IX. THE PRICE OF TIME

TIME is a fickle thing.

Much like other aspects of life, time is ever-changing. There were moments when it felt like time was moving too slowly and others when it felt like time had escaped from your grasp.

People didn't pay attention to time throughout the entirety of the day— they only really noticed the passing of time when it impacted them; whether it was moving too slowly or quickly for their liking.

Growing up, Ivy tried to not concern herself with time. She would try her best to fully emerge into the activities she took part in, good or bad, rather than sit and stare at the clock and torture herself with the ticking noises of time passing.

She never wanted to mourn the loss of time— no, she simply wanted to live through it and experience all that she could.

And in some ways, that is exactly what her current situation provided her with. The period she had been catapulted into was new and exciting; it was filled with the promise of adventure and freedom despite her gender, but there was a lingering piece of grief that remained in her mind.

While time had passed and society had grown— Time had also stolen so much from her.

Ivy knew she shouldn't be angry, but she couldn't help herself.

Despite the promises of the new time— she missed her home.

Not the home on the plantation, but the home with the people whom she loved.

She had her brothers, but there was still an ache from the loss of her friends and other family members.

She wished that she could see Charlotte's sparkling smile once more or listen to Claire's sharp and sincere sermons about the issues within their community; Ivy would give anything to hug her friends once more.

Time was generous in some ways: gifting her a new home, new possibilities, and a hope of a new and brighter future.

But Time was selfish in other ways: violently yanking Ivy from the comfort of her friends and time to misplace her in another.

Time did not care— it did not morn the loss the way Ivy did— it was the harsh reality of it all.

There were privileges and casualties to it all.

Because time came with a price— it always did.

THE textbook was heavy in Ivy's lap, creating a small sort of ache in her thighs as she desperately tried to grasp the information printed onto the creased pages.

With a sigh, she pulled the textbook off her lap, sighing with relief once the pressure was off her legs. Her fingers moved gently across the pair of "sweatpants" that Stefan had given her to wear; they were quite comfortable, but she still felt a bit out of place wearing them. It felt like her father was going to come around the corner and berate her for not acting like a lady.

Jokes on him, I can wear pants and vote.

The stack of textbooks beside her was piling up as the minutes went by; each time she had completed one, Stefan had placed another one down on the stack from the library.

   He had also supplied her with a few dictionaries— explaining that even the language had changed some.

The course of history had been fascinating; there were hundreds of new social movements, laws, events, inventions, and so much more— Ivy couldn't pick the thing she was most excited about. Almost everything filled her with excitement and had her jumping in her seat.

Pants were definitely up there on her list.

She kept a notebook beside her, scribbling down everything that she felt was important to remember— which had ended up being almost everything she read, causing Stefan to have to retrieve her second notebook.

   After what felt like hours, Ivy finally set the textbook currently in her lap to the side, wincing as her hand cramped.

   Ivy was overwhelmed; she was desperately trying to remember the influx of information, but she knew it would take time to adapt— no matter how stubborn she was.

Stretching her limbs, she felt back onto the couch with a huff, her fingers pressing into her temples in an attempt to ward off an incoming headache.

"Finally feeling tired?" Stefan asked, walking towards her with another collection of books.

Ivy waved her hands in front of her, groaning loudly, "Please, no more."

Stefan chuckled, setting the books down beside the other pile before sitting down across from her, "It's going to take time, Ivy."

"I know," Ivy murmured, pulling her knees to her chest on the couch, "I just, I want to know everything. So much has happened and I feel lost."

Stefan's smile was soft as he stared at her, "You'll catch on in no time."

"You said that when you and Damon tried to instruct me how to participate in football during the War. And if I remember correctly, that operation ended with me having a black eye."

Stefan shrugged, grinning at his twin, "It's not my fault that you couldn't catch."

Ivy flicked her middle finger in his direction.

Neither of her brothers told her what it meant, but she knew it was a modern insult, so she continued using it.

