1x1 with x_fire

Keith chuckled, "See you there, I already got roons, we'll be next door" He said, smiling at Carlos before snagging the car keys.
"Here" He tossed his keys to Carlos, "See you two in a bit" He called, heading out the door with Shaye.
"Well that was easy" Sami said with a small smile.
"Ready to go?" She wanted to ask Carlos if he was okay with leaving the house, but from the way he had described it earlier, she assumed that he didn't care about it all that much. Taking his hand, she effortlessly laced her fingers with his, though she still felt a small tingle as she did so. A small sigh escaped her, despite everything going on and the throbbing pain in her arm she was still happier then she had ever been.

-----

Zach nodded, turning his attention back to the movie.
"I like Kung-Fu Panda" He admitted to his mother. He never said that around his sister, because it was 'her' thing. He sighed, sometimes he just didn't understand Maddie. She could be so, so grown up one minute and emotional and tempermental the next. He curled closer to his mother, he hoped things would calm down soon, he didn't like arguing with Maddie. He knew it was normal for siblings to aruge, Serena and Nick did a lot, but arguing with Maddie was difficult and annoying. She was so smart and so opiniated that it was like arguing with his parents. Heck she even treated him like her kid half the time.

Sven smiled, "I'm sure I do" He said following after Maria as Alexi went with Vlad to settle the twins.
"Let me take a look" He ordered, though his voice was relaxed and playful. He unwrapped her arms, "Ah, lovely" He grumbled, "I hate those damn dart things" He said, opening his ever present doctor's bag.
"Here these should help, and I'm going to re-wrap these arms with some special bandages" He placed a bottle of special pills on the table.
"For the pain take two every four hours"

Carlos smiled as Sami took his hand. She probably had little to no idea how much that helped; how easily her touch brought him back to reality; grounded him; at the moment, it was keeping him sane. Carlos laced his fingers with his, bringing her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles lightly, which was still in Carlos' mind, a decent sign of affection, though it had died steadily over the years in most places.
"Yea." Carlos said as an answer to Sami, leading her over to the car, though the moment they stepped out of the house, Carlos was alert. As he unlocked Keith's car, Carlos forced himself to mainly listen. Looking around would cause more problems, especially if you made eye contact. It was starting to get dark. If Carlos kept his face down, he could easily be mistaken for Keith, and since he was getting in Keith's car, that was the general idea.
"Ridiculous." Carlos muttered at his own sudden switch of mind set as he slid into the drivers seat and started the car. He rubbed his face, taking his bag off his shoulder and chucking it to the back seat as he pulled out from the parking spot.

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

"I do too." Kristen said with a smile. "It's a funny movie." she commented, looking away from the screen as Zach curcled up closer to her on the couch. She smiled, running her fingers through Zach's hair gently as she looked back up at the movie. Glancing towards the door, Kristen wondered if Demitri was still working out back...hearing the smack of a hammer, Kristen figured he was.

Maria simply stayed still as Sven unwrapped the banadages from her arms. She looked down at them for the first time, and grimanced. The darts had been large, larger than Maria had guess. They hadn't seemed that small...then again, the darts were crafted to release vampire venom when the dart was removed...it might have been larger when Maria pulled them out.
"Ugh." Maria made another face at the four bloody holes in one arm and the two in the other. She closed her eyes shut, letting Sven do whatever he had to do, only opening her eyes when she felt that he was finished. Glad that her arms were rebandaged, Maria sighed in relief, turning dark, tired eyes to the bottle Sven was putting down.
"Two every four hours?" Maria echoed, eyes widening a bit. "You're the doc, Doc." Maria murmured then, closing her eyes as she rested back against the bed.

Sami, like Carlos, was easily mistakable for someone else at dark, in this case, Shaye. Sighing, she slipped into the car, rubbing a hand over her face tiredly and lying her bag down in the backseat. She pulled the seatbelt over herself and watched as Keith and Shaye snuck into Carlos's car.
"Well then" She muttered, "Where are we headed?" She hadn't seen the peice of paper, so she really had no idea. Pulling her knees to her chest and ignoring the flash of pain in her side, she stared out the window, trying to keep herself calm. She was doing the best she could, mainly for Carlos's sake, since she could feel all the tension and turmoil boiling just under the surface of his emotions and she had no desire to stress him out further by having a mental breakdown.

