gray watched his uncle and sighed a little before shrugging. "I dunno... I mean uncle jer and sarah are missing but not our immediate family... but it's just strange... wondering if another wave of people are gonna disappear... or if mom or dad or you are gonna be next... "gray admitted.

stefan understood his nephew's concerns ; a part of him wanted to promise that everything would be okay , that no one else would be taken . yet , he couldn't make promises when he himself was devoid of answers about the chaos unfolding around them . " i know it's hard but we're going to get through this , " stefan assured , his words as much a conviction for himself as they were meant to be for his nephew .

The girl nodded, "I suppose, but you'll need to see one of my teachers first, since mom isn't around," she muttered, aware of the hurdle of getting a parental signature for campus approval. If her dad were to sign, he might discover her failing grades. Nevertheless, she greeted the task with a smile of eagerness, "I can do that. Do you think we'll have answers soon?" she inquired, meeting his gaze with a gentle expression. "They've got to turn up soon."

stefan nodded , not giving it much thought . " did they mention what it's about ? " he inquired , curiosity moved through his thoughts . it had been a long day and an even longer week , so stefan wasn't aware of reagan academic grades . " i'm hopeful , " he said with a hint of optimism , but his mind was bracing for the worst - case scenario .

rebekah’s eyes narrowed in concern, her worry for her loved ones evident in every line of her face. “stefan,” she began, her voice low but fierce, “we can’t afford to wait idly by, hoping for updates.” she took a step closer, her gaze unwavering. “i need you to promise me that if you hear anything—anything at all—you’ll let me know immediately. we’re in this together, and every second counts.” her tone softened slightly, the urgency giving way to a plea. “we can’t lose hope now. we need every piece of the puzzle..”

"they believe the answers lie in the cemetery , " he disclosed , providing another piece of the puzzle so she would know everything he knew at that moment , " i'll give you more updates as they come , " he promised , understanding that they were in the same predicament . with caroline missing , stefan understood exactly how rebekah felt .

closed starter with : @xripper

stefan stumbled upon the oldest hybrid . in the past , the salvatore brother would have pointed fingers at the mikaelsons for whatever was happening , but this time it was different . " please tell me you know what's happening , here ? " he implored as he approached niklaus . " the dead coming back is one thing , but now people are vanishing . . and i can't find my wife anywhere , ' he said , his voice tinged with concern and worry , before anger moved to the surface .

Theo's annoyance was palpable as he snapped at the older male figure, his words laced with impatience. "Well, you're on your own then," he said with a shrug, dismissing the situation with a carefree attitude. "They normally show up in a day or two anyway," Theo added casually, displaying a sense of confidence in the eventual resolution of the matter.

stefan was trailing behind , sensing that the young mikaelson male failed to grasp the gravity of the unfolding events in the city . " i've heard your father returned , but not everyone has been so fortunate , " he responded .

Reagan felt a pang of guilt knowing that the people they loved were missing, understanding the worry that burdened her father. She knew it would be best to return home. "I'll come back home," she replied quietly, though she was aware that her deteriorating grades might ultimately force her to leave college. Despite this, she was not yet ready to share this truth with her father. "I can help you look for her if you want," she offered with a nonchalant shrug.

" you will? " stefan mused . the youngest salvatore of his generation was relived when reagan choose to stay with him during these trying times . however , the ex ripper , was concerned about his daughter becoming entangled in the chaos surrounding the recent disappearances . " we're still looking for answers about what's going on , but if you want to help maybe you can do some research for me , and let me know how many cemeteries are in the city . " he took his daughter up on her offer , yet trying to keep her safe at the same time .

"Maybe if we worked together, we could find some answers," Hope Mikaleson replied with a shrug of her shoulders. She hoped that with her help now, they might uncover the answers they were looking for.

" well i would never refuse hope mikaelson's help, " he reflected , before inhaling . it had been a long time since stefan had teamed up with the mikaelson's , so being around hope was somewhat reminiscent of the time he had gone on rescue missions with her parents . it was comforting to know that hope inherited her mother's penchant for protecting others. "

𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍. ⸺ ( @inaducursehqstarters ) setting: the missing;; part one: behind the black horizon location: downtown

dark brows crinkled over deep forest-green hues as he watched rebekah stepping out of her vehicle with determined strides . the urgency in her voice stuck a chord with him, affirming that they were both in dire straits . " bonnie and davina are working on it , but i haven't received any updates , " stefan responded.