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

Tristan sighed once again, watching as she pulled her lips away from his flesh. He brought up his wrist, the large and prominent veins showing very well from underneath his skin. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his wrist up to Lauralei, showing it to her. "If you're hungry, eat from here. It wont affect me as much." He said, a sly smirk crossing his face. "Or I can always go and find Roscoe for you." He said in a rather playful tone. In all honesty, seeing her like she was hurt him. It made him want to do whatever it was he could to make her feel better. That included offering her his own wrist so that she could feed. "Or, I can go out into the woods and get a deer for you. I know it's not a human, but I think the towns people might notice if a large wolf was dragging an almost dead human through the snow." He then smiled wide once again. "Or I can call Erik up here." He said, joking more with her. "I'm sure he'll even let you tie him up with a belt to start it off." He said, kissing her cheek softly. But his wrist stayed infront of her, showing her that he didn't mind if she needed more. "Just my neck... it seems that it has a weird affect on me. I'm going to guess that it's because of the full moon, but I'm not sure. It was never that bad the other night." He said, watching her closely. "Whatever you need me to do for you, Lauralei. Please just ask. You know I'll do anything I can for you." He said, his voice changing back to its usual serious tone.

Lauralei blinked when he'd put his wrist in front of her, listening to him talk. Her fingertips traced along the prominant veins, smacking at him when he playfully suggested going and finding Roscoe. "Speaking of him... where is he? He's usually right here." She smiled at the mention of him going out and getting a deer, grinned, when he talked of dragging a human from the town, and finally laughed at the mention of Erik. "No, no, I think I'll keep the belts just between us, thank you very much." Her fingers traced the veins again, and made sure that the venom glands were fully drawn back, letting her fangs pierce a bit deeply into his wrist, feeding softly from the wound she'd made there. After a few seconds, she sank heavily into the pillows, her eyelids fluttering heavily shut, more color coming to her cheeks the more she fed. She looked healthier with every bit she swallowed, breathing through her nose, not once becoming aggressive like most vampires would to their prey. His blood tasted amazing, like a drug along her tounge. Her breathing became heavier at first, and then softened, starting to even out, along with her heart beat, which was slightly strained before. She didn't pull off until almost ten minutes later, and when she did, her eyes snapped open, looking full and alive. Her lips trailed over any extra droplets that had fallen from the wound before it closed, and she sighed, the cravings having left. "So tired," she mumbled, a limp mound against him, utterly content. Her head didn't hurt quite as much, and she wasn't fighting back the slumber that her body now tried to pull her into, the vampiress still faintly wondering where Roscoe had run off to. "Tr'st'n... wh'r's th' dog..." Her eyes were shut, feeling too lazy to move, suddenly opening her eyes and blinking. "What's that?" There was someone coming, close, near the house, if not within it already. "It smells weird," she grumbled, stuffing her face against Tristan's chest.

Tristan chuckled softly and kissed her forehead. "I was only trying to get you to smile, love. The dog is not food, this I know. I don't feel like going through a wall." He said, his free hand tracing her spine softly. "I fed Roscoe when I got here. I was at least somewhat coherant at that point." He said, sighing softly. "Very well. The belt stays between us. Though I think it would be at least a little funny to watch. The old man wouldn't know what to do with himself." He said, laughing again. Tristan watched her fingers as they slowly and tenderly traced the veins in his wrist. He didn't mind that she wanted to feed from him. Hell, they had shared every other fluid imaginable between the two of them. Why not a few drops of blood as well. But Tristan knew it wasn't going to be just a few drops. He knew that she needed more than just a few. But he knew that he would be alright. He knew that she wouldn't go overbored, at least not with him. Tristan took in a sharp breath when he felt her fangs go deeply into his wrist. He couldn't help but to bite softly against his bottom lip, his free hand tensing along her back for a split second. But the strong feelings he had felt when she was on his neck didn't happen this time. They were there, but no where near as strong. They were at least bareable then. Tristan watched her as she fed from his wrist, his eyes searching her face for any signs of her becoming normal again. The feeding didn't bother him. There was no pain and no bother at all to him. And after a few seconds, he smiled, watching Lauralei close her eyes and sink further into the pillows. The color slowly returned to her face, causing him to feel better. She was going to be okay, that much he was sure of. Slowly, he heard her heart beat even out, as well as her breathing. And slowly, she was becoming normal again. "There's my little angel." He said, running his fingers across her face, brushing her hair from her face. And when Lauralei had her fill of his blood, Tristan slowly pulled his wrist from her and wrapped the arm around her waist. She was limp, and overly exhausted. Tristan kissed her forehead once again. "Hold on." He whispered softly. He then lifted his hands and covered Lauralei's ears for a moment, a long and high pitched whistle coming from between his lips. After only a few moments, small patters of the dogs feet could be heard as he went running down the hall. Tristan's hands dropped from her ears, and Roscoe jumped up on the bed, squeezing inbetween the two of them, but ontop of the covers. "He's right here, love. Now sleep." But Tristan had smelled it too. There was a werewolf nearby. "Don't worry about that smell. Whoever it is, they aren't coming here. I can tell you that much." He said. "Now stop worrying and sleep." He said one last time, his own body fighting sleep.

