1x1 with x_fire

Carlos smiled in slight reassurement as he rubbed Serena's back soothingly. "Oh that sounds like fun." he said, but Serena was still attached to his shoulder. He watched as Keith and Shaye left with another nod to them before glancing at the little girl in his arms. He sighed heavily, kissing her head gently as he turned to Alexi. He looked Nick over once, wincing slightly at the bandages around the boys arms. The bandages looked thicker than Serena's, which meant Nick had done more damage to himself...or Maria didn't know how to bandage a wound.

Nick looked up from his sister to his uncle before following Carlos' gaze to his wrists. He still had the blank expression of disbelief on his face. Like any minute now, Nick was hoping, he would wake up and this would have been the nightmare. Carlos sighed and nodded for Alexi to head upstairs, and followed after.

Maria had the dvd player set, and the cartoon movie Wall-E waiting to be played. The bed sheets were pulled back and she was sitting on the matrice, staring distantly at the screen as she ran her fingers through her hair. Hearing Alexi and Carlos coming in, Maria blinked back to reality and sat up on the bed. Seeing that Serena was completely attached to her uncle made Maria laugh softly. If Serena wasn't hurt and upset, it would be cute.
"I wasn't sure what you two wanted to watch..." Maria murmured softly, nodding to the screen. "I thought Wall-E would be good."

"I L like Wall-E" Serena murmured, glancing from her mother to the screen. The little girl scrubbed at her eyes with her fingertips, since her wrists hurt a lot. She sighed, unsure of everything right now. She wasn't mad at Nick, she couldn't be, not when she knew he hadn't meant to do it, but she still hurt, and that was making it hard for her to think and be vocal. She rested her head on Carlos' shoulder, staring absentmindedly at the TV as she waited for the adults to make the decisions like usual.

Alexi nodded, "Wall-E sounds good to me" He said, glancing at the bed with a silent 'how are we going to do this?' question in his eyes. Serena was attatched to Carlos at the moment, and Nick seemed pretty glued to him, which made him reluctant to put the little boy down. He shifted from foot to foot, an unconcious nervous habit of his, and waited for the others to offer some input.

Carlos sighed and gently sat on the floor at the foot of the bed. "Here we go, darling." He murmured, detatching Serena gently and turning her in his arms. He sat her in his lap so that her back was against his chest and she could watch the movie. He firgured Alexi could sit on the bed with Nick and Maria. Carlos would stay as long as needed, and he firgured that was until Serena fell asleep. If Serena managed to fall asleep...

Seeing that Carlos had easily settled himself, Maria tugged on Alexi's shirt for him to sit down. She blinked, realizing then that he was filthy. Maria sighed and reached his hands out to Nick. Her son looked at her with a small whimper.
"You're father needs to change." Maria said in small explination. "Just a minute." Maria promise, catching Nicks attention before the little boy noticed the blood stained shirt.

Sighing, Nick nodded and shifted slightly so his mother could take him and set him on the comfy bed. She reached over for the remote and hit the play button before looking at Alexi and darting her eyes to the washroom with a small plead.

Serena curled up in Carlos' lap as soon as he was settled. She sighed, rubbing her eyes and glancing at her twin as he was taken by their mother. Wondering why her father needed to change, she glanced up at him, eyes wide at the bloodstained shirt. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if he was alright, before realizing that he was probably fine and had just been out doing adult things again. That was what their parents told them anytime they went out, that they were doing adult things. She wiped her eyes, and turned her attention to the movie as Alexi slipped into the washroom.

Alexi smiled, "I'll be right back" He promised Nick, before disappearing into the washroom with a spare shirt. Moments later, he had returned, all cleaned off and re-dressed. Sitting down next to Maria, his back against the wall, he opened his arms and let Nick scramble into his lap.
"Did I miss any good parts?" He asked his son lightly, knowing this was one of Nick's favorite movies.

---

Halfway into Wall-E, Serena began to drift off. She was fighting to keep her eyes open, since she didn't want to fall asleep and risk nightmares. She burrowed deeper against her Uncle's chest, rubbing her eyes vigioursly for like the fourth time, trying to focus on the movie. Nick was still wide awake, she could tell, and she wanted to be awake as well.

