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[Swan_Song]

If they had been stronger accents, I doubt i would have been able to understand them clearly at all!

I never realized how many dialects there were when it comes to British accents! It's a lot like America, actually.

Mikey looked over at her and shook his head and sighed. But then he smiled and kissed her cheek, and went back to loading up the jeep. Once they had gotten that done, he jumped into the driver's seat, very excited to get to drive around. He was like a little kid who had just gotten their first bicycle; ready to go anywhere and everywhere. "This is awesome!" He exclaimed, then cleared his throat. "I mean... this is going to be great," he corrected, trying not to get too excited. But then he started grinning, unable to contain himself. "Whenever you're ready, we'll hit the old dusty trail!"

Prudence said, "It was good to be back, but the council was a bit too overbearing. They were asking me to do things that I would never do in my right mind. Once the council got fed up with me, I knew it was about time we headed out. I had changed too much, they said, become much too liberal, and they thought it would be best if I leave. So we packed our bags and came back. I wasn't really able to find any of my family anyway, so it just wasn't worth it. Besides, our family is right here." She smiled, then peered over Evander's shoulder at Henry. Henry was now awake, squirming and looking around in a dazed, slightly confused way. But he soon calmed down and was content to suck on his thumb and stare up at the big people.

Cosette climbed onto Prudence's lap and cuddled close. "I missed you!"

"We missed you too, hon," Prudence replied, kissing the top of the little one's head. "But we're back now!"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

There's a surprising amount of different ones given that we're such a small place. But I guess what's funny is that most foreign people don't notice, in the same way that most British people can't really distinguish different American accents. I remember when I went on my last cruise, a guy from my school was on it, and a girl we met there who's from up north and so has a totally different accent to our ears, and they pretended to be brother and sister in front of the American girls that were with us, and they believed it even though the rest of us were sat there thinking, "They sound completely different!" xD

There's also lots of different strengths. Like, the Beatles were from Liverpool but compared to how a lot of people from there speak, they didn't have much of an accent.

"I'm ready. And you definitely look like you're itching to go. This would be where I'd ask if I can drive if I was feeling really mean, but I think the plane story was enough. Even if you are still withholding this surprise," Angie replied, chuckling. As they set off, it was fascinating to see the architecture of the city. It felt very Eastern European and Germanic, more typically so than she'd expected, and she thought it was beautiful. It started to give way to smaller, less well looked after roads, and wider open spaces among large forests as they headed out of the city. The jeep was definitely going to come in handy, she thought to herself.

"Hey little guy," Evander cooed as Henry stirred a little in his arms, "Shhh, it's alright."

Cosette leaned closely against Prudence's front. She'd never really understood where they'd gone or why, but she was glad they were back again. "For good?" she asked softly, looking up with wide eyes.

Meanwhile, Brandon was catching up with his friend, feeling strange that in his absence he had essentially become the 'master of the house.' He couldn't help but notice that Evander looked better than he'd seen him in such a long time. "Was China really that tough? You don't look it. In fact, you look great, mate."

Evander shrugged nonchalantly, "Nothing would ever be as hard as what happened to Catherine, at least not while Prudence is around. I'm sure you know, the right woman can make you want to live through the worst times of your life and also make it better. Although, now perhaps in your case, two women and a little man, too," he smiled.

 

[Swan_Song]

Bahahaha! That's awesome!

Mikey grinned at her, then sped off towards the countryside. Luckily, the jeep had a GPS, so the worries of getting too lost diminished, at least in Mikey's mind. Besides, sometimes getting lost was the best part of the trip. And it wasn't as if they would perish without food or water; they could easily hunt for what they needed. Cold? No problem, as vampires they had internal heating and cooling systems. Lost? With superhuman speed and strength, climbing a tall tree or slope to get a better view would be no issue. Attackers? They wouldn't stand a chance against Mikey and Angie. The two vampires were going to be just fine.

Henry just stared up at Evander, then yawned and fell asleep in his arms.

Prudence nodded and said, "For good!" She kissed the girl's forehead, then asked, "So, what did you say your giraffe's name was? Marty?"

"Marvin!" Cosette giggled.

"Oh, Melman!"

"Marvin!" Cosette said, unable to contain herself, laughing hysterically. "Silly!"

