1x1 with x_fire

Maddie watched as Vlad walked back to the house. She smiled lightly at Demitri and nodded though she had a distant expression on her face. She stared down at the water for a moment before rubbing her eyes tightly like she was trying to wake up from a dream. Maddie shrunk closer to Demitri, her eyes still closed.
"Can we go inside?" She asked softly.

"Oh what's a matter?" Kristen as as Zach started crying all over again. She sighed and turned to Demitri, who was holding Maddie.
"I'm taking him inside." Kristen said. Zach probably needed to be changed and fed, and after sitting with Demitri in the sand, a bath as well.
"There, is that a little better?" Kristen asked, having washed and changed Zach into dry clothes. She smiled and picked him up again. She was still wearing her two peice, though she had thrown one of Demitri's shirts on since the air in the house was cooler and she'd gotten cold.

Demitri nodded. "Of course kiddo" He said rubbing her back affectionately. "Everything okay?" He asked her, Maddie suddenly seemed upset and distant. He sighed, watching Kristen head inside with Zach. He smiled, carrying Maddie after her mother and little brother.

Zach was indeed hungry. He smiled softly, obviously feeling better now that he was clean. He clutched Kristen's shirt, whining softly. He wasn't upset, just being vocal. He smiled up at his mom, hands outstretched towards her. Yawning, his fangs shined for a moment, his eyes growing heavy.

Maddie smiled gently as Demitri agreed to going inside and she stilled rested against his chest. She shook her head quickly as Demitri asked what was wrong. She didn't want to talk about it now, mostly because she didn't understand. Images where flashing in her mind, memorys that Maddie didn't know, but suddenly remembered. She shivered as Demitri carried her inside since she was soaked and the air was cold.

"Oh you are hungry." Kristen murmured, seeing Zach's fangs when he yawned. She couldn't help but smile as Zach reached up to her. She chuckled and picked up her baby happily, reaching over for the bottle of blood she had grabbed on the way upstairs. She was glad Demitri had filled these since it made feeding Zach ten times easier.
"Here we go." Kristen said, sitting down on the bed as she held Zach and the bottle for him to drink.

Demitri sighed, walking inside noticing Maddie shivering. "Why don't you go shower and then get dressed" He said softly, setting her down with a small smile. He walked into his room, seeing Kristen feeding Zach. "Little stinker was hungry" He said, walking over and rubbing his son's head affectionately.

Zach squeaked as his dad disturbws his meal. He was soon cut up in the bottle again, his eyes flickering as he finished eating.
"Nap time?" Demitri muttered, "Well mom and dad hop in the shower and then start packing" He said, winking at Kristen.

Maddie nodded distantly as Demitri set her down. She hurried upstairs, and soon the water was running warm, and Maddie was rinsing off. She sat under the water for a while, staring down at the water traveling to the drain. She shook her head fiercely and quickly washed herself and stepped from the shower. Wrapping a towel around herself, Maddie didn't care thatt her hair was dripping wet. She hurried to her room, quickly finding clean clothes to wear. She could hear water running in the house, and guessed her parents were busy. Another memory flashed in her mind. Maddie shivered, not wanting to be alone.
"Vlad.." she murmured softly, grabbing her blanket and wrapping it around her sundress before going to find him.


"Love don't make him fuss." Kristen murmured as Zachery squealed, but thankfully resumed drinking. She'd finally got him to calm down, and after eating, he was obviously tired. Kristen smirked and nodded as she walked over to Zach's crib and gently set him down. She grinned at Demitri, curling her finger softly as she stepped back towards the bathroom.

Vlad was in his room, having already showered, packing up his things. He had his headphones in, and was listening to one of his favorite Russian artists. The tall, dark haired vampire sighed, he'd miss Italy, but he was also ready to go home. Dropping his folded jeans into his suitcase, he returned to his dresser to grab more things.

Demitri rolled his eyes at Kristen, chuckling and kissing his son's forehead. He smiled, quickly catching up to Kristen, letting her choose the water temperature as he stripped down. Once in the stream of water, he reached over and pulled Kristen into him. "Mmmm, I love you"

"Vlad?" Maddie asked softly as she tapped on the vampires door. She pulled her blanket around her tighter, wincing at the image that flashed in her mind. She pushed against the door lightly to poke her head inside the room. Her eyes were a dull blue gray and her face was a bit hard, that expression of a child much wiser then her years.
"Vlad?" She called again a bit louder.

Kristen had the water turned on and she was already standing under the showerhead when he came into the bathroom. She was brushing the sand out of her suit, pulling it off as Demitri pulled her closer. She sighed to surpress a soft moan.
"I love you too." She said, glancing over her shoulder as she pulled the string loose on her top.

