[ { * - ( ( M e m o r i e s ) ) - * } ]

Lauralei sighed softly, his hands brushing against her forehead again, to move the hair from her face, soothing her, as well as his voice. "I was hoping it wouldn't come," she mumbled, laying her head in his lap where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. She curled up there, bringing a pillow against her chest, curving delicately. Her eyes shut after a moment. "I need something live today." A quiet yawn escaped her, looking paler than usual due to the sickness, and the fact she hadn't gotten a proper dose of what she needed, from an instant source, instead of it being dead. The blood needed to still be alive as she drank it; because of how soon she was fed the deer meat the previous night, that had lifted her spirits a great deal, but it wasn't to last. She was craving something, but honestly wasn't sure what it was. It did, however, cause her mouth to water. "Well." The vampiress finally sat up, leaning heavily against Tristan's form, still not feeling very well. "I don't know what to do tonight." She peered up at him curiously.

Tristan was happy to see that the little things that he did for her comforted her and made her calmer. He hated to see her all wound up like she was. He knew that she didn't feel good, he could see it in her eyes. She was starting to become grumpy from the lack of fresh food and the fact that she was slowly becoming more and more uncomfortable each day. Tristan sighed, nodding his head. "I agree. It's about time you got out anyways. You're not sick anymore, and you've been locked up in a house for the past week. It's past due time for you to get out and hunt and spend time outdoors." He said, smilng at her. Tristan watched as Lauralei sat up and mocved closer to him once again and leaned against him. Tristan sighed contently and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Well. Let's go hunting." He said, looking down at her. "Maybe something fresh and being outside for a bit will do you some good. I'll even go with you if you want." He said, grinning. That was the one thing the two of them hadn't done together yet. Hunt. He always went by himself. It would be a nice change to do it with her.

Lauralei tilted her head against his shoulder a bit when his arms wound around her. It was a good idea for them to go hunting together, of course, but she'd always been so nervous around other people. This was Tristan, though. She knew she shouldn't be uneasy hunting with him, but the feeling was still there. "I suppose," she murmured quietly, responding to his offer to go with her. The sad thing was, she knew she would need help; she wouldn't be able to sense anything, her hearing was low, she couldn't smell as good as she had... the only thing that was still there, is the ability to move fast -- and even that was slowly beginning to wear off. It was like being a human all over again, and she despised it; that was the only objection she had to all of this happening to her. After just another moment, she stood and moved into the closet, shuffling around for something to wear, making sure that it would be warm. A turtleneck sweater and pair of jeans sufficed; changing inside the closet and stepping out to move towards the door. Her hair was pulled up, and tied gently into a braid; her bangs brushing just above her eyes. A pair of comfortable shoes adorned her feet, quietly moving down the stairs once out the door and peeking in the livingroom, faintly wondering if Victoria was awake yet.

Tristan gently kissed the top of her head, taking in her smell as he did. He always loved her smell, and even now, when her smell was becoming more and more tainted by the smell of the growing child inside of her, there were still certain parts of her that he could still only smell her. Tristan didn't know that she was uneasy about hunting around other people. He had no idea that doing that made her nervous. "You suppose?" He repeated, tilting his head to the side. "If you don't want me to go with you, Love, I'd understand." He said, watching Lauralei as she stood up and moved across the room and into the closet. Tristan sighed and stood up, stretching. He let out a long and loud yawn, his back popping a few times. It wasn't long until he saw Lauralei walk out of the closet. He smiled at her, raising an eyebrow. "You're still sexy." He said, grinning ear to ear as she walked out of the room and down the stairs. Tristan walked across the room, moving to the closet to find his own clothes. They weren't necessary, but he wanted to at least act human.

Victoria had been up since a little before sunset. She was now in the living room, sprawled out on the couch mindlessly flicking through the channels on the television. She heard the light footsteps coming down the stairs behind her and knew instantly that it was Lauralei. Tristan walked like an elephant compared to her. "How are you feeling this morning?" She asked, peeking up over the back of the couch. "You going out?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lauralei smirked a little, and shook her head at Tristan's words; smiling when she saw Victoria sprawled on the couch, avoiding her question. "Yes, we're going out, for a bit." Her stomach growled, and she frowned down at it, not used to eating so much in such a short period of time. The bump between her hips was mostly hidden by the sweatshirt she had on, looking up the stairs to see if Tristan was done getting dressed yet.

She was slightly startled when Alexander appeared in the room, looking slightly scary. There were deep shadows beneath his eyes, his hair was ruffled in several different directions, and he almost didn't make it to the couch. A quiet groan escaped his lips, covering his face with his palms. "No one will go to sleep at the mansion," he griped. "It's Jaylen's birthday. No sleep. At all." It wasn't but moments later, his arm was draped over his eyes. Lauralei eyed him a bit, realizing he'd fallen asleep.