Nick could barely focus on the movie. He was distant as he watched the movie, unable to really see what he was even watching. When his father returned, Nick merely shrugged and settled back in Alexi's lap. He rubbed his eyes with fingers that were cold and numb. He growled at the bandages around his wrists, angry. Maria sat up suddenly at the sound, slightly shocked. Nick growled on occassion but never like that.
"Nicholas." Maria murmured.
"I don't like this." Nick muttered, shotting daggers at the bandages on his arms.
"It's just so you'll heal." Maria promised.

----------

Carlos sighed deeply. The movie was nearly over, and Serena was yawning and rubbing her eyes more frequently. He kissed the top of her head, leaning back so that he was nearly laying on the floor, Serena laying on him.
"Its alright." Carlos reassured quietly. He glanced over his shoulder at Maria, Alexi and Nick. The little boy looked as worn as Serena and fighting back sleep. He yawned and closed his eyes slowly, falling asleep steadily.

Alexi was just as surprised at the growl as Maria was.
"I know they suck Nick, believe me" He murmured, "But its something we all have to put up with" He smiled, "The less you fuss with them, the quicker you'll heal and the quicker they'll come off" He said gently, smiling at his son.
"You sound exactly like Demitri" He muttered, chuckling lightly as he glanced knowingly at Maria. Demitri was notorious for bad behaviour when it came to getting patched up, and often destroyed the bandages within a few hours of having them on. He sighed, glancing down at Carlos whom had stretched out on the floor with Serena in his arms.
"Hmmm..." He murmured, chuckling, "Guess your brother might have to sleep here" He said, his voice soft, trying to maintain the relaxed, calm atmosphere of the bedroom.

Serena made something close to a whimpering noise, but settled onto Carlos' chest, her eyes flickering a few times before she fell sound asleep. Her dreams were haunted with nightmares, though unlike Nick, she didn't lash out, she remained still as a stiff board, shuddering occasionaly.

Carlos smirked, though he tried not to move too much in fear of waking up Serena. "I don't mind." Carlos murmured as the movie finally finished. He heard Maria moving carefully in the bed. She stood up to turn off the movie, dvd player, and the t.v. She also came around with a spare blanket for Carlos and Serena.
Maria frowned, seeing how tense Serena was, though she should have been sound asleep.
"Maria..." Carlos muttered, since she was three inches from handing him the blanket. "She'll be fine." he told her, to which Maria nodded and drapped the blanket over her brother and daughter. Carlos eventually managed to settled that he was laying completely on the floor, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting over Serena gently.
This was one of the benefits Carlos enjoyed of being a vampire. Everywhere felt comfortable. Maybe in a cramped four by four box, he would have difficulties. However, the floor could be just as comfortable as a sofa or bed.

Maria crawled back onto the bed gently, since Nick had fallen asleep leaning against Alexi. His arms were resting listlessly in his lap, and he had practically fallen asleep sitting up.
"They were so tired but didn't want to sleep..." Maria murmured gently, looking at Alexi with a soft frown as she pulled the covers over all of them.

"They'll be fine love, they've had a rough couple of days" Alexi reassured, smiling lightly as the family settled into bed, Serena and Carlos sleeping on the floor.

---

Alexi sighed, he hadn't slept all night, not with the drama and the nightmares that the twins were having. Thankfully, aside from soft crying from Serena for a moment, nothing had happened. Running his fingers through his hair, he slipped away from his wife and son to shower quickly, hoping not to disturb anyone.
Serena was still curled up on Carlos' chest, though she seemed a bit more relaxed now. Smirking, Alexi slipped into the washroom, showering quickly and washing his hair lest any blood remain on it from the night before. He dried off, opting for dressing in the washroom, since he doubted Maria's brother would appreciate him walking around in the nude or something awkward like that.

Serena began to stir lightly as she heard the shower, though she didn't fully wake up. Mumbling to herself, she hid her face under the blanket, essentially hiding from the light of the sun and the noise in hopes that it would go away. She was sleepy, and last night seemed like an awful dream, although she knew it was real due to the throbbing in her wrists.

