1x1 with x_fire

"I'm fine with going to get her" Alexi said with a chuckle. "I'm sure Nick will join me anyway" He added with a dry grin.
"I've learned how to eat neatly, I just don't enjoy it" He pouted, looking at his wife with shining blue eyes. "Its much more fun my way" He said with a shrug, watching as she rinsed out the tub. Catching the towel, he dried off as he walked back to the bedroom, checking the time as he did so. Serena would want to be picked up soon, she wasn't one for staying out all night.

Serena frowned, wondering why her brother had basically upped and stopped talking to Allison. She had always thought that the two should start dating, but then Nick started dating that cow and well, everything had changed.
"Yea Zach from the soccer team. He's a year older then us, but he's awesome" She said with a smile. "He's really nice, I'll introduce you on our first day" She offered, checking her phone for the time.

----

Sami rumbled softly, her version of chuckling, and pulled her body around Carlos', letting him use her as a pillow. She sighed contently, purring softly as she slept, enjoying the feeling of being so close to her mate and not having anything to do. The peace and quiet was broken however, when the damn phone went off, startling Sami awake, her eyes flying about wildly as she tried to figure out where the noise was coming from.

Maria nodded to her husband as she got dressed. She pulled on a pair of panties and a loose night gown. Twirling her long hair up into a towel, Maria sighed softly in relief that the wetness was off her back.
"Alright darling. She'll probably text you soon." Maria said, squeezing the water out of her hair. She noticed it was starting to get late, and she knew Serena wasn't one to be out too late.
Finding a brush, Maria tossed the towel back into the bathroom and sat on the bed to comb the knots from her hair.

Allison gave Serena a soft shrug in response. "Cool. I wouldn't mind meeting Zach." She said with a small nod. Her phone went off then and she quickly fished it out of her pocket.
"Hello?" She answered. "Yea. Ok. I'll be right out." She said with a huff before hanging up the phone.
"That was my Dad. He's outside so I gotta go." Allison explained. "It was nice catching up with you. I'll see you guys later." She added with a smile before dashing off towards the front door.

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

Carlos growled deeply as the phone went off again. He muttered something angrily in Spanish as he got up out of the bed. Digging through his clothes, Carlos managed to find his phone. Instead of answering it, he shut it down completely and dropped it back into the pile of clothes.
Once the noisy thing was silence, Carlos wandered back to the bed and collapsed again, moving back to rest against Sami gently.
"Good night." Carlos murmured with a soft chuckle as he closed his eyes.

Alexi nodded in agreement.
"Are you going to go out hunting tonight? Or are you in for the night now?" He asked his wife curiously as he pulled on his shirt and glanced down at his phone as it viberated.
"She just texted, I'm off then love. I'll see if Nick wants to join me" He said with a grin.
Walking down the hallway, he rapped gently on Nicks bedeoom door.
"I'm going to get your sister, do you want to tag along?" He asked, texting Serena back that he was on his way.

Serena smiled and nodded.
"I'll introduce you then" She said with a chuckle, watching as her friend rushed off. Realizing it was getting late, she sent her father a text, figuring he'd be the one to come get her. She grinned and zipped up Nick's hoodie as she went to wait for her family outside. It was a bit awkward inside the house with most of her friends having left, and she certainly didn't want to get stuck with any jerks like she had last time.

----

Sami sighed, and nuzzled Carlos' cheek as he drifted off into the vampire version of sleep. He was clearly exhuasted if he was falling asleep this easily. Damn work anyway, even vampires needed a break and Carlos clearly wasn't getting one. Letting out another rumbling purr, she curled tighter around Carlos, trying to help him sleep.

Maria shook her head gently. "I don't need to hunt tonight." She said, giving her husband a small smile. "I'll be fine." She finished brushing out her hair and set the brush down. She wandered over to the bed and sat down, braiding her long hair softly as Alexi dressed to pick up Serena.
Maria nodded again as Alexi left the room and sighed softly.

Nick glanced up as his father knocked on his door. He had just finished up his shower, and was no completely free of gore and blood. Wearing just a pair of boxers, Nick realized he wasn't exactly dressed to leave his room. Smirking, Nick zipped around the room, quickly getting dressed.
He opened the door as Alexi finished asking his question, the smirk still plastered on his face. "Yea sure." Nick said, ruffling his wet hair a bit as he walked into the hallway with his father, closing the door behind him.

