"Faer? Oh sweety, here let me help you." said Lucy as she helped Faer off of the bus. Due to her injuries, she was the last one to leave the bus and making sure they were at the door to help support her, Lucy, Max and Sam all greeted her before they got her settled into the car and began the forty five minute drive across town and back to their house. Normally, it shouldn't have taken so long, but since they had such a secret to protect, Max and Lucy had decided to buy a large house secluded from Santa Carla in order to accommodate their new family. It wasn't too much farther than Max's old house had been, but they couldn't see the town from where they were currently.

The drive was mostly silent, Lucy fretting about Faer and trying to get her to say something when Sam decided that enough was enough and informed his mother that Faer was completely out.

"I think she took some pain pills mom." he said when her head tilted back and her mouth opened slightly. The sight normally would have been funny under different circumstances, but considering she was there after certain events, it was anything but.

"I hope the ride didn't cause her too much pain." said Lucy as she concentrated on the road. They were almost home and it was nearing one in the morning. The fact that she wasn't the least bit tired didn't surprise her anymore. She had become mostly a night owl in order to accommodate her new family, getting up in the morning only long enough to get Sam and Laddie off to school and run a few chores before she returned to Max's side and went back to sleep.

"Don't worry dear. I'm sure she's fine. We'll get her to bed when we get home and let her rest." said Max with a reassuring voice as he looked in his rear view mirror and eyed their newest member. Yes, he thought Faer would fit in just fine. Now he had two daughters and seven sons. His family was turning out nicely.

Pulling into the driveway, he parked the car while noticing with disdain that his boys' bikes were still in the driveway. He had been hoping they would have left by the time they returned, but apparently not.

"Sam go open the door please."

"Yes sir."

"Lucy, would you help me? I don't want to jostle her arm too much."

"Of course dear." Opening the back door, Lucy helped Max pick up her niece before they carried her inside only to see that everyone was waiting in the living room to meet her. "Sorry guys, but her pain pills knocked her out. Max and I are going to take her to bed. Star, would you help me get her settled?"

"Ok." Watching as the ladies disappeared upstairs behind Max, the living room fell silent as the boys were left alone.

"She's…she's really changed since we saw her last. Hasn't she Sam." said Michael as he looked at the stairs. Last time he had seen Faer was six years ago and even then at the age of eighteen, she had looked fourteen. She was still in her awkward stage then and she fell over her feet more often than not and was still trying to get used to her new body that at the time had made her look more chubby than anything else and her hairstyle at the time hadn't helped either. She had kept it incredibly short and she had made it a habit to spike it if just to spite her mother and father who hadn't liked anything at all about her hobbies or personal style. That was part of the reason why it had been so long since they had last seen her. Their aunt was worried "they" were rubbing off on her when they had looked more normal than her.

Now though at twenty four, it looked like Faer had actually grown into the body she had been given. She looked taller and her chubby body seemed to have reformed into that of a woman with curves in the right places. She had let her hair grow out too and it was now a long softly curled auburn mess that was in need of a good brushing from the bus ride. On top of it all, you could see the bruises that littered her face and what bits of skin they could see. She was exhausted and battered and in desperate need of rest. But for some reason thought, he wanted to say that her exhaustion looked like it was far older than just the four days it had been since the accident, but he wasn't sure. He hadn't seen her in forever and their shared phone calls and letters could only tell him so much.

"Yeah." said Sam quietly. "Didn't she use to have short spiked hair with red highlights?" he asked while the boys merely raised amused eyebrows as they listened to the Emerson boys talk about their cousin.

"Yeah. She was also a foot shorter and not nearly as…"

"Fat?" supplied Paul with a smirk before Michael shot him an angered look. It was true she looked big, she was quite curvaceous, but it was all covered in several layers of bandages and clothes so her trip would be easier on her with the extra padding. Faer was no twig, but she wasn't fat.

"She's not fat! Her doctor made sure the ride would be as easy on her as possible." he said back in defense.

"So she's fat." said David in confirmation before he raised his hands in peace. "Seesh Michael. You act as though you care about her. She's only a cousin." he added as he stood up and grinned widely at the stairs before he motioned towards the door, his brothers following behind him obediently save Dwayne who was holding Laddie. "Put the brat to bed then catch up with us when you're done." he said reaching the door. "See ya later Michael. Tell Maxie we'll be by again real soon!" With that, they left and a minute later their bikes roared in the night before they headed down the road. Oh yeah. Getting to Faer would be real easy, especially if she acted the way she looked. David couldn't wait to make fun of the shy looking girl. They were always the easiest to control.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Three days had passed and Faer had been asleep the entire time. She woke every couple hours or so but a nice cocktail of pain pills and soup that Lucy practically forced down her throat, even against her protests, kept her compliant as she slept away her exhaustion from the recent events. When she finally awoke and felt somewhat alert, she truly took in her surroundings for the first time, frowning when she noticed the bedroom she was in and that it wasn't one she recognized.

