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Thorne Ch. 01

By: kalamazoo707



Thorne stood at the bar watching the dance floor while Billings, Allen's replacement stood at his side like a puppy waiting for his next command. 

"Go get a case of Merlot." Thorne said wanting to be rid of the vampire.

He watched Billings rush off and shook his head. He had to find another replacement and soon. Allen had been a pain in the ass, but he did have a brain. Thorne looked to his right where his private table sat unoccupied and smiled. 

He had enjoyed fucking with the Sinclaires. The smile faded when he remembered the price he paid for that fucking. As much as he had enjoyed yanking their chain, he wished to God that he had never laid eyes on Barbara Yancy Simpson. Every time he thought about her, anger rose and he went into denial about whom and what she was. If he never saw her or a Sinclaire again; it would be too soon.

As he continued his perusal of the packed club, a question popped into his head about that night. One of the sisters, the one that he actually liked had made a statement.

"Hans is for you!"

He thought it an odd thing to say; but had disregarded it. Now he wondered what she was talking about. His mind went back to that night recalling who was there. Ethan, two of his brothers, two women who were the mates to two of the brothers and the sisters of the one who went home with him and a single male who had to be Hans.

"Damn it!" He cursed as he slammed his fist down on the bar hard enough to make the glasses rattle. The stupid bitch had a mate! What he didn't understand was why he hadn't claimed her. "What in the fuck was she doing here?" he asked the air.

The statement about Hans being for her went through his mind; and then he understood. Her original mate hadn't claimed her because he didn't want her. He knew what she was, but when the chips were down; he was going to accept her. But she had denied him one too many times and in front of witnesses.

"Fuck!" Thorne said under his breath. If he hadn't been so caught up in fucking the Sinclaires over, he would have caught what the one woman meant. If he had understood; he would have sent the bitch on her way. The final straw had been taking her home and fucking her with Allen. He was now stuck with her. He stormed into his office and slammed the door so hard that it almost flew off its hinges. "Mother fucking fate bastards!" he yelled as he picked up a chair and sent it flying across the room. His green eyes blazed with anger as the full ramifications of that night sunk in. "I refuse to accept this!"

"Then die. The choice is yours." A soft voice whispered in his head and then was gone.

"Damn straight it's my choice!" Thorne said as he reached for the phone. "Billings get your ass up here!"

A few seconds later, the timid vampire was standing in the office.

"Yes sir?" he asked looking down at the floor.

Thorne looked at him for several seconds before issuing an order.

"Get Michelle up here."

He was going to have Billings close up, but thought better of it. Although she was female, Michelle was the much better choice. She was also a female that he used on occasion when there was no one else available. He had no doubt that she would assume that he wanted her in the office for that reason and he wasn't going to disappoint her. As far as he was concerned, he was killing two birds with one stone. He would get relief and it was a step toward breaking the bond with a woman that he didn't want.

"Did you need something boss?" Michelle asked. Her top and bra were already gone and her nipples were already hardened in anticipation of being fucked.

Faster than she could blink, Thorne had her completely naked and bent over the desk with her ass in the air. Michelle wiggled her ass in invitation and moaned when Thorne gave her a firm slap on her left butt cheek.

Thorne willed his slacks away and then frowned when he didn't feel the familiar stirring in his cock and balls when he was going to fuck. He looked down at his cock to see it soft and flaccid. Even when he wasn't going to have sex he was always semi hard; but now there was nothing.

"What in the hell..."

"Thorne?" Michelle called and wiggled her ass again at him.

Instead of answering her, he redressed.

"Close up the club. I'm going out of town for a few days. You're in charge. Call me with any issues."

"Ummm ok..." Michelle replied as she turned around and looked at him. She confused at what didn't happen. "Is everything..."

"Mind your own damned business and keep your mouth shut!" Thorne snapped cutting her off.

He was gone before she could reply. She got off the desk and slowly got dressed determined to do the best that she could for him. Even though she knew that Thorne had his own agenda and that she wasn't on it except as an occasional fuck, she hoped that one day; he would see her as something more.

When she was dressed, Michelle checked her clothes and looked at the mirror. It wouldn't do for the rest of the staff to know that Thorne had hurt her once again.

*******

Thorne drove as fast as the car would go. In all of the centuries that he had been alive; he had never failed to perform. He wasn't concerned about Michelle opening her mouth for two reasons. One, he would know that it was her and two; he was knew that she was infatuated with him. He felt no guilt about using her. She knew that he didn't love her and if she came running every time he whistled, then that was her issue; not his. She was no different than any of the other women that he took to bed except she wasn't rich and she wasn't a gold digger.

Tires squealed as he pulled into his garage. He shut off the motor of the black Jag and vanished to his room. He gathered up the parcels of paint supplies that he bought for him and Noel and vanished back to the garage. Instead of the jag, he chose the silver BMW. After loading the car, he debated about calling Noel to let him know that he was coming early. He changed his mind when he remembered that Noel loved surprises and his showing up two days early would be a big one.

Thorne smiled a rare sincere smile when he thought about Noel's reaction when he appeared in his large art studio. Without a doubt Noel would jump up, shout, drop the paint brush and sprint into his arms. The reaction was always the same no matter how long it had been since they had last seen each other. Thinking about Noel lightened his mood enough that Barb Yancy was nothing more than an irritation and his failure to perform almost; but not quite forgotten.

Minutes later, he was pulling out of his garage and on his way to see Noel.

******

Barb chewed on the tums that she found in the bathroom. She wondered what she could have eaten that had her stomach so upset. As she chewed the chalky tablet she thought about the twin's wedding and how content Kevyn and Louise looked sitting next to their men. The words "not fair" ricocheted in her brain making her squeeze the roll of tums so hard that it hurt.

She just couldn't understand how Louise who had been in California for less than a month had gotten her little paws on Nathan Sinclaire.

"It had to have been Kevyn." She muttered as she walked out of the bathroom. "How else could it have happened?" She also didn't believe Kevyn when she said that she didn't know how it happened. "How did you do it?" Barb muttered as she ran all of the possible scenarios through her head. The most obvious one was the pregnancy one. She immediately discarded it. Neither Kevyn nor Louise would use a child as a trap for a man and Louise had been a virgin when she left Pittsburgh.

The more she thought about it, the more she could see how Nathan had fallen for Louise. He was the type of man who would want to protect someone like her and she would let him think that she needed it even if she didn't. Patrick, she didn't get. She didn't understand his attraction to Kevyn who was a self-proclaimed tomboy. In the end, it was a moot point. They had their men and the only thing that she wanted to know was how they did it.

Her mind wandered to Joseph who had shared a table with her at the twin's wedding reception. Initially she had wondered if he was gay because he had barely looked at her. After the dance, she was positive that he wasn't. There was no doubt that he was a Sinclaire with his blonde hair, blue eyes, aquiline nose and full lips. He also had the height and build of the Sinclaire men. What she wondered about was why he had a different last name. 

Barb frowned when she remembered what the Sinclaires looked like.

"They were almost like clones." She mused. When she thought about their youthful appearance, the thought escaped her. The harder she tried to capture the thought; the more it slipped away from her.

As she got ready for bed, she thought about Thorne Blackwell.

"Bastard." She hissed as she shuddered and then tingled all over.

She made a mental note to go to the store to buy vitamin C and Zinc to help ward off the cold that was coming. She lay on the couch, turned on the television and fell asleep.

******

The greeting that Thorne received from Noel was as enthusiastic as he thought it would be. In his excitement, Noel knocked over the canvas that he had been working on sending it crashing to the floor.

"Thorne!" he exclaimed in his soft tenor. "You came early!"

He flew into Thorne's arms and kissed his cheek. Thorne hugged Noel who was just as big as he was and returned the kiss.

"I couldn't wait to see you." Thorne replied. "Where's mother?" he asked looking around the large room.

"In her room... I didn't go out alone... I promise." Noel replied.

"I know you didn't." Thorne said softly and patted Noel on the back.

He wondered what their mother had been thinking. She was supposed to keep Noel within her sight during the waking hours. If she needed a night or several nights away; they had someone on retainer who would stay with him for as long as she needed to be away. Noel was too impulsive to be left alone and had actually gotten out a few times. They were fortunate that he hadn't hurt anyone or that he hadn't been spotted by hunters. Whenever he was asked about what he was doing, he always said that he wanted fresh air. Deep down Thorne didn't think that Noel would hurt anyone unless he was threatened; but why take chances?

"Noel, how long has mother been in her room?" Thorne asked.

"I don't know." Noel replied. "I've been painting."

"I'll tell you what." Thorne said. "Start opening up the packages... and no cheating. I'm going to check on mother."

Noel looked at the packages with glittering green eyes. 

"I promise to open them up one at a time." He said. "And I'll do it the human way."

Thorne took out his cell phone and made a call.

"Felix this is Thorne Blackwell. I need you to sit with Noel for a while... I'll wait."

"Are you leaving already?" Noel asked his voice filled with apprehension.

"No I'm not leaving. I Just need to talk to mother for a few minutes. I'll be back shortly." Thorne assured him.

Twenty minutes later, Noel was talking with Felix. Of all of the vampires that had helped in Noel's care; Thorne liked him the best. Felix was also the only one that Thorne never raised his voice at and treated with any degree of respect.

"I'll be back shortly." He told Felix.

Thorne left the studio and walked to the other side of the house. His footsteps slowed as he approached his mother's rooms. Anger flared when he heard her soft moans of pleasure. He couldn't believe that she would leave Noel alone so that she could fuck someone. All she had to do was call Felix as he had done and he would have arrived in minutes.

He stomped to the door and banged on it making it clear that he was angry. He heard a soft "oh fuck" and then the sound of someone leaving through the passage behind a large mirror. A few minutes later, Samantha Blackwell opened the door.

"Thorne, I didn't know that you were coming." She said as she stepped back to let him in.

"I can see that!" he snapped angrily. "What in the hell are you thinking?"

"I'm entitled to have visitors." She replied ignoring Thorne's tone.

"Yes you are." He conceded, "But you also have a responsibility to Noel! All you had to do was pick up the damned phone and call Felix; then you could have fucked to your heart's content!"

"Who's with him while you're down here yelling at me?" she asked.

"Felix!" Thorne said. "He was here within twenty minutes of my call."

Samantha then did the one thing that Thorne hated. The one thing that made his father go from being a strong, decisive man to a weak kneed idiot- she placed her hand on Thorne's arm, looked up at him with green, tear filled eyes and pouted.

"I'm not father so stop it!" he said as he pulled away from her. "Your crocodile tears don't work on me."

Samantha tensed and then smiled.

"No and they never did, but you're right; I should have called Felix" she conceded.

"How many times have you left him alone?" Thorne asked.

"Just this once." Samantha said lying. She knew that Noel lost all track of time when he painted and wouldn't remember. "And he isn't as helpless as you make him out to be." She added.

"You're lying." Thorne said. "I know he's gotten out before and don't deny it. I get a call every time it happens. And how strong he is isn't the point. My question is why are you leaving him alone? You have someone that you can call any time you want to have guests. Hell, you can be gone for months if you wanted to. So tell me why you're leaving him alone."

Samantha looked away. Of all of her son's; Thorne frightened her the most. It wasn't that she thought that he would hurt her; she knew that he wouldn't. It was the way that he looked at her. It was as if he could read her every thought and emotion. 

His eyes widened as he looked at her.

"You wanted him to get out." He said in shocked whisper. "You hate him... why? What did he do to you?"

He couldn't believe that he hadn't seen it before. His mother hated Noel.

"I don't hate him." Samantha said softly.

"But you sure as hell don't love him!" Thorne exclaimed. "If you didn't want him here, why didn't you just say so?"

"If I had," Samantha replied "What would you have said?"

She sat on the stool by the vanity and looked at him.

"Do you really think that I don't know what you think of me?" she asked heatedly.

It was Thorne's turn to be quiet. This conversation was long overdue.

"Am I right?" he asked after several long seconds.

"I loved all of you." Samantha said softly.

"Did you really?" Thorne asked. "All I remember is the steady stream of nannies and caretakers, who took us to school, bathed and fed us and read to us at night. While they took care of us; you were entertaining your friends and having parties."

"You never wanted for anything." She replied.

"Are you certain of that?" Thorne asked his voice intense.

"You had the best of everything." Samantha replied. "You had a life that most would give anything to have. What more was there?"

"There was you." Thorne said quietly. "The things that you just mentioned are material things. Those things don't replace a bedtime story or a kiss on the cheek. We wanted and needed our mother but we didn't matter as long as you got what you wanted. I think I understand why you wanted Noel to run away. He was what the human call a surprise baby. You hoped that there would be no other children, but the fates bit you in the ass. You wanted to be free of us and Noel prevented that."

Samantha blushed telling Thorne that he was right.

"And father, you never loved him did you? You were mates but you never loved him as he loved you. The only thing that you were truly concerned about was his money. Let me ask you something; were you sorry when he died his true death?"

"Thorne..."

"Don't answer that." Thorne said. "You won't have to concern yourself with Noel anymore; I'm taking him home with me. But I have one more question and I expect an honest answer. What did father do to him?"

Samantha looked away and then looked back at him.

"Your father was a bastard and you remind me of him in so many ways." She said. "I see how you treat people as if they were toys to be used and abused at your discretion. But when you love, you love deeply. I see that love when you come to visit with Noel; but I digress. Your father was of the opinion that the arts were for the weak minded and those of questionable sexual orientation. I don't know where that belief came from; but it was what he believed. But you know this. Because Noel loved the arts, your father tried to push his beliefs onto him. To further complicate things; Noel never mentioned a female which further convinced your father that he was homosexual."

"What did father do to him?" Thorne asked not sure if he wanted to know.

"One night your brothers were going into town to feed. They asked Noel if he wanted to go, but he declined saying that he had already fed. Apparently, he had struck up an arrangement of sorts with the son of a local farmer who had fallen on hard times. Your father was furious..."

"What sort of arrangement?" Thorne asked.

"If it was time for planting, Noel gave him money for seed. If it was winter, Noel gave him food. What he gave depended on what the need was. In exchange; he fed from the young man. Afterwards Noel would erase his memory of everything except for the food or whatever it was that he gave them. It did two things, Noel fed and it put us in a positive light with the community. Somehow your father found out about the arrangement. To this day; I don't know how he found out.

He confronted Noel about the supposedly sexual relationship that he was having with the farmer's son. Of course Noel denied that there was anything sexual between them; but your father had already made up his mind. He told Noel that he would no longer tolerate his frivolous behavior and locked him out of his studio."

"And you allowed this?" Thorne asked.

"What would you have me do?" Samantha asked. "I did my best to change his mind but he wouldn't be swayed. I even tried to compromise with him by saying that Noel would learn a trade and that he would only paint a few hours a day. But he refused; he wanted Noel to give up painting completely.

Noel stood up to your father, or he tried to; but... your father only got angrier. He...he dragged Noel up to the studio and broke both of his hands including the fingers and locked him in. it was horrible! We could hear Noel screaming from every room in the house."

Thorne watched the tears run down his mother's face. She may not have loved Noel; but she hadn't wanted him hurt. It was a contradiction to what she had been doing by leaving him alone to get out; but it no longer mattered.

"Even after the door was unlocked Noel refused to come out. The only one that he would allow to see him was the farmer's son. He felt safer with him than he did his own family; even those of us who hadn't hurt him. After the boy saw him the first time, he told us that Noel's hands hadn't healed right. The fingers were so askew that Noel couldn't pick up a paintbrush.

One night, Noel came down to dinner. He looked terrible. He hadn't bathed or changed his clothes since the night your father broke his hands. Noel stood in front of your father, looked into his eyes and broke every last finger over again. When he was through, he went back to his studio. When his fingers healed; your father would break them again. Noel would come to dinner and ... this went on for months. Finally, your father gave up.

"Sweet Jesus." Thorne murmured. "Tell me the rest of it."

Samantha shrugged but continued.

"After the last time they did their cycle, your father made Noel's life a living hell. He started by forbidding Noel to see the farmer's son. He told Noel if he did and he found out about it, he would kill not only the young man; but his entire family.


Thorne Ch. 01



We could see that Noel's mind was shattering and who knows? Maybe if he hadn't seen that fight with the Sinclaires; he might be completely healed by now."

"Why didn't someone tell me?" Thorne asked.

"You were busy doing whatever it was that you were doing and it was pure luck that you were even home that night." Samantha replied. "What would you have done if you had known? Taken him with you? Thorne, let's be honest, you're as selfish as I am. You knew that something was happening, but you chose to ignore it because it wasn't convenient."

Thorne looked down. He couldn't deny that there was some truth to what his mother said; but still...

"You should have told me just as you should have told me that you didn't want him." he said looking at her. "Do you realize what would have happened had he hurt someone? He could have been killed by a hunter! But it no longer matters; he leaves with me."

Thorne saw the look of relief on his mother's face and understood. He had played right into her hands. She wanted him to take Noel, but he had to make the offer. That way; he couldn't accuse her of pawning Noel off on him.

"Well played mother." Thorne said with a slight bow.

Samantha's lips twitched as she tried not to smile.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow evening." Thorne said as he walked away without looking back.

********

Thorne found Noel sitting behind a canvas painting as he talked with Felix who was also painting.

"Is mother alright?" Noel asked when he saw Thorne.

"She's fine." Thorne replied with a smile. "Felix, a word if I may."

He waited in a corner and waited for Felix to come to him. Felix listened without interruption.

"My pay would increase?" he asked at the end of the explanation.

"Yes and you will have to work the weekends. Your other days off are negotiable. I should mention that you will share a wing with Noel. There's plenty of room for both of you and you will have full use of the house. The only rooms that will be off limits are my bedroom and my office. What do you think?"

"Well... since I'm on call for you twenty-four seven anyway; why the hell not?" Felix asked with a grin. "So when do we move?"

********

Thorne pulled up a stool and sat next to Noel who was concentrating on painting a pair of eyes. Thorne looked at the light brown eyes and thought them hauntingly beautiful.

"Whose eyes are those?" Thorne asked.

"I don't know." Noel replied as he laid the brush down.

"Noel, what do you think about moving in with me?" Thorne asked.

Noel looked at him but didn't answer.

"Felix is coming too." Thorne replied.

"Really?" Noel asked. "What about mother?"

"Yes really." Thorne replied. "We can empty out whatever room you want to use as your studio."

"Does mother know?" 

"Yes mother knows and she's alright with your leaving." Thorne assured him.

"Are you sure that mother will be safe?" Noel asked.

"I give you my word that mother will be safe." Thorne replied.

"Then... yes. When are we leaving?" Noel asked excitedly.

"This evening so maybe we should start packing up your things so that we're ready when the truck comes." Thorne said.

Noel jumped up and began cleaning his brushes while Thorne started making phone calls.

"What time do you want me back here?" Felix asked between phone calls.

"Eight is fine." Thorne replied. "We'll see you then."

**********

Barb woke up several times to use the bathroom falling back into a restless sleep each time. This pattern continued until the afternoon when Kevyn called to tell her about the plans for the ceremony. She dozed off again only to be woken a second and then a third time by Kevyn. The fourth call was from Juliette.

"What do you mean that you can't send my stuff?" Barb asked sitting up.

"Wannie needs things for her science project and if I ship your things; there won't be enough money to get what she needs. But I have a suggestion, why don't you ask Kevyn if we can bring your stuff back on the jet? I'm sure that she won't mind and it'll save you a lot of money."

"Why isn't Angel buying Wannie's stuff?" Barb asked.

"He would if I asked him to, but I'm not going to ask." Juliette replied. "I have the money. As a matter of fact you have the money to ship your own things. You can do it online."

It was true that she could but she liked the illusion that someone was taking care of her.

"You'll have your money back by tomorrow..."

"Barb no! I've already talked to my boss and if you use us he'll give you my discount. Do you want it or not?"

Barb ended the conversation by sarcastically thanking Juliette for her help. Instead of taking Juliette's suggestion and calling Kevyn, she logged on to the website that Juliette gave her and arranged to have her things shipped. When she was done, she started rearranging the small efficiency to make room for her belongings. It wasn't long before she realized that she was going to need a storage unit. She cursed at the additional expense, but she had no real options other than looking for a bigger place.

When she had rearranged as much as she could, she logged back on to her laptop and researched storage companies. The smallest space was a three by six which was going to be too small. After thinking about it for several minutes, she decided that she needed a four by eight although it would be too large. She called the shipping company back to see if they would deliver to the storage unit.

"Yes ma'am but there's an additional cost."

"How much more?" she asked none too politely. "How much?" she asked shocked.

In the end she paid the additional fee. The shipping had cost her a pretty penny that she wouldn't have had to spend if she had only asked about having her things brought back on the jet. That brought up another issue; the jet. She was almost sure that Juliette wasn't supposed to say anything about the jet, but had because she was frustrated by the shipping issue.

She then wondered about the accommodations. She knew that they would all be staying at the same hotel she did; but what would the rooms be like? Would they be the expensive ones or one of the run of the mill ones like she had stayed in? Somehow, she knew that Kevyn and Patrick would put everyone in the nicest rooms.

The very idea of that pissed her off. Even as the anger rose, she knew that she should be happy for her sisters; but it wasn't fair. She had been looking for a man like the Sinclaires all of her life and in two weeks two of her sisters were marrying into the wealthy family.

Barb was still convinced that Kevyn knew how she and Louise had gotten into the Sinclaire family no matter how much she denied it. She tried to be happy for her sisters; but she just couldn't manage it. On the bright side, she knew that Joseph Richardson would be at the wedding. It was another opportunity to win him over. 

"Wouldn't that be a kick in your ass?" Barb muttered to an imaginary Kevyn.

Around nine that evening, her stomach began to roil with nausea. She found it odd that it the nausea seemed to only come in the evenings. A word for what was happening to her flitted across her mind. She went into denial and told herself that she was coming down with the flu or something. She went to the kitchen, took 1000mg of Vitamin C and went back to the living room.

In a fit of frustration she turned on the laptop and logged onto the dating site that she had selected. After a few minutes, she logged off and lay down. Moments later, she fell asleep with angry thoughts on her mind.

**********

Finally, after a week; Noel was settled in. He changed his mind several times before finally choosing which wing he wanted to live in and which room he wanted as a studio.

"Are you sure this time?" Felix and Thorne asked after moving things for the fourth time.

"I'm sure." Noel replied with a broad grin.

"Good." Thorne said returning the grin. "I have to work tonight but Felix will be here."

"Can I go to the club with you sometime?" Noel asked.

The question caught Thorne off guard. Noel generally didn't like being around large crowds; but he did seem more relaxed. It was all the confirmation that Thorne needed to know that he had done the right thing by bringing Noel home with him.

"Sure you can." Thorne replied. "We'll go sometime next week when it isn't so busy."

"Can Felix come too?" Noel asked.

"Of course he can and he can bring a guest if he wishes. But I need to go... I'll call you later."

As Thorne left the room, he saw the portrait that Noel had started the week before. He was surprised that he had done nothing more to it. Like before when he first saw them, he thought the eyes were gorgeous. If felt as though he could jump into them and drown in the soft brown of them.

"Noel, who is that? Her eyes are stunning." Thorne asked.

"I don't know." Noel replied and quickly covered the canvas.

Thorne didn't believe him but let it pass. Noel was an adult and would tell if when and if he chose to.

"Alright, I have to go but call me if you need anything."

After Thorne left, Noel uncovered the canvas, looked at it and then smiled. He looked at it for several minutes, his lips moving in silent conversation. Finally, he covered it again and went to work on a painting that was almost completed.

*******

Thorne drove to the club with the radio turned off. In a few minutes he would have as much noise as he could tolerate. Michelle was sitting at his desk when he got to his office.

"Welcome back!" she said with a bright smile.

"Thanks." Thorne said absently as he looked at the stack of papers on his desk.

"Everything ran smoothly." Michelle said as she stood up hoping for some small token of appreciation even if it was only a smile.

"I can see that." Thorne said without looking at her. "Was there something else?"

"I... I was wondering..."

"No thanks." Thorne said dismissively. "I've got things to do."

Michelle looked at him with surprise on her face; but she didn't leave. Instead she began to undress. It was then that Thorne fully understood that what Michelle felt for him was more than a crush. She was in love with him.

"What are you doing?" he snapped. "I said no."

"What's wrong?" Michelle asked. "Let me take care of you."

Thorne looked at her with icy green eyes.

"I think that we need to revisit the terms of our.... Relationship." He said. "You've violated our agreement by falling for me."

Michelle froze. Had she been that obvious?

"I don't and never will see you as more than an employee and an enjoyable fuck. My advice to you is to get any silly notions of us being any more than we are out of your head." Thorne said. "Because it's not going to happen now or ever."

"I... I thought that..."

"You thought what?" Thorne interrupted. "That because I fuck you and trust you that I would fall for you? You are not my mate. If you can't keep to the terms of our agreement then there's the door."

Michelle blinked back tears of humiliation. She had heard that Thorne could be brutal but hadn't really seen it until now.

"You're a cold son of a bitch." She said in a shaky voice.

Thorne looked at her and smiled.

"I never professed to be anything else. You chose to see me through rose colored glasses and you chose to fall for me even though I warned you not to do so. I'm not responsible for any fantasies that you dreamed up. I'm busy are you staying or not?"

Michelle squared her shoulders and walked out. She was not going to fall apart in front of him. She wasn't going to quit; they both knew it. He was a bastard; but he was the best paying bastard in town. She went to her office, shut the door and cried. When she was done, she took out the schedule and changed it so that she wouldn't work on the same nights that she knew he would be there.

Thorne watched Michelle leave and then looked down at his crotch. He hadn't even tingled at the thought of fucking.

"What in the hell is going on?" He growled.

Barb's face popped into his mind and he pushed it away. It had been two weeks since he and Allen had used her like a common whore and that he realized that she was his mate. He cursed again and looked through the papers on his desk. He signed the payroll checks and went down to the club.

Several women caught his eye as he walked through the club to the bar, but none of them made his cock twitch. He was slowly coming to realize that his lack of interest was due to one thing- Barbara Yancy Simpson.

He knew of the pending marriage ceremony between the Sinclaires and the Yancy sisters and had given serious thought to crashing the wedding. Meeting Barb changed his mind and he found the human marriage ceremony beautiful and considered it sacred. Not even he would dare to violate it; but the reception would have been another thing altogether. 

He turned his attention to the bar in time to see two vampires preparing to feed from a human woman. Although almost anything went, he stopped them before they started. The woman was too drunk to have given proper consent. He looked around, caught Michelle's attention and waved her over to the bar.

"Get her out of here." He said when Michelle got to the bar.

After the woman was gone, Thorne turned to the two vampires.

"What in the hell were you doing?" he snapped.

"She consented." One of them replied.

"Before or after you got her drunk?" Thorne asked. "Consider yourselves warned. The next time you'll be banned from my club and I'll pass your names along to the other clubs in the area. Your stupidity could have drawn attention to not only my club but others as well."

He turned and walked away before either vampire could respond.

"Where in the hell is Billings?" he muttered. The vampire had to go he decided. He needed someone with a little more backbone.

********

The two weeks before the wedding flew by. Barb looked through her things for something to wear and finally decided that she had to buy something new. She had half a mind to show up at the wedding in blue jeans and a tee shirt, but decided that she would be the one who would look bad. Neither Kevyn nor Louise would have minded how she was dressed and that ruined the fun for her. 

She had already made several trips to the storage unit to get something that she needed or to take something back that she didn't have room for. By the time she had everything the way she wanted, the arrival date of her family was already there.

Barb dressed and packed for the week and headed for the hotel. She wanted to be the first to be checked in as she was more than a little curious about the accommodations. She parked in front of the hotel and handed the keys to none other than Ollie. To his relief, she didn't even spare him a glance as she dropped the keys in his hand and walked into the hotel.

She had a feeling of déjà vu when she walked into the hotel lobby and saw Hans at the desk. She hadn't intended to be rude, but she couldn't seem to help herself.

"So what little hole in the wall am I in this time?" she asked when she was standing at the counter.

"Your suite is on the top floor with the others." Hans replied icily. "You are also authorized to take full advantage of all of our amenities." He added.

"Really?" Barb said sarcastically. "How generous of them to share the wealth with the poor relatives."

"Are you ready to have your things taken to your suite?" Hans asked ignoring the obvious jibe. "There is also food available in the banquet room."

She was about to say something when she realized that she no longer had Hans' attention.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" she exclaimed.

But Hans didn't seem to hear her. Barb turned to see who or what had captured his attention. At first she didn't see anything and then she heard her name being called. She saw Victor running toward her and then he stopped. A few seconds later, she saw Juliette and Wanda followed by the others. Barb looked around them trying to figure out what had taken Hans' attention. 

She looked back at Hans and then back toward her family. There was only one person in the group that he could have been looking at-Juliette. Barb watched in amazement as Hans suddenly became nervous. His calm demeanor was gone as his hands shook. The business persona had been replaced by the persona of an excited but nervous man.

Barb greeted her family, but her mind was on Hans' reaction to Juliette. She didn't understand it. He had to know that the kids belonged to Juliette; but that didn't stop him from drooling over her. To add to her ire, Juliette was reciprocating the interest and Celeste who was always reticent around strangers was smiling at him.

She looked over at Gene; the only one of her siblings who she thought understood her and smiled. At least she would have someone to commiserate with she thought as she hugged Leon. She glanced at Kevyn and Louise but didn't speak to them. She was wrong and she knew it but...

The gathering in the banquet room was almost more than she could stand. She sat with Gene and watched how Nathan and Patrick attended to Louise and Kevyn. Even she could see that the affection that the two couples had for each other was real. But that didn't answer her question. How had Louise and Kevyn done it?

"How do you think they did it?" Gene asked as if he had read Barb's mind.

"That's the million dollar question." She replied.

*******

It was hard to believe that Louise and Kevyn's wedding had occurred a month ago and that she and Louise were both pregnant. But not only that, Hans and Juliette weren't a fling and neither was Leon and Nadine, the housekeeper from the hotel. Unbelievably, all of them with the exception of Gene were moving back to California. She was still miffed at what she considered to be Gene's abandonment of her and felt that she was now truly alone.

Barb had spoken to Louise once in that month and that was only because Louise had come to the apartment. She blushed when she remembered the way that she had spoken to Louise, but she didn't feel the need to apologize.

Barb rubbed her stomach as she looked at herself in the mirror. Unlike Louise she wasn't looking forward to gaining weight and motherhood. She was looking forward to the pain that would come with childbirth even less. She had never wanted a child and had never considered using one to get what she wanted. 

"Well." She muttered as she looked at her reflection. "At least you'll do something for me."

She still hadn't decided when she was going to tell Thorne about the baby. Part of it was because she knew what he would say.

"I wasn't the only one that you fucked."

She could almost hear him say it.

"I have to be ready for anything that he throws at me." She muttered as she took a multivitamin from the medicine cabinet. After she took the vitamin, she laid down on the couch. She hadn't been sleeping well at night and when she did, she was plagued by dreams of Louise drinking blood. She woke up from the dreams shaken and confused as to why she would have dreams like that.

She had even lost interest in the dating site that she had finally decided on after hours of research. She didn't understand it. Her desire for what her sister's had hadn't diminished, but she had lost interest in pursuing it.

"It's because it's now within my reach." She told herself. "Mrs. Thorne Blackwell... I like it."

In her mind, she planned the perfect wedding. It was one that would surpass the small, intimate beach wedding that Kevyn and Louise had. She planned the menu for the reception clear down to the Caribbean cruise that they would take on their honeymoon. The fact that she didn't love him didn't enter into it. That she would have everything that she ever dreamed of was all that mattered. As far as the baby was concerned, she would start looking into nanny services as soon as possible. It was going to be a good life.




Thorne Ch. 01



She fell asleep planning to look for a doctor when she woke up. As soon as she closed her eyes, the dream started. It was always started out the same. Louise was in a big bed wearing a pink bed jacket and Nathan was sitting next to her handing her a goblet filled with blood. This time, there was a difference. When Louise took the goblet and parted her lips to take a sip, she had fangs.

Barb's eyes flew open and she sat straight up. Her heart pounded as she tried to understand the dream. She had never been one to watch horror movies or anything to do with the supernatural so why was she dreaming about Louise being a vampire?

Unable to sleep, she got up and turned on the television. She thought about calling Louise to ask her what doctor she was using, but changed her mind. She wasn't ready yet..; she wanted a diamond on her finger before she made that call.

*******

By the end the second week after his return, Thorne had demoted Billings back to working the floor. He promoted one of the security guards that he had been watching for some time. As of yet he hadn't brought Noel to the club, he wanted to give him plenty of time to adapt to his new circumstances. On his days off, he and Noel painted together and explored the beach. 

Thorne still wondered who the eyes that Noel painted belonged to; but didn't press. Whoever they belonged to, they were giving Noel a measure of peace that he had never had before. As the days went by, Thorne realized that he should have taken Noel much sooner than he had. Both of them were happier and Noel was undergoing an unexpected but pleasant change. The timid, sometimes childlike behavior was gradually diminishing and the behavior of a man in full control of his faculties was emerging.

He wanted to believe that the move was responsible for the change; but he knew better. It had something to do with the owner of the mysterious eyes. He was also forced to admit that Noel was stronger than he had given him credit for. Thorne still thought about Barb, but not in a good way. In his eyes, she was a gold digging bitch and no more. He vividly remembered Louise trying to drag her away from him and wished that he had pushed Barb into her arms.

If he had, he wouldn't be mated to a woman that reminded him entirely too much of his mother. He had never been one to covet another man's mate, but Louise captured his imagination. He imagined her to be quiet, but strong and she would appreciate the simple things. He could love a woman like her. Nathan Sinclaire, he decided; was a lucky bastard. But she was taken and it was her sister Barb that he had to deal with. 

He was still pissed that his cock remained soft and he saw it as something else to blame Barb for.

"Shit... it's my fault too." He growled as he worked on the skyline of his painting. "I should have just let the bitch go."

"Thorne? Can we go to the club tonight?" Noel asked interrupting Thorne's thoughts.

Thorne looked at him. Even the timbre of Noel's tenor had changed. It was still a soft tenor, but it was deeper, richer; and...Thorne couldn't think of the right word.

"Sure." Thorne replied. "This is actually a good night to go."

As they cleaned their brushes and put away their supplies, Thorne made a promise to himself. If he saw a Sinclaire headed in his direction, he was going to go the other way. He didn't care how good the opportunity was or how much he hated them, he was staying away. What he failed to realize was that he was already connected to them.

Noel met him in the garage. He was looking at the cars with a wistful look on his face.

"Would you like to learn how to drive?" Thorne asked.

"You'll teach me?" Noel asked unconsciously slipping into the role of one much younger.

"Of Course... How about tomorrow evening?" Thorne asked. "I'm off and I know just the place to teach you."

"Can you teach me to drive the jag?" Noel asked his voice filled with hope.

"Let's start with something a little easier first." Thorne replied laughing. "And we'll work our way up to the Jag."

Thorne unlocked the doors to the jag and let Noel in. For the first time in a long time, aside from his performance issues and Barb Yancy Simpson; he felt good. He could almost forget that she existed.

When they got to the club, Noel looked around wide-eyed. Even though it was mid-week; the club was busy.

"You work here?" Noel asked.

"Yes, in fact; I own it." Thorne replied. "Come on, I'll show you my office."

Noel let out a sigh of relief at the quietness of Thorne's office.

"It gets pretty noisy out there." Thorne said. "That's why this is sound proofed."

"I like it." Noel replied as he looked down at the dance floor. In his mind he began to sketch a portrait that would have all of the bright colors he was witnessing. He turned back to Thorne with a troubled look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Thorne asked.

"I'm worried about mother." Noel replied. "It's been two weeks and we haven't heard from her."

"Have you called her?" Thorne asked.

"Several times." Noel replied. "But she doesn't answer the phone."

Thorne looked at Noel and debated as to what he should say.

"She might be on one of her cruises." He said hoping that Noel wouldn't see through the lie. "You know how she always turns her phone off."

Noel sat down and looked at Thorne with piercing green eyes.

"Don't lie to me." He said softly. "She's screening her calls."

"Noel..."

"It's alright. I know that she doesn't care for me, but she's still our mother; and I worry about her."

Thorne looked at Noel with respect and wished that he felt the same way. But he was right, Samantha was still their mother and under their protection. He picked up the phone and dialed her number. To his surprise, she answered.

"Mother? Is everything alright? Noel has been trying to reach you... no he doesn't want to come back! He was concerned about you... goodbye mother." Thorne looked at Noel apologetically. "She's fine."

Noel nodded his head and gave Thorne a weak smile.

"I'm sorry." Thorne said. "I'm sorry that I left you with her for so long."

"It isn't your fault." Noel replied. "And it wasn't bad... I painted and she left me alone. Sometimes I called Felix and he spent the evening with me."

"What about the times you got out? You could have been killed by a hunter or you could have hurt someone." Thorne said.

Noel was silent for a long time before he replied.

"There were times when I wish that a hunter had found me." He said softly. "There were times when I could hear father screaming at me. I wake up and my hands actually hurt... it feels so real. Sometimes I didn't rest for days and it was at the end of those days that I became...agitated. When you came to visit... I don't know but I felt as though I could rest."

"Jesus Noel, why didn't you tell me? I would have come for you sooner."

"Thorne, let's be honest... you weren't ready to take me. You had and are having your own issues and it was those issues that made you come when you did. So who is she?"

"I had been thinking about bringing you home with me for a while." Thorne replied avoiding the question about who "she " was.

"But why now?" Noel asked. "I've lived with mother for years... why now?"

"Because... she finally told me what he did to you... If I had known..."

"But you did know." Noel replied. "You just chose not to see. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't angry or even that I didn't hate you because I did and I was as angry as hell. I could have called you, but I didn't. That makes it my fault... once I realized that, I wasn't angry with you anymore. I just looked forward to the times that you came to visit."

Thorne couldn't say anything. His mother had told him the same thing. He knew that something was happening with Noel and he ignored it because it wasn't convenient. He looked at Noel who had wanted to die. He slipped out hoping to be seen by a hunter and killed and wondered what he wasn't saying.

"Noel, is there something that you want to tell me?"

A haunted look crossed Noel's face and then was gone.

"No... I don't think so... why?"

"I was just asking." Thorne replied. "But I want you to know that you aren't an imposition and I truly am glad that you're with me. I'm also sorry that you suffered so much at father's hands and that I didn't help you."

"Thorne... I'm going to be alright." Noel said. "So don't worry about me... I think that I'll always be a little messed up in my head; but I'm ok with that."

"What do you remember about the night we fought with the Sinclaires?" Thorne asked.

"Nothing other than that hunters were involved." Noel replied.

"That's all?" Thorne asked, "You don't remember father making you go to the fight?"

"No." Noel replied. "I stayed with mother remember?"

"No... you went with us... I tried to convince father to let you stay with mother." Thorne replied.

"I think that you're the one messed up in the head." Noel replied chuckling. "I wasn't there... ask mother."

Thorne was confused. Noel had been there, but why wasn't he remembering? He let it go and changed the subject. 

"We came to have a good time, would you like to see the rest of the club?"

Noel nodded, but when Thorne mentioned that night; a small bell in the recesses of his mind went off. It gave him an uncomfortable feeling in his temples that bordered on pain. As soon as he pushed the thought away, the pain was gone.

He noticed that Thorne was watching him and he smiled.

"Let's go!"

********

Barb tossed and turned before she finally got up. She walked around the small apartment several times before her nerves settled. She knew that Juliette and the others were due back in town but she had no desire to see them. She knew what that made her; but she told herself that she didn't care. Still restless, she made herself a cup of tea and turned on the television.

After a few minutes, the sound of the television grated on her nerves; so she turned it off. She needed to find a doctor. She again gave brief thought to calling Louise, but she changed her mind. She knew that if she asked her to, Louise wouldn't say anything about the pregnancy; but she wanted to shock her as much as she did Kevyn.

Barb started to research OB/GYNs in the area and then stopped. 

"You can damn well pay for this!" she said out loud.

She sat at her laptop and opened a new document. It was time to do some serious planning. At the top of the document she typed Thorne's name and began to list the things that she needed to do. At the top of the list was where she was going to tell him. It had to be somewhere public. She wanted to humiliate him as she had been humiliated.

"The club." She whispered. "And on a busy night... Friday... no Saturday." She mumbled.

She glanced up at the calendar. It was already Wednesday. Barb toyed with the lobe of her ear like she did when she was in deep thought. Finally, she decided that Saturday was the better day. It would give her another day to plan.

She lost track of time as she typed out every conceivable argument that she thought that Thorne would throw at her and her response. If push came to shove, she would threaten to go public with what happened that night and would include where she had been dropped off. 

The next thing was what to wear. She went through her clothes and wasn't happy with her selections. The black dress that she had worn that night was still in the plastic sack that she had put it in. She had been unable to look at it. Even now it brought back memories that made her face burn with anger and humiliation. To have been used the way she was...

Barb grabbed the bag, ran out of the apartment and to the dumpster. Seconds later, the dress was garbage. She ran back into the apartment, grabbed her purse and cell phone and ran out again. She needed a new dress. The only thing that she knew was that it wouldn't be black. She didn't think that she would ever where black again.

As she pulled out of the parking lot of the complex, she debated as to where she should shop. The phrase about spending money to make money came to mind as she was deciding where to go. Forty-five minutes later she was walking through Bloomingdales. 

She stopped at the fragrance counter and bought the smallest bottle of Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamond's available. From there she went to the lingerie. In her opinion a new outfit included new undergarments. She looked at the selections and then decided to buy the dress first. She completely bypassed the slinky black evening dresses and looked at other colors. 

She grimaced at the various shades of orange and yellows neither of which was her favorite color. After several minutes she went to another store to see what they had. Her rumbling stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything yet. 

The food court was one level down. The scent of cooking food made her stomach growl even louder. Checking her watch she saw that she had plenty of time to get something to eat and then shop. After eating her dinner, she headed back to Bloomingdale's and browsed.

"Can I help you find something?" A woman asked from behind her.

Barb turned to see who had spoken to her. She looked the woman up and down and then looked at her name tag.

"Well... Jan." She said snidely. "You're the first salesperson that's offered to help me."

"It would be my pleasure to assist you. Are you looking for something specific?"

"A dress... an evening dress but not a gown, I need something that can be worn to a night club." Barb replied.

"We have some lovely black..."

"Not black." Barb interrupted as she looked at the sales person. 

An hour later, she was headed back to the apartment with her outfit. She had decided on a mint green dress that was similar in style to the black dress that she had thrown in the trash. She had never worn much green, but the Jan had urged her to try the dress on.

"I think that it looks lovely on you." she said when Barb modeled the dress for her.

Barb had to agree with her. The light green looked good against the dark of her skin. Jan became her private salesperson helping her pick out the shoes and accessories to go with the dress. Barb ate up the attention imagining what it would be like to be treated like that all of the time. As Thorne's wife she would have that.

She looked glanced at the interior of her car and imagined that it was the interior of a midnight blue Maserati. Barb sighed and came back to reality. None of it was going to happen if Thorne didn't marry her. She wouldn't settle for anything else. She refused to just accept money for the bun in her oven, she wanted all of it.

*******

When they returned home and Noel was in his room, Thorne called his mother.

"Do you hate him that much?" he asked as soon as she said hello. "He's been worried about you and you can't even pick up the damned phone when he calls?"

"I'm fine." Samantha replied. "There is no need for concern."

"That isn't the point!" Thorne snapped. "The point is that Noel loves you in spite of everything. You could at least have the common decency to answer the phone when he calls to check on you."

"What do you want from me?" Samantha asked after a brief hesitation. "Do you want me to say that I miss him?"

"I want you to call him from time to time and let him know that you're safe." Thorne replied. "Is that too much to ask?"

Samantha hesitated as if in thought.

"No... no it isn't." she conceded. "I'll call him once a week."

"Good now I have a question for you." Thorne said. 

He told Samantha about the conversation that he and Noel had about the fight with the Sinclaires.

"That's strange." Samantha said when Thorne was finished talking. "I don't know why he would say that unless... Thorne, your father was very hard on Noel. Even when he wasn't punishing him physically, he was punishing him emotionally. He was always so sensitive and maybe that fight was too much for him. Maybe he doesn't want to remember." 

"Maybe...I've got to go; just remember to call Noel at least once a week." Thorne said and hung up.

Thorne leaned back in his chair and thought about his father. He had been a bastard except to his mother even though she hadn't loved him. How could he not have seen the torment that Noel was in? Granted he was gone by the time Noel was born; but he still should have seen something.

Then he remembered the family portraits. His father had been in none of them. When he asked Noel why, Noel told him that their father wouldn't stand still long enough. Noel had an excellent eye and memory. He wouldn't have needed their father to pose. The clues were there but he had turned a blind eye.

He went to Noel's wing to find him looking at the pair of eyes that he had painted. His lips were moving and then stopping as if he was having a conversation. Thorne watched Noel's lips turn up into a smile that was identical to his when he smiled. 

As soon as Noel realized that he was there, he stopped talking and covered the canvas. 

"It's early; I thought that we could paint for a while." Thorne said.

"Of course!" Noel replied. "You never have to ask. Do you know what I don't understand?"

"What's that?" Thorne asked as he set up his canvas.

"Your paintings are top notch; why aren't you showing them?"

"I don't want to make a living at it." Thorne replied. "I'm already doing what I love and painting relaxes me."

"I can understand that." Noel replied. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure; what is it?" Thorne asked. He liked this new, more confident Noel and once again wished that he had taken him in sooner.

"Did father stop you from being an artist?"

Thorne paused. That was something that no one knew about him and he wondered how Noel knew.

"He tried." Thorne replied. "In the end I decided that art would become a form of relaxation for me."

"Did he hurt you?" Noel asked.

"Not like he hurt you." Thorne replied.

"Because you left before he could." Noel said quietly.

Thorne didn't reply, but it was the truth.

"Why didn't you leave?" Thorne asked. "You didn't have to stay and take his abuse."

Noel hesitated trying to formulate his thoughts.

"I don't know." He said after several minutes. "I stayed after father died so that Mother wouldn't be alone." Noel said with a shrug. "All of us couldn't have left. In retrospect, I wish that I had left."

Thorne felt a stab of guilt at Noel's words. He knew that Noel's intent hadn't been to make him feel guilty; he was being honest.

"Don't start feeling guilty." Noel said looking over at Thorne. "That wasn't my intent. I was just answering your question honestly."

"It's too late for the not feeling guilty." Thorne replied with a small smile. "But thanks."

"You never answered my question." Noel said after a few minutes.

"Which question was that?" Thorne teased.

Noel laughed. 

"Touché." Noel replied. "I did ask a lot of questions didn't I?"

"I don't mind; it's just good to have you here." Thorne replied. "It's good to have someone to talk to."

"So Thorne, who is she?" Noel asked.

"I don't know who you mean." Thorne lied. "Who do those eyes belong to?" he asked taking the spotlight off of him.

"I'm not sure." Noel replied. "But whoever she is; she's important."

"Why haven't you finished painting her?"

"I don't know the answer to that either." Noel replied. "By the way; you still haven't answered my question."

"She's nobody." Thorne replied. "She was just someone that I fucked one night; she was nothing special. How long has it been for you? I have someone that would be glad ..."

"Thanks but no thanks." Noel interrupted. "But back to this woman... she's more than that..."

"Noel I don't mean to be rude; but I don't want to talk about it. Can we just paint?" Thorne asked.




Thorne Ch. 01



"Sure." Noel replied and let it drop.

*******

Barb looked at the pale green dress and decided that while she liked the style; she wasn't so keen on the color. She had two options. Take the dress back and exchange it for another color or keep it. It was already Friday evening and she was comfortable in her pajamas.

"I'll just keep it." She muttered and walked away.

She turned on the television and then her laptop and went over her notes for dealing with Thorne. If all went as planned; before the week was out she would be packing her bags. As a show of faith, she took out her suitcase and began packing the things that she wouldn't need. She was almost tempted to call the complex manager and tell him that she was moving; but held off. She was beginning to get carried away.

When she satisfied her urge to pack, she sat back at her laptop and planned her wedding and reception. It would be bigger than some cheap beach wedding she decided. She would have the best of everything. She worked until early morning before she finally lay down. As soon as she closed her eyes; she began dreaming about vampires.

She woke up late afternoon and began to prepare for the confrontation with Thorne. She looked at the dress again and thought about taking it back. She had time; she wasn't going to the club until nine or ten.

Once again; she decided to keep it. As she lined up the products to give herself a facial, she wondered if Leon and the others had arrived yet. Her curiosity grew until she just had to know. She decided to call Gene.

"Gene? This is Barb." 

"Hey sis! How are you?" Gene asked. 

"I'm good... how are you?" Barb asked only to be polite. She only called for one piece of information.

"I'm good! I haven't had a drink since I got back! I still have my job and the house is empty; I'm staying at Leon's until it's done."

Barb hesitated and then spoke.

"Why don't you just tear it down? It was a piece of junk!"

"We were born there." Gene replied. "Nathan is going to use as much of the original material as possible... it's going to be the way that mom and dad would have wanted it."

"What's wrong with you people?" Barb snapped. "They're dead! It's not like they'll live in the house!"

"That isn't the point." Gene replied. "It's to pay honor to them... they worked hard..."

"Worked hard at what?" Barb interrupted. "They could have made things better for us! Mom could have gotten a job or something so that we could have had one new outfit for school!"

Gene was shocked. Until now he hadn't realized how angry Barb was. He amended that. He knew but he was so involved with his own issues that he ignored it.

"Wow..." he said softly.

"Wow what?" Barb asked.

"Do you really think that they didn't try?" Gene asked. "I mean dad worked two or three jobs with no days off to make ends meet. Mom never bought anything for herself; the money always went to us. If anyone went without; she did."

Barb didn't say anything. There was an element of truth to what Gene was saying although it wasn't quite the way that she remembered it. She was also struck by something else. Gene sounded different. There was no hint of the jealousy and insecurity that he had come to California with.

"Have you seen Kev and Louise?" he asked changing the subject.

"No." Barb replied and offered no further explanation.

"They call here a couple of times a day." Gene said. "Don't they call you?"

"We haven't talked." Barb replied. "We've been busy."

"Oh... getting ready for Leon and the rest of them I guess." Gene said. "They're landing sometime this evening. You know, part of me wishes that I was out there with all of you."

"Are you thinking about moving?" Barb asked.

Even though Gene had changed or was changing; he was still the one most like her and he was the one easiest one for her to talk to. But judging from the way he sounded, the similarities were disappearing on a daily basis.

"Not right now. I have to get my shit together before I can even begin to think about moving anywhere." Gene replied. "And if I move anywhere it'll be to Florida. I want to get back with Dana."

Barb felt a twinge of anger that she didn't understand. Of all of her siblings; Gene was the one that she had never been angry with. 

"Look Gene, I've gotta go. Do me a favor and don't tell the others that we've talked."

"Okay... but why?" Gene asked.

"I... I'll talk to them later... so don't say anything."

Barb could tell that Gene didn't understand; but all that mattered was that he agreed.

*****

As they waited for the jet to arrive; Louise thought about Barb and wished that she would have at least come to the airport. She thought about her older sister with a mixture of anger, love and sadness. But it was as Nathan kept reminding her; Barb made her choices and there was nothing that could be done about it.

On a positive note; there had been no more visions or feelings of disquiet. Gretchen was giving her a clean bill of health and the nurseries had been designed. As soon as Leon was through with the change and was recovered, she and the other women would go shopping for baby furniture and other things.

When Nathan started to make arrangements at one of the high end baby stores; Louise stopped him.

"Wal-Mart is fine." She told him. "He or she won't know the difference."

"Alright fine." He said grinning at her. "But we use our joint accounts. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Louise.

The shopping trip was scheduled for two weeks after Leon's change. Unless something changed; Barb wouldn't be there for that either.

"Here it comes!" Kevyn said excitedly.

A short while later, Hans, Juliette, the children along with Leon and Nadine were getting off the plane. After hugs and kisses were exchanged, Leon asked about Barb.

Kevyn gave the agreed upon response.

"She couldn't make it... she's a little under the weather."

Leon seemed to buy it, but Juliette didn't. Both Louise and Kevyn could see that Juliette didn't believe them; but they weren't at a place where they could talk. They would tell her and Leon about Barb's anger, but not about the baby. That had to come from Barb."

"We'll talk later at the house." Kevyn said.

Two hours later, they were at the house. Wanda and Victoria were already in one of the bedrooms giggling and talking. Victor was in the basement watching movies and Celeste was asleep in one of the other spare rooms.

"Alright, spill." Juliette said. "Why isn't Barb here?"

Louise and Kevyn looked at each other but it was Kevyn who spoke. She gave the condensed version of events leaving out the pregnancy.

"Hold up." Leon said. "Let me make sure that I've got this straight. Barb came here uninvited under the guise of wanting to spend time with you and Louise. What she really came for was to find a rich man and hoped that you would introduce her to one. She goes to a party at Nathan's house, tried to pick up a mated vampire and almost got her ass kicked."

"Yes." Kevyn said.

"So then she goes to a club that she was told wasn't a good place. You all go after her and she refuses to leave, but not only that; she denies Hans as a mate...."

"I have to be honest." Hans said, "I didn't want her either. I prayed that the fates take her even if it meant that I had to be alone for eternity. By the time that night happened, I was going to accept her and try to find a way to live with her as mates. But she denied me several times in front of the male vampire who she went home with."

"Why did she deny you?" Leon asked.

"She saw me as a poor hotel manager." Hans replied. "She didn't know my true worth."

"Who was the vampire that she went with?" Leon asked.

He passed no judgment on Hans; he knew his sister. In fact, nothing that he heard came as a big surprise. He had seen the way Barb looked at Patrick when she found out who he was. That she had distanced herself from everyone didn't surprise him either. It was the same back east. She showed up when it was convenient for her and only when she had to or if she wanted something. Months could go by without anyone hearing from her. But that was neither here nor there. She was still his sister and he had to know that she hadn't been hurt.

"Tell me the truth." Leon said. "Did he hurt her?"

"If you're asking if he raped her." Louise said. "We don't think so. I think that he hurt her pride..."

"And the bastard left her in the red-light district? Where does he live?" Leon asked angrily.

"Hold on Leon." Nathan said. "We can't just go bursting in on him. Your sister willingly went with him even after we tried to get her to leave with us."

"Fine, then I want to talk to her and don't hand me that shit about her not wanting to see us." Leon said. "If she says that he hurt her, I'm kicking his vampire ass."

"Leon you're no match for him as you are." Hans said.

"Umm Leon, there's something that you should know." Louise said. "Thorne Blackwell, that's the name of the vampire that Barb went with; is her mate."

"Her mate? Does she know?" Leon asked surprised.

"We don't know." Kevyn replied. "As you know, the mating thing is between the mates is private so we have no way of knowing unless she tells us."

"Do you know this guy?" Leon asked Nathan.

"I know of him, but Patrick knows him." Nathan replied.

"I don't know him that well." Patrick replied. "There is some history between our families..."

"So what you're telling me is that he used her just to fuck with you." Leon said quickly grasping the situation when Patrick was through.

"That's it in a nutshell." Patrick replied.

"I don't understand how he became her mate." Leon said. "And even if he is, if he lays a hand on her; his ass is mine."

By four am, Leon and Nadine were gone. They wanted to spend the night in their own home. The three sisters cleaned up the dishes while the men joined Victor in the basement.

"So how do you feel?" Louise asked Juliette when the men were gone.

"I feel amazing!" Juliette replied. "Sometime when we have more time, I want to talk to you about the vampire thing."

"Yeah me too." Kevyn said. "I've been kind of thinking about it too."

The men listened to the soft voices coming from the kitchen. 

"Has anyone else realized that the Sinclaires' and the Blackwell's have been tied together because of Barb?" Nathan asked.

The three men looked at each other; but no one spoke.

"We'd better let Ethan know." Patrick said. "Damn!" he added.

********

Thorne was at the club early as was his habit on the weekends. He looked around the club with a practiced eye. Satisfied that everything was in place, he went to his office disturbed and shut the door. There were plenty of beautiful women in the club and his cock hadn't so much as stirred when he saw them.

'Why didn't I let her go?" he growled as he once again he remembered the reason for his inability to perform. He sat at his desk and wondered how he could get rid of her. There was no point in trying to appeal to the fates. They had already passed her off once. That was rare enough, but a second time would be unheard of. Then there was the fact that they didn't care if he died or not.

He picked up the closest object on his desk and threw it as hard as he could watching as it made a huge hole in the wall. It was only a matter of time before he had to face her. The question was what was he going to do? He really didn't see as he had any choice but to accept her and she him for that matter. There was nothing that said that mates had to love each other. In fact, he knew of mates who barely tolerated each other. The only reason that they were in the same room was for sexual release.

It was far from ideal, but then again; he had never cared if he ever found his mate. He also decided that he wasn't going to seek Barb out. He wanted to delay the inevitable for as long as he could.

By nine, the club was three quarters full and within the hour, it would be jammed packed with standing room only. Every weekend Thorne thought about expanding and this weekend was no exception. He promised himself to start looking for another location and then had an idea. 

He wouldn't expand, he would build a new club, but it would be the polar opposite of the current one. It would be very upscale with strict guidelines. In his mind he began writing the guidelines. It was a pleasant diversion from thinking about the mate that he didn't want. In his planning, he wondered if Noel would agree to hang some of his paintings. They would be for sale, not that he needed the money; Noel was as wealthy as he was if not more so.

By eleven, Thorne was feeling relaxed. He had worked out the basics for the new club in his head including the name.

Black Diamonds.

He liked it, but wanted to ask Noel about it since he was going to make him a partner. Thorne sipped on a glass of blood laced with Scotch and relaxed. Things were going to be fine.

******

Barb took her time getting ready. As she showered, she wondered what excuse Kevyn and Louise gave for her not showing up at the airport. After the shower, she applied a generous amount of body oil to her dark skin. She paid special attention to her elbows, knees, freshly shaved legs and feet. 

The closer she came to being ready, the more nervous she became. She still questioned the choice of dress color, but it was too late to change her mind; it would have to do. She was so nervous that she almost changed her mind. She finished dressing and called a cab. While she waited, she daydreamed about the big house that she would be moving to.

The cab was at the complex forty-five minutes and a very anxious barb climbed in.

"Where to?" The cabby asked.

Barb gave him the address and leaned back in the seat. In a matter of hours, her life would be changed. The cab dropped her off in the front of the building. Barb stood in front of the club for several minutes before she began to head toward the back of the line. Suddenly, she froze. There was a distinctive chill in the air that hadn't been there before. She rubbed her arms to ease the goose bumps that prickled. She experienced a moment of déjà vu. 

She experienced the same feeling the last time she was at the club and like then; she didn't heed the warning. Just as she was about to head to the back of the line; she turned around and went to the security guard who was taking the vouchers to get in.

"The line's around the corner." He said barely glancing at her.

"I want to see Mr. Blackwell." 

"Do you have an appointment?" He asked still not looking at her.

"No but..."

"Get to the back of the line." The guard repeated.

"Look jerk! Take me to Mr. Blackwell right now or..."

The guard turned away and began murmuring. Barb strained to hear what was being said and the feeling that she should leave returned.

"Well, it seems that Mr. Blackwell would like to see you." The guard said. "Go in and someone will take you to him."

"What the fuck?" Someone called out. "Why does she get in?"

The guard and Barb ignored the question as he undid the bungee cord so that she could go in.

Barb glanced up just in time to see the drapes of a second floor window move. She didn't know how she knew it, but she knew that Thorne was aware that she was there. She also knew that he was very, very angry.



Thorne Ch. 02



Hello everyone! I apologize for the length of time between my submissions, but as I said on my bio page, my work hours have increased and have cut into my writing time. I'm writing as fast as I can, but unfortunately; I do have to sleep. Thanks for your patience in waiting for my submissions. Thanks to Donalde for beta reading for me and for his time. Also thanks to all of you for reading my stories and leaving comments. I appreciate it. One last thanks... I promise. Thank you to all who sent emails asking if I was ok... I'm fine, just working. 

Kal

*

Gene had a bad feeling about Barb. There were several things that she said that had disturbed him. For one thing, he didn't care for her attitude toward their parents. On one hand he understood, but on the other hand he didn't. All of them at one time or another had wished that their circumstances were different. All of them at one time or another had looked at the catalogues and fliers and daydreamed about being able to buy the clothes and toys that were on the brightly colored pages. The second thing that concerned him is that Kevyn and Louise weren't making contact with her. That didn't make sense to him. They touched base with him two or three times a day and even Nathan had called him a time or two. Patrick he had spoken to when Kevyn called so why were they not talking to Barb who was in the same state and city? The third thing that bothered him was Barb's remarks about the house and her callous attitude toward the intent of rebuilding it.

He couldn't remember her being so hateful and then wondered how much of it was his fault. He looked at the clock and calculated the time difference. It was still early, three in the afternoon Pacific Time. He was going to call Barb, but the number she had called from showed up as private. He thought about calling her other number, but decided to call Kevyn or Louise first. After thinking about it, he decided to call Kevyn. He didn't want to stress Louise out in case there was a problem.

Kevyn picked up on the first ring.

"Hey Gene! Is everything alright?" Kevyn asked.

"It's all good." Gene replied. "I gather everyone made it okay?"

"Yes they did... Are you sure that you don't want to move out here with us? You and Barb are the only one's missing."

"I don't know about moving out there." Gene replied. "My ultimate goal is to move to Florida with Dana."

"I understand." Kevyn replied, "But you can move from here just as easily as you can move from there. Gene, we're just worried about you being out there all by yourself."

Gene's throat tightened. The sister that he was going to kill was worried about him. He looked around Leon's apartment. Somehow it didn't seem the same now that he knew that Leon wasn't coming back. He hadn't minded Pittsburgh until everyone left and now he was wondering if he should consider Kevyn's offer.

"There are a few issues." Gene replied. "One and probably the most important one is a job. Then I would need a place to live."

"If those things weren't an issue, would you come?" Kevyn asked.

"Kev, what's really going on? Why the push for me to come out there?" Gene asked.

"I just think that mom and dad would want us together as much as possible." Kevyn replied. "Last night as we were laughing and talking, I missed you guys. So will you at least think about it?"

"I'll think about it." Gene promised. "I actually called for another reason... what's going on with Barb? She called me last night to ask when Leon and the others were getting in. When I asked her if she talked to you and Louise, she said no and that you guys don't call her."

Kevyn swore under her breath.

"What else did she say?"

"Well, she isn't happy about the house being redone... Kev did you know that she's really pissed at mom and dad?"

"Yeah I know." Kevyn replied. "Gene, did you think that we were abused?"

"In my opinion no." Gene replied. "I mean we struggled, but we survived and I reminded Barb that mom always did without; but she doesn't see it that way. Do you think that we were abused?"

"If you consider not being able to afford the top of the line fashions abuse, then I guess we were." Kevyn replied laughing. "But seriously? No I don't think that we were abused and neither does anyone else. Let me clarify a few things. Barb stopped talking to us. Louise went to the apartment to see her and Barb all but threw her out. She has an unlisted phone number and we haven't spoken since you guys left."

Gene listened stunned as Kevyn gave him a rundown of events leaving out any references to vampires.

"So basically we've been leaving her alone although Leon wants to go see her in a few days."

"Shit Kevyn!" Gene swore. "Does she really think that our lives were that bad?"

"I guess so." Kevyn replied.

"And this man who she went home with... did he hurt her?"

"I don't think so, but I can't answer that with any real certainty. She wouldn't talk about it. Look, I've got to go. Will you think about moving out here?"

"I'll think on it." Gene said and then hung up.

*******

By evening, everyone was congregated at Leon's house. The men were in the basement getting ready and the women were in the kitchen preparing snacks. While she made the sandwiches, Kevyn told them about her conversation with Gene.

"He's worried about Barb." She said. "She's also upset that the house is being rebuilt."

"Please excuse me." Nadine said, "But I'm trying to understand our sister's point of view. Were you beaten?"

"We were disciplined." Louise replied, "but not whipped or anything like that."

"Were you starving?" Nadine asked.

"We may not have always had meat but we always had food." Kevyn replied.

"So your parents loved you and provided for you as best they could." Nadine commented.

"Yes." Kevyn replied. "We had to wear hand-me-downs, but we weren't the only ones. There were other families just as poor as we were and they fared no better at school than we did."

"So how did this abuse take place then?" Nadine asked.

"That's the thing." Louise replied. "We don't know. Barb thinks that our parents didn't try hard enough. Dad was already working two to three jobs because he refused to go on public assistance."

"As you know, I am not very old for a vampire." Nadine said. "But I am old enough that I have seen many types of people. There are those who relish and love each day of their lives and go through their day singing. They may live in a shack, but they are content simply because they live. There are those who hate their lives and as a result they hate everything and everything around them. There are also those who know what they want and they work for it earning it without hurting others. And then there are those who know what they want, but they don't want to work for it. They use anyone who is convenient to reach their goals and when they do, they still aren't satisfied. The last type of person is like our sister. She is always hungry even though she is full. She appreciates nothing and expects everything. When she gets it, she will be satisfied for a while, but it won't last; she will think that there is something more.

I will tell you that if she chooses to, she can change; but that change won't be a total one. At heart she will be who she is, but a softer version. Right now, she doesn't want to change and to beat our heads against the wall over it will only give us a headache. There is nothing that we can do for her except wait for her to either sink or swim. After Leon recovers he wants to see her and he won't take no for an answer."

Louise listened to Nadine and had to agree with her. Whatever happened, Barb would have to deal with it alone unless she asked for help. Louise continued making the sweet tea and felt a momentary feeling of discomfort. 

"Sweetheart?" Nathan called to her telepathically, "Did you feel that?"

"Yes... but it was so fast. It was gone almost before I knew it was there." she replied.

"It was the same for me." Nathan replied. "Remember you promised that you wouldn't do anything without me."

"I remember... give Leon our love." She replied telepathically.

A feeling of dread settled in the pit of Louise's stomach. It had nothing to do the baby or Leon. She took a moment and listened to the strong but rapid heartbeat of their baby just to be sure. This feeling was different than the feelings that she and Nathan shared. She knew that he wasn't feeling it or else he would have called to her. Along with the feeling of dread was a feeling of sadness. She looked around the room trying to determine where the feeling was coming from. 

"Where are the kids?" Louise asked.

"Ethan and Katrina are watching them." Kevyn replied. "Why?"

"I need to talk to Celeste. Can you call over there for me?" Louise asked.

A few minutes later, she was talking to Celeste.

"Hi pumpkin! Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm ok... Uncle Ethan is masking hotdogs."

Louise talked to Celeste for a few more minutes and then talked to the other two children who were rather put out by her phone call. She hung up perplexed as to where the feeling was coming from. She was going to push herself, but remembered her promise to Nathan. She strengthened her shields to dull the sensation and went back to making the tea.

"What's going on?" Juliette asked.

"I don't know, but the kids are fine." Louise replied.

"They're starting." Kevyn said taking Nadine's hand in hers.

********

The Emerald 11pm

The loud music seemed to reverberate through Barb's body as she walked into the club. She looked to her left and saw people in a corner obviously having sex. She looked to her right and saw what looked like someone drinking blood from a woman. She could see little rivets of blood trickling down the back of the woman's shoulder. She blinked not believing what she was seeing and then deciding that it wasn't real. She looked around noticing that no one else seemed to be cold except for her. She rubbed her arms wondering where the frigid air was coming from. 

"This way please." Billings said and walked away expecting Barb to follow him. 

When she saw where he was leading her, her steps slowed. Suddenly the idea of publically exposing Thorne didn't seem like such a good idea. She forced herself to walk to the table and sat down.

"My name is Billings. I will be attending to your needs until Mr. Blackwell is free. May I offer you a drink?"

"How long will he be?" Barb asked ignoring the question about the drink.

"He didn't say." Billings replied. "Would you care for a drink?"

Barb gave Billings her typical "I'm better than you are stare" and ordered a club soda. She wasn't going to take any chances with the baby. She needed it too badly. While she waited for her drink and Thorne, she went over her plan.

******

Thorne knew that she was there the moment she stepped out of the cab. His relaxed mood instantly disappeared when he looked out of the window and saw Barb standing in front of the club.

"Shit!" he swore. He wanted her gone and sent negative thoughts to her. When she didn't leave, he decided to see her. He stayed at the window until she was inside taking note of how she addressed people.

He had already called for Billings to take care of her because he was so mild mannered that her insults would go over her head. Fortunately, Michelle was off. If she had been there and Barb even looked at her wrong she would have been dead meat.

Thorne kept Barb waiting until he decided that it was time to deal with her. He stood up and felt a familiar tingling in his groin and grinned deciding if he was going to be mated to the bitch, he might as well get some enjoyment out of it.

He made his way to his private table and stood behind her for several seconds before speaking.

"Back for more?" he asked coldly.

Barb turned around to face him.

"Are you always this rude? I've been here for an hour and a half!"

"You could have left at any time." Thorne said as he sat down. "In fact, I was hoping that you would. But since you're here, you might as well tell me what you want."

"I know exactly who you are." Barb said.

"Good for you. What do you want? If you want to fuck again it'll have to wait." Thorne said. "I'm here until closing."

"You and your goon raped me!" Barb exclaimed.

Thorne laughed.

"Rape?" He asked incredulous. There are people who will bear witness to the fact that you left with me of your own free will. They will also attest to the fact that your family came here for you and begged you to leave with them and you refused. There is also the fact that I gave you several chances to leave, but yet you decided to go home with me."

"That doesn't mean that you didn't rape me." Barb snapped wondering why she wasn't sticking to the original plan.

"That is true." Thorne conceded. "But rape isn't my style. Anyone who knows me knows this. But if you want to play the game, then I'm all in. Now my friend Allen, he's into the non-consent thing; but he didn't rape you either."

"How do you know? You weren't in the room." Barb said.

"I didn't have to be there." Thorne replied with a cold smile. "I told him not to and just to be sure, I watched."

Barb's face burned with anger and embarrassment.

"You watched? What are you a pervert?" she asked.

"I do enjoy watching on occasion, but usually it's only women like you. I knew what you were the moment I saw you, a money hungry bitch looking for someone to take care of you. But do you know what made you even more irresistible?"

Barb gave him a blank stare.

"Don't you remember?" he taunted. "You walked in here name dropping as if your fucking life depended on it. You mentioned the Sinclaire name with every breath you took. Think back... when did I ask you to go home with me? If you hadn't mentioned the Sinclaire name I would have fucked you in my office and sent you on your way. Do you still want to cry rape?"

Barb was quiet.

"Let me ask you this." Thorne said his green eyes icy. "What were you going to do? Blackmail me? If that was your plan, it would have failed. There was a camera in the car. If you like I can show you the video with your upper torso out of the sunroof and you trying to reach your nipples. I can also show you the video of you sucking Allen's cock without being forced to. So if this is all you've got, I'm busy. Billings will see you home."

Barb was realizing that she had underestimated Thorne and had overestimated herself. She reverted back to her original plan.

"I don't know why I even said that." she said coyly as she reached for Thorne's arm. 

He yanked it away as if it had been burned and glared at her.

"I really came here to tell you that I'm pregnant and you're the daddy."

"How original!" Thorne said laughing. "But you were with Allen too."

"True... "Barb replied feeling more confident, "But Allen only came in my mouth. You on the other hand came inside of me and now I'm pregnant."

Thorne leaned forward and hissed at her.

"Look bitch..." 

He stopped. He heard a beat that was out of time with the music that was playing. She wasn't lying. She was really pregnant and it had to be his. She was right; Allen hadn't fucked her anywhere but in her mouth. Then he had a thought. He hadn't seen her in weeks, who knew how many men she had slept with in hopes of getting one of them to marry her.

He had no choice but to accept her as his mate now that there was a child involved. But first he had to have proof that the child was his and not some human males.

"So... here's how I think we should play this." Barb said. "I think that you should announce our engagement before I start showing and we should have the wedding before then too. I thought that a Caribbean cruise would be nice..."

"Shut the fuck up." Thorne hissed.

"It's either that or I stand up and tell everyone how you treated me and where you left me when you were done."

Thorne smiled at her. 

"As you wish."

Barb in her excitement missed the flash of cold green in Thorne's eyes as he stood up and called for Billings.

"Yes sir." 

"Go up front and bring back the portable microphone." Thorne said.

It was time that the bitch learned who she was fucking with. Moments later, Billings was back with the microphone.

"Excuse me!" Thorne's bass voice boomed. "I apologize for interrupting your good time, but I have someone here who would like to tell you a story that you might enjoy. It's about the night we met."

Thorne looked down at Barb and smiled as he handed her the microphone smiling as people hooted and clapped.

"Come on baby, don't be shy. Tell the nice people a story." Thorne said into the microphone.

"What are you doing?" Barb hissed.

"Showing you that you don't fuck with me." Thorne said not caring who heard him. "I don't know where in the hell you come from and maybe wherever it is men fall for shit like this; but don't you ever threaten me again! Now get your ass the fuck out of my club!"

Barb was stunned. None of her plan had turned out as she thought it would. Her eyes burned with humiliation as people openly laughed at her. She looked up at Thorne who was still staring at her.

"Bastard." She hissed.

"That would be me." he agreed angering her either further. "Now get the fuck out."

"What about your brat?" Barb retorted. She thought she saw a flash of uncertainty in his eyes, but she couldn't be sure. "I'll tell you what, since you don't seem to care about him or her; I'll find someone who does."

She had him.

"You fucking bitch." Thorne hissed. He couldn't take the chance that the child was really his. 

"Yeah that would be me." she replied. She wondered why he wasn't demanding a paternity test. The baby could belong to anyone. No sooner than the thought occurred to her, Thorne spoke.

"Did you think that I was just going to take your word for it?" He asked. "Nothing happens until I have proof. You could have fucked a man a night for all I know. Billings will pick you up at nine pm tonight. He'll take you to a respectable OB/GYN. Until she tells me otherwise, that baby isn't mine. I don't give a rat's ass if you scream it from the rooftops or skywrite that the baby is mine. I won't accept it until I have proof. Now for the last time; get your ass out of my club and don't come back."

Giddy with victory, Barb decided to push her luck.

"I think I'll sta..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Thorne had her over his shoulder and was carrying her through the club. She yelped as she felt several slaps and pinches on her ass. Thorne carried her outside and roughly put her on her feet. 

"She doesn't come in here again." he growled to the security guard. "Make sure everyone knows it."

He turned around and walked back into the club without looking back. He could hear Barb demanding that he come back, that she wasn't through. Thorne went to his office and looked out of his window. Barb was still there arguing with the security guard. Tired of her nonsense, he picked up the phone and called a cab for her.

As he watched her, his cock twitched, hardened and then throbbed. He recognized it for what it was-physical need. There was no rush of the warm emotions that he had heard about nor was there the strong instinct to protect; but he would. She was his mate and therefore his responsibility. If the child was his, then he or she would be cared for and he would love it even if he had no feelings for its mother. He waited by the window until Barb got into the taxi that had finally arrived.

He picked up the phone and dialed Gretchen Matthews's number. There were others that he could have called but he knew of Gretchen's reputation as a top notch OB/GYN. If she was good enough for the Sinclaires' then she was good enough for him. If she was no longer accepting new patients, then he would ask her to refer him to someone that she trusted.




Thorne Ch. 02



He could hear the surprise in her voice when he identified himself.

"What can I do for you?" she asked warily.

"Are you still accepting new patients?" he asked.

"I am... does someone have need of me?"

"There is a woman that I would like for you to see tomorrow night if possible." Thorne replied.

"Is she pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Is the child yours?"

"That is to be determined." Thorne replied his tone terse.

"Did you rape her?" Gretchen asked. The question had become one that she now asked routinely since Ethan raped Katrina.

"No I didn't rape her, but she says that the child is mine and I want proof before I determine my next step."

"I'm confused." Gretchen admitted. "How do you know this woman?"

"You don't need to know that." Thorne replied. "Will you see her or not?"

Gretchen hesitated. A feeling of déjà vu hit her as she asked the next question.

"Is this woman your mate?"

"Yes." 

"Then the child in all likelihood is yours unless she was with someone else before you." Gretchen said.

"I want to be certain." Thorne said.

"Does she know what you are?" Gretchen asked already knowing the answer.

"No but I will inform her pending your confirmation that the child is mine. She will be at your office at nine this evening. Call me with the results as soon as you have them and send the bill to me."

Thorne hung up a moment later and went back to work pushing Barb out of his mind.

*****

Barb was livid! No one had ever treated her the way that she was being treated. She thought she had him when he brought the portable microphone to the table. When he asked her to tell a story what she should have done was announced their engagement. But the opportunity had come and gone. She had been unprepared for his cold and callous attitude toward her. She had been even more surprised that he didn't respond to any of her threats. He really didn't care.

Carrying her out of the club as if she was a bag of trash was the final humiliation. That he would allow strangers to pinch and slap her ass as if she were a whore only added to her anger and humiliation. When the cab pulled up, she stopped arguing with the security guard and got in grimacing at the pain in her backside.

"Where to?" The cabby asked eying her appreciatively.

Barb gave him the address in a tone that made the cabby flinch and dismissed him. Twenty minutes later she was in her apartment changing clothes. She cursed when she saw the packed suitcase sitting by the sofa. Her confrontation hadn't turned out the way that she had planned. But it wasn't over yet she reminded herself. Once the paternity test proved that the baby belonged to Thorne then it was easy street.

She poured herself a glass of milk and sat on the sofa debating her next step. She decided that there was nothing that she could do until Thorne had proof that the baby was his. It didn't stop her from daydreaming about the perfect life that she was hours away from. Her daydreaming was interrupted by a thought. How long would it take to determine paternity? She tried to remember what they said on the Maury Povich show when they did the baby daddy episodes, but couldn't remember. The other question that she had was if she had to wait until after the baby was born. If that was the case, she was stuck in the tiny apartment for at least another seven months.

She opened her laptop and Googled paternity tests. To her relief she saw that she didn't have to wait until the baby was born. The OB/GYN could do an amniocentesis once she reached the fourteenth of pregnancy. The other option was the Chorionic Villus Sampling which could also be done at the fourteenth week mark. She really didn't care which method was chosen. Either of them would give the same results.

The anger at the treatment she had received diminished as she got online to shop for maternity clothes. She didn't buy anything but put the items in her virtual basket. When the time came all she would have to do is enter the credit card information and hit submit.

She spent the rest of the night surfing nanny sites. Once again, she didn't buy; but put her future purchases in a basket. She made sure that all of the women in the profiles that she chose were older and unattractive. The next thing she did was shop for wedding gowns. She didn't see any that she liked but kept looking until early morning when she just couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She went to the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth. She made her way back to the small sofa, laid down and was asleep within minutes. Like every night for the past few weeks, she dreamt of vampires with one new element. Her baby was a vampire too.

*

The rest of the night at the club passed quickly. Thorne was busier than normal with settling disputes and on occasion throwing someone out of the club. Two of those that he threw out were the vampires who had gotten a human woman drunk weeks before. They did at it again not believing that Thorne would keep his word.

"Do you know who we are?" One of them asked.

"I don't give a fuck." Thorne replied. "This is my club and you are no longer welcome here now get out."

When they didn't move, Thorne grabbed them by the lapels of their jackets and dragged them through the club. When they got to the front door, he tossed them out.

"You are not to return to any club that I own now and in the future."

When he wasn't busy he worked on the design of his new club and decided to have a small luxury hotel attached to it. That brought up the issue of location and some other issues as well. By morning, he had decided that entrance to the new club would be by reservation only. That way he would have control over who came in. No walk in's would be allowed.

He left the club in the hands of his new weekend manager and went home. He pulled into the garage just before dawn in relatively high spirits. The mental plans for his club were coming together as well as his plans for the woman who was supposed to be his mate and the child. Even if it wasn't his, it would be cared for, that was the way of his kind.

As far as the woman was concerned, he felt at peace. He would never love her. He knew that and was alright with it. He only had to decide where she was going to live. There also had to be some ground rules one being that there would be no nannies or sitters. She would raise the child with his help. Thorne smiled when he imagined what her reaction was going to be. She had another surprise coming, there was going to be no wedding or honeymoon. They were mated that night and the biggest surprise of all was that she wouldn't have total access to his accounts.

By later in the evening he would know where she was going to live and would have the vampire talk with her. He laughed out loud at the thought. 

"You are getting so much more than you counted on." He murmured under his breath.

Surprisingly, the idea of a child didn't upset him. That Barb Yancy was the mother did. He already knew what she was thinking and looked forward to crushing her dreams. He found Noel and Felix in Noel's wing painting. He noticed that the canvas with the eyes was covered and once again wondered about it. He pulled up a stool and sat next to Noel. 

"How are things?" he asked as he looked at what Noel was working on recognizing it as the view of the club floor from his office.

"It's good." Noel replied with a grin. "Mother called today. She's on her way to one of her month long getaways." 

"Did she say where she was going?" Thorne asked.

"No she didn't." Noel replied. "She never does. So what's going on with you?"

"Several things." Thorne replied as he took off his suit jacket. "The first thing is I'm opening a new club and I would like for you to be a partner."

Noel laid down his brush and looked at Thorne.

"I don't know anything about running a business much less a business like yours." He said.

"That's the beauty of it... I'll run the business end of it, you get to decorate it. Let me tell you what I'm thinking..."

"I like the idea." Noel said after a few minutes. "I also like the name. But there's one thing that I would like to add."

"I'm listening." Thorne said.

"I want you to show your paintings alongside mine..."

"Noel..."

"Come on Thorne, your paintings are brilliant!" Noel exclaimed. 

"I don't know... I don't need the money." Thorne said.

"Then don't sell them." Noel said shrugging his shoulders. "In fact, you don't even have to sign your name on the front if you don't want to. Just initial the back."

"If I say yes will you agree to be my partner?" Thorne asked.

Noel gave it another moment's thought.

"Alright, so where is this club going to be located?" He asked.

They discussed the new club for a few more minutes before he moved on to the next topic.

"Felix, I need for you to hear this too since you live here." Thorne said.

Thirty minutes later, Noel and Felix were staring at him speechless.

"I'll have her stay in the wing close to my side of the house and she won't be allowed access in here." Thorne said.

"What aren't you telling me?" Noel asked.

"Felix, could you excuse us for a moment?" Thorne asked.

When they were alone, he continued.

"The woman's name is Barbara Yancy Simpson." Thorne said. "We met under very... let me just tell you what happened."

"So you're saying that you took advantage of this woman because she was connected to the Sinclaires and it came back to bite you on the ass." Noel said when Thorne was done talking.

"That's about it." Thorne said.

"And she's pregnant with your child..."

"I don't know that it's mine." Thorne broke in.

"Yes you do." Noel replied. "And even if it wasn't, you would still accept it as yours. That tells me something, the problem isn't the child; it's the mother."

Thorne was surprised at how quickly Noel understood the situation and noticed something. He hadn't referred to Barb as his mate and was curious as to why.

"That isn't how you see her." Noel replied. "You see her as a nuisance and someone that you will have to tolerate because of the child. If she weren't pregnant you would have been content to let her continue on her merry little way."

"How do you know this?" Thorne asked.

Noel shrugged.

"Some of it is common sense, but most of it... I can feel. I have only one request... no two." Noel replied. "The first one is to keep me out of your domestic difficulties. The second is that she cannot come in here, at least not until she is invited."

"Both are reasonable requests." Thorne replied.

"When do you anticipate moving her in?" Noel asked.

"I hadn't really thought about it." Thorne said. "But I'm willing to bet that she's already packed and thinking about how she's going to spend my money. Noel, doesn't it bother you that she's connected to the Sinclaires?"

A troubled look crossed Noel's face and then was gone.

"No... should it?" He asked.

Thorne had seen the look but didn't press... yet. At some point he was going to find out why Noel didn't remember that night. He also realized that through Barb, the Sinclaires and the Blackwell's were forever tied together.

"Shit!" he muttered. 

***

Barb was up by early evening puzzled by the reversal of her sleep schedule. After trying for several minutes to think of a cause, she gave up. It was early yet and she still had a few hours before her appointment with the OB/GYN. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't know the name of the OB/GYN. In fact, she knew nothing other than that the doctor was someone that Thorne knew. The second thought that crossed her mind was that the doctor could rule in Thorne's favor and say that the baby wasn't his. According to her research, Thorne had enough money to buy anything and anyone he wanted. He had as much money as the Sinclaires.

Just the thought of knowing how close she was to her dream made her heart race with excitement. The excitement turned to caution when she remembered that she had to get through the paternity test. If the doctor ruled in Thorne's favor; she would go to another doctor and have the test repeated. 

She thought about Thorne's reaction to the news about the pregnancy. It wasn't what she had expected. He had actually laughed at her. She also had the sense that he really didn't care who she told. The proof was when he handed her the microphone and told her to tell the patrons of the club how they met. She squirmed on the couch and grimaced. Some of the slaps and pinches to her ass had been quite hard and she wondered if she had any bruises.

"What kind of man are you?" she asked or loud as she got up from the sofa and headed to the bathroom. 

She used the toilet, washed her hands and then tried to look at her ass. Sure enough, there were a few bruises where she had been pinched. She cursed under her breath and thought about calling the police to report the club. She had been assaulted hadn't she? Reason took over. If she wanted Thorne to marry her, reporting him to the police wouldn't help. The other problem was she had no idea of who had pinched and slapped her so it would have been pointless. 

As she stripped for her shower, she examined herself. Her breasts were tender and sensitive and her stomach really hadn't changed as far as she could tell. She didn't look pregnant, but she knew that she was. She wondered if Louise was showing yet and then remembered her dreams about her being a vampire. She shook her head and laughed.

"It has to be hormones." She said as she stepped into the small shower.

******

Thorne and Noel painted until late morning. Felix had already excused himself leaving the two brothers alone to talk. He had been surprised at the announcement that there would be someone else moving into the house and asked if he could say something. When Thorne gave him the go ahead to speak, he voiced his opinion.

"I know that this is your home and that the woman is your mate." He said. "But please stress upon her that this wing is off limits to her. I as well as Noel value my privacy. If she is going to live here, I would suggest placing wards on the places that we don't want her to go."

Thorne thought for a moment before replying.

"I think that you're right." He said. "But the wards may not work because she is my mate and the house will recognize her as such but... we could get human locks and keys."

Felix crinkled his nose. He didn't mind humans, but he hated all of the things they had to do to protect themselves. He also understood human psychology.

"Do you know what's going to happen when you tell her that certain rooms are off limits?" he asked.

"She'll want to go in." Noel said understanding what Felix was getting at.

"Bingo!" Felix exclaimed. "She won't be able to help herself."

"What are you suggesting?" Thorne asked.

"Why does she need to be here?" Felix asked. "You and I both know that humans are a nosy bunch and speaking for myself, I find them a pain in the ass. But this is your house. Now if you'll excuse me."

After Felix was gone, Thorne turned to Noel.

"What do you think about Felix's suggestion?" he asked.

"It has merit, but if this woman is supposed to be your mate; shouldn't she live with you?" Noel asked.

"In a perfect world that would be true." Thorne replied. "But this woman cares only for money. She is using the child as a way to reach her goal of being supported by a man of means."

Noel was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"She reminds you of mother doesn't she?" He asked softly. 

Thorne looked at Noel and wondered how he had come to that conclusion.

"I didn't say much, but I watched." Noel replied. "I saw that while father may have loved mother, she didn't return the sentiment. When she did; it was false. This woman thinks that she needs money to be happy and as long as she has it; she will be... for a time anyway. My question to you is this, can you live with a loveless mating? And what of the child? How will your relationship or lack of one affect him or her?"

Thorne had already thought about those things and had come to a few conclusions.

"I will not live a lie." He said firmly. "I will not live as father and mother did before he died. The woman and I will come to some agreements which will include limited use of baby sitters. The child will be loved and cared for no matter what the relationship between me and its mother is."

"Eternity is a long time not be loved." Noel said softly. "Maybe it would be best if you did as Felix suggested and put her in her own home."

"Maybe." Thorne agreed. "I'll give it some more thought."

They continued to paint in silence until Thorne spoke again.

"When are you going to tell me about the eyes?"

Noel gave him a guarded look and then answered.

"I... don't know her name or where she is, but she calms me... we calm each other."

"Is she your mate?" Thorne asked.

"I don't know that with any certainty." Noel replied. "But I hope so." He added with a smile.

"Well, whoever she is, she has the most amazing eyes." Thorne said before letting the subject drop. "I'm going to clean up and get some rest. I have the feeling that tonight is going to be rather trying."

"Aren't you going with her to see Gretchen?" Noel asked.

"No." Thorne replied. "I don't want her to get the impression that this is any more than what it is but I will be there for the birth."

"I know that this is your affair, but Thorne; if you want to have any kind of working relationship with this woman you need to go with her. Whether you like it or not, she's still your mate and that child is an innocent. The fact that she is pregnant rests on both of your shoulders. I think that you need to remember that you were the one that brought her home and you didn't have to use her as you did."

Thorne didn't reply. What could he say? Everything that Noel said was true. He would go to the appointment.

*****

Barb showered, got dressed wand waited for her ride to the doctor's appointment. She wasn't really nervous as much as she was excited. A light tap on the door made her jump and then frown. She didn't recall giving Thorne her address. She hurried to the door, opened it and was surprised to see Thorne standing there.

"What do you want?" she asked testily. 

"I am going to the appointment with you." Thorne replied his voice cool.

"Why? To make sure that the doctor tells you what you want to hear?" Barb retorted.

Thorne turned and walked away without replying. She was coming or she wasn't; he didn't really care. He heard footsteps behind him and he kept walking not stopping until he was at the car. He waited until she reached him, opened the door and helped her in.

Barb got in; but was disappointed. She had half expected to receive a kiss on the cheek or on the temple like she had seen Louise and Kevyn receive. She looked to see Thorne staring at her.

"Don't tell me that you were expecting to be greeted with a kiss." He said coldly.

Barb's face burned. How had he known that?

"I want you to understand something." Thorne said in the same cold tone. "I don't like you. In fact, I dislike any woman whose only gain is to find a man to care for them without returning that care. I saw you for what you were the first time that I laid eyes on you and I wish to god that I had never seen you."

Barb felt as if he had just slapped her, but he wasn't finished.

"I have even less respect for a woman who uses a child to reach her goals. Don't take the fact that I'm going to the appointment as a sign that I'm accepting you because I want to. I'm going because as someone told me this morning, it's the right thing to do. After the appointment we'll discuss the terms of our relationship if you want to call it that."

"I don't want your damned money!" Barb exclaimed.




Thorne Ch. 02



"No?" Thorne sneered. "Then why did you come to the club and try to blackmail me? Why did you threaten to go to the police with a false rape accusation? And are you going to tell me that you haven't thought about how you were going to spend my money? When you came to my club the first time, you were on the hunt for some rich fool who would fall for your looks and your woe is me shit."

Barb stared at him, how had he ...

"How do I know what I'm talking about?" Thorne asked. "I know women like you. You aren't hard to read. So much did you order online?" he asked.

"We're here sir." Billings said before Barb could reply.

Thorne got out of the car, walked to the passenger side and opened the door for Barb but didn't offer her his hand. Barb got out of the car and looked around. 

"I thought that we were going to a doctor's office."

"Her name is Gretchen Matthews and she works from her home." Thorne replied as he walked away.

A few minutes later, Barb was stripped and wearing a cotton gown instead of the stiff gowns that she was accustomed to. In spite of herself, she liked Gretchen and her easy going manner even if she did find her a little creepy. She answered the questions truthfully including the ones about how many sexual partners she had before Thorne.

"Why do you need to know that?" Barb asked.

"There is a question about paternity." Gretchen replied. "If it can be determined without doing an invasive procedure, that's for the best. So I need the absolute truth from you. Have you had sex with anyone other than Thorne in the past three months?"

Barb felt a wave of dizziness that quickly passed as she answered the question.

"N... I mean there was Thorne's friend Allen, but we didn't ... why am I telling you this?"

"So there was only Thorne." Gretchen said ignoring the question.

"Yes." Barb replied.

"Alright," Gretchen replied and then gave her the same instructions that she had given Rachel, Katrina and Louise. "I'll see you in two weeks."

Gretchen left the exam room and went out to talk to Thorne.

"Well?" He demanded as soon as he saw her.

"That baby is yours and you damned well know it." Gretchen said her tone curt. "Why you wanted proof of paternity I don't know nor do I care. Does she even know what you are?"

"No... not yet." Thorne admitted.

"Why in the hell not? She's your mate isn't she?" Gretchen asked

"Unfortunately yes." Thorne replied. "I'll tell her before the next appointment. Is there anything else?"

"No... but she looks an awful lot like Louise Sinclaire. Is she related?"

"Thank you for seeing her at the last minute." Thorne said ending the conversation.

Barb came out from the exam room and avoided looking at Thorne by looking at Gretchen.

"Make sure that you follow my instructions and get plenty of rest." Gretchen said. "Also program my number into your cell phone and call with any problems, questions and concerns."

Barb took the offered card, looked at it and put it in her purse. While she had known that she was pregnant, it didn't hit home until it was verified by a doctor. Thorne escorted her to the car, helped her in without speaking to or touching her.

Once they were on their way back to her apartment, he spoke.

"I guess you have what you wanted."

When she didn't respond, he continued.

"Billings will pick you up tomorrow at six pm, we have a lot to talk about."

It was issued as a command and not a request which grated on Barb's nerves.

"You don't get to issue orders!" She snapped. "I could..."

"You could what?" Thorne interrupted. "Keep the child away from me? You could, but ask yourself this; who would support you? I sure as hell wouldn't. I would see to the care of the child but not you so go ahead and do it."

Barb began to realize that she was out of her depth. Thorne hated her; she could feel it and she knew that he meant every word he said to her. If she fought him, she would be no better off than she was now. As she saw it, she had no real choice but to play by his rules until she had a chance to regroup.

Thorne took her silence as consent and said no more. When they arrived at the apartment, once again Thorne did the gentlemanly thing and saw Barb to the door of her apartment.

"Six pm tomorrow night and don't be late." He said and walked away.

Barb stared at his back wishing that she had something to throw at him. She went inside, threw her bag into a corner and made something to eat so she could take the multivitamin. She looked at the huge pill and grimaced at the odor that came from it. She ate the snack and then took the pill almost gagging on it. She forced it down reminding herself that if anything happened to the baby because she didn't follow the doctor's instructions; she would lose everything.

After her snack, Barb changed her clothes and lay down on the sofa. As she channel surfed, she wondered how Thorne knew some of the things he did and finally attributed it to several lucky guesses on his part. But still she was unnerved. She was going to delete her pending purchases from her online shopping baskets but thought better of it. It was too late in the game to pretend that she was something that she wasn't. She suspected that he would have seen through her anyway.

The later the evening went, the more awake she became until she thought that she would jump out of her skin. She got up and put on a sweat suit and decided to go for a walk to work off the excess energy. Then she changed her mind. She was moving out of the tiny apartment and she needed to pack up. She would start the daily walks later. She worked until five when her body began to fatigue but her mind was still active. She laid down on the couch and fell asleep wondering what there was to talk about.

*****

Leon was tired, but he felt better than he had ever felt in his entire life. His first order of business that he wanted to attend to was visiting Barb. 

"I'm fine." He told Nadine when she tried to get him to rest for another day.

"Maybe you should call her first." Nadine advised.

"I don't have a number and she wouldn't answer anyway." Leon replied. "I just need to make sure that she's alright."

"I know and understand." Nadine replied. "But you have to be prepared for the fact that she may not want to talk to you any more than she does Kevyn and Louise."

That may Leon pause.

"I don't get it." He said softly. "I mean does she hate our family that much?"

"I don't think it's that." Nadine said. "It's what her interpretation of what love is that's the issue. She loves all of you, but she can't get around the fact that all of you have something that she doesn't. You and the others need to accept the fact that she has made her choice and that there's nothing that you can say or do to change how she feels. That has to come from her."

"Are you saying that I shouldn't try to see her?" Leon asked.

"No, but what I am saying is that yelling at her to see sense isn't going to help. She has heard it all before."

"But not from me." Leon said.

"Has she listened to you in the past?" Nadine challenged.

"No but..."

"Why do you think that she'll listen now? Leon, I can't tell you what to do; but I believe that she'll see you as one more person who has what she wants. If you go to her, just let her know that we're here for her. The rest is up to her."

"I want to talk to him... Thorne Blackwell too." Leon said. 

"I thought as much." Nadine said. "You're a good brother, but will you at least listen to what he has to say first? There are always two sides to every story." 

"Ok, you're right; but I'm going to make sure that he isn't hurting her." Leon replied. "Dina...those people who hurt you..."

"Are gone and I don't want you looking for them." Nadine said cutting him off.

"But if they're still around they could try to finish what they started."

"I'm much stronger now." Nadine said taking his hands in hers. "And I have you and the others. Now promise me that you'll leave well enough alone."

Reluctantly, Leon promised but with a stipulation.

"If I see one of the bastards, I'll kill them."

*****

Louise loved the cooking classes and was amazed by how much she didn't know. She liked the instructor and his easy going manner even when she made mistakes. She had a feeling that he wasn't usually so easy going, but Nathan's presence made him watch his tongue. Every evening she looked at her reflection in the mirror looking for the telltale bump that would tell the world that she was pregnant. It was always during that time that she thought about Barb. On more than one occasion she thought about having Nathan finds her number so that she could call and at least check up on her. She had even given thought to going to her apartment but had always resisted.

Now that Barb had made contact with Gene, she felt a little better. Just knowing that Leon was going to see her helped too. Every once in a while she would still feel the immense feeling of sadness, but still had been unable to pinpoint where it was coming from.

"Madame!" Pierre the instructor called gently, "You must pay attention to the soufflé!"

"What?" Louise asked distractedly.

"The Soufflé... you must watch it." 

Nathan moved to her side and looked down at her.

"What's going on?" he asked. "It's not like you to be so distracted."

"I'm fine." She replied. "I was just thinking about Barb."

"Are you sure that's it?" Nathan asked scanning her face.

"Yes, I'm sure... oh hey I think that the soufflé is finished." She said looking at the oven timer. 

She moved to the timer and froze. The feeling of intense sadness was back. It was so intense that she gasped.

"Lou?" Nathan called and was immediately at her side. "What's happening?" he asked as he led her to a chair.

"I... it was that feeling again." She explained. "It ... I wish that I knew where it was coming from."

Instead of being fleeting as usual, the feeling stayed with her for more than ten minutes before subsiding. Louise was almost wishing that it was the other feeling instead of this one. The feelings of foreboding she could handle, but this was almost too much.

By the time she recovered the soufflés were out of the oven and cooling and she had downed two glasses of water.

"Maybe you should go lie down." Nathan suggested.

"No I'm fine." Louise replied. "And besides, I've been saving my appetite for the soufflé."

After sampling the soufflé, they cleaned up although the Pierre insisted that they didn't need to.

"We helped make the mess, we help clean it up." Louise replied as she gathered up the dirty dishes.

Between the three of them, the kitchen was cleaned in no time. Nathan kept watching Louise wondering what was on her mind. When they were finally alone, he asked.

"What are you thinking about? And don't say nothing. I can always tell when you're thinking about something."

Louise smiled.

"I can't fool you can I?" She teased. "I was thinking about Barb again and wondering if she told Thorne about the baby yet."

"And what else?" Nathan asked.

"I'm wondering about the feelings of sadness." Louise continued. "Call me crazy, but I would almost rather have the feelings of foreboding."

"Do you have any idea of where the feelings are coming from?" Nathan asked.

"No... but what if they were coming from Barb's baby?" Louise asked. "Think about it before you say no. It isn't our baby. It isn't Celeste, she's happier than I've ever seen her and it isn't Kevyn or Patrick."

"It could be Joseph." Nathan offered. "You felt something coming from him at the twins' wedding."

"True," Louise agreed, "But it isn't him. I don't know how I know that; but it isn't him. He felt different. There was anger mixed with his sadness. This is more intense and there's an element of fear which is why I thought of Celeste first. I think its Barb's baby."

"Alright, let's say for the sake of argument that it is, wouldn't Barb or Thorne feel it?" Nathan asked.

"I would say yes except that Barb really doesn't want the baby and has no emotional attachment to it. He or she is a means to an end for her." Louise said. "I don't know about Thorne, but the question is; if they're feeling it, would they recognize it for what it is?"

Nathan was silent for several minutes.

"If it is Barb's baby, why do you think that you're the one it's reaching out to?"

"I don't know." Louise replied. "Maybe it's because our pregnancies are so close together. I hope that Barb will start to care for the baby, if she doesn't..."

Louise stopped talking as the feeling of foreboding that she hadn't had for a week hit her and Nathan both. Nathan grabbed Louise's hand to anchor her as she tried to trace it back to its origins. Just like before, it was within reach; but she couldn't hang on to it. Nathan stopped her when her nose began to bleed.

"Sweetheart, let it go." Nathan said gently.

"It's right there!" Louise exclaimed. "I can almost touch it!"

"I know," Nathan said as he wiped the blood from her nose. "I felt it too, but did it feel different to you this time?"

"No, not really." Louise replied.

She wanted to try again, but knew what Nathan would say; so she didn't even broach the subject. Nathan poured her a glass of juice and then insisted that she take a nap.

"Nathan I'm fine." She insisted.

"I know, but you know how cranky Gretchen can be if you aren't well rested." Nathan replied as he picked her up and carried her to the living room. "You can rest here with your head in my lap while we watch Hell's Kitchen."

"I'll agree only if you wake me up in an hour." Louise said as she settled on the couch with her head in Nathan's lap.

"We'll see." Nathan replied as he began to stroke her forehead. Moments later, she was asleep giving Nathan time to think things over.

*****

The jet landed at ten pm Pacific Standard Time. A group of well-dressed people, three women and three men disembarked and went directly to baggage claim to wait for their luggage. The people, although obviously traveling together didn't speak to each other or to anyone who spoke to them. They patiently waited for their luggage as other travelers grumbled and complained about the wait. They were in no hurry. They were on a well-deserved vacation.

"Finally!" a woman who wasn't a part of their group muttered.

Two of the women in the group looked at her through dark sunglasses; but didn't speak. The woman started to make further comment, but shuddered instead and moved away eying the sextet warily.

They waited until last to retrieve their luggage and made their way to the waiting stretch limo. Once inside of the limo, one of the women spoke. We are here to vacation, don't do anything to ruin this. Am I clear?"

None of the five answered her. In fact, they appeared not to have heard her.

"Good, I'm glad that we understand each other." The woman said.

The rest of the ride progressed in silence. When the car pulled up to a large gate, it opened letting it pass through. Several minutes later, they were each in their own quarters free to do whatever they wanted as long as it didn't draw attention to them. 

******

Louise's eyes flew open and she sat straight up. She looked at Nathan and knew that like most times, felt what she was feeling. They waited not speaking for the feeling of foreboding to pass and became alarmed when it didn't.

Louise was about to reach out to the feeling when Nathan stopped her.

"No... don't." he said firmly.

"But we can find out who or what it is." Louise replied.

"Not like this." Nathan replied. "How do we know that whatever it is can't sense you?"

"But you let me try before..."