Lauralei smiled faintly when Roscoe came into the room and shuffled between them, the vampiress letting her fingers trace along the dog's head and back, his fur warm to the touch. She wanted to do as she was told, and just go to sleep, but the smell was making her uneasy. "What if they're coming back f'r you?" Her eyes were already closed, fighting back the slumber that threatened to take over her with every passing second. She didn't wait for an answer, and her lips parted a bit as she fell asleep. She felt like, no matter what, he wasn't going to get taken from her again. He wouldn't let himself be taken away, and she wouldn't allow it either. But that scent.. it was a werewolf, she knew. There wasn't any others. Just that one. But then there was Erik downstairs. All of these thoughts entered her head just as she was falling asleep, and she couldn't make herself become coheirant enough to ask Tristan if Erik was in any possible danger. The man was so sweet, and she had yet to thank him for finding her, and bringing her back. A very soft, quiet sound escaped her lips, as if signifying that she was asleep. She felt slightly sorry for anyone that dared to wake her up, until she wanted to. It was something that she had always done; slept in to her liking, and just about tore off anyone's head that tried to wake her up beforehand.

Tristan smiled, his eyes still closed as he fought off his own sleep. The tranquilizers that Killian had put into his neck were still there, the effect of them still not completely warn off. Tristan took a deep breath and shook his head. "They aren't here for me. They aren't that stupid. Don't you worry about anything. Erik is downstairs. They wont pull anything with a human bystander here. He's innocent. It's not the way they want to handle things..." He said, the last word coming out with a wide yawn. It wasn't long before Tristan heard Lauralei's soft sound and her deep and even breaths of sleep. His hands moved slowly along her back for a little while, completely focused on her breathing. She was back. He had her back in his arms. Tristan groaned softly as he moved just a bit, shifting his one arm underneath of her. He drew in closer to her , his body pressing against hers, careful not to smush the dog between them. Sleep overtook him quickly, a lot faster than he would have thought it would have. Tristan hardly ever slept before Lauralei had arrived there, so the sudden long slumbers that he was having was strange and awkward for him. But it was comforting. It was soothing to have someone that he cared for more than his own life beside him. And once again, Tristan's dreams didn't come. But then again, he wasn't sleeping very heavilly. He was on full alert, even though he was asleep. He was aware of the werewolf that was somewhere outside. He was aware of everything that was going on in the house. But more than anything else, he was aware of the cool body that was once again beside him.

N e x t * N i g h t

Lauralei slept in a bit, and when she woke, she stretched out, finding Roscoe in his usual spot behind her knees, her body pressed tightly against Tristan's. She assumed she had kept creeping closer until Roscoe finally got tired of being squished, and had moved, but she honestly wasn't sure; the pup sleeping soundly beside her. She wasn't cold anywhere, now. The fire was nothing more than embers, and she snuggled closely against Tristan, yawning and rolling onto her side, so her back was pressed against his chest, sighing softly. She picked up Roscoe's rather limp, lazy form, and pulled him to her chest, one arm resting on her side, while the other was stretched out in front of her. Roscoe curled up between her arm and her chest, the vampiress smiling down at him, petting him gently, waiting for Tristan to wake. She didn't want to move, that much she was sure of. Never again did she want to get out of the bed, to leave Tristan's side from where they both were now.

Alexander sighed. He was sitting on the steps to the mansion that Tristan and Lauralei were residing in, carring a cloth bag with him. He knew Lauralei had just woken, and he was surprised that she didn't sense him yet. He knew he'd have to be careful -- VERY careful -- once Tristan had woken, but he wasn't too worried. Lauralei already knew that Alexander simply tried to help her. He'd never attempted harming her once, and she also knew how against he was for her to be taken away from Tristan like she was. In his hands were the papers that he had shown Raphael -- who didn't know that he was there -- but he wasn't sure if he wanted to show them to the two. He was debating on letting them find out themselves, but he wasn't sure how either of them would react. He stayed quiet, waiting for Tristan to wake so he could come in. That is, if they would let him.

Tritan slept, heavier once the night came to a close and the morning had begun. He didn't move much the entire night, his arms really being the only things that moved, most of the time just to tighten his grip around her in a protective way, as if to tell his unconcious self that she was still there with him and that no one had taken her away from him again. Tristan had felt Lauralei move while he had been sleeping, and had opened his eyes for just a moment to make sure everything was okay. Once he saw that she was only repositioning herself, he fell back asleep. He didn't sleep much longer than Lauralei had, maybe an hour or so longer, and when he had awoken, he found his face buried in her hair, her sweet smell tickling his senses. Tristan's grip tightened around Lauralei, and when he opened his eyes the blue was gone, replaced by the frightening black that seemed to only happen when his protectiveness kicked in. Tristan growled softly behind her, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell is he doing here?" He asked softly, so not to frighten her. "That damn blood sucker thinks he can show his face around here. I should rip his throat out." He said in a deep growl. But when his nose turned to the air, he noticed something strange. "Alexander is here but..." He said, sniffing again. "He's waiting outside instead of coming in unannounced like they usually do." He said, sitting up slowly. "What is he going to knock too?" He asked, looking down at Lauralei. "What should we do, love? See what he wants? Or can I tear him aprat?" He asked, a playfully evil grin spreading across his lips. Tristan wasn't usually like this, but now he knew that he couldn't take the vampires lightly. "The choice is your, Lauralei. You tell me what we should do. You know him better than I do." He said, still growling.

