1 month.

4 weeks.

30 days

720 hours.

I have been searching for my children for one month today. One month too long. One month that should never have happened.

But it did, and I couldn't change the past no matter how much I desired to. No matter how much I rolled it up into a tight bundle in my mind, it would always remain in the past, it will always have happened.

My thoughts wandered with me as I paced the busy hallways of the underground base. People bustled past me, not even acknowledging my presence. But I was perfectly fine with that. I needed to be alone. It didn't even matter that I was supposed to be sleeping right now. That I had to be up in three hours for training. I couldn't seem to find my way back to my quarters, or anywhere for that matter.

That cafeteria passed by on my left, only emergency lights illuminating the large room. It was late, probably close to one in the morning. My eyelids dragged, but I trudged on. I didn't know where I was going, but my energy felt spent. It seemed that all my searching would endlessly be in vain. Would I ever see those innocent faces again? 

My heart felt like it was thudding out of my chest, trying to rip itself to pieces, trying to explode within my chest. I pressed a weak hand against the wall to steady myself, but felt something strange.

My hand touched an unfamiliar surface from the plain white walls of the hallways. I turned, instantly recognizing the smooth surface. Wood. My hand rested upon a door with a small window near the top.

I glanced around the hallway for some clue as to where I was, but there were no indications. Nothing to break the monotony of the walls. 

I focused back on the glass window in the door. I squinted beyond the glass, trying to see into the inky blackness of whatever was behind it. My eyes focused more intently on the room and grew more adjusted. It looked like a nursery of sorts with many beds lined up against the walls on both sides. The beds were short, made for children, and full. I could make out at least six beds with small forms in them before the light from the hallway made it too dim.

My feet padded forward towards the door, although I don't know why. Perhaps I wanted to find comfort in seeing little ones when mine were so far away. 

The door opened, and I looked down in astonishment to see my fist curled around the handle. It made no sound as I pulled it open wider and took a step inside. None of the children stirred. 

The door clicked shut behind me, and I stood in the dark room for several minutes, blinking, until my vision adjusted. The first thing that struck me was the size. The room was much larger than I had pictured it from outside. Three more beds on each side of the room trailed towards the back where the beds changed into cribs. At the end, I could spot several changing tables.

A nursery for all the children of this underground place. It made sense as I had always wondered where the children I had seen running around stayed. They weren't fighters, so I couldn't imagine them staying in the barracks for the adults. 

A soft coo from the far side of the room made me jump. My eyes snapped over to the source of the noise, feeling a strike of pain in my chest. An infant, perhaps the same age as my children are. 

Unconsciously, I found myself walking forward past the toddler beds until I came to a stop at the first crib. I hesitated a foot away, feeling the fresh pain of the kids' absence as I neared. I couldn't do it. I couldn't look upon such a face without extreme pain. Why had I come in here?

I took a step back, prepared to leave, when the baby made another soft babbling sound. That sound... why did it hurt so much? It pulled at my heartstrings. I couldn't help it; I stepped forward and leaned down to see the source of my pain.

No no no. No. 

It can't.

I. Don't. 

My eyes stared down at a tiny form, and with a name I knew. Maura.

To my uttermost astonishment, the face of my nineteen month old daughter stared back at me, her blue eyes watching me with a sweet curiosity. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. 

How... how could she be here?

Maura mumbled something unintelligible and stretched her hands towards me, wiggling in her bed. And my heart erupted. I scooped her up into my arms, my sweet bundle of joy squirming with delight. 

"Da," she giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck. I kissed her forehead and held her close, my mind too afraid to question why she was here. 

Sheal. Was he here too? I approached the next crib along the wall, afraid and excited of what I would find. 

Another familiar little face perked up when I leaned over the crib. Sheal. He also had blue eyes like his twin sister, but they were a slightly darker shade. He yawned once, then grabbed the sides of the crib and pulled himself up.

I didn't hesitate to haul him into my other arm after shifting Maura to my left arm. They giggled and chattered to me, and I was so overwhelmed I couldn't speak. I could only hold them tight and kiss them every few seconds. I had found them after searching for such a long time. 

I studied the two of them more closely, trying to memorize their faces to make up for lost time. Maura's curly brown hair was as soft as ever, but it had grown fuller, covering more of her head. It even covered the small scar she had from when she was born. She had been the weaker of the twins, and the doctors had to immediately help her because she had a small tumor that had developed in the womb on the back of her head. For weeks she stayed at the hospital in critical care, and we feared she wouldn't make it past each night. Then one night, she woke up and her body began to heal. 

Sheal on the other hand, was always strong and healthy. He was the first to learn how to sit up, and at times it seemed like he was helping his sister to learn as well. His brown hair was identical to Maura's but not as curly. 

As I studied the twins, I almost didn't see the light beneath the door at the far wall before it was too late. The door began to crack open, and I knew there was nothing I could do to hide the fact that I was in here. But I didn't care. I had found my children, and I would do whatever it took to never lose them again.

Heyo all you lovely readers! Yes... yes, I know I haven't updated in way too long. I know! And I'm sorry. I completely understand if there's no one even left that's reading this. I haven't been a good writer in updating. My apologies. I've just had lots of projects I've been working on that I've been devoting my free time on. I've got my novel I'm editing and preparing to send to publishers, a new series I'm preparing to write, and several collabs I'm writing. Not to mention all the other books I have here on wattpad. Phew... wow, now that I write it all out, that's a lot. No wonder this always gets pushed back to my To Do List.

Anyways, if you are reading this and you enjoyed this chapter, then press that star button and give me a comment! Thanks again!

Ithildae