The vampire Family

Night Island was a great place for the coven to meet. They would at times all gather here just to enjoy each other's company. Lestat had to drag Louis with him the first time to get him to go along. But Louis soon figured he enjoyed such gatherings. Lestat was always known as the 'brat prince'. They did love Lestat despite his sometimes-annoying behavior.  All loved Louis. Louis at first would sit in his corner with a pile of books next to him and read. Everyone would ask him to join him or her in a game or conversation but he would if he could most likely blush and decline. Lestat got up from where he sat with Marius and went to put on a record. The song started to play and Louis looked up to see Lestat coming toward him.  "Non." Louis said.
"Come ma Cheri." Lestat snatched the book from Louis' hands and pulled him up and began to dance with him. "Lestat let me go." Louis frowned. "Not until you smile." Louis put on a forced smile. "Like you mean it."  The others watched with smiles gracing their faces. It was rather enjoyable to see the two together like this. "Lestat let me go or else." Louis told his lover. "Or else what?" Lestat tightened his grab on the brunette and dipped him back. "I'm going to kill you." Louis threatened. "No you wouldn't you love me to much." Lestat chuckled. "Are you sure that's not just your own ego." Louis threw back. Everyone paired up and began dancing as well. "You don't want to be the only one out do you?" Lestat asked.  "Why do I put up with you?" Louis asked the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "Because I love you and you love me and all that." Lestat smiled as Louis did before letting him go. Lestat was trouble but he was their troublemaker. There had to be one in every family. Louis was the quiet one. There was one in every family. ~.o0o.~ Marius sometimes would lock himself in his room for days and never come out. It sometimes worried the others because he would go to great lengths to make sure no one entered the room. The first time he did this every made been back and forth past his door asking if her was all right. When he finally came out four days later he looked perfectly fine. When asked what had been wrong he denied anything having been wrong. Everyone would look at each other and quickly left it alone returning to their books and games. When it happened again no one could get anything out of him. When pressed about the matter by Mael he growled at his friend.  It happened again and the fourth time it happened everyone had had enough. Armand knew they would all face the wrath that was Marius but they didn't care. Opening the door they looked around the room. Hidden in his side room Gabrielle found portraits of them all. There was one of each of them. Sitting or posing this way or that. Then finally a large canvas with a portrait of them all. "So you found my secret." Marius asked when he entered the home later that night. He had used the mind gift on them. "Why didn't you just tell us?" Mael asked. He was framing hurt from the last time Marius had snapped at him. "Because it was going to be a surprise. Not that you all know you can help me hang them." Marius took hold of Armand and Lestat and dragged them up from their chairs to help him. The portraits hung in the longest hall. "You know I hate when you sneak and do my portrait." Armand pouted. "Oh? You seemed to enjoy it when you a boy. You would sometimes beg me to paint you." Marius smiled at his fledgling. There was an artist in every family. ~.o0o.~ Gabrielle when first made wanted nothing more then to run and free. Now that she was immortal nothing was going to stop her. But seeing as her most beloved son was also immortal she did have to put up with him at times. Was even asked to discipline him. She loved Lestat dearly and would sometimes even be caught reading to him or just sitting with him.
But Gabrielle loved her jungles. When everyone would leave Night Island to go back to their own respective homes she was out in the deepest jungles running about. She drank the blood of natives and animals alike. She was regaining everything she had missed out on in her youth and as the wife of a noble. "I am the marquis Louis and you should do well to remember that." Lestat told his lover. "Lestat you silly boy." She smiled at him. Gabrielle was the only woman who could get away with telling Lestat he was a silly boy. He adored his mother in the only way a son would. She had given him the escape and the chances to be the person he was. Lestat out of all her children who saw adulthood was the most like her. Restless in youth and always wanting to run away and never look back. But she had on many occasions disappeared without telling anyone. She was well liked by the coven even Marius found that she was good conversation and when she was around he enjoyed having her company when he painted. She could spend hours speaking with Pandora, Mael or anyone of the others. When she had found out about what Lestat did in tail of the body thief she scolded her son and showed him no mercy for she did it in front of everyone. "Troublesome son of mine." She smiled at him. David took to Gabrielle's company if only to find out about Lestat's childhood adventures. She would share with everyone and Lestat would put on a pout and sulk in some corner while the other snickered. But even so Lestat would smile at his mother. He would not see her again for months on end so why not enjoy his time with her? Gabrielle had seen every jungle in he world by the time she had reached her first hundred years. Then she went back to find something new. Water falls and cliffs were nothing. The rainforest could poor down forever and it would not matter to her. She even looked into the snowy mountaintops of Kilimanjaro, Everest, Himalayas, and the alps she had all seen. But she had yet to finish. She didn't where she would go next but she would get there. Every family had the adventurous one. ~.o0o.~ Maharet and her sister Mekare were the odds ones. They were Strange in their ways but the others had grown use to it. But was strangely amusing to everyone was when they talked at the same time. "Good evening." Khayman greeted them.
"Good evening." they said in unison.  Khayman looked at them again. Something was off about them but he couldn't tell what. Vampire when turned cannot change their appearance. You could cut your hair but it would grow back while you slept during the day. "So you've noticed it too?" Marius smiled at his friend. "Noticed what?"
"That our beloved twins are different today. Their playing their minds games and have cut off their connections with the mind gift so we can't read their thoughts." Lestat told him. "But why would they do that?" Khayman asked.  "Because we can't let," Maharet started. "You all have the fun." Mekare said. That was if anyone could tell them apart. When the twins played games they made sure to keep everyone on their toes. They dressed alike or would dress like the other. Wearing their hair in the same way as the other. They remembered playing such games when they had been but mortal children to their mother but she always knew who was who. No one could tell them apart now. They continued this for a full week. Everyone just said the twins. The red-haired sisters. Mael had been feeling up to a playful mood and put on some music before going over to the twins and asking Mekare for a dance. "But which one of us is Mekare?" They asked together. Mael stood back and looked between the two but could not find the differences. Louis walked over and looked at the twins. "Mekare is on the right and Maharet on the left." He said. "Louis you've done it." they smiled at him. "But the question is how did you figure it out?" the twins asked. "No one but our mother was ever able to tell us apart."

