As Mimi drifted into unconsciousness from her drink, Number Four sighed, releasing the tension that had been coiling in his gut. Worry still gnawed at him. His wife, pregnant and carrying five babies, was slumped on the bed, her lips slightly parted, breathing slowly and deeply in her intoxication. However, this state alone would not keep her resting for long.
Number Four, a version of Damon Salvatore, was the most medically inclined among them, perhaps more so than anyone else. He had, in a sense, been reborn when he thought he had lost her. His mind was now more like it had been in the past, before the so-called Number One, or the core of them, had broken out.
What he felt was pure love for Mimi, but also deep worry. She was about thirty weeks pregnant, carrying five babies. The last time, she had been operated on in a hospital, but for now, there were no signs of labor. Still, she desperately needed rest.
Therefore, he took a pre-loaded syringe from his pocket, removed the cap with his teeth, and pulled Mimi's arm out from the blankets. Straightening it, he injected a heavy dose of pure xylazine directly into her vein, rendering her deeply unconscious. This would allow her overtaxed body to work and recover.
She had fallen badly, sustaining broken bones, and even Number One had struggled to mend the bruising and aches that had pestered her all night. She had then fallen off the bed as she tossed and turned, trying to sleep. But now, she was finally resting.
"We have to cover her. How much do you have for her?" asked Number Two, another version of Damon.
Although he had once been cruel to Mimi, his love for her had endured. Despite Mariella's manipulation, he had merely buried his feelings, only to fully embrace them in the last ten years, which transformed him into a new man. He loved Mimi, cherishing her far more than Mariella, even though Mariella was also his wife.
However, the sad truth was that Mariella wouldn't hesitate if she had to choose between Damon and Number One one day; Number One was always her preference, regardless of what the other nine versions of Damon did or said. This had been a difficult lesson for them to accept, and it had driven them all closer to Mimi, as she welcomed all of them without choosing just one, letting her love shine for each of them.
"212.5 mg," Number Four stated. "My estimate is that her weight is less than 60 kilos. She has a lot of babies inside her, and even her current weight is almost 88 kilos."
Number Two frowned; the dose was brutal, even for Mimi. However, she possessed a hypermetabolic system that rapidly cleared drugs, and she looked exhausted, so rest was crucial for her.
"Okay," Number Two conceded, "let's go through her and see what we can do to help and how bad the damage is."
Number Four, with his longer hair and the white streak in the middle of his head, appeared gentler than Number Two. Number Two's white patch was on the left side of his head, and his expression was cruel, with tight lips and his usual ice-cold, sharp eyes.
Yet, his grips were gentle yet firm as he repositioned his sedated wife. He also possessed healing abilities, though less potent than Number One's. A warm glow emanated from his palms as he ran his hands over her worst bruises, causing them to fade somewhat.
Mimi, his beloved, was a creature of love. She wasn't human, and it was difficult to remember that she, along with Mimi and the rest of the pack, operated on an entirely different level than humans. Humans perceived love, lust, and trust as mere feelings, sensations, or brain chemistry.
However, within the pack, these were universal powers. Love was more than brain chemistry to them; it was a power, much like any other supernatural ability. The same applied to lust. While most pack members were creatures of lust, Mimi, her children, and her older girls were creatures of love. Of course, for the children and girls, lust was also mixed in, as their father was a creature of pure lust.
After an hour spent fixing as much as they could in Mimi, they placed her in the best possible position. From now on, she would have someone with her 24/7, with no exceptions. The first to attend to her was Lepard, who entered the room in his feline form. As a large leopard, he jumped onto the bed and curled up next to his wife, warming her. The men ensured her position remained optimal.
Lepard would stay with her, ensuring that when she woke, she wouldn't fall over, sit on the floor, or be in any uncomfortable positions. Number four had connected her feeding lines, and five liters of super-strong feed were slowly dripping into her, providing as much support as possible.
As numbers four and two exited the room, much remained to be done. Both were on laundry duty, and since the older children, now nearly two, were also involved in chores, it was an excellent opportunity for them to learn. Number four went to check if the kids were in the mood to help their daddies, which they usually were. He walked into the living room, opening a child gate.
The kids noticed him, smiled, and Sadie said, "dada," getting up to hug his legs.
"Yeah, daddy's here," he replied, "Now, who's going to help daddies? We have to do the laundry."
All five children were now active and eager to participate. Number four noticed that Sadie had once again taken off her hairband, her long curly red hair falling all around her. Sabrina and Seraphina, ever the little ladies, were still neat, proudly sporting ponytails and pigtails. Dash, as usual, was more running than walking, while Darien was planning to climb onto the sofa, then to the backrest, and as high as he could get.
Number two, who had also entered the room, quickly scooped up Darien before he could tumble down and start crying.
"Alright, you lot, let's go do some laundry!" Number Two said, still carrying Darien.
Darien had black hair, Mimi's eyes, Damon's mouth, and Mimi's recklessness. Dash, on the other hand, had inherited Damon's impatience; he was always running, without much planning, though that was somewhat typical of Mimi as well, who tended to improvise rather than plan everything meticulously.
It was truly a joy to witness these children and observe their daily changes. Being with them was wonderful; while it was certainly stressful and demanding, the rewards far outweighed the challenges.
The men herded the children towards the elevator, pressed the button, and as the elevator descended to the cellar floor, the doors opened. The children, as usual, ran out, laughing, giggling, and babbling. The men followed, and upon reaching the laundry room door, the kids were practically bouncing around. For them, helping their daddies with putting laundry in the machines or hanging it to dry was the ultimate fun.
