1x1 with x_fire

Carlos couldn't help but laugh softly at Sami. "There is a more modern expression. Same thing with riding a bicycle, you never forget is the point." Carlos teased. "I went to countless pubs and taverns, dancing the night away so much that I was still dancing in my dreams. Those things you never forget." Carlos said with a small smirk, sipping from his wine again. His eyes passed over his mate calmly and he found himself grinning happily again.

"We'll definitely come back if you've enjoyed it so much." Carlos agreed as the band started playing. He laughed to himself as the tune actually rang a long distant bell. He tapped his foot gently to the beat, watching as only a few stood up to dance and he grinned, recognizing the steps with a grin.
As Sami caught his attention, she stopped a memory from coming forward again. Her question about the vacation, Carlos grinned.
"You're worrying about the vacation again," He teased. "We'll find out more tomorrow. Tonight we aren't worrying." Carlos said.
Carlos sighed, watching the dance continue with a small grin. "Do you want to stay a bit longer?" He asked curiously, looking back at Sami.

----------

Jason saw the glances that Serena was giving her twin, and he took a moment to look Nick over entirely. He realized then just how jumpy Nick looked; obviously he could hear the music and was bouncing along with the beat.
"When did you hunt?" Jason asked, glancing back at Nick. The boy snapped his attention towards Jason and tilted his head curiously.
"Who told you I did?" Nick asked with a grin on his face.
Jason laughed. "No one. It's written all over your face." Jason said, pointing gently. "You've got the look of a high-school kid who's discovered caffeine for the first time. Gives humans a similar feeling that fresh blood gives us." Jason explained.
"I went last week with Dad." Nick said with a content sigh.
Jason nodded gently, holding his headphones to his ears as he pushed in another song, a grin on his face.
"You should cap it at that drink tonight." Jason warned, glancing back at Nick again.
"There's a lot of people here tonight." Nick murmured.
"Yea and you've got to learn restraint if you're starting to drinking fresh." Jason warned with a gentle shrug. Nick looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. His glass was empty at this point. He squeezed Serena's hand gently as he left to return the glass to the area.

When Nick was gone, Jason glanced back at Serena and held out a hand towards her.
"Don't worry about him." Jason said. "He'll be just fine." He promised with a reassuring smile.

Sami rolled her eyes.
"I'm not worrying" She murmured softly. "I'm excited, this is how I show excitment" She teased, a grin on her face.
"If you'd like, I like it here" Sami murmured, putting her glass on the table and rising.
"I need to run to the washroom love, I'll be right back" She murmured, carefully turning and making her way across the floor to the washrooms on the other side.

Stepping out of the washroom, she let out a small yelp as someone grabbed her arm.
"Sorry" A tall, dark hair man apolgized. "I saw you dancing earlier and have to admit you captivated me" He added, fingers rubbing up and down her arm.
"Err, thanks" Sami said, tugging slightly. "Can I help you?" She asked, trying to keep her nerves hidden.
"I was wondering if you'd honour me with a dance, you're a gorgeous young woman" He said, fingers moving off of her arm and reaching towards her face.
Sami flinched back. "Thank you for the offer but I'm here with my boyfriend" Sami murmured, hoping to deter the insistent man.
"The man you're with? Silly of him to leave you all alone to wander around" The man admonished. Sami could feel her inner animal bristling.
"Look buddy, My boyfriend is here and I can promise you he won't be happy if he comes over here. Now leave me alone" She growled, jerking away from the man.
"Look" His entire personality changed and he pushed her up against the wall. Sami sucked in a breath, bringing her knee up sharply and trying to get away from the man. Irritatingly he dodged and pressed closer to her.
"Stay still sweetheart and this won't hurt, much" He grinned again.

----

Serena grinned at Jason. "Thanks" She murmured, "I know he'll be okay" She added, moving towards the door.
"I'm going to go dance though" She said with a girn, "As much as I enjoy seeing you, I do have my mother's personality and she could never ignore a dance floor for long. Tell Nick where I am?" With that she disappeared out the door and back onto the floor, diseapping into the throng of people.

Carlos let out a small laugh. "Everything is taken care of darling." He promise with a gentle smile. He simply nodded as Sami stood up to go to the washroom. He sipped from his glass of wine and sighed contently, leaning back against his chair. He let his mind wander for a moment as the band continued to play. Watching the girls going to dance again, Carlos let the memory engulf him.
Carlos was suddenly sitting a tavern, much smaller than this. The girls who chose to dance were literatly dancing in front of the musiscians who in turn were tucked into a small corner of the room. Tables littered the rest of the floor space, and the bar took up nearly half the tavern. Food and drinks were ladded out among the bar, and girls were taking the food and drinks to the tables.
"You ought to ask her for a dance." Jorge said, nudging Carlos in his childish excitment. "You've been staring at her all night. She's bound to have noticed."
"Since when did you become the expert on women?" Carlos asked, setting his mug down roughly. Jorge merely smirked and shrugged gently. Maria was dancing among the girls, laughing in her excitment, brown curls dancing about her face.
"Ay dios, there's Harve." Jorge said, nudging Carlos gently.
"Merda what is he doing here?" Carlos muttered and found a pleasent smirk on his face.
"We should teach him a lesson eh?" Jorge asked.
"Don't be stupid. He's got three men with him and he's twice your size." Carlos said, shaking his head gently and taking another swig of his ale.
"After what he tried to do to Maria, you're going to let him sit and stare at her all night?" Jorge said, and Carlos didn't miss the anger and hatred in his brother's voice.
"So long as he doesn't try it again, yes." Carlos said. Jorge muttered something under his breath and stood up from the table as the song ended.