She had the basics. A bed, nightstand and chest, but everything that would have made her room well, her room, was missing. About to lose herself to her thoughts, trying to figure out what exactly was going on, she paused when a knock sounded on her door.

"Faer? Honey are you awake?" Looking towards her door, Faer stared at it for a moment still trying to clear her head as she struggled to put a name to the voice she heard. When the door opened a minute later, she got her answer as Lucy peeked her head in. "Oh honey! It's so good to see you awake. How are you feeling? You've been in and out of it quite a bit lately what with those powerful pills your doctor gave you. But I talked to him and he said that since you've been resting for three days, it was ok to stop them." Quickly walking over, Lucy sat down beside her and patted her leg gently.

"hmm…aunt lucy?" Smiling at her niece's confused look, Lucy handed her a glass of water, giving her a few more minutes to wake up before she tried again.

"Feeling better?"

"yeah." said Faer with a small nod before she winced slightly. "wh…Where am I?"

"Hmm? Oh honey, those pills must have messed with your memory a bit. You're in Santa Carla honey. Remember? We thought it would be best if you came and lived with Max and mine's family for now."

"But why…? Why do I…I feel so sore. Where's mom?" Lucy frowned as she looked at her niece for a moment before she sighed and scooted closer, gently placing an arm about her shoulders.

"Sweety. What's the last thing you remember?" asked Lucy with hesitancy.

"Hmm? Uh…mom, dad and I. We were heading home from the movies. Mom was talking about going dress shopping…and how we had an appointment with the lawyers next week then…" Pausing in her words, Faer looked away when she felt her eyes sting. "they're dead…aren't they?"

"I'm so sorry honey."

"Did…did they suffer?"

"The doctor said they died on impact. To be honest, he was surprised you came out with as little injuries as you did. It could have been so much worse." A minute passed while Lucy watched her niece look out the large window her bed had been placed beside. Faer had grown up so much since she had last seen her. She actually looked like a woman versus that awkward eighteen year old she had seen last.

"What all have I missed?"

"Hmm?" asked Lucy, unprepared for the sudden breaking of their silence.

"I've been here for several days haven't I? Surely I've missed something."

"Oh. Um…well, I spoke with the doctor yesterday and he said that your parent's remains are still being held by the police department for the moment. The driver that struck you was intoxicated and fleeing police when he hit you for some other charge so they want to collect as much evidence as possible in order to prosecute him to the full extent of the law."

"Oh."

"He said that when we know what we want to do, then we can call the morgue and give them the details."

"Cremate them."

"Huh?"

"Cremate them. There's no one to attend a funeral besides us. Father's side of the family barely acknowledges him. They won't come to the funeral for him and his "uncouth" wife."

"Oh honey. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok Aunt Lucy. I've grown used to their hostility. They didn't exactly try to hide it." It was true, once she had grown from a child and began to resemble her mother, the more her father's family began to detest her as well. She stopped receiving letters from them, birthday wishes and she was no longer invited to the yearly holiday parties they used to hold religiously. Even when they had the rare meeting, their words were no longer kind. They were stern and cold and Faer had learned to just ignore them because they weren't judging her by who she was anymore. No, they were judging her for her parentage and one of the things that Faer prided herself on was ignoring those who decided they were going to be asses over things people couldn't control.

Sure, she could be shy and quiet most of the time, but she could throw the switch and stand up for herself when she wanted just as easily. The only thing though that stopped her most of the time was the fact that her father's side of the family had been raised like that. They were pedigreed bastards who thought they were better than everyone else. No, the ones she let have it were the ones she knew were doing it purely for fun because they had nothing better to do. Even then thought, most of the time she just ignored them. Her father's side of the family had rubbed off on her some of course and it showed in her simply ignoring what she deemed wasn't worth her time.

"Lucy?" Coming out of her thoughts, Faer looked towards her bedroom doorway as a man appeared in it that she had never met before. "Oh Lucy there you are and oh…Faer, it's so good to see you awake. You were starting to worry us young lady." Staring at the man with a semi shocked look on her face, Faer couldn't help but feel comforted by his words. In the two sentences he had said to her, he had shown her more concern than her own father had in months. It was part of the reason why she wasn't too torn up about their deaths. They had been drifting further from each other for a while now.