--------

A hand pressing against her face jolted Maddie into consciousness. Her first reaction was to scream, but she couldn't make a sound. Not because there was a hand muffling it, but because she physically couldn't make a noise. Opening her eyes, Maddie felt her heart drop at who was hovering over her.
"You are dreaming young one." The dark angel told her. "But just because you are dreaming, does not mean it isn't real." She added with a small wink as she flashed a dagger into Maddie's line of vision. "Do I make myself clear?" She asked. Maddie could only nod with her heart racing in her chest.

Anna pulled her hand away from Maddie's mouth and sat up from the bed. Her hair was dark, and it took half a second for Maddie to realize she was dreaming in black in white. Anna was all dark except for her skin; her hair, her eyes, her clothes were black but her skin was practically glowing.
"What do you want?" Maddie asked. "Why are you here? How are you even here?"
"You're a smart girl, I'm sure you can figure it out." Anna said, a cruel smirk playing on her face.
A thousand thoughts ran through Maddie's mind. "If you're going to use me to get to Vlad and hurt my family it won't work." Maddie spat almost instantly.
Anna couldn't help but chuckle. "That's cute. Almost adorable really. You think I care about your family? Better yet, you think you could stop me if I wanted to do something to them." Anna laughed softly. Maddie swallowed hard then, her mind suddenly blank. Than Alayna flashed into her mind.
"Keep going young one..." Anna murmured. Maddie swallowed again, and the first thing she thought of next was Keith. "Bingo."
"What do you want from him?"
"I want to know where he is hiding." Anna said.
"I...I don't know." Maddie stumbled, shaking her head gently. Anna moved so suddenly that the cut to her arm surprised her. She let out a small cry, and grasped her arm, which was now bleeding.
"Do not lie to me." Anna said strongly. "I know you're connected to him. So tell me where he is."
Maddie had trouble focusing with how much her arm was throbbing. She felt herself slipping. Anna growled something but Maddie couldn't hear. The dream was starting to fade.

Maddie actually woke up, and her previous scream almost left her. She quickly covered her mouth as she sat up from her desk. Looking down at her arm, she saw a thin red line under her shirt.
"Shit." Maddie whispered, quickly standing. She covered her arm and darted to the bathroom, locking the door behind her as she ran the water to clean her arm.

Alexi grinned and headed outside with Nick. Instead of taking the slightly blood-stained truck, he opted to take Maria's car, he'd need to wash the trunk the next day. Sliding into the drivers' seat, he grinned at his son, he seemed so happy and so full of life. He sincerely hoped Serena noticed and decided to try hunting. She might not take after him and seemingly Nick, but she should still at least try fresh blood before she completely wrote it off. Nick would have a hard time drinking bottle blood now, not that Alexi minded, he'd take his son hunting anytime he desired, Alexi needed to go hunting rather regularly anyway.

Pulling up to Michelle's house, he grinned as he saw Serena walked over to the car. Sliding in the backseat, Serena grinned at her father and brother, noticing how happy both of them seemed.
"Hey, how was the party?" Alexi asked, glancing at his daughter in the rearview mirror.
"It was fun, I spent most of it talking to Allison" She said with a shrug.
"Ah" Alexi smiled at the blonde haired girl, she seemed a bit distant, but he didn't comment on it.
"How was hunting?" She asked, looking at the back of Nick's head curiously.

----

Demitri wrinkled his nose as the scent of blood filtere into his senses. Frowning, he inhaled again, realizing the scent came from Maddie. Clambering off the bed, the tall vampire wandered down the hall, looking around for his daughter as he did so.

Walking to the washroom, he found the door locked, a frowned wound its way onto his face and he gently knocked on the door.
"Maddie?" He asked curiously, keeping his voice low. "Everything alright?" he didn't want to jump the gun and mention the scent of blood. He had been known to freak out on occasion over the scent of blood, only to find out it had been a shaving cut or.. other things. And he had no desire to embaress himself or his daughter over something minor (if it was minor) once again.

Nick sat down in the passanger seat of his mother's car while his father drove to pick up Serena from her party. Seeing that she was already sitting outside didn't bother Nick. The expression on her face bothered him. His smile slowly diminished as his sister got into the car and Alexi drove on.
"Hunting was great." Nick said, turning in his seat to look back at his twin while they talked. "It was amazing actually. More than amazing; words can't describe it." Nick said, smiling a bit. "Allison was there?" Nick asked curiously. He hadn't talked to the girl in a while...actually, not much at all since the whole Mike thing.

