The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

I woke up slowly, still groggy, as it took time for me to gather my bearings. I remembered my labor and Damon being there. My belly was empty, the babies were out, but were they okay?

I sat up as the door opened and Charles stepped in, saying, "Morning, honey. All five are doing splendidly, nothing to worry about. Damon is busy with others as he is waiting for Mariella to wake up."

I nodded and mentioned, "That was quite a labor. When will I have a normal birthing experience?"

Charles smiled, flopped next to me, and pulled me into his arms. It felt so good to be in his embrace.

He shared, "The babies are sleeping. The smallest girl was over three kilos, and the largest was over five kilos, so you had quite a load inside you. They are not dressed yet."

I sighed; it was time to be a mom.

In a calm voice, I said, "I know Damon will be busy with Mariella, but will you help me out? I bet my five will keep us plenty busy, call it experience or something."

Charles grunted and replied, "Sure, I will help you unless something stops me."

I asked, "You mean Mariella or the wolves?"

He nodded and explained, "I am their protector, and I can't help it if they need me, honey. But let's take it one day at a time and see what comes out of this. The Salvatores might keep them cared for, and I am free to assist you and your brood."

I was happy and suggested, "I should get up, maybe take a shower, dress myself, and meet my babies, dress them, and see if their names fit."

Charles grunted and inquired, "Have you talked with Damon about names?"

I shook my head and replied, "My guess is it doesn't matter to him much with Mariella and her nine little ones. I heard they have floral names, so it took my choice for a girl, but I have options."

Charles said, "Well, maybe Damon wants to have a say. You can never know."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Sure, when he has the time or interest. I know my realities; Mariella comes first, not me or our babies. But their family, and it's fine. I won't be alone; there is a lot of help available."

Charles stood up and told me, "Go take a shower. I'll choose your clothes while you do that, and then you can see our little ones."

I smiled and got out of bed, making my way to the bathroom to freshen up. This room was different from the one where I had given birth, with its muted grey, green, and black colors giving off a masculine vibe. I knew I wouldn't be spending much time here, as I preferred to sleep in our bedroom, even if I had to do it alone.

As I washed up, the feeling of getting rid of the medical scents and remnants was refreshing after the whirlwind of labor. It had all gone by so quickly, leaving me little time to process, but now it was time to embrace motherhood and savor every moment with my babies.

After a long, hot shower, I stepped out to find Damon waiting for me, having brought clothes and pulling out a stool in front of the vanity dresser, ready to tend to my hair.

As he brushed and blow-dried my hair, he mentioned, "Charles mentioned you had some names in mind. Care to share?"

I hesitated before sharing, "I initially thought of naming our girl Daisy May, but since Mariella already has a flower name, I'm leaning towards Eve. For boys, I like Luke, Matt, Mark, and John."

Damon disagreed, saying, "No, we won't stick to biblical names, my dear babygirl. Let me suggest something."

He then proposed names:

"Our daughter will be Mona Lisa, as she is my little muse. The triplets will be Matteo, Mario, and Marco, and our eldest boy will be Milo. All starting with the letter M, like their mommy."

I smiled, finding the names quite fitting, and remarked, "Great choices! You have a knack for this, a blend of your Italian roots and a touch of me in the initials."

Damon added, "You'll soon meet our quintuplets, and I'll engrave their names on their cribs."

He held my hand, our scars meeting, and a sudden pain shot through my arm as our tattoos began to expand once more.

With a smile, he pointed out, "There they are."

On my arm, the passionfruit vine tattoo now bore the names Mona Lisa, Milo, Matteo, Marco, and Mario on its leaves. Our children's names had become a part of our tattoos, symbolizing our growing family. 

After he styled my hair into a complex updo, he made sure I was dressed to his liking, insisting on stiletto heels instead of fuzzy slippers. After all, I had quite the collection, and Elena and Katherine had expressed great interest when I showed them my shoes, as their feet were the same size as mine, allowing them to borrow my heels too.