Stefan eyed her finger with amusement, "You don't even know what that means."

"So?" Ivy held up her other hand, now waving two fingers in his direction, "I am learning the insults of this time, brother. From what I've gathered, I can't exactly go around calling anyone gibface anymore."

"Yeah, you'd probably get some weird looks."

Ivy shrugged, lowering her fingers and clasping her hands on her lap, "I reckoned, which is why I am trying my best to not call you a muttonhead, but sometimes things slip."

Stefan held his hands to his heart, faking a pout, "I am wounded."

"You heal fast, don't you?" Ivy grinned, "I think you can handle it."

   "Physical wounds, yes, but that cut deep, V."

   Ivy laughed under her breath. With a sigh, she glanced around the room, "Speaking of handling things, how is Damon doing?"

   "He's Damon," Stefan shrugged. "He is going to be a bit unstable for a while, but finding you is definitely going to help him get through this."

   Ivy nodded at his words. "I worry about him, you too. It's been so long for you both and it has only been days for me. How did you two manage all those years? You looked after one another, didn't you?"

   Stefan avoided eye contact, shifting in his seat, "Something like that."

   "What does that mean?"

   "Nothing."

   "Stefan, I know you too well to try that."

   Running his fingers through his hair, Stefan cleared his throat, "We haven't exactly been close over the years. After we turned, we thought we lost you and Katherine; we blamed each other a lot. Damon more so than me."

   "And after all these years, you two never made up?"

   Stefan chuckled like the idea itself was humorous, "He promised me an eternity of misery, Ivy. I deserve it honestly. We're not the same as we were when you last saw us."

   "I don't expect you to be," Ivy gave him a soft smile, "I know that time has changed you and I cannot blame you for that. I just wish that you two looked after one another through it all."

   "But now we have you."

   "That you do, seeing as one of us has to be the intelligent one."

   "LISTEN, there is something you need to know."

   Ivy turned to her side, facing Stefan who was standing by the fireplace. Damon was behind the other couch, filling up a glass. Smiling at her twin in reassurance, Ivy responded: "What is it?"

   "I need you to think a bit. Did Katherine ever tell you of her family before she turned?"

   "Vaguely, I believe. My mind is a bit cloudy at the moment if I'm honest."

   "Well, at some point, her bloodline continued and some of her descendants still live here."

   "Okay?"

   "The girl that I'm seeing, her name is Elena. She's from Katherine's bloodline."

   Oh.

   Ivy nodded slowly, "And she's?"

   "Human," Stefan confirmed. "She knows about us, she figured it out after a while."

   "Alright," Ivy tried to comprehend it all, but it was a lot for her to sort through and remember.

   "That's not it. You see, Elena and Katherine they, um," Stefan stumbled over his words, seeming to struggle with how to word what he wanted to say.

   Damon interrupted his ramblings, "Elena is a doppelgänger, Ivy. She looks just like Katherine, just less bitchy."

   Oh. Oh.

   Ivy blinked a few times, then she covered her face with her hands, groaning into her palms, "How are we related?"

   "What?"

   Removing her hands, Ivy glanced at Stefan, "What would compel you to think that seeing the girl who not only looks like, but is a doppelgänger of your ex-lover was a good idea? Not just ex-lover, the woman who turned you both and then abandoned you. I mean, honestly Stefan, not only is that just an absolutely horrid plan, but imagine how the woman you're courting now must feel."

   Stefan shook his head, "It's not like that, Ivy. Elena is— she's different. We're not courting, by the way, it's dating; unsupervised and everything."

   Ivy stared at her twin for a few seconds, "I repeat my question from before, how are we related? Surely one of us got misplaced during mother's birth."

   "Ha ha," Stefan faked a laugh, glaring at her. "I was doing what you asked us to, being honest and upfront."

   Ivy rolled her eyes, "I don't mean to ridicule you. I just don't know why you thought this was a brilliant idea."

   "I didn't plan for it to happen."