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

Maddie gasped when Demitri knocked on the door. She jumped as well, and dropped the bottle of peroxide in the sink. Cursing, she grabbed it to stop any more from running down the drain.
"I-I'm fine." Maddie said, sighing quietly at how much her voice trembled; yea, like Demitri would believe her now. Her eyes darted around the bathroom as she tried to find something that could justify the dagger sized slice across her arm. Part of her wished she were vampire, that way it would have healed already. Her hands were still trembling from the dream, and fear still had a good grip on her too. Her heart was pounding.
What could she tell him? The truth sounded crazy; a dark angel had invaded her dreams and interrogated her. How did she get the cut? Anna had said the dreams were real....

Maddie winced as she pressed the washcloth to her arm again. It was still bleeding a bit, but the cut wasn't deep, just long. Maddie was suddenly grateful that Anna's dagger wasn't anything like that one Keith had given Kristen; she'd seen the damage that blade could do. No...she couldn't tell Demitri about this...there wasn't anything they could do anyway.
"I um...." Maddie said, her voice a bit more controlled now. "I had an accident." she said, wincing as the lie rolled off her tongue effortlessly. "I'll be fine Dad."

Serena smiled at Nick, watching his eyes light up as he discussed hunting. She was glad he'd enjoyed it, she wasn't sure she would though. She wasn't to keen on the idea of ending someone's life.
"Yea, everyone was there" Serena said, arching an eyebrow at her brother. She shifted slightly, pulling her knees up to her chest and leaning her head against the window. The discussion with Allison had left her a bit shaken, nothing to bad though, she just felt slightly out of sorts. School was worrying that was for sure, and she could feel the thrum of excitement still rushing through her brother. It was a bit odd, but she was happy that he was happy.
"Did you see the shirt and belt I got you?" She asked, she'd left the stuff on Nick's bed.

---

Demitri frowned as he heard Maddie's heart speed up and she began to stammer. Sighing, he glanced at the door, worrying his lip as he heard clattering inside the washroom. He sighed, he wondered if Maddie could tell he could hear everything.
"If you're sure..." He mumbled, his voice trailing off as he stepped away from the door. Hopefully she'd tell him the truth eventually, cause she sure was awful at lying.

Walking further down the hall, he peeked his head into Zach's room, mildly surprised to see that his son was awake, half watching a movie it seemed.
"Can't sleep?" He asked curiously as he stepped inside.
"Sore" Zach rasped with a shrug. Demitri nodded in understanding, they had had to cut back on Zach's meds so he was probably feeling the pain a bit more now, especially after all his moving about earlier.

What did you guys talk about? Nick asked, almost effortlessly. Sometimes, Nick had to concentrate to get into his sister's head. Now, it wasn't much trouble at all.
I can telly your upset... he added in case she was going to try and bluff her way through answering.
"Yes." Nick answered aloud. "Thanks." He added, smiling at her. It wasn't long until they were back home. Nick zipped out of the car and around to Serena's side, opening the door for her with a small bow and a laughing breath.

---------

Maddie sighed in utter relief as Demitri wandered away from the bathroom. Her rational mind told her that Demitri knew she was lying. Neither part cared too much right now. She was more worried about patching her arm up and going back to her room. Not that she was going to sleep much tonight...but she couldn't spend the night in the bathroom.

Tossing the soiled towel into the trash bin, Maddie winced as she looked down at her arm. Just below her shoulder was the gash. Part of her wondered if she needed stitches...
"Shit." Maddie hissed to herself before looking around for bandages to at least wrap the damn cut with. The second she pressed the bandages to her arm, they grew red and then pink as she wrapped her arm. Tearing the end and tying it with her teeth, Maddie sighed as the bandages sort of made the feeling stop flowing; it ebbed the pain away.

She washed her hands as completely as she could, cleaned up her mess entirely so that the bathroom was spotless, pulled her shirt back on so that most of the bandages were covered and quickly hurried back to her room.

Serena sighed as she heard Nick's voice in her mind, she really wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't even sure why she really was upset. School maybe?
School mainly, lack of good men, the usual Serena responded, laughing as her brother saw her out of the car.
"Dork" She mumbled as she slid past him. "Anytime, you need someone to shop for you anyway" She added, headig inside the house. She wished she could go riding, which always helped her think, but it was way to late for that, and there was no way in hell her parents would let her. Kicking off her shoes, she immediately headed upstairs, she needed to shower to get the hairspray out of her hair.

"What's up with her?" Alexi mumbled, frowning at how fast his daughter moved. Something seemed wrong for sure and he had no idea what. If anyone did have an inkling of what was bothering Serena, it would be Nick and he looked just as confused as he did. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair, glancing up the stairs again as the shower turned on.