"When you place your hair behind your ears. Mekare yours goes behind the left ear. Maharet the right." Louis told them. The twins smiled. There was the pair that did everything together.

~.o0o.~

David was the one who always asked questions. When the others began telling him their lives stories both mortal and immortal he asked why they had done such silly things. When Marius told David that he had indeed adopted Lestat. "What in hell's name possessed you to do that?" he asked. The whole room laughed. All but Lestat.

David questioned why Pandora left Marius the first time. She had no answer for him. He loved talking to Gabrielle. Lestat's mother was a very pleasant woman. "Why did you name him Lestat? Such an odd name."

"To be honest David I do not remember. My husband had named our other children. And did not care to be present at Lestat's birth. I had lost as many children as I had risen. Lestat I knew would always be the odd one of the bunch. The youngest. He came the closest to me in looks. He was the odd one out so why not an odd name to match. He never complained about he name." She smiled.

"Why did you run off just a few months after being turned?" was David's next question. "Because I had lived a controlled life. I wanted to travel and before I knew it I was married and a mother. I had responsibilities to see to. Not long after I sent Lestat away to Paris did I become ill. He gave me this gift and I took it as my chance to be free. To do what I pleased and I did. If you think I'm attractive now you should have seen me in my youth. I had suitors knocking at my family's door every day." Gabrielle laughed.

"Louis you said your sister married but you never said much about her husband." David looked at the dark hair vampire. "One word could sum up that boy." Lestat said. "I was talking to Louis."

"But he's right David. One work could sum up my sister's husband. Simple." Louis sighed. "But she was happy with him. That was enough for me. To see her smile after all our tragedy." Louis had a faint smile on his face. Yes David was the questioner. Every family had one.

~.o0o.~

Armand was different. He was an off an on lover of Marius. But when they were on it was obvious he was a cuddlier. He cuddled to anyone who was willing at most times. But at the end of the night he could be found in bed with Marius curled around his maker content and happy to have that closeness again. He would some times snuggle up to Louis, which made Louis nervous and displeased Lestat.

But he only did it when he wanted to toy with Marius. He knew what would happen when they went behind Marius' bedroom door. Marius was a jealous man. But after every punishment Marius would pull Armand into his lap and hold him close till the dawn came and they slept the death sleep till the sun went away again.

Armand was not fond of being left alone. Night Island was where the coven would gather on occasion and sometimes-even Daniel would leave Night Island to go off on his own adventure. Armand hated this and would cry while cuddling close to him a pillow that smelled like Marius. More so because it came from Maruis' bedroom.

But when everyone was due back for a stay Marius was the first to show up and every time he found his Amadeo in his bed and would think of the starved 15 year old he had once placed there. He would kiss Armand and hold him close. Armand would refuse to let go because thing is what he loved best. The cuddling time he got to share with Marius. Every family had a cuddlier.