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

Tristan watched Lauralei closely as she moved from the bed. His eyes followed her carefully as she got up from the bed and made her way up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh is there?" He asked, smiling at her playfully. His arms went to her waist, wrapping around her and pulling her to him as she pulled him to her. Tristan was slightly taken by surprise however when he saw her hands infront of him, pulling his shirt away from his body. He chuckled as he noticed that every button had slipped from its hole with ease and moved his arms, allowing her to take his shirt from him, his arms going right back to her waist once his shirt was discarded of. Tristan's eyes followed Lauralei's glance, meeting her gaze at his pants. He immediately looked back up at her, raising an eyebrow. "What are you scheming?" He asked her, that crooked grin forming on his face. "I don't want you to rip off my pants. These are my favorite ones." He said softly to her, tilting his head down so that he could kiss her jawbone. He knew that she was simply trying to tease her, and where his hands were gripping tightly at her sides to keep control, that was the only sign he showed that she was getting to him.

Victoria heard the giggle as well and rolled her eyes. "Silently... I prayed that this day wouldn't come. But it was bound to happen eventually." She commented, talking about Tristan and Lauralei. She giggled though, showing that she wasn't annoyed or anything about it. "Yeah. We might want to." She agreed, blinking as she felt Nicholas' arm around her. She sighed and smiled up at him, barely noticing that they were outside. Nothing mattered to her when he was near her. It never did. Victoria sat on the bench, nodding her head. "Yes. I gave them to them. I thought it would be best to. Raphael didn't seem to be too happy about it either." She said, shaking her head. Victoria felt Nicholas move and looked over at him, curious as to what the male was doing. She blinked, her lips parting slightly in awe as she watched him pull the rings from beneath his clothes. "My..." She muttered, extending a small hand out to gently touch the rings that dangled from Nicholas' hand. "I didn't think that you..." She said, sadness filling her voice. She could still remember the painful day that she had given her ring back to him. "She took a deep breath from there, her hand curling into a fist and falling to her lap. "I bet." That was the only thing that she could manage to say. That was all that she could think to say as she fought hard at the urge to cry, trying to control her emotions.

Lauralei got a pouting look upon her face when Tristan said he didn't want her to rip off his pants. "Have to take all the fun out of things," she sighed. "Fine. I suppose we'll do this the old fashioned way." Her hands slipped down to the button on his pants, pushing it from the hole, and then slowly moving the zipper down. "Hmm... or will we?" Suddenly, the zipper went back up, and she shoved him against a wall, grinning even more mischeviously now. Though, her head tipped up and to the side just a little when his lips met with her jawbone. Her blood seemed to boil even faster at the touch, quivering the slightest bit again. "Keep doing that and there's going to be -nothing- left of your pants," she whispered, reaching up and latching ahold of his earlobe, tugging at it once before moving down to his neck. Her teeth scraped the skin there, leaving crimson-beaded trailmarks an inch or so long across his neck. It was only enough to just barely puncture the skin, running her tongue along the marks when her teeth released the skin, licking her lips at the taste.

Nicholas glanced at her, knowing what she was trying to hide. In an instant, the rings were out of sight, and his hands cupped either side of her face. "Victoria, I didn't come here to upset you, or hurt you. I shouldn't have come, and I'm so sorry that I did. When I came inside, I didn't realize you were here... no one informed me of that. And I thought that this wouldn't be so hard..." His forehead pushed gently against hers, his eyes looking pained. He forced a weak smile, shaking his head. "After putting up with Alexander, you should know how stuck up he is. I suppose he gets it from somewhere. I think I'm so strong, but, look at me now. I can't even..." After a sigh, he shook his head again. Everyone had their weak points... and his just happened to be Victoria. After so many years, he figured that he wouldn't feel so intensely about her, but the time frame only seemed to make things even more so. He sat there for the longest time, gazing into her chocolate hues, and finally just wrapped his arms completely around her, pulling her gently to his chest. His chin rested on the top of her head, fingers moving up and down her back. "I'll come back, Victoria. I know I promised that the last time... that I'd be back soon.. and unfortunately I was forced out of that promise. This time, though... this time..." He exhaled quietly, giving the top of her head a gentle kiss. It would be a little while before he had to leave, and he would go at the absolute last moment, if it meant more time with the werewolf. Everything between them had happened so long ago... and it was beyond belief how strongly they still felt for each other. "It'll all get better," he murmured into her hair, sighing a bit heavily now.

Tristan couldn't help but to laugh softly at the look on Lauralei's face when he wouldn't give in to what she wanted. It was quite cute to him to see the small pouty look on her face. And when she spoke he just smiled at her, speaking softly. "I may be taking that fun out of it. But I promise I'll make it up to you." He said, lowering his lips so he could whisper the words into her ear. Once the words were done, his breath against her ear, he let his lips encase her earlobe gently and sucked on it softly, nipping at the sensative skin for just a second. He backed up against the wall like she wanted him to, raising an eyebrow at her playfullness. "Now that's not right, love. Teasing me so." He said softly, his hands moving to her hips. He pulled her hips into his, "Maybe I really don't care about my pants. Maybe I only said those things to tease you." He said, kissing along her jawbone once again. His body burned, his arms craved to touch her skin. When she latched onto his earlobe, he took a deep breath and tilted his head, giving her complete access to his neck. He groaned softly, almost inaudibaly, as he felt her teeth trace his skin, leaving the red lines. "Now you keep that up..." He said, pulling rather roughly on her hips, pulling them hard into hers. When he spoke again, his voice sounded like a low growl. "I can promise you that your own clothes wont leave this in one piece."

Victoria blinked, tilting her head when he quickly moved the rings back out of sight from her. She sighed, looking down at the snow covered ground beneath their feet. So pure and perfect. And it was when Nicholas spoke again, that she looked up at him with alarm in her eyes. "You're not hurting me... I'm only upset because it's been so long and yet..." She sighed, shaking her head and looking away from him. "I tried to forget. I tried to move on and act as if... as if there was never anything there between us. I tried to erase the past. To make it like it had never happened." She closed her eyes and sighed. "But it only made things worse. I went through rejection. The entire time... Lucian hung over me.., whispering words about how a vampire could never truely love a werewolf." Her voice broke slightly, showing the controlled emotions were breaking. "He made me think that you just used me...I let him get into my head and feed me these lies. And I believed them. For all these years I believed that vampires were the worst creature in the world. I feel so... so weak and naive. I've taken out everything on your brother... I've pointed out every one of his flaws... Broken him down and analyzed him." She looked at him, a single tear finally slipping down her face when she felt his forehead press against hers. "I never thought that I would see you again. But I always promised myself that when I did... if I did... I would make you realize that I didn't need you to be happy. That I wouldn't ever look at you like I did before." Victoria studied his features, the pain in his eyes only making hers worse. A single hand raised and rested lightly against his cheek. "But when you walked in here... when I saw you... I couldn't do it. Everything came back... every last feeling. Every last memory. I'm not strong either Nicholas. I'm not this hard ass that I make myself out to be to everyone. When I lost you... I lost myself... I locked myself away and promised I would never be that person again..." When Nicholas raised his arms around her suddenly, she trew her arms around his shoulder, burying her face into his chest, the smell entrancing. "But just by looking at you... all of that came undone." Victoria's body tensed when she heard his promise. The same promise he had made her so many years ago. The same promise that she never trusted. It was the kiss that he pressed to the top of her head that finally calmed her down. The one that made her body loose it's control. Her body untensed and the tears that she had been holding back for so many years finally formed in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks. For now... at this moment... Nothing else mattered. She had him back... everything was perfect.... For now.