"Faer? Faer hun. Are you alright?" Blinking her eyes, Faer berated herself when she realized she had gone off into her thoughts yet again.

"sorry." she apologized quietly before she gave her aunt an apologetic smile.

"It's okay hun. But as I was saying a minute ago. This is my husband Max. Max this is my niece Faer." Stepping into the room, Max walked over to her and held out his hand for her to take. A minute passed before she shyly placed her hand in his and watched as he raised it to his lips for a gentlemanly greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you my dear. I can't tell you how worried we've been about you. If you need anything feel free to ask. We're family after all and family takes care of each other. Understood?" His voice was fast and to the point, but Faer heard a bit of kindness in there mixed with some strictness. He seemed like a good, caring man, but appearances could be deceiving. She would just have to wait and find out.

"thank you. That makes me feel much better. To know that at least one part of my family still wants me." She watched as Max's smile seemed to falter slightly before it returned with a fury and nodding his head, he patted her hand gently before he turned his attention to Lucy. They exchanged words quickly and once Max told her good night, he left the two females alone.

"Aunt Lucy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I could take a bath? I didn't notice until just now, but I feel so dirty."

"Oh, of course dear. Let me go get something for your cast and then I'll help you to the bathroom and get you set up."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hello mother." said David mockingly as he and his brothers walked in the door.

"Hello David, Paul, Marko, Dwayne." said Lucy as she ignored David's attempt to stir her ire. She was slowly getting better, day by day at ignoring him and she was hoping that soon, he would just give up. At the moment she was cooking like she did most nights for everyone, hoping that her meal would help sate some of the ire that ran through the family still. Sometimes, it seemed like Sam, Laddie, herself and Max were the only ones really trying to make it work. Michael and Star usually either stayed in the basement, when they weren't needed upstairs to watch Laddie, or they were off on a date just the two of them. The boys though, actively tried to be part of the "family" and by actively, she meant they tried to cause as much trouble without actually doing anything as possible. Most of it came from their choice of words or the pranks they played once in a while, however sometimes even their mere presence set someone off, namely Max. The boys didn't enjoy that the Emersons were there but there was nothing they could do. They couldn't go against Max.

Of course, Lucy knew the real reason they showed up so much. They all felt a responsibility to Laddie, namely Dwayne, and they appeared so the boy could see them a couple times a week, with the excuse of needing to work on their bikes in the garage where they kept their tools. Lucy knew that if Laddie wasn't there, the boys wouldn't hesitate to stay as far away from the house as possible unless they were summoned by Max. They were too free to deal with the whole family mumbo jumbo besides the four of them and Laddie. But most of the boys, meaning all of them but David, were making a conscious effort to accept Sam and herself for the most part since they didn't do anything but try to play peacekeeper.

"Is that french toast Lucy?" asked Paul as he sauntered up to her and looked over her shoulder. Paul had taken to her the quickest of the four of them and it had taken a few months of gentle prodding before she was able to get it out of him that she reminded him of his long deceased mother. The truth had made her sad for him, but she had embraced the role of being a step mother, which was what Max had partially wanted her for. The man really did love her.

"Mm hmm, and if you go and fetch Laddie I'll start plating these up. There's more than enough for everyone if you boys want any. Oh!" Pausing in her cooking, Lucy turned to the boys with wide eyes filled with excitement. The boys immediately all took a big step back and Lucy tried to hide her smile of amusement at their action. She could scare them just as much as they could scare her when she wanted. Just not in the typical ways that they were used to. "Faer's up! She's taking a shower right now, but she should be down soon if you guys want to meet her!"

It was silent for a second before David grinned. Now, he could annoy Max as well tonight. "What do you say boys? Want to meet our new "sister"?" The boys all hooted and hollered as usual before they walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, Dwayne heading downstairs with Paul to see Laddie while David and Marko lounged in the living room. The plan was to hang around longer than usual tonight. Usually, they left once Laddie and Sam had gone to bed, Nanook more than capable of watching over the house now that he was a hell hound, but tonight the boys really did need to work on their bikes. Well Marko and Paul did anyways. The two had been goofing off and not paying attention like they should have done and inadvertently drove their bikes into trees. Ok, Paul had, he had just kicked Marko off of a semi high cliff before he hit. Needless to say, David and Dwayne had been amused watching the two roll around on the floor trying to beat the other up.

"Breakfast!" called Lucy to the house before the kitchen began to fill as everyone slowly appeared. The usual bickering and snide remarks between the children filling the room as they each approached Lucy and received a plate of french toast that quickly quieted them all down as they hurried to finish their plates so they could go back for seconds.

