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."