In case it's not clear, it has been two years since the whole hospital incident and three years to go for the whole 'Willow' part.
★ Dedicated to my best friend who never fails to encourage me when I'm at my lowest. She has stood by my side through the countless nights of self-loathing and still continues to do so every time.
I love you. You're my 'Raven'. Everything I've ever wanted. Even though I may yearn for more sometimes but you are my rock, my epiphany. ★
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𝔹𝕦𝕝𝕘𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕒, 𝟙𝟜𝟡𝟚
ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴘᴏᴠ:
"Rosa?" A heavily pregnant Katherine called out, holding her baby bump as she rushed into her sister's room to find her kneeling beside the bed, face buried in her hands as she sobbed. "Rosa?" She called out again, walking up to her to place her hand on her fourteen-year-old sister's shoulder while using the other to support herself. "What happened?"
Rose looked at her, tears streaming down her face as she pointed to her empty bookshelf, making Katherine realize what was going on. "Mother threw away my books,"
"Why?"
She sniffled, lips trembling. "She said I won't need them once I get married and have children. I don't want to marry someone I barely know, Rina!" She cried out. "I want to live,"
"Leave her, Katerina," A strict voice announced as their mother entered the room, a grim expression on her face. "It's better not to encourage her childish behaviour..."
"This isn't fair, Mama. She's just a child," The older sister argued.
"I was her age when I had you!" The mother of the two retorted, taking a step closer to them.
Katherine shook her head, using both her hands to hold her baby bump. "But you had no choice. You were married off to a man you had never seen before...You let everyone else dictate your life. Don't let it be our fate!" She said.
The older woman sighed in response, unhinged by her daughter's words. "I don't have time to indulge in this petty bickering with you, Katerina. I'm responsible to groom my daughter to become prim and proper, a woman fit for society. I'm not going to let my other daughter fail me too," She glanced at her daughter's grown abdomen, making Katherine shut up instantly. "Once Rosemarie gets married and has children of her own, she would give up this fatuous fight and realize what a gift motherhood is,"
"Well, I don't want to have children, mother! I want to live my life...I want to read and dance, and love-" Rose countered, begging her mother with her eyes.
"You would learn to love your husband and the father of your children..." She sighed, brushing her younger daughter's hair away, just a tint of motherly affection on her face. "You have to understand that I'm doing this for you, my sweet girl. I don't want you to follow in your sister's footsteps and ruin your life...No man would ever marry a girl who lacks etiquette or dare question him on everything. I'm just trying to save your future,"
Rose closed her eyes in pain. Not physical but emotional. She knew her mother would never understand and that was why she had planned to cry herself to sleep just like every other night until Katherine saw her. Was that how her was going to be? Controlled by her parents from the day she was born and now they wanted to marry her off as soon as possible so that they could protect their reputation which had already been stained by Katherine. Rose was expected to play her part as a puppet. They expected her to be a living breathing pawn who'd do what they expected of her. She was going to be married off to someone who she didn't love, have his children, satisfy all his needs and wishes and become a mere shadow of the girl she used to be. These thoughts haunted her all day and kept her awake at night. She had lost her light and nobody cared, pushing her to believe that maybe no one would ever love her.
Rose broke down again, wrapping her arms around her body as her sister watched, unable to do anything but to sympathise with her teenage sister who had learned to blame herself for all her problems. Only if that little girl knew what the future had in store for her, she wouldn't have lost her faith in everyone. Only if she knew...
𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕕𝕒𝕪/ 𝕁𝕦𝕟𝕖, 𝟚𝟘𝟙𝟝
ʀᴏsᴇ's ᴘᴏᴠ:
"Mmm..." I mumbled, feeling the soft pillow under my head. Wait. I roamed my hand over the silk cushion that I was holding only to groan in annoyance. "Stefan!" I scolded, opening my eyes to meet a smirking Stefan in my bed.
"Rise and shine, Ro-Ro!" He announced dramatically, making me roll my eyes at him.
"Waking me up at 7 in the morning? Do you have a death wish?!" I squinted my eyes at him, getting off of him.
