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

Lauralei blinked tiredly when he'd lifted her, but she had no out loud objections, even though she didn't like to be carried anywhere. "It's not like I'm complaining about it," she mumbled softly, watching him stand and start to leave; responding to what he said about imposing in her space. A smile slipped across her face when Roscoe hopped into the room, jumping into the bed and curling up into her side, letting her fingers run against his warm fur. The vampiress snuggled beneath the blankets, laying on her side and letting the side of her face nestle comfortably against the pillows. A relaxed sigh slid through her lips, closing her eyes and going limp beneath the blankets, the dim, dancing light of the fire soothing her further as warmth spread throughout the room. "Good night, Tristan." Her voice was soft, sleep being clearly heard there. Within no time, she was in a comfortable slumber, curled up slightly on her side, breathing through parted lips.

Raphael was much more calm now, and his wife was no longer so stressed in trying to keep him under control. "At least they aren't sleeping in the same bed anymore," he muttered icily, and knew that within a few hours the sun would start to come up. The mansion was already spotless from where he had thrown his tantrum, except for a few splintering holes in the walls, which were being repaired. Raphael, Jaylen, and their son, Christopher, were up in their room, Raphael sprawled out along the bed with Jaylen tucked into his side, already sleeping. She grew tired easily lately, from having given birth to Christopher such a short time ago. The boy was just a week old or so, but he already had the size and mentality of a one year old. The vampiric children aged quickly, but werewolves always seemed to age faster, until they hit that age of maturity, where they just stopped growing. There were some werewolves that were nine, ten years old in maturity when they stopped aging, and others were in their thirties. It all just depended. Vampires were the same, except they usually stopped between fifteen and twenty-five, and it didn't take long at all for them to get there.

Tristan turned back and looked at Lauralei as she curled into a ball. He couldn't help but to smile at her small frame beneatht he covers of his bed. "I know you weren't. And nowing me, I'll come back once I'm tired. I've got some work to do." He said, making sure to pull the curtains all of the way shut before turning to walk out the door. "Sweet Dreams, Little Angel." He said before walking out the bedroom door, Tristan shut the door almost silently behind him before turning and walking down the hall to his study. Walking in he immediately found himself sitting at his desk, leaning over with his head in his hands, his fingers entwined in his own hair. He took a deep breath and raised his eyes to look at the door that he had walked into the room through. He took a deep breath and shook his head before lifting up his book to read through some of it's pages. His head pounded, though he couldn't understand why. Pain seared through his head and down the back of his neck. Tristan didn't move much as he sat at that desk, his eyes glued to the same spot on the page of his book for hours before he found the headache passed and he was able to move his eyes once again. He was exhausted, more tired than he had been in months. He moved his eyes over to the window, seeing the light shining through it. He had never imagined that he had been out of it that long. Tristan stood and looked down. The muscles on his chest were fully toned, something that had not been that way hours before. Sure, they had been prominant, but now they were perfect. Tristan could feel his body burning and took a deep breath as he took a few hesitant steps towards the door to the hallway, his feet stepping out into the hall. He could hear Erik working downstairs and was thankful the old man didn't ask any questions.

Tristan moved slowly back to his room, his feet dragging beneath him, his eyes fighting to stay opened as he moved. He had no idea what had come over him while he had been in his study, but something had happened to him, and it had exhausted his body, making his body burn and ache in areas he had never imagined it to. Tristan slowly opened the door to his bedroom, his eyes fallim immediately onto Lauralei. His icy blue eyes then flickered to the curtains, making sure they were drawn enough as to not cause her discomfort if she were to wake. Tristan moved slowly, making hardly any noise for someone as large as he was. It was only moments before Tristan was on the bed, where he always laid next to Lauralei, his right hand raising to brush hair from her face, his hand resting on her cheek before he passed out.

Lauralei shifted slightly from the heat of his hand on her cheek, opening her eyes a little and pulling her face away. The fire was nothing more than soft embers now, but Tristan was there, and so she didn't worry about getting up to put more wood on the dull flames. Stretching out slightly, she curled up against Tristan, falling asleep once more. In her slumber, she adjusted so that her cheek was resting on his chest, and her arm was draped around him; Roscoe sleeping behind her knees, where they bent. After a little while, she kicked the blankets off, her legs and feet pressed against Tristan. The extra warmth from the blankets wasn't even needed, though Roscoe snuggled beneath them, still pressed to the back of Lauralei's legs.

Raphael was staring at the wall with flat out irritation. He was eating his words. It took a lot of restraint on himself to not go and take care of Tristan himself, and to pry Lauralei away from there and set her in the place that she was destined for, but he didn't want to upset Jaylen any further, so he stayed in bed and went to sleep. Just about everyone in the mansion was asleep by now, except for the repairmen who were fixing up the walls down in the main room. Alexander slept peacefully in his room, Nicholas doing the same. Pretty soon, the repairmen were done downstairs and left, the final ones on the mansion that were awake going to sleep after making sure everything was fine. Raphael didn't sleep to peacefully, though, knowing that his last decendant was in the same bed with a werewolf. His blood boiled even as he slept.

Things were getting stranger and stranger. Erik had taken off for the weekend, much like he usually had. But never had things changed so much in the house over two short days. The door had been fixed the last day that Erik had been there, and he was happy to see that it was still in one piece. But when Erik walked into Tristan's house that morning, he was shocked to see that Tristan was no where to be found. Usually he was up bustling around doing work and getting food. Very rarely was Tristan asleep. Erik knew that Tristan never slept well and that he only slept during the wee hours of the mornings. But now, suddenly, he was usually unseen during the day. Erik sighed as he walked in the back door of the house, his feet hitting three bags as he walked in. He looked down, raising an eyebrow. Tristan hardly ever went into town. Not by himself anyways. Erik picked up the bags and opened them. Men's clothes. "It's about time Master Tristan bought some new..." But his words stopped short as he pulled out a pair of pants. They were much longer than anything he had ever seen Tristan wear before. Erik raised an eyebrow and pulled out a shirt. It was too large as well. Erik shook his head and slowly pulled out the mens clothes and laid them out over the chair. Next he picked up another bag, opening it to look inside. Erik blinked a few times, confused, before pulling out the overtly small female clothes. Those too were soon laid across the chairs and Erik was finally going through the final bag. He was unsure why Tristan would go and buy things for a dog, but Erik didn't ask any more questions before turning and hanging the leash and collar on the peg by the back door. The toys he then placed on the counter in the kitchen.

