Patrick Ch. 14

"I don't know what to say except thank you for waiting for me and for coming. I'm not so sure that I could have done this again without you."

"You would have." Patrick replied, "But I'm glad that I was here."

Patrick helped her in to the tub and slid in behind her, "relax I won't let you slide under."

Kevyn leaned back against Patrick's chest and closed her eyes as he hummed softly in her ear. She felt his hands move lightly up and down her arms as he continued to hum. His hands moved from her arms to her breasts gently massaging and tweaking the nipples until they were hard points beneath his hands.

One hand left a breast and made its way down her stomach and between her legs and stopped for just a moment before separating her lips and rubbing.

"Let go, I've got you." Patrick crooned and then resumed humming.

Kevyn let out a cry that started low in her throat and ended as a scream that she was sure that Louise had to have heard.

Patrick waited until she caught her breath before helping her out of the tub and taking her back to the bed.

"You need to be taken care of too." Kevyn said and tried to reach for him.

"I'm fine; this is for you now close your eyes."

Kevyn was asleep before Patrick had finished massaging her arms with oil.

*********

Kevyn was awake early and went to check on Louise who was also awake and eating a very late breakfast while watching the food network. She jumped when she saw Kevyn and then gave an embarrassed grin, "I was hungry but I got the cheapest things on the menu."

Kevyn smiled back and joined Lou on the bed.

"I'm really glad that you're coming with us." she said stealing a piece of bacon off of Lou's plate.

"Me too, I hate it here."

"Lou, you know that I didn't want to leave you here right? If there was any way....."

"Kev, it's alright, I understand and someone had to stay and help mom."

The sisters talked for a few more minutes before Kevyn went back to her and Patrick's room.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"It's fine, she isn't mad that I had to leave her here." Kevyn replied.

"Did you really think that she would be?" Patrick asked.

Kevyn shrugged her shoulders, "Louise can be hard to read sometimes so I really didn't know but at any rate, it's all good."

Patrick debated on whether he should bring up Clay Robinson. Part of him wanted to get through with everything pertaining to the death of her mother but part of him wanted to be done with Clay Robinson so that when they left, he stayed here. Kevyn was the one who decided the matter.

"I need to tell you about Clay." she said nervously.

Patrick took her hand and led her to the small sitting room. He didn't want to discuss Clay or anything else negative in the place where they made love.

"Take your time." he said taking her hands into his.

"You have to understand something," Kevyn began, "Clay.... Clay always made it his mission to protect me even though I didn't want it. The name calling and teasing hurt but that's just the way it was and he got teased a lot because of me. I don't know at what point the decided that he decided that we were supposed to be together as in get married and have children together but I never felt that way about him even when he was the only boy in school who paid any attention to me. I know there were girls who would have jumped at the chance just so that they'd have somebody but that wasn't me, I really didn't care if I had a boyfriend or if I got asked to the prom.... None of it mattered.

"You were true to yourself." Patrick said stroking her face.

"Whatever." Kevyn replied, "But at any rate, as we grew up if anyone and I mean anyone said anything bad about me they wound up hurt somehow and they would never say that it was Clay that did it. Then Clay started telling everyone that I was his and well can you see where this is going?" she asked.

"He became obsessed." Patrick said.

"I couldn't go anywhere or do anything without him knowing about it. By the time it had gotten really bad, I had lost a lot of weight from playing softball and other sports. I was so busy that I almost managed to forget about him until the games, he came to every single one of them."

"Kevyn, did he hurt you?" Patrick asked his throat tight.

"You mean rape me?" Kevyn asked. "No, it was nothing like that- that wasn't Clay's style but some of his friends.... And no, none of them hurt me either."

Patrick breathed easier, that was the worst thing that he could have thought of happening to her.

"One day I decided that the next time he asked me out that I would go. I thought that maybe he would see that I wasn't the type of girl that he wanted."

"Why would you say that?" Patrick asked.

"I don't know." Kevyn replied, "I didn't think that I was ugly or anything like that. I was okay with myself but I wasn't the kind of girl that would jump through hoops for a guy and Clay was used to being obeyed. Anyway, he picked me up and said that we were going somewhere to talk which is exactly what I wanted to do.

