The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

It was time for yet another meal, this time inside the kitchen. I had a plan in motion to keep the whole group occupied. I knew Adam and Charles well enough to know they could persuade Damon to see things their way if he wasn't inclined to act.

And now that it was time for the other females to find nurseries, I had the perfect solution downstairs, next to my bedroom. Well, technically, it was one of the main bedrooms, but there were other bedrooms for Mariella and Damon. I had locked my bedroom door because delivery men, no matter how clearly I directed them, always seemed to open it when bringing in stuff. So, for now, it remained locked. I would open it at some point.

But for now, I was sitting in my place in the kitchen while the Salvatores busied themselves with food. I wanted to introduce a little novelty, so I stood up and walked to my cabinet where I kept several sets of plates.

There were plenty of them as we needed 30 plates, so this cabinet was sturdy. I had bought antique plates that I wanted to eat from, but they were stored on the highest shelf.

Mariella noticed my cabinet and sauntered over to take a look at the different plates.

"Oh, these fruit-themed ones are adorable. What are you looking for?" she remarked.

I pointed to the top shelf and replied, "Those. I bought them, and they have kind of fancy gold decorations. Adam once told me that plates were meant to be used, not put on display, so that's why I want to use these."

Mariella came closer, but she couldn't reach them, so she said, "Wait, let me get a stool."

As she went to get the stool, Damon noticed and asked her, "What are you doing, darlin'?"

She replied, a little nervously, "I'm just getting some plates for Mimi from the top shelf."

Damon's voice softened, and his demeanor changed, hinting at his cruel side.

He turned to look at my cabinet and said, "Let me see, darlin'. Let's go see what baby is up to."

I was still standing near the cabinet when Damon approached me and said, "Quite a collection, babe. What are you after? Let me get them for you."

I pointed to a stack of gold-trimmed plates and said, "I want those. I want to add some pizzazz to my meals. Even though they are antique, they are meant for use, not just decoration."

He reached out and grabbed the entire stack, his expression changing. "It can't be...wow," he exclaimed.

He took a plate, turned it in his hands, and examined each one. One of them had a small cosmetic flaw, a chipped side, but it wasn't too bad.

Damon sighed as he took that plate and huskily said, "No, baby, you're not eating from these. Not yet. These are..."

It was number seven who interrupted, saying, "My plates. They are old as hell. Not as old as me, but I had them in my time. This was my plate. I used to eat from this and once had an argument..."

Katherine walked over and said softly, "With me. I had once again interfered in your life. We were living together, and you slammed your fork down, causing the plate to chip. The chip flew onto my cleavage, and then as you took it out..."

She smirked. It wasn't bad to see those two reminiscing about old times. Healing was needed, and it would take a long time for that to happen.

Mariella said, "There are so many pretty plates here, but Damon, we should have special ones for special occasions. We could either buy or choose them, and for the rest of the sets, we could rotate them. As you know, each of us has our own preferred plate. I have my fruity plate, Adam has his black and gold, and Mimi has her pink. So maybe we could switch them up and make it random."

Number ten nodded, and number one chimed in, "Well thought, darlin'. Let's do that. We'll go through all of our plates and choose special ones for special times, and the rest will be randomized. That way, you never know which plate you'll be eating from. The same goes for utensils. I noticed Mimi had some gold-plated utensils that she was planning to use, but not for everyday use. Those will be for special occasions."

I rolled my eyes but walked back to my place to sit and eat. After finishing my food, I planned to check a few things in the hamster storage and then head to my nursery to start laying the floor. 

However, in order to have some time alone, I needed to come up with a way to occupy most of the group. I had a few options at my disposal, and I assure you, I had no sinister intentions. I simply saw this as an opportunity to make the transition easier for myself.

Having learned to enjoy my own company during the holidays, I wanted to take a little bit of time for myself while ensuring the rest of the group wasn't bored. I knew they would actually appreciate this, and I can assure you, there was nothing malicious about my plans.

So, while we were all enjoying our meal, I turned to Damon and said, "You might be surprised, but I've been looking into nurseries. This place used to be a hippie commune, and it's in great condition, clean and tidy. However..."

Damon interrupted me with a grunt, asking, "What's the catch?" I innocently replied, "Well, the hippies made some renovations, but Max hasn't had a chance to appraise them yet. Some of the materials they used, like the laminate flooring and plastic moldings, are not up to our usual standards. They may look nice, but they're cheap. The laminate is also slippery, so we'll need rugs with non-slip netting underneath to prevent accidents."

Adam chimed in, saying, "We can get rid of the laminate and use the vinyl or even parquet flooring that we have in storage. We have the time and manpower to do some renovations, especially since the Salvatores will be busy at the hospital next week."

It was perfect, just as I had planned. Wulfe looked at me, his smile hinting that he had caught onto my little scheme and was impressed. Of course, having him around was just a bonus.

I continued enjoying my meal, already planning my next steps. I was going to check the hamster storage to see if any of my drunken orders could actually be useful for the nursery. They might require a bit of tinkering, but I was confident I could make them work.

It was always amusing to unpack my drunken orders, even though not all of them turned out to be useful or wise. Many of them earned eye rolls from the Salvatores and others. But that was part of the fun - feeling a bit embarrassed as I unveiled whatever I had acquired in my compromised state. 

After finishing my meal, I spent some time selling subpar materials here and there. Earlier, as I walked around this house during the holidays, I read the papers and saw reports of renovations. I was eager to share this information with Damon and others so they could see it for themselves.

My little plan was falling into place perfectly. Men enjoy renovating from time to time, and we had the materials, manpower, and time. This house would soon feel more like our home again as they built and spruced it up. They even planned to paint some of the outside trimmings and check the roof for any necessary repairs.