   Sighing, Ivy deflated a bit, "I know. I apologize for my outburst, I just worry myself too much."

   "To be fair," Damon interjected, "I told him that it was weird."

   Ivy stood up quickly, spinning on her heels with a glare, "Don't even get me started on you; Stefan filled me in earlier. An eternity of misery, really Damon? You two are brothers and I would appreciate it if you acted like it."

   "He blames me for everything," Stefan scoffed.

   Ivy grumbled, standing up and stomping over to Damon, stepping on her toes to grab his ear between her fingers before dragging him over to Stefan, "You two are so stubborn it's maddening."

   Damon winced when she released her grip, "Ouch, V."

   Once her brothers were standing facing one another, Ivy stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest with a firm nod, "Hug."

   "What? Ivy—"

   Ivy interrupted Damon, "I said hug."

   "Ivy, I really don't think this is going to help."

   Ivy glared at Stefan, resting her hands on her hips as she nodded again, "You act like children and I will treat you like I would a child. Now, I said to hug."

   "Or what, Bambi?"

   "It would be awful if your beloved leather jacket got cut up, wouldn't it?"

   Damon gasped dramatically, "You wouldn't dare."

   Ivy continued to stare them down, "Well, I would hate to have to resort to that, but I will do what is needed to get you two to stop acting like this. Now, hug."

   Her brothers stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before hesitantly wrapping their arms around each other— grimacing as they embraced.

   "Like you mean it, please."

   Stefan caved first, sighing as he relaxed into the hug, Damon following as they hugged for a few seconds before releasing.

   "That was worse than getting my neck snapped."

   Ivy whacked Damon on the arm, "What was that? You don't even like that jacket much? Wonderful, it will make perfect practice for me to learn how to use modern scissors and other devices."

   Damon shook his head, clutching at his jacket, "Nope, not happening."

   Grinning innocently, Ivy shrugged, "Than I suggest you stop being a jolterhead."

   Ivy recognized her mistake the second the insult fell from her lips, but her brothers had already heard it.

   They stared at her before their eyes darted to each other, then back to her once more before they erupted into laughter.

   She tried to hide her smile, but she could feel her cheeks aching as a grin pulled at her lips.

   They were idiots, yes, but they were her brothers.

   IVY wanted back inside that tomb immediately.

   Her brothers were driving her absolutely insane.

They had decided after their bonding moment that they would retrieve the old cookbooks from the attic and they would prepare Italian recipes from their grandparents, but her brothers were fighting over who was in charge.

Ivy was sitting at the island as they bickered over what dish to prepare from the book, her head resting on her arms on the counter as she attempted to drown out their bantering.

Ivy looked up, resting her chin on top of her arms. "Will you two please stop it? How did you manage all these years together?"

"Easy," Damon smirked with a wink, "by trying to kill each other at every chance we got."

"And if you two do not stop bickering, I will kill you."

"Resorting to violence? What did that tomb do to our sweet little sister?"

"The tomb? Nothing. My two brothers who are saddle-gooses? They are to blame for my descent into madness."

Stefan shoved the cookbook in her direction, "Fine, then you pick!"

Damon leaned onto the counter, bowing his head at her, "Oh yes, oh wise one. Please do tell me what meal we should prepare."

Ivy reached over, flicking Damon on the forehead before settling back in her seat, "I would like some sort of gnocchi if that's alright."

"Ha! See!" Stefan clapped loudly, shoving it in Damon's face that he had won.

"You cheated!"

Stefan shook his head quickly, "I did not! It's not my fault that we're twins."

"That has nothing to do with it!"

"Yes, it does! We shared the womb, so we think the same."

Ivy tilted her head slightly, "I may not understand the science of this time, but even I'm pretty sure that is not how it works, Stefan."

Stefan narrowed his eyes at her slightly, "You're supposed to be on my side!"

   Just as Ivy went to respond, a ringing noise caused her to jump, her eyes moving around wildly as she tried to find the source of the noise.