"This feels different." Nathan replied. "I can't explain it, but I don't want you trying to reach or make contact with it. I'm going to call Ethan and let him know that trouble in some form is here. When I'm done, we need to talk about security issues. Consider us on high alert until we know what's happening."

Louise listened as Nathan talked to Ethan.

"No, the feeling hasn't subsided." He said.

"And you're certain that it isn't the mate of one that we hurt?" Ethan asked.

"Both Louise and I are certain of that." Nathan replied. "We've already gone on high alert until we know what this is."

"Alright," Ethan said. "You call Leon and Hans and Patrick and I'll call Martin and the security team. When you're through with that, call me back. I want hear what the others are thinking, better yet; tell everyone to be here at six tomorrow evening... shit..."

"What?" Nathan asked.

"Never mind." Ethan said. "I was wondering if we should make some kind of general announcement, but what would I say?"

Nathan thought for a few moments.

"We could just send out warnings on the website urging extra caution and asking people to tell those who don't have access to the website. I just don't feel right about not saying anything, but I think that making a public announcement is premature. We don't know what or who we're dealing with."

"You're right." Ethan said. "But call me as soon as you know anything and I don't care what time it is. I'll take care of the announcements."

Nathan hung up and sat next to Louise and put his arms around her. 

"I want you to promise me that you won't try to reach out to whom or whatever it is that we're sensing." He said his tone firm.

"Then how are we supposed to find out about them?" Louise asked frustrated.

"I don't know." Nathan replied. "But I do know that I'm not going to risk you or the baby to learn about them... Lou, there's more than one of it or whoever they are."

"How do you know?" Louise asked. "I didn't feel that."

"I don't know." Nathan replied. "How is it that you feel the sadness of who you think is Barb's baby and I don't? I think that there's a lot that we don't know about our gifts. I also think that we'll learn what we can and can't do as we go along."

"What you're saying is now isn't the time to experiment." Louise said.

"What I'm saying is that safety is the priority." Nathan said. "It concerns me that the feeling of unease hasn't gone away like it has before. It means that whatever it is, it's still here and for whatever reason, it hasn't moved on.

"I don't like just sitting here and doing nothing." Louise said. "What if it kills or hurts someone?"

"We'll do what we can to prevent that." Nathan replied, "But you still haven't given me your word that you won't try to reach them."

"Fine, I won't try to reach it or them." Louise replied. "But you'd better have Patrick make Kevyn give the promise. Remember, she was the one who can hear the thoughts of vampires."

"True, but she hasn't had any of the feelings that we do." Nathan said. "We have a connection to them if we should choose to use it, but still; your point is well taken. I need to make some phone calls including one to Patrick. I'll go to the study so that you can rest."

"No, stay here." Louise said. "I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway."

Nathan settled back in on the sofa, put an arm around her and kissed her before calling Patrick, Hans and then Leon filling them in on the latest developments. 

"What's the plan?" All three men asked when told about the new developments.

"Ethan is going to make a general announcement over the internet encouraging caution." Nathan said. "I know we don't know what we're dealing with and for all we know they're only after us. But I agree with Ethan, we need to encourage extra caution. Ethan also wants all of us to meet tomorrow night at his house."

The conversation with Leon took the longest. Since he was new to the world of vampires, he had the most questions.

"First, how is my sister doing?" Leon asked.

"She's well." Ethan replied. "She's here beside me if you would like to speak to her."





Thorne Ch. 02



"Yeah, put her on for minute." Leon said.

They talked for a few minutes before Louise handed the phone back to Nathan. Leon had asked her a very valid question.

"Is someone going to call Barb?"

No one other than Gene had spoken to Barb and she hadn't given him her phone number. As much as she wanted to honor barb's request that she not be contacted, Louise was going to do it anyway. As soon as Nathan was done talking to Leon, she would ask him to use their computer program to find Barb's number. If she hung up, then they would go to her apartment.

As soon as Nathan hung up, he looked at Louise already knowing what she was thinking.

"Stay put, I'll get the laptop." He said.

Fifteen minutes later, Louise had Barb's phone number. 

"You call her and I'll try to reach Thorne." Nathan said. 

"You're really going to call him?" Louise asked surprised.

"Yes." Nathan replied. "The fact is whether I like it or not, Thorne Blackwell is now tied to us because of Barb. That means that we are as responsible for his safety as well as he is for ours even if he doesn't realize or want to acknowledge it."

"He's going to be angry isn't he?" Louise asked.

"He'll have to get over it." Nathan replied. "We are now connected for eternity."

Louise nodded, picked up her phone and dialed Barb's number.

*****

Barb was in the process of deciding what to wear when her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and cursed when she saw that it was Louise. She almost didn't answer it, but she wanted to know how Louise had gotten her number.

"What do you want and how did you get this number?" She snapped.

"Barb, listen I know that you don't want to talk to me, but I have to warn you..."

"Warn me?" Barb asked. "And you still haven't told me how you got my number."

"That isn't important." Louise said. "I just wanted to tell you to be very careful. Something bad is here and I don't know what it is. Nathan is..."

"Since you called." Barb interrupted, "I'll give you a bit of news. I'm getting married to Thorne Blackwell. I was in the process of deciding what to wear tonight for dinner..."

"Barb will you listen to me for a minute? You have to be careful!" Louise insisted.

"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" Barb asked conveniently forgetting how she had acted when she found out that Louise was getting married. "Oh and there's one more surprise... I'm pregnant too."

"Congratulations!" Louise said as a different feeling of unease grew in the pit of her stomach. "Are you taking care of yourself?" 

"I'm fine." Barb replied happy that the conversation was centered on her. "I saw a doctor last night."

"Good... who are you seeing?"

"Someone that Thorne knows... Gretchen Matthews. She's kind of creepy if you ask me, but I like her."

"That's who I'm seeing." Louise said. "I like her and I don't find her creepy at all."

Barb tensed, what had started as a tense phone call was evolving into as pleasant chat between sisters and that wasn't what she wanted. She had wanted to take the opportunity to gloat. She abruptly changed her tone.

"Was that all you wanted?" She asked abruptly. She could tell that Louise was taken aback by the sudden switch back to her previous attitude.

"I just wanted to warn you to be careful." Louise replied wondering what had happened. If the conversation would have progressed in a pleasant manner, she would have asked Barb what she knew about Thorne. 

"Thanks and Louise? Don't call me again... I'll call you."

Barb hung up with mixed feelings. It felt good to talk with Louise, but on the other hand; Louise still represented something that she didn't have which didn't make sense. She now had Thorne Blackwell in the palm of her hand. What else was there? Barb shrugged the question off deciding that it didn't matter.

*****

Thorne checked the time and made a call to the club to touch base with Duke.

"How are things going?" He asked.

"It's busy as usual." Duke replied. "But it's going well."

"Good." Thorne said. "I may not be in tonight, call me on my cell if any problems come up that you can't handle."

No sooner had he hung up when the phone rang again. He looked at the caller ID and scowled.

"What in the hell does he want?" he muttered under his breath as he picked up the phone.

"Blackwell." He snapped into the phone.

"This is Nathan..."

"I know who you are now what do you want?"

Nathan's originally friendly tone turned cold.

"Whether you like it or not, we are now connected." Nathan said coldly. "The thought doesn't make us any happier about it than you are, but be that as it may; we are now obligated to help and protect each other."

"I'll ask again, what do you want?" Thorne demanded.

"I only called to warn you that something is here. We don't know who or what it is, but we have gone on high alert." Nathan replied ignoring Thorne's belligerent attitude.

Thorne hesitated. One of the things he remembered about the Sinclaires was their uncanny ability to sense trouble. It had saved all of them, his family included more than once. 

"How do you know this?" Thorne asked his tone more reasonable.

"My mate is a seer as well as an empath." Nathan replied. "I am also both of those things because of her. We have been experiencing feelings of foreboding for the past few weeks, but they have always gone away."

"And now they haven't." Thorne said.

"No." Nathan replied. "I don't know if you've told Barb about what we are yet, but I cannot stress strongly enough that she understand how imperative secrecy is."

"You don't need to tell me what I already know." Thorne said coolly. "Is there anything else?"

"No." Nathan replied. "I'll call you with any further developments and one more thing, be at Ethan's house tomorrow night at six."

"Are you out of your mind?" Thorne asked surprised. "There is no love lost between our families."

"I know this." Nathan replied. "The only reason that I called you is because of Barb. Unfortunately she ties you to us and that makes us responsible for the safety of each other."

Thorne was quiet. It seemed that the day was filled with truths.

"Thorne, I know that our families used to be close. We were friends and allies, maybe we can straighten out the misunderstanding and become friends again especially since we are tied together."

"Don't count on it." Thorne said his tone cool. "Call me with any changes."

After Nathan hung up, Thorne thought about the past. The Sinclaires and the Blackwell's had been friends and allies and then one fight and two deaths changed everything. Thinking about the past also brought back another question. Why didn't Noel remember being at the fight? It was a question that would be addressed after he dealt with Barb Yancy Simpson soon to be Blackwell.

******

Barb was ready by five thirty after changing her clothes several times. Billings was at her door promptly at six. By seven, they were pulling into the parking lot of what looked to be a rundown office building.

"Where are we?" Barb asked disappointed. She had imagined that they would be going to a nice restaurant.

"This is one of Mr. Blackwell's offices." Billings explained.

"Why are we here?" Barb asked.

"I only know that Mr. Blackwell told me to bring you here. Shall we go inside?"

Felix helped Barb out of the car and took her into the building. The inside was much different than the exterior. The inside was tastefully decorated and was masculine in taste. 

"This way." Billings said leading her to an elevator.

Moments later, Barb was in an office sitting across from Thorne who took in her expression of disappointment.

"Were you expecting a romantic dinner?" He asked.

When Barb didn't reply, he continued.

"I chose my office because it is a place of business and what we will be talking about is business. First, get the idea of a wedding and a honeymoon out of your head. It isn't going to happen. Before you say anything about appearances, you should remember that I don't give a fuck about what people think or say about me. Do you have any questions so far?"

Barb stared at him and knew that he was serious. There was no point in arguing about it now. She only wanted the wedding so that she could show off.

"Good, then I'll continue." Thorne said after waiting for a moment. "I have accepted the fact that the child that you carry is mine. You will receive the best medical care and will be moved to my home."

Barb smiled.

"I'm not done." Thorne said coolly. "There are guidelines that you will be expected to follow."

"Are you going to make me sign a lease or something?" Barb asked sarcastically.

The coldness in Thorne's glittering green eyes stopped her from making any further comment. Thorne looked at her for several seconds before he continued speaking.

"You will receive a generous monthly stipend to spend as you wish, but once it is gone; there will be no more until the following month. Accounts have been opened in your name at several stores. Again, there is a limit as to how much you can spend at each store. Any attempts on your part to have the staff make concessions will be reported to me.

Now, let's talk about the care of our child. There will be no live in nannies nor will you pawn him or her off to as babysitter while you spend your time shopping or whatever it is that you plan to do."

Barb listened furious as Thorne shot down her plans one by one.

"You look angry." Thorne said as he leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his desk. "I gather that I blew your plans to hell. But let's continue shall we? No matter how I may feel about you, our child will be loved and cared for. I will be an active participant in his or her life. The moment I find out that you've been trying to put the care of our child into someone else's hands, you leave and the child stays. But somehow, I don't think that would break your heart. I know what this child is to you. It's nothing more than a meal ticket and don't bother denying it."

Barb's face burned with fury.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Barb retorted. "I care about this baby!"

"Only because of what you think that it can do for you." Thorne replied with a cold smile. "I have to give you credit." He added. 'You're one hell of a business woman. Too bad you spread your legs instead of using your brain."

"You tricked me!" Barb yelled as she jumped out of the chair. 

"I did no such thing." Thorne replied calmly. "Need I remind you that I gave you every opportunity to back out? You came to my club looking for some rich fool who would be taken in by your looks. Not only that, let me remind you that your family begged you to leave with them. Let me ask you something, your sister, the one that threw up; she made a statement about Hans being for you. What do you think that she meant?"

"I don't know, but let me tell you something." Barb said her eyes narrowed. "I don't know who you think you are, but you don't get to tell me what I can and can't do with my time or my baby."

"Actually, you're right so I'm going to give you a choice. You play by my rules and you get the life that you want. If you don't, I keep the baby and send your ass packing. I really don't care which option you choose, but you will choose one now."

"Now?" Barb asked finally understanding that she was way out of her depth. 

"Now." Thorne said watching her. 

If she decided to walk out, then he wouldn't have to go into the explanation of whom and what he was. But he knew which option she would choose. The money was too great a lure.

"I accept your terms." Barb replied after several minutes.

"Before we go any further, do you have any questions regarding our agreement? Because once I agree, then there's no going back."

"How much is the stipend?" Barb asked.

"One- hundred thousand dollars. Each of the stores will have a credit limit of ten-thousand dollars." Thorne replied waiting for her to ask about the physical part of their relationship.

"I want a wedding." Barb said firmly.

"No." Thorne said firmly. "I told you that I don't care about appearances nor will I pretend that this is more than it really is; an arrangement in order to do the right thing."

"So you're expecting me to move into your house and live there under your rules without any compromise?" Barb asked.

Thorne smiled as his eyes roamed down Barb's body giving her yet another chance to clarify their relationship. 

"Alright, when do I move in?" she asked ignoring his blatant perusal of her body.

"Are you sure that there are no other questions?" Thorne asked. "I don't want to be accused of tricking you and as I said, once I agree; it's done. Oh one more thing, the stipend is not to be used to pay a nanny. I understand that you will need time for yourself so that is one point on which I am willing to compromise."

Something niggled at Barb but she ignored it seeing only her goal.

"How generous of you!" Barb snapped.

"Are you accepting my offer?" Thorne asked. "If you decline there will be no ill will. I take the child and will raise it alone. We will never have to see each other again."

"I... I accept." Barb replied tersely. In her mind, she had lost the battle; but not the war.

"Then I accept, now sit down; we have other things so discuss."

As soon as Thorne said that he accepted, Barb felt an almost unpleasant pull on her heart. What she didn't know was that Thorne felt the same pull. Thorne waited until she was sitting before he continued.

"There is the matter of who and what I am." He said watching her carefully. 

"I know who and what you are." Barb said. "You're Thorne Blackwell, entrepreneur and a son of a bitch."

"Don't waste time with the name calling." Thorne said. "I've been called much worse and it accomplishes nothing. I'm not going to sugar coat this or try to be gentle in my explanations. You'll have to accept the situation as it is and you will give me your word when I am through that you will keep your mouth shut."

Barb was appalled at the way that she was being spoken to, forgetting how she normally spoke to people.

"Good, I have your attention." Thorne said with a cool smile. He was actually enjoying himself. "I'm a vampire and by default, you are my mate. That is the only reason why we're even talking You are also immortal, you will remain as you are for eternity."

"Vampire?" Barb asked laughing. "Is this some ploy to get me to back out of our arrangement?"

"Not at all." Thorne replied. "I'm just telling you what you need to know. Our arrangement as you call it is now set in stone. There are things that you need to be aware of as the mate of a vampire. First and foremost, secrecy is our best protection. What that means is that you cannot talk about what we are to anyone who is not a part of this... family for lack of a better term. What it means is that you have a propensity for opening your mouth when it is best left closed. If you will recall, it was the flaunting of the Sinclaire name that got you into trouble."

"There are no such things as vampires." Barb replied.

Before she knew what was happening, Thorne was out of his chair and was holding her up against him with fangs bared.

"Vampires exist as do other creatures." He said as he stared into her face. "It will do you well to remember that." He said as he put her down on her feet.

"Oh my god... is that why I'm dreaming about vampires?" Barb asked as she sat down in a daze. "I keep dreaming about Louise... she's always drinking blood and I saw Nathan with fangs... and the baby... it was a vampire too... oh..."

Thorne watched as Barb struggled to accept the truth of what he told her.

"You got much more than you bargained for when you came to my club." He said not feeling any sympathy for her. "While we're at it, I want to explain something to you. The night that you came to the club, you were mated to someone else."

"What?" Barb asked. "No I wasn't..."

"Yes you were, but in your quest for wealth, you refused to see him because he didn't appear to have much. You judged him by what you saw. Your mate was at the club that night. He didn't want you anymore than you wanted him, but for different reasons. Like me, he knew what you were and are but he was willing to step up for you. Several people, including your family heard and saw you deny him. Do you remember now?"

Barb replayed that night at the club in her mind.

"Hans is for you!" Louise had called out as she tried to pull her away from Thorne. 

"Hans." Barb whispered. "It was Hans?" She asked Thorne.

"It was." He confirmed. 

"I didn't know... I..."

"Cut the bullshit." Thorne said crossly. "Playing the confused female doesn't become you. You didn't acknowledge what you knew because you went by appearances. Hans has almost as much money as the Sinclaires although he doesn't look like it. You did him a big favor when you denied him and I fucked myself when I didn't make you leave with your family. So you see, both of us have to live with the consequences of our choices. But I digress. 

You have the need to announce who you are in order to feel important or to have doors opened for you. As I mentioned, it was one of the things that drew my attention to you. You will need to keep your mouth shut. You are not to discuss the fact that I am vampire with anyone who is not a part of our family."

"How am I supposed to know who that is?" Barb asked. Her head was beginning to ache as she tried to absorb all of the information being thrown at her.

"I'm going to tell you because if I do, maybe you'll remember to keep your mouth shut."

"The Sinclaires?" Barb asked shocked. "And Hans?"

"Yes." Thorne said quietly. "Every time you start to speak out of turn remember who you could be placing in danger."

"What kind of danger?" Barb asked. "Aren't vampires supposed to be invincible?"

"We like all species have enemies." Thorne explained. "Our enemies are called hunters. Their sole mission on this earth is to eradicate the vampire species and they don't care whether it's a woman or a child. The hunters are almost always human which makes them especially dangerous during the daylight hours when most of us are at rest. Unfortunately, there are some of my kind who help the hunters. The reasons don't matter, they are traitors and when caught will be treated as such."

"These hunters, how will I know one?" Barb asked.

"You won't." Thorne replied. "That's why it's important that you don't discuss anything pertaining to vampires or the supernatural with anyone even if the subject comes up. More of our kind has been caught by a mate accidentally giving information to a hunter than any other reason. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I'm not stupid!" Barb shouted.

"That's a matter of opinion." Thorne replied and continued before Barb could say anything. "I got a call from Nathan Sinclaire..."

"Nathan? Why did he call you?" Barb asked.

"He called to warn me." Thorne said. "Apparently, I was right about your sister. She's quite powerful. It's another case of looks being deceiving."

"What do you mean?" Barb asked. "Louise is just ... Louise and what does she have to do with anything?"

"Louise may look mild, but she fought for you." Thorne said. "Of course, you neglected to see that. But at any rate, she is what is known as an empath. Do you know what that is?" 

"Once again, I will tell you that I'm not stupid." Barb snapped.

"She is also a seer... I assume that you know what that is?" Thorne asked his tone snide. He took Barb's dirty look as consent and continued. "Both her and Nathan have been experiencing some feelings. They seem to think that something is here and whatever and whoever it is had malevolent intentions."

"And you believe them?" Barb asked.

"I may not like the Sinclaires, but for one of them to call me tells me that they are concerned. In fact, they are so concerned, that I've been invited to the home of Ethan Sinclaire for a meeting. So yes, I believe them." Thorne said. "This makes it imperative that you follow my warnings."




Thorne Ch. 02



"You can't tell me ..."

Thorne picked Barb up and put his face so close to hers that their noses touched.

"What fucking part of what I just told you don't you understand?" He hissed. "I swear to god, if you do anything that brings danger to this house; I will kill you myself. I'm only going to warn you this once. Keep your fucking mouth closed and your damned insecurities in check. If you can't, I'll lock your ass away until this is over and don't tell me that I can't. Our world doesn't follow human law; it wouldn't be seen as kidnapping or abuse. Do you understand me?"

'I'm not afraid of you." Barb replied.

"I don't care if you are or not." Thorne replied. "The only things that matter is that you abide by our agreements and that you help in keeping all of us safe. You do those things and we'll be fine. When we get home, I'll take you on a tour of the house. There are areas that are private and you will be expected to honor that privacy."

"When do I move in?" Barb asked as she stood up.

"Later, after we take care of one piece of unfinished business." Thorne said his eyes glittering.

"What's left?" Barb asked. "You've already given me enough rules...."

Her eyes widened when Thorne stood up. The bulge in his pants telling her what the last piece of business was.

"Now wait a damned minute!" She said backing away. "You didn't say anything about sex."

"No I didn't." Thorne conceded. "But I gave you several chances to clarify what was expected of you in this... arrangement. As always you only saw dollar signs. Your first question was about the money. So now, you are expected to function as a proper mate." 

"And If I say no?" Barb asked seeing that she had been too anxious in accepting Thorne's offer.

"If you're asking if I would rape you, the answer is no, but; it would be a breach of contract." Thorne said almost patiently.

"I didn't sign anything." Barb retorted.

"Do you remember what I said?" Thorne asked. "I told you that once I agreed there was no going back. By accepting my offer, you accepted me as your mate. The night I fucked you was our wedding night that was the night that we became mates. I should tell you that the idea less than thrills me but we still have physical needs that have to be met. Of course, you could say no and I would accept that. I would care for you until after the baby is born I would erase your memory and then you could move on to easier pickings."

"I am not a damned hooker!" Barb exclaimed tears of anger blurring her eyes.

"I beg to differ." Thorne said coldly. "You took my money didn't you? And don't say it was for the baby. You've not once mentioned the welfare of the child. This was all about you and your greed. So what's it going to be?"

Barb started for the door and then stopped. What she thought that she wanted was within her grasp and who knew if she would ever get another opportunity. "I'm not a whore." She thought to herself as she turned around to look at Thorne. She gasped when she saw that he was already naked.

"Just as I thought." Thorne said looking at her with a mixture of lust and dislike. "You're already wet even though you don't want to be. I can smell it from here." He said as he approached her. "Don't bother fighting it; it's the pull of mates. The only thing missing is that I don't and won't ever love you which I have no problem with. That should work for you as well, after all; you care nothing about love... or so you say."

Now standing in front of her, Thorne looked down at her and thought Barb's clothes away. Barb teetered on the line of indecision. Thorne was right she conceded to herself, she both hated and wanted him.

She covered her breast with one arm and covered her mound with her free hand wanting but not wanting him to touch her.

"It's a little late for modesty isn't it?" Thorne sneered. "You went home with me and fucked two men and now you cover yourself as if you were a shy bride? Give me a fucking break."

Slowly Barb moved her hands giving Thorne access to her body. He was right she thought as she waited. But sex was also a powerful weapon if used correctly. There wasn't a man alive who didn't respond to sex and Thorne Blackwell was no exception.

She gasped when he tweaked an already sensitive nipple between his fingers. He leered at her response and tweaked the nipple again as his other arm went around her. Barb noticed that there was no emotional warmth in any of the actions and realized that it was as he said. Their physical relationship would have no emotional qualities to it. As far as he was concerned, she could be a hooker that he picked up off the street.

Thorne released the nipple, picked her up and carried Barb over to his desk. Without saying anything, he laid her on it and opened her legs. Without hesitation, he rammed into her moaning at the contact. The weeks of involuntary abstinence had taken their toll. He came with a roar after the third thrust. He collapsed on top of her, rested for a moment and then began pumping into Barb with long, slow strokes. Barb cried out when Thorne reached down between them and pinched her clit between his thumb and forefinger.

Her hatred of him was forgotten as the first orgasm in weeks wracked her body. Even as the orgasm waned, Thorne was coming a second time. When he was through, he stayed imbedded in her and rubbed her clit until she screamed her second release.

Afterwards, he dressed them without speaking and led her to the car.

"Billings, take her to her apartment so that she can gather her things. After that, take her to the house on the ocean."

"Yes sir." Billings said nodding his head.

Thorne walked away without looking back. He had to tell Noel and Felix that Barb was going to be living with them.

Barb looked out of the back window of the car and smiled. She had finally succeeded. She began planning her first dinner party... she could hardly wait to see the look on Kevyn's face. But then she remembered that she told Louise about Thorne and the baby. It didn't matter she decided. The fact that she was as rich as they were was enough. 

When they reached her apartment, she practically flew up the stairs. She grabbed her laptop and the suitcase that she had already packed and rushed back out.

"Let me take those." Billings said reaching for the suitcase. "Is there anything else?"

"One bag and I'll carry it." Barb said eager to be gone from the apartment."

Ten minutes later, she was on her way. The fact that she had sex with a man who was supposed to be her mate in a very impersonal way didn't bother her. Neither did she believe that he and the Sinclaires were vampires even though she believed it when Thorne told her about it. Now that she had time to think, she didn't believe most of what he told her. But that was alright as long as he upheld his end of things, he could say and do whatever he wanted. That decided, Barb laid her head back and closed her eyes in contentment. She had her new life. She could do without the wedding for now. It could wait until later. For now though, she would play the game and bide her time and gain Thorne's trust. In time, she would have more than a mere one-hundred thousand a month. In fact, she would have everything that she wanted.

*******

Thorne watched the car as it pulled out of the parking lot and started to laugh. He knew that while Barb had initially believed him, by the time she got home; she would have convinced herself that he was crazy. He also knew something else. Barb thought that she had him fooled. He would let her think so because at the moment there wasn't anything that he could do about it until she was in his house. He made a phone call and then vanished home. He had to prepare Noel and Felix for the arrival of their house guests.



Thorne Ch. 03



Thorne found Noel where he always found him, in his studio painting. The portrait of the eyes was uncovered. Thorne found that odd, but didn't question it. Felix was sitting on the other side of the room sketching which explained why the portrait of the eyes was uncovered. With him gone and Felix on the other side of the room, Noel could leave the portrait exposed in peace. Thorne glanced at the eyes before saying anything.

"We need to talk." He said as he sat down.

Noel looked at him and then at the painting before covering it in an almost protective manner. When it was covered, he gave his full attention back to Thorne.

"What's going on?" Noel asked. "You're home early."

"I met with the woman-Barb." Thorne replied. "She's on her way here."

"Alright." Noel said. "What else?"

"Felix, come over here." Thorne called out.

When Felix was sitting, Thorne started over.

"I was just telling Noel that the woman will be living here." Thorne said his tone telling Felix that he wasn't going to be argued with. "I am well aware of your concerns regarding your privacy and I plan to emphasize that there are areas that she does not have access to. If you want to be certain that she can't enter your private area, there is the option of using human locks and keys."

"When is she coming?" Felix asked.

"She's on her way." Thorne replied. "There is a reason for why I'm moving her in here as opposed to a home of her own."

He told them about the phone call from Ethan Sinclaire.

"Wait a minute." Felix said. "Aren't you enemies?"

"Yes." Thorne replied.

"Then I don't understand." Felix said. "Why would they call you? How do you know that this isn't a setup of some kind?"

"We are now tied to them because of the woman and the child that she carries." Noel said. "They can no more harm us than we can them."

"Exactly." Thorne said. "I'm sure that they're as thrilled about this as I am, but that doesn't change the fact that I want both of you to exercise extreme caution until we know who or what is here."

"I'm sorry," Felix said, "But how do they know and why do you believe them?"

"Let me make something clear to you." Thorne said to Felix his tone cold. "I'm only allowing you to ask me questions because it involves your safety. Don't get the idea that because you live here that you have the liberty of questioning me. Do you get my meaning?"

Felix swallowed. This was the Thorne Blackwell that he had heard about but had never seen. He now knew where his boundaries were and planned to make sure that he stayed well within them.

"I apologize... I understand." 

"Good." Thorne said. "The reason that I believe them is because the Sinclaires and my family weren't always at odds with each other. More than once they saved our lives because of intuition. The Sinclaire who called me is a seer as is his mate. If they are concerned enough to call me, then there's something to worry about. I am well aware of the fact that I received a call only because of the woman. That is why she will stay here."

"Are you going to go to the meeting?" Noel asked.

"Yes and I would like for you to attend with me." Thorne said. 

"I... of course." Noel replied nervously.

"Thank you." Thorne said looking at the clock. The woman should be here soon and I would like for you both to meet her. Maybe if she sees whose privacy she would be invading she'll comply with our wishes.

****

Barb didn't remember the drive taking so long, but then again; she had been occupied with other things. She looked at Billings and wondered how much he knew about Thorne and what she could find out that could be used in the future.

"What's your name?" she asked in what she thought was a friendly tone.

"My name is Billings ma'am." He replied looking at her in the rearview mirror.

"How much longer until we get there?" she asked.

"It isn't too much further." Billings replied. "I would say another thirty minutes or so."

"Aren't we going to the house on the beach?" Barb asked.

"Yes ma'am, but Mr. Blackwell told me to take my time. He wanted to make sure that everything was ready for your arrival."

"How long have you worked for Mr. Blackwell?" Barb asked.

Billings' eyes flickered with wariness and then filled with an intelligence that few suspected he had.

"I've been with Mr. Blackwell for a few years." He replied evasively.

"How long is a few years?" Barb pressed.

"Twenty years." Billings replied following Thorne's instructions to tell her the truth about whatever she asked including about being a vampire.

"Twenty years?" Barb asked. "You don't look like you're any older than I am!"

She then remembered the Sinclaires. None of them had looked any older than their mid-thirties. Even Nathan's parents didn't look more than their mid to late forties and his mother was expecting another baby. She did the math and it definitely wasn't adding up. If Nathan was in thirties and that was a guess, his mother should be almost fifty or older depending on the age that she had him. Then there was Maryann Sinclaire, Ethan, Patrick and Martin's mother... she shook her head as she tried to calculate how old she was. Then there was Katrina, Ethan's wife. She looked as young as her twin daughters who were in their twenties.

"Billings, how old are you?" Barb asked.

"I'm seventy-five years old ma'am." Billings replied with a smile. "I'll be seventy –six next week."

Barb stared at him trying to decide if he was kidding. He had to be she thought to herself.

"How do you manage to stay so young looking?" she asked deciding to play along.

"I make sure that I drink my quota of blood and I stay away from the druggies and the diseased... their blood doesn't taste good and it isn't good for you.

A memory of what appeared to be someone drinking blood at Thorne's club came to Barb's mind and she shook it off. That hadn't been real, it couldn't have been.

"Do you really think that you're a vampire?" Barb asked beginning to fear for her safety.

"No ma'am" Billings replied.

Barb let out a small sigh of relief that the man had been kidding.

"I know I am." He added after a few seconds.

"Did Mr. Blackwell tell you to say that?" Barb asked her tone terse.

"No ma'am, he told me to answer all of your questions truthfully." Billings replied back to playing the idiot when in fact he would remember every word that passed between them.

"It won't work." Barb snapped. 

"What won't work ma'am?" Billings innocently asked.

He didn't like Barb. He didn't like the way that she pretended to be nice when she was anything but. That was the one thing he liked about Thorne. He didn't pretend to be nice to get what he wanted. He simply demanded it. If he thought that someone was an idiot, he said so and didn't apologize for it. He heard Barb talking to herself in the back seat, but didn't reply. He only listened and remembered so that he could give Thorne a thorough report later.

"We're ten minutes away." Billings said interrupting Barb's tirade about not falling for Thorne's attempts to get her to renege on their deal.

Barb stopped talking long enough to look out into the darkness. The silence was like music to Billings' ears. He hoped that his mate wouldn't be like Thorne's and then hoped that Barb continued to keep her mouth shut. 

Barb smiled when she saw the house in the distance. There was a small part of her that wished that she were going to another house, but for the most part she was elated. There was time to work on Thorne about buying another house.

*****

"She's here." Thorne said as he stood up to go to the foyer.

Noel and Felix followed him. Both of them were wishing that she was going anywhere else but coming to live with them.

"I'll introduce you and you can go back to your wing of the house." Thorne said to Noel and Felix.

The three men waited in the foyer for Billings to bring Barb into the house. If Thorne had wanted her there, he would have gone out to meet her and brought her into the house himself. In fact, he would have gone to get her, but he refused to play games. There was no point in feeding into her delusions that they were going to be a happy couple.

The front door opened and Barb walked in looking around as she walked into the foyer. She felt a little like a kid in a playground. She wanted to explore the house and see what she could find.

Thorne watched her as she looked around and touched things. When she finally reached him, she looked up at him and smiled.

"Don't I get a welcome home?" She asked. "And who are they? The help?"

Felix growled low in his throat. He had already decided that he didn't like her. 

"They are not the help." Thorne said his tone icy. "This is my brother Noel and his companion Felix. Let me clarify the meaning of the term companion." He said when he saw her raise her eyebrows. "Felix lives here and keeps Noel company when I'm at the club."

"They're going to live here with us?" Barb asked the displeasure evident in her voice.

"They already live here." Thorne replied. "They live at the other end of the house and you are not to go into their part of the house without an invitation. Noel's studio is also at that end of the house and you are not to enter there either. Do you understand?"

Barb hadn't expected this. It made it even more imperative that they buy another house.

"Noel, Felix, this is Barbara Yancy Simpson; the mother of my child. She will live at my end of the house and will not disturb you. Isn't that right?" Thorne asked Barb.

"Isn't this my home?" Barb asked not understanding the restriction.

"For the time being yes." Thorne replied. "But that doesn't change the fact that Noel and Felix live here and that the east end of the house is their private space. You will have no reason to be in that part of the house. Just to be sure that you don't get lost, I'll take you on a tour."

Noel looked at Barb with interest and dislike. He saw what Thorne saw. A woman who cared only for what others would and could do for her. Still, he decided to make an effort.

"It's nice to meet you." Noel said with a polite smile.

Barb looked at him, but didn't speak at first. She thought better of it thinking that maybe Noel could be an ally. She looked at Felix and then looked away. He was the hired help; she had nothing to say to him.

"It's nice to meet you too." She said with a smile. "I'm sorry about my earlier reaction; Thorne didn't tell me that someone would be living with us. Now that I'm looking at you, I can tell that you and Thorne are brothers."

Noel bristled. He knew when he was being spoken down to and he didn't like it. Furthermore, he didn't trust Barb. The change in her attitude had been much too fast and her apology hadn't been sincere. He was beginning to understand why Thorne didn't like her, but he would make the effort to at least make her feel welcome.

Thorne saw Barb's sudden shift in attitude and knew what she was thinking. He had to give her credit for perseverance. He also realized that part of the issue was that she didn't believe what he told her about what he was. What he didn't understand is why she didn't believe him. Every male that he had ever spoken with over the centuries told him that the female always believed them. In fact, there was usually another issue that they had a problem with. But here was Barb still not believing him.

He looked over at Felix and saw the undisguised dislike and distrust in his face. Apparently Barb didn't know how transparent she was. He added talking about using his brother to get her way to the list of things that he needed to discuss with her.

"Let's go." Thorne said interrupting the conversation between Noel and Barb. He wasn't worried about Noel falling for any of her games, but he didn't need to be bothered by her either. Thorne led the way into the living room not checking to see if Barb was behind them. He knew that she was. He took her through the house with Noel and Felix following them.

"Where are the servants?" Barb asked when they got to the kitchen. She had been expecting them to come out of the woodwork anxious to greet her.

"I have a very small number of servants." Thorne replied. "They only come when I have need of them."

"But who makes the meals and does the cleanup?" Barb asked not liking what she was hearing.

"We take care of ourselves." Felix said.

Barb glanced at him and disregarded him. She looked at Thorne for confirmation.

"It's as he says." Thorne said with a cool smile.

"But..."

"I'll notify Nigel that you're here." Thorne continued. "Go through the kitchen and make a list of what you would like and he'll get it for you. Sarah and her mate Henry come twice a week to change the linens, clean and to do laundry."

"I... I have to cook my own food?" Barb asked shocked.

Thorne looked at her with eyes that told her exactly what he thought about her.

"Excuse me." He said coolly. "But who prepared your meals for you in the past? You ate meals yesterday, who prepared them?"

"I did but..."

"But what?" Thorne interrupted, "Oh... I see." He mused. "You were expecting to be greeted at the door by a line of servants each with their own function. I assume that you were also anticipating one of them being assigned to you to do your bidding."

Barb's silence confirmed what Thorne already knew.

"I think that you've been watching too much television." He said with a dry laugh. "This is how things are here. I don't see or have the need to have people here to do what I can do for myself. But there is one thing that I will do. I will assign you a driver."

"Thank you." Barb said sarcastically. "How nice of you."

Thorne ignored her tone and continued.

"Billings will be your driver and guard during the evening and nights... but we'll talk about that later. Let's finish the tour."

Barb followed him feeling much like she did when she first arrived in California. The difference was that the accommodations were much more to her liking. She wondered what it would take to get him to agree to at least one live in servant; preferably a female of her choosing.

Thorne stopped at the bottom of a set of stairs and waited for her undivided attention.

"Look around you." he said. "These stairs are the beginning of Noel and Felix's part of the house. You are not to go up these stairs unless you have been invited. Do you understand?"

Barb looked up the stairs and then at Thorne.

"Tell me again why they're living here." She said.

"I don't have to explain anything to you." Thorne said his eyes glittering with impatience. "All that you need to know is that this section of the house is off limits to you."

Felix and Noel looked at each other and nodded. They knew that it was only a matter of time before Barb tried to go up the stairs. She wouldn't be able to help herself.

"Thorne, maybe if we showed Barb our quarters her curiosity would be eased." Felix suggested.

Thorne considered what Felix was suggesting and decided that it had merit.

"Noel, is that alright with you?" He asked.

"I think that it's a good idea." Noel replied liking Barb even less the longer that he was in her presence. "I should also mention that we only enter the other part of the house when we use the kitchen so privacy isn't an issue."

"Thanks." Barb said not sure of how she felt about Noel. He made her nervous although she didn't know why.

Noel led the way to their rooms and let Barb walk around until she stopped in front of the door to his studio. Just as she reached for the handle, he locked it with a thought.

"What's in here?" She asked jiggling the door knob.

"My studio." Noel replied.

"What do you do?" Barb asked. 

"I paint." Noel replied his tone cool. He wanted her out of his space.

"Now I understand." She said. "You're staying here until you make your first big sale..."

"Noel is already an accomplished artist." Thorne said. "He is here because I wish him to be. Now that you've seen this part of the house there is no need for you to come here again."

Thorne walked away expecting Barb to follow. When they got down the stairs, he led her to the other end of the house.

"This is where we live. You have access to every room except for my office. Sarah will be here tomorrow evening and will make closet space for you. There is space available if you want to store your things here."

Barb listened to Thorne talk and realized that he was talking to her as if she was no more than someone that he had to put up with. She then realized that she felt the same way about him. The difference was that appearances mattered to her. For just a brief second, she wondered if it was worth it; but then she looked around her. She had come too far to walk away now.

He took her on a short tour of their wing that ended in the study.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asked as he walked over to the small refrigerator in the corner of the large room.

"Do you have any water?" Barb asked.

Thorne poured her a large glass of water and then emptied a bag of blood into a glass for himself and then heated it in the microwave. It was time for his unwanted mate to face reality. He walked over to Barb and handed her the glass of water noting that her eyes were glued to the glass of blood.

"What is that?" She asked hoping that it was tomato juice or a bloody Mary, but the color and consistency was all wrong.

"You already know what it is." Thorne said baring his fangs as he took a sip of the warmed blood. "Accept what you know to be true and it will be easier..."

"I know what you're doing." Barb snapped. "And like I told Billings or whatever his name is, it isn't going to work."

"What is it that you think I'm doing?" Thorne asked.

"You told that man to tell me that he was a vampire and now you're drinking fake blood. You're trying to make think you're crazy so that I'll walk out of here. Well, it's not going to happen..."

She stopped talking when Thorne burst out into loud laughter.

"You really are a piece of work aren't you? Do you really think that I would waste my time playing asinine games with you? Think about it, have I ever played games with or lied to you? I told you what my opinion of you is and it hasn't changed. But I see that you require further convincing."

While still holding on to the glass of blood, Thorne vanished leaving only the glass of blood visible. Then it vanished as well. He appeared on the other side of the room, vanished and reappeared in the chair that he had been sitting in.

"You mentioned dreaming about your sister drinking blood and about the baby being a vampire... why do you suppose that is?" Thorne asked as he settled back in his chair."

"How... how did you..."

"I am a vampire." Thorne said evenly with a hint of impatience. "The Sinclaires are vampires as is Noel and Felix. You and I are mates no matter how much I wish that it weren't so. It's the consequence of my action and the consequences of you denying your original mate. In other words, we both fucked up. We are tied together not only to each other, but to the Sinclaires' for eternity. So here's a word of advice, there's nothing that's going to change this so just accept it so that we can move on."

"Eternity... I'm not a vampire!" Barb exclaimed.

"No, but you fucked one and now you carry my child." Thorne said. "That makes you immortal."

Barb's head began to spin as she wondered what she had gotten herself into. Suddenly things made sense. It explained why none of Nathan's parents and grandparents looked as young as they did. It explained why she was more awake at night than during the day. And Billings... he hadn't been lying.

Thorne sipped on the glass of blood as he watched Barb grapple with the truth. He didn't feel particularly sorry for her. She had to accept the consequences of her actions as he had to accept the consequences of his. He finished the now cooled blood and waited for her to say something.




Thorne Ch. 03



"I... I thought that vampires were made up." She said softly.

"Many people do." Thorne said. "We do nothing to indicate otherwise."

"Am I going to live forever?" Barb asked her voice shaky.

"Yes." Thorne replied in a matter of fact tone of voice. "When we fucked and you got pregnant you became immortal."

Barb stood up and then sat back down. This was something that she definitely hadn't planned on.

"And what will the baby be?" She asked more out of curiosity than concern.

"If it is a male, it will be born vampire." Thorne replied. "If it is a female, she has a fifty-fifty chance of being born vampire. Either way, it will be loved and cared for; by me at least."

"Eternity?" Barb asked missing the last part of Thorne's statement.

Thorne didn't answer her. She needed time to let the information sink in. A full fifteen minutes passed before Barb said anything and when she did, it wasn't about the vampirism. She finally believed him. 

"Do your brother and his friend have to live here?" she asked back to her old mindset.

"No they don't have to, but they will for as long as they wish to." Thorne replied his tone cool. "Let me remind you that you are to stay away from their part of the house."

"I just don't understand why you're supporting him if he's so accomplished." Barb said aware that she was pushing. Having two grown men living with her was not a part of her plan.

Thorne's eyes flashed in warning. 

"You do have an apartment that you can go back to if you wish." He snapped effectively shutting her up. "Now, let's talk about the child. You are expected to follow any and all instructions that Gretchen gives you although I doubt that it will be an issue for you. It's in your best interest to do so."

Barb didn't say anything. She was beginning to understand that she would be hard put to pull the wool over Thorne's eyes.

"Next topic is the issue of security. You are not to go anywhere alone especially at night. I'm assigning Billings the task of being your driver and guard. You will do as he asks and if not, he will have my permission to manhandle you if necessary. The only place that you are safe at night is on my property and the property of the Sinclaires'. I will also be assigning you someone for the daytime hours. It will be a female since I'm sure that you will want to spend the day shopping."

"Can I at least pick her?" Barb asked.

"There will be three to choose from." Thorne replied already knowing that she would ask.

"And if I don't like any of them?" Barb challenged.

"Then choose the one that you like the best of the three." Thorne replied. "I want to be clear about something. The purpose of the guard is the protection of you and the child and not to be your best friend. Whether you like her or not is immaterial. This brings me to my next point, keep your fucking mouth shut. As I mentioned earlier, your mouth is part of the reason that we're stuck together. You have a need to broadcast who you are and that needs to stop now."

"You can't tell me what I can and can't say!" Barb said angrily. "This isn't prison."

"But it can be if you choose it to be." Thorne replied. "I'm warning you. Keep your damned mouth closed. I told you about the hunters and the fact that one hasn't been seen in years doesn't mean anything. Their numbers surge and then wane and if my calculations are right, their numbers are on the upswing. As I explained to you, they are usually human although there are vampires that work for them as well as other species..."

"Other species?" Barb asked.

"There are many other forms of life." Thorne explained "And not all of them are good. My point is that you never know who is listening. I can't stress the importance of secrecy enough. You are to bring no one here unless it is a family member. Is that clear? The safety of everyone depends on absolute secrecy. Do you have any questions because I won't accept that you didn't know as an excuse if something happens because of something you've said or done to draw attention to yourself."

"You know, I'm not stupid. You don't have to keep repeating the same information." Barb snipped.

"Don't I?" Thorne asked drily. "We shall see won't we?"

"Am I allowed to drive one of the cars?" Barb asked.

"You may drive any of them except for the Jag and the Maserati." Thorne replied. "What else?"

"I want a live in servant..."

"No."

"But..."

"No." Thorne said his tone firm. "I know what you're about. You want to be waited on hand and foot. You want that lifestyle that you read about in the magazines and see on the idiot box. What you fail to realize is that not every one of means lives that way. We will talk about getting help for you when the child is born and we will set clear guidelines as to what his or her role will be.

I also wanted to tell you that I saw the way in which you tried to play nice with my brother. If you're thinking about the divide and conquer plan, forget it. Noel doesn't want to become a part of our domestic issues. You burned your bridges with Felix so don't bother trying to befriend him. But I have a question for you. Do you not realize how transparent you are?"

"Are we done?" Barb asked not answering the question.

"Not quite." Thorne replied. "There's a meeting at Ethan Sinclaires' house this evening at six pm be ready to go."

"I'm not going." Barb replied. She wasn't ready to see her family yet. She wanted it to be at Thorne's house so that she could gloat."

"It wasn't a request." Thorne said. "We'll leave here at five-thirty and I hate tardiness."

"What if I refuse to go?" Barb asked.

"Why in the hell don't you grow up and stop acting like a child testing her limits?" Thorne asked. "You fucking got what you want so don't argue with me about things that involve our safety. You will be ready to leave here at five-thirty. Do you understand?"

He didn't give her a chance to respond. He was gone even as she was opening her mouth to say something.

Barb sat where she was for a long time before she made her way to their bedroom. She wasn't surprised that Thorne wasn't there; she would have been surprised if he had been. She looked at the California king sized bed wondering which side of it he slept on. Her bags sat on the floor at the foot of the bed offering no clues. Finally, she shrugged, picked up the small suitcase that contained her toiletries and pajamas and went into the bathroom.

******

Katrina rubbed Ethan's shoulders without speaking. She knew that he was wishing that he could do more than issue a simple statement encouraging extra caution. She also wondered how much of his tenseness had to do with Thorne Blackwell's coming to the meeting.

"He's a part of this family whether I like it or not." Ethan said when she asked him about it. "We need to deal with whatever's coming and then we can work on our... relationship if you want to call it that. I would be fine with not interacting with him unless we had to, but there is the fact that Barb is his mate to consider."

"I don't know," Katrina said, "But just from what you've told me about him, I don't see an issue. I don't think that he'll stop Barb from seeing her family if she wants to; he'll just stay out of the picture."

"Maybe you're right." Ethan conceded. "Tonight will be the first time in centuries that the Sinclaires and the Blackwell's sat in the same room to talk about helping each other."

"Maybe Thorne will see that your family didn't betray his." Katrina said. 

"Maybe, but that isn't a priority right now. We need to find out who or what is here and how to neutralize it. It's just ironic that it's a Yancy that brought us back together." Ethan said.

"What do you think it is?" Katrina asked. 

"I wish I knew." Ethan replied. "Where's Victoria?"

"She's in her room talking to Wanda." Katrina replied. "I've already been talking to her about reporting anything strange."

"Good... I do have to agree with one thing that Nathan and Louise are saying." Ethan said, "This has nothing to do with the past, at least not the rapes."

"Ethan... you once told me that the hunters came and went, do you think that could be what's coming?"

"Possible although we usually don't know that they're here until there's a rash of unexplained vampire disappearances and deaths. I've been checking and there's nothing out of the ordinary." Ethan replied. "But still, it's a good thought and one that will be discussed at the meeting."

"Well, I'd better get moving. I still need to get the sandwiches made." Katrina said as she kissed the top of Ethan's head.

"Are you making those ones with the ground up ham and cheese?" Ethan asked hopefully.

"Of course." She replied. She started to walk away but Ethan grabbed her hand and pulled her into his lap.

"Thank you." He said as he kissed her.

"You're welcome now let me up. Times a wasting." She replied kissing him back.

Ethan watched her leave the office with a mixture of love, pride and regrets. He closed his eyes and let the emotions wash over him for several minutes before returning the task at hand. He made a phone call to Conrad Bain, the surveillance officer for hunters in the area.

"Ethan!" He greeted. "I saw your announcement and was waiting for your call."

"Do you know anything?" Ethan asked.

"I've had people out looking and watching, but nothing has shown up. There hasn't been the rash of deaths usually associated with them, but we'll keep our eyes open. I'll call you if I hear anything."

Ethan hung up at a loss as to what was coming. He called Nathan every couple of hours asking if the feeling had dissipated. Each time the answer had been no. With nothing left to do until the meeting, he went to the kitchen to help Katrina make the sandwiches.

********

Barb dressed for the meeting wishing that she had time to go shopping for a new outfit. When she got up there was an envelope on the dresser with her name on it. Inside was a credit card with her name on it and a sheet of paper with the list of names of the stores where Thorne had arranged a line of credit. There was also a hand written note at the bottom of the paper.

"Please remember your limits. The three women from whom you will choose your day guard from will be here by the time we return from the meeting.

TB"

Barb reread the note, almost threw it away and thought better of it. It had the list of stores that she could shop at on it. She signed the back of the card wondering what would happen if she went over the limit. She took a shower determined that she would take a long hot soak in the Jacuzzi after she picked her day guard out. 

After the shower, she slathered the expensive body oil all over her body since money was no longer an object. She took care to rub the oil into her stomach in hopes of avoiding or at the very least minimizing the stretch marks. As she rubbed the oil in, she thought about Louise. She wondered if she was concerned about things like stretch marks and decided that she wouldn't be. Nathan would love her no matter what she looked like.

She on the other hand, had to make sure that she was always at her best. Who knew? Maybe someone better would come along. Barb froze at the thought. There would be no one else. Thorne had mentioned something about being together for an eternity. Did he mean literally? She wondered. She knew nothing about vampires. She had never had any interest in anything supernatural and now she was in the midst of it. Were vampires like wolves in that they mated for life? She wished that she had thought to bring her laptop, but then again; she could ask one of her sisters. 

She changed her mind and decided to get her laptop from the apartment. Then she realized that she didn't know if the women that she was to choose from were human or not. A tap on the bedroom door hurried her along.

Fifteen minutes later, she was in front seat of Thorne's silver BMW. Noel was sitting behind her which made her a little nervous. She found him a little creepy in the same way that she found Gretchen except she didn't like Noel. She pushed Noel out of her mind and thought about seeing her family for the first time in weeks. She couldn't wait to rub their faces in the knowledge that she was as good as they were.

Thorne glanced over at her and then turned his attention back to the road. He wondered if Ethan would try to justify the betrayal of his family. If so, he didn't want to hear it. He was attending the meeting for one reason only, he had to. There was no way in getting around what Nathan told him, the two families were now responsible for the safety and wellbeing for each other. After whatever was happening was dealt with, he would have nothing more to do with the Sinclaires unless absolutely necessary. Barb could do whatever she wanted.

He looked in the rearview mirror to look at Noel.

"Noel are you alright?" Thorne asked taking in his pinched features.

"I... I just have a headache." Noel replied. "I'll be fine."

Thorne gave him a long assessing look and decided that it had been a mistake to ask Noel to go to the meeting. 

"Why don't you go home?" Thorne said after a few minutes had passed. "I'll fill you in when I get back."

"I'll be fine." Noel insisted even though he felt as if his head was going to explode. 

Barb turned around to look at Noel. Even she was alarmed at his appearance. 

"Hey, you really don't look good." She said as she took in his deathly white appearance and his pain filled green eyes. 

The closer they got to Ethan's house, the worse Noel felt if that was even possible. Thorne looked into the rear view mirror to say something; but Noel was gone. He turned his attention back to the road ignoring Barb, but then decided to clarify a few things.

"I want to remind you that I don't play games." He told her. "Don't think that just because your family will be there that I'll pretend that this is anything but what it is. So don't put on airs, you'll only embarrass yourself."

"And you!" Barb said tersely.

"Go ahead and find out." Thorne said lightly. 

Barb looked at him wondering what, if anything bothered the man. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the drive to the house.

******

Noel appeared in his studio, his head still pounding. He tried to understand what was happening, but it made his head pound even harder. Not knowing what else to do, he stumbled over to the portrait of the eyes, tore the cover away and looked at it. Gradually the pain in his head began to abate as he made contact with the owner of the eyes.

He sat on his stool still looking at the eyes, but feeling much better. He was still sitting in front of the portrait an hour later. The headache was completely gone and now he was exhausted. He whispered a thank you and a good night to the eyes and went to bed. 

******

"Do you think that Barb is coming?" Louise asked Kevyn as they helped Katrina set out the food. 

"I don't know." Kevyn replied with a shrug. "If she does let's hope that there won't be any drama."

"I just want her to be happy." Louise said.

"So do i." Kevyn said, "But Lou, that's up to her. It always has been. We can love her until the cows come home, but whether she accepts that love is up to her."

"I know... Kev, there's something that I haven't told you." Louise said.

"Are you alright?" Kevyn asked anxiously. She still hadn't quite forgiven herself for leaving Louise alone in Pittsburgh although she really had no choice. She knew that she tended to be overprotective and it was something that she and Louise had discussed several times. 

"Kev..."

"Alright... what do you need to tell me?"

Louise told her about the intense feelings of sadness and where she thought it was coming from.

"So let me make sure that I understand what you're telling me." Kevyn said. "You think that the sadness is coming from Barb's baby."

"Yes."

"And Nathan doesn't sense it, only you."

"Yes."

"How? It's not that I don't believe you, but how is that possible? We haven't seen or talked to Barb in weeks. Maybe it's Celeste." Kevyn offered.

"It isn't." Louise replied. "The first thing I did when I first had the feeling was to check our baby and then Celeste. She's happier than she's ever been. I also checked Victor and Wanda and it isn't them. I don't have an explanation for why this is happening, but I'm telling you that it has something to do with Barb's baby."

"What are you going to do?" Kevyn asked.

"There's nothing that I can do at this point." Louise replied. "But I'll tell you something, I would rather have the feeling of dread than that feeling of sadness."

"Why is that?" Kevyn asked.

"Nathan shares the feeling of dread with me. I have to bear the feeling of sadness alone. It makes me feel helpless like there should be something that I could do to alleviate it. What that is, I don't know."

"Just be careful and let me know if there's anything that I can do to help. Are you going to tell Juliette and Leon?" Kevyn asked.

"I will after the meeting if there's time." Louise replied. "We'd better get this food out, everyone will be here shortly."

*****

"He's coming?" Leon asked when Nathan told him about Thorne.

"Yes." Nathan replied. "I wanted to warn you."

"I'm going to talk to him." Leon said firmly. "I'll tell him the same thing that I told you and Patrick."

"I figured as much" Nathan said. "But may I make a suggestion?"

"What's that and me not talking to him isn't an option." Leon said.

"I wouldn't suggest that." Nathan said. "That was one of the things that I liked and respected about you. I was going to suggest that before you make any accusations that you ask for the facts first. Thorne Blackwell is many things, but he isn't a liar. He is very to the point and doesn't pull any punches."

"Are you saying that I should believe him over my sister?" Leon asked.

"No, that isn't what I'm saying." Nathan replied. "What I'm saying that you should listen carefully to what's being said. You will be able to detect the truth no matter who the speaker is."

"Will you have my back if he's hurt her?" Leon asked his voice low and intense.

"If he has hurt her, you won't need to ask." Nathan replied. 

Leon nodded and went to look for Nadine. Nathan let out a sigh and prepared himself for whatever was going to happen.

*****

Barb looked at the large house looming in front of her and was surprised at the stab of jealousy she felt. She had a large house, well part of one anyway. She looked around as Thorne pulled up to the gate and gave his and then her name. Several seconds passed before the gate opened and Thorne drove through. 

He parked the car, looked at Barb and then got out of the car. She watched as he looked around and then came to the passenger side of the car. Thorne opened the car door and offered his hand, but there was no emotion to it. It was something that he would have done for anyone. As soon as she was out of the car, he dropped her hand; but stayed close. Again, there was no warmth associated with the gesture. When they reached the front door, Thorne rang the doorbell and stepped back.

******

"He's here." Ethan said when the doorbell rang. 

"I'll get it." Katrina said.

"No, I'll get it." Ethan said. "Why don't you make sure that everyone is in the meeting room?"

Ethan waited until Katrina was gone before answering the door. He wanted to make sure that Thorne understood that he was invited because he had to be. If he was going to cause trouble, then he could leave.

Ethan opened the door and came face to face with the vampire with whom his family had been friends and allies.

"Thorne." Ethan said his tone cool.

"Ethan." Thorne said his tone just as cool as Ethan's.

Barb felt a distinct chill that hadn't been there before the door opened and realized that the two men had a history.




Thorne Ch. 03



The two men stared at each other for several seconds before Ethan spoke.

"You are here because there is a potential threat to all of us. You are not here to cause trouble or to dredge up old animosities. If you wish, we can deal with those later." Ethan said. "I am no happier about you being here than you are, but it's necessary. I want your word that there will be no problems."

Thorne listened to Ethan and then responded.

"I have no interest in dredging up old animosities as you call them. I am only here because I received a call from your nephew explaining the situation. After this is over, you won't see me again unless another mutual enemy arises. As far as my... behavior is concerned, you have my word that I will respect your house and everyone in it."

Ethan nodded and then spoke again.

"We are now tied together simply because of who your mate is. That means that you and your family are now under our protection as we are under yours. Just as you have given your word that you will respect my house and everyone in it, I and all of mine will do the same. This house and any that I own are open to you if there is a need. My family will stand with you if the need should arise."

Barb listened as Thorne offered their homes as sanctuary. She started to say something, but Thorne silenced her with a glare that made her skin tingle and not in a good way.

"Come in." Ethan said stepping back and letting them in. 

Barb looked around the foyer comparing it to Thorne's. It wasn't as ornate, but it was just as nice. She wondered if she could get a tour of the house.

"We're in the meeting room down the hall." Ethan said as he led the way.

****

Louise jumped up as soon as she saw Barb walk in. She rushed over to her and threw her arms around her ignoring the fact that Barb wasn't returning the hug.

"How are you? Are you alright? Do you need anything?" Louise asked releasing Barb and looking at her.

Thorne stood back and watched Louise greet Barb. What he didn't understand was why Barb was reacting the way that she was. It was obvious that her sister loved her. He had seen it the night that they came to the club. He noted that with each person that greeted her, the reaction was the same. He didn't get the sense that it was show; they were genuinely concerned for her.

The last one to greet Barb was a male, also a relative Thorne surmised. The hairs on the back of his neck tingled as the male looked at him meeting his eyes and then looked away. Several minutes later, Ethan called the meeting to order.

"First, I want to do a quick introduction." He said. "Without going into detail, I want to introduce Thorne Blackwell. Our families have known each other for centuries. He is here because he is mated to a member of the Yancy family. He and I have spoken and I have extended to him the same courtesies that I extend to family. He in turn has done the same. Until we know what or who is here, we need to work together."

"How do we know that there's a problem?" Vanessa asked.

"You've been out of the country." Ethan said and then went on to explain the feelings that Louise and Nathan were experiencing. "In the past, the feelings were fleeting, but now they remain. The only thing that they know for sure is that it has nothing to do with the rapes. I'll let them explain."

Ethan sat down and Nathan stood up. He quickly explained how they knew what they knew.

"It appears that Louise and I are the family's first seers in centuries if not ever. Louise can actually see shapes, but I can only feel things. I've stopped her from reaching out to them because I have no way of knowing whether they can reach out to her."

"They?" someone called out.

"Yes they." Nathan confirmed. "As Ethan said, the only thing that we know for certain is that it has nothing to do with the Sinclaire past, at least not in the way that we're thinking."

Nathan sat down after answering more questions most of which he directed to Ethan.

Barb had stopped listening when the word rape was mentioned. She looked over at Thorne whose eyes were on Ethan and then Nathan. She looked around the room wondering who or what they were talking about. When Nathan started talking about him and Louise being seers and Louise seeing things, it began to sink in that Thorne hadn't lied to her. On one level she knew that he hadn't lied, but somehow; surrounded by all of these people...

"Pay attention!" Thorne snapped.

Ethan was still talking about the security measures and the importance of secrecy.

"No one goes anywhere alone and I don't care where it is. Cell phones stay on with the GPS activated. Are there any questions? One more thing, everyone exchange phone numbers. If your cell phone rings, answer it. It could be important. If there are no further questions, the ladies have food ready in the dining room. Thorne, could I speak with you please?"

Barb stayed in her seat watching the different couples as they left the room. She noticed that they all had one thing in common; all of the men were touching the women. Even though it was an informal setting, the men held the chair of whatever woman that they happened to be with and there was always that kiss on the temple. Thorne stood up and held her chair for her, but there was no kiss. In an attempt to make it appear as though they really were a couple, Barb smiled up at him and put a hand on his arm. As he did at the club, Thorne pulled away and walked toward Ethan without looking back. Barb looked around to see if anyone was watching and made her way to the dining room.

*****

Leon sat back in the corner watching. As far as he could tell Barb didn't seem to be hurt in anyway, but he was still going to talk to Thorne. He sent Nadine to the dining room and waited.

******

"What do you want?" Thorne asked when he and Ethan were alone.

"Two things." Ethan replied. "One, we need to work together so let's put the attitudes away for now. You are now the head of household for the Blackwell family so it's up to you to decide what you tell them. My offer of safety extends to them as well. Two, I could see by the look on your mates face that she doesn't know about us. If you wish, I can have Katrina or her sisters talk to her, but she needs to know."

Thorne was silent for several minutes before he responded.

"I also offer safety to any of your family. As far as my mate is concerned, I'll take care of it. I will let her know that she may approach any of your females about the subject. Now, if you will excuse me; there is one who waits to confront me."

Thorne walked over to Leon and waited for him to stand up.

"Do you have something to say to me?" Thorne asked when Leon was standing.

Much to Thorne's surprise, Leon didn't flinch or back down. Instead he took a step forward and looked Thorne in the eye.

"I've got one question for you." Leon said. "Did you hurt my sister?"

"Are you asking if I took her against her will?" Thorne asked returning Leon's direct gaze.

"Did you hurt her by forcing her or by laying hands on her?" Leon asked his voice tinged with irritation. He knew that Thorne knew exactly what he was asking.

"No." Thorne said matching Leon's tone. "If you don't believe me then ask her, but you should know that she's already played the rape card."

"Why would she do that?" Leon demanded.

"I'll tell you what." Thorne said. "Why don't we ask her?"

"Before we do that, I want to tell you something." Leon said. "I don't give a shit who you are or what you do. If you lay a hand on her, I will come for you."

"Duly noted." Thorne replied drily. "Now let's find your darling sister so that we can get this over with."

"You act as if you don't even like her." Leon said.

"It's no act." Thorne said. "I don't like her. She is my mate only because she denied her original mate one too many times and in front of witnesses and I fucked up. But I'll let her tell you the story."

Leon looked at Thorne and remembered what Nathan said finding it to be true. He also knew that Thorne wasn't lying, but he had to hear what Barb had to say.

*****

Barb was in the dining room trying to stay out of sight. The sight of so many couples obviously in love was disturbing to her. All of the women were being served by the men which made her feel left out. A few minutes later, Louise came to her with a plate of food.

"I kind of stayed away from the spicy stuff just in case the baby doesn't like it." She said handing Barb the plate. "So how have you been feeling?"

"Good." Barb replied and looked away.

"I'm glad." Louise said. "I know that it's a hard transition to make but..."

"Are you a vampire?" Barb asked.

"Yes."

"Is Kevyn and Leon?" 

"Kevyn no although she's thinking about it, Leon; yes."

"Does Gene know?"

"No and he can't." Louise replied. "It wouldn't be safe for him."

"I don't believe this." Barb said. "I never believed in this crap and now I'm in the middle of it? And this kid that I'm carrying could be one too? I mean, I finally got what I want and he's a dead guy? And you... are you dead?"

"Barb," Louise said gently. "I know that it's a lot to take in, but if you let us; we can help you."

"No thanks." Barb replied.

"Why are you still so angry?" Louise asked. "You're upset about the vampirism, but that isn't the real reason why you're angry. I don't get it. You got what you wanted didn't you? You've got Thorne Blackwell! I thought that you'd be dancing in the streets..."

"Hey Lou." Leon interrupted. "Do you mind if I talk to Barb for a minute?"

Louise and Barb looked at Thorne and Leon and then at each other. Louise stood up, started to say something but thought better of it. As she walked away, a feeling of intense sadness assailed her. She put her shields up and went in search of Nathan.

****

"I want to talk to her alone." Leon said looking at Thorne. He wasn't intimidated by the fact that Thorne was a good three to four inches taller than he was and outweighed him by a good fifty pounds. He had taken down bigger men before.

"As you wish." Thorne said and walked away.

Leon turned to Barb and looked at her long and hard before speaking.

"I just talked with your mate." He said. "I gave him the same talk that I gave Patrick and Nathan."

Barb didn't say anything, but kept staring at Leon's mouth trying to see if there was any evidence that he was a vampire.

"I want to ask you something and don't lie to me; did he rape you?"

Barb looked up and wanted to and almost said yes. The only thing that stopped her is that she would be left in the cold, alone and with a baby.

"No he didn't rape me."

"Why did you say that he did?" Leon asked.

Barb had no answer so she didn't reply.

"Has he ever laid hands on you?"

Barb thought about the night at the club when Thorne had carried her out. She could still feel the slaps and pinches on her ass. She had been sore for days.

"No."

Leon sighed.

"Barb, how did you meet this guy? From what I understand Hans was supposed to be your mate."

"You already know don't you?" Barb asked. "I met him at a club and I went home with him alright? I fucked him and now I'm pregnant with his baby! I didn't even look at Hans because he was nothing more than a hotel manager! He couldn't give me what I wanted..."

"In other words, he didn't have enough money for you." Leon said sadly. "You know, all of my life I've watched you. You always had these hopes and dreams about the kind of life that you wanted. I've watched you disrespect mom and dad because we were poor. I kept thinking that someday you would understand that sometimes you have to work for what you want. I've heard you crying about abuse when there were people much worse off than we were. I watched dad work himself to exhaustion just to put food on the table and not once did I hear you thank him. I never said anything because it wouldn't have made a difference like I'm sure that it won't make a difference now.

What's sad is that you've gotten what you wanted and you're still not happy. You've trapped yourself into a loveless mating and you're bringing a baby into it. Thorne told me that he doesn't like you and I hate to say it, but I can understand why. That doesn't change the fact that you're my sister and I love you. If he hurts you I'm there, but Barb; it's time for you to get your shit together and stop thinking about just you. You're bringing my little niece or nephew into the world and it's time for you to step up and accept the responsibility."

Leon waited to give Barb a chance to say something. At first he didn't think that she was going to say anything. He was ready to leave when she spoke.

"You all think that you're all so damned perfect don't you? All of you, including the mouse looked at the same magazines and wished that we could afford to buy any and all of the items in them. You all wanted the same thing that I did, but you were too chickenshit to say it. Then you... Mr. Look at me now was a damned drug addict. How was that not disrespecting mom and dad? You went crawling back to them after you screwed up. And how the hell did you get to where you are now? You kissed ass instead of saying what you wanted. Kevyn and Louise did the same thing only little Miss Louise pretended to be a damsel in distress and the Nathan Sinclaire fell for it hook, line and sinker. I don't know what Patrick saw in Kevyn- that one still mystifies me, but why isn't Gene here? Didn't he fit into the mighty Sinclaire mold?"

Leon was taken aback by the anger that he felt coming from Barb. She sincerely believed that she had been wronged and somehow robbed.

"Of course we looked at those magazines and wished." Leon conceded, "But so did mom and dad. It was a way of keeping hope alive that someday things would get better. But not being able to buy those things doesn't equal abuse. You're right, when I became an addict; I disrespected mom and dad and everything they taught me. And yes, I went to them for help, but Barb, they were my parents. They loved me enough that they forgave me and helped me find my way back. The problem isn't with wanting things; it's how you get them. You know, you keep saying that you were abused, but in all honesty, you were the abuser. No, you didn't hit or call names, but you made mom and dad feel worse than they already did. But the fact of the matter is that no matter what they did, it wouldn't have been enough.

I won't go into Lou and Kev's relationships. One, it's none of my business and two; it has nothing to do with the choices that you've made. You can sit here all night and bemoan the circumstances of your life but the bottom line is this, you've made your bed; now you have to lie in it. That doesn't mean that we're not here for you because we are. By the way, Gene is thinking about moving out here." Leon said as he stood up to leave. A few seconds later, Barb was sitting alone.

*****

Thorne stood back and watched as Barb alienated her family. He didn't feel sorry for her, her choices were her own and she had to live with them just as he had to live with the choices that he made. His only real concerns were the child and Noel. He looked around the room at the various couples with his eyes resting on Louise. Nathan Sinclaire was a very lucky man. But then, all of the men present with the exception of him were. He made brief eye contact with Hans who gave him a small smile of sympathy before turning his attention back to his mate.

He looked around for Ethan and walked over to him.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss before I leave?" He asked his tone curt.

"No." Ethan replied. "I'll be in touch."

Thorne nodded and walked to where Barb was sitting.

"Let's go." He said and walked away.

Barb ignored him and looked around the room wondering why she didn't feel the sense of accomplishment that she thought she would. She had expected a more enthusiastic greeting then she had gotten, but then she had put an end to that hadn't she? She hadn't returned the hugs or the greetings. She hadn't even asked Louise how she was feeling. She had told herself that once she met her goal that she would rub their faces in it. Like so many things that she had planned, this didn't turn out as she had expected it to and she wondered why.

Nadine saw her stand to leave and caught her before she left. She took Barb's hands in hers and gave them a tight squeeze. Barb didn't return the grasp or the squeeze, but regarded Nadine with the type of curiosity that one might give a stranger.

"I just wanted to tell you that we're glad that you're alright and that if you need anything, just call us."

Barb pulled her hands away, looked at Nadine and walked away. She didn't need anyone or anything, she had what she wanted.

Thorne was waiting for her by the front door. It was obvious that he was irate, but he didn't say anything as he held the door open for her. Once they were outside of the house he stopped. He looked around listening intently to the sounds of the night before sniffing the air. Deeming it safe, he took Barb by the elbow and led her to the car.

As he helped her in, she half expected that little kiss on the temple and was disappointed when it didn't happen. Thorn noticed, but made no comment until they were in the car and driving away.

"Do you know what the kiss on the temple means?" He asked without looking over at her.

"Does it really mean anything?" Barb asked.

"It means enough to you that you keep waiting for me to kiss you like that." Thorne replied. 

Barb didn't reply so he continued.

"The kiss on the temple is the equivalent of saying that one is loved. As you know, I don't feel that way about you. The kiss on the cheek means that one is a respected, cared for and accepted into the family. You were given that kiss many times this evening but you didn't reciprocate. Why is that?" he asked.

"That's none of your business!" Barb snapped angry that he had noticed that she was expecting a kiss.

"True, but if it interferes with our... cohabitation or the child then it does concern me." Thorne replied his tone matter of fact.

The drive back to the beach house continued in silence. Barb was trying to figure out why she wasn't happier than she was. Then it hit her. She had wanted to be the first of them to climb out from what she called the pit. She would have succeeded if Clay Robinson hadn't been so taken with Kevyn. Nothing she said or did changed his mind about her being a much better choice for him then Kevyn was. Her ex –husband was wealthy, but his money hadn't been limitless and she was going through it as if it were. Finally, for all practical purposes; he had paid her off. He was out of the door before the ink had dried.

So here she was, wealthy with an eternity to live the life style that she had craved and she was angry that she hadn't gotten there first. Even Leon had gotten there before she did. She tried to tell herself that it didn't matter, but it did. She just didn't realize until now how important that had been to her. She still felt as if she were on the outside looking in. in an odd way, she felt as if she was still being given the hand me downs.

Part of her knew that it didn't make sense, but the other part of her was screaming that she had been figuratively robbed. To distract herself, she calculated how much of the money Thorne gave her she could spend without going over. It came to almost three thousand-four hundred dollars per day and that wasn't counting the accounts that he had opened for her at the stores.

Thorne glanced over at her. He liked her no more now, than he did before. In fact, he liked her even less; but that didn't stop him from wanting her. After she selected her guard for the day, he planned to slake his need. As if she heard his thoughts, Barb turned to look at him and then looked away.




Thorne Ch. 03



****

The three women that Thorne had chosen for Barb to choose from were waiting in the living room eying each other warily. This was an assignment of a lifetime. Two of the three women were overtly hostile to each other, but the third one was silent. Of the three of them, she knew that she would be the least likely to be chosen. People tended to look at her and disregard her because of her appearance. She wasn't ugly by any stretch of the imagination, but she was small and had an innocent look about her. What she didn't know was that was the main reason that Thorne had chosen her. 

The other two women were built like amazon warriors compared to her and they disregarded her as a serious contender as soon as they saw her. The words between them were becoming more heated when they heard the car pull into the garage.

"Good, you're here." Thorne said when he and Barb walked in. "Please sit down and I'll make the introductions."

When the women were seated, Thorne introduced Barb. Each of them noticed that he didn't refer to her as his mate, but only by name and the mother of his child. All three of them found this odd, but they let it pass. They were all very much aware of the fact that one didn't question Thorne about anything.

"Barb, the woman to the left of you is Sydney Cross. She is proficient in the use of a variety of weapons including hand to hand combat. The woman in the middle is Jessica Lavuto. Her skills are similar to Sydney's. Last we have Adrianna Smith. She may be small, but she is as formidable as the other two women."

Barb looked at each woman and liked none of them. She didn't ask them any questions as she looked from one woman to the other. After several minutes, she decided on Adrianna. The other two women wouldn't take any crap from her and she wanted someone that she could boss around. Adrianna on the other hand, looked like a pushover. The other two women didn't hide their shock when Barb made her choice. Even Adrianna was surprised. Thorne was the only one who wasn't. He knew that Barb would choose someone that she thought that she could boss around.

But he knew better. He hoped to be around when the two women butted heads. He saw the other two women to the door where he paid them the agreed upon fee if they weren't accepted. He walked back into the living room just as Barb was asking Adrianna how she could be out and about during the day if she was a vampire.

"I am half human." Adrianna replied. "I can do all things that a full blooded vampire can do and still live as a full blooded human. Let's discuss security shall we?" Adrianna asked changing the subject.

Thorne watched Barb's back stiffen. It appeared that he was going to witness the first confrontation after all.

"Excuse me." Barb said her tone curt, "But you are being paid to do as I say. I want you here by nine so that we can go shopping..."

"Pardon me." Adrianna broke in her brown eyes flashing. "I don't know what you've been told or what you were expecting, but let's discuss my role. I am your security guard and not your servant. That means that you're not going to talk to me as if I am. My primary job is your safety which means that you do exactly as I say and when I say. Now, in regards to your shopping trip, I will be here by nine and I do believe that Mr. Blackwell has already assigned a driver to us. If we go to a store and I deem it unsafe for whatever reason, then we don't go in."

Barb stared at the small woman who was nothing like she had appeared. 

"Do you know who I am?" she said her tone low and arrogant.

"Yes ma'am I do." Adrianna replied. "But that doesn't change what my job is."

"I could have you fired..."

"No you can't." Thorne said walking into the room. "She'll do very nicely. Adrianna, if Ms. Simpson doesn't do as you say when there is danger; you have my permission to do what you must to get her to safety."

"Yes sir." Adrianna said as she stood to leave.

A moment later, she was gone leaving a very angry Barb glaring at Thorne.

"I don't want her." She said staring at him.

"Too bad." Thorne said as he unbuttoned his shirt and walked away to their bedroom.

Barb chased after him calling his name, but he didn't answer her. He walked into their bedroom, stripped and lay on the bed. Barb stopped short when she saw him. For some reason, it surprised her that he was in bed naked and erect.

"Why are you surprised?" Thorne asked. "Just because we don't like or love each other doesn't mean that we can't enjoy each other's bodies. I've already explained to you that no matter what else happens there will always be a physical attraction and needs to be met."

Barb silently cursed as her body reacted to the man lying on the bed. Thorne watched as she tried to resist the pull, but said nothing. In time she would learn that there was no point in trying to resist it. She would learn to take the small pleasures in their for lack of a better term- relationship. The lack of the emotional feelings in their mating didn't bother him in the least as he waited for her to get into the bed.

Barb stood at the foot of the bed for several minutes before she took of clothes that suddenly seemed too tight. She got onto the bed, lay on her back and waited. She sure as hell wasn't going to make the first move. She jumped when Thorne moved so that his thighs straddled her head, his cock pointed at her mouth.

"I'm not going to do that." She said when he nudged her lips with his cock.

"No? You seemed to enjoy sucking Allen off." Thorne taunted as he tweaked a turgid nipple.

Barb closed her eyes as the sensation ran from her nipple to her clit. Almost involuntarily, she stuck her tongue out and licked the head of Thorne's cock tasting the clear drop of liquid that was on the head. She heard Thorne's sharp intake of breath when she took the large soft head into her mouth and began to nibble on it.

"That's very nice." Thorne said as he moved the head across her lips letting her tongue touch him in various spots on the underside of his cock. He pulled back so that his cock rested between her breasts. Pre-come dripped from the tip and onto her dark skin wetting it for what he planned to do. It had been a while since he had enjoyed a good tittie fuck and Barb's breast were the perfect size for it. 

He reached down and squeezed her breast around his cock and began to slide back and forth as he thumbed her nipples. He liked seeing the paleness of his cock against her dark skin as it slid back and forth touching her chin when he slid forward

"Suck the head when I reach your mouth." He said his tone making it clear that it wasn't a request.

Barb thought to refuse, but if she did; he would leave her unsatisfied. She was already close and he hadn't done anything more than tweak and twirl her nipples between his fingers. When the head of his cock reached her mouth, she opened it and sucked on it hard half hoping that it would hurt. She was disappointed when Thorne moaned and left it in her mouth for several seconds before pulling back and sliding between her breasts several more times before placing the head in her mouth again.

Thorne's breathing became more ragged each time she took his cock into her mouth. She hoped that when he came, that it was on her as opposed to being in her mouth. She knew from her experience with Allen that she didn't like the taste of semen. It had almost made her gag. 

After several more slides between her breasts, Thorne left his cock in Barb's mouth until he felt his balls tighten up against his ass. At the very last possible moment he pulled out of Barb's mouth, pushed her breasts tighter around his cock and slid back and forth as fast and as hard as he could.

"Oh Yessssssss!!!!" He screamed as his hot seed spilled onto Barb's chest. Even when he was empty, he kept thrusting, the come adding more lubricant as he came for the second time with a long drawn out moan.

Barb looked at the mess on her chest and began to reach for a tissue to clean herself off. Before she could move, Thorne's head was buried between her legs. Every nerve was on fire as he touched her clit with the tip of his tongue flicking it and then moving it side to side. The fact that there was no emotion associated with the act was lost on Barb as she screamed when Thorne took the nub into his mouth and sucked on it.

She grabbed her nipples and pulled on them as Thorne ate at her. Her entire body went rigid and then convulsed as the orgasm washed through and over her. Without missing a beat, Thorne was on his knees between her spread legs and buried deep inside of her bringing them both to orgasm one more time.

Afterwards, he rolled away from her and went to the bathroom shutting the door behind him. Barb lay on the bed her semen covered chest still heaving from the orgasm, her body still twitching from the aftershocks. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Nathan, Patrick, Hans or Leon got out of bed without speaking after making love to their wives.

She already knew the answer. It was no. In her mind's eye she envisioned Louise being held in Nathan's arms after they made love. The same would apply to any of the Sinclaires' and their women. The very thought of it made her burn with anger.

She lay on the bed waiting for Thorne to come out of the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, she got up to hurry him along. When she opened the door to the bathroom, it was empty. Thorne had left without saying a word.

*******

Noel was working on his latest painting when Thorne appeared next to him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he pulled up a stool and sat down.

"I'm much better. Thanks." Noel replied. "I'm sorry that I couldn't go with you... what did I miss?"

Thorne told Noel about the meeting.

"Make sure that you have your phone on and go nowhere alone." Thorne said. "We still don't know who or what is here."

Thorne looked over at the covered painting more curious than ever about it, but didn't say anything. He had more pressing concerns.

"Noel... why do you think that you were with mother the night of the fight with the Sinclaires?"

"Because that's where I was." Noel replied giving Thorne a curious look. "Why are you questioning my word? He asked.

"I'm not questioning your word." Thorne said gently. "I believe that you really think that you were with mother... But Noel, you weren't. You were with us that night..."

"Don't you think that I would remember something like that?" Noel asked heatedly his head beginning to pound again.

"Yes you would," Thorne conceded. "The question is why you don't remember..."

"Thorne there is nothing to remember! I wasn't there ask mother if you don't believe me!"

"Noel, I already talked to mother... you didn't stay with her. We tried to get father to leave you home, but he refused. He thought that making you go with us to the Sinclaires might toughen you up."

Noel's head throbbed as he tried to understand why he was remembering things differently than Thorne and his mother did. It just didn't make sense to him. He was with his mother that night... wasn't he? A stab of hot white pain shot through his head taking his breath and vision away. 

He vaguely felt Thorne's arms go around him as he tumbled from the stool. When he came to, he was lying in bed with an icepack on his forehead. Thorne was sitting on the side of the bed anxiously watching him.

Noel's head still hurt, but it had quieted to a dull throb. Waves of nausea washed over him when he tried to sit up.

"Whoa there." Thorne said easing him back on the bed. "I think you'd better stay put for a while."

Noel nodded and closed his eyes. 

"Thorne what's wrong with me? Why do we remember things so differently?" Noel asked as he placed the ice bag across his eyes.

"I don't know." Thorne replied, "But I think that we need to find out. Rest now and we'll talk later. Can I get you anything?"

"Th... the portrait... the one with the eyes." Noel said. "Can you bring it here?"

Once again Thorne's curiosity about the portrait was piqued. He wanted to ask about it again, but didn't. All he cared about now was that it would give Noel comfort. Ten minutes later, the unfinished portrait was in Noel's room placed where he had an unobstructed view of it. Thorne sat with Noel until he thought he was asleep. He vanished to his office to call his mother. Maybe there was something that she forgot to mention.

*******

Olivia Saunders was enjoying her vacation. It had been a long time in coming and god only knew that she deserved it. They had arrived in town a few days ago and all of them had stayed in. Now cabin fever was beginning to set in and she had to admit that an evening out was beginning to sound good. After talking with the others in the group, it was decided that an evening of shopping would precede a night at a nightclub. One of the men in the group volunteered to do the research.

"Just remember," Olivia told him, "That it has to be someplace where all of us can go to."

The man's eyes angrily flashed for a second and then went back to their normal shade of dark brown. He hated Olivia as much as she hated him, but he needed her as much as she needed him. In his mind he swore that when she had outlived her purpose, he would kill her and leave her body at the front door of her father's home. But for now, he would play nice. He would follow her lame assed rules and do whatever it was she required of him.

Olivia knew how they felt about her and she didn't care. She never let her guard down even with the women although she felt relatively safe with them. But she also knew if it came to a choice between her and the males of the group, she would lose. At best they would kill her; at the worst they would turn her. Her preference was death whether they did it or she killed herself.

She went to her suite, locked the door behind her and ran a bath. She wished that for once she could totally relax and not have her weapons at the ready, but the one time she did, she knew that she would regret it. While she waited for the tub to fill, she called her father.

"Yes we're here." She said when he answered the phone. "I'll keep in touch."

She hung up, stripped and climbed into the tub after checking the placement of her weapons. There were times that she wished that she wasn't what she was. There were times that she missed her old life and wished that she were normal. She had never wanted this. She wanted to be a wife, mother and kindergarten school teacher.

She sighed as she slid down in the tub so that the hot water covered her slender, pale shoulders. She slid further down until her head was under the water. When she came up for air, the wishes for the past and what she had wanted for her life were gone. She was the daughter and only surviving child of Rufus Saunders. That took precedence over anything that she wanted for herself.

She finished her bath, dried off and put on the oversized tee shirt that she always slept in. She double checked the locks on her bedroom door and windows before getting into bed to read the murder mystery that she had started on the plane. She was asleep before she turned the page.

*******

Barb took a shower, put on a pair of pajamas and began to plan her shopping trip. She took out her laptop, looked through the websites where she had shopped and deleted the items in her baskets. Next she went to the online sites of the stores where Thorne had set up a line of credit for her and realized that she would have to be careful or else she would run out of money even with the store credit. Finally, she shut off the laptop and settled in to sleep. She could hardly wait until nine am.



Thorne Ch. 04



Hello all! Once again I apologize for the length of time between postings. As I have mentioned before, I am working more hours. My writing time has been cut to less than half, but I really am trying to keep up with lit as well as with some other pursuits. If any of you know how to add two extra days to the week; please let me know. Anyway, Thanks to all of you for your patience, comments and emails. They are much appreciated. Thanks also to my beta reader donalde for his time and efforts. Oh if you keep seeing the word 'but' between pages, ignore it. I appeared on my pages and I can't get rid of it. Last, I hope that all of you had a safe holiday season! 

*

Barb was up bright and early. She couldn't wait to hit the stores and spend her allowance for the day. She picked out her best casual dress outfit and got ready for the day. As she dressed, she thought about the meeting. Apparently there were some things that Thorne needed to tell her. The question was; did she want to know? She decided that she didn't. Whatever it was had nothing to do with her although she had no doubt that Thorne would tell her anyway. She was however, curious about what happened between the Sinclaires' and the Blackwell's. It wasn't that she really cared, she just wanted to know.

She wondered if it was too soon to ask Thorne about moving, but remembered the topic of the meeting. There would be no point in asking about it; he would only tell her no. The more she thought about the meeting, the more something niggled at her. She thought that maybe it was something that Leon said to her, but that wasn't it. He hadn't told her anything that she hadn't heard before, although it did sound different coming from him.

She had to admit that she was surprised when he went toe to toe with Thorne. Barb also knew that Thorne liked and respected Leon even though he didn't say it. Men like Thorne were drawn to men like himself and Leon was like Thorne. Only he was a much gentler version of him. Her thoughts drifted from Leon to Louise.

Barb couldn't get over how much Louise had changed. She looked the same and talked the same, but she was different. She wondered how much of it had to do with her being a vampire and decided that it had little to nothing to do with it. The Louise that she saw was the Louise that had been buried under a shy, insecure personality.

For the first time, Barb admitted to herself that she couldn't have done what Louise did and remained sane. That in and of itself made Louise a stronger person than she was. The realization didn't take away her belief that Louise had gotten Nathan by pretending to be weak.

"It doesn't matter." Barb muttered under her breath. "I'm where I want to be."

She finished dressing and went downstairs to eat breakfast. It still galled her that there were no live in servants, but she knew that it was another thing that Thorne wouldn't give in on... at least not now. In her mind she began to make a list of things that she wanted to change in order of priority. Partway through her list she realized something. She had been stupid and impulsive. Threatening and challenging Thorne had proved unsuccessful and had bitten her in the ass each time she tried it. 

It occurred to her that she didn't know anything about him other than what pissed him off. What she needed to find out was what made him tick. She mentally made a list of the things that she wanted and began to separate them into piles. She wanted Noel and his companion gone, but knew that it wasn't going to happen. The same went for the live in servants-at least for now. By the time she was finished making her list, she realized that most of it would have to wait. 

"Start small." A little voice whispered.

The realization that she had been trying to move a mountain hit her. She had been doing too much too fast. Her next thought was about her family and how much they could help her. The question was could she play nice and could she keep her jealousy at bay? The other question was what was her hurry? According to Thorne, she would live forever. The trick she knew would be in not making the change too quickly or too dramatically.

She needed to decide on with whom to start with and decided on Felix. He didn't like her, she had seen to that; but if she could get him to change his opinion of her... no, she needed someone easier. Felix may have been the help, but he wasn't an idiot which led her to... Billings. He was stupid, eager to please and he would believe her.

Now that she had a plan, Barb felt better. She moved on to the next item of things that she wanted, at least one live in servant. She could present it as needing help to get ready for the baby... he would buy that, after all; surely Louise had at least one live in servant to attend to her needs.

Thorne was in his office when Barb walked by. He really didn't want to talk to her, but he felt led to issue a last warning before she left for her shopping trip.

"A moment please." He called to her.

Barb doubled back to his office and stood at the door.

"Come in." Thorne said.

"What do you want?" Barb asked already forgetting to present a softer front.

"I only want to remind you that you are to listen to Adrianna and that you are to keep your mouth shut." Thorne replied.

"I get it!" Barb snapped and then backpedaled softening her tone. "I get it alright? Who is driving us around today?"

Thorne eyed her but didn't reply immediately. He almost laughed at her attempt to play the accommodating mate.

"His name is Grant and you will also listen to him as well as Adrianna."

"Is he another half-breed?" Barb asked.

"He is full blood werewolf." Thorne replied ignoring what he considered to be a racial slur.

"Werewolf?" Barb asked. "Are you serious?"

"I told you that there are many life forms." Thorne told her. "He has the same instructions that Adrianna does. If you do not obey him, he has my permission to do what he needs to in order to get you to safety."

"I don't get it." Barb said. "You claim not to care yet you have me guarded."

"There's nothing to get." Thorne replied. "I may not care about you or for you, but I do care about the child that you carry. And let me clarify something. Don't get any stupid assed ideas about using the child to control me. It won't work. You can go now, I'm busy."

Barb's hackles rose at his tone.

"I don't know who you think you're talking to." She said glaring at him. "I'm not one of your servants that you can talk to me any way that you like!"

"And I'm not a stupid fool who will fall for your lame attempts to be agreeable!" Thorne snapped back. "Don't you think I know what you're doing?" he asked. "How long did it take you to realize that I cannot and will not be pushed? I told you before, I know women like you. I know the games that you play so let's get a few things straight. You have been given your stipend for the month. If you overspend I will not cover it. If you don't believe me, then try it. You are under my protection because you are the mother of my child. If you weren't pregnant, you wouldn't be here. Now, go spend your money or whatever in the hell you plan on doing but be back here by six. We have things to talk about."

"What? More rules from the mighty Thorne Blackwell?" Barb sneered.

"Be back by six." Thorne repeated and turned his attention back to his laptop.

Barb didn't move. She was so angry that she felt hot. Once again she realized that nothing had turned out as she had planned. When it was clear that Thorne had dismissed her, Barb stomped out of the office and to the living room where Adrianna was waiting for her.

"That's what you're wearing?" Barb asked disgustedly.

Adrianna stood up, looked down at herself and then shrugged. She was dressed in a brightly colored tye-dye tee shirt of which the predominant color was orange and a pair of faded blue jeans that had seen better days. On her small feet was a pair of steel toed boots.

"I don't see the issue." Adrianna said. "I'm not here to be your fashion accessory."

"I'm not going anywhere with you dressed like that!" Barb snapped.

"Good." Adrianna said. "I hate shopping."

Barb looked Adrianna up and down trying to decide if she had anything that the woman could wear. 

"Go home and be back here in an hour." Barb said. "I want you in business casual dress from now on."

"As you wish." Adrianna said with a tight smile.

After Adrianna left, Barb decided to check on the driver. She could only hope that he was better dressed than Adrianna had been. She opened the door and looked out. To her relief, the man that she assumed was the driver was neatly dressed in a dress shirt, khaki slacks and a jacket. When the driver saw her, he smiled and waved. Barb closed the door without acknowledging the driver. As she closed the door, she realized that she should have waved back. She opened the door again, but his back was to her. She closed the door, went back to the living room to wait for Adrianna. 

As she waited, Barb thought about what she really wanted. She had money, she had the nice house; but she didn't have the appearances. The picture of her life that she had painted for herself was incomplete without it. It didn't matter that it would have been a lie. The question was how she could get that piece of the puzzle. She wondered if she could get Thorne to fall in love with her and what it would take to make that happen.

"I'm back." Adrianna said from behind her. "Does this meet your specifications?"

Barb turned around to look at Adrianna. She had changed into a nice shirt with a pair of black dress pants. She still wore the steel-toed boots, but they were less noticeable than before.

"It will do." Barb said. "Let's go, I'm already an hour behind thanks to you. Don't let it happen again."

Adrianna gave Barb a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Shall we go?" she asked in an icy tone.

"Let's clarify a few things shall we?" Barb asked. "You work for me. From this moment on you will speak to me with respect and lose the attitude. Is that clear? If you can't agree to my terms then I'll let you go."

"Actually," Adrianna said her tone still icy, "I don't work for you. I work for Mr. Blackwell. You don't have the authority to fire me. And let's discuss attitudes shall we? Even if I were employed by you I wouldn't put up with your shit. My father used to tell me that the only way to get respect was to give it and lady; I have yet to see it. So here's the deal, I'll wear these crappy assed clothes and you won't talk to me like I'm a piece of trash."

Barb looked at Adrianna, turned around and went to Thorne's office barging in even though the door was closed.

"I want that bitch fired!" She said as soon as she was in the door.

Thorne was on the phone when Barb barged in. He glanced up at her and continued his conversation as if she wasn't there. A few minutes later, he hung up.

"Do you not know what a closed door means?" He asked.

"I want that bitch gone!" Barb repeated.

"Haven't you learned yet that I don't give a fuck about what you want?" Thorne asked. "You chose Adrianna based on her appearance. You thought that she was someone that you could push around. Your choice stands so make the best of it. For the record, I knew that you would choose her. That's why I made her one of the selections."

"You knew that she was like that?" Barb asked angrily.

"Of course I did." Thorne replied. "And if it makes you feel any better, the other two wouldn't have taken any shit from you either, but then you knew that. Oh and a word of warning, don't ever barge in on me again."

Barb stared him shocked that he would take the side of the hired help over hers.

"Was there something else?" Thorne asked as he picked up the telephone.

Barb left the office slamming the door behind her. Adrianna was waiting for her by the front door.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

Barb didn't speak as she walked out of the front door and got into the car not waiting for Grant to open the door.

"Where to?" He asked after Adrienne was in the car.

"Bloomingdale's." Barb snapped.

****

Noel hadn't moved from his bed since Thorne had helped him into it the night before. His headache was gone, but he was still exhausted. He knew that he needed to drink a unit of blood, but he didn't have the strength to move.

An hour later, he was still in the same spot. He looked at the portrait of the eyes, murmured a soft "I know" and forced himself off the bed. He made his way to the refrigerator, took out a unit of blood and drank it directly from the bag without heating it. The second bag he heated and drank it straight down. The third bag, he heated and sipped at it. While he was still tired, he felt better. He thanked the portrait for helping him and carried it back to his studio.

He sat in front of it and began to talk to it.

"Who are you?" he asked "And why do you bring me such peace? Are you my mate? If you are, then where are you? Why is it that I can't paint more of you?"

Noel paused to see if he would get a response. When there was none, he sighed and covered it. He had the feeling that whoever it was, she didn't know the answers to his questions. As he sat there in front of the covered painting, questions about why he didn't remember being at the fight with the Sinclaires resurfaced. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to call his mother in the hopes that Thorne had misunderstood her.

Miraculously, Samantha answered the phone.

"Hello mother." Noel greeted warmly. "How was your trip?"

"I had a wonderful time!" Samantha replied. "Actually you caught me just as I was leaving again. How are you?"

Noel was surprised by the question and the sincerity that he heard in it.

"I'm fine." He replied. "I like living here with Thorne. He and I are going to be partners in a new club that he's opening. It would be nice if you could come to the grand opening."

"I would like that." Samantha replied.

"It won't be for a while." Noel said. "We haven't started building it yet but it's going to feature me and Thorne's paintings."

"Really?" Samantha asked surprised. "Well then I definitely must come. Did you need something?" Samantha asked ending the niceties.

"I wanted to ask you something." Noel replied. "Where was I during the fight with the Sinclaires?"

"Thorne asked me the same question." Samantha said. "He tells me that you think that you were here with me, but Noel; you weren't. Your father made you go to the Sinclaires' even though both Thorne and I begged him to let you stay with me."

"Why don't I remember?" Noel asked talking more to himself than Samantha. "I only remember being with you."

"Noel, by the time that fight happened there had been another fight involving hunters. Do you remember that?"

"Yes... I think so." Noel replied. "They came to our home..."

"Yes and afterwards you, your father and your brothers went to the Sinclaires to confront them about telling the hunters where we were. You went with them..."

"Mother... I have to go." Noel said and hung up as a sharp pain went through his head and his stomach roiled. He stumbled to the painting, snatched the sheet off and stared at it without speaking. He finally understood that whatever was causing his headaches was directly related to the night of the fight. The question was how he was going to remember when every time he thought about it, his head felt as if it was going to explode.

Feeling somewhat better, Noel covered the painting and went back to his room to think.

***

Olivia was up bright and early wondering what to do with her day. It would be hours before the others made an appearance making it safe for her to let her guard down a little. She sat out on the patio sipping a cup of mint tea. The early morning had always been her favorite time of the day. It was like receiving another chance to rectify a wrong or to do something good. Today was a chance to do something for her. She was going to spend day without the 'terrible five' as she called them. She was going to get her face, hair and nails done and then go shopping.

It had been months since she had a professional pedicure and manicure and she was determined to enjoy every second of it. She was also planning to get her hair cut and colored and to have a nice lunch at an expensive restaurant.

She finished her tea, showered and left the house opting drive instead of using a driver. She wanted the illusion of being free to go where she wanted without having to answer to anyone. In a moment of rebellion, she thought about disabling the GPS systems on her phone and car. The five were asleep, what could go wrong? She asked herself.

She let out a long sigh and abandoned the plan of disabling the systems. If she did and something happened, there would be hell to pay and the fact that she was Rufus Saunders daughter would mean nothing. As it was, going out alone was a breach of security, but she didn't care. She needed and wanted some time alone.

By eight am, Olivia was in the car and driving to a destination unknown in a blue convertible with the top down. She loved the feeling of the wind blowing her hair around and the warmth of the sun on her face. Once again she wished that she was anyone but who she was and decided that for just a few hours, she was going to be someone else. For a few hours her name wasn't Olivia, her name was going to be Megan. Olivia giggled at her silliness, but continued her fantasy of being someone else.

She was married, had two kids whom she just dropped off at school. Her husband Raphael was a high-powered attorney and she had been a school teacher. By the time Olivia reached his first destination of the day, she had completely remade herself. The problem was that she liked the fantasized version of herself more than she liked the real version.

Olivia sighed as she drove toward the ocean. She wanted to sit on the beach for just a few minutes with her eyes closed. It was something that she did whenever she could. It was her time to think about her mother who had died more than fifteen years ago at the hands of a rogue vampire. That was the point when her father became almost fanatical in his belief that all vampires needed to be exterminated.

"They are evil, vile vermin!!" He told her after her mother's funeral.

What Olivia hadn't understood was if he felt that way, why he had vampires under his employ. It didn't make sense to her.

"What better way to draw them out then by using their own kind?" Rufus asked her.

"I understand that." She replied, "But what happens to those that you're paying when this is over?"

"We kill them." Rufus replied. "We can't take the chance that they'll reproduce by turning humans or by giving birth."

"Dad, think about this." Olivia said. "They aren't stupid. Don't you think that they already know what you're planning to do? I don't know, but I think we're better off not using them. It might take us longer, but it'll be safer for us."

Rufus had gotten angry. He hated being questioned no matter how appropriate the question was.

"Are you challenging me?" He demanded.

"No, I was just asking." Olivia replied holding her hands up in surrender.

"Good." Rufus snapped. "When you're running things you can do whatever the hell you want, but until then; this is how we're doing things."

Olivia saw something in her father's eyes that she didn't want to acknowledge- madness. At the time she chose to believe that he was still mourning her mother's death. While that had been part of it, she now knew that it wasn't all of it. All she could do now was to wait for him to step down or die, neither of which was going to happen anytime soon.

She knew that there were others who questioned her father's sanity. She had even heard murmurings about challenging him for the position of head of the hunters. What they were talking about was treason. The question that she asked herself over and over again was why she hadn't said anything to her father. If he found out that she knew something, he would charge her with treason. She would be killed along with anyone else who he deemed guilty.




Thorne Ch. 04



Olivia shook her head. She didn't want to think about her father or his insanity. She just wanted to enjoy her fantasy life. She left the beach after an hour and headed downtown to get her hair, manicure and pedicure done. By the time she arrived at the salon, she was back into her fantasy.

******

Barb looked at Grant when she though he wasn't watching. She wondered how easy he would be to sway. He didn't know her or anything about her-did he? She glanced over at Adrianna who was looking at her with an unreadable expression on her face.

"What are you staring at?" Barb snapped.

"Obviously you." Adrianna replied. "I know what you're thinking so let me save you some time and effort. Grant is mated and loves his mate very much. He appears to be an easy mark just as I did, but he's far from it. He will follow Mr. Blackwell's instructions to the letter."

When Barb didn't say anything, Adrianna continued.

"Look Ms. Simpson-"

"It's Mrs. Blackwell!" Barb interrupted.

"As I was saying... Ms. Simpson, we don't like each other and that's fine. I don't have to like you in order to do my job. But we need to come to an understanding if we're going to be spending time together. I'll follow you wherever you want to go as long as it's safe. If Grant or I say no, then the answer is no and if you'll give us a chance we'll explain why. If we are in a public place and trouble rises, you will do as you're told and when you're told. It won't be the time for you to start blabbing about who you are or to start arguing with me because I will pick your ass up and carry you out. If I hear you bragging about who you live with, I will compel you not to speak. If you follow those few guidelines, we'll be fine and I won't say a word to you unless I have to."

Adrianna looked at Grant.

"Do you have anything to add?" she asked.

"Nope, I think that you covered all the bases." Grant replied. "I would like to reiterate something though. Ms. Simpson, this is as difficult as you make it. The guidelines aren't hard, but your propensity for wanting to be seen can be problematic-"

"What do you know about me?" Barb snapped. "You're nothing but a driver!"

"I know what I see and hear." Grant replied as he looked back at her through the rear view mirror. "You got into this car thinking that you could play me. Now that you know that you can't I'm back to being the help. Not once did you ask any questions about you could help us keep you safe. Instead you're more concerned about what we call you which tells me something. Appearances are everything to you. You want people to know who you are. I'm not saying that it's necessarily a bad thing, but it could be. We don't know who's listening when we talk. That man or woman standing next to you in line could be an innocent shopper, but maybe not. I know that this sounds excessive, but ours is a dangerous world as I'm sure Mr. Blackwell has told you. We need to be cautious especially since we don't know what this latest threat is."

Barb didn't say anything, but looked out the window watching the palm trees as they sped by. She missed the look that passed between Adrianna and Grant. It was a look that said that they knew that they hadn't been taken seriously.

A number of thoughts ran through Barb's mind as she gazed out of the window. The predominant one was why anyone refused to acknowledge her as Mrs. Blackwell. 

"Where to first?" Grant asked interrupting her thoughts.