Carlos was forced back into the present to the sound of cheering and clapping. The song the band had been playing was actually over, and Carlos sighed deeply as he rubbed his face. It felt like he was waking up from a dream. Christ how long had that memory kept him enthralled? Glancing around, Carlos frowned. Where was Sami? She should have returned by now. Taking a deep breath, Carlos forced himself to sit still and sense where she was.

The connection was strong, so she was still in the building...as Carlos tried to focus on the connection, panic surged through him. It took him two seconds to realize Sami was in trouble. Standing up from the table, Carlos had to control himself to walk quickly, rather than zip by the humans unnoticed. He stopped just outside of the woman's washroom. Seeing this other man pressed again Sami made something in Carlos snap. The memory of finding his sister like this was still fresh in his mind, and so where the emotions.

He couldn't control the growl that escaped his lips.
"Get off her!" Carlos barked, grabbing the arm by his upper arm and yanking him away from Sami. He control his strength enough that the man's arm wouldn't be ripped from his body entirely. Carlos positioned himself directly in front of Sami, blocking her with his body. He reached back to touch Sami's hand gently so she knew he was here. She could probably sense his anger and feel him shaking.

"Darling, go tell Hector we are leaving." Carlos said as he caught the mans gaze. Taking a deep breath he pulled forward the feeling of charming a human. It was something Carlos rarely did, but once again, it was something he would never forget. "This man and I are going outside to have a few words. Aren't we chap?" Carlos asked, pushing his desires towards the man for him to answer the same way.

---------

Jason nodded gently. "Alright Serena. Be good and stay safe." Jason called as Serena left the booth. He couldn't help but chuckle. She was definitely Maria's daughter that much was certain.
Nick, not surprisingly, came back a few minutes later to the dj booth. He looked around curiously and frowned at Jason.
"Serena wandered back down to the dance floor." Jason explained pointing out the window. When he glanced over again, Nick was gone. He chuckled, glancing down to see Nick wandering through the crowd until he found Serena.

"Is this your new favorite song?" Nick asked with a small chuckle. "I was gonna be right back." He added as he spun his sister in a circle with a smirk on his face.

Sami slid away from Carlos and the man and nodded.
"Of course" She murmured, offering him a small smile to reassure him that she was alright before she spun on her heels and disappeared into the crowd to locate Hector.
"Look Man" The guy babbled, "I didn't mean anything by it. I mean she's hot alright. I wasn't really gunna do anything to her" He said, trying and failing to get away from Carlos.
He shook his head in denial as Carlos began to drag him towards the back exit.
"I was kidding buddy, just kidding. Let me go and we can forget this I'll never bother you or the girl again" He begged.

Sami smiled as she saw Hector and approached him, rearranging her features into a calmer face.
"Hector?" She called, catching the man's attention. "Carlos and I have to leave, he asked me to tell you" She said once she got closer to him. "Thank you for dinner, it was wonderful" She added, not really sure what else to say or do.

---

Serena grinned as Nick came and found her. "I like dancing" She said with a shrug, "Besides, its not like I was going to get hurt Nick" She murmured, looking pointedly at all the security in the room. Nothing really could happen to her here, the club was probably one of the safest of all the Draq properties, though she was sure her Dad only had so much security on the floor because of her and Nick.

"And no, this isn't my newest favourite song" She added, trying to recapture the playful atmosphere. "I just happen to like it" She flicked her hair, letting it smack him in the face before she stepped away again, dancing with a grin on her face as she did so. She got a kick out of teasing her twin, especially when she knew it was all in good fun.

Carlos was fighting with himself more than he ever had in his existance. He knew that Sami was just fine and she hadn't been hurt. That was the only thing keeping this man alive at the moment. Once they were outside, Carlos shoved the man against the opposite end of the ally. He narrowed his eyes gently, wondering vaguely why the man wasn't effected by the charm. Maybe he was shifter...he wasn't a vampire, or a werewolf...Carlos took a deep breath and sighed, retracting his fangs before he spoke.

"Let me make something very clear to you," Carlos said, as calmly as he could. "The only reason you are still alive, is because you didn't do anything to my girl. I should break both of your arms for touching her." Carlos said, smirking devilishly at the thought. He paused for a moment and glanced around, as if considering the idea. He could sense the man's fear; he was a coward. Carlos's smirk disappered as he turned his eyes back onto the poor man.
"But since you were...only kidding," Carlos mocked. "I'll give you a warning. But, if I ever see you around this place again, and you start making eyes towards my girl again, I won't hesitate. Am I understood?" Carlos asked tightly, taking a small step closer to emphasis his point. Smiling lightly after a few seconds, Carlos grabbed the man by the shoulder and shoved in off before turning and going back into the resturant.

