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

Lauralei's teeth were pulling gently at the skin of Tristan's neck when his movements suddenly turned much harder, and she groaned loudly, attempting to contain herself. It seemed nearly impossible, though. With his insanely warm body pushed against hers, her own temperature was steadily raising, causing sweat to form a slick sheen along her body. At the growls that were coming from Tristan's throat, Lauralei pushed her lips much more gently against the skin there, feeling the vibrations. She noticed their noises becoming almost matched, and the buildup that was forming earlier was on a steady increase, rising higher with every stroke of his hips to hers. Faintly, her eyes opened, but it was only for a moment; closing them again as her nails raked along the back of his neck, trailing down to his shoulders and chest.

Alexander looked horrified. "Tristan help me? That will be the end of the world, most definately." He shook his head, merely joking. When she mentioned his brother not telling him things, just to protect him, he went quiet again, nodding. "Yes. I realize that now. And I understand that that's when we began to fade apart. He was never really there, and refused to let me help him when he was down... and I never knew why." The subjects seemed to be changing so quickly, and it made his head spin, looking up at Victoria. "I know they deserve to be up there. How long until the others get here?" He wasn't sensing them yet, but he wasn't reaching out very far. Just outside the city limits, and they weren't quite there yet, or he'd know. "Tristan might be handicapped by the time they're done, though..." A snicker rose from his throat. Only the louder noises from upstairs floated down, but they were still very noticable. "He might not be much use." The snicker turned into a laugh, stretching out on the couch.

Tristan couldn't hold himself back from her much longer, this he was sure of. It was becoming increasingly harder for him to keep himself from releasing the build up that she had caused inside of him. And with every heavy stroke and movement of his body against hers, it only made him that much closer to loosing himself to her completely. Tristan felt the pull of Lauralei's nails against the skin of his neck, shoulders, and chest. His own hands trailed down the sides of her body before they stopped on her hips and gripped them hard. His hands guided her hips now, moving them against him harder and steadier. Tristan's growls were becoming broken grunts, his body tensing so hard that the muscles in his arms and stomach rippled. Tristan was trying so hard to hold back the inevitable, that he had lost that self control that he had always had with her. Tristan was always so cautious and calm, gentle, with her. But this time, he was allowing his animalistic side to take over his movements. It caused feelings and sensations that he hadn't felt before course through him, electrocuting him in ways that he would never be able to explain. In a way it was like when Lauralei released venom. It was that high flying feeling that made everything feel unreal.

Victoria couldn't help but to laugh, though the laugh was no where near as happy or chimming as it usually would be. "You've never laid with a werewolf before. We have enough energy to go for hours and still run a marathon afterwards. No, he'll be useful. Though I don't know how easy it will be to pull him away from her side after they are finished." She said, shaking her head softly. Victoria remembered back to the days when it was her and Nickolas. He never left her side, even if it meant the death of him. She used to become so angry with him when he would leave in the middle of the afternoon, knowing what the sunlight would do to him. But he never seemed to care, and he never complained. It was always just so he could spend as much time as possible with her. And once she had become pregnant, he would hardly ever leave her side. He would go weeks without eating if it meant knowing that Victoria was safe and that she was taken care of. At the thoughts of how things used to be, Victoria began to stare off into space, a small smile spreading across her lips. It wasn't until Alexander spoke again that she snapped out of it. "Um..." She said, shutting her eyes and turning her face upwards. "We have about an hour and a half. That should be plenty of time for the children to finish and for Lauralei to fall asleep." She said, looking back at Alexander with her chocolate hues.

Lauralei began to notice how Tristan was tensing, her nails moving away from his back and shoulders, trailing down his chest, fingers dancing along his hips, very slowly coming back up and tracing the hardened muscles. The harder, and steadier his movements, the more her own buildup began to consume her, breathing hotly against his neck. A certain spark kept nagging at her hips, causing it to be all the more harder to keep herself from doing just as he was trying so hard not to do. But with the continued assault he was performing... a sound, mixed somewhere between a groan and a moan, along with part of his name, bubbled up from her chest. It was a lot more intense than the first time she'd ever released herself to him, her right hand coming up to rest on his neck, panting just slightly, while her other hand remained on his shoulder, still guiding his movements.

Alexander eyed Victoria, shrugging a little. "No, indeed I haven't," he murmured, yawning a bit. When she began to space out, the male didn't say anything further, blinking as she spoke. "Alright. And you're sure that you don't want to go anywhere? You.. know that Nicholas won't hesitate in the least to come here if he thinks you're going to get hurt." It'd always been like that. The male was so amazingly protective of what he loved, and what he felt was his to protect. The two being twins, they took care of each other, but if Alexander needed him, almost every single time, Nicholas didn't think twice about coming to aid. He wasn't too worried about the time it took for Laurlei to fall asleep, knowing that they ought to be finishing up soon. The only problem, was if she would wake up or not once Tristan was gone, and if she did, would she go out looking for him? That would only cause a lot more problems. Victoria certainly was right. The vampiress didn't need anymore stress than what was absolutely necessary right now... but handling things near the area wasn't the best way to keep that.

Tristan was afraid that if his body became any more tense then it already was, he would explode from the pressure of the build up that Lauralei was causing him. Her nails pulled at the skin of his back, causing him to take in a sharp breath of pleasure through gritted teeth. His hips bucked into hers. There was no more being overly careful for him. The way her body felt against his, the sound of his name bubbling up in a mixture of sounds from her lips, and the way she held herself to him just made it harder and harder for him to control himself with her. And it made it even harder for him to keep his self control. Tristan's hands moved slowly to rest on either side of her shoulders, allowing him to push his chest up off of hers. Upon feeling her release to him, he leaned his face down into hers and placed his lips around hers. His lips trembled and his body burned as he let Lauralei's hands move with his every movement. He knew that now that he had felt her warm release, he wouldn't have long until he joined her. And sure enough, after a few more hard movements of his hips into hers, his bucking stopped, his hips raising and pressing as hard and as far into hers as he could manage. His eyes shut tight and a deep growl with what sounded like her name embedded in it escaped his lips as he allowed himself to release the built up pressure inside of him.

