The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

It was early August, a time when babies were being born, and I cherished my role as a mom. Tending to these five little ones felt wonderful, especially since they were still relatively easy to manage in the first few weeks. Time flew by, and Damon became engrossed with Mariella and the wolves, which meant he hadn't visited my nursery in the past three weeks.

Now, as September approached, I managed well, despite the hustle and bustle of having five babies. The first two weeks were easier, but this week had become a real challenge. As they began to develop their personalities, it felt like riding a wild rollercoaster.

Mona, who resembled a little Damon, was particularly loud and impatient. Her screams, triggered by who knows what, startled Milo awake. His fright escalated into wailing, and of course, his cries roused the triplets. My whole brood was in an uproar, unless I quickly managed to calm Mona first.

I had a lot of help from Wulfe, Magnum, Alaric, Adam, and Charles, along with Tim and Taylor. However, the wolves often required assistance, since Mariella's brood kept the Salvatores busy.

While Mariella did tend to her kids herself, I considered her methods a bit cheat-like. She would use spells to magically clean clothes instead of changing them and could quickly empty diapers and clean babies using energy. Tsk, tsk. But that was their choice.

Half the fun of parenting was changing diapers, dressing the babies, talking to them, and simply being with them. I soon noticed the Salvatores taking over baby care from Mariella, and the wolves worked efficiently, even dressing Mariella and themselves in fancy clothes, treating the little ones like dolls to be pampered. 

 I was not a doll. It had been three weeks, and I was feeling it, but it was all good. I was on my way to the kitchen to eat, with five puke stains on my loose t-shirt. My smallest pink jeans were a little loose on me, as I was pretty skinny. My hair was tightly up in a bun to keep it clean.

Wulfe was walking with me in the kitchen. My five kids were sleeping, after I had just changed and dressed them up. Mona wanted to be held; she was a real cuddle bug and would get upset if she wasn't in my arms or someone else's. She was a little princess, dressed as one by Wulfe.

As I walked into the kitchen, feeling a bit tired from busy nights, Mariella caught my eye. She was wearing a satin shirt, button-down, with immaculate makeup, a perfect body, manicured bright red nails, an elegant updo, and earrings. Mimosa and Shadow were similarly primed, looking more like magazine cover models than mothers. Elena and Katherine had helped me, though they were less primped but still presentable.

I went to put my coffee on. Mariella looked me up and down, and commented, "You look like crap. Don't you have clean clothes?"

I retorted sharply, "I look like a mom of five who doesn't take shortcuts to make things easier. I have clean clothes, but it's not time to change yet; only five stains."

Mariella fell silent, stung by my comment about cheating. 

 Damon commented, "You look very skinny, with dark circles under your eyes. How can five babies have worn you out when we have nine?"

I took a deep breath and muttered under my breath as my wristwatch buzzed. Glancing at it, I realized Mona was fussing.

"Okay, let's try this," I thought.

I turned on her crib mobile and played my recorded talk, which often calmed her down.

Turning to Damon, I explained, "I don't need spells or energy to care for the babies; I simply do the job, and it's rewarding."

I got my coffee on and went to the fridge as Wulfe explained to them how Mona can make everyone scream and how each of them has their own time to feed. He also mentioned how they have to help out with wolves from time to time, so they don't have time to help me all the time.

I noticed that my shelf was pretty empty, but it didn't matter much because I had food in the freezer. Perhaps it would be good for me to have my recovery food since I was skinny.

Charles, who was also in the fridge, noticed this too. He exited the fridge with a disapproving frown and said to Adam, "Mimi is running out of food. We should fill her shelf at some point."

This prompted several Salvatores to come to the fridge and freezer, starting to select food and portions for me.

 I went to get my coffee pot because it was finished, and I filled my larger thermos since I had brewed two pots, giving me plenty of coffee. Just as I had prepared my coffee, drinks, and food to warm up, my wrist buzzed again.

The little princess was still fussing, so I excused myself, saying, "I will be right back."

I quickly walked to the nursery and noticed that Mona was about to cry, so I picked her up.

She started to calm down, and I thought, "Why not?"