Hector glacned up as Sami approached her. A small light of realization dawned on his face as he listened to her.
"Oh of course, I'm glad that you enjoyed your meal." Hector said with a nod, glancing around for Carlos. When he spotted the man, Hector wasn't surprised to see the fire in the man's gaze.
Is everything all right? Hector asked, narrowing his eyes gently.
Carlos raised an eye brow curiously at the man as he placed a hand on Sami's shoulder. "Of course." Carlos said with a small grin. "See you next time Hector." Carlos said, taking Sami's hand and leading her back out towards the parking lot.

"Are you all right?" He asked once they were by the car. He wrapped his arms around her for a moment, his anger falling away to reveal concern and worry.

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

"Yea you always remind me of that." Nick said, rolling his eyes as Serena flicked him with her hair. He coughed lightly and pushed the hair away from his face as Serena took a few steps away from him. As the security, Nick rolled his eyes again.
"Whatever." Nick said, sticking his tongue out at his sister. So he was a bit over-protective, but that was just how he was in his opinion. A part of him had it embedded in his mind that he always had to protect Serena. He figured it was because they were brother and sister, and because they were twins, and he figured that Serena would do the same for him if he needed it. Most of it however, was a side-effect of Nick's trauma from when they had been captured as children. Nick's protective nature had doubled in that night, and had only increased since.

Nick couldn't help but laugh though, forced to dance with the rest of the crowd that was pressed up again him. He glanced over as someone pressed against his arm. A girl. Someone he didn't know, but she twirled so that she was pressed up against Nick and dancing along with him. A bit surprised, Nick raised an eye brow at his sister before a somewhat cocky grin came to his face as the girl continued to dance with him.
She laughed and then spun around so that she was facing Nick.
"My names Jada." She said over the music.
"Nick." He responded.
"You're hot!" Jada said and that time, Nick could smell the alcohol on her breath. He tried not to cough in her face. The girl was completely drunk.
"Uh..thanks.." Nick said, glancing over at his sister again for a moment before the girl's arms wrapped around his neck. "Uh.."
"I bet you're a really great kisser!" Jada continued and Nick sent a silent help to Serena as he gently pulled the girls arms from his neck. She didn't take it offensively, but instead laughed and started dancing against Nick again. "Come on! It's a party! Have some fun!"

Sami smiled softly at Hector, trying to once again reassure the man as Carlos came up. After a brief conversation between the two men, she and Carlos made their way to the parking lot.
"I'm fine love" She murmured softly, she was a bit shaken, but that was to be expected, she had, after all, been assulted.
"Just a bit shook up" She added, snuggling into his arms, seeking the comfort and reassurance they offered. She was sort of shocked, no man had ever been so foreward with her, ever. She'd normally have kicked his ass nine ways from sunday, however, she had been surprised, it wasn't a good feeling, knowing someone had gotten one over on her and she intended to not let it happen again.

"Shall we go home?" She asked softly, sliding free from his embrace to slid into the passanger seat. She chewed on her lip thoughtfully as she stared out the window. Perhaps she was in shock, but she felt sort of numb, like she wasn't really processing what had just happened. She knew Carlos was worried and in all honesty she couldn't blame him. She sighed, absentmindedly turning up the heat in the car, it was summer, the evenings had yet to cool off, but she felt cold. She shivered once or twice, still chewing her lip as she fiddled with the the clasp on her purse. She never once really glanced at Carlos, only did so occaisonally to offer him a small smile in what she hoped was reassurance.

----

Serena was rather taken aback when some girl grabbed her brother and basically started grinding on him. Wrinkling her nose, she stepped forward at Nick's silent plea and carefully extracted him from the girl, though she wasn't able to move him to far off since the crowd was denser now.
"Sorry" She apologized to the girl, she was drunk and her actions clearly weren't thought out, she wasn't really sure what else to say, she just made sure that while Nick and her continued dancing, she placed herself between Nick and the drunk girl. She knew her brother was attractive and she also knew his vampire allure was probably out in full force, hence why people, humans, were being bolder then ever.

"You okay?" She asked him, well they may physically be eighteen, the twins were still mentally, a lot younger, well not a lot, but enough, and getting hit on by some older woman had probably freaked her brother out a bit.
"Do you wanna go sit down? We don't have to keep dancing" She offered. She'd have liked to continue dancing, but she had a feeling Nick wasn't feeling the music anymore.

Carlos took a deep breath as he held Sami tightly. Slowly, his rational mind was starting to come back. He could relax now. Sami was fine, with him, and she was going to be ok. He said this to himself as she pulled way from him and slid into the passanger seat of the car. Nodding, almost to himself, Carlos wandered over to the driver's side and started the car.

They drove in silence, and Carlos knew to be patient. Sami probably wouldn't talk for the rest of the night, but he wasn't hurt by it. Whenever she glanced at him, Carlos made sure there was a soft smile on his face. The memory of this happening to Maria was fresh in his mind still, and he remembered how Maria had reacted. She had been cold and quiet for the remainder of the week. Sami was starting to seem that way...she'd even turned up the heat in the car. Carlos knew she'd recover quickly though, Sami was strong, a lot strong that Maria had been at the time.

