Running Wild in the Night

Nikki's POV

I woke up the next morning. finding a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. I don't know why I even bothered rolling over; I knew who was in bed with me. A smile crept on my lips as I looked at Brian's sleeping figure. Some of his hair was flopped over his eyes, swaying slightly as his breathing moved it. I loved studying his features when he was sleeping; Brian was my favorite person to use as a model for my drawings and paintings, he just didn't know that.

Besides when I came to Van Nuys, the first night I had this interesting dream. It was a painting actually but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. The concept was different, a bit abstract like If I Die Tomorrow but it was something I could see myself painting.........if that makes any sense. But either way, the more I could see it forming in my head, the more I wanted to get my paints and work on it. Sadly, I'm out of paints and I don't have any canvas left so there goes that idea.

"Stop doing that, Nikki," Brian muttered as I ran my fingers down his jaw line.

I laughed softly, not abiding to his request, as I curled up closer to his chest. "No, I like doing this."

"Nikki," he warned.

I just smiled as I stopped, mumbling nonsense into his warm chest.

"You're lucky I love you," Brian smiled, running his hands through my hair.

"I know I am and I use that to its fullest."

"So what are you going to do before you leave," my grandmother asked as she placed a large stack of waffles in front of me.

I looked at the stack, confused, thinking it was for everyone but no, its for me. My grandmother has declared that I am underweight (which I am) and that I should eat enough to feed a small army. My grandfather just found it amusing to watch me attempt to eat what my grandmother set out for me but failed miserably. He said as long as I was happy and health, he didn't care. Why can't Julia McCade be like that?

"Um, attempt to finish this stack of waffles you are forcing me to eat?"

My grandmother's response was to give a dry laugh. Jimmy and everyone else were already at the table, eating away at their food while I poked the waffles with my fork several times before I took a bite. My grandfather sat across from me, drinking his coffee and reading the news paper. It was a typical breakfast in the McCade home, the huge breakfast was customary for me. My grandmother always believed I was underweight.

"No, really, Nikki, what are you going to do today," my grandfather asked, turning the page of his paper.

"I don't know. Head to the lake, fence a bit, I don't know. Give Velkan a bath," I said, thinking of everything that I could do before I left for Huntington Beach and listing them.

Brian's POV

"So where's your woman," Johnny joked as we sat around the McCade lake.

Nikki and her grandfather decided to have one more fencing match before she left with us. According to Julia, those two have been having little matches to see who was the best fencer between the two of them and as of right now, their scores were dead even. Even if they weren't blood related, it was obvious to see that Nikki had gotten her competitive streak from Cody McCade.

"Don't call her 'my woman' like she's just an object to me, Nikki's more than that," I growled, narrowing my eyes at Johnny.

"Dude, that's what Coley would have done," Jimmy said, looking a bit shocked, "You and my cousin have been around each other too long."

I just laughed and was about to say something when a neigh of a horse came. We all turned around to see Nikki and her grandfather riding towards us, both of them on black thoroughbreds. They both swung their legs over so that they could get off as their horses came to a stop right in front of us, snorting loudly.

"Damn, Nikki, since when do you ride," Val asked, watching as Nikki got out her foils.

"For awhile."

"What's this guy's name," Zacky asked, looking at the huge horse.

"That's Mayhem and my grandfather rode Rhapsody."

"Okay, Nikki, no more stalling," her grandfather called, drawing the boundaries with his foot.

Nikki just looked at him, smirking. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before she walked towards him, deciding that this was the perfect time find out who was the better fencer.

"You guys don't use protective gear," I asked, realizing that both Nikki and Cody only wore their usual clothes and no masks.

"Yeah, its more fun this way," Nikki replied.

Without a word, both foils touched and soon their match began.

I have never seen a fencing match this violent, actually, I've never seen a fencing match period but I don't think they normally are this violent. They didn't just use their foils, both Nikki and her grandfather used every appendage they had. They both had their advantages as well. Cody was bigger and more built, making it harder to knock him down. Nikki, on the other hand, was leaner and much for flexible making it hard to actually hit her.

"Oh just wait, Nicole's going to end up back in the hospital from all the fencing those two do," Julia called as she came with a picnic basket of lunch.

She set it down as Nikki used one of her legs to knock down her grandfather. In the process of his falling, Cody managed to grabbed one of Nikki's legs and pull her down as well. They both just laid on the ground, panting heavily as they stared at the sky, not saying a word.

"Why don't you just call it a draw," Julia asked, shaking her head.

"Because, McCades don't like draws," Cody replied, panting.

"I'm hungry," Nikki yelled as she slowly sat up.

"Cody, let your granddaughter eat and then you can finish your match."

"No, I say its a draw."

Both Nikki and Julia stared at Cody, in shock. Hell, all of us were in shock.

"Cody, you just said that McCades don't like draws," Julia said slowly, "Why the change?"

"Because I know for a fact that Nikki has more energy than me. I knew that when Jimmy and Brian and everyone else came, she'd have more energy then I could handle."

Nikki just laughed as she sat down by my side, resting her head on my shoulder. She didn't say anything but just closed her eyes, smiling. I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me as Julia handed us a sandwich.

"Damn, you fence hardcore," I muttered, kissing her forehead.

"I know."

"How come you never told me you could fence in the first place?"

"Because you never asked."

I rolled my eyes at Nikki's comment but didn't say anything. I knew she was tired and didn't want to think so I just let her stay in her position, content with life.

"Well, at least you found out now."

Nikki was looking at me, those beautiful green eyes filled with mischief. Oh how I loved looking at her eyes.

"Yeah, it wasn't too late for me to learn that you are a scary fencer."

"It's never too late to learn something, Brian."