Nick grumbled as Alexi moved around in the bed, but eventually he settled back down. Maria opened her eyes, wincing at the sunlight coming through the room. She blinked, not at all surprised at how quickly the time passed. She sighed gently, looking over, realizing that Alexi had gotten up out of the bed, which was why she had woken up.
Nick groaned again, since Maria shifted slightly and she smirked as he turned his head towards her. Maria bit her lip, hoping Nick wouldn't try and--
"Ow..." Nick hissed, the pain from moving his arms waking him up instantly.
"Careful." Maria murmured gently, exhaling the breath she had been holding in. Nick frowned deeply as he looked around the bright room. He grumbled under his breath as he pulled his arm up slowly to rubb his eyes.

Carlos blinked, waking up to the sounds of Maria's hushed counciling and Nick's occasional grumbling and growling.
"Ah...morning." he murmured, sighing deeply as he looked around. His eyes turned to Serena, laying still, though he was almost sure she would be awake soon, since Nick already was.

Alexi stepped back into the bedroom, wearing a pair of jeans and a clean, button up light blue shirt. His hair was still a bit damp, but not enough to be bothersome.
"Morning" He said, keeping his voice low since Serena was still sleeping, though he knew if Nick was up, she would be following soon.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling his socks on and glancing around, "You can probably move Carlos, she'll be fine" He said, noting that Maria's brother had been in the same position all night. He glanced at Nick, smiling, though it flatered a bit at the anger he saw in his son's face. He sighed, Nick truly was annoyed and frusturated right now.

Serena sighed, hearing the soft voices, feeling the shooting pain of her brother's wrists in her own. She yawned, rubbing her eyes and emerged from under the blanket. She smiled at her Uncle, hugging him lightly, her own wrists were less damaged then Nick's, and right now, she didn't want to fuss, since her parents had a lot to deal with.
"What are we doing today?" She asked, rubbing her eyes again.

Nick was grumbling in soft Russian while Maria shook her head. He wanted the bandages off. His wrists were itching and aching and sore. The bandages weren't helping any at all in his opinion. He glanced up slightly when Alexi came back, usually blue eyes hard and gray.
"Morning." he mumbled. Maria gave Alexi a soft smile in response before pushing Nick's hand away from one of his arms. "It itches!" he protested.
"If you scratch you'll open the wound again." Maria said, her voice soft and gentle. Nick sighed heavily and looked over when Carlos sat up on the bed with them and Serena.

Carlos smiled, seeing that Serena was awake, and looking at least a little better. He sat up once she was awake and picked her up with him to sit on the side of the bed.
"Hmm, that is an excellent question." Carlos said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "We could go exploring in the woods...or go swimming...the list is endless really." Carlos said with a smile, looking at Nick and then Serena.
"You are in a castle..." He said with a soft wink.

Alexi smiled at his son, trying to look reassuring, "Itching is good, it means its healing" He said, "I know it sucks right now, but trust me, it's a good thing" He said, hugging Nick and then Serena.
"Hmm" He pondered his daughter's question, "There's a town not far from here, we could go check it out, maybe finish our shopping?" He offered, wondering if that might take Nick's mind off things. At this point, it was up to the twins what they did. He knew Maria would be insanely protective, and he was positive with the injuries and the bandages, swimming would be out of the question.
"Or we could go into the forest, like Uncle Carlos suggested, build a fort or something?" He said, smiling.

Serena looked thoughtful at the suggestions given by her father and Uncle. Glancing at Nick, she shrugged her shoulders, she was fine with whatever. She resisted the urge to itch her own injuries, and instead absentmindedly rubbed them, which helped to relieve the itching a bit. She wished Nick didn't look so miserable, but there wasn't much she could do to make him feel better.

"You guys went down to town last night?" Maria asked curiously. "Has it changed much?" she asked curiously as she stood up to shower and change as well. She nodded for the boys to keep an eye on the twins while she rummaged for clean clothes.
"It's getting larger if that's what you're wondering." Carlos said. His eyes grew distant for a moment when Alexi brought up the town again. The girl from the previous night flashed in his mind. He chewed his lip softly.
"Maybe we should go down to the town..." Carlos murmured with a soft shrug, quickly drawing himself back to reality.