----

Demitri settled on Zach's bed, glancing at the TV and grinning as he saw Captain America playing.
"I wish we could give you some pain meds bud, but Uncle Sven doesn't want to risk you getting addicted to them" The dark haired vampire explained, sighing as his son cuddled against him.
"I know, just sore" The half-asleep teen grumbled, head resting on Demitri's shoulder. Normally Zach wasn't clingy or cuddly, but when he didn't feel well, he became ratehr attached.

Nick sighed as Serena darted upstairs the moment they were in the house. Glancing at his father, Nick shrugged.
"I don't think I could tell you even if she knew." Nick murmured; he had felt Serena's conflict just before she had answered him.

Hearing her family returning, Maria was walking out from her room just as Serena zipped back and started the upstairs shower.
"Oh.." Maria murmured, turning her eyes back to her husband and son. "Did...something happen?" She asked and Nick simply shrugged.

"She said she was just talking at the party." Nick answered. "Nothing else really happened, so I'm not too sure what she's really upset about." Nick said with another shrug. He stretched and decided to wander up to his room and let his parents have some time.
Maria rubbed her arms gently. "Was she like that the whole ride back?" Maria asked quietly.

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

Maddie signed into her computer, holding her arm which was still throbbing gently. She needed something to keep her awake for the night. Maybe a movie...or a t.v. show she could start from the beginning and watch all night. Anything to keep her wide awake.

Kristen rolled over in her bed, expecting to meet Demitri's body. Instead, there was a cold empty space. Frowning softly, Demitri's absence roused Kristen from her sleep. Sitting up in the bed, Kristen rubbed her eyes with a yawn as she glanced at the clock. It was nearly two a.m.
Maybe Demitri went hunting...no...Kristen would feel it if he was gone...he was still in the house. Yawning, Kristen stepped up from the bed and wandered out of the room down the hallway.

She peeked into Maddie's room. Seeing her on the computer, Kristen sighed softly.
"You should get some sleep." Kristen said, making Maddie jump in the process.
"I'm not tired." Maddie said, glancing at her mother with a simple smile.

Alexi watched Serena with a frown, glancing at Nick as his son explained he had no idea what was going on.
"Maybe her discussion at the party was a bit uncomfortable" He offered, "I imagine that deplorable boy was probably the subject of conversation at least once and Serena's still dealing with that" He said, fists clenching lightly as he scowled at the ground. If he ever caught up with that kid they'd be lucky if the dental record could identify him.

Serena sighed, she really wasn't sure why she was so out of sorts, she knew she felt odd about the hunting thing, and everything her and Allison had discussed had been kind of heavy. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair, trying to wash out the hairspray. She had been so excited to go out, but then getting to the party and being alone, no Nick and what not, it had been a bit scary and overwhelming. Then she and Allison had had to talk about the whole thing and sure she had brushed it aside, but it wasn't exactly an easy thing to discuss.

----

Demitri smiled as Zach finally fell asleep without the aid of meds. He brushed his son hair from his eyes and carefully slid off the bed. He had heard the TV flick on a little while ago and now he could hear Maddie and Kristen talking. Freeing himself from Nick, he wandered down to the TV room, sticking his head inside curiously.

"So, whats going on?" He asked, arching an eyebrow as he saw the small bandages poking free from Maddie's shirt. Biting his lip, he chose not to comment for the meantime, not really sure if he wanted to have a serious discussion at two in the blood morning.

Maria noticed the shift in Alexi's manner and she quickly stepped over to him, pressing her hand against his shoulder.
"I know you're upset about what happened," Maria murmured softly. "As am I...but I don't believe your daughter would be very happy if the boy was to be hurt further by your hand. From what she had told me, Nick already made sure he won't bother her again."
Maria gave him a light smile, brushing his fingers against his cheek gently. "I always admired your bravery...and protective nature." She added with a soft laugh. "It always showed how much you really cared; even when you wanted to hide it." She said, standing up on her tip toes to kiss his lips gently.
"Our daughter is strong. She might not know that yet, but she is." Maria said. "She will get through this, with Nick's help, and ours." Maria told him, taking his wrist and tugging him gently.

--------

"What happened to your arm?" Kristen asked and Maddie chuckled somewhat nervously.
"I sort of fell off the bed, and my arm got cut from the nightstand." Maddie murmured, as she glanced over at her bed. Yea, that could seem plausible. "I had a bad dream, and I guess my body just reacted or something." Maddie added with a small shrug. "It's not as bad as it looks." She said when Kristen reached forward to try and push her shirt back.
Maddie quickly covered her arm and gave her mom a small smile.