   Her eyes followed Stefan's hands as he retrieved a small box from his pocket, poking at it until the sound of an unfamiliar voice rang out in the room:

   "Hey, it's—"

   The unfamiliar voice was cut off as Ivy squealed, her body reacting quicker than her mind could process; she grabbed the box from Stefan's hand across the counter before chucking it at the wall.

   "Ivy!"

   Ivy stared at the box that had fallen to the ground, "What was that? It talked!"

   Stefan retrieved the object from the ground, inspecting it for damages, "It's called a cellphone. They mentioned it in the books you read, you know, the main form of communication these days? We no longer have to write letters."

   "I read about it," Ivy leaned closer, trying to get a better look at the supposed cellphone, "I just didn't read anything about them talking."

   "The phone isn't talking," Damon chuckled, moving to the fridge to grab the ingredients for their dinner.

   "Then how was it making those noises? They didn't trap someone right? I don't see how that would be possible, but then again, I was woken up from sleeping inside a tomb for over a hundred years, so at this point, I am trying to remain open-minded."

   "No one is inside the phone, Ivy."

   Ivy pursed her lips, trying to understand, "Oh, alright. Well then, how did it make that noise?"

   "I don't know the specifics," Stefan shrugged. "It's a recording of someone's voice; no one is trapped inside."

   Taking the phone from Stefan's hands once more, Ivy tipped it upside down, shook it, and inspected it for a moment before handing it back with a sheepish grin, "Sorry."

   Stefan reached over, messing up her hair with a smile, "It's okay, V. Next time, just don't throw things."

   "Shouldn't you be delighted that I have timely reflexes? I am a human in a world of supernatural."

   Damon groaned from over the stove, "Don't remind me, Bambi. Once Professor Stefan has you up to date with the modern world, you're going to have to learn how to fight off a vampire 101."

   "I can protect myself just fine, thank you very much," Ivy huffed, slumping back onto the barstool.

   Her brothers had instructed her to not touch anything in the kitchen, especially whilst they were cooking. She had made a habit of becoming so entranced with modern appliances that she ignored certain safety precautions.

   "Really? Tell me, how do you kill a vampire then, little sis?"

   Ivy crossed her arms over her chest, staring at Damon while she spoke, "Is it wise of you to teach me how to kill a vampire when you annoy me constantly?"

   "Was that a threat, Bambi?"

   Ivy shrugged innocently, "Whatever do you mean, brother? I am only noting that explaining the different ways that an individual could kill you may be a bit arrogant."

   Stefan looked between the two of them, "Do I need to make you two hug?"

   Ivy grabbed a tomato from the counter, chucking it in Stefan's direction, "How do I request to be put back inside that tomb?"

   "Rude," Damon said, shaking his head with a pout.

   Ivy smiled back bitterly, raising her middle finger at him.

   She still didn't know what it meant, but it had quickly become one of her favorite mannerisms from the new time.

   Damon returned the gesture before turning back to the stove— silence filling the air aside from the soft music that Stefan had called "Jazz".

   Resting her chin on the palm of her hand, Ivy watched her brothers move about the kitchen, preparing their dinner as the music softly filled the air.

   After a few moments, Ivy spoke: "I don't mean to make this evening somber, but I have a few questions that have been bothering me for quite some time."

   Stefan wiped his hands on a hand towel, turning to face her with an encouraging smile, "Go ahead."

   "You said father isn't around anymore, but how did he die?"

   Silence once more filled the air— the music now a gentle hum as her brothers shared a glance, a silent conversation flowing between them.

   Stefan cleared his throat, "Are you sure you want to know?"

   "Yes."

   "I killed him, Ivy. After we turned, I went to say goodbye as Damon and I planned not to go through with the transition. He came at me in an attempt to kill me, but I threw him aside. I didn't know my own strength yet and he became injured. When I went to help him, there was blood and I—"

   Noticing her brother's hesitance, Ivy reached over the island, clasping her hand over his, "It's alright, Stefan. I am not angry with you." When Stefan nodded, she continued: "But, in his last moments, he was scared?"

