1x1 with x_fire

"What?" Maria half coughed, her voice dropping as to not be loud enough to wake Nick. She looked at Alexi with wide eyes, hearing that Sami was branded, and by Cassandra's men. She blinked, sitting up to look at Alexi's laptop. The image of the brand brought make sudden flashes of memories to Maria's mind. She shut the computer closed and looked away with a sharp breath.
"Not again..." Maria whispered, shaking her head, staring distantly at the floor. "I can't got through this again. They can't do this." Maria said, her voice steadily building up on the hysteria rolling inside of her.


At Sami's question, Carlos merely looked up at her. Techincally, yes, she was a vampire. Then venom was in her blood, though only a few effects had shown. She wouldn't have that burn if her skin wasn't able to withstand it. So Carlos firgured that was due to the venom.
When she walked over to him, Carlos was too relieved to have her in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her against him. He pressed his face into her hair, inhaling deeply, calming himself further. He could feel how worked up she was, how anxious and worried she was. He couldn't blame her; he felt the same way. Kissing the top of her head, Carlos tilted her chin up gently, giving her a small reassuring smile.
"Whatever they are going to do, I won't let them hurt you again." Carlos promised. "Whatever is going to happen, we'll get through it together." Carlos said, looking her in the eye so she understood he wasn't lieing, and he meant every word.

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

"She's a vampire?" Alayna gasped, to which Nicko cringed. "How long have you known this?"
"Only a few years." Nicko protested, shaking his head gently. "And I didn't think she'd be the one to cause problems like these. Especially over us."
"Take it from me." Kristen murmured, still looking around caustiously. "You never want to get between a mother and her cubs..." Kristen said, looking around again. She was in the bathroom now, frowning as she tried to listen for something she knew was coming. It was just a matter of finding it in enough time...
"Yea, we'll go with you. As far as I'm concerned, she's not mother of mine." Nicko murmured.
"I suggest we go quickly then." Kristen called, walking out of the bathroom. "Bad things happen in threes, and I've got a bad feeling about this apartment." Kristen said, having done somewhat of a thorough scan of the small apartment while they were talking.

Alexi sighed, "So far everything is fine Maria" He said, "Don't stress over things yet to come" He frowned, damn it all he should never have told her any of this.
"Please love, we have enough to focus on with the twins' birthday coming up" He said with a small smile.
"We're going to Demitri and Kristen's by the way" His voice was low, firm, "Vlad wants us all there, until this thing is dealt with. We're making an exception for the party of course, we'll all be at the summer home" He said, his voice smooth and light almost as if he were talking about the weather.

Sami sighed, letting Carlos reassure her. She nodded lightly, "I know" Her voice much more solid then it had been moments ago.
"Is this place really safe for us now though?" She asked, gesturing to the house. Maybe it would be better if they went somewhere else, even just a hotel. Experience told her that people were less likely to attack in crowded areas. She looked at Carlos expectantly, waiting for his response to her question.

----

Vlad glanced at Nicko, relieved he had agreed.
"You might not consider her a mother, but she considers you her children and that's where this problem lies" He said, glancing at Kristen.
"Let's go" He looked at Nicko, "We have things for you at the house, you don't need to pack" He said, ushering everyone out the door. He made sure he was the last to leave.
"Nicko drive with me, we'll follow Alayna and Kristen back to the house. Please don't stop, no matter what" He said, checking both vehicles at super speed to make sure they were up and running.

Maria rubbed her face, trying to get rid of the images flashing through her mind. "It always starts this way." she murmured, shaking her head gently before forcing herself to listen to Alexi. He was talking to her, trying to soothe her, and usually it would work. She allowed herself to relax a bit, and sink back into the chair, untensing.
"Oh...alright." Maria murmured with a small nod. She looked down at Serena and Nick, seeing how peacefully they were sleeping. She sighed and rubbed her eyes as she closed them, sending up a silent prayer in the process.
"How long until we land?" Maria asked, looking back at Alexi then.


Carlos had thought about what Sami brought up. "Honestly, I don't have a clue." he murmured, shaking his head, looking down for a moment.
"I haven't been able to fully think straight since you left this afternoon with Maria." he confessed, closing his eyes a moment, frowning deeply and taking a deep breath.
"They're obviously watching the house, but I've already called Keith and Shaye. They're on their way over. Once they get here, maybe we should move...rent an apartment or a hotel or something." Carlos murmured, rubbing his forehead gently.

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

Nicko wrapped his arm around Alayna steering her gently out of the room and down the hallway. Kristen heard the pinging of the elevator, and the grinding of the gears with a heavy load.
"Take the stairs." Kristen said, in a tone that Alayna hadn't heard in a while and she tugged on Nicko's shirt for him to listen.
Once they were down in the lobby, the building shook. Kristen sucked in a breath as they walked outside to see the floor of Nicko's aparment billowing out smoke. She glanced around, hawk eyes keen to any movement. Nicko's building wasn't the only one hit...there was more smoke farther down the street that Kristen could see.
"Alayna, come on." Kristen said, ushering the shooken girl into the car. Kristen looked at Vlad from over the hood. "I think this is more than a custody dispute." she murmured before getting into the drivers side as Nicko slid into the passanger seat of Vlad's car.
"Doesn't Maddie get out of school around this time?" Nicko asked, glancing down at the clock as they drove away from the burning building. He was shocked at the destruction, since more than one building had suffered a sudden explosion, and the sound of sirens were getting annoying as Vlad followed after Kristen. Nothing showed on his face, save for a small bit of worry and concern for Madison, who wasn't that far from all this chaos.

