20: Oh Yes You Will

warning: Adult language and mild adult situations

The abandoned mill had a worn-out couch inside of it. Left by some homeless squatter no doubt, Gus thought. He laid Marge on it and settled himself down to comfortably wait for her to wake up. He liked how the room's windows had been boarded up.

What sort of person is this Marge going to turn out to be? And more importantly, what does she know? 'The other one.' She knows. She knows something about what's going to happen. Either Gabriella told her or she found out on her own. I hope it's the latter. That would be terrific! Imagine! Then I wouldn't need Gabriella after all! And it would be so nice not to have to deal with that whiny, immature little do-good virgin.

I should just go ahead and turn her now. It's always more convenient when they're out. Still, I don't want a youngling if I can help it. Such a hassle, and if she doesn't turn out to have the same gift then it would certainly make me look bad in Gabriella's eyes to turn her mother.

The sun started coming up, and Gus was once again grateful for the boarded windows.

Marge awoke with a splitting headache. Where am I? she thought. She thought she spied movement in the dark room she was in. She definitely sensed a presence here with her, wherever here was.

With the speed of an adder's strike, a man, no, a vampire, that vampire, stood before her. Marge immediately and quickly chided herself for getting drunk last night. Normally, she'd be aware of dangers like the one she put herself into last night. She'd always been able to just know things. She should've known to stay away from this one.

"Why, hello, Marge. Welcome back to the land of the living." the other one's voice worked its way over to her.

Land of the living dead, you mean, she thought to herself, amazed at her wit in this potentially dangerous situation.

"Where am I? How did I get here?" she demanded in what she wished was a more stern voice.

"You know," he started, "you really shouldn't drink and drive. You hit your head on your steering wheel, and your car is in a ditch. I couldn't just leave you there, so I brought you here since I don't know where you live unfortunately." He gestured to her makeshift bed. "Lucky for us some homeless person left us a couch or you'd be on the floor. Don't worry about me, though, I'm old enough to where I don't need as much sleep as others of my kind."

Marge shuddered as she heard a squeak and scurry of some nasty rodent that shared the room with them.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, knowing she wasn't going to get out of this situation easily.

"Oh, very good. Let's get right to the point." the vampire smiled at her. "First of all, I'd like to apologize." Marge looked up at him in shock as he continued, "I gave you the wrong name last night. My real name is Augustus Terra." He blinked a few times at her, giving her the chance to speak. When she didn't, he said, "I know you gave me your correct name. You're Gabriella's mother, aren't you?"

"You know this to be true, so why ask?" she answered his question with one of her own.

He smiled down at her, and Marge repressed a shudder. "Merely making polite conversation."

"I'd like to go home now, if you don't mind." Marge said with a touch of hopelessness in her voice. She knew running was out of the question. Even if she could see daylight streaming slightly through the cracks in the walls, she knew he wouldn't need much time in the sun to catch up with her only to bring her back here.

"Oh, I do apologize for the rotten, literally, accommodations I've provided. Unfortunately, it was the best I could acquire at such short notice." he oozed out to her as he sat himself comfortably on the decaying floorboards. The entire building stank with mold and rot and dust. To Marge, it felt a fitting haunt for one such as he.

I suppose he'll get to the point in a moment. Until then, I have to calm down and think clearly, she thought.

"Well, now that the pleasantries are over, let's get back to your first question. 'What do I want with you'? I'd merely like for you to answer a few questions." he said.

Marge curled into a ball, all of a sudden realizing where this was going, and she was desperately (much like her daughter) wishing she could change the future. At any rate, she'd give him hell on earth while she could.

"I'll take your silence to mean that you're ready to answer them." Gus said, wondering why he could smell fear. "First of all, I'd like to know why you called me 'the other one'."

"I think you know." she mumbled into her lap.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Enlighten me. Did Gabriella tell you something?"

"No. Not exactly."