Barb went over the list of shops that Thorne had given her credit at and remembered one of them was a beauty salon. She would start off her day with a facial, manicure and pedicure and go from there. Her questions about why no one was accepting her as Thorne's mate were temporarily forgotten as she gave Grant the name of the salon.

"I assume that you know where it is?" She asked snidely.

"Yes I do." Grant replied. "My mate comes here every so often."

"Isn't this a high end place?" Barb asked. To her way of thinking, if a lowly driver could afford to let his wife have the royal treatment, then it must be a cheap place.

"It is expensive." Grant replied. "But my mate is a good mother to our children and she is a good wife to me. The cost is irrelevant because I love her and giving her a day here and there to herself is my way of showing it."

Barb looked at Grant to see if he was just spouting nice words. When his eyes met hers in the rearview mirror, she saw that he meant it. She looked over at Adrianna and wondered if she had a mate. She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be with her, but then; stranger things had happened namely Louise and Nathan.

"What about you?" Barb asked Adrianna. "Do you have a mate?"

Adrianna didn't answer right away. She looked at Barb for several seconds before she replied.

"Yes I have a mate." She replied. "Does that surprise you?"

"To be honest with you, it does." Barb replied.

"It surprises many people." Adrianna replied with a small smile and said no more.

"Why won't you call me Mrs. Blackwell?" Barb asked.

Adrianna didn't want to get into that particular discussion with Barb, but Thorne told her to answer all of Barb's questions honestly.

"You weren't introduced to me as Mrs. Blackwell." She replied.

"But that's who I am!" Barb exclaimed.

"Be that as it may, I was told to call you Ms. Simpson." Adrianna replied. "Why? I don't know nor do I care. That's something that you need to discuss with Mr. Blackwell."

Barb looked at Grant and asked him the same question.

"It's as Adrianna says." Grant replied. "Like her, I don't know the reason; nor did I ask." He added.

Barb took out her wallet and looked at the credit card. She hadn't really looked at it closely to see what the name on the front of it said. She had signed the back of it using the name of Simpson out of habit. Her name --Barbara Yancy-Simpson was stamped on the front. Given what she already knew about Thorne, she was still surprised. Adrianna was right; it was something that she definitely planned to address with Thorne when she saw him that evening.

Grant pulled into the valet parking space at the salon.

"Wait here." He said his tone firm.

Barb watched Grant as he walked around the car looking around as he did so. Finally, he went inside of the salon and came out a few minutes later.

"They're ready for you." He said when he opened the car door.

He offered Barb his hand which she looked at with disdain and declined. She didn't miss the low, rumbling growl that came in response to her slight. Adrianna came to her side, looked at Grant and led Barb away. Apparently she needed to be reminded that she wasn't dealing with humans.

"Welcome Ms. Simpson." The owner of the salon greeted. "My name is Marla and it will be my pleasure to serve you today. If you will follow me, we'll get started."

Barb's mood improved. This is was more like it. She followed Marla to a private booth and sat her purse down.

"What services would you like today?" Marla asked as she helped Barb settle into the chair.

"I want a facial, manicure and pedicure." Barb said relishing the attention that she was receiving.

"Of course." Marla said. "We use the 'Amarys' line for our products, is that acceptable?"

"I've never used that product, but I'll try it." Barb replied.

"Very good." Marla said. "May I offer you and your companion refreshments while I gather my supplies?"

"I'll take a glass of ice water with lemon if you have it." Barb replied her tone actually half civil.

"Of course and your companion?" Marla asked.

"No thank you." Adrianna replied.

As soon as Marla was gone, Adrianna moved closer to Barb.

"Just a warning." She whispered. "Marla never waits on customers unless she's fishing for information. Have a care in what you tell her."

A girl carrying a tray with a tall glass and a pitcher filled with ice water and fresh lemons walked in before Barb could reply. Without asking, she sat the tray down and poured Barb a glass of water wrapping the glass with a linen napkin before handing it to her. 

"Will there be anything else ma'am?" The girl asked looking down.

"That will be all." Barb replied feeling very much like a princess.

Marla returned a few minutes later with her supplies. She sat the supplies out with great aplomb feeding into Barb's illusion that she was an honored guest. Moments later, she was relaxing under the talented fingers of Marla.

"Are you comfortable?" Marla asked in a soothing almost hypnotic voice.

"Yes... that feels good." Barb replied.

"Good... so are you new to California?" Marla asked.

Adrianna listened to the questions and decided not to interfere unless Barb started name dropping.

"I've been here a few months." Barb replied. "My sisters and one of my brothers live here."

"I see... well, you must have made an impression on someone for them to give you a monthly allowance to come here. What is it that you do for a living?"

Adrianna went on the alert. She now knew why Marla was waiting on Barb. She had seen the monthly allowance. It didn't surprise her that Thorne had done it anonymously; it was a part of his security. The question was what Barb was going to say.

"I work from home." Barb said evasively.

"I see, well as I said; someone is rather impressed with your services."

What the woman was implying finally dawned on Barb and she reacted without thinking.

"I am not a whore!" she exclaimed. "I happen to be married to..."

And then her voice caught. She coughed, sputtered and reached for the glass of water in an attempt to clear her throat. A few seconds later, she was able to talk. She looked at Adrianna who was staring at Marla with blackened eyes. She blinked and her eyes went back to their normal color. 

"You may continue." She said to Marla.

Adrianna turned her attention to Barb. 

"You were about to tell her things that are none of her business."

"Did you hear what she was implying?" Barb asked.

"I heard and it doesn't matter." Adrianna replied. "What does matter is that you were about to announce to the world who your mate is."

"She's only one person!" Barb replied.

"She's one person who has great outreach." Adrianna replied. "If you had told her what she wanted to know, it would have been over our airwaves in less than an hour. You need to start remembering something. Each of us is responsible for the safety of the other. One word to the wrong being or human could get one or more of us killed. This isn't like the human world where people want to be in the limelight and wants everyone to know what they are doing. I repeat, ours is a dangerous world and secrecy is everything. The sooner you understand and accept that, the better off you'll be."

"What about now?" Barb asked. "We're talking in front of her."

"Yes, but she can't hear us." Adrianna replied. "I've temporarily rendered her deaf just as I rendered you speechless."

The rest of the appointment passed in silence unless Marla asked a question regarding the services. Barb waited as Marla subtracted the cost of the session from her available balance.

"You have eight-thousand left on your account. Would you like to schedule another appointment?"

Barb looked at the list of services on the wall.

"Yes, I think that I would like a full body massage and all that goes with it. Let's make it for two weeks from now."

Marla entered the appointment into the computer and made a card out for Barb.

"Thank you for coming, and we look forward to seeing you again."

The next stop was Bloomingdales. Barb had decided to use all of the lines of credit before she touched the money on her credit card. Like at the salon, Grant got out first and looked around. This time when he offered his hand, Barb accepted it; but let it go as soon as she was out of the car.

Of everything that Adrianna told her, one thing stuck. She wasn't dealing with humans and if she was going to survive, she had to learn about the world that she was now a part of.

As she and Adrianna walked through the store, she saw a baby store. It was only then that she remembered that she was pregnant. She still wasn't showing and the morning sickness had passed so it was easy for her to push the pregnancy to the back of her mind. She remembered that a baby store was one of the stores listed and that it was the only store whose line of credit was more than ten-thousand dollars. However, this wasn't the store. In the back of her mind, she planned a tentative date to shop for baby things.

She thought about Louise with a mixture of jealousy and longing. It had been nice to talk to someone who was going through a pregnancy. It was even better that it was a sister, but... Barb imagined that Nathan was a very active participant in the pregnancy and that he wasn't looking at Louise as an incubator. It was obvious that he loved her no matter what she had done to win him over. She felt a pang in her chest when she remembered all of the shows of affection that she saw at the meeting. As much as she wanted to believe that it was fake, she knew that it wasn't. She pushed the thoughts away and headed for the bath and body section of the store where she would find her favorite bath and body oil.

"Make yourself useful and get me a basket." Barb said to Adrianna.

"The baskets are to your left." Adrianna replied as she looked around. 

She sensed other beings, but none of them were paying them any mind. She checked out the humans' next and stepped closer to Barb. She didn't sense any impending threat, but humans were unpredictable in the best of times.

"You aren't going to get a basket for me?" Barb asked.

"No, my hands need to be free." Adrianna replied.

Barb scowled and walked over to where the baskets and shopping carts were. She picked up a basket and then changed her mind. A shopping cart would be better since several bottle of the oil would get heavy. Without saying anything, Barb chose a cart and walked away.

**

Olivia felt like a million dollars. The haircut and color and he facial, manicure and pedicure had done wonders in lifting her spirits. She was still Megan, mother of two and wife of Raphael and would be for another eight hours. 

She pulled the convertible into the valet parking spot at Bloomingdales and got out. She had no idea of what she was going to buy. It was just the idea of walking through a store and not worrying about a potential problem.

She passed the same baby store that Barb had, but only she went in. She touched the soft blankets and sleepers as she walked by them. On a whim, she walked back to the sleeper section and bought two sleepers, one pink and one blue and left the store.

Her next stop was the lingerie section where she purchased several pair of panty and bra sets although no one other than her would see them. One of the males in the terrible fives wanted her, but she wasn't that desperate. She knew of other hunters who had taken advantage of the sexual talents of vampires, but she wasn't one of them. Her hands and toys would have to suffice until she found someone worth lying with. But it had been so long since the last time she had made love. She pushed the thought away, all would do is make her want what she couldn't have.

She took her time picking out the bra and panty sets and then looked at the nighties. She let out a long sigh and walked away. She wandered over to the cookware and looked at it longingly. She missed her little house with its tiny kitchen and was saddened by the fact that she couldn't remember the last time she had cooked in it or even done something as simple as making a cup of tea. Tears burned her eyes. She wanted to go home. She hated vampires as much as others of her kind, but not enough to actively hunt them. If it came down to protecting herself she would kill, but to murder was another thing altogether.

That was another topic that her father would consider treasonous. In fact, there weren't many things that he didn't consider treason. Aware that she was letting reality intrude on her day, Olivia thought about something else. She made her way through the house ware section and finally picked up a tea kettle that she had promised to buy for herself. She hated microwaved water and loved the whistling sound of a tea kettle when the water was boiling.

Gradually she made her way to the body and bath products. She had a certain product that she used and Bloomingdales was the only place that carried it. She did a mental calculation of how much of the product that she had left and decided to buy more even though she had plenty. 

Just as she reached the aisle where the product could be found, Olivia froze. She felt eyes on her. She forced herself to go through the motions of picking up several bottles of the lotion. It wouldn't do to cause a disturbance. The hunters needed secrecy as much as the vampires did. If the vampires knew that there were hunters in the area, the danger factor would rise exponentially. They would become the hunted as they were hunting.

As far as she knew, there were no other hunters in the area. It was one of the things that she had checked on before she decided to come to the Los Angeles area. She had made periodic phone calls just to make sure that no other groups were coming. The last time she checked, she was told that they were the only group in the area and they weren't even actively hunting. They were on vacation.

A moment later, the feeling of being watched was gone. Olivia slowly looked around and saw no one. She was tempted to disregard the feeling, but her gut was telling her something else. Instead of leaving, she decided to finish her day. It would be a long time before she could slip away again.

***

Adrianna followed Barb around the store not making any comments. She wasn't sure of what caught her attention, but she didn't ignore it. With one eye on Barb, she slipped back and looked around the corner and down the next aisle.

"Shit." She murmured when she saw Olivia.

She hurried back to Barb and tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"We're leaving now." She said looking behind her.

"What? I just got here!" Barb replied.

"We need to leave now, don't make me repeat myself." Adrianna said firmly as she took the bottles of oil from Barb's hands.

When Barb didn't move, Adrianna looked at her, rendered her mute and began to pull her down the aisle toward the exit. Barb tried to resist but soon found out that she was no match for Adrianna. As they rushed out of the store, Adrianna took out her cell phone and called Grant.

"Meet us by the exit, have the car door open."

A few minutes later, Barb was in the car and furious beyond words.

"I told you that when you are told to move, you move." Adrianna said. "I saw someone that I recognized and she isn't a friend. You wasted precious time by arguing with me. The next time, I won't be as pleasant."

"Who did you see?" Grant asked.

"Olivia Saunders." Adrianna replied. "And if she's here, then other hunters are here too. We need to tell Mr. Blackwell."

"Wait! Why can't you just call him?" Barb asked. "And besides it was only one person."

Grant ignored Barb as he turned around and headed back to the beach house.

****

Thorne was in his office when Barb arrived followed by Grant and Adrianna. He looked at the clock and realized that for them to be back so soon, something must have happened. He kissed his afternoon of peace goodbye and went to the living room.

"Why are you back so soon?" He asked.

"Olivia thought she saw someone and dragged me out of the store." Barb said angrily. "I told them that they could call you, but noooo..."

"Shut up." Thorne said already tired of Barb's whining. "Olivia," Thorne said, "A full report please."

"I told you what happened!" Barb exclaimed angrily.

"Did you see the person? " Thorne asked sharply.




Thorne Ch. 04



"No but, it was only one person; she said so." Barb replied.

"Did she say this before or after you were in the car?" Thorne asked.

"Afterwards, what difference does that make?" Barb asked.

"My point is that you don't know how many people were there. Neither did Adrianna which was why she took you out of the store. Now, if you will kindly shut the hell up; I want to hear what Adrianna has to say." 

Thorne looked at Adrianna and nodded.

"I saw Olivia Saunders at the department store." Adrianna said. "I know that it was her, I know her family well. It is as you say, I don't know if there were others with her. Once I saw her, my focus became getting Ms. Simpson out of the store."

"I understand." Thorne said, "But what doesn't make sense is that no one knew that she was here and there hasn't been the usual rash of disappearances and deaths that comes with them."

"Permission to speak freely sir." Adrianna said and then waited.

Thorne nodded his consent.

"Maybe she's here alone although I doubt it. Rufus Saunders wouldn't allow it. The other possibility is that they're on vacation and don't want to attract attention."

"I agree." Thorne said, "But we all know how unpredictable hunters can be. We also don't know how many are with her and if any of those are vampire or any other species. Adrianna, are you able to stay here with Ms. Simpson?"

"I can stay for as long as you need me to." Adrianna replied.

"Good... Barb, Olivia will stay in the room adjoining ours. You are to go nowhere without her and that includes outdoors. Just a reminder, she isn't here as your servant so don't try to treat her as one. Grant, how many of your pack is available for duty?" Thorne asked.

"How many do you need?" Grant asked.

"Four for the day and four for the evening." Thorne replied. "Is that possible?"

"Consider it done." Grant replied. "Thorne, may I make a suggestion?"

Barb's eyes snapped to Thorne. She waited for him to put the wolf in his place.

"I'm listening." Thorne said.

"I would suggest moving your mate until we know what's happening. I do not doubt your ability to protect her..."

"Your point is well taken." Thorne interrupted, "What else?"

"I believe that she needs to be reminded that she is no longer in the human world and that rudeness is not tolerated." 

"It will be taken care of. Thank you." Thorne said signaling an end to the conversation. "If you will excuse me, I have phone calls that I need to make. "

Thorne walked away without a backwards glance at Barb.

"Am I allowed to walk around my own house alone?" Barb snipped.

"As long as you stay within one hundred yards of me, then have at it." Adrianna replied as she kicked off her shoes and sat down. "You know, if you were smart; you'd ask me what you needed to know in order to make your transition into this life easier. But you won't and do you know why? You think that I'm beneath you. You also consider Grant to be nothing more than the hired help. I saw the look on your face when he addressed Mr. Blackwell by his first name.

I'll fill you in on a few facts. Grant isn't just a wolf, he's the pack leader. He and Mr. Blackwell have been friends for a long time so I guess you can say that they're equals. Grant drove you around and put up with you attitude as a favor, so if I were you; I'd apologize for being so rude."

Barb bit back a retort when she realized that Adrianna to some degree was right. Not about the apology, but about using her as a resource to learn about her world. She ignored the thought that she could have called Kevyn, Louise or even Nadine for help.

"Alright," Barb said sitting down. "Tell me what I need to know."

****

Louise stood up and stretched. She had just finished putting the mobile for one of the cribs together. The instructions had made it seem much simpler to put together than it really was. She didn't mind. It kept her from worrying about Barb and her baby. She was more convinced than ever that the feelings of sadness were coming from her unborn niece or nephew. On the positive side, the feeling that something horrible was coming for them hadn't increased, but it hadn't diminished either.

"What if they don't know it's us that they're after?" She asked Nathan at breakfast. 

"I suppose that's possible." Nathan replied. "But hunters are indiscriminate about their targets. There haven't been any unusual deaths or vampires reported missing all of which are indicators that hunters are in the area."

"What if it isn't hunters?" Louise asked. "There must be other species who would want the vampire world to end."

"That's true, but as you know; every species has a natural enemy." Nathan replied. "The hunters are ours. There are other species who hate us, but they couldn't do anything on their own. That's why they often work with the hunters."

Louise stretched again and replayed the conversation with Nathan in her head. The more she thought about it, the more she believed that they were dealing with hunters. The fact that no one had died or gone missing argued against it, but she was sure that's who they were dealing with. The other question was who was with them. She had the feeling that only one of the hunters was human. She didn't know if it was male or female, but the gender didn't matter.

She heard the phone ring in Nathan's office and then his voice when he answered it. Nathan came out a few minutes later and kissed her head.

"There's a meeting at Thorne's beach house tonight. Apparently one of his guards spotted someone."

"Who?" Louise asked.

"Ethan didn't say." Nathan replied. "But at the risk of repeating myself, I don't want you going anywhere without me and I definitely don't want you trying to reach out to whoever it us until we know more."

"I promise." Louise said placing her hand over her heart. "What time is the meeting?"

"At seven." Nathan replied, "And it's only four. That's plenty of time to get you naked and in bed before we have to leave."

"Are we going to try the vanishing thing?" Louise asked.

"Soon, but you aren't ready for that yet." Nathan replied. "And besides, we would have to start small. You would have to be able too vanish from your chair."

"Ohhh, do you mean like this?" Louise asked as she vanished and then reappeared.

She laughed at Nathan's shocked expression. 

"Why are you so surprised?" She asked. "You told me how to do it and I've been practicing."

"I know... but it was only last week that I told you how to do it." Nathan said.

"I'm a quick study, but that's all that I can do." Louise said. "I haven't figured out how to get from one place to another yet."

"Like this!" Nathan said as he picked her up and vanished into their bedroom.

***

"A hunter." Ethan said to himself. He picked up the phone and called the area hunters watch office and spoke to whoever was on duty.

"Run your stats again and call me back."

He agreed with Thorne, either the hunter was alone or they were on vacation and staying below the radar. In his experience, hunters didn't take vacations and if they ran across a vampire; they killed him or her without a second thought. He thought back to when Nathan and Louise's feeling came and didn't go away. It had been at least a week which meant if there were hunters, they had been in the area for at least that long. A few minutes later, his phone rang.

"Mr. Sinclaire? I ran those stats again and nothing."

"Alright, keep running them and as soon as anything changes call me and Thorne Blackwell."

Ethan hung up. They wouldn't know which group of hunters they were dealing with until they found a body. Each group had its own signature and in which it was dealt with. The sadistic groups were dealt with in the same manner that they dealt with their victims and so on.

Ethan hated killing, but he would do it without hesitation to protect his family. The only thing that he wouldn't do is torture. But that was him and he wouldn't stop anyone else from doing it. He had always kept an eye out for hunters, but he hadn't thought about trying to make peace with them in a long time. Not since the fight between his family and the Blackwell's. Maybe it was time to think about it again, but first he had to know who they were dealing with.

**

Thorne called Adrianna into his office confident that Barb wouldn't leave the house. Even if she did, she would be stopped by Grant or one of his wolves.

"Tell me what happened in the store."

"If you're asking if your mate obeyed me, the answer is ... no. Precious time was wasted because I had to repeat myself and then compelled her to silence so that I could drag her from the store."

"I figured as much." Thorne said. "Was she as rude to Grant as he says?"

"I'm sorry but your mate is rude to anyone who doesn't cater to her, but yes; she was rude to Grant. I think that part of the problem is that she hasn't made the adjustment from the human world to ours. I hope that I haven't over stepped, but I just explained things to her. My hope is that it will make her more cooperative."

"Thank you." Thorne said absently his mind already on other things. "Do you need to speak with your mate?"

"No, he isn't home and won't be for several weeks so I am at your disposal."

"Good, Adrianna my main concern is the child that Ms. Simpson carries. Do whatever you need to do keep her and by extension the baby safe."

"I understand... but if I may, why do you not acknowledge her as your mate?"

"That is none of your concern." Thorne replied. "The only thing that should concern you is the task at hand."

"Of course." Adrianna said. "I didn't mean to pry. I only asked because the subject came up."

"The Sinclaire family will be arriving in a couple of hours. They will be coming with their own guards but while the meeting is going on, I want you to meet with their head guard and Grant. We need to circle the wagons as it were. Ethan Sinclaire is aware of the meeting so no worries there. After our meeting, Ethan and I will meet with you, Grant and Ethan's lead guard. What we want is a solid plan on how to keep everyone protected at all times."

"I understand." Adrianna said. "I would also like to suggest a safe house that is big enough for all of you. We may not need it, but we need to plan for every circumstance."

"Agreed." Thorne said liking the way that the small guard thought. She was every bit as sharp as he had heard. "That is something that the three of you can discuss. Is there anything else?"

"Yes as a matter of fact there is..."

****

Barb walked around the house bored and angry that her day of shopping had been blown to hell. She started to go outdoors, but stopped when she saw a man sitting on the steps. He looked relaxed, but he wasn't. As if knowing that he was being watched, he turned around and looked at her with bright topaz colored eyes.

She backed away from the patio and went to the kitchen to make something to eat. She saw the bottle of prenatal vitamins on the counter and grimaced. She toyed with the idea of missing a dose but thought better of it. She rummaged through the fridge looking for something to eat and gave up. Nothing sounded good especially since she had planned to have a late lunch at a fancy restaurant. She ate a banana and then took the vitamin.

She continued wandering aimlessly through the house until she found herself at the bottom of the stairs that led to Noel and Felix's part of the house. It still galled her that there were two grown men living in her house. She looked around wondering where Felix and Noel were. She hadn't seen Felix since she arrived and Noel since he vanished from the car before the meeting at Ethan's house.

She took a step away from the stairs and then turned back. She wanted to see what kind of art Noel did. She found it odd that the door to his studio was locked and she didn't believe for one minute that he was a successful artist. She believed that he and Felix were nothing more than freeloaders.

She took one step and then another until she was at the top of the stairs. She stopped to listen for the sounds of anyone coming. When she didn't hear anything, she opened the door that she knew led to the room that Noel used as his studio. She expected it to be locked since the door that adjoined the studio to Noel's bedroom was locked.

For a brief second, she almost turned back; but curiosity got the better of her. She touched the cool metal of the doorknob, wrapped her hand around it; and turned it. To her surprise, the door opened. She stood in the doorway for several seconds before stepping in. She reached over to the wall and felt for a light switch. Finding it, she turned on the light. She looked behind her and then walked into the room. What she noticed first was the number of paintings in various degrees of completeness. She thought that they were nice, but nothing special. What drew her attention was the one painting that was covered.

Even as she walked toward it, she knew that she should leave it alone; but she couldn't. She stood in front of the covered picture, reached for the sheet and pulled it away. A pair of beautiful brown eyes looked at her.

Barb looked at the eyes and wondered why they looked so familiar to her. She suppressed a shiver when she thought that she sensed displeasure coming from the portrait. She jumped when she heard an angry voice behind her.

"What in the fuck are you doing in here?"

****

Noel had been asleep since he spoke with his mother. He had wanted to stay awake and figure out what was happening, but the soft voice that went with the eyes in the portrait told him that he needed to sleep. He had resisted, but finally; he gave in.

He fell asleep soon after his head hit the pillow. For once, his sleep was dream free and restful. He didn't know what woke him. He lay still for several minutes assessing for a threat, but sensed none. He extended his senses throughout the house and felt Thorne, an unknown female, and Grant. Felix was gone for a few days...so who? Barb was missing. That she was gone was too much to hope for. It was the soft rustling of material sliding down that drew his attention.

He jumped out of bed and went to his studio where Barb stood looking at the portrait. Noel reined back the urge to attack. The only thing that stopped him was that the woman who had invaded his privacy was his brother's mate.

That knowledge did little to quell his anger. In fact, it fueled it. He had tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. He had tried to be kind to her and here she was touching what wasn't hers to touch.

****

Barb turned around to see Noel, green eyes blazing in anger standing behind her.

"I asked you a question." Noel said as he took a step toward her. "What in the fuck are you doing in here?"

Barb didn't move, she was too afraid to. Her gut told her that if she did, Noel would attack.

"Get. Away. From. Her." He growled. "NOW!"

Barb moved away from the painting and stopped. 

"I only wanted to see your paintings." She lied. "Thorne says that you're well known..."

"Lies." Noel said. "You lie."

Seconds later, a voice that she never thought that she would be happy to hear came from the doorway.

"Noel, I'll take care of it." Thorne said. "I swear that she won't come into this part of the house again."

Noel didn't respond, but continued to stare at Barb.

"What part of this part of the house is off limits to you didn't you understand?" Noel asked. "What part of respecting the privacy of another do you not understand? Get out and do not ever come here uninvited again."

Barb started to say something, but Adrianna put a finger to her lips urging silence.

"Come over here." Thorne said to barb keeping his eyes on Noel.

When she reached him, still looking at Noel; he spoke to her.

"Apologize."

"What? No!" Barb hissed. 

"Fucking apologize!" Thorne demanded.

"I don't want her apologies." Noel said softly. "It would be a lie. All I want is her word that she will never step foot in here again. Do I have your word?" Noel asked Barb.

Barb looked at Thorne not believing that he would allow his brother to dictate where she could go in her own house.

"Answer truthfully." Thorne cautioned her. "We will know if you lie."

"Fine!" Barb spat out, "I won't be back!"

She stormed off without a backwards glance. Thorne was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to his study.

"Did you not tell me that you weren't stupid?" He hissed. "But yet you continue to do dumb ass things! If you hadn't been my mate, I would be burying you right now! Do you fucking understand that! He could have killed you but instead he called to me. Where in the hell are your brains?"

"I can't believe that you're siding with him! I'm supposed to be your mate! You're supposed to side with me! "

"Let me remind you of how you came to be my mate." Thorne said. 

"No thank you." Barb retorted. "I've heard the story."

"Alright then, let me tell you how this story is going to end." Thorne said

"Mr. Blackwell," Adrianna said. "Ethan Sinclaire and his mate are here."

"We'll finish this later." Thorne said and walked away.

Barb didn't know what he was going to say, but she knew that it wasn't going to be to her benefit. She cursed under her breath and followed Thorne to the living room where Ethan and Katrina were waiting. She hadn't formally met Katrina at the last meeting, but she had watched her and decided that she didn't like her for the same reasons that she disliked her sisters.

If Katrina was aware of Barb's feelings toward her, she didn't show it as she warmly greeted her.

"I'm sorry that we didn't officially meet the last time." Katrina said. "I know that coming into this world can be challenging and frightening so if you have any questions feel free to ask. Any of us will be more than happy to help in any way that we can."

"Thanks but I'm fine." Barb replied.

The twins and their mates were next. She shied away from Veronica who made it clear that she still hadn't forgotten the incident when she tried to hit on her mate. Joseph came in, nodded at her and went to sit down. Hans and Juliette arrived followed by Leon and Nadine, Kevyn and Patrick and finally Louise and Nathan.

Barb couldn't help but notice how Louise glowed. Nor did she miss how Nathan was always touching her and kissing her temple. For just a nanosecond, she almost allowed a conscious thought come through and she didn't allow it to continue. She noticed the gift bag that Nathan carried in and sat on the floor beside him.

She glanced around the room at all of the couples realizing that all of them were happy except for her and Thorne. Thorne was already talking when Noel came in and stood in the back of the room. He looked pale, but not ill as he had the week before.

"This is what we know." Thorne said. "Barb and Adrianna were out shopping when Adrianna saw someone that she knew. Olivia Saunders. Here's the thing, it appeared that she was alone which in and of itself is unusual. Hunters never travel alone even during the day so is she really alone?"

"No." Louise said. "I keep seeing more than one person. She must be the human that I see, but there are more with her."

"I've been getting hourly reports from the watcher station." Ethan said. "So far nothing odd has popped up but as we know, that can change at any time."

"That's true." Thorne said. "Adrianna made a suggestion that I think has merit. She suggested that we find a safe house that neither of us owns just in case we need to leave our homes here. I told her to discuss it with Grant and the head of your guards." 

"I think that's wise." Ethan replied. "It would be good to locate a place as soon as possible so that we can make sure that it's stocked."




Thorne Ch. 04



The meeting went on for another hour after which, Ethan, Thorne and the three guards met. Leon went over to Barb and sat beside her.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Fine... Leon, how do you do this?" Barb asked.

"Do what exactly?" Leon asked.

"This! I didn't ask for this!" Barb said and then she pulled back. "You know what? Forget that I said anything. I'm fine. Thorne is... Thorne."

"What about the baby?" Leon asked.

"It's fine too." Barb replied absently as she looked around the room.

"It?" Leon asked slightly disturbed.

"Yes it." Barb replied. "I don't know whether it's a boy or girl."

Leon couldn't help but notice the difference in attitude between Louise and Barb. Louise always referred the baby as 'him' or 'the baby'. She and Nathan were already bonding with their baby whereas Barb seemed to be trying to deny the existence of hers. He hoped that when the time came that her mothering instincts would come into play.He didn't address the baby issue, but brought up another question.

"Why do you have to be such a hard ass? I can see that you want to reach out but you stop yourself from doing it."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Barb said. "And I'll thank you to mind your own business."

She walked away before Leon could say anything and headed over to Louise and Nathan.

"I have a question for you." She said not giving them the chance to say hello. 

"Sure, but first I have something for you." Louise said. "I made several mobiles for the baby's crib and bassinet and made some for you too."

Barb bit back a snide comment, took the offered gift bag and looked inside. The smell of freshly baked bread made her salivate. The snide comment was forgotten as she inhaled the aroma of the bread.

"It's the cheese kind isn't it?" Barb asked.

"Yes and there's a crock of butter in there too." Louise replied. "The mobiles are in the packages on top."

Barb sat down, her question forgotten as she took one of the packages out of the bag and opened it.

"You made this?" Barb asked as she looked at the brightly colored mobile.

"Well," Louise replied. "I had a lot of help from Nathan on that one. It needed an architect to put it together."

"It's great... Thanks."

Nathan watched Louise and Barb talk. Once again he saw a glimpse of the woman that Barb could be if she would let herself. He felt badly for the Yancy siblings. He knew that they hadn't lost hope that Barb would not necessarily become a different person, but a happier one. He watched as the Barb that he knew and disliked resurfaced.

"So, what nanny agency are you going to use?" Barb asked as she sat the gift bag on the floor.

"We're not using a nanny service." Louise replied. "Why would we need one?"

"Who's going to help you then?" Barb asked.

"Help us do what?" Nathan asked. "We'll raise our baby together and if we need a night out, there are plenty of aunts and uncles to help out."

Barb found it hard to believe that Nathan Sinclaire would change a dirty diaper, but then again; maybe he would. But in any case, her idea of using Louise and Nathan as part of her argument for a nanny had gone to hell.

"Thanks for the gifts." She said her voice tight. She turned around to see Noel looking at her with something akin to disgust. He had made his point; she wasn't going anywhere near him or his damned studio. But as soon as was feasible, he was leaving and she didn't care what Thorne had to say about it.

**

Noel watched and listened without offering an opinion. He was relieved that while he had a headache, it was nowhere near as intense as the one he had experienced a few nights before. He looked from face to face taking note of the expressions. His gaze stopped on Juliette for just a moment and then continued until it rested on Barb's.

He realized that had she not been Thorne's mate and with child that he could have and would have killed her. He saw her as a threat to the eyes in the picture and had reacted as any male protecting his mate would. He hoped that she got the message and stayed away from him. His next thought was that this was the side of him that his father tried unsuccessfully to bring out. In a way, he had succeeded Noel thought bitterly.

He was going to leave right after the meeting, but decided to stay and watch how people interacted. He watched Barb as she talked to her brother and then her sister. Like Thorne, he saw that they loved her and didn't understand why she acted the way that she did. For a few minutes, he saw another side of Barb appear and then disappear. He shook his head; Thorne had a very long eternity in front of him. 

The one thing that he had decided was that as soon as the crisis was over, he was buying a house. He was ready for a place where he didn't have to keep the eyes of his mate covered. Having seen enough, Noel started to leave; but was stopped by a masculine voice.

"Excuse me." Leon said just as Noel was leaving.

Noel turned around and looked at Leon.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"No." Leon replied. "I just wanted to introduce myself. "I'm Leon Yancy, Barb is my sister."

"Noel Blackwell." Noel said extending his hand.

Leon gave it a firm shake after accepting it and released it.

"This is some place you have here." Leon said looking around.

"Actually this is Thorne's home." Noel replied. "I'm staying here temporarily. After this business is over with, I'll be moving."

Noel found himself relaxing in Leon's presence, but didn't understand it. Usually he didn't trust new people, but there was something about Leon that soothed him much like the eyes in the picture did. But it was different in a way that he couldn't put his finger on. He felt a kinship to Leon that made him both nervous and excited. He hadn't felt that way about anyone other than Thorne and the eyes since the farmer's son so many centuries ago.

"Do you have a spot in mind?" Leon asked.

"No, not really." Noel replied. "I only made the decision today."

Leon liked Noel. He had the sense that he was as straightforward as Thorne, but he was a much softer version of him. He also realized that while that was true, Noel was capable of great violence; but he hadn't always been that way.

"Well since we're related, why don't I introduce you to the rest of the family?" Leon asked. "Who knows? We all may end up under the same roof."

Noel hesitated for a moment and then followed Leon across the room. He was introduced to Kevyn and Patrick first. By the end of thirty minutes, he had met all of the Yancy's who were there and their mates. When he got to Louise, he shielded himself recognizing her as the empathy/seer. If she noticed, she gave no indication of it. Leon, he realized was an empath as well; but to a lesser degree.

"Last, but not least," Leon said, "Is my sister Juliette and her mate Hans. We have a brother, but he lives on the east coast."

Noel was only half listening. His eyes were glued on Juliette's eyes. They were so much like the eyes in the portrait, but different. The eyes in the portrait were a warmer brown and Juliette's eyes didn't soothe him. He wanted to know how Juliette was related to the owner of the eyes.

Aware that he was staring, he jerked himself back to attention. He found Hans regarding him with cool eyes.

"Your mate is very lovely." Noel said with a slight incline of his head. "All of your mates are lovely." He added.

"Thank you." Hans said pulling Juliette closer to his side.

"If you will excuse me," Noel said, "I have some matters to attend to. Leon, it was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for introducing me to our extended family. I hope that we will meet again under better circumstances."

Noel walked away his mind on the relationship between Juliette and the woman in the picture. He had meant it when he told Leon that he hoped to meet him again. He liked Leon's calm demeanor and felt that he was someone that he could talk to.

***

Barb stared at Leon and Noel as they talked. It was the first time that the two men had met and yet they were talking like friends. She watched as Leon took Noel around the room and introduced him to the others. Leon was being Leon, but Barb saw it as something else-he was kissing ass.

Even as she thought it, she knew that she was wrong and began to wonder if she really didn't owe Noel an apology. It didn't change the fact that she wanted him out, but going into his room uninvited was rude; even for her.

Noel was almost to the stairway to his suites when she caught up to him.

"Noel-wait." She called after him.

Noel stopped, turned and looked at her with cold green eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I want to clear the air." Barb said. "I won't lie and say that I'm glad that you're here; because I'm not. I won't even pretend that I like you because I don't. But- I do owe you an apology. I shouldn't have gone into your rooms and it won't happen again."

"I don't care for you either." Noel said after several seconds. "But you are my brother's mate and mother to his child. I will treat you with respect because of those things. I also expect to be treated with respect..."

"I..."

"I'm not finished." Noel said sounding more like Thorne than he realized. "I also expect that you will show some semblance of respect to others that pass through these door and those who live here. I'm talking about Felix. I don't care if he's the help or who he is. He is entitled to respect as is everyone and everything that breathes. As for your apology, it is accepted; now please excuse me."

The meeting with the security guards was over by the time Barb got back to the living room. Ethan and Thorne were standing side by side, but Thorne was talking.

"Adrianna, Grant and Jordan are going to begin searching for a hide-a-way large enough for all of us. The location will be subject to approval by Ethan and me. As soon as we have a place, you will all be alerted. We don't need to remind you to keep alert and not to let your mates go anywhere alone. Mates, if you see or hear anything suspicious, please say something. Also, please remind any children that they are not to go with anyone other than someone from the family. It might even be a good idea to take them out of school until the danger is past."

Juliette inwardly groaned. She could hear Victor's shouts of joy and Wanda's cries of disappointment. Maybe if a sleepover was arranged...The idea to arrange a luncheon just for the women occurred to her. She still had questions about her new life and she was certain that Barb probably did too. They hadn't all been together to talk as sisters in weeks.

After the meeting, she approached Barb.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asked.

"Fine I guess." Barb replied. "How are the kids?

"They're doing great. Hans has been really good for them." Juliette replied. "I was thinking that it would be nice if we could all get together and talk."

"About what?" Barb asked warily.

"I don't know about you, but there's so much that I don't know about this world." Juliette said. "I still have a lot of questions so I thought that maybe we could all get together for lunch. We could ask Rachel and Katrina to come and they could fill in the blanks for us."

Barb was about to say no and then changed her mind.

"Sure. Why not?"

***

The 'terrible five' were just beginning to surface by the time Olivia made it to the house. Nell and her mother Mary were warming up blood in the microwave when she walked in.

"Where have you been?" Nell asked.

"Out." Olivia replied sharply.

"I see how it is." Mary said her tone cool. "You get to break daddy's rules whenever you want..."

"Has Albert figured out where we're going tonight?" Olivia interrupted.

"He hasn't said anything." Nell replied. 

For the most part, Nell liked Olivia in spite of whom and what she was. She also knew that out of all of them, she was the one that Olivia felt the safest with. Neither woman had any illusions as to the true nature of their relationship. For Nell, family would always come first. She would kill Olivia without batting an eye if she had to.

Olivia knew and accepted this so she never fully trusted Nell. She hated vampires, but if she had to choose one to like, it would have been Nell. Mary on the other hand, she could leave. The woman often forgot what her place was in the scheme of things. The questioning of her whereabouts was a case in point.

Of the males, it was Harry that made her nervous. There was an anger and hatred in him that Olivia didn't understand, nor did she care to. Of all of them, he was the most likely to kill her and not care about the consequences. William wanted her. He was the one who would turn her instead of killing her. Love had nothing to do with it. It was the idea of turning the daughter of the leader of the hunters that partially motivated him. It wasn't that she found him unattractive, it was quite the opposite; but he was a vampire and that made him unacceptable. Albert, the father to Nell, William and Harry was an enigma to her. He rarely spoke, but watched and listened to everything that went on around him. He would also kill her without thinking about it.

Olivia had once asked her father about the wisdom of keeping a family of vampires together on the same team, but as always; he got angry.

"I warned you about questioning me!" he snapped.

"Dad, you keep telling me that I have to start thinking like a leader, but when I do; you get offended. I'm not questioning your wisdom. I'm just trying to understand your rationale." 

Rufus had looked at her, took a deep breath and grumbled an apology. The fact of the matter was that he didn't want Olivia to lead the group. In his mind, it was a position meant for a male. Olivia in his opinion was too soft hearted and he hated her separatist attitude. He could only imagine the changes that she would make once she took over.

Olivia looked at the women and gave them a small smile. 

"I'll be ready in an hour." She said and walked away.

Nell and Mary looked at each other, shrugged and continued warming the blood. If they were going out, they needed to be well fed or there could be a problem.

***

Harry stood in front of the mirror examining his chest. Fury rose as it did every time he looked at the large scars that surrounded where his heart was. There wasn't a day or night that passed that he didn't think about the bitch that had stabbed him and left him for dead. In her panic, she had missed hitting him dead center and didn't realize that the knife wasn't long enough. But still, she had done serious damage to him. If Nell hadn't doubled back, he would have died; but not from the wounds. The sun would have killed him.

After Nell found him, they went into hiding. Mary stayed with him and took care of him while Nell, William and his father went in search of the woman who had tried to kill him. They had been gone for three days before they came back barely with their lives. William was carrying Nell who had been seriously injured in the fight for the girl.

"What happened?" Mary asked when they came in.

"Someone took the bitch in." William replied. "It was another vampire."

"He did this to three of you?" Mary asked shocked.

"He a lot older than us." Albert replied. "And we ain't fed either."

"Food is tied to the tree." Mary said. "Harry gonna be alright so eat."

"Food" was four trappers and an Indian that Mary had compelled to follow her. There had been others, but the bodies had already been disposed of.

Harry shook himself from the memory and ran a fingertip over the large, raised scars. In his mind, he knew that one day he would see her again. He didn't consciously look for her, but he knew, that one day when he wasn't expecting it, he would find her.

By six pm, Olivia and the five were in a limo and headed for the shops. They were already dressed for their night on the town and Olivia had already reminded them that they were to keep a low profile.

"Any sex is to be consensual and no one is to be killed." She said looking into every face. "They don't know that we're here and I want to keep it that way."

"I'm not a fucking child!" Harry snarled.

Olivia ignored him and continued.

"Albert, what's the name of this club?"

"The Emerald." Albert replied his tone cool. "It has very liberal rules. Almost anything goes except murder and humans cannot be compelled to play with us. They must be able to give verbal consent before we drink from them or fuck them."

"Sounds good." Olivia replied. 

By ten pm, the group was standing in line at the club. It wasn't long before Nell was dancing with the human male that was standing behind her. Albert stood behind Mary with his arms around her making it clear that she wasn't available. William was looking around enjoying being out of the house. He was tapping his foot to the blaring music thinking about how much music and style of dress had changed over the centuries.

He wasn't complaining, he liked the way in which the females flaunted their bodies. The fewer garments they wore, the better. He stole a glance at Olivia who was swaying to the music and fought the urge to take her into his arms and dance with her. As of late; he had been becoming more conflicted about his feelings for her. He turned his gaze away from her and looked at Harry. He knew that Harry hated Olivia and would try to kill her the first time that she left her guard down. The question was what he was going to do if and when that happened. William sighed, closed his eyes and let the beat of the music wash the thoughts out if his head.

Harry looked behind him. The line had grown considerably. It circled around the building and down the block. At the end of the long line, Harry saw a woman. His heart pounded and the scars surrounding it itched. He knew that it wasn't her, but it looked like her. He looked around to see what the others were doing.

Olivia was talking to the woman in front of her, Nell was still dancing with the human male who would become her midnight snack, William was standing with his eyes closed and his parents were looking forward not paying attention to him.

After a last glance, Harry slipped out of line and made his way toward the woman. The closer he got to her, the more he realized that she wasn't the woman that he thought she was. But he wanted her regardless. 

He sidled up to her after making sure that she was alone. 

"Hello darlin'." He said with a smile that melted the heart of any woman who saw it and this woman was no exception.

"Hello." She said looking up at him and smiling.

"Mind if I keep you company?" Harry asked smiling back at her.

"Umm sure!" The woman replied not believing her luck. 

"Thank you, my name is Abel, what's yours?" Harry asked stepping even closer to the woman and inhaling her scent.

"Joanie." She replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Harry said softly his dark eyes glittering. "Why are you here alone? It isn't safe for a beautiful woman to come to a place like this alone."

He could have cared less, but he wanted her to feel at ease with him. As he listened to her long drawn out story about doing something adventurous, he kept an eye out for the others. Finally, he had heard enough of her prattle. He wanted her to use her mouth for other things.

Now that she was at ease with him, Harry slipped into her mind and compelled her to go for a walk with him. Fifteen minutes later, he was back in line with his family and Olivia. None of them seemed to have missed his absence. If they had, they would have come looking for him.

An hour later, they were finally in the club.

****

Louise was napping on the couch when her eyes snapped open. Nathan walked in just as she was sitting up.

"I know." He said softly, "I felt it too."



Thorne Ch. 05



Note: First, thanks to donalde for beta-reading for me. Secondly, thank you all for continuing to follow the Sinclaire/Yancy and now Blackwell families. Also thank you for the comments and emails. They are very much appreciated.

Kal

*******

"What did you feel?" Nathan asked Louise as he sat down next to her.

"That's just it." Louise said after a minute. "I don't know. All I can say is that something just happened and it has something to do with them. What do you think?"

"I don't know." Nathan confessed. "Whatever it was, it was here and then gone. I don't think that it's something that we need to call Ethan about unless it happens again."

"I agree." Louise said.

"What else?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know... Juliette asked Barb about us sisters getting together with Katrina and your mom."

"Okay and the problem with that is what?" Nathan asked.

"Barb agreed." Louise replied. 

"She did?" Nathan asked surprised.

"Yes and as glad as I am about that, I have to wonder what's behind it." Louise replied. "Anyway, are you finished with work?"

"Yes." Nathan replied. "What did you have in mind?" He asked as he hugged her hoping that it had something to do with bed and food.

"I think..." Louise stopped mid-sentence. "Nathan..." was all she got out before she passed out.

Nathan felt it too, but his first concern was Louise. He gathered her into his arms looked into her face and then listened for the heartbeat of the baby. He breathed a sigh of relief when it came through clear and strong. She had simply fainted. He carried her to the closest bedroom and for good measure called Gretchen.

"Keep her quiet and I'll be there shortly." Gretchen said. 

Gretchen showed up ten minutes later with Eustace in tow. No one was taking any chances with their mates. Ethan had already made another public announcement encouraging caution and to call the area supervisors if anything out of the ordinary was seen.

"Are you having any pain?" Gretchen asked.

"No, I'm fine." Louise replied. "And before you ask, I'm still taking the vitamins and walking when I can."

"Good and how are you sleeping?" Gretchen asked.

"Fine and I'm eating too." Louise replied. "Gretchen, can I ask what's going to sound like a silly question?"

"You can ask me whatever you like." Gretchen replied.

"Is it possible for one mother to feel the pain of a baby that is being carried by another mother?"

"I don't know." Gretchen replied. "I've never heard of it happening. Is it possible? I suppose so. Why do you ask?"

Louise explained the feelings of intense sadness that she was having and that she was sure that they were coming from Barb's baby. Gretchen listened quietly and debated about what she could say without breaking confidentiality. She had been having some concerns about Barb and her attitude toward her baby and the pregnancy. The only reason that she hadn't said anything was because there was no sign of abuse and the baby was doing well; at least physically.

"As I said, I suppose it's possible, but your sister's baby seems to be doing well."

As soon as she said it, she knew that Louise wasn't buying it. She also knew that Louise understood that she couldn't divulge any information without Barb's permission. Even then, she had to take it to the board. The mandatory reporting was something that Katrina had fought hard for and then worked just as hard for to initiate. She along with Miranda, Mason and a few others put together the guidelines for the mandatory reporting. The reporting body consisted of a practitioner from each field of medicine including psychiatry. Eustace headed the body with Mason being the next in command. It had been a fight to get everyone on board, but after having to make several large donations to Katrina's homes for the emotionally and physically damaged; almost everyone began to comply. There were still a few hold outs, but Katrina was convinced that they would eventually come around.

"Is our baby alright?" Nathan asked.

"Your baby is perfect and Louise is fine." Gretchen replied. "I know that everyone is on high alert because of whatever is going on, but she still needs to walk. I would suggest one of those treadmill things."

"I'll take care of it." Nathan said.

"One more question." Louise said. "When will I begin to show?"

"Soon." Gretchen assured her with a smile. "One evening you'll get up and you won't be able to fasten your pants."

"I can't wait." Louise said happily.

As Gretchen and Eustace vanished, she couldn't help but think about the difference in attitudes about the pregnancies. On a whim, she decided to stop in and check on Barb.

****

Thorne sat at his desk deep on thought. He had planned to go to the club, but that changed when Barb invaded Noel's privacy. He didn't trust her to keep her word even though Adrianna was watching her. Then there was the matter of telling her about the Sinclaires. 

"Shit." He swore as he stood up and then sat back down. He picked up the phone and called the club. Duke answered.

"How's it going?" He asked.

"Busy as usual, but it's going fine." Duke replied. "Are you coming in?"

"No, but my cell phone is on." Thorne replied. "Call me with any issues that you can't resolve and I want you to stay until closing."

"I had already planned on it." Duke replied. "I also took the liberty of bringing in a few more security guards. I hope that's alright."

"Good thinking." Thorne replied. "How many did you call in?"

"Five, they should be here within the hour." Duke replied.

"Good." Thorne said. "Call me at any time."

He hung up patting himself on the back that he had chosen Duke to take Billings place. The next issue was what to do about Barb and how to tell her about the Sinclaires. First things first he decided. He had to deal with their cohabitation issues first. He stood up to find her when his cell phone rang.

"Yes Gretchen." He said when he answered the phone.

"I'm out and about and thought that I would stop in to check on Barb and the baby."

"Of course you may stop in- is there a reason for the unexpected visit?" Thorne asked.

"No." Gretchen replied. "I'm in the area and Eustace is with me so I thought that I would just check in."

"I'll tell Barb that you're on your way." Thorne said and then hung up.

He found Barb in the living room watching television. Adrianna was sitting on the sofa doing something on her laptop.

"Gretchen is on her way to see you." Thorne said.

"Why?" Barb asked not taking her eyes from the television screen. "I didn't call her."

"She's out and about and wants to see you, she didn't say why. Have you been feeling alright?" Thorne asked.

Barb turned to look at him. It was the first time that he had asked about her. She knew that the reason for the concern had very little to do with her per se, but was totally about the baby. She bit back a sharp reply and answered civilly.

"I'm fine." She replied.

Her suspicions about the reason for the concern were confirmed with the next question.

"And the child; is she well?"

"As far as I know it is." Barb replied.

"When Gretchen is finished, come to my office; we have things to discuss." Thorne said and began to walk away.

"Aren't you going to be here when she comes?" Barb asked.

Thorne stopped and turned around. He hadn't planned on it, but she was right, he needed to be there.

"I'll be here." He said, "But please don't misunderstand my intentions. I will be there for the child and not to feed into your illusions that we are a happy family. In fact, that's one of the things that I want to discuss this evening."

"What do you mean?" Barb asked alarmed.

"It will wait until after Gretchen is gone." Thorne replied.

Barb's heart raced when she remembered something that Thorne said after she had been caught in Noel's rooms. She knew that she was skating on very thin ice baby or not.

Gretchen and Eustace appeared about an hour later. She ran down the same list of questions that she asked Louise. She also made the same recommendation for a treadmill. At the end of her exam, she asked Thorne and Eustace to step out of the room.

"How do you feel about this pregnancy?" She asked when they were alone.

"I feel fine." Barb replied evading the question.

"I don't mean physically." Gretchen asked. "I mean emotionally. Are you happy? Sad? Angry? Ambivalent?"

"I'm not looking forward to gaining all that weight." Barb replied trying to joke.

"Why aren't you answering the question?" Gretchen asked. "It isn't a difficult one."

"I told you," Barb said, "I feel fine."

Thorne stood out on the deck with Eustace. It was clear to him that Gretchen knew that there was something wrong, but she couldn't pin point what it was. He knew what the problem was and he planned to rectify it as soon as possible.

"Well, everything looks fine." Gretchen said as she stood up. "I'll see you in two weeks unless there's a problem. You do have my number on speed dial don't you?"

"Yes." Barb replied. "I do."

"Good." Gretchen said as she stood up.

She and Eustace vanished a moment later and Adrianna came back from the kitchen.

"Barb, my office please." Thorne said as soon as Gretchen and Eustace were gone. "Adrianna if you have something to do, feel free to do so. Barb and I will be busy for a few hours; but be careful. In fact, take someone with you."

"Thank you Mr. Blackwell." Adrianna said. "But I think I'll stay put. I have a paper due in a couple of weeks."

"Then please make use of the library." Thorne said.

Barb watched the interaction between Thorne and Adrianna with a small amount of jealousy. She knew that there was nothing romantic between them. Adrianna was mated and had explained to her that it would be impossible for her or her mate to be unfaithful. The jealousy stemmed from the way in which Thorne spoke to her. There was something in his tone that was missing whenever he spoke to her. The missing element was there when he spoke to Noel. She followed him to his office and sat down.

"I didn't know that she was in school." Barb said.

"She's working on her Doctorate in Philosophy." Thorne said. "Would you care for a drink?" He asked.

His tone was polite, but it was a tone that he would have used with a business associate.

"No, but look; I want to apologize." Barb said going on the offensive. "It was very rude of me to go into Noel's part of the house. I've already apologized to him."

"So I've heard." Thorne replied. "Do you understand that he could have hurt you?"

"I know, but I still don't understand why he's here. He's a grown man..."

"He's here because I wish him to be." Thorne said coolly. "We've talked about this as we have so many other things. Frankly, I'm getting tired of repeating myself. But... I will go over everything again and then I will tell you what the plan for us is."

"What plan?" Barb asked warily.

"You'll find out in due time, but first; let's go over the rules again shall we?" Thorne asked talking to her as if she was a child.

"I'm not a child!" Barb snapped. "And I'll thank you not to talk to me as if I were!"

Thorne continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"One, you are to stay away from Noel's part of the house unless you are invited. Two, the next time Adrianna tells you to move, you move. She told me what happened at the department store. You wasted precious minutes by arguing with her. Third, you seem to keep forgetting that you are no longer living in the human world. Apparently there you can act as if your shit doesn't stink, but here it does. You were not only rude, but disrespectful to Grant. You must understand that people aren't always what they appear to be. Grant is a case in point. Hans is another. Adrianna told me that she told you some of the ins and outs of our world. I strongly suggest that you listen to her. I would also suggest that you meet with your sisters. They can offer you support and insight."

Barb listened to what she considered to be a lecture without interrupting. She didn't appreciate the tone that was being used, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Before I continue," Thorne said. "Do you have any questions? If you do; now is the time to ask."

"Why are you such a bastard?" Barb asked.

"Why are you such a conniving bitch?" Thorne shot back. "Do you have any other questions?"

When she didn't reply, he moved on to the next topic.

"It is clear that the only interest that we have in each other is of the sexual and financial nature. I happen to care for the child that you carry even if you don't."

"I care..."

"Don't go there." Thorne said. "I see how you act and the expression on your face when the pregnancy is mentioned. In fact, you have made no efforts to prepare for her arrival. I'm not expecting you to be ecstatic given the circumstances of the conception, but I am expecting you to take more of an interest instead of acting as if there is no child coming. I am prepared to make you an offer that you can either take or leave..."

Thorne paused to look at his cell phone that was lying on the desk.

"Excuse me, I need to take that."

****

They were finally inside the club. Olivia looked around the crowded room for an empty table. 

"Over there." Albert said and led the way to a table in the corner.

Olivia and the others followed him and sat down. There weren't enough chairs so Mary sat in Albert's lap. Moments later, a server came to the table.

"What can I get you?" He asked.

They placed their orders and turned their attention to the dance floor. Olivia found it odd that she was sitting in the establishment of one of those that she was supposed to be hunting. She wondered what the patrons would do if they knew that her table companions were hunters of their own kind. She felt eyes on her and knew who they belonged to.

Harry.

His anger was palpable even from across the table, but somehow he was different. She didn't have time to think about it because their drinks had arrived. She reached for her purse, but was stopped.

"Your bill has been paid." The server said.

"By who?" Olivia asked looking around.

"The gentleman asked to remain anonymous." The server replied. "Will there be anything else?"

"Ummm no." Olivia replied still looking around trying to see if she could who their benefactor was.

She felt another pair of eyes on her, this time they belonged to William. In spite of herself, she felt warmth in her belly when she returned his look. His dark eyes flashed as he looked at her. It was a look that she knew well and had ignored from the time she first met him.

"Olivia." William said his voice low "Will you dance with me?"

The table was silent waiting for her answer. She weighed her options. She was in a full club, what could possibly happen? They were on vacation weren't they? What harm could one dance do?

Much to William's surprise, Olivia stood up and held out her hand. William stayed rooted to in his seat for a few seconds not believing that she was actually going to go out on the dance floor with him. It was a fast song, but he didn't care. As they walked away, William felt Harry's anger grow. Once they were on the dance floor, William took Olivia into his arms and held her close.

"Listen to me carefully." He said urgently. "My brother means you harm. You must keep your guard up at all times. You must never allow yourself to be caught alone with him. Do you understand?"

"Why are you telling me this?" Olivia asked.

"Just remember what I told you." William replied and would say no more.

The table was empty when they got back. Olivia could see Nell talking to the human male that she had been dancing with while they waited to get into the club. Albert and Mary were on the dance floor, but where was Harry? She looked around the crowded room until she saw him in a corner holding a woman close to him. By his posture she knew that he was drinking from her. She relaxed and took a sip of her drink wondering who their benefactor was.

***

"Duke we got a problem." Brice one of the extra security guards said.

"Take care of it. I'm busy." Duke said.

"Duke, slow down and listen to me." Brice said urgently.

Something in Brice's tone caught Duke's attention.

"Alright, what's the problem?" He asked.

"Come with me." Brice said. "You need to see it."

"Damn it Brice! I don't have time for games so just tell me what the problem is." Duke said impatiently.

Brice looked around to see if anyone was listening, started to say something; but then shook his head.

"No, not here; let's go to Thorne's office."

A few minutes later, they were behind closed doors.

"Okay what's the problem?' Duke asked.

"There's a dead woman behind the club." Brice said.

"What?!" Duke bellowed.

"There's a dead woman behind the club." Brice repeated. "It looks like her neck is broken."

"Oh fuck... is she vampire?" Duke asked.

"No... she's human. I checked for bite marks but there weren't any."

"So another human could have killed her." Duke mused.

"Possible, but I don't think so." Brice said. "The way that her neck was broken indicates that it was a vampire who killed her."

"But you said that there were no bite marks." Duke said.

"That's true and that could be for any number of reasons including that he or she fed already." Brice replied. "What concerns me is that the body was left here. Not only that, if she has family or friends, they will report her missing and eventually the human police will end up here. I think that you need to call Thorne ASAP."

"Shit." Duke swore as he reached for the phone.

****

Nathan held Louise in his lap as he talked to Ethan.

"First, are Louise and the baby alright?" Ethan asked.

"They're fine." Nathan replied. "I had Gretchen check them out."

"Good, now tell me what happened." Ethan said.

"The first feeling was mild, we both felt it; but decided not to call you unless it happened again or it changed. Soon after that, Louise called my name and fainted. All I can tell you is that something happened. Where or what it is I can't say."

"Did Louise see anything?" Ethan asked.

"Just a shadow." Nathan replied.

"Alright, keep me posted. In fact, why don't you come over here? Katrina wants to spend time with Louise anyway."

"I'll talk to Louise and get back to you." Nathan replied.

"What did he say?" Louise asked.

"He wants us to keep him posted and I think he's going to call Thorne." Nathan replied. "He also wanted to know if we wanted to stay with him and Katrina. Apparently she wants to spend some time with you. I leave the choice up to you."

"I think... I think that he wants us there so that he hears developments as soon as they happen." Louise said. 

"That's true." Nathan agreed. "But I also know that Katrina wants to spend time with you."

"I know." Louise replied. "I want to get to know her better too so let's go."

****

Barb sat looking at Thorne's empty chair. She already had inkling about what he was going to say to her. She recognized the tone. It was the same tone that her ex-husband had used when he decided that he had had enough of her. The difference was that there had been no child involved. In fact, he had left her because she had reneged on her promise to stop taking birth control.

Now here she was pregnant and about to lose everything that she felt that she had worked so hard for. As she sat there thinking, a number of things crossed her mind. The first thing was why she wasn't happy. She had what she wanted. She remembered Louise telling her that once she got what she wanted, she still wouldn't be satisfied. She stood up and walked out of the office shutting the door behind her. She walked back to the living room where Adrianna was still working on her lap top.

"Did you want something?" Adrianna asked without looking at her.




Thorne Ch. 05



"No... yes." Barb replied. "I want you to tell me more about this world that I don't want to be in."

Adrianna closed the laptop and set it aside. She looked at Barb trying to assess if she was playing another game.

"Let me ask you a question." Adrianna said when Barb was sitting. "What in the hell is wrong with you? I mean I haven't known you for very long and I met your family for the first time the other day. But I saw how you treated them. I also saw how they treated you, so what gives? Why are you coming to me instead of going to them?"

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Barb snapped.

"I'll tell you." Adrianna said. "And I'll tell you why. Right now you're a danger to yourself, your child and the rest of us. Part of that is because of ignorance and part of it is because you don't give a fuck about anyone other than yourself. The latter part is an issue between you, Mr. Blackwell and your family. The first part is part of my protecting you and by extension that child and the rest of us."

As Barb listened, she once again realized that she had gotten far more than she bargained for. While she hadn't wanted to die young, she didn't want to live forever either. All she had wanted was to live the life of the idle rich. In spite of her jealousy and anger, she wondered how Kevyn and the others coped with their new lives. They hadn't been in the vampire world for much longer than she had, but yet they seemed to be adapting with little or no problem.

"I know that this is a hard change for you." Adrianna said, "But you have to stop thinking in terms of the human world. We live in the human world and to some degree follow their laws, but that is only so we don't stand out. We have our own set of laws and more times than not they are the opposite of what you're accustomed to. It's like Grant says, humans have this inexplicable need to be seen and heard. For them it can be a double-edged sword, but not so for us. Secrecy is an absolute must."

"You talk about humans as if you were never one." Barb said. "You're half human aren't you?"

"Yes I am." Adrianna replied. "And when I was fully human, I was like you... well, not like you in the way that you treat people; but in the way that you want and need to be noticed."

"Wait, I thought that you were born this way." Barb said.

"My father is vampire." Adrianna said, "But I was born human. I wasn't turned until I was in my late twenties."

"Who turned you?" Barb asked, "And why didn't you stay human?"

"My father turned me." Adrianna said quietly. "And for whatever reason, I never developed the sensitivity to the sun and kept many of my human attributes. I didn't remain human because I had no choice. From the time that I could talk I was taught that I needed to keep what my family was a secret. And for a long time, I did. There was something comforting in the knowledge that my family was different. 

By the time I was in my teens, I no longer saw it that way. I couldn't spontaneously bring my friends home, I had to watch what I said... like what we're trying to get you to do now. Let's throw money into the mix. My father is very wealthy and I could and did have anything that I wanted. All I had to do was say his name and the world was mine. The problem was I didn't care who heard me. One day, I said my father's name in the presence of the wrong people. I had heard about hunters, but I thought them to be like the boogie man, made up to make a child behave. I didn't make it home that night or the next day."

"Weren't you guarded? Where were they?" Barb asked.

"The guard that was assigned to me had feelings for me even though he knew that he wasn't my mate. I took full advantage of those feelings and conned him into waiting outside for me. The man who heard me talking took me out through the back of the store. I'm sure that you're wondering where the other shoppers were." Adrianna said. "What happened was this, as soon as he heard my father's name, he called in reinforcements. He had no idea of how many guards I had with me, but he was determined to take me.

They had been after my father for quite some time but could never get close enough to capture him. By opening my big mouth, I gave them what they wanted. They kept me for two days in the hopes that by the time they contacted him, my father would be do anything to get me back."

"Did they hurt you?" Barb asked.

"Not at first." Adrianna replied. "They saved that for the first call that they made to my father."

Adrianna stood up and pulled up her shirt. A scar ran from the underside of her left breast to the underside of the right. Barb gasped in horror and shock.

"The hunters don't care who you are." Adrianna said as she sat down. "The only thing you will be to them is a means in which to expose your family. They won't care that you're pregnant or if you have children who love and need you. In fact, many of them prefer to take children. Think about it, what parent wouldn't sacrifice themselves for their child?"

"Your father came for you." Barb said almost surprised.

"Of course he did!" Adrianna snapped. "Did you think that he would have left me with those animals? What the hunters didn't know about my father was that the more threatened he was, the angrier he was; the more focused he became. They set up a meeting for the next evening at a place that was supposed to be neutral ground."

"It wasn't was it?" Barb asked.

"No and they had no intentions of letting me go." Adrianna said. "The goal of the total annihilation of the vampire race. I was the daughter of a vampire and a way of continuing the race. No matter what my father did, I wasn't leaving there alive. So there I was, in pain, hungry, scared and filled with guilt. In my selfishness, I had endangered not only my family, but the families who were our friends. They would have tortured us until we gave them the names of the others."

"This is one crazy world." Barb murmured.

"It's a dangerous one as we keep telling you." Adrianna said. "Anyway, my father came to the meeting as planned. He came with the required list of names, but he had already warned them and they were gone. A couple of the unmated males insisted on going to the meeting with him, but remained unseen. As soon as the head of the hunters saw my father, he laughed thinking that he had tricked him. But my father had something that Rufus Saunders hadn't counted on- my father had his wife. I don't know how he got her unless one of the vampires under Saunders' employ helped, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that my father had the one thing that would gain my release."

A tear trickled down Adrianna's face and she quickly wiped it away.

"Now I had involved someone's mother. I knew who Olivia was. I had seen her every so often, but we never talked. Time seemed to stop as my father and Rufus stared at each other, neither one of them wanting to give in. My father offered Rufus his wife if he would release me. To this day I don't know what happened next. There were shouts, I felt pain and then there was nothing. I woke up a week later as you now see me. My father told me that Olivia's mother had been killed. Rufus believed and still believes that it was a vampire- it was, but it wasn't one of us."

"Who was it?" Barb asked.

"We don't know." Adrianna replied. "We think that it was one of the vampires that Rufus kept on retainer, but we have no proof of that. It could have been anyone."

"How do you know that it wasn't one of the ones who were with your father?" Barb asked.

"They were too busy dealing with the hunters." Adrianna said. "And my father was too busy trying to save me."

She stood up again, pulled her shirt up and exposed her back. Dead center was a raised, round scar that was the size of a quarter.

"That is where Rufus stabbed me. I was almost dead when my father made the decision to turn me."

Adrianna fixed her clothes and sat down.

"Oh my god." Barb said softly.

"I didn't tell you this for your entertainment or for your pity. I told you so that you will understand what can happen by not thinking of everyone else. Each of us has the potential to destroy all of us. Every time you are tempted to open your mouth, think about what you could be doing."

"Do you and your father still talk?" Barb asked after several minutes.

"Yes, but for a long time; it was awkward." Adrianna said. "I had to go to him and the others that I had placed in danger and apologize. Not everyone accepted my apology, some of them are still quite angry with me. Vampires have long memories."

"How long ago was this?" Barb asked.

"Ten Years ago." Adrianna replied. "Let's talk about what happened at the store..."

"I... I get it." Barb said.

"Do you?" Adrianna challenged. "Every time you say that, you go and do something stupid."

"I get it." Barb replied her tone curt.

Adrianna looked at her. Somehow, she didn't think that Barb really got it.

***

"Who is she?" Thorne asked looking at the body.

"According to her ID her name is Joanie Reed." Duke replied.

"Was she alone?" Thorne asked.

"Someone saw her talking to someone, but they didn't see who it was or if they got out of line." Duke said. "I ran her information and Thorne, we've got trouble. She's local and she has family. It's only a matter of time before they start worrying about her and the human police show up.

"Fuck!" Thorne said as he paced. He had dealt with the human police before and had no desire to repeat the experience. "Alright, we need to go on the offensive." He said. "Duke, call nine-one-one and then call Detective Mosby. I'd rather deal with the devil I know than one that I don't."

"Thorne are you sure about this?" Duke asked.

"It's better that we call them instead of her family." Thorne replied. "I'm going to my office. Call me when Mosby gets here."

Thorne went to his office, sat down and rubbed his temples. A rare headache was forming just behind his eyes. It seemed to him that every time he planned to sit down with Barb something happened to interrupt him. He knew that it was imperative that he talk to her about the Sinclaires, but the fates seemed to be conspiring against him. 

It didn't help that he wanted nothing to do with her and he hadn't lied when he told her that if it weren't for the child; she wouldn't be in his home. But the fact of the matter was; it was a package deal unless she took him up on his offer. He hoped that the police arrived quickly, did their business and left. He wanted to finish his talk with Barb.

The fact that he only referred to her as his mate on occasion really didn't bother him. He didn't see her as his mate and was sure that he never would. If she turned down his offer, then they had to come up with a way to live together peacefully. He looked at the clock and wondered how long it would be before Detective Mosby graced his office.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He already knew who it was, Mosby was downstairs.

"Mr. Blackwell!" Detective Brice Mosby greeted. "So we meet again over another dead body."

"You proved that the other murder didn't occur here did you not?" Thorne asked tersely. "I also believe that you caught the murderer."

"That's true." Mosby said, "But what are the chances of another body showing up in the same spot?"

"Look detective," Thorne said his tone impatient. "Either you're going to question my patrons or you're not, but either way you need to decide what you're going to do. It's getting late."

Mosby looked at Thorne, smiled and then walked away. Thorne followed him into the club confident that it would appear as any human club. The club was quiet when they walked in. The patrons eyed Thorne and the police warily. Word of the murder had run through the club in a matter of seconds and no one was allowed to leave.

****

"Something is happening." William said quietly. "Everyone is restless."

A moment later, word of the murder reached their table by way of their server.

"No one is allowed to leave." He said. "Drinks are on the house."

"Damn it!" Olivia swore. "Of course we would have to come to the one place that something happens at."

She looked around and saw Nell and the others coming back to the table.

"What's going on?" Nell asked as she sat down.

"They found a body behind the club." Olivia replied. "No one is allowed to leave."

"Was it a human?" Albert asked.

"Yes." Olivia replied. "On the bright side, the drinks are on the house."

Olivia turned around when everyone else did. Her eyes widened when she saw Thorne with the police. 

"This is Thorne Blackwell's place?" She asked Albert. "You fucking picked Thorne Blackwell's place?"

"I don't see the problem." Albert said. "The murder could have happened somewhere else as well as here."

'You don't see the problem?" Olivia retorted. "You don't see the fucking problem? Thorne Blackwell knows me! If he sees us, we're not getting out of this club alive even with the police here."

"Then I guess we'd better not be seen." Albert replied. "And for what it's worth, I didn't think that he would be here tonight."

"They're starting at the far side of the room." Nell said. "If we stand up, it will draw attention to us. If we vanish, someone will see us."

"We'll vanish one by one." Albert said. "The only one who will be left is our fearless leader." He added sarcastically.

"We can't leave her!" Nell exclaimed.

"Why in the hell not?" Harry asked. "She would leave us."

Olivia didn't say anything. It was true. If it came down between them and her, she'd leave them in a heartbeat. If she was caught, she'd give them up without thinking about it. It didn't matter that they would be killed; their kind was even more hated than the hunters. They were traitors and would be treated as such.

Olivia felt William's eyes on her and wondered what he was thinking. She amended her thinking. Of all of them he would be the one that she would have qualms about giving up, but she would do it. 

"Alright." Albert said. "Nell you go first and then Mary. Harry will follow you then William. I'll be last. Olivia will have to find her own way out."

Olivia noticed the gloat in Albert's voice when he said that she had to find her own way out. He was hoping that she would be caught. He knew that by the time she gave their names, they would be long gone. For the first time since the murder, she wondered if one of them had done it and planned for her to get caught. She dismissed the idea. They wouldn't be that stupid. It was too high risk of a plan. The fact that the murder happened while they were at the club was purely coincidental.

She watched as Nell looked around and then vanished followed by Mary. Harry gave her a sneering smile before he disappeared. 

"I'll go last." William said when Albert looked at him.

"Don't argue with me." Albert hissed. "Get out of here."

William didn't move.

"I'm not leaving..."

"They're headed this way!" Olivia hissed.

Albert glared at William and vanished. Olivia stared at William when he didn't vanish as well.

"What are you doing?" she asked. 

"I'm getting you out of here." William replied. "Do you have any idea of what they'll do to you if they catch you?"

Olivia knew. She had heard the stories, but what she wanted to know was why William cared. 

"Shit!" William hissed and was gone.

Olivia didn't have the chance to ask William what was happening before he vanished. She turned around and looked into the cold green eyes of Thorne Blackwell. Olivia stared at him unable to speak. She was in a word trapped. She frantically tried to think of something that she could tell the police so that they would take her with them, but nothing came to mind. 

As if he was reading her mind, Thorne silenced her just as the Mosby approached the table.

"So far everyone claims to have seen nothing." He said as he looked at Olivia. "What about you? Did you see anything?"

Olivia shook her head no.

"Don't you talk?" Mosby asked.

Olivia glanced at Thorne, opened her mouth and spoke.

"Yes I talk." She said resisting the urge to massage her throat. "No I didn't see anything. I was standing toward the front so I saw nothing that was going on behind me."

"Did you come alone?" Mosby asked.

"Yes." Olivia lied. 

She knew that Thorne didn't believe her, but the detective did; at least for the moment. He questioned her for several minutes before moving on leaving Thorne and Olivia alone.

"Stay put." Thorne said quietly.

****

The terrible four stood across the street in the same spot where weeks before, the Sinclaires stood after the attempted rescue of Barb. Albert was seething. He wasn't used to being challenged. Especially over a human hunter who had plans of killing them when they were no longer of use. He glared at William and then vanished back to the house. The others followed, with William being the last to leave. He looked at the club, sighed and then vanished.

*****

Two hours later, Olivia was sitting in Thorne's office flanked by two vampires. Thorne sat behind his desk assessing her.

"Who came with you?" he asked after several minutes.

"No one." Olivia said surprising herself. "I'm on vacation."

"You're lying." Thorne said. "Rufus Saunders would never let his only surviving child and successor travel alone."

Olivia didn't respond.

"How is it that of all of the clubs in the city, you ended up here? But even more importantly, you've been here for at least a week. Why haven't you killed anyone?"

Olivia tried to hide her surprise but couldn't. There was no way that he should have known that they were in the city. They hadn't killed anyone and had done nothing to call attention to themselves so how did he know?

"You were spotted a couple of days ago." Thorne said.

Olivia closed her eyes remembering the day that she had gone shopping alone, the day that she had been so busy pretending to be someone else. That had to have been when she was spotted. Shit! She thought as she imagined what her father was going to say. It would have been one thing had she not been alone when she was spotted, but she had breached security. There was going to be hell to pay when he found out.

But there was another problem, her crew was probably long gone by now. That she warned her father that there was the possibility of them escaping wasn't going to matter. He had placed them in her hands as a test and she had failed miserably.

"Why haven't you killed anyone?" Thorne asked again.

"I told you," Olivia said, "I'm on vacation."

"So you say." Thorne said. "Where's the rest of your group? And don't tell me that you were alone... Fuck me..." He murmured suddenly understanding without really understanding how he did. "You came with vampires didn't you? They were here... where are they?" 

"Long gone I imagine." Olivia replied

"Duke, you know where to take her and make sure that you take her phone. Make sure that she's never left alone. I've got a phone call to make."

"I'm not going to tell you anything." Olivia said defiantly. "You can torture me all you want and I won't tell."

Thorne started to tell her that he wasn't into torture, but changed his mind. 

"We'll see." His said with a cold smile. "Duke take her to the house just outside of the city and keep your eyes open. Her crew may come back for her although I doubt it."

As soon as he was alone, Thorne called Ethan.

*****

Noel looked through the website for vampire homes. He couldn't wait to be away from Barb and her attitude. He was still unsettled by how close he had come to hurting her. That alone was reason enough to move. He wondered what Thorne was going to do about her short of locking her in a room somewhere and throwing away the key. He turned his thoughts to the eyes. He was now certain that they were connected to one of the females related to Barb. When he stopped to think about it, there was a vague similarity to Barb's eyes as well. If he had to guess, he would choose Juliette as the link. His reaction to her had been too strong for it to have been one of the others. The question was how the two were related. The next question was where was she? According to the portrait she was an adult, but she hadn't been at the meeting. He entertained the thought that maybe she was out of state or maybe not even born yet. He discarded the latter thought. If she wasn't born, she wouldn't have been able to talk to him.




Thorne Ch. 05



He shut down the laptop, went to his studio and uncovered the portrait. He sat on a stool in front of it and stared at it.

"Have we met already?" He asked. "If so, then where? And why don't I remember? I would have remembered eyes as beautiful as yours."

When he got no response, he uncovered a painting that he had started for the new club. Part of him wanted to try to remember what happened the night of the Sinclaires, but part of him was wondering if he really needed to."

****

Barb lay on the bed looking up at the ceiling. Olivia was in the sitting room working on her paper and there was an armed guard on the balcony. Her mind wasn't so much on the unknown threat as it was what Thorne was going to propose. Her heart hammered, not because she was afraid of losing him per se; but because she didn't want to lose what he could give her.

She didn't love him even though she was attracted to him and she liked the way that he made her body feel. But she hadn't loved her ex either. To her, what she and Thorne had was the perfect set up except for the baby. A friend with benefits kind of thing except they weren't friends, not even close. She didn't know what they were... he wasn't even acknowledging her as his mate. The question that she asked herself was why it mattered so much.

"Appearances." She muttered. The picture wasn't complete without it. She didn't care what happened behind closed doors as long as they looked the part to the outside world. For a brief second, she thought about Adrianna's story and told herself that she would never endanger anyone.

She laid back and looked down at her stomach trying to see if there was a tell-tale bump. She thought that she saw one, but she couldn't be sure. The fact remained that she had no desire to be a mother. She wasn't like Louise, Kevyn or Juliette. The three of them would have married their mates even if there had been no money and they had to work to help pay the bills.

"But I don't want that." Barb murmured. "Love doesn't put money in the bank."

For some inexplicable reason, she had a memory. The memory was as vivid as though it had just happened. She was about twelve and the newest JCPenny catalogue had just come in the mail. She closed her eyes and could smell the paper and feel the glossiness of it beneath her fingers. It was the spring issue, her favorite one because spring was her favorite time of the year.

She remembered sitting on the old ratty couch that was covered with a blanket to cover the holes and the bare springs and looking through the catalogue a page at a time. She smiled when she remembered touching the bright pictures and saying to herself "I want that and I want that..."

Most of the time, she looked through the catalogue alone, but that day; she had company. Louise came in and saw her sitting on the couch and looked at her.

"Can I look too?" she asked.

"Only if you just look and don't talk." Barb said.

Louise climbed up on the couch, sat next to her big sister and put her head on her shoulder. True to her word, she didn't say anything unless Barb asked a question. The other part of that memory was that Barb had been teased that day and for whatever reason, it had been worse than usual so the catalogue had been a welcome respite. A few minutes after Louise joined her, she began to feel better. Not happy, but better and Louise was crying.

She remembered feeling so relieved that she hadn't asked Louise what the matter was. She had ignored her and continued looking at the catalogue. Barb frowned confused as to why that particular memory popped up. She hadn't thought about it since the day it happened. She shrugged it off and turned on her laptop.

She was going to order a few things online but remembered that they were for all practical purposes on lock down. She looked toward the sitting room and could the rapid tapping on the laptop keyboard. Barb was beginning to wonder if Adrianna had made up her story to make her point. But the scars were real. Those couldn't be made up...

Something that both Grant and Adrianna said to her finally made sense.

"You are no longer in the human world."

That was the crux of her problem she realized. Even though she knew on one level that she had to change her approach, it hadn't sunk in yet. She was still treating Thorne as if he was a human male and he wasn't. He had been alive for centuries and as he said, he knew all of the tricks. She also realized that she had to stop being impulsive. Going into Noel's part of the house had been an impulsive act that could have gotten her killed.

The problem, she realized that she had always acted impulsively. Promising her ex that she would have a baby had been an impulsive act just as showing up in California had been. She was finally beginning to understand where she had been going wrong. The issue was how to fix it.

"Go on the offensive." She murmured. "But don't overdo it."

Somewhere in all her thinking came the realization that she and Thorne would never fall in love. She would never get the kiss on the temple, but maybe in time the kiss on the cheek. She decided that she could live with that and if they were going to live together, they had to take precautions. She didn't want any more accidents. She opened a new document on her laptop and began to write her proposal to Thorne.

****

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked his voice intense."

"I'm certain of it." Thorne replied. "I have Olivia Saunders in my custody and even though she hasn't confirmed it, she's traveling with vampires."

"Do you think that one of them killed the girl?" Ethan asked.

"I can't answer that." Thorne replied. "All that I can say for sure is that she was killed by a vampire. The thing is that she hadn't been fed from. That tells me that it was a crime of opportunity and that he or she had fed beforehand."

"What about the girl? Was she local?" Ethan asked. 

"Yes, that's why we called the police." Thorne replied. "Here's my concern; we don't know where those vampires are. They could be long gone but maybe not. Rufus Saunders pays top dollar to his mercenaries which lead me to another issue... Rufus Saunders. Once he finds out that we have his baby girl..."

"He'll be here with weapons drawn." Ethan replied. "This must be why Louise saw five shapes. By the way, I was going to call you anyway. Louise and Nathan both felt something earlier this evening. That must have been it. We need to find out who those four are and if they're still around."

"I'm working on that, but in the mean time we need to know where everyone is. If they're out and about, we need to tell them to get home. For all we know, Rufus could be on his way here."

"I think that we need to stay together." Ethan said.

"I agree... I have a home that hasn't been used in years." Thorne said. "We'll have to take our supplies, but it's big enough for all of us."

"It's almost Three." Ethan said glancing at the time on his laptop. "That's cutting it close."

"Then we'll go this evening..."

Ethan memorized the address and began making calls. The big issue was going to be the mates and children who couldn't vanish from one place to another. Thorne's house was approximately fifty miles away.

In the end he decided that each male would be responsible for getting his mate and children to the new location. Joseph could either vanish to the house or go with someone. Ethan suspected that he would go with Martin and Rachel to help protect the baby.  

He called Hans after he talked to Martin.

"Where are the children?" He asked.

"They're in their rooms. Why?"

Ethan gave Hans a quick rundown of events.

"Keep them home from school and don't let them go outside." Ethan said. "As soon as it's dark enough go to this address. Oh, it isn't stocked so take whatever food and blood you have. We may be there for a while."

It was almost four when he made the last phone call. He could hear Katrina and Louise talking in the kitchen as they packed up the food and took stock of how much blood they had.

"Maybe we should go home and get what we have." Louise said after Katrina finished the count.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Katrina replied. "Between all of us we should be alright for a while. It helps that the guys can eat human food too."

"Katrina, will the drama ever end?" Louise asked.

"I would love to say yes, but I can't." Katrina replied. "You know the history of this family... that alone makes us a target. Speaking of which... I have a question. Do you think that Barb knows?"

"I don't know." Louise said speaking honestly. "I hope so, but I haven't been able to get close enough to her to ask. One of the things that we were planning to do was to have a luncheon for the women. We were going to ask you and Rachel to sit down with us and educate us on the ins and outs of this world."

"I'm going to speak for Rachel when I say that we would love to meet with you all." Katrina said. "I'm sure that Maryann would love to come too. We'll just make it a party and invite all of the girls. The guys can watch movies or something. Do you think that Barb will come?"

"She seemed open to it." Louise replied. "Have you ever encountered a hunter before?" she asked changing the subject.

"No although I know about them." Katrina replied as she started making sandwiches.

"What happened between Ethan and Thorne?" Louise asked. "I could feel some tension there."

"The short version is that the two families used to be friends and allies. Somehow one of Thorne's brothers got caught by a hunter and was made to lead the hunters to the Blackwell home. From what I understand, the brother that was caught said that he had been set up by someone in the Sinclaire family; but he didn't say who. The end result was that there was a fight in which Thorne's father and two of his brothers died. Ethan tried to tell Thorne that no one from the Sinclaires would do such a thing, but Thorne didn't believe him."

"I don't get it." Louise said her mind working. "If they had been friends for that long, why was it so easy for Thorne to believe that the Sinclaires would set them up?"

"They believed the brother... I don't remember his name." Katrina said with a shrug.

"I can understand that." Louise mused, "But something isn't making sense to me."

Nathan came into the kitchen to check on things. 

"Are you doing alright?" he asked Louise as he kissed her.

"We're fine." She replied. "Katrina was just telling me about what happened between the Sinclaires and the Blackwell's."

"Oh yes,'' Nathan said as he reached for a sandwich. "More family history."

****

Nadine and Leon looked around the house one more time before they left to go to Hans' and Juliette's house.

"Are you sure that we have everything?" Leon asked. "Because we aren't coming back until we know that it's safe."

"Laptops." Nadine said.

"Check."

"Textbooks."

"Check."

"Phones and chargers." 

"Check."

"Blood."

"Check"

"Food."

"Check." Leon said as he walked around and turned off the lights.

If weren't taking so much with them, they would have vanished from one place to the other. The sun hadn't quite touched the sky, but they had to hurry. They would pull into the garage right at dawn. Nadine wanted to wait until evening, but Leon wouldn't hear of it.

"We're not taking any chances." He said. "Now let's get moving."

As they drove away, Nadine looked back at their little house and missed it. Like Katrina, she had never seen a hunter or she didn't think she had. The last time that she had felt so threatened was when Nell and her family had killed her family and kidnapped her. It was also the one and only time that she killed in her entire life.

She reached over, took Leon's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I know." She replied softly. "Now step on it or else we'll get caught out in the sun."

***

Kevyn and Patrick were doing what everyone else was doing; packing. Patrick was loading the van as Kevyn packed up the food and then the blood in coolers containing dry ice. Their plan was to leave the house and spend the day at the condo until it was time to go to the safe house. They would just make it if they hurried. 

As soon as they got the news they started packing.

"Sweetheart make sure that you get your books and the laptops." Patrick said as he carried out the last cooler to the door.

"They're already in the van." Kevyn replied. "I put the flash drives in there too." She added.

"What?" Patrick asked when she stopped moving.

"I was just thinking that I would love to have just one drama and danger free month." She replied with a wistful sound to her voice. "I mean it's always something."

Patrick put the cooler down, walked over to her and hugged her.

"I know." He said with his lips pressed against her head. "I'll tell you what. After this is over we'll go on a long vacation, anywhere you want to go."

"Anywhere?" Kevyn asked hugging him back.

"Anywhere." Patrick replied. "But right now we need to get moving."

*****

Barb was almost asleep when Thorne came in. She quickly shut off her laptop not wanting him to see what she was working on. 

"We need to talk." He said.

"I know..."

"We're leaving this house as soon as it's dark enough. We caught the hunter that Adrianna saw at the store." Thorne said. "Her crew consists of four vampires and we don't know who or where they are. It's only a matter of time before they come after her and her father comes looking for her. We're moving everyone to one of my homes that's about forty miles from here."

"When you say everyone..."

"I mean everyone including the Sinclaires and their mates and children. When you pack, pack only the necessities. Noel and Adrianna are already packing what food and blood that we have here."

In that moment, Barb realized that Adrianna hadn't been telling her a made up story and that everything that she had been told was true.

"I don't need to remind you that this isn't the time for you to act like an idiot. It's imperative that you do as you're told. Am I clear on this?" Thorne asked.

"I got it!" she snapped.

"Good." Thorne said. "We leave at dusk. There's something else that we need to talk about and I wish that I had more time to do it."

"If it's about your offer..."

"We'll talk about that later." Thorne said cutting her off. "It's something that I should have told you earlier, but ... at any rate. You need to know this before tonight. I'm going to tell you some things that aren't pleasant. After that I have to leave and talk to the woman. We have to find out who the vampires are. Wait here." 

A moment later, Thorne was back with his laptop.

"The easiest way to do this is for you to watch and listen. It's all self-explanatory and any specific questions you'll have to ask your sisters or the Sinclaires."

Thorne sat the laptop down in front of Barb and pushed a button. Barb looked at him when the images of Ethan, Patrick and Martin Sinclaire filled the seventeen inch screen. She turned back to the screen when Ethan began to speak.

"My name is Ethan Sinclaire for those of you who don't know me. Standing beside me are my brothers Patrick and Martin. We called this conference today because... because we have a confession to make. Most of you who know my family already know what this is about, but we need to make this public. I... we stand before you in shame. We stand before you to confess that our family has been perpetrating and doing a horrific thing even though it isn't considered a crime in our society. For centuries long before any of us was born, the legacy of rape was born. ..."

Barb listened in shock and disbelief. The family that she wanted to be a part of was rapist? Her sisters were married to rapists? But why wasn't Nathan up there? She wondered. Katrina was raped? She watched the conference in shock and then watched it again and then once again.

"Why wasn't Nathan up there?" she asked.

"Nathan was a teenager at the time." Thorne replied. "He was a product of rape. Martin, his father raped his mother Rachel. Neither he nor Joseph have ever raped."

"They didn't go to prison?" Barb asked.

"Once again I remind you." Thorne said. "This is not the human world. We follow very few of the human laws ourselves although we abide by them. It helps us to blend in as it were. The only major law that we have in common with the humans is murder. In our world it is a punishable offense."

"But they raped people." Barb said.

"Yes." Thorne conceded. "They did."

"And Kevyn, Louise and Leon all know this?" Barb asked.

"They know." Thorne replied. "Each new mate is told. If you were not related to them, it wouldn't have mattered. But because we are now tied to them by marriage, it was something that you needed to know."

Barb was momentarily speechless. She hit the play button and watched the clip again.

"How... "

"As I said, any specifics will have to come from them." Thorne said anticipating her question.

"Oh my god." Barb said softly. "Have you ever raped anyone?"

"No." Thorne replied. "All of my sexual partners have been willing and no, I haven't compelled anyone into having sex with me; you included. Now I have other matters to attend to. Do you have any other questions?"

Barb numbly shook her head no and looked at the laptop screen still not quite believing her eyes.

Kevyn and Louise had married into a family of rapist.

*****

Olivia looked around the small room surprised at how clean and neat it was. 

"What were you expecting?" The female guard asked. "To be thrown in a dungeon and tortured?"

When Olivia didn't answer, the guard continued.

"You're lucky. You're in Sinclaire/Blackwell territory. Now if you had been a city or two over... personally, I think that all hunters should be tortured and then turned; especially the ones who are next in line to succeed."

"Obviously you know who I am." Olivia said. "So you know that my father will come looking for me." She said knowing that the threat would get her nowhere.

"I'm sure he will." The guard replied. "The question is what's he going to find? You as you are and dead or one of us?"

Olivia's pulse quickened.

"What's the matter? Is the pretty hunter scared?" The guard taunted.

Olivia took a deep breath and slowed her pulse. She couldn't show fear and she had to be prepared to die. She couldn't and wouldn't allow herself to be turned.

****

"We have to go after her." William said for the third time. "If anything happens to her Saunders will come after us with everything that he has."

"The answer is no." Albert snapped. "And I've got news for you." He added. "Saunders was planning to kill us when he was done with us. But then you knew that. We all did."

William didn't reply. His father was right. Harry was right too. Olivia had probably already given their names and descriptions. They needed to leave while they could. They had more than enough money that they never had to work again, but they wouldn't be able to be seen in public for centuries. Even after Saunders was dead, they would still be hunted by other vampires. If found their deaths could be quick or slow depending on who found them.

He looked up to see Harry looking at him with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Don't you see what's going on?" He finally asked. "He wants the bitch."

"That...."

"I see how you look at her." Harry continued. "That's why you want to go back for her. Let me tell you something, I don't give a shit about what happens to her. You didn't care enough to help me look for that bitch that left me for dead did you?"

"That again?" William asked. "We went after her! Not only that, you turned her even though you knew that she wasn't yours! You were going to leave her for dead; in fact you had to have one last go at her didn't you? Isn't that when she stabbed you? Of course it doesn't matter that we barely escaped with our lives trying to get her back!"




Thorne Ch. 05



"Stop bickering!" Mary shouted. "It isn't helping. I'm with your father; we aren't going back for her. We don't even know where she is. Now, let's decide on where we're going. We know that we can't take any of the human methods of transportation. They're also going to be looking for a group of four which means that we can't travel together."

"Wherever it is we're going, we need to go soon." Nell said. "If Rufus doesn't know what happened, he will soon."

"What about the safe house up in Palm Springs?" Albert asked. "It's close, but it will give us some time to revamp the plan." 

Albert knew what they were thinking. He had been working on a plan, but the girl's death at the club had moved up his time table. Olivia had been a part of that plan, but now they didn't have her. He had lied when he said that he knew that Thorne Blackwell owned the club. He had no idea of who owned it. He just looked at the description and it suited their needs.

"William you go first and the rest of us will follow. Make sure that you stay out of sight." Albert said his tone telling everyone that he wasn't going to be argued with. "Harry, you bring up the rear."

One by one they vanished to the house on the outskirts of Palm Springs with the last of them arriving just before dawn.

****

Louise and Nathan looked at each other. The feeling of dread was still there, but it had changed.

"What do you think is happening?" Louise asked.

"I don't know." Nathan replied. "But we still need to go. It could be that we're sensing Rufus Saunders. But I also have the feeling that we're not done with the others."

Louise didn't argue.

"Lou what are you thinking about?" Nathan asked already knowing that he wasn't going to like the answer.

"We could see if we could reach out to them." She replied.

"Absolutely not." Nathan said firmly. "We have no idea of whether they can sense us..."

"I don't think that they can." Louise replied. "We would have felt them searching for us which means that they weren't here specifically looking for us. I can't explain the feeling of dread, only that it's connected to them somehow. If we reach out to them..."

"Louise no." Nathan said. "At least not now. Let's wait and see what happens. I don't want to put you and the baby at risk if we don't have to. And if we do this, we need to be prepared."

"So it's not an absolute no?" Louise asked.

Nathan hesitated. He didn't like the idea of her being in danger any more now than he did when they went after Veronica's kidnapper. He remembered how proud he was of her and remembered the little stubborn streak that she had showed when he tried to hold her back. But she hadn't been pregnant then either.

"It isn't a written in stone no." He conceded. "But I want your word that you won't do anything without me."

"I agree." Louise said softly.

****

Thorne's household was the first to arrive at the new house. He was surprised when Barb was ready to go without an argument. He figured that she was still in shock over finding out about the rapes. Soon after they arrived, he left to go talk to Olivia. He had left Olivia in the capable hands of one of his female guards leaving instructions that she was not to be guarded by males.

The female guard, Benita was one of his best and would follow his orders to the letter. He hoped that she was able to extract some useful information from Olivia as well. Benita was sitting outside of the small room when he got there.

"What do we know?" Thorne asked without greeting her.

"Not much." Olivia replied. "Her worst fear is being turned. Next to that- her father. I get the feeling that she royally fucked up somehow."

"Did she say anything about her crew?" Thorne asked.

"No." Bettina replied.

"Where's her cell phone?" Thorne asked.

"It's in her purse over there." Bettina replied as she went to get the purse.

Thorne dug through the purse and found the phone. The battery was almost gone, but he could see that there were several missed calls all from the same number.

"She missed her check in time." He murmured as he listened to the first message.

"Olivia! Where are you damn it! Call me!

Thorne listened to the next few messages noting that the voice leaving them was sounding angrier but not worried or concerned. He was beginning to get a sense as to why Olivia was concerned about her father. He didn't have to listen to the rest of the messages in order to know that the alarm had been raised and that Rufus was on his way. Every hunter within a hundred mile radius had been alerted.

Thorne went into the room fangs bared. He needed to take full advantage of her fear. His green eyes flashed as he sat down across from Olivia and looked at her. Even as he asked her the questions, he was already reading her. The talking just kept her distracted so that she wouldn't fight him.

"Your father is very angry." Thorne said his tone casual. "You've missed your check in time."

"Then I would suggest that you let me go." Olivia countered. "You must know that every hunter that can be here in an hour is on their way here."

"True, but they don't know where to look for you do they?" Thorne asked.

"Maybe not." Olivia said smugly, "But they'll kill every vampire they come across and one of them will be one that saw me at the club."

"That would be true." Thorne said with a grin that showed off his fangs. "Except that we've initiated a state of emergency. We raised the alarm the moment that we knew that something was coming. As I said, we've known that someone was coming for the past week. Of course there will be those who decide to take their chances and will get caught... anyway, I digress. You were going to give me the names of the five that came with you."

"I was going to do no such thing." Olivia replied.

Thorne's eyes flashed again as Olivia unconsciously thought of the names. Thorne frowned. She only named four. And then he realized that she had to have been the fifth shape that Louise saw.

Albert, Mary, William and Harry.

No last names he noted.

"Where are they?" Thorne asked and then waited.

"I don't know."

Seeing that she really didn't know, Thorne moved on. 

"Who are the hunters in the area?"

By now, Olivia had figured out what Thorne was doing and began to fight him. Thorne pushed harder until finally; he has the names of all the hunters that she knew of.

"Please kill me." Olivia begged. "If you don't, he will."

"Sorry, I may a lot of things; but I'm not a murderer." Thorne replied.

"Then let one of your guards do it!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. He needed to call Ethan to make sure that everyone was safe.

****

Barb unpacked still in a daze. It was the first time in a long time that she wasn't focused on herself. The word 'rapist' swirled around her mind. She simply couldn't believe it. The perfect Sinclaires were less than perfect. They were criminals. Thorne may have been a bastard, but he was no rapist. What she couldn't fathom was how they could have willingly married into a family like that. But then she stopped. She couldn't have said that she wouldn't have done it. Hell, she had gone after a known drug dealer; but that wasn't rape. Clay had killed people, but still...

She hadn't decided on how she was going to broach the subject or if she was going to broach it at all. What was she going to say? Did she have the right to say anything since she had all but told them that she wanted nothing to do with them? It had taken awhile, but they had stopped calling. Even so, curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to know. She played in her mind how she was going to approach them. 

The sound of children's voices distracted her. Juliette and Hans had arrived with Nadine and Leon. Several minutes later, Louise and Nathan arrived followed by Kevyn and Patrick. Noel was already downstairs talking to Leon.

Barb walked up to Kevyn and Patrick, looked at them for several seconds before she said anything.

"A rapist? Really?" she asked with disgust and disbelief in her voice.

****

Rufus angrily packed his bags throwing things into the suitcase not caring how they were arranged. He cursed at himself for allowing Olivia to go away with her crew, but she had to be tested and as he suspected she would do, she failed. He only knew what happened because a vampire who sometimes worked for him was at the club when the body was found. 

He was glad that he had another successor picked out and ready to take over. After she was punished, Olivia would be forced to marry the hunter and in that way the line would continue. She wouldn't like it, but he didn't give a fuck. She was lucky that he wasn't going to kill her. He had given her a chance and she failed. Not only was she captured, the four that had gone with her had escaped.

"Damn it!" he swore as he threw the bag containing his toiletries. If only Adam hadn't died he thought to himself. He never would have messed up like this. Rufus failed to remember that Olivia didn't want to be head of the hunter organization or that he hadn't given her a choice in the matter. He slammed the suitcase closed. Caleb, his successor and Olivia's future husband was waiting for him.

Rufus didn't like the man, but his politics as far as vampires was an exact replica of his and he would make sure that any children that he and Olivia had would grow up to be strong hunters and without Olivia's soft live and let live approach.

"Let's go." Rufus snapped as he walked past Caleb.

As they walked to the car, Rufus tried Olivia's number one more time. When it went to voice mail, he snapped the phone shut cursing under his breath.

****

Olivia could hear her phone ringing and then go silent. She knew that one of two things had happened. Either the battery had died or her father was trying to reach her. If she had to guess, it was the latter. She found it sad that she would rather die at the hands of a vampire than face her father who would put her on his version of a trial before either punishing her or killing her.

When Benita came back in the room, Olivia had but one question for her.

"What can I do to convince you to kill me?"



Thorne Ch. 06



"Explain to me how you wound up in a family of rapists." Barb said loud enough that everyone could hear her including the children.

Kevyn was caught off guard by the greeting but recovered quickly. She was wishing that she hadn't changed her mind about going to the condo.

"I guess we don't have to wonder anymore do we?" Kevyn mused. "If you'll let us get settled, we'll tell you anything that you want to know."

Not to be deterred, Barb continued.

"Why? So you can come up with a pretty story? My situation may not be the best, but at least Thorne didn't rape anyone!"

"Barb..." Leon said softly.

"And you with all your talk about protecting us! You knew and you didn't do anything!"

"Barb, we can talk-"

"I have nothing to say to you rapist!" Barb snapped at Patrick who had tried to intervene.

"Mama?" Celeste called softly clutching Juliette's hand and staring at Barb with wide eyes.

"Barb you're scaring the kids." Juliette said her tone firm. "Now shut up a minute and we'll talk about it when the kids are settled."

"You knew too didn't you?" Barb asked Juliette in an accusing tone.

"Yes but as I said, this isn't a conversation for children. Now shut the hell up!"

Barb stopped, looked around and saw that the kids were indeed scared. Without saying another word, she turned and walked away.

Noel stood back and watched the interaction between the siblings. He then looked at the children and felt badly for them. Things were frightening enough without Barb making things worse. As he looked at each child, he saw the same similarities in the eyes of the portrait, but it was stronger in the girls. It confirmed what he already knew- the woman in the picture was somehow related to the Yancy family.

He watched Barb walk away, started to follow her; but then changed his mind. She had a way of pushing his buttons without trying. Let Thorne deal with her he thought to himself as he went to his room. Because there were going to be so many people around, he warded his room. After the incident with Barb, he didn't trust that he wouldn't hurt anyone.

**

Barb went to her room and slammed the door shut behind her. The only thing that she conceded was that she should have waited until the kids were out of earshot before she said anything. She hadn't planned on approaching Kevyn like that, it just came out. Nevertheless, she wanted an explanation. It occurred to her that she didn't want an explanation because she was concerned, it was because she finally had something that she could hold over their heads. In her heart she knew that she was wrong, but it didn't matter. She finally could say that she was better than they were.

"You really are a bitch" a soft voice said from behind her.

Barb turned to see Adrianna standing behind her. 

"Do you ever think about anyone other than yourself?" Adrianna asked. "Apparently not" she said answering her own question. "I feel sorry for that kid you're carrying" she added and walked away before Barb could respond.

**

Leon wanted to go talk to Barb but Kevyn stopped him.

"Let it be for now" she said. "She needs time to cool off."

"She was wrong to do what she did" he said angrily.

"Yes she was" Kevyn agreed. "But confronting her about it when you're both angry isn't going to accomplish anything. Let's get the food and blood put away, the kids settled and then we'll talk to her."

Leon was fuming, but he agreed. Before he went help unload the vehicles, he checked on Celeste. Of the three children, she seemed to be the most frightened. Louise was already hugging the little girl and assuring her that there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Auntie Barb is just upset" Louise said softly. "She'll be alright."

Celeste didn't look convinced and Leon wasn't convinced either. Wanda and Victor had already recovered. They had seen Barb in action before, but had forgotten how impulsive and rude she could be. Wanda took charge of Celeste and asked where they would be sleeping.

That was a question for Barb and since no one wanted to deal with her at the moment, they decided to wait until she either came back or Thorne showed up. A sharp toot of the horn told them that more people had arrived.

"Hello?" Vanessa called out as she walked in followed by Luc, Rik and Veronica.

"We're in here!" Nathan called back.

"Where are mom, dad and Victoria?" Veronica asked looking around the room.

"They should be here shortly" Patrick replied. "Thorne is talking to the female hunter trying to see what he can find out."