Alexi glanced at the time, "About two hours" He said, shaking his head and stretching.
"Like I said Sven's gonna pick us up and we'll go directly to Demitri's" He knew Maria and the twins would want to go home, but it sounded like most of their places weren't exactly safe. He groaned, almost angry at this point though he was doing his best to remain calm. He glanced at the twins also, knowing in that moment that he would do absolutely anything to keep them, and Maria safe.

Sami sighed, "I know the feeling" She murmured, closing her eyes for a moment.
"Keith and Shaye? Why?" She asked, looking up at him, confused. "I don't think renting an appartment would be necessary. Maybe if we spend a few nights in a hotel or something" She agreed. She hated the idea of him spending so much money to protect her. She knew that was the reason, he was overprotective, and she honestly didn't mind. She just didn't want to become a problem.

----

Vlad winced, staring at the building with a look of annoyance and anger.
"Maddie's fine, Demitri went to pick her up early. They're going shopping" He said, glancing at Nicko with a reassuring smile. He glanced down at his phone, "Sven's staying with Zach, and then heading to the airport to pick up Alexi and Maria. I'm guessing our friends from England may be flying in sooner then expected as well" He was thinking it might be a good idea to get everyone together at this point. He'd talk to Keith and Carlos and see what they thought.

Maria nodded gently. She could register her emotions at the moment. So much had happened in one day to take it from good to border-lining bad, that Maria didn't know how to feel. And unfortunately, she didn't have the energy to even think about anything. At points like this, at points of pure exhaustion, Maria was at her worst. At lot had happened to her over the years, things that, like now, she tucked deep away to deal with later. Times like these, Maria was almost forced to face everything she'd tucked away all at once. Maria rubbed her face with a hand that fell numb before looking at Alexi as he stood and walked around the plane. She could tell he was upset, angry and frustated about all of this.
"I'm guessing we'll have the guest house again...?" Maria murmured, since that was the usual arrangement whenever they had to stay at Demitri's for a long period of time.


"A few nights in a hotel is manageable." Carlos murmured with a soft nod of agreement. "This is bigger than just us Sami," Carlos explained as he gently brushed his hand over her cheek. "I don't know as much about these marks as Keith does; he's seen them more time then I have. There could be something different about this one than mine. Shaye goes whereever Keith goes and vise vera, but I'm sure she'll have something that can stop the burning if it's still bothering you." Carlos murmured with a hint of a smile on his face.

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

"Right." Nicko murmured with a small nod. He nodded gently as he listened to Vlad, his own mind still racing from everything that had just happened. He rubbed his face and then his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, Nicko chuckled. "It's weird...but if I didn't know any better, I'd say Kristen knew the building was going to blow.." Nicko murmured. "Another ten or so minutes would have done it in for us." Nicko said, rubbing his face again, hardly paying attention to how the vampire was driving, or Kristen for that matter, who was just up ahead of them .

Alexi glanced at Maria, "Probably" He said with a shrug, "It depends on who's all staying" He muttered softly, "I'm sorry we can't go home love, hell I'm relieved that the kids are pretty much out of school. Because at this point it sort of feels like they won't be going back" He was not putting his children at risk again, and if that meant them missing the last week of school, so be it. He glanced at the time, he wanted to get home, wanted to feel like he was doing something to handle this problem. He hated feeling useless, and right now, he felt next to useless.

Sami sighed, nodding her head. "Sounds good" She murmured, nodding her head again as Carlos explained about Shaye and Keith.
"Well if she has something to stop the burning.." She trailed off, a weak smile on her face.
"So a hotel it is" She muttered, "Doesn't make sense to go to an appartment, it's probably a waste of money" She pointed out.

"Carlos?" Keith's voice rang out as he pushed the door open. Him and Shaye had driven like bloody idiots to get here, and they had managed to push the hour drive back to half an hour.
"We're here" Shaye's sing song voice rang out. The couple walked into the bedroom, "Hey" Keith said, his voice soft as he looked at Carlos and Sami.

---

Vlad nodded, "She most certinaly knew" He agreed, "I wonder how.." He trailed off, looking thoughtful.
"Damn" He muttered, suddenly realizing how complicated things would get. They had so many people staying at the house, and if Keith and the others came, they'd have more issues on top of that. However, it still made more sense to bring in their other covens, make sure that this threat was dealt with quickly and efficently without danger to his family.

"Alright." Maria merely said with a nod. She rubbed her face with a soft sigh. They still had an hour of flight, which would feel like a day and a half. Keeping her eyes closed, Maria simply leaned back in her seat, letting her mind race.
This was all a mess. One big, tangled mess. And Maria had no idea how to even begin sorting it out. She must have been out longer than she realized, because the next thing she knew, the plane was descending.

Nick gasped, holding his head as his ears popped, sensitive to the changing altitude of the plane. "Ow." he growled, rubbing his ears furiously until the pain stopped. "What's going on?" Nick grumbled, looking around with tired, slightly frustrated eyes.

Carlos nodded gently to Sami, letting his arms fall back regretfully as Sami stepped away from him. He tensed a moment, hearing someone outside the house. He stepped to the other side of Sami, putting her behind him as he walked towards the bedroom door. Hearing Keith and Shaye, Carlos relaxed indefinitely.
"We're upstairs." Carlos said, walking back over to Sami and holding her gently again. As they came into the bedroom, Carlos gave Sami's upper arm a light squeeze before turning to look at Keith and Shaye. He gave Keith a solom look before over at Shaye. "Think you can ease the burning?" Carlos asked before slipping away from Sami; he needed to talk to Keith about all this.

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

At the house, Maddie was waiting outside, looking anxious and nervous. Demitri had picked her up from school early, and they were supposed to have gone out party shopping for Serena and Nick's party. But when Maddie had shown Demitri the multiple stakes of smoke in the direction of Nicko's apartment, Demitri had figured the same as Maddie; something was wrong, and Maddie didn't want to stay in the city any longer. They had gotten home twenty minutes earlier than Kristen, who was now pulling into the driveway, and Maddie had been sitting outside, waiting, ever since.

