The Don And His Flower

Epilogue

Dimitri Kholodov.

Nikolai Kholodov.

Valis looked at the newborns that his three children surrounded. Due to a delicious well craved spicy meal of Mexican food after a long hour of hard sex, Imani was induced into labor earlier than anyone had intended. Imani had given birth to the twin boys at only eight months into her pregnancy. They were unbelievably tiny. Tinier compared to when Xander, Faina and Fedora was born. 

Tiny but full of nothing but health. 

The two-day old babies had a set of strong lungs. They used their lungs proudly on the third night at four in the morning. Valis had nearly jumped up, head pounding for a celebratory migraine of the arrival of his children. Imani winced turning to her side in exhaustion. "Valis?"

"It's okay, baby. Go back to sleep." He sighed. Going across the bed, he grabbed the bassinets, pulling them to him as he sat on the edge of the bed. He adored the dark-skinned baby that was Dimitri. All five of his kids were a mirror reflection of Valis, only varying in such different skin complexions. 

The baby wailed, triggering a domino response in his identical younger brother. Dimitri and Nikolai were only seven minutes apart. Opposite as Faina and Fedora, Dimitri had the darker complexion as his mother with Nikolai being the paler one as his father. The Don picked up his baby boys, kissing them while talking so softly to them. After assuring that inly Nikolai needed a change, Dimitri was left alone in his bassinet. The dark brown eyes of curiosity stared at his father. Valis looked back at Nikolai, a tired smile on his face as he changed the fussy infant. 

"Are they okay?" 

Imani joined his side, eyes bagged with exhaustion as she craved to smell her babies scent. Picking up Dimitri, Imani nuzzled her face into the curious boy who had broken free from the soft blanket restraints. 

Valis tucked in the last corner of the thin small sheets, watching Nikolai sleep in an instant. "You should be resting, flower." 

"I am resting, just want to hold them." 

Imani got back into her spot of the large bed, eyes twinkling at her first bundle before being joined by her husband that held the minutes older bundle. "If you could spare such honesty for a minute. Would you have believed that this is the life you and I have now?" 

Valis looked away from an almost sleeping Dimitri, looking at the emotions that danced in his wife's face. "Honestly? I would have. I wanted to have a life with you Imani. I hate the things I've done to get it. The lives I've ruined and taken, it sucks that I genuinely can't remember a majority of them. But I can't find it anywhere to regret it. Not when I have Xander. The girls, the boys. More importantly, not when I have you Imani Kholodov."

The woman let her bottom lip get caught between her teeth, eyes watery as she kept her eyes on the man bedside her.

From young teens to adults.

Secret lovers to husband and wife.

Day dreamers to parents living such a dream that they both had shed blood tears and effort to achieve.

It was all real. 

All for them to reminisce and grow from. 

Imani let his words swoon her. Lips pecked against his until a tired soft yawn was given. Dimitri was sound asleep, Nikolai only begging for a pillow with his own tired eyes. With such reluctance, the parents had put their babies back into their own respective bassinets that were in front of their bed. Valis carefully pushed the bassinets to the comforting noise that the outside rain had continued giving them. 

It was pushing close to six in the morning when Imani had gone back to sleep. Valis held her through the night. Talking and kissing, reminding each other about such memories that the two had shared in the past. Only waiting for the current day and the one afterwards to make only so much more. Valis listened to the soft breaths his wife made while she slept in peace. It finally dawned on him that it was six thirty when the door opened slowly. 

At ten years old, Xander had came in quietly. Dressed with an attire that nearly mimicked his fathers, Xander showed his backpack to his father. "I'm ready." He spoke softly. With a quick pace into his steps, the kid observed his two younger brothers. Valis swallowed his curse, rushing to the bathroom to prepare himself so Xander wouldn't be late for school. 

Despite his pleading, Valis had decided to halt on such actions of putting his son in schooling outside of Sontarc. Instead, Valis had cleared off some grounds that were few miles outside of Sontarc. Having the construction of a new school and other very private centers get completed. Xander loved it even more since he did continue to meet different faces in the school. Which only had populated with the approved children of certain Mafias within Valis Kholodov's close alliance.

Valis gave his wife a kiss, going to close the door behind him softly before meeting his son downstairs at the front door. "Hey, come here."

The boy got to running, smile wide as he crashed into the chest of his powerful father. "Happy birthday baby." Xander groaned, the embarrassment heavy as he bowed his head. "I'm not a baby, Dad!" 

The guard behind Xander stiffed a laugh. Straightening once being thrown daggers from the new aged kid. Xander was given a kiss after the next one from his father. Following the routine and driving his son to school.

"Your mother needs her rest today, so I'll pick you up. Okay?"

Valis nearly gagged at his behavior, shocked and amused at the person he's become. He felt the pang in his heart as Xander happily got out the car towards his awaiting friends. Everything that Valis never received from his deceased father, he happily shows towards his family. 

Love.

Valis was back home the early morning not so early as the remaining children were still asleep. The Don took advantage of the few minutes of rest he possibly had and collapsed back into bed with Imani. 

Valis let the single tear fall from his eye as he listened to the peaceful silence that he was surrounded by.

His family. 

The destruction.

The mayhem.

The torture.

The bloodshed.

All of it. Everything that Valis Kholodov had encountered, everything that he has done was all worth it.

He was reminded of that every time he rubbed his wife's back. Enjoying her slumbered embrace whenever he gotten into the bed with her. Valis traced the name of all his children with the tip of his finger around the small of his wife's back while she slept. While his eyes finally fell close, Valis could describe the forever of his life by one word while holding his flower.

Peace.

Valis was at peace with Imani.