"Hey Terrence can we go outside and look at the horses?" asked Lexi the next morning as they sat at the table eating Belgian waffles.
Terrence rolled his eyes and said "Fine we'll go outside after lunch."
" Can we go before lunch?" asked Lexi as she looked at Terrence and pouted.
Terrence inwardly kicked himself before saying "Ok we'll go after breakfast."
"Really? Thank you Terrence." laughed Lexi as she ran to his chair and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
"So do you know how to ride?" asked Terrence as he opened the door to the stables.
"No I've only ridden once and that was when we went to the carnival and they had horse rides for kids." said Lexi as she wrinkled her nose at the smell.
Terrence shook his head and said "You can't ride but you wanted to come since you got here?"
"Yep got a problem with that?" said Lexi as she stopped to pet the face of a palamino horse.
"Do you want to ride?" Terrence asked as he leaned against the wall and stared at Lexi.
Lexi stared at Terrence suspiciously before saying " Of course I want to ride but I don't know how!"
"Come on I'll show you how." said Terrence as he walked into the tack room and pulled out a saddle.
Lexi grinned and said "Really? Yay my first riding lesson!"
Rowan stood on the balcony watching as Terrence instructed Lexi on how to mount a horse and hold the reins.
"He's changed a little hasn't he." said Rachel as she quietly slipped onto the balcony and stood next to Rowan.
Rowan smiled and said "Yes he has. It's been a long time since I've seen this side of him."
"Terrence help me down my legs are stuck!" said Lexi after they finished her first riding lesson.
Terrence smirked as he tied the reins to the post so that the horse couldn't run away and said " What's the magic word?"
"Mr. Terrence Quinton would you be so kind as to please help me off this horse?" giggled Lexi as she tried her best to keep a serious face.
Terrence grinned and said in a very dramatic voice "It would be my pleasure Ms. Alexandra Landen."
"Terrence can I watch you ride?" Lexi asked as soon as she was safely on the ground.
Terrence frowned for a mintue before saying "Fine."
Lexi watched as Terrence as he quickly got the horse to a canter then a gallop.
"Well what did you think?" said Terrence as he stopped the horse in front of Lexi and jumped off.
Lexi thought for a minute before pouting "I think it's going to take a very long time for me to learn how to gallop and even longer before I'll be as good as you."
Terrence laughed and picked Lexi up off the ground and sat her on the horse saying " It will take you a very long time to ride as well as me but, we can go for a little ride right now."
"Terrence I can't ride by myself" said Lexi as she started panicking.
"You won't be by yourself." smirked Terrence as he jumped onto the back of the horse and slipped his arms around Lexi's waist so he could grab the reins.
Lexi tensed up when Terrence put his arms around her waist but slowly relaxed and leaned against his chest.
Terrence laughed and called out to one of the stable workers "Bob will you open the gate for us."
"Who's Bob?" whispered Lexi as Terrence guided the horse through the gate.
Terrence chuckled and said " Bob is the head of the stable workers."
Lexi simply nodded her head as she looked around her at the beautiful country side in bloom.
"Hey Terrence do you think we can head back to the house now?" Lexi asked as she tried to stretch without falling off the horse.
"I guess if you really want to" smirked Terrence as he turned Starthe horse around and headed back towards the house.
As soon as they got back to the stables Terrence jumped off the horse and handed the reins to Bob and said " Take care of Star will you she had quite a work out."
"Ugh Terrence I can't walk!" groaned Lexi as she hobbled along behind Terrence towards the house.
Terrence laughed and said with a smirk "What your tired already? It was only about a thirty minute ride!"
Lexi stopped walking and pouted " A thirty minute ride is long when you haven't ridden in over six years!"
Terrence glanced over his shoulder and grinned "That's not my fault if you didn't want to ride you should have said so."
Lexi's eyes began to sparkle mischieviously as she said " I can't walk anymore will you please carry me?"
Terrence smirked as he picked Lexi up bridal style and said "It would be my honor to help a damsel in distress."
"Eww Terrence I think your age is really starting to show!" giggled Lexi as she playfully punched his arm.
"Why do you say that?" asked Terrence as he walked to the door that Rachel had opened so that they could get in easily.