Nick sighed and let his arms be, listening to his father as Maria walked into the bathroom. "I gotta get something for Maddie..." Nick mumbled, when Alexi mentioned shopping. He glanced up at his sister, noticing how she was rubbing her wrists. Alexi wasn't yelling at her for that...Nick looked at the arm that was bothering him the most, rubbing gently. It helped, but only a little, since Nick couldn't even move his fingers on the hand that was rubbing. He growled lightly before looking up at Carlos. "Where's the town?" he murmured, wanting his mind on something other than the annoyance of his wrists.

OOC: Is this girl Carlos is so interested in an important figure later on? Cause if you have plans, and don't want to play her, I'm always down =]

BIC:
Alexi smiled, "Its a lot bigger to me" He murmured to Maria, watching her take off to change. He glanced at the twins, sighing softly, Nick had done some serious damage to himself by the look of it.
"The town? About a fifteen minute drive" He said, "Just down the road we came, it's really nice, and I bet we could find something awesome for Maddie there" He smiled, "Did you ever give Serena her present?" He asked his son, knowing Nick needed to be distracted.

Serena nodded, "I wouldn't mind seeing the town" Nick was showing interest, so she wanted to do what he did. She noticed him rubbing his wrist, and smiled, she wished she could help him more, but she wasn't sure how. Sliding free of Carlos, she clambered across the bed and sat down with her twin, offering him the typical silent comfort they always offered one another.

((XD I was gonna ask you this actually cause I was thinking Carlos is kinda the odd man out and we could use some postive drama, if that makes sense. She was gonna be another shifter-hence the resistance to vampire charm and someone that Carlos is somehow fascinated with that would probably end up his soul mate somewhere down the line...))

Nick glanced up at Alexi with a small smile and shook his head. "No...I almost forgot..." he murmured, glancing around the room gently for Maria's purse. Unless she had moved the bag...the stallion necklace would still be in his mother's bag. Nick firgured Serena should have it now since they were talking about it anyway.

Carlos raised an eyebrow, seeing Nick suddenly intent on finding something. "What are you looking for?" he asked.
"There...In mom's bag there's a little one with Serena's present from the Music festival..." Nick explained as Carlos stood up to check in the bag.
"Well, 'ello, what have we got here?" Carlos asked, finding the small plastic bag. Nick smiled and nodded towards Serena. He glanced at her as she came over to sit with him with a slightly happier gleam, wondering what her reaction would be.
"Present for you my dear." Carlos said, handing over the bag to the little girl.

Maria came out of the shower then, wearing a loose skirt, flowing to her knees, and a summer blouse. Her hair was twisted into something of a bun as she walked out of the bathroom. She noticed the bag in Serena's lap and smiled. "I was wondering when you would give that to her." she said with a small wink.

OOC: Are you asking me to play her? Cause I'm down, I wouldn't mind having an adult female charrie besides Shaye.

BIC:
Serena's eyes lit up, and she looked at Nick with a curious expression.
"What is it?" She asked as her brother and Uncle hunted for the bag, and soon the small plastic bag with the present was in her lap. Grinning, she glanced up as her mother came out, carefully opening the bag, since her fingers were a bit stiff. Sliding the necklace free, Serena's eyes gleamed, "Nick" She exclaimed, turning and hugging her brother tightly, though she was careful of her injuries.
"I love it" She said, her brown eyes shining.

"Here, let me put it on you" Alexi said, taking the necklace and sliding it around his daughter's neck.
"Lovely" He said as he fastened the clasp, his ice blue eyes sparkling as he glanced at his wife.
"We decided on going into town, once we get the twins ready, we can go?" He asked, looking around, making sure everyone was agreeable.

{{Yea actually if you don't mind xD I think it'll be fun. You can create her however you want since she was kinda just an extra I tossed in lol}}

"Just open the bag." Nick mumbled, shaking his head. He watched her curiously, grinning as she gasped in surprise and laughing softly when she practically tackled him in a hug. He was still smiling as Alexi clipped the necklace on.
"I'm glad you like it." he said, rubbing his eyes gently and growling slightly. Alexi and Maria caught his attentino then, and he lowered his arms.

