Wake Up

The walk up the stairs wasn't half enough to prepare Vivian for the remainder of such a heartbreaking and somber night. In the process of collecting her youngest daughter, the werewolf woman came face to face with the unwavering grievance of Xiana. Despite the loving back rubs from Xuario, the young vampire's muffled sobs were heard through the comforter. The naturally pale man looked more discolored than usual; it was as if he were sick to his stomach. Blood related or not, the concern on the vampire's face belonged to a father. Having felt a connection to the seen, Vivian took thought about how much more pain she could handle. The mental agony that life was throwing her had emotionally beaten her and yet she still patted her half-brother's shoulder.

The man on the bed tiredly followed the hand on his shoulder to the face of Vivian. "How'd it go?" he mouthed. The question caught the werewolf woman off guard and Xiana's blubbering became a white noise. There wasn't a speech that could give a righteous explanation of just how awful the situation downstairs had been- how awful it still was. Instead of speaking, Vivian closed her mouth and shook her head to replace the lack of words. Xuario squeezed the hand that still rested on his shoulder and gave a look of sympathy. The movement caused the raven- haired woman to sniffle and startle a sleepy Juliet. "Lay your head down," Vivian whispered while she combed her fingers through the child's hair. Juliet looked up with drowsy eyes before obeying her mother and slowly fading back into her sleep.

The scene caused Xuario to smile slightly along with his sister. "We can talk about what happened tomorrow. Not today," mouthed Vivian as Juliet yawned. "It's been a long day. I'm going to check on Scarrden and turn in for the night. You should sleep soon too," Vivian silently spoke again. The vampire nodded while the werewolf woman crept out the door in a collision. "Oh!" came a whispered gasp from Vivian. "I didn't see you there," she spoke while checking the little one on her hip. The man in front of her apologized also. "I assumed you were still talking with your father. It's late and I thought our little and Xiana would need their rest. It seems you retrieved our pup before me," Scarrden smiled.

At the sound of her husband's voice, Vivian tilted her head towards his shoulder. "How are the twins?" she asked as they made their way upstairs. "Healthy," the silver-haired man summed. Vivian hummed and waited for more explanation as the father smiled to himself. "Amiana fell asleep holding Arlot's hand. I felt like I was watching our two little tots again," Scarrden chuckled. Vivian smiled too. "Is it okay that she fell asleep again?" she asked, but her husband quickly reassured her that a natural rest would be a great benefit for the young werewolf. The words comforted Vivan greatly as she took a deep breath towards the room her children were in. "I'm just going to take a peek. I don't want to wake her," the mother whispered.

The large werewolf man held the slumbering Juliet and watched his wife stand in the doorway with her eyes fixed on their twins. The duo was still laying in the same way as when Scarrden had left, and the sight put a smile on Vivian's face. The mother watched for a long while in complete silence until Juliet made a whining noise. Quietly, Vivian blew a kiss towards her pups and wished them the sweetest dreams before shutting the door. "I'm glad she's alright. Did she say anything else on the way up?" the werewolf woman asked her husband. "No. Did our little say anything?" The larger werewolf questioned with reference to Juliet. Vivian shook her head and linked arms with Scarrden. "I'm sure she's terrified. Say, you wouldn't oppose her sleeping with us tonight, would you?" the werewolf woman asked. "I don't mind at all," he replied.

Once the couple reached their bedroom, Juliet was gently placed under the blanket to rest comfortably. Vivian watched as Scarrden came beside her and kissed their daughter's forehead. The little girl gave a dreamy sigh before resuming the slow breaths that gave her mother tingles of anxiety. Scarrden watched his beautiful wife in hopes that her fears would dissipate as Juliet slept by her side. The werewolf woman had been tranced by their child for the exact time it took her husband to change, and now he could hardly ignore her worry. The silver-haired man embraced his lover from behind and whispered into her neck. "I'm anxious, also," he said. Vivian leaned her head into Scarrden's nuzzles before feeling a trail go down her chest. "My love..." she trailed off when he let go. "I think today has been a little much for all of us," Vivian comforted.

Scarrden wore a straight face but gently placed his mate in his lap. From a closer perspective, Vivian could see the tear stain that was being grandly ignored. The woman looked into her husband's eyes and ran her fingers through his long sliver hair while he kissed her face all over. The soft pecks didn't stop until Vivian put her head into Scarrden's chest in embarrassment. "You have to wake up tomorrow. Do you understand?" the woman blushed. The large werewolf nodded to the quiet mumbles and placed his wife between himself and their daughter. "We're going to wake up tomorrow. We're going to wake Arlot up. We're going to do this together," he assured before blowing out the candle.

In the darkness, Scarrden waited for Vivian's breath to even out. He wouldn't- couldn't- allow his wife to see him breakdown. In situations like this, he wanted nothing more than to be an anchor in the stormy sea his family was sailing. The father felt sure that Lucifer and Xuario felt the same way for the one's they protected. Little did the werewolf man know, that on the lower floor, his sentiments were being shared to the bone. Xuario was waiting patiently for his daughter to stop her tossing and turning, but when she finally did, he didn't spend his time the same way his brother-in-law was. Tiptoeing, the vampire made his way down to the kitchen, and just as he anticipated, Lucifer was waiting with a glass of hard liquor.