----

Zach looked at his mother curiously, "What's dad doing?" He asked, he could hear the hammer and subtle Russian muttering, and knew his father was up to something. He smiled as Kristen ran her fingers through his hair, he enjoyed when she did that, but only when they were alone. Zach was easily embaressed by his overprotective family, especially when his mother or sister fussed over him. Demitri was less likely to fuss, but at times he could be extremely absent, which sucked for Zach.

Sven smirked, "I am the doctor" He agreed, "Trust me, they'll help you heal faster as well" He sat down on the bed.
"So Alexi told me Carlos finally found someone" He said, arching an eyebrow at her.
"What's she like?" He as curious about the new member of the family, but he also wanted Maria's opinion.

Carlos handed Sami the piece of paper that Keith had written on. "It's a small hotel franchise. Not one we own, but I recognize it. Just on the outskirts of the city." Carlos explained. "We've got to drive around a bit though first...even though Keith and Shaye are driving out towards the country to get the heat off us...I don't want to take any chances." Carlos murmured as he started to drive away from the city, in the opposite direction from Keith and Shaye.
"Will you need anything?" Carlos asked, after being silent for a while. "The hotel will have room service for food and such but..." Carlos trailed off, not exactly sure if there was anything else that would be necessary for a stay in the hotel for a few more days.

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

"He's outside putting up a fence around the pool and the playground." Kristen explained effortlessly. She smiled at him, chuckling softly at the boy content expression. She looked up at the movie, leaning back down on the couch, Zach resting more so on her stomach now than her lap.
"I think he wants to finish it soon." Kristen murmured gently.

"Uh huh." Maria murmured, taking the medicine now since her arms were starting to throb and she wanted them healed as soon as possible. Looking over at Sven, Maria smirked lightly and nodded in agreement.
"She's called Sami." Maria explained. "She's a shifter, who isn't into the unspoken laws as much as Kristen...haven't really gotten to know her all that well yet." Maria said with a shrug. "Her and Carlos met when he was out hunting and they hit it off the next day." Maria said with a chuckle. "A lot happened after that so..." Maria trailed off with a shrug.

Sami nodded, "Makes sense" She agreed. She glanced at Carlos, "If they have room service I should be fine" She reassured, "I don't really need much" She said with a small smile. She leaned back, glancing out the window, "Are you okay with just leaving the house?" She asked, rubbing her arms absentmindedly. Shaye's cream helped, a lot, but she still hurt and natural instinct was to try and rub the pain away. She looked at her soulmate, smirking as she thought of the word. Who had ever thought that Sami would ever find her other half. Certinaly not her family or anyone back home, they had all be convinved she'd be some lonely old woman, living alone all her life. She almost wished she could go home and rub it in their faces, but she didn't want to risk it.

----

Zach nodded, "Oh cool" He said, wondering why his father had decied to put up a fence.
"Why is he putting up a fence?" He asked, looking at his mother as she shifted around. He giggled, he could hear her stomach making gurgling noises, which always amused the little boy.

"Ah" Sven smiled, "Well hopefully there are no issues between Kristen and her" He said, shaking his head.
"Either way, we are all glad your brother finally found his other half" He listened as she discussed the events, "It has been rather crazy for your family in London lately" He agreed.

Carlos slowed for a traffic light, and glanced over at Sami. He nodded gently, just knowing she would be alright and wouldn't need anything else.
At the mention of the house, Carlos gave her a wirey smile. "Its just a house darling." He murmured, taking a smooth turn onto another street. Glancing to his mirrors, Carlos relaxed a good few notches. His route had convinced him that they weren't being followed so he turned the car to head for the hotel.
As he drove, Carlos noticed the glances Sami passed him on ooccassion. He smirked and glanced at the clock. They had some time..."What is that look for?" Carlos murmured, looking at her a moment with a raised eyebrow of slight curiosity.

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

Kristen tilted her head a moment thinking about Zachs question. It was interesting because there wasn't much reason for a fence anyway. The housd was built on a large lot and the nearest neighbor was a ten minute car drive away.
"Hmm....that's a good question." Kristen murmured. "Maybe just to keep the animals of the forest out of our backyard." Kristen joked with a small smile.

