Part Two Summary

The second part to this story started out with Nate having a dream. His memories took him back to right after he'd signed up to go fight in the war. His then fiancee, Helen, comes running out of his family's house fussing at him, saying he better not have signed up. He didn't want to tell her at first, but eventually he had to give her the bad news. Furious, she had a crying fit in his arms. He promised her the war would only last a few weeks at most. (yeah, right) She couldn't be appeased, and her crying tore at his heart.

The dream shifted and Nate found the two of them in a strange place where the very air around them couldn't seem to decide what form it would take. Helen looked like a ghost, and that made Nate sad because he wanted to hold her in his arms again. He told her he missed her, and that he wished that he'd never gone off to fight because then they could be together wherever she is. She answered that they were together as she materialized into a more solid form in front of him. Happily, he walked up and embraced her.

When he pulled back from the embrace, the dream started to lose its dreamy quality and Gabriella stood before him. Shocked and amazed, he could do nothing but stare. Gabriella smiled almost apologetically, shrugged, and said, "I missed you."

Startled, Nate awoke with a jerk. However, it didn't take him long to forget what about the dream startled him the way it did. He could remember the beginning, but not the end.

He forgot the dream some more when Gabriella stirred against him and woke up. The two of them set off to accomplish Nate's plan to kick Gus to the curb.

While Gus stood at the bar and worked on making Bloody Mary's in celebration of Gabriella moving in, Gabriella walked over and said the magic words, "I rescind your invitation into my house, Gus." She felt terrified the whole time, and wouldn't have been able to do it without Nate's supportive presence nearby. 

Gus flew up into the air and, after a few harsh, threatening words, out the door. Gabriella mentally heard a 'thunk' sound as if the cogs in the wheels of a great machine turned once. Her action of kicking Gus to the curb only brought them closer to the vision occurring.

She panicked and told Nate about her realization.

Nate comforted her as best he could, and as he did he thought about the possible bad outcome of Gabriella's visions. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want to go through losing someone he loved again. He'd done it twice already. The first time with Helen, and the second (albeit less painful all things considering) with Imogen (a girlfriend he had in the 1930s that died in a car crash). He decided that he would end his existence in whatever way he could because that would be better than living without Gabby.

He told her he loved her probably more strongly than she even realized even though they hadn't known each other that long. Gabriella told him she loved him as well. I believe this is the first time she actually tells him she loves him with words. If I'm wrong I'll come back and correct this.

Well, that did it for Nate! Any possible restraint he had broke with her saying that, and poor Gabriella could barely keep up with him as he practically attacked her.

Then... the maid arrives. That kinda put a damper on the whole moment. So, Nate decided they should go upstairs and figure out what they would do to it so Gabby could be more comfortable. The whole time Nate was talking to her, he couldn't help but think they were wasting their time talking about all this, because she hadn't even been in the house for half a day and he was already ready to carry her off to his bedroom.

After the maid left, Nathaniel got an idea. He decided to give Gabby a tour of the house, just so she would know where everything was. Every place they went, he kissed her-the next place more passionately than the last. He also carried her from place to place because she moved too slow for his liking. Gabriella got a little miffed about this, and asked him to at least tell her when he planned on picking her up. So, he did, almost comically.

Gabriella also got a little aggravated that he would stop kissing her to show her the next place or room. She thought loudly to him Tour's over! But he had one more room to show her... his bedroom.

"Picking you up now!"

So, he carried her over his shoulder into his room, walked to the middle of it, and turned in a circle so that she could see everything with her yelling at him the whole time for him to put her down.

"You want me to put you down?" he asked mischievously.

"Yes!" she yelled at him.

"Okay!" he said and plopped her down on the bed.

"My lady psychic," he said as he climbed on top of her, "you should've seen this coming."

Yeah, so then we leave Nate and Gabby there for a while and go see what Gus has gotten himself up to.

Well, Gus remembered that one of the first things that Nate had told him to do was not hunt the local population, so that's what he went to go do... hunt the local population. He walked into the bar and scoped out the possibilities. His eyes settled on a lonely-looking redhead seated at the bar.

He struck up a charming conversation with the woman, mildly irritated he couldn't read her mind. When the woman introduced herself and they shook hands, she gasped because all of a sudden she had a pretty good idea who he was. When Gus heard her name was Marge HUDSON, he couldn't help but wonder if there could be a relation to Gabriella. He had to wonder if she possessed the same gift as Gabby since he couldn't read her at all.

Marge called him the 'other one', meaning the other vampire she heard in her vision that somewhat mirrored Gabby's vision of the night Nate tries to turn her. That's all Gus needed to hear.

Marge left the bar in fright. Gus let her go, confident he'd find her. Marge called Gabby's cell phone, but got no answer so she left a message saying what had happened. Then she went to drive home. Well, she was drunk and she wrecked her car and hit her head on the steering wheel.