The babies had been napping outside for a few hours last week, so it was good for her to see the others, too. This way, I could eat with one hand, and there were many volunteers eager to hold this little one.

Mariella watched as Mimi walked back to the kitchen after holding her daughter. The baby was dressed in a pink frilly dress, pink pantyhose, pink knitted socks, and a pink hairband with small roses.

Although cute, Mariella, being a mother, could tell that this baby was still cranky and might not calm down easily. The baby had a lot of Damon's features, and her pale skin with rosy cheeks made her look as cute as a button.

Mimi was talking Finnish to her, "No, mamin, pikku tyttö, mikä kiukuttaa? shh. mennään syömään , joo mami syö and sie saat katella ja katotaan jos mamin pikku prinsessa päsee vaikka charlesin sykkyyn."

Mariella was having trouble understanding Mimi, so Damon stepped in to translate for her. Mimi had asked from her baby, "Mommy's little girl? What's upsetting you? Shh, let's go eat. Yeah, Mommy will eat, and you can watch. See if mommy's little princess can go to Charles's lap."

Mariella nodded, smiling at the little baby in Mimi's arms. Damon's expression was full of wonder, as he hadn't seen her in a few weeks. Even the Salvatores had come in the morning to conduct tests, and not everyone had seen this little one before.

I sat down with Mona, who was looking all around her, a bit unsure but not scared. She was just a little cranky, debating whether to fuss or continue exploring and smelling things. I took my plate in front of me and took a bite of my beef. It was very tender with a good amount of sauce. As I was chewing, Mona splattered her tiny hand into the sauce on my plate.

I rolled my eyes and grumbled, "Really?"

Taylor stood up and fetched some baby wipes to clean her hand.

However, Damon took the wipes and said to me, "Give her to me. Let daddy have his princess."

I didn't have much say as he picked her up from my lap and cleaned her hand while she sucked her fingers, enjoying the taste of the sauce. It was too early for her to eat anything other than breast milk, and her face contorted as Damon wiped off all the yummy sauce from her fingers.

Alaric walked into the room and went to pour his coffee.

He stroked Mona's hair gently and said to her softly, calming her down a bit, "Hello, little princess. Are you in daddy's lap? Behave now so I can show you just how high you can fly."

She giggled, making Damon and Mariella frown slightly.

Mariella asked Alaric, "You haven't come to see my babies yet. Are you busy?"

Alaric grunted, replying, "Mimi's five keep us plenty busy. Each of them has its own feeding time, and then they want to be held and socialize. If I have time, I usually help with Mimosa's babies, as they are quite cranky, too."

Damon nodded and suggested, "Well, I think we ought to change things up a bit. These are the pack's babies, so it's important that everyone spends time with each baby."

While I was still eating, Wulfe asked me, "Do we put the babies outside today?"

Glancing out the window, I saw that it was sunny, not too windy, and there were no clouds indicating rain.

I grunted. "Yeah, we can. The weather seems nice, and we have clothes for them, right?"

Shadow asked, "What do you mean, putting babies out?"

Tim explained, "We built a small patio near the backyard with a door next to Mimi's nursery. We take the babies outside to nap for a few hours. We have strollers there and sometimes we take them for a walk in the yard. You may not have noticed, as your nursery is in the front yard, but it's good for the babies."

Damon suggested, "We need more strollers since there are more babies now. Let's make sure we all have the same standards of care for the babies. It will get busy and demanding, so let's do this without cheating or using spells for cleaning or energy cleaning."

I responded to Damon, "It won't be easy, but just so you know, it will be busy and demanding. If we do it my way, no cheating, no spells for cleaning, or energy cleaning."

Mariella agreed, saying, "As tired as you look, I want to have that glow of love that radiates from you. Damon, you've once again made me your doll. I'm a mother, not a sex doll for you to dress and order around. I want to take care of my babies, take them out, and bathe them."

She then turned to Magnum and asked, "Surely, Magnum, you could assist me during bath times."

He rolled his eyes. As Mona was wiggling, I noticed what she was after. Damon didn't realize as he let her press against him, her face against his chest.