"I'll have to work really hard to remember!" Prudence replied with a smile. She then looked over at Evander and grinned. "Besides, there were quite a few parts that were like a vacation! The hotel we stayed at was amazing! And the council payed for everything! Spa time, massages, room service. Heck, they even paid my shopping expenses when I went to the high-end fashion stores. Ah, Sadie, which reminds me. I saw some of the most beautiful wedding dresses when I was out shopping. When we stopped in New York on the way back, I went ahead and set up an account for you at Kleinfeld Bridal. So whenever you're ready to go try some awesome dresses, we'll go to NYC and get you all fixed up. My treat."

Sadie was shocked, but also extremely grateful to her old friend. "You didn't have to do that," she told her, shaking her head. "But thank you. It means a lot to me."

"Well, I figured since your mom doesn't want to be involved, I could take on the mother role for this process."

Cosette said, "I'll help you choose, mommy!"

Sadie said, "Of course! I wouldn't get a dress without making sure you liked it first, sweetie!"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

We also tried to train them to have a British accent but that didn't go so well xD

"So, captain, where exactly are we headed? Or are we just going with the flow here?" Angie asked him as the scenery grew more and more rural. As she looked out at the clusters of dense forest, for the first time in a long while she actually thought about hunting properly, and the thought was actually exciting. "I haven't taken you out hunting before, have I?" They relied so much on the blood packets back at home, she doubted it.

"Of course. To be honest, a lot of it felt like being a movie star or something. Not to mention, Beijing is actually a pretty sensational city. I think without the council on our backs, it would have been pretty easy to stay there, save for my total inability to pick up Mandarin and also because we missed you guys so much," Evander agreed. He then said "Oh, of course! you can get ready for the big day now! Have you had many ideas yet?"

"Haven't even thought about it, to be honest. At least, if Sadie has, she hasn't said much. Too preoccupied with when the baby was coming to think too much about that. It's exciting that we can now, though," Brandon replied. "That's a great idea though, Prudence. You girls could go for a good few days and have a good time... A... whatever you guys call it.. Bachelorette party, at the same time."

 

[Swan_Song]

Bahahaha! XD I want a British accent training course!

Mikey said, "I have no idea where we're going! I figured we could just go with the flow, y'know what I mean?" He chuckled, then went down an old dirt road that led into the woods. He looked around with a grin on his face. "It's beautiful here, isn't it? It's definitely different from the cities we've been visiting!"

Prudence said, "It'll be a big girl adventure, won't it, Cosette?" Cosette nodded, crawling onto Sadie's lap, Marvin in tow. Sadie held the little one close, giving her hugs and kisses galore. Cosette was really happy about that, and she cuddled close to her mother. "Mommy, we can get princess dresses!"

Sadie nodded and said, "Of course! You'll be the most beautiful princess in the whole world!" Cosette grinned up at her, showing off her sharp little fangs that had started to grow in.

Henry woke up and started squirming again, making himself more comfortable.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Haha, well, I can help you with that sometime in the future, I'm sure. Although, I'm probably not the best model. Mine's littered with little hints of South African and strange words from there that noone around here uses xD

Happy MLK day, by the way :3

"Sounds perfect to me," Angie replied excitedly. She nodded. "It's gorgeous. And it feels like we'll really be exploring the country as a whole, rather than just a city that doesn't feel connected to the rest of the place, you know?" It would be nice to camp, too. It had been lovely to stay in so many beautiful hotels, but somehow the thought of doing everything themselves was appealing to her.

"I think it's about time this little guy went back to his dad," Evander said, noticing that Henry seemed a little restless in his arms. He handed him back to Brandon carefully, and after a few moments of adjusting himself, he seemed to settle back down again.

He looked to Sadie and said, "So you must have some ideas about what you want, dress wise, where you want to have it, who's coming, right?"

 

[Swan_Song]

It's definitely better than what I would come up with on my own!

And thanks! =) I still forget that not everyone celebrates it XD

Eventually Mikey came across a clearing that was near a small stream. He parked the jeep, then started unloading some of the camping equipment, namely the tent and the chairs. Then he started putting up the tent, humming quietly to himself. He took a deep breath, and was pleased with how clean the air was, so far away from the city. "It's great out here," he said, listening to the birds chirping, the sound of the stream. It was perfectly calm and tranquil, and he was grateful for it. After the hustle and bustle of the big city, it was nice to get away.

