1x1 with x_fire

Carlos nodded as Sami agreed to the pool and he walked over to grab a pair of swim shorts. He was pulling them from his draws when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught Sami's towel dropping to the towel. He sucked in a useless breath, doing his best not to turn around and let Sami retain some privacy. Though a thought came to his mind; if she'd wanted privacy, she would've changed in the bathroom. Carlos sighed heavily, turning around entirely once he knew Sami was dressed, an equally playful smirk on his face.
"You won't get that kind of teasing out of me just yet." Carlos said as he walked past her, though he was unable to reframe himself from dropping a kiss on the skin of her shoulder just before her neck. Carlos chuckled lightly before tossing his shorts over his shoulder and walking into the bathroom swiftly.

Maria rolled her eyes at Alexi at the mention of the house plan. "The were changed for good reasons and you know it." she grumbled back teasingly as Alexi herded the twins to get changed for the poool.
Nick shuffled his stuff more towards where Maria was packing before following after Alexi. He was soon changed, his previous clothes carelessly disagarded on the floor which he picked up and placed them on the bed.
"Done." Nick called, wondering if Serena was, or Alexi, or Maria.

-------------

Maddie woke up in the middle of the night to a pounding heart, which was starting to ache, and not enough air in her lungs. She had proped herself up on her elbows, but since her chest was still heaving to breath, she quickly pushed herself up, looking around the room hastily. Her room...oh it had just been a dream...Just a dream...then why was she so frightened? Rubbing her arms, Maddie suddenly wished Vlad was still spending the nights with them...the thought of him made her chest ache again...and what if he was? She'd be too scarred to go down and bother him in the middle of the night. At one time, she might of...but now...Maddie rubbed her face roughly before turning to look out the window. The sky was clear...the stars were out...they reminded Maddie of a fairy tale Demitri had once told her. Maddie bit her lip gently.
"I wish...you didn't think differently of me...you smiled, and laughed more then.." Maddie murmured beyond quietly, before smiling lightly at the memory. She shook her head and sighed, pushing the blinds back and laying down in her bed again. Demitri would probably come and wake her up for school soon...

Sami laughed and shrugged.
"Not to worried about it. I'm just comfortable with myself" She said, shivering lightly as he kissed her. Grabbing a clean beach towel, Sami sat down on the bed, waiting patiently for Carlos to emerge.
Once he had, she followed him down to the pool since she was still getting comfortable with the layout of the house.
"Mmm" She murmured, stretching the towel out on a beach chair and flopping down. It felt nice the warm sun on her skin, and she doubted she'd get in the water very soon. It was a nice change of pace to sit and relax instead of worrying about her next meal, her survival. She slipped on a pair of oversized sunglasses she had left over from living with Lana and Mark and grabbed her abused iPod, slipping the earbuds in her ears. The ipod had been a presant from her friends, and she had managed to keep it alive this long. She had charged it when she could at internet cafes, and the thing was lasting extrodinarily well for what it had been through. However, it was on its last legs, and looked like a piece of junk.

Serena poked her head into the room where Nick was.
"So are we" She said, "Mom says Sami and Uncle Carlos are already outside" She smirked at her twin.
"Alright, lets go" Alexi said, taking Serena's hand and looking at Nick.
"Are there any toys you guys wanna bring outside?" He asked, they had packed some pool toys after all.

---

Zach shifted, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he sat up in bed. He needed a glass of water, and he wasn't really awake enough to think about his actions. Getting up, he stumbled into the washroom he shared with Maddie, turning the water on, before curling up on the floor and falling asleep.

Once in the bathroom, Carlos shook his head, grinning. He almost felt giddy, and then ridiculous. He couldn't help it thought. Sami was brining out feelings and emotions within Carlos that had been so dorment, Carlos almost didn't remember what they were. Sighing heavily, Carlos rubbed his face once before changing and rejoining her.
Seeing her sitting on the bed, Carlos smirked and took her hand to help her down. Grabbing a towel for himself on the way out of the room, Carlos led them both downstairs to the pool.
"Ah, sees like we're early." Carlos said, seeing that the pool was empty and the patio quiet. He vaguely wondered what Keith and Shaye were doing, but the thought passed quickly as his attention was caught by the sounds of small feet behind him.

