Bella was just about to open one of the kitchen cupboards to get a glass when she saw something small and dark race by her feet. Startled, she cried out and stumbled, almost stepping on it. It was Edward who prevented her falling.

A rat. Gross.

Both of them watched the small, hairy creature lose grip on the floor and careen into a wall. On contact, it ceased to be both small and hairy. Taking its place was instead a young woman. Curvy and with brown, curly hair, her skin was pale and freckled. She sat against the wall wide-eyed and slightly out of breath.

"Woah, girl, you almost crushed me flat!" She breathed, looking up to the two of them before breaking into a grin, "Looks like I scared you, too. Sorry about that." She laughed and picked herself up off the floor. In a pair of ripped jeans and a well-worn t-shirt, she didn't much look like a Toreador. But, her careless demeanor (in combination with the more obvious shape shifting) gave her away.

"It's okay." Bella said with a smile. Protective as always, Edward was at first unsure, but it was easy enough to tell that the girl hadn't meant any harm.

"I'm Kindra." She held out one hand to each of them, grinning, "My mom told me who you two are! I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just in a hurry, that's all. Ember went to go get the ball, and she is in a hurry since she's in here, and BK is outside…" Kindra shrugged, " I was supposed to find my uncle Steve, but I can't find him anywhere." Like Livi, she radiated self-assured cheerfulness and friendliness, and neither of the kitchens other occupants had a problem shaking her hand.

She snapped her fingers, suddenly, struck by an idea, "Do you guys want to play?"

Edward was a little interested, and Bella was curious, but it was Bella who spoke up, "Play what?"

Kindra grinned, "Soccer. Dimitri made us a ball and everything, since the normal ones didn't last too long."

As if on cue, Steve popped his head into the kitchen, "Sorry to break it to you, kid, they're baseball players, not soccer players." He laughed, and turned his attention to Edward amongst Kindra's protest of "I'm not a kid!"

"Nice to see you up, man. I heard about what happened. It's good to see you back on your feet."

Edward smiled wryly, "Thank you. Now, what was that about a game of soccer?" With the headache gone, Edward felt the need to be outside, to be doing something. For a creature that did not sleep, he had been lying down and unconscious for way too long. It had been extremely uncomfortable.

Steve knew where Edward was headed, and smiled knowingly, "Well, Ember, Kindra and I were going to go and press-gang BK into joining a game…But if you think you're up for it…" His smile widened to a grin. Bella just knew that this was going to be interesting. She had seen vampire baseball, and that was a sight to behold. Vampire soccer? Was it even possible? She got a glass and poured herself a glass of water, which was the reason they had even been in the kitchen in the first place.

Edward shrugged, "I might be. But, I also might know a couple of other people who would like to join in."

Steve's grin went from knowing to downright challenging. Kindra was looking delighted. "Get whoever you want, the more the merrier."

~*~

Surprisingly, it was Ember bouncing the reinforced soccer ball off of her knees and head as she stood, impatiently waiting. They were deciding teams, and she didn't care. She only wanted to be goalie so the rest did not matter to her. Mind you, the others though it was pretty amusing that little Ember Wolfsblood in her shiny dress shoes, silk pleats and lace wanted to play at all, let alone be goalie, but the Toreador persisted.

"So, you, me and Ember?" Ember didn't even look away from the ball when Kindra mentioned her and gestured to Jasper. Tempo had asked Dimitri to make them a better once since they kept breaking the normal ones. They weren't expensive, but it was a little bit tedious. Plus, people always gave her and BK funny looks when they bought them at night!

"That leaves us three." Steve was grinning, eager for the competition, and while both Edward and Carlisle seemed a little more reserved, they were eager for the game as well.

"I'm goalie." Ember said, for the hundredth time. Jasper answered her with a nonchalant, "No, really?" She had so much been expecting Steve to freak out on her that Jasper's calm reaction stunned her in to dropping the ball. Steve, however, did laugh uproariously, before also announcing himself goalie.

They had managed to round up a few people who wanted to watch. Bella, of course, who had no desire to get in the middle of such a ridiculous idea, but she was very interested in seeing how it worked. Esme was with her, and Alice, BK and Livi, who had decided to take a break to watch. BK had plopped down in the grass, leaning on his older 'sister's knees, but the others stood to watch.

