146. Precious Things

Warning: nudity and adult situations. Reader discretion is advised.

Bridgeport, present day...

A blissful calm settled over the house after the birth of their triplets, cocooning Leigh and Krisis in its warmth. For days all they wanted to do was to lay in bed and gaze lovingly at their children, Lily included.

Patty would often come into their room to remind them they had to eat, take Lily to school, pay the bills and run errands.

Those first few days the rest of the world was forgotten, they were so caught up in their love for each other and for their kids, awestruck from the emotional high of producing such miracles.

Waking up in the middle of the night to feed their babies was as exciting as meeting the president.

Singing lullabies at three in the morning became a favorite past time…

And all they wanted and needed was each other and tons of coffee to keep them awake.

Until real life kicked in and the stink hit the fan.

Suddenly they were eyeballs in laundry,

dirty diapers and potty training duty,

bottle feeds and food fights.

And screaming babies at all hours, from morning till night, Monday right through to Sunday.

No matter what they tried, they just couldn’t get into a routine.

While Leigh fed Kristian, Krisis would try to put Ariel or Azalea to sleep.

And as soon as Kristian was done feeding, one of the girls would wake up or Lily would need a bath or had to be read a bed time story.

They just didn’t have enough time on their hands… 

There were never enough hours in the day… 

And they were both spreading themselves thin, trying to split their time and attention between all four toddlers.

They couldn’t even enjoy simple pleasures like going for a stroll because just leaving the house was a nightmare. Bundling up all four tots in their strollers and packing their four bags took forever.

And on the rare occasions they went out, there was always the drama of getting to their destination. Paparazzi, constantly parked outside their house in hopes of snapping photos of their kids would chase them relentlessly.

Twice, Leigh and the kids had gotten in to minor fender benders because of the rabid tabloid journalists. As a result Krisis had hired a chauffeur for Leigh, stepped up her security detail and increased the number of her body guards. In addition to Nick and Tony, she now had Sandra and Ray, for women they were very aggressive and were not afraid to use force to get rid of a perceived threat.

A day at the park with the kids would often turn into an autograph session for Krisis.

Going shopping was just as terrible, Leigh couldn’t pick fresh produce without someone closing in on her and asking her about the kids. Some were even bold enough to ask to see photos and she’d reluctantly take out her purse and show off her most treasured gifts. But she understood they meant well and she always tried to take it all in her stride and remain polite at all times.

Eating out was a pain too. People would often stop at their table to coo over the tots and make small talk. Krisis and Leigh liked meeting his fans and chatting to them, but being listless and exhausted from lack of sleep, sometimes they were just not in the mood and they would have preferred to be left alone.

While they tried to be good parents to their kids, when it came to their relationship they let the ball drop and it took huge dents.

They didn’t spend time alone as a couple. They didn’t go on dates and surprise each other with candlelit dinners like they used to when it was just the two of them and Lily.

The sizzle in the bedroom had fizzled out too.

Every time Krisis tried to rekindle the flames Leigh would push him away, claiming she had a migraine.

He understood she was tired, understood that raising four toddlers with different personalities and needs was hard on her. But he just wished she’d understand it was just as hard on him too, and he missed her.

When he tried to show her where he was coming from, Leigh didn’t take too kindly to his words. She flew off the handle and they got into the worst ever screaming match of their relationship.

“I miss you. I miss spending time with you. I miss having you in my arms. Is that so wrong?” Krisis asked.

“I’m tired. I woke up at three this morning. I had to feed the kids, bathe them, read to them, change diapers, do the laundry, run errands, come back home and cook for you. Please cut me some slack here!” Leigh screamed as she jumped up from the bed.

“You carry on like I don’t help you with the kids. And I keep telling you we can hire more help if you want, but no, you just want to do everything yourself. I don’t expect you to be super mom. I don’t want you to be super mom. I just want you back!” Krisis pleaded with her.

Leigh ignored his valid arguments and ran to the bathroom. She banged the door behind her, but forgot to lock it.

Krisis barged in.

“Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you, Leigh!” He screamed at her. And it wasn’t long before they were dragging each other down.

It wasn’t screaming in the baby monitor that stopped their argument, but the slight static, alerting them of an impending power cut.

They knew it was Azalea. She was causing it but they hadn’t figured out how. They’d noticed though that the sudden power outages in the house and electrical appliances going wonky were directly linked to her moods.

“Az is upset,” Leigh murmured.

“She can hear us arguing. I’ll go check on her,” Krisis replied. He hated leaving in the middle of their argument, he wanted to resolve it there and then, but he knew if Azalea was left unattended, upset and scared, this time she’d destroy a lot more than the TV and PVR she’d sabotaged on their last argument.

“Hey sweetheart, what’s going on?” Krisis cooed at his daughter as he picked her up. He wasn’t surprised to see Kristian and Ariel were also awake in their cribs.

A faint smell of burning cloth was coming from Kristian’s side of the room, and the xylophone Ariel loved so much floated in the air, suspended in space.

“It’s okay, baby. Mommy and daddy were just talking, that’s all,” Krisis assured her.

Azalea just stared at him with confusion and fear in her eyes.

As soon as he snuggled her in his arms and she quietened down, the burning smell cleared up some and Ariel’s toy dropped to floor with a soft thud.

Leigh came into the room then and changed the linen in Kristian’s crib. She held out the bed sheet and showed Krisis the spot where it was slightly singed, the look in her eyes said it all, she was tired and something had to be done about the triplets’ condition.