A few moments later, Lauralei went ahead and sat down next to Victoria, noticing that the way she smelled was becoming appealing to her, instead of oddly unpleasant. "I wonder what Erik, at the other house, is doing. I know that no one told him anything. And we suddenly disappeared..." She was mostly murmuring to herself, but at the same time, towards Victoria, glancing at the female quietly.

Victoria tilted her head to the side, noticing immediately that Lauralei ignored some of her questions. it concerned her that Lauralei wasn't feeling too good that morning, but she wouldn't press the questions. Victoria smiled at the female. That smile on Victoria's face quickly faded though. The smell hit her before the male actually appeared in the room. She glared at Alexander when he appeared in the room and started to walk over to the couch. Victoria glared and crossed her arms over her chest as the male talked and complained. "Must suck being woken up rudely by things you would rather avoid." She said, rolling her eyes. Victoria was grumbling under her breath when Lauralei ended up circling and sitting on the couch beside her. She forced a scary looking smile to Lauralei, her eyes immediately going back to the tv and her face looking angry once again.

Tristan was down the stairs in no time after Lauralei sat down. "Ok babe. Let's..." But his words stopped. His eyes fell on Alexander who was sleeping on the couch across the room. And then he looked at Victoria who looked overly pissed off. Tristan moved swiftly and took Lauralei by her hand. "Let's get out of here. It's about to get ugly." He said, ushering her up off of the couch and moving her with him towards the front door. It was only seconds after the front door closed, the two of them outside in the snow, before they could hear it. The television inside was blaring, the surround sound to the television truend up full blast as it shook windows and the walls of the house. "I could just see her fingers twitching on that remote." He said, sighing.

Lauralei willingly let Tristan usher her out of the house, noticing how angry Victoria appeared to be once Alexander had gotten there. She flinched a bit at hearing the television start to blare inside. "Are you positive that you want her staying here the entire time?" she muttered. "She has anger issues." Her scowl turned away from the doorway, and into the woods, shivering a bit against Tristan, pressing to him for warmth. "Brrrrr. It doesn't seem to be warming up at all. Just getting colder." Purple hues fell to the fogginess around her, from where she spoke. It was thick, and floated off into nothingness, leaving the quietness of the trees... other than the overly loud television inside.

Alexander sighed, slowly sitting up and snatching the remote; turning off the television after he turned it down. "Look, Victoria, I'm sorry. There wasn't any point in keeping it from him. I didn't think that your grudge was still so high... but he told me about it when he got back to the house." He glanced towards the door, seeing the painting untouched. "They didn't even look at it," he muttered, glaring a little, but afterwards, simply shrugging. Emerald pools shifted towards the female werewolf again. "... Please don't stay angry. I honestly didn't know that you still..." His face fell, sighing again, not saying anything else.

Victoria snarled at Alexander when he snatched the remote from her hands. "First. I would appreciate it if you didn't snatch things from my hands. And second of all... You wouldn't know how anyone else felt about anything because you're so caught up in your damn self it doesn't matter to you." She huffed at him, crossing her arms tighter over her chest and turning her face away from him. She heard him complaining about how neither of them opened the painting. "When did they have time? Lauralei was sick this morning. She was throwing up by the smells of it." She said looking over at Alexander once again. "And Tristan is more worried about getting her something live to eat than a painting that will still be sitting here when they get back." Victoria shook her head. "Honestly. Tristan is more worried about Lauralei's health than anything else. You out of all people should appreciate that." With that, Victoria snatched the remote back from Alexander's hands and turned the television back on, keeping the volume low.

Tristan sighed and brushed hair from her face, holding her to her as she shivered. The loud booming of the television was gone now, and there was no screaming or smells of death. "They'll be fine. And I trust Victoria more than any other werewolf I've met. She's risking a lot for us love." He said, kissing her forehead. "I know it's cold. Let's get you something live to eat. The faster you feed the sooner you can go back to the warmth of the bed and fireplace." He said with a playful smile. "Maybe I'll even offer to warm you up afterwards." He said with a wink before walking away from her and towards the forest.

Alexander scowled. "I know they're busy... and I didn't know that Lauralei already had morning sickness. I can't smell it right now." He paused for a short moment. "Victoria, I truly am sorry." That was all he said, laying back down on the couch and covering his head with a pillow. He hated how she brought everything into such a view to him; he was so used to taking to Raphael's tendencies, due to being second in council. But something had to bring him into reality. Even though it was an irritation that a female -- werewolf, at that -- was the one doing it, it was still silently appreciated. He didn't enjoy acting like he did half the time... but it was out of sheer habit.