He sighed, sitting up to look at me. "Here I thought that you'd appreciate me instead...Thank you, Stefan. You're a saviour. I love you so much. No!" I rolled my eyes at his gesticulated moments.
"What do you want?" I asked him, ignoring the pout on his face.
Stefan grabbed my phone from the bedside table, opening it as I tried to snatch it away from him. "Relax, as much as I'd love to, I'm not going to read your secret love messages," He smirked, causing me to nudge him as he showed me the screen. 3 voicemails from Meera.
My eyes widened at the name and I quickly sat up, much to his amusement. "No, no, no, no. The meeting!"
"Don't worry," Stefan chuckled. "I saved the day already. Told her we'd be there by 10,"
I sighed in relief, smiling at him. "Thank you! I love you!" I told him gratefully.
"We're a team, remember? And if that means I have to drag your lazy ass to work, I will," He winked at me.
"I'm not lazy," I stated, beginning to get out of the bed as he gave me a look. "I'm lazy," I admitted instantly. Time to face reality.
I got up from the bed, stretching my limbs when I felt Stefan's gaze on me, making me realize how little I was wearing. He smirked, staring still. "Cute pj's," He said, a playful look on his face. "If they even count as one,"
I glared at him, covering my body with silk sheets as he watched with amusement. Jerk. "You know what, Stefan? If I were to kick your ass, you'd land in Japan," I mused, not giving him any time to speak as I stomped into the bathroom.
"Want me to join you in there?" I heard him yell from outside.
"In your dreams, douchebag!" I yelled back, eliciting a chuckle from him.
While I showered, I let my mind wander off, imagining hot naked guys rubbing suntan on my back. Nah. Even if I did think about it, this daydream of mine was just gonna end up with me sinking my fangs into their necks. So, nope. What I did think about though was...life. A lot could change in two years, especially if it was my life. Nearly five years ago, I woke up from a magic-induced coma, courtesy of my beloved sister. May her evil soul rest in peace! An adorably cute but psychotic maniac killed me, who along with his equally lunatic family were now on my emergency contact list. I swear if Klaus gets me another gift, I'm going to fricking kill him with my bare hands! Luckily, I came back to life as a vampire, fell in love with another psychotic maniac who wanted to be good for me, and died again at the hands of the very person I had asked to walk me down the aisle. Hmm...a soap opera based on my life doesn't seem like a bad idea. Then thanks to magical Ju Ju, I found myself on the living side of the spectrum again. Guess what happened next? Oh, I fell in love again and then...Breathe, Rose.
I quickly turned off the shower, carrying on with my morning routine. Nonetheless, I was happy now, we all were. Starting with the most shocking turn of events, Bonnie and Enzo got married! They talked, went out, and instantly clicked...they've been travelling the world ever since. Bon Bon deserves the best and that's exactly what Enzo is. Matt was officially deputy Donovan now and Jeremy just graduated from art school. Tyler and Liv were still together, figuring life out while Kai...
"Kai!" I heard Caroline yell through the phone. "Get your ass back to Savannah this instant or I'm gonna drag you there myself!" She sighed, making me chuckle at the two.
Well...Caroline worked as a producer for a reputed news channel in Savannah where Kai worked as a journalist and things were going pretty well...except the weekly death threats, those two gave each other. I could never forget the day Stefan and I had to compel the entire newsroom to forget the fact that Caroline lunged at Kai who had magically changed her blonde hair to red. It was funny, though.
"Auntie Ro?" Liz called me, diverting my attention to her.
I turned around to find her and the twins looking at me. "Oh hey, Grandma Liz," I teased her back as the kids watched, seated on a sofa in the living room.
Liz gave me a pout while I walked towards her. "Don't make me feel old...I'm ten times younger than you, Rose," I smiled at her, kneeling to hug the toddlers
"And ten times wiser too," I stated, earning a grin in response. I looked at the two little girls in front of me. "You two had your breakfast yet?" They nodded their head. "Good girls. Now...don't trouble Liz too much while we're gone, okay?"