Victoria shook her head. "It would be more dangerous if I just ran. If I leave here they may be likely to come here and start some sort of trouble for everyone else. Lucian would do that. And Killian... hs' beyond the line of revenge. He would do anything he could think of to lure out me... or even Nickolas." She said, sighing once again as she looked down at her hands. She would never understand what was so wrong... why this love was so strongly forbidden. She'd never understand how a child so glorious and perfect as her and Nickolas' son. Nicklos always spoke how Keith would be the missing link. The one thing that would forever bind the vampires and the werewolves together in harmony instead of anger. But they would never have it that way. No one would ever see it this way. It was love, was it not? Was the old Russian tales not of how souls met before they ever became one with a human life? Was it not said that souls met and fell in love before becoming one with their human self and even once the soul and the human became one, the soul still remembered its love? It's soul mate... Why couldn't anyone just let her and Nickolas be? And what about Tristan and Lauralei. Would they be forced to run and hide for the rest of their lives? "I can not give Nickolas any reason to become alarmed. I can't have him come out of his safe haven to help me. It will only make things worse." Victoria said softly, as if only speaking to herself. But after she spoke, she raised her eyes and looked up at Alexander. "We stay here. The children are done playing. We can meet the others outside. They'll be here soon."

Lauralei panted slightly against Tristan's neck, utterly limp against the mattress. Her hands slid gently over his shoulders, holding his face in her hands for just a second, kissing him tenderly. She was almost tempted to shower before she slept.. but it wasn't long before she decided against it, much too comfortable beneath Tristan's heated body. She provided one more kiss, then let her hands drop on either side of her, heartrate slowly beginning to calm down.

Alexander wasn't too happy with Victoria saying they were going to stay. He didn't care if he did... but if something started to happen... his brother was going to be there within a matter of seconds, if that. And that's just what they needed. He was silent though, waiting for Tristan to come downstairs, knowing that Lauralei was going to be sleeping in barely any time at all. Though she'd fed earlier, the child inside of her still drained her energy quite heavily, due to it having both vampiric and werewolf cravings that needed to be attended to. The elder only hoped that, for now, things wouldn't get too messy, and they wouldn't need to fight.. though that was extraordinarily slim.

Tristan's left hand raised up and gently stroked Lauralei's hair. And though he too was panting softly, he still smiled softly down at her, kissing her temple gently as his fingers ran through her hair. Tristan laid there ontop of her for a long moment, watching her carefully as he body became more and more relaxed beneath his. In a few long moments, he rolled off of her to lay beside her, fingers trailing softly against her cheek. "Get some rest, Little Angel." He said, kissing her temple once more. He didn't move, not until he was entirely sure that she had slipped into a sleeping stage. He didn't want to move away from her, but something in the air smelled fowl. Something wasn't right and he could sense the stress from the female werewolf downstairs. He knew that it would be in his best interest to go downstairs and see what was going on, though he wouldn't move until he was perfectly sure that Lauralei was comfotably sleeping. And when that time came, he slowly slipped out from the bed, gathered a clean pair of jeans, and moved to the bathroom to quickly clean himself up. Not long after that, feeling a lot less sweaty and a lot more worried, he dressed, kissed Lauralei's forehead, whispering softly to her. "I'll be right back. I love you." And turned to walk out of the room and head downstairs.

Victoria knew that Alexander was distraught about her choice of wanting to stay at the house. But she was too scared that if her and Alexander left, Lucian would pull something at the house, putting Lauralei in danger. She had a job, and that was to protect Lauralei. It was to help Tristan. And turning tail and running away from the problem wouldn't solve anything. It wasn't her own life she needed to protect anymore. It was theirs. Victoria suddenly turned her face away from Alexander and looked up at the stairs. "It's about damn time." She said as feet slowly started to decsend the stairs. "What's going on? It smells weirder than normal down here." Tristan said as he stretched a bit, looking between Victoria and Alexander. "Who was that other vampire that was here?" He asked, walking over towards Victoria. She still smelled strongly of Nicholas, and Tristan noticed it immediately. Though for now, he wasn't going to ask.

It didn't take very long for Lauralei's eyelids to begin to feel heavy, curling against Tristan. She was sleeping by the time he'd slipped out of the bed, though it woke her up momentarily; quietly objecting to it. It wasn't a few seconds later she was sleeping again, her arms stretched out over the spot that Tristan would have occupied, laying on her side. The sheet was pulled up just enough so it was covering her chest, still fairly heated around her. When he came back into the room and kissed her head, whispering to her, she shifted onto her back, completely asleep now, without any disturbances.

Alexander looked fairly relieved -- for once -- when Tristan came down the stairs, eyes shifting towards Victoria momentarily at his question. "Your father and Victoria's mate - your uncle - are coming. I'm not sure who else is with them. And.. the vampire in here earlier was none other than my brother. He's safe." The vampire was fidgety, unable to stand still where he stood, and finally began to move around the room.

Tristan blinked a few times as he stopped suddenly at the bottom of the stairs. Something just wasn't right. Things were too tense in this living room. More tense than ever. And something, somehow, had the lingering scent of the other vampire, the one that Alexander called his brother. Tristan looked around briefly, noticing that Alexander was much more uneasy than normal. "Okay. So that's nothing new. Why are you making such a big deal of it this time?" Tristan asked as he walked into the middle of the living room, softly sniffing the air around him. The smell of Alexander's brother was faded from the room, but it was fumigating off of one single spot. Tristan knew that whatever that was would show him what this other vampire was doing in the house so unexpectedly. Tristan moved again, watching as Victoria quickly shifted away from him, as if out of his line of smell. "You see, Tristan..." Victoria stated, her voice shaken. "There were some... things... that were brought out of the past. And well the council on either side would be highly upset if they found out." Victoria said, looking down at her hands. Her skin still smelled so finely of Nicholas. It was so hard for her not to smile in a warmth of happiness of having felt him there with her after so long. But the smile would never come. She knew that things were about to get much worse. Lucian and Killian's scent were becoming stronger and stronger. They would be there in only moments, at least that was what it would feel like. Lucian and his men were already breathing down their necks. Victoria curled her hands into tight fists, not noticing that Tristan had come up very close behind her. "Victoria." He said, causing her to jump and turn quickly. "You stink. What is going on here?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Both of you know something and god damn it I want to know too." Victoria quickly shook her head. "We can't. You shouldn't know. It'll only make things harder." She said, rubbing her temples with her fingers. "Well fine. You don't want to tell me then you don't need me down here." He said, shrugging his shoulders before turning to walk back up the stairs. Victoria looked at Alexander, her face begging him to think of something.