"Then what exactly? I know she had a vision about me, but she refuses to tell me about it." he said.

"Good for her." Marge responded into her lap again, proud of her daughter.

"But you know something." Gus said as he stood up and wished he could just extract the thoughts from her mind by force.

"And I'll not tell you." she replied.

"But if Gabby didn't tell you, how do you know?"

"Because I do. I've known for a long time now." she answered, and immediately regretted it.

Tricked! I was tricked! she chided herself without mercy.

"Really?" Gus asked, thoroughly intrigued. "A long time now you say? And just how would you know a thing like that? Gabriella can see visions of the future, yet you say you already knew. That could only mean you have the same ability."

"I'm not telling you any more!" Marge said in a mild panic.

"Oh, yes you will."

Before she could even register what happened, Marge found Gus had pushed her back onto the couch with him on top of her. He lifted her neck to him as he spoke.

"You will indeed tell me all I need to know, and I'll make sure of it." he spoke quietly to her.

"No." she whispered back. Sooner than I expected. I'm sorry, Gabby.

"Your heart is racing, Marge. I can smell your fear. I can also smell something else. Pheromones. Does this turn you on? Just how long has it been, widow Hudson?" he murmured as he moved closer to her neck.

"Get off me." Marge whimpered helplessly, unable to focus her energy when she needed it most.

"I think not. I've looked for someone like you and Gabby for ages, and why have the untrained fledgling when I could have the more skilled specimen? You yourself said you've known for a long time." Gus smiled when he felt her unconsciously submit.

As his teeth grazed her neck the tiniest bit, she let out the smallest of whimpers, and Augustus was reminded of the benefits of having a female progeny. He let his hand slip under the small jacket she wore and moved it up from her waist to cup her breast. She shuddered and her heart rate got even faster as he teased her nipple with his thumb through her dress. 

Later, he mentally told her as he got back to the business at hand. He secured her to him to keep her from struggling. It wouldn't do to damage her and screw this up. He moaned in anticipation before he sunk his fangs into her throat.

This. 

What's this? 

I've not tasted this for centuries! I thought they'd mostly died out!? I'm a fool!

"Witch!" he sputtered. 

Marge couldn't help but smile and start to laugh, amazing herself at how maniacal it sounded.

---------------------------------------

Just as the sun began to peep up over the horizon, Nate and Gabriella arrived back at what was now home to both of them.

Nate began the argument he didn't want to, nor did have time to, have. "Gabby, please stay here."

"No. She's my mother! We're wasting time!" her eyes flashed with determination.

He hated to say what he said next, "You'll only put both of us in more danger and slow me down."

Gabriella looked hurt for a moment before she realized he said what he said in an effort to get her to stay home. "Bullshit, Nate. You could carry me without thinking about it. And Gus might listen to me if he still wants to get on my good side."

"I cannot do this and worry about you at the same time!" he nearly snapped, irritated at her continued calm expression.

"Do what? What are you going to do? You can hardly match him physically. This needs to be a battle of wits. Earlier you called my mother a bargaining chip. I wanna know what he's going to bargain for!"

"You! That's why you can't go!" Nate tried hard not to yell but failed. Why can't she see the danger of her going?

"He won't get me!" Gabby yelled back.

"Come off it, Gabriella. What are you going to say if he says your mom or you?" Nate worked hard at regaining a calm composure. We're wasting time!

Gabby's face screwed up with worry. "I don't know! Nate, it's a moot point anyway. I'm going. She's my mother! We're wasting time! Stop trying to convince me to stay and let's go!" She rung her hands, feeling anxious.

Nate decided on a different approach, and as he wrapped his arms around her, she immediately became wary and tried to push him away.

"I know you're afraid. Your mother needs my help. I can't give her that help if I'm worried about you." he said calmly, wishing she'd uncross her arms.