Henry yawned and looked up at Brandon, immediately recognizing daddy. He squirmed as if trying to show that he was happy, making soft noises as he did so.

Sadie said, "Well, I know I kind of want a smaller ceremony, just friends and family. I'm not quite sure where to hold it yet, though. Nothing too big or extravagant. Maybe down by the beach, or in the town gardens or something. And I honestly have no idea about what I want for the dress. I've been too busy having to buy maternity clothes to think about that. Plus, I need to get back into shape."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

I think the hardest sound is the 'a' sound, really. Like, I can't think of a word in an American accent which makes the same kind of sound to compare it with.

I've been off today because it was a snow day, so normally I'd be at school of course Perfect day for Obama's inauguration.

Angie helped Mikey set up the tent. It was a pretty easy job with the two of them to put it together, and they were done in no time. She took the time to look out across the spot he'd picked out and smiled, breathing in the fresh air obviously not out of necessity but purely because it still had a wonderful quality to it. "Good choice, honey," she said, feeling perfectly relaxed and at home. "I think in about fifteen minutes, I'm going to feel like a cup of coffee, so I'd better get started," she chuckled, finding a saucepan, a couple of mugs, coffee granules and some sugar and coffee creamer she'd but in her bag from the hotel, thinking Mikey would probably appreciate it. She lit a fire, filled the saucepan with water from one of the bottles they'd brought with them, setting it on a tripod above it, and waited for it to be hot enough, which would be some time.

Brandon shook his head slightly, thinking Sadie looked just fine as she was, but he knew that for women it was always another thing entirely.

"Sounds lovely," Evander said, slightly distantly although he had been listening as he have Henry a little wave, which seemed to amuse him greatly. "I didn't see you being Bridezilla and rolling out a horse and carriage or anything like that. Although, maybe once you start getting ideas, we might not be able to stop you," he added, winking at her.

 

[Swan_Song]

Oh yeah! (I'm really not up to date with current events, hahaha)

Mikey smiled and watched Angie for a bit before getting out the sleeping bags and setting them up in the tent. He also set up a lantern so that predators would stay away, as well as setting up the food in a way that wild animals wouldn't be able to get to it. After he finished that, he got the water bottles and started filling them up so that they water could get filtered before they needed to drink it. Since she was boiling the water with the coffee, he figured they didn't need to filter it.

Sadie looked at Brandon and rolled her eyes, but she smiled at him anyway. "I know what that look was for, Brandon." She stuck out her tongue at him, then made a loud 'oof' as Cosette climbed onto her further, knocking the wind out of her. She held Cosette close, making sure she wouldn't fall over. "Careful honey," she said quietly.

Cosette started styling her mother's hair, humming to herself as she basically tied her mother's hair in lots of knots, in a failed attempt at braiding.

"As great as a horse and carriage sound, I don't think I have the patience for everything a huge wedding entails," she laughed.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Trust me, if our politics were reversed, you'd want to keep up to date with the other side. Over here- zero personality, zero difference between parties, all making ridiculous mistakes, all clueless. Therefore, the interest level is also zero xD

Angie had to continue adding dried leaves and sticks to the fire in order to keep the heat long enough to boil the water. It certainly took longer, but that was to be expected. She eventually poured the water over the granules in the cup and stirred them, then setting hers aside to hand him his along with creamer and sugar. She raised her mug to him and exclaimed, "Well, cheers to a new adventure.. and wild coffee!" Perhaps it was a whole combination of good things all at once that seemed to affect her overall perception of things, but she would have sworn that it was the best cup of instant coffee she'd ever had. She leaned against him and looked out across the stream and into the forest with a sigh of contentment.

"Darling," Brandon began in the most over-dramatically loving voice he could muster, "You are perfect exactly as you are right now." Of course, in spite of his mocking tone, he really meant it. He imagined that she would lose it all naturally in the time that they took to organise it anyway, he thought to himself. On the subject of what they were going to have, he looked at Cosette. "Besides, I'm sure nothing will be passed without a third opinion on the matter. Checked and checked again by the boss," he chuckled.

"Don't forget that Angie also loves any kind of big event. I'd keep her at arms' length if I were you, or tell Mikey to take her on a second honeymoon," Evander added.