"What are they going to do with her?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know" Patrick replied. "By all rights she should be killed."

"Maybe" Nathan said. "But let's think about this. We now know that it was them that Louise and I have been sensing. My question is this, why haven't they killed anyone? They've been here for a little less than a week and we didn't know who they were until one of them was spotted by one of Thorne's guards. From what I know about hunters, they start killing as soon as they arrive and then leave quickly. The girl found at Thorne's club is the first death that we're aware of and she wasn't vampire. There have been no mysterious disappearances or deaths of our kind reported. This isn't usual hunter behavior."

"What are you saying?" Patrick asked.

"I don't know if I'm saying anything" Nathan replied. "I'm just making an observation. The issue right now is Rufus Saunders. My guess is that he'll be here by morning."

"He's already on the way" Ethan said as he walked in. "Hunters have already been spotted which means everyone stays indoors even within the gates. As far as we know they don't know about this house, but to be safe; no one goes outside except for those who can vanish. That's going to be a bit of a challenge for the kids, but it has to be that way. Also, none of the children are to answer the door. If anyone sees or hears anything suspicious, no matter how small; say something. One more thing, make sure that someone always knows where you are even in the house and keep your cell phones on. Thorne will be here shortly and will show us where the escape routes are and to tell us the pass words."

"Nathan and I will take first watch" Patrick volunteered.

"Me too" Leon said. "This is a big assed house and the more eyes the better."

'I'll help too" Louise said looking at Nathan. "And before you say that I need to rest, I'll rest when I usually do and that's with you. If I get tired, then I'll lay down. Let's face it; I'm the only one that can see them even if it's only shadows."

Nathan started to argue, but realized that she was right.

"Good" Ethan said. "Tomorrow night three others will stand watch. Adrianna, Grant and three wolves will stand watch during the day. Thorne and I have security scattered around the property and in the city including his club."

"Those of us who are up during the day can help too" Katrina said. "When are Martin and Rachel coming?"

"They're on the way" Ethan replied. "I'll fill him in when he gets here."

"Do we know the names of Olivia's crew?" Patrick asked.

"Yes and we also know the names of the hunters in the area" Ethan replied. "They are being taken from their homes as we speak, but there are plenty more arriving to replace them."

"So are we just going to sit here and wait for them to find us?" Leon asked.

"No" Ethan replied. "Once Thorne gets here we'll talk strategy. The first thing will be to find Rufus Saunders. I have people at the airport watching for him."

"What about the hunter's crew?" Leon asked.

Ethan hesitated. He wanted to wait until Thorne was there so that all of the information could be given at one time, but Leon had asked a direct question.

"I was going to wait until Thorne got here to tell you this, but it really doesn't matter. Olivia's crew is vampire. Those are the shapes that Louise was seeing. Right now we don't know where they are, but we have their names. They will be hunted just as the hunters are being hunted and will be treated as traitors."

"Does that mean that they'll be killed?" Juliette asked.

"Yes" Ethan replied. "They won't be tortured if we get to them first, but they will die."

Juliette looked at Louise and Kevyn to see what their reaction was. She was dismayed to see that they had barely reacted. Hans had told her how traitors were treated, but on some level she didn't believe it. Hans, sensing her discomfort put an arm around her and led her away.

"He's joking isn't he?" she asked. 

"No he isn't" Hans replied. "This is the ugly part of our world that I wanted to protect you from, but Julie; it exists and from time to time it rears its ugly head. I had no real way of preparing you for it."

"Will you help kill them?" she asked.

"I will do whatever needs to be done in order to keep you and the children safe" Hans said. "These people hunt us and as long as they are in existence, you will never be safe. This family will never be safe. So yes, I will kill them."

"Isn't that what they're saying?" Juliette asked. "They hunt us because they think that their families aren't safe. They think that until all of us are dead, they will never be safe. Hans, when does this stop? It sounds like this is vicious cycle that both sides are too stubborn to end. I guess to some degree I can understand the need to punish the traitors, but do they really have to die? And what about the captured hunters? What will happen to them?"

"Rachel and Martin are here" someone called out.

"We'll talk later" Hans told Juliette hugging her. He knew that she wouldn't understand and was almost certain that she never would. He had no idea of how to make it easier for her. Thorne walked in a few minutes later, nodded at Ethan and went up the stairs.

**

Barb was shopping online when he walked into the bedroom.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked. "Your family is downstairs."

"I'm taking a time out" Barb said. "I couldn't stand to be among the rapists."

Thorne's eyes flashed in anger.

"This isn't the time to deal with this. The priority at the moment is keeping everyone safe. I don't give a fuck whether you ever speak to them again after this is over, but for now get your ass downstairs. I have information that everyone needs to hear and I don't care to repeat myself."

When Barb didn't move, he took the laptop from her lap and glanced at it.

"You're fucking shopping?" he asked incredulous. "I don't know why I'm surprised, but let's go. Now."

"You can tell me later..."

"Either you walk down those stairs on your own or I'll carry your ass. Now choose" Thorne said his tone telling her that he would do it.

Barb hesitated a second longer and got off the bed without looking at Thorne. She stopped at the doorway, turned around and looked up at him.

"Yes?" he asked his tone cool.

"Nothing" She said and walked away.

***

Noel knew the second that Thorne was back and went back downstairs. He caught Leon's eye and nodded at him. He watched with a small amount of jealousy as Leon kissed Nadine on the temple and then made his way over to him.

"How goes it?" Leon asked as he shook Noel's hand.

"It goes" Noel replied with a small smile. "Are the children alright? This has to be very frightening for them."

"They'll be alright" Leon replied. "Are you still going to move after this is done?"

"As soon as possible" Noel replied. "Please take no offense, but your sister and I don't see eye to eye and I am more than ready for a little privacy."

"I understand" Leon said. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we don't see eye to eye with her either; but she's still family."

"True...Leon may I ask a question?"

"Sure" Leon replied.

"Do you have other female relatives that aren't here?"

"We've got lots of relatives both male and female. Why?"

"I was just curious." Noel replied. "Are any of them young women in their twenties or thirties?"

"Quite a few of them are in that age range... why are you asking?"

Noel wasn't sure of how to respond. He wasn't ready to tell anyone else about the portrait of the eyes, but he wanted information. Leon inadvertently gave him a way out.

"The women in my family are beautiful aren't they?"

"Yes they are, and I find that they have the loveliest eyes" Noel replied.

"Every Yancy female has some variation of those eyes" Leon replied. "My sisters have them in spades. So... are you hoping that one of my female relatives is your mate?"

"Who knows what the fates have in store for me?" Noel said with a shrug and a smile.

Just then, Barb walked in followed by Thorne. Anyone looking at her could see that she was angry. She looked at no one as she walked by and headed for a seat in the corner. Leon watched her and shook his head. 

"I'll talk to you later" he said to Noel. "I think the meeting is about to start."

Rachel, Martin and Joseph walked in just before the meeting started.

"I'm sorry we're late" Rachel said. "I forgot how much work is involved in packing up a baby."

"We're just getting started" Ethan said. "Did you happen to notice anything unusual on the way here?"

"No, but then we weren't really looking for anything except whether we were being followed or not" Martin replied.

"Before we get started," Ethan said, "I would like to thank Thorne and Barb for opening their home up to us at the last minute. I know that there is some bad history between us, but my hope is that our families will become friends again when this is over. I've already gone over some things with those who were already here and I won't repeat them. But I do want to add this, if you are told to move; then do it. There won't be time to argue. I know that it will be difficult for the female mates to leave us; you'll want to stay and help. But believe me when I say that the best way to help us is to do as you're told. We need to be able to concentrate on what's happening and we can't do that if you're in danger. Martin and Joseph, I'll fill you in later. Now, we know that the hunters have been here for about a week and as I told you, the crew with the exception of Olivia is vampire. It was their presence that Louise and Nathan were feeling. Adrianna, one of Thorne's security people spotted the hunter at a department store a couple of days ago. The strange thing is that she was alone which is a breach of their security. The same hunter and her crew was at Thorne's club the night a human woman was killed. We have the hunter in custody and Thorne has been getting information from her. I'll give him the floor so that he can fill us in."

As Thorne listened to Ethan talk, he found that in some ways he did miss the friendship that their families had once shared. It felt good to know that someone had his back. He didn't know if it was possible for them to become friends again especially since the betrayal, but they were allies now. There was no getting around that. Barb and the pregnancy had ensured that. Even if she accepted his proposal, the two families were forever linked no matter what happened between them.

He stood next to Ethan and looked around the room. His eyes landed on Barb who wasn't looking at him, but was staring at Patrick with undisguised disgust.

"If I can have your attention please" he said loudly. 

He waited until all eyes were on him before he began.

"First, welcome to my home. Consider it your home for as long as you need and want it to be. There is more than enough room for everyone so pick a room. There is a large basement that can be made into a play area for the children, but unfortunately; there are no toys or games. The only thing that I ask is that if there is a locked door; that you don't attempt to enter the room."

He looked at Barb when he said this and then at the rest of the room.

"As far as I know, there is only one locked room and that room belongs to my brother Noel. Other than that, you have free reign. I know that Ethan went over security issues with you so I won't repeat them but I will reiterate the point that he made about doing as you're told. It only takes one person to put everyone else in danger. After the meeting, I would like to see all of the men. I'll give you the passwords to all of the emergency exits and show you where they are. I'll leave it to you to teach this to your mates and children. Are there any questions?"

He waited a moment and then continued.

"As Ethan said, the hunters have been here for about a week. According to Olivia Saunders, they were here on vacation. That's why there haven't been any of the usual deaths and disappearances associated with the hunters. It was a breach of their security that Olivia was out alone and now we know why. Her crew is vampire. They had two strikes against them. One Adrianna spotted Olivia, and two, they showed up at my club on a night when someone was killed."

"Is it possible that one of them killed the human woman?" Joseph asked. "And are we sure that it was a vampire that killed her?"

"It's possible that one of Olivia's crew killed her" Thorne replied. "But as I told Ethan, there's no proof of that. As far as what killed her, I'm positive that it was a vampire because of the way her neck was broken. What I found odd was that there was no evidence that she had been fed from. That could be for a number of reasons including that whoever did it had already fed and that this was a crime of opportunity."

"What does your gut say?" Louise asked.

"My gut as you call it, is telling me that this was a crime of opportunity." Thorne replied.

"One of them did it" Louise said quietly. "I felt it when it happened."

"That doesn't add up" Martin said. "They were here for a week without killing anyone and then they kill a human?"

"I can't explain that" Louise said. "I only know that it was one of them, but it does lend credence to the thought that it was a crime of opportunity."

"But it was also impulsive" Katrina added. "I would bet my last dollar that the girl's death wasn't planned.

"Louise, is it possible for you to pinpoint their whereabouts?" Thorne asked.

"I don't know. I haven't tried." Louise replied. "Nathan and I have talked about it and decided to wait to see what happens."

"There is an unknown factor in this" Nathan said. "We don't know if they can track her. Logic says that if she can reach out to them, they should be able to reach out to her and I'm not ready to put Louise or our child needlessly at risk."

"Understood" Thorne replied. "We're grateful for the help that you've given. This is the information that I gleaned from Olivia, the vacation part is true. She was given this crew as a test- she is supposed to take over the hunter organization when Rufus steps down. Needless to say she fu.... Screwed up" Thorne said correcting his language when he caught sight of Celeste. He paused for a second; there was something vaguely familiar about her eyes. Then he looked at Barb, Juliette, Louise and then Kevyn. He shook his head and then continued.

"As I was saying, she screwed up and Rufus does not take kindly to failure especially from his off spring. She gave me the names of all of the hunters in the area, but more are on their way. The last thing that she told me was the names of her crew. Believe me when I say that she fought me, but I did get the information without hurting her too much."

"What's going to happen to her?" Juliette asked.

"That hasn't been decided" Ethan said. "Thorne, what else did you find out?"

"She's afraid of her father" Thorne replied. "She would rather die than be turned over to him. She has no love of us, but she takes the live and let live stance. That would be something that Rufus would find intolerable which lead me to this conclusion, he knew that she was going to fail. He knows that she doesn't want his position but he can't just take it from her."




Thorne Ch. 06



"He set her up" Nathan said.

"Exactly" Thorne replied. "My guess is that he already has a successor picked out and whoever it is, they're going to be as bad if not worse than he is."

"Will he kill her?" Louise asked oddly concerned about the hunter.

"Rufus Saunders is an insane son of a bitch" Thorne replied forgetting about the children until he heard Celeste whisper "bad word". "I'm sorry sweetheart" Thorne said and then continued. "He might think about killing her, but he won't. Olivia is a way to continue his line. If nothing else, he'll punish her and make her marry his successor."

Ethan listened to Thorne as he talked about Olivia and the wheels began to turn. What if??? He turned his attention back to Thorne when he began to talk about Olivia's crew.

"Here are the names of the vampires in her crew. Albert, Mary, William, Harry and Nell..."

Nadine took a sharp breath and gripped Leon's hand. 

"This can't be!" She thought to herself. "Harry is dead! And so is Nell! Papa killed her! They can't be alive!"

She looked over at Hans and saw the surprise on his face. He gave her a reassuring nod and turned his attention back to Thorne. Leon however, saw and felt her reaction.

"Baby do you know these vamps?"

"Its vampires and not vamps" Nadine replied sharper than she intended. "I'll tell you later."

"They're the ones aren't they?" Leon asked. "They're the ones that you told me about."

"Not now" Nadine whispered urgently.

"Fine, but we're going to talk" Leon said his tone firm. "And when we're done, I'm going to find and kill every last one of them. And I promise you this; they won't be able to come back."

Nadine flinched at the intensity of his voice. She knew that it would be pointless to try to talk him out of it. It hadn't taken her long to find out that Leon had a stubborn streak a mile wide and that he took the safety of his family seriously. When he told Patrick and Nathan that he would go after them if they hurt his sisters, he meant it. The same went for Thorne. She also knew that he wouldn't rest until Nell and her family was dead. Her one consolation was that Hans and Nathan would go with him. While he was strong and growing stronger by the day, there was no way that he would be able to take on five vampires who were much older than he was.

"Does anyone have any questions or thoughts?" Thorne asked as he looked around the room. 

He saw Noel standing back in a corner watching everyone and everything. Later he would be able to relay where everyone sat, what they were wearing and the expression on their faces. It was that gift that made him an exceptional artist. He wondered what Noel was thinking as he watched and listened.

When no one said anything, He called all of the men to his side. He noted with amusement that Victor included himself among the men.

"You," he said to Victor, "What's your name?"

"Victor sir" Victor replied.

"Since you're the shortest man here, come up front so that you can see and hear."

Victor didn't look at Juliette for permission as he moved closer to Thorne. 

"My name is Thorne and it isn't necessary to call me sir" Thorne said. "I'm glad that you stepped up. There are places in the house that are too big for adults but perfect for a man of your size. These are the places where you will take the children if the need arises. In other words, Ethan and I are placing you in charge of the children. It will be your responsibility to show them where these places are and to teach them the pass codes. If anything happens and you are separated from the adults, you will take the other children to one of those places.

Victor's chest puffed out with pride. He looked up at Hans who winked at him. By late morning, everyone knew the codes. Victor took the job of teaching the codes to Wanda, Celeste and Victoria seriously. He drilled them until even Celeste could repeat the codes flawlessly and made sure that they all knew where the escape exits were. Then he made sure that each of their cell phones were charged and turned on.

"We'll all take turns watching Celeste" He said. "Who wants to be first?"

Juliette watched Victor with a lump in her throat. He reminded her so much of his grandfather and Leon. She had no doubt that Victor Yancy was looking down on his only grandson with approval. She also knew that Angel would be proud of his only son.

Barb followed Thorne around the house not speaking unless it was to repeat the codes. When her attention wandered, Thorne snapped at her.

"Pay attention! The lives of everyone in this house could depend on you knowing these codes."

Finally, Barb had the codes memorized. She went to the kitchen where Juliette and the others were making food for everyone before putting the children to bed for much needed naps. The men were still talking and making plans. Unable to help herself, she walked up to Kevyn.

"So sis, how does it feel to be sleeping with a rapist?"

The chatter in the kitchen died down as everyone stopped to see what Kevyn would say.

"Can you at least wait until the kids are in bed?" Kevyn asked. "And it has nothing to do with making up pretty stories. They don't need to hear this. After they're in bed I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"You know," Rachel said from across the counter, "Kevyn isn't the only one married to a rapist. In fact, we were planning to get together to talk about this and anything else that you all wanted to talk about. So why don't we do this? Let's get the kids settled and we go to an empty room to talk. As Kevyn said, we'll tell you anything that you want to know."

Barb nodded and walked away. 

*****

"Well?" Olivia asked. "What will it take to get you to kill me?"

Benita looked at her shocked.

"Are you that afraid of your father?"

"My father... never mind, just kill me." Olivia said softly.

"I can't do that" Benita replied. "For all I know, they may want to turn you."

"That would be almost as bad as giving me to my father" Olivia replied. "What would be the point? I would kill myself anyway."

"Why do you hate us?" Benita asked. 

"One of you killed my mother and my brother" Olivia replied.

"Was it a random killing?" Benita asked.

"What does that matter?" Olivia retorted. "The bottom line is that one of you killed them."

"It matters" Benita replied. "Answer the question."

"My father said that you people took my mother unprovoked and killed her." 

"And your brother, wasn't he on a mission that resulted in his death?" Benita asked.

"How do you know that?" Olivia asked.

"I was there. Your brother was in the process of beheading a child! A baby who had done him no harm and he was going to snuff out his life as if he was nothing!"

"Adam... he wouldn't..."

"He and his crew rolled into Riverside late one night. There was a vampire family out for dinner. A mother, a father and a little boy. It was late enough that not many people were out so your brother and his crew of six attacked this family. My mate and I happened to be in the area, but got there too late to do anything for the parents. I killed your brother. How do you like those beans? Your brother was and is a murderer."

"That isn't true! Adam loved children!"

"Human ones" Benita said with a cold smile. "But let's move on. Let's talk about your mother."

"What happened to the child?" Olivia asked.

"I adopted him, but let's continue. What do you know about your mother's death?"

"Were you there for that too?" Olivia whispered still in shock.

"No, but the story is well known. Let me ask you something, other than the rogues; how many times has a vampire attacked a human?"

"I... I don't know" Olivia confessed.

"The answer is that it does happen, but let's look at the reasons. Sometimes the vampire is a baby who hasn't been taught how to safely take from a human or they haven't been taught to live as a vampire. In other words, they were turned and then left to survive on their own. Inadvertently, they become one of the rogues. Of course there are those who kill for the sake of killing and choose to become a rogue. The other reason is when your kind comes into town. You immediately start killing and abducting leaving us little choice but to defend ourselves. Sometimes innocent humans get hurt and of course, the hunters take no responsibility for that; but back to your mother.

Your mother was abducted because the daughter of one of our kind was taken by your father and tortured in order to draw him out. In retaliation, the father of the girl took your mother as a bargaining chip. She was never meant to come to any harm. If your father would have given the girl back, your mother would still be alive."

"But one of you killed her!" Olivia shouted.

"That's true" Benita replied. "But it wasn't one of the vampires that accompanied the girl's father. Your father employs vampires doesn't he? In fact, your entire crew is made up of vampires. How many crews are like that? I mean one human and five vampires?"

"What does that have to do with my mother?" Olivia asked.

"Did your father tell you who else was at that meeting?" 

"No... he said that the girl's father showed up with several vampires at a neutral meeting place."

"Did he now?" Benita asked. "What else did he tell you?"

"Just that they killed mom before the meeting got started."

"And what happened to the girl?" Benita asked.

"He said that she died."

"What if I were to tell you that your father had no intentions of releasing that girl? He was going to kill her and her father. What he hadn't planned on was the girl's father bringing a bargaining chip- your mother to the meeting. All he had to do was to give the girl back, but he tried to ambush the girl's father."

"How do you know all of this?" Olivia asked.

"Do you think that you're the only ones who use those who take money for betraying their kind? Here's something else for you to think about, not everyone in your organization believes as you and your father does. But anyway, one of your crew killed your mother. And if you think about it, you'll realize that your father is a murdering son of a bitch who wouldn't know the truth if it sucked his cock. Do you realize that you've said very little in his defense? Why is that? In fact, you didn't defend your brother."

"The girl... did she really die?" Olivia asked not answering the question.

"Why do you care?" Benita countered. "After all, she was nothing but a way to carry on our race."

"I never wanted to hurt children" Olivia replied. "I never wanted any of this. I just want to go home to my little house and to be left alone. I don't want to be the leader of anything. Do you know what I was doing the day I was spotted? I snuck out and spent the day pretending that I was someone else. I was Megan with two kids and a husband who was an attorney. I breached security so that I could feel normal. But you didn't answer my question. Did that girl really die?"

"No, she still lives, but only because her father turned her. Your father tried to kill her" Benita replied. "You might be interested in knowing that it was her that spotted you. You still haven't answered my question, why aren't you defending your family?"

Olivia started to defend her father and brother, but it was too late. She knew that everything that Bonita said to her was the truth. At this stage of the game, she was already in deep trouble. Admitting to the vampire that she spoke the truth wasn't going to make or break anything. She was shocked at the sense of relief that she felt. She no longer had to pretend that her family wasn't as horrible as they really were. She no longer had to pretend that she wanted to take over for her father.

"I'm not defending him because I know that you aren't lying" Olivia replied after several minutes. "I would still rather die than be turned or to be given back to him. So do me a favor and get it over with."

"I can't do that, but I'll tell Mr. Sinclaire and Mr. Blackwell what you want. Do you need to use the bathroom?"

Olivia blinked. She hadn't expected to be treated with such humanity. 

"Yes... please."

Benita untied her hands and grabbed a hold of her arms.

"Just so you know," Benita said, "There's no way out of here and there's nothing in the bathroom that you can use to harm yourself."

Olivia went to the bathroom, washed her face and stared at her reflection.

"What's going to happen to me?" she whispered.

****

"Where are we going?" Nell asked for what had to be the tenth time.

It was becoming clear that Albert really didn't have much of a plan. In fact, William had advised against going on Rufus Saunders' payroll. But Albert hadn't listened. He was seeing the dollar signs and not looking at the big picture. To William's way of thinking, they should have made their getaway long before this. There had been plenty of opportunities, but Albert refused to take them.

Olivia weighed heavily on his mind. He felt guilty for leaving her at the club, but he couldn't afford to be caught. He hoped that they were treating her decently and not hurting her. Finally, he could take the bickering no more.

"Everyone just shut the fuck up!" he bellowed. "This is what's going to happen..."

Albert started to say something, but William interrupted him.

"This is your fault! I tried to tell you that we needed to stay away from Saunders! And where is this grand plan to escape? We should have left a long time ago and then Harry had to kill the man's wife! What do you think Rufus is going to do when he finds out? You are no longer the head of this family, I am! I should have done this a century ago."

"What if I want to be the head of the family?" Harry challenged. "Are you going to stop me?"

"Sit your ass down" William said. "You couldn't lead your way out of a fucking paper bag. You're too... That girl at the club... that was you wasn't it? You're the one who killed her."

All eyes went to Harry waiting for him to answer. 

"Do you know what you've done?" Mary asked.

"They don't know it was me" Harry said.

"No, but they have Olivia" Nell said. "They know about us. That means that not only is Rufus going to be looking for us, so will every vampire security team in the area if not the country. We need to leave now."

As usual, it wasn't until the consequences of his impulsiveness was staring him in the face; did Harry understand.

"I'm sorry" he said losing the belligerence in his voice.

"That's what you've said ever since we took that girl from her family" William snapped. "This time you've really done it. Do me a favor and don't speak."

"What are you thinking?" Mary asked.

"We have to go" William said. "Go north to where we took the girl and I'll meet you there and for god's sake, keep an eye on Harry."

"Where are you going?" Albert demanded.

"He's going after that bitch" Harry said with a sneer. "You know that she's already given us up."

William didn't answer, but gave an order.

"Go and if I'm not there in three nights, assume the worse and go to the Bahamas or better yet someplace that isn't heavily populated. If I manage to find Olivia, I'll find you. And Harry; no more killings! We're in this shit because of you."

A few minutes later, William was sitting alone at the kitchen table. When he heard voices approaching, he vanished.

***

Caleb and Rufus spent the entire flight on the phone. No one had seen where Olivia had been taken or where Albert and his family had gone. The one thing Rufus kept hearing was how empty the streets were. 

"If I didn't know any better, I would swear that the fangers knew that we were here."

"That's impossible!" Rufus snapped. "Even if Olivia opened her mouth, there wouldn't be enough time to get the warning out."

"I was just making an observation" the voice on the other end of the phone said.

"Then observe something that I can use!" Rufus yelled into the phone and slammed it shut.

"You aren't going to like this." Caleb said as he hung up his phone. "Many of the hunters who live in the area are gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" Rufus demanded.

"No one knows, but it does give some credibility to the idea that the vampires knew we were in the area."

"And?" Rufus barked out.

"The only way that they would know where our people were is if Olivia told them" Caleb said.

"She wouldn't dare" Rufus said firm in his conviction.

"Rufus, they have her" Caleb said. "God only knows what they've done to her. We have to be prepared for the possibility that they've either killed or turned her."

"If they've turned her," Rufus said, "kill her."

Caleb blinked in surprise.

"Rufus, she's your daughter..."

"If she's one of those things, then she's no longer my daughter; she's our enemy. She's now nothing more than an incubator to bring more of the bastards into the world, but not only that; she has information that they could use against us. She dies."

Caleb nodded his agreement. As far as he was concerned, it was too bad. He genuinely liked Olivia and thought that she would make a good wife and mother. He was fully aware of her politics regarding the vampires and other species, but he really didn't care as long as she kept her views to herself and didn't teach them to their children. He didn't really want to marry her, but if it got him into Rufus's position, he would do it. Suddenly, he hoped that she was either dead or turned. It would make his life so much simpler and he could choose his own wife or not. No one said that he had to be married to hold the position and he sure as hell didn't need to be married in order to have kids.

He came from a family where most of the babies born were male and he saw no reason as to why he couldn't continue the trend. In his mind he bid Olivia a farewell and turned his mind to the job at hand. As soon as the jet landed, they were off the plane and rushing through the airport. 

"May I hail you a cab?" a voice called out as they practically ran to the exit

Neither man replied as they ran out of the door. When they were gone Ollie took out his phone and called Ethan.

"They just landed."

****

"I want the bastards" Leon told Nathan and Hans. "I'm going after them whether you come with me or not."

"Leon, we just can't go looking for them." Nathan said. "We need to calm down and think of a plan that assures that we get we want and that we all come back in one piece."

Leon took a deep breath and nodded his head. Nathan was right.

"I suggest that we put the word out that if they're found that we be called" Nathan said. "Let the hunters work for us. We'll also make sure to let the other reconnaissance teams know. "

"So we just wait?" Leon said.

"I know that Thorne and Ethan are setting up reconnaissance teams and that we will be a part of them" Hans said. "That would be the time to look for them, but I don't think that we'll find them. They have to know that they're being searched for by both sides. If they're smart, they've left the area."

"Nadine will never be safe until we find them" Leon said. "And I won't stop until all of them are dead."

Hans and Nathan saw by the expression on Leon's face that his mind was made up. 

"We're with you" Nathan said. "I'm sure that Ethan and Thorne will help, but we've got to use our heads."

"Thank you" Leon said. "I need to go check on Nadine, hearing those names freaked her out. She was so sure that she had killed Harry."

Leon found Nadine sitting by a heavily draped window. He sat beside her and hugged her.

"I'm going to find the bastards" he said. "No one will ever hurt you again."

Nadine pulled away from him, looked at him with tear filled eyes and began to beg him to let it go.

"Dina, I can't" Leon said. "I know that you think that they've forgotten about you, but they haven't. I'm going to end this before they find you. What I need from you is their descriptions."




Thorne Ch. 06



"Before I tell you, I want you to promise me something." 

"What is it?" Leon asked.

"Try to make sure that Harry doesn't get away again."

The request surprised him since she had been trying to get him to let it go.

"You're going to go whether I want you to or not" Nadine said by way of explanation. "If you have to kill anyone, it needs to be Harry. The others fed from me, but he was the one who turned, raped me and was going to leave me for dead. You'll know him when you see him. William and Albert are a few inches taller, but Harry doesn't look right. I can't explain it any clearer than that. I also want you to promise that you'll be careful and if it comes to a choice of letting Harry go and you coming home to me, let him go."

Leon hesitated and then agreed.

"I'll agree only because I don't want you to be left alone, but Dina; they're dead. Even if Harry does get away, his days are numbered. I will find him."

Nadine nodded, kissed Leon on cheek and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I say that we skip lunch and find our room" Leon said nuzzling her head.

"I'm okay" Nadine said. "I was just shocked."

"I know that you're alright" Leon said "But I still want to go look for a room before the good ones are taken."

"Leon, look at this house" Nadine said laughing. "Does it look like there's a bad room anywhere?"

"Alright, let me rephrase" Leon said. "I want to find a room as far away from everyone else as possible. Do you get my meaning?"

"I think I do" Nadine said as she stood and held out her hand.

They quickly found a room that they both liked. They were barely inside the room before Leon had Nadine on the bed pinned under him. For just a second, she tensed and then relaxed; but Leon noticed. He hadn't thought about how the revelation of who the vampires were would affect their love life.

"Baby..."

"I'm alright..."

"No you're not" Leon said. "I felt you tense. Now talk to me."

"I thought that you wanted to make love" Nadine said wiggling against him as she slipped her hands under his shirt.

Leon moaned when she tweaked his nipples and then ran her fingernails over the hardened tips.

"We need to talk" he replied even as he ground against her.

"What I need is for you to make love with me" Nadine said. "Then we'll talk."

Normally, Leon liked to take his time and undress Nadine in the human way; but now he felt an urgency that he couldn't explain. In seconds they were both naked. Leon kissed her neck, grazed a fang across the pulse and then bit hard enough to draw blood. He really didn't understand why he did it, only that he needed to. He felt Nadine's legs open wider so that his cock rested between her vaginal lips. He groaned into her neck when she began grinding against him and bit again.

"You are mine" he thought to her.

He slid inside of her, paused to catch his breath and began to slowly pump in and out of her. He maintained control until Nadine rose up and bit just above his left nipple and began to drink from him. Leon moaned loudly as he felt his balls tighten up against him. He crushed her against him as his seed traveled from his sac, up his cock and shot into Nadine. Even so, he kept thrusting until she came not once, but twice.

"Now talk to me" He said after they recovered.

***

Barb watched Leon and Nadine with a mixture of emotions. Jealousy, anger and an emotion that she pushed away ran through her. She turned around to go back into the kitchen and saw Celeste watching her.

"Hey there, I'm sorry if I scared you."

Celeste didn't answer her, but turned around and went back to the kitchen.

Celeste's reaction bothered Barb. While it was true that she was never close to the girl, Celeste had always returned her greeting with a shy "hello". Barb shrugged it off attributing her reaction to upset over the upheaval and adjusting to a new life.

She went to the kitchen where Celeste sat at the table with Wanda, Victor and Victoria. None of the children looked at her even though they knew that she was there. A feeling of disquiet filled Barb. Wanda always spoke to her no matter how rude she had been and Victor always gave her a smile that reminded her of her father.

"Hey guys" she said deciding to speak first.

Celeste didn't look at her. Wanda gave her a brief glance and spoke to her. Victor gave her a ghost of the smile that she usually got and Victoria glared at her.

"Are you ready for something to eat?" Louise asked pulling Barb's attention away from the kids.

"Have you been badmouthing me or something?" Barb asked.

"What? Of course not!" Louise replied.

"Then why are they acting like that?" Barb demanded.

"Maybe it's because of the way that you're acting" Louise said. "They may be children, but they aren't stupid."

"What are you talking about?" Barb asked. "I'll concede that I shouldn't have approached Kevyn the way I did, but it's more than that."

"Yes, you're right" Louise said. "When we got here did you greet them? Did you do anything to make them feel welcome? No you didn't. You immediately got in Kevyn's face about a matter that they're too young to hear about. And now you wonder why they aren't responding to you as they normally do?"

Louise stopped talking as her hands flew to her mouth. The urge to vomit hit her so suddenly that it took her breath away. Accompanying the feeling of nausea was a feeling of sadness so intense that it brought tears to her eyes. Nathan quickly walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her. He almost vanished from the kitchen, but at the last moment remembered that Juliette's children were there. They hadn't been told about what Hans and the rest of them were yet.

"Let's get you to bed" he said without sparing Barb a glance.

"What's wrong?" Kevyn asked as soon as she saw Nathan.

"I'm ok" Louise said. "I just got a little nauseated."

"Are you sure?" Kevyn asked as she got closer. "You look a little green around the gills."

"I'm good; can you get me a glass of juice?"

Nathan led her to a chair even though he felt that she needed a bed.

"Are you sure that you're alright?" he asked searching her face for any signs of duress.

"I'm fine" she assured him. "And the baby is fine too so don't call Gretchen."

"Louise..."

"Don't call her. I'll take a nap after I eat something."

"Do I have your word on that?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, now go back to your meeting... oh wait, take some sandwiches with you. I'm sure that Patrick and the others are about to start eating the furniture."

Barb watched Louise and Nathan and experienced the same feelings she had when she saw Nadine and Leon together. It was then that she realized that Nadine wasn't in the kitchen. She had a flash of insight, but before she could grasp it; she was distracted by hands on her stomach. She was going to slap them away until she realized who the hands belonged to.

Celeste watched Barb as she talked to Louise. Before she could pull her shields closer around her, a blast of sadness and fear hit her. It took her a few seconds to realize where it was coming from. While everyone's attention was on Louise; Celeste left the table and approached Barb. Her small hands were on Barb's stomach before anyone realized that she was there. When Barb looked down at her, Celeste saw anger in her eyes that was quickly replaced by surprise.

"Why is your baby so sad and scared?" she asked. "Why are you always so sad and mad?"

****

William stood in the shadows across from the club. It wasn't a good place for him to be, but his hope was that he would find some clue as to where Olivia had been taken. He knew that he should have left along with the others, but he just couldn't leave her. He didn't care that she had probably given them all up. They had been existing on borrowed time anyway. He kicked himself for not realizing that Harry has been the one to kill the girl. To be fair, he hadn't killed in years and then it was because the girl reminded him of Nadine. That was always the reason for why he killed.

Coming here for vacation had been a mistake. He tried to warn Olivia, but she had made up her mind. He also knew what her father was doing and wondered why she didn't see it. Maybe she did, he thought to himself. It occurred to him that Olivia was unlike any other hunter that he had ever worked with. She hadn't seemed to enjoy the job and had only done the minimum number of attacks. Even those were half-assed and went against her father's strict directives that no one be spared. She had refused to allow the killing of children or any pregnant females.

As with Harry, he wondered why he didn't see it sooner. Olivia didn't want this life. She didn't like vampires, but was going through the motions for self-preservation. She didn't want to kill anyone. It surprised him that he was having these sudden flashes of insight about her. Suddenly, he understood something about himself. He had been and was in love with Olivia Saunders.

"Shit" he swore under his breath.

His vision sharpened when he saw two men walking toward the club. He recognized them as hunters that belonged to one of the most sadistic groups that he knew of. They didn't just kill their targets, they tortured them to death. The sex and age didn't matter although he had heard that they were relatively gentle with the children. 

These two hunters had an uncanny way of finding their prey and it was Harry who had figured it out.

"They're wolves" He said. "Think about it. No human would be able to pick out a vampire so easily. And I'll tell you something else; Saunders isn't going to stop with the extermination of the vampire race. He'll have every species he has working under him turn on each other and then he'll finish us off after we've decimated each other."

Harry had been right. The hunters were wolves, but not only that; there were entire crews made up of wolves. Even the leaders were wolves. Saunders wasn't stupid. He was giving them a false sense of security. Ever since that conversation, William had been questioning their involvement with Saunders more and more. The questioning had actually started long before that, but had been nothing more than little niggles of a guilty conscience.

He realized that he was now skating on the edge of what would be considered treason by his family and a breach of contract by Rufus. For the first time he wondered if it was possible to just slip away and never see his family or another hunter again. He also dared to hope that just maybe Olivia cared for him a little. She felt good in his arms-it was as if she belonged there and he had felt no revulsion on her part when they danced. She had been surprised when he warned her about Harry.

The hunters had stopped and were beginning to look in his direction. William vanished before they fully caught his scent. Instead of going back to the condo in Palm Springs, he vanished from place to place trying to figure out what he was going to do. When dawn approached, he began to look for shelter. It didn't take him long to realize that he needed to go to an area where he knew there were no other vampires. The Hunters wouldn't go there and if they lived there, they would be on the streets looking for his family and Olivia. Just before the sun rose, William was in a home that was under construction in a new residential area.

The good thing was that it was a weekend so there would be no workers to contend with. Just to be safe, William silently moved through the partially built house looking for anyone who had the same idea he did. Finding no one, he went to the unfinished basement and curled up in a corner to rest. Rest didn't come easily. He wracked his brain to come up with an idea where to begin to look for Olivia. Finding her was just the beginning. He had to think of where he could hide her from both his family and her father. In that moment, he knew that he had chosen Olivia. He was well aware that Olivia, while attracted to him might never be able to get over what she had been taught about his kind. Realizing that he was jumping ahead, he pulled his thoughts back to the issue at hand-finding her.

He found himself grateful that he was a planner. Financially, he was very well off. He had invested and saved his portion of the money they made working for the hunters under a completely different name and in offshore accounts. Not even his family knew that he was financially set up. He had no idea of where they stood financially and he never asked. Asking meant that he would have to divulge information that he didn't want to share.

The other thing that his family didn't know about him was that he had a place completely off the grid. It was something that he had encouraged them to do and let the subject drop when they balked at the idea. If push came to shove, he could take Olivia there while they figured out their options. The problem was getting her there and if she would even go with him.

"Damn you Harry" he swore under his breath.

If Harry hadn't killed the human girl, they wouldn't be in the mess that they were in, but then; it was only a matter of time before something happened. He closed his eyes and wondered where he could rent a car that wasn't close to the city. Palm Springs was out of the question, he had to go further away. San Diego was further away but very doable. 

He took out his cell phone and then stopped. Any calls that he made would be traced. In effect, his phone was useless. William held the phone in his fist and crushed it until it was nothing more than small pieces of plastic and the battery dust. He planned to leave as soon as it was dark enough to buy a disposable phone. From there he would go to San Diego, rent a car and drive back. He also needed to find another place to stay. 

He briefly thought about going to the house. It was the first place that would have been searched. But then, he didn't know where Rufus was. With his luck, Rufus would be staying at the house. He wondered how he could make that work for him. Slowly, a plan began to form.

***

"I'm not mad" Barb said with a smile that she hoped looked sincere. "I'm just worried about your mom and aunts."

Celeste tipped her head to the side as she always did when she had a question.

"Celeste honey, why don't you finish your snack" Juliette said as she put her hands on her shoulders.

Celeste didn't move for several seconds. Her hands still rested on Barb's belly as she looked up at her.

"He's sad and scared" she repeated. "He wants to know why you don't like him."

Barb stumbled backwards as if she had been shoved and stared at Celeste. By this time, Kevyn and Louise were standing beside Juliette and Celeste.

"Celeste baby, put your shields up" Louise said softly. "Do it now."

Tears ran down Celeste's face as she turned around and threw her arms around Juliette's waist. No one spoke as Juliette led Celeste from the kitchen. Wanda, Victor and Victoria followed without being told. As she passed Barb, Victoria gave her a glare that reminded her of the look that Veronica had given her several weeks before.

Barb stared back at her refusing to be intimidated by a child, but Celeste- Celeste had scared her. The little girl had scared her more than anything else that had happened to her. Seeing Celeste's tears triggered the memory that she had of Louise earlier, except that this time; there was no sense of relief.

"Sweetheart?" Nathan called telepathically.

"I'm alright...Is Leon with you?"

"He just got here" Nathan replied.

"Do me a favor and send him to Celeste, she needs him."

"I'll tell him, but Lou are you sure that you're alright?" Nathan asked.

"I'm fine and it's time for a long overdue talk with my sister" she replied.

She turned to look at Katrina and Rachel.

"I'm sorry, but could you please excuse us while we talk with our sister?"

Barb didn't speak as she listened to Louise make apologies. Her heart pounded as she heard the same thing in Louise's voice as she heard in Thorne's voice- she had had enough.

"I think that I'd better lay down" Barb said. "I guess I'm a little grouchy."

"We talk now" Louise said. "This has gone on long enough. If you would like to talk while you lie in bed, I have no problem with that and I'm sure that Kevyn and Juliette won't either."

"There's nothing to talk about!" Barb snapped. "And I don't know what Celeste was talking about..."

"Yes you do" Louise said interrupting her. "Now, where are we going to talk?"

Barb blinked. This was a Louise that she didn't know. She had seen a hint of it at her engagement party, but this was more than a hint. This was a woman who while still quiet, had confidence in herself. She was looking at a woman who had no regrets and was happy and would have been even if she was still working at the grocery store just as long as Nathan was with her.

Barb looked over at Kevyn who hadn't spoken and realized the same thing was true of her. She suspected the same was true for Juliette and Leon. None of them had been afraid of hard work and worked for everything that they had. In fact, Kevyn was in school and still planned to work as a nurse. Louise was planning to open a restaurant and Leon was learning architecture- a new career for him. She on the other hand was doing nothing other than planning how to spend Thorne's money. When she realized this, she reacted as she always did- with a sharp tongue.

"I'm not talking to any of you" she said. "All you want to do is gloat and I don't want to hear it. When this is..."

"Barb... we're going to talk" Juliette said from behind her. "I'm sick of this and you know that this isn't what mom and dad wanted. Not only that, now it's affecting the kids."

"Oh and I suppose they would be happy knowing that their daughters married into a family of rapists?" Barb retorted. "And kids are supposed to be resilient aren't they?"

"Since when have you ever cared about what mom and dad wanted or needed?" Kevyn asked. "It's always been about you. Even now you haven't asked about Celeste. I agree with Juliette and Lou, it's time to deal with our issues while we're here together. If at the end of it you don't ever want to talk to or see us again, then fine; but we will talk."

"Oh I see," Barb said, "The three of you ganging up on me, but alright, we'll talk and after we're done- we're done."

Adrianna stood outside of the kitchen listening and shook her head in confusion. After her capture and rescue from Rufus Saunders, it had taken months for anyone, and that included her parents to speak to her. She had actually questioned if they still loved her. She would have given anything to have had a family that was willing to accept and forgive her as Barb's family apparently was willing to do so easily. All the bitch had to do was give a little. Her family was willing to fight for her and the stupid bitch wouldn't or couldn't see it. She meant it when she said that she felt sorry for the baby.

She also felt for Celeste. That the girl was powerful was obvious. Adrianna had no doubt that when Celeste was an adult; she was going to be a force to be reckoned with. She stepped back as Barb, followed by her sisters left the kitchen and went to the library. She knew that there were guards below the window of the library and she took up a post outside of the closed door.

Once inside the library, Barb sat down and waited. Her mind was already wandering as she had no interests in what her sisters were going to say.

***

Olivia left the bathroom after a few minutes and joined Benita in the small room just outside of it.

"I had some food brought in for you" Benita said. "I don't know what you like to eat so I had a salad and something to drink brought in."

Once again Olivia was surprised at the way in which she was being treated.

"Not all of us are cruel to our prisoners" Benita said when she saw Olivia's surprise. "Can you say the same?"




Thorne Ch. 06



"No" Olivia confessed. Every story that she had ever heard about the capture of vampires was horror filled. Even the ones where the deaths were supposedly merciful. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

"In my other life," Benita said after a brief hesitation, "I'm an economics college professor. One of the things that I teach is that you treat people in the way that you want to be treated- in other words, customer service. I know that it contradicts what I do on the side, but life is full of contradictions isn't it? You've given me no reason to hurt you, but if you do... Now please, sit down and eat."

"You're really a college professor?" Olivia asked.

"Most of us hold human professions" Benita replied. "There are those among us who are doctors, lawyers and custodians. The person who serves you when you go through the drive through for a late night snack could be vampire... do you see what I'm saying? Most of us are peaceful. We live by human law even though in our world they really mean nothing. We watch for your kind and when we know that you're around, we issue warnings to steer clear. I don't deny that there are those of us who hate your kind with a passion and will kill you on sight, but those are in the minority. The rest of us just want to be left alone."

"I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher" Olivia said. "I never pursued it because my father had other ideas."

"Why didn't you do what millions of people have done?" Benita asked. "Why didn't you just leave and make your own way?"

Olivia laughed.

"You don't know my father. He would hunt me down and drag me back home before I got one bag unpacked."

"It's obvious that you don't hold to the same beliefs he does or at least not to the same extent" Benita said. "But you don't speak up for yourself. Why is that?"

"Again, this is my father we're talking about" Olivia said. "With him there is no democracy. There's only his way. To question anything he says is considered treason. At the very least its punishable by whipping, at worst, you die."

Benita looked at Olivia and felt a little sympathy for her but she was still a hunter no matter how soft hearted she was.

"Eat and I'll be back later" Benita said. "Just remember that there's no way out of here and if you try anything, you will be hurt."

After Benita left the room, Olivia sat down and tried to eat. She took a few bites of the salad and pushed it away. She wondered where William and the others were and if they had been caught by either side. Of the five of them, William was the only one that she had any real concerns about. She also knew that her father had to be in town already and looking for her. Her stomach dropped at the thought of it. She could already feel his cold gray eyes on her. She could hear his strong tenor as he accused her of treachery and berated her for her failures.

Olivia stood up and began to walk around the room wondering if there was a way out of the mess she was in. If there was, she wasn't seeing it. The only thing that she could think of was to start praying that she would be killed and that it would be quick and merciful.

***

Noel stopped painting and looked at the portrait of the eyes. The owner of them was upset. He could feel the sadness coming from the painting. He laid down his brush and moved closer to the portrait of the eyes.

"What is upsetting you?" 

Silence.

"How can I help if you won't talk to me?" he asked gently. 

He waited for several minutes and when there was no response, he kissed the portrait where the forehead would be and went back to work on his painting. As he painted, he thought about the owner of the eyes. He wondered what she looked like, not that it mattered. She would be beautiful even if she had two heads and had a nose like Pinocchio. He wondered what she did for a living and if she liked the arts and music as he did. He looked at the eyes again and resisted the urge to ask her where she was. For one, he didn't think that she would tell him and two, apparently the fates didn't think that it was time for them to meet. And given what was happening, it was probably for the best.

Noel sighed and looked at the portrait that he was working on. It was a portrait of Ethan and Thorne standing side by side as Steven Sinclaire and his and Noel's father had once done before... 

That was as far as the thought went before a sharp pain that started behind his eyes intervened. Noel wiped the tears away and shook his head to clear it. Whatever it was, he wasn't supposed to remember it; at least not now. He decided that when the time was right, the memory would come and there would be no pain associated with it. The decision felt right to him. Once he accepted it, the pain completely vanished. He picked up his brush and continued working on the portrait of Ethan and Thorne softly humming 'you are my sunshine'.

***

"I don't like your aunt" Victoria said as she held Celeste's hand. "Why is she so mean?"

"I don't know" Wanda replied. "She's always been kind of mean."

Wanda sat on the bed next to Celeste who was now sleeping. She had been furious with her aunt for making Celeste cry. After Leon had calmed Celeste down, he had asked Wanda and Victoria to sit with her. Every so often, Celeste would begin to cry in her sleep. Wanda did the one thing that she knew always cheered her little sister up. She began to sing 'You are my sunshine' until Celeste quieted.

Wanda had already made a decision. She wasn't going to let Barb hurt Celeste again and if she got punished for being disrespectful, then so be it. Truth be told, when she found out that they were all going to be staying in the same house with Barb, she had to bite her tongue. She loved her aunt, but she didn't like her. She could only hope that whatever was happening was over quickly so that they could go home. She had science projects that needed tending to and she hated missing school.

Seeing that Celeste was finally in a deep sleep, Wanda touched Victoria's hand and pointed to the desk in the corner.

"I don't want to wake her up" she murmured to Victoria.

"I'll help you keep her safe" Victoria said. "I won't let anything hurt her."

Wanda gave Victoria a curious glance and then thanked her. She had the feeling that Victoria wanted to tell her something but wasn't sure if she should. She loved Victoria, but at times found her mysterious; but not in a creepy kind of way. She had a lot of questions for her, but something always stopped her from asking. Now was one of those times.

"Let's play scrabble" Victoria suggested as she turned on her laptop. As with her mother and her sisters, it was her favorite game and Wanda gave her a run for her money.

Wanda glanced over at Celeste and nodded.

"Oh and only English words this time" she added.

****

Barb sat staring at her sisters waiting for one of them to speak. Finally, she broke the silence.

"What was that thing with Celeste? Why would she say something like that unless you've been talking about me behind my back?"

"Celeste is what's known as an empath" Juliette explained. "I don't really understand how it works, but she can feel the emotions of other people. That was why she was always so frightened. Apparently, she can feel whatever it is that your baby is feeling."

"An empath... what is this? The twilight zone? And by the way, she's wrong..."

"No she isn't" Louise said. "I've felt it too but it took me longer to figure out where it was coming from."

"I suppose that you're an empath too?" Barb asked.

"Yes among other things" Louise replied. "But we can talk about that later. Right now we need to talk about how we can act like what we are-sisters."

"Now you want to act like sisters?" Barb sneered. "Where were you when I landed? Oh yes... you had plans that were more important than I was. Why didn't you introduce me to a nice respectable man? Because you didn't want me to have more than you and what happened? I end up with that bastard Thorne Blackwell. Let's face it, you came out here, married into money and had no intention of sharing it.

And you Miss Purity... you come out here, meet a man and boom you're pregnant! I wonder what mom and dad would have to say about that! Is that how you got him? You can tell us now; you've got the ring on your finger."

"Now look..." Kevyn started to say, but Louise shook her head to silence her.

"And you," she spat out at Kevyn, "You say that no one stuck around to help Louise, but where in the hell were you? You were out here trolling for dollars! You say that you weren't, but I know better. By the way, you said that Clay killed someone? Just for the record, I don't believe it. So how did you get your rapist? Was he raping you and you decided that you liked it? Did you become a willing victim?"

Barb was out of control and she knew it. But she couldn't seem to stop herself. She continued to rant not censuring herself.

"And let's not forget Juliette who had every woman's dream for a man and couldn't hold on to him. You were looking for a rich man too and don't deny it. We talked about it. That's why you dumped your kids on Louise and went to the clubs. None of you have made an effort to try to help me! I'm in this position because of you!"

"Are you done?" Kevyn asked quietly. "If you aren't, then please continue. Tell us how it's our fault that you ended up with Thorne when we tried to get you to leave with us. Explain to me how it's our fault that you went to his club when Patrick tried to warn you away from it. Explain to me how it's our fault that you said that you wanted nothing to do with us. Tell me how any of the choices that you made is our fucking fault!"

"Kev..." Louise said.

"No!" Kevyn said. "I'm tired of this shit! For as long as I can remember it's been about you. You didn't give a damn about mom and dad or anyone else for that matter. The only thing that ever mattered was what you thought you needed. Now you've got it and guess what? You're still the sad, miserable person you always were. You're still blaming other people for your choices and I for one refuse to accept the blame. Oh... remember this, you showed up uninvited. You didn't give us a chance to get settled so that we could invite you. Not only that, you didn't call me, you called Lou thinking that she would be easy to get around. That was you thinking that what you wanted was more important than anything and anyone else. You came out here under the guise of wanting to spend time with us. You lied or tried to..."

"Why didn't you tell me about the rapes?" Barb shot back ignoring the issues that Kevyn brought up.

"How were we supposed to do that when you wouldn't talk to us?" Kevyn asked. "Louise showed up at your door and you threw her out! You changed your cell phone number and specifically told us to leave you alone. You've turned down any and all efforts that we made to reach out to you! So tell me how in the hell were we supposed to tell you anything?"

"Barb," Juliette said softly, "We love you; you've got to know that. Yes I admit to wishing for a rich man to take care of me and the kids and yes I admit to looking for one. You're also right about Angel. I was stupid and immature, but that doesn't make how you've been treating your family right. I've seen glimpses of the person that you could be, but every time she makes an appearance; you stop her. Why is that? No one is expecting you to do a complete turn-around. All we want is to do is to find a way that we can function as a family. Is that too much to ask?"

"You didn't answer my question" Barb said to Kevyn ignoring Juliette.

"No, Patrick didn't rape me" Kevyn replied.

"Would you tell me if he did?" Barb countered.

"Yes I would tell you" Kevyn replied, "but I think that I'm beginning to understand what's happening here. You really don't care. You acted enraged, but you never asked if I had been hurt. That was Leon, Juliette and Lou's first question. The only thing that this means to you is that you think that it makes you better than us. It's something for you to gloat over, but you know what? Go ahead and gloat. What they did is common knowledge. It's also common knowledge that they've owned up to it, faced it and aren't blaming others for their actions. If it makes you feel better to gloat then go for it. I don't care but you need to stop blaming your issues on other people. When your husband left, according you it was his fault. But wasn't it because you made a promise and then reneged on it?"

"What do you know about that?" Barb asked surprised.

"He told me" Kevyn replied. "He didn't want us to think badly of him, but as I said; go ahead and gloat. I just don't care anymore."

Barb blinked at the resignation in Kevyn's voice. She really didn't care.

"I'm going to tell you something else" Kevyn said. "You could have had a good mate... you had a good mate but all you could see was that he worked in a hotel. All you had to do was give him a chance and just maybe you could have come to love him. He went to the club that night fully prepared to fight for you and you turned him away. Now you're pissed at Juliette because she saw what a good man Hans is. That he's with her isn't her fault, it's yours. It's a consequence of your actions just like your husband leaving you was, as this pregnancy is and the fact that we're this close to walking away. My question to you is this, when are you going to start facing the fact that we aren't your enemy? When are you going to realize that you are your own enemy and the choices you made were your own?"

"She knew that he had money" Barb said looking at Juliette and ignoring Kevyn's questions.

"No I didn't" Juliette replied. "When I first saw Hans, I saw the same thing that you did; someone who worked at a hotel to pay the bills. But Barb even if he did have to work to pay the bills, I would still be with him. There are more important things than money. I understand why you think that it's so important. We had a hard life. All of us, mom and dad included wanted something more and god only knows how hard dad tried. I know that you think that he didn't try hard enough and I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. I know that you feel that you were abused, again; I'm not going to try to tell you that you weren't. Those are your beliefs. What I am going to tell you is this, love you or not; we can only take so much of your attitude. I'm tired of being figuratively slapped in the face every time we reach out to you.

You've got nieces and a nephew who don't like you. They love you, but they don't like you. You're carrying a baby that knows that you don't love him and he's afraid. I know that the circumstances of my pregnancies were different, but Barb; this baby is coming and you need to start thinking about that. You need to decide if you're going to be a mother to that baby or not. We want to help you if you'll let us. We want to help you decorate your nursery and have you help us decorate Louise's. We want to know our nephew. So can we please stop fighting and make our way toward being a family?"

Barb didn't answer, but looked at Louise.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say?" Louise asked. "It's all been said. I agree with Kevyn in that your only interest in the rapes is that it makes you feel that somehow you're better than we are. Maybe you are, but are you any better off? I think that if you stop and think about it, you already know what it is you're missing. Until you can admit that there's nothing else to say. I can only hope that you'll let us be involved with the baby and..."

"So damned perfect" Barb said interrupting Louise. "So damned perfect with your kisses on the temple and cheeks. Does that spend at the store? Does that make people notice who you are?"

"Fuck" Kevyn swore as she stood up. "I'm done here. Barb, when and if you're ready to talk and rejoin the family, let me know."

Barb's mouth dropped open when Kevyn started to walk out.

"You're walking out?" Barb asked.

"You were right" Kevyn replied. "There isn't anything to talk about. You're right and we're wrong. Being loved and loving doesn't count for anything and you can't spend it at the store. Being together as a family doesn't mean anything and your baby.... Barb, whenever you're ready call us. The ball's in your court."

Juliette stood up next.

"I'm with Kevyn" she said. "We could go around and around about this all day. No matter what we say or do, you're convinced that we're against you when we're not. I want to add this one last thing, if you and Thorne decide that you don't want your baby, Hans and I will take him. I can't stand the thought that he will be as miserable as you and Thorne are. If you and Thorne work things out, we'll give him back. Just think about it ok? For once think about someone other than yourself. You have my number and I'll be around if you want to talk."

For a moment, Barb couldn't speak. She stared at Juliette flabbergasted and didn't know how to respond. Finally, she spoke.

"I'll concede to one thing" she said. "I shouldn't have jumped you in front of the kids like that. They didn't need to hear that and I really didn't mean to scare them. As to the rest of it..."

"As I said, I'm done" Kevyn said as she slipped out of the door followed by Juliette.

Barb watched them leave feeling much the same way she did when her husband left her. She looked at Louise expecting to see her standing.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Barb asked

"Barb I don't know what else to say" Louise said sadly. "We're trying but you have to give a little. We're planning to meet with Katrina, Rachel and Maryann in a few days. If you're interested in having some guidance in getting along in this crazy world that we married into please come. I also think that you should give some thought to Juliette's offer."

"How do you do it?" Barb asked softly. "How are you adjusting so easily to this? How can you be a part of that family? How can you bring a child into this?"

"Do you want an honest answer?" Louise asked.

Barb hesitated. Did she really want to know? She decided that she did.

"Tell me."

"I'm not spending all of my energy trying to find ways to make myself and other people miserable. I'm trying to learn all I can about this world and what it means for my baby. I know that this is far more than you bargained for, but it's a reality that you have to learn to accept. Meeting with Katrina, Rachel and Maryann will help with that. Talking to us-your sisters will also help. Even though Kevyn is just as new to this as I am, she was still helpful."

"I'm not trying to make everyone miserable!" Barb said heatedly.

"Aren't you? That's what it looks like to me" Louise said. "And there's the other thing, the thing that you're too afraid to admit that you want and need. You keep thinking that you have to have one or the other when that isn't true. As far as being in this family, one; Nathan didn't rape anyone- you know that. I also believe that anyone and I mean anyone can change if they want to. I'm not saying that it's easy, I'm sure that Ethan and the others can tell you that it wasn't. It's a hard thing to admit to others what you are and to admit that you were wrong. The question is at what point do you stop blaming others and take responsibility for your actions. I could be wrong, but I think that's where change starts. I also agree with Juliette, no one is expecting a personality transformation. We just want to get along as families are supposed to.

You asked how I could bring a baby into this. Into what? A family that will love and protect her? Barb a baby is a chance to start over. This baby will know what her father's family was and is. She will also know how they struggled to change and how they helped others. But while we're on the subject of babies, you say that Celeste is wrong. But I notice that you refer to the baby as it and not he or she. Why is that? If you're accepting the fact that the baby is coming, and you imply that you care for him; why are you still calling him 'it'?"




Thorne Ch. 06



Instead of Louise leaving, Barb did.

Louise watched her leave and sighed. They had done what they could do. It was now up to Barb to decide what she wanted to do.

*****

By evening, William knew what he had to do. He left the house, went to San Diego and rented a car. Afterwards he went to a Wal-Mart and bought a pre-paid phone, loaded it with minutes and headed back to meet the enemy. He would go to the house first to see if Rufus was there. If not, he would make himself known to one of the hunters who would take him to where Rufus was staying. He had to make sure that it was a hunter who knew him or there would be a problem. He felt the beginning pangs of hunger and knew that he had to feed first. He would need to be totally focused when he went to meet Rufus. He was about to begin a very dangerous game.

He drove around until he found an area of the city that looked like the red light district. He usually had no preference as to who he fed from just so it wasn't a child. But tonight, he wanted a woman. It had been a long time and unlike some of Harry's women, she would live. The sex would be consensual but the memory of the bite would be erased. The woman would also be well compensated. 

It took him almost thirty minutes to make his selection. She had to be clean and of legal age. She also had to be experienced. He had no desire to take away the innocence of one who had never been touched. He supposed hearing the screams of the girl that they took from her family had something to do with that. As a precaution, he always compelled the woman to tell the truth about her age and experience.

He saw the woman standing against a wall with her left hip jutted out and a hand on her hip. What drew him to her was that she wasn't dressed as provocatively as the other women walking the street. He pulled up and watched her for a few seconds. She was a pretty woman with short dark hair. She was a little on the thin side; but she had a nice ass. His hands itched to touch it and the rest of her.

The woman finally looked at him and shyly smiled. William realized that she was new to working the street and wondered what happened to make her choose this profession. He watched as she approached the car a little unsteady on her high heels.

"Hi honey" she said as she leaned into the window.

"Hello" William replied in a low hypnotic voice. "How long have you been on the street?"

"A... a week" The woman replied frowning. No one had ever asked her that. In fact, they did what they wanted and more often than not; they didn't pay.

"Get in" William said releasing the compulsion. 

If she said no, then he would find someone else. The woman walked around the front of the car, stopped at the passenger door and hesitated before getting in. When she was seated in the car, William asked her to direct him to a hotel.

"I don't go to hotels" she said. "I get left paying the bill."

"Where do you go?" William asked.

"We do it in the car or my apartment..."

"You take strange men to your apartment?" William asked shocked. "That isn't safe... why do you do this? I can tell by looking at you that you're new."

"Why do you care?" the woman asked sharply.

William looked over at her and shrugged. 

"I am curious, but it isn't my business. Take me to a hotel and I'll pay the bill before we check in. You have my word that I won't slip away without paying you."

Ten minutes later, they were checked into a dingy hotel room. The woman began to undress before William could say anything. 

"What do you want?" She asked and then rattled off the charges for a blow job, intercourse and anal sex. "I'm not into pain so no hitting or anything like that."

"Neither am I," William assured her, but my time is short."

He crossed the small room, took the woman into his arms and sighed. He felt his cock swell and strain against the front of his pants as she pressed against him.

"What is your name?" he asked as he inhaled the scent of her hair. "And don't lie. I want to know your real name."

"Leslie."

"Leslie, I am called William. Even though money will exchange hands, I want this to be enjoyable for you. Relax and let me do the work."

He silenced Leslie with a kiss when she tried to object. He felt her tense in his arms, relax and then return the kiss as if she really enjoyed it. As much as he wanted to take his time with her, he had to move things along. He picked her up, carried her to the bed and laid her on it so that her legs hung over the side. He quickly undressed and dropped to his knees. Without hesitation he spread her thin legs as wide as they could go and began to lap at her with a pointed tongue.

Leslie gasped and then moaned as William licked and sucked her clit with varying degrees of pressure until her orgasm began. Her hips bucked when she felt two fingers enter here and a thumb massaging her clit.

"Oh god!" she screamed when she felt his lips graze her groin.

"Thank you for helping me tonight" William murmured just before he bit.

Leslie froze in shock and then screamed as the most intense orgasm of her life washed over her. William watched her carefully and made sure not to take too much. He licked the wound closed, moved between her legs and slowly slid into her. Leslie wrapped her legs around his back and crossed her legs trying to pull him further into her.

William came with a bellow as he emptied into her and as she came for a second time. Afterwards, he kissed her forehead and gave her a command.

"You will not remember seeing me" he said looking into her eyes. "You will leave this room, go home and not come out until morning. After tonight, you will no longer do this line of work. Use the money that I will leave you to pay your expenses while you find more suitable work."

As an afterthought, William decided to take Leslie home. For a reason that he didn't understand, he felt responsible for her. He knew that she wasn't his mate, but he still felt a sense of responsibility. When they got to her apartment, he reinforced his commands. He didn't pull away until she was safely indoors. It was time to go find Olivia.

*****

Rufus walked around the house where Olivia and the others had been staying looking for any clues as to their whereabouts. All of their belongings were still there telling him that they had planned to come back to the house.

"Anticipate!" he growled under his breath. "I told her to always anticipate!"

"The only thing that I found was the name of the club written on a piece of paper." Caleb said.

"Do we know who owns the club?" Rufus asked.

"No, but I can find out" Caleb replied.

A few minutes later, Caleb was back with news that he knew would set Rufus off again.

"Well?" Rufus demanded.

"The club belongs to Thorne Blackwell" Caleb said. "I made a few phone calls and made contact with one of our informants."

"Thorne Blackwell?" Rufus asked. "He's in the area? Why didn't we know this before? Why in the hell do I pay people to keep track of these bastards if I don't have the information?"

"Rufus, you know as well as I do that they are adept at not being seen or noticed. But at any rate, it was Blackwell that took Olivia."

"Shit!" Rufus exclaimed. "Then she's turned and we have to kill her."

"You don't know that" Caleb said. "She could be dead."

"The Blackwell's aren't murderers and I'll tell you something else... call that idiot Masterson and see what other vampire families are out here."

"Are you thinking about someone in particular?" Caleb asked taking out his phone.

Rufus didn't answer, but walked away.

"I'm going to change clothes; I want an answer by the time I get back."

Rufus was back ten minutes later dressed in his hunting clothes. The black leather jumpsuit fit his tall lanky form like a glove. The matching leather gloves were tucked neatly into his belt and his weapons waited by the door.

"What did you find out?"

"The other major family in the area is the Sinclaires..."

"I knew it!! I fucking knew it! Where there's a Blackwell, a Sinclaire isn't far away."

"I don't understand" Caleb said.

"All you need to know is that the Blackwell/Sinclaire connection goes back centuries. It was a Blackwell who killed my ancestor. I don't have time to go into it, but suffice it to say that we're up against two of the most powerful vampire families around. I would say that the only family even more powerful is that of their bitch queen. I would really love to get my hands on her, but it's a suicide mission- at least for now. As of yet we haven't been able to get even remotely close to her."

"So if the Blackwell's and Sinclaires are together..."

"We're in for one hell of a fight" Rufus said. "I still have a question, why didn't we know that Ethan Sinclaire and Thorne Blackwell were here? Call Masterson back, I want to know why he didn't tell us."

Caleb called Masterson back and got his voice mail.

"He's not answering" Caleb said. "I just hung up from talking to him."

"Son of a bitch!" Rufus cursed as he realized what happened.

He thought that he had gotten rid of the traitors in his midst. Apparently, he was wrong. If there was one, then there were more. He couldn't worry about that now, it was time to find Olivia and hopefully eliminate one if not both of the families.

"Let's go" He said walking over to his weapons.

"I was hoping to find you here" A voice that Rufus recognized said from across the room.

****

Barb left the library and went to her room. She had no desire to see or talk to anyone else. After a few minutes, she decided that she needed to at least apologize to the children, Celeste in particular. She shook off her nervousness as she left her room and went to the room where the girls had chosen for their own.

She stood in front of the door for several minutes before she softly knocked. She almost walked away when the door opened and Victoria stood there staring up at her.

"Who is it?" Wanda asked as she came to the door. She stopped when she saw it was Barb. "Hi Aunt Barb."

"Hi... Wannie... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for scaring you guys. Is Celeste alright?"

"She's sleeping" Wanda replied coolly.

"Will you tell her that I was here?" Barb asked.

Wanda looked at Barb undecided and then agreed.

"But Aunt Barb, she's just a baby and you really do scare her" Wanda said.

"Yes... I know" Barb said. "Wannie; if I asked you a question, would you tell me the truth?"

"Yes."

"Your mom says that you love me but that you don't like me; is that true?"

Wanda hesitated. As much as she disliked her aunt, she didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"It's ok, you can tell me" Barb said.

"I... yes, it's true" Wanda said softly and looked away.

Of everything that Barb had been told over the past several weeks, it was that simple admission that hit her hard.

"Can you tell me why you don't like me?" Barb asked.

"You aren't nice to people" Wanda replied. "You aren't nice to mom, Aunt Kevyn, Aunt Louise and Uncle Leon. And Celeste is right, you're always so mad at everything."

Barb swallowed hard and nodded.

"Thank you for being honest."

"Can I ask a question?" Wanda asked.

"Ummm sure" Barb replied.

"Why don't you like us? Did we do something wrong?"

Barb didn't know what to say. So she gave the only response she could think of.

"It's not that I don't like you... you'll understand when you're older."

She took off before Wanda could ask any more questions. This time when she went to her room, she stayed there for the rest of the night.

****

Ethan and Thorne were in Thorne's office when there was a tap on the door.

"Enter!" Thorne called out.

Leon stepped inside of the office and greeted them with a curt nod of his head.

"I want to go when you start looking for the bastards that came with that hunter." 

Thorne and Ethan looked at each other and then back at Leon.

"Leon..." Ethan said.

"I already know what you're going to say" Leon interrupted. "I know I'm new to this whole vampire thing and I know that I have a lot to learn, but let me tell you why I want and need to go."

They listened in silence as he explained Nadine's connection to the vampires.

"So you tell me," he said when he was done, "are you telling me that you wouldn't want a piece of them? The only one that I really want is the one named Harry. He's the one who hurt, turned her and then was going to leave her for dead. Say no and I'll go anyway. Nathan and Hans both said that they'd go with me."

"Alright" Ethan said. "We'll put you, Hans and Nathan on a team together. I know that Nathan and Hans have been training with you so I'm confident in your ability to protect yourself and them if need be. Just make sure that Nadine is going to be alright with this."

"We've talked" Leon replied. "She understands that I need to do this. If I don't, she'll never be safe."

"We understand" Thorne said. "Could you do us a favor and spread the word that there's a meeting in two hours?"

"Did you know anything about that?" Thorne asked after Leon was gone.

"No" Ethan replied. "But I have something else to talk to you about before the meeting."

***************

Thank you all for your patience! I also want to thank Mostera1, Nyshia 1975 and Donalde for beta reading for me.



Thorne Ch. 07



"You want to do what?" Thorne asked not sure if he had heard Ethan right.

"Think about it," Ethan said. "You said it yourself. Olivia Saunders may not like us, but she doesn't want to kill anyone either. What if we were to make that work to our advantage? We could with her help make an agreement with the hunters. We have a common enemy-the rogues. Between us and the hunters we could get the problem under control."

"Do you realize what you're saying?" Thorne asked. "Not only are you talking about trusting our enemies, you're talking about assassinating the head of the hunter organization in order to put Olivia into place."

"I understand that," Ethan replied. "But I've been thinking about trying to make peace with them for a while. I never acted on it because Rufus would never go for it. He's crazy enough to sacrifice his entire organization in order to try to kill us off."

"I see another issue," Thorne said after a few minutes. "Not everyone on either side is going to go for this. The hunters will split ranks as will we. Both sides have lost friends and loved ones over the centuries and memories on both sides are long. The other issue is Olivia. What if she doesn't want to do this? She may be afraid of her father and she may even hate him, but does she hate him enough to help us kill him?"

"You haven't said no," Ethan remarked.

"I never said that it wasn't a valid idea," Thorne replied. "I just don't know if it's possible. We've been after each other for centuries and to suggest that we work together?"

"That sounds kind of familiar doesn't it?" Ethan asked. "We're proof that it can be done."

"We're a completely different situation," Thorne replied. "Our families started out as friends and allies."

"True, but Thorne; we aren't without our allies in the hunter ranks. I expect that there will be some dissension. I also expect that those vampires and other species who don't agree will go off and form their own group just as the hunters will. But let me ask you this, isn't it worth a shot? We could potentially save hundreds if not thousands of lives."

"There's still the issue of Olivia," Thorne said. "If she refuses, then what? And by the way, what in the hell are we going to do with her?"

"I suggest that we see what we can find out about her," Ethan said. "Who do you have watching her?"

"One of my female guards," Thorne replied. "No harm will come to her as long as she doesn't do anything stupid. I would like to suggest that we don't say anything about this until we've discussed it some more and talked to Olivia."

"I agree... Thorne, I know that this isn't the time to bring this up; but I want you to know that my family didn't betray yours."

"You're right," Thorne said. "This isn't the time to talk about that. How many teams are we going to have?"

****

"William," Rufus said calmly as he looked to see how far he was away from his weapons. "Where is the rest of your family?"

"Scattered," William lied. "I see that you've forgotten your cardinal rule," he said with a small smile. "Anticipate, but don't worry. I haven't returned to do you harm."

"Why are you here?" Rufus asked.

"Let's just say that I believe in fulfilling my obligations," William replied.

"Let me make sure that I understand this," Caleb said, "You really expect us to believe that you came here out of a sense of obligation?"

William looked at Caleb with disdain for several seconds before replying.

"I don't really care what you believe and I don't answer to you."

"No, but you will," Caleb replied.

William gave Caleb an icy smile and showed a hint of his fangs. He had already decided that Caleb was going home in a body bag. He turned his attention back to Rufus who had inched toward his weapons. William sighed, but didn't move. If he had wanted to stop Rufus, there was nothing that he or Caleb could have done to stop him. He knew how the game was played. He dropped his attitude a notch when Rufus reached his weapons. He wanted Rufus to think that he was afraid of him. It would lull the hunter into a false sense of security.

Rufus reached his bag and pulled out the gun that was loaded with wooden bullets soaked in holy water. William almost laughed, but instead held his hands up in surrender. After all of this time, Rufus didn't know that the holy water had no effect on vampires unless they were rogue. The wooden bullets would hurt, but wouldn't kill unless it was shot directly into the heart. 

William sensed Caleb behind him, but didn't move. He would be gone before either man could move.

"We're wasting time," he said. "The longer we stand here, the longer they have to either turn or kill her if they haven't already." Personally, he had no problem with them turning Olivia; killing her was an entirely different matter. The next question was, had they already killed her?

"She isn't dead," Rufus said aiming the gun at him. "More than likely they've turned her and already fucked her hoping to knock her up."

William was always amazed at the ignorance Rufus showed about his kind. He never corrected Rufus's misinformation because it would have been pointless- Rufus hated to be proven wrong and- it suited his needs. As he listened too Rufus talk, William decided that he would share a body bag with Caleb. He fully understood why Rufus wanted to find Olivia. If she hadn't been turned, he was going to make her marry Caleb. If she had been turned, he would have her killed. William doubted that the man could do it himself. He had noticed the almost imperceptible trembling in Rufus's hands as he pointed the gun at him.

Caleb on the other hand was much smarter than Rufus. That alone made him more dangerous. He would take the time to learn about the vampire race and separate fact from fiction. William was sure that he had already begun to do that, but didn't say anything to Rufus. To do so would jeopardize his stepping into the role of the leader of the hunters. William already knew how cruel Caleb could be and that he followed Rufus's politics regarding vampires and other species to the letter. William pushed the thoughts of the men's demise aside and concentrated on the task at hand.

"I'll ask you once again," Rufus said. "Where is your family?"

"As I told you," William said patiently, "We scattered. I don't know where they went and to be honest, I don't care. I have no use for those who don't keep their end of an agreement."

"What were you doing at Blackwell's club?" Caleb asked from behind him.

"We didn't know that whose club it was," William replied. "My father did the research to see if it would be an acceptable place to go. He neglected to check to see who owned it. Olivia didn't realize it until she actually saw the owner. To be fair, even if my father had checked to see who owned the club, the name would have meant nothing to him."

"You're lying," Caleb hissed.

"I repeat," William said, "I don't give a fuck about what you believe or don't believe. The fact of the matter is that I'm here. Just as I don't care what you think, neither do I care where my family is."

"Shut up Caleb," Rufus said lowering the gun. "The one thing William isn't is a liar. If I had to trust any of them, he would be the one. And he's right, he came back."

"I don't trust him," Caleb said. "There's more to it than he's saying."

"Please tell me what that would be," William said as he slowly turned around to face Caleb. "Is it because I am vampire that you think that I have no sense of honor or integrity or is it because this is the way that you are?"

He fixed Caleb with a hard glare letting him know that he wasn't intimidated by him and waited for an answer. When none came, he turned back to Rufus.

"What happened at the club?" Rufus asked. 

William told Rufus how they had gone to the club for an evening out, but left out the fact that Olivia had gone out alone earlier in the day.

"So let me get this straight," Rufus said. "You all went out to this club that happened to be owned by Thorne Blackwell. While you were there a human woman was murdered."

"Yes."

"You couldn't leave the club because the human police had been called."

"Yes."

"Do you know what happened to the woman?" Caleb asked.

"They say that she was killed by a vampire," William replied with a shrug, "but I don't know that to be true."

"And you left Olivia there?" Caleb asked coldly.

"I had no choice!" William snapped. "What purpose would it have served for me to be captured as well? They would have tortured me for any information that I had and I'll tell you something, I would have given you up in a fucking heartbeat if it would have saved my life- my obligations don't include dying for you. But as you can see, I escaped and came back. Are we going to continue wasting time or are we going to look for Olivia?"

"Do you have any idea of where Blackwell took her?" Rufus asked.

"No," William replied. "I spent part of the night looking for her before I realized that I couldn't find her alone."

"What is she to you?" Caleb asked. "You could be long gone by now."

"As I said, I made a bargain with Mr. Saunders. If it weren't for that, Olivia could burn in hell for all I care. Now, if he wants to release me from that bargain..."

"I would kill your blood drinking ass first!" Rufus said interrupting him.

"Of course you would," William said smoothly. "Shall we begin our search?"

****

Barb lay on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She ran the entire conversation with her sisters through her head and still couldn't believe that Kevyn and Juliette had walked out on her. She had a harder time believing that her nieces didn't like her. The saying 'skating on thin ice' came to mind. That had been one of her mother's favorite sayings when they were getting out of hand.

The question that she asked herself was, was she as bad as people made her out to be? The second question was why did Wanda's answer to her question disturb her so much? She wondered if Victor felt the same way. She wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer. Then there was Celeste touching her. Was it possible that she really knew what the baby was thinking? 

She turned onto her side and closed her eyes. She could almost feel Celeste's light touch on her stomach. For the first time she began to wonder if some of what Kevyn and the others said was right. She thought back to the night that Thorne and Allen had used her. When she called for help, they came and the first question they asked was if she was alright.

"It doesn't feel good does it?" Adrianna asked from the doorway. "My family didn't speak to me for months after my rescue. Your family is bending over backwards for you and you act like an idiot. All you have to do is give a little. Is that so hard?"

"They aren't going anywhere," Barb said.

"I'm not so sure about that" Adrianna said. "I see it in their eyes. They're tired of you and your attitude. Hell, I even see it in the kids. No one likes you and you don't do anything to change it. If you aren't careful, you're going to end up alone."

Adrianna walked away leaving Barb alone. A few minutes later, Leon was standing in the doorway.

"Not now, I've already heard that I'm a bitch," Barb said without looking at him.

"Actually, I came to check on you. Louise told me about your- meeting. Can I come in?"

"Sure," Barb said after a brief hesitation. "You might as well have your turn."

Leon walked in and sat on the bed. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

"Leon, I didn't and don't want this." Barb said after a few minutes. "I never wanted the babies and the house with the white picket fence. I didn't and don't want the responsibility. All I ever wanted was to be able not to worry about anything. I hate this place and I wish to god that I had never come here."

"Well, you are here and this is the situation. What you do with it is up to you."

"Can Celeste really do what Louise says she can?"

"Yes and so can Louise and me. I'm not nearly as strong as they are, but it's true. Nathan is like us too. He's stronger than I am because of Louise."

"Juliette said that she would take the baby," Barb said looking away.

"I heard, but Barb; I have a question for you and it's going to piss you off. Do you really believe that you were abused? I mean did something happen that we don't know about?"

"What? Are you asking if... NO!"

"Alright," Leon said holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm just trying to understand why you think that you were abused-"

"We all were," Barb broke in. "You just don't see or remember it right."

"Let me tell you what I remember," Leon said softly. "I remember nights were mom didn't eat so that we would have more on our plates. I remember mom and dad not buying anything for themselves so that we would have what we needed. Were they top of the line things? No, but we were covered. I also remember dad working two or three jobs at a time to keep a roof over our heads and he still made time to sit with us. I also remember a peach prom dress. Did you know that dad made arrangements on the electric bill to get that dress for you? Oh wait- that's abuse isn't it? I also remember them as the people who took me back into their home after I fucked up. What I'm saying is that none of us with the exception of you thinks that we were abused. I don't get it so explain it to me. Explain how sacrificing for us and loving us equals abuse. Tell me what they could have done differently."

"Mom could have gotten a job doing something!"

"Barb, do you not remember that there were babies at home? Who would have taken care of them? What could she have done? She had a tenth grade education-"

"And whose fault was that?" Barb broke in? "She didn't have to have the last of us! She could have gotten a job instead!"

Leon stared at her flabbergasted.

"Do you hate Louise that much? Do you hate your family that much?" he asked in a hushed voice. "Louise seems to believe that somewhere under that bitchy exterior a good person exists. I used to think that too, but now I'm not so sure. You talk about being abused; but you know what? We're the ones being abused. Mom and dad were the ones being abused by your mouth and attitude. I had really hoped that you would at least begin to see the light, but I can see that it hasn't happened yet. What I want to know is where this hatred and selfishness came from and what it will take to change things. I know that Juliette offered to take the baby. Dina and I will take him too. Any of us will take him until you get your shit together and realize that the world doesn't revolve around you and your need for money. By the way, now that you've got it; is it what you thought it would be?"

"So I guess you're going to walk out on me too?" Barb asked ignoring all of the points that Leon made.

"You know, I'm thinking about it; but I think I'll stay and I'll tell you why. No matter what you are or how you act, you're still my sister. You're thinking is fucked up and you're wrong about mom and dad. I also think that you can be a better person if you would let yourself. I want that baby to feel something other than your anger."

"Kevyn and Juliette walked out," Barb said.

"That was out of exasperation," Leon said. "They didn't know what else to, do but they're around. That baby is going to feel loved even if it isn't from you."

"Why are you just talking to me?" Barb asked. "Thorne is being a bastard as much as I'm being the so called bitch."

"True, but I have the feeling that he at least cares about the baby," Leon replied. "And just like I will hurt anyone who hurts any of you, I'll hurt anyone that hurts that baby --and that includes you. Do you get my meaning?"

Barb blinked not believing that her own brother would threaten her.

"I'm going to talk to Thorne next," Leon said when she didn't respond. "I don't give a rat's ass about not getting involved in another couple's mating issues. If it were just the two of you, I'd stay out of it; but my nephew is involved. I suggest that the both of you grow the hell up and come to some kind of understanding if only for the sake of that kid."

"He said that it was my fault that we were together-"

"No he didn't," Leon said cutting her off. "That's what you want to think he said. He's owned up to his part in this- you haven't. I need to go take care of something but I think that you need to rethink some things."

Leon stood up and left before Barb could say anything. After he left, Barb lay back on the bed and looked down at her stomach. She was shocked to see a gentle swell that hadn't been there the week before. Soon she wouldn't be able to deny the existence of her pregnancy. She closed her eyes and felt hot tears trickle down the side of her face.

**

Adrianna stood in the sitting room outside of the door listening. She wondered what it was that Barb was really afraid of. It was obvious that she really didn't want the life that she now found herself in, but there had to be more to it than that.

She vanished outside of the bedroom when she sensed Thorne approaching and stopped him before he went into the bedroom.

"I know that you want everyone at the meeting, but she's had a rough few hours. I'll go in her place and fill her in later."

"Is she alright?" Thorne asked.

"I think so and I believe that the baby is alright too," Adrianna replied.

"Fine," Thorne said after a few seconds and walked away. They really needed to talk and soon.

There was some time left before the meeting so he went back to his office to make a few phone calls. The club was still closed and would stay that way until the hunters had been dealt with. He sat in his chair and for the first time wondered if there was something about the split between the Blackwell's and the Sinclaires that he didn't know about. What he believed and what he was seeing wasn't adding up.

The Sinclaires didn't have to warn him, but yet they did. He had the feeling that even if Barb hadn't been in the picture, they still would have reached out to him. When Ethan told him that his family hadn't betrayed his; he wasn't lying. He was telling the truth as he knew it. When Ethan said that he wanted their families to be friends again, that had been an honest sentiment. Then there was Noel who hadn't suffered any headaches in the presence of the Sinclaires. That had to mean something; but what?

Just as he was about to pick up the phone, there was a tap on his door.

"Enter," he called out.

Leon walked in and sat down.

"We're still forming the teams if that's what you're here about" Thorne said.

"That's not what I'm here about," Leon said. "I'm here about what's going on between you and my sister. Before you say it, I'm aware about the taboo about not interfering with mates and if it was just you and her, I wouldn't be sitting here. There's a baby involved and you two need to grow up and get your damned act together."

Thorne assessed Leon with cool green eyes and had to admit that he liked him and the way that he stood up for his family.

"Now isn't-"

"Yes it is," Leon interrupted. "We still have to think about our mates and children no matter what else is going on. It doesn't matter how you two came to be together, but what matters is that you did. I know that my sister is difficult, but that doesn't change the fact that you're mates whether you want to be or not. In case you're interested, I just had the same talk with her. I'll also make the same offer to you as I did her. If you and she can't get your shit together, Nadine and I will take the baby. I refuse to sit by and have that child grow up in a home where he won't be loved. One final warning, like I told you when I found out that Barb was your mate; I will hurt you if anything happens to that baby. The same applies to her."

"Are you quite finished?" Thorne asked his tone even.




Thorne Ch. 07



"Did you get my meaning?" Leon asked his eyes not leaving Thorne's.

"I got it," Thorne replied leaning forward. "As you said, whatever happens between your sister and me is none of your concern unless there is abuse of some kind taking place and there isn't. While I appreciate the concern that you have for my child, no one will be raising him except Barb and me or if she chooses to leave, then I will raise him or her myself. If that were to happen, I wouldn't deny any of you access to the baby. As Ethan reminded me, we are now tied for all eternity because of the child."

"What's your deal?" Leon asked. "I know that Barb's fucked up, but what about you? What happened to you that made you such a bastard? I think I know what Barb's problem is, but you... you grew up with everything she thinks that she's ever wanted, but you aren't any happier than she is."

Thorne waited several minutes before replying.

"Money isn't everything," he said. "You may have grown up poor, but did you ever question the love of your parents? Did you have to compete with parties and other people for the love and attention of your mother? Did your mother marry your father because she loved him or because of what she thought he could give her? Did she leave you in the care of others while she took lavish trips and then brought back trinkets to make up for a missed school program or birthday?"

You've got to be fucking kidding me," Leon said. "Don't tell me that you're going to say that you were abused."

"No, not abused- unloved," Thorne said. "Your sister is like my mother. I knew what she was when she showed up at my club that night. All she cares about is finding a rich man to take care of her. That was the original reason that I chose her. Throwing the Sinclaire name in my face only sweetened the pot."

"Wait... this started because you hate your mother? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Leon asked angrily. "Why the not just swear off women or find a woman who really is a whore?"

"You have no idea of how much I regret the choices I made that night," Thorne said. "I should have let her go with your family when they came for her. I allowed my hatred of women like her and my hatred of the Sinclaires to cloud my judgment. But I can't change that now can I? All I can do is try to make the situation more tolerable. I plan to sit down with Barb after the meeting and talk with her. I have options that she can either take or leave. The bottom line is this, I don't love her and while she may have my protection; I will never love her as you love Nadine or any of the others love their mates. However, I am willing to work at an agreement that will be beneficial for both of us and our child."

"I don't believe this," Leon muttered shaking his head. "No matter what you do, you're together. What would your options change?"

"I won't go into that with you," Thorne said. "If Barb chooses to tell you, then that's up to her- but, as you know, she has a tendency to make everything the fault of others. I urge you to think about what she tells you. You are empathic- you'll know the truth when you hear it just as you know that I haven't lied to you now."

"That's true," Leon said after a few minutes, "But that doesn't change anything that I've told you. I will say that I appreciate the fact that you didn't try to lie or make excuses about what you did."

"Leon, I may be a lot of things, but I believe in taking responsibility for my actions no matter what they are. I also believe in calling things as I see them. You are an honorable man and your family is lucky to have you. Not many would face a vampire centuries older than he is and make threats-"

"They weren't threats," Leon said.

"Promises then," Thorne amended. "I wish that we had met under different circumstances. I will give you my word on something, no matter what Barb and I decide to do, she will never want for anything and our child will be cared for and loved even without her."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Leon said as he stood to leave.

"I expect you to," Thorne replied. "But let me clarify something, your sister will be cared for as long as she does nothing to harm our child."

"She wouldn't-"

Leon stopped himself because suddenly, he wasn't so sure about his sister.

***

Barb got up to get ready for the meeting although she really didn't feel like going. If she didn't, she would never hear the end of it and all she would do was lie in bed thinking about everything that she had been told.

"You don't have to go to the meeting," Adrianna said from the doorway. "I cleared it with Thorne."

"How'd you manage that?" Barb asked instead of saying thank you.

"I told him that you had a rough few hours," Adrianna replied. "I'm going to sit in and tell you what happened later."

"Oh... okay," Barb said sitting back down on the bed.

"You know, when someone does something for you, it's customary to thank them." 

"What? Oh thanks," Barb said distractedly.

Adrianna looked at her, shook her head and walked away. She didn't wish Barb on anyone.

Barb lay back on the bed, picked up her laptop and began 'shopping'. Like it or not, she needed maternity clothes. She scowled when she remembered how happy Juliette had been when she found out that she was pregnant. Juliette had glowed with happiness with that and each successive pregnancy. Louise had that same glow about her. Nathan waited on her hand and foot to the point where Louise was annoyed, but tried not to show it. Barb knew that when and if Kevyn and Nadine got pregnant, they would have that same glow and would be treated just as well.

The difference was she realized; was that they loved the men that they were with. She on the other hand was physically attracted to Thorne and wanted his money; but didn't love him any more than he loved her. She didn't think that it would have been any different with Hans although his having money would have helped. If she knew then what she knew now; she would have chosen Hans over Thorne. 

"He would have been easier to deal with," she murmured under her breath.

After thinking about it, she knew that it wouldn't have been the case. He had quickly tired of her attitude and treatment of his staff and had called her on it. He would have been as difficult to live with as Thorne was. The question that she didn't ask herself was why it was so hard with Thorne and why it would have been so hard with Hans.

At the last minute, Barb decided to go to the meeting. In her mind, if she stayed away, it would convey a message that she didn't want sent. One that she was wrong and two, she was ashamed of her behavior. If there was one reason that she wouldn't go, it was Celeste. The little girl scared her. She didn't like knowing that someone as young as Celeste could read her.

She changed her clothes, fixed her hair and makeup and went down the stairs prepared to be gushed over. When she got to the living room, people looked at her and spoke to her, but no one rushed over to her with open arms. She looked around the room for Celeste and was relieved when she didn't see her. 

Barb turned around and saw Thorne watching her. He acknowledged her with a nod of his head, but didn't smile at her.

"I'm glad that you came," Nadine said from behind her.

"Yes well, it's required isn't it?" Barb retorted.

"I suppose it is," Nadine conceded, "but still, I'm glad that you came."

"Was Leon serious when he said that you and he would take the baby if I didn't want it?"

"I believe he said that if you and Thorne didn't want him, but yes he was serious. Why are you asking?"

"Let's just say that I'm exploring my options," Barb replied and walked away.

The meeting was short and to the point. Ethan and Thorne mapped out the plans and once again emphasized safety.

"Rufus Saunders is here," Ethan said. "He arrived a few hours ago. So far a few of our people have died because they didn't heed the warnings to stay off the streets. I know that we've been over this, but please keep your cellphones on and no one except for those of us who can vanish leaves this house."

Barb barely heard what was said. She was looking around the room wondering where the kids were. Victor was the only one that she hadn't talked to about regarding his feelings toward her but she suspected that he felt the same as the others. She could have cared less about Victoria; she couldn't stand the little girl who was Wanda's and now Celeste's best friend. Thinking about Celeste gave her the willies, but she did owe her an apology for scaring her.

After the meeting, she went up to Louise.

"Where are the kids?" she asked not looking at her.

"Noel set up some paints and canvases in the basement. They're down there-Barb-"

"Thanks," Barb said and walked away.

Thorne stopped her as she headed to the basement.

"We need to talk. Meet me in my office in ten minutes and it isn't a request."

Barb looked up at him and continued on her way telling herself that he could damn well wait. She found Celeste at a table sitting with Wanda and Victoria engrossed in her painting. Victoria noticed Barb first. It was only because she was taught to respect her elders that she held her tongue. She nudged Wanda who was as engrossed in her painting as Celeste was.

"Hey guys," Barb said ignoring Victoria.

"Hi," Wanda said as she put her brush down and out an arm protectively around Celeste.

"Celeste, I'm sorry that I scared you and I'll try not to do it again."

"Do you like your baby now?" Celeste asked.

Barb started to lie, but knew that Celeste would know.

"That's not a topic for little girls," she said with a forced smile. "I've got to go, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."

The girls watched Barb leave and without comment went back to their painting.

***

Thorne waited for Barb in his office knowing that she was going to be late. He looked at the stack of papers in front of him wondering which option she would choose. It was a talk that was long overdue, but circumstances had delayed it.

"Let's get this over with," Barb said as she walked in without knocking and sat down.

Thorne looked at Barb admiring her outer beauty and his cock hardened. He pushed the thought aside. He had already decided that he wouldn't touch her until their business was concluded and maybe not even then.

"As you know," Thorne said, "We're in a very uncomfortable position. Part of the reason for that discomfort is my fault and I accept that. I let emotion color my thinking. I wish to god that I had let you go with your family that night, but I didn't. As a result, we find ourselves mated and having a child together."

"Is this an apology for using me like a whore?" Barb asked.

"This is me acknowledging that I made a mistake," Thorne replied. "I am just as responsible for what happened as you are. You came with me willingly- you willingly spread your legs for me and if it hadn't been me, it would have been someone else. Do you deny that?"

Barb's face burned. He had just told the truth.

"Even so, I could have backed out, but I thought that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. You were another gold digging bitch and one that was related to the Sinclaires if only by marriage. At any rate, it seems that we both have our own set of issues-"

"What issues could you possibly have?" Barb asked. "You can have anything that money can buy. You had the best of everything!"

"You had something that me, Noel and my brothers wanted and didn't have. I had something that you wanted and didn't have," Thorne said as he stood up. "You had parents who loved and sacrificed for you. They didn't have money, but they would have died for you. My mother pawned us off on caretakers. It was caretakers that attended any sports events or any extracurricular activities that we participated in. My mother was more interested in her parties and social standing than she was in her husband and children. When I look at you, it's her that I see. When I hear you talking about hiring nannies and sitters, it's her voice that I hear. When I see you shopping online and none of it is for the baby-all I can think of is her. When I see how your family loves and tries to reach out to you and you insult them- look, I'm a bastard and I accept that. I also accept that while I will never love you, you and that baby are my responsibility."

"You hate your mother?" Barb asked mildly surprised. She may have been angry at her parents, but she did love them as much as she was capable of loving anyone.

"Hate is too strong of a word, let's just say that I didn't and don't like her," Thorne said.

Something about Thorne's words struck Barb. It was exactly how her nieces and nephew felt about her. She added her family as an afterthought. Suddenly, it wasn't a comfortable feeling.

"Be that as it may, I've drawn up several options for you to think about. One is that once you have the baby, you're free to leave, but the baby stays with me. You will be cared for in the lifestyle that you seem to crave so much. The second option is that after you have the baby you leave; I'll work on releasing you from our-union. You will give up all parental rights to the baby. Again, you will be taken care of financially. The third option is that you stay with me as my for lack of a better term-mate. You will be expected to function as my mate in every way and that includes being a mother to our child. I will concede on a couple of points. You will be allowed to hire someone to help you care for the baby so that you can have time to yourself. When I say that, I'm not talking about overnight getaways nor am I talking about daily shopping trips."

Barb listened in shock. Thorne sounded as if he was making a business deal. In a way she supposed that he was.

"Regarding the third option, let me make something clear," Thorne said. "I don't love you and it isn't going to happen. We are not going to be the loving couple that your family is with their mates or the Sinclaires' are with theirs. There will never be a kiss on the temple; but you will receive the kiss on the cheek so that everyone knows that you are under my protection."

"What if I want to give it to Leon or one of the others to raise?" Barb asked thinking that she already knew the answer.

Thorne smiled at her with a smile that didn't reach his green eyes.

"You could do that, but then your ass would be out of the door as soon as the baby is born. Your little condo is still available- I've been paying the rent. You would also lose any financial support that you would have otherwise had. But here's the thing, you would lose either way. Knowing your family as I do, I seriously doubt that they would deny a child the right to know his father. So go ahead and give the baby away... it only gets you permanently out of my life and I get to keep my money."

"You wouldn't get another mate," Barb countered.

"So what? I never wanted one to begin with," Thorne replied. "I see that you still haven't learned that you cannot threaten me and win. While we're at it, if anything happens to that child; any agreement that we make is null and void."

"You fucking bastard!" Barb hissed.

"Yes I know and as I said, I accept it; but when will you accept what you are? When will you accept your part in this? Make your choice carefully because once you sign on the dotted line, there's no going back. Are there any questions? I wouldn't want you to go to your family and tell them that I lied to you."

"You talked to Leon?" Barb asked.

"Yes and he made a very valid point," Thorne replied. "We both need to grow up and do what's right for this baby whether we do it separately or together. I'm willing to work with you, but the choice of what happens is up to you. Here are the papers, take your time and read them carefully. Hire an attorney at my expense to look them over if you want. In fact, I recommend it."

"I suppose that it's someone you'll recommend?" Barb asked snidely.

"I don't care who you hire and I don't need to know who it is, but I assure you there are no loopholes in those papers. I think that you'll agree that I never lied to you about anything."

"No, but you didn't tell me everything either!" Barb snapped.

"Would you have believed me if I told you that I was only fucking you for two reasons or would you have only seen the dollar signs? You were so caught up with who I was and what I had that you didn't even listen to your own damned instincts! You chose me, a man that you didn't know over your family who loves you! You sucked the cock of another man because you thought that it would put you in my favor! You didn't want to know the truth then and you don't want to hear it now! If you had wanted to leave that night I wouldn't have stopped you. The bottom line is that you were going to go with me no matter the cost. When it didn't work out the way that you wanted, you placed all the blame at my feet. So I leave you with this question, who really lied to you? Me or are you still lying to yourself?"

"I know what I am!" Barb snapped.

"Really?" Thorne asked amused. "Do tell."

Instead of answering, Barb stood up and snatched the papers from the desk. She gave them a brief glance and walked out. Thorne watched her leave and then returned to the business at hand. The only thing that he truly cared about was that his child was safe. He hoped that Barb chose the option of taking the money and giving up all parental rights. He didn't mention the small paragraph that said that he wouldn't deny her access to the child if she wished to see him or her. He wanted to see how carefully she read the documents. If she was smart, she would take the documents to an attorney of her choosing-but- she was impulsive. If she came back and said that she didn't know what she was signing, he would remind her that he did encourage her to have the papers checked out.

***

Barb stomped off to her room not speaking to anyone that she passed along the way. The way she saw it, she was in a damned if she did and damned if she didn't situation. Once in her room, she flung the papers onto the bed and paced until she was exhausted. She lay on the bed and tried to calm down. 

Finally, she sat up and picked up the packet of papers closest to her. It was the one that gave her the option of terminating her parental rights. She read through the paper line by line. When she got to the part about being able to see the baby if she wanted to, she hesitated and wondered how she could make that work for her. She read further down and got her answer.

"If said party, Barbara Yancy Simpson attempts to renege on this agreement without first discussing it with Thorne Blackwell, all financial benefits will immediately be terminated."

She tossed the paper packet aside and picked up the next one and read through it just as carefully as she had the first. It was the packet that said that she would leave the baby with Thorne. It ended as the last one she read did.

The third and final option was the one where she stayed as Thorne's mate.

"By signing this document you are agreeing to perform any and all responsibilities as a mate and mother. Failure to do so..."

Barb jumped when she heard someone at the door. When she looked, there was an envelope lying on the floor. She laid the papers down and went to get the envelope. It was from Thorne.

"Barb,

This last packet is in regards to our discussion about the child and his/her wellbeing. You are not required to sign it now, but it will be an addendum to the other forms. Please read it carefully and have your attorney read over it as well.

TB"

Barb threw Thorne's note to the floor and turned to the rest of the papers.

"Addendum to forms numbered 0022, 0023 and 0024: If anything should happen that results in the demise of the child, all financial benefits will immediately cease once it is determined that the mother Barbara Yancy Simpson is at fault. The incident will be investigated by three independent parties unknown to either Mr. Thorne Blackwell or Ms. Barbara Yancy Simpson. If it is deemed that the demise was at no fault of Ms. Simpson; financial support will continue as agreed upon."




Thorne Ch. 07



Barb reread the addendum and dropped the papers to the floor. She lost track of time as she stood there thinking about the three options presented to her. One thing was for certain, she had to make sure that nothing happened to the baby. If it did all bets were off. On the face of it, the option of giving up parental rights seemed to be the best choice. But was it? According to Adrianna it was difficult to break a bond, but it seemed to have happened with Hans quite easily. But... what if the bond between her and Thorne couldn't be broken? She would still be stuck with him.

Maybe the first option was the best one, she would still have parental rights and if she changed her mind about how involved she wanted to be, there would be no issue but-there wasn't anything written that said that Thorne would try to break the bond. The third option- to live with him as his mate and to be a mother to a child that she didn't want-

A pain ripped through Barb's belly taking her breath away before she could complete the thought. She started to fall to her knees, but was caught by Adrianna and carried to bed.

"I'm going to call Mr. Blackwell," Adrianna said.

"NO! I'm fine," Barb said breathing easier now that the pain was gone.

"You are not fine," Adrianna said. "I think that the doctor needs to check you out."

"Please... don't," Barb said. "I'm really alright. The pain is completely gone."

Adrianna gave her a dubious look and then made a decision.

"I'm calling him and I'll tell you why," she said. "If something is really wrong and I didn't say anything, it's my ass. I'm sorry, but you have to understand that this is part of my job."

Barb started to beg Adrianna to reconsider, but didn't. Adrianna was already talking to Thorne.

"What happened?" He asked a few seconds later.

"Nothing... I was reading your addendum when the pain hit," Barb said lying. She left out the fact that she had been having unpleasant thoughts about the baby when the pain came.

"Not true," a soft voice said from the doorway. "Mama says that it's bad to fib."

Three pairs of adult eyes turned to see Celeste standing by the doorway with Wanda and Victoria at her side.

***

Celeste had been painting a picture of abstract shapes and colors when she froze and looked at Wanda. 

"What's the matter peanut?" Wanda asked when she saw the expression on Celeste's face. She became alarmed when Celeste started to cry. "Celeste? What's the matter?"

Celeste threw her shields up, took a deep breath like Louise and Leon taught her to do and calmed down. She was needed. She closed her eyes, blocked everything out and began to move her lips.

"You are my sunshine..."

"What's she doing?" Victoria asked. "Who is she talking to?"

"I have no idea," Wanda replied concerned.

A few minutes later, Celeste opened her eyes. She looked at Victoria and Wanda, stood up and walked away. Seconds later, the girls followed her with no idea of where she was going. They made it to Barb's room just as Barb was telling Thorne when the pain hit.

***

"Not true," Celeste repeated.

"Celeste honey, why don't you go play or something?" Barb asked trying to send her away.

"Wait," Thorne said when he heard the anxiety in Barb's voice. "What is she talking about?"