Lauralei just kept grinning. "Make it up to me, hm? I don't know, that's going to be very hard to make up. You'd have to prove how amazing you are in order to do that. And I don't know if you're up to it..." A growl of her own slid through her lips when he pulled on her hips, causing her teeth to pierce skin by accident. "Damn it," she mumbled. "You're making it very, very hard, Tristan, to drive you insane; you do realize that?" She thought over what he said, about not really caring about his pants, abuot saying it to tease her. It only made her want to get back at him more, but she wasn't sure how. He wasn't giving into her teasing as much as he used to. Again, her tongue ran across the bleeding marks in his neck, suckling on them for only a moment before pulling away. A small ripping sound was heard, and she smiled sweetly -- almost innocently -- up at Tristan, looking down. There were identical rips on either side of Tristan's pants, her finger resting on the bottom of them. Cocking her head to the side a bit, her eyes raised. "Oooops. Well, isn't that too bad?" Her teeth latched ahold of his bottom lip gently. "I guess you'll just -have- to take them off now, hum?" As far as she was concerned, she didn't care what happened to her clothes. They were probably going to end up being destroyed one way or another, anyway.

Nicholas listened to her, keeping his arms wrapped around her form, rocking her forwards and backwards just a bit. When he felt the wet of his shirt from her tears, he sighed heavily, gently running his fingers through her hair. "You should have never listened to Lucian," he said softly, rubbing his hand across her back in a soothing manner. "I didn't realize it might be... hard for you that Alexander was there, but he complained about you when he came back. Funny, actually... 'She seems like she's blaming me for something that another vampire did, and I don't know what I did wrong.' " He quoted exactly what Alexander had told him, when he'd gotten back a few days before. When he started to think, more or less guilting himself, without showing it, he noticed how cold it was getting, and then the time. Already, he was fifteen minutes late. But it didn't seem to matter. Why should it? "Are you cold?" he murmured, leaning back so he could see her face, wiping away any wet spots on her cheeks that remained. Of course, he was freezing -- but that, too, didn't seem to matter. His chest was warm, from her body heat, but other than that, his body was stiff with the icy weather, glancing up at one of the higher windows of the house. He still didn't want to go inside -- things in the upstairs bedroom seemed to be warming up quite a lot, and he wasn't sure how loud the two were, not wanting to be put in an awkward situation with Victoria there, after not seeing her for so long. Then a thought hit him: the garage. That part of the house was heated, and Alexander had explained to him before, that there was a single couch, and regular recliner chair inside. Nicholas sighed quietly, waiting for Victoria's answer, pushing his forehead to hers again.

Tristan was driving himself crazy. It was hard enough to control himself when Lauralei acted like this, but usually he just gave in to his urges with her. He was trying something different. Trying to make it harder for her to to get what she wanted. But it was becoming increasingly harder for him to control himself with her any more than he already had. "Yes. Make it up to you." He said, smirking lightly at her. "Haven't I already proven to you just how amazing I am? Or did you forget already?" He asked, kissing along her jawbone and down her neck. Tristan couldn't help but to slip up and moan like he normally would when he felt her teeth slip into his neck once again. "No worries, Love. You're making it just as hard on me to control myself." He said, to her, his voice low and rather heavy sounding. But it was when he heard the ripping sound coming from below that he dropped his gaze from Lauralei and looked down at his pants. "Damn..." He said, chuckling. It was then that his hands dropped from her hips and put his hands on hers. "Why do I have to do it?" He asked as he puhed her hands down the front of his pants, causing them to tear more and eventually let them fall to the floor. His hands then left hers and he once again grabbed her hips. His hands trailed up her sides, his finger pulling at the fabric of her sweater. He growled again, moaning softly as she bit on his lip. As his hands moved up to her shoulders, his fingers grabbed ahold of the neck of just her sweater, and in an easy movement, he had it torn straight down the front, large gashing holes from what looked like claws imbedded in the fabric. "Yup. Looks like it." He said, letting the scarps of her sweater fall down off of her body.

Victoria shook her head. "I shouldn't have. But it was hard not to when every word he spoke made such perfect sense. I guesss the pain from his words and his lies were just easier to swallow than the pain that you were actually gone. Victoria actually laughed when Nicholas mention what Alexander had said to him when he had been home just a few days prior. She niffled softly, raising one of her hands to wipe her face. Victoria shook her head lightly. "Of course I'm not cold. But you're probably freezing." She said, looking up at him. "Do you want to go somewhere warmer?" She asked softly, tilting her head up to the side. She smiled at him when the back of his hand brushed away any of the remaining tears on her face. Oh how she had missed him. His tenderness. His love for her. How she had missed the softness of his touch and the smell of his clothes. The smell was so close to what Alexander smelled of. It was the same smell that was driving her crazy in the car. Victoria nodded and very slowly stood up from the bench, looking down at Nicholas. "We might as well go to the garage. The only thing in there is Tristan's car. There's some furniture in there though. I saw it when we parked his car." She said, wrapping her arms around herself.

Lauralei shivered when her sweater was suddenly ripped directly down the front, moving closer to him -- if that was possible. With nothing underneath to keep protecting her skin, it felt freezing, even with the bit of heat that was in the room. "Brrr," she mumbled. "Nothing kills a mood like being froze to death." Her eyes shifted towards the only piece of clothing that he had left, kicking his pants off to the side. "There has to be a creative way to take this baby off." Her fingers played with the band of his underwear, still pressed against him, her body already aching from the wait. It was coming to the point that he was causing her self control to steadily dwindle down, and just moments later, her breath was hot against his neck again, making no move to remove anything else from either of them still. "Triiiiiistaaaaan. How much can you handle? I'm curious." While she spoke, her lips brushed against his neck, tilting her head down the tiniest bit. Another shudder rolled through her spine, half from the cold, and half from her own wants.