"Hello everyone! I see you're all getting along nicely." said Max as he entered the kitchen and ignored the children as they all rolled their eyes. They knew he knew how much they quarreled and they also knew that he was ignoring it in favor of letting time work her magic to soothe it all out. "Lucy. Doing marvels again I see." he said kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Are you not hungry dear?" asked Lucy as she tried to hand him a plate before he held his hand up in silent refusal.

"Oh nothing for me, thank you Lucy. I take it since Sam's down here, that means Faer's in the bathroom correct?" he asked as she handed him a mug of his special coffee. It had some blood mixed into it to help him become more alert.

"Yes, why?"

"I think she's having some trouble. I keep hearing all of these thumps and little whimpers of pain. For a minute I had thought the boys had put itching powder in Sam's towel again." At the mention of that incident, Sam's head snapped up from his plate before he wearily eyed his smirking brothers who were simply grinning at him. He would have to remember to grab a clean towel when he went to bathe for a while now, not putting it passed Paul and Marko to actually do it again now that Max had reminded them.

"Oh. I think she's trying to do more than she's able to at the moment. I'll go check on her quickly and meet you at the store in a bit."

"Take your time my dear. No rush after all." said Max with a wink at the little joke between their family. Time certainly didn't mean a thing to them after all.

"Alright dear. See you when I get there."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

About an hour had passed and Lucy was getting ready to head out to the store. It was almost eight and she wanted to have enough time to go over a few things in the back with Max before it was time to close. Michael and Star had left practically the minute they had finished eating and put away their dishes while Dwayne had taken Laddie downstairs to play with him for a bit before he put him to bed. Sam was watching a movie while the others were in the garage working on their bikes and finally Faer had decided she was going to stay in bed, still too tired and sore to do much moving around.

"Sam, I left a few pieces of toast in the microwave for Faer when she gets hungry. She might not come down since she said she was still pretty sore, but if she does could you let her know for me? Oh and if she doesn't come down before you go to bed, could you check in on her for me too? And if anything happens, call." said Lucy as she walked to the door and grabbed her keys.

"Ok mom." called Sam and sighing as she walked out to her car, Lucy couldn't help but fret. She had the feeling that something was going to happen, she just wasn't sure what.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was around nine thirty when Sam heard soft footsteps slowly make their way down the stairs. After a moment a slightly limping figure dressed in a light blue nightgown appeared, a large book being held in their hand. Silently, Sam watched as his cousin looked around the downstairs of her new home. She hadn't been awake when she had arrived and for the past three days she had been asleep from the drugs her doctor had prescribed for her. When her gaze landed upon him, she smiled slightly before she started to approach him.

'Well at least she's not being reclusive now that she's awake.' he thought in relief. However, that didn't keep a frown from crossing his face. He may have been young but he could tell when someone was being weighed down by something. He had seen his mother in the same position enough times when she was divorcing his dad. But on top of that all, he wondered if maybe Faer was still upset about the accident that she was withdrawing from reality again.

When her father's side of the family had begun to ostracize her, Faer hadn't been able to cope too well. She had been so close to her father's family and then basically over night, they had turned their sights away from her and treated her like she was worth nothing more than the dirt beneath their shoes. The disownment had devastated Faer and she had literally withdrawn into herself, relying on her imagination to get herself by. To be honest, it made sense. She didn't have many friends and he and Michael weren't there to physically help her either, so her retreating into her mind made up for the sudden hole that had been left.

"Hey Faer. How's your arm?" he asked when she got close to the couch he was sitting upon. She looked at him for a moment, a small smile coming to her face once more before it seemingly vanished without a trace and she continued to the chair that sat closest to the window. "uh Faer? I wouldn't sit there. That seat is…"

"Do you have any broth Sam?" Her voice was quiet as she spoke and he could clearly see the pain she was in as she tried to make herself comfortable while she interrupted him without really realizing it.

"I'm sorry, what Faer?" he asked, slightly caught off guard by the almost hollow sound her voice seemed to carry. It only furthered his thoughts that she was curling in on herself mentally and it worried him. Growing up and sharing letters and phone calls with his cousin, Sam had more than been witness to how far Faer's mind could go. It was part of why she enjoyed much of what he enjoyed as well, because it let her thoughts soar and they often led to several in depth and very interesting conversations between them. Of course, with that being said, it was also a crutch. Whenever she was upset or depressed she lost herself to her mind more often than not and tried not to dwell in reality for too long. Even worse, she did this so often that even though it showed, it only showed to those who really knew her. She was a pro at navigating the real world while living inside her imagination.