Alexander sighed, looking at Victoria with frustration. "Tristan.. wait." He stared at the female for a few minutes, not believing that she was making him tell the male what was going on. If he lost his temper, it'd be on him. Fantastic. "A while ago, probably... fifteen.. twenty years ago, actually; around the time you were born, or concieved, a male was born. Keith." Emerald pools lent downwards, then back up to the male. "He was the first hybred, that at least I know of. Victoria is his mother. Nicholas is his father. The 'brother' that she lost wasn't her brother, it was her son." He chewed his lower lip a bit. "Your father may have had you to kill him. I don't really know... but when he left, he found no reason to raise you as a werewolf in order to destroy him, because he probably wouldn't survive on his own. There are others that are against the thought of a hybred much more than the councils on both side combined." Another pause, gently wrapping an arm around Victoria, knowing it was probably upsetting her. And it would be a few minutes until the others would be here. "My brother broke the law that prevented them from seeing each other. He came to see me, and realized Victoria was here. It ended badly. Killian saw, reported it back to Lucian. The penalty for either of them seeing each other, is death. And now Killian and Lucian are coming. While they're at it, they may decide to ignore their previous wishes... they could do anything. Kill Lauralei, hold her until she births then take the child, kill you. Anything is possible. But they're coming, right now, and they're going to be here within a matter of minutes."

Leaves crunched. Branches snapped. They weren't being careful anymore. They didn't care if they were detected. This was more important than keeping themselves hidden. Both Lucian and Killian both knew that Victoria knew they were coming. But what they didn't know was what was going to be awaiting them once they got there. They weren't far from the house now, and as far as Lucian could tell, there was no Nicholas there anymore. That was probably for the best. Nicholas would be the problem of the vampire council, not theirs. And it was probably better that Nicholas wasn't there. Maybe Killian wouldn't do anything drastic... maybe. Lucian knew that he was upset. But nothing would surpass the way that Lucian was feeling. Betrayed. Angered. It was time to end this, like he had wanted to do so many years ago. It was time to make it so that this would never be a problem again. He would have ended this years ago, but Killian had begged him not to dispose of the beautiful werewolf. He had sworn to keep an eye on her. Killian had promised that he would make it so thoughts of Nicholas never crossed her mind again. And for the past many years, it had seemed that it had worked. She was depressed at first and had crumbled after the disappearance of Keith. But after a while she became stronger than ever. She had become a valuable member of their council. Her displeasure with the vampires had become unmatchable. But never, could any of them, have been so wrong.

Tristan just stared for a long moment, his eyes moving betwen Victoria and Alexander. At first he thought it was a joke. But when he saw the way that Victoria seemed to crumble into Alexander's arm, it all made sense. It had seemed that Victoria blamed Alexander for something since the first time they had met. All the snide comments that she made. All the ways that she spoke of how stupid and cruel vampires were. All this because she had her own past and her own secrets. Tristan blinked a few times, as the startling truth began to settle in. "So there's another hybred? Lauralei isn't the first?" Victoria shook her head at that. "She'll be the first vampire. I was the first werewolf." She said quietly. "It should be alright though. They aren't after anyone but me." She said, taking a deep breath. It was then that she smelled it. The anger. The remorse. It lingered thicker than ever in the air. And in only a few moments, Victoria tensed up and pushed herself away from Alexander, her eyes shooting to the front door.

"Lucian! Stop!" Killian shouted, having changed from his form back into his human self when the had crossed the line onto the property of the house. Killian had thought that Lucian too would ave changed, but he hadn't. Instead, he ran straight for the front door, his large body jumping at the wooden door just feet infront of it. The door gave way to Lucian's massive form with ease, collapsing beneath him. As he landed, his eyes raised and saw Victoria. And befre she had a moment to react, before anyone did, Lucian jumped again, changing his form in mid air, before coming down on top of Victoria. His large right hand grabbed her throat and slammed her against a wall. "SLUT! WHAT DID I FUCKING TELL YOU!?" His hand tightened, keeping Victoria from being able to breath very easilly. Tristan moved almost instantly, his arms moving so that he was pulling back a single fist and moving to slam it into the back of Lucian's head. But Killian was ontop of him, holding Tristan's hand with ease. "I wouldn't get involved if I was either of ou." Killian said, growling.

Alexander shifted a bit when Victoria suddenly pulled away from him, flinching away as the doorway practically imploded upon Lucian's massive body slamming through it. He made an attempt to step in front of her, but Lucian was quicker.

Lauralei's eyes fluttered open, snuggled quite comfortably beneath the blankets. What had shaken the house? What was all the yelling downstairs? She was too tired to get up and see, and she'd wait until there was a rather large rucus. The insulation in the house prevented her from hearing word for word what was being said, and even who was saying it. All she knew that something was loud... and shook part of the house.

Alexander watched with slightly pained hues when Tristan's hand suddenly flew out, Killian grabbing it. "Lucian," he murmured. "This isn't anyone's fault. He came here unknowing she was here. It's only a natural reaction what had happened. Killian shouldn't have been here anyway." Threatening emerald pools darted to Killian. "We made it clear, no one was to come near here, for Lauralei's sake. And if you don't quiet down, she's going to wake up. If you want this child, she needs to remain sleeping, without anymore stress. And Victoria is one of the only things right now that's keeping her sanity. Do you honestly want to jeapordize that child?"

He was praying his brother didn't pop in, that nothing else would happen. Nicholas was twice as strong, if not more, than Alexander. It was remarkable. If he came to the house... things would begin to get unbelievably messy.

Victoria gasped for air, her hands wrapped around the hand that Lucian held dangerously tight around her throat. She couldn't speak, she could barely breath, and swallowing the large lump in her throat was damned impossible. Lucian's hand only seemed to tighten as she struggled with his hand. His eyes were yellow, deep and evil looking. He knew all to well that as long as Victoria couldn't concentrate, she couldn't turn into a werewolf. "Shut up Alexander." Lucian growled deeply, his eyes turning towards Alexander. "This is of no concern what-so-ever to a filthy leech like you." Lucian only shook his head, chuckling lightly as Victoria's nails began to claw at the skin of his hand. "You speak about how no one, for Lauralei's sake, was permitted to coming here. So then why was your dear brother here? He too is an outsider to all of this. Or are you going to try to tell me that because he is your brother that he had every right to be here?" Lucian finally released Victoria and let her fall to the floor. Falling hard into a lump, her hands went directly to her throat as she gasped heavily for breath. Her chest burned, her eyes were unable to focus. She knew that she would never be able to stand up to Lucian, not when he was prepared like this."So it's okay for your precious lying, filthy twin brother to come in and out of this house as pleases but Victoria's own MATE can't come to check on her?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "You forget. Lauralei and You are the only vampires here. Tristan is still my son, and Victoria a very important part of my council. You don't run this, blood sucker. And just to let you know, this has nothing to do with Lauralei or that child. This has to do with something that was lawfully instated many years ago that has suddenly and unwelcomingly occurred."