Nicholas gazed towards the back door of where he knew that the garage was located, gazing up at the female when she stood. After a moment, he was standing as well, though, in front of her, his arms around her again; icy forehead gently resting against her heated one. "You're never cold," he sighed, smiling weakly. "I should have known better than to ask. But still. It was just in case..." His voice trailed off, becoming rather lost in her chocolate hues, blinking a bit to clear his mind. It didn't work, however. "Victoria... I.." Slowly, his head tilted more and more; past his nose just brushing against hers, until his lips were hovering mere millimeters over her own. In a single, fluid movement, he closed that small gap, fingers running through her hair, resting on the back of her head, angling her chin upwards towards him. The elder's nostrils flared, realizing with an enormously heavy heart how much he'd missed the feel and taste of her lips, of how she molded against his body perfectly. At that moment, it seemed as if they'd never been forced away from each other. Everything was simply... perfect. There was no other word to describe any of it.

Tristan noticed her shiver. "How much can I handle?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Darling. I think at this moment in time, the true question is..." He turned her, pinning her hands above her head against the wall. His face was in her clevage at that point, his warm breath tickling against her cold skin. "Is exactly how much more can you handle?" He asked, his lips brushing against her skin as he spoke. She wasn't the only one who could be a tease or torturous. It just took him a little longer to get out of his shyness to be able to pull it off the right way. His lips trailed up her clevage up to her collarbone. From there, he nipped her skin gently, his hands moving from her wrists down her arms to either one of her sides. By the time his hands were on her sides, his lips were at hers, having trailed them all of the way up until meeting them. He kissed her tenderly, wrapping his arms around her and picking her up. He moved her easily, walking across the room until he laid her down in the middle of the bed, climbing ontop of her before finally breaking the kiss. "You looked cold. I thought I would go back to that promise of warming you up." He said, smirking.

Victoria was slightly taken by shock at how quickly he had moved to stand infront of her. Not by how fast it was that he had moved, but to where it was that he had decided to stand, and how. She blinked, looking up at him as his arms wrapped tightly around her. She smiled up at him, the feeling of him holding her once again chasing away everything evil and every doubt that she had ever had. "What werewolf is ever cold. I can only remember two times in my life as a werewolf that I was cold." Thise times were when she was pregnant, seeing as how it pretty much drained everything she was. And when Nicholas had left her. She had been cold for so long after he had left. And to this day... the spot where she used to wear that warm ring on her finger... was still frozen. Victoria opened her mouth to speak further to him, but she shut her mouth without saying a word. The way that Nicholas was standing there staring at her was so comforting. It took every thought away from her. She tilted her head ever so slightly, out of examining him, but she couldn't read him. She couldn't figure out what it was that he was thinking. The sound of her name once he finally spoke sounded so distant to her. She was so entranced by him that she couldn't concentrate on anything but him. When Nicholas' face grew ever so slowly closer to hers, her face tilted along with his, feeling their noses brush past each other. Her body screamed when their lips stopped only millimeters apart from each other, screaming for her to close that gap. It was once that Nicholas finally closed the gap between their lips that her arms dropped from between theirs and slowly moved around him, her hands resting lightly on his back as they kissed. Oh how she had missed the feeling of these lips. Her body tensed for just a moment as she willingly took the kiss and molded her lips to his. For once... in so many years... Victoria felt like herself again. For the first time in years... she felt alive.

The growl raised from his throat, escaping through bared teeth. He was lucky that the two of them had been so entranced with each other that they hadn't noticed him. Killian didn't know whether to just take it and run... or to use this to his advantage. He had been there the entire time, standing just on the other side of the tree line, downwind from Victoria and Nicholas. Snarls had formed when he had seen Nicholas become so tender with his mate, had become angered when she had cried over him just now. But nothing tore at him more than the kiss and embrace that the two of them were sharing just infront of him. Their love was forbidden. They had been torn apart and told to never see each other again. For so many years they had listened to the warnings. Listened to the laws that were set for them. Why now? Why was she being so damn stubborn. Killian wanted to rush in there and rip off the head of the Vampire, but he knew that he didn't stand a chance. There were too many people there. There was only one other choice. It was time to go to the council. So with clenched fists and a heavy heart, Killian turned away from the two and walked off quickly, changing into his werewolf form and bolting out of there as quickly as possible. He couldn't bear to see any more.

Lauralei eyed him at his words, as to what the true question was. She wasn't expecting what was coming next. "Damn it, you! Ackk!" She attempted to squirm away from him, when he put his face into her chest, but of course, it didn't work. He was still stronger than her. "Tristan, AHH, let me go!" When his hands released her, and began moving to her sides, she was startled to find his lips at her own again, unsure what either of them were doing -- it felt as if she had no control over herself anymore, moaning gently into the kiss. Her arms only wrapped back around him when he picked her up and toted her to the bed, tapping his nose when he smirked. "So far that promise is a complete failure." By now, she'd completely given up in trying to contain herself. It seemed to be impossible, when he wasn't so easy at giving in, her fingers back at the band of his boxers.

Nicholas felt slightly relieved when she didn't immidiately pull away from him, but he broke the kiss all too quickly, looking up, snarling towards the woods. No, he hadn't heard Killian approach... but the werewolf certainly was noisy at leaving. "Shit," he muttered, looking back to Victoria. "He's going to tell Lucian." He was absolutely panicked, not knowing what the werewolves would do to Victoria if they found out what had just happened. By now, he was a half hour late. Raphael was probably going to start wondering where he was. "Victoria.. will they do something to you? Will you be okay here? Alexander will still be here, but I... I can't..." He flinched suddenly, glancing back to where Killian had been, wrapping his arms even more tightly around the female in front of him. Terrified eyes moved back to Victoria. "I'm sorry that I can't stay longer. I have no idea what they'll do. You know the threats that were given... I'm sure they were distributed to you as well." He kissed her again, this time much more passionate than the time before, both hands on either side of her face. "Please forgive me." He didn't go, not yet. He wanted to know if she was going to be angry at him, to turn him away from her... what she was going to do, what was going to happen. He knew how harsh the werewolves were in their rules, and their punishments. He didn't want her hurt.