Clay didn't have money, the car he picked me up in belonged to a friend and that didn't matter to me I'm just telling you this so you understand Clay a little better. When we got to Burger King, he found a quiet corner so that we could talk.... Patrick, he thought that I didn't want him because he was poor. He was begging me to give him a chance to prove that he could take care of me in a way befitting a queen and those were his words. Nothing I said convinced him otherwise never mind the fact that we were both eighteen and had graduated from high school that spring."

Kevyn's eyes burned as she remembered that night.

"After we ate, he said that he wanted to show me something, something told me to say no but he was so hurt when I told him that I just didn't care about him in the same way... so I went with him. He drove us to this old warehouse that had been closed for years and I asked him why we were there. He told me that he wanted to prove to me that he wouldn't always be poor and that if I would only give him time that by the following year we would be living in a new house."

Patrick got up and got her a glass of water stopping by the sink to wet a wash cloth. When he sat down he handed her the water and then washed her face when she was finished.

"After we got there he told me to wait in the car and that he would only be gone for a few minutes. The few minutes turned into a half hour and I decided to see what was taking so long. I got out of the car and walked in the same direction that Clay had gone in.... They.... Th.... They had a boy hanging from his arms and there was blood from cuts and... he was dead! Clay was holding the knife... I saw him stab the body!"

Kevyn was crying but she continued.

"He-Clay saw me because he was facing the door, the others were so busy talking that they didn't notice him looking at me. I backed away and got back into the car and waited for Clay to come out. I didn't know what to do! If I would have said anything they would have killed me. If he came to the car and I was gone, he would have had to tell them that I was there and I have no doubts that he would have"

"Did Clay threaten you?" Patrick asked.

"He didn't have to, his look said it all." Kevyn replied. "The next week I picked up a second job and saved every penny I could and as soon as I had enough money I left and came back only once a year and every year he finds out that I'm here and we do the same song and dance. He invited me to dinner-anywhere I wanted to go so that we could talk."

Patrick hugged Kevyn to him.

"He was afraid that you would tell someone." Patrick said understanding, "there's no statute of limitation on murder and at the time Clay was legally an adult. Sweetheart he was going to have you killed."

"That bullet was meant for me?"

"No, it wasn't, someone wanted Clay dead and in doing that removed the threat to you." Patrick said, "Sweetheart I think that we need to call the police and tell them what you know."

She didn't want to but knew that Patrick was right; she had kept the secret for far too long. There wasn't a day that went by where she hadn't thought about the family of that boy and as far as she knew his body had never been found.

A short time later a detective was sitting in the small room taking Kevyn's statement.

"Do you remember where this ware house is?" he asked.

"I will never forget it." Kevyn replied and then gave the detective the address.

"You know Mrs. Sinclaire, we could have protected you." the detective said.

"I know but... I was so scared and what were you going to do? Drive by my house once a night? I know that I should have called even anonymously but he would have known that it was me." Kevyn said.

"Did you know any of the other men there?"

Kevyn froze, she hadn't thought about them, if they were still around then they knew about Clay being killed.

"Kev?" Patrick said touching her hand, "they can't harm you, I won't let them."

"I didn't really see their faces, their backs were to me and the only one that saw me was Clay." Kevyn replied.

The detective left after asking a few more questions including why Clay was coming after her all of this time and if she had any idea of who would have shot him.

"He came after her because of me." Patrick replied, "As to who shot him, we have no idea but I would like to thank the man or woman who did it." he added.

Kevyn felt a hundred pounds lighter; she hadn't realized how heavy that secret was until now. That part of her life as over now all that was left was to get through the dividing of their mother's belongings.

*******

After he got home Gene drank himself into a stupor. The police asked him if he had any idea as to who would have shot Clay. He told them no but he was almost sure that it was Puff; he was almost as much in love with Kevyn as Clay had been. But whoever it was, Gene hoped that they got away, they had done him a favor when they killed Clay, when it came down to it; he wouldn't have been able to pull the trigger no matter how much he may wanted to.