Once they were at the apartment, Carlos opened their front door and let Sami walk in ahead of her.
"Maybe a warm shower and call it a night?" Carlos asked gently as he tossed his keys to the small table near the front door.

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

Nick sighed in relief as Serena managed to pull the drunken girl off him. Nick was pretty sure the girl was probably just legal enough to drink...not much older, but it was still weird. Everything about what had just happened had felt wrong. So wrong that Nick wasn't even dancing along with his sister. His mind was distant, trying to understand just exactly he was feeling right now.

Serena's words jarred him back into reality and he glanced at her with dull blue eyes. Hearing about going to sit down, Nick nodded in agreement. He took his sister's hand, needing the reassurance of her being close.
"That was weird." Nick muttered. "Fine at first, but just weird." He said, shaking his head gently as they wandered out of the crowd of people. The dancing had been ok, Nick had been surprised, but dancing was fine. It was the second she'd turned around and leaned forward as if to kiss Nick that the weirdness kicked in.

Sami grinned, "Sounds good to me" She murmured, kicking off her shoes with a genuine sigh of relief. It would take her a little while to get used to wearing heels, that was for sure. Giving her mate another soft smile, the girl disappeared up the stairs. Moments later water could be heard as Sami tested the temperature before turning the shower on.

Stepping into the hot, almost to hot, stream, Sami immediately leaned into it, the water was near scalding, leaving her skin red and angry looking. She wasn't sure why she needed the water so hot, but she felt dirty, like she needed to be cleaned, have her skin ripped off and replaced with something new, something clean. Sighing, she turned up the temperature a bit more, relishing the biting pain of the hot water. Steam rolled out of the washroom, making it near impossible to see inside the room itself. The mirror and the air was fogged up, the air had an almost wet quality. After awhile, the water began to cool and Sami was forced to step out into the steam-filled room. Her skin was red and burned look, nearly shiney in quality and yet she still felt gross, dirty. Pulling on her sleep clothes, she was careful to make sure Carlos couldn't see what she had done. She had a feeling he wouldn't understand and she didn't want to upset him. Climbing into bed, she hid her face under the pillow, trying to force herself into sleep, into forgetting.

----

Serena nodded in agreement as she sat down at the table that was generally reserved for family in the creature section of the bar.
"She was drunk" Serena murmured, "Probably had no idea how far she was going" She added, wrinkling her nose disdainfully. She knew the girl had been bombed, not that drinking was an excuse for that sort of behaviour.

"Sure you're alright, I bet Dad could take us home, if you want. He's probably going to leave soon anyway" She murmured, grinning at Paul, as the bartender looked at the twins worriedly. She didn't want him freaking out and calling Alexi over, unless it was necessary of course.

Carlos followed after Sami slowly. He let her shower, knowing she needed it more than he generally did. While she showered, Carlos found a bottle in the fridge, swallowing the blood much to his dislike. He made a few and opted to pouring the rest down the drain. He could go hunting again some other night. Suffering was better than consuming the vileness that rested in the bottle. Passing a hand over his lips, Carlos wandered upstairs and into their bedroom.

That was went he felt the sting. It was like someone had taken a hot poker and had steadily poked at Carlos like a burning log. He winced as he pulled off his shirt. He knew it was coming from Sami being in the shower. He could feel the water in the air from the heat in the bathroom. He chewed his lip as he changed into a pair of loose sweat pants, before finding a comfortable shirt as well.

Sami came out of the shower then and Carlos glanced at her from the corners of vision as he pulled the shirt over his head. He heard the covers moving before Sami disappeared from his sight entirely. Sighing softly, Carlos wandered over to the bed and sat down gently. Seeing Sami's head under the pillow, Carlos smiled lightly to himself.
"And here I thought we slept on top of the pillows." Carlos murmured. "Have I been doing it wrong for centuries?" He asked quietly as he rested back on the bed so that he was at eye level with her. He wanted her to know he was here, right next to her if she needed him, and he wasn't going anywhere.

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

Nick sighed, collapsing into a chair and resting his hand back against it. He closed his eyes for a moment before rubbing the heals of his palm against his face.
"Yea I know..." Nick murmured in agreement to the girl being drunk. "And apparently she thought I was good-looking. How come you never tell me these things?" Nick teased lightly, though he knew it was a bad attempt at humor. Nick growled lightly in his throat before resting his head back again.

"Meh." Nick muttered with a small shrug. "If Dad's leaving then yea, let's go." Nick said with a nod. Sometimes their parents would leave early as the night started to wind down, and the other would close up the club; sometimes Nick and Serena could stay behind and help to earn a few extra dollars on their allowance. Nick had no intentions of staying that late tonight. Whenever Alexi was leaving, he wanted to go.

Sami chuckled softly, it was hard to ignore Carlos when he was being this way, even if none of this situation was all that funny.
"Maybe" She mumbled, voice muffled from the pillow. After a few minutes she emerged, pushing tousled, slightly damp hair from her eyes and offered him a weak grin.
"Sometimes its more comfortable" She shrugged, snuggling into the blankets, forcing herself back into the facade that everything was alright and she was fine. She was glad he was here however, she needed the reassurance he offered.