 

[Swan_Song]

Oh my goodness, the pictures of Beyonce singing at the inauguration crack me up! One of the senators or something is giving her the hungry eyes! XD

But our politicians can be super crazy. Like Mitt Romney. D: Ugh.

Mikey mixed his coffee very thoroughly, trying to make sure that the creamer and sugar blended as much as they possibly could. Grinning at Angie, he took a sip of his coffee, then sighed happily. For wild coffee, it was pretty dang good, he had to admit. "This is great," he said to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and looking out at the wilderness. He closed his eyes and just listened for a few moments, trying to see how good his hearing had become since he transformed into a vampire. It was crazy. He could hear traffic from the main road that was miles away. That was one aspect of his special abilities; he had become more like a predatory animal, with intense speed and strength. But his hearing was in a league of its own. He knelt down onto the ground and pressed his ear to the earth. He could hear the subtle shifting of the bugs in the dirt, he could hear the murmuring of the stream. It was beautiful. "Do you hear it?" He whispered, his own voice suddenly sounding very loud to himself.

Sadie kissed his cheek and said, "Well, I'd still like to be able to fit into my old clothes again. I can't wear maternity clothes forever!" She laughed, then grinned when Cosette leaned over to get a closer look at Henry. "Look at his fingers!" When Henry yawned, Cosette gasped and looked alarmed. "Where his teeth at?" She asked with concern. "He doesn't have teeth!" She tugged on Sadie's shirt sleeve. "Mommy, why doesn't Henry have teeth?"

"His teeth haven't grown in yet, sweetie. You were like that when you were a baby," Sadie explained gently. With all the commotion, Henry started whimpering, his lower lip jutting out as he pouted.

"It's okay, Henry! It's okay!" Cosette said, leaning over to kiss the baby's cheek. Sadie made sure to hold onto Cosette so she wouldn't fall over on top of the baby.

Henry looked up at Cosette and blinked a couple of times, then made a happy gurgling noise.

"He loves you," Sadie told Cosette, looking up at Brandon and Evander with a smile. The look on her face told them that she was a very proud momma, especially with how well Cosette had handled the new baby being around.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Haha, oh really? I haven't seen those. I actually haven't watched any of the stuff like that, not even the one four years ago when it was an even bigger deal. I'm a little sad, actually. I've heard murmurs Bey lipsynced. I don't want to believe it and I don't see why she would, but if she did I'd be disappointed.

That is true. But at least you know not to vote for him! Here I wouldn't be able to decide. He was a complete *****, though. How do people like that get anywhere near politics? Include Sarah Palin, George Bush and Michelle Bachmann in this too.

"It's amazing," Angie agreed with a contented sigh. She sat down next to where he was kneeling, crossing her legs and looked as if she was ready to meditate. She nodded. "It sort of makes you think about how much you were missing out on before, doesn't it? I can't imagine how dull the world must look, sound, smell and feel to everybody else. I can't imagine that anybody would want to cut down the rainforest if they could really hear the life bursting from inside it and the sound of all those animals' fear when they send their machines in." She wondered to herself at what point it had been where she had finally learned to be at peace with what she was. "I guess I never appreciated all the good that comes with this at first. All I saw was the monster I was. But actually it's made a lot of little things mean a whole lot more to me."

"You'll get there in no time. You won't even have to worry about trying. Besides, you're no longer eating for two people," Brandon replied with a gentle smile.

Cosette seemed to find imagining herself as a baby as tiny as Henry completely impossible. "You mean I had no hair and everything?" she said, sounding slightly alarmed.

Brandon laughed. "Hey! Poor Henry does have hair, even if it's just a little bit. And you were the same not so long ago. And one day soon he'll be as tall as you and he'll have plenty of hair and teeth. "Just imagine, Mommy and especially Daddy looked like Henry once too." He could see the thought was almost too much to fathom. Her face said, 'You mean you weren't always so tall? You weren't always my daddy?' Her fascination with her brother was heartwarming, and Brandon and Evander shared the the smile with Sadie that said they were all very proud of her and proud of Cosette too.

 

[Swan_Song]

https://ionehellobeautiful.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/beyonce-inauguration-performance1.jpg Look at the guy standing right behind her XD And I'm pretty sure she DID lipsync, BUT apparently she was sick or something? On the plus side, Kelly Clarkson was also fantastic!

Sarah Palin had her own tv show for a while. It was... interesting, to say the least.