Lauralei blinked, not expecting Tristan's first words to be what they were. "I don't know why he's here," she mumbled, sitting up and picking up Roscoe. "And I'm one of those damn blood suckers, so you'd better behave." Her own eyes narrowed, slightly moody, and she disappeared from where she was on the bed, standing next to the door and opening it. "What do you want, Alexander?" The elder stood, noticing that her hair was in a complete mess, sticking up this way and that, and the small dog from the other day was suddenly at her heels. "I have something for you and Tristan," he said softly, holding up the bag. "May I come in? It's quite cold out here, and I've been waiting for you to wake for a while now." Lauralei frowned. She wondered why she hadn't sensed Alexander until now, when she was right next to him. Her senses were quite dull. By this time, she knew that Tristan was close behind her. He always was. "Be nice," she warned him, glancing back and stepping aside to let Alexander come in. "Thank you," he murmured, and he honestly sounded like he meant it. Roscoe barked at Alexander, and he only smiled down at the dog. "I have something for him, too, actually." He kneeled down, a few feet away from the door, already inside with Lauralei shutting the door behind him, and pet Roscoe gently, the dog licking at his fingers. "That's nice of you," Lauralei murmured, moving over to Tristan and standing next to him, leaning into his side a bit, letting her arm drape around his middle. Alexander noticed how some things were out of place, and there were no longer glass objects in the room. It didn't take him long to figure out why, and helped himself to a seat on the couch, shuddering, and putting the bag down. "Help yourselves to it, it's not going to bite you." Lauralei frowned at his words, reaching down and picking up the bag with her fingers, glancing into it. "What is-- more food?" She dug into it, pulling out packages of steaks, and the blood packets that she used. There were a few toys inside, for Roscoe, and even cans of dog food, along with another small bag of dry. "Raphael doesn't know I'm here." Lauralei looked up again, setting the bag down on the table. "Why are you helping us?" Her voice was a slight whisper, watching him with painfully confused hues. He only stared at her, smiling after no less than a moment. "I have my reasons. Let's just say that. Anyways, you two are probably going to have to find somewhere else to stay. The werewolves will be looking for Tristan, and guards have already been sent out looking for you. I led them the wrong way. Raphael doesn't know where they are headed, and he's trying to get you back as quickly as possible. See, if there is.. a child involved here, then the werewolves will want to declare a war. They've always been quick to jump to the death of us. So we made a treaty. As long as no vampires harm a werewolf, vice versa, and so long as no cross breeds are involved, everything would be fine. No one would even really think that a cross breed was ever possible." He stood, lighting a fire in the fireplace of the livingroom area that they were currently in, sitting down by it on the floor to get warm. "I was going to bring you something live, maybe a deer, but then I realized that you'd already fed. It saved me the trouble. I knew you'd be tired after yesterday... I saw everything that happened. Raphael is in a bit of shock. Believe it or not, you have more mental capability and strength than an elder. It's quite amazing." He was basically just babbling, and Lauralei wasn't but a little tense, keeping close to Tristan.

Tristan blinked a few times at her harsh words. He was never rude like that, especially in the mornings. He sighed and looked up at Lauralei before she walked out of the room. "I'm sorry, love. I just..." But she was already out of the room. Tristan sighed and stood up, walking over to the closet to find himself a clean shirt. Once he moved out of the closet, a rather nice black button up on his body, he walked to the door of the bedroom and into the hallway. He could hear the voices downtstairs. It was Alexander. Tristan made his way quickly down the flight of stairs, moving quickly to stand behind Lauralei. He had just started to growl when Lauralei had turned around and told him to be nice. Tristan sighed and lifted his hand, circling it around as if mimicking a halo being over his head. He forced a smile, but he was still uneasy about it. It was near immpossible for him to trut this vampire. He had been there when Raphael had taken Lauralei away from him and he hadn't done anything to stop him. Tristan calmed quickly though, seeing as how Lauralei was so calm about Alexander being there. So he figured, if Lauralei wasn't worried, than he shouldn't be either. Tristan took in a deep breath, but the smell that reached his nose wasn't normal. There was Alexander and Roscoe. Then there was Lauralei. But somewhere, mixed up in all of that, there was something else. It was faint, almost undetectable. Tristan stuck his nose in the air and sniffed again. Whatever the smell was, it was in the house. He hadn't smelled it until then. He looked at Lauralei, studying her for a moment, but Alexander's words and voice caught him off guard. "Yes, that's very nice of you Alexander." Tristan said, his voice actually calm and sincere as he spoke. Once Lauralei had shut the door and moved back over to him, he wrapped an arm carefully around her shoulders, holding her to him. He softly kissed the top of her head, as a silent apology for his actions and words upstairs. Tristan narrowed his eyes at the words that Alexander spoke next, about the items in the bag biting them. The joke wasn't a funny one. Tristan moved to stand with Lauralei, looking down into the bag with her. He was about as shocked as she was. Tristan slowly took items from Lauralei's hands, looking up at Alexander. "Thank you. You risk so much by doing this for us. I try to figure out why you would do such things for us, but I can't figure it out." He said. "But none the less, it is much appreciated." He said, smilng at him in a rather friendly manner. Tristan was behaving rather well, circumstances permitted. "I've already thought about that as well. It wont take them all long before they're here. There was a werewolf here last night, though it was outside. I haven't sensed it yet today, so I'm not sure what all it was about." He said softly, looking down at Lauralei. Then the next words that Alexander spoke caused Tristan's eyes to shoot back to him. "Child?" He said softly, trying to figure a few things out in his head. Again, he stuck his nose into the air. That faint difference was still there. It was unlike anything he had ever smelled before in his life. He then looked back at Alexander, sensing that he knew something that he wasn't telling them. Tristan continued to listen to Alexander and Lauralei speak, not saying mych from there. He was more concentrated on figuring out what exactly it was that Alexander was hiding.