Vlad glanced up as Maddie came in. Seeing the expression on her face, he frowned. "What's up kiddo?" He asked. Sitting down on his bed and holding his arms out to her. "You okay?" Something was definitely wrong, he could tell. He shoved his suitcase aside, shaking his head phones from his ears.

Demitri smiled, looking down at Kristen as he grabbed the soap. "Yay" He said childishly, though his dark eyes twinkled with amusmant. Sighing he began to run the soap over his cheat, getting rid of the sand and salt water.

Maddie pushed the door open enough that she could walk inside. The blanket was wrapped around her shoulders and trailing a bit behind her. She pulled herself onto the bed and into Vlad's arms, shaking her head as she pressed her face into his shoulder and neck.
"Something wrong. I don't know why but I keep seeing these...pictures...almost like memories, but." Maddie picked her head up slightly, but she didn,t look at Vlad. "I don't remember anything I'm seeing." She murmured softly.


Kristen laughed softly as Demitri let her be for the bar of soap. She sighed softly, letting the water run over her. It was soothing and reminded her of rainy days. Kristen gasped softly, her hand pressing against the wall of the shower.
She was standing on a rooftop, and the rain was cold. She was overheated. She couldn't catch her breath. The water was running red down the side of the house. She let the water clean off her blades as she turned away. As she shifted, thunder shuddered through her.
Kristen's eyes snapped open as the sound of thunder pounded in her chest. "Demitri?" Kristen asked softly, trying to get her barring and firgure what the he'll just happened.

Vlad frowned, hugging Maddie. "Oh kiddo, I dunno what to tell you, it sounds like you're having visions or flashbacks" He said, he really has no idea what to tell her, or how to help her. Hugging her tighter, he kissed her cheek, rubbing her back softly. "So you wanba go tell your mommy and dad what's going on?" He murmured, looking down at her curiously.

Demitri frowned watching her closely, catching her before she fell over. "Im here love" He said, hugging her tightly. "I dunno what happened love" He said, looking thoughtful. He sighed, helping her from the shower. "What happened?" He asked her softly.

"Visions?" Maddie murmured thoughtfully. She shook her head softly. "Mommy has visions, not me." She said, relaxing as Vlad hugged her and kissed her. She smiled softly, picking her head up from his shoulder to look at his face thoughtfully.
"They're busy..." Maddie murmured at the mention of her parents. She rubbed her forehead gently and sighed.
"Its just confusing." Maddie mumbled, resting her forehead against his chin softly.

Kristen took a deep breath and slowly looked around. "I don't know either..." Kristen murmured with a frown glad that Demitri's arms where wrapped around herotherwise she might fall over.
"I was...back in the states." She said, pushing her wet hair from her face. "Only...I was on a rooftoop and it was raining and...I was...fourteen. where the he'll had that come from?" Kristen said, voicing her thoughts as she wrapped a towel around her body.

Vlad sighed, "Maddie, your parents are never, ever to busy for you" He said, shaking his head. "I bet its confusing" He said, smiling at her and kissing her forehead. He sighed, "You sure you sont wanna go see your parents?" He asked, looking at her seriously.

Demitri frowned, "Well, whatever it was, it was weird" He said, shrugging and kissing her forehead. "Come on, let's go lie down, well, you lie down, I'll pack and keep an eye on Zach" He said, smiling at her. He scooped her up, holding her close, before putting her on the bed, giving her one of his shirts as he pulled his jeans on.

Maddie tilted her head, hearing the water shut off. "Well I guess they aren't anymore." She murmured, pulling her blanket around her gently. She looked up at Vlad with a thoughtful expression and tried not to feel hurt at his subtle push.
"I guess I'll go." Maddie mumbled, looking down at her hands and gently working her way out of the comfort of his arms.

Kristen frowned. "You saw it?" She asked quietly as Demitri picked her up and placed her on their bed. She pulled on the long shirt Demitri handed her and then used the damp towel to wrap her hair up. She sat on the bed, chewing her lip thoughtfully, staring distantly at the bedsheets. In a way, Maddie shared Kristen?s thoughtful expressions, but only when the thoughts traveled off like now.
"Strange...I don't really remember that..." Kristen murmured, rubbing her forehead.

Vlad sighed, realizing he'd upset Maddie. "Maddie, you can stay with me as long as you want" He said, catching her up in a hug. He hadnt meant to upset her, but he did feel like she should talk to her parents. He sighed, hugging his niece. "Stay with me as long as you want, okay" He said softly.

Demitri shook his head. "I didn't see anything" He said, smiling. "I was just surprised" He murmured. "You don't remember that memory? Weird" He said beginning to pull suitcases out and pack. He smiled at her, "You can take a nap if you want, I'll pack and jeep an eye on Zach" He said gently.