"Who knows?" Barb asked in what she hoped was a nonchalant tone of voice. "She's always been a strange kid."

"Celeste, sweetheart; what are you talking about? What isn't true?" Thorne asked gently.

For just a moment, Celeste seemed older than her six years of age. She looked Barb directly in the face and spoke.

"What Aunt Barb said isn't true."

"Celeste-"

"Quiet, I want to hear what she has to say." Thorne said cutting Barb off.

It was becoming obvious to him that while small and young, Celeste Yancy was a powerhouse in the making. When Celeste started to speak, he stopped her.

"Wanda, will you please go get your parents? I think that they should be here."

"I'll go," Victoria offered. "I know where they are."

Barb lay on the bed watching helplessly as a six year old girl prepared to rat her out. What she didn't understand was how Celeste knew.

"What's going on?" Juliette asked when she and Hans got to Barb's room. "Victoria said something about Celeste and Barb."

Thorne quickly explained the situation and why he called for them.

"I wanted you here so that you can see that I am not taking advantage of your little girl. She apparently knows something that I don't and I would like your permission to ask her what that is."

"Barb, are you alright?" Juliette asked.

"I'm fine," Barb replied. "I need is rest and if you'll all leave, that can happen."

"I will leave you to your rest as soon as we find out if Celeste wants to tell us what she knows and Gretchen gets here to check on you and the baby," Thorne said.

Hans bent down, picked Celeste up and kissed her cheek.

"Do you want to tell Thorne what you know?" he asked. He and Juliette had already begun teaching her that her gift was hers to share or not as she chose.

"He wants me to," She replied softly.

"Who does?" Thorne asked confused.

"The baby- he wants me to tell."

"The baby?" Thorne asked. "I don't understand."

"He talks to me," Celeste said. "He's sad and scared because his mama doesn't want him."

Thorne was speechless. He had heard of empaths who could communicate with the dead and the unborn, but he had never met one. In fact, he wasn't so sure that they existed, but Celeste Yancy had just proven him wrong. Still... he held on to a little of his doubt.

"You don't believe me," Celeste said. "I can tell."

"It isn't that I don't believe you, but I'm wondering if you just think that you heard the baby talking to you" Thorne replied.

"I heard him," Celeste insisted.

"Oh for god's sake!" Barb exclaimed. "It's obvious that she's making it up now will you all please leave?"

That outburst, if anything convinced Thorne to hear Celeste out.

"Celeste, would you like to tell me what the baby said?" Thorne asked. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

The room was silent as Celeste considered her answer.

"He wants me to tell you that his mama doesn't want him and that he doesn't want to be born."

Everyone stared at her and then at Barb.

"What else?" Thorne asked.

"He's scared and wants to know if he's born if you will love him."

"Celeste, can he hear me?" Thorne asked after a few seconds.

"Yes."

"Will he allow me to talk to him?"

"He says yes."

Barb scooted back on the bed when Thorne turned toward her and began to approach her. There was an emotion in his eyes that she had never seen before: love, but it wasn't for her.

"Be still while I comfort our child," Thorne said firmly as he sat on the bed. 

He placed his big hands on Barb's belly and began a slow, gentle circling motion with his hands as he began to talk.

"Hello little one," he crooned. "I am your father and I want to make a promise to you. I promise that when you are born, you will be surrounded by love. You have aunts, uncles and cousins who will help me make that happen. You are already loved by so many and I want you to remember that when you are afraid. I love you and will do anything that I need to so that you are safe. I only ask that you don't try to leave us so that we can show you that you are loved."

"He heard you," Celeste said.

"Does he believe me?"

"Yes...mama? I don't feel good," Celeste said and laid her head on Hans's shoulder.

"We're done here," Hans said.

"Of course," Thorne replied awed by the power of the little girl.

He removed his hands from Barb's stomach, stood up and walked over to Celeste.

"Thank you for sharing your gift with me. If there is anything that you ever want or need, it is yours. You and yours will always be under my protection."

Celeste looked at him, cocked her head to the side and spoke.

"Will you talk to Uncle Ethan?"

"Of course, but about what?" Thorne asked.

"You already know," Celeste replied and laid her head back on Han's shoulder. Seconds later, everything that she had eaten was on Hans's shoulder and on the floor.

"I'm sorry!" Juliette exclaimed. "I'll take care of it."

"No... please," Thorne replied. "I'll take care of it, tend to Celeste."

"Aunt Barb?" Celeste called as Hans started to walk away. "It isn't too late to learn to like your baby."

She dry heaved and let out a small miserable sounding cry before Hans and Barb left followed by Wanda and Victoria.

Barb watched the entire scene infuriated. She had been done in by a six year old who was too smart for her own good. Her feelings for Celeste went from fear to anger to dislike. Her breath caught as she felt what she considered a mental kick in the head. It seemed that Celeste and the baby were protecting each other.

Gretchen and Eustace showed up a few minutes later.

"Well, both of you are doing fine," Gretchen said after a thorough examination. "However, I want you to stay in bed for the next forty-eight hours. If you don't have any cramping you can get up, but hold off on the exercising and absolutely lovemaking of any kind."

"No problem there," Barb snipped earning a curious look from Gretchen.

"Good and since I'm here, I'll check on your sister. Call me if you need anything."

After Gretchen was gone, Thorne pulled up a chair and sat by the bed. 

"What?" Barb snapped.

"You have some decisions to make," Thorne said. "You're going to be in this bed for the next two days so I suggest that you use the time to think about your future. I'll have Adrianna keep you posted on any developments and take care of any other needs that you may have. Now, if you'll excuse me; I have things to attend to."

Before he left, Thorne touched Barb's stomach and caressed it as he spoke to his son.

"Rest easy, you are loved and safe."

Barb watched him leave, started to get up but was stopped by Adrianna.

"Bed rest, tell me what you need and I'll get it."

Barb shot Adrianna an angry glare, lay back down and turned her back toward her.

"Whatever," Adrianna said. 'I'm in the sitting room if you need anything."

***

"How are you feeling?" Hans asked Celeste as he gave her a spoonful of her favorite flavor of Jell-O.

"Better, but I'm sleepy."

"Alright, one more bite and you can sleep," Hans said. He, like Thorne and Juliette had been shocked by the amount of power that Celeste had shown. He was immensely proud of her and wanted her to know it. "Celeste, we are very proud of you. Always remember that your power belongs to you and no one else. No one can make you use it. But also remember that it is never to be used for your own gain. Once you do that, it becomes easier to do each time."

He didn't know how much of what he said she understood, but it was a message that he and Juliette would keep repeating until she understood.

"Sleep well sweetheart," Hans said kissing her forehead. "We love you."

"I love you too papa-too," She sleepily replied. Moments later, she was sound asleep holding on to her favorite doll that had been a gift to her from Victoria and Wanda.

Juliette stood by the doorway watching. Her hand was on her stomach as she wished that she was feeling the joy of being pregnant as Louise was. "Someday," she murmured with a smile.

***

Leon held Nadine in his arms trying to convince her that he wouldn't do anything rash.

"Patrick, Nathan and Hans won't let me," he assured her.

"But I know you," she replied. "You'll see Harry and take off."

"Hans thinks that they're long gone," Leon replied, "but I won't ever stop looking for the bastard."

"I know... Leon, do you think that Barb will let one of us raise the baby?"

"I don't know, but we've never talked about babies. I know that it's an unspoken thing, but I want to hear you say that you'll have my babies," Leon said.

"I'll have as many as the fates allow," Nadine said kissing him and taking hold of his cock.

"I like the way that you say yes," Leon said.

Nadine broke the kiss and moved until her lips were level with his nipples. She took the nipple closest to her into her mouth and bit moaning when she felt his cock jerk in her hand.

"I really like that," Leon breathed.

Nadine's hand moved faster and harder up and down his erection. Normally, he liked to come that way, but now he didn't want to waste it. He took Nadine's hand from his pulsing member and put it over his pounding heart. He placed his hand over hers when she tried to move it back to his cock. In a sudden move, he had her beneath him and his lips were wrapped around a small dark nipple. He used the tip of a fang to graze across the sensitive tip. He suckled and nipped until she was writhing and pushing her breast into his mouth. She was the only woman that he had ever been with that could come with just her nipples being sucked and it still astounded him.

He moaned when Nadine grabbed his head in a vise like grip holding it still so that he could only move his lips and tongue.

"Suck harder!" she cried as her orgasm neared. "Harder!"

To tip her over the edge, Leon put his hand between her legs and pressed on her clit with his thumb. Nadine threw her head back and screamed like a banshee. Her clit was still pulsing when Leon moved down and took it into his mouth. Nadine stiffened as if she had been shot and then convulsed as Leon attacked her nub alternately biting and sucking on it. 

"Come again for me," Leon thought to her. "Scream again."

Nadine opened her mouth and let out a keening wail of pleasure that started Leon's orgasm. He quickly moved up and aimed his cock at her vaginal opening and rammed into her just as his seed left his body. He kept thrusting long after he was empty wanting her to have every drop of him.

Afterwards, he made love to her again in a slow, leisurely manner. His hope was by the time the night was over, she would be carrying his child. He wanted her to have something to live for in case he didn't make it back.

**

Louise heard about the incident with Barb and Celeste a couple of hours after it happened. She was confused as to why she hadn't felt anything, but then realized that for whatever reason, the baby wanted Celeste to speak for him. In a way, she was relieved because it made her more open for other issues- namely the vampires that worked for Rufus. 

Nathan sat on the sofa next to her with her feet in his lap massaging them with slow, but firm strokes. She looked down at her belly happy to see the evidence that she was indeed pregnant. She was glad that she had the foresight to bring a few sets of maternity clothes with her although she was hoping that they would be home before she had to wear them. Her gaze went from her belly to Nathan's face. She was scared and trying not to show it.

"Talk to me," Nathan said.

"I'm just scared," she replied after several seconds. 

"I know, but try not to be. Hans, Leon and Patrick will have my back and I'll have theirs."

"I know, but I'm still scared. I just want this to be done with so that we can go back to getting ready for the baby and our other plans."

"Hopefully, it will be over soon," Nathan said. "We haven't been here for long, but I'm more than ready to have some real alone time with you. By the way, Rachel gave me her book of baby names. I thought that it would be fun to start thinking about what we're going to name her."

"Her?" Louise asked feigning indignation. "She could be a he or they and by the way, I know what you're doing- thank you."

"Did it work?"

"It helped," Louise said as she sat up and moved so that Nathan could put his arms around her. She was more nervous than she let on, but hid it well- or so she thought.

"We've had a rough start haven't we?" Nathan asked pulling her closer.

"Yeah, but it will be over soon won't it? I'm ready for a little peace and quiet."

"I hope so," Nathan replied. "Ethan and Thorne are cooking something up, but I don't know what it is."

"I don't understand why you and the others have to go. Don't you have soldiers that you could send?" Louise asked.

"We could, but that has never been our way." Nathan replied. "We defend our own and we don't ask others to do it for us."

"I knew that," Louise said.

"You're scared, I understand that; but we'll all come back." Nathan assured her.

When she got quiet, Nathan pushed her back so that he could look into her face.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"If you get caught or hurt, I'm going to look for you and don't you dare tell me not to," Louise said her tone firm. "I know that you're worried about our safety, but don't be; we're going to be fine. I will however promise you this, I won't do anything unless I know something's wrong."

"Louise-"

"I can sense them and find them if I need to just as I can and will sense you if I need to. Please don't tell me not to help look for you or the others if anything happens. What good is having a gift if I can't use it?"

"You'll do it even if I tell you no won't you?" Nathan asked already knowing the answer.

"Let me ask you something, if I were to be taken; would you come after me? Wouldn't you use every gift that you had to help find me?"

"Of course I would, but that's different," Nathan replied.

"How?" Louise asked. "Because I'm a woman?"

"No... because you're pregnant-"

"And not helpless!" Louise broke in. "Are you telling me that if I weren't pregnant, that we wouldn't be having this conversation?"

She had him dead to rights.

"I just want you and the baby to be safe," Nathan said. 

"And I want you back home with us. Nathan, I promise that I won't do anything rash, but I won't sit back and do nothing if I can help bring all of you home."

Louise was right about one thing, various versions of the same conversation were happening everywhere in the house with the exception of one place.

***

"Ethan will be leading one group, I will lead another with Nathan leading a third group," Thorne said to Barb. "We will be leaving as soon as it's dark enough. I'm going to remind you once more that you must do as Adrianna says-"

"Yeah I know!" Barb snapped. "I have to keep the precious cargo safe."

"Your safety matters as well," Thorne said. "I may not love you, but that doesn't mean that I want any harm to come to you."

"Why don't I believe that?" Barb asked.

"What you believe or don't believe is up to you," Thorne replied with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "But believe this, if anything happens to anyone in this house because of your petty jealousies and insecurities; I won't be your only concern."

"You would choose them over me?" Barb asked incredulous. "I thought that you hated them."

"The Sinclaires and Blackwell's were friends as well as allies at one time. We are still allies no matter what we feel for each other. Because of the child that you carry, we are now family. Because of that it's in our best interest to work out any differences that we may have. I would like to suggest that you consider doing the same with your family. Of course depending on the decision that you make, that may be a moot point. At any rate, I have preparations to make; have a good rest."

After Thorne left, Barb tried to pinpoint how she felt. A few minutes later, the word trapped came to mind. The urge to run away hit her but left just as quickly as it had come. If she ran, where would she go? And more importantly, what would she do with the baby? She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Thorne and her family would come looking for her and wouldn't stop until they found her. The idea of two powerful families looking for her took care of the urge to run.

She started to get up but then remembered that she was on bed rest. She wanted a snack and something to drink. The only way that she was going to get it was through Adrianna to whom she had nothing to say.




Thorne Ch. 07



"What do you need?" Adrianna asked from the sitting room doorway.

"Nothing from you," Barb said petulantly.

"Will you grow the fuck up?" Adrianna asked exasperated. "That little girl that was here is more of an adult than you are!"

"You could have helped me!" Barb said angrily.

"Helped you do what exactly?" Adrianna asked. "You treat people like shit and then you expect loyalty. You aren't the fucking queen of anything and you'd better get that through your thick skull! Now what in the hell do you need?"

Maybe it was because of the emotional upheaval of the past hours, but Adrianna's tone of voice hurt. Suddenly Barb was no longer hungry.

"You haven't eaten in hours," Adrianna said, "I'll go get you something. Do you need help to the bathroom?"

"No... I can make it on my own," Barb replied.

Adrianna hesitated and then vanished. When she was gone, Barb made her way to the bathroom. After washing her hands, she examined her reflection in the mirror. She stood sideways and took in the soft swell of her belly. Something Thorne said went through her mind.

"Hate is too strong of a word, I don't like her."

"Is that how you feel about me or do you hate me?" Barb asked the baby in her belly. "I don't hate you- I just don't want you, but then; I never wanted a baby with anyone. I'm sorry that you're scared of me, but you have to understand that I don't want any of this-well, not the baby and vampire part of it anyway. They keep telling me that I have to accept this, but do I? I mean there's nothing that I can do about you- you're already on the way; but what about the rest of it? Look, let's make a deal- I'll try to do everything that I'm supposed to do to make sure that you arrive safe and sound and you stop blabbing to Celeste. Do we have a deal?"

A few seconds later, Barb felt a sharp pain telling her that the baby wasn't accepting her terms. He knew that she had to take care of herself no matter what. It was also his way of telling her that he didn't like her.

"Damn," Barb sighed feeling even more alone than before. "Am I really that horrible?" she asked her reflection.

The word "YES!" resounded through her head so loudly that she thought someone had spoken it. She turned around didn't see anyone. She felt the need to connect with someone who understood her. The only person that came to mind was Gene, but then he had changed too. She realized that not only did she have to think about Thorne's proposals; she had to think about what she wanted to do about her family.

Part of her comfort zone was knowing that they would just accept her as she was no matter what she did. That apparently, was coming to an end. She had to decide how much, she was willing to give to keep them around. She had to admit that when she acted civilly, they actually had a good time together. Juliette's observations came to mind as did Louise's.

The fact was she didn't know why she fought to keep the nicer side of her hidden away. She also didn't know why she thought that money equaled love. Living with Thorne had proven that that wasn't the case, but yet she still believed it or told herself that she did.

When she left the bathroom, she found a sandwich and beverages sitting on a tray on the bed. She could hear Adrianna typing on her laptop in the next room. She sat on the bed, looked at the sandwich and forced herself to pick it up. After staring at it for a few more seconds, she took a bite and then moaned with pleasure. The bread was one of Louise's recipes. She closed her eyes and savored the taste of the bread. Suddenly she started to laugh. She was remembering some of the recipes that Louise concocted when she was old enough to cook. Just as suddenly as the laughter started, it stopped. She finished the sandwich, drank the glass of water and went to bed.

****

"How are things?" Thorne asked Benita as he settled at his desk.

"Fine, she hasn't tried to escape-Thorne- she's very conflicted."

"Explain."

"She doesn't want to be the head of the hunters, but she feels that she has no choice. She loves but fears her father and she hates him. She has ambivalent feelings for us even though one of us killed her mother and brother. I think that deep down she knew that her father has been lying to her and that he set her up to fail."

"I assume that you told her about her brother and mother?" Thorne asked.

"I did and her reaction was surprise that didn't last long and she made a feeble attempt to defend them. When I told her that I was the one that killed her brother there was an initial flash of anger and then acceptance."

"Does she hate her father enough to go against him?" Thorne asked.

"That I don't know about. But if I had to guess; I would have to say that the answer would be no."

"Alright, keep talking to her and broach the subject in a roundabout way. Ethan and I will be over later to talk to her."

"Thorne- may I make a suggestion?" Benita asked.

"I'm listening."

"She's scared of you even though she doesn't show it. If both of you showed up... my suggestion is this, send someone else- a female. She talks to me because although she knows what I am, I'm less threatening because I'm a female. On the flip side, I'm her guard so she's only going to tell me so much."

"I take that under advisement, but in the meantime keep talking with her. I'll call you later."

Thorne hung up thinking about Benita's suggestion. It had merit, but then most of her thoughts did. He picked up his cell phone and called Ethan.

"Are you busy?"

"No, what's going on?" Ethan asked.

"Can you be in my office in ten minutes? 

Ten minutes later, Ethan was sitting in Thorne's office.

"Thank you for coming," he said. "I know that I'm interfering with your time with your mate, but this is important."

"This is war," Ethan replied. "Katrina understands, so what's happening?"

Thorne told him about the conversation with Benita and her suggestion.

"I think that she's right," Ethan said when Thorne finished talking. "I also know just the person that would be perfect for the job."

"Louise," Thorne said.

"Yes. I suggest we call and ask her and Nathan to come down here."

"Do you think she'll go for it?" Thorne asked.

"She isn't going to be the issue," Ethan said. "Nathan is extremely protective of her which is understandable. It's him that we're going to have to convince."

"Let's give them a call, but first- Ethan, that little girl Celeste is a powerhouse- did you know that?"

"I'm not surprised given her lineage, but why do you ask?"

"Without going into details of how this request came about, she asked me to talk to you about what happened between our families."

"How does she know about that?" Ethan asked.

"I don't think that she really does, at least not all of the details," Thorne replied. "At any rate, I promised her that I would talk to you. To be honest, I've been thinking that there's something about that whole thing that I don't know about or understand. After this is over, I would like to sit down and talk to you about it- if you're agreeable that is."

"I am more than agreeable, but as you said, let's get this over with first."

Fifteen minutes later, Nathan and Louise were sitting in Thorne's office. Thorne watched and listened as Ethan explained what they wanted. He could see that Louise was on board, but Nathan was another matter.

"Yes," Louise said at the same time Nathan was saying "no".

"I won't allow you to be in a room with a hunter-"

"Excuse me, but you won't allow me?" Louise asked quietly.

"It isn't safe-"

"I won't be alone and I have to do this. If it will keep people on both sides from being killed and that includes you; then I'm doing it. And from what I'm hearing, she's scared and needs a friend-"

"Friend?" Nathan asked. "Sweetheart, scared or not she's a hunter who would kill you if she had the chance! Her kind doesn't befriend our kind."

"Has anyone ever tried?" Louise countered. "What if our reaching out to her changes things? I'm sorry, I know that you don't want me to do this; but I'm going to. Will you come with me?"

Ethan and Thorne watched the interaction between Nathan and Louise with interest. It reminded Ethan to call the genealogist to see if he found out anything more about the Yancy line and it made Thorne realize just what a powerful family he was allied with.

"When do we leave?" Louise asked.

"As soon as we can get you there safely," Thorne replied.

"I can vanish," Louise said proudly, "so we can leave at any time."

Thorne was shocked although he didn't know why. He found that he was becoming more intrigued by the Yancy line. He looked at Louise and recognition set in. The eyes in Noel's portrait belonged to someone in the Yancy line- but who? It was none of the adult females present, they were all spoken for and the girls were too young. The eyes in the portrait belonged to an adult woman. The other thing that he wondered was if Barb had gifts other than her strong intuition that she never listened to.

"Give me an hour and we'll go," Thorne said. "Louise, thank you for doing this and Nathan, I swear to you nothing will happen to her."

"Damn right it isn't because I'm going with her," Nathan said. His tone conveyed his displeasure that Louise was placing herself and their child in danger. He was going to take the hour to try to get her to change her mind although he knew that it would be useless.

****

One of Thorne's homes had been found only because the address was a matter of public record. Even though the hunters knew that no one would be there, they broke in; ransacked the houses and stole anything that they deemed of value.

Freezers were emptied of bags of blood that were then ripped open and tossed to the floor. Thawed out units were opened and dumped on the floor or sprayed on the walls. Furniture was slashed and torn apart as the house was searched not only for Olivia, but any unsuspecting staff. The only reason that the house wasn't burned was because Rufus didn't want the police involved.

"She ain't here," a hunter from Bakersfield, California said as he pocketed a necklace that looked valuable from a Jewelry box. "Damn vamps live better than humans!" He added as he dumped the contents of the dresser on the floor.

None of the hunters noticed the wolves that sat across the street watching them. Grant and two of his wolves sat in the shadows watching. It was to their advantage that the crew in the house was made up entirely of humans who had become lax in watching out for any surprises.

"We'll grab the one who seems to be the leader," Grant growled. "He'll know who the other crews are."

"I think that we should just kill them all," one of the other wolves growled.

"Kill all but the leader," Grant said with a cold grin.

***

On the other side of town, William watched in disgust as Rufus's men ransacked Ethan's house. He knew that Olivia wasn't there, but didn't say anything. He could hear the whoops and hollers of the hunters as they destroyed anything that wasn't glued to the floor. He wondered how the hunters could say that vampires and other species were nothing but animals when they were acting like thugs. He looked to his right and saw Caleb staring at him with a predatory gleam in his eyes. He stared back and bared his fangs at the hunter and gave him the 'come hither' motion with a long dark finger.

"Come on mother fucker," William thought, "I dare you."

To William's surprise, Caleb paled and looked away. 

"I'll be damned," William muttered. "The bastard is a coward."

As the carnage of the house continued, William walked around the house touching nothing. He saw Rufus sitting at Ethan's desk trying to get the desk top to boot up. He watched Rufus touch the power button and jumped when the desktop exploded.

"Damn it!" Rufus bellowed.

William shook his head in disgust and continued on his way. He made his way to the basement and was about to leave when he sensed someone. Huddled in the far corner of the finished basement was an elderly vampire. His eyes were wide and his heart pounded when he realized that he had been sensed. William looked back toward the stairs- it would only be a matter of time before the hunters came down the stairs. He looked around the basement for a place to hide elderly vampire.

"I am not going to hurt you," William said as he looked around. "I don't know why you are here, but I am going to hide you."

The vampire stared at William in disbelief, but said nothing. Finally, William looked up and saw a trap door. He hurried over to it and examined it. He realized that it was just a crawl space, but it would be big enough for the vampire.

"Come grandfather, let me hide you."

The vampire hesitated, but hurried when he heard the voice of a hunter nearing the top of the stairs. William gently picked the vampire up and lifted him toward the trap door. 

"You must remain quiet. Do you understand? If they find you, I will not be able to save you."

"I understand- thank you," the vampire said as the door closed.

Moments later, the basement was swarming with hunters. When the basement was totally destroyed, they left. William looked back at the hiding place and nodded. He felt surprisingly good that he had managed to save a life. Now if he could only save Olivia.

****

Olivia paced the small room wondering what was happening. She was certain that her father had already arrived and was looking for her. The question was, did she want to be found? That had been the burning question ever since Benita revealed a few hard truths to her. She couldn't believe that she almost preferred to be kept by the vampires as opposed to going back to her father and whatever he had planned for her.

She sat on the small sofa wondering how many had died already and wondered if William was among them. She felt a pang of sadness that she didn't understand at the thought. He was one of them. He was the enemy, but yet he hadn't wanted to leave her. He had even warned her about Harry. She closed her eyes remembering how it felt to be held in his arms.

Her eyes snapped open.

"What am I thinking?" she murmured in shock.

A tap on the door made her jump.

"It's me-Benita- are you decent?"

Olivia looked at the folded sweat suit that lay on the end of the couch.

"Can you give me five minutes?" She called back as she jumped off the couch and began to change clothes.

Exactly five minutes later, Benita walked in followed by a woman that Olivia didn't recognize.

"I brought you a guest," Benita said. "Remember your manners."

Olivia looked at the woman and nodded at Benita. She took a step back when the woman took a step forward.

"Hello, my name is Louise Sinclaire and I promise that I'm not here to hurt you."



Thorne Ch. 08



Olivia looked at Louise and took another step backwards. All she heard was the name 'Sinclaire'. What she didn't know was why she didn't know that they were in the area and why her father hadn't told her. Then she realized that he couldn't have known and that didn't make sense to her. He paid people to track all of the big names in the vampire world and the Sinclaires were amongst the biggest; if not the biggest other than the vampire queen and her family. She belatedly realized that she should have put it together herself when she saw Thorne Blackwell.The Blackwell/Sinclaire split was well known in the hunter world for only one reason: If one of them was around, the other wasn't far away. Regardless of their past history, the two families would always back each other up. It was something that happened in the past more than once.

"Shit," she muttered as she assessed Louise.

"I promise that I'm not here to hurt you," Louise repeated.

"What do you want?"

Louise let her shields down and allowed Olivia's hidden fear and distrust was over her. She lowered them even further to take in more of her emotions and then raised them again.

"Is it alright if I call you Olivia?"

"I asked what you wanted," Olivia replied.

"Just to talk," Louise said. "Do you mind if I sit? And by the way, you can call me Louise or Lou if you prefer that."

Nathan stood tensely in a corner watching and ready to move. It was the only way he was going to allow Louise in the room with the hunter. She hadn't liked it, but he stood firm. He finally had to admit that as much as he didn't like it, it was the way to go and Louise was more than capable of protecting herself. It was just that it went against everything he believed and had been taught about keeping one's mate safe.

He relaxed slightly as the tension in the room eased. A feeling of intense pride made his heart swell as he watched Louise begin to put the hunter at ease. He didn't know if the plan that Thorne and Ethan had cooked up would work or not, but it was worth a shot if it would save lives on both sides. He settled in to listen to the conversation between the two women as Louise had requested.

"Since you're going to be there, listen to what she says; I may miss something."

"I can do that... Lou, me not wanting you to do this has nothing to do with not trusting you. It's all about me keeping you and our baby safe. I want you to know that. You doing this is against everything that I've been taught and believe."

"Nathan I know that and believe me, if I thought for one second that I would really be in danger; I wouldn't do it. But I'm not and I maintain that she needs someone to reach out to her."

"So-may I sit down?" Louise asked again as she glanced in the direction of the corner where Nathan stood and then looked at a chair.

***

Harry looked out into the darkness trying to see beyond the tree line. There were people in the woods camping. He could smell them and the fire over which something was cooking. He licked his lips and started for the door and then stopped. He reminded himself that it was because of his impulsiveness that they were stuck up in the mountains hiding like frightened animals. The distant sound of someone laughing reached his ears- a woman.

"Don't you even think of leaving this house," Nell said from behind him. "We're here because of you, now get away from the damned door and don't think about vanishing."

Harry turned to look at her and smiled.

"If you weren't my sister, I would kill you."

"Yeah well, lucky me," Nell replied sarcastically meeting his gaze. "Step out of this cabin and I will kill you brother or not."

"Stop it you two!" Mary said. "This isn't the time to be fighting. William is out there trying to help us..."

"Do you really believe that shit?" Harry asked laughing. "William is trying to save his own ass and the ass of that bitch. I'm telling you, he's in love with her and he'll turn all of us over just to save her."

"He wouldn't do that," Mary said staring at Harry.

"He would and I'll tell you why," Harry said. "It's what I would do. The way I see it is that as long as we stay here, we're sitting ducks. I think that we need to scatter."

Nell and Mary looked at each other and then back at Harry. 

"We agreed to wait for a certain amount of time before we did that," Nell said.

"You can stay if you want," Harry said, "but I'm out of here. For all you know the hunters and every vampire group in the area could be on their way here."

"I agree," Albert said.

"What?" Nell and Mary said at the same time.

"I said that I agree with Harry. I think that William would turn us over to save his ass."

"This is what I think," Nell said. "I think that you would agree with anything that went against William. You're still pissed because he took over."

"That has nothing to do with it-"

"Yes Albert, it does," Mary chimed in. "I know that I'm supposed to side with you, but Nell is right. You're reacting out of anger and you're not thinking. I think that we need to give William the time that he asks for and leave if he doesn't show up. I don't believe for one minute that he would give us up to save a hunter no matter how he feels about her."

"I agree," Nell said. "I say that we stay."

The argument raged on for another hour before Albert tried to put an end to it.

"This isn't a fucking democracy! I don't give a shit about what William said to do and he sure as hell isn't the leader of this family- I am and I say that we're leaving."

"Together?" Nell asked. "Are you out of your mind? They'll be looking for us as a group!"

"Albert..."

"Get ready to leave- we're going back to Palm Springs," Albert said. "They've searched the place by now and there's no reason for them to go back-"

"But they could be watching," Harry said suddenly uncomfortable with the way things were going. "I don't think..."

"We're going back to Palm Springs," Albert said interrupting him.

"I'm not going," Nell said. "The rest of you can do what you want, but I'm waiting for William."

In the end, they all stayed even though Albert grumbled. The one thing the argument proved to him was that he had truly lost control of his family.

****

William followed the hunters out of the house without looking back. He hoped that the old vampire would stay hidden for at least thirty minutes before coming out. Saving him had been an almost impulsive move and one that he hoped not to regret. He paused as he realized that saving the old vampire could work in his favor. An idea began to brew in the back of his mind, the problem was initiating it. He was being watched, especially by Caleb who was looking for any opening or reason to try to kill him.

He smiled at the thought. He was doing the exact same thing except he didn't need a reason, just the opportunity. He fastened his gaze on the back of Rufus's head and he fought the urge to rip it off of his shoulders.

"Patience William," he muttered under his breath.

They went back to the vacation house to wait for the crew leaders to check in. By dawn, all but one crew had called in.

"When were they last heard from?" Caleb asked.

"They were the team sent out to Blackwell's house," Rufus replied. "Call the team closest to there and have them check it out."

William listened as Caleb made the call. He was almost certain that he knew why the hunters hadn't checked in. His suspicions were confirmed an hour later.

"Dead? All of them?" Caleb shouted into the phone. "How? Was it vampires? Are you sure? Decapitate them just in case." He said and slammed the phone down.

"How did they die?" Rufus calmly asked.

"It looks like wolves," Rufus replied.

"Vampires and wolves working together- interesting," Rufus mused. Even he didn't put the two species together. They would have killed each other, but wolves' working for the vampires was unusual and made things more dangerous. "Caleb, call for more teams. I want every suspected vampire home checked out. If in doubt as to whether they are human or not- kill them."

"Rufus- "

"This is war and there are casualties," Rufus said, "if you can't do what needs to be done, then maybe I've chosen the wrong man as my successor."

William watched with interest. Caleb's response would show him what kind of man and leader he would be.

"I'm on it," Caleb said discounting his misgivings.

"Good and also issue this order, if my daughter is found, she is to be killed immediately. I can't take the chance that she is one of them and carries one of their brats."

William left the office and went to his room. He realized that Olivia was safer where she was and he had to find a way to get a message to either the Blackwell's or the Sinclaires. He thought about the old vampire that he had saved and knew how he was going to do it. If the vampire had left the house he was back to square one. He looked at the clock, it wasn't quite dawn yet and if he vanished, he could be there in seconds. He locked the door to the bedroom and vanished in the hopes of finding the old vampire still at the house.

**

Barb looked at the papers on the bed still undecided as to what she was going to do. The only thing that she was sure of was that she didn't want to be a mother. She weighed the options again taking that into account. On the face of it, that ruled out the option of remaining Thorne's mate. She had no doubt that if she chose that option, that he would expect her to live up to the terms of the agreement. Celeste's words about it not being too late to learn to like her baby ran through her head. Leon's threat followed close on its heels. Not only would Thorne expect her to keep her end of the agreement, her entire family would as well. She read through the entire document again looking for a loophole in her favor. She wasn't a lawyer, but as far as she could see there was none. The agreement was ironclad.

She read through the other agreements and it was the same. Still, she would have someone look at it. She would look for the most expensive attorney she could find since Thorne was footing the bill. In the meantime, she still had to take care of herself and "it" as she called the baby. There was no rush to sign anything; she had several months to make up her mind. She turned on her side and thought about Celeste. Her anger at the little girl had cooled enough that she realized that she didn't dislike her, she was afraid of her. She couldn't wait until they could all go home...

Where was home for her? She wondered. At the moment, she was living under Thorne's good graces. He hadn't been kidding when he said that she could go back to the tiny condo if anything happened to the baby. She would have to go back to work. She would be right back at square one and that was unacceptable.

"Damn it!" she cursed as she turned onto her back. "I wish that I had never come here."

It occurred to her that if she chose one of the other options, she could leave California and never come back. She could move to where no one knew her. The idea appealed to her. The more she thought about it, the more she liked it. But she wouldn't make a decision until an attorney looked at the papers. She tossed and turned unable to get comfortable.

"Barb," Adrianna called from the door, "I've got some updates if you want to hear them."

"Why not?" Barb replied sarcastically. "It's not like I'm doing anything important."

Adrianna started to comment about the remark, but gave the updates instead.

"Louise is where?" Barb asked sitting up.

"She's talking to the hunter Olivia," Adrianna repeated. "The hope is that she'll be able to get Olivia to help us end the war with the hunters."

"Nathan let her do it?" Barb asked surprised.

"I guess so," Adrianna replied, "she's there."

"Is there any word on the vampires that work for Olivia's father?" Barb asked.

"No, the consensus is that they're gone. Do you need anything? I'm going to work on my paper."

"No.... yes, I have a question. Do you know any good attorneys? I have some papers that I need looked over."

"I don't know of anyone and even if I did I wouldn't give you the name," Adriana replied.

"Why not?" Barb asked surprised by the answer.

"Because you would use it against me and Mr. Blackwell," Adrianna replied. "I don't know what papers you want looked at and I don't want to know. My guess is that they have something to do with your situation. If I gave you a name, you could say that I informed Mr. Blackwell of who you hired and then you would accuse him of putting me up to finding out the information."

"Do you really think that I would do that?" Barb asked.

"I know that you would," Adrianna replied. "You might not have thought of it now, but you would have and I refuse to be pulled into your stupid assed games. Do you see a recurring theme here? Everyone is getting tired of your shit. You said that you weren't doing anything important- you should be. You should be trying to figure out how you're going to keep your family from ditching you."

"You don't have the right to talk to me like that," Barb snapped.

"You know what? You're absolutely right," Adrianna said. "Forget that I said anything."

Adrianna walked out leaving Barb alone. She turned on her laptop and did a search for attorneys. After searching for almost two hours, she found one that she thought would meet her needs. As she read about the woman's experience, Barb realized that she hadn't thought about Louise or her safety since she found out what she was doing. She also realized that she hadn't given the safety of anyone else any thought either.

"Selfish bitch."

Barb looked up sure that someone was in the room with her. At first she thought that it was Adrianna, but she could hear her typing in the next room. She sat on the edge of the bed for several minutes before lying down again. She closed the laptop and waited for the voice to come again. She tried to think of how to describe the voice. It wasn't male nor female, soft but harsh and impatient. Several minutes passed before she realized that it wasn't going to speak again. For a very brief moment, she wondered if she wasn't losing her mind. As far as she knew, only crazy people heard voices. Her next thought was that somehow Thorne was behind it. Even as she thought it, she knew that it wasn't the case. Thorne wasn't one to play games. There had to be another explanation.

On a whim, she decided to call Gene thinking that even though he had changed, he would understand her position. Gene answered on the third ring.

"Hey sis! How are you?"

"I've been better," Barb replied. "How is the sobriety going?"

"It goes, but I still have my moments. Dana and I are talking about once a week or so, but I'm not sure that it's going to go anywhere."

"Are you still at your job?" Barb asked.

"Yes-Barb what's going on? You've never asked about my job or anything else for that matter."

"Can't I be interested in my brother's life?" Barb asked.

"Yes, but my point is that you've never cared before," Gene replied.

His answer told her what she wanted to know. Even Gene who had been the most like her had a low opinion of her.

"I guess you know that I'm pregnant."

"Yeah, I heard," Gene replied. "I also heard that you and the baby's father aren't getting along. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine... Gene, am I as bad as people are making me out to be? I mean to hear them tell it, I'm related to the wicked witch of the west."

"Barb," Gene said after a brief hesitation, "I'm the last one to tell someone how bad they are. I've done my share of shit including planning the murder of our sister."

"That's precisely why I'm asking you," Barb replied. "Of all of us, you were the most like me. You understood me better than the others did or ever could."

Gene sighed before speaking, he was about to impart some hard truths.

"Alright, remember that you asked," he said. "As I said, I'm the last person to talk about how bad someone's been, but here it goes. Barb, we're both fucked up. We just dealt with it in different ways. I hit the bottle and you pursued the American dream of a big house, money and prestige. I wanted those things too and was actually there until the bottle took over. In order to get those things back, I made some very bad decisions that almost cost me my family although it did cost me Dana."

"It isn't wrong to want those things!" Barb retorted.

'No, it isn't," Gene agreed, "but how we tried to get them is. Both of us have hurt our family and we've been doing it for years. Let me ask you something, you've got the money and the house; are you happy?"

"If it weren't for the pregnancy, I would say yes," Barb replied.

"You don't want the baby?" Gene asked.

"I never wanted children-"

"But yet you got your first husband to marry you by telling him that you would have children," Gene interrupted. "I only know because he talked to me after he left you. Do you want to know something really sad? He loved you. If you had been honest with him about how you felt about having children he would have married you anyway. But you lied to him and that's what did it. You already had what you wanted and you fucked it up."

"H...he told you that?" Barb whispered.

"Yes," Gene replied. "I know that you thought that you had to lie, but sis; you're still lying. One of the things that they tell us at our meetings is that we have to take responsibility for our actions and that we have to face those that we've wronged. Until we do that, there's no moving forward. We get stuck in this black hole and it becomes easier to blame others for our issues. I don't know the story of what's going on between you and your man and I don't know what you're planning to do about your baby, but Barb; speaking as someone who's been there- start fixing things before it's too late."

Barb wiped at her face and looked at her hand surprised to see that it was wet.

"Are you saying that I am related to the wicked witch of the west?" she asked half joking.

"A close relative," Gene replied, "but then so am I. I don't know what all of the issues are with you and the others, but sis; if they can forgive me for what I tried to do, then they will accept and forgive you too. The thing is-"

"I've got to give a little," Barb finished for him.

"Exactly," Gene said. "The hardest part is going to someone and admitting that you were wrong and apologizing. That first phone call to Dana was one of the hardest things that I had ever done. Telling Kevyn and the rest of you what I did was the hardest." 

"Does it get easier?" Barb asked.

"No it doesn't, but as I said, it's the only way."

"Gene- do you hate me?"

"Nah and neither do the others. You all just have to come to some kind of understanding."

"Leon told me that I was the one doing the abusing and that mom and dad never abused us- do you feel the same way?"

It took Gene so long to respond that she didn't think that he was going to respond.

"I would have to agree," he finally said, "But so was I. Instead of being the man that dad wanted me to be, I dumped my responsibility onto Kevyn and Louise and then got pissed when Kevyn made the decisions. I sabotaged her at every turn and in effect made things much harder than they had to be. Barb there was other families much worse off than we were. Some of those kids had parents who didn't care about them at all. On more than one occasion one of my friends came to school with bruises and was hungry. That never happened to us but I'm not going to try to tell you that you weren't abused. Do I believe that you were? No I don't."

Barb gave what Gene said some thought and wondered why she was the only one who saw their lives as being abusive.

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the issue of abuse. But you do understand that I can and never will be anything but what I am don't you?" Barb asked. "I am not ever going to be the nice person that they and now you are."




Thorne Ch. 08



"I think that's part of the problem," Gene said. "You think that everyone is expecting you to become this sweet person when that isn't you. No one is asking that of you. What we're asking is that you remember that you have a family and that you can't keep treating us as if we were shit. We also want you to stop blaming mom and dad and the rest of us for your fuckups. You're just as responsible for your decisions as I was and am for mine. What are you going to so about the baby and the father?"

"I don't know yet," Barb replied.

They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. Barb sat on the bed with tears running down her face. If she had only been honest, she would still be in Pittsburgh with everything that she ever wanted. She looked down at her slightly swollen belly and began to cry in earnest. No matter what, she didn't want the baby. But she was forced to rethink her part in its conception.

"Shit," she cursed as she lay down on the bed. "Shit."

*****

Olivia looked at Louise for several seconds before she sat down. She felt no threat coming from the woman who was obviously pregnant and wondered what she wanted.

'If you're here to lull me into a false sense of security, forget it." 

"I'm not here for that," Louise replied, "but I do hope that you understand that I'm not going to hurt you. I have something that I want to talk to you about and before you say no, hear me out."

An hour later, Olivia wasn't sure of whether to laugh or not.

"You want me to help you get rid of my father? Are you crazy? I don't want to be the head of anything!"

"Olivia, think about it," Louise said. "We've all lost loved ones because of this ongoing war between the hunters and vampires. Isn't it time to end it?"

"I never said that I liked it, but you're asking me to betray my father," Olivia said.

"Your father has already betrayed you," Louise said. "He set you up to fail. Is there another crew that consists of one human and the rest vampire? What do you think he's going to do if he finds you?"

Olivia was silent. She already knew what he would do to her. He would assume that she had already talked and had been turned. There would be nothing that she could say to convince him of anything else. If by some slim chance he did believe her, he would marry her off to whoever he had chosen as his predecessor. A sudden flash of insight hit her. He had already chosen someone. A moment later, she realized who it was.

"Ask yourself this," Louise was saying, "if you really believed what your father teaches, then why haven't you tried to escape?"

"I ... they said that they would kill me," Olivia replied weakly.

"As far as I know, you haven't made any demands to be released nor have you tried to bargain. Why is that?" Louise asked. "The day that you were spotted, you were out shopping alone-why? Where were your guards? Why didn't you wait for your crew or call for a security team?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Olivia replied. "I just wanted some time alone."

"I can understand that," Louise replied, "Just as I can understand being put in a position that you don't want to be in. Your father is put you in one and now we're doing the same thing. The difference is that we aren't going to kill you. If you say no, then that's the end of it. Our people will continue to fight and lives will be lost."

"What are you going to do with me then?" 

"Let you go I suppose," Louise replied. 

Olivia looked at Louise, assessing her for a lie.

"We aren't going to turn you against your will nor are we going to compel you to do what we want. Whatever you decide, it has to be your choice."

"So you're saying that I can walk out of here right now?" Olivia asked.

"Yes."

Olivia hesitated. She knew that as soon as she was spotted her life was over.

"Can I have some time to think about my options?"

"Of course... do you need anything?" Louise asked.

"I want to call my father." 

****

"Damn she's good," Thorne said as he watched Louise with Olivia.

"Yes she is," Ethan replied. "What do you think about letting Olivia call her father?"

"I think," Thorne said after a long pause, "that, if anything will tip her in our favor. I listened to the messages that he left on her phone when he couldn't reach her. Not once did he express worry or concern over her. He doesn't care for her as a parent should care for a child, he only cares that she does as she's told."

"Of course there's the question of whether she will allow her father to be killed," Ethan said. "No matter how she may feel about him, he's still her father. At any rate, let's get the phone call over with."

****

Louise looked in the corner where Nathan was waiting and saw his nod.

"Here, use my phone," she said as she reached into her pocket.

"Is this a trick?" Olivia asked.

"No trick," Louise replied. "Take it."

Olivia took the phone, looked at it and then dialed her father's number.

"Dad?"

"Olivia? Where in the fuck are you?" Rufus demanded.

"I... I don't know, but I'm alright-"

"Did they turn you?"

"No, but..."

"Did they fuck you?"

"Dad! No, just listen-"

"How is it that you're calling me? Did you tell them anything?"

"Dad, please listen to me-"

"How do I know that you haven't been turned and already carrying one of their spawn?

Louise watched Olivia as she grappled with the fact that her father didn't care about her.

"Are you looking for me?" Olivia asked with a trace of hope in her voice.

"That's a stupid question! Of course we are! I've already lost an entire team in the search!" Rufus snapped.

"Lost?"

"They were killed because of you! A pack of wolves killed them. Who would have thought it, wolves working for vampires?"

"Dad, what will happen if I come to you?" Olivia asked.

"We'll have to make sure that you aren't turned and knocked up by one of them," Rufus replied. "If you're clean, you marry Caleb and give him a bunch of little hunters."

"Dad, why haven't you asked me if I'm alright?"

"You said that you were fine and I don't have time for sentiment, but that leads me to question something that you said," Rufus said. "You said that they haven't turned or fucked you- why not?"

Olivia was stunned. Her father sounded almost disappointed. The realization that he was going to have her killed either way struck her.

"Are they willing compromise?" Rufus asked.

"What are you offering for my return?" Olivia asked neglecting to mention that she was free to go.

"Tell them that I want to meet with them and work out a truce of some kind in exchange for you."

"Who do you want to meet with?"

"Ethan Sinclaire and Thorne Blackwell and they have to come alone," Rufus replied.

"Will you come alone as well?" Olivia asked.

"Of course," Rufus said after a brief hesitation.

"And you'll keep your word and let them go?"

"What the fuck is this?" Rufus yelled into the phone. "You sound like you're working with them."

"I'm not... I just want be sure that the same thing that happened with mom doesn't happen again."

"What are you talking about?" Rufus asked.

"I know what happened at that meeting, the one where you took the girl and mom ended up dead," Olivia replied.

"I can hear that they've filled your head with lies," Rufus said. "Do you have any idea of where you are?"

Instead of answering, Olivia hung up and handed the phone back to Louise.

"If you don't mind, I need some time alone," Olivia said softly. She had a lot to think about.

****

Nathan met Louise outside of the room and hugged her. He knew that Ethan and Thorne had questions for her, but they had to wait.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired," she replied. "Let me answer their questions and then you can take me back for a nice, long nap."

"Well?" Thorne and Ethan asked at the same time.

"You heard the same thing that I did," Louise replied. "But... I think that she's going to help. Her father will kill her no matter what she does and we won't. Give her some time to think about it oh and by the way... she wants some mint chocolate chip ice-cream."

Moments later, Ethan and Thorne were back in Thorne's office making plans for the next night. They would start searching for Rufus Saunders. Thorne's cell phone rang interrupting their planning.

"Grant, what's happening?"

Thorne listened as Grant told him about the ransacking of his home and the deaths of the hunters.

"Were you able to obtain any information?"

"We know that Rufus Saunders and his second in command are staying in a house that Olivia rented for her crew when they were on vacation. Whether they're still there or not I can't say. There are too many vampires and wolves patrolling the grounds for us to get close enough to see. The leader did mention that by tomorrow evening, another two-hundred hunters would be here. I don't know if you're aware of this, but not only is Saunders using vampires, he has other species working for him too. We need to sway some of these from him."

"You work on that and I'll talk to Ethan about what our options are," Thorne replied.

After he hung up, Thorne filled Ethan in.

"Thorne, if you were Rufus, why would you hire so many other species? I mean he hates anything not human."

"I don't know....oh fuck!" Thorne exclaimed. "He's going to watch while we kill each other off!"

"Exactly," Ethan said grimly. "Grant is right, we need to start swaying these other species to our side and we have to kill Rufus and his second in command with or without Olivia's help."

"That means that the focus of the search parties changes," Thorne said. "Rufus Saunders is now the main target."

****

William appeared in the kitchen of Ethan's ransacked house and noticed that it had already been cleaned up. "What in the hell?" he muttered as he left the kitchen and went to the dining room where he could hear the old vampire tinkering.

"Why are you still here?" William asked.

The vampire turned around and looked at him.

"This is my home- why did you come back? Did you change your mind about killing me?"

"No, William said as he sat down in a chair. "I was actually hoping that you would still be here. You owe me a favor."

"If it's to ask me where Mr. Ethan is, I don't know and even if I did; I wouldn't tell you," The old man said.

"I already knew that," William said, "but you do know how to reach him."

The old vampire's silence told William that he was right.

"I want you to contact him and tell him that I want to meet with him. Tell him that I saved your life and that you are contacting him on my behalf as repayment."

"What do you want with him?" the vampire asked after a few moments. "You were with those hunters which means that you work for them."

"That is true," William said, "but I won't be for much longer. Grandfather, will you help me?"

"Help you what? Kill the people who have been nothing but kind to me? No, I won't do that."

"What if I were to give you my word that I mean them no harm?" William asked.

"If I say no?"

"Then I will leave you to your cleaning and find another way," William replied.

"Give me your hands," the old vampire said as he approached William.

William held out his hands as requested and waited.

"Turn them so that the palms are facing up," the vampire instructed.

He stared at William's upturned palms for at least twenty minutes before speaking again

"You are ...good at heart. You were foolish- but good. You have done some bad things, but yet-you are redeemable because-you love someone. I will do as you ask."

"Who are you?" William asked looking at the old vampire.

"No one special, but my name is Travis. I prefer to be called that as opposed to grandfather."

"I meant no offense," William said. "I meant it as a term of respect."

"No offense taken," Travis replied, "It's just that being called grandfather makes me feel old."

William saw the twinkle in the vampire's eyes and laughed. "As you wish," he said looking at his hands.

"So, young man; who may I tell Mr. Ethan to call?"

"My name is William and I will give you a number where I can be reached. I thank you for your help."

William stood to leave, but the old vampire stopped him.

"Where are you going? It's light out unless you're one of those day walkers."

"I am not so fortunate," William replied, "But I can tolerate some sunlight. I will be home in a few seconds."

Seconds later, William was back in his room. He looked around to see if anything had been disturbed. His very dangerous game had just begun. He lay on the bed and closed his eyes after checking his cell phone. He extended his senses throughout the house listening for any conversation that could help him. He knew that Rufus would speak freely because he thought that once vampires were down for the day that they couldn't hear. Caleb knew better, but wouldn't say anything because it would be seen as a challenge.

He started in the small office and struck pay dirt.

"I'm telling you," Rufus was saying, "They've turned her!"

"Rufus listen to me," Caleb said. "Olivia has never lied to you has she? Maybe they haven't turned or touched her. According to my research, the Sinclaire/Blackwell group is the most civilized of all of them. It's entirely possible that they haven't touched her."

"But they can compel can't they?" Rufus shot back.

"Yes, but..."

"I want her dead!" Rufus said cutting Caleb off. "I won't take the chance that they've fucked with her mind even if they haven't turned her."

William listened to the discussion with a growing sense of apprehension. He picked up the phone and made sure that the volume was on. It was imperative that he talk with Ethan Sinclaire as soon as possible. He tuned his hearing back to the conversation between Caleb and Rufus. Caleb was showing rarely seen backbone.

"Rufus, the fact that she's in their hands is your fault. I mean, you sent her here with a crew made up entirely of vampires. If you didn't want her take over for you, why didn't you just say that? Why set her up?"

William sat up on the bed. He could almost feel Rufus's anger at being questioned.

"How dare you question me! I am still the head of this organization! You will do as I say and kill her on sight! Am I being clear?"

"I understand," Caleb said weakly his moment of bravado gone.

William tuned out of the conversation as they had gone to talking about more mundane things. It was now more important than ever that Olivia stay where she was. He wondered if the old vampire had reached the Sinclaires yet. He almost left the room to go back to the house, but decided to wait. He knew that Caleb would eventually come to the room to make sure that he was there.

He wondered about his family. He hoped that they did as they were told and went back to the mountains, but when he chose to be; Albert could be very persuasive. The other issue was Harry. He had been and still was their wild card. He knew that as long as Harry was alive, he would continue to endanger all of them. Harry had to die, but could he bring himself to kill his own brother? He didn't think so, but he had to prepare himself for the possibility that he might have to.

***

Harry stood by the door inhaling the scent of the camping humans. As he listened to their laughter, the need to go to them grew. The more that need grew, the less Harry remembered that it was because of him that his family was hiding in the mountains. He looked behind him and saw that he was in the kitchen alone. 

"All I need is a few moments," he said licking his lips.

He looked behind him again and vanished to the porch. After a moment's hesitation, Harry made his way to the campsite of the unsuspecting humans. He stood behind a tree and watched as they roasted marshmallows over the campfire. 

"Okay guys," a pretty brunette said after eating her marshmallows, "I'm going to wash up and get ready for bed."

"Do you want me to come with you?" a male asked.

"Nah, I'll be fine," the woman replied. "There's no one up here except us."

Silently, Harry followed the woman to the creek where she washed her face and hands. Harry waited until she was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't know that he was there until he was standing behind her.

"Jude!" the woman yelped thinking that it was one of the males from the campsite.

"Quiet!" Harry hissed as he looked down at her. "You will do whatever I require of you, do you understand?"

His dark eyes flashed several times before the woman nodded her head to the affirmative. Harry looked around to be sure that they were still alone and prepared to feed.

"Let her go," Nell said from behind him. "There's plenty of blood back at the cabin."

"I don't want that warmed up shit," Harry replied. "I want it warm, directly from the vessel."

"What happens if you kill her?" Nell asked. "We're here because you killed someone. Now, release her from the compulsion and let's go."

He was about to disregard Nell when they heard the sound of voices coming toward them calling for the woman. Harry growled low in his throat, released the woman from the compulsion and vanished seconds after Nell. By the time he appeared in the kitchen of the cabin, he had made a decision.

"I'm leaving," he said. "I refuse to stay here while William roams free."

"Where are you going?" Albert asked.

"You're going to let him go?" Nell asked incredulous. "I just stopped him from feeding on a human woman!"

"Have you heard from William?" Albert demanded.

"No, but ...."

While they argued, Harry vanished back to Palm Springs. He stood across the street from the condo and watched for more than ten minutes before deciding that it was safe to go in. He vanished into the condo, but left the lights off in case a crew of hunters was in the area.

Now that he was alone, he could sit and think in peace. He wondered where William was and thought that he knew. It was where he would have gone too-the vacation home. 

He weighed his options. The option that made the most sense was that he leave California and not look back. He had money, not as much as he suspected William had, but he would be comfortable. The second option that he looked at was going to the house. The question he asked himself was how it would be to his benefit to do that.

"No benefit to me at all," he muttered under his breath.

He thought about Olivia and anger rose. He hadn't wanted to go on vacation with her or anyone else for that matter. He always vacationed alone that way no one could inhibit his movements. What he appreciated even less was the fact that he was being told what to do by a female. Nell telling him what he could and couldn't do had been the final straw.

Harry's thoughts wandered toward Nadine. He wondered where she was. He had killed the last woman because she reminded him of her. He wondered if she was still alive, but then knew that she was. His planning went from deciding what to do as far as William was concerned to finding Nadine. He hoped that she had a mate and children. He would make them watch him take her before he killed her and then them. The question now was where to start looking. 

****

Nadine sat up drenched in sweat, her heart pounding. She hadn't dreamt about Harry since the night she finally told Leon about him. In the past, the nightmares while bad had an almost surreal feeling to them. In this dream, she was an active participant. She could actually feel Harry's hands on her as he forced himself into her. She felt the bites on her neck and then the pulls as he drank from her. She could hear his demands to "say it!"

At the time she hadn't known what he meant only that she couldn't and wouldn't say it. Her hope was that he would either let her go or kill her. By the third time, his family interfered. They talked in riddles about his turning her and what they were going to do about it. In the end, they decided to leave her to die.




Thorne Ch. 08



"Dina?" Leon said when he came into the bedroom. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," she lied. "I just had a bad dream."

'You're lying," Leon said. "I believe that you had a bad dream, but you're lying about being fine."

Nadine sighed. She knew that if she told him that Harry was now actively looking for her, he would take off half-cocked. She needed his promise that he wouldn't do anything rash.

"Make love to me and I'll tell you," she said as she removed her sweat drenched night shirt.

Leon hesitated but his libido took over. He stripped, got into the bed and pulled Nadine close.

"Baby you're shaking."

Nadine burrowed into his body, kissed his neck and then bit hard enough to draw blood. It was a sure way to get Leon to stop talking and to do what she wanted and needed. It had the desired effect. Leon moaned and pulled her on top of him. Nadine straddled his hips, rose up and slammed herself down on Leon so hard that his breath left him with a whoosh.

Leon was caught by surprise and took a few seconds to recover. In one move he had her beneath him and was pounding into her. He covered her mouth with his taking in her breath and screams. It was during the last screeching scream that he emptied into her. 

Afterwards, as they recovered; he wondered what had her so upset.

"Tell me what's going on," he said his tone firm.

"Before I tell you, I want your promise that you won't do anything stupid," Nadine said. 'If you can't make that promise, then I'm not telling you."

"Dina-"

"I mean it," Nadine said. 

"Alright! I promise," Leon said after trying for several minutes to get Nadine to talk to him.

"Harry is looking for me."

"What?!" Leon asked jumping out of the bed. "Where is the son of a bitch?"

"I don't know for sure, but he's not that far away," Nadine replied. "Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you. You would forget the promise that you just made me and go after him alone. Leon, come sit down."

Leon sat on the bed clearly angry.

"One of the things that I love about you is the way in which you stand up for your family," Nadine said rubbing his shoulders. "But Leon, you are a new vampire-strong but still new. You wouldn't stand a chance against Harry especially if the others are with him. Not even Nathan or Patrick would go up against them alone and they're old. I know that you're going to go after him and I know that nothing that I say is going to stop you. I just want you to stop and think before you go looking for him alone. Think about me being left here alone because if you die, then I'm going to die too. There would be no reason for me to continue to exist."

"Nadine-"

"I mean it Leon," Nadine said. "And don't think that I don't know that you're hoping that I'll get pregnant so that I'll have someone in case something happens to you. If something does happen, it'll be because you tried to do things alone. I swear that if anything happens to you I will never forgive you. Now you promise me that you will let the others help you."

Leon sighed. He understood what Nadine was saying and after a few minutes decided that she was right. 

"Alright, I promise," he finally said, "But Dina, he dies and you can't make me change my mind on that."

"I know; that's why I didn't mention it. What will you do about the others?"

"I don't know, but Harry is the one that I want. If the others cross my path I will kill them too."

Relieved that she had gotten Leon's promise, Nadine relaxed. When she had a moment, she planned to talk to Hans. It wasn't that she didn't believe Leon; she knew that if he saw Harry, he would forget his promise to her. She moved from behind him to straddle his lap earning a low moan from him when she wiggled against his erection. Leon bent his head down, kissed her and then took a dark nipple into his mouth. Nadine let out a soft sigh as she ground against him. Not wanting to miss the chance of possibly impregnating her, Leon lifted her and eased her onto his cock that was wet with her juices. A few short, hard and fast thrusts later, Leon was emptying into Nadine. She collapsed against his chest with her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

*****

Harry was restless and hungry. He made a snack and looked at the units of blood that Nell had taken out of the freezer to thaw out. He knew that he should be satisfied with one of them, but he wanted to feel a warm body pressed against him as he fed. He stood at the door and reached out with his senses. Maybe there was someone home alone in one of the other condos. A woman would be preferable, but he wouldn't be choosy.

The only thing he heard was a television playing from the condo two doors down. He slipped out of his condo and appeared in the bedroom of the condo where the television was playing. He could hear someone in the shower: a man. He cursed his luck that it wasn't a woman and then reminded himself to be grateful. Finding food had been much easier than he anticipated. He walked to the sound of the running water keeping his ears tuned for anything that sounded out of place. As he approached the shower, it wasn't the sound that attracted his attention- it was the smell. It was wrong- it wasn't human.

It took him several seconds to place the scent. It was the smell of a wet wolf. Harry cursed his luck and vanished just as the shower stopped running. He appeared in the condo not quite believing his bad luck. He decided to stay in and make do with the bagged blood as unappetizing as it was. He opened a bag, looked at it in distaste and poured it into a glass. Grimacing, he put the glass of blood into the microwave to warm.

As he waited, his thoughts drifted to Nadine and the night that she had almost killed him. As always the scar on his chest itched and burned when he thought of that night. He conveniently forgot that everyone had tried to warn him of the fact that Nadine wasn't his- he wanted her. He also conveniently forgot the fact that he had turned her and was going to leave her to die after he had one last turn at her. Harry jumped when he felt a brief, intense stab of fear that didn't belong to him. She knew that he was coming for her.

****

Louise stood in the shower letting the hot water run over her while Nathan stood behind her washing her back. When he was through, he pulled her back into him, placed his hands on her swollen belly.

"Have I told you how proud I am of you?" he whispered in her ear.

Louise was about to answer when she froze. It wasn't a feeling of dread as much as it was a warning. A moment later, she saw a solitary figure. She was confused. All of her previous visions all of the crew were in them.

"They've separated," she murmured.

Nathan turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around Louise and led her to the bedroom listening as she murmured under her breath. There were times that she didn't remember what she said and he became her live tape recorder.

"Only one of them means us harm-no-not us.... Nadine. Where is she?"

Louise started to get up, but Nathan held her in place.

"She's here with all of us," Nathan said softly. "Sweetheart-"

"What? Oh I'm ok," Louise said leaning back into him. "I just got a little disoriented."

"Are you sure that you're alright?" Nathan asked.

"I'm fine, just tired- did I say anything important?"

"You mentioned that they separated which we assumed, but you also said that only one of them means us harm, then you specifically said Nadine's name."

"I know which of them killed that girl at the club. It's the one named Harry. Nathan, he's looking for Nadine. And if I know then so does she."

"Were you able to tell where he is?" Nathan asked.

"No, but he isn't far away."

"What about the others?"

"I don't know why I can't feel them unless it's because they aren't an immediate threat. But I think that they've separated."

"I'm sure that Leon knows by now," Nathan said. "I need to talk to him and Hans as soon as possible. Why don't you lie down and take a nap while I do that? I'll bring dinner back with me. Do you have any requests?"

"No, whatever you bring is fine," Louise replied.

After Nathan left, Louise thought about Barb. Was she as scared as the rest of them were? Even Katrina was scared and she had been living in the vampire world for almost thirty years. She reminded herself that this was a much different situation than the one with Bradford. He was only one, but now they were facing many. 

Her mind began to spin with thoughts of the men going out in search of Rufus, the thought that some of them might not come back and what she would do if Nathan was one of those who didn't return. She struggled with something else as well. In all of her life she had never deliberately hurt anyone. She had just spent the evening asking a daughter to help in the betrayal and assassination of her father.

She heard the pain in Olivia's voice when she spoke with her father. She heard the sadness when it finally sunk in that her father was going to kill her no matter what happened. Part of her felt guilty, but part of her didn't. She simply did what had to be done in order to save the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people. 

Louise turned on her side, whispered a prayer and closed her eyes. She didn't expect Nathan back anytime soon. She was almost asleep when there was a tap on the door.

****

Olivia couldn't believe it. Her father was really going to kill her. That was the only reason he was looking for her-that and it would send a clear message to both sides. The idea that he was willing to kill her made her think about her mother. Had her father wanted her killed? If he did, then the question was why. Then she thought that she had the answer. Every so often there would be murmurings about ending the war with the vampires. Whenever it came up and didn't die out on its own, something happened to renew the old hatred. She thought back to the time when her mother was killed. She couldn't remember hearing anything, but she was young. Her mind was on boys and the next party.

Even though she couldn't remember, she knew that she was right. He had known that the vampires would bring her mother as a bargaining chip. He had set up her mother just as he had set her up and like her mother, she was going to die. She wondered who he would get to do it. He wouldn't do it himself, but then; maybe he would. It would show that he would do anything to protect the human race. He would use her captivity as a way to keep the anti-vampire sentiment and the war going.

Her father, she realized was insane, but could she kill him? He was still her father and to some degree he had loved her, but she couldn't allow him to continue what he was doing. She didn't know what to do. It struck her as odd that she was safe with the very people that she had been hunting. She lay on the couch and closed her eyes to think. She thought about William and hoped that he was somewhere safe. The others she could care less about, especially Harry.

Time was getting short and she needed to make a decision. The idea of taking her father's position didn't sit any better than it had before, but... she could initiate changes. Maybe they wouldn't have to kill him. Maybe he would compromise she thought. At least he deserved the chance to decide. 

It came to her that she had decided. She was going to help overthrow her father. She hoped that he wouldn't have to be killed, but she knew that it was inevitable; he would die before agreeing to a compromise of any kind with the vampires.

****

Travis sat at the table long after William left debating over his decision to help him. It was true that he owed him a favor, and his hands hadn't lied. The hands never did. He thought about going back on his word, but that was something that he had never done in his life. Finally, after more self-debate, Travis stood up and went to the phone.

****

Nathan found Hans in the kitchen making a dinner tray for Juliette and the kids. It looked as if all of the males had the same idea. That was confirmed when Ethan came in followed by Leon. 

"Good, you're all here," Ethan said. "I know that you're all anxious to get back to your mates as am I, but there's been a change in plans. The rest of the men will be here shortly."

A few minutes later, Thorne walked in followed by Joseph, Martin. Victor walked in and moved to where he could see and hear. Rik and Luc came in and stood in the doorway.

An hour later, everything had been explained.

"Can we trust her?" Joseph asked.

"There is always the possibility that she could change her mind," Ethan said, "but I don't think that she will. What I do expect is for her to want to talk to her father first. She'll want to try to get him to step down and leave."

"He won't go for it," Thorne said. "He's already sacrificing his only surviving child to keep this war going. The bottom line is this, even if she doesn't help us; Rufus Saunders and his second in command need to be dealt with. But here's another thing, Saunders is going to have all of the species turn on each other. When our numbers are low, he'll swoop in and finish us off. For this reason Saunders and his second are now our primary focus. If we happen across the traitors, we will deal with them."

Nathan saw the expression on Leon's face and spoke up.

"There is another issue that needs to be addressed. One of Olivia's crew-Harry is looking for Nadine."

Hans stopped what he was doing and listened.

"Louise saw only him and says that he isn't far away," Nathan continued. "I understand that we have to deal with Rufus, but we now have a direct threat to one of our own."

"What do you suggest?" Thorne asked.

"I am suggesting that Hans, Leon and I look for him as we do our patrol. If any of our patrols spot him, we are to be called."

Ethan and Thorne looked at each other and nodded.

"Fine," Ethan said. "I'll put the word out to the other groups. As far as protecting the house, Noel, and Martin will stay here. Joseph, Rik and Luc will patrol together. If they spot any activity, they'll call the team closest to where they are. If this goes beyond tonight, we'll rotate. I don't need to tell you all to be careful and to stay in touch. We're going to talk to Olivia again to see what she's decided to do. You'll know by the time we leave tonight whether to kill Rufus on sight or not."

"I have a question," Noel said from the corner of the kitchen. "Do you all realize that if Olivia agrees to take over for her father that there's going to be a split on both sides? We will have gotten rid of Rufus, but there are those who will always be loyal to him just as there are those of us who believe that all hunters should be found and killed."

"We've thought about that," Thorne replied. "We'll deal with that when it happens but I agree with Ethan, this has to end. The hunters and we have a common enemy and if we joined together, we could eradicate them."

"The Rogues," Nathan whispered.

"Yes the rogues," Thorne confirmed. "They are growing in number and must be dealt with."

The meeting lasted for a few more minutes and the preparation of the dinner trays continued. Nathan pulled Leon and Hans aside.

"Leon, I know that you're eager to end this threat to Nadine. I would feel the same if it was Louise, but we can't just go rushing into this. We need to have a plan in place."

"I know that," Leon replied. "Nadine and I have already had this discussion."

"Good," Nathan said. "I want all of us to come out of this unscathed."

"I want you to understand something," Leon said. "When we find him, I'm going to be the one to kill him."

"I expected as much," Hans said, "but if I see that you are in danger of dying, I will step in. Do you understand? You can get as angry as you wish, but Nadine's wellbeing comes before your pride."

Leon started to argue, but then remembered that his promise to Nadine.

"Agreed, but you only interfere if you see that I'm going to die and I don't mean if you see a scratch and I'm bleeding. I have to be out for the count and Nathan, the same goes for you. You don't interfere unless I can no longer protect myself."

"Agreed," Nathan said after a long pause. "We'll meet after the mates are asleep and make our plans. And Leon, I want your word that you won't go off on your own. Just as you have given your word to Nadine, I gave mine to Louise."

"I also gave my word to Juliette and the children," Hans said. "Do we have your word?"

"You have my word," Leon said. "And you have my thanks."

****

Ethan sat the dinner tray on the small table by the bed. He was about to wake Katrina when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He slipped out of the room to take the call.

"Travis? Are you alright?"

"Yes sir Mr. Ethan," Travis replied and then told him about William.

"I told him that I would talk to you on his behalf. I read his hands and he doesn't lie. I have his number if you would like to talk to him."

Ethan took the number, peeked in the room to check on Katrina and went to Thorne's office. He knew that he would be there and would have been surprised if he wasn't. It was no secret that he and Barb were at odds. He tapped on the closed door and waited for the invitation to enter.

"Why aren't you with your mate?" Thorne asked when Ethan was sitting.

"I was, but I got a rather interesting phone call from one of my house staff."

"So, this William who is one of Olivia Saunders's crew wants to talk," Thorne said when Ethan was finished talking. "What do you think he wants?"

"I have no idea but I think that it would be in our best interests to at least hear what he has to say."

"I agree," Thorne said after thinking about it for a moment. "He could be the way to find and get to Rufus."

Ethan picked up the phone on Thorne's desk and turned on the speaker phone. William answered on the first ring.

"Who is with you?" William asked.

"Thorne Blackwell," Ethan replied. "What do you want?"

"Is Olivia well?" William asked.

"She is alive and unharmed" Thorne replied. "What can we do for you?"

"I want you to keep her there. She is far safer with you than with her father- he plans to kill her."

"Why are you telling us this?" Ethan asked. "What's in it for you?"

"My only concern is her safety," William replied. "I also think that you want the same thing that I do-I want Rufus Saunders dead."

"What has he done to you?" Ethan asked, "You work for him."

"Working with him was not my choice," William replied. "I work for him because my family does."

"But yet only you seek to betray him," Thorne replied.

"This is true," William said, "but I have no love for the man. He is insane with hatred and he will sacrifice everything to get rid of all things not human."

"Where is he?" Ethan asked.

"He is currently at the home where we were spending our vacation," William replied. "I don't know how much longer he will be here."

"Are you there too?" Ethan asked.

"I am," William confirmed. "I am waiting for my chance to kill the son of a bitch. You asked me what was in this for me. Nothing except that he will be dead along with Caleb the one that he has chosen to succeed him. I will however ask one thing of you. Let my family go in peace. I will give you my word that they will no longer work for the hunters or bother any of yours."

"We have a problem regarding that," Thorne said. "One of our mates was attacked, turned and then left to die by one of yours. Her mate wants to avenge her."

"Nadine," William said softly. "What if I were to convince Harry to leave California and never pursue her?"

"You would be too late," Ethan replied. "Harry is already looking for her. Where is the rest of your family?"

"I won't tell you that. This is between you and me, but as for Harry, I will still try to talk to him. If he agrees to leave Nadine alone, will you talk with her mate?"




Thorne Ch. 08



"I will talk to him," Ethan replied, "but you must understand that it will change nothing. In his mind as long as Harry exists, Nadine will never be safe. I would feel the same if it was my mate that we were talking about."

William hesitated realizing that Ethan was right. Hadn't he thought about giving up his family for Olivia?

"I understand, but still I will try," William replied. "Tell me of Olivia."

Ethan and Thorne looked at each other understanding. William was in love with the hunter.

"You have our word that no harm will come to her," Ethan replied. "Whether she stays with us or goes is up to her."

"Another favor then, but first are we agreed that you will leave my family in peace?"

"Give us a moment," Thorne said and then put the phone on mute. "What do you think?"

"I think that he's our best chance of getting to Rufus if Olivia doesn't help us," Ethan replied. "I also know that there's no way in hell that Leon will agree to letting Harry go free. I propose that we let the rest of them go with the stipulation that they leave the state and don't return. If they do, the agreement is null and void. They will have twenty-four hours in which to leave."

Thorne unmuted the phone and explained their terms to William. It took William several minutes to respond.

"I agree to your terms and now for the second request. If Olivia decides to leave, alert me. She isn't safe from either side."

"We can do that," Thorne said. "We will call later today in regards to her decision."

"One more thing," William said. "I plan to kill Rufus Saunders no matter what happens."

William hung up without saying anything else. It wasn't open for discussion: Rufus Saunders was going to die.

William did a calculation of the time and vanished to the cabin in the mountains.

****

Barb tossed and turned unable to settle. Snippets of her conversation with Gene wouldn't let her rest. She had been expecting more sympathy and understanding than what he had given her. In effect, he told her that she was every bit as horrible as others thought she was. But the thing that really got her was that she had already had what she wanted and she threw it away. It hadn't occurred to her to be honest with her ex before she married him. All she saw is what he had and what she wanted. She was prepared to say or do anything to get him to marry her. That thought prompted another one- something that Thorne had said to her.

"If it hadn't been me, it would have been someone else."

He made her sound so... cheap and desperate. But she saw it as her going after what she wanted. It was the same with Clay and several others. Another question popped into her mind- one that she had been asked several times over the past several weeks. "Are you any happier?"

It was a hard question to answer. She was happy with the money, but not about the vampire and baby part of it. That was far more than what she bargained for. The options that Thorne gave her came to mind and she ruled out one of them. She wasn't going to sign the option that said that she had to be a mate and the mother to the baby. She knew that she wouldn't be able to fulfill the obligation. When she turned over, Celeste was sitting on the chair beside the bed. Barb hadn't heard her come in.

The first feelings that Barb had when she saw her was anger followed by betrayal and then finally fear. She checked herself to be sure that she wasn't thinking anything that could be construed as intent to harm herself or the baby. Only then did she speak.

"What do you want?"

Celeste didn't reply, but looked at her with her head cocked to the right. A moment later, she was on the bed next to Barb and reaching for her. Barb pulled back in surprise, but Celeste kept moving toward her. Finally Barb's only option was to get off the bed.

Celeste sat on the bed watching Barb then without a word, climbed down from the bed and left the room. Barb stood by the side of the bed for several minutes before getting back in. She was more than scared of her niece; she was terrified. She had the feeling that Celeste knew what she was thinking as well as being able to communicate with the baby. Celeste was the one thing that could have her tossed back into the tiny condo with nothing but what she had come with.

She took a deep breath and tried to relax. She laid back and began to sift through the remaining options including a few that she had come up with on her own. As she closed her eyes, she realized that she had always had options other than the ones that she had chosen. It was a first step in accepting responsibility for her choices.

****

After Ethan left, Thorne sat at his desk scribbling on a piece of paper. Working with Ethan felt good and it felt right. The feeling reminded him that he promised Celeste that he would talk to Ethan about the rift between their families. He also wondered why Noel hadn't complained of any headaches.

"It's all related, but how?" he asked out loud. "What does Noel know that I don't?"

He looked up from his drawing to see Celeste standing in the doorway. He was surprised to see her since one; she had never approached him and two—all of the mates and families were spending the day together.

"Is everything alright?" he asked as Celeste as she stepped into the office.

"He wants me to give you something," Celeste replied.

"He does?" Thorne asked, "What is it?"

Celeste walked over to where Thorne sat, stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

"That's from him," was all she said and walked out.

Thorne stared after her as she left the office. He shut down his laptop and left the office. It was time to go see Olivia, but he had a stop to make first. He went to Barb's room, tapped on the door and walked in.

"What do you want?" she asked not really caring.

Thorne sat in the chair that Celeste had vacated and looked at her. He was honest with himself. He was only there because of the baby.

"I came to comfort our child," Thorne replied. "He is in need of reassurance."

"I suppose in order to do that you have to touch me," Barb said dryly.

When Thorne didn't answer, she shifted into a more comfortable position and waited. Her breath caught when Thorne moved to sit on the bed beside her. She felt her nipples tighten and bit her lip. She had never said that sex with Thorne wasn't good-it was better than good but not good enough that she wanted to stay mated to him. When she looked at him, he was paying her no attention. His entire focus was on her belly. Both of his hands were slowly massaging her stomach and he was speaking just loud enough that she could hear him. When he was finished speaking, he continued to massage her stomach for a few more minutes. Barb held her breath as he bent closer to her stomach and kissed it. Thorne stood up, moved away from her and looked at her.

"As you know, tonight the hunt for Rufus Saunders begins. If anything should happen to me, you will be taken care of. We need to discuss what will happen to the baby in the unlikely event of my demise. It is clear to all that you have no interest in being a mother to our child. If something should happen to me, I want one of your siblings to raise him. I have no preference as to which one as they are all decent, kind and loving people and he will be well loved and cared for."

Barb didn't know what to say. It hadn't occurred to her that Thorne could die. For the most part, she didn't really care; but on the other hand if the others changed their minds about taking the baby, she would be stuck with it.

"I guess that you had better come back safe and sound," she said snidely.

Thorne gave her a grin so icy that she felt goose bumps rise on her arms.

"I guess I know which option you chose," he said with a satisfied smile. "Remember to do as Adrianna says."

"That's it?" Barb shouted. "That's all that you're going to say to me?"

"What is it that you want?" Thorne asked. "Were you thinking that because I might die that I would come in here and give you my unwavering love? Were you expecting the kiss on the temple? I told you that I don't and will not love you. That is a kiss that you will not receive now or ever. I am here because as I said, our child needed comforting and to let you know that as my mate- for lack of a better term, you will be financially cared for."

Barb didn't know how to respond. She didn't know what she expected from him. He was right in that he did tell her that he didn't and wouldn't love her and she was alright with that because she didn't love him either. But what had she been expecting?

Thorne waited for a response. When none was forthcoming, he walked out without looking back. Barb watched him leave knowing that he was hoping that she wouldn't choose the third option-he wanted her gone. It hurt she realized. With the exception of her ex and now Thorne, she had always been the one to do the rejecting.

"You're going to lose everything," a soft androgynous voice whispered in her head. "Ask yourself if what you think you want is worth the price of losing those who love you."

Barb looked around for the source of the voice. It took her several minutes to realize that it was coming from within her.

"I'm going crazy," she whispered.



****

"Come in!" Louise called as she sat up. 

Kevyn and Juliette peeked in and then walked into the room. 

"We thought we'd stop in and see how you were doing," Kevyn said.

"Scared, but ok... how about you two?"

"Scared," Juliette replied. "I was thinking that maybe we should go check on Barb while the guys are downstairs. I think that there's some kind of meeting going on. I know that she and Thorne aren't-together, but she might still be scared. Katrina suggested that we all get together after the men leave so that we can talk and support each other. Maybe we can get Barb to come."

"It can't hurt to ask," Louise said. "Let me get dressed and I'll go with you."

"Do you think she'll come?" Juliette asked Kevyn while they waited for Louise to get dressed.

"I wouldn't count on it," Kevyn replied, "but we can hope."

Louise came out a few minutes later wearing one of her new maternity outfits. It seemed as if overnight her regular clothes no longer fit around the waist. They were almost out of the room when she had a thought. 

"Wait a minute," she said and ran back into the room. She came back with a small bag in which she put two maternity outfits. "This all happened so suddenly and I don't know if she brought any maternity clothes with her."

"Well let's go and get yelled at," Kevyn said.

As they walked to the other end of the house, they passed Adrianna who was going to the kitchen to make a tray for Barb.

"Is she awake?" Kevyn asked.

"She's up," Adrianna replied, "but the meeting is over. I just saw Mr. Blackwell leave."

"Thanks, when you go downstairs will you tell the guys where we are?" Kevyn asked.

Adrianna nodded and continued on her way.

They went to the room, knocked on the door and got a curt "who is it?"

"It's us," Juliette replied. "We wanted to check on you, can we come in?"

****

Barb debated. Gene's words and the words of the voice in her head went through her head. It was up to her what happened next. Was she ready to make some concessions?



Thorne Ch. 09



Note: Thanks to everyone for reading my stories and to Donalde who looked for those pesky name changes and beta read for me. 

*

William hung up with mixed feelings. On one hand, he had saved most of his family, but on the other hand, Harry was going to die. That he wasn't going to be the one to kill him brought little comfort. The next thing that he had to do before anything else was go to see his family. He warded his room and vanished to the cabin. He knew that something had happened as soon as he appeared in the living room. Everyone was there except for Harry.

"Where is he?" William asked looking around. "Where in the hell is he?" he demanded when no one spoke.

"I tried to get him to stay," Nell said, "but dad let him go."

"What were you thinking?" William asked not quite believing what he was hearing.

"We didn't know if you were coming back or not," Albert said. "For all we knew, you turned us over."

"Are you fucking serious?" William asked. "I'm trying to save your asses and you let him go? Did you forget that he's why we're in this mess to begin with? Did you forget that he's the reason for every mess that we've ever been in?"

"Now wait a minute..." Albert broke in.

"Shut up!" William roared. 

Everyone stared at him. William rarely raised his voice and when he did, it meant that he was furious.

"First of all, I would not have turned you over! I have been working my ass off to save your lives! I was even trying to save the life of that psychopath!"

"William," Mary said, "what are you talking about?"

"I'm done with Rufus Saunders," William replied. "We should have never started with him. As insane as Harry is, he was right about one thing, Rufus is going to turn all of the species against each other. He's going to make him do our work for him. I talked to Ethan Sinclaire..."

"You did what?" Albert yelled. "I told you that he would turn us over!"

"Will you shut the fuck up and listen?" William said as he glared at his father.

His second use of profanity had the desired effect. He cursed as rarely as he raised his voice. Albert sat down, but still glared at William.

"As I was saying, I talked to Ethan Sinclaire and Thorne Blackwell. Everyone is looking for us and it's only a matter of time before we're found. Both Ethan Sinclaire and Thorne Blackwell have given you a free pass to leave the state. You have twenty-four hours to get out and if you are spotted in California, even if it's one hundred years from now; you will be killed."

"What about Harry?" Nell asked.

"There is nothing that I can do for him," William replied. "Nadine, the woman that he used, turned and then was going to leave for dead lives. She has a mate who wants vengeance. He will never stop looking for Harry."

"So we just leave him?" Mary asked.

"Mom," William said softly, "Harry is looking for Nadine and they are looking for him. I'll try to find him and convince him to leave, but in the meantime you all must leave."

"Traitor," Albert said under his breath. "Harry was right about something else. You're going to try to save that bitch."

William ignored him and continued to talk.

"I strongly suggest that you leave as soon as possible and that you don't come back. If you choose to stay I won't be able to protect you. I hope that you've all done what I suggested in the past and found a place that no one knows about including each other and saved plenty of money. You can regroup later, but for now you have to separate."

"What are you going to do?" Mary asked.

"What do you think he's going to do?" Albert sneered. "He's going to get himself killed over that hunter bitch and leave Harry to die."

"I will be fine," William said reassuringly. 

"Maybe we should stay and help you find Harry," Nell said ignoring her father's glare.

"Thank you, but you all need to go while you can," William replied. "Get out of here as soon as the sun starts going down."

Albert sat in his chair fuming as William led the family in the way that he should have done. He realized that both Mary and Nell were right in saying that he was angry at William for taking over the family. They were also right in saying that his anger was the reason that he fought William even though he knew that he was right.

In fact, he had just begun thinking about getting his family out of the hunter business when Harry killed the girl behind Thorne's club. His mistake had been that he really had no plan in place even though he implied that he did. He was going to use the vacation to plan and possibly slip away with his family.

"Damn you Harry!" Albert thought to himself as he half listened to William talk.

By the time William was done, he had all of them convinced to leave.

"Just remember, you can never return to California. If you do, you will die. Keep your eyes and ears open no matter where you go. If you get even a whiff of a Sinclaire or Blackwell, leave or lay low. And whatever you do, don't get mixed up with the hunters again."

William vanished from the cabin in the mountains to the Palm Springs condo. He wasn't surprised to find it empty although there was evidence that Harry had been there. He was too late- not that it would have made a difference even if Harry had been there. He decided not to take the time to look for him; Harry's fate had been sealed. He left the condo and went back to his room. There was nothing to do but wait.

***

Olivia lay awake thinking about her decision. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her father would never agree to any compromises no matter how reasonable they were. The idea that she was going to be a part of his death sickened her, but what was she to do? Her father would have her killed as soon as she was spotted. 

The questions about her mother's death burned in her mind. She had to know one way or another if he had anything to do with it. She knew what her gut was saying, but she had to hear it from him. Her thoughts went back to her father's impending death. Would it be merciful or would he be tortured as he and others had tortured so many both vampire and human.

She sat up as a realization hit her and began to yell for help. Benita who was still on duty rushed in to see what the ruckus was about.

"Listen," Olivia said as soon as Benita came rushing in, "if you know of any humans that are helping you, they need to be warned! He'll kill anyone that he suspects of being a vampire or aiding them! You've got to..."

"Slow down," Benita said. "Start at the beginning and tell me what you're talking about."

Olivia took a deep breath and started over.

"My father will kill anyone who is suspected of being a vampire. If he suspects that they're helping you, he'll torture them for information and then kill them. You've got to warn anyone that's helping you! They need to leave their homes and go somewhere safe!"

Benita hesitated for a moment and then took her phone out of her pocket. It hadn't occurred to her that their human allies hadn't been warned.

"Thorne... no... she's fine, but she just brought up a very valid point. Our human allies are in danger... it has? I'll tell her."

Olivia anxiously listened to Benita's end of the conversation breathing a sigh of relief when Benita didn't seem more alarmed.

"Well," Benita said with a smile, "it's been taken care of. As soon as you were spotted, a warning was issued. Most if not all of our human allies have left the city."

"That's good, but you don't understand," Olivia said. "My father will go after anyone who even remotely looks like they're helping you. By you, I mean vampires. If he sees a human talking to a vampire, he'll automatically assume that they're helping you. He will have them tortured even though they don't know anything."

Now Benita was alarmed. She took her phone out again and called Thorne back. She talked to him for a few seconds and then handed the phone to Olivia.

"What have you decided?" he asked.

"You're going to kill him with or without my help," Olivia replied. "But I would like the chance to try to reason with him."

"We expected as much," Thorne replied. 

"I'm going to help you," Olivia said after a few seconds of silence. "I won't kill him..."

"Nor would we expect you to," Thorne broke in. "What we need you for is far more important than that."

"To take over for my father," Olivia said. "I get it. I have a question... maybe a favor to ask."

"I'm listening," Thorne replied intrigued. Up until now, Olivia hadn't asked for anything. She hadn't even asked that her father be given a quick and merciful death.

"There is one of my crew that I want spared."

"Which one would that be?" Thorne asked.

"His name is William," Olivia replied. "Of all of them he was the one that I trusted the most."

"What is he to you that you're asking that his life be spared?" Thorne asked.

That was a question that surprised her although it shouldn't have. It was also a question that she didn't have the answer to.

"Does it matter?" Olivia asked. "I haven't asked for anything and I'm going to betray my father for you..."

"Not for me," Thorne corrected. "For yourself and thousands of others. You know what he is and what he plans to do to you and thousands of others. In regards to William, we've already spoken."

"Where is he?" Olivia asked.

"At the moment, I don't know," Thorne replied. "I can tell you that he is in no danger from us. He also asked about you. He seems very concerned about your safety. If I didn't know any better..."

"So you'll spare him?" Olivia asked.

"He is safe," Thorne replied. "All of the teams out looking for your father and his crews are aware that he is not to be touched."

"Thank you," Olivia said relieved but choosing not to examine the reasons why.

"I would suggest that you call your father and talk to him now," Thorne advised. I'll call you back within the hour."

****

Rufus was getting ready to lay down when his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID, but didn't recognize the number. Out of curiosity, he answered it.

"Daddy?"

"Olivia? Where are you?" Rufus asked.

"I'm at the same place and before you ask, I don't know where it is," Olivia replied.

"Are you still untouched?"

"They haven't hurt me," Olivia said. "Dad, what really happened with mom? Did you set her up like you set me up?"

That wasn't how she had intended to start the conversation, but she had to know.

"Why don't we talk about how we're going to get you out of there?" Rufus asked avoiding the question. "Did you see anything? Any landmarks?"

"You set her up didn't you? You had Harry kill her and then you used her death to keep the war going. That's why you're going to have me killed too isn't it?"

His silence was her answer.

"I'm calling to make a proposition," Olivia said swallowing the lump in her throat. "Give me control of the organization and walk away. Go someplace far away and stay out of trouble. If you don't, you will be killed on sight."

"Who will kill me? You?" Rufus asked laughing. "You never wanted to be the head of the organization. All you want is to be left alone to your fucking daydreams of being someone else. That's why I chose Caleb as my successor and your husband. You're useless as a leader and a hunter but you can make plenty of little hunters- something that your mother was incapable of doing."

Olivia was hurt and shocked by how little her father thought of her and her mother. They had been nothing more than pawns in his war.

"You're right," Olivia said, "I can't kill you. After all, you're still my father as much as I wish that it weren't so."

Rufus listened to Olivia not caring for the confident and authorative way in which she was speaking to him. He was beginning to realize that he had been wrong about her. He hadn't destroyed her strength, it was only buried.

"Are you working with them now?" he hissed angrily, "Are you a traitor?"

"You can call it whatever you want," Olivia replied, "But that doesn't change your options or the fact that this war has to end. You can either walk away or you can stay and die. This war should have ended a long time ago and you know it. You've used the deaths of others to keep it going when the attitudes about the war began to change. In keeping the war going, you've let a group of beings far more dangerous than the ones that we're fighting grow in numbers."

"Lies!" Rufus raged. "There are no such things as the rogue! All of them and anything that isn't human fits under that category and they all need to be destroyed like the rabid animals they are! Just because they haven't fucked you or turned you don't mean that they're not animals!"

"Dad, the only animal is you and those that believe as you do," Olivia said softly. "You have killed innocent people just because you think that they're vampire or have helped them in some way. You killed mom for your own goals and you were going to kill me for the same reason. What are you going to do? Are you going to walk away or are you going to stay and die?"

"I will not walk away until every nonhuman being is destroyed and I will watch you die with them," Rufus said his tone firm.

"Goodbye dad," Olivia said and hung up.

She handed the phone back to Benita, cried and then asked her to call Thorne.

"I tried... but he is so filled with hate that he wouldn't listen."

"Olivia, believe it or not; I'm sorry," Thorne said. "I will convey to all of the groups that his death is to be quick and merciful."

"Can you guarantee that it will happen like that?" Olivia asked.

"No, I can't," Thorne replied not telling her that William would probably be the one to kill her father. News like that needed to come from him. 

"Will you call me when it's done?"

"Of course," Thorne replied genuinely feeling for her. "Olivia, we all appreciate how hard this has to be for you..."

"No you don't," Olivia interrupted. "You have no idea about what I'm feeling. Just keep your word about William and my father," she said and hung up.

She handed the phone to Benita, walked away and into the bathroom shutting the door behind her. Once inside she began to sob. By morning, her father would be dead and she would be the head of the hunter organization, a position that she didn't want. She sat on the floor in of the toilet and began to vomit. Along with the vomit went all of her dreams of a normal life. She would never be that kindergarten teacher or the PTA mom. The hunter organization was now her life. She had no choice in the matter. If she didn't step up, someone like her father would. That thought brought thoughts about Caleb. What would happen to him? As soon as she asked herself the question, she knew the answer- he would die too. She tried to feel sorry about it, but couldn't. Caleb wasn't much different than her father was. He was only more educated.

"Olivia?" Benita called into the bathroom, "Are you alright?"

Olivia hesitated. The genuine concern in Benita's voice caught her by surprise. Other than her mother and William, no one had expressed true concern for her. She stood up, flushed the toilet and washed her face before answering.

"I'll be alright," she called out. "I just need a few more minutes."

The few minutes turned into half an hour as she grappled with her new role. Thoughts of where William might fit into that life crept in unbidden. What surprised her was that the thought of him was calming. She whispered a fervent prayer that he was safe and not in the hands of her father and Caleb.

Benita was waiting for her when she came out of the bathroom.

"I brought you something to eat and drink," she said. "I'm sure that you aren't hungry, but you should try to eat something."

"Thanks... is there any way that I can get a change of clothes?" Olivia asked.

"I'll work on it," Benita said. "Is there anything else that you need?"

"More toiletries," Olivia replied. "How much longer will you be here?"

"As long as you need me to be," Benita replied. 

"What about your mate? Don't you need to go home and see him?"

"My mate is a big boy and I mean that literally and figuratively," Benita said with a smile. "He'll be fine without me. Are you wondering about the way in which you're being treated?"

"This is nothing like I was told," Olivia replied after thinking about it. "You have shown me more kindness and compassion than my own father."

"Olivia, have a seat," Benita said. When Olivia was sitting, Benita sat down across from her and looked at her. "Olivia, you know as well as I do that there are fanatics on both sides of this crazy --assed war. It's because of these fanatics that the war continues. I'm sure that you've already thought about this but I'm going to say it anyway. Your life is in danger from the fanatics on both sides and will be for a long time to come. Had you been captured by anyone other than us, you would have been either turned or killed as soon as they caught you. My point is this; you need to start surrounding yourself with those that you can trust."

When Benita said that, Olivia thought about William.

"We're in for hard times and those who you think are friends may not be. The other thing is this. When I first met you, I saw a very insecure and frightened hunter. Part of that was because this isn't the life that you wanted, but part of it is because you've been undermined at every turn by your father. Tonight as I listened to you talking to your father, I heard something that I'm sure that he heard too. I heard strength and confidence. I believe that you can help end this needless fighting and if you will have me, I would like to offer the services of me and my mate."

Olivia was speechless at Benita's offer. She conceded that Benita was right about the fanatics, but a hunter and a vampire working as a team? She thought about it and laughed. When she agreed to run the organization and sanctioned the death of her father, that's exactly what she had been doing and still was.

"Don't you want to talk to your mate about this?" Olivia asked.

"My mate's name is Kenneth and no he will have no issue with it because we've already discussed it," Benita replied.

"I don't know what to say," Olivia said softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome... Kenneth will be here tonight. He and I will be your security team. After this is over, we'll need to select another vampire team for the nighttime and a wolf team for the daytime. I don't need to tell you that you can't go off alone..."

"I understand," Olivia interrupted. "I want you to tell me about your world," Olivia said changing the subject. "I only know what my father told me."

"Didn't you talk to the vampires on your crew?" Olivia asked.

"No," Olivia said with a shrug. "My father told me that everything that vampires said was a lie so I never asked."

"Well let's get comfortable," Benita said. "There's a lot to cover."

****

Barb didn't know what to do. If she was honest with herself, she didn't want to talk to her sisters or anyone else; but something that Gene said stuck with her.

"You need to give a little."

But how much? And was he right about her thinking that they wanted her to change completely? When she stopped to think about it, they had all told her that that's not what they wanted, but she hadn't believed them. Another part of her was jealous at the relationship that her sisters had with each other, but then again; she had distanced herself from them.

"Barb? Are you in there?" Louise called in. "We just want to make sure that you're alright."

Barb battled with herself. Part of her believed that they were there to gloat, but part of her knew better. She was going to say "come in," but "go away" came out instead. She was surprised when instead of knocking again, they moved away from the door.

"What did you expect?" the voice in her head asked. "That they would pound on the door demanding that you let them in? I fear that those days are long gone."




Thorne Ch. 09



"Who are you?" Barb asked. "Are you the baby talking to me?"

"Don't be silly," the voice replied and went silent.

***

"Well, we tried," Juliette said as they walked away.

"I for one am tired of trying," Kevyn said. "I mean how many ways can we tell her that we care? I'm here for her and the baby, but I'm tired of being figuratively bitch slapped."

"What are you saying?" Juliette asked.

"She's saying that it's Barb's turn to make the next move," Louise said. "I happen to agree with her. We've made every attempt to let her know that we love her; the ball is in her court. I'm going back to the room, I'm sure that the meeting is over by now."

The sisters parted ways with hugs and agreed to get together with Katrina and Rachel once the men left.

***

"How is she?" Nathan asked when Louise got back to the room.

"Alright I guess; we didn't get to talk to her."

Nathan didn't say anything. There was nothing to say and he didn't want to spend the day talking about his stubborn sister.

"I brought a little of everything," he said holding a chair out for her.

"I see, but I'm not hungry," Louise replied. "I'm too nervous to eat."

"Sweetheart, you have to eat," Nathan said kissing the top of her head and then fixing her plate.

"I know, but..."

"No buts," Nathan interrupted. "Eat at least half of it and then we'll take our vitamins."

Louise grimaced. That was the only part of being pregnant that she wasn't going to miss. She ate half of the food on the plate and then took the prenatal vitamin.

"God that's horrible!" she exclaimed.

"Yes I know," Nathan replied with a chuckle, "but in a few months we won't be taking them. Are you sure that you can't eat any more?"

"I'm sure... let's go to bed," Louise said as she stood up.

Nathan stood up and took her hand noticing how cold it was. She was scared and there was nothing that he could say that would change that. With a thought they were naked and his hands were on her belly. 

"I will be back," he said rubbing it. "I have two ladies to spoil."

"Nathan... just be careful. We need you."

Nathan picked Louise up, carried her to the bed and sat down with her in his lap. He nuzzled her neck with his nose and then kissed it smiling when she shivered. He held her securely in his lap with one arm around her while the other hand cupped her cheek and then moved down her body. He stopped at her breasts which were larger and more sensitive since the pregnancy. He tweaked a nipple between his thumb and forefinger as he kissed and then sucked on her neck.

"You smell good," he murmured against her neck when the scent of her arousal hit his nose and the moisture covered his erect member. He let his hand drift further down to rest on her stomach for just a moment and then continued down to her mound. Louise opened her legs in invitation moaning when Nathan pressed against her clit and slipped two long fingers inside of her. "I think that I'm ready for dessert," he said and nipped her hard enough to draw blood that he lapped up like a cat as it trickled down her neck. Nathan turned so that Louise was lying on the bed and he was stretched out beside her.

"I am coming back to you and our baby," he said kissing her gently then with more insistence. "We have a menu to plan for our restaurant and nurseries to decorate." He murmured against her lips. He kissed her again and moved to a breast taking a hard nipple into his mouth and gently chewed on it.

Louise cried out and held Nathan's head tight against her breast urging him to suck harder and faster. She let out a small scream when Nathan began to circle her clit before actually touching it. She knew that he was going to make her come so that she would be soaked. After the orgasm, he would lick and suck at her nub until no more of the thick, clear fluid ran from her and she had come at least twice more. Then and only then would be pull her on top of him and slide into her.

Nathan didn't disappoint her. He teased and nibbled at her until she begged him to end it. At the end of the second orgasm, Louise climbed on top of him and eased down onto his erection. Both of them moaned and cried out and began to move against each other. Nathan pulled Louise down to him and kissed her, exchanging breaths with her as he slid in and out of her. He held her in place and did all of the work. He ground against her making sure to make contact with her clit. Louise began to cry as her orgasm began ending just as Nathan's started.

Afterwards, Nathan held her tighter than he normally did. He wasn't afraid that he wasn't going to return, he knew that he would. Louise knew it too, but she was still afraid. His holding her so tightly seemed to help allay those fears. He knew that she had fallen asleep when he felt her breathing deepen and then slow. As he lay there, he wondered where to begin looking for Harry. Suddenly, Louise was wide awake and sitting up.

"Nathan, he's somewhere in the city."

***

Nadine and Leon had just finished making love for the fourth time. She had made Leon promise several times not to do anything that would get him, Hans or Nathan killed.

"Dina, I promise!" Leon said exasperated. After that promise every time she started to bring it up he silenced her with a kiss. Finally, she got it and stopped saying anything about it. Instead, she started talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Leon, recognizing it as nerves let her ramble. The closer the time came before he had to go, the more nervous Nadine became.

"Baby make sure that you don't sit here alone," he said.

"I won't," she replied. "All of the women and children are going to wait together. I hope that Barb comes too."

"Me too," Leon agreed. "Dina, do you understand why I have to do this?"

"Yes, I do," Dina replied. "This is who you are, but you can't expect me not to be afraid."

She started to say something else, but no sound came out. Her eyes widened in fear and her hold on Leon tightened.

"Dina? What's the matter?" Leon asked. "Come on baby talk to me," he insisted.

"Harry..." was all that she managed to get out.

One thing became clear to Leon. Nadine, while having done well in her life had never dealt with the rape and its aftermath. He cursed himself for not seeing it sooner. After everything was over with, he would bring up the subject of her talking to either Katrina or Rachel.

"It's alright," he soothed. "I won't let him anywhere near you."

He felt Nadine gain control of herself and settle.

"I'm alright, I promise," she said even as she snuggled closer absorbing his warmth.

Leon however, wasn't entirely convinced and decided to bring up the idea of her talking to Katrina or Rachel sooner rather than later.

"Dina, have you ever talked to anyone about what happened to you?"

"No and I don't need to," Nadine replied.

"I think that you're wrong about that," Leon replied. "I think that maybe you need to talk to either Katrina or Rachel. They know and understand what you've been through. They can help you."

"I don't..."

"Just think about it okay?"

Nadine finally agreed to think about it, but she had no intentions of talking to anyone about what happened to her.

"Thank you," Leon said hoping that she would talk to one or both of the other women.

****

Ethan, Katrina and Victoria quietly ate their dinner. Victoria was full of questions but wasn't sure that she should ask. She and Wanda had already agreed to stick together and to keep Celeste close. She also planned to go to the kitchen early while everyone was still there and make snacks for them. She was bound and determined that no one was going into the kitchen once the search teams left. She still had nightmares about the night that Veronica was taken. Whenever she thought about that night, she felt sick and nothing anyone said convinced her that it wasn't her fault. Even sessions with Mason had failed to relieve her of her guilt.

"What is it pumpkin?" Katrina asked.

"Will people die?"

"Victoria, come here," Ethan said. He understood what she was asking.

When she reached him, he lifted her into his lap and kissed her cheek. He waited until she was settled with her head on his shoulder and hugged her.

"I won't lie to you and tell you that none of us will die or get hurt," he said. "You're much too smart for that. What I will tell you is that all of us will do our best to comeback alive and unhurt."

"But papa, what if you don't come back? What will we do?"

Ethan looked at Katrina who was wiping away tears.