Erik busied himself most of the day, avoiding the strange new freezer and things in the kitchen. He was unsure of what Tristan would need more space for, but he was sure he didn't want to fully know at that moment. But by the time night was falling, and Erik knew that the house would start to stir, he knew he would need to make food for the house. Erik soon walked into the kitchen and opened the first refidgerator. At first, Erik wasn't sure what was in the pouches. He had no clue that the red substance was blood. But after a long moment, Erik shut the fridge, his face lost in confusion. He moved, opening the next fridge, opening the freezer along with it. The freezer was packed with raw meet, the fridge had pleanty of unthawed meat in it to feed a pack of wolves. Things soon began to click into place at Erik thought strongly about what was happening in the house. Tristan had not been acting strangely until the young woman, his 'cousin', had shown up. Erik had been upstairs to clean a little earlier that day, and every room was empty, except for Tristan's. When Erik had put all the new clothes on hangers, he had taken them upstairs into Tristan's room, only to find the now large Tristan curled up with a very fragile looking woman, the same woman he had introduced as his cousin. Erik had hung up the clothes silently and quickly left the room. Now, Erik was moving around in the kitchen. A plate was on a tray. On the plate was a fresh piece of meat, bloody and raw as if it had come off the cow just moments before. And beside that was a bag of blood. And in the corner, Erik had filled the small dog bowls with food and water. One glance out the window at the darkening sky, and Erik lifted the tray into his hands wand took it upstairs. Once at the door, Erik knocked gently on the door before opening it. "Master Tristan. I have brought you and your guest some dinner. Or in your case, breakfast." He said, smilng. "The clothes are hung in your closet and I have cleaned the house as I do every Monday. I'm taking my leave now. Please enjoy your night Master Tristan." He said softly as he slid the tray onto the edge of the bed. He then turned and looked back at Tristan and the woman. "Oh yes. It's not quit dark yet, so please head your young woman to be careful at the wondows." He said, smiling before taking his leave.

Tristan had slept almost soundlessly, other than waking up the one time when Erik had entered the room to hang up their clothes. It had taken Tristan a few moments to wake up to the sound of Erik's voice, but once he had caught the scent of the freshly bleeding steak that he had with him, his mouth watered and his eyes opened. Once Erik left, Tristan couldn't help but to smile at Lauralei in his arms in the way she was. He ran his fingers across her face softly. "Hey Little Angel. Are you hungry?" He asked softly, looking over at the plate that Erik had brought them.

Lauralei grumbled slightly, the upper half of her body still slightly sprawled over Tristan's chest. She opened her eyes, rolling away from him and onto her side, her words mumbled in a slur, "Let the Angel sleep." After a moment or so, the scent of the blood reached her nose, and she sat up, using one hand to support herself on the mattress. Her eyes were halfway shut, hair sticking up in every direction possible. Long, slender fingers snatched the packet, and she flopped back onto her side, pulling the cap off and draining the contents slowly. When she finished it off, she set it back down on the tray and tucked herself into Tristan's side again, her eyes seeming to be glued shut. Roscoe was up, and he shook his smallish body, eyeing the bloody meat on the tray, still, until he saw the dog food and small bowl of water there as well. Knowing better than to advance, because of the dominance that seemed to radiate around Tristan, the pup waited until the male had grabbed what he wanted before finally slinking forwards, crunching down on the food that he knew was his.

........................ * ... e l s e w h e r e ... * ........................

Raphael woke to Jaylen playing with Christopher on the couch inside their room, almost immidiately looking in to see what Lauralei was doing. He nearly laughed at loud to her reaction at Tristan, sighing a little, then completely freezing up when he realized that Erik -- the human -- knew what they were. His teeth ground and snapped together, Jaylen looking up at him with a scowl. "Raph, you need to calm down. You've been too stressed lately, and you have a son here that you never pay any attention to. Chris, go get daddy." The young boy -- who now looked as if he were two or so -- hobbled over to where Raphael was still laying in the bed. The elder picked up his son, smiling. "There are things that need attending to, Jaylen. I'm sorry." He knew that it was no excuse for not paying more attention to the family that he had, but it was the only sort of comfort he could provide her. She knew full well what was going on, who Lauralei was, and how she felt about the werewolf inside of the mansion. Raphael kept her plenty informed. What she didn't understand, much like Alexander, was why Raphael was so against the idea of letting the two become close. She shunned the thought of them being too close, but the girl obviously needed some kind of ground, and Tristan -- though he was a werewolf -- was providing that ground.

Tristan couldn't help but to smile as she sat up, using that time to sit up beside her. He watched her carefully, his eyes studying her hair with amusement. He watched as she snatched up the packet of blood and then laid back with it, sucking it down as if it was her bottle. He waited patiently as she grank her breakfast, grateful that Erik was so understanding to all that had been happening and changing. Then once Lauralei had replaced the now empty blood packet onto the tray and laid back down to sleep, he went to his own food. It didn't take him long to devour the entire steak. And by the time he was done, he was awake enough to not want to fall back asleep. His mind spun for a moment before his eyes fell upon the full bowls of water and food for Roscoe. Tristan couldn't help but to smile over at the dog and pet his head. "You don't have to wait for me to eat, Roscoe." He said, chuckling as he placed the two bowls closer to Roscoe, making it easier for him to get to them. With one last pet to Roscoe and once Tristan covered Lauralei's small frame with the sheets again, Tristan stood up and went over to the fireplace. He shoved some more wood into it and after a few moments it was lit once again, the warmth overtaking the coldness quickly. Tristan then stood and walked into the large closet that was part of the bedroom. He was happy to see that Erik had put his new clothes in place of his old clothes and that Lauralei's were in there as well, hanging on their own rack. Tristan changed quickly, placing a pait of black pants and a black button up shirt on. As he was buttoning up the shirt, he was walking from the closet and out of the bedroom, slowly making his way to the studio.