"Well if you're gonna stay up, let's go watch a movie." Kristen said.
"Aren't you tired?" Maddie asked and Kristen shook her head.
"Nah, come on." Kristen said, tugging her daughter out of her chair. Maddie sighed and followed her mother out of her room and downstairs to the t.v. room. What Kristen put in to watch, Maddie had no clue. She sat down on the couch next to Kristen, leaning against her mother contently.

When Demitri came in, Maddie chewed the inside of her lip.
"Maddie had a bad dream and she rolled out of bed, hitting her nightstand, and she can't sleep." Kristen said, glancing over at her husband with a small smile. "We're just going to watch a movie. How's Zach?" Kristen asked, having figured that where Demitri went.

Alexi sighed, but nodded in agreement as his wife spoke.
"I know, doesn't mean I'm not pissed off though" He murmured. "She was already attacked once because of her looks, that was before her vampire looks truly kicked in. Look at her now, she's gorgeous" He raked his fingers through his hair. "They both are, but Nick will defend himself, Serena...she wouldn't hurt a fly, even if said fly was trying to attack her" He mumbled, looking at his wife sadly. This was just a crummy situation and he wished there was a way to help his daughter.

Serena stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her hair and her body as she walked into her bedroom. She knew her family was worried about her, but she couldn't really explain what was bothering her. The conversation with her friend had sort of thrown her for a loop, and the disucssion of school, Nick's nearly overwhelming emotions, it was just a lot to handle. Nibbling her lip, she dressed in her PJs rather quickly and sat down at her desk and began to blow dry her hair.

----

Demitri scrubbed a hand over her face, wrinkling his nose at the scent of blood.
"Zach? He's sore, missing the pain meds, but he's finally asleep, he's probably going to be sore and rather snappish for the next few days" He said with a small grin. Sighing he wandered into the room and flopped down on the floor in front of Kristen and Maddie, stretching out as he did so.
"Seems like no one in our family can sleep tonight" He drawled tiredly, glancing up at the screen curiously. Damn he was tired, but he could always drift off here, near his family.

"She will learn in time." Maria said gently, walking with Alexi so that she was always standing in front of him. She knew he was worried, and that turned into frustration and anger for Alexi. Although Maria had the same emotions, she was just a tad bit better at keeping them under control. "She has a fighter in her, even if she doesn't know it yet." Giving her husband a small smile of reassurance, she rubbed his arm gently.
"And until that day, we know she'll be safe so long as Nick is with her." Maria added quietly. "Plus, I think after news spreads of what happened to that boy who tried to take advantage of Serena, no one will try it again." Maria said, grinning slightly.
"Come relax for the night, it's been a long day..." Maria said, squeezing Alexi's hand gently before turning and wandering up to their bedroom.

Once Nick heard that Serena was dressed, he wandered into her room quietly. He gave her a soft smile and sat on her bed. He didn't ask any questions, and he didn't make it seem like he wanted answers. He just at her bed while she dried her hair.
Of course he could still sense that her emotions were a bit conflicted. But Nick wasn't going to try and detangle them for her. Instead, he was just going to show Serena he was here, as he always would be if she needed him.

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

Kristen sighed as she heard about Zach. Sven had said to take him off the medicine yesterday, so this was a full day the boy had gone without pain killers. It was going to be a long week until school started. Part of Kristen hoped he would be more healed by then, maybe only needing one crutch to walk around. Otherwise, school was going to be just as exhausting as being home.
It was such a mess, and as soon as Kristen started thinking about that, she pushed it away. Maddie was still resting against her side, completely silent. That wasn't normal of Maddie, but then again, nothing really was normal for the girl.
As Demitri flopped on the floor, Kristen couldn't help but smile a bit. Until she felt his exhaustion. "You're going to fall asleep on the floor again love." She teased gently. It never ceased to amaze Kristen that her husband could literately sleep where ever he wanted.

Alexi nodded in agreement.
"I guess until she's ready to really embrace and understand what she is, Nick will just have to do his job as a bit brother, though he already does and seems to take it very seriously" He mused, nodding his head lightly and looking at his wife. He just didn't want his daughter to get hurt, there were still things out there that could hurt a vampire and well, he was a father.
Nodding in agreement, he let Maria lead him upstairs, feeling a bit like a lost puppy, though he often felt that way, and allowed her to coddle him for the rest of the night.

Serena glanced up as her brother settled himself on her bed. She was just finishing with her hair. She could feel Nick's presence, but she was glad he wasn't pushing her for answeres about that evening. She wasn't even sure what was really going on. Turning off the blow dryer, she set it on the counter and quickly brushed her now long hair. Finally she peeked at Nick.
"Do you think there's something wrong with me?" She asked softly, letting her eyes fall down to examine her hands which were clasped in her lap.