Gabriella cut her eyes over to him in irritation. "And I'm just supposed to sit here twiddling my thumbs and die a thousand deaths waiting for you to come back? Topped with worrying about my mom? Don't leave me, Nathaniel. please!"

Nate's brows came together as what she said triggered a memory of a recent dream, but he shoved the memory aside to deal with his current situation.

"I have to leave you here where it's safe. This is the one place he can't get you!" he argued with a sense of desperation.

"He may as well already have me. He has my mother. I can't lose her too, Nate. I've lost Caitlin. I've lost Daddy. I can't lose her."

"I can't lose you." he argued back. "Don't you understand? He's knows the weakness we have is each other."

"Exactly. Should he have you and my mother..."

Suddenly Nathaniel didn't care that her arms were folded and pressed against him in an effort to ward him off. He crushed her to him and claimed her lips with his.

At first, Gabriella was furious he would use this tactic against her, and she tried to fight him off. That was, of course, impossible as his arms held her in an unyielding vise. Yet, his kiss wasn't in the way of a demanding order to remain behind. No, instead it merely told her he despised the idea of leaving her again. Again? He was afraid. She could tell. He was afraid of going up against Gus again, and even more terrified of her going with him. This was the only way he could tell her and have her understand the depth of his emotions. Slowly, she unfolded her arms and instead folded them around him, molding her body to his.

I have to do this, Gabriella, he thought. It'll kill me to leave you, but I have to do this. A strong sense of deja vu overtook him, and he wondered when he'd done this before. Her arms unfolding against him and then enfolding around him distracted him from pondering that any further as he felt that finally Gabriella understood. Frantically now, he wished with everything he had that he could come up with a way to make everything all better. That, and having her pressed up against him like this made his growing need unbearable. But I really don't have time for that, unfortunately.

As he pulled away from her, he could feel her wanting to go with him again, and he heard her come up with several arguments in her head.

"It won't work, Gabriella." he said as he lovingly stroked her face. "None of your arguments will work. You're staying here. Oh, and picking you up now." he said the last sentence almost too quickly for her to catch as he did indeed pick her up and deposit her upstairs in her room.

Gabriella's head swam as she struggled to get her bearings. My room? "No, Nate!" she screamed as she ran for the door. It wouldn't budge. She ran into the bathroom to check that door as well. Blocked. She screamed through the door at him.

"Nate! What are you doing!!? You can't keep me locked up in here!"

"Oh yes I can!" Nate said as he listened to the woman he loved scream at him through the bathroom door. He'd quickly moved both couches to block the two doors that led out of her little suite, happy that both of them swung into this room. He knew they wouldn't hold her forever, but he only needed a little time to get away without her knowing in what direction he went. Hopefully they'd hold her long enough for him to get Marge and be back.

"You can't make me stay here! I won't stay put!" she yelled through the door.

"Oh yes you will." he calmly issued his directive to her enraged squeal and banging on the door.

She stomped back to her bedroom door to say ominously through it, "You'll regret this, Nathaniel. I won't stay in here, and when I get out, I'll make you wish you'd never done this." She imagined up all sorts of scenarios in her head in which she could make his life hell, and her favorite one involved a very short skirt.

Bring it on, Baby. Nate couldn't help but laugh at her imaginings. "You go right ahead and do that then, Babe, but as I'm busy at the moment, it'll have to wait until I get back."

And I'll enjoy every minute of it as long as it keeps you safe, he thought as he sped out of the house in search of the trail August left behind.

---------------------------------------------------

I wasn't planning on ending it there, but my lackluster computer stalled at this point. I figured this wasn't a terrible place to stop, but I did intend for it to be longer. My new super mega uber graphics monster is in the process of being built that will hopefully mean less game freezes and pauses that my hardware keeps giving me. (tho it IS much better thanks to CC Magic, so thanks, Karima) Then begins the hassle/worry of transferring everything. Maybe I'll upload it all in a preservation effort n share the files if anyone wants em. Just brainstorming here.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! :)