It was the memorial of pastor young. Elena was helping me get ready since I still can't stand on my own.

"When you're around me do you get the feeling of killing me?" I ask.

"I get a craving, but if it's you or Jeremy I'm able to fight it. How's this dress?" Elena asks.

"Perfect." I say and look down at my stomach. "I'm going to get a big bandaid for my stomach, it stopped bleeding, well for the most part."

"I'll get you a bandaid, you put on this dress. You're still hurt. And you aren't wearing heels." Elena tells me.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on it." I respond which makes Elena laugh.

—

We were at the church. Elena was helping with everything and I was talking to April, pastor's daughter, she's in Jeremy's grade.

I get a million texts from Elena, saying she puked blood everywhere in the bathroom.

"I'll be right back April." I smile, using the wall to walk.

"Oh my— I'll call Damon." I say dialing his number. she wasn't kidding when she said everywhere.

"What, kiddo. How's your stomach?" Damon's asks.

"Sore and I can't walk. My ankle is getting worse. Look, Elena can't keep the animal blood down, I need you to come to the church and bring her a black dress. We're in the bathroom and it's a total mess."

"I'm on my way Ash." Damon says and hangs up the phone.

"Ash, there's a guy waiting." Elena said, panicking.

"I'll tell him something, Elena, I got you, everything will work out, Damon's coming." I say walking out.

"We will be out, she spilt coffee all over her dress then she got her period, it's just one of those days." I make up a story.

"Totally understand, take your time." The guy says, and I knew right away that he's a hunter, and not a good guy.

"You again." Damon comes from behind. "Stalking small town funerals?" He asks as Elena peaks her head out and grabs the dress.

"We have not met. I'm Connor Jordan." The guy says handing his hands out, which he was wearing these weird gloves, but i shake his hand anyways. Then he waits for Damon to shake it but Damon doesn't.

"Damon. Germaphobe. Everything ok in there?" Damon asks Elena.

"Yeah, just a minute!" Elena shouts.

"What happened to your ankle?" Connor Jordan asks, analyzing me.

"Tripped going down the stairs. Wasn't paying attention." I make up something, I don't trust this guy.

"Do what brings you to Mystic Falls?" Damon asks. "Bible salesman?" Damon jokes.

"No, no, actually I'm in, uh, environmental cleanup." Connor says. "Heard you had a bit of a pollution problem."

"Huh. Well, I was unaware. I breathe pretty easily." Damon responds in which I let out a small laugh.

Elena comes out and apologizes. We walk, and Damon helps me walk.

"Did you get a reading on him, or whatever you can do?" Damon asks.

"I could sense he's a hunter of some kind, and that nothing he said was true about being here for environmental issues. He's bad news." I tell him.

—

The funeral was starting, I was sitting next to Damon and Stefan.

Elena was giving a speech, and Stefan grabs her before she falls down.

"What's happening?" I whisper.

"Shh. Nobody move. It's a trap. Blood." Damon says, which scares me.

We stand up to sing a holy song. Elena looked very pale.

"Can she feed from me?" I ask.

"Are you out of your mind?" Damon asks. "You have a wound on your stomach and your ankle is getting worse. You're crippled."

"I'm gonna go rip his head of now." Damon says.

"You do that, Damon, and you risk exposing all of us." Stefan replies, trying to help Elena.

"Well, I think the risk will be slightly diminished when I , you know, rip his head off." Damon says, which i glare at him.

"Stefan, I'm losing it." Elena says, almost getting out of control.

"Stefan, the hunter is watching us, Connor, he will hurt Elena if she loses it." I say, which I know from being a huntress.

"Wait, wait, wait, Elena. Feed from me." Matt suggests. "It's ok. Everyone will just think you're upset. Feed from me."

Elena goes and hugs Matt and feeds from his neck, which was weird to see.

"Excuse me." We hear Tyler go up to the front. "I just wanted to say a few words about pastor young."

"He's going to get himself killed." I go to get up bit Damon pushes me back down.

"If you get up Kiddo you'll be dead with him. Tyler will be ok, let it play out." Damon says.

"Back in first grade, I was a brat who couldn't be bothered with team sports. Didn't care much about anything that didn't affect me. But he was the one who made me understand how important it is to be part of a team; a community of giving yourself up for the sake of—" Tyler gets shot.

Damon ran after the hunter, I limped over the Tyler and his mom. Caroline pulls out the stake.

"I'm going to kill that bastard." Tyler says.

"Damon's way ahead of you. Stay here, I have to help him." Stefan tells us.

"What about April?" Elena asks.

"I got it, go." Caroline says and Stefan runs off.

"I have to call an ambulance." Carol, Tyler's mom says.

"No, he's fine!" Caroline responds.

"The whole town just watched you get shot. I'm calling an ambulance." Carol walks off.

"Where's Elena?" I ask and Caroline furrows her eyebrows. "Go, Care, I'll stay with him." I say and Caroline nods to go find Caroline.

"This hunter is really beating your ass." I laugh, but not in a rude way.

"At least I can heal."

"Ouch." I laugh and so does he.

"How's your ankle and stomach Ash?" Tyler asks.

"My stomach is sore, but since I keep walking on my ankle, it's only getting worse. I can barely walk." I say. "The ambulance is here."

—

🎵

"Where's Ash?" Stefan asks as Bonnie and Damon show up at the school. It's dark out.

"She's with Tyler at the hospital. The nurses are allowing her to stay overnight." Caroline explains.

"Stefan. What are we doing?" Damon asks.

"We're finishing the memorial we didn't get to have earlier. We need to start healing, Damon. We've all lost so much, especially recently. I think we're numb to it. We push it away, we make a joke out of it, ignore how we feel. Time to just let ourselves grieve." Stefan tells them.

They all go around saying who they have lost and it was Damon's turn.

"No way. I'm not doing that and we all know if Ash was here she wouldn't be doing this either." Damon walks away.