They both nodded at me again, making me smile. Lizzie tugged at my shirt, pointing to the toys sprawled out on the floor while giving me her little puppy eyes.
"Go play," I gave her my permission, making the girls beam as they rushed towards their toys, giggling with each other, causing Liz and I to shake our heads at their eagerness to play. "Just don't hurt yourself, kiddos!"
Alaric continued teaching at Whitmore which meant someone had to look after the kids while we all were at work and hence, grandma Liz came to the rescue. If she hears me use the term grandma one more time, she's going to strangle me to death. Lizzie and Josie were adorable and like a cherry on top, they lived with us at the boarding house along with their father. Life wasn't perfect but it was somewhat peaceful and after what had happened two years ago, we all had to strive hard for it to be that way.
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"Oh God, I've lost my words," Meera stated, looking between Stefan and me. "I'm so freaking proud of you two...The meeting was a complete success and the book, oh...don't even get me started," The two of us smiled at each other, interlocking our fingers. "It's the next big thing! It's dark, it's sexy, it's mysterious and...just perfect. Come here!" She extended her arms for us and we hugged her instantly. "Great work guys. After the first book, I didn't think it could get better than that but here we are...," She shrugged.
"Thanks, Meera. We couldn't do this without you," Stefan replied with a grin as we broke apart.
She nodded at him, all of us beaming at each other. "One more thing, I've mailed the books to everyone on the list Rose handed to me," She told us.
"Great...Then, all that's left is the book launch," I remarked with a sigh.
"Yeah..." Meera came forward, crossing her hands in front of her. "Don't worry, Rose. It's going to be great. You two have made us all look at grief and love through a different lens. It's so beautifully haunting that it hurts...but it hurts so well,"
"Thank you," I mumbled to her, hugging her again.
Stefan and I had been working together on a book series for the past year and a half. Meera Roy was our publisher and Stefan's friend for a long time. She was a human but knew about the supernatural world because of him. The woman was just amazing. She was beautiful, kind, and never failed to encourage us to do better. That was why everyone loved her. He and I had just completed the second book a few weeks ago and Meera instantly got our whole team working on it, wanting to complete the process as soon as possible. Finally, the book was ready to be out in the world. Fingers crossed.
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"Congratulations, Rose!" Josh engulfed me in a bear hug which I returned with equal fervour, thanking him. He was a part of our publishing team and let's just say, he might be one of my favourite people ever.
I looked behind him to see Aiden waving at us. He visited Josh at work sometimes. I smiled at him, motioning for Josh to turn around and he did, blushing at the sight of his boyfriend. These two are adorable! "Aww...don't keep him waiting for you now. Hush!" I shooed him away, chuckling as he made his way through the other people while I went back into Stefan and I's workroom.
"Gotta go, Care," He said through the phone as I entered, earning a small smirk from him. "The She-devil has just arrived,"
I rolled my eyes at him, plopping on the sofa next to him. "I'm curious," I announced out loud, directing my words towards Caroline. "Would it be terrible of me to kill him days before the wedding?"
Caroline hummed in response while Stefan listened to our conversation intently. "Hmm...I kinda like my to-be husband. So, unless you have another good one in mind, try not to kill him at least before the honeymoon, please."
Stefan smirk widely, knowing that we both had a dirty mind. I widened my eyes in horror. "Eww! Eww!" Both of them chuckled as Stefan took the phone from me.
Did I forget to mention something? Yes. The wedding! Carebear was finally going to have her June wedding with Stefan. It was only two weeks away and everyone was coming back to Mystic Falls for their big day. In fact, some of them might be on their way now. It's going to be one hell of an epic reunion.
"So..." I began, clapping my hands together. "Since we're all as happy as a clam about the book and the wedding...I was-"
"She asked about the books again," Stefan cut me off, causing me to frown.
"She did?" I asked and he gave me a nod. "What did you tell her?"
Stefan sighed, looking up to meet my eyes as I grabbed a chair and sat in front of him. "Same old," He replied. "Care's smart. She's not buying it anymore,"
"Then maybe you should tell her," I suggested, gulping a little at the idea. "The true purpose of writing the trilogy was closure, wasn't it?"