It had been days since he had sat in his studio, and silently, he remembered how much he missed it. Tristan sat on the bench infront of the piano, his fingers tracing the keys delicately. It was going to be time for him to write a new song soon, and he knew that it was going to become quite hard for him to think of anything to right. As Tristan sat there, he tried to come up with something, but as he pressed random keys, he found himself only able to think of one thing. With a deep growl of frustration, Tristan slammed his fists onto the keys of the piano, staring down at them. But something about the sound that the keys had made struck an idea in his mind. Slowly, Tristan started pressing keys, a soft tune coming out from deep within the grand piano's belly. But Tristan soon stopped the assault on the keys, looking over to the closet of the room with interest. He stood, walking over to the closet. Once he opened it and walked in, he pulled out a large black guitar case. It was something that he had learned how to play many years ago, but very rarely did he use it, perferring the sound of piano scores over guitars. It wasn't long before Tristan was seated in the overly large and extremly comfortable chair by the window, the deep red guitar on his leg, a cord running from its base into an amp that sat a little ways away from the chair. He started to play the same tune from the piano, but it sounded clearer and more emotional through the chords he played against the strings of his guitar. It wasn't long before Tristan was putting words to his music, his mind coming up with words from his heart, words that he never imagined he would ever make for anything.

"When I see your smile, tears run down my face. I can't replace. And now that I'm stronger I've figured out how this world turns cold and breaks through my soul. And I know, I'll find deep inside me I can be the one. I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to Heaven. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling all for us. Days grow longer and nights grow shorter. I can show you, I'll be the one. I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there through it all. Even if saving you sends me to Heaven. Cause you're my, you're my, my.... My true love, my whole heart. Please don't throw that away. Cause I'm here for you. Please don't walk away. And please tell me...." Suddenly Tristan's slow chords became faster and a little more harder. "You'll stay. Stay? Use me as you will. Pull my strings just for a thrill. And I know I'll be okay. Though my skies are turning gray. I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to Heaven..." Tristan continued on with the final verse, and once he finished his song, he deemed it too unfit to sell. But silently, he deemed it her song. The one song no one would ever hear, or so he thought.

Lauralei slept quite peacefully, even after Tristan had left, and she was in a half slumber by the time Roscoe was finished taking his fill, the dog having curled up next to her. Her eyes blinked open when she'd heard someone's fists slamming down on the piano keys, frowning and lifting her head. She stood, feet touching the cold floor, and moving over to the closet, smiling when she saw the clothes there. She pulled off a pair of jeans shorts and a random shirt, moving over into the bathroom to shower. It didn't take but ten minutes or so, and when she was done, she got out, dried off, and put the clothes on. The shirt was a black halter top, coming to tie around her neck, which she did in a delicate bow, pulling her hair up as. Towards the sides of her face, hair hung down to around her neck, but then moved on to her actual bangs, which brushed just above her eyes. It felt nice to have the rest of her hair out of the way from her face, and found a pair of socks to place on her freezing feet, stepping silentl down the hall just in time to hear Tristan begin to play the guitar. The entire time, she stayed a few feet away from the door, her back pressed to the wall, listening. When it was over, she realized that she was holding her breath. It couldn't be for her. Could it? For a few minutes longer, she stood there, finally snapping out of it when Roscoe ran into the room. "Roscoe, hey, no!" She followed after him, in attempt to catch the dog. He sprang right into Tristan's lap, and Lauralei frowned, standing in the doorway to the studio. "Sorry," she murmured, still not sure what to think about the song, knowing that he didn't know she'd heard it.

........................ * ... e l s e w h e r e ... * ........................

Raphael set Christopher down, grumbling to himself, going into the bathroom to take a shower. He listened in on what Lauralei was hearing, and that's what was irritating him now. Her emotions spiraled into so many different directions after the song was finished, and he hated the way that most of them were going. She was coming to realize, all to clearly, how she, too, felt. And she hadn't in her life felt that way towards anyone. It was so confusing for her, she wasn't really sure what to do. When she'd snapped out of it, he was halfway done showering, and decided to stop listening in on her for a while and just relax. He'd been so stressed lately it was giving him major headaches, and his body ached. He knew the extent of frustration his mind could take, and it was nearing that rather large limit. It was time to take a break for a little while, and perhaps let Alexander watch over her and tell him what was going on, instead of hearing it directly.

Tristan heard the dog before he even heard Lauralei. But once he heard Lauralei's voice echoe through his studio, he jumped up quickly, clutching the guitar in one hand and Roscoe in another. Tristan looked up at Lauralei and almost immediately the guitar fell from his hand and crashed against the floor. "Oh shit!" He said, picking it up quickly and laying it across the chair. It was at that moment that Tristan started to worry that she had heard his song, the one that he had written, unknowingly, for her. Tristan turned and grabbed up the paper that was sitting on the chair he had been in, the paper that had the notes written across it. The paper that had a song tiltled 'Little Angel' on it. He held it behind his back, his eyes back on Lauralei, wide as he stared at just hpw beautiful she really was. "You know I don't ... I don't mind. Y-You're free to anywhere in the house, as is Ros... Roscoe." He said, setting Roscoe down on the floor. "I... uhm... I thought you wanted to sleep a little longer." He said, taking the papers the the bench infront of the piano. He opened the bench, a compartment beneath the seat, and laid the score on the top of the papers inside, finally closing his bench. "How are you feeling?" He asked, barely able to stop from staring at her. Silently though, he prayed that she hadn't heard his song for her. Silently he prayed that his truth was still only his. He didn't want to loose her. Especially to his own foolishness.