"Do you have any broth? I'm not very hungry and my ribs are hurting." As she spoke, she looked out the window, her eyes staring into nothing while she did her best to relax her body.

"Uh yeah. Do you want me to get your pain pills?" he said standing and heading towards the kitchen as he came out of his thoughts. He would talk to his mother later about it.

"I'm fine thank you." she replied, not taking her gaze from the window. Sighing as he watched her "settle" in the chair, Sam quickly made her some broth, using a packet of broth mix from a ramen noddle package. With a quick decision, he quickly grabbed her pain pills that had been left on the counter as well before he took the mug and started to walk towards the living room.

He took notice that while he had been making her something light to eat, well in this case drink, she had made herself as comfortable as possible and opened her book. Her upper body was stiff as she tried to keep her good arm away from her ribs while her broken arm rested upon her lap and setting the mug down upon the windowsill beside her, he held his hand out with the pills.

"Here. You should take these."

"I'm fine Sam, really."

"Faer please?"

"I don't need them." Sighing, he set the pills down beside the mug before he took his spot on the couch once more. He had fifteen minutes before he had to head to bed and he wanted to spend them with Faer so at least she knew he was there for her.

Looking at the book she held in her hand, Sam had to laugh a little. He should have known. If there was ever an author Faer would read without complaint and discuss to the end of the world, it was J.R.R. Tolkein. She loved his books like no tomorrow and when she found she was at a loss for something new to read, she would just choose a Tolkein novel and read it again without complaint. Of course, it was through her reading that they had found their shared love of geekiness. She had been reading a Superman comic and he had asked her to read it to him when he was still learning his ABC's. Since then when they exchanged letters, it was often them discussing various points of either a comic, game or book and he was looking forward to having those conversations in person now.

Smiling as he remembered some of their more heated discussions through the mail, Sam couldn't help but let that smile die. From the looks of it, the cousin he had received so many letters from was nowhere to be found and hadn't been for a while. Perhaps now that she was here, maybe he could help get the Faer he remembered back.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ten rolled around and letting out a sigh, Sam stood and turned off the television. He knew Faer wasn't watching, she was too wrapped up in her book, having lost herself once more to it after she gave up trying to pick up her broth without jarring her ribs too much. The bruising along her ribcage was easily bothered and extremely painful still and after several tries she had decided to just read, not wanting to bother him by asking for his help. Sam sighed once more, knowing it was going to be a long few days before he was able to get Faer to start asking for help from him, let alone anyone else.

I'm going to bed now. My step brothers should be in soon. They're in the garage working on their bikes. If I were you, I would go back up to my room but since you'll have to meet them sometime soon, I would just ignore them. They can be real bullies, but Marko and Dwayne are pretty ok. Just steer clear of David. Oh and don't let Paul get behind you. He can be kind of grabby."

"Thank you Sam. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Faer."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Looking up from her book, Faer looked at the four figures that stood before her, each grinning as they stared at her. The first was the tallest, with tan skin and long dark hair. He looked to be a quiet person and she inwardly wondered if he enjoyed books as much as her when she saw his eyes flicker to the title of her book more than her. The one next to him was pale with wind swept blonde hair and a rock and roll theme to him. Almost immediately, she assumed him to be Paul. He had the playboy vibe going about him and she would be surprised if it was one of the others.

Turning her attention to the youngest looking one of them who had a curly blonde mullet and was biting his thumb while grinning at her, Faer wondered what kind of person he was. He looked playful, like he enjoyed jokes and living life and somewhere, she really hoped he was one of the two that Sam had said wasn't so bad. Looking at the last one who stood in front of them all, she had no doubt in her mind that this was David. The man radiated authority and mischief with platinum blonde hair that he spiked and ice blue eyes. She had to admit, he didn't look half bad, however his attitude made her pause in allowing her sudden crush to go any further than just that. He was the worst of them and yet…looking into his eyes, she couldn't help but desire to get a little closer to him in the future. She had the feeling that he was far more than just a bully.

Not allowing any of her thoughts to cross her face, Faer looked at them for all of a minute before she raised her book again and continued where she had left off. She was getting to a good part in the story and she really didn't want to stop in order to listen to snide remarks from a person who only wanted to rile her up. Half way through a sentence, she frowned when her book was yanked from her hand, David holding it in his grasp.

"What cha got here, huh? The Silmarillion. J.R.R. Tolkein huh? Not bad. Here Dwayne." Tossing the book to the dark haired one, Faer kept her eyes on the book, not looking away from it. That had been a birthday present from her mother. One she had been asking for for a long time. In fact, it was the last present she had received from her mother, which only made her heart constrict as she watched the book be tossed through the air before Dwayne caught it.