Victoria looked up at Tristan, her eyes still foggy from the lack of breath. But she was able to inaudibly mouth Lauralei's name to him and him understand. Tristan didn't need to be down here right now. He needed to make sure that Lauralei stayed where she was, safe, and unknowing to the entire situation. Tristan turned and bound back up the stairs as quickly as he could. He calmed his pace and his breath before walking through the bedroom door. Slowly and quietly he walked over to the bed beside Lauralei and slid himself into the bed beside her. He would stay here and make sure she didn't know what was going on. He would make sure that she never found out a thing about this entire situation.

Victoria slowly stood up and looked up at Killian. "He is no mate of mine." She said, rather forcefully as she glared at Killian and then at Lucian. "And you can take your god damned council and stick it up your fur loving ass." It was almost instantly after that that a hand shot foreward and punched Victoria square in the face, sending her backwards into a wall. "You will not speak in such a tone and manner Victoria. Believe me... if it wasn't for the fact that I knew how much this child thrives on you being here, I'd kill you here and now. But your punishment will have to wait. Just know now, slut, that if I see or hear that you're running with that blood sucker again between now and the time this child is born, I will NOT be so kind about it."

Lauralei lifted her head a little when Tristan came into the room, shifting back to her side of the bed. Her bare form curled gently against his body as he slid next to her. "Was it you downstairs making all that noise?" Almost as soon as his scent hovered over her, she was falling asleep again, though more restless now. "You're loud." Her arm was draped over his chest, head nuzzled against his shoulder, lovingly. Though the fire in the room kept her warm, it was still chilly. With Tristan there, there was no chance of her getting chilled. She didn't ask anymore questions, beginning to fall asleep; drifting in and out of slumber.

Alexander flinched slightly when Victoria had spoken, and Lucian's fist slammed into her face. It was sickening him. But he knew that all hell was about to break loose. "My brother has every right to be here. He isn't a filthy, vile, impotent fleabag like you." A blur of black. Victoria disappearing from the floor. And then a tall, dark-haired male standing behind Lucian, one arm wrapped around the male in such a way that he wouldn't be able to move his arms; the other hand holding a silver blade against Lucian's throat, digging into the flesh already, drawing blood. Nicholas. He'd snatched Victoria and set her in the room next to Tristan and Lauralei's. "You won't be so kind about it?" His voice was a whisper, Alexander having taken a step back, glaring at Killian, as if daring him to move.

"You ought to know that Victoria will never be the same again. Our child still runs free, and you'll never find him. My blood still revives her in any state she's in; can Killian's do that? Can Killian bring out the happiest of her soul? You're simply too fucking stupid and arrogant to understand what you're doing, aren't you? Might as well admit it." His voice didn't raise above a whisper, the blade slowly digging deeper into Lucian's throat. He could very well vanish with Lucian, as he did with Victoria, and bring him somewhere far away... but he had the feeling, as did Alexander, that Lucian wouldn't persue this too much further. Not with Lauralei upstairs; not with Victoria being her only hope of having the child and having it live. "My brother doesn't run this situation. Neither do you. Nor Killian. Nor myself. This is their decision." The blade cut deeper.

All of this had happened in less than half a minute, the blade disappearing from its spot, Nicholas no longer holding the male back. He stood next to his twin, the two still looking nothing alike, but to any human, they'd be gods. Nicholas's dark hair was tied back, glaring in such a way that to a mortal, he'd look lethal just to catch a glimpse at him. He had several blades, all made out of silver and various metals that he knew the wolves were allergic to, and that's just what was visible on the outside of his coat. Alexander's heartbeat finally began to slow, calming from watching the abuse Victoria had recieved; staying downstairs in case Lucian or Killian attempted something stupid.

Tristan happily wrapped his arms around Lauralei's small form as she moved against him. He smiled down at her, kissing the top of her head softly as he watched her calm once again. "Sorry, love. I just had some things to take care of while I was down there. I didn't mean to be so loud." He said. He was glad that she didn't ask any more questions. He didn't know if she had felt the one half of the house shake or not when Lucian had bursted in unannounced, and he was so grateful that she couldn't smell his presence downstairs. He wouldn't know how to explain everything that was going on. He wasn't sure what he was and wasn't suppose to tell her. So many things had transpired so quickly in just a few hours that he was even having problems taking it all in. Tristan just sighed and rubbed his hand up and down her back softly. "Just sleep Lauralei." He whispered, nuzzling his face into the top of her head. It'll all be over soon.

Victoria gasped. The smell had overcome her long before she had even felt herself moved. Her fingers grasped at the floor beneath her. It was different than the one she had just fallen on. This floor was different. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked around the room. She was upstairs. She had been moved, and the smell that lingered around her told her just who it had been. Nicholas. He was there, in the house, knowing that he shouldn't be. Victoria's body tingled, her head was light and her senses multiplied. Everything on her hurt. Everything around her spun. But none the less Victoria pushed herself up off the floor and tried to stand up. Blood, her own blood, was caked to her face. She could taste it in her own mouth, smell it across her face. Victoria's knees buckled slightly, but before she fell to the floor she caught herself and stood back up. Nicholas shouldn't be there. She had told him not to worry about it. She had told him that she would handle this. What did it matter if she got the shit beat out of her? What would it matter if someone killed her. She had lost everything that she cared for and loved. Everything that she had wanted in life was gone. Victoria's body twitched slightly. She couldn't hear what was going on downstairs and that bothered her more than the knowledge that Nicholas was there, exposing himself.

Lucian's body tensed up as he felt the silver blade press against his neck. He heard the cold words behind him as Nicholas spoke into his ear, digging the blade for the knife into his neck even harder. Killian didn't move, but his body was tense and ready to spring as soon as he was given the motion or had reason to. "Ah but Nicholas, your union with my Victoria is prohibited, as was stated so many years ago. She's with who she should be with now. And there is absolutely nothing you can fucking do about it but just sit back and watch as your precious werewolf lover is taken away from you again and again. I'll never let the two of you be. And neither will the vampires. You may have your brother's blessings, and you may have a few werewolves who don't mind, but the ones who matter, the ones who instruct and keep the laws, will never allow it." Lucian spoke slowly, his voice harsh as he strained to keep his composure against the sting of the blade. But Lucian didn't fight against Nicholas's hold. He didn't push away or attempt to break free. It wasn't needed. This was just a warning from Nicholas. Nothing more. Once Nicholas left him and moved to stand beside Alexander, Lucian just smirked, watching the two brothers. "Keith... you act as if you know anything about your dear son. But I know that neither you nor Victoria know anything more than I do about the child. He's a mystery. Something that's disappeared into nothing but memories of just a few select people. But I'll find that child of yours. Unlike Victoria, I can actually leave and take time out to search for the child. She wont leave this place any time soon. I promise you this, you blood suckers, I will find that half eaten flea bag you call a son long before anyone else does, and when I do, there will be no more missing link that ties our two species together. There will never be anything that can fulfill that olden prophecy of us working in unison. Not while I'm alive."