~Elsewhere~


"The girl is one of them! I'm telling you!" The words came from Killian's mouth, angered and loud. He was standing infront of Lucian, who wasn't believing a word that he was saying. "If she was the desendant of an elder, then why wouldn't they have a better hold on her? And then why can't I feel the poer of the Elders flowing through her?" Lucian asked, already enraged by the fact that Tristan was starting to devolp feelings for this vampire. Killian though wasn't having it. "If she was just a normal vampire, then why would Alexander haver been there in the town... Following them? Alexander has feelings for this girl that I can't describe! He was protecting them both!" He said, punching the esk. "Why won't you listen to me?" Lucian just laughed and waved his hand. "How about this. You find me concrete evidence that this vampire girl is who you say she is... and we'll think about what next to do. Until then... their relationship goes NO FURTHER!" But at that moment, Lucian grabbed his face in dismay. "And as I say that, he's stumbling over himself because she's barely dressed. I can see this ending badly. WE CAN NOT HAVE A MIX BREED RUNNING AROUND! DO NOT LET THEIR RELATIONSHIP EXPAND ANY FURTHER!" He shouted, his face becoming red from anger.

Lauralei watched him fumble around, frowning slightly. "Tristan, why are you tripping over your words? And what are you hiding from me?" She moved over to eye the compartment beneath the seat in front of the piano, faintly wondering if it was the music he'd just written, but not saying it aloud. There wasn't a single flaw on her body, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, kneeling down where Roscoe had hopped up and down at her feet. She picked up the puppy, stood up straight, and looked towards Tristan again. "If you don't want me in your studio, I understand... I can go find something to do... I know you told me I was free to roam inside the house, but.." She simply didn't like the way he'd acted when she had walked in. It startled her slightly. And then she noticed something. "Tristan. You grew again." It wasn't too noticable, but her careful eyes had caught it. Finally -- she wasn't going to answer his question, at first -- she sighed a little. "I feel fine, thank you." Her voice softened, eyes looking somewhat hurt. "I'm not going to run away from you, if that's what you're thinking. I wouldn't hurt you like that." She felt as if the trust he held in her had been betrayed, somehow, and after watching him with her pained purple hues, turned and quietly left the room, slipping downstairs and sitting on the couch. The large, flat-screen television that was inside of the room flipped on, her thumb gently pushing several buttons, flipping through the channels, but not really paying attention to what was going on. For a reason she couldn't fathom, the way he acted offended her, and hurt her more than she thought that it should. With a sigh, she looked down to the dog that was now laying in her lap. "What am I going to do, Roscoe?" Her voice was nothing but a whisper, criss-crossing her legs beneath her and stopping on a cooking channel, leaning against the back of the couch that seemed to comfortably swallow her small form.

Tristan knew that his actions had hurt her. He knew that because he was so clumsy all the sudden and because of the way that he had acted, he had made her feel like she wasn't wanted there. It wasn't the truth, it was far from the truth. Tristan shook his head. "It's not that I don't want you in here, Lauralei. Honestly, I like it when you're in here... You make it a much happier place." He said to her, hanging his head as he looked at his feet. It was then that he too noticed that he had grown more and he sighed, nodding his head. When he looked up to talk to her again though, she was gone, left the room and disappeared downstairs away from him. Tristan growled at himself and then racked his brain as he argued with himself. Tristan moved and pulled the papers back out from inside of the bench. He looked over the pages. his eyes searching over the words and the notes that he had scrawled across the pages. Tristan shut his eyes for a moment and consideredcrumbling up the pages. But instead, he rolled them up into a neat little scroll. Once it was rolled, he pulled a small purple ribbon from inside of the bench. He had made a habit of collecting small pieces of ribbon, they were the best thing to tie up his compositions with. Tristan tied the purple ribbon around the paper and held it to his chest for a short moment before walking out of the room and heading downstairs. Tristan stood behind the couch for a moment, his eyes on Lauralei as she watched the television. He ran his finger acrss the paper on that he held in his hand, taking a deep breath. "Lauralei.... I... I acted like that because.... well.." He grumbled to himself a moment before letting the scroll fall from his hand gently onto her lap. "Here. I was in my studio trying to work.... But I can't get you out of my mind long enough to even write one song. This is what they all turn into..." He said, kissing the top of her head softly. "I'm sorry I looked like a fool back there. Those new clothes look good on you, Lauralei. You shouldn't hide your beauty so much. It just kind of... astonished me." He said before turning and walking off into the kitchen. Oddly, he was finding
himself to be hungry again.

Lauralei looked at the scroll when it had fallen into her lap, closing her eyes when she felt his lips meet with the top of her head. Her fingers went gently around the scroll, listening to his words, and then listening as he left, not even needing to open it, now, to know what it was. Gently, she pulled Roscoe from her lap, appearing behind Tristan inside the kitchen, sitting on the counter. The rolled up paper was still in her hand. "I heard you playing earlier," she said softly. "Before Roscoe came into the room. I heard every note, every word." Her eyes fell. "I didn't mean to intrude, but when you got frustrated with the piano, it woke me." The end of her ponytail dripped slightly, still wet from the shower she'd taken, leaving a damp trail along her back. "When I got done with the shower, I went down the hall, and you just started to play. You're... amazing, with the guitar." It was the only word she could use to describe what she heard. "And you're brilliant with words." She was really rather curious as to the title of the song, so she pulled off the ribbon from the scroll slowly, opening it up. Purple orbs fell onto the larger letters at the top of the page. 'Little Angel.' Silently, she rolled up the piece of paper again, wrapping the ribbon around it. "If you're hungry, you need to find something live to eat." Her voice was still soft. "There are deer in the woods. There always has been. You're not going to satisfy your hunger unless you feed from something live." She wasn't sure what his reaction to her previous words were going to be, so she didn't move from her spot, honestly not knowing at all what to expect from him.