Kristen was surprised to see Maddie out on the lawn. Though when she thought about it, Kristen honestly wasn't that surprised as all...Vlad had been with them...Maddie must have sensed it.
"Hey girlie." Kristen said, attempting to keep the mood light-hearted for as long as she could. "Guess who's here..." Kristen said, pointing over her shoulder.
"I know." Maddie murmured, rubbing her arm before hugging Kristen tightly. "Dad and I could see the smoke from the party store...what happened?" Maddie asked, picking her head up and moving slightly to look over at Vlad with her worry and concern before quickly looking back at Kristen. She knew Vlad wasn't too happy whenever Maddie voiced her concerns, and she didn't want to upset him further.
"Nothing, we're alright. Come on, let's get inside. Have you had lunch yet?" Kristen asked, leading Maddie inside.

Alayna stepped out of the car as Vlad and Nicko pulled into the drive way. She rubbed her arms, looking descidedly detatched. Nicko sighed, looking up at the house before down at Alayna, tossing an arm over her shoulder gently.
"It'll work out." Nicko murmured, giving Alayna's arm a gentle squeeze.
"How are you so calm? You're apartment building was blown up!" Alayna muttered.
"Worse has happened. I didnt exactly like it anyway." Nicko said with a shrug, walking inside behind Kristen and Maddie.

Alexi glanced at Nick as he woke up.
"We're landing" He said, picking up the little boy so he coud look out the window.
"The air pressure in the cabin changed, thats why your ears hurt" He said softly, not wanting to wake Serena, who was still sound asleep. He stared out at the city, shaking his head, it was a bit surreal to finally be home. He had honestly hoped they had left the threat behind, but now he knew that was just wishful thinking on his part.

Keith glanced at Carlos, before stepping out of the room. He could see the man wanted to talk to him, and he figured now was the best time.
"Sure thing" Shaye said wtih a small in Carlos's direction, before she skipped over to Sami.
"What am I gunna do with you?" She teased the shifter, pushing her into a chair so she could better see the burn.
"Sorry Shaye" Sami responded meekly, chuckling at the behaviour of the other girl.

"What's up?" Keith asked Carlos, walking a bit further down the hall so they were out of earshot. He had seen the burn on Sami and figured that this was going to be a conversation about something he hated discussing.

----

Vlad walked into the house, seeing Demitri whom was sitting on the couch.
"Office?" Demitri asked, shaking his head as his elder brother stalked inside, shutting the door behind them. Sitting down on top of the desk, Demitri listened to Vlad fill him in on everything, before Sven knocked on the door.
"What?" Demitri asked, looking at his brother.
"Everyone's wondering why you two are arguing" Sven teased, "But actually, I'm going to get Maria and Alexi, they're about to land at the private airstrip" He said, waving and disappearing out the door.

"The air pressure?" Nick echoed, sounding a bit confused by everything. He blinked as Alexi picked him up and he looked out of the window with a small frown. "Oh we're home." he murmured, his face brightening a moment, as if with sleep, he'd lost a bit of his memory. He glanced over at Maria and Serena before looking back out the window.
"Are we landing soon?" Nick asked quietly, rubbing his ears again before looking up at Alexi.

Carlos glanced at Sami once as Shaye tended to her before walking out to talk with Keith. Once he stepped out of the room, Carlos walked down the stairs to look over the damage in the living room.
"I shouldn't have left her." Carlos muttered, angry with himself as he slowly began to pace. "They'd seen her during the day, when Maria was attacked...I shouldn't have left her." Carlos gritted his teeth a moment before glancing up at the ceiling.
"Now they've marked her. And her's is different from mine." Carlos said, with a hint of fear, though it was subtle as he kept his voice down. He looked down from the ceiling and shaking his head as he paced around the room again "I won't let them take her if a war breaks out. I don't want to think about what they'll do." Carlos was tense, and these were powerful words coming from a man that hardly ever spoke, and if so, in light hearted tones.

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

Kristen and Maddie exchanged a small glanced, hearing doors open and close before the house grew suddenly quiet. Alayna was with Nicko, and possibly Keith, in one side of the house. Kristen and Maddie were in the kitchen. Maddie was sitting, listlessly on a stool, half pay attention to the peanutbutter and jelly sandwhich her mother was making for her. Kristen paused a moment, hearing Vlad talking to Demitri about the apartment explosion, and how Kristen had known about it.
"You had a dream again..." Maddie murmured, looking up at her mother with bright blue eyes. "Didn't you?"
"Are you listening to them?" Kristen asked, since the vampires were still being quiet enough that mortals wouldn't hear them. Maddie simply nodded, looking slightly ashamed, but moreso worried. Kristen sighed.
"Yes, I did." Kristen murmured.
"That's why you went with Layna...to keep them safe." Maddie murmured, to which Kristen once again nodded.

Kristen glanced up, hearing that Sven was leaving. She merely waved as she watched the vampire walk out the front door.
"Uncle Alexi and Tia Maria are coming here?" Maddie asked, sitting up, suddenly seeming wide awake.
"Yes. Their flight is going to be landing soon. Uncle Sven went to go pick them up." Kristen said.
"I heard." Maddie said, jumping from her stool.
"Maddie!"
"I gotta hide the party stuff in my room! I want it to be a surprise!" Maddie called as she quickly climbed up the stairs. Kristen couldn't help but laugh; only Maddie would remember little details that had to be kept perfect in a time like this. It was cute.