Maria merely shrugged. "If they do, honestly its between them." She said, waving a hand then rubbing her face.
"God I'm exhausted." Shd grumbled. Hearing Sven mention something about London Maria laughed, though not in a happy way and shook her head.
"It's always crazy in London for my family." Maria said.

Sami laughed, "Nothing sorry" She said, realizing that she had sort of been staring at him.
"Just thinking about something" She sighed, blushing lightly, she really hadn't meant to stare. Rubbing a hand over her face she looked around, she had no idea where they were and knew that it was because of Carlos's crazy route.
"Well, I think we're safe" She commented, her tone amused and dry as she looked around. She smiled lightly, staring at the London scenery, it was beautiful and she regreted not coming here before.


----

Zach nodded, "Maddie said there are bears and stuff in the woods" He said, shuddering lightly and looking at his mother. He wasn't to fond of the fact that bears could just wander through the yard and if the fence kept them out he was ll for it.

"Go to sleep" Sven said, wandering out into the hallway to speak with Alexi and Vlad. He caught his brother's look and smiled reassuringly.
"She's fine, just tired" He murmured.
"Good" Alexi said, relief plain in his voice. "No side effects?"
"None, she just needs to rest, in fact by tomorrow she'll probably be up and about"

Carlos was still looking curiously at Sami, and his look of curiousity changed to that of surprise. He noticed the small amount of color rising to her face. Carlos forced his eyes back on the road when Sami looked away, though he rubbed his lips to hide a thoughtful smirk. He'd question Sami about what she'd been thinking once they were safe in the hotel room.
"Yes I noticed." Carlos murmured, turning down the street that led to the hotel. Pulling into a parking spot, Carlos turned off the car and sighed as he stepped from it. He walked over, waiting for Sami before taking her hand lightly as they walked into the lobby.
"We have a reservation." Carlos said to the clerk, quietly giving his name and getting the room keys. "Room 321." Carlos murmured, as he nodded to the clerk.

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

Kristen smiled lightly. "Well, there are many animals that live in the woods." Kristen said with a small shrugg. "A bear wouldn't exactly walk into our backyard, but the fence would keep them out if they tried." Kristen said with a small shrug.

Maddie groaned lightly, waking up from her small nap, though confused. How had she gotten into her bedroom? Looking around the room, Maddie rubbed her eyes roughly. Her headache had gone away, but for some reason, she couldn't remember what had happened. She remembered feeling a sharp pain and then...
"Ow." Maddie groaned, holding her head. She heard talking downstairs, her husky hearing in tune. Frowning, Maddie stood up and left the room quietly. Who was she hearing? Alexi...Oh yea, they had arrived today...
"Mom? Dad?" Maddie asked quietly, looking around the quiet house, since all the other vampires were in the guest house, and Maddie felt that she shouldn't bother them.

Sami was in absolute awe of the hotel.
"Its gorgeous" She murmured, caught up in the beauty of the lobby. She was distracted when Carlos told her the room number, and she blinked, "Oh" She smiled, "Sounds great" She laughed, flushing lightly realizing she really hadn't been paying attention.
"Sorry, I've never been in such a nice house" She said gently, smirking at her own awkwardness.

-----

Zach nodded, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He sighed, shaking his head, "Well I'm glad" He said with a small smile.
"Bears are funny in movies, but I don't think I'd like to meet one in real life" He adimitted.

Demitri wasn't really listening to anything, caught up in the work he was involved in. He distantly heard Maddie's voice, but he knew Kristen would hear and deal with it, since he was distracted.

Carlos couldn't help the smile that came to his face at Sami's awe. "If you think this is beauitful, you should see some of the hotels we own." He murmured softly as he took her hand again, leading her up to the room.
"And here we are." Carlos sighed, opening the door with his shoulder and sliding the key back into his pocket. "From the sounds of it...Keith and Shaye aren't back yet..." Carlos said, almost to himself as he walked inside, tossing his bag towards the small closet. "I think Keith said they were getting the room right next door or something of the like." Walking over to the window, Carlos drew the blinds shut and flicked on the lamp. The room wasn't large, there was enough space for the queen sized bed, a dressed which had a television on top, a desk, a closet and bathroom.

