Teren massaged my shoulders, then wiped hair away from my sweaty face. "You can, Emma. You're the strongest person I know. If anyone can do this, it's you."
My mother, still stunned into silence at my side, squeezed my hand. I weakly looked over at her, more tears running down my face. She smiled, a little nervously and finally spoke. "One more, sweetheart. I know it's hard, but one more...and then you're done."
I swallowed, my resolve refortifying. Mom didn't understand yet, that I literally was done with one more. This was the only chance Teren and I had to have kids, and I wouldn't selfishly risk the life of one by refusing to push. Not that it really was my choice anyway. My body would evacuate these kids one way or another. I grit my teeth and pushed.
The second one came out easier, my body pretty much stretched to the limits it needed to be, but I still cried out at the last painful push to get the shoulders out. When Alanna was reaching past Imogen for the second child, a second healthy cry filling the air, I collapsed back into Teren, too exhausted for words.
He was lightly crying into my shoulder and telling me that I did great. I closed my eyes, mumbling some response to that. As Imogen and Alanna tended to putting my body back together, I heard Halina and Ashley cooing over my babies. My mother was still silent, holding my hand. I had so many desires, I didn't know which one to tend to first. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to tell my mother I was fine, and that everything was going to be okay. I wanted more blood. And I wanted to see my children.
That desire rose over everything else and I opened my heavy lids. Ashley was holding one bundle of blankets while Halina held the other. Teren behind me kissed my head and told me they were beautiful and perfect. I didn't know how he knew that, since all I saw was fleece, but his senses were more advanced than mine.
"Can I hold them?" I whispered. Ashley didn't hear me in her cooing, but Halina immediately twisted to me.
Her face beaming, she brought over her bundle. Ashley noticed that and looking up at me, followed her. My mother, oddly quiet again, released my hand and patted my knee. Ignoring the tugging sensation in my lower area, as Imogen presumably repaired the damage done in the birthing process, I held my arms out for my baby.
"It's a boy," Halina whispered, as she laid the bundle in my arms.
I stared down at the most angelic face I'd ever seen, a face I'd seen countless times. It was as if all of Teren's features had been softened and miniaturized. Looking at his son, was like looking at a baby picture of Teren. He was perfect. Shockingly dark hair peeked out of the top of the blanket in a jet-black shade that matched all of the vampires. His eyes were closed in slumber, but I could see them shifting behind the pale lids. He had pudgy, healthy cheeks, full pink lips, and a cute little nose. One hand was out, clutching the warm blanket he was nestled in, and I rubbed a tiny digit. His skin was unrealistically soft, like nothing I'd ever felt before. Perfect skin, untouched by the harshness of the world. As my finger moved over the tiniest fingernail you could imagine, that little hand reached out and grabbed my finger.
My entire world shifted in that exact moment.
I sobbed and kissed his forehead, my tears dripping onto that perfect skin. Teren behind me sniffled and reached around with his not-drained arm, to run a finger down his cheek. "He's perfect, Emma. You did great." He whispered, his voice breaking.
I looked behind me, at his tear-filled eyes. "We did great." I kissed him briefly, before shifting back to my son. Ashley, standing at the edge of the bed beside my silent mom, startled to giggle as she looked him over. "He looks just like Teren, Em." She glanced down at the bundle in her arms. "I think she looks more like you."
As what she said hit me, my mouth dropped open. "She?" Ashley looked up at me and nodded, holding out her bundle for me to take. Shifting one child, I took the other on my other side. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. Even though they'd been jostling around in my body for awhile, they seemed so fragile, like the tiniest wrong movement would break them.
Ash laid my daughter in my arms and I stared at her, amazed. She was right, she did look more like me. She had a light splattering of brown hair; she looked almost blonde next to her brother, but I knew that hair would eventually grow out into a shade that matched my own. Her eyes were open, as she examined this strange world around her and those eyes were clearly dark, clearly going to be brown, like mine. I nuzzled her face and she opened her mouth, like she wanted to suck on my nose.
Teren shifted his hand to stroke her head. His finger gently passed over the tender spot of her skull. The bone there wasn't fully formed yet and the skin pulsed with her heartbeat. He left his finger there, feeling the pulse of life. Outside of my body, her heart was louder, perfectly matching the rhythm under Teren's finger. "She does look like you, baby." His voice came out wondrous, like he really hadn't been expecting that.
I sobbed again, and squeezed them tighter, all pain and discomfort from birthing them, gone. After a few moments of familial bonding, my mother beside me finally cleared her throat. I looked up at her, my eyes watery from tears. Her eyes locked on my mouth and I realized my fangs were still out. Popping them back up, I bit my lip. "Mom...?"
Her eyes started watering and she shook her head. "Can I...can I hold them?" She finally spoke.
I nodded, more tears splashing down my cheeks. I handed her the miniature version of Teren and her face melted. I thought that at that exact moment, she could have cared less that she was in a room full of mythical creatures. At that moment, I don't think she was even aware that anyone besides her and her grandchildren were in the room. She laughed and stroked his cheek. His little head moved back and forth as he grunted and squirmed.
