Amy POV
Amy smoothed down her black dress and watched the clock, feeling especially depressed.
And why shouldn't she? It was the anniversary of all the Doomsday Deaths, as she so morbidly nicknamed them. Everyone was depressed.
Ian took it hardest, though. He lost all of his family then. Now he was like some shell of his former cocky, arrogant, and entitled self. And Amy was one to be talking. After Evan died she'd shut herself off from the rest of the world.
But at least she had Dan and Jake. Ian had no one.
The Cahills (and Atticus and Jake) all decided they should meet up and have some kind of memorial service at Amy and Dan's mansion in Attleboro, since they couldn't visit two graves on opposite sides of the world.
Now Amy was just waiting for someone to show up and relieve her of the agony of dealing with her bottled up grief alone. Why couldn't the Holts or Jonah have shown up yet?
Heck, she'd even take the Starlings.
Yes, Amy knew she shouldn't be this mad at Sinead still after a year. But even though Sinead eventually left the Vespers and joined the Madrigals, Amy still resented her. For some reason, she felt that if Sinead hadn't joined the Vespers, then Natalie and Evan wouldn't have died.
But, that could just be the grief talking.
Finally Amy heard the door creak open to reveal Jake and Atticus wearing black suits.
Amy sighed, it couldn't have been someone else, could it? As much as she loved Jake, he just wasn't as attached to the victims as the Cahills were. And let's be honest, he wasn't the best listener either.
"Hey Amy," Atticus mumbled before going upstairs to look for Dan, leaving Jake and Amy in awkward silence.
"So... sorry about Evan and Tally," Jake said.
"Natalie," Amy practically growled, "her name was Natalie."
Jake shrugged and opened the pantry, pulling out a bag of chips and munching on them.
Amy scowled. How could he eat right now? I haven't been able to eat much all week! she thought.
"So, when's this memorial thing?" he asked in between bites.
"Whenever everyone gets here." Amy could barely contain herself. This whole family was grieving, and all he could do was eat chips?!
Suddenly the door opened again, and in walked the Holts (minus Mary-Todd and Eisenhower, who had no reason to come). Hamilton was in a black suit similar to the Rosenblooms', and the girls were wearing long black dresses.
Huh, even the Holts take this more seriously than Jake, Amy thought.
Eventually everyone but the Starlings had arrived wearing black clothes and morbid expressions. None more so than Ian, who was sulking in the living room somewhere.
"Where the hell are they?!" Hamilton boomed, clearly angry.
"Here," came three voices in unison.
The Cahills turned to glare at the Starlings mercilessly.
"Twenty minutes? TWENTY MINUTES LATE?!" yelled Jonah.
"Guys, look, we can-" started Ned.
"Explain," finished Ted.
"Go on," said the Holt twins, raising their fists.
"Look, can Ian, Amy, Dan, and anyone personally connected to Natalie and Evan please just follow us," Sinead asked.
The Cahills and Kabra looked at each other before nodding and following the former Vesper Three and her brothers.
"This better be good. I'm missing a perfectly depressing memorial because of-" Dan started, before realizing exactly what his options were, "Never mind. Keep going."
Finally they came to a machine in the driveway. How they managed to get it there without breaking a sweat, Amy would never know.
"Look, guys, I know I messed up with this whole Vesper Three fiasco, but I think I found a way to make it up to you. I, with the occasional help of my brothers, have found a way to transport us back in time," she announced proudly.
"Hey! We hel-" Ned started before crumpling to his knees and grabbing his head, further proving Sinead's point of her making the time machine.
Dan burst out laughing, "So, lemme get this straight. You think we're stupid enough to believe that load of crap?"
Amy nodded in agreement. Time travel was meant for a Sci-fi book, not a real life memorial.
"Look, it's true, okay! How else would I know Amy and Ian kissed in Korea?" she hissed, angered by their disbelief in her abilities.
Amy and Ian perked up in alarm as Dan raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, okay! It's real! It's real!" Amy exclaimed, shoving Dan towards the "time machine".
"Wait, Amy and Ian did what in Korea? Amy! When did this hap-" He was cut off by another push from Amy.
Ian, who looked almost amused by this situation, walked up to the Starlings, "So, you want me to miss a memorial for my dead little sister to show off your flashy new toy? Sorry, but I don't think I'll bother to care what you intend to do with the 'time machine', if that's what it even is."
Sinead put her hands on her hips, "Look, would you rather mope around and cry about your sister and Amy's boyfriend, or would you rather see Natalie again?"
Ian opened his mouth to make some kind of snarky and entitled remark, but instead his jaw went slack.
He whipped a pistol out from where he was concealing it in his jacket, pointing it at Ted.
"If this is some kind of prank I swear to God I will kill him. He's blind, he won't know which way to run," he growled. Amy's eyes widened at the harshness of Ian's display of hostility. What had gotten into him? Oh yeah, his sister died.
It's amazing how much death could change a person, especially one like Ian.
Sinead looked alarmed too.
She put her hands up, "Look, just all of you put your hands on the top of the machine, I'll do the rest. And for God's sakes Ian put that gun down!"
Ian glared at Ted once more before setting the gun down. He put his hand on the machine, Amy and Dan following in suit.
Amy squeezed her eyes shut as Sinead pushed some buttons...
Natalie POV (sometime during the Clue Hunt)
Natalie stormed through some market-like area. Honestly, Natalie couldn't care less what country they were in; they wasn't a clue in sight and the clothes were too horrendous for even Amy Cahill and her peasant brother to wear.