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

Kristen faintly heard Maddie calling, but Zach succeeded in distracting her. She smiled lightly at her son, unable to hold back a small chuckle.
"Everything is much funnier in movies." Kristen said. "Are you hungry at all? It's getting late...you haven't eaten much." Kristen murmureed, her motherily concern kicking in when she noticed the time. It was getting late into the afternoon.

Maddie wandered into the livingroom, not gaining a response from either of her parents. Her head was still throbbing, and now it was starting to worry her. She gasped slightly, seeing Nicko watching t.v.
"Hey Maddie." He said when he noticed her, smiling and waving her over. Maddie looked at him curiously. When had he gotten here?
"Hi..." Maddie answered quietly.
"Something wrong honey?" he asked, frowning as he saw her rub her head. "Come here."
Maddie hesitantly obeyed, walking over to Nicko. "Headache?" he asked, to which Maddie nodded gently. She felt Nicko's hand brush against her forehead where the pain was, and something tingled her skin. The feel of power made Maddie's hair stand on edge and she flinched away, fear shooting through her.
"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." Nicko insisted.
"I don't like magic." Maddie half hissed.
"It's not magic." 'Nicko said with a small smile. "It's my gift. It made your headache go away didn't it?" Nicko asked as Maddie backed away. She stopped and thought for a moment, rubbing her forhead.
"Yea..." Maddie said, looking over at Nicko. "Thanks..."
"You're welcome."
"Do you know where my Mom is?" Maddie asked, to which Nicko shook his head.
"Maybe the playroom with your brother?" he suggested, to which Maddie nodded and turned out of the room.

Sami turned to Carlos, gaping.
"Well sheesh" She grumbled, "Not my fault I've never been to a nice place before" She half teased, letting him lead her to the room. Once inside she set about exploring like the cat she was, making sure she knew every inch of the room. She turned slightly as Carlos hurridly drew the blinds and turned on the light.
"They're driving to the castle almost though, they'll be longer then us" She reminded him, sitting cross legged on the bed. She looked around the room again, a small smile on her face as she turned her attention back to Carlos.

---

Zach nodded in understanding, "No, I'm not to hungry" He said to his mother, smiling lightly. His stomach was still acting up a bit and it scared him to put anything in it at the moment. He glanced up as he heard footsteps in the hall, and he could hear Maddie coming closer.
"Maddie's awake" He commented, watching his sister come into the room.

Carlos smirked lightly, since Sami's teasing lightened his mood to a degree. He paced around the room slightly before grabbing the tv remote and flickering through the channels.
"I know...but Keith is a fast driver..." Carlos murmured, silently voicing his concern for his family. He tossed up a quick prayer that nothing else would go wrong tonight. Enough was enough for the day. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Carlos rubbed his face before turning to look back at Sami fully.
"How's your arm?" he murmured, though he never took his eyes off her face.

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

"Yes, it would seem she is." Kristen murmured, looking up with Zach as Maddie peaked into the room. Kristen frowned, though quickly tried to hide it. Maddie looked a little worn down, but Kristen took that as a sign of her gift at work again, sensing everyone's stress.
"Hey..." Kristen said, which encouraged Maddie forward into the room.
"Hi." Maddie murmured quietly, rubbing her fingers over her lips as she walked over to the couch and silently sitting down next to her mother and brother.
"Have a nice nap?" Kristen asked.
Maddie shrugged. "My headache was bad...Nicko fixed it though." Looking at the screne, Maddie's face brightened slightly. "Kung Fu Panda...aww, it's almost over." Maddie murmured, though she didn't sound angry or upset.
"Mom, why is Nicko here?" Maddie asked.
"He's visiting Alayna." Kristen answered smoothily with a shrug.

As if on cue a loud banging of a door sounded next door.
"Sounds like there safe to me" Sami teased, hearing Shaye and Keith bickering back and forth next door. The two seemed to always bicker, but in a fun, amusing fashion. She glanced at Carlos, disarmed for a moment at his question.
"Hmm? Oh, it's fine" She said, glancing down at the wrapping, in all honesty she had totally forgotten about it.
"You okay?" She asked, she could see the worry and tensness in his eyes, not to mention feel it coursing through his body. She wanted him to be open with her on things like this, especially if it had to do with her.