"Sweetheart, I plan on coming back even if I have to crawl. If I don't come back, you and your mom will still be cared for. I will always be watching over you from wherever I am."

Victoria sat trembling in Ethan's lap wishing that there was some way that she could help.

"You can help me by helping your mom," Ethan said answering her unspoken question. "And when I come back, I'm going to be hungry. Maybe you and mom and make one of those breakfast casseroles while we're gone."

Victoria didn't reply. She wasn't going to make anything until she saw him and the others were all in the house safe.

****

Various versions of the same conversation were taking place throughout the house. Of the children, Celeste seemed to be the most affected. She clung to Hans not letting him out of her sight. It was then that Hans realized that Celeste knew exactly what he and the others were. Why the other two hadn't figured it out or asked questions, he didn't know.

"How long have you known?" he asked her when they had a moment alone.

Celeste cocked her head to the side and thought about her answer.

"Always," she finally said.

Her answer surprised Hans, and he wanted to know why she didn't say anything.

"I'm not supposed to, it's a secret."

"What else do you know?" Hans asked.

"That almost everyone is like you... Aunt Louise is too."

"Celeste, can you continue to keep your secret?" Hans asked. "Your mom and I plan to tell Victor and Wanda soon."

"Okay papa-too," Celeste replied without hesitation as she kissed his cheek.

Hans remembered Thorne calling Celeste a power house. He had no idea of how right he was.

****

Thorne sat in his office waiting for Ethan. If things went as planned, they had a long hard road ahead of them. Things were going to get much worse before they got better. He knew that Benita and her mate Kenneth were going to offer their services to Olivia and he hoped that she accepted. The couple was amongst the best he had. Ethan would supply the second team of vampires as well as the second team of wolves. Once again he thought about the split between their families. Figuring out what really happened was on the list of his things to do as well as dealing with his own issues regarding his mother.

He hadn't spoken to her since he took Noel in although he knew that Noel spoke to her on a weekly basis. All he was concerned about was that she was safe and apparently she was. Noel had warned her to stay out of California and to make sure that she didn't go anywhere alone. As of yet, she didn't know that he was going to be a father. Noel couldn't have told her, if he had; she would have called by now and her and Barb would be like two peas in a pod. At some point, he was going to have to tell her, but not now. Like so many other things, it would have to wait. The other issue was Barb who he felt nothing for. He sincerely hoped that she didn't choose the mate option. Sex or no sex, he didn't want her. 

"Fate is a bitch," he muttered to himself.

Even though he didn't want Barb, he was excited about their son. Another thought hit him- what was he going to teach his son about women? That thought alone made him realize that he really did need to work on his issues. Thankfully the baby's aunts were what he considered to be good women. It was obvious that they loved their mates and really didn't care about money. Then the question was what he would tell the baby about his mother if Barb should decide to sign off on her parental rights. Of the options, that seemed to be the most likely choice. The baby, through Celeste had indicated that he knew that his mother neither loved nor wanted him. So maybe what he told him was a moot point. But still it hurt... he knew from firsthand experience.

Thorne fully expected to come back alive. Maybe injured, but alive. But if anything happened and he died, he hoped that she chose Leon and Nadine to raise the baby if anything did happen. He had tremendous respect for Leon and decided that he liked him. The baby would be loved by any and all of the Sinclaires and their mates, but there was something about Leon that drew him.

"Shit..." he muttered. 'I'm going to have to make some changes."

He wasn't even sure of where to begin and realized that he might have to do the one thing that his father had always preached against- going to get professional help. In retrospect, that was exactly what Noel had needed and probably still did. No one could survive what he did and not be fucked up or at the very least have some residual effects. He could almost hear his father's voice.

"All that psychobabble shit is for the weak and the Blackwell's are not weak! We take care of our own problems without the help of strangers."

"Shit," he cursed again, but then told himself that it was for the baby. The idea of going to someone seemed to sit with him better when he thought of it in those terms. He didn't like it, but it had to be done.Eustace Matthew's name came to mind as did Mason Donahue's. "I can't believe that I'm actually thinking about this," he said out loud.

"Thinking about what?" Ethan asked as he walked into the office.

"Nothing," Thorne replied. "Olivia is on board," he said changing the subject. 

"Is she aware that her father will more than likely die?" Ethan asked.

"She knows," Thorne replied. "She made a last ditch effort to get him to walk away and as we expected, he refused."

"So he dies on sight," Ethan commented.

"Yes and in my opinion that's what needs to happen." Thorne replied.

"Any word from William?"

"No and I don't expect to hear anything unless it's to tell us that he's killed Rufus," Thorne replied. "Olivia mentioned him though. She wants his life spared."

"They're mates," Ethan said. "She just hasn't accepted it yet."

"True, have you talked to Leon yet?" Thorne asked.

"Not yet, but I don't think that it's going to be a problem as long as he gets Harry."

"Alright, let's go over the check list," Thorne said. "All vampires have been warned away from humans. All teams have been warned that William is not to be touched and to call if Harry is spotted. Caleb and Rufus die on sight."

"Good, I've been going over my list of guards and have several mated pairs for Olivia to choose from. The same goes for the wolves."

"Grant and his mate have consented to be guards for her during the day," Thorne said. "After this is over, I'll have them meet with her and she can decide for herself. Now about tonight..."

*****

"Rufus, why don't you wait here?" Caleb asked. "I can handle things..."

"Do you think that I'm afraid?" Rufus roared interrupting him.

"No, but ..."

"Do you think that I'm afraid of my daughter?"

"No, but Rufus," Caleb said, "Going out there is a suicide mission. We need you alive and in one piece."

"Do you know what that ungrateful little bitch said to me?" Rufus said angrily. "She told me to walk away or stay and die..."

"Maybe walking away isn't such a bad thing, we could regroup and..."

"Are you working for them too?" Rufus interrupted. His eyes blazed with anger and distrust as he stared at Caleb. His hand went to the small pistol that he kept on him in case of emergency. What constituted an emergency was getting cornered by vampires. The pistol was always with him even while he slept. 

"Hold on," Caleb said seeing the hand move to the sidearm. "You know better than that."

"Do I?" Rufus asked. 

"Yes you do," Caleb replied. "I was just looking out for you. I need you around for questions and advice. If you want to come then fine..."

"So now you're giving me permission?" Rufus retorted hotly.

Caleb belatedly saw that he was in a lose-lose position. No matter what he said, Rufus would turn it around. For the first time, he understood what the murmurings were about. Murmurings that he said nothing about because many of those doing the murmuring were his friends. One of them took his life in his hands and approached him.

*

"Caleb, Rufus is off his ass crazy."

"Watch it Dave," Caleb warned.

Dave looked at him and shook his head.

"Is your head so far up his ass that you don't see what's happening here? He likes the war. It's become his life and he doesn't care about our lives or the lives of our families. It's why he pushes procreation."

"You're wrong," Caleb insisted. "We need to rid the world of the..."

"Bullshit!" Dave cut in. "You sound like a fucking groupie repeating what you're told! Open your eyes before it's too late! Rufus is paranoid and he won't think twice about using his weapons on any of us. And let me tell you something else, if you think that he's really going to hand over the reins to you, you're crazier than he is. He's still going to run things through you."

*

Now Caleb understood. Rufus was using him just as he had used Olivia. He also realized that Dave had been right. He looked at Rufus and for the first time, saw him as he really was- a maniac with his own agenda. He stepped back when he saw the pistol in Rufus's hand. 

"Rufus listen to me," Caleb said his voice low. "I am not one of the enemy. I am on your side. I would never do anything to hurt you or the organization. Now put the gun away and let's go kill some vamps."

***

William stood back watching the exchange between Rufus and Caleb. Part of him wished that they would kill each other, but part of him wanted to be the one to kill them. He could see the tremor in Rufus's hand and heard the tremble in Caleb's voice.

"Do it," he thought to himself. If Rufus and Caleb killed each other it would simplify things in more ways than one. Not only would it send the hunters in disarray, he wouldn't have to tell Olivia that he killed her father.

He wondered if she was realizing what he had only begun to admit to himself-he and Olivia were mates. The next question was if she could and would accept it. He reminded himself that there were other issues at hand that took precedence over his and Olivia's possible future together. 

His attention was drawn back to the two men, when he heard the soft click of the pistol's hammer being pulled back. Caleb was still trying to get Rufus to see reason when the gun either went off because of Rufus's shaking hands or because he deliberately pulled the trigger. There was a startled cry and then the sound of the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor. It would have been the perfect time to kill Rufus, but the room was immediately filled with hunters.

"What in the fuck happened?" one of the guards asked obviously shocked.

William half expected Rufus to lie and was surprised when he didn't.

"He was a traitor!" Rufus exclaimed. "He was working with the other side..."

"Bull shit!" someone shouted." He wouldn't do that!"

"Take note!" Rufus said. "This is what happens to traitors! Caleb was to be my son and successor and he betrayed not only me, but the organization. I will not be stepping down."

This announcement didn't surprise William. He wondered if Rufus ever really planned to let Caleb take over. He doubted it, but then anything was possible. He could feel the tension and anger in the air from the other hunters. For just a moment, he thought that they would take out their weapons and as one fire them. But they simply walked out of the room giving up the chance to be rid of a maniac. He watched as Rufus put his pistol away, looked at Caleb's body and then finished getting ready for the fight.




Thorne Ch. 09



"You die tonight," William whispered and vanished to the kitchen so that he could eat and feed.

He opened the fridge to take out a unit of blood, stopped and looked at them closely. Something wasn't right about them. Then he realized that they had been tampered with. He almost laughed out loud. He knew that it had been Rufus thinking that he had finally come up with a poison that would kill vampires. What Rufus didn't know was that no matter what the substance was, it would be quickly metabolized before it could do any harm. It once again showed how illiterate Rufus was in regards to the vampire race.

William sensed Rufus watching him and decided to drink the blood. One, it might not taste right, but then it would give Rufus a false sense of security. He poured the blood into a glass, smelling it as he did so. He smelled nothing out of the ordinary and put the glass in the microwave. He could feel Rufus's excitement as he took the warmed blood out of the microwave and downed it in one long drink. Deciding that he needed a bit more blood, William heated a second unit and quickly downed it. He turned to see Rufus watching him.

"Hungry huh?" Rufus asked attempting to be interested but failing. William could see the excitement in his eyes.

William didn't reply, but glared at Rufus in such a way that Rufus's hand went to his pistol. Still staring at him, William raised the glass to his lips and drank it straight down. Without pause, William opened a third bag and poured it into the glass. For effect, he moved slowly. He couldn't wait to see the look of frustration of Rufus's face when he realized that he had failed again. He drank the third glass slowly and decided to have a fourth bag. It was going to be a long night and a little extra nourishment wasn't going to hurt anything. William almost laughed when he heard Rufus's heart rate rise in excitement.

"You can't get drunk on that stuff can you?" Rufus asked seriously.

Again, William didn't reply but warmed up the blood and drank it. He rinsed out the glass and finally spoke.

"What are your plans?"

Rufus blinked. He was remembering that Caleb was the one with the plan but he was dead. Now that he had calmed down, Rufus realized that he had made a huge mistake. He looked at William and walked away. Surely Caleb had made notes of some kind. 

"Damn it!" Rufus exclaimed as he looked through the desk and finally online.

"Is there something wrong?" William asked from the doorway to the office.

"What do you want?" Rufus snapped.

"Time is passing, what are your plans for Olivia's rescue? Do you know where she is?"

"I don't have to tell you a damned thing," Rufus replied angrily. It was an attempt to cover the fact that he had no idea of what Caleb had planned nor did he have any idea of where Olivia was being held. The attempt to cover his ignorance failed and he knew it from the smirk on William's face.

"In other words, you have no idea of where she is and you have no plan," William said smugly. "Caleb had the plan, but you killed him before you found out what it was. How many of your hunters will you sacrifice to continue a war that you cannot win? You have dissension in your ranks. Many of the men here were friends of your late second in command..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Rufus screamed.

"I think that I understand what is happening," William continued. "You chose Caleb because he has many friends that will follow him. You were going to lead through him. What? Are you surprised that I am able to think beyond my next feeding? A fool could see what was happening. And what about Olivia? Is she going to be one of your acceptable losses or an offering for the cause?"

He knew that he was dangerously close to giving how he felt about Olivia away, but he didn't care.

"I also happen to know why you have so many other species working for you. You're hoping that we'll do your dirty work for you and kill each other off. I do have to give credit where credit is due," William said as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Harry pointed it out. I didn't want to believe it at first, but it's true. Do you know what your problem is? You don't listen. You should have listened to Caleb... by the way, thank you for killing him for me."

Rufus's eyes narrowed as he raised the pistol and aimed it at William. 

"Go ahead, shoot and see what happens," William taunted. "I should also tell you that whatever you put in the blood-it did nothing except to give it a slightly sour taste."

"You know where she is don't you?" Rufus asked ignoring the comment about the blood.

"No I don't," William replied, "but what I do know is that she's hell of a lot safer where she is than she is with you. Who was going to kill her? You or were you going to have that coward Caleb do it?"

"What's going on in here?" a voice boomed from behind Rufus.

"Nothing," Rufus said smiling coldly at William and lowered the pistol. "Nothing at all. Are the men assembled?"

"They're all here," the hunter said giving William a suspicious glance. "The other crews are in place."

"Good I'll be in shortly," Rufus said his eyes never leaving William's face.

When they were alone, Rufus grinned at William. It wasn't a pleasant grin. It was a grin that promised that he would be dead before the night was over.

****

Harry stayed in the shadows following the crews that were all human. He wanted to decimate them, but at the moment, they weren't important. There would be time enough for that later. The important thing was finding Nadine. He had heard that a maker could find his creation if he concentrated enough. He had never taken the time to find out if it was really true. It wasn't until they arrived in L.A. that he had seriously begun thinking about finding her.

"No time like the present," he murmured and softly said Nadine's name. At first there was nothing so he said it again. "Nadine, where are you, you murdering bitch?" His heart pounded when he thought he felt something. Encouraged, he said it again but added, "I'm coming for you and whoever the son of a bitch that you're mated to is." This time there was no mistake. He was gratified when he felt a cold blast of terror that was followed by something else that made him frown. The feeling was there and then gone before he could grasp it.

He followed the hunters for a short while and then reluctantly let them be. As he walked, he thought about everything that he was going to do to Nadine while her mate watched. He hadn't given much thought as to how he was going to capture them and counted on her fear and the mate's rage to help him. Then he stopped dead in his tracks. Hans. He had forgotten about him. He had no doubt that Hans would be somewhere nearby. If that were the case, there would be no way in which to take all of them.

"Shit," he cursed. As much as he wanted Nadine, he wasn't willing to die for it and Hans would kill him. What he needed was his family behind him to even the odds, but that wasn't going to happen. William was out of the question and if they were smart, the others were long gone. He began to wonder about his decision to stay. He now knew that he could reach out to Nadine and eventually with practice he'd be able to locate her. The idea of tormenting Nadine from afar held a certain appeal for him. By extension he would be tormenting her mate and Hans. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. He had more than enough money to last him and centuries and in which to follow through with his plan.

Suddenly William's suggestion that they all leave made sense. Harry also realized that in a roundabout way; William had helped him. He chuckled out loud as he imagined what William's reaction would be if he knew that he had inadvertently helped him in his revenge against Nadine. As he vanished, he blew Nadine an imaginary kiss and murmured something into the warm night air.

****

Nadine was getting dressed when Harry's first attempt at reaching her occurred. It felt almost like a light brushing across her mind. She felt a sense of foreboding that she didn't understand. The second time it happened, she broke out in a cold sweat. Her body began to tremble as what she knew had to be Harry's touch grew firmer. She looked around to be sure that Leon wasn't in the room before she let herself cry. She hadn't thought Harry smart enough or patient enough to try to contact her as he just had. She wondered if he knew that he could now find her. A few minutes later, along with the touch were words.

"I will see you again; enjoy your life for as long as I let you live."

Then he was gone.

"Dina?" Leon called from the bathroom. "What just happened?"

She started to say nothing, but Leon stopped her.

"And don't you try to lie to me."

Seeing that she had no choice, Nadine told him about the feelings that she had experienced.

"What else?" Leon pressed.

When she told him about what the voice said, Leon was livid with rage. He picked up the phone, called Hans, Nathan and finally Ethan. He had the longest conversation with Ethan.

"I know that I said that I wanted to be the one to kill the bastard, but he's up for grabs. I want him dead and I don't care who does it."

After he hung up, Leon wondered if he could reach Harry in the way that he had reached Nadine. Before he tried, he decided to talk to Louise.

"I was just going to call Nadine," Louise said when she answered the phone. "Is she alright?"

"She's scared although she's trying not to show it," Leon replied. "I gather that you sensed him too."

"Yes, but Leon; he's leaving."

"But he isn't going to stay away for long. Lou, he can talk to her," Leon said. "He all but threatened her. My question to you is this; do you think that I can talk to him in the same way?"

"I don't know," Louise replied after a long pause. "I can sense and even see them, but I've never been able to talk to a vampire. That's Kevyn's thing. Have you tried reaching out to him?"

"No but I'm going to. I was hoping for some pointers."

"I would suggest that you talk to Kevyn first. My feeling is that it's a gift that you have or you don't, but Leon be careful."

A few minutes later, Leon was talking to Kevyn while a very anxious Nadine listened. She didn't want him to reach out to Harry but as with the hunt, she knew that it would be pointless to try to stop him. Kevyn reiterated what Louise said.

"It's something that I was born with I guess. The only way to know for sure is to try it and see what happens. One thing though, he may not know where she is so make sure that you don't inadvertently give out any clues."

"Leon," Nadine said when he hung up.

"Don't try to talk me out of it," Leon said. "I know what he's up to. Now that he knows that he can reach you, he's going to make our lives hell. This ends tonight and I don't care who does it."

Nadine could only nod her head. It was going to be a long night.

****

The men, including Victor met in the living room. Ethan and Thorne stood side by side as allies and explained the plan.

"There is one change," Ethan said. "If any of you spot Harry, kill him. Don't waste time by calling Leon, Hans or Nathan. He has figured out that he can contact Nadine and it's only a matter of time before he learns that he can actually find her. Leon will give a description before we go. In regards to William who was also a member of Olivia's team- he is to not to be harmed in any way. Thorne and I have agreed to give his family with the exception of Harry twenty-four hours to leave town. If they are spotted, let them be unless it's obvious that they're still working with Rufus."

"Why the free pass?" Joseph asked.

"William saved the life of one of ours," Ethan replied. "He contacted us through Travis- the one that he saved. Travis read his hands and vouches for him."

"There's another reason," Thorne added. "Olivia asked that he be spared as a favor to her. But more importantly, William may be the one to kill Rufus. If he can do it before the night is over, the hunters will disband for now and that will give us time to get Olivia into place as the new head of the hunter organization."

"What about her father?" Martin asked.

"He dies," Ethan replied. "Olivia spoke to him and gave him the option of walking away and he refused. We need to find him before another group does. We promised Olivia that we would give him a quick death..."

"That won't happen if one of the other groups finds him first," Nathan replied. "If the group from the east side of the city finds him first, he'll be tortured and turned only to be tortured some more."

"True, but there are other groups as bad," Joseph said. 

"The important thing here is that we all come back in one piece as well as honor our word to Olivia as much as we can," Ethan said.

Ethan felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, took it out and looked at the caller ID.

"William, what's happening? When? Yes she is still safe. Call when you can."

"What happened?" Thorne asked.

"Rufus killed his successor," Ethan replied. "He accused him of being a traitor and killed him before finding out what the plan for tonight is."

"That's good news for us," Thorne commented. "Alright, go spend a few minutes with your mates and be back here in ten minutes."

Thorne stayed where he was for another minute before deciding to go see Barb and to comfort the baby.

****

Barb paced the room trying to figure out who was talking to her if not the baby. Between the voice and Gene she had been hearing some hard truths that she still wasn't ready to admit to. That was the reason that she turned Kevyn and the others away. To her to have let them in was to admit that she had been to some degree wrong.

"What will it take?" the voice asked startling her. "You are on the verge of living alone for all time. Even your child does not want you. Do you understand what that means? A child loves unconditionally, but you have already lost that love. Your family loves you, but you continue to turn them away. You will have your money, but who will you share it with? The humans have a saying- be careful of what you wish for. I would encourage you to heed that advice."

"Who or what are you?" Barb asked not sure that she really wanted to know.

"I am who you have deliberately ignored from the time that you could talk," the voice replied. "I am who you ignored when you tried to make your family give you more than they were able to. I am who could have saved you much pain, anger and sadness had you taken the time to listen to me and not concentrated on your own needs."

"Are you saying that you're my conscience?" Barb asked out loud.

"I am many things," the voice replied.

"What kind of answer is that?" Barb asked irritably.

"It means that what I am changes with whatever is happening," the voice replied. "For instance, let's think about that prom dress. Part of you felt guilty for the way in which you acted did you not? That was me speaking to you and me that you subsequently ignored. The same goes for your ex-husband. When you lied about giving him a child,that was me speaking to you. In those cases I was as you call it, your conscience. Let's move forward to the night that you went to the club. Something told you not to go but you did. Even as you stood in line, something was telling you to leave, but you stayed. When your family came for you, you knew that you should have left with them but your greed led you to ignore what you knew to be true. In those cases I was your instinct."

"What are you now?" Barb snapped. "My advisor?"

"I suppose you can think of me as such," the voice replied. "I am also the one who can help you salvage your relationship with your family and child if you so wish it. But more importantly, I can help you salvage your relationship with yourself."

"There's nothing to fix!" Barb retorted.

The voice sighed and then spoke again.

"There will come a time when even I will grow weary of you and my patience is supposed to be infinite. There will come a time when you will no longer hear me. That day is rapidly approaching."

"Oh just great! My so called conscience bails on me too!" Barb exclaimed.

"Unfuckingbelievable," the voice said. "Have you not been listening? Even after all that I have told you, you continue to think of only yourself and your needs. I understand now. You want a whipping post. Your only interest is blaming others for your choices. You don't want to make amends with your family. You don't want to find a way to accept and love the child that you carry nor do you truly want a mate. You only care for yourself. I do have to wonder where this attitude came from. Your parents were kind and loving people. I know what you say-abuse, but you and I know that its bullshit. It's just an excuse that you use so that you can treat others as you please."

"I was abused..."

"Again, I repeat," the voice said. "It is utter bullshit! I was there remember? Mark my words Barbara Yancy Simpson... your time grows short as does my patience."

Before Barb could say anything, the voice was gone.

Adrianna watched from the small den that adjoined the bedroom. "Just give a little," she murmured. When she saw Barb do what she had done for her entire life, Adrianna shrugged and went back to her laptop. Her thesis was due in a little over two months.

Barb shakily sat on the bed. It felt as if the conversation with herself had taken more than an hour instead of the fifteen minutes that had passed. She wondered if she was losing her mind and if she had a psychiatric condition. Schizophrenia topped the list. Thorne screwing with her came in second, the baby came in third.

After thinking about it, Barb came to the conclusion that none of the three options were true which meant that she really had heard and carried on a conversation with the voice. Whether the voice was all that it claimed to be was another thing altogether, but deep down she knew that it hadn't lied to her about what it was.

She still maintained that she couldn't change into the nice person that her sisters and brothers were. She wasn't even sure that she wanted to. As far as the baby was concerned, she hadn't changed her mind on that either. She knew that her sisters were hoping that once she had him and saw him that she would feel an overwhelming amount of love for him. But she knew better. She was who she was and part of that did not include a child.

"But can you at least admit to your part in his conception?" the voice asked and then faded.

Barb was going to reply when Thorne walked in.

"We're leaving in ten minutes," he said. "I want to spend a few moments with our son. I'm sure that he is frightened."

Barb bit back a sarcastic remark and lay down on the bed. She looked down at her stomach and frowned. Unless she was imagining things, it had grown. The barely noticeable bump was now very noticeable.

"Vampire babies grow quickly in the womb although they are carried for a longer time than human babies," Thorne explained. "Didn't Gretchen tell you this?"

Barb thought back. She vaguely remembered something being mentioned the rate of growth, but she hadn't cared so she didn't listen. Instead of admitting that she hadn't listened to half of what Gretchen told her, she snipped.

"Of course I remember! I just forgot."

Thorne gave her a cool grin telling her that he knew better. When she was settled on the bed, he placed his hands on her stomach and began to massage it as he spoke in low, soft tones.

"I will return so try not to worry or be frightened," he said as he continued to rub. "If by some very small chance I do not return, you will be with those who will love you as if you were born to them. When I return, I have many things that I have to change if I am to be a good father to you and I will be a good father. Rest easy; I love you." 




Thorne Ch. 09



Barb watched fascinated and jealously as Thorne then bent down and kissed her stomach. He lingered for a few more seconds, stood up and then spoke to her.

"I expect this to be over by morning. After things settle down, we'll talk again."

"I won't be your mate if that's what your wondering," Barb said her tone curt.

"I wasn't wondering about that," Thorne replied his tone just as curt. "But I suspected as much. I wanted to talk about the future of our child and what part in it that future you wanted to play if any."

When he saw Barb's surprised expression, he continued.

"I have always been honest about my feelings toward you. I have also admitted that part of the reason that we're together because of the choices I made. Just as I won't deny your family access to him, I won't deny you if you choose to be a part of his life. I have to go, but think about this... think about your part in this."

"This isn'...."

But Thorne was gone. He already knew what she was going to say.

*****

The streets were empty except for the hunters and their prey. The few humans that were out quickly found cover when they saw the two factions roaming the streets. Every so often, a vampire or wolves who hadn't heard the warnings were caught unawares. Half of those were killed; the other half either escaped or was rescued.

Ethan and Thorne sniffed the air, but neither made any comment. The tension was thick, almost palpable. 

"Are you ready to do this?" Ethan asked.

"It has to be done," Thorne replied. "This makes me think of our fathers. I can still remember seeing them talking together about how best to protect us. I guess it's come full circle."

"I suppose it has," Ethan agreed. "Good luck and be safe," Ethan added extending his hand.

"You too," Thorne replied taking Ethan's hand and shaking it. It occurred to him that he liked Ethan.

***

Noel stood back watching the two vampires who just several weeks ago were enemies. A thought began to niggle on the back of his mind, but it wasn't clear enough that he could get a grasp on it. As soon as he tried to force it, he felt the beginnings of a headache.

"Not time yet," he murmured and went his post. On his way, he made a check on where the women and children were. They had already congregated in the living room. The only person missing was Barb. He stopped to look at the faces and saw the fear. He wished that he could say something to allay it, but he couldn't think of anything.

He passed Joseph who was on his way to the roof and then Martin who was on his way to the front of the house. He greeted each of them with a nod and took his place in the back. While he kept watch, he began to plan his future. He definitely was moving away as soon as the mess with Rufus Saunders was over. The question was where.

He heard a sound behind him and whirled around relieved that it was only Victor.

"What are you doing here?" Noel asked not unkindly.

"They're all taking girl stuff," Victor replied. "It's boring."

Noel couldn't help but laugh.

"I can understand that, what would you like to talk about?"

"Jets," Victor replied without hesitation.

"I'll make a deal with you," Noel said. "You can stay, but as soon as I tell you to go help the women and children, you go."

"Deal!" Victor replied extending his hand.

The first two hours was quiet. By the end of it, Noel knew more about model jets than he cared to; but he enjoyed talking to Victor and loved his enthusiasm. At the end of the third hour, Noel tensed.

"Victor, go back and get the others ready to leave," Noel said his eyes glued to the darkness.

"Whose here?" Victor asked forgetting his promise. 

"I don't know, but go now!"

Victor took off at a run leaving Noel alone scanning the darkness. 

"Relax," a voice said. "It's just me."

Joseph appeared in front of him with a grim smile on his face. 

"I'm just making rounds on the property," he said. "Sorry if I startled you, but good reflexes."

"Did you see anything?" Noel asked.

"No and it's quiet out front too," Joseph replied. "I'm going to head back now, but give a shout if you see or hear anything suspicious."

Joseph vanished leaving Noel alone with his thoughts about where he would move to. Europe he decided. He had been there to visit, but he had never lived there. His excitement grew as he began to make concrete plans to leave states. He wouldn't live in one of the family homes, he would buy his own place. He thought about the eyes in the portrait and as with the memories, he decided that when the time was right, they would find each other no matter where in the world they were.

"Is it alright now?" Victor asked.

"It was Joseph making rounds," Noel replied. "Is everyone alright?"

"They're ok.., Uncle Martin checked on them. They're back to talking about girl stuff. Can I ask you something?"

When Noel gave his permission, Victor hesitated.

"What's really happening? I know that it's more than one person that we're hiding from."

"As much as I would like to explain everything to you, I can't," Noel replied. "That has to come from your parents. But what I can tell you is that I won't let anything happen to you or anyone in your family. Now, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Victor replied.

"Why haven't you designed your own model plane? I saw your sketches-they're good."

Victor blushed at the compliment but had no real answer other than he hadn't seriously considered it.

"Will you help me?" Victor asked. "You're a real artist."

"But so are you," Noel countered. "There are many different kinds of art. I could never hope to design a plane, but I would be more than happy to help."

"Yes!" Victor exclaimed happily.

"But it will have to wait until this is over," Noel said smiling. "You'd better get back to the others."

Victor didn't argue. He was already designing his model plane in his head.

****

"You really should be with your sisters," Adrianna said. "You might feel better and maybe Katrina and Rachel can help answer any questions that you have."

Barb didn't reply, but changed her clothes. Anything was better than sitting in the room with only Adrianna as company. When she tried to zip up her jeans, she groaned. She had no choice but to wear one of the maternity outfits that Louise had given her. She had to admit that Louise had good taste and that she actually liked the colors of the outfits. The pale yellow top looked nice with the maternity jeans and felt comfortable.

All chatter stopped when Barb walked in with Olivia. Louise was the first to greet her and then the others.

"We're glad that you came," Juliette said hugging her.

"Well," Barb said dryly, "it beats sitting in my room with Adrianna."

"We're still glad that you're here no matter the reason," Louise said taking her hand. "That's a good color for you," she added noticing that Barb was wearing one of the maternity outfits.

"I had nothing else to wear," Barb replied instead of saying thank you. 

She ignored the little twinge of guilt that she felt and sat down. She settled in her seat and prepared to be bored. In spite of herself, she grew interested in the conversation. She just didn't get it. Both Katrina and Rachel married their rapist and had children with them. Kevyn married a rapist and Louise was married to a child of rape. She looked around to see where the children were and spoke up when she saw that they were on the other side of the room.

"Explain to me how you married men that hurt you."

"There is no easy explanation," Rachel replied. "Martin and I were meant to be together even before the rape occurred. It took a lot of time for me to know and accept that..."

"But he hurt you! And then my sister marries someone who hurt other women."

"Barb," Katrina said softly. "It's a hard thing to explain and even harder to understand. I won't tell you that I still don't get angry, because I do. I'm also not going to sit here and justify what they did because it doesn't change anything and it was wrong no matter the reason that it happened. All I can say is that they owned up to what they did and are trying to help others. They are now the men and vampires that they were meant to be.

"Why aren't they in prison?" Barb asked.

"In the human world they would be," Rachel explained. "In this world-the vampire world rape isn't illegal. That's something that we're working to change but as in the human world, change happens very slowly if not slower. Vampires as I'm sure you've seen are slow to change the familiar. In the meantime, we're doing all that we can to stop not just rape, but other violent crimes as well. I agree with Katrina- Martin and Ethan have owned their past and are now the men and vampires that they were meant to be. Like her I still have my moments and I always will."

The words "owning up to what they did" caught Barb's attention. That seemed to be a recurring theme with everyone who talked to her. Thinking that the subject was closed, the conversation went from the rapes to adjusting to life as a mate of a vampire. Barb stopped listening. She was Thorne's mate in name only and that was as far as it was going to go. As the discussion continued, she looked over at Louise who was radiant. Her small hand rested on her stomach and every so often rubbed it.

Barb jumped when she felt a hand on her stomach and then relaxed when she realized that it was Celeste. Barb looked down at Celeste and could see her lips moving. After a few minutes, Celeste smiled and moved away from Barb without speaking. Barb wanted to know what transpired between her niece and the baby but was too afraid to ask. Celeste still scared and freaked her out.

She looked over at Nadine remembering how she had treated her when she was a housekeeper at the hotel. How was she supposed to know that the woman was a card carrying member of Mensa? 

"Looks can be deceiving can't they?" the voice whispered. "Look at the vampire that was to be your mate."

"Shut up!" Barb hissed under her breath.

She looked up to see Louise watching her and quickly looked away. She didn't want anyone to know what was going on inside of her head. The baby talking to Celeste was already too much. 

"Do you think that the guys are alright?" Juliette was asking nervously.

"You would know if something happened to Hans," Rachel replied. "That's part of the connection that we were talking about. All of us have the capability to reach our mates telepathically although I wouldn't recommend trying it tonight- we don't want to distract them."

Juliette nodded and blinked back tears. When Celeste climbed into her lap, Juliette held her so tight that the girl squirmed. Celeste whispered something in Juliette's ear and Juliette relaxed, but only slightly. As Barb watched, she realized that she hadn't even thought about Leon and he was her brother. A small trickle of reality began to trickle into a small crack that she didn't know was there.

Her next thought was that she hadn't given Thorne a second thought since he talked to her before leaving. Even as she thought about him now, it was in reference to the baby. She wanted him back in one piece because he would take the baby off of her hands. If he died, the possibility that the others would change their minds about taking him was a very real possibility. 

"So selfish," the voice whispered.

Like she had done so many times before, Barb ignored the voice and turned her attention back to the group. The conversation had changed to Katrina and Rachel's work.

"We're always looking for volunteers at the fundraisers and at the children's homes," Katrina said.

"I'm swamped with classes," Kevyn said, "but I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Me too," Louise and Juliette chimed in.

Barb tuned them out again and let her mind wander. She daydreamed about where she was going to live after the baby was born. Going back to Pittsburgh was at the top of the list. After thinking about it, she decided that maybe that wasn't a good idea. She had too many friends who would cling to her because she had money. She heard the voice laugh, it's disbelief clear and ignored it. She needed to go somewhere where no one knew her. The only thing that she was sure of was that she wasn't going to stay in California any longer than she had to. 

"What about your child?" the voice whispered. "Do you plan to stay out of his life?"

"Shut up!" Barb said not realizing that she had spoken out loud until it was too late.

She looked around to see everyone staring at her. Of all the eyes looking at her, only Celeste's had a knowing look in them. Barb met Celeste's eyes and inwardly cringed. Celeste more than made her nervous, she frightened her. It reinforced the thought that she had to leave the state as soon as possible.

She was angry that she was so afraid of a six year old and struggled not to react as she normally would have- with sarcasm and a sharp tongue. One, she knew that none of the adults would tolerate it and two; Victoria Sinclaire scared her almost as much as Celeste did.

"Barb, are you alright?" Kevyn asked concerned. "Do we need to call Gretchen?"

"No," Barb replied with a dry mouth. "I'm fine. I need a drink of water." 

She stood up to go to the kitchen and suddenly Victoria was blocking her way. 

"Not the kitchen," Victoria said in a tense whisper. "You can't go into the kitchen."

Up until this point, Veronica and Vanessa had remained silent. They were sitting in the back working on their laptops. Veronica was the first to reach her.

"Victoria honey, it's alright," Veronica said softly as she knelt in front of her. "Noel is in the kitchen, Uncle Martin is in the front and Uncle Joseph is on the roof..."

"Don't let her go into the kitchen," Victoria said sobbing as she threw her arms around Veronica's neck.

"Alright, we won't let her go into the kitchen, okay? Calm down," Veronica said stroking Victoria's back. "No one is going to go into the kitchen."

"Pumpkin," Katrina said as she knelt beside the trembling girl. "We're all safe and no one is going to take anyone away."

Victoria released Veronica, threw herself into Katrina's arms and allowed herself to be carried away. Veronica stood up, looked at Barb and then walked away making it clear that she hadn't forgotten that Barb had made a pass at Rik.

"Strange kid," Barb muttered and continued on the kitchen.

Noel turned around when he heard her enter and then looked back toward the property. He didn't have anything to say to his sister, at least nothing nice so he kept his mouth shut. Then he remembered the baby. 

"How are you feeling?" he asked glancing back at her.

"Are you asking about me or the baby?" Barb retorted.

"Both of you," Noel replied. "Just because I don't like you doesn't mean that I'm not concerned about your welfare."

"I don't care too much for you either," Barb replied. "What grown man lets his brother support him?"

"Is that what you think?" Noel asked.

"That's exactly what I think," Barb replied. 

Noel laughed and shook his head, but didn't say anything to defend himself.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Barb asked.

"No I'm not," Noel replied. "It's none of your business for one and for two you seem to think that you know it all. Last of all, I don't have to explain to you why I'm living with my brother. I would think that you have more important things to think about instead of why I'm living with Thorne."

"What did he tell you?" Barb asked sure that Thorne had told Noel about the options that he presented to her.

"Nothing but I know my brother," Noel replied. "Your question just told me that you haven't learned much and you don't know as much as you think you do. Thorne is a very private person. He doesn't kiss and tell as it were. You should also know by now that Thorne is not one for petty games and he pulls no punches."

Noel's cell phone rang interrupting Barb's reply.

"Thorne?"

"How are things there?" Thorne asked.

"Quiet-what about out there?"

"Busy, but so far the only casualties are on the hunter's side. I just wanted to check in. I'll call again later."

When Noel hung up, he wasn't surprised to see that Barb was gone.

****

Olivia paced. Benita and Kenneth had given up on calming her and she refused to be compelled to sleep. She had met Grant and his mate Calinda and accepted them as part of her security detail. The other vampire couple, Hugh and Jackie was due in the next night and would meet with Olivia. The other wolf couple, Milo and Natasja would be in by morning to meet with her.

She wanted to ask Benita about the vampire couple and Grant about the wolf couple but refrained. She didn't want any preconceived ideas. She would do what Benita encouraged her to do- trust her instincts. On the plus side, none of the couples knew each other except by reputation. Her thoughts went from the meeting with the couples to her father. Was he still alive or did he take her advice and leave? Her heart raced when she thought about her role in his demise.

It didn't occur to her to change her mind about his death-it was a necessity if there was ever going to be peace. Her mind raced with all of the possible scenarios of his death-none of them pleasant. Thoughts of her father's pending death triggered thoughts about William. She could only hope that he came out of it unscathed.

Suddenly, she wanted William to kill her father if he had to die. William had no love for him, but he wouldn't torture him nor would he turn him. Also knowing William, it wouldn't be an out and out murder. He would give her father a chance to defend himself thus giving him a degree of dignity. Olivia was coming to believe that it was more than her father deserved.

"Can you get me a laptop?" She asked. "I need to do something to occupy my mind."

"I'll get mine," Kenneth said as he stood up. "What else do you need?"

"For this to be over," Olivia replied.

"Olivia," Benita said when they were alone, "what is William to you that you asked that he be spared?"

"Nothing- he warned me about Harry and stayed with me at the club until he had to leave."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Benita said, "but it seems that William is more to you than someone who just warned you."

"What are you saying?" Olivia asked.

"I'm just making an observation," Benita replied with a small smile.

"Here's the laptop," Kenneth said as walked in completely unaware that he had interrupted something.

Olivia, grateful for the interruption took the laptop and sat at the table. Moments later, she was typing.

****

Thorne appeared behind his club, took a quick look around and vanished. He was surprised that it wasn't burned to the ground. He touched base with Ethan and continued his patrol along with three other vampires. One was from his security firm; the other two were from Ethan's. Ethan's crew was made up of one of his own security team and two from Thorne's. It was a token of trust on both sides.

"Have you heard from William yet?" Thorne asked during one of the check-ins.

"No and things are still quiet at the house. So far no one has spotted either Harry or Rufus. So far we've captured three hunter crews before any of the more radical vampire groups got them."

"Good," Thorne replied. "I wish that I could say that we did as well. We've found an entire team of hunters drained dry. Just to be sure we decapitated them. Ethan, I don't need to tell you that we need to find Rufus sooner rather than later. At some point he's going to realize that he's better off leaving and we may never find him again."

"I know," Ethan replied. "It's beginning to look as if William is our only real chance of getting rid of him."

Thorne didn't say anything, but he agreed and silently wished William luck and Godspeed.

****




Thorne Ch. 09



Harry was full of himself. He wondered why he hadn't realized sooner that he could touch Nadine telepathically. Had he realized that, the others wouldn't have had to die. The only thing that really concerned him was the presence that he felt when he touched Nadine. He couldn't tell if it was male or female only that it was powerful. That should have given him pause, but it didn't. He was focused on the knowledge that he now had unlimited access to Nadine. He wondered if he could make her relive the assaults. Instead of leaving as he planned, he decided to try. He looked around and assessed his surroundings. Sensing no one, he closed his eyes and concentrated on Nadine.

****

Nadine had actually managed to relax and was having a good time- as good as could be expected anyway. The only issue had been Victoria's reaction to Barb going to the kitchen. As she listened to Katrina and Rachel talk about how they had managed to not only survive brutal rapes but married their rapist, she realized that Leon was right. These women could help her deal with what happened to her.

She had just made up her mind to talk to them when she felt Harry in her head. Then she felt his hands on her skin. She jumped so hard that she tumbled out of the chair. She could hear herself screaming "no! No!" just as she had back then only this time, someone helped her. 

She heard her name being called and then hands on her. There was a voice whispering in her ear for her to breathe. Louise. 

"He can't hurt you, you're with us," Louise said. "I'm with you."

But it felt real. Nadine struggled to do as Louise told her. She tried to take a deep breath but all that came out was a sob. 

"Dina?" she heard inside of her head and sobbed in relief. "Baby are you alright?"

She could only nod. She didn't trust herself to speak. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and was finally able to talk.

"I... I'm ok."

"He was in your head again wasn't he?" Leon asked. "The sick son of a bitch!" he said not giving her a chance to respond. "Don't worry baby, this ends tonight."

A few minutes later, Louise knew the general vicinity where Harry was hiding. A couple of minutes after that, she knew exactly where he was. She could feel Nathan in the back of her mind and knew that he was angry. In her mind, she had done the right thing. She and the baby were both fine and Nadine and Leon could be rid of Harry. 

"Nadine," she whispered, "give this address to Leon. Harry is there but he won't be for long. He can feel me."

Nadine hesitated and then telepathically relayed the message to Leon.

"Got it," Leon said, "now try to relax he won't come near you again."

As if to negate what Leon was saying, Nadine felt Harry's none to gentle touch on her face. She bit back a scream and steadied herself reminding her that Harry wasn't there and that he was toying with her. Then he was gone. Nadine sagged in relief and let the tears flow. Juliette and Kevyn helped both Nadine and Louise to their feet and lead them to chairs.

Barb seeing what was happening when she came out of the kitchen went back, got a tray and put glasses of water and juices and took them back to the living room.

"Here's something to drink," she said lowering the tray so that Louise could take a glass. She then took the tray to Nadine who took a glass of water and thanked her.

"Thanks Barb," Louise said after she finished her glass of juice.

"You're welcome," Barb replied. "I'm going to bed, keep me posted."

When she got to her room, she realized that she hadn't asked what happened or if Louise was alright. She hadn't even asked about Louise's baby. She started to go back and changed her mind. She would ask later.

*****

William was on high alert. Even though Caleb was dead, Rufus was doubly dangerous because he had been challenged and he was acting impulsively. He reminded William of Hitler in the way that he disregarded the advice and observations of his crew leaders just as Hitler had ignored the advice of his generals. Word about Caleb had spread like wildfire. William could see it in their eyes. If Rufus's goal was to reestablish control, he had done that. He had also by refusing to listen, ensured the needless deaths of many of his men.

William said nothing. He supposed that some of the hunters weren't necessarily bad people, but for now; all of them with the exception of Olivia was the enemy. He wondered which of the hunters would be the first to try to assassinate Rufus. He looked at the men surrounding Rufus and decided that it would be none of them. 

While it was obvious that they hated Rufus, it was equally as obvious that they were afraid of him. William had to give Rufus credit. He was smart enough to change out his personal guard after he killed Caleb. He surrounded himself with men who would do as he said without question no matter how they felt about him. William also wondered if push came to shove if any of them would do anything to prevent Rufus's death.

He didn't think so. Especially if they had someone- him to take the blame for it. William shrugged as he realized that he could conceivably die. It didn't matter as long as Olivia was safe and as long as she stayed with the Blackwell/Sinclaire factions; she would be.

He took another moment to think about his family hoping that they took advantage of the opportunity that he had obtained for them. Harry he knew was a lost cause. He had been a lost cause even before they had been turned by a coven of vampires who caught them while they were trying to escape to the north. The vampirism had only made his insanity more visible. William inwardly sighed and redirected his complete attention to what was going on around him. By morning, not only would Rufus Saunders be dead; so would Harry. It bothered him that he didn't really feel sad about it.

When they left the house, William hung back and waited for his opportunity. If it didn't present itself, he would create one. Whenever he could, he tried to help someone caught out on the street. It didn't matter what species they were-they were at a disadvantage. There were a few times that he couldn't do anything except watch. To do otherwise would have tipped his hand too much. Rufus was already suspicious of him which is what he wanted.

William felt Rufus looking at him as if he had been reading his thoughts. William looked back at him and gave him a cold smile. He almost laughed at Rufus's startled expression. Rufus had expected him to be afraid especially with so many hunters around. William stared at Rufus until Rufus turned away under the guise of giving an order.

"Soon," William thought to himself as he watched Rufus walk away.

****

Harry was having a good time. He was having such a good time that he lost track of time and abandoned his plan to leave. He was like a child playing with a new toy. He first became aware that something wasn't quite right when Nadine stopped reacting to him in fear. The next thing to alert him was that the other presence in her mind was stronger than he had originally thought. So strong in fact that he could give it a sex-female. He wondered how that could be. It didn't occur to him that the other presence could track him to his exact location. How could she? They hadn't shared blood. Nadine however was another matter. If he could find her, then she could find him. That realization made him wonder why she hadn't done it.

"Panic," he said with satisfaction.

He looked around him and realized that he had been in the same spot for much longer than was wise. It was time to go except- he couldn't move. 

"Hello Harry," Leon said from behind him.

Harry stopped struggling and waited for Leon to come to him. His eyes widened when he saw Leon. Leon was taller than him by several inches and outweighed him by more than fifty pounds but- he was the older of the two of them. He could tell that Leon wasn't very old as a vampire- less than a year at least and that was to his advantage.

"Nice trick," Harry said with a smile. "You must be the mate to MY Nadine."

Leon recognized the statement as a goad and didn't react the way that Harry hoped that he would.

"You really are as stupid as Nadine said you are," Leon replied. "You could have been long gone, but you stayed. That is a mistake that will cost you your life."

The smile left Harry's face and was replaced by a smirk.

"Are you going to kill me?" Harry asked. "My guess is that you've never killed anyone. What makes you so sure that you can kill someone now?"

"Because of Nadine," Leon replied. "You hurt her and you're still hurting her. I may feel guilty about killing you, but I'll deal with it."

"You are newborn," Harry said with a derisive laugh. "How do you plan to kill me? Let's make a deal shall we? Release me and I'll let you go. Release Nadine to me, she is rightfully mine and I'll let you live."

Much to Harry's surprise, Leon burst out into a full bellied laugh and he didn't like being laughed at.

"Nadine didn't tell me that you were a comedian. That's probably one of the funniest things that I ever heard. The answer is no. I would die before I let you anywhere near her and that includes mentally. So let's get this over with."

Suddenly Harry was able to move. He looked around and extended his senses. Surely the new vampire hadn't come alone. He was right; he sensed two others not far away. He didn't recognize the scent of either of them, but he could tell that one of them was old; much older than he was. He wondered who they were and who this new vampire was that he had such an old one with him. One of them had to be his maker. It was the only thing that made sense.

"So you brought friends," Harry drawled hoping that Leon would slip up and reveal who they were.

"I wasn't stupid enough to come alone," Leon replied. "But don't worry. They won't interfere unless I can no longer defend myself."

"Hmmm, I would like to meet who it is that I will be killing after you," Harry said.

"Dude, seriously-do you think that I was born yesterday?" Leon asked with a chuckle. "You're fishing for information. It doesn't matter who they are, the fight is between you and me."

Harry was becoming unnerved. He didn't like the confidence that Leon was exhibiting. It made him nervous that Leon wasn't afraid of him.

"Do you understand that once you're dead there will be nothing that will keep me from finding and fucking your mate?" Harry asked trying to goad Leon into attacking before he was ready.

"What I understand is this," Leon replied. "Even if you manage to kill me, Nadine will never go with you. She would kill herself first. I also know this, even if I die; you die too. My unseen friends will ensure that. So what are we going to do? Time's passing by and I have things to do."

Instead of Leon acting rashly, Harry did. He charged Leon thinking that he had the element of surprise on his side. When Harry reached him, Leon vanished and appeared behind him. Harry whirled around and bellowed in anger. There was one thing that he hated even more than being laughed at- it was being made a fool of and that's what the new vampire was doing. Instead of taking the opportunity to vanish, Harry charged again. This time, Leon didn't move. He stood with his hands balled into fists at his side and waited. When Harry reached him, he raised his hands and hit him square in the chest. It didn't take him long to realize how he was going to destroy Harry. He was going to let him do all of the work.

Harry stumbled backwards and landed on his ass. He shook his head and jumped back to his feet.

"Not bad newborn," he said and before Leon realized it; Harry was behind him with his hands around his neck. He felt Nathan move toward them and waved him away. He used his greater height and weight to his advantage and reached behind him. He had just got his hands behind him when he felt warmth running down his shirt. Harry was trying to decapitate him.

"Shit!" Leon swore as pain ripped through him. Once again he felt Nathan move and he waved him back. He wasn't anywhere near defenseless or dead yet. He ignored the pain and grabbed Harry by reaching back and wrapping his arms around him and squeezing as hard as he could. Startled, Harry loosened his hold around Leon's neck. Leon took advantage of the release and twisted so that he was now facing Harry.

"This ends now..." was all he managed to get out before he felt an excruciating pain in his chest.

"I agree with you," Harry said as he pushed the blade of the knife deeper. "It hurts like a bitch doesn't it? That's how it felt when that bitch buried my own knife in me. I can promise you that when I get my hands on her... I'll fuck her silly and then she'll feel the pain that I did and still do."

Leon felt himself weakening as the blood poured from his neck and chest. The last conscious thought that he had was to Hans and Nathan.

"Kill the sick mother fucker."

*****

William was still watching Rufus and planning his next move when he felt Harry die. A small part of him mourned, but a bigger part of him was relieved. He wondered who it was that killed him and decided that it really didn't matter. Even from where he was he felt his family's pain. He had no doubts that his father thought that he had turned Harry in. He couldn't think about that now- he had to rid the world of Rufus Saunders.

"I'm sorry Olivia," he thought to himself as he watched Rufus strutting around like a peacock even though he had received word that several of his crews had been either killed or captured. William listened with disbelief as Rufus called for more teams from as far away as Arizona and New Mexico. He no longer had the luxury of waiting for the right time. He had to kill Rufus before those teams left their respective states.

He slowly made his way closer to Rufus and was within striking distance when someone stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going fanger?"

"Nowhere, I only wish to hear better," William replied.

"I thought that you guys had that supersonic hearing and all that shit," the hunter replied.

When William didn't reply, the man continued talking.

"Well? What about it? Do you have supersonic hearing and x-ray vision like superman? Can you fly?"

William backed up realizing that as afraid of Rufus as these men were, he had been wrong in thinking that they would allow any harm to come to him. He would have to kill Rufus without giving him a chance to defend himself. He waited until it was almost morning when the hunters would be exhausted from the hunt. When no one was watching, he vanished and ended up behind Rufus. With one strong swipe, Rufus's head flew off his shoulders and hit the ground in the midst of a group of hunters tiredly trading stories of their night.

At first no one moved. They looked at the severed head in shock and then pandemonium broke loose. They looked around them and didn't see anyone. William stood back and watched as the accusations flew and wondered how long it would be before his name came up.

"A damned vampire did this!" someone finally shouted out. "And I know who! It was that fanger William! He was trying to get close to Rufus earlier and I stopped him."

"Where is he?" someone asked. 

"I saw him a little while ago, he was back behind that tree," someone replied.

"Who's our leader now?" someone else piped up.

That one question silenced everyone.

"Caleb is dead and now so is Rufus, so now what do we do?" the same person asked.

William waited to hear the decision. He had to know if someone else would step up to the plate.

"I don't know about you," the same speaker said, "but I'm taking my fat ass home- you do what you want."

One by one the others agreed.

"Hey, don't you think we'd better call the others?" a hunter asked.

The hunter who had stopped William agreed.

"I'm thinking that they'll want to leave too," he said as he began to punch in numbers into the phone. 

Twenty minutes later, the ordered reinforcements had been cancelled.

"Stay home, we'll call you when we get back."

William breathed a sigh of relief and vanished.

****

Ethan and his crew found and destroyed three more crews who refused to surrender before receiving the call from William. The next crew that they found was given the news.

"Your leader is dead as is his successor. I am giving you two options, you leave with your lives or you die here fighting."

"Liar!" a hunter called out. 

"I don't lie," Ethan replied mildly. "Are you willing to die for a man that's already dead? Think about it, he sent you out here to die. He killed the only man who knew what the plan was and then he sacrificed you. How many of you have died? Do you even know? I do-the latest count was seventy of you. It's probably more by now..."

"Oh fuck!" a voice whispered. "I just got a text message," he said in a louder voice. "Rufus is dead... his head was cut off... they think that the vampire that was part of Olivia's crew did it."

"What's it going to be gentlemen?" Ethan asked.

One by one the hunters turned away giving Ethan his answer. At the last minute, one of the hunters turned, weapon in hand and fired. Ethan ducked just as the wooden bullet grazed his scalp. Because the wound was minor, it began to heal immediately. He heard a whimper of pain and looked behind him. The vampire from his security team had been hit in the eye leaving the socket empty. Before the shooter knew what was happening, arms were around him; but they weren't the arms of his brethren. They stood silently watching as the life was squeezed out of their friend and comrade.

"That was so unnecessary," Ethan said quietly. "No one had to die. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

Ethan pressed a clean handkerchief against the empty eye socket and vanished to the living room of the house. All conversation stopped when they saw him. All of the women breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the fallen vampire wasn't one of their mates.

"Take care of him," Ethan said laying the vampire on the couch, "I've got to go but it's almost over."

He gave Katrina and the girls a quick kiss and was gone. Vanessa and Veronica took over and began to issue orders wondering how many others had been hurt.

****

Harry yelped when he was yanked away from Leon and tossed to the ground. One of the vampires he recognized from seeing his picture on the internet-Nathan Sinclaire. He didn't have time to wonder how Nadine knew vampires as wealthy and well known as the Sinclaires because the other vampire was on him with fangs bared and eyes blazing.

"I want you to know who is going to kill you," Hans said. "I am the one who found Nadine after you brutalized and turned her."

Harry's mind reeled. He hadn't believed William when he said that they had almost been killed by another vampire. Even when he saw Nell's wounds he didn't believe them. He thought that they really hadn't looked for Nadine and the wounds had been administered by either William or their father.

"I wish that I had looked for you, but you're here now. Do you wish to say anything?"

It wasn't until then that Harry truly understood that these were his last moments on earth. Oddly he wasn't sorry. He stopped struggling and relaxed telling himself that there was no point in fighting it. At the last moment, he began to fight. He wasn't going to die like this! To do so would mean that the bitch had finally succeeded in she had tried to do before and he couldn't --no he wouldn't allow that to happen.

Hans was glad that Harry was fighting back. He didn't want to kill a man that was ready to give up so easily. He would have done it, but he wouldn't have liked it. With one hand around Harry's neck, Hans reached down and gave a hard jab into Harry's chest. For just a moment, Harry stopped struggling. This wasn't what he was expecting. The pain was excruciating and took his breath away. It increased as Hans reached in and pulled out Harry's still beating heart.




Thorne Ch. 09



"This is for my son and daughter," Hans said and squeezed.

After the heart was no more than a mass of flesh, Hans removed Harry's head. There was now no chance that he would come back again. With a thought, Hans cleaned his hands and his clothes and went over to Nathan.

"How is he?" 

"Alive, but he's hurt pretty badly. Harry just missed his heart," Nathan replied. "We need to get him to the house. You go ahead and prepare Nadine; I'll be right behind you."

Hans took one last look around and vanished to the house. He was sure that Nadine already knew and was frantic. It was much more than worry. She was in full panic mode and trying to leave the house. She had managed to break away from Kevyn when Hans appeared before her.

"Where is he?" Nadine screamed when she saw Hans. "Is he dead?"

"No sweetheart, you would know if he were," Hans replied taking her into his arms. "He's hurt but he's alive. Nathan is bringing him now. He needs blood."

Nathan appeared carrying Leon. Nadine tore herself away from Hans and ran over to Nathan. 

"Leon?"

Leon slowly opened his eyes and focused on Nadine's face.

"Hey baby... we got him. The son of a bitch is dead. He can't hurt you or anyone else again."

"Nadine," Louise said from beside her, "We need to feed him so that he'll heal."

Nadine hung on to Leon's hand as Nathan laid him on a sofa and opened his shirt. The bleeding had already stopped as the wound was healing from the inside out. It had really been a close call. While they waited for the first unit of blood, Nathan bit into his wrist and put it to Leon's lips. He had already given him some blood before he brought him to the house. Leon was already starting to heal by the time they arrived. It would take some time, but he would completely heal.

Nadine took the blood when Katrina handed it to her. Nathan moved aside so that she could feed the blood to Leon who was half asleep.

"Not yet," Nadine crooned. "You have to drink this first."

"He's dead," Leon replied sleepily. "Hans killed him. You're safe."

"Shush now and drink," Nadine said as tears ran down her face. 

When the unit of blood was gone, Hans carried Leon up to their room and put him on the bed.

"Let him sleep for an hour or so and then wake him up. He needs another unit of blood. Nadine, Leon did well. As much as he wanted to be the one to kill Harry, he stepped aside when he realized that it wasn't going to happen. Your safety took precedence over his pride. The fates chose well for you."

"Thank you papa," Nadine said hugging Hans.

"You're welcome, but we have to go help Ethan and Thorne. Keep feeding him blood every hour or so and he'll be fine."

"Do you really have to go back? Ethan said that it was almost over."

"Yes sweetheart, we do. Not all of the hunters are going to turn tail and run. I'll be back I promise, but I need to talk to Juliette and the children before I leave."

****

Juliette threw herself into Hans's arms crying in relief. Now that she knew that Leon was going to be alright, her concern switched to Hans.

"Are you alright?" she asked running her hands up and down his arms.

"I'm fine," he assured her as he pulled her into his arms for a kiss. "I'm unhurt. Where are the children?"

As soon as Ethan appeared with the guard, Rachel had gathered the children and took them to the library. Things were frightening enough without them having to see the injured as they came in. As she read to them, she wondered what the casualties were for their side. She was almost afraid to know.

Celeste was the first to see Hans when he walked into the library. She dropped the book that she was looking at and ran to him calling the name that she used for him.

"Papa-too!"

Hans scooped her up into his arms, kissed her cheek and then hugged her. Victor and Wanda wrapped their arms around his waist and hugged him as tight as they could. They were beginning to understand that things weren't as they appeared and that there was something very different about their step-father and the others.

"I came to see you before I left again," Hans said as he sat Celeste on her feet. He kissed Wanda and then Victor on the cheek and then hugged them. "I know that you are very frightened, but don't be. It will be over soon and we can go back home."

Victor and Wanda each took one of Celeste's hands and watched Hans walk away. Of the three of them, only Celeste knew for certain that Hans was coming back.

*

Once Leon was settled, Nathan pulled Louise aside and hugged her. He was as angry with her as he was proud.

"Nathan, I had to do something! I couldn't just sit by and watch as Nadine suffered!"

"I know sweetheart but you could have led him back here," Nathan replied. 

"He would have eventually found us anyway," Louise countered. "My reaching out to him prevented that didn't it? He's dead isn't he?"

Nathan didn't say anything, she was right.

"Alright," he said after a moment's silence. "You're right but that doesn't mean that I have to like that you put yourself in harm's way like that. Are you and the baby alright?"

"We're fine. I'm tired but I'm fine. Is what Ethan said true? Is it almost over?"

"In a manner yes," Nathan replied. "But in many ways it's just beginning."

They talked for a few more minutes before parting with a kiss and a promise of spending two days in bed as soon as they could. 

"I miss you," Nathan said hugging Louise again.

"I miss you too, don't worry about us; we'll be fine. Just make sure that you come back in one piece."

****

Barb went back to the group when Adrianna told her about Leon. She stood back and watched as the women of the group gather around Nadine and offered her comfort. She wanted to move closer but didn't. She felt like she was watching a movie in which she played no part.

"That's because you wrote yourself out of the script," the voice said. "But you could write yourself back in. You could be a part of that no matter what happens between you and your mate. You could still be a part of your son's life... don't humans do that all of the time?"

Barb didn't answer and the voice went silent content that it had made its point. Still Barb didn't move. When she was sure that Leon was alright, she went back to her room to think. A headache had settled right behind her eyes bringing tears to them. The headache was rapidly growing in intensity and if she didn't so something soon it would be out of control.

"Headache?" Adrianna asked. 

"Yeah-migraine," Barb replied feeling slightly nauseated.

"You're stressed-it isn't good for the baby. Lie down on the bed and let me see if I can help," Adrianna said.

Barb hesitated wanting to say that she didn't need help but the pain was becoming blinding. She didn't see where she had much choice. She lay on the bed and closed her eyes belatedly realizing that she hadn't asked about any of the men. She tensed waiting for the voice to speak; relaxing as much as she could when it didn't. She was getting to the point where she hated its effeminate voice- she had decided that the voice was most definitely male.

She felt a cool hand on her temples that began a slow, firm but gentle massage. The nausea was the first thing to go and then finally as the migraine began to ebb; Barb fell asleep. 

*****

Thorne was receiving casualty reports. While the news wasn't great, it wasn't horrible either. There had been several injuries most of them non-fatal. There had been five deaths, three wolves and two vampires. Four wolves and one vampire were missing in action and were being searched for. Thorne hoped to find them alive and unhurt, but he had his doubts.

His crew alone had destroyed four crews of hunters and were zeroing in on a fifth when Ethan called him with the news of Rufus.

"What's your casualty count?" Thorne asked.

"As of now, three dead, seven injured-of those four are serious and two missing. We're looking for them now."

"I have casualties as well," Thorne replied. "This could have been much worse. Where's William?"

"Safe, I told him to go back to the house where he found Travis. He should be safe there."

Ethan told Thorne that he had been giving the hunter groups that they came across the option of leaving peacefully or to stay and die.

"Good," Thorne replied. "I'll start doing the same thing. I'll let the other groups know too."

"I think that I got most of them," Ethan said. "I haven't been able to reach the Bakersfield and the Phoenix groups."

"I'll try too, between the two of us we'll reach them. I was thinking about Olivia. I think that we should deliver the news about her father in person."

"Agreed," Ethan said. "I would also like to suggest that we take Louise with us. If I'm not mistaken, Olivia and she seemed to share a bond of sorts."

"Good Idea, I'll see you at the house in a few hours," Thorne said and hung up.

The rest of the night was spent looking for the missing in action and the crew of hunters that hadn't been given the choice of walking away or death. All of them chose to walk away. Some of them swore that they would be back, but most of them had had enough. Of the missing all but three had been found alive. Both Ethan and Thorne dreaded going to the mates of these fallen to tell them the news although they already knew.

The sending off ceremonies for all of the dead would take place as soon as possible. Vampire and wolf alike would be equally honored and their families would be taken care of for the rest of their lives. That wouldn't mean much compared to the loss of a mate, but it was the best that could be done.

By dawn the last of the hunters had left the area. The feeling of tension that had been in the air for days were gone replaced by a feeling of sadness. All of the vampire and wolf crews had been sent home after a final sweep of the area.

Thorne and Ethan appeared in the house in different locations. Ethan outside of his and Katrina's bedroom- he still had to give her warning when he was going to come in and Thorne in his office. Katrina opened the door before Ethan had a chance to call out.

"Is it over?" she asked reaching for him.

"For now- where are the twins and Victoria?" Ethan asked.

"The girls are with Rik and Luc and Victoria is with Wanda and Celeste waiting for Hans, Nathan and Patrick to come back."

"They're not back?" Ethan asked. "They should have been back by now..."

Ethan's phone vibrated in his pocket. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Nathan.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"Doing a final sweep around our homes," Nathan replied. "We're headed back. Has anyone told you about Leon yet?"

"I just got here," Ethan replied. "Is he alright?"

"I'll tell you what happened later, but he's going to be fine. Harry won't be a problem anymore-Hans killed him. I gather that Rufus is dead?"

"Yes, William killed him," Ethan said. He had one arm wrapped around Katrina and wanted the call to end so that he could greet her properly and then see his girls. "We'll talk more when you get back. For now I have a mate and children to greet."

***

Thorne sat at his desk for several minutes before going to see Barb. He knew that she was half hoping that he wouldn't come back. The only reason why she wanted him to live was because she was afraid that she would be left with the baby. He pushed aside his anger and thought about the baby. The child was feeling enough anger as it was and didn't need to feel it from him. By the time he reached Barb's room, he had made a decision.

He tapped on the door and walked in. Barb was awake and looking at something on her laptop. She looked up at him but didn't speak. The expression on her face said it all. Thorne ignored it and approached the bed.

"I would like to speak with our son."

Barb sat the laptop on the bed and sat back. She said nothing as Thorne sat on the bed beside her and touched her belly.

"I am back as I have promised so rest easy."

Barb listened to the tenderness in Thorne's voice and felt a pang of... the voice inside of her sighed in frustration but remained silent. Thorne sat with his hands on Barb's stomach for several more minutes before standing up.

"I must leave for a while," Thorne said. "Olivia needs to be told of the death of her father. Once things have settled, we'll talk."

"What's there to talk about?" Barb asked. "I get it-you don't want me and that's fine..."

"I don't want to talk about this now," Thorne cut in. "People have died and their loved ones must be told. There is a sendoff service to be planned- our issues can and will wait."

He walked out content that the baby was calmed and turned his attention to other business. On the way out of the bedroom he ran into Noel.

"Where are you going?" Thorne asked surprised. Noel usually stayed in his room only coming out for meetings or when he was needed.

"I came to see Leon," Noel replied. "He was injured fighting Harry but he's on the mend."

"Good, I'll stop in," Thorne said.

"Thorne-it was good to see you and Ethan working together. It reminded me of father and Steven Sinclaire in the old days."

"I would be lying if I said that it didn't feel good," Thorne said with a small smile, "but there are still issues that need to be discussed. But as I just told Barb about our issues, the issues with the Sinclaires will have to wait."

After he stopped in to see Leon, Thorne went back to his office and began making phone calls. By the time he was finished, Ethan was in his office.

"I talked to Nathan; he'll be here in a minute with Louise so that we can talk to Olivia. After that we can begin to make our rounds to the families of the fallen."

"I have the feeling that we're going to be making more of these visits in the future," Thorne said his expression grim.

****

William passed the time by helping Travis polish the silverware. He wanted to call for updates but knew that he would have to wait until closer to morning. He wondered if Olivia knew that her father was dead and what her reaction would be when she found out that he had been the one to kill him. He also wondered if she had begun to think about him as a man and not one of her crew.

"What's swirling around your head?" Travis asked. "I've polished half of my pile and you're still working on the same piece."

"Gr... Travis, do you think that it's possible for a woman to forgive the man who killed her father?"

Travis hesitated for several minutes before replying.

"Son, I've never had a mate so I'm not the one to ask about the affairs of the heart. However, I do know about forgiveness. I see it every time I see Mr. Ethan with his family. Mr. Ethan's mate forgave him after he hurt her in a way that no one- male or female should be hurt. The same goes for Mr. Martin and his mate. It took time but the forgiveness came. It wasn't easy and from time to time I still see the effects of what happened, but they love each other. So the answer to your question is yes. It's possible that your young lady will forgive you."

William felt better after hearing the answer to his question. He knew about the Sinclaires- who didn't? But to know that there was the possibility that Olivia could forgive him even if she didn't accept him as her mate took a load off his mind.

Finally he decided that he could call Ethan and ask for an update. He closed his eyes in thanks when he heard that the hunters had left the area.

"William, I also have to tell you that Harry is dead."

"I know, I felt it when he ceased to exist," William replied. "Did he hurt anyone?"

"He didn't kill anyone that we're aware of but he seriously injured Nadine's mate."

"Will he live?" William asked.

"He'll live," Ethan replied. "We're on our way to tell Olivia about her father."

"I want to tell her," William said. "I was the one who killed him and I need to be the one who tells her. I'm sure that you'll be busy talking with the families of the fallen so please allow me to do this."

Ethan gave William the address and wished him luck.

*****

Olivia's anxiety level was through the roof. Had her father gotten away? Had he changed his mind and walked away as she wanted him to? No she thought to herself, he wouldn't have walked away. That meant one thing- he was dead. As much as she disliked him, he was still her father and she hoped that he hadn't suffered.

"Someone's here," Kenneth said standing up. "Olivia you stay here with Benita and do as you're told."

Kenneth seemed to be gone for a long time but when he came back, he was followed by William. Olivia didn't know how to react. The woman part of her wanted to run to him and hug him, but the hunter part of her wouldn't allow it. It wasn't that long ago that he had been a part of her crew. It wasn't that long ago that she began to consciously change her ideas and feelings about vampires and other non-human beings. The safest thing to do was to greet him as she always had.

"Hello William."

"Olivia, I am so glad that you're safe... There is something that I need to tell you..."

"Where's everyone else?" Olivia asked not ready to hear about her father.

"Harry is dead and I don't know where the others are. I managed to get twenty four hours for them to get out of town. Whether they took advantage of it I don't know. Olivia..."

"My father... he didn't leave did he?"

Here it was... time to tell the truth.

"No, I killed him after he killed Caleb," William replied. "He was going to kill you and I couldn't allow that. He was going to have the entire nonhuman species kill each other while he watched and then he was going to finish us off. Even if that weren't the case, knowing that he was going to harm you was reason enough for me to want him dead. I hope that you will someday forgive me."

"Did he suffer?"

"No... I wouldn't do that to you. I made it quick and as merciful as I could given the circumstances. But Olivia, given what's happening, you're still in danger. The hunters will split into different factions. Some will support you and some won't. There will be assassinations plots from both sides against your life. I see that both Thorne and Ethan have provided security for you- that is good, but I would also like to offer my services to you as well."

Olivia wanted to tell William that she was grateful that he was the one who killed her father but the words wouldn't come. She wanted to accept him as part of her security team, but she couldn't say that either.

When she didn't answer, William nodded his head in understanding.

"If you need me, Thorne and Ethan both know where to reach me."

Just as he was about to vanish, Olivia stopped him.

"Wait."

******

"So now what?" the king asked the queen as he stroked her hand. 

"We watch and wait," she replied. "This is far from over, but we've got a reprieve. It's going to take some time for the dust to settle."

"Agreed," the king replied taking her hand into his. "How much time do you think we have?"

"A while... a couple of years maybe longer... the hunters have to reorganize and so do the vampires that aren't going to go along with the Sinclaire/Blackwell plan which by the way I happen to like. In the meantime, we'll make a few plans of our own. Maybe we can do something so that no more people die."

"But you know that it's going to happen," the king said gently. "People are going to die on both sides- that's the way of war."

"I know that but in the meantime the rogues increase in number in spite of our best efforts," she replied. "But I have a good feeling about Miss. Olivia Saunders."

"All of us do," the king replied. "We just need to find a way to help keep her safe without tipping our hand. They're going to be hyper vigilant especially after the last few weeks."

"True, but there is one among them who is a powerful seer, actually two of them but the one is too young to make use of," the queen replied. "But at any rate, they've handled things and have things under control."




Thorne Ch. 09



They talked until late afternoon and went to bed. There was nothing else to be decided at that point in time.

*****

The next evening, all of the homes were searched and deemed safe to return to. Martin and his family were the first to leave after Rachel set up a time with the other women to meet. Hans and Juliette and their kids were next followed by Ethan, Katrina and Victoria who was already texting Wanda. Leon, Nadine and the twins and their mates left shortly after them leaving Louise and Nathan last. The wounded had already been taken either to their homes or to a place where they would be cared for. Louise wanted to talk to Barb before they left to make sure that she knew about the meetings with Rachel.

"I know that this whole thing has been really hard on you and I hope that you come to the meetings."

"Maybe... we'll see," Barb replied.

"Barb," Louise said taking her hand and holding on to it when Barb tried to pull away. "There is no reason for you to go through whatever it is that you and Thorne are going through alone. There's no need for you to go through this pregnancy alone. We're here for you if you'll let us in. It has very little to do with wanting you to change- you are who you are but it has everything to do with family. Like it or not, we are family and that family now includes Noel, Thorne and their family as well. All we want is to get along as a family should-think about it."

Louise released Barb's hand and stood to leave.

"Oh... we're getting together to decorate the nurseries and to go shopping if you want to come-is it okay to call you with the date and time?"

Barb felt the voice holding its breath as she thought about her response. She could feel it willing her to say yes. After a long pause; she replied.

"Sure, but I make no promises that I'll be there."

Barb expected the voice to say something, but it didn't. She could have sworn that she felt it smile-that's if it was possible for a voice to smile.

******

Thorne sat at his desk staring at the phone. He knew that his mother was home because Noel had spoken with her not more than twenty minutes before. Instead of calling her, he picked up the phone, looked at it and put it back down. He wasn't any more ready to make the second call than he was the one to his mother. The only thing that made him pick it up again was the thought of his son. If he wanted to be a good father, he had to make that call.

He silenced his father's voice telling him that psychiatry and therapy were for the weak and dialed Eustace Matthew's number.



Thorne Ch. 10



Note: Thanks again to all of you for reading, commenting and voting! Thanks to Jean and Donalde for beta reading for me- I appreciate it!



William stopped and looked at Olivia. It was obvious that she had something to say.

"What is it?" he asked trying to help her.

"Who-did you kill my father?"

"Yes," he replied, "but he didn't suffer. You wouldn't have wanted it that way."

"Thank you- I was hoping that you would be the one to kill him for that reason. Are you hurt?"

"No I'm fine and relieved that you're safe," William replied.

"What happened to your family?" Olivia asked not sure that she really cared.

"If they are smart-they are long gone. They were granted free passage out of the state and will live as long as they don't come back. Harry is dead."

"Harry is dead? How?" she asked mildly surprised.

"Olivia, Harry killed the girl that was found behind the club. She wasn't the first one that he has killed. It was him that landed us in this mess which has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I'm sure that you've figured out what your father's intentions for you were."

Olivia was quiet. She was thinking about how much she could tell him.

"I'm sorry but I'm glad that he's dead. He and my father killed my mother. And yes- I figured out what my father was up to."

"There is no need for apologies," William said. "I knew that Harry killed your mother and I've often wondered how your father didn't know -now I understand. Olivia, I am sorry for the pain that my family has caused you."

"Did you mean it when you offered your services?" Olivia asked abruptly changing the subject.

"I meant it," William replied.

"Then I think that you should stick around and meet everyone else-if you aren't busy."

"I am at your disposal," William replied with a bow.

"William- you just apologized for the pain that your family caused mine," Olivia said softly. "It is I that should be apologizing to you. We've killed, tortured and maimed so many of your kind out of ignorance and because we chose not to think for ourselves- I include me in that. I'm sorry."

William wanted to take her into his arms but didn't. She wasn't ready for that and might never be. For now it was enough that she accepted him as part of her security detail. He would think about the rest of it later. Her safety came before anything else. Once the others arrived, they needed to get Olivia somewhere safe until things settled down and she had a chance to regroup. She hadn't had time to mourn the death of her father and that needed to happen before she could focus on anything else. He knew that she was trying to convince herself that it didn't matter and that she had to appear strong. When she finally realized that it was alright to grieve; he would be there. He took a moment to think about what was left of his family. He sincerely hoped that they left the state and stayed out of trouble. Of the three of them, he would lay bets that his father would be the one to try to get Nell and his mother Involved with the hunters again. He hoped not. If they did he would have no choice but to treat them as enemies. There was the possibility that they could side with Olivia-he didn't think so, but then; one never knew.

By evening, the other two couples were there. The wolves had been able to break away early and were anxious to meet the hunter who had turned against her own. William stood behind Olivia and slightly to her right as she talked to the group.

"I want to get a few things straight," she said. "I am not my father nor am I a puppet to the Blackwell's or the Sinclaires. I will admit to you that I don't want this, but I accepted because I want this senseless war to stop. I will also admit that I am ignorant about your race. I won't lay all of the blame on my father- I could have learned the truth. It was easier to accept what he said as gospel. My point is this, I'm going to be asking a lot of questions and I don't want you to be offended."

The small group looked at each other and then at Olivia.

"Olivia," Natasja said. "We have much to learn from you as well. I'm sure that we will also be asking questions that may seem rude, but how else will we learn? I for one am anxious to learn more about your kind."

"As am I," Milo said taking Natasja's hand. "We would be honored to serve you."

The other vampire couple, Hugh and Jackie Bates had been silent up until that point.

"How do we know that this isn't some elaborate trick to help you take over and continue what your father started?" The Jackie asked. "I mean, maybe you're just as bad as your father was."

"That's a valid question," Olivia said after a short pause. "And I don't know if I can answer it. I wish that I could say that I'm one hundred percent sure that I'm not like my father or that I won't turn into him. I can however promise that I'll do my best not to. Part of this is about trust. I trust you to keep me safe and to tell me if you feel that I'm being unfair in a bad way. Am I nervous? Of course I am but that doesn't mean that I don't trust you. I'm asking that you trust me in return."

"What about him?" Hugh asked looking at William. "He's a traitor not only to his own kind, but to the people for whom he worked. How do we know that he won't switch sides again?"

"You don't know that," William said. "As Olivia said, this is a matter of trust. You don't trust me and that's understandable. Even so, I'm not going to justify why we did what we did. Our main objective here is to keep Olivia safe and to rebuild the hunters into what they were meant to be- part of the line of defense against creatures such as the rogue and hunters like her father had been. You can like me –or not- it matters little to me. Olivia's wellbeing is all that I care about."

The husband/wife team looked at each other and then at Olivia.

"We are here to serve you and we will serve you even if it cost us our lives," the male said. "But understand this- we do not like nor do we trust the traitor that stands behind you. We accept him because you have chosen him to stand with you."

Olivia tapped her fingers against the table for several long minutes before she spoke.

"Thank you for your time, but I won't need your services."

Everyone stared at her not sure that they heard her correctly.

"Things are going to be hard enough without the members of my security team not trusting each other. Not only will you need to have my back, we have to look out for each other. You came here with your mind already made up about William..."

"You would choose a traitor over us?" Jackie asked shocked.

"Let me tell you about that traitor," Olivia said as she leaned forward. "That traitor risked his life for me. That traitor could be somewhere safe, but he's here. That traitor killed my psychopath father not only saving my life, but the lives of many others. Now, back to your services- as I said, I won't need them. I would rather do with less than have to worry about whether I can trust you to have all of our backs."

William and Benita's eyes met. They liked what they were seeing. Rufus Saunders had seriously underestimated his daughter.

"Wait," Hugh said alarmed by the turn of events. "We meant no disrespect. We were simply being honest with you about our feelings. We had no idea that he was the one that ended the lead hunter's life."

He looked at William and bowed his head deferentially.

"On behalf of me and my mate, I beg your pardon. It seems that we have misjudged you. Olivia, would you please reconsider your decision? We give you our word that we will protect all of you as you would protect us. "

Olivia resumed her tapping on the table. They would eventually learn that it meant that she was thinking and was not to be disturbed. Thirty minutes passed before she spoke.

"Why are you so quick to trust me?" She asked. "Or don't you? And if not, why are you here?"

"We heard about you," Jackie replied. "We voiced our questions about you and you responded. The one behind you has yet to open his mouth in his defense. As far a trusting you, if Benita and Kenneth are here; then you are trustworthy. You also have the support of the Sinclaires and the Blackwell's behind you- that is all that I need to know. What does he have to offer?"

"What do you wish to know?" William asked quietly but firmly. "Do you want to hear about those that I killed while under the employ of Rufus? Tell me- what do you want to know?"

"William..."

"Olivia, they are right. I can't expect them to trust me on sight. I would feel the same if I were in their position."

A few minutes later, William had answered all questions with the main one being how did they know that he wouldn't turn against them.

"Our duty is to protect Olivia from all threats within our ranks as well as those on the outside," the male vampire said. "That also means that you have the right to ask us about any motives that you see as suspicious as we have the right to question you. I apologize for misjudging you and I thank you for being willing to answer our questions. Olivia, I also owe you an apology. We should have withheld our thoughts until after we met with you. Once again, I ask that you rethink your decision regarding our service."

Olivia had just learned her first lesson. William and the couple were right. Trust needed to be built and not taken for granted. Blind faith is what her father had demanded of those under him.

"I accept your apology and will make one of my own. I was wrong to expect you to blindly trust me-that is something that my father would have expected. I would like for you and your mate to stay. Before we continue, are there any other concerns?"

Benita and William exchanged another look. Olivia was going to be fine.

They spent the next several hours deciding on where to go. Wherever it was, they needed to leave soon while things were still in an upheaval. The only people other than them who would know where they were going would be Thorne and Ethan. All of them made suggestions with William making his last.

"I have a place," he said quietly. "The problem is the same as the other options- getting her there. I would like to make a suggestion if I could."

"We're listening," Milo said. He liked William and had no qualms with him being on the security team and made it his personal business to ensure that William's back was watched.

"I would suggest that we travel at night when we are the strongest. Those of us who are vampire will take care of things at night while you who are wolf stand guard during the day.

"Where is this place?" Kenneth asked. "And are you sure that no one else knows about it?"

"No one knows about it," William assured him, "not even my family. It isn't a large place, but we will make do until we come up with something better."

"It will hold all of us?" Benita asked.

"It will and since most of us are mated, it makes things easier. When all is said and done, there will be a room for Olivia and a room for me."

"That doesn't sound like a small house," Natasja said chuckling. "So where is this place?"

"Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska," William replied.

Milo's forehead creased in thought. "That's one of the least populated areas in Alaska. According to the 2010 census, less than six thousand people lived there."

"I know," William replied. "That's why I chose it. It will be easier to spot someone who is out of place. The largest city in the area is Galena which has a civilian airport. Flying, in my opinion is the quickest and safest way to get Olivia out of here." 

They all agreed with him and asked about supplies.

"I have some provisions there but they won't last long," William replied. "If we're going to go, I need to go ahead of you and set things up. I would appreciate it if one of the vampire males went with me."

The vampire that questioned William's loyalty raised his hand. "My mate and I will go with you. What is it that the humans say? Many hands make light work. When do we leave?"

"As soon as possible," William replied. "Benita, why don't you and those remaining work on the transportation part of it while we're gone? Be ready to go as soon as we return."

"I'll call Thorne," Benita said wondering if anyone else noticed that William had slid into the role of team leader. She had no problem with it and hoped that no one else did either. She wondered if Olivia would do what needed to be done if someone objected.

"How long will you be gone?" Olivia asked.

"A day at the most," William replied. "We'll be back sooner if we can; we need to get you out of the state."

"That gives me time to close out my accounts and to open new ones," Olivia said. "I also need to close out my father's accounts and transfer that money into mine. It will be done by the time you get back. One more thing- does your house have an electric tea kettle?"

"I will get one," William replied understanding what was happening. She needed some sense of normalcy. Tea meant that to her. "I will also get a variety of teas and hot chocolates. Are there any requests from anyone else?"

By the time William and the vampire couple left, they had a long shopping list. Olivia watched William vanish with a mixture of confusion, nervousness and a touch of fear. Those of them left noticed but didn't comment. They all saw what Olivia couldn't or wouldn't see- she and William were mates. Benita realized that was why no one complained when William stepped into the role of leader.

Benita called Thorne and told him what the plan was.

"William just left to get the place ready."

"I'll have my jet ready," Thorne replied. "I'll also have a large industrial sized freezer on board stocked with blood and other things. Just call me as soon as William and the others get back."

"Will do," Benita replied. She was going to hang up when Thorne spoke again.

"I can't tell you how much Ethan and I appreciate what you and your mate are doing. Thank you doesn't seem to cover it."

"We're glad to help in any way that we can," Benita said mildly surprised. Thorne had never thanked her for anything. "Oh could you also send several of those computer security systems?"

"I can do that," Thorne replied. "I'll also send any other electronics that might be helpful. I'll call Ethan and let him know what's happening."

"Thanks and I'll call you as soon as William and the others get back."

Benita hung up, and looked at the remaining members of the security team and smiled. Olivia had chosen well.

****

Thorne hung up and called Ethan to give updates. Ethan offered to send supplies as well as any electronic equipment that Thorne didn't have. They chatted for a few minutes and agreed to meet sometime in the future to discuss what happened between their families.

After they hung up, Thorne sat at his desk thinking about his phone call to Eustace. He could tell by Eustace's voice that he was surprised to hear from him.

"Thorne? Is everything alright? Do you need Gretchen?"

"No-it's actually you that I need. I-I would like to set up a time to talk with you."

"Of course, when would you like to meet?" Eustace asked fully recovered from his surprise.

Thorne started to make the appointment for the next week and changed his mind. He knew that if he did, he would find a reason to postpone it.

"Is later tonight convenient for you?"

"I'm free," Eustace replied. The fact was, he would have rearranged his schedule to accommodate Thorne. To his way of thinking Thorne was as fucked up as Ethan's family had been but in a very different way. The other reason that he would have changed his schedule was Gretchen. He knew that she had many concerns about Thorne's mate and the pregnancy. She hadn't reported anything because there was nothing to report and she knew that Thorne at least loved the baby. But he needed help. Unfortunately he couldn't tell her that he would be seeing Thorne on a professional basis. "Where would you like to meet?"

"Not here," Thorne replied. "How about my club in three hours? I want to check it for damages anyway. We can talk while I work."

"I'll see you then," Eustace said and hung up.

Now that the phone call had been made, Thorne breathed a little easier. He decided to find Noel and to tell him what he was doing in the hopes that Noel would see that he needed help too. He left his office and walked through the house noting how empty it felt now that almost everyone was gone. He found that he actually missed the activity and the quietness unnerved him. He knew that he needed to talk to Barb, but he wanted to talk to Noel first. He found Noel in his room painting and humming to himself. The portrait of the eyes was uncovered and in plain view. As always whenever he saw the eyes, Thorne thought them beautiful. He finally realized that whoever they belonged to- she was related to the Yancy's somehow. He tapped on the wall to let Noel know that he was there and watched as Noel quickly covered the portrait.

"Hey- come on in," Noel said with a smile. "It's quiet around here isn't it?"

"Yes-it's almost unsettling," Thorne replied. "Noel, I want to talk to you about something."

"Good, because I need to talk to you too- I'm leaving."

"Leaving?" Thorne asked surprised. "Why? You know that you always have a home with me."

"Why don't you sit down?" Noel asked and tapped the empty stool next to him. "You can even paint."

"I'm good," Thorne said as he sat down. "Why are you leaving?"

Noel painted a few moments before he replied. "It's time," he replied. "It's time for me to experience the world. I know that I always have a home with you as you will always have one with me, but Thorne I need time to grow so that when I finally meet her; I'll be ready. The other reason is you and Barb. You two need time and privacy to figure out what you're going to do."

"You don't have to leave in order for that to happen," Thorne said. "What about our club?"

"Thorne, I'm leaving," Noel said with a note of finality in his voice. "I made the decision when this mess with the hunters started. As far as the club, I'm still in and we can talk on the phone or Skype. I plan to come back for visits- I have a nephew that will need to be spoiled."

"Where will you go?" Thorne asked.

Noel shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "I think that I'll explore the United States first and then I'll move on to Europe. Before you say anything, I've asked Felix to travel with me for a while. It's been a long time since I've been out among humans."

"You've really thought about this haven't you?" Thorne asked.

"I have," Noel replied. "I've even decided where I'll live once I get to Europe; France- Paris- at least for a while. I've already bought a place that I plan to decorate myself. I was hoping that you'd come to visit with the baby."

"That goes without saying," Thorne replied. "I'm going to miss you. It feels as if we haven't had enough time together as brothers. Something always got in the way. When are you leaving?"

"Next week. Felix needs to take care of some personal things and I want to spend an evening with my big brother. May I ask a question?"

"Shoot," Thorne replied.

"What are you going to do about Barb and the baby? It's obvious to me that you don't care for each other as mates should."

"That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about," Thorne said.

Noel listened without interrupting and then didn't immediately say anything when Thorne was done. When he spoke it was to ask another question.

"Are you sure that you have no feelings for her?"

"I'm sure," Thorne replied. "That we're together is partly my fault. We were never meant to be together as mates and to be honest with you, I never wanted a mate. If it weren't for the child, I wouldn't have taken her in. I would have provided for her of course, but live in the same house?"




Thorne Ch. 10



"Do you realize that there will never be another for you?" Noel asked. "Can you live with that? And what about her?"

"I know and understand what this means," Thorne replied. "And yes I can live with it. As far as Barb goes, she is no more interested in being my mate than I am in having her as one. She will be protected and provided for and I won't deny her access to our son. What?" Thorne asked when he saw the expression on Noel's face. "Out with it."

"Never mind..."

"Noel spit it out," Thorne snapped.

"I was wondering how much this has to do with mother," Noel said. "I know that she doesn't know about Barb and the baby- she would have pumped me for information if she had."

Thorne blew out a breath. He didn't know how much to say as Noel still loved their mother in spite of how she had treated him.

"I know that you're afraid to be honest with me," Noel said, "but don't be. I know exactly what mother is and how she felt about us. I even understand your anger at her even though I don't share it."

"Noel, I don't hate her," Thorne said after a few minutes. "I don't like her and I sure as hell don't respect her. I wasn't graced with your capacity to forgive- that alone makes you a better man than I am. But to answer your question- she has a great deal to do with this. She never loved father, but loved what he could do for her. We were nothing more than inconveniences that she showed off when it suited her needs. Barb is like mother in every way except one- she doesn't pretend that she wants the baby. Like mother, she doesn't admit to what she is and what she wants- I could respect that even though I don't like it. Nor does she acknowledge her part in this –it remains totally my fault."

"So you won't even try to reach a compromise with her?" Noel asked. "Maybe if you talked..."

"There's nothing to talk about as far as our relationship as mates is concerned. I won't say that it can never change- that would be tempting the fucking fates, but for now; this is how things are. I also realize that I have some issues regarding our mother that I need to resolve before the baby comes. I need to make my peace with my feelings about mother and I need to have a working relationship with Barb if only because of the child."

"How are you going to do that?" Noel asked as he surveyed the painting that he was working on.

"I'm going to start seeing Eustace Matthews," Thorne replied. "I don't want my son to be as fucked up as we are- I say we because you're fucked up too. Father broke something inside of you that while its better, it's still broken."

Noel was stunned. He remembered his father's views on psychiatry and therapy.

"I'm meeting Dr. Matthews later tonight," Thorne said. "Both of us have someone that we need to fix ourselves for-for me it's my son and for you it's whoever those eyes belong to. I'm not telling you what to do- god only knows that I'm in no position to do that, but think about it."

"You're really going to do this?" Noel asked.

"If I want to be a better father to my son than our father was to us, then yes," Thorne replied. "I won't lie and tell you that I'm not nervous, but it helps to think of why I'm doing it."

"Will you tell mother about the baby?"

"Eventually- after I meet with Eustace a few times. I have a question for you too," Thorne said. "Why were you having those headaches whenever the Sinclaire name came up? When they were here, you didn't have any that I'm aware of."

"That's because I try not to think about it," Noel replied.

Noel explained that as long as he didn't try to remember, there was no pain.

"Just like I'm not supposed to know who those lovely eyes belong to yet, I'm not supposed to remember what really happened between our families. All I can tell you is this- I don't believe for one minute that we were betrayed by them. Someone betrayed us-we know that, but the question is who."

"I think," Thorne mused, "that you're right about the betrayal. The little girl-Celeste made me promise to talk to Ethan. I think she knows something even if she doesn't realize it. I also think that you know who betrayed us although why you can't or don't remember puzzles me."

They talked for a few minutes more with Noel not saying whether he would see Eustace or anyone else professionally. He did however, fully support Thorne. He knew that Thorne was right in that they were both screwed up, but he didn't feel the need to talk to anyone just yet. What he didn't tell Thorne was that it was the woman that he had yet to meet that would be the one to unlock the door to the elusive memory.

Thorne left Noel's room and walked around the house before going to see Barb. He really didn't have anything to say to her, but wanted to check on her and the baby. He found her in her room already packing although they hadn't talked about where they were going.

****

Barb both relished and didn't care for the quietness now that her family and the Sinclaires were gone. She definitely didn't miss Celeste and the way that she could talk to the baby. The voice in her head had also been blissfully quiet. Quiet enough that she wondered if she hadn't imagined the entire thing.

"I'm still here," it said quietly.

"Damn it," Barb hissed as she began to pack up her things. 

She looked at the proposals from Thorne and threw the one about being his mate in the trash. It wasn't happening. She also threw away the one that gave her the option of signing off on her parental rights but only after rereading it three times. "I'm not that heartless," she muttered as the papers floated into the trash can.

She reread the last option and decided that it was the best of the three. She would retain her parental rights, have money and she was free to go wherever she wished. The fact that she wouldn't be able to marry anyone else didn't bother her- the fact that she couldn't have sex with anyone else did. She wondered what would happen if she and Thorne agreed to have an open marriage of sorts. Realistically she knew that the bind between them wouldn't be broken simply because of the baby. She didn't know how she felt about that but understood that was why she chose the option that she did. If Thorne agreed to the open marriage thing, she would have the best of all worlds. She stopped what she was doing and waited for the voice to speak. She was surprised when it didn't and then became slightly alarmed. Had the voice abandoned her?

"Not yet," it whispered. "You'll know when I'm gone."

Oddly relieved that the voice hadn't abandoned her, Barb continued packing turning her attention to where she was going to go after it-the baby was born. She had to stop thinking of the baby in terms of a nonentity especially if she was going to have anything to do with it-him. To some degree, she was surprised that she was even thinking about being involved with the baby since it meant that she would be in contact with Thorne. She decided that she was alright with it since she had control over how much contact she would have. 

"Hawaii," she murmured under her breath. She had always wanted to go there, but now she could afford to live there. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. There was nothing left for her in Pittsburgh and staying in California was out of the question. She wondered if Thorne would consent to let her go before the baby was born and decided that he wouldn't. He was comfortable with Gretchen-so was she for that matter and the idea of finding another doctor didn't appeal to her. "It's only another eight months" she said out loud not realizing that Thorne was standing outside of her door.

*****

Thorne passed Adrianna who was on her way to the kitchen to make Barb something to eat. Barb was still going to need protection and he wondered if Adrianna was up to it. He knew that she had no love for his irritating mate, but she did her job well and wasn't intimidated by Barb. He took the advantage of the chance meeting to ask Adrianna if she would consider staying on.

"Under one-no two conditions," Adrianna said after thinking about it.

"I'm listening," Thorne replied already knowing what one of the conditions was.

"My mate joins me," Adrianna said. "I understand that you have to investigate and interview him, but if he isn't acceptable to you; I can't and won't stay."

"What's the second condition?" Thorne asked.

"We get a relief team plus a wolf team for the day and they have to meet my approval."

"Done," Thorne said. "I've already had your mate investigated. He is very-talented. My guess is that you already have someone in mind for the wolf team. Give me their names and I'll have them checked out."

Adrianna gave him the names of two wolf couples. Both were top notch and she knew that Thorne would more than likely end up hiring both couples which would be even better.

"I'll call Cheung and let him know," Adrianna said with a smile. She had missed the touch of her mate.

"Good, I would like to meet him before you introduce him to Barb and my son."

Adrianna nodded, she had expected nothing less. She continued on her way to the kitchen to the kitchen. She felt much better now that Cheung would soon be with her.

**

Thorne went to Barb's door and tapped on it before walking in. He wasn't surprised to see her already packing. Barb turned to look at him and without saying anything, moved the suitcase aside and laid on the bed. Thorne waited until she was settled before he approached her. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hands on Barb's rapidly growing belly. It wouldn't be too long before she would be as big as she was going to get and the true waiting would begin. She was past the point where she could or would lose the baby even if she tried to make it happen.

"Hello little one," Thorne said softly as he massaged her stomach. "I am back as I have promised and for the time being, all is well. I wish that your cousin were here to tell me what you are saying, but at least I know that you can hear me. Rest well and we shall talk again soon. I need to speak with your mother, but be at ease- you are loved and cared for."

Thorne massaged Barb's belly for a few moments before removing his hands. "We need..."

"There's nothing to say," Barb rudely interrupted. 'I think that you already know what my decision is."

"Be that as it may," Thorne said his tone cool, "I would still like to hear it."

Barb sat up on the bed and scooted back so that he back rested against the headboard. She gave Thorne a long look before she spoke.

"You already know how I feel about you," she began. "I wish to god that I had never met you and I know that the feeling is mutual. In light of those feelings, I can't and won't be a mate to you. I've decided to keep my parental rights and to move away."

"Interesting," Thorne mused. "I won't ask why you chose that option- I already know the reason even if you won't admit to it. I'll have the papers drawn up and once again- I urge you to take them to someone of your choosing and have them looked over before you sign. There is an account set up in your name that you can begin to assess immediately. I will continue to take care of any expenses regarding our son. In fact, you need not worry about shopping for him- I'll take care of it."

Barb felt a pang of trepidation that she quickly squashed. "There's something else that we need to discuss."

Thorne pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I know that we can't be mated to anyone else," Barb said. "I'm fine with that, but I'm not fine with not being able to have a physical relationship with anyone. I know that mates aren't supposed to be able to have sex with anyone else, but- what if we agreed that it was alright? Of course I wouldn't do anything until after it-he's born..."

Barb stopped talking and stared at Thorne who was laughing a full bellied laugh and clapping his hands.

"Very nicely played," he said still clapping.

"I want that added to the contract," Barb said ignoring the claps and laughter. "I don't want you to come back later and say that I was unfaithful."

"Of course," Thorne replied still laughing. "We are mates in name only so you are free to do whatever the hell you want-after the baby is born. Until then, you will follow Gretchen's instructions to the letter. Once he is born- bon voyage."

Barb was caught off guard by Thorne's attitude although she shouldn't have been. He had been nothing except cold to her from the time he met her. That wasn't true, she amended. He had been sweet to her at first, but then he had been pretending. But he wasn't pretending now and hadn't been pretending since that initial meeting. He was glad to be rid of her.

"One more thing, the money in your account is more than enough to support the lifestyle that you crave. The money will be replaced once a month and no more. That will also be added to the contract. As I told you, if you choose to be a part of our child's life, I won't stop you. I only ask that you contact me instead of just appearing on my doorstep. If you will excuse me, I have an appointment."

Thorne put stood up, put the chair back where he got it and walked toward the door.

"What will you tell him?" Barb asked.

Thorne turned around and looked at her.

"The truth," he replied. "I plan to tell him exactly what happened and you won't be made out to be the fall guy. As I've said any number of times- I'm just as much at fault as you are if not more. We are here because of the choices that we made. I've come to realize- and the baby has made me realize this- that I'm fucked up. My feelings toward my mother have a lot to do with this. That in no way changes how I feel about you or women like you and my mother..."

"Are we going hold hands and start singing?" Barb asked sarcastically.

"No," Thorne replied. "What I'm saying to you is this; I need to fix myself before the baby comes. Part of that is admitting to you that I was wrong to do what I did. Even though it's too late and means little, I apologize. The papers will be delivered to you tomorrow evening. I'm sure that by then you'll know where you want to go."

Barb watched Thorne walk away shocked. He had actually apologized and he meant it. She didn't know how to react so she reacted with skepticism and anger.

"You are so fucking stupid," the voice said angrily. "Don't you see what is happening? He is offering you a chance to actively participate in the life of your child; he's trying to make peace with you. Are you going to let that chance escape?"

Barb didn't reply and the voice said no more. She jumped when she felt the baby move. Instead of touching her belly, she looked down at it. When the baby moved a second time, she continued to watch to see if she could actually see it. She knew what Louise would have done. Barb could almost hear her calling out to Nathan in excitement. She could see Nathan appearing next to Louise and touching her belly the way that Thorne had just touched hers. Instead of talking about contracts and how fucked up they were-they would be talking about the baby. And Nathan- he would make Louise lay down to rest while he rubbed her feet or got her a snack. He would even make love to her without wanting anything in return.

Jealousy and anger flared and just as quickly died. She finally understood something- Thorne, her family and everyone else was right; she had to accept her decisions and what came of them. Acknowledging that didn't change her feelings about Thorne or the baby, but it did change how she should be thinking about her family. 

"It's about time!" the voice exclaimed.

Barb ignored it and continued to examine her decisions. Her thoughts went back to the prom dress. As far as she could remember, that was when the word abuse first popped into her mind. The voice told her that the allegations were 'bull shit', but it sure had felt as though they had been abused.

"You are the only one that thinks that," the voice said quietly.

Again Barb ignored the voice and continued to think about the prom dress. She closed her eyes and could see the look of anticipation on everyone's face as her father handed her the box containing the dress. Her heart pounded as it did then as she saw herself opening the box that had come from a high end store. She felt the same disappointment as she felt then when she saw the old dress-she could even see the look on her face. Then she remembered something that she had forgotten or chose to forget- the hurt expression on her father's face. A tear trickled down her face at the memory. True to her word, her grandmother had redesigned the dress so that it resembled the old one very little. But still she didn't appreciate it. Nor did she appreciate the fact that everyone had contributed what little money they had to help buy that dress. It was then that money and affluence became the be all end all for her. It was then that she decided that love didn't matter as long as she wanted for nothing.

Something else came to mind. It was something that Gene and Leon said. "Who was the real abuser?" Gene admitted that he after a fashion had abused not just their parents, but them as well. Thorne had just admitted what he had done and apologized, so why couldn't she admit to her wrong doings? Accepting them was one thing, admitting to them was another horse of a different color. That brought something else that Gene had said to mind, "It's hard to admit to others that you were wrong." But he had done it.

She felt the baby move again and wished that he would go back to sleep and leave her in peace. She felt a twinge of pain that was gone just as quickly as it came. Suddenly, the next few months couldn't pass quickly enough.

***

Louise was lying on the bed waiting to Nathan to join her. He was in the kitchen making grilled cheese sandwiches and insisted on serving her in bed. For once she didn't argue with him. She was exhausted. She closed her eyes and thought about the past few weeks. They had been difficult weeks for all of them but-Celeste- Celeste had already begun to come into her powers. By the time she was an adult, she would be formidable. It was going to be an exciting thing to watch.

She thought about Nadine. She worried for her even though Harry was now dead. She hoped that Leon could convince her to talk to either Katrina or Rachel. Finally, she thought about Barb and her heart hurt. As much as she wanted to do something, there was nothing to be done except wait. Her stomach rumbled when the odor of frying bacon wafted into the room. Nathan was going all out with putting bacon, a thin slice of tomato and onion on the sandwiches with just a touch of mayo.

