Amare [2] ➳ N. Mikaelson [ON HOLD]

➳ 23: the brothers care forgot

SIX long, torturous months had passed since Klaus saw his wife and children last. The silence from their absence was heavy, and not knowing if they were okay was killing him. He fell into a deep depression for the first three months and couldn't bring himself to leave the compound or speak to anyone.

Elijah, also grieving over the situation, did everything he could to convince Klaus to get back on his feet. Using the excuse of the longer he stays hidden, the longer Valentina and the twins would be gone. That seemed to be enough to motivate Klaus.

Together, the Mikaelson brothers killed the werewolves wearing the moonlight rings, discovered that almost their entire family had resurrected before the other side collapsed, and tried to uncover Esther's diabolical plan against them.

A few states away, Stefan spent most of his time searching for ways to bring back his siblings. Alaric would feed him leads, and he would follow just for it to be a never-ending path of dead-ends. Unable to bear the disappointment any longer, he gave up, settled down in Georgia, and accepted that they were gone forever.

Elijah upheld his promise to check in on Stefan, almost feeling sympathetic for him as Stefan filled his days with random bar fights and drinking past the edge. He didn't leave without telling Stefan that Valentina would be disappointed to see how he had let his life fall apart.

While Valentina protected the twins in secrecy, she mourned the loss of Damon. It was hard for her to accept that her older brother had vanished from existence completely, and his last words to her were that phone call. She wished she had been able to say more or had the chance to help but ultimately knew it was all unrealistic. Her heart shattered when she thought about how Damon would never meet her children. They would never know their uncle, along with the others. She would never get to hug him, belittle him, or laugh with him ever again.

Some days, it felt like she was crawling on all fours across glass shards just to say on top of everything looming over her.

Despite the separation only being temporary, she yearned for her husband. Taking care of twins solo certainly wasn't an easy task, and there were days she sobbed to herself, feeling guilty for the choices she made and telling herself she was a horrible mother when they would cry for hours on end. Especially when the babies were still in the NICU. She spent every day with them, hoping they would get better. Her silent prayers were answered after four months when they both showed improvement by being able to breathe sufficiently on their own.

After graduating from the NICU, Valentina brought them home to her secluded house away from civilization. Their pediatrician said it was important to maintain a routine with them, so she did everything she could to stay true to that.

Valentina put the twins down for their mid-day nap and decided to use the time to herself to sit by the window, enjoy a cup of Chai, and write in her journal.

Ever since leaving New Orleans, she kept a journal of her thoughts and important moments, so when she and Klaus reunited, she could share them with her. It gave her an outlet to vent to since she was completely alone. It was funny because she used to tease Stefan for writing in his journal, and yet there she was, doing the exact same.

She was torn away from her own internal thoughts by a bird smacking right into the window. Furrowing her eyebrows, Valentina rose to her feet and looked through the glass. She shrugged it off and was about to turn away, but more of them violently flew into the house. She jumped as the sound grew louder.