She shifted, sliding closer to him, turning to bury her face against him. She wanted to cry and break down and do all sorts of other things, but she knew that that wouldn't accomplish anything, instead she tried to calm herself down, mentally talk to herself. She hadn't done anything wrong, she was the victim here. But her mind kept telling her that she was stronger, faster and not human, she should have been able to defend herself, stop this from happening. What if he had managed to go further? What if Carlos hadn't appeared? She shuddered at the thought. Was she really that weak?

----

Serena glanced around, check her phone for the time. "He'll probably want to go soon, he said he wasn't closing tonight" She murmured to her brother, grinning as Alexi appeared beside the table.
"You two ready to go home? You've got school tomorrow so we can't stay out to late" He murmured with a grin.
"Ready" Serena said, letting her dad pull her into a standing position.
"Did you two have fun?" He asked curiously as he lead them out the 'employee's only' exit, leaving Mitch and Luke to close with Jason's help

Carlos grinned, hearing Sami answer him and pull the pillow off her head to look at him. He smiled softly, glad that she was looking at him again. As she spoke, he nodded gently. When she moved closer to him, Carlos sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He pulled the covers over both of them, so that Sami was pressed against him and the water covers. He sighed in content, kissing her forehead gently; he had wanted to hold her since they left the restaurant, but he had forced himself to wait.

He ran his fingers through her wet hair softly, being as gentle and reassuring as he could be. He didn't say anything else, just closed his eyes and held her. Sami's emotions were running so high right now, that Carlos could sense what she was feeling. He chewed his lip at the feeling of doubt that over-came her at the last minute.
"Darling, don't plague your mind with what-if's." Carlos murmured softly. "You'll tear yourself to pieces with those thoughts." he added with a kiss on her forehead.
"I stepped in because I care about you more deeply than I can possibly understand, and my body reacted when I sensed" Carlos whispered. "Not because I doubted your strength. So do not doubt yourself either."

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

Nick nodded gently.
"Yea, I'm ready to go home." Nick agreed, sighing heavily as he stood up. Rubbing his face, Nick wandered out of the club behind his sister and Alexi. The outside air and never felt so fresh, and Nick took a long deep breath. Sighing deeply, Nick grinned, feeling better as he climbed into the back of the SUV since he'd ridden shot-gun to the club.
"Meh, school tomorrow." Nick whined quietly, flopping across the beat seat at the thought.

Sami listened to Carlos' soothing voice, letting it wash over her. She knew he was being honest, but she still felt woefully inadequent, not because he stepped in though, she didn't blame him at all. She should have had that situation handled long before he showed up, it was good that he had, because clearly she was incapable of handling herself.
"I know" She murmured softly, "Hard to ignore the 'what ifs' though" She added, letting herself begin to slowly relax in his arms. She sighed, trying to push the depressing thoughts away and lull herself into an uneasy sleep.
"We have to get up early tomorrow" She murmured against his chest, "See your travel agent" She mumbled, beginning to grow tired as the adrenaline left her system.

This vacation really couldn't come soon enough, she needed to get away, needed to relax. She had no idea how she'd handle work now, with all the drunk morons coming onto her. Normally she ignored them and laughed them off, feeling secure in her ability to handle any situation. Now though, now she wasn't sure if she could handle herself.

---

Alexi glanced at Nick curiously as the climbed into the truck. Serena shrugged as he looked at her in question, Nick had wanted to come tonight, so it surprised him that his son was being so blase about the whole thing.
"I had fun dancing" Serena murmured, eyes shining as she claimed the front seat.
"Yea? I saw you out there, you're quite the dancer" Alexi said with a grin. Serena really seemed to enjoy dancing, much like she did horseback riding, and she was very good at it.

"I know it's difficult." Carlos murmured softly. "I'm just asking you to be cautious, and not let them completely take over your thoughts." He explained, still holding her tightly to him, still rubbing her back gently and brushing his fingers through her hair. He could feel her relaxing, but he knew emotionally she was still stressed.

"We can be a little late." Carlos whispered as Sami's head rested against his chest. He made sure the covers were around her, keeping her warm while she rested against his cold body as always.
"Just think," Carlos murmured, smiling to himself. "Soon, we'll be on a marvelous ship, out on the sea. With the warm tropical breeze that carries the salty ocean water. Where the sun is always bright and shining. We'll be seeing places were the trees grow tall, and the sand stretches for miles and the water is a crystal blue as the sky." Carlos made sure to keep his voice quiet, but he let it flow like he used to do whenever he was telling stories, painting a picture with his words. He'd done it more time then he could count, and it always managed to put people at ease, and he hoped it would work for Sami now.

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

"Serena's a dancing fool." Nick teased gently as he sat up in the seat while Alexi drove.
"Jason mentioned that she's just like Mom...Mom dances?" Nick asked curiously. It wasn't that far out of reach whenever Nick thought of his mother's personality...but it was something that he rarely saw Maria doing outside of their house-play.

Sami sighed as Carlos spoke, her mind going elsewhere as she got caught up in his words. She could practically feel the sun and hear the spray against the ship. Smiling against his chest, she slipped into a quite, undisturbed sleep, her dreams soon filled with images of her and Carlos on a ship, smiling and happy.