Lauralei eyed him when Tristan began walking away, lifting an eyebrow mischeviously. "Maybe? Mm. There might not be any maybe's in this. I have no idea what eating something live will do... after so long without it." She was talking about the energy spurts that usually came after hunting, but she wasn't sure if it would be the case, because of the changes that were happening to her. Her long legs caught up to him quickly, easily climbing onto his back, arms wrapped around his neck; legs around his middle. The vampiress's lips moved against his neck, kissing him there, biting gently on the flesh once... the only thing stopping her was her stomach snarling quietly.

Tristan raised an eyebrow as he walked, grinning to himself as he moved. So playful. "Maybe. I may be too tired." Tristan said, stretching with an over exageration. He chuckled, laughing louder whenever he felt Lauralei jump onto his back. He let her legs and arms wrap around his shoulders and his waist, kissing her arms gently whenever they wrapped around him. His large hands rested under her legs, allowing him to hold her legs to his sides. "Oh now it's definately a maybe. Not only do I have to hunt, I have to carry my sexy woman too." He said, shaking his head. "Such a big maybe." But his laughter stopped and his hands tightened a bit around her legs when he felt her lips pass against the skin of the back of his neck. When her teeth bit into his neck though, he closed his eyes and tilted his head foreward, giving her more than enough room to go at his neck. "Okay. You start that and you wont have a choice. I'll be warming you up." He said, chuckling a bit as he took in a deep breath. When he took in the deep breath however, he caught the scent of a group of deer just off to the east a little ways. "Hungry?" He asked Lauralei. "There's some deer just through these trees."He took another deep breath. "Four or five of them. Most of them older. A few bucks I believe." He said, facing the direction they would be in. "You ready?"

Victoria sighed and closed her eyes. "It's not your fault, Alexander. I shouldn't be so cold about it towards you. It wasn't your fault. I just wish you would think some times." She shook her head lightly, her brown curls bouncing against her face. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself. Mad that there's nothing I can do." She sighed and flicked off the television, standing up and letting the remote fall onto the couch. "You should sleep in a bed." She said before walking towards the kitchen.

Lauralei didn't have much of a chance to comment on what he said again, blinking when he said there were deer ahead. Her mouth watered, stomach making a noise in response. "Mmm... yes." She felt almost embarrassed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to take one down on her own. It made her feel rather weak, to be honest, but she didn't say that out loud. Her arms wound a little more tightly around him; her legs, too, and she sank forwards a little bit, tucking her chin into his neck. Her entire body quivered a bit; her blood racing with excitement. It'd been so long since she'd hunted... and it was simply lovely to do so now. Her temptation to take blood from Tristan's neck, just moments before, was much too strong. It was still boiling there, but now that there was something else; a live source, her thoughts reverted.

Alexander blinked tiredly, uncovering his face. After laying there for about thirty seconds longer, he dared to stand up, swaying a bit. "Bed sounds good," he slurred. At nearly running into the door, he walked more carefully, going into one of the spare bedrooms on the ground floor. He fell onto the bed, passing out almost as soon as his head touched the pillows.

Tristan smirked as he felt her wind closer around him, pushed herself closer against him. "Or we can always just let you drink my blood." He said in a soft voice. "If you're too tired to hunt." He said. He liked the feeling, strangely enough, when she drank blood from him. She had done it before, and where he thought it should have bothered him, it only did the opposite. He felt comfortable with it. Liked it. It was like he was useful for something other than a personal space heater. Tristan chuckled and placed Lauralei down on the ground, "I'll help you." He said, grinning playfully. "Besides. I can't let you have all the fun, now can I?" He asked, chuckling softly. Tristan kissed her lips quickly and turned to face the deer. In only seconds the familiar snapping sound rang out and began to echo around them. It sounded like twigs breaking, but it was his bones, breaking and regrowing in the form they would need to be able to carry him as a werewolf. It was only moments before he was changed, fur sprouted across his entire body. Fangs as sharp as nails protruding from his mouth. And eyes the color of ice. He was only hunting after all. It was only when angered that his eyes turned yellow. Tristan pressed off the snow and ran for the tree line, moving quickly as possible. He would catch the biggest one. He wouldn't kill it. He would simply... immobilize it. And there, just through the thicket, were the deer. A few bucks stood out among all of them, the biggest one in the midst of it all. All at once, all five of the deer looked up at him and turned to start to run. But none of them were quicker that Tristan. In only a few moments, he was ontop of the larger buck, his sharp teeth breaking into the bones of the deers front legs. It was a success. Tristan howled softly, calling for Lauralei, unsure if she had followed or not. He walked away from the deer that laid there, playing dead, and sat down in the snow only a few feet away.