After locking his gun back up, Gene stumbled into his bedroom undressing as he went leaving a trail of clothes behind him. By the time he reached the bed, all he had on was his underwear; he fell into the bed and didn't wake up until the next afternoon.

*******

"The last part and then we can leave." Kevyn thought to herself. She and Louise spent the afternoon watching cooking shows while Patrick took care of some business matters. She also took the time to talk to Louise about what she wanted to do with the house.

"I don't want it." she said firmly.

"Alright but what do you want to do with it?" Kevyn asked.

"Let them have it." Louise replied, "They can sell it if they want."

"Lou, is it alright if we gave it to Gene? He's the only one without a home and...."

"That's fine." Louise said, "I already told him that he could have it...."

"What?" Kevyn asked sensing that Louise wanted to change the subject.

"I was just wondering how you met Patrick, he's very nice."

Kevyn gave Louise the condensed version leaving out the vampirism and the family history of rapes. That was something that she didn't need to know about at least not in this point in time.

Patrick left them alone until lunch and then only disturbed them to take their orders for a late lunch. As with breakfast Louise chose the cheapest item on the menu- a salad.

"That's all you're going to have?" Patrick asked.

"I'm not very hungry." Louise replied.

"Are you certain?" Patrick asked, "You can order whatever you want."

Reluctantly Louise added a bowl of soup to her order flinching when she saw the price. She stared at Patrick in disbelief as she listened to him order what sounded like the entire menu. Seeing the expression on Lou's face, Kevyn laughed and told Louise that Patrick would indeed eat most if not all that he ordered.

"How do you not get fat?" Louise asked.

"High metabolism." Patrick replied, "by the way, how's the hand?"

"Much better, it doesn't hurt anymore." she replied.

After lunch Patrick left the sisters alone to continue their visit but Kevyn was distracted. Something was going on with Patrick, it was nothing that she could pinpoint but he was anxious.

"Lou, will you excuse me for a minute?"

"Sure, as a matter of fact if you don't mind I'd like to take a nap." Louise replied.

********

Patrick was on the phone when Kevyn went into their suite, he turned toward her when heard her come in. without interrupting his conversation, Patrick held out a hand toward her. He hung up a minute later and hugged Kevyn as he tried to think of the best way to help Ethan from where he was.

Ethan was adamant that he not leave Kevyn which he wouldn't have done anyway. Kevyn hugged him back and pulled away from him.

"What happened?" she asked.

Patrick hesitated, giving her bad news was not the way that he wanted to bring her into the family but there was no help for it.

"Let's sit." he said leading her to the sitting room.

An hour later Kevyn was completely caught up on what was happening with Patrick's family.

"Someone is stalking them?" Kevyn asked.

"It's much more than that, he wants to hurt us and before you say it I'm not going." Patrick said, "There's nothing that I can do that isn't already being done and my place is with you."

Kevyn tried to talk Patrick into leaving only giving up when he became firm with her.

"Kevyn I am not leaving you here alone so stop asking!"

Immediately contrite Patrick kissed her, "I'm sorry I snapped but you need to understand that you will always come first. It is the same with all of us, our mates come before anything or anyone else and that will never change so no more talk of me leaving."

********

"Almost." Kevyn thought as she looked around the living room at her siblings. She loved them but they were royal pains in the asses that she couldn't wait to get away from with the exception of Louise. The bickering over what she had considered trinkets had already started and she had already had enough.

"Will you all just shut the hell up?" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "This is ridiculous and I've had enough! This is what we're going to do and no one had better open their mouths to complain!" she said looking directly at Gene.

The room went silent and she continued, "Now, you all made me executor of mom's estate and let me just take a moment to say that I never wanted any of this." Again she looked at Gene who looked away. "This house and everything in it belongs to Lou, she took care of mom and probably bought at least of half of what's in here."

Everyone stared at Kevyn as if she had just grown another head but no one spoke.

"So this is what's going to happen." Kevyn continued, "Lou has already decided what happens to the house and everything in it and her decisions are final. If you want to trade, fight or argue it waits until after we're gone."