Alexi smiled, glancing at his watch, "IN about ten minutes we'll be on the ground" He told his son.
"Your Uncle Sven is gonna come get us, and then we're going to Uncle Demitri's house, okay?" He said, his voice low. He didn't want to disturb Serena and Maria certinaly needed any rest she could get. He knew the house would be hectic, especially with all of them in one place.

Keith sighed, "I know Carlos" He said, "I saw the mark, her's means something different" He sat down on a nearby chair.
"There are three different brands" He said, his voice steady, though he looked stressed.
"Those marked on prisoners of war. Like the ones we have" He said gently, "The ones marked on traitors, like the one Shaye has" He stumbled over the last bit. Shaye had been branded as well, she had been playing double agent and when discovered..He shoved the thought aside, not wanting to think about it.
"And then there's the kind they put on Sami. It's a warning" He said gently, "Do you remember when we'd find a village or something? Completely destroyed, innocents slaughtered?" He asked his friend, his voice tight. "They would mark the dead, the bodies with the mark" He said gently, "The same one they put on Sami. They're not threatening to take her Carlos, at least not like they did us" He murmured. He looked at his friend, knowing this news was not going to help him calm down.

----

Demitri sighed, stepping out of the office as Vlad headed upstairs to make sure that the guest house was tidy for Alexi's family. Walking into the kitchen he looked at Kristen.
"You never told me you had another dream" He said, sitting down at the counter and looking at her seriously. He wasn't to fond of what had happened, and he was growing more and more annoyed with this Cassandra person.

Keith sat on the bed, looking mildly stunned.
"What?" He asked for the tenth time. Nicko and Alayna had filled him in, but he sure as hell didn't understand.
"So your mother is an insane vampire?" He muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. He seriously didn't understand humans, or at least, creatures that had once been human.

"We're not gonna go home yet?" Nick asked, instantly picking up on the small hidden detail in Alexi's explaination. He rubbed his eyes but sighed and nodded in agreement.
"Ok." Nick murmured. At least he could hang out with Zach and Maddi and tell them about London...or paint with Alayna...Nick smiled and then he realized how much he had missed his family. It would be good to see them again.

Carlos growled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest and throat. He clamped his mouth shut, not wanting the animalistic sound escape him entirely. He was pacing furiously now, looking tense and taunt like a drawn bow, ready to snap, or rather, fire, aimed to kill.
He was half revealed to hear that Sami wouldn't be taken as a POW, but the fact of warnings only being placed on dead bodies didn't make Carlos feel any better.
"So they're warning us." Carlos muttered, his voice still tight, strained, obviously taking an effort to keep calm and quiet. "They should take their own warning after what they did." Carlos said, his emotions getting the better of him at that statement and his fist nicked the lining of the doorway, causing a small hole to appear in the wall.

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

Kristen looked up when Demitri came back down from the office. She sighed heavily and shook her head gently.
"Yes, I did." Kristen murmured. "It was just after Vlad got back, and asked me to talk to Alayna...after the twins were taken. Remember I asked you if Vlad had gone to talk to Nicko yet? And if Alayna was with them?" Kristen asked softly, keeping her voice leveled and calm, knowing Demitri was on edge.
Maddie came back downstairs again. Though she stopped, sensing the tension between her parents, and backed up quietly. Rubbing her arms, Maddie heard Vlad in the guest room and she hurried over to him.
"Hey...Anything I can help with?" Maddie asked curiously, seeing that Vlad was cleaning.

Alayna rubbed her face, doing her best not to break down. She was overwhelmed by all of this; she wasn't like everyone else who'd been through wars and fights and were nuetralized from the fears of fighting and sudden death. She was still seeing the smoke billowing out from the apartment building. Still feeling the ground shake with the explosion. Still getting flashbacks as Nicko replayed details of the story for Keith.
"I don't know all the deatils Keith." Nicko sighed, rubbing his forehead gently. "All I know is that our mother was turned into a vampire, and left. She didn't reappear until a few years ago, when Alayna came home from the school. It was probably because of her that the accident occured." Nicko muttered, though of course he didn't look to happy about any of this. "After that...I can't remember much." Nicko murmured.

"No, Uncle Vlad doesn't want the family all split up right now" Alexi told his son, his voice soft. He sighed, pointing at the tarmac below.
"Look, you can see Uncle Sven's car waiting" He said with a small grin. The runway was private and the car was parked to the side, leaving the jet plenty of room.
"You'll have fun at Uncle Demitri's" He promised Nick, slipping his son back into his seat for the landing.

Keith looked at Carlos, eyes going a bit wide as his friend came as close to losing it as he had ever seen.
"Relax Carlos, Sami's safe" He said, shaking his head. He glanced down at his phone, re-reading the text Vlad had sent him.
"Vlad wants to know your opinion on something" He said, "He's thinking it might be safest to get the whole family together in one place, Demitri's house. He wanted to know if we would be interested in coming down a bit earlier then planned?" He said, keeping his tone smooth. He glanced down the hallway, by the sound of it, the girls were done and presumably waiting for them.


----

Demitri sighed, shaking his head lightly.
"Yea I remember" He said, biting his lip, "I'm gonna go finish setting up the fence in the backyard" He muttered, lately he and Sven had taken to putting a new fence around the backyard, it now encompassed the jungel gym and the pool. He wanted to make sure it was done if they were going to have all the children in one place.
Yawning, Zach walked down the stairs, freshly dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt, he wandered sleepily over to his mother.
"Mom?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes as his father headed outside.
Vlad glanced at Maddie, "Sure you wanna give me a hand setting up the guest house?" He asked, "We have to get it ready for Alexi and his family before they get here" He said with a small smile.

Keith rubbed his eyes, "Sounds insane" He muttered, standing up and flexing his wings. He had let them loose a few moments before and had been ruffling them anxiously through the whole conversation. Walking to the window, the angel stared outside, barely paying attention to the gorgeous moutain scenery as he thought.