Alexander noticed that Tristan kept sniffing at the air, and hesitantly, his eyes went towards Lauralei, who pulled herself away from Tristan to move over on the couch, laying down on it and resting her head on the arm. She still looked tired. Not as if she hadn't gotten sleep, but just physically. "Lauralei, I'm not saying this to be rude or anything, but you look like hell." He frowned, and blinked when she only smiled a little. "Yeah, I kind of feel like it." It was her only response, and he nodded slowly, looking up at Tristan. "You don't have to freeze those right away... they're fresh. Got them on my way here." His emerald gaze turned to Lauralei, whose eyes were now shut, Roscoe having jumped up into her lap to lay down on her chest. "Does your stomach hurt?" His voice was soft, and it took her a moment to realize that the question had been directed towards her. "A bit," she murmured back, yawning again. "I just don't feel good. Do you suggest any place for us to go? I really don't want to leave, but if we have to, then I suppose it is a must, hmm?" She seemed out of it. "Tristan.." Now her voice was silky; smoothe, cooing the male over to her, wanting to have him near her. Alexander watched silently, and thought for a moment. "I'm not really sure where you could stay if you left here. You'd want to leave the country, but I already know that you've been run out of several as it is." The look on Lauralei's face made him burst into a fit of laughter; it had been one of confusion, horror, and a look that someone would give a stalker. It was rather amusing. "We've been keeping tabs on you, which is how we know the things that we do, obviously." He was still chuckling as he sat back, and she muttered something that he couldn't hear, watching as she sank deeper into the couch.

Tristan's sniffing almost stopped immediately as he felt Lauralei move away from him. His eyes fell down to her and followed her across the room. He watched as she moved to the couch and laid across it, laying her head on the arm of it. Tilting his head to the side, he looked at her, worried more than anything. Her senses were off, he had noticed this whenever he had realized that he had noticed Alexanders presence before she had. Now she was saying she didn't feel well and she was much grumpier than usual. Tristan blinked a few times, looking back at Alexander. It took his by surprise when Alexander asked Lauralei if her stomach was in pain, and she had answered yes. Something wasn't right, and Alexander knew all about it. Tristan's eyes shot back to Alexander as he heard the male speak his name. Tristan nodded and smiled warmly. "It is much appreciated." He said, putting the handful of food on the only table that had survived from the night before. He then looked over at Lauralei, hearing her soft voice call him to her. He moved slowly, circling behind Alexander. As he passed, he took a small sniff of the male, making a face almost immediately. He smelled nothing like the sweet scent Lauralei gave off. His smell was much muskier than anything else. But it wasn't the source of the strange smell he had been sensing. Tristan moved over to Lauralei and sat on the floor beside her. He moved an arm and laid it across her stomach, his hands gently rubbing her stomach. "Are you alright, love?" He asked her quietly. Again, the strange smell tickled his nose. He looked down at Roscoe and moved his face in to nuzzle his nose into the scruff of the dogs neck. Tristan lifted his ehad, sneezing once, before looking back at Lauralei. Something definately wasn't right. "Well... where could we go that they wont look? Could we go somewhere that they've already looked? Would that be safe?" He asked Alexander, looking back at him.

Lauralei raised an eyebrow when she saw Tristan move around the back of the couch and around Alexander, and she couldn't help but giggle the tiniest bit when she saw him make a face. "Stoooop," she said, her voice slightly playfull, closing her eyes when he rubbed her stomach. It truthfully felt nice. Her eyes opened again when he'd sneezed, her fingers still petting along Roscoe. "What do you smell, sweetheart, that's driving you so insane? You look like a bird trying to find a worm." She took her left hand, reaching up and gently running her fingers through Tristan's hair. She went silent so that Alexander could answer Tristan's question, and the elder looked slightly uneasy where he was sitting. He knew exactly what Tristan was smelling, but he wasn't going to say a word. "I'm not sure they've looked too many places yet, but I wouldn't let either of you go somewhere that wasn't safe. I was looking at a house earlier... it's north. I truly don't think that the werewolves would go that far north, and I know that Raphael could track Lauralei... but she has powers now that she didn't have before, and she can block him from her mind, which would make it extraordinarily difficult for him to find her..."