Tristan of course didn't listen to a single one of her begs or pleas for him to let her go. Even though her voice rang out and shouted for him to stop, her body acted just the opposite to her wishes. He smirked once he finally had her on the bed, nipping gently at her finger when she poked his nose. He chuckled and tlited his head. "Me... fail?" We can't be having that can we?" And with that Tristan's overly warm body pressed down to hers, engulfing her. His lips once again met hers with that passionate lust they always seemed to have for her, his hands pressed on the bed on either side of her head. He didn't quite know what had come over him this time around. He was usually so submissive and so easilly bothered. But this time, he wanted nothing more than to make her squirm. He wanted her to know what it felt to be the one being teased. Tristan felt her fingers trailing around the band of his boxers and couldn't help but to bit gently on her bottom lip, sucking on it as he took it inbetween his lips. One of his own hands now finally passed down from where they were beside his head and traced down her body untlil they were at the waist of her own pants. He was down to underwear and here she was still in her jeans. This wasn't flying with him. Tristan couldn't rip her pants from the angle he was at, so instead he just unbuttoned them, his fingers pulling down the szipper of her pants easily. As he finished undoing her pants, he broke their kiss, releasing her lip as he sat up to slowly pull the pants off of her legs.

"Killian..." Victoria had heard him leave as well, all of her senses flaring as she turned her head to where the other werewolf had been. Her body shook gently at the realization of what had just happened. Victoria's eyes went straight up to Nicholas as she heard him curse, realizing that he too knew that Killian had just been there and probably seen everything. Victoria buried her face into Nicholas' chest, trying to act as if it would make it all go away. Her hands gripped on his shirt at his back. She wanted to cry... to beg for him to not leave her again. She knew that things were going to become much worse. She had been warned not to be caught with Nicholas again. She had been told to forget everything that had once happened. "I'll.. I'll be fine." She said, telling it more to herself than to Nicholas. They wouldn't really hurt her, would they? Again, Victoria felt the tears well up in her eyes, all the emotions of how it had felt when Nicholas had been first torn away from her returning. "I'll be fine. This is the safest place I could be, aside from with you." She said, looking up at him. "I-I understand, Nicholas. PLease don't apologize. It is as much me in trouble as it will be you." She said, her hand raising to caress the side of his face. And that was when he kissed her again. God did he make it so hard to let him leave. He made it nearly impossible for her to do the right thing. When the kiss finally broke, her hands covered his, warming them against her face. "Go, Nicholas. I'll be just fine, as always. It would be much worse if they came and found us together than it would be if you had already left. My heart still belongs to you, Nicholas. It always has." Victoria pressed her lips to his this time. She knew that werewolves were mush harsher. She knew that she was going to be in for it.

Lauralei lifted her head into Tristan's kiss, sighing with almost frustration when he broke it, eyeing him again as he slid the pants from her legs. "You're so confusing sometimes," she sighed, beginning to calm down. Her excitement was slowing a great deal, and more of passion than lust began to take place. Once the pants were off of her, she met her lips with his, twining her fingers into his hair. Another soft moan rose delicately from her throat, bringing her knees up to lock him there, so he couldn't move away from her. Besides, she really was cold; every time he moved, a harsh shiver would roll violently through her, as if trying to take over her body.

Nicholas met his lips with hers, when she'd been the one to actually make move, without any hesitation at all. The action felt too right to dismiss, and the only reason that he pulled away just moments later, was because he knew that he had to. "Come on," he murmured, picking her up in one swift movement, carrying her bridal style, and going back into the house, setting her down on the couch. In an instant, he was opening up Alexander's door, shaking him awake. The blonde lifted his head and swatted aimlessly. "Alex, please, I need you to wake up." Nicholas's brother just pulled a pillow over his head; causing Nicholas to become frantic. "Alexander, I need you to please wake up. I have something that I need you to do, please." The reason that Alexander finally sat up, quite alert, was because of the tone of his brother's voice. "Nicholas... what is it?" He hardly had time to finish his sentence, before Nicholas started talking, "Alexander, I need you to watch Victoria. Don't let her out of your site, don't let anyone in the house that isn't supposed to be here. If someone comes for her, I need you to disappear with her... anywhere, it doesn't matter. Bring her to the mansion if you have to. I'm begging you, please." Alexander nodded slowly. "I'll do it.. but... why?" He didn't get an answer, Nicholas out of the room, his hands on either side of Victoria's face again. "Alexander will take care of you while I'm not here, but I'll be back soon. Don't leave the house.." With a gentle kiss to her forehead, he was gone.

Nicholas appeared back in the mansion, in his room, and heard music playing downstairs. The party was running late... but he wasn't exactly complaining. He practically tore off his clothes and got into the shower, scrubbing his skin thoroughly, ten minutes later coming into his room with a towel wrapped around his waist. He snarled loudly, startled, at a figure in his room. "Oh. Raphael... I'm sorry. You frightened me. No one ever comes in here." Raphael smiled warmly, nodding. "I figured I'd pay you a visit. You've been so quiet during the party. I know you left... not sure where, though. Your clothes do smell rather..." He wrinkled his nose. "Unappealing. Did you have a run-in with a werewolf?" Raphael's voice and tone was completely innocent, but his eyes were not, and Nicholas saw that right off the bat. "Yes, actually... I did. I didn't get a chance to hunt, either, because of it." He left it at that, and Raphael stared at him, slowly standing. "Nicholas... if I discover that you're seeing Victoria again... I'm afraid that you'll be removed from the council, and banned from this house. No one will know what happened to Nicholas Wisinica, and the ones that haven't heard of you will read about you quite suddenly disappearing... kind of like your son. You do realize this?" Nicholas showed no emotion on his face. "I do not need to be reminded, Raphael. Thank you." His long, wet strands of cobalt hair hung down his back and over his shoulders, watching as Raphael left the room calmly; Nicholas sitting down on his bed and running his fingers through his hair. "Shit..."

Once her pants were finally removed and tossed to the side, Tristan very willingly let his lips meet hers once again. The playffullness of his kisses were dying now, being replaced with passion and love once again. Now all he wanted was to be there with her, entangled with her once again in the sheets. Tristan laid back with Lauralei, kicking covers out from beneath them and finally pulling them up over the both of them. He was finally done teasing her. Tristan loved the feeling of her fingers in his hair, holding his head where it was infront of hers. But even more, he loved the sound of the moan that pressed into the kiss they shared. He smirked as he felt her knees lock him in the spot that he was at. "Am I doing a little bit better now at warming you up?" He asked, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke.