Lauralei watched Tristan shift, the sounds, sight -- nothing about it disturbing her. Even though her eyesight wasn't quite as sharp as it had been when she first met Tristan, she could still follow his quick movements, until he disappeared completely. She started after where he'd gone to, and not too long later was when she heard his howl; stepping past a few trees to see him. The deer on the ground was jerking its body this way and that, and she noticed it had no use of its legs at all, glancing towards where Tristan lay. Instead of going directly towards the deer, she moved to the werewolf, kneeling down and gently lifting his head with her hands, kissing between his eyes. It wasn't but a moment later, she was next to the deer, knelt down on one knee, fangs sank deeply into the throat. She groaned softly, the jerking of the deer slowing considerably. All of the built up venom was being injected into the creature, drawing the blood towards where she was biting down. Its bleats finally stopped, hardly moving at all, and a minute or so later is when Lauralei pulled away. Her eyes were dialted, breathing slightly heavily, stopping when she started to taste a mix between dead and alive blood, from the creature that was now completely still. Every part of her buzzed; blood still racing. Senses were dramatically heightened; everything was different. In an instant, she was standing next to Tristan, a grin slowly coming to appear on her face. It looked like she'd never moved, and had been there the entire time. The feeling of having some of what she had before, back, was absolutely amazing.

Tristan watched as Lauralei moved into the clearing. She knew that most of her senses were starting to fail her and that, slowly, she was becoming more and more like a human being. He knew that she hated it, and he left the deer as close to as alive as possible for her. If there was any other way for him to make it so that she was actually taking the creature down by herself, he would have done that. Tristan wagged his tail back and forth quite happily when Lauarlei walked over to him and gave him a soft kiss between his eyes. It was nice to see her so happy, and to know that she was finally going to eat like she should have been this entire time. It was only seconds before Tristan was watching Lauralei latch herself onto the deer, drinking it's blood quickly. His icy blue eyes watched closely, taking in every movement and every sound. He took this time to shift back into his human form, not moving from his sitting position on the ground. When Lauralei returned to his side, he stood up however, now completely human once again. He looked over at her and grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You already look like you're feeling better." He said softly, kissing her temple lightly. "Need another one?" He asked her softly.

Lauralei quivered when Tristan's lips met with her temple, sinking against his chest, her ears ringing. "No. I don't need another one." Her voice was changed; smoothe, silky almost. It'd taken a good fifteen to twenty minutes just to feed from the deer, and because she took her time, she had an extraordinary amount of energy. It'd been so long since she had that much... and she didn't dare think of how intense it would be if she still had her regular abilities. "Thank you. That was incredibly helpful." Carefully, her arms wound around Tristan's neck, resting the side of her face against his collarbone. Her skin was cold, but she didn't -feel- cold. Her lips traced his skin delicately, mentally warning herself not to, but it was irresistable. Power pumped through her veins, her eyes were a darker, much more healthier shade. Everything about her screamed how much energy she had. She would have been bouncing up and down if she could, but she was starting to feel how cold it was. "You don't realize how hard this is," she whispered, her teeth grazing against his neck again, trembling now instead of just quivering. Her lips parted, breathing softly against his throat, slowly turning her eyes upwards.

Tristan smiled down at her. Her voice was enchanting, much like the first night he had met her. She had her normal spark back. Tristan hadn't paid much attention to how long it had taken Lauralei to feed. He had just sat there to make sure that she didn't need anything. To make sure that she was content and safe. Tristan grinned wider at Lauralei as she thanked him, and in turn, he lifted his hand and brushed her bangs across her forehead, pulling her close to him. "Anything and anytime, Lauralei." He said, resting his chin ontop of her head. He felt her arms begin to wind around his neck at that moment, feeling her cold face against his collarbone. "You're cold." He said, raising his large hands to her lower back. He rested them there, pulling her closer to him. Tristan took in a deep breath, feeling her lips trace against the skin of his neck. "You're even shivering." He said, looking down at her. Tristan could tell just by the way that she looked, talked, and acted that she was more powerful, that she was stronger and healthier. He smiled, looking down at her as she talked. "You're right. I don't know hoe hard it is for you." He said softly into her ear. He then lifted her easily and turned her, pressing her back against a tree. "But what I do know is that you're cold, and I told you I would warm you up." He said, tilting his head to the side as far as possible. "Do it." He said, looking down at her as her teeth grazed against the bare flesh of his neck. His hands tightened on her hips, pulling her to him. His lips pressed against her jaw bone, kissing her softly. He didn't care if she bit him. Hell, he liked it.