Hours later Sami woke with a start, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. Gapsing, she grabbed the cup of water from the bedside table and guzzled it down. Damn that had been some nightmare. At some point her dreams of cruise ships and Carlos had turned to dark hallways and sinsiter men. She shuddered as she felt phantom fingers ghosting up and down her legs, caressing her teasingly. Shivering, she slid out of bed, grabbing one of Carlos' sweatshirts and headed downstairs. Grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch, she hunkered down and flicked the TV on. She knew Carlos would be down in a matter of seconds, but that didn't matter, there was no way in hell she was trying to sleep again, not after those dreams.

----

"She used to" Alexi said with a grin, "Not so much anymore though" He added, grinning at his children.
"You looked pretty happy dancing as well buddy, I didn't know you were so good at it" He teased, though he wasn't all that surprised, Nick was into music, and being good at music meant understanding rhythm and beat, so Nick being decent at dancing was just an exstension of his understanding of music.
"I'm not a fool" Serena muttered, glowering playfully at her brother via the rearview mirror before she checked her phone. She had a bunch of texts from Jordan, most which she eagerly responded to.

Carlos had drifted off not long after Sami. Unlike his mate, Carlos couldn't dream. Ocassionally though, his memories came back to haunt him during the night, and tonight was one of those nights. However, it was the same memory as earlier; Maria's horrified face after Carlos had yanked the bastard off her....Jorge's anger that Carlos wouldn't beat the man when he showed up...Maria's instant shift back to being reserved when she had noticed him staring at her.

Sami's gasp roused Carlos from his long-ago life. His eyes opened slowly and he caught a glimpse of her grabbing his sweater before leaving the room. Sitting up, Carlos rubbed the grogginess from his face and tossed the covers aside to get up out of the bed.

He found Sami sitting on the couch. He didn't say anything for a moment. He just wanted her before taking a deep breath.
"Care for some tea love?" Carlos asked quietly.

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

"Like professionally?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow curiously at his father as he started to divulge about their lives. When Alexi asked about Nick dancing, Nick felt a smirk come to his face and he merely shrugged gently in response. He wasn't the best at admitting to things we was good at. To him, Nick was just as good as the next guy standing over...even if that guy had no talent whatsoever.
"It was fun." Nick murmured, since in all honesty it had been a great night. The drinks were great, the music was fun, it was just that one girl. Nick sighed and quickly pushed the thoughts away. He shouldn't let one person ruin his night.
Hearing Serena's phone go off, Nick tried to glance over her shoulder to find out who she could possibly be texting. "You do realize it's nearly 1 in the morning right?" Nick murmured to his sister.

Sami grinned sadly and shook her head, shifting slightly on the couch to make room for Carlos.
"I'm okay" She offered, tea wasn't really her thing and she wasn't in the mood for a hot drink.
"Sorry if I startled you" She murmured, glancing at him shyly. "I should have expected nightmares" She added, mentally kicking herself. She sighed and returned her attention back to the television, the sun hadn't even rose yet and she was wide awake. It was going to be a long day. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep, steadying breath. She wasn't relishing telling anyone what happened, though she knew they'd all find out eventually, even if she and Carlos didn't willingly tell anyway.

"Guess we'll be on time for that meeting" She murmured with a wry grin, trying to mask her emotions behind humor. Damn she needed to get ahold of herself and grow up. She'd been through worse, a lot worse, but none of that seemed to effect her as bad as this.
"Love you" She murmured softly, cacking on eye to look at him. It was true, if anything positive had come out of this, it was that she loved Carlos all the more.

---

Serena rolled her eyes at her brother.
"Why does it matter?" She murmured, "I'm allowed to text people, you do" She added with a cheeky grin.
"I'm not sure if it was ever professionally" Alexi murmured, completely ignoring the twins argument over whom Serena was texting. He was sure they'd all find out eventually, Serena wasn't exactly great at keeping secrets.

Carlos sighed softly and nodded, wandering around the sofa to sit down next to her. He tossed an arm over her shoulder, rubbing her arm gently.
"That's normal." Carlos murmured quietly. "The nightmares I mean." he added. "You didn't startle me, I was technically awake...just lost in a memory." He said, chuckling softly. He glanced at the t.v. screen for a brief moment before glancing at Sami again.

"We'll get there when we get there." Carlos said, smiling at her. "There's no rush is there?" He asked curiously. He smiled gently again and kissed her forehead.
"I love you too." He said, rubbing her arm reassuringly.

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

"It matters since not everyone is wired to be nocturnal like us." Nick muttered. "I feel bad for the poor sucker you're talking to. They're probably exhausted." Nick teased, trying to glance at the name of the person she was receiving messages from before giving up and leaning back in his seat again.
"Hmm...was Mom real different when you first met?" Nick asked curiously, though where this curiosity was coming from he had absolutely no idea. He was just in a questioning mood.

