AN: I actually got a bit stuck on Absolute History on youtube and their Victorian history videos. This episode got written between loads of laundry and unpacking boxes. I figured you guys might also be a little interested in mourning customs too, since Elijah's a god of death in this. I've gone down a bit of a rabbit hole if you can tell. Also, I learned the word "volun-told" at my current job, and gotta say, it is apt. Also, the throwaway reference to lipstick in golden tubes is a reference to Besame Cosmetics! I actually have a couple of tubes of their lipstick and I love their collaborations. This isn't like a paid sponsorship or anything, I just like their lipstick haha.

Important: If you have an opinion on if you want a romantic Elejah endgame in this fic or if you don't want romantic Elejah in this fic, please review and let me know! I've had a few comments on both sides and I want to get a feel for what you guys want.


It's still odd to look at Mr. Saltzman in class and know he killed a vampire last night. He might have an invitation to join the Council, but they might be too selective about members just being Founding Families. Jenna was quiet on the drive home last night and she had to tell Jeremy the truth while they were brushing their teeth.

"Alright, find a partner. It's trivia day," he announces. Even people who aren't active in history sit up in their seats, immediately chatting to their neighbors. There's something about adding friendly competition-and a healthy dose of extra credit- to make class interesting. Elena doesn't need to say anything, just moves her desk to touch Elijah's. After a couple of minutes of desks grinding against the floor and talking, Alaric stands and waits to begin.

"You all know the rules and the extra credit will be added when I finish grading last week's essays," he begins.

"The Victorians loved death. Who can tell me about how they viewed death, how they died, or their mourning practices or superstitions?" He asks.

Elijah has a slight grin on his face and Elena wonders if he took it as a compliment. It is his realm but they let someone else answer it. Alaric points to a blonde boy toward the front.

"Seth and Mark. Go," Alaric says.

"They would take photos with their deceased family members. They'd sometimes have like, equipment to keep them up and in one position because photos took forever back then instead of a second. If they're like little, that might be the only photo they'd have, is of them dead since it was a harder process to get photographed. They didn't like dying in hospitals, either, they liked dying at home if they were upper class. Thought it wasn't dignified. And widows had to like wear all black for a while to publicly mourn their husbands." Seth manages and squints at Mark who shrugs.

"I know we learned more than that, does anyone else want to answer?"

"Some common causes of death were tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, Scarlet Fever, and back then the death rate was a lot higher for dying in childbirth, something like one in one hundred fifty women would die from that," another classmate chimes in. Alaric scribbles down a number and looks at them expectantly.

"Queen Victoria set the tone for mourning, really, since she mourned for the rest of her life. There are a few phases, full mourning, which is black head to toe, even with a specific veil to midcalf or even the floor. Not like showy flashy stuff, just, muted crepe fabric which could tear and discolor pretty easily. This period could last from twelve months to eighteen months. Second mourning also known as lighter mourning means you could introduce gray, violet, or white and some flashier jewelry back into your wardrobe. After that was the final stages of mourning-the length was a show of position in society and money. Mourning jewelry and hair jewelry were allowed and it included usually hair of the deceased or photos of them, or a hair wreath. You could add their hair to this wreath, cut it off their head or take it outta their brush. It'd get woven into a wreath as a way of showing off the family history, kinda like a family tree," another team adds.

"Fifty points."

As far as mourning goes, she hasn't been quite so drastic. An expected period of grief sounds like a relief, it would be understood. Thinking of Isobel though, she wouldn't want to be stuck pretending to grieve someone she disliked for so long, an undeserved display.

"William Mumler invented ghost photography, as a scam. Spiritualists would buy these because they were gullible. Their version of real pictures of Bigfoot and Nessie for us. It's just double exposure but it was popular in certain groups. And for wakes, clocks would be stopped at the time of death and black cloth would cover the mirrors. Photos would be covered or turned around as well."

"Twenty points."