"We're not telling Caroline," Stefan straight up refused.
I shook my head at him with a sigh. "Stefie, if you don't admit it, you'll never be able to leave it behind,"
He clenched his jaw slightly, sitting up straight. "No one can know what happened between us, Rose. No one!" He retorted.
"But..."
He quickly took my hands in his, wavering a little at the touch and I squeezed his hand to let him know that it was okay. "I wrote it for you, Rose. I did it all for you but I can't say it all out loud yet. Please," He pleaded with his eyes. "What we did, what I did...you can't tell anyone. I'm begging you,"
I nodded my head at him hesitantly. "Okay," I whispered and he smiled. "Okay," He got up, placing a kiss on my cheek before walking out of the room, leaving me to worry about him like always. Stefan needed to stop hurting him over something that was way past us. It was a venial mistake I had already forgiven us for...or had I?
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"Epiphany is simply marvellous, Wouldn't you agree, Rebekah?" Elijah said, making me smile.
It was late in the evening when I found myself sitting in the Mystic Grill, talking to the Mikaelsons while I enjoyed my burger. "That's what I've been saying all along!" Rebekah added in.
"Just to let you know," Kol joined in while I heard a certain hybrid groan through the phone. "I always knew you had it in you, darling,"
"Of course!" I mumbled back teasingly. "Where's my favourite Mikaelson?"
"Surely you're talking about me, love?" Klaus asked me smugly, making me roll my eyes at him.
I smirked, sipping my drink. "Sorry to disappoint you, love but I was talking about your daughter. You know? Less arrogant, more lovely version of you?"
I heard Kol snort loudly in the background while Rebekah chuckled. "Do you want a dagger in your chest again, Kol?! Klaus snickered at him.
"I said nothing!" He defended himself.
"God, Nik. You're such a killjoy!" Rebekah grumbled, upset by the mention of daggers.
Thus began the neverending tradition of Mikaelson family bickering. Everything from daggers and long-buried rotten corpses to Hope and her future children was brought into the squabble, ignoring me completely. "Still here, peeps!" I announced into the phone to no reply in my direction. Rude!
"Children, please!" Elijah stated out loud, finally managing to stop his younger siblings, making me chuckle at them all.
Klaus cleared his throat. "So what I was trying to say was..." He paused for a second as I heard the sound of a huge gush of wind. "You and Stefan have done a wonderful job, love. Even more so than the first one,"
"Oh, Nik! You didn't have to speed off into another room to praise Rose..." Rebekah yelled from a distance. "We know you love her too!"
"Shut up, Rebekah!" Klaus replied.
Even though I couldn't help but smile at him, I disguised the cheeriness in my voice. "Oh! My! God! Niklaus 'The immortal hybrid dick' Mikaelson just praised poor old me? The world must be ending!"
"Rose..." Klaus trailed off in an annoyed voice.
I laughed lightly, looking around the grill to make sure that nobody was staring at me. "Okay! Okay! I take it back...thank you. I appreciate it," I beamed at him through the phone. "Bye, Klaus,"
He didn't say anything but I knew that he was smiling in response as he hung up the phone and I began to get up from my seat to leave. A waiter made his way towards me, placing down a glass of bourbon on the table.
"Oh, I didn't order this," I told him. He must have mixed someone's order up with mine.
"I know," He replied "The man did,"
I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "Which man?" I asked as he pointed his finger at someone behind me, prompting me to turn back.
My eyes followed his pointed finger to find a man sitting at the bar, smiling at me. How is he here? I widened my eyes, my heart racing with every second I looked at him. "He paid for your drink. Said his name was Damon Salvatore," Damon smirked at me, waving his fingers as I just stared in shock, unable to say anything.
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𝙏𝙃𝙍𝙀𝙀 𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙎 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙈 𝙉𝙊𝙒...