Lexi giggled "Because you said damsel in distress."
"Seriously Lexi that has got to be one of the dumbest things you've ever said!" Terrence laughed as he rolled his eyes.
"Is hurt?" asked Rachel as she hurried to catch up with Terrence who was already on the stairs walking towards Lexi's bedroom.
Lexi rolled her eyes and said "I'm fine Rachel don't worry. I didn't want to walk so I got Terrence to carry me inside."
"O-oh I see" stuttered Rachel as she hurried to open Lexi's bedrpoom door.
"Ow that hurt!" complained Lexi as Terrence dropped her on the bed.
Terrence shook his head and snorted "That couldn't have hurt! I dropped you onto the bed not the floor."
Lexi laughed and said " What if the bed felt like the floor?"
"Then we'd get a new bed!" said Terrence as he walked out the door closing it behind him.
"Oh my gosh " gasped Rachel as soon as Terrence closed the door.
Lexi rolled onto her side so she could see Rachel and said "What?"
"Well for one Mr. Terrence actually took you to see the horses, two, he gave you a riding lesson, three, he took you out for a ride,four, he carried you inside!" exclaimed Rachel as she sat down on the bed.
Lexi rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling thoughtfully as she said "Hmm I guess your right."
Rachel rolled her eyes and said "Do you need anything else ?"
"Could you bring me a strawberry smoothie?" Lexi asked as she reached under her pillows for her phone.
Rachel nodded her head and said "Ok I'll be back in a little bit."
Lexi looked at her phone and groaned there were five new missed calls from her mother and Anna.
"Hey Mom what's up?" said Lexi as she got up and limped to the bathroom to get in the whirlpool.
"Does something have to be up for me to call my daughter?" said Mark as he frowned.
Lexi grinned and said "Hey Dad I thought you were mom since you called using her phone!"
Mark smiled a little bit as he asked "So how's your new house? Do the vampires bother you at all? Are there any humans there?"
" My "new house" is great and no the vampires don't bother me and yes there are humans here." said Lexi as she turned on the water in the whirlpool.
Mark nodded his head and said "Remember don't associate with the vampires unless you have to."
Lexi frowned and said "Why shouldn't I associate with them?"
"Don't be stupid! You know I'm a vampire hunter." growled Mark as he clinched his fist in anger.
"Why are you yelling at me? What did I do? Your the one who sent me here!" yelled Lexi as tears started streaming down her face.
Mark took a deep breath to calm himself down before saying "You'll only be there for a little while I'm coming up with a plan to get you out. Just stay away from them. Do you understand me?"
"No I don't understand you and I'm not going to even try! You know what don't even try to come up with a plan to get me out of here because I'm not leaving!" screamed Lexi as she threw her phone against the wall and crumpled onto the floor crying.
"Ms. Lexi what's wrong?" exclaimed Rachel as dropped the strawberry smoothie she was carrying on the floor and hurried to Lexi's side.
"My Dad that's what's wrong!" cried Lexi as she tried to stop crying.
"What's going on in here?" demanded Terrence as he and Rowan came hurrying through the door.
Rachel looked up and said " I don't know! Ms. Lexi asked me to get her a smoothie and when I came back she was sitting on the floor crying."
Terrence nodded his head and gestured to the pile of glass and smoothie and said "Rachel clean this up. I'll take care of Lexi.
Lexi wrapped her arms around Terrence's neck as he picked her up and cried "Why does my Dad have to ruin everything?"
"Shhh don't cry" whispered Terrence as he carried her down the hallway to a door that led into a sitting room.
Lexi wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she said " Do you know what he said to me?"
"What did he say to you?" asked Terrence as he sat down with her in his lap.
Lexi sniffed and said " He told me not to associate with vampires unless I have to and when I asked why he told me not to be stupid."
"Are you serious?" asked Terrence as he stared at Lexi in disbelief.
"Yes and when I told him he's the one that sent me here he said it was only for a little while and that he was trying to come up with a plan to get me out." whispered Lexi as she leaned against Terrence's shoulder.
Terrence was quiet for a minute before he asked "Why are you telling me that?"
Lexi shook her head whispered "I'm not sure but I don't want to leave! I like it here. I-it's home now."