Tristan couldn't help but to smile up at Lauralei. She had at least giggled a little bit, which was a big improvement. But once Tristan had sat down on the floor next to Lauralei and the couch, the smell had become stronger. Roscoe wasn't the one that smelled, but he had come to the conclusion that the dog needed a bath as soon as they got the chance. Tristan looked up at Alexander and tilted his head. "North? Please don't take this the wrong way... But how do I know that I can trust you." He then looked at Lauralei. "And I'm not asking that to be cruel, love. I only need to know why I should trust Alexander." His eyes went back to Alexander and his face became serious. "You were here when Raphael took Lauralei from me. You say you don't agree with him breaking us apart. And yet you did nothing to stop them. And now you're trying to tell me that you want to keep them all away from us? You're giving me a headache from all the attitude changes, Alexander, and I'm sorry if I seem off by saying it... But I'm frightened to trust you. But do know this. I will not let anyone take her away from me again. The only way that Lauralei will be taken from me is if I am dead. And believe me I will not be allowing either one of those to happen any time soon." But as Tristan was about to continue talking, his nose was back up in the air. "What the hell is that damn smell? It's like... DAMN IT!" He said, turning his head and burying it into the side of Lauralei's stomach. He had done this in an attempt to mask the strange unknown smell with her own scent. But something strange was replaced by her own smell. Tristan's face was still buried in the side of her stomach, but the smell wasn't gone. It was only stonger. He blinked a few times, pulling his face only a few inches away from her side as he looked at her shirt curiously. He sniffed the shirt again and tilted his head. "That's strange..." He said, moving his head foreward to sniff the top part of her stomach. His face pulled away immediately, his right eyebrow raising. "Pardon my hands, love." He said as he moved just a bit, blocking Alexander's view of her.
His right hand slowly lifted up the bottom part of her shirt, exposing the pale skin of her stomach. He thought that it was just a scent on her shirt that he smelled, but Tristan just wanted to make sure, curiousness getting the best of him. Tristan sniffed the top part of her bare stomach now, and he sneezed almost instantly. The smell was so strong that it almost overpowered Lauralei's own scent. Tristan brought her shirt back down over her stomach. He wanted to demand of Alexander what they had done to her, but something inside of him knew the scent. Something was familiar about it. Tristan picked up his head. "I smell you, Lauralei..." He said quietly before putting small pieces together. And it was at that moment that he figured out what Alexander was already hiding from them. He turned his head to look at Alexander and his eyes narrowed. "You already knew about this... didn't you?"

Lauralei shifted a bit when Tristan had lifted her shirt, frowning at him. She noticed Alexander tense over where he was sitting. "What are you doing?" she growled, only moments before he had asked Alexander if he knew about it. "Know about what? What are you talking about?" By this point, Lauralei had sat up. She was the one demanding the answers. Alexander looked at her, and she was calm in an instant, not expecting his mind to completely smoothe over hers. She grumbled, knowing exactly what he was doing, and sank back to where she was laying, muttering incoheirant words. Alexander immidiately lifted his hands, as to show that he wasn't harming her with what he had done, and he wouldn't harm her. "Tristan, you don't understand. We weren't going to take her. I wasn't going to let Raphael take her, when we came the other night. But then your father -- Lucian -- came. He is more or less the... head household of the werewolves, while Raphael is that status for the vampires. Your father wanted to rid of both of you. The only way Raphael knew to spare either of you was to separate you. Please, understand that I'm just trying to help. And yes... I already knew. But we weren't sure." Again, Lauralei asked in a growl what they were talking about, but Alexander ignored her words, causing her to huff a bit. "We still aren't sure. What you could be smelling is simply her body changing. One test said that she was, one said she wasn't, and I have the papers right here with me." His eyes were completely serious. "If you two want to live somewhat peacefully, you need to learn to trust me."

Tristan growled softly, his hands protectively around Lauralei. "So you're trying to tell me that you vampires ran tests on her while she was with you?" He asked, breathing deeply as he tried to calm himself. His eyes moved to look over at Lauralei, and he smiled at her, calming immediately. "It's nothing, love. It may just be a false alarm." He said before looking back at Alexander. "Let me see the papers." He said as he pushed himself up into a standing position and walked over to him, his hand outstretched. "Look. I have no choice but to trust you right now. Sadly, I need your help, and if... if it is true and she is..." He said, taking a deep breath. "Then we need to get out of here and quickly. I am willing to bet that it wont be long before my father comes looking for us, and I have feelings that he wont be so generous towards us this next time." He said, looking down at Alexander. "Now the real question is... why else would her blood be changing? It smells... strange... but at the same time it smells so familiar to me. As if it's something that I've smelled before. Though as far as I know, I have never smelled anything like it." He said, scratching the back of his head. "How long will it take? And will she be okay?" He asked softly, not wanting to alarm Lauralei. His eyes shifted over to her and for a moment he felt a twinge of guilt. He never imagined that she would become pregnant. He had always heard that it was impossible for vampires to breed, but that there were a few rare occassions where a vampire had a breeding gene within them. Never would he have imagined that the one vampire that he had ever met, the one that he fell in love with, would be a breeder. "What's the chances that she is, Alexander? And is it going to hurt her?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