Nothing was too much for us, as we were supernatural beings capable of getting things done. Damon assured me that he would take care of any needed permits, so there was no need for me to worry about anything. 

Now it was time to head to the hamster storage for a little testing. The task would involve some electrical work, but nothing too complicated. I was confident that I could handle it easily.

My project involved these ultra-thin displays, similar to the ones seen on the sides of tall buildings in big cities. They allowed people to display their own pictures or run advertisements. A few of these buildings had been taken down in Dubai, and the displays were put up for auction.

They were dirty and covered in residue from their previous attachments. Each display was made up of several smaller ones, and in a drunken spree, I had bought a lot of them. So, I asked my team to clean some of them, gather everything needed, and send them to the hamster storage.

My plan was to make them operational and use four of them to create an interactive wallpaper in my nursery. I would be able to change it daily if I wanted to. However, I needed to organize the displays, connect the electricity, and get the software up and running.

I wasn't planning to tell anyone about it, but I wouldn't lie if someone asked. All I could hope for was that no one would come in while I was working. I walked to the hamster storage and easily located the large boxes housing the displays.

I opened one of the boxes and carefully pulled out one display. It was surprisingly thin and slightly wobbly in my hands, but I gently placed it on top of some boxes.

Then, I took out my laptop and started searching the internet on how to connect the electrical components to the display. There were names and various wires involved. I decided to study it a bit because it couldn't be that difficult, right? The main point seemed logical - connect the same colors, red to red, and so on.

I had twelve wires in my hand, but there were thirteen connection points. Two of them were white, but I only had one white wire. I wondered if it really mattered which one was correct.

After all, I considered myself to be quite intelligent. My battery was fully charged since these displays required more power than regular store-bought batteries. So, I was confident that everything would be fine.

I checked a few internet sites and became confused because one site advised me to connect wires not by color, but by amperage. However, I lacked the necessary tool to measure the output. Moreover, that particular site did not provide clear instructions.

As I was inspecting my battery, things became even more complicated. I had ten points where I could plug in the wires. What on earth? Additionally, there were a few extra places inside to connect wires, which were color-coded. And then there are two red connection points. I had to figure out which red one to use.

Well, let's give it a try. If this display gets zapped or something, it's okay because I have plenty more. I am indestructible, so there's no danger for me.

All I needed to do was to do some welding and connect the wires in the right place, then flick the switch. Of course, since I had welded nothing in my life, it wasn't easy to determine how much I needed to cover the point with.

I sat there, using my small tool to connect the wires in their proper places. As I checked things on the internet, I figured out what steps to take next and what materials were still needed.

Luckily, I also had a manual for these displays. It contained a strange diagram of the wires, but I found a simpler version online. However, not all the information about amperes and voltage was available. I wasn't paying much attention when I suddenly heard footsteps approaching.

To my surprise, Charles spoke in a calm yet dominant voice, asking, "Oh honey, what are you doing? Please don't tell me you're attempting to weld that there. No, no!"

He swiftly approached and grabbed my tools from my hands, questioning what I had planned. His voice grew louder and more upset as he realized what I was up to.

Damon, Mariella, and a few other Salvatores entered the room as well. Damon looked at Charles, who stood before me with his fists clenched, chest puffed out, shoulders tense, and a thunderous expression on his face.

In a calm voice, Damon asked, "Do we have a problem? What the hell is going on?"

I remained seated in a box with my laptop open.

Charles replied, "Nothing much, except my wife had the brilliant idea of playing electrician and nearly blowing us up."

He forcefully removed my welding equipment. He ripped those wires out from my welding. He seemed truly even more upset as he noticed my battery.

Damon inspected the display and questioned, "What the hell is this? Some kind of display, but what for?"

Exhausted, I explained the whole situation to them. I had acquired a large quantity of these display pieces and had the idea of using them as wallpaper.

Damon furrowed his brows and number two chimed in, "Not for you. Our hospital would greatly appreciate them. Just think of the use they would have there. No more TV displays in lobbies, just a few of these. They had planned an upgrade with this type of display, but it was too expensive to purchase new. Now, they won't need the cheaper version anymore."

Number one nodded in agreement and said, "Make it happen. Inform them, and here is the address for the rest of them. Well done, baby. It's the first time your drunken orders have actually been useful."

I rolled my eyes. By this time, Wulfe and Magnum had also entered the room. Number two packed up my laptop and other equipment, so I had to get creative once again.

Fortunately, I had ordered more stick-on wallpapers, so I could still use them. I just needed to locate them. I knew I had ordered many suitable ones for babies, as I had a few more ideas for my nursery as well. 

I spotted the correct box perched high atop the other boxes.

I was about to start climbing to retrieve it when Damon's strong grip on my arm halted me. "Nope, baby, no climbing when pregnant. What do you need?"

I pointed to the large box on top. "Those stick-on wallpapers with nursery-appropriate pictures. I need that box so I can choose what I want."

Damon nodded, and number nine floated up to retrieve the box, but it suddenly vanished.

Damon turned to me and said, "Let's first check out your locked bedroom to see if we need to renovate it, too. Then you can show us the nursery, in case any upgrades are necessary."

I sighed. Such was my life. It wasn't easy being the alpha female with an alpha male who was finding his way.

He used a significant amount of his alpha power to suppress mine, whispering in my ear, "Oh baby, tonight we'll sleep with our chakras pressed together, our magical symbols locked, equalizing our powers. Just perfect."

It wasn't so perfect for me, but what could I do? Not a damn thing except once again let it happen, accept this new lifestyle, and maybe, at some point, carve out some time for myself.