Gus left the bar casually and easily followed her scent to the wrecked car. He had her!

 Gabby and Nate, remember, had been making out on Nate's bed. When Nate went for the button of her shorts, Gabriella freaked out, making Nate stop. They had a small discussion about her being too nervous to go any further, and they fell asleep.

Nate woke up not too much later and realized, belatedly, that he had no human food in the house, and that Gabriella would be starving since she'd skipped lunch and dinner. It wasn't too late to grab a bite to eat at the diner, so he woke her up, eventually having to lift her out of the bed because she was so tired.

They discovered Gabriella had lost her cell phone in the couch during the 'tour' earlier. So, she picked it up and saw she had a message. While listening to the message, she got Nate's full attention. Off they went searching the streets for Marge. They found her abandoned car on the side of the road, her not in it. Nate could smell Gus, and the trail he left.

Nervous that Gus had left such an obvious trail to be followed, he told Gabriella to go back home. Gabby refused. They both go home, and Nate traps her in her bedroom.

Meanwhile, Gus took Marge to the old abandoned mill next to the river and waited for her to wake up. He had some questions for her to answer for him. If she answered them 'correctly', he'd turn her. If not, he'd make a meal out of her. Either way, he wins.

As it turned out, he found that she did have the same gift as Gabby. Well, wasn't that a lovely little gift to him from the cosmos that he'd come across the more experienced 'model' of the type of person he was looking for! He went to turn her and came across a surprise.... a flavor that he hadn't tasted in centuries. "Witch!" he threw at her. Marge laughed, confirming his suspicion.

They had a little discussion as Gus processed this information. He eventually decided that it didn't matter, and that it might actually be even better for him to have a witch at his command.

He trapped her and turned her.

That's when Nate arrived on the scene, asking Gus to release Marge from outside the mill. Unbeknownst to Nate, Gabriella had escaped her bedroom and taken his sports car to speed around the roads around the river, since she'd gathered that much intell from Nate. It didn't take her long to find them. Nate was not happy about her arrival.

As soon as Marge heard Gus utter the words "part to play", she freaked out. Sick as she was, she still ran out and picked a fight with him. Angered, Gus threw her against a tree, breaking her back. Gabriella rushed over to her mother, who scolded her for even being there. Gabriella ignored the scolding and thought over to Nate for them to just leave and take her mother with them.

Gus didn't expect Nate to do that. Once Nate had picked up Marge, Gabriella grabbed hold of him around his neck and off they went with Gus in pursuit. As he hit the property line, it rebounded him like a force field. Gabriella turned and looked back to see Gus hiss at them.

(new computer now-yay!)

Gabriella was furious with Nate that he didn't prevent her mother from being turned. They have a big fight. Gabriella planned on leaving him as soon as her mother was turned and Gus undoubtedly called her to him.

Marge's back heals itself and she starts changing quickly and drastically. She also can "see" without really trying to, and she knows that Nate and Gabriella have to go to her house and get the magical items out of her hidden basement room.

She also tells Gabriella about her father's ability and that she too is a witch.

Stunned, Nate and Gabriella go to Marge's house to follow her instructions on how to access this secret underground room.

While they were there, Nate desperately tried to get Gabriella to forgive him for pretty much allowing Gus the opportunity to turn Marge. Gabriella was furious, but Nate was persuasive.

Something a little funny happened here so I'll be sure to share that:

Gabriella complained that they needed to get inside before he burned up and that she needed to unlock the door.

"So unlock it." Nate murmured.

"But I dropped the key."

"So pick it up." Nate said, pointing out the obvious solution. His arm snaked around her waist.

So, she did just that, and since he hadn't let go of her waist, her bottom pressed up against him. Holy shit! Nate thought, realizing he pretty much asked for that.

So, they went inside and followed Marge's instructions on how to get into the hidden chamber.

Down there, Gabriella got drawn to a book. When Nate walked over to see what she was reading, all he saw was a bunch of nonsense. It wasn't nonsense to Gabriella. Turns out you have to be a witch to read the book, and witches are born, not made.

Gabriella studied the book while Nate quickly loaded the stuff in the back of the truck. When he was finished, they both left together to find Gus leaning against the truck.

"Hello, kidnappers." he said, glaring at the pair of them.

Gus quickly grabbed Gabriella and threatened to steal her from Nate since he'd stolen Marge from him. Nate did his best to maintain calm, but Gabriella panicked. Neither of them knew how on earth they were going to get out of this mess.

So, Gabriella did something she really didn't want to do. She used her ability to 'ask' what she should do by learning what was about to happen.

She was shown.

Moments after this, Gus threatened to find out just how she tasted when Gabriella mentally thought a very loud 'NO!'. This pulsing wave of energy shot out from her. Gus, having been right on top of her, got the full force of the attack, and it knocked him flat on his ass. Nate, having stood a little ways away, was merely knocked to the ground.

