Twin Image: Family, Before Anything

54

-April 2nd, Tuesday-

~Natalie's POV-

"Mommy, daddy, I'm hungee." Our son tells us, just as we make it in front of my apartment. And it's gonna take a lot for me to get used to this. I mean, he was just a little baby not even an hour ago. I hear his little tummy grumble, and I realize something. What can my son even eat now?

He took formula as a baby but, his vampire side is out now. Iorian unlocks and opens the door, letting us in first. But I'm stopped. By an invisible barrier, at the threshold of my door. Damon and I share a look, and he obviously realizes something as he looks down to our son in my arms.

"The invitation rule." He says, and I hand him over to his father, and step inside.  "Come in Damon and Jaden." I say, and just like that, they walk right in. "Well, it's official." Damon's says, kicking the door close behind him, "You're half vampire my boy!" He tells out son, tickling him on the way over to the kitchen. As if that wasn't obvious already though. He sets my boy down on the island counter.

And I take out two items from the fridge. A peach, and a blood bag of Iorian's. And I hold both of them in front of Jaden. "Here, take a bite of this." I say, handing him the peach. And he looks at it curiously, before doing exactly that.

And I fall relieved when he doesn't immediately spit it out. Given that's what his father does with human food. He swallows it, getting so excited, making his father and I laugh. "Okay, now," I say taking the peach, and ripping open the tube of the blood-bag, and putting the opening to his lips. "Take a sip of this." I say, needing to test a theory.

He puts his cute little lips around it, and sucks. And I only let him take a sip. His eyes go blood red again but, this time, it was purely from it being his first taste of blood. I could tell, given he was still licking it off his lips. "Now, tell mommy which one you like more." I say, and I watch my son look between the peach, and the blood-bag.

Over and over. Until finally, he points to the blood bag, and I hand it over to him. "But I stwill wike dat one too." He says, pointing to the peach, calming my nerves. He likes both. He can eat both. And I take a bite of the peach myself, watching my son literally suck the blood-bag dry.

And after he does, he burps, and thus laughs at his own burp, making his father and I laugh. Just then, my husband walks into the kitchen, stopping in his tracks at the sight of my son. "Okay, what the hell did I miss?" He asks, and just to be safe, I watch my son react to my husband's presence. And thankfully, he smiles at him, obviously recognizing him. I grab his hand and pull him over, "My love, I'd like you to officially meet my son, Jaden Sean Baudelaire. Son, you know who this is right? This is-," - "Daddy!" He yells, whooshing into his arms, and certainly taking my husband by surprise.

And I couldn't help but catch the frown on Damon's face become apparent. Tobias laughs, hugging my son close, looking dead at Iorian with a smile. Just as Amelia did to me. I smack his arms a bit, and he lets up on hugging so dramatically, "Wait a minute love," I say, getting my son's attention, "That's your step-daddy." I say, moving to stand next to Iorian, "This is your daddy, remember?" I ask him, and he furrows his cute little eyebrows at me. "I havf two daddies?" He asks, and I nod, stepping back over to my love.

"You sure do. Because mommy is married to this daddy. Which makes him your step-daddy." I explain, and I watch my son get excited. But then immediately, he gets confused, "If dat lady made me, doesn't dat make her my second mommy?" He asks, and I raise my eyebrows, conflicted by how smart my son already is. We, -the adults-, share looks of disbelief. "Yes, and no sweetheart." I say, "She gave birth to you, because mommy couldn't. She's your birth-mother. But the moment you came out her tummy, you were all mine." I tell him, booping his little nose, making him smile and reach for me. I take my son from my husband, and hug him close, putting those recent events in the past. Putting the image of him hating me, in the past.