21: Renovations

warning: adult language

"Nate!" Gabriella screamed through the window as she saw him disappear from the front yard. Oooo you're going to regret this! she screamed at him through her mind.

She walked over to her bedroom door and started shoving against it. What is blocking the thing? she wondered. Unable to budge this door, she hoped to have better luck with the bathroom one.

That door proved to be much, much easier, and after a while she could open the thing wide enough to see that he'd somehow managed to move both couches to the second floor to block the doors. She didn't even want to think about the speed he must've moved to get them up here in the time it took her to merely run from the middle of her room to the door. She rammed against the door over and over again until she could finally squeeze herself through.

Now to just find him.

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Nate hated leaving Gabriella behind, but he decided he'd done the best he could to keep her in one place short of tying her up. He couldn't bring himself to do that. He hoped he wouldn't regret that decision.

He approached the river with caution. He could definitely smell August. Unfortunately, the trail went into the river itself. Damn! he thought ruefully. He quickly ran up and down the water's edge, hoping to find a trace of where August may have left the water.

Finally, near the abandoned mill, he found something. Even better, he could hear voices in a heated discussion.

"Now to just find him." he heard Gabriella think.

Shit!

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"You're a witch!" Gus accused.

"Really?" Marge replied sarcastically. "Gosh, I'm so glad you cleared this up for me! I'd always felt different. This explains it all!"

"Cut the crap, woman!" Gus barked.

"You call me 'woman' like it's an insult!"

"No," he disagreed with her, "it's more like a 'hey you!' but stop the fucking sarcasm..."

"You watch your mouth!" she scolded.

"Or what?" he laughed, delighted at how easily she avoided his original statement. "So, it would appear that you're a witch." he started again.

"How can you tell by mere appearance?" she interrupted him yet again. She sat up and looked at him with an innocent, wide-eyed expression.

"If you interrupt me one more time..."

"What? You'll kill me? Turn me? You're going to do one or the other so I figure I have nothing to lose."

Gus lunged at her and she darted up to sit on one of the higher crates. "Oh please," he said sardonically, "you don't honestly think you're safer up there, do you?"

"Merely an instinctual reaction." she explained.

"You're expertly avoiding the topic" he pointed out.

"Of course I am."

Gus took a deep breath before he said, "Fine, I'll skip the question and just assume the answer is yes."

"Good guess. Now tell me," she asked to Gus's surprised expression, "how did you know?"

Gus sighed and said, "You have a different flavor than a regular human."

"So I taste bad?" she asked with a smirk.

"No, that's like comparing apples to oranges."

"So which one am I?" she asked quickly, nervous at how he approached her.

Gus smiled. "Orange I guess."

"Why an orange?"

"Tart!"

"I beg your pardon!" she said, implying that he called her a loose woman.

"Fine!" he roared. "I see the only way I'm going to get you to shut the hell up is to make you!" And with that, he practically flew up to where she sat and pulled her back to the floor where he proceeded to pick up where he left off a moment ago.

Marge fought against him this time, now terrified. "No! Please! I'll answer any question you have. I'll do what you say. Don't do this!" All her struggles were in vain, however, as Gus had a firm lock on her. "I won't drink..." she said weakly. "I'd rather die!"

Oh, how many times I have had someone beg to be turned, especially when my victim is at death's door. Then when I actually make one, they say they prefer death. Well, I was never questioned whether or not I wanted it. Why should they have that luxury? he thought as he felt her heartbeat slow. He pulled away from her and bit into his own wrist and shoved it into the woman's mouth. She had no choice but to take in his blood as it squirted down her throat.

"Suck." he commanded. He wrapped his legs around her, pinning her arms at her sides. "The more you take in now, the easier the transformation will be for you." When she refused to do as he said, he told her, "It's a done deal now, my Marge. Why make this harder on yourself?"

Marge fought against him continuously but she couldn't stop the streams of his blood going down her throat.