Maddie smiled thankfully as Vlad hugged her tightly. She looked over his shoulder and saw his bag which was only half packed.
"Can I stay while you finish?" Maddie asked, nodding towards Vlad's bag. She slipped from his arms to sit on the bed, wrapping the blankets around her as she gazed around the room curiously.

Kristen sighed, pulling her hair from the towel to run her fingers through the damp waves like a brush.
"I'm not tired." Kristen said, shaking her head thoughtfully. And in truth she wasn't. She finished brushing her hair as she stared distantly at the bedsheets. She sighed and pulled her hair up into the familiar ponytail before looking back at Demitri.
"You sure you don't want some help?" She asked.

Vlad smiled, "Of course you can" He said, leaning over and kissing her forehead before rising and continuing to pack. He glanced at Maddie as she looked around his room curiously. "You ready to start school?" He asked, wondering. Maddie hadn't really said anything.

Demitri glanced at Kristen, smirking. "I don't mind help, but I don't need it. Alayna or Maria probably need it more them me" He said, smiling. Keith had wandered in earlier, and was sleeping on the couch, and Alexi was useless when it came to packing.

Maddie giggled soft, feeling content as Vlad kissed her. When he asked about school, Maddie shrugged. "Is it like daycare? Cause I used to go there for a while. Then I started kindergarden for a while...they taught me some stuff but we mostly played all day. It was kinda boring. Is school like that?" Maddie asked curiously, brushing a light brown curl from her face.

Kristen sighed, standing up and getting dressed in jeans and a loose tank top so Demitri could pack up most of his things. She brought her bag onto the bed and packed a way a majority of her clothes.
"I'll go pack up Maddie and see if the others need help." Kristen said, wanting to keep herself busy. She walked past Zachery's crib, just to check on him. She smiled at his sleeping face before walking out and down the hall towards Maddie's room. Kristen frowned, having thought the little girl was in her room. Packing up the clothes, Kristen sighed and stepped out into the hallway.
"Madison?" Kristen called softly, knowing Keith was asleep, which meant she was with one of the vampiric memebers of the family, and they would hear her clearly.

Vlad nodded, "Sort of, you'll be there longer, and they'll be less playing and more learning" He said, glancing up as he heard Kristen. "Your mom's calling you, she's in your bedroom" He said, smiling. "Better go see what she wants, you can come back later alright" He said, smiling.

Demitri left out clothes for the next day, and some of Zach's stuff, but besides that, everything was packed. He sighed, shaking his head, glancing at Zach as he heard him fussing. "Morning" He teased the baby, scooping him up and changing his dirty diaper. Cleaning him up, he put fresh clothes on the baby, and slipped him his soother. He smiled, holding his son and rocking hum back and forth, trying to calm him.

"Oh ok." Maddie said with a soft nod. She glanced up, distantly hearing her mothers voice. She frowned and left her blanket on Vlad's bed as she hopped off and left the room.
"Yea?" She askked as she walked down the hallway. She stopped in front of Kristen and winced holding her head.

"Maddie what's wrong?" Kristen asked, noticing the tears sprining to her daughters eyes. She knelt down to Maddie, hugging her gently. "What is it?" Kristen asked, standing up with the little girl in her arms.
"I keep seeing these things..." Maddie mumbled gently. "I don't remember any of it. And its scary."
"Shh...its alright." Kristen said, rubbing Maddie's back soothingly. "Where were you?"
"With Vlad...he was packing." Maddie explained, rubbing her face as she tried to calm down. "Why do I keep seeing these things? Vlad thinks they're visions. But I don't have visions."
Kristen chewed her lip gently. "I don't know Maddie. What do you see?"
"Snow...sometimes I'm fighting. Mostly I see these people get hurt because they made him angry..."
"Made who angry?" Kristen asked, and Maddie told her, Kristen tensed.
"You can go back to Vlad if you want, but you'll have to help Demitri pack up your toys." Kristen murmured. Maddie nodded and dutifully went to find Demitri while Kristen half ran downstairs to Maria and Alexi's room.

Demitri glanced up as Maddie came into the room. "Hey kiddo" He said, putting Zach back in his crib So that he could scoop Maddie up. "Maddie, what's wrong?" He asked, he could see that she was upset, and he had heard some of her conversation with Kristen. Sighing, he kissed her forehead, absebtmindedly rocking back and forth like he did with Zach.

Alexi heard Kristen rushing down the hallway. He was seated in the bed, watching Maria pack. She seemed better today, having slept moat of yesterday, she was almost back to normal now. "Kristen's at the door" He mumbled off handedly. He sighed, feeling fairly depressed today.

Maddie sniffed as Demitri caught her up and held her. "I don't know, but I keep seeing things. Pictures like memories though I don't remember any of it." Maddie murmured, rubbing her eyes fiercely. "I don't like it. They scare me." She muttered, shaking her head.
"Mommy says I had to help you with packing my stuff." She murmured.

