! This is not a happy ending but a real ending. I'm sorry for your broken heart. !
Time will not stop.
Yet it is not necessary for Death, it does not obey it, time for Death is just a unit that will one day cease to exist.
But Death once lived, once counted and enjoyed every second of its life. But even that life ended in her hands, like every other she had come to love or cherish, gradually every soul that cared for her ended in her hands.
It first began with her father, who found peace in his life, knowing that one day he would meet his daughter. She never understood how oblivious he would be to her eternity, yet she let him believe. And so, with a final kiss on the forehead and a loving look, he closed his eyes and left. She hoped he had met her mother.
Not long after, her friends decided they had seen all the beauty of the world and would eventually pass on the legacy to their descendants. She attended the funerals of the Salvatore brothers, whom she cared for despite their foolish decisions. Rose, Damon's wife, went peacefully with him, just as Caroline followed Stefan. Tyler, the boy who was once full of rage, found peace along with the werewolf Hayley, who didn't give up on him like he gave up on her, they were their own supports. Bonnie refused to give up her magic and so lived a full human life alongside Enzo, but that had to end as she grew older, yet together they welcomed death with open arms. They were soon followed by her loyal friends Katherine and Lexi, who after many years of running away stopped and enjoyed the moments that life had to offer. Their departure was difficult, but Death knew their souls were at peace and she would take care of their children as she had promised.
She didn't allow herself to shed a tear, all she could muster was a small sad smile. Because she had too many memories with them to forget.
A harder departure was her sister Elena, they might not have gotten along when they needed to, but eventually she came to her senses and apologized for everything. Death didn't forgive her but let them start over, after all she had raised her and Elena had loved her more than anything, she had done it once. She found her happy ending and gave her heart peace. So did her little brother Jeremy and his partner Anna, both letting their desires guide their lives, and so ended along with the next adventure, which was the last to begin for them. Death felt a bittersweet taste as she placed another rose on the grave. She was there again. Buried next to the people she had raised, her aunt, someone who had always been there for her and believed in her. Someone who had chosen eternity for her, yet it wasn't enough as she walked away with her husband Marcel by her side smiling peacefully to her family.
This goodbye was not sad or happy, it just was. Death couldn't afford to think about it, because she would have spent all night at their graves, not wanting to leave them, but she had her own eternity and knew they were together.
Death knew that the worst was slowly approaching, but that was nothing new, she had felt it from the beginning. Even though her family had stayed for a long time and was happy, whether by the new additions to the family or for the moments with their loved ones and family, she wanted to go. The first to go was Finn, who had lived a full life thanks to Camille, he announced his planned departure with a heavy heart, but received understanding from his family. Freya and Keelin, being a witch and a werewolf, also had the end close, they wanted it that way when they were offered immortality, so no one argued with them, their son understood and promised them that they would meet at the end.
These funerals were hard, their family watched as the ship caught fire and their bodies slowly turned to dust while their souls passed into peace. Losing a family member is not easy and losing a sibling you grew up with is heartbreaking.
But the day she feared above all else had come, and Death knew. She saw them begging for forgiveness whenever they looked at her. But the truth was, there was no need. They had given her more than she ever wanted or knew she could get. Elijah fell in love with Gia, the woman who loved him more than she could ever show him. And even though he'd been through a lot, he wanted to go peacefully knowing his siblings were taken care of. But Rebekah couldn't imagine her life without her big, protective brother with a loving heart, and even her wife Aurora had experienced everything she wanted by her side. After a long life full of everything Aurora would follow Rebekah anywhere. Their brother Kol realized that their eternity was not as long as they were promised. He didn't fall in love until years after them, when he realized it was more than a slight affection for the brown-haired witch Davina. He himself had been given the gift of being a witch again by Death, and despite all the herbs and potions, time was running out for both of them. So he decided he wanted to leave with them, together.
And where his siblings were, Niklaus followed.
He wanted to stay, but his soulmate looked at him and promised him. ''I will find you.''
''I can't be selfish to our children and let them lose their father,'' he argued back, even though he knew it wouldn't work.