"Oh..." Nick murmured. He looked out the window at his father geusture and smiled lightly as he saw Sven's car close to the tarmac. As Alexi sat them both down, Nick rubbed his face, still a bit drowsy and tired. It was late in the afternoon here in Russia, around the same time they had left London. Nick was already feeling the jet lag, feeling like he needed to sleep thought it wasn't close to bedtime yet.
The plane touched down and Maria gasped slightly, being awoken by the subtle change. She looked around before wincing once as she sat up. Rubbing her stomach, Maria saw Alexi and Nick as the plane leveled out and slow down.
"We're here?" Maria asked softly.
"We just landed." Nick said with a small smile.


Carlos couldn't explain to Keith how upset he was about all of this. He wasn't just upset about what happened to Sami. He was upset about what happened to the twins, to Maria and Sami earlier, and now Sami again, all because of one person.
He growled, a bit louder this time, rubbing his face as if he could rub away what had happened today and rub away the emotions that were starting to overwhelm him. Hearing what Vlad had said, started Carlos' rational thinking again, and he sighed heavily.
"We'll just be a bigger target, and easier to hit." Carlos murmured. "Plus, they're watching the house. They'll know when we leave and they could probably figure out where we go. Maria is alread out of the country and it was a miracle the plane wasn't shot out from the sky at this point." Carlos said, running his hand through his hair as he walked around in a steady circle.
"If we do go, we can't travel by anyway that's easily trackable. And not right away. Give it a few days or a week even to see if they're still watching. Sami even suggested getting out of the house, going to a hotel for a day or two..." Carlos said quietly, sighing gently before pressing his back against a wall and slidding to sit on the floor.

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

Kristen watched as Demitri left and she chewed her lip gently. She stopped herself from following him though, knowing he needed something to do in order to blow off the steam from his anger. Seeing Zach was a pleasent surprise, since the boy still hadn't been feeling a hundred percent at the start of the week.
"Hey there." Kristen said, smiling at him and hugging him gently. "Feeling a little better?" she asked, running her hand through his hair softly.

Maddie smiled, glad that Vlad accepted her help. "Yea, course." Maddie, quickly going into the kitchen for the broom to sweep since a majority of the guest house was woodened floored like the main house. Opening the back screen door to let in a nice breeze, Maddie brushed out her pile of dust before looking out at the sun that was starting to set. Maddie took a deep breath, goosebumps rasing on her arms. The air wasn't cold, but Maddie could practically sense the tension and change in the air. It was like a calm of a storm, and Maddie couldn't hide the worry entirely as she put the broom away and started cleaning the kitchen counters.
"I've been helping Dad plan for the twins birthday party..." Maddie said, wanting to talk to Vlad and keep her mind off of everything else going on.


"I know." Alayna muttered, at the moment, rolled up on the couch, hugging her knees as she stared distantly at the carpet. Nicko stood up with a sigh, going to use their bathroom. Alayna wathced as Keith stood as well and walked over to the window. She watched him for a moment before standing up slowly and wandering over to him. Silently, she brushed her hands over his feathers gently.
"You hardly let them out when I'm awake..." Alayna murmured, since usually, Keith was sleeping when Alayna was at work, and Keith was at the club when Alayna was attempting to sleep. It'd been a while since she'd seen his wings. They still amazed her. And smoothing out his feathers still calmed her, which was a little dose of the reassurance she currently needed.

Alexi glanced at Maria, "Sven's waiting" He murmured, pointing to the car as the plane turned so they could face it. His brother was sitting on the hood of the car, looking bored, though he smiled and waved as he saw them through the window. Standing up, Alexi began to gather things, "You wanna help your mom with bags Nick?" He asked, he could carry Serena, since the little girl hadn't woken up once. He smiled as he gently lifted her up. She yawned and buried her face into his neck, a soft breath escaping her.

Keith nodded, "We need to go for the twins birthday though" He said, standing up and stretching.
"I'll let Vlad know we're going to come in a few days then, like the original plan" He looked at Carlos.
"A hotel might be a good idea. They're less likely to try something drastic in a crowded area" He murmured, "We can make like we're going back to the castle, then turn around and come back to a hotel. Not one that we own of course, they'll check those places first" He smiled, glancing down the hall again as Shaye emerged.
"All done" She said, her voice light and airy, though there was hidden tension behind it.

---

Zach smiled and hugged his mother, feeling relieved to be with his family. Like Maddie he felt the tension in the house and it stressed him out.
He nodded, wrapping his arms around her neck as she stood up, wanting to stay close.
"WHat's going on?" He asked, his voice low as he leaned his head on her shoulder.

Vlad glanced at Maddie.
"Yea?" He asked, smiling lightly. "Its gonna be a fun party by the sound of it" He said, "What have you guys been doing?" He asked as he changed the sheets on the master bed and put new ones on the spare bed that the twins would have to share. He knew Maddie wanted to take her mind off of the stress in the house, as did he. So talking about the twins worked just fine for him.

Keith glanced at Alayna, "Yea, I guess I dont" He said, letting her play with the feathers as he watched Demitri work on the fence. It was obvious that the vampire was stressed, considering the number of broken boards that littered the ground around him.

"Oh alright." Maria murmured, quickly pulling herself into focus as she stood up from the seat. As Alexi picked up Serena, Maria reached for a few other bags. Nick grabbed the smaler once, tossing them over his shoulders at his fathers request.
"Anything else?" Nick asked, seeing that Maria and him each had two bags as they left the jet.
"No, that's all of it." Maria murmured, ushering Nick down the stairs and out onto the tarmac where Sven was patiently waiting for them.

