the lesser of two evils. If I'm with you less people will approach me. ❞

Tyler had never really understood why Elena and everyone else seemed to get a kick out of graveyards before. Even with his own parents. But now, with this, it felt different. He had spent more time at Matt's headstone than he ever had at his father's. It didn't feel real. Matt, gone, and this time not coming back. Standing at his gravesite wouldn't change that, but he couldn't bring himself to leave.

There were still times that Elena would come and just hang out in the graveyard. Still to see her family, her parents, now Matt. ❝ Ty... ❞ Elena spoke as she looked back behind her before toward Tyler, walking over to him and taking ahold of his hand softly.

"I hoped you would say that." Although, hope didn't really have anything to do with it. Aaron knew his relationship with his aunt and uncle. There were times he'd nearly spent more time at their house than at his growing up. "I know Ronnie is keeping the fridge stocked, she threatened me on 'stealing her thunder' but I did bring that cake you used to get us." It wasn't much but Aaron didn't really know what to do in this situation. "I didn't want you to be alone if you wanted the company."

The mention of her daughter and their fridge did bring a laughter to Elena's lips. Their daughter was keeping their fridge stocked if not for Damon doing it in the past couple of weeks. ❝ She's been very happy to help us with ensuring we have lots of food, but thank you, really. ❞ She softly smiled as she tucked her hair behind her ear. ❝ Company would be nice. ❞

It was disorienting to say the least. Visiting for brief moments had been one thing, but being back, and as himself? Weird. Landon felt overwhelmed as he found himself in the midst of a crowd leading to the town square, and the closer he got, the more he realized why. "You've gotta be kidding," Landon muttered to himself. Of course he made the deal and went home on the date of a town thing. A funeral at that, which had to be some kind of cosmic joke.

Elena had gotten a lot better with her emotions, especially when it had been a couple of weeks now at this point since Matt's death. Did she plan on forgetting about it? No. Did she plan on looking into it? Most likely because it was not an animal that did this. ❝ What? ❞ She questioned at the voice of Landon.

Adelia couldn't shake the feeling that there was another reason her parents were so on edge other than the sudden death of Matt Donovan. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was her own way of processing that had her wanting to check in on everyone else, but now that she was there, she stood almost awkwardly behind her aunt, feeling like she was interrupting something. "Hi, Aunt Elena." She said softly to announce herself.

It was almost like a slight jump that Elena had when she hard her niece speak. It wasn't like she didn't hear her come in, she did but she was so focused on the moment she was in right now. ❝ Adelia, hey, how are you? ❞ She asked in honest concern.

"Mommy, I'm home!" Veronica shouted as she knocked the front door shut with her hip, balancing the bags of food in her arms. Food during grief was a cliche, but it helped her feel like she was doing something to help her mom, other than simply acting like a barnacle she couldn't get rid of. "I brought lunch." She called, balancing the bags as she set them down on the counter, careful not to knock anything over.

It was always nice to feel wanted and needed, to have the help that her daughter would give her. ❝ Thank you honey. ❞ She shared a soft smile as she put the photograph down as she got off the couch where she was, moving toward her to help with the food she was grateful that she got. ❝ You know you didn't have to do this but thank you, really. ❞

Aaron couldn't help but feel like he was interrupting something to walk in on his aunt. He knew the death of Matt Donovan was hard on his mother too, but seeing his aunt sad was upsetting in a more intense way. He didn't want to interfere, but he had to try and help somehow. Aaron knocked softly on the doorframe as he stood there, an apologetic smile on his face. "Should I have called first? I just wanted to check on you."

Putting the picture frame off to the side, Elena shared a soft smile to her nephew as she shook her head. ❝ No, you're okay. You're always welcome in our home. ❞

"Been better but you know," as much as he wanted there wasn't much he could do to change anything. "Got two distractions that keep my mind off things." He was more worried about his mom, Elena, and Bonnie.

Nodding her head, Elena completely understood as she extended her hand on to reach for his bicep and give it a light squeeze. ❝ I get it.. It's going to be hard right now but we will all get through this. ❞ It pained her, it pained her so much that it just reminded her of all the deaths over the years. ❝ Kids are always a great distraction. How are you and Amelia doing with them? ❞

❝ He learned to lighten up over time. ❞ She spoke as it took years for Matt to really accept the supernatural life, to accept Stefan and Damon really. It sounded very much like Elijah to do that as she nodded her head. ❝ Yeah, tell Elijah thank you, it means a lot. ❞

It did crack a smile on Elena's lips with what she said. ❝ Matt wouldn't admit it, but he enjoyed the jokes. He use to talk about them to me when we would get together. ❞

It was a sharp and shaky breath that Elena had to take in as she looked up to Alice. A gentle smile on her lips as she nodded her head. ❝ Thank you. My condolences to you as well. I know you two worked together. ❞ It was always just 'an animal attack' never the truth about what happened. She was terrified about who was behind the text message that got Matt.

Nico was quiet when he approached as he wasn't sure if he should bother Elena. Yet when he saw her there was a feeling he couldn't shake. "Are you okay, Elena," he said softly.

With her thumb brushing over the picture frame, she could see the tear drop that fell and landed on the frame before rubbing her eye and looking up toward Nico. ❝ Hey, yeah. Yeah, I'll be okay just trying to take it day by day. How're you? ❞