It seemed that Damon was the one to choose my shoes and clothes most often, but I wondered how long that would last. I didn't want to dwell on it too much; I was excited to see my little ones and dress them up. 

Once I was ready, Damon offered his arm, and we walked to our nursery together, me holding onto him. The bedroom was on the second floor, the nursery being in first floor, accessible by just one set of stairs. As we descended, we finally reached the room.

Upon entering, I could truly smell my babies, and the nursery felt alive and complete. I walked carefully to the cribs, which were beautifully ornate, and the soft flooring cushioned my steps.

The first crib belonged to our firstborn, Mona Lisa. Damon gently touched the end of the crib, his hand glowing slightly, revealing the ornate carving: "Mona Lisa Salvatore." It marked her crib, and I wondered if there would be many more babies after her, or if we would pass it on to the magical house once the children were grown.

Mona Lisa was perfect, with her black hair, rosebud mouth, and her face no longer squished. Her rosy cheeks and dark lashes gave her the look of a true princess. Like the others, she was swaddled snugly.

I walked up to the next crib, our second one. Milo was lying there, and Damon's hand glowed as Milo's name was carved at the end of his crib. He seemed huge, and I suspected he might already need bigger clothes. With his blonde hair and Damon's features, it was hard to say who he resembled at such a young age.

Damon remarked, "He's a big boy, a strong one too."

I agreed, saying, "He might need bigger clothes, but I have them nearby."

I then went to check on my wizard triplets.

Damon had mentioned on our way there that they were strong wizards. Wulfe was working on improving their binding potion as they enjoyed working together to enhance their magic, forming a little coven of their own. They were like mini versions of Damon, with dark hair and an arrogant expression. I didn't see much of myself in them. I hoped they would be a bit more patient and less flamboyant in their temperament.

Damon suggested, "Okay, let's dress them. You take Milo, and I'll start with my princess."

He picked up Mona, who woke up, looked at Damon, and started crying loudly. Meanwhile, Milo woke up scared by Mona's crying, and soon all the triplets were wailing. Damon eventually calmed Mona down and prepared fresh clothes and a diaper for her. I comforted Milo with a set of bigger clothes and a diaper, managing to calm him down, but the triplets were still crying.

I had the remote for the cribs, and I put them on, making the triplets a little calmer. They were fussing but not screaming as loudly. Numbers two and three walked in, amused.

Damon rolled his eyes as he skillfully dressed Mona, who was still uncertain whether to cry. I was talking calmly to Milo, who was a big boy but curled up as an infant, making it a bit challenging to dress him. Nevertheless, I managed to dress him and carried him back to his crib. I gave him a pacifier, turned on his crib, and then took Marco in my arms.

Damon handed Mona to me, and I gave her a pacifier before putting her in her crib with the mobile on. Damon had dressed her in a pink bodysuit and one of my knitted woolen jackets and pants – she looked cute.

I took Marco to the care station and told Damon, "See, this is now pink, meaning it's used," pointing out the care station's padded surface. "Now you take it, see this little strip and pull," I demonstrated as I peeled off the used cover, ensuring the surface was clean again.

I disposed of the used thin film in the trash. "It's easy – always a clean surface, no need for many chemicals. It's activated by body heat, so when it turns pink, it's dirty, and all you do is peel it off. There are about 1500 films in this, and I have a pile in storage."

Damon grunted as he peeled the surface from his station too, commenting, "Fancy novelty. I wonder if other females could use these."

I nodded and said, "I have plenty in storage, but I'm not sure what Mariella's stance is on plastic or wolves. Do they prefer a different surface for their care station?"

Damon gave me a sharp glance – cleanliness was always a priority for him, and this innovative solution seemed to intrigue him. We weren't afraid to use plastic and microplastics as they were practical in many applications. 

