A lifetime

A lost child and a sister

I held Hope close the white snow coating the city giving it a beautiful glow. If only they knew this city was built on blood. Valkyrja held my hand "I'll wait at the hotel do you want me to take her" "she's ok she'll keep me level headed won't you" her happy smile and twinkle in her eye making me smile brightly. I walk through the graveyard in silence the one place I hadn't allowed anyone but Lilith. I open the gate to the mausoleum unlocking it with my magic. The key on a necklace around my neck, a difficult place to get with hope resting on my chest. He was the only one inside. Alexei Nikolaevich De Martel. I effortlessly light the candles with a wave of the hand.

"Hope meet Alexei Nikolaevich my son want to talk to him" I said not sure if she's even awake anymore. She was breathing peacefully. I quietly chant, the salt already in place. "Papa" Alexei said racing over "who's" he stopped noticing hope "Hope my sister in watching her how have you been...I have found a spell to help you yet I'm thinking maybe my uncle Kol but I have to find his ashes and figure out how to ask without exposing everything" "it's ok I enjoy watching you and Lilith" "I could try tether you" "no I like it like this" he said firmly it was the same every year. Not even Lilith knew I spoke to him. "Maybe I was born condemned but that's ok I get to watch you" he said making my heart break "magic always has a solution I just have to find a way" "it's been 92 years papa I don't want you to dedicate your life" "I have eternity I'm going to" I said certainly "so how do you feel to be a big brother" "fine no feelings attached I love her you have another sister" "adopting children" "not this time her name is Stella she's seventeen" he nods "does that make her my older or younger sister" he mused moving his fingers in front of Hope who was lazily resting her head against my chest but watching him closely with her bright big blue eyes.

"I don't want you to give up everything for me" "what type of father would I be if I didn't" "a good one by focusing on your living children" "I'll never give up on you Alexei" "papa" he sighs I go to speak but pause when hope grabs his finger. She held it like it was living, I couldn't even touch him. Then all of a sudden Alexei is falling to the floor. "She didn't she didn't do anything it was like my soul was being pulled in to many directions" I slowly nod before it clicks "we need her I can bring you back but maybe she's the key to you living...fret not I won't make a baby participate in a spell well wait" Alexei was just on the ground bewildered by what happened.  "We only have tonight I have to get her back" "so tell me everything what's Lilith been up to what's my new sister like" he said sitting down on a bit of stone. I sit down by him and start talking about everyone. I fill him in on everything from the pack, my children both biological and adopted they are all the same to me.

"Stella what...." "Despite how excited she was to discover me I think she's struggling and I don't know what I don't want to push her to hard" he nods "weren't Lilith and her close" "Lilith is currently busy with my father" "I don't know" "how did you" "I felt it also you saved me" I nod thinking about how I saved Stella from the school.

I spent hours talking to him before I make my way to the hotel, obviously locking the mausoleum so no one could enter. "I'll put her to bed" Valkyrja said taking a sleeping hope from me. I was like I was always was after seeming him. Shell shocked, depressed, heartbroken i wanted so badly to bring him home with me. I couldn't however. "Handsome" she said grabbing my hand pulling me into the room. It took me a moment to realise hope wasn't in her arms, I didn't worry though. "You'll figure it out" she said rubbing her arm as she sat beside me. "Will I" "I know you will your so so smart and you have an endless supply of power" I sigh "one day you won't have to visit him here because he'll be with you" "one can hope I walked away wondering if I was destroying myself" "no I believe in you" she said kissing my cheek "we have an early flight come on" she said as she walked to the bedroom. "Hope pulled him through a big" "what" "she grabbed his finger and it it was like she pulled apart of him to the living...he said that it felt like his soul was being torn apart his finger in the living everything else dead" "ok" "so if Hope can pull his finger when she's a baby maybe she can do more when she's older...I just need the spell to heal his body" "so how about we focus on getting your uncle back you said he would know" "I don't know for certain it was always a process break the curse find the spell bring him back...took me almost a hundred years to do one" "timing is everything you know this" she said I don't know why her level headed comments bring me such comfort. "It breaks me every time...I think I just need to lay with Hope for a while would love Lilith as well but" "hey it will be ok" she said as I get up "it won't be nothing will ever feel ok until I have him in my arms for real again" I said maybe a little to harshly before walking away to find my sleeping sister. I carefully pick her up, despite barely being around Lilith when she was a baby it seems I'm an expert at not waking the baby. I carefully lay on the bed snuggling her close. I felt Valkyrja lay beside me "you should sleep" "I won't sleep" i muse rubbing hopes arm gently. She just sighs I grab her hand "I may not be the nicest currently but I do appreciate you being here" I said "you should sleep though I'll sleep when we are back" "you can't run on no sleep" "I'll be fine" I said squeezing her hand.