The flash of brown and white was nothing but a blur leaping from halfway up the steps. Victoria had lunged herself at Lucian, her teeth bared and her eyes almost glowing. The growl that she emitted ripped through the room, causing even Killian to jump in fear for a moment. By the time that Victoria landed on top of Lucian, she was human again, her long nails digging deep into the flesh of Lucian's arms. Her muscles spasmed with the strength of the transformation still coursing through her. "You will NEVER speak about my son in such a manner again. I should tear your ass limb to limb right now, Lucian, but I would never cause that kind of trouble in this house." She said before throwing him down into a wall. She turned quickly on Killian who had taken a few steps towards her. "Leave here! Don't ever come back! I never want to see your wretched face again!" Lucian slowly stood up and quietly moved to stand behind Victoria. When she noticed the presence standing behind her, she turned to protect her back, only to find a hand slam into her stomach. But it wasn't just a hand. It was a paw, the long claws digging deep into her belly as Lucian slowly transformed back into a werewolf. As Lucian dropped to all fours, Victoria fell to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain, her eyes wide as she fought for breath. Killian quickly followed suite and transformed himself into a werewolf. It was then that Lucian looked at Alexander, snarling with unpleasant distrust before him and Killian bolted into a run and left the house from the door they had entered. The point was made, for now.

Four paws padded heavily across the snow covered field. The running was fast, faster than any other animal alive. As the animal moved through the trees, it jumped up and clung to the side of a tree with agility nothing like any other werewolf. In fact, the creature barely resembled a werewolf. Slowly, as the creature clung to the side of a tree, it's body shifted into something much more human like. Keith's head turned towards the north, his eyes red and glass like as he snarled softly. Sharp fangs protruded from beneath his lips as he glared off into the distance. Something wasn't right. There was something transpiring faster now. It was as if something was calling for him, and it was becoming harder and harder for him to ignore it.

Lauralei stayed snuggled comfortably against him, sighing softly after a little while. Eventually, her breathing and heart rate slowed to the point that it was all too obvious she was sleeping, though she'd stirred a bit at hearing Victoria's snarl; thinking nothing of it. With Tristan being there, it wasn't enough to make her even open her eyes; especially since there was no real reaction from him. She was depending on him so much throughout the pregnancy... he was her main sanity. If he wasn't there, and she was alone in the room, she'd become paranoid, and would probably hole herself in a corner until he returned. Even as she slept, nightmares of Lucian trying to take away their child, haunted her mind. And, as she slept, the child in her belly stirred, gently turning and kicking out; none of it too violent to hurt her. Victoria had spoken of her pelvic bone being broken, but so far, the infant with Lauralei wasn't thrashing. She still had a little while to go, however.

"Victoria," Nicholas sighed, already down by her head, picking her up; carrying her, and setting her on the couch. "Foolish woman," he commented. Alexander was already there, silent, handing over bandages to his brother, then exiting the room. Nicholas ripped the shirt open, trailing his fingers around the wounded area. Lucian had caused a lot of damage, but the male vampire wasn't too worried. The female was stronger than any other he'd come across. Once he'd bandaged her, and pulled his own shirt off to put over her, he slid slightly beneath her on the couch, laying with his arms wrapped protectively around her. It was the couch that you could fit three people on it, side by side, if they were laying on their backs; so there was plenty of room. After a while, he shifted so that he was on his stomach, face nuzzled into her neck, a single arm still over her. Alexander had stepped outside, on the wrap-around porch, watching it snow.

Victoria's stomach burned. She had hit the floor almost instantly after Lucian's hand had left her stomach. Her body was shaking from the shock. Sweat was beading up on her flesh as her body temperature rose even higher than it normally would. Her body curled immediately into a ball on the floor, whimpers of pain and growls of aggravation coming from her shaking lips as she laid there. She hadn't meant to be so foolish. She should have stayed where Nicholas had put her. She had been safe there. He had moved her to keep her safe from the harm that Lucian had been trying not to inflict on her. But all because she didn't want to look like the weak damsel in distress and didn't want it to look like that she was weak now or that she was in need of saving. Her pride had once again over taken her sense of what was right to do and what was wrong. And going after Lucian like she had, had been the wrong move all together. It wasn't until Victoria heard Nicholas quietly say her name as he was already beside her that she even realized that he was there. Her senses were pretty much gone. She could only sense the pain that spread in her body and could only smell the scent of her own blood. The smell even over powered her favorite scent of Nicholas, even though he was wrapping his arms around her. It was then, when Nicholas lifted her up off of the ground and into her arms, that her body calmed. The shaking began to calm and her body felt safe once again. She didn't stop hurting, however, and by the time that Nicholas had gotten her to the couch, she had completely slipped out of consciousness and had completely passed out, though not before she was able to mutter one single thing. "Nicholas...."

The snow sprayed out from beneath the heavy paws of the black wolf even heavier now than before. He knew where he needed to go, and he was already close enough to smell the blood. His mother's blood. He didn't know why after so many years of being shunned away from his mother that he had suddenly gotten this random call of despair and pain. He hadn't known what had dragged him this far north in the first place. He had been here for a few days now, unsure of why or where he was heading. Keith always knew where to go and why, this was one of the first instances where he didn't know what he was doing. This was one of the first spontaneous things he had ever done. Keith ran faster, the trees slowly beginning to thin out and become more and more sparse around him. Something wasn't right. What was his mother doing this far out of the way? What was she doing in pain? He hadn't felt pain from her since he was just a child, a pain that he never had the chance to find out about. But this was a different kind of pain, a physical pain. Keith's large paws finally broke him through the last inch of the forest into a cleared field that spread out around the large house in the center. Immediately he saw the male vampire standing on the porch that wrapped around the outside of the house. Keith snarled and moved even faster across the opened field. It was no question that he had been seen. Who couldn't see the large black wolf moving faster than a cheetah across the white field? The werewolf however had a few strange things about him. The normally yellow eyes of a werewolf were replaced by blood red eyes of a wolf. And when the large beast ran, it was silent. Snow didn't crunch. Twigs and branches didn't snap. It was as if his feet never touched the ground beneath him. Keith bolted even faster towards Alexander, a male he had never seen before in his life. He jumped when he was merely five feet from the banister of the porch, growling deeply as he lunged his large body at his prey. But before his paws even crossed over the edge of the banister, Keith completely disappeared, as if he had never even been there in the first place. Silence surrounded the air, but only seconds after the large beast disappeared, Alexander would feel a heavy weight press against his back and throw him over the banister. Another split second and a rather young looking male was pinning Alexander down into the snow beneath the porch that he had just been standing. A single strong hand pressed down onto Alexander's throat, another held a small linen bag only inches from Alexander's face. "What have you done to her? Where is she?" He asked, his voice nearly silent but harsh and frightening. The male was not much older than Tristan was, his body built much like Tristan's, but there were so many differences. Fangs protruded from his lips, but they were no where near big enough to be werewolf fangs. They were fangs like what Alexander had himself. His hair was shoulder length, tied back into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. His red eyes glared down at Alexander and slowly his hand began to tighten around the linen bag. Something within it crunch softly, a strong smell slowly seeping through the natural holes of the bags. Rosemary, St. Johns Wart... and Garlic roots.It was just enough to clog any nearby vampires throat. "Where is Victoria? Where is my mother?"