"Funeral picnics were a thing. You'd picnic in front of their grave, on birthdays or the day they died or major holidays. This isn't allowed at most places today."

"Five points," Alaric notes.

Elena thinks of her tradition of spending time with her parents at their graves, but she's never thought of bringing food. It seems alien to her, but then again, she has a replica Civil war era dress in a box in the basement somewhere.

"Victorians valued vivid wallpaper. Green wallpaper became particularly popular, Scheele's green was all the rage and it was made with arsenic. They also used lead paint in toys and in white paint, this was a problem with children because lead tastes sweet. It wouldn't taste bitter so they might keep putting it in their mouth or licking it. They were putting poison in their houses, often keeping the windows closed with the pollution outside, and just killing themselves with this perfect, idealized home," Elena answers.

She thinks of Finn and the medical inventions and misconceptions of the era that killed so many. Elijah writes down the number of points they recieved. Vampires are still people, she thinks, and she wonders if that's on their teacher's mind, given the topic he picked. Logan couldn't have been an ass his entire life and Elena wants to ask if he'll be buried with his family. They'll answer a few more questions before class ends, not like either of them need the extra credit.


"Do you want to go to the Decade Dance?" Elijah asks. It seems to be all anyone's talked about today. The dance had slipped his mind but if Elena wants to go, he'll make sure she has fun.

"I hadn't really thought about it. Jenna mentioned that Alaric asked her to chaperone. It's just, dances used to mean going over to someone's house and we'd all get ready together. Going with friends was always more fun than a date, you know? A lot less pressure. I don't even know where to find an outfit with a day to go," Elena sighs. People rush by, eager to get into the parking lot, to their cars, and into the normal traffic jam. Lockers shut and people chat as Elena waits for a reply.

"If you want, I could ask Rebekah. She'd love to see you again and she'd know where to find you an outfit," Elijah offers. Elena raises an eyebrow at him.

"I also enjoy dancing," he divulges. Dancing with the god of death, she thinks.

"Don't you need an outfit?" she quips.

"It's not that hard to be a greaser," he tells her.

"You aren't going to wear a suit?" she jokes. His lips quirk at the inside joke as they make their way to her car.

"Not every school event needs to involve life and death," he jokes back. Despite herself, she laughs.


"Elijah has an older sister who's going to pick us up tomorrow," Elena says at dinner. Jenna raises an eyebrow.

"How many siblings does he have again?" Jeremy asks, not looking up from his phone.

"I think two sisters and a couple of brothers," Elena answers. A vague answer seems safest.

"How much older?" Jenna asks.

"College-age. I forget where he said she went to school but she's very into fashion and offered to help me get an outfit ready in time. Decade Dances are apparently only a Mystic Falls thing and she wanted to see what one would look like," Elena says.

"That's very sweet of her. You know I'm driving Jeremy right? Gotta be there a little early for chaperone duty," Jenna reminds her. Elena nods.

"And you're both positive it isn't weird that Mr. Saltzman and I are-" Jenna trails off. They don't really have a name for what they're doing, considering he's talked about his dead wife, and he just staked her ex last night. Something more than talking but less than dating.

"Yeah. We'd have said something if it was," Jeremy assures her. Jenna rolls her eyes. Maybe she'll talk to Alaric about addressing the supernatural with Jeremy and Elena. He has more knowledge than she does and will give them something to talk about, at least.

The night passes quietly and Elena wonders what Rebekah will look like tomorrow. Will she have short blonde hair like she did last time? Or will she shift her features to look like she's from the '50s, perhaps Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, or Jayne Mansfield? Maybe she'll shift to look a bit more like Elijah, with dark hair and dark eyes. Seeing Rebekah again will be lovely, but it makes her wonder what Freya looks like most of the time. She hasn't met Kol, Klaus, or Freya yet. It feels presumptuous to assume they'd even want to meet her, but they don't seem like the type to make deals like Rebekah or Elijah. Finn seemed interested to see who made such a deal with his little brother. Elijah had immediately pointed out that they were so old a few years hardly made a difference, and Finn had just grinned and told him he spoke like a true younger sibling.