Lauralei watched them talk, not listening into what they were saying. She felt tired again, and pulled the blanket that was laying over the back of the couch and pulled it around her. It felt absolutely freezing in the room, while she herself felt as if she were burning up. Alexander glanced over at her, frowning, but then looked up at Tristan, handing him the papers that he pulled out from a pocket inside of his jacket. "We only did pregnancy tests, it wasn't like she was in a torture chamber. Stop overreacting. Anyways, her blood would be changing for the simple fact that you claimed her as your mate, the other night. Hard to explain." He wasn't in the mood to explain every little detail for the moment; it could always wait until later. "I don't know why it would be familiar to you. Unless you're smelling yourself. That part I'm honestly not sure about, I'm still... reasearching quite a bit of things, right now. I'm trying very hard to make this as simple as possible." At Tristan's final question, Alexander really hesitated. His voice quieted, looking over at Lauralei, seeing that she had fallen asleep with her head resting against one of the couch throw pillows. Sweat had built up along her hairline. "I have absolutely no idea what it will do to her.. and the chances that she is, are fairly high. Vampire pregnancies don't last but a few months, and because there's werewolf in there, too, it might be even shorter. She's already showing signs of it happening. I'll say about three months, tops. Development of vampiric children is very fast, and in werewolves it's even faster, until they stop to hit an age of maturity, which they stay at. Most of the time it's in late teens to early twenties, but there have been eight and nine year old cases as well." He ran his hands through his blonde silken strands, sighing heavily.

Tristan sighed and took the papers from his hand. He opened them and looked down at them, holding both papers right next to each other, comparing them. "One says she isn't and the other says she is." He took notice, even though Alexander had already told him this fact. "This one what says she isn't was taken before this other one." He said, noticing that as well. "He looked back up at Alexander, folding the papers and handing them back to him. "I'm not overreacting. Can you blame me for acting like this right now? I had werewolves who claim to be my father take me away and I had a vampire that claimed to be related to Lauralei take her away. My butler found Lauralei in the snow, half frozen and unfed. How should I be reacting? And now I'm learning that she's pregnant with my child and that no one knows what will happen to her with this?" Tristan said, trying hard not to wake up Lauralei. Tristan sat back down on the floor where he had been before and covered his head with his hands. "Should we tell her?" He asked Alexander, looking back up at him. Tristan couldn't help but to blame himself for all of this. He had never imagined that all of this trouble would have come from them sleeping together. "So is that what I did? Claimed her as my mate?" He asked, pieces finally coming together as he looked over at Lauralei. "I didn't really understand why my body yearned for her in such ways. I never could grasp why I went into such a frenzy when I came back here to find the house empty. I've never felt so... useless before... not until she was gone." He said, sighing softly. "I'm sorry for all of the hassle we've caused you. But I owe you much because of your risking yourself to help us in ways that no one else would. If it wasn't for you and Victoria... who knows what would have become of me and Lauralei." He said, nodding his head. "Thank you."

Lauralei shifted a bit the more shrill Tristan's voice became, and when he'd sat down next to her on the floor, like earlier, she sighed a bit in her sleep. Roscoe was curled up on her stomach, quietly watching Tristan and Alexander with chocolate brown pools. "I'm sorry. I should probably be a bit more forgiving about the matter. It's a very tense subject, and I do apologise if I get rather... irritated, and rushed." He watched Lauralei automatically scoot closer to Tristan, and he tipped his head to the side. "Tristan... is she running a fever? It's not cold in here, and she's acting like she's freezing. And she's sweating. You said you found her in the snow..." He blinked, standing quite suddenly. "Tristan, take her temperature, now." His voice was demanding, and he grabbed another blanket that was laying around wrapping it around her. He tried not to wake her, but it didn't work; the vampiress blinking her eyes open with a frown. "Go 'way," she mumbled, Roscoe jumping back up on the couch, having been put down when the blanket was wrapped around her. She pulled the blanket over her head, shivering a bit, nothing showing but her closed eyes and up. Alexander was only a foot away though. "Lauralei, are you thirsty? Are you thirsty, but you don't want to drink?" Lauralei opened one eye, muttering a soft yes to him, and he swore. "Fantastic," he said sarcastically, and he narrowed his eyes as Lauralei called him an asshole. "Lee, I'm just trying to help, why don't you go back to sleep? You need rest." She agreed with that more than welcomingly, and let her eyes shut again, yawning widely. "It's really, really cold in here," she murmured, her words slurred a bit again, falling asleep moments later.