Lauralei's mischevious smile turned into a devilish one when he pushed her against the tree. The vein in his jugular practically pulsed, to her eyes, and she let out a soft sigh when he kissed her jawbone. She'd had plenty to drink, but his blood was like a drug.. and not a moment later, extended fangs were cutting deeply into his throat. Another groan, much more heated than the noise she'd made when feeding from the deer, erupted from her almost animalistically. Her bite was hard, fingers tightening a tiny bit in Tristan's hair, wrapping her legs around his waist again; holding herself up with her back against the tree, and her arms on his shoulders. As his blood rolled across her tongue, she began to go limp; almost like a druggy finally having a fix. Her cravings were unexplainable... but too strong to fight back any longer, allowing herself to bite down a tad bit harder into his skin.

Tristan's entire body tightened as he felt her teeth sink into his skin. The feelings that shot through his body was like a thousand electric sjolts, flickering through his nerves. Tristan took a sharp gasp of breath, his hands tightening around Lauralei's waist as he pressed himself into her, keeping her pinned between him and the tree. He loved this feeling. It was his ecstasy. His addiction. It was like a junkie who just loved to shoot up. The angs pressing and breaking his skin was like a turn on to him. It made him pulse. It made his body grow stronger and more powerful than normal. He knew that it was supposed to have the exact opposite effect on him, and he was yet to figure out why it had the affect on him that it did. But he didn't mind it. He liked it. Tristan felt her fingers wind through his hair. He felt her pulling at his hair. His head moved with her pulls, a soft moan escaping his lips as he did. He allowed his eyes to close slowly, his hands slowly traveling up her sides. It wasn't until he felt her teeth press in harder than before that his hands stopped moving and gripped her tighter than ever. His body was pressed as tightly as possible against her body now, as tight as he could manage without breaking her or the tree. His hands left her sides completely, however, and reached around to grab the tree she was pressed against. His fingers dented the bark of the tree where he grabbed it now, another grunt coming from his mouth as she sucked at his neck.

A low chuckle slid smoothly from Lauralei's lips at Tristan's reaction to her bite, shifting a little at his moan. Very slowly, she pulled her teeth from his skin, letting them scrape down his neck, all the way until she hit his chest; lifting her head. Her purple orbs were a very dark shade, showing pure mischief, giggling a little as she noticed the dents he was leaving in the tree. "Oh, baby, what's the matter? I thought you could handle more than that. Am I wrong?" She purposely made her voice angelic; a whisper against his skin. "I wonder.. what it'll do on this side..?" Quite easily, she tilted his head the other way, kissing the skin on that side of his neck. "Sweety, I don't know if I should..." Teasing. "I mean, you can hardly contain yourself. I don't want to push you too far overboard." Her lips moved away from his neck, pushing her forehead against his, grinning; eyes dancing.

Alexander lifted his head, sensing someone in the room, not even having to look to see who it was. "Go away Nicholas. I'm tired." He didn't mean to snap at his brother, but it was frustrating; he couldn't seem to get any sleep. A quiet chuckle was heard from across the room. "Come on, Alexander, I know you're tired. But I pay attention to your situations more than you think I do. And I need to know... what about the man in the other house? The butler?" Nicholas's voice was soft, and Alexander rolled onto his back, keeping his eyes shut, "I don't know, Nicholas. I was wondering about that myself. I'm sure we could use any extra help possible. A human here might be a risk, though... or an advantage, really. Perhaps it's something to talk over with Tristan."

The black-haired male sat in a chair, running his fingers through his long strands, that were tied back loosely, but hang all the way down his back like a stream of cobalt satin. He stood up, suddenly, opening the door and peering out. "Oh my, Victoria's here? I wasn't aware of that." He could smell the female, and recognized it immidiately. "Alright, Alexander. I'll let you sleep. But when you wake, that butler just might be here." He smiled, shutting the door behind him and peeking into the room that Victoria was in, grinning. "Long time no see. The councils on both sides should really come to meet more."