---

Zach smiled at his sister, "Nicko's here?" He asked, looking a bit stunned. He hadn't know that Alayna's older brother was around. He really enjoyed hanging out with the man, he was lots of fun and often had cool games to play or funny stories to tell.
"We can watch it again" He offered, knowing how much his sister liked the movie. He knew it was highly unlikely that his mother would watch it with them again, but he didn't mind toughing out a movie for Maddie, especially since she was being so nice about catching him watching it.

Carlos gave a wirey smirk, looking over when he heard Keith and Shaye entering their room. He rubbed his ears, shaking his head gently with a light chuckle and a soft sigh. Those two were constantly going at it.
Sami's voice brought Carlos back to reality, and he looked up at her, confused for a moment, as if he hadn't heard the question. Seeing the concern in her eyes filled in the missing gaps.
"Oh..." Carlos murmured, blinking a moment. "I'm..." Carlos was about to answer with fine but he stopped himself. Was he fine? No...not in the least. Did he want to tell Sami that though? Well...he didn't want her worrying about him...Carlos looked over at her again...erm...maybe it wouldn't matter. Carlos sighed heavily, as if loosing the battle with himself and he reached over for Sami's good hand.
"I'm just..concerned about all this." He admitted, looking down at her hand, passing his thumb over her knuckles gently. "I know you say you can handle it, but I...don't know if...I can." Carlos murmured, sighing again, his grip on Sami's hand tightening slightly.

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

"Yea." Maddie answered quietly. "He's in the livingroom watching t.v." she murmured gently. "Alexi, and Maria are here too." she murmured.
Kristen frowned, looking at Maddie for a moment. It was like there was a totally different child, sitting here next to her. For the past few weeks, Maddie had been moody, easily angered and tempermental. Now...she was quiet...and was she smiling?
"Are you feeling alright?" Kristen asked, pressing a hand for Maddie's forehead.
"Yea...why?" Maddie asked, looking confused at her mother.
"You said you had a headache earlier..." Kristen murmured.
"Nicko made it go away." Maddie said with a small shrug. Looking at Zach, Maddie shook her head. "You've already watched it once, we can watch something else after."
"You guys do that, I'm gonna go see Alexi." Kristen said, gently pulling herself from Zach and kissing each their forehead before leaving.

Closing the door behind her, Kristen wandered over to the guest how, finding the vampire brothers easily. "Hey." Kristen said, smiling when she saw Alexi, and hugging him. "How was the flight?" she asked, brushing her hair from her face.

Sami watched Carlos curiously, a bit surprised at his sudden statement.
"Do you mean handle all the drama? Or handle whats happened between us?" She asked, squeezing his hand reassuringly. She wanted him to feel safe talking to her about things, about anything and she wasn't going to judge him or get angry regardless of what they spoke about.
"You can tell me anything" She said, her voice soft yet reassuring, "Its not healthy to keep things all bottled up inside. Besides, since your the ridiculously strong one in this relationship, I guess that makes me the good listener" She teased, her voice gentle.

---

Zach nodded, "Okay" He murmured to Maddie, watching their mother go. He let his sister pick the movie, since he had chosen Kung Fu Panda, even if she hadn't been around to watch it.

Alexi glanced at Kristen, smiling lightly as she hugged him.
"Uneventful" He said, smiling again, "Thankfully" He stepped back, watching Sven and Vlad melt away to go bother Demitri probably.
"Serena and Maria slept for most of it and Nick and I talked" He said, shrugging lightly, "How have things been here?"

Carlos chuckled dryly. "The drama, as you so put it." he murmured. "I'm estatic of what's happened between us. As cliche as it sounds, you're someone I've been searching for...for a very long time. Finally finding you as been the best thing that has ever happened to me." Carlos explained, his voice quiet, as he continued to gaze at their conjoined hands. He still found the fact utterly incredible that he felt so strongly for Sami, and he felt so content and comfortable with her.
"I'm not ridiculously strong." Carlos said, a smile craking on his face and he shook his head. "Physically yes but...the years have worn at me...." he grew silent a moment, looking deeply thoughtful before he picked his head up. "I can see the patterns of time easier than others...I know when something is going to become serious, or wash away...this though..." Carlos said, his voice still quiet, cold even as he turned over Sami's injured arm gently, looking at the bandage. "I don't like. I may be strong," Carlos said, looking up at her with a somewhat hopeless and apologetic expression. "But I don't think...I'm strong enough to loose you after I've just found you. I don't know if I could handle that." Carlos sighed, shaking his head gently.