Nick grinned at Serena and shook his head at Alexi. "Most of the toys are there already." Nick said with a simple shrug as he joined his family downstairs. Maria was twirling her long hair up into something of a messy bun as they walked onto the patio.
"Morning!" Nick called, grinning at Carlos, who was sitting at the steps, not far from Sami. His uncle looked up at nodded.
"Morning chap! Your looking much better." Carlos said as Nick came over and held out his wrists, which were entirely healed.
"No more cuts!" Nick said, turning his arms over.
"Brilliant. Aren't you glad you listened to you're mother and father now?" Carlos asked before looking over at Serena. "And what about you my dear? All healed up and ready for some fun?"

------------------

Maddie's body twitched, much like a dogs would in response to a new and sudden sound. She growled, since she'd just fallen asleep, and was now awake again. What was that noise? There was water running. Maddie grumbled something as she sat up and rubbed her ears. Glancing over at her clock, Maddie's frown deepened. Why was there water running? She still had an hour and a half before she had to get ready for school...
Confused, Maddie stood up and followed the sound of running water to the bathroom she shared with Zach. Only to find him curled up on the floor, and the sink nearly over flowing. Quickly turning the faucet off and unclogging the drain, Maddie sighed as she looked down at Zach. Either he'd been sleep walking...or needed some water. Reaching down, Maddie picked up his arm, draping it over her shoulder as she'd seen the others do countless times, to help Zach back to bed.

Sami glanced up as she saw Carlos turn and begin talking. Removing one of her headphones, she smiled lightly seeing the small family.
"Morning" She said with a small grin as Alexi flopped down onto the chair next to her.
"You look better today" The blond vampire commented, looking her over appraisingly.
"Still a bit stiff, and have a few cuts still healing. But all in all, I'm much better" Sami said with a small smile.
"Good to hear, you gave Carlos quiet a scare" He said, shaking his head. Sami shrugged, "I didn't mean to" She murmured, a small frown on her face.
She wasn't sure what else to say, Alexi was a nice guy but he was so imposing compared to the rest of them. She shook her head, glancing back at the twins as Serena showed her wrists to her Uncle.

"Mine are all healed" Serena said with a smile, looking at Nick.
"Yea" She cried, laughing lightly as she replied to his question about playing. She and Nick had numerous games going on at one time, plus playing with their Uncle and Parents was always fun.
Breaking away from the group, Serena carefully tested the temperature of the water, before making her way slowly down the stairs.

---

Zach didn't really wake up as Maddie moved him. He mumbled a bit, coughing lightly before falling back to sleep once in bed. He had no recollection of what happened, just that he was warm and comfortable again.

Demitri walked down the hall, he, like Maddie, had heard running water and was confused.
Opening the door, he was in time to see Maddie helping Zach back to bed. Worried, he waited for her to finish, before calling out her name softly.
"Maddie?" He murmured, gesturing for her to come into the hallway.
"What's going on?"

Carlos nodded in approval as he looked over Serena's wrists. "Good, very good." he said with a nod. Maria laughed, sitting back by the table as she watched Carlos and the children. Nick looked over at Sami and Alexi, hearing bit and peices of their conversation, and adding them to what he'd heard yesterday. Apparently, shifters could heal fast too...he knew Vampires could heal instantly, but for others it took a while.

"Well we aren't going to have much fun out of the water." Carlos said, seeing that Serena was moving slowly down the pool steps. So with one arm, he scopped Serena up, and Nick in the other before wadding in nearly waist deep.
"Hmm.." Carlos mused, looking around the vastly empty pool as Nick tried to free himself from Carlo's grasp. Their uncle was holding them in a way that they were facing the water, but not touching it entirely. If he were to let them go, they'd have a short drop before being soaking wet. "Maybe this would be a good spot to put you two down..." Carlos said, playfully seemily like he was going to drop them.
Since Nick was struggling so, the little boy managed to get out of Carlos' grip slightly. However, Carlos recovered quick enough that Nick only made a light splash, but didn't go under entirely. Nick was laughing hysterically after that.
"Whoooaa!! How did you do that?" He asked, since now Nick was upsidedown, his hair touching the water.

-----------

Maddie glanced up at Demitri with a tired expression. She'd just put Zach down and pulled the blankets over him when Demitri showed up. Yawning, Maddie walked out into the hallway, looking up at Demitri with dull blue gray eyes.
"I don't know...maybe he was sleep walking. He went into the bathroom, turned on the water and feel asleep on the floor." Maddie answered with a tired shrug.