Currently she was looking for her brother, who was supposed to have called that pilot person ages ago. Honestly if her phone hadn't died she would've called him herself and stranded her brother in Horrid-Clothes-ia, as Natalie decided to call it.
So, thus she was in her current predicament, wandering through a country with zero fashion sense looking for her git of a brother. If only her mum, Isabel, were here. She would know what to do.
Finally she came to the outskirts of the village-town-whatever-thing and started looking around as a last resort.
To her surprise, she found her brother in the middle of some clearing on top of- AMY CAHILL?!
"IAN!" she screamed, "I'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU AND YOU'RE JUST OVER HERE SNOGGING THE ENEMY?! WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!"
Ian's head snapped up, a mixture of disbelief, guilt, grief, hope, and... what looked like pure joy present in his amber eyes that were so identical to hers. He jumped up off Little Miss Peasant and walked over to her.
Something was off about him. Had he always been this tall? Had he always been this... old looking? Had she not noticed Ian hitting puberty all this time?
Ew, good Lord the same went for Amy. She looked way older than Natalie remembered. But, she supposed that was what the clue hunt did to a person. Wait- was that a zit on her forehead? Once again Natalie wished she had her phone- this would've been a perfect Instagram opportunity. After all, she couldn't leave her 983 followers (and counting) waiting, could she? Curse Apple's engineering of the battery to last for only an hour or so.
Anyways, Natalie was about to scream at them again, but then she noticed something. A blond-haired, green-eyed something. Oh no. Please, please no! Of all the people to be there as well, it had to be-
"Daniel Cahill," Natalie growled. Woah, wait. Hold on just a second. Are we sure this is actually Daniel, not some clone sent to throw Natalie off? When did he get so... Natalie didn't even know.
"Natalie? Is that really you?" Ian practically choked out. Natalie raised a suspicious eyebrow. No way would Ian Kabra choke something out.
"No, it's Alistair Oh! Yes it's me you git!" Natalie replied sarcastically, still not through discussing this whole "abandoning her in Horrid-Clothes-ia" brouhaha.
Then Ian did something Natalie never expecting. Something that if anyone asked whether or not this had happened, she would deny it profusely. He hugged her.
And it wasn't a polite, proper half-hug either, it was a full on elephant- no hippopotamus- ugh, Natalie knew it was a large mammal... oh bear! That's it. Ian pulled her into a "bear" hug.
Despite herself, Natalie relaxed a little into his arms. It had been so long since anyone in her family had hugged her. Even Isabel rarely showed affection for her daughter, and she was the best mum ever.
Then of course she realized what was happening and threw him off of her.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she exclaimed.
Ian sighed, "Sorry, I forgot you weren't... sorry."
Natalie raised another eyebrow. Sorry? Since when was Ian sorry for anything?
Meanwhile Amy was moping in the background, with Daniel trying to comfort her, "Hey, Ames, what's wrong?"
"Evan's not here," she sniffled, "I haven't even met him yet."
Ian seemed slightly annoyed by this comment, but Natalie was paying more attention to the red flags going off in her brain. Evan? Haven't met him yet? Sorry? Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
"Ian, what is going on?!" she demanded. Then the strangest thing happened. Sinead Starling popped up behind him.
"Boo," she said sarcastically.
"Guys, we have to go soon," she told them.
"Can't we take her with us?" Ian asked, his voice cracking slightly. Sinead shook her head sadly, "Sorry Ian, that would screw up the space-time-continuum, not to mention the- and... you're not listening."
It was true, at the words "Sorry, Ian" he had gone back to his sister.
"Look, Natalie, this is going to make no sense to you, and if you tell me about it later I'll think you're mad, but... I... love... you," he managed. Natalie was so surprised she almost gasped. She was pretty sure that was the first time Ian had said those words to anyone.
"And, no matter what Is- Mum tells you, there's nothing wrong with you, okay?" he looked like he was holding back puke just saying those things. And Natalie couldn't blame him. She wouldn't be caught dead saying anything of that sort.
"Uh, Nat... alie... sorry about everything. And being a jerk. But hey, you were asking for it," Daniel told her, wisely deciding not to hug her as Ian did.
"What the- Will someone please tell what's going on?!" she whined, not liking the feeling of confusion. It didn't really suit a Lucian of her rank.
Ian hugged her one last time, his eyes getting bit watery. Natalie was now positive this was some elaborate prank set up by someone.
"Guys! We really have to g-" Sinead was cut off and in an instant all four of them disappeared, leaving Natalie still wondering what the heck had just happened.
"Natalie! There you are!" Ian called. Natalie turned to see the Ian she remembered: cocky, stubborn, Lucian Ian. Not some weak Ian clone.
"Haha very funny. Well you didn't get me! I'm too smart for your tricks, Ian!" she called, storming off back in the direction she came.
Ian POV (back at the memorial):
Amy was upset that she didn't get to see Evan, but at the moment Ian couldn't care less. No one could even comprehend how good it felt to hug his sister again, even the whiny twelve year old version of her.
"Well, that was awkward," Daniel so eloquently put it. Ian again asked himself why Daniel even came. Probably to get out of the memorial.
Ian nodded, put in reality he felt better than he had in a long time.
"I'm happy you guys got closure or whatever," Amy murmured. Ian felt a pang of sympathy. She lost someone in all of this Vesper stuff too.
"I'm sorry about Evan," he muttered just loud enough for her to hear.
"That's okay. At least I have Jake. I'm sorry about Natalie."