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

Since Zach wasn't moving to pick a new movie, Maddie got up to look through the dvds. She glanced up looking towards the backyard, which in ecesses meant she was staring at a blank wall. Shaking her head lightly, Maddie went back to the dvd's. "How about..." Maddie murmured as she flipped through the movies. "Aladin? We haven't watched that in a while.."

Kristen watched as Sven and Vlad left, a puzzled look on her face. "Did I interupt something?" she murmured, looking a bit lost and confused. Turning back to Alexi, she nodded to show she was listening, though she frowned.
"Maria slept?" Kristen asked in part disbelief; Maria rarely slept. "Everything alright?" she asked, a sinking forming in her gut that something else was going on here. After the explosion earlier, Demitri and Kristen hadn't exactly talked. Demitri had told her that Alexi would be flying in early with the family, and stay, but that wasn't all that out of the ordinary. Maria sleeping on a flight though, was.

Sami listened to Carlos intently.
"Oh" She said, wincing with the weight of his words. Absentmindedly she rubbed her thumb comfortingly over his fingers, trying to sooth him.
"Don't worry" She said, her voice soft, caring. "You won't loose me" She promised, leaning over and kissing his jaw, since that was the most she could reach currently.
"I'm not about to let something ruin what we have" She reassured, a small smile creeping onto her features. Sami was not to be underestimated, the girl was tough as hell, and would fight like each fight was her last in order to survive. She shifted slightly, sitting in Carlos's lap now, though she was facing him. She gently ran her fingers down his cheek, "You don't need to be worried" She murmured, eyes clouded for a moment.

---

Zach nodded, "I like Aladdin" He agreed, "The monkey's funny" He couldn't remember the name, but he knew he enjoyed the funny little critter. He smiled at his sister, before curling up on the couch.

Alexi sighed, "She's just exahusted" He said, not really willing to talk about what was going on right now. It was to fresh in his mind, he needed a little time to process what was going on.
"It was a long trip" He said, shrugging lightly.

Carlos smiled softly, reassured for the moment, though not entirely on the issue. As Sami shifted into his lap, Carlos wrapped his arms around her gently. He picked her up carefully as he sat more in the center of the bed, and placed her in his lap, letting her head rest beneath his chin. Holding her felt so right and perfect that for a moment, Carlos nearly fogot everything that had happened. He only thought about Sami, who fit so contently in his arms, who had first looked at him not with fear but curiousity....the memory jogged a thought and question into his mind.
"On to much more light-hearted topics, what were you doing the night I met you?" Carlos murmured softly. "You almost became dinner." He teased, smirking as he pulled away to look down at Sami. The hardness was mostly gone from his face, and his eyes had brightened a bit; signs that Sami's words had affected him and helped.

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

Maddie smiled, and ran her fingers through her hair gently as she placed the dvd into the player, grabbed the remote and walked back over to Zach. She brushed her fingers over her lips as she sat down, pulling her knees onto the couch and settling into the corner seat which Maddie favored on occassion.
"I think it's Abu..." Maddie murmured, pressing play on the movie before wrapping her arms around her knees.

Kristen gave Alexi a sympathetic smile, instantly recognizing the signs that showed Alexi didn't want to talk. "I'm sure you all need your rest." She said with a small nod. "I've got two I should be putting to bed soon as well. We'll catch up in the morning then." Kristen said, though she left it sounding like a question, not wanting to push Alexi at all. She guessed if it was important, she would find out eventually...if Demitri felt like talking to her. Smiling lightly, Kristen nodded, wrapping her arms around herself before heading back into the main part of the house.

It was starting to get dark, and Kristen had let the kids wait until the movie was over before calling it a night.
"Come on, its time for bed." Kristen said, turning the t.v. off. For once, Maddie had fallen fast asleep while watching the movie, her thumb even finding her way into her mouth. "I thought we got you outta that habit." Kristen murmured as she picked Maddie up from the sofa. The girl mumbled incoherently, but otherwise fell back asleep on Kristen's shoulder.