Next time she sees Finn, she vows to ask if he watches any medical dramas, just to see his reaction.


Rebekah appears in Elijah's house looking like she just appeared from the red carpet, even though she's in a simple red dress. She grins at Elena and it reminds her of when the sun first begins to come out after a long winter. She is graceful in an ethereal way. Elijah's become taller, with his "older face" to embrace his sister. It makes Elena miss Jeremy even though she just saw him twenty minutes ago.

"It's good to see you again," Rebekah says, embracing Elena. She can't remember the last time someone hugged her that wasn't Jenna or Elijah. With a sweep of her arms, the coffee table and couch are covered in fabric. Rebekah rests a hand on Elena's shoulder.

"Are you thinking of a dress? Shirt? Are you going to be a rebel and wear pants?"

Elena laughs. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Elijah become the height she's used to seeing. Rebekah studies him and her face becomes softer. Shorter in height, but longer hair in manicured curls, a pearl necklace, and matching pearl earrings to match. It's so odd to look at what would promise to become a sharper version of drop-dead gorgeous.

"I think you'd look divine in blue," Rebekah says thoughtfully. Elena's the only human in the house, the farthest thing from divinity, but she takes the compliment.

"What color are you going to wear?"

"Red," Rebekah decides. The dress she plucks off the couch looks like she took it off the set of Rear Window. Elena finds a blue dress, a bit shorter, but still fluffy with the layers underneath.

"Pick a dress and then we can do the makeup and I'll find you some shoes," Rebekah tells her. Elijah reappears looking like he's rolled off the set of Grease, though he'd look out of place, much younger than the cast.

"We're going to take you through the basics of some of the better dances," Rebekah promises. Elijah looks surprised by this, but he dutifully helps her learn the Twist.

"You're a quick learner," Rebekah compliments. Elena feels a rush of pride, after centuries of watching mortals and learning with them, it feels like a much bigger compliment. After so long, she wonders what stays impressive.

"I feel very American Bandstand," Elena says. Elijah chuckles at that.

"Americans think they invented everything," Rebekah rolls her eyes.

Elena thinks of the overlap of their realms, as Rebekah applies period-accurate makeup to her face with surgical precision. She has still hands many a surgeon would kill for.

"Should I use this shade or this one?" Rebekah wonders. There are two golden tubes with lipstick exposed, one is too bright for the dress, and the other is darker, reminding Elena of blood.

"The darker one."

"Good eye," Rebekah compliments.

"It's a test, but it feels like testing the water at a beach rather than a final exam. Elena almost doesn't recognize the confident person staring back at her in the mirror.


There's dim lighting with balloons, gold and silver stars, streamers, hanging records, and a projection of 50's era film and television plays on one wall. Red punch is likely in a clear punch bowl somewhere, a romanticized version of a tumultuous decade. Rebekah raises an elegant eyebrow. They attract a few stares but that doesn't deter the goddess from sticking to Elena's side. As they move through the people milling around, there's a hum of noise and the presence of all the people.

Elena looks at Elijah as the music blares. Maybe she hasn't been to Elijah's realm, but she hasn't quite been around the living either.

"Come on, we've got some heads to turn," Rebekah tells her, hooking their elbows.

It's easy for her to lose herself in the love loves songs, and the goddess in front of her seems so comfortable among Elena's peers that she feels a little envious. The look on her face reminds her of Elijah's grin from history class. All the songs have been love songs, her area of expertise, a form of indirect worship.

"I'm surprised there aren't more poodle skirts here," Rebekah comments.

"The fifties were quite a decade," Elijah laughs. Elena wants to ask what he's remembering, what phenomena he's thinking of.

"The arms race and the red terror. Poodle skirts and varsity jackets, postwar boom, and the beginning of rock," Elena replies.

Between the two of them, she manages to smile and laugh with ease. It feels like someone has lifted a car off her and she's floated to the ceiling-she's so carefree.

