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?"