╔════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Chapter 42 – Bonds & Warnings 🏥🍼🐺 ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝
⋆──────────────────────────────⋆
The hospital smelled the same—sterile, sharp, too bright.
But this time, when Hope helped Nova through the entrance, it didn't feel like a place of panic.
It felt like a place where their daughters were waiting.
Hope kept a steady hand at Nova's lower back as they walked toward the NICU. Nova moved slowly but determined, exhaustion still clinging to her limbs, though she tried not to show it.
When they stepped inside the NICU, everything softened.
The steady hum of machines.
The faint beeping of monitors.
The tiny rise and fall of two impossibly small chests.
Hope helped Nova settle into the reclining chair beside the incubators. A nurse greeted them warmly and carefully lifted Talia first, placing her gently against Nova's chest.
Nova's breath left her in a trembling exhale.
"Hi, baby girl..." she whispered.
Talia was so small, swaddled in soft hospital blankets, her little face scrunched slightly as she rooted instinctively.
Hope watched, heart in her throat, as Nova adjusted carefully and began to breastfeed. It was slow, gentle, careful.
Nova's eyes filled immediately.
"You're so strong," she murmured. "Both of you are."
Andrea stirred in the second incubator, tiny fingers flexing.
Hope leaned down to kiss Nova's temple. "I'm going to step out for just a minute," she said quietly. "I need to make a call."
Nova nodded, distracted by the warm weight in her arms. "Don't be long."
"Never."
Nova settled deeper into the reclining chair, Talia cradled carefully against her chest now that she had finished nursing. She didn't move for a long moment—just stared down at the tiny life she and Hope had made.
Talia was impossibly small, her body fitting easily in the crook of Nova's arm. Little tufts of dark hair—so much like Nova's own—curled softly against her delicate scalp. But when her eyelids fluttered open, there they were.
Blue.
Hope's blue.
Nova's breath caught as those tiny, unfocused eyes blinked up at her.
"Hi, my beautiful girl," Nova whispered, brushing her fingertip gently along Talia's cheek. "You've got my hair and your mama's eyes. That's not fair. You're going to be way too pretty."
Talia's tiny fingers flexed weakly, curling instinctively around Nova's finger.
"You're so new," Nova murmured softly. "So tiny. You're supposed to still be cooking, you know that? Thirty weeks is rude." She let out a shaky laugh. "But you're here. And you're fighting. And I'm so proud of you."
She pressed a careful kiss to Talia's soft forehead.
"I don't care if you don't understand me yet," Nova continued quietly. "I'm going to tell you anyway. Your mama and I love you more than anything. You and your sister are everything."
She rocked gently, instinctive and slow, eyes never leaving her daughter's face.
"And if anyone ever tries to hurt you? They'll answer to both of us."
⋆──────────────────────────────⋆
Hope stepped into the hallway, the NICU doors closing softly behind her.
She pulled out her phone and dialed.
Lydia answered on the second ring.
"Hope?" Lydia's voice sharpened instantly. "What happened?"
"She texted Nova," Hope said without preamble.
Silence.
"Allison?" Lydia asked, though she already knew.
"Yes. She wants to meet Nova alone."
The temperature in Lydia's voice dropped. "Absolutely not."
Hope exhaled slowly. "I need everything you can find. I don't care if it's small. I don't care if it seems irrelevant."
Lydia went quiet for a beat, then softer. "Nova didn't deserve what happened back then."
Hope didn't interrupt.
"You don't know the whole story," Lydia continued. "Before the cheating... Nova loved her. Like really loved her. Allison wasn't just a girlfriend. She was Nova's first real 'forever.' Nova was all in. Protective. Devoted. She would've burned the world down for her."
Hope's jaw tightened.
"And when Allison cheated with Scott?" Lydia's voice wavered faintly. "It broke her. Nova came to me first. She was shaking. Could barely breathe. She blamed herself. Thought she wasn't enough."
Hope closed her eyes briefly.
Lydia continued, fiercer now. "And for the record? Nova was there for me when I was awful. When I was pretending to be dumb. When I pushed people away. She never judged me. Never left. So if Allison thinks she gets to stroll back in and destabilize her?"
Lydia's tone sharpened like glass.
"She's wrong."
Hope nodded even though Lydia couldn't see it. "Thank you."
"I'll look into her. Quietly. And Hope?"
"Yes?"
"If Nova even considers meeting her alone, call me. I'll handle it."
Hope almost smiled. "Noted."
Lydia didn't hang up immediately.
"Hope... there's more you should know," she said quietly.
Hope straightened in the hallway. "Tell me."
Lydia exhaled slowly. "The beginning was chaos. Scott and Nova got the bite the same night—from Peter Hale. Everything changed overnight. The Argents came back into town right after. Hunters. Professional ones."
Hope's fingers curled slightly around her phone.
"That's when Nova met Allison," Lydia continued. "Allison was new. Sweet. Curious. She had no idea what her family really did at first. And Nova... Nova fell hard."
Hope swallowed.
"They were inseparable," Lydia said softly. "Sneaking out. Studying together. Fighting side by side before Allison even knew she was fighting werewolves. And when she did find out? She chose Nova. For a while."
Hope felt something twist in her chest.
"And then there was Kate," Lydia added, voice darkening. "Allison's aunt. Manipulative. Cruel. She played games with both of them. With all of us. She used Allison. Used her grief. Used her anger."
Hope's jaw tightened at the thought.
