31 comments/ 47161 views/ 46 favorites Louise Ch. 01 By: kalamazoo707 Louise Yancy stood up and stretched, it had been another very long night for her. Since her father Victor Yancy died unexpectedly three years ago, she had taken over the care of her mother. It wouldn't have been so bad if her siblings who lived locally would have contributed to her care but they didn't. The only time she heard from them was when they needed something, to complain about something that they felt that she should be doing and she wasn't or if her sister Juliet needed a baby sitter. As angry as it made her, she never complained about any of it because it wouldn't have done any good, they would have done what they always did-ignored her. The only constants in her life were her job, caring for her mother and the several times a week telephone conversations that she and their mother had with her oldest sister Kevyn who lived in California. Of all of her siblings, she was the closest to Kevyn and when she moved to California, Louise had cried for days. Kevyn had helped carry the weight of the caring for their mother and now she helped bear the financial burden that none of the others with the exception of her brother Leon offered to share. Money was another issue that she no longer bothered to bring up. It would have been pointless and would have led to battles that chose not to fight. Louise looked at the clock, she had to be at work at the local grocery store-'Lombardi's' where she worked as a stocker in two hours and she had to get moving. She always prepared her mother's meals for the day and then brought something home from the deli for dinner so that neither of them had to cook. Louise was honest with herself, she didn't quite trust her mother around the stove unsupervised especially when she took what her mother called her "nerve pills." Sometimes just to get her mother to eat more than a few bites of a meal or pieces of candy, Louise would spend the money and bring home the clam chowder that the deli made. The chowder was the one thing that Wanda never turned down and if the deli served it everyday then she would gladly buy it even if she had to make a special trip to get it. "Mom, I'm going to make you a sandwich for lunch, make sure you eat it alright?" "I'll try," Wanda Yancy replied softly. "No mom, don't try, do it." Louise said as she headed down the stairs. These were the times when she really missed Kevyn. She could get their mother to do things that no one else could. She also missed her younger brother who had died a couple of years before their father Victor had. Burt was another one who had a way with Wanda and when he died, it was one less person to help. Louise shook off the feelings of melancholy and made herself move toward the kitchen to make the sandwich that she knew wouldn't be eaten. It was going to be a long day and she wished that one of her siblings would come and sit with their mother while she went to work, it would make both of them feel better and their mother was more likely to eat. Louise's deep seated fear was that she would come home one day and find her dead on the floor either from a fall or dead in bed by her own hand. It was because of the fear of suicide whether planned or accidental that she locked away all of the medications except for what she would need for the day. If there was anyway she could get around giving the ativan until she got home, she would but Wanda knew her pills and would miss it. One day Louise decided to see if she could substitute the ativan with a placebo. She got the placebo from the pharmacist after she explained her concerns to her. "Alright but be ready with the real thing, your mother knows her meds including who makes them." the pharmacist said and then wished Louise luck. Louise got the meds ready including the placebo and waited. She watched as her mother counted out the pills nodding with satisfaction that there were the correct number. Next, she examined the pills. She picked up the placebo put it down and continued with her examination of the pills of which there were six. Just when Louise thought she was home free, Wanda picked up the placebo and looked at it turning it around and around and then frowning. "Weezy, what's this one?" she asked after reexamining the small white pill. "Mom, you know that it's your nerve pill." Louise replied nonchalantly. "It looks different; it doesn't have that little mark on the edge of it." After trying to convince her mother that the placebo was ativan, she gave up. Wanda wouldn't take the pill until Louise could prove that it was indeed her nerve pill. Louise never tried again; it wasn't worth the hassle and the agitation that it caused her mother. On a whim, she decided to call Juliet to see if she could sit with their mother for a couple of hours since she was off for the day and her kids were at school. She already knew what the answer would be but tried anyway. "Come on Lou," Juliet said, "This is my first day off in a week, she'll be fine." "Can you at least swing by during lunch to make sure she eats?" Louise asked tiredly not even bothering to argue with her. "I can do that." Juliet replied but it was obvious that she didn't want to do it. Louise hung up and felt a tear escape, she hated this, she hated all of the responsibility that she had and for a brief moment, she even hated Kevyn for leaving her here alone with family members that cared nothing for her or their mother. It was something that she had never noticed before Kevyn left, they always took care of their mother together. She immediately felt guilty for her feelings; Kevyn was still helping her just in a different way and from a distance. She knew that Kevyn had to leave and she knew that it had something to do with Clay Robinson although Kevyn never talked about it. What she did know, was that whatever it was, it had to be bad for Kevyn to leave as she did. An hour later, Louise was on her way to work. She whispered a prayer that her mother would be safe and that Juliet would really stop in to see her. As she drove, she made several decisions with the main one being that as soon as humanly possible, she was moving to California. She hated the Pennsylvania winters and detested Pittsburgh. She had some money saved up and would cash in her 401k if need be although there wasn't much there. Her dream was that she and Kevyn could get a place together now that Kevyn had divorced her husband Lonnie and that she- Louise would go to a culinary school somewhere in California. She could almost see the palm trees and feel the soft ocean breeze blowing through her hair as she sat on the patio of her and Kevyn's apartment drinking her favorite drink- red Kool-Aid. The flavor didn't matter just so it was red. She thought about her ex brother Lonnie and realized that although she had never met him, she didn't like him. She had always believed that he and not Kevyn was the majority of the problem but to hear her siblings talk, the fault was all Kevyn's and that her husband was blameless. "She probably got too mouthy for him." her brother Gene commented when he heard the news. Juliet and the other sister Barb agreed, "She always did have a mouth on her." And then Clay Robinson's name would come up. Louise would stop listening and didn't even try to defend Kevyn or to correct the idea that her husband left her when it had been the other way around. They only would have started on her about the way that she cared for their mother and she didn't want to hear it. All that mattered to her was that she knew the truth and that one day, she could leave and when she did, she planned never to step foot in Pittsburgh again unless she absolutely had to. ****** Louise parked her car, grabbed her lunch and headed into the store, she hated her job but it paid the bills. She didn't know what else she would be doing if given the chance- culinary school she reminded herself when she had the thought but there was no use in even thinking about it at this point. As she walked into the store, she saw one of the regulars an elderly woman picking through the sales bin. "Morning Miss. Gina." she said politely. "Mornin' Louise, say, you don't happen to have any damaged boxes of those cup-a-soups do ya?" "I don't think so but I'll see." Louise replied, "Just let me get settled." "Thank you, why aren't you married?" the old woman asked as Louise walked away. Instead of responding, Louise acted as if she didn't hear her and kept walking. That was another secret desire that she had, one that she had never verbalized to anyone, not even to herself. Who would want a woman who was painfully shy and only spoke when she was spoken to first? She didn't consider herself ugly but she was nowhere as beautiful as her sisters who never spent a weekend alone except by choice. She let out a sigh as she put her purse in her locker and locked it after taking out a ten-dollar bill. She already knew that there wouldn't be any damaged boxes of the cup-a-soup when she looked but the old woman was hungry and Louise just didn't have the heart to let her go home that way. Using her employee discount, she bought several boxes of the soup, smashed the boxes so that they looked damaged and added a box of saltines, damaging that box as well. She then went to the deli and bought a small container of chicken salad to go with the soup. She paid for the purchases, put the change in the bag and went to the old woman. "Here you are Miss Gina, you're in luck and I even found a box of damaged saltines oh and the chicken salad was on sale so I got you a little of that too." Tears glistened in the woman's eyes as she took the bag, "How much do I owe you?" Saying that she owed nothing wasn't an option, this woman was proud; Louise felt it and knew that the woman would be offended if she didn't take something for the food. "One dollar ma'am" she replied. "Is that's all?" the woman asked incredulous but then gave Louise a knowing but appreciative look. "Yes ma'am, they were pretty beat up and as I said, the chicken salad was on sale." The woman stared at Louise for a long moment and touched her hand, "Good things are going to come to you, and you mark my words." Louise smiled politely, told the old woman to enjoy her day and went back to work. "That was a nice thing that you did for her." the store manager said from behind her. "She was hungry," Louise replied a little defensively. "Don't get upset," the manager Frank Lombardi said, "I meant it as a compliment." "Thanks." Louise said and started to walk away. She felt the manager's eyes on her back and kept walking. He had been hinting around for the past month about taking her out but she wanted no parts of him. As far as she was concerned, Frank Lombardi was a dog who thought that he was the whole happy meal and he was married to boot. She knew what kind of woman he thought she was, lonely and desperate. Lonely she might have been but desperate she wasn't and even it she was, he was the last man she'd be with. The day seemed move even slower the closer to quitting time it got. On her way out Louise stopped at the deli and bought two containers of the clam chowder, one for tonight and one for lunch the next day. "Your mom really likes this stuff huh?" Janice the deli manager asked as she dished up the thick chowder. "Yes, it's one of her favorites." Louise replied. "Why don't I send a little extra?" Janice said more to herself than to Louise and filled a third container. "It's just going to get thrown out." "Thank you from both mom and me." Louise said quietly. "You're welcome and have a good night." Janice replied as she handed Louise the containers filled with hot soup. On her way out to her car, Louise dug out her cell phone and turned it on, her stomach dropped when she saw that there were several phone calls from Juliet. "Lou, call home it's important!" After the sixth missed call, Louise wondered what had happened and then why no one called the store if there had been an emergency. She jumped in the car as and drove to the house as quickly as she could to find Gene and her other remaining brother Leon waiting for her. "Why didn't you answer your phone?" Gene demanded as soon as she was out of her car. "We can't have our phones on at work, what happened?" Louise asked already fearing the worst. "Juliet came over to check on her like you asked, found mom on the floor and called 911." "Why didn't someone call me at work?" Louise asked angrily, "this was an emergency!" "I don't know why Juliet didn't call you, but let's go... you're driving I'm almost out of gas." Gene said getting into her car. "Did anyone call Kevyn?" Louise asked as she backed out of the driveway. "Juliet tried and it went to voice mail." Gene replied, "Why have a damned cell phone if you don't have it on?" he grumbled. "Not all of us have jobs that allow that." Louise snapped at him, "as I said, you could have called my job or better yet, someone could have come to the store like you do when you want something." Her face burned with heat, she very rarely spoke to anyone like that and knew that she surprised her brothers by the way that they were staring at her. "I'm sorry, I'm just worried about mom." she said by way of explanation, "does anyone know what happened?" "No." Gene replied and looked out of the window. "What about Barb? Did anyone call her?" Louise asked. "Juliet talked to her." Leon replied. "Is she coming?" Louise asked. "She said to keep her posted." Louise didn't respond, of all of her siblings Barb was the one who felt that they were deprived. No amount of talking could convince her otherwise. She failed or refused to understand that they didn't wear the latest styles or get the latest hairdos because their parents didn't want them to, they simply couldn't afford it. Gene wasn't listening to the conversation that was going on between Leon and Louise. His mind was on Kevyn's arrival, he was already dreading it and for one reason... she would take over what should be his duty as the oldest male in their family. It was for that reason he was so short with Louise and it wasn't her fault. She wasn't the one that made Kevyn head of the family and she was right, someone should have called or gone to her job. It didn't occur to him that he could have made the phone call or even driven to Louise's job to tell her what happened and it didn't occur to him that he could have started making decisions before Kevyn got there. He looked over at Louise and felt guilty about the way he had spoken to her and did something that he rarely did; he apologized. "I'm sorry sis, you're right; we should have called your job." Both Louise and Leon looked at him in surprise neither of them remembering when they had last heard an apology come from Gene's mouth. "Ummm, it's ok." Louise said still shocked, "You're worried about mom too." ******* The only ones not at the hospital was Kevyn whom Juliet was still trying to reach and Barbara who lived in Connecticut. None of them was prepared to see their mother on the vent and all of the equipment that went with it. Louise stifled a sob and felt her knees go weak. "She was talking to me this morning, I was telling her to make sure that she ate the sandwich that I made for her." she whispered as tears ran down her face. Leon put his arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze. Next to Kevyn, he was the one that Louise was closest to and the one that helped her the most. In retrospect, Louise realized that she should have called him to stay with their mother. He would have with no questions asked but she knew that he had worked the nightshift at the steel mill and he would have been exhausted. Leon led Louise to a chair and sat next to her. "You want a soda or something?" he asked. It was then that she remembered the clam chowder in the car and started to cry. She knew beyond any doubt that her mother, Wanda Yancy would never eat another bowl of clam chowder or anything else for that matter. She jumped when she heard one of the machines begin to alarm and looked up to see her mother, whose restrained were pulling against the restraints in an attempt to free them. Louise stood slowly, walked over to the bed and took her mother's hand in hers. "It's going to be alright." she said softly as she stroked her mother's too thin, too cold hand. As always whenever she said those words, Wanda calmed. Louise looked around for a chair that she could move to the bedside and nodded gratefully when Leon brought one for her and then one for himself. Gene stood near the back of the room seemingly oblivious to the fact that he wasn't doing any of the things that the male head of the household should have been doing. He wasn't comforting his siblings, he hadn't seen to their needs by asking if they needed anything... he was just there and though he would have been loathe to admit to it, he was waiting for Kevyn. Four hours later, Juliet reached Kevyn who was actually on her way when they were trying to call her. "I reached her." Juliet said when she walked into the room, "she was on her way here, that's why we couldn't reach her." "Do you know what happened?" Louise asked. "I went to the house like you asked," Juliet said, "and knocked on the door. When she didn't answer, I went in and found her on the floor." A soft tap on the door made them all jump. "Hello, I'm Dr. Berry the doctor in charge of your mother's care." "What happened to her?" Leon asked. "We think that she either had a hemorrhagic stroke or a heart attack, maybe both so I've ordered both a neurological and a cardiology consult, and she also sustained a subdural hematoma from the fall. Is there a spokesperson for the family here?" he asked. "I find it much easier to deal with one person who then acts as a liaison between the doctors and the family." This was Gene's opportunity to step in but by the time he realized it, it was too late, Louise was already talking. "Our sister Kevyn Morris is our spokesperson, she's on her way in from California." Somehow just saying that Kevyn was coming made Louise feel better. "Fine, let the nurse know when she arrives and I'll meet with her but in the meantime, are there any questions?" he asked. "Yes," Gene said, "Is she going to die?" "I can't answer that with 100% certainty." Dr. Berry replied, "What I can tell you is this, that machine is all that's keeping her alive right now. I'm aware that there are no advanced directives stating your mother's wishes but I would suggest that you as a family talk and come to some agreement as to what's going to happen here." "What are you talking about?" Gene demanded. "I'm talking about whether we continue as is or we make her a do not resuscitate and take her off of life support." "You mean let her die?" Gene asked. "Mr. Yancy, I'm not going to lie to you," Dr. Berry said. "Even if your mother survives, there will be no quality of life, she will be bedridden and that in and of itself presents another set of problems....." "Like what?" Gene demanded not giving the doctor a chance to finish his sentence. "She'll need twenty-four hour care and the only place she'll be able to get that will be at a long term care facility...." "A nursing home?" Juliet asked. "Yes...." "No way!" Gene exclaimed, "Lou can quit her job and take care of her at home, we'll help her." Louise stared at Gene speechless at how he thought he could dictate what she was going to do. She looked over at her mother and knew that she couldn't do it; it would be too much for her even with help. "Gene...." she started to say. "Mr. Yancy, I know that you're upset and this must be a shock for all of you but think about this, it would be too much for any one person to take on but at any rate, think about your options and please let the nurse know when your sister arrives." Louise Ch. 01 Dr. Berry stepped out of the room and shook his head. His sympathy was with the unfortunate sister who was going to be the spokesperson. ******** Louise had to leave; they were all talking about her as if she wasn't there. All of them with the exception of Kevyn had decided that she was going to take care of their mother... alone. She knew that's exactly what would happen, they might start out with good intentions but within a month she would be doing it alone. In addition, who would pay the bills? And what about the house payments, who would help with those? She wondered. Already whenever she asked for help in buying the medications that their mother needed, all of them balked with the exception of Leon and Kevyn. As far as Kevyn went, Louise knew that any extra money that she sent came from her condominium fund. Louise hated it whenever she had to call and tell Kevyn that her check was short or that the heater was broken and there was no money to fix it. That Kevyn always sent the money without hesitation made her feel even worse and she always apologized for asking. One day, Louise's car was the problem. Someone had gone around and randomly slashed the tires of several cars. Had they slashed only one tire, she could have absorbed the cost but they slashed three and the car had to be towed to the repair shop adding to the cost. Tearfully Louise called Kevyn and told her what happened. "I'm so sorry!" she cried. "Lou, it's not your fault, you didn't slash your tires now how much do you need?" "The cheapest tires are like 40.00 each...." "Lou, get the good tires alright?" Kevyn interrupted. "But your condo....." "Isn't important, give me the name and number of the repair shop and I'll pay for it." Kevyn replied. What Louise didn't know was that when Kevyn called the repair shop she asked what else the car needed. The bill had come to over seven hundred dollars, which was paid without hesitation or complaint. ******** Louise looked at her watch, it was getting late and she wished that she knew when Kevyn was going to arrive. She didn't want to go back to the room just yet, she knew that they were all planning how she was going to care for their mother and it would be useless to argue with them. They had never listened to her in the past and they weren't going to listen to her now. With no place else to go, Louise headed back to the room where as she suspected, plans were being made on how she was going to care for their mother. "I can't do this...," she said softly. No one seemed to hear her as the arguments about who was going to pay what bill since she wouldn't be working continued. "I can't do this!" she said louder finally attracting attention. "What do you mean? You can't do this?" Gene asked, "You've been doing it." "But she wasn't like this... she could walk and talk and I know that you say that you'll help...." The attention shifted from Louise to the door of the room. Kevyn had just gotten there. Louise breathed a sigh of relief; if anyone could get them to see reason, it would be Kevyn. Kevyn, she hoped would understand that it wasn't that she didn't want to care for their mother, she couldn't. It was hard enough feeling her every thought and emotion when she was awake and able to talk but like this? She couldn't handle it emotionally or physically. She had only managed up until this point because of work. If that were taken from her, she would go insane. ****** Kevyn looked at her siblings, none of them had even taken the time to say hello before launching questions at her. The only one who hadn't spoken yet was Louise who was standing by the door almost in tears. Like Louise, Leon and Gene, Kevyn wasn't prepared to see her mother attached to the vent and other machines. Juliet told her that their mother was on a vent but the sight of it made things more real. In that moment she wished that she hadn't told Patrick not to come, she was going to need him. She put an arm around Louise and gave her a squeeze letting her know that she would take care of her. A few minutes later, Kevyn was sitting in the family waiting room trying to collect her thoughts when the doctor came in. She could tell just by looking at him that he understood the situation with her family and she wasn't offended when he suggested that she call someone for moral support. A few minutes later she was on the phone with the only person that she knew to call, Patrick and he was coming. Kevyn closed her eyes for a few minutes and went back to the room to find that her siblings were berating Louise. "What's going on?" she asked looking from one face to another. "The doctor says that mom will need twenty-four hour care and suggested a nursing home." Juliet said when she saw that Gene, the one who was pushing the hardest for their mother to go home with Louise wasn't speaking. "And?" Kevyn asked already knowing what the gist of the conversation was. "We thought that instead of that Louise could quit her job and do it... we would all help her." Juliet replied. "You mean help her like you were helping her before now?" Kevyn asked not pulling any punches. "We help...." "Really? When was the last time Lou had a day to herself to watch her cooking shows or to go to a movie?" Kevyn asked Juliette. "When was the last time any of you made dinner and took it over to them or sat with mom during the day while Lou was at work? The only exception here is Leon. As busy as he is, he does his best to help physically and financially." She paused and waited for an answer but was expecting none. After several minutes, she spoke again. "I don't know what Lou's response was to caring for mom at home, but I'm overriding her if she said yes. I won't allow her to do it and here's why, none of you with the exception of Leon lifts a finger to help her financially or otherwise. and before you say it, I know that I'm not here but as Lou can tell you I'm on the phone with her frequently and I handle any issues that I can from where I am. Gene, when was the last time you spent any real time with mom? How about you Juliet? So here's the scoop," Kevyn said," if mom does manage to pull through this, we're following the doctor's recommendation and placing her in a long-term care facility. I'll contact social services for a list of the homes that are close to here...." "You can't just come in here and make decisions like that!" Gene exclaimed. "I just did now everyone go home." Kevyn said and began to herd them out of the room. ******* Louise's nose crinkled at the smell of the clam chowder that filled her car. It was a vivid reminder that her mother would never eat another meal with her. She could feel Gene's eyes on her and knew that he wanted to say something to her but he didn't dare, whether he admitted it or not, he was afraid of Kevyn. She pulled up next to Gene's car and got out without speaking. "Hey sis, you got a ten you can loan me?" Gene asked, "I'm about out of gas." "I got it." Leon said before Louise could take her wallet out. "And sis? Sorry about what happened back there, Kev is right, it was wrong of us to put that on you." Gene fumed, that was the problem with Leon, Gene never knew which side of the fence he would land on until all of the moves had been played and this time Leon was on team Kevyn and Louise. They followed Louise up to the house and made her wait on the porch while they went inside and turned on all of the lights. "Are you going to be alright by yourself?" Leon asked, "I can stay with you if you want me to." Louise almost said yes but didn't. She had to start getting used to being in the house alone and if she let Leon stay, she was afraid that she would never be able to do it. "Thanks but I'm ok." she replied. "You sure?" Leon asked. "I can go to 'Deluigi's' and pick up a steak sandwich" "I'm sure." Louise replied not quite understanding the anger that she felt coming from Gene. She pushed Gene out of her mind, hugged Leon and thanked him for his offer. When they were gone, Louise sat on the sofa and looked at the partially assembled jigsaw puzzle. She kicked off her shoes and began to work on the puzzle. By seven am, it was finished. Louise took a picture of it with her phone camera and then tearfully took the puzzle apart making sure not to lose any of the pieces. She put the puzzle pieces in the box and slowly got to her feet. She looked at the now boxed up puzzle and took it upstairs with her, wherever she went, the puzzle would go with her. The house seemed quiet, too quiet and she wished that she had let Leon stay; there would always be another day to get used to being alone. She had a mind to go back to the hospital even though it was early but she needed to sleep, tonight was going to be very difficult. When she got to her room, she called in to the grocery store surprised when Frank Lombardi answered the phone. "Lombardi's" "Ummm, Mr. Lombardi, this is Louise Yancy." "Yes Louise. What can I do for you?" "My mother is in the hospital and not doing well, I don't know when I'll be back to work." "I'm sorry to hear that." he said his voice sincere, "I know that you have quite a bit of vacation time, I can approve whatever you need." Louise was surprised; the Frank Lombardi that she was talking to wasn't the same Frank Lombardi that she knew from the store. This man was sincere and sounded concerned about her, she liked this version of him. "Thank you Mr. Lombardi, and can I ask another favor?" "What is it?" "When Miss Gina comes around can you make sure she gets some cup-a-soup, crackers and some canned fruit? You can take it out of my pay." "I can do that and I'll even remember to make sure that the boxes and cans look damaged. You charged her a buck the last time right?" "Yes but how did you know that?" Lou asked. "I just guessed. Look, don't worry about anything. Just take care of your mom and let us know if there's anything that we can do for you as a company." ****** Frank Lombardi hung up the phone and realized not for the first time that he was married to the wrong woman. While Lisa was beautiful, she was no more than a trophy wife who spent his money and would never dream of doing what Louise Yancy was doing for an elderly woman that she barely knew. He had really screwed up. "Stop crying over spilled milk Frank." he told himself as he left his office. ******* Louise took a hot shower and lay down on a bed that she hadn't slept in for months. Unable to sleep, she went to her mother's room and sat in the overstuffed armchair where she had been sleeping for months. She propped her feet up on the bed, closed her eyes and fell asleep. ****** Gene was already at the hospital when Louise arrived. She felt the same anger coming from him that she did the night before and didn't understand it anymore now than she did then. If she had to guess, it had something to do with Kevyn being here and the fact that Kevyn agreed with the doctor. Truthfully, she didn't want to know, Gene was a big boy and would have to deal with his control issues and inferiority complex on his own. She had her own issues to deal with. She took note of the tables that were covered with refreshments and wondered where they came from, she knew that it wasn't from any of them... no one in her family could afford the brand name let alone the quantity of items that lay on the table. She sat in the chair closest to their mother's bed and took a hand in hers. "It's going to be alright." she murmured. "Hi Gene." she heard Kevyn say from behind her. Louise turned and saw Kevyn standing in the doorway looking fairly well rested and was relieved to see her. When Gene started in about turning the vent off, Louise grimaced, she recognized the tenseness in Kevyn's jaw... she wasn't in the mood for nonsense. Her mouth dropped open when a tall blonde haired man with the bluest eyes she had ever seen walked into the room and called Kevyn "baby". Just who was this? She wondered as the man walked up to Kevyn, put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. Louise watched as Gene's mouth dropped open and then snapped shut in an effort to appear calm. She could see the vein in his forehead throbbing indicating just how angry he was. Louise looked back at Kevyn and the man holding her and knew that this man, whoever he was, loved her sister and that Kevyn loved him. When his clear blue eyes met her dark brown ones, Louise felt a kinship with him even though she didn't know anything about him. She looked back at Gene, felt his anger, hatred and confusion, and knew that he saw the man as an enemy. Louise closed her eyes and opened them. Trouble was coming. She knew it, felt it, and hoped that she was wrong. Louise Ch. 02 The days after they decided to take their mother off life support flew by. Louise knew that Gene was still angry at Kevyn's decisions but there was something else bothering him. What it was she couldn't quite figure out but what she did know was that Clay Robinson was involved. She saw the way that Clay looked at him and how nervous Gene had acted. She pushed the thought aside, there was a funeral to plan and she still hadn't asked Kevyn about going back to California with her and her significant other as Kevyn called him. Her hand still ached from the cut that she had gotten when she and Gene had gotten into a disagreement about the house. She meant it when she told him that he could have it and once again, that family meeting had turned ugly. Clay being there hadn't helped at all. His presence only contributed to the already tense atmosphere and his posturing was almost funny. Louise watched Patrick as he interacted with Kevyn and the way that he disregarded Gene and found herself calmed by his calm and easy mannerism. When he bandaged her hand, his touch was a gentle as any doctor's and when he told her that he understood why she didn't want to go to the hospital, she believed him. The fact that he cared for her as a brother would a sister confused her. He knew nothing about her at least no more than Kevyn had told him. The connection that she felt toward him was startling. ********** Now here they were at the funeral home preparing to say their final goodbyes. She sat off by herself watching her siblings and wondering where Patrick was and wondering whom the man obviously watching Kevyn was. Gene sat next to her and asked her how she was and she recoiled as the smell of alcohol hit her nose. She knew that Gene drank and that was the big reason why his wife Dana left him but he had never showed up at a family function already half drunk. She was about to say something to him about it when a commotion in the front took her attention away from Gene. Clay Robinson was standing behind Kevyn with his arms around her very unaware that Patrick was standing behind him. "What is going on tonight?" Louise wondered as she watched and listened to Patrick make his presence known and Clay slink away like the dog he was. After everyone had said their goodbyes, she went up to the casket; she had to know that their mother was really at peace. Leon saw her approaching the casket and met her partway. "How you holding up?" he asked as he put an arm around her. "As well as can be expected... it's so hard to believe that she's gone." Louise replied. Leon didn't reply but walked with her to the casket and silently waited for Louise to say good-bye. She took her mother's hand in hers and closed her eyes listening for any sign that her mother was in any distress. No one knew that she could feel things for as long as she could remember. That's why she was able to deal with difficult people, she knew what they needed sometimes before they did and once she said "it's going to be alright" they calmed and life was good. She held the small cold hand tightly, listened, and heard.... Nothing. She bit back a sob of relief. She could now leave the awful city of Pittsburg guilt free. When it was time for the services to start, she like Kevyn was amazed by the turnout. People who they hadn't seen in years were there and crying over Wanda Yancy. An uncharacteristic surge of anger fill Louise as these people stopped at her seat, kissed her on the cheek and told her what a saint her mother had been and how she was in a much better place. Like Kevyn, she realized why there was such a big turn out. Their mother's funeral was being used as a free night out and that angered her. Kevyn gave her hand a gentle squeeze telling her that she understood and that she was as angry about it as she was. In many ways the service seemed to drag on an in other ways it sped by. Suddenly they were at the cemetery and then just as quickly they were sitting at a table preparing to eat the repast meal. Louise watched in disgust as people filled their plates with more food than they could possibly eat only to return for more a few minutes later. As people began to leave, she noticed that some of their bags were bulging where earlier they had been flat. Toward the end of the meal, she saw Gene leave but didn't think too much of it. He had never been one for crowds and she figured that he had gone out for fresh air. Finally, it was over. Kevyn and Patrick wanted her to stay at the hotel with them. She had agreed after a little coaxing and hearing Patrick say that he had already reserved a room for her and the best part was, she was going back to California with them. She couldn't wait! She had already started packing her clothes with the exception of her winter things. The only personal items she packed were the things that her mother had given her over the years and her laptop, which hadn't seen internet access since their father Victor Yancy, died three years prior. They only had to get through the repast and go through the house and she was free. Finally, all that was left of the guests was family and Clay. Louise didn't understand why he couldn't or wouldn't understand that Kevyn wanted nothing to do with him. She was the last one out following Kevyn and Patrick out into the night and suddenly she heard Patrick shout and she was on the ground as was everyone else. The end result was that Clay Robinson was dead, shot by an unknown gunman. After being questioned, they were free to go. As much as she hated to admit it, Louise was glad that he was gone, he had been a threat to Kevyn for years and maybe now Kevyn would tell someone what he did to her. The hotel was beautiful! Louise had never stayed in a hotel of any kind and now she was in one similar to the ones that she had seen on the travel channel. Kevyn and Patrick had settled her in had gone to their room which adjoined hers. She almost died when she saw the bathtub and all of the bath oils and soaps that lined the counter. She touched everything including the towels, washcloths and the fluffy robe that hung on the bathroom door. She shuddered as she imagined how much a room like this must have costs certain that one night was more than she made in two weeks at work. She looked at the clock and realized that she wouldn't be able to call to resign until morning and then there was Miss. Gina. She would have to make arrangements for her or the old woman would starve to death. Suddenly the events of the past several days caught up with her, she was exhausted but she had to take a soak in that bathtub. She turned the water on, added rose scented bath oil and got ready for her bath. While the tub filled, she turned on her computer to see if there was anything on Yahoo about Clay. It didn't occur to her to turn on the television because at home, it was turned off early because Wanda had been a light sleeper. By the time she looked at Yahoo and played a few games, her bath was ready. Louise sighed in pleasure, relief as the hot rose scented water covered her shoulders, and the stresses of the past week seemed to fade away. When she felt herself falling asleep, she climbed out, almost slipping in the process, quickly dried off and staggered to the bed for the first peaceful sleep that she had had in months. Hours later, she heard the door separating her room from Patrick and Kevyn's room open and then softly close. She had intended to get up but she fell back to sleep waking up late morning. Hearing nothing from next door, she decided to order room service almost choking when she saw the prices. She ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and turned on the cooking channel to wait for it to be delivered to the room. When it came, she tried to tip the delivery person. "No thank you ma'am but it's been taken care of." the man said. "But ....." "Mr. Sinclaire took care of it, is there anything else that you need?" ********* That had been yesterday. The house was no longer hers; Patrick had an attorney draw up the papers that legally made the house Gene's to do with as he wished. Other than family, it was her last tie to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She grinned as she wondered how Gene was faring with the fighting over who got what. Louise looked out of the window of the jet nervous, excited and scared all at the same time and then she looked over at Kevyn and Patrick. He was concerned about something and she hoped that he wasn't regretting the decision to let her go back with them but Kevyn was concerned too. "Are you alright?" Patrick asked her. "I... I've never flown before so I guess I'm a little scared." "Don't be, it's safer than driving and a hell of a lot faster." he said with a smile, "can we get you anything?" "No thank you and thank you for letting me come with you." "Louise, you're family so no thanks are needed. You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you like." Patrick said easing her worries that she would be an imposition. "Hey Lou, have you thought about what you want to do first?" Kevyn asked. "No, I'll let you decide since I don't know where anything is." Louise replied. It wasn't until the jet had taken off that it hit her that she was really leaving, it wasn't until the jet landed in Los Angeles that she fully understood that she really left and that her life had just changed. ************ Louise stared out of the window of the car that was waiting for them. She felt like a child on a field trip trying to see everything although it was dark. She could hardly wait until daylight so that she could get her first up close and personal look at a palm tree. "Do you have an orange tree?" she asked Patrick her reticence disappearing in her excitement. "Yes we do as well as lemon and grapefruit trees." Patrick replied smiling at her enthusiasm, "and you can pick to your hearts content." he added. "And the ocean, is it far away?" "Not terribly." Patrick replied, "I would like to make a suggestion if I could." "Sure." Louise said leaning forward in the seat. "Make a list of everything that you want to do and we'll make it happen. If Kev or I can't go with you, we'll arrange for someone who can." Patrick said. "So what do you think of California so far?" Kevyn asked. "I love it even though I can't see much." Louise replied, "How come the windows are tinted so dark?" There was an awkward silence but it was Kevyn who responded. "Patrick has an allergy to the sun so all of the cars are like this, right Patrick?" Kevyn asked. "That's right so I guess I'd better tell you about the house. The drapes are kept closed during the day because of my allergy but are opened in the evening. Of course you can have the drapes open in your room as much as you want since I won't be going in there." "So you never go out during the day?" "Very rarely." Patrick replied. It wasn't long before they pulled up to a gated house. "Who lives here?" Kevyn and Louise asked in stereo. "We do." Patrick replied, "And I have another request, I don't want either of you to leave the property alone especially at night. If you should leave during the day, be sure to let someone know. Louise, do you have a cell phone?" "Yes one of those prepaid ones." she replied. "That will do for now but tomorrow evening we'll go cell phone shopping for the both of you." Patrick said as he pulled up to the house. "Wait here." Kevyn and Louise looked at each other and shrugged but the feeling that something was wrong was nagging at Louise again. "Kev, are you sure that it's alright that I'm here?" Louise asked. "Of course it is, why?" "I don't know it just seems like something is bothering Patrick and I hope that it isn't me." Louise replied. "Trust me, it isn't you." Kevyn assured her. "There are some things going on with his family." she added. "Are they as crazy as our family is?" Kevyn didn't know how to respond to that so she changed the subject. "We're going to have to help each other; I've never been here before." That struck Louise as odd but she didn't say anything about it, "It looks huge." "Here he comes." Kevyn said as she turned to face forward in her seat. Patrick opened her door, offered her his hand and kissed her temple when she was standing. "Welcome home sweetheart." he said before helping Louise out welcoming her but with a kiss on the cheek instead of the temple. "Just remember that this is your home so please make yourself comfortable. Louise, I have two suites that you can choose from, both of them are upstairs or if you prefer you can have one of the single rooms. Our rooms are down at the lowest level of the house. There is wireless internet throughout the house and a desktop in the library. Tomorrow I'll give you a complete tour of the house" Patrick stopped them at the front door, turned to them and asked them each if they were entering freely. Kevyn immediately answered yes as did Louise but she thought the question an odd one but chalked it up to being a "California thing." The sisters held hands as Patrick gave them a quick tour before taking Louise upstairs to choose her rooms. The problem was that she liked both of them and ended up choosing the one furthest away from them. After they left, Louise unpacked her bags and was getting ready to take advantage of the bathtub with the jets and get ready for bed when Kevyn and Patrick were back at her door. Patrick gave her a quick run down of the situation and told her that she could stay at home. "I'm coming too." she said as she grabbed her purse. While she trusted Patrick, she didn't know anything about the people that worked for him. She was as awestruck at Ethan's house as she had been at Patrick's home. The feeling of awe was quickly replaced by feeling of anxiety and not hers. She looked around what she thought was the living room and saw where the source of the anxiety was, it was centered around a little girl who couldn't have been more than eleven. She could hear the girl trying to convince the adults of something and saw a man who had to be Patrick's brother talking to her. And there was a young man sitting next to her obviously protecting her but from what? She took in the faces of the other people and felt anxiety mixed with intense anger coming from them. She felt sorry for whoever took Patrick's niece. Beneath the anger and fear, she sensed something else. Love. She could see and feel that these people loved each other and would kill to protect one of their own. She and Kevyn were a part of that even though these people didn't know them, it was enough that they belonged with Patrick. Introductions were quickly made and she sensed their regret that their first meeting occurred during such a horrible time. Kevyn and Patrick had wandered off to talk with Ethan and the little girl leaving her alone. "Hello." a deep masculine voice said from beside her. "Oh, hi." she replied in her usual shy way. "My name is Nathan Sinclaire, Patrick is my uncle." "I'm Louise Yancy and Kevyn is my sister. I just moved here." "So I've heard." Nathan replied. "I'm sorry that we're meeting under such tense circumstances. Why don't we move out of the way? I would like to hear about Pittsburg." "How did you.... never mind." Louise said answering her own question. Nathan led her to a corner where he could keep an ear out for any new information and talk with Louise in relative privacy. He looked down at her and smiled hoping to put her at ease. "So Louise Yancy, what did you do for a living?" Louise looked up into impossibly blue eyes, blushed and then looked away. Nathan's eyes glittered as he looked down at her. He knew who she was as soon as she stepped into the room and had to resist the urge to sweep her off her feet. In just the few minutes that he had spent with her, he learned several things, one, she was innately shy but strong even if she didn't realize it, two, she was an empath and a strong one, he would have to watch what he was feeling for her at least initially. He doubted that she knew it and probably chalked it up to being intuitive and three, she had never been with a man. He could tell by the way she blushed when he looked at her. She also didn't know that the family was vampire and because of that, she wouldn't know the family history. He took in her profile and liked what he saw. He agreed that Kevyn was beautiful but Louise was beyond that, she was gorgeous and her innate shyness accentuated that beauty. She was nervous but not afraid and that pleased him and she was beginning to wonder about his family. That also pleased him; her curiosity would be to his benefit when the time came for him to explain what they were. He thanked god that he had never raped and therefore wouldn't have to confess to her but he still had to tell her the family history. That was the price that he had to pay for being a Sinclaire male. He still remembered the day that his father told him about the rape of his mother, it sickened him and because of it, he always made sure that the woman was consenting often times stopping several times during the act to make sure that he still had her consent. "I didn't do anything too exciting... I worked at a grocery store and took care of our mother until she died last week." "I heard about that, you and your family have my deepest condolences." Nathan said. "I wish that I could have been there to help you." Nathan said. "Umm thank you but ... thank you." Louise said stammering. She wasn't sure of what to make of the vibes that were coming from Nathan. "I'm sorry about your cousin; I hope that they find her." Louise said. "They will of that I am sure." Nathan replied sticking his hands in his pockets so that he wouldn't touch her. "What will happen to the person who took her?" Louise asked. "He will be dealt with." Nathan replied wishing that she would look at him. "Louise." He said. The use of her name had the desired effect, on refle; she looked up at him. Nathan felt himself being drawn to her as if she was a bright light and he was an insect. Her dark eyes looked at him questioningly, wondering why he called her name. "May I get you something to drink?" he asked. "No thank you." Louise replied as she wondered about the peculiar tingling in her nether region. Like Kevyn, she had never touched herself or explored her body and this new sensation while pleasant was startling to say the least. Nathan heard Louise's name mentioned and tensed, "Let's go see what's happening." he said taking her by the arm and leading her over to the group surrounding the little girl. Louise felt him standing so close behind her that she felt the warmth of his body. The tingling increased to the point where she was uncomfortable. She didn't have a chance to wonder about it because Nathan was speaking and it was for her, he didn't want her to go with Kevyn and the others. After several minutes of discussion, she trumped him, she was going wherever it was Kevyn and Patrick was going. It didn't really surprise her when Nathan said that he was going with them, by this time, his hands were on her shoulders and he had actually pulled her back into him so that her back was against his chest. No man had ever touched her like that and the tingling was now a dull throb. The decision made, Nathan pulled her aside. "I want your word that you won't leave my side." Louise stared at him, "Why would I promise that?" she asked. "I don't know you." "I don't want anything to happen to you." He replied. "Your sister has Patrick and everyone else is going to be concentrating on looking for Veronica and it is up to me to keep you safe." There was something that he wasn't telling her but there wasn't time to ask. The car was being pulled up and so she agreed even though she was sure that she really didn't have a choice. Kevyn sat up front with Martin, Nathan's father and she sat in the back with Nathan. Initially the drive was quiet but tense, something had transpired between Kevyn, Martin and Nathan. Louise did the only thing that she knew to do; she said the five words that had never failed to calm whoever she spoke them, "It's going to be alright." As always, the tension decreased although the drive remained quiet. Louise Ch. 02 Three hours later, they were at the house where Veronica was being held captive. Nathan stuck to her like glue making her feel almost stifled but good at the same time. Much to her relief, the nagging tingling feeling had gone away leaving her able to concentrate on where she was going. As soon as she entered the house, she felt the pain and loneliness. It hadn't always been that way, underneath the pain and sorrow; there had been a much happier time. "What happened here?" she asked herself as she tried to pull away from Nathan who kept himself between her and any doors. The further into the house they got, the deeper the pain and misery became. Nathan was holding her hand and she tightened her grip. She had never felt such strong emotions; it almost took her breath away. Nathan stopped her, took her into his arms and kissed her head. Suddenly, she felt less oppressed. She looked up at Nathan who nodded and then smiled at her. "She's down here!" she heard someone cry. The scene before her stunned her, Veronica was alive and seemed to be intact but the man on the floor was dying and needed comfort. She pulled away from Nathan, went to the dying man, sat on the floor next to him and began to comfort him in the same manner she had her mother. As she looked into the handsome face, she realized that none of the people with her or at Patrick's house looked older than their mid to late thirties. She didn't have time to wonder about it, the man was dying, he had only a minute or two left. Louise took the man's hand in hers ignoring everything that was happening around him and said her magic words, second's later, the man was gone and Nathan had her on her feet and was hustling her out of the room not allowing her to look behind her. The drive back was even quieter than the drive there. She was exhausted and didn't resist when Nathan put an arm around her and urged her to lay her head on his shoulder. Moments later, she was asleep and didn't wake up until they were back at Ethan's house. She didn't know how to respond to the hugs and the sincere "thank yous" that she and Kevyn both received neither did she know how to handle the fact that Nathan Sinclaire was still holding on to her nor the fact that she liked it. *********** Nathan didn't want Louise going anywhere near the lunatic that was holding his cousin hostage but the strength that he suspected she had showed when she overrode his decision that she not go. He knew that she was feeling something and that she didn't understand what it was. He was looking forward to getting to know his mate and finding out what her gifts were as well as her likes and dislikes. His cock stirred at the thought of being the first to make love to and with her, he was very happy with the fates. The only thing that he wanted right now as for this over with and Louise safely at home with Kevyn and Patrick. Veronica's safety was still important but the second Louise walked into his life, his priorities changed. Louise Yancy soon to be Louise Sinclaire was now his first priority. The drive to wherever they were going was uneventful until Kevyn peeked into his thoughts. He overreacted but he didn't want anyone knowing his thoughts about the beautiful woman sitting next to him. He hadn't even begun to think about how he was going to tell her everything. The intrusion into his thoughts had come as a surprise but he now knew why Kevyn had to be with them but what about Louise? He wondered. Why was she here? It didn't matter he decided, just so she came out of it safely. He now had a better understanding of the love that his parents had for each other although if he were honest with himself, he didn't completely understand it. He was grateful that his mother kept him given the way that he was conceived but he didn't totally understand how she could have forgiven his father enough to marry him, have another child and be expecting yet another. He pushed the thoughts of his parents aside and thought about Louise. This wasn't going to be a quick mating at least by their standards. He planned to gradually introduce Louise to her new life as his mate... he would start with something low key as she didn't appear to be the dress up kind of woman. The idea of a slow chase and seduction made his heart beat faster. Unable to resist, he took her hand in his marveling at the softness of it and how small it was in comparison to his. Suddenly, they had arrived and reluctantly he let go of her hand. "Wait here." he told her as he got out of the car. A few minutes later, he helped her out of the car and to his dismay; she took off following the others without waiting for him. "You have to stay close to me." he reminded her when he caught up with her. To ensure that she would indeed remember, he put an arm around her and pulled her close to his side as they followed the others to the house. When they got to the house, he felt the oppression that was underlined with a long ago happiness. He had never considered himself an empath and wondered how much of it was him feeling what Louise was or if she had brought out a latent gift. It was something to think about later after Veronica was safe and back home. He kept his body between her and any open areas as he scanned for any source of possible danger to her. The yell from the basement that Veronica had been found hurried them along. When they got to the basement, Nathan made Louise stand behind him. He had no idea of what happened or of what they would see and he wanted to protect her. The first thing that he saw was Rik holding a bloodied and angry Veronica who was still holding on to the chains that she had used to strangle her captor. The second thing was the body of the vampire that had stalked his family. At first, he thought that he was dead but he wasn't. "Move!" he heard from behind him and then felt Louise pushing at him. He moved aside but grabbed her hand as she tried to go past him. He wasn't going to let her go any closer and once again wondered why she was even with them. "Let me go!" Louise demanded and pulled her hand free. Nathan followed her over to the body of the almost dead vampire and watched in total amazement as she sat on the floor next to him, brushed his hair back from his face and took his hand in hers. He listened to what she said to him and watched the results. "It's going to be alright." she murmured as she stroked the vampire's hand. Nathan watched as the vampire relaxed and then gave Louise a grateful smile before dying. As soon as the last breath was taken, Nathan lifted to her feet and placed her in front of him. He wasn't ready to explain how someone could turn into dust. The drive home was quiet with Kevyn sleeping off the remnants of a headache. She had expended a lot of psychic energy and was drained. Nathan had his arm around Louise urging her to rest her head on his shoulder. Eventually she dozed off and he took the time to think. The drive seemed to go so much faster than he wanted. Suddenly, Ethan and Katrina's house loomed in front of them reminding him that he had to let Louise go as much as he wanted to take her home with him. Once in the house, he kept his arm around her to buffer her from the wealth of emotions that were thrown at her. It was then that he realized that for most of her life she had gone unappreciated with almost everyone with the exception being Kevyn. She didn't know how to handle the hugs and words of appreciation. He pulled her even tighter against him and sent out a quiet telepathic message. "She is overwhelmed." Almost immediately, everyone backed off to give her room to breathe. The only people he allowed near her were Veronica, Ethan and Katrina. The rest could talk to her later after she rested and had time to get a handle on the evening. After Ethan, Katrina and Veronica spoke to her Nathan pulled Louise aside. "You did well." "I didn't do anything but thanks." Louise replied blushing. In her mind, she hadn't done anything that she hadn't done before. "You underestimate yourself." Nathan said softly touching her cheek not missing the wide-eyed confused look in her eyes. "Go home with your sister and Patrick; I will call to check on you later." "I.... um... ok." Louise stammered. The tingly, throbbing feeling was back. ************************** The days after the rescue As soon as they got home, Louise said goodnight to Patrick and Kevyn and rushed to her room. She could already feel the tension building between them and wanted to be out of the way. While the bathtub filled, Louise stripped and examined herself for a few brief seconds deciding that while not anywhere near as beautiful as Kevyn, she wasn't too bad looking. She wondered about Nathan and what he could possibly with her. In the end, she decided that he was just being nice and that he had to be a playboy of sorts with his blue eyes and blond hair. On the tail end of that thought another followed, "he isn't like that." "Yeah well." Louise muttered and got ready for her bath. By the time she was finished with her bath, brushing her teeth and in her pajamas, she was about to drop. She was almost asleep when the phone next to her bed rang. Frowning, she almost didn't answer it thinking that it had to be a wrong number. She hadn't given the number to anyone because she didn't know what it was herself. Curiosity got the best of her and she picked up the receiver. "Hello sweetheart." a deep masculine voice said softly in her ear. "H...Hello... how did you get this number?" She asked nonplussed. "You're staying with my uncle and I know all of his numbers and I asked him which room you were staying in." Nathan replied. "I told you that I would be calling, how are you?" "I'm ok, just tired." Louise replied. "Are you in pain?" Nathan asked concerned. "No... I just took a hot bath so I'm fine." "Good." Nathan replied, "Get some rest and I'll call you later." Louise hung up and was asleep a few minutes later. ************ Nathan hung up and closed his eyes envisioning his shy, voluptuous mate's body in the bathtub with him sitting behind her, his cock pressed.... "Nathan Clarence Sinclaire stop it right now!" He chided himself as he stood to get ready for bed trying to ignore the raging erection that tented out the front of his dress slacks. It was going to be a long few weeks he thought ruefully as he headed to the bathroom to see if cold showers really worked. On his way in, his cell phone chirped. Thinking that it might be Louise, he answered without looking at the number. Hearing a female voice that didn't belong to Louise reminded Nathan that he had several phone calls to make. He was never one to stop seeing a woman without an explanation that never included "it's not you it's me". He always gave a valid reason and if the woman wanted to remain friends, there was no problem with that as long as they understood that the relationship was no longer a physical one. "Geneva, hello." he greeted politely. "I'm glad that you called... yes, I can't continue to see you as we were. Yes, I've met someone. Yes and best wishes to you as well." After he hung up, Nathan deleted Geneva's name from his contact list and called the next woman. He repeated the process until the only numbers left in his contact list were those belonging to family. He toyed with the idea of getting a phone that would be dedicated just to Louise and changed his mind. In his mind to do that meant that he had something to hide when he didn't. He plugged the phone in on his way to the shower wishing that Louise were getting in with him. ********** Louise got up unable to sleep and decided to explore the house. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she felt the difference. The house seemed to be unhappy. It didn't feel anything like Bradford's house did but the feeling was there. She sighed and said a quick prayer that whatever issues that Patrick and Kevyn were having they would be quickly solved. Patrick was trying to keep his feelings of guilt inside and he could understand him keeping them from her but not from Kevyn and Kevyn needed to be upfront with him too. She stopped at the doorway and for the first time wondered how it was that she knew so much about the way people felt. When she was at home, she accepted everyone's explanation that she was just sensitive but since she arrived in California, it seemed that that sensitivity had increased tenfold. She wandered throughout the house ending up in the kitchen. She ran her hands over the marble counter and touched the cookware that even the TV chef Emeril would envy. She closed her eyes and envisioned her own exclusive little restaurant that would serve no more than twenty guests and would have a limited menu that would be exchanged every few days and the desserts.... Louise allowed her mind to wander to her notebook where she had recipes that she had created but never tried. She wondered if Patrick and Kevyn were up to being guinea pigs. She looked through the cabinets and the refrigerator to see what was available. She was impressed with the variety of spices available some of which she could never afford including saffron which could cost anywhere from 500.00 -5,000 per pound depending on the quality and cubeb pepper which was something virtually unknown in the United States. She didn't even want to think about how much that had cost although Saffron was reported to be the most expensive spice in the world. Her next question was how Patrick had gotten so many of the herbs and spices that she had only heard about by watching the food network. She also wondered if Patrick would mind if she used some of the rare spices. These she wouldn't experiment with without permission. She would use the recipes that she had written in her notebook but she would ask first. Even though Patrick kept assuring her that she could do whatever she wanted, it was still his house. After she finished her exploration of the kitchen, she went back to her room but not before noticing that the anxiety level of the house had increased even more since she came down the stairs. She went back to her room where the anxiety was non-existent. She flipped on the television and settled in to watch the food network until she fell asleep. She didn't see Kevyn or Patrick until that evening and was relieved that the house's anxiety hadn't increased but it hadn't decreased either. It didn't take her long to figure out that the main source of the Anxiety was Patrick. While he seemed all right, he really wasn't. She was however gratified to see that he seemed to enjoy the dinner that she cooked although as she had told him, it was nothing spectacular. "Is it alright if I use the herbs and spices in the cabinets?" she asked. "You can use anything you like and I should mention in case you haven't noticed, I love to eat and am more than willing to be a tester for anything that you cook up." Patrick replied enjoying the pleased look that was on Louise's face. "Kevyn says that you want to go to cooking school." "I... someday." Louise said. "If there was a way for you to go, would you accept it?" Patrick asked. "I... like what? " Louise asked. "A full ride scholarship to any culinary school that you choose." Patrick replied. "From who?" "Me, who else and before you say that you'll pay me back the only thing I want in exchange is for you to practice on me. Deal?" Louise looked over at Kevyn who was as surprised by the offer as Louise was. "Don't look at me." she said laughing, "It's up to you." Kevyn said. "Think about it." Patrick said as he finished off the last of the food. Louise's next question was about word games. "I'd love to play." Patrick replied and then told them about Katrina and all of the girls' love of word games. "Let me clean up and I'll meet you in the living room." "I can clean up." Louise said as she started to gather up the dirty dishes." "I've got it." Patrick said taking the dishes from her, "you cooked and if I didn't say it, it was wonderful. Why don't you and Kevyn relax and get prepared to be beaten." he teased. Kevyn led the way to the living room and sat down on the sofa. Louise sat next to her and watched her before speaking. "Kevyn, is everything alright?" "I think so, why?" "I don't know he just seems different." Louise replied. Kevyn knew what Louise meant but didn't think that Patrick would appreciate their personal business being discussed with someone even if it was Louise. "He's just tired but he'll be fine." Louise didn't believe her and let it go hoping that Kevyn knew that she could talk to her about anything. "So tell me about Nathan." Kevyn said changing the subject. "Not much to tell." Louise replied blushing. "Uh huh, that's why he calls you several times a day." Kevyn teased as she patted Louise's hand. "Did you notice how good looking all of the guys in this family are?" she asked. Louise's face burned but she had to admit that Kevyn was right about the men being handsome but the women were all beautiful too and none of them, even the woman who said that she was Patrick's mother looked a day over thirty five. "The miracles of botox" she thought to herself. Three game of scrabble later, Louise excused herself and went to her room. Whatever was happening with Patrick was going to come to a head and she wanted to be in her room when it happened. She wasn't afraid that Patrick would hurt Kevyn, if that were the case, she wouldn't even think about leaving them alone. *********** Nathan paced restlessly. So far he hadn't told anyone that Louise was his but he was sure that they all knew but then again, maybe not. Everyone was so focused on Veronica that little attention was paid to the obvious bond between them. When he spoke to them all telepathically, that should have told them something but then again everyone was concentrating on Veronica. He knew from the tone of Louise's voice whenever he spoke with her that she was nervous about the attention that he was giving her. The only reason that he hadn't gone over to see her was because he wanted her to have a chance to relax before he started his pursuit of her. Nathan frowned; he didn't like the term pursuit and tried to think of a better word. The word courtship came to mind, it was an old-fashioned term but he like it better than the word pursuit. He thought to do some research on her but changed his mind. Everything that he learned he wanted it to come from his observations and by talking to her. Instead, he called Veronica to see how she was doing and was going to ask to talk to Rik. Between Rik and Luc, he was closer to Rik, found him easy to talk to, and was going to talk to him about the whole mating thing. He spoke to Veronica for a few minutes, hung up and called his father. He could always talk to Rik later but he couldn't deny his father the happiness of being called for advice. "Pop? Are you busy?" Nathan asked. An hour later, he was off the phone and glad that he called his father first. The joy in his father's voice at being the first to be told about Louise and asked for advice was unmistakable. The advice that his father gave him was sound and worth giving serious thought to. Actually what Martin had suggested wasn't too far off from what he himself had been thinking. He would start slowly and would give her another day to relax before asking her out for coffee. He settled down a little now that he had a plan. He looked at the calendar and saw that that Vanessa and Veronica's wedding was about a month away. He took a red pen and circled the date a week before the wedding, it was the date by which he hoped to at least have explained everything to Louise if not have her in his bed. That thought led to another. He needed to buy a house but he would wait for Louise so that they could pick it out together. He wondered if she would want a wedding and if she did, she would have whatever she wanted. Louise Ch. 02 Nathan didn't stop to think that maybe he was putting the cart before the horse, in his mind. Louise Yancy was his and his alone. It was only a matter of time. He glanced at the clock and dialed Louise's number. "Hello sweetheart." he said. He could almost hear Louise blush when she replied to his greeting. It was a reminder that he would have to move slowly with her sexually as well. His heart sped up and his cock tingled at the thought of the very pleasant challenge before him. However long it took, Louise Yancy was going to be well worth the wait. ********* Louise glanced at the clock. He was late. She breathed a sigh of relief when the phone rang and she heard Nathan's deep voice in her ear. "Hi." "How are you?" he asked. "I'm fine... I cooked dinner and we played scrabble with Patrick. Did you know..." she stopped talking, embarrassed by the way that she was rambling. It was nerves and the belief that he could care less about what she did that evening. "Sweetheart?" "I'm here. I'm sorry I was rambling." "You weren't rambling." Nathan quickly assured her. "Tell me what you made for dinner." he urged. "You don't want to hear about that." Louise replied. "I want to know everything about you." Nathan said, "So tell me what you made and if my uncle left anything for later." They talked for another twenty minutes with the phone call ending with Nathan saying that he wanted to take her out for coffee. "You don't have to do that." Louise said. "You work sounds like it keeps you busy." "I am never too busy for you." Nathan replied. "As a matter fact, could I have your cell phone number? I will give you mine as well." Louise hesitated and then gave Nathan the number to her prepaid cell phone. "You don't have a local cell phone yet?" he asked. "No but Patrick said that he would take me and Kevyn phone shopping in a few days." Nathan hesitated. He didn't want anyone taking care of Louise except for him. "I see." he said thoughtfully. "Why don't we go shopping for one when we go out for coffee?" he asked "I guess we could." Louise said not understanding why Nathan was so interested in her. "Good, now here's my number and don't hesitate to call me for anything and I don't care what it is or the hour." Nathan said. "Ummm ok." Louise replied and wrote the number down. "I'll put in in my phone in a few minutes." After they hung up, Louise turned the air conditioner, stripped, lay on her bed and fell asleep trying to figure out what was wrong with her. The sound of a door slamming woke her up a few hours later. She didn't leave her room to see what was happening, she already knew. By late evening, Louise was tired of being cooped up in her room. She opened the door, stepped out and let out a sigh of relief. The house was much calmer and felt much the way it had when she and Kevyn had gotten there. She was about to go downstairs when her cell phone rang making her jump. She knew who it was even before she answered it. Nathan. Louise Ch. 03 Now that things with Patrick's family seemed to have calmed down with the rescue of Veronica and Kevyn and Patrick seemed to have resolved their issues, Louise had time to process everything starting with the death of her mother. Had she been remiss in her care as some of the others had implied? She didn't think so but maybe if she had quit her job and stayed home... that didn't seem right either. The stroke would have happened anyway with the only difference being that she would have been there. But then again, if she had been there, would her mother have survived? There was no way of answering that question so she forced herself to let it go and clung to the fact that her mother was at peace. In the end that was all that mattered. She allowed her thoughts to wander toward Clay. Who was the shooter and where was he? She found herself hoping that wherever he was, that he was safe. "Thank you" she murmured and then decided that she was going to ask Kevyn to tell her what had happened between her and Clay. There was no reason to keep it a secret any longer, he was dead and couldn't hurt her. From there her mind went to Patrick and Kevyn. Kevyn really hadn't told her much about him other than he was an anatomy and physiology instructor and that she was taking his class when they met. The next question was why was he working? He obviously didn't have to unless he just enjoyed it, which was probably the case. Louise was impressed by the fact that someone like Patrick still worked and was willing to share his knowledge. She realized something else, as sweet and as kind as Patrick was, he would kill for them. She knew that beneath that calm exterior, something dangerous lurked, but the danger was only to those who threatened his family. Once she got started, the questions wouldn't stop. How could Patrick's mother look no older than he did? How could any of them look so young? Why did the man kidnap Veronica? It wasn't money, she was sure of that and why did the adults of the family have so much pain? The questions continued to form until she finally got to Nathan Sinclaire. He was every bit as gorgeous as all of the Sinclaire men were but there was a gentleness about him that in many ways reminded her of Patrick. On the same token, she sensed strength in him and knew that he would kill for anyone that he loved. Why did he feel as though he had to be her protector? It wasn't that she didn't like it, she did, but why her? Then there were the frequent phone calls. Louise jumped when her cell phone rang. Without thinking about it, she answered it. "Lou?" Louise froze; it was Barb her sister. "Barb? Hi." "Hi, I was just wondering how you like sunny California." "I like it fine." She replied warily. Barb wanted something; it was the only time that anyone ever heard from her. Louise could feel Barb's greed even over the phone even though she tried to hide it. "It's great that Kevyn took you back with her... How did you convince her to do that?" Louise heard the envy and anger that was beneath the forced cheer. She knew that Barb had mentioned something to Kevyn about coming back with them and Kevyn shot her down without giving her a real explanation. "I... I just asked and they were going to ask me to come with them anyway." Louise replied just a tad nervously. "Is that man of hers as rich as Gene says he is?" "I can't answer that." Louise replied and then waited. "I've got three weeks vacation, why don't I fly out there and see you guys? You know paint the town red and have a good time doing it." Louise knew exactly what would happen. Barb would buy a one-way ticket and then expect them to put her up. She would make promises about finding a job and it wouldn't happen. If she got a look a Patrick's house, she would never leave. "I was thinking about flying out on Saturday, what do you think?" Barb was asking. "No, I don't think so." Louise said softly. "Why not?" "Because this isn't my house to let just anyone come to." Louise replied. "I'm not just anyone! I'm your sister!" Barb retorted. "I know that but I think that you need to talk to Kevyn before you come." Louise said her voice a little stronger. "I thought that you were helping to pay the rent, and if that's the case you should be able to invite whomever you want to stay there." Barb said clearly not happy with Louise's reaction. "Barb, why do you really want to come?" Louise asked. "In all the time I lived in Pittsburgh with mom, you never called to see how we were doing or if we needed anything and when you did call, it was because you needed something and you never came to see us, so what do you really want?" Barb was as shocked as Louise was by the directness of her questions. "I can't just want to visit my sisters?" Barb asked. "I'm not saying that but let me ask you something, have you called Kevyn before now and asked to come see her? If not, why now?" Louise asked surprised that she was pushing the subject instead of letting it go as she normally would have done. Louise took the phone from her ear and looked at it. Barb had hung up on her. Louise's heart pounded, she had never really stood up to one of her family before and it felt good. Underneath that feeling was the need to protect her new family although at the time she didn't see it for what it was. She saw it as wanting a break from her family and wanting to enjoy her the first drama free time she had had in years. She glanced at the clock and realized that Nathan would be arriving in less than an hour for their coffee date. "Date?" she muttered under her breath as she headed for the bathroom to take a shower. By the time she was done, she had forgotten about Barb and was nervous. She had never been out alone with a man and wasn't sure of how to act. If she hurried, she would be able to talk to Kevyn. Twenty minutes later, she was in the kitchen talking with Kevyn. Patrick was talking to Kevyn when she got there but excused himself after telling her how nice she looked and kissing Kevyn. "You guys are alright now?" Louise asked. "Yeah we're good but look at you!" Kevyn said. "Patrick's right, you look great so where are you off to?" "Nathan is taking me out for coffee and cell phone shopping." Louise said nervously. "You're nervous aren't you?" Kevyn said taking her hand. "Kev, I've never been anywhere with a man before... what do I do?" "First of all, relax." Kevyn advised. "Nathan seems very nice and I think that he really likes you so don't try to be something that you're not and remember, it's just coffee." Louise took a deep breath and let it out. Kevyn was right, it was only coffee and she couldn't change who or what she was even if she wanted to. She took a moment to tell her about the call from Barb. "She wanted to fly out this Saturday but I told her no but Kev, I think that she's going to come anyway. She hung up on me when I asked her why she really wanted to come." "I'll take care of it," Kevyn said, "you have a good time with the handsome Nathan Sinclaire." ********** Nathan showered and got ready for his date with Louise. He was sure that she wouldn't see it as such but he did. He pulled his shoulder length blond hair into a ponytail and then undid it after he put on blue polo shirt over his blue jeans. He was aiming for casual so that Louise would be as comfortable as possible and he didn't want her to think that he was flaunting his money. He headed out a few early to give himself time to stop at the florist to pick up the flowers that he had preordered and to verify that they had the instructions for the standing order. On his way out of his room, he grabbed his sunglasses. While it was dark enough for him to be out, it wasn't dark enough for him to go without his sunglasses. He ran to the garage and looked at the line of cars trying to decide which one to take. Again, with Louise in mind, he chose the Prius instead of his usual Jag and headed to the florist to pick up the flowers. They were waiting for him when he arrived. The woman on staff at the time flirted with him as she usually did whenever he came in and usually, he flirted back but not this time. "She must be something special." Alicia said as she wrapped the flowers after she realized that Nathan wasn't flirting with her. "She is." Nathan replied and then asked, "Do you have the instructions for the deliveries?" "Yes," Alicia replied, "you want a bouquet to be delivered every day to the same address until you tell us otherwise and we are to vary the types of flower." Did I get it right? She asked. "Perfect." Nathan said and gave her a friendly smile that was in no way flirtatious. Alicia sighed, she and every woman who worked at the flower shop had designs on Nathan Sinclaire but she was the one that he openly flirted with and had even hinted about taking her out sometime for dinner. She handed him the bouquet with a small smile knowing that her chances of joining the Sinclaire family had just gone to zero. Nathan put the flowers in the car and drove over to Patrick's house, parked and then waited for a few minutes. He was early and didn't want to cause Louise undue stress if she wasn't ready. At six on the dot, Nathan was ringing the doorbell. Patrick opened the door and invited him in. "Since when do you need to be invited in?" he asked. Nathan smiled, "since my mate currently lives here." he replied. "Congratulations!" Patrick said slapping him on the back. "Thank you and before you ask, she doesn't know and I want to take my time in telling her." "Understandable." Patrick said and then paused. "Nathan, be careful with her, she's very special and she's very sensitive." "I know." Nathan replied. "That's why I'm not rushing this but thanks for the heads up." "Hi Nathan!" Kevyn said by way of alerting them that she and Louise were coming. "Hello Kevyn and Louise." Nathan replied with a smile. "I got these for you." he said handing the bouquet of flowers to Louise. "I didn't know what kind of flower you liked so I got a little of everything." "I... oh ... I mean thank you!" Louise said taking the flowers. She didn't know what else to say, no one had ever given her flowers before. "You're welcome, are you ready to go?" "I should put these in water first....." "I'll do it." Kevyn said taking the flowers, "and I'll put them in your room. Nathan, could I borrow Louise for just a moment?" Kevyn took Louise by the hand and led her to the kitchen. "Lou, relax he isn't going to bi.... Just try to have fun okay? I'll even wait up for you." Louise nodded and gave Kevyn a nervous but grateful smile. She had never done the "boy talk" thing with any of her sisters; there had never been any reason to. A few minutes later, she and Nathan were headed toward the mall. ********** Barbara Nicole Simpson nee Yancy stared at the phone still not believing the conversation that she had just had with sweet, shy Louise. She had been called out which was something that she hadn't anticipated. She thought that she could just call and bully her way into getting to California. She knew exactly who Patrick Sinclaire was. She researched him soon after she met him and was shocked, surprised and envious that Kevyn had managed to land someone like him. She also knew from her research that Patrick had several male relatives who weren't married and according to the photographs, they were all as good looking as he was. She hadn't lied when she said that she had three weeks vacation and until she met Patrick, she had no plans of going anywhere. She pulled up 'Kayak' and began to search for flights leaving Saturday morning. She was going no matter what Louise said. What would they do? Let her sleep at the airport? Put her up at a hotel? The last option excited her. She knew where Patrick and Kevyn stayed when they were in Pittsburgh, researched it and almost fainted when she saw the rate per night and they even paid for Louise's room . Then there was the repast dinner which that hadn't been cheap, everything had been the top of the line. Even the funeral had been expensive. She knew that there was no way that her mother's insurance could have covered the cost of the funeral. This was confirmed when she cornered the funeral home director and wheedled the information out of him. Patrick had paid for the funeral because there was no insurance money and told the man not to say anything. The only real downer besides their mother dying was Clay being shot. She was planning to make a play for him like she did every time she saw him in the hopes that this time he would take her up on it. She knew why he didn't look at her-Kevyn. She like everyone else didn't understand why he was so fixated on her and she -Barb didn't understand why Kevyn didn't want him. He was tall, good-looking and very rich. Not Sinclaire rich, but rich nonetheless. That he made his money through mostly illegal means meant nothing to Barb, money was money, but it was all a moot point, he was dead. She even had her suspicions as to who shot him even though she couldn't prove it. If she were a betting woman, her money would have been on Puff who had been in love with Kevyn for years but had never made a move on her. Barb understood why he hadn't . Kevyn was considered Clay's property and anyone who went anywhere near her paid for it. Not for the first time Barb wondered what it was men saw in Kevyn. There was Clay, Lonnie, Puff and now Patrick Sinclaire whom she had managed to snag with seemingly no effort. Barb had actually entertained the idea of seducing Patrick but dropped it when she saw how he and Kevyn looked at each other; he would never betray Kevyn like that any more than she would him. Her beliefs were confirmed when Clay had his arms around Kevyn and Patrick reacted leaving no question that Kevyn belonged to him and he to her. She finally found a flight that left late Saturday afternoon and arriving in LA around eleven in the evening. She bought a non-refundable one-way ticket and began to pack. She was going through her extensive lingerie drawer when her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and didn't recognize the number. She let it go to voicemail to see if whoever it was would leave a message. "Barb, it's me Kevyn, pick up I know that you're there." "Kev!" Barb gushed when she answered the phone. "How are you and that gorgeous man of yours?" "We're fine." Kevyn replied. "Lou told me that you called." "Yes, like I told her, I have three weeks vacation and I thought that I would spend them with you guys. What do you think?" "No." "What? Why not?" Barb asked. "Stay home Barb." Kevyn replied. "The only reason you want to come is because you did your homework on Patrick and his family." "That isn't true!" Barb said. "Isn't it? Then why haven't you asked to visit before?" Kevyn asked. "I get it." Barb snapped, "You get yourself a rich white man and you don't want anything to do with your family!" Kevyn rolled her eyes as Barb talked. "And by the way, I don't think that it's fair that Lou got to go back with you, what makes her so special?" "First of all," Kevyn replied, "Patrick has nothing to do with this but his money does so let's be honest about that, it's the only reason that you want to come. Why I asked Louise to come back with me is none of your business, she's special. She always has been and she needed to be away from you vultures. I'll repeat what I said earlier, none of you with the exception of Leon lifted a finger to help her and don't give me that crap about where you lived and that you didn't have vacation time. You could have called and you could have sent them a little extra cash, there were any number of things that you could have done from where you were but you chose not to." "Okay then," Barb said in a nasty tone, "why did you run off then? You talk about us, what about you?" "What about me?" Kevyn asked. "Yes I left and believe me when I say that I wish that I could have brought Lou and mom here." "Sure you would have." Barb replied sarcastically, "but you didn't answer the question, why did you leave so suddenly?" Kevyn sighed; there was no reason to keep it a secret any more. "I saw Clay kill someone." "You're lying!" Barb said. "Do you remember that kid that went missing soon after Clay and I graduated?" Kevyn asked. "Yeah.... Something Thompson wasn't it?" "Mario Thompson... Barb, Clay helped kill him. I saw him do it." There was a stunned silence, "I don't believe you." Barb said after a minute. "You don't have to believe me but that's why I left like I did but back to your visit, as I said, stay home." "You can't tell me where to go on my vacation." Barb retorted. "You're right, I can't" Kevyn agreed, "I'll give you the names of some reasonable hotels...." "What? You're going to make me stay at a hotel?" "You've already bought the ticket haven't you?" Kevyn asked already knowing the answer. "And it's a one way ticket." she added. Barb's silence confirmed that she was right. "Get your money back and stay home." "Why? What are you afraid of?" Barb asked. "Nothing, I just want some time for Lou and me to get acclimated before we have anyone come to visit." "I'll see you on Saturday." Barb said before hanging up. "Great! Just great!" Kevyn muttered under her breath. ***************** "Is there any place that you would like to go?" Nathan asked Louise. "I don't know." Louise replied not wanting to be an imposition. "How about the ocean? Everyone who comes from the east coast wants to see the Pacific Ocean." Nathan said glancing over at her. "How far is it?" she asked. "Not too far, would you like to go? There are places where we can get a cup of coffee or something to eat if we get hungry." He could tell that she wanted to say yes but was too afraid to say it. "Don't you have work to do?" Louise asked. "It's nothing that can't wait, so what do you think? Shall we take a drive up the coast?" "Okay, if you have time." Louise replied nervously. Nathan was quiet for a moment and then spoke to Louise in a gentle tone. "Louise, you are and always will be safe with me. I will never let anyone or anything hurt you and that includes me so try to relax." Louise looked over at Nathan as he talked and listened to his words but not just the words, the emotions behind them. He meant every word that he had just spoken to her and she allowed herself to relax just a little. Nathan began to make small talk just so he could hear her voice and begin to learn about her. "Tell me about yourself." he said as he sped toward the coast. "There isn't much to tell." Louise replied. "Kevyn, my brother and I cared for mom until he died and then Kevyn and I did it together." "What did you do for fun? I know that Kevyn likes sports, what about you?" "I'm not much on sports but then I've never really watched them but I like to watch the cooking and travel channels." "So you like to cook then." Nathan commented trying to draw her out. It was becoming clear that other than Kevyn, no one had taken to the time get to know the jewel sitting next to him. "It's fun..." By the time they got to the ocean Louise was a little more forthcoming but still needed to be drawn out. Nathan realized that she didn't talk to many people and that she considered herself boring when she was anything but. When he parked the car, he made her wait until he opened the door for her; he was determined that when the time came, she would know exactly how he felt about her. As Louise waited for Nathan to open the car door, she looked out and saw the broad expanse of water that seemed to have no end. When Nathan opened the door and offered her his hand, she absently took it distracted by the sound and smell of the ocean. Louise Ch. 03 Nathan marveled at how she found something that he had grown up seeing so beautiful. In that moment when her eyes were wide with wonder at the ocean and she was holding onto his hand Nathan fell completely in love with Louise Yancy. What she was feeling was hard to say and he was not going to cheat by looking into her mind. "You are mine." he thought when she was absorbed in watching the ocean. He realized his error when she turned to look up at him with a question in her dark eyes. "Would you like to go put your feet in?" he asked distracting her. He smiled at the excitement in her eyes, frowned when it dimmed. "What's the matter?" "Your car... I don't want to get sand in it." "I don't care about that." Nathan assured her as he gently pulled on her hand, "let's go get our feet wet." "Are you sure?" Louise asked looking longingly at the water. "I'm sure but let's take our shoes off here and walk down. The sand should be cool enough by now." Several minutes later, with pant legs rolled up and barefooted, they walked hand in hand, to where the water met the shore. "This is even more beautiful than I thought it would be." she whispered as her eyes misted over. She felt a sense of peace that she had never felt before and attributed it to the water instead of where the credit really belonged. Part of it was the ocean but the majority of the feeling of peace was Nathan. Nathan threw caution to the wind, put an arm around her and pulled her tight against him as he had at Bradford's house. He reluctantly let her go when he felt her tense but took her hand back in his and waited for her to be ready to go. "I'm ready she said after another fifteen minutes of letting the tide wash over her feet. "Are you sure? I have nothing that I have to do." Nathan said. "I'm sure." Louise replied. "Thank you for this." she added. "It was my pleasure, if you like we can go to another spot even beautiful than this one." Louise thought about it before agreeing. Coffee and cell phone forgotten, they spent the evening going from spot to spot. The last spot that Nathan took her to was a private beach that he owned but had never done anything with. He knew that people used it in spite of the 'no trespassing' and until now, he hadn't cared. He now knew what he was going to do with it. It would be a wedding gift for Louise. In his mind, he was already sketching the design of the house with her in mind. It would have a state of the art kitchen and every herb and spice known to man. Their bedroom would face the ocean and would have a balcony where they could sit in the evenings to talk or even make love. "Nathan? Who owns this? There's a sign over there saying that this is a private beach." Louise asked worriedly. "Don't worry, I own it." Nathan said. "You own this?" Louise asked flabbergasted although she couldn't have said why. "I sure do... hey are you hungry?" "A little I guess." Louise replied. An hour later, they were sitting at one of Nathan's favorite seafood places. He was such a frequent flyer that he was greeted by name. "Nathan!" the hostess on duty greeted with a hug and a kiss not seeming to notice Louise. "Hello Monica." Nathan replied returning the hug. "Allow me to introduce my... Louise Yancy, she just moved to California almost a week ago from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Louise this is one of my good friends Monica, she's the assistant manager and sometimes hostess." "Hello." Monica said rather coolly and then dismissed Louise before she had a chance to return the greeting. Nathan bristled and pulled Louise closer to him as he looked at Monica who then blushed. "Welcome to California." she said with fake sincerity. "Thank you." Louise replied shyly. After they were seated, Louise looked around and saw Monica looking at her. "She's beautiful." Louise said. "Yes she is but so are you." Nathan replied. Louise felt her face go hot, she hadn't been fishing for a compliment, and she really thought that Monica was beautiful in a Barbie kind of way. "I ... I wasn't..." she stammered. "Louise relax." Nathan said smiling at her. "I know that you weren't looking for a compliment but what I said is true, you are beautiful. Haven't you ever been told that?" "Ummm no." she replied reaching for her glass of water and almost knocking it over. It would have spilled if Nathan hadn't caught it. His hand covered hers as he steadied the glass. He ran a thumb across her shaking hand and then gave her hand a slight squeeze before releasing it. Louise swallowed hard grateful that she hadn't drawn attention to herself by spilling the water. She could feel Monica's stare on her back and the animosity behind it. Suddenly, Nathan excused himself and walked over to where Monica was standing. "Come with me." Nathan said to Monica when he reached her. "I can't...." "Take a break." he said quietly. When they were alone, Nathan looked down at her and spoke. "We talked about this did we not?" he asked. "I thought that I made myself clear that we were and could be anything more than friends." "I don't know what you're talking about." Monica replied, her arms across her chest. "I see the way that you stare at her and I can only imagine what you're thinking." Nathan said. "I made no promises to you. When we stopped seeing each other I made the reasons clear to you and we agreed that we would remain friends." "No, you agreed that we would be friends." Monica snapped, "If you will recall, I didn't say anything. You assumed I agreed with you." Nathan's eyes narrowed. "So this is how it is." he mused. "Alright then let me clarify my position. I am not interested in a romantic relationship with you. I am willing to maintain a friendship with you but you must understand that it will never be more than that. You will tell me now if you accept those terms. If the answer is no, then I'm afraid that our relationship is over." "You're serious?" Monica asked. "Your reply please, I've left Louise alone for too long." "My answer is no." Monica said softly. "As you wish." Nathan said with a shrug of his broad shoulders and began to walk away. Monica stared at him not believing that Nathan was choosing a woman that she didn't even consider remotely pretty. She and Nathan had complimented each other perfectly. They were both tall, blond haired and blue-eyed; their children would have been gorgeous. She watched as Nathan went back to the table, whispered something to Louise and then offered her his hand. Resignation set in as she watched them leave; there would be no beautiful children at least not with Nathan Sinclaire. The last thought that she had before pushing Nathan out of her mind was about Louise and what it was that made him choose her. "Why did we leave?" Louise asked when they were outside. Nathan didn't know how to answer her but gave her a vague response. In retrospect, he realized that they should have stayed and then not gone back again. He had overreacted he realized but also knew that his responses would level out as he adjusted to the role of mate. "There was a disagreement with the management." he replied. "I know of another place that's even better." he added as he led her to the car. A few minutes later, they were parked in front of Caesar's restaurant. "It's closed." Louise said looking around. "Not to us it isn't." Nathan replied as he got out of the car. "Nathan maybe we should go somewhere else..." "Lou, it's alright." Nathan assured her, "I know the owner, he works for my Uncle Ethan and he won't mind as long as we clean up after ourselves." "This is his place?" Louise asked looking around. "Yes but he only opens for special occasions and reservations have to be made at least two weeks in advance. There is no set menu; it's made when the reservations are called in." Nathan said as he unlocked the door and led her inside. The lights came on as they passed by on their way to the kitchen. When they got there and the lights came on, Louise gasped. She was standing in the kitchen of her dreams. She could see herself cooking, creating and serving the dishes in her notebook. Nathan watched her and saw that for the first time all night, she was very relaxed and got an idea. He had planned to cook for her but decided that they would cook together. "I'm still hungry, why don't we make something to eat?" he asked. "We can cook here?" she asked excitedly. "Sure as long as we clean up, Caesar is a stickler about that." So was she. Her siblings always teased her about how spotless she kept not just the kitchen but also the house as a whole. She took the ribbing in silence and didn't change. She recognized it for what it was; it was the only thing that she any real control over. 'Let's see what he has here." Nathan said. "Usually it isn't much but he does keep cheese and bread here. Someone comes once a week to clean and to restock. How do you feel about grilled cheese sandwiches?" "Is there ketchup?" Louise asked. "I'm sure that we can find some." Nathan replied. "Tell you what, why don't you get the pan and stove ready and I'll get the things for the sandwiches. I'll also look for ketchup." While Nathan was gone, Louise walked around the massive kitchen lovingly touching the counters. By the time he got back with the cheese, bread, butter and ketchup she had the pan ready to go and the stove warming. Nathan really wanted to tell her again how beautiful she was but refrained. He didn't want her to become nervous again and withdraw from him. "I even found the ketchup!" he said as he set the items on the counter and began opening the cheese and bread. "I believe the knife drawer is over there somewhere." he said indicating the wall at the far side of the kitchen. He waited until she came back and together they put the sandwiches together. He looked over at her and saw that she was thinking. "What are you thinking about?" he asked. "I was just wondering... I'll be right back." A few minutes later, she came back with creamed garlic and creamed horseradish that she found in the fridge. "How do you feel about experimenting?" she asked as she sat the jars on the counter. "I'm game." Nathan said liking this very relaxed Louise. They made the sandwiches, tasted them and compared notes. "I don't know about you, "Nathan said, "but I'm partial to the horseradish one although the garlic one was good too." "I think that I agree with you," Louise said, "but I think that the garlic one would be better with a different kind of cheese, what do you think?" By the time they finished cleaning up the kitchen; Louise was talking freely to the point where she was answering questions about her job. "So this Miss Gina, who is helping her now that you're here?" Nathan asked. "My ex boss is. I told him to use my last check which should last a while to pay for the food." As he listened to her talk, Nathan realized that Louise had always been an empath and wondered how she had managed to stay sane. By four am, he had her back at Patrick and Kevyn's house and hated to leave her. He resisted the temptation to speed things up. The evening had been a little like Christmas as he unwrapped his present named Louise Yancy. Instead of kissing her on her lips as he wanted, he kissed her on the cheek. "Sleep well and I will talk to you soon." Nathan said as he left her just inside of the door. *********** Barb checked and then double-checked to make sure that she had her identification. She had told no one, not even her best friend Felicia that she was going to California. She didn't tell her family because Juliet would have wanted to come with her even though she couldn't afford it and she didn't tell Felicia because she was as money hungry as she was and she wanted no additional competition, which was another reason, why she didn't want Juliette along. Gene would do nothing but cause trouble and Leon... he wouldn't go anyway. He was genuinely happy for Kevyn and liked Patrick. He was also happy for Louise and had been verbal about it when Barb complained about Kevyn not taking her back with them. "Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed in a rare show of anger, "It's about damned time something good happened to the both of them! And why should Kevyn have taken you with her? All you want is to see how much money her man has really got." "That isn't true." Barb protested. "Whatever." Leon said and walked away disgusted. Barb looked at the calendar and wished that she was going earlier than Saturday, which was two days away, and that she hadn't called in advance. It was too late now and besides, she still had another two days of work. On a whim, she logged into her email and wrote a letter of resignation. "Dear Maggie, This is to inform you that I am resigning effective immediately. An opportunity has come up in California and I will be moving there in the next day or so. I will be in tomorrow to gather my personal belongings. I will email you when I have a permanent address and you can send any forms that need to be signed there. I know that this is short notice but it is an opportunity that I cannot afford to pass up. Thank you, Barbara Yancy Simpson " Her finger hovered over the send icon for a brief second before sending the email. After she did it, she wondered about the wisdom of her decision but then decided that it was an act of faith on her part. Because she no longer had a job, Barb settled down in bed with a container of 'bon bons' and a glass of fake Champaign like she did when she wanted to pretend that she was rich. Her hope was that it would happen and hopefully with one of the single Sinclaire men. Which one didn't matter. ******************* Kevyn was at a loss as to what to do. She took a moment to think about Louise and then went back to the problem at hand. Barb. She was so absorbed in thought that she didn't realize that Patrick was in the room until she felt a kiss on her neck. She yelped and then jumped clutching her chest. "Whoa it's just me!" Patrick said chuckling, "Didn't you hear me call your name?" "Umm no, I was thinking.... Patrick, Barb wants to come. As a matter of fact, she's already bought her ticket." "Don't tell me." Patrick said, "It's a one way ticket and what do you want to bet that she quit her job?" "I hadn't thought about that." Kevyn said. "The question is what do you want to do?" Patrick asked. "What can I do?" Kevyn asked. "I can't leave her at the airport can I?" "Why not?" Patrick teased. "I'm serious!" Kevyn replied trying not to smile at the image of Barb spending her vacation at the airport. "Alright, here are the options as I see them." Patrick said putting his arms around her, "she stays here, we put her up at a hotel, leave her at the airport or she stays at your apartment." "Well... I guess the airport is out." Kevyn said wistfully and if we bring her here, she'll never leave and it will be the same with the hotel. If I put her in my apartment, she'll never give us any peace and I won't be able to keep an eye on her. Here we can put her in the other suite and hope that she doesn't come out but here's another problem, she's a day person. She'll have every drape in the house open... she can't stay here." "Here's my vote," Patrick said, "we put her up at a nice hotel and tell her that we'll see her in the evenings. I'm not going to lie to you, I don't like her nor do I trust her." "The hotel it is." Kevyn said relieved that Barb wasn't going to be staying with them. They would still have to spend time with her but they could take her back to the hotel. The one-way ticket issue could be resolved later even if it meant that they would buy her a return ticket. "Louise is home." Patrick said looking toward the front of the house. "I know that you want to talk so I'll go do some work in the office." "Thanks and Patrick? I love you." "I love you too and be prepared to be shown how much." He said kissing her. "Hi Louise." Patrick greeted when she came into the kitchen. "Hi... am I interrupting?" she asked shyly. "Not at all, I was on my way to my office to do some work on my online course. Did you have a good time?" "I... yes." she replied reverting back to her shy self. "Good... Sweetheart, I'll see you later." Patrick said with a wink and a smile as he left. Louise blushed; she was quickly learning what certain looks and touches meant. "Kev if you have to go..." "Don't be silly, sit down here and tell me about your first date." "It wasn't a date." Louise protested. "Ok... tell me about whatever it was." Kevyn amended trying hard not to laugh. By the time Louise was finished, Kevyn couldn't help herself. "Lou honey, what you just described to me was a date and it sounds like the first of many." "No...." "Is he going to call you again?" "Yes..." "Did he kiss you?" Kevyn asked. "On my cheek is all." Louise replied. "Alright, I'm going to ask you a question that's going to make you blush... but do you feel tingly when he touches you?" "I... I..." "Lou, it's alright, it just means that you're attracted to him." Kevyn said taking her hands in hers. "I know that this is all new to you but try to relax and enjoy it and Lou? Trust him." Louise looked at Kevyn and knew that she was keeping something from her. Kevyn realizing that she might have said too much changed the subject. "I talked to Barb." "And?" "You were right; she was coming even though we both told her not to. She bought a one-way ticket and will be here sometime on Saturday. Patrick thinks that she probably quit her job as well." Louise's shoulders slumped. , the idea of having to put up with Barb for three weeks depressed her, especially if she stayed in the house. She knew without a doubt that the house would be unsettled again after just getting settled and then there was Nathan. Barb would set her sights on him. Louise felt a flash of anger at the thought and blushed. Nathan wasn't her boyfriend or anything. He could see whomever he wanted, Barb included. "She won't be staying here." Kevyn said. "We're putting her up at a nice hotel so that we don't have to deal with her 24/7." Louise breathed easier at the revelation. She wasn't ready to deal with Barb and wished that she wasn't coming. She had too much to think about including what she and Kevyn had talked about regarding Nathan and Barb would distract her.. "What are we going to do with her?" Louise asked. "Show her around and put her ass back on a plane back to Pittsburgh as soon as we can." Kevyn replied. "What if she says that she doesn't have a job?" Louise asked, "We can't just send her back can we?" "Sure we can." Kevyn replied, "Gene has a nice big house that he can share with her. So when are you and Nathan going out again?" "Tonight." Louise replied almost shyly. "That's great!" Kevyn said happy for Louise. "It's about time someone noticed how great you are...hey maybe the four of us could do something together!" Once again, Louise had the distinct feeling that Kevyn knew something. "I don't know." Louise replied, "I mean maybe there won't be anymore dates after tonight." "You don't really believe that do you?" Kevyn asked. She didn't but she didn't want to say it. "I'd better let you go." she said not answering the question, "Patrick is waiting for you." "And Nathan is probably calling you as we speak." Kevyn replied. "Alright but you know that if you have any questions or just want to talk I'm here." Louise hesitated before she spoke. "Thanks but Kev but what aren't you telling me?" Kevyn didn't know what to say, but was saved by Patrick coming back into the kitchen. "Lou I think I heard your phone ringing." Louise Ch. 03 Louise looked at Kevyn and excused herself. When she was gone, Kevyn let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, I didn't know how I was going to get out of answering that." "I heard," Patrick replied, "That's why I came in." "Are you sure that I can't say anything?" "I'm sure and I'm sure that if asked Nathan would tell you not to say anything." "But it would help her, she's so nervous." Kevyn replied. "I know and I understand." Patrick replied, "But Kev how she is told is a very private matter between the two of them. It's for Nathan to decide when and how he tells her about him and our family. If you even give her a hint, he'll know and he'll be not only angry but insulted." "Insulted because I talked to my sister? I'm sorry but I have a problem with that." Kevyn said. "Kev... what's really going on here?" Patrick asked. "You already know that Nathan would never do anything to harm her physically or otherwise. You've seen how gentle he is with her and you know that this is our way. It's not that we don't want you to talk to Lou but our telling our mates about what and who we are is part of the bonding process. For another to interfere with that interferes with that process so what's really happening?" It was several seconds before Kevyn replied. "I feel guilty that I left her back in Pittsburgh to deal with Gene and the rest of them alone. I should have protected her better than I did." "How could you have done that?" Patrick asked. "I don't know, I could have moved back to Pittsburgh or I could have gone home more often." Kevyn replied. "And what about Clay Robinson? Do you think that he would have let you leave again?" Patrick asked. "Kev, as much as he loved you, he was afraid of you. That was why he wanted you killed. If that had happened, how do you think Lou would have felt?" "I know." Kevyn conceded, "but... are you sure that Nathan will be upset? Never mind." she added when she remembered how angry Nathan had gotten when she peeked into his mind. "Once he's told her you can talk to her about it as much as you want." Patrick assured her, "But let me ask you this, would you have wanted to hear about me and my family from someone else?" Kevyn thought a minute before answering. "No, I guess not but this is so hard and yes I realize that guilt is a part of it but she is my sister." "Again I understand but sweetheart you can't say anything just yet, you have to give them some time to work through it." "So I have to keep my mouth shut." Kevyn replied. "I wouldn't have put it like that but yes at least temporarily." Patrick said with a kiss. "Are you ready for bed?" he asked pulling her out of the chair and leading her to their rooms. Kevyn allowed herself to be led but was determined that as soon as it was permissible, she was going to talk to Louise and if she could manage it, she was going to talk to Nathan as well. ******************** The phone was ringing when Louise got to her room. She frowned as she wondered how Patrick could have heard it as she had the ringer turned down and the door had been closed. "Hello?" she said when answered it. "I just wanted to check on you and to tell you that I had a really good time last night." Nathan said. "I did too, thank you for driving me to all of those places." "It was my pleasure." Nathan replied, "What would you like to do tonight?" "I... whatever you want." There was a pause before Nathan replied. "Louise this isn't just about what I want. I want us to do things that you enjoy too so you think about it and tell me what the plan is when I come over tonight." "I wouldn't know what to do." Louise replied. "I don't care what it is; if you want to go back to the ocean we can do that." "Kev said something about us going out together." Louise said. "That sounds like a good idea. Why don't you and Kevyn plan something and we'll do it." "You don't mind?" Louise asked almost surprised. "No sweetheart I don't mind. Truth be told, I want to get to know your sister a little better." They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. Louise fanned herself and instead of taking one of the baths that she had come to love, she took a cool shower jumping and then gasping when the water hit her hardened nipples. She quickly finished her shower, dried off and put on her pajamas only to take them off again. The material, as soft as it was felt like heated sandpaper rubbing against her skin. Deep inside, she knew that whatever was happening to her had everything to do with Nathan Sinclaire. Not ready to deal with or think about it, she thought about Barb's pending visit. She wasn't looking forward to it and felt guilty that she didn't want her sister to come. Even as she though and prayed it she knew that her prayer wouldn't be answered. Barb was coming and nothing short of a disaster would stop her. Louise turned on the television to the 'food network' and let the voices of the host of the program lull her to sleep. *************** Nathan sat at his drawing board where he had already sketched the basic outline of the beach house. The next step was once the plans were done, was to contact the construction company that the family had used for centuries but in the mean time, it was time to get people used to the fact that they could no longer use that section of the beach. He called the security company that the family used and gave instructions. "I want signs all over the place saying that beginning at the end of the month... no wait, labor day is coming, make it effective starting the end of September that there will be absolutely no trespassing and then I want it patrolled 24/7. If humans or any other beings are encountered, politely ask them to leave and inform them of the pending change. No... scratch that... is that stretch of beach four miles down from my property up for sale? If it is buy it and we'll steer people down there. I still want the signs up and our area of the beach patrolled." Nathan hung up with a feeling of excitement that soon he and Louise would be mated and living in the house built just for her. He even knew how he was going to outfit the kitchen. He was going to take her shopping and let her pick out the kitchenware the appliances included. He would tell her that he needed help in decorating the house and since she loved kitchen gadgets, that he could use her help. He had to be careful to make sure that he blocked his true intentions but that wouldn't be a problem. He continued working on the design of the house with Louise and their second date in mind. He was glad that she had mentioned that Kevyn wanted to do something as a foursome; it was a good idea, it would take some of the pressure off Louise. As he sketched in the master bathroom, he wondered what the sisters would come up with for the evening. ******** Restless, Barb looked at the clock. Saturday seemed so far away and she was anxious to be gone. Impulsively, she got up, went to her laptop and turned it on. There was a flight leaving in six hours, with the layover and the time difference, she would arrive in LA around seven in the evening. The only question was how much more it would cost her to change her ticket. After debating for several minutes, Barb called the airline. There were plenty of seats available but it would cost her to switch the ticket. Two hours later, she was in a cab headed for the airport smiling at the image of what she imagined Kevyn's face would look like when she got the call to come pick her up. ********* "How about a movie?" Kevyn asked knowing how much Louise loved movies. Since they moved in with Patrick, she had made use of the small movie theater with Patrick joining her going so far as to open the 'concession stand'. "Maybe he doesn't like movies." Louise replied "He left the choice up to us didn't he?" Kevyn asked, "So that means that he doesn't care." "What movie?" Louise asked. "What about that new action one?" Kevyn asked. It took them more than a half hour to decide on a movie. By the time they made their final decision, Nathan was at the door with a bouquet of flowers to go along with the ones that had been delivered earlier that day. As he handed then to Louise, he bent down and kissed her cheek before speaking to her. "Hello sweetheart, you look nice." Louise blushed, took the flowers and whispered a nervous thank you. "You're welcome, where's that uncle of mine?" "Right here." Patrick replied as he came down the hall. "Did they tell you what the plan for tonight is?" "Not yet." Nathan replied not caring how or where they spent the evening. "We thought that we'd go to a movie." Louise said, "If that's alright with you." she added. "Sounds good, we can take my car." Nathan said, "But let's put those in water first." Kevyn watched Louise and Nathan walk toward the kitchen and relaxed as she realized just how good Nathan was for Louise. She was about to comment when her cell phone rang reminding her that they hadn't gotten new phones yet. "Hello? Barb? You're where?" Louise Ch. 04 Louise saw the look on Kevyn's face and stopped mid-sentence. She was almost afraid to ask what happened in the few short minutes that she and Nathan had been gone. "What happened?" she asked. "Barb is what happened!" Kevyn snapped. "Barb?" Louise asked confused, "She's not coming until Saturday." "Yeah well, she just called, she's at the airport." "What? What are we going to do?" Louise asked. "What do you mean what are we going to do? I've been dying to see this movie." Kevyn said. "I'm not changing plans because she decided to show up early." Kevyn took out her cell phone and dialed Barb's number. "Barb, you're going to have to catch a cab to the hotel.... We were just leaving when you called and no we're not changing our plans to come get you, you weren't supposed to get here until Saturday... then walk! Do you have a piece of paper? I'm going to give you the address to the hotel; they'll be expecting you. Yes, yes... "We'll call you tomorrow. Bye Barb." Kevyn said hanging up on Barb who was still talking. Kevyn laughed, she couldn't help it. "She is royally pissed that she has to spend money on a cab. Come on or we'll be late for the movie." In spite of herself, Louise started to giggle as she imagined Barb's reaction to being told that she had to catch a cab. She covered her lips with the tips of her fingers like her mother used to do when she giggled as if she was embarrassed to be caught laughing. Nathan looked down at her, noticed the tiny dimples at the corner of her mouth, and wanted to touch them. His goal for the night was to see her smile without covering her mouth. He suspected that she had a smile and a fun loving side that that few if anyone had ever seen. "Whose idea was it to come to a popular movie the second night of opening?" Kevyn grumbled as they stood in line several minutes later. "That would be you." Patrick teased as he pulled her back into him and kissed her neck. "Why didn't you stop me?" she teased back. "Because I wanted to see it too." Patrick replied. Louise watched the easy manner in which Patrick and Kevyn interacted and wondered if she would ever be that relaxed around someone. She was aware of Nathan standing closely behind her but not touching. All he would have to do is take a tiny step forward and he would be as close to her as Patrick was to Kevyn. The line moved quickly with Kevyn and Louise heading for the theater to get seats and Patrick and Nathan going to the concession stand. While they waited, Patrick talked with Nathan. "How are things?" He asked. "Good, why do you ask?" Nathan replied. "Kevyn is having a hard time with not being able to talk with Louise about what's happening between you and Louise. I explained to her how things were and she understands but there's a lot of guilt about things that I won't go into without her permission and things that are really for Louise to tell you." "What do you need from me?" Nathan asked looking at Patrick. "I'm not sure exactly... could you talk to Kevyn? I think that she wants to give you the if you hurt my sister I'm going to kick your ass speech. I also think it will fulfill the need that she has to protect her. Am I making sense?" "You're making sense and I understand." Nathan replied. "I have a little knowledge of what happened back in Pittsburgh and I don't mind talking with her if it will help and I would like to know her a little better." "Thank you Nathan, I appreciate it." "I should be thanking you." Nathan said with a smile, "You brought my mate to me although you didn't know who she was, so thank you." *** Louise and Kevyn managed to find four seats that were far enough back that Nathan and Patrick's height wouldn't be too much of a problem but close enough so that Louise who was the shortest of them at 5'4 would be able to see the screen. They each took an outer seat to reserve the ones in the middle until the guys came and then they would rearrange themselves. "Hey look, there's two seats there!" someone called out. The owner of the voice called down to Louise, "Hey lady, can you move down two seats?" "I'm sorry but these seats are taken." Louise replied politely. "Where are the people sitting there then? The movie's going to start in a few minutes." the man said. Kevyn was on the phone with Barb who was still angry at having to take a cab to the hotel and didn't notice what was happening just three seats down from her. One of the men, the one who hadn't spoken tried to climb over Louise to get to the seat next to her. "Hey!" Louise objected as she pushed at the man who was being followed by his friend. "Stop it!" Hearing the commotion, Kevyn looked up in time to see Louise trying to keep two men from taking the seats reserved for Patrick and Nathan. She stood up and faced the bigger of the two men, "These seats are saved." The man seemed not to hear her and tried to push past her. The thing that amazed Kevyn was that the theater was full, there were people all around and no one was offering to help. Suddenly the man standing closest to Louise let out a howl of pain. "Fuck! What did you do to me?" he screamed at Louise who was as confused as he was because she hadn't touched him. "I believe that the lady told you that these seats were taken." Nathan said stepping up to the man, "You have two options, you can either find another seat or leave but if you insist on these seats...." "No... it's all good just a misunderstanding!" one of the men said as he pushed his partner out of the way and rushed off. When they were gone, Nathan made Louise move so that he was sitting on the outside of her on her right; Kevyn sat to her left with Patrick on the outside of her. "Sweetheart are you alright?" Nathan asked Louise noticing that she was looking slightly green around the gills. "I'm just really thirsty." she replied. Nathan and Patrick looked at each other and back at Louise. Neither of them had done anything to the man who tried to take their seats, which meant it had been either Kevyn or Louise and all bets were on Louise. "Here, drink this." Nathan said handing her the large plastic cup of cola. Louise took the large cup in both hands and gulped it down stopping only once for air. By the time she was finished with it, her color was much better and she felt better. When she realized that she drank the entire contents of the cup, she blushed. "I'm so sorry...." "Don't be, I like a woman who can hold her soda." Nathan teased. "I'll be right back with a refill." he said. As he waited in line for a refill, he tried to figure out what had happened. He and Patrick had just gotten to the row of seats just as the man howled in pain. He had the feeling that life with Louise was not going to be dull in the least. He also suspected that she was much more than an empath. The question was what? *********** Barb got off the plane and looked around. She had never been in such a large airport and was looking forward to the ride in the limo that Kevyn was going to send for her and wondered if it would have a stocked bar. As soon as she was able, she called Kevyn to let her know that she had arrived. She smiled at Kevyn's shocked voice, "You're where?" The smile didn't last for long, it was gone a few minutes later when Kevyn called her back and told her to take a cab to the hotel and that they weren't going to change their plans just because she decided to come earlier than planned. Her anger grew when she realized that baggage claim was at the far end of the airport and she was wearing high-heels because she wanted to look the part of a high society woman being picked up by a limo. It felt as if she had walked miles before she finally reached the baggage claim and her feet felt as if they were about to fall off. During her walk, she called Kevyn not once but twice asking if she could send a car for her to which Kevyn responded to by laughing at her. "Car? What do you think this is? Take the cab and I'll call you sometime tomorrow." After the second phone call making the same request and getting the same answer, Barb gave up and made her way to baggage claim. An hour and a half later, she was standing in the lobby of a nice hotel but it wasn't anywhere near as lavish as the one in Pittsburgh. She walked up to the counter, put on her best flirty smile and announced her presence. "Yes Ms. Simpson, Mr. Sinclaire told us that you would be arriving and asked me to give you this envelope." Barb looked at the envelope for a second before taking it from the clerk's hand. "If you will sign here please." he said as he slid a form across the counter. "My name is Hans and I will be personally attending to your needs during your stay. My extension is written on the corner of the card attached to your receipt." "Do you live here?" Barb asked. "I only stay when Mr. Sinclaire has a guest that he feels might need some extra attention." Hans explained. "If you're ready, I'll escort you to your room." "Room? Don't you have suites?" "Yes we do but Mr. Sinclaire didn't authorize a suite. If you will follow me please." Barb grumbled but Hans appeared not to hear her and if he did, he didn't respond. "Your room is on the third floor...." "The third floor? Don't you have anything higher up?" Hans ignored her and kept walking giving Barb no choice but to follow him. "Here is your room Madame." Hans said as he stopped in front of the door of room 318 and unlocked it. He carried her luggage in and gave her a quick tour of the room. "The refrigerator is fully stocked and you may help yourself to whatever is there. When housekeeping comes they will restock if for you. Concerning any of the amenities of the hotel, you have unlimited use of the gym, pool and the laundry room." "Laundry room? What about maid service?" "Mr. Sinclaire didn't authorize that but if you wish you may purchase it at a discounted rate since you are a guest of Mr. Sinclaire's." "What about meals? Or didn't he authorize that either?" Barb snapped. "He has authorized a one hundred and fifty dollar a day food credit for you and you may use the spa once a week for the length of your stay and of course...." "I got it!" Barb said irritably. "Is there anything else that I can do for you?" Hans asked barely containing his laughter. "Is room service still available?" "Yes Madame, dial 6 and that will connect you to the kitchen. However I must warn you that we have a limited menu at night." As soon as he was out of the room, Hans laughed. Patrick had been right about this one, she was a money hungry bitch. Barb looked around the room that was nice but nothing like the rooms that Patrick, Kevyn and Louise had stayed in back home. She looked at the menu for room service and ordered a BLT that the menu listed at $12.50 "Damn!" she swore as she realized that she was going to have to be careful with her food allowance unless she wanted to dig into her own pocket. Her plan to order Champaign flew out of the window when she saw that the cheapest bottle was 75.00 and it was already well past midnight. She called, ordered the sandwich and unpacked while she waited for her meal to arrive. When she was unpacked, she went to the bathroom expecting to see a lavish Jacuzzi tub with various oils and soaps lined along the side and was disappointed to see a plain bathtub that was much larger than normal but it had no jets. So far, this trip was not what she was expecting. In the end, she decided that it was only because she showed up unexpectedly that she was in this room. She relaxed fully expecting to be upgraded later in the day either to a suite or to another hotel. As much as she didn't like the food voucher limitation, she understood it. She would have done the same thing and it wouldn't have been as much. The sandwich arrived a few minutes later. The man delivering it gave Barb a smile and asked her where she wanted the table set up. "Anywhere!" she snapped as she turned her back on the man. The man glared at her back and muttered under his breath, "bitch." "Excuse me?" Barb asked as she turned around. "Nothing, I said as you wish." The man set up the table and left minus a tip that he wasn't going to be offered anyway, he would have to remember to tell his colleagues about her. After the man left, Barb took the lid off the plate and swore. The BLT looked like any other BLT that she had ever seen with its three slices of bacon. "For 12.50 they could have at least doubled the bacon." she muttered as she sat down to eat. After the meal, she took a very unsatisfying soak in the tub wishing that it had the whirlpool jets in it. As she soaked, she thought about Kevyn and Louise who were soon going to be living in the lap of luxury if they weren't already. Her ire grew as she remembered Kevyn laughing at her when she asked for a car to be sent and then there was the fact that she had to pay for the cab. And finally she was in what she considered a second rate room forgetting that she usually stayed in a 'Motel 6' whenever she had to travel which wasn't very often. By the time she was done with her bath, she had worked herself up into a jealous rage. She had half a mind to get dressed, call a cab and show up unannounced at Kevyn's apartment. The only things that stopped her were the facts that Kevyn and Louise probably weren't home and that she would have to pay for the cab. As she applied lotion to her body, Barb examined herself. While she wasn't thin, neither was she fat. She was what she liked to call voluptuous and she considered herself the most attractive of all of the sisters. "A lot of good that does me." she grumbled as she applied generic 'Nivea' to her arms. She put on her pajamas, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went to bed. Within minutes of lying down, she was sound asleep. ********* Nathan paid very little attention to the movie. His mind was on Louise and whatever it was she did to the man. She hadn't been touching him so it had to be cognitive. He also realized that she didn't know what had happened, if she did, she would be horrified to know that she had hurt someone. From his point of view he was glad that she could do whatever it was she did, it meant that she could protect herself. He glanced over at Kevyn who was watching the movie with her head resting on Patrick's shoulder. He had known from the moment that she peeked into his mind that