Sami glanced up, watching Carlos play in the pool with the twins. She chuckled softly, he was really amazing with kids. She shook her head, gasping softly as Nick squirmed free, and then ended up upside down hanging off of his Uncle.
"They sure are attatched to him" She muttered, glancing at Alexi who nodded.
"Yea, the twins are like that. If they like someone, they bond instantly" He said, stretching out on the chair and glancing at Maria.
"What time did you want to leave?" He asked her, he knew Sami and Carlos would drive in the extra car.
"If we leave early enough, you might be able to get in some shopping" He teased his wife, knowing she wanted to go shopping in London.

Serena gasped, clutching at her Uncle, giggling nervously. Unlike Nick, she didn't flail about, just tried to stay as still as possible. She glanced over at her twin, laughing at him as he was dunked in the water, and then hung out to dry.
She didn't want to end up dunked in the water, so she continued to cling to her Uncle, though she soon began to struggle in an attempt to escape.

---

Demitri picked Maddie up, shaking his head.
"That's odd" He said, kissing her forhead. "Thanks for being such a good big sister" He smiled.
"Come on, you still have awhile before you have to be up, do you want to go back to sleep?" He asked her curiously.

Maria glanced up, hearing Alexi say something to her. "Hmm?" she asked, having been preoccupied with watching the twins and Carlos. She grinned, instantly picking up on the word shopping and London.
"Oh I haven't done that in a few years. It's always exciting with the ever changing stores." Maria said, still fiddling with her long hair. "Have you been to London Sami?" Maria asked in pure curiosity.

Carlos laughed, looking from Serena to Nick. "You're brother is slightly riduclous don't you think?" he asked, though Serena was starting to struggle as well.
"I am not!" Nick protested, though he was laughing and didn't sound all that serious.
"Oh really?" Carlos asked.
"Yes. Really" Nick said, chuckling. "Are you going to put me down or what?" Nick asked then, since it was much more difficult to struggle upside-down.
Carlos glanced over at Serena with an all knowing smirk and shrugged. "If you insist." Carlos said, and Nick realized the severity of his words just before he hit the water.

------------

"Itsnothing." Maddie murmured, her words slurring since she was tired. She hadn't slept well at all. And she doubted that she would get any sleep now even if she tried.
"I don't think I'll..." Maddie was stopped by a yawn. "I'll be able to sleep anymore..." Maddie finished, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Sami glanced at Maria.
"No, I haven't been to London yet" She said with a small shrug. "Haven't really had the time to sightsee" She admitted, laughing lightly. She glanced up in time just to see Nick hit the water and Serena erupt into giggles.
"Oh dear" She chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief.
"What time do you want to leave?" Alexi repeated the question, shaking his head at his wife.
"You would only hear the words 'shopping' and 'London' in that entire conversation" He teased lightly.

Serena laughed, "Just a bit" She agreed, grinning at her brother.
"Nic-" She cut off, laughing as her brother hit the water, she had been about to warn him. She shook her head, squirming free of her Uncle and swimming across the pool quickly.
"Man they're good swimmers" Commented Sami, shaking her head in amazment. Nick and Serena certainly were amazing twins.

---

Demitri sighed, still holding Maddie.
"Ah, well why don't you come hang out with me then" He said gently, walking down the stairs and into his office.
"You can watch a movie if you want, you still have an hour and a bit before you have to get ready.

"Oh than we absouletly have to leave early." Maria said, almost as if Sami's lack of sight-seeing finalized the deal. "The children still have been to Big Ben or the London Eye. And you need a trip down main street." Maria said, with a small all-knowing smirk. Main Street was Maria's version of the shopping strip since all the stores lined the street.
Glancing over her shoulder as she heard a slapsh, Maria chuckled. "Oh they're half aquatic if they ddin't know it." Maria joked. "It was quite funny actually, going to swimming classes since most of the parents struggled to get their children in the water. We, on the other hand, couldn't get ours out of the water."

Carlos laughed as Nick resurfaced with a small gasp, easily treading water since he couldn't reach the bottom.
"You said to let go." Carlos offered in explination as Nick shook his head. Serena was then in the water and racing after her brother. Carlos laughed before diving into the water and resurfacing at the other end just in front of the twins.
"Oh you can't go this way." Carlos teased, shaking his head free of soaked hair.