Sami laughed, shaking her head softly as Carlos asked her about that night.
"Sneaking around" She said evasively, though she chuckled.
"I was coming back from dinner. I had some spare cash so I went into town and grabbed a some food from this deli that's open late" She explained with a small smile.
"I was walking back to the forest to get my stuff and move on when you grabbed me" She admitted, "You're the reason I stuck around longer then I intended, you intrigued me" She said, her voice gentle.
"I've never seen a vampire stop in the middle of a hunt like that. Not ever" She hadn't even known it was possible for a vampire to do that, it was incredible.

----

Zach nodded, curling up and staring at the TV screen. Like Maddie, he fell asleep during the movie and only shifted around when his mother came in and grabbed Maddie.

Demitri walked inside, hearing Kristen mention putting the kids to bed and trailed her into the TV room.
"I've got Zach" He said, smiling as he listened to her lecture the sleeping Maddie about sucking her thumb.
"I haven't seen her do that in a long time" He agreed, scooping Zach up, ignoring the sleepy boy's grumbling, and followed Kristen upstairs.

Carlos couldn't help it; he laughed when he heard what Sami said. Laughed so hard that he fell back on the bed, with Sami still in his arms.
"Oh my Lord that is something else..." Carlos said, rubbing his face, a smile still plastered on. "It really is, because for the exact same reason I went looking for you, you came looking for me. Never in my years have I ever encountered anyone that didn't look scared, or entranced when I'm hunting. You, my dear, on the other hand..." Carlos murmured, calming down and his voice quieting as he passed a hand over her cheek gently. "Surprised me with how curiously you were looking at me. Actually, if you hadn't looked so curious..." Carlos trailed off with a soft chuckle; Sami knew what would have happened, but it didn't, so Carlos didn't feel the need to say it. "Funny how the world works." Calros murmured, shaking his head gently.

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

Kristen glanced over her shoulder when Demitri showed up, holding Zach. She smiled thankfully and nodded at him while Maddie stirred in her arms again.
"Where's Vlad...?" Maddie mumbled, sounding half asleep to Kristen as she carried her daughter upstairs.
"You'll see him in the morning sweetie...go back to sleep."
"No.." Maddie whined quietly. "I'm not sleepy...can't I see him please?"

Kristen sighed heavily, not answering Maddie since she knew Maddie was tired and cranky and whiny because of it. She walked into Maddie's room, and gently detatched the little girl from around her neck to lay her on the twin sized bed. Maddie was frowning in her sleep, and Kristen wordlessly made sure Maddie was comfortable.
"Good Night Maddie." Kristen murmured, pulling the blanket over the little girl. Maddie pulled the blanket around herself tighter, turning over in her half sleeping state as Kristen left the room.

Sami was more then relieved to hear Carlos laugh. Not only was it a beautifiul sound, but he looked so relaxed while he did it. She giggled, enjoying his happiness, since it was infectious.
'It was probably the whole bonding soulmate thing, it made you more interested and intrigued then you probably would have been normally" She suggested with a grin. She glanced around the room, "This is lovely" She commented again, wondering if she should go check out the balcony.

----

Demitri settled Zach into his bed effortlessly and tucked him in with a small smile. He sighed, wandering back into the hallway and glancing at Kristen with a tired sigh.
'Ready to go lie down ourselves?" He asked, winking at her.
'I really need to shower' He chuckled, vampires didn't sweat, but he was covered in grass, dirt and wood stains.

{{Haha, I've been so outta it that I had to go back and re-read what was going on here xD}}

Carlos nodded, since he had thought about his bonding to Sami being the real reason he had stopped hunting. His body knew Sami was his soul mate even before the rest of him knew. Wrapping his arms tighter around Sami, Carlos sighed, resting his chin on the top of her head for a moment, just holding her. If he could have it, he wouldn't let go of her until the morning...not after everything that had happened today. If Carlos consentrated hard enough, he could feel the burning in his own arm from where Sami had been marked.
Thinking about the marks made Carlos shudder slightly, and he sucked in a harsh breath before picking himself back up. He glanced over his shoulder at the digital clock glowing on the nightstand before looking down at Sami.
"It's close to midnight...you've had a long day. Are you tired?" he asked softly, brushing her hair back from her face, doing his best to keep the worry and anxiety from his face, and only let Sami see the soft concern and affection he felt towards her. It was the least he could do for her right now, after all the drama she'd been through today.