Numbers Four and Two were guiding the children in loading the laundry machines. They assisted the kids, yet allowed them to perform the tasks themselves. This was their first time truly acting as parents, not just for a few weeks or months, but for years to come. It was a wonderful experience they had long desired, and this life was set to last for nine years or more, giving them ample time to be daddies.
However, this experience had also awakened a new desire within them. Once their time in Minnesota concluded, they wanted to embrace this reality in the real world with their original pack. Oh, how wonderful it would be to impregnate Elena and Katherine, to have them raise babies and toddlers as wives.
Number One had already planned that a wedding would take place for the two of them once this phase was over. This period had taught them so much, making them realize the profound beauty of true love and family time, and how such belonging extended beyond humans.
"Okay, let Daddy help you. Here we go. Good girl, you are so skilled," Number Two crooned to Seraphina as she placed her own clothes into the machine.
Number Two had opened the laundry sacks, allowing the children to put their clothes in. Seraphina hesitated, wanting to wear her dirty clothes. When Two explained she needed to put them in the machine rather than wear them, she was unsure and on the verge of tears. However, she soon continued. Number Two gently used his telepathy to avert another screaming fit, as the children were exceptionally adept at finding reasons to cry and yell.
One of their biggest grievances was diapers, particularly when they were changed into clean ones. They became upset when a full, warm diaper was replaced with a dry, cooler, lighter one, lacking the familiar weight. Getting them dressed also presented a challenge.
The toddlers loved to run away once their dirty clothes were removed and it was time for new ones. Oh no, the toddlers would flee as fast as they could, clad only in their diapers. The men, at least, had to learn patience, whether it meant chasing toddlers or trapping them.
After getting laundry into the machines and then hanging the wet clothes in the drying room, all while helping the toddlers and keeping an eye on them, both men were exhausted but happy. Numbers three and five were on kitchen duty, cooking a lot for the freezer for upcoming days, and the oven was constantly full. Their excellent broth was steeping day by day, and the chores were done.
It was a wonderful way to live, but it also made them realize how much their lifestyle would change once this time was over. However, should it? Nothing would force them to go back, but they could use what they had learned from this experience and bring it into their lives in the real world, making something new altogether.
Although Mariella's children's infections and everything else going on brought quite hefty stress to them all, no one could deny the feeling this lifestyle brought. It made them feel more alive, kept them busy, and showed them new experiences daily. For such old creatures as the Salvatores, vampires millennia old and set in their ways, this made them question pretty much everything they once thought was solid or unchanging within them, such as their nature, how they viewed women, their perception of fatherhood, and living as a family while doing chores.
It brought a sense of adventure and freedom that no amount of excitement or carnality had ever provided. Since no day was the same as the last, this volatility and surprise-filled way of life made them feel young and eager once again. Life was good, and they had a purpose, much more so than just engaging in wild fucking for weeks or spending time drinking and mulling over their wrong choices. Of course, not all wrongs could be made right, but a time for love and family was now ahead, and only now had they gotten a decent glimpse of what the future could be for all of them.
Number Two entered the medbay after he had finished getting the children to play with the older girls. He needed to prepare another batch of liquid food for Mimi, a process that required a few select ingredients. These ingredients, which he produced in his sinuses and released through his fangs as a vampire, were digestive enzymes.
These enzymes would pre-break down nutrients into a form Mimi could easily absorb, ensuring no calories were lost and allowing her to utilize all the food. Because the food was liquid, most of it was absorbed, leaving minimal waste and saving her energy. He would do almost anything for his baby, as Mimi was affectionately called. This special nickname, "baby," was hers alone and had been given to her by Damon the first time they met.
Number Two then took a plastic jar with a lid. Focusing, he bit through the lid and drained about 350 ml of a viscous yellow liquid into the jar – his enzymes. After he finished, he unhooked his fangs and walked over to a cabinet that held pre-made feeding mixes, which came in large three-liter bags, with over ten of them in stock.
He grabbed a box of 10 cc syringes, selected a few, and drew up four full syringes of his enzymes. He then injected one syringe into each of the four bags, preparing them for feeding. He turned the bags a few times in his hands to ensure the mixture was uniform. Finally, he placed the now enzyme-infused mixes into a warming cabinet.
The mixture, initially amber in color, would turn a pale, colorless hue after about four hours, once the enzymes had completed their work. Producing these enzymes was taxing, even for him, and he knew he needed to eat as soon as possible.
He placed the remaining enzymes on a shelf, waiting. He then wrote "time" and the number "2" onto the now fully intact lid. The enzymes would be viable for 48 hours, ensuring that when Salvatore arrived to collect the ready bags, he would still have enzymes available for the next batch. This meant they would have all the bags ready for the baby. She needed every single one of them.
It was incredibly challenging for someone with hypermetabolism, whose metabolic rate normally demanded 25,000 kcal per day, to carry five fetuses at 30 weeks of gestation. As the alpha female, she was giving her absolute all to these babies. It was therefore up to Salvatore to ensure she was adequately fed, so she would have something for herself as well.
However, each week those precious little ones remained inside her would make them stronger and more resilient, ultimately making it easier for them to begin their lives outside the womb. Consequently, every single day counted. This time, the entire pack was determined not to let Mimi down, as she, the alpha female, was the true heart of the whole pack, and she was now priority one.