Tristan took a deep breath as he heard her behind him. Slowly, he shut the fridge and leaned foreward against it, resting his head against it's cool doors. He listened to her every word and hung to them as if he were going to die if he lost them. He swallowed hard and then turned, looking at Lauralei. "Well I meant it..." He said before walking past her. He scratched the back of his head. "It's okay, Lauralei. You're not an intrusion. Ever." He then looked out the kitchen window to the woods. "You're probably right." He said, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't sure if he could change on command, but now was the best time to find that out. Tristan walked to the back door and opened it, feeling the wind press inside. It was colder than the day before. "You probably want to stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes." He said, smiling back at her. "Thank you, Lauralei." He said before walking outside and shutting the door behind him. Tristan walked away from the house, moving quickly to the forest around the house. As he ran, he pulled his shirt off, holding onto it tightly. It was only moments before he was in the forest, his pants and shirt on a rock that was large enough to be found on the way back to the house. It was easier than Tristan had imagined it to be. He had changed quickly, a large howl emitting from his vocals as his body shifted into the form of the large wolf that he had changed into that first night. It was only moments before Tristan was a wolf, running through the forest, the smells of many animals around him were tickling his senses. He turned his head as he caught the scent of a larger animal, a deer from the smell of it. Tristan turned almost instantly, his reflexes fast and agile. He was running at speeds he could have never moved at before as he ran, a large figure standing on four legs just through the trees in a clearing just ahead of him. The deer had seen him coming, but Tristan was much faster. It was only a few short moments before Tristan was ontop of the deer, his powerful mouth tearing the meat straight from the animals twitching body.

It was about an hour before Tristan had come back. He had gotten his fill on deer, having hunted and killed three of them just to satisfy his hunger. He had never felt so hungry before in his life. Tristan soon walked into the house, his chest covered in dry blood. His face mostly cleaned from a creek he had found. Walking inside, Tristan dropped his shirt on the counter in the kitchen, walking through to the stairs. He needed a shower. He didn't want to be seen infront of Lauralei covered in blood like he was. Before long, Tristan was in the shower, the water that ran off his body dark from dirt and blood. It took him about fifteen minutes before he was clean enough for his own liking and was out of the shower, his black pants back on his body and his golden hair dark from the water that dripped from it's ends. Tristan walked through the house, looking to see where Lauralei had gone to.

When Tristan had exited the house, she waited until he was long into the woods, and couldn't help but smile when she heard the howl; almost a triumphant sound. "Be careful." It was the only thing she whispered, knowing that he couldn't have heard her, and came down from the counter, heading into the studio where Tristan's piano was. In all honesty, she wasn't worried about him a bit. He was strong. Much stronger than any other werewolf she'd come across before, except for the one that was there at the pet shop. Faintly, she wondered still who his parents were, but soon the thought was aside. Tristan was no longer in the house, and her most cherished song could be played without anyone hearing. Within no time, grand and intense music echoed throughout the house, her fingers coming down on the piano keys as if it were her soul controlling her. She'd forgotten how long it was, and blinked when the final, soft cords were played, realizing it had been a good half hour, and she went on to more songs. Tristan had come into the house while she was taking a break, lounging in the large seat that was within the room, and she hadn't noticed Tristan coming back at all, going back over to the piano to once more play her song, not knowing he was inside and looking for her. She started it again, the keys being so soft, her fingers barely brushing over them for them to provide such a melody. Slowly, it got deeper, the rythum faster, her body not moving at all while her arms, hands and fingers did all of the work. Her eyes were utterly lost, playing for nearly ten minutes before she smelled something odd; as if someone had gotten out of the shower, the smell of water and shampoo. Ignoring it -- figuring Tristan would take much longer than he had to hunt and satisfy his hunger -- she played on, once again coming to the end of the song after another fifteen minutes. She stared at the piano for moments afterwards, resting her elbows on the keys and covering her face with her hands. So many emotions played into that song. Rage, sorrow, love, abandonment, guilt, awe, laughter, freedom, enclosure, hidden, dark, brightness... and they weren't ever at all separate. In the entire song, they all made harmony with each other, and Lauralei didn't realize how much it had to do with Tristan until it was over. Looking up, she glanced towards the clock, wondering if he was home yet. It'd been almost ten minutes from when she'd stopped. She could hear Roscoe snoozing in the large chair that was behind her, and she looked to the left and in front of her to stare out the windows.

When Tristan got out of the shower, he could hear the music coming from the studio. He tilted his head to the side as he slowly and quietly made his way to the door to the studio, making sure that he made it so that way she wouldn't hear him moving around outside the door. He listened to the song that she played, leaning up against the wall, his back against it, much like Lauralei had done when she had stood there to listen to his song. Tristan could feel every emotion that played through the keys. He could feel her heightened emotions spread out through the house, even though there was a closed door between them. She was a beautiful artist, had a real talent for the piano. Tristan admired her for it, and found himself smiling softly as her song continued. The length of it didn't bother him at all. He actually found it quite relaxing to just stand there and listen to the keys that she played, the notes flowing gracefully to his ears. When her song had finished, he smiled, leaning his head back against the wall now as well. He didn't understand what it all meant. It was too perfect for it to be something that she had just written. It was too beautiful and sad and happy to be something that was about now. Tristan wanted to go into the room, he wanted to hold her to him and tell her how he truely felt. But he didn't even know how he felt. It was all so complicated. It was all so hard. He knew that he cared about her more than any living being in that world. He knew that there were feelings there for her that he had never felt for any woman. But he knew that he wasn't going to be able to express those feelings to her, not in the way he wished he knew how. Tristan sighed and stood there outside the door to the studio of a good ten minutes before he finally pushed himself off the wall and turned to the door. He brought up his right hand and gently knocked on the door before pushing it open. Tristan couldn't help but to smile at the sight of Lauralei sitting there, her beautiful figure outlined perfectly by the little bit of light that was in the room. Tristan slowly walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong, Lauralei?" he asked, looking down at her with caring eyes. "You seem upset." He said, watching her carefully.