---------------------

"Ok..." Maddie mummbled. For all that her body was restless, Maddie was actually exhausted. She just couldn't sleep, though she had no idea why. Well, she had an idea, she just wasn't letting herself think about it at all.
"Can we watched Tangled?" Maddie asked softly. "I think Mommy just bought it..."

Sami sighed, "I have a feeling I'm going to come out of this experience with more clothing then I've ever owned in my life" She muttered, though she smiled lightly at Maria.
"Oh probably" Alexi said with a smirk. "Maria tends to get a little insane when shopping" He warned.
"Oh, lovely" Sami said, chuckling softly. She looked at Maria, pretending to be fearful, though it was all in good fun.
"Oh, that would have been funny to see" Sami said, shaking her head as she imagined Maria and Alexi at swimming lessons with the twins.
"Bribery" Alexi said, winking playfilly.

Serena gave a little shriek as she saw her Uncle surface in front of her. Splashing in a circle in an attempt to get away from her Uncle. She chuckled, getting into the shallower water where she could touch.
"Mommy, Daddy come swim" She called out. She wasn't sure if Sami wanted to, since she was still beat up from whatever happened yesterday.

---

Demitri smiled, "I think she did buy that" He said, settling himself on the couch with his daughter, after setting up the DVD.
"Alright, so whats this one about?" He asked curiously.

Maria rolled her eyes at Alexi's exaggeration and Sami's teasing. "I do not get insane with shopping. It's just a passion of mine." Maria explained. "I can't tell you half of the things I wish I would have bought over the years because they'll eventually become rare or scarce. So I like to buy things as soon as possible is all." Maria said with a casule shrug. "Though with fashion these days that's almost impossible." Maria muttered, shaking her head. "Oh, did you hear Alayna took that Fashion Designing job with my Taylor?" Maria asked softly, looking back at Alexi curiously. "Shaye showed me one of the magizens that are still sent here and one of her designs was in the cataloge. It was gorgeous." Maria half rambled before Serena's soft voice caught her attention. Maria smiled and nodded in agreement. It was almost impossible to say no to the little girl.
"Oh, we can leave arould noon or so. Get back to the city by one, have the next five or so hours for shopping then head to the airport." Maria said as she stood up, winking at Alexi since she hadn't forgotten to answer his question.

Nick gasped, then grinned and growled before pushing himself up at Carlos. His uncle, feigning surprise, fell back as if Nick's attack actually knocked him off balance.
"Good God he's strong!" Carlos said, picking Nick up over his head, making it seem like Carlos was completely helpless. "What in heaven's name are you feeding this beast?" Carlos teased, causing Nick to play along, growling and hissing like an actual animal.

--------------

Maddie smiled lightly as Demitri settled down next to her. She felt better, a little relaxed and content. As the movie started, Maddie grinned.
"It's about Rapunsizel." Maddie said, slowly growing quiet as the movie opened to the first scene. She hadn't seen it entirely yet, and she was curious to know how the whole story played out. Though, a great part of her was still tired, and half way through the begining of the movie, Maddie was nodding off to the music.

Sami gaped at Maria.
"F-five hours? You want to shop for five hours?" She squeaked, shaking her head in amazement.
"You're nuts" She muttered, watching the vampire leave. She slipped her headphones in, cranking the volume enough so that the noise of the pool was just drowned out.
She closed her eyes, though it was nearly imposible to tell with with sunglasses on, and began to drift in and out of sleep.

Alexi frowned. "Did she really?" He shook his head, chukling at Sami's reaction.
"I'm surprised she took the job" He mused, watching his wife wander off to play with the twins. He shook his head, enjoying lying in the sun and watching for now.
Serena laughed at Nick and Carlos, glancing up as her mother came to join them. She walked over to her, moving slow in the water, and wrapped her arms around her waist.
"Nick's being silly" She muttered, smiling at her twin.

---

Demitri glanced down at Maddie, smiling lightly. He wasn't sure if Maddie should even bother with school today, but she had exams coming up. Zach on the other hand was a whole different story. He and Kristen were still trying to figure out the school situation with him. He was smart, but he had fallen badly behind, and there was no way really to catch him up.