"I wonder if I'll be able to read your thoughts once you're mine?" he mused as he settled himself comfortably against her struggling form. When he thought she'd finally had enough, he released her.

Marge desperately tried to make herself vomit. Gus laughing at her only made her more incensed.

"It won't do any good, Marge. Pay some attention to what is happening to you. It's already begun."

"No!" she screamed. "You bastard!" Enraged further by Gus's laughter, she charged at him in a belated attempt to curse him. Never having had much need to practice, her attempt was weak.

"Oh, my. We should probably work on that some after a few days." Gus gave her a toothy grin.

They heard a familiar voice outside. "August! I know you're in there!"

"What is that crazy fool doing out in broad daylight like that?" Gus mused aloud. Then he laughed when he realized Nate thought he wanted to bargain. He watched as Marge collapsed in front of him.

Marge coughed and struggled to rise. She felt extremely sick.

"Of course I'm in here you crazy fool!" Gus replied to Nate's statement. "The real question here is what are you doing out there? Why don't you come and join the party, Nathaniel?" He grinned down at Marge as he continued to loudly speak to Nate. "Come and see the renovations I've just done!"

No! Nate thought.

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Gabriella hopped into Nathaniel's sports car and sped through the streets. She knew Nathaniel had said that Gus had headed to the river, so that's where she'd start. The road ran by an old mill so she figured that was as logical a place to start as any.

Suddenly a feeling of extreme nausea came over her. She had to pull off to the side of the road the feeling was so powerful. Something is wrong. Real wrong. Bad wrong.

She got out of the car and proceeded to have dry heaves so harsh that they brought her to her knees. She felt suddenly glad she'd not eaten in a while. She would've only lost everything just now anyway.

She glanced in the direction of the mill before returning to the vehicle and spied Nate standing outside of it. That was incredibly easy, she thought to herself.

Mom! She's in the mill! Forgetting the car, Gabriella ran the remaining distance to Nathaniel.

"Gabriella, please go home!" Nate said quietly as he turned towards her.

Suddenly, Gus appeared outside the mill as well. "Gabriella? Well, now it is a cozy family party."

"What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked, still shaking from her recent bout of being physically ill.

"Rest assured, dear Gabriella, your mother is safe, and I have wonderful news!" Gus exclaimed.

Any news that's good to you can't be good to me. "What news?" she asked.

"At long last, and no thanks to you I might add, I'm finally going to get to learn my part to play!" he said and stressed the last three words.

Hearing a bit of the vision that she'd once had long ago about her daughter, Marge flew into a rage and attacked Gus with everything she had. "Stay! Away! From! My! Daughter!"

Enraged to be attacked in this manner, Gus picked up Marge by the neck and threw her against a nearby tree. Simultaneously, Nate attacked Gus while Gabriella ran over to her mother.

Gabriella didn't know what to make of her mom. Her face appeared different, younger somehow even though it was contorted with pain.

"Mom, don't move! What if you have a spinal injury?!" she warned as she tried to keep her still.

Marge struggled to rise. She needed to tell Nate it did no good to attack Gus now. The damage had already been done. Her eyes swiveled over to her daughter and they widened in fear. "What are you doing here, Gabriella?! Get away!"

Gabby started to cry. "What's happened to you?" she asked, afraid she knew the answer.

"Never mind me!" Marge tried to wave her away, but her spine had been injured so she could only do so much. She was unable to stand.

Nate! She's away from him! Let's get her and go! Gabby thought-yelled to him.

In a move that surprised Gus, Nate ducked out of his next attack and sped off to the Hudson women. As if she read his mind, Gabriella climbed onto Nate's back while he lifted Marge into his arms. Marge cried out in pain as he lifted her, but he didn't stop to try and make her feel better as he sped off through the woods to the house.

Gus went after them in a heartbeat, and he dogged their heels all the way through the woods to the property line. He slammed against it like one would into a brick wall. 

Gabriella shivered as she heard him actually hiss at them.