It was quite some time before Victoria stirred, but when her senses finally started to return, she could feel the cool skin of Nicholas' arms around her and his face nuzzled into her neck. "I-I told you not t-to worry about me." She said softly, looking down at the shirtless Nicholas. One of her hands gently touched the skin on his back, her fingers slowly, weakly, running up his back. "Y-You shouldn't be here, Nicholas. I can't risk something happening to you." It hurt to talk, but it hurt even more knowing that every minute he spent there with her was a minute closer to someone else finding out where he was. Victoria flinched softly as she felt the hole in her stomach. Slowly it was beginning to heal itself, but it would take quite some time. She was weak. Weaker than she had ever felt before. And it was because of this weakness, she didn't smell the new scent that was outside, and she didn't hear the large bash as Keith had knocked Alexander off the porch.

Nicholas ran his fingers through Victoria's hair, checking the bandages around her torso several times, having changed them shortly before she woke, due to the heavy amount of blood. He'd left her side momentarily, and come back with a deer steak in his hand, fresh. When she woke, he'd just slipped next to her again, closing his eyes at the feeling of her hand moving gently against his back. "You should try and eat," he murmured, ignoring everything she said. He wasn't worried about what might happen to him, and he already knew Raphael had figured things out. The male was completely pissed, but there was nothing he could do about Nicholas's being there, and he knew it. There was no point in confronting him and making things worse. Too much stress in the house wasn't good for a wounded werewolf, a pregnant vampire, or a father-to-be werewolf.

Alexander wasn't exactly sure what was running towards him. When he noticed it was a wolf, though, he was so close... he stood anyway, in attempt to defend himself. But it was gone. The breath escaped his chest as something rammed against his back, flipping him over the banister, into the snow. And then a male, standing over him. "What the fucking hell?" He barely got a chance to say that much, when the dark-haired male pulled out a small bag of herbs. Alexander choked on the scent, finding it hard to breathe with them around; intoxicating in every wrong way. Victoria? His mother? "I didn't do any--- thing to her." It was hard to speak with his hand shoved against his throat; and the herbs certainly weren't helping. "She's----" He kept choking on air. "Inside. With Nicholas. Her ma--" Another pause, seeing blackness. The herbs were too close to his face. "Mate. Her mate."

Nicholas didn't hear anything outside; didn't sense anything. At first. He was too busy fussing caringly over Victoria. Though, he sensed something unusual. Something that didn't belong there. He just wasn't exactly sure what it was. Slowly, he stood, looking hesitantly around the room, then towards the door. Even up the stairs, wondering if Tristan had sensed it, but there didn't seem to be much movement up there. Alexander would come and get him if something was wrong... what could hold down an elder of such power, to prevent him from doing so? Nothing. Of course not. To Nicholas's concious mind, anyway. He slowly sat back down, tensed, moving his fingers in slow massaging circles around Victoria's shoulders.

Victoria just sighed and shook her head, giggling slightly, though it sounded pained and forced. "Just like I should have stayed upstairs and not been a foolish woman, right?" She said, smiling weakly at him. Her fingers continued to dance across his skin. It felt more comforting and calming with him laying beside her than anything else. She was slowly getting her sense of smell back, and she could smell him once again. That's all she could smell, however. Everything else was numb to her senses. Maybe it was because she was still to weak to extend her senses as far as she normally could, or maybe she didn't want to smell anything outside of Nicholas. Either way, it made her feel content, and a stinging nagging pain that she knew she couldn't ignore. He was allowing her to see him again, but with seeing him she knew that it also meant that he would leave her once again. And the knowledge that he would be gone by morning was more painful than the hole in her stomach. Victoria's fingers moved up his back to the back of his neck, her fingers slowly twirling his hair. "I'm not hungry, Nicholas. I don't want to move."

Keith growled, staring down at the male that he easily pinned beneath him. His hand tightened momentarily around his neck before he pushed himself up off of Alexander and shoved the linen bag back into his pocket. "Don't run, blood breath. I'll catch you." He said, his red eyes moving away from Alexander towards the door that was more than just a little bashed in. Keith was gone in the blink of an eye, and was seen standing in the busted doorway just moments after he disappeared. Slowly, he walked over the broken boards and the ruble from the door that Lucian had broken through. He could smell that Lucian had been here, and it caused the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. As Keith walked, no noise was made from his heavy boots against the broken wood. His dark red eyes scanned the room that he stood in, the strong smell of Victoria's blood coming over him. He walked slowly towards the back of the rather large couch, hearing someone's harshed breathing. Keith stopped just as he could see over the back of the couch, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the male who was embracing his mother. "Who the fuck are you!? Get the hell off my mom you blood sucker!" He shouted, his hand immediately pulling the linen bag out of his pants pocket and holding it over the male and his mother.

Tristan had noticed the new presence almost immediately. It was strange, it was strong. He wasn't sure what it was that had come to the house, and he had never heard the voice that had just shouted before. Tristan looked down at Lauralei and bit on his bottom lip, holding her closer to him than before. He knew it couldn't move. If he did, she would wake up. He would just stay where he was, until he knew that he had no other choice but to leave her and help downstairs.

Nicholas sighed when Victoria had told him she didn't want to eat, or move. "I'm not leaving as soon as you think I am..." he murmured. Frankly, he was tired of this. Being held away from her for so long. And Lucian couldn't do shit about it if they both eventually just left. Which is exactly what he wanted to do. He just wasn't sure if Victoria was willing to do so or not.