Watching as he looked it over, Faer paused when two arms invaded her vision and warm breath ghosted her skin. Turning her head, she stared at David who had rested his hands upon the armrests and was obviously trying to intimidate her.

"So, you're Faer. Well Faer, I'm David and you're sitting in my chair." The silence was thick as Faer stared at David for a moment, her eyes giving away nothing but disinterest before she turned her head away from him and looked out the window once more. It was a beautiful night out. If only she was able to go outside and enjoy it. Not even a second later, she felt a hand grab her chin before she was forced to look at him once more. "It's very rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you. Do you not have any manners?"

"David." said Dwayne quietly while he set her book upon the fireplace's mantle.

"Be quiet Dwayne." growled David. "Faer needs to learn some manners. Especially if she's going to be living here from now on. Now, Faer. Let's try this again. You're sitting in my chair."

"I don't see your name on it." Needless to say, the boys were all shocked. No one spoke to David like that other than Max. No one without a death wish that is and she had done it with such a level voice as well, her gaze not breaking from David's.

"Well. The new girl has claws does she? I guess I'll just have to clip them." he said after a moment, his voice turning into a low growl. He was going to make sure this human knew her place. Just as he had made sure the others knew their place. The hierarchy was important to a vampire coven and new members needed to be put in their place, even if they weren't allowed to know the family secret just yet. "Listen here girl." he said, tightening his hold on her chin. "In this family, I'm head after Max and after me comes Dwayne. You will respect the rules we have set up here and listen when we tell you to do something. Understood?" Faer was silent once more, but her gaze still remained firm along with her breathing, saying that she wasn't impressed by his laying down the rules. "Answer me!"

"I don't care if you are Max's oldest. I'm not going to listen to someone who acts like a child. Even more, I'm not going to listen to someone who doesn't even live here! Now get your hands off of me!" If the silence at her last comment had been thick, this was downright choking. It was like Faer had a death wish and knowing David, he would be more than happy to oblige it too.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The boys should have known that her words were going to cause trouble. David didn't have the best temperament at times and with Max trying to get him to take Michael and Star under his wing once more, it had been even shorter than normal lately. David wanted nothing to do with the two "lovebirds" and they wanted nothing to do with the boys. It was a good agreement between the two groups but Max wanted more and he had been pushing and pushing unwilling to let up.

It wasn't enough that they showed some responsibility now by coming to take care of Laddie and watch Sam when the lovebirds were gone. No Max didn't like their separation and wanted them to start hanging out with each other. David refused and he was still refusing and he showed it by appearing more around the house and creating new rules just for the pleasure of seeing Michael and Star struggle to find their place in the coven once more. Max wasn't happy about it, but he couldn't do anything. David was his oldest and had that right. The only ones he could truly protect from his boys were his mate, Sam, Laddie and now Faer. They were still halves and humans. The second you became a full vampire, you fell into the hierarchy with no mercy. Well, not exactly, Lucy would be under his direct rule because she was his mate, but the others would have to follow explicitly once they were turned. As of the moment thought, the halves and humans only had to listen somewhat, they weren't bound like the others. There was leeway and Max could completely overrule David at any time.

SLAP!

Diving for their brother, Dwayne, Paul and Marko quickly pulled David away from Faer who was looking towards the floor with her head turned to the side. She didn't bother to bring up a hand to her stinging cheek, nor did she gasp in pain and cry. Her reaction was completely numb and the continuing silence was almost deafening now.

David knew he had messed up, he had messed up the second he allowed her words to get to him. He should have expected Faer to lash out verbally. She was after all an Emerson and it was in their nature. The question now was, what was he going to do. He had already been on Max's shit list for a while now simply because he refused to accept the "family" that had almost gotten him and his brothers killed and was now posing a risk of exposing them simply because of the size the coven had now reached. Now, he was going to be in even deeper water for physically hurting someone who was explicitly off limits.

Sometimes David wondered why he felt the need to constantly go against Max. Maybe it was because the old bat deserved it, which in a way he did. It had been his order after all that had almost gotten them all killed and he still wasn't ready to forgive Max for that.

"..vid. David!" Snapping out of his thoughts, David stared at Dwayne who was standing in front of him, blocking Faer from his view. "You need to calm down! Max is going to kill you if you're not careful!" Slowly, clarity came back to him and it was at that point that David realized the true reason Dwayne was in front of him. It wasn't so he couldn't see Faer, it was so Faer couldn't see him, completely vamped out.