Victoria never wanted that kiss to end. The end of the kiss would mean the end of his being there with her. It would mean that she would have to watch him disappear from her arms once again in her life. But it ended. His lips pulled away from hers. She looked up at him, yearning to push her lips back to his. But she knew she couldn't. She could sense the frustration and seiousness in his voice, so she quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he lifted her up into his arms. Always so fast and yet so gentle with her. That, she knew, would never change about Nicholas. Victoria unwound her arms from Nicholas' shoulders when he set her down on the couch, letting her arms fall limply into her lap. She couldn't do anything but stare down into her hands, listening to Nicholas' frantic words to his brother. She was to be guarded. Watched over as if she were a prisoner. What was so wrong wtih loving someone? Why was she told that it wasn't allowed, and yet her heart wont listen to anything about it? Victoria swallowed hard, fighting back all the emotions that threatened to break through at any given point in time. Victoria raised her head, standing quickly when Nicholas walked back into the room. Her arms wrapped around him one last time, looking up at him. "Okay." She said softly, nodding her head. She didn't want him to leave. "Be safe..." Was all she could mutter before he was gone. Victoria's arms fell from the empty air they hugged. Ahe stood there, unmoving, eyes closed, for the longest moment. But suddenly, she fell to the couch, sitting in the exact place that Nicholas had placed her, and put her face in her hands. It was then that she let the emotions break, sobs escaping her lips, and tears once again falling from her chocolate eyes.

Killian had burst into the mansion, his face angered and his eyes golden. His brother had been alerted almost immediately when Killian had begun to tear up the main entrance of the mansion, throwing and tearing anything that he could get his hands on. "What is your problem, Killian?" He asked, rushing down the stairs. "I saw her!" He shouted, thorwing a vase. "SHE WAS IN THE ARMS OF THAT GOD FORSAKKEN BLOOD SUCKER!" Lucian froze. The words were too shocking and unbelievable. "Victoria... was with..." Killian growled as he finished Lucian's statement. "Nicholas...." Lucian was immediately angered. "Get Vincent. It's time we paid the whore a visit. She was warned once, as was he. They were not to meet, under any circumstances, ever again. We can't have what happened so many years ago between them happen again!" He said, walking from the stairs and out the front door. And only moments after that, Vincent and Killian followed.

Lauralei noticed how his playfullness was also becoming dormant, and she looked down at the sheets when he pulled them over them both. She sank down into the mattress, biting down gently onto Tristan's lower lip at his question. "A -little- better, I guess. I'm sure you're capable of more, though. I'm still reeaally cold." She buried herself beneath him, sliding down a bit, pulling down his boxers as far as she could get them -- just past his knees -- and moved back up, using her feet to pull them from his legs the rest of the way, bringing her lips back up to meet his tenderly.

Alexander stumbled out into the living room, blinking when he saw Victoria on the couch, in such a mess like she was. "Victoria? Are you alright?" Her sobs brought him into more of a reality, wondering why his brother was so concerned over her. He wasn't going to question it, though -- just like Nicholas would never question anything that Alexander asked, or did. It was a hundred percent against Alexander's nature, but he gently wrapped an arm around Victoria's shoulders, attempting to comfort her. Only then did he notice his brother's scent lingering heavily on her clothes... as if he'd held her for a long while, and not as a simple hug. The male was completely silent about it, not asking her any other questions than the first one, running his hand gently across her back.

Nicholas dried himself off and dressed slowly, laying down on his bed. Silently, he was thanking Alexander, over and over to himself, for not demanding answers for anything. The only thing he was worried about now were the werewolves. He knew they were on their way. Whether or not they would carry out all the way there -- and he knew it would take them an hour or so to get there, give or take about ten minutes -- was a completely different thing. But if they did get there... and if Alexander couldn't do anything... he'd risk going there again. Even if it meant him being stripped of everything he had now, he refused the thought of letting her get hurt in any way, shape, or form. It killed him enough to see the look on her face when they were forced apart, both times -- so many years ago, and then just a little while before. He wasn't sure how he could cope away from her much longer.

Tristan chuckled and tilted his head to the side as he studied Lauralei carefully. "Only a little, huh?" He said to her, shaking his head. "That wont do at all. Not one bit." He said, feeling her hands slipping his boxers down over his hips and down to his knees. He moved his legs with her, trying to help her get the article of clothing off as easily as possible. Once they were off of him and kicked out of the way, Tristan lifted a hand to gently run it down the front of her body. His fingers trailed gently down between her breasts then his fingers sprawled out massively over her stomach. He held his hand there for a moment. From there, he pressed his lips to hers once again, returning her kiss. His hand slipped down, his fingers pulling gently on her underwear, pulling them down over her hips and down her thighs. After a long moment, he had them off of her and tossed to the side, his body onto pof hers, the heated flesh of his chest pressed hard against her cold one.

Victoria had broken. She had shown a side that she had never let anyone see. At first when she heard Alexander's voice, she was angry. It wasn't the person she wanted to be comforting her. It wasn't Nicholas there beside her trying to calm her, it was his brother. All because the one that she loved and wanted to be there... couldn't be. The anger was gone from her before it even had time to show, and when Alexander wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she collapsed into his chest, tears falling down her cheeks faster than before. She knew she smelled strongly of Nicholas. Hell, why wouldn't she. They had stood embracing each other for a long time. She knew that Alexander would be able to smell Nicholas on her, but she was thankful that for now, he wasn't asking any questions. "W-Why...?" She whispered, almost inaudiblly between her heavy sobs. "Why must everything... that we love... be kept away?" She asked him carefully, looking up at him with horror filled eyes. "They're coming for me..." She whispered, her body softly shaking. "They... They'll kill me..." Victoria shook her head and cupped her face in her hands. "I broke the creed... The pact... And now... They'll follow out with the punishment."

Lauralei tilted her body upwards as Tristan's warm hand slid over her front, looking down and tilting her head a little as his fingers sprawled across her slightly raised stomach. Again, she wondered what it all was going to be like, but this time, the thoughts weren't depressing. They weren't ominous to her mind. She lifted herself a bit when he began pulling off her underwear, watching where they landed once he tossed them-- another shudder rolling through her when her icy body was quite suddenly pressed fully against his, feeling as if it were on fire. "Aww, that won't do? I'm glad you agree with me." Her arms very slowly wrapped over his shoulders, nails running gently across his back and the back of his neck. If it were this perfect, this care-free and loving, every day, for everyone... it certainly would end all of the wars that were happening, or being planned out.