At the sudden voice, behind the couch, and the scent that reached his sensitive nostrils, he hissed, crouching more protectively over Victoria. His hand reached out and swatted at the small bag, grabbing the male's wrist and shoving him back. "Your mother? Who the fuck do you think you are? She's only bore one child," he snarled loudly. "Our child," he snapped, even louder. Whoever this male was, and whatever he was proposing to them, it wasn't funny. Nicholas wasn't in the mood for jokes. The fact that the male knew what could harm a vampire, and severely weakened him, frightened him beyond belief. But Victoria was there... he refused to let anything happen to her. Even if it DID mean him getting thrown across the room, the herbs shoved down his throat.

Lauralei barely shifted at the yelling downstairs, breathing easily through parted lips, half of her face buried against Tristan. "Mm.." Moments later, she was completely asleep again.

Victoria's eyes shot up and she looked up at the face that she hadn't sen since it was younger than it was then. Her eyes searched the blood red eyes that glared down at Nicholas. Victoria couldn't find words. She was in utter shock and with Nicholas' tightening grasp around her, he was causing her more pain that necessary. "Damn it, you're so full of shit you stupid blood sucker!" Keith shouted, his voice still hard and commanding. Keith's hand crushed the linen bag further, causing the juices inside from the herbs to mix further. Victoria sniffed slightly, wrinkling her nose at the smell. It wasn't very pretty, whatever it was. But then she thought about it. "Keith..." She said, looking up at the young man. "Calm down." She said, her hands moving to Nicholas' arms that were tight around her. "You calm down as well, Nicholas. You're hurting me." She said before she slowly pushed herself up off her back into a sitting position on the couch. She didn't realize that Nicholas' shirt was just laying over her, and it fell from her chest when she sat up. The bandages around her stomach were still blood stained, deep red as the blood began to seep through once again. Immediately, upon seeing her wounds, Keith dropped the linen bag behind the couch and disappeared, reappearing kneeling beside the couch. "Holy shit mom. What happened to you?" He asked, his red eyes completely faded to a light blue now. Crystal like, soft, caring, he looked at his mother with a sense of care and yearning that he had always held for his mother. Keith turned his head and glared at Nicholas. "You let this happen to my mom? You're a useless mate... if that's even what you are. That blood sucker outside called you my mom's mate. I just think you're a filthy old bag." Victoria's hand shot up across the back of Keith's head. "Damn it child, that's no way to talk to your father!" She said before flinching and grabbing her stomach in pain. "Father!" Keith questioned, jumping back and staring at Nicholas. "Now quit shouting. All we need is for Lauralei to wake up. I don't feel like hearing more crankiness."She said, looking down at Nicholas.

Nicholas snarled loudly once more, when the other male squeezed the bag. He began coughing, hand pressed to his chest, burying his face into Victoria's neck once again so he got her scent instead of the scent of the herbs. Only when Victoria began sitting up, did he move, and his grip loosened immidiately, though his arms still formed a cage around her, glaring at the one Victoria claimed their son. He'd spoken the word, "Father," in perfect unision with Keith, looking away like a scolded teenager when the female told them to quit shouting. He didn't protest, though, and lowered his voice; growling. Even with her recognition of him, Nicholas still wasn't trusting him quite yet. He'd brandished the herbal mixture that could harm almost any vampire, and even now, he suffered the afteraffects of it; a migrane, stomach twisting and knotting painfully, his lungs practically closed.

Alexander slipped inside, hand gently touching his throat, glaring towards Keith. Seeing that no one inside was harmed, however, he made no comment, sitting down in one of the chairs. Nicholas stared at him. "You fucking attacked my brother?" he retorted. Alexander held up a hand, though... and it wasn't long before Nicholas understood: he couldn't speak. There was a wheezing noise coming from the blonde-haired male, and it was obvious he was having a hard time breathing. The darker haired twin of the two left Victoria's side, but not before placing several pillows behind her and pulling the shirt back over her chest. Afterwards, he moved over to his brother, placing a hand quietly against his chest. There was nothing they could do but wait it out, as far as Nicholas understood. But spots were forming over Alexander's vision; his eyes ever-so-slowly beginning to glaze... he wasn't managing to get enough air.

Lauralei grumbled, lifting her head from Tristan's shoulder, looking at the door tiredly. "Why is there so much yelling downstairs?" she muttered, aggravated, rolling over and stuffing a pillow over her head. "God they're loud." She still couldn't really tell who exactly was yelling... but she was too tired, for the moment, to even get up to check. However, if things stayed tense, and they did keep yelling, she would. She wasn't even sure if Tristan was sleeping yet. All the better, if he was; she could slip away without him protesting. For now... she stayed put.

Keith blinked a few times as he watched Nicholas closely, backing away a few steps from him and his mother. This vampire was his father? Fleeting memories of this man were there in the back of his mind, but never would he had recognized the man had his mother not said it aloud who it was that was holding her so closely. Keith had indeed stopped his shouting, and the small linen bag of herbs was far from sight now, it's scent disappearing rather quickly. For so many years Keith had wondered who this mysterious man of his dreams of the past was. For so long he wished he could remember the darkened ace of his memories. He had known his mother so well growing up, and very rarely had he seen his father. From what he could remember it had only been in the beginning that he had seen him, and they were rare and few times at that. Maybe a dozen times in his life? Maybe a few less. Either way it was hard to believe that this man that stood before him, the man that he had just threatened with these rancid vampiric herbs, was the man who fathered him... and the man that had caused his mother so much pain and heartache while he was growing up.

Keith finally shook himself from his dazed trance of disbelief. It wasn't until after Alexander came inside the house and Nicholas had left Victoria's side that Keith even moved from his spot once again. Keith's eyes followed Nicholas as he walked over to his brother who looked as if he was still in more pain than he had felt in a long time. Was it so surprising that he had overtaken his father's brother? Is it so surprising that he was so much stronger than anyone had ever imagined? Victoria sighed and rolled her eyes at Nicholas' retort about Alexander. "Calm down, Nicholas. Please?" She asked, her voice weak and tired once again. Her hands moved to her stomach as she coughed heavily, pain shooting across her face as she moved into a tight ball on the couch. "Mom..." Keith said softly, his icy blue eyes shooting to her pained sounds as he moved rather quickly to kneel beside the couch. "I never should have left mom. I never thought that this would happen though..." He said to her, worry on his face. "Mom... was this the council? Did they do this to you?" Keith bombarded her with questions, not even thinking to stop to look at the pain that was still written across her face. Victoria had started to sweat again and her temperature was raising once more. She knew that this was only her body fighting to find enough strength to heal herself, but it was just going so slowly. "Nicholas..." She mumbled, barely able to call out his name above a whisper.