''Our children are grown and have children of their own,'' he wanted to argue, ''and besides, I can't keep you here and live a life without your siblings-''
''But I'll have you and the kids-''
''I knew I was going to lose you, Nikkie,'' Death smiled at him, ''it was only a matter of when and I had more time with you than I could have ever dreamed or wished for.'' She smiled sadly and took his hands in hers. ''Every second with you is a gift, so please let me let you go knowing that your siblings are walking beside you and you will find your way to our family. And one day you will welcome our children there and they will be happy, you know I will make sure of that.''
He sighed he brought their foreheads together before he kissed her. ''I love you, mon amour, for eternity and whatever comes after.''
''I love you, Nikkie, I'll cherish the memory of you for eternity.''
Funerals before hadn't been as heartbreaking as these, and she didn't understand why until she did. The children by her side watched their beloved family members passed away. Death spared them as they said their goodbyes before their bodies turned gray and stringy. She watched and let herself feel their souls leave this world forever. She heard her soulmate breathe for the last time, his heart stop beating, his eyes no longer shining with love, his touch no longer warm... and watched as everything she loved slowly turned to dust right in front of them.
After the funeral, her family stayed with her, the ones who hadn't died yet. Perhaps a week, perhaps more, she didn't count, she didn't care about herself, she cared about them, and when they thought she was okay, she realized that the quiet morning was the hardest part. The true loneliness of Death. Funerals weren't heartbreaking because she had people who were there for her and owned her heart and soul, now? Now it was silence and nothingness and all she could do was go to the place where she let them go to find peace. The only reminder that would be there for all time, even after she forgot and the memories became useless, would be three words carved in stone.
𝒜𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 ℱ𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇
A reminder for eternity that she was once part of something big and precious, part of a story, part of a family.
Because in time, her children have gone on to find peace, as have her nieces, nephews and the children of their friends. Their children followed a few years after them, and again, the same cycle repeated itself for decades until no one knew all the names she was called by, soon no one knew Death's true name or their family's history, when Death was their ancestor, when she was more than just Death.
In time, she didn't even have anyone to protect anymore, because they died without descendants, without a legacy for Death to continue to follow. Now all she had was eternity. But it didn't hurt, because the last piece of her soul had gone with her family, the last piece of her heart had been taken into peace by her children, and every part of her that could ever care was now at peace. Death had become an entity. Nothing more or less than an existence.
Death did not remember that the mansion that had turned to dust had once been full of laughter and love along with her family. Or that she danced to music, long forgotten by the world, with her husband, whom she did not remember. Or the paintings that others admired even Death paused at them, not realizing she was looking at herself. She didn't remember the places she loved or the people she cared for. Nor did she recognize the graves or who she buried in them, over time she became nothing but a power with a purpose to take souls and nothing but empty consciousness. Nor did she remember the vows she had once naively made, thinking that love was stronger.
It wasn't. Once she had imagined places, faces, feelings under love, now it is only a moment she sees whenever she removes a loved one and the faces of others breaking down.
She could have watched every moment she removed her soul from the world, every. Sometimes when souls were scarce, she went back and helped people find peace or redemption. Several times she found a dark-haired woman who looked different than anyone she'd ever seen while grieving. And as Death looked more into her story, she saw how many of her beloved's deaths she had been through, how every piece of her soul, heart, and mind had been shattered into tiny fragments. She watched her whole life and couldn't help but see three words towards the end of the bright moments that Death found familiar. She didn't know why, and even though she forbade herself to look at the woman's soul again, she couldn't get those three words out of her head. She thought they would go away in time, but all she could do was leave them in the darkness. But they lasted through eternity. And somewhere a little pity for the woman for whom said words meant so much took hold.
She hadn't realized that she was looking at herself, at the life she had once allowed herself to live.
Death had promised to find her lost soul and give her peace, and so when she wasn't doing work, she searched and searched for an eternity. But one day everything must come to an end, one day all living things will die and there will be no more souls to transfer to the other side, one day existence will cease. Everything will.
Death knew this, and so when Fate thanked her for her incredible service to everything, explaining that no one or nothing needed anyone or anything anymore, that this was the end of eternity, Death asked for something. She asked that the lost soul she was looking for be found and brought to her family. She only got a nod with a small smile before nothing happened.
Absolutely nothing.
''I knew you would find your way to me wherever I was. Come on, our family and friends are waiting, mon amour, our eternity is just beginning.''
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One hundred percent over. I hope I didn't break your little hearts too much, I really wanted to make it very heartbreaking, but in the end I couldn't do it so with a peaceful heart I end this story in good <3