Of Times Since Passed (open)

[Deleted]

Kristina had almost finished all of her homework before she had taken a nap, then she was back to finishing it up when she glanced up to see a shadow, she wasn't sure if Dream had peeked his head in or if it had been Candy but she ignored it and had continued working on her homework. She finished it and placed it back in her backpack. She planned on returning to school, not tomorrow, but after the Valentine party. She pulled her phone from her pocket to notice that she didn't currently have any new text messages, she placed it back in her front pocket. Having her wallet in her back pocket and her watch on her wrist, she opened the door all the way and closed it behind her. She walked down the stairs, towards the dining hall and into the kitchen.

She had only made a meal here a few times, since her brothers loved her cooking, it was much more common when they were in the foster homes. She pulled some chicken from the refrigerator, cutting it up, she put it on the skillet to cook, then she grabbed some vegetables and started chopping them up with a new knife before putting them in a bot to cook. Next she measured out some rice, adding water she placed it on the stove to let it boil. If anybody was bothering to join her, she was making stir fry tonight, of course, she would add soy sauce into the vegetables to give it that extra flavor.

The chicken finished being cooked and she mixed it with the vegetables, turning the stove down slightly so that it wouldn't burn before checking on her rice. She stood in the kitchen, still deep in thought as she cooked, it helped her think without being depressed. Memories of her brothers and foster mothers washed over her, then of course her own parents. If there was one thing her mother was useful for, it was preparing her for the big wide world, even though she had started her at a young age and was abusive when she refused. It was easier for her to forgive her mother for such actions however.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she noticed the rich was done, she turned off the stove top and moved the rich onto another burner to give it a chance to cool off. Then she stirred the chicken in the vegetables. It was almost done, just three more minutes.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream came downstairs. He had spent longer on the axe than planned, falling into a meditative state. When he came downstairs he smelled the cooking food and knew Kris was cooking, since Candy wouldn't be cooking today, she was still in her room, unconscious, sleeping in her typical, messy way. He had gone in to cover her up, he almost laughed every time he saw her like that, like someone from a cartoon, on her back hand on her belly, blankets everywhere but on her. Sure, she was his old baby sitter, but these days he took care of her as much as she did him.

"Candy won't be joining us. That new guy she was dating broke it off, she's going to sleep until morning, its how she handles it." He went to the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of spring water. He set the table for two, and poured two glasses of water. He then walked over to Kris. "Hate to say it like this, but one day you're going to make some guy really happy. But he has to get my approval first okay?"

[Deleted]

Kristina stirred the vegetables in the chicken and turned the burner off before moving it onto another burner that hadn't been used. Dream told her that Candy wouldn't be joining them and helped set the table for two. "That really sucks, I hope she is okay." She answered him back before moving the rice and the vegetables to the table. She than sat down across from him. It was weird, having a home made meal and her brothers weren't there to enjoy it with her, but Dream was here. To bad Candy wasn't though she understood what she was going through, Candy had talked with her and Max about a similar subject the other day.

She laughed when Dream told her that he would need to approve the guy she wanted to date and be with forever. "Alright Dream." Though she didn't give him the list of guys to check out. She served some rice on her plate with the chicken, before slowly eating it. As much as she wasn't very hungry she knew she needed to eat and so she was decided it might be time for her to fix her eating habits once and for all.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream sighed. "Candy goes through this a lot, you know I'm usually a nice guy, but this one time I did something stupid. After she came home last night I went out. I took a page from your book. It's amazing how easy it is to scare the kind of guy who cheats on a girl after spending six days telling her how he only loved her." Dreams eyes flashed a brilliant green, his anger was intense. "He won't be so stupid again I think. Well, once he wakes up..."

Dream did not normally go after people for petty things, but he hated guys who cheated. "It's the second time I've had to this you know...I don't like hurting people, but these guys, they deserve it. The last one left the city."

He ate slowly himself. "I mean it, Kris, no guy is getting close to you unless I let him. I let you gte hurt already, I'm maing that mistake again. I do it for Candy, I'll damn well do it for you." His tone was serious, and although he wuldnt say it, the list of guys he wouldn't let hurt her included himself and Fang...

[Deleted]

Kristina frowned, "What do you mean you took a page from my book?" She hoped her novel was left in one piece and he meant that he had acted like she normally would but one couldn't be completely sure. She slowly ate down her food, somehow finishing the plate before surprisingly serving a little bit more. She was only full because she hadn't been eating, but she needed that to come to an end. She grabbed her cup and took a sip. "It sounds like he deserved it." She answered finally, setting the cup down on the table she looked at Dream. "You did what you had to do even if it meant doing that." She didn't know the guy was unconscious until Dream had said something on the comment.