Maria laughed at Sami's reaction. "Not exactly. I'm just doing general math here." she teased, shaking her head as she walked into the water. Carlos and Nick were half wrestling at this point, and Maria was almost tempted to yell for Carlos to get out of the water. She didn't exactly want to test if the children actually needed oxygen to live or not, and she could see Carlos and Nick getting a bit carried away, and the later ending up underwater a few seconds too long.
Seeing Serena, Maria smiled in reassurance. "Yes he is. Just like your Uncle I'm afraid..." Maria murmured, brushing Serena's hair back gently.

Carlos gave Nick a small growl in return before finally picking him up and tossing him lightly towards the deeper end of the pool.
Nick was laughing, though he took a deep breath and held his knees as he hit the water with a semi large splash. Carlos cheered and clapped, and even Maria was laughing along. Nick resuraced a few seconds later, swimming over to the edge and holding on to stay afloat.
"That was cool!! Again, again!" Nick called as he swam back over to Carlos.

--------------

Maddie, unfortunately, couldn't stay asleep for long. She woke up again, to the movie being almost over, and she firgured it was almost time to get ready for school. Rubbing her face, Maddie yawned and sat up slowly.
"I'mashower..." Maddie mumbled, hoping the water would help her wake up. She slid from Demitri lap and shuffled her way upstairs to shower and change into school clothes.

Alexi laughed, watching his family, before eventually getting up and going to sit in the shallows.
"Uh oh" He teased, watching Nick go flying through the air only to land in a big splash.
"Carlos, I should warn you now, my wife is terrorizing Sami with threats of five hour shopping trips" He teased, winking at Maria playfully.

"Five hours?" Serena asked, looking up at her mother wide eyed. She giggled as she saw Nick go flying through the air, surface and beg for more. It looked like fun, "Can I try?" She asked, breaking away from her mother and swimming over to her Uncle and twin a bit timidly. She was a bit nervous, but if Nick enjoyed it, she was sure she'd enjoy it too, plus she trusted her Uncle.

---

Demitri sighed, nodding his head as Maddie took off to shower.
"One day, I'll watch all the Disney movies" He muttered, he had actually really enjoyed Tangled and was looking forward to finishing it when he got a chance. He stood up, stretching slowly before going upstairs to wake Kristen up. It was her turn to drop the kids off, since he had to go into work later that day.

The door slowly creaked open as Keith wandered in. The angel looked exahusted and even a bit battered at this point. His shoulders slumped, as if he were carrying a heavy weight, and he pitched onto the couch, immediately passing out.

"Five hours?" Carlos echoed, looking back at Maria. "Not everyone shares your passion for shopping Maria, I thought we'd worked this out." Carlos said, almost in an older-brother-talking-down-to-younger-sister kind of way. Maria crossed her arms over her chest as Serena swam off towards Carlos.
"I said we would have five hours. Not that we HAD to shop for five hours." Maria said, shaking her head. "Honestly, and you've been speaking English for how long!?" Maria asked, though she was joking.

Looking down at Serena, Carlos grinned and nodded. "Sure. After I throw your brother again." Carlos added rather suddenly, since Nick hadn't been paying attention. Scooping the boy up from the waters, Nick was laughing again and waiting until Carlos tossed him again.
"Oo, nice splash." Carlos said with a smirk. "Alright, you're turn my dear." Carlos said, offering Serena his hand with a smile.

-------------------------

Maddie stood in the shower for a while. The water felt good, not too hot, not too cold, and it was working to wake her up. Rubbing her face, Maddie sighed heavily, sensing that Keith was home. She frowned, her knotted up senses telling her a bit more then Keith just being home. Turning off the shower, Maddie quickly dried off and changed into her jeans shorts, tank top and denim jacket.
Kristen was awake by then, making her coffee from the sound of things. Maddie was able to head downstairs quietly, not entirely alerting her half-asleep mother. Slipping into the living room, Maddie's face hardened at the sight of Keith.

Something had happened. She could sense his exhaustion, his ache and pain. Gray blue eyes turned to steel and Maddie rubbed her suddenly cold arms. Finding one of the throw blankets, Maddie tossed it over Keith's shoulders. The least she could do was make him comfortable. Sighing quietly, Maddie turned to walk into the kitchen for breakfast.