there was going to be an issue with her not being able to tell Louise what she knew. He understood and knew that he would feel the same way that she did if it were him but that didn't change the fact that it wasn't her place to talk to Louise what she needed to know, it was his. He would do as Patrick requested and talk to her with the goal being making sure that Kevyn understood that he loved and would die for her sister. He felt for Kevyn. It had to have been difficult coming into the vampire world where many of the rules were different. He would try to find a time to talk to her and the sooner the better. After the movie, they went to a cell phone store where Patrick knew the owner who had been kind enough to open the store for them. "Pick out any phone you like." Patrick told Kevyn. Kevyn headed to the least expensive phones and began to look at them. "A suggestion if I may." Patrick said from beside her, "These are nice phones but why not get one that you can use for school? You'd be able to download drug handbooks and whatever else you needed." "I don't even need a new phone." Kevyn replied. "And a phone like you're talking about isn't cheap." "No." Patrick conceded, "But look at it like this, once you start school you're going to need all kinds of reference books. Why carry them around when you can carry them in your phone? I'm also willing to bet that you might be able to download some of your textbooks too." Kevyn gave it some thought and realized that he made several valid points. She would still keep her prepaid number until she got her new number to family at home. The old phone she would give to a battered woman's shelter to use as they saw fit. "Alright, I'm convinced but I'm buying it." she said and got ready for the objections to start. Nathan and Louise were on the other side of the store having almost the same conversation. "You can put your recipes on it and you can even download the recipes from the cooking shows that you watch." "I don't know," Louise said, "It's so expensive..." "When is your birthday?" Nathan asked. "October," Louise replied, "why?" "Consider it an early birthday present." Nathan replied as he called the store associate over. "No! You can't buy me that!" Louise protested. "Why not?" Nathan asked, "It's a gift." "It's too expensive and you don't know me well enough to buy me something like this." Louise replied indicating the phone in question. "I know all that I need to know." Nathan replied. Louise looked up at Nathan who met her direct gaze with one of his own. "What do you mean by that?" she asked. Nathan smiled down at her, if he could get her out of her shell, she would be fun to fight with. "Just what I said." he replied. Louise looked around the store and saw that Kevyn and Patrick were on the far side of the building. She turned back to Nathan who was still looking at her. "You don't know anything about me." Louise protested. "I beg to differ." Nathan replied, "Let's make a bet." Nathan said not taking his eyes from her face. "If I can list five things that I know about you I get to buy you the phone." Louise hesitated and then agreed not believing that he could do it. "And if you can't?" she asked. "If I can't then you can buy the phone that you want." "I agree." Louise said holding her hand out for a shake. Nathan took her hand in his and held it as she began to list the things that he knew. "I know that you are very sensitive and that you feel things deeply. I also know that you've felt alone and that no one with the exception of Kevyn and now Patrick and me realized how special you are. I know that you are not boring even though you think you are. I know that while shy and unassuming, you're a very beautiful and strong woman and that if pushed hard enough, you'll push back. Last of all, you want to know what I want with you. How did I do?" Nathan asked. "How did you know all of that?" Louise asked. "Intuition and it's clear that no one has told you enough just how remarkable you really are. So do I get to buy you that phone?" Nathan asked. "Nathan..." "A deal is a deal and we shook on it." Nathan reminded her as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. An hour later, Louse and Kevyn had new phones. Nathan had Louise's phone and was programming all of his phone numbers into it. "You can call me at anytime day or night for anything and I will always answer." Nathan said as he handed the phone back to Louise. "Later we can play with it to see how it works." "Thank you." Louise said as she took the phone back. She would have never bought herself a phone like the one Nathan had just bought for her even if she could have afforded it. She looked at Kevyn and Patrick and again wondered if something like what they had was possible for her. She felt eyes on her and turned to see Nathan looking at her with a look in his eyes that she couldn't quite interpret. Blushing, she quickly looked away as she began to tingle and throb. Nathan reached over, took her hand in his, gave it a reassuring squeeze, and was gratified when she squeezed back. That she had unconsciously returned the gesture was even better as far as Nathan was concerned, it confirmed that she was feeling the pull. He didn't turn away when she looked at him because he wanted her to see what he was feeling for her. He had the feeling that had he said it she would have taken off, it was far better to show her and have her get acclimated to him by showing her. Louise Ch. 04 "I don't know about you but I'm starved." Patrick said. "Louise, why don't we see what we can cook up?" he asked when they got back to the house. Nathan knew what Patrick was doing and nodded at him. "I could eat something." he said. Kevyn also knew what Patrick was doing and could have kissed him and after second thought, she did. She walked over to him, pulled him down to her, kissed him and then murmured her thanks. She waited until Nathan finished talking to Louise before she sat down. She watched how Nathan was with her and Louise's reaction to him; she was falling for him and didn't realize it or didn't want to. When she was out of earshot, Nathan sat down across from Kevyn and waited. Kevyn smiled at him and began her speech. "First of all, I want to apologize to you for peeking into your head a few days ago. You were right, it was rude and I knew better. In my defense, I was worried about Louise and I wanted to know what your thoughts regarding her were." "You could have asked." Nathan said quietly. "True." Kevyn agreed, "But that would have been too easy." Nathan, to her surprise smiled. "Apology accepted and I in turn owe you an apology. I overreacted in my response to your peeking. Call it the new mate syndrome if you want but still I apologize." Kevyn found herself liking her brother-in -law more and more by the minute. "I assume Patrick told you how hard it is for me not to say anything to Louise?" "He did and I understand." Nathan said. "I would feel the same way but Kevyn; you have to understand that this is a different world than where you came from. It's far from perfect but then neither is the world that you came from. In your world, you may have been able to talk to Louise about this without it causing any damage but if you tell her before I do, it could hurt her." "Patrick explained it to me and I understand but still...." "You feel the need to protect her." Nathan finished for her. Kevyn gave him a small smile before continuing. "It's not that I don't trust you. That was never the issue. It's just that I didn't protect her as much as I should have and now I have the chance to do that and I want to even though she doesn't need it." Nathan considered his next words carefully. "Kevyn, has it ever occurred to you that maybe Louise didn't need protecting or maybe not as much as you think she did? Let's think about this, how long was she back in Pennsylvania alone with your family before she came here?" "A few years but I don't see what you're getting at." Kevyn replied. "In order for her to have survived your family, she had to have been strong. She is shy and she is very unsure of herself but there is strength in her that on occasion shows itself usually when she doesn't think about it." Nathan said. Kevyn thought about what Nathan said and realized that he was right and wondered why she didn't see it. "You were and are too close to the situation." Nathan said answering her unspoken question. "Can I ask a question?" "Of course." "Can't I say anything to her? We've never had that time where sisters talk about boyfriends and things like that." Nathan blew out a breath before he replied. "Alright, will it help if I tell you what I'm planning?" Nathan asked. Kevyn listened as Nathan spelled out his plan for telling Louise about the family and then him. "I want her to know about our family before I tell her about us." After listening to Nathan, Kevyn realized that in some ways he knew Louise better than she did. She would never have thought to tell Louise things while preparing a meal, the one thing that she was most at ease with. She could now see how she could have ruined things or at least made them more difficult had she told Louise herself. "It's fine for you to talk about men, me and things like that but please don't tell her any of the things that need to come from me." Nathan said. "What do I say if she asks?" "Tell her the truth." Nathan replied, "Refer her to me and tell her that she can ask me anything. I plan to tell her the same thing tonight." "Alright and thanks for talking with me but I have something that I want to say to you." She waited for him to indicate that he was listening, when she saw that he was, she continued. "I know that you care for Louise and I know that you wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt her but I'm warning you that if you hurt her even unintentionally, vampire or not, your ass is mine." Nathan gave her a solemn nod and then he spoke. "I more than care for your sister, I love her and I would do anything and I do mean anything to ensure her safety and her happiness just as my uncle would do anything for you. If I fail in any way then you have my blessing to kick my ass and I will do nothing to stop you." Nathan replied. "Just so you understand." Kevyn said, "Louise is an innocent but she is far from stupid and more intuitive than you know." "I know and that's what I'm counting on." Nathan replied with a smile. "Come and get it!" Patrick called from the kitchen ending their conversation but they had a good understanding and respect for each other. "Snack" consisted of a breakfast casserole that had a crust made of biscuits that was topped with bacon, onions, mushrooms, and peppers and then topped with cheese with whipped eggs poured over the top. Kevyn and Louise each ate a small piece and watched as Patrick and Nathan demolished the casserole and looked for more. "You can't be serious!" Louise said as she watched the men split the last piece of the casserole. "How do you not get fat?" "Genetics." Nephew and Uncle said in unison. Louise looked from one to the other and didn't believe them. Before he left, Nathan pulled Louise aside. "I want you to know that you can ask me anything and I won't lie to you but be prepared to hear the truth when you ask. Louise started to ask a question and changed her mind. Instead, she thanked him for the movie. "You're welcome and I'll call you later." Nathan said as she kissed her on the cheek. ********* Barb woke up early, took a shower and ordered breakfast. She was more than a little disgruntled that she hadn't heard from Kevyn or Louise. She decided that if she hadn't heard from them by the time breakfast was over, she would call them and demand that they get their asses to the hotel pronto. They had some explaining to do. Barb picked at her breakfast when it was delivered, her anger ruining her appetite. Instead of finishing her breakfast, she called Kevyn's cell phone number. Her anger grew when it went to voice mail and she called Louise's number and got the same result. Barb stared at the phone in disbelief. Of the two of them Louise was the one who always answered her phone and usually by the second ring. "Where in the hell are they?" Barb muttered. Kevyn she could understand, she was probably still in bed with that gorgeous rich man of hers but Louise? Where would she be this early and why wasn't she answering her phone? The thought that anyone could be interested in Louise never crossed Barb's mind. To her, Louise was a little mouse whose place in the world was... she didn't really have a place. She didn't see Louise as a wife or a mother; she was just Louise. A tap at the door made Barb jump. "Who is it?" she called through the door as she looked through the peephole. "Ollie ma'am, Hans asked me to stop by and see if you needed anything." "I'm fine, where's Hans? I want to go out." "I am at your disposal for the day ma'am." Ollie called back. He didn't want anything to so with the woman who already had the reputation of being a bitch and she hadn't been at the hotel for twenty-four hours. "I'll be ready in an hour." Barb snapped. "Finally..." she muttered as she dressed for her shopping trip under the impression that she would be allowed to spend some of Patrick and Kevyn's money. She carefully applied her makeup, took out her best outfit for a day of shopping, and got dressed. Exactly one hour later, Ollie was at the door. He led her to the front of the hotel and told her to wait out front while he got the car. A few minutes later, a blue 2009 Hyundai pulled up. At first, Barb dismissed the car thinking that it was for someone else, her mouth dropped open when Ollie got out of the car, ran to the passenger side and opened the door for her. Barb stared at the car in disbelief. The thought that maybe Patrick wasn't anywhere near as rich as she thought he was crossed her mind but then she remembered the rental car that he drove and that he had picked up all of the expenses for the funeral. "What are you up to Kevyn Morris?" Barb whispered. "Ma'am?" Ollie called. "Coming!" Barb snapped. Ollie helped her into the car not really wanting to touch her but he reminded himself that he was being well paid to keep the woman safe and to take her wherever she wanted to go including lunch, which had a thirty-dollar price limit. From what he could see, the woman didn't even deserve a meal at a fast food restaurant but that wasn't for him to say. "Where would you like to go?" Ollie asked when he was in the car. "Where all of the expensive shops are." Barb replied wishing that she knew where Kevyn shopped now that she had money. "As you wish." Ollie said and headed to downtown LA. Barb went into the first shop she saw, browsed for almost an hour before she picked a brightly colored red scarf. As she browsed, she made sure to mention the Sinclaire name to the clerk several times. She took the scarf to the counter, set it down and waited for the clerk to ring up her purchase. "That will be eighty dollars ma'am, will you be paying with cash or credit?" "Didn't you hear who I was related to?" Barb asked. "Yes ma'am, several times." the clerk replied. "Then please but this on his account." Barb said, "He won't mind." "First of all, Mr. Sinclaire doesn't have an account with us." The woman said stiffly, "second of all, even if he did, we would need approval from him before we would apply anything to his account, so will this be cash or charge?" Instead of answering, Barb turned around and walked out. When she was outside, her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Kevyn. "Kevyn? What in the hell is going on?" "What do you mean?" Kevyn asked. "The second rate hotel, having to catch a cab from the airport, the car..." "What's the problem?" Kevyn asked, "You're the one who showed up early and if you will recall, I told you to stay home but you showed up anyway instead of waiting for an invitation. If you don't like your accommodations, you do have options. You could pay for an upgrade or you can go back home, the choice is yours and before you give me that crap about a rich white man, can it. I don't want to hear it. I only called to say that we'll see you tonight for dinner." Barb was speechless. She really thought that she would be wined and dined and that she could wheedle her way into staying with Kevyn and her man thus meeting the other men of the family. She bit back a retort and changed the subject to dinner. "What time?" "Seven." Kevyn replied, "And don't dress up." Barb's hopes were dashed again. She was planning to wear the clingy little black dress that she wore only when she was hoping to meet someone. "Fine are you coming to get me or do I need to catch a cab?" Barb asked sarcastically. "Patrick and I will be there at seven." Kevyn replied her voice filled with amusement that wasn't missed by Barb. "Fine." she said and hung up. Not one to give up, she asked Ollie to take her to store where Patrick held an account. He didn't argue with her as he helped her into the car. The bitch was in for another rude awakening. Ollie pulled up to the valet parking area of ' Bloomington's', got out, handed the keys to the valet and helped Barb out of the car. She looked at the store, nodded at Ollie and went in prepared to spend Patrick's money. She shopped until she found a blouse that she liked that retailed for one hundred dollars. She then found the purse that she had seen on the website and had wanted since she first saw it. It retailed for more than the blouse did by fifty dollars. She went up to the counter and gave the clerk a polite smile. "Hello! My name is Barbara Simpson and Patrick Sinclaire is my brother-in -law." The woman didn't reply but waited for Barb to hand her the items that she wanted to purchase. "I understand that he has an account here and I would like these things put on his account." Barb said as she handed the items to the clerk. "I see, what did you say your name was?" "Barbara Simpson but it may be under Barbara Yancy Simpson." The woman logged on to the computer, pulled up Patrick's name and read through the list. "I'm sorry ma'am but your name isn't on this list." "What? Let me see!" Barb demanded as she tried to turn the computer screen toward her. The clerk grabbed the screen and held on to it. "I'm sorry but you can't see the list, it's confidential." "Then look again!" The clerk looked repeatedly told Barb that she wasn't on the list. "You're not on the list so how would you like to pay for these?" Barb's face burned with fury as she demanded to speak with a manager. When the manager came out, he asked Barb what the problem was. "I am a sister to Patrick Sinclaire! You do know who he is don't you?" she snapped. "Of course, but what's the problem?" Barb explained what the problem was as she saw it. "I want you to call him right now!" she demanded knowing that she was being unreasonable but not caring. This was another classic case where something that she wanted was being denied her because she didn't have money. The manager gave Barb a polite smile and looked at the computer monitor looking for her name. "I'm sorry Ms. Simpson but your name isn't on the list and I will not call Mr. Sinclaire. He is well known to us and he always calls us in advance if he wishes to put someone on his accounts." "He might have forgotten! I just got here last night and..." "It doesn't matter." the manager interrupted, "even if you had arrived this morning or if you had just gotten off of the plane, Mr. Sinclaire would have called me on my private number. Now, here are your options, you can purchase the desired items or you can leave them and speak with Mr. Sinclaire when you see him. Is there anything else that we can help you with?" Barb walked away angry and humiliated, vaguely aware that she had brought the humiliation on herself. As she walked out of the store, she wondered if the manager would call Patrick and tell him what happened. She turned back and went into the store. The manager was still at the counter talking with the clerk. "That was interesting." he was saying to the clerk. "Yes, it was... do you think that she really is related to the Sinclaires?" "She could be but her name wasn't on that list." the manager replied. Barb's face burned with embarrassment but she needed to do some damage control. She cleared her throat alerting them to her presence. "Yes? Did you decide to purchase the items?" the manager asked. "Ummm, yes." Barb said although that hadn't been her intent. "And I wanted to apologize for my behavior." "It's forgotten." the manager said as he retrieved the items from below the counter and began to ring them up. "Look," Barb said, "could you do me a favor and not tell Mr. Sinclaire?" "You have my word that this shall remain between us." he assured her. "That will be two-hundred and seventy dollars. Will that be cash or charge?" Barb took her credit card out of her wallet and gave it to manager wincing as he ran it through. Fortunately, it was paid off and had several thousand dollars left on it. The thought that she shouldn't have quit her job occurred to her especially given the way things were going but she convinced herself that things would get better once Kevyn got over being pissed that she showed up unannounced. Ollie was waiting for her by the car when she came out but didn't speak to her, he didn't like this woman who thought that the world owed her. "Take me back to the hotel." Barb said without looking at him. "Bitch." Ollie muttered as he walked to the driver's side of the car. ******** Kevyn hung up and laughed at Barb's reaction to hearing her options. She knew when she said it that Barb wouldn't go home but she wanted to remind her that going home was an option. Her thoughts turned to a more serious subject, Louise. The talk with Nathan had helped tremendously so that wasn't her concern; it was Louise's reaction when Barb made a play for Nathan that concerned her. Even though she couldn't directly address the subject of her and Nathan, she could address the issue of Barb and Nathan. She knew exactly where Louise was. The scent of freshly baked bread filled the entire lower floor of the house making Kevyn's stomach growl. She made her way to the kitchen stopping just outside of it. She could hear Louise talking to someone- presumably Nathan in soft tones. Kevyn smiled when she heard Louise laugh, it was something that she knew Louise did little of but as the days passed, she smiled more easily and became more comfortable with herself. When she heard Louise say goodbye, Kevyn knocked on the door of the kitchen. "Smells good!" she said. "Want a piece?" Louise offered remembering that one of Kevyn's weaknesses was bread hot from the oven and smothered with butter. "Do you have to ask?" Kevyn replied as she walked to a cabinet and took down a plate. "Nope." Louise asked, "The butter's over there." she said as she continued to knead the bread dough for the next batch of bread. Kevyn cut off a large chunk of the bread and smothered it with butter. She moaned in pleasure as the hot bread saturated with herb-seasoned butter touched her tongue. "Oh my god Lou." she gushed as she took another bite and slowly chewed it. "Why are you making so much? Not that I'm complaining." Louise laughed before replying, "Three reasons, you, Patrick and Nathan. I also thought that I would take a loaf or two to Barb tonight." she added. "That's nice of you, she'll like that." Kevyn replied and took the opening into what she wanted to talk about. "Lou, I just want to warn you about tonight. Barb is going to make a play for Nathan you know that don't you?" Lou stopped kneading the bread and looked at Kevyn. "I know." she said softly and then continued kneading the dough. "How do you feel about that?" Kevyn asked. Louise didn't answer for several minutes. It was as if she was debating with herself as to how much she should say. "I shouldn't care but I do." she said. Her voice was filled with a combination of embarrassment and confusion. "Why do you think that you shouldn't care?" Kevyn asked realizing that this was how she could help and not tell Louise anything about what Nathan and his family were. "What good does caring do me?" Louise asked as she put the dough into bread pans so that that could rise. "Lou, do you think that Nathan is just being nice to you?" "Yes and that's why I shouldn't care... he's out of my league." "Oh I see." Kevyn said, "and you think that Barb is better suited for him is that it?" "No, I mean... Kev, what does he want with me?" Louise asked. "I can't answer that but what I can tell you is this, trust your instincts and I'm going to tell you something else." Kevyn said. "People will do to you only what you allow them. I know that when you were at home that the path of least resistance was to be quiet and to go along with the program but Lou, you aren't at home and it's time that you stood up for yourself and that means even to me, Patrick, Nathan and anyone else who tries too push you around." Louise Ch. 04 "You say that now but what happens if you get mad?" Louise asked as she took three loaves of bread out of the oven. "So what if I get mad?" Kevyn replied, "I'll get over it but you will always be my little sister and my best friend." "Best friend?" Louise asked surprised. "Best friend." Kevyn repeated. "You and I have been through a lot together and you have no idea about how often I wished that I had found a way to bring you and mom out here. The times that we talked on the phone were the highlights of my week. What I'm trying to say is that I love you and I'm glad that you're here and by the way, Patrick loves you too so don't ever feel like you're alone, we're here for you." The sisters looked at each other for several seconds and began to cry. Kevyn made the first move and hugged Louise so tightly that she yelped in protest even though she hugged her back "I love you too." Louise said as she pulled away. "How about you help me finish this bread?" ******** Barb took a hot bath and carefully oiled her skin taking care to hit her elbows, knees and feet. She had gotten over her embarrassment over the incident at the store soon after the manager had assured her that he wouldn't call Patrick. At the last moment, she remembered that Ollie had been with her and swore him to secrecy as well. After brushing her teeth, she carefully applied her makeup, fixed her hair and debated as to what she should wear. She eyed the black dress although Kevyn told her not to dress up. Her gaze went to the blood red blouse that she had bought that day and thought that it would look nice with the pair of grey dress slacks that she bought with her. She reached for the blouse but looked at the dress. She knew that there wasn't a chance in hell that Patrick would give her a second look but maybe someone else would. She took the dress from the hangar, looked at it, hung it back up and took the blouse down instead. She gave the dress one more look and closed the closet door. By six-forty-five, she was ready. ********* Louise was dressed casually as was Kevyn and Patrick. Nathan was supposed to pick her up and take her to the restaurant himself but he had been held up at a job site. "Go with Kevyn and Patrick and I'll meet you there." "Okay but if you're too busy..." "I'm never too busy for you." Nathan said. "When you get there could you order an iced tea for extra lemon for me?" "Ok... sure, anything else?" "Since you're asking, a double order of hot wings the extra hot ones and whatever else you think that we'll like. I'll be there before they arrive." Nathan replied. He heard the relief in Louise's voice when he asked her to place the orders. It had been his intent that she know that he was coming. He hung up and looked at the site where he was building their house and looked at the vampire in charge, his eyes filled with anger. "Who did you buy this shit from?" he demanded as he looked at the supplies for the foundation of the house. The vampire took a step back. In all of the time that he had known Nathan, he had never heard him use profanity indicating just how angry he was. "A new business that just opened up." The vampire replied. "I know how much your family likes to support new businesses." "That's true." Nathan said his anger cooling a little, "but businesses that are honest and that sell quality material." he added. "Take this back, get my money back and go to our usual suppliers. When you see the vampire that sold you this... shit... Tell him to expect a visit from me." Nathan left the site, went home to get ready for dinner with Patrick, Kevyn, Louise and the infamous Barb Simpson. He had also come to a decision; tonight he was going to kiss Louise and begin to tell her about his family. It was important to him that he told her that first. That way it would be over and then they could move on. He showered and dressed casually in an outfit not much different from the one he wore when he took Louise to the beach. He brushed his hair and then decided to pull it back clipping it with a dark blue clip that matched the blue of his eyes and shirt. Several minutes later, he was on his way to the restaurant. ********* Barb was waiting in the hotel lobby when Kevyn and Patrick got there. When the car pulled up, she was disappointed to see that although it was a nice car, it didn't come with a driver. She watched as Patrick got out of the car, walked over to the passenger side, opened the door and held out a hand to Kevyn. Jealousy flared as she saw Kevyn take his hand, get out of the car and Patrick kissed her on the temple as if she was the most precious thing in the world. The jealousy grew as she watched him open the back door for Louise, offer his hand to help her out and then kiss her on the cheek. It was obvious that not only did he love Kevyn, but also that he loved Louise as a brother loved a sister. Barb took a deep breath and met them at the door of the hotel lobby. She gave Louise a half-hearted hug, peck on the cheek, and repeated the act with Kevyn. "Patrick, you remember my sister Barb." Kevyn said with a smile, "and Barb I'm sure that you remember Patrick." Patrick assessed Barb with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He didn't like her any more now then he did when he first met her in Pittsburgh. "Welcome to California, I'm assuming that you accommodations are suitable?" Barb started to contradict him but there was something in his voice that gave her pause. "Yes, they're fine. Thank you." she replied not understanding why she was suddenly so nervous around him. "Good, shall we go?" Patrick asked taking Kevyn's hand and leading her to the door. "Wait." Kevyn said. "Barb, I told you not to dress up, do you want to change?" "No, this is fine." Barb snapped and then swallowed when she saw Patrick staring at her. Kevyn shrugged and followed Patrick out to the car. As they walked to the car, Barb stole a glance at Louise. She looked the same but she was somehow different. She seemed more confident in herself. Barb felt it in the hug that Louise had given her and wondered what the cause of the subtle change was. "I made some bread today and I brought you a loaf to snack on in your room." Louise said when they were in the car. For some reason that simple gesture touched Barb and she gave Louise a heart felt thank you. "I've always loved your breads, is the kind with cheese in it?" "No no this time, its cinnamon raisin." Louise replied. "It's in the trunk of the car so let's not forget to get it when we drop you off later tonight." "So where are we going?" Barb asked. "To a seafood place by the ocean, Patrick swears it has the best clam chowder anywhere." Kevyn replied. "Oh..." Barb commented and looked out of the window wondering why they were so darkly tinted. "Alright Lou, "Patrick was saying, "Let's go over the guidelines for our bet. Whoever accurately guesses the ingredients in the clam chowder with the most accuracy get the meal of their choice prepared for everyone by the loser." "Get ready to cook." Louise teased back prompting Barb to look at her. This was a Louise that Barb had never seen before and she wasn't sure of how she felt about it. The increased confidence and the easy way she teased Patrick unsettled her and made her feel like she was on the outside looking in. A memory from long ago rose in her mind, before it could take root, Barb pushed it away. If she allowed the memory to come, it would ruin the rest of the evening more than it was ruined and other memories would surface. "We're here." Patrick said an hour later. Like before, he helped Kevyn out, kissed her temple and then helped Louise out kissing her cheek when she was out of the car. Barb's heart pounded with anticipation of being kissed even if it was on the cheek. Patrick came to her side of the car, opened the door and held out his hand. Barb took it and held it a little longer than necessary in anticipation of the kiss on the cheek. "Are you alright?" Patrick asked pulling his hand away from hers. "Fine." Barb said tersely and walked away without waiting for the others. She didn't stop until she was at the door of the restaurant and even then, she didn't turn around to face them. Patrick reached for the handle and opened the door, "after you." he said politely. Louise followed and then Kevyn with Patrick bringing up the rear. "Patrick Sinclaire! A voice boomed out, "Why didn't you tell me that you were coming and bringing such lovely ladies with you?" "I thought that I would surprise you." Patrick replied hugging the man. "Allow me to make some introductions. This beautiful woman," he said pulling Kevyn close to him and kissing her temple, "is my wife of a few weeks Kevyn. The beautiful young woman next to her is her sister Louise who just moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and might I add that she's one hell of a cook. Standing next to her is Barb Simpson; she is a sister to Kevyn and Louise visiting from Pittsburgh. Ladies, this is Jonesy the maker and creator of the best clam chowder in the world." "Welcome!" Jonesy boomed but his eyes were on Barb who ignored him. "I have on of the back rooms open unless you need more space." "That's perfect," Patrick said as he slapped the man on the back. "Its good to see you again." "You too my friend. I have a couple of new creations that I want you to try out." Jonesy replied as he began to lead them to a room in the back. When they were seated, he took their drink and appetizer orders. "Nathan wants a double order of the extra hot hot wings and an iced tea with lemon." Louise said softly. She was very self-conscious but became even more so when she felt Barb's eyes on her. "That's all he wants?" Patrick asked surprised. "He told me to order anything else that he thought that we might like." she replied. "Then go for it." Patrick encouraged. "Ummm... potato skins and the blooming onion. And I'll have an iced tea with lemon too." Patrick ordered two of the sampler appetizer plates, a beer for him and a strawberry daiquiri for Kevyn. "Light on the alcohol and a couple of pitchers of water with lemon in them. Barb, what would you like to drink?" Patrick asked. "Long island iced tea please." Barb replied. "Your drinks will be here in a few minutes." Jonesy said his eyes glued to Barb's face and then leaving it when she refused to look at him. After they were alone, Barb started asking Louise questions. "Who is Nathan and why am I just hearing his name?" Kevyn started to answer but Patrick squeezed her hand and spoke to her telepathically. "It's time for her to start standing on her own. If it gets to be too much for her then we'll step in until Nathan gets here." Kevyn gave his hand a squeeze back but was ready to jump in if she had too. ******* Louise found herself unprepared for the question even though she should have known better. She heard the curious but slightly jealous tone in Barb's voice when she asked the question and felt the emotions behind it. She was surprised to feel her own jealousy rise when she understood why Barb was asking the question. "Nathan is Patrick's nephew." Louise replied. "He's been nice enough to show me around a little." "Does he do private tours of the area?" Barb asked. "I...." "Hello everyone!" Nathan said as he walked in. Barb had to remind herself not to let her jaw drop as she looked up at Nathan. Her jaw did drop as she watched Nathan sit next to Louise, put an arm around her and pull her close to him. "I'm sorry that I'm late sweetheart." he said as he kissed her temple. "It's ok." Louise said, "The drinks aren't here yet." "Good," Nathan replied as he looked at Barb as if seeing her for the first time. "You must be Barb, I'm Nathan Sinclaire." Barb was speechless, just how in the hell did someone like Louise hook up with someone who looked like and was obviously rich as Nathan Sinclaire? "It's nice to meet you; I was just asking Louise why I haven't heard your name before now." Barb asked recovering from her shock. Louise felt Barb's intentions but didn't know what to do about it; after all, she had no claims on him. She watched helplessly as Barb began to flirt with Nathan in spite of what she had just seen. A thought began to form in the back of Louise's mind but she pushed it away. It wouldn't come back until dinner was almost over. All through dinner, Barb kept stealing glances at Nathan. It was obvious to her that Louise had feelings for him even if she hadn't admitted to it and that made him fair game. She became frustrated when he dodged the questions about his personal life only telling her that he was an architect among other things. "You must be very smart... I was never good at math or art." Barb cooed now completely oblivious to the fact that Kevyn and Patrick were glaring at her and that Louise was miserable. "Are you busy tomorrow? I would love a tour of the area." Kevyn watched the scene becoming angrier by the minute at the blatant flirtation and attempt by Barb to steal Nathan away from Louise. Once again, she almost said something and once again Patrick stopped her with a squeeze of his hand. "I'm sorry that I can't take you on the tour but I'm sure that we could find someone who does that sort of thing." Nathan replied smoothly. He was keenly aware that Louise was upset and what made it worse was that she didn't understand why. "Oh... maybe another time then?" Barb asked her voice filled with just a hint of a promise of things to come if he would agree to take her on the tour. "For crying out loud!" Louise finally snapped. "What part of he's busy do you need to have explained to you? He said that he couldn't take you on a tour!" As soon as she said it, she retreated into herself; she left the table and went in search of the bathroom. Once there she washed her face with cold water grateful that she didn't wear makeup. "Lou?" Kevyn called as she walked into the bathroom. "Are you ok?" "What's wrong with me?" Louise asked, "Why did I snap at her like that?" It dawned on Kevyn that as good as Louise was at dealing with the feelings of others, she wasn't good at dealing with her own. She hugged her and did the only thing that she could do, she offered comfort and positive reinforcement. "Lou, you just said what all of us was thinking and to be honest, I'm glad that it was you who spoke up." "But I was so rude..." "No, Barb was and she deserved to be put in her place." They stayed in the bathroom for a few minutes longer and went back to the table to see that Barb had moved so that she was sitting in Lou's chair and that Nathan wasn't in the least bit pleased by it. "Please go back to your own seat, Louise will be returning shortly." He said as they walked up. "She can sit over there, she won't mind, it's not as if you two are involved." Barb replied ignoring the angry stares that were coming from Patrick and Nathan. Before Louise knew what she was doing, she walked up to the table, looked at Barb and spoke in a firm voice that she thought only she could hear. "Get away from him!" Four pairs of eyes staring at her was the last thing that Louise remembered seeing as she fainted. Louise Ch. 05 Nathan was the first to move catching Louise before she hit the floor. Patrick was next and then Kevyn all of them seeming to forget about Barb for the moment. Nathan sat in a chair with an unconscious Louise in his lap and began to talk to her. "Come on sweetheart, wake up.," he said as Kevyn wiped her face with a napkin that she had moistened with cold water. Nathan took the napkin and continued trying to rouse Louise while Kevyn went to find Jonesy to get a cloth. "What's wrong with her?" Barb asked drawing attention herself and trying to ignore the massive headache that had suddenly appeared right behind her eyes. Patrick stared at her with flashing blue eyes but said nothing; she was for Nathan to deal with. Nathan stopped talking to Louise and gave Barb a look that made her blood run cold. She had the feeling that if it were not for the fact that he was holding Louise in his lap that he would have been her face. "Is she alright?" she asked. "Shut up!" Kevyn said in response to the question as she applied a bag of ice wrapped in a towel to Louise's forehead. "Lou honey wake up." Nathan said again as he readjusted her in his lap. "I have a right...." "Shut the hell up!" Nathan snarled at her. Barb's headache seemed to increase and the room began to spin. She lay her head down on the table and wondered if anyone would notice that she wasn't doing so well. To her disgust, no one seemed to notice and continued fawning over Louise. Ten minutes later, Louise was awake and embarrassed not only because she fainted but also because she was sitting in Nathan's lap. "Oh my god! I'm sorry, I'm alright now, you can let me up" she said as she tried to get out of Nathan's lap. All of them with the exception of Barb noticed how pale she looked and how shaky and thin her voice sounded when she spoke. "Are you thirsty?" Nathan asked as he held her in place. "Yes... very." Louise replied. Nathan handed her his glass of iced tea and asked Kevyn to get several large glasses of soda. By the time Kevyn got back, Louise had downed her glass of iced tea as well as Nathan's and most of a pitcher of water. "Here, drink this." Nathan said as he put a glass of cola to her lips. Three glasses of soda later, Louise looked much better and her voice was stronger. "What happened?" she asked as she climbed out of Nathan's lap. "You fainted." Nathan replied as he helped her from his lap to her chair. Barb moved without being told to even though her head pounded and she felt nauseated. Louise had asked a good question, what in the hell had happened? She was talking to Nathan and then wham! Louise was yelling at her and the next thing she knew, Nathan had Louise in his lap. "I think its time to call this evening over." Patrick said dryly as she looked at Barb. "Why? She said that she's alright." Barb said. "Are you ready to go?" Patrick asked Kevyn completely ignoring Barb. "Yes, let's go, I think that Lou needs her bed. Nathan, we'll meet you at the house after we drop Barb off." Kevyn said. "Come on! It's only nine and she's fine! She only fainted. Ask her if she wants to go." Barb said her headache still there but she still wasn't ready for the night to end. "What about it sweetheart?" Nathan asked, "Would you like to stay? "No, I'm really tired." Louise replied, "I'm sorry Barb but I need to go home" "Are you serious?" Barb asked. "So we'll meet you at home then." Kevyn said. "That sounds like a plan." Nathan said not replying to Barb. "Hey! I'm still here!" Barb said loud enough that everyone looked at her. "I see that and I wish that you weren't." Nathan said softly as he stood up and held out his hand to Louise, "come on sweetheart let's go." Barb watched as Louise took Nathan's hand and allowed herself to be led away. Patrick left to pay the bill and to get the car leaving Kevyn and Barb alone for a few minutes. "So is she sick or something?" Barb asked. "No." "Then why did she faint like that?" "What in the hell is wrong with you?" Kevyn asked. "What are you talking about?" Barb asked, "I was just having fun." "At Lou's expense." Kevyn snapped. "And don't sit there and tell me that you were just having fun! I've seen you at work remember? I'm going to say this once, stay away from Nathan Sinclaire." Barb was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered. "Tell me something," she said. "Do you really think that someone like him is seriously interested in someone like her? I mean she's my sister and I love her but come on Kev, really?" It was Kevyn's turn to be shocked. She had always known that Barb was shallow and self-absorbed but to say what she just said was unbelievable. "I have to admit that you caught me off guard with your feelings about Louise." Kevyn said. "But in answer to your question, my reply is yes. It is very possible that someone like Nathan Sinclaire could be interested in Louise. Because she's special, always has been, and contrary to what you believe, she's beautiful and she's strong. I made the mistake of thinking that she needed protection but as Nathan pointed out to me, she didn't. I'm also realizing just how petty and miserable you must be in order to do what you did tonight. Enjoy the rest of your stay and if I were you, I'd start begging for my job back and I'd call Gene to ask if you can stay at the house with him." "What? You can't be serious!" "I am and you know what? I should have left your ass at the airport and bought you a one way ticket back home but I didn't because you are my sister for better or worse and I love you but I don't have to like you." "All of this because I played footsie with a single man?" "Who you knew was and is interested in our sister!" Kevyn snapped. "This isn't fucking grade school or high school! This is Lou's life that we're talking about and I won't have you or anyone else screwing with it and that includes me." Kevyn's eyes never left Barb's face as she heard Patrick speak to her. "I'm out front with the car." She stood up and walked away not caring if Barb was following her or not. Jonesy nodded and smiled at her as she passed him and she realized that he wasn't human but he wasn't vampire either. She heard him speak to Barb but didn't hear the reply that she imagined would have been a sarcastic one if she answered at all. Patrick was leaning against the car waiting for them to come out. Kevyn walked into his arms and laid her head on his chest. She was worried about Louise and Nathan had nothing to do with it. Barb came out a minute later, stopped at a trashcan and threw something in it. Neither Patrick nor Kevyn spoke as she opened the car door and got in. The drive back to the hotel was quiet, when they arrived; Patrick got out of the car and helped Barb out without speaking to her. When she tried to say something, he silenced her with a look and walked away. ********** Louise laid her head against the headrest of the car and closed her eyes. She had never fainted before in her life. Her face burned when she remembered coming to sitting in Nathan's lap and in a public place no less. "I'm sorry that I ruined the evening." she said. "You didn't do anything wrong." Nathan assured her, "You fainted, it could have happened to anyone." "But I've never fainted before! I felt fine and then...." "Louise, what happened before you fainted?" Nathan asked. "I don't remember." Louise replied. "It's alright." Nathan said as he reached over and held her hand. "Close your eyes and rest, we'll talk later." Suddenly, she was so tired and the idea of sleep sounded good. When she woke up, Nathan was parking the car in front of the house. She waited until Nathan came to help her out of the car, she was feeling a little woozy and all she wanted to do was lie down. Nathan scooped her up in his arms shushing her when she started to object. He carried her up to her suite, laid her on the bed and took off her shoes. Louise stared at him not sure of what to think. The only males that had ever been in her room were her brothers or her dad. She watched him disappear into the bathroom and heard the tub running. Surely, he didn't think that she was going to take a bath with him in the room with her! "I ran a bath for you." Nathan said when he came out of the bathroom. "Take your time and if you feel up to it, we'll talk. I'll be downstairs." He bent down, kissed her temple, and left the room. Louise lay on the bed for another few minutes before getting up and heading to the bathroom undressing once she got there. She got into the tub amazed that it was at the perfect temperature and that the right amount of oil had been put in. She slid down, let the hot water cover her shoulders and turned on the jets. She closed her eyes and replayed the evening in her head trying to pinpoint what happened that she fainted. She remembered getting irate... no angry when Barb kept after Nathan about taking her on a tour of the city. She blushed when she recalled the tone that she had used with her, it was just so unlike her and there was what happened after the bathroom... seeing Barb trying to snuggle up against Nathan was simply too much. She remembered thinking but not saying "Get away from him." but she must have said it if the way they all looked at her was anything to go by and then she woke up in Nathan's lap and he was very angry but not at her. She turned off the jets, climbed out of the tub and lotioned her skin before putting on clean underclothes and a sweat suit; she was not going to talk to Nathan in her pajamas. She opened her bedroom door and sniffed the air. Someone was cooking. While he waited for Louise, Nathan whipped eggs for an omelet and lined the ingredients on the counter. He revamped his plan a bit; he wanted to know all about her before he told her the unpleasant truth about his family. As soon as he heard the tub shut off, he waited ten minutes and began to prepare the omelets. He was just adding the bacon, cooked onions and cheese when she walked in. "It smells good but how can you be hungry again?" she asked. "All of us eat a lot." Nathan replied, "I took the liberty of slicing some of the bread you made, I hope that you don't mind it's delicious." "Nope, it's what it's there for... how do you guys not get fat?" Nathan shrugged and changed the subject. "Tell me about your life." *********** Barb stomped around the room furious at how the evening had turned out. Not only did Kevyn have a rich man eating out of her hand, so did Louise and she didn't understand that any more than she understood why Kevyn was so pissed off. However, Kevyn wasn't the only one, Patrick and Nathan were just as angry at her and she hadn't done anything wrong. Her headache had gone down to a dull throb that would be gone by morning. She never had headaches although her mother, Juliette and Louise were sometimes plagued with them. It was the suddenness and the intensity of the headache and the words that Louise shouted at her that alarmed her "Get away from him!" flashed across Barb's mind. She had never heard Louise speak with such force, it surprised but hadn't frightened her, after all, it was only Louise. What did frighten her was the look in Nathan's eyes when Louise fainted, he was holding her responsible but from her point of view, it wasn't her fault. Lou needed to learn that there were women in the world that could snatch Nathan from her without batting an eye and the fact that she was her sister wouldn't stop her from doing exactly that. She really did love shy, sweet Louise but she loved money more. Barb undressed, hung up her clothes and ran the bathtub already making the decision not to take Kevyn's advice. She wasn't going back to Pittsburgh with its cold winters. There was nothing left for her there other than family and she still had three weeks to land either Nathan Sinclaire or another man who would be capable of supporting her in the lifestyle in which she craved and felt that she deserved. When the tub was ready, Barb poured in a capful of baby oil and got in. She thought about her next move and knew that it would be in her best interest to leave Kevyn and Louise alone for a day or two, which meant that she couldn't work on Nathan but there was no help for it. She stayed in the tub until the water was luke warm and oiled her skin that was a few shades lighter than Kevyn's taking time to examine it for flaws. She mentally compared her looks with Louise and her other sisters and came to the same conclusion that she always did, she-Barb was the best looking of all of the sisters everyone said so. What she conveniently omitted that following that statement came the words "stuck up bitch". As she got ready to settle in for the night, she remembered the bread in the trunk of Patrick's car and cursed. She could almost taste the slice of bread warmed in the microwave and wished that she had some way to get it. Then she remembered Hans who was supposed to be at her disposal at night. He could go get the bread for her while she called down to the kitchen for a container of real butter and not the cheap stuff that they had grown up with. She picked up the phone and called Hans. "Yes Madame?" he asked answering on the first ring. "I need you to do something for me." Barb said. "I am at your disposal." "I want you to go to Mr. Sinclaire's house and get me a loaf of bread." There was a second of surprised silence. "Excuse me?" Hans asked not sure if he had heard her correctly. "You heard me!" Barb snapped feeling that it was well within her rights to talk to him however she wished. "Yes I heard you." Hans confirmed, "But we have bread here, what kind would you like?" "I want the bread that my sister made and it's at Patrick's house now go get it!" Barb screamed into the phone. There was a moment of silence and then a soft but angry growl. Barb pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it for a few seconds. When she put it back to her ear, Hans was talking. "I understand what you want but I cannot comply." "Why not? You just said that you were at my disposal!" Barb snapped. "That is true for anything except for that." Hans replied rapidly losing patience. "I demand that you do it now and as a matter of fact, take me over there. I want to see where he lives." Hans rolled his eyes, took a deep breath and continued speaking to Barb in what he hoped was a patient tone. "I can't do that, Mr. Sinclaire is very private and does not like uninvited guests just appearing on his doorstep." "Uninvited... I am not an uninvited guest! He's going to marry my sister!" "Has he invited you to his home?" Hans asked. "No...." "Then you would be an uninvited guest. Is there anything else that I can help you with?" he asked. "NO!" Barb screamed and slammed the phone into the cradle. Hans looked at the calendar and crossed off another day as he murmured, "two days down, and nineteen to go." After he did that, he called everyone in the hotel and alerted him or her not to take Barb to Patrick's house for any reason unless otherwise instructed. "And for god's sake don't even hint about where they live." he added as an after thought. ******** Kevyn and Patrick saw Nathan's car parked in the front of the house and slipped in through the back. Kevyn had the feeling that they were probably in the kitchen and didn't want to disturb them. The other thing was she was so angry that there was no way that she could have kept it from Louise. She still couldn't get over the way Barb had acted and the blatant show of disrespect that she showed not just Louise but all of them. Part of her wanted to go back to the hotel and beat some sense into Barb. However, a part of her felt sorry for her as well. "Are you alright?" Patrick asked. "I will be." Kevyn replied. "What was that thing that Louise did and was that why she fainted?" Patrick told Kevyn about what happened at the movie theater, which only made her angry all over again. "It's one thing to tell me that that I can't interfere with her and Nathan; I understand and agree that whatever happens between them should remain between them but this you should have told me about! It has absolutely nothing to do with their relationship! Why didn't you say something?" "I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure until tonight. I thought that maybe it was a fluke of some kind and now I know that it isn't. You're right, I should have said something and I'm sorry." Kevyn took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "Tell me what you're thinking and I mean everything." she said as she sat down on the bed. She noticed the glitter in Patrick's eyes as he moved toward her. "Stop right there." she said firmly, "You don't get off that easy so talk." Patrick grinned at her, sat next to her on the bed and explained his theory. "We know that Louise is an empath, a strong one at that but I think that there's more to it. I think that she can make people feel whatever she's thinking and some of us can hear her. The men at the theater and what happened tonight supports that theory." Patrick said. "Let's start with the movie. There was no way that Louise could physically move those men so in a panic she did something to make the man move. What it was I don't know but it was painful. At first, I thought that Nathan had done something but the man was already in pain when we go there. You were on the phone and didn't realize that there was a problem not long before we did so that left Louise who by the way seemed oblivious to the fact that she had done anything to the man. Now let's look at tonight, Barb kept insisting that Nathan take her for a tour even though he repeatedly and in any number of ways told her no. Barb openly flirted with Nathan and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what she wanted. Then we have Louise who is feeling the pull toward Nathan but doesn't understand it...." "She felt threatened." Kevyn said not objecting as Patrick stroked a breast through her shirt. "Exactly but to be more exact, she thought that Nathan was being threatened but not in a physical sense." Patrick replied. "She tried to warn Barb away by snapping at her but then felt contrite, goes to the bathroom comes back and see her sister all but in the lap of her mate. She did the same thing she did at the movie theater; she reacted and pushed back. We all heard her including Barb who thinks that Louise actually spoke the words." Kevyn was beginning to understand. "She fainted because she expended a lot of psychic energy, that's why she needed the sugar from the soda." "Louise is always using psychic energy even if she doesn't know it which explains why she doesn't see what she does as anything unusual; it's a natural extension of who she is as a person." Patrick said, "she is so used to it that it doesn't bother her but to do what she did the in the past two days used more energy than she has ever used before. I think that she was always able to do what she did but has never been in a situation where she or someone she cared about was threatened." "What does this mean for her and will Barb have any long term effects from what happened?" Kevyn asked. "Now that we're sure of what's happening, Nathan will teach her how to manage it. The older she gets the stronger the gift will become but her endurance will grow along with it. As far as Barb goes, she probably has one hell of a headache. That was quite a psychic slap upside the head that Lou gave her. The question that I have is why Barb was able to hear her. Is your family psychically sensitive? Patrick asked, as his hand made its way under Kevyn's shirt and skimmed across the bare skin of her stomach. Louise Ch. 05 "I don't know... mom sometimes knew things and she talked about her grandmother, our great- grandmother who was supposed to have been able to tell the future." Kevyn replied sighing as a hand covered her bra-covered breast. "Why do you ask?" "I'm just curious." Patrick replied. "You were gifted when I found you and so was Louise. It wouldn't surprise me if other members of your family are gifted as well which is why Barb could hear Louise." "So what do we do?" Kevyn asked as she moved closer to Patrick. "Nothing for the time being. Nathan will look after Lou and I'll look after you." Patrick said as he lifted Kevyn's shirt, bent down and kissed her belly making her giggle. "Fine but no more keeping things from me, are we agreed?" "I agree and sweetheart, I am sorry." Patrick replied kissing her belly again and then laying his head on her breast. Seconds later, they were naked and a nipple was in his mouth. He gently chewed on it careful not to cause pain as his hand trailed down her stomach not stopping until it rested on her mound. He loved the fact that she was already wet for him, slipped a finger between her lips, and pressed against her clit knowing that she was going to come. The first orgasm of the day was always quick for the both of them and then they took their times until one of them, usually Kevyn, fell asleep from exhaustion. The other part of their lovemaking was Patrick taking a time out to tell thank her for accepting him and his family as flawed as they were and always ending with how much he loved her. At first, Kevyn tried to stop him but soon gave up when she realized how important the ritual as she called it was to him. As Patrick rubbed and sucked her to orgasm, she stroked his cock with long, slow but firm strokes listening to his moans to tell her how close he was. When he took a sharp intake of breath, she began to stroke harder and faster. At the very last minute, Patrick would move away, climb on top of her and be inside of her just before he came. As usual, Kevyn fell asleep first leaving Patrick awake to think about what they were going to do about Barb. He knew that as angry as Kevyn and Louise were with her they wouldn't send her back to Pittsburgh knowing that she had no job but they didn't want her staying here permanently any more than he did. She had only been in town for two days and was already wearing on everyone's nerves. He had already gotten several calls from the hotel full of complaints about her treatment of the staff. The time for a talk was drawing near but in the meantime, he snuggled tight against Kevyn and fell asleep. ******** Louise watched as Nathan finished cooking the biggest omelet that she had ever seen. She knew without being told that it would take several minutes for it to cook simply because of its size. She hadn't responded to his request that she tell him about her life and as far as she was concerned, there was really nothing to say about it. Nathan sensing her reticence put her to work. "Why don't you start slicing some more bread?" he asked. "What kind?" Louise asked grateful for something to do. "How about some of each? The omelet should be ready in a few more minutes." "So you're the youngest." Nathan said when she started cutting the bread. "I wasn't until my brother died." "If I may ask, how did he die?" "The complications of diabetes, he was on the list but you know how that goes." "I'm sorry." Nathan said meaning it. "It's alright, I still miss him though." "You've had a difficult life, who cared for you?" Nathan asked watching her out of the corner of his eye. "What do you mean?" she asked, "I took care of myself and mom with Kevyn's help." "I understand but who helped you? Kevyn was here in California." Louise hesitated and changed the subject, she didn't want to talk about them or Pittsburgh, and it was bad enough that Barb was here. Nathan noticed and let it drop; she didn't trust him enough yet. The cooking helped to relax her but it wasn't quite enough. She needed to see what he was feeling for her and he was just going to have to have faith that she wouldn't go running off. "The omelets ready." he said as he slid it onto a large serving platter. "Can you grab the forks?" Louise took two forks out of the drawer, grabbed the plate of sliced bread and brought it to the counter where Nathan was waiting with the food. He pulled a stool out for her and sat only after she was sitting and put the plate between them and took a fork. "Eat up." he said digging in. Louise ate less than a quarter of the huge omelet and watched Nathan finish it off as well as the last slice of bread. She got up to clean up the dirty dishes and he stopped her. "Let me, it's about time you allow someone to care for you." As he said it, he let his shields drop just a little and he touched her hand in a manner that wasn't in any way platonic. Louise's mouth went dry and her heart rate picked up. That annoying but pleasant throbbing was back and she squirmed on the stool. She watched Nathan as he cleaned up the kitchen and wanted to know why he was being so nice to her. "Can I ask you a question?" Nathan stopped working and gave her his complete attention. "You can ask or tell me anything you want, I will never lie to you nor will I ridicule you ." he replied. "Why are you being so nice to me? You hardly know me and I'm hardly your type." Whether she was aware of it or not, she just told Nathan that on some level she had been thinking about him in terms other than friendship, her mental outburst at dinner confirmed it. "And what is my type?" he asked lightly interested in her answer. "I don't know... that woman at the restaurant and...." She couldn't bring herself to say Barb's name. Even thinking about how she had acted at dinner made her angry. Nathan noticed but didn't address it but he would address her concept of what she thought his type was. He put the last dish in the dishwasher and sat beside her at the counter. "Aside from the fact that I had a brief relationship with that woman, why do you think that she's my type?" Louise blushed, wishing that she hadn't asked the question and tried to back out of it. "Never mind, what I should have said is thank you." Nathan wasn't about to let it go. "You're welcome but you asked a question that I would like to answer if you would let me." "Okay... but you don't have to." she replied. "I want to." Nathan replied taking her hand in his and stroking the knuckles slowly. Then he had a thought, "Louise, how honest do you want me to be?" "Honest." she replied her heart pounding. "Are you sure?" Nathan asked still stroking her knuckles. Louise nodded her head not trusting herself to speak. "I'm not just being nice to you and I think that you know that. You're right in that the woman at the restaurant is beautiful and so are your sisters for that matter but you are more beautiful than all of them put together. There is a gentleness and kindness about you that I have rarely seen. Your concern about that elderly woman in Pittsburgh bears that out. The fact that you made bread and made a kind that you knew your sister Barb likes is another case in point. In spite of how she has treated you, you are still kind to her. As I told you before, I don't think that anyone other than Kevyn and then my uncle realized what a jewel you are. You also have a strength about you that you don't realize is there and it shows itself when needed, like tonight with Barb." Louise listened to how Nathan saw her and didn't see herself in the same light, she wasn't beautiful... she was just her. "I like being with you and watching the excitement and energy that you show when you cook. Louise, I like you. Women like your sister Barb are only looking for someone to care for them and they don't want to give anything in return. You aren't like that and neither is Kevyn who by the way loves you very much, talk to her about anything that you wish, me included." Nathan slowly brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it before turning it over to kiss the palm while watching her reaction. He paused when he saw that she was holding her breath. "Breathe sweetheart." He said and then repeated the command when she didn't immediately comply. He was about to repeat the command when she let out the breath that she had been holding with a whoosh. Realizing that she was overwhelmed Nathan abandoned the idea of kissing her that night. "You're tired, go to bed and I'll call you later." Louise nodded, she was tired and the vibes that she was getting from Nathan were unsettling. She needed some time alone to sort through her thoughts; she needed to talk to someone with a lot more experience with men than she had. She needed her sister. Nathan walked her to her room still holding her hand; he wanted to kiss her so badly that he almost did. Instead, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, wished her a good rest and walked away already missing her. ********** After hanging up, Barb said a string of curses that would have done her Uncle Wesley proud. Not once, since she thought about the bread did she think about Louise and how she was but what she did think about was Nathan Sinclaire. She had already forgotten the anger in his eyes when he looked he looked at her or the angry tone in his voice when he spoke to her and she had forgotten the strong way in which Louise had commanded her away from him. She wasn't taking any of it seriously including Kevyn's threat to send her back to Pittsburgh. She convinced herself by later in the day, everyone would have cooled off. Feeling better, she turned on the television, took a snack out of the fridge and lay on the bed with no intentions of falling asleep. She woke up two hours later, her face wet with tears. She had dreamt the dream that she hadn't dreamt in months and wondered what had precipitated it. She went to the bathroom, washed her face without looking in the mirror and went back to bed. She began to think about their childhood. She still rememembered each first day of school with clarity, the being teased because she was wearing the hand me downs from Kevyn and on occasion her brothers. She remembered paging through the catalogues and marking the outfits that she wanted for the new school year and becoming angry when she was told that she couldn't have any of them. The reasons for the denial didn't matter but what did was that she would face another year of teasing. It had never occurred to her that all of them were going through the same thing and that even Kevyn was wearing the hand me downs that were given to her by their cousins or that their parents did without so that they could have a roof over their heads and food to eat. She didn't remember their father working two jobs and coming home from work so exhausted that he practically dropped but he always spent time with them even if it was an hour. Victor Yancy believed in family and caring for them to the best of his ability. Welfare or any kind of public assistance was out of the question and in Barb's estimation would have been worse than having to wear hand me downs. She spent her entire school career trying to fit in with a group that she had no hope of fitting in with simply because of the way that she dressed although it was no fault of her own. By the time she was in sixth grade, she had made up her mind that she would have everything that she ever wanted no matter what she had to do to get it. Barb turned on her side and tried to block out the memories that wouldn't stop coming. The most painful one of all was the senior prom. She could still feel the excitement of being asked by Norman Boothe one of the second string football players. She didn't care that he was second string or that had never played in a game for more than a few minutes, what she did care about was that he was good looking and that his family was wealthy. That he asked her only because he was looking for what he thought was an easy lay for after the prom didn't matter, she saw the prom as a way of getting where she needed to be. In with the right group. She remembered the day that Norman asked her to the prom, she rushed home and ran into the house, "Mama! Where are you?" she yelled. She found her mother in the back yard hanging up the uniforms that Victor wore for his security guard job. "What are you so excited about?" Wanda asked when Barb hugged her. "I got asked to the prom! When can we go looking for a dress? It's in two months." Wanda blinked back tears, as much as she wanted to be able to buy a prom dress for Barb, she couldn't. The money simply wasn't there and there were other children to consider. She didn't tell Barb that right away, she had an idea that could give Barb what she wanted but she had to talk to Victor first. Before she could say anything, Barb had run off eager to share the good news. By dinnertime, everyone in the neighborhood knew that she had been asked to the prom and it was the topic of excited conversation at the dinner table. She was chattering so much that she missed the look that passed between her parents. "Barbie doll..." Victor said softly interrupting her. Barb stopped mid sentence. He only called her that when he was going to tell her that she couldn't have something that she wanted. "Daddy please! Don't say no... I won't ask for another thing! I promise!" "Barbie...." "Don't call me that!" she screamed, "Don't call me that! You don't care about me! You don't care that everyone laughs at us because we live in this dump and because we pass our clothes down." "That's enough." Victor said softly trying to control his own anger. Even though she saw her mother's tears, Barb kept going ignoring her father's warning. "It's not enough! I hate this house! I hate this city and .... And I hate you!" Victor stood up and looked Barb in the face his own anger evident. "Do you think that I don't want to be able to go to the store and buy any of you what you want and need? Do you think that I want people laughing at you? I don't! Do you think that I feel good about not buying your mother anything that she wants? Do you? Do you think for one god damned minute that I like spending so much time away from home? I don't but you know why I do it? I do it because I love all of you and to me loving you is more important than any material thing that I can give you. I'm sorry that I can't buy you a brand new dress and send you to that prom, but I can't, the money isn't there." Victor sat down, his chest heaving and wondered where the selfish streak that was in his fourth child had come from. Barb ran from the table and up to the room that she shared with Juliet and Louise slamming the door behind her. Once she was inside, hot tears ran down her face as she once again resolved that she was going to have a life where she would want for nothing. The next week was a tense one in the Yancy household. All of them stayed out of Barb's way and the word prom was taboo. Victor and Barb didn't speak even though Wanda tried to make the peace between them. She even went so far as to try to talk to Barb again but no matter what she said, she couldn't get Barb to see reason or at least make an attempt to understand that they weren't trying to deny her what she wanted but that it was just the way it was. Eventually, she gave up; Barb either couldn't or wouldn't understand that all of them had to make sacrifices. For the entire week, the remaining children made a point of not arguing or complaining about being teased at school. Just past the one week mark of the blow up, Victor Yancy came home with a huge box. He took off work early so that he could give the gift to Barb in the hopes that she would be happy. He showed the gift to Wanda who hugged him and told him what a good husband and father he was. Finally, Barb came home and was surprised to see her father sitting on the couch. She had no choice but to speak to him. "Hi daddy." "Hiya baby girl." Victor said softly, "can you sit a minute?" Reluctantly, Barb sat down in a chair across from her father noticing for the first time the large box on the sofa next to him. Her heart began to pound; he had bought her a dress for the prom! He had found a way to make it happen. "Daddy thank you!" she gushed as she moved to sit next to him on the couch. "Barb, I want you to understand something." Victor Yancy said. "I don't appreciate the way that you acted last week. You thought of no one but yourself and that isn't what we taught you. I want you to know how this dress came to be. Each of your siblings down to the youngest contributed to the purchase of this dress. When you go to the prom, remember the sacrifices that were made so that you could go." She wasn't listening; she only wanted to see the dress in the box. Victor handed her the box and called everyone who was home to the living room. He thought it only fair that they see the dress along with her. Barb waited until they were all sitting and with shaking hands opened the box. The living room was silent in anticipation of Barb's shrieks of excitement. Victor leaned forward on the couch; Wanda's hand was on his shoulder squeezing it. He could feel her excitement as well as the excitement of the other kids as Barb opened the box. She closed her eyes, took the lid of the box off and then slowly opened them. She blinked and looked at the dress again. Her first thought was that it was a joke. The dress in the box was older than she was, the box was new, the manager of the store that her father guarded gave it to him. It was a pale yellow that would look good against her skin and all she would need were shoes to go with it. She looked at the large flowers that were attached to the sides of the dress and inwardly groaned. Everyone waited for her reaction so she gave them all a false smile and thanked them profusely but her mother wasn't fooled. "I called your grandmother, you know how she is with a sewing machine, it won't look like the same dress." Barb wasn't listening; all she knew was that she couldn't possibly go to the prom wearing this dress no matter what her grandmother could do with it. In the end, she did go to the prom wearing the dress and her mother was right, it didn't look like the same dress. In fact, it was even more beautiful than many of the dresses there. Her grandmother solved the shoe problem by taking the huge flowers from the dress and using the fabric to cover a pair of existing shoes. The outfit was stunning and she got a little of what she wanted, she was looked at with envy. That night, even the whispered comments about the dress being a hand me down didn't matter as much... she was in the spot light. After the prom, Norman took her out for a snack and then to the after prom party where in short order; she lost her virginity. In her mind, she thought that she and Norm were a couple but found out the hard way that they weren't; she was nothing more than an easy, virgin fuck. Even though she knew that this was his intent in asking her, she was still hurt by it, she really thought that he would change his mind and decide that he really did like her. His rejection just reinforced the feeling that money would make all the difference in the world. What really got her was as the older ones left home the supply of hand me downs diminished meaning that by the time Louise and the youngest one were in school, they got new clothes. That they weren't designer clothes didn't matter, that they still wore some hand me downs didn't matter. What mattered is that they got new clothes. The thing was that as irrational as it was, Barb wasn't angry with her brother but at Louise. In her mind if her parents could afford clothes for Louise, then they could have afforded clothes for her. Louise Ch. 05 It was that argument that caused the final rift between her and her parents who still didn't understand where Barb's attitude had come from. As far as they were concerned, they loved all of them equally and what was they supposed to do? Let Louise and her brother go naked? They asked Barb that question and she did not answer them but continued to tell them that she had been abused. "Abused?" Wanda asked horrified, "We didn't punish any of you without making sure that you understood why." "There's more than one way to abuse someone." Barb replied ignoring the dark, angry looks that her father was giving her. "Just how did we abuse you?" he asked. "I spent everyday at school being picked on because of my clothes and where we lived! I had no friends and it's because of the way I looked so you may not have hit me but I was emotionally abused." Victor and Wanda looked at her shocked and speechless. They looked at each other and then back at Barb but it was Wanda who spoke. "Are you saying that this is about some clothes?" Barb didn't answer but gave her a defiant look. "Is this about some damned clothes?" Wanda asked again, her face dark with rarely seen anger, "You're jealous because we bought the two babies a few new clothes? What were we supposed to do? Let them go to school naked? And are you forgetting that three of you were gone? That meant that there weren't as many mouths to feed..." "Wanda, stop." Victor said, "We don't owe her any explanations. She has it in her mind that we abused her then let her think that we did but we know different." Victor looked at Barb with tears in his eyes and said nothing for several long minutes. "I'm sorry that you feel as you do." he said softly. "But I think that you know that we love you as much as we love the others but you have got to be one of the most self centered people I have ever known and I don't understand where it came from. I'm going to say this but once, I hope that you get everything that you want out of life but be careful of what you wish for. Sometimes things look good when in reality it's poison. You want money so that you can flaunt and brag about it to your friends and buy all kinds of beautiful things and I guess in and of itself that isn't wrong but Barbie doll, you're already infected with greed and you don't even have money yet. I hope that it turns out well for you." That was the last real conversation that she had with her parents. After that, they talked but it was superficial and not once did Barb apologize for her behavior. She felt no need to, she had been the one wronged and the one what was entitled to the apology. After that, she set her sights on Clay Robinson who could have cared less about her, he was still pining over Kevyn who had moved to California and could have cared less about him. Over the years, she was in many meaningless relationships jumping right in if the man looked and acted as if he had money, dropping them if they didn't. It didn't take her long to become more observant about the men who were interested in her, she became adept in picking out the phonies, and Nathan Sinclaire was no phony. He like his uncle exuded money and the one thing that came in second place.... Sex. She replayed the evening in her mind trying to pinpoint her mistake and realized that the whole trip had been a big mistake and that she had come on much, much too strong. She shouldn't have shown up early and unexpectedly as she had and she should have known that Kevyn wouldn't have changed her plans to accommodate her early arrival. She also had to do some major damage control. She could see that Nathan Sinclaire had some interest in Louise and that Louise must have felt something for him if the way that she snapped at and then screamed at her meant anything. Barb didn't think for one second that Nathan was or could be serious about Louise; she was such a mouse. Barb washed her face again and began to plan how she was going to repair the damage that she had already done and decided to begin with an apology and she would start with Louise. ********** Louise changed into her pajamas, turned the television on and got into bed. Her mind was in turmoil about the evening in general but more specifically about Nathan Sinclaire. He had just made it clear that he was interested in her for more than friendship although she didn't understand why. The question was what did she want? She stopped herself realizing that she was thinking about him in the same way and more than likely had been the entire time but was only just admitting it to herself. Up until she came to California and met Nathan she had never thought that she would be the position that she now found herself, she really needed to talk to Kevyn. As she closed her eyes to sleep, her prepaid cell phone rang. She knew that it wouldn't be Nathan, he called either the room phone or the new cell phone number meaning that it had to be one of her siblings. Reluctantly she answered the phone. "Hey Barb.... No was getting ready to fall asleep. Yes... yes... I know, it's here at Patrick and Kevyn's house...we'll bring it the next time we see you... no I don't know when that will be... dinner? I don't know; I'll talk to Kevyn... I don't know...I'll call you later." Louise hung up and realized that she made a mistake, Barb was under the impression that she and Kevyn were staying at Kevyn's apartment. She heard the disbelief, surprise and jealousy in her voice in her response. She also realized something else, Barb was lying when she apologized, she didn't mean it. She was planning to take Nathan away from her. The dinner invitation was damage control and an attempt to make Nathan, Kevyn and Patrick believe that she was honestly sorry for her behavior when the only thing that she was sorry about was that she hadn't succeeded. With thoughts of Barb and then Nathan in her head Louise fell asleep unaware that she had begun to accept Nathan for what he was... hers. Her last waking thought was that she had to talk to Kevyn, she would understand. The opportunity to talk with Kevyn didn't come until later in the afternoon. Kevyn was in the kitchen eating a slice of bread when Louise found her. "You're going to get as big as a house if you aren't careful." Louise teased. "Not going to happen." Kevyn replied as she took another bite of bread and then asked, "Are you ok?" "I'm fine... Kev do you have time to talk?" "Sure I do, what's up besides that sister of ours?" Louise began with the conversation with Nathan. "He told me that I should talk to you... Kev, this is so out of my element I don't know what to do." "Lou, do you like him?" "Yes." "Does he make you feel good? And do you feel safe with him?" "Yes but Kev I'm not like you, Barb and Juliet... I'm just me." "Lou if you ask me, you're the best of us and I can understand why Nathan likes you. It's because of the reason that you just stated, you're you." "He asked me who took care of me." Kevyn looked at her, weighing her words carefully. "The people of this family care deeply for each other as I'm sure you know. It can be a bit overwhelming at first but you get used to it. I know that you've been taking care of yourself and well... try to relax and let someone else care for you; god knows that you deserve it. But I think that there's something else that has you worried." "Barb called." "She called me too, something about an apology dinner. What do you think?" Kevyn asked. "I think that she's lying... I think that she wants to see if she can take Nathan away from me." Kevyn hid her surprise at the statement. She agreed with Louise's assessment but she was surprised to hear the claim in Louise's voice. "Do you think that we should go?" "I don't want to." Louise replied, "But she's going to be here for another couple of weeks and we can't avoid her so I guess that we should go. What do you think?" "As much as I hate to admit it, I think that you're right." Kevyn replied. "And there is the chance that she means it." Louise looked at Kevyn, started to say that while it was a nice thought, that wasn't the case and then she realized that Kevyn knew it too. "Lou, can I give a little advice?" "Sure." "I don't know why Barb is the way she is but don't let her rattle you, its part of what she does. But you need to be secure in what you know and trust your instincts." Kevyn said. "I know and you're right." Louise conceded, "But this is so new to me, the Nathan part I mean." "But you like it right?" Kevyn asked. "Yeah, I do." Louise admitted after a brief hesitation. "Good!" Kevyn exclaimed relieved, "now relax, enjoy, and remember that people will do only what you allow them to." "Kev? Do you like him?" The question caught Kevyn off guard but she recovered quickly. "Yes, I like him. I like the way that he looks after you but even if I didn't like him, he would have my respect and gratitude for the reasons that I just stated." "Thank you." Louise said and then handed Kevyn a notebook. "There's a hot wing recipe in one of these notebooks but I don't remember which one, want to help me look for it?" Kevyn took the notebook with a smile; her baby sister was definitely feeling the pull toward Nathan. Once again, she was glad that she hadn't said anything; Nathan had the right idea in letting her slowly come to her own conclusions. "Are you planning a meal?" Kevyn asked. "I thought that we could cook a meal together." Louise replied. Kevyn was thrilled. While she liked to cook, it wasn't a passion for her as it was for Louise and the fact that she was planning a meal for Nathan was definitely a step in the right direction. "Sounds good." Kevyn replied as she started looking though the notebook whose pages were filled front to back. *********** Nathan spent a restless day determined not to call Louise. He wanted her to have time to think about what she knew to be true and to talk to Kevyn if she needed to. To keep himself busy, he worked on the plans for their house, called the contractor and left a message when the vampire didn't answer. He still needed to go see the vampire who had sold them inferior supplies, he would do that in the evening, and it would give him something to do. His cell phone rang a few minutes later, without looking; he knew that it was Louise. "Hello sweetheart." Nathan said softly. "How did you know it was me?" Louise asked. "I just did, how are you?" "I'm ok... listen; Barb called and wants to take everyone out for an apology dinner." "Do you believe her?" "No but I think that we should go anyway." Louise replied. "What does Kevyn say?" "She agrees, what do you think?" "I think that I don't trust her but I also agree that we should go, what time shall I pick you up?" "I don't know yet, I'll call you back." Louise replied. After they hung up, Nathan sat back in his chair. Barb was up to no good, he could feel it and came to a decision, he would shield her from Louise. As much as he disliked her, he couldn't allow anything to happen to her. If he didn't and something happened, Louise would never forgive herself. It was dark enough that he could go pay that vampire a visit but early enough that he would be back in plenty of time to get ready for dinner and get over to Patrick's to pick Louise up. It was going to be an interesting evening. ********* Barb called the credit card company to verify her balance. Satisfied with the answer, she called Hans and asked him for the name of a nice restaurant. "The Chateau is close and the food is very good, would you like me call and make reservations? If I do it they will give you a nice discount." She wanted to say no but she was a realist, she had to save money if she was going to live here and she needed to start thinking about a job until she landed Nathan or someone else with money. "Sure, thanks." she replied hating the fact that she was going to take advantage of a discount. "What time shall I give them?" Hans asked. "Seven... Hans, are you free tonight?" Barb asked. "Yes Madame, I am, did you need something?" Barb had an idea. What better way to make them think that she was sincere than to show up with a date? She thought wishing that she hadn't thrown away the card that had Jonesy's number on it. Between him and Hans, Jonesy was the better choice but it couldn't be helped. "Madame? Did you need something?" Hans asked again. "Yes, I need an escort for dinner and you're it." Hans didn't immediately reply. He was tired of this woman telling him what to do and talking to people as if they were no more than animals meant to serve her. It wasn't in his nature to be subservient and he was sick off it and her. It was time to end this. "Excuse me," he said politely, "but I don't like to be told what to do as you have been doing since your arrival. Nor do I care for how you have been speaking to and treating my staff. From this moment on, I expect my staff and myself to be treated with the utmost respect and not as if we were your own personal servants. Now, if you wish me to escort you to dinner I would suggest that you take back the command and ask me.... Nicely. And one more thing, I expect to hear from Nadine that you apologized to her for the way that you spoke to her this morning." "Now you wait a min...." "No, you wait." Hans interrupted. "Ever since you arrived you've acted as though we and the world owe you something. Let me inform you in case no one else has that other than the respect that one being has for another, we don't owe you a damned thing. In the three days that you have been here there hasn't been a single thank you even when something that wasn't part of your stay here was done for you. Nadine went to the store for you on her own time. She left home early in order to get you the bath oil that you wanted just to be nice. You didn't give her a price range, you only told her to buy it which is what she did. It was your fault that you didn't set the parameters for the purchase, not hers. The name-calling was completely uncalled for and when she comes back to work, I expect you to seek her out and apologize. From now on, no one will do those little extras for you. If we don't have what you want or need here, you will either have to do without or go get it yourself. Going to dinner with you as your escort qualifies as one of those extras so I must decline." Barb was flabbergasted, no one had ever talked to her the way that a lowly hotel clerk had just done. "You are employed by Patrick Sinclaire, are you not?" she snapped, "And you told me yourself that you are here to take care of any needs that I may have and this is a need, be here by six-thirty!" "Have a pleasant evening." Hans said and hung up. Barb stared at the phone... another first; no one had ever hung up on her before. ******* Hans sat back and looked at the phone, the woman was a money hungry bitch but he admired her drive. Even so, he wasn't about to give her what she wanted simply because she demanded it. As he saw it, that was part of her problem, everyone just gave in to her because it was the easiest thing to do and she was never confronted or held accountable for her actions whether they be word or deed. Until that happened, there would be no change. A few seconds later, Hans swore. "Oh fuck..." ********** Louise showered and then looked through her closet for something appropriate to wear to a nice restaurant. The only thing close to suitable was the outfit that she had worn to her mother's funeral, black slacks and a peach colored top. Her throat tightened at the memory of her mother and the funeral, she still missed her and expected to for a long time. She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer for both of her parents, Kevyn and her new family and finally for herself. She took the outfit down, looked at it wishing that she had something else to wear. It was too late to think about going to the nearest 'Wal-Mart' but decided as soon as it could be arranged that she was going shopping. She finished dressing, looked at herself and for once liked what she saw. Her eyes had a sparkle to them that they had never had before and the lines of worry that had always been a part of her facial features was gone. Her skin, which had never really suffered from blemishes, seemed even clearer and she felt better. She covered her lips, smiled and then moved her hand. She had a nice smile and wondered why she kept it hidden. She picked the habit up from her mother who like her always covered her mouth when she laughed or smiled. It was a habit that she decided to try and break. As she finished getting ready for dinner, she realized that she felt good. ******** Barb called Ollie and asked him to take her to the restaurant and of desperation told him to come dressed for dinner. "I'm sorry ma'am but this is my night off." he replied. "Hans is busy; he said that you could take me." Barb lied. "That's funny, I just spoke to him." Ollie replied, "He said that we weren't to do any more extras for you but if I were you, I'd order a taxi so you won't be late. Goodnight ma'am." "Wait!" Barb said but the line was already dead. Now angry, she dialed Kevyn's number but wasn't surprised when she didn't answer. She was going to call Louise but changed her mind; it would have been pointless. She looked at the clock, took Ollie's advice, and ordered a cab for six-thirty pick up. She made herself calm down and began to get ready for dinner talking to herself as she did it. "Remember, low key, sincere apology, slow and steady wins the race, all I have to do is to get him to look at me just once without him realizing it and the battle is over." The self-chat made her feel better and she began to hum as she took a shower and then used the bath oil that she had yelled at Nadine for buying. She grimaced, but not at the memory of how she had treated the woman who had been kind enough to make a stop on the way to work to get the oil but at the forty dollar price tag. One thing was for certain, not a single drop of it was going to be wasted and it wouldn't be for everyday use. She took out a pair of dark dress slacks and a dove gray shirt to wear for the evening and glanced at the little black dress wistfully. Of all of the sisters, she was the only one slender enough to wear something as form fitting as the dress and she knew that if she wore it, Nathan nor any other man wouldn't be able to keep their eyes off of her and that included Patrick. "Stick to the plan." she muttered as she closed the closet door. The room phone rang at six-twenty five. "Your cab is waiting." Hans said and then hung up. Five minutes later, Barb was walking past the front desk but didn't look at Hans but he was watching her, his eyes glittering with anger but not just at her but also at the fates. How could they have given him such a bitch? He wondered as she walked out of the door. He had anticipated and hoped for an easy mating with a woman who could and would appreciate the concept of working for what one wanted and what does he get? A money hungry bitch that was planning to steal the mate of her own sister. Even if they had all been human, he would have felt the same way and if they were human, he could and would have walked away from her. As it stood now, the only way that he could get out of mating with her was if she rejected him, which was likely, as he couldn't support her in the lifestyle that she craved and felt that she was entitled to. He wasn't poor but was what would be considered middle class. He had a modest home that he took care of himself and had no servants. He spent very little money and when he did, it was for something that he needed as opposed to something that he wanted. It was a lifestyle that Barbara Yancy Simpson would abhor and would never come to accept. Louise Ch. 05 Hans watched the cab pull away and shook his head. It was well within his rights to stop her from going but a right he chose not to exercise. He wasn't worried that she would succeed in her plans, he knew the Sinclaires well. Nathan's eyes would only be for his mate. Barb could dance naked on the table and neither Nathan Sinclaire nor any other mated male would look at her twice. He shook his head, cursed and went back to his paperwork. ******* Barb was at the restaurant fifteen minutes early and was already having her first drink when Kevyn and Patrick arrived a few minutes later. She watched with what she hoped was a neutral expression as Patrick held Kevyn's chair out for her and kissed her temple before she sat down. "Where's Louise?" Barb asked when they were both sitting. "She'll be here soon, Nathan is bringing her." Kevyn replied. "Then we'll wait so that I can make my apologies once." Barb replied, "Would you like a drink while we wait?" Patrick ordered a glass of red wine and Kevyn her usual daiquiri. She wanted to ask Barb what she was really up to but this was Louise's fight and she would step in only if necessary. Louise and Nathan arrived at seven on the nose. Barb noticed once again that although Louise looked the same, she was different. She had a sparkle about her that was even more evident than the previous evening and her confidence had grown as well but Barb didn't let that deter her. She also noticed the protective way that Nathan was touching Louise and like Patrick, he held her chair out for her, kissing her temple before she sat down. The curiosity was killing her; she wanted to know what the kiss on the temple meant but the apology had to come first. After Patrick and Louise ordered their drinks, Barb began what she hoped sounded like a sincere apology. "First, I would like to apologize for showing up like I did; it was both rude and wrong. My second apology is for last evening. Again, I was rude and overbearing. I hope that tonight we can start over." No one said anything for several minutes. All of them, especially Louise tasted the lie. She realized that they were waiting for her to respond first. "Ummm, it's okay." she said when she really wanted to call her on the lie but this wasn't the time nor the place for a confrontation. "Thanks Lou, I appreciate it and Kevyn? I really am sorry." Kevyn followed Louise's lead and accepted the insincere apology. Nathan and Ethan looked at each other and nodded letting the other know that they saw through the lie. The dinner was progressing fairly well until the women decided that they needed the rest room. Kevyn was still in a stall when Louise and Barb were at the sink washing their hands. Barb looked behind her, turned the water on to cover her voice and asked Louise the question that had been nagging at her since she met Nathan. "How did you do it?" "How did I do what?" Louise asked confused. "How did someone like you get someone like that?" Kevyn heard the question and stayed in the stall, she wanted to hear Louise's response. "I don't ...." "Come on Lou." Barb said insistently, "seriously, until him no man other than Lombardi has looked at you twice, so what is it? What did you do?" Louise started to retreat, remembered what Kevyn said about not letting people push her around and replied honestly. "Maybe he knows that I'm not after his money." Barb laughed, "Sure you are! You just hide it behind that sweet, shy personality of yours. He won't see it until its too late." Louise was horrified that her sister would think that she was like that, like her. "I'm not like you." she said softly, "I don't use people and lie to them like you lied to us tonight and I don't expect to be handed things just because I think that I'm entitled to them, but there's more to this than that." Louise said softly, "you don't like me. You love me because I'm your sister but you don't like me and I don't know what I did or didn't do to earn that dislike." Barb couldn't say anything. While she had seen the changes in Louise, she thought them superficial and if she had seen through her lies, then so had the others. She also knew that the accusations that she leveled at Louise were false. Louise would never even think of doing something like being with a man for his money but what had surprised her was that Louise knew that she disliked her. Deciding that the conversation had gone on long enough, Kevyn made a show of flushing the toilet and rearranging her clothes. She was proud of Louise and the way in which she had handled Barb and reminded herself to tell her later. "Sweetheart?" she heard Patrick say telepathically, "is everything alright?" "We're fine." Kevyn replied, "We'll be out soon." she replied as she washed her hands. She pretended not to notice the odd look on Barbara's face and asked Louise if she was ready to go. She didn't say anything to Barb until she realized that she was still standing by the sink. "Barb? You coming?" "What? Yeah, I'm coming." she replied. Both men stood up when they came out of the bathroom and held the chairs for Kevyn and Louise. Patrick held the chair out for Barb and sat only when she was sitting. "Thanks." she said absently as she watched Louise. The conversation had done nothing to shake her but instead seemed to make her stronger. Her gaze went from Louise to Nathan taking in how he treated Louise like a queen seeing to her every comfort. It was then that she realized that Nathan Sinclaire was a lost cause but it didn't stop her from making one more try. "So Nathan, has Louise told you about her boss Mr. Lombardi?" "No she hasn't but I'm sure that she will." Nathan replied already seeing what she was doing. "Well, apparently, they had a little thing at work..." "Are you referring to the mutual care of an elderly woman?" Nathan asked as he put an arm around Louise. "I am very aware of it as well as the fact that he had ulterior motives for helping her. If I were in his place, I would have done the same thing." "But did she tell you that he was married?" Barb pressed. "What of it?" Nathan asked, "Your sister is a beautiful woman and married men are not immune to beautiful women. But I believe that you are trying to tell me something." he added. "I.... nothing." Barb said and took a drink of water. It was clear to her that Nathan Sinclaire was in love with Louise and that she was falling in love with him too if she wasn't already in love with him. The thought that it wasn't fair crossed her mind but there was nothing that could be done about it. Dinner finished quietly with no more attempts by Barb to displace Louise but Louise wasn't through yet. After the bill had been paid, and the men went to get the cars, Louise pulled Barb aside leaving Kevyn to watch for the cars. "I want the three of us, you, Kevyn and me to talk." "Why?" Barb snapped, "so you can gloat over the fact that both of you have rich men?" Louise sighed, "No Barb, because you're our sister and we want to understand why you're so unhappy." "An intervention?" Barb asked sharply, "Is Dr. Phil going to be there too?" "It's not like that." Louise protested, "I want to know what the problem is between us." "Goodnight Lou," Barb said, "have a nice life." she added as she walked away. Louise watched Barb walk away trying to figure out what it was that she did that had Barb so angry. Nathan pulled up in the car, got out and walked over to her. He glared at the cab that was just pulling away with Barb in it; she had said or done something to upset Louise. He didn't speak as he for the first time since they met hugged her tightly against him. When she tried to pull back, he wouldn't let her. "Let me care for you." he whispered against the top of her head. Louise slowly relaxed into his embrace and slowly wrapped her arms around his waist oblivious to the fact that they were in a public place and that people were giving them curious glances as they passed by. The only regret that he had was that he had to let her go because he had to take her home. He kissed the top of her head and gently but reluctantly released her. Even though the night was warm, Louise shivered once she had been released. "Let's get you home." Patrick said and led her to the car. ******** Hans watched Barb stomp by and knew that she had failed in her attempts to take her sister's mate. To say that she was angry was an understatement. He watched her stab the elevator button several times before the doors finally opened. As she turned to face forward, he saw a myriad of emotions on her face, anger, hatred, disappointment and sadness with the predominate emotion being anger. He cursed the fates again, sighed and went back to his paperwork; he would call and check on her later. ******* Barb rushed into her room, slammed the door shut not caring whether she was disturbing anyone or not. She hadn't been this angry since the day she thought that she couldn't go to the prom. She threw her purse in a corner and stalked into the bathroom to look at her face in the mirror. She just didn't understand what it was that Nathan saw in Louise. ********* On the drive home, Kevyn told Patrick about the conversation between Louise and Barb. "You should have heard her!" Kevyn exclaimed. "She didn't lose her cool like she did last night and she handled Barb better than I ever could have." "Nathan was shielding Barb." Patrick said after a moment. "He didn't want Louise to accidentally hurt her but that doesn't negate what Louise did. But I would like to make a suggestion." "I'm listening." Kevyn said already having an idea of what he was going to say. "The three of you need to talk. There's an issue or maybe more than one issue between you. That doesn't excuse her behavior but it might explain some things and maybe you might salvage your relationships." "Since when are you pro Barb?" Kevyn asked. "I'm not." Patrick replied. "But I know better than anyone that people can change and so do you. If you didn't you wouldn't be here. Talk to her, give her a shot and if she turns you away that's her choice but you can say that you tried. Kevyn didn't reply, she was thinking about Patrick's suggestion and realized that he was right. "So where do you propose we do this? If we do it at the house she'll thing that we're rubbing her face in the fact that we have what she thinks she wants and needs." Kevyn said. "What about your apartment?" Patrick suggested. "The rent is paid up for a few months, we can stock it and if things take awhile, you can sleep there" "Yeah right, like you're going to let me stay away for more than a day." Kevyn said half teasing him. "I didn't say that I would like it but I would live... sweetheart you need to do this." "I know...it's just that I'm so tired of dealing with my family," Kevyn replied, " Was it too much to ask for just a few weeks of peace? I'll talk to Lou about it later but right now all I want is to go home and crawl into bed..." "Not to sleep I hope." Patrick interrupted. ******* Louise didn't say much during the drive back to Patrick's house, what was there to say? Her sister loved but hated her. Soon after they left the restaurant, she realized that what Barb felt for her was more than dislike, it was hate and she had hated her for years. The only explanation that she could come up with for not realizing it earlier was that she had been so wrapped up in caring for their mother and trying to stay emotionally afloat herself that she didn't notice and now that the dust had settled she was seeing what had always been there. Nathan reached over and took her hand in his but didn't speak leaving her to her thoughts. He wondered what was said in the bathroom although he could guess. What he was relieved to sense was that whatever Barb said to her, it hadn't made her doubt herself or him. Another thing was clear; they had to start spending more time alone together. The twins wedding was less than three weeks away and he hadn't even begun to tell her all that she needed to know but Barb was now in the way and had to be dealt with first. He also came to another decision; he wasn't leaving her again. Each time he was with her, it was more difficult to leave. He would stay in one of the spare bedrooms if he had to but he wasn't leaving. How Louise would feel about it, he didn't know but he was about to find out. Nathan pulled in front of the house, got out and went to the passenger side of the car to help Louise out. By the time he got there, Louise was in tears. Anger at Barb resurfaced and was pushed away; she wasn't worth thinking about. "Come on sweetheart." Nathan said gently as he held out his hand to her. "My sister hates me." she said softly as if she were talking to herself. Nathan didn't reply but led her into the house, up to her room and laid her on the bed. He took of her shoes and began to rub her feet, a few minutes later; Louise was asleep. Nathan covered her with a light blanket and lay on the bed next to her; they really needed to talk. Louise mumbled in her sleep, turned on her side facing him, in her sleep reached for his hand and said one word. "Nathan." Louise Ch. 06 Nathan didn't move except for to envelope her hand in his. It hadn't occurred to him that the breakthrough would happen while Louise was asleep but it was still a breakthrough and he would take it no matter how it came. He wondered how she would react in the morning when she woke up and found him in bed with her even though he was fully dressed. For a brief second he though about slipping away before she woke up but decided to stay where he was. It was time to stop coddling her so much and to begin treating her for what she was, a beautiful woman that he intended to spend an eternity with. Slowly so he wouldn't wake her, Nathan moved closer to her on the bed stopping when she muttered something in her sleep, moving again when she quieted. Several minutes later, he was next to her, his leg touching hers, her hand still in his. As she slept, he began to plan how he was going to tell her about his family and then decided that he needed some guidance. Out of respect and love, he decided that he would talk to his father first and then Patrick. He knew that in the end it would be up to him to decide how he told her. First, the issue of that damned Barb had to be settled and then he would have her undivided attention. It seemed as though he had just closed his eyes when he heard a startled gasp and then felt Louise fly off the bed. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "Resting." Nathan replied not moving. "How long have you been here?" "Since we got back, it's early yet, come back to bed." Nathan urged. "Ummm no thanks and I think that you should leave." Louise replied, Nathan started to push a little but thought better of it. He wanted to talk to his father and uncle first. He got out of the bed, walked over to Louise, bent down, kissed her lightly on the lips, and left the room before she could react. Louise stood speechless. Her heart pounded as she watched Nathan walk out of her room. Part of her had really wanted him to leave but part of her didn't. She thought about calling Kevyn, picked up the phone to do it but lay it back in its cradle. It was time for her to start accepting a few facts no matter how far fetched they seemed. The biggest fact was that Nathan Sinclaire cared about her. It didn't matter that she wasn't fashion model beautiful; he cared. The second fact was that she liked him too... actually, she more than liked him and that was why she had gotten so angry with Barb. "So what now?" she asked herself as she sat down on the bed. ******* Nathan went into the room that adjoined Louise's suite and lay on the bed. It would be another few hours before Patrick surfaced but he knew that his father was up. He took out his phone and hit speed dial. "How's it going dad? Really? But mom is alright? Good...do you have a minute?" By time the conversation was over, Nathan's cell phone battery was nearly dead but he had a new appreciation about how difficult it had to have been for his parents. However, it was the end of the conversation that concerned him. His parents were concerned about his younger brother Joseph. While never a big talker, he had become even more withdrawn since Patrick found Kevyn and now Louise was in the picture. When asked what was bothering him, he gave the same one word answer, "nothing." Nathan promised that he would talk with him to see if he could figure out what the problem was although he thought he already knew- the damned Sinclaire legacy. He would call him later but he had to deal with Louise first. He found Patrick an hour later in the small movie theater in the basement. He was setting up the concession stand in anticipation of spending the evening watching the sports channel with Kevyn. "You and Lou can join us if you like." Patrick said. "I'll ask her... Uncle Patrick, can I ask you a question?" "Sure... shoot." "How did Kevyn react when you told her about us?" he asked. Patrick sat down and indicated that Nathan should as well. "It's something that I never want to go through again although I know that I'll have to if and when we have children. She was angry, hurt and I think for just a little while scared of me even though she wouldn't admit it. Her going back to Pennsylvania was an attempt to distance herself from me although in the end it was a good thing that she went. It took a lot of talking and I won't lie to you, we're still working our way through it. You're going to tell Lou about us aren't you?" Patrick asked. "Yes but I wanted to talk to you and dad first." Nathan replied. "No offense, but I'm glad that I can at least tell her that I've never raped anyone." "None taken but you may want to wait for a few days. Kev is planning to meet with Barb and Louise at her old apartment. They need to hash out whatever the root of the problem is between them. I doubt that it will change Barb but it may change their relationship. "I was thinking about that." Nathan said, "Not about their meeting but about waiting until the issue with Barb being settled. Do you mind if I stay here? I want Louise to get used to having me around." "I was wondering when you would think of it." Patrick replied, "But the answer is of course you can stay as long as you need and want to, you didn't have to ask." "Thanks... when is this meeting with Barb going to happen?" Nathan asked anxious for it to be done and over with. "Tomorrow I think but Kevyn hasn't talked to Lou about it yet." Patrick replied. "Be prepared, they could be gone for a couple of days." "Actually, that's good." Nathan said, "It'll give me some time to think of how to tell Louise the ugly Sinclaire truth." "I understand but Nathan, don't think about it too hard." Patrick advised. The important thing is that she knows that you love her and that you will do anything to ensure that she is happy and safe. And one more thing, don't try to justify what we are and what we've done. For one, there is no justification for it and two, it won't help." "That's the same advice dad gave me." Nathan said. "And her being away will give me a chance more work done on the house that I'm building for her." "Sounds good... the games start in about an hour if you want to come down." "Thanks." Nathan said realizing that there was so much he didn't know about his mate. ******* Barb fumed for the rest of the night into the early morning hours not answering her phone when it rang. Every time she thought about what she considered an intervention, she got angry. "Just who in the hell do they think they are?" she asked the air "Miss high and mighty and Miss mousy" she grumbled. She had no intentions of meeting with the; she had nothing to say. As soon as she got the paper, she would start looking for a job and a place to live and that would be that. The phone rang again and this time she snatched it out of the cradle. "What?" she snapped. "I was calling to see if you needed assistance with anything." Hans replied ignoring the harsh tone, "No." Barb said, hung up and remembered that she wanted the paper. Someone else answered when she called back. "Yes ma'am?" "I want a paper with my breakfast and this time don't overcook the eggs!" Barb said and hung up not giving the person on the other end a chance to respond. Breakfast was delivered a short time later delivered by none other than the woman that she had yelled at the day before. "Where would you like your break..." "How many days have I been here?" Barb interrupted, "and you ask the same question! Over there by the window!" she said in a very impatient tone. "Nadine, please excuse us." Hans said softly as he stepped into the room. When Nadine passed him, he touched her arm and murmured something to her. After she was gone, he turned his attention to Barb. For several minutes, they stared at each other neither one of them speaking. The longer Hans looked at her, the less he liked her. He could feel her disdain for him and anyone else that she felt was beneath her. In her mind, he and others were meant to serve her. Barb's thinking reminded him of the vampires of old who felt that the only use for humans was for servitude and food. Barb, he thought, would have fit right in. He also decided that he wasn't going to claim her, at least not as she was now but that didn't mean that he couldn't and wouldn't hold her responsible for the way that she treated his staff. "That didn't sound like an apology to me." he said quietly breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Apologize? What for?" Barb asked. "Have you even been told how beautiful you are?" Hans asked changing the subject. "Yes, so?" "Have you also been told how incredibly ugly you are?" he asked. Barb's mouth dropped open in shock. "It's true," Hans said, "You are a very beautiful woman on the outside but the inside is so ugly that it ruins what is on the outside. I don't know what happened or didn't happen to you to make you this way but I'm going to warn you once more. If you so much as raise your voice or mistreat another one of my staff, you will be escorted out of the hotel. And before you bring up Patrick Sinclaire, he is well aware of the situation and I have his support." "You're lying." Barb said. "Am I?" Hans asked, "Mistreat another one of my people and we'll find out. Enjoy your meal." He walked out without saying another word leaving Barb speechless. When she recovered, she called Kevyn and made a few demands. "I want him fired!" "Barb, calm down and tell me what happened." Kevyn said although she already had some idea. She listened as Barb ran down the list of offenses committed by the hotel staff against her and then began to address them. "So let me get this straight," she said, "You didn't call the woman who was nice enough to leave her home early to do you a favor a stupid, incompetent bitch?" "Yes but..." "And you didn't tell Ollie who's been nice enough to take you wherever you wanted to go that his car was a piece of shit?" "Yes but..." "And you didn't try to get an extra spa treatment and use Patrick's name to threaten the staff when they told you no? You know what this sounds like to me? It sounds like you owe a few apologies." Kevyn said. "They are supposed to meet my needs!" Barb snapped. "Yes but within reason." Kevyn replied, "and they aren't there to be your whipping staff which leads me to why I'm glad that you called. Ollie will be at your door at four, be ready and you might want to pack a bag." "Why? Where are we going?" Barb asked. "He's bringing you to my apartment. You said that you wanted to spend time with your sisters so here's your opportunity and Barb? No isn't an option, I'll see you later." The line was dead before Barb could reply. She had had enough of people getting in her face and it was time for it to end. She picked up the phone and dialed Hans' direct line. "I don't know who in the hell you think you are talking to me like you just did! I am soon to be the sister to Patrick Sinclaire and it would do you well to remember that! I want an apology and I want it now!" "Have you apologized to any of the staff yet?" Hans asked. "No and I'm not going to!" Barb replied. "Then there will be no apology made to you. In fact, there wouldn't have been an apology anyway. I don't apologize for speaking the truth as I see and know it." This time, Barb hung up on Hans. The more she thought about Kevyn's order, the angrier she got and decided that she wasn't going. She wracked her brain trying to remember the name of Jonesy's restaurant and finally got online searching until she found it. She called the number and listened to it ring several times before it was answered. "Jonesy here!" a chipper voice said. "Hello! This is Barb Simpson. I don't know if you remember me from the other night... I was with Patrick Sinclaire?" "Yes, I remember." Jonesy said his tone considerably cooler, "what can I do for you?" Barb ignored his cool tone and told him what she wanted. "I thought that maybe we could go out for drinks tonight if you aren't busy." "I'm not busy but here's the thing." Jonesy said, his voice even cooler, "I don't like being the back up plan and you've made it very obvious that you had no interest in me when my card was found ripped up in the trash. I saw the way that you were snuggled up to Nathan Sinclaire even though it was obvious where his interest lies. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what your game is... have a nice rest of your vacation." Barb hung up hurt and angry at the way that she had been shut down. No man had ever been able to resist her even if they knew what her primary agenda was and hadn't cared and here was a rare animal that did. If she knew of another man to call or had a place to go, she would have made herself scarce. She could have taken a cab somewhere but didn't want to spend the money and asking one of the staff was out of the question. She looked at the now cold breakfast and heated it in the microwave. When it was hot, she stared at it. The temptation to throw it away hit her but she didn't. She ate every bit of it and looked forward to the day that she wouldn't have to eat leftovers. After she finished, she left the cart where it was even though she could have pushed it out of the door. Angrily, she grabbed the smallest bag that she had and packed it. It seemed that she had no other choice then to spend time with her sisters. ******* Hans sat in his office with his head in his hands. He didn't want the bitch who only thought of herself. He wondered if there was a way to convince the fates to change their minds and started by saying a simple prayer that included swearing not to ask for another mate if only they would take this one from him. Not knowing whether they heard him or nor, Hans repeated the prayer two more times and then set about his work for the evening. ******** Louise was ready to go by three. She was anxious to find out why Barb hated her so much and what she could do to fix it. She had already spoken to Nathan who had made it clear that they had issues of their own to discuss and no matter how hard she tried to get him to tell her, he would only say that she needed to deal with her family issues first. "Keep your phone close." he told her, "I'll be calling to make sure that everything is alright." Instead of feeling irked, Louise felt unsettled and cared for at the same time. She also admitted that she didn't want to leave but knew that he was right, she had to talk to Barb and then she could move forward. She jumped when she heard a tap on her door. "Sweetheart, it's me." Louise opened the door to Nathan and stepped outside the room. He hadn't been in her room since she woke up with him in her bed. "Did you want something?" she asked. "Do you want an honest answer to that question?" Nathan asked as he stepped even closer to her. "I... we're getting ready to go." Louise replied dodging the question. "I know," he said, "I just wanted to see you again before you left.... Louise know that you are cared for." Louise heart hammered in her chest as Nathan took her face in his hands, bent down and kissed her. It wasn't the light touch of the lips that he had given her before; it was a real kiss that could be interpreted in only one way, as was his intention. Louise, albeit shyly, returned the kiss much to Nathan's delight. He wished that she wasn't going; he was thoroughly enjoying the kiss and wondered how far she would let him go. His instincts told him that he wouldn't get far but it would have been fun to find out. He broke the kiss, hugged her and told her to hurry back. Louise nodded and then realized that her arms were around Nathan's waist. She didn't remember putting them there but she must have. She felt lightheaded and held on tighter so that she wouldn't fall. She wanted to say something but she didn't know what. "Lou! You ready?" Kevyn called up the stairs. "Umm yeah, I'll be right there!" she called back suddenly not wanting to go. "I'll be here when you get back." Nathan assured her. "Go and take care of business." Louise went into her room and grabbed her overnight bag. Nathan took it from her and carried it down the stairs for her. "Take care of her." Nathan said to Kevyn as he and Patrick walked them to the car. "I promise." Kevyn replied and turned to Patrick. "No wild women and no parties while I'm gone." she teased. "Damn!" Patrick teased and then turned serious. "Call me if you need anything and be careful." A few minutes later, Louise and Kevyn were headed to Kevyn's old apartment that had been stocked with every kind of comfort food there was plus the ingredients for several meals. Kevyn looked over at Louise noticing that she was much quieter than usual. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Kev... how did you know that you were in love with Patrick?" Kevyn thought about her answer and hoped that she wasn't crossing any boundaries. "It took me awhile to admit it because I had pretty much decided that after Lonnie I didn't want to be with anyone else." "What changed your mind?" Louise asked. "I don't know if you've noticed, but the Sinclaire men are pretty persuasive when they want something. Lou, are you falling for Nathan?" "I don't know what to call it." Louise replied. "Ok... do you miss him?" Louise hesitated, "Yeah but I haven't known him long enough to feel this way about him." "The timing doesn't matter." Kevyn replied, "What matters is what you think. You are so good with the emotions of others because you've had to be and for the most part, you've put yourself on the back burner. Its time for you to start thinking about you. I can tell that Nathan cares about you and I think from what you're not saying that you care about him too. All I can say is what I've said before, trust your instincts as far as he's concerned." "Kev? Why does Barb hate me? If I'm so good at other people's feelings, why didn't I sense it before?" Louise asked changing the subject. "I don't know to both questions." Kevyn replied, "But maybe we'll find out tonight." ******** Barb stared out of the window as Ollie drove her to Kevyn's apartment. Hans' words kept resonating through her mind, "has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are...." and then the rest of it. "Fuck you." she thought as the car sped to wherever they were going. She had tried to get Ollie to take her somewhere else but he had flatly refused. "My instructions are to take you to this address and nowhere else." Ollie replied. No amount of cajoling and offers of money could change his mind and she didn't miss the relief in his voice when he told her that they were close. It seemed as though he sped up after making that announcement but Barb made no comment, she was as anxious to be out of the car as he was to have her out of it. "There it is." Ollie said pointing at the building where Kevyn had lived before meeting Patrick. "Here? She wants me to stay here?" Barb asked appalled. "I don't know ma'am." Ollie replied not seeing what the problem was. It was obvious that it wasn't luxury living but the building and the surrounding areas were clean and well kept. He parked the car, got out and got Barb's bag out of the back seat before offering his hand to help her out. He blushed with embarrassment when Barb looked at his offered hand with disgust and got out on her own. Anger followed the embarrassment and before he realized what he was doing, he thrust her bag into her hands, got into the car and drove away. It was either that or hit her and he chose to leave. As he drove away, he called Kevyn's number. "She's in the parking lot." He said and hung up. Barb paused, looked around and realized that she didn't know which apartment was Kevyn's. Ollie had taken of before he told her. The honking of a cart horn caught her attention. She turned to see Kevyn pulling into a parking spot driving a 2010 Hyundai. In a way, she was disappointed. She had fully expected her to show up in a BMW or a Porsche, a Hyundai was so ordinary. Louise Ch. 06 She waited until Kevyn and Louise reached her before she spoke. "You live here?" "I used to but the rent is paid up so it's still mine." Kevyn replied. Louise and Barb followed Kevyn to the stairway and followed her up. By the time they reached her floor, Barb was a sweaty, irritable mess. Louise and Kevyn chattered good-naturedly about the hike irritating Barb even more. As soon as they were inside, Barb dropped her bag and looked around. The bedroom in her house was bigger than this! "Make yourselves at home." Kevyn said as she put her bag next to Barb's knock off designer bag. "This is so cute!" Louise exclaimed ignoring the dark, angry looks that Barb had on her face. "Well, it was home for the three years. It's nothing fancy but it was affordable and the property owner kept it up... are you guys hungry? There's stuff in the fridge for sandwiches or we can go out..." "What do you want Kevyn?" Barb asked sharply, "This isn't a reunion a reunion of three sisters who give a rat's ass about each other so cut the bull shit!" "Barb...." Louise said softly. "And you goodie Miss two shoes who everyone thinks is so innocent, what do you want?" Barb asked. Louise and Kevyn looked at each other and then at Barb. "I was hoping that we could have a nice evening together before we talked but I guess not." Kevyn said. "Sit down." Barb started to protest but sat down. Maybe it was time they got a few things straightened out. The three sisters looked at each other for a long time before one of them... Louise spoke. "Let's just step back for a moment." And just like that, the tension in the room decreased to a more manageable level. Even Barb noticed but she made no comment. Instead of bringing up the subject at hand, Louise shifted gears to something less tense... things that she considered pleasant memories. "Do you guys remember how mom used to make those donuts out of the canned biscuits?" "Oh my god!" Kevyn exclaimed, "We used to swear that they were better than 'Dunkin' Donuts'! I loved those things!" "And with the hot chocolate they were the best." Louise said. The conversation continued without Barb's participation. She couldn't believe that Kevyn and Louise were seeing the memories as pleasant ones. The final straw came when they talked about their Christmas trees that were always decorated with the ornaments that they made at school and from the ornaments that they made at home. Part of the decorations included things that they could pick off the tree and eat such as the tiny candy canes and the garlands made out of whatever they could run thread through including cookies. Christmas dinner was the one dinner that their mother started shopping for weeks before the actual event. Each payday she would buy another part of the meal instead of all at once. That day, all of them from the oldest to the youngest helped with the meal preparation even if they didn't want to. It was always Barb that had to be ordered to join in preferring to sulk instead of having a good time. What Louise and Kevyn remembered with fond memories, it only served to remind Barb about what she didn't have. "You two are unbelievable!" she said. "How can you sit there and pretend that you were happy? We were poor! The highlight was when the fire company came and left gifts on the porch!" "Is that why you're like this?" Louise asked, "Is it because we didn't have everything that you wanted?" "They abused us! Maybe not physically but mentally and you're sitting here and acting like it didn't happen!" "Because it didn't!" Kevyn shot back. "Do you think that we were the only poor ones on the block? We weren't abused and I'll tell you something else, mom and dad struggled for us! They did without more times than I can remember but you know what I think? I think that you're using our background as an excuse. It's easier to blame mom and dad instead of admitting the truth about yourself." "Really Miss. High and rich... why don't you enlighten me, tell me about myself." Barb hissed. "Kevyn..." Louise said when she heard the underlying tone of fury in Kevyn's voice. "Want to know what I think?" Barb continued, "I think that the both of you are just as money hungry as I am. The difference is that you hide it. By the way, do either of you give lessons?" "You conniving, selfish bitch!" Kevyn said standing up. "Stop." Louise said softly but Kevyn and Barb paid her no mind. "Speaking about money, what was wrong with Clay? Wasn't he rich enough for you?" Barb asked. "I never understood what he saw in you anyway." she added. "I told you, I saw him kill someone and not only that, you know where his money came from..." "So what?" Barb shot back. "And are you saying that if his money hadn't come from what he did as a living that you would have given him the time of day?" "NO! I was never interested in Clay even when he had money but what I'm trying to understand is why money means so much to you. I'm trying to understand why it means more to you than your own sister... Explain that to me. Where did you learn that it was all right to hurt your family? I know that it didn't come from mom or dad so where did it come from?" Kevyn demanded. "You know," Barb said not answering the question, "You think that you're so damned perfect but you left Louise alone to care for mom. You can tell me until the cows come home that you helped and maybe you did but I also think that your bringing her back with you was a guilt thing. I also maintain that you're only with Patrick Sinclaire because his money and little miss over there is with Nathan Sinclaire for the same reason...' "Stop." Louise said again, just a bit louder. "And you... "Barb said turning her full attention to Louise, "You wanted to know why I don't like you... You have no backbone, for years, you let people push you around and then you hid behind Kevyn or Leon. You had a chance with Lombardi and you were too chicken to take it. You started out the new school year with new clothes, you weren't teased and called names because you wore hand me downs. You might have been teased but it was because you were and are nothing more than a mouse. You sat there and let me try to take your man away from you. In my opinion, you don't deserve him. Having said that, I don't get it. What he sees in you I mean, you're not ugly but you're not pretty either. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on him..." "Leave him out of this." Louise said softly. Kevyn was silent, watching Barb as she badgered Louise and willing Louise to fight back. "Have you even kissed him yet little mouse? You know what? It doesn't matter." Barb said. "I'm done here." "Sit down." Louise said in a voice that she hardly recognized as her own. "Kevyn you too." she added. Her sisters looked at her and made no move to sit. "I said, sit down." she repeated. When they were sitting, she started with Barb. "I don't understand you any more now than I did before but you have to know that if I did or said anything to hurt you, it was unintentional. I don't get the abuse thing but I guess it comes down to perception and I guess to some degree I can see how you would feel that way but I ask you, what were they supposed to do? Lose the house so that you could live in you make believe world of if I had money? Would you have been happier if we had gone on welfare? Don't answer, you and both know that you would have been livid. One of the things that mom talked about before she died was you. You have no idea of how much you hurt her when you accused them of abusing you. But let's talk about how they abused you... that prom dress? It wasn't completely paid for when Dad brought it home. He was making small payments on that dress long after the prom was over and not once did you thank them or any of us that sacrificed so that you could have your dream that night. You're right; I let people walk over me because at the time it was the path of least resistance. I should have demanded more help with mom and so I accept my part in not having a life but Barb, you're still responsible for how you treat me and other people. I also agree with Kevyn when she said that you're using our poverty as an excuse and I think that until you admit that, you won't be happy. As far as you hating me, I'm sorry that you feel that I took something from you but you're still my sister and I love you even though I don't understand or agree with the way you think or act." Louise took a breath and waited for Barb to respond. When none came, she continued. "Nathan Sinclaire is off limits and that's all I'm going to say about it." Without realizing it, she gave Barb a hard mental push that made Barb's head hurt. Kevyn seeing what was happening, distracted her. "Lou?" "And you..." Louise said, "I want you to stop feeling guilty about leaving. I wasn't and am not angry about it. You had to leave for your own safety. I want the three of us to act like the sisters that we're supposed to be even if we don't agree on things and that includes Juliet. I'm tired of the fighting and mom and dad wouldn't have wanted this." "How sweet." Barb said sarcastically her headache receding, "should we do the group hug thing and pretend that we're all friends?" "I'm not saying that it will be easy," Louise said, 'I'm just saying that maybe we could try, all of us... Gene, Juliet and Leon too." Barb smiled, leaned forward and spoke looking directly at Kevyn. "Alright, then lets have a show of good faith shall we?" Louise's heart ached, she already knew what Barb was going to ask and she knew what Kevyn's response would be. "What do you want?" Kevyn asked. "Introduce me to some of the single Sinclaire men." Kevyn started to laugh, "You can't be serious!" She stopped laughing when she realized that Barb was indeed serious. "No, I'm not doing that and here's why, I'm not going to enable your trolling for dollars nor am I going to basically pay you for what you should be doing for free... getting to know your family and trying to help us make amends." Barb smiled as if she had expected the answer that Kevyn gave her. "Kevyn, stop." Louise said. "We're not going to win, her head is so filled with the idea of what she needs and wants to be happy that there's nothing that we can say that will make any difference. Am I right Barb?" Kevyn started to object and realized that Louise was right but she gave it one last try. "Apparently we disagree on a number of things and that's fine but can we at least agree on the fact that we need to get past this thing between us?" she asked. "This thing?" Barb asked. "I come to visit and you tell me to catch a cab. You put me up in a second rate room at a hotel where the staff treat me like crap and lets not forget the food allowance. The way I see it is that you owe me an apology!" "I owe you what?" Kevyn yelled. "You're the one who decided to come visit without taking into consideration that we might not have been ready for visitors! You're also the one who showed up three days early so hell no! I wasn't going to change my plans for you! As far as your room goes, you're lucky that we paid for it. How much of a food allowance did you think that you needed? Or did you forget that you could be buying your own food? If anyone is owed an apology, it's us but I know that's not going to happen. Barb, what's wrong with you that you can't think beyond your own needs? Tell us how to help you with this..." "I don't want or need your help." Barb snapped. "You may not want our help but you need it." Louise said softly. She wasn't feeling well, the room was spinning and she had broken out into a cold sweat. "Lou? Oh shit..." Kevyn said. She woke up a few minutes later feeling queasy and weak. Kevyn was at her head and Barb was at her feet with a worried expression on her face. "Why do you keep doing that?" she asked, "Maybe we should take you to the hospital to make sure that you're not sick." "No, I'm fine." Louise said as she drank the glass of apple juice. "But you keep fainting!" Barb exclaimed. "I'm fine really; I just need another glass of juice." Louise said as she handed the empty glass to Kevyn Louise's fainting was enough to calm both Kevyn and Barb down as they tended to her. Louise fell asleep after drinking the second glass of juice leaving the two remaining sisters in an awkward silence. "Do you really hate her?" Kevyn asked. Barb looked down at Louise, then back up at Kevyn, and shrugged. "Maybe a little." she confessed. "For all of our lives, all I ever heard was how special she is or what an angel she is. When she started taking care of mom, it only got worse." "And no one noticed you." Kevyn said quietly. "And then you bring her out here and a not even two weeks later she finds someone and not just anyone, a rich someone." "You're jealous of her." Kevyn said. "Maybe but that doesn't change the way that I feel about mom and dad." she replied. "I think that mom and dad is a subject that we have to agree to disagree on." Kevyn said. "Let make some sandwiches, Lou will be hungry when she wakes up." ****** Nathan threw himself into the building of the house to keep from calling Louise. He walked around the area that would be the kitchen and visualized them making meals together for themselves and family. Nathan stood in the middle of the imaginary kitchen did a slow three-hundred and sixty degree turn. As he turned, he made small mental recalculations of the room. Satisfied with the slight change in plans, he nodded to himself, moved to the next room and repeating the procedure until he had been in every room in the 'house'. He spent more time in the bedroom than he did in any other room in the house. After doing the three-sixty turn, he stood in front of where the bed would be and closed his eyes. He thought about the kiss, her reticence and the knowledge that beneath all of that shyness was a very sexual woman just waiting to be released and she was his. Unable to help himself, he dialed he number and left a voice mail when she didn't pick up. It didn't alarm or surprise him when she didn't answer, he assumed that the sisters were in the midst of whatever their issues were. He left the soon to be bedroom via what would be the patio doors and walked down to the beach wishing that Louise was with him. He hoped that by the end of their time together, that they would have at least come to some agreements about how they would proceed. The one thing that he knew wouldn't change was Barb and her cravings for money. It wouldn't have surprised him to know that Barb was going to ask for an introduction to the family, he would have been surprised if she hadn't. Nathan knew women like Barb. They stuck around as long as there was money or until the man cut her off. Women like Kevyn and Louise were in it for the long haul, the money was immaterial. He found himself feeling sorry for the poor bastard that Barb Simpson got her claws into and hoped that there was a prenuptial agreement. As for himself, there wouldn't be any such agreement. None of the Sinclaire's had prenuptial agreements. To do so implied that the mate wasn't trusted and implied selfishness on the part of the mate who wanted such an agreement. After sitting by the water for several minutes, Nathan got up, walked back to the site of the house and made a few phone calls all in regards to the house. During the last call, a feeling of sudden weakness came over him. It didn't last long but he knew what it was. He waited until the room stopped spinning and called her number and then Kevyn's phone when she didn't answer. "Kevyn? Is Louise all right? You're sure? All right, when she wakes up tell her to call me no matter the time. Yes, thanks." He hung up fighting the urge to go to her, "She's fine." he said to himself as he left the site and headed back to Patrick's house. ********* Hans finished his work for the night and went to his suite where he repeated his prayer that Barb Yancy Simpson be taken away as his mate. He simply couldn't see his way clear to accept her as she was. He had come from a family of workers and the mates of his family were workers as well. It wasn't that they couldn't be wealthy, they could but their philosophy was that money was an unnecessary distraction. However, it was more than that; they all enjoyed working for what they had and enjoyed all that went with it. After saying his prayer, Hans got ready for the days rest without giving Barb another thought, confident that the fates would grant him what he wanted- to be rid of the woman they had chosen as his mate. ******* Louise woke up almost an hour after she fainted to the sound off hushed conversation. She sat up on the sofa, looked around and went to the kitchen where Barb and Kevyn were sitting in the cramped kitchen. "Hi." she said sheepishly. "Are you alright?" Kevyn asked. "Yeah... sorry about that." she replied. "I still think that you should go to the hospital." Barb said. "You keep fainting and that can't be good." she added as she moved so that Louise could sit down. As Louise passed her, she had a flash of insight and understood Barb a little better. She knew that no matter what they did that Barb would be Barb but she was willing to try her idea. Louise sat down and accepted the offered glass of cola but declined the offer of something to eat, she was anxious to see if her theory was right. "Barb, can I ask you a question?" "If it's about any of the previously discussed topics, then no." Barb replied, "Kevyn and I have been talking and it's something that we agree to disagree about and by the way, I don't really hate you. Jealous of you? Maybe, but I never really hated you." Louise was shocked, for Barb to admit to an emotion such as jealousy was a major step. "I'm glad to know that but my question isn't about the past but the present, can I ask?" Barb gave her a suspicious look and nodded her head. Kevyn sat back, watched as Louise quietly, gently manipulated Barb to where she wanted her to be, and then closed the trap. "Ok... you know that I have no experience with men and don't take this wrong but you do." Kevyn sat up straighter and watched Louise work. She looked at Barb waiting for her to shut Louise down and was surprised to see that while she was wary, she was also intrigued. "What's the question?" Barb asked taking the bait. "I don't know how to ask this without it sounding bad so I'm just going to ask... how do I keep women like you away from someone that I'm interested in?" Kevyn tensed, waited for the fallout from the "women like you" comment and was relieved when Barb seemed not to have noticed it. She was coming to the same conclusion that Louise was and wanted to see if they were right. "Are we talking about men in general or are we talking about Nathan Sinclaire?" Barb asked. Louise hesitated. This would be the second time that she admitted to someone that she had feelings for Nathan and that second person was someone who would try to take him away from her and not bat an eye. "Nathan Sinclaire." "What you did just now?" Barb said, "Leaves him open for someone like me. I knew that you had a thing for him, it was obvious but you made no claim on him. Would that have stopped me? Probably not but I may not have put so much effort into it. Let me ask you this, do you want this guy? Because if you don't or you're not sure I'll step up to the plate." Louise didn't react as she digested the information. "And I'll tell you something else," Barb continued, "it's all well and good to be shy and all of that but Lou, sometimes you have to fight for what you want and it doesn't matter who the opponent is. You know better than anyone that family can be the ones to screw you over faster than anyone else." Louise Ch. 06 Kevyn listened to Barb and wondered if she realized that she had just admitted to being a gold digger. "Have you told him how you feel about him?" Barb asked. "If not, then why? What are you waiting for?" Louise didn't reply. She let Barb talk until she fell silent. "Thank you for helping me with that." Louise said softly. She had to admit that there was a lot of merit in what Barb said and it was well worth considering. "You're welcome... You sneaky little mouse!" Barb exclaimed half amused, half angrily. "Don't you feel better?" Louise asked as she reached for the glass of cola that Kevyn had already poured for her. Barb laughed, "They say that you have to watch the quiet ones." "I really did want your advice." Louise said. "But I think that while you believe the things that you said about mom and dad, there was more to it and you know what that is without me saying it... you admitted to it while you were talking. I'm not judging, it's your life but I'm going to use a piece of the advice you offered now." Barb and Kevyn looked at Louise and waited. "I want you to stay away from Nathan. I don't know where we're going yet but I want to find out without you complicating things. Did I state my position clearly enough?" she asked in a clear, strong voice Kevyn almost dropped the bottle of cola that she was holding, Barb just stared at her as the verbal, and psychic command hit her making her head ache again. "I get it." Barb said rubbing her temples. "Damn my head hurts again, maybe I need to go get checked out." The sisters spent that night and the next in the apartment and had a conference all with Juliet twice during that time. By the end of the second night, they had reached an understanding. Kevyn wasn't going to introduce Barb to any of the Sinclaire men but what she did was her business. It was then that Barb informed them that she did not intend to return to Pittsburgh or Connecticut. "I hate the weather there and I love the weather here. I have to find a place to live and unfortunately a job until I meet someone but I have enough money to live on for a few months." "The rent around here is pricy." Kevyn said, "Just how much money do you have?" Barb didn't answer but looked around the small efficiency apartment. "How much for something like this?" she asked. "This was nine-hundred a month plus utilities but I thought you considered it a dump." Kevyn replied. "I still do but it will do for the time being. When is your lease up?" Barb replied. "It's paid up for another six months but Barb; there are jobs available but not the kind that you would want." Kevyn said. "There's got to be something other than what you did." Barb hesitated, "Look, I know that you didn't want me here and that I have no right to ask for any favors but could I stay here until the lease is up? I really want to stay in California. There really is nothing for me back home." Kevyn looked over at Louise who she knew was listening to Barb's every word trying to detect a lie. She didn't trust Barb any more than she did. While Barb waited for an answer, she thought about the conversations of the past days and wondered how Louise knew the things that she did. She had to admit that she felt better but that didn't change the fact that she still believed that she was entitled to the things that both Kevyn and Louise had. As for Louise, she would keep her word and stay away from Nathan but she would keep watch for any signs that things weren't working out. She jumped when she realized that Louise was looking at her. "Alright, I don't see why not." Kevyn said. "But I would be remiss if I didn't tell you to be careful. This isn't that quiet little town that you lived in back east." "I know that." Barb said a little tersely showing that she was still there. Kevyn was going to warn her about the property owner but decided not to. He wouldn't put up with Barb and her demanding 'the world owes me' attitude but she would warn him. She wished that she could be a fly on the wall to watch their first confrontation. They took Barb back to the hotel themselves instead of calling Ollie. Barb settled in the front seat and looked at the dashboard. "Nice car but why aren't you driving something new? He can afford it." "Why do I need a new car? This one is fine and the one that we usually use." Kevyn replied. "Oh I see," Barb said, "rich but trying not to look it." "So Barb," Louise said changing the subject, "what kind of job are you going to look for?" "Something in an office I think which reminds me, I have to have someone pack up and send me my clothes." The problem was that she had no real friends and her best friend really wasn't a friend at all. They just had the same goals and if she asked her to pack up her things, she would show up on her doorstep just as she had shown on Kevyn's and that simply wouldn't do. The house wasn't a problem, she could sell it and it would be all profit after all of the fees were paid. Warren Simpson her ex had paid cash for it and had given it to her just to be rid of it and her. She began to make a mental list of what she needed to in order to make the move. She decided to call the realtor first and then Juliet to ask her to pack up her clothes and ship them. She would have to pay her but she would go pack up her clothes and send them without too much fuss. Once at the hotel, she got out of the car, grabbed her bag and walked away without as much as a goodbye. She had gotten what she wanted. She could feel Kevyn's glare on her back and she simply didn't care. She could and would play nice when she had to. Kevyn almost called out to her but Louise stopped her. "She isn't going to change so choose your battles carefully." "She manipulated us!" Kevyn replied. "She thinks that she did." Louise replied, "You were going to offer her the use of it anyway weren't you?" "Yeah, but why does it feel like she got over on us?" "Because she didn't give you the chance to make the offer." Louise replied. "You know, Barb is right." Kevyn said, "It is the quiet ones that bear watching. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go home, I miss Patrick." ******** Patrick and Nathan took turns peeking out of the window looking for the Hyundai to pull into the driveway. It had been a long two nights and the frequent but short phone calls did nothing but to make them miss the women even more. Of the two of them, Nathan was having the harder time only because he and Louise hadn't mated and they couldn't communicate telepathically. During the time that Louise was gone, he had gotten the foundation of the house laid doing quite a bit of the work himself. As soon as he got the phone call that Louise and Kevyn were going to be back in the morning, he rushed to the florists, ordered bouquets of various kinds of flowers and arranged for an early morning delivery. The next thing was to enlist Patrick's help in making a welcome home breakfast. "Breakfast?" Patrick asked incredulous. "Food is the last thing on my mind." he added but then apologized. "I'm sorry; I forgot that you and Lou aren't at that point yet. So what's on the menu?" "No, I'm sorry." Nathan replied, "I wasn't thinking." "Nathan, there's nothing to apologize for so... how about that breakfast casserole?' It was two hours before Nathan spotted the car as it pulled up to the gate. It seemed that once he saw the car, time slowed. The car appeared to be moving in slow motion as it cleared the gate and moved toward the garage. He and Patrick were in the garage long before the doors opened. As soon as the car was inside, Patrick was at the driver's side and he was at the passenger side opening the door, pulling Louise out and into his arms. "I've missed you." he murmured with his lips pressed against the top off her head. "Never again." he added, "we will never be apart like that again." Louise heard him but made no comment, she had missed him too. When he pulled back and looked down at her, her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze. "I missed you." he repeated before kissing her. As before, Louise found her arms around his waist with no memory of putting them there. When they broke the kiss, they found themselves alone in the garage. Louise blushed and then looked back up at Nathan. "I hope that you're hungry, we made breakfast for you and Kevyn." Kevyn and Patrick were already gone by the time they reached the kitchen. The remainder of the casserole was on in the oven waiting for them. "I still don't get how you guys can eat so much and not be as big as a house." Louise said when she saw the size of the pan that the casserole had been made in. Nathan looked at her and made a decision. "Sweetheart, are you up for a talk?" "Sure... I feel better now that things are more settled between us and Barb." Louise replied. "I'm glad to hear it." Nathan said, "Sit down and tell me about it while I fix our plates." While they ate, Louise gave him the highlights of the time spent with Barb. "So anyway, I think she feels better too and you don't have to worry about resisting her charms." "That was never a problem." Nathan said, "But how do you feel about her moving here?" "I think that as long as we accept her for what she is and don't try to change her, it'll be fine." Louise replied. "We all know that she'll continue to search for that rich man to take care of her and all we can do is to warn her to be careful." "You and Kevyn are good sisters but what about the other one? Juliet? What is she like?" Nathan asked stalling but also aware that Louise had never been this free with information about her family. "Juliet is kind of like Barb but not as bad. Her attitude is that if it happens it happens. She has two kids that I used to baby-sit for on the weekends..." "In addition to taking care of your mother?" Nathan asked. "Yeah well, mom liked having them around; they took her mind off of dad." "Did Juliet help you with your mother?" "No, not really, she worked and had the kids..." "I'm sorry," Nathan said, "if she could find the time to go out, why couldn't she spend a few hours with your mother? Of your siblings, who did help you?" Louise wasn't prepared for the anger that she felt coming from Nathan but she answered the question. "Other than Kev and my brother who died, I would have to say Leon. I didn't call him as much as I should have because he worked nights at the steel mill and picked up all the overtime that he could but when I called, he came without question, if I needed help in paying for mom's prescriptions, he did it and never asked to be paid back. There was Gene but he had his own issues and I tried not to call him unless I had no other choice." Nathan was silent for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Do you have any idea of your true strength?" he asked. "That wasn't strength," Louise replied, "It was doing what needed to be done." "I beg to differ, from what I have heard and seen, you have always handled any situation that you found yourself in with dignity and grace. You blamed no one for your circumstances and you harbored no ill will toward the siblings that did nothing to help you. You didn't turn to hu... vices such as drugs or alcohol; you drew on an inner strength. I think that you are ready to hear what I need to tell you. But first, let's get a few basic's out of the way, what's your favorite color?" Two hours later, Nathan knew that Louise's favorite color was green, that she abhorred lima beans, she liked most kinds of music and that she had always loved cooking. He told her that his favorite color was blue, he hated green beans, he liked all music but favored the blues and that he enjoyed cooking. "Why don't we go to the den?" he asked when there was a lull in the conversation, "I want you to be comfortable for this." Louise helped clean up the kitchen and followed Nathan to the den. She knew that whatever he was going to tell her, it would be even more life changing than her move to California. Nathan made sure that she was comfortable and sat down beside her. "Wait, I'll be right back." he said and rushed off toward the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with an ice chest filled with ice and juices. He had no idea of what her reaction would be and he wanted to be ready. ******** Hans knew that Barb was back only because the atmosphere of the hotel had changed. The staff was back to being on pins and needles with several of them refusing to take care of her at all. Ollie confessed to him that he left her alone in the parking lot of Kevyn's apartment building and explained why. "She looked at me as if I was the worst smelling shit that existed and I'm not driving her stuck-up ass anywhere else." Hans understood and didn't argue with him. He also wasn't going to assign her another driver, if she wanted to go somewhere, she'd either have to walk or take a cab. At night, it would fall to him and he wouldn't take her any place that he deemed unsafe no matter how angry she got. There was still the matter of an apology to Nadine. She still owed the staff as a whole an apology but her treatment of Nadine had been worse than the treatment of the others and he knew why. Nadine was quiet and easily moved to tears and it gave people like Barb Simpson a feeling of power knowing that they could hurt someone so deeply. Before Barb left, Nadine was going to have her apology. Hans was keenly aware that while he wanted Barb to be safe, he really didn't care about her as a mate should in fact; he felt nothing. Hans sighed and got ready for his days rest... maybe.... ******** Barb tossed her bag on the bed and began making her phone calls starting with the realtor. The next call was to Juliet. "Jeesh! Yes, I'll pay the gas and yes, you can stay at the house while you pack my clothes but keep the kids out of my room...yes you can take the food... absolutely not! Sleep in the guest room with the kids and make sure that you clean up your mess. Her next call was to check on the status of her 401k, she planned to keep from working as long as she could. "That much?" she asked surprised, "I want to cash it out... yes... I know, just do it." She added up her asserts and including the alimony payments from Warren, the projected sale of the house, her 401k money and what she had in the bank, she could wait a year to look for a job; longer if she was careful. That she wouldn't have to pay rent or utilities for six months was a big bonus... all she had to do now was find the man who would take care of her without complaint. The last phone call that she made was to the credit card company. She paid off the balance and now had something to fall back on in case of an emergency. Things were beginning to look up. She admitted that she was still jealous of Kevyn and Louise and admitted that she would never change unless the hand of god himself reached down and touched her but she was fine with that. The mouse had been right, it was something that she needed to admit, own up to and accept. She flipped through the menu and planned her meals for the day and evening before flipping through the television channels and setting the reminders for her favorite shows for the evening. Tonight was going to be a stay in and relax kind of night; she could only imagine what was happening in Kevyn's bedroom. She didn't think about Louise, she just couldn't see her as someone that a man would want sexually or even her being brave enough to allow a man to touch her. In the back of her mind, she held hope that Nathan Sinclaire would tire of Louise's insecurities and turn her loose. ******* Nathan took Louise's hands in his and played with her fingers unsure of where to start. Then he decided to start with what he was and to go from there. "Louise... I'm not human. Neither is Patrick ... no one in my family is human." Silence. "I... we all look to be in our thirties to forties but some of us are much older than that. Uncle Patrick is several centuries old as is my father and well you get the picture. We stop aging anywhere from our twenties to our forties and in human years, I'm in my early forties. Silence. "Most of us have mates that we never know when or where we're going to find them and for the most part the mates are human. Kevyn is Patrick's mate and you are mine." "Kevyn is a vampire?" Louise asked. Nathan let out a sigh of relief that she didn't seem upset about the vampire revelation. "No, she is immortal and will always be as she is." Louise was at a loss for words, she didn't know what to expect but this wasn't it. It never crossed her mind that he was lying to her, he wasn't, but she has never really thought about the existence of vampires or other beings. "Louise? Are you alright?" Nathan asked. "I... I just wasn't expecting this, I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this... this is why you don't go out during the day isn't it?" she asked as things began to make sense. "And why the drapes are drawn until the sun goes down but... but you can eat." "Yes, but there are those who can't." Nathan replied. "So you believe me?" "Yeah but... how? And why me?" Louise asked. "No one knows." Nathan replied, "But Louise, had I been human, I still would have chosen you. And like now, there would have been nothing that Barb or any other woman could have done to change that. You are mine just as I am yours, you only have to accept me." "Accept you? How?" Louise asked nervously. "For now, a simple yes will do." Nathan replied not wanting to overwhelm her. Louise didn't know what to say. Part of her wanted to do as Barb had suggested and claim what was hers but the shy reticent part of her held her back. Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed as understanding dawned on her. She had read enough vampire novels to know what Nathan was getting at- he was asking her to marry him. "I know that this seems sudden," Nathan said, "but I knew who you were from the moment I saw you and whether you know it or not, you knew me. I fully understand if you need time to think about and process what I've told you and I will answer any and all questions honestly." "Does Kevyn know?" "About us? Yes and I asked her not to say anything before we had a chance to talk." Nathan replied. "I think that I need to go to my room." Louise said softly, "I have to think about this... I'm not saying no but...." "Louise," Nathan interrupted, it's all right, take all the time that you need. Talk to Kevyn if it will help but remember that in the end, the decision is yours and mine alone." Nathan stood, pulled Louise up to him and kissed her before leading her up to her suite. At the door, he stopped her from going in, "Louise, it's alright to be frightened but know that I would never harm you in any way and that you can come to me no matter the time and talk." Louise slipped into her room, leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. She knew that Nathan was standing on the other side of it; she could feel his concern for her. Slowly, she stood up, turned toward the door and opened it. Louise Ch. 07 Barb settled in for the night overall pleased by the turn of events. She might not have gotten Nathan Sinclaire but she was staying in California, which was partly what she wanted. In celebration, she decided to order a bottle of Champaign. While she waited, she changed her clothes humming to herself as she went. Things were definitely looking up. She had just finished putting on the blue silk lounge suit that she wore only when she wanted to feel luxurious when there was a tap on the door. She opened it to none other than Nadine who was trembling and trying not to show it. "Good evening Miss." she said softly. "You can put it over by the bed." Barb said trying to keep her tone neutral although she really didn't care. She had a place to go to but not at eight in the evening, Kevyn hadn't given her the keys to the apartment and still had to talk to the landlord. Nadine nodded and pushed the cart to the spot that Barb indicated and went to leave. "Wait." Barb said not quite believing what she was about to do. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you and calling you names, you didn't deserve that." Nadine's eyes widened in surprise at the apology, she didn't quite believing what she was hearing. It didn't feel completely real to her but she accepted it anyway. "Thank you Miss." After Nadine was gone, Barb opened the campaign, sniffed it and filled one of the goblets almost to the brim with the bubbly liquid. She took a big swallow, coughed, gagged and sputtered deciding that she really didn't like it after all but she sure as hell wasn't going to waste it. She downed the contents of the goblet and refilled it before lying on top of the bed. She fell asleep before she finished the second glass. ****** Hans intercepted Nadine as she went into the kitchen of the hotel. "Nadine? Is everything alright?" "I'm fine... Miss... she apologized to me." "Really? Was it sincere?" he asked. Nadine blushed before answering, "Not entirely but she made the attempt." The last part of her sentence is what caught his attention, "but she made the attempt." "Thank you Nadine." Hans said. He had some thinking to do. The fates had already told him that their decision was final. Barbara Yancy Simpson was his to claim or not to claim but either way, she was his responsibility. "Fuck!" he swore as he headed back to his office slamming the door when he got there. He sat down at his desk and replayed the telepathic conversation that he had with one of the fates. "Is she that disagreeable that you hound us almost non stop?" The soft male voice asked. "She is nothing more than a money hungry bitch!" Hans replied. The fate listened as Hans ran down the list of Barb's transgressions and why he couldn't possibly accept her as a mate. "So you see this is an unacceptable pairing." Hans said when he was through. "As you know," the fate replied, "these pairings as you call them are made for a reason even if you don't see or understand them. What you do with it is up to you but I would like to tell you this... Your mate isn't the only one with issues... think about that." "What are you saying?" Hans asked. "I'm saying that there is no reason why this pairing cannot or will not work. It will be difficult and we took that into account when we gave you this woman. As I said, claim her or not, the choice is yours. If you choose not to claim her, there will be no other given to you." Nothing he said made any difference and now he had a decision to make. ******** Louise stood in the doorway looking up at Nathan unsure of what to do next. The ball was now in her court and what happened next was up to her. Her heart raced and her stomach flopped as she slowly held out her hand to Nathan. For just a few seconds, she didn't think that he was going to take it but then she realized that he was as surprised as she was at the gesture. He stepped across the threshold into her room and waited. Louise waited for the rapid beating of her heart to slow down and for the fluttering of her stomach to subside before she spoke. "I understood what you told me and I believe you but until now, I never thought about the existence of vampires. And all of you are vampires?" she asked. "Can we sit?" Nathan asked. Louise led him to the small sitting room and sat down beside him. "All of us of the Sinclaire line are born vampire." he explained. "Our mates who were born human have the option of becoming vampire if they so choose. It isn't a requirement and many choose not to because of the concern about not being able to go out during the daylight hours." Louise was listening to him talk, lulled by the sound of his soft baritone when she suddenly tensed. "What aren't you telling me?" she asked. The intensity in her voice surprised him, as did the suddenly tight grip on his hands. It was his turn to be nervous. Louise, feeling his anxiety, eased her grip and spoke. "It's going to be alright, just tell me. Whatever it is, I can handle it." He had been waiting for the opportunity to tell her about the family history and she had just given him his chance. Suddenly the fact that he had never raped seemed immaterial, the saying "guilt by association" passed through his mind. Patrick's advice about not sugar coating it and not making excuses also crossed his mind. His mouth was dry and felt as though it was filled with cotton. He wasn't ready to do this, he didn't want her to know that his family. No matter how much he loved them, they had been monsters. "Nathan? Talk to me." Louise said with a confidence in her voice that was new to her. He couldn't make the words come out; he didn't even know where to begin. Louise pulled away, went into the bathroom and came back with a glass of water. Nathan gratefully took the water and drained the glass dry. Louise watched him wondering what could be so horrible that he was afraid to tell her. "You told me once that I could tell you anything." she said, "I'm returning the favor." Maybe it was because she asked or the fact that she felt his anxiety but whatever it was; he began to talk starting with the past and working his way forward and to the present. "I'm not going to make excuses or even try to explain the whys or the how's. It was a horrible practice that went on for far too long and one that never should have been allowed to start." "And your mother was raped by your father? Your Uncle raped his wife?" Louise asked. "Yes." "I've only seen them once but they seemed to really love each other." Louise said. "That's because they do and I won't sit here and tell you that I understand it." Nathan said. "The only explanation that I can come up with is that they were already mates but even so; to accept the man that raped you..." "Is a sign of strength." Louise said as she realized that her family's issues were nothing compared to this. "They kept their babies and moved forward. I don't know if I could have done that." Nathan waited for the inevitable question that came a few minutes later. "Have you ever.... Have you ever raped anyone?" "Never and I never even came close to it. If my uncle hadn't stepped forward and fought to end the practice, more than likely I would have." Nathan replied. What amazed him that while she was surprised, she wasn't outraged and demanding to know how his family could have done the things that they did. On second thought, he realized that her empathy was at work. If he concentrated, he could feel it surround him, touching him, soothing him. "Does Kevyn know?" Louise asked. "Yes and according to Uncle Patrick, they're still working through it." "The vampire that kidnapped your cousin, his mate was a victim wasn't she?" she asked. "Yes, she was one of Uncle Patrick's victims." "He didn't really want to hurt her. Your cousin I mean. He was very angry, bitter and he felt guilty for not protecting his mate better." Louise said. "He told you that?" Nathan asked. "I felt it." Louise replied. "What else did you feel?" Nathan asked. "Not much more other than he was relieved that it was finally over so he could be with her, will there be others?" Nathan shrugged, "That remains to be seen but Uncle Ethan is on the alert, that's why we ask that none of you go anywhere alone. Louise, I've told you so much tonight and I'm sure that you're overwhelmed. I'll give you as much time as you need to decide if you want to be a part of this screwed up family and I'm sure that you'll want to talk to Kevyn." "You know," Louise said, "I thought my family was nuts but I think that your family just took first place. I have to be honest and tell you that I'm appalled that anyone would teach such a thing. I also realize what it took for you to tell me when you didn't have to." she stopped, looked at Nathan and knew that he had expected her to run and was still waiting for one shoe and then the other to drop. "One of the things that my father used to tell us was that you can't hold an entire group responsible for the actions of some of them. I think that what your family did was horrible but the fact that they've stopped it and are very vocal about it says something. The fact that you've never hurt anyone also helps and I can only imagine Kevyn's reaction when Patrick told her about it. What I'm saying is that I'm glad that you told me instead of me finding out inadvertently and that I don't hold you responsible for the past and for what your family did." Nathan was dumbfounded and while grateful, her reaction wasn't what he had been expecting. All of the other mates had reacted much as Kevyn had and here was his sweet, shy Louise... he had to know and understand why her reaction was so different. "Aren't you angry?" he asked. Louise waited several minutes before answering. "I'm angry but not at you. I guess it's because the rapes went on even after someone realized that they were wrong. If you had raped or hurt someone I probably would have reacted more like Kevyn did. I also learned something a long time ago and that's anger for the most part is a wasted emotion. I learned from my family that it did no good to get angry because in the end, I was still left alone physically caring for my mother while they did whatever it was they did. I was the one whose head ached and stomach churned and they felt none of it." "So you learned to roll with the punches." Nathan said. "Something like that but since I've been here I'm learning that I don't have to do that as much." "To what are you referring?" Nathan asked. "Barb I guess." Louise replied. "Louise, do you know what an empath is?" "Sure... a person who can pick up on the emotions and thoughts of...." Nathan watched as understanding dawned on Louise's face. "That's what I am?" she asked. "All of our mates have some kind of psychic gift which includes telepathy. When you and I mate, we will be able to communicate without speaking. Kevyn can read and hear the thoughts of vampires. That gift helped save Veronica's life. You are an empath, which is why you were always able to calm your mother and others with seeming no effort. You are a strong empath but you never had to exert yourself until you came here. That's why you fainted at the restaurant and at Kevyn's apartment; you aren't used to expending so much psychic energy." "Could I hurt someone?" she asked. "You could...." "The man at the movies, he started hollering...Was that me?" Louise asked anxiously. "It was but...." "Oh my god! I hurt that man didn't I?" she asked her anxiety level rising. "Sweetheart calm down, you didn't mean to...' "Could I kill someone? I could couldn't I?" Louise broke in panicked. "Yes but..." "Who else did I hurt?" she asked crying. "Sweetheart listen to me, you didn't know what you were doing! I only have to teach you how to control your gifts." "Who else did I hurt?" she demanded. "You gave Barb a rather hard, well deserved psychic slap upside the head." Nathan admitted. "And there was no one else." he added as he pulled her into his lap. "Could I hurt you?" she asked. "No." he assured her. "What about Patrick and the others?" "Yes but as I said, I'm going to teach you how to manage your gifts." he reminded her. She was silent for a long time before she spoke again. "What happens now?" she asked as she laid her head on Nathan's shoulder. ******* Hans kept replaying the conversation with the fate in his head. He kept coming back to one point, "Your mate isn't the only one who has issues." "What in the hell was he talking about?" Hans muttered. As far as he knew, he had no issues and had no idea of what the fate was talking about and wasn't sure that he cared. In the end, it didn't matter whether he had issues or not, he still had to decide what to do about his mate. Nadine's words came back to him too "but she made an attempt." but she also said that the apology wasn't entirely sincere but still... she did try. What did that mean? Hans wondered as he got ready to leave his office to make his rounds through the hotel. Was the half -assed apology an indication that she could to some degree change? He didn't know and knew that he wouldn't rest until he found out. If there was any chance that there was a kinder, less money hungry woman inside of the one that he knew, then maybe he could live with her. "Shit!" he cursed again as he closed the door behind him and started on his rounds. He would think about Barbara Yancy Simpson later, it was time for work. ******** Kevyn lay in Patrick's arms sated for the moment not thinking about Barb or Louise. For just an hour or two, they didn't exist. She hadn't realized how much she had missed Patrick until she was home again. "I missed you." Patrick said for what had to be the tenth time. "I don't want to do this again. If you need to talk to Barb again it happens here or at a hotel where we can be together." "Agreed." Kevyn replied. "Do you want to hear what happened?" she asked. "Wow." Patrick said after hearing about the talk. "I'm glad that she claimed Nathan but Kev, I have a really bad feeling about Barb." "Like what?" "I don't know but I think that she's going to get herself into something that she won't be able to get out of." Patrick replied. "What are we supposed to do?" Kevyn asked. "We can't tell her what to do, she's an adult and she wouldn't listen to us anyway. Do you think that Nathan has already talked to Lou?" "I know that he was planning on it." Patrick replied. "He was pretty nervous about it." "So were you." Kevyn replied. "If I recall correctly, I was terrified." Patrick replied. "But at least he can tell her that he never raped, that will help. How do you think she'll take it?" Kevyn thought for a minute, "I think she's going to surprise the hell out of Nathan. What you have to understand is that Louise has always rolled with the punches, its how she managed to survive when she was at home and I think that's what's going to happen now." Kevyn replied. "In a lot of ways, she is and was the strongest of all of us. I don't think that any of us could have done what she did and remained sane." she added. "I would agree that she's strong and I see the small but subtle changes in her as she gets closer to accepting Nathan." Patrick said. "It's a pleasure to watch." "I wonder if he knows that she's never been with anyone before." Kevyn asked. "I'm sure that he does and I'm equally as sure that he'll be very gentle with her so try not to worry about her." Patrick replied. "You're right." Kevyn replied as she bit into the nipple closest to her mouth and then sucked on it while she stroked his cock that had never softened. "Like that?" she purred against his chest. "You're teasing me." "You don't like being teased?" she asked playfully nipping at the nipple that was now red and swollen. "By you?" he asked hissing as she bit the nipple again, "I love it." He replied as in one move, he was on top of her and sliding inside of her. "But do you like being teased?" He asked as he barely moved his hips. "I can take it." Kevyn replied. "Really?" Patrick asked as he moved his hips again and made his cock jerk inside of her. He ground against her clit that was still sensitive from earlier orgasms and stopped, only to move again when she protested. The teasing went on until Kevyn wrapped her legs around his hips and held in place as she ground against him until she came with a low moan. Patrick pressed against her and didn't slide out until he was completely empty. As he lay beside her, he wondered if they would ever have children. ******** Louise sat up in Nathan's lap and looked at him. "Ask me again." she said suddenly. Nathan looked at her wondering what she was thinking. "Ask you...." "Ask me again." she said more insistently. "Before I do," Nathan said, "I want to know what you're thinking." "Does it really matter?" Louise asked. "To me, yes." Nathan replied, "Now tell me what you're thinking about." "I've been sitting here and thinking about things... namely my life. It wasn't a bad life although Barb would disagree with me. There were people who were much worse off than we were but at any rate, I've gone through my entire life not fighting for anything and being the mouse that Barb says that I am. Never once in all of this time have I ever asked myself what I wanted aside from going to cooking school and opening my own place. I never thought about being with anyone because I didn't think that it was possible." "And now?" Nathan asked. "One of the things that Barb and Kevyn each told me was that people will only do to me what I allow them. I'm just realizing that I let people do a lot to me. I should have demanded more help in taking care of mom and I shouldn't have taken no for an answer. It's just that acceptance was the path of least resistance and that arguing for what I wanted and needed took too much energy, so I just kept quiet. Maybe it's because I've learned to just accept things that I didn't go running and screaming when you told me that your whole family are vampires and about the rape thing." Louise said. "Or maybe it's because on some level you knew that we were different and you had already begun to accept me before we talked." Nathan said. "I think you took your father's words about not judging a person based on a group to heart and I wish that he were still alive so that I could thank him for teaching you that but what is it that you're trying to tell me?" "I asked Barb how I should keep women like her away from men that I was interested in." Louise replied. "Her question to me was men in general or Nathan Sinclaire... after hesitating, I finally said you. She told me that it was that hesitation that left you open for women like her and that I had to claim you if I wanted her to back off." Nathan didn't move, for her to be telling him this was huge. "So... I told her to leave you alone and that I wanted to see where this was going without her complicating things. So... would you please ask me again?" Nathan hesitated, she was going to accept him and he was hesitating. "Louise, I need for you to understand something, this isn't a passing fancy or a phase. This is for an eternity and it's irrevocable. This isn't the thing to choose to do if you're looking to exercise your newfound confidence, which by the way I love. I want you to be sure about this. Don't misunderstand me, I want nothing more than to repeat that question but I need for you to be sure." "Nathan, ask me the question." Louise said looking directly into his eyes. "Louise Yancy, will you accept me as your mate? And a simple yes will do for now." "I... yes." Louise said before she could come up with a reason to say no. Louise Ch. 07 The throbbing and tingling in her breast and between her legs came back with a force so strong, she gasped. Nathan's nostrils flared and his groin reacted as he recognized the scent of her arousal. Louise froze when she felt his hard cock pressed against her soft bottom. "It's alright." Nathan soothed, "It's just our bodies recognizing each other. From now on, I will always know where you are just as you will always know where I am." "What about the other part of it?" Louise asked shyly. "Not now." Nathan replied. "You need to sleep. I'll be next door." For the third time that day, Louise surprised him. "You... you can stay if you don't mind watching the food channel." she said shyly. Nathan would have agreed to watch soap operas to have been able to stay with her and that had been a concern. He hadn't been sure that he could have stayed away from her once she accepted him. "I would like that." he said, "I'll go change and meet you here." He went to his room, took a quick shower and threw on a pair of lounge pants and a tee shirt. The worst of it was over; the issue was now getting Louise comfortable with her own body and with his. "I love a challenge." he quipped as he brushed his wet hair and tied it back with a blue band. Louise sat in the sitting room for several minutes after Nathan left to change clothes. Now that she had for all practical purposes agreed to marry Nathan, she was still nervous but not as much as she thought she would be. She knew that she had taken several major steps and had actually felt a sense of relief. It helped that the physical part of it could wait even though she knew that it was inevitable. She also knew how difficult waiting was for him but she felt relieved when he told her that it could wait. Once again, she realized that he was following her lead; the next step was up to her. Nathan tapped on the door and walked in carrying his laptop. "I know that you hand write the recipes so I thought that I could type them in for you." "You can type that fast?" Louise asked. "I usually have to record the show and play it back." "That's one way to do it but I happen to have a photographic memory and excellent recall... unless you prefer to do it the way that you've done it in the past." he replied. Louise could tell that he really wanted to do this for her and accepted his offer. "Ok but I'll probably still write in my notebook." she replied. While Nathan sat up the laptop, Louise turned on the television and sat on the bed. A few minutes later, they were watching TV in bed like an old married couple. Louise stopped taking notes to watch Nathan as his eyes were glued to the television screen and his fingers flew over the keyboard of the laptop. At the end of the first program, he showed her what he had. "Did I get it all?" he asked as he scrolled down the page showing her the recipes. "It looks like it but how.... Never mind." she said answering her own question. Nathan kept typing long after Louise had fallen asleep with her notebook in her lap. During a commercial break, he covered her up and kept typing. ******** Barb was up early with the headache from hell. "No more Champaign for me" she thought as she climbed unsteadily out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. Once there, she looked in the mirror, winced and continued on her way to the shower where she turned on the cold water first and stepped in. "Shit!" she exclaimed as the cold water hit her warm body. Gradually, she added hot water until the shower was at the temperature she liked. As the cobwebs in her head were washed away, she began to plan the rest of her day. The first thing that she would do after ordering something to eat was to call Juliet to find out when she was going to ship her things. After that, she would call her realtor and then Kevyn to find out if she had called her landlord yet. She felt much better after her shower and knew that she would feel even better after some food and her phone calls. Juliet answered on the first ring. "Jeez!" Juliet exclaimed, "You just called me last night! Give me a chance will you?" "I was just wondering when you were going to go." Barb replied. "Some of us do have to work." Juliet retorted. "I'm going tomorrow and I'll ship it on Monday, does that meet your approval?" "Fine." Barb replied, "What's with you this morning?" "Nothing, I'll talk to you later." Barb looked at the phone and ended the call. Whatever Juliet's problem was wasn't her concern unless it interfered with her doing what needed to be done. The realtor's response was almost the same as Juliet's but was much more polite. "Yes Barb, I know and I haven't had a chance to call the Jones' yet. What do you mean why not? I do have small children and other clients. I'll call you as soon as I've talked to them." "Yes Barb." Kevyn said when Barb called her. It was obvious that she was still in bed and that she had been woken up out of a sound sleep." "No I haven't talked to him yet but I will just keep your panties on." Barb started talking and wondered if she dropped the call when Patrick's voice came on the line. "Can you call back later? She fell back to sleep." "I guess, but maybe you know the answer to my question," Barb said, "Do you know if she talked to her landlord yet?" "No but she's planning to do it later today." Patrick replied. "Barb, I may not care for you but neither do I want anything to happen to you. I know that Kevyn warned you and I want to reiterate that warning. Please be careful and let someone know where you're going and with whom." "I'm a big girl." Barb retorted, "I can take care of myself." "I'm sure that you can." Patrick replied. "I'm only urging you to be careful in your pursuits. This is an entirely different setting than what you're used to." "Why the sudden concern?" Barb asked. "I would show the same concern for any woman." Patrick replied. "But you are Kevyn and Louise's sister and that makes you a part of my family. I just want you to be safe." "Thanks for the concern." Barb said. "Tell Kevyn to call me after she talks to the landlord." She didn't give Patrick a chance to reply before she hung up on him cursing. "Just who in the hell does he think he is?" she muttered to herself as she began to plan her day. The problem was transportation. Ollie was out of the question and it would be a cold day in hell before she'd ask Hans to take her anywhere. That left three options; she stayed in, rented a car or took a cab. Public transportation was out of the question. The next question was where she would go even if she had a vehicle. After thinking about it, she decided to take a cab, it would be cheaper than renting a car and besides, and she had no idea of where anything was. She opened up her laptop, did a search for local entertainment, and found that there were several nightclubs not too far away from the hotel. She wondered who she could ask about them as she wasn't about to walk into some strange place without knowing anything about it. The one that caught her eye was named 'The Emerald'. She liked the name mostly because emeralds were her favorite gem. She did a brief internet search on each club before deciding on 'The Emerald', it had a lucky feel to it. She looked through her closet and though about going shopping but didn't want to spend the money. The cover charge for the club was on the steep side and she had yet to wear that little black dress. It was much too early to think about going out so she surfed the web looking at the upscale dating sights to pass the time. Kevyn called her several hours later with news. "I talked to Mr. Graff and he says that it's alright for you to stay there and to take over the apartment once my lease is up." "Thanks... Maybe I won't need it for the entire time." Barb replied. Kevyn hesitated. She knew that Patrick had tried to warn Barb and that Barb had blown him off but she had to try again. "Barb, I don't know what you're up to but please be careful..." "I'm fine and yes I'll call if I need help! Better now?" she snipped. Kevyn mentally threw up her hands. She had done all that she could do and changed the subject. "I'll bring the keys by later tonight; we can go out for dinner too." "Thanks but I'm going out tonight. I think that it's about time I get to know my new surroundings don't you?" "Yes... where are you going?" Kevyn asked. Barb wasn't going to tell her and felt slightly insulted that she had been asked but she told Kevyn where she was going. "A place called 'The Emerald' it's not too far from here." "The Emerald?" Kevyn asked. "Hold on, let me ask Patrick if he knows it." Kevyn came back a few minutes later. "He says that you should choose another club...." "Why? Barb interjected, "It looks very elegant and upscale." "Barb...." "Thanks for the heads up, maybe you can bring the keys tomorrow." Barb hung up, went to the bathroom, turned on the tub and added several drops of the expensive bath oil to the water. As the tub filled, she laid her under things on the bed and took the dress and her shoes out of the closet. She had just gone into full rich man hunting mode. ********* Hans couldn't concentrate on his work. He kept replaying the conversation with the fate repeatedly in his mind. He had to make a decision and soon. "Why am I agonizing over this?" he asked himself. Theirs wouldn't be the first pairing that was less than optimal and those couples had managed to make it work. Some of them had even come to love each other but he and Barb were at the opposite ends of the spectrum and if a mating between them was going to work.... "Shit!" he cursed as he realized that he was actually considering it. He cursed again when he realized that he really had no choice in the matter, he was stuck with her whether he claimed her or not. Then there was the fact that he would die when she did and dying wasn't a part of his plan. He would also be the first in his line not to claim his mate if he didn't claim her. Even with that knowledge, Hans fought what he knew would eventually happen. He turned his attention back to his work. A huge pharmaceutical convention was coming in two weeks and he had to make sure that all was ready. Usually work calmed him but not this time. After several minutes of looking at the inventory sheets on his computer, he gave up and went to the front desk. ********** Louise woke up in desperate need of the bathroom. For just a moment, she had forgotten that Nathan was in bed with her and let out a yelp of surprise. "Good evening," he said softly, "Did you sleep well?" "Ummm yes... you stayed all night?" she asked. "That's what mates do." Nathan said and then watched her reaction and knew that she didn't understand that from the moment she said yes that they were mated even though they had yet to make love. "I knew that, I was just surprised." she replied. "When you come out of the bathroom, we need to talk." Nathan said gently. Louise washed her face and hands and brushed her teeth before going back out to the bedroom. A cart containing juice, tea and muffins sat at the foot of the bed. "I thought that you might be hungry." Nathan said as he filled two large glasses with orange juice. They ate in silence with Nathan finally speaking first. "This morning you accepted me as your mate but I don't think that you quite understand what that means." Nathan said kindly. "It means that even though we haven't made love yet, we don't sleep apart. It means that you are never alone and neither am I." Louise was quiet as she thought about what he said. "I think that I knew that." She replied, "It's going to take some getting used to." "I understand... Louise, I want us to become physically closer. I know that you've never been with anyone before and I can only imagine how nervous that must make you but we'll go slowly." Her mouth was dry, her heart pounded but she was excited at the same time. She realized that all of the thoughts that she had kept at bay for years could be turned loose. It was that realization that frightened her more than the actual physical act of making love. Nathan watched her and knew that he had been right about her. His sweet, shy mate was a very passionate woman even though she wasn't aware of it and didn't show it. He would keep his word and not push at least not too much but it was time to start preparing her for the physical part of their relationship. "We start by touching in public and in private." he told her. "When I say that I'm not talking about pawing each other or anything like that. I mean, we hold hands; I kiss your temple, all of the things that tell women like your sister Barb that we belong to each other. How do you feel about that?" he asked. "Okay I guess but I won't sit in your lap in public. I know that Kev is ok with it but I'm not sure that I am." She replied. Nathan smiled at her pleased that she felt comfortable enough to tell him what she was comfortable with and what she wasn't. He wondered if she was aware of the ways that she was changing since her arrival and decided that she probably wasn't, at least not consciously. "Agreed." he said, "as long as you sit in my lap in private." he added. Louise blushed but didn't respond one way or another; she simply didn't know how she felt about that. Instead of pushing the subject, Nathan let it drop and changed the subject. "I think that it would be a good idea to begin teaching you how to control your gifts. Once you know the trick it isn't hard and after awhile you'll be doing it without thinking about it." Louise sat down on the bed and waited for Nathan to begin. It didn't take him long to realize that she had an innate ability to control her gifts but the problem came when she was upset or stressed. He led her through a series of mental exercises and taught her how to step back from a stressful situation. "What if I forget and just react?" She asked. "I'm sure that you will but I'll be there to so no worries." Nathan assured her. "But the safest thing to do right now is to keep your shields up. It'll take conscious effort for awhile but then it will become second nature." Nathan proved to be a gentle and thoughtful teacher urging her to relax when she became too tense. He wanted to stop when she got a headache but she refused. "I'm alright." she insisted. Nathan put his foot down when her eyes began to water from the pain of the headache. "Enough. Tomorrow is another day." he said as he kissed her forehead. "You did well." "My headache is gone." She remarked. "Yes and if we continue it will come back so no more work tonight. How about we try one of the recipes from the show?" Nathan asked knowing that cooking would relax her. "Which one?" Louise asked excitedly, the headache forgotten. "How about the roasted chicken with new potatoes and glazed baby carrots? We'll have to go to the store and get a few things but it's not too far from here." "Let me get changed and I'll meet you downstairs." Louise said as she started to walk away. "Just a moment." Nathan said grabbing her hand. "Mates never separate or meet without a kiss." "But you're only going next door." Louise replied. "Where I go doesn't matter." Nathan replied as he pulled her back toward him, "we don't part without a kiss even if it's on your temple... like this." Nathan grazed his lips across her temple before kissing it. Louise leaned into him and relaxed. She finally understood the kiss on the temple thing. Nathan was staking his claim on her while Patrick's kiss on the cheek was telling anyone watching that she was under his protection. Nathan released her and smiled down at her, "see you in a few minutes." Louise watched him leave and tried to slow her rapidly beating heart as she finally acknowledged that she was in love with Nathan Sinclaire. ******** Barb made sure that every inch of her body was oiled taking special care with her elbows, knees and feet and inspecting her legs for any hair that she missed while shaving. As she applied her makeup, she sang whatever song that was in her mind convinced that tonight was going to be a very lucky night for her. She stepped into the dress and pulled it up and over her hips shaking her ass to settle it in place. She sprayed her favorite perfume, 'White Diamonds' on her pulse points before letting her hair loose from its ponytail. She shook her head and ran her fingers through it. "Damn you look good!" she said as she gave herself one last inspection before slipping on her heels that added another three inches to her five feet five inch height. She grabbed her bag, tossed her cell phone into it and headed to the hotel lobby where she hoped that the cab was waiting on her. She didn't call down to request to be called when the cab arrived, it wasn't anyone's business where and when she went anywhere. Barb walked by the front desk without looking to see who was standing behind it. Hans looked up just as Barb walked by. A feeling of dread hit him as she watched her get into the cab. In the week or two that he'd known her, he had never felt anything other than intense dislike for her. The feeling of dread turned into one of concern but by the time he had made up his mind to stop her, she was already in the cab and headed to who knew where. He tapped his long fingers on the counter and debated as to what he should do. She was headed for trouble; he could feel it. He didn't stop to think about what it meant that he knew that or that he was suddenly concerned about her safety. Not knowing what else to do, he called Patrick hoping that his mate would have some idea of where Barb was going. Kevyn answered the phone. "Hello, this is Hans from the hotel; may I please speak with Mr. Sinclaire?" "Han's this is Kevyn, what's wrong?" "Nothing... yet." he replied, "your sister just left and I'm concerned... Do you happen to know where she's going?" "Someplace called 'The Emerald' Patrick tried to warn her off from the place but she wouldn't listen." Kevyn replied. Hans closed his eyes and opened them. He knew the place well and of all the places that she could have chosen, she had to pick that one. "I'm going after her." Hans said. "I'll call you when she's safe." he added before hanging up. He dialed another number and waited impatiently for someone to answer. "Nolan, I need you up front... now." he said. A few minutes later, he was on his way to the club. ***** Barb looked at the line that was growing by the second. A feeling of disquiet gnawed at her as she took in the appearance of the club. For just a moment, she almost changed her mind but paid the cab driver and got out. She shook of the feeling of disquiet and attributed it to nerves although she had never experienced a case of nerves before and headed to the back of the line. The closer to the building she got, the more unease she felt but she refused to leave especially since she had spent the money on the cab. She had the distinct feeling of being watched and looked around to see who the culprit might be. Seeing no one, she faced front but the feeling that she was being watched hadn't dissipated. If anything, it grew stronger. The word run echoed through her mind but she ignored it determined to stay. ******* Thorne Blackwell looked out over the line of humans and vampires waiting to get into his club. Most of them were regulars, a few of the humans would come this once and never leave and some of them just wouldn't return. Then there was the one who stood alone nervously looking around. He recognized the signs of a gifted one and one who came to the club looking for a rich man. She was one of many. He could tell just by looking at her that she thought and knew that she was beautiful and that she thought that the world owed her. He could also tell that she believed that she was in control and that she thought to control whatever male she got her claws into. He chuckled quietly; she was in for a surprise. Louise Ch. 07 She was perfect. She was type of woman that he loved to break just to prove to them that they were just another bitch with a beautiful face. Something gave him pause. He wondered if she had a mate and if so, where was he? No mate would allow his woman to come here. Every male vampire within two-hundred miles knew about his place and took great pains to warn any humans that he cared about away from it. Thorne stared at the beautiful voluptuous black woman with his ice-cold green eyes and then made a phone call before heading down the stairs. ******** "Excuse me Miss." a tall handsome man said to Barb. Barb tried to blow him off. She could tell just by looking at him that while he was gorgeous, he had no real money. "Excuse me." he said again not in the least bit put off by Barb's chilly response. "Mr. Blackwell asked that I escort you into the club." That got Barb's interest. "Who is Mr. Blackwell?" she asked. "He's the owner of the club and asked that you honor him with your presence." "And you are?" Barb asked. "I'm sorry, excuse my manners. I'm not used to seeing such a beautiful woman." he replied stroking her ego as Thorne had advised him to do. "My name is Allen; I'm Mr. Blackwell's personal assistant." Thorne watched from the window liking what he saw. She didn't immediately follow Allen into the club and questioned him at great length. His cock ached and throbbed as he thought of what he planned to do to her, she was going to be such fun to break. ***** Barb followed Allen to the front of the line ignoring the comments as she passed by. This was what she wanted, to be the center of attention. Allen said something to the two security guards in a language that Barb didn't realize. The urge to leave had come back even stronger than before but she ignored it as she followed Allen into the club. The inside of the club looked just as it did on the internet with the impeccably dressed wait staff and well dressed patrons. Barb looked around noticing that there wasn't a pair of blue jeans in sight and sighed contentedly as she followed Allen to a table that was located in a corner away from the other tables giving the illusion of seclusion. "Mr. Blackwell will he here shortly, may I offer you a drink?" Allen asked smiling at her. Something in his demeanor gave Barb pause but she ignored it and asked for a rum and coke. "Light on the rum please." she said coolly and turned away before she saw the cold glitter in Allen's brown eyes. Thorne met Allen at the bar. "What do you think?" he asked looking over at Barb. "She's a bitch." Allen replied, "And she's going to be fun. A suggestion if I may?" "Go on." "Don't give her the drug. I think that she'll be much more fun without it." Allen replied. "Agreed." Thorne replied. He had been thinking along the same lines. "I'll be there in a moment." he said dismissing Allen. ******** By the time Hans made it to the club, the line was all the way around the corner and down the block. He had no privileges at the club and had no choice but to go to the end of the line and wait. The thing that concerned him was that he would have no way of knowing if she was in trouble and he hoped that Thorne Blackwell wasn't at the club that night. He would be drawn toward a woman like Barb. He would use and abuse her and then, if she was lucky, he would throw her out on her ass still alive, if not... his heart sunk when he didn't see Barb anywhere in the long line which meant one of two things, she either changed her mind or she was already inside. He hoped that it was the former but somehow, he didn't think so. She was already in the club. "Stupid woman!" Hans muttered under his breath turning slowly when he felt someone rubbing up against him. "Need a date?" The human woman asked in a voice that was filled with hope and promise. "No Thank you... my ... I'm meeting my mate." he replied politely. "Too bad." The woman replied and started to walk away. "Just a moment." Hans said stopping the woman. The least that he could do was to warn her. "Change your mind?" she asked looking up into Hans' slate gray eyes. "No but I feel that I should warn you." he replied. "This place isn't a good place for you to be. 'Club Fantasy' is a much better and safer place." The woman continued to look up at him, smiled, walked away and approached another man who appeared to be alone. This time she was lucky... the man/vampire accepted her offer without hesitation. Hans turned away saddened but he had tried to warn her and she had made her choice. The line seemed to be moving at a snails pace and he knew why. Each patron would be carefully scrutinized for several criteria. Age would be at the top of the list, identification and weapons would be next. The only law enforcement allowed into the club was the ones that Thorne had on his payroll. Even as careful as he was, accidents still happened that he needed some assistance from the local law enforcement. Hans' cell phone chirped and vibrated in his pocket. "Mr. Sinclaire... yes, I'm here now. I don't have privileges here. Yes, yes... I'll wait." ********** Louise met Nathan in the kitchen blushing when he kissed her temple in front of Kevyn and Patrick. Her embarrassment was quickly forgotten when she felt the worry that emanated from them. "What's wrong she asked." Louise listened as Kevyn explained the current situation with Barb. "We have to go get her!" Louise exclaimed. "Hans is already there." Nathan replied putting an arm around her and shielding her. In her anxiety her shields had dropped. "But what if he doesn't get there in time?" she asked No one replied because it was a very real possibility. "Patrick is calling over there to see if he can expedite things so that Hans can get into the club." Kevyn replied. Louise pulled away from Nathan and looked at Kevyn. "What aren't you telling me?" she asked softly. When Kevyn hesitated, she spoke again. "I want you to stop treating me as if I still need to be protected. I don't so tell me what's happening." "The club is owned by a vampire who isn't a friend to us." Nathan said. "If he figures out who Barb is there's no telling what he'll do to her." "Why are we just standing here?" Louise asked, "We need to go to that club and get her out of there!" "We're not even sure that she's there." Kevyn said. "Hans didn't see her in line; she could have changed her mind and gone somewhere else." "Kev, this is Barb we're talking about. Have you ever known her to change her mind about anything?" Louise asked. Patrick came from his office with a grim expression on his face. "I talked to my contact at the club, he says that Thorne is there and that there is no way that he can get Hans in without Thorne knowing about it nor can he get Barb out if she's there. He's checking to see if she's there." The minutes ticked by slowly with Louise and Kevyn becoming more anxious with each passing second. They jumped when Patrick's phone rang. They all listened silently as Patrick spoke to his contact. After a few moments, he hung up. "She's there and unfortunately Thorne has her in his sights." He said. "Who is this man?" Louise asked. "It's a long story but suffice it to say that his family and ours aren't on friendly terms." Patrick said. "Right now, the issue is getting Barb out of there before he hurts her." "Why can't we just go in?" Kevyn asked. "It isn't that simple." Patrick replied. "I could no sooner just walk into his club than he could just walk into our home. He has to invite me in. The same applies to Hans simply because he's associated with us." "So what do we do?" Louise asked. ******* Hans waited impatiently for the phone to ring jumping when it did. "Yes." he said by way of greeting. "She is inside and Thorne is with her?" he asked. "Yes and I can't get you in. how long is the line?" Patrick asked. "I can see the front of the line but the wait could still be as long as an hour... I need to get in there!" "Hans..." "You don't understand." Hans interrupted, "As much as I don't want her to be, she's my mate." "What?" Patrick asked shocked. "She's my mate and I have to get her out of there before he does something to her!" "Fuck!" Patrick swore. "Alright, don't do anything rash. Just stay in line and wait your turn. I'll give Ethan a call; he might have more clout with Blackwell than I do." "I'll try to wait." Hans replied and hung up looking at the entrance of the club that was so close but so far away. ***** "What is it?" Kevyn asked gripping Patrick's arm. "Give me a minute." Patrick replied as he dialed Ethan's number. He gave a quick synopsis on what was happening and waited for Ethan's response. "I'll call over there and see if I can get him to let her go but I'm making no promises. In the mean time, get ready to meet me in front of the club. We can use the fact that she has a mate to our advantage. I'll call you back." Ethan said. Patrick hung up and hugged Kevyn close to him. "Kev, Hans is Barb's mate." Louise and Kevyn looked at each other and then at Patrick. "You're joking." Kevyn whispered. "Why hasn't he claimed her?" "He doesn't want to but that doesn't change his responsibility for her." Patrick replied. "If he had claimed her..." Kevyn started to say. "It wouldn't have changed anything." Louise said. "She would have rejected him because she considers him beneath her. She isn't open to having a relationship based on mutual respect and understanding... he isn't rich enough for her." Patrick's phone rang before anyone could respond. "What's happening?" He asked. "Meet me at the club in thirty minutes... is Nathan there?" Ethan asked. "Yes, he's here." Patrick replied. "Good, I need to talk to him." Patrick handed the phone to Nathan. It wasn't long before they all knew that he wasn't happy with whatever Ethan was telling him. That unhappiness changed into barely concealed anger when he responded. "Absolutely not! No!" Nathan exclaimed. Louise knew that the discussion was about her and wanted to know what the discussion was about. "Nathan...." "I'm not taking her there... I understand that but ...No, the answer is no." Nathan said his normally soft baritone intense. 'I'm standing right here!" Louise exclaimed and pulled the phone away from Nathan's ear. "What are you talking about?" Nathan told her the gist of the conversation. "I'm going and you can't stop me now lets go." she said. "No..." "Nathan, this is my sister we're talking about. She may be self -absorbed, greedy, a pain in the butt and I know that you don't like her but she is still my sister and she might need me if she's hurt." "I'm going too." Kevyn chimed in, "I might be able to help." Patrick started to object but didn't when he saw the determined look on her face. Louise looked up at Nathan and waited. After a few seconds, he nodded. "But you go nowhere without me, is that clear?" he asked as he remembered her pulling away from him during Veronica's rescue. "If you can't give me your word..." "I promise now let's go!" Louise said. A sense of urgency had begun to gnaw at her. ******* Barb took sips of her drink as she danced in her chair. The music seemed to be coming from everywhere including from inside of her making her nipples tingle and her clit throb. She almost stood up so that she could really dance but a deep voice from beside her stopped her. "I apologize for keeping you waiting; I had some business matters to attend to." Barb looked up into the dark, handsome, chiseled features of Thorne Blackwell taking in the emerald green of his eyes, sharp aquiline nose and generous mouth that held just a hint of cruelty around them. The urge to leave hit her again but she ignored it. This man was the real thing; he reeked of money and sex, her two favorite things. Hans briefly crossed her mind and she pushed him away and began to take control of the situation. "It's rude to invite someone in and then to keep them waiting." she said her tone icy. "Agreed and once again, you have my apologies. Unfortunately, as I am the sole proprietor, I often have to mix business with pleasure. I hope that you understand and will give me the opportunity to make it up to you." Thorne said smiling at her as he sat down next to her. Barb felt hot as Thorne looked at her. She gave him a small smile and a slight incline of her head as she had seen the actors on television do when they wanted to look refined. However, Thorne wasn't fooled. He knew exactly who and what Barb was- a greedy wannabe that he had plans of enjoying until he tired of her. "I'm being rude again." he said taking her hand into his, "My name is Thorne Blackwell and as I said, I own this fine establishment." "Barb Simpson." she replied almost purring as Thorne's thumb caressed the back of her hand. "A pleasure to meet you... are you new to the area? I haven't seen you here before." Thorne said keeping his tone light. "I just moved here two weeks ago." Barb replied. "My sister has been here for a few years and my youngest sister just moved here too." Thorne's curiosity was piqued, "your sisters, are they like you?" he asked. "What do you mean like me?" Barb asked feeling irked. This was about her and not them. "I mean are they as beautiful and strong?" he asked still stroking her knuckles with his thumb. "No they aren't and besides, they're taken." she replied. "Ahh." Thorne replied sounding disappointed when he really wasn't. His interest had waned the moment that she said no to his question. "My oldest sister Kevyn is going to marry Patrick Sinclaire and Louise has a thing with Nathan Sinclaire, do you know them?" Barb asked. Thorne stared at her. The Sinclaires? This bitch was associated with the Sinclaires? Suddenly, his evening looked much better. They couldn't have known that she was here, they wouldn't have allowed it and she couldn't have known what they were... this was perfect. "Shall we dance?" Thorne asked as he stood still holding on to her hand and pulling her to her feet. Even with her three-inch heels, Barb barely reached his shoulder. She allowed herself to be led out tot the dance floor and had the sudden feeling that she was a lamb about to be led to slaughter. ********** Thank you to all of you for reading my stories and for your patience with the slower postings. I would also like to thank my beta readers Donalde and Anjel54 for their help... Thanks guys!!! Louise Ch. 08 Hans swore at how slowly the line was moving. He was about to decide to try to force his way in when his cell phone rang. "We're on our way." Patrick said and then hung up. While he waited, he thought about Barb and his responsibility to her. Yes, he was obligated to protect her but he wasn't obligated to love her. No, he had no real choice in who his mate was but he didn't have to accept her as she was either. He also conceded that she might have had a reason for acting as she did but from his point of view, there was never a good excuse for rudeness and that a person was responsible for their actions no matter what happened to them. The line moved up another foot or so and then stopped for several minutes before moving ahead again. His cell phone chirped when he was halfway to the front door. "We're here." Patrick said. "As far as we know she's alright, she's dancing with Blackwell." "What's the plan?" Hans asked. "You stay in line and hopefully you can get in. Ethan is going to call Blackwell to see if he'll let us in... of course, he won't but we're hoping that it will buy us some time. The other thing that will help is if Barb hasn't mentioned us. If she did, it's going to be even more difficult to get her out." "Understood, keep me appraised." Hans said and hung up to wait for entrance into the club. ******** Once they were on the dance floor, Thorne took Barb into his arms with a smile that looked sincere. Barb hesitated but reluctantly allowed herself to be held. "You really are quite beautiful." Thorne murmured in her ear. "How is it that the Sinclaire's have kept you hidden?" That one question was enough to make Barb forget her caution. She began to tell Thorne about how they had been treating her. "You should see the room that they put me in! It isn't even a suite and I had to catch a cab to the hotel because their plans were more important than my arrival." Thorne barely listened to the litany of complaints, he was thinking. Suddenly he smiled... "How would you like to spend the rest of your stay in a much nicer place? You could have whatever it is your heart desires." "Really? And where would that be?" Barb asked. "I have a number of homes each fully staffed with servants that can and will meet your every need." Thorne replied. He knew what buzzwords to use with Barb and then turned on the charm. "Of course I would understand if you declined. After all we've only just met and..." "Where are your homes?" Barb asked all sense of caution completely gone. "All over the world but I have several here in California including a few on private beaches...." "I like the ocean, do you know that they never even took me to see it?" she whined. "That is a shame." Thorne commiserated. "Then if you agree to come with me, it would be one of the beach houses." Little by little, Barb was sucked in. Now if any of the Sinclaire's showed up, he could tell them that she chose to come with him and they could do nothing about it. It would also be too late for her to change her mind. He chuckled to himself; it had been awhile since he fucked around with the high and mighty Sinclaires. Not wanting to seem over anxious, he let the subject drop. Just as the dance ended, Allen approached him. "You have an important call." "Thank you Allen." Thorne said and turned to Barb. "I apologize but as I said earlier, sometimes I must mix business with pleasure." "I understand." Barb said sweetly and watched who she thought would give her everything that she ever wanted walk away. ********** "Hello Ethan." Thorne said pleasantly. "What can I do for you? Who? Ah yes... she's here. Of course, she may leave if she chooses to. Certainly... I'll have Allen meet you at the front door... yes, of course... I'll see you in fifteen minutes." Thorne hung up and laughed, it wasn't too often that he pulled one over on Ethan Sinclaire. He went back to the table where Barb was impatiently waiting. He could tell that she had made her decision, the money hungry bitch he thought to himself as he smiled at her. "Were you serious about your offer?" she asked before he had gotten settled in his seat. "I was." he replied. "Then I accept!" she said happily. "Really? That's wonderful but aren't you concerned about going to an unknown place with a strange man?" he asked covering his bases. "After all, I could be a mass murderer or something equally as horrible." he added. "I'm a good judge of character." Barb replied, "And I don't believe that you're any of those things." "Thank you for your trust." Thorne replied taking her hand in his. "We'll be able to leave shortly." "I don't have anything with me...." "No worries, we'll have everything that you need at the house." Thorne replied. "Barb!" she heard from across the room. She looked up to see not only Kevyn but also Patrick, Nathan, Louise, Hans and Ethan approaching the table. She rolled her eyes and waited until they were at the table before she said anything. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Taking you out of here is what." Kevyn replied. "I'm not going anywhere!" Barb retorted. No one except for Nathan noticed Louise looking at Thorne with a horrified expression on her face. "Sweetheart?" he murmured and pulled her into his arms as he realized that she had completely dropped her shields. He strengthened his own shields but not before she began to vomit. "EWWW!" Barb yelled as she backed away as a spray of liquid just barely missed her. Thorne looked at Louise with a curious expression on his face. He jumped as he felt Louise probing him even as she vomited. He looked at her, letting her probe him as much as she wanted. He jumped again when he felt Kevyn in his head. "Well I'll be damned." he said not caring that Kevyn could hear him. Louise had stopped vomiting and looked around for something to drink. Seeing nothing, she looked at Barb. "Don't go with him." she said weakly. Thorne didn't say anything; this had to be Barb's choice. "Barb, listen to her... he's... wrong... he's evil, for once in your life forget about money and come with us." Louise begged. Thorne watched as the sisters tried to convince Barb to leave with them confident that she wouldn't go. The lure of what he could give her was much too strong. "Go home to your perfect lives with your perfect men and leave me alone." Barb replied. Hans stepped up to the table and looked at her for several seconds. "Please come with us, this.... Man means to harm you. Once you go with him, we... I can't help unless you leave with us." "Now you want to help me?" Barb asked. "You're nothing but a hotel clerk! What can you do for me? Make my bed? What?" she demanded. "Barb." Louise said softly. "Remember that verse in the bible that says to beware of the wolf in sheep's clothing? He's the wolf. He looks so nice on the outside but Kevyn is right... he's wrong and he's going to hurt you. You have to come with us...." Barb moved so that she was standing by Thorne's side. "Mr. Blackwell has graciously offered me a stay at one of his beach homes; I'll call you when I get back." Ethan had been silent up to this point waiting to see if the sisters could sway Barb. It wasn't long before he saw that it wasn't going to happen. When Hans' stepped forward, he hoped that the pull of mates would trigger something but it didn't. It was now up to him to get Barb out of Blackwell's grip but if she continued to choose him, it was out of his hands. Not even going to the council would help as long as she agreed to be with him. "Thorne." he said as he stepped forward. "Let's call this what it is. You're using her to fuck with us. Let her go and we'll settle our differences some other way." Blackwell smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "She is free to leave if she chooses or she can stay but I will promise you this, she won't forget her time with me if she decides to come." Everyone except for Barb heard the implications of that statement. What she heard was the promise of being pampered, waited on and mind blowing sex. Louise tried again. "Listen to what he's saying! You've always had good instincts, listen to them!" For a split second, everyone, Thorne included thought that she was going to change her mind. Pressing her advantage, Louise kept talking. "Listen to yourself! You know that he's bad!" She was crying and trying to break free of Nathan's arms convinced if she could just touch her sister that she would see reason. In a final attempt to jar Barb, she screamed, "Hans is for you!" Barb hesitated once again, looked at Hans and laughed. Ethan tried again to talk to Thorne who responded by asking them all to leave. "I believe that she has chosen and I allowed you into my club so that you could see for yourselves that she is perfectly fine. Please see yourselves out." Ethan looked at Barb ignoring Thorne. "Barb listen to me." He said. "I know that you think that Thorne is what you want but trust me when I say that he isn't. I also think that deep down you know that. I also think that your instincts are telling you to run as fast as you can and you're letting what you think you want and need cloud your judgment. That's something that I have a little experience with and I can tell you that it caused a lot of pain and suffering that is still being felt to this day. Please think about what you're doing." "Nice speech." Thorne said snidely. Louise made a desperate attempt to break away from Nathan and actually touched Barb's arm. "Please?" For the third time, everyone thought that Barb was going to change her mind and leave with them and for the third time they were disappointed. They watched helplessly as she laid a hand on Thorne's arm, her choice made. ********** "I don't understand!" Kevyn shouted when they were outside of the club, "Why in the hell couldn't we just grab her and make her come with us?" she demanded. "There are laws in our world just as there are in the human world." Patrick explained. "She chose to stay." "He tricked her! He had to have!" Kevyn retorted. "No he didn't." Louise said. "He told her the truth and let her interpret it any way she wanted to. She was going to go with him no matter what we said or did." "Because of money?" Kevyn asked. "He knew what she thinks she wants and he used it to his advantage but deep down Barb knows that he's bad." Louise replied. "She also knows why he chose her... Patrick, why does he hate your family so much? That's why he wants her; he wants to hurt this family." "But what about Barb?" Kevyn asked. "We can only wait until she wakes up." Nathan said. "What if he won't let her go?" she asked. "He will if she says she wants to leave." Ethan said. "That was the only thing that I could get him to agree to and that he won't hurt her too badly." "So there's a chance that she won't go with him?" Kevyn asked. "There's always a chance." Ethan replied. Louise didn't say anything, she already knew that Barb was going with Thorne; the pull of his money was much stronger than the pull toward Hans and her family. There was one thing that she did say and she said it with confidence. "She'll be back and she's really going to need us." Suddenly she was exhausted but amazed that she hadn't fainted although vomiting had been bad enough. She didn't object when Nathan picked her up and carried her to the car, she was just that tired. Once in the car, she closed her eyes and said a prayer for Barb, she was going to need it. ****** Hans went back to the hotel and straight to his suite without letting anyone know that he had returned. He had to wonder how much of Barb's going with Thorne had been his fault but then he remembered how she had looked at him as if he was nothing. Even at the club she had looked at him that way when he offered his help. And that laugh when Louise told her that he belonged to her... no, he decided, she was exactly where she wanted to be. He could only hope that Thorne didn't hurt her too much before she realized that she was going to bed with a monster. He realized with a start that he wasn't jealous of the fact that she would be going to bed with another and he wondered what it meant. For a brief second he thought that maybe the fates had changed their minds after all but he knew better. After what happened, he once again wondered if it was possible for Barb to change and if she did, how long would it last? He stopped thinking about it; there was no point in driving himself crazy thinking about her and the fates. With nothing else to do but wait, Hans decided to go back to work. Before he left his suite, he said a prayer to the fates that Barb would come to her senses before Thorne hurt her too badly. ****** Nathan carried an exhausted Louise up to their suite, laid her on the bed and started the bathtub. When it was ready, he woke her by softly calling her name and kissing her until she was awake. "Come on sweetheart." he said as he led her to the tub. He wanted to get in with her but didn't think that she was ready for that yet especially since she was worried about Barb but it would feel so good to sit behind her with his arms wrapped around her as he .... "Nathan?" Louise called, "Are you alright?" "I'm fine." he replied, "I'll be outside. Call me if you need anything." Louise watched Nathan leave the bathroom and realized that she did a lot of watching him leave and wondered what she should do about it. She slowly lowered her shields; she wanted to know what he was feeling. She audibly gasped as she felt Nathan's desire for her and gasped again as her nipples hardened and moisture gathered between her legs. She quickly stripped, got into the tub, turned on the jets only to turn them off. The bubbling water only made her nipples and the area between her legs throb even more. She finished her bath, dried off biting back a moan as she dried off her too sensitive nipples and her private area. When she stopped and thought about it, the feelings of arousal began to grow stronger once she said yes to being Nathan's mate. She knew what it meant but she wasn't sure that she was ready for that step and wondered how one prepared themselves for making love for the first time. ******* Nathan waited in the bedroom for Louise to come out of the bathroom. Even through the closed door he could smell her, he could hear the rapid beating of her heart and he could feel her uncertainty. It was a reminder that she really was an innocent and that maybe she needed to talk to Kevyn. He already suspected that the sisters needed some alone time anyway and made plans to go check on the progress of the beach house. In spite of Barb and her stupidity, life had to go on. The twin's wedding was less than two weeks away and he wanted the house to be finished by then. He also wanted the mating to be completed as well and judging by what was happening in the bathroom that was a very real possibility. He decided that today, he wouldn't settle for lying in bed and holding hands, she was going to sleep where she belonged, in his arms. He also decided that he wasn't going to attempt to hide his erection. It was time for her to understand that he wanted and loved her. He paused, he had never verbalized his feelings for her to her and another little piece of the puzzle fell into place. He went to the other room, moved his belongings into the suite and changed his clothes. While he waited for her, he called the house site. "How are things?" he asked. "Good, I want it exactly as I drew it. I want it done in less than two weeks... I'm aware of that. Call in extra crews and I'll pay triple time... Yes. Call me with any problems." He had just hung up when Louise walked in. "Feel better?" he asked as he stood up to walk over to her. "A little but I'm scared for Barb." Louise replied. "I know and understand." Nathan replied as he put his arms around her. "Come on, you're exhausted. You expended quite a bit of emotional and psychic energy tonight." "But I didn't faint!" she said with pride. "No you didn't." Nathan said, "But why did you lower your shields like that?" He asked gently. Louise hesitated, "I didn't mean to, at least not all of the way. I just wanted to feel what he was feeling. I have never felt such... anger and hatred. As you know, it made me sick." "What did you feel from Barb?" he asked. "That she's out to prove that she can get a rich man... but underneath she knows that he's evil but she's convinced herself that she doesn't care or that she's reading him wrong." "What?" Nathan asked when she paused. "One of the things that she kept telling me was that I wasn't being honest with myself. She says that I'm really after your money and that I'll get away with it..." Nathan stopped her. "You are in no way like her other than in familial resemblance. I know that money... mine or anyone else's doesn't matter to you. Ignore that part of your conversation. Let's get you into bed." Nathan led her to the bed, helped her in and climbed in behind her. When she reached for his hand, he took it and pulled her into his arms. "This is where you sleep from now on." he told her as he molded himself around her. "If you prefer to face me, that's fine but no matter which direction you choose, you sleep in my arms as a matter of fact, face me now, I have something that I want to say to you." He waited for her to face him and then he continued. "While you were bathing, I realized something." he said. "I realized that for you words are just as important as actions. All of this time I've been showing you how I feel about you but I haven't told you. Louise, I love you. I love your sensitivity and your quiet strength. I love how you love your sister even though she's hurt you and I don't see any redeeming qualities in her. I love your enthusiasm when you're cooking a meal or simply watching one of the cooking shows. I am blessed to have found you." Louise was speechless. She knew that he cared for her- loved her but to hear it gave her an almost surreal feeling along with a feeling of... she searched for the word... contentment. Here was someone who could and would care for her in a way that she had been missing and hadn't really realized it. She lay there in Nathan's arms trying to think of how she should respond when it came to her. The truth. She couldn't very well expect Barb to accept who she was if she wouldn't accept a few facts of her own. She was in love with Nathan Sinclaire and it was time to accept and admit it to him and to herself. Nathan waited and watched as she slowly accepted what he told her. He wanted nothing more than to peek inside of her head to see what her response would be but he resisted. He had waited this long and he would continue to wait without cheating. "I think.... No, I know that I love you too." she finally said. While she was nervous, what she hadn't expected was to feel a sense of relief. She felt as if she had carried around a secret that she was finally free to share and was experiencing the relief of telling it. "Louise, look at me." Nathan said gently. He waited until he had her full attention before speaking. "Thank you." Louise gave him a confused look, she was certain that they would consummate their new relationship and was surprised by the simple thank you and the urging her to sleep. "I want to wait until this mess with your sister is resolved." he said answering her unspoken question. "I want no distractions when we make love for the first time and I don't want it to be here. Tomorrow night if nothing has changed, I want to show you something." Louise didn't argue, she was honest enough to admit to herself that she would feel awkward enough making love for the first time without it being in Kevyn and Patrick's house. Louise Ch. 08 "Where are we going?" she asked already half-asleep. Her admission seemed to have drained the rest of her energy from her. "It's a surprise." Nathan said kissing her, "and I need to go check on it before I take you. Now get some sleep." A few minutes later Louise was softly snoring nestled in Nathan's arms. As she slept, Nathan said a prayer that nothing serious happened to Barb. He had spoken the truth when he said that he didn't see any redeeming qualities in the woman but she was the sister to his mate and he would treat her with respect and extend his protection to her for that reason. Louise tensed, muttered something in her sleep and relaxed again. He wondered if she was feeling something concerning Barb and shielded her. He had the feeling that she was going to need all of the rest that she could get. ******* "Stupid!" Kevyn yelled as she paced their bedroom. "How fucking stupid can she be?" "Kev..." "No, really! How stupid can she be? Even without him, being what he is its risky behavior! And for her to laugh at Hans like that?" Patrick didn't try to interrupt again deciding to let her vent. When she was finally through, he stood up and hugged her. He could feel her trembling, she was scared and feeling a little guilty. "Maybe we should have let her stay here or given her a really nice room..." "Kevyn, sweetheart, it wouldn't have made a difference...." "You don't know that!" Kevyn said interrupting him. "Yes I do." he replied. "Lou knows it and so do you. She chooses to treat people the way she does and she was given every chance to leave with us but she chose to stay and think about it, Blackwell did nothing but present to her what he had to offer and left her to make her choice. That's why we couldn't forcibly take her and if we did, she would have only gone back. As much as I hate to say this... maybe she needs a good scare." "But he'll hurt her and she doesn't deserve that." Kevyn replied. "No she doesn't." Patrick conceded, "But what happens now is in her hands and by the way, you have no reason to feel guilty for anything that you did. She didn't deserve to have the red carpet rolled out for her but I still maintain that she needs a good scare." Kevyn sighed and relaxed into Patrick's arms. He was right she realized, she had nothing to feel guilty about and maybe Barb did need a good scare but did it need to be by a vampire who was obviously dangerous? Silently she cursed Barb for her greed and stupidity and then she prayed that she would come to her senses and come out relatively unscathed. "So what's the deal between you and Blackwell?" Kevyn asked. "It isn't just me, it's the Sinclaire family as a whole and it goes back centuries. What really happened depends on who you talk to, them or us." "Is this a Hatfield and McCoy kind of thing?" Kevyn asked. "Well... I guess you could say that except that there were no murders that I'm aware of." Patrick replied. "Then what? Why does he hate this family so much?" Kevyn asked. "Let's get into bed and I'll tell you." Patrick said taking her hands and pulling her toward the bed. "Oooh a bedtime story!" Kevyn said teasing him. "With a few adult intermissions." Patrick replied his eyes gleaming. Seconds later, they were on the bed naked and Kevyn was pressed tightly against Patrick. She closed her eyes and inhaled. The scent of his cologne, her favorite, 'Aramis'. She remembered her trips to the malls just to look around and stopping at the cologne counter smelling all of the scents and being drawn to that particular scent. She started asking for samples and when she had enough, she would send them home to her dad. When she heard that he had died, she bought a small bottle, took it home and put it on her father's face during the family's private viewing. Afterwards, she laid the bottle next to him in the casket. Even with that memory, that scent remained her favorite. Patrick stilled knowing that she was thinking about her father. When she told him the story, he stopped wearing the cologne thinking that it would upset her. When Kevyn found the cologne, she wanted to know why he didn't wear it. "I didn't want to upset you." he replied. "It won't... I love it and it gives me good memories not bad so will you wear it every once in awhile?" she asked. This night was one of those nights and he was glad that he was wearing it. He began a slow exploration of her body with his hands. His fingertips barely touched her skin as he traced her full lips with the tip of his tongue before kissing her slipping his tongue into her mouth and gently touching hers urging her to offer hers to him. Kevyn moaned into Patrick's mouth as she offered her tongue and ground against his erect cock that was trapped between them. He pulled his hips back, lifted her leg, slid his cock between her legs, and began moving back and forth, the length and hardness of it running across her clit. Kevyn's move counter to his thrusts and within minutes was moving erratically. Patrick stopped her by placing his hands on her ass and holding her still. He slowed and then stopped moving giving them both time to catch their breaths before he began moving again, slowly sliding his cock back and forth over her swollen clit slowing or stopping when she was about to come. Kevyn broke the kiss, put her mouth at the spot where his neck joined his shoulder and bit. Patrick moaned against her head and lost what little control he had left. He flipped her onto her back and slammed into her coming as he did with her orgasm starting just after his. He rolled to the side of her pulling her into his arms as he moved and took a moment to thank her for being with him. "I know that you don't think that it's necessary but for me it is. Your being here is something that I never want to take for granted and I want you to know that. Now, do you still want to hear about the Sinclaire's and the Blackwell's?" Kevyn snuggled closer and got comfortable. "Okay, I'm ready." Patrick started the story at the beginning. "We were actually friends and allies at one time. Centuries ago, it wasn't uncommon for different families to form alliances not only against other families but also against the hunters that were so rampant back then. We were such an alliance. The Blackwell's were every bit as powerful as the Sinclaires were so we made a formidable pairing. There weren't many who chose to go against us." "Were you alive then?" Kevyn asked. "No but Martin and Ethan were but they were quite young. I came into being a couple of centuries after the rift between our families." Patrick replied. "Anyway, from what I was told, things were going well until one of the Blackwell's... Hunters trapped Darien. He begged for his life and when asked what he had to trade for it, he offered to take them to the home of other vampires...." "Yours." Kevyn murmured. "Yes... since we were allies, ours was the first name that popped into his head. The hunters had no idea of what we were and how they knew what the Blackwell's were is a subject of some debate but at any rate, the hunters thought that they had win the lottery and came to the house. Fortunately, no one was there, the family had already changed locations. The hunters thinking that Darien lied to them took him to his family home where they thought to kill everyone there. In their eagerness and stupidity, they lost track of time and almost all of the hunters were killed. When the dust cleared, there were bodies everywhere. When Darien's father asked him how he came to be with hunters, he lied. You have to understand that Arthur Blackwell was a very stern father and tolerated didn't weakness of any kind. He tolerated betrayal even less. Darien couldn't tell his father that he had led the hunters to our home first; he would have been severely punished. So he told his father that a Sinclaire had set him up. "And he believed that?" Kevyn asked. "Arthur believed him because he didn't think that any of his children would lie to him. Had he taken the time to question Darien more thoroughly, he would have uncovered the truth. Instead, he and the other males in his family went to our home, burned it and came to the home where we had moved. It was common practice for allies to let the other know where they were going. That way if there was a problem, help could be found. When they showed up, my father thought that something had happened and went out to meet them. Instead of asking my father about the accusation made against the family, they attacked. By the time the battle and that's what it was, was over, Arthur Blackwell, his oldest son Horace, the next to the youngest Darien and the middle son Lee were dead. Thorne and his youngest brother Noel were the only ones left standing. "Did they explain why they attacked?" Kevyn asked fascinated, "Not really, the story didn't come out for a long time and when it did, my father tried to talk to Thorne and his brother. By then, they were convinced that Darien had told the truth but he was dead, the truth dying with him. For several years after that we tried to tell them that we had nothing to do with the hunters but they wouldn't believe us." "Wait... how did you find out? Darien was dead." Kevyn asked. "Remember that I said that they had killed almost all of the hunters. One of them was found wandering in the woods and brought to us. Under compulsion he told us what happened. We contacted the Blackwell's and asked to meet. The request was denied." "What happened to the hunter?" "If you're asking if we killed him, the answer is no although it was well within our rights. We erased his knowledge of that night and us. We also told him that there were no such things as vampires or any other being and took him home." "And you've never run into the Blackwell's again?" she asked. "We knew that they were here but we make a conscious effort to avoid any trouble with them. On occasion, just to remind us that they're here and that they haven't forgotten they'll do something like buy tickets to one of Katrina's fundraisers. They never speak to us or approach us and when it's over they go home." "And now Barb has opened another can of worms." Kevyn sighed. "I'm sorry." she added. "Don't be." Patrick replied. "Something was bound to happen anyway." Kevyn closed her eyes wishing that she could erase the negativity of the past weeks and that Louise and Nathan would have had time to work out their relationship in peace. She tried to concentrate on the positive with the biggest one being that Louise was finally going to be happy if they could get Barb taken care of. ******** Barb watched them leave the club and pushed away any urge to follow them out. Of everything that had been said to her, Ethan's words had hit her the hardest. How he knew that she was ignoring her gut she didn't know but in the end, she had disregarded him too. The thing that she had wanted most was within reach and after only one night. She chuckled as she thought about her and Hans together. Louise had to have been desperate in order to say something like that. She had never thought about Hans in that way and it wasn't going to happen, not ever. As she made that resolve, she felt a twinge actually more of a pain in her chest. She frowned and went to place her hand on her chest but the sensation was already gone. Thorne watched Barb as she watched her family leave. She was wrong about her sisters and if there were any way he could have gotten his hands on either one of them, he would have tossed Barb on her ass. The one that really had intrigued him was the one who had thrown up. He realized that of the three sisters she was by far the strongest and a true empath... one of the strongest that he had ever encountered. However, she was mated and off limits... too bad he thought. He would make do with the one he had. "Are you ready to go?" he asked lightly touching her back. "Don't you have to stay?" "Another perk of my position." Thorne said smiling down at her. "I can delegate." "Then I'm ready whenever you are." she replied with a coy smile. "Excellent! Give me a few moments to wrap things up and I'll have Allen bring the car." He bent down and kissed her cheek, "I'll be back." he said and walked away. ****** Thorne found Allen in the office. "Go get the car... the limo and bring it to the front. We can give the bitch a little of what she wants." Allen smiled and then frowned. "Why did you agree to let her go if she wishes?" he asked. "Why not? They must be going out of their fucking minds worried about her and we'll get to fuck her good and proper before she realizes that she's getting more than she bargained for." Thorne replied as he picked up the phone. "So we're not going to...' "No, we're not going to mar or kill her. She'll serve as a constant reminder to them that I'm still around but what will make it even sweeter is that she's consenting. They can't go to the council with it." Allen smiled again, "I like the way you think." "I'm glad that you approve now go get the car." Thorne replied. After Allen left, he made a phone call. "Noel? Thorne here... how are you? Good. Are you behaving? Good, I can't wait to see it and you. Keep being good for mother and I'll see you soon." Thorne hung up, and blinked back tears. Noel should never have gone with them that night. He was far too young and too sensitive for the violence that had happened and was going to happen. He had tried to convince his father to let him stay behind but he had refused. "He is a male in this family and it is his duty as such to defend it!" "Please father, let him stay here with mother. He can protect her from any other hunters who are in the area." "He comes." his father said and walked away. Noel had never been the same. Seeing so much violence was contradictory to his naturally kind, artistic nature, it had destroyed him. It was one more thing to hold against the Sinclaires. Thorne squared his shoulders and left the office to meet Barb at the table. ******* Barb sat at the table and began to feel the niggling of doubt forming but she pushed it away just as Thorne walked up to the table. "Milady, your chariot awaits." he said holding out his hand. Barb giggled, took his hand and followed him through the club. She relished the envious and downright hateful stares she got as she allowed Thorne to lead her to the car. She almost melted when his lips lightly brushed across her temple. She smiled when someone called out "Good for you!" Thorne helped her into the car making eye contact with Allen. He had decided to take her to the beach home furthest away from the city. One, he had no close neighbors and two; it was where a majority of his toys were. As he smiled down at her, he found himself that he had one of the other sisters instead of her. Instinctively he knew that she wouldn't last long, which meant that he had to be relatively gentle with her. Barb squirmed around the back seat of the limo like and excited schoolchild. She tried to look out of the window to see where they were going but couldn't because they were so dark. Seeing what she wanted, Allen opened the moon roof and watched as she stood up in the seat and squeezed her upper torso through the opening. Allen closed the roof just enough that Barb couldn't get free, glanced back at Thorne and winked. Thorne moved over so that he was sitting where Barb would have been sitting and straddled her legs so that her feet were in his crotch. He ran his hands up her legs and then down again moaning when her feet pressed into his hard cock. When his hands reached the top of her thighs, he stopped and then moved them so that they were cupping the globes of her plump ass. He moaned again when he felt her cheeks tense and then relax in his hands. He found the waistband of her barely there panties and pulled them down smiling as he realized that she was struggling to get free of her makeshift restraint. His nostrils flared as the scent of her pussy hit him. Even though she was struggling, she was aroused. He brushed his fingertips across her shaved mound sighing as she moved trying to keep his finger in contact with her skin. He moved his hand away and watched as her body searched for his hand. Without further ado, he slipped a finger between her vaginal lips and moved it around avoiding her clit. This was part of the prep. He would tease her until they were almost to the house and then he would abruptly stop but he would have released at least once just from her feet massaging his clothed cock. ****** Barb wasn't sure of what she was feeling at first. When she tried to get back into the car, she couldn't move and they couldn't hear her yells to be let back in but when his warm hands grabbed her ass... she stopped struggling. It had been a long time since she felt hands grabbing her ass like that and it felt good. She moaned into the warm air when she felt her panties being removed and the exploration of a finger. Her nipples were rock hard and demanding to be touched but she couldn't get to them. Her dress was pulled down tight over her breast so she massaged her nipples through her clothes groaning in frustration when the male hand touching her moved away. "Touch my clit!" she yelled as she tried to move her hips so that the hand would touch her there just once but it didn't happen. By the time she saw the house that had to be Thorne's she was frantic with the need to come. A few minutes later, the car was parked and Barb was sitting in the seat of the car waiting to be helped out. "That was mean." she said when Thorne offered his hand. "Was it?" he asked. "I thought that you enjoyed it." "I did but..." "But what?" Thorne asked coolly. "I didn't come but apparently you did." She replied looking down at the large wet spot on the front of his slacks. "So it would seem." he replied nonchalantly. "Would you like to come in?" Barb didn't like his tone but agreed to go in. Her mouth dropped open as she walked into the house where the foyer was large enough that it had a large fountain in the center of it. "This is beautiful!" she gushed. "I'm glad that you like it." Thorne replied not caring whether she liked it or not. It wasn't as if she was his mate or anything like that. "Follow me." he said his tone even cooler than before. Barb followed Thorne thinking that he was going to give her a tour of the house. She had become determined that she would be living in the house in the future. To her surprise, instead of a tour, he led her to a bedroom. "The bathroom is over there, take your time." Thorne said and walked through a door that led to an adjoining room. Barb looked at the closed door, shrugged and went into the most luxurious bathroom that she had ever seen. She took the time to touch the gold plated faucets before turning on the shower and then stripping. She stepped into the shower-taking note of the variety of hair, skin and bath products and realized that her intended was a player. "Not for long." she muttered as she chose a shampoo and body wash combo. When she was through, she combed her hair, brushed her teeth and oiled her skin. When she came out of the bathroom, a black teddy complete with garter stockings were laying on the bed. She frowned wondering how he knew what size she wore but decided that he just had a good eye... any player did. She put the items on and sat on the bed to wait. Thorne entered a few moments later completely nude and looked at her. "Very nice." he said as he walked over and stood directly in front of her so that his cock was in her face." "Ummm I don't do that." Barb said understanding what he was waiting for. "Really?" he replied mildly. Louise Ch. 08 "Really." Barb replied. "Fine." Thorne replied as he dropped to his knees, pushed her back, opened her legs and began to lick and suck at her clit. Within seconds, Barb had the most intense orgasm of her life. She screamed until her throat was sore and still Thorne didn't stop. When he was finished, he stood up, grabbed Barb's hand, pulled her up into a sitting position and told her to open her mouth. "I... that was great but..." "It's my turn now open your mouth." Thorne demanded. "I...." "Now." Thorne said his tone implying that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. "And I happen to know that you have done this before." he added. "Once but I didn't like it." she replied. Thorne didn't reply but held his cock to her lips and waited. Reluctantly Barb took the head of his cock into her mouth and began to suck on it. Tiring of her unwillingness, Thorne took her head in his hands and began to thrust in and out of her mouth only letting go when she was sucking him off on her own and actually seemed to be enjoying it. He came with a bellow when she inadvertently scraped her teeth along the sensitive underside of his cock. "Very good." he said as he caught his breath. It was then that Barb made another of many mistakes; she thought that she had Thorne under her control. "Eat me out again but slower this time." Thorne's eyes turned a hard green as he responded to her. "You are here because I wanted you here. You are here to do MY bidding. You are here because you were stupid and greedy enough to come to the house of a man that you knew nothing about. You are here because you didn't listen to your instincts or to that fucking family of yours. YOU do not give ME orders! Do you understand or do I need to explain it again?" "I.... I get it." Barb whispered. The feeling that she was a lamb being led to slaughter returned as she watched Thorne bend over her, open her legs and ram into her. He didn't exactly hurt her but she had the feeling that he could if he chose to. In spite of the almost rough treatment, Barb felt herself responding and came just before he did. "Go get cleaned up." he said gruffly as he rolled off her. When she came out, Allen was sitting on the bed. "What are you doing here? Get out!" "Thorne asked me to keep you company. He also said that you do a decent job of sucking cock once you get into it. Care to show me?" "Get out! Before I tell Thorne!" "Sweetheart, he knows that I'm here now come over here and suck my cock!" "No. I'm here with Thorne..." "Let me ask you something, why do you think he chose you?" Allen asked. "Because ... I'm..." "Beautiful?" Allen finished for her. "That's true but Thorne loves to break women like you. He can smell a gold digging bitch from a mile away and you sweetheart reek. You came here thinking that you could control him and me but guess what? You were wrong." "Are you going to rape me?" Barb asked. "As much as I would like to, no... There are boundaries that I can't cross tonight but that doesn't mean that I won't get what I want. How hard you make me have to work for it is up to you... I enjoy a challenge." Barb's heart pounded, this wasn't what she had planned on or wanted. Allen watched her fighting the urge to just grab her and fuck her brains out. He could tell that she was trying to work out some kind of deal when all the stupid bitch had to say was that she wanted to leave. "If I do this, will you go and not come back?" Allen smiled but didn't answer knowing that she would take his smile as agreement to her terms. A minute later, his cock was in Barb's mouth. Just before he came, he pulled out and slid into her almost gently. "Hey!" Barb screamed but he had already emptied inside of her. Allen got up, smiled at her and walked away. "By the way, thanks for the fuck. Thorne is on his way up; you might want to get cleaned up." By the time the night was half over, Barb had fully realized her stupidity. She had had enough and she wanted to get away from Thorne before he seriously hurt her. Each subsequent encounter presented a more demanding Thorne who no longer cared about her pleasure. She realized that he never had but it was the last time that they talked that she really understood that he didn't like her or the Sinclaires. "So, how does it feel to be used and treated like shit?" he asked her after he had taken her for the seventh or eighth time since they arrived at the house. "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about the way that you treat others. I treat people badly too but I admit it and don't care what people think about it. I love money and I don't care who knows it but you... you put on airs instead of saying what it is you want and then you try to control me. However, there's another reason for why I brought you here and it's a lesson that I hope that you will remember... I know the Sinclaires. We have quite the history and I love fucking them over..." "What? You mean...." "Exactly, but to be honest, I would have preferred the one who threw up... she would have fought and not rolled over like some bitch in heat looking for a payout. Oh wait... did you really think that I wanted you? That I was going to move you in here?" Thorne laughed and went for the final blow. "You were a means to an end. As soon as you mentioned the Sinclaires, I knew that I had a way to stick a thorn - no pun intended, in their side. And by the way, you weren't even that good of a fuck." Barb's throat closed as tears ran down her face. All she wanted to do was go home. "That lesson I mentioned?" Thorne asked, "Stop the damned name dropping. As you can see it got you more than you bargained for." "I... I want to leave." "Go." Thorne said coldly, there's the door." "But I don't know where I am...." "Get dressed; Allen will drop you off somewhere." Somewhere turned out to be in the seediest part of town. Allen all but pushed Barb out of the car before he took off not bothering to look back to see if she was alright Barb stood on the corner trying to get her bearings. She had no idea of where she was and was too afraid to ask. She was about to start moving when a woman, a prostitute shoved her. "Move it bitch!" she snarled even as she plastered a smile on her face for the car pulling up to the corner. "Hey baby..." "Not you... her." the man in the car said looking Barb up and down. "No... I don't...." she didn't finish her sentence and rushed away. She ignored several rude comments as she looked for a place to sit down. She hurt all over, emotionally and physically but she kept walking until she found an all night coffee shop. She went in, sat down at a booth in the corner and began to shake. "Hey, you alright?" a gentle voice asked. "Do I look like I'm alright?" she snapped. The young man who was on duty stepped back. "Sorry... let me know when you want to order you can't just sit in here." "Look, I'm sorry... I had a bad night... I'll take a coke." "Sure thing." he replied and walked away. When he brought the drink back, Barb asked him where she was. "Where do you need to be?" he asked. He whistled when Barb told him where she was staying, "How'd you get all the way over here?" he asked. "Long story... how much do you think a cab will cost me?" she asked. "From here? A lot. Don't you have someone that can come get you? It would be cheaper and faster." he advised. The one thing that she didn't want to do was to call Kevyn, she didn't want to hear the questions and if she got back to the hotel, she wouldn't have to tell them anything. She could just tell them that she wasn't going to see Thorne anymore. She counted the money in her purse and counted fifty dollars in cash. She saw a bank across the street but was too afraid to go back out. "Do you think that a cab will be more than fifty dollars?" she asked. "Shouldn't be if they're honest." he replied. He left the table when a customer came in. The customer must have been a regular by the way the young man greeted him. "What do we have here?" he asked as he mentally undressed Barb. She didn't hear the reply; she was on the phone with Kevyn. ******* Kevyn had finally drifted off to sleep when the phone rang. Patrick reached over and called it to his hand. "Hello." he whispered. There was no answer at first. Just as he was about to disconnect, Barb spoke. "Hi... can you guys come get me?" "Barb? Where are you? Where? How in the hell.... Never mind, we're on our way." "Kev? Baby wake up. Barb just called." Patrick said softly. "Is she alright? Where is she?" Kevyn asked as she jumped out of bed. "What? He left her there?" Kevyn asked. "Apparently, I'll call Nathan, I'm sure that Louise will want to go along." Louise and Nathan met them in the garage by the Lexus Minivan. The ride to the coffee shop was quiet as each of them tried to imagine what condition they would find Barb. "She can't be physically hurt if she's at a coffee shop right?" Kevyn asked. Patrick wanted to agree with her but didn't say anything to either confirm or deny what Kevyn said. He didn't want to tell her that just because she was at the coffee shop; it didn't mean that she wasn't hurt. It seemed to take forever before they reached the coffee shop, which now had a few customers, most of whom were male. They found Barb huddled in a corner booth trying to avoid the leering stares of some of the men. Kevyn and Louise rushed over to her and looked her over. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Kevyn asked. "I'm ok, I just want to go back to my room and take a hot bath." Louise carefully lowered her shields. She didn't sense any real physical suffering but sensed a great deal of emotional pain. Thorne Blackwell had emotionally whipped her and then left her in the worst part of town to tell her exactly what he thought of her. "You can come back with us..." "No but thanks, I need to be by myself for awhile. I'll call you later." Kevyn started to insist but Louise shook her head. Whatever it was that happened at Thorne's house, Barb needed time to process it. She had to be the one to tell them when she was ready to talk. Louise sensed another thing that saddened her, Barb had turned away the one person who could have loved her. She just didn't know it yet. They took Barb back to the hotel bypassing Hans who was at the front desk. Kevyn was puzzled by the fact that he didn't react when Barb walked by and chalked it up to him being angry not that she blamed him. Nathan and Patrick waited in the lobby while the women went up to the room. "Barb, are you sure that you're alright?" Kevyn asked. "I'm really tired... Do you mind?" she replied. "Sure... just call if you need anything." Kevyn replied. After they left the room, Kevyn stopped Louise. "What did he do to her?" "He hurt her but not physically at least not much... Kev, Hans isn't her mate anymore." "What do mean? Of course he is! It's forever." Kevyn said "But they never connected as mates and when he reached out to her, she turned him away. I don't know or understand the ramifications of it but that's why he didn't react when he saw her. He didn't care for her in that way anyhow, at least not the way she was but she didn't want him, she wanted the glitter that she thought Thorne was going to give her." Louise replied. "Will she be alright?" Kevyn asked looking back towards Barb's room. "That like everything else is up to her." Louise replied. Kevyn looked at Louise and realized how different she really was. "You really are something you know that?" Kevyn said as she put her arm around Louise's shoulder. "You don't say a lot but when you do..." Louise blushed. It was her turn to stop Kevyn. "Can I ask you a really personal question? "Sure... I think." Kevyn replied. Louise looked around to make sure that they were alone. "How... how do you know when its time to... you know..." "Ummm oh boy... it's different for everyone but the main thing is whether you trust him and if you care about each other. Lou, do you love him?" Kevyn asked gently. "Y... Yeah I do." "Have you told him?" "We talked after we got back from the club; he said that he loves me." "Thank God!" Kevyn exclaimed hugging her. "I am so happy for you! But as to the other part, do what you told Barb to do... follow your instincts and Lou, trust Nathan." "I know that they're waiting but can I ask another question? Why did you choose not to change?" Kevyn paused unsure of how to answer the question. The reality of it was she hadn't given it any thought mainly because she was happy as she was. "I haven't really thought about it but that doesn't mean that I won't at some point. I think that I'm still adjusting to the whole mate thing and a few other issues. But Lou, if it's what you want then go for it." "Thanks... I guess we'd better get going." Lou replied. "Lou, they can wait... what else is on your mind?" Kevyn asked. "Nothing, just nervous I guess." The sound of a door opening, closing and the sound of voices ended their conversation. An elderly couple joined them in front of the elevators and got off on the same floor. Nathan and Patrick stood when they got off the elevators and met them partway. "We thought that since it's so late that we would stay here. That way if Barb needs you we're close by." Patrick said after kissing Kevyn on her temple. "I think that's a good idea." Kevyn replied looking at Louise who suddenly seemed even more nervous. "Are you ok with this?" she asked "I'm fine." Louise replied softly. "Good, I'll let Hans know." Patrick said. "Is he alright?" Louise asked. "Believe it or not, he's fine for the moment." Patrick replied. "I'll be right back." ******** Barb stood in the shower trying to wash the evening away. She regretted going to the club after she had been warned and she regretted going with Thorne Blackwell. She got out of the shower, dried off and climbed into bed without oiling her body as she usually did. She covered her head and cried herself to sleep. ******* Hans was relieved. Had she not broken the bond he would have honored it and found a way to live with her. But it was no longer an issue. Her breaking the bond had done something else; there was now the possibility that he would be given a new mate. It didn't mean that he wasn't concerned for her; he just didn't have to deal with her unless he chose to. The last thing he did before going to his suite was to check with Nathan and Patrick to make sure that all was well. Satisfied that they were pleased, he gave shift report and went to his rest with a relaxed mind. ****** Louise looked around the suite, which was even more elaborate than the one in Pittsburgh. She nervously looked at the bed and then at Nathan when she realized that they hadn't come prepared to sleep away from home. Nathan knew what she was thinking and went into the bathroom and came out carrying a pair of pajamas. "No worries but Louise, I sleep in the nude. I only slept in clothes at the house so that you would be more comfortable. But you can sleep in clothes if you want." "You don't mind?" she asked. "I want nothing more than to rest with your skin touching mine but for now I don't mind." he replied as he held the pajamas out to her. Louise realized that she was at another impasse. Kevyn's words ran through her mind as she debated, "trust your instincts and trust Nathan". She took the pajamas from his hand, laid them on the bed and began to unbutton her top. Nathan held his breath as Louise unbuttoned her blouse one button at a time with trembling hands. He wanted to tell her that they could wait but he didn't. It was time to see how far they were going to go. He stood still too afraid to move, not wanting to take his eyes from hers. He could see the uncertainty in her eyes and gave her an encouraging smile. Finally, the shirt lay open exposing her medium sized breasts that were being restrained in a plain white bra. In the back of his mind, Nathan made a mental note to take her shopping for pretty things but for now, that white bra was the sexiest piece of lingerie he had ever seen. "You're gorgeous." he breathed as he moved slowly toward her. Louise bit her lip and looked down. "Don't look away." Nathan said as he placed a finger under her chin and tipped her face up to his. "You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about." Louise's eyes met his and the throbbing began. Her skin tingled where he touched her and the room suddenly felt too hot and her clothes too tight. Her lungs wouldn't expand enough to let her take in a breath and her heart pounded. Nathan bent down and kissed one temple and then the other and then her lips. "Sweetheart breathe." he said as he blew a gentle breath into her mouth repeating it when she still held her breath. The second time he blew into her mouth, she let out a gush of air and was about to hold her breath again when Nathan stopped her. "No, don't, you're going to pass out if you do." He led her to the bed, sat her down and knelt in front of her keeping a close eye for any signs that she was getting overwhelmed. He took off her shoes and socks and rubbed her feet all the while looking up into her eyes. Finally, he stood, removed his shirt and sat next to her on the bed. Taking her right hand in his, he brought it to his lips where he kissed it and then laid it on his chest over his heart. "I belong to you and no one else. There is no one or anything that will keep me away from you. Everything that I have is yours to do with as you wish. I have but one question; will you become my mate in body as well as in mind and spirit?" Louise didn't trust herself to speak, she nodded her head yes. "I need to hear you say it." Nathan said as he kissed her temple again. "Y...Yes." she whispered so softly that had it not been for his enhanced hearing, he wouldn't have heard her. "Thank you for accepting me as your mate and I accept you as mine." Nathan stood and gently pulled Louise to her feet. When she was standing, he eased her blouse over her shoulders, down her arms dropping it to the floor. He bent down, kissed her trailing soft kisses along her jawbone down to her neck and back to her lips. Louise closed her eyes, began to relax allowing herself to enjoy the sensations of Nathan's lips and hands on her body. She barely noticed when her slacks were slipped over her hips and pooled at her feet. Now dressed only in her bra and panties, she was gently eased back onto the bed. Nathan stood back and looked at her as if he was committing her to memory and then undressed. He stood in front of her for several minutes letting her see him nude for the first time. After several minutes, he lay on the bed next to her and took her hand in his. "I want you to explore my body. Don't worry about hurting me, you can't. Take your time in exploring what belongs to you." Louise lay still for ten minutes while Nathan patiently waited. Finally, she reached over and touched his face. She remembered from some medical program the term "head to toe assessment". She ran her fingers over his eyes, nose, cheeks and lips blushing when he smiled. "I like the way that you touch me." Nathan commented when she touched his lips. Taking that as a request to touch his lips again, Louise traced his lips with her fingertips jumping when he kissed them. He lay patiently as she made her way down his chest and lingered on his nipples. He closed his eyes and hoped that she would suck on one. When she didn't, he kept his silence and let her play. As the minutes ticked by, her touch while still gentle had become more confident. The only time he spoke was to tell her that he liked what she was doing. Louise Ch. 08 He took a deep breath to calm himself when her hands skimmed over the skin of his stomach and held his breath when she finally reached his cock. Louise quickly learned what the different sighs and breaths meant. She couldn't believe that she was actually touching a man in a very sexual way and that he was enjoying it. She reminded her self that Nathan wasn't just any man. He was her mate. She loved the way his skin felt against her fingers as she made her way down his body. When she got to his cock, she stopped, looked at him, waited and gently took it into her hand. She was amazed at the contradiction in textures. The head was huge, soft and felt spongy while the shaft was rock hard but the skin was satiny smooth and soft. He was long but not excessively so but then she had no frame of reference and he was wide enough that she couldn't quite get her hand all the way around it. She gently took one ball and then the other in her hand marveling at their texture and weight. When she was done with the front, he turned over, lay on his stomach, and closed his eyes as she rubbed her way down his back to his ass kneading it gently. When she was finished, he told her that it was her turn. Like her, he started at her face and made his way to her breasts. Her hard nipples tented the fabric of the bra in invitation to be sucked on. Nathan couldn't resist. He pulled the straps of her bra down over her shoulders, kissed them and then pulled the cups down exposing her dark breasts and chocolate colored nipples. He hardened even more when he heard Louise's gasp of surprise and moans of pleasure as he kissed and suckled one nipple and then other. He allowed his hand to drift downward as he sucked, nipped and rolled her nipples between his lips and teeth. Louise let out another gasp of surprise as Nathan touched where no one had ever touched her before. Nathan let the nipple fall from his mouth and moved so that his lips were pressed against her ear. "Trust me." he whispered, "Let yourself go and trust me." he said as he slipped a finger between her nether lips. The throbbing between her legs was almost painful and she was soaked. Nathan made a slow lazy circle around her clit closely monitoring her reaction. Instinctively her hips jerked in response to the touch telling him that she wanted more. "Open your legs for me, good... like that." he murmured against her ear. With a thought, the panties were gone and Nathan had one finger deep inside of her while his thumb bumped and flicked across her clit. Then there were two fingers and then three slowly moving in and out while stretching her virginal vaginal entrance preparing her for him. His thumb increased the pressure and speed against her clit and suddenly, she stiffened and then began to writhe against him. The orgasm had caught her unawares, she knew that it would happen but she hadn't been prepared for it. She tried to hold back the scream that escaped her lips but failed. Nathan held her sweat-slicked body close to his murmuring in her ear how much he loved her. When she calmed, he rolled so that he was on top of her supporting his weight on his arms. "Sweetheart, are you ready?" Nathan asked fully prepared to stop if she said no. "I... yes." Louise replied her voice shaky. "Quick is best so when I say three, take a deep breath." he advised. "Alright, one... two... three!" he said and rammed into her and then stopping when he felt her maiden head give. "Sweetheart? Are you all right? It's done. We are officially mates... Lou?" Nathan looked at Louise closely. "Lou? Baby wake up!" "I... I'm awake... I just didn't think that it would hurt that much. I'm ok." Nathan sighed in relief. She had just lost consciousness for a few seconds. After making sure that she was all right, he began to move with barely perceptible movements increasing them as he felt her relax and begin to respond. He took his time making his thrusts slow and gentle. He didn't increase his pace even when he was close; he was all about the comfort of his mate. They both cried as they came together for the first time as mates. Afterwards, Nathan talked to her in low soothing tones until she stopped shaking. He held Louise as tightly as he could without hurting her planting soft kisses on her head. "I love you Louise Sinclaire." he whispered. "I love you too." Louise replied sleepily. A few minutes later, she was snoring. ******** Barb had finally fallen asleep when she woke up with a start. She sat up, looked around and seeing nothing that should have woken her, she covered her head and went back to sleep. ******** Thorne and Allen were sitting in the den discussing the evening and laughing about Barb's reaction when she had been dropped off in the worse part of town. "You should have seen her face!" Allen said laughing. "I still say that we should have slipped her something and then dropped her off." "No... I..." Thorne froze mid sentence. His face had an expression of shocked horror on it. "Thorne?" Allen called. "Thorne! What the hell just happened?" "No way... no fucking way!" he said as he stomped out of the den leaving Allen alone confused as to what had just happened. Louise Ch. 09 Louise woke up slightly disoriented and sore in a place where she shouldn't have been. When she moved, Nathan's arms tightened around her. "Good evening sweetheart." Nathan said kissing her shoulder. "Umm hi." Louise replied softly. "How about a soak in the Jacuzzi?" Nathan asked. "You must be sore." Louise blushed and wondered why. There was no reason for her to be embarrassed. She was a grown woman who had just gotten married just by having sex. It didn't feel quite real although she suspected that it would take some time to sink in. "What are you thinking about?" Nathan asked nuzzling her shoulder and inhaling deeply. He found the scent of their combined fluids intoxicating. "I was just thinking that all it took for us to be married was to have sex... it doesn't feel real." she replied. "Let me clarify something," Nathan said, "there was no sex... it was the mechanics of sex but what we did was make love. Sex is something that is done to meet a physical need. What we did was meet not only a physical need but an emotional one as well. We are now irrevocably linked and there is nothing anyone or anything can do to break that link." "What about Barb and Hans?" Louise asked. He really didn't want to talk about them but thought it was for the best that they did. It was another step toward getting outside issues out of the way. "I can't answer that. Only they and the fates know what happened but if I had to guess, I would say that Barb did or said something that severed the bond. That Hans wasn't broken up about it tells me that he never felt drawn to her as a mate should. Why the fates paired them is anyone's guess." "So if they had made love, it wouldn't have happened?" Louise asked. "No, it wouldn't have but I think that they would have had some major issues to work out." he replied. "How about that soak?" Nathan asked again when what he wanted was to make love with her again. "Do you mind if we stay here for a little longer?" Louise asked. She wasn't ready to leave the comfort of the bed or to face the real world. "I don't mind at all." Nathan replied as he planted another kiss on her shoulder. "You were incredible today. The way that you trusted me... I'm honored." Louise turned so that she faced him, careful to keep herself covered. "Thank you for being so patient with me, it couldn't have been easy." "I had my moments but you were very much worth the wait." Nathan replied as he rubbed against her. To his surprise and pleasure, she rubbed back. Her touch was still tentative but that wasn't important. The longer they were together the more confident she would become. "Am I doing something wrong?" she asked. "Not at all, I'm just pleased that you aren't afraid to touch me. There are so many ways in which I want to love you but all in due time." Nathan replied. "But for now, I would love for you to explore again." Louise bit her lip and blushed. Truth be told she had enjoyed the exploring as much as he had and she didn't need too much urging to do it again. This time it didn't take as long for her touches to become more confident. By the time she reached his feet, she was giving instructions. "Turn over... please." Nathan chuckled and happily rolled over. His ass was the one place that she hadn't paid much attention to and he loved having it played with. She started at his feet and stopped at his ass giggling when he flexed the muscles. She laid a hand on each cheek and began to massage them. Then she got the idea to knead them as if they were bread dough. "That feels good." Nathan said as he wiggled under her gently kneading hands wanting her to knead a little harder. "Sweetheart? Keep doing what you're doing but harder... remember, you can't hurt me." Louise hesitated and kneaded Nathan's ass cheeks harder and then even harder as she saw that he was enjoying it. Nathan sighed in contentment, his mate was a quick study and then he realized that her empathy was a small part of it. She had moved from his ass to the small of his back alternately rubbing and kneading it as she worked her way up to his shoulders. He turned over without being told to, he wanted her to see what she did to him. Louise looked into Nathan's eyes and then at his hardness. Slowly, she reached out, put a hand around it, and then paused. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening, she could see what he wanted her to do. Nathan realized it at the same moment she did and closed down. He didn't want to overwhelm her or make her feel as if she had to do the things that he thought about. "Nathan..." "We'll talk about it later." Nathan replied as he reached down and pulled Louise up so that she lay on his stomach. "But..." "Shhh... later." he said as he pulled her in for a kiss. He sat up so that Louise was straddled across his lap with her legs on either side of him. With no effort at all, he lifted her and then eased her down on his throbbing cock. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck as she began to grind in his lap. He nicked her neck, drew a little blood, and drank from her for the first time. He heard her gasp and felt her shudder as the third orgasm of her life ran through her. He breathed against her neck, crying out as he came deep inside of her. Afterwards, he licked the small wound and held her in place. Before her, the post-coital cuddling was something that he did only because it was expected of him. Now it had taken on a whole new meaning and he couldn't imagine making love without it. It wasn't long before Louise needed to go to the bathroom. She looked around for something to put on but the need had grown too great. Nathan wanted to tell her that as far as he was concerned, she never had to wear another stitch of clothing as long as they were alone, which gave him an idea. While she used the bathroom, he started running the water for their bath. Tonight he was going to take her home. ******* Barb woke up tired and feeling as though she hadn't slept although she knew that she must have. She climbed out of bed and headed toward the shower hoping that the night before had been nothing but a bad dream. She knew that it wasn't a dream when the hot water hit her nipples. She cursed when the hot water hit them. Thorne's words resonated through her mind. He would rather have had Louise than her, "she wouldn't have rolled over like a bitch in heat looking for a payout." Was that really what he thought of her? That question prompted another, if he thought that and he had just met her, what did other people think? It shouldn't have mattered but it did and then she became angry. Who in the hell did he think he was using her like that? "But you chose to be used." a voice that sounded like her own whispered. She had spoken aloud and didn't realize it. For the first time in her life, Barb began to question herself. The questions weren't about wanting money and nice things but her method of getting them. She was quickly realizing that she had gotten off relatively easily. She could have been raped, killed or sold off and she would have no one to blame but herself. "I just have to be more careful." she muttered as she oiled her skin. She had already decided that there would be no more clubs, which left dating services, and the free ones were out. Chances were that the men on there were losers and even if they weren't they wouldn't have money. She needed one of the higher end services where the applicants would be screened and that they would have to show proof of income. She threw on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt determined that she was going to stay in. She hoped that her sisters stayed away, she didn't want to answer any questions about her evening with Thorne Blackwell. She was however curious about something, what was his connection to the Sinclaires? Moreover, he made a valid point. She needed to stop shouting the Sinclaire name from the rooftops. So far, it had done absolutely nothing for her except to make her a pawn in whatever issues Thorne had with them. She shuddered slightly but also tingled when she thought about Thorne. She understood the shudder but the reason for the tingling evaded her. She didn't like him and didn't care if she ever laid eyes on him again. She picked up the menu, ordered a tuna sandwich with fries and a slice of cherry pie for dessert. While she waited, she logged onto her laptop and thought about calling Juliet. She looked at the clock and decided that although it was early enough, she would wait. It was however too late to call her realtor. She turned on the television looking for one of her favorite shows. Any of them would do but she was hoping to find the one about the homes of the rich and famous. It took her several minutes before she located one of the shows. Her meal arrived a few minutes later. Someone different brought it this time and took it to the designated spot without asking. It made Barb realize that she was and had been the topic of conversation. The man uncovered her food and started to leave clearly not expecting a tip. "Wait." Barb called out. "Yes Miss?" "Thank you." "You're welcome. Was there anything else?" "No... thanks." Barb watched him leave and promptly forgot about him when she heard the theme song of 'Ice-T loves Coco' playing. She sat on the bed and ate her dinner not paying attention to the show. ****** "Thorne!" Allen said, "What in the hell is your problem?" He didn't like the panicked, horrified and angry look that he saw on Thorne's face. "Allen do me a favor and stop asking me what the fuck is wrong!" Thorne shouted. "I don't care to talk about it. Now get your ass to the club, I'm not going in and don't fucking call me unless the damned place is burning down!" "Thorne..." "Get the fuck out!" Thorne yelled cutting him off. "You know what Thorne? Go fuck yourself!" Allen yelled back angry and hurt that Thorne had spoken to him in the way that he had and that he wouldn't share his problem with him. Thorne heard the door slam, the engine of the car as it started and the squealing of the wheels as Allen tore out of the garage. He didn't move from his spot. He knew that Allen would get over it and would be back for more. He couldn't believe it! That gold digging bitch was his mate! If he accepted her, it would tie him to the Sinclaires and that was unacceptable. He would rather die first than mate with someone like her or to be tied to the traitorous Sinclaires. His mind went back to Louise. He liked her as much as he could like anyone and the way that she fought for her sister was commendable. And the other one... she could read the thoughts of vampires, she was a fighter too. None of those two would have gone with him let alone do the things that their sister did and for what? Money? As far as he was concerned, Barb Yancy Simpson was nothing more than a slut who acted as if she was so much more. It didn't matter; he wasn't going to claim her no matter what happened. Having decided that, Thorne stood up, stretched and decided to take a swim in the ocean. As he walked out of the house, in his mind, Barb Yancy Simpson ceased to exist. ****** Nathan helped Louise out of the bathtub. He dried her and then himself off in the human way. He wanted her to get used to his touching her and after a brief argument; she gave in. "Get used to it." Nathan told her. "Does Patrick do this for Kevyn?" she asked. "I have no idea nor do I care." Nathan told her as he dried her back. "My only concern is you and I plan on spoiling you so get used to it." he added. "Does that mean that I'll never be able to dry myself off again?" Louise teased. "I didn't say that." Nathan teased back and then became serious. "Louise, are you ready to go home with me? I'm not talking about Kevyn and Patrick's home but our home." He waited for her to respond knowing that it was something that she hadn't given thought to. It didn't take her long to respond. "Where do we live?" she asked. "Not far from the rest of the family which reminds me, we need to do a formal introduction and if possible, I'd like to do it before Vanessa and Veronica's wedding." Louise's heart pounded. This was something else that she hadn't considered. "All of them?" she asked nervously. Nathan hugged her. "All of them and they'll love you." he assured her. "Ok... I guess... just make sure that I don't do anything wrong like read people." she replied nervously. "I promise to keep you shielded and if you have no objections I'll tell everyone to keep their shields up. In the meantime, I have something to show you after we check in with your sisters." Nathan went to the door when he heard someone approach. He opened the door without looking; he already knew who it was. "Mr. Sinclaire? Here are your freshly laundered clothes." "Thank you." Nathan said and handed the man a twenty-dollar bill. "Who was that?" Louise asked from the bathroom. "Our clothes, I had them cleaned." Nathan replied. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll call Patrick to see what the plans for tonight are." ******** Kevyn was nervous. "Do you think that they did it?" she asked. "She wanted to talk about it and we did for a few minutes..." "Kev, she's fine. If she wasn't Nathan would have called." Patrick assured her. "And if she wasn't ready, he wouldn't have pushed her." he added. "I know... you're right. What do you think happened with Barb and Blackwell?" she asked changing the subject. "Hard to say but she looks none the worse for wear." Patrick replied. "Maybe she's learned her lesson." "Maybe, but I don't think so." Kevyn replied. "If anything she'll be more careful." "Kev baby, will you stop pacing?" Patrick said as she walked by him for the fifth time. "I'm sure that both of them are fine." "This must be what it's like to have children." Kevyn said as she sat in Patrick's lap. "Maybe." Patrick chuckled, "but I imagine that it would be more nerve-wracking. Have you ever thought about having children?" "When I was with Lonnie, absolutely not. After that? No because I had no plans of ever being with anyone again." "What about now? Would you want children with me?" he asked. Kevyn took a minute to gather her thoughts. "One of the first things that I noticed about this family was that you loved each other. When Veronica was kidnapped, all of you joined and did what needed to be done so that she could be brought home safely. I noticed how protective everyone was of that little pistol Victoria and I remembered thinking that I wished that my family was like that. I also knew that I wanted my child to grow up in a family where they would be loved and protected. That your family had its issues doesn't take away from the care that you show each other so yes; I would want children with you. The only thing that I would change about this family is its past but then even that is a testament to how people can change. It gives me hope for Barb." "I think that our children are going to be beautiful and brilliant." Patrick said. "This brings up another topic, school. You haven't changed your mind about that have you?" "No and if we can get everything straightened out, I would like to go back nest semester." Kevyn replied. "It can and will be worked out, what about work?" "I don't know... if I quit I can go to school full time." Kevyn replied. "Then quit." Patrick advised. "You can take most of your classes on line if you want." "I don't know if I'm disciplined enough for that but then again, I'm quite sure that you'd keep me on target." She replied. "I would at that." Patrick agreed. "Let me know what you decide and we'll make it happen." Patrick's cell phone rang before Kevyn could reply. "Nathan! How are things? Really? Congratulations! Louise is all right? Good, Kevyn was concerned. Can I call you back? Ok give me a few minutes... talk to you soon." "They did it?" Kevyn asked excitedly. "Yes and Louise is fine. They want to know what our plans for tonight are. I think he wants to show her the house that he's building for her." "He's building her a house? That is so awesome!" Kevyn exclaimed. "He designed it himself with her in mind. Anyway, he wants to know if we're going to meet for dinner and /or go see Barb." "Let's go see Barb first and then we can have dinner. That way they can be on their way and we can go home... she won't be coming back will she?" "No sweetheart, she'll go home with Nathan." Patrick replied. "You know how it is when you know something is going to happen but you're still surprised when it does? That's how I feel. I knew that at some point that they would mate and I'm thrilled for them but I'm still surprised. Does that make sense?" "It does." Patrick confirmed. "But remember, they don't live far from us." "Alright, Barb and then dinner." Kevyn repeated still dazed by how quickly things had changed for Louise. She was still thinking about it when Patrick called Nathan back and when he got off the phone. So much change and in such a short period of time she mused. "All set." Patrick said, "They'll be here in about twenty minutes. I think that's more than enough time to make love, don't you think?" Patrick asked as he stripped them. ********** Twenty minutes later, Nathan and a nervous Louise were standing outside of Kevyn and Patrick's suite. Before knocking, Nathan pulled her away from the door and into a corner. "What's bothering you?" he asked. "Nothing really." she replied. "I'm being silly." "Lou, if you're bothered by something I want to know about it. It doesn't matter how silly you think it is, if you're bothered, then it isn't silly. Now what's wrong?" "I'm just nervous... I mean... never mind." "No, not never mind." Nathan said firmly. "This isn't Pittsburgh where you couldn't or wouldn't say anything and where to some degree you chose to suffer alone. Those days are over and you need to remember that. Sweetheart, you aren't alone anymore, you can come to me with anything, and I do mean anything. This is a two way street, I will come to you as well now talk to me." Tears burned Louise's eyes as she listened to Nathan. He was right, but it was so hard. "I'm just nervous about us... I mean we were single when we last saw Kevyn and now..." Nathan was beginning to understand what she was thinking and tried to ease her anxieties. "Are you worried because it seems to have happened so quickly?" he asked. "I guess so... I mean how long have we known each other?" she asked. "We should have talked about this before we mated. That's my fault and I apologize." Nathan said touching her face. "Relationships in my world happen much faster than in the human world. What you're feeling is normal and it isn't silly. Some of us would consider two weeks too long and then there are those who think that it isn't long enough but it varies from couple to couple. What I'm trying to say is that Kevyn and my uncle's relationship was just as fast as ours was and they had issues to deal with on top of it. They aren't going to think any less of you and my guess is Kevyn is chomping at the bit to see you." Louise took a deep breath and relaxed. "Thank you." she said as she pulled him down and kissed him on the cheek. Nathan hugged her grateful for the small step forward in their public lives. "Ready?" he asked after a few minutes. "Ready." Louise replied. They had just walked up to the door when it flung open. "There you are!" Kevyn squealed as she threw her arms around Louise and then Nathan. "You're really alright?" she asked. "I'm fine." Louise replied, "Are you going to let us in?" When they were sitting, Kevyn in Patrick's lap and Louise to Nathan's right. Barb was the topic of discussion. Louise Ch. 09 "What can we say?" Louise asked. "We can only let her know that we're here if she needs us." "Do you think that he raped her?" Kevyn asked. "I don't think so. Whatever happened, she was for the most part willing but he did hurt her." Louise replied. "Patrick, you know this guy, what do you think?" Kevyn asked. "I don't really know him but I agree with Louise. She did agree to go with him and from what I know about Thorne Blackwell, rape isn't his thing but other forms of humiliation are. That's why he dropped her off in the worst part of town and in an area known for prostitution. He was telling her what he thought of her." After talking about it for several more minutes, they decided to go see Barb and talk with her. Both Kevyn and Louise had to hear from her mouth that she was all right. ********* Barb looked at the list of dating sites and then began the process of elimination. She started at the top of the list, pulled the website up, read everything that it had to say and then Googled it. As soon as she saw the three star rating, she crossed it off her list and moved on to the next one on the list. This one she crossed off almost immediately. While it was highly rated, it was a site for working class people. She was on the third site when she heard the knock at the door. She knew who it was and wanted to ignore it but knew that they wouldn't go away or that they would keep coming back. She closed the laptop and went to the door to face her family. As soon as the door was opened, Louise burst in and hugged her. "Are you sure that you're alright?" she asked scanning Barb's face. "I'm fine, what are you doing here?" Barb asked not returning the hug and making it clear that she didn't want to see them. "We wanted to check on you." Kevyn said, "Can we come in?" Barb hesitated and then stepped back. Her thinking was to get the visit over with so that she could continue her dating service search. "How are you doing?" Patrick asked. "Fine." "Barb... did he hurt you?" Louise asked. "No, not at all." Barb replied. "We just decided that we really weren't a good match." she added. "Barb...." Barb looked at Kevyn and gave her a cool smile. "Say what you came to say and then leave." "What do you think that I'm going to say?" Kevyn asked surprised at the hostility in Barb's tone." "Let's see, you want to tell me how stupid I was for going with a strange man and having sex with him. You also want to tell me how lucky I am that I wasn't raped or killed. But you know what?" Barb asked, "This was your fault." "What? My fault?" Kevyn asked shocked. "Do you not remember us coming to that club and trying to get you to leave with us? You chose to go with him!" "If you had done as I asked and introduced me to men that you knew were safe, this wouldn't have happened!" Barb screamed. "Because you were selfish and trying to protect your precious money... I put myself at risk! So what you tried to get me to leave! But that was so you wouldn't feel guilty if anything happened. You could console yourself by saying that you tried." "Barb..." Louise said. "And you! You were just pitiful throwing up all over the place! You are nothing! How could he want you over me?" Before she could begin the next sentence, Nathan was in her face, his blue eyes blazing. He had heard enough. "Listen to me you self-serving stupid bitch! You've been nothing but trouble since you got here. Are you really so stupid that you would offend a man's wife in front of him?" "W....Wife? You ..." "Last night." Nathan snapped. "But the insults aren't even all of it. I have watched you snub good people, which include your sisters who obviously love you although I don't know why. You are a jealous, selfish, money-loving bitch who in my opinion doesn't deserve their concern. You say that this is Kevyn's fault? It's not. It's yours. And do you know why? It's because you don't see what's in front of you! You equate love and happiness with money and possessions. You were lucky this time but the next time you may not be. A word of advice... evaluate what's really important and one more thing, this will be the last time that you will ever say anything negative about my wife, your sister. Is that clear?" Barb stepped back and looked up at Nathan. "You can talk about not needing money all you want." she replied. "You have it! You don't have to worry about where the next car payment is coming from or whether you can afford something. You have everything!" "And without Louise it meant and means nothing! You told her that she was like you, she isn't. Neither is Kevyn for that matter. But I will tell you this, if I had to chose between my money and Louise, it would be Louise hands down. Now, once more, I'll warn you, watch your mouth about Louise. Do you understand me?" Barb continued to look at Nathan and then looked away. "I got it." she murmured. "Good." Nathan said and backed away taking his place next to Louise. Something that Barb said bothered him and he asked for clarification. "What did you mean when you said that he wanted her?" "Nothing, he was just talking..." "He hurt you emotionally." Louise said softly. "He said things that he knew would hurt you. He used me to hurt you, don't you see that?" "You weren't there!" Barb snapped, "You didn't hear the things that he said! He meant it! He wanted you!" "What did he say to you?" Louise asked gently as she approached Barb taking her hand when she reached her. "What did he do to you?" "I would like for you all to leave." Barb replied pulling away from Louise. "Oh Kev, do you have those keys with you?" she asked as an afterthought. "Yes but Barb we need to talk about this." Kevyn replied. "There isn't anything to talk about and I'm sorry about what I said." No one believed her apology but no one challenged it. "We're going out to dinner, would you like to come? We can order in if you want." Kevyn offered. "I already ate, thanks and I really would like for you to leave. I want to be alone." Barb replied. After they left, Barb sat on the bed not sure of whether to laugh or cry. She couldn't fathom why Nathan Sinclaire would marry her sister and she didn't understand his anger. She had only told the truth as she saw it. In the end, she laughed. It was only a matter of time before she found someone as rich as the Sinclaires. She opened up her laptop and continued the search for the perfect dating service. ******** Patrick and Nathan stepped away to give Kevyn and Louise a chance to talk for a few minutes. "What do you think?" Kevyn asked Louise. "That she hasn't learned her lesson and no matter what, we have to stick by her." "I know but ... was she right? Was this my fault?" Kevyn asked. "You already know the answer to that." Louise replied gently. "You also know that Barb doesn't take any responsibility for her actions. It's easier to blame us than to admit that she's wrong." "I know... I'm just sorry that your mating started out with so much drama." "It's alright," Louise replied "and from what I hear, all of the matings started out with drama. Some of the drama worse than others. Sometime, when the dust settles, could we talk about it? It had to have been hard for you." "It was hard for both of us and sometimes it still is. I look at him and I just don't see it. I don't see the person that he says he was. I still struggle with the idea of an entire family doing such a horrible thing but then... Why don't we plan a girl's night so that we can talk?" Kevyn asked. "I think that's a good idea." Louise replied. "Who knows? Maybe Barb will come too." Kevyn added as they walked to where Patrick and Nathan were waiting for them. Nathan hugged Louise and kissed her head. "Are you alright?" he asked gently probing her. "I'm fine and stop that. I don't like it." she replied quietly. She knew why he did it. He didn't trust her to tell him if she wasn't all right. "I'm sorry sweetheart, I had to be sure." she heard from within her head. "Me too." she replied in kind. "I promise to talk to you but please don't probe me." "As long as you keep your word, I won't probe. Agreed?" "Agreed." Louise replied aloud. "Are you hungry?" Nathan asked. "Starved." Patrick replied. "What sounds good?" "Kev, Lou, any preferences?" Nathan asked. He didn't care where they went just as long as they had plenty of food. "Del Taco." Kevyn said and waited for a reaction. "Sounds good to me." Nathan said taking Louise's hand and heading toward the front door of the hotel. As they passed the front desk, Hans looked up at them, nodded and then smiled. Louise smiled back relieved that he was all right. ****** Louise was unprepared for the attention that they generated when they walked in to the restaurant. Of the four of them, she seemed to be the only one affected by it. Nathan, sensing her discomfort pulled her close into his side sending out a clear message. She watched amazed as Nathan and Patrick ordered several of everything on the menu and then asked for the hottest sauce that they had. She almost felt sorry for the poor cashier who barely kept up with the order. "Is this for here or to go?" he asked obviously relieved that they had reached the end of the order. "Here." Patrick said as he pulled out his wallet. "And don't forget the hot sauce." The order consisted of so much food that it took four trays to carry it all with Nathan going back for the drinks. Kevyn and Lou each ate two tacos and then watched Nathan and Patrick devour the rest of the food and then going back for more. Finally sated, the conversation veered toward plans for the rest of the evening. "We're going home." Patrick said, "You're welcome to come back with us if you like." "Thanks but we have someplace to be and then we're going home too." Nathan said. "A question, have you thought about when we're going to formally introduce our mates?" "No." Patrick replied "but I guess we should before the wedding which doesn't give us much time. Where do you want to have it?" "Our house." Nathan said. "I've never had a gathering there and I can't think of a better reason to start... how about this Friday?" "Kev? What do you think?" Patrick asked. "I'm ok with it if Lou is." she replied. "I guess... but that's not very long to plan something," she said. "There's nothing to plan." Nathan said, "We'll have an old-fashioned cookout. All we have to do is put the word out and everyone will come with food in hand." "Sounds good." Patrick said as he pulled out his phone and called Ethan. A few minutes later, he hung up. "It's a go. He and Katrina will take care of calling everyone else." As nervous as she was, Louise felt a sense of relief. Meeting the family of one's husband was a normal activity and it felt good to have a little normalcy. She would tell Nathan that as he drove them to their house, which was half, built. "I'm glad but Lou for the most part we are what you call normal. It's just that the differences are more pronounced." Nathan explained. After thinking about it, Louise realized that he was right. "So where are we going?" she asked. "It's a surprise." Nathan replied as he took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it. "Tell me what it's like to be a vampire." Louise asked out of the blue. "It's just another lifestyle that if you're born to it you don't know any different." he replied. "I was born a vampire and so was Joseph. Actually, all of the males who are direct descendents of the original Sinclaire are born vampire even if one of the couple is human. There are a few who were turned but there aren't many and if they mate with a vampire, their male children will be vampire." "What if one of the pair is human?" Louise asked. "The male child will be vampire. If it is a female, it could go either way. Katrina was human when she conceived the twins. It just so happened that they were born vampire. The same happened with Victoria. No one knows why it's that way and I don't think anyone has given it too much thought since it's always been that way." "What would have happened if the twins had been born human?" Louise asked. "They would have been loved, protected and taught how to keep the family secrets as soon as possible." Nathan replied. "The hope would be that their vampire mate would find them and they would become immortal as you now are." "So the ones who are born human, they die if their mates don't find them?" Louise asked. "Yes." Nathan replied. "I don't understand why the woman doesn't change." Louise said. "I mean if it means that you don't have to watch your daughters die..." "It comes down to what you can live with I guess. Many don't want to give up the option of going out into the sunlight and things like that. For some, it's a necessity. They may not be able to afford security like we can and they may be the only source of protection during the daytime hours for their mate." Nathan explained. He was pleased with the questions; it showed that she was interested in learning about her new life. "Who would they need protection from?" she asked. "There are those that we call hunters. I think that we've mentioned them before. They are quite dangerous and their primary goal is to destroy our kind. They see us as evil monsters that live only to rape and kill. We haven't heard of one in a long time but that doesn't mean that they aren't around. Every couple of centuries, their population grows, there's a war, and they die off and go dormant until the next surge. That is the biggest reason that we ask our mates never to go anywhere alone. When you were at Kevyn's apartment, you were being guarded. We would never let you go anywhere without protection." "Because if caught, we could be used against you." Louise said understanding. "Exactly." Nathan replied. "We're almost there, close your eyes." Louise closed her eyes wondering what the secret was. A few minutes later, the car came to a stop. Louise waited for Nathan to come to her side of the car to help her out. When she was outside, she inhaled deeply savoring the smell of the ocean air. The sound of the ocean hitting the shore sounded like a lullaby to her ears. She was about to open her eyes to look when Nathan stopped her. "Not yet, just a few more minutes." he said as he picked her up. A few minutes later, Louise felt herself being lowered to the floor. Nathan held her by the waist until she steadied "Are we home?" she asked. "Yes at one of them." Nathan replied. "You can open your eyes." Louise opened her eyes and saw the ocean spread out before her. If she wanted to go put her feet in it, all she had to do was to go out to the patio, walk down a short flight of stairs; walk straight ahead and she would be there in a matter of minutes. "This is beautiful... where are we?" "Don't you remember this place?" he asked hugging her into him. Louise looked for anything that told her that she had been here before. Then she saw the rock formation to her right. "This is your beach but a house wasn't here." She said. "No, it wasn't." Nathan confirmed. "I designed it the day I took you back to Kevyn and Patrick's house and started on it the next night. This is our home for as long as you want it to be. Let me show you around." Louise didn't know what to say and began to feel a little overwhelmed. "Nathan, you didn't have to build me a house." she said after a few seconds. "I know," Nathan replied, "but when I saw how you loved the ocean and how it seemed to soothe you I decided to build you a home here. We can live here all of the time or come here when we want and need to be alone. I leave the choice up to you. Would you like to see the rest of it? It won't be done for a couple of weeks but we can start thinking about colors and things like that." Louise allowed herself to be led from the view of the ocean acknowledging the fact that Nathan was right. The sounds and the smells of the ocean were soothing to her but that didn't mean that he had to build her a house. An occasional trip to the ocean would have sufficed. Somewhere in her thought processes, the question of whether Barb was right about her popped up. "She's wrong." Nathan said softly. "There's nothing wrong with wanting, appreciating or accepting beautiful things, it's how those things are obtained and in the spirit in which they are accepted. You didn't con me or ask me to do this; you weren't even expecting it. I did this because I love you and I think that its time that you be given beautiful things and that you learn how to accept them." As Nathan talked, he realized that whatever small amount of empathy he had, it was magnified. He didn't have to go into her head to know what she was thinking; he felt it. He was going to tell her that he hadn't read her when she spoke. "You knew what I was feeling didn't you?" she asked. "Yes but I didn't read you, I just knew." he replied becoming aware that he would have to watch himself around other people. He wondered how she had managed all of those years without knowing how to shield but then realized that on some level that she did know. It just hadn't been a conscious thing. Then he thought about Barb and the other Yancy children. What gifts if any did they have and where had they come from? It was something that he planned to investigate at some point. "Shall we continue the tour?" he asked. "Ok, but please... no more houses or anything like that." Louise said. "Agreed... unless we talk about it first." Nathan amended. He took her on a tour of the house that started and ended with the room that they had started in, the bedroom. "It's beautiful." Louise said at the end of the tour. "Thank you." "Is there anything that needs to be changed? It isn't too late." Nathan said. "It's perfect as it is." Louise replied, "Can we go out on the beach?" A few minutes later, they were walking along the beach hand in hand. Nathan carried a blanket that was in his car over his shoulder wanting one hand to be free just in case he needed to defend Louise. As they walked, he scanned the area for threats and trespassers. About a quarter of a mile down the beach, he heard the sounds of giggling and love making. He looked over at Louise who wasn't really paying attention, her eyes riveted on the ocean and trusting him to keep her safe. From the sounds that the couple was making, Nathan knew that they were almost through. He stopped walking, looked around and spread the blanket on the sand. "Sit here, I'll be right back." he told her with a kiss. He found the couple basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. He made a sound to alert them to his presence. "Shit!" he heard the man swear. "What?" the woman asked. "Someone's here, this is a private beach..." "We're trespassing?" she asked alarmed, "What if it's the police?" "Just hurry up and get dressed." the man replied. "Maybe it's the guy who told me about this place giving me a warning." Nathan looked behind him and could see Louise sitting where he left her. He scanned the area for danger and turned back to the couple curious as to who would have told them about this section of the beach. It had to be one of his people, no one else would be on the beach and it explained the presence of the couple. When they came from behind the rock that they had been hiding behind, Nathan spoke. "Hello." The woman let out a startled yelp and the male to his credit pushed her behind him ready to protect her. He glared at Nathan oblivious to the difference in their height and weight. "I know that you're aware that this is a private beach so why are you here?" Nathan asked. "Why are you here?" the man countered. Louise Ch. 09 "I have every right to be here." Nathan replied, "Who told you about this beach?" "None of your damned business!" the man replied wanting to look brave in front of the woman and not wanting to give up his source. Nathan gave the man a pleasant smile. "It is my business because I own this beach, now who let you onto my property?" Nathan asked with a soft mental push. "For god's sake Frankie!" the woman exclaimed, "Tell him so we can get out of here before he calls the cops!" "It was some dude who says that he's a security guard." Frankie replied. "Does this dude have a name?" Nathan asked. "Yeah... Adam." Frankie replied even as he tried to keep his mouth shut. "What did you give him in return?" Nathan asked with another mental push. "I... two-hundred bucks." "Are you aware that just three miles down that there is a beach designated for public use? And it wouldn't have cost you anything." Nathan said. "Yes but this was more private..." "Private is the operative word." Nathan said interrupting him. "You have fifteen minutes to leave my property. If I see you here again, I will do as your date says and call the police. I also want you to tell all of your friends that they are not to come here. Now get going." Nathan turned and headed to Louise who had moved closer to the water. When he reached her, he sat down beside her and put an arm around her determined not to let her know that he was angry. "What happened? She asked. "Nothing serious." Nathan replied, "Just a couple of trespassers." "Then why are you so angry?" Louise asked. "One of my guards let them on the property. That in and of itself is bad enough but he took their money." Nathan replied. "What are you going to do about it?" Louise asked. "Fire his ass!" Nathan replied. "Without talking to him first? Maybe he needed the money." Louise replied. "That isn't an excuse." Nathan replied. "Anyone who works for us signs affidavits saying that they will do their jobs as described. Part of his job was keeping this area secured. Not only that, each of our employees know that we have an open door policy. If assistance is needed, it is always given and steps are taken to help in alleviating the causative factors." "But maybe he didn't feel comfortable in approaching you. Speaking from personal experience, whenever I needed help from Kevyn, I always hesitated. I knew that she would help us but just the idea of having to go to her.... I think that you should talk to him first and then decide." Nathan didn't agree with her but saw no reason not to do as she suggested. "Alright sweetheart, I'll talk to him before I fire him." he said as he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. Louise didn't argue. She knew that Nathan had already decided and that it really wasn't up for discussion. It was enough that he had listened to her. She also knew that after he thought about it, he would take some of what she said into account when he talked to the guard. She laid her head on his shoulder feeling a little like a hallmark card commercial. "This is real." she murmured to herself. Nathan heard her but didn't respond choosing to let her acclimate to things at her own pace. He lost track of how long they were sitting there watching the waves when he felt a soft, tentative movement on his thigh. He didn't move or comment but waited to see what she was going to do. His breath caught as her hand made its way toward his cock, which was now screaming to be released from the confines of his shorts. "Almost there." he thought as the touch became more confident. "Nathan?" a voice called from behind them, "I didn't know that you were coming." Nathan bit back his irritation at the interruption and waited until the guard was standing in front of them. "It was an unplanned visit... where's Adam?" Nathan asked. "I don't know, he called about an hour ago saying something about having to leave early and asked me to come in to finish his shift." the tall, handsome vampire replied. Nathan nodded and then looked up at the tall, dark skinned vampire. "Winston? Why are you still doing guard work? I thought that you took your bar exam." Nathan said surprised but pleased to see his friend that he hadn't seen much of since he began law school. "I did." Winston replied. "But the results aren't in yet and besides, what else would I do while waiting? Gina says that I'm driving her crazy and threatened to leave me if I didn't leave the house and give her some peace." "I understand." Nathan replied chuckling as he remembered how intense Winston could be. "Do you have a job lined up or is that dependent on the results of the bar?" "I haven't really looked." Winston replied. "Why not? You're brilliant; any law firm would be thrilled to have you." Nathan replied. Winston hesitated. He wasn't ready to make his pitch but the opportunity was here. "There's only one firm that I'm interested in working for." he replied "And that's Joseph's." "Have you spoken to him about it?" Nathan asked. "Not yet." Winston replied. "I was waiting for the results to come in." "Talk to him before that, who knows? He may hire you on the spot." Louise watched the easy interaction between Nathan and Winston and understood something. Nathan was generous to a fault. The young vampire standing in front of them was someone that he had helped and considered a friend. She raised her shields so that she wouldn't infringe on the young man's privacy. "Winston, I want you to meet my mate Louise. Louise this is Winston Carter a friend of mine." "I heard that you found your mate. Congratulations! It's a pleasure to meet you Louise." "Hello." Louise said a little shyly. "Hey, there's a cook out at our place in a few days, why don't you come and bring Gina with you?" Nathan said. "Is that when you're going to formally introduce your mate?" Winston asked. "It is and I would love to have you there, who knows maybe I'll finally win a game of chess." Nathan said half-teasing. "Sounds good. Well, I had better get moving. I've found a few people here... Nate, this is only a suggestion but if you're going to be living out here you might want to think about personnel that you have guarding it." "Thanks." Nathan said. "We'll see you in a few days." After Winston left, Nathan explained how he and Joseph met Winston. "Winston was this scrawny kid who used to hang around near the grounds. He wasn't any problem; he just liked our house and studied on the other side of the gate because it was quiet. After a while, we became friends and played chess. Even then, he was one hell of a chess player and I have yet to beat him. He had this way of knowing what my next move was going to be even before I did. Joseph and I used to plan and plot our moves before each game and still we lost. I'm going to tell you why I respect Winston so much and why I consider him a friend. One day, he didn't show up at the house. I was all set to beat his behind in chess but he didn't show. I didn't worry too much about it but then he didn't show up the next day or the next." "How old was he and where was his family?" Louise asked. "He was young, not quite twenty. He lived with his mother and worked part time to help with the bills while he went to the Community College. His father had died some years before leaving Winston and his mother alone. I didn't know any of this until later. Anyway, when he hadn't shown up after a week, Joseph and I went looking for him. We found him in the park studying. I asked him where he'd been and he didn't want to tell me. He assured us that he was all right and that he would come around again soon. We believed him, why wouldn't we? He had never lied to us before. He came around a week after that, we played chess and I beat him." "But you just said that you've never beaten him." Louise interrupted. "I don't count that as a victory." Nathan explained, "He was distracted and making moves that he never would have made. By the end of the game, I understood that he was telling me in the only way that he knew how that he needed help. As I'm sure you saw, Winston is a proud man and for him to admit that he needed help was a very difficult thing for him." "What happened to him?" Louise asked. "His mother died." Nathan said softly. "She was already gone when we saw him at the park. When she died, he wasn't able to keep the apartment. "He was living in the park." Louise said. "It took him a week of living in the park to decide that he needed help. That chess game was the only way he knew how to ask. After insisting that he tell us what the problem was, he finally told us that his mother had died and that he was living the park. Now here's the thing, he could have played chess for money- he was that good but he didn't, he loves the game and would have seen it as sacrilege. He could have joined any one of the gangs that ran in the area, he could have done any number of things to survive including stealing but he didn't. He came to me because he trusted me as a friend." "That's why you're going to fire that guard isn't it?" Louise asked. "You hold everyone to the same standards as Winston." "If Adam was having difficulties, he could have made that need known even if it was leaving an anonymous email in the special email account set up just for that purpose. He would have gotten an ID number...." "I understand." Louise replied. "When was Winston turned?" "About ten years ago. By then he knew what we were. He had always had his suspicions but out of respect for us and our privacy, he never asked." "He wasn't afraid of you?" Louise asked. "No, we were known in the area and he had no reason to be afraid of us, we were friends." Nathan replied. "Why was he turned?" "He asked." Nathan replied. "Of course we said no but Winston is nothing if not persistent. It took him a year to convince us that he would be an asset to us. I was one of the ones present at his turning and one of the ones who vouched for him. In effect, I put my life on the line for him. If he had done anything illegal or to put us in jeopardy, both of us would have been killed." "You trusted him that much?" Louise asked. "For that year that Winston worked to convince us to turn him, I examined him and his motives. I saw nor did I feel any deceit. Once I was convinced, I went to Uncle Ethan on his behalf. After he was turned, he worked for us and paid his own way through school. That's why he just took his bar. He worked his ass off refusing any additional help. Things got easier when he met and mated with Gina about five years ago. She's a nurse and was able to help with the money end of it. Do you see why I have a problem with Adam and what he did?" "I do but not all of us are like Winston." Louise replied. "Alright, let's take you." Nathan said. "You didn't want to ask Kevyn for help but you did, why?" "Because like it or not, I needed help and I had to swallow my pride if I wanted it and there wasn't just me to consider." Louise replied. "I get it but will you still talk to him?" Louise asked. Nathan wanted to get back to where they were before Winston interrupted them so he quickly agreed. He placed her hand back on his thigh and waited. Slowly, Louise's hand began to move up his thigh. Nathan felt the need to reassure her. "Louise, never be afraid to touch me wherever you wish. I'm yours." That statement seemed to be what she needed to hear but she was still tense. She was afraid that someone else would show up. "Let's go back to the house." Nathan suggested. Louise started to agree but changed her mind. It was time for her to step out of her little box. "I want to stay here... please." She moved her hand further up his thigh and stopped just short of the tip of his cock. Her hand rested lightly on his thigh as she debated as to what she should do next. Finally, she moved her hand so that it lay on his erection and began to rub the length of it. Nathan sighed at the contact. He reached out with his senses listening and feeling for the presence of others. Sensing no one, he eased her back on the blanket and stretched out beside her. He ran a finger along side her face and traced her lips before kissing her. He gently offered her his tongue and waited for her acceptance before giving her more. Louise moaned when his tongue touched hers. She soon forgot that they were out in the open and that someone could walk up and see them. She pressed up against Nathan, wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. They both noticed that with each physical encounter, she was a little less reticent and responded more quickly. She was finally beginning to become comfortable with their bodies. Nathan reached under her shirt, unclasped her bra and ran his hands up and down her back with firm but gentle strokes. Each downward stroke took his hands closer to her ass. When the last downward stroke had his hands on her ass cheeks, he stopped and squeezed them gently wondering if she would like having her ass played with as much as he did. A soft moan answered his question so he continued the gentle manipulation until she wiggled impatiently against him. In seconds, they were naked and Louise was sitting on top of him impaled on his cock. She seemed to have forgotten that they were in plain sight of anyone who happened to walk by. Nathan looked up at her, stared at her for several long seconds memorizing her face. Her eyes were closed but the pleasure she was feeling was obvious as she bit her lip and soft cries escaped her lips. He lay still not moving, just watching and waiting for signs that she was going to come. The first sign came a few minutes later. Louise's movements were becoming more erratic, her breathing more labored as her vaginal muscles began to contract around his cock. At that point, Nathan took over. He placed his hands on her hips and held her in place as he began thrusting deep inside of her. He didn't know if it was because they were newly mated or the setting but the beach was no longer just a beach. In his mind, it had become a magical place that he would never see in the same light again. It was now their beach. It was now sacred ground that needed to be protected. His toes curled signaling the beginning of his orgasm. His thrusts while controlled became harder and faster. He kept his eyes on Louise's face committing every detail of her visible pleasure to memory. When she came, it was with his name on her lips. Nathan didn't stop; he wanted to coax another orgasm from her. He thought that she was multiorgasmic but he wasn't sure. A few minutes later, Louise had come for the second time. Then and only then did Nathan allow himself to empty into her. Louise slumped onto his chest, her breathing ragged, her skin wet with sweat. Nathan held her murmuring soft words of love into her ear. He let her sleep for as long as he could before waking her up. "Sweetheart, we have to go." he said softly. When she didn't reply, he said it again but louder and with a kiss. Louise slowly opened her eyes and looked around. For just a moment, she felt a flash of embarrassment that quickly passed. She was aware that she was changing and knew that Nathan had a lot to do with it. If someone had told her a month ago that she would be lying on a beach after making love she would have laughed. While the change was uncomfortable, she liked what she was becoming and realized that the strength had always been there. She also knew that she would always be shy and that she might never sit in Nathan's lap in public but she was all right with that. "Lou? We have to go." Nathan repeated again as he rolled over so that Louise was lying on the blanket. He hated to leave as much as she did but it couldn't be helped. He gave her another quick kiss before standing and then helping her to her feet. "Are you alright?" he asked concerned. "I'm fine... I promise." She replied. A few minutes later, they were on their way home. ********* Thorne finished his swim and stayed in the water for another thirty minutes. He lay on his back allowing the tide to take him wherever it wanted to go. He was surprised at how at peace he felt especially since he wasn't going to claim the bitch that the fates had given him. He had decided that there was only one thing that he regretted about the evening and that was that he laid eyes on Barb Simpson. Still, it had felt good to fuck with the Sinclaires and in all honesty, he had really been gentle with the bitch and he hadn't let Allen hurt her. He wondered what she told them and thought that she probably said nothing and if she did, it would have been out of anger. He chuckled to himself, swam back to shore and went into the house where Allen was waiting for him. "What are you doing here?" Thorne asked sharply. "The club isn't closed yet." "I left Luke in charge..." "That idiot?" Thorne snapped angrily. "Get your ass back to the club!" "I'm not going anywhere until you ..." Before Allen could finish his sentence, Thorne had his hands around his neck and lifted off the floor. "You don't make demands of me, is that clear? Now get your ass back to the club." Thorne said as he dropped Allen to the floor and walked away. Allen lay on the floor for a long time wondering what had gotten into his friend and then realized something. Thorne Blackwell didn't have friends. He had people that he used like pawns in a chess game. Thorne was a master manipulator and he was only just now seeing it because he hadn't wanted to see it. Thorne had been the only one who hadn't called him a sick son of a bitch and now he knew why. Thorne needed him to pick up his women for him and then to dispose of them. In all of their centuries together, Thorne had never let him have the woman first and he had always dictated what he could and couldn't do to her. Barb Yancy was a case in point; he couldn't take her in the way he thought a greedy bitch like her should have been taken. His cock grew hard at the thought of the things that he had wanted to do to her; he was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't hear Thorne come back into the room. He wasn't sure of what alerted him to Thorne's presence but when he realized that Thorne was in the room, it was too late to do anything about his hard on. Allen didn't speak as Thorne's cold green eyes assessed him. "You don't go near her do you understand me?" He asked. Allen didn't answer. He kept his eyes on him, ready to move should Thorne come after him. "I asked you a question." Thorne said his tone as icy as his eyes. "Yeah, I get it but what's so special about this...Oh shit!" Allen swore as his erection died. "She's...." "Shut the fuck up and get out... NOW!" Thorne yelled the last word and began to advance on Allen who wasted no time in vanishing from the den to the car. As he sped off, he knew two things, one that his time with Thorne was done. After tonight, he wouldn't come back to the house and he wouldn't help Thorne with his women anymore. In fact, he would assume another identity and leave the state. The second thing that he knew was that he didn't want to be anywhere around when the two of them knocked heads. He understood something that Thorne didn't. They had hurt her but they hadn't destroyed her. If he had been allowed to do as he wanted with her, they would have destroyed her but it wouldn't have changed the fact that the woman was Thorne's mate. Instead of going back to the club, Allen went home, packed and took off in Thorne's car. He considered the car a less than even trade for all the shit that he had put up with over the centuries. "So long mother fucker." He muttered as he made his way toward the highway to an unknown destination. Louise Ch. 09 ******* Thorne stood in the same spot for several minutes after Allen left. He was relieved that the vampire was gone; he had begun to overestimate his importance and to see himself as an equal instead of what he really was- nothing. He knew that Allen would take the car and he didn't care, it was a small price to pay to have the vampire gone. He poured himself a glass of blood, walked out to the patio and sat down. Dawn was about an hour away and he was looking forward to a good days rest. The last thing he did before going to bed was to call the club. "Luke, how are things?" he asked. "Fine, I'm just closing up." Satisfied that all was well, Thorne hung up and went to his suite where he lay down to rest confident that he was done with Barb Yancy Simpson. ********* By early morning, Barb had eliminated all but four of the dating services and was going through the process of elimination with them. After eliminating one of them, she stood, stretched and headed for the bathroom for a shower. As she waited for the water to reach the right temperature, another wave of anger hit her but none of the anger was at herself. It was at Kevyn whom she still maintained should have introduced her to rich men that she knew were safe. Then there was Louise. She still couldn't figure out how the little mouse had caught such a big rat. Part of Barb's anger was jealousy. That much she could admit. No man had ever spoken for her in the way that Nathan had spoken for Louise, hell no one had ever looked at her the way that not only Louise, but Kevyn were looked at. For a very brief moment, Barb wondered if she was looking for the wrong things. The question lingered in her mind for seconds and then was gone the second she laid eyes on the expensive bottle of bath oil that sat on the sink. In her mind, that's what it was all about, being able to buy things. Not the oil specifically but being able to afford it and anything else that she wanted. The experience with Thorne was rapidly becoming a bad memory with the exception of a lesson learned- she wasn't going anywhere with a strange man no matter how nice they seemed. Thorne had shaken her confidence in her ability to judge people, men in particular. She finished her shower, used some of the oil that was more than half-gone and decided to buy another bottle or two. She put on a clean set of lounge clothes, ordered something to eat and continued her research as she waited for her meal to arrive. ******* Louise walked around the kitchen in Nathan's now her house. She touched the counters and opened the cabinets while Nathan watched. "If we're missing anything that you want or need make a list and we'll get it." he told her. "I can't imagine what it would be." Louise replied as she closed the door to the spice cabinet. "This is such a huge house, didn't you get lonely here?" she asked as Nathan led her from the kitchen to continue the tour of the house. "To be honest with you, I never really noticed." Nathan replied. "It was a place to sleep and to relax. But it has a different feel to it now, it feels like home." Louise nodded and then stopped. "Nathan, about this family thing, we should invite Barb. I know that you don't like her but it's not going to help if we keep her at a distance. She needs us whether she knows it or not." Nathan hesitated and then agreed. Louise was right and his feelings about Barb were unimportant, she was now a member of the Sinclaire family. "What would you like to make for the party?" Louise asked. "We don't have to make anything and neither do Kevyn and Patrick. We're the guests of honor." Nathan replied. "But we could make something if we wanted to right?" Louise asked. Nathan understood what was happening; she was nervous and needed an outlet. "Of course we could, what were you thinking of making?" "I don't know... how many people are we expecting?" she asked already calming with the prospect of cooking. "A lot and all of the males eat like me and Uncle Patrick so there is no such thing as too much food. I was looking through your notebook and found a recipe for hot wings that looks good, how about making those? We can go grocery shopping this evening." "That's a lot of chicken." Louise commented already calculating how much of each ingredient they would need. "I wonder if I could get Kevyn to make her potato salad." she mused. "Sounds good, why don't you call her while I make a phone call or two." Nathan said. He had just thought about an issue that he hadn't thought of when Louise mentioned Barb's coming to the cookout. She didn't know what they were and she would wonder why all of them looked no older than their late thirties. He dialed Patrick's number and waited. "Hey, this is Nathan." "Is everything alright?" Patrick asked. "It's fine. I wanted to talk to you about Barb, Louise wants to invite her and as much as I don't want her here, I agreed. Like it or not, she's a member of the family." "I know." Patrick replied. "Kevyn and I were just having the same discussion. I don't care that she comes, everyone will recognize her for what she is but my concern is that she'll have questions that she doesn't need the answers to right now." "What are you thinking?" Nathan asked wondering if they were on the same page. "We erase any specific memories about us- like how we all look close to the same age. I'll leave the memory about the gathering and things like that." "What does Kevyn have to say about this?" Nathan asked. "She understands and agrees. I think she's on the phone with Louise as we speak." "Yes, I know, I told her to call while I talked to you." Nathan replied. "I think that your idea is a good one. We're making hot wings for the cookout and Lou is trying to convince Kevyn to make potato salad. I have an idea, why don't you and Kevyn come over here and make it? That way you won't have to lug it over on Friday." "That sounds good." Patrick said, "We can order in and make an evening of it." "Great, I'll tell Louise. We'll see you tomorrow night." When Nathan got back to the kitchen, Louise was on the phone with Barb. "Yes... Friday night... six. No, you don't have to bring anything but Barb; this isn't an invitation for you to shop for a man. It's an invitation for you to meet our new family and I expect you to behave yourself." Nathan chuckled as he imagined Louise using the same tone with one of their children. Children. He had never given it serious thought. Not because he didn't want children, he wasn't sure if he would ever find his mate. Nathan looked at Louise and knew that she would make an excellent mother but he wanted her all to himself for as long as possible. "Well, I invited her." Louise said distracting him from his thoughts. "I heard and I assume she's coming?" Nathan asked already knowing the answer. "Yeah, she's coming; she wants us to send a car for her. I told her that we would make sure that she got here." "That's fine." Nathan said. "We'll send someone after her but Lou, when she leaves; we have to erase part of her memory. She can't know about us now and possibly ever. She'll remember meeting everyone but she won't remember that some of us don't look as we should look. We'll also have someone keeping an eye on her, I don't trust her." "Neither do I." Louise guiltily admitted. ******** Barb danced around the room like a woman possessed. Finally, she was going to be in close contact with the family that could make her wants and dreams come true. She was so thrilled that she ignored Louise's admonishments to behave. She looked through her clothes looking for something that was eye catching but not so over the top that Louise or Kevyn would object. Finding nothing, she decided that a shopping trip was in order. She called a cab, changed her clothes and got ready to go shopping. As much as she wanted to shop at the higher end stores, she couldn't. She needed to conserve her money and she was going to splurge on the bath oil. She barely glanced at who was behind the front desk as she walked by. She didn't care. By the weekend, she would be moving into Kevyn's small apartment. She thought about taking all of her things with her to the cookout and then whoever took her home could just take her to Kevyn's afterwards. It was a good plan she decided, it would save her cab fare. She made a mental note to call Juliette to see how the packing up was going when she got back and added her realtor to the list. Her 401k money would be in the bank by the end of the following week but if her house sold, she would be in good shape and wouldn't have to be so tight with her money. "Where to?" The cabbie asked her when she got into the car. "Wal-Mart." Barb replied grimacing inwardly as she said it. ************************* The Gathering Louise rested poorly the day of the gathering. Nothing Nathan did calmed her. Finally, she got out of bed, went to the kitchen and began making bread. Kevyn knowing that Louise was in knots joined her in the kitchen. "You don't have to be here with me." Louise replied as she took several loaves of bread from the oven. "I know that I don't but I want to be and besides, who can sleep when the house smells like a bakery?" Kevyn asked. "Kev, aren't you scared?" Louise asked as she cut off a chunk of hot bread and handed it to Kevyn. "No but then I've been to this rodeo before." She replied as she took a bite of the bread. She closed her eyes savoring the taste of the cheddar cheese that was baked into the bed. "Damn this is good!" she exclaimed after she swallowed the bread. "What if they don't think that I'm good enough?" Louise asked. Kevyn sat the bread down on the counter, walked over to Louise and hugged her. "Lou, what's not to love? You're beautiful, kind, one hell of a cook and most importantly, Nathan loves you. That in and of itself will make them love you so stop worrying and just be who you are." Kevyn advised. "I know, Nathan says the same thing but I'm worried about Barb too." Louise replied. "Me too and we'll have to keep an eye on her. Do you think I made enough potato salad? Kevyn asked changing the subject. "Honestly? No." Louise replied with a laugh, "but it will have to do. I'm sure that there won't be enough of the hot wings either. I think that Patrick and Nathan ate at least a third of them." Nathan stood outside of the kitchen listening to Louise as the tension in her voice slowly ebbed away. She was going to be fine. He walked into the kitchen and kissed Louise noticing that she blushed. "Good afternoon." He said to Kevyn. "Hi... as you can see Lou has been a busy bee." Kevyn replied as she stood to leave. "I know. It's what woke me." Nathan said as he reached for a slice of hot bread. After Kevyn left, Nathan hugged Louise. "It's going to be fine; they're going to love you simply because I do. Let me help you with the rest of the bread and then we can get ready." ******* Barb took extra care with her hygiene that afternoon. She splurged on a morning at the spa taking full advantage of the services offered and the additional discount. She took her time in fixing her hair in a bun that was simple but looked like it took a long time to do. She applied her make up last just finishing as her phone rang. "The car is here for you." Hans said in a crisp tone. She hung up without acknowledging him. She was glad that after tonight she wouldn't have to deal with him or any of the other imbeciles at the hotel. She grabbed her purse and her suitcase, gave the room one last look and left the hotel without speaking to Hans or any of the other people who had taken care of her during her stay. She was pleased to see that the car while not a limo was a 2012 Mercedes Benz. "This is more like it." she muttered as she remembered Ollie's older model Hyundai. The driver met her at the door, took her luggage and helped her in. For just a second, Barb thought that she was going to get a kiss on the temple or cheek but the driver gave her a curt nod as he held the door open for her and closed it after she was in. An hour later, the car was pulling up to a gate. Barb's eyes widened as she watched the massive gates open as if by magic. Her mouth dropped open as the house loomed before her. Jealousy raged that Kevyn and now Louise were living the life that she craved and felt that she deserved. The driver made a call just as he pulled up to the front of the house. Louise and Kevyn met her at the car. "So this is where you live." Barb said not bothering to give them a chance to greet her. "Hello to you too." Kevyn said not missing the greed and envy in Barb's eyes. "Yeah, whatever." Barb replied as she looked around. Louise took hold of Barb's hand to get her attention. She wanted to reiterate her warnings. "What?" Barb snapped and then looked around for Nathan. "He's in the back but don't worry about him. Just behave yourself and everything will be just fine." Louise said giving just a little mental push without realizing it. "I got it!" Barb snapped. "Ok, let's go in." Louise said not at all confident that Barb really got it. ****** Barb looked around as she followed Louise through the house to the back yard. "This isn't fair!" she grumbled under her breath. Not many people had arrived yet, which gave her a chance to look around relatively unwatched. When Kevyn asked her to help in the kitchen Barb gave her a scathing look. "Fine but stay out of trouble." When everyone was busy, Barb went through the house her envy growing with each ornately decorated room. "Hi, are you lost?" a small voice said from behind her. Barb turned around and to see who had spoken to her. "I... I was looking for a bathroom." Barb lied. "I'll take you. My name is Victoria. This is my cousin Nathan and his mate's house." "Mate?" "Wife." Victoria corrected. "You must be related to her and Kevyn; you're pretty like they are." "They're my sisters." Barb replied coolly not liking that she was being compared to them. And she definitely didn't like the way that Victoria was looking at her. She felt as if the little girl could see the inside of her. "The bathroom?" She asked. "This way." Victoria replied in a tone as cool as Barb's. She watched as Barb closed the door and decided that she didn't like her. She knew what Barb was doing when she found her; she was snooping. She felt the envy and anger that she had toward her sisters and for that reason alone, she didn't like her. Victoria decided to wait for her in case she got "lost" again and planned to spend the evening keeping an eye on her. ******** "Nathan Sinclaire where are you?" Maryanne called out as she walked through the house. Louise tensed at the sound of her voice. "That would be my grandmother." Nathan replied. "She's going to love you." he said kissing Louise's temple. Eventually, Maryanne found them in the kitchen. "There you are!" she exclaimed hugging and kissing him when she got to the kitchen. "Hello grandmother." Nathan greeted returning the hug and kiss. "I'm sure that you remember Louise Yancy, my mate. Louise, this is my grandmother Maryanne Sinclaire Feldman." Maryanne took Louise's hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I am so pleased to finally meet you and to thank you for your part in saving Veronica." "It's nice to meet you too." Louise replied nervously. Maryanne gave her an understanding smile. "Welcome to our family... have you set a date for the wedding?" "W...wedding?" Louise stammered. "We haven't talked about that yet." Nathan said taking control of the conversation. "Where's George?" "He's coming with the truck... I'm sorry if I misspoke." Maryanne said seeing that Louise was trembling with nerves. "It's fine," Nathan replied, "Could I have a moment?" "Of course!" Maryanne said as she hurried away cursing herself and her big mouth. "Lou sweetheart, it's alright." Nathan soothed as he hugged her. "Wedding? I thought that we were already married." Louise said in a shaky voice. "We are but some of the mates like to have a human ceremony. She just assumed that we would have one but it's not a requirement. I didn't ask about it because I got the feeling that you wouldn't want one." Louise calmed down and blushed. 'I'm sorry, I'm just nervous." she said. "And you're right; I don't want or need a wedding." "Fine by me but you can always change your mind later." Nathan said knowing that she wouldn't. Slowly the kitchen began to fill up with people bringing in food or wondering where to put things. Oddly, this activity put Louise at ease. The questions about a wedding date no longer shook her. By the time everyone had arrived, she was much more relaxed. Nathan knew and accepted that she would never be a social butterfly but then neither was he. As the evening wore on, he kept an eye out for Barb, he just didn't trust her and when he saw Victoria watching her, he knew that he was right. He looked over at Louise who was talking with one of his cousins and then back at Barb who was doing little to hide her jealousy. Kevyn and Patrick were talking to Ethan and Katrina but he noticed that either Kevyn or Patrick had an eye on Barb as well. He allowed himself to relax and watched Louise exchange recipes with his grandmother. His heart melted when Louise looked up at him and smiled without covering her mouth. "You are so beautiful." he thought to her and smiled when she blushed. The evening was filled with laughter, music and dancing and soon everyone forgot about Barb with the exception of Victoria. She didn't mind watching Barb; it allowed Patrick and Nathan to enjoy the evening introducing their mates and she wanted to know why the woman was so hateful and jealous. She wouldn't peek, that would be rude but she could watch. ******* Barb found a quiet spot from which she could observe everyone. Her hope was that eventually Kevyn and Louise would forget that she was there. She had been one of the first to fix herself a plate of food after Kevyn, Patrick, Louise and Nathan making sure that she took plenty so that she wouldn't have to go back up to get more. She noticed Victoria watching her and decided that she didn't like the little girl who seemed older than her ten years of age. It wasn't until sometime after ten when the music and dancing started. Barb looked around and not for the first time that evening wondered how all of them could look so young. She looked at Maryann who had taken an instant dislike to her but was polite and wondered how she managed to look no older than forty when she had sons in their thirties. After awhile she decided that it was one of the many benefits of having money and wondered if Maryanne would give her the name of the plastic surgeon she used. She watched enviously as Nathan and Patrick doted on Louise and Kevyn but it wasn't just them. All of the women who came with someone were being treated as though they were royalty. When she thought no one was watching, she left her spot and wandered away from the party. She had seen enough and it appeared that every male was spoken for. In her mind aside from the food, the night had been a bust. She followed a little path that led to a gazebo and decided to sit there for a few minutes while she planned her next move. She didn't see him until she was inside of the gazebo and when she saw him, her breath caught. Not only was he gorgeous but she could smell the money in the form of the cologne he wore. Barb looked around and didn't see anyone else. Since he was alone, she assumed that he was unspoken for and began to make her move. "Hello." she said softly. He looked up at her and gave her a polite smile as he stood up. Louise Ch. 09 "Hello, are you lost? The party's that way." "No, I'm not lost." Barb replied coyly. "I think that I just found what I've been looking for." she said as she approached him. She never heard someone come up from behind her; she only heard a low feminine voice filled with warning. "Get the hell away from him." Louise Ch. 10 Louise was finally completely relaxed. She laughed as she talked to Rachel, Nathan's mother about the mischief that he used to get into. "I know that he's on the quiet side now but he could sure get into things." Rachel said. "So could Joseph for that matter. Maybe this one will be quieter." she added rubbing her stomach. "You know, you've been good for him." Rachel said. "I think that it's more the other way around." Louise replied blushing. Rachel gave Louise an appraising look before she spoke again. "I know that you're aware of the family history and even though Nathan didn't rape, it had to be difficult for you to hear about it. I just want you to know that if either you or Kevyn want to talk about anything you can come to any of us." "Thank you." Louise said taking Rachel's offered hand. "When is the baby due?" "Hopefully after the wedding." Rachel replied. "Speaking of weddings, do you think you and Kevyn will have one?" "I know that I don't want one." Louise replied, "And I'm pretty sure that Kevyn doesn't either." "That's alright, Martin and I didn't have a wedding either. By the time we reconnected with his family, we had been mated for several years. But what about your family? I know that your sister Barb is here, what about the others?" "They're back in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and they don't know about Nathan yet. I'm still trying to get used to it myself and I really don't want to deal with them while I do it." Louise replied. "Understood." Rachel said. "Being in this family is a big adjustment and unfortunately, your arrival coincided with a pretty intense event. As I said, any of us are here and willing to talk or just to go out to have a good time." Louise liked Rachel and Martin. When she looked at any of the Sinclaire men who had raped, she understood what Kevyn meant when she said that she had a hard time seeing Patrick in that light. As she looked around the yard, she saw Ethan and Katrina who reminded her of herself in her shyness. She watched Ethan and the way that he treated Katrina and saw that it wasn't much different from the way that Nathan treated her. These men, as flawed as they were, loved their wives and their children. "How are you doing?" Nathan asked as he sat down beside her. "I'm good, just getting to know your mom... you were quite the trouble maker weren't you?" Louise teased. "She's been telling stories I gather." Nathan said smiling at Rachel. "Of course I have! It's my privilege as a mother to do so." Rachel replied winking at Louise. "Nathan, she's beautiful and I'm happy for the both of you." "Thanks mom and I agree. She is beautiful." Nathan said as he kissed Louise's temple. "By the way, I know that you've had your hands full but have you talked to Joseph yet?" Rachel asked. "No I haven't but I'll do it soon. Did you see Winston?" Nathan asked. "Yes... I'm so proud of him!" Rachel replied. "I saw him talking to Joseph awhile ago. Maybe Joseph will hire him." Louise saw Joseph and Winston talking in a corner. Joseph looked happy but it struck her as a fake happiness. The only thing that he seemed genuinely happy about was whatever it was he and Winston had been discussing. It was then that she realized that she hadn't seen Barb in quite a while. "Nathan, have you seen Barb lately?" she asked looking around. "No but maybe one of the others have, stay put, I'll be back." he replied kissing her. As he walked away, Louise felt a nervousness that had nothing to do with meeting the family. Barb was somewhere getting into trouble. ********* Thorne's first order of business was to replace Allen. This time he would choose someone easier to deal with and he wouldn't keep him around as long. His green eyes glittered as he brushed his dark shoulder length hair and tied it back with a black tie that matched the black suit that he was going to wear to the club. He ran down his list of male employees eliminating those who he wouldn't use as Allen's replacement. It came down to two vampires, neither of whom he liked but until he had time to find someone else, one of them would have to do. He chose Billings because he had the least irritating voice and he knew that the timid vampire would do as he was told without question. Before he left for the evening, he called Noel. It tore Thorne up every time he talked to him but it helped calm Noel down when nothing else did. He needed to go see him and soon because when he did, Noel would be at peace for six to eight weeks. During Thorne's visits, they did whatever Noel wanted to do which was usually paint. In spite of his mental condition, Noel was still a very accomplished artist with his paintings very much in demand. Thorne owned several of them himself but his favorite one was the one of him and Noel together. The second favorite was of the family minus their father. It wasn't until after their father died that Thorne noticed that Noel had never painted a portrait of him. It was something that he had always wondered about and finally asked his mother Samantha about it. "I don't know." she replied. "The only thing that I can think of is that your father was always so hard on him about his art and Noel was too afraid to ask." "Maybe," Thorne replied, "But Noel has an excellent memory for detail; he wouldn't have needed father to sit for him. He painted that portrait of the two of us together and I wasn't here." "I don't know then." Samantha replied. Thorne hadn't believed her but didn't press. It didn't seem important anymore. He finished the phone call with the usual admonishments and a promise to visit soon. "When?" Noel asked his voice tight with anxiety. Thorne closed his eyes; he heard the signs that were pointing to a breakdown in Noel's soft tenor voice. "I'll tell you what." Thorne said. "I have to work the weekend but how about I come on Monday? Can you be good until then?" "Do you promise to come?" Noel asked. "I'll promise if you promise to be good for mother." Thorne replied. "I promise." Noel replied some of the anxiety gone. "Good, I'll see you then and I'll bring some canvases and paints with me." Thorne hung up hating his father and the Sinclaires for what they had done to Noel. He also realized that Noel was the only person that he really truly loved and cared about and wondered if he wouldn't be better off living with him. However, that meant that his mother would have to come too. He didn't hate her exactly but he couldn't say that he loved her either. "What?" he snapped when the phone rang. "I'm on my way." He vanished from his bedroom to the club pushing the issues about Noel out of his mind to think about later. ******* "Nathan! Wait!" Louise called after him, "I'm coming with you!" She gave Rachel an apologetic smile. "It's alright." Rachel replied. "I understand." Louise rushed over to Nathan and took his outstretched hand. They found Patrick and Kevyn still talking with Ethan and Katrina. Kevyn's stomach dropped when she saw the worried look on Louise's face. "Lou? What's wrong?" "Maybe nothing... have you seen Barb lately?" Louise asked her voice filled with growing anxiety. "The last time I saw her, she was sitting in a corner eating but that was before the dancing started." Kevyn replied. "Same here." Patrick said looking around. "She waited until she knew we would be preoccupied." Louise said quietly. "Sweetheart, we'll check the house, Patrick and Kevyn you start searching the grounds...." "We'll help." Ethan said. "Call your security team and have them start looking too." ********* Victoria saw Barb leave and started to follow her. She hadn't gotten very far before she was stopped by Jamie. "Hey squirt! Where are you off to?" he asked. She was so intent on Barb that she didn't notice that Jamie had called her by the nickname that she claimed to hate. "I'm just making sure someone doesn't get lost." she replied and ran off before Jamie could say anything more. It took her a few minutes to catch up because she wasn't as familiar with Nathan's home as she was with Patrick or Martin's homes. She caught up in time to see Barb go into the gazebo. She carefully lowered her shields and felt Barb's intent even if she didn't understand the ramifications of them. What she did know was that it spelled trouble. She was about to run up to the gazebo but someone was already approaching it. When she realized who it was, she did the only thing that she could think to do. "Papa! Come quick!" she screamed telepathically and then she ran toward the woman approaching the gazebo. ******* Barb couldn't believe her luck. She looked up at the tall handsome man and wondered why he was unattached. Her vow to be more careful had flown out of the window as soon as she saw him. In her mind, if he was somehow related to or a friend of the Sinclaires, then he was safe. As far as she could see, he had it all. Looks, money and a sexy accent. "Are you lost?" Rik asked again as he took a small step back. "Not anymore." Barb replied. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?" she asked as she smiled up at him. "I am w..." The next thing she knew, a woman was telling her to get away. Barb turned and faced the woman fully prepared to argue with her. "I said move away from him." Veronica said quietly but there was no mistaking the fact that she was angry. "Who are you?" Barb asked hoping that the woman was just an overprotective relative. Veronica stepped into the Gazebo, her blue/brown eyes blazing and fastened onto Barb's dark ones. Victoria rushed to Veronica's side and took her hand. "Ronnie? She didn't know." Veronica looked down at Victoria and back up at Barb who stared back at her. "Do you always approach the mate of another woman?" she snapped as she stepped closer to Barb. Instead of backing off, Barb fought back. She was tired of people telling her what she could and couldn't do. All she had to do was apologize and it would have been over. But she didn't. "I don't see a ring on his finger and he sure as hell didn't say that he was with anyone!" "You did not give me the opportunity." Rik said softly. "Ronnie, no harm has been done. She is just a silly human woman..." Rik realizing his error tried to cover it up but it was unnecessary. Barb wasn't listening. "Ronnie!" Victoria called again, "She really didn't know!" "But she knows now but yet she still stands here and argues with me." Veronica replied taking another step toward Barb. "Veronica, listen to me." Rik said his voice firm, "she doesn't matter. She is the sister to Patrick and Nathan's mate... we know of her." "I don't care who she is." Veronica said as she advanced on Barb. Now that Veronica was close enough for Barb to get a good look at, she could see that the woman was a Sinclaire. She took an involuntary step back, suddenly frightened. Veronica Sinclaire was now in her face and staring down at her. "Veronica!" A baritone bass voice said from behind her, "Stand down!" By this time, Louise, Nathan, Patrick and Kevyn had arrived. It didn't take long for Louise to piece together what happened. She pulled away from Nathan and walked up to the two women. "Veronica, I know that my sister overstepped her bounds but she didn't know that Rik was your mate. I also know that it's well within your rights to handle this but could you please let me do it?" "I don't ...." "Barb for once in your life shut up!" Louise snapped. Veronica didn't respond for several tense minutes. Every time Barb opened her mouth, Louise silenced her with a glare. "Alright." Veronica said and then looked at Barb. "It's only because of your sister that I don't beat your ass. A word of advice, watch yourself, the next time you may not be so lucky." Louise waited until everyone except Kevyn, Patrick and Nathan left to address Barb. "What is wrong with you?" she said. "You promised that you wouldn't come here looking for a man!" "I thought that he was single! " Barb replied. "Use your head!" Louise yelled, "This is a family gathering! What does that mean? It means that almost everyone here is either mated to a family member or is a family member and if you weren't sure you should have erred on the side of caution!" Barb blinked in surprise. She had never seen Louise this angry. "What is it going to take in order for you to change? You're my sister and I love you but I don't know what to do for you or about you. And before you start with the I don't have anything crap, save it. I don't want to hear it. I am sick and tired of you blaming everyone else for what happens to you. Everything that has happened to you has been you're doing! You keep looking for someone to care for you but you don't want to care for them. All you look at is what they can give you but what are you offering? It's always been about you and you know what? I agree with Nathan, you're a selfish, stupid bitch! There was someone for you if only you had... you know what? Forget it because you won't listen anyway. Do whatever you want and when you decide that you need help in changing some things, you know where I am." Louise ignored the tears that ran down her face. She hated talking to Barb as she had but it needed to be said. Barb couldn't speak. Somehow, hearing Louise say the very things that others had said to her hurt far more than she ever could have imagined. She realized it was because of all of her siblings; Louise had always been the kindest to her even when she was being unreasonable or how badly she was treated by the people who were supposed to have her back. She had just lost the one person that she knew cared about her. "Lou...." "What Barb?" Louise demanded. "Are you going to tell me that this is my fault because I didn't pin a label on the eligible men? This is our family! Notice that I said our and not mine! However, as always, family doesn't matter to you but let me ask you this, you could have been killed when you went with Thorne Blackwell. You could have been hurt just now... what in god's name is it going to take for you to realize that money isn't everything? But you know what I think? I think that even if you had everything that you think you wanted, you still wouldn't be happy. There would always be something else so ask yourself, what is enough?" "Lou." Barb said her voice tight, "I'm sorry." Louise looked at her and shook her head. "For the moment, yes you are but... it won't last. Look, we have guests to attend to, stay if you want but please no more trouble." Louise turned away leaving Barb alone in the gazebo. Barb watched her leave still shocked that Louise had spoken to her as she had. She had felt the anger, frustration and love behind every word spoken and still she couldn't bring herself to admit that there was truth in Louise's words. She sat in the gazebo for a long time before deciding that she should at least apologize to the woman whose man she had hit on. It wouldn't be a sincere apology but it would have to do. ******* Nathan pulled Louise into a cluster of trees and held her as she shook. Anger at Barb flared and was gone before Louise had a chance to realize that it was there. He tightened his hold when he felt her tears wet his shirt. He felt how much it had hurt her to say the things that she said to Barb even though they needed to be said specifically by her. He closed his eyes and took some of her pain onto himself not knowing if she would be angry about it or not. He didn't care if she was; he wasn't going to let her suffer. Fifteen minutes later, Louise was calmer but still upset. "What's going to happen to her?" she asked Nathan. "I don't know but we'll try to keep her as safe as she'll let us." he replied. "But you don't like her." Louise said sniffling. "No I don't." Nathan admitted. "But you care about her and she is family. Lou, I know that you've never spoken to anyone in the way that you spoke to Barb but she needed to hear it and it needed to come from you. In spite of how she's treated you, she loves you and maybe you reached her." "Maybe... but I don't think so. Nathan, she's still going to need us. Something is going to happen..." "We'll deal with that when and if it happens." Nathan said kissing her temple. "Are you alright?" "I think so and thank you for doing whatever it is you did. I feel better." Louise replied. "I just took some of the emotional pain from you." Nathan replied. "Are you ready to go back?" Louise snuggled into him. She didn't want to go back but they had to and there was no point in putting it off. "I'm ready." she replied giving his waist a squeeze and kissing his chest. They walked back to the party hand in hand. As soon as Kevyn saw them, she ran over to them. "Lou! Are you alright?" she asked. "I'm fine, a little tired but I'll be alright." Louise replied. "Shit!" Patrick swore as he looked across the yard. "Wh... Damn it!" Kevyn said as she saw what Patrick was looking at. ********** Barb left the gazebo and went back to the party intending to apologize and leave. She spotted Veronica and Rik in the far corner of the yard. She noticed that both of them tensed when she approached so she put a conciliatory smile on her face and continued her approach. For a moment, she questioned the wisdom of what she about to do when she saw Veronica's cold glare. She squared her shoulders and kept walking not stopping until she was standing in front of Veronica and Rik. "I'm getting ready to leave and I wanted to apologize for the misunderstanding. Had I known that he was taken, I wouldn't have approached him." "You're lying." Veronica said quietly "but for the sake of family peace I'll accept your apology as well as offer a word of advice, just because a man isn't wearing a ring it doesn't mean that he's free but then you know that. One of these times you're going get into a mess that Louise won't be able to get you out of so have a care. Have a nice evening." Veronica and Rik walked away just as Kevyn and Louise reached them. "What did you do?" Kevyn asked. "Nothing! I just apologized." Barb protested. "I'm done here, I'm leaving. Have a nice life." She stomped off without saying another word. An hour later, she was in the apartment trying to figure out where put things when she realized that she had no space for most of what Juliette was going to send her. It would have to go into storage. She sat down on the small sofa that would double as her bed and started making a list of what she needed to do. At the top of the list was calling Juliette and then her realtor. She showered in what she thought had to be the world's smallest shower and changed into her nightclothes. Louise's words still hurt no matter how much Barb tried to minimize them. "Fuck it! I'm done with them." she muttered as she lay on the sofa and fell asleep determined not to contact her sisters again. She didn't need or want their help. That she was living in Kevyn's apartment rent-free didn't cross her mind. It was something that she was entitled to just because they were sisters. ******** The party ended just before four am. What little leftovers were left was packed up to be taken home by whoever wanted them. Veronica found Louise in the kitchen wrapping up loaves of bread for people to take home. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. I guess I'm still in what Uncle Patrick calls the new mate syndrome. I wouldn't have hurt her." "Apology accepted but Veronica, you would have hurt her. You would have felt bad about it later but you would have hurt her." Louise said. Veronica smiled, "I guess I would have but just enough to scare her." "Can I ask a question?" Louise asked. "Sure, what is it?" Louise Ch. 10 "What's it like to be a vampire? I mean is it that much different than being a human?" "Wow... I don't know how to answer that. I've never been human- at least not for long. I guess I would have to say that aside from the physical differences and the mortality issue, there isn't that much of a difference. As you know when we mate, it's for life and there are very rare instances of infidelity. Why are you asking?" Veronica asked. "Just curious." Louise replied as she handed a loaf of bread to Veronica. "I'm looking forward to the wedding." she said changing the subject. "So are we... are you and Nathan going to have a wedding?" "I don't think so." Louise replied. "I would be too nervous." "I understand but you could have a ceremony with just the two of you and then a reception or you and Kevyn can do it together." Veronica said. "That's an idea." Louise mused. It was worth thinking about. By five, everyone was gone with the exception of Kevyn and Patrick. "Why don't you stay?" Louise asked. "It's getting late." Kevyn looked at Louise and knew that she had something on her mind. "Sure, we can make dinner together." Kevyn replied. Patrick and Nathan sensing that the sisters needed a few minutes alone made themselves scarce. "What are we going to do?" Louise asked Kevyn. "There's nothing that we can do." Kevyn replied. "She has to find out the hard way and we can only hope that she doesn't get herself hurt or killed in the process." "Nathan won't let that happen." Louise said. "He said that they would keep her as safe as she'll let them but Kev... something's going to happen to her and she won't come to us for help." "How do you know?" Kevyn asked. "I felt it." Louise replied sadly. "She's convinced that we've somehow taken something from her and I don't think that I helped anything." "You only said what we've all been saying to her and what she needed to hear." Kevyn replied. "I think that she heard you simply because you've never confronted her like that. I was watching her, Lou you hit a few nerves and I bet you planted a few seeds that only have to take root." Kevyn and Louise looked at each other and then hugged. "Meet you here at three." Kevyn said kissing Louise's wet cheek. "And try not to worry too much." ********** Louise laid on the bed her mind going a hundred miles an hour trying to think of a way to help Barb but kept coming up with nothing. She finally conceded that Kevyn was right, there was absolutely nothing that they could do except watch and wait. "Louise, listen to me." Nathan said gently. "There is and was nothing that you could have done for her. All of this is in her hands, it always has been and its time that she face the ramifications of her choices. All we can do is wait." "You don't understand." Louise said softly. "Don't I?" Nathan asked. "I see the results of the choices that were made by those in my family everyday. I could have lost you because of it. Patrick almost lost Kevyn and the list goes on. You don't think that I wish that I could have done something to change it? But the fact of the matter is I can't do anything but take steps to make sure that it never happens again. So yes sweetheart, I understand." "I'm sorry." Louise said softly. "There's nothing to apologize for. You're frightened for your sister and so is Kevyn but you show it more. Its part of the empathy but you are also exhausted and you need to sleep." "I don't think that I can sleep." she replied even as she yawned and put an arm across his waist. "Can't or won't?" Nathan asked as he pulled her closer to him and kissed her. "Can't, I have too many things on my mind. If I were at home, I'd get up and cook something." "That's one option." Nathan said, "but I like mine better and by the way, you are home and if you want to get up and cook, we'll do it." He nuzzled her temple with his lips before kissing it. Louise turned to face him, looked into his and kissed him. It was the first time since their mating that she had taken the initiative and they both liked it. Nathan deepened the kiss as he ran his hands down her back, over her ass and then under the tee shirt that she insisted that she had to wear to bed. "Sweetheart, the tee shirt has to go." he murmured against lips and a second later, it was gone. He grazed his lips down her chin, over her neck and to her chest where he stopped and pressed them against where her heart beat. Even his hands were still as he waited until her heart slowed to more normal rate. Only then did he move his lips to the nipple closest to him kissed the tip of it before taking it into his mouth, lightly biting down on it and then sucking on it loving the way it felt as it grew and hardened in his mouth. He laid her back with the nipple still in his mouth and moved to the neglected one giving it the same treatment as he rolled the nipple that he just left between his fingers. He took his time with her breasts, like Patrick, the breast was probably his favorite body part on a woman but he had the feeling that he was about to change his mind. The scent of Louise's arousal beckoned him. He had yet to taste her and he was now eager to do so. He released the nipple, kissed her and continued his journey down her body. He took his time in exploring her with his lips and hands gently massaging and kissing every exposed area. When he reached the junction between her legs, he paused to smell and look at it. Every other woman he had ever been with smelled sour in comparison to her. In his eagerness, he almost didn't warn her of what he was about to do but then remembered that he could show her. "Sweetheart, lower your shields." He waited patiently as Louise slowly lowered her shields. When they were down, he sent her a telepathic picture of him making love to her with his mouth and then began. He started with the inside of her thighs kissing and nipping at them but causing no pain. He stopped when he saw how tense she was and spoke to her telepathically. "Close your eyes and relax." He waited until she was more relaxed and began again. This time he kept talking to her telling her that she was safe and that he loved her more than anything or anyone that he could think of. Finally, he was at his destination, her wet, aroused mound. Even though he hadn't opened her nether lips, he could see her glistening clit peeking through. Instead of going directly for it, he opened her with two fingers, and swiped her from bottom to the top of her slit stopping just short of her clit and then going down again. Louise had heard talk at work about the things people did during sex and wasn't sure that she believed half of it but here she was, married and about to experience the pleasures of oral sex for the first time. She was glad that Nathan had given her a warning of what he was about to do and knew that he wouldn't have to do it again. She jumped a little when she felt him open her vaginal lips but relaxed when he began to speak to her telepathically. She moaned and bucked her hips when she felt the first swipe of his warm, wet tongue against her sex for the first time. A few licks later, she was moving her hips in search of his tongue wishing that he would touch her in that one spot. She opened her legs wider than she thought possible inviting him to do what they both wanted. Nathan continued to lick and nibble until he got the signal that he was waiting for- the opening of her legs inviting him to feast on her. Even then, he didn't rush as he lapped up the clear fluid that ran from her. As he tasted her, the taste of every other woman seemed to disappear from his memory. There was only her. Finally, he took her pulsing clit into his mouth and suckled on it. He could hear her cries of pleasure and allowed himself to feel what she was feeling. His balls tightened against him and his cock throbbed as he shared in her pleasure. Louise was beside herself as Nathan made love to her. Just as she was about to come, she opened herself to him completely. Whatever piece of her she had been holding back, she gave to him. A soft moan escaped her lips and gradually escalated into a full scream as she trusted not only him but also herself into his care. Nathan felt her release herself into his care. He closed his eyes in an attempt not to come; he needed to be inside of her when he did that. He didn't know or understand why nor did he care. The only thing that he cared about was that when it was over, both of them would be stronger and closer than even the first time that they made love. He also realized that in order for that to happen, he had to give himself to her completely as she had just given herself to him. Nathan gave Louise's clit one last pull that sent her over the edge crying and screaming for him. Before her orgasm was completely over, he was inside of her pumping hard and fast giving her everything that he was and would be. He came with a scream that left his throat raw and dry. Afterwards, he hugged Louise to him. Neither of them spoke. There was nothing to say. Nathan lay awake long after Louise had fallen asleep. He wasn't worried about anything in particular, he was thinking about the Yancy family. In order for Louise to have the power that she did meant that an ancestor was psychically powerful. Kevyn was strong in what she could do and even Barb was psychic to some degree, the others he didn't know about but Louise seemed to have been given the bulk of the gifts. As he finally closed his eyes, he made a mental note to check into her line. ********* Barb woke up early cramped, hungry and still angry about the night before. She looked at the clock, swore and rolled off the sofa. If it hadn't been for the fact that the apartment was rent free, she would have looked for a bigger place. She made her way to the tiny bathroom, used the toilet and washed her hands and face when she was done. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and frowned at the small pimple at the corner of her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time that she had a pimple and attributed it to the stress of the past couple of weeks. She fixed herself a bowl of cereal, wondered if Juliette was up and decided that she didn't care. If she couldn't sleep then no one else could either. She put the half-eaten bowl of cereal in the sink and dug through her purse for her cell phone. Juliette's phone rang four times before she answered it. "Barb? Do you know what time it is?" Juliette asked sleepily. "I don't know and I don't care. Have you packed up my stuff yet?" "Some of it. I'm on vacation this week, I'll get it done." Juliette replied. "Good. Just make sure you pack all my under things and clothes together and that the boxes are labeled." "Barb, do you realize how much crap you have? You need a moving company and that's going to cost you a fortune even if Mr. Riverton gives you my employee discount. Why don't you put it in storage for now and I'll send your clothes and things?" Barb didn't respond for several minutes. "Let me call you back." she said and hung up. She called her realtor next. "Sonya, what's happening with the house?" she asked without saying hello. "Barb, it's seven am here and I'm not even out of bed yet. I'll call you when I get to the office." Sonya hung up not giving Barb a chance to argue with her. She called Juliette back and told her what she wanted. "Pack up my clothes and personal stuff and send it here. Will Riverton give me the employee discount on one of the storage spaces?" "He will if you use one his crews to pack up and bring your stuff here." Juliette replied. "Then do it, it has to be a lot cheaper than having it brought across the country." Barb replied. "I'll call when the office opens... Barb? Are you alright?" "I'm fine." Barb replied. "Kev and Lou, are they alright?" "They're fine. I have to go." Barb said and quickly hung up. She didn't want to hear or talk about Kevyn and Louise. All it did was make her angry. Just thinking about them made her blood boil but even so, she was still hurt by what Louise said to her. She spent the morning waiting for Sonya to call her back about the house, channel surfing and continuing her search for a dating service. Sonya didn't call her until two in the afternoon and the news while not bad wasn't as good as Barb had hoped. "I have a buyer but they're offering twenty thousand less than you want. I can try to split the difference but if they don't bite what do you want me to do?" "What about the Jones?" Barb asked. "They passed and there are no other offers on the table." Sonya replied. "See what you can do." Barb said after a long hesitation. "If they won't budge then sell it." Barb logged off the dating site and onto her bank account. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that the money from her 401k had gone in. Her phone didn't ring again until late afternoon; it was Sonya calling her back. "Ok, we split the difference.... And they want the furniture." "Fine, it saves me the cost of having it moved and stored. Can I sign the papers via email?" "I'd rather not go that route, I'll overnight them to you but I will email them to you so that you can look them over." "They've made the down payment?" Barb asked. "More than that." Sonya replied, "They have the cash. Apparently, she inherited quite a bit of money and decided to buy a house. Once all of the inspections and appraisals are done and the papers signed we're done." Barb didn't miss the note of relief she heard in Sonya's voice. "Email me those forms, I'll look them over and call with any questions." "Of course but bear in mind that tomorrow is Sunday and I do attend church." "Yeah, I'll try not to bother you." Barb said snidely and hung up. She spent the rest of the afternoon online changing her address and contact information before she remembered to call Juliette back with the change in plans regarding the movers. When she called her back, Wanda the oldest grandchild answered the phone. "Auntie Barb!" That enthusiastic greeting was the only thing that really brightened Barb's day. "Hi Wannie! How are you?" "I'm good! Guess what? I got an A on my science project!" "That's great! Where's your mom?" Barb asked cutting the conversation short. "She's in the kitchen." Wanda replied the hurt evident in her voice. "Go get her for me." Barb said ignoring the hurt tone in her oldest niece's voice. She had to give Juliette credit. Barb had never wanted children. To her they were a hindrance and not the blessing that people claimed them to be. However, Juliette loved her kids even if she dumped them on Louise when she wanted or needed a night out. Barb also knew that Juliette always helped the kids with their homework and took them on day trips; she was a good mother. When Juliette finally came to the phone, Barb told her about the change in plan. "When can you get up there?" she asked. "Tomorrow and with any luck I can have your stuff ready to be shipped by the end of the day." Juliette replied. "Are you going out tonight?" Barb asked not really caring." "Nah, me and the kids are going to watch movies and make those donut things that mom used to make." Juliette replied and then hesitated. "We were wrong you know." "Wrong about what?" Barb asked. "About the way that we didn't help Louise with mom. She shouldn't have had to take care of her alone." "What brought this on?" Barb asked. "I don't know." Juliette replied. "I just wish that we had helped her more." "Look, I gotta run, call me when you have the price for the shipping." She hung up and went back to changing and updating her contact information. After thinking about it for several minutes, she cancelled her 'twitter' and 'face book' accounts and then decided to change her cell phone number as well. The only people that she would give it to would be ... no one she decided. The next thing was to decide on whether she should buy a car or not. She spent the evening debating the issue and decided to buy a small used car. By the time she finished everything for the day; it was late evening. Her cell phone rang; she looked at the number, recognized it as Kevyn's and silenced it. She didn't even bother to check to see if there was a voice mail She made herself a sandwich, poured a glass of soda and turned on the small color television looking for something to watch. She almost gagged when she saw the ad for 'The Emerald' flash across the screen. Barb turned off the television, took the uneaten sandwich to the kitchen, wrapped it and put it in the fridge. Even though it was warm in the apartment, Barb felt chilled. She wrapped her blanket around her and fell into a fitful sleep. ******** Louise opened her eyes and then closed them again relishing the feeling of Nathan's warm breath blowing across her forehead. She tried to put into words what she was feeling and came up with none that seemed adequate. What she did know was that she was where she wanted and needed to be and not even her concerns about Barb disturbed the sense of peace that she felt. She couldn't tell what time it was but she thought that it had to be close to the time she was supposed to meet Kevyn in the kitchen. She tried to ease out of bed to use the bathroom but Nathan stopped her. "Where are you running off to?" He asked his eyes still closed. "It's early." "I need the bathroom and I'm meeting Kev in the kitchen at three." she replied. "It's only one." Nathan said slowly opening his eyes. "How do you know?" Louise asked. "I just do, so go to the bathroom and come back to bed." he replied as he kissed her forehead. He noticed with satisfaction that she didn't look for her tee shirt when she got out of bed. Now if he could get her to forget the damned thing period. Nathan watched her ass jiggle as she walked across the room, got out of bed and followed her into the bathroom. He had other things that he would rather be doing than sleeping. He went into the shower part of the bathroom, turned it on and got in. Louise got in a few minutes later and began to wash her hair. "Let me." Nathan said taking the bottle of shampoo away from her. Louise stood still as Nathan gently washed her hair taking care not to tangle it. He carefully rinsed the soap out aware of her aversion to having water running down her face and applied the leave in conditioner. Louise didn't object as he washed her back and then turned her around to wash the front of her. When he was finished, Louise reciprocated .She had Nathan kneel in front of her so that she could wash his hair, shoulders and upper back. It occurred to her that they were making love without making love and she loved it. She was learning that there were many ways to make love without sex and wondered what else Nathan had to teach her. Nathan dried her off and applied oil to her skin talking to her in soothing tones as he rubbed her back. His intent was for her to sleep. As far as he was concerned, she hadn't slept enough. He wasn't concerned about Kevyn, she would understand and if she didn't- too bad. Soon after he started the massage, Louise was sleeping. It wasn't the deep sleep of the exhausted. But it was the sleep of someone who knew that they were cared for, safe and loved. As he watched her sleep, his love for her grew. He didn't think that it was possible but it was happening. He now understood the love between his parents and the others. The feeling that there really was a love so strong and that someone loved him so intensely astounded him. He could see how it could easily become an obsession and how it could lead to unhappiness for both parties. He would have to remind himself to step back and let Louise have her space so she wouldn't feel smothered. He knew that part of what he was feeling was the novelty of being newly mated and in time that would pass but still the danger of becoming obsessive would remain. Louise Ch. 10 "What are you thinking about?" Louise asked. "Us." Nathan replied honestly. "I was just thinking about how much I love you and that if I'm not careful it could become obsessive. I want you to be happy and to feel free to do whatever makes you happy as long as it doesn't endanger you. And I want you to promise me something." "If I can." Louise replied. "I want you to tell me when and if I become too obsessive for you." "Nathan..." "I want your word that you'll tell me no matter how angry you think I'll get and I promise you that I'll do my best not to smother you." "I promise... Is there something that you aren't telling me?" Louise asked. "No, I just wanted to tell you that." Nathan replied. "Why don't we go shopping for the house tonight?" he asked. "I don't even know what colors I want." Louise replied. "Ok, then we go shopping for colors and the carpet. We can even order the kitchen appliances. What do you think? "I think... that sounds like fun." Louise replied. "How about after dinner?" "You can invite Kevyn and Patrick if you like." Nathan said. Louise thought about it and decided against it. She wanted this to be something that she and Nathan did alone. In the back of her mind, it occurred to her that she was beginning to distance herself from Kevyn but not in a negative way. She and Kevyn would always be close but she was becoming a person who no longer needed her big sister to speak for her. She was beginning to build a life separate from Kevyn's and as sad as it made her, she was equally as excited. "No, I want us to do this alone... can we go to the house afterwards?" "I was planning on it." Nathan replied. After their last visit to the house, he called the supervisor and gave orders to bring in more help. "I want it done by the end of the week- bring in whoever you need to make it happen. The only two rooms that I want completely done are the bathroom and the bedroom. Have Archie go to the warehouse to get a bed and dresser... yes, what female is with you? Tammy? Let me talk to her." By the end of the phone call, Nathan had given the woman a list of the hair and skin products that Louise used. He resisted the temptation to send her to one of the boutiques to get the expensive version of the same brand. He didn't' because Louise wouldn't like it. She would always be conscious of money no matter how much she had. That prompted another decision. He called the bank, opened an account in Louise's name, and ordered a visa credit card for her. "Would you like notification when the card or account is used?" The banker asked. "No but if it gets close to the limit, replenish it and you don't need to inform me. Send the card to the address that you have on file." "Yes sir... what amount would you like to put into the account?" "Make it unlimited and give the credit card a limit of the same." Nathan replied changing his mind about the limit. ****** The credit card and banking information was in his wallet. He would give it to her at the house and hoped that she understood his intent. He made a call to his foreman to make sure that things were as he wanted them." "Everything will be ready by this evening." The supervisor assured him. "Good." Nathan replied. "I appreciate all that you've done to make this happen. I want you to give each crewmember a gift certificate to the restaurant of their choice for them and their families. Yes, thank you." ******** A warm mouth on his nipple and a hand on his cock brought him back to the present. He barely detected any reticence on her part as her hand moved up and down his shaft with a slow but firm grip. To compensate for not being able to reach all the way around, Louise used a spiraling motion that Nathan loved. The sucking on his nipple and the friction on his cock made Nathan moan and then gasp as Louise, feeling what he wanted bit into the nipple and stroked his cock harder running her hand over the swollen, spongy head several times before going back to the shaft. "Sweetheart, stop." Nathan said his breath ragged. "Give me a minute." Louise stopped. Her hand was still on his cock and she began to stroke him again. When he asked her to stop, she didn't. She wanted to see his seed as it left his body. She stroked even harder and faster, her hand moving in a blur as Nathan tried to keep up with her. "Louise!" he screamed as his essence shot out of him landing on his stomach and coated her hand. Louise was both fascinated and aroused and was just beginning to wonder what he tasted like when suddenly she was on her back and Nathan was slamming into her coming again when she did. They missed dinner only leaving the room to make an appearance and to go shopping for the house. "We ate without you." Kevyn said when they came into the kitchen. "I'm sorry..." Louise started to say and then wondered what she was apologizing for but she still blushed. "I managed to save a plate for each of you if you want it." Kevyn replied, "If not, the bottomless pit named Patrick will take care of it." she teased. "We'll grab something while we're out." Nathan said "but you and Patrick are welcome to stay." "I think we're going head out to some secret location but we'll be in touch." Kevyn replied. "Nathan, can I have a few minutes with Lou?" "Of course, I'll be in the study when you're done." "Love looks good on you." Kevyn said touching Louise's face. "I am so happy for you." Louise placed her hand over Kevyn's and stroked it. "Thank you for bringing me here. It doesn't matter that you did it out of guilt even though I keep telling you that you didn't do anything wrong. The bottom line is that I'm here because of you." "I know that you never believed this about yourself but Lou, you are and always have been special and Nathan is very lucky to have you." Kevyn said her throat tight. "This isn't goodbye." Louise said softly. "We don't live far from each other." "It is a goodbye of sorts." Kevyn replied. "It's a goodbye to our relationship as it was. You don't need me in the same way and I'm ok with that. You've grown so much in the past few weeks. It was like watching a butterfly being born- it was beautiful and so are you. I love you little sister." "I love you too." Louise replied as she threw her arms around her sister and friend. Kevyn wiped away tears as she watched Louise walk away. Patrick came from behind her and hugged her. "Are you okay?" he asked kissing her ear. "I'm fine, I'm just really happy for her." "I am too." Patrick replied. "Are you ready to go?" Kevyn looked in the direction that Louise had gone one more time and nodded her head. She took a deep breath and blew it out symbolically letting Louise go. ******* The shopping trip proved to be productive. The color schemes were quickly agreed on and the carpet picked out. By the time they were done, Nathan claimed that he was starving and that he would blow away if they didn't eat soon. "Fine," Louise said laughing, "you pick the place." Nathan pulled into the first thing that he saw open, a twenty-four hour restaurant that Louise had doubts about. "Have you ever been here before?" she asked eying the ill kept building. "No but I'm sure that it's fine." Nathan replied. "Your stomach." Louise muttered. The food turned out to be good and Louise realized that she was hungrier than she thought. She finished her bowl of soup and started stealing bits of food from Nathan's plate giggling at his attempts to act outraged. They left with promises to return and headed for the beach house. "They've gotten quite a bit done." Nathan said. "By next week, we can have the painters come in and then the carpet can be laid." "I think... I think that I would like to live here." Louise said not responding to Nathan's statements. "I like it here too and was hoping that you would say that." Nathan replied He intertwined his fingers with hers and finished the drive in silence. "Would you like to see what progress has been made?" Nathan asked when they arrived. Louise smiled, nodded and waited for Nathan to help her out of the car. "It's beautiful!" Louise said as she touched the kitchen counters. "Let's see the rest of the house." Nathan said taking her hand. The last room he took her to was the bedroom where the bed was turned back. The room was filled with flowers of every kind and unlit scented candles were scattered around the room. "This time we won't have to leave before morning." Nathan said as he kissed her. Louise closed her eyes, inhaled the scent of the ocean and made a decision. "Let's go out to the beach." she said taking Nathan's hand. Nathan snatched the comforter from the bed as he passed by and allowed himself to be led to the spot where they had made love the last time they were there. He spread the comforter on the ground, sat down pulling Louise down with him. He put his arm around her, pulled her tight into his side and rested his chin on the top of her head. On a whim, he moved and lifted Louise so that she was on his lap facing him a leg on either side of him. "I love you Louise Yancy Sinclaire and don't you ever forget it." he said his tone serious. "I love you too." Louise replied. Nathan ran his hands up and down her thighs becoming irritated with the cloth that separated her skin from his. In an instant, the offending material was gone and it was flesh against flesh. Louise wrapped her arms around his neck and ground against him. Her nipples swelled and tingled as they rubbed against Nathan's chest. She could feel his hardness throbbing between them and ground against him harder. The thought that she was no longer the same woman of a few weeks ago crossed her mind and was forgotten when Nathan bit and then sucked on her neck hitting a sweet spot that she didn't know she had. The sensation traveled from that spot to her nipples and straight to her clit making her gasp. Nathan lifted her up as if she weighed nothing and eased her down onto his waiting cock both of them moaning at the contact. Louise began a slow rocking motion against him, rubbing her clit against his pelvis. Her breathing was heavy as she whispered in his ear. "Make me like you." "What?" Nathan asked temporarily losing the rhythm. "Make me like you... please." "Lou..." Louise moved faster in Nathan's lap and pulled his head toward her neck. "I want to be like you." she repeated. "I don't need the sun, just you." she added as she ground against him even harder. Nathan didn't know what to say. Very few human mates elected to turn and a few of those that did, regretted it later. "I won't be sorry! Nathan please!" Louise begged. Nathan hesitated weighing his options and decided to trust and honor her wishes. That she would be the first female mate in the family to turn in over three centuries crossed his mind. He wondered if it meant anything and then decided that it didn't matter. He did however; give her a chance to change her mind. "Lou..." "I. want. To. Be. Like. You." she said, the words coming out between gasps and moans of pleasure. Louise, sensing that he was going to grant her wish, turned her head and offered her neck to him trusting him not to hurt her any more than necessary. Nathan allowed his fangs to descend, kissed her rapidly beating pulse and bit just as her orgasm began. He came once the sweet, salty and metallic taste of her blood touched his tongue. He held onto her as she writhed and ground in his lap as he drank from her for the first time. Louise cried out as the throbbing in her nipples, clit seemed to increase, and the orgasm seemed to intensify instead of waning. Without missing a beat or slowing his pace, Nathan made a deep cut on the opposite side of his neck and guided Louise's lips to it. Louise latched on like a new baby drinking from its mother's teat and was surprised to find that she liked the taste of Nathan's blood. It had the same sweet and salty taste of human blood but it wasn't as metallic. She felt Nathan swell inside of her as she sucked at him even harder. Nathan hugged her even tighter as the sensation of her sucking traveled through his entire body. His toes were curled and his balls ached as his seed began its journey to Louise's womb. The pleasure almost bordered on pain as he emptied into her but he didn't want to stop. The word "mine!" resonated through the back of his brain as he turned so that Louise was now beneath him. He immediately missed her lips on his neck but she had taken enough to initiate the tuning. Nathan bent down and kissed her as he pounded into her. When she came again, his mouth was covering hers; he swallowed her screams as he moaned loudly and collapsed to the side of her. Nathan quickly gathered Louise into his arms leaving the blanket lying in the sand, carried her into the house and straight into the bedroom. He laid her on the bed, covered her and closed the heavy shutters to block out the sun that would be rising in a few hours. He sped to the kitchen where several units of blood were thawing in a small refrigerator. He lifted the fridge, carried it to the bedroom and placed it near the bed. The last thing that he did before getting into bed with her was to call the work crews off for the next three days. After that, he would take her home to finish recuperating. He watched for signs that the change was starting, ready to carry her to the bathroom or to comfort her in any way that he could. As she watched her sleep, he wondered why she opted to change. He thought about their past conversations and found the answer. She was willing to give up living as a human for their children. She didn't want to take the chance that their daughters would be born human. She was guaranteeing that they wouldn't die before their mates found them. He cuddled her closer and kissed her temple. The fates had chosen well for him. ******** Two nights later, Louise opened her eyes. She blinked rapidly trying to adjust to the darkened room and when she moved, her body protested. She felt as though she had just been through an exercise regimen whose goal was to inflict pain. She licked her lips that felt as dry as sandpaper and wondered where Nathan was. "I'm here." he said from the other side of the bed. He had moved because it had hurt her too much to be touched during the change but he never left her side. She tried to speak but her mouth was dry and her throat sore. Suddenly, Nathan was beside her helping her to sit up. She winced at the pain but welcomed his touch. "Here, drink this." Nathan said as he pressed the rim of a cool glass against her lips. Louise put her hands on top of his trying to speed the rate in which the thick, cool liquid ran down her throat. "Not so fast or you'll get sick." Nathan said gently as he pulled the glass away from her lips in spite of her protests. A few minutes later, he gave her more to drink along with sips of water. An hour later, she was back to sleep feeling much better but still sore. When she woke up again, Nathan fed her more blood and sat with her in the Jacuzzi but didn't turn on the jets. "You're skin is still sensitive." he explained when Louise asked him why. She leaned back against him and fell asleep again. She reminded Nathan of a baby, eat and sleep but that would change in the next day or so. There would be a period of twenty-four hours where they would make love almost non-stop. It was also the time when she would be the most likely to conceive. Nathan lifted her out if the tub, carried her still asleep back to bed, and tucked her in. While she slept, he called Patrick and Kevyn to tell them the news. "I'm only telling you because of Kevyn." he said. "No don't tell anyone else they'll figure it out on their own. Yes, she's fine. We'll call when we get back to the other house... I'll ask her about it when she wakes up." Nathan hung up, looked over at Louise and smiled. In his opinion, he had hit the jackpot of mates. His loins tingled at the thought of the approaching twenty-four hours of lovemaking. It wasn't that they couldn't make love that frequently now but it was one of the few times when all of the senses would be heightened, especially touch. The other times would be at the beginning of a pregnancy and after the child was born. He called their other home and gave specific instructions making the recipient of the instructions repeat them back to him. When that was done, he got into bed and waited for Louise to wake up so that he could take her to the other house so that the work on this one could be completed. ****** Two days later, an exhausted Nathan and a radiant Louise showed up at Kevyn and Patrick's house. Patrick struggled not to laugh as he took in Nathan's appearance. "So I guess its true." he teased. "It is and I can't wait to do it again." Nathan replied with a happy smile. "Are you up to shopping? Kev wants to look for a dress for the wedding." Patrick said. "Only if we stop and get something to eat, I'm famished." Nathan replied. "Question, have you and Kevyn talked about a wedding?" "Briefly and she doesn't want one, what about Lou?" Patrick asked. "She doesn't want one either but would consider a small private ceremony with just the four of us. We could have a reception afterwards." Nathan replied. "She also mentioned having the rest of her family here." he added. "So did Kevyn." Patrick replied. "We would have the same issue as we had with Barb but it shouldn't be a problem... I'm game if you are." "I'm game and I don't know about you, but I'm interested in finding out about their family line." Nathan said looking at Louise who was chatting with Kevyn. "What are you thinking?" Patrick asked. "I don't know... maybe its nothing but I don't think so. Louise is too strong of an empath for it to be a fluke and Kevyn's ability to hear the thoughts of vampires and to talk to them isn't a normal psychic gift. I'm just wondering who in their family line had gifts like theirs and if their siblings are gifted as well." Nathan replied. "If nothing else, our children will know the Yancy side of the family history." "I tend to agree with you." Patrick replied, "But it's a big family." he added. Nathan shrugged, "There's no rush and a reception would be a good time to meet the rest of them. What do you have to snack on?" he asked changing the subject. ***** Kevyn looked Louise up and down and then hugged her. "Are you sure that you're alright? Was it bad?" she asked. "I'm fine and let's just say that I don't want a repeat of any of it except for the last twenty-four hours of it" Louise replied hugging Kevyn back. "So what's it like?" Kevyn asked. "I don't know yet but I can tell you that I feel the same but better if that makes any sense." Louise replied. "You look great! What do you say? Let's get this shopping thing done." ****** The shopping for outfits was successful. After several stops, they found both dresses and shoes at the same boutique that they liked and left them there to be altered. "Come in tomorrow night and we'll get your dresses ready." the manager said brightly. "That was relatively painless." Kevyn muttered to Louise. "Thank goodness." Louise replied. She hated shopping almost as much as Kevyn did. "Kev, what do you think about a small ceremony with just the four of us?" "I... why not?" Kevyn said. "As long as it isn't a full scale wedding." she added. "I think that we should invite Gene and the rest of them." Louise said and waited for Kevyn's response. "Have you said anything to Nathan yet?" Kevyn asked. "We talked about it and he wants to meet them." Louise replied. "Kev, I think that this could help bring us closer the way that mom and dad wanted us to be." Louise Ch. 10 That was the deciding factor. "Alright but lets wait until after Vanessa and Veronica's wedding is over before we start planning this thing." Kevyn suggested. *********** The evening of the wedding couldn't have been more perfect. The moon was full, the stars were out and the breeze that blew through the trees was warm but not hot. The yard was decorated with a variety of flowers, some from the grounds and some ordered in from area florists. The garden to the left held the tables where the food would be served and where the guests could sit and indulge. Soft music could be heard playing over the quiet but excited chatter of the wedding guest who had arrived early. Kevyn, Patrick, Louise and Nathan all sat together waiting for the ceremony to begin. What surprised them was that Barb was there. She had been invited, had initially said that she wasn't going to attend and then for reasons unknown to them, changed her mind. "Come sit with us." Louise invited holding out her hand to Barb. "No thanks." Barb said ignoring the outstretched hand and walking away. She didn't even know why she changed her mind. She really had no intentions of going but curiosity had gotten the better of her. That and the idea of good food. After walking away, she found a seat far to the back and to the right of where her sisters and their men sat. She couldn't stop looking at them, especially Louise. Finally, she saw what Nathan saw, a beautiful but shy woman who had a quiet strength about her. As she continued to watch, her anger and jealousy grew to the point where she decided that she couldn't stay. Just as she stood to leave, the music signaling the beginning of the ceremony started. She sat down and tried not to look at her sisters. "Not fair." she murmured, "No fucking fair!" Louise Ch. 11 Louise wiggled in her seat. She wasn't used to wearing a dress, hose and heels. Her legs itched and her feet felt as though they were on fire even though she had only walked as far as the car to the back yard where the wedding was being held. However, even more uncomfortable than the shoes and hose was the way Barb was staring at them. It was a stare filled with ... hatred. She hated them. Louise let out a sad sigh as the feeling that something horrible was going to happen grew. "Sweetheart?" Nathan whispered in her ear, "Are you alright?" He had felt the stare too but was ignoring it until it disturbed Louise. He raised his shields protecting her from the emotions that Barb was emanating across the yard. He turned toward Barb and gave her a warning look keeping his eyes on her until she turned away. Louise knew when Nathan raised his shields but said nothing for several minutes. "I'm ok." she whispered. "Are you sure?" Nathan asked. "I'm sure... who invented pantyhose anyway?" she asked as she scratched her knee. Nathan laughed as with a touch he took away the itch. "Will I be able to do things like that?" she asked. "Yes." Nathan replied patiently. "As soon as everything is settled, we'll start your lessons." Louise was going to reply but the anger belonging to someone else distracted her. She looked behind her and saw Joseph, Nathan's younger brother looking off to the side. The anger that came from him was every bit as dark as Barb's but the reason for it was different. As soon as he realized that she was looking at him, his shields went up. "Sweetheart?" Before Nathan could say anything more, the processional started and Louise pushed Joseph and Barb out of her mind. She found the wedding beautiful but still didn't want one of her own. The idea of a private ceremony and then a reception was more to her liking. She stole a peek at Kevyn who nodded in agreement. An hour later, the ceremony was over and the two couples were greeting their guests. Barb hid in the back and caught sight of Joseph sitting alone. She waited for several moments to see if anyone joined him. When she decided that he was single, she walked up to him and sat down. "Hi, I'm Barb Yancy Simpson. Kevyn and Louise are my sisters." "I'm Joseph Richardson, Nathan is my brother." "It's Nice to meet you." Barb said trying to be casual. "It was a beautiful wedding wasn't it?" Joseph looked at her and decided to lay his cards on the table. He wasn't in the mood to play games. "Look, I know who you are and I'm not interested in you or any other woman for that matter. If you just want to share a table that's fine but there won't be any dinner dates." Barb's face burned with embarrassment that she was that transparent. The ball was in her court. If she left, she would confirm what he was thinking. If she stayed, she still had a chance at changing his mind. "Thanks, it would be nice not to eat alone." Joseph nodded at her and began watching everyone as the reception began. "How about a dance?" Barb asked after they had eaten. Joseph hesitated and then shrugged. He held his hand out to Barb and led her to the dance floor. His touch was firm but impersonal. Barb could have been a mannequin from a department store as far as he was concerned. He would have been just as content sitting at the table. Nathan watched Barb and Joseph dance but wasn't concerned. Joseph could take care of himself as far as Barb was concerned, but it was the anger that concerned him. He wasn't worried that Joseph would rape. He was as considerate to his few dates as he had been to the women that he himself had dated. Nathan watched them for a few more seconds before turning his attention back to Louise. He had to make a point of talking to Joseph and sooner rather than later. Nathan spent twenty minutes trying to convince Louise to dance with him. "I'm not going out there!" "Come on, you won't have to do anything but hold on to me." he replied. "One dance." he urged as he wrapped his arms around her and began to sway to the music. "Please?" He begged as he kissed her cheek. Finally, Louise gave in. "One dance and don't complain when I step on your toes." One dance turned into three. They left the dance floor when the music went from slow dance songs to fast ones. "Thank you." Nathan said. "How many times did I step on your toes?" Louise asked. "None and Louise, you dance well." Nathan replied. By this time, Joseph had excused himself telling Barb that he had several legal briefs to write. Barb watched Joseph walked away, stopped to talk to a tall, handsome dark skinned man and left. She was thinking about introducing herself to the man and was in the process of standing when a woman approached the man. Remembering what happened with Veronica, she sat back down. She looked around hoping to see another male sitting alone. At this point, she didn't care whether he was rich or not, she just wanted someone to pass the time with. She jumped when she heard Kevyn's voice behind her. "Nice wedding wasn't it?" "What do you want Kevyn?" Barb asked ignoring the question. "Nothing," Kevyn replied, "I saw that you were sitting alone and thought that you would like some company." "I'm fine... I suppose you and the mouse are planning a wedding?" she asked dryly. "No Louise and I aren't planning a wedding." Kevyn replied putting the emphasis on Louise's name. "We're going to have a private ceremony and a reception afterwards. I would ask you to help but I already know what you'll say." "What about the others? Are you inviting them?" Barb asked not sure of why she cared. "We're planning on it." Kevyn replied. "We haven't called them yet." "Congratulations." Barb said her voice tinged with bitterness. "I have a question though, how did you do it? I mean how is it that the two of you ended up in one of the wealthiest families in the world?" "I can't answer that." Kevyn replied. "Can't or won't?" Barb shot back. "Can't." Kevyn replied. "Have you ever stopped to think that if you stopped looking so hard that it might just happen?" "Easy for you to say...." Kevyn threw up her hands and walked away. Even as Kevyn walked away, Barb wanted to call her back. A small part of her wanted to be happy for her but she held back. To acknowledge that one small fact would mean that she was thinking that maybe Louise was right. She stood up to leave and ran into Louise, "Where's Nathan?" Barb asked. "He's talking to Patrick." Louise replied. "Barb...." "I have to go, I'll see you later." Barb said interrupting her. "Call me about the reception." She walked off before Louise could say anything and wondered why she wanted to go to the reception. It would be nothing more than another reminder of what she didn't have. If she didn't go, she would have to explain why and it was much easier to go and to feign happiness than to go through Juliette and Leon's interrogation and lectures. She was escorted to her car, helped in and she drove off without looking back. ******* Louise watched Barb leave with a sense of disquiet but came to a decision. Nothing more could be done for Barb. It was time for her to move forward in her new life with Nathan and for Kevyn to move on in her life with Patrick. She looked around to see Nathan looking at her and blushed. She knew what the look meant. She stood rooted in place as Nathan moved toward her with smooth, graceful movements. Her nipples tightened as he closed the space between them. She didn't think that she would ever get used to the way that he looked at her or to the way that she responded. A ball of warmth started in the pit of her belly and began to spread to the rest of her. By the time Nathan reached her, her entire body was hot. Suddenly, his arms were around her and he was holding her tight against him taking some of the heat away. "It's the remnant effects of the turning combined with being newly mated." he assured her as he cooled her body with his. "How long will this last?" Louise asked thinking about her mother and her complaints about "hot flashes". "A few more days and things will start to level out." he replied as he stepped back and led her to their table where a pitcher of ice water waited for them. Nathan poured her a large glass of it, refilling the glass as soon as it was empty. "Better?" he asked. "Better." Louise replied as she looked around. Her eyes landed on Joseph who was talking to Winston and seemed to be genuinely happy. "Winston has agreed to work at his firm." Nathan said when he saw whom she was watching. "He passed his 'Bar' which doesn't surprise me." "What kind of law does Joseph practice?" Louise asked realizing that she did not know much about Nathan's family. "Mostly corporate law but he also has a small firm that practices criminal law as well as pro bono work. Uncle Patrick as you know is a professor at the community college where Kevyn attended. I'm an architect but I also teach from time to time, Uncle Ethan owns a conglomerate of companies that deals with anything from computer software to you name it as well as several research companies, Katrina his mate is a social worker and as I said, very instrumental in the changes that have occurred in our world . My father is an architect, my mother a private teacher and the twins and their mates are all physicians." "Wow, smart people." Louise mused. "Which reminds me." Nathan said. "You wanted to go to cooking school, is that still a dream?" "Yes. I have a stack of brochures that I haven't looked at yet." Louise replied. "Are any of them in Europe?" Nathan asked "No, they're all here. I was thinking about the community college one. Why?" "I'm sure that it's a good program but why don't we go to France? After that we can go to Italy, England or anywhere else that we want to go to." Nathan said. "France?" Louise asked. "There's a cooking school there that's reputed to be one of the best and they have room for two." Nathan said. "Think about it. I reserved the spots just in case you said yes." "Nathan!" Ethan said from behind them. "Mind if we join you for a moment?" "Of course not, please have a seat." Nathan replied standing up to greet his uncle and aunt. Louise and Katrina looked at each other and smiled shyly at each other. "We never got the chance to thank you for helping us." Ethan said speaking for both him and Katrina. "You're welcome, I didn't do much." Louise replied. "Yes you did." Katrina replied. "You helped save our daughter, someone that you didn't know and we'll always be grateful for that." Louise blushed not knowing how to respond. "How's the house coming along?" Ethan asked changing the subject when he saw Louise's discomfort. "Great, it should be done in another week." Nathan replied. "We've already been shopping for the paint and carpet." "I think that the shopping is the worst of it." Katrina said softly. "Me too." Louise replied, "But Nathan can be very entertaining." "That must be a Sinclaire male trait." Katrina replied laughing getting over her initial shyness. "I hear that you like to play scrabble." Soon the women were chatting easily and exchanging cell phone numbers. Ethan and Nathan looked at each other and nodded. It had been Nathan's idea to get the two women together. He wanted Louise to have someone to talk to in case she had questions or concerns about the family that she needed a woman's perspective on. He knew that his mother had made herself available as well but he felt that Katrina was a better fit. Nathan looked around to see if he could see Joseph and saw him getting ready to leave. "Sweetheart, I need to talk with Joseph for a minute, I'll be back." Nathan said and kissed her on the temple before hurrying off. ******* "Joseph!" Nathan called just as Joseph reached the gate leading to the front of the house. Joseph stopped, turned around and waited for Nathan to catch up with him. "Leaving already?" Nathan asked. "You know me and weddings." Joseph replied. "Yes, I know... so when does Winston start?" "Monday. He'll work with me but he wants to do criminal law as well." Joseph said. "Does that surprise you?" Nathan asked. "Not in the least." Joseph replied. "He's brilliant and I'm lucky to have him. By the way, congratulations on your mating." "Thanks... Joseph, why don't we go out one night and shoot some pool or something? It's been far too long." "Yes, it has." Joseph agreed. "How about tomorrow? I think that Louise and Kevyn have plans to cook and bake all day. They're under the impression that they can keep ahead of us." Nathan said. "I gather you didn't bother to tell them not to try?" Joseph asked chuckling. "I plead the fifth on that one but what about it? Are you free?" Nathan asked. "I am but Nathan, what's really going on here?" "Nothing, I just want to spend some time with you and make sure that you're alright." Nathan replied. Joseph's blue eyes flashed angrily. "Why does everyone think that I'm not alright?" he demanded. "Mom, dad, Mason Donahue have all approached me and now you! What the fuck?" "Maybe it has something to do with the way that you just reacted." Nathan said. "Joseph, you can deny it until time ends but anyone who knows you knows that there's something going on with you. I want you to know that you can come to me no matter what it is." Joseph started to say something and changed his mind thinking that Nathan wouldn't understand. "I'm sorry that I blew up like that. I'm fine but if anything comes up, I'll call you." "Are we still on for pool tomorrow?" Nathan asked. "Umm sure. What time?" he asked. "How about seven? That way you can have dinner with us and get to know Louise and Kevyn a little better." "Sure." Joseph said and walked away. Nathan watched him leave and knew that Joseph wouldn't make it for dinner. It seemed that Louise wasn't the only one with an angry sibling. Satisfied that he had done all that he could do at the moment, Nathan went back to the table. Louise was still talking with Katrina but Patrick and Kevyn had joined them. Ethan was standing and holding his hand out to Katrina. "We have to go see the twins off. They're leaving for their honeymoon in a few minutes." After they were gone, Kevyn looked at Louise, started to say something about Barb and changed her mind. Instead, she brought up their ceremony. "Any thoughts as to when?" "No but we need to call home and find out when people are available to come out." Louise replied. "It's too late tonight, we can do that tomorrow." Kevyn said. "All of them should be at home. Where do we want them to stay?" "I think that we should have them stay at the hotel." Patrick said. "It was easy having one person who didn't know who we were in the house but several? The chances that someone will ask about our nocturnal lifestyle is too great as well as the chances of someone finding something. We'll also have to erase memories like we did with Barb." "I agree." Louise said thinking of their nieces and nephew, Wanda in particular. "I'll call Hans when we have a date." Patrick said. "Is the ceremony going to be just the four of us or are we inviting certain family members?" he asked. "Where would the cutoff be?" Kevyn asked. "I don't see how we could invite some and not others." "I agree." Louise said. "Do we need a witness or something?" "Not unless you want one." Nathan replied. "We're already married and this is something for you and Kevyn." "So it could be just us and a minister?" Kevyn asked. "If you wish." Patrick said. "And just like human marriages, rings are optional. I can't speak for Nathan and Lou but I would like for us to wear rings but we can talk about that later." he added. "Ok, where are we going to do this?" Kevyn asked. "Our house." Louise said before anyone else spoke. "The new one... I mean if that's alright with everyone." "I agree.' Nathan said pleased that Louise had referred to the house as "ours". "We can have the reception there if you want" "How about our place this time?" Kevyn said. "The last party was at your house and our house is closer to the hotel." The conversation was interrupted by an announcement made by Ethan with Katrina at his side. "The twins and their mates are about to depart for their honeymoon. If any of you wish to see them off, be at the front of the house in ten minutes. All of us would like to thank you for attending this happy occasion and you are welcome to stay until just before dawn. If you need transportation home, see any of the security guards. Thank you." Nathan held his hand out to Louise as Patrick held his out to Kevyn and led her to the front of the house. A few minutes later, the twins came out each of them holding the hand of their mate. They smiled and waved happily as they passed by and stopped in front of Kevyn and Louise. "We came very close to having a send off service instead of a wedding." Vanessa said. "We have you to thank that it was the latter. Thank you both." The twins and then the grooms hugged Kevyn repeating the sentiment before continuing on their way to the waiting car. Louise leaned back in Nathan's arms no longer worried about the public displays of affection. They waited until the car pulled off to decide what they were going to do next. "Why don't you come home with us?" Kevyn asked. "We were going to spend the day cooking anyway and we can call the others while we're at it." "What do you think?" Louise asked Nathan. "Fine by me but I need to call Joseph. He was coming to our place for dinner." Nathan replied. "Great, I'd like to meet my nephew by marriage." Kevyn replied. A few minutes later, their cars were brought to them. "See you in a few minutes." Kevyn said as Patrick helped her into the car. Nathan helped Louise into their car and followed Patrick and Kevyn home. He occasionally glanced over at her amazed at how much she had grown and at how easily she seemed to be adapting to a new way of life. "I am so proud of you and proud to be your mate." he told her as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. Louise didn't know what to say. She gave his hand a squeeze, laid her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. ********* Barb got back to the apartment and changed her clothes. By the time she was changed, she felt a little squeamish. She looked in the tiny medicine cabinet hoping that Kevyn had something for an upset stomach. She found a roll of antacid that hadn't been opened in the back of the cabinet. She opened the roll and chewed two of them before lying on the sofa and falling to sleep without turning the television on. ************** Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Gene Yancy stumbled into the house without turning on the lights. Things had gone downhill for him since Clay died without making that big investment which would have gotten him financially out of the hole. It was a detail that he hadn't thought about when he decided to kill Clay. He had his yearly evaluation before he left work and it hadn't been good. In fact, it had been disastrous. "Gene, you're good at what you do when you do it and when you aren't pissing people off." His office manager told him. "I know that the past few months and especially the past few weeks have been hard for you but I can't keep covering for you. You aren't pulling your weight." "Is it my fault that my investor died?" Gene snapped. "No it isn't but to be honest, had I known that it was Clay Robinson I wouldn't have accepted his money." "What? Do you know how much money he was going to invest?" Gene asked incredulous. "It doesn't matter because I also have to be concerned about the integrity of this office and accepting money from a known drug dealer..." Louise Ch. 11 The meeting had ended in a shouting match with the manager putting Gene on suspension for insubordination. "Get out Gene and you're suspended for thirty days without pay." That caught Gene's attention. "What? Come on! You're suspending me because I disagreed with you?" "I'm suspending you because you've used up all of your chances." The manager replied. "I've talked to you time and time again about being late and your attitude. Even now, when I'm telling you that your job performance isn't up to par instead of asking how to improve, you argue with me. Now get out before I call security." Gene opened his mouth to argue. "Shut the fuck up or you're fired." the manager said not backing down. Gene stormed out of the office, went to his own office and grabbed his coat. He avoided looking at anyone certain that they knew what happened. On the way home, he stopped at 'Harvey's for a beer before going home. If he hadn't run out of money, he would have had more than four beers. Instead of going to his room, the one that had been his mother's, he sat on the couch and tried to figure out what he was going to do for the next month. It didn't occur to him that he could make use of the employee assistance program for help in controlling his temper or for financial assistance. In his mind, he had been wronged. It was time to find another job where he and his talents would be appreciated and put to good use. ******* Leon Yancey stopped at the 'Super Wal-mart' on the way home from work to buy flowers for the gravesite of his parents. He was off on Sunday and decided to go to the gravesite before going home to sleep. When he got up, he would run to 'De Luigi's' for a large cheese steak with hot sauce, hot peppers, cheese and mushrooms with a large order of fries and eat it while he watched the basketball game. When he got to the 'Wal-mart', he picked up two bouquets of flowers and a twelve pack of grape soda. He had given up drugs and alcohol years before and had worked his ass off at the steel factory until he reached the position of night shift supervisor. The people working under him found him to be fair and knew that he didn't ask anyone to do anything that he wouldn't do himself. If he found someone struggling with their duties, instead of berating them and adding to the problem, he helped them until they caught up. His small office walls were filled with plaques and awards that he had gotten over the few years that he had worked there. He had never married and didn't have the desire. It was a woman that had started him on the path to near destruction. He didn't blame her exactly. All he had to do was walk away from her but he couldn't. It started with a little weed and then progressed from there. Waking up naked and bleeding in an unfamiliar place had been his wake up call. He dumped the woman, checked into a rehab place and never looked back. As he drove home from the 'Wal-mart' to the cemetery, he thought about Louise and felt a pang of guilt. They should have helped her more... "I should have helped her more." he murmured accepting the responsibility for his perceived lack of action. It was early yet so he pulled into a 'Denny's', got out of the car and went in. He grabbed a paper and perused it while he waited to for a table. "Lee?" a familiar voice from the distant past called. He looked up to see Janet Duncan, the woman who had been a part of his near destruction. "Janet?" He asked shocked. He barely recognized her. She looked older than her years. "You're looking good." she said as she moved closer. "Thanks... I managed to get clean..." "Good for you... you got any money for an old friend?" she asked laying a too thin hand on his arm. "Umm no but I'll be glad to buy you breakfast." he replied. "Thanks but I need the money." Janet replied. "I'll give you something in return." "I....." "Hey you!" the manager on duty called. "Come get your coffee and get out." Leon looked at her and then at the manager. "Can you add a sandwich and a juice to that order? I'll pay for it." "Keep your damned charity!" Janet snarled as she took the cup of coffee and unsteadily walked out of the restaurant. Leon watched her leave and felt a mixture of sorrow and relief as he realized that had he not changed, that it could have been him begging for money for the next fix. That thought triggered a memory. When he got out of rehab, he had nowhere to go. Kevyn was already in California, Gene was married but was having problems, Barb knew that he needed help but hadn't offered to help him and Juliette was having her own issues. Victor Yancy was still alive then and was very disappointed in him. However, Louise had stepped up for him. "We have the space so why can't he stay here with us?" She asked. "He can help with the yard and things like that." Finally, Victor agreed but gave a stern warning. "Alright but I swear, if I smell alcohol on you or you come through that door high, you're out. Do you understand? "I understand and dad? Thank you!" After they were alone, Leon hugged Louise and thanked her. "You won't be sorry." he told her. "I know and you know what?" she said, "it's going to be alright, I can feel it." And it was. The question that he asked himself was, "why didn't I step up and help her more than I did?" That one question would keep him from sleeping the way that he wanted and needed to. ******* Juliette checked her bank account to see if she had enough to cover the expense of shipping Barb's clothes and other personal items. "The account ending in 0077 has an available balance of two-hundred dollars and twenty-one cents..." Juliette hung up and sighed. There was no possible way that she could afford to send Barb her things and buy Wanda what she needed for her next science project. Her only option was for Barb to pay for it herself. She refused to deny her children something that they needed in order to help her sister. Juliette glanced at the clock. "It's four am here which makes it one am there." she murmured to herself. She wasn't sure of when Barb got up and decided to call her around three pm Pittsburgh time. She could almost hear the conversation. "What do you mean you can't pay for it? When does Wannie need her stuff? Just pay for it and you'll have your money back in a few days." In the past, Juliet did whatever Barb wanted; it was easier that way and it hadn't interfered with anything that the kids needed as it did now. Barb, she decided was just going to have to get over it and pay for the shipping herself if she wanted her things. Juliet wondered how things were in California. She knew that Barb had been angry and then jealous when Kevyn took Louise back with her and all of them noticed how she had drooled over Kevyn's man. Juliette shook her head at the memory but was honest with herself. If a rich man came along and promised to take care of her and the kids, she would jump on it but she wouldn't sell her soul for it. She set her alarm and made a last check around the house to make sure that the windows and doors were locked. The kids father Angel Mendoza was picking them up at nine to take them to spend the day at his house with his wife and her son. She and Angel hadn't gotten along as a couple but they made good friends because of the kids and besides, his wife Anna was good to them. He loved them and she knew that if she were to ask him for the money for Wanda, he would give it no questions asked. But she wasn't going to ask. She wasn't going to ask for money just to help Barb. Satisfied that the apartment was secure, Juliet went to bed thinking about Kevyn and Louise. "Kevyn, you're one lucky ducky." she murmured as she fell asleep. ******* Louise wiggled around in the seat. The heat was back worse than it had been before. Her clothes felt tight and the panty hose made her legs itch. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She unbuckled her seatbelt, kicked her shoes off and ripped the pantyhose off. The relief that she felt was minimal, removing the pantyhose did nothing to ease the burning in her stomach and the rest of her body. Nathan gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and murmured something. Immediately her body cooled and the itching went away. "You have got to teach me how to do that." Louise said sighing with relief. "I will but it's only a temporary fix. It'll be better in a day or two I promise." Nathan replied. "Thank god!" Louise said. "Are we almost to Patrick's house?" she asked. "Yes but we'll go in through the back unless you need to see Kevyn for something." Nathan replied. "No, I'm good. I just want to get out of these clothes and into my tee shirt." Louise said beginning to squirm again. Nathan inwardly groaned. He hated anything that kept his skin separated from hers. When they got to their suite, he would bring up the offending item. Five minutes later, he was parking the car in the garage located in the back of the house. "How are your feet?" he asked before he got out. "Much better since I took my shoes off." Louise replied and then added, "I can walk so don't even think about carrying me." Nathan chuckled as he got out of the car. "Thank you" he murmured to whatever fate or god who happened to be listening. A few minutes later, they were in their suite and Louise was undressing. Nathan sat on the bed and watched her as she undressed and carefully hung her dress. When she was about to take her slip off, he stopped her. "Sweetheart, wait." Louise stopped and turned to look at him. "Come here." he said. By the time she reached him, he was naked and his cock was pulsing. He pulled her so that she was standing between his legs and ran his hands up her thighs massaging them with the soft silkiness of her slip. His hands moved to her ass gently kneading the cheeks as he pulled her even closer. "Nathan?" Louise breathed. He stood up, took the slip by its hem and slowly pulled it up and over her head leaving her only in her bra and panties. He reached behind her, undid the clasp that held her hair in a simple bun and pushed her back so that he could look at her. "Beautiful." he said as he looked at her starting at her head, his gaze lingering on her breast, soft stomach and between her legs. He lowered his shields and let her see herself as he saw her. Tears stung Louise's eyes at what she saw. While she had never considered herself ugly, she never thought of herself as beautiful. However, that was how Nathan saw her. "That's really how you see me?" she whispered a little of the old insecurity showing. "That is how I saw you the very first time I laid eyes on you and it is how I will always see you." he replied as he stepped closer to her and touched her face. "You're crying. Why?" he asked as he wiped a tear away and tasted it. "I... no one outside of Kevyn and Leon has ever taken the time to see me... that didn't sound right." she muttered. "I've never seen myself the way that you do and it feels good. I also realized that for the first time in a long time that I'm happy. I also wish that my parents were still alive, they would have loved you and I wish ..." Nathan held her as she cried. She was missing her parents. "I would have loved them too." he said. "But Lou, I believe that they've been watching and they are as proud of you as I am." They stood there with their arms around each other for several minutes. "Lou, do you want to go back to visit the gravesites?" Nathan asked. "It's all the way in Pennsylvania." "That doesn't matter." Nathan replied, "But you do and if you want or need to go back to Pittsburgh then we'll do it." Louise hesitated before replying. "I'll think about it." A second later, Louise was as naked as Nathan was. He cupped her large breasts in his hands and stroked the nipples until they were hardened peaks. He stepped backwards still holding on to her breasts and flicking at the nipples with his thumbs. Warmth filled Louise as moisture gathered between her legs accompanied by a dull ache. Nathan's nostrils flared as the scent of her arousal hit him. He was torn, he wanted to be inside of her but he wanted to taste her too. In the end, the desire to taste won out. He laid her on her back and parted her legs. He kissed and then licked the inside of each thigh before reaching his goal. He licked the clear fluid that ran from her savoring it as if it was the most precious liquid on earth. His cock throbbed painfully but he ignored her. She and her pleasure would always come before his. He could hear her whimpering and knew that she was going to come even though he had yet to touch her clit. He was thrilled by the knowledge that he affected her so strongly. He slipped two fingers inside of her and began to slide them in and out while he watched her clit fill with blood and harden. He fought the temptation to take it into his mouth. He wanted to watch it spasm and throb as she came. He took a quick peek at Louise and almost came when he saw her pulling on her nipples. Even when they had made love almost non-stop after the turning, she hadn't touched herself. His gaze went back and forth from her face to her breast and then to her clit. He was watching her face when the orgasm began. Quickly his eyes snapped to her clit, which was protruding from beneath its hood and pulsing wildly. The moan had become a low scream as the pulsing of her clit increased. Unable to help himself, Nathan took the hardened bud into his mouth and grazed his teeth across it careful not to cause her pain. "Nathan!" Louise screamed as she bucked and ground against his face. The calling of his name was his undoing. Even as he suckled her and pumped his fingers in and out of her, he came. The friction of the comforter increased his pleasure as he writhed against it his semen adding lubrication. He didn't want to move his mouth from her clit so he screamed for her telepathically. When her orgasm ended, he was still hard. Without missing a beat, he got to his knees, lifted Louise's shaking legs and slid in clear up to his balls and then he stopped to catch his breath. The thought that this lovemaking session was every bit as intense as the twenty-four hour lovemaking session had been crossed his mind but disappeared when Louise began to move beneath him. He lasted longer only because of the previous orgasm but the one that was coming promised to be every bit as intense. Louise reached for him wanting and needing to be held as they came. Taking her hands, Nathan pulled her up to him, pressed his lips against her neck and bit just hard enough that there was a thin trickle of blood. Louise screamed his name again, let her fangs descend and bit him on the shoulder. The bite was considerably harder than the one Nathan had given her but he didn't seem to mind. If anything, she felt him swell inside of her and when she fastened her lips around the bite and sucked, he came with a roar that she was sure Kevyn and Patrick must have heard on the other side of the house As Nathan eased Louise back onto the bed, he again wondered about the intensity of the orgasms. They wouldn't be the first or last couple to conceive so soon after mating. He would just have too wait and see but in the meantime, he wouldn't say anything to Louise who was snuggling against him already half asleep. ******** "There you are!" Kevyn said when Louise finally made it to the kitchen. "I've already started but to be honest with you I think that this is a lost cause." "Why is that?" Louise asked. "Well, I made two of those breakfast casserole things and Patrick already ate half of one." Kevyn replied. "The other half is in the oven for you and Nathan." "He'll like that." Louise replied sitting down. "So what are we doing? Are we going to try to cook ahead or not?" "I'm game if you are." Kevyn replied. "And we have to make dinner anyway, Joseph is coming." she added. "What about something like chicken?" Louise asked. "I don't think that my stomach can handle any more rich foods." "How about that corn flake chicken you make?" Kevyn asked. "That's easy enough." Louise said. "We can make macaroni and cheese and a veggie. The question is do we have what we need?" "Good question, but the chicken will be frozen even if we did." Louise looked at the clock. "It's only one but we have a couple of options. We can thaw it out and let them eat the casserole as a snack or we could have the grocery store deliver it. The delivery would be the fastest and the easiest way to go." "Agreed." Kevyn said. "Lets make a list and we can place the order online. After that we can start making phone calls." Twenty minutes later the order was in. "According to this it should be here by four." Kevyn said. "So who do you want to call first?" ********************** Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Gene was sprawled out on the bed still fully clothed except for his shoes when he woke up. His mouth felt and tasted like dirty socks. His head pounded and he wondered what he had been thinking in getting buzzed as he had and thanked god that he hadn't gotten into any fights and that he had run out of cash. He reached for the bottle of water that he kept by the bed, guzzled it down and got out of bed fighting nausea. He stripped while he was in the bathroom, turned on the cold water of the shower and stepped in. "Son of a bitch!" he cursed when the cold water hit his body. After a few minutes, he gradually adjusted the temperature of the water until it was comfortably warm. By the time he got out, he felt good enough that he thought that he could eat something without throwing up. He threw on a pair of lounge pants and a tee shirt and made his way to the kitchen. He was going to settle for a bowl of cereal but he was out of milk which left eggs and toast as his only viable option. As he cooked, he cursed himself for not being able to keep his mouth shut. He couldn't afford a month's suspension and would have to use all of his vacation time if he wanted any extra money to live on. Breakfast made, he turned on the television and wondered what Leon was doing. There was a basketball game on that he wanted to see but he had cut all but the basic cable off. After breakfast, he got dressed to go buy the Sunday paper. There had to be other firms that were hiring. Before he left he called Leon. "What's doing?" he asked. "Not much." Leon replied. "I went to the grave sites this morning on my way home. Why?" "Are you going to watch that game today?" "Yep... you want to come over? I was going to get a cheese steak from 'De Luigi's', I can make it two." "That would be great; I can pay you when I get there." Gene replied. "Nah, my treat... see you in an hour... And Gene? You know that I don't drink anymore right?" "I know... I'll bring some soda or something." Gene replied. He grabbed his car keys and left the house. The phone rang just after he left. ********** Juliette steeled herself for the conversation with Barb. The kids were already gone a fact for which she was grateful. She didn't like them to hear that she was having problems with money. She especially tried to keep any money issues away from Wanda. At eight years old, she always felt guilty whenever she asked for anything. On the occasions when money was tight and Juliette didn't even go out, an extra one-hundred dollars or more would come from Angel and always with a note. "Julie, This is for whatever the kids need. If you need more, please ask. They are my children too and I want to help in any way that I can. Angel." It was times like that when Juliet wondered why they couldn't make it work. Angel was a good man and father. He never cheated on her and never abused them in any way but they couldn't make it work. Part of the problem was that they were young when they had Wanda. He was nineteen and she was barely sixteen but they loved each other. The next year Victor was born and after that Celeste. Louise Ch. 11 Angel had been there for each of their births crying each time as he cut the umbilical cord. He had worked his ass off to provide for them while attending school for computer programming and not once did he complain. He had wanted so much for them including school for her. "Baby when I'm done, you can go to school. You can be a nurse, hell a surgeon if you want but we need to get your GED first." She hadn't believed him although she didn't know why. She was smart but that wasn't the problem. She just didn't want to do it. She liked being a stay at home mom so that she could talk to her friends and take care of the kids. She only got her GED because Angel wouldn't shut up about it. "Baby come on! You have to do this so that we can help the babies with school!" he pleaded. At the age of nineteen, Juliette got her GED and then Angel started pushing her to take classes at the community college. He couldn't understand her resistance but he tried. "What if something happens to me?" he asked her during yet another argument about school. "Who's going to make sure that our babies are cared for? Welfare? Julie, I love you and our babies and I want to see the world with you but I can't do it alone! You have got to help me." His pleas fell on deaf ears until one day he came home and sat on the sofa. In so many ways, Angel reminded her of her father in the way that he always spent time with each child listening as they talked about their day no matter how tired he was or how bad his day had been. "That's a beautiful picture!" he said to Wanda. "May I keep it?" Juliette stopped what she was doing. Something in his voice caught her attention. "It's for you silly!" Wanda replied as she threw her arms around Angel and hugged Angel held her tightly and twirled a long braid in his hands. "I love you mija never forget that." Juliette's alarm grew as he said the same thing to each child before he sent it out to play. "Julie, sit down, we have to talk." Juliette closed her eyes at the memory. After all of this time she finally understood why they didn't work. It was all her. Angel had grown rapidly and she had refused to grow with him. She also realized that she compared every man that she went out with to Angel. "Idiot!" she said as she brushed away a tear. She was about to pick up the phone to call Barb when it rang. "Hello... Kev? How are you guys? I asked Barb about you but you know how she is. The kids are fine; they're at Angel's house. So what's new? What? Our Louise is getting married? Who's the lucky guy? Nathan... ok does Nathan have a last name? Si....Sinclaire? Nephew? Is she there? I want to talk to her!" Kevyn handed the phone to Louise and moved away. "Lou? Oh my god! You're really getting married? When? Oh... I see but there's going to be a reception? Do you know when? I don't care if I have the time or not, I'm coming! Have you talked to Gene or Leon? If I had to guess I would say that Gene's over at Leon's... there's some game on today. What does Barb have to say? I'm sure... While I have you on the phone, I want to tell you something. "I'm sorry that I didn't help you with mom and that I tried to pressure you into taking her home. Kevyn was right; it would have been too much. I also wanted to thank you for doing it without complaint and for watching the kids for me." Louise listened to the apology and felt the sincerity of it. "Juliette, it's over and done with. It's time to move forward. We'll let you know when the reception is.... Of course the kids can come! Ok, do you need to talk to Kevyn? Ok, here she is." Louise smiled when she heard Juliette's excited chatter. One relationship healed three more to go. She thought to herself. ******* Gene looked around Leon's well-kept apartment with a tinge of jealousy. He had the latest model big screen television set as well as surround sound and all of the cable channels. On more than one occasion, he thought about asking Leon if he could move in with him and split the expenses. It would save both of them money but then, Leon didn't need his money. He had a nice little nest egg where most of his money went after expenses. The television, surround sound and lap top were bought with income tax money and what wasn't spent was added to his nest egg. As far as Gene knew, the only ones that Leon helped financially was Louise and on rare occasions Juliette. He had never offered to help him or Barb figuring that since they were single they were doing as well as he was. In Barb's case, it was a correct assumption although she always bitched and moaned about not being able to afford things. In his case, it couldn't have been further from the truth. When Dana left him, she took almost everything except the clothes on his back. For all practical purposes, he had had to start over and hadn't made it past square one. He had pinned all of his hopes on Clay Robinson, which would have been a bust no matter how he looked at it. "You ready for the game?" Leon asked. "Yeah... umm Leon, I might need to borrow some money from you." "What for?" "I.... I got suspended for thirty days without pay and once I pay the house note and other bills, I'm tapped." "How much?" Leon asked. "Six hundred?" Gene asked. He hadn't planned on asking Leon for money but seeing the apartment and knowing what Leon had in his retirement account.... "Six hundred? I can give you two-hundred. Does that help?" "Yes... thanks." Gene said flabbergasted. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to hit Leon up again. "No problem, I'll bring it by tomorrow." Gene watched Leon and realized that out of all of them, he was the one who was the most like Louise. Gene had watched Leon pull himself out of near destruction to become a good, solid successful man and wondered why he couldn't do the same thing. He realized that it wasn't because he couldn't... he just wanted things the easy way like Clay Robinson's money to get him to where he wanted to be. An uncomfortable thought hit him, just as Leon was similar to Louise; he wasn't very different from Barb. She wanted the same things that he did but didn't want to work for them. Leon turned on the television and threw the remote to Gene. "Find the game while I go get some plates and napkins. Any preference on soda?" "Whatever you've got is fine." Gene replied as he began to flip through the channels. Leon's telephone rang, the number showing on the television screen. "Answer that will you?" Leon called in. Gene felt a stab of jealousy that Leon didn't have to avoid answering the phone because it might be a bill collector. "Hello... Kevyn? Hey how are you?" he said with false enthusiasm. "Yeah me and Leon are going to watch the game. Wait... I think that he has speaker phone." "Who is it?" Leon asked when he came into the room. "Kev and Lou. They have some kind of news for us." Gene replied. A few seconds later, they were on speakerphone. "We were going to skype you but you were off line." Kevyn said. "No problem, how are things in sunny California?" Leon asked genuinely pleased to be talking to his sisters. "Nice and warm." Kevyn replied. "Let me tell you why I'm calling, Lou and I are getting married and we want you to come to the reception." "Lou's getting married?" Leon asked. "To who and have you met him?" "I have and he's really good to her." Kevyn replied. "She's here; I'll let her tell you." There was the sound of movement and the click of the speakerphone coming on. "Hi guys." Louise said. "Lou? How are you doing?" Leon asked. "I'm good... how's the steel mill?" "The same but I want to hear about this man. Who is he and how did you meet him?" Gene sat back and watched as Leon asked the questions that he should have been asking. "His name is Nathan Sinclaire and he's Patrick's nephew." Louise said. "Does Nathan have job or does he live off of Uncle Patrick?" Gene asked. Louise hesitated at the underlying sarcasm and jealousy that she heard in his voice even though he tried to hide it. "He has a job." she replied her tone cool. "So Lou, you're happy right? He's good to you?" Leon asked as he shot Gene a "What the hell?" look. "Yes to both questions, do you think that you can come?" "Just say when and I'm there." Leon said. "But give me a heads up so that I can start looking at airfares." "Don't worry about that." Kevyn said. "We'll get you here." Gene sat seething. Two of his sisters were marrying into money while he was barely scraping by. He barely heard the end of the conversation coming out of his thoughts enough to say good-bye. As soon as they hung up, Leon turned to Gene. "What in the hell was that?" "What was what?" Gene asked. "That shit that you just pulled is what." Leon said. "You didn't even congratulate her! I could hear the jealousy in your voice. What is it with you and Barb?" he asked and turned away effectively ending the conversation. ******* The last phone call was to Barb who reacted as they thought she would but she didn't say that she wasn't going to attend. "Where are you putting people up?" she asked ready to complain if they said at one of the houses. "At the same hotel that you stayed at." Kevyn said. "We're looking at having the reception in two weeks. That gives people enough time to rearrange their work schedules." "Whatever. Just let me know the place and time." Barb said. "It's going to be here and at seven in the evening." Kevyn replied. "Am I allowed to bring a date?" "Sure if you want." Kevyn replied not anticipating the question. Kevyn hung up and looked at Louise. "That went better than I thought it would. I told Barb two weeks, is that good?" "Fine by me but you might want to call Juliette and the guys back." Louise said. "And while you're doing that I'll start getting the supplies together for dinner." "Alright." Kevyn said a few minutes later, "There's no problem on their end. I told them to be at the airport by nine pm." "What about the hotel?" Louise asked. "I'd better call him too, are you alright with finding things?" Kevyn asked. "I'm good and the groceries should be here soon too. Do you have any money for a tip?" "There's petty cash in that drawer by the spices.... Hello Hans?" ********* Hans waited on the guest at the desk with pure professionalism even though the woman tried to get his attention by leaning farther then necessary to sign the papers. When he handed her the keycard, she made a point of brushing her hand across his. "Will that be all Madame?" Hans asked. "You know, you have the most remarkable gray eyes... I'm sure that you've been told that." the woman said. "Thank you, was there anything else?" "You wife must have to fight the women off. I mean just look at you, tall, gray eyes and blonde... a nice combo." Tiring of the woman, Hans pushed a button underneath the counter and waited. "Yes sir?" A young man who seemed to come from nowhere asked. "Ollie, this is Mrs. Rickman. Please help her to her suite." "Yes sir." Ollie replied hoping that this guest wasn't anything like Barb Yancy Simpson. Hans shook his head as he watched Ollie and the woman walk away. "Humans." he muttered under his breath. He was going over the availability for the coming weekend when the phone rang. "JS hotel, this is Hans, how may I be of assistance?" "Hans, this is Kevyn Sinclaire." "Ah Mrs. Sinclaire! How are you?" "I'm fine and call me Kevyn for god's sake. We were almost family." The offer of familiarity threw Hans but he recovered. "As you wish, what can I do for you?" As Kevyn told him what she wanted, Hans looked over the diagram of the hotel. "How many rooms did you say?" he asked. "Four and they can all be suites. Juliette my sister has three children so she'll need one of the bigger suites." Kevyn said. Another sister Hans thought and hoped that she wasn't anything like the one who had just left and she had children to boot. "How long will they be staying?" "Let's say a week and they can order whatever they want to eat plus have full privileges." "Very good, is there anything else?" "I can't think of anything except this, Juliette is a lot nicer than Barb and her kids are well behaved." Kevyn said. "Fine, if you need anything else, use my private number day or night." "Thank you Hans, we'll be in touch." "Somebody order groceries?" Nathan said as he came into the kitchen carrying several bags with Patrick following with more. "We did and it's for dinner tonight." Kevyn replied kissing Patrick's cheek. "If you're hungry you can eat the rest of the casserole." she added. Louise blushed only a little when Nathan kissed her but she kissed him back. "What's for dinner and how can we help?" he asked as he began to unpack the grocery sacks. "Corn flake baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, green beans and rolls." Louise replied. "And ice cream for dessert. Nathan, can you get out the biggest bowl that they have and several of the largest baking pans? Patrick, could you fill the largest pot you have with water, add some salt and turn the burner on high when the water boils, add the macaroni. Kev, pour the cornflakes into the bowl, melt some butter and mix in whatever seasonings you want." Louise stopped talking when she realized that they were staring at her. "Wow." Patrick murmured impressed. "I'm sorry..." Louise started to say. "Don't be." Patrick said, "If you run the kitchen at your restaurant like this you'll be packed." "Sweetheart he's right." Nathan said agreeing with Patrick. "Yeah but you're my family not my employees." she replied embarrassed. "True but if you're comfortable in delegating to us then you'll be fine with other people." Nathan said kissing her temple. "So, you need baking pans and a large bowl, what else?" Kevyn stood back and watched Louise and Nathan for several seconds before she set about her task. They were better than good together. They were perfect. ******* "Are you sure that he said he was coming?" Louise asked when seven-thirty came and went. "He said he was." Nathan replied, "But then I really didn't think that he would. Something is really bothering him and he won't talk to anyone about it." "Well, why don't we eat?" Kevyn said. "If he shows up we'll feed him." Louise looked over at Nathan. She would have been able to tell that he was worried without her ability. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze that he returned. The dinner talk veered away from Joseph to the plans for the ceremony. "The question is do we want to do it ahead of time or on the evening before the reception?" Patrick asked. "I would say that if we're going to have it at Lou and Nathan's we should do it before hand since the reception is going to be at our house. We need to be there to make sure everything is ready." "Not necessarily." Patrick said. "I'm sure that Katrina and Ethan would take care of that end of it and to simplify things, let's have it catered. That way there's no set up or clean up on our part and no one needs to worry about bringing food." "Then we could do it on the same day. Lou what do you think?" Kevyn asked. "I think that will work but if we're going to use a caterer, we'd better be calling but Kev, I know that we said that we wanted this to be just us but I think that the others should be there. I mean we were together at mom and dad's funerals, shouldn't we be together for this?" Kevyn blew out a breath. That meant inviting Barb. "I know what you're thinking." Louise said, "But I think that she'll behave as much as she's capable of behaving. What do you think?" "I agree." Patrick said surprising Kevyn. "If the only issue is Barb, she's manageable and if she isn't I'll compel her ass to go sit in a corner somewhere." "Ok." Kevyn said, "I'm good with it." Nathan was the only one who hadn't voiced an opinion. He was watching Louise and debating about Joseph. "If we're inviting siblings, then you should invite Joseph." Louise said, "And your parents." she added to everyone's surprise. "If our parents were alive we'd want them here wouldn't we?" Their ceremony which had started with five people including the minister had just increased to eleven people, fourteen counting Juliette's children. "Sweetheart are you alright with this?" Nathan asked. "I'm fine." She replied with a smile although she was already nervous. "Do you think that the people who catered the wedding are available?" she asked changing the subject. "One way to find out." Patrick said as he took out his phone. "They're not available but they gave me the name of another service that they swear by... do you want me to call?" Several minutes later, Patrick was off the phone. "Well?" Kevyn asked. "They sound good and they were wondering if we wanted to set up a time to sample their food." he replied. "When were they thinking of doing this?" Louise asked. "Tomorrow night." Patrick replied. "Sounds like a plan if you guys aren't busy." Nathan said as he stood up and began to gather the dirty dishes. "Why don't you and Kev relax? We've got this." Kevyn and Louise went and sat on the patio neither of them speaking for several minutes. "Who would have thought that this was possible?" Louise asked as she rocked in the rocker. "Do you remember when we used to tell scary stories about ghosts and vampires?" "I sure do but I didn't think that they existed." Kevyn replied laughing. "Goes to show how much I knew." she added. "Lou? Are you really okay with being a vampire?" Louise thought about her answer. "I did the right thing for me and Nathan so yes, I'm fine with it. The only thing that I think I'm going to miss is going out during the day with you. Was it hard? Finding out about Patrick I mean?" "You have no idea." Kevyn replied. "First there was Lonnie and I swore never again... something else I was wrong about. The vampire thing didn't faze me, the fact that I had fallen for a rapist did. I was running away from Patrick when I came to Pittsburgh, which turned out to be a good thing. But the important thing is that I'm not fine with what they did, but I'm fine with Patrick." "The vampire thing didn't faze me either." Louise said. "The family history surprised me and maybe if Nathan had been a rapist I would have reacted differently but at any rate, I'm glad that you're ok." Nathan and Patrick listened to the soft murmurings of the sisters and smiled at each other. "Damn we got lucky." Patrick said thinking about Barb. "Yes, we did." Nathan replied. "Do you still have the name of the man who does genealogy?" "His name is Jackson Parker and I've already spoken to him. He wants us to gather as much information as we can but in the meantime he'll find out as much as he can with what I told him." Patrick replied. "So you think there's something there too. Any ideas?" Nathan asked. "I'm not even going to venture a guess." Patrick replied. "What about you?" "I'm with you but do you think that it means anything that Lou is the first female mate to turn in over three-hundred years?" "Again, I'm not going to try to guess." Patrick replied but I will say this, I won't be surprised if there is someone very powerful in their line. Whether any of the others are gifted remains to be seen." "Barb is gifted." Nathan said. "How do you know?" Patrick asked. "It seems that I had emphatic tendencies before Louise and being with her has enhanced them." Nathan said. "What I'm saying is that I felt it the night that we were at the club. She is very intuitive but ignores it. She isn't anywhere near as strong as Lou and Kevyn nor will she ever be. I think that it's the same with the others and I wouldn't be surprised if one or more of them are ungifted." Louise Ch. 11 "I'm anxious to see what Jackson finds out." Patrick said as he opened the door to the patio. ******** Kevyn had just finished the third round of calls for the night when Patrick and Nathan came out. "I told them to be at the airport by nine two weeks from this Thursday and I told Juliette that we would take her and the kids shopping on Friday night. I hope that's ok." "That's fine." Patrick said as he pulled her out of the chair, sat down and pulled her back into his lap. "I suppose Barb is a part of the shopping expedition?" "Yes, we really can't exclude her and besides she'd want to see Juliette and the kids." Kevyn replied. "What are the chances that you and Nathan can take my brothers around?" "And leave you unprotected? Not a chance." Nathan said before Patrick could say anything. "And I'm not about to give someone else the responsibility." "Well then," Kevyn said not bothering to ask Patrick. She already knew what he would say. "I guess we're all going shopping. But I think that Lou and I need to go before that so that we can find our dresses." Lou grimaced. "I have two stipulations." she said. "No pantyhose and no heels." "Not a problem." Kevyn replied. "As a matter of fact, since it's on the beach why wear shoes at all?" "We wouldn't need to wear anything fancy either, just something that looks nice and that we can wear to the reception." Louise commented. "So why don't we do this." Nathan said. "Go to the caterers, go shopping for dresses and if there's time look for rings." "Sounds good." Patrick said, "Now what's for dessert?" ******** Barb tossed and turned on the small sofa. She wasn't sure of what she was feeling besides ill. The phone calls about the wedding, seeing her siblings and the shopping should have made her happy, but they didn't. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her siblings; it was just that Juliette was also a competitor. The fact that she had three children wouldn't be a deterrent especially once the man saw how well behaved they were. Barb considered herself more beautiful than Juliette and wondered about the insecurity of having her in California. Juliette, she realized wanted the same things that she did but just hadn't gone after them in the same way. In fact, she wasn't even actively trying to find a rich man. She had the feeling that Juliette would be happy with any man who loved her the way that Angel had and to some degree still did. She also wondered why she was thinking about the things that Louise said. The words came back to her at the oddest times such as when she was ready to sleep. "You're wrong." she muttered. "You're wrong about everything." she said as she closed her eyes. ************************** Two weeks later in Pittsburgh "Wannie come on already!" Juliette called out. "The cab will be here in five minutes!" "Coming!" Wanda called back as she tried to cram her science book into an already over stuffed backpack. Finally, she gave up and decided to carry it. She was so excited about the trip and excited that the teachers at school had given her the assignments for the week but admonished her to have fun too. "Come on Wannie!" Victor said from the doorway. If possible, he was more excited than Wanda was. He loved airplanes of all kinds and wanted to be an Air Force pilot. When he found out that they were going in a private jet, he whooped and danced around the apartment until he fell down exhausted. "I'm coming, stop bugging me!" Wanda replied. The only one not sharing in the excitement was Celeste. Of the three children, she was the most timid and the one overlooked because she hid behind the more dominant personalities of her siblings. She sat on the sofa saying nothing but watching everything. "Are you scared baby?" Juliette asked. "No." Juliette sighed and stroked the girl's head. For a while, both she and Angel were worried that there was something wrong with their youngest. Fortunately, both of them had insurance and they had her tested for everything and anything. "She's fine." they were told time after time. "Just give her time and she'll blossom." For her anxious parents, that couldn't happen soon enough. The sharp beep of a car horn made everyone move in a flurry Celeste included. Fifteen minutes later, they were on their way to the airport. "Victor will you please sit still?" Juliette said smiling. She fully understood his excitement. She could barely sit still herself. "Will Uncle Gene and Uncle Leon be there?" Wanda asked. "They're supposed to be." Juliette replied. ******* Gene looked around the house to make sure that he had unplugged everything except the refrigerator and freezer. His bags sat by the front door. As he scanned the living room, he saw his phone charger lying on the coffee table. "Shit!" he said relieved that he had found it. On top of his suitcase lay a manila folder that contained investment propositions that he planned to show Patrick sometime during the week. Over the past two weeks, he realized that he had handled Patrick all wrong. Instead of seeing him as a threat, he should have seen him as a potential investor but he had been so sure of Clay. Getting the Sinclaire's as investors would be a big feather in his cap and no one could touch him. He could only hope that it wasn't too late to fix the damage that he had caused because of his shortsightedness. He took one last look around, picked up his bag and stepped outside to wait for the cab. ********* Leon looked at his reflection in the mirror and was satisfied with what he saw. Of the three boys, he had been the one who had inherited their father's height that had been just shy of six feet two inches, his looks and his drive. He ran a brush over his closely cropped hair, gave himself a final check and left the bathroom. Like Gene, he checked to make sure that the power was off but didn't unplug anything. The last thing he grabbed before his bags was his laptop. He set the security alarm and went to the manager's office where Barry who was the manager/owner of the apartment building and his friend waited for him. "All set?" Barry asked as he closed out whatever program he had been working on." "Ready and I appreciate the ride." Leon replied. "It's no problem. I wasn't doing anything anyway." "Where are Nancy and the kids?" Leon asked as they walked to the car. "They went to see some animated movie. I'm meeting them for pizza afterwards." he replied. "So some guy finally snatched Lou up huh?" "It appears so." Leon replied. "Lucky man." Barry muttered. "Yeah he is." Leon agreed while giving Barry a curious look. "She's a real sweetheart, if I had been single; I would have gone for her myself." Barry said. "And I would have had to have kicked your ass." Leon said only half joking. Wisely, Barry dropped the subject of him and Louise. "So who's the lucky guy?" he asked. "Nathan Sinclaire." Barry stopped walking. "Who did you just say?" he asked. "Nathan Sinclaire and yes I know who he is." Leon said before Barry could ask. "Holy shit!" Barry exclaimed. "Do you think...." "No I'm not going to give him your phone number." Leon interrupted. "Come on Leon, I've been trying to get to this guy for years! One word from you and it could happen." "Alright, here's what I'll do," Leon said, "and you can take it or leave it. If he asks if I know of anyone who would be worth considering for a project, I'll give him your name and number what happens after that is up to him." "Thanks man! Now let's get you to the airport!" ********* They all arrived at the airport within minutes of each other with Juliette arriving first. Wanda was the first to see a man standing by the entrance of the terminal with a big sign with their name on it in big block letters. "Look mom! Someone's waiting for us!" The man smiled and nodded when he saw Wanda looking at him and approached the cab. "Miss Yancy? My name is Jonas and I'm here to escort you and your family to the jet." "Are you a pilot?" Victor asked. "No I'm not but I know the pilot. Perhaps I can convince him to let you see the cockpit of the jet." Jonas replied. "Mom! Did you hear that?" he asked excitedly. "I heard and what do you say?" Juliette asked. "Oh... sorry... Thank you." Gene arrived next and then Leon. "Are all of you here?" Jonas asked. "Yes." Leon replied. Jonas looked behind him and nodded. A few seconds later, someone came out with a cart for their luggage. "Follow me please." Jonas said and walked away. "Come on baby girl." Leon said to Celeste and picked her up. Celeste wrapped her arms around Leon's neck and hung on tight. A tear ran down her face as she felt a peace that she hadn't felt since Louise left surrounded her. ***************************** "Are the rooms ready?" Kevyn asked Hans during a final check. "They are and I took the liberty of putting another refrigerator in the suite where the children will be staying." "Thanks, I hadn't thought about that." Kevyn said. "No worries." Hans said. "I know how children get hungry for sweets and things like that. I also made sure to remove any alcohol out of all of the rooms as well. One can't be too careful where little ones are concerned." "Jeez Hans you're awesome! Thank you!" Kevyn replied. "Is there anything else that I need to be aware of?" Hans asked. "No, I think that you've covered all of the bases. We'll call you when we leave the airport... oh and the banquet room is ready?" "Yes and with everything that you requested. I'll be awaiting your call." ********* Barb got dressed and waited for the car that Kevyn and Patrick sent for her. She was surprised at the gesture and the offer of a room at the hotel. Instead of accepting the offer, she made snide comments. "What floor is it on this time? What's the food budget? Fifty dollars?" She knew that she shouldn't have said it but she couldn't help herself. She knew that she was pushing her luck when she heard the tone of Kevyn's voice. "Look Barb." Kevyn said. "This is supposed to be a happy time and I don't want your shitty attitude ruining it so you have a choice, stay your ass home or come. But if you come, behave because if you don't I swear to god I'll kick your ass are we clear? Now, are you coming or not?" "I'm coming." Barb said. "Fine and remember what I said." Kevyn said and hung up. That conversation took place almost two weeks ago and she hadn't spoken to Louise or Kevyn until today when she called Louise to talk about the plans for the evening. "Is everything set?" she asked. "It is and I even made bread for everyone. I made the kind with cheese in it and added a little jalapeno pepper in it for you." Louise replied. Barb swallowed hard. Louise was still the sweet, kind sister that she had always been even after everything that she had done. "Thank you, that was sweet of you... did you put my name on it? You know how Leon is about spicy foods." "I sure did." Louise replied laughing. "I even put extra jalapeno in his. Barb..." Barb braced herself for the admonishment to behave. "What?" she asked her defenses already up. "I'm glad that you're coming." "I'll see you later." Barb said and hung up surprised that she hadn't made a smart assed comment. All was well until she got to the hotel. The driver helped her out and got her bags for her. As soon as she stepped through the door, jealousy reared its ugly head. She saw Hans at the desk checking in a guest, walked over and waited her turn. "Mrs. Simpson!" he greeted. "You're the first one here." Instead of greeting him, Barb gave him an irritated look. "So am I in the same little room as before?" "No." Hans replied his tone cool. "All of you will be staying in suites and will have full privileges and use of the spa services." "How nice... what about food?" Barb asked. Hans looked at the beautiful but ugly woman in front of him and once again thanked the fates that she was no longer his. "Everything is arranged." he said. "There is a buffet set up in the banquet room that you may help yourself to. Ollie will take your things to your suite if you like." "Fine." Barb said. "I'll call him..." Hans stopped mid sentence when he heard the voices of children and then the voice of someone admonishing them to be quiet. He swallowed hard as the voices got closer forgetting that Barb was standing in front of him. "Hey! Earth to Hans!" Barb said tersely. However, he wasn't paying attention to her. His eyes were riveted across the lobby where a group of people were approaching the desk. His gray eyes fastened onto one figure in particular who was holding the hand of an exuberant little boy. Barb had stopped speaking and turned to see what had captured Hans' attention. All she saw was her family approaching and didn't understand at first what or who he was looking at. Anger flared when she finally saw who had drawn Hans' attention. Juliette. Louise Ch. 12 Chapter 12 The Flight Everyone with the exception of Gene was openly impressed with the jet. True to his word, their escort to the jet introduced Victor to the pilots who were more than happy to show him the cockpit of the jet. For once, Victor was speechless as he looked at all of the controls longing to touch them. "Come on up here little man!" the pilot named Bruce said with a smile. "You can't see anything from back there!" Victor started to go, and then stopped to look back at Juliette. "Mom?" he asked begging with his eyes. "Just don't touch anything." Juliette said her throat tight. She wiped away a tear as she watched Victor's excitement at being in the cockpit of a real jet. She looked back at Celeste who was still in Leon's arms. Her eyes were glued on the pilots and when Bruce turned to look at her, she smiled. Juliette almost fainted. Celeste rarely smiled and when she did, Louise or Leon were usually somewhere near by. "Aren't you a cutie pie?" Bruce asked and winked at her. Celeste responded by smiling again and hiding her face in Leon's shoulder. Wanda seemed as intrigued by the pilots as Celeste had been. Ben, the co-pilot looked at her and smiled. "Would you like to see too?" Wanda didn't waste anytime in going up to the cockpit. "This is so cool!" she said as she looked at all of the controls wondering what their functions were. "Ok," Bruce announced, "time to get buckled in so we can take off on time." "I'll show you to your seats." a soft female voice said. They turned to face the speaker. "My name is Dee, and I'll be taking care of your needs during the flight. If you will follow me." "Damn!" Leon said, and then whistled as he looked around the cabin of the plane. "You can sit anywhere you like but the seats to the left have DVD players and movies for both children and adults." Dee said. "Once we take off and the seatbelt sign is turned off you may leave your seats to use the restroom which is located in the back inside of the small bedroom to the left. There is also one across the aisle from the bedroom. I will also be offering beverages and sandwiches when the seatbelt light goes off." Dee went through the emergency exit, oxygen and floatation device spiel before asking them to buckle up. "Oh, and please no electronic devices or cell phones for the time being." She smiled at Leon who was taking pictures of the jet and frowned at Gene. Her dislike of him had been instant and strong. As she passed by Juliette who was now holding Celeste in her lap, she stopped and knelt down beside her. "Do you think that you can be a big girl and sit in the seat next to your mommy?" Celeste hesitated, and for the third time that night smiled. "I thought so." Dee said smiling at her. A few minutes later, they were all strapped in and preparing for takeoff. Victor leaned over as far as he could so that he could see as they left the ground. "Mom!" he called out excitedly, "This is awesome!" Juliette could only smile as she tried to ignore her queasy stomach. She hated flying. "Here's an icepack for your neck." Dee said. "You're looking a little green." "Thanks... how long until we land?" Juliet asked. "A few hours." Dee replied. "If you'd like to lie down, I can watch the children." "I couldn't...." "Sure you could" Leon chimed in. "I'm here too. Go on, me and Gene got this." "Ok... but call me if you need anything." Juliette said getting out of her seat as soon as the seat belt light went off. Juliette was waiting for Celeste to start crying, and was surprised when she didn't. She looked back to see Celeste sitting next to Dee looking at a book. ***** Leon got up and sat next to Gene who was looking at the proposals he planned to present to Patrick and Nathan. "They did good didn't they?" he asked. "It's alright." Gene grumbled. "Alright?" Leon asked. "This is fucking awesome!" he exclaimed, and then looked around to see if the kids heard him curse. "What are you working on? I thought you were suspended." he said when he noticed the open folder. "Just some proposals." Gene replied evasively. "Proposals for....you're joking right?" Leon asked. "Please tell me that you aren't using our sisters' wedding to get their husbands to invest with you." "What if I am?" Gene asked defensively. "Who knows when I'll get another chance like this? It could get me out of the hole and a promotion!" "But at their wedding? What the fuck is wrong with you? This isn't a time for business! Now put that shit away and don't bring it up!" "You can't tell me what to do!" Gene hissed. "No? Then let me tell you this, if I even hear a hint about proposals I'll kick your ass." Leon said. "If you were really interested in them as clients, why didn't you call them before this? I think that instead of seeing this as a good time, you're seeing it as dollar signs." "You don't know what you're talking about..." "Look, I know that you've had it rough since Dana left, and god knows it's been hard losing mom and dad but Gene its time to man up and move on. I know that it'll be hard but using your sisters isn't the way to do it...." "I'm not ..." "The hell you aren't! You want what you want without working for it. Why did you get suspended?" Leon asked. "Let me guess, they told you about yourself and you blew up. Am I right?" Gene didn't reply. "So what have you been doing besides trying to find a way to take advantage of our sisters? Have you taken advantage of your company's EPA program?" Leon pressed. "What?" Gene snapped. "Do you think that you know it all because you climbed out of the ashes? Fuck you Leon and leave me the hell alone!" Gene had raised his voice without being aware of it. It wasn't until he felt Dee's cold stare that he realized how loud he had gotten. "Sorry." he muttered and turned away. Leon looked at Gene, shook his head and moved away. ******** Four hours later, they were buckled in for the descent into LAX. Gene kept to himself, but everyone else was beyond excited. The folders containing the proposals were out of sight but not out of mind. As with the takeoff, Victor's face was pressed against the window. This time he was watching as they approached the ground. He yelped with delight when the wheels touched the runway with barely a bump. "I want to learn how to do that!" he exclaimed while his face was still pressed against the window. "We've reached our destination." Dee said with a warm smile. "I will be escorting you to the terminal where someone will be waiting to take you to your hotel. Don't worry if something is left behind, it will be returned to you. Shall we go?" Everyone with the exception of Gene started to disembark. He was still fuming at the confrontation with Leon. Too much of what Leon said had hit home, and Gene suspected that he hadn't said half of what he really wanted to say. He stood up when he realized that the others were waiting for him, and that Dee's icy blue eyes were on him. By the time he reached the front of the plane, the pilots had come out of the cockpit. "I hope that you had an enjoyable flight." Ben said. "It was awesome!" Victor exclaimed. "I'm glad that you enjoyed it." Ben replied. "We've got something for you." he said reaching behind him. He handed Victor a small box. "Go on, open it." he urged. Victor looked at Juliette for permission, and opened the box when she indicated that it was all right. His eyes widened and a smile broke out on his face making his normally deep dimples even deeper. "Mom! Look!" he said as he took a set of wings out of the box. They were the exact replicas of the ones that Bruce and Ben were wearing. "Thank you." he whispered as he held the wings reverently in his hands. "You're welcome. Maybe you'll get a real set someday." Ben replied. As Juliette passed the pilots, she stopped. "Thank you for making him happy, he'll never forget this." "You're very welcome." Bruce replied answering for himself and Ben. Wanda was next in thanking the pilots, and then Leon with Celeste. "Cool ride." Leon said and extended his hand to each pilot. "No problem." Bruce replied and then turned his attention to Celeste. "Be good cutie pie." "Bye." Celeste said softly. When Gene passed by, he got and gave a curt nod. Leon hung back waiting for him. "Dude, check your attitude." he said in a low voice. "You're showing your ass." "Bad word!" Celeste said softly. "Sorry baby girl." Leon said and kissed her on the cheek." ******** Louise and Kevyn waited nervously for the plane to land, and for everyone to get to the vehicles. "I wish that Barb would have come." Louise said. "Maybe its better that she didn't." Kevyn said thinking about how Barb would have reacted when she saw the jet. Then she realized that she had only delayed the reaction. She would find out soon enough that Patrick had sent the family's private jet after them. "Shit." she muttered under her breath and then "the hell with it." as she realized that they were in a lose-lose situation. An excited shout made her forget about Barb. "Auntie Kev!" Wanda shouted as soon as she saw her. Lou and Kevyn looked up to see Wanda and Victor running toward them leaving the adults and Celeste behind. Nathan and Patrick hung back to let the family greet each other before moving toward them. They watched as their mates hugged and greeted their family. "What's the deal with that one?" Nathan asked when he saw Gene lagging behind the rest of the group. "That would be Gene." Patrick said. "He's got a chip on his shoulder that weighs more than he does." Nathan eyed Gene for several seconds. "He isn't gifted." "How do you know?" Patrick asked. "The other male is like Louise, the adult female is gifted, but only slightly...She is more intuitive but not empathic. The boy is... I don't know about him, the older girl is extremely bright, but I'm not sure about her either. The little one is also like Louise but more sensitive." Nathan said not answering Patrick's question. "Of the three children, she is the one that has missed Louise the most." "Nathan, how do you know this?" Patrick asked again. "I don't know... Louise would be my guess." Nathan replied. Kevyn looked back and motioned for Patrick and Nathan to join them. "You know Leon, Juliette and Gene." she said. "The three rug rats belong to Juliette. The oldest is Wanda who we call Wannie, the young man is Victor and the little sweetheart is Celeste." Nathan smiled at each of the children who smiled back. It was Louise's turn. She held on to Nathan's hand as she made the introductions. When she reached Gene, her eyes lingered on his. She felt his anger, disappointments and insecurities but also knew that he didn't want help. She turned her gaze to Celeste who returned her gaze and then smiled. Louise held out her arms to the girl who quickly wiggled out of Leon's arms and ran to her. As soon as she reached her, Celeste threw herself into Louise's arms. "Hi baby, I've missed you." Louise said hugging Celeste so tight that she squirmed. Gene stood back and felt the same emotions that he felt when he first met Patrick. Jealousy because Patrick and his nephew had what he craved- true power. Anger because another one of his siblings had gotten what he had always wanted with seemingly no effort on her part. He felt a chill run down his spine when he realized that Nathan was staring at him. He took a step back when Nathan moved forward next to Louise, and put an arm protectively around her. The thought that these people were no one to fuck with crossed his mind. Louise, sensing the tension between Gene and Nathan intervened. "I'm glad that you could make it." "Yeah, me too." Gene replied trying to sound sincere. "Why don't we get going?" Kevyn said. We'll get you checked in and there's food waiting." A few minutes later, they were in a large van headed toward the hotel. "Is it legal to have the windows this dark?" Leon asked as he tried to see out. The driver didn't answer but lowered the windows so that they could see out. Wanda was quiet as she watched the palm trees as they drove by. She hoped that a visit to the zoo was a part of the trip. Before long, they were at the hotel and getting out of the van. Two staff people chosen to be their liaisons for the duration of their stay greeted them at the door. "Hello and welcome! My name is Sasha and this Franklin. We will be your personal attendants during your stay. Franklin will be available in the evenings from six pm to five am and I will be available from five am to six pm. If you need anything at all please feel free to call us at the number that we will be giving to you when we get you checked in." At this point Franklin took over. "As Sasha said, my name is Franklin. I won't repeat what she said except to say that we are at your disposal. Gentlemen and ladies, if you like sports I would be more than happy to see what teams are playing. There are refreshments in the banquet room so please enjoy yourselves while Sasha and I see to your luggage." "This is some place." Leon commented. "What does JS stand for?" he asked Kevyn. "Jesse Sinclaire." She replied. "Jesse was Patrick's youngest brother who died several years ago." "Hey! There's Auntie Barb!" Victor shouted and started to run toward her. "Hold on!" Juliette said as she grabbed his hand. "You're not outside so no yelling." "Sorry mom." Victor said clearly contrite. Juliette saw the look of displeasure on Barb's face, and wondered if something had gone wrong with the shipment of her things. Whatever the problem was, she was certain that she would hear about it later. When they reached the front desk, Wanda was the first to greet Barb. "Hi Auntie Barb!" "Hi Wannie." Barb replied with forced cheerfulness as she scanned the faces of her siblings, Juliette's in particular. She glanced back at Hans who seemed to have collected himself. "Welcome." Hans said with a bright smile. "My name is Hans. I am pleased that you are here safe. If you will step up to the desk one at a time, the children may come with their mother, I will get you all checked in. Who will be first?" "Juliette why don't you go first?" Leon said when he saw Gene move forward. Barb stood off to the side watching as Hans checked Juliette and the kids in. She noticed how he could barely keep from looking at her and how his hands trembled slightly as he handed her the key card. Barb was floored. Hans was interested in Juliette and he had just met her! "What in the hell is this?" she muttered as she watched Hans make nice with the kids. Wanda especially seemed to like him. Barb didn't get it. She didn't understand why a man without money would look at a woman with three kids who would be a drain on his resources. Finally checked in, Juliette smiled at Hans and led the children away. Everyone else was quickly checked in and in the banquet room eating within twenty minutes. Louise looked around the room taking note of where everyone sat. It didn't surprise her that Barb and Gene were sitting together away from everyone else. While everyone else was laughing and talking, they sat stone faced and silent. "So Nathan." Leon said after they finished eating. "Mind if we have a little chat?" "Not at all." Nathan replied. He kissed Louise on the temple, and excused himself wondering why he was having the anticipated chat with Leon instead of the older brother. Leon watched Nathan from the doorway, and decided that he liked him. He also liked how Nathan was with Louise. He had waited for Gene to step up and pull Nathan aside for the talk. When he didn't see it happening, he took over not knowing if there would be another chance before the wedding. "Shall we?" Nathan asked when he got to the door. A moment later, they were sitting in Hans' office. Nathan waited for Leon to say his piece. "I wanted to talk to you now because I don't know if there would be time later." Leon said. "I'm glad that you approached me." Nathan replied liking Leon even more. "What are your concerns?" "First, Louise hasn't been here for a month and she's getting married. You have to understand that until you, Louise hadn't even been on a date and I want to be sure that you're going to treat her right." Nathan waited. "I'm not talking about things like the jet as nice as it was; I'm talking about making sure that she's safe and happy. I know who you are, and that won't help you if you disrespect or hurt her in any way." Nathan sat silent for a few seconds wondering how people from the same family could be so different. "I know that this seems fast to you," Nathan said, "and I understand your concern but rest assured that Louise is loved and will be cared for. I'm not just talking about possessions. I'm talking about caring for her in every way possible." "Nice words, but I didn't hear you say that you loved her. Saying that she is loved and that you love her aren't quite the same things." Leon said knowing that it was semantics but he had to hear Nathan say it. Nathan leaned forward in his chair and looked Leon in the eyes. "Leon, I love your sister, and I swear to do everything within my power to keep her happy and safe." Leon stared back at Nathan for several seconds before he smiled contentedly. "I know that she's a grown woman, but she's still my baby sister." Leon said. "She's been through a lot and as much as I hate to admit it, I didn't help her as much as I should have." "She told me about Pittsburgh, and from her point of view, you helped her as much as you were able." Nathan replied. They talked for a few more minutes and went back to the dining room where they were greeted with cold stares from Gene and Barb that they both ignored. What Nathan noticed was Louise. Outwardly, she appeared calm but she was anything but. Kevyn was sitting next to her and Celeste was in her lap. "Leon, would you excuse me? I need to tend to Louise." He didn't wait for Leon to respond and was at her side in seconds. "Sweetheart? What's the matter?" "I don't know... I just don't feel right." Louise replied. "Excuse us for a few moments." Nathan said as he led her away from the table. When they were alone, he touched her face. "You're burning up again." he murmured. He closed his eyes and listened for anything that might indicate that she was pregnant. Hearing nothing, he started asking questions. "When did the pain start? Are you nauseated?" He was perplexed when the answers were no to being nauseated, and the pain started about an hour after they left for the airport. He put an arm around her, took her to Hans' office, led her to the small sofa along the wall, and made her lie down. When she was comfortable, Nathan sat on the edge of the sofa. "Louise, I gave you a glass of blood before we left for the airport, did you drink it?" Louise closed her eyes. She hadn't. It was still sitting on the counter where she sat it after Nathan handed it to her. "No... I forgot about it in the excitement about leaving for the airport. I'm sorry." "It's alright; let's get you taken care of." Nathan replied grateful that it was something easily fixed. He picked up the office phone and called out to the front desk. Several minutes later, Hans came in with a carafe of blood and a glass. "Thank you Hans." Nathan said as he took the tray. He filled the glass and handed it to Louise. "Drink all of it." he urged. Louise didn't argue, but took the glass, drank it straight down and handed the glass back. Nathan refilled it and urged her to drink all of it. "I feel better." Louise said after a few minutes. Louise Ch. 12 "Good." Nathan said taking the empty glass from her. "Sweetheart, it's important that you feed when its time especially now because you're new. As you get older, you can miss feedings but not now. This could have been very dangerous not only for you, but any humans in the vicinity." "I could have hurt someone?" Louise asked. "Sweetheart, you could have killed someone." Nathan told her gently. He knew that he was scaring her but he wanted her to remember. He used her fear of hurting someone to help him. He saw by the horrified expression on her face that he had hit home. He didn't see the need to press the point when he saw tears in her eyes. "Nathan I'm sorry. I won't forget again." "It's alright, and I know that you won't forget again." he said wiping away the tears and then kissing her. "Are you alright now? Any pain?" "No, I'm good." Louise replied. Nathan touched her face; she was still a little warm, but not hot as she had been before. Erring on the side of caution, he had her finish the blood that was left in the carafe. "A little extra won't hurt anything." he told her as he handed her the glass. Louise drained the glass and smiled at him. "I really am better, but before we go, what did Leon say to you?" "He just wanted to make sure that I was being good to you and that I loved you." Nathan replied. "I assured him that I would do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy, and that I love you... Lou, did you know that he's like you? I noticed it as soon as I saw him, and Celeste is like you as well. It explains a lot but I'll tell you later, we'd better get back." The tension in the room was palpable when they returned. After a moment, Nathan realized that it was Kevyn, Leon and Celeste. They were worried about Louise. "I'm fine." Louise said. "It was just a little stomach upset." Kevyn relaxed first, then Celeste and finally Leon. What struck Nathan was the almost lack of concern that Gene and Barb showed. His dislike for them both increased ten-fold. Louise took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Instead of going back to her seat, she went over to the table where Barb and Gene sat. "Why are you sitting over here?" she asked. "This is supposed to be a reunion so why don't you join us? We need to talk about tomorrow night." "Tomorrow night?" Gene asked. "We're going shopping for the ..." "Shopping?" Gene interrupted rudely. "I don't have money for shopping unlike some people." "It is going to be all expenses paid." Nathan said his tone cool. "But you may stay here if you like." Gene was going to make a smart comment but Barb kicked him. Gene realized that he had just screwed himself. He couldn't go with them without looking like a greedy fool unless he went, and spent his own money. However, he couldn't do that without Leon noticing. "We'll be over." Barb said speaking for both her and Gene. When Nathan and Louise left their table, Barb turned to Gene. "A word to the wise, don't piss him off. I found that out the hard way. I'll tell you later but let's get over there." Barb stood and walked over to the table where everyone else sat. Gene joined them a minute later. "First," Kevyn said, "We're glad that you could all make it. As Sasha and Franklin said, if you need anything call them and you can call us as well. We're staying on the same floor as the rest of you. Louise and I thought that maybe the ladies, and that includes Wannie and sweet pea could meet late afternoon for facials and all of that-what do you think?" "I vote yes!" Juliette said. "Barb?" Kevyn asked. "Fine." she replied watching her tone. "Good. I think Patrick and Nathan have something planned for the guys." Kevyn said. "There's a game on during the time that the ladies will be getting pampered." Patrick said. "We reserved the small conference room and had a big screen television put in there, and there will be refreshments as well. When the ladies are done, we'll have dinner at a restaurant that a friend of mine owns and then we'll go shopping." "Love it!" Leon exclaimed. Patrick nodded and smiled; he liked Leon and wondered when the "talk" was going to happen. He didn't have to wait long. "Patrick, can we talk?" A few minutes later, they were sitting in Han's office. "I just wanted to tell you what I told Nathan about Louise," he said. "I know Kevyn is a grown woman but she's still my sister. I also know who you are, but if you hurt her in word or deed, it'll be you and me." "Leon, your sister means more to me than anything that I own. You have my word that I won't hurt her and I'll keep her safe and happy." "Do you love her?" Leon asked. "Yes Leon, I love her." Patrick replied. Patrick watched as Leon relaxed and smiled at him. He should have been the oldest male he thought to himself as he extended a hand to Leon. Leon accepted the offered hand, and gave it a firm shake. He liked both Nathan and Patrick. His gut told him that they could be trusted with his sisters, and now he could totally relax and enjoy his week. When they got back, he was surprised to see Celeste sitting in Nathan's lap as if she had known him for years instead of a couple of hours. In fact, her head was on his shoulder and she was almost asleep. That one event sealed it for Leon. Celeste didn't act like that with people that she didn't like or trust. As he watched, the last tiny seed of doubt that he didn't know that he had faded away. It was then that he realized that Celeste had always refused to be held by Gene and Barb. He also realized that the older children were always somewhat reserved around them even though the initial reaction upon seeing them was always excitement. "It looks like someone needs her bed." Leon said as he approached the table." "It's way past her bedtime." Juliette said. "It's past all of their bedtimes." she added. "I'll take baby girl." Leon said. "I'm not tired." Wanda protested. "Me either." Victor chimed in. "Tired or not, it's time to get ready for bed." Juliette said in a tone that all three children knew well. "We'll see you tomorrow afternoon." Kevyn assured them. "Go get some sleep." "Hey," Victor said, "what do we call you?" he asked Patrick. "Since Kevyn is your aunt that makes me your uncle. So if you like you can call me Uncle Patrick." "Cool." Victor said and then looked at Nathan expectantly. "Uncle Nathan works for me." Nathan said smiling. "Cool." Victor repeated as he hugged Kevyn and then Louise. "I'm going to my suite too." Barb said standing. "What time tomorrow?" "Lou, what's good for you?" Kevyn asked. "What time is the game?" Louise asked. "Two." Patrick replied. "That's perfect." Louise replied. "Good, I'll let Hans know so that he can arrange things, and I'll call Juliette." Kevyn said. Patrick turned to Gene. "We'll see you tomorrow around two. If you like, I can show you where the conference room is that way you can bring Leon." "I... sure." Gene replied remembering that he wanted their money, a fact that he had forgotten several times already. "Kev, do you want to come with us or meet me in the suite?" Patrick asked. "I'll meet you in the room." she replied. "I want to finalize a few things with Louise before we turn in " "In that case, I'll accompany Patrick and Gene." Nathan said taking care not to call Patrick "uncle" which he had been doing less of lately anyway. Gene looked from one man to the other both of whom outweighed him by a good eighty pounds and were at least eighteen inches taller than he was. However, it wasn't their size that alarmed him. The power that emanated from them set him on edge. Patrick and Nathan kissed their respective mates, and left the room with Gene following them. "Lou, what happened?" Kevyn asked as soon as they were alone. "I missed a feeding." she replied. "But I'm fine and I won't make that mistake again." "Alright. So what do you think?" Kevyn asked. "I think that only one of them is going home." Louise replied. "Gene." "Yes Gene. I also think that Barb has a hard road ahead of her but she won't come to us for help." "I thought as much... are you sure that you're alright?" Kevyn asked. "Stop being such a mother hen." Louise teased. "I'm fine, you would know if I wasn't." The sisters chatted on their way to their suites and parted ways once they got there. "Have a good rest." Kevyn said as she opened the door to her and Patrick's suite. "You too." Louise called back. ****** Contrary to what they said, both Victor and Wanda were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Leon stayed and talked with Juliette for a few minutes. "Those are two cool dudes." he said as he sat down. "I like them too." Juliette said." Who would have thought that our Louise would get so lucky? God only knows she deserves it." "You aren't jealous?" Leon asked. "Who wouldn't be?" Juliette asked. "But if you mean like Barb, the answer is no. I'm happy for both of them. What's the story with Gene?" Leon hesitated not sure of how much he should say but then decided that Juliette could help keep an eye on things. "He got suspended for thirty days." "Do you know why?" Juliette asked. "His attitude." Leon replied. "Haven't you noticed the way that he's been acting?" "I suppose that it is worse than usual." Juliette conceded. "He's planning to talk the Sinclaires' into investing with him." Leon said. "I saw the proposals." Juliette was quiet for several minutes. "He wants to use Kevyn and Louise and you want to stop him is that it?" "Exactly." Leon replied. Juliette blew out a breath and then spoke. "I think that we should stay out of it. I don't think that the Sinclaires will invest with him if they don't want to. And besides, I'm here to have fun with Kevyn and Lou, and I don't plan to baby sit Gene and Barb." After thinking about it for a minute, Leon agreed with her. "I think that you're right." Juliet walked Leon to the door, let him out and went to her bedroom anticipating a long hot soak in the Jacuzzi. She was almost undressed when the room phone rang. "Hello?" "Miss. Yancy? This is Hans, the hotel manager." "Oh hi." "I was calling to see if everything was to your satisfaction." Hans said. "It's perfect." Juliette replied feeling a little warm. "Good. I would like to give you my personal number in case you need anything." Juliette frowned. "Isn't that what Sasha and Franklin are for?" "Yes they are, but I would also like to place myself at your disposal. Are you ready to take my number?" Suddenly, Juliette was nervous. She reached for the pen and pad on the bedside table. "Alright, I'm ready." Hans gave her the number, wished her a good night and hung up. Juliette hung up the phone with a trembling hand. The last man that made her this nervous was Angel. She called herself silly, finished undressing, put on a house robe and went to check on the kids. Satisfied that they were sound asleep, she ran the water into the Jacuzzi and added a few drops of the oil sitting on the side. "I'm going to stay in here until I look like a prune." she murmured as she waited for the tub to fill. ****** Hans leaned back in his chair and thanked the fates. Juliette Yancy was definitely more his type. The fact that she had children didn't bother him, he liked children and it didn't matter whom they belonged to. He sensed that Juliette was a woman who liked nice things as much as any woman did, but they weren't a necessity. As he thought about her, he wondered where the father of the children was, and why he left. It was a question for later he decided. It was more important that he claim her before she left California, but if he had to go to Pittsburgh, then so be it. Suddenly, he stood up and did a little dance as his groin tingled. "This is how it's supposed to feel." he thought to himself. He couldn't wait to see Juliette Yancy and their children again. ******* Leon made his way back to his suite and almost decided to stop in and talk to Gene again. "No," he muttered. "Juliette is right." he stepped inside to see a package lying on the table. Curious, he walked over to it and picked it up. "Louise." he said with a smile as he sniffed the package. "Jalapeno bread." He added. Although he had just eaten, he couldn't resist. He opened the package and then saw the note. "Welcome to California, Lou, Nathan, Kevyn and Patrick." He tore off a hunk of the bread and chewed it slowly relishing the burn of the peppers on his tongue. His mind wandered toward Gene again and he pushed the thought away. It was time for his older brother to sink or swim. He finished the hunk of bread, drank a glass of milk to ease the burn and decided to go outside to enjoy the warm southern California air. When he stepped out of his room, he ran straight into Nadine who had just delivered a bottle of wine to Patrick and Kevyn's suite. "I'm sorry!" she said looking up and then away from him. "No harm done." Leon replied. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine." Nadine replied and hurried away. Leon watched her as she sped toward the elevator, and called out to her. "Hey! Hold that elevator!" he sprinted down the hall and jumped into the elevator. "Thanks." "You're welcome." Nadine said not looking at him. "I'm Leon Yancy." "I know." Nadine replied shyly. "Your room is one of the rooms that I'm responsible for... did you need something?" "Nah... I'm just going out to enjoy this beautiful weather while I can. You didn't tell me your name." "Nadine." "Do you have a last name?" Leon asked liking the shy, soft-spoken black woman. "Hicks." Nadine replied still not looking at him. The elevator opened and Nadine took off before Leon could say anything more. He walked out of the elevator and headed toward the front entrance of the hotel when he heard his name being called. "Mr. Yancy? Is everything alright?" Leon turned toward the speaker and saw Hans at the desk. "It's fine." Leon replied when he got to the desk. "I just wanted to enjoy the weather." "It is lovely." Hans said. "How is your sister?" he asked. "Which one?" Leon asked, "I have four of them." "Juliette, the one with the children." Hans replied. "She's good." Leon asked curious as to why Hans was asking about her. "And the children are comfortable?" "They're fine... why are you asking? Was there a problem?" Leon asked. "No, I was just checking..." "You like her." Leon said looking at Hans intently. "That's cool." he said and left it at that. It was too soon to give the brother speech, and for all he knew, nothing would happen. Hans could be one of those guys who just looked but never made a move. "Enjoy your walk." Hans said not commenting on the statement. ******** Gene looked at the proposals and came to a decision. He was going to let the Sinclaires see the proposal. He wouldn't hand them to them, or even mention them. He would take them to the conference room where they were going to watch the game, and leave them there. If Leon objected, he could say that he didn't talk about it or approach them about it. That decided he looked in the fridge for something to drink cursing when all he found was soda, juice and water. He was about to call room service, and changed his mind. He needed to be sharp in case the Sinclaires wanted to talk business with him. Instead, he looked over the proposals, and made changes that he thought made the proposals more attractive. He had just finished his third read through when he heard a tap on the door. His first thought was that it was Leon and he tried to ignore it. The tapping continued until frustrated, he went to the door, looked through the peephole and saw Barb. "About time." she snapped when he finally opened the door. "Sorry, I thought that it was Leon." He said as he let her in. "He's been riding my ass for the past couple of weeks." "About what?" Barb asked. Gene filled her in on his job situation and Leon's reaction when he hadn't congratulated Kevyn and Louise. "I just don't get it... she's only been here for a little more than a month and she's marrying into the same family as Kevyn." "I don't get it either." Barb replied as she rubbed her queasy stomach. "I even asked Kevyn to explain it, but she said that she couldn't. But the reason that I stopped by was to give you a word of advice." Gene rolled his eyes. The last thing he wanted or needed was more advice. "Stop rolling your eyes and listen." Barb snapped. "I just want to warn you not to screw with these guys. Especially where Kevyn and Louise are concerned." She told him about the time that she insulted Louise in front of Nathan. "I think that he would have killed me!" Gene looked at her and laughed. "Come on, you're exaggerating." "I'm not, and I'll tell you something else, Louise is different. Don't let that sweet exterior fool you... she called me a stupid, selfish bitch!" "Louise?" Gene asked shocked. "Yes Louise." Barb confirmed. "Look, do what you want but don't say that I didn't warn you." Barb left a few minutes later wondering if Gene would take her advice and then decided that she really didn't care. ********* Louise came out of the bathroom in the tee shirt that Nathan hated. As of yet he hadn't mentioned it because he had been managing to get her into bed before she got it on. The little tour with Gene had given her the time to change and he wanted the shirt off. He debated on how to tell her and decided to be straightforward. "Lou, sweetheart, can you do something for me?" "Sure... what?" "The shirt... can we burn it or use it as a dust cloth?" he asked. "My tee shirt? Why? You don't like it?" "Honestly, no." Nathan replied. "I like the feel of your skin against mine, and that shirt prevents it." Louise looked at him with a hurt look on her face. "Why didn't you say something before?" she asked. "You're right, I should have, but I've been getting you into bed before you got it on." Nathan replied. "Can we rest nude? You can wear the shirt until bedtime." "All you had to do was say so." Louise replied as she removed the shirt. "Better?" "Oh yes." Nathan replied as he licked his lips. "Come here." he said his soft baritone now a bass that rumbled. Louise blushed, but accepted the fact that she probably always would. She felt the now familiar tingling of her nipples, and throb between her legs begin as she walked toward him. She glanced down long enough to see that he was hard and that there was already a clear drop of clear fluid on the tip of his cock. It reminded her that she still had yet to find out what he tasted like. When she reached him, she stopped, looked up at him, and took his cock into her hands. "I want to explore." she said softly. Nathan didn't argue or ask what she had in mind and he didn't peek. Louise's exploration of his body was one of his favorite parts of lovemaking. "Front or back?" he asked. "Back first." Louise replied. As soon as he was lying on his stomach, Louise started at his feet instead of his head as she usually did and worked her way up his legs stopping at his ass. She kneaded and then nipped at a cheek with her teeth surprising Nathan so much that he jumped. "I hurt you... I'm sorry." she said losing confidence in what she was planning to do. "No, you didn't." Nathan assured her. "I was surprised, and it felt good... remember, you can't hurt me." "Are you sure that I didn't hurt you?" Louise asked not convinced. "Sweetheart, you didn't hurt me. I would tell you if you did." Nathan replied gently. Somewhat relieved, Louise continued her exploration of Nathan's body with her hands and mouth. Sensing what she was working up to, Nathan encouraged her by speaking to her telepathically and verbally. Louise Ch. 12 "I like that." he moaned when she ran her tongue down his spine and then blew on it. By the time she reached his shoulders, her confidence had returned. When she got to his head, she ran her fingers through his hair, moved it to the side and kissed the nape of his neck before sucking on it. Nathan closed his eyes, and fought the urge to come when he felt the tip of a fang graze his shoulder blade. To his relief, she stopped; and told him to turn over. He needed a few more minutes to regain some semblance of control. "Sweetheart, wait just a few minutes." he said as he tweaked the first nipple his hand touched. When he saw that she was losing her nerve, he gave the ok. "Ready when you are." Louise sat back and looked at the throbbing, hardened cock before her and hesitated not sure of where to begin. She closed her eyes, and tried to recall some of the conversations from work. "You just lick it like it's an ice cream cone." she recalled someone saying. Nathan held his breath as his Louise slowly bent down, stuck out her tongue and swiped the head of his cock. His breath left him in a whoosh as she ran her tongue over the head a second and then a third time. "That feels...." Nathan's hips jerked when Louise took the head of his cock into her mouth, and began to suck on it gently. He had to remind himself that she was new at this form of lovemaking, and that he had to control himself. He twirled a strand of her hair between his fingers, and then let it loose. He needed to be touching more of her. He put his hand on her back, and began to stroke it increasing the tempo as he got closer to coming. "Louise, you can stop if you want." he said between moans. She seemed not to hear him as she added stroking his shaft to the soft but insistent sucking. Louise had started listening to Nathan's moans and soon noticed what felt good to him. She felt him grow in her mouth, and got ready to accept his seed hoping that it didn't taste horrible. When the first splash hit her tongue, she jumped, and then swallowed it. She swallowed each jet of Nathan's seed deciding that she liked the sweet but slightly salty taste of it. She could hear Nathan calling for her but she kept sucking thinking that there had to be more. Finally, Nathan sat up, pulled her off his cock and held her. "That was amazing." he said repeatedly. "You don't have to..." "Sweetheart, it was amazing." Nathan said interrupting her with a kiss. "Now it's your turn." He eased her back onto the bed and looked at her for several long seconds as if trying to make a decision. "Nathan?" Louise called. "I'm here." he replied as he lay beside her and then rolled on top of her parting her legs with his knees. "I love you Louise." he whispered as he slowly pushed the head of his cock, and then the entire length into her. He slowly pulled out and then pushed back in gradually picking up speed. He leaned down, took her lower lip into his mouth, nicked it with a fang and sucked on it. He knew that her orgasm was approaching by the way her vaginal muscles tightened around his cock, and the way that she scratched at his back. He could feel the blood as it welled up from the scratches. It occurred to him that the intensity of their lovemaking hadn't waned since her turning, and the thought of pregnancy crossed his mind again. He had been listening and watching for telltale signs but so far, there had been nothing definitive. Louise knew that she was scratching Nathan but she needed something to hold on to. When she came, it was with a cross between a scream and a sob. Nathan came soon after she did and lay stretched out on top of her for a few seconds before moving. He repositioned her so that her head lay on his chest and stroked her arms with his fingertips. "Nathan?" "Yes sweetheart." "Thank you for being so nice to my family." Louise said sleepily. "They're my family too." he reminded her. "Now go to sleep." She didn't need to be told twice. A few seconds later, she was asleep. ****** Barb went to her suite, slammed down her purse, and said curse words that her mother would be shocked that she knew. Gene was now the furthest thing from her mind but Juliette wasn't. Neither was Hans for that matter. She couldn't believe that he only took one look at Juliette, and had become a nervous wreck. She had never affected a man in that way unless they were in bed, but Juliette had only walked into the hotel lobby. To add insult to injury, the kids liked him. Even Celeste who wouldn't even smile at her seemed taken by Hans. Barb stomped off to the bathroom and turned on the tub intending to take a long hot soak. She stripped and looked in the mirror. "I am beautiful!" she hissed. "But ugly." another voice, Hans' added. Louise's voice followed Hans' and before she could think about it too much, Barb closed her mind to the possibility that they were both right. In her mind, Juliette had become yet another enemy. It didn't matter that she hadn't given Hans a backwards glance. It was the fact that he was interested in Juliette and that Juliette whether she knew it or not had reciprocated the interest. She still wasn't interested in Hans, but that was beside the point. She wasn't going to accept the fact that yet another sister had come to California and found someone. She took her bath, dried off and put on her pajamas already planning on how to keep Juliette and Hans apart. ****** Wanda, Victor and Celeste were awake early much to Juliette's disappointment. "We promised dad that we would call before he went to work." Wanda said. Juliette groaned and rolled over. "Wannie it's only five am." "Yeah, but its eight where daddy is." she replied. "Alright, just give me a minute." Juliette said yawning. "Victor, go get my cell phone will you?" While Victor got the phone, Juliette got out of bed, went to the bathroom and washed her face. The image of Hans' face came to mind unbidden, and she trembled. It had very little to do with his good looks, but everything to do with his presence. He exuded safety- even Celeste sensed it. Juliette instinctively knew that whoever landed him was going to be a very lucky woman. She knew that he was interested, but what could happen in a week? A fling? She had done that once before, and swore never to do it again. It wasn't worth the emotional upheaval for her or the kids. After that one time, she never introduced her kids and the man to each other. "Mom! Daddy's on the phone!" Victor called in. Usually when Juliette heard that Angel was on the phone, her heart did a little pitter-patter but not today. She took the phone from Victor and put it to her ear. "Good morning. Oh my gosh Angel! They're having a ball! He told you? Yes... really? Congratulations... When? Did you tell the kids? Speaker phone? Ok hang on." Juliette called the kids together and made them sit down. "Daddy has something to tell you." she said. They all listened as Angel told them about the new baby that was coming. They all looked at each other but it was Wanda who spoke. "Does that mean that we can't see you anymore?" "Of course not mija! You are still my babies, I'm just adding one more." Angel replied. "Hi guys!" Anna's soft voice said over the phone. "Hi Anna." they all said including Juliette. "I know that this is a big surprise for you, it was a surprise for us too. But I want you to know that it changes nothing. You are always welcome here." There was a moment of silence and then Juliette spoke. "Thank you for telling us, and congratulations." "You're welcome." Angel said. "I hope that the babies aren't the only ones having fun." he added. "I am too; all of us girls are going to be pampered this afternoon." Juliette replied. "That sound's good... Julie could we speak privately?" Angel said. After Anna and Angel said goodbye to the kids, Juliette turned the speakerphone off and took the phone to the bedroom. "Ok." she said softly. "I just wanted to reiterate what I told the babies." he said. "This changes nothing, and if you ever need anything you call me." "Thank you." Juliette replied swallowing the lump in her throat. She knew how lucky she was that Angel loved the kids, and that he was an active participant in their lives. "One more thing." He said. "I want you to know that you are an excellent mother, and a beautiful woman. We just weren't meant to be. But I don't regret our babies. I hope that you find someone who can do for you what I couldn't. The only thing that I ask is that he care for, and accept our children as Anna has." They hung up a few minutes later, their relationship having changed yet again for the better. "Mom?" Wannie called. "Are you alright?" "I'm good. What sounds good for breakfast?" she asked changing the subject. ****** Barb woke up in a sour mood. All she could think about was her sisters, and the upcoming wedding that she really wanted nothing to do with. As she dressed, she remembered that Kevyn told her that she could bring a guest conveniently forgetting that the guest was invited to the reception and not the wedding. The only problem was she had no one to ask unless... She quickly showered and dressed hoping to catch Hans still at the desk. It would be close, but if she hurried, she could catch him. In a moment of inspiration, she called the front desk. "Hans! Good you're still here. I need to talk to you... I'll be down in five minutes." She found Hans at the desk finishing paperwork from the night shift. "What can I help you with?" Hans asked. "Well, as you know my sisters are getting married tomorrow night and I don't have a date." Hans didn't say anything; he had an idea of where she was going. "I know that we haven't always been on good terms, but I was wondering if you would go as my date." Hans looked at her as if she had grown another head. "It is my understanding that the ceremony is to be a private affair." he replied. "It is, but Kevyn said that I could bring a date so are you free?" "Mrs. Simpson..." "Barb." "Mrs. Simpson." Hans said. "I thank you for the offer, but I must decline." "Why?" Barb demanded. "Because you just lied to me." Hans replied his tone cool. "Kevyn and Louise have already invited me to the reception..." Hans stopped mid sentence, and looked toward the elevators. Barb turned to see what he was looking at and didn't see anyone. A second later, the elevator doors opened and Juliette and the kids got out. Barb bristled as she realized that Hans had forgotten that she was standing at the desk. She glared as Juliette and the children approached the counter with smiles on their faces. She wanted to claw Hans' eyes out when she looked at him and saw the longing in his eyes. "Hi Hans and Aunt Barb!" first Victor, and then others greeted. "Good morning!" Hans greeted with a smile. "You're certainly up early." "They wanted to eat in the restaurant this morning. Is that alright?" Juliette asked. "It's fine, just go in and tell them that you are guest of Mr. Sinclaire's and they'll take care of you. If you wait a moment, I'll take you there myself." "You don't have to do that, we'll find it." Juliette replied. "It's no trouble." Hans insisted. Barb stood back and watched. Her anger was growing by the second. "Aunt Barb, do you want to eat with us?" Wanda asked. "Sure, why don't you?" Juliette chimed in. "We can talk and catch up." Barb saw Hans watching and listening. "Sure Wannie." she said with forced cheerfulness. They followed Hans to the restaurant and waited as he talked to the host. "You're all set." he said looking at Juliette. "Is there anything else that I can do for you?" "Join us for breakfast." Juliette said. "You're off aren't you?" "Yeah!" Victor exclaimed. "Please?" "I wouldn't want to intrude on family time." Han's replied. "Oh come on." Juliette said. "You have to eat and Barb doesn't mind... do you?" "No, the more the merrier." Barb said sarcastically. Juliette gave Barb a curious look and then turned back to Hans. "Well, will you join us?" Juliette asked. He was going to say no, but time was racing by. "I would be honored." he replied with a slight bow that made Victor giggle. Barb seethed as Hans, held Juliette's chair for her, and then made sure that the kids were comfortably seated. The only thing that was missing was the kiss on the temple. She wanted to leave but refused to. She had to see what happened next. Breakfast was delivered so quickly that they barely had a chance to start a conversation. "What's Sweden like?" Wanda asked and then listened intently as Hans described where he grew up. "Perhaps one day you'll get to visit there." he added. "That would be so cool wouldn't it mom?" Wanda asked. "Yes it would." Juliette agreed as she looked at Barb again wondering what her problem was. "Breakfast was enjoyable, thank you for inviting me to join you." Hans said when the meal was over. "You're welcome, we enjoyed it too." Juliette replied. Hans hesitated. He looked at Barb and then Juliette. He hadn't planned to ask Juliette to accompany him to the reception especially in front of Barb, but it felt right. In addition, there was another thing that it would accomplish; it would stop Barb dead in her tracks. "Miss. Yancy, I was wondering if I could escort you and the children to the reception after the wedding. That's if you have no other plans." Barb almost choked on the sip of juice that she had just taken. This was a Hans that she didn't know existed. The business persona was gone. In its place was a man pursuing a woman that he was interested in. He wasn't only pursuing the woman; he was pursuing her children too. The entire table was silent as they waited for Juliette's answer. "I... I would like that, but you have to stop calling me Miss. Yancy. My name is Juliette or Julie if you prefer." Wanda looked at Victor and grinned. Celeste however was looking at Barb with her head cocked to the side as if she was trying to understand something. When Barb looked back at her, Celeste looked down. "Wonderful!" Hans exclaimed. "I'll reserve a table for six; I assume that Mrs. Simpson will be joining us?" Hans asked looking at Barb. "No thanks, I'll be with a date." Barb said and abruptly stood up. She was walking away before anyone could say anything. Relieved and convinced that Barb would be no further problem in his pursuit of Juliette; Hans relaxed. "I must excuse myself." he said, "but please call me for any needs." Juliette watched Hans walk away and felt jittery inside. "Stop it." she told herself. ******** "Sweetheart," Nathan said as he and Louise ate their breakfast, "What do you know about your family history?" "Not much." Louise replied as she finished the glass of warmed blood. "I know that my great grandmothers on both sides were full blood Cherokee Indians and that I have relatives in Tennessee and Mississippi." "What about your grandparents?" he asked. My Father as you know was a Yancy, his mother was a Compton. My mother's last name was Patton and her mother's maiden name was Welsh." she replied. "What about your paternal great-grandfathers?" Nathan asked. "I know their names but not much more." Louise replied. "My paternal great grandfather's name was Cleveland Yancy, and I believe that he was an entertainer of some kind. My maternal great grandfather's name was Isaiah Patton." "And what did he do?" Nathan asked as he poured her another glass of blood. "I'm not sure." Louise replied. "As far as you know, where there any other gifted people in your family?" Nathan asked. "I don't know for sure, but my father sometimes knew things and so did my mother." Louise replied. "Such as?" "A few times she would send dad to play a lottery number saying that she dreamt about it. She used to bug him until he went to play it." "And?" "She always won." Louise said. "Sometimes it was all that put food on the table or paid the electric bill." "What about your father?" Nathan asked. "He was like that too, but not as much as mom was. Why?" "Patrick and I have a genealogist looking into your family's history." Nathan replied. "We think that there's someone in your line who was powerfully gifted, maybe more than one person." "It's because of me, Kevyn, Leon and Celeste isn't it?" she asked. "Yes but you didn't mention Barb or Gene. Why is that?" Nathan asked. "Gene is ungifted, and Barb is gifted but not as much as the rest of us." Louise replied. "And Juliette?" "I don't know about her, Wannie and Victor." she confessed. Nathan found that interesting but didn't comment. However, he was more than convinced that there were other gifted people in her family, and that the key lay somewhere in the past. ********* Kevyn and Patrick were having the same conversation in their suite. Kevyn didn't know anymore than Louise did but it was more than enough to confirm Patrick's belief that he and Nathan were right about the Yancy family. "We have a friend checking into your lineage." Patrick told her. "We believe that there are people from your past who are gifted." "I've always wanted to know more about our family." Kevyn replied. "I was going to look into it but never did." "We'll know more soon." Patrick replied as he glanced at the clock. "How do you think today's going to go?" he asked as he massaged her neck. "God only knows." Kevyn replied. "But I'm trying to be optimistic." "Me too." Patrick replied. "By the way, did I tell you that I really like your brother Leon? He's a straight shooter, I like that." "He's a good guy." Kevyn said. "He had some really hard times but he's managed to turn himself around. I wish that I could say the same of Gene." Patrick didn't say anything. He didn't want to upset Kevyn by verbalizing his dislike of her brother. He had the feeling that more upset was coming without his adding to it. "You don't like him." Kevyn commented. "No." Patrick replied deciding to be honest. "It should have been Gene that approached me and Nathan and not Leon. Gene has his own agenda which I think we'll find out about today." "I think you're right, and I think that I even know what it is." Kevyn said. "But I'm not going to say anything, tell me later and we'll see if I'm right." "Deal." Patrick said. He like Kevyn already had an idea of what Gene was planning. "We've got a couple of hours before we have to leave." He said nuzzling her neck. ******* Gene was the last to arrive at the conference room. He looked to see what the others were doing before slipping the folder containing the proposals on the table next to the beverages. He frowned when he noticed that all of the beverages were non-alcoholic. He shrugged it off remembering that Leon didn't drink, and that Victor was there. "Gene!" Leon called. "It's about time you got here, the game's about to start." Gene grabbed a can of soda, made his way to the front of the room and took a seat next to Leon. "Sorry, time got away from me." he commented. "Hi Uncle Gene." Victor said with a smile. "Hey Victor." Gene replied. He jumped when Nathan sat down next to him. His heart hammered in his chest as he reconsidered leaving the proposals where he left them. He was realizing too late that Nathan was a man who wouldn't appreciate not being directly approached. He could hear Patrick and Leon talking about the teams that were playing and the players. A feeling of jealousy and insecurity ran through him as he listened to them talk. He wanted to be as confident as they were but didn't know how to go about it. He breathed a sigh of relief when the game started even though he couldn't concentrate on it. He held his breath when Nathan got up, went to the back and then came back without speaking to him. Louise Ch. 12 The first two quarters crept by, and he was dying to know if Nathan or Patrick had seen the proposals. As soon as half time was announced, he made a beeline to the refreshment table. He had mixed feelings when he saw that the folder was gone. He turned to see Nathan talking quietly with Leon and Patrick and then heard Leon laugh. "Come on Nate! You can't be serious!" "I am." Nathan replied laughing. "Tell you what." "Leon said, "If your guys win, I'll buy you dinner." "I'm with Leon." Patrick said. "And if you lose, you owe us dinner." Even Victor got in on the discussion. "I'm with Uncle Nathan." Gene stood in the back seething with anger. He just didn't get how easily Leon ingratiated himself with their futures. A few minutes later, the game started again but this time, Leon sat between Patrick and Nathan completely at ease. "What time is dinner?" Leon asked Nathan laughing after the game was over. "I'll check my schedule." Nathan said good-naturedly. Gene left without saying anything. He had seen and heard enough. ******* "Alright ladies." Kevyn said when they were all in the room set up for the spa treatments. "Enjoy!" Juliette didn't need to be told twice. She took Celeste by the hand, led her to the pool and got in. "Come on baby." she urged gently holding her hand out to the little girl. After a brief hesitation, Celeste took Juliette's hand and allowed herself to be picked up. After a few tense moments, she relaxed back into Juliette's arms. Wanda sat next to Juliette, looked up at her and smiled. "What are you smiling about?" Juliette asked. "I like Mr. Hans and he likes us." she replied. "He is nice." Juliette agreed and turned her attention to Celeste. "What color are you going to get your nails done in?" she asked not wanting to discuss men with an eight-year-old. "Pink." Celeste said with a smile that was becoming more frequent as time passed. "How did I know that?" Juliette asked and kissed her cheek. Barb sat in the hot tub with Kevyn and Louise not saying anything for several minutes. "Where are we eating?" she asked. "Jonesy's" Kevyn replied. "Really?" Barb asked perking up. She had forgotten the cool reception that she received when she called Jonesy a few weeks before. "Patrick already called him so it's all arranged." Kevyn replied. "After that we'll go shopping." Barb frowned, "Won't the stores be getting ready to close?" "Patrick arranged for the stores to stay open past closing." Kevyn replied. "Must be nice." Barb grumbled. "So explain something to me." she said in a deceptively pleasant tone. "Why is it that they got to come in a jet, got picked up at the airport and got suites?" "Because." Louise said, "You came without being invited. You just showed up and expected the royal treatment. "But there's more, you came to look for a rich husband and hoped that we would help." Louise added. Barb stared at Louise. She was again amazed at the change in her once shy and reticent youngest sister. "That doesn't explain the room does it?" Barb snapped. "No, it doesn't, and I'm not going to justify anything that I've done." Kevyn said. "I told you when I called to tell you about the wedding that I wasn't going to put up with your shit. I'm going to give you a choice, behave or go home." By this time, Juliette and the girls were at the hot tub. "What's going on?" Juliette asked sensing the tension between her sisters. "I thought that this was supposed to be fun." "You're right." Kevyn said. "Who's ready for a manicure and pedicure?" A few minutes later, all of them were sitting with their feet in warm soapy water. "Have you thought about what you're going to wear?" Juliette asked. The discussion went on without any input from Barb until Louise asked for her opinion. "Peach always looked nice on you." she replied. "I know that it isn't spring but I think that you should wear the color that looks best on you." "I was thinking peach too." Louise admitted. "Will you help me find something?" "Ummm sure." Barb replied oddly touched by the request. "Will you help me too?" Wanda asked her voice filled with hope. "Sure Wannie, and you can help me." Barb replied unaware that Celeste was watching her. Two hours later, it was time to get ready for the evening. "Thank you so much for this." Juliette said giving Kevyn and Louise a hug. "It was wonderful." "You're welcome and we'll meet you all in the lobby in about an hour." As they walked out, Juliette pulled Barb aside. "What's wrong with you?" she asked. "We're supposed to be having fun and not fighting." "Who's fighting?" Barb asked. Juliette looked at her, started to say something and thought better of it. She was going to take the advice that she had given to Leon. She was going to let Barb sink or swim. ******** Jonesy met them at the front door with a big smile. "Twice in a few weeks!" he exclaimed as he hugged Patrick. "This has to be a record." Patrick laughed as he returned the hug. "Yes I know, but where else would I bring my family?" he asked and began to make the introductions. "Kevyn, Louise and Barb you know." he said. "This is Juliette and her children Wanda, Victor and Celeste." He made the rest of the introductions ending with Gene. "Welcome!" Jonesy said with a smile. "Patrick and I have been friends for a very long time so his family is my family as well." Barb eyed Jonesy acutely aware that he was ignoring her, and that he considered her no more than the guest of a close friend. She waited until everyone was seated, and slipped away saying that she needed the restroom. "Want me to come with you?" Louise asked. "No, I'm fine. I wouldn't want Nathan worried about you." Barb replied with a hint of sarcasm. Nathan gave her a small but cool smile, but didn't say anything. Barb went in the direction of the bathroom, and then doubled back toward the kitchen. She could hear Jonesy's deep voice as he gave instructions on how he wanted the clam chowder to be seasoned. "Excuse me." she said loud enough to attract attention. Jonesy and the chef turned in her direction and waited. "Jonesy, may I have a word with you?" she asked "Is there a problem?" he asked. "No problem I just need a moment of your time." "Otto, remember, just a pinch of salt." Jonesy said as he removed his apron and left the kitchen. "What is it?" he asked when they were alone. "I'm sure that you know about the wedding and reception tomorrow night..." "What of it?" Jonesy asked tersely. Barb was surprised by his attitude. She wondered if that was how people felt when she talked to them in that manner. "I was wondering if you would like to go to the reception with me." "What happened? Can't find anyone else?" Jonesy asked. "Let me tell you something," Jonesy said. "I'm not anyone's last resort, and don't bother denying that I'm not. It just so happens that I already have a date for the reception, and even if I didn't, I would still have said no. Is there anything else?" Barb walked away humiliated and angry. She was tempted to leave the restaurant and go home but changed her mind. She would make up for her humiliation by spending Patrick's money. She plastered a smile on her face and returned to the table where everyone with the exception of Gene was talking and laughing. Leon and Nathan were making another bet as to who could eat the most hot wings and Louise was trying to tell him that he would lose. "What?" Leon said. "Have you forgotten that I'm on the wall of fame at 'Bruno's'?" "No, but Leon..." Louise said. Barb watched and forced herself to participate. She found that after several minutes that she really was beginning to have fun. By the end of the dinner, she was really laughing and not forcing it. Louise watched and felt a surge of hope. Maybe it wasn't too late for Barb to change after all. ******* The first stop was at the boutique where Louise and Kevyn bought their dresses for the twin's wedding. After two hours, the only one who found a dress that she liked was Juliette. It wouldn't be until three boutiques later and one children's clothing store that all of the females had their outfits. No one missed the fact that Barb chose the most expensive dress that she could find, and that it cost more than Kevyn and Louise's outfits put together. When Juliette started to say something, Louise laid a hand on her arm and stopped her with a nod of her head. The next stop was for clothes for the men. Gene hung back while Leon and the other males of the group picked out clothes for the wedding. Leon helped Victor and then picked out extra items for himself. Gene smirked at the thought that Leon was taking as much advantage of the shopping trip as he and Barb were. The smirk turned to a scowl as Leon paid for everything that he picked out himself including his clothes for the wedding. "Hey." Leon said, "Are we having a bachelor's party?" Patrick and Nathan looked at each other. They had planned to spend the rest of the night, and the day of the wedding in bed with their mates. "Come on," Leon insisted. "We'll watch movies and I'll tell you stories about my sisters." "And," Juliette chimed in, "You're not supposed to see each other until the wedding. So... all of the ladies will spend the night in my suite." The plans for the evening and daytime hours were taken out of Kevyn and Louise's hands. Even Barb joined the cause in support of Juliette and Leon. "Will you at least allow us to have a few minutes with our brides?" Patrick asked. "Just a few." Juliette teased. "Besides, it will give me some time to get the kids settled, and for me to order some snacks." ******** Nathan held Louise close. Neither of them was looking forward to spending the night/day apart. "We could say no." he said as he nuzzled the top of her head. "We could but this means so much to them." Louise replied. "Did you see Barb tonight? She actually was having fun." "I saw, and while it was nice, I don't trust it." Nathan said. "But be that as it may, keep your phone close because I plan to call you as often as I can get away with." Louise wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. She was nervous at the idea of being separated from Nathan for so long. "Can I wear one of your shirts?" she asked afraid that she sounded silly. "Of course you can." Nathan replied understanding. "Do you still have your tee shirt?" he asked. A few minutes later, his pillowcase was replaced by Louise's tee shirt and she was wearing the shirt that he wore that night. Louise was almost to the door when Nathan appeared in front of her blocking her way. "Don't go yet." he said as he picked her up, carried her back to the bed, and was inside of her before she could blink. "I love you, and don't let anyone try to tell you any differently." he said as he kissed her. A few minutes later, he walked her to Juliette's suite. ******* Barb changed into her pajamas angry that she had let her guard down, and had actually enjoyed herself. The memory of Hans and then Jonesy's rejection of her soured her mood. Anger at her sisters resurfaced negating the pleasant feelings that she experienced earlier. She was wishing that she could skip the pajama party with her sisters and thought about calling and saying that she wasn't feeling well. In truth, she wasn't feeling well, but if she didn't go, then they would insist of coming to her. She chewed two tums, which no longer seemed to help with the bouts of nausea that seemed to come only at night or the very early morning hours. She grabbed her overnight bag even though she was just going down the hall, and left her suite hoping that the night passed quickly. She was the last to arrive at Juliette's suite grimacing when she saw that Louise was wearing the shirt that Nathan had just worn that night. She bit back a snide remark, sat her bag down and made an effort to be pleasant. The attempt didn't last for long. It ended soon after Juliette asked Kevyn and then Lou how they met Patrick and Nathan. "Isn't that sweet?" Barb asked with a tinge of bitterness. "Kevyn, you still haven't told me how the two of you managed to catch men from the same wealthy family." "I told you that I can't." Kevyn replied. "It just happened that way." Louise saw Barb's claws coming out and tried to head her off. "Does it really matter?" she asked. "No, but I still find it odd." Barb replied beginning to direct her anger at Louise. "So you met Nathan at a family gathering, but I was here for almost three weeks before I met anyone. Why is that? Were you ashamed of me?" Louise looked as if she had been slapped, and then got angry. She wasn't feeling well, she missed Nathan, and she wasn't in the mood for Barb's nonsense. "We weren't ashamed of you." Louise said. "We knew what you were up to, what you're still up to. Let's get something straight. Tomorrow is our wedding, and you can be as pissed off as you want to be, that's your choice but you will not do anything to interrupt or ruin it in any way. The same goes for the reception. If you can't promise us that then you need to stay away." "I was just making conversation." Barb said backing down. "No, you weren't." Louise replied. "You were determined to say or do something to ruin this, congratulations! You've managed to succeed." Louise stood up, stared at Barb until she looked away. After a few seconds, she went into the bathroom. She didn't answer when she heard the soft tap on the door. "Lou? Can I come in?" Juliette asked as she opened the door without waiting for a reply. Louise looked at her, and began to apologize. "You have nothing to be sorry about, but Barb does. I'm sorry that she ruined this for you." "I should have known." Louise replied. "She seemed to be having so much fun earlier that I thought that maybe she was beginning to change." Juliette gave Louise a small smile. "I believe that she is." She said. "But I also believe that she will always be at heart the Barb that we know. I also think that tonight has more to do with jealousy than anything else does. You and Kevyn have what she wants. Hell it's what I want to some degree, what every girl dreams of; a knight in shining armor to fall madly in love with them and to take them away." "I never asked or looked for this." Louise replied. "And that's probably why it came to you." Juliette replied. "And what if you did want or ask for it? That doesn't make you a bad person; it makes you human. But you know what I think?" she asked. "I think that as happy as you are, you feel guilty when there's no reason why you should. Remember how mom used to say that good things happened to people who did good things? Lou, that's you. You did so much for us and without a complaint. We used and abused you; left you alone to care for mom, which is something, that I will always feel guilty about and did our own thing. You now have a man who would move heaven and earth for you, and he loves you. Enjoy it and whatever you do, don't make the same mistake that I made with Angel. Grow with him and don't take anything for granted." As Louise listened to Juliette talk, she realized that she did feel guilty although she hadn't realized it until Juliette mentioned it. "What about you? Do you feel the same as Barb?" she asked. "Jealous?" Juliette asked. "Hell yes, but the I'm happy for you kind of jealous. Lou, don't worry about Barb and don't let her ruin this for you. If you do, you'll be giving her what she wants." "You're right." Louise murmured and then smiled. The smile faded when she thought about her parents. "I just wish mom and dad were here." "Me too." Juliette said. "They would be so happy for you and Kevyn. What do you think? Are you ready to take control of your party?" When they went out, a contrite Barb was waiting for them. "I'm sorry." Louise paused for just a second and then spoke. "Apology accepted." she said just as her cell phone rang. ******* Nathan lay down, got up and lay down again. He missed having Louise next to him but was managing until he felt that she was upset. Even then, he waited before calling as much as he wanted to. He already knew the reason for the upset and wanted to give Louise time to deal with it her way. When he felt her tension ease, he called her. "Hello sweetheart. How are you?" "I'm ok... I miss you though." Louise replied. "And I you... are you sure that you're alright?" Nathan asked ready to go after her if there was any doubt. "I'm fine." Louise replied. "I just wish that I could see you." "Go to the bathroom." Nathan said quietly. "Ok... I love you." Louise said and hung up. She looked at Kevyn who nodded almost imperceptivity. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She said and was gone before Juliette could say anything. "Is she alright?" Juliette asked as she started to go after her. "She's fine; just give her a few minutes." Kevyn said stopping her. ****** Nathan was in the bathroom when she got there. He immediately took her into his arms and held her so tightly that it bordered on pain. Louise didn't care but held on as tightly as she could. She was more than ready for the day to be done. Nathan pulled back, bent down and kissed her. "What human came up with such a ridiculous tradition?" he teased. "I don't know." Louise replied laughing quietly, "but I don't like it." "Agreed, but after today we don't sleep apart no matter what." Nathan said kissing her again. "By the way, tell Kev that the car will be out front to take you to our house at five. I left a pair of specially made sunglasses for you at the front desk as well as a jacket to help protect you from the sun. You'll be fine once you're in the car. I'll be in the car waiting for you. A car will be there for the others around the same time, I'm sure that your sisters will want to help you and the girls get ready." Louise relaxed a little gladder that she didn't have to wait until seven to see Nathan. "I almost forgot." Nathan said. "Tell Kevyn to call Patrick if she wants to see him." He kissed her again and was gone. She relayed the message to Kevyn and the others as soon as she could. Barb and Juliette assumed that she called Nathan back and she said nothing to contrary. The rest of the night passed relatively peacefully with Barb and Juliette falling asleep around six am and Louise falling asleep shortly afterwards. ****** Patrick was waiting for Nathan when he got back. "How are they doing?" he asked. "Kevyn seems to be fine but Louise was having a bit of a hard time, but she's fine now. What's up?" "A couple of things." Patrick replied as he handed Nathan the folder containing the proposals. "What's this?" Nathan asked as he opened the folder. "Something that Gene left for us by the refreshments yesterday." Patrick waited as Nathan looked through the proposals. "Is he out of his mind?" Nathan asked. "They're good proposals but does he really think that I would invest this much money with him?" "Apparently he does, and he expects me to do the same but that isn't my only issue." Patrick said. "It's the fact that he didn't approach me directly. It makes me question his integrity." "I agree... have you said anything to Kevyn?" Nathan asked. "No, and I'm not going to until after the wedding." Patrick replied. "We've got more than enough drama with Barb." "What are you thinking?" Nathan asked. "I may invest with him, but not the amount that he wants, but not before I talk with him about his lack of approach." Patrick replied. "That's reasonable." Nathan replied. "I'll do the same. You mentioned a couple of other things." Louise Ch. 12 "I heard from the genealogist." Patrick replied. "And?" Nathan asked eagerly "I was waiting for you so that I could call him back." Patrick replied. A few minutes later, they had the genealogist on speakerphone. "Jackson, its Patrick Sinclaire. I have my nephew Nathan with me." "Hello!" Jackson said enthusiastically. "I have the most exciting news for you! It's simply amazing!" Patrick and Nathan looked at each other and waited. Patrick knew the genealogist well, and according to him, everything was amazing and exciting. Finally, Jackson finished gushing and got down to business. "The information that you provided was more than enough to get me started but knowing specific names were what really helped. I'll start with the maternal side of each family since ladies come first. The grandmothers of your mates are half Cherokee, and their great grandmothers were full blood Cherokee as were their mothers and grandmothers. I don't know how much you know about the Cherokee Indians so bear with me as I give you a crash course. They are considered one of the five great tribes. Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family. They originated in the Great lakes area and then migrated south to the Carolinas, Georgia and Eastern Tennessee. Your mates' Black relatives came from Eastern Tennessee which is where they met their Indian mates." Nathan and Patrick were fascinated. "Anyway, the Cherokee culture is a matrilineal society meaning that the women controlled the property, and the children are born into the mother's clan where they gain hereditary status. Any advancement in the tribe was subject to the approval of the female elders. I'm sure that you're wondering what this has to do with your mate's family." Jackson said. Nathan was leaning forward in his seat fighting not to tell the genealogist to get on with it. "Your mates and their family were high up on the tier. Their grand mothers several generations back were both female elders of the tribe at different times of course. One's name was Ahyoka, which means bringer of happiness, and the other one on the paternal side ironically had the same name. From what I could find out about them, they were both strong empaths as well as warriors as the females of the tribe often were. That would explain the gift of empathy that the ones named Louise, Leon and Celeste seem to have. On the father's side of the family, the origins seemed to have started in South Africa with the Zulu tribe. They had healers, which were called Sangomas who had a variety of duties, which included healing, and tending to social disharmonies. They also were proficient in divination, counteracting witches and directing rituals. Their belief was that the ancestors from the spirit world gave guidance and advice on how to protect and heal the living. There is very intensive training for this that involves learning humility and going through a purification ritual. Again, we see the gift of empathy. The name of the female relative who was one of the healers was named Khanyisile, which means Bright Light. Any questions so far?" "No keep going." Patrick replied. "So we now know where the gifts of empathy and their strength come from. Now, one of your mates is able to read the thoughts of vampires and communicate with them am I correct?" Jackson asked. "That would be my mate Kevyn." Patrick replied. "A very rare and powerful gift and one that I would take care to keep secret." Jackson replied. "Her gift seems to come from the paternal side of the family. The great grandfather, Cleveland Yancy was an entertainer of sorts; he could read people's thoughts." "A telepath." Patrick murmured. "And a powerful one at that. It was a gift that saved his life and the lives of his family several times. The maternal great grandfather was ungifted as far as I can tell and I'm not sure of where your mates' mother Wanda Yancy got her gift unless she was naturally intuitive and she was mildly clairvoyant. Why she wasn't gifted with empathy, I don't know. I can research more if you like. From what I can tell, the father was only slightly gifted as evidenced by what we already knew. I would also venture to say that Nathan's mate is also clairvoyant to some degree, and it has the potential to grow as strong as her other gifts. As with Patrick's mate, it is a gift that I would keep secret. Would you like me to continue my research?" Nathan looked at Patrick and shrugged, "up to you." "Sure, and while you're at it, can you make up one of those family tree charts and add us to it. I know that you have one for us so add the Yancy family to that one. I would also like to keep you on retainer." "As you wish." Jackson said and hung up and then called back. "I forgot to mention something else that may be of interest to you. I took the liberty of looking back into your family history and found that this isn't the first time that the Yancy line has intersected with the Sinclaire line." What do you mean?" Nathan asked. "Every few centuries it seems that someone from the Yancy line interacts with someone from your line whether it is marriage or otherwise..." "But we've always been vampire..." Patrick said and then stopped. "What are you saying?" "I'm saying that your family and the family of your mates have always been connected in some way. You and your mates aren't closely related if that's your concern. The matings that have occurred are centuries apart with the last one occurring long before you, Patrick came into being. If my calculations are correct, it will be centuries after this current generation before it happens again. It appears that the Yancy line was created specifically for the Sinclaire line. I repeat that it does not mean that there will always be matings. Those seem to be far and few in between. If you like, I can write up the Sinclaire/Yancy timeline so you can see exactly where these meetings have taken place." "Please." Patrick replied. "Consider it done although it will take a while." "No hurry, you've given us much more than we asked for. Thank you." Patrick replied. After they hung up for the second time, Patrick and Nathan looked at each other and grinned. "I'll be damned." Patrick muttered. Louise Ch. 13 "When are we going to tell them?" Nathan asked. "I'm going to tell Kevyn sometime after the wedding." Patrick replied. "It's up to you when you decide to tell Louise. "I think I'll wait until Jackson has all of the information gathered." Nathan replied. "In fact, I think I'll ask him to put it into a book, and I'll give it to Louise for either her birthday or Christmas." "You know, I like that idea." Patrick said. "Would you mind if I did the same thing?" "Not at all, but then I would suggest that we give them the books at Christmas." Nathan replied. "Agreed." Patrick replied. "How often do you think this happens?" Patrick asked. "I would think rarely." Nathan replied, "but do you understand the implications of this?" he asked. "It means that without trying, two powerful families have been paired together. I wonder what else Jackson will turn up" "I have no idea, but think about it," Patrick said. "The families of both sides have been strengthened. Who knows what other gifts the Yancy's will bring, and what we will have to offer them. I know that this is a change of subject, but are you taking Louise somewhere after the reception?" "She wants to go back to the beach house for the day, and then I'm taking her to France to look at the cooking school. Why do you ask?" "Just curious, I'm taking Kevyn away as well, but I don't feel comfortable with leaving the rest of the family here to fend for themselves." Patrick said. "I know that Hans and the others will take good care of them, but I think that Kevyn and Louise will worry about them." Nathan hadn't thought about it, and admitted that Patrick was right. "Then we'll leave after the family does." he said. "What do you have in mind?" "I was thinking about a movie night or something at our house. It shouldn't be hard to keep everyone in one place. The basement has everything anyone could possibly need." Patrick replied. "I still owe you, Victor and Leon dinner." Nathan said. "When do you plan to talk to Gene?" "Sometime before he leaves." Patrick replied. "You?" "I would say that we could do it together, but he's already scared of us." Nathan said. "I'm actually considering not approaching him at all. If he wants my business badly enough, he has to approach me like a man." "And if he does?" Patrick asked. "We'll see." Nathan said. Patrick left a few minutes later. Nathan knew that it was early but he wanted, and needed to hear Louise's voice. She answered on the first ring. "Good morning." she said softly. "Good morning, did you rest?" He asked. "About as well as you did." Louise replied. "Is the bathroom free?" Nathan asked. "You need to feed." "It is at the moment." she replied grateful that he had thought about the feeding because she hadn't. A few minutes later, she was in the bathroom. She drank both glasses of blood that Nathan bought with him, and was leaning into him with her arms around his waist. "No pain or nausea?" he asked. "I'm fine and no fever either." Louise replied before he had a chance to ask. "How did the rest of the night go?" Nathan asked changing the subject. "I'm glad for telepathy and telephones." Louise replied. "Barb settled down and actually apologized." "A sincere one?" Nathan asked. "Half-baked as my mom used to say... I wish that she and dad were here." Louise said. "I know you do." Nathan said and kissed her head. "So do I." he added meaning it. He would have loved to meet the people who gave birth to, and raised children who were so different from each other. They stayed in the bathroom until they heard an impatient tap on the door. "Hurry up!" Barb called in. "I'll see you at noon with your feeding." Nathan said as he kissed her. "I love you." Louise opened the bathroom door to let Barb in and looked at her. "You don't look too good, are you alright?" "I'm fine just let me pass." Barb snapped. Barb pushed past Louise and brushed against her arm. Louise felt a flash of knowledge that was gone before it took root. She then realized that she hadn't asked Nathan how the evening with her brothers went. "I forgot to ask you when I talked to you how the evening with Leon and Gene went." she said when Nathan answered the phone. "It was fine... Gene left after a couple of hours, and Leon fell asleep which was why I was able to come to you so easily." Nathan said. "But while I have you on the phone, Patrick and I talked this morning. We thought that we could leave on our trips after your family left. What do you think?" "I kind of wondered about that." Louise said. "I'm fine with waiting, and as you know we don't even have to go anywhere." "I know, and we've discussed this." Nathan said firmly. "We're going on a honeymoon. It's just postponed until after your family leaves." He told her about the plans he and Patrick made and asked for her input. "That sounds like fun." she agreed. "The only thing that I would like to add is that I want the sisters to cook together." "Hot wings?" Nathan asked. "If you want." Louise replied laughing. ******* Barb listened to Lou talking to Nathan, and felt another surge of anger and jealousy. She wasn't sure of how she was going to make it through the day and evening without saying something smart assed. Then she decided that she wouldn't try to control herself. Whatever happened happened. She no longer cared. She pushed the memory of the relatively good time she had the night before away, and allowed her anger and jealousy to take over. ******* Louise felt the change in Barb as soon as she came out of the bathroom. She lowered her shields, and quickly put them back up. She decided not to say anything. It wouldn't have done any good, and besides, Barb had been warned. She looked around for Kevyn and saw her sitting out on the patio. She wanted to talk to her before Barb created a problem. She took a step toward the patio, and stopped realizing that she couldn't go outdoors. "Damn!" she muttered under her breath. "Bad word." Celeste said from behind her. Louise jumped. She hadn't heard Celeste come into the room. "I'm sorry baby." Louise said. "You're right, but could you do something for me?" "You want me to go get Auntie Kev." "H... how did you know that?" Louise asked surprised. "I don't know." Celeste replied and looked away. "Celeste, look at me." Louise said as she knelt and took the girl's small face into her hands. "I'm not mad." Louise assured her. "I'm just surprised. I already know how special you are, and it's nothing to be ashamed or afraid of. But if you like, we can make this our secret." "You won't tell?" Celeste asked. "Not unless you tell me it's ok or I have to." Louise replied, and then got an idea. "Let's play a game. It's a new way to play hide and seek." Celeste cocked her head to the side as she always did when she was confused, or she had a question. "We're going to play with our minds." Louise said as she took Celeste by the hand and led her to a corner. "I bet it scares you when you feel what other people are feeling doesn't it?" Louise asked. "Yes." Celeste replied clearly relieved that someone understood. "I'm going to teach you a trick that Uncle Nathan taught me." Louise said. "When you don't want to know what people are feeling, you hide. Pretend that you have a sheet, and pull it over you. That way no one can get in. Try it." After several attempts, Celeste had the hang of it. "Now, if you want to know what people are feeling, you can lift the sheet. If you only want to know a little, then lift the sheet just a little. You choose how much you want to hide and seek." They practiced for a few more minutes. Louise could tell that Celeste was already feeling better by the shy smile that the girl gave her. "Just remember what we practiced and you'll be fine." Louise assured her with a hug. "Can you go get Aunt Kev for me?" As Celeste ran to the patio, Louise puzzled over the fact that Celeste knew that she needed to talk to Kevyn. A few minutes later, Kevyn was in the corner talking to Louise. The first thing Louise told Kevyn about was Celeste. "She knew that I wanted her to go get you." "Maybe it was a fluke." Kevyn said. "I don't think so, but at any rate, I taught her how to shield." "Alright, what else?" Kevyn asked. "Barb is going to cause trouble tonight." Louise said. "I don't know what she's going to say or do, but I wanted to warn you ahead of time." "I'll talk to her..." "It won't help, and could make it worse." Louise said interrupting her. "We've said everything that needs to be said, and it's out of our hands. The only thing that we can do is not feed into it by letting her rile us." "I still think that I should say something." Kevyn said. "What would you say that hasn't already been said?" Louise asked. "She doesn't care; at least she thinks she doesn't. I think that we should warn Patrick and Nathan, and let the chips fall where they may." Reluctantly, Kevyn agreed. They could hear Juliette talking to the kids, but Barb was nowhere to be found. They found out from Wanda that Barb had left without saying anything. "I think she was mad about something." Wanda said. Louise and Kevyn looked at each other, sighed and smiled. It was going to be an interesting evening. "How about going to the restaurant for breakfast?" Kevyn asked pushing Barb out of her mind. "I don't think so." Juliette said. "We're not taking the chance that we'll run into the guys. We're ordering in." Both Louise and Kevyn made a show of wanting to go to the restaurant, and then took turns in the shower. "You go first." Louise told Kevyn. ****** As soon as Kevyn was in the door, arms surrounded her. "I've missed you." Patrick said as he stripped her and lifted her into the shower. He turned on the radio by the shower, and then the shower before sliding into her without warning. Kevyn wrapped her arms around his neck and went along for the ride. When she felt her orgasm begin, she buried her face in his neck, and moaned as Patrick pounded into her only stopping when he was empty. Afterwards, he washed her hair and back as they talked. "I hate to say it." Patrick said when she finished telling him about Barb. "But Louise may be right. We could compel her, but that would only be a temporary fix." "That is so tempting." Kevyn said. "But no, let her hang herself. Once she sees that no one is paying attention to her, maybe she'll stop." "I have to get going." Patrick said. "Nathan is waiting to see Louise." After a quick kiss goodbye, Patrick was gone. Kevyn finished drying off, put her nightshirt back on and left the bathroom. "Your turn." She said to Louise as she passed her on the way to Juliette's room. Louise hurried into the bathroom and straight into Nathan's arms. A few minutes later, they were in the shower with the music playing to cover the sounds of lovemaking. When they were through, Louise told him about Celeste and then Barb. "You taught her how to shield?" he asked his pride in her obvious "I did, and she's a quick study." Louise replied. "I think that she feels better already." "I'm sure that she does." Nathan replied as he wondered where the Yancy children would fit into the Sinclaire/Yancy line. However, he disagreed with the approach to the issue of Barb. "She's acting like a spoiled child, and I won't tolerate any more of her shit. This is our wedding, and if she can't behave then she needs to keep her ass away. In fact, I think I'll pay her a visit." "Nathan..." "No, I've had it. Her nonsense ends now." Nathan said in a tone that Louise had never heard him use. He kissed her goodbye, assured her that he wouldn't hurt Barb; and was gone. ****** Barb slammed the door of her suite closed not caring who heard her. "I love you." she mimicked in an imitation of Louise and then Kevyn's voice as she threw her overnight bag across the room. She was still cursing and mimicking her sisters when she heard the demanding knock on the door. "Go away!" she yelled thinking that it was house keeping. When the knocking persisted, she stomped to the door, flung it open. She opened her mouth to berate whomever it as that wouldn't go away, and closed it when she saw that it was Nathan. "I want to talk with you, and I don't care where so you can either let me in or I'll do it in the hallway." Nathan said staring down at her with icy blue eyes. Barb was tempted to tell him to go to hell, but thought better of it. Nathan scared her in a way that Patrick didn't. "Say what you have to say and get out." Barb snapped as she stepped back to let him into the suite. Nathan gave her a smile that was as cold as the look in his eyes. "I don't know what you've got cooked up for tonight nor do I care." he said. "What I do care about is how it will affect Louise and the wedding. So I'm here to give you fair warning, if you do or say anything to disrupt the ceremony or the reception, you will regret it." "What are you going to do? Lock me away?" Barb asked defiantly briefly forgetting her fear. "You would be surprised at what I could do." Nathan said his eyes flashing. Barb gasped, and stepped back as she felt warm liquid run down her legs. "I don't like you." he continued. "I tolerate your presence only because you are Louise's sister. If I had my way, you wouldn't be attending the ceremony or the reception. Now, I want your word that you will be on your best behavior." "You can't...." "Silence." Nathan said firmly. "Look at me." When Barb was looking at him, he issued a command. "Every time you even think of being disruptive by word or by deed, you will excuse yourself to the restroom where you will stay until you have regained control of yourself. If there is no restroom available, you will keep your mouth shut. Understood?" "I.... yes." Barb replied. "Good, and if Louise asks if I came to see you, tell her the truth." Nathan left a few seconds later answering his phone as he walked away. "Hello sweetheart... she's fine... I promise, and she won't be a problem tonight...I'll see you at noon for your feeding. I love you too." Barb came out of her daze to find that she was wet, and that she was standing on a soaked carpet. It took her a moment to remember that Nathan had just paid her a visit, and warned her to behave. "Screw you!" she hissed as she went to the bathroom to shower. As she showered, she wondered why she had wet herself instead of going to the bathroom. ********* Gene was in a quandary. As of yet, neither of his future brothers had mentioned his proposals even when they had been together in Leon's suite. The fact that they hadn't mentioned it reinforced the growing realization that he had made a grave error in not approaching them directly. The only thing that he was completely sure of was that he couldn't approach them today and possibly for the rest of his stay. If they chose to invest with him, it wouldn't be for anywhere near the amount in the proposals. There was a bright side he realized. Even if they invested a small portion of what he suggested, he would have the distinction of bringing the Sinclaire name to the firm. Add that to the fact that they were now related, if only by marriage. Gene smiled to himself, as he looked at the clothes that he never could have afforded since Dana left him. He wasn't leaving California empty handed. If he had to, he would approach Kevyn and Louise, and have them talk to their husbands. His hope was that they would convince Nathan and Patrick to make major investments. If they did that, then he would be in good shape. ******** Leon was up early. He changed into his gym clothes and headed for the hotel gym. He hoped to run into Nadine again, and was disappointed when he didn't see her. On a whim, he stopped by the front desk to see if Hans was there. "Good morning!" Hans greeted when he saw Leon. "Good morning." Leon replied. "May I help you with something?" Hans asked. "Maybe." Leon replied. "I was wondering about Nadine... is she seeing anyone?" Hans looked at Leon for several long seconds before answering. Nadine was like a daughter to him, and he was as protective of her as any father would be of his child. "Why do you ask?" Hans asked his tone cool and guarded. Leon was surprised at Hans' change in attitude. "Whoa!" Leon said holding his hands up in surrender. "I didn't know that you and her... I thought you were into my sister." "What?" Hans asked, and then saw where the misunderstanding lie. "No, you misunderstand. Nadine and I are not together. It's just that she is like a daughter to me, and I take her happiness very seriously. And yes I am into your sister as you put it." The two men looked at each other and laughed. "So is Nadine attached?" Leon asked again. "No." Hans replied. "She isn't." "Is she working tonight?" Leon asked. "No she isn't. " Hans replied. "She will be attending the reception this evening as will I." "Great, then I'll see you there." Leon said as he walked away. He liked California better by the minute and was beginning to think about staying. ******* Hans watched Leon walk away, and was pleased. He knew something that Leon didn't, and wondered if Nadine knew. As he finished his shift, he thought about Nadine. He had found her hiding half-starved the century before wandering in the woods behind his home. It seemed so long ago, but it really wasn't. He had taken her in, taught her how to survive as a vampire, and came to love her as a daughter. In all of that time, she never told him how she came to be in the woods, or anything about the vampires who had turned; and then left her for dead. And he hadn't asked. What he did know was that she had been mistreated. It had taken him weeks to make her understand that he wasn't going to hurt her. She had come a long way since then. His family had accepted her as one of their own, and all of them participated in her care and education. Currently, she had three degrees, all PhDs in psychology, business and literature and was working on a fourth in international studies, and was thinking about a fifth. The brilliance of her mind never ceased to amaze him, and he was happy to continue funding her education for as long as she wished to attend school. The walls of his living room at home and office were covered with the evidence of her accomplishments as well as pictures of them together at every graduation and celebration. He smiled as he thought about the new pictures and certificates that he hoped soon would be joining those of Nadine's. Then he stopped. His home was fine for two or three people but not five or.... His smile widened at the prospect of having children with Juliette. It was time to move. ****** Juliette kept looking at Celeste. There was something different about her. She seemed more at ease, happier. The change had started on the plane, and now it was obvious that her little girl was doing much better. "Celeste, come here." Juliette called determined to see if she could find out what was happening. "How are you doing?" she asked when Celeste reached her. "Fine." Celeste said quietly. "You like it here don't you?" Juliette asked. "Yes." "How come?" Juliette asked as he pulled the little girl into her lap. "Aunt Lou taught me how to play hide and seek." Celeste replied her voice soft but serious. "She did?" Juliette asked not understanding what a game had to do with Celeste's more relaxed demeanor. "Yes." "Can you teach me?" "It's a secret." Celeste whispered as she climbed out of Juliette's lap and walked away. Juliette stared after Celeste, and then went in search of Louise. She found Louise and Kevyn in the bedroom talking about whether to wear their hair up or down. Louise Ch. 13 "My vote is down." she said from the doorway. "Hah! Two to one!" Kevyn exclaimed triumphantly. "Ok fine!" Louise grumbled. Juliette sat on the bed, hesitated, and then spoke to Louise. "What did you tell Celeste not to tell me?" "Nothing why?" Louise asked still debating over the hair issue. "She told me that you taught her how to play hide and seek, but when I asked her to teach me; she said that it was a secret." "All I did was teach her how to block out the emotions of those around her." Louise said. "She's so sensitive that I thought that I could help." "That was it?" Juliette asked. "That's it." Louise replied. "I didn't tell her not to tell you, although I think I know why she said that. I wanted her to do something for me, and she knew what it was before I asked. It scared her so I told her that it was our secret unless she told me that it was alright to tell or that I had to tell you." "I'm not mad, I was just curious." Juliette said. "And whatever you did, it helped so thank you." "You're welcome, are you sure about the hair thing?" Louise asked changing the subject. ******** At five pm sharp, Louise and Kevyn were in the hotel lobby. Louise had already donned the dark sunglasses and the lightweight jacket whose sleeves were long enough that she could put her hands inside. "Ready?" Kevyn asked. "Ready." Louise confirmed. "Nathan is in the car closest to the door." Kevyn said as they walked to the entrance. "See you soon." As soon as the door opened, Louise took off, and jumped into the back seat of the car whose door was already open. Nathan didn't give her a chance to sit on the seat before he had her in his lap. "Noon seems like a lifetime ago." he said after he kissed her. He eased her onto the seat next to him, opened the small fridge, and pulled out a large glass carafe filled with blood. "It's going to be a long night so I want to be sure that you have enough although there will be blood available at the reception." "What about you?" Louise asked. "I fed before we left." He assured her as he handed her a large glass filled with blood. "I'm still full from lunch." Louise said as she accepted the glass. "And I'm too nervous to even think about putting anything in my stomach" she added. "Alright, but promise that you'll say something as soon as you begin to feel uncomfortable." Nathan said as he took the glass from her and poured the contents back into the carafe. "I promise." Louise said and laid her head on his shoulder. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" Nathan asked as he listened and felt for any signs of pregnancy. "I'm fine." she assured him and closed her eyes. ******* The house was buzzing with activity. It was fully furnished, but not with the furniture that was on order. Nathan had hired an interior decorator to take care of furnishing the house for the wedding. He and Louise were both pleased with her work. The house staff was busy setting up the chairs on the beach, and making sure that refreshments were ready for those who would be arriving early. Nathan gave Louise a kiss, and sent her to their room as soon as he heard the other cars approaching. "I'll see you in a hour." he said kissing her again. Kevyn joined her a few minutes later. "This place is gorgeous! Do we have time for a quick tour?" "I think so, but why don't we wait for the others?" Louise replied. The rest of the group arrived a few minutes later. Louise gave a quick tour pointing out where the bathrooms were. "There are snacks and things to drink in the refrigerator so help yourselves." Louise said. "Barb and Juliette, you and the girls can either change in the room with us or use one of the spare bedrooms." "We'll come with you." Juliette said as she looked around for Barb. "She went to the bathroom." Wanda said. ******** As soon as Barb saw the house, she started to make a disparaging remark. She was shocked when she couldn't speak. She tried several times to say something, but no sound came out, and no one seemed to notice. Once inside of the house, she tried to speak again, but had the inexplicable need to use the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to figure out what was happening. "Aunt Barb?" Wanda called in. "Mom says that we need to hurry up." "I'm coming." Barb called back as she continued to look at her reflection in the mirror. Another pimple had appeared. A small one that she could conceal with make up. "Pregnant." a soft voice whispered in the back of her mind. "No." Barb murmured refusing to believe it. She left the bathroom, and followed the sound of female voices. "Where is she?" Juliette asked as she helped Celeste with her dress that was the same shade of pink as her fingernails. "I'm right here!" Barb snapped. "You would think that this was a royal coronation...." She didn't finish her sentence. She turned, looked for the bathroom, and went in once she found it. Kevyn looked at Louise, who mouthed "later." Barb came out of the bathroom, and changed clothes without speaking to anyone. The fact that both brides, her sister and nieces were dressed comfortably for a beach wedding, and not a black tie affair didn't faze her in the least. No one said anything until she put her shoes on. "Ummm Barb, you might want to leave the shoes." Juliette said as she slipped on her flat-soled sandals. Barb started to lash out, but bit her tongue. "She's right." Kevyn said, "You're going to have a hard time walking in the sand in those heels." "I'll be fine." she replied not looking at Kevyn. "Ten minutes!" Leon called into the room. Juliette and the girls hugged Louise and Kevyn before leaving the room. Barb only glared and followed them out. "What's going on?" Kevyn asked Louise when they were alone. "Nathan compelled her to either go to the bathroom or to keep her mouth shut when she thought about doing or saying anything to ruin tonight." Louise replied. Kevyn grinned. "I really like the way that he thinks." "Kev do I look alright?" Louise asked her mind already on the ceremony. "You look beautiful." Kevyn replied. "Barb was right, peach is your color." Louise took a deep breath, and looked down at herself. The peasant style peach top and skirt did look nice against the brown of her skin. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and had to admit that Juliette was right about leaving her hair down. She looked at the sandals that were supposed to go with her dress, and decided not to wear them. Somehow, it didn't seem right. She looked over at Kevyn whose outfit was the same as hers, but only a deeper shade of peach. Kevyn felt her watching and smiled. "I agree about the sandals." Louise could only nod. Her stomach was roiling as it had in the first grade when she had to recite a poem in front of the class. Her gorge rose when she remembered that she threw up in front of the whole class when she finished reciting the poem. "Kev..." she started to say when she heard Nathan's voice in her head. "I'm waiting for you." he said. "Just focus on that and my voice and you'll be fine." "I don't know if I can do this." she replied telepathically. "When you walk out, just look at me and no one else. It's just a short walk." Nathan replied. "I'll ... I'll be alright." Louise replied. "I'm waiting." Nathan said and went silent. Kevyn took Louise's cold hand in hers, walked to the bedroom door and opened it. The sound of the ocean filled the room calming Louise. She gave Kevyn's hand a squeeze signaling that she was ready. Louise picked up the bouquets of wild flowers that lay on the dresser by the door, and handed one to Kevyn. Together they walked to the door that would lead them to their mates. Leon met them at the door that led to the beach, positioned himself between them, and offered each of them an arm. He had talked to Gene about walking them down the aisle, but Gene had declined saying that he hadn't been asked. "You're the oldest." Leon said. "You're supposed to take dad's place." When Gene continued to refuse, Leon took the duty upon himself. "You both look beautiful." he said, and then kissed each of his sisters' on the cheek. He began to walk them to where Patrick and Nathan stood waiting with the minister, stopping when he reached them. "Take good care of them." he admonished as he handed Kevyn over to Patrick, and Louise over to Nathan. He stood until he had a response from each man. "You have my word." Patrick and then Nathan said. Satisfied, he sat down next to Juliette, and took Celeste into his lap. ***** Barb watched as Leon walked Kevyn and Louise to the front of the group. She noticed Patrick's mother and her husband sitting in the front and to the left of her, and Nathan's parents in the front and to the right of her. What shocked her was that Nathan's mother was pregnant. It didn't make sense. She was too old wasn't she? She looked at Nathan who had to be in his late thirties at best, and then at his parents. Then, the thought was gone. An angry thought replaced that one. She was going to mutter it under her breath, but the words stuck in her throat. She shifted in her seat uncomfortable in her heels and the dress that she had chosen to wear. Even though there was a breeze, the air was still warm, and the material of the dress seemed to amplify the warmth. When everyone was preoccupied with the wedding, she kicked off her shoes, and then pretended to be paying attention. She was actually wishing that she was anywhere but where she was. ******* Nathan whispered a word of thanks to Leon for once again stepping into the role of eldest male. When he saw Louise, his breath caught. The peach colored outfit was a perfect complement to her skin. The way her hair blew in her face reminded him of the first time he had brought her to the beach. His hands itched to tuck it behind her ear as he did that night. "You are so beautiful." he thought to her as she walked toward him holding onto her brother's arm. He had forgotten about Kevyn and Patrick until Leon spoke to them. He took Louise's hands in his, and pulled her into his arms not caring whether it was a part of the ceremony or not. After holding her for a moment, he gently pushed her back, tucked her hair behind her ear; and kissed her. "Are we ready?" the minister asked. "Ready." Nathan said after breaking the kiss. As the minister read his prepared wedding vows, Nathan was saying his own to Louise telepathically. "I Nathan Sinclaire take you Louise Yancy as my wife, my mate, my friend and lover for eternity. I promise to love and protect you and our children even if it should cost me my life. Your family is now my family, and they are under my protection from this moment forth." When the minister was finished speaking, Nathan removed the plain gold band that he was wearing on his pinky finger, and slipped it onto Louise's left hand, ring finger. When it was in place, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. Louise's physical and telepathic voice was tight as she listened to Nathan's vows. She had so much that she wanted to say, but didn't know where to begin. The only thing that she could get out was a choked "I love you." as she slipped the gold wedding band onto his left hand, ring finger. Nathan didn't wait for the minister to finish with Patrick and Kevyn before he kissed Louise. He didn't release her from his arms until the minister finished with Kevyn and Patrick, and got ready to announce them husbands and wives. "I am pleased to introduce to the world Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Sinclaire and Mr. and Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Sinclaire." Everyone with the exception of Gene and Barb clapped and shouted as the two couples made their way back to the house. Even Joseph, who had been so sullen at the twin's wedding clapped and whistled as they walked by hand in hand. Gene's face remained impassive until they reached him; and then he forced a smile. Barb sat scowling, but unable to verbalize any of the thoughts that went through her mind. A wave of nausea hit her making her breath catch. She waited until the nausea passed, got unsteadily to her feet, and made her way back the car that would take them to the reception. She would have forgotten her shoes if Vincent hadn't noticed them beneath her chair. Once in the car, she laid her head back, and waited for the others to get in. She closed her eyes when she heard Juliette get into the car with the kids followed by Leon and then Gene. "Mom and dad would have been so proud!" Juliette said as she strapped Celeste in. "It was a beautiful wedding!" "It sure was." Leon agreed. "Poor Lou though, I thought that she was going to toss her cookies." "But she didn't." Juliette replied. "I'm glad that you walked with them, I think that helped her." "I wish that..." Barb started to say but could get no further. It was beginning to dawn on her that whenever she thought bad thoughts, or was going to say something bad, she couldn't talk. To prove out her theory, she began to say something negative about Louise. Then she said something neutral. "It was a nice night for a wedding." And she had no problem speaking. "What in the hell is going on?" she muttered. ******* Nathan took Louise to their bedroom, while Patrick took Kevyn to one of the spare rooms to spend a few minutes alone with her before going to the reception. "You are a beautiful bride." Nathan told Louise when they were alone. "I'm sorry that I couldn't say anything." Louise said. "I knew what I wanted to say but ...." "No worries." Nathan assured her. "You said the most important thing, and that's what matters." He hugged her and kissed her head; and then frowned. "Sweetheart, you're hot again." he commented. "I am?" Louise asked. "I feel fine, but I am a little hungry." Nathan was confused. The effects of the turning should have been over long before now, and Louise said that she felt fine. He made a mental note to call Gretchen Matthews to see if she could look at Louise. It was a meeting that was bound to happen any way, as she would be the one to deliver their babies. "Alright then, let's get going." Nathan said. "You can drink the blood that you didn't drink earlier." A few minutes later, they were on their way to the reception. Kevyn and Patrick sat in the seat across from them wishing that they hadn't decided to ride back in the same car. Louise blocked them out, and concentrated on not spilling blood on her outfit. By the time they arrived at the reception, her temperature was gone, although she still maintained that she never felt sick. As soon as they were out of the car, they heard someone call out, "They're here!" The music stopped as everyone waited for them to walk through the gate and into the yard. When the cheers died down, the music began again; and the party commenced. Gene sat in a corner watching the party, and made a decision. He was going to approach the sister who was the most approachable- Louise but he had to wait. ******** Hans was waiting by the front gate when the car containing Juliette and the children arrived. He rushed to the car, and opened the door before the driver was out of the car. He smiled, and then nodded at Leon, barely glanced at Gene, offered Barb his hand because it was the polite thing to do; and held out his arms for Celeste. "She won't co...." Juliette's mouth dropped open when Celeste reached for Hans and allowed him to hold her. Next, he held out a free hand to Wanda who giggled, and then to Juliette who blushed when she took his hand. "I've reserved a table for nine in case others from your family decide to join us." Hans said still holding on to Juliette's hand. "Are we ready?" he asked. Juliette was tongue-tied. Her mouth wouldn't work no matter how hard she tried to form the word "yes." so she nodded her head. Hans led his family over to the table that he had reserved. Leon was already at the table talking to Nadine. "I hope that you don't mind." Leon said. "I saw Nadine sitting alone and decided to join her." "I don't mind at all." Hans replied. "I was hoping that you would join us." He led Juliette to a chair, and sat between her and Nadine still holding Celeste in his arms. Victor held out the chair next to Juliette for Wanda, and imitated the slight bow he had seen Hans do several times. He beamed when Hans and Leon both smiled at him. "Shall we go get refreshments for the ladies?" Hans asked. "They're here!" Someone shouted before anyone could reply. Hans stood up still holding Celeste, pulled out Juliette's chair, and offered her his free hand. When she took it, he felt a current pass between them that he was sure that she felt as well. His suspicions were confirmed when Juliette looked up at him and blushed. "Come on!" Wanda exclaimed. "I want to see them come in!" Juliette was going to pull her hand out of Hans' but he wouldn't let it go. Another current passed between them and Juliette's grip on Hans' hand tightened. "Come on!" Wanda said pulling on Juliette's free hand. They made it to the gate just as Kevyn and Patrick were close to the gate followed by Louise and Nathan. No one noticed that Barb wasn't with them, but was sitting at a table glaring at them. Thoughts that she couldn't verbalize ran through her head as she watched the two couples pass by. The nausea was back even worse than it had been before, but she was sure that she wasn't going to throw up. She dug through her purse for the package of mints that were more helpful for the nausea than the tums were, and chewed three of them. As juvenile as it was, she wished that she could throw up all over everything. The thought barely had time to register before she was making a run for the nearest bathroom. She slammed the door closed, leaned against it, and waited for the nausea and dizziness to pass. Once it did, she went to the sink, wet a washcloth and was about to apply it to her neck when she stopped and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Another pimple had appeared next to the previous one. She reached into her purse, took out the sample-sized container of concealer, and set about covering the pimple. Just as she finished, another wave of nausea hit her, and this time, she threw up. "Oh my god." she murmured as she finally verbalized what she had been denying for days. "I'm pregnant." Suddenly, her jealousy of Louise and Kevyn wasn't important. She stared into the mirror trying to come to grips with what she considered an unwelcome and disastrous situation. No man, rich or poor would look at her with a big belly; and then a newborn. "Shit!" she swore and then wondered how it happened. She was on birth control... Depo-Provera, so she shouldn't have gotten pregnant. She sat on the toilet seat, and tried to process how it could have happened. Children had never been a part of her life's plan. That fact was the main reason why her husband left her. She grimaced as she remembered some of the fights that they had had over the issue. Shock slowly gave way to anger as she saw what she wanted in life go down the drain. The sound of approaching voices made her pull herself together. She only had to get through the rest of the visit with her family; and she could begin to plan. The newlyweds were on the dance floor when Barb went back to the reception. She glanced at them, but didn't give them a second thought as she went back to her table where she would sit for the rest of the night. ******** Gene saw Barb sitting alone and went to join her. "Are you alright?" he asked as he sat down. "Never better!" Barb snapped without looking at him. "I know how you feel." Gene said overlooking Barb's tone. "How did they do it?" he asked as he looked around the grounds until his eyes landed on the house. "Look at Leon." he mused. "He's got his head so far up their asses..." Louise Ch. 13 "It's called socializing." Juliette said from behind them. "You might try it; it's reported to be a lot of fun." "Where's your date?" Barb asked dryly. "At the table which he reserved for all of us." Juliette replied. "Why don't you sit with us?" "Sure, why not?" Gene replied suddenly seeing Hans as another investor. "I'll stay where I am." Barb replied as she shot Gene a withering look that he ignored. Barb looked over at the table where Hans was sitting with Leon who had his arm around... "The housekeeper?" Barb muttered. "He couldn't do better than a hotel worker?" She was more than ready to leave, but knew that if she did her phone would start ringing off the hook. "Just a few more days." she whispered. ****** It was an hour before Gene got his chance to dance with Kevyn, and then Louise. "Nice wedding." he said as he and Louise danced. "You and Kev did good... what's your secret?" Louise tensed; but said nothing. "I mean, you haven't been here that long, and you have a house on a private beach." Gene continued. "What do you want from me Gene?" Louise asked cutting to the chase. "Nothing really... I was just wondering if you knew who Nathan invested with..." "I don't believe this." Louise said softly. "I don't know why I'm surprised, but I am. Gene, this is me and Kevyn's wedding reception and not a time to drum up business." "I was only...: "I know exactly what you were doing, and I won't talk to Nathan for you." Louise said her tone cool. "Why not?" Gene asked. "Because you haven't talked to him and you're using me." Louise replied. "If you want to do business with Nathan, you talk to him about it. Thanks for the dance." She left Gene standing in the middle of the dance floor wondering what had happened to his sweet, easily manipulated sister. What he didn't notice, was that Nathan was watching him with eyes filled with disgust and anger. Nathan pushed the anger away when he saw Louise making her way toward him. He wasn't going to let anything ruin this night for her. When she reached him, he took her by the hand, and led her down a path that led to a small clearing. "I just needed a few moments alone with you." He said as he sat on the ground and pulled her into his lap. "How are you doing?' he asked after she was situated. "I'm fine." she replied. "You were right about Barb." "You're welcome." Nathan replied touching her face. "You're a little warm." he commented. "But I feel fine so stop worrying about me." Louise replied, and kissed his cheek. "We'd better get back before someone starts looking for us." No one seemed to have missed them as no comments were made. Kevyn and Patrick were sitting at the table with Nathan's parents and grandparents. When Kevyn saw them, she smiled and patted the empty seat next to her. "I was just telling Kevyn that both of you make such lovely brides." Maryanne said. "This family is blessed to have been given both of you." "Thank you." Louise replied. "But I feel like I'm the lucky one. You've all been very kind to me, and I appreciate it." "Patrick says that you hope to open your own restaurant someday." George, Maryanne's husband said. "I would like to, but there's so much that I don't know." Louise replied relaxing a little at the change of subject. "We know that you're a good cook." George said. "Your bread is excellent, and from what I hear from Patrick, you know your way around a kitchen." "We're planning to go to France next week." Nathan said. "I signed us up at one of the cooking schools." As Nathan was talking, Kevyn happened to look out to the dance floor. Her eyes widened, she kicked Louise's foot, and indicated that she should look toward the dance floor. It took Louise a few seconds to figure out what Kevyn wanted her to see. When she saw it, she smiled. ******* "Juliette," Hans said softly, "may I please have this dance?" "Go on." Leon said. "Me and Nadine will take care of baby girl." Juliette looked around for Victor and Wanda, and saw them at another table talking to Patrick's niece Victoria. "We'll keep an eye on them too." Leon assured her. Juliette looked at Hans, wondered why she was hesitating and then realized that she was afraid. The longer the evening went, the more she liked Hans and the way he dealt with her children. She knew that she was falling for him when he explained his relationship to Nadine after she had called him papa. "You did that for a girl that you didn't know?" Juliette asked. "I would have done that for anyone who appeared at my home the way that Nadine did." Hans replied. "I believe that people are placed in our paths for a reason whether that reason is good or evil, and Nadine was for the good. She is brilliant. It has been a privilege to help her, and I am honored that she considers me her father." "Juliette?" Hans called softly. "Please dance with me." Still she hesitated. Hans reminded her of Angel in so many ways, but he was different. She knew that if she danced with him, it would be over, she would fall the rest of the way in love with him. She wanted to say no just to protect her children from another hurt, but she couldn't resist. She took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. The moment Hans put his arms around her, she knew that he was the one man that she could compare to Angel, and that he wouldn't fall short. They danced in silence for the first song and through part of the second before Hans spoke. "I don't want you and the children to leave." "Hans..." "I know that this is sudden, but it really isn't." Hans said. "Have dinner with me and allow me to explain." "I can't just up and move to California!" Juliette exclaimed. "I don't have a job, my belongings are in Pennsylvania, and so is the kid's father." "If you had a job, and a place to live would you think about it?" Hans asked. "I'm putting the cart before the horse, have dinner with me tomorrow night. Sasha will be more than happy to watch the children so that we can talk." Juliette thought about it for the length of the third song. "Alright." she replied. "Thank you Juliette." Hans said, and kissed her temple. Half the battle was over. ******** The sight of Hans and Juliette began to push Barb to the breaking point. She couldn't explain why it angered her so much, but just when she thought that she couldn't take any more, she looked over, and saw Leon kiss Nadine on the temple. She stood so quickly that the world spun. She had to wait until it stopped before she could move. She gathered her things, and practically ran to the gate where drivers were waiting to take guests home or wherever they wished to go. Barb gave her address and stared out of the window once she was in the car. When her phone rang, she ignored it. She wasn't going to talk to anyone until she had to which would be at the gathering at Kevyn and Patrick's on Monday evening. In the meantime, she planned to think about what to do about the unwanted child that she was carrying. ******* Louise was the one who saw Barb hurry off, and wondered what had happened. She lowered her shields, and felt Barb's intense anger, but wasn't able to determine the cause until much later in the evening. She excused herself, went to a quiet corner, and called Barb's cell phone. She wasn't surprised when there wasn't an answer. "What's the matter?" Nathan asked from behind her. "Barb left suddenly and I wanted to check up on her." Louise replied. "Is she alright?" Nathan asked more out of concern for Louise than Barb. "I think so." Louise replied. "Thank you for asking." "I may not like her, but you're concerned about her which concerns me." Nathan replied. "It looks as though you weren't the only one to come to California to be found by your mate." he commented. "Hans and Juliette?" Louise asked. "He'll be good for her." "Not just her." Nathan said. "Look over in the far corner." Louise looked in the direction where Nathan indicated. "Leon and Nadine?" she asked surprised. "That's great! But wait... how?" "I'll explain later." Nathan said. "Let's enjoy the rest of the reception." ****** Gene left shortly after Barb did. He too had seen and heard enough. He thought about going home early, and changed his mind. Who knew when he would get another opportunity like this? And for all he knew, Louise could change her mind about talking to Nathan. Like Barb, he left without saying anything. He didn't want to come up with a viable reason for his early departure. He walked up to the first driver he saw and gave the address of the hotel. It was a good time to get a good buzz going since no one would be there to check on him. When he arrived at the hotel, he thought about going to see Barb. In the end, he decided that he wasn't in the mood for her bitchiness. A cold can of beer sounded much better. ******** At two am, Celeste was asleep in Hans' lap, Wanda was still talking to Victoria with whom she had become fast friends, and Victor was asleep with his head in Juliette's lap. Leon and Nadine were off in a corner quietly talking amongst themselves, and the newlyweds had already gone to their undisclosed locations. Before they left, Kevyn and Louise spoke with the siblings who remained at the party. "Monday evening." Kevyn said "and feel free to bring dates." she added looking at Juliette and Leon. "A car will be at the hotel to pick you up around four-thirty." "You really don't have to stick around for us." Juliette said. "We know, but we want to." Louise replied. "You came all the way out here, and we wouldn't feel right about leaving you. Could you make sure to remind Gene and Barb?" Patrick, Nathan and Hans stood back and waited for the discussion to be over. "Congratulations." Patrick said slapping Hans on the back. "That may be premature." Hans replied. "She hasn't accepted me yet, and she leaves in four days. If that happens I will need some time off." "She'll accept you." Nathan said. "I agree." Patrick said. "And if you need to go to Pittsburgh, then so be it. Take as much time as you need." "Thank you... would it be wrong of me to say that I'm glad that it isn't the other one?" Hans asked. "Not at all." Nathan said. "Both Patrick and I have said the same thing. What I'm curious about is why the fates changed their minds." "I'm not so sure that they did." Hans replied. "I think that it was her." "Maybe it was a combination of the two." Patrick said. "But whatever the reason, you dodged the bullet and got a much better mate out of it." "This is true." Hans replied, and then hesitated. "I know that in mating with Kevyn and Louise that you have extended your protection to their siblings. I would like to add my protection to yours, as you are now a part of my family. I may not be as powerful, or as wealthy as you are, but I am not without my resources. I would die to protect anyone in this family." Patrick held out a hand to Hans. "Money or power has nothing to do with it. The willingness to do whatever needs to be done to protect your family does." He said. "You are a good man, and I can see that you care for Juliette and her children. Welcome to our family." Hans shook Patrick and then Nathan's hand. "Thank you." Hans said. He went to Juliette, whispered something in her ear, and moved away with a smile on his face. "And the family continues to grow." Nathan said quietly. ******** Louise was hot again, but denied feeling ill. Nathan made her feed again, and made a unilateral decision. She was going to see Gretchen before the gathering on Monday. He told Louise about the decision as he drove back to the beach house. "I'm not sick." she insisted. "Probably not, but you still shouldn't be having fevers." Nathan insisted. "It's only a matter of time until you meet Gretchen anyway." he added. "Who is she again?" Louise asked. "Do you think that I'm pregnant?" Louise asked after Nathan told her who and what Gretchen was. "I don't know." Nathan said. "I've been listening for a heart beat and watching for other signs of pregnancy, but I've seen and heard nothing. I know that you think that I'm overreacting, but sweetheart something is going on with you, and I'd rather be safe than sorry." "What if I am pregnant?" Louise asked. "I would be thrilled although I must admit, that I thought that I would have you to myself for a few centuries." Nathan replied. "What about you? Would you be alright with being pregnant?" "I would have to be wouldn't I?" Louise asked. "It would take getting used to like everything else I've experienced in the past few weeks has, but I would adapt." "We would adapt together." Nathan said taking her hand. The conversation ended when the house came into view. The chairs from the wedding were gone. In their place was a blanket with a picnic basket sitting on it. "We have two hours before we have to go in so I thought that we could spend them where it began." Nathan said taking her hand. "I don't understand." Louise replied. "I knew who you were as soon as I saw you." Nathan replied. "But it was here on this spot that I fell in love with you. It was a night much like tonight. There was a breeze that blew your hair into your face... Remember?" he asked. "I reached down just like I did last night, and tucked your hair behind your ear." "I remember." Louise said. "It just seems fitting that we make love here." "Are you sure that we're alone?" Louise teased as she toyed with the buttons on his shirt before beginning to unbutton them. "Completely." he assured her as he pulled her into him. "You really are a beautiful bride. You are a beautiful mate, and you will be a beautiful mother." Louise stood on her tiptoes using Nathan's shirt as support, and pulled him down to her for a kiss. Tears were brimming in her eyes when they broke the kiss. "You're crying." Nathan said concerned. "I'm happy." Louise replied. "That's what I like to hear." Nathan said as he wiped away a tear that had escaped. "And happy is how I'm going to keep you." In a blink of an eye, they were naked and lying on the blanket face to face to face. Nathan gently pushed Louise onto her back and stretched out on top of her, his hips between her thighs. Just as he was about to enter her, he changed his mind. He pulled back, sat on his haunches and held his hands out to her. When she took them, he pulled her up to him, lifted her; and eased her down onto his cock. When she was sitting in his lap, his cock fully imbedded in her, Nathan kissed her lips, and then her neck. He pressed his lips against the pounding pulse and stilled. Louise becoming impatient began to move in his lap prompting Nathan to hold her in place. He held her in place for a full five minutes before releasing her, and biting into her neck. "You are mine, and I am yours." he thought to her as he began to drink from her. Another claiming wasn't necessary, but Nathan felt the need to do it anyway. It was as much for him as for her. Louise began to moan softly into Nathan's shoulder. The moans became louder and mixed with sobs as Nathan took her closer to orgasm. "Wait for me." Nathan thought to her as he felt his orgasm begin to build. Nathan closed his eyes, and allowed himself to feel what Louise was feeling. As soon as he felt her orgasm begin, he let his begin as well. The thought that their orgasms shouldn't be this intense flitted across his mind as his seed made its way into Louise's womb. The thought disappeared when Louise screamed her release into his neck. Afterwards, they stayed on the beach for as long as they could, the contents of the basket forgotten until they had to go inside. "What's in there?" Louise asked. "A carafe of wine, cheese and some fruit." Nathan replied. "But we'd better get inside. I can tolerate some sun, but you can't." Nathan hurried her into the house, sat her in the kitchen and ran from room to room making sure that all of the shutters and drapes were closed. By the time he made it back to the kitchen, Louise had already started making a breakfast casserole. "What are you doing?" Nathan asked. "This is supposed to be your wedding day." "We have to eat don't we?" Louise replied. "And I don't think that what's in that basket is going to fill you up." "Then you sit and let me do it." Nathan insisted as he took the whisk out of her hand. "You whisk and I'll cut." Louise replied picking up a knife. Nathan stopped arguing. For one, it was useless, and two, he liked cooking with her. While the casserole baked, Nathan made a call to Gretchen. "Nathan!" Gretchen exclaimed surprised to be hearing from him. "Is everything alright?" "I think so." Nathan replied. "Let me tell you what's been happening." Gretchen listened without interruption, and then began asking questions beginning with the normal signs of pregnancy. "No nausea and she doesn't complain of her breast being tender." Nathan replied. "She sleeps well, and as much as one would expect one who has just been turned to sleep, but Gretchen; what concerns me are the fevers." "What about pain?" Gretchen asked. "The only pain that she has is when she's missed a feeding." Nathan replied. "When can you see her?" "Does she feel ill during the fevers?" Gretchen asked. "No, she doesn't but, I think that's what concerns me." Nathan replied. "I've been listening for the heart beat of a child, but I don't hear anything." "But that doesn't mean that she isn't pregnant." Gretchen replied. "Katrina was pregnant with twins and I never heard the heart beat of the second baby. Unfortunately, we can't take into account her menstrual cycle...." "Why not?" Nathan asked. "I know that she hasn't bled since we've mated." "That may be, but when was her last cycle before that? For all you know, it could have been just before you mated." Gretchen replied. "Bring her by tomorrow night, or if you prefer; I can come to you tonight." "How soon can you get here?" Nathan asked. "Don't you want to ask Louise?" Gretchen asked. "This is the day after your wedding." "She is aware of my concerns, how soon can you get here?" Nathan asked. "Give me an hour." Gretchen replied and hung up. Nathan turned to tell Louise that Gretchen was coming to see her, and froze. Louise was bent over the kitchen sink dry heaving. He ran over to her, picked her up, carried her to the closest bedroom, and laid her on the bed. "I'm ok." she insisted as she tried to get up." "Stay put." Nathan said firmly. "Gretchen is on her way over. Are you having any pain?" he asked as he sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hands over her body. "No, and I was fine until I opened that package of sausage." Louise replied. "The smell just made me sick to my stomach; but I'm fine now." "Even so, stay put until Gretchen has seen you." Nathan said. He was trying to be calm, but he was frightened. What if she was pregnant and she was losing the baby? What if the pregnancy was endangering her life? If there was a choice to be made, he already knew whom he would choose. Louise would always come first. They would work through the loss of the child together and go from there. "Nathan, I'm fine." Louise said again as she felt his distress. "Just get rid of the sausage." Nathan looked at her, and then began to probe her. "Stop that!" Louise exclaimed. "Shh!" Nathan said as he concentrated on listening for anything abnormal, and the heartbeat of a baby. "Nathan, I am fine!" Louise exclaimed. Nathan stopped probing and looked at her for a few seconds before speaking. "When I mated with you, I promised to care for and protect you. I also promised that I wouldn't probe unless I had to, and in my mind, this is a have to. There's something going on that I don't understand, and I want to know what it is." Louise Ch. 13 "Don't you think that I would know if I was pregnant?" she asked. "Nathan, I know that you're worried, but don't be. I'm fine, I promise." Slowly Nathan began to relax. What Louise said had merit, and she wasn't worried about it. Maybe the sausage made her sick. But what about the fevers? "I'm sorry." he said stroking her face. "You mean so much to me, and the thought that I could lose you...I guess a little of the obsessive side of me is showing." he added with a weak smile. "I don't see it as being obsessive." Louise replied. "I see it as being cared for and loved but, what are you going to be like when I do get pregnant?" Louise teased. "You'll have an ulcer before the baby even gets here." Nathan laughed. "You're probably right." He replied. Suddenly, he tensed. "Someone's here. Stay put until I come for you." he said with a quick kiss. A few minutes later, he was back in the bedroom followed by a tall, thin, female vampire. "Sweetheart, this is Gretchen Matthews. Her mate Eustace has been instrumental in helping our family deal with its past." "Hi, I remember seeing you at the reception." Louise replied with a smile. "Hello." Gretchen replied with a warm smile. "I'm sure that Nathan told you how I know the family." "He did. "Thank you for coming." Louise replied. "But as I told Nathan, I'm fine. It was the smell of the sausage that made me sick." "I can buy that." Gretchen said as she sat on the side of the bed. "But what about the fevers? The pain when you miss a feeding is understandable, but the fevers aren't. You're way past the point where you should be having them." "But I feel fine even when I have them." Louise replied. "I don't even know that I'm having a fever unless Nathan tells me. At first I knew, but lately I haven't been able to tell." Gretchen thought for a moment. "Louise, when was your last menstrual cycle?" "Two weeks before Nathan and I mated... why?" "Just asking, I want to be thorough." Gretchen replied. "Is it alright if I examine you?" "Sure, but you won't find anything." Louise replied. An hour later, the examination was complete. "Well?" Nathan asked impatiently. "Is she alright?" "She's perfect." Gretchen said with a big smile. "How do you feel about being parents?" Louise and Nathan looked at each other speechless. "But I didn't hear a heartbeat!" Nathan said when he had gotten over his shock. "How can that be?" "I don't know." Gretchen confessed. "But Louise, you are pregnant. You just didn't present in the normal manner meaning the nausea, tender breasts and so on. It seems that your primary symptom is fever, and your olfactory sense is affected. Let me ask you this, after you turned, did the intensity of your lovemaking decrease?" "No." Nathan replied. "That was why I thought about a pregnancy, but when I didn't hear a heartbeat and she didn't have any of the other symptoms, I became worried." "Well, I assume congratulations are in order?" Gretchen asked. "Definitely!" Nathan exclaimed, and then looked at Louise who had a shell-shocked look on her face. "Sweetheart?" he called. "What? Are you sure that I'm alright?" Louise asked now worried. "If I didn't know that I was pregnant how do I know that the baby is alright?" "You knew." Gretchen replied. "The fact that you always felt well was your indicator that all is well with the baby. If that changes, then you need to call me immediately. I'm going to leave with you what Katrina affectionately calls horse pills. They're prenatal vitamins that I want you to take with your meals. I also want you to start walking and make sure that you get plenty of rest. I'll be back in a couple of weeks to check on you, and please, call me with any concerns." Nathan saw Gretchen out and returned to the bedroom. He sat on the bed next to Louise, and gently touched her stomach. "I'm thrilled." he assured her. "Me too." Louise whispered. "Nathan, we're having a baby!" she exclaimed as she sat up and threw her arms around his neck. They spent the rest of the morning discussing when to tell everyone. "We can tell your family at the gathering and go from there." Nathan said. "Sweetheart, are you really alright with this? It happened much sooner than I thought it would." "I have to admit that I'm still surprised." Louise said. "But I'm happy and scared at the same time. I don't know anything about babies." "Neither do I, but we'll learn together and I'm sure that we'll get plenty of advice." Nathan said. "Stay put and rest, I'll check on the casserole." "I'm not an invalid." Louise replied. "Just get rid of the sausage and I'll be alright." Nathan started to argue, but then decided that he wanted his pregnant bride where he could see and touch her. In the back of his mind, he reminded himself about the tendency to become obsessive. Now that Louise was pregnant, the desire to protect her, and now their child had grown. "Alright," Nathan said, "but you have to tell me if you don't feel well." "Oh lord." Louise moaned, "Between you and Kevyn I won't be able to take a breath in peace. I promise to tell you now can we go eat dinner?" ******* Leon tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn't get Nadine out of his mind. Not only was she beautiful, but she was a genius. He had never felt as drawn to a woman as he did her, and he didn't understand why. They had only spent an evening together, but he felt as if they knew and understood each other like people who had known each other for years. In four more days, he would be going back to Pittsburgh although he really didn't want to. He was honest enough with himself to admit that Nadine was a large part of his not wanting to leave. He was tempted to throw caution to the wind, and stay in the hopes of finding a job and a reasonable place to live. But what about my things in Pennsylvania? He wondered. "No problem." he muttered. "Barry can pack it up for me and ship it." He finally dozed off still undecided about what he was going to do. ********* Gene woke up with the hangover from hell. He stumbled to the shower, turned the cold water on full blast and got into the shower. "Damn!" he cursed as the cold spray hit him. "Gene that was stupid." he said to himself. As the fog in his brain began to clear, he gradually adjusted the temperature of the water until it was comfortably warm. He made a promise to himself that he wouldn't take another drink for as long as he lived if the Sinclaires' would invest with him and the firm. The amount no longer mattered. The Sinclaire name on an account was all that he needed in order to save his job. He wondered if Louise had said anything to Nathan, and hoped that she hadn't. It had been a mistake to approach her about talking to her husband. "I looked weak." Gene muttered, and then realized that he had looked weak from the very first time he encountered the Sinclaires. "Fuck!" he exclaimed as the realization hit him. As far as he knew, he had one more chance to rectify the situation. He had to approach one or both of the Sinclaires' at the gathering. He began to practice in his mind what he would say to them, and hoped that it would be good enough. ******* Juliette went through her outfits several times trying to decide which one to wear. Hans had assured her that whatever she wore would be fine since he was making dinner at his house. "Make sure that you behave yourselves." she said for the tenth time. "Mom relax!" Wanda said. "We'll behave." "I know." Juliette replied. "I'm sorry." "Wear the gray slacks with the light blue top." Wanda suggested. "Why that outfit?" Juliette replied. "I don't know." Wanda shrugged, "It just looks nice." After changing her mind several times, Juliette decided on the outfit that Wanda suggested. Juliette's stomach did flip-flops whenever she thought about her dinner with Hans. She hadn't told him about the gathering at Kevyn and Patrick's. She wanted to see how the evening went before she invited him. How the kids felt about him was obvious. They liked him, and he liked them. The big point in his favor was Celeste who was acting more like a normal five year old, and wasn't as withdrawn. "Would you be alright with Miss. Sasha if I went to get my nails and hair done?" Juliette asked Wanda. "We'd be fine without her." Wanda replied. "I know you would, but if she can't stay with you then I'm not going." Juliette replied. She was proud of the fact that she never left her children alone no matter the reason. She had gotten into trouble on more than one occasion when Celeste's sitter cancelled at the last minute, and she had to take her to work with her. "Would you prefer that I call in?" she asked every time it happened. "I would love a day of sitting around and watching movies with my baby." That was all it took to shut the manager up. He knew that there was no way that he could do her job as well as his own. In addition, Juliette had a way with surly customers that no one else in the office had. Celeste had never been a problem during those times. She stayed in Juliette's office and colored or looked at books until lunch and then until it was time to leave. "You know, on second thought, my nails look fine." Juliette said with a smile. "Why don't we watch a movie or something?" she asked. "Can we go to the pool?" Victor asked. "Yay! The pool!" Wanda chimed in. "Then the pool it is." Juliette said. "Go get ready, and Wannie, help Celeste." ********* As they finished dinner, Nathan decided to bring up Leon. "He's a good man." "Yes he is." Louise replied. "He says that he's a night shift supervisor at the steel mill." "Dad got him a job there before he died." Louise replied. "Do you think that he would move to California?" Nathan asked. "I know that he likes it here, but what would he do?" Louise asked. "I have a couple of projects that need a man like him. Of course he'll be paid and receive full benefits." Nathan replied. "I'm planning to talk to him about it at the gathering." "Ok but I need to tell you something... Gene asked me to talk to you about investing with him." "What did you tell him?" Nathan asked. "I told him no, and that he needed to talk to you." Louise replied. "The other day while we were watching the game, Gene left a folder by the refreshments." Nathan said. "That folder contained investment proposals which by the way were damned good." "But he didn't approach you." Louise said understanding Nathan's point. "No, and then he tries to go through you." Nathan replied. "I have little respect for anyone, whether they are vampire, human or any other species who tries to go through the back door." "How much is he asking you to invest?" Louise asked. "Twenty-million." Nathan replied. "Are you serious?" Louise asked. "What are you going to do?" "I'm sure as hell not going to give him twenty-million dollars, and I don't care who he is." Nathan replied. "I plan to pull him aside and talk to him. I may invest a small amount, and I'm only doing that because he is now family." "And because of me." Louise murmured. "Sweetheart, I would do the same for Barb even though I don't like her. Once we mated, your family became my family, and that means they will be protected and cared for as I promised." "I really do think that I got the better end of this deal." Louise said. "Thank you." "You welcome, and I disagree. Thank you for the wonderful wedding gift." Nathan said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "What would you like to do this evening?" "Make s'mores on the beach." Louise replied. "Then that's what we'll do." Nathan replied. "But you need to rest first." For once Louise didn't argue. A nap sounded good. ******* Hans was at the hotel by six-thirty. He walked by the desk, nodded at the vampire staffing the desk for the evening, and made his way to the elevator. He got off on Juliette's floor and went to her suite. He took a deep breath, and tapped on the door. He could hear the sounds of feet approaching the door and smiled. Wanda opened the door, and greeted him with a huge smile that warmed him. Victor was next in greeting him, and then finally Celeste who had her head cocked to the side. "Yes Celeste?" Hans asked gently. "Do you want to ask me something?" Celeste gasped. Hans was the first adult to understand what the tilt of the head meant. Instead of answering, she gave him a shy smile and ran off. "Alright guys, remember to be good for Miss. Sasha, and call me if you need me." "Mom..." Wanda said rolling her eyes. "We'll be fine." Sasha said from behind Hans. "I've got tie-dye kits and the tee-shirts as well as some movies. So go have a good time." "Thank you Sasha." Hans said. "Victor, here is my private number if you would like to call to check on your mother. I am sure that you will help in the care of your sisters." Hans handed the card to Victor and noticed how he stood straighter upon being given the responsibility of protector. After saying goodbye, Hans offered his arm to Juliette. "That was a nice thing that you did for him." Juliette said as they walked down the hall. "I did nothing that he wouldn't have ordinarily done. I just simply acknowledged it." Hans replied. He nodded again at the vampire at the desk when they passed by, and led Juliette out to his car, a 2012 dark blue Altima. He opened the passenger door, kissed Juliette's temple; and then helped her in. "What does the kiss on the temple mean?" Juliette asked when he got into the car. I noticed all of the couples at the reception doing it." Hans was stymied. He had wanted to get through dinner before they started talking about the mating issue. However, she had asked a direct question. "It means that you are under that person's protection." Hans replied hoping that she would be satisfied with the answer. "Protection?" Juliette asked. "Protection from what?" "Protection from those who would harm them, but it means more than that." Hans replied. "If you will indulge me, I will explain everything when we get home." Juliette nodded and wondered what the big secret was. Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of a modest house that was impeccable in its upkeep. Hans opened the garage door, and pulled into a garage that was neater than many houses. "Come in." Hans invited after helping her out of the car. "What are you making?" Juliette asked. "It smells wonderful." "Stuffed pork chops, scalloped potatoes and asparagus. For dessert I have cookies and cream ice cream." he replied. "Who ratted on me?" Juliette asked smiling. "A little bird by the name of Celeste told me." Hans said with a smile. "Please, make yourself at home. May I offer you a drink?" "Water is fine." Juliette replied as she looked around the kitchen. "Do you live here alone?" "Nadine lived here until two years ago." Hans replied. "She lives a few blocks west of here." "Were you ever married?" Juliette asked. "No." Hans replied nervously. The conversation was moving along faster than he wanted it to. "Please excuse me; I need to check on the meal. Feel free to make yourself at home in the living room." Juliette went into the living room and looked at all of the pictures of Hans with Nadine. That he loved, and was proud of her was obvious. She started at what she thought was the earliest photos and made her way to the most recent ones. Something about the pictures niggled at her so she started back at the beginning, and made her way back to the most recent ones. What.... "Dinner is served." Hans said from the doorway of the dining room. "Oh, ok." Juliette said still looking at the pictures. Dinner passed quietly with Juliette eating every bite, and then offering to help clean up not taking no for an answer. "If you insist, but I wash and you dry." Hans said. "You have a dishwasher." Juliette said, "Why do you wash the dishes by hand?" "I like the old way of doing things." Hans replied. "Everything has become so technical, and it feels good to do something in the old way." "You don't like technology?" Juliette asked. "I do, but there are times when it becomes a hindrance." Hans replied. "Take email for instance, no one writes letters or calls loved ones on the telephone. It has become impersonal." "I see your point, but what about Skype? It allows friends and family to talk face to face across the world." Juliet said. "True." Hans said. "Juliette, during the drive here, you asked a question about the kiss on the temple. I also saw you looking at the pictures of Nadine and me. I would like to explain some things to you." Juliette hesitated, and then allowed Hans to lead her to the living room. Three hours later, she knew the whole story. Her first reaction was fear that she was with a crazy man, and then it was disbelief. "A vampire?" she asked several times. "Nadine too?" It wasn't until Hans showed her photographs of him and Nadine that spanned a hundred years that she finally believed him. "What do you want with me?" she asked still not sure if she believed him. "You are my mate." Hans said "Mate?" she asked. "Wait... do the Sinclaires know what you are?" "They are aware." Hans replied not wanting to say too much. "And they're ok with this? Did you do something to make my kids like you?" Juliette asked. "Yes the Sinclaires are fine with my being a vampire, and I did nothing to make your children like me." Hans replied. "I love children, and they seem to like me, but Juliette, lets talk about your children. I am thinking of Celeste in particular. Has she been different since she's been here?" "Yes but..." "When did you first notice the change in her?" Hans asked. Juliette thought a minute before answering. "The flight here...What are you saying?" "Children are often very perceptive. They often see what adults do not. Celeste knows what I am, and so do the other two even if they aren't consciously aware of it. Now let's talk about you. You were attracted to me as much as I was attracted to you. Am I correct?" Hans asked. When Juliette didn't answer, he continued. "That is what we call the pull of mates. There was anothe chosen for me, but she wanted me no more than I wanted her. I begged and prayed for her to be taken from me even if it meant my spending eternity alone or probably dying." "What happened to her? And why didn't she want you?" Juliette asked. "She is alive and well." Hans replied. "We are not together because she broke our bond. I was to the point where I was going to accept her when she denied me not once, but several times. She didn't want me because I wasn't rich enough for her. She only saw that I was a manager of a hotel, and that placed me beneath her. I didn't want her because she was and is a taker who doesn't know how give or return love. She equates money and material possessions with love." "She was stupid." Juliette murmured. "How do you know that I'm your mate and what about the kids?" "I felt and feel for you what I should have felt for her. I want to protect you and the children. Juliette, I care for you and them. I don't want you to leave California. Will you at least think about what I've told you?" "Umm ok... I think that I need to go back now." Juliette replied. Hans drove Juliette back to the hotel in silence. He didn't want to interrupt whatever thought processes she was going through. He wanted to touch her but refrained. When they got back to the hotel, he walked her back to her suite. "Good night Hans." "Good night Juliette. Thank you for having dinner with me." he replied and started to walk away. He turned back to see Juliette still standing by the slightly open door. He walked back, took her into his arms and kissed her. "You belong to me." he thought at her not knowing if she could hear him or not. Louise Ch. 13 He broke the kiss, and released her. "Sleep well." he murmured and then walked away. Juliette stood still for a few more seconds before going into the suite. She shook her head, and then went inside. ********* Kevyn had already started food preparations by the time Louise and Nathan got there. "Patrick is in the movie room getting things set up." she said after greeting Louise, and then Nathan with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll head down there." Nathan said. "Do you need me to carry anything down?" "No thanks." Kevyn said. "I'll send the guys down when they get here." "So how are you?" Kevyn asked Louise when they were alone. "I'm good." Louise replied. "I have something to tell you though." Kevyn stopped what she was doing to give Louise her full attention. "You know that I've been having fevers ever since I turned. Well, there's a good reason for it." "Are you sick?" Kevyn asked anxiously. "No, far from it." Louise replied. "I... I mean we're pregnant." It took several seconds for the news to sink in. When it did, Kevyn screamed in excitement. "A baby? Oh my god! Sit down..." "Kevyn, stop!" Louise said laughing. "I'm pregnant not sick." "Right, you're perfectly... pregnant! Have you seen a doctor yet?" "Yes this morning." Louise replied. "She's already started me on the prenatal vitamins." "How does Nathan feel about it?" Kevyn asked. "He was surprised and thought that we'd have more time alone together, but he's thrilled." Louise said. "And you're alright?" Kevyn asked. "I'm scared, happy and excited at the same time." Louise admitted. "But happy and excited are tied for first place." "I can't believe it." Kevyn said hugging Louise. "A baby! Are you going to tell the others tonight?" "If that's alright with you..." "Of course it is! Have you told Nathan's parents yet?" Kevyn asked. "He called them this afternoon. I think his mom screamed louder than you did." Louise replied laughing. "Then everyone knows." Kevyn commented. "Hey! Where are you guys?" Victoria called. "In the kitchen!" Kevyn called back. "I invited Victoria since she and Wannie seemed to get along so well." Kevyn explained. Victoria greeted Kevyn and Louise with a kiss and a hug. "Is it true?" she asked rubbing Louise's stomach. "Are you going to have a baby?" "It's true, but I haven't told my brothers and sisters yet so could you please not say anything?" Louise asked. "I won't and I hope that you have a boy." Victoria replied. "Why is that?" Louise asked. "I don't know..." Victoria replied. "A boy would be nice. It would make Nathan happy." "A healthy baby and mate is what would make me happy." Nathan said as he picked Victoria up and swung her around. He sat her on her feet after kissing her on her cheek. "I think that Patrick wants to see you." he said to her when she stopped giggling. "Congratulations!" Kevyn said hugging Nathan. "Thanks... we're both surprised but excited." Nathan replied. "I hear a car coming." Nathan added. A few minutes later, Juliette, the children along with Leon and Gene were in the kitchen. "No date?" Kevyn asked Leon. "She'll be here in a while, she's coming with Hans." he replied. "Has anyone heard from Barb?" "No, but she should be here." Kevyn replied. "Nathan, do you mind taking Gene and Leon to the movie room? And Wannie, Victoria is downstairs waiting for you." "Vickie is here?" Wanda asked, and took off at a run not knowing where she was going. "Hold up!" Nathan called after her. "I'll take you to her." he turned to Louise, touched her stomach, and then kissed her. "See you soon." Leon picked Celeste up, spoke to Victor and followed Nathan out of the kitchen. Louise noticed that Juliette was quiet and asked her about it. "What's up?" "Nothing." Juliette replied. "I don't believe you." Louise said. "You never could lie." she added. Juliette looked around to see if anyone other than them was in the kitchen. "Never mind." Juliette said. "Juliette, what happened?" Kevyn asked. "I had dinner with Hans last night." she said after a lengthy hesitation. "That's great! Isn't it?" Louise asked cautiously. "It was, but then he told me some very strange things.... I believed him last night, but now I'm not sure." Juliette replied. Kevyn and Louise looked at each other, and then back at Juliette. "What kind of things?" Louise asked. "It's crazy, but he thinks that he's a vampire and he says that you all know about it." Juliette replied. "What else did he tell you? Louise asked. "That he didn't want me and the kids to leave because he cared for us, and that we were mates." "But you believed him last night." Kevyn replied. "What happened that you changed your mind?" "Last night... I don't know." Juliette admitted. "Last night he showed me pictures of him and Nadine that looked old, but it could have been trick photography." "But you know that it wasn't." Louise said quietly. "You're scared because of how fast you became attached to him." Juliette stared at her. "How do you... wait... are you telling me that there really are such things as vampires and that Hans is one?" "Juliette, Hans didn't lie to you." Kevyn said gently, and then stopped hoping that she hadn't crossed the line. She decided that she didn't because Juliette came to them. Hans had already talked with her, and probably expected her to talk them about him. "You believe him?" Juliette asked. "We believe him because he's telling you the truth." Louise replied. "But this isn't the time to talk. There are too many people here. Can you come for dinner tomorrow night?" "Yes... vampires?" Juliette asked softly. "Juliette, why did you invite Hans to come tonight?" Kevyn asked. "Because I like him, and the kids like him too." Juliette replied. "They're both good reasons, but ask yourself this, what is your gut telling you? I understand what you're thinking and feeling, both Louise and I have been there..." "What? Patrick and Nathan too?" Juliette interrupted. The sound of Barb's voice halted the conversation. "Dinner tomorrow night." Juliet whispered. ******* The sisters cooked in relative silence with Louise occasionally giving instructions on how she wanted something seasoned. She periodically looked over at Barb and frowned. She didn't ask what was wrong for fear of upsetting the peace. Nathan came to the kitchen an hour later to check on the progress of the food, and to see how Louise was doing. Barb looked at him but didn't speak. Nathan barely gave her a glance as he made his way to Louise. "How are you feeling?" he whispered in her ear. "I'm fine." she replied as Nathan touched her arm. "And yes, I know that I have a fever." she added with a smile. "I also came to see if you needed help with anything. Patrick has things set up. All we need are you ladies." "Hans and Nadine aren't here yet." Juliette said. "He called and said that they were running a little behind, and that we should start without them." Nathan said. "But he is coming isn't he?" Juliette asked anxiously. Barb rolled her eyes and continued with her task of making sandwiches. "He's coming." Nathan assured her. "The hot wings are ready to go, and the potato salad is in the fridge." Kevyn said. "Barb, how are you doing with the sandwiches?" "They're done." she said quietly taking care not to look at Nathan. "Good, I'll carry them down and send Leon and Gene up for the rest." Nathan said. As he approached her, Barb stepped away from the sandwiches. If Nathan noticed, he gave no indication as he took the tray of sandwiches from the counter. Leon and Gene came up a few minutes later to get the rest of the food. "Is this it?" Leon asked. "I think so." Kevyn replied as she headed toward the basement. Juliette hung back. "I'll wait for Hans and Nadine of that's ok." "Sure." Kevyn replied. "You can go sit in the living room if you want... better yet, I'll wait with you." ******** Kevyn waited until they were alone before she spoke. "I know that this is hard, and that it sounds like something from a television show; but this is real. The only thing that I want to tell you is this, hear him out, and follow your gut and your heart. We're here if you need to talk or if you need anything." "He said that there was someone else but that she didn't want him... do you know anything about that?" Juliette asked. "I do, but it isn't my place to tell you about it." Kevyn replied. "That's something that you'll have to ask Hans about." "What about Leon? Do you think that he knows about Nadine?" "I don't know, and it's something that I won't ask about unless he says something." Kevyn said. "I found out very quickly that they do things differently in this world, and doing anything to interfere with the mating process is a big no-no." "Kev... how... I don't understand." Juliette said. "I didn't either." Kevyn replied. "All I can say is talk to Hans and be honest about your fears and concerns." The doorbell rang. "I'll see you downstairs... just go through the kitchen and you'll see the door." Kevyn said. ****** Juliette wiped her sweaty palms on the legs of her jeans, went to the door and opened it. Hans' eyes widened and then glittered when he saw Juliette at the door. "Juliette... Thank you for inviting me." Hans said fighting the urge to touch her. "They're downstairs." Juliette said stepping back to let him and Nadine into the house. "Go on Nadine, I'll be there shortly." Hans said. "Are you alright?" he asked as they followed Nadine who stopped at the kitchen, not sure of where to go. "I'm fine but we need to talk." she replied. "Agreed." Hans said just as they reached Nadine. ******* Nadine made a beeline for where Leon was sitting and Hans followed Juliette to the seats behind them. "Welcome!" Patrick said with a warm smile. "We're glad that you could make it. As you can see, there's plenty of food and beverages. Because of the children, there won't be any alcoholic beverages served tonight. We have movies of every kind, but before we get started I'll show you where the bathrooms are, and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask." "This is great!" Victor said as he followed Patrick on the tour of the basement. "There are beds in the room in the corner for the kids as well as furnished rooms down the hall for anyone who can't keep up." Patrick teased. Nathan and Louise stayed behind and made sure that there were plenty of napkins and anything else they thought might be needed. Gene sat in a corner not caring to go on the tour. He was hoping to catch Nathan alone. When he saw that it wasn't going to happen unless he made a point of it, he walked over to them and spoke. "Nathan, I was wondering if I could have a word with you." "I'll be back." Louise said, "I need to talk to Kevyn about something." Nathan bent down, kissed her cheek, and waited until she was gone before turning his attention to Gene. "Yes?" he asked his tone cool. Now that Gene had Nathan's attention, he didn't know what to say so he started with an apology. "I know that we started off on the wrong foot. I should have approached you with my proposals instead of leaving them where you or Patrick could find them." He waited for Nathan to respond and continued when he didn't. "I was also wrong to ask Louise to talk to you especially on your wedding day. I apologize for both of those things." Nathan could hear the others coming back and decided that it was just as well that he didn't have a chance to respond. Gene needed to stew a bit longer, his apology while well said, wasn't sincere. "Thank you for your apology, but I believe that you owe Louise one as well." "I... sure." Gene agreed. ******* Several minutes later, everyone was back, and filling their plates with food. Hans helped Juliette with the kids while Leon made Nadine sit while he fixed a plate for her, and then himself. Barb watched as Nathan and Patrick fixed plates of food for Kevyn and Louise and fumed. She wished that she had thought to find someone to bring even if it was Ollie. She looked at Gene whose face was dark with anger, wondered who he was so angry with, and decided that it didn't matter. She had her own issues. She picked at her food. The sight of it made her nauseous reminding her of her condition. "A few more days." she murmured. "And they'll be gone. Kevyn and Louise can go screw themselves." she added. She jumped when she felt cold eyes on her. When she looked, it was Nathan. He wasn't trying to hide his intense dislike of her. "Before we get started." Patrick said, "Nathan and Lou have some news." Nathan stood up, held out a hand to Louise, and pulled her to her feet. He put an arm around her, pulled her tight against his side, and grinned. "We're having a baby!" he exclaimed. The room was silent for several seconds before excited chatter erupted. Barb was dumbfounded, and then furious. When she thought no one was looking, she slipped out of the basement and up the stairs. Louise turned around just as Barb slipped out of the room. She lowered her shields, and quickly brought them up when she felt the full force of Barb's anger toward all of them except for Gene. She thought to go after her, but decided not to. Whatever Barb's issues were, they were hers and hers alone. She had one last thought for Barb before she turned her attention back to the movie night that had become a celebration. "Don't do anything stupid." Louise whispered. Louise Ch. 14 It was almost two hours before the first movie started. Everyone had questions for Louise that soon grew old. She tolerated them only because she knew that they were asked out of concern and excitement. Nathan finally ended the question and answer session by making an announcement. "The children are getting bored. Perhaps we should start a movie." "Thank you." Louise whispered. "You're welcome." Nathan whispered back. He patted his empty lap and pulled Louise into it. "Comfy?" he asked when she had finally stopped moving around. "Sorry..." "Don't be." Nathan said. "It gives me an idea or two." he added telepathically smiling when Louise blushed. Nathan could feel Gene watching him, but ignored it and divided his attention between Louise and the movie with most of the focus being on Louise. "A baby." he mused and then smiled. He knew that for many males, his late grandfather and great-grandfather included, the hope was for a male child. To him, it didn't matter as long as Louise and the baby survived and were healthy. He comforted himself with the knowledge that the incidences of losing either or both were extremely rare. Their child would be born healthy and strong simply because of his or her lineage. Mentally he began to make a list of things that he wanted to do before the baby came. At the top of the list was the nursery at each home. He decided to have the nursery adjoin their bedroom. A state of the art speaker system would be installed as well as an enhanced security system. He would install the security and speaker systems himself. He wasn't going to trust the safety of Louise and the baby to someone else. The next thing on his list was the cooking school. He was sure that Louise wouldn't want to be away from her sisters' during the pregnancy. He made a mental note to see if the school had anyone that they could send to the states for private lessons. "You're thinking too much." Louise whispered. "Enjoy the movie." "I enjoy thinking about you and our baby." Nathan replied. "And I'm also enjoying the fact that I have a beautiful woman in my lap." "You won't be saying that when I'm as big as a house." Louise teased. "I will always say that because it's true." Nathan replied. "I also know that our child whether it be male or female will be beautiful as well." "Will you be disappointed if it's a girl?" Louise asked. "I meant what I said earlier." Nathan replied. I don't care what sex the baby is. I just want both of you safe and healthy." Louise laid her head on Nathan's shoulder and went back to watching the movie while Nathan continued with his thoughts. ******* Gene sat in the last row of the small theater not paying attention to the movie. He knew that Nathan was letting him stew in his juices. To some degree, he understood, but that didn't mean that he had to like it. He glanced over at Nathan and grimaced. He could only imagine how the man saw him. He was keenly aware of the fact that Nathan didn't like him. He looked away from Nathan and looked at Patrick. Of the two, he decided that Patrick was the one most likely to invest with him, and the one that seemed to have the least problem with him. He said a silent prayer that one of the Sinclaires' would invest with him. He had visions of the other family members following suit. If all went well, he would be out of the hole financially, and he would soon be able to buy expensive clothes as Leon had done for the wedding. He envisioned the house in Pittsburgh completely repaired and a place to be proud of. It would put Leon's apartment to shame. Thinking about Leon made him look in his direction. Leon was sitting with his arm around one of the hotel workers. While he found Nadine attractive, he couldn't understand how or why Leon would be interested in someone who did menial labor for a living. He agreed with Barb, Leon could do much better. It didn't occur to Gene that he had no one, and that he had no right to judge anyone. Nadine was working, a student, and she owned her own home whereas he was barely surviving. Gene's gaze left Leon and Nadine, and went to Juliette and Hans. That was a match-up that he understood a little better. In his opinion, Juliette was getting the better end of the deal. Hans had a good job, was obviously interested in her and liked the kids. He found it amazing that a man would be interested in a woman with three young children. It was something that he wouldn't have considered for himself. For the first time since Dana left, Gene wondered if there was someone for him. He wondered where the thought came from, and realized it was because of all of the couples. He wanted someone who would take him as he was, and who wouldn't expect him to change. That, he decided had been Dana's problem. She kept telling him that he was a better man than he thought he was, if only he would try. "Gene, baby you can be so much better than this!" she told him after he had come home drunk one night. "Your family needs and loves you; I need and love you but ...." "Shut up." he told her. He hadn't yelled it, but the tone of his voice had given her pause. He closed his eyes when he recalled the look of pain and resignation on her face. "I'm going to give you a choice." she said softly. "Either you get help or I'm leaving. I can't and won't live my life like this." "Like what?" Gene demanded. "What in the hell do you want? You have a nice house, a nice car..." "I want you!" she screamed at him. "This is what and who I am." he replied. "Take it or leave it." he replied never dreaming that she would actually choose to leave. When he woke up the next morning, Dana was gone. He found the Petition for Divorce on the coffee table sitting under an empty beer bottle. By the time the divorce was finalized, Dana had taken almost everything and moved to Florida. The day that the divorce was finalized, Gene called off sick and drank himself into a stupor. He had been on a slow downward spiral ever since. Looking around at all of the loving couples in the room gave Gene pause, but only for a moment. After that moment passed, he was back to trying to figure out how to get a part of the Sinclaire money. ****** Barb drove to her apartment in a daze. She was convinced that if Louise and Kevyn rolled themselves in a vat of shit, they would still come up smelling like roses. Now Louise was pregnant which told her something. Louise wasn't the innocent that she had led everyone to believe she was. However, it really didn't matter. Louise and the baby would have the best care, and anything that money could buy while she would have to scramble to make ends meet. As unhappy as Barb was, the thought of abortion never crossed her mind. Her thought was that there had to be a way to make the baby work for her. As she washed her face and changed into her pajamas, she began to add up the expenses associated with having a baby. It didn't take her long to realize that her money wouldn't go far, and that she would need help. Her siblings were out of the question. "There is no way in hell that I'm going to them with this." She muttered to herself. It wasn't that she thought that they wouldn't help her. It was the thought that they would look down on her. Of the five of them, Gene would have been the one she would have chosen to go to for help, but then, he would hold it over her head and he had his own issues. She calculated when her due date was, and realized that it was a couple of weeks before Louise's. Barb cursed under her breath, and then felt a tear run down her face. This wasn't what she wanted out of life. She had spent most of her life dreaming and scheming to get into the lifestyle that she felt she was entitled to, and now it was gone because of Thorne Blackwell and his unborn brat. "I hate you!" she said with as much vehemence as she could muster as she angrily wiped the tears away. The hate wasn't just at Thorne. It was directed at everyone whom she deemed as being better off than she was, and that included family. The baby was an innocent, but she was still angry at it for ruining her plans. For the first time, she wondered about her mother. Had she been as angry and upset when she found out that she was pregnant? Wanda Yancy had been a talented vocalist and had dreams of going to one of the schools' of music. Had she hated Kevyn, and then each of them that came after her for ruining her life? How could she not have? Each birth took her further away from her dream turning it into a fantasy. Barb tried to recall if her mother had ever said anything to indicate that she hated them. Wanda had gotten angry with them, but not once did she say anything that even remotely blamed them for her station in life. For the first time in years, Barb wished that she could just pick up the phone and talk to her mother. She still believed that she had been abused, and that her parents hadn't done all that they could do for them. But her mother would understand an unplanned pregnancy and the impact that it would have on her life. "Damn you Thorne Blackwell!" Barb cursed once again not taking any responsibility for her actions. She forced herself to calm down and to think rationally. In a few days, Leon and the rest of her siblings would be gone therefore making it easier for her to be able to stay out of sight. It didn't occur to her that any of her siblings would be staying in spite of what she saw. She decided that Juliette and Hans, as well as Leon and the housekeeper were just flings. She drank a glass of milk, and then wished that she hadn't. Her stomach tossed and turned for several minutes before it finally calmed down. She knew that she needed to see a doctor, but decided that it could wait. "I'm not like the Sinclaires'," she grumbled. "I don't have unlimited resources." She laid down the couch, closed her eyes and envisioned Louise lying on a big bed wearing a peach colored fur lined house jacket. In her mind's eye, she saw Nathan sitting on the bed next to Louise and handing her a glass of what looked like blood. "Blood?" Barb murmured already half asleep. ******* By midnight, Celeste was sound asleep in Hans' lap. "Let me put her in one of the beds." Juliette said as she stood up. "I'll carry her." Hans said. Hans looked at Victor and Wanda as he passed by. Victor was fighting to stay awake and failing. Wanda wasn't too far behind. "Come." he said to them. "Sleep for a while, you can always come back." "I'm ok." Victor said with a yawn. "Just an hour or so." Hans said gently. "You will feel much better." Reluctantly, Victor agreed and looked over at Wanda. "You coming?" he asked. "Go on." Victoria urged when she saw Wanda hesitate. "I'll still be here when you come back." A short while later, all three children were huddled together; sound asleep. Juliette stood by the doorway watching them. "They are beautiful children." Hans said from behind her. "You have done well with them." "Thanks...Hans..." "I know that you are questioning my sanity." he said. "That is understandable. I also know that you talked with Kevyn and Louise. That too is understandable. What did they tell you?" Celeste stirred, cried out, and then quieted. "Let's go to one of the other empty rooms." Juliette suggested. "Lead on." Hans replied. ******** Leon kept glancing over at Nadine whose eyes were glued to the movie screen. Every so often, he would hear her mutter under her breath. "That isn't how it happened." or "Lies all lies!" "It's just a movie." he told her at one point when she was becoming so agitated that he thought that she was going to throw something at the screen. "You're right. I'm sorry." she said. "I just hate historical inaccuracies." she added. "I understand." Leon replied. What he didn't understand, was why someone with her brilliance wasn't working in academia or writing books. The fact that she worked at the hotel under a variety of roles didn't bother him. She was making a good, honest living, but he thought that brilliance like hers shouldn't be hidden but shared. **** ** At the end of the movie, Patrick stood up, stretched and made an announcement. "If any of you want to step outside for some fresh air, help yourselves, but please, don't go beyond the gates. We'll start the next movie but feel free to come and go as you please." Gene sat rooted to his seat hoping that Kevyn would need to use the bathroom or something. A few minutes later, he watched as she kissed Patrick and excused herself. Swallowing hard, Gene left his seat and approached Patrick. "Umm Patrick? Could I talk with you for a minute?" "Have a seat." Patrick said. Gene relaxed, but only slightly. While Patrick was by far more approachable than Nathan had been, he was still no one to fuck with. "What's on your mind?" Patrick asked with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Gene squirmed in his seat and looked away trying to avoid Patrick's penetrating gaze. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior when my mother died. I was inexcusably rude. I should have thanked you instead of acting like a jackass. I also wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting since I got here. I haven't been at my best, and that has led me to making some serious errors in judgment." "To what are you referring?" Patrick asked. "Bastard!" Gene thought to himself as he answered the question. "I'm talking about the proposals. I should have approached you directly instead of leaving them where I knew that you would find them." Gene replied. "Why didn't you come to me directly?" Patrick asked. "I didn't want you to think that I was taking advantage of the fact that you're my brother." Gene replied. "But that's exactly what you were doing in a round about way." Patrick said. I have issues with a man who uses his family to get what he wants. The sad thing is, it was a damned good proposal, and well worth considering even if I didn't invest the amount mentioned." "Are you saying no?" Gene asked. "At this point, I'm not saying anything except this. I won't be investing the amount of money that you're asking for several reasons. One, I would never invest that much money with someone that I barely know, and I don't care who you are. Second, I don't like nor do I trust you. If you can't be upfront with me with money being involved, what would happen if I gave you twenty-million dollars? Even the very nice apology that you gave me was false. You would have fared better had you told me exactly what you thought of me. Do you get what I'm telling you? Honesty is the key word here. All I've seen is selfishness and the unwillingness to work for what you want. All you want is the Sinclaire name on one of your accounts and you don't care how that happens." "That isn't true!" Gene exclaimed. "Isn't it?" Patrick asked. "I have yet to see you make any effort to interact with your family which now by the way, includes us. What interaction there was, involved us doing something for you. As I've said before, you didn't even approach us directly about your proposal. All you had to do was say that you wanted to present a proposal, set up a time and we would have looked at it. It was that simple, but instead; you left it on a table and then tried to use Louise. Tonight you sat back there alone instead of sitting with the rest of us and made no real attempt to get socialize. You're only approaching me now with your false apology because you want something." Gene was astounded. If Patrick had read him so easily, then so had Nathan. "What can I do to fix this?" he asked. "Start by being honest." Patrick said. "If you'll excuse me, I need to check on things. ********* Gene sat there for several seconds after Patrick left. He looked around to see who else was in the theater with him. The only person was Nathan. Determined to get the shit out of the way so that he could start working toward his goal, he approached Nathan again. "You got something to say to me too?" he asked. His tone was terse even though he was nervous. Nathan turned to look at him. "Why would you think that?" he asked. "Your brother just gave me an earful and I thought that you might want to add to it." Gene replied. Nathan didn't bother to correct Gene's error in saying that Patrick was his brother. He knew that Louise had told Gene otherwise, and it really didn't matter. "Are you sure that you want to hear what I have to say?" Nathan asked. "Go for it." Gene said. "Fine. You Gene Yancy are one selfish and lazy son of a bitch. You are the oldest male in age but the youngest of the children in mentality. You want all of the rewards that come with being the oldest male, but when it comes time to fulfill that role, you step back and let Leon take over. Back in Pittsburgh, you should have set the example and helped Louise more with your mother. You as the oldest male should have set the tone and encouraged the others to help Louise as well. Instead, you caused dissention between you siblings, which left Louise alone to physically care for your mother. Why was Leon the one to approach Patrick and me to ask us about the care of your sisters? Why was he the one to walk your sisters down the aisle? I don't like you and I'll tell you the same thing that I told Barb. I tolerate you because you are Louise's brother and because when I married her that made you my family. If I invest with you, it will be for those reasons only. Any questions?" "Do you dislike me that much?" Gene asked. Nathan's silence was his answer. "What about Leon?" Gene asked. "Do you really think that he isn't using you?" Nathan thought about his answer. "Leon is a good man." Nathan replied. "He has acted with nothing but honor and integrity which is something that I can't say about you. He approached me as a man on the behalf of your sisters, something that you should have done. Not once since his arrival has he hinted that he wanted anything from us, he simply asked." "What did he ask for?" Gene asked thinking that he would have something to hold over Leon. "He asked that we love and protect your sisters." Nathan said quietly. "If you want an example of what a man should be, I would suggest that you look to him. I am honored to know him and to consider him a brother." "He was a drug addict..." "Who pulled himself together and became the man that he is and was meant to be." Nathan interrupted. "Perhaps it isn't too late for you to do the same. But first, you have someone else to apologize too... no; two people and I think that you know who I'm talking about." "Louise and Kevyn." Gene whispered. Nathan didn't reply but walked away wondering if Gene knew what apology he owed Kevyn. ********* Hans and Juliette found the room that was closest to where the children were sleeping and sat down on the bed. Juliette moved away when she realized how close to Hans she was. Hans noticed, but didn't comment. He sat quietly and waited for her to say something to indicate that she was ready to talk. "So do you have a last name?" Juliette asked. "Alhberg." Hans replied wondering why it hadn't come up before. "The al means alder and the berg means mountain." he added. "And you were really born in Sweden?" She asked. "Yes in the city of Lund which is located in the province of Scania, southern Sweden. It is considered the oldest city in Sweden. I would like to take you and the children there someday." he said. Juliette ignored the last part of his answer and pressed on. "Where is your family?" "Many of them are still in Lund, but a few of them are here. Juliette, please ask me anything. I cannot and will not lie to you." Hans said moving closer to her. "Neither will I ever hurt you or those children. I would die first." Louise Ch. 14 "How old are you?" Juliette asked not sure of where to start. "I am four-hundred years old." Hans replied "Four.... That would mean that you were born in..." "The year 1612." Hans finished for her. "My sister Gustaviana was born fifty years later, and my twin brothers Rikard and Roland one hundred years after that. They all live here but my parents remain in Lund. Gussie helped me with Nadine as far as the feminine part of her upbringing and my brothers aided in her education." "How old are the Sinclaires'?" Juliette asked as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that she was sitting with a man who claimed to be four-hundred years old. "Much older than I am. I believe that Ethan is over six-hundred years old." Hans replied moving even closer to Juliette. "I'm not sure how far his line goes back, but it's far. My line goes back to the beyond the bubonic plague which was in the 1300's." "How far back?" Juliette asked. "The 700's at least. The Sinclaire line goes back even further. My family was one of the first families to arrive in Lund when it was founded somewhere around the year 990. In fact, my family assisted in building the Lund Cathedral which still stands." "And your family has always been vampire?" "The maternal side of my family was human. My mother was a human who was found by her vampire mate. Things were much different then. Today the human mate can choose whether to be turned or not, but back then it was a matter of safety. There were no security systems such as the ones that we have today, and one was never sure of who their true friends and allies were." "Your father turned her." Juliette commented. "There was no way to protect her during the day time hours, and at that time, Weres and vampires did not get along as they do now. All efforts were made to eradicate each other. At any rate, my mother became vampire thus ensuring that any children she and my father had would be born vampire." "Do you realize how crazy this sounds?" Juliette asked. "I do, but every word of it is true." Hans said taking Juliette's hand in his. "I... I believe you." Juliette said, "But that doesn't mean that I'm supposed to be with you." "What is frightening you about this?" Hans asked. "It isn't the fact that I am vampire, so what is it?" "It's too fast!" Juliette exclaimed. "I've been here less than a week and I have children to think about." "Then we slow down." Hans said softly. "I can wait, and if I have to move to Pittsburgh, then I will." "You would move?" Juliet asked shocked. "I would go wherever you went." Hans replied. "We belong together, the five of us." "What about the kids? What would happen to them?" Juliette asked. "We would gradually begin to introduce them to what I am." Hans replied. "But Juliette, they already know. They don't have a name for it, but they know especially Celeste. Each of them will have the option of turning when they're old enough to make that decision. The girls could have vampire mates so could Victor for that matter, but whatever happens, I consider your children my children." "What about me?" Juliette asked. "You don't have to turn unless you choose to." Hans replied. "Most don't." "Did Louise or Kevyn turn?" "That's something that you'll have to ask them." Hans replied. "But even if you don't, you will be immortal. It happens when we make love. The turning involves making love too, but also involves the exchange of blood." "I think... I know that I need time to think about this." Juliette said. "Does Leon know about Nadine?" "I don't know, and it is for her to tell." Hans said. "You cannot say anything to him; it is for them to work out. There is one more thing, now that you know what I am; you will notice a few things." "Like what?" "Let's take Nathan's mother for instance. In the human world, she is long past safe childbearing age, but she is with child. When this child is born, it will be around forty years Nathan's junior." Juliette started to speak, but closed her eyes doing the calculations in her head. "She will always be the age at which she was claimed. Kevyn will always be thirty -three, Louise will always be the age that she is and so will you." Hans said. "That means that they can have hundreds of babies!" Juliette exclaimed. "Theoretically that's true." Hans said, "Realistically it won't happen. There are mates who have been together for centuries and they have no children. My parents have been together for centuries and have had no other children since the twins. But that doesn't mean that it can't or won't happen." "So no birth control is used?" Juliette asked. "There is no need for birth control." Hans replied. "It is understood that if there is a child, he or she will be loved and protected by its parents just as human parents are supposed to love and protect their children. If we were to mate, and a child resulted from it, there would be no anger only happiness." "We would definitely have to be a two-income household." Juliette murmured under her breath. Hans' heart leapt, and the tingle in his groin became a pronounced throb. He had done all that he could do for the time being except for one thing. He took Juliette into his arms and kissed her. Kissing had always been one of his favorite parts of making love. In his opinion, a kiss could convey what words couldn't, and it wasn't making love until there was a kiss. For that reason, he never kissed a date except on the cheek, and he never took anyone home with him. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and looked into Juliette's eyes. "I belong to you and no one else." he said and brushed his lips across hers again. "Who was she?" Juliette asked. "Who?" Hans asked. "The one who didn't want you. Who was she?" "It doesn't matter." Hans replied. "Let's go check on children." He stood still holding onto Juliette's hand and led her out of the room. All three children were still asleep and showed no signs that they were going to wake up any time soon. Hans happened to take a last look at Celeste before he and Juliette went to join the others. He saw the smile that played on her lips and smiled to himself. "Sneak." he murmured with a smile and followed Juliette back to the theater. ******* During the break, Louise tried to call Barb, but got her voice mail each time. After the fourth time, she left a message. "I know you're there and that you're mad at us, and I think that I know and understand why. I just wanted to say that we are still a family no matter what happens. Call us if you need anything." "No answer?" Nathan asked from behind her. "No, and I'm worried about her." Louise replied. "What do you want to do?" Nathan asked. "Nothing for now. If she doesn't show up by the time Gene leaves for Pittsburgh, I want to go to her apartment." "Alright, but how are you feeling? Do you need to lie down?" Nathan asked. "I'm fine. Just worried." Louise replied. "What happened with Gene?" "We talked, I told him a few hard truths, but I think that we understand each other." Nathan said hugging her. "Patrick just put in your favorite movie." "Really? He has 'West Side Story?" Louise asked. "He sure does, so let's get back." Nathan replied. A few minutes later, Louise was happily saying the lines along with the characters and then singing along with them. Nathan listened amazed at the pure tones that came from her. "What other talents do you have?" He asked. He had to wonder what else Jackson found out about the Yancy family history. "What?" Louise asked. "You have a lovely singing voice." Nathan said. "Who else in your family is musically inclined?" "Mom used to sing around the house, but no one else that I know of. Now shush, the movie is on." Louise said and turned her attention back to the movie. At the end of the movie, Louise cried as she always did. Nathan lowered his shields and was touched by the amount of empathy Louise had for the fictional characters. He tried to imagine what childhood had been like for her, and then thought about Celeste. She had to be scared and was glad that she wasn't going through it alone as Louise had done. He was still amazed at how well Louise had managed to come through it unscathed. Nathan came to the same conclusion that Kevyn had reached weeks ago; Louise was the strongest of them. Of all of the Sinclaire males to date, he considered himself the most blessed. He suspected that not even Louise knew half of what she could do, and he would get to discover those talents with her. He had to wonder where she would be if circumstances had been different, and if she would be sitting in his lap with their child in her belly. "Hey, I'm here." Louise said and kissed his cheek. "What happened before doesn't matter." "But it does." Nathan replied telepathically. "It helped shape who and what you are. I was just thinking of where you would be if things had been different. I would like to think that you would be where you are right now." "I agree." she replied telepathically. "But in the end what matters is that I'm here, and it I weren't, at some point I would be. Is that all that you were thinking about?" "I was also thinking that of all my male relatives, I am the one who has been the most blessed. You are gracious, kind and brave. You are adapting to a new way of life, and now you are carrying our child. Not once have you whined or complained. You just accepted what was happening and moved forward. That sweetheart is strength." Louise was about to reply but Patrick was speaking. "We're taking another break." he said. The next movie which was chosen by Leon will start in thirty minutes." "Oh lord." Louise moaned. "I know what it is." "What?" Nathan asked. "Rocky." Louise replied rolling her eyes. Nathan laughed, his Louise was many things but a sports lover wasn't one of them. "Let me guess." she said, "It's one of your favorites too." "I wouldn't go that far." Nathan replied, "But it is a good movie. Would you like to skip it and sit outside?" Louise thought about it for several minutes. "No, I'll stay. Leon hates West Side Story and he sat through it. And besides, this is family time." "I really don't think that he or anyone else will mind." Nathan said kissing her neck. "I want you to myself for a little while." "A whole movie?" Louise teased. "At least half of it." Nathan teased back as he grazed the skin of her neck with the tip of a fang. Louise jumped and then shivered. "What do you think?" Nathan asked. "I happen to know of a spot where we won't be disturbed." he added kissing her neck again. The throb and moisture between her legs decided the matter. Nathan was right, Leon would understand, and he had only sat through 'West Side Story' because of Nadine. She wished that they could just vanish from one place to another after the movie started, but Nathan was starting with teaching the simple things. "We start small and will go from there." He told her when she asked when they would get to the fun stuff. "Every small step is the basis for what you call the fun stuff." To date, she could move things short distances across the room and could partially make her clothes disappear. "When you can make all of your clothes disappear, we'll move to the next step." Nathan told her. As soon as the movie started, they left the theater. They walked through the house ending up in her old suite. "Here?" Louise asked. "There are too many people around...." "The room is soundproof." Nathan replied. "The only ones who will think to look for us here are Kevyn and Patrick. Leon, Hans, Juliette and Gene have other things on their minds than newlyweds who skipped out on a movie." "I know but, won't Patrick mind?" Louise asked. "No, he won't." Nathan assured her. "In fact, I would bet that he's wishing that he and Kevyn could disappear for a while." He took her hands and backed up to the bed pulling her with him. When he reached the bed, he sat down and pulled her into his lap. When she began to wiggle around to get more comfortable, Nathan moaned. "Don't stop." he breathed. "It feels good." It took Louise a few seconds to catch on. Nathan wanted what was the equivalent to a lap dance. The difference was that touching was allowed and encouraged. She closed her eyes, thought of a song, and began to move her behind to it. Nathan's eyes were closed, but they snapped open as Louise began to get into what he wanted. His cock grew even harder in his shorts. He wanted to free it, but the combined friction of the slightly rough material and Louise's movements felt too good. He reached around her, took a breast into each hand, and began to squeeze them. He flicked his thumbs over the already erect nipples, and wanted them in his mouth. Louise was now moving back and forth grinding down on his cock as hard as she could. Her back was pressed into his chest, her breast jutting out trying to get Nathan to do more than just flick and squeeze. Nathan quickly turned her so that she was facing him and removed her top and then her bra. He looked at her and realized that he had been wrong about something. She wasn't beautiful, she was exquisite, but even that was too weak of a word to describe her. Louise continued to grind against him but wanted him to suckle from her. Impatient, she took a breast into her hand and offered it to him. "Please." she whispered and then cried out when he planted the lightest of kisses on her nipple before taking it into his mouth and sucking on it so gently that it almost tickled. "Harder." she moaned when she understood that he was holding back. Without being fully aware of what she was doing, Louise thought the words. "Clothes off!" Suddenly, Nathan's bare cock was rubbing against her bare and throbbing clit. Nathan sucked even harder on her nipple as he lifted her up just high enough that he could enter her. He moaned into her breast and began pumping into her careful of the amount of force he was using. He released the swollen nipple from his mouth and took the other one in. As with the other nipple, he planted a kiss on it before taking it into his warm, wet mouth and sucking on it softly and then hard. He sucked from her until he knew that she was going to come. Nathan released the nipple, and lay back on the bed giving Louise complete control of her orgasm. He tried to lay still. He couldn't help but move when Louise's vaginal muscles began to squeeze tightly around his cock. He took her by the hips and helped her grind against him as he pumped into her. "Oh god!" he yelled as he emptied into her inhabited womb and he felt her clit pulsing against him. Louise's orgasm began as soon as Nathan started to grind against her. She knew that the orgasm shouldn't be as intense as the ones before now that she was pregnant, but this one was every bit as intense as the others were. She could tell by Nathan's response that it was the same for him. She screamed, thankful that the room was soundproof. Afterwards, she slumped over, her head resting on Nathan's heaving chest. She shivered when her sweaty body began to cool and snuggled into him. A second later, she felt a blanket cover them and wished that they didn't have to leave. "We don't just yet." Nathan told her. "Sweetheart, are you alright? I didn't hurt you did I?" "No, I'm fine." Louise replied sleepily. "I just need to sleep a little." "Go ahead." Nathan encouraged. "I'll wake you when we need to go." Louise was asleep a few seconds later with Nathan's cock still embedded inside of her. Nathan didn't mind, he knew how he was going to wake her up when it was time. ******** Leon took a quick look around and grinned when he saw that Nathan and Louise were missing. He tightened his grip on Nadine's hand and began to stroke it with his thumb. The more he thought about leaving, the sadder he became. Realistically, he could move if he used all of his vacation time of which he had weeks, and he had more than enough money in the bank without touching his investments. The question was where would he stay until he found a place? He wasn't about to ask Louise or Kevyn although he knew that they would let him stay with them, but they were newlyweds who needed their privacy. Leon realized after a few minutes that a place to stay wasn't the real issue. The real issue was Nadine. Was he really considering moving to another state for a woman that he had known for less than a week? The memory of another woman crossed his mind. He was almost destroyed by her, and he refused to make the same mistake twice. However, as he looked at Nadine, he knew that he wouldn't be making a mistake. Even so, he was nervous. "Leon?" Nadine called softly. "Are you alright?" "Yeah baby... I was just thinking about a few things." Leon replied surprised at how easily the term of endearment had come out of his mouth. "Are you sure?" Nadine asked nervously. She had known that there was the chance that she had a mate somewhere, but she had never expected to find him. She looked over at Hans and smiled. He was so happy that she could feel it from where she sat. She knew about the other mate even though they had never really talked about it. His anxiety about the woman had been palpable, and when she found out who the woman was, she fully understood his anxiety. However, Juliette was not her sister. Nadine liked her and the children as soon as she met them. She thanked the fates on a daily basis that they had taken the evil Barb away from her father. He didn't deserve one such as her, but then again, did anyone? Nadine turned her attention back to Leon and wondered how she was going to tell him that she wasn't human. She decided to try to talk to Hans during the next intermission. "Nadine? Are you ok?" Leon asked concerned. "I'm fine... I'm just thinking about papa and your sister. They look nice together don't they?" Nadine asked. "Yeah, they do... am I going to have to give your papa my brother speech?" Leon teased, but was half-serious. "Brother speech?" Nadine asked confused. "Yeah, you know the one," Leon replied, "if you hurt my sister I'll kick your ass and so on." "Oh... I don't have any brothers, but it sounds like the kind of speech that papa would give to my ma... boyfriend." Nadine said. "I like your father." Leon said looking over at Hans. "He's a cool dude." "He likes you too." Nadine replied. "Leon, would you mind if we skipped the next movie? I want to tell you something." Leon nodded, suddenly nervous. ********* Gene sat in the back not paying attention to the movie or to any of the conversations going on around him. He was lost in his own thoughts, which started with growing up. He had hated being poor, but wouldn't go so far as to say that they were abused. He knew people who had been abused. Some of them had come to school dressed in the best clothes and lived in some of the nicest houses. He had never wanted to be filthy rich like the Sinclaires' but he didn't want to have to worry about money either. All he wanted was a nice house, a beautiful wife and a nice vacation once a year. He had actually met that goal until .... "I fucked up." Gene murmured for the first time taking responsibility for his actions. His thoughts went from that failure to his father and the failure there. Victor Yancy was firm in his belief that Gene should be the one to care for and lead the family if anything should happen to him. That Victor had his doubts was obvious when he made sure to teach Leon what he considered the role of a true man. It was something that he would have taught anyway, but he always made sure that the younger boys listened as well. "It's our job to make sure that our women are safe and cared for. Gene since you're the oldest, the responsibility falls to you, but that doesn't mean that you younger boys can't help. The bottom line is this, if anything happens to me, you boys need to pull together. The same goes for the girls. You have to take care of each other and your mother, and you can't do that if you don't pull together." Louise Ch. 14 It seemed a lifetime ago since that conversation. By no stretch of the imagination had he fulfilled his father's admonitions. He had done the bare minimum. It occurred to him that he had been doing the bare minimum for most of his life. Why he had to come to California to have this epiphany, he didn't know, but what he did know was that he didn't like the way that it made him feel. In a way, he felt a little like Ebenezer Scrooge who woke up one day, realized the errors of his ways and changed. Unlike Scrooge, he didn't have the resources, financial or emotional to make immediate change. If he did change, it wouldn't happen overnight. He began to ask himself the hard questions as the movie played. His head began to ache at the choices that he needed to make. No matter what he did, he had a hard road in which he had to travel. He had to decide just had badly he was willing to work for what he now knew he was missing. Respect. It wasn't just the respect of others that he was missing. He was missing the respect for himself and the respect that he should have had for his family. He wondered at what point he lost that respect, and whether it was possible to get it back. He jumped when the lights switched on and Patrick announced another break. Gene remained in his seat, closed his eyes and hoped that no one would disturb him. ******** Louise and Nathan slipped back in just as the movie ended. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Nathan asked as they sat down. "No I'm fine... I know that you want to talk to Leon so go." "Leon can wait." Nathan replied. "I know, but seriously, I'm fine and fully capable of getting my own food." Louise replied. "Now get going." Nathan hesitated. "Nathan, I'm fine." Nathan grinned. He heard the little tone of annoyance in her voice. That would be his indicator for when he was becoming too obsessive. "What are you grinning at?" Louise demanded. "Nothing, I'll be back before the next movie starts." Nathan replied and kissed her temple. ******* A few minutes later, he and Leon were sitting in an office at the far end of the basement. Nathan had caught up with Leon before he and Nadine could slip out. "How do you like California?" Nathan asked. "I love it here!" Leon replied. "It's funny that you should ask though." he added. "Why is that?" Nathan asked. "I was thinking about relocating. The big problem as I see it would be employment. I don't think that you have too many steel mills around here." "Not in these parts anyway." Nathan replied. "Tell me about what you do at the steel mill." "I'm what you call a jack of all trades and a master of none." Leon replied. "I'm one of the night shift supervisors. I also trouble shoot when a piece of equipment goes down, and that includes the computers. I also help train the new hires, and of course there's tons of paperwork in a system that is supposed to be paperless." "Do you like your job?" Nathan asked. "I like it most of the time." Leon replied. "But its like any job, there are days when I wonder why I do it, and then I remember that I need to work. But even if I didn't like it, I would still do it to the best of my ability. What is this? A job interview?" Leon teased. "Yes." Nathan replied. Leon stared at him for several seconds and then started laughing. He stopped when he saw that Nathan wasn't laughing with him. "You're serious?" he asked. "Very." Nathan replied. "I could use a man like you to run one of my small companies." "Hold up!" Leon exclaimed. "I don't know anything about architecture or running a company." "No, but you know people, and you're good with them." Nathan replied. "I would send you to school for a crash course on the basics and you could come to me with any questions. I also disagree with you when you say that you don't know anything about running a company. You do it every time you go to work just on a smaller scale. This wouldn't be much different." "Why me?" Leon asked. "There's got to be people who are much more qualified than I am to do this." "There are." Nathan conceded. "But I want you. You have people skills that the others lack, and that's what I need. I also called your employer and spoke with them. You are very highly regarded." "You did what?" Leon asked not sure of whether he should be angry or pleased. "I called your company." Nathan repeated. "I have good instincts when it comes to judging people, and I wanted confirmation of my impressions." "Are you doing this because you think that you have to?" Leon asked. "Because if you are, I'm going to say no as tempting as the offer is." "Who you are has very little to do with it." Nathan replied. "I won't say that it has nothing to do with it because you would know that I was lying. I'm asking you because I like what you've done with your life. I like you and the way that you stepped up for your sisters. I also happen to believe that you would do well in the position that I offered you. It's one of my subsidiary companies. It's small enough that you won't be overwhelmed, but big enough to give you a challenge. The office staff consists of four people, but the field staff is made up of eleven people in various fields of expertise. I know that you have business in Pittsburgh, but you can take whatever time you need to wrap it up if you decide to accept my offer." Leon didn't know what to think. Nathan had just offered him a solution to part of his problem. "I know that you'll need a place to stay." Nathan said. "I have a small home that you can live in for as long as you need it." "How much is rent?" Leon asked. "Nothing...." "How much is rent?" Leon asked again interrupting him. Nathan nodded in understanding and approval. Leon Yancy was a proud man and would insist on paying rent even if he stayed with him and Louise. "Twelve-hundred and utilities are included." Nathan replied. The reality of it was, he could charge triple what he told Leon and the tenant would have to pay his/her own utilities. But Leon was family and he wouldn't charge him more than he was. "Why do I get the feeling that you're cutting me a break?" Leon asked. Nathan grinned at him. "Because I am." he replied. "Let's talk about wages. I'm going to toss out a number and you tell me if it's comparable to what you were making." "I haven't said yes yet." Leon said. "True." Nathan replied. "But I think that you will." "What about Gene?" Leon asked. "What about him?" Nathan asked. "Are you going to offer him a job or invest with him?" "Gene and I have talked." Nathan replied. "If he chooses to tell you what we talked about, that's up to him but from my view point that discussion is between me and him." "Understood." Leon replied. "All right, tell me if this number is in the ballpark of what you make at the steel mill." Nathan said. He threw out a number and waited for Leon's response. "That's right on the money." "This is what I'm offering." Nathan said and then gave a number. "Before you say anything that is the going rate of pay for your position in this part of the country. Of course, health insurance and a retirement plan are a part of the package." "Can I think about it?" Leon asked. "Take your time." Nathan replied. "If you decide to accept my offer, we'll send you home on the jet and you can call us when you're ready to come back." Leon shook Nathan's hand not quite believing how things were working out. If he were a superstitious man, he would have seen the opportunity as fate. He went back to the theater to see Nadine chatting with Louise. Somehow, seeing them talking together seemed right. The last woman, the only woman that he had been with hadn't liked his family, and they hadn't liked her. Louise in particular had disliked her, and had tried to warn him about her. "Leon, I know that she's pretty and she seems nice, but something isn't right about her. I think that she's going to get you into trouble." A few months later, he was a drug addict wishing that he had listened to Louise. She had seen something that he hadn't although in retrospect, he had seen it too. He stood by the doorway watching them talk and realized that Louise liked Nadine. She was his best indicator as to whether he was making another mistake. In his heart and in his gut, Leon knew that he wasn't making a mistake but he needed confirmation. He walked in, sat next to Nadine and took her hand in his. He looked at Louise to see her reaction. When she smiled at him, he knew that he had her support. He was moving to California. It struck him as odd that most of them would be staying or going home and returning. He knew with a certainty that Gene was going back to Pittsburgh and wouldn't be returning any time soon. He looked back at Gene who was still sitting in his seat with his eyes closed and then looked back at Louise. He jumped when he thought he saw her eyes flash. He blinked, and then decided that it was the lighting when he saw that her eyes were her normal shade of brown. "So were you talking about me?" he asked grinning at them. "As a matter fact, we weren't." Nadine replied smiling at him. "We were taking about the baby." "Are you al..." "Stop right there!" Louise said. "If one more person asks if I'm alright, I'll scream. Other than being slightly in shock, happy and anxious, I'm fine so stop worrying." ********* Nathan walked in at the tail end of the exchange. He smiled knowing that Louise could hold her own against him or anyone else for that matter. He looked around for Patrick and or Kevyn and spotted them in a corner talking. It didn't appear to be anything too personal so he approached them. "There's more going on here than just a movie night, can you feel it?" he asked. "We were just talking about that." Kevyn said. "What are you thinking?" Nathan asked. "We'll keep running the movies." Patrick replied. "It will help conceal what's really happening which is mates' working out their issues. The only human that we really need to be concerned about it Gene, but he is easily dealt with." "Good plan. By the way, I offered Leon a job." "You did?" Kevyn asked surprised. "I did, and he's thinking about it." Nathan replied. "I'll let him fill you in on the details; I need to get back to Louise." Nathan walked back to where Louise was sitting still talking with Leon and Nadine. He looked over to the right, and saw Gene sitting alone with his eyes closed. Nathan knew that he wasn't asleep, but deep in thought. He hoped for Gene's sake that whatever seeds were planted took root. He sat down next to Louise, put an arm around her, and pulled her close. He almost asked her how she was, but stopped himself. She was fine he reminded himself. While she was talking, he decided to listen for the baby's heartbeat. If he heard it, he reasoned; he could relax. Nathan closed his physical and mental eyes, blocked out the sounds around him, blocked out the beating of Louise's heart and listened. Several seconds passed before he heard it. It was faint and rapid but it was there. The heart beat of their son or daughter seemed to grow stronger as he listened to it. He laid a hand on Louise's stomach not caring who was watching him, and sent warm thoughts to the baby. "We love you little one." he said telepathically. As he listened to the heartbeat, his anxiety about the health of Louise and the baby diminished. It was replaced with a happiness that astounded him. "I told you that I was alright." Louise said telepathically. "Did you hear his heartbeat?" she asked. "You knew what I was doing?" Nathan asked telepathically. "Of course I did." Louise replied. "I would have been surprised if you hadn't. What surprises me is that you managed to wait this long." Patrick stood up and announced the next movie. "Kev chose the next movie..." "Rambo." Louise muttered under her breath. "I gather you don't like Rambo?" Nathan asked. "Not anymore than I like Rocky." Louise replied. "And before you say it, as much as I would like to slip out of the movie, we'd better stay put." "Spoil sport." Nathan teased. "Maybe, but I think that Gene wants to talk to me about something." Louise replied. "He feels different. You didn't compel him did you?" "No, I promise." Nathan replied. "But as you know, I did talk to him. We'll see what happens." ******* Gene barely heard anything that Patrick said during the announcement. In his mind, he was still revisiting the past and was gradually making his way to the future. He asked himself what he had done in his life that he could honestly say that he was proud of. "I graduated from college and got a good job." he whispered. "I married a wonderful woman...and then I fucked up." As he sat there in the almost dark room, a feeling of shame fell over him. The feeling of shame grew when he thought about Clay Robinson. He had really contemplated killing his own sister for money. In that moment, he was glad that his parents were dead. He could almost feel how disappointed, hurt and angry they would have been. Suddenly, he understood what Nathan meant when he said that he had another person that deserved an apology. Kevyn. He had to tell her about his involvement with Clay Robinson. He had to confess to her that he for all practical purposes had tried to sell her to Clay. It didn't matter that in the end that he was going to kill Clay himself. It would only matter that he was going to kill his sister. His next thought was about Patrick. He was sure that Kevyn would tell him about his involvement with Clay. Gene shuddered as he thought about how Patrick would react. "Fuck." he muttered as he went on to think about Louise. He knew that she had been struggling to care for their mother. And while he couldn't have helped much financially, there were other ways in which he could have helped. That Louise had never complained no longer eased his newly awakened guilt. For a brief moment, Gene felt a deep sense of despair. He wanted to leave, find the nearest bar and drink himself into oblivion. Anything was better than dealing with the emotions that had come from seemingly nowhere, but he stayed where he was. He opened his eyes to see Louise looking at him with a concerned expression on her face. He gave her a small smile and then nodded at her. He would talk to her first. ******** Leon replayed Nathan's offer in his head several times. He knew that he was going to accept it, and wondered why he was hesitating. Louise obviously like Nadine, and Nadine liked her. He wondered if the hesitation was because everything seemed to have happened so quickly. First, there was Kevyn and Patrick. She hadn't known him for very long before she announced him as her significant other. The same went for Louise although she and Nathan surprised him more than Kevyn and Patrick had. Kevyn had been married before whereas Louise had no experience with men other than working with them. Then there was Juliette and Hans, another one that he didn't see coming, and finally, there was Nadine. He had only met her once before the wedding, but she was never far from his mind. He didn't know what to think, but decided that he and Nadine needed to talk. Part way through the movie, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Let's get some air." "You don't like 'Rambo'?" Nadine asked. "I do." Leon replied, "But talking to you is more important." A few minutes later, they were sitting outside in one of the gardens. Leon looked at his watch and saw that it was almost two am. He looked up at the sky that was sparkling with stars and smiled. It was perfect, the night was perfect and so was Nadine. "Nathan offered me a job." he said after several minutes. "I don't know if I should accept it or not." "That's wonderful!" Nadine exclaimed, "But why wouldn't you accept it?" Leon told her what the job entailed. "I don't know anything about architecture or running a company. What if I fuck something up?" "Well... didn't Nathan say that he would send you to school?" Nadine asked. "Yes, but architecture?" Leon asked. "Why not?" Nadine asked. "You're smart enough, and Nathan did say that he would be at your disposal." she added. "True..." "Leon, what's the real issue? Is it me?" "No! Yes, but not in the way that you're thinking." Leon replied and then wondered how he knew what she was feeling. "Nadine, I have a history and it involves a woman." "Tell me about her." Nadine said laying a hand on Leon's arm. Leon hesitated for only a moment before he began to tell Nadine about his prior life. She listened without interruption, and after he finished, she didn't say anything for several minutes. "Do you think that I would lead you down that road?" "I'm not saying that." Leon replied. "I'm just saying that I'm a little gun shy. I like you." he added. "You're beautiful, smarter than Einstein, and I like being with you. But I would be lying if I said that the strong attraction scares me a little, and not just because of my past experience." "Are you talking about your sisters?" Nadine asked. "Exactly, and me too. Think about it." Leon said. "Three of my sisters have come to California and hooked up with some one. Two of the three married the guy, and if your father has anything to say about it, he'll be marrying the third. Then there's us. I feel like I've known you for longer than a few days. What is it about this place?" he asked. Nadine didn't know how to respond so she went back to the discussion about the job. "Will you accept Nathan's offer?" "Probably." Leon replied. "That's the other thing, the job offer. I was thinking about moving here, but the job situation was going to be an issue at some point and, then here comes Nathan with a job offer. Seriously, can all of this be a coincidence?" he asked. "Maybe it's fate." Nadine said softly. "Maybe all of these things were supposed to happen, and I include our meeting in that." "Are you talking about Karma?" Leon asked. "I guess you can call it that." Nadine replied. "I just believe that things happen for a reason. There is a reason why your family came here. There was a reason for why we met that night in the hallway of the hotel, but I don't think that you're ready to hear the reason yet." Nadine hesitated a moment and then continued. "Maybe I'm the one who isn't ready." "What are you talking about?" Leon asked. "I hope that you take the job." Nadine said standing up. "Nadine, wait." Leon said. "Why do you think we met?" "It's getting late, and I have a paper to write." Nadine replied. "Can I call you later today? We'll talk about it then." She knew that she was being abrupt, but she needed the time to think and if possible, to talk with Hans. "Ummm sure... call me anytime." Leon replied. "How about we meet for lunch?" "I would like that, but the evenings are better for me." Nadine replied. "Dinner then." Leon replied. "I'll pick you up at six." As they walked back to the house, Leon wondered what Nadine was talking about. He made a mental note to check at the front desk for the best place to rent a nice car. He knew that he had access to any of the cars at the hotel, but he wanted to rent his own car. It was important that Nadine knew, and understood that he was his own man and that he could have cared less about the Sinclaire money. ****** Hans kept looking over at Juliette who covered her eyes every time a bloody scene or a scene involving torture came on the screen. He put an arm around her, pulled her close and kissed her temple. The truth of the matter was, although he had fought in many wars, he hated the violence and the loss of life that came with it. He avoided conflict as much as possible, but if it came to protecting his family, he would kill. He would have killed for Barb that night if she hadn't denied him. Louise Ch. 14 He pushed Barb out of his mind. She was no longer his responsibility other than she was the sister to his mate. He was brought back to the present by the sound of Juliette gagging. "Come, let's go out for a moment." he said gently. Juliette didn't argue, but allowed Hans to lead her out of the room and to a bathroom. Once inside, Juliette washed her face with cold water and rinsed her mouth out. Hans was waiting for her when she came out. "Do you feel better?" he asked. "Yes, thanks." Juliette replied sheepishly. "As you can tell, I don't do well with blood." "I noticed." Hans said with a smile. "Would you like to go for a walk?" "You don't like those kinds of movies either do you?" Juliette asked. "No, not really." Hans replied. "I've seen too much death and bloodshed during my time. About that walk?" "Sure, but I want to check on the kids first." Juliette replied. Together, they went to the bedroom where all three children still slept. They stood side by side for several second neither of them missing how natural it felt. A few minutes later, they were walking around the grounds. The warm breeze felt good on Juliette's face. She kept peeking over at Hans still not sure of whether she believed him or not. "You still aren't convinced." he said after a few minutes. Juliette hesitated. She was thinking about how to respond to Hans' statement. "I do and I don't." she finally replied. "The part of me who used to dream about mythical and mystical creatures believes you. The adult woman with three children, and has to live in the real world doesn't. I'm not saying that you're crazy. If I thought that, I wouldn't be out here alone with you and you definitely wouldn't be anywhere near my kids." "What would it take to convince the adult woman?" Hans asked. "Do you fly?" Juliette asked as she began to recall the vampire lore that she knew. "No, but there are those who can." Hans replied. "I can however, jump from the ground and land on the roof of a building and vice versa." "What else can you do?" the Juliette who used to dream about mythical and mystical creatures asked. "I am telekinetic, I can read thoughts, but all vampires can do that as well as compel. I am also telepathic and when we mate, you will be as well. I can vanish from one place to another even if it is another part of the world. The stories about our strength and speed are true." "What about the blood thing?" Juliette asked. "I saw you eat." "There are those of us who can eat, but we still need blood. It has things in it that we need. There are those who can only survive on blood. Human food doesn't appeal to them and causes significant pain when ingested. While we're on the subject," Hans said, "let me dispel a few more falsehoods for you. Holy water doesn't affect us... let me clarify that. There are those who for whatever reasons let go of their humanity and become truly evil. They cannot stand to be near holy objects of any kind no matter the religion nor can they enter sacred buildings such as churches." "Why do they change?" Juliette asked. "Some of them just choose to." Hans replied. "Some of them get tired of waiting for their mates and instead of doing something to help them retain their humanity and compassion, they let themselves go. These are extremely dangerous creatures. They will take a woman even if she is mated, and will force her to mate with them. Why? No one knows for sure although the consensus is that they hope to revert to their former selves." "Does it work?" Juliette asked. "Not that I am aware of." Hans replied. "These creatures are part of the reason why vampire males are so protective of their mates, especially ones that are still human or haven't turned. Once a mate is turned, they are of no use to the dark ones. When a dark one is spotted, they are immediately killed with no questions asked. There are also those that are called hunters." Hans continued. "They have been in existence for as long as the vampire and they are our sworn enemy. Their only goal is to eradicate every vampire there is and they will use the women and children of the vampire to meet this goal. That is another reason our families are so vigorously protected." "Are the hunters human?" Juliette asked. "For the most part yes." Hans replied. "But there are other species who work with them including vampires. Secrecy about whom and what we are is our greatest protection. I must apologize; I have gotten away from what we were discussing." "Please, don't apologize." Juliette said. "I needed to hear all of this at some point didn't I?" she asked. "You believe me then?" Hans asked. "It's not that I don't believe you." Juliette replied. "When I'm with you and talking to you, it sounds so reasonable. The problem comes when I'm alone and have time to think." Suddenly, Hans was gone. Juliette stared at the spot where he had just been standing in disbelief. She did a complete three-sixty degree turn looking for him. "Juliette, turn around and look up." Hans called out to her. Juliette swallowed hard, slowly turned around and looked up. She gasped in shock when she saw Hans floating several feet above her. "Oh my god...Oh my god!" she murmured as Hans slowly descended and landed on his feet in front of her. "Juliette?" Hans said softly ready to catch her if she fainted. "Oh my god." she repeated looking up at him. "I think I'd better sit down." Hans looked around for the nearest place to sit. Seeing none that he deemed close enough, Hans sat on the ground and pulled Juliette into his lap. She sat in stunned silence not paying attention to the fact that a hard cock was pressed into her bottom. Hans fought the urge to rub against her and waited. "Do you bite people?" Juliette asked when she recovered from her shock. "Not unless there is an emergency where blood is unavailable." Hans replied. "Some of us have access to bagged human blood. Sometimes, a female will allow her mate to feed from her, but it isn't required nor is it forced." "Where do you get the bagged blood from?" Juliette asked. "There are vampire run facilities where it can be ordered from. Some like the Sinclaires' have their own suppliers or they own their own blood bank." "What about you?" Juliette asked. "I am nowhere near as well off as the Sinclaires, but I have my own supplier. Hans replied "When did you last bite someone?" Juliette asked. "It's been awhile." Hans replied. "How long?" Juliette pressed not sure of why it was so important that she know. "I haven't bitten a human since blood banks came into existence." Hans replied. "But what about those who don't have money? What do they do?" "Some of them live off of animal blood, some of them make arrangements with human friends and some of them just take what they need in order survive. Sometimes in their eagerness, they kill or accidentally turn someone. There are also those who prefer to feed from humans as opposed to the alternatives. " "And then what happens to the ones who were turned?" she asked. Hans hesitated. He wasn't ready to tell her about the uglier parts of his world. "What happens to them?" Juliette asked again oddly concerned. "They are hunted down and if possible; saved." Hans replied. "If they cannot be saved, they die." "Die? You mean killed don't you?" Juliette asked. "You have to understand." Hans said. "All new vampires need someone to teach them how to survive without killing anyone. As I mentioned, secrecy is our greatest protection and these newborns through no fault of their own endanger all us. They must be dealt with." "Can you imagine waking up to a world that you may not believe in or even knew existed?" Juliette asked. "And to top it off, you're hunted and then killed without knowing or understanding why? That has to be terrifying." Hans looked at Juliette and saw the tears brimming in her eyes. The compassion that she felt for the unfortunates who had been unwittingly turned touched him. "Ours is a hard world." he said softly. "What happens to the ones who accidentally turn someone? Are they hunted down too?" "Yes and they are forced to take their new creations." "But what if they refuse? Or if they say yes and then dump them off somewhere?" Juliette asked. Juliette had touched on a topic that was of concern to all vampires, even the dark ones, but it was a discussion for another day. "We are working on that issue." Hans assured her. "Do you have any questions regarding our relationship?" "Let me see if I understand something," Juliette said. "If I do this, I will become immortal. All of the kids will have the opportunity to change when they are old enough to decide, but they could also find their mates. Am I correct so far?" "Yes." Hans replied. "If they don't change or find their mates, I have to watch them die." Juliette said. "And if they change and become one of the dark ones, they die." "Yes, but Juliette, they will have me, Nathan and every vampire in the family to teach them so that it doesn't happen." "How often does it happen?" Juliette asked. "How often does someone who was turned have to be killed?" "I wish that I could say never." Hans replied. "It doesn't happen often but I should tell you in the cases that it did, the people who died were bad people in their human lives. When one is turned, the personality remains the same and in some cases, the personality worsens. However, Juliette, our children are in no danger of being killed. They are already good children who will grow into good adults who will contribute much to the world whether they remain human or not." "Our children?" Juliette asked. "Our children." Hans replied. "Wanda, Victor and Celeste will be and are loved as though they came from my loins. That they have a father doesn't change that nor does it change the fact that he is their father. I encourage that relationship and will only interfere if I see that they are being hurt." "But Hans, they're children. They'll feel as though they have to choose and that alone will hurt them." Juliette replied. "And I won't do that to them." "I know and I understand." Hans replied. "I also think that you aren't giving them enough credit or is it that you're using them as an excuse? I know that your concern is real, and it is a legitimate concern but let us not confuse the issues. The way to handle the concern about the children is to be upfront with them. I won't and don't require that they call me father or anything like that. I leave what they will call me up to them. The issue that you are having is up to you to resolve." Juliette didn't respond. Hans was right in that she was confusing the issues. "Juliette, tell me about the man that you were with." Hans urged. Juliette looked at her watch; they had been gone for almost two hours. "We'd better go check on the kids." she said. "We've been out here for awhile." "Fine, but then we will continue this discussion." Hans said. When they got to the room, Wanda was just waking up. "Is Vickie still here?" she asked. "She's in the room down the hall." Juliette replied. "Are you hungry?" "A little." Wanda replied. "I'll get something after I talk to Vickie." During the conversation, Victor and then Celeste woke up. "Let's tend to the children, we can talk again later." Hans said as he picked Celeste up. Juliette watched as Celeste wrapped her arms around Han's neck and laid her head on his shoulder. There was no fear only trust as she closed her eyes again not quite ready to wake up. Juliette's eyes met Hans. "We belong to each other." he whispered before handing Celeste over to her. ********** It wasn't until three before Gene saw his chance to talk to Louise. He thought that Nathan was never going to leave her side. Once the moment arrived, he wasn't sure that he could go through with it. Apologies weren't a part of his vocabulary unless he hoped to gain something out of it. He reminded himself that he would be. He would be on the road to gaining some respect for himself. The question was whether Louise would believe him. He decided that it didn't matter whether she believed him or not. He had made far too many false apologies for her to believe that this one was sincere. He had to show her that he was at least thinking about things. He waited another few seconds, looked around for Nathan and went over to her. "Hey sis." he said as he sat next to her. "Hey yourself." Louise replied. "Having a good time?" "No, not really." Gene replied, "and that isn't anyone's fault but my own." he added. Louise waited for Gene to continue. He cleared his throat, started to speak and stopped. He wasn't sure that he could go through with it. Getting buzzed was becoming more tempting by the second. A moment later, he began. "I know that I haven't been the best brother to you and the rest. I was sitting back there thinking about why, and I couldn't come up with a good reason except to say that I am and was a jackass. I let everyone down including dad because I didn't do what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to take care of mom and the rest of you after he died. I did the bare minimum, which is something that I've always done, and left you holding the bag. I should have helped you a lot more than I did even though I couldn't help you financially. Instead of taking charge, I played devil's advocate and made an already difficult situation more difficult. Unfortunately, there's nothing that I can do to change that. I'm sorry. I know that I've apologized before and didn't mean it, but this time I do." Louise lowered her shields and felt the sincerity of the apology. "When I heard that you were getting married, I didn't congratulate you or Kevyn. I was so angry that you and she were getting what I wanted. Part of the anger was at Leon too. He was a fucking drug addict, lost everything but he came out on top. Instead of asking him how he did it, I got angry and jealous. When I found out that we were being flown out here for the wedding, I looked at it as an opportunity. That in and of itself isn't wrong but using you and Kevyn's wedding was. Asking you to talk to your husband on my behalf was wrong. I know that you're going to find this hard to believe, but I'm only just beginning to understand that most of what happened in my life was my fault. A lot of what you went through with mom was my fault. Nathan told me that I should have been the one leading the way in helping you and he's right. He also called me a lazy son of a bitch, and he's right about that too. As I was sitting back there thinking, I felt a little like Ebenezer Scrooge except that any changes that I make won't be overnight. I know that it won't be easy and I expect to have relapses but I'm going to try. Just a favor though, I would like to call every so often to say hello and to check on the progress of my new niece or nephew." Louise reached over and took Gene's hand in hers. "Thank you." she said softly. "I know how hard this must have been for you, and it means a lot to me. I accept your apology and of course, you can call me. But I have a suggestion." Gene almost made a smart comment and, and stopped himself. "Talk to Leon." Louise said. "He can help you if you'll let him." "I know, and I will. Are we alright?" Gene asked. "We're alright and Gene? We're here if you need us." Louise said giving his hand a squeeze. "Thanks sis." Gene said returning the squeeze and moving away. He went back to his seat, sat down and blew out a long breath. Talking to Louise had been more difficult than he thought it would be. He couldn't imagine what it was going to be like telling Kevyn about his involvement with Clay Robinson. He thought about writing a letter and leaving it for her. "I can't do this." he muttered as he looked around. He wondered if anyone would miss him if he snuck back up the kitchen. There had to be a beer in the fridge. He looked around and saw that no one was looking in his direction. He slowly stood up and began to make his way to the stairs that led to the kitchen. Halfway up, he stopped and turned around. He could have sworn that he heard someone behind him. When he didn't see anyone, he made his way to the kitchen. He stopped in front of the refrigerator and stared at it. He battled with what he wanted to do and what he should do. "Walk away." he told himself even as he reached for the handle. "I deserve a beer." he muttered. He opened the fridge and saw brands of beer that he didn't know existed. "Just one...." "Those don't belong to you." a voice said from behind him. "Does Uncle Patrick know that you're taking one of his beers?" Gene turned around to see Victoria looking at him. "Oh... hey, he said that I could have one." Gene replied hoping that Victoria would just go away. "No he didn't." Victoria replied. Gene started to argue with her and realized that she had just done him a favor. "You're right, he didn't." Gene replied and closed the refrigerator door. "Thank you." he said and walked back to the door leading downstairs. Victoria watched him walk away, shook her head and followed Gene down the stairs. ******* By five am, everyone was gone leaving Victoria Patrick, Kevyn, Louise and Nathan to clean up the mess. Patrick had given what house staff he had the evening off, and refused to leave the mess for them. With the five of them working together the clean up went quickly. As they cleaned, they talked about the evening. "Leon will be back." Louise said. "He'll want to go back home to give his two weeks notice and to pack up his stuff." "Gene won't be back will he?" Kevyn asked "I don't think so." Louise replied, "if he does, it will be to visit." "And Juliette?" Kevyn asked. "She'll leave too, but she'll be back." Louise replied and then turned to Patrick. "Hans is going to need time off." "I know." Patrick replied. "We've already talked about that. The arrangements are already made." "What do you think is happening with Barb?" Kevyn asked. "I don't know." Louise confessed. I thought I felt something the other day but it was gone before I could grasp it." "Does she really hate us?' Kevyn asked. "No, not really." Louise replied, "But she's very angry though." "Can you believe that a week has passed already?" Nathan asked. "They'll be leaving in a couple of days so I was thinking, how about another night out a Jonesy's? We could invite Joseph and anyone else who wants to come. How much notice does Jonesy need?" "Not too much, just a general head count." Patrick replied. "Not tonight though, Leon is taking Nadine out for dinner, and Hans and Juliette have some unfinished business." Louise said. Kevyn looked at the clock. "They should just be getting back to the hotel, let's call them before they hit the sack." "It's too early to call Barb." Louise said. "I'll call her later." Patrick and Nathan finished cleaning up while Kevyn and Louise made phone calls. Victoria, bored with the conversation went to one of the spare bedrooms, and settled in for the day glad that she was too young to worry about adult things such as mating. ******** Gene went to his suite still fighting the urge for a drink. He was amazed at how strong the desire for a drink was once he had decided that he was going to stop. He was going to pick up the phone to call for room service when his phone rang. "Hey Kev... dinner tomorrow? Ok... sure. Kev?... never mind, I'll see you tomorrow night." He hung up still wanting a drink. His hand shook as he reached for the phone. He pulled his hand back as a realization hit him. He was scared shitless. He was afraid of failing. That was the real reason why he never stepped up to the plate in his marriage, his job and in life in general. He also realized why the urge to drink was so strong whereas he had always had some control before; he was vulnerable as well as scared. When he drank, he didn't feel vulnerable or afraid. He had felt nothing but fear since he arrived almost a week ago. That realization did little to curb the desire for a drink. Louise Ch. 14 The next time he reached for the phone, it was to call the one person that he knew would understand. ******* Leon had just finished talking to Louise when his phone rang again. He answered it mid-ring hoping that it was Nadine. "Gene? What's up? Now? Sure, I'm not sleepy anyway. See you in five." Leon hung up the phone, made a pot of coffee and changed his clothes. He had the feeling that it was going to be a long day. Gene showed up five minutes later. "If you too tired..." he started to say. "Nah, I'm good. I'm a night shifter remember? Come on in, I've got coffee brewing." Leon replied. Gene gratefully accepted the cup of coffee holding it tightly between his hands as if he was trying to warm them. Leon sat back, sipped his coffee and waited. And waited. And waited. An hour had passed before Gene finally spoke about what he really came for. "I... I need help." he said softly. "Thank god!" Leon exclaimed. "It's about damned time." he added. "Gene, listen to me. Anything that you tell me is between us. The only time I'll break silence is if you or someone else is in danger." "You won't say anything to the others?" Gene asked. "No, but Gene, when you get home, find someone to see you professionally. I'm your brother and will always be here for you, but there are things that I can't help you with. I would also suggest going to AA." Gene nodded; Leon was right, but right now, he needed a listening ear. "I don't know where to start." Gene said. "How did you do this? How did you talk to people about how you fucked up?" "It wasn't easy, and believe me when I say that there were times that I wanted to give up. But I told myself that if I wanted to get back on track, then I had to do it. I had Louise in my corner, and she fought with me. I'm not saying that to make you feel guilty." Leon said when he saw the expression on Gene's face. "You were going through your own issues and I was trying to make a point. My point is this; I wouldn't have made it if someone hadn't believed in me and fought with me. I believe that you can change, we all do. You just have to let us help you." "What if I fuck up again?" Gene asked. "I almost did twice already." "But you didn't. There's one thing that I can promise you." Leon said, "You will always have that fear of fucking up. Will that stop you from doing it? It helps, but it won't always stop you." "You're still afraid of fucking up?" Gene asked. "You better believe it." Leon replied. "Whenever I feel the urge... and I still do from time to time, I remember what I almost lost, and yes, I fucked up a few times." "Leon, you have no idea of what I've done." Four hours later, Leon knew everything. "Sweet Jesus." was all that he could say. He had known some of Gene's issues. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Gene had a drinking problem as well as other issues but to consider killing Kevyn was a hit that he hadn't seem coming. It took him several minutes to recover from the shock. "Why didn't you go through with it?" Leon finally asked. "I couldn't." Gene replied. "I don't think that I could have lived with the guilt." "Are you going to tell her?" Leon asked. "I don't want to, but I have to don't I?" Gene replied. "I can't and won't answer that question." Leon replied. "You know what you have to do, and it's up to you to decide whether you're going to do it or not." "Leon, I don't think that I can tell her. She'll hate me more than she already does." "She doesn't hate you." Leon said. "She doesn't understand why you act the way you do, and she wanted your support instead of fighting with you, but she doesn't hate you; none of us do." "Leon, will you come with me when I tell her? I understand if you don't want to." "I'll go with you, but Gene, be prepared for her and Patrick to be pissed. If I had to guess, I would say that Patrick will be even more pissed off then Kev. I don't know if you've noticed, but these guys are very protective of Kevyn and Lou." "I know. Barb tried to warn me about that." Gene replied. "When do you want to talk to Kev?" Leon asked. "Tonight if I can." Gene replied. "Are you free?" "I can be...." "Don't change anything for me." Gene said, "it can wait." "I was going to have dinner with Nadine." Leon replied. "I can change the time to later in the evening; she's a night owl too." "Thanks... can I ask a question?" Gene asked. "It has nothing to do with what we were talking about." "Shoot." Leon said. "Why her? You could have any woman that you want, why a hotel worker?" Gene asked. "Why not?" Leon shot back. "It's an honest living." "I know it is." Gene replied. "She isn't your type." "What do you mean by that?" Leon asked. "You know how you used to like them, tall, long legged and with tits out the wazoo." Gene replied. Leon chuckled, he couldn't be mad. He and Gene hadn't talked as brothers and men in a long time. It seemed like ages since he looked at a woman who met those characteristics. Gene was right; Nadine while beautiful looked nothing like the women in his past. She was short, petite and her breasts were much smaller than he was used to, but those things weren't important. How she made him feel was. "Things change." Leon replied. "And it would be more accurate to say that I'm not her type. The woman is brilliant!" "Shit!" Gene exclaimed when Leon told him about Nadine and her accomplishments. "You're right; she's too smart for you. If I offended you, I'm sorry. What are you going to do about her? We're leaving in a couple of days." "I...." "You're going to come back aren't you?" Gene asked. Leon saw no reason to deny it. "Yes, I'm coming back. I'm going back long enough to give notice, and to pack up my apartment." Gene was stunned. It wasn't like Leon to make such a rash decision. "I know that I'm the last person that should be offering advice, but Leon what about a job and a place to live? I know that you have some money but it won't last long out here. Is this woman worth the risk? You just met her." "I believe that she is." Leon replied. He wanted to tell Gene to mind his business, but he didn't. Gene was in a fragile state, and if giving advice helped, then he would let him. "Where are you going to stay?" Gene asked. "And what about a job?" Leon didn't know what to do. He decided to wait to tell Gene about the job until later. He didn't see how telling him at that moment would help or change anything. "I'm thinking about that." Leon replied which was the truth. He hadn't accepted Nathan's offer, although he was sure that he would take it Nadine or no Nadine. "I guess I'd better call Kevyn." Gene said after a few moments of silence had passed. "I'll call Nadine while you do that." Leon said relieved that Gene hadn't pushed the issue about Nadine or the move to California. A few minutes later, Gene was nervously waiting for Kevyn to answer her phone. ********* Kevyn had just climbed into bed, and was waiting for Patrick to finish talking to Jonesy when her phone rang. She looked at the number and frowned. "Gene? Everything all right?... ummm tonight? Well... We were going to get together with Juliette, but she just called to cancel. What's up? Ok... how about seven? Leon's coming too? Are you sure that you're all right? Ok... see you then." "What was that about?" Patrick asked. "That was Gene; he says that he wants to talk to me. He sounded different." "What do you think he wants?" Patrick asked as he got into bed. "I don't know." Kevyn replied. "But he was nervous and he's bringing Leon with him." "I thought Leon and Nadine had plans tonight." "I guess whatever is going on trumps their plans." Kevyn replied. "What did Ethan say?" she asked changing the subject. It would do no good to try to guess what Gene wanted to talk about, she would find out soon enough. "They're coming, but Rachel and Martin aren't. The baby is due at any moment and Rach doesn't want to leave home. He's going to call mom, George, and the twins. I talked to Jonesy so we're set there." "Good." Kevyn said settling in Patrick's arms. "Another change in subject, can you believe that Nathan and Lou are having a baby?" "I have to admit that I'm surprised." Patrick said. "Kev, how do you feel about it, and be honest." "I'm happy for them, but jealous too. Louise was already beautiful, but now she's glowing." Kevyn replied. "She's going to be such a good mother." "So will you." Patrick said. "And you will be even more beautiful than you are now if that's even possible." "You are such a sweet talker." Kevyn said smiling at him. "I only speak the truth." Patrick replied. "How do you feel about your family moving here?" he asked. "I'm ok with it, although I find it odd that most of us will be living here." Kevyn replied. "I agree." Patrick replied kissing her shoulder. "What's bothering you?" Kevyn hesitated. "Barb." "What about her?" Patrick asked. "She's a pain in the ass, but I love her and want her to be happy. I know that she's her own worst enemy, but I still want her to be happy." "Of course you do, and believe it or not, I want her to be happy too." Patrick replied. "But as you said, she's her own worst enemy. All we can do is wait for her to understand that she's got to give as well as receive." "Juliette asked me about the woman who turned Hans away." Kevyn said. "What did you tell her?" Patrick asked. "I told her that she needed to talk to Hans about it." Kevyn replied. I hope Juliette won't feel like Hans wants her only because Barb turned him away." "He won't allow that to happen." Patrick replied hugging her close. He was ready for things to settle down so that he could take Kevyn away. "I know." Kevyn said. 'It's just me worrying. It's been a busy week." "Lie on your stomach." Patrick said. Kevyn turned on her stomach. A few minutes later Patrick was massaging her shoulders with firm strokes that had her purring and then snoring. Patrick kissed her lightly, lay down next to her and allowed his mind to wander. The pressing question was what Gene could possibly want with Kevyn. Finally, he turned on his side facing Kevyn, put an arm around her and closed his eyes. ******** Nathan ran the bathtub while Louise sipped on a glass of warmed blood. "Did you take your vitamins?" he called out to her. Louise grimaced, and took the large pill with the blood. "I just did." she called back. She hated the taste of the vitamins but told herself that it was for the baby, and finished the blood in the glass. "You know," she said when she went into the bathroom, "you would think that there has to be a way to make those things taste better and to make them smaller." Nathan laughed as he hugged her. "You can laugh." Louise retorted, "You don't have to take them." "Maybe I will." Nathan replied. "They're just vitamins. They can't hurt me." "You're kidding." Louise replied feeling guilty because she complained. "No, I'm not." Nathan replied. "Where are they?" "On the dresser, but ..." "Be right back." he said kissing her on the temple. He was back a few seconds with a frown on his face. "That was terrible." He said as he reached for the bottle of mouthwash. "Told you." Louise said laughing. "I bet you won't take another one." "That would be a bet that you would lose." Nathan replied. "I'll take them for as long as you do. We also need to start walking. How about we start tonight after dinner?" "Sounds good." Louise replied. When the tub was full, Nathan got in and then helped Louise in. When she was comfortable, he put both hands on her stomach. He kissed the side of Louise's neck and thanked her again for the wedding gift. "It isn't as if I planned it." she said. "Can you teach me how to listen for his heart beat?" "I'll teach you after we get out of the tub." Nathan replied. "The less background noise the better." "Gene talked to me last night." Louise said as she played with Nathan's hands. . "I know." Nathan replied. "I was watching, but not listening." "Did you think that he would hurt me?" Louise asked. "No, but I didn't want him to upset you either. Nathan replied. He didn't ask what Gene said to her because he already had a good idea. If she wanted him to know the specifics, then she would tell him. They sat in the tub in silence until Louise spoke. "He apologized, and he meant it." "I figured as much." Nathan replied. "It's an apology that is long overdue." "Maybe." Louise replied. "But don't you see? He did it! Gene has never sincerely apologized for anything in his life. And think about this, if Gene can begin to change, then there's hope for Barb." "Sweetheart..." "You don't believe that she can change do you?" Louise asked. "Sweetheart, I'm the last person to say that people can't change. Look at my family history, but I believe that there are those who cannot change whether it's because they don't want to or because they simply can't. Gene has the capability to change. I saw that tonight and the fact that he came to you confirms that. As far as Barb goes, I hope that she does change. I'm not talking about going from total bitch to total sweetness. Over the past week, I've seen glimpses of a Barb that was likable. I also noticed that as soon as she realizes that she's having a good time, the bitch comes out and tries to ruin things." "So what are you saying?" Louise asked. "I'm saying that Barb has the same capability to change as Gene does. She has to decide whether she wants to or not. I just don't want you to be disappointed if she decides to be one of those who choose not to change. Of course, we will be available to help her and Gene in anyway that we can." Louise thought about what Nathan said, and realized that he was right. Both Gene and Barb had a bumpy road ahead of them. She would have to be cautiously optimistic where both of them were concerned. She pushed the thoughts about her siblings out of her mind. She had happier things to think about. "Teach me how to hear the baby's heartbeat." she said after a few minutes. Nathan helped her out of the tub, dried her off and led her back to the bed. He sat on the bed, and positioned himself so that his back rested against the headboard. "Sit between my legs and rest back against me. Make sure that you're comfortable." Ten minutes later, Louise was sitting comfortably between Nathan's legs with her eyes closed. "Are you cold?" he asked. "A little." Louise replied as she snuggled back into his warmth. A second later, a thin blanket was lying across her legs. "Alright, now close your eyes." Nathan said when he was sure she was comfortable. "Right now, you can hear every sound in the room from the clock ticking to the water dripping in the tub. We're going to eliminate those sounds one by one. We'll start with the water." Thirty minutes later, they were working on eliminating the sound of the clock. Nathan was impressed with how quickly Louise caught on. Another thirty minutes, they were ready to listen to the heartbeat of their baby. "Alright, take nice slow deep breaths." Nathan said telepathically. "Block out the sound of your breathing and just listen." Lub lub, lub lub, lub lub... Tears ran down Louise's cheeks as she heard the baby's strong, rapid but steady heartbeat for the first time. She felt Nathan's warm tears on her neck, but couldn't speak. "I know," Nathan said telepathically. I love you and her too." Louise fell asleep listening to the sound of the baby's heartbeat. They were going to have a baby. ************** Hello all! I wanted to take a moment to thank my beta readers Donalde, Anjel54 and last but not least my friend in the Netherlands for their time and help. I also wish to thank you all for your patience and well wishes for my daughter's wedding. I am still gallivanting around the country, visiting friends and family and not getting too much writing done, but I had a chapter of Louise almost finished so here it is. The next chapters of Justine and IWLYF are in progress and I plan to submit them soon. Thank you so much for your patience. Kal Louise Ch. 15 Gene spent the day on pins and needles. Several times he almost backed out. Each time he mentioned doing so; Leon didn't say or do anything to dissuade him unless Gene asked him a direct question. "Do you think that I should do this?" he asked. "I can't answer that." Leon replied. "It comes down to what you can live with. Will you be able to live with yourself if you don't?" "If you were me, would you tell her?" Gene asked. " I'm not you and the answer doesn't change." Leon replied. Gene was so nervous that he couldn't eat. It seemed as if time had slowed to a standstill. To pass the time, Gene asked Leon about his plans. "So you're really going to move out here?" "That's the plan." Leon said. "I have to go back to Pittsburgh to take care of business, but then I'm coming back." "I know that I've asked this before, but what about a job and a place to live?" "I'll worry about that later, in the meantime, let's get you through tonight. Have you thought about how you're going to tell them?" Gene shrugged. "How do you tell your sister that you were going to kill her for money?" he asked. "I mean, Leon, I all but sold her..." "But you didn't and you didn't kill her." Leon reminded him. "I know, but I thought about it! When Clay approached me about info on Kev, I should have told him where to go. When he told me to kill her, I should have told him to go fuck himself." "Who do you think killed him?" Leon asked. "If I had to guess, I would say Puff." Gene replied. "He had a thing for Kevyn too. He's also the only one who had enough balls to do it." Leon nodded in agreement. He like Gene was aware that Puff had feelings for Kevyn, but had never acted on them. Puff knew better and Kevyn wouldn't have gone for him any more than she had Clay. "What do you think happened to him?" Gene asked. "Who knows?" Leon replied. "No one was ever arrested for killing Clay, but I think that the police would be the least of Puff's worries. I hope that he's somewhere where he can't be found." "What?" Gene asked when he saw that Leon was looking at him. "Were you really considering killing Kevyn?" "Yes." "How would you have lived with that?" Leon asked. "Would you believe that I didn't think about that? " Gene replied. "All I thought about was the money. I just wanted to get back to the place I was before Dana left." Leon didn't comment, there was nothing to say. The important thing at that moment was that Gene was finally realizing that he needed to change and that he needed help to succeed. Leon thought about Barb. He knew that there was something going on with her and wanted to ask, but they had never been as close as he and Louise were. That didn't mean that he didn't love her; he did even though she sometimes made it difficult. He just didn't understand the way she thought although he tried. The few times he tried to reach out to her were unsuccessful. After each failed attempt, he told her that all of them were there for her if she needed them. He knew that Barb put a great deal of emphasis on money and possessions and to some degree, he understood. All of them had dreamt of being able to buy whatever they wanted and lush vacations; it was something that they talked about. What he didn't understand was why she was so angry at them. It was an anger that seemed to grow with each gathering. "One thing at a time." he murmured as he made a pot of fresh coffee. He glanced back at Gene and mentally grimaced. He was glad that he wasn't the one that had to face Kevyn. On a whim, he decided to call Nadine. He hadn't spoken to her for hours but it seemed much longer. She answered on the third ring. "Is everything alright?" she asked after they exchanged greetings. "It is for now." Leon replied. "I'm sorry about the sudden change in plans. Are we still on for tonight?" "Family is important." Nadine replied. "Your brother needs you and yes, we're still on for tonight. Call me when you're free." Leon hung up with the knowledge that Nadine was the one. He was honest enough to admit that the speed in which their relationship was building still made him nervous. He decided that leaving for two weeks was a good thing. It would tell him if what he was feeling for Nadine was infatuation or something more. He poured the coffee and carried the mugs out to the living room only to find Gene gone. ********* Hans was pleasantly surprised when Juliette called saying that she wanted to talk. "I thought that you were going to meet with your sisters." He said. "I was, but I think that we need to talk some more." She replied. "In the end whatever happens between us is our decision and our business. I still plan to talk to them at some point." "When may I come for you?" Hans asked. "Come before the kids go to bed. They want to see you. I thought that I could order some coffee and we could talk here if that's okay with you." He would have much rather talked to her alone, but he didn't say that. He was willing to talk with her wherever she chose; and he did want to see the children again. "Could the five of us have dinner together?" Hans asked. "We could go anywhere you like. I'm sure that the children are tired of the food at the hotel as good as it may be." He could almost hear the wheels turning as Juliette debated on what she should do. "Alright." She said after a few minutes. "They would like that. Is six too early?" Hans hung up with a feeling of exhilaration. He had already checked on the real estate website available only to vampires for a house suitable for five or more people. He contacted a realtor about two of the houses, but hadn't heard back yet. To pass the time, Hans called the number of a house in Pittsburgh. It was a house owned by the Sinclaires', but was currently not in use. Hans was going to buy a small home there, but as Patrick pointed out, if he was planning to come back to California; why buy a house? Patrick also reminded him that they were family. "Feel free to use any of our homes and that includes the ones that we're living in. Our doors are always open to you and yours." Satisfied that the house was ready, Hans thought about calling his family. He decided to wait until he had something more definitive to tell them. He felt a rush of energy as he thought about everything that needed to be done. One of the most important things was to meet and talk with the children's father. It was important that he know and understand that he was and would always be their father. Their father also needed to know that the children would be loved and cared for as if they were his own. The next thing he thought about was the children's education about who and what he was. He stopped himself. While those things needed to be thought about, Juliette hadn't accepted him yet. With nothing to do for the next few hours, Hans set about baking treats for the kids. He turned on the radio, began to hum and before long; he was dancing to the music from the forties. Things were definitely looking up. ********** Louise opened her eyes and looked around. Sometime during the day, Nathan had moved her to the bed and covered her with a light blanket. A happy smile came to her as she remembered hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time. Even the memory of it filled her with awe. There was so much to learn and she was eager to learn all of it. As soon as it was dark, she planned to go to a book store and buy several books on babies. She also planned to talk to Katrina and Nathan's mother to ask for guidance. "Good evening sweetheart." Nathan said as he came into the room carrying a breakfast tray. "Did you rest well?" "Yes, thanks. When did you get up? I didn't hear you." Louise replied. "I've been up for several hours." Nathan said handing her a glass of warmed blood. "I've been on the phone with the Dean from the cooking school." "We can't possibly go." Louise said. "I know." Nathan replied. "That's why they're coming here." "Here?" Louise asked. "Here." Nathan said with a smile. "Our instructors will be here in two weeks. I already have a shopping list of the things that we'll need." "Where will they stay?" Louise asked. "I thought about that." Nathan replied. "How do you feel about them staying in one of the guest suites at the other house? We would have our lessons there as well." "That works. Do you think that we could go to a bookstore tonight? I want to start reading about how to take care of a baby." "Of course we can." Nathan said. "If you like, we can shop for the things on our list and have them delivered to the house." "Can we look at baby things too?" Louise asked shyly. "I saw that Wal-Mart had some things on sale." While she was now comfortable with her sexuality, she still hadn't adjusted to having money. The credit cards that Nathan had given her remained in her wallet and unused. If she bought anything, she paid with it from her own account and it was never from a high-end store. "We could do that." Nathan replied. "In a few days we'll talk about the nurseries. Now eat up and we'll get going." Louise ate everything on the tray saving the prenatal vitamin for last. "Down the hatch!" she said grimacing. "Down the hatch!" Nathan echoed as he popped his prenatal vitamin into his mouth and chased it with a swallow of water. "By the way, Gretchen is stopping by to see you on her way to mom and dad's. She called while you were asleep." "Then I'd better get in the shower." Louise said setting the tray on the bed. "Nathan, I'm worried about Barb." "I know you are, would you like to go check on her?" "I think that we should. She isn't answering her phone and I need to know that she's alright." "We'll stop in on the way." Nathan said. ******** Gretchen popped in just as Louise finished dressing. "How are you feeling?" Gretchen asked as she examined her. "Good." Louise replied. "And you're taking the prenatal vitamins?" "Yes." Louise said with a grimace. "We actually need more." She added. "More? How many are you taking?" Gretchen asked. "I'm taking them too." Nathan said. "I get it." Gretchen said. "The support thing. Well they can't hurt you so have at it." She asked Louise several questions regarding sleep, diet and sex. "You're doing great. I'll see you in two weeks." Gretchen said as she stood, reached into her bag and took out two large bottles of the vitamins. "Call me if you need me." She said as she vanished. ******* Barb woke up stiff, sore and nauseated. She rolled off the small sofa and headed for the bathroom. She was grateful that no vomiting accompanied the nausea as she rinsed her mouth with cold water. When she was done, she examined her face for any new eruptions. Seeing none, she washed her face and went back into the kitchen to make breakfast. The size of the small kitchen reminded her that she would have to move. The efficiency would work for a while but when the baby started walking, it would be too small. "This is your fault!" She growled to both Thorne and the baby. By the time she finished breakfast, she added Kevyn and Louise to the list of those she blamed for her problems. By mid-morning, she was in a mood. She didn't understand how everyone with the exception of her and Gene; had someone. Things had fallen into place for Leon and Juliette just as easily as they had for Kevyn and Louise. Kevyn and Louise she could almost understand. They were like her even if they didn't admit it. She even thought that she figured out how they did it and wished that she had thought of it herself. She thought about Leon and Nadine- Nadine had to be in it for what money Leon had. It may not have been much, but Leon would give her what he had. Hans she didn't get at all. What man in his right mind would go after a woman with three children? But then, it gave her a glimmer of hope. If Juliette could find a man who would take her with three kids, how hard could it be to find a man who would take her with just one? She sighed heavily. Who was she fooling? Juliette and Hans was a fling just as Leon and Nadine were. Leon, Gene, Juliette and the kids would be leaving the day after the get together at Jonesy's. Once they were gone, she could concentrate on what she was going to do with the baby. She spent the afternoon cleaning the apartment dreaming of a day when she wouldn't have to do such menial work. She worked until the tiny apartment was spotless and then got online to check her bank account. At some point, she was going to have to find a doctor. Before she knew it, the sun was setting and her stomach was growling. It was a welcome feeling and sound as she hadn't been able to really eat without throwing up for almost a month. Immediately she stopped what she was doing and heated up a can of chicken noodle soup in the microwave. When it was hot, she took a cautious spoonful of the soup and waited for the nausea to come. When it didn't, she took another spoonful and then another until the bowl was empty. She was still hungry, but she didn't want to tempt fate. Instead, she nibbled on crackers and sipped on ginger ale while she channel surfed. ******** Nathan helped Louise into the car. He didn't want to go to Barb's, but Louise wouldn't relax until they did. "I'm sure that she's alright." Nathan assured her with a kiss on the temple. "I want you to know that I won't allow her to upset you." Louise hesitated. She was about to say something that Nathan wasn't going to like. "I need to talk with her alone." "Absolutely not!" Nathan replied. "Nathan, I need time alone with her. She won't talk to me if you're with me." "Louise..." "No, listen to me. She may be angry, but she won't hurt me; at least not physically. But even if she does, she needs to know that we still love and care about her." They argued about it during the drive over to Barb's apartment. Finally, Nathan gave in. "I'm only agreeing because I know that she won't hurt you and because you won't be at peace until you talk to her. However, if I sense that things are getting too much for you, I'm coming in." "Could you please not listen in?" Louise asked. "This needs to be a private conversation." "I won't listen, but I will be feeling for too much emotional upset." Nathan replied. A few minutes later, Louise was knocking on Barb's door. ******* Barb had just gotten comfortable on the sofa when she heard the knock on the door. Frowning, she got up curious as to who would be at her door. No one other than her family and the landlord knew where she lived. "Hold on!" she yelled as whoever was at the door knocked again. "Wh....?" She froze when she saw Louise. Barb felt a mixture of emotions as she stared at her.. Anger, disbelief, jealousy, hatred and finally; relief all blended together inside of her. 'What are you doing here?" Barb demanded. "I was worried about you." Louise replied. "You aren't answering your phone." "There's a reason for that." Barb snapped, "I don't want to talk to anyone. As you can see, I'm fine so go back to your happy little life." "No." "Fine, suit yourself." Barb said and started to shut the door. Louise stopped the door from closing with no effort. "I'm not leaving until I say what I came to say." "If you're going to tell me what a selfish bitch I am, you've already told me so save your breath." Barb said and tried to shut the door again. "That isn't what I wanted to say." Louise replied. "Please let me come in." Barb hesitated wondering where Nathan was. "He's in the car." Louise said. "May I please come in?" "If it will get you out of my hair, then by all means come in." When Louise was inside of the apartment, Barb didn't offer her a seat; but waited for her to say her piece. "I just wanted to tell you that we love you and if you ever need us, we're here." "Do you feel better now?" Barb asked. "Excuse me?" Louise asked. "Admit it; you just came here to gloat. You wanted to rub it in my face..." "That isn't true!" Louise shouted. "We're worried about you!" "Are you done?" Barb asked. Louise shook her head and turned to walk away; but then turned back to face Barb. "I meant what I said, we love you and if you need anything; we're here for you." ********* Louise left the apartment with a heavy heart. She not only worried for Barb, but for the child she was carrying. She knew that Barb was pregnant the moment she walked into the apartment; but hadn't said anything. For one, Barb would have wondered how she knew and two, she would have denied it. She wondered if Barb told Thorne about the baby and then decided that she hadn't. A flash of understanding hit her. Barb was going to use the baby to get the life that she wanted. She would use the baby to get Thorne to marry her. She understood that Thorne needed to take responsibility for his child, and had the feeling that he would if he knew about it. She also knew that it wouldn't be enough for Barb. She would want a wedding and everything that went with it. Suddenly she froze. "Oh no." she murmured. She had just realized that Barb while human was immortal and her baby, if male would be born vampire. Things had gotten even more complicated. Nathan stood by the car waiting for Louise to come out of the apartment. He did as he promised and didn't listen in on her and Barb's conversation. He did, however keep tabs on Louise's emotional state. He wasn't concerned until the last few minutes when he felt the spike in her anxiety level. He left the car and met her part way. "Sweetheart? What's wrong?" Nathan asked taking her into his arms. "I'll tell you in the car." Louise said. "We need to talk to Kevyn and Patrick." Nathan helped her into the car, got in and drove in the direction of Kevyn and Patrick's house. "Maybe I'd better call them first." She said as she dug for her cell phone. ****** Barb stood in the same spot for almost fifteen minutes after Louise left. Tears of anger, frustration and an emotion that she didn't want to recognize ran down her face. She angrily wiped the tears away and made a decision. She would put on her happy face and go to the farewell party for her siblings. After that, they wouldn't hear from her again until she had what she wanted. A lifestyle that rivaled that of her sisters and she knew just how she was going to do it. "I'll show you." she muttered under her breath. ****** Leon found Gene sitting in the hotel bar holding a mug of beer. "'What are you doing?" he asked as he sat down next to him. "What does it look like?" Gene retorted. "I'm having a beer." "How many does that make?" Leon asked. Gene hesitated before replying. "None... I haven't touched it yet. I've been sitting here trying to tell myself that one beer isn't going to hurt anything. That it will help me do what I need to do. But that's been my problem hasn't it? Using alcohol to boost my courage I mean." "Are you waiting for me to tell you not to drink it?" Leon asked. "Because if you are, it isn't going to happen. You have to decide for yourself whether to take that drink or not, but if you do; are you ready to accept the consequences? That's the question I ask myself every time I want to smoke a joint or score." Gene looked at the beer that he was still holding tightly between his hands and slowly relaxed his grip on it. "You know, there's got to be a meeting around here somewhere, why don't we find one?" Leon suggested. "I'll go with you if you want me to." Gene looked at the beer and then at Leon. "Let's go." He said. They found a meeting not far from the hotel and decided to walk. Gene's nervousness increased as they got closer to the church where the meeting was being held. He hesitated at the door, looked at Leon and walked in. Louise Ch. 15 He sat in the back and tried to be inconspicuous. He looked around the room surprised at the number and variety of people already there. There were people dressed in business suits to people dressed in shorts and tee shirts. What amazed him was that they intermingled so easily. A woman in an Armani suit sat down next to a man who looked as if his face hadn't seen a razor in months. Gene listened in amazement as the woman warmly greeted the man by name and then asked if he wanted a cup of coffee. "We're all battling the same enemy." Leon said as he watched Gene's reaction. "It's a fight that we can't win unless we support and help each other." It wasn't long before the meeting started and the moderator was asking if there were any new comers. Leon stood up. "My name is Leon and I am a drug addict. I know that this is an AA meeting, but I came to offer my support to any that need it." "Welcome Leon." A chorus of voices said. "Yes welcome." The moderator said. "Alcohol is a drug too is it not? Anyone else?" Gene sat immobilized. His mouth was dry as he finally forced himself to stand. This would be the first time that he publically admitted that he had a drinking problem. "Ummm hello, my name is Gene and I'm an alcoholic." "Welcome Gene." The group said. Gene sat down and looked around him. He thought that he would feel a sense of relief; but he didn't. "You've just taken the first step." Leon whispered. After the meeting, people stopped and greeted them. Gene soaked up the warmth and caring that he felt as he shook hands with members from the group. The moderator was the last one to talk to them. "Do you have a sponsor yet?" he asked. "No, but I'll find one as soon as I get back to Pittsburgh." Gene replied. "Good, it's important to your recovery." he said. "Thanks for coming." They walked back to the hotel and got into Leon's rental car. It was almost time to face Kevyn. ********* Kevyn looked over at the clock and closed her eyes again. She wasn't sure that she wanted to hear what Gene had to tell her. She knew by the tone of his voice that it was bad, but she couldn't imagine what it could be. She turned over to face Patrick who looked to be still asleep. She had a game that she liked to play when he was asleep. She liked to see how close to touching his face she could get before he caught her. This time she didn't even get to lift her hand before it was in his. "Damn." She swore laughing. "I've been awake for as long as you've been." He said laughing as he pulled her so that she was flush against him. "I'm so ready to have you all to myself." "I'm ready for that too and we still need to talk about school. I still want to go." "I was hoping that you would. " Patrick replied. "You'll have to retake the anatomy and physiology class; but it can't be from me. It wouldn't look right." "I know and I don't want you to make any suggestions either." "I knew you'd say that." Patrick said, "I also know what you're going to say next." He said nuzzling her neck. "Alright smart ass, what was I going to say?" Kevyn asked. "You were going to tell me that you're going to use your maiden name." Patrick replied. "How do you feel about that?" Kevyn asked. "I have no problem with it." Patrick said. "In fact, I think that it's a good idea. You seem surprised." "I am kind of." Kevyn replied. "Why?" Patrick asked. "I know that you're my wife, you don't need to use my last name to prove it." "I just don't want any special treatment because I'm married to you." Kevyn said. "I Understand." Patrick replied. "Enough business, I think that we have time to...." The phone rang before he could finish his sentence. He reached over Kevyn and answered the phone. "Louise? Hi... Gene and Leon are supposed to be coming in about an hour... what's going on? I don't know, Gene wants to tell Kevyn something.... Now? Barb? What about her? Alright, we'll see you in a few minutes." "What's going on?" Kevyn asked. "I have no idea." Patrick said, "She only said that it had something to do with Barb." "What now?" Kevyn muttered. Less than five minutes later, Louise and Nathan were sitting in the kitchen with Kevyn and Patrick. "So what's up?" Kevyn asked. Louise told them about her short meeting with Barb. "She's still angry with us but.... Kev, she's pregnant. I didn't say anything because she would have denied it and she would have wanted to know how I knew." "Are you sure?" Kevyn asked. "I'm sure and here's the kicker, I think that Thorne Blackwell is the father." "Thorne?" Kevyn asked. "Oh shit!" she added when she understood the implications of the pregnancy "Exactly." Louise said. "I know that Gene and Leon are coming over, but I wanted to let you know. As far as what we can do about it, at this point nothing. We have to wait for her to come to us." "She won't do that." Kevyn said. "No, she won't." Louise agreed. "I have a feeling that she's going to use the baby to get Thorne to marry her. But look, we'd better get going. Can you call me when you're done with Gene and Leon?" ******* "Maybe this is a good thing." Kevyn said after Nathan and Louise were gone. "Maybe a baby will help Barb think about someone other than herself." "Maybe so." Patrick said. He could almost see the wheels turning and decided to put an end to any doubts before they took root. "We will have a baby when the time is right." He told her. "And even if we don't, it changes nothing between us." Kevyn sighed. "I know that. I'm just trying to figure out the logic of your fates. I mean, Lou is pregnant and that's great. She and Nathan will be great parents and that kid is going to be loved and cared for. On the other hand, there's Barb who's pregnant by a man who used her. Kids were never a part of her life's plan but yet, here she is pregnant. I don't get it." "The fates are fickle creatures." He said kissing her temple. "Don't bother trying to understand them. You'll drive yourself crazy." "I wish that I could talk to one of them." Kevyn said. "What would you say to them?" Patrick asked. "I would ask them why they made some of the stupid assed decisions that they made." Kevyn replied. "They're here." Patrick said before Kevyn could elaborate on her answer. "But hold that thought. I want to hear what you would say to them." ******* Gene sat in the car too afraid to move; but knowing that he had to. Leon sat in the driver's seat patiently waiting for Gene to indicate that he was ready to go in. There was nothing that he could say to make it any easier for him other than he had been in his position not that long ago. "How did you do it?" Gene asked nervously. "It wasn't easy." Leon replied. "There were a lot of false starts, mumbled apologies and tears. I think that the hardest part of it was going to mom and dad. Seeing the hurt and disappointment in their eyes was worse than being beaten; but we got through it just like you will." Gene nodded and looked out of the window and at the house. He opened the car door acutely aware that he was sweating and that his hands were shaking. He stood by the car and waited for Leon. His heart pounded as they walked side by side to the front door of the house. Kevyn answered the door and let them in. "Are you hungry? Can I get you anything to drink?" "I'll take a soda if you have one." Gene said. "Sure... is cola alright?" she asked giving Gene a curious look. "Any kind is ok." He replied nervously. "Gene, are you alright? You look peaked." "I've been better." Gene replied quietly. "Is Patrick here?" "He's in his office. He thought that we might need to talk privately.Gene, what's going on?" "Could you go get him? I want him to hear this too." Kevyn looked at Leon who gave her a nod and a smile. When Kevyn left to get the drink and Patrick, Leon put a hand on Gene's shoulder. "You're doing great." He murmured. A few minutes later, Kevyn was back with Patrick. Gene looked away when Patrick looked at him. It started the way Leon it would. Several false starts later, he was confessing to everything. "I for all practical purposes sold you to Clay Robinson. I was the one who told him when you were coming into town." "Gene, why would you do that when you knew how I felt about him?" Kevyn asked. "I.... it was for the money. When Dana left, she took everything... but the problems started before that. I was drinking on the sly, only Dana knew; but after a while she couldn't take it and she left. I got to the point where I just didn't care anymore and started drinking even more. I had to do something to save my job so I went to Clay to ask him to invest with me. He agreed, but told me that I had to do something in return." "You had to let him know when I was home." Kevyn murmured. "Kev, I'm sorry... I thought that it was a onetime thing, but it wasn't. Every time I asked about the money he blew me off and asked me when you were coming home again. When he did give me money, it was such a small amount that it wasn't even worth writing up as a proposal. I tried to save the money so that I could make an investment but I always ended up using it for something else." Kevyn hesitated and then spoke. "Gene, I'm going to tell you why I left home the way I did and why I wanted nothing to do with Clay Robinson." Gene and Leon sat with their mouths open as Kevyn told them about the night she saw Clay and his friends kill someone. "I remember that!" Leon said. "You saw that? Why didn't you say anything?" "Because I was afraid that he would come after you guys and I thought that he might kill me." "I didn't know." Gene murmured. "He never said anything about that night." Somehow, hearing about that night made the rest of what he had to tell her more difficult. He took a big gulp of the soda almost spilling it because his hands were shaking so hard. "I need to tell you something else." Gene said and stole a glance at Patrick whose expression was unreadable. "The night that Clay was killed, you were supposed to die. I..... I had a gun. Clay was going to make a huge investment if I killed you. I didn't want to do it; but I didn't see any way around it. I agonized over it and....." "You were going to kill me at mom's repast dinner?" Kevyn asked shocked. "No, I mean you know how superstitious Clay was about things happening at funerals. I went back and forth about which of you I would kill; but the choice was taken out of my hands." Kevyn went into a quiet shock as she tried to digest what Gene had just told her. Her own brother had thought about killing her for money. For the thousandth time, Kevyn felt like they could all be on the panel of a bizarre television show. She felt arms go around her as she began to shake in pain and anger. She shook them away as she stood up and glared at Gene. "What in the fuck is wrong with you and Barb? Both of you want everything handed to you on a silver platter and are willing to do anything to get it including hurting your own family! This isn't how we were raised! You were supposed to help us; but you didn't. You fought me at every turn, you didn't.... and now you tell me that you traded me for Clay's money?" Tears ran down Kevyn's face as she took another step toward Gene. Patrick moved to her side ready to intervene if things got out of control. He noticed that Leon had also moved, ready to jump in if necessary. Gene sat on the sofa with his head bowed. His shoulders shook as he sobbed. There was nothing that Kevyn could say or that could make him feel any worse than he did. "What's wrong with working for what you want?" she asked softly. "You knew who Patrick was, why didn't you contact him about investing instead of alienating him? You had options!" "I know that now." Gene said, "I'm sorry! I don't know what else to say." Gene then looked at Patrick fully expecting to see fury. What he saw was anger that was mixed with... respect and understanding. "I owe you an apology too." Gene said to Patrick. "This one is a sincere one. I acted the way I did because you have and had what I wanted-money and power. I wanted it without having to work for it. I sold out my own sister because I wanted it so badly. I came here looking for a way to save my job and instead of being honest about it; I tried to use my sisters to get you to invest. I'm sorry for the disrespect that I showed to you and to them. Kev, I have a lot more to tell you. I told you the worst of it. Sometime, I would like to tell you the rest of it." Kevyn barely heard what Gene was saying. She was trying to wrap her head around the fact that her brother had been involved with a drug dealer and a murderer, that he had valued money more than her life. She barely heard Leon and Gene leave. "He was going to kill me." she whispered to herself. Patrick put his arms around her and hugged her. "Let's go sit in the Jacuzzi." He said and began to lead her away. ********* Gene was shaking so hard that his teeth chattered. He was almost positive that he would be carried out in bits and pieces once Patrick heard what he had done. Kevyn, as he had expected was furious and hurt while Patrick had been angry; he hadn't been murderously so. Gene had noticed how both Patrick and Leon were ready to intervene if necessary and realized that at that moment; Kevyn had been more dangerous than Patrick. He also realized that Leon was right about something, the pain, anger and disappointment on Kevyn's face was worse than being beaten. The knowledge that that he had lost what little respect that Kevyn had for him compounded the pain. The knowledge that he had gained a little respect from Patrick did nothing to diminish the pain. It wasn't Patrick's respect that he wanted or needed. It was Kevyn's and the rest of his family's. The drive back to the hotel was quiet with each man lost in his own thoughts. Leon didn't feel right about leaving Gene alone and made a decision. He would postpone his date with Nadine. "Why don't we catch a movie or something?" Leon asked. "What about your date?" Gene asked. "I'll call her; she has stuff to do for school anyway." Leon replied. "No, you go, I'll be okay." Gene replied. "Ummm, no you won't." Leon replied. "You've had one hell of a day and it would be easy for you to convince yourself that one drink won't hurt anything. So what flick do you want to see?" "Could we just talk?" Gene asked. As Leon thought, Nadine understood. "Gene is lucky to have you." She said. "Why don't you come to my house for lunch tomorrow?" They set up a time for lunch and then hung up. "I take back everything I said about her." Gene said. "She's good people." Leon made a pot of coffee and called for sandwiches. It was going to be another long night. ********* Hans packed up the cookies that he made for the children and put them by the door. He paced with excitement at the prospect of his new life. Unable to help himself, he called his sister to share the news. He laughed when she squealed loud enough to make his ears ring. "Now Gussie, I need you to keep this quiet until she accepts me.... yes, she's lovely and she has three lovely children... two girls and a boy... very well-mannered and intelligent... Juliette... no.... no. I suppose that I'll have to tell her if she asks. I have more good news; Nadine has found her mate as well. Yes he is worthy of her... he is the brother of my mate. No don't call her, they haven't talked yet... Tonight I believe... yes. A favor if you please... I will probably be going to Pittsburgh for a time. Could you please keep an eye on things here? Of course the house will be warded; but you never know. Thank you Gussie... Yes I will keep you informed." Hans hung up, looked around the kitchen and left grabbing the boxes of cookies on his way out. At the last moment, he doubled the wards on the house telling himself that he needed to be extra careful now that he had found his family. ******* Wanda, Victor and Celeste sat on the couch and waited for Juliette to come out of the bedroom. "How many times is she going to change her clothes?" Victor groaned. "I don't know." Wanda replied. "She just wants to look nice." "She looked nice time before this." Victor retorted. "And we're only going out for pizza." "What do you think?" Juliette asked coming out of the bedroom. Wanda and victor looked at each other and laughed. "What's so funny?" Juliette asked looking down at herself. "That's the first outfit that you put on." Victor replied still laughing. "No it isn't!" Juliette replied and then looked again. "I guess it is." She said sheepishly. "Maybe ...." "NO!" Three voices cried out at once. "Mom, you look nice." Wanda said. Juliette took a deep breath and let it out. Her children had met other men that she dated but they had never gone out with them. She still had so many questions and little time to ask them. She hadn't believed Hans when he told her that he would move to Pittsburgh if he had to. When the tap on the door came, Victor was off the couch like a shot. "Mr. Hans!" he shouted excitedly. "Hello Victor, how are you?" Hans asked. "I'm fine. Thank you for taking us out for pizza." "You are very welcome. I have a little gift for each of you." Hans said handing Victor the box wrapped in paper covered with airplanes. "You must ask your mother before you eat one, understood?" "Yes sir." Victor replied as he ripped the paper from the package. "Peanut butter cookies! Thanks!!" Hans handed Wanda hers next. Her box was wrapped in paper covered with microscopes. "Chocolate chip! Thank you Mr. Hans and I promise to ask before I eat one." For celeste, Hans knelt down. "Come Celeste, I have a gift for you too." Celeste made her way to Hans and looked at him. "Thank you." she said as she shyly took the box which was wrapped in paper covered with paints and crayons. Unlike her siblings, she took her time in opening the package taking care not to rip the paper. A big smile spread across her face as she looked at the box filled with sugar cookies of every color with pink being the predominant color. "You're welcome." Hans said to all of them. Juliette stood back and watched as Hans gave each child their package. She saw the same gentleness that Angel always showed them when he was around and like Angel; she knew that Hans would keep their children ..... She broke off the thought before it could be completed. It was much too soon to be thinking in terms of "our". She was actually rethinking the whole going out with the children thing, but when she saw the way that Celeste was smiling at Hans and how excited all of the children were to see him; she couldn't back out. The pizza place had all kinds of games that could be played for tickets that could be exchanged for prizes. Hans took Celeste under his wing and played 'skee ball' with her padding her tickets enough that she could pick out a stuffed animal. "Which one would you like?" he asked her. "The pink one." She whispered. Victor won enough tickets to get a poster with the picture of an Air Force fighter plane and Wanda won enough to get a small stuffed animal which she gave to Celeste. Juliette sat back and watched Hans as he went from child to child only bringing one of the girls back to her when they had to use the restroom. She was also keenly aware of all the attention that Hans was generating. "Damn!" she heard one woman mutter when Hans passed by. What impressed her was that Hans didn't seem to notice. If he was spoken to; he politely responded but didn't engage in conversation. Finally, it was time to go. All three children were full and sleepy. In fact, Celeste was already half asleep. Louise Ch. 15 "Ok guys." Juliette said. "You know the drill. As soon as we get back, you get ready for bed, say thank you and good night to Mr. Hans for the nice evening and then you hit the sack." Surprisingly, no one argued with her. As soon as they hit the door, all three started their night time routine. All three were tucked into bed and asleep within forty-five minutes. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" Juliette asked. "I'm fine thank you." Hans replied. "Come sit next to me." Juliette paused and then sat down on the sofa next to Hans. She didn't object when he took her hand in his and stroked the back of it before turning it over and stroking the palm. Her breath caught when he brought her hand to his mouth, gave the palm a quick but light lick; and then kissed it. "Tell me what you're thinking." He said. "I'm thinking that I can't possibly stay here." Juliette replied deciding not to prolong things. "I can't uproot my kids for what could be a fling; they had a hard enough time when their dad and I split up. They like you and if this didn't work out; they would be devastated." "Do you really believe that this is a fling?" Hans asked. "Maybe." Juliette replied. "But even if it isn't, there are other issues. Believing you about being a vampire isn't one of them. I saw you levitate remember?" "The children." Hans said. "I understand your concerns; how can I alleviate them?" "I don't know that you can." Juliette replied. "If it were just me I'd say the hell with it and go for it; but Hans, I can't do that no matter how much I may want to. Do you understand?" "I understand, but Juliette; how much of this is your being frightened?" "I'm not scared!" Juliette exclaimed. "Aren't you?" Hans countered. "Everything that you've said involves the children. Please don't misunderstand, they are a very important part of this but you have to be honest about your own feelings too." Juliette hesitated before she spoke again. "I told you that this was too fast. The last time I met a man, we clicked just like we did. He said that he liked kids and that he wanted to meet mine. I liked him and went for it. We took the kids to a movie and they liked him. The next thing I know, I'm getting the you're a nice person speech and I had to deal with some very hurt children." "Did Celeste like him?" Hans asked already knowing the answer. Juliette frowned. "No, she was the only one who didn't. Why do you ask?" "Have the children met any of your other dates?" Hans asked. "No, after that one time, I never allowed it to happen again." Juliette replied. "May I be honest with you?" Hans asked. "Okay." Juliette said nervously. "I think that you know that this isn't a fling as you call it. I also think that while your concern for the children is valid and understandable, you're using it to hide your own fear of failure in a relationship. I don't know what happened in your relationship with the children's father; but judging by the way the children talk about him, he loves them very much and he loved you as well. I also know that in human terms that this is fast. That is why I told you that I would give you all the time that you needed. I am fully prepared to do the human mating ritual if that's what it takes. I also told you that I would relocate to be with you and the children; but you don't believe me." "No I don't." Juliette confirmed. "What man leaves a good job to move to a city where he knows no one except for a woman that he's known for a week?" "A man who knows where his future lies." Hans replied. "You and those children are my future. I knew it from the moment you walked into the hotel. Juliette, I love you and those children. I don't expect or want to replace their father; but they are already loved as if they were of my blood." Juliette's heart and mind battled with her mind winning. "I can't do this now. If we were staying, I would love to do the human dating thing with you; but we're leaving." They talked until early morning. Juliette finally told Hans about Angel. "I was the one who messed up so I guess you're right; I'm afraid that I'll screw up again." "You are now a different woman." Hans said. "You have matured and you are raising three beautiful children. I see you not only as my mate and mother of my children; but as someone who isn't afraid of work and who will work by my side." "You seem sure that I'll say yes." Juliette said. "That is because I know that it will happen." Hans said with a smile. "I have a question for you." Juliette said. Hans nodded his consent; he knew what was coming. "Who was the woman that turned you away?" "Before I tell you that, I want to reiterate something. She has nothing to do with what I told you. Her rejection of me has nothing to do with my wanting you." "Barb." Juliette whispered. "It was Barb wasn't it?" "Juliette...." "'Let me guess." Juliette said. "You don't have enough money for her and you didn't put up with her crap. No wonder she looked like she swallowed a lemon when you came to breakfast with us!" "You're not angry?" Hans asked. "Why should I be?" Juliette asked. "Her loss is my gain, but I have a question. How did you get out of it? I mean, I thought that the mate thing couldn't be broken." "Believe me when I say that I pestered the fates so much that one of them paid me a visit. They told me that the decision had been made and that I needed to deal with it." Hans told Juliette about the night at the club. "By that time, I was going to accept her as my mate and find a way to coexist with her. Had she accepted me, I would have fought to the death for her. But she didn't, she refused me several times with two of those times being in the presence of the vampire that she went home with. When that happened, I planned to spend eternity alone and I was fine with that. Imagine my shock when you walked into the hotel." "Did he hurt her?" Juliette asked. "It depends on your definition of hurt." Hans replied. "At the very least, I'm sure that he hurt her pride." "She must be furious with us." Juliette said. "Barb always wanted so much but we were never able to afford the things that she wanted." Juliette told Hans about the poverty of their childhood. "Things were so tight sometimes we didn't where the money for electric was going to come from; but it always worked out. We may not have worn the latest styles but we didn't starve and we had clothes even if they were hand me downs. I guess it affected Barb more than it did the rest of us." "I understand poverty." Hans said. "My family lived from day to day not knowing if we were going to find a safe haven or not. We could live on blood but we also needed human food. There were times when we didn't eat human food for days. By the time we reached Lund, we had nothing except for the clothes on our backs. One night my brother Rikard came home with a satchel filled with food. As soon as we saw it, we set upon him like vultures. My father stopped us and we couldn't understand why. After all, we were starving for human food; why would he deny us? My father asked Rikard how he had come by the food. At first Rikard lied and said that he found it. Of course we knew that he didn't find it, but that didn't matter; we wanted it. Finally, he confessed to stealing it. He tried to explain to my father that he was helping and that he couldn't bear to see us hungry." "What happened?" Juliette asked. "My father made him take the food back. We all objected and begged to keep just a little of it, but father would hear nothing of it. When Rikard returned, father sat us down and explained why he made Rikard take the food back. We are Ahlbergs he said. We do not steal for any reason. Once you do it, it becomes easier to steal the next time and the reason will be less pressing. We do not use others to satisfy our hunger. He said that because it came out that Rikard compelled the people to give him the food. Father went on to tell us that there is nothing more important than family and integrity. I believe that is why my family has remained so close. If one was in need, someone stepped in and helped. There was no taking advantage of each other. It is still that way between us." "Did you eat that night?" Juliette asked trying to imagine what it must have been like to be so close to food and then to have it taken away. "No, but we did the next night. It was food intended for the pigs, but it was a feast to us. Things slowly got better once we moved to Lund. My father found work with a vampire who was building a home in the country. Since we needed food and lodging more than money, my father worked for nothing in exchange for the things we needed. When the house was completed, the vampire gave my father a letter of reference. That letter opened doors for us. Our family name became well known because of our hard work and honesty." "That's quite a story." Juliette replied. "It's true." Hans said with a smile. "My point is this, millions of people are poverty stricken and they work to better their station in life. They don't wait or look for someone to take care of them nor do they hurt their families to get what they want. I hope that your sister realizes that there is more to life than money and that it doesn't guarantee happiness." "Do you think that there will be someone for her?" Juliette asked. "Who can say? Our fates are temperamental. They must have been in a good mood when they decided to give me another mate." "Hans, I'm not saying no." "I Know you aren't" He replied. "I need to go; the children will be stirring soon. May I take you and the children to the gathering tonight?" "We would like that." Juliette replied. Before she could change her mind, Juliette leaned over and kissed Hans' cheek. Her nipples tightened when her lips touched the smooth skin of his jaw. "Do you feel it?" Hans asked softly as he took her face in his hands. "Trust what you know to be true." He leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly across hers before kissing her. All too soon, Hans broke the kiss. "I will see you tonight." He said and then vanished from where he sat. "Stick to your guns." Juliette muttered to herself. "Stick to your guns," ******* Louise laid in bed her head resting on Nathan's shoulder. She couldn't get Barb out of her mind. A baby she thought to herself. She couldn't imagine not wanting her baby, but then; she and Barb were in two different places in every possible way. The problem was she didn't know how to close that gap. "You're thinking too hard." Nathan said softly. "I know; but I can't help it." Louise replied. "Sweetheart, I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have argued with you about seeing your sister alone. I know that even at her angriest she would never hurt you. You have enough to deal with without me adding to it. I'm sorry." "Thank you." Louise said. "I appreciate that. How do you think Thorne is going to react to the news?" "I don't know him, but judging from what I saw at the club; not favorably. Lou, you do understand that Thorne and Barb are mates don't you? That's the only way that she could have gotten pregnant by him." "But wasn't your grandmother raped by your grandfather before your father met her?" Louise asked. "Your father is your grandfather's son." "That's true and I have no explanation for how or why that happened." Nathan replied. "Do you think that Barb and Thorne were meant to be together from the beginning?" Louise asked "Are you asking if the fates made a mistake when they paired her and Hans? Possible although I don't think they'd admit to it. I think that it was a combination of things that caused the change including the fates screwing up." "Well, it looks like Barb's going to get what she wants." Louise said. "I hope that it's all she thought it would be." ******** Leon stayed awake with Gene following his lead. They talked when Gene needed to talk, kept quiet when he needed quiet. It was during one of the quiet moments that Leon wondered if he should tell Gene about the job offer. The topic of his job and living situation came up at least once an hour. Finally, he understood what was happening. Gene was trying to get him to change his mind. It was confirmed during the last conversation they had. "You know what I was thinking?" Gene asked. "I was thinking that maybe we should live together. It would cut expenses for both of us." "Shit." Leon muttered under his breath as he debated what to do. Finally, he made his decision. He would tell Gene about the job offer. If he didn't, Gene would think that he could change his mind and it wouldn't be any easier later on. Gene woke up two hours later, used the bathroom and started making plans again. "Maybe we could fix up the house and sell it." He said as he sat down again. Leon let him talk until he stopped to wait for a response. "Gene, I'm moving to California." "But you don't have a job." Gene said heatedly. "Actually, I do. I just haven't accepted it yet; but I'm going to." Leon replied. "Doing what?" Gene asked. "There aren't any steel mills out here and when did you go job hunting?" "I was approached." Leon said Leon watched as a look of understanding crossed Gene's face. "Who was it?" he asked. "Nathan." Leon replied. "I'll be renting a house from him." The old Gene raised his ugly head. "It figures!" he snapped. "Your head was so far up his ass .... How much of this has to do with that woman?" he demanded. Leon didn't respond immediately. He wanted to give Gene a chance to regain control of himself. Fifteen minutes passed before Gene contritely apologized. "I'm sorry." "It's okay." Leon said. "It takes time to teach yourself how to react differently." "So tell me about this job." Gene said. "School? You?" Gene asked laughing. "You hated school." "I still do, but I want to do this." Leon replied. "I'm tired of the Pittsburgh winters." "I hear you." Gene replied. "What about your apartment? Aren't you ahead in your rent?" "Yes and I'll need to talk to my land lord about that." Leon replied an idea forming in his head. "I'm going to Nadine's for lunch today; will you be alright by yourself?" "I'll be fine and besides, I have a few other people that I need to talk to." Gene replied and then hesitated. "Leon, I really am sorry about my reaction. Congratulations on everything and good luck with your lady." "Thanks." Leon said. "I'm going to hop in the shower; I'll talk to you later." Gene went to his own suite, picked up the phone and called Juliette. She was next on his list of those he wanted and needed to apologize to. After he hung up, he went online to find a meeting. ******** Several hours had passed since Gene told Kevyn what he had done and what he was thinking about doing to her. During that time she alternated between rage, sadness and pity at her brother. Gene she knew, was capable of many things, but to plan the murder of his own sister? During one of her calmer moments, she recognized that he didn't have to tell her. He could have gone home and she wouldn't have been the wiser. Something was happening to him and it was for the better but then she would get angry again. Patrick didn't say much, but offered emotional support. The fact was, he identified with Gene. It hadn't been that long ago that he had to confess his past to Kevyn. He vividly remembered the fear and anxiety that he experienced when he told her. He saw the same fears in Gene. He also saw something else; he saw the beginnings of change in Gene. He saw a man who was beginning to accept the consequences of his actions and was trying to make amends. He saw the beginnings of the man that had always been there but had been hidden beneath layers of insecurity and self-doubt. "How could he have done this?" Kevyn asked again. She wasn't expecting an answer and was surprised when she got one. "Fear can make us do many things." Patrick said softly. Kevyn turned to look at him surprised that he wasn't angrier. "You're defending him." she commented. "No but I understand." Patrick replied. "I am angry, but sweetheart, he didn't kill you because he couldn't. In the end, when it counted; he was going to kill for you. He was going to go to prison to save you. That doesn't make anything that he's done right, but I think he's trying to make his amends." Kevyn was quiet as she thought about what Patrick said. He was right. In the end Gene had chosen family over the power and money that he craved. The ball was now in her court as to what happened next. Gene had mentioned that there was more but she hadn't been in the mood to hear it. Now she was. She wrapped her arms around Patrick and kissed him. "Thank you." A few minutes later, she was on the phone with Gene. ********* Leon finished his shower and went to check on Gene. Anxiety hit him when he saw that he was gone. "Damn it." He grumbled but then he saw the note written in Gene's fancy handwriting. "I went to my room to make some calls. I'm okay. Gene" Leon let out a sigh of relief and continued to get ready for his lunch with Nadine. As he dressed, he wondered what she had to tell him. Whatever it was made her nervous which in turn made him nervous. He thought about Gene's question. "How much of this has to do with that woman?" It was a valid question even though it had been asked in anger. He had been telling himself that he would move even of things between them didn't work out; but was that the truth? "No it isn't" Leon murmured. While it was possible that he would have moved anyway, it was doubtful. He was moving for one reason only... Nadine. He was still nervous about the speed in which their relationship seemed to have taken off and he hoped that lunch with her would relieve some of that anxiety. Now that he was dressed, Leon turned his mind to other things. The house. Gene had made a good point when he said that the house needed to be fixed up. The thing was; Leon didn't want to sell it. Not only did he see it as a place of happy memories, he saw it as the place where his life began again after his recovery from his drug addiction began. He called a realtor friend in Pittsburgh and asked him to do an appraisal on the house. His plan, if Gene agreed was to buy it and to fix it up in a way that their parents would have liked. If Gene agreed, he would approach the others and ask if they wanted to contribute to the renovation. When the house was done, Gene could live in it or it would be a place for them to stay when they went home to visit. Leon opened his laptop and started a new document entitled "House " Before he knew it, it was time to leave for Nadine's house. His stomach fluttered with nerves and rumbled with hunger. He checked to make sure that he had his cell phone and that it was on just in case Gene called. He left the room with a sense that he wouldn't be leaving California as he had planned to. He didn't know or understand why he felt that way, but he didn't discard the thought. "We shall see." He murmured as he walked toward the elevator. ******* Nadine checked the jalapeno bread that was baking in the oven and smiled in satisfaction. She had gotten the recipe from Louise who assured her that she couldn't go wrong with spicy food. "He loves the stuff." Louise told her. "I'm surprised that he doesn't have problems with his stomach." Nadine herself wasn't a fan of spicy food and made plain bread for herself. Actually, she didn't enjoy cooking but conceded that it was probably because she didn't like cooking for one. She peeked into the pot of vegetable soup simmering on the stove. It was a recipe that she and Hans used to make when she lived with him. It was simple but filling and she could continue to work on her thesis while it cooked. Louise Ch. 15 She gave the bread one last glance, stirred the soup and went to call Hans for advice. "What do I say?" she asked anxiously. "The truth."' Hans replied. "He may have difficulty believing you and may need proof, but always tell the truth." They hung up several minutes later with her feeling better but still nervous. After checking on the food and taking the bread out of the oven, she took a quick shower and got dressed. ******** Leon pulled up in front of the small house and parked. Surprisingly, his nerves settled. He looked over at the bouquet of flowers and grinned. He was a confirmed romantic. Since he was a few minutes early, he waited in the car. After five minutes had passed, he picked up the flowers and got out of the car. The odor of cooking food grew stronger as he neared the house. As he waited for Nadine to answer the door, he took another look at the house and frowned. It was barely noon but all of the shutters on the windows that he could see where tightly closed. He found that odd but then shrugged it off as not important. Nadine answered the door a few seconds later with a nervous smile. "Would you like to come in?" she asked shyly. Leon hesitated. The question threw him. He had been expecting the usual "Please come in or welcome to my home." He recovered quickly and accepted the invitation. As he walked into the house, something niggled in the back of his brain. The niggling was forgotten as his stomach grumbled. "Are you hungry?" Nadine asked. "Starved." Leon replied. "Oh, these are for you." he said handing her the bouquet of flowers. "They're beautiful, thank you. I hope that vegetable soup and fresh bread is alright." Nadine said as she took the flowers. "It smells great... do I smell jalapeno bread?" "I got the recipe from Louise; I hope that it's hot enough for you." "I'm sure that it's perfect." Leon replied as he looked down at her. As of yet, he hadn't kissed her yet. The pecks on the cheek didn't count. The scent of food and the rumbling in his stomach was forgotten as Leon took the flowers out of Nadine's hands and dropped them to the floor. Once his hands were free, he placed them on her shoulders and pulled her into him. Nadine looked up at him expectantly and waited. She didn't have to wait long. Leon bent down and lightly placed his lips on hers. The kiss was gentle, almost tentative before it deepened into a kiss of want and need. Nadine broke the kiss first. They couldn't go any further until they talked. "Let's eat." She said backing away. Food was the furthest thing from Leon's mind but he followed her to the small kitchen. "Have a seat and I'll bring it to you." Nadine said. "I have a better idea." Leon replied, "You sit and let me serve you." After going back and forth several times, Nadine finally sat at the table while Leon filled their bowls with soup and sliced the bread. "I'll get the beverages." Nadine said and started to stand up. "Tell me what it is and I'll get it." Leon said stopping her. Finally, lunch was served and Leon devoured every bite of it. "This was great and the bread was perfect." He told her. "Did you get enough to eat?" Nadine asked. "If not I can make you a sandwich or something." "I'm stuffed," Leon replied. "Nadine, you're nervous and to be honest; so am I. I propose that we get out whatever needs to be said so that we can both relax." "I'm a vampire." She blurted out. Leon looked at her and then laughed. "Okay.... That was funny..." "I'm not joking, I really am a vampire."" She said her voice tight with anxiety. "That's why I asked you if you wanted to come in and don't tell me that you didn't notice the shutters and dark drapes." When Leon didn't say anything, she continued. "That's why we were so drawn to each other... we belong together just like my father and Juliette belong together... Leon? Say something." She said panicked. "A vampire? Like that Elvira chick?" Leon asked still not sure if Nadine was teasing him or not. He got his answer when she responded. "That." She said tartly, "Is not a vampire! That is an abomination!" "Whoa baby!"' Leon said raising his hands in surrender." I was just playing along." Nadine took a deep breath and calmed down. "I'm sorry but I can't stand that woman." She said. "But that doesn't change what I am and what we are to each other." Leon didn't say anything for a long time wondering why he wasn't running for the door and why he believed her. He had never given thought to the question of whether there were other forms of life in the world but here he was sitting with a woman who claimed to be not human and he had to see proof." "Okay...I'm not saying that I don't believe you, but could you show me some proof?" Nadine thought about showing him her fangs but changed her mind. She needed to do something that left no doubt as to what she was. She vanished from where she was, stood behind Leon and kissed his neck as she ran her hands down the front of his shirt. Leon flew out of his chair knocking it over in the process. He looked around for Nadine jumping when she appeared in front of him. Leon was speechless. He has expected her to show him her fangs. "Oh shit...this is for real." He whispered as he looked for a place to sit. "Chair." Nadine said softly. Leon's eyes widened as the chair that he had just knocked over moved behind him. "Double shit." He murmured still amazed that he wasn't afraid. When he had sufficiently recovered from his shock, they moved to the living room to talk. "Tell me everything." He said. Six hours later, Leon knew everything about Nadine and Hans. "That was the condensed version." Nadine said. "Let me recap." Leon said. "Hans is older than Methuselah, you're over a hundred years old and both of you are vampires." "That's correct." Nadine confirmed. "You and I were destined to be together and so were Hans and my sister." "Yes." "In order for us to be together, I have to become a vampire and drink blood which means that I will always be six feet two inches tall and handsome forever plus I get you." Nadine laughed relieved that Leon seemed to be taking things so well. "Modest aren't you?" Nadine teased "but yes, that's the gist of it." "In my experience, everything has a downside." Leon said. "So talk to me." Nadine spent the next hour giving him the cons of the vampire life style. "Secrecy is our best defense. There are those who would like to see us eradicated, but I need to clarify something. You don't have to turn. You can be immortal but any children that we have may be born human. If I had been the human mate, and you vampire; the male child would be born vampire and it could go either way for the females." "So fifty-fifty both ways." Leon mused not liking the odds. "But if I turn they'll be born vampire?" he asked. "Yes." "Even the girls?" he asked. "Yes but Leon; we may not have children, not all of us do. If we did it might not be for centuries." "Who would do the turning?" Leon asked. "It would have to be a male of your choosing." Nadine replied. "I understand, but back to these people who want to kill you; who and what are they?" "They are called hunters." Nadine explained. "They are as old as the vampire race itself. For the most part they are human, but other species join them. They have made it their mission to destroy us because they feel that we are evil. Make no mistake, there are those of us who are evil and we try to avoid them at all costs." "Other species? You mean like werewolves?" Leon asked. "Yes and others. Every creature that you've ever heard about in your bedtime stories exists. Some of them are evil, some not." "Wow." Leon whistled, "I feel like I should be calling a psychiatrist or something... let me ask you something, are the Sinclaires' vampires too?" "Yes but Leon, they have a story to tell. It isn't a pretty one, but it is one that they tell to every new mate and child when they are old enough. I expect that they will tell it to you and Juliette too." "I don't suppose I can talk to Gene about this." Leon said. "Could you trust him with this knowledge?" Nadine asked. Leon wanted to say yes, but he knew that he couldn't. "No," he replied, "At least not yet." "Then you have your answer." Nadine replied softly. "It's important to remember that we are all responsible for the safety of each other. For that reason, very few humans know of us and we do little to dispel some of their beliefs about us. I can tell you about those later, it's time to go to the party." "Wait a minute." Leon said. "Don't you want to know my answer?" "Of course I do, but I didn't want you to feel as if I was pressuring you." Nadine replied. "I was going to leave tomorrow." He said. "I was going to use the time to figure out what this thing between us is. I had to know whether it was an infatuation or something more. I also had to ask myself what the real reason for moving here was and it's you. The truth is, if that job had been offered to me before I met you, I would have turned it down. So now the question is, am I going to be on that jet tomorrow evening? The answer is yes although I admit to having the feeling that I wouldn't be. I have business to wind up and I have to make sure Gene is alright. After that, I'll be back unless... you want to come with me. I'm sure that we can find a place to stay while we're there." Nadine was surprised. She had expected him to ask for time to think. "I would like that." she replied, "'but if you change your mind, tell me; I won't be offended or upset." Leon found himself wishing that they weren't going to the party. He had so many questions and he wanted spend the evening and night getting to know this woman/vampire that he was going to change for. Nadine touched his face, ran a finger over his lips and kissed him. "Thank you for believing me." she whispered and kissed him again. ********** Patrick and Kevyn were the first to arrive at Jonesy's. Because there were so many coming, Jonesy closed the restaurant. "The place is yours for as long as you need it." He said after greeting them. "I also have an ulterior motive; I came up with some new recipes that I want you to try out." Nathan and Louise arrived next followed by Juliette, Hans and the children. An hour later, everyone who was coming was there with Barb being the last one to arrive. She had changed her mind several times but decided to show up. She sat at a table with Gene in the anticipation of having someone to commiserate with. "Hey sis." Gene greeted with a sincere smile that made her hesitate. "Hey yourself." Barb greeted as she sat down. "So tomorrow is it." She said as she looked around. "Yep." Gene said. "Back to the city of bridges and reality." Barb looked at Gene and then at his drink. "You aren't drinking beer?" she asked surprised. "No, I'm on what they call the wagon." Gene replied. "Sure you are." she replied with a snide tone in her voice. "I haven't had a drink in over twenty-four hours." Gene replied. "I want to tell you something before anyone comes to sit with us. I'm sorry that I wasn't a better brother and person to you. I'm going to try to do better although I'm sure that I'm going to fuck up." Barb stared at Gene as if he were a creature from another planet. "What are you up to?" she asked. "Is this one of your games to get an investment out of them?" "No game." Gene replied. "The other night when we were watching movies it dawned on me that I haven't done anything that dad wanted me to. I failed him and I failed you guys too. Losing Dana was my fault too. Remember how dad used to tell us that we're responsible for what we say and do? That lesson has finally hit home." Barb was speechless. Gene was sincere. She had lost the one person who truly understood what she wanted. "What about your job?" she asked. "You were counting on an investment from the high and mighty Sinclaires." "I'll deal with that when I get home." Gene replied. "Have you tried to sell your act to anyone else?" Barb asked. "It isn't an act but yes, I've talked to everyone else. You were the last one. There's one more thing that I need to tell you." Barb listened stunned as Gene told her about his involvement with Clay Robinson. "You told her?" she asked shocked. "Yeah, she knows." "And you're still alive to tell about it?" "Patrick was plenty angry." Gene replied. "'But I was more afraid of Kevyn. Jesus Barb, the look on her face... it was as if I'd shot her." "Leon knows too?" she asked. "Yes, he was as shocked as you are." "Shock doesn't even cover what I'm feeling." Barb said in a hushed voice. "Damn Gene! You were really thinking about doing that? I've done some things in my time but thinking about murdering my sister? And then you were going to kill Clay?" Gene's face burned with shame as Barb talked. Hearing it from her made it sound as bad as it was. "What about Louise? Did you tell her too?" "Kevyn said that she would tell her." Gene replied. "Wait a minute." Barb said, "I'm a little rusty on my twelve step program thing, but aren't you supposed to do that?" Instead of replying, Gene stood up and looked around the room until he spotted Louise. Barb had made a valid point even if it had been meant as a jibe. He took a deep breath and approached her table. "Gene." Lou said smiling at him. "Is everything alright?" Gene hesitated for a second and then spoke. "I was wondering if we could talk before I left tomorrow. There's one thing that I haven't told you." "Ok, we can meet for lunch if you like." Louise replied wondering what else there could possibly be to tell. "Can you come to my suite? And Nathan, you come too." Gene walked away from the table and went outside. He needed a few minutes alone to calm his nerves. "It's hard isn't it?" Patrick asked from behind him. Gene jumped. He hadn't heard anyone coming. Gene didn't respond but turned away. Patrick stood beside him but didn't speak for several minutes. "I know that we aren't on the best of terms." Patrick said. "But I wanted you to know that I know and understand how difficult telling Kevyn the truth was for you." "What did you do? Gamble away the kid's college fund?" Gene asked tersely. He couldn't see how Patrick could possibly understand what he was going through. "I wish that it was something like that." Patrick replied. "What I'm trying to tell you is that it wasn't that long ago that I put that same look on Kevyn's face." "God it hurt." Gene said softly. "Yes it did and it still does." Patrick replied. "I want to tell you something else. In the end, you chose to save her. That means something." "It never should have happened." Gene replied. "No, it shouldn't have and neither should what I did. All we can do is try to make amends and learn how to live with the things we've done." "What did you do?" Gene asked again. "Let's just say that I hurt people. The whys or how's don't matter. The end result is the same. By hurting those people, I hurt your sister and my family." "Did she react as badly as she did last night?" Gene asked. "Much worse if that's possible. She ran away from me and went to Pittsburgh. That's why she was there when your mother died." Gene was silent as he tried to imagine what could be worse than what he was going to do. He had the feeling that Patrick wasn't going give specifics and didn't ask again. He also had the feeling that Patrick really did understand. "Thanks for talking to me, I appreciate it." Gene said. "You're welcome." Patrick replied and walked away leaving Gene alone. ******* When Gene got back, Leon was talking to Barb. He could tell by the look on her face that she didn't like what he was saying. He hung back until Leon got up and walked away shaking his head. "What's up?" he asked when he got back to the table. "You tell me!" she snapped. "Since when are you and Patrick Sinclaire buddies?" "We're not." Gene replied. "We were just talking. What crawled up your ass?" "Nothing." Barb replied remembering her vow to plaster on a smile. The restaurant was filled with laughter and music that eventually drew Barb in. She fought it at first and then gave in telling herself that it was all for show. She found herself laughing at Leon's impersonations of several well-known actors. She had forgotten just how funny he could be. Her good time came to a screeching halt when Leon, who had just been a source of amusement for her stood up and announced that he was moving to California. "I'm going home for two weeks to wrap things up and then I'll be back." He waited until the applause died down before he continued. "I'm going to be running one of Nathan's companies and I am so looking forward to the challenge." Barb was stunned. Once again someone from her family was reaping the benefits of the Sinclaire generosity. She was going to say something to Gene, but stopped herself. He had changed or was starting to and no longer had the same agenda as her. She waited for the next bombshell, but it didn't come until the dancing began. It became clear to her that Nadine and Leon weren't a fling and that she had been a part of his decision to move. She looked at Juliette and Hans and saw the way that they looked at each other and knew that Juliette would be back too. It seemed that everywhere she looked, there were couples who cared about each other. Instead of reevaluating her priorities, she got angry. She renewed her vow not to see her family again until she had what they had. Money. Barb slipped out of the restaurant without speaking to anyone. The only person who saw her leave was Celeste. Her small shoulders sagged with relief once Barb was gone and she let out a soft sigh. She could lift her sheet now. ********* The next day was busy with everyone getting ready to leave. Gene had his lunch meeting with Louise and Nathan and told them what he had done. Nathan's expression was unreadable, but Gene didn't get the impression that his life was in danger. What he noticed was that Nathan sat back, listened; but offered no opinion. Louise was every bit as horror stricken as Kevyn had been and had been just as speechless. Every time she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. She hadn't known what to expect, but it wasn't this. When she could speak, the only thing that she could say was "Oh Gene." And then she started to cry. Somehow, the tears were worse than the flat out anger that Kevyn had shown. She didn't ask him why he did it, which surprised him but once she got over her shock, she hugged him. "Aren't you angry?'" he asked her. "Yes but what will it change?" she asked. "I'm glad that you told us. You're going to get help aren't you?" "Yeah, I already made some phone calls." Gene replied. "Take care of yourself." Nathan said as they walked by. Instead of being offended, Gene was relieved and glad that it wasn't Louise that he had tried to hurt. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Nathan would have torn him apart. He finished packing and put his bags by the door. He took one last look around and went to the lobby to wait for the van that was going to take them to the airport. As he waited, he realized that there was one more person that he needed to talk to. He took out his cell phone, pulled up his contact list and looked at the number. He closed the phone. He wasn't ready to talk to Dana yet. Leon came down and sat next to him. "How's it going?" he asked. "I'm tired." Gene replied. "Not physically but emotionally. Does it get better?" "Yeah, it will, but you always have to be on your guard. Make sure that you lean on your sponsor and I'm just a phone call away." Louise Ch. 15 "Where's Nadine?" Gene asked changing the subject. "She's meeting us at the airport. I wanted to run something by you." Leon said. "The other night we were talking about the house and how it needed fixing up. I talked to Kevyn and Louise and we'd like to fix it up and keep it in the family. We would all go in and buy it from you and when it's done, you could live there." "I couldn't help with the renovations." Gene replied. "Don't worry about that, what do you think? You could stay at my apartment while the house is being renovated." "I don't know what to say." Gene replied. "Kev thought that maybe we could fix it up the way that mom would have liked it. Louise probably knows what mom liked better than any of us and agreed to supervise that part of it if you have no objections." "What did Barb say?" Gene asked. "She wants nothing to do with it." Leon replied, "Maybe she'll change her mind later." "Leon, do you realize that the house isn't worth much? It's going to take a lot of money to fix it up" "I know, but it has sentimental value. I don't know about you; but some of my happiest times were in that house. When I got out of rehab, it represented a new beginning for me. The house is in your name; the decision is yours." "Actually, it was Louise's house until I pressured her into giving it to me." Gene said. "I say let's do it. I'll stand by any decisions Louise makes as long as I can do my own room. I also have another stipulation. I want all of our names on the paperwork and that includes Barb even though she doesn't want anything to do with it." "Agreed." Leon said shaking Gene's hand. ********* Juliette made the kids check the suite several times. All of them did it, but with long faces. The longest face belonged to Celeste. She hadn't spoken or smiled at anyone all morning. Juliette tried to explain why they had to go back to Pittsburgh, but they weren't convinced. "You have school and your friends are there." She said. "We can make friends here." Wanda said thinking about Victoria. "What about your father, won't you miss him?" "We can call him and we can visit." Victor replied, "Mom can't we please stay?" "NO!" Juliette replied in a tone harsher than she had meant to use, "I'm sorry, but we can't stay now get packed." "What about Mr. Hans?" Wanda asked. "Are we going to say goodbye to him?" Juliette hadn't thought about it. As far as she was concerned, they already said their goodbyes. A lump formed in her throat when she remembered the way Hans had hugged each child and kissed them on the cheek. Of the three, Celeste was the one who clung to him as if her life depended on it. "Don't cry alskling-sweetheart, I will see you again." Hans told her. "I promise." Then the other two were crying. It was almost enough to make Juliette change her mind, but she stood firm. It took several minutes to calm them down and get them into bed. Hans didn't say anything to Juliette as he took her into his arms and gave her a kiss that left her breathless. After he left, she wondered why he hadn't actually said goodbye to any of them. She stayed up in the hopes that she would sleep during the flight back and packed. As she packed she thought about the kiss and blushed. She finally admitted to herself that she didn't want to leave any more than the kids did; but she had no choice. She tried to think of something else instead. The house. She loved Leon's idea but like Gene, she couldn't contribute financially to the renovations. Leon had given her the same assurances as he had given Gene and she gave the project her seal of approval. "Who's designing it?" She asked. "'Nathan, but we have final say. I'm going to ask my friend Barry to oversee the actual work. Gene will keep watch on things and let us know if there are any problems." Leon replied. Like Leon, the house held happy memories for her. She smiled when she thought about the things that her parents did to try to make them happy. Her all-time favorite were the fried biscuits rolled in sugar with hot chocolate on a cold winter night. Along with the pleasant memories came a feeling of guilt that she hadn't been more active in the care of their mother and that to some degree, they had denied Louise the right to a normal life by letting her do all of the work. That Louise had forgiven them and was now happy did little to assuage the guilt. "I can't undo it." She whispered. "I'm sorry mom." She whispered and wiped away a tear. She glanced at the clock, ordered breakfast for the kids and prepared herself for another round of begging to stay. ********** Hans double checked everything before he got ready to leave the house. He made one last call to his sister giving her the pass word into the house. "I'll be gone for as long as it takes.... Yes... oh and I gave Noreen your name and number. She's looking for homes for me. If she calls, would you mind looking at them for me? Thank you... yes call me with your impressions... yes.... Check your email, I've sent my specifications to you... if either of them meet the specifications then yes buy it. No, don't start any decorating; I want to do that with Juliette and the children. Yes... thank you and we will speak again soon." The next phone call was to Nadine. It was obvious that the revelation to Leon had gone well. He had to laugh when she told him that she just blurted it out. "Well, if you had to blurt to anyone, he would be the one to blurt too." He said. He laughed again when she told him about the conversation about Elvira. "I'm sure that you gave him your honest opinion on that subject." He teased. "I was just calling to tell you that I'm going to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for an indeterminate length of time... what? You're going too? Where are you staying? .... You can stay with me if you wish. The Sinclaires' have been kind enough to allow me to use one of their homes. Of course he can stay! He's your mate isn't he? I look forward to getting to know him better. Nadine, I'm happy for you. Leon is a good man.... Yes, I'll see you at the airport." He made a quick phone call to the house in Pennsylvania to alert them to the fact that there would be two more houseguest. It was too early to leave for the airport so he packed the rest of the cookies that he made for the children and sat them with his bag. When that was finished, he took a moment to thank the fates for giving him Juliette and the children. As an afterthought, he said a quick prayer for whoever Barb's mate was. ******** "When do you think we should tell the others about Barb's pregnancy?" Kevyn asked Louise over lunch. "I don't know." Louise replied. "I know that they would want to know but they have other issues going on too." "I think that we should tell them and tell them that she isn't ready to talk about it... which is true." Kevyn said. "But she doesn't want anyone to know." Louise countered. "I only know because I heard the heartbeat when I lowered my shields. She doesn't know that I know so what happens when one of them calls her? How do we explain how we knew? I think that we need to wait for her to say something." "I guess." Kevyn replied. "Do you think she'll come to the airport?" "I doubt it but I'll give her a call." Louise dialed Barb's number, listened to it ring and then frowned when a message played. "This number is no longer in service...." Thinking that she had misdialed, Louise tried again only to get the same message. "What's wrong?" Kevyn asked. "Her number's been disconnected." "Maybe you dialed wrong." Kevyn said taking out her own phone. She dialed Barb's number and got the same result. She looked at Louise not sure of what to think. "We could go over there." She said after a few minutes. "She doesn't want to see us." Louise said quietly. "She's on her own now." Kevyn started to protest but knew that Louise was right. There was nothing that they could do. "Kev, Gene told me about Clay Robinson." Louise said. "Yeah I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one." Kevyn replied. "It had never occurred to me that Gene was the one selling me out." "But he's changing." Louise said. "And if he can, so can Barb." "Change of subject." Kevyn said wanting to talk about something else. "Have you decided on a theme for the nursery?" "Not yet but I was hoping that you would help me with that." Louise replied. "We have some ideas though." "I would love to help!" Kevyn replied her voice full of excitement. "We have some time." Louise said. "Nathan hasn't started the nurseries yet and I was hoping that Juliette and Barb would help too." "I think that you can plan on Juliette." Kevyn replied. ******** Everyone with the exception of Barb stood around the jet, ready to board. Celeste was in Leon's arms softly crying into his shoulder while Wanda and Victor stood sullenly to the side. Juliette had given up on trying to get them to see reason and had resorted to the "because I said so" card. None of the children had spoken to her since. Gene stood off alone looking at his cell phone. He put it away and joined the group. Part of him was sad to be leaving but the other part of him was relived. California had been an unexpected source of pain for him and he didn't see himself ever relocating. On the other hand, his rebirth had begun here. Nathan and Patrick stood back and let the family say their goodbyes only stepping forward when it appeared that they were finished. They hugged and shook hands with everyone including Gene. When Patrick shook Gene's hand, he gave it a tight squeeze. "I want you to remember that I do understand. If you ever need to talk, call me." The offer surprised Gene. "You don't like me so why would you make an offer like this?" "Because we have something in common." Patrick replied. "We both hurt someone that we love and because there are times when you need someone who understands to bear the burden of guilt with you." "'You aren't going to tell me what you did are you?" Gene asked. "Not now." Patrick replied. "But one day I may." As Patrick made the statement, he realized that Leon and Juliette would have to be told about the family legacy. He briefly closed his eyes and then opened them again. "Here's' my card." He said. "I mean it; call me if and when you need to talk." Gene took the card, looked at it and slipped it into his pocket. "Good luck." Patrick said and walked away to join Kevyn. ********* Kevyn watched Gene and Patrick talk and knew that she couldn't send Gene away thinking that she hated him. When Patrick came back to her, she made her way over to Gene. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know that even though I don't understand why you did what you did, I don't hate you. I'm angry and hurt but I'm proud of you too. It took guts to tell us and to admit that you have a problem. I'm glad that you're finally getting help. Mom and dad would be proud of you." "Kev.... I don't know what to say except thank you." Gene replied as tears ran down his face. "I can only promise to keep trying to be a better person." "You'll make it." Kevyn replied giving him a hug. "Call us ok?" As Kevyn walked away, she realized that they were slowly becoming the family that their parents would have wanted them to be. She had to admit that it was about time and that it felt good. The only piece of the puzzle missing was Barb. ******** Gene was the first on the plane. Dee and the pilots, Bruce and Ben's greeting was a much warmer one than the one he received on the trip out. "Hello Mr. Yancy." Dee said with a smile. "I was asked to give this to you." She handed him an envelope with no name on it. "Thank you... Umm I would like to apologize for my behavior during the flight out." Gene said as he accepted the envelope. "Apology accepted." Dee said with a genuine smile on her face. "I'm pleased that you're feeling better. Please make yourself comfortable." "I wasn't....thank you Gene said and moved to a seat by a window. Curious, he opened the envelope. His eyes widened when he saw that it was a letter from Nathan. "Gene, Please contact my office at your convenience. I would like to discuss the proposal that you left for me. Nathan Sinclaire." Gene was even more stunned by this than he was when Patrick had given him his card. He looked out of the window and saw Nathan looking at him. When their eyes met, Nathan gave him a nod of his head. Gene nodded back still in a daze. Leon and Nadine got on next. Leon still had a very upset Celeste in his arms when they boarded. "Look Ben! If it isn't cutie pie!" Bruce exclaimed smiling at Celeste. When she didn't smile, Ben looked at her. "What's the matter darlin?" "She's upset about something." Leon replied. "It's good to see you guys' again." he added extending his hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again too." Bruce replied, "I hear that you'll be coming back in a couple of weeks." "That's the plan." Leon replied with a big smile. "We'd better get moving." They had just gotten to the cabin of the jet when Celeste began to struggle in his arms. "Chill baby girl." Leon admonished as he tried to contain her. What's wrong with you?" Finally, he put her down and she took off at a dead run. "What?" Leon asked and then saw who she was running to. ******* Celeste's chest hurt. She didn't; want to leave the place where she had felt safe. She didn't want to go home where she could feel the feelings of everyone around her; she didn't want to leave the safety of Hans. The problem was that she didn't know how to say what she needed except by crying and no one understood what she was trying to say. All she could do was hold on to Leon and soak up his warmth. In her anxiety, she had forgotten to shield herself. She felt Gene's remorse and hope, the sadness of her siblings, Juliette's indecision and more. On top of it all was her almost over whelming fear. Not even the pilot's warm greeting could cut through the myriad of emotions that ran through her. It wasn't until she saw Hans sitting in the back of the jet that she came to life. She struggled to get free of Leon, fighting until he finally let her go. Once she was free she took off at a dead run not stopping until her small brown arms were wrapped tightly around Han's neck. ******** Hans was on the jet an hour before Gene got on. He sat in the back not wanting to be noticed right away. Gene had been so preoccupied that he didn't notice him. Hans' attention riveted to the front of the jet when he heard Leon's voice. Suddenly, a small figure was running toward him. He stayed where he was, waiting for her. The only one of the three children who had known who and what he was from the first time she saw him. Hans caught her as she jumped into his arms and hugged him. "I told you that you would see me again." he said as he kissed her head. It was then that he understood something about Juliette. She had to be shown and not just told. He had done the right thing by going back with them. "What are you doing here?" A voice filled with confusion and relief asked. Hans looked up to see Juliette looking at him in disbelief. ********* "Come on." Juliette said to Victor and Wanda. "They're waiting for us." Reluctantly, the siblings got on the jet only smiling when they were greeted by the pilots. "How's the future scientist and future pilot doing?" Bruce asked. "Okay." They replied in unison. "We're glad to see you again" Ben said shaking Victor's hand. "Want to see the cockpit again?" "Can I?" Victor asked not looking at Juliette for permission. "Check with your mom first." Bruce replied. "Can I?" Victor asked. "Please?" "Don't touch anything." Juliette replied. She made her way to the cabin and stopped short. She blinked rapidly not quite believing what she was seeing. She slowly made her way to the back of the plane and stopped in front of Hans who was holding a now calm Celeste in his lap. Her heart pounded as she looked at him in disbelief. "What are you doing here?" she asked. When Hans looked up at her and stood up still holding Celeste, her breath caught. "I have finally figured out with the help of Celeste that you need to be shown and not told." Hans said as he stepped closer to her. "This is me showing you that I love you and these children. I told you that I would move to Pittsburgh if I had to I order to be with you and you didn't believe me. Do you believe me now?" "Your job..." "Will be there when we return." Hans replied. "Everything is arranged. We can now date if you wish." "Mr. Hans!" Wanda and Victor screamed as they ran down the aisle of the plane. "Are you coming with us?" Victor asked. "I am. Your mother and I have unfinished business." Hans replied as he sat Celeste down on a seat. He took another step toward Juliette, took her by her arms and pulled her into him. Juliette put her hands on his waist and looked up into glittering gray eyes. She didn't object when he bent down and kissed her. She didn't; hear the clapping or shouts of approval as she returned the kiss. Gene watched and felt a longing that he hadn't felt in a long time. He had loved Dana even if he hadn't acted like it and he loved her now. He began to wonder if she had remarried or was involved with anyone. Both scenarios were a very real possibility but what if she were still free? Had he done too much damage to repair things? He looked over at Hans and Juliette who were still standing. The kiss was over but they were still holding each other. Gene took out his phone and time instead of just looking at the number; he hit 'dial" "Dana?" he said a few minutes later. ********* Kevyn, Patrick, Louise and Nathan watched as the jet took off. Louise interlocked her fingers with Nathan's to her right and Kevyn's to her left. Kevyn then took Patrick's in hers. They watched until the jet was out of sight and then each couple went their separate ways it had been a long, exhausting week both emotionally and physically. It was time for a respite. As Nathan and Louise walked toward their car, Louise froze. She was paralyzed with a feeling of foreboding that was gone as soon as fast as it had appeared. "Sweetheart? Are you alright?" Nathan asked. He had felt it too. Had Louise not felt it, he would have brushed it off. "Did you feel that?" she asked seeking confirmation that she hadn't imagined it. "Yes but it was gone so quickly that I didn't have a chance to process it. Are you sure that you're alright?" he asked concerned. "I'm fine," Louise replied. "Maybe it was just a fluke." She added still thinking about the feeling of foreboding. "Maybe." Patrick replied; but neither of them believed it. Louise Ch. 16 Louise breathed a sigh of relief as they drove away from the airport. It had been a good week in many ways, but also an exhausting one. She was thrilled that Gene was finally going to get the help that he needed and that both Leon and Juliette had found their mates. She worried for Celeste and decided that she would call her at least once a day even though Hans would be there. It was important that Celeste know and remember that she wasn't alone. She gave kudos to Hans for being willing to relocate just to be with Juliette and the kids and wondered if Hans told her about Barb. Her suspicion was that he had and that Juliette hadn't been bothered by it. Louise smiled when she thought about Leon and Nadine. She would have given her right arm to have been a fly on the wall when Nadine told him what she was. From Leon, her thoughts wandered to Barb. She wasn't surprised when her older sister didn't make it to the airport. She almost reached into her pocket to call her and remembered that Barb had changed her number. "We have a program that would find her number." Nathan told her. "I know, but she doesn't want to talk to us." Louise replied. "And all she would do was change the number again." "Would you like to stop by and check on her?" Nathan asked. "Yes but I won't." Louise replied. "She's made her position clear. She doesn't want anything to do with us." "Lou, what do you think that was back there?" Nathan asked after a brief hesitation. "I don't know." She replied. "It's like you said. It was there and gone before I had a chance to process it. Maybe it was a fluke." Even as she said it, she didn't believe it and neither did Nathan although he didn't say anything; he didn't have to. "Do you know what I would like to do?" Louise asked. "I would like to sit on the beach and make s'mores. Can we do that?" "We can do whatever you like." Nathan replied. "Nathan... thank you for what you did for Gene. It means a lot." Nathan took Louise's hand and brought it to his lips. "He's trying. What he did took courage and I respect that. I'm not investing a large amount; I want to see how he does with a small investment. If I'm satisfied, I'll invest more." "You didn't have to do that, but thank you." Louise replied. "Leon says that you're going to do the design for the house so I owe you another thank you." "Lou, anything I do it's because I love you and your family is now mine and talking about designs, we need to talk about the nurseries." "That sounds like a subject to be talked about over s'mores." Louise replied. She put her head against the headrest and closed her eyes only to open them again. "Nathan..." "I know." He replied, "I felt it too but once again, it was gone before I could get a handle on it. Were you able to pick up anything?" "No, but I don't think that it's a fluke whatever it is. What do you think we should do?" she asked. "I think that we need to let Ethan know." Nathan said after a few minutes. "It may be nothing, but I don't want to take any chances. I'll give him a quick call when we get home." ******** "It feels funny not having them here doesn't it?" Kevyn asked as she soaked in the Jacuzzi with Patrick. "I miss them." "They'll be back." Patrick assured her. "I think that this would be a good time to sneak away for a few days." "That sounds good." Kevyn replied. "Can I ask a question?" "You can ask me anything, you know that." Patrick replied. "What did you say to Gene?" "I just told him that I understood." Patrick replied. "I also told him that it wasn't that long ago that I put the same look of shock, pain and horror on your face. I gave him my card and told him to call if he needed someone to share the burden of guilt." "But you don't even like him." Kevyn said sitting up and turning around to face him. "That's what he said." Patrick replied. "How I feel about him doesn't change the fact that we have something in common. Both of us have hurt you and that's something that we will both always feel guilty about." "Did you tell him what you did?" Kevyn asked. "No." Patrick replied. "That isn't his burden to bear but who knows? One day I may." "You sound like you're starting to like him." Kevyn said as she lay down beside him. "Maybe I am." Patrick replied. "At the very least I admire him for telling you what he did. That took courage." "It did." Kevyn conceded. "And I'm glad that he told me. Thanks for reaching out to him." "Kev, I want you to understand why I didn't like Gene. It was all about the way that he treated you and Louise and nothing more. I didn't need to see or know more than that to form an opinion of him. I also know for a fact that it was the same for Nathan." "I understand." Kevyn replied, "But still... thank you. I have an idea." Kevyn said. "Why don't we make sure that Leon's house is ready for him when he comes back?" "I like the idea." Patrick replied. "But I want a few days alone with you before we get involved with family things again. And I mean my family as well." "That's fair." Kevyn replied. "So where are we going?" "I think that now would be a good time to take you to that place that I told you about when we first mated." Patrick said. "We can even leave now if you like." A few minutes later; they were on their way. "Where are you taking me?" Kevyn asked as she looked out of the car window. "You'll see." Patrick replied. "Just relax and enjoy the ride." Patrick turned on the CD player and turned the volume up. "Meatloaf?" Kevyn asked surprised. "You don't like Meatloaf." "But you do." Patrick replied. "And there are a few songs on there that I like." He added. Kevyn held Patrick's hand, rested her head against the head rest and listened to the music. By the time the CD was over, Patrick was pulling up into a driveway. "We're here." He said turning off the engine. Kevyn looked around, her mind searching for the reason why the place seemed so familiar to her. It wasn't until they were at the front of the building that she recognized it. It was the little condo that was similar to the one that was a screen saver on her laptop. "Patrick..." "I saw the screensaver and I knew that you wanted a little place by the water. Sweetheart, this is your place. I only come here by invitation." "Do you really think that I would come here without you?" Kevyn asked. "All I'm saying is that if you ever need a place to get away from the craziness of both of our families, and that includes me; here's your place." "I don't know what to say... " "You don't have to say anything." Patrick said hugging her. "Let's go inside." The condo was exactly the way she had envisioned it. It was big enough for two people especially if the two people liked being together. The ocean could be heard from every room in the condo and was just a short walk away. "About a mile down the beach is one of the best sea food places in the state." Patrick said. "I love it, but you didn't have to do this." Kevyn said. "That's exactly why I did it." Patrick replied. "Are you hungry? We could walk to the restaurant." Kevyn took Patrick by the hand and led him to the bedroom. "Tomorrow." She said. "Tonight I want to stay in." ******** Gene looked out of the jet window into the darkness. His conversation with Dana had been short, but at least she hadn't hung up on him. To his relief, she hadn't remarried nor was she seeing anyone. She politely listened as he explained the reason for his call. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for everything. You were right to leave when you did and... I'm trying to become that person you said that I could be." There was several long seconds of silence before she responded. "I'm happy for you. Good luck." And then she hung up. He didn't get the chance to ask if he could call her again and decided that maybe it was for the best. She had no reason to believe anything that he told her. He wanted to be able to go to her proof in hand to show her that he was trying. In his mind, he began to do one of the things that he was good at, that's when he did it. He made a mental list of his goals and how he planned to get there. At the top of the list was himself. He realized that none of the other things would happen unless he fixed himself first. Gene took the envelope containing the letter from Nathan out of his pocket and looked at it. He wouldn't call until he had been sober for a month. The investment would be his reward and another step back to Dana. He was amazed at how light he felt even though he was scared of failure. He looked over when he felt someone sit in the seat next to him. "How are you doing?" Leon asked. "I'm hanging in there." Gene replied. "I talked to Dana." "How'd that go?" "She didn't hang up on me." Gene replied. "That's good." Leon replied. "Are you planning to try and get her back?" "That's part of it." "Gene, just make sure that the change is for you and not for her or anyone else. If it's just for her, it won't work." "I know... I already called ahead for a group that meets close to where your apartment is." Gene said. "I'm going to a meeting in the morning and I have the number of someone I can call tonight if I need to." "Good... and you know that you can call me at any time." "I know... Leon thanks for everything." "We're family aren't we?" Leon asked. "I already talked to Barry about you staying in the apartment so don't worry about that. Once I'm packed, you'll have plenty of closet space." "I can stay at the house until you leave." Gene said. "No need. Hans has a house that he's using and invited me to stay there. I'll be over tomorrow to start packing up my clothes and personal items." Leon moved back to his seat a few minutes later leaving Gene alone with his thoughts. ******* Leon sat next to Nadine and took her hand in his. A part of him still found it hard to believe that the petite woman sitting next to him was a vampire; but he didn't care. Nadine was what he had been missing in his life; someone to share things with and someone to love. The invitation to stay with her and Hans at the house had come as a surprise to him; but he accepted the offer without hesitation. "You and Nadine are mates." Hans explained. "It's only natural that you stay together." Leon thought about the week in California and wondered how much of what happened was coincidence and how much of it was otherworldly. For Gene to admit that he needed help was nothing short of miraculous. That two of his sisters were married into the same family and that he was with someone whose father was a friend and employee of the same family was just uncanny. "It's our fates." Nadine said softly. "Our meeting was predestined as was the meeting of Juliette and my father. If we hadn't met in California, we would have met somewhere else just as my father would have met Juliette. All of us who have mates are predestined to be with that person." "What about Gene and Barb?" Leon asked. "I can't answer that." Nadine replied. "The fates don't tell us about others." Leon didn't reply for several minutes. He was thinking about what Nadine told him and about who he wanted to turn him. "Can I have more than one person turn me?" "You can." Nadine replied. "If they are of different families, you will be tied to both of them. It isn't like on television where they'll be able to control you. The difference is that you're volunteering. If you were turned against your will, then yes you could be controlled by the one who turns you." "Tell me about the process and don't leave anything out." Leon said. An hour later, Nadine was finished. "Damn! That sounds like going cold turkey." He said. "Do you think that your father would do the honor?" "I think that he will be pleased." Nadine replied. "Who else are you going to ask?" "Nathan." Leon replied without hesitation. "By the way, you mentioned something about his family history, what's that about?" "That's best not discussed here." Nadine replied. "When we get to the house and get settled, I'll tell you everything. Their history is well known in our world." Leon wanted to ask more questions but decided that he could wait. Instead, he brought up their living arrangements. "I'll move in with you." Nadine said. "Your home will be closer to where you will be working." "Will you keep working at the hotel?" Leon asked. "I doubt it now that I'll have a mate at home." She replied. "You don't have to give up your job for me." Leon said. "I'll be working nights too." They continued to talk quietly among themselves. The only things that they decided on were their living situation and who would turn him. ******* Juliette still couldn't believe that Hans was going back with them. She hadn't believed him when he told her that he would and there he was sitting next to her with a very content Celeste in his lap. Victor and Wanda were speaking to her again and she couldn't deny that she was relieved and happy that he was with them. "What worries you?" Hans asked. "Angel." She murmured. "How do I tell him that I met a man and in less than a week I decide to pull up roots and move to California?" "You're coming back with me?" Hans asked surprised. "What about the human dating ritual?" "Yes, we'll go back with you, but it can't be right away. We need to do what you call the human dating ritual and I think it will help if Angel meets and talks with you." Hans was speechless with happiness. This had gone much better than he had anticipated. "How long do you think that we'll need to stay?" he asked. "A month or two... can you be gone that long?" "I can be gone for as long as I need to be." Hans replied. "I don't have to work, but I enjoy it. My time is yours." Juliette, like Leon wondered what it was about California that seemed to affect them all. Prior to the past week, she had only dreamt of moving away from Pittsburgh. Places like California, Hawaii or Florida were places that she fantasized about in the dead of winter as she scraped the ice from the windshield of her car. She had never imagined that she would find a man who could not just hold a handle to Angel, but who loved her kids. He wasn't pretending, she knew that the Hans she had come to know was the real thing. The love and caring that he had for her and the kids wasn't pretend. She also had never dreamed that she would actually be moving to a place in her wintertime fantasies. She felt Hans' arm tighten around her. She snuggled closer and laid her head on his shoulder. With a start, she realized that she hadn't experienced the anxiety that she had with every takeoff and landing prior to this one. To her it was a confirmation of what Hans told her. "I will always keep you safe." What he could do if the plane crashed she didn't know, but she knew that he would do his best to keep his promise. She looked at Wanda and Victor. They sat in the seat across from her and Hans talking quietly amongst themselves. They looked both happy and relieved. She had to wonder how much they really knew about Hans even if they didn't understand it. Celeste was a no-brainer. She had known from the beginning who and what Hans was to them. "Celeste is very special." Hans told her. "She is what is known as an empath. She is able to feel the emotions of others. It is why she was always so quiet and frightened. Louise and Leon are also empathic, but of the two of them; Louise is by far the strongest. I believe that Celeste will be as strong if not stronger than Louise is." "How do we help her?" Juliette asked. "Before Louise taught her to shield, she was protected by Louise or Leon. When Louise moved away, Celeste lost part of her protection. Leon didn't know what she was or what he did for her so he didn't pick up the slack. Because I accepted her as my child, she is shielded by me as are you and the other children. Part of her education will be teaching her how to build strong shields." "Are the others gifted?" Juliette asked. "They may be more intuitive than what's considered normal." Hans replied, "But sometimes gifts don't manifest until later in life. It could be that Wanda and Victor will be the mates to vampires and whatever gifts they have will awaken at that time." That conversation seemed surreal. In many ways it still didn't seem possible, but it was. She was in love with a vampire. Her youngest was empathic and the other two would either be turned or mates to vampires and then turned. It sounded like something that would earn her a few days in a psych ward somewhere. She looked over at Gene who was staring out of the window deep into his thoughts. Her mind still fought to reject what he told her. The words "I was going to kill Kevyn" Reverberated through her head. When he apologized for not leading the family better, she had her own apologies to make and her own guilt to bear. "Gene, you shouldn't have had to tell me to help Louise. I knew that she needed help and instead of helping her, I dumped the kids on her when I thought I needed a night out. I never thought that she needed a night out or that she might have been interested in dating or meeting friends. She was so convenient and never said anything... that doesn't make it right." She said. "All I'm saying is that I share in that guilt with you. We all do with the exception of Leon and Kevyn." She took a deep breath and continued. "Louise called me that morning. She wanted me to sit with mom while she was at work. I.... I told her that it was my first day off in a week and that I wanted to sleep. I ended up agreeing to check on mom for lunch and that's when I found her on the floor. Gene, she was... if I had gone like Louse asked me; maybe she wouldn't have fallen. But do you know what makes this worse? Louise never threw it up in my face. Not even when we tried to make her take mom home did she blame any of us." "That was never her way." Gene replied. "That's why it was so easy to push things onto her, but your right; it would have been easier to take had she screamed at us. As to whether mom would have fallen or not, we'll never know. But I do think that it'll do you no good to agonize over it." He had been right, but even so the thought that their mother may not have died had she been there weighed heavily on her. "Juliette." Hans called softly, "Tell me what is troubling you." "Ummm later." Juliette replied. She wanted to languish in her guilt for a little while longer. She had to wonder what Hans would think about a woman who had for all practical purposes abandoned her mother and sister. "I will love you no matter what you tell me." Hans whispered. "Were you peeking?" Juliette asked. "No." Hans replied. "I know people and I can tell that you are worried. I just wanted you to know that you never have to be concerned about my feelings for you." Juliette intertwined her fingers with his and silently said another apology to her mother. ******** "Why don't you get the supplies for the s'mores while I call Ethan?" Nathan said when they got home. "Ok, but I want to change clothes first." Louise replied. "I won't be long." "No hurry." Nathan replied. "In fact, it's been hours since I made love with you, can the s'mores wait?" "Gee... I don't know." Louise teased. "S'mores or making love... hmmm..." Nathan laughed. He loved her sense of humor and how free she was becoming with something that had been a source of anxiety for her. "I think... s'mores!" she exclaimed. Louise laughed at the surprised expression on Nathan's face. "I'm kidding!" she said still laughing. "Make your call and I'll see you upstairs." "Brat!" Nathan shouted after her as he picked up the phone. Louise Ch. 16 He didn't know exactly what he was going to say, but then decided to just say it. If Ethan had any questions, he would ask. "Ethan... Nathan here... everything is fine... they're on their way back to Pittsburgh... Yes Leon is coming back and so are Juliette and the children. How's everything on your end? Good... No I haven't heard anything from mom and dad... I know she's anxious for the baby to arrive. Louise is doing great! I've been blessed as all of us are. The reason that I'm calling is to tell you about something that happened twice within an hour." Nathan told Ethan about the feeling that both he and Louise experienced. "When it happened the first time, we thought that it was a fluke or we wanted to believe that it was. But then, it happened again. The second feeling wasn't any stronger than the first time, but it hadn't diminished either. I don't know what to think, but given what happened with Bradford; I thought I'd better call. Of course I'll keep you posted." He hung up and stared at the phone for a few seconds before going to the kitchen. As he put a tray together for dinner, he tried to remember the feeling. It wasn't a strong feeling, but it was a feeling of disquiet. As far as he knew, the Sinclaire family didn't have any bona fide seers. He remembered that one of Louise's relatives was psychic. It had been a gift that had saved his life and the lives of his family on several occasions. But this didn't feel like the run of the mill psychic experience. He wondered if he and Louise were the family's first seers. When Louise fell asleep, he would make a call to the genealogist. Nathan picked up the tray that contained two carafes of warmed blood, a carafe of juice and a plate filled with cheeses, meats and crackers and went to the stairs. The feeling of disquiet hit him again, but this time; it wasn't as strong. He stopped and tried to get a grasp on it, but it was gone. He rushed up the stairs to Louise. "Did you feel that?" she asked as soon as he was in the room. "It wasn't as strong this time." "I felt it." Nathan said as he sat the tray down. "I talked with Ethan and told him what we experienced. He wants us to keep him posted on any changes. Lou, if you had to guess; what would you say is happening?" Louise shrugged her bare shoulders. "I don't know." She said. "It could be the mate of a past victim, but... it doesn't feel like that. I need to feel it a little longer." "I agree with you." Nathan said as he poured her a glass of blood. "I don't think that it's the mate of a past victim. We'll just need to keep our wits about us. Drink up and then we'll take our vitamins." Louise grimaced but drank the blood down and held out her hand for the multivitamin. "I won't miss these." She commented as she put the large tablet in her mouth. They finished their snack and settled in the bed. Louise was lying on her right side facing Nathan, her arm over his waist. Nathan kissed her forehead as his hand gently cupped a breast. "You are so ...." The chirping of his cellphone interrupted whatever he was going to say. "That's mom and dad." He commented as he answered the phone. "A girl?" he asked after he greeted his father. "Is mom alright? And the baby? She is?" He covered the mouthpiece of the phone and mouthed to Louise, "baby, girl, vampire; both fine." "I'm sorry; I was just telling Louise about the baby. So tell me the particulars, I know that she's going to ask... five pounds six ounces... seventeen inches .... Blond hair and blue eyes... she sounds like a Sinclaire... what did you name her? Stephanie Anne? I like it. We'll give mom a few days to rest and we'll come over to see you. Congratulations and give mom our love." "Congratulations big brother." Louise said kissing his chest. "I bet she's beautiful. I can't wait to see her." "Neither can I." Nathan replied. "But no matter how beautiful she may be; our baby will be just as beautiful. I see a little girl with dark brown eyes and your smile. Her spirit will be as gentle as yours and I will give my life to protect both of you." "The same goes for me... Nathan, I want you to promise me something." "What is it?" Nathan asked stroking her arm. "If.... If something happens and you have to choose between me and the baby, save her." Nathan sat up so fast that Louise squealed. "Are you alright?" he asked as he listened for the baby's heartbeat. "I'm fine...." "Why would you say that?" he demanded. "I... I was just telling you what I wanted to happen. That's all." Louise replied. Nathan relaxed and took Louise back into his arms. "I'm sorry... it's just the thought that I could lose either of you... Sweetheart, it's extremely rare that a mother or child dies during childbirth. If there was a problem with the baby, you would have miscarried within the first week and we're past that." He was fully aware that he was telling her things that she already knew to reassure himself. The statement had caught him unawares. "I didn't mean to upset you." Louise said. "Part of me still thinks as a human would." "I know." Nathan replied. "I overreacted, again; I'm sorry." "Don't be." Louise replied nipping at his neck. "I believe someone gave me the option of s'mores or making love. So far I've had neither." Louise listened to herself talk. This was a part of her that she didn't know existed until Nathan. It was a part of her that she liked and apparently, so did he. In one move, she was stretched out on top of him looking down into his blue eyes. "Does my mate have a request?" Nathan asked. She had never made a request in the past and Nathan wanted to see what she would say. "My neck." She said softly. "Start there." Nathan was almost surprised when she replied but didn't let on. Instead, he rolled so that she was beside him and kissed her. His lips left her and skimmed across her cheek to her ear. He gently bit into the lobe and then sucked on it. He pulled her closer when she shivered and then moaned. He let out a low moan when she tangled her hands in his hair and pulled when he found the spot behind her ear and kissed it. The scent of her arousal combined with the scent of the pregnancy hormones assailed his nose. "That feels good." Louise murmured as she reached down between them and took the head of his cock into her hand. Nathan's lips never lost contact with her skin as he moved them to her neck where he nipped, kissed and sucked until she was writhing against him. His lips found her pulse, kissed it and then bit. Louise stiffened in surprise and then began to grind against Nathan's cock. She whimpered in frustration when it wasn't hitting the right spot. Sensing what she wanted and needed, Nathan lifted her leg, pulled his hips back and eased his cock between her legs. "Like... that." Louise said in a breathy voice that she barely recognized as her own when Nathan began sliding his cock back and forth against her clit as he fed from her. Louise wrapped her arms around Nathan's neck and cried out as she rubbed her clit harder and faster against his hardness. She could smell his arousal as it mixed with hers and had the sudden need to taste him. "On your back." She demanded and then giggled when Nathan raised an eyebrow at her. "Please." She added. He was no sooner on his back when she had the head of his cock in her mouth savoring the taste of their combined flavors. Nathan closed his eyes and allowed himself to just feel what Louise was doing to him. After a minute, he opened his eyes and looked down at her. He gently took her head between hands and held it in place. He began a slow thrust in and out of her mouth as he stroked her cheeks. His breath quickened when she tugged and pulled on sacs that felt as if they hadn't been emptied in weeks instead of hours. Nathan's hips jerked as her tongue danced over and around the sensitive underside of his cock. He felt his cock thicken and knew that his release was imminent. He let her head go and let her do as she wished. "Lou...!" he screamed when a fang dragged across the sensitive skin on the head of his member. Suddenly, he was emptying into her mouth and she was swallowing as fast as she could. Nathan reached down and pulled her up to him, his mouth in search of hers. He kissed her deeply not in the least put off by the taste of himself on her breath. He rolled so that Louise was on her back, put her breast together and took both nipples into his mouth paying more attention to the left as it was the more sensitive of the two. As he flicked the tip of his tongue over the hardened tip, he had a vision of Louise nursing their baby. Louise had his head in her hands pulling it tight against her chest. "Harder... please." She moaned as she squeezed her legs together trying to put pressure on her clit. Nathan reached down and slipped a finger between her fold and pressed on her nub as he moved it back and forth. Louise gasped, took a deep breath and screamed as the orgasm washed over her. Nathan waited until the orgasm passed before moving so that his head was between her plump thighs. As soon as his tongue touched her, Louise had another orgasm and then a third. After the third orgasm, Nathan moved beside her and gathered her into his arms. The orgasms were still as intense as they had been, but it no longer concerned him. The baby and Louise were both healthy and that was all that mattered. He covered Louise with a thin blanket and eased away from her. He needed to make a call to Jackson. ********* A week had gone by before the rest of the family officially met Stephanie Anne Sinclaire. It was as Nathan said; the baby was definitely a Sinclaire with her blond hair and blue eyes. "Rachel she's beautiful." Louise said as she held the baby. "Yes she is." Rachel agreed. "In several months you'll have your baby too and I have a hunch that he or she will be just as beautiful." "Nathan seems to think that we're having a girl." Louise replied as she rocked the baby. "Maybe he's right." Rachel commented. "Now that the baby is here, maybe we can have lunch or something." "I would like that." Louise replied. "I have so many questions about being a mother... do you think that Katrina could come too?" "She wouldn't miss it." Rachel replied. Nathan stood in a corner talking to Patrick and Ethan. He had a clear view of Louise and watched her as she held his little sister. "Nathan have you had any more of those feelings?" Ethan asked. "What? Oh no... neither of us have." He replied. "We do agree on one thing though, we don't think that who or whatever it is; it isn't the mate of a victim or a past victim." "How do you know that?" Patrick asked. He was remembering Veronica's abduction by the mate of one of his victims. "I don't know." Nathan replied. "We just do which leads me to a question. Are there any seers in our family history?" "Jackson would be the one to answer that with any certainty." Ethan replied, "But I don't think so. Why do you ask?" "I already have Jackson looking into it, but I was wondering if it's possible that Louise and I are the family seers." Nathan gave Ethan a brief rundown of the Yancy/Sinclaire timeline. "Jackson seems to think that the Yancy line was created for the Sinclaire line. He was quick to point out that mating between the two families was rare and after Patrick and me, it probably won't occur again for hundreds of centuries." Ethan listened without interrupting and didn't say anything for several minutes. When he did, it was one word. "Damn." "Do you know what this means?" Patrick asked. "If Nathan and Lou are seers our family will be one of the strongest families in existence." "I understand that." Ethan replied, "But I think that it's too soon to speculate. If they are seers, we'll be seeing more evidence of it. In the meantime, keep me posted on the --for lack of a better term; premonitions and let me know what Jackson says." Ethan walked away to take his turn at holding the baby. Louise made her way to Nathan with a grin on her face. "She's gorgeous and I can already see that she's got at least three men wrapped around her fingers already." She glanced over at Joseph and Martin who stood a touch away. "Are you implying that I'm going to spoil my sister?" Nathan asked feigning offense. "I'm not implying anything, I'm saying it." Louise replied. "Guilty." Nathan replied. "How are you feeling?" "I feel good." She replied. "Good enough to finish shopping for the things we'll need for our cooking class?" Nathan asked. "He's coming in two weeks." "I feel fine. Now will you stop worrying?" Louise said. "While we're out can we stop at the Wal-Mart?" ********** Gene walked around Leon's apartment. It had been a long, hard week for him. True to his word, he made contact with his sponsor as soon as he got to the apartment and met him at a meeting the next morning. "Gene? My name is Calvin. I know that you're new to this so let me go over a few things with you. The most important thing is this, if you feel the need to take a drink; you call me and we'll work through it. Put my number by your bed and in your cell phone. The second thing is this, there are going to be times when you're going to tell yourself that one drink isn't going to hurt anything. Nothing could be further from the truth. One drink can and will lead to another. Trust me on this. I've been there and done that. The last thing that I want to tell you is that you can beat this. You will always be an alcoholic just as I am. We will always be in recovery and we are always in danger of relapse." Gene liked the older black man. He was no nonsense and wouldn't hesitate to tell him what he thought. Calvin was retired and was able to attend every meeting that Gene went to with him. The hardest day of the week was when he called the employee hotline and then called his boss. He had a rude awakening when he found out that he had another supervisor... He sat across from Harold J. Bartlett with his hands in his lap. He didn't say anything as Bartlett assessed him. "I've heard about you." Bartlett finally said. "You're a hot head who doesn't pull his weight." Gene felt his face burn but he kept his mouth shut. "I've looked at your file, you started out good and then you started fucking up. You haven't brought in a new client in months. What I don't understand is how you still have a position here." "If I could have a few minutes to explain." Gene said politely. "By all means." Bartlett replied as he leaned back in his chair. "I'll give you a chance to save your ass." Twenty minutes later, Gene's job was in the hands of Harold J. Bartlett. "I understand that you've had a difficult time, but that doesn't excuse you rude and erratic behavior to staff and our investors." "Mr. Bartlett, what I didn't tell you is that I... I have a drinking problem. I've been going to AA and I'm trying to get my shit together. Please, I need this job." "What are you going to do about bringing in investors? As I've said, it's been months." "I understand that and I have an investor. I just have to write up the proposal." Gene replied. He hadn't wanted to use Nathan's letter, but it looked as if he would have no choice. "Really?" Bartlett asked. "It isn't another drug dealer is it?" "No sir. This is a perfectly respectable family." Gene replied hoping that he wouldn't have to say who the family was. "Alright, I'll bite; who's the family?" Bartlett asked. "I'd rather not say." Gene replied. "I want to write up the proposal and present it first." "Let me make sure I understand you." Bartlett said. "You're here to try to save your job, but you aren't willing to give me a concrete reason to keep you on?" The old Gene began to rear its ugly head. "Look you..." Bartlett's raised eyebrows and "I dare you" expression stopped him. It was then that he realized that he had no option but to show Bartlett the letter. "I'm going to give you proof that I have an investor." Gene said as he took the envelope out of his pocket. "I had my reasons for wanting to hold on to it; but I guess it really doesn't matter." Gene watched as Bartlett opened the letter, skimmed it and reread it twice. "How do you know the Sinclaires?" Bartlett asked. Gene had a choice. He could tell Bartlett that two of his sisters were married to Sinclaires or he could downplay it. The Gene of the past urged him to take advantage of it; but the new Gene fought to ignore it. He wasn't sure what he was going to say until he said it. "I met them while I was on vacation." "You're on probation for thirty days." Bartlett said. "If you don't bring in a client within that time, you're gone; do you understand me?" "I understand." Gene replied. After the meeting the urge for a beer hit him. He didn't understand the urge, but then he did. He was tense and nervous. A beer is how he would have normally handled those feelings. "Just one beer." He muttered under his breath as he left the office building. "Just one." He repeated as he got into his car. He drove to his favorite bar and sat in his car staring at the building. It was a building that brought him more trouble than pleasure, but he had always gone back...except for now. He put the car in gear and drove away. He pulled into the first fast food place he saw and called Calvin. *********** Leon still couldn't believe it. The evening after they arrived in Pittsburgh, Nadine began telling him about the Sinclaires. Three days later he was still in shock. He turned on the laptop and listened to Ethan Sinclaire publicly acknowledge not only what he did; but what his family did. His immediate reaction was concern for Kevyn and Louise and then anger. He was in the middle of watching the clip again when Hans sat beside him. "It is hard to understand isn't it?" He asked. "How... I mean why did they do it?" Leon asked. "I don't get it." "Leon, our world does not completely hold to the laws of the human world. There are some things that we have in common, such as murder which we also consider a crime; but each home sets up its own rules as to what was acceptable behavior. That doesn't make it right; but that is how it was. There is much that Ethan didn't say on during that speech and if you wish, I can tell you all of it." By morning, Leon knew everything. During the telling, he had been angry, shocked and speechless. "How could a family teach something like that?" Leon asked. "Mitchell Sinclaire took advantage of the fact that the rapes were occurring. He was a true serial rapist. It is true that he was taught this terrible thing as was his father before him, but he continued even after he mated. Ethan admits to knowing that it was wrong for several centuries before he raped his mate Katrina and admits that he should have gotten help and put an end to the practice. It is largely due to Katrina's efforts that we have the equivalent to your child protective services. She also initiated the same mandatory reporting protocol that the human world has." "But none of these guys went to prison for what they did." Leon said. "No." Hans replied softly. "I know what you're thinking and it's a hard thing to accept...." "Do Kevyn and Louise know about this?" Leon broke in. "Yes they know." Hans replied. "And so does Juliette. One of the things that all of the Sinclaires must do when they find their mates is to tell them the entire story. When they have children, that child must be told as soon as they are old enough to understand. Ethan is of the belief that the telling the story over and over will prevent it from happening again." "Did it work?" "Once the Sinclaires stepped forward and took responsibility for what happened, the tide began to turn. Ethan, Martin and Patrick set up groups and help for vampires who felt the need to rape or had other violent tendencies. The rapes haven't stopped but the incidences of it have dropped dramatically." Hans replied. Louise Ch. 16 "Who pays for all of this?" Leon asked. "I'm sure that not all vampires are as wealthy as the Sinclaires." "All expenses are paid for by the Sinclaires. Leon, I know that you are concerned about your sisters. I swear to you that they are as safe with Patrick and Nathan as Juliette and the children are with me." "Nathan never raped?" Leon asked. "No. In fact, he was a product of rape but he still has to tell the family history to any children that he and Louie have." Hans replied. "Excuse me." Leon said abruptly. "I need to make a phone call." ******* Juliette wrung her hands. Angel and Hans were going to meet for the first time in less than two hours. She told him about Hans two days after they got home. "You brought a strange man back with you?" Angel asked surprised. "And you exposed our children to him? Julie what are you thinking?" "His name is Hans Ahlburg." She replied. "I'm sure that you'll Google him." "Is he staying with you?" Angel asked. "Of course not!" Juliette snapped. "Look, I know that this is fast and believe me, I was as surprised as you are. Hans would like to meet you. When can you come over?" That night had finally arrived. She checked the coffee pot to make sure that it was ready to go and went to check on the kids. Wanda was on the phone with Victoria chattering as only girls their age can do. Juliette couldn't help but smile. It was good to know that Wanda had a friend who understood half of what she was talking about. It wasn't that she didn't have friends, but they weren't as mentally or academically advanced as she was. Victor was in his room working the model airplane kit that the pilots gave him when they deplaned. It was more challenging than any of the others that he had assembled. His face was scrunched up in concentration as he looked at the diagram of what he hoped would be the end result. Celeste was playing with a doll and coloring. Juliette almost walked by but stopped. Celeste was talking to herself or was she talking to the doll? She couldn't tell, but either way; Celeste had never done either thing before. Juliette strained to hear what Celeste was saying, but she was too far away. Celeste stopped talking, looked up at Juliette and smiled. That smile was filled with such happiness and peace that Juliette's eyes burned with tears. It was the smile that she had been waiting for from her baby girl and here it was. In the wake of that smile, Juliette forgot that just moments before that Celeste had been talking to herself. "Don't cry mommy." Celeste said softly. Juliette crossed the room and scooped a surprised Celeste up into her arms and hugged her. Juliette hadn't been aware of how worried she really had been about Celeste. Now all she felt was relief. Celeste was going to be fine. All of them were. Hans arrived at six-thirty. He wanted to spend a few minutes alone with Juliette and the kids before Angel arrived. As soon as she opened the door he took her into his arms and kissed her. "It will be fine. I promise." He told her. "I know." Juliette replied. "But I'm still nervous. What's in the bag?" she asked. "Something for later." Hans replied. "What are the children doing?" By the time Angel arrived, Hans had spent a few minutes with each child. "I am meeting your father this evening." He told each child. "He is and always will be your father so there is no need for you to choose between us. If he asks any questions about me; be honest." Wanda and Victor both let out sighs of relief. Celeste just smiled at him as if she didn't see where there would be a problem. Hans was in the living room when Angel knocked on the door. Juliette gave him a nervous smile and went to answer the door. ******* Leon paced as he waited for the phone to be answered. He knew what he saw and heard, but he had to hear it straight from the source. "Patrick? Leon here. I have a question and I want the truth. Is what Hans told me about your family true?" "Yes." "You aren't going to lie about it?" Leon asked surprised by the one word answer. "Lying and keeping it secret was the reason why it went on for as long as it did." Patrick replied. "Talking about it is not only a reminder to us of what we were and what we are; but it helps others to come forward. Leon, we will always be what we are... rapists. Just as you will always be a recovering drug addict, we are recovering rapists. We can never allow ourselves to forget or to stop telling this story." "Did you... did you rape my sister?" "No." Patrick replied. "I hadn't raped anyone in over twenty-five years when I met Kevyn. I had one close call after I met her and no, it wasn't her. It's a long story and I'll tell you about it when you have time." "I have time." Leon replied. He heard Patrick murmur something to Kevyn and then come back to the phone. "Kevyn sends her love and wants to know what we can do to get your home ready." "Back at her and make sure it's got food and cable." Leon replied. "Now talk to me." "Her name was Melissa... she was a student in my class, the same class that Kevyn was in..." Leon listened without interruption as Patrick told him about Melissa and her mother Linda. "It was during that time that I told Kevyn what I was and what I had done. As you can imagine, it didn't go well. As I told Gene, she ran away to Pittsburgh to get away from me. That's why she happened to be there when your mother died." "So you're saying that if it weren't for Kevyn and your brothers, you would have raped that girl?" Leon asked. "Yes, that's what I'm saying." Patrick replied. "In retrospect, when I saw her in my office I should have walked out. That begs the question, why didn't I? I can only guess that on some level I wanted to hurt her. I was fine until she came along. I saw her as the one who almost destroyed what I wanted with Kevyn. While that was true, the ultimate responsibility lay with me. Melissa was a stupid little girl who was taught to believe that money is everything." "Why did you call for help?" Leon asked. "Because I didn't want to be that man who hurt women." Patrick replied. "I already had so much to confess to Kevyn and I didn't want to add that. As it was, I was going to have to tell her about the close call." "How do you know that you won't rape again?" Leon asked. "I just do." Patrick replied. "The day that Kevyn claimed me, the dragon as I call it died. It was the same for Martin and Ethan. Leon, I know that you're concerned about Kevyn's safety with me. I don't know how to allay those concerns, but I swore to you that I would always love and protect her. If I have to take my own life to do it, I will." "This is some fucked up shit." Leon said softly more to himself than Patrick. "Let me talk to Kevyn." "Hey Leon." Kevyn said softly. "Kev are you alright with this?" He closed his eyes and listened to her answer. "Leon, I know that this is hard, but... am I alright with this? I'm alright with Patrick and I know that he won't hurt me or anyone else for that matter unless it's to defend me. As far as the rapes, no; I'm not alright with it and I never will be. It's something that we'll always have to work through. Do I think that he would do it again? The answer is no. I am as certain about that as I am my name." "Will you tell me if he hurts you?" Leon asked. "Yes." Kevyn replied. "Swear it." "Leon..." "Swear it and I'll let it rest." "I swear to tell you if Patrick hurts me." Kevyn said. "Good, put Patrick on the phone." As he waited for Patrick to come back to the phone, Leon realized that he believed both Kevyn and Patrick. But that wouldn't stop him from reiterating a promise that he made before the wedding. "Yes?" "Do you remember what I told you before the wedding?" Leon asked. "I remember." Patrick replied, "And I would expect no less from you. Do you remember what I told you?" "I do and I expect you to keep your word." Leon hung up a few minutes later feeling more at peace. He would keep an eye on things and take action if need be. If that meant killing Patrick, then he would. ******** Patrick hung up and let out a sigh of relief. Of all of the Yancy's, he had been most concerned about Leon. He had no doubt that Leon would come after him if Kevyn were mistreated in any way. "Are you okay?" Kevyn asked. "I will be." Patrick replied. "Kev, I know that I've said this before; but thank you for being here. I don't deserve you any more than Martin deserves Rachel or Ethan deserves Katrina." "If I didn't believe that you're a different man, I wouldn't be here." Kevyn replied. "I believe that you are the man that you were meant to be. I love you, I feel safe with you and I know that you would never hurt me. I told Leon the truth when I said that I will never be alright with what your family did. But I don't only hold them responsible. I hold the entire vampire community responsible. They sat by and let this thing happen, they let children be taught that it's alright to hurt people." Patrick felt her anger. She was right; but he still had to assume his share of the responsibility. On some level he had known what they were doing was wrong but had lacked the courage to confront his father and grandfather. It took Ethan raping Katrina and almost losing her and the girls for him to step up beside him and try to end it. "What are you thinking about?" Kevyn asked. "That I could have ended it long before Ethan raped Katrina." Kevyn kissed his cheek and moved away. He didn't want to be comforted nor did he want his conscience eased. He wanted to remember and think about what he had done. Before they rested, he would make love to her taking no pleasure for himself. When she was sated, he would kiss her and hold her as she slept. "Hey." She called softly. "I love you." ********** Angel eyed Hans suspiciously as he shook his hand. On the face of it, he liked him; but looks could be deceiving. He waited until they were seated before he started questioning Hans. Juliette might well as not been in the room. "I looked you up on Google." Angel said. "I thought that you might." Hans replied with a smile. "I would have been surprised if you hadn't." The longer they talked, the more Hans realized that Angel still loved Juliette. It was the only explanation as to why he was being asked such in depth questions. "Are you going to be able to provide for them? If not, then..." "Mr. Mendoza, I am more than able to provide anything that Juliette and the children might need. I am also more than capable of keeping them safe, but let's discuss what really concerns you shall we?" Angel found that he liked Hans even more as the evening wore on. He was a man who didn't pull punches and said what was on his mind. "I will tell you what I told the children." Hans said. "You are their father and I have no desire to replace you as such. It is in their best interest that you remain an active participant in their lives. The other item of concern to you is the speed in which Juliette and I seem to be moving. I want to assure you that Juliette will be loved and cared for and that I have no issue with you being involved in her life as well as that of the children. The two of you have a history and three beautiful children as a result. There will always be that history and I have no wish to destroy the relationship that you have." Angel was quiet for several minutes. "Most men would take issue with their... woman being involved with their ex." He said. "I am not most men." Hans replied. "I am secure in my relationship with Juliette and I know where her heart is. As I mentioned, the children need you in their lives and I will do nothing interfere unless they are being harmed." Angel looked at Juliette who sat quietly next to Hans, her hand in his. "Do you want to move to California?" "Yes... I know that it's far away, but we can set up visits and you can call whenever you want. You, Anna and the baby can even come to visit." Juliette replied. "What about the special things?" Angel asked. "What about Wannie's science fair projects or Victor's ball games? What do I do about those?" Angel looked at Hans and stood up. "You seem like a good man and I want my kids to be safe and happy... but I don't know about taking them back to California. I need to think about that." "That's reasonable." Hans replied. "When are you going back?" Angel asked. "I don't know yet." Hans replied. "But take your time, it's a major decision." Angel went to speak to each child before he left. When he was ready to leave, he pulled Juliette aside. "I really want you and the babies to be happy." "I know, thank you." Juliette replied and kissed him on the cheek. "Give Anna my best." Hans watched from across the room and recognized the scene for what it was. Juliette was saying goodbye to her and Angel's past relationship. He doubted that she realized or understood it, but it didn't matter. All that remained was to wait for Angel to decide whether he would let the children move to California. "What if he says no?" she asked after Angel was gone. "Then we stay here." Hans replied. "There are hotels here too." "You would move here?" Juliette asked. "But you love California." Hans put his hands on Juliette's waist and pulled her close. "Yes I do love it there but it is just a place." Hans said. "My home is wherever you and the children are, and if it happens to be Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; then so be it." "But your house...." Hans shushed her with a kiss. "I'm staying." He murmured. "We'll talk later, but for now; get the children; I have gifts for them." "You don't have to buy them gifts." Juliette said. "They're happy that you're here." "These are what I consider necessary gifts." Hans replied. "I have one for you too." "Should you be spending money like this?" Juliette asked. "You don't have a job." Hans took Juliette's hand and led her to the couch. "Juliette," he said when they were sitting, "When I told Angel that I could give you and the children whatever you needed; I meant it. I am more than able to give you and the children anything that you may want or need. I am nowhere as wealthy as the Sinclaires..." "Hans this isn't about how much money you have or don't have. The only thing that matters is that you love us enough to completely uproot yourself." Hans looked at her, his gray eyes glittering. He couldn't wait until he had Juliette and the children where they belonged- with him and Juliette in his bed. "I would follow you anywhere." He said touching her face. He laid his hand on her cheek. He was mesmerized by the difference in their skin tones, her dark against his light. "Our children are going to be so beautiful." He murmured as he leaned toward her. "So beautiful." Juliette had never thought about having more children, but somehow; it seemed right. She had always enjoyed pregnancy and the sense of wellbeing that came with it. She even welcomed the pain of childbirth because she knew at the end of it she would be rewarded. She moved closer and returned the soft but yet demanding kiss that Hans was giving her. Her nipples hardened as she pressed against Hans' chest. "Mom?" Victor called from his room. "Can you come in here for a minute?" Juliette pulled away breaking what was possibly the most erotic kiss of her life. Her face felt hot beneath the coolness of Hans' hands. "You've accepted me." Hans said softly. "That is why the kiss felt different." "Mom?" Victor called out again. "I'll be right there!" Juliette called back. The problem turned out to be a relatively minor one, but one that Juliette couldn't help with; but Hans could. "You need a much smaller tool." Hans said. "I'll bring one the next time I come, but in the meantime; could you get your sisters and take them to the living room?" A few minutes later, all three children were sitting in the living room on the couch. Hans was sitting on the floor in front of them with the bag at his side. He looked at each child, smiled at them and took the contents out of the bag. Two pairs of eyes widened when they saw what was in the bag. Celeste seemed only mildly interested. "I want to explain something to you." Hans said. "These cell phones are not for chatting with your friends or for playing games. In fact, you can't play games on these phones. They are to be used only if you are in trouble or frightened. My cell phone number is already programmed in as well as your mother's and your father's. I have also programmed each of your numbers in so that you can contact each other if the need arises. There is one more number programmed into your phones. That number is only to be used in dire emergency. Such an emergency would be if you are in danger. If someone is chasing you or trying to hurt you; then you use that number. Someone will be there within seconds. His name is Spike..." "Spike?" Wanda asked wrinkling her nose. "What kind of name is that?" "He is called Spike because he wears his hair in a spike type style. You will know him because of his hair and it will be dyed in the favorite color of whoever calls him. For instance, if Celeste calls him, his hair will be pink, but I cannot stress enough that his number is only to be used in cases of extreme emergency. You may use the phones to check on each other, in fact; I encourage it. Are there any questions?" When no one spoke, he called Vincent to his side. He patiently worked with him until he could operate the phone without difficulty. He helped Wanda and finally Celeste. "Come here." He said gently. When Celeste was sitting on the floor with him; Hans took her phone out of the box and handed it to her. "Your phone is special." He said. "You don't have to push any buttons. All you have to do is say the name of whoever you need. Try it." Celeste looked at the phone and then at Hans. "Mommy." She said softly. She jumped when the phone that was still in the box rang. "See, it's that simple." Hans said. "Call Wanda." After she called Wanda and then Victor, Hans asked her the name of the emergency contact. She gave him a dubious look, stood up and whispered the name in his ear. "That's very good Celeste." Hans said hugging her. "Always keep your phone close to you." After Celeste was in her room, Hans kissed Juliette and handed her the phone he had gotten for her. "There are extra numbers programmed into your phone. Any of those numbers will bring help to you no matter where you are. Unlike the children, your phone is for you to use as you wish. You can call me any time day or night and I will always answer." "Why the phones?" Juliette asked. "It is one of the ways in which I am keeping you safe." Hans replied. "You and the children will always be watched even though you won't be aware of it." "Is this really necessary?" Juliette asked. "It is." Hans replied. "The safety of you and the children take precedence over everything. It is the same for all of who are blessed as I have been. I have something else for you." he said as he reached for his wallet. He took out a card and handed it to Juliette. "This is for you to use for anything that you and the children may want or need." Juliette looked at the back card that had her name on it. She had only seen a card like that once in her life and up until that time thought that they were an urban legend. "Hans... I can't take this." She whispered and tried to hand the card back. Hans closed her hand around the card. "You are my mate, my wife; everything that I have is yours." "I don't know what to say." Juliette replied. "You don't have to say anything." Hans said. "I..." Juliette jumped when the phone rang. It rang four times by the time she reached it. Louise Ch. 16 "Angel? Hi... ummm ok... when? This weekend? What time tomorrow night? Yes, I understand. Sure....They'll be ready." Juliette hung up the phone and looked at Hans. "Angel wants the kids this weekend. He wants to talk to them about you without you being around." "Good." Hans replied. "It will be good for all of them and it will give us a chance to be alone. What would you like to do?" "Do you mean that you aren't going to talk me into this mating thing?" Juliette asked surprised. "When we mate is in your hands." Hans replied. "But I wouldn't be honest if I said that I want you in my bed in the worst way." Juliette's nipples tightened and her womb clenched at the thought of being in bed with Hans. "Oh lord." She murmured and cleared her throat. "How about a dinner and movie? Angel is picking the kids up at six." Hans gave her a knowing smile and kissed her. If the fates and luck were with him, by the time the weekend was over; Juliette Yancy would be his mate in name and deed. ********* The next phone call Leon made was to Nathan. He had to make sure that Louise was safe and he wanted to talk to Nathan about turning him. He dialed Louise's number hoping that she would be the one to answer, but it was Nathan's resonant baritone that filled his ear. "Leon, is everything alright?" Nathan asked. "Yes... look, I know about your family." Leon said. "I want to repeat what I told you before you married my sister. If you hurt her or that baby in any way; your ass is mine." "Leon," Nathan said. "I would never hurt her or my child in any way. You are empathic, listen to me and tell me if I'm lying to you." Leon closed his eyes and replayed Nathan's words in his head and heard no lie. "Alright, but if that ever changes..." "It won't just as how you feel about Nadine will never change." Nathan replied. "It is the way of mates." "Can I ask a personal question?" Leon asked. "Of course." Nathan replied. He already knew what the question was. "How did you deal with it? Not just the family history; but how you were conceived." "I was a teenager when I found out." Nathan replied. "I was so hurt and angry at my father that I didn't speak to him for a week. I couldn't believe that he could hurt my mother that way. Finally, he took me camping and told me about the family legacy. I can't even begin to tell you how I felt, but the thing is... my issue wasn't my conception. My issue was that he hurt the one that he was supposed to love and protect. For a long time after that, I would stay close to my mother just in case my father was going to hurt her again. It took her sitting down with me to change that. She told me that she loved my father and that he loved all of us. I asked her if she trusted him not to hurt her or anyone else again and she gave me an unequivocal yes. She didn't even take time to think about it. Even now, I look at her and Katrina with awe and admiration. To have survived what they did and then to keep the children that resulted from the rapes is nothing short of amazing." "And then they married their rapist." Leon commented. "Exactly." Nathan replied. "Even now I look at them and it's hard to believe how their life together began. It hasn't been easy. Mom still had her moments but they work through it." "Thank you for talking to me about it." Leon said. "It couldn't have been easy for you to talk about. I also have a favor to ask." "I would be honored to be present when you are turned." Nathan replied. "Thanks... I was thinking the sooner the better." Leon replied. "Could we do it the week that we get back? And Nate? I want you to be one of the one's who turns me." "Let me know and I'm there." Nathan said. "Thank you Leon, you have no idea of what this means to me." They talked for a few more minutes and then Leon spoke to Louise. He exacted the same promise from her that he got from Kevyn. Afterwards, he felt much better and went to look for Nadine. ******** Louise was in the bathroom when Leon called. She stopped at the door when she heard Nathan talking about his family. She lowered her shields and felt his pain as he told Leon how he felt when he heard the truth about his family and conception. She quietly walked up behind him and put her arms around him wishing that she could change the past. Nathan stroked her arm as he talked to Leon. Other than her, Leon was the only other person that he talked to about his family. She wondered if Hans told Juliette yet and what her reaction would be and then decided that she knew the answer to her question, Juliette didn't know yet. If she knew, she would have called. She could hear and feel Leon's anxiety as he asked Nathan about his family and wondered if he had already spoken to Patrick. She had her answer a few minutes later when he made her promise to tell him if Nathan mistreated her in any way. "I told Kevyn the same thing." He said. "I expect you to keep your word." Louise couldn't help but smile. Leon had just used the same words that their father had used whenever they made a promise. "I promise, but there won't be anything to tell." She replied. Louise felt Leon relax and then she relaxed. "What can I do to get your house ready?" "Jalapeno bread extra spicy, hot wings and potato salad." Leon replied. "But not until after i do this change thing." He added. "He wants me to participate in his turning." Nathan said when the phone call was over. "Other than you accepting me and carrying our child; that is the greatest honor that I have ever received." "He sees you as a friend." Louise said. "When is the turning going to happen?" "As soon as he returns." Nathan replied. "I suspect that Hans will be the other vampire although I don't know how it will change things if Hans doesn't come back with him." "They'll work it out." Louise said. "Nathan, have you had any more of those feelings?" "No, have you?" "No... maybe it really was nothing." She replied. Nathan hesitated. "I don't believe that which brings up something that I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to make sure that you have your phone on you at all times; even in the house. I can't quite explain it, but I think trouble is coming our way." "I... I know; I feel it too." Louise replied. "I know that you know this, but sweetheart; don't go anywhere alone. If you see or hear anything that you think odd, no matter how small; say something." "I will; but what do you think it is?" Louise asked. "I have no idea but I'd rather be safe than sorry." ******** It had been a week since Barb had spoken to anyone from her family. Part of her missed them and wanted to talk to them, but the other part of her; the part that felt that she had been wronged won out. She still didn't know when she was going to approach Thorne about the baby, but she knew how she was going to do it. If things went as planned, she would be kissing the tiny efficiency apartment goodbye and moving in to a home that rivaled any of those that Louise and Kevyn lived in. When that happened, she would invite all of them to her new home and serve a meal that they would talk about for weeks. But first she had to deal with Thorne Blackwell. On some level it bothered her that she wasn't more concerned about the child she was carrying. She didn't want anything to happen to it, the baby was a means to an end and it really was in her best interest to keep it and her healthy. Whether she wanted to spend the money or not, she needed to find a doctor. The one thing she did do was to go to the store and buy multivitamins. She gave brief thought to calling Louise and asking who she was seeing, but changed her mind. She wasn't ready to let them know that she was pregnant and she probably couldn't afford whoever they saw anyway. Barb stretched out on the couch and looked at the glass of milk and frowned. She hated milk under the best of circumstances. "Next week." She said to herself. Next week, Thorne Blackwell will find out he's going to be a daddy. She fell asleep leaving the milk untouched and with thoughts of diamonds in her head." ******** Angel was at the door right at six. Juliette called to the kids that their father was there and nervously opened the door. "You look nice." Angel said when he saw her. "Julie, I hope that you understand that I'm not trying to be difficult. You're talking about taking our babies to the other side of the country to be with a man that you barely know." "I know that you want what's best for them and we understand." Juliette replied. "We?" Angel asked. "Me and Hans. He's prepared to move to Pittsburgh if need be." Angel looked surprised. "What about work?" he asked. "And where will he live?" "Work isn't a problem and he has a home here." Juliette replied. "Do you have any concerns about him?" Angel asked. "Do you really trust a man that you've known for two weeks with our babies?" "I trust him as much as I trust Anna with our babies and as you know, I trust and like her." Juliette replied. "In fact, I didn't meet her until several weeks after the kids did. What I'm saying is that I trusted your judgment and I'm asking you to trust mine. I understand that one of your concerns is the speed that this happened, but Angel; he loves us." "Do you love him?" Angel asked looking at her intently. Juliette hesitated. She hadn't even admitted to herself how she felt about Hans and here she was going to tell her ex-partner first. "Yes, I love him." she said softly. She felt a flash of heat that started at her head and ran clear down to her toes. "Julie? Are you alright?" Angel asked concerned. "I'm fine... what time will you bring the kids back on Sunday?" "Is four alright? We like to go to church and go out for lunch afterwards." "That's fine... oh I have a new cell phone number and the kids have one too. I can write them down for you so that you can enter it into your phone...." "The kids have phone? Why is that?" Angel interrupted. "They're for emergency use only." Juliette explained. "All of our numbers, yours included are programmed in. He isn't trying to buy them off if that's what you're thinking. He wants the same thing that we do; he wants them to be safe." "But cell phones?" Angel asked. "They will chat with their friends and play games. Their school work will suffer and what about Celeste?" "The game apps have been disabled, only I or Hans can turn them on. The text is set to go to certain numbers... the numbers that are programed into the phone and the only calls that can be made on the phones are the ones programmed which by the way, includes nine-one-one. The GPS system is activated and can't be turned off. As far as Celeste, her phone is voice activated; actually all of them are. She can either push the buttons or she can say the name of the person that she wants to call. Would you like me to write the numbers down?" "Please." Angel said softly. "Are they ready to go?" Hans was standing in Juliette's living room an hour after Angel left with the kids. His hands itched to touch every part of her; but he restrained himself. He could tell that Juliette had something on her mind and wondered what it was. "We don't have to go out." He said hugging her. "We have things to talk about. In fact, I would prefer that we get it out of the way." By two am, Juliette knew the Sinclaire story. She couldn't speak for several minutes after Hans finished talking. "Oh my god." She whispered. "Rapists? All of them? What about Kev and Lou? Do they know?" "Not all of them are rapists. Nathan was a product of rape as were Ethan and Katrina's twins. Both Kevyn and Louise are aware and are dealing with it." "Did Patrick hurt Kevyn?" "No. He will tell you that Kevyn saved his life. I know that you have many questions some of which I cannot answer; but if you ask any of them to tell you what happened; they will." "I need to talk to my sisters." Juliette said still in a daze. An hour later, she had spoken to both Kevyn and Louise. By the end of the phone call she was satisfied that they were safe. At the end of the phone call with Louise, she asked about Barb. "I haven't talked to her." Louise replied. "She made it clear that she doesn't want to see us. She's even changed her phone number." "Have you gone to her apartment?" "I did once and she for all practical purposes kicked me out." Louise replied. "I thought about going back, but I'm not going to. She wants to be left alone. She knows where we are if she needs us. But how are you?" "I'm good... I just wanted to talk you guys after Hans filled me in about the family. I'm glad that Leon talked to Nathan and Patrick. I know that they would never hurt you guys; but it makes me feel better to know that he knows. By the way, Gene is hanging in there. I call him once or twice a day to check with him." "I know." Louise replied. "Kevyn and I call him a couple of times a day just to let him know that we're thinking about him." "Look, I have to go, Hans is here; but I just wanted to make sure that you were alright. I'll call you later." Juliette said and hung up. "Is she alright?" Hans asked. "She's fine." Juliette replied suddenly nervous. Hans was looking at her with undisguised love and desire. "Angel asked me if I trusted you." Hans didn't say anything. He knew she was working up to what was bothering her. "I told him that I did and I told him about the phones. He was kind of upset, but I think he's okay with it; especially after I addressed his concerns about it. He... he asked me if I loved you. I hadn't even told myself let alone you that I loved you and I had to tell him first. There's something wrong with that." "Juliette, he only wants confirmation that you and the children will be loved and cared for. It doesn't bother me that he was the first person that you admitted your feelings for me to." "You're not upset?" Juliette asked. "No, I'm not and you shouldn't be either. Juliette, come here." Juliette shivered with anticipation. She had heard Hans use those words with the children, but for her they held an entirely different meaning. Hans' normally soft voice sounded deeper, richer to her ears and seemed to vibrate through her body. She moved closer to him on the couch and waited. For several seconds nothing happened. Then suddenly, she was sitting in Hans' lap. She yelped and then moaned as she felt him grind against her bottom. "Do you feel that?" he asked. "That is for you and no one else. My body like everything else I own is yours to do with as you wish. You never need ask to touch me and my hope is that it will be the same for you." "I don't have much." Juliette replied. "But you're welcome to what I have." "You are wrong." Hans replied. "You have much to offer... Juliette, will you trust me with your heart and your body?" "Is that your way of asking me to go to bed with you?" Juliette asked. Her heart was pounding. She hadn't been with anyone in months. "That among other things." Hans replied as he brushed his lips across her cheek. "I am asking for your hand in marriage. I love you and the children and I want to marry you in a human wedding. When we make love, we will be mated, but I want you to have my name. Will you marry me?" "Marriage?" Juliette asked surprised although she shouldn't have been. "It doesn't have to be right away..." "Yes." Juliette said softly. "Yes to which question?" Hans asked as he ran a hand up her thigh and stopped at her hip. Juliette took a deep breath but didn't say anything for several minutes. What was she saying yes to? A full fifteen minutes passed before she finally spoke. "I'm saying yes to both." It was Hans' turn to be quiet. He wanted to savor the moment when Juliette agreed to mate with him and to become his wife. During his time of silence, he sent a prayer of thanks to every benevolent force that he could think of. "Show me to your bedroom." He finally said. Juliette stood up and immediately missed Hans' lap. She held out her hand to him in invitation, waited for him to take it and then led him to the bedroom. Hans stood in the doorway and looked around. The room was small, big enough for a double bed; but immaculate. There were more windows than he liked... "Juliette, could we go somewhere... a hotel perhaps? I want this night to be like a honeymoon for us." "Let me pack a few things." Juliette said. While she packed, Hans called the hotel that Kevyn and Patrick had stayed out weeks before. Satisfied that his instructions were going to be followed, he hung up and then called Nadine. "I will be gone for the weekend; the house is yours... tell Leon not to worry, we'll work that out even if Nathan has to come here... Thank you Nadine, I'll tell her... yes I love you too." "I'm ready." Juliette said from behind him. The room at the hotel was bigger than her entire apartment. It was filled with flowers of every kind and the freezer was stocked with her favorite ice cream. Hans stood back and watched her reaction when she saw the bags of blood in the refrigerator. "Do I have to drink that?" "No, that's for me." Hans replied. "If you decided to turn as we discussed then yes; you would need blood." "So... Louise drinks blood?" Juliette asked. "Yes." Hans replied. "If you are considering turning; I would suggest that you talk with her about it." He was more than ready, but didn't want to rush her. He didn't say anything as she walked around the suite smelling the flowers. He knew that she was coming to grips with a major life change and would give her all of the time and space that she needed. Finally, Juliette walked over to him, looked up him and smiled. "I'm ready." This time it was Hans who held his hand out in invitation. Juliette took it without hesitation and allowed Hans to lead her through the bedroom and to a room that had a large Jacuzzi in it. She expected him to take her to bed right away, but was surprised when he ran the bathtub and added vanilla scented bath oil to the swirling water. "There is more to making love than just hopping into bed as enjoyable as that may be." Hans said when he saw her confusion. "Making love includes ensuring that the emotional needs are met as well as the physical ones. Something as simple as running a warm bath and a massage can say I love you as well as anything overtly sexual." Hans snapped his fingers and the candles scattered around the Jacuzzi room were lit adding their light vanilla scent to the fragrance of the bath oil. He walked over to Juliette, drew her into the room and began to undress her kissing her as he unbuttoned her blouse. "Sometimes all that is needed to make love is a kiss." He said after he broke the kiss. When she was naked, Hans stepped back and looked at her. He started at her face and slowly made his way down her body. His eyes lingered on her breasts which were large with large nipples that were begging to be sucked. In his mind's eye, he could see her nursing their son or daughter. His eyes dropped to her stomach and imagined her large with child. Finally his gaze reached the vee between her legs. "You more beautiful than I imagined." He murmured as he looked down at her. "Come; get in before the water gets cold." Juliette was speechless. If she had any doubts; they disappeared as soon as Hans touched her. When she was settled in the tub, Hans undressed. He stood still giving her a chance to look at him as he had looked at her. He looked much bigger naked then he was clothed. Juliette started with his face and made her way down his body as he had done hers. The chest had always been her favorite part of a man's body; and Han's had one that she could see herself falling asleep on. His stomach was flat and muscled, but didn't have the pronounced six-pack like she envisioned vampires to have. Her eyes rested on his erect manhood. He was large, but not obscenely so. She swore that she could see it pulsing and wanted to touch it. Louise Ch. 16 As if reading her mind, Hans moved within touching distance. He moaned when Juliette wrapped a small, brown hand around his cock and stroked it gently. She was mesmerized by the clear drop that formed at the tip and had the desire to taste it. Oral sex had been the one thing that she and Angel had never done together and it wasn't because she wasn't willing. He had considered it an abnormal form of lovemaking and wondered if Hans felt the same way. "It is yours to do with as you wish." Hans said. His breath was coming out in pants. It had been a long time since he had been touched in a sexual manner. Juliette looked up to him and pulled him closer by his cock. Hans held his breath as his cock was pulled closer to Juliette's mouth. His knees buckled when her tongue swiped the head and took the clear fluid at the tip with it. It was obvious to him that his mate was comfortable with making love and her sexuality. "Sweet fates above." He groaned when Juliette took the head of his cock into her mouth and began to gently suck on it. If she didn't stop, he was going come. "Juliette... stop... please." He said as he pulled away from her. "I... not like this. Juliette watched Hans move away from her. She wasn't sure of what she thought he would taste like; but she liked it. It was a taste that she couldn't quite describe. He was sweet; but slightly salty and she liked the feel of him in her mouth. She wasn't concerned that he didn't like what she did; it was obvious that he had enjoyed it. He had acted like a man for whom it had been too long since he had been touched. He stepped back and took a minute to collect himself. Finally under control, Hans approached the Jacuzzi and climbed in behind Juliette. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest trapping his cock between them. "This is everything that I imagined it would be and more." He said as he kissed the top of her head. Juliette didn't reply. She hadn't known what to expect. She relaxed into Hans' arms and closed her eyes. "Barb," she thought, "you really screwed up." "Juliette?" Hans called softly. "Let's get out." He got out first, helped Juliette out and wrapped her in a thick towel. Moments later, Juliette was lying on the bed and Hans was exploring her body with his hands and lips. He didn't have to tell her to tell him what she liked; she was quite vocal. "Hold me tighter." She said at one point when he turned her so that she faced him. "Has anyone ever tasted you?" Hans asked when he smelled the scent of her arousal. "Once or twice." She confessed between moans. "Did you enjoy it?" Hans asked as he took a nipple between his teeth and bit down on it before sucking on it. "I.... Yes... I liked it and I like this." Juliette replied as she moved against him. Hans took his time with her breasts sucking and nipping at them until they were swollen and sensitive, but not sore. His right hand was between her wet vaginal lips slipping back and forth over her blood filled clit several times before he pinched it between his thumb and forefinger. Juliette's body jerked as she experienced her first orgasm in months. Her mouth opened and she gasped for air as she clung to Hans. The scream mixed with sobs came at the height of the orgasm. She was only vaguely aware that she was scratching Hans' back. Hans released her nipple and kissed his way down her body as he continued his manipulation of her clit. Juliette opened her legs to make room for Hans between her thighs. He took a moment to look at her still pulsing nub. He inhaled the scent of her before taking his first taste. He flicked the tip of his tongue over and around her clit as he slid two and then three fingers inside of her. Juliette clawed at the blankets and cried out again as the second orgasm washed over her. She had never had consecutive orgasms and was exhausted, but didn't want stop. "Juliette... Are you alright?" Hans asked as she rocked her in his arms. His cock ached for release; but her comfort came first "I'm fine... finish it." Hans didn't need to be told twice. He rolled on top of her, positioned himself between her legs. "I take you as my mate." He said as he entered her in one smooth thrust. He gasped in pleasure as he felt the length of him slide into her tight channel. He could tell that it had been a while for her and somehow; that gratified him. When the entire length of him was in, he stopped and then began a slow rocking back and forth. Han's buried his face in Juliette's neck, kissed it and bit hard enough to draw blood. His moans joined hers when the coppery, salty touched his tongue. He hadn't talked about taking her blood because he had no plans of doing it. But now, it seemed important that he did. He didn't know why and it didn't matter. He had learned from experience to follow his instincts. Hans kissed the small bites closed and searched for her lips with his. They climaxed together swallowing each other cries. Afterwards, Hans held an exhausted but sated Juliette in his arms. He couldn't imagine sharing an evening that he just had with anyone else than Juliette. He covered them with a blanket and closed his eyes. It was done. The weekend flew by and before they knew it, it was Sunday. Juliette was a bundle of nerves as she tried to guess what Angel would say. He was at the door promptly at four with the kids in tow. After greetings and hugs were exchanged, he asked to talk with Juliette and Hans. "I talked to the kids several times this weekend." He said. "They all seem to like you especially my little princess Celeste. I appreciate that you seem to care for them and to be honest; Celeste was the biggest deciding factor. She hates it here and from what Wannie says; Celeste was like a different person in California. We... If I agree to let them go back there are things that I want. I want them to spend the summers and Christmas here with me and Anna. I want to be able to talk to them whenever I want via Skype so that I can see them and I want to be able to come visit them. If we can agree on those things; then they can go." Angel then turned to Hans. The expression on his face was serious, his tone when he spoke; grave. "I am entrusting you with my children and the mother of my children. If anything happens to any of them, I will find you. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Hans returned Angel's serious expression with one of his own. When he spoke; his tone was just as grave. "I understand your concern as I would feel the same way. I thank you for your trust and give you my word that no harm will come to them in word or deed by me or anyone else. I would die defending them." The two men looked at each other for several seconds. "When do you leave?" Angel asked Juliette but his eyes were still on Hans. "Next week." Juliette replied. She saw no reason to put it off. "I'll call with an address..." "I will give you the address." Hans said as he reached into his pocket for a card. "I would like to spend another evening with the babies before you leave." Angel said taking the card. "Of course... when?" Juliette asked. Angel spent another hour with the children before he left. "I will see you and the babies on Friday." "He is a good man." Hans commented after Angel left. "He loves you and the children." "Hans..." "It's alright." Hans said. "He also loves his wife and coming child. Now, let's make plans for our move back to California." ********* Louise and Kevyn were baking and cooking in Leon's kitchen while Patrick and Nathan checked the security system. "So how are you feeling?" Kevyn asked as she chopped fresh garlic for the homemade spaghetti sauce that was simmering on the stove. "I feel great!" Louise exclaimed. "The baby is doing well and Gretchen says he or she will be here in another nine months." "That means that Barb is due a couple of weeks before you. I hope that she's getting prenatal care." Kevyn replied. "Me too." Louise replied. "I hope that she's alright." "Tell me about these feelings you and Nathan are having." Kevyn said. "There isn't much to tell." Louise replied. "We haven't felt anything in the past week, but whatever it was isn't good." "Patrick says that you don't think that it's the mate of a past victim. How do you know?" "I don't know." Louise replied. "But I do know that it isn't a fluke." "Can you believe that Leon and Juliette are coming back in a few days?" Kevyn asked changing the subject. "No, it's hard to believe how fast the two weeks have flown by... did I tell you that Leon wants Nathan to be one of the ones to change him?" Louise asked. "That doesn't surprise me." Kevyn said. "They hit it off as soon as they met. Do you think that Gene will be alright out there by himself?" "Yes." Louise said with a certainty that surprised Kevyn. "He's going to make it, but we need to keep calling him and bring him out here whenever possible. As a matter of fact, Nathan and I are going back in a couple of weeks. He wants to see the house so he can start redesigning it." "Has he started on the nurseries yet?" Kevyn asked. "He has rough drafts drawn but nothing definitive. I was thinking about doing some shopping at least to look at colors... want to come?" "Sure, when?" Kevyn asked stirring the spaghetti sauce. "Sometime after Juliette gets back and settled." Louise replied as she took several loaves of bread out of the oven. She had just put the last loaf on the counter when a feeling of disquiet hit her. It lasted longer than the others but wasn't any stronger. This time was different in that she actually got a glimpse of something. She felt arms go around her and ease her into a chair. ********* Nathan and Patrick were having their own discussion about the premonitions that mirrored the one that Kevyn and Louise had. "I'm certain that it has nothing to do with the past as far as the rapes are concerned." Nathan said. "I've already upped security and told Lou to keep her phone on her at all times, even in the house." "What are you thinking?" Patrick asked. "I don't know." Nathan said. "But..." Nathan froze mid-sentence and then was gone. He appeared in the kitchen behind Louise, wrapped his arms around her and called for a chair. "Louise? Sweetheart?" Nathan called. Her skin felt cold to the warmth of his hand and he called for Gretchen. A moment later; Louise was in bed. "I'm fine." She kept saying. "Stay put." Nathan said his tone firm. "Gretchen is on her way." "It was different this time." Louise said softly. "It felt the same but it was different. I saw something." "I know." Nathan replied. "I saw it too but I couldn't make it out." "I heard something too." Louise replied. "I think it was a name; but I can't be sure." "Nathan! Where are you?" Gretchen called. A few minutes later, Gretchen had given Louise the once-over. "She's and the baby are both fine." She said. "But it wouldn't hurt for her to rest for a day and Nathan, I do mean rest." "What aren't you saying?" Nathan asked. "Nathan, relax; they're both fine." Gretchen said. "I just want her to relax for a day." Nathan gave Gretchen a long look and decided that he believed her. "I'll take her home." Nathan said softly. "But the bread and..." "I'll take care of it." Kevyn said. "Go home and rest. I'll call you later." Nathan took Louise into his arms and vanished straight into their bedroom. "Nathan I'm fine. I don't need to be in bed." "Gretchen says that you do so don't argue." He said as he turned the bed back and put her in it. "I'll be right back and then we'll call Ethan." When she was alone, Louise tried to remember the word that she heard or thought that she heard. She went from that to trying to figure out what she saw. "What are you?" she whispered. "Who are you?" A word flitted across her but was gone before she could grasp it. "Damn!" she cursed as she tried to retrieve the thought. The beginning of a headache was forming behind her left eye but she wouldn't quit. Whatever it was that she couldn't remember; it was important. She closed her eyes and scrunched her face up in concentration. It was almost there. "Louise!" Nathan called alarmed. She jumped at the sound of her name and opened her eyes. Her head was pounding and she was drenched in sweat. "What happened?" Nathan asked and wondered why he didn't feel anything. "I was trying to remember..." "Drink this." Nathan demanded and handed her a glass of water. Louise drank it without stopping and held the glass out for more. Nathan filled the glass a third time watched her drain it and then filled it with blood. By the time she finished the carafe of blood, she felt much better and the headache was gone. "I'm fine now." Louise said with a weak smile. "What were you doing?" Nathan asked relieved that she was alright. "I wanted to remember... it's important... I know it is." Louise replied. "It was right there... that word or name..." "You were using a lot of psychic energy." Nathan replied. "I want you to promise me that you won't do that again without me being with you. I think that I can help so that you aren't so drained." "I promise." Louise said already half asleep. When she was asleep, Nathan called Ethan. "Yes... she's fine... the baby too. Yes... we both saw something but Louise heard something. She couldn't make it out. No... no... I'm not sure that it's to the point where we need to circle the wagons, but I do think that everyone should increase their security and double check their systems. I already thought about that as a possibility. We'll keep you posted." Nathan hung up and looked at a sleeping Louise. He didn't need Jackson to confirm what he now knew. He and Louise were seers. Hers was the primary power and his secondary only because he was her mate. It was yet another gift that needed to be protected. Once again the thought that while Louise was the quietest of the mates but the most powerful crossed his mind. He stripped and got into bed with her smiling as she moved toward him and curled into his side without waking up. He lay awake thinking about many things including what their child would look like and what gifts he or she would have. ******** The jet landed at LAX late Saturday evening. The arrivals were anxiously waiting to depart and begin their new lives in California. Leon was both nervous and excited. In less than twenty-four hours he would be turned. He would spend an eternity with Nadine or Dina as he had started calling her. He and Hans had talked extensively as to what to expect during the change. "It will be more painful than anything that you can imagine but you will never be alone. Nathan will be there as well as me. I hope that you don't mind, but I asked Patrick to be present as well. He won't be there as an active participant but as an extra pairs of hands." "That's cool; I was going to call him anyway." Leon replied "if you need to use his blood... that's alright too." "I was hoping that you would say that." Hans replied. "We plan to be at your home by six pm. Try to rest during the day and don't eat; you'll only throw it up which will add to the discomfort. The other thing that I want to tell you is this, don't be ashamed or afraid to scream, cry or curse. If you need a hand to hold, we will do it and no one will think any less of you. I know that you talked about going cold turkey when you stopped taking drugs, but Leon; this is much worse than that. Take advantage of those of us that will be there to support you." "Is it really that bad?" Leon asked. "It is." Hans replied. "You can change your mind." He added. Leon looked at Nadine who was talking with Juliette and then looked back at Hans. "No way, I'm doing this." He replied. They were greeted by homemade signs saying "WELCOME HOME!" That had each of their names written on it. "We're all staying at our house." Kevyn announced. "And Wannie, Victoria is already there waiting for you." Wanda squealed with happiness. She had missed her friend and couldn't wait to see her. "Why don't you call her?" Hans said. "But it isn't an emergency." Wanda replied. "It's alright this one time... as a matter of fact, why don't we add her to your list of acceptable calls? We'll talk about the particulars later." Celeste looked around and breathed a sigh of relief. She was home. She pulled away from Juliette and walked over to Nathan and Louise. "Welcome home." Louise said kneeling in front of her and opening her arms. Celeste smiled a smile that lit up her entire face and hugged Louise kissing her cheek. "I love you auntie." She whispered in her ear. "Thank you." Tears stung Louise's eyes. She knew that she and Celeste shared a special bond, but until now; Celeste had never said the words "I love you." "I love you too." Louise replied. "I'm glad that you're here." Celeste pulled away, went to Nathan and looked up at him. Like Louise, he knelt down in front of her. Celeste looked into his eyes, smiled and hugged him. "Thank you." she whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek. "I don't know why you're thanking me; but you're welcome." Nathan replied as he hugged her back. Celeste pulled back and looked at him with her head cocked to the side like she did when she was confused or had a question. "Come on let's go!" Kevyn called out. "There are snacks waiting." Even as nervous as Leon was about the next evening; the mention of food caught his attention. As they walked to the vehicles, Patrick walked beside him. "Thank you for allowing me take part in your turning." "You're welcome." Leon replied. "You're family aren't you?" "I know... but I thought that after you found out about us that you would distance yourself." "There are several reasons why I won't do that." Leon replied. "Kevyn, Louise and my baby niece or nephew is the main reasons, but as I just said; we're family." "How's Gene?" Patrick asked. "Hanging in there... he told me what you and Nathan did for him. I appreciate it. I know that it meant a lot to him." "It's as you say; we're family." Patrick replied. "Is Barb going to be there?" Leon asked. "No." Patrick replied. "She's changed her phone number and made it clear that she wants to be left alone." "Did she say that?" "In so many words; yes." Patrick replied. Leon didn't reply. When his turning was over, he was going to pay his sister a visit. She was the only hold out on their family being what their parents had always wanted- a close cohesive group that looked out for each other. ******* Nadine spent the day with Leon. As of yet, they hadn't made love because Leon didn't want to take the chance that she would become pregnant. "We've waited this long." He said. "We can wait a few more days." She helplessly watched him as he paced, sat down and paced again. Finally, she had enough. She grabbed his hand, led him to the bedroom and with a thought stripped him. Before Leon realized what was happening, he was laying on the bed; flat on his back. "Dina what are you doing?" he asked as he tried to get up. "Let me up!" "You're driving me crazy with the pacing and you need to rest." She replied as she took his flaccid cock in her hand and began to stroke it. It hardened as soon as she touched it; a clear drop had already formed at the tip. "How long has it been for you?" she asked as she cupped his sacs in her hand and pulled on them. "I... Dina... a ... long time." Leon sputtered. "We can't... not yet." Nadine ignored him and licked his cock from the base to the spongy head and then down again. When Leon tried to object; she shushed him. "I'm going to put you to sleep." She said and she took him into her mouth.