"This song makes me want to put on skates and drink a milkshake," Elena tells them. Though maybe she'd sit to drink the milkshake, instead of trying to skate and hold a drink.

A few different students have tried to spike the punch and slip off to abandoned classrooms, but it's pretty routine as far as he was briefed. Being a new teacher meaning he gets the short end of the stick, he gets volun-told to do the extracurriculars. He'll climb the ladder eventually and Jenna is very pleasant company.

He wonders if she knows about the girl who looked exactly like Elena who was with Isobel. His legally dead wife left him with much to think about, including her request to look after Elena. He finally has closure after witnessing her murder and he's ready to move on from their old life, even if his hand was forced. Jenna hums to the song that's playing and he wonders if the same songs played at the Decade Dances she went to as a teenager.

"Hey, do Jeremy and Elena have any other siblings?" he manages to ask. He has to tread carefully but it's been a long day and his filter isn't working as well as he'd like. Jenna bites her lip in thought.

"Well, I think Elena might. I found out that she might have a twin. Or a half-sister, I'm not really sure," Jenna confesses. They sort of killed a vampire together last night, it wouldn't hurt to open up a bit.

"I meant to ask you if she was doing okay in school after we had that revelation, but there's always so much to do in Mystic Falls. One event or another, and I have homework of my own. It's harder and easier than I thought to be their guardian," Jenna admits.

"I think they're well adjusted. They both have good grades and I've heard that's not just in my class. It looks like they're both having fun. Who's the girl in red?" Alaric asks, casually.

"Oh, that's Elijah's sister. She offered to help Elena with an outfit on short notice. We haven't officially met but she's a sweet girl, coming to help Elena. She hasn't really had much of a social life since my sister and her husband died. I'm glad to see Elijah's getting her out of her shell a bit," Jenna tells him.

"Yeah, I noticed she's been pretty isolated. She sticks with Elijah on everything, but it doesn't seem too codependent or unhealthy," he says. They scan the dance floor for a moment, checking for inappropriate behavior or messing with the punch bowl.

"I'm so thankful for that family. His older brother Finn is his legal guardian, not fresh out of college, but close. We're in similar boats and that's pretty rare here. No one really moves in unless there's a vacancy,"

"Well I won't go down like Mr. Tanner," Alaric promises.

"I hadn't even thought of that."

If she goes through the news articles, the number of people killed by severe animal attacks must be higher than the local average. Probably higher than the national average too.

"Do you want to dance? We can still keep an eye on them," he assures her. Jenna chuckles.

Still, dreamy, slow music is pouring through the speakers.

"Sure. I'd like that."

This might not be a date but it's also not-not a date. There's promise here and she'd like to think she can read Alaric pretty well. If he didn't want to be chaperoning and talking to her all night, he would have moved or made an excuse.

Though Elena's moving through the crowd alone, they can spot Elijah and his sister lingering in the crowd, hanging back, but keeping an eye on her. It fills Jenna's chest with warmth, Elena has people who look out for her now. It's progress.

"Hey, I'm going to stay out a bit with Elijah and Rebekah, since it is the weekend and my curfew doesn't end until midnight," Elena tells her. She shifts her weight slightly from one foot to another.

"That's fine. If you want to have a sleepover with Rebekah or something, that's great too. You both look so gorgeous," Jenna compliments. Elena grins.

"Yeah, she's got a great eye for this kind of stuff. Finn says hi by the way. I'll text you if I'm staying over," Elena promises.

Jenna nods in approval but she catches the wink Elena gives before she walks away.

"Midnight?" Alaric raises an eyebrow.

"She's a good kid. And she hasn't even been out close to that since I moved in. She can be a little wild," Jenna excuses. It gives her a chance to stay a little later and maybe sway a little more with him to an awful cover.

"You mentioned you wanted to go out for milkshakes?" Elijah asks as she approaches. Elena's wide grin is a lovely answer.