Faer wasn't allowed to know the truth. Not until it was clear whether or not she was going to remain permanently in Santa Carla or not. Lucy had fought with Max for Faer to have that right and Max had made it very clear that she was going to receive it. That was another reason why he was so pissed. No one else in the coven had received that right. They were either on the brink of death like himself and his boys, had no choice when they were turned like Lucy or they were tricked like Michael into drinking. To have a choice without consequences was pretty much nonexistent and it pissed him off. Max never would have allowed it if Lucy hadn't been there. He had grown soft for his mate and it showed.

"David!" Freezing in his place, David and the boys looked behind them at the voice they hadn't been expecting. There standing in the doorway was Max, Lucy behind him, and he looked furious. If David had thought that he might be able to get away with simple banishment before he was sure Max was just going to kill him and be done with it. He had never seen his sire so furious before.

Shoving his brothers off of him, David straightened himself out before he turned to Max and took on his nonchalant pose. He may have been worried for what was going to happen, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Max see it.

"What is going on here?! I told you boys to leave Faer alone!"

"We were just saying hi to the new girl, Max. No harm done." replied David in his usual drawl. Max bristled before he pointed his finger at him and let loose his anger.

"You've done it this time David. I've had enough of you! You are insolent, reckless, disobedient! You think I find your actions funny?! You think because you are my oldest that you have the right to pick and choose which of my rules you listen too!? I have put up with too much of your antics over the years but no more! David, I want you ou…!"

"I fell." Pausing in his tirade, Max stared at the figure behind the boys in disbelief. Even the boys were surprised by the words.

"I…I'm sorry my dear. What did you say?" asked Max, his voice now slightly calm and majorly confused as he motioned for his boys to step aside so he could actually see her. She had her head down and her hair had fallen to hide her face while she held her hands in her lap quietly. One could easily see the bruise that was forming on her cheek, but her hair concealed the shape so Max only saw a round spot instead of a hand.

"I fell. I managed to get downstairs with no problem but after I had sat for a while it was a bit difficult to get up. Sam had gone to bed a while ago and I forgot that they were in the garage so I didn't know that I could have asked for help. When I went to stand, it was difficult and painful and I dropped my book by mistake. I tried to pick it up but then I got light headed. I haven't had much to drink and I know that you told me too Aunt Lucy but I got so wrapped up in my book that I forgot and I got light headed when I bent down to pick it up and then I fell. I hit the hearth of the fireplace and as you can see, it left quite the bruise. My cry had your sons all running to see if I was alright." As she spoke, Faer remained calm just as she had when David had been trying to intimidate her and looking up so she could meet Max's gaze, she gave him a small apologetic smile while a single tear rolled down the side of her face. "They were just making sure I was fine."

"Then my dear. Care to tell me why David was so angry when I walked in?" Of course Max didn't believe her for a moment, but he wanted to see if she could keep the lie up. So far, she was doing marvelous and if he didn't know his oldest the way he did, he would have been inclined to believe her. Instead, he was watching her for mistakes, trying to figure out why in the world she was trying to save his oldest from being banished from Santa Carla when David had no doubt been the one to cause her grief and give her that bruise.

"I snapped at him." she said nonchalantly. "He had taken my chin and was trying to look at the damage and I snapped. I slapped his hand away." Turning now to David, she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I'm not used to someone looking after me. So touches, even in kind gestures are weird still."

David was glad he was facing Faer instead of Max, because he was sure her entire lie would have been ratted out if Max had seen his jaw hanging open like it was in disbelief. Why was Faer protecting him?

"He was, was he?" questioned Max as he looked at his oldest, just seeing David snap his mouth shut before he turned back to him. "Well David? You looked at it? Is she fine?"

"She just needs some ice. Marko was supposed to go grab some."

"Is that so? Marko?"

"uh…yeah! Be right back!" Running into the kitchen, Marko grabbed some ice and a towel before he returned and handed them to David who approached Faer once more and knelt before her.

"You're not going to slap me again are you?" he asked her, trying to play along with her story.

"I'm expecting it now." Nodding his head, David placed his free hand on her uninjured cheek before he gently pressed the ice to her swollen one. Faer gasped, raising her uninjured hand to cup his in pain but after a moment she calmed down and relaxed once more. "Thank you." Looking back to Max for a moment, she could see that even though he was still mad somewhat, he was slowly calming down. It was obvious he didn't believe her lie, but if she kept going and sold it to Lucy than there was nothing he could do. David would be safe, for now. "Paul?" she asked.

"uh yeah?" he replied, surprised that she was speaking to him.

"Where did you put my pain pills again?"

"Um…" Feeling his pockets while he looked around to buy some time, Paul sighed in relief when he spotted them on the windowsill. "Oh, I set them on the ledge. Here." he said quickly grabbing them before he placed them in her open hand.