He lifted her a bit higher, and Mona reached out and bit Damon's ear with her tiny fangs, causing him to exclaim, "She has fangs! A little warning, baby!" His voice sounded slightly irritated.

I just smiled and said, "They are vampires, and they have the same appetite for your blood as I do. That's why I don't wear earrings."

I had a few old bite marks on my ears.

Damon then asked Mariella, "Dollface, please be kind and get me a baby bottle so we can feed her properly."

Mariella rolled her eyes at the nickname but went to the cupboard, took a clean baby bottle, and opened it. Damon cut his wrist and started pouring blood into the bottle. My hands clenched as the bloodlust hit me like a freight train.

Wulfe's voice in my mind was firm, "Stay put, unicorn. Don't move!"

I took a deep breath, feeling my fangs fully emerge and almost salivating for that blood. I hadn't drunk enough blood, so I was having a bit of a struggle.

 As Damon got a bottle full, Mariella said out loud, "How about you let me feed the little princess and you take care of your wife who is about to burst out of her seams because she has got bloodlust like no other."

This prompted Damon to look at me sharply. He noticed my blanched knuckles, my tight expression, and my fangs filling my mouth.

He rolled his eyes and said, "I see you have not fed enough, so fine."

He handed Mona to Mariella with a bottle of blood, and she began to feed her. Number two was sitting very near, watching over her.

Damon said to me, "Come on, straddle me and sink your fangs into my throat and feed properly for once."

Wulfe nodded. I got up, went to sit by Damon's lap, and without much ado, I sank my fangs into his artery and started to gulp. He stroked my back, kept his hold on me, murmuring calmly all the time.

Hot blood gushed down my gullet. I barely tasted it as I just had to have more and more. It seemed nothing was enough. Eventually, my belly was full, and I leaned still against Damon, who felt my too bony body against him.

He said to me, "Really, baby, you gotta eat much more. But let's see if we can make this a little easier for everyone."

I was a little tired after my mega meal and noticed that Mona had gulped her bottle, too.

Damon said, "Mommy's girl, I see, likes my blood."

Mariella did not flinch as she put Mona against her shoulder and patted her back, trying to make her burp. I had no time to warn that they burped quite a lot. When she spat out blood and milk in quite a stream down Mariella's back and hair, number two grabbed a few paper towels and dried what he could.

Mariella said, "Let it be. It doesn't matter. She burps quite a lot."

As Mona burped three more times, this time, number two had a towel ready to catch her puke.

I said, "She grows. They all burp a lot, but they grow and gain weight as they should, so there is no worry. It's just one more thing they do."

Number four suggested, "Maybe we could tighten their esophagus a bit with energy or a spell."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Mommy's babies, meaning everyone has some sort of siphoning on, so it's not gonna work. It's just time that helps."

I was still leaning on Damon when he told me, "Come on, go back to your spot and have some more to eat. You're as skinny as hell, and I'll make sure you eat and get some sleep, Missy."

I didn't bother responding; they were talking among themselves. In our pack of 30 people, we currently had 28 babies. Each person was assigned to a baby, with a few extras, so everyone had to pitch in.

Being a bit of a control freak, I couldn't just sit back and let others take care of my babies. That's why I was so exhausted - I did most of the work myself, not asking for much help even though it was available.

I sat back down and continued eating. Mona was now in the arms of the number two, who was making funny faces at her, making her smile. I could sense the Salvatores watching me and Mona, as there seemed to be many eager volunteers to help with her.

Damon was chatting with Wulfe and Magnum, who were explaining our daily routine to him. I could tell from his expression that he was surprised by how much work it took to care for just five babies, considering they had nine. Mariella joined the conversation and mentioned that her babies ate in groups of three, making it easier to feed them.

Well, it was time to head back to the nursery as my wristwatch started buzzing, alerting me that Milo was waking up. I activated his crib remotely and hoped he would stay calm for a little while longer.

After getting ready, I asked Adam, "When was the last time you changed Milo?"

Adam furrowed his brow and replied, "About 4 hours ago, so he might be wet."

I nodded, noticing a range of emotions on Damon's face, from jealousy to possessiveness to almost rage, as Adam seemed to understand his son's needs better than he did. It was just the way things were.