3rd Person POV
Salvatore Crypt, Mystic Falls Forest

After the others have left, Kaitlyn walks into the Salvatore crypt and settles down on a stone bench around a corner, fiddling with her fingers before sighing loudly and bringing out a letter from her dress' pocket.

"To my love, mi sol, my everything-
Kaitlyn Rosalia Hart,

I do not know where to start with this letter. Let me begin by telling you how ashamed I am of disappearing the way I have, yet again. Except this time, I would give anything to be by your side instead. But I can't. And so I leave you with this letter, this burden of a truth that cannot provide you with the peace and happiness you deserve. Believe it or not, I did not leave Mystic Falls with the intention of not going back. That day, when I told you I'd come back to you, I meant it. And I meant every word before it. I meant every word from that night I asked you to marry me. Trust me, that is all I've ever wanted- to marry you, to be your husband and to love you as I should've all those years ago. But it seems fate has other plans yet again. And yet again, I do not have an explanation to offer to you.

Knowing you, you probably won't acknowledge the letter until your girls are safe. And now that you're reading it, I hope they are safe and all went well. I hope everyone's alright now. If so, I know what the others might be telling you now. They are probably pointing out all the reasons why you shouldn't have trusted me again, let me in so easily when I let you down again. But love, you know me like no one else ever will, and you know how true my love for you is. There is nothing in the world I wouldn't do to be with you right now, by your side, making memories as a family. Along with your kids, our beautiful daughter and all your friends. But our fate has never been easy. This time, however, I am not going to give up on us.

I wish I could tell you where am I and why I am away but my hands are tied. Just know, I am doing what I have to- to keep you safe, to keep our daughter safe. I can't put to words how difficult it is for me to write this letter now, imaging your face when Elijah tells you I am not coming back. I left Elijah a letter too. He will look over you and Hope while I cannot. Again, I wish I could tell you why I am away. Just know, it is best for you and the others to not try to unveil this as of now. The more people know, the worse the threat will likely get.

All I ask of you is to not lose faith in me. Like all the other times, all these years when no one has believed in me, you always have. My love, I ask you to do that one last time. I promise, when I return, I will give you the explanation you deserve. I promise that I will also give you all the love you deserve and more...and this time when I come back, I'm never leaving your side. We will be together, Always and Forever and Till Forever Falls Apart. Goodbye doesn't have to mean forever. You are still the light in my darkness, your smile still warms the coldest parts of my heart and it is you I love with all of me. We will be together again. This is my promise to you that I hope you will hold onto.

Forever Yours,
K.M."

To Kaitlyn, the letter didn't say much. It had the same lines over and over again. It was sincere but it didn't give away much. It didn't tell her why he left, when he was coming back and what he was upto now. It seemed unsure and it seemed anxious. But she knew her soulmate well enough to know it was sincere. She immediately felt bad for claiming he had let his paranoia get to the best of him. She shouldn't have assumed the worst. But she also didn't know what to tell the others when she, herself, didn't know what to make of this letter. It was clear that there was a threat and it must be serious enough to keep him away from his family. But if the threat was so big, why didn't he just come back? They could've worked together on this, with more hands on deck. Surely, the Scooby Gang and the rest of the Mikaelsons would've agreed to help. Then why did he ask her to not scoop around? What did he mean by 'The more people know, the worse the threat will likely get'? Kaitlyn's mind was a mess with thousand questions swirling around her head.

Over all, there was this unsettling feeling in her heart. She had expected the letter to be a goodbye. She thought it would say something like he wasn't coming back, or that he'd rushed into asking her to marry him. But this letter was the opposite. He told her he loves her and he asked her to wait for her, promising her that he will come back. What could she make out of this now? And if he was coming back eventually, why did it still hurt so much? The pain she had expected was bad. But what she was feeling now was way worse. It was hurt, uncertainty mixed along with the fatigue from the past few days. Kaitlyn felt as though she won't be able to get up from where she was seated, as though he body had given up on her and her mind was slowly doing the same. What will she tell the kids? What will she tell Hope? That her father had disappeared without a notice, yet again? That they didn't know how long he'd be gone for? Kaitlyn would have to put on a brave face for her kids but she was already breaking. After everything, she needed him. She needed her soulmate's touch, his comfort, his sweet nothings. She needed him to hold herself together yet here she was, finally falling apart and who knew his letter to her would've been the last straw.

Kaitlyn is pulled out of her train of thoughts by a knock on the crypt door. She immediately hides her face and wipes away her tears before looking towards the door to be greeted with Stefan's smiling face.

"Found you," he jokes as he walks in and sits down next to her.

"I didn't know you were looking," she jokes back.

"Well, you didn't come back home with the rest so we got worried. Damon wanted to send out a search party but I said I knew where to find you. And look, I found you."

"Yeah I just needed a minute to myself. The last few days have been very hectic," Kaitlyn mumbles and Stefan nods in understanding.

"Jo's gone," Stefan then tells her, "Ric and her talked to the girls. The girls did the spell to send her back. Caroline and Kol are holed up in their room now."

Kaitlyn nods in acknowledgement, not knowing what else to say, "you know, I'm so glad you're back, Stef. I wish we could've found a way for Jo too."