Alexi laughed, "Maria, in your language, having five hours of shopping means going shopping for six" He winked, watching Carlos play with the twins.
"Besides, I think even an hour of shopping is enough to terrify poor Sami" He knew the girl couldn't hear them due to her music, not that he would have cared otherwise.
Slipping deeper into the water, he swam over to where Nick was, scooping him up and setting him high on his shoulders.
"Ready to watch your sister?" He asked.

Serena smiled, nodding her head as Carlos tossed Nick, and then Alexi went over to grab him.
"Not to hard, okay?" She warned, taking her Uncle's hand. Steeling herself, she sucked in a breath as he tossed her, hitting the water with a small splash. Surfacing, Serena rubbed the hair from her eyes, before giggling.
"That was fun" She said, swimming to the side of the pool to hold on.

---

Demitri walked out of the kitchen, shaking his head and muttering to himself about coffee obbsessions.
"What the hell?" He gasped, shaking his head as he saw Maddie and Keith. He was surprised to see Keith home so late, and in such a poor condition. He bit his lip, wondering anxiously what had happened. Normally Keith came home tired but happy, right now he looked beaten. Even asleep the angel looked downtrodden, even a bit beat up. Bruising could be seen on his face, and his nose looked like it might be broken.

"It does not!" Maria protested, shaking her head. "And if Sami can aquire all that she may need in an hours time I won't push her to continue shoping." Maria said, shaking her head though there was a smile on her face. "Besides, it's half sight-seeing since she's never been to London." Maria added, sitcking her tongue out playfully at Alexi before he left to the deeper end of the pool.

Nick smiled at Alexi and nodded, brushing his hair out from his face as he watched Carlos pick up Serena and gently toss her. He grinned as she surfaced.
"See? I told you so!"

------------

Maddie watched as Demitri left the kicthen. Kristen was silently drinking from her mug while Maddie was supposed to be eating her ceral. Slidding from her chair, Maddie thought best to tell Demitri had she'd sensed. She could tell he was worried and concerned.
Walking into the living room, Maddie crossed her arms over her chest as she stood a little behind Demitri.
"Something happened..." she whispered quietly as to not awake Keith. "I don't know what...but it hurt him and wore him out more than the few breaks and bruises he's got. He just got home a few minutes ago. I don't think he could have made it to the bedroom if he tried." Maddie added the last sentence sounding more like Maddie rather than the mature child she became when explaining what she sensed from her gift.
"Madison?" Maddie sighed, hearing Kristen calling her. Maddie glanced back at Keith with hard eyes again before looking at Demitri slightly and turning to go back to the kitchen to finish her breakfast.

Alexi laughed, "Sure you won't love. But your ideas of what she'll need and her's will differ greatly" He winked, shaking his head at her to show he was only teasing.
"Ah sightseeing" Alexi said, "She does need to do that" He agreed, "Although, she'll be living in London now I assume, she can see the sights whenever she chooses" He glanced at Carlos as he set Nick down in the shallow end of the pool.
"If we need to leave at noon however, we need to get ready" He said, checking the time on his water proof watch.
"Carlos, I assume you and Sami will take a seperate vehicle? Meet at your house around one or one thirty?" He asked, looking from his brother-in-law to his wife.

Serena nodded, "Lots of fun" She agreed, pulling herself out of the water.
"Are we gonna say goodbye to Keith and Shaye?" She asked.
"Of course" Alexi responded, smiling at his daughter.
"You just have to get changed and dryed off"

---

Demitri frowned, "Looks like he's be in a fight" He mused, wondering if something had happened at the club. He'd call Mitch later if Keith didn't tell him. He glanced at Maddie, smiling reassuringly, "He'll be fine kiddo. He's been working late at night, he's probably more worn out then anything" He said softly, watching her head into the kitchen.
"I take it Zach's not going?" He asked Kristen. It was useless to send the boy at this point, school ended in a few days.
"I'll pick you up after school Maddie. Don't forget we have shopping"

Maria glanced up as Alexi mentioned the time. "Oh definitely. You both need showers and have to change." Maria said, stepping out of the water herself and getting everyone towels.
"Aww..." Nick sighed, his shoulder falling. Maria turned to give him a look, but Nick couldn't help a giggle.
"Out of the water young man." Maria said, shaking her head gently.
"Yes Mum." Nick said, rolling his eyes with a smirk as he swam over to the edge and got out of the pool.