When Dream said he meant the comment about her boy friends needing approval she just shrugged her shoulders. "You'll like who I date." She answered him back, "Because I know how to handle the ones that hurt me." She paused, "So you better play nice or I won't share the list I made so far." She teased but meant it as well. If she had to keep a secret just to date a guy she would, Dream already made Candy's ex go unconscious, she wasn't even that bad. "I'll tell you what, you have my permission to bet the shit out of the guy I date, if Fritz approves it." She figured Fritz would never approve such none sense. "He told me if I have anymore close fights to give him a phone call, I agreed."

She didn't tell Dream it was her idea to call Fritz for those fights to end, or that she had gotten into two fights since the death of her brothers. She finished her food but continued sitting at the table, before lifting the cup up to her mouth. "You might get me in a dress Dream, but you won't beat up random guys I date even if they deserve it." In fact she would take it a step further, "If Candy has anymore problems, I'll handle it. No more beating the crap and causing the exs to go unconscious." Her brother Nicholas didn't do it, she didn't do it, and she wasn't going to let Dream do it again.

Since she had made enough food for three people, there was still some left unless Dream wanted to finish it off. She was ready to put it away before starting on the dishes however. Thoughts went through her mind, of how much she had changed since her brothers were murdered. She no longer wanted to get in as many fights, finding no motive but she didn't want to lose them either. A reason she had asked Fritz to step in for her, she saw him as quite the shield type of person.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream looked at her. "I don't think Fritz will even talk to me..."

Dream didn't look up. He thought of Fritz as being a true Chaser, someone to look up to, and he had done something so horrible. The look on Fritz's face...it haunted Dream. But then, a lot of people had been giving him some distance since then. Several of the Chasers who had been there were actively avoiding him, and one had outright told him to stay away.

"I told you, I don't have much family left...I'll do what I have to, to keep them safe and happy. That means you, Candy, Cassy and the few others. Speaking of I haven't seen Roxxy in a while either..." He helped clear the table and set up a Tupperware bowl with the left overs so Candy could eat later. He would probably wake her up in an hour or two and feed her by hand. People made fun of him for the care he gave Candy, but he didn't care. She had done more for him. If not for her, he would have died of starvation after his parents disappeared.

[Deleted]

Kristina sighed at Dream, "Of course he will talk to you." She didn't know about the Chasers treating Dream differently since he had killed her aunt. "Fine you win." She answered him back, "I'll just avoid dating till you change your mind." She was kidding around, but she really wouldn't tell Dream about any dates she had, she would go to Fritz if something were to happen. He helped her with the dishes and then the left overs. "Just know that I think you should step back and let Fritz handle it, is all." She finished before heading back to her room.

When she got to the top she realized she was mentioning Fritz a lot lately. She shrugged it off, refusing to continue thinking about it as she went into her room and closed the door. She needed to make plans to meet up with Isidore, but the motive to text him about the subject was hard. I'll do it after the party tomorrow.... She decided in her head, before she laid back on her bed. Oh crap I forgot my dress shirt and slacks.... She slowly got up from the bed and crept towards the door, opening it very slowly.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream was still awake, he had reheated the food after hearing Candy get up to go to the bathroom. He saw Kris's door open a tiny bit.

"Go to bed..." He kept walking and went into Candy's room. She was sitting in the corner under the covers. "Candy you need to eat."

"Goway." He sighed and walked over and pulled the blanket off her. He forced her to stand. He walked her to her desk. He sat her down and cut of the chicken, he tried to get her to eat by herself, she just groaned. He used the fork to put the first piece in her mouth.

"Eat Candy. Don't make me have to work your mouth for you." She started chewing and swallowed. "Now eat some more. Don't worry that creep wont be a problem any more."

Candy turned to look a him her face dead pan. "Whadyoudo?" He smiled at her. "You hurt him?"

"Less than he hurt you. Now eat, then you need to take a shower, you smell kinda gross from being under the covers so long." She finished and he got her clothes ready for her to bathe. He was confident she could handle that on her own. By the time he was done with this, Kris was gone.

[Deleted]

Kristina had heard Dream tell her to go to bed and she was tempted to do just that but he had gone to take care of Candy. She could hear them talking so she walked out of her room, allowing the door to stay open as she crept down the stairs and quietly out the door. Her first thought was to go to the store and get that dress shirt and slacks, but instead she found herself just standing outside the house instead. It almost felt like she was back where she had started, being able to come and go as she pleased, seeing as she no longer had Chasers following her around.