Laughing, I handed her my daughter. She lightly kissed her pink cheek and I swear my little girl smiled. Relief flooded through me and I sank back into Teren's arms. He wrapped himself around me, his coolness feeling wonderful on my tired body. Imogen and Alanna finished tending to me, removing some blankets and towels that they'd placed down, that I could clearly smell were soaked with blood, and modestly covering me. Then Alanna went to get Jack, since the gross part was over with. I smiled and closed my eyes, exhaustion taking me over.
Amid the chorus of "they're beautiful, they're perfect, they're so tiny", I heard a pair of perfectly strong heartbeats. I nestled into Teren's back as I listened to those beats. So many times I'd been afraid I'd never get to hear them, and I relished every wet, steady thump. I smiled into Teren's skin as he gently swayed me back and forth, a deep chuckle coming up his throat as he watched our families welcome the new lives.
"I love you, husband," I whispered, too low for the humans to hear.
He kissed my forehead. "I love you too, wife."
I sleepily peeked up at him as Jack entered the room and was instantly handed a child. "Are you disappointed?" I asked.
Teren looked away from where his father was congratulating us and peeked down at me. "Disappointed? Why would I be that?" His brows scrunched together as he looked over my face.
I sighed. "You told me once, that you never wanted me to change." I shook my head and dropped my mouth open, slightly extending a fang. "I changed."
He smiled with one side of his mouth, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. "I've been told my entire life, that if I ever fell in love with a human, I'd have to one day let her go." He shook his head, his eyes watering back up. "I came into this relationship, never thinking I'd get to keep you. I can't tell you how...not disappointed I am right now."
I cupped his cheek, a tear sliding down mine and across his fingers. Smiling, I leaned up and kissed him. Our brief moment of connection was interrupted by my beaming with happiness mother.
"Do these little miracles have names yet?" she asked, twisting away from Ashley to gaze at me on the bed. I smiled. Teren and I had talked about names all throughout the pregnancy. Well, actually, we'd stopped when we weren't sure if they'd make it. We'd put everything on hold during that scary time, but afterwards, we'd picked up again. We hadn't mentioned anything to anyone, wanting it to be a surprise. Since we didn't know the sexes, we'd picked out multiple sets of names, one for every scenario. We'd already decided on the boy/girl set. I glanced over at Teren and he nodded, willing to let me make the announcement.
I sighed and swept the room. Staying on Halina, who was cooing at my daughter, I met her eye. "Her name...is Nika Alexis, in honor of Nicolis." Halina's mouth dropped open, her eyes quickly filling with blood-red tears. They dripped down her cheek as she looked back at Nika. Nicolis was her husband, the husband she'd inadvertently killed after her conversion. She mourned him daily.
Smiling at her reaction, I turned to my mother, her eyes transfixed on Halina's bloody tears. Clearing my throat, she brought her attention back to me. Watching her pale face, I softly said, "His name...is Julian Wyatt." My mother had much the same reaction as Halina, my sister too for that matter. Julian was my father's name. My father that had sacrificed his own life, to save my sister's. It was the one male name that Teren and I had never wavered on.
With tears dripping down her face, my mother stared at me in awe. I didn't know if she was overwhelmed by what we'd done, or what we were. I hoped that she'd be okay with the latter. I didn't really want Halina to have to wipe all of this from her mind. I had a feeling that in the next few years, learning how to raise children, let alone vampire children, I'd need my mother. And really, I had no idea how to hide what they were from her. Not forever. Not when their teeth came in and they started experimentally biting people. How do you explain that to someone that doesn't understand the reason?
Timidly, I tried to start the conversation with her. "Mom, I should explain..." I could hear the reluctance in my own voice, could feel Teren minutely squeeze me in support. Halina's eyes shifted to my mom, ready to move in on her, if needed.
My mom immediately started shaking her head. "Are you happy, Emma?"
The largest smile possible spread over my face and tears sprung into my eyes. "Yes," I whispered.
She swayed Julian in her arms, back and forth, and smiled peacefully at me. "Then I don't need to hear it. Whatever is going on with you..." her eyes flicked over to the other vampires in the room, "with all of you," they came back to mine, "all I care about, is your happiness."
A sob broke out of me that my mother might accept my strange new family, that she might accept me. Until just then, I hadn't realized how much I'd wanted her to know. Seeing the emotion break over me, she quickly came over to sit on the bed beside me, Julian still clutched in her arms. "I love you, Emma, whatever you are." She gave me a kiss on the cheek and then she placed kisses all over Julian. "Besides, these are the most perfect children I've ever seen."
Being one of her children, I tried to not take offense to that, as I laughed and leaned into her shoulder. She laughed as well and kissed my head. I felt Teren shift out from behind me, to lay over on the other side of me in the massive bed. Mom helped me lay back on the pillows and then placed Julian in the crook of my arm. I cooed at him and kissed his soft cheek. Mom kissed my head again and then exclaimed, "I'm going to go call my girlfriends, tell them I'm a grandma!"