"Fine." Carlos said, shaking his head gently as he ran his fingers through his hair. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly as he stretched out his legs. Seeing Keith stand up, Carlos heard Shaye coming downstairs. He heard the tension in her voice and a slight dose of panic rose in him and he stood up.
"She'll be alright?" Carlos murmured. "Today, her and Maria were attacked. Venom darts. Maria was hit a few times but Alexi took care of it, Sami was only hit with one.." Carlos said, wondering if that would affect anything or not.

-----------

"Hmm?" Kristen asked, picking up Zach since he insisted on hanging on to her. She smiled at him as she took a seat, settling him in her lap. "Oh we're just going to have the family visiting for a while. How's that sound?" Kristen asked. "Uncle Sven just went to go pick up Uncle Alexi and Tia Maria, Serena and Nick from the airport and they're coming over." Kristen explained, not wanting to worry the boy with why everyone was here, but try to create excitement that everyone was coming.

Finishing the kitchen, Maddie went into the livingroom to straighten out the coushins and pillows, dusting off the coffee table and t.v. cabinet as well. She was beyond happy that Vlad continued on with the conversation.
"We've planned a few games, and since it's during the summer time, we're gonna make it like a water pool party." Maddie explained. "We were supposed to buy some toys like water guns, pumps and balloons today...but..." Maddie trailed off, pulling her hand down from the cabinet as her gaze grew distant.

Alayna smoothed out every one of Keith's feathers, sighing deeply before ducking under his wing smoothily and standing beneath his arm. She wanted to be held, wanted to be close to him, wanted all of this stress to go away.
"This'll just pass right?" Alayna half asked, though she didn't even sound too optomistic herself. "Things have been bad before..."

Alexi smiled at his brother, "Welcome home" Svan said, making sure to keep his voice low since Serena was asleep. He walked over, sweeping Nick up into a one armed hug and effortlessly taking the suitcases from him in the other.
"I missed you guys" He said, smiling at his family as he led them to the vehicle. Popping the trunk, he carefully put the bags inside, glancing at Maria and taking her suitcases as well and putting them inside.
"We missed you too" Alexi said, opening the door and sliding Serena into a seat as Sven did the same with Nick. Helping Maria into the back, the blonde vampire took the passanger seat as his brother hopped into the driver's and started the car up.

Shaye glanced at Carlos, smiling reassuringly since she could see how stressed he was.
"She'll be fine" She sighed, "She's not exactly a fullblown shifter anymore though" She murmured softly, "She's got a bit of vampire in her" She said, looking at Carlos. She can still shift though, we figured that out" She knew he porbably wouldn't like that, but still Sami had needed to know.
"She mentioned something about a hotel...?" Shaye trailed off, looking at the two men with a raised eyebrow.

---

Zach frowned, looking at his mother with a curious expression. He could tell she wasn't telling him everything. He nodded, "Okay" He muttered, he knew better then to try and argue, his parents hated telling him anything important. He was to young, at least according to them. Maybe Maddie would tell him, probably not though, she seemed to agree with mom and dad about him being to little. He always suspected she just liked to know things he didn't.

"Ah, a pool party" Vlad said, changing the subject as Maddie grew distant.
"That's cool" He smiled, "Sounds like fun" He finished with what he was doing and stood up, stretching lightly.
"Your dad mentioned you two went looking for horses yesterday..." He trailed off, looking at Maddie with a raised eyebrow.

Keith sighed, he couldn't bring himself to turn and hold Alayna right now, he was trying to process to much at once.
"I'm sure things will work out" He reassured, "To quote an old cliche, things are always darkest before the dawn" He said softly.

Nick grinned. "Uncle Sven!" he said, though quickly clamped his mouth shut since Serena was still sleeping. He stood with his uncle, helping to put the luggage into the back of the car.
"Thank you Sven." Maria sighed, as he took the luggage from her. It was insane how much of a strain picking up the luggage was now. She was still weak, and it bothered her entirely. The fact that Alexi had to help her into the car was proof of that. She sighed in relief as she sat back down, feeling winded regardless of the fact that she didn't need to breathe.
Nick sat down gently next to his sister, rubbing his eyes gently. "How's Zach and Maddie?" Nick asked gently.


"I knew that much..." Carlos murmured. "Didn't the same thing happened to Kristen?" he asked, rubbing his forehead gently. He was almost releaved that Sami could still shift. When Shaye mentioned the hotel, Carlos sighed and nodded.
"Yes, it was her idea. Go to a hotel for a few nights. They're watching the house; they knew when I left, that was how they got to her in the first place." Carlos explained. "Keith came up with the more finer details." Carlos said, nodding for Keith to explain while he went upstairs. He needed to see Sami, needed to be with her.
Stopping just before the bedroom, Carlos knocked gently on the doorway. "Sami?" he asked, his voice soft.

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

Kristen smiled, chuckling lightly at Zach's expression.
"You're too smart to believe in lies too huh?" Kristen asked softly, a slightly proud smirk on her face. "There is a lot more going on right now, but when it's time to worry, I'll let you know alright?" Kristen asked. "Until then, we're going to welcome our family home and spend some time together." Kristen said, leaning forward to kiss his forehead gently.

Maddie sucked in a soft breath, Vlad's voice bringing her back to reality. "Right um..." she took in another breath as she sighed, moving away from the cabinet to look around the room. It was definitely looking much better now.
"Yes, the horse. Unlce Alexi and Tia Maria want to surprise Serena with a horse...Nick is getting a hand crafeted guitar and lessons." Maddie said, rubbing her forehead gently. She was starting to get a headache.

Alayna merely nodded gently in response. She heard Nicko leaving the bathroom, and stepped away from Keith a bit.
"I'm gonna jump in the shower." she said, slipping away from him entirely and going into the bathroom.

