20. 12 Days Of Christmas.

As I made my way to the craft room, I couldn't help but wonder about the endless possibilities for my life. I had a long list of knitting projects I wanted to start, including baby clothes for the upcoming summer and fall seasons. Luckily, I had just received a shipment of alpaca wool and an excellent selection of merino wool yarn, all dyed in gentle baby colors.

I also had some yarn for men's socks and other items that were in demand. I knew it would be a challenge to work on multiple projects at once, but I was determined to make progress little by little.

With Salvatores busy with wedding planning and Mariella, the wolves, and the girls occupied with baking or other tasks, I finally had some time alone to dedicate to my knitting. The upcoming vampire weddings added an element of excitement and uncertainty, as Wulfe was busy preparing with the current elders.

I wasn't sure if there would be transportation arrangements, but I was ready for anything. It was a refreshing change from the routine of living in the pack.

As I pushed my trolleys filled with yarn rolls into the craft room, Damon unexpectedly crossed my path. He was headed somewhere but couldn't resist stopping to examine my shopping cart full of yarns.

"Where did you get all of these?" he asked, puzzled. "Normally, everything is sent directly to the craft room, and it was just recently emptied. What kind of yarn is this? There's no information."

I explained to him, "These yarns are from my own alpacas. I ordered them with express delivery and recognized the package in the hamster room, so I unloaded them here. I have a list of knitting projects everyone wants me to work on, and we're in need of baby clothes. Hence, the abundance of yarn."

Damon grunted and pondered for a moment. Soon enough, Mariella, Mimosa, Shadow, and the girls teleported next to him.

Mariella couldn't resist touching the soft yarns, remarking, "Oh, they're so soft! What do you plan to make? There's so much yarn here."

I rummaged through my bag and pulled out my list. Each of the five of them had specific requests, ranging from sweaters and woolen socks to hats and mittens or gloves. Wulfe even wanted his own quilt. It was clear that I had my work cut out for me.

Damon swiftly snatched the list and entered the craft room. "Alright, let's get to work," he declared. "I'll handle the sweaters and put them in the machines to ensure durability. Girls and wolves, you can take care of the socks and hats. Baby, you can start on the baby clothes. We'll need a lot, so let's get started. Have you chosen the yarns for the sweaters?"

I directed Damon's attention to a cabinet where I had selected the appropriate yarns. Each of my five companions had chosen their own colors and patterns, so they had their own baskets.

Damon grunted and asked, "These yarns are suitable for the machines, right?"

I nodded, and he proceeded to load up the knitting machines, adjusting the size, scanning patterns, and adding his own unique touch. For example, he incorporated a large S letter and his coat of arms into the design. He was truly making his mark here.

Mariella and the others grabbed their notebooks to learn how to make socks, but I soon noticed Damon's presence in my mind. He was absorbing the knowledge and sharing it with Mariella and the others.

Mariella expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you, my love. It's helpful to know what I'm doing."

With the machines now whirring, Damon came to sit beside me, observing as I began my project. I had chosen a soft and warm yarn, a pink one made from the wool of my alpacas and angora bunnies. It was perfect for cooler weather, and I considered making it slightly larger for the fall season.

Damon touched the yarn and remarked, "This is alpaca, right?"

I nodded and replied, "Yes, it's from my own alpacas and Angora bunnies. It's a blend of 30% alpaca, 30% angora bunny, and 40% merino wool. Since this one is larger, it will be ideal for colder weather. I can make smaller ones that are less warm for when the weather is milder."

Damon nodded in understanding.

He then asked if I had an extra set of knitting needles, and he surprisingly revealed, "Believe it or not, I can knit. All Salvatores can. So, we can all contribute to this project since these alpacas and rabbits are ours, not just yours."

I pointed him toward the cabinet, where he could find a suitable set of knitting needles. He walked over, opened the door, and selected the exact same size and type as mine. He wanted to knit alongside me, but given that I was left-handed and he was right-handed, it proved to be challenging for him.

Nevertheless, he began his work, and I could see from his skilled and dexterous fingers that he had indeed knitted before. It was reassuring to know that he could create his own sweaters as well, or even knit one for Mariella. I could sense him exploring my thoughts, and my designs, and he had chosen a light blue yarn for his project.

We were sitting there, and although I was focused on my work, my gaze occasionally wandered to the peach-colored walls of the room. I had originally painted those walls myself, as this room was meant for me before Mariella even came into the picture.

I still vividly remembered the smell of the paint and how Charles had gotten angry when I inhaled too many fumes. He had driven me out, and he and Adam had finished painting the rest of the room. The flooring consisted of soft blocks that could be clicked together, but they didn't transfer when the room was connected.