Tristan took in yet another sharp breath of air. The feeling of her teeth ever so slowly pulling from the skin in his neck didn't help the feelings of pure ecstacy that he was feeling. It wasn't until she began to scrape her teeth down his neck and to his chest that he let out his breath, letting it shudder softly as he exhaled. When he felt her teeth leave his skin finally, he opened his eyes and looked down at her, his eyes dancing with pleasure and mischief. He smiled at the sound of her giggle, noticing that she was looking at where his hands hand made nice dents in the tree behind her. Her voice as she spoke made Tristan shiver with a feeling of seduction. She was always such a little succubus whenever she was like this. "I can handle a lot more than this, and you know that." He said in a voice so low it sounded more like soft growls than words. Tristan tilted his head to the opposite side, his fingers breaking off large chunks of the tree at that moment. Just the anticipation alone was killing him. It was then, as she started to tease him about not continuing, that he lost his control over his sudden passion for her. Tristan let his hands fall from the tree and grip Lauralei's hip. He pushed her up farther onto the tree, making it so he had to look up a bit to look at Lauralei's eyes. "Now you're just being cruel." He said with a playful grin. His own fangs, the numerous ones that werewolves had, were showing in his mouth when he smiled. They weren't anywhere as large as they normally would be, but his canines and the few teeth around them were much pointer than usual. He cursed silently at the turtle neck that Lauralei had chosen to wear, but it wasn't hard for him to pull it down with one of his hands. His forehead left hers, his lips moving down to her neck. And then, after that soft kiss, his own teeth grazed her skin before nipping her skin.

Victoria raised her head from the book she was reading. She had almost dropped the book, and probably would have if she hadn't been leaning on the counter. She looked up, hearing the voice as if it had appeared from a dream... or even a nightmare. "Nicholas..." She said, in a voice barely over a whisper. She smiled, though rather fakely as she stood up straight. "If that were the case and the councils were to meet more often..." She started, shaking her head, her large curls bouncing, "then I would be sure to leave my position on council and make myself scarce." She said, tilting her head to the side. Slowly, her hands closed the book she was reading. It was a book that was very obviously in Russian. "Well. What brings you here Mr. I Like to Hide In Dark Places and Never Make Myself Known?" She asked, smiling as she walked around the counter to the center of the kitchen, crossing her arms over her chest. "I've been worried about you." Her voice as she spoke those last words were so soft, no human would have ever been able to hear them.

Lauralei raised both eyebrows when Tristan pushed her farther onto the tree. "Hey, now, don't break the tree." She wasn't so much worried about her as she was the tree; she was plenty durable. When he pulled down the neck to he sweater, though, she leaned away from him; attempting to avoid him, but he was too close, and he was also too strong. A string of giggles escaped her throat, pushing her hands to his chest, trying to lean away from him again. "Ah!" she squealed, feeling his teeth nip and graze. She wasn't as sensitive towards it as Tristan was, but there was still a sensation that lit through her form. "Tristannnn, ahh, stooop!" Her laughter was carefree, a high, delighted ringing sound. "This isn't fair! Tristan!" Her eyes shut, still leaning away, and suddenly she wasn't pressed to the tree anymore. This only made her squeal even louder with pure joy, suddenly on Tristan's back. She had her powers back. Or, at least, that one. Her arms were around Tristan's neck, legs to his middle, and she bit down teasingly on the back of his neck, not going very deep. "Yesss. I have you again. You're miiiine. What are you going to do now? Hmm? Hmmmmm?" Another giggle, so gleeful, and she wasn't on his back anymore after that, either; appearing sitting on the branch of the tree that he had broken the bark off of, about fifteen feet up, perhaps twenty, looking down at him, beckoning him with her pointer finger.

Nicholas slipped inside the room, staying a few feet away from the female, his eyes soft as he listened to her talk. "Raphael wouldn't let me leave." Onyx orbs lowered, raising again. "How have you been? With..." He very nearly winced at his pause. "With Killian?" There was another pause, and he sighed heavily, resisting the urge to reach up and just pull back one of the dark curls that hung in her face. His brother was sleeping heavily, he knew, so he couldn't hear a word they were saying... that was good. "Raphael is having a party for Jaylen right now... he won't notice I'm gone. And if he does, he knows I need to feed soon anyway." His voice was just as soft as hers, almost afraid to look at her by this point. It really had been so long... and he didn't think that it'd feel this way if he visited her again. He hadn't known she was there in the first place, until he'd peeked out -- and of course, he could recognize her scent anywhere. When he went to see where she was; when he talked to her just moments before, when she was reading the book... he thought he'd think differently. Of course, he could slap himself in the face for not realizing that that would never change.

Tristan chuckled and shook his head. "I wont break the tree." He said, looking up at her. Always so worried about everything but herself. Tristan sighed against the skin og her neck, smiling at the giggles and bursts of laughter that she was having. He knew that it wouldn't have anywhere close to the same effect on her as it did him, but it was still fun to show her what it was like to be on the recieving end of things. Tristan laughed, pulling his lips away from her neck. "Why should I stop? You sat here and did it to me." He said, laughing more. "Though I didn't want you to actually stop." He admitted, grinning playfully at her. "I rather like it." He said softly, nipping her neck once more before she disappeared from his arms. It hadn't surprised Tristan much when at one second he had been staring at Lauralei and the next she was gone. He sighed and looked over his shoulder. "That really isn't fair, you know." He said, laughing. But the laugh turned into a soft groan as she bit him on the back of his neck. Tristan leaned his head foreward, but once again she was gone. He looked up at her, shaking his head softly. "What am I going to do?" He repeated before chuckling. "I'm going to go home and get naked and lay in bed." He said, grinning playfully up at her. "There's no way in hell I'm climbing this tree,"