Alexander was a little surprised, again, when Victoria was a limp heap into his chest, but he only held her a little more tightly, still wondering what had caused her to be like this. When she started speaking, he listened carefully, as not to miss anything she was saying. Why must everything that we love be kept away? The thought swarmed in his mind, her words echoing gently. And then the scent of his brother swam through his nostrils. "... Oh.." He whispered the word, almost inaudibly, at piecing together everything -- why his brother had been so intent on Alexander protecting the werewolf, why so many years ago, Nicholas had always smelled like one every time he came back, why Raphael gave him hard, irritated looks every time the male snuck out somewhere. And why after a certain point, Nicholas was threatened... but Alexander was never told why. He was blocked from his brother's mind on any kind of topic that led to it, and Raphael told Alexander if he started interfering, he would recieve the same threat -- and it would be carried out. "Victoria... Nicholas won't let them hurt you. That I can promise. He'll fight for you until he's dead, if that's the case. I know you don't want that... but.." He shook his head, smoothing his hand over her back again in small, circular motions, attempting to soothe her once more.

ooc: Oh, hell. I've been grounded from the computer today because I stayed home -again- o.- Not my fault I'm sick. Whatever. I'll try sneaking on as much as I can, but it's going to be hard. Mom's like... crazy-watching me lately. o.o Duno why. Anyway, I'll talk to you later. =]

Tristan smiled down at Lauralei, his arms slipping beneath her arms and under her shoulders. He lowered his lips down to hers once again, pressing a soft kiss against them as he moved over her just slightly. He growled softly into the kiss as he felt her nails against the skin of his back and his neck. The feelings that shot through his body at that moment caused him to arch his hips foreward slowly, pressing himself into her and sliding inside of her. He couldn't help but to moan into the kiss once again as he pressed all the way inside of her. It had been a few weeks since they had done anything. Once Tristan had pushed himself inside of her, he raised a hand up to run through her hair, slowly moving his hips up and away from her, soon after pushing them back into hers. The burning firey passion that had overwhelmed his body the first time that had done anything like this, had returned already, causing Tristan's body to feel hotter than normal. He broke his kiss with Lauralei finally, his forehead not leaving hers, as he continued to thrust in and out of her slowly.

Victoria didn't care if Alexander figured it out or not. It didn't matter anymore. Everyone was going to figure it out sooner or later. How long could the council hide the truth? How long could they expect to keep Victoria and Nicholas apart? How long did they expect to hide that the 'brother' that Victoria lost because of a tragedy, wasn't really even her brother. But her's and Nicholas' son. "I have to..." She said, taking a deep breath as she fought to control her feelings once again. Victoria took a deep breath and looked up at Alexander. "I have to find Keith. He's not safe. They'll go after him too..." She said, shaking her head. "They'll go after any one of us who were involved. They'll come after all of us. Me... And Nicholas..." She shook her head and pulled away from Alexander. She looked up at at the front door of the house. "They're getting so close so quickly. I can barely sense them, but that's not the scary part." She then looked back at Alexander. "It's the fact that I can already sense them." She said, shaking her head. She sighed and looked at her hands. "I'm sorry... Sorry that all this is happening now."

Lauralei let out a quiet groan when Tristan's hips pressed into hers, his arms under her shoulders, pressing his heated flesh to hers, causing a harsh shudder to take over her upper half. The vampiress tilted her head back slightly as his fingers ran through her hair, turning her head to the side to gently kiss his wrist. She was definately starting to warm up now; Tristan's body being overly hot against her cool one. His movements caused her body to push upwards a bit, against him, but soon she was mostly limp against the mattress, just letting him move against her. Her fingers trailed back over his shoulders again, hooked beneath his arms, nails digging into his skin just slightly, towards his neck. Slowly, her lips trailed towards his throat, kissing the skin there in several different places.

Alexander blinked, completely confused now. "Keith? Who's Keith?" He wanted to ask so much more: why were they coming after him? How was he involved? How are the three of them connected? When she pulled away, he blinked, noticing the wet streaks on his shirt, sighing a little. He, too, sensed the others, and how fast they were approaching -- but it still wouldn't be for a good while. The territory was rather far away, and even if they were running as fast as Victoria had driven, it'd take them roughly two hours, a little less, perhaps, and the woman had been speeding a rather great deal. At her apology, he blinked. "What are you apologising for? It's not like any of this is directly your fault." He frowned, glancing towards the door, and then upstairs, just now realizing what was going on up there. He only shook his head once, and sat back in the sofa.

The soft groan was like music to his ears. He felt her body shudder beneath his and he looked down at her, studying her features carefully. She didn't seem uncomfortable, so he assumed it had to do with the temperature. Tristan caressed the side of her face with his hand as she kissed his wrist. Tristan growled softly as he felt Lauralei push her body up into his, the feeling of her cool skin against his heated skin making his feel good. Cooler. It helped alieviate the feeling of his body burning against his will. Tristan felt Lauralei's nails dig into the soft and sensative skin against the back of his neck. He moaned softly nd pressed his hips tightly against hers before slowly pulling them away. He continued these movements, pressing and pulling, He slid himself in and out of her at a slow but heavy pace, tilting his head down into the crook of her neck. The feeling of her lips against his skin was tantalizing, something that he knew he would never get enough of in his life.

Victoria shook her head. "Who is Keith?" She repeated, sighing softly. "Keith is the most well known werewolf and the biggest kept secret in the face of the vampires." She said softly. "He's the lover of the vampire that Raphael killed so many years ago." She said, looking up at the front door. "He's been gone ever since then, and I don't blame him. No one knows who he is... what he is. As far as everyone knows... He is simply my brother." She said, laughing softly. A few tears slipped down her cheeks once again, "But to me and Nicholas..." She started... "To Lucian and to Raphael..." She said, shaking her head once again. "He is so much more. To the council leaders, he is a threat. Something that should have been disposed of long ago. But seeing as how he is the son of two of the highest council members in both clans, the leaders knew that they couldn't touch him." Victoria stood up and walked across the living room, looking onto the black fireplace for a long moment. "I remember when I was pregnant with Keith. Nicholas acted so calm... just like Tristan does with Lauralei. But I know the thoughts that went through Nicholas' head. I know the thoughts that go through Tristan. They two of them are so different... and yet they're so much alike." She turned and faced Alexander at that. "They father the only two half breeds known in both of our clans generations."

Lauralei's eyes were closed, her cheek pressed to the pillow, occasional, quiet moans sliding up from her throat. The more he continued his movements, the more she seemed to get lost in the feeling. Every once in a while, her nails would press into the skin of his shoulderblades, or she'd lift her head a bit and press her lips to his, or his throat. Tristan's actions caused more and more heated pulses to quiver throughout her body, like small sparks of electricity, swirling delicately in pure ecstacy, just like the first time between the two of them. Slowly, her fingers entangled in his hair, moving back and forth from the skin on his back to his scalp, running her fingers along that area.

