Uhm. So... I fail epically. Like, seriously. I am SO sorry for disappearing, but I've already apologized in the previous A/N. But I'm back now, and I have to get in the habit of updating again. Thanks for bearing with me and my craziness. The triplets are more grateful than you know. And I know I don't deserve it, but ... review? :(

Disclaimer: The triplets belong to me. But their parents? Sadly, it's not to be.


Life continued fairly normally after the triplets knew about Dimitri. They now knew where Dimitri and I disappeared to every week, and they no longer questioned his constant lack of appetite for food they ate. It was actually easier this way, and Dimitri was extremely grateful at their willingness to accept him. Jeremy had gone to Lissa's house that night and demanded to know if she had fangs or not. When she laughed and unsheathed her fangs for him to see, his face paled.

Lissa spent half an hour comforting Jeremy and explaining to him that she couldn't tell him for his safety. He forgave her, of course. I hadn't thought for a moment that he would be upset with her for a long time. The triplets were much happier knowing about our past than being left in the dark.

"Momma!" Adrienne shouted, rushing toward me, a huge grin on her face. Her eyes were sparkling, and her hair was wild. Her small body was heaving with every breath she took, and she came to an abrupt stop in front of me. Her tiny hands shot out to grasp my wrists. "Come on, come on! Daddy says we're gonna play hide and seek. He said everybody, and that means you, too!" She pulled on my wrists but quickly realized that it was doing nothing. She scowled and ran behind me, pushing on my back. "Come on, Momma. Daddy said you had to." It finally dawned on her a few seconds later that all the pushing in the world wouldn't move me, and her lower lip came out into an adorable pout. "Momma, Daddy said."

I smiled at her. "All right, Adrienne, I'll go." I followed my eldest daughter to the living room, where Dimitri was explaining hide and seek to Sabrina and Jeremy. Their eyes were wide as they listened to the instructions. They had played before, but I figured that Dimitri was refreshing their memory.

"Wait," Sabrina said, pausing. "I thought you said this game of hide and seek was special." Dimitri nodded slowly, waiting for Sabrina to finish her thought. "How is it special?" she demanded. "It sounds normal."

Dimitri grinned widely. "I won't be holding back." Adrienne looked up at him with awe. "Are you all ready?"

Jeremy and Sabrina glanced at each other and smirked. They turned back to their father and nodded. Adrienne squealed and clapped her hands. "I'm ready, I'm ready," she chanted.

My husband smiled. "I'll be seeking. You three will hide. Okay?" They nodded vigorously. Dimitri turned to look at me and winked. "You're hiding, too, Roza."

I smirked. "You think you'll find me?" I challenged. Oh, Dimitri might think he could find me, but I was sneakier than he gave me credit for.

Dimitri came closer, and our faces were inches apart. "I know I'll find you," he breathed. His eyes flickered to my lips, then back up to my eyes. Slowly, his hand came to rest on my cheek. He leaned toward me, and my eyes were locked on his. My lips parted in anticipation, and I noticed the glint in Dimitri's eyes a second too late. "You'd better hurry," he teased, smirking. He backed away, turning around. "One... two... three... four..." I shook my head, looking for a place to hide.

Adrienne ran for the kitchen pantry and hid herself behind bottles of soda. Jeremy flew underneath Sabrina's bed, and Sabrina dove underneath our bathroom sink. I heard Dimitri counting and began to panic. We always counted to thirty, and he was at twenty-two. I knew he was going to use his keen sense of smell for sure. I had to mask my scent. In an unusually brilliant moment, I dove underneath the comforter of our bed. It helped that the bed was a mess, and there were lumps all over the place.

Now I had to work on calming down my heartbeat. I could mask my scent all I wanted, but he could find me in seconds just by listening for my heart and pulse. I heard Dimitri call thirty and exhaled deeply for the last time. I worked on making my breaths shallower and slower. Dimitri found Jeremy in seconds, laughing as Jeremy growled quietly in frustration. It was silent in the house for a short moment.

The door to our bedroom opened, and I had to fight to keep my heartbeat under control. The atmosphere was tense, and the feeling was tangible in the air. Dimitri paused by the bed but continued to our bathroom where he pulled Sabrina out from under the sink.

"You're the second," he informed her. "Would you like to help me look for Adrienne?"

I could only assume Sabrina nodded because Dimitri informed her to look in the kitchen. Sabrina skipped out the door, and Dimitri chuckled quietly.

"Found you, Roza," he murmured. "You can come out now."

I smirked beneath the covers and remained motionless. He would have to pull me out screaming before I gave in. I might not be the best at hiding, but I would fight to pretend that I was unseen. The bed dipped as Dimitri crawled onto it. His movements were smooth and sinuous, and he continued to chuckle.

"Now, Rose, this isn't how the game is played. I found you. The rules say you have to come out of hiding." He flipped the covers back, a few inches away from my face.