"But before it all fell apart," Lydia said gently, "they were in love. Not a crush. Not a fling. They planned futures. Nova would've died for her. And Allison? She would've done the same... once."
Hope looked down the hallway toward the NICU doors.
A flicker of jealousy sparked—sharp and sudden.
She wished she had been there first. Wished she'd met Nova before the heartbreak. Before the betrayal. Before someone else had been Nova's 'forever.'
But layered beneath that was something else.
Gratitude.
Gratitude that Lydia was telling her. That she trusted her with it. That she understood how much Nova meant now.
"Thank you for telling me," Hope said quietly.
Lydia's voice softened. "I'm not telling you to make you insecure. I'm telling you because if Allison's resurfacing, she might try to weaponize the past. And Nova loved deeply. That's her strength—but it's also her vulnerability."
Hope nodded slowly. "She's not vulnerable anymore. Not alone."
"I know," Lydia replied. "And Hope? You're not the second choice. You're the right one."
Hope's throat tightened unexpectedly.
"I'll keep digging," Lydia promised.
"Okay."
They hung up.
⋆──────────────────────────────⋆
Inside the NICU, Nova shifted carefully and lifted Andrea once Talia finished feeding.
She kissed each tiny forehead in turn.
"Your mama stepped out for a minute," Nova whispered softly. "But she'll be right back. She doesn't go far."
Andrea latched this time, small but determined.
Nova let out a breathy laugh through tears.
"You're both fighters," she murmured. "Just like her."
She shifted carefully, settling Andrea against her chest once more, studying the youngest of the beautiful children she and Hope had made. Andrea was just as tiny as her sister, but there was something softer about her expression—calm, watchful.
Little tufts of auburn hair—Hope's unmistakable shade—curled delicately across her small head. And when her eyelids fluttered open, Nova felt her heart completely give in.
Green.
Her green.
"Hi, my sweet girl," Nova whispered, tracing the outline of Andrea's cheek with the lightest touch. "You've got Mama's hair and my eyes. That feels fair."
Andrea made a tiny sound, shifting closer, as if recognizing the warmth of her mother's voice.
The NICU doors opened softly.
Hope paused just inside the doorway, unnoticed for a moment.
She heard Nova's voice first.
"You've got such a big family waiting for you," Nova murmured softly. "On my side, you've got Derek—he pretends he's grumpy, but he'll protect you with his life. Peter... well, he's complicated, but he's still blood. Melissa's going to bake you cookies. Stiles is going to take a million embarrassing pictures. Malia will teach you how to fight. Lydia will teach you how to read a room before you even know what one is. Kira, Isaac, Ethan, Aiden—they're all yours too."
She smiled faintly through the tears.
"And on your mama's side? Oh, you're in trouble." Nova let out a soft laugh. "Klaus is already obsessed. Hayley would have spoiled you rotten. Elijah would teach you honor. Rebekah will buy you everything. Kol will absolutely corrupt you in the fun way. Freya will protect you with magic. Marcel will make sure no one touches you. Davina and Keelin will fuss over you. Cami would've read you stories. And Josh? He'd sneak you candy."
Nova kissed Andrea's tiny forehead.
"You're so loved already," she whispered. "More than you'll ever understand."
Minutes passed.
Nova glanced toward the NICU doors.
What's taking so long?
A flicker of worry crept in.
Not fear.
Just awareness.
The soulbond hummed faintly.
Nova adjusted the blanket around Andrea and glanced toward Talia sleeping safely inside her incubator, a soft smile touching her lips.
"Your mama is protective," she whispered. "She's probably threatening someone. It's her love language. And your mama and I? We will always protect you. Always."
The words settled into the quiet air—and something answered.
A warm pulse moved through Nova's chest, subtle but undeniable. The soulbond stirred, not with warning this time, but with certainty. It felt like standing in sunlight after days of storm. Steady. Rooted. Unbreakable.
Out in the middle of the doorway, Hope stilled mid-step.
Her breath caught as the bond flared gently beneath her ribs—Nova's love, fierce and protective, wrapping around her like invisible hands. Not fear. Not anger.
Promise.
Hope closed her eyes for half a second, absorbing it. The emotion flowed both ways—her own vow threading back through the bond, intertwining with Nova's until it was impossible to tell where one began and the other ended.
They were aligned.
Mate. Mother. Protector.
Even separated by a hallway door, they were connected completely.
Still...
She hoped Hope would come back soon.
Hope didn't move still watching the love of her life and their children.
Nova was smiling down at Andrea, eyes soft and shining, completely unaware she had an audience.
"And your mama?" Nova continued quietly. "She's going to pretend she's calm. She's not. She's going to scare half the world for you. But she loves you more than she's ever loved anything. I've seen it."
Hope's breath caught.
The jealousy from earlier—sharp and green and ugly—melted into something warm.
Nova wasn't comparing.
She wasn't looking backward.
She was looking forward.
At them.
Hope stepped closer finally, voice soft. "You're making me sound dramatic."
Nova startled slightly, looking up with wide eyes before relaxing immediately. "You are dramatic."
Hope smiled, walking up beside the chair and brushing her knuckles gently along Talia's tiny arm in the incubator. "Only about things that matter."
Nova watched her carefully. "Everything okay?"
Hope nodded, leaning down to kiss Nova's temple. "Yeah. Everything's handled."
She looked down at her daughters—so small, so fierce already.
And silently, she made another promise.
No one would destabilize this family again.
Not while she was breathing.
⋆──────────────────────────────⋆