Tristan looked back at Lauralei when he heard her sigh. He watched her closely for a few long moments, his eyes then going to Roscoe who was watching him. Tristan raised his left arm and patted Roscoe gently before protectively wrapping his arm around Lauralei's middle. "It's quite alright. Just please try to at least realize where it is I am coming from when I get harsh. I am only trying to protect Lauralei." He said, slowly turning his face away from Lauralei and Roscoe so he could look back at Alexander. Tristan felt her draw closer to him in her sleep and he couldn't help but to smile, looking over at her and watching her for a moment longer. But Alexander's harsh voice caught his attention and he looked back over at Alexander, raising an eyebrow at how he spoke. "I've noticed that she is rather clmay, even though the house itself is just as warm as I always make it for her. She's been complaining about it being too cold since last night." He said softly as he slowly stood up from his seat on the floor. "Ok. You don't have to be so brash with me though." He said, becoming slightly irritated by Alexander's persistance with Lauralei. Tristan left the room to head into the downstairs bathroom. After a few long moments of searching, he soon left the bathroom with a thermometer in hand. But when he walked back into the living area of the house, his eyes fell upon Alexander who was tucking a blanket around Lauralei. Tristan's protective ways kicked in as he watched them silently, a small twinge of jealousy filling up inside of him. He hovered over her as if he cared more about her than he was saying, and it bothered Tristan. A soft growl formed in his throat, one that was almost inaudible. But it quickly faded and he crossed the room to sit on the edge of the sofa beside Lauralei. "Open your mouth just a little bit, love. I want to take your tempertaure." He said to her softly, slipping the end of the thermometer inbetween her lips and under her tongue.

Alexander noticed how protective Tristan had suddenly become, and he knew his cue to back off, sitting down in a chair a few feet away. Lauralei jerked her head backwards when Tristan had slipped the thermometer through her lips, and her lips pulled back over her teeth, snarling at him. She was definately moody. "Why can't I sleep?" she snapped. "Everyone keeps irritating me, waking me up, jesus christ, go away." She rolled onto her other side, so she was facing away from him, and Alexander frowned, not moving from where he was. Tristan knew how to handle her, and it was obvious that her emotions were overly delicate, hormones out of proportion. She sank deeply into the couch, shuddering, her teeth chattering a bit. "Tristan?" Alexander's voice was soft, a blood packet in his hand. "It's worth a try," he murmured, setting it down near them and moving away again. His face was emotionless, for the most part, watching carefully as Lauralei's eyelids began flickering open and closed. It looked almost as if she were trying to stay awake, but sleep was taking over her body little by little. Alexander had the feeling that if he interfered anymore than he was, Tristan wouldn't be so polite with him, so he made sure not to step in unless he felt he was really needed, staying quite silent.

Tristan saw how quickly Alexander had back off of Lauralei, and he couldn't help but to feel a slight bad for the ways he was acting. But his body would just act that way, it wasn't like he had much control over himself. He wasn't sure why he was so edgy about her, but since they had ran off from their respective households, Tristan's body had seemed to watch her as if she were delicate or something. It was as if his body knew she was in a weak state and even the slightest thing that may harm her caused his body to become rigid, and his emotions of protectiveness to kick into full gear. Tristan looked down at lauralei, watching as she bared her teeth and snarled at him. He pulled the thermometer away from her and he looked at her as she turned her back to him, complaining about people bothering her. "I'll think twice next time I..." He said softly, his thought never finishing as it trailed off. Tristan grumbled a few more times before looking over at Alezxander. Tristan nodded and picked up the blood packet. "Lauralei. Stop snarling at me and eat this." He said, holding it over her. "You need to eat. It's more important for you to eat right now than you think it is. We need you to get better so we can move you. We have to go somewhere else so Lucian and Raphael don't find us." He said to her, placing his free hand on her shoulder. "Please, Little Angel. Do this for me, please?" He said as his free hand traced down the side of her face, pulling hair away from her face as he spoke. He sighed softly and let his hand moved down along her neck and shoulder and down her arm. He took her hand in his and gently squeezed it before lifting it and placing it on the unopened blood packet. "Now eat... please?"

Lauralei looked slightly pained, and she slowly turned back over onto her other side, her face having fallen. She took the blood packet and sniffed at it, making a face before slowly bringing it to her lips. As soon as she started to drink, her eyes shut, her muscles visibly relaxing. When she finished it off, her eyes opened again halfway. "I'm sorry," she said softly, looking up at Tristan. She eyed the thermometer, knowing that he was probably just going to try to use that while she was calmer now as well, so she simply took it from him and slipped it beneath her tongue, nestling back down into the cushions of the couch. She could fit two more of her side by side on the couch and still have room; it was more of a bed than anything, and it gave her room to stretch out a bit. She knew exactly what he didn't finish, and it made her feel horrible, staying quiet from then on. Alexander watched her calm a great deal, hearing the thermometer beep a few times, Lauralei flinching away from it as if it hurt her ears. He was slightly afraid to see what it read, knowing that if it was over 93 degrees or so, they needed to get her to feed a lot more, rest, and break the fever that he knew she already had. He just wans't sure how bad the fever was. Tristan had said that she was found in the snow... and that could very well mean she had the beginning stages of pnuemonia. Lauralei's eyes were flickering again, yawning and pulling the blankets more tightly around her. Roscoe was down by her feet, and she pressed her hidden toes against him, the dog not seeming to mind in the least.