It was Jasper and Edward who met in the middle, and while Alice loved her husband dearly she did have to admit that her brother was awfully quick…it helps that she knew what was going to happen, though. Edward did manage to get the ball away, at least at first. It was only the start of a long list of thefts and failed goals, but it looked like they were all having fun. Steve, despite his brash nature, turned out to be a better goalie than most would have thought.

By far the largest surprise came from Carlisle. It wasn't his sons who posed the biggest challenge on the field. By far, he was the most adept at the sport from his family and didn't hesitate to use it to his advantage. It was because of him that his team was leading by one point, even with several miraculous saves from Ember. Edward was helping, mind you, but his forte was obviously baseball.

From her position of defense/impromptu forward (really, Jasper had most of it covered), Kindra could see the spectators. Livi was looking a little edgy, though, and Kindra was pretty sure she knew why. Livi likely wanted to stay and watch the game, but she was also under pressure to get the decorations done. Unlike the Cullens, they didn't have all day to do what they wished!

All Kindra intended to do was to tie up the game at 1:1. Steve would never let her live it down if she didn't manage at least that much. On top of that, she wanted to make her aunt Livi proud in front of their guests. Kindra didn't much know (or care) why that was important, but she assumed it must be a Toreador thing.

Edward knew the shot was coming, even if it didn't look like Kindra was lining it up to go anywhere near him. He could probably stop it…but it was likely not a good idea. He'd seen Kindra take a shot like that once already, and it was something he had no desire to be in the way of. So, when he saw the sure, powerful stroke that sent the ball rocketing in his direction he simply moved out of the way, trusting Steve to handle it. He was a Gangrel after all, right? He should be used to Kindra's animalistic power.

Edward knew at once when he heard a rather sickening crack that his prediction hadn't been the case. Kindra shuddered, grimacing, and he immediately heard cursing behind him. A long, colourful litany that even made Jasper raise his eyebrows, and they all sounded just a little bit off…

"My nose! My goddamned nose!" There was another crack as Steve reset the bone. He didn't have to, really, he could have left it and it would have healed on it's own, but it'd heal much faster in the right place!

Edward did all he could to hold down laughter. Steve didn't seem seriously hurt, as he had some blood on him but (if his use of language was any indication) he was fine. Kindra, on the other hand, seemed to have composed herself and was unable to hold her own gales of laughter in. Steve wiped the blood from his mouth and glowered at his niece, though no one seemed to be taking him too seriously.

"Who asked Dimitri to make that fuckin' ball?" His voice sounded a little more normal now.

Kindra calmed down enough to answer, though she was still grinning, "My mom did." She answered absently. Of course, this prompted Steve to impatiently ask her, "Which mom?!"

"Oh, Mom Tempo." Kindra replied, laughing again, "Who else would go talk to Dimitri, about anything?"

"Point taken…" Steve stalked off, apparently ending the game. No one seemed to bothered, though. Either they had gotten their fill and were content, or his outburst had been a little too comic to ruin the fun. Still, it left Jasper questioning something. "Tempo's your mother?" He asked Kindra, taking a brief look to the rest of his family to see if he was the only one out of the loop. Judging from the expressions it seemed most of them had been thinking the same thing, Edward especially.

"Yup. Tempo and Larka are my parents." Kindra replied brightly, jogging over to get the ball. It had indeed gone between the trees they had chosen, making the score even. No one remarked on it though, as something Edward, this time, asked a question instead, "That seems a little…unusual. Larka is a Tremere, isn't she? And Tempo doesn't seem quite the 'mothering' type…" He added with a smile. Only then it clicked to him that Livi wasn't the same bloodline as her mother, either…

"All families are technically by adoption, some by siring, some by people just deciding that they want to be related, and thus taking the responsibility that comes with it." Livi explained with a shrug. She should know. The Wolfsblood family was a ridiculously large, sprawling, and extremely complicated mass.

"As for Tempo, she's faking it." Kindra answered simply, the ball in her hands. "She does it for Loki, to seem more professional, I think…" She sidestepped slightly to get out of the way of BK and Ember, who had already started antagonizing each other on the ground, "She breaks it for me, though!"