----

Demitri shrugged, mumbling incoherently into the carpet.
"S'fine, not like I'm going to wake up sore" He said with a chuckle, using his arms as a pillow as he let the sound of the movie wash over him along with the scent of Kristen and Maddie, though the tinge of blood to Maddie's scent was a bit disconcerning. It had, after all, been a few days since his last hunt and if it had been anyone but his family bleeding, he would have already snapped and gone after them.

Nick had collapsed back on Serena's bed and was sating at the ceiling when she finally decided to speak to him. Her question puzzled him for a moment but when he sat up, there was a smile on his face.
"You know, I used to think that you had cooties like all the other girls at school..." He murmured. "But I gave up that idea when I didn't get really suck from being around you all the time." Nick gave his sister a grin and shrugged his shoulders.
"Of course I don't think there's anything wrong with you." Nick said, shaking his head gently. "Why would to think that?" He asked softly, sooching over a bit so that Serena could join him on the bed. He wasn't at all sure what had gotten into his sisters head...but he would help her through it all if she wanted him to.

-----

Maddie couldn't help but laugh at her father as she leaned agains her mother. For a moment, this was perfect. Maddie felt herself relax and slowly she started to nod off until she fell asleep completely.

Kristen grinned as she realized Maddie had grown so still because she was fast asleep. "Movies work every time." She said. Moving quickly, Kristen placed the pillow she had been sitting with under Maddies head and tossed one of the throw blankets over the girl. It wasn't for the children to wake up in the tv room, so Maddie wouldn't be too alarmed in the morning.

Glancing down at Demitri, Kristen smirked.
"Are you going to stay there all night?" She asked quietly now that Maddie was sleeping.

Serena moved so she was sitting down next to Nick.
She chuckled at the comments about cooties, she had thought the same thing about him.
"I don't know" She shrugged helplessly, really unsure how to voice what was going on with her. "Its just this whole hunting thing, everyone in our family does it and enjoys it. Killing, drinking blood, all that" She sighed, "I don't have any of those urges. I can't even kill spiders, I make Dad put them outside" She groaned. "I'm a horrible vampire" She grumbled, letting her head fall foreward so her curtain of blonde hair masked her face.

---

Demitri yawned and glanced at Kristen.
"What time is it?" He mumbled, sitting up on his elbows and squinting, not that he needed to. Depending on the time, it might be worth it to just get up and start the day. Maddie was finally asleep, which was good, but judging by how far the movie had run, it was quite a few hours later. He glanced at his wife, waiting for her response before he decided what to do.


Zach woke slowly, a low groan escaping him as he rolled onto his back. Damnit all he hurt, with the pain meds, he'd been so out of it he hadn't felt anything, but Uncle Sven had been worried he'd get addicted if he continued on such high doses. So now he was off the hard core meds and on asprin and it sure was not doing anything useful for the teen.

Nick sighed deeply. "Serena, you're way overthinking this." He murmured. "Just because I went out hunting for the first time doesn't mean you're a bad vampire because you didn't want to go." He said, nudging her gently. "I was actually talking about this with Dad...we're different from other vampires." Nick said, leaning forward so that he could see Serena past her hair.
"We were born vampires." Nick explained. "I don't know what it's like to be human...to eat human foods, or anything like that. All the other people in our family...they used to be human...they became vampires. It's a completely different thing." Nick said.
"So what I'm getting at," He added quickly before Serena tried interpretating all this on her own and coming up with some weird conclusion. "Is that it's ok that you don't want to go hunting, and you don't want to kill people. It's not weird and there's nothing wrong with you."

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

"Close to three a.m." Kristen murmured softly. "Maddie just fell asleep." She added, frowning for a moment as she heard something from upstairs.
"And it sounds like Zach is awake..." Kristen added. "I'm gonna go check on him." As she walked past Demitri, she ran her fingers through his hair lightly and continued her way upstairs.

Knocking on Zach's door gently just to let him know she was coming in, Kristen pushed the door aside and wandered over to his bed.
"Hey..." She said, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. "Pain wake you up again?" she asked gently. She knew from what Demitri had told her from the last check-up, Zach was still in a lot of pain now that Sven had taken him off the medicine. The most she could give him was aspirin and blood and food whenever he wanted it.