Tristan smiled down at her as she turned to finally face him. "Thank you, Lauralei." He said softly as he ran his fingers softly across her forehead. She was much warmer than she usually was, and it bothered him that even his skin tempertaure could tell the difference in her change. But the warmth of her skin was what seemed like many degrees warmer than what she usaully was. Tristan watched as she took the blood packet and brought it to her lips. He smiled warmly down at her as she fed, finally feeling relief that she was actually doing something that she knew she had to. "It's okay, love. I know you don't feel well." He said, kissing her forehead gently. The unnatural warmth of her forehead against his lips made his lips tingle, something that caused him to bite down on his bottom lip. He hadn't meant anything by his unfinished thought, he had been simply aggrivated by the fact that he knew there was really nothing he could do for her. Tristan watched as her hand moved up towards his and took the thermometer from his fingers. He was glad to see that she was trying to be at least a little compliant with him. Tristan sat close to her on the couch now, his left arm wrapped tightly around her middle as he watched her closely. Once the beeping noise started, Tristan immediately pulled it from her lips, pulling it away from her ears. "Sorry." He said as he looked down at it. He then looked back at her. "You need to sleep. You're sick." He said to her, turning off the thermometer and standing up. He then looked at Alexander. "Her temperature is at ninety seven degrees. Now I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's a little too high for a vampire." He said to him, tossing the thermometer onto the table. "What can we do to break this fever?" He asked him, his eyes still watching Lauralei as she played her feet against Roscoe.

Alexander blinked. "Ninety-seven, you said? An unhealthy temperature for her is ninety-three." He wasn't sure whether they should warm her more to break the fever, or to cool her off. He then remembered how she kept complaining at how cold it was in the room. "Well... we can either make her warmer, to break it and have it go away... or we can cool her off. But she's not going to like it any if we try to cool her off. It'll involve an ice bath.. no matter how stupid that sounds, seeing as though the cold is what caused it in the first place. It weakened her immune system so badly..." He chewed on his lower lip, standing up. "Can you go ahead and get her to the tub?" He was trying to be as quiet as he could, but Lauralei heard him, her eyes widening. "But it's already so cold in here," she murmured, stumbling over her words. "It's too cold..." Her voice faded, and Alexander apologised quietly, standing next to them. "I had to put her to sleep," he murmured, and Lauralei was, indeed, sleeping. "She needs it... and it'll only be painful for her if she's awake.

Raphael frowned. Alexander was gone, and he had blocked Raphael from his mind; the sapphire-hued elder not bothering to dig in deeply enough to find out where he was. If the male wanted to run off to wallow in his misery, so let him. At least, that's what Raphael thought he was doing. There was no sign of the guards coming across any trail of Lauralei, and he faintly wondered if they had already taken off and left. He thought that if Tristan really wanted to keep her away from any danger, that's exactly what they would do. He'd told Alexander to inform the guards about the mansion... but they said they'd checked several mansions, none of them occupying the pair. Perhaps Alexander was out also looking for them, because the guards weren't finding any trace. He knew that the blonde wouldn't want any harm to come to Lauralei, and if she was with child, then harm was a huge possibility. The thought that Alexander was helping them never even crossed his mind. "Son of a bitch better be back soon..." he muttered, wandering throughout the house, looking to see where Jaylen and Christopher had gone to.

Tristan sighed and looked back at Lauralei. So she was sick, much sicker than he would have liked her to be. "So either warm her more or freeze her?" He repeated, looking over at Alexander. "It sounds a little absurd, yes, but for once I'm going to take your word for it." He said softly, looking over at Lauralei once again. Tristan nodded and looked over at the stairs that lead upstairs. But he figured it would be easier to just use the tub that was in the downstairs bathroom. "Not a problem. I'll just use the one in there." He said, motioning over to the bathroom door that was across the room from them. He heard Lauralei speak and he chuckled. "It's going to help you warm up, love. Trust us." He said before scowling at Alexander. "You better hope that this works." He said. But he then noticed that Lauralei's voice had dropped, her conciousness slipping back into a sleep. He looked at Alexander as he explained what it was that he had done, and fighting back a growl, Tristan simply nodded. "It's fine. It's for her own good... and ours." He said, slowly slipping his arms underneath of Lauralei's knees and shoulders. He lifted her up easily, letting her head rest limply against his chest. With a soft kiss to the top of her hea, he turned and slowly walked away from the couch and across the room. He walked into the bathroom and gently laid Lauralei into the empty bathtub. He stuck his head out and looked at Alexander. "I left her clothes on her for obvious reasons. But I'm going to need you to draw the bath. If I even touch it it will warm up." He said, shaking his head. "I'm useless when it comes to something needing to be cold. I apologize."