Maria smiled at Serena and Nick, nodding in agreement to the plan of going down to the town. "Alright. Sounds good to me." she said with a nod of agreement.
"Well then I'm underdressed." Carlos muttered jokining with a smirk. "I'll meet you downstairs." he promise with a wink to Serena. "Looks good on ya." he added before disappearing out of the room.
"Alright, lets get you two dressed." Maria said with a soft sigh.

OOC: yah =] An adult female who is a shifter. Oh the excitment. So predeterminded, she's going to be Carlos' soulmate? I mean, it's pretty obvious, but just clarifying?

BIC:
Serena smiled, "Thanks" She said shyly to her uncle as her father scooped her up. Giggling, Serena let him help her pick out her clothing for the day and brush her hair and teeth. When ready, the little girl was wearing a blue longsleeve shirt, a pair of jeans and her running shoes. Her hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail, and her horse necklace was still around her neck. She glanced at her mother and Nick, whom had just come in from the spare room.
"Are we leaving?" She asked curiously.

Alexi smiled, Serena was behaving extremely well today, he figured it was a byproduct of Nick's acting up, though he wasn't complaining. He glanced up as Maria and his son entered.
"We're just waiting for Uncle Carlos, and then we'll go" He said to his daughter, smiling lightly as the attitude around the family seemed to lighten.

((Yea. Not overly obviously like she sees him and 'Oh my god I love him,' cause that would be ridiculous xD but yea. I was kinda gonna tie her into the girls Alexi masacred the night before somehow but that's totally up to you if you wanna do that or not.}}

Maria sighed. "There." she said to which Nick merely nodded and resisted the urge to snarl at his bandaged, and therefore useless arms. Maria smiled lightly, kissing Nick's forehead before steering him back towards Alexi and Serena. The little boy was cleaned up and looking a bit better now with a green button down shirt, jeans and his sneakers.

Downstairs, Carlos was rolling up his black dress shirt sleeves as he skipped down the stairs. "No need for any more waiting." He said. Maria raised her eyebrows, seeing her brother. He seemed to have showered in the past five minutes...his hair was combed back and still damp. He was wearing a black dress shirt, but that was typical of Carlos, along with dark jeans and his casual walking boots. He rolled up the other sleeve to his elbows as he stood with Alexi and Serena.
"Everyone ready then?" he asked, glancing at Maria and Nick with a small smile.

OOC: Haha, I figured (actually my inital plan was to have her run, screaming 'I love you' at him, while wearing a pink tutu...JK)

BIC:

Alexi glanced at Nick, "Dont you like sharp" He said with a wink as he glanced up at Carlos.
"Vampire speed, handy for not only hunting purposes, but speed showering and dressing" He teased lightly, nodding his head.
"Yupp, I'd say we're ready"

With little effort, soon the family was in the SUV, Alexi driving, Maria sitting with the twins, driving towards the town.
"So, anywhere in particular that we should go?" He asked, directing the question between Maria and Carlos, as he had no idea, nor did the twins.

Serena was sitting beside her mother, since she had sat down between them, staring listlessly out the window, which she usually did in the car for any length of time. She kicked her feet absentmindedly, trying to ignore the itch in her arms. Maria and Nick were bickering over Nick's bandages, and she could tell how frusturated her twin was.

(( xD that would've been er...interesting))

Carlos nodded with a smirk as they all walked outside and piled into the SUV. Sitting in the passanger seat, Carlos sighed as he thought over Alexi's question.
"Hmm..they've got a nice little shopping centre to be sure...and I think the Ye Old Festival might be back..." Carlos mused.

"The what?" Maria asked, brushing Nick's hand aside to keep him from scratching at his wrists. Nick growled lightly, but Maria ignored him, waiting for Carlos to answer.
"Oh that what we call it. Dunno the actual term but its this traveling festival much like a circus only the festival is themed around a certain time period." Carlos explained with a chuckle. "The last time they were here, the year was 1459." Carlos said, laughing at Maria's grimance.

"You can't be serious." Maria mumbled.
"Oh but I am. People dress up, there's plays, performances, shops, food...its the more eerie sight I've seen. They incorperate a lot of the history though." Carlos said with a shrug. "They usually come round this time of year. Not sure if they're here or not but, always something to check out yea?"