Tristan wasn't sleeping, though his eyes were closed at the moment. He felt her move beside him, but only laid there. He was tired, but he was more worried about what was going on downstairs. He couldn't let Lauralei go down there. He couldn't let her see anything that was going on. Tristan didn't even know for sure what was going on. All he knew was that he smelled blood, and lots of it. Tristan listened to her angered words and instead of saying anything in response, he just hugged her closer to him, as if being protective.

Nicholas growled once more before leaving Alexander's side, the blonde's eyes having closed, in attempt to relax so he could breathe easier. It wasn't that he could still smell the herbs; because he couldn't. That was simply how intoxicating they were. And it didn't help, that he was already allergic to the rosemary, long before he'd even been bitten and turned into a vampire. Hence the reason Nicholas wasn't reacting so badly to it. As soon as Victoria called him, the dark-haired male was right back next to Victoria, on the couch, gently holding her upper half into his lap, pillows already nestled there for her comfort. "Shhh," he purred, smoothing the sweat and hair away from her face and neck. He reached over to the plate, and in moments, the large slab of meat that had been there was cut up into small chunks, small enough for her to swallow whole. "Try eating... please...? It'll help..."

Lauralei allowed herself to grumble a little bit at the knowledge that Tristan wasn't sleeping, not pulling away when she was hugged closer to him, into his chest. Finally, after a few minutes, she got up out of the bed, stumbling at first in the dark; finding where she needed to go. The closet. Pulling a small cord, she flinched at the sudden amount of light, slipping into a nightgown. She didn't move to the door that led out of the room, but just moved back to the bed, straddling Tristan momentarily; giving him a soft kiss on the lips, and settling beside him. Getting up and moving around, even for just a few moments, helped her restlessness, relaxing not too much longer later.

Victoria coughed a few more times, complete pain shooting through her body once again. Victoria opened her eyes to look up at Nicholas when she heard him speak softly once again. She smiled, though it was a little forced, it was still calming. She knew that he was only trying to help her. But the single thought of food made her feel sick to her stomach, or at least what little of a stomach it felt like she had left. But she simply sighed and forced herself to sit up a little bit so that she could take the plate from him and set it on her own lap. "I'll try..." She said, taking up a piece of the bloody meat in her fingers. Popping the small piece into her mouth, she chewed it for a moment before swallowing it. She was so spoiled when Nicholas was around. He never made her lift a finger. He was always right there for her no matter what she needed or wanted. And Victoria could honestly say that she truly loved Nicholas. She always had, since she had first met him, and still did to that day. As Victoria thought to herself, it took her mind away from the pain and made it just a bit easier for her to eat the food that Nicholas had been begging her to eat. As she ate, the sweat started to calm itself and her temperature started to return to normal once again. Before she even knew it, her plate of food was empty, and she was looking up at Nicholas, smiling a little bit more naturally now. "Happy now?" She asked, tilting her head into his chest.

Keith lifted his head, his nose up in the air. He sniffed a few times and his brow furrowed lightly. "What IS that smell? It's so... different." He said quietly as he stood up. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath. Something smelled so normal about the smell but still completely different. And it was coming from upstairs. There were more people in this house. Keith completely disappeared, only to appear in the hallway upstairs at the top of the main staircase of the house. Again he tilted his head up and sniffed. The smell was even closer. He took a few steps forward, silent steps that no one could hear. Slowly, he followed the scent that had caught his attention, moving ever so closer to Lauralei and Tristan's door. It wasn't until he was immediately infront of it that he turned and looked at the door. His ears twitched a bit as he listened closely to what was inside.

Tristan let Lauralei stand up and watched as she moved across the room. He didn't want her to go out of the room, and if she even tried he would have to rush to stop her. Sure she wouldn't like it and would probably be angry at him afterwards, but anything to protect her from whatever was going on downstairs. Tristan was relieved however when Lauralei returned to the bed and straddled his waist to give him a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and held her to him for a moment before allowing her to slide off of him and lay beside him once again. He was relieved that she was so easilly satisfied by that simple walk across the room. Tristan brushed the hair from her face and slowly trailed his hand down to rest gently on her stomach. "Are you feeling...." But before he finished his sentence, he lifted his head and growled at the ark figure that had suddenly appeared in the room with them. Keith stood at the end of the bed, his icy blue eyes staring down at Lauralei. "It can't be..." He said, blinking a few times.

Nicholas was, in fact, happy with Victoria once she'd eaten the food, glad she was allowing herself to risk it, and taking the time to let it settle. It was such a relief when she simply looked... better, than the wounded limp body she'd been before, straining herself. It killed him to see her like that. In any pain. Which was why it was so hard for him to keep coming back to her and leaving once she'd had Keith. Their son... he was marvelous. Able to take on Alexander without so much as blinking. Speaking of which, the elder was snoozing silently in the room a few chairs away, breathing easier now. The herbs had taken the strength from him; sleeping was really the only way he could even hope to get it back. The quicker the better, with the mass amount of violence that'd been going on lately. And the threats... he couldn't pick which one to look out for, because looking out for all of them was too overwhelming.

When Keith stood, and questioned a smell, Nicholas blinked at him. What...? He didn't say it out loud; merely thought it to himself, but he wasn't sure what he was curious about. Until he went upstairs. For several moments he debated on whether or not warning the hybred about what was upstairs, and by the time he'd made up his mind, the boy had vanished. Another growl rose up from Nicholas's throat, aggitated. Fine. He'd find out himself. With how strong he was, and with a pregnant female upstairs... he highly doubted Keith would get violent. But he knew nothing about his son, so it could be the total opposite. He just wasn't sure. Whatever was going to happen, though, he knew no one could stop. Keith's strength overpowered too much.

Lauralei looked over at Tristan when his hand trailed down to her stomach; the lump hidden beneath the blankets. At the growl, though, and the stare, her eyes shot towards Keith at the foot of the bed; Lauralei's body almost immidiately sheltering behind Tristan. Her upper half was meekly hid behind the werewolf, not exactly feeling much from the male in front of them. But if he'd just appeared in the room... was he after them? Purple hues were unmistakably frightened, arms wrapping around her belly, even quivering slightly, unsure about the aura that even a human could feel, coming from the male in front of them. While it was terrifying to come in contact with, to her mind, it calmed her body, almost excited it. This confused her further, pulling the blanket slowly up to her shoulders, eyebrows narrowing a tad bit at the male that stared down at her.