Alexander watched quietly as Victoria spoke, and when she finished, all he did was stare at her for the longest time. He didn't blink, move -- it didn't even look like he was breathing. Finally, he jolted backwards a bit, suddenly glaring. "You're telling me that MY brother and you had a child? A mixed breed? And they've been hiding it this entire time?" Well, that certainly would explain why Nicholas was so protective over the female. But Keith.. that was still a mystery. He was never really informed on all of that; always kept in the shadows, and now, he realized, it was for good purpose. "Jesus.." he murmured, covering his face with his hands; elbows resting on his knees. "So... Nicholas and you had a child.. named Keith. Keith bred with another vampire, and she was destroyed... and everyone covered it up by saying it was your brother -- who they all claimed was a pure blood werewolf -- just mating with a vampire." He knew everything was correct, they weren't really questions. More like repeating it out loud to help it sink in a little more. "And now.. Lauralei and Tristan are going to have a child. And it will most likely be a girl, but no one's sure yet... because she's the only female, out of nothing but males, on Raphael's generation." He sighed heavily. "No one realizes that he could very easily kill Lauralei if he wanted to, because he has Christopher to carry out his line. But even so, he doesn't..." Now, he was babbling to himself aimlessly, in a heavy shock as to what he'd just learned.

Tristan continued to move himself in and out of her, occasionally moaning softly at the feeling of her around him. The feelings that shot through his body were so much like the ones that he had felt with her the first time that they had made love, so many weeks prior to this day. He growled softly when her nails pulled at the skin on the back of his shoulders, enjoying the feelings that it caused to shoot through his entire being. He moaned in ecstacy when Lauralei pulled her fingers across his scalp, pulling gently at his hair, causing him to move his hips a little harder against her own.

Victoria looked at him, slightly annoyed by his silence. She had told him everything that he had been wanting to know for years, and all he could do was stare at her. Finally, when Alexander spoke, Victoria sighed, shaking her head. "Yes. Me and your brother had a child. A son. It was so long ago when he was born." She said, smiling. But the smile faded quickly. "It was the biggest scandle in the entire history of vampires and werewolves. And it was also the best kept secret. It was one of the only times, in the history of vampires and werewolves, that the two clans willingly worked together." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against a wall. "We were told not to tell anyone the truth. The child was to stay with me, and be introduced as my brother. When I... had the baby... the creed and rules towards mine and Nicholas' seperation had already been issued to us." She said, staring off into space. "But he was still there, with me." She laughed shaking her head and running her hand through her dark curls. "They never figured out the times when he would sneak out to see me and his son." The Victoria pulled herself from the happiness of that memory. "It was when Killian was brought into the picture... part of Lucian's plan... that Nicholas disappeared. You see... vampire females can only breed once. But us female werewolves... we can breed forver." She said, looking at Alexander once again. "Do you see why we were split up? Why no one was told and why Keith was this big secret?" She asked, sighing. "Please don't be upset with Nicholas. He only kept this all from you to protect you."

Lauralei's eyes flickered open a little when she heard Tristan's growl, lifting her head a bit to kiss his throat again. When his hips moved slightly harder against hers, she moaned with a new level of volume, her skin not as cool as it was with Tristan pressed against her like he was. It was becoming slightly... warm, unlike the first time they'd shared their love -- where her body was a cooler temperature almost the entire time. The child inside of her changed how her body reacted to Tristan even more than it did before. Again, her fingers pulled lightly through his hair, loving the sound of his growls; letting her his rise the slightest bit against his again.

Alexander shook his head slowly. "I'm not upset with Nicholas. And I'm not upset with you. There's no reason for me to be. The only reason I was upset with Lauralei is because of pure jealousy." Biggest scandle.. yes, that it was. Alexander was still just absolutely amazed he hadn't seen it before, or caught on. Perhaps it was because of how simply taboo it was -- even the thought of it was forbidden. "So this is why Raphael and Lucian aren't completely freaking out over all of this? Because it's already happened? And if your son.. my nephew..." The word 'nephew' caused him to shudder a little, not used to it. "Keith, rather... because he ran off after his mate was killed, Lucian couldn't get his hands on him. Is that what happened? And now he wants Lauralei and Tristan's child? Both of them -- Keith and the one that has yet to be born -- have amazing power just because of their parents alone." He was still in a slight shock, but shook his head again, looking back at Victoria once again.

Tristan couldn't help but to growl again. The deep and rather powerful growl shook through his lips, a little louder than before. He could feel his throat vibrating softly against Lauralei's kiss. Hearing her moan out in a new volume than before, he lowered his head down to gently trail kisses along the soft skin of her jawbone. He noticed the unnatural warmness to her body, and at first it worried him slightly at the fact that she had become so warm beneath his body, when the first time she had stayed cool against him. But after he felt her fingers pull through his hair and felt her hips push up to meet his, he knew it was nothing to honestly worry about. If it had been something to worry about, she would have stopped him and said something. Tristan's hips kept on with their assault on Lauralei's hips, completely oblivious to what was going on downstairs.

"Imagine... the strength of a werewolf with the speed and agility of a vampire. You creatures were made to lure in your prey. We were made to be beasts of the night, creatures who could tear apart the body of an elephant with a few short pulls and tears." Victoria said, letting her arms uncross from around her chest and fall to her sides. She slowly began to pace back and forth through the living room. "I am the only female member of the Werewolf Council. I am second in command." She said, shaking her head. "Many believe it is Killian's position... out of sheer denial that a female can be powerful enough to hold such a position. And I do allow Killian to act as if he was the second in command, just to shut him up." She said, rolling her eyes. "But the thing is... is that Keith... your nephew...Is completely different from this child that Lauralei carries." She stated, looking back at Alexander. "Keith was a male child born of a male vampire and a female werewolf. This child... Lauralei and Tritan's... could be completely different from my son. This child is of a father werewolf and a mother vampire. And we know not the sex of the child. Or even if it's even just one child." Victoria grumbled and placed her long fingers against both of her temples. "There must be some kind of difference... seeing as how Lauralei will only be able to breed this once. This child could very well surpass Keith in his powers. And that in itself is hard to imagine." She said, recrossing her arms finally. "Who knows what this child will possess. And who knows what will happen from here." She said, sighing. "This is why Lucian and Raphael have freaked out so badly about all of this. Because there is no telling what will happen. I'm strong. One of the strongest in my coven. And the child birth nearly killed me. When it was all said and done with... my spine was broken in four place, a few of my ribs were cracked or shattered... and my pelvic bone was fractured. I couldn't move for weeks. It took my body forever to recooperate. Even though we have quick healing times, it seemed that the effect of carrying the child, how it sucked every power from me like this child is doing to Lauralei... had a delayed effect on me. I might as well have been human for those few weeks afterwards." She said, sighing heavily.