Carlos stretched with a small yawn and nodded to Alexi. "Yea, we shouldn't be too far behind." Carlos reassured, picking up Serena as he left the pool, since Nick was already wrapped in a towel.
"You'll see Keith and Shaye soon enough though. After all, Nick's and your birthday is coming up right? We'll all be there to celebrate." Carlos promised, kissing her nose before setting her down so Maria could wrap her in a towel.

------------

Maddie merely nodded in agreement to Demitri.
"No, Maddie told me about this morning." Kristen answered, twirling her hair up into a clip. Though, they both knew that Zach would be waiting out the end of this year. He'd missed nearly three weeks because of this illness, and there was only a week or so left of school for the year. He wouldn't be able to catch up even if he was a hundred percent, which he wasn't yet.
"Ready to go?" Kristen asked. Maddie tossed her bag over her shoulder and nodded before leaving behind Kristen.

Alexi smiled, "See" He grinned, "I told you they would all come" He muttered, scooping Nick up.
"Come on then, lets get out of here" He teased, heading off towards the house. It'd be quicker if he and Maria helped the twins, otherwise they'd get side tracked, or procrastinate, and they needed to get moving.

Serena's eyes grew huge at her Uncle's statement.
"Really?" She asked, ignoring her father as she saw set back down and bundled up in a towel by Maria. She sighed, squirming for a moment, but it was clear that her parents were serious about leaving. Alexi was serious enough that he was carrying Nick, which was surprising.

---

Demitri nodded, "Alright, see you later" He said, heading upstairs to his small office. Since Zach was still sick, and Keith was asleep as was Alayna, he'd stay home for the day and work from here. He sighed, stretching out at his chair, making sure to keep an ear open for his son, just in case.

Nick was just as surprised as Serena was when Alexi picked him up with the intentions of carrying him into the house. Obviously, they were in a bit of a rush. He brushed his hair back from his face with the towel. Hearing Carlos' conversation with Serena, Nick grinned.
"Carlos and Sami are gonna come to the party too right?" he asked Alexi, since they were already inside.

"Really really." Carlos promised. "Now go upstairs with your Mum and get dressed." Carlos said, nodding for Serena to go with Maria. His sister merely picked Serena up, not giving the girl much of a choice, heading inside after Alexi. Carlos sighed deeply, and raked his fingers through chemically thickened dark hair. Walking over to Sami, he leaned over her, kissing her gently. He highly doubted she was staring up at the sun through those glasses of her, and since she was listening to her music, Carlos figured he'd surprised her. The kiss was gentle, though the sensation from it was another thing Carlos was still trying to get used to.

--------

"Alright, I'll see you later honey." Kristen said as MAddie stepped out of the car.
"Bye Mom." Maddie managed before closing the door and walking up the steps of the school. She knew, without a doubt, that she wouldn't be able to focus at all today with the little to no sleep she'd gotten last night.
"Oi, you look terrible." Gerry murmured when Maddie was seated in her first period.
"Every girl loves to hear that." Maddie answered, shaking her head.
"Rough night?" he asked, to which Maddie merely nodded and then the teacher began class.

Alayna was done with the tossing and turning. She sat up, and with a glance at the clock, groaned and got out of bed to shower. It was too early for her to be awake, but she simply couldn't sleep any longer. A sense nagged at the back of her mind since part of her realized the other half of the bed was empty. Keith hadn't come home last night...

Alexi walked into the bedroom, depositing Nick on the bed.
"Even Carlos and Sami, they're gonna stay at our new house with us and everything'' He said with a smile, helping the boy dry off.
"Here" He handed Nick some free clothes, waiting patiently in the other room while he changed, before wrapping the wet things in a towel and putting them into the suitcase.
"Got everything?" He asked his son curiously.

Sami jumped a bit as Carlos kissed her, at least, she assumed it was Carlos. Pushing her glasses up, she laughed softly, freeing the earbuds from her ears.
"I was sleeping" She complained, though it was playful. Stretching, she glanced around the empty pool area, "Where's everyone?" She asked, figuring they were leaving soon, hence the abandoned area.

---

Keith was sprawled out on the couch, exactly how he had fallen only an hour previous. The blanket Maddie had put over him was still there, though his damaged face was hidden in his arms. He shifted occasionally, his eyes staying firmly shut. He was far to exahusted, physically and mentally, to even consider waking up.