It took them close to forty five minutes to put the triplets back to sleep, and they went to check on Lily, who, surprisingly, was still asleep, before turning in for the night.

“I’m sorry,” Leigh was the first to apologize.

Krisis drew her close to him; it was his way of letting her know he was also sorry.

“Doesn’t it scare you?” She asked him.

“What?” Krisis asked. He knew though what she was asking him; he was just caught off guard by her question.

“They are not normal Krisis. At first I thought it was okay. I thought all Vampire kids can sabotage electric appliances and manipulate electricity, start fires and move things with their minds. But you said so yourself those are not vampire abilities. It’s not normal. Kristian can’t get too excited because he lights up the place. Azalea can’t get too upset because she starts taking out the lights, and Ariel just lifts things with her mind. That can’t be normal. What’s wrong with them?” Leigh cried on his chest.

“I don’t know, Leigh. I don’t know. But we know what’s causing it we just need to be careful around them. We just need to make sure Az doesn’t get highly upset and Kristian doesn’t get too excited that’s all,” Krisis kissed her forehead, trying to erase her fears. But from the tight way she held herself away from him it was obvious that this time it wouldn’t work.

If Leigh had followed through with her plans to strike up a friendship with Bianca, they would have known they weren’t the only ones harboring secret fears about their children…

They’d noticed their kids’ strange behaviour very early, in fact right after their birth, but caught in their perfect bliss they’d ignored it, hoping they were imagining things. Sudden, but minor power outages would occur whenever Azalea was upset, hungry or just listless.

And When Krisis and Leigh played with Kristian and he got too excited, they’d notice a burning smell emanating from him. They’d also smelled it when he was angry or upset and they’d noticed the blisters on his skin too.

Ariel’s ability was also linked to her emotions. When she was happy she’d levitate her toys gently and steer them around the room, causing her siblings to laugh and clap at her antics. But when she was upset, she’d rearrange the furniture and not in a good way. Ariel was intuitive too; she sensed and saw things no else could.

Not too long ago she’d awakened in the middle of the night, screaming and crying, and when Krisis finally got through to her telepathically, the only way they knew how to communicate with the triplets since they couldn’t talk yet, they’d learned Ariel had had a premonition and in her vision Leigh was dead. Of course they’d dismissed it and assured all four kids nothing would ever happen to Leigh, but Ariel was adamant something terrifying was on the way, and for days she was clingy, refusing to let Leigh out of her sight.

Their secret about their kids’ strange abilities was one of the reasons Krisis and Leigh refused to let them sleep over at Eloise and Devon’s house and they’d stopped inviting their friends and families over too because of it. They’d become reclusive, using the paparazzi as an excuse. So far it had worked. But pretty soon they knew their families would stop entertaining their excuses.

“Maybe we should take them to a hospital. Get them checked out,” Leigh suggested.

“They are not sick Leigh!’ Krisis snarled at her.

Leigh recoiled from him and buried her head in her pillow, sobbing tearfully on the soft material.

“Look. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper,” Krisis apologized as he once again took her in his arms. “But taking them to a hospital may not be a good idea. What if they want to experiment on them? What if they keep them there and make them lab rats or something. No. Leigh. I won’t put our babies through that. There’s nothing wrong with them, they are just different, that’s all!”

“Okay. But I’m scared Krisis. You are going on tour soon, and I’ll be left alone with them. What if Az gets so upset I can’t control her emotions? I’ve tried to calm her down before and it never worked. You are the only one who can,” Leigh voiced her concerns.

“Only because she senses your fear, Leigh. She knows you’re afraid of her, and when you try to reach out to her you upset her even more. Az would never hurt you. She loves you.”

“I know that. I know they all love me, and I love them just the same if not more. But I don’t know what to do anymore. How can I not be scared when I see her manipulate electricity and destroy our appliances? When I see Kristian start fires with his mind? And Ariel rearrange the room without lifting a finger?” Leigh asked. All her concerns were valid and Krisis wished he could give her the answers she wanted. But he was just as lost as she was.

“What do you suggest we do?” Krisis asked.

“Speak to Thornton; find out more about your family background. Maybe there’s something you don’t know about Vampires,” Leigh told him. She felt him grow tense at the mere mention of his father.

“Fine. I’ll speak to him. But what about your side of the family? What if this comes from them? I mean, Lily doesn't have these abilities.”

“We don’t know that.  We don’t know that Lily doesn't have other abilities. Besides, I know everything about my family Krisis. Don’t you think I’d know if someone on my side had strange powers?”

“I don’t know. I’m just saying anything is possible, that’s all,” Krisis told her as he pulled her over him. This time Leigh didn’t resist his advances, she welcomed his hot kisses on her delicate jawline as he undressed her.

For the first time since the birth of their triplets, they made love. It was heartbreakingly intense and it brought tears to her eyes.

“I love you,” she whispered as she shuddered in his arms.

Krisis didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to, the love he felt for her was there in his eyes and she’d have to be blind not see it…

_______

Note: Tomorrow, November 21st, will be exactly a year since I posted the very first chapter of Krisis. It's been an amazing,  emotional journey writing this series, I've met so many wonderful, talented, inspirational readers and writers alike because of Krisis and Leigh. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you for still being here a year and 146 chapters later. I'm humbled by your kindness.

Happy Birthday Krisis!