This room was quite spacious, housing various machines and dozens of large cabinets filled with yarns, fabrics, and other materials. The fabrics had their own dresser, or rather a huge filing cabinet, and there were many packs of fabric, some of which we had dyed ourselves. I made a mental note to dye some more fabric with proper protection and use it to make clothes. I could actually make some pretty warm winter clothes for everyone.

Putting my work aside, I got up and walked over to the cabinet that housed the fabrics. I opened one box and started examining the contents. I found some not-so-nicely colored silk that would work nicely as an underside, as well as a few warm ones with fleece. They were perfect.

Before I could think any further, Damon appeared next to me and said, "Nice ideas, baby. Let's see if the Salvatores can make that happen. Come on, let's go knit and have them add the undersides."

I rolled my eyes, and Damon scoffed in response.

He said, "Yeah, come on. I'll tell you guys a bit about vampire weddings next, so listen up."

Once again, I had to suppress my eye-roll, assuming it would be similar to what he had told us before.

Damon sat down next to me and continued, "This is nothing like the first time. Wulfe had his fingers in this, and he has some incredibly old magic involved. Now, you won't know everything, and by the way, darling, each of you will have a role in this. So, prepare yourselves. You're not just mere bystanders."

Mariella raised her eyebrows and asked, "You mean like maid of honors or something?"

Damon smiled smugly, making it obvious that it wasn't a typical maid of honor situation. Wulfe's magic was ancient, but what the heck was he up to? I knew him well enough to know that he was quite romantic, so if this had something to do with that, well, let's see what the heck would happen.

Damon mentioned, "There are a few preparatory days again, so girls, I have to prepare. You'll be taken care of by those dryads again, but no body modification."

I replied, "So you mean I won't end up a tight virgin?"

Damon remained silent.

I sighed and said, "Fine, I can be a tight virgin if it comes to that."

Damon then continued, contemplating what to reveal. He enjoyed keeping secrets. "This is the whole plan. I will embrace my vampire side, and you will too, my baby. The queen will finally meet her king."

I nodded and said, "Alright, let's be the queen then."

I hoped my vampire side would remain calm.

Amused, Damon warned, "I wouldn't count on that, baby. She might be a little excited... but we'll see." 

As I knitted, Damon sat beside me, working on his own knitting project. Mariella sat on another chair, which was from the original New Jersey mansion. This room had been redone, but the furniture held sentimental value. The old sofa had been replaced due to its worn-out condition. The new one was similar, but not exactly the same. The golden decorations from the original house had been moved to our new home.

However, I paid little attention to my surroundings as I focused on knitting. I could hear the faint clicking of needles, occasional grunts, and rustling as we worked with the yarn. Mariella and the girls, along with the wolves, were discussing cooking and sharing recipes. Damon chimed in from time to time, almost like a teacher guiding them.

I recalled a past PR gig where I was the only woman among 15 male cooks. They had initially scoffed at me but eventually tolerated my presence as I was curious about the process of food preparation.

I couldn't help but smile at the memory as Damon suggested, "Why don't you share that with us? It sounds fun. Come on, baby, tell us a story."

I could feel several pairs of eyes on me, including Wulfe's presence in my mind, even though he had gone off to do his own thing.

I replied, "It wasn't anything special, just a PR gig at one of the restaurants I visited."

Mariella eagerly exclaimed, "Oh please, share! I really want to hear."

I sighed and replied, "Well, it was Bran again who got me into that gig. He always made us go to these gigs to boost his reputation. But when I didn't praise him during those gigs, they weren't as efficient. It was a big fancy restaurant with 15 male chefs who were very famous. As I walked in for the first time, they all looked at me. I was just wearing jeans, sneakers, and a college shirt, with minimal makeup, so I looked young. The boss, a French guy, approached me and said, 'Oh, Bran sent us a little girl to watch over. Fine, the little girl can see how food is made. Surprise, meat doesn't come in ready-made packets, it is cut from dead animals. Let's start with that, shall we?' He led me to a chilled room where they cut the meat and used organs."

Damon looked at me and said, "My guess is that it didn't really faze you."

I smiled and replied, "On the contrary, it did faze me, but not in that way. I wanted to have a meal. Even though I had no sense of hunger, being surrounded by all that meat and those organs made Mimosa wake up and she was hungry. I could sense it, so it made me want to change our shape and have some fun."