Sami grinned and leaned against Carlos.
"I know" She murmured, "Its been a long time since I've had nightmares" She murmured, it was true, she wasn't used to having nightmares. Rubbing her eyes, she cuddled against her mate, eyes flickered tiredly again, though she struggled against sleep. She was still tired but she was almost afraid to sleep. Sighing, she let her head fall onto his shoulder, eyes half cracked as she watched the TV flicker through tired eyes.

She glanced at Carlos from her position, he looked just as stressed and tired as she did, though vampires generally didn't get tried.
"Are you okay?" She asked curiously, not wanting him to be upset over what had happened.

----

Serena ignored her brother in favour of listening to her father speak about their past.
"We all were very different" Alexi murmured, "We've all grown up over time" He explained. "So yes, your mother was quite different when we met, but so was I. That was one of the reasons we figured we didn't realize we were mates right away" He explained. He didn't mind explaining this stuff to his kids, he knew they were curious about it.

Carlos sighed, running his fingers through Sami's hair as she pressed her head against his shoulder once more. He had no problem with holding her and comforting her when she needed it. Part of him just hoped she would be all right. He could sense the conflicting emotions and it worried him to a tad, knowing that it was stressful for Sami since she wasn't usually like this. Then again, it wasn't every day that a man decided to be an ass and force himself onto the first woman he saw.

Hearing Sami's question, Carlos gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me darling, I'm just fine." He said, brushing a strand of hair from her face with a gentle smile. "I may be having memory flashes, but I've lived through them once," Carlos said with a deep sigh. "I can live through them again. Besides, you're more important that some long ago time." He added, kissing her nose playfully, hoping to get a glimpse of a happy smile, even if it was a small one.

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

"I still don't get it." Nick murmured. "The whole bonding soul-mating thing....not that I'm looking to get hitched anytime soon, I'm just saying." Nick added quickly before Alexi got on the defense. Their parents always seemed to get worried whenever they brought up the whole bonding thing. Though, Nick honestly had no idea why.
"Different like how young kids are just young, and as they grow older they mature?" Nick asked. "Or as different as night and day?" He wondered as Alexi pulled up the road that lead to their house tucked into the mountain side.

Sami sighed, "Thanks love" She murmured softly, snuggling against him. It was reassuring to hear she mattered. Maybe thats what these whole conflicting emotions were about. She'd never felt cared for, never felt like she had someone to rely on and had always taken care of herself. Now she had someone who loved her, who cared for her and she didn't have to worry as much. Maybe that was why she was so bothered? She was finally coming to terms with what being mates was, what with being in love was. She sighed, shaking her head lightly as if to clear it of these weird thoughts, she'd eventualy work it out.

"Anything good on TV?" She asked, sliding the remote to him. She didn't want to really watch anything but she also didn't want to sleep. Maybe something good woudl be on and it would entice her to stay awake.

---

Alexi looked thoughtful, normally he and Maria would shut down any discussion of soul mates and bonding, but the kids were getting older now and they'd have to discuss this.
"I think it was more night and day different. When your mother and I met, she was a very young vampire, where as I wasn't. I was older" He murmured. "So maybe it was a bit both, her being so young and me being so different" He shrugged, "Its hard to explain" He said thoughtfully.

"Of course darling." Carlos murmured, rubbing her arm gently again. As she gave him the remote, Carlos turned his eyes away from her and onto the screen. Slowly, he flickered through the channels, actually curiously to see what was on t.v. A few channels had nothing but weird night-time shows. It was an odd hour for watching t.v., Carlos soon realized, since there wasn't anything too interesting to watch.

"Hmm...nothing really." Carlos murmured, still flicking through the channels. "Maybe a movie from our collection would better interest you?" Carlos asked curiously, smiling lightly at Sami as he stopped surfing through the channels.

----------

Nick raised an eyebrow curiously as Alexi actually attempted to explain the bonding relationship he had with Maria. Nick glanced at Serena, who was so engrossed in her texting that she probably was only half listening, before looking back at his father. Night and day....part of Nick was curiously to know how different his father had been...how different his mother had been....the other part of him was completely happy with the way they were now.

"What I don't really get," Nick said, passing his tongue over his lip thoughfully. "Is how with some vampires it's instant...like Uncle Carlos and Sami...or Uncle Sven and Chris...but like with you and mom, and Uncle Demitri and Kristen...it took longer? So it's not always that cliche of love at first sight with a happy ever after?" Nick added that last part somewhat sarcastically and with a mock-crestfallen face to lighten the question, even though part of him was serious.

Sami shrugged slightly. "What do we have?" She asked, though she slid off the couch to look over their rather exstensive DVD collection. Finally settling on a comedy, she pulled the case off the shelf and popped it into the player.
"This should do" She murmured, returning to the couch and curling up next to Carlos, her head resting on his chest as she fiddled with the DVD remote.
Sighing, she hit play as soon as the DVD menu popped up, by passing the trailers and previews, since she had no desire to watch them.

Sighing contently, she rubbed her fingers lightly over Carlos' stomach, marveling at the hardness and coolness of his skin along with the defined muscles that were hidden under his shirt. How did she get so lucky? Her life had been absolute hell, and then this remarkable man had come along and essentially saved her. She sighed, snuggling closer to him, all negative thoughts banished with that final one. She was, for once in her life, safe and happy and that was all that mattered at the end of the day. Screw everything else.