Nick glanced up at his mother, then Carlos when they were speaking. He knew a little about history, and Nick was able to do the math when Carlos mentioned the years. "That's a long time ago..." he murmured, which made Carlos laugh and Maria sighed since that was the year Maria had been born.

"Might be worth checking out, seeing how badly the butcher hisory" Alexi said, laughing softly.
"Not that long ago" Alexi whined softly, shaking his head at Nick. If that seemed like a long time ago to the kids... He sighed, shaking his head again and pulling into the mall parking lot. The town was small enough still that you could walk most places, and this eemed like a good place to leave the vehicle for the day.
"Come on gang" He said, smiling softly, a completely different person then the insane man from the night before.

Serena glanced at her brother, before glancing up as they spoke of some festival.
"Sounds funny" She said, wondering if they would go check it out. She glanced out the car window as they parked, hopping down from the seat once the door was opened by her father. Both twins were wearing long sleeves to cover their bandages, since it wouldn't look good to walk around with mutilated children.

"Well Carlos, since this is your territory" Alexi said, making a grand, sweeping gesture with his arm.
"Why don't you do the honours and lead the way?"

Maria couldn't help a small laugh at Alexi's whine. Nick smiled, though he hardly understood why. Once the car stopped, he was out and on the ground. Maria followed suite while Carlos sighed and stretched. He glanced around, holding his hands up to sheild his eyes from the sun for a moment.

Maybe we can check out the festival if its here." Maria said. "It might not be too bad." she murmured with a small shrug as she took Nick's hand gently and walked over to Alexi. She laughed gently, shaking her head as Carlos gave Alexi a small bow.

"Right this way." Carlos said, as if guiding the family on a tour. They didn't walk far before they found themselves in the thick of the town where all the little shops were.
"Here we have main street, where you can purchase anything from a peice of gum to houses." Carlos said with a smirk.
"Whoa." Nick said, stopping in front of a window of a shop that was selling glass figures, orniments and such.

Like Nick, Serena was facinated by the glass figurines. She had seen a few at Uncle Sven's house, but she had never been this close to them. Smiling, she pointed out a ballet dancer to Nick, she didn't like ballet all that much, but the figurine was really pretty.

"Hey Carlos, do you know that girl?" Alexi asked, nudging his brother-in-law, he had seen a girl staring at the two of them, and as he had never seen her before, he wondered if his friend knew her. However, once he pointed her out, the girl ducked her head, and attempted to disappear into the crowd. She was fairly tall, with long dark brown hair with red streaks. She had a lip peircing, and a tattoo on her back of what looked like tribal patterns. She was extremely pretty for a mortal, though she seemed oblivious to it. (I'm going to make her Native American, just so you know)

The girl, better known as Sami to her friends, had been the girl Carlos had jumped the night before, and even if he didn't remember, she certainly did. She remembered the rush of fear, having never even heard him coming, the pounding of her heart, his confusion, and then, he was gone. Shaking her head, she drifted deeper into the crowd, trying to avoid being seen, since she didn't know what to make of her mixed up emotions.

"Doesn't Uncle Sven have some like these?" Nick murmured quietly to Serena as she pointed out a few more for him to look at. "Cool, look at the horse." Nick said, pointing out a beautiful one that looked similar to the necklace he'd bought her. "How do they make some of them so small?" He wondered, attention being drawn to a small toy solider.

"Hmm?" Carlos asked, turning around at Alexi's proding. "Wh-" Carlos had been about to say 'who' when his eyes caught a glance of red in the crowd. He took a small step away from the twins, as if that would imrpove his vision any. Narrowing his eyes, Carlos chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Possibly..." Carlos murmured. "Was she watching us?" Carlos asked, his eyes still following her as she tried to move with the crowd.

Maria crossed her arms over her chest. "Possibly?" Maria echoed. "You never forget a face." She said.
"Well, considereing I haven't had a good look at her face, my record still stands." Carlos protested, shaking his head gently. He didn't come to this town often...the only person...the girl from last night flashed in his mind. "Huh..." he mumbled to himself, thinking that may have been the same girl.