My dearest Willow,
I do not know how this letter will find you. As a child full of wonder, a teenager full of opinions, or a woman with the world at her feet. There's so much I want to tell you and so little time but I'm going to try and make the most of it. Even if you don't understand every word I'm writing, one day you might. I was born at a time when women were supposed to be seen, not heard and just like everyone's parents, mine had expectations too. When I got a little older and could think for myself, I started questioning everything around me. I revolted against everyone who tried to restrict me to what society expected of me: to be an obedient daughter, marry someone of my father's liking, and pop out a few babies but more so, they expected me not to have a voice. But I did. I had a voice and used it. It was scary, going up against everyone but the silence was scarier. They all criticized me, my mother did too. It made me feel like I wasn't good enough, that no one was ever going to love me or accept me because I didn't go by the rule book or keep my mouth close like most of the women I had encountered back then. There were countless nights when I wished for someone who'd hold me and tell me that it was okay, that I was loved and cherished. I had yearned for love, knowing somewhere deep inside that I wasn't going to find it, but not you, my daughter. I promise you today that you'll never have to go through this.
Even though the times have changed for the better, I can't promise you that your life is going to be easy. No. Life is never easy. There are going to be times when you won't be fine and you'll need someone to hold you. This world is going to hurt you deeply. It will remind you time and time again of all the horrible things you've been through, and you'll need somebody to talk to. I want you to know that I will be there for you even if I'm not sitting next to you or if I can't touch you, I'll be right there all around you, watching over my beautiful little girl. I want you to revolt, make mistakes and do whatever you want to do and then one day, you'll fall hard and you won't know what to do. I know you'll know that I'll always be there with you but you'll have to get up on your own, and I know you'll succeed because I love you, and I'm proud of you no matter what. You are loved by me, your dad, and everyone. You're beautiful and enough. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Travel the world, fall in love, get married and have beautiful babies or not. You're complete with or without one but live your life! Make friends and your own family. Bound together not by blood but love. And Love is everything, V. It's painful, ruthless yet so beautiful but never perfect. I fell in love with your dad and it hasn't been easy ever since but we've made it through everything together because we love each other and we love you. You're our always, our baby girl, our Willow. You're inside our hearts no matter where you go. I named you Willow because it represented your father and I's love for each other. The moment I held you in my arms for the first time, you stared at me with those adorable hazel eyes of yours and I knew my life was never going to be the same. You, Willow, were my epiphany. You made me realise something I'd known all along but never let it sink in. I was loved and cherished. I had your father and so many people. When you cooed at me for the very first time, I saw in both of your eyes how much you two loved me.
Don't be afraid of darkness. Sometimes, the most beautiful people are hidden in the darkest corners of our life. If you ever feel scared, just close your eyes and sing our lullaby, you'll feel safe. Your dad and I love you so much, baby girl. You're our beautiful dream come true. The best of us in you, sweet little Willow. If I don't make it out of here, I want you to take care of your dad for me and love him as he loves you unconditionally, then I shall be immortal inside the two people I love the most. To the strong and beautiful woman, I can now only imagine, you'll always be my little girl and I love you till forever ends.
I'll be dreaming of you when I close my eyes for the last time,
Your Mom
I folded the letter, wiping away my tears so that they didn't stain the paper. I placed it inside the envelope, sealing it as I placed a kiss on top. "Mama?" I heard Willow call from behind me.
"Hey, baby," I beamed up to her, hiding my red eyes as I took her into my arms and placed her on my lap.
"Dad promised to take me swimming when I come back," She told me slowly as I wrapped my arms around her. "Will you come too?"
"Of course, I will," I gave her a small smile, cursing myself internally as a single tear escaped my eye.
Willow wiped away my tear with her small fingertips, pouting a little. "Are you sad, Mama?"
"No," I lied to her in a clogged voice, taking her hands and kissing them gently. "I'm happy...People cry when they're really happy,"
"Is that why Dad was crying too?" I nodded my head at her. I had been so caught with my own grief that I forgot he was hurting too.
I picked her up, resting her head rest on my shoulder as I got up. "Well, you and Hope are going to meet Lizzie and Josie, so I think Dad's a little sad that he has to stay away from you...I'm too," I whispered in her ear.