Lauralei looked over to the door quietly when he'd knocked, and she only sighed at his question. "I suppose I'm just confused. Much like everyone is." She slowly turned around, looking up at his tall form, practically craning her neck. "Are you full?" Her hands gently went to his chest, poking playfully at his stomach. "I can't tell, everything's hard all the time, so it doesn't really change when you've eaten like most people, hmm?" It was too tempting to unbutton his shirt to see if there was any change, so she deliberately pulled her hands behind her back, standing up and picking up Roscoe before flopping down inside the large comfy chair. "You look a lot better. Healthier, I mean, now that you've had something live. The full moon won't be for a few days, but it'll still effect you." A frown tainted her calm expression, unknowing as to how he would act on that night. She'd probably have to avoid him, and she knew that that would hurt the both of them. With him being gone just the time he was, it had put her in a slightly depressed enough mood to play the song she'd been hiding for years. And she hadn't a clue that Tristan had heard a single note of it. "There are already some noticable changes." She lifted her eyebrows, grinning a little.

........................ * ... e l s e w h e r e ... * ........................

Alexander was asked to keep tabs on Lauralei, and he knew better than to tell Raphael how she was keeping herself from certain thoughts, from certain actions and reactions. He knew that her emotions were becoming more and more deeply revolved around Tristan, and her mood for the moment was overly playful; grinning when he saw she was trying to suppress it. It was only as soon as Tristan had returned, though; before, when he'd gone, she had been slightly miserable. With a sigh, Alexander went to report very small details to Raphael -- that Tristan had gone out to hunt, but came back. If he'd said anything else, Raphael would only become more and more worried, and he didn't need that.

Tristan blinked a few times, restraining a laugh as he felt her cool fingers poking at this strong stomach muscles. His icy eyes raised up to look at her, blushing strongly as she atlked about everything being hard. He couldn't help but to smile in a more devilish way than usual. "Well..." He started before unbuttoning his shirt and slipping it off his long arms, tossing it onto the bench by the piano. "I think I'm pretty full. Three full grown deer and a romping in the creek." He said, chuckling. He watched though as Lauralei took her hands away from him and busied herself with Roscoe. He raised an eyebrow and the chuckled softly. It was hard for him to surpass the urges to hold her to him. That short hour that he had been gone had felt more like an eternity to him. It was hard for him to be away from her, even for a moment. He couldn't understand why it was that way between them, but he knew that he wouldn't give it up for anything. Tristan looked down at his frame. The muscles of his chest deep and healthier looking, the rips across his stomach now prominant and showing their true lines. And there, just above the waist of his pants, the crease that his lower abs formed along his hip bones was there, showing itself in all its splendor. Tristan had never had a body like the one he had then. Never had he had the tones and the muscles that he did now. Sure, he should have been more relaxed about them and not show them off for everyone to see, but it was hard for him to do when Lauralei showed such a deep interest in them. As he watched Lauralei walk back over to the large, comfortable chair that sat in the room, Tristan followed her. Once she sat down and became comfortable, he sat at her feet, just infont of the chair, next to her legs. His warm fingers raised up and traced intricate details onto the bare skin of her leg, letting the coolness of her skin mix with his own. Tristan slowly lost his being and slowly slipped into his own mind, lost to the quiet breaths of Lauralei and Roscoe. Lost to the feeling of the skin of her legs against his fingers. "I'll worry about the full moon when it gets here. Who knows how it will affect me." He said before looking back up at her, unable to help himself but to smile at her.

~Elsewhere~

Killian paced back and forth in his living quarters. He had been given an altimatum. Either find a way to prove, with concrete evidence, that this vampire that Tristan was fawning over was in fact a desendant of an Elder. Killian ran through everything in his mind, eery little detail that had unfolded in the small town. Killian had not even noticed that Alexander had been there. It wasn't until Tristan and Lauralei had kissed that his emotions and powers had rang out across the snowy feilds. Alexander had obviously been pained by the kiss, but why would an Elder be pained to see some normal vampire with a werewolf? Sure it was against all their laws, both Werewolf and Vampire, but why would Alexander have feelings for a vampire if they were nothing special. Killian fell down to sit in a large chair, his hand over his face. He couldn't feel the same kind of power come from this female vampire as she could Alexander, but he could tell there was something there, locked up inside of her. It was then, that Killian knew what he had to do. He would have to provoke them. Make himself known to his nephew and his little blood sucker. If he could provoke the powers out of her, then he could prove the truth to Lucian. Killian smiled as he looked out the large windows of his room. The full moon would be on them soon. He would make a move then. Until that night, he would just let things between them unfold further.

Lauralei watched with interest when he'd unbuttoned his shirt and carelessly tossed it off to the side, leaning back heavily in the chair she was sitting in. She looked at the muscles ripple just slightly when he walked over to her, noticing fully the V by his beltline now. Her eyes shut, letting a soft sigh slide through her lips as his fingers trailed along her skin, closing her eyes. She wasn't worried about him, at all, in a sense that he'd try something stupid. That helped her relax a great deal. "The snow's starting to fall heavier," she murmured, enjoying the feeling of his fiery fingertips brushing along the cool of her leg. It was relaxing. She knew that not all of the clothes she'd randomely chosen would be very warm -- like the ones she was wearing now -- but she also knew that she wouldn't have to worry about being cold, so long as Tristan was near. He seemed so inclined to be near her, to hold her, keep her warm... and she couldn't admit it to herself, but she loved it. She loved being near him, knowing that if she fell, he'd catch her; if she was cold, he'd warm her; if she was upset, he'd soothe her. There were so many things that she felt she could trust him with, and very slowly, every emotion she displayed was becoming part of that. The closer he was to her, the more free she felt. And the farther away... the more miserable she became.