"I'll go grab her some water." said Dwayne when he noticed she didn't have any. By this point Max was floored. All of his boys were working together to save David from his wrath and even more, Faer was running it. This was completely flabbergasting but he wasn't about to end it. He was curious to see just how far this could go while Faer was with them.

"Well. I guess I overreacted." said Max while he put an arm around Lucy's shoulders and sent her a private thought to keep quiet for the moment. "David. I'm sorry for yelling at you. Now if you don't mind, Lucy and I are going to retire to our room. Faer, have a good night. Boys, don't make me regret my words." Walking up the stairs, Max nodded his head to Dwayne who passed him with the water before he pulled Lucy into their bedroom, a smile on his face.

"Here." said Dwayne, handing her the glass after she had popped the pills in her mouth and watched her take a drink. A moment later, she handed him the glass back and he took it, setting it upon the windowsill beside her broth.

"Thank you." she said, her eyes travelling back to David who still held the ice to her cheek. "Thank you, but I think we can take it off now. They're gone after all." Placing her hand once more over his, she gently tried to pull his hand away but he didn't move, he just stared at her. He was still surprised by what had happened. Max had never been talked down like that before and he had never seen anyone forgive so quickly for a physical attack either. Faer was a mystery to him and he wanted to solve it. But first…

"You should go to bed. It's after one." he said, his voice even and calm now while he continued to press the ice to her cheek, ignoring her tries to remove his hand.

"I want to, believe me." replied Faer with a soft tone while she moved her hand so she could hide a yawn behind it. "But my ribs are hurting so much. I don't think I'll be able to make it up the stairs."

"Then wouldn't it be more beneficial for you to ask one of us to help you?"

"I thought you said I needed to be declawed before you helped me?"

"Then why did you help me?"

"Because this is your home, not mine. I don't know what I'm going to do once I heal, but I don't want to get you thrown out for being an ass when I'm only here for a bit." David and the boys chuckled at her words, still surprised by her reasoning. Most humans didn't think like that.

"You know Max knew you were lying." he said, wanting to see her reaction. She just smiled softly before she nodded her head, wincing slightly when her cheek stung. "Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize. I know you don't mean it." She was right, he didn't, though he did feel a bit guilty about it now. He should have been more collected than he was and he knew he was going to have to stay away from the house for a while so he could regain it once more.

"Fair enough. I'm not sorry for what I did, but in retrospect you did deserve it."

"How did I deserve it? By defending myself from someone who wanted nothing more than to rile me up for no reason other than me being the new girl or sitting in your chair? I knew exactly what you were doing from the start, that's why I ignored you. You weren't worth my time or my breath." David had to give this woman some credit. She sure as hell wasn't one to back down for nothing and she knew she had the upper hand since Max and Lucy were now home for the night. If he screwed up once more, there would be no convincing Max that it was an accident and Max would no doubt have his head instead of banishing him this time.

Chuckling, David smirked as he locked his eyes with hers before he removed his hand from her bruised cheek and set the ice down. "I'll give you some credit. You're sure not one to back down from a dominant."

Now it was Faer's turn to laugh, her gaze still locked with his. "I know someone much worse than you David. You don't frighten me."

'I will girl. Just you wait.' he thought with a smug smirk on his face. Faer had no idea just what kind of person he could be and he was going to enjoy proving her wrong when the time came. Someone worse than him huh? He'd see about that. When the time came for Faer to know the truth, he would make sure she knew just how dangerous he could be, just as the others knew.

Shaking his head of his thoughts from his animalistic side, David stood and picked her up, ignoring the hiss of pain she gave out when her ribs protested the movement. Carrying her up the stairs and to the second room on the left, he set her down on the bed and turned on the lamp upon her nightstand before he looked down at her once more. He felt he needed to say something. That he needed her to understand that she did have to be careful, because even though he needed to regain his composure, and he planned on doing that before he returned to the house, the next time he or one of them snapped, she might not come of it with just a slap.

"Faer, I want you to understand that what happened tonight, happens often. You might be under Max's roof, but this family runs by a very different set of rules than you're used to. If you're not careful you might not end up as lucky as you did tonight. Understood?"

"I understand. But at the same time. You need to understand that if you do something so foolish as well, you might not come out as lucky as you did tonight either." Her words were cool and collected and David felt the urge to tear her throat out. His power had never been challenged like this before and it was irritating him to no tomorrow. He knew he needed to beat a hasty retreat before he really did harm her further and turning on his heel, he walked out the door. "Goodnight David."