She pulled out her phone and sighed, the only text messages she got now these days were from her friends, none of them ever came from her brothers, no more. Vincent was outside, he saw her and he ran towards her. She picked him up and hugged him as she started crying. I can't believe I'm going to get stuck wearing a dress tomorrow.... She thought to herself as she hugged her cat, the only one that she had left before meeting many kind people here in this town.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream was about to check on Candy when she called through the door. "Go to Kris, she's out front. I thinks she's crying." He knew Candy would be fine for a while so he rushed down the stairs and opened the front door. He saw Kris standing there, crying and he wrapped her up in a hug, squishing poor Vince a bit.

"It's hard I know. Let it out, if you don't it just builds up." He carefully guided her back inside, and lead her to the couch. He had his own issues, but Dream was one of those people who could put his own feelings aside and help someone else. He had his hands full tonight, but he would manage. He held Kris, and when he heard Candy come down the stairs he knew the night would be long.

Candy came over and just joined the hug. Dream adjusted himself and got up long enough to make some tea from his mother's secret mix, it was the same tea she had used when Candy was first dumped by a guy, it was made from a special blend of herbs that calmed the mind and the nerves, and gave the person a slight sense of hope. He had never learned how to make it himself, and he was running low, but tonight definitely called for. He set the two mugs down and gave Candy hers. She was used to this and drank the tea.

Dream held the mug for Kris though, and held it to her lips. "Drink, it will help. It wont fix it, but it will help."

[Deleted]

Kristina heard the door open but she was to busy hugging Vincent to notice. She felt arms wrap behind her and she continued hugging Vincent in her arms. She walked back in side and sat on the couch, she never let Vincent go. Kristina leaned against Dream as they sat on the couch, it was hard to hug him while she was holding Vincent. When Candy came down Kristina felt like a sandwich but it was a good thing. When Dream moved to make tea, Kristina leaned against Candy. When the tea was done Candy had taken it, but Kristina was to focused on the memories to really focus on there being a mug for her. She shifted Vincent so that she could carefully take the mug in her hand as she balanced it, not wanting to spill it as she pressed it against her lips. The party was tomorrow and she felt broken, it was clear she wasn't doing so well.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream watched both girls. Most guys would have felt lost as to what to do, but he didn't have that issue. He closed his eyes and used his absorb. It could be counted as cheating, and he would hurt for a while because of this, but he pulled all the pain of both girls into himself. It was hard to channel just the one energy, but he managed. He pulled as much anguish as he felt he could handle and stopped. Candy barely noticed what he had done, she looked at him slightly confused, but opened her arms and he climbed onto the couch and wrapped both girls back in a hug.

"Tomorrow we have to be happy, even if it hurts. Not for ourselves, but for those we love, and for those who love us, both past and present."

[Deleted]

Kristina was hugged by Candy and Dream, she did notice him using his absorb, it wasn't hard to notice when it had happened a few times but she didn't say anything to him about it. She let go of Vincent so that he could jump to the floor as she continued getting hugged by Candy and Dream, feeling so much better now. "Okay." She answered him back, "I still can't believe you two wanted me to wear a dress...." She couldn't help but wonder what else they had in store for her tomorrow. She leaned into them as she thought about tomorrow, she was slightly excited about it but nervous at the same time. She closed her eyes for a few minutes, trying to relax as she thought about tonight. "We should head to bed." She decided as she slowly moved away from them. She picked up Vincent, "What are your plans before the party tomorrow?" She asked Dream and Candy.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream let Kris move and stood himself, but Candy stood with him and kept her arms around him, making movement difficult, but he put up with it, because he cared about Candy. "I'm going to spend the day cleaning, actually. I hate it when people come into my house and its even a little messy. Candy's room is a mess, so I will probably start there."

Candy sighed. "I'm just gonna sleep. Not going to the par-" Dream elbowed her. "Ow Dream. Don't do that I'm older than you, you know..."

"You act like a twelve year old when this happens Candy, if you're going to act like a kid, I'm going to treat you like one. You are going to the party, if I have to tie you to a chair. And you WILL be dressed in what I alid out for you, or I WILL dress you myself. That goes for BOTH of you." He gave them both a look that was stern, but filled with compassion.

Candy looked at Kris. "He did it to me last year...I didn't want to go to the Ceremony for Fae and Daniel. He dragged me out of bed, washed me like a five year old nd dressed. Most embarrassing day of my life..."

[Deleted]

Kristina watched them both stand up, Candy sounding like she would be sleeping instead of going made Kristina smile. As if you could get out that easy. Then Dream reminded her that she had to wear the dress. "I'll think about it." She answered him back, "You can't dress if I'm not found." She was kidding, she wanted to go to the party, she just wasn't a fan of the dress. "What if your tux on accident lands in my room and my dress in yours.... I sure hope you still plan on letting me dress in what ever happens to be in my room." She continued joking, finding it to be fun to tease him. She looked at Candy, "I believe you." I'll likely wear the dress before he has a chance to dress me, but I still won't like it.