Sami glanced up as Carlos knocked,.
"Yea?" She said, she had just showered, since Shaye had driven her crazy and the cold water was helping to wake her up.
She stepped out of the washroom, wrapping a towel around herself and looking at Carlos.
"What's up?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at him. He looked stressed and strained, and though she sort of understood, she also was confused.
"We going to a hotel?" She asked, standing behind the door to change so that no one saw her. She looked bruised and battered and didn't want Carlos to worry.

---

Zach nodded, "Okay mom" He said gently, curling against her and sighing.
"When are Uncle Alexi and Tia Maria getting here?" He asked, wondering how the twins were doing. He knew he wouldn't be allowed to play to much, but he was doing better so he hoped his mom and sister didn't fuss to much.

Vlad shook his head, laughing lightly.
"They got her a horse?" He sighed, "You okay Maddie? Why not go lay down before the excitment begins, I can take it from here" He said, ushering the little girl out of the room.

Sven smiled, "They're alright" He said, "Zach's been pretty sick for the last few weeks, but he's doing a lot better" He sighed, "And Maddie got moved up to the sixth grade, which she seems to be enjoying and it's way more of a challenge for her" He explained.

Carlos sighed gently as he sat down on the bed. He watche Sami gently, just needing to see her, and make sure she was alright. Even though he knew she would be fine in the house with Keith and Shaye here, he had this overwhelming need to be near her.
"Yea, most likely." Carlos murmured when Sami asked about the hotel. "Keith and Shaye are thinking up a game plan to throw them off our trail so to speak." Carlos said, rubbing his chin gently. "I can't be bothered with the legistics of it all right now." Carlos muttered, shaking his head.

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

"Sven left just as you came downstairs." Kristen said, glad that Zach didn't press the issue any further. She smiled and hugged Zach lightly. "They should be here soon actually." Kristen said, picking Zach up and walking out of the kitchen.
"Want to play a game or watch a movie?" Kristen asked curiously.

"They're getting her a horse." Maddie corrected, rubbing her forehead gently. "They haven't bought it yet." she explained. "Me and Dad were just going to look..." She shivered lightly as Vlad's hand touched her shoulder.
"No, I'm not tired." Maddie protested as Vlad started to turn her. "I'm fine. Just a small headache." Maddie murmured. "It's still hard for me to block everyone out...I get headaches sometimes." Maddie mumbled, since that wasn't information she'd shared with anyone really, and the words were sort of slipping from her.

Nick's eyes went wide. "Maddie got moved to the sixth grade?" he echoed, surprised. Maria rubbed her forehead, coughing lightly before looking over at Sven as well.
"Wow, fancy that." Maria murmured, remembering that Demitri and Kristen had been struggling for a time with Maddie's advanced intelligence in the past.

Sami emerged from her makeshift change room dressed in a cleaner pair of jeans and an equally ripped, but not blood tank top. Her forarm was wrapped in a light bandage, smeared with cream that took away the burning, though the arm still hurt.
"Sounds lovely" She muttered, looking him over critically. He looked so tense, and she wished she knew how to make it better. She sighed softly, walking over to him and sliding into his lap.
"Everything will be fine" She muttered softly, resting her head under his chin, her cheek in the hollow of his throat.

----

Zach smiled, "Can we watch a movie?" He asked, "Maddie got Kung-Fu Panda two" He said, he had yet to see it, because his sister tended to be very protective of her possessions, but if Kristen said he could watch it... He looked at his mom, green eyes shining curiously.

Vlad looked at Maddie with a small sigh, "If you have a headache you should go lie down" He said gently, smiling at her.
"It's fine Maddie, I'm not taking off anytime soon" He knew she was probably worried he'd take off or something. He didn't mind spending time with Maddie, but she tended to get a bit possessive, and he wanted to spend time with all his family, equally.
"Nick and Serena are gonna be here soon, you should go see if your mom needs help with anything" He said lightly.

Sven nodded, "Yea, everyone's a lot happier because of it" He said, looking over his shoulder at Nick. Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his face as he pulled onto the road that led to Demitri and Kristen's house.

Carlos nodded gently, rubbing his face. He was therefore, a bit surprised when Sami came over and slid into his lap. He sighed heavily in relief though, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Carlos held her to him, relieved beyond relieved to have her back in his arms.
"I know." Carlos murmured into her hair. "It's just getting through it that's the hard part." Carlos explained with a soft sigh. He ran his hands gently over Sami's back and her upper arms before simply wrapping his arms around her waist.
"I'm sorry you had to get mixed into all of this." Carlos murmured, kissing the top of Sami's head gently.

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

"Absouletely." Kristen said with a small chuckle. "And Maddie didn't get Kung Fu Panda 2, I did. So you can both watch it whenever you'd like." Kristen said, which she knew was the final say on the matter. Walking into the playroom, Kristen set Zach down, letting him arrange the couch to his liking while she set the movie up. Once that was set, Kristen grabbed the remote and walked back to the couch and sat down with a soft huff.
"All good?" Kristen asked with a smile.


Maddie rubbed her forehead, growing silent as Vlad talked to her. She sighed, and winced once before nodding, surprisingly in defeat.
"Ok..." Maddie murmured, looking a little exhausted, like a child that had stayed up to late, but still didn't want to sleep. "Mom's watching a movie with Zach...I'll go lay down." Maddie murmured, rubbing her forehead again. She merely nodded gently to Vlad about Nick and Serena before crossing her arms over her chest and turning to head back to the main house.


Nick fell asleep during the car ride again. Maria was actually surprised the little boy had lasted as long as he had with Serena asleep. Sven was pulling into the driveway, and the twins were both still sleeping.
"They're both tired." Maria murmured to Alexi, smiling lightly at the sleeping twins.