"Louise isn't going to live here?" Barbara asked.

"No, I'm going back with Kev and Patrick." Louise said.

"You're leaving?" Juliet asked, "But who'll baby sit..."

"Not my problem." Louise said quietly feeling proud that she could finally say what she wanted to say every time Juliet begged her to baby sit.

"Let's get this show on the road." Kevyn said interrupting. She knew exactly where the conversation was heading just as she knew that she would be approached by at least one of her other siblings about going back to California.

Louise stood up and took a folded piece of paper from her pocket. After giving Kevyn a nervous look she began to read from the paper.

"I Louise Jenae Yancy give this house and all of its contents with the exception of my personal belongings and the things that mother gave me to Gene Walter Yancy to do with as he wishes."

Louise handed the paper to Gene who realized that it was an official document. He looked up to see the remainder of his siblings looking at him expectantly.

"Oh shit." he thought as Juliet started bombarding him with questions.

******

Three days later Kevyn, Patrick and Louise were on their way back to California. They stayed long enough to help pack up their mother's clothes and take them to good will while Patrick took care of any outstanding bills of which there were many. As Kevyn had suspected, one of her siblings approached her about going back with them to California.

Barb corned her in the kitchen one night as Kevyn was making sandwiches for everyone.

"You did good." she said referring to Patrick, "I like him."

"Thanks." Kevyn replied her guard already up.

"I've always wanted to go out west." Barbara said dropping the hint.

"It is beautiful." Kevyn replied as she kept working.

"I was thinking....."

"No." Kevyn said.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Barbara said miffed.

"Yeah, actually I do and the answer is no." Kevyn said. "Part of the reason why I left was to get away from all of the drama that I call a family. I love you all don't get me wrong but I can't be with you for longer than a visit or a phone call and if I took you back with me...."

"You're taking Louise!" Barbara shot back.

"Yes I am and do you know why?" Kevyn asked. "Because next to me she was the family toilet. Maybe more so because she lived here and she never complained. Even now all Juliet was concerned about was who was going to baby sit her kids so that she could go out and she wasn't even paying her! Lou didn't and doesn't have an agenda."

"But..."

"The answer is no and that goes for the rest of them too." Kevyn said ending the discussion. She wasn't surprised when Barbara took what she wanted from the house and was gone the next morning without saying goodbye to anyone.

******

Kevyn looked over at Louise and smiled, she looked so much younger now that she was away from the stress of their family. She would live with them for as long as she wanted to and fortunately, Louise was a night owl too so it wouldn't be unusual for her to see Patrick only in the evenings.

During their last night at the hotel Kevyn and Patrick talked about a variety of things including school.

"You're going back aren't you?" Patrick asked as they relaxed in the bathtub.

"I would like to." Kevyn replied.

"Good." Patrick replied, "I want you to do whatever it is that you want to do, what about your job?"

"I would like to keep working there at least part time." Kevyn replied and waited for an objection.

"Only if you agree to my terms." Patrick replied. "Given what's happening with our family you have a guard with you at all times, it can be a female or male, they can pose as workers I don't care but you're not going anywhere alone, as a matter of fact even I can be with you and no one would know."

She started to object and stopped, it would have been pointless.

"Agreed but what about you? Are you going back to the classroom or are you going to teach online?"

"I think that I'll teach the online class." Patrick replied, "That way I'm always free to protect you myself." Patrick replied playing with her fingers.

The subject of children came up. It was something that Kevyn had never given serious thought to; she knew that she definitely hadn't wanted children with Lonnie but Patrick? Definitely. She knew that Patrick would be a good father and she was sure that she would be a good mother as her mother had been.

She dozed off with very happy thoughts.

**********

"We will be landing in approximately thirty minutes." the pilot announced.

Louise was looking out of the window of the jet full of excitement at the prospect of a new life and who knew? Maybe she would meet a nice man like Kevyn did and money wasn't a requirement and maybe she would go to school.... "So many possibilities." She thought to herself as the plane began its descent into Los Angeles.