I grinned. "Missed me, missed me, now you have to kiss me," I chanted, rolling out from my hiding place and landing on my feet. I darted for the door, hoping to make it out in time. Unfortunately, Dimitri was much faster.

He was blocking the door with a small smile on his face. "I love you," he stated, leaning forward to press his lips to mine gently.

"I love you, too. That was fun." I winked. Dimitri smiled and put his arm around my shoulders.

"Let's go find the kids," he suggested. I nodded, and we went downstairs to find Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina talking to each other quietly. The moment we came in, they were silent. Dimitri and I glanced at each other, worried.

"What's up?" I asked cautiously.

The triplets looked at one another, and Adrienne, as usual, was the spokesman. "We want Daddy to hide, and we want to try to find him." She looked up at me with big, pleading eyes. "Can we, Momma?"

I glanced at Dimitri who shrugged. "I don't see why not. Dimitri, go hide. We'll come looking for you in thirty seconds." My husband's red eyes glittered with amusement.

"Whatever you say, Rose." He disappeared around a corner, and I turned around with the triplets and began to count to thirty.

I wondered where he would think to hide and figured he would pick a spot at random. I guessed that it would be a dark place where the children's human eyes would pass over him without trying to focus on his silouette. When the kids had counted to thirty, they gathered around me, asking where to look. "Adrienne and Jeremy, you two go look in the kitchen and living room. Sabrina, you go look in your bedroom, okay?" Sabrina nodded, a determined look in her eye, and turned to dart up the stairs where she would search the room she shared with her siblings.

I took our bedroom, having a feeling that he would be there. When I stepped into the room, it crackled with intensity, and I knew Dimitri had to be in the room somewhere. I checked under the bed and behind the dresser. "Dimitri," I murmured, "Come out, come out, wherever you are." I heard his ghostly chuckle and forced my ears to pay attention. "Where are you, Mr. Sneaky?" I teased.

My ears picked up the direction of his snicker, and my eyes narrowed at the closet. "Gotcha," I mumbled, moving toward the closet with a purpose. I flung open the door, and my eyes scanned the darkness, trying to detect movement. Nothing moved, and I waited for a moment, allowing my eyes to adjust to the dark. I took one hesitant step into the closet when the door slammed shut, and I was pressed up against the wall, hangers rocking back and forth.

"Shit, Dimitri," I hissed, my heart beating furiously in my chest. "You scared the hell out of me."

He chuckled softly. "You know I love scaring you."

"Only because you can do it now," I retorted. "If it wasn't for you being a Strigoi, you'd never scare me."

Dimitri tilted his head to the side and snickered. "This is true." He moved his head toward mine and kissed from my forehead down to my chin. "I didn't frighten you too badly, did I, Roza?" he breathed.

I shook my head. "No, you just surprised me. I'm fine."

Dimitri's fangs were bright against the black background. "Good." My heart rate picked up a little at the sight of his fangs. He had fed only days ago. Did he need to feed again? And if so, why couldn't he have told me instead of jumping me in a closet? Dimitri saw these questions flash across my face and chuckled. "Silly Rose. You know I can tell you when I'm thirsty. And I'm not. I love you." He took my hands and squeezed gently. "Oh, Roza. You're everything to me," he sighed.

"I know," I replied, smiling. He pulled me to his chest and held me tight. I wrapped my arms around his waist and exhaled slowly into the familiar comfort of his embrace.

The door opened, and Adrienne and Jeremy piled in, laughing and screaming. "We found you, we found you!" they chorused. Adrienne latched on to Dimitri, and Jeremy wrapped his arms around me.

"Where's Sabrina?" I murmured, picking Jeremy up, even though he hated that now. He pushed at me, and I sighed gently, letting him down.

"She's in her room, laying down," Adrienne answered. "I think she got tired." She grinned widely.

"Oh. Okay." Dimitri smiled at his daughter and looked around. "I guess we'd better get out of here, hm? It's getting crowded."

Jeremy and Adrienne snickered and disentangled themselves from us. They ran out of the closet, going to their bedroom where they pounced on their own beds. Sabrina was passed out, her breaths heavy and even. I picked her up and put her back on her bed, in a less painful position. I covered her with a blanket, smiling at the youngest. Jeremy and Adrienne smiled at their sister and ran out the door, giggling.

I smiled at Dimitri who smiled back. "We need to do this more often," I murmured, taking his hand.

He squeezed. "I know."

Adrienne poked her head in, eyes shining, lips pulled back into a wide smile. "Hey, Momma, Daddy, do you wanna play tag?"


Haha, Rose and Dimitri are getting a work out with the triplets. So, first update in a while. I know it's kinda late, but hey, it's still the weekend. At least, for me it is.

The triplets are demanding some reviews. They miss their love.

- J.C.