Mimosa nodded in agreement and added, "And the attitude of that damn guy! I was hungry, just think about it. They only used about 45% of the livers, no spleens or pancreas. The guts had been removed to make sausages, and the belly fat was discarded. All of that was sent to be made into dog food."

Mariella was amazed and exclaimed, "You mean those are perfectly edible parts, but they tossed them?"

I nodded and continued, "My eyes blazed yellow, which made the men a little nervous. And then, when I told them what I was and what I wanted to do, they directed me to make desserts and promised that I would get all of those useless organs."

My voice was amused. "I was there for three weeks, and the guys' attitudes soon started to change once they realized my capabilities. However, there was one thing that impressed them, something I hadn't foreseen. They soon learned not to judge a book by its cover."

Elena asked, "What made them change? What impressed them?"

I sighed and replied, "There were two things that I never thought would be advantageous. First, my ability to express my anger. I would scream whenever someone tried to interfere with my work, and those guys would yell back, but I was even better at it. Second, my ability to come up with inventive curse words."

Damon laughed out loud and said, "Well, you're right. I wouldn't have seen those as good qualities, but it's good that they helped."

I rolled my eyes and said, "They asked me to explain some of my terms, and then they analyzed some of my claims, realizing that some of them were physically impossible."

Katherine asked, "What restaurant is it? Is it still there?"

I nodded and replied, "It's a restaurant in Paris called the 15 Kings. The owners nowadays are the fifth generation keeping it. There are a few old pictures of me in there as well, from my last stint as America's sweetheart. They wanted to have my picture on the wall too, although not many customers pay attention to them. But it's still there, at least the last time I visited."

Damon asked, now with a hint of steel in his voice, "And tell me, baby, when was this? Do you often travel all over the globe by yourself?"

I answered, "It was during my last world-saving mission, Salvatore, so ease up."

Damon leaned a little closer, his eyes squinting, his mouth forming a tighter line. I looked at him, almost bored. Mariella stopped knitting and placed her work on her lap, gazing at me, just to see where this conversation would lead.

Damon said to me, "Oh, really, baby? Be sure that you don't go gallivanting all over by yourself anymore. But now you have me with you, by your side."

I remained silent. I had to.

After a short pause, I finally spoke. "Damon, it's good that you want to be with me, but I have my own ideas about where I want to visit. There are a few places I might go, and it won't be a quick trip. Don't expect me to be glued to your side all the time like a sticker."

Damon retorted, "I will keep you safe. You won't go anywhere unless I permit you. Do I make myself clear?"

I said to him in a boring tone, "Oh, please, not that attitude right now. You can't know the future. Let's take it one day at a time. I wasn't saying that I was going anywhere right now. Besides, I had one trip in mind for us, but never mind about that."

Mimosa asked, "What trip? The one in Africa?"

I nodded and said to her, "You know, sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination. Maybe someday."

Damon looked at me with irritation, causing Mariella to rise up and come to Damon, kissing him. Oh, Mr. Salvatore was irritated.

Shadow asked Mimosa, "What trip? Why? Where?"

To my surprise, Mimosa just scoffed and didn't reveal it.

Damon freed himself from Mariella and asked, "Well, baby, will you tell me or not?"

I looked at him and said, "I think not. There's no use in digging up old stuff. It's just one of my things. You don't need to understand. I might take Charles and Adam with me. They know."

I looked at Mimosa, who smiled too.

Mariella said, "Oh, please. You two have some private joke or something?"

I told her, feeling tired and not in the mood for an argument, "I plan to visit the grave of an author. Charles and Adam used to read those books to us when we were sick. They understand. I went there once alone. It was a dream of mine to go there with Damon, but it never happened. I made the visit after the special heat in Africa."

Damon nodded and took Mariella's hand, teleporting away.

Shadow asked, not sure why the sudden escaping, "Who was this author?"

Mimosa replied, "Joy Adamson. Her grave and Elsa's grave, the lioness, are there too."

So I continued knitting with the wolves and the girls, telling them about Elsa and the other animals from those books. Soon, Elena and Katherine left to go to our library and find those books to read.

I said to the wolves, "You two, go on if you want to go somewhere. I'm fine being alone from time to time, and I haven't had much time to myself."

They were grateful and teleported somewhere, probably still feeling the lingering lust in the air, wanting to indulge before the wedding.

Finally, I was alone. Happy, and now I had time to think my own thoughts, and reminisce about my experiences and memories. The upcoming vampire wedding had become a big question mark in my future. It would be a three-day traditional wedding, where I would be heavily drugged while Damon kept threatening the guests to keep me in line, I couldn't imagine any other kind of wedding for us. Crazy, right?