"Cool!" Nick exclaimed, grinning. As Alexi handed him clothes to change into, he did so, leaving his wet suit on his towel. His hair was still a bit damp, but overall he felt much better, and dryer.
"Yea, I think so." Nick said with a nod. He could hear Maria and Serena in the other room, and he wandered over almost aimlessly. "How long is it gonna take to get back to London?" Nick asked curiously as he climbed onto Maria and Alexi's bed.

Carlos laughed lightly. "Ah, so the Sleepy Beauty really can be awoken by her true loves kiss." he teased. "Never thought that myth was a reality." He smiled at her and glanced over his shoulder to exaimne the empty pool area.
"Ah yea...about that..." Carlos said, sounding as if he was about to deliever some bad news, even pulling a thoughful expression; how was he going to tell her this? kind of look. After a tense moment though, Carlos smiled.
"No I'm joking. They're getting ready to leave soon though. We'll be taking my car this time though. London's much farther and not used to sightings of Moutain Lions." Carlos teased as he straightened up, leaving Sami in the sun.

--------------

Alayna had showered before this realization finally manage to come into a corherrent thought. Keith hadn't come home...where was he? Why hadn't he come home? Was something wrong? Wearing a simply sun dress, Alayna was wrapping her hair up in a bun as she left the room. It was early for Alaynato be awake, as well as Kristen, but late enough that Maddie would be in school, and Demitri at work.
Her mind was racing as she nearly ran down the hallway. She nearly blew past the living room. If Keith hadn't stirred slightly, it wouldn't have caught her attention. Alayna gasped lightly. What was he doing in the living room? Why hadn't he come to bed? What had happened? Questions still bothered her as she took quiet stesp into the room towards him.

"About an hour" Alexi responded, walking into the room, as he had changed in the washroom.
Serena looked up, she was sitting on the edge of the bed as Maria wrestled wth the tangles in her hair.
"Oww" She whined, though she did her best to sit still and not bother her mother. Alexi smiled, "I think we're all packed" He said to his wife.
"We'll meet Carlos and Sami back at Carlos's house, and then we can be off to do the few things we still have to do" He said with a small smile. He knew the twins woudn't want to go shopping with Maria, so he planned on taking them to the London Eye.

Sami looked at Carlos, mildly concerned for a moment, before he admitted he was just teasing her. She chuckled, "Ass" She said, her voice affectionate.
"More like true loves first kiss scared me half to death" She winked, getting up and stretching slowly.
"I had no plan to run to London, that's a bit far, even for me" She said, "Maybe on a good day, when I'm one hundred percent" She added, wrapping up her iPod in the cord and heading inside.
"How long of a drive?" She asked curiously, once back in their bedroom. She packed the few things she had effeciently, with the air of someone who was constantly on the move. Changing into her clothes, she double checked she had everything, before zipping her backpack shut.

---

Demitri heard Alayna downstairs, and slid free from his desk, heading towards the noise.
"Alayna?" He murmured, his voice soft as he came up behind her in the living room. She looked panicked, which probably meant she was worried over Keith, or the absence of Keith the previous night. He had just spoken to Mitch and had gotten the full story of what had happened.

"Oh ok." Nick said glancing up and Serena with a sslight expression of patience. She knew she had sit still for Maria to finish. And Maria quickly did, braiding Serenas hair afterwards. Nick smiled triumphantly att his twin before glancing between Maria and Alexi.
"Everythings set." She murmured, though she still needed to change. "All the bags are packed, and they have their bags to keep them occupied." Maria explained as she walked into the bathroom to change.
"We're leaving soon?" Nick asked curiously.

Carlos rolled his eyes gently but followed Sami back upstairs. He grabbed clean clothes and walked towards the bathroom for a quick shower. "Drive takes about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how fast ones travelling." Carlos answered as he pulled on a loose pare of jeans and a loose dark gray button down shirt. He rolled up his sleeves as he walked from the bathroom and ruffled his hair dry with the towel afterwards.
"All set then?" Carlos asked, walking over to the bed to pull on his socks and shoes.

------------------------------

Alayna turned around sharply, feeling like she was caught doing something she shouldn't have been. She stood up from kneeling on the floor beside the couch and Keith, and walked over to Demitri.
"What's happened?" Alayna asked quietly, sounding worried, concerned and scarred. "He-he didn't come home last night..." Alayna glanced back at Keith, pressing her knuckles to her lips before turning to Demitri again.
"He looks beaten the hell. What happened?"