"Oh, then I'll stay. I don't like it when you two are sad," She replied adorably, making me smile as we went outside the room with the letter in my hand.
"It's okay, V. It's just for some time," I placed a kiss on her forehead. "We are going to be fine once we know you've reached Ric's home safely,"
"Promise?" She asked me.
"Promise," I kissed her head again, placing her down. "Now, say goodbye to everyone," Willow gave me a nod, going to hug everyone as her father joined me.
"You okay?" I wrapped my arm around his waist to comfort him, leaning my head on his shoulder.
He hummed in response. "You do realize that it might be the last time we ever see her?"
My eyes stayed fixated on Willow as she hugged Caroline and Hayley. Even if I stared at her all my life, I could never get enough. She was so adorable, smart and kind. Without her and Hope's giggles echoing throughout the house, it'd be deadly silent around here. How could I ever live without her? But, I had to. We all had to make sure that our kids remain safe and for that, we had to let them go. My only regret was that I'd miss everything. I would never get to see my little girl grow up. All I could do now was imagine how she would be like when she grows up.
"Yeah...but if I go, I'll go in peace knowing that she's safe," Hearing my wavering voice, he placed a kiss on the top of my head, rubbing my back.
"You're not going anywhere, Ro," He whispered in my ear. "We have to make it out alive for her. She deserves to have a happy life with both of her parents,"
I gave him a small nod as Hope ran towards me, hugging me. "Bye, Ro. I'll miss you," She told me.
"I'll miss you too, Mellow," I kissed her on the cheek, hugging her tightly as Willow approached us. I crouched in front of them, taking their hands in fine. "Now, you two girls stay safe, okay? Be happy and play lots of games," They high-fived each other, giggling. "I love you two," I draped my arms around them again. Don't cry.
When we broke apart, I walked them to the car along with Hayley, who was trying her hardest not to cry. I looked at a smiling Willow, placing a few soft kisses on her head while rocking her in my arms. "I love you, V. I love you so much," Hold it in, don't cry!
She giggled as I brushed my nose against her softly. "I love you too, Mama. Dad," He approached us, engulfing us both in a group hug and I buried my face in the crook of his neck, letting my tears fall silently.
"I'm gonna miss my girls together," He said lowly, clinging onto us. "Oh, you two. I love you both," He stated, kissing us both on the forehead one by one. Not being able to contain my tears anymore, I tightly hugged Willow again before rushing away from everyone and into the basement of the house.
I sobbed a little, relieved by the fact that Alaric would keep her safe. I trailed my hand over the coffin placed in front of me, opening it slowly. Even though I had seen him like that for a long time now, I could never get used to the sight before me. His grey and desiccated body never failed to make my heart ache with pain and sadness. I put two fingers on my lips, kissing them before placing them on top of his forehead. "Willow just left with Ric and I can't help but miss how much her eyes reminded me of you every second of the day. The same innocence yet a glint of mischief that shines through it. I miss you, Stefie...I wish you were here...I won't break my promise to you. Never,"
I stroked his hair gently before closing the lid again.
"You okay?" Damon asked from behind me.
"Yeah," I answered, turning towards him. He came closer, cupping my face in his hands.
Damon tucked my hair behind my ears, stroking my face. "Don't worry, Ro. You're going to be okay...I'm right here with you," He assured me, pulling me in for a hug. Even though I didn't ask for it but he knew I needed it. He always did. "I love you,"
I looked at him, a wide smile making its way on my face. I proved everyone wrong, myself too. I was loved and cherished. I had a family which accepted me for who I was and the man holding me was all I ever yearned for. Guess, there was a God after all. "I love you too, Raven," I kissed him deeply, hugging him again. "You've no idea how much," If only that fourteen-year-old girl could see me right now...If only she knew...
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Not having the slightest idea of how motherhood feels like, I don't know how this turned out but...I tried my best! Just thought about everything I would've wanted my mother to tell or everything she has taught me. This chapter is really close to my heart.🤞Toodles!!!😄