Tristan smiled up at Lauralei as his fingers danced circles against her soft and icy skin. He wouldn't try anything stupid, not with her. He was never the kind of man to do anything to a woman that would make her uncomfortable. The kiss that he had given to her earlier the day before had been a slip up, something that, even though he wasn't regretting, he had wished he had waited until a better time to do it. He could have lost her at that moment. She could have become scared and run away from him, only to leave him with painful memories of happiness... and some emotion he couldn't quite figure out yet. It was impossible for him to be away from her, even for a few minutes. He found that when he was away from her, because he was eating or because she was sleeping, she was the only thing that had occupied his mind. He couldn't count how many times he had turned around to look triumphantly at Lauralei after taking down a deer, only to become saddened by the fact that she wasn't there. And when she was there, when she was just an arms length away, he kept her close to him. He was there for her and her alone. It was something that he was slowly coming to terms with. He wanted to be the only one there for her. The one to catch her. The one to keep her warm. But Tristan had heard the old stories of werewolves and vampires. How the two were mortal enemies. The treaties that the two clans had had many times in the past had all become just shredded pieces of paper. Never did anything ever stay civil between the two blood lines. He had heard about vampires and werewolves being forbidden to be anything more than just allies, and even allies was a big if. But Tristan couldn't help but to wonder if all of those stories were really true. He began to question every story he had ever heard. Tristan had been born a werewolf, this much he was certain. He was also certain that his entire life was a lie. Something just didn't fit together when he thought his past through piece by piece. Tristan shut his eyes, taking a deep breath, his fingers trembling for only a second against her leg. But the trembling stopped almost as soon as it started. Tristan opened his eyes and looked up at Lauralei once again, feelings and urges that he found himself fighting off more and more coming back up to his surface. Again, Tristan found himself fighting to push the feelings and urges back into his core. Besides... Who ever heard of a
vampire and werewolf in love?

Lauralei leaned forwards after a while, resting her cheek on Tristan's shoulder. Her head tilted to the side, cold lips meeting with his heated flesh. She wasn't even aware of what she was doing, until her lips had trailed towards his neck, stopping there. Her breath was almost icy, exhaling without meaning to, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her cheek against her arm, nibbling softly on the flesh towards his jugular, though not breaking the skin. She, too, had heard the legends and stories, but right now, she didn't care. With Tristan there... there were no cares. Nothing other than him, and she was finally letting it sink in that she wasn't going to be able to part herself from him without completely tearing herself up. "Tristan, can you promise me something?" She shifted uneasily, her lips moving up a tiny bit, brushing against his earlobe. Her voice was etched with purity, everything she felt seeping into each syllable. "Promise me that you won't make me leave? That you won't turn around on me?" The cool skin of her arms and part of her chest was pressed to the warmth of his back and neck, not caring that he was shirtless. "You're the only one who has any kind of my attention. I can't imagine anything without you, now."

Tristan blinked a few times, his eyes soon closing as a short breath escaped unwillingly out from between his lips. He swallowed hard, biting down on his lower lip as he felt Lauralei get closer to him, her frozen lips pressing against his warm skin. He couldn't help but to shiver, his hand becoming a slight ball against her leg as he felt her teeth press into his flesh. It sent shivers down his spine, feelings that he had never witnessed before coming to surface, threatening to burt through him. Tristan's hand unclenched and he laid his hand on her cold thigh. He realized just how far in he was with Lauralei both emotionally and physically. Tristan heard her speak his name, and he opened his eyes, turning his head so that he could look at her, his eyes meeting hers. A sharp intake of breath shot into his mouth, his body tensing up in pleasure as he felt her mouth brush against his earlobe. When the feeling passed, he opened his eyes again and looked back at Lauralei. "Lauralei..." He said softly, turning slowly so that his whole body was facing her. Slowly, he raised his hands, both of them gently resting on either side of her face, holding it there so that he could look at her. "I promise you that I'll never ask you to leave. I don't want you to ever go anywhere without me. I promise you that I'll never leave your side, unless you ask me to." He said, his eyes searching hers. "I'm your's Lauralei... In more ways than you could ever know." He said, dropping his hands from her face and resting them on her waist.

Lauralei was tense when he first started to speak, but at his words, she relaxed again, leaning in so her forehead was resting against his own. For a few long moments, her eyes were closed, and they slowly opened, closing the inch or so gap between their lips. Her fingers entwined into his golden locks of hair, wrapping her arms around his neck. The kiss was placid; calm, but steadily became slightly urgent. When she realized how urgent it was becoming, she wasn't sure what came over her, but pulled her head back so that her lips were now just barely brushing against his, heart pounding within her chest, fluttering around. It was almost hard for her to pull away, but when she did, she wasn't ashamed of anything she'd done, keeping her fingers locked gently into his hair, legs wrapped around his middle now. Roscoe was curled up sleeping between the arm of the chair and Lauralei, not paying attention to the two at all.

........................ * ... e l s e w h e r e ... * ........................

Alexander was crushed. Lauralei had broken past the vampiric side of the barriers. Tristan had kissed her, before, and that was one thing. But now, she was kissing him back... and with a lot more meaning than when he had. The thing was, he couldn't allow himself to tell Raphael. The male would utterly snap, and he didn't want that to happen. Lauralei cared too much for Tristan, and after how much the male had helped her, Alexander was terrified to rip that away from her. He knew that after such a thing, she would never be the same again. When Raphael asked Alexander what was going on, the male only replied with, "They're talking over where to eat. Don't worry about it. I'll let you know if something happens." Raphael seemed content, and sure that Alexander wouldn't lie to him, so relaxed further, not bothering to check up on Lauralei, still.

Tristan moved his arms as Lauralei's legs wrppaed around his waist, giving her room to get comfortable before he laid his arms across her legs. And as Lauralei bent foreward toward him, resting her forehead against his, he felt his heart beat faster and his blood push harder through his veins. He found himself suddenly nervous infront of her, He never expected what happened next to happen. But when he felt her cold and delicate lips press lightly against his own, things quickly fell into place. Those emotions and feelings that he had not been sure of, were suddenly clear as day to him. This was what he wanted. As Tristan felt the lips against his press a little harder, his own lips hungered more deeply than they ever had for hers. His hands moved from her waist to around her to her lower back. He held her there until he felt her pull away from him. Tristan took a deep breath and opened his eyes, smiling to see that she was still right there infront of him. She hadn't ran of in shame. She hadn't become embarressed. Like her, he too was frightened by the sudden urgency that was placed between their lips. But Tristan couldn't help himself, the urge that he had been holding back, the one to kiss her, finally pushed through. Tristan touched his forehead back to hers, but instead of stopping once they touched, he pushed her gently back so her back was against the back of the chair once again. Tristan pushed himself up onto his knees, thankful that he was tall enough to still be able to reach her lips. He never touched her legs, keeping them right where they were around his waist. He closed that space between their lips once more, finally unafraid to show Lauralei exactly how he felt.

