Blended Family

Chapter Ten

The Volturi decorated the castle for Halloween about a week in advance as they are rather fond of this particular holiday. Sophie decided to take Nico trick or treating as she enjoyed doing so when she was younger and she was determined to ensure that Nico has as many human experiences as possible in the seven short years it takes for him to grow up. "Halloween is coming up in a week and I'm taking you trick or treating" Sophie says to Nico "What is trick or treating?" He asked curious "Children dress up in costumes and go out with their parents and knock-on people's door and say 'trick or treat.' People usually give out a 'treat,' which is usually sweets. On occasions they say 'trick' and as a result the child makes an idle threat of mischief to be carried out on them or their house" She replies and watches his face as he absorbs the information. "Can we take Ellie with us too mummy?" Nico asked "She's a little young sweetie, I mean she can't eat the sweets" Sophie replied "It feels mean to leave her at home though. Please can she come with us?" Nico asks again "I think we should go as a family" Demetri adds smiling as he gently rocks Ellie in his arms "I can't eat the sweets either cara mia, but it means more for the two of you" "You want to come trick or treating Dem?" Sophie asked, a little surprised "Yes. I've never been...it wasn't a thing when I was human" Demetri admitted and Sophie felt a little sorry for him "Oh Dem...In that case family trick or treating it is" Sophie said smiling, and she noticed Nico's eyes light up with excitement "This will be fun" He said "I hope so buddy" Demetri replied "We need to figure out costumes for us all, but for now it's bath time Nico" Sophie said as she walked towards the bathroom, Nico nodded and followed her "Can I use some of Ellie's bubble bath please mummy? It smells so nice" "Of course you can sweetie" Sophie replies and pours the bubble bath into the bathtub "Thank you" He replies and gets ready to climb in the bath.

Demetri and Sophie go shopping for Halloween costumes and take Nico and Ellie with them "Any ideas what you want to dress up as sweetie?" Sophie asks as crouches down beside Nico "I like the look of the skeleton costume" He replies smiling, pointing to the costume "Ok, skeleton it is" She stands and takes a costume off the rail "Can we dress Ellie up as a skeleton too daddy?" Nico asked "You sure you want matching costumes?" Demetri asked and Nico nodded smiling "Yes please." Sophie grabbed a baby skeleton costume for Ellie before turning to look at Demetri "What costume would you like Dem?" "As it's our first Halloween as a family and the first-time trick or treating for three of us, how about we all go as skeletons?" He suggests "Nice and simple, I like it" Sophie replies adding hers and Demetri's costumes to the basket "I love you Dem" She kisses him "I love you too."

At 18.00pm Halloween night Demetri and Sophie take the kids trick or treating; Nico holds Sophie's hand as Demetri holds Ellie in his arms. "Nice costume Dem" Felix teases "It's comfortable and it was nice and simple for our first family Halloween" He replies. "I think they look good. Have fun" Heidi calls out as they leave the castle.

The humans thought the matching family costumes was fun and the women thought Nico looked cute dressed as a skeleton and thought Ellie looked adorable in her matching costume. Nico got lots of sweets and a few of the humans gave him Milky Bar chocolate "That's for your sister" They would tell him "Thank you" Nico would reply with a smile.

When they got back to the castle Nico showed Felix and the twins the candy he and Ellie got and told them how much he enjoyed trick or treating. "Bedtime buddy" Demetri said as he entered Alec's room "Goodnight" Nico said before following his dad to his room, Demetri tucked him and kissed him goodnight "I can't wait to go again next year mummy" "Glad you had fun sweetie. Sweet dreams" Sophie replied, kissing him goodnight too.

Ellie was teething again and her gums felt like they were on fire, not that she could tell anyone so she did the only thing she could, cry. Demetri lifted her from her crib "Hey princess" He cradled her in his arms and began to rock her gently "Sshh, sshh, Daddy's here" He said softly trying to soothe her, not that it was working. Demetri hated seeing his daughter so upset and it frustrated him that he couldn't calm her. Ellie was miserable and in pain and made sure everyone knew it.

"Can't you stop her from crying?" Felix asked as he entered Demetri's shared room, sounding frustrated "She's been crying for an hour" He added rubbing his ears; her crying sounding worse due to his heightened hearing. "She's teething Felix, and it hurts her. She has a temperature and her gums feel very warm" Sophie said as she handed Demetri a teething ring "Here, give her that to suck on, it should help soothe her gums" "What is this cara mia?" He asked holding the cold ring his hand "It's a teething ring" "Why is it cold?" He sounded confused, Nico lifted his head, curious about the teething ring Demetri had given to Ellie "It's been in the fridge..." Sophie answered, trailing off with a smile "Really Sophie?" Demetri asked tilting his head at her and Felix chuckled "You kind of asked for that" Demetri ignored his best friend and continued to look at his mate, waiting for an answer "The ring is cold as it offers a contrast to the hotness of her gums, which is supposed to be soothing or so the baby book says" Sophie answers him. "I'm guessing by the confused looks on your faces, Nico never used them?" She asked "Nope. He never went through this phase" Demetri replied "Thank god" Felix added. "How was that possible Daddy, I have teeth?" Nico asks looking confused "Your teeth just came in, without any problems buddy" Demetri answered "I feel sorry for Ellie, being a human baby seems like a lot of trouble" Nico said giving her a sympathic look "What till she's a teenager..." Sophie murmured as she grabbed a book from the bookcase, Nico looked at Demetri who just shrugged, seeming just as confused as his son "What do you mean mummy?" "You'll see" Sophie answered smiling to herself; deciding that she wasn't going to prewarn them about the teenage phase that was yet to come.

Ellie had noticed that Demetri was colder to the touch than her mum and Nico and discovered this had its advantages, much to Demetri's shock and amusement. Demetri was sitting on Nico's bed with Ellie in his arms, her back to his chest as she sucked / gummed his cold knuckles whilst he read from the 'Grimm's book of fairy tales' that Sophie had bought Nico. "What are you doing in here?" Felix asked confused to see his friend in the children's room "Ellie is teething as you know and it means she wakes up more during the night and this disturbs both Sophie and Nico. So, I told Sophie that I'd sit up with her of a nighttime seeing as I don't sleep anyway" Demetri explained "That makes sense. I'm guessing Nico is in with Sophie?" Demetri nodded and Ellie looked up him and back at the book wondering why he stopped reading; Demetri noticed and chuckled slightly, placing a kiss to the top of her head "Did uncle Felix interrupt our story?" He asked her softy and she babbled something in response to him before looking at Felix and back at him and made more babbling noises "I agree princess" He smiled at her and Felix looked at him confused "She didn't say anything of sense" "Not to you Fe..." Demetri replied smiling at his friend, giving the impression he understood what his daughter had said. "When I came in Ellie was sucking on your knuckles, why?" Felix asked "I think she has noticed that I am colder than Sophie and Nico and as a result she's using my hand as an alternative to a teething ring. It's not like it hurts me or anything, it's just feels a little weird" Demetri replies as Ellie begins to suck / gum his knuckles again "Strange little human" Felix says shaking his head "Oi! That's my daughter you're talking about" Ellie looks up at her dad "Ignore him princess, I do" He says looking down at her, before resuming the story he was reading to her. Felix stayed quiet but left the room five minutes later. Demetri was happy when Felix left as he enjoyed spending time alone with Ellie as it gave them a chance to bond further as father and daughter. He liked the fact that one of the many differences between him and his family was comforting to her, even it was a little weird.