That's why Malese thinks the inscription on Anna's (fictional) tombstone should honor her many remarkable traits. "It would be along the lines of 'A fighter until the end,' 'All for love,' or something like that," she said. "Anna had so many layers. Each episode, we would learn something totally new about her, or we would see a different personality."

One of the best things about Anna was her ability to resonate with all types of people. "She became real," Malese said. "As much as she was a vampire, people could relate to her."

Malese said she found out Anna was going to die when she got a phone call from Marcos Siega, the show's producer, the day before she flew back to Atlanta to film the finale. "Just by the tone of his voice I could tell he was really, really upset, and I knew it wasn't going to be a good phone call."

The rest of the cast wasn't happy about the finale outcome either. "As much as the audience was bummed, the mood on set was so sad for that whole week," Malese said. "It felt like our best friend died or something. Everyone was so upset. Everyone had something to say about it. They were all like 'No, this can't be happening!'"

Although it sounds cheesy, "I feel like with [Anna] dying, a part of me died," Malese said. "It's so sad. I invested so much in her. But it was for the best and it made a great show."

Eeeeenteresting. Hollywood Crush has thought about several ways for Anna to come back next season ("New Moon"-style visions? Evil twin?), but we like Malese's idea the best. "My whole thing -- because of course, I think about this too. If Katherine can look just like Elena, there are ways. I've thought about it, and I thought maybe my mom had Emily put a spell on me to where no Gilbert could hurt me. So Johnathan's stake was ineffective."

While we wait to see if the writers like that plan, Malese has plenty of projects in the works, including "The Social Network," working on her music, and a possible project with Alloy Entertainment, the producers of "VD" and "Gossip Girl." "I'm definitely going to be busy this summer," she said. "I just finished an episode of 'Leverage,' which is on TNT. I get to play a 16-year-old carjacker. We still have that whole badass girl going on, so Team Anna would love that."

Before she hung up, Malese wanted to express her gratitude one more time to Team Anna and the rest of her "Vampire Diaries" fans. "I love them to death, and I thank them so much for their support."

How do you plan to cope with Anna's death? Do you hope the writers find a way to bring her back next season?