"Jo didn't want to stay, Lyn. And contrary to popular belief, it's not your duty to always find a way for everything," Stefan retorts with a nudge, causing her to chuckle.

"It is my duty when it's my people," Kaitlyn fires back with a laugh, "and you guys are all I have. All I've had for my entire life. All I've ever needed for my entire life."

"And we're here for you. We were, all those years ago and we till are," Stefan reassures her, pulling her into a half-hug before motioning to the lett4er in her hands, "is that from him? Damon and Caroline gave me a run-through of everything that went down these past few months."

Kaitlyn nods in response, "yeah, he left a letter with Elijah. I don't know what to make of it yet."

"You know, there's something that happened all those years ago and I never told you," Stefan confesses, causing Kaitlyn to frown in confusion.

"All those years ago when I left town to lure Rayna Cruz away from town, I ended up in New Orleans. I met Klaus then. They were fighting against this group of ancient vampires and at first, he asked to get the hell out of his town. But then, you remember when you called me and you were crying about how scared you were about my safety and that you had the kids with Caroline to keep her distracted? He was there with me then, and he heard it all. I saw it in his face, Lyn. It didn't take him a second to know it was you and I saw the yearning, the sorrow, the love- I saw all of it flash before his eyes when he heard your voice after all those years. After I hung up, I told him I would leave but I guess just hearing your voice changed his mind because he then offered to help. That's how much effect you still had over him, even after years of having no contact.

It took him a lot of guts, but he finally asked me about you. Asked how you were, if you had met someone, whose kids were you talking about, if you were safe and happy. I told him you wouldn't want him to know but honestly, I was scared that if I told him the truth, he'd leave everything and run back to you. I was scared the others wouldn't want that, you wouldn't want that and I told him to mind his own business. I told him you didn't want outsiders knowing about your life. Of course, it didn't stop him from asking more questions but I did see how bad that statement hurt him. Looking back now, maybe I should've told him about everything you were going through then. Three kids, newfound magic and all that other chaos- maybe if I had told him then and he came back here for you, you'd have more time with the love you deserve, you'd had more time with your daughter. Maybe he'd take you back to New Orleans and you'd be happier there, safer."

"I doubt New Orleans would've been any safer," Kaitlyn lets out a short laugh, "and besides, I wouldn't have let you guys ever. You did the right thing by not telling him. I don't think I needed that in life back then. And now, when I finally thought I was ready again, he's gone again. Granted, he says he's not away willingly but promised to come back, it doesn't' change much. I don't blame him for it but he's still not here now. And that hurts," her voice cracks, "it all hurts. Not just not having him here, but everything I was putting out all this time, all that pain in just gushing back. Losing you, losing Chris, I miss my mother and I don't know if I'll ever see her again. I have to go home to my kids and be strong for them but right this moment? I have no strength to face them. What will I tell them? How will I protect them from whatever threat comes next? I might have been a mother for 16 years, Stefan but I don't know if I'm doing it right. I...I can't keep them safe no matter how hard I try to and sometimes, like right now, I just want to run and hide and never have to feel again. I feel as though I'm drowing. I need to breathe again. To be happy.

And him not being here makes everything a thousand times worse. I just want him back, Stef. I know he doesn't want this either and all that but I just need him here.

"You know, in the letter, he said 'goodbye doesn't have to be forever' and my immediate thought was 'neither does our love, apparently.' I don't know where it came from, because I am so obviously, truly, deeply and crazily in love with him. Maybe it was because I'm scared of the hurt again. You know what hurts in love? The hope. It hurts when you love someone so much that even when they wrong you/hurt you for the thousandth time, you still love them just as much. You make excuses for them and believe in the best in them, even then.

I go around giving love-life advice to you guys and to the kids, but I honestly know nothing about love. I know about the pining, the challenge, the pre-friendship, the heartbreak but I never really experienced the 'love' part of it. And for someone, who you guys say is so strong-willed, I don't know how I do it but I always end up getting hurt. Why do I always end up falling in love with the person who hurt me the most? Why was love so cruel?" Kaitlyn cries into Stefan's shoulder as she rants on about all the emotions she had been holding on for too long.

"It's part of the bargain. But I see it, for you, of all people, there is a rainbow at the end. And something tells me this is the last storm you need to withstand. Something tells me this time when you reunite, it's going to be the final one. The 'Forever and Always' you two used to always talk about. And we're here with you every step of the way, I promise you that. Whatever you decided to do, we're here."

"Promise? You won't go around being the hero again?" Kaitlyn teases causing Stefan to chuckle.

"The hero part is sort of a second nature but yes, I promise. We'll be here with you through it all. Us, Salvatores stick together and I don't know if you remember, but you are the honorary Third Salvatore, so we're sticking together for life," Stefan reassures.

"Good," Kaitlyn replies, "because you already bailed once. Me and Damon aren't letting it happen a second time."

"We'll be fine, Lyn. We'll all be fine in the end," Stefan mumbles reassuringly, hugging her in comfort.

And for once, Kaitlyn did believe it. With her family by her side, she would be fine. They would all be.