Serena shrugged, she honestly wasn't sure what to make of this.
"Shouldn't that make us better vampires then?" She asked, slanting her eyes at her brother. "We've never tasted human food, lived human lives, shouldn't that make us the perfect vampires? Divorced from the reality of humanity? Perfect killers? No qualms about ending someone's life? No hold ups?" She asked, "If anything, being born a vampire means we should be better, and you are. You're like Dad" She murmured, "I-I'm like a human Nick. I can't kill, I can't stand the idea, hell I'd love to eat normal food if my body would let me, but I can't" She sighed, raking her fingers through her hair. She felt so wrong compared to her family, her brother. Like she'd been born the wrong species, she would be completely content to be a shifter or a werewolf, something that could integrate with humans, live with them. Instead she was a vampire, the perfect assassin, the perfect human killer, but instead of that, she was just a messed up seventeen year old who had no idea where she belonged in life. She sometimes envied her brother, the excitement he had felt at the thought of hunting and the subsequent excitement at ending a human life. The very idea made her stomach turn. Nick really was the perfect vampire, he was so indifferent to humans, so like their father. Serena had no idea who she was like, what sort of genre she fit in.

----

Zach glanced up as his mother came in, a soft sigh escaping him.
"Yea" He grumbled, "I wish Uncle Sven wasn't so worried about me getting addicted to pain meds. Normal people get them a lot longer then I did" He added, rubbing a hand over his face and sighing. He was so sore, his leg was throbbing, as were the various other parts of him, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He knew he'd heal quickly, but damn it felt like it was taking forever.

"No." Nick said, shaking his head gently. "Serena, you're talking about stereotypes of vampires. And you hate stereotypes so don't start thinking about them now." He said, shaking his head again.
"So what if I'm like Dad?" He asked then. "Most kids are like one parent or the other, or a mix of both. We don't really know much about our parents before they became vampires. Maybe you're more like Mom." Nick said shrugging his shoulder's gently.
"I still think you're over-thinking this waaayyy tooo much." Nick murmured. "Seriously, we're teens and it kind sounds like you're going through one of those mid-life crises." Nick said, laughing softly and nudging his sister again. "Easy up sis, what made you start worrying about this stuff?" Nick asked, poking her side where he knew she was tickleish.

-----

"I know, but we gotta follow the doctors orders..." Kristen said. "I can get you some more aspirin...the one's you took earlier are probably wearing off by now." Kristen said, smiling lightly. "And some blood might help..." she added gently.
"I'll get some and we can pop in a movie if you're not tired?" Kristen offered, because she always hated feeling like she was lecturing the kids.

Serena shied away from her brother's fingers, a small giggle escaping her before she sobered up again.
"Just some conversation I overheard tonight" She said with a shrug, moving away from her twin.
"Maybe you're right" She said, biting her bottom lip, Nick may be right but that didn't really do much to reliev her worries. She just didn't say anything to Nick about that. She guessed he had a point, they didn't know much about their parents as mortals. But how did that matter? They had never been mortal, so how could they be like mortals?
"Maybe I'm just worried about starting school" She shrugged, leaning back on her bed, still looking a bit worried. She really had no idea what to make of this whole situation.

----

"Stupid orders" Zach grumbled, nodding his head in agreement.
"I guess" He sighed, he really wasn't sure what else to do. He couldn't fall back asleep, and he couldn't go do any of the things that normally helped him sleep.
"Is it supposed to be sunny today?" He asked his mother, he really wanted to go and sit by the pool. He just wanted to be outside, his body was itching with the need to shift and he was a bit worried that he'd lose control of his abilities like he had when he was a child, especially if he didn't get the chance to shift soon. He wondered if he should tell his parents about the urge, the struggle, but he didn't want to worry them more. It was just his leg now anyway, yea a shift would mess it up more, but maybe he'd heal even quicker in animal form?

"Ah! I heard a giggle." Nick teased, schooing forward and poking his sister again. He knew he was being annoying, but that was the point. It got Serena to laugh once, and that was what she needed.
"Well...do you wanna tell me about it?" Nick asked, seriously for a moment. "And if you get to ridiculously serious, I'm gonna tickle you." He taunted, grinning lightly.
"Um, yea it matters how are parents were as mortals." Nick murmured, inadvertently reading his sister's thoughts. "Cause ya know, it's their genes that we have, not just the vampire genes. I think if we had all the vampire genes we'd be like zombies..." Nick murmured with a foolish pensive air, pretending to stroke a non-visible beard.
"School?" Nick asked, tilting his head curiously. "What's to worry about?" He asked softly, poking Serena again gently.

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

Kristen smiled and stood up to head downstairs to the kitchen. She grabbed one of the last bottle's of blood from the fridge before going upstairs to her and Demitri's room and into the bathroom were all the medicine was. She pulled out the bottle of asprins and shook out the right amount for Zach, capping the bottle afterwards and storing it back into the medicine cabinet. She walked back to Zach room, smiling lightly as she handed him the pills and the bottle of blood.