Marco was smaller, so I could dress him in smaller clothes. I dressed him in blue - a blue jumpsuit, blue little socks, and a velvet jacket. He even had a little white stripe in his hair. Damon smiled as he showed me Mario's stripe. They were wizards from birth.

Damon let me dress Matteo as he asked, "Where are these paddings?"

I replied, "In the baby storage, and I have several in the cupboard."

Number two went to check what I had there and took three paddings with him, walking away with number four.

Damon said to me, "Can you handle him? I need to check if Mariella is awake."

I nodded and assured him, "We will be fine. No need to worry about us. Things will be busy in the upcoming weeks with many babies. I have help if I need it."

He nodded and briskly walked away. I cooed and crooned to my little boy as I dressed him.

As I picked him up, I smelled his wonderful scent, and my heart sang. It was just perfect. I was determined to spend as much time with my babies, holding them and talking to them in several languages. I had also prepared several Finnish lullabies to play for them. Sitting on the rocking chair, I hummed softly to my baby boy, feeling the pressure in my breasts - knowing I had milk ready if needed.

Everyone was calm and asleep, making the moment wonderful. Rocking myself in the chair, I held my baby, planning to give my time to each one. I aimed to be the best mommy I could, though unsure of the challenges ahead.

Adam walked in and asked, "Oh, you've dressed them. Where is Damon?"

I replied, "Come meet Matteo. Damon is with Mariella. He dressed two of them, causing our firstborn to cry, but now they are all silent again."

Adam walked over to sit next to me. I handed Matteo to him, and he rocked him gently. His gaze was full of amazement as he looked at my baby boy.

He touched Matteo's white stripe and softly commented, "Look at that, the first one. Even Mariella and Damon had many wizards and witches, but none of them were marked right from the start."

I replied softly, "You know me, always having to show them that it's me, a non-magical creature, making wizard triplets with wizard marks right from the beginning."

Adam smiled, taking in the baby's scent and saying, "This scent is so perfect, I love it."

I quipped back, "He may smell nice now, but later on, he might be a little stinkier."

Adam looked at me and reassured, "Even though they are not biologically mine, I want to do this with you. Charles might be tangled up with Mariella due to her jealousy, but she has no hold over me. I will help you, be there for you, and make sure you rest and eat too, as skinny as you are."

He then got up, placed Matteo in his crib, and handed me a wristwatch.

He said, "Here, this is the latest tech. Let me put this online."

He took out some small black boxes from his pocket and discreetly placed them inside the crib. He had his phone, opened an app, and the light came on the box, displaying information on my wristwatch. It was like a tiny computer with the time and other features. There were five indicators, each for a baby.

Adam explained, "Now, each baby has their own cry alarm. Your watch will notify you who is fussing or crying. You can try it out by selecting Marco's crib."

I pressed a button, and Marco's crib started to move.

I commented, "Cool, this is useful."

Adam showed me a few more features before suggesting, "Now, let's go eat. You are always aware of them, so no need to worry. It's time to eat."

He led me to the dining area, adjusting the lighting to create a dim and calm environment for the babies to sleep better. Adam was my husband, one of many, but he was my ultimate security. He was always there for me, my first protector. While Wulfe and Damon had other priorities, Adam rarely put someone else before me, and for that, I was immensely grateful.

As I sat in the kitchen, Salvatores was busy preparing food and bringing things in front of me. I found myself reflecting on my life and how much it had changed. Sometimes, I felt like the confused creature who had escaped into the cold wilderness a long time ago was completely gone, and I was not that creature anymore.

However, my memories kept me grounded. I experienced everything, remembered everything, and pondered what kind of creature I would be without my strong connection to my past. Various scenarios raced through my mind, and at one point, I was overwhelmed by my hormones as they flooded in.

The whole process of labor and motherhood had come a month too early, catching me off guard. I wondered about the impact of such ponderings on others. Would they face even greater challenges if motherhood was thrust upon them unexpectedly? Only time would tell. For now, it was time to embrace motherhood, to be a mommy, and to savor this moment as much as possible.