Sami smiled, "Don't apologize Carlos" He said softly, "I'm not sorry I got mixed up in this. I got you in the deal" She said gently. smiing as he rubbed against her softly.
"Come on then, I suppose we should get packing if we're going to leave soon" She said, kissing his cheek. She was packed, but she knew Carlos wasn't. She kissed him lightly again, trying to cheer him up. She didn't want him to regret any part of this, even if thus far, their relationship had been semi-disasterous in the whole staying alive aspect.

---

Zach smiled, "Thanks mom" He said, "Maddie doesn't like to share it with me" He admitted. Though he and maddie generally got along, they still had arguments over some things. Maddie loved Kung-Fu Panda and she tended to get very protective of those things.

Vlad smiled, glancing outside in time to see the car pull up.
"Looks like your cousins are here anyway" He said softly, rubbing his eyes and heading outside.
"Hey" He called, waving lightly as he went over to help Maria and Alexi. He embraced them quickly, before smiling at the sleeping twins.
"Need a hand?" He teased, scooping the kids up and smiling.

Carlos sighed gently, resting his forehead against Sami as she spoke. He smiled lightly at how soothing her voice was and he shook his head gently. He gave her a nod as she kissed him, still smiling gently.
"Right...packing." Carlos murmured, unable to focus on anything for too long in his mind. Rubbing a hand over his face, Carlos sighed deeply and stood up. He looked tired now, like all the high emotions from earlier had gone, and he was exhausted from it. Standing up from the bed, Carlos slowly withdrew his arms from Sami and wandered over to his closet. He pulled out a random bag, tossing in a few pair of jeans, shirts, and other clothes, not really paying much attention to what was going into the bag. He zipped it up after a moment, looked around the room.
"I guess that's everything." Carlos murmured with a small shrug.

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

"Maddie's been in a funny mood lately hasn't she?" Kristen asked, though she was almost mumbling to herself moreso than anything.
Sitting down with Zach, Kristen heaved a small sigh in relief. It felt good to sit down and breathe for a moment. Just when Kristen was starting to wind down, she heard the car pull up into the driveway. Kristen smirked to herself and shook her head.
"I think Serena and Nick are here..." Kristen said, trailing off with a smirk


"Alright." Maddie mumbled.Vlad could handle getting the family settled...or rather the family could settle themselves. This house was as much Alexi and Maria's as it was Demitri's and Kristen's. Walking into the kitchen, Maddie realized her peanutbutter and jelly sandwhich was uneaten. Her stomached growled, and almost robotically, Maddie got herself a glass of milk, and sat at the counter to eat.

Maria smiled tiredly at Vlad.
"Thanks." Maria said, seeing that Vlad was taking the sleeping twins. "They fell asleep half way through the drive." Maria murmured quietly as she stood up to help Alexi with the bags.

Sami looked at Carlos, he looked so exahusted.
"I guess so" She agreed, hitching the bag higher on her shoulder.
Stepping back out into the hall, she smiled as she came face to face with Keith.
"So we figured out a plan" He said, smiling at the two of them, "We figure Shaye and I will take your car, and you take ours" He said, "Each head in different directions, and then we meet at the hotel" He said, handing Carlos a paper with the name of the hotel on it.
"If they're really watching you, they're more likely to follow your car" He winked, "And Shaye and I can handle it" He said softly.
"Sounds good?" He asked Carlos, Sami glanced at Carlo, shrugging "Sounds fine with me" She said softly.

-----

Zach nodded, "She gets mad a lot easier then she used to" He said softly, glancing up as he nodded.
"Uncle Vlad's helpng them" He said, hearing his Uncle's voice.
"Are they gonna come see us? Dad said they'd be tired" He said softly, looking at his mother curiously.

"No problem" Vlad said, "I can imagine that they're tired, time changes are hard for those of us who are used to it" He said, smiling softly.
"I can take them to their room to get settled if you want?" He offered.
"Sounds good" Alexi said with a small smile.
"We'll probably go lie down as well, or at least Maria will" Alexi muttered, following after his brother.

Sven glanced at Maria, "Mind if I tag along? Look at the injuries and stuff?" He asked, smiling lightly at his sister-in-law.

Carlos blinked, taking in everything that Keith was saying before looking down at the paper. He read the address over and nodded, knowing exactly where the hotel was. Folding the paper, Carlos shoved it in his pocket before fishing out his car keys and exchanging them for Keiths.
"Just be careful." Carlos muttered. "They may not do much now, since they considered it a warning..." Carlos said, shaking his head. "But still." he sighed with a light smirk, knowing he didn't need to be telling Keith any of this. It just sort of rolled out of his mouth.
"Meet you guys over there." Carlos said, pulling his bag tighter on his shoulder before heading down the stairs, waiting for Sami at the door.

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

"They're still sleeping." Kristen murmured, hearing Vlad talking to Maria and Alexi as they walked inside. "Don't worry, we have time still. We'll let them get settled and rest up first." Kristen said, wrapping her arms around Zach comfortably before looking back at the movie. She kept her face guarded as she thought about what Zach had said; Maddie was becoming tempermental...Kristen had assumed it was from the seperation from Vlad...but he hadn't left the city rescently. Could just be her powers...Kristen seemed to nod in agreement with this thought. Things had been tense in the house recently...and now all this...

Maria rubbed her face gently with the back of her hand. Seeing Sven at her side, Maria gave a small smile in reassurance.
"Sure. Alexi removed most of the venom...my arms are still sore, and I feel a little sick. Anything you can prescribe for that Doc?" Maria asked, half serious, half teasing. She walked into the guest house behind Vlad, detouring off to the room she would be sharing with Alexi. Placing the bags down, Maria pulled off her jacket, kicked off her shoes and layed on her back on the bed with a sigh of relief.