She had just drifted off when she felt the baby move. It took her several seconds to understand what the light fluttery feeling was. As soon as it dawned on her what it was, she called out to Nathan as she rubbed her belly. Nathan was there within seconds worried that something was wrong although he knew better.

"She moved!" Louise exclaimed. "Nathan the baby moved!"

Nathan did everything that Barb imagined he would. He sat on the bed, put his hands on Louise's stomach and waited.

"Come on sweetheart, move for papa," he urged. "Come on, don't go to sleep yet."

As if the baby heard him, she moved and then settled. Nathan thanked the baby and then took Louise into his arms and kissed her.

"Have we decided on a name yet?" he asked with a hand on her stomach.

"Ummm no, but Nathan did you turn the stove off?"

"Wh... oh no!" and he was gone.

Louise sat up on the bed and thought about Barb again. Had she felt her baby move yet? If she did, would that be enough to make her begin to love her baby? Somehow Louise didn't think so. She also knew that Thorne and Barb would part ways. There was no love between them and for them to stay together would be a mistake. She was however glad that Thorne loved the baby and that he wasn't going to shut them out of his life.




Thorne Ch. 10



Nathan came back thirty minutes later with the sandwiches, juice and the hated multivitamins. Nathan ate with one hand on Louise's stomach. He didn't want to miss feeling another movement. When they were finished eating and the vitamins taken Nathan moved the tray off the bed and stretched out next to Louise. Louise settled into his arms and closed her eyes. She was determined to finally begin to enjoy her pregnancy.

She placed her hand on top of Nathan's as it made its way from her stomach to her breast. It felt good to be able to make love in their own bed and without the worry of being heard or disturbed. She looked up at Nathan and kissed him offering him her tongue as she pushed closer to him. With a thought he undressed them and pulled back so that he could look at her. He could have sworn that her aura was a hot white and pulsed with her heartbeat.

"What?" Louise asked.

"Nothing- it's just that you're so damned beautiful and I'm proud of you," Nathan replied. "Our daughter is going to be just as beautiful as you are."

Nathan bent his head down, kissed her the spot over her heart and then took a nipple into his mouth. He took his time and was gentle because she seemed to be more sensitive to his touch. That was confirmed when he flicked his stiffened tongue across the nipple and then gently sucked. Louise pulled back indicating that it was too much. He switched from sucking to licking and was rewarded with soft moans of pleasure. 

"Nathan!" was all she got out before she was crying out her release and he hadn't even touched any of her other erogenous zones. Her sudden orgasm caught Nathan completely off guard and he rolled from the bed onto the floor. It took Louise a moment to realize that he was on the floor and looking at her with a shocked expression on his face.

"Oh my god-Nathan! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but wow... I barely touched you," he replied getting up. "Are you alright? That was a pretty intense orgasm."

"I'm fine and... I want to do it again minus the you on the floor part."

'I'm game of you are," Nathan said as he got back on the bed. "I suppose tasting you is out of the question?"

"I don't know about that..."

"I'll stay away from your nub, but I want and need to taste you," Nathan said as he stroked her arms.

A moment later, his head was between her legs and he was planting soft kisses on her thighs. He stopped when she began to tense signaling that she was going to come. He made a mental note to call Gretchen to ask about the increased sensitivity while making love. He couldn't remember hearing anything about it in school or from other mated males and he wasn't about to ask his father or uncles something so personal. 

He waited until she she was relaxed and started again. His lips were barely touching her skin and she was once again on the brink of orgasm. Then he had an idea.

"Sweetheart, put up your shields and try to dull the sensations that you're feeling."

Louise did as he asked and it helped- a lot. It would be something that they would have to do for the remainder of the pregnancy unless she wanted to come fast and hard. Nathan settled in to enjoy teasing her pussy with his nose, lips and tongue. He lapped up her juices as they ran from her and finally latched onto her clit tugging at it with his teeth and lips until she came with a scream that made his ears ring. Her orgasm was barely over before he was sliding into her slowly and gently. What he wasn't prepared for was the intensity of his orgasm when it hit. It reminded him of how intense the orgasms had been when he turned Louise. Even after the orgasm waned, he kept pumping into her until they came again. Finally sated, he lay by her side and pulled her into his arms. He was going to make a comment, but she had already fallen asleep.

While she slept, he did some thinking about the past few weeks. It was far from over- they all knew that. But the question was how long before things started up again? The best case scenario was never, the worst case scenario was that the anti-Olivia, anti-vampire groups would quickly get their acts together before Olivia, Thorne and Ethan were ready. It was time to make emergency plans. He had been meaning to find an emergency get-away for them, but hadn't gotten around to it. There was always something happening. Now he had no choice. He owned land that he had done nothing with in several states and began to think about which state to go to. When Louise woke up, they would talk about it. He wondered if any of the others had places and decided to call them as well. The other thing that crossed his mind was that all of the female mates that weren't turned needed to be. It could make the difference between life and death of them or the children in the family.

The last person that crossed his mind before he drifted off to sleep was Joseph. They hadn't spoken since the twin's wedding and he was sure that he hadn't talked to anyone. He added calling Joseph to his growing list of things to do. But first things first- a safe place for Louise and the baby and then he could deal with the rest.

****

Ethan hung up after talking with Thorne and made a few calls of his own. He could hear Katrina in the bathroom preparing for one of his favorite times of the day- their bath. While she was getting ready, he went to check on Victoria. When they got home, she had planted herself in his lap not moving until Ethan tucked her into bed.

"Papa?"

"It's over for now- go back to sleep," Ethan said kissing her forehead. "We'll check on you later."

"You don't have to, I'm okay now." Victoria replied sleepily.

"I know that we don't but we will just because we love you, sleep tight pumpkin."

Ethan kissed her again, turned off the light and left the room softly closing the door behind him. 

"Is she alright?" Katrina asked when he got back to the bedroom.

"For now she is," Ethan replied. "I'm worried about her though. We barely get over the Bradford Jefferson thing and then this happens. I know that she's a strong little girl, but she's still just a little girl."

Ethan's worry increased when Katrina told him about Barb wanting to go into the kitchen.

"She still thinks that what happened to Veronica is her fault," Katrina said. "I think that she'll always feel that way no matter what anyone says. I just wish that we could help her see that it wasn't her fault."

"I know-maybe time will help," Ethan said hugging Katrina close. "We all need some time to take a deep breath. I would like to suggest a family vacation- you, me the twins, their mates and Victoria. I think it would do all of us a world of good."

"I agree, but why do I think that there's more to it than that?" Katrina asked.

"Because you know me too well," Ethan replied kissing her neck and then her shoulder. "We'll talk about it after we get up-let's enjoy our bath and get some rest."

"Rest?" Katrina teased.

"Yes rest- well- after we make up for lost time," Ethan teased back. "Go get started, I need to make one more quick phone call."

"Who are you calling?" Katrina asked.

"Mason- maybe he'll have some ideas on how we can help Victoria."

"Are they in town? I thought they went to San Diego to stay with Toni's parents until she had the baby."

"That was the plan, but it may have changed," Ethan replied.

Instead of going into the bathroom, Katrina stood next to Ethan with her arms around his waist. A moment later, Mason's deep voice was on the phone.

"How are things? I heard that that sick son of a bitch Rufus Saunders is dead."

"That's true," Ethan replied. "It's far from over, but things are calm at the moment. How's Toni?"

"She's fine- anxious for the baby to come."

"Still no baby?" Ethan asked. "She looked like she was about to deliver when we last saw you."

"Well- she wasn't as far along as we thought. This is going to be one big baby."

"When is the anticipated date of birth?" 

"Any day now, but we were thinking that a couple of weeks ago," Mason replied. "We're trying not to stress about it too much. Neither of us are working- Eustace is seeing the few patients that I had. So how is everyone there?"

Mason listened as Ethan told him about his and Katrina's concerns about Victoria.

"How can we help her?" Ethan asked.

"Well," Mason mused, "I think that you're already doing the right things. A vacation is a good idea and don't push her to talk about what she's feeling. If you can, try to avoid talking about the past few weeks unless she brings it up."

"Some of this sounds familiar," Ethan remarked.

"I'm sure that it does," Mason replied. "Call me if you need anything."

"We will and give our love to Toni."

Ethan hung up and told Katrina what Mason said.

"We'll let her know that she can talk to us at any time about anything and let it go at that."

"Let's go check on her one more time," Katrina suggested.

Holding hands they left their room and went to Victoria's. She was on her side, sound asleep with her mouth open- a sure indicator that she was out for the count. Relieved, they went back to their room, stripped and got into the large bathtub. They made love once before Katrina was fast asleep. Ethan lifted her out of the tub, wrapped her in a towel and tucked her in much like he had Victoria. While she slept, he logged on to his laptop and did some research on the best place to build a secret hide-away

*

The various households were doing or thinking about the same thing even though they wanted nothing more than to take a break and enjoy the relative peace and quiet. Kevyn was the one who put it in perspective for Patrick.

"We need to take a breath," she said when he began talking about future plans. "Even during wars everyone took a break to regroup. I think they call it rest and relaxation," she said as she rubbed the front of his shorts. 

Patrick pulled her close, nuzzled his nose in her hair and hugged her. She was right he decided. They hadn't had one moment of peace since they met. There was something else that he wanted to talk to her about, but not now- they deserved some quality time.

"Spit it out," Kevyn said kissing his neck. "You won't relax until you do."

"It can wait," Patrick replied. "Let's ..."

"Patrick," Kevyn said firmly. "I know you; now spit it out."

Patrick sighed and told her what he was thinking.

"I don't know if you've given much thought into turning, but I think it may be for the best. I need to know that you'll be able to defend yourself..."

"I've already thought about it," Kevyn interrupted. "I've been thinking about it since Louise turned. I know that Juliette has been thinking about it too- this isn't over is it? That's why you want me to turn."

Patrick's silence was her answer.

"When do we do it?"

*

Juliette snuggled into Hans after they made love for the third time that night. The kids were tucked into bed and seemed none the worse for wear. The fact that Celeste wasn't overly upset went a long way to ease Juliette's anxiety. She knew that Hans had some things that he wanted to talk about and even knew what they were, but she wasn't ready for reality to intrude just yet.

"Julie...."

"Not yet... please?"

"It can wait," Hans said as he rubbed her back. "But we must talk and soon."

"I know- we'll talk after we get up," Juliette replied. "I just need a little more time. Hans- you could have been killed! Leon could have died! What would have happened to us? And I'm not talking about money. What would we have done without you? And what happens now? You and I both know that this isn't over. It's going to get even worse isn't it?"

"Yes," Hans replied. He had learned that it was best not to sugar coat things for her. Once she heard the truth her anxiety level would spike, but then she would calm down and focus on what needed to be done. He also found that the best time to discuss things with her was when they were in bed- it was a place of safety for her. 

Juliette closed her eyes and snuggled even closer and let the anxiety wash over her. She shivered, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

*

Nadine sat on the side of the bed watching Leon sleep. She had come much too close to losing him and would have if Nathan and Hans hadn't been there. The wound on his chest was just about healed, but he would have a small scar. With a start she realized that it was probably similar to the one that she had given Harry. She felt nauseated and looked away from the healing wound. Even though he was dead, Harry had managed to leave her a reminder of what he had done to her. 

She began to cry as she forced herself to touch the wound. Leon was right, she realized. She needed to talk to someone about her time with Harry and his family. She also had to come to grips with the fact that William was now a part of the good guys. He had never really hurt her- he fed from her as the rest of them did and for the most part he was kind to her. But that didn't change the fact that he knew what Harry was doing to her and did nothing to stop him. She wasn't sure that she could ever forgive him for that. Then there was Nell who had pretended to be her friend- or had she? It had felt real, but then she had never had a real friend before.

"Dina? What's wrong baby?" Leon asked as he reached for her.

"I'm fine- no I'm not," she finally confessed. "You're right about me needing to talk to someone about what happened. I hope that you won't be offended if it isn't you- I just need to talk to someone who understands."

Leon let out a sigh of relief. He didn't care who she talked to a long as she got help.

"I don't mind at all," he replied. "I love you and I want you to be happy. Come lie next to me."

"Oh no you don't," Nadine said laughing. "You're supposed to be resting and if I lay next to you, I know what's going to happen."

"I feel great," Leon replied, "Now get over here."

"Leon..."

"Dina, I'm fine but I'll be even better with you next to me."

"Fine," she replied after a few seconds hesitation. "Let me cover that wound up first."

Leon started to tell her that it was fine, but then understood what was happening. He watched her hands tremble as she picked up the 4x4 gauze that appeared on the bed. He made no comment as she applied the gauze to the wound and then taped it. He also noticed that once the wound was out of view, she relaxed and lay on the bed next to him. He knew that she would ask about the fight with Harry even though she really didn't want to hear about how close he had come to dying. She would however, want to hear about how Harry died. It would be the beginning of her healing.

****

Thorne got to the club and looked around beginning with the outside. He was still amazed that it had been relatively untouched. There was some graffiti on the back wall and door, but was easily fixed. The front of the club was untouched. He released the wards and walked in. Things were as he had left them. He would call in the staff in another day or so to get the club ready for reopening. He thought better of it and decided to keep the club closed for an undetermined amount of time. He would do the cleanup himself and would put money enough money into each employee's account so that they wouldn't have to work.

He turned when he felt someone approach the front door.

"Thorne?" Eustace's deep voice boomed.

Thorne met him at the door and let him in. "Can I offer you a drink?" he asked when Eustace was inside.

"Sure- you got any scotch?"

A few minutes later, they were sitting in Thorne's office drinks in hand. Eustace watched Thorne with a practiced eye and knew that it had been a hard thing for him to call him. It was always hard for vampires like Thorne. Like Ethan, something drastic had to happen in order for him to make the call. He wondered what it was. Thorne he knew was no rapist. He knew from the few times that he had spoken with him that he was cold to those he wasn't concerned with and that included his mate. It made him question the wisdom of the fates in not allowing mates' time to get to know each other before they took the plunge. Thorne and his mate were a case in point.

"My father used to say that therapy was for the weak," Thorne said after a few minutes had passed.

"What do you think?" Eustace asked.

"For the most part I agreed with him," Thorne said. "And to some small degree, I still do."

"Then why call me?" Eustace asked sitting his glass down.

"Because I also believe that he was wrong thus making me wrong," Thorne replied. "I have also come to realize that sometimes one must examine one's life and choices because of someone that they love."

"Who is it that led you to call me?" Eustace asked.

"My son," Thorne replied.

"What about your mate?" Eustace asked. "Does she have anything to do with this?"

"In a way she does," Thorne replied after thinking about it, "but not in the way that you might think. I won't sit here and bull shit you-your time is valuable as is mine. I am primarily here because I want to be a good father to my son. As far as my mate goes- she will be provided for and protected, but I don't love her nor is that going to happen. We are together because of irrational and selfish decisions on my part. We are still together if you want to call it that- because of the child."

"Tell me how you met," Eustace said reaching for his drink.

Eustace didn't say anything for a long time after Thorne finished. When he spoke, it was to ask a question.

"You don't want a mate do you?"

"No and I never have. The pregnancy hasn't changed that."

"Another question- if your mate wasn't so much like your mother, would you have made more of an effort to make it work?"

The question shook Thorne. How many times had he wished that Barb was more like Louise who he had liked as soon as he saw her?

"Maybe," he finally admitted, "but I believe that the end result would have been the same."

"Another question- if you could have chosen your mate; who would you have chosen and why?"

"What does this have to do with anything?" Thorne demanded not wanting to answer the question.

"It's a part of it," Eustace replied. "Why won't you answer the question?"

Thorne glared at Eustace but asked himself the same question. 

"Thorne, you can't just pick the parts of you that you want to fix and ignore the rest," Eustace said. "I understand why you don't want your mate. I understand that both of you made choices that brought you together and I will even concede that the fates are at times lunatics-but you still need to admit what it is you want in a mate if for no other reason than you can explain to your son why you and his mother aren't together."

"Shit," Thorne swore. This was much harder than he thought it would be. It was also something that wouldn't be resolved in one meeting.

"So tell me who your ideal mate would be and why," Eustace urged. "And don't worry- I'm not here to judge, but to help."

"I don't give a rat's ass about being judged," Thorne said curtly. "I'm going to answer your question and after I do, we move on; is that clear?"

Eustace leaned forward in his chair and stared at Thorne with flashing dark eyes.

"Let me explain a few things to you," he said. "You called me for help. I'm here to do that, but I don't cut corners nor do I avoid certain topics because it makes the client uncomfortable. I'm not here to make you feel good but I am here to help you with your issues. Now- you have to decide just what it is you want from me. If it's to pat you on the hand and tell you that it's going to be alright, you've called the wrong therapist. If you don't want to work to fix your problem, again; you've called the wrong therapist. I don't believe in fucking around-as you said, my time is as valuable as yours is so when you've decided what you want- call me."




Thorne Ch. 10



Eustace stood up to leave and Thorne stopped him.

"Please- sit down. I think that I've chosen the right man even if I don't like what he has to say."

Eustace sat down and waited.

"I'm not used to being questioned about my thoughts or motives," Thorne replied. "I also have to admit that this is much more difficult than I thought it would be."

"I can appreciate that," Eustace replied, "but you still have to decide how hard you are willing to work and if you want to be honest with yourself."

"You really are a hard ass aren't you?" Thorne asked with a chuckle.

"I've been doing this for a long time," Eustace replied with a small smile. "If you want time to think about it or if you prefer someone else- no hard feelings."

"I don't need to think about it," Thorne replied. "Ask your questions."

Eustace asked the same question as he asked before.

"Who would you choose as a mate and why?"

"Louise Sinclaire."

Eustace, who was rarely surprised, was surprised for the second time that night and didn't hide it.

"Louise Sinclaire? Why her? I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with her. She's beautiful and powerful, but your answer surprises me."

"Dr. Matthews..."

"Please call me Eustace," Eustace interrupted.

"Eustace- if there's one thing that I know about myself it's that I can be a cold, unfeeling bastard. Women like Barb and my mother bring that out even more and I am fully aware that I allow it. Women like Louise Sinclaire are what men like me need in our lives to balance that coldness. Am I in love with Louise? No... at least not much, but the fact remains that if I were to choose a mate, it would be someone like her."

"Explain," Eustace said.

"I don't know if I can," Thorne replied. "That night at the club- the night that she and the others came for Barb- you should have seen how she fought for her sister. She puked all over the floor, but she didn't care. I watched as she loved someone who didn't want to be loved. I know that on the face of it, many would consider her weak because she is by nature a shy, quiet woman. She is also innately kind and gentle. Those qualities would not only rub off on a man such as me; they would make me stronger. They're also a part of her strength."

"What about her sister- your mate?" Eustace asked.

"What about her?" Thorne asked. "She is persistent but her only priority is herself. I suppose that somewhere there is a man who could appreciate that- that man isn't me."

"Tell me about more about your family," Eustace said.

By the end of the night, Eustace came to one conclusion- the fates had fucked up yet again. Barbara Yancy Simpson no more belonged with Thorne Blackwell than she did her original mate Hans. It reinforced his beliefs that the fates didn't always know what was best and sometimes acted out of vindictiveness or because they thought that it was funny. He also knew that Thorne wasn't really in love with Louise Sinclaire and breathed a prayer of thanks. If he were, could have complicated things a great deal.

"Bastards," he growled under his breath as he thought about the fates.

Thorne watched Eustace as he was thinking about the next step. He liked him he decided and would recommend him to Noel although Noel might need someone with a gentler touch.

"When did you last speak with your mother?" Eustace asked.

"I haven't spoken to her since I took Noel from her home," Thorne replied not at all ashamed by his answer.

"Then she doesn't know about your mate or coming child," Eustace mused. "Are you planning to let her be involved in your child's life?"

"I hadn't given it much thought," Thorne replied again not feeling ashamed. "There were other things going on."

"Understandable, but that's over for now." Eustace replied. "I think that you need to start repairing that relationship. I'm not saying that you have to become the family that you never were, but I am saying that you need to have a relationship that is based on mutual respect. I don't know your mother, but I would guess that she would love her grandchild."

Thorne didn't agree that his mother would love her grandchild, but on the other hand; maybe she would. The child wouldn't be living with her and she wouldn't be responsible for him. He also reluctantly agreed that maybe it was time to make some kind of effort to reconcile with her. He was honest enough with himself to admit that he would never love her as a son loves his mother; but they could have some kind of relationship.

"I want you to call her," Eustace said. "You don't have to tell her about your mate or the child unless you want to. The goal is for you to take the first step toward a healthier relationship with her so in turn; your son will develop a healthy relationship with her. As far as your relationship with your mate goes- it mirrors that of your mothers. Even if you don't live together as mates, you need to find a way to get along with her."

Thorne had a disquieting thought- Barb and his mother together. He could see it now- his mother teaching Barb the ropes and pointing out her mistakes. It didn't matter he decided. The two of them could sail the seven seas together for eternity if they wanted to; the only thing that mattered was his son. If he had to learn to play nice with them in order to be a good father; he would.

"We'll meet again next week," Eustace said. "I expect to hear about the phone call with your mother."

Thorne stood up, offered his hand to Eustace and nodded. He had just completed his first therapy session.

***

Barb finished packing and checked her bank account. She gasped and sat on the bed sure that her bank account must have had a coronary. There had never been so much money in there at one time and this was for a month! She sat looking at the balance for several minutes not quite believing that it was there. She picked up the phone and called her bank.

"The balance available for use is..."

She hung up feeling giddy with happiness. All she had to do was now was to get through the rest of the pregnancy. She logged off from her bank account and went to a Hawaii realtor's website. It would be months before she could move, but she could arrange to go look at places and then buy one if she liked it. There was more than enough money to buy a place plus hire a cook/housekeeper. She opened her word document and began to construct a list of things that she needed to do in order to get ready for her. When the time came, she just wanted to board the plane and be gone.

"Tsk tsk...."

The voice interjected into her thoughts and said no more.

"Here's your food," Adrianna said by way of announcing herself.

Barb looked at her wondering why the change in her mood.

"I talked to Thorne," Adrianna replied said. "I guess I'm staying as your permanent security detail- in other words I go where you go. The best part is Cheung- he's my mate gets to come too."

"What?" Barb exclaimed. "You and whatever his name is aren't going anywhere with me!"

"Of course we are," Adrianna replied. "Just because Rufus Saunders is dead doesn't mean that the threat is gone. You will always need protection. In addition to me and Cheung, there will be a wolf couple. They're good friends of ours so no worries."

Barb couldn't believe it. She still wasn't free.

"Don't worry, we won't be living with you- you won't even know that we're there, but the rules are the same. You go nowhere without us and when we tell you to move, you move."

"This is not happening," Barb muttered under her breath and then out loud. "This is not happening! I'm having this baby and then I'm out of here-alone!"

Adrianna shrugged and walked away to call Cheung. There was no point in arguing with her. It wouldn't change anything. She was glad that Cheung was going with them- he had little tolerance for pettiness and wouldn't tolerate Barb's tantrums. Neither would the wolves for that matter. She listened to Barb muttering and called Cheung. He was thrilled and wanted to know how soon it would be before he could see her. It had been weeks.

"Come over later, Thorne isn't here and he wants to meet you before you meet his mate and child."

"Will we have a moment alone?" Cheung asked. "I have missed you."

"I miss you too and I think that a little conjugal visit can be arranged. I'll let you know when he's back."

Adrianna turned to see Barb looking at her with something akin to intense dislike. She shrugged it off and said goodbye to Cheung. Barb didn't say anything but went back to her laptop to shop for a one bed room condo. She earmarked three of them and sent an email the realtor. After that she pulled up her virtual calendar and began the countdown for her delivery date and her departure date. What surprised her was the voice hadn't spoken. Instead, she spoke to it.

"Nothing to say?" she asked.

No response.

"Look, I kept my parental rights when I could have signed off didn't I?" she asked exasperated.

"True," the voice replied, "but ask yourself why you did it. I think that you'll find that the choice wasn't made out of the goodness of your heart or because you want what's best for your child."

This time it was Barb who went silent.

***

Samantha Blackwell was relieved that her sons were safe. She only knew because Noel had been calling to keep her posted on events as they happened. It was on his advice that she hadn't gone back to California after her last trip and on his advice that she hired additional security. That Thorne hadn't called her told her just how little he thought of her and surprisingly; it had hurt. She was also relieved that the Sinclaires and Blackwell's were once again protecting each other. She had never believed that the Sinclaires had betrayed them- but her husband wouldn't listen to her. It hadn't made sense then and it didn't make sense now. The Sinclaires had nothing to gain by betraying them. They were wealthier and more powerful than the Blackwell family and that they were allies was nothing short of amazing. 

The other question that she had was about Noel. Why did he think that he wasn't at the fight that killed her mate and his father? Granted he had always been a sensitive soul, but something was blocking that memory. Maybe the years of his father's abuse had taken its toll or maybe there was really something there. She pushed the question aside and thought about Thorne. He had asked her several valid questions with the main one being why she didn't tell him that she didn't want Noel living with her. She didn't give him an answer because she really didn't know or told herself that she didn't. It was because of all of her sons, Noel reminded her most of her husband. Whenever she looked at him, she felt as if it were her husband and that he could see every infidelity that she had committed and every wrong thought she had about her sons and mate.

She had never wanted children and had prayed that the fates wouldn't give them any. Her mate and the fates had other ideas. Before she knew it, she was a mother to four boys of which only two still lived. In a perfect world, she would be close to her remaining sons and bugging them about grandchildren. But this wasn't a perfect world. She would never be the woman who thought that the sun, moon and stars revolved around her children. She was content to continue as she was taking her trips with her lovers and answering to no one.

Samantha knew that her attitude was a major issue for Thorne. Of all of her boys, he was the one that had the biggest issue with her lack of enthusiasm for the role of mother. He was also the one that she couldn't buy off. She consoled herself by reminding herself that the boys had the best of everything. Thorne apparently didn't see it that way.

"Oh well," she said out loud and proceeded to plan her next trip. There was nothing that she could do about it. She wasn't sure that she would do anything even if she could. Thorne unnerved her even more than Noel did and would accept no excuses for her lack of mothering. The fact was- there was no excuse. She couldn't even say that she had been abused in any way. Her mate had given her a free hand-perhaps too much of a free hand- to do as she pleased. She did admit to her role in making Thorne as he was. But it was too late to change that too. "Let bygones be bygones," she thought as she booked a trip to the Netherlands.

***

Thorne stayed at the club for a couple of hours after Eustace left making phone calls. He thought about calling his mother and decided that it could wait a few days. He needed a break. Instead of calling her or going to the house that he had shared with Ethan and the others; he went to the beach house. 

"Who's out there?" A voice called out when he appeared on the edge of his property.

He was impressed that someone remained on high alert, but where were the others?

"WHO IS OUT THERE?" the voiced boomed clearly impatient and ready to challenge him.

"Stand down!" Thorne called back. "I'm Thorne Blackwell."

There were several seconds of silence before the vampire that was guarding the property appeared.

"Where..."

Thorne looked at the vampire who was swaying on his feet and realized that he was seriously hurt.

"What happened to you and where are the others?" Thorne asked as he moved to offer the vampire support.

"Many of them went home to their families as soon as we got word that the head hunter was dead. The others went to join those in opposition to making peace with the hunters. What you see is the result of me trying to talk sense to them."

"Let's get inside," Thorne said after assessing the vampire for deceit. "You can tell me what you know after we get some blood in you."

Thorne took the vampire inside after extending his senses looking for any signs of trouble. He helped the injured vampire to the kitchen, took down a large glass and filled it with blood. The vampire grabbed it and drank it in one long gulp. By the time he was finished, Thorne had another glass filled and warmed in the microwave. He waited until the vampire had finished before asking questions. He started with the names of those who had joined those in favor of continuing the war with the hunters. He then asked about those who had gone home to their families and where they stood.

The vampire gave him the names albeit reluctantly. Many of those who joined the opposition were his friends.

"Why did you stay?" Thorne asked as he rinsed the glasses out.

"I stayed because you hired me to do a job," the vampire replied. "That has nothing to do with politics- it has to do with keeping my word. I also happen to believe that it's possible for the different species to get along. Joining the other side doesn't mesh with that."

"What's your name?" Thorne asked.

"George Tomlinson," the vampire replied.

"Do you have a family?"

"Yes," George replied, "they are safe."

"Thank you for staying," Thorne said. "And thank you for speaking up- you could have been killed."

"True, but then people die in wars don't they? Look, you and I both know that the defections are only the beginning. Soon the supernatural world is going to be involved in a civil war of sorts. The lines are already being drawn as we speak. I plan to fight and die for the right side- that means your side if you'll have me."

"I-we would be honored," Thorne replied offering his hand. "Now go to your family and spend time with them. Let's hope that this civil war can be avoided."

After the vampire left, Thorne walked around the house one more time. He stopped in his office, got online and put the house and property up for sale. He packed up the laptop, emptied his desk of anything that he deemed important and vanished. He would never return to the house again.

***

Barb fumed over the fact that she would still have guards, but realized that it would be pointless to argue about it with Thorne. Once she got over her initial anger, she logged on and began to shop for maternity clothes using the cards that Thorne had given her when she first moved in with him. After that was done, she began looking for furniture for her condo. She jumped when she heard a tap on the door. 

"What?" she snapped thinking that it was Thorne.

Noel stuck his head in and asked to speak with her. Barb rolled her eyes, closed the laptop and told him in a curt tone to come in. Noel hesitated. He really didn't care for this woman who was carrying his nephew.

"What do you want?" Barb asked impatiently.

"Do you know," Noel said softly, "that physically you are a beautiful woman? I could paint you and make a lot of money from it. But then, all the Yancy women that I've met are that beautiful."

"Is there a point to this?" Barb asked.

"Not really," Noel replied. "It's just an observation. I came by to let you know that I'm moving away."

"Really?" Barb asked surprised. "Where is Thorne moving you to?"

"Thorne isn't moving me anywhere," Noel replied. "I'm moving myself. Contrary to what you believe, I do have money..."

"Sure you do, just like you're some famous artist," Barb said sarcastically.

Noel sighed, shook his head and laughed.

"I really don't care whether you believe me or not," Noel said between chuckles and ignoring the angry looks that he was getting from Barb. "Here's the problem as I see it," he continued. "You see everyone as you are. Not everyone is money hungry and not everyone is insecure enough in who they are that they have to namedrop to feel important. Isn't that part of the reason that you're mated to my brother?"

Barb was livid. How dare Thorne talk about her-but then she remembered that everyone knew about their initial meeting.

"At any rate, I'll be gone by the end of next week. I do plan to be back in time for the birth of my nephew..."

"Tell me something," Barb interrupted. "If you're so famous, why haven't I heard of you?"

"Are you interested in art?" Noel asked. "Do you frequent art galleries and keep up on news from the art world?"

"No, but if you're famous I still should know who you are. I still think that you're a wannabe who's taking advantage of your brother..."

"Since when are you concerned about my brother?" Noel shot back. "From what I can see your first and only concern is yourself. If you can't be honest with others, be honest with yourself- the question has nothing to do with Thorne per se, but his money. But- I'll humor you. Go to this website and tell me what you see."

Barb gave Noel a dubious look, but pulled up the website. Her eyes widened as she saw what was going on. It was a live auction website where Noel's paintings were being bought for amounts that boggled the mind. 

"Seen enough?" Noel asked amused. "Now go to this one."

Barb went to the next website and stared. It was a virtual tour of Noel's art galleries in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.

"So you see," he said coolly, "I don't need nor do I want Thorne's money. I'm here because he's my brother and just as I will always have a home with him; he will always have a home with me. That is what families do, but then; you wouldn't know about that would you? You keep your family at arm's length unless you want something from them."

Barb didn't know what to say. Once again she had seriously misjudged someone.

"I-I'm sorry..."

But Noel was gone.

"You don't learn do you?" Adrianna said from the small room off of the bedroom.

When Barb didn't answer, Adrianna came to the bedroom and sat down but didn't say anything.

"What now?" Barb snapped.

"Nothing; but I do have a question for you- do you want to be loved?"

"What kind of question is that?" Barb asked. "Of course I do! Who doesn't?"

"Do you believe that one has to also give love in order to receive it?"

"I- no," Barb replied. "Family is supposed to love each other no matter what..."




Thorne Ch. 10



"Are you saying that your family doesn't love you?" Adrianna asked.

"I'm not saying that, but they want me to be something that I'm not. I am who I am and if they love me they have to accept that."

"So they're supposed to accept your behavior because they're family and it's alright for you to continue to act like a bitch? I don't know, but that doesn't sound right to me. At any rate, I have an observation for you- you don't like yourself. It's more than that- you don't love nor do you respect yourself. The way that you treat others is a projection of what you feel for yourself. I've also noticed that on several occasions, a nicer you appears and you're actually likable. Then something happens and it goes back into hiding... it's almost like you become afraid to be that person... why is that?"

"Don't you have a paper or something to write?" Barb interrupted uncomfortable with the conversation.

"Actually, I do," Adrianna said with a smile, "but allow me to leave you with this one piece of advice- talk to someone. It doesn't matter whether they're human or vampire. What's important is that you begin to deal with your fear..."

"I'm not afraid of anything," Barb said firmly.

"You should be," Adrianna said as she stood up. "I'm going to take a shower- Cheung-my mate will be here shortly."

"Cheung?" Barb asked. "What kind of name is that?

"My mate happened to be Chinese," Adrianna replied. "I'll be back shortly."

After Adrianna left, Barb tried to go back to her online shopping. She gave up after a few minutes and opened her documents.

"Stupid," she muttered as she read through her plans for trapping Thorne. "Stupid," she muttered again as she read the next document. For the first time since arriving in California; she began to accept her part in what happened in her life. It wasn't anything that anyone said exactly. It was the fact that Thorne had never laid the entire situation at her feet as she had tried to do with him. It was the fact that Gene accepted his part in the failure of his marriage and his life. Even Leon acknowledged that he had done wrong and had hurt their parents horribly. Then there were the Sinclaires. They were a family of rapists. That they were taught that it was their right and whatever other crap they were fed didn't change what they were but- but yet they announced it to the vampire world how wrong they were and took responsibility for it.

The question she asked herself was why she couldn't do the same. Why couldn't she say that much of what happened to her was of her own doing?

"Because it's much easier to blame others," the voice said softly and went silent.

Barb deleted the documents without rereading them and looked at the phone. She stared at it for several minutes before she picked it up. When it rang for the first time, she hung up. Several minutes later, she picked the phone up and dialed. Once again she hung up. The third time, she let it ring and waited for it to be answered.

****



Thorne Ch. 11



Note: Once again I thank you all for your patience. I also wish to thank Jean and donalde for beta reading and to mostera1 who bounced ideas with me. 

*

Barb continued to stare at the phone for several minutes before deciding against making her phone call. She wasn't in the mood to hear what a selfish bitch she was. A few minutes later, she was looking at the phone again. Suddenly she wanted to hear a friendly voice. She ran down the list of her so called friends and none of them jumped out at her as someone that she could really talk to. She already knew what most if not all of them would have said, "stay married, have the kid and spend his money." That would have been an option, but the fact that she would have to be physically with Thorne forever stopped her. That was why she didn't choose the option of living with him as he mate. The fact that she would be expected to take care of the baby was the other reason that made that choice unattractive.

She lay on the bed and closed her eyes. She wondered if there was any way that she could get out of having guards. There wasn't. Thorne took the issue of her safety seriously even though they weren't together per se. It brought home the fact that no matter what happened they were tied together. She weighed her options and decided that all she could do was learn to accept that she would never be truly alone as she wished. That decision made, she went back to thinking about her family.

It still galled her that things seemed to have happened so easily for Leon, Kevyn and Louise. When she thought about it, it had always been that way. Even Leon who had been a drug addict seemed to have led a charmed life.

"Why is that?" she asked the air. "Why do I have to struggle so much?"

"Why do you think that is?" the voice asked. "What is the fundamental difference between you and your siblings with the exception of your brother Gene? And he's even seen the light- I'm not talking about personality per se- I'm talking about character. We both agree that you are not like them and that isn't a bad thing- it's what you do with those differences that count. Think about the things that your parents tried to teach you. Were you even listening when they tried to teach the importance of sticking together as family? What did your father always tell you? At the end of the day, knowing that you have people that love you is what counts. The knowledge that your family loves you can get you through anything. Do you remember him saying that?" 

Barb didn't reply. She had the feeling that she wasn't expected to. 

*****

Almost a week passed and Thorne still hadn't called his mother. He always found something else to do. He had two more days before his next appointment with Eustace and one more day before Noel was going to be leaving. Felix had managed to tie up his business affairs early and Noel was eager to be on his way.

The club remained closed, but was watched in case any stray hunters remained. Not going to the club was giving him more time to think than he liked. Finally, he decided to get the unpleasantness over with. Once again he found a reason to procrastinate. He called to check in on Olivia and the others. It wasn't a long conversation and was over in less than two minutes.

"Fuck," he swore and dialed his mother's cell phone number. It rang four times before she answered it. He was almost positive that she was debating whether she wanted to talk to him or not. He guessed that like him, she wanted the unpleasantness to be done with.

"Mother, this is Thorne."

He heard the uncertainty in her voice when she replied.

"What's wrong? Is Noel alright?"

"Noel is fine," he replied ignoring the fact that she hadn't asked about him. It was only fair he supposed. He hadn't called her once during the issue with the hunters. 

"Oh- then what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Samantha asked. The slightly sarcastic tone of her voice suggested that she considered the call anything but a pleasure.

He had planned to talk to her on the phone but somehow it didn't feel right. Ignoring the sarcasm; Thorne continued.

"Are you at home or on one of your trips?" he asked.

"Home," Samantha replied after a brief hesitation. "Why do you ask?"

"We need to talk. I was going to do it over the phone, but I think that we need to speak face to face."

"I'm about to leave, can it wait?"

"When will you be back?" Thorne asked sensing the lie. "I only need an hour or two of your time."

"Well- can you come now?" Samantha asked. "I really was on my way out."

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

Before he left, he went to tell Noel where he was going. His announcement was met with surprise. Next he checked on Barb and let Adrianna know that he was leaving. He couldn't help but notice that she seemed much happier now that her mate was with her. He made a final check around the house and vanished to his mother's home.

There was a suitcase next to the door, but he knew that she had put it there to give the illusion that she was leaving. He decided not to confront her about the lie and to get straight to the point of his visit. Samantha sat on the couch watching him and knew that he knew that she really wasn't going anywhere. She relaxed slightly when he ignored the suitcase and sat in the arm chair across from her. Thorne took a moment to look at his mother. He could see why his father had been smitten with her. She was stunning with her green eyes, dark hair and clear porcelain skin. She was tall, willowy and graceful- the kind of woman that his father had always fancied. It came to him that Barb was as physically beautiful as his mother was but in a different way. And like his mother she was self-serving and cared little for what others thought and needed. He grimaced at the thought. He was like that too- he was more like them than he cared to think. It was something that he needed to work on. It would never completely change, but...

"What did you want to talk about?" Samantha asked uncomfortable with his assessing her.

"I wanted you to know that I am seeing a therapist," he said in a matter of fact tone of voice. "I know how father felt about them- I even felt the same way, but I have come to believe that sometimes they are necessary."

Samantha was speechless. Of all of her sons, Thorne was the last one that she would have suspected of going to a therapist. Noel she could see, but Thorne?

"What prompted this?" she asked genuinely interested.

"You," he replied. "All of my life, I've blamed you for the way that I am. While it's true that you are partially responsible- I bear some of the responsibility as well. I allowed how I felt about you to dictate my behavior toward a certain type of woman. That in turn led me to make decisions that will affect me and others for eternity. 

"What are you talking about?" Samantha asked now curious.

"Do you really need for me to say it?" Thorne asked. "Fine, then I'll say it. You never loved father or us. You made a good show of it, but the bottom line is that you were more concerned about money and appearances than you were about four children who needed their mother. Yes I admit that we wanted for nothing in the physical sense, but you emotionally starved us. I don't hate you, but I sure as hell don't like or respect you..."

"Then why are you here?" Samantha asked. "Why don't you continue to do what you've been doing- ignoring me?"

"Because there is now more than just me involved," Thorne replied. "And I'm not talking about Noel although god knows he is a big part of this."

He gave her the condensed version of his meeting Barb and the resulting pregnancy.

"She isn't the only one that I have treated wrongly," Thorne said, "but she is the only one who I impregnated."

"A grandson?" Samantha whispered in disbelief. "You have a mate?"

"Yes and it is because of my son that I am here. I am making you aware of him and to let you know that I will not stop you from being a part of his life if you wish. But- we need to reach some kind of understanding as to what our relationship is. We need to find a way to get along if only for his sake."

Samantha stood up and walked around the room for several minutes. "What about your mate? Will you stay with her?"

"Are you asking if I love her?" Thorne asked.

"Yes."

"No I don't love her," Thorne replied, "and I won't pretend that I do. We are together only because of decisions that we both made."

"But... a child needs his mother...."

Thorne laughed, but it was a laugh without humor. "Really? We seemed to have been raised without you. I don't remember you attending many of our school or social functions. One of the servants usually went in your place. At any rate, she loves me no more than I love her. After the child is born she plans to move away. As I said, she will have access to him just as you will. She and I will also have to work on a way to get along for the sake of the baby."

Samantha was shocked. Thorne a father and mate? Of all of her son's he was the one that maintained that he wanted neither of those things. She knew that he wasn't lying when he said that he didn't love the woman, but the child was a different matter altogether- he loved this child. Once again she was reminded that Thorne's emotions-when he had them ran deep. She was curious about the woman and asked about her.

"Her name is Barbara Yancy Simpson," Thorne replied. "She moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to find a rich husband. She started actively hunting here in California when her sisters wouldn't set her up with one of the Sinclaire males. What else do you need to know about her?"

Samantha was silent. She knew exactly what Thorne was thinking.

"Is she beautiful?" Samantha finally asked.

"She is," Thorne conceded.

"And there is no way in which you can remain together? Your father and I...."

"Lived a lie," Thorne interrupted. "The difference between me and him is that he loved you and you took advantage of that love. You had children because the fates decreed it, but if not for that; none of us would have been born. Do you deny this?"

Samantha blanched. Here she had thought it was Noel that could see into her, it was Thorne. It explained why he had always been so cold to her. Noel saw what she was, but it didn't matter. She had hated the wrong son. Now she could admit it. She hated Noel because she thought that he knew the real her.

"No, I don't deny it," Samantha replied. "I never wanted children, but how do you say it? Karma is a bitch. The fates gave me what I wanted but at a price- the four of you. Since we're being honest, what else do you think you know?"

"Do you really want to have this conversation?" Thorne asked coldly.

"Why not?" Samantha asked her tone just as cold. "Isn't the point of your little visit to clear the air for the sake of your son? So let's hear it. What do you think you know?"

"You are an ungrateful, unfaithful bitch," Thorne hissed. "Do you really think that your house staff cared enough about you to keep your secrets? Your treating them like shit didn't help. You didn't want father any more than you wanted us. And before you try to tell me that the staff lied or that it was just gossip, I saw you not once but twice! Would you like me to tell you who I saw you with? No? I'll tell you anyway."

"Thorne..."

"What?" Thorne shot back. His green eyes blazed with anger as he looked at the woman he was supposed to love. "Don't you want to hear any more? Too fucking bad! I'm going to tell you anyway. I was ten years old when I found out that you were being unfaithful. Father was out of town on a business trip. I remember the day as if it was yesterday. He came to our room just before he left to say good rest. He wasn't a cruel man then. He was even tolerant of Noel and his leanings toward art. He promised to bring us a treat from wherever it was he was going. I remember laying there unable to sleep because as excited as I was about the treat; I didn't want father to go. 

The idea that something bad was going to happen to him crossed my mind and I needed you to reassure me that all would be well. I waited until I thought that it was dark enough to go to your room. I wanted to read with you because it would calm me. I knew that you would probably say no, but I decided to try anyway. I went through the secret passage that we had had found one night while playing- it led directly to your room..."

"Thorne-don't..."

"I heard you laughing and then I heard a male's voice. At first I thought that it was father that he didn't have to go away after all. I was so --happy and relieved. Father was safe-my fears were groundless. When the male spoke again, I realized that it wasn't father. It was Jonathan Willows from across the way. At first I thought that I was mistaken- why would he be in your bedroom? I watched as he knelt between your legs and did things to you that weren't for a child to see. I watched you writhing on the bed like a paid slut..."

"You shouldn't have...." Samantha broke in weakly.

"I shouldn't have what?" Thorne roared, "Sought the comfort of my mother? Is that what you were going to say? Were you going to tell me that I shouldn't have left my bed? That I was too old to have such fears? The second time," he said his voice quieter, "was in the garden. You thought that we were gone for the evening, but I didn't go. I wanted to stay home and read. I saw you with your legs splayed open and giving yourself to someone who wasn't your husband! I didn't know that particular male, but it wouldn't have mattered if I had. I now understood what you were and are."

The color had drained from Samantha's face. She had no idea that her indiscretions had been witnessed by any of her sons. She hadn't been concerned with the household gossip- who would have believed them, but Thorne hadn't been one to tell tales. Even when he could have lied he never did. What she wanted to know was why he hadn't said anything.

"What good would it have done?" he asked. "You had father wrapped so tightly around your fingers that he wouldn't have believed me. From that very first time I saw you cheating on father, I decided that I hated women like you and my so called mate is a version of you."

There was a pregnant pause as mother and son looked at each other. Samantha was the first to break the silence.

"But yet you're here telling me about your mate and child. I don't understand."

"I didn't want you to find out about him from someone else," Thorne replied. "I also didn't want to deny him the opportunity to know his grandmother. As I said, if you want to be a part of his life; then you and I must come to some kind of understanding as to our relationship is. It will never be a normal relationship- it never was. I called you mother because I had to, I will still call you mother because that is what you are if only in the physical sense. I don't want you to say later that I didn't give you the opportunity to interact with your grandchild. I also don't want to teach him the things that I've done. I want to be able to teach him to respect all women no matter what they are. Right now- I can't do that."

"What is it that you want from me?" Samantha asked. "Do you want me to apologize and beg for forgiveness because you are having a child?

"I don't want or need your apologies," Thorne replied. "It's much too late for that. The question is how involved do you want to be in the life of your grandchild? The issue of respecting you is my issue and you need not concern yourself with it."

Samantha found it ironic that she had been thinking about grandchildren not long before Thorne's call. She supposed that she could look at it as an opportunity to do something right as she could no longer tell herself that she hadn't done her children harm. She had done them irreparable harm without realizing it. She now understood why Thorne had never been impressed with the lavish gifts that she equated with love. She looked at Thorne who was watching her with anger and dislike. Hatred was only a breath away. She realized that he had actually been more sensitive than Noel had been and that he was telling the truth when he said that he really didn't consider her his mother. Who had he considered a mother? She wondered.

"What do you need from me?" she asked again.

"Nothing," Thorne said. "I need nothing from you for myself. I only need the answer to the question I asked. If you choose not to be involved in the life of my son, then there is nothing else to say. I will continue my sessions with Eustace Matthews and move on."

"Will I meet your mate?"

"Why would you want to do that?" Thorne asked.

"I should meet the mother of my grandchild at least once don't you think?" Samantha asked.

"Again, why would you want to do that?" Thorne repeated.

"Because... I want to meet my grandson," Samantha replied. "Thorne, I know that I wasn't a good mother; but I did love you and the others..."

"Then why did you hate Noel so much? What did he do to earn your hatred? Even though he knew how you felt about him; he was concerned for you. He loves you even now although he knows that you didn't and don't love him."

"Noel," Samantha said after a long silence, "reminded me of your father in a way that you or your brothers didn't. Your father knew of the indiscretions, but looked the other way because as you know; appearances were important to him- especially where the Sinclaires' were concerned. That's why there were no repercussions for my indiscretions. But I felt that whenever Noel looked at me, he was silently judging me like your father did. It felt as if he could see every lie I told and every vow that I broke. Maybe he did and didn't realize it, but it was you who saw me as I truly was. It was you that was never impressed with the expensive gifts and trips to wherever you wanted to go. I'm only just realizing that my hatred was for the wrong child."

"He knew," Thorne murmured. "He knew that it was me that you should have hated, but he said nothing. He took your hatred upon himself just as he took the abuse that father heaped upon him once you began your affairs. I suggested that he also see Eustace Matthews or someone else of his choosing. He needs it just as much as I do. So tell me mother, how does it feel to know that you've fucked up at least two of your sons?" Thorne asked bitterly.

"So all of this is my fault?" Samantha asked angrily. 

"Noel? Yes," Thorne replied, "although I will take some of the responsibility. It's as you told me before, on some level I knew what was happening and chose not to see it. You on the other hand, witnessed it and did nothing. You could have called me, but you didn't..."

"And I suppose that you would have come running?" Samantha asked sarcastically. "You left as soon as you could and never looked back. You abandoned your brothers. You were only here that night of the fight by coincidence. You stayed for as long as you did afterwards out of duty and for the sake of appearances. Why didn't you take Noel with you when you left?"

Thorne hesitated in answering. It was a valid question. Why hadn't he taken Noel with him? Then he knew- Noel wouldn't have gone. After the fight with the Sinclaires, he had been almost obsessive about Samantha's safety. But that didn't explain why he didn't at least make the offer.

"Yes I would have come," Thorne said. "And yes, I left as soon as I could because I could no longer watch the lie that you and father lived. That is why I cannot and will not stay with a woman that I don't love and who doesn't love me even though there is a child involved. Humans do it all of the time don't they? As far as why I stayed after father and the others died, I will admit that it was for the reasons that you stated. It was one of the few times that I cared about appearances. If it hadn't been for Noel, I would have left sooner than I did. I will also admit that I was at a point in my life where I didn't want to be bothered with anyone and unfortunately that included Noel. I wish that I had done things differently- there are many things that I wish that I could do differently."




Thorne Ch. 11



"Even your child?" Samantha asked not sure of what she was hoping for.

"Out of everything that's happened since I met my supposed mate, the conception of that child is the one thing that I don't regret. That I will never have another mate is inconsequential. As you know; I never wanted a mate to begin with."

Samantha heard no lie as she listened to Thorne's reply to her question. She had to admit that while Thorne was many things, he wasn't a liar. If he didn't want the child, he would have seen to its care and that would have been the end of it, but here he was; confronting her because of him.

"I would still like to meet the mother of your child," Samantha said.

Thorne started to make a snide comment, but caught himself. It would be counterproductive and it was time to start changing old behaviors. With his son in mind, he tempered the tone of his voice and his comment.

"I'll talk to her about it. But you didn't answer my question- do you want to be a part of my child's life?"

"If I say no?" Samantha challenged.

Thorne shrugged his broad shoulders in response. Samantha inexplicably felt hurt. What had she expected him to say? He had just told her that he was there only because of his son. Did she really think that he would try to convince her that she needed and should be a part of the child's life? She realized that to some degree that she had been expecting just that.

"Mother, what you decide to do is up to you," Thorne said. "It's no skin off my back if you decide not to be involved, but if and when he asks why he doesn't know you; I'll tell him the truth."

Samantha looked away undecided. She couldn't very well ask to meet the child's mother and then not at least see the child. But-did she want to get to know the child? She didn't know.

"May I have time to think about it?" she finally asked.

"You may," Thorne replied.

"Thank you- Thorne, I'm sorry that you saw the things that you did. You're right- they were things that no child should see. I will also concede that I was far from the ideal mother and mate. Like you, I am beginning to have a few regrets. I won't apologize- as you say it's too little and far too late for that. I'm also not going to tell you that I'm going to change who I am just because of a grandchild."

"I'm not asking you to change anything," Thorne replied as he stood to leave. "Think about your involvement and let me know."

"Thorne- wait- what about Noel? Is he really alright?"

Thorne realized that Noel hadn't told their mother that he was leaving and wondered why.

"He's fine," Thorne replied. "Still fucked up, but he's much better." He wanted to add 'no thanks to you', but didn't. It came to him that for a while at least; he was going to have to consciously monitor his responses. "Damn," he thought, "this is harder than I thought it would be."

"Tell him-never mind," Samantha said rethinking what she was going to say. "I'm glad that our family and the Sinclaires are getting along again." She said changing the subject. "Together we were formidable."

Thorne sat down again. He hadn't planned on bringing the topic of their families up, but since Samantha mentioned it...

"Tell me about that night again," he said. "Something about it doesn't feel right."

Samantha went through the story again and agreed with Thorne.

"Something doesn't add up and I don't understand why Noel doesn't remember being there."

"He's tried to remember the fight, but whenever he thinks about it or the Sinclaires; he gets terrible headaches," Thorne replied. "The interesting thing is that all of us were in the same house while this hunter thing was going on and he didn't have a headache. I asked him about it and he said that he finally came to the conclusion that he wasn't ready to remember."

"Do you think that the Sinclaires betrayed us?" Samantha asked.

"Honestly? No," Thorne replied. "After working with Ethan, I just don't see it. I also have to admit that it felt good to work with him, but even if it hadn't; our families are forever connected because of the child. Do you think that they betrayed us?"

"No," Samantha replied after a moment. "Someone did, but it wasn't them. Steven Sinclaire and your father were too good of friends and allies for that. I still remember the day that your father came home so excited because he and Steven had talked. He was amazed that a family as influential and as powerful as the Sinclaires would want to ally themselves with us. Why do you think that Noel can't remember being at the fight?"

Thorne took a moment to think about his response.

"Maybe it's because he had been through enough of an emotional and physical beating. Maybe it was his mind trying to protect him and maybe it's because he knows who the betrayer is. He remembers being with you because that's what he wants to remember. He didn't want to go to that fight, father forced him to go. But at any rate- the Sinclaires and Blackwell families are once again united. Do you understand what that means?"

"Our homes are their homes and vice versa and we will always defend each other," Samantha replied. "Have you and Ethan decided on an official reunion date?"

"No," Thorne replied. "We haven't even talked about that night yet. We've been too busy with the aftermath of the hunter situation."

"I have a request to make," Samantha said after a brief hesitation.

"I'm listening," Thorne replied.

"I know that we are at odds as mother and son, but I am still a Blackwell and would like to do my part in this alliance. I would like to attend the reunion dinner."

The request surprised Thorne. But then again it didn't. The one thing that he could say about his mother was that she took the alliance between the families seriously and did whatever she could to keep it intact with the exception of being faithful.

"I'll let you know," he replied as he once again stood to leave.

"Thank you," Samantha said with a nod of her head.

Thorne vanished from Samantha's to the club. He wanted to do some more thinking.

*****

Barb hung up from talking to the realtor. She liked the condo, but she didn't like the price which she knew had been jacked up. Her mistake she realized was listing that she was a first time buyer. The thing was that of all the condos she had looked at online, this was the one that she really liked and wanted. She decided to call the realtor back later and tell her that she knew that the price had been raised and to make a counter offer.

She looked at the phone again. The need to hear a friendly voice persisted. In fact, it seemed stronger. She again went through her list of supposed friends and again realized that there was no one that she really wanted to talk to. Her concern was that one of them would show up on her doorstep just as she had done with Kevyn or that they would start asking her for money. There was one 'friend' in particular that she wanted to avoid-Janelle Clemens whose main claim to fame was that she was a direct descendent of the famous writer Samuel Clemens. She and Janelle had made an agreement that dated back to high school. 

"If one of us is lucky enough to find a rich man or win the lottery, we share the money," Janelle said. 

For good measure, she wrote the agreement out, signed it and then had Barb sign it. As time passed, Barb had forgotten about what she considered a childhood promise. It came back to bite her on the ass several years later when Janelle mentioned it during one of their weekly dinners out.

"I still have that piece of paper," she said.

"What paper?" Barb asked.

"You know the one," Janelle replied a miffed that Barb had forgotten. "The one that we signed saying that if one of us gets rich that we wouldn't forget the other."

Barb remembered being stunned. As she thought about it, she wondered if the paper would hold up in a court of law. It was something that she needed to look into. While she was at it, she wanted the papers that Thorne had drawn up looked at as well. The problem was that she didn't know any lawyers except for one- Joseph Richardson. She thought of what little she knew about him and thought that he would be honest with her. After thinking about it, she decided to give him a call.

A few minutes later, she was talking to him surprised that he answered his own phone.

"Hi Barb, what can I do for you?" Joseph asked in a businesslike manner. 

"Ummm," Barb stumbled. She had expected a warmer greeting than what she had gotten. "Two things actually." 

She told him about the agreement with Janelle.

"You say you were in high school when you did this? What grade were you in?"

"Seniors," Barb replied.

"Well.... It could go either way," Joseph replied. "Do you have a copy of that agreement?"

"No," Barb replied kicking herself for not taking the offered copy. 

"All I can say is that if your friend decided to hold you to that agreement, she might have a case. The thing in your favor is that you were both young. Hope that she doesn't pursue it. What was the other thing?"

"I have some papers that I need looked at," Barb explained. "I want to make sure that there aren't any hidden loopholes- can I send them to you?"

"Do you have a fax machine there?" Joseph asked.

Barb got Joseph's fax machine number and faxed the papers while they were on the phone.

"Got it... is there a number where I can call you back?" Joseph asked. "Your number shows as private."

Barb gave him the number, hung up and debated as to what to do next. She called the real-estate agent and confronted her on the price of the condo. She was about to give the woman the 'do you know who I am?' speech and stopped herself. She was remembering that the name dropping was part of what led her to Thorne. After arguing with the woman for thirty minutes, the price was dropped to a number that Barb was happy with. 

"I'll call you tomorrow," she told the disgruntled woman and hung up. 

She played on the internet for several minutes before she decided to call Gene. In spite of his changes, he was still the one who would understand what she was going through better than any of the others. She checked the clock and did a mental calculation of the time. It was almost midnight on the east coast but it was the weekend.

She wondered if he would be home although she didn't know where he would be if he quit drinking. She dialed his number and was about to hang up when Gene's groggy voice came over the phone.

"Gene? It's me Barb- did I wake you?"

"Oh hey... it's alright; I hadn't been to sleep long. Is everything okay?"

"Yes... no... I don't know- why are you in bed so early? You always stay up late on the weekends."

"I used to but since I'm not drinking there isn't that much to do," Gene explained, "so what's up?"

"I... nothing"

"Come on sis," Gene coaxed, "you didn't call me at midnight for nothing so talk to me."

Now that she had him on the phone, she didn't know where to start.

"I just wanted to hear a friendly voice," she replied.

"Still having a rough time?" Gene asked.

Barb sighed in response. 

"Have you talked to the others yet?" Gene asked.

"No- are you still thinking about moving to Florida?" Barb asked changing the subject.

"I was, but I don't think I will," Gene replied. "Dana and I are still talking, but I think if I moved to the same state she might feel pressured."

"I can see your point, where are living? Are you still at Leon's?"

"No... I moved into the house as soon as it was finished- mom would have loved it. I hope that you and the others will come to see it. But back to the moving thing, I'm seriously thinking about moving out your way."

"Why?" Barb asked surprised. She was under the impression that Gene hated California.

"What do you mean why?" Gene asked surprised at the question. "All of you are out there aren't you?"

"Well yes but what about your job? And where will you live?" She asked fully aware that Gene didn't know about the Sinclaires or the vampirism.

"Kevyn told me that she still has that little place that you were using," Gene replied. "As far as a job goes, Patrick is going to help me out there."

Barb felt a surge of anger that she quickly squashed, but the jealousy showed.

"How nice for you," she said trying to keep her tone light. "When is this move supposed to happen?"

"I haven't decided yet," Gene replied. "You sound like you don't want me to come."

"It isn't that," Barb said. "It's just that- why is it that everyone seems to be getting breaks except for me? Think about it- Kevyn moves out here, gets married and then divorced. She goes back to school and who does she meet? Her professor who happens to be a member of the wealthiest families in the world. Then Louise, she moves out her and within weeks what happens? She meets a member of the same family and marries him. Then you all come out here and Leon gets a job offer and marries someone who wasn't as she appeared! The same thing with Juliette- she marries someone who I thought was nothing but a hotel manager and he isn't! Now there's you!"

"Green never was a good color on you," Gene said softly. "Have you ever considered the possibility that things came to them because they weren't looking for them? Let's start with Kevyn- she moved to California without a job and took care of some elderly woman for room and board. Lonnie or whatever the hell is name was her worst mistake. She took a job at a nursing home and started classes for nursing school. She wasn't looking for Patrick when they found each other. 

Louise- Louise in my opinion is the one who deserves every good thing that comes her way. She took care of mom without any help from me, you and Juliette and she never complained. She probably knew that it wouldn't so any good. I should have been the one organizing mom's care so that Louise could have some semblance of a life; but I didn't. She also went to California not looking for anyone. Leon helped Louise and yes he fucked up with the drugs, but Barb; he came clean. He swallowed his pride and tried to make things right. But not only that, he worked his ass off at the steel mill. He worked for everything that he has. Juliette? I don't know what to tell you except that she loves her kids and she worked hard to provide for them. But once again, she didn't go to California with the idea of finding someone. When she met Hans, she though the same thing that you did."

"You were as bad as I was," Barb snipped.

"Yes I was- I was actually worse in a lot of ways and I freely admit that," Gene replied. "There are nights when I think about the things that I did and I can't believe that it was me. I have no excuse except to say that I was greedy, insecure and a drunk. As a result I almost lost everything, but I'm confused about something; don't you have what you wanted?"

Barb didn't know how to answer the question so she avoided it.

"When will you decide?"

"Soon, I'll be fully vested in a few weeks so if I decide to come, it will be after that. This place- Pittsburgh I mean has bad memories for me and I'm not talking about mom and dad, well; maybe in a way I am. The one thing that they always wanted for us to remember that family means everything and to be honest with you, I miss you guys. Part of the reason that I came back here was because I was ashamed. I thought that I hated California, but I don't. I used to see it as the place that completed my downfall, but it isn't. It was the place where I started my life over again."

"What about Dana?" Barb asked.

"I'll leave Pittsburgh either way. If Dana and I don't reconcile then so be it. Maybe I'll have a chance with someone else. Barb, I can only understand so much of what you're going through. I'm here to offer you whatever support that you need- in fact if you want me to come sooner than in a few weeks; I'll do it. If you want me to be with you when you decide to talk to people; I will. That's what Leon did for me and I can't tell you how much that helped. If you want to practice what to say with me, that's fine too. I'm here in whatever capacity you need me to be."

The offer almost surprised her and unexpectedly touched her. She chalked it up to pregnancy hormones and continued the conversation.

"Gene, was I wrong? I mean was I wrong to want the things I wanted?"

"Sis," Gene said after a long pause, "it sounds like you're looking for validation for your actions and I can't do that. Wrong is wrong. It's not the wanting things that's the problem- it's what you do to get there. Believe me-I'm not judging- I'm in no position to do that, but one of the things that I did and still do is to look back at my past."

"What good does that do?" Barb asked. "Why can't I just say that I'm sorry and be done with it?"

"No apology is better than one that isn't meant," Gene replied quietly.

"What do you mean by that?" Barb snapped irritably.

"I mean exactly what I said," Gene replied. "You want to take the easy way- you think that if you say I'm sorry that everything will be forgotten. That's kid shit- if you don't mean it than don't do it. Everyone will see through it- think about the times you've tried that in the past. Did it work?"

When Barb didn't reply, he continued.

"It doesn't work, I know from firsthand experience and so do you. Whether you decide to change or not is up to you- only you know what if anything needs to change, but Barb- you need to fix things with the others."

"Have they said something to you?" Barb asked ready to be angry if they had.

"Not a peep," Gene replied. "We talk about other things, but you've never come up unless I ask and then I get some vague response. I'm getting my information from you."

Barb hadn't realized that she was being so transparent with her phone call. 

"So how is the pregnancy going?" Gene asked.

"It's going," Barb replied. "I guess I might as well tell you that I'm leaving after he's born. I can't and won't stay here."

"What about the baby?"

"He's staying with Thorne- he'll have plenty of help."

"Are you sure about this?" Gene asked.

"I'm sure," Barb replied. "As soon as he's born I'm moving to Hawaii. I just bought a two bedroom condo there. I know that I sound cold hearted, but Gene; I never wanted this baby. Isn't it better that I step back instead of pretending that I want and love him? I'm doing what's best for both of us."

"How does Thorne-that's his name isn't it? How does he feel about this?"

"He's glad to see me go," Barb confessed. "He doesn't care about me in the way that a man is supposed to care about his woman and to be honest; I don't care about him like that either. This baby is the only thing keeping us together -if you even want to call it that. And don't start with the once you see the baby crap- it won't work."

"I wasn't going to say anything like that," Gene replied. "What I was going to say is this- whatever it is you decide to do, make sure that you're at peace with it. Some decisions are irrevocable and the outcomes can't be changed no matter how much we may want them to be. Make sure that you're not acting on pure emotion and really think about what you're doing. Are you positive that you and the baby's father can't work things out?"

"I'm sure," Barb replied, "And I don't want to try to work things out with him. It's enough that I'm not giving up my parental rights."

"I see," Gene mused, "the old hedging your bets- so what is it that you need from me?"

"A friendly voice I guess and-some advice from someone who's been there. How did Kevyn react to your confession?"

"Saying that she was upset is an understatement. Furious is a better word for it and then she was sad and disappointed. I'll be honest with you, I preferred the anger. You have to decide what it is you're sorry for and if you feel the need to apologize- do it. No one is expecting you to grovel at their feet, but they do expect an honest apology and a promise that you'll start acting like what you are and that's family. Let me ask you something, do you miss us at all?"




Thorne Ch. 11



Barb's mouth went dry. Gene had just asked a question that she hadn't thought about whether it was by choice or not. Did she miss them? 

"I- I guess a little," she finally said.

The little voice inside of her head whispered," how hard was that?"

Barb ignored the voice and concentrated on what Gene was saying.

"That's a start," he remarked. "Start there and move forward. No one is expecting a big production of it. All you have to say is I'm sorry and I miss you."

Barb, however; remained unconvinced. Nothing was that easy- especially for her.

"Shut up," she muttered before the voice had a chance to speak.

"Sis?" Gene called, "is someone there?"

"No... I was just muttering. Look, I've got to go; I have a phone call coming through." 

She switched to the incoming call surprised that it was Joseph.

"I read through the documents and I don't find anything wrong with them. In fact, the terms are extremely generous."

"How do I know that you're not lying?" Barb asked knowing that she was taking a chance that she was offending him.

"You called me," Joseph replied curtly. "If you had any questions about my integrity, why did you call me?"

"I didn't know anyone else," Barb replied and then tried to back pedal on her question, "and you have to admit that it's a reasonable question."

"It would have been a reasonable question if you had asked me about my relationship with your mate before sending me the papers," Joseph retorted. "Is there anything else?"

"No and I'm sorry if I offended you- how much do I owe you?"

"Nothing," Joseph replied. "Consider it family helping family."

"So there are no loopholes for him to slip through?"

"There are no loopholes," Joseph replied. "As I said, the terms are very generous."

Barb thanked Joseph for his time and hung up. She jumped when the baby moved. It was something that still startled her and she found the feeling less than pleasant. She frowned when she thought about how Louise must be acting about her pregnancy and felt a stab of anger.

"Why do you do that?" the voice asked. "She isn't responsible for how you feel about or react to things. You are. Why does it even anger you that she's happy with her life? Why are you so concerned with what she and the others have? You got what you wanted didn't you? Look at it- you're even having a child that you won't be responsible for. What more do you want?"

"I don't know," Barb muttered more to herself than the voice.

****

Gene hung up; lay awake for several minutes before he decided to get up. The phone call with Barb had taken less than thirty minutes, but it had left him concerned. It was time that he found out exactly what was going on between his siblings. He knew that someone would still be up. That was the one thing that he hadn't understood- how did an entire family live on a night schedule? Even the children with the exception of Juliette's three lived on a night schedule. The next question was who he was going to call. Finally after much debate, he decided to call Kevyn. He wanted to make sure that she was serious about the use of her condo.

Patrick answered on the first ring.

"Gene? Is everything alright?"

"I'm good," Gene replied quietly. He had never taken Patrick up on his offer to call if he needed to talk. "I wanted to talk to Kevyn, but while I have you on the phone- I never thanked you for helping me-you didn't have to do that."

"We're family aren't we?" Patrick asked. "And like most families, we had our differences and issues although I daresay that our issues are well-different. The important thing is that you're doing well- have you given any more thought to moving out here?"

"That's part of what I wanted to talk to Kevyn about- is she around?"

"She's in her office studying- I'll go get her. Gene- if you decide to move out here, you're welcome to stay here with us if Kev's condo is too small or you just want to be around people. We have plenty of room."

Gene was momentarily stymied. He hadn't realized that until Patrick made that offer, he wasn't sure if all had really been forgiven. If Patrick was making the offer, then Kevyn had truly forgiven him. It was then that he understood his reluctance to move; he was waiting for proof of that forgiveness.

"Thanks," he said recovering. "You have no idea of how much I appreciate that."

"No thanks are needed," Patrick replied. "Hold on, I'll go get Kevyn for you."

A few minutes later, Kevyn was on the phone.

"Hey Gene! What's up?"

"A couple of things, but I'll start with the easiest thing first. Is the offer of your condo still open?"

"Sure-are you coming?" Kevyn asked excitedly.

"I think so," Gene replied. "I just wanted to make sure that I had a place to stay."

"Of course you do and I know that Patrick told you that you could stay with us too so when are you coming?"

"Is two weeks too soon? I have to give notice and close up the house..."

"Two weeks is fine," Kevyn replied. "Do you need help with anything?"

"No, I'm good," Gene replied.

He wasn't going to take anything other than his clothes and personal items. There was a part of him that was hedging his bets and it was that part that he was listening to. If things were as they seemed, then he would make more permanent plans.

"I'm glad that you're coming," Kevyn said, "and the others will be happy as well, but why did you change your mind?"

"That's the other thing that I wanted to talk to you about," Gene replied. "Part of the decision involves Dana. We're talking, but she may never trust me enough to give me another chance. That makes moving to Florida not a good idea. The other reason is Barb. I talked to her not long ago-Kev what's going on over there? I ask you about Barb and you really don't say anything other than as far as you know she's doing fine. I talked to her a little while ago and she wanted to know what you said about her."

"What did she say?" Kevyn asked.

"Nothing, that's the problem," Gene said, "And neither are you. Now I want to know what's going on and don't pass the buck by telling me to ask Barb."

Gene could tell that Kevyn was thinking about how to respond and waited. As he waited for her response, his mind swirled with what could possibly be wrong that no one was talking. 

"Gene," Kevyn finally said. "I know that you're feeling out of the loop and I'm sorry about that. But..."

"But what?" Gene interrupted his temper flaring.

"It isn't something easily explained. I have a suggestion and if you don't like it, I'll tell you what you want to know now. My suggestion is that we wait until you get here..."

"Tell me what's going on," Gene insisted.

Kevyn took a deep breath and began at the beginning leaving out anything pertaining to vampires, hunters and wolves. When she was finished, Gene was silent for several seconds.

"Damn," he muttered. "I knew that she believed that we were abused, but she really did all of that?"

"She did," Kevyn confirmed. "If you don't believe me call her and ask her. I doubt that she'll lie to you. The thing is that we've tried to show her how much we want her to be a part of this family, but she keeps slapping us in the face and we're tired of it. She acts as if we're in some kind of competition about who has the most money or that we've wronged her somehow."

"So you haven't written her off?" Gene asked.

"Of course not!" Kevyn exclaimed. "We just placed the ball in her court. No one is asking for a big formal apology-in fact we're not asking for an apology at all. All we want is to get along as mom and dad would have wanted us to. We don't even have to talk about the past if she doesn't want to."

"Does she know this?" Gene asked.

"How can she know if she won't talk to us?" Kevyn asked. "Even when we were together for a family gathering she barely spoke to us and when she did, it was accusations about how she was mistreated. But here's the thing that really gets me," Kevyn continued. "Of all of us, Lou is probably the most forgiving but it's her that Barb really seems to hate. I don't understand it."

"Well," Gene said. "From her perspective she's had to work for everything. I know this because she told me. If it makes you feel any better, I'm now on that list of people who's had good fortune fall into their lap. She ran down the list of which you were on the top followed by Lou."

"We've had to work," Kevyn retorted. "Lou more than the rest of us. She took care of mom and worked at a full time job. In effect, she put her life on hold. In my opinion, she deserves every good thing that comes her way. Barb is just going to have to get over it and decide whether she wants to be a part of this family or not."

"I agree with you," Gene said, "I'm just telling you what she sees. What about this man of hers?"

"Thorne? What about him?"

"Is he really going to let her go after she has the baby?"

"I don't want to say too much about their relationship-if you want to call it that," Kevyn replied. "Any questions that you have about that need to go to Barb."

"I knew that you would say that," Gene said dryly. "She says that they don't love each other."

"That-that much is true," Kevyn conceded albeit reluctantly. "Do you want us to send the jet for you?"

"Nah-that's okay," Gene said, "but a pick up at the airport would be great."

"We can do that- just let me know when you're coming."

They talked for a few more minutes about Leon, Nadine, Hans, Juliette and the kids before hanging up. Gene looked at the phone for several minutes after he hung up. Kevyn hadn't told him everything. He could tell by the tone of her voice. He could have pushed it, but decided not to only because Kevyn was right- they could talk about things when he arrived.

Unable to sleep, he went to his laptop and began writing his letter of resignation. When that was done, he did a search of the AA meetings in the area where Kevyn's condo was. He had decided that he was going to stay there whether he wanted to or not. Once he was working, he would assume the rent and would be totally self-sufficient. The last thing he did was to write an email to Dana telling her that he was moving and that he hoped that they would continue to talk. He reread the email, saved it and then logged off. Thinking of nothing else that he could do; he went back to bed.

*****

Thorne sat in his office tapping his fingers on his desk. He replayed the conversation with his mother in his head. He noticed that not once did she apologize for her behavior even though he said that he didn't want or need one. She apologized that she had been caught which told him one thing- she wasn't sorry that she had done it. She was embarrassed that he knew about it, but she wasn't sorry. The thing that had surprised him then and it did now was that his father knew about the affairs. Somehow that knowledge changed his view of his father. What kind of male would allow his mate to fuck around and not do anything about it? He would have killed both of them. "One who appearances meant everything," he answered. 

He couldn't help but imagine how his father must have felt when he found out. He found himself getting angry at the thought but the image of his father was forever changed. While he had once considered him a hard man, he now thought of him as weak. Another flash of understanding hit him. His father was the way he was because of his mate. For whatever reason, he couldn't control her so he became hard, cruel and overbearing with them. Ironically, instead of getting angry at his mother, he became angry at his father. After all, she only did what she was allowed to do. That understanding in no way diminished what she did, but he understood the dynamics of his parent's relationship a little better.

The next thing that he thought about was his mother and Barb meeting. He wasn't fooled- he knew exactly why his mother wanted to meet Barb. He could almost hear the sparks as they flew when they met. That the two women wouldn't like each other he had no doubt, but his mother had made a reasonable request. The question was would he grant it? If he did, he would have to be sure to inform both women that they needed to be on their best behavior and that the evening wasn't about them.

The next topic on his list of things to think about was Noel. They would get together for one last time before he and Felix took off. Thorne felt guilty that Noel had taken the brunt of his mother's hatred when it hadn't shouldn't have been directed at him. He still believed that Noel would benefit from talking to someone and planned to bring it up again before he left for parts unknown. The one thing that he hoped would happen was that their mother would at least apologize to Noel. Would it happen? He doubted it, but one could hope. Then there was the issue of Noel's memory. Maybe Noel was right. Maybe he wasn't supposed to remember what happened yet but what about the reuniting of the families? What would happen if the families reunited and the Sinclaires were really the traitors?

"They aren't," Thorne muttered. "It was someone else."

He turned his thoughts from the riddle of who betrayed them to the woman who was his mate. She would always be kept safe, but other than that his obligation to her was over. He thought about her request to sleep with other people and wondered if that was how it happened with his parents or had his father caught her as he had. The difference was that he didn't really care what Barb did once she had the baby. He wasn't concerned with how it looked to the Sinclaires-they had their own issues. Thinking about Barb reminded him that he needed to go check on her and he wanted to talk to the baby. He found her in the kitchen making something to eat. He looked around wondering where Adrianna and Cheung were.

"They're outside," Barb said answering his question before he asked. "I needed some alone time."

Thorne sat down at the table and waited for her to finish what she was doing before he spoke.

"We have some things to discuss," he said a moment later. "I already know that you've decided to maintain your parental rights and I have no problem with that."

"But?" Barb asked.

"There are no buts," Thorne replied. "I'm just making sure that we're on the same page. Do you have any questions regarding our agreement?"

"I just can't show up whenever the mood strikes- is that what you mean?" Barb asked testily.

Thorne bit back a sharp reply and nodded. "Did you have the papers looked at?"

"I did and according to my attorney they're fine- not that it's any of my business; but where have you been?"

"I'm going to answer your question only because it pertains to you and my child," Thorne replied. "I've been seeing a therapist."

Barb started to laugh but stopped when she saw the look on Thorne's face. He was, she realized serious. She didn't know what to make of his announcement so she waited for him to continue.

"I have always said that we are where we are is partly if not mostly my fault. However, I will not assume responsibility for any of the decisions that you made that also brought us together. Those are for you to deal with or not as you see fit. My reasons for seeking counsel as are follows- I allowed my mother to color my view of women such as her and you. Be that as it may, that didn't give me the right to treat you or any other woman like you and her as I did. I need to make peace with my mother just as I need to make peace with you for the sake of our son and in order for that to happen, I need help."

Barb was speechless. Like Samantha, hearing that Thorne was going to a therapist was a shocker. It also gave her pause. If he could admit and own up to his part in the mess they were in, why couldn't she? "Because I'm not entirely wrong," she thought to herself.

"No you aren't the voice whispered- but you are still responsible for the choices that you made."

"I've apologized before and I'll apologize again," Thorne said. "I am sorry for the way that I treated you. My issues with my mother had nothing to do with you and I should have made you go home with your family that night. The one thing that I am not sorry about is that a child was conceived. I admit that it wasn't under the right circumstances and it is largely because of him that I seek help."

Barb knew that she was staring, but couldn't help it. The man sitting across from her was sincere in what he was saying- he always had been, but this was different. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Thorne that she knew was just beneath the surface and that she would be wise to remember that. 

"What will you tell him about me?" Barb asked curious.

"The truth," Thorne replied without hesitation. "Just as I will tell him the truth about myself."

At this, Barb did laugh. She didn't believe it.

"You're going to tell him what a cold hearted bastard you are?"

Thorne waited until she stopped laughing and tamped down his anger. 

"Haven't I done everything that I said I would do?" he asked his tone cool. "Have I ever lied to you about anything?"

"No... but you didn't tell me everything either."

"True, but I will ask the same question that I asked before- would you have believed me if I told you the real reason that I wanted you? Would you have believed me if I told you what I really was? No and do you know why? It's the same reason that you ignored every warning that you were given and allowed yourself to be used not just by me, but by another man. You saw dollar signs-you sold yourself. Are you going to deny anything that I just said?"

Her silence was his answer.

"Look, we could go around and around about this until hell froze over and it wouldn't change anything," Thorne said. "What we need to be talking about is how we're going to get along for the sake of our child. We also need to begin preparing for his arrival. If I'm not mistaken, Gretchen will be here on Wednesday... what?" Thorne asked when he saw the look on Barb's face. "Did you think that I was so busy that I wasn't keeping track of your appointments?"

That was exactly what she had been thinking. 

"I suppose that you'll want to be here?" She said snidely. She already knew the answer- he had been there for every single appointment no matter what else had been going on. That also meant that he would be present for the birth. "Fine," she said when he didn't react to her sarcasm.

"One more thing," Thorne said. "My mother has asked to meet you."

"Why?" Barb asked. "It isn't as if we're one big happy family."

"Agreed," Thorne replied. "I didn't give her an answer, but you will be meeting her at the reunion dinner. There's no getting around that."

"There is if I'm not there," Barb replied.

"Let me explain a few things to you..."

"What?" Barb exclaimed when Thorne explained about the alliance. "You can't be serious!"

"I am very serious," Thorne replied. We take our alliances very seriously. The fact that you are related to the Yancy's alone makes you a part of this alliance. The fact that our child is a Blackwell trumps even that. The only way for you to get out of this alliance is to sign off on your parental rights to the child and to declare yourself single. But let me explain something to you, if you decide to do this and you are in need of safety, it would be well within our rights to turn you away. Also if you decide to take part in this and you receive a call for help and ignore it; you will no longer be considered part of the alliance."

Barb was beginning to see that she wasn't as free as she thought she was. The idea of basically disappearing and reappearing at will was quickly being blown to hell. She was going to be tied to her family whether she wanted to be or not.

"May I ask a question?"

"You may ask whatever you wish," Thorne replied. "I won't and can't lie to you."




Thorne Ch. 11



"Would you really turn me away if I said no to this?"

"It would be within my right to do so," Thorne replied. "But your refusal to participate wouldn't change the fact that you are the mother of my son. Do I suggest that you participate? Yes I do. There's a storm brewing and all of us need to know that we can find safety with someone that we trust."

"So you think me moving far away from family is a bad idea," Barb said with a hint of a challenge in her voice.

"Do as you like," Thorne said with a shrug. "You know as well as I do what the issues are. But understand this- you are responsible for whatever decision you make."

"You really don't care do you?" Barb asked oddly hurt.

"I never pretended otherwise," Thorne replied. "My only real concern aside from the hunter issue is the safety of the baby and by extension you only because of him. I will keep you posted on when the reunion dinner is. You will have until then to make your choice. Is there anything else that we need to discuss?"

Barb couldn't think of any questions, but decided to have her say.

"Do you really think that a little hand holding with your shrink is going to change who and what you are? Do you seriously think that a child is enough to make you change? You can sit here all you want and try to tell me that you're going to be a good daddy, but it won't last. You'll hire someone to play the part of mommy or you'll dump him on someone from the family when you get tired of him. Do you as you say deny what I'm saying? Thorne Blackwell- you are every bit as selfish as I am! The difference between us is I can admit it!"

"The difference between us," Thorne said calmly, "is that I'm willing to do whatever I need to so that I can be a good father. Will I change entirely? No nor do I want to. I am who and what I am, but some change needs to happen. As far as we are concerned, we don't have to be together in order for you to be a good mother if you choose to be. I am fully aware that you never wanted children; but you're having a child. You don't see this as an opportunity to become a better person- you see this as a way to get what you want. You know, I'm done talking about this. We've talked about it before and I'm tired of it. If you'll excuse me, I need to set up a time to talk to Ethan. I'll be by in about an hour to speak with our son."

For just a second, Barb entertained the thought of telling him no. But what would it accomplish? Absolutely nothing other than to piss him off. She saw that he was watching her as if he was waiting for her to say something.

"Are you reading me?" she asked suddenly.

"No," Thorne replied. "I don't need to. If I'm reading you, you'll know it. Are there any further questions?"

When she didn't answer, he nodded and walked away. Barb sat at the table for another ten minutes before going to her room. She showered, put on her pajamas and settled in to wait for Thorne's arrival. As she waited, she thought about what Gene said. It wasn't long before things that others had said to her began to haunt her. The baby within her moved and then settled. Something about that movement made her realize that she was truly on the way to being alone and not in the way that she wanted.

****

Louise hung up from talking to Kevyn excited. Gene was coming! As far as Kevyn knew, he was going to stay at the little condo which meant that it would need to be cleaned and restocked. Kevyn was going to call the others to see if they wanted to contribute to the redecorating of the condo. Kevyn was sure that Gene wouldn't appreciate the peach/pink color of the walls. She would call the manager in the morning and get permission to repaint the walls and to make any other changes. She didn't anticipate any issues as the improvements would be to his benefit. The old furniture would be taken to the Salvation Army or good will and would be replaced with all new furniture that Leon would pick out. 

She and Nathan would be in charge of the food for the cleaning party and for Gene's cabinets. She couldn't believe that they would finally all be in one place. Her hope was that Gene's arrival would trigger something in Barb. She opened up her laptop, carried it to the bed and looked through the new recipes that Nathan had entered for her. Gene unlike Nathan and the other men wasn't a lover of spicy food. They would make some casseroles and divide them into single serving containers so that Gene wouldn't have to cook-he would have other things to take care of. The phone rang while she was looking through the recipes but Nathan answered it before she could move. Judging from the sound of the conversation, he was talking to Hans. A moment later he walked into the bedroom carrying the cordless phone.

"It's Juliette," he said as he handed her the phone. He kissed her forehead and left her to talk privately.

"Kev says that you and Nathan are in charge of food, do you need me to get you anything?"

"I'm looking through some recipes as we speak," Louise said. "I was thinking of having a welcome party here on the beach- what do you think?"

"I'm up for it if you are," Juliette replied. "How are you feeling by the way?"

"I feel good- did I tell you that I can feel the baby moving?"

"No, but isn't it a wonderful feeling?" Juliette asked and then went silent. She was thinking about Barb. "Lou, I'm going to call Barb. I know that she says that she doesn't want to hear from us, but I don't care."

"I was going to call her too," Louise said. "I was going to ask her if she wanted to help us get the condo ready for Gene. But why don't you call her? Somehow I don't think that she wants to hear from me although I was going to call her anyway."

"I can do that," Juliette said, "but while I have you on the phone; tell me about this turning thing. Hans wants me to do it, but I wanted to talk to you first. Do you think that it's really necessary?"

"I think," Louise said after careful thought, "that Hans is right. I don't know when or even if things are going to get bad again, but we need to be ready. I know that Kevyn was thinking about it long before this whole thing happened so she'll probably do it. I don't know how far this thing is going to spread so I'm glad that Gene is coming."

"That's another question that I have," Juliette said, "What are we going to tell him?"

"The truth when it's time. We'll let him get settled first and then we'll have to tell him if only to keep him safe. There's no way that we can keep it from him."

"He won't believe us," Juliette said.

"Probably not and we may have to show him, but back to Barb, will you call me after you've talked to her?"

"Sure-I'll call you later, Celeste needs me for something."

Louise hung up, looked at the phone and almost picked it up. She was going to call Barb herself but thought better of it. She didn't want to ruin any chance that Juliette had of getting her to help.

"She'll come around," Nathan said from behind her. 

That he thought that surprised Louise. Nathan hadn't sugar coated his dislike for her sister.

"Sweetheart, it's true that I don't like her- well part of her anyway. She's rude, impulsive and I detest the way that she treats you and the rest of your family. That her own child who is still within her knows that he isn't loved or wanted says something. On the other hand-we've all seen the person that she could be. That Barb I like. I think that she will always be as she is, but it is possible for her to change to some degree if she chooses to. If she does, our slate will be wiped clean and she will be welcomed into our home."

"Really?" Louise asked surprised although she didn't know why.

"Really," Nathan said kissing her temple. "Anyone is capable of change if they choose to do it. Look at my family, Leon and Gene. All of them received a second chance so why not her? She only has to take it. Why are you surprised?"

"I'm not sure," Louise said. "I shouldn't have been. Thank you..."

"There is no need for that- you never need thank me for anything; your being my mate and the mother to my child is thanks enough. It is I that should be thanking you."

He took the laptop from her lap and sat it on the floor. "Allow me to thank you," he murmured his voice low as he moved closer to her and kissed her. "Lie back," he said as he gently pushed her back. When she was lying on her back, he rested his head on her stomach smiling as he listened to the rapid, but strong heartbeat of their child. After a moment, he kissed her stomach and with a thought undressed her while he remained dressed. Seeing where he was headed, Louise raised her shields.

Nathan took his time massaging and kissing her legs until Louise whimpered with impatience. He was going to tease her a little longer, but then the scent of her arousal assailed him. His clothes felt too tight. He had to remove them. Now naked, he moved down so that his face was mere inches from her glistening mound. He inhaled deeply and then paused. Her arousal had always smelled sweet to him, but it was sweeter yet. He wondered if it tasted any different. Unable to wait any longer, he moved closer to her, opened her vaginal lips and slowly touched her opening with his tongue.

He moaned at the taste of her. Her taste had indeed changed. It was stronger and sweeter than the last time he had sampled her. The fluid running from her had thickened in consistency. It had to be the pregnancy- it was the only thing that he could think of. His next thought was that he had a few more months to enjoy the sweet nectar that was pouring out of her.

He pulled back to examine her. Her clit was already pulsing and he hadn't even touched it yet. Louise was shaking in an attempt to hold off. To give her time, he waited until she was no longer shaking before he touched her with his tongue again. Each taste acted as an aphrodisiac. His cock swelled and hardened. Just the pressure of the mattress against it brought exquisite pain/pleasure to his dripping cock. Her moans seemed to reverberate through his body amplifying the sensations in his cock.

He knew that she had her shields up because if she didn't, he would have been on the floor. Then he felt her hands on his head as if anchoring him in place. He felt her shields drop one notch and then another. He placed his hands on her hips and held on before he gently touched her clit with his tongue. His ass cheeks tightened in an attempt to hold off on coming before she did. He didn't have to worry. Louise lowered her shields once more, froze and then screamed as she raised her hips forward while pulling Nathan's head tighter against her. Nathan held out for as long as he could before he ground against the bed seeking relief. He held Louise closer to his mouth and drank from her as a muffled moan escaped him. There was no stopping the orgasm that was sweeping through him so he let it come. Even afterwards he was still hard. 

Nathan let go of Louise's hips and waited for her to release his head. As soon as she did, he moved so that he was positioned above her. He bore his weight on his arms as he slowly slid into her. They both gasped at the contact. Their breathing which had slowed was once again ragged and fast. He had barely gotten the length of him in before Louise came again with him following seconds later.

Afterwards, Louise dozed with her head resting on Nathan's shoulder. As she slept, Nathan planned. He didn't believe that they had as long as they hoped. He couldn't explain the feeling. There was nothing to support it. The danger wasn't imminent- Louise would have felt it; but it was coming.

The phone ringing roused Louise from her sleep. Juliette was calling her back.

****

Barb looked at the caller ID on her phone and answered it. She had been expecting a call from someone- but she didn't know from whom. If she had to guess, she would have said Louise.

"Hey Juliette," she greeted. 

"Hey- how are you doing?" Juliette asked. "We've been thinking about you."

"I'm fine- is this about Gene coming?"

"You know already?" Juliette asked.

"I knew that he was thinking about it- when is he coming?"

"Two weeks- he's going to stay in that little condo that Kevyn and then you used to live in..."

"Not good enough to live in the big house?" Barb asked and then regretted it.

"For your information," Juliette said tersely, "Kevyn and Patrick invited him to live with them and he refused. Now let me tell you why I'm calling other than to check on you. We're redoing the condo- it needs to be painted and we're putting new furniture in and redecorating it. We wanted to know if you were interested in helping."

"Why didn't Louise call me?" Barb asked.

"Why does it matter who called you?" Juliette asked.

"I was just curious," Barb replied. "In the past she was the one who called me. Why not now?"

"Do you want to hear the truth?"

"Everyone else has told me their version of the truth so why not you too?" Barb asked her tone curt.

"Barb- Louise didn't call you because she thought that you would say no because it was her calling. For reasons that only you know, you seem to harbor more resentment toward her than any of us..."

"That isn't true!" Barb objected.

"It is true," Juliette said quietly. "It isn't something that started recently, it's always been there. What I don't understand is why. She's the one who always saw the best in you. Since we're talking about this, why do you have such hard feelings toward her?"

"I didn't think... What do you want me to do for Gene?" Barb asked changing the subject.

"Louise and Nathan are handling the food end of it. Leon, Patrick and Hans are taking care of getting rid of the old furniture. Kevyn, you and I could go shopping for paint and the furniture."

"What about Nadine?" Barb asked.

"She's made herself available to help wherever she's needed. We thought that we could all meet for dinner and make plans. Everyone is coming to our house tomorrow night if you want to come. Thorne is invited too."

"Do it!" The voice whispered urgently. "Take that first step."

"W-What time?" Barb whispered not believing that she was really going to say yes.

"You'll come?" Juliette asked shocked.

"I'll come, but I can't speak for Thorne. What time did you say?"

"Is six alright?"

Barb hung up and stared at the phone. Was she really going to go? She would, but only because of Gene. In her mind he remained the only one who understood her even though he had changed. And what about Louise? Was Juliette right? She opted not to think about it. Just agreeing to meet everyone for dinner was a major concession. She already knew that Thorne wouldn't go with her- it would give the appearance that they were a couple. As an afterthought, she decided to mention it anyway. She didn't want him accusing her of doing anything underhanded.

She walked by his office, started to knock and then decided to wait until he came to talk with the baby. She had seen and heard enough from him for the time being.

****

"She's coming!" Juliette exclaimed when she called Louise back. "She's really coming!"

Louise sat up and looked at Nathan who was as surprised as she was. 

"I told her to be at our house by six- she doesn't think that Thorne will come, but isn't it great?"

"That's good news!" Louise said as she settled back into Nathan's arms. Thank you for calling her. Is she alright?"

"She seems to be-Lou- she asked you didn't call her."

"What did you say?" 

"I told her the truth," Juliette replied. "Of course in typical Barb fashion; she changed the subject."

"But she's coming and that's huge," Louise replied. 

"True," Juliette conceded. "I told her six- is that okay with you?"

Juliette and Louise talked for a few more minutes about the dinner and then hung up. Louise now understood something. Gene's moving to California wasn't a coincidence. He was needed. He was the main reason that Barb was coming. The reason, Louise decided didn't matter. How Barb felt about her at that moment didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that all of them would be together under one roof if only for an evening. It was a start.

****

Thorne finished his phone call with Ethan and debated as to what to do next. They would meet in three night's time to clear the air between them. At that time they would decide on when to formalize their alliance. By his calculations, Barb should be in her room and waiting for him. He rose from his chair and closed the office door behind him. As he made his way to Barb's bedroom, he ran into Adrianna and Cheung who were off duty for the evening. They exchanged a few words and he continued on his way.

As he expected, Barb was propped up on the bed and waiting for him. Neither of them spoke as he approached the bed and sat down. Thorne didn't look at her as he placed his hands on her belly and began to gently massage it. Then he bent down and kissed it. The baby moved in response and then stilled.

"Hello little one," Thorne said softly. "I am sorry to disturb you if you were sleeping, but I wanted to wish you a good rest. I suppose we need to start thinking of a name for you since we know that you are male. Maybe we can have your cousin Celeste visit with us so that you can communicate your like or dislike of the name we choose. Would you like to speak to your cousin again?"

Barb's heart jumped at the mention of Celeste's name. She didn't hate the little girl; it was more dislike coupled with fear. That a child had partly been her undoing was a hard pill to swallow. She startled when Thorne once again kissed her stomach, whispered 'good rest' and moved to stand up.

"My brother Gene is moving to California," she said abruptly. "The family is getting together to get his place ready and-there's a dinner tomorrow night at Juliette and Hans's house to make plans."

"Are you going to help with this?" Thorne asked.

"Yeah-I am," Barb replied. "You're invited if you want to come along. It's at six."

"I will come," Thorne said surprising her. "Let me explain why." He continued. "The ultimate protection of you and our child falls upon me. I will be accompanying you any place that you need to go. Having said that, I want to make something clear- this does not make us a couple. It is what any male would do for his mate who carries his child."

"Don't feel obligated!" Barb snapped.

"We need to start thinking of names for the baby," Thorne said changing the subject. 

Barb was surprised for the second time in a few minutes.

"We?"

"Yes us," Thorne replied. "He is your son too and you should have a say in what he is named. I was serious about inviting Celeste here so that he can participate in his naming."

"We don't need her..."

"You are afraid of her aren't you?" Thorne asked. "I see it in your face and your heart rate just sped up."

"She's a creepy kid," Barb finally replied.

"No she isn't-she's a powerful little girl who is going to be a formidable woman. What makes her creepy to you is that she can read you- you have no secrets when she is around and she frightens you."

That was it in a nutshell Barb thought to herself. 

"Is there anything else that we need to discuss?" Thorne asked.

"No," Barb replied softly.

After Thorne left, Barb lay awake for a long time thinking.

****

"Do you really think she'll come?" Leon asked Juliette for the fourth time.

"For the last time," Juliette snapped, "we'll know when she gets here and don't ask me about Thorne either- the same answer applies. 

"Fine," Leon grumbled and went in search of Nadine who as of yet hadn't spoken to Rachel or Katrina yet. He would give it a little more time before he brought it up again. The scar from the fight with Harry was almost gone, but she still flinched when she saw it. As a result, he still wore a bandage over it when they made love. Wearing the bandage wasn't a big deal; but he hated seeing her distressed and it proved that she needed to talk to someone. He decided to give it one more week. If she hadn't talked to either Katrina or Rachel by then- he would bring it up.




Thorne Ch. 11



At five-fifty five; everyone was waiting for the doorbell to ring. At six on the dot; it rang. Celeste happened to be the one closest to the door opened it. She looked up into the face of her aunt who looked back at her with an unreadable expression. Juliette stepped behind Celeste and put her hands on her shoulders.

"Come on in, everyone is here," she invited.

Juliette stepped back taking Celeste with her. Barb walked by the little girl without speaking to her or sparing her a glance. Thorne however stopped, bent down and opened his arms to her. Celeste stepped into his arms and hugged him back.

"How are you?" Thorne asked as he kissed her cheek.

"Fine-how is Aiden?"

"Aiden?" Thorne asked. "Who is Aiden?"

Celeste stepped back so that she could look into Thorne's face.

"The baby- that's his name," Celeste said and giggled at the expression on Thorne's face.

"He chose his name?" Thorne asked flabbergasted. "When did he do this?"

"He just told me," Celeste replied.

Thorne was speechless. The more he was around the Yancy family, the more he wondered about their background. All of them with the exception of Barb seemed to have some kind of strong psychic ability. Gene he didn't know about as he had never met him. He was beginning to understand that he was an ally to not one strong family; but two. He made a mental note to ask Ethan what he knew about the Yancy's when he met with him.

"So his name is Aidan," Thorne said. "Is there a middle name?"

"No," Celeste replied. "He just wants to be called Aiden."

"Why Aidan?" Thorne asked himself.

He looked up to see Barb watching them and kissed Celeste on her cheek.

"Do you remember what I told you?" he asked holding her by her arms. "I told you that your power is yours to share only if you choose to share it. I also told you that if you ever need anything from me, it's yours. I and my son are in your debt. We'd better go in; I think that they are waiting for us."

Thorne took a seat next to Barb after he helped her into her chair. He seemed oblivious as the other males catered to their mates. He caught Barb looking at him from the corner of her eye and ignored her. Apparently she hadn't believed him when he told her that he wasn't going to pretend that they were the happy couple.

When she thought no one was looking, she stared at Celeste who caught her, stared back and smiled at her. Instead of returning the smile; Barb looked away. After the dinner dishes were cleared, the planning for Gene's arrival began. Thorne watched as the Yancy siblings with the exception of Barb good naturedly teased each other. It brought back memories of his brothers.

"So Barb," Kevyn said, "what would you like to do? I'm sure that Louise wouldn't mind an extra pair of hands in the kitchen."

Louise looked at Kevyn and then at Barb and waited for a response. Several seconds passed before Barb said anything. It was obvious to everyone watching that she was trying to make a decision. If she said no, she would be proving Juliette right. Saying yes would prove that she had no real ill will toward her youngest sister.

"Sure, why not?"

"Great," Louise said. "We'll talk before you leave and exchange ideas...Do you still remember grand mom's rice pudding recipes? She had two or three. I meant to copy them, but I never did. I looked for the notebook that mom kept, but I couldn't find it."

"I-I have them," Barb confessed. "I took mom's notebook when we packed up the house."

All of the Yancy's looked at her. They knew that she had taken items that she considered valuable, but the notebook didn't fit into that category. She had never shown any real interest in the old family recipes. No one had asked where it had gone assuming that either Louise or Kevyn had it.

"Is it where you can easily get to it?" Louise asked seeing Barb's embarrassment.

"I... yes..."

"I'm glad that one of us has it," Kevyn said. "I had kind of forgotten about it until now."

Barb was actually surprised when no one jumped on her about having the notebook. In truth, she had taken it because she thought that one of the others- namely Louise would want it. Looking back on it, it was a mean and childish thing to do.

"So why did you do it?" The voice asked.

The evening ended with the men insisting that the women weren't going anywhere without them.

"We've only got two weeks!" Kevyn exclaimed. "We'll get more done..."

"Either we accompany you or the condo stays pink," Patrick said. "And besides, it isn't that big. We can have it ready within a week. So I guess you ladies need to decide when we're going shopping."

"This is Tuesday," Louise said. "We have an appointment with Gretchen tomorrow at nine- Barb when is your next appointment?" 

"Ten on Wednesday, but I don't know if Thorne is free..."

"I'm free," Thorne replied. "But may I make a suggestion?"

"Go for it," Leon said.

"Since the ladies are concerned about the time element, I suggest that we go to one of our warehouses. Surely between all of us there will be suitable furniture that Gene will be happy with. I'm sure that we also have dishes and other things needed for the kitchen too."

"Ummm Thorne," Patrick said, "Great idea, but you're kind of missing the point. They want to go shopping."

Thorne understood. The women wanted things to be as normal as they could be for as long as it lasted.

"Soooo how about eleven pm on Wednesday?" Kevyn asked. "We can call the stores and make the appointments."

The discussion went on for several more minutes with Barb not participating. She was feeling very uncomfortable. She had half hoped that one of them would have jumped her for taking the notebook. That way she would have a valid reason for not being involved with them.

"Okay," Kevyn said, "we'll meet at the kitchen and appliance store at eleven- does that work for everyone?"

After the meeting broke up, Louise went to Barb.

"I'm really glad that you came."

"But?" 

"But what?" Louise asked. "I'm glad that you came. All of us are. It'll be good to have all of us together again."

Barb walked away without responding. She was ready to leave. If she stayed any longer, she would say something that she would regret.

"Finally," the voice said. "You are learning."

Thorne was waiting for her by the front door. "Wait here," he said and slipped out.

He pulled the car up to the front, got out and went back into the house for her. He was going to tell her that the baby had picked out his name, but changed his mind when he saw the expression on her face. The other thing was she would accuse him of unilaterally naming the baby after telling her that she would have a say. Hell, he didn't even have a say, but he had no problems with believing Celeste. He had no problems with Celeste period. 

"What were you two talking about?" Barb asked as soon as she was in the car.

"Who?" Thorne asked. He had talked with several people that night.

"You and my niece," Barb snapped. "What did she say about me?"

Thorne rolled his eyes and sighed before answering her.

"Not that you'll believe me, but she didn't mention you. Should she have?"

"Then what did she say?" Barb insisted.

"We talked about the baby," Thorne replied. "I also promised her protection and that if she ever needed anything, it was hers."

Thorne reconsidered his decision to tell Barb about the baby's name. Her reaction was going to be the same no matter when he did it.

"There's something else," he said glancing over at her. "We don't get to choose the baby's name- he's already chosen it."

"He did what?" Barb asked obviously not believing him. "Who told you that? Celeste? Do you believe everything that comes out of her mouth?"