Lauralei moved her head in his direction when Tristan began to trail kisses down her jawbone, allowing herself to become just slightly limp again beneath him. Her hips still moved slightly upwards, to meet his own, smiling at the growl he let loose. A slow, casual but steady buildup was starting to form within her, causing the ecstacy-induced flares to become even stronger. She lifted her head to nip at his neck again tenderly, tugging at his earlobe with a light playfullness, a growl of her own releasing into the air.

Alexander sat there in total silence while Victoria spoke, and he shuddered when she said what had happened to her during the birth. "Lauralei hasn't really.. possessed her full potential of power yet. That's what worries me. If you were in that state, at how strong you are... it honestly frightens me what might happen to Lauralei. Vampiric-born children also act differently, though... they don't necissarily have all their powers at birth; but they still acquire claws, and fangs. It takes a week or so for them to come into their power. But with it being half and half... I don't know what will happen, if it will make it harder or easier on her." His gaze shifted towards the stairs, then moved slowly back to the ground, sighing heavily. "All we can do is wait, for now. Do you need help finding your son?" Emerald hues were fixed on the werewolf now. "Or.. rather... do you need to stay somewhere else for a while and keep hidden?" His voice was as soft as his eyes were, waiting to see what she was going to say.

Tristan moved steadily against Lauralei's body beneath his. His arms slipped out from beneath her shoulders and as he moved against her, his hands trailed down her sides. His left hand steadied him, pressing into the bed beside her head for support. Then his other hand moved down to getnly rub her thigh, moving her leg up into the nook of his arm very slowly and carefully. His hips pressed into her own hips harder now, but careful enough not to hurt her. His growls were now mixed with soft grunts, tilting his head down so that Lauralei could nibble at his neck to her own desire and get to his ear easier. His fingers gripped tightly at the skin on her thigh, his hand grasping the sheets beneath it. That feeling of everything building up inside of him became more intesnse, stronger with each thrust and movement that he made.

Victoria sighed and brought a hand to her head, pressing her fingers to her right temple. A small headache had started to form between her eyes. "No." She said rather simply. "There will be no running to hide, disappearing with my tail between my legs." She said, shaking her head. "For now... I stay here. They won't cause too much trouble as long as we all stay here. Lucian will not do anything to upset Tristan and Lauralei, let alone make this horrid secret known to anyone other than who already knows. It's okay. I'll wait this out. Once they're gone... once the punishment is issued... I will see what needs to be done to find Keith. I have not seen him since the death of his mate. I have not heard from him nor seen him. It will be rather hard... but I will figure it out. I always do." She sighed softly, shaking her head. Worry and guilt shot through her body. She didn't know what was to come. She knew that there was only anger under Lucian and Killian's heavy paws. They were not going to be pleasant. But then again they weren't going to be as calm as they should. Victoria took a deep breath. "They will be here shortly. Perhaps we should make their arrival a pleasant one... or at least make it so that Lauralei is asleep and not subject to hearing what goes on in the next hour." She said, looking at Alexander. "We could use Tristan's strength... just in case. But Lauralei needs not to be worried by such things right now."

Lauralei gently ran her lips across Tristan's skin when he'd tipped his head down a bit, listening to his quiet noises, becoming seemingly intoxicated by his movements. When his hand moved to her thigh, and then gripped the skin there, she only arched just slightly again, her teeth biting down onto his skin, though not piercing it this time. She noticed how he kept moving as if he was going to hurt her; how he never went too far. It would have irritated her beyond reason if she hadn't been in completely consumed by his cucrent actions, another intensified moan sliding up her throat as she pressed her lips against the hollow of his throat.

Alexander nodded quietly, glancing at the stairs again. "No, she doesn't. I'm sure Tristan will be fine with helping... once he has time to relax a bit." He layed down on the couch, sighing, running his fingers through his hair. "All of this is so stupid. If they would just let things alone..." He honestly felt bad for his brother, and Victoria. Lauralei and Tristan hadn't been forced apart from each other... but the other two had been. Now, he remembered how long Nicholas had been depressed, how many times he'd caught him sneaking back into the mansion at insane hours that could be deadly to him. He'd say he was going to hunt, but come back starving still. He'd always wondered what was going on so many years ago, and now he had all of the answers to everything. "If they try to lay their hands on you when they do come... Nicholas won't hesitate to get here in an instant." His emerald hues were closed now, slightly limp on the couch; still tired, the stress making him even more so, yet knowing he couldn't dare sleep. "Hopefully the two upstairs finish up with their activities beforehand. Things will only be ten times more stressful on everyone if they aren't." He grumbled a bit, rolling onto his side and facing the noiseless television.

Control. Tristan was always so good at keeping it in line. But for some reason, Lauralei's actions and the noises that she let escape from her lips only tore at that control he held. Tristan couldn't help it to moan out whenever he heard Lauralei's moan, her teeth pressing into his skin once again. Without even thinking about it, his hips bucked hard, foreward into Lauralei's. It was a rougher movement than he would have ever allowed himself to givve, but it sent shock of pleasure through his body. Again, he pulled his hips back and threw them into hers, his fingers pulling hard at the skin on her thighs. Grunts and growls formed in Tristan's throat as he continued his hard movements against Lauralei, the sounds
leaving his mouth every so often.

"Tristan is always quick to help anyone. Hell. I'm sure he would even help you were you to ever ask for it." Victoria said, trying her best to cheer herself up. It wasn't working. Nothing would ever make her as happy as Nicholas could. "But they wont let anything alone... ever. Why would they? Lucian is power crazy. All he wants is to be the best... even if that means tearing apart everything we've all worked so hard to gain. Then there's the elders... They're all so stuck on the old ways... That they can't look past the pages in books to see the truth. This isn't then. This is now." Victoria said, shaking her head gently. Her head dropped and she held her face in her hands. "So many times over the years I've planned on just... Killing Lucian. Ending his tyrantcy on both werewolves and vampires alike. But it would cause chaos for us all." She said before looking back up at Alexander, seeing him doing nothing but thinking. "You shouldn't worry so much about your brother. You do know that he never told you to simply protect you... right? He wanted to tell you. I can't tell you how many times I had to calm him... how often he came to me completely torn that he couldn't tell you how he felt about anything... or even about me." Victoria sighed. She remembered back when they were together, back before their son and before anyone truely knew about them. Council meetings between the two races. It was always so hard for them to be near each other and act as if they despised each other. They would always laugh about it late those nights while they were together. Victoria finally laughed and let her eyes move from the floor to the stairs. "Let the children have their fun, you old bat." She said, shaking her head. "They have every right to be up there right now. They are going through an awful lot."