ALSO how're things going with your beau? :3

Mikey took in another deep breath, hearing the footsteps of deer as they moved through the woods, the subtle shifting of the earth as if it were alive at its core. It was absolutely amazing. He slowly sat up, allowing himself to return to reality, his hearing going back to normal. It was as if he had a switch with his main ability. He could turn the 'super-hearing', as he fondly called it, on and off. If it hadn't been for that, he was pretty sure his ability would make him miserable. Because who wants to hear traffic every night as if it's right there beside you? "Most definitely," he responded, moving to sit behind her and wrap his arms around her, pressing her close to his chest. He could hear the subtle beating of her heart, the way her breath flowed in and out of her lungs, like the wind, or the waves hitting the shore. Every sound seemed much more significant than before. "At first, I was afraid of myself, afraid of what I would do to Sadie, or my parents, or even Cosette. Well, I was also afraid of what could happen to me if the wrong people found out. But I never really saw myself as a monster. Maybe that's because I never saw you as a monster. I always admired what you were." He kissed the back of her head, then rested his chin on her shoulder.

Sadie laughed and said, "Well, that would be nice. But I think getting some exercise would be good for me anyway. Besides, maybe it could help me figure out if i have any sort of super special abilities, like you guys!" She had been wondering about it for quite some time, actually, but with her main focus being on her pregnancy, she hadn't taken the time to try and discover herself. Maybe once Henry was all settled in and she could make time--it seemed almost impossible to make time, really-- she would have to do a little soul searching, to try and figure it all out. She looked down at Cosette with a smile. "Don't worry, sweetie, nothing's wrong with Henry. That's just how babies are, you know?"

Cosette still looked stumped, but then she reigned herself to not knowing everything about babies and why they were so strange. She gently reached out and held out her finger to Henry. Henry gently wrapped his tiny hand around Cosette's finger and kept a firm hold, looking pretty content.

Sadie watched them with pride swelling in her heart. They were beautiful. And she also felt a sense of gratitude towards Brandon. He had been the one who had given her these children, she couldn't take all the credit. He had been the one who had stayed by her side through thick and thin, who had laughed, cried, and even fought with her. And she was grateful that he was such a good parent to their kids, when she had had such a tumultuous upbringing herself. For a long time, she had never wanted to have kids, too afraid that she would end up like her parents, and end up ruining the life of any child that she gave birth to. But Brandon had changed everything for her. And she was glad that she had fallen in love, and had children with, her very best friend. She looked up at Brandon and smiled slightly, a little bit teary eyed.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Hahaha! xD It's interesting, theres verdicts from experts in the music industry for both sides of the argument... Really hard to tell. I heard that if she did it was because she hadn't rehearsed with the marine band or something, which doesn't really explain much because she could have just used an instrumental backing track instead considering that's basically what she did. But yeah, go Kelly! <3

It's going very well, thank you. He came over last night and for some reason I seemed to have gotten over the nervous feeling now and I found it easier to let myself go a little more with him, and it was really nice :3

"I can only imagine how great all of this sounds to you," Angie added as she leaned back slightly against him, closing her eyes and sighing deeply, feeling complete at peace and at one with their little spot of natural beauty that surrounded them. "You and Sadie both did so well right from the start. Better than I did for months. Of course, you had our support whereas Brandon and I had nobody there and had no idea what we were. But I won't let that take away from the fact that you've dealt with it all like you were meant to be one all along." She laughed, although with a slight hint of sourness at his comment. "Well, you know what they say, love is blind. There were a lot of things I did in the past I wish had never happened. But I'm glad you never saw any of that."

Evander chuckled and said, "If it makes you feel any better Sadie, a far as I've been able to tell, I don't have any special abilities. Although, something tells me things will turn out a little differently for you."

Brandon was sure of it, too. Sadie already made him so proud in so many ways, he couldn't imagine that she wouldn't have just one more gift of some kind just waiting to be found with a little bit of time and effort. He smiled warmly at her, reaching over and wiping a stray tear from her face. Although he could guess at what it was that she had on her mind, he found himself wishing he could hear exactly what she was thinking at that moment. He kissed her on the cheek and murmured in her ear, "I love you so much, and I'm so proud of you."

Meanwhile, Evander wrapped an arm around Prudence's shoulder and held her close to his side.