"Tell me Barb," Thorne said coolly, "tell me of one instance where she's lied. She knew about you didn't she? She knew when you were thinking about harming our son didn't she? Give me one good reason as to why I should doubt her."

Barb sat back in the seat. She couldn't come up with one single time when Celeste had lied even before Thorne. The girl couldn't even utter the slang for behind without blushing.

"What's the name?" Barb asked.

"Aidan- it's Gaelic for fire."

There was no conversation between them for the rest of the ride home. When they arrived, they were met at the car by Adrianna and Cheung. Barb didn't acknowledge them when they spoke to her. She went straight to her room, shut the door and lay on the bed fully dressed. Realization was dawning. Nothing in her life had turned out the way that she had envisioned it.

*****

Thorne sat in his office waiting for Eustace to show up. His appointment was as eight and the appointment with Gretchen was at ten. He could have changed his appointment to better suit Eustace's schedule, but to his way of thinking; he was paying Eustace a shit load of money so he would just have to deal with it. 

Eustace appeared just before eight, sat down and made himself comfortable. 

"Tell me what happened," Eustace said skipping the formalities. "Wow," Eustace murmured when Thorne was finished. "And no apology?"

"Not unless you consider saying I'm sorry that you saw that an apology," Thorne replied. The bottom line is the only thing that she's sorry about is that I saw her. That knowledge forces her to take a look at the part that she played in our lives. Poor Noel got fucked all the way around and part of that is my fault. I knew that he was catching hell from our father and I left him there. I was so anxious to get away that I closed my eyes to what was happening to him. That's something that I can't lay at my mother's feet."

"If you could go back, would you have done anything differently?" Eustace asked.

"I would have stayed in my bed." Thorne said quietly. "Maybe if I had done that, things might have turned out differently. I might have taken Noel with me when I left. If I had, maybe he wouldn't be so fucked up."

"So it all comes down to a little boy who needed his mother and got much more in the bargain," Eustace said.

"Partly," Thorne replied. "I could have gone back for him. I could have sought counsel sooner, but like many things; it takes a major event in one's life to initiate change. My major event is my son. I won't sit here and tell you that my goal is to have a mother-son relationship with my mother. That isn't going to happen. I won't tell you that I have or am going to change my views on women like her, but-I will say that I understand that they deserve respect as anyone who is living does."

"Where does that put your mate?" Eustace asked. "Isn't that part of the reason that you're together?"

"Yes and I take my share of the responsibility for that," Thorne replied. My mate and I have reached an understanding. After the baby is born she is free to go wherever she wishes. She will be financially taken care of and she will be protected. I am not shutting her out of the baby's life- how active she is in it is up to her."

"Thorne," Eustace said, "Do you not feel anything for this woman? After all the fates put you together."

"Yes they did," Thorne agreed, "but only after we made stupid and irrational decisions. You and I both know that had either of us made different decisions, we wouldn't be together. The only good thing that came out of this mess is my son."

"What does your mother have to say about this?"

"She had the gall to say that a child needs its mother," Thorne replied angrily. "After what she did to us she had the nerve to say something like that."

"You're still angry."

"Damn right I am!" Thorne yelled. 

"Have you considered that maybe she only now understands the ramifications of her actions?"

"You're defending her?" Thorne asked.

"Not at all," Eustace assured him. "I'm just pointing something out. You said that she didn't know that you knew about her infidelities. In her mind, she was doing you no harm."

"What about Noel? Can she say that about him? She let an emotionally unstable vampire roam the streets! And do you know why? She wanted to be rid of him! She had people to care for him- she didn't have to see him unless she chose to, but yet she put him and others in danger! She could have called me..."

"Would you have gone?" Eustace interrupted. "By your own admission you said that you knew something was happening but you did nothing. Why would a call from your mother have mattered? Wouldn't you have accused her of pawning Noel off on you?"

Thorne started to deny it, but didn't. Eustace was right.

"What I see going on is a whole lot of guilt about something that can't be changed. I'm sure that you and Noel have talked about your leaving and he's made his peace with it- you haven't. Your mother's guilt or lack of it is her issue-not yours. Your focus needs to be on preparing for the arrival of your child and the fact that you in effect are without a mate except in name only. As far as the relationship with your mother- you're right in saying that it will never be what it should have been and it's unrealistic to think otherwise. Now that the cards are on the table- you have to decide how to proceed. As far as your mate-the same goes. All of you have to remember that the most important thing here is the child. If you can agree on that, then everything else will fall into place."

"So now what?" Thorne asked.

"You start working on those relationships," Eustace said. "Your mother and your mate do need to meet at some point. It's better that they do it under controlled circumstances than by accident. I would also suggest that this meeting occur sooner rather than later. The other thing is this- I'm sure that you're realizing how difficult it is to change old behaviors. It's going to take continued conscious effort on your part to change them. You will fuck up- the important thing is that you don't dwell on it- acknowledge it, apologize and move on. When do you think your mother and Barb will meet?"

"It will have to wait," Thorne said. "Ethan and I are meeting in a few days to discuss renewing our alliance. Once that's done, I'll arrange a meeting between Barb and my mother. I have a question that doesn't pertain to me; why would someone remember events differently than what happened?"

"That would depend on what the event is and the person. My first guess without knowing the details is that whatever the real memory was- it's too painful. The mind has stepped in to protect the person. He or she may or may not ever recover the original memory. Now, I must go. Gretchen has a nine o'clock appointment. Given what's happened, I don't let her go anywhere alone. If I'm not mistaken, we'll be back here at ten."

"That's correct," Thorne said standing. "When is our next appointment?"

"Call me when you have the meeting between your mate and mother set up. We'll meet before then and again afterwards. In the meantime, we can have our next appointment by phone unless you want to meet face to face. But this is what I want you to work on- your own guilt about your brother. I know that he's leaving soon- talk to him again."

"Phone works for me," Thorne replied. "How about Saturday night after my meeting with Ethan?"

"That's fine; call me when your meeting is over."

In a flash Eustace was gone. Given how the week had filled up, Noel postponed his departure for another week. As of yet, they hadn't decided on when they were going to spend an evening together. Thorne left his office and went to Noel's rooms where he was working on the portrait of the eyes. As far as Thorne could tell he hadn't added features, but was adding more depth to the eyes.

"Which Yancy do you think it is?" Thorne asked from behind him.

"I have no idea," Noel replied. "I only know that she's beautiful, but then all of the Yancy women that I've met are. I also know that she's the one that keeps me grounded. So how are things?"

"As good as can be expected," Thorne replied. "Thanks for waiting to leave."

"No problem," Noel replied. "We need to talk anyway and things are still kind of crazy. So when are you free?"

They sat aside Sunday evening for their visit and to talk about the new club whose plans had been tabled. After Thorne left Noel's rooms, he went to his own. It occurred to him that he hadn't been with a woman since the last time he and Barb had been together. He was surprised to find that he was alright with it. To him it was another confirmation that either the fates had indeed fucked up, they had been playing games or a combination of the two. He stretched out on his bed, closed his eyes and rested until it was time for the appointment with Gretchen.

****

Ten o'clock had arrived and Gretchen was examining Barb.

"Things look good- are you still taking the prenatal vitamins and the folic acid?"

"Yes," Barb replied without looking at Thorne.

"Are you exercising or taking walks?"

"Yes-I'm doing some Tai Chi stuff."

"Good, how are you sleeping?"

"No problems there," Barb replied.

Gretchen went down her list of questions and was satisfied that mother and baby were at least doing physically well.

"We need to discuss the preparations for the birth," Gretchen said. "I know that we have some time, but I want to get started on the Lamaze training. I have an assistant- her name is Monica that teaches the class. You have two options, you can take the class privately in which case Monica can come here or you can join a class. Either way you Thorne will need to be present. Which would you prefer?"

"Which one did Louise choose?" Barb asked expecting to hear that she had chosen the private class.

"She and Nathan are taking the classes that will be held at my office," Gretchen replied. She only gave Barb the information because Louise had given her permission to do so. "There are four other couples in the class and there's room for three more."

Thorne leaned back against the wall and listened. He already knew which option Barb would choose- the most expensive one. He wasn't disappointed to find that he had assumed right. He also knew that it was more than a money thing. Whether she knew it or not, Barb was jealous of Louise. He knew that she harbored feelings of resentment and Jealousy toward the others- but it was toward Louise that she felt it more keenly. Like Juliette and the others, he wondered why.

After the exam was over and the night for the classes selected, Thorne called for the car so they could meet the others. While he waited for Barb to change clothes, he wondered at what point he should bring up the subject of her turning. He already knew what she would say. She still hadn't completely embraced the idea of her immortality. She sure as hell wasn't going to go for the idea of becoming vampire. But still- he would be remiss if he didn't at least broach the idea with her. If she said no then that would be the end of it. Whatever happened as a result of her decision was on her.

"I'm ready," she said a few minutes later.

"Are you sure that you're up for this?" Thorne asked thinking that she looked tired.

"I'm good, let's go."

Thorne made her wait by the door and then came back for her. As he helped her into the car, he bent down and kissed her cheek. Barb looked at him in surprise. In all of their time together he had never given her the kiss of protection.

"Anyone who is watching -whether they be friend or foe is now aware that you are under my protection," he explained. "Anyone who seeks to harm you will be found and punished. I do this because you are the mother of my child."

"I got it," Barb snipped when she got over her surprise, "we wouldn't want people to think that we're together would we?"

Thorne helped her in and shut the door without responding. She understood.

****

Gene reread his letter to resignation for the fourth time before he finally hit submit. It was done. In two weeks his life in Pittsburgh would be over. His sponsor had already given him the number to the local AA organization closest to where he would be living. He would call them in a day or so to see if he could be set up with a sponsor before he left. If that were the case, he'd call him and introduce himself and arrange for a meeting. Next he reread the email to Dana. Satisfied that it conveyed everything that he wanted it to, he sent it. What happened or didn't happen between them was now up to her. He logged onto the company's travel website to look for a ticket. Even with the discounts the price was steep. He thought about taking Kevyn up on her offer of sending the jet and changed his mind. He found the cheapest flight and bought a one way ticket. The last thing that he did was to check his accounts. He would roll over his 401k when he got to California. That way he would be fully vested. 




Thorne Ch. 12



Hello! Thank you for your patience and for reading Thorne. I just wanted to thank all of my beta readers Jean and Donalde for their time and Teacher 2272 for editing. I also wanted to give a heads up- there is no sex in this chapter. Somehow it didn't seem- appropriate? Anyway... thanks again.

Kal





"Where would you like to make the food?" Louise asked Barb the night after the meeting. "I'm good with wherever you choose."

Barb hadn't given it much thought. Her mind was on other things, including the fact that the baby had chosen his name. The second thing was about the move to Hawaii and the alliance. No matter how she sliced it, she was going to be involved no matter what she did. In the interest of preserving the peace and her purse, she decided to willingly join the alliance. The third thing was meeting Thorne's mother. She didn't know why, but she already disliked the woman, although they had never met. In her mind's eye, she saw her as a stoic and unforgiving woman. She had to admit that the fact that Thorne didn't care for her had something to do with it.

"He doesn't care for you either," the voice whispered.

Barb ignored it and answered Louise's question.

"I think that your house would be better. Your kitchen is fully stocked and aren't you taking those cooking classes?"

"Here is fine," Louise replied she knew why Barb wanted to come to her house. She wanted to compare their homes. It was all about whose house was better. "Can you bring those notebooks? Nathan said that he can enter the recipes onto my laptop and then you can have them back if you like."

A small pang of guilt hit Barb. She shouldn't have taken the notebooks. She hadn't even looked at them since she took them. She hadn't even looked at it then.

"I'll bring them," she said softly. "What time tomorrow?"

"Is six too early?" Louise asked. "I have a couple of new recipes that I want to try out if you don't mind being a guinea pig."

"I - sure; can I bring anything?"

"No - we've got it," Louise said. "We'll see you at six and Thorne is invited too."

Barb hung up suddenly tired and confused. She went to her room to lay down for a nap. Thorne would be by in a couple of hours to talk to Aidan. Adrianna and Cheung sat out on her balcony while one of the wolf couples sat in the sitting room. She wanted to send them all away. She wanted her life back to the way it was before she met Thorne. She wanted to turn the clock back to when she was married to her ex-husband. She wanted to do things differently. But it was as Gene told her, "some decisions are irrevocable."

The baby was irrevocable. Her immortality was irrevocable. Her relationship with Thorne was irrevocable unless they could get out of it somehow. Even if she was freed, she would still be tied to him because of the br... baby.

"Careful," the voice cautioned.

Barb lay on the bed letting random thoughts float across her mind. She was almost asleep when the voice woke her.

"So - why did you take that notebook? It meant and means nothing to you."

"I took it because..."

She didn't finish the sentence. To say the reason out loud was like admitting that the others were right about her and she still didn't quite believe it.

"Tick tock..." the voice said and faded away.

****

Samantha was still in shock over what Thorne had told her. He had seen her twice with other men. It explained so much about his attitude toward her. If he was to be believed, his mate was similar to her, which didn't bode well, but like her, the woman was now a Blackwell. The question was did she really want to meet this woman? It wasn't a want she decided, but a have to. The next question was did she want a relationship with her grandson? She didn't know the answer to that question. Then there was Noel who she had treated wrongly. At the thought of him she felt a pang of guilt. Thorne had been right in saying that he had gotten it from all sides. What could she do about it? She could do nothing- Noel still loved her as his mother even with all of her failures and shortcomings. Or - she could do the adult thing and apologize. It was her sense of guilt that led her to the latter choice. If it had been Thorne she didn't think that she could do it - but she had to apologize to him too. 

"Karma," she muttered under her breath and reached for the phone.

****

Noel was making last minute arrangements for his move when the phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and quickly answered.

"Mother? Are you alright?"

Samantha's throat tightened at the genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm fine, but Noel I need to tell you something...I know that I wasn't a good mother to you and the others. I was even a worse mate to your father..."

"Mother," Noel interrupted, "you don't have to do this."

"Yes Noel, I do," Samantha replied. "As awful as I've been to you, you've always loved me. It was brought to my attention that while I may not have physically harmed you; I harmed you psychologically. As Thorne would say, I fucked you up. I won't go into the details about my past doings; one child knowing about them is enough. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry." 

Noel didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected a sincere apology from her. What he knew and sensed was that she felt guilty for her treatment of him. What he wasn't going to tell her was that he knew about the affairs. He had never witnessed one, but he had heard her and his father arguing about it. It was a day that he would never forget because that was the day that the man who had been his father became someone else. That was the day when his father had become an abusive bully and she had allowed it. She had started it. At the time he was hurt, angry and confused. What was happening wasn't supposed to happen. Mates were supposed to love and protect each other forever. Not even Thorne knew that he knew about the affairs.

"All is forgiven," Noel said quietly. "I am much better and getting a little better every day. So much better in fact that I'm leaving to explore the big bad world."

"What?" Samantha asked surprised. "You're leaving? Does Thorne know about this?"

"Yes he does and I didn't want him to tell you," Noel replied. 

"Why not?" Samantha asked hurt.

"Because, to be frank, I didn't think that you would care," Noel replied. "I'm surprised that we're even talking. When was the last time that you called me? Look, it doesn't matter. I accept your apology and I harbor no ill will toward you. You will always have my love and respect simply because you are my mother and, even though you won't admit it, you're lonely. I would like to make a suggestion if I could- call Thorne and apologize. He felt your absence as a mother more than any of us did. The rest of us were swayed by the pretty wrapped gifts that we found every day, but not him."

"Why didn't you say something?" Samantha asked.

"Would you have listened to me?" Noel countered. 

Samantha hesitated. Noel was right. She wouldn't have believed him if he told her how badly she was hurting him. She would have told him the same thing that she told Thorne-"you wanted for nothing." She also suspected that Noel's answer would have been the same as Thorne's.

"Where will you go?" Samantha asked wondering about the wisdom of his leaving so soon after the hunter situation. She didn't say anything because she felt that she didn't have the right to act like a concerned mother when she hadn't been concerned before. 

"I won't be traveling alone," Noel assured her. "Felix will be going with me. We'll travel around the United States and then eventually I'll settle in Paris. I've always wanted to go there."

"What about the reunion dinner? Will you be there?"

"Ah yes...the reunion dinner. I'll be there but I'm leaving right afterwards. I assume that you'll attend?" Noel asked.

"I plan to be, may I ask a question?"

"If it's about Thorne and his mate, then no," Noel replied. "I've managed to stay out of their issues and I'm going to continue to do so. I have issues enough of my own without adding theirs to it."

"Does he really care nothing for her?" Samantha pressed.

"You spoke with him," Noel said his tone cool. "What did he tell you?"

Samantha blinked. Noel had never used such a cool tone with her. She was talking to a still flawed, but much stronger Noel. She changed the subject to his memory or lack of it.

"Why do you believe that you were with me the night of the fight with the Sinclaires?"

"I can't answer that," Noel replied. "Both you and Thorne tell me that I was there so I must have been. I tried to remember but I got the most horrific of headaches. I've finally come to the conclusion that I'm not supposed to remember. I don't know if I ever will and I no longer worry about it."

"Noel," Samantha asked after a brief hesitation, "Is it possible that you know who betrayed us?"

"Mother," Noel replied his voice strained, "I can't talk about this."

Samantha stopped pushing when she heard his voice. So it was true she thought. He really did have pain when he tried to remember. She quickly changed the subject much to his relief.

"How will you ever find your mate, if you're gallivanting around the world?"

"We will find each other when the time is right," Noel replied, "and it won't matter what part of the world we're in."

Samantha was amazed that in spite of what he had been through, Noel still held the glass half full mindset. Someone weaker would have broken. She wondered if Thorne could have survived as Noel had and decided that he would have. But instead of being the gentle soul that Noel was, he would have become even angrier than he already was. Noel knew this. That explained why he didn't say anything.

Noel ended the conversation by saying that he had to go meet Thorne. He thanked her for calling and hung up. Samantha laid the phone down and then picked it up. She looked at it and put it back down. One apology was enough for the day.

****

Louise wrote down the supplies that would be needed while Nathan went through the cabinets. It seemed as if her belly had grown almost overnight. She massaged it in gentle circles while she waited for Nathan to tell her what to write down. Many of the items in the cabinets were in preparation of the cooking class that they hadn't completed. As soon as the trouble began, Nathan sent the chef back to France with a promise to bring him back once the trouble was over. In all likelihood, the classes wouldn't continue until after the baby was born.

"Did you get that?" Nathan asked disturbing her reverie.

"What? No sorry, I was thinking," Louise replied. 

"About what?" Nathan asked as he sat on the barstool beside her.

"Everything I guess. So much has happened in a short amount of time. And now Gene is coming. All of us will be together except- Barb's leaving. She hasn't said anything yet, but I know that's what she's planning."

"How do you feel about that?" Nathan asked.

"I wish that she weren't going," Louise replied. "I wish that she would stay and get to know her baby and it would be nice if all of us were together for a while. Have there been other couples like Barb and Thorne?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Nathan replied. "Fortunately it doesn't happen often."

"Has a couple ever divorced?"

"For the most part the word divorce isn't in our vocabulary, but yes it happens. There was a couple that had been together for centuries. The female mate apparently made some very bad choices including not accepting the mate of her son."

"Why didn't she accept her? I thought that was a given."

"From what I understand, the male was of a family where mixed matings were discouraged. The female was of mixed heritage. Her mother black and her father white."

"And what race was he?" Louise asked.

"He was Japanese," Nathan replied. "The issue wasn't with the family as a whole, it was his mother."

"Was there ever a problem with your family?"

"Never and I'll tell you why later. We need to finish going through the cabinets," Nathan said as he kissed her.

"Nathan Sinclaire, I do believe that you just brushed me off," Louise teased.

"No- it's a really long story and we need to get this done," he said kissing her again. "I promise to tell you about it but while we're talking, we need to think of names for the baby. I still say he's a she."

"Do you know something that I don't?" Louise asked. "Can you talk to her like Celeste can talk to Thorne and Barb's baby?"

"No, nothing like that," Nathan replied. "It's just time that we bring another girl into the family is all and I just have a feeling. So after we're done here, why don't we go sit on the beach and talk about names for our daughter?"

"Fine," Louise said smiling, "but you're awfully sure of yourself."

An hour and a half later, the list was completed. Louise wanted to go shopping that night instead of sitting on the beach so that everything would be ready for when Barb came over. She waited while Nathan arranged for extra security although she was certain that they didn't need it. There were still a few hunters around, but they were just watching. She made a mental note to call Nadine to see how she was doing. She knew that Leon was hoping that she would talk to Rachel or Katrina sooner rather than later. 

Neither Louise nor Nathan spoke during the drive to the grocery store. They were each lost in their own thoughts. Her thoughts were on her sister while his was on keeping Louise and the baby safe. There had to be a common plan that everyone followed and then contingency plans. He wondered if Hans and Patrick had spoken to their mates about turning. The safety of them and the children could depend on it. The other thing was teaching self-defense. Louise and Barb couldn't at the moment, but the others, the children included could.

He made a mental list of things to talk to Ethan and Thorne about. He was sure that he would be asked to take the lead on the plans. He had no problem with that and he knew who he would ask to help him- Leon. That decided, he thought about the nurseries that still needed to be finished. Louise still needed to pick a home that would serve as their primary home. Once she did that, he could modify the room that adjoined their bedroom. There was so much to do, but Gene's apartment would be ready days before he arrived. Thinking of Gene brought up another issue- when they were going to tell him about the family and its history? It was another thing added to his list to talk to Ethan about. By the time they got to the store, his list had doubled.

They finished their shopping and went home. Nathan made Louise sit while he put things away. He caught her looking wistful and knew what she was thinking about.

"Sweetheart, I know that you're worried about Barb, but it's out of your hands. I also know that you want her to love her child, but again; that's not in our hands. The good thing is that even if she decides not to love or accept him, he's got plenty of people who do. Thorne loves that baby and he's going to do right by him."

"I know," Louise replied. "I just wish that things were different. Okay, I'm done moping, are you still up for sitting on the beach and talking about baby names?"

"I have a few more things to put away and then we can go," Nathan replied. "Louise? It's going to be alright."

"I know," Louise replied but she was still worried.

****

"How was the shopping trip?" Ethan asked Thorne a few days later.

"It was- it was...."

"I understand," Ethan replied laughing.

"I suppose you do, but I think that they got everything that they needed," Thorne replied. "Ethan, I have a question for you. I don't know whether you can answer it or not and whatever the answer is will have no bearing on our discussion tonight."

"Go ahead," Ethan replied.

"What do you know about the Yancy line? I mean there's Louise who's as powerful an empath as I've ever seen. Leon is also an empath- not nearly as strong as Louise but strong enough. Then there's Juliette and Barb who seem to have no real psychic abilities. Juliette is telepathic and maybe slightly empathic, but Barb..."

"She's at least telepathic isn't she?" Ethan asked.

"No and that's something that I'd rather not go into," Thorne replied. "The brother that's coming, does he have any psychic ability that you're aware of?"

"No, but then I really haven't met him either," Ethan replied. "You haven't mentioned Celeste or the other children."

"I was getting to that," Thorne replied. "I used to hear about people who could talk to the unborn and the dead but until I met that little girl I thought that it was a bedtime story. The other two don't strike me as being gifted, but maybe their gifts are lying dormant until they are found by their mates. But how does one as young as Celeste have such power? In fact, I've never seen an empath as powerful as Louise."

"You're forgetting Kevyn," Ethan said and then told him about the Veronica's kidnapping and Kevyn and Louise's roles in her rescue.

"What the fuck, Ethan," Thorne said quietly. "Who are these people and where do they come from?"

"I'll give you the condensed version," Ethan said.

"Are you serious?" Thorne asked ninety minutes later. "Their family line has intersected with yours for centuries?"

"Yes, our genealogist is still working on it, but the Yancy line was created for the Sinclaire line and now apparently your line. The million dollar question is why us? No one is arguing with it- we're all thrilled and honored to be allied to such a strong family; but we want to know why."

Thorne didn't know what to say. He had never heard of a family line being specifically created for another family line. If the Yancy line was as strong as Ethan said it was, then that would explain Celeste. 

"Not all of them are gifted," Ethan said. "But it seems that even the mother was slightly gifted as was the father."

"Have you ever met the parents?"

"No the father, Victor Yancy died a little over three years ago, the mother, Wanda Yancy died a few months back. Nathan and Patrick are giving each of the Yancy's a book chronicling the history of our families. Would you like one for Barb? Actually we should check to see if your line intersects with theirs."

Thorne thought about to for a minute.

"Yes to both offers, thank you."

"No problem-Thorne, we're family as well as allies. Your son and mate ensure that. Even without them we were allies. I don't know what you think happened between our families..."

"We were attacked by hunters," Thorne broke in. "One of my brothers was captured by them. When we asked him how he was found, he said that one of you had betrayed us. We took his word for it and came to your place... the rest is history."

"Thorne," Ethan said after a long pause, "we didn't betray you. Our fathers were friends as well as allies. I didn't know you as you were gone a majority of the time but I knew your brothers. I'm going to ask a question that may anger you, but it needs to be asked. Is it possible that the brother who was captured betrayed your family?"

"NO!" Thorne roared. "It wasn't one of us!"

"Alright," Ethan said calmly. "If not one of you and it wasn't us- we had nothing to gain by betraying you; then who? Think about it, what could we possibly have to gain by betraying you? To do so would have been like cutting our own throats. You guarded our backs to the east and we yours to the west. Together we protected the north and south. Why would we betray you?"

Ethan was right, Thorne realized but he didn't believe that it was someone from his own family. Maybe someone had followed one of the home or seen them feeding. That had to be it- there could be no other explanation. But then there was Noel. Why couldn't he remember what really happened that night?





Thorne Ch. 12



"I agree that you would have had nothing to gain by betraying us- it wouldn't have made sense. But I also maintain that it was no one from my family which leaves a stranger. If that was the case it could have been anyone."

"True," Ethan replied, "but let me ask you this- why was your father so quick to believe that we betrayed him? Why were you so quick to believe it? Why didn't one of you ask us instead of blindly attacking us? If you had, your father and brother would still be alive. The only one that tried to make any sense was Noel."

"Noel?" Thorne asked. "What about him?"

"He was the only one not participating in the fight. That's what saved his life. He kept screaming for us to stop. By the time it was over, it was too late."

"He doesn't remember being there," Thorne said. "He says that he stayed with mother."

"Well unless he has a twin, he was there," Ethan replied. "Why would he say that?"

"I don't know - unless he knows who the traitor was. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail, but my family has and had issues. I think that he doesn't remember because he doesn't want to. And no I don't believe it was him before you ask," Thorne said. "But... I always thought that there was something not quite right about that night..."

"So instead of sitting down with us and talking about it; you fucked with us? I'm sorry but that's immature and stupid," Ethan said.

"Add that to the list of stupid and immature things that I've done," Thorne said with a grim smile.

"Look, I apologize," Ethan said. "I'm in no position to call you or anyone else stupid and immature. God only knows the stupid and horrible things I've done. The important thing is we're talking now. Thorne- do you believe me when I say that my family did not betray yours?"

"I believe you," Thorne replied. "And for the record, so does my mother. She said the same thing that you did- our fathers were too good of friends to have betrayed each other. But- I am determined to find out who did."

"They could be dead," Ethan said.

"Then so be it," Thorne replied as he stood up. "But I want to know. I also think that Noel is the key and that in due time he will remember. Ethan, I owe you and your family an apology. You are right in saying that not coming to you was stupid and immature on my part. Working with you these past weeks has been an honor and a pleasure. I would like to open my homes to you and yours and take you under my protection. I would be honored if our families were to reunite and be as friends, allies and family."

"It's about damned time," Ethan said as he stood and extended his hand. He waited until Thorne took it and spoke. "Any past transgressions are no more- your apology is accepted. Working side by side with you reminded me of our fathers and how they worked together. I accept the offer of your homes and protection and in return I offer my homes and protection to you and yours. I am honored that your family has once again joined with mine for the protection of those we hold dear."

Thorne gave Ethan's hand a hard squeeze and released it. 

"This calls for a drink," Ethan said, "What's your pleasure?"

"You got any scotch?" Thorne asked.

"I just happen to have a bottle of Duncan Taylor cask strength Scotch Whiskey- will that do?"

Ethan poured the drinks, handed a glass to Thorne and proposed a toast. "Sounds good," Thorne replied, "straight, if you please."

"To new friendships, alliances, and the safety of our loved ones," Ethan said.

They clinked glasses, downed their drinks and sat down. The next topic of discussion was the reunion dinner.

"I would suggest the club," Thorne said, "but I don't think that's a good idea."

"Probably not," Ethan agreed. "Intel says that there are still a few hunters around. My chef has a restaurant that he only opens on special occasions. We could have it there."

"Is it easily defendable?" Thorne asked.

"I'll tell you what, why don't we go over there and you can see for yourself. If you don't think it's satisfactory, we'll look for another place."

Second later they were standing in front if Caesar's.

"You could have just told me yes," Thorne said as he looked around.

"If the situation were reversed, I would have wanted to see it so no problem. What do you think?"

"I think it's fine," Thorne replied still looking around. "When do we do this?"

"This is now Sunday morning- how about Friday night?" Ethan asked. 

"That will work," Thorne replied.

"I'll let Caesar know and, if you don't mind, I'll let him plan the menu."

****

Thorne went home feeling better than he had in a long time. The only blip in his otherwise decent day was the talk that he had to have with Barb about turning. He also had to tell her when the reunion dinner was. As he walked to her room, he wondered why some of the Yancy's had power in spades while some of them seemed to have none. He tapped on her door and walked in.

Barb stopped what she was doing and looked at him. Was it time for the nightly chat with daddy already? She sat the book that she had been reading aside and waited.

"The reunion dinner is Friday evening," Thorne said as he pulled a chair up beside the bed. "We've already discussed the possible ramifications of your not joining, so I won't repeat them. I do have another subject that we need to discuss."

Barb squirmed. She didn't like the sound of this. She had been hoping that Thorne would say goodnight to the baby and be gone leaving her in relative peace. The fact that he pulled up a chair told her that this wasn't going to be the case.

"Before we continue, I would like to speak with our son."

Barb repositioned herself and watched as Thorne went through the now familiar routine of greeting the baby. She could almost say the words with him, but she didn't. When he was through, he moved back to the chair and looked at her. She met his gaze with one of her own and wondered when he was going to get to the reason for his extended visit.

"As you know," he said, "Your sister Louise is full vampire. Your other sisters are not. Since the hunter issue..."

"I'm not turning," Barb said before he could go any further. "It's bad enough that I have to live forever but I won't become one of you!"

"Do you not care about that child within you at all?" Thorne asked. "Just once can you think beyond your own wants and needs? I don't make this suggestion lightly and I wouldn't have brought it up if it weren't important. Wait- is it because you think that I have to be the one to turn you?"

"I never pretended that I wanted this baby!" Barb shot back. "And yes, I'm pregnant because of choices that I made! I'm immortal because of those same decisions but that doesn't mean that I have to turn! I'll be a part of your alliance and I'll do my part, but I will not become one of you, no matter who does it!"

Thorne sat back and said nothing. He had expected her to refuse to turn, but he hadn't expected her to accept her part in the situation that they were in. It didn't change how he felt about her, but it was nice to hear.

"I expected that you would respond as you just did," Thorne replied. "The offer stands if you should change your mind. Something else to consider is this- you could have drawn up what the humans would call an advanced directive. You could state under which conditions that turning is acceptable and name those who you wish to turn..."

"Did you not hear me?" Barb snapped. "I want no part of it. If I die then I die."

"You really are a selfish bitch!" Thorne said unable to hold his tongue. "You are so beautiful on the outside but on the inside you are as ugly as they come! Do you know what amazes me? It amazes me that you are unaffected by the fact that our child doesn't like you. He has accepted that you don't and won't care for him! The other thing that amazes me is that your family still loves you. They have made every effort to draw you to them and you continue to shun them..."

"Listen to you Mr. I'm in therapy!" Barb yelled back. "As I remember telling you before, you're no damned better than I am!"

"No, I'm not!" Thorne bellowed. "I'm worse in many ways. I know and accept that about myself! I took advantage of your weakness! I can't tell you how much I regret that, but I am making an effort to change. At heart, I will always be a bastard, but I'll be a bastard willing to do what I need to do in order to care for my son! What about you? Can you say that or are you going to keep counting the days that you can be free of him? Notice that I said him and not us. As far as we're concerned we never were. I've given you your options; do whatever the hell you want."

Barb didn't reply. His words had cut deep. She didn't move when he approached the bed and sat down beside her.

"Aidan- sweetheart," he said softly. "I am sorry if we frightened you. I have yet to learn how to control my tongue and my temper. Try to rest and try not to worry- you are loved and cared for."

He kissed Barb's stomach, stood up and left the room without sparing her another glance.

"Tick tock," the voice within Barb whispered. "Tick....tock"

***

The week before the reunion dinner passed quickly. Miraculously, the apartment for Gene was ready and fully stocked with his favorite food, snacks and beverages. The freezer was full of meals that only needed to be reheated in the microwave or oven. 

The night before the apartment was finished, and as they were finishing making the food, Louise decided to talk to Barb. For all she knew it would be her last chance.

"Why did you take those notebooks?" she asked. "They meant nothing to you."

"I don't want to talk about it," Barb replied as she snapped the lid on the last container.

"Really?" Louise asked. "I don't care whether you want to talk about it or not- I do so let's stop acting like children and talk about this. Why did you take those notebooks?"

"Look..."

"No, you look," Louise said taking the container from Barb's hands. "We've put up with your nonsense long enough, now answer the question, why did you take those books?"

Barb was surprised at Louise's persistence but tried to put her off and failed. She was finally forced to answer.

"I took the damned notebooks because I knew that you wanted them! I knew that they were important to you! Is there anything else that you want to know?"

"Did you hate me that much?" Louise whispered. "What did I do to you?"

"You... took from me!"

"I - I what?" Louise asked confused.

"You heard me! Do you remember ever having to wear hand me downs? Were you ever teased at school? Were you ever denied anything?" Barb asked her voice low and filled with anger. "Did any of those things happen to you?"

"How did I take from you?" Louise asked confused. "By the time I was in middle school, the older ones had part time jobs and could help out..."

"I took those notebooks because when I asked Kevyn to bring me back to California with her, she refused. In fact, I didn't get the chance to ask her - she shut me down before I could ask and told me why she was taking you."

"Maybe it was because she knew what you were after," Louise replied. "We all saw how you looked at Patrick. You didn't make a move on him because you knew better. But this is about more than me coming to California, so let's have it. Don't be afraid of hurting my feelings - you can't because I won't allow you to."

Barb took a step backwards. The strength that she felt radiating from Louise was startling.

"Go on," Louise pushed, "Let's hear it. Tell me how I took from you. If you want me to apologize, I will, but I want to know exactly what I'm apologizing for."

When Barb took another step away from her, Louise didn't move.

"Are you going to talk to me or are you going to run back to your house and pout about the unfairness of it all? Whatever you say stays between us so have at it. Nathan is in his office with Thorne and he won't interfere if that's what you're worried about."

Still Barb didn't speak. Instead, she grabbed her purse and ran out of the house as fast as she could. Nathan followed by Thorne came out of the office.

"Sweetheart?" Nathan said assessing Louise.

"I'm fine; Thorne - Barb is waiting for you by your car."

That was the last time Louise or anyone else saw Barb. No one knew if she was even going to attend the dinner.

"I pushed too hard," Louise said as she got dressed for the dinner. "I just wanted her to say it- I just wanted to hear why she was so angry with me."

"Louise," Nathan said as he put her arms around her, "she doesn't hate you or the others. She doesn't like herself. If nothing else, maybe she's doing some serious thinking. But at any rate, you've all done what you can."

"I know, but..."

"No stressing ok? The baby doesn't like it."

*****

Barb debated long and hard about whether she should attend the dinner or not. Attending wasn't a condition in order to receive her money but... eventually reason took over. She had agreed to be a part of the alliance but only because she felt as though she had no choice. To stay home was, in effect, reneging on that agreement.

She got out of bed and looked at her choice of dresses for the evening. They were both beautiful and paid for by Thorne. She opted out of the shopping trip with her sisters because she was unable to look at Louise. Instead she went shopping with Thorne and Adrianna. She wasn't even sure that she could manage at the dinner but she had to do it. 

Adrianna helped her dress in the pale peach maternity dress that fell just below her knees. Ironically, the dress was similar to the prom dress from years ago. When she realized it, she changed into the black evening dress. She hadn't worn black since the night she went to Thorne's club, but that was preferable to the peach colored dress.

"You look great," Adrianna said as she zipped the dress up, "and I bet if you let yourself, you'll have a good time."

Barb didn't reply. She had been doing that more and more. All she wanted to do was to get through the night, have the baby and be on her way.

"You look lovely," Thorne complimented when she came down the stairs.

"Thank you," Barb replied not looking at him. "Is it time to go?"

Thorne offered his arm which Barb reluctantly took and led her to the car. Tonight there was a driver who would double as security. Barb knew that Thorne offered his arm only because he wanted to be able to pull her aside quickly if he needed to. Once in the car, he sat on one side and her on the other. Not once did they speak.

***

Samantha dressed for the dinner with some trepidation. She still hadn't apologized to Thorne and planned to do it after the dinner. There wouldn't be time before. She had also decided that she would participate in her grandson's life as much as Thorne would allow her. She would never be the doting grandmother, but she could be a grandmother that would know her grandson. She still hadn't formulated an opinion about Barbara Yancy-Simpson; but that would come soon enough. Instead of going with an escort, she decided to go alone accompanied by a guard. There was no point in stirring up trouble. Samantha sighed heavily; it was going to be an interesting night.

*****

Ethan and Katrina were the first to arrive, followed by Barb and Thorne. Everyone else arrived shortly thereafter. Wanda, Victoria, Celeste and Victor had a table to themselves, so that they could talk about whatever it was children talked about. When Barb spotted Celeste, she looked away. Soon the restaurant was full and the dinner began. Thorne and Ethan sat next to each other with her sitting to Thorne's left and Katrina to Ethan's right. Barb stared at her trying to figure out how one forgave someone who brutalized them. Katrina caught her staring and smiled at her. To Barb's left, sat Noel and Samantha who, as of yet, she hadn't officially met. Her first reaction though was instant dislike, but admiration for her beauty. She could see where Noel and Thorne got their vivid green eyes. 

To Katrina's right sat Martin and Rachel, Patrick and Kevyn then two empty places where Jesse Sinclaire and his mate would have sat if they had lived. On their plates lay a single rose. Promptly at six thirty, Ethan and Thorne stood up bringing the chatting to a standstill. Both men looked around the room for several seconds before Thorne spoke.

"As you all know, the Sinclaires and the Blackwell's were friends and allies in the past. That friendship was severed because of an unsupported accusation that was made by my family. It was an accusation of treachery by the Sinclaire family against the Blackwell's. At the time, tempers and emotions ran high and we didn't stop to think or to talk. We simply reacted. When all was said and done, two of my brothers and my father lay dead. But that wasn't all that was lost. A friendship that had been a century old was lost. Trust was lost- a very powerful alliance was lost.

I stand here before you to take full responsibility for that loss. As the oldest male, I should have stepped up and tried to make my father see reason. Afterwards, I should have stepped back and examined the events of that night. Instead, I harbored anger and hatred that was completely unfounded and wrong. Throughout the years, I had the suspicion that all wasn't as it seemed, but I held on to that hate. In doing that, I have made several errors in judgment that have not affected just me, but others, and for that, I apologize. The past several weeks have shown me how wrong and stupid I was. I now ask forgiveness and ask that we, the Blackwell's and Sinclaires, rejoin as family, allies, and friends. Our homes and all that we have will be at your disposal. You and yours are under my protection for always."

Barb sat there flabbergasted. Was he serious? She had no idea of what Thorne was really worth but to offer it up like that? She didn't notice Samantha watching her with distaste. 

"Thorne," Ethan said as he extended his hand. "We have always been allies even, if we didn't acknowledge it. The past weeks have proven that. We were able to set aside old misunderstandings and come together for the sake of our families. Your apology is accepted and the past is no longer an issue between us. We start with a new slate. I, and my family, would be honored to accept you as friends, allies, and family. Our homes and all that we have are at your disposal. You and yours are under my protection for always. From this moment forth, we are reunited."

Still holding on to Thorne's hand, Ethan continued.

"There is another family that I would like to formally ask to join our alliance. They are already a part of it because of marriage, but their involvement goes far into the past."

"What's he talking about?" Kevyn whispered to Patrick.

"Shhh" he said with a smile.

"The Blackwell and Sinclaires have been blessed to have the Yancy family blend with ours. I could go into a long explanation, but suffice it to say that the Yancy's and the Sinclaires have crossed paths over the past several centuries. On occasion there has even been a mating but the last mating was centuries ago. The Yancy's bring to our families strength and power that we are still discovering. Normally, the oldest male of the family would accept or decline the request, but since he isn't here, Leon will you stand?"

Everyone, even the kitchen staff, was silent as Leon stood.

"Leon, as the next oldest male of your family do you accept or decline this offer to join our alliance?"

"May I speak?" Leon asked.

"You may," Ethan replied. He already had an idea of what Leon was going to say.

"I am pleased and honored that you asked me to accept on behalf of my family, but I think that the honor should go to my sister Kevyn. She may not be male, but she held our family together as much as she could have given the circumstances. She made the hard decisions, knowing that she was going to catch hell for them. I don't know if your rules allow for a female to speak for a family, but if they don't; I think that this should be the exception. So if you don't mind - I'd like Kevyn to be the one to accept or decline your offer."




Thorne Ch. 12



Without missing a beat, Ethan nodded at Leon and turned to Kevyn.

"Kevyn, will you stand?"

Kevyn stood up not sure of what was expected of her. She felt Patrick's hand on her back and took a deep breath. Barb watched the proceedings with her mouth open. This was unbelievable.

"Kevyn, you were the first Yancy in centuries to cross paths with us. We are pleased to have you and yours as a part of our family. I am formally inviting you to join in our alliance even though you are already a part of it by past and present matings and because your family has intertwined with ours for centuries. Do you accept or decline this formal invitation to join with us?"

"I- I accept on behalf of the Yancy family past, present and future," Kevyn said not knowing what else to say.

"Come join hands with us," Thorne said as he held out his free hand.

The room so quiet that a pin would have been heard hitting the floor. Even Martin and Rachel's baby, Stephanie, who was being held by Joseph, was silent as Kevyn walked over to Thorne and took his hand. The quietness took on a surreal feel to it that even Barb wasn't immune to.

Ethan picked up a goblet that was filled with wine spiked with blood. He handed the goblet to Kevyn who took a sip and passed it to Thorne who also took a sip and then passed it to Ethan who took the final sip before setting the goblet down. 

"We are now joined together for all eternity by vow and by blood. It is done," Ethan said, as he raised Thorne's hand, who then raised Kevyn's hand, in the air. There was a moment of silence before the cheering started.

All was as it should be.

***

"That was a cool ceremony, wasn't it?" Justine asked Quinn as she petted Buddy's head.

"Yeah, it was," Quinn agreed as he pushed the dog off the bed and pulled her close. 

****

Barb sat quietly while the dinner was being served. She avoided eye contact with everyone, keeping her eyes on her plate. She didn't notice when Patrick vacated his seat to take Kevyn out for a breath of fresh air. She was too deep in her thoughts.

"That poor me look doesn't suit you," Samantha said as she sat down next to Barb.

Barb looked up at Samantha and then looked away.

"My son was right- you are lovely," Samantha continued. "The child will be beautiful as well. Have you given him a name yet?"

"Aidan," Barb replied not liking Samantha one bit.

"Ahhh Gaelic for fire. Who chose it? You or Thorne?"

"Neither of us... look let's cut to the chase," Barb said her tone curt. "You're only talking to me to scope me out. You want to know that status of our relationship but I'm sure that Thorne already told you. I also know that you don't like me. That's fine, because I don't particularly like you either. Did I answer all of your questions?"

"My, my, my blunt aren't we?" Samantha said with a smile. "You remind me of me when I was young and too stupid to know any better. The difference between us is that I got my mate to fall in love with me. For you, my dear, that ship has long sailed. Had you played your cards right, you wouldn't be getting a monthly stipend, but you would have had full access to his holdings. Don't be angry, Thorne didn't tell me- I know my son."

"You don't know..."

"What I'm talking about? My dear, you really are beautiful, but you are very stupid. You thought that because you carried his child that you could control him. How long did it take you to learn that Thorne can't be controlled or bought? You would have done better to have least pretended to wanted the child. Anyone watching you can tell that you don't want to be here and that you and my son aren't truly mates."

"Samantha, is it? Do you know who Thorne credits with the way that he treated me? You, that's who. I don't know what you did, but he doesn't like you any more than he likes me. To him, we are one and the same, except for the obvious differences. He tolerates both of us, because of this baby. From where I sit, you're no better off than I am."

"I agree," Samantha said much to Barb's surprise, "But while he lived, I had the love of my mate. Tell me, what do you have? Thorne tells me that after the baby is born you're leaving. That tells me something significant. You are an outsider looking in. I saw it tonight when your brother so graciously turned the choice of formally joining the alliance to your sister. I saw none of the pride that your siblings had. Even now they are laughing and talking together but you- you distance yourself. You are in effect alone. Why is that?"

"I need to use the restroom," Barb said standing.

"One more thing- a word of advice if you will - forever is a long time to be alone. You may not have the love of my son and you probably never will, but you have a family and a child that will love you. Take it from one who knows what it's like to be alone. You are right about one thing, I don't like you. Perhaps it's because in you I see me as I was. Perhaps you don't like me because you see me as you will be."

"Excuse me..."

"You are young enough to change your future, even if you aren't given another mate..."

"Mother," Thorne said smoothly, "I see that you have met the mother of my son."

"Yes, we were just chatting," Samantha said. "I must say that tonight was wonderful. Thank for allowing me to attend."

"It is as you said; you are still a Blackwell," Thorne said.

Barb listened to the conversation feeling left out. Something occurred to her-who was she? She wasn't a true Blackwell. Thorne had never allowed her to use his last name as hers. He wasn't even introducing her as his mate. She had distanced herself from her family - not even using the name of Yancy, except as part of her last name. But she hadn't claimed the Yancy's as a family in a long time, so where did she belong? If a woman that she had just met for the first time saw all of the things she mentioned- how much of it was true?

Suddenly too warm, Barb had to leave the room. She made a wide circle avoiding people as she made her way to the front of the restaurant and out of the door. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the ocean breeze caressed her face and cooled her skin.

"How's it going in there?" Adrianna asked from beside her.

"Not quickly enough," Barb replied dryly.

"Hmmm, sounds like everyone is having a good time," Adrianna replied looking back at the restaurant.

"Not everyone," Barb replied.

Adrianna sighed, started to say something and then closed her mouth. It was pointless. She stayed with Barb until she went back inside. Everyone was eating and she had to make her way up front to her seat. Thorne being the gentleman stood, held her chair for her and sat back down. Barb picked at her food while she stole glances at the couples around the room. They all seemed so happy and in love. A memory of her ex-husband surfaced. She had been happy with him and she loved him as much as she was capable of loving anyone. She was only beginning to understand what she had lost. All she had to do was to be honest and she wouldn't be sitting in a roomful of vampires and carrying the child of one.

She wanted her old life back. She wanted to go back in time and tell her ex-husband the truth.

"Not possible," the voice whispered.

She knew that it wasn't. She had Googled him after Gene told her about their conversation. He was happily married with four children. Two of them belonged to the woman that he married and two they had together. She realized that she was no longer a Simpson. What did that leave her but Yancy?

Her appetite gone, she lay her fork down and watched the festivities. Thorne leaned over and asked if she was alright. It was the only time he spoke to her that evening. The dinner officially ended at four am. By four-thirty, everyone was getting ready to leave. Louise pulled Barb aside and without saying anything hugged her. Barb stood rigid and then slowly put a hand on Louise's back before pulling away. One by one, her sibling silently hugged her and then walked away. She had just received a clear message. What was she going to do with it?

****

The week after the reunion dinner, the final preparations for Gene's arrival were underway. Celeste had drawn several pictures that Hans put into frames and hung on the walls. Noel had already gone, but left one of his paintings as a housewarming gift. The small apartment looked warm and inviting. Even the apartment manager liked it and asked if they were interested in redecorating any of the vacant units. The plan was to bring Gene to the apartment, let him get his bearings and then have a party at Kevyn and Patrick's house the next evening. Louise wanted to have it at their house, but Nathan nixed the idea. As far as he was concerned she needed to take a break. The first of the Lamaze classes would begin in a few days and he selfishly wanted as much alone time with her while he could get.

"We still haven't talked about a name yet," Nathan said as he drove over to Kevyn and Patrick's house. They were all meeting there to go to the airport to meet Gene. 

"I know and I'm thinking about it- I suppose you have name in mind?" 

"I do but I want to hear yours first," Nathan replied. "I propose that a week from today we sit on the beach, make s'mores and decide on a name for our daughter-or son."

"It's a date- do you suppose that Barb chose a name for their baby?"

"I doubt it, but anything is possible." Nathan replied. "I'm wondering if she'll come to the airport with us."

That was the hundred-thousand dollar question. Kevyn called but had to leave a message. Barb hadn't returned the call.

****

"Are you going to meet your brother?" Thorne asked. If she wasn't going to go, he had things that he could be doing, such as getting the club open for reopening, and going over some sketches for the new club.

"I-yeah, I'm going," she finally replied. "Give me a minute to change clothes."

"Are we going with the others or going to the airport?" Thorne asked.

"With the others," Barb replied even though she didn't really want to.

As she changed clothes she almost changed her mind several times. She reminded herself that she was going for Gene and for no other reason. She looked at the time and realized that she had to hurry. The others were getting into the SUV vans when they pulled up. The only spaces left were in the van with Hans, Juliette and the kids. That was enough to make Barb suggest to Thorne that they drive themselves.

"Why?" Thorne asked, "There's plenty of space."

He helped her in and then got in himself.

"Hi Aunt Barb and Uncle Thorne," all three kids greeted. 

Thorne gave them a cheerful greeting while Barb barely mumbled hello.

"Aunt Barb?" Wanda called, "Have you felt him move? Does it tickle?"

"Yes and no," Barb replied now wishing that she had forced the issue of driving to the airport.

"Can I feel? Aunt Louise lets us touch her stomach..."

"No, you can't feel," Barb replied tersely. "If you've felt Aunt Louise's stomach, then you know what mine feels like."

"Yeah, but maybe we can talk to your baby like Celeste can," Wanda persisted. "Celeste doesn't talk to Aunt Louise's baby."

Thorne found this interesting and thought he knew the reason why. Louise and Nathan's child was secure in the knowledge that he or she was loved and cared for. His and Barb's child knew that his mother didn't care for him and Celeste was his advocate. He wondered what their relationship would be like after his birth and suspected that it would be close. He also realized that the two older Yancy children now knew what their stepfather was. The comment about Celeste talking to the baby confirmed it. He looked over at Barb and shook his head. There was nothing to say.

****

Gene settled back in his seat after taking a last look at Pittsburgh from the sky. The past two weeks had flown by but not once did he question his decision to move. His resignation was accepted with a mixture of relief and regret. The relief was because on occasion a bit of the old angry Gene made an appearance. Everyone was waiting for him to reemerge. After each incident, the new Gene apologized to whoever he had offended. The regret was because he was damned good at what he did and he was pulling in clients left and right. To his surprise, the office threw him a farewell party. Apparently they had liked him well enough for that.

The return email that he got from Dana wasn't encouraging. It basically wished him well and asked that he dropped her a line every so often to let her know how things were going. It was over. He threw a self-pity party where he thought about having 'just one drink', but called his sponsor instead. They spent the evening playing a game with dominoes called 'chicken foot'. By the end midnight, he was back on track and glad that he had decided to move to California, instead of Florida. 

"Goodbye, Pittsburgh," he murmured as closed his eyes.

The bumping of the wheels hitting the runway woke him up. He was amazed that he had slept so well and actually felt rested. He reminded himself that he had been up all night and had gone to work that day to finish things up. He looked out of the window, drinking in the sight of the lit palm trees. At that moment his remaining doubt about moving vanished. He was going to be with his family where he belonged.

*****

"There he is!" Wanda yelled and began jumping up and down calling Gene's name. Victor joined her and waved frantically when Gene saw them. He smiled and hurried to meet them. He greeted the children first remarking on how much they had grown but he saw the biggest difference in Celeste. She didn't seem as meek as he had remembered and she was more affectionate toward him.

"Welcome!" Kevyn said as she hugged him, "We're glad that you're here."

As he greeted everyone he wondered where Barb was. Finally he spotted her and Thorne standing off to the side. It reminded him of his first visit to California only that time he had been the one standing with her. He and she against them was how they saw it. After he greeted everyone else, he went to Barb.

"Hey sis," he said and opened his arms.

Barb hesitated and stepped into Gene's embrace. Gene stepped back and looked at her taking in the sad, confused and angry look in her eyes. While Louise looked radiant, Barb looked miserable.

"You must be Thorne," Gene said extending his hand. "I'm Gene."

"Welcome," Thorne said, liking Gene's firm handshake. "I look forward to getting to know you."

"Come on," Kevyn prodded. "Let's get him to the apartment."

On the way back, Barb made sure to ride in a different vehicle. They rode back in the van with Kevyn and Patrick. It wasn't much better, but at least there weren't the endless questions from Wanda about pregnancy and the knowing looks from Celeste.

Gene loved the apartment, although it was much smaller than he was used to. He was touched by the effort that went into it to get it ready.

"There's plenty of food and dinners are in the freezer," Louise said. "Let us know if we forgot anything."

"From the looks of it, I don't think that you did," Gene replied. "I don't know how to thank you for this."

"You just did," Kevyn replied. "You must be tired; someone will come for you around six for the cookout at our place and bring your appetite. Lou and Barb made grand mom's rice pudding."

"And if you can't wait," Louise chimed in, "there's some in the fridge."

Gene grinned. He hadn't had rice pudding like that since their grandmother died. He hugged and kissed the women and children and shook hands with the men except for Leon. Him, he gave a hug. When he was finally alone, he sat on the futon and looked around. After several minutes, he stood up, stretched and went to the fridge. He sat on a stool with a container of rice pudding in his hands. Tears trickled down his face as he took the first spoonful, held it in his mouth and then swallowed. He was finally at peace.

****

The night passed slowly for Barb. While she was glad that Gene was there, but it didn't have the calming effect on her that she thought it would. It wasn't until late morning that she understood why. She hadn't believed that Gene had really changed. She thought that he was playing them in order to get a piece of the Sinclaire pie. She didn't really expect him to settle for Kevyn's tiny apartment but he had. She saw him actually wiping away tears. Even Celeste, who had never really warmed up to Gene, was holding his hand. Her one true ally was gone.

She debated about going to the cookout, but decided to go. She had nothing else better to do other than shopping and she could only do that online. Thorne had been clear that she was to go nowhere without him even if Adrianna and Cheung went with her. She dressed in a mint green maternity slacks with a matching top and grabbed a sweater on the way out.

As she passed the rooms where the wolves rested, she heard a giggle and then a moan of pleasure. She hadn't been touched in weeks. She stopped at the top of the stairs when she remembered something that Adrianna told her.

"Making love with ones mate is as necessary as needing blood. One of the major indicators that one is who they are meant to be with is that they are unable to be apart for long. It can be done, but it is very unpleasant."

Thorne had sex with her twice since the pregnancy. She was sure that he wasn't going to anyone else so that left him taking care of himself and obviously; he wasn't missing her or sex. She continued down the stairs thinking about all the information that she knew and came to one conclusion. Samantha Blackwell had been right. She had been stupid in thinking that all she needed was her looks. She hadn't used her brain and kept making the same mistakes over and over again. She realized in retrospect that she should have chosen the option to be a mate and mother. How hard could it have been? Thorne's mother did it. As it was, the money that Thorne allotted to her was a mere pittance to what he had. "Too late," Barb muttered as she went down the stairs.

Thorne was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He gave her a curt nod and walked her out to the car without speaking. He helped her in without the kiss on the cheek. He didn't see it as being necessary. Word of the Blackwell/Sinclaire and Yancy alliance had spread as it was meant to. The few remaining hunters had vacated the area to inform their higher ups. They would be back at some point, but for the moment, all was well.

The club reopening was scheduled for the following week. Thorne was looking forward to having a little normalcy in his life, even if it was for a short time. Aidan's arrival would change things once again, but it was a change that he was looking forward to. He remembered with a smile the good times that he and his brothers had with their father before it all changed. He made a silent promise to his son that no matter what happened, he would be protected and loved.

"Are you going to open the club again soon?" Barb asked uncomfortable with the silence.

"Next week," Thorne replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Barb replied and said no more.

The party had already started and there were more people there than Barb had anticipated. The entire Sinclaire family, including Joseph, was there. Gene was sitting at a table talking to Patrick when they walked in. He excused himself and went to meet her.

"We weren't sure that you were coming," he said hugging her and nodding at Thorne.

He led her to the table where he was sitting with Kevyn and Patrick and offered her a seat.

"Would you like something to drink?" Thorne asked.

It was courtesy and nothing more. All of them, Gene included knew it.

"Sure," Barb replied without looking at him.

"We need to check on things," Kevyn said as she stood up. "We'll be back- Barb do you need anything?"




Thorne Ch. 12



"No, I'm fine," she replied wishing that she had stayed home.

"So," Gene said when they were alone. "You two really don't like each other do you?"

"No we don't," Barb conceded, "and it isn't going to change."

"Are you really going to leave?" Gene asked. "I mean you don't like each other, so how you ended up in bed with him... never mind - I do know, but my point is that you're having a baby with this guy..."

"Spare me ok?" Barb snapped. "I've been hearing it since I got pregnant and I don't want to hear it again. I'm leaving and that's all there is to it. I don't want to be a mother to anyone's kid and I have no interest in working things out with him."

Gene held his hands up in surrender and changed the subject to where she was moving to.

"Hawaii - I've always wanted to go there."

"It is beautiful and expensive," Gene replied. "Sis - doesn't it bother you that you'll be away from family? Can't you find a place here?"

"I don't want to find a place here," Barb replied. "I hate this state and wish that I had never come here. My life has been nothing but hell since I stepped foot here and I can't leave here fast enough."

"How much of this is your doing?" Gene asked. "I hated it here too but that was my doing. I saw this place as my undoing when it really wasn't. It was here that I began to change..."

"Well good for you!" Barb rudely interrupted.

"I allowed my jealousies and insecurities color my view of not only this place; but of our family," Gene said ignoring the interruption. "I saw Leon as a big ass kisser, when that wasn't the case. Nathan saw him as he really is- a man who fucked up and came back on top. I was jealous of the ease in which he deals with people. Even at his worst, people flocked to him. He has a way with people, like dad used to have. It's something that I never got the hang of."

"I suppose that you're going to tell me that you were jealous of Louise and Kevyn next?" Barb asked snidely.

"As a matter of fact I am," Gene replied. "For me jealousy was the root of all my issues. It was far easier for me to be jealous and to cut them down than it was for me to figure out a way to improve myself. I was jealous of Kevyn's ability to take charge of a situation and to make choices that none of us wanted to make. Instead of helping her, I undermined her every chance I got. I did the same with Louise. I couldn't have taken care of mom the way that she did. She has a grace that none of us has. When I came out here for the wedding, I was greener than your outfit and I made some stupid mistakes. In the end it cost me Dana..."

"She isn't taking you back? I thought that you were working things out."

"So did I," Gene said softly, "but it's over and it's time for me to move on."

"That's it?" Barb asked surprised. "You're just going to accept that?"

"Yes," Gene said softly, "I am and I'll tell you why. I hurt her. I destroyed the trust that she had in me. I failed her as a man and a husband. She has every right not to trust me. Even you wondered if I was for real and you're my sister. Why wouldn't she wonder the same? If we're meant to get back together, we will. Let me ask you something- what would it take for you to stay?"

Thorne returning with her drink interrupted her reply. Thorne handed her the drink and sat down. He and Gene looked at each other not speaking until Gene broke the silence by asking Thorne what he did for a living. Before long they were chatting comfortably. Barb got up and left the table feeling left out. She walked around the grounds avoiding people. She thought that she had succeeded until she ran into Celeste.

They stared at each other not moving until Celeste reached up and put her hands on Barb's stomach. Barb wanted to pull away but didn't. She was afraid of what would happen if she did. She flinched as Celeste's small warm hands massaged her belly in the same way that Thorne did except that Celeste's touch felt more intimate. Barb realized that it was because the baby was actually talking to her. Finally Celeste removed her hands and looked up at Barb.

"What did he say?" Barb asked anxious in spite of herself.

"He says that there's still time." 

"Time?" Barb asked, "Time for what?"

"He said that you know," Celeste replied.

"Did he say anything else?" Barb asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"The rest was for uncle Thorne and I can't tell you."

Barb watched as Celeste walked back toward the party and decided to follow her. With any luck, she might be able to overhear what Celeste said to Thorne. To her disappointment, the little girl joined Wanda and Victoria at a table and showed no signs that she was going to leave any time soon. 

"Are you alright?" Louise asked from behind her.

"Yeah, thanks," Barb replied and walked away. 

It was much later in the evening before the adults were alone. Patrick had movies for the kids running in his home theater and had hired someone for child care. Now that the children were gone, the talked to things of a purely adult nature. 

As Gene listened, he got the feeling that he was missing something. The conversation was normal, but there were undercurrents of something else that he couldn't identify. Leon watched Gene and saw his confusion. It was time. He and the others decided that the sooner Gene knew the better. Then they decided that he-Leon would be the one to tell him. Leon kissed Nadine on the cheek and excused himself.

"Gene-let's walk," Leon said tapping him on the shoulder.

Gene stood up and followed Leon away from the group.

"How do you like your new place?" Leon asked as they walked.

"It's great and if I'm not careful I'll be as big as a house! Are there any gyms close to where I'm living?"

"There's a couple- I can work out with you just so it's in the evenings. Have you been to a meeting yet?" Leon asked.

"I went to one today and touched base with a sponsor last night," Gene replied. "Leon, did you know that Barb's leaving?"

"Yeah I know and I know about the situation between her and Thorne."

"And?" Gene asked.

"And what?" Leon asked. "She's a grown woman capable of making her own decisions."

"She's our sister, too!" Gene retorted. "You're just going to let her go?"

"What do you want us to do?" Leon asked. "All of us have reached out to her several times and we get bitch slapped. She knows that we want to be together as a family and she's fighting it by deliberately keeping us as arm's length. Frankly, we're tired of it."

"Yeah, I can see that," Gene said blowing out a breath. "If it's all the same to you, I'm going to try to talk her into staying."

"Go for it and good luck, but Gene if she stays, we won't accept her treating us like shit anymore," Leon replied. "We've had enough. But I wanted to talk to you about something else. I was watching you before we left for our walk. You looked...confused. You heard the conversation but knew that you were missing something; am I right?"

Gene stopped walking and looked at Leon for a moment and then continued waking. He had the feeling that a bomb was about to be dropped on him.

"Yes-Leon there's something weird going on here isn't there?"

"That's putting it mildly," Leon said chuckling, "let's keep walking."

"What drugs are you on?" Gene asked in disbelief two hours later. "Vampires and wolves?"

"I know that it's hard to believe," Leon replied. "I didn't believe it until Nadine showed me..."

"And Louise is a vampire too? All of the Sinclaires? That little girl - what's her name? Victoria, too?"

"Yes and if you think about it, the clues were all there," Leon said, "You just didn't recognize them for what they were."

"I did wonder about the nighttime thing," Gene confessed. "I thought it strange that Victoria could stay up all night and how nothing really happened during the day..."

"Gene?" Leon called, when he stopped talking.

"I'm just - processing, are you sure that you aren't using again because what you're telling me is impossible."

"Is it?" Leon asked. "Hard to believe I agree with but impossible? No it isn't. I'm proof that vampires do exist."

"So," Gene said as he sat down on the grass, "You're like Barnabas Collins?"

"Okay, here's rule number one," Leon said. "Never, ever call a vampire a vamp. Rule number two, don't ever make reference to Elvira and rule number three; don't compare television vampires to the real thing. If you do any of the above; Nadine will give you a lecture that will put mom's to shame."

"Got it," Gene said laughing. "I suppose that secrecy is a given?"

"It is imperative," Leon replied. "Our safety depends on it."

"Shit," Gene said when Leon told him about the hunters. "Shit."

"So you understand why you can't talk about this to anyone - even Dana."

"I get it, but why are you telling me this?" Gene asked.

"Because we thought that you deserved to know," Leon replied. "And it was only a matter of time before you figured it out. Telling you is also our way of telling you that we trust you. Now, if you feel that you can't keep this quiet; I'll erase your memory and in your mind this conversation didn't happen."

"Why haven't Kevyn and Juliette changed? Do the kids know?"

"It isn't a requirement that the female mate change," Leon explained. "Louise changed because she wanted to be sure that any children that her and Nathan had were born vampire. If she hadn't changed and the baby was a girl, there was a fifty-fifty chance that the baby would be born human. If Juliette and Kevyn weren't thinking of changing, they are now. This thing with the hunters isn't over and if they turn it will go a long way toward easing our minds. They will be better able to protect themselves and the kids, who by the way know everything."

They talked until just before dawn and agreed to meet again that evening.

"There's a lot more that I need to tell you," Leon said. "Do you mind if I drop in later?"

"I would like that," Gene replied. "I might even share my rice pudding with you."

Barb hung in the shadows watching. Somehow she had missed Celeste's talking to Thorne. Now she was just listening to hear what she could.

"You can join us if you want," Leon said out into the darkness. "I'm not telling him anything that you don't already know about."

"So you've told him about them?" Barb asked innocently.

"Them?" Gene asked. "If you're talking about the hunters, yes, he told me."

"Not the hunters," Barb said ignoring the voice warning her to be quiet. 

"We're going to talk about that tonight," Leon said his tone warning her off.

Gene looked from Barb to Leon and then back at Barb realizing that she was trying to cause trouble.

"I'm sure that Leon will fill me in on the rest of it tonight," Gene said looking at her.

Barb blushed and started to walk away but Gene stopped her. He waited until they were alone before speaking.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He asked. "You've been feeding me this shit about how the others aren't trying to understand when it's the other way around. You just tried to put Leon on the spot- why? So you can have the one up on him? Don't you think that it's time to grow up? We're not fucking kids anymore."

Before she had a chance to respond, Gene stomped off.

"Tick tock," the voice whispered.

Barb stood frozen. Was it her imagination or was the voice growing softer each time it spoke? She was still standing in the same spot when Thorne found her.

"It's time to go, are you ready?"

On the drive home, Barb decided to ask Thorne what message the baby had for him.

"It had nothing to do with you, if that's what you're asking," Thorne replied without looking at her. "But if you must know, he wants Celeste to help decorate his room."

"And she couldn't tell me that?" Barb asked irate.

"You only asked because you thought that it was about you," Thorne said. "Why do you even care? You aren't going to be involved in his upbringing."

The rest of the drive was made in silence. Thorne parked in the garage, made sure that Barb was in the house safely and went to his club. It had been a few days since he and Ethan had heard from Olivia so he offered to call. The call took no more than ten minutes and everything was fine. His plan was to work on the reopening and to begin calling staff in. Instead he worked on the plans for the new club that he and Noel were opening. Time flew by quickly and before he knew it; Eustace Matthews was sitting across from him.

"I heard about the dinner," he said. "Congratulations. So how are things otherwise?"

"I never realized how hard it is to change ones behavior," Thorne said after a moment. "As you said I would, I slipped and said what was exactly on my mind- but I didn't apologize for what I said because I meant it."

"I see and toward whom was this outburst directed?"

"Barb," Thorne replied. "I'm tired of her and I'm tired of her blaming me and everyone else for her part in the decisions that she made."

"What was her response to this?"

"Nothing," Thorne replied. "I spoke with Aidan and left."

"Who's Aidan?" Eustace asked.

Thorne told him about Celeste and the baby and the baby's reactions to Barb.

"Damn," he said softly. "You and the Sinclaires have hit the jackpot as far as power is concerned, but Barb displays no real gifts other than a strong intuition that she ignores. The fact that she isn't telepathic also supports your claim that you aren't mates. What about sex?"

"I've touched her twice since the pregnancy. The last time was months ago and I have no desire to touch her again. She asked me if she could be with other people after she had the baby."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her that she could do whatever the hell she wanted after the baby was born and I meant it. If there was any way to break the bond with her and not the baby I would do it in a heartbeat but they come together."

"You felt nothing when she asked that question?" Eustace asked.

"I felt-curiosity," Thorne said. "I wondered if that was the same question that my mother asked my father or did he catch her in the act? But I didn't feel anger - at least not in the way that you think I might. Barb is what she is and as I told her, I won't accept responsibility for her actions. What she does is up to her as long as she leaves my son out of it."

"Have you thought about how you're going raise a child alone?" Eustace asked. "What about your club and other business interests?"

"My son takes precedence over everything," Thorne replied. "I'm already making arrangements for the club to be run by one of my managers and I will be able to work from home. All of my other business interest will be run in the same manner. All of the Yancy women with the exception of his mother will provide the female influence that he needs. I know that it won't be the same as a mother, but it's a hell of a lot better than what his mother is willing or able to give him."

"What will you tell him about his mother when he's old enough to ask?"

"The truth," Thorne replied. "Of course how old he is when he asks will determine how much I tell him, but he'll hear about me too. I won't place all the blame at his mother's feet. The door for him to reach out to her will always be open."

"You've thought through this," Eustace commented. "Did your mother and Barb meet?"

"They met at the dinner and as I expected, they didn't get along."

"How involved is your mother going to be in the baby's life?"

"I don't know," Thorne replied. "The door is open for her as well."

"And Noel?"

"Noel is the excited uncle to be," Thorne said with a smile. "He's already got a child sized easel and art supplies stashed away."

"I think," Eustace said, "that this is one lucky child. But Thorne, I'm going to give you the advice that Gretchen gives to new mothers- take time for yourself. Spend a couple of hours a week at the club. You have a whole network of people at your disposal."

"Noted," Thorne said with a nod. "I know that I'm not fixed. I'm not even sure if that's possible but I would like to keep you on retainer for myself and Noel as well. He may never see you, but I want you there in case he decides that he needs someone."

Eustace left a short time later to escort Gretchen on her rounds. Thorne closed up and went home to rest. The first Lamaze class was that night. 

****

Barb had a restless day. Not even shopping for her new condo settled her nerves. The baby seemed to be more active than usual and she wished that he would stop moving. Finally she got up and sat on the patio. The ocean breeze blew across her face and she inhaled the scent of the air. That more than anything she had tried seemed to calm her. Even the baby seemed to calm.

"What in the fuck is wrong with you? The question resonated through her head. Gene hadn't been the first to ask her that. He had accused her of being Jealous and childish told her to grow up. "Tick tock" was next and then Celeste's message from the baby-"There's still time." Time for what? She wondered. Her and Thorne? "Not going to happen," she murmured. "I screwed up there," she added. A few minutes later she remembered that he said that she still wouldn't have had full access to his money so maybe she had made the right choice. For the second time in a few days, she wanted her old life back and again she was reminded that it was impossible. She sat on the patio until it was time for the Lamaze class. She changed into sweats and met Thorne down in the living room. He was talking to someone that she assumed was Monica. After the introductions were made, the class started.

Monica started by talking about what the class would be about. She noticed that she had Thorne's full attention but only half of Barb's. 

"One of the methods used to help control the pain of childbirth is breathing..."

"Listen up!" Thorne hissed at Barb.

She forced herself to pay attention and to participate in the breathing exercises. Like Monica, she noticed that Thorne was paying close attention.

"What else should we have on hand?" Thorne asked.

"Tennis balls, hot water bottles and if you want a birthing ball," Monica replied. "I think Gretchen has extra ones and if you like; I can bring one the next time I come."

"Add it to the bill," Thorne said as he walked her to her car. 

By the time he was back in the house, Barb was already in her room and in her pajamas. He said goodnight to the baby, but said nothing to her which surprised her. She was expecting the 'this is for your own good speech'. She couldn't wait until it was over.

****

Instead of telling Gene about the Sinclaires, Leon took his laptop. It was the simplest way to do it. He sat back and watched as the expression on Gene's face turned from disbelief to shock to anger and then back to disbelief. He hit the replay button and watched it again and then again.

"They did that?" Gene whispered. "They raped women?"

"Yes," Leon replied. "My reaction was the same as yours."

"Kevyn and Louise- were they... were they..."

"No," Leon assured him. "Patrick will tell you that Kevyn saved his life. Nathan was a child of rape and had never hurt anyone."

"The twins...."

"Were a product of rape. Victoria wasn't. Nathan's brother Joseph was not a product of rape." Leon said. "This whole thing started, as Ethan said, centuries ago. They were told that it was a genetic thing that only finding their mates could cure. That doesn't make it right, but it's what they were told. The twins- Vanessa and Veronica have been trying to find out if there is any validity to that claim."

"And?" Gene asked.

"So far they haven't found anything that supports it." Leon replied. "There was a grandfather- Mitchell, I think his name was - who kept it thing going because he was a true serial rapist. He was killed trying to rape someone."




Thorne Ch. 12



"Wow," Gene said. "And Louise and Kevyn are alright with this?"

"Of course they aren't alright with the rapes!" Leon exclaimed. "And neither am I, but they're doing everything possible to keep it from happening again."

"What about the victims?" Gene asked. "Have they gone to them?"

"They're looking for them," Leon replied. "When they are found, they are contacted and given the opportunity to meet with them. The mate of whoever the victim belonged to is always there, but as support and nothing more."

"How many have agreed to meet with them?" Gene asked.

"A few, but not many, but then not many have been found."

"Don't they have prisons for this kind of thing?" Gene asked still shocked.

"The thing that's hardest to get used to is that this isn't like the human world. The rules here are different although they are changing to be more like yours. When Katrina, Ethan's wife became a part of this society there was no protective services for children. There was no mandatory reporting of suspected abuse of any kind. There was no place for people in need to go. Now these things exist. Unfortunately, she had to be one of the victims before things began to change."

"And you're sure that Kevyn and Louise aren't being hurt?"

"I swear to you that they aren't," Leon said. "I told Patrick and Nathan that I would kick their asses."

"You gave the brother talk that I should have given," Gene said quietly.

"Yeah well- you can still give it," Leon replied. "I'm sure that they're expecting you to approach them."

"I will... so that's what Patrick was talking about," Gene said almost to himself. "He told me to call him if I ever needed someone to help share my guilt."

"Probably," Leon said. "Any and all of them will answer any questions that you have. But Gene, I can't stress enough how important it is that you keep the vampire thing under wraps."

Gene nodded, hesitated, and then asked the question that he had been thinking about ever since Leon told him that vampires existed.

"Could I be turned if I wanted to?"

"I think that you need to think about it," Leon replied. "I turned because Nadine was my mate and, like Louise, I didn't like the odds of having my daughter - if I had one, be born human."

"You make it sound as if that's a bad thing," Gene said almost offended.

"I don't mean for it to sound that way because it isn't. It's just that she would be susceptible to human illnesses and dangers. Then the decision as to whether she should be turned when she's old enough or do we wait until her mate finds her has to be made. My turning takes the guess work out."

"But if I wanted to turn I could?" Gene pressed.

"You need to hear what's involved," Leon said, "and then you have to be sure it's what you want because once it's done; it's done. Take your time and sleep on it- there's no hurry."

"I guess you're right," Gene said. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around that other thing."

"The best way to do that is to talk to them about it. They won't lie to you or sugar coat it. Look, I have to get going. I'll call you tomorrow and I'll take you out to where you'll be working."

"Am I working with you?" Gene asked. "I thought that I would be doing something for Patrick."

"In a way you are, you'll be working in the investment department of Sinclaire enterprises." Leon said. "From what I hear it's a sweet assed deal. You'll have your own office with one of those fancy coffee machines and your own secretary."

"Are they all vampires?" Gene asked.

"Mostly but there's a few wolves there too, but I think that your secretary is vampire."

After Leon left, Gene called Patrick's cell phone.

"I know what you mean," he said when Patrick answered. "And we need to talk."

*****

Barb was getting more uncomfortable by the day and it wasn't just because of the pregnancy. She wasn't sleeping well, even with the mild sedative. Her mind wouldn't allow her to rest and, because she was restless, the baby was restless. She tossed and turned for most of the day before she finally got up and began to pace. She hadn't spoken to any of her siblings since the party for Gene, preferring to stay to herself. Part of the anxiety was because she felt something was missing. She wracked her brain trying to figure out what it was. She was sitting on the patio when it occurred to her- she hadn't heard the voice since it said that last soft 'tick tock'

She looked down at her belly when she felt a particularly hard movement.

"Will you stop it?" she said exasperated. And the movement stopped but only for a few minutes. Now near tears, Barb tried to lie down. She felt alone. She waited for the voice to ask her whose fault that was, but it remained silent. 

Her guards were making rounds and the only one with her was Cheung whom she couldn't stand. He never spoke to her, other than to tell her what the escape plan was or something along that nature. Adrianna was meeting with Thorne and, even if the wolves were available, she liked them no more than she liked Cheung.

Finally she had had enough of her self-imposed exile. She grabbed her phone and hit a number for speed-dial not caring who it belonged to. 

****

Kevyn was getting ready to join Patrick in the Jacuzzi when her cell phone rang.

"Damn it," she swore and thought about ignoring it. The thought that it might be an emergency made her answer it.

"Kev?"

"Barb?" Kevyn asked surprised. "Are you alright? Is the baby coming?"

"I-I'm fine-no I'm not in labor. I just wanted to call."

"Okay... what's up?" Kevyn asked not knowing what to make of the phone call. Louise was the empath not her.

"I couldn't sleep and decided to call somebody. I just hit speed dial and it was you."

"Okay, but are you sure that you're ok?"

"Baby-wise, I'm ok," Barb replied. "I just want it - I mean him - out of me. I didn't ask for all of this... "

"I know you didn't," Kevyn said still shocked.

"All I wanted was to live like the people on that show 'the rich and famous' remember us watching that?"

"Yeah, I do. Next to the cooking shows, it was mom's favorite show."

"I used to imagine that I lived in a house like that," Barb said. "I would have a cute little red convertible and people to wait on me."

"I think that we all had those daydreams," Kevyn said.

"You did too?" Barb asked surprised.

"We all did," Kevyn replied. "I think that it got us through some pretty hard times."

"But-but you had a chance at that with Clay Robinson."

"Clay Robinson was a crook and a murderer," Kevyn replied. "I know that you don't believe it, but I saw him kill someone. I didn't want a life like that, at the expense of other people's lives. He was a drug dealer - he was Leon's dealer for a while - did you know that?"

Barb's silence told her that she hadn't known.

"You're probably busy, so I'll let you go," Barb finally said.

"No- it's...."

But Barb had already hung up.

"Everything ok?" Patrick asked from the bathroom doorway.

"I don't know," Kevyn replied as she dialed Louise's number hoping that she wasn't asleep. Nathan had become almost obsessive about her getting enough rest since the baby's birth was just a few short weeks away. As the phone rang, she wondered what Patrick would be like and decided that he would be even worse than Nathan.

"Lou? You still up?" Kevyn asked.

"I just laid down, what's up?" Louise asked and then listened as Kevyn told her about the conversation with Barb. "She called you?"

"She said that she just hit a button on speed dial and it happened to be me." Kevyn replied. "You, Leon and Celeste are the family empaths, but at the moment you're the strongest of them so what do you think?"

"I didn't hear her so whatever I say will be a guess," Louise said. "I think she's at the point where she has to decide what to do about us. She's for all practical purposes is alone and, yes, she chose that, but she's feeling it. The closer her due date comes, the more alone she's going to feel. Thorne is with her but he isn't, so she doesn't have the closeness that she really wants and needs. Even if she asked him for it, she won't get it. He doesn't love her."

"So expect more of the sporadic, short phone calls then," Kevyn said.

"That's my guess," Louise said. "And Kev- don't expect an apology. Her calling is probably it."

Kevyn hung up and let out a sigh. "One small step..."

*****

Barb dropped the phone as if it was something hot. What had gotten into her? A moment later she realized that a little of her anxiety was gone-enough that she could finally sleep a little. Even the baby cooperated by being still. When she woke up, she felt a little better. 

The next day the anxiety returned and she hadn't heard anything from her inner voice. By the end of the day, she found herself pushing an autodial button. This time it was Juliette who received a call. As with the call to Kevyn, it didn't last long before she suddenly hung up. This continued until there was one person that she hadn't spoken to. It struck her as odd that she hadn't made repeat calls to anyone. But here it was- the anxiety. This time she didn't the autodial for Louise's number; she dialed it and was about to hang up when Louise answered the phone.

"Barb?" Louise said, "Please don't hang up."

Barb didn't say anything, so Louise continued.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but just listen. I don't know what I did or didn't do that made you so angry. Tell me what it is and I'll apologize but don't let whatever it is stop you from being a part of us. You miss us; I can feel it and you're scared. I can feel that too. Let us help you through the rest of this pregnancy. You don't even have to explain yourself - just tell me what I did wrong and let us help you."

Barb's mouth was dry. She licked her lips as she tried to think of a sarcastic response, but she couldn't. She couldn't even think of what it was that Louise had done wrong. Louise had always been the one to reach out to her no matter how horrible she had been treated. She searched her memory for when the unreasonable contempt for her younger sister really began.

"You said it had something to do with me not wearing hand-me-downs- was that it? Is it because I wasn't teased the way that you and the others were?" Louise asked.

"Yes..." Barb finally whispered. "You got new of everything! You were so good... what a good little girl you were!" Barb spat finding the lost sarcasm. "What do you want to be when you grow up Louise? A nurse cuz I wanna help people. It was never a fashion model or a doctor and even now you've got all of that money and where do you shop? Fucking target! Just what are you trying to prove? That you're better than I am? I watched you grow up and I saw the way that men looked at you and you acted as if you didn't know! That grocery store manager you worked for... he had it for you bad! And you just threw it away! I can understand Kevyn walking away from Clay Robinson but you walking away from the heir of a supermarket chain? You could have ..."

"You're mad because I wanted to be a nurse?" Louise asked in disbelief. "You're mad because I didn't want to be some high profile model or whatever? Are you serious? You are pissed because... you know what? You aren't even making sense! That store manager by the way was married and I don't care how much money he had I wasn't interested..."

"Oh but you managed to wrap Patrick Sinclaire around your little finger didn't you? You didn't hesitate in jumping into bed with Nathan Sinclaire and getting knocked up did you?"

"Nathan and I belong together," Louise said. "And I didn't come out here looking for a rich man to marry - that was you! All of your life you've wanted what other people had and that hasn't changed. You got your money but you're still not happy and I'll tell you why - we have something that you don't have. We're happy! And don't give me that crap about how I wouldn't say that if they didn't have money because you know that it isn't true. You had a mate - Hans. But you judged him by what he did for a living. You're pissed at Juliette because she now has what you wanted and she's happy. You're pissed at all of us for the same reason so just be honest about it and move on. I'll tell you one more thing, if you leave that's your choice, but don't you dare say that it was because your family didn't want you. It was you who didn't want us!"

Barb opened her mouth but no sound came out. She could hear Louise's rapid breathing on the phone and felt her anger. She hung up and threw the phone on the bed.

*****

Louise took slow deep breaths to calm her anger. She was actually surprised that Nathan hadn't come in and taken the phone from her.

"It was a conversation that needed to happen," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. I was listening to the baby's heart beat and she's fine. Lie down and let me rub your feet."

As Nathan rubbed her feet, Louise thought about Barb. She really hadn't meant to be that harsh with her but she had had enough and as much as she was enjoying being pregnant, she was ready for it to be over. 

"Have you thought of any baby names yet?" Nathan asked trying to distract her.

"How about Nathan Jr. if it's a boy?" Louise replied distractedly.

" That's called a cop out and one Nathan in the family is enough. I was thinking something like Martin Victor..."

"After our fathers," Louise murmured misty eyed.

"I think that it's appropriate," Nathan said. "I didn't know your father, but I know that I would have liked him. He was a man that loved his family as I love you and her. Actually, I like Victor Martin better- it flows better. What do you think? And if this baby really is a girl, we'll save it for when we have a son."

"I think- I think that I like it," Louise said smiling through tears. 

Nathan lay down next to her and took her into his arms. Gretchen had warned him that as the due date neared she would become more emotional. He like her was going to be glad when the baby came even though the extra perk of the super intense orgasms would go away. She was becoming more uncomfortable which made him unhappy. She couldn't sleep longer than an hour lying down. It was easier for her to sleep sitting up with her back against his chest. He kissed her head and hugged her.

"I also took the liberty of coming up with a name for our daughter," Nathan said. "I'm kind of letting the cat out of the bag, but we know about your genealogy because we have someone working on it. We were curious about where your family got their gifts from and that's when we found out about the connections between our families. Your father's ancestry began in South Africa- the Zulu tribe. The tribe has healers called Sangomas who were trained in several areas including tending to social disharmonies. They learned humility, divination and how to counteract witches. I know that this is a long explanation but I want you to understand why I like this name."

"It's alright- I want to know," Louise said. "I always wondered where we came from."

"Well there's Cherokee too and that is a very strong line as well. Your mother's and grandmother on your paternal side ancestors were elders in the tribe. They were also strong empaths and warriors. The point is this- your family is a powerhouse that has intersected with our family for years. Anyway, one of your female ancestors on your father's side was a Zulu healer. Her name was Khanyisile which means bright light."

"What was the Cherokee name?" Louise asked after thinking for a minute.

"Ahyoka which means bringer of happiness," Nathan replied. "I like that one too and the name would definitely but somehow..."

"Khanyisile feels right," Louise finished for him. "I like it and if we have another girl we'll name her Ahyoka."

The baby moved as if giving approval.

"Maybe you're right and it is a girl," Louise said suddenly sleepy. She cuddled against Nathan and fell asleep.

****

Barb ranted and raved while Adrianna and Cheung played chess. They no longer paid attention to her ranting - they had gotten used to it. Finally exhausted, Barb sat down. She looked at the printouts that Monica had given her from the Lamaze class and threw them on the floor. 

"You must calm yourself," Cheung finally said. "Such anger is not good for the child and it is wasted energy."

Barb bit back a retort and decided to take a shower. While she showered, her anger cooled enough that she could think rationally. Deep down she knew that Louise was right and that's what made her angry. In retrospect, she realized that she had always been jealous of the good people that she knew. It was just that she knew that she couldn't get away with tormenting them the way that she could Louise. She had thought that she could get what she wanted with just her looks and yet her sisters weren't as beautiful as she was... they weren't ugly- they were pretty but yet they had everything that she had ever wanted except in Louise's case; a baby.

It all boiled down to one word: Jealousy.

Louise had been right in saying that she had always wanted what others had. She thought about the prom dress. By the time her grandmother had finished it, it was gorgeous. She had refused to see the beauty of it. It was the fact that it wasn't new. It was ...

"It's about time," the voice said startling her.

"I thought that you were gone," Barb whispered.

"Almost, but not quite," the voice replied. "You had to experience truly being alone, but tell me what are you going to do now? Are you going to go off halfcocked or are you going to start listening to me as you should have been?"

Barb swallowed hard and picked up the phone and dialed Louise's number. She figured of all of them, she was the one most entitled to an apology. She grimaced when Nathan answered the phone.

"Barb, is everything alright?"

"Yeah- is Louise around?"

"She's sleeping- can I take a message?"

Barb's courage began to wane. She knew that if she didn't say it then, she wouldn't say it.

"Just tell her- tell her that she was right."

And then she hung up. She dried her sweaty hands on her pants and began to shake. Adrianna stopped the chess game that she was winning and went to Barb.

"Congratulations on making your way back to your family.

*****

The next few weeks sped by. Both Barb and Louise were increasingly uncomfortable. Thorne stayed close just in case Barb went into labor early and worked from home. The nursery was completed with the assistance of Celeste and was painted in soft blues with the shapes of different animals stenciled in. Barb took no part in the decorating of the nursery. She did however speak to Celeste, who spoke back, but initiated no conversation. All of her conversation was for 'Uncle Thorne'.

"You know what?" Thorne told Celeste one day, "some man is going to be very lucky some day, and if he isn't good to you, I'll beat him up."

She rewarded him with a giggle and a hug. She also knew that he meant what he said. Barb stood outside of the door listening and had to tamp down her anger. She was finding just as Thorne had that it took conscious effort to change her behavior. While she was a little more pleasant to be around and was interacting with her family more- one thing hadn't changed. She did not want to be a mother. She knew that Juliette was hoping that once she saw the baby she would change her mind. She stopped trying to convince them otherwise. The only one of her siblings that she still tiptoed around was Louise and she didn't know why. Louise greeted and treated her as she always had and made no mention of their last real conversation.

"Guilt?" The voice asked and went silent. 

Just as she hadn't helped with the decorating of the nursery of her own baby, she didn't help with Louise's, although she did buy a baby gift. The gift was a bath set whose color was appropriate for a male or female. She hadn't been to see the nursery but knew that it was varying shades of green because according to Louise it promoted rest and harmony. There were splotches of pink-Celeste's contribution- because it was also soothing and meant affection. All of this information came from Kevyn, who of late had a wistful look on her face every time she saw Barb and Louise or when she talked about the nurseries.




Thorne Ch. 12



Kevyn and Juliette decided to have joint baby showers at Juliette's house. Barb didn't want to go, but Juliette wouldn't hear of it.

"All you have to do is look pretty and say thank you. And besides, Thorne will need things for the baby anyway."

So in the spirit of family togetherness, she went. She was surprised to see Samantha Blackwell there, but hid it. Her opinion of the woman hadn't changed and she soon found out that Samantha's opinion of her hadn't changed either. Nathan sat next to Louise with his arm around her as she opened the baby gifts and thanked the giver. Thorne sat next to Barb with his hands clasped loosely in front of him. Barb opened the gifts and then gave a weak thank you. Thorne followed her thank you with a sincere one of his own.

After the gifts were opened and refreshments were being served, Samantha sat next to Barb. 

"Your sister is radiant."

Barb bit back a sharp reply. She was being baited.

"Pregnancy becomes her, but you...there is no glow about you. It's obvious that you don't want to be here."

"Did you glow when you carried babies that you didn't want?" Barb snapped.

"Inwardly? No, but no one looking at me knew it," Samantha replied. "To all outward appearances, I was the happy expectant mother. I even had my mate fooled."

Barb turned to Samantha intrigued in spite of herself. "How?" she asked.

"Do not listen to her," the voice warned.

"What does it matter?" Samantha asked. "You've burned your bridges with my son and if what I hear is true, you've burned them with your child. Is it true about the child Celeste? Is she able to talk with my grandson?"

"Mother," Thorne said interrupting Barb's response. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"I postponed my trip when Juliette- a lovely woman- called me to tell me about the shower. I was also intrigued by the family history that Ethan alluded to. Your father would be so proud of you. I was hoping to find out a little more about the Yancy part of this alliance."

"Ethan is having a book made," Thorne replied, "I'll see that you get a copy."

"Wonderful and you'll call me when my grandson is born?"

"Yes, after I call Noel," Thorne replied.

****

Gene stood in a corner watching. It was hard to believe that not only was almost everyone in the room vampire, but that the Sinclaires had such a horrible history. He had talked to Nathan and Patrick and was satisfied that his sisters were safe. He had been thinking about the issue long and hard and the longer he thought about it, the more sure he was that he wanted to do it. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing left for him in the human world. He had been correct to assume that it was over between him and Dana. He had gotten a 'Dear Gene' email telling him that she was and had been seeing someone. She had been too afraid to tell him because she didn't know how he was going to react. He had been hurt, but he wasn't so hurt that he wanted a drink. He went to several meetings just because he didn't want to be alone. He loved his job at Sinclaire Enterprises and was surprised to find that he got along with people almost as easily as Leon did. The fact that his secretary Erica was both beautiful and helpful helped.

Now he was watching Barb. He was glad that she made some semblance of peace with the family, but he wished that she wasn't leaving. He waited until she was sitting alone before he joined her taking her a plate of fruit.

"Nice shower," he said as he sat down and handed her the plate of fruit.

"Yeah," Barb said setting the plate of fruit on the empty chair beside her.

"I'm glad that you're talking to us again..."

"Yes well, you were all right about some things," Barb replied.

"Wow- a concession," Gene said. "I wish that you wouldn't go. I know that you hate it here, but maybe since we're all together you'll feel differently. Maybe you'll want to get to know your baby."

"Gene, we've been over this- I need and want to leave."

"Okay but why so soon after the baby is born? Are you afraid that you might actually learn to care about him? Look, give it six months and if you still want to go then go. I'm sure that you can find something with a six month lease. Just think about it," Gene said patting her knee.

"He makes sense," the voice said.

Reluctantly Barb agreed. It was time to start using her head and no one could say that she didn't try.

*****

Three weeks later Barb was furnishing the three bedroom condo that she had bought in foreclosure. All of her siblings were thrilled. She was still Barb, but much easier to be around. Thorne was surprised by her decision to stay, but made no comment. As far as he was concerned, it changed nothing between them. He didn't tell her that hoping that she knew and understood that. It was too close to the baby's birth to upset her.

He was in his office working when he got a call from Adrianna.

"I think you'd better call Gretchen- her water just broke."

He called Gretchen and raced to Barb's room. She was sitting with her back against the bed looking very frightened. He temporarily forgot his dislike of her and went to her side.

"This is it," he said as he gently picked her up, "in a few hours our son will be here."

He carried her to the bedroom where the birth was to take place and eased her onto the bed. Gretchen was there by the time he had Barb changed into the oversized tee shirt that she wanted to wear. He positioned himself behind her so that she rested against his chest and began to massage her belly.

"Just relax," he crooned in her ear.

Although his words and touch was gentle, Barb wasn't fooled. This was for the benefit of the baby and nothing more. 

"Did someone call Kevyn?" she asked and then gasped as a mild contraction hit.

"Adrianna did, now breathe and try to relax," Thorne replied.

"Listen to your coach," Gretchen said as she examined her.

"How long?" Barb asked.

"How long what?" Gretchen asked as she set up her equipment.

"Until this is over," Barb replied.

"That depends on the baby," Gretchen replied. "First births usually take longer- are you going somewhere?"

Four hours later Barb was screaming for drugs and not listening to Thorne's gentle prodding to breathe, resisting when he tried to rub her back. Finally sick of it he snapped at her.

"Breathe damn you!"

Gretchen looked up at him and nodded her thanks. Barb was getting to the point of hysteria.

Barb choked back a sob and nodded.

"Good," Thorne said as he wiped her forehead with a cool cloth. "Much better."

Three hours later, Gretchen was yelling at Barb to push. Barb screamed in frustration when, after three pushes, there was no baby.

"Barb!" Gretchen said firmly, "He's almost here now push with everything you've got!"

"You can do this," Thorne said. "One more push and you're free."

Barb took a deep breath and pushed.

"That's a girl!" Gretchen said. "I see his head... aww, he's got a head full of dark curly hair... here he comes!"

The sounds of a crying baby filled the room. Thorne eased from behind Barb and went to see his son.

"Is he alright?" Thorne asked as tears ran down his face.

"He's perfect and he's gorgeous!" Gretchen replied as she cut the cord and quickly cleaned the baby of the fluids of child birth. "He's twenty-one and a half inches long and- eight pounds and four ounces. Congratulations!"

"Look at you," she crooned, "your daddy is anxious to meet you."

Gretchen wrapped the baby in a warm blanket and handed him to Thorne.

"Support his head- just like that."

"God, you're beautiful!" Thorne said as he kissed the tiny curly head. "So perfect," he said as he examined Aidan's fingers. He stopped when he saw something on Aidan's left arm- a birth mark shaped like a small flame. "What do you know?" he whispered as he continued his examination.

He took the baby over to Barb and sat next to her.

"This is our son," he said softly. "Two very imperfect people created this beautiful and perfect being; would you like to hold him?"

Gretchen stopped what was doing to watch what Barb did. The baby stopped squirming as if he understood that a decision was being made. Finally, a small arm reached out as if begging his mother to take a chance on him. For just a second, Thorne thought that Barb was going to reach out to their child. Her hand moved, lifted off of the bed and then fell back down. The baby let out a squall that startled all of them. Barb had chosen.

***

Celeste was eagerly waiting for Aidan's arrival with everyone else. At the exact moment that Barb was making her decision, she stopped talking midsentence. When the decision was made, she cried.

***

Someone was at Thorne's house at all times to help with Aidan. Celeste went with whoever was going always sitting by the bassinet until she fell asleep. Barb moved into her condo three days after the baby was born and came to see him twice in the three weeks since his birth. Each time Thorne encouraged her to hold the baby, but she refused to hold or feed him. Aiden always looked at her with his hazel eyes that he closed as soon as he saw her.

"Why do you even bother?" Thorne asked her during the second visit. Barb never answered him but showed up twice a week to see the baby, but she never touched him.

***

Louise couldn't sleep. She was up and down most of the day. Nathan massaged her back, her stomach and any other place he thought might help but to no avail. Finally he sat in a recliner with Louise in his lap.

"Aidan is a beautiful baby," he said kissing her. "Just think, our baby will be here any time now."

"He is beautiful- how can Barb not love him?" Louise replied. "His eyes are gorgeous - can we say future heart breaker?"

"Yes we can," Nathan said chuckling, "But our daughter..."

"Nathan Sinclaire, you know that you aren't going to let a boy get within ten feet of her," Louise teased.

"Make that fifty," Nathan teased kissing her again. "But she is going to be beautiful like you and she's going to have all of the characteristics that I love so much in you."

"She could still be a he, you know," Louise said as she closed her eyes finally relaxed enough to sleep. Nathan didn't move wanting her to get sleep while she could. At six am, three weeks after Aidan Blackwell had been born, Louise went into labor.

Nathan carried her to the room designated as the birthing room and called Gretchen. By the time Gretchen arrived, had already called Kevyn and was sitting behind her holding Louise in a much different way than Thorne had held Barb. Gretchen was struck by the difference but made no comment as she did her exam and set up her equipment.

"Any bets as to what you're having?" she asked as she examined Louise again.

"Nathan says a girl," Louise replied as she shifted position so that she was more comfortable.

"What do you think?" Gretchen asked. This was how she liked to deliver babies. The atmosphere relaxed and both parents happy and excited about the birth.

"He's probably right," Louise said, "but we have a boy's name picked out if he's wrong."

"Smart," Gretchen commented.

"Enough talk," Nathan said, "rest while you can."

"He's right," Gretchen agreed. "You'll need it."

"How long was Barb's labor?" Louise asked before closing her eyes.

"About eight hours," Gretchen replied, "now do as your mate tells you and rest."

Gretchen thought back to Barb's delivery. She had given Barb the same instructions except that she called Thorne her coach. That's all he had been. Nathan was acting like a mate and that he loved Louise and the baby was obvious.

It was two hours before labor began in earnest. Gretchen prepared herself for the inevitable begging for drugs and was surprised when it didn't happen. When Louise began to panic, Nathan calmly got her back on track. She trusted him whereas Barb didn't trust Thorne. She slept between contractions until they became too strong and seemed to be one long continuous pain.

"Sweetheart you're doing great," Nathan said in her ear. "Just keep breathing with me, would it feel good if I rubbed your back?"

Louise was in tears, but she maintained some degree of control. At one point she asked to walk around.

"Of course you can, it might even speed things up a little."

Louise was all for that and walked around the room for a good half hour before deciding to lie down. It was almost one pm before Gretchen gave the first command to push. 

"Come on sweetheart, just like we talked about," Nathan said as he kissed her sweaty head. 

One-thirty pm Khanyisile Sinclaire entered the world at six pounds- one ounce and sixteen inches long.

"Louise and Nathan you have a healthy little girl!" Gretchen announced. Give me a minute to get her cleaned up...."

"She's all there?" Louise asked.

"Yep! I count two eyes, ten fingers and ten toes," Gretchen replied as she cleaned the baby and wrapped her. "She's got a full head of hair too." She added.

Nathan and Louise both cried as they held their baby for the first time. Louise put the baby to her breast and cried when she latched on. 

"Baby, she's so beautiful," Nathan said as he touched the baby's face. "Thank you for this gift."

Gretchen did a final check on Louise and went to rest in the next room. Eustace had some early evening appointments and wanted her to wait there. By evening, everyone was there to see the baby - Barb included. As with her own baby, she looked but didn't touch.

"She's beautiful," was all she said and backed away.

Finally, Nathan kicked everyone out, even though Louise said that she was fine.

"I'm sure you are, but I want my family to myself for a while," he said as he rocked the baby to sleep.

The next evening, Kevyn called Louise with news.

"I hate to do this, but I know that you'd want to know- Barb left but she left a note. "I'll read it.

"Dear family,

I know that I said that I would stay for six months, but I can't. I hate California and I just can't make myself stay here. I know that Gene considers it the place of his rebirth but to me it's been a place of a lot of pain. I will concede that most if not all of it is my doing. I know that I haven't been the best person and I caused a lot of problems because I- well you know. I also know that you were all hoping that I would learn to love Aidan- who knows? Maybe I will, but it isn't now. I know that you will all make sure that he gets the love that I can't give him. I know that this seems like I'm running - maybe I am, but not from you. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself but I promise to stay in touch. You all have my number. This last part is for Louise. You were right about a lot of things and you have nothing to apologize for. You are who you are, just as I am who I am. 

Barbara Yancy

"Where is she going?" Louise asked.

"We think to her condo in Hawaii," Kevyn replied. "Her guards went with her, but at least she left us a note and she didn't cut us out of her life."

"True," Louise said sadly, "But I think - I think she'll be back."

"I hope so," Kevyn replied. "I've already told the others. Gene is pretty shaken up since he just got here. He thinks that he's failed somehow."

"He didn't," Louise said, "and I'll call him to tell him that later. None of us failed her and it's important to remember that."

Louise hung up and took a hungry baby from Nathan's arms with a smile. She turned her concentration on the baby after saying a prayer for Barb.

****

Thorne read the note left for him and wasn't surprised or disappointed. He would have been surprised had Barb stayed. He knew exactly where she was and made sure that she had more than adequate protection. It was all that he could do. He picked his five week old son up and looked into his hazel eyes.

"We," he said kissing the Aidan's cheek, "are going to be just fine. "You'll have to give your old man a learning curve, but we'll make it."

*****

Barb sat on the beach in front of her condo in Hawaii. The decision had been made and there was no going back - at least not now. She had the last name of Simpson legally removed and was now Just Barbara Yancy. She planned to do as Gene suggested - revisit her life and the decisions that she made. She didn't know if she was going to change or not although to some degree she had. She gave brief thought to Aidan and let it go. He was fine and would be cared for. The voice had been silent, but she knew that it was there. She only had to learn how to listen to it. Her last thought before standing up to walk back to her condo was to Thorne.

"I'm sorry I screwed our lives up."

At this the voice did comment. "Another step."

****

In California, Aiden was asleep. His eyes opened and then closed content that all would be well.