"Sunny tomorrow?" Kristen asked as she sat down next to Zach's bed. "I'm not exactly sure." She admitted. "Maybe. We still have a few days of summer left." She said, nodding gently.
"Aside from the leg, anything else bothering you?" Kristen wondered, seeing that Zach looked a little more upset than he would just suffering from the pain of a mending bone.

Serena chuckled, shifting away from her brother once again, ignoring his comments on geneology.
"What isn't bothering me about school" She groaned. "We're going back in like a week and we've aged three years" She murmured. "I, unlike you, am susceptible to getting stared at by a bunch of our peers. The party was bad enough, everyone stared" She murmured, "I can't imagine what school's gunna be like" She didn't want to admit she was worried about something happening again, like with Mike, only worse. She looked seventeen, she'd attract the attention of all males, not just those the same age as her. It was a sobering and scary thought.
"Just a bit concerned I guess, about all of this" She mumbled, waving her hand airly.
"You know, Allison is sad that you stopped talking to her" She said rather suddenly, wanting the subject change. She knew Nick would see right through her attempts at shifing the conversation, but what could you do?

----

Zach sighed, accepting the blood and pills from his mother.
"Just really sore" He mumbled, "Neck especially, and my legs just frigging throbbing" He mumbled, scrubbing at his face as he sipped the blood.
"Uncle Sven said I'd be really sore" He mumbled, yawning a bit. "If its nice, do you think I could go outside? Sit by the pool or something? I'm going a bit stir crazy all cooped up in here" He said, gesturing at his room. He really wasn't to fond of staying in one place so long.

Nick sighed gently as Serena moved away and started babbling about her school worries.
"I'll admit it's going to be weird." He said. "But only like for the first week or so. Then everyone will get used to it, and by October, no one will care that we look older." Nick said, shrugging gently.
"And you know Mike isn't going to try anything again." Nick said, not meaning it as a question, but rather a cold-hearted statement. "He's more of an idiot than I though he was if he does. And by now, if people know about it, they know he was stupid, and they probably think I'm the crazy over-protective brother." Nick said with another shrug. "Which I kinda am, so no used denying it there." He added with a smirk to show Serena he was teasing.
"If things get worse tell me. It'll make you feel better that you're not worrying about it alone, and we can talk to the teachers or something." Nick suggested, since he didn't want his sister to think he was going to start picking fights and ending everything with violence; that she would probably hate him for.
"Sound like a plan?" Nick asked. "Did I miss any worries there?" he added, smiling gently. He frowned a bit as she suddenly brought up Allison again. He wasn't sure what to say to that, so he stayed quiet and waited for Serena to answer his questions.

------

"The blood should help your vampire healing, so hopefully it'll start healing faster." Kristen said. "And sure, so long as you promise not to jump into the pool and try to swim with a broken leg." She said, narrowing her eyes gently to show that she was teasing him.
"You've got your crutches now, so as long as you're careful you can roam about the house." Kristen said with a small nod.

"So, since it's three in the morning and you seem to be wide awake, shall we watch a movie or play a game?" Kristen asked curiously, looking from her son to the t.v. to see what he wanted to do. She was wide awake as well for some reason, so she could stay and keep her son company for a while.

Serena sighed as Nick ignored her attempt to deflect the conversation.
"I guess" She murmured, "You know I don't mind when you're all overprotective, it would be hypocritical if I was" She murmured, "I let Dad get away with it" She said, smiling at her brother.
"I'm not worried about Mike" She murmured, "I'm worried about everyone else" She looked at her brother, worrying her bottom lip again.
"I guess I'm stressing over nothing, I'll be fine" She murmured softly to her brother. She really had no desire to continue on this track, she knew she was just worrying Nick, and he had enough on his plate, or at least she was assuming he did. Smiling disarmingly at him, she slid her now dry hair behind her ear.
"I'm fine Nick, just a bit shaken from that party. I let people get to me, I shouldn't have, and now I'm stressing over nothing. I'll be fine" She murmured softly. "I'll go riding in the morning or something, it'll calm me down" She reassured him.

----

Zach sighed, "Thanks Mom, I wanted to make sure it was okay before I braved the rest of the house" He said with a grin.
"Can we just watch a movie, I'm to sore to play a game" He said with a light shrug and subsequent wince.
"Gah? Three am? That sucks" He mumbled with a groan. God he just wanted to sleep, but he hurt to much so instead he'd watch a movie and hopefully he'd pull a Maddie and fall a sleep.