Victoria nodded her head. "I know what you mean. Lucian keeps an ever watchful eyes on me as well." She said. She watched him closely, seeing the pained expression in his eyes as he stood there. "Killian? I see him right now and I would probably kill him. Him and his brother want nothing more than to start a war. They want to tear away this child from Tristan and Lauralei and use it against the vampires." Her voice was angry, intense, as she spoke. But after a minute, she took a deep breath. "It's annoying and painful. As always." She said mostly to herself than to Nicholas. Victoria wasn't worried about Alexander or anyone else. It was such a pain to hide the feelings, even now when Nicholas stood infront of her. "Please don't get caught. Not being here. Raphael knows that I'm here and he would probably not be very happy to hear you were here." She said, looking back up at Raphael. It was so hard not to hug him. And it was even harder to look at him. She had missed him, more than she had thought. For so many years she hid what she felt for the vampire male. For so many years she faked a hatred for vampires she actually had begun to believe that hatred was there. Victoria's small hand raised up and pushed the hair from her face, tilting her head as she watched Raphael. The smell of him hadn't changed. It was still the sweetest thing she had ever smelled.

Lauralei huffed loudly, folding her arms across her chest in the tree, scowling down playfully at Tristan. "But why not?" She appeared in front of him by several yards, walking backwards innocently with her hands behind her back. "You're only allowed to go home and get naked if I'm invited," she called, turning around and running back to the house.

Nicholas nodded slowly to Victoria's answer, more or less relieved at it, a slight look of hatred coming to his eyes at the mention of the male. "Well.. at least you aren't near him now..." His eyes turned to her face, stepping forwards. "Can I...?" He didn't even wait for permission, moving over to the female and wrapping his arms around her slowly, just pulling her to his chest. Standing like that for the longest time, he let the tip of his nose brush against her hair, shutting his eyes again. "Victoria, I missed you so much. I'm so sorry that I had to disappear like I did, and I tried everything to try and get away. Alexander was beginning to wonder if I was going mad, so I had to stop... at least so no one else would know, other than the ones that do now. And now Lauralei's.." He stopped talking, swallowing. This was so hard for him... because he knew he couldn't stay there, that he would have to leave within the hour, and it killed him on the inside. But nothing compared to being able to see Victoria again, to hear her, hold her to him. Nothing in the world could be better.

Lauralei quiet suddenly bursted into the house, darting up the stairs, startling Nicholas, his arms only tightening the smallest bit around Victoria. When he realized it was just Lauralei, and she wasn't going into the kitchen. He knew, though, that Tristan probably wouldn't be too far behind, so for now, he released the female in front of him, turning to lean against the counter opposite of her, so that he was still facing her. As Lauralei had ran by the doorway, he smiled weakly. "She definately has the smell," he said quietly. "Of.. the mixed breed inside of her. I wonder where she's going, in such a hurry."

The vampiress shot into the room, closing the door behind her. It felt marvelous to have so much energy back, to have some of the abilities she'd been losing. The only thing that didn't keep her from pressing to the door so that Tristan couldn't get in, was the thought of him breaking it -- and she didn't want that. Instead, she perched cross-legged directly in the center of the bed, acting as if nothing had happened, even though the delighted, and rather excited, energetic look was still there, pumping through her with each heartbeat, and in every movement of her eyes.

Tristan laughed and shrugged his shoulders up at the female vampire before turning and slowly starting to walk back towards the house, his hands in his pockets. "Oh well. More of the big warm bed all to my wonderful nakedness." He said loud enough for her to hear him, laughing happily when she appeared infront of him, walking backwards with her hands behind her back. "What? You want an invite?" He said, still laughing rather hard at her reactions. "Of course you're invited. I'm not looking for a death wish any time soon." He said, grinning. "But hey! You have to be naked too! It's one of those sexy parties!" He called after her, shaking his head with a loud laugh.