---

Alexi shrugged, "Mating is different for all sorts. The best we can understand is that two souls only come together when both of them are ready. Sami and Carlos were both older, more mature, mentally stable when they met, same as Sven and Chris. When I met your mother, we were very different, as I said, so our souls weren't ready to be joined. Another theory is that our souls are just waiting for the right person to be born. I'm a lot older then your mother, just like Carlos and Demitri are older then Sami and Kristen. Perhaps we were just waiting for the right time?" He shrugged, "I personally believe the first theory, that our souls are waiting for the right moment to be joined, your mother and I wouldn't have meshed well togehter when we first met, neither would Kristen and Demitri, its just a matter of timing"

"I honestly have no clue." Carlos murmured with a small chuckle. The d.v.d's and few vrh's they had were part of Carlos' collection. One of the few things aside from books that he did acquire over the year, along with wine. It was hard to keep track of what movies he did and didn't have.
He was glad that Sami found something to her liking, and as she wandered back to the sofa, Carlos wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her closer to him. He knew it was reassuring for him, just having her close to him. He hoped it was the same for her.

As the movie started, Carlos chuckled, remembering what movie this was and why he had bought it. His eyes darted to Sami as he felt her fingers brushing against his him. He smiled and in turn, brushed her hair back from her face gently. Glancing from her to the movie ever so often as it played, making the time go by in the early morning.

----------

Nick listened to his father and nodded to show that he was paying attention and understand what he was saying. While he talked, Alexi had driven them home, and Nick stepped out of the SUV once it had stopped in their drive way.
"That's really cool." Nick murmured, since the whole aspects of it fascinated him. He nodded again, still thinking to himself. He still had so many questions, but he wasn't going to ask them. Most of them were too complicated, and he doubted anyone had a solid answer about them to begin with. Bonding, Nick knew, wasn't something vampires talked about on a daily basis. It was almost like a weird taboo that Nick didn't really understand.
As he walked into the house, Nick stretched and sighed in the relief of being home. Suddenly, he was exhausted.
"I'm going to bed." He murmured, rubbing his face and smiling to his father and sister before going upstairs and flopping on his bed.

Sami sighed contently, enjoying the relaxing morning as they watched the movie. She knew it was really early, but there was something really nice about sitting and relaxing with Carlos, no matter what time of day. She could feel the tension and worries from the previous night slowly melting away as she came to terms with what happened. She knew she was strong, capable of handling herself and she knew that if she ever needed help she had a mate who would be there for her no matter what. She nodded softly to herself, that was all she needed to know, she had been taken by surprise and that was really what was bothering her. But everyone made mistakes, she had assumed she would be safe inside the restaurant and logically speaking, she should have been. Yes the guy had managed to get ahold of her, but she also knew that if Carlos hadn't shown up, she would have managed to escape, regardless of what may have happened to her. She was a survivor and that was all she needed to know.

She flicked her eyes the movie, a small smile coming unbidden to her face as she began to actually pay attention. Good comedy was hard to come by, but when you found it, it was damn near impossible to be upset or sour while watching.

---

Both Serena and Alexi watched Nick disappear upstairs.
"I'm going to bed too, thanks Dad" Serena murmured, following her brother up the stairs. She was rather surprised her and Nick had gotten Alexi to talk so much about bonding, well that Nick had. It was rare for any of her family to discuss it, why, she didn't know, but she was still happy to have gained a little bit of information. She knew she wasn't ready to have a soul mate yet, she enjoyed her current life and she wasn't ready to give that up. However, she knew when the time came she'd be ready, she saw the love and devotion in all the couples around her and she was okay with that. She knew her mate would be perfect for her, and her for him, which was why she could wait patiently, even if it took a couple of hundred years, the wait would be well worth it.

Carlos found himself laughing here and there at the jokes and scenrios that were taking place in the movie.
"I can't really remember the last time I watched this movie." Carlos admitted, laughter on his voice. "I can remember why I bought it; it's absolutely hysterical." Carlos said, chuckling to himself again at what the lead actor had to say. He chuckled and shook his head, rubbing his lips gently.

His eyes wandered to his lap, and Carlos was more than relieved to see a genuine smile on Sami's lips. He was glad she was enjoying the film; it seemed to have lightened her mood significantly. The new day was starting and pretty soon they would be on a cruise, and everything would be behind them. Carlos grinned to himself and his hand found Sami's rubbing her fingers gently before lacing them with his own.

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

Maddie found herself biting back a scream as she sat up in bed, suddenly fully awake. Her arm was throbbing and she reached down in a panic. Pulling her hand away, she sighed in relief. No blood. She was fine. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her breaths were coming in short gasps as the fear of her dream still gripped her. Maddie frowned suddenly, since the images that had frightened her just seconds ago disappeared entirely from her mind.
What had scared her?
Maddie shivered. She passed a hand over her forehead and found that she had broken out in a cold sweat. Pushing the covers aside, Maddie dared a peak her her clock.
She had five minutes before it was going to go off for her to wake up for school. Sighing deeply, Maddie turned off her alarm and stood up to shower. She had an extra five minutes, and a shower would be needed to get through the day.