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

Kristen sighed heavily as she closed Maddie's door. The child was half asleep, and had been half mumbling about Vlad the whole time. She couldn't really blame the girl, but knowing that Vlad probably heard, Kristen couldn't help feeling a little bad. Hearing Demitri behind her, Kristen turned around in enough time to see him smile and wink at her. Kristen found herself grinning and wandering after him into their bedroom. He seemed to be in a better mood...though how or why Kristen had no idea.

Pulling her hair up, Kristen sighed, letting it fall back down to her back. It was starting to get long again...Kristen rarely let it grow beyond her shoudlers. Hearing that Demitri wanted to shower, Kristen glanced over at him, her eyes scanning him over once, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
"You do need a shower." Kristen teased with a small chuckle before looking away slyly.

OOC: haha no worries =] My job has made it sorta hard for me to have the energy to reply to RPs lately, so I had to go back and re-read as well. Glad to see you though!
BTW, I'll reply on Vega soon, I hope XD

BIC:

Sami's eyes found Carlos' as she read the emotions in them. She could see how worried he was about her, though in all honesty she had no idea why. She knew he believed this to be a stressfull day for her, and while it was on some levels, on another it was almost normal. Smiling softly, she snuggled closer into his chest, taking advantaged of his protective arms.
"I'm a little tired" She admitted, using his chest to muffle her soft yawn. "But I don't particularly want to go to sleep yet" She murmured, eyes sliding half closed. Damn she was sleepy, but she didn't want to sleep. She knew despite the familiarness of the situation she'd still have god awful nightmares, and add those on top of her already bad dreams, she just didn't want to deal with it.

----

Demitri growled playfully at Kristen, "You hinting at something?" He teased, pretending to look himself over. He caught her sly glance and grinned, "Care to join me? Make sure I don't miss any spots?" He asked, arching a dark eyebrow at her before heading into the washroom. Grinning he tossed his shirt out the door, making sure it landed on top of her, though it didn't strike her hard or anything. He knew that would rile Kristen up, and he loved goofing around with her, especially after a bloody stressful day.

((Ditto; working at summer camp and there's no internet so I can hardly get on. Hope everythings going alright though.))

Carlos chuckled in a soft, all knowing manner as Sami snuggled into his arms tighter, pressing against his chest. He kept his hands around her, holding her against him but not to tight. He could tell she was exhausted, and the attempt at hidding the yawn only proved his supsicion.
"Don't worry love," Carlos murmured, kissing her forehead as he leaned back to flick off the light. "I'll stay right here with you." He promised, leaning back on the bed and pulling the sheets around her. "You'll be fine. Sleep." Carlos said quietly, knowing she'd be out in a few minutes or so.

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

"Just that you're dirty." Kristen said causually with a small shrug though there was a smirk on her face as she watched Demitri from the corner of her eye. She saw the shirt coming and managed to catch it before it smacked her face. She grinned, moving fast, faster than she normally could, though she hardly realized it, half barreling into Demitri. She was grinning in an old familiar way, eyes a bright mix of green and hazel brown, keeping herself a breath away from Demitri's face.
"I believe this is yours." Kristen said softly, tossing Demitri's shirt to block his sight while she tore off and tossed him her own before ducking farther into the bathroom towards the shower with a laugh. Two could play at this game.

((Hmm...do you want to bring in some opposing characters to add to the drama? Maybe allies of Cassandra but enemies of the Draqs or something?))

OOC: Sure =]
Some more drama is always good XD

BIC:
Sami sighed opening her eyes slowly. She was surprised to find that she had, indeeded fallen asleep.
"Coniving vampire" She growled playfully in Carlos' general direction as she slowly dragged herself up and headed for the shower. Her frigging arm was aching beyond belief and she was sore, tired and more then a little irritated. She sighed, flicking the hot water on, a good, long shower would hopefully make her feel like a living being again. This whole situation was just so surreal, it had been so long since she had been around people and now she was constantly with someone. Not that she felt any resentment towards Carlos he was, literally, the best thing in her life. Ever.

-----

Demitri growled in Kristen's direction, trailing her into the washroom.
"Brat" He hissed playfully at his wife as he slipped into the shower. It felt good to scrub off the grime and he felt better then he had all day. This whole thing was just aggrivating. It felt like no matter what his family always had some sort of threat hanging over their heads and he was getting extremely fed up with it.