Victoria giggled, that chime bell laugh echoing in the kitchen. "I'm damn glad I'm not near him. I really don't think Alezander wants these walls painted red." She said, shrugging her shoulders. Victoria stopped smiling, blinking a bit as she heard the male as her permission to do something. She was taken off guard, her breath leaving her in a quick when she felt the long lost touch of Nicholas' arms around her. "Nicholas..." She whispered again, closing her eyes as she felt the males face lean down into her hair. She fought the overwhelming feelings that bubbled from her past. She was a fool to ever think she would get over this man. Victoria's arms dropped from her chest, and ever so slowly, she raised them to wrap tenderly around Nicholas' middle. "I understand, Nicholas. Please, don't apologize." She said, looking up at him, her eyes pained and sad. "We did what we had to do, right? Even if we don't like it... even if we don't want to... it's what we have to do." She said. She then looked away from him as he mentioned Lauralei. "Yes. I was very surprised to learn of what had happened to the young vampiress. And to Raphael's granddaughter and Lucian's son." She sighed and shook her head before looking back up at him. "I had to help. Only I know what this is like. I knew I was the only one who could help her through this." She said, shaking her head. Victoria knew that Nicholas wasn't going to stay... and she knew that it wouldn't be long until he left. But every second that she could see him was better that another second passing without.

Tristan didn't run after Lauralei, but he stayed close to her. He never actually even let her out of his sight. He laughed most of the way back to the house. Why wouldn't he? She was so full of energy and so happy. Victoria had heard the door open quite suddenly as well. It had caused her to flinch, burying her face into Nicholas' chest. She didn't want him to let her go, but she knew it was going to happen. And sure enough, his arms dropped from around her and he backed away from her. Victoria hung her head, backing up and leaning against the counter once again. She only looked up when she smelled Lauralei rushing past, tilting her head to the side. "I know. I missed it." She said, shaking her head. A few moment's later, Tristan walked by, hands still shoved in his pockets. "I swear it's like babysitting half the time." He muttered to Victoria with a wave to Nicholas. Now wasn't the time for questions. Besides... if Victoria wasn't tearing them apart, they must be safe. Tristan walked through teh bedroom door only moments later, closing it behind him. "Aw. You're not naked." He said pouting. "Does this mean there's no sexy party?" He asked, laughing.

Victoria sighed, shaking her head. "I swear... they're both like children." She said, laughing. "I gave him the rings." She said, looking over at Nicholas.

Lauralei giggled again when Tristan came in the room, and she stood up, walking over to him and inding her arms around his neck, pulling him to her. "Oh. There's definately going to be a sexy party. here's no doubt about that." Her mischevious eyes lowered down to his shirt, smirking, suddenly moving to pull open Tristan's shirt; the buttons sliding from the holes easily. Once that was done, she tossed the shirt off to the side, tilting her head as she glanced down at his pants. "Hmm. Strip party comes first. Now what's a clever way to get these off?" She poked at his waist-line. "Ripping them off is too harsh. The pants deserve better. But just taking them off is so boring." She was teasing again; debating there, not making a move to remove anything else of his. The more she teased, the more fun he would be -- it was always amusing to see his reactions to what she did.

Nicholas stayed where he was, nodding towards Tristan when he came in, noticing that the male wasn't disturbed by his being there at all. It didn't click right away why he didn't care, not until he heard Lauralei's evil giggle coming from upstairs. Gently, Nicholas moved his arm behind Victoria. "Let's go outside," he murmured. Swiftly, he moved out the backdoor that was part of the kitchen, shutting it behind him, leading Victoria over where the benches were in a garden towards the side of the house. "You gave them the rings? I didn't notice." The male suddenly seemed distant, sitting next to the werewolf like he was. At mention of the rings, though, he very carefully pulled out a chain that had been tucked beneath his shirt -- holding two rings made of white gold, very similar to Lauralei's and Tristan's, except they were more intricate in detail. That, and the male's band was the icy one; the tiny, petite ring being warm. A smile slowly formed on Nicholas's lips. "Raphael gets so irritated at me for wearing these... but I've never taken them off, since.." Again, he looked away, coming to bite down on his lower lip.

Alexander groaned loudly from where he was laying, becoming irritated at all of the noise that was coming from inside the house. Lauralei bursting through the door and then trampling up the stairs, and then Tristan -- who already walked as if a cow were jumping on an unsteady bridge. He didn't pay any mind to if his brother were there, not really caring. He was completely clueless as to what had gone on between his brother and Victoria in the past. Very few knew about it, and the ones that did know, wanted it to stay that way. It was the only way that everyone would be safe, and nothing else would happen. No more wars. After a few more minutes of lying awake, Alexander very nearly gave up in trying to catch some sleep, but it hit him rather hard. The good thing was, he'd never know it was his brother knocking out his mind; Nicholas, still outside, knowing that his brother had woken up. It wouldn't do any harm in forcing him into a sleep... it was better if things were still kept secret. Besides, with Lauralei and Tristan upstairs, he knew that Alexander would only begin to pout, or become jealous. All in all, there was nothing wrong with what he'd done, and simply stayed quiet on the bench next to Victoria.