"Huh?" Maria asked, looking up from her suitcase. She had been focused on packing and didn't hear the shifter until she was knocking softly on the door. Frowning, Maria stood up and walked to the door.
"Kristen? Something wrong?" Maria asked.
"A bit. When was the last time you talked to Keith. Your leader, not our Keith." Kristen added quickly, seeing Maria's eyes dart upstairs.
"Um..I saw him during your wedding...Carlos called him the night before he and Jason left back for England...." Maria trailed off, shrugging and shaking her head.
"Can you call him and ask him about that ring...see if he managed to destroy it? I don't wanna get my hopes up yet, things like that can't be broken easily." Kristen murmured, lowering her voice immensily while she talked.
"The ring from...?" Kristen's nod answered Maria's question. "Alright. I'll get a hold of him."

"Do you guys need help packing up?" Kristen asked normally.
"No, I think everythings set now. Do you know when we leave?" Maria asked, glancing over her shoulder to smile at Alexi. Kristen shook her head.
"I'll ask Demitri." Kristen said, turning to go back upstairs.

Demitri frowned, hugging Maddie tightly. "Oh honey, I bet that sucks" He said, sighing and kissing her forehead. "Well your mom packed your clothes, but I could use some help with your toys" he said, setting her down. "Lets take Zach and do in your Rom to get everything done. Don't forget to keep stuff you want for on the plane" He reminded her, scooping up his aon and taking Maddie's hand.

Alexi sat silently, listening to Maria and Kristen, shaking his head as she left. "What do you thinks going on?" He asked, stretching out and looking at Maria with a small sigh. He didn't really understand all that well, but he had a feeling they were due for more drama. Sighing, he rose, shaking his head and looking at her curiously. His arms ached, and he'd been having more frequent episodes, just he'd been unable to bite himself.

Maddie sighed and nodded gently as Demitri put her down. She watched as Demitri picked up Zach and she walked down the hall towards her room, leaving the door open for Demitri to walk in. She gathered up most of the toys she couldn't leave behind and placed them on her bed. She remembered tthen that she had left her blanket in Vlad's room. She'd get it once she was finished.
Sorting out the pile of toys, Maddie set aside the stuff she wanted to take on the plane from the rest. "Where are the bags?" Maddie murmured, going to look in her closet.


"I'm not sure...but Kristen's obviously concerned, that's reason enough for me." Maria said, looking around for her phone. She kissed Alexi's forehead softly before dialing Keith's number. Putting the phone between her ear and shoulder, Maria continued to finish packing, listening to the dail tone and hoping Keith had destroyed that ring.

Demitri smiled at Maddie, "The bags?" He looked arouse, before spotting them ontop of the closet, on a shelf. "Here we go" He said, pulling the large bags down.
"First off, let's figure out what you want to bring on the plane" He said, putting Zach on a small carrier, so he could help Maddie and bot have to carry Zach. Attaching the straps, he turned his attention back to Maddie and packing.

Alexi nodded, "If you can't get ahold of Keith, maybe try Shaye" He suggested, naming Keith's mate. He sighed, he agreed with her. If Kristen was worried, then it made sense to be concerned. He rubbed his eyes with his fingertips, stretching as he walked around the room.

Maddie watched as Demitri pulled down the bags from the top of her closet shelf. "The plane ride stuff is there." she murmured, pointing to the foot of her bed. She had a stack of coloring books, and her crayons, as well as a few puzzles that never failed to capture her attentoin. Regardless of the fact that Maddie had solved all of her puzzles nearly five times over already. She walked over to the bed, picking up her blue plastic sphere and the small baggie that contained the extra peices. So far, she had found three others ways of solving the sphere, and was working on a fourth. Ice blue eyes stared at the puzzle for a moment before Maddie methodically drew out the remaining peices from her bag, completeing the sphere again.
Rubbing her eyes, Maddie put the sphere down and looked at the other pile on her bed that wouldn't be going with her on the plane. Most of that was her dolls, other books and things that wouldn't distract her for that long.

Maria chewed her lip as the dail tone cut off and she gained Keith's voicemail. "Yea, I should." she murmured, quickly dailing her friends number and placing the phone back to her ear and shoulder. She pressed down on Alexi's suitcase in the meantime, enough that she could zip it shut and pick it up off the bed.
"Hey Shaye, it's Maria. Listen whenever you get the chance, I just need to know if Keith evern destroied that bloody ring from last winter. Get back to me when you can. Bye." Maria said, before closing the phone and tossing it the bed. She ran her fingers through her hair before picking up her suitcase and placing it next to Alexi's by their door.
"There. All set for the morning." Maria said before walking up behind Alexi and wrapping her arms around him loosely.
"Do you think you'll be alright once we're back in Russia?" Maria murmured softly, resting her chin on his shoulder gently.