   "Terrified."

   "Good," Ivy nodded with a grim look on her face. "I know it is wrong for me to take pleasure in knowing that he died painfully, but after the pain we endured by him, it feels like justice in a way."

   Damon shared a delicate nod and smile with her before he turned back to the food, "Dad paid for what he did to us, for what he did to you. Was that all?"

   "No," Ivy shook her head, releasing Stefan's hand so he could go back to cooking, "I was wondering about what happened to everyone. Charlotte and Claire?"

    Damon turned back to her, moving to the cutting board as he spoke, "They stayed in Mystic Falls after everything; I saw them a few times when I visited."

   "They were happy?"

   "Over time, they became happy again," Damon nodded, "Lottie got married a few years later and had a daughter, Ivory. Cute kid."

   Ivory. Ivy.

   "Ivory?"

   Damon's gaze shifted to Ivy, smiling softly at his sister, "Ivory Claire. I wonder where she got those names."

   "And Claire?"

   "She traveled a bit after before she came home and settled down; she had a few kids, but her oldest son was named Charles Ivan."

   Charles. Charlotte. Ivan. Ivy.

   "They lived the lives they always wanted to?"

   Stefan moved away from the sink, placing a hand on her shoulder; much like Ivy, he had been close to the two, "They did. I checked on them every few years. It was hard at first, it was for all of us, but eventually, they found peace."

   Ivy's eyes pooled slightly as she attempted to smile, "Good."

   "Listen, how about we visit their graves tomorrow. They were buried with their families in the cemetery. You can say goodbye."

   "I'd like that."

DEATH and goodbyes would always be a feeling of sweet sorrow.

There was a veil of sadness; the reminder that the person one is mourning no longer walks on Earth, but instead their soul has moved on, but there was also a sweet factor of remembrance.

It was in moments of grief that we can call upon the moments that once brought great depths of joy; the moments that a person will never forget, no matter the length of time.

Time may have managed to steal their physical presence from Ivy, but time would never succeed in stealing the presence of their spirits from her— she would never allow it.

As long as she remembered their friendship— the things that made them special to her; time would never be able to erase them from her mind.

They were her best friends— past, present, and future. Time could never steal that; no matter the circumstances or the extent of time's endeavors against Ivy.

Time could have their physical bodies, but time would never have their souls.

As Ivy approached Claire Gilbert's grave, her fingers clasping around an assortment of yellow, pink, and white flowers, the feelings of grief were overpowered by the sense of love, of fondness for the memories they shared, and appreciation. Appreciative of the fact that despite the losses of time, Ivy was able to have Claire as a friend, even if time cut their time short.

When she moved towards Charlotte's grave, Stefan handed her the red, pink, and white flowers she had collected, urging her forward with a gentle push on the small of her back. Shakily, she lowered herself to the dirt, laying the flowers flat on the soil.

As she stared at the tombstone, the words Charlotte once whispered to her in the darkness of the night, her lips lit by the faint candlelight, came to her: "We will be together in spirit one day, Ivy Salvatore. Our souls are destined to find peace amongst one another; even if they cannot now."

Peace.

Charlotte and Claire had found peace; that was all Ivy could've asked for.

Ivy would always mourn the loss of her best friends, but the memories that clouded her mind minimized the emotion of pain.

She did not have to remember them in this way; she did not have to look back at their friendship in anger and agony, cursing the time that had separated them.

No.

   Ivy wasn't going to remember them that way.

Ivy was going to remember their friendship how Charlotte and Claire would've wanted her to—for what it was: full of life, of laughter, of loyalty, of empathy, and most importantly, full of love.

________

qotd: the vampire diaries, the
originals, or legacies ?
( personally, while i adore tvd,
the originals just hits different )

not a fan of this chapter, but i wanted
to allow ivy time to adjust
before she is catapulted into
the drama of mystic falls.

copyright © -loonylupins