~Elsewhere~

Lucian was sitting on the couch, quite still, like stone. His eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy. His face was the epidemy of anger. "This... needs... to end." He said, choosing her words carefully as he tried to stay calm. Killian stood there infront of him, his arms crossed. "They've already kissed before this. There is nothing wrong with what..." But Lucian lost his control. "THEY ARE LAYING ALMOST HORIZONTALLY ON A CHAIR! Her legs are around him! Don't be so dense little brother! You know where kissing like that leads! You know what is going to happen. It may not happen today. It may not happen tomorrow... But by the way things are going... It's inevitable!" He shouted, shaking his head. "That kind of involvement and dedication between werewolf and vampire is forbidden!" He shouted, shaking his head. Killian sighed. "Just give me until the full moon." He said, begging his brother. "Fine. You have three days. But if this goes further, I will take it into my own hands."

Lauralei blinked when he'd gently pushed her so she was pressed to the back of the chair, not objecting when he'd come up and kissed her again. Once more, her arms were around his neck, bringing him up slightly. Her nails raked softly against the bare flesh of his back, coming back up to trail through his hair. Roscoe jumped down out of the chair, having been smushed a little, and wandered out of the room lazily, paying no mind to them whatsoever. Lauralei took advantage of the extra room in the chair, and brought Tristan up a tiny bit farther, wanting to lean back, but the firm back of the chair preventing that. Her fingertips brushed along his neck, coming down to his chest, sides, then back up. She wasn't regretting any move she made, nothing other than the male in front of her on her mind, his bodyheat warming her with his closeness. Every once in a while, she'd pull her lips away for the smallest moment to breathe, noticing how both of them were becoming slightly more urgent. A single, soft sound escaped her throat, biting gently at his lips, overly tempted to move down and nibble along his neck again, noticing his reactions when she had earlier.

........................ * ... e l s e w h e r e ... * ........................

Alexander had stopped the tabs upon Lauralei, knowing that he was invading a private space that she wouldn't want to be intruded upon. She didn't have any idea they knew anything as to what she did, at any time or any place, unless they could physically see or hear her. She didn't know it possible to watch someone when they weren't even near her. He didn't want it to go any further than what it was now. He wanted her to shun Tristan, to get away from him, try to kill him, get away -- anything she possibly could. But he knew that it was already too late. She was enjoying her lips molded to Tristan's too much, the thoughts that were going through her head at an amazing rate were too strong to break or even wound, without completely tearing him away from her. And Alexander simply couldn't do that. He wouldn't allow it. When he thought of the laws, he knew the werewolves were looking into the situation. That would be the only reason he intruded upon their privacy; to protect them both. He had a feeling that the werewolves were absolutely pissed at the situation on hand. And if he told Raphael what was happening, he knew that he would be just as angry.

A soft sound came from the depths of Tristan's throat, a moan from the feeling of Lauralei's pulling her nails across the bare skin of his back. He felt his lips press more urgently and passionately against her own as he felt her fingers running through his hair. Tristan, so wrapped up in Lauralei, didn't even notice when Roscoe got up and walked from the room, his attention completely for Lauralei and her alone. He felt her move beneath her, moving with her as so their lips wouldn't break apart for more than the few seconds they needed to take in deep and jagged breaths. Tristan kept his hands next to her hips, using them to hold his body up over her. His body was still pressed tightly against hers, but he wouldn't allow all of his body weight to be put ontop of her. Tristan was completely unaware of the world around the two of them, but he was completely aware of everything between the two of them. He could tell the difference of each kiss that they shared and every moment that passed during each kiss. Each one seemed to be more urgent than the last. He was aware of the feelings of her fingers tracing the skin of his neck and his chest. He felt the same fingers move to his sides and then back up his body. He shivered gently beneath the feeeling of her fingers cool fingers against his warm body. Fire and ice. As she pulled her lips away from his for that short moment, he took the time to open his eyes and look down at her, his breath coming out in short, jagged, excited bursts through the small part in her lips. But it wasn't until Tristan felt her bite gently at his lips before he stopped keeping the control over his urges. Tristan moved in one fluid movement, standing up with Lauralei still entwined around his body. He turned with her in his arms, breaking their kiss only for a moment so he could make sure that the door was open. He walked slowly with her towards the door and into the hallway. He took a few steps until he was directly next to the bedroom door, which to his dismay was closed. He turned his body and faced the wall, pressing Lauralei's back against the wall gently. His hands went to his hips as his lips pressed hungrilly against her own. He had meant to open the door, but his attention had been stolen again by Lauralei's lips.

When Tristan had stopped and pressed her to the wall, her arms still wrapped around his middle, she reached over without any effort and turned the doorknob to the room, opening the door and returning her attention to Tristan. His skin was burning beneath her touch, and her nails went back to moving along his back ever so gently, purposely teasing him. She moved her hands up again, letting her fingertips brush delicately along his neck, grinning slightly. "Mm.. don't get too hasty..." Her voice was a lustful whisper, finally pulling her lips away and tilting her head to bite lightly at his neck. "You might hurt yourself if you get too carried away. And we don't want that, do we?" She arched her back to push off against the wall, pressed more tightly to him, her chest basically molded against his, letting her teeth slide along his neck and the bottom of his ear, kissing at the skin and nibbling, biting down rather hard in some places. His previous reactions were interesting, and she wondered what he would do now. She paused only for a moment when Roscoe was growling, now, towards Tristan, tugging gently at his pant leg, the dog not liking the soft sounds that were shuddering up from Lauralei's throat. In his mind, he believed Tristan was hurting Lauralei, and even with the dominance that Tristan's blood portrayed as a clear sign for any other male to back off, the pup was still irritated with it, pawing at his feet now as well, barking. "Roscoe, hush," the vampiress mumbled, and he stopped for only a moment, growling again afterwards.