That turned out to be a good thing too that Nate wasn't completely knocked out because what she did drained Gabriella completely of her energy. Nate rushed over to her just in time to catch her as she passed out. Worried, he drove her home.

Gabriella stayed out for several hours while Nate and Marge had a talk and sort of argument about who's fault it was that she was turned. Marge blamed herself.

When Gabriella finally woke up, she thought some very nice things about Nate and how she was glad to see him when she woke up. As she sat up, Nate surprised her by kissing her. At first, she just let him, but then when he wouldn't back off she started trying to get him to stop.

Nate couldn't stand it. They'd had a very tumultuous day, and he hated the thought of her angry with him and wanting to move out. He felt determined that her trying to pull away was not going to stop him this time.

She continued to fuss at him with her thoughts, pissing him off. He let her scramble out of the bed.

She accused him of 'ruining the moment' by trying to seduce her. She'd finally started forgiving him and he just had to push his luck. And all while her mother lay somewhere in the house suffering!

Nate pointed out three things: 1- He wasn't ruining the moment, he was making it better. 2- She hadn't started to forgive him, she had. 3- (and best of all) She wanted it too.

(man, it's tough to argue with someone who can read your mind!)

He also told her how her mother had come to terms with what was happening to her, and that Gabriella should too. Gabriella thought to herself My mother won't even be my mother in a matter of hours. This upset Nate, and he mentioned that she would be. Did she think he had changed? She said she wouldn't know.

But then something happened! Something about what she said felt a little off. Suddenly, this mental picture appeared in her head. Nate was amazed. It was a picture of the house where he lived as a human! How did that get there?! It was on the edge of the spectrum of her thoughts, but it looked like a memory. He could tell the difference.

He had to act fast because Gabriella darted for he door. He caught her of course, and they discussed it. Gabriella said she had no idea what that was. Naturally, Nate was obsessed with finding out where it came from, but thinking about it scared Gabriella for some reason. Also, as Nate tried to read her mind to find out where it came from, there seemed to be this mental block with a 'do not enter' sign taped across it. Gabriella felt truly terrified of the crazed look in Nate's eyes, so Nate decided to let it go for now.

After a few moments, Nate caught Gabriella's thoughts again. "Dreams?" he asked. She was getting the pictures from dreams. How could this be? She's not a mind reader, and he had no pictures.

Gabriella told him about her sad dreams where she would be running in an annoyingly huge skirt and not able to reach where she wanted to get to, and that she hated them. He tried to get her to talk more about them, but she refused. She even somehow prevented herself from thinking them as well.

He decided to drop it, knowing he wouldn't get any farther then. Things settled down around the house, and Nate decided to play the piano for a little while. Gabriella came over to watch him play, not even realizing how the way she leaned against the piano caused her nightshirt to open just a little more revealing than Nate could handle in his present state.

Gabriella mentions that she'd always wished she could play, so Nate offers to teach her, offering her the bench. She sits down and starts reading the music (she'd played the flute before). Nate noticed she only played with her right hand, and he asked her why. She said she didn't know how to read the bass clef. So, he gave her a crash course on it, and then sat on the bench behind her to aid her left hand in playing. Of course, it doesn't take long for this position they're in on the piano bench to cause Nate to bury his face in her hair, and he whispered to her he loved her. Gabriella went instantly on alert and debated getting up, causing Nate to only hold her tighter. In fact, he quickly turned her around to face him with one leg on either side of him.

 She asked him to stop it, and he told her that never in his life had he ever wanted to not 'stop it' more than right now. Then he pulled her face down to his and kissed her. As he did, he rocked her body against his and he could feel coming from her just how much she wanted this. He could feel everything she felt, and he reveled in it.

Still, however, Gabby asked him to stop, and, aggravated, he let her go. Now, he really started getting frustrated.

(I just really liked this title pic so much that I had to include it.)

Marge finished turning after teaching Gabriella as much as she could in the short time given to her.  Once she did, Nate grew very suspicious of her and protective of Gabriella. Marge yelled at him saying that even if Gus ordered her to do something bad to Gabriella, she wouldn't, for a mother's bond to her daughter was stronger than that of a maker to his progeny. Gus stood waiting at the property line, and he called her to him as soon as as her turning was complete. He also commanded her to get the book. As she went for it, Nate stopped her (for once, the stronger vampire). Gabriella, brokenhearted, ordered her mother from the house.

Nate and Gabriella ran outside (well, Nate carried her) to watch as Gus greeted Marge warmly. Then the pair vanished, running off into the far hills.

Even though she felt furious towards him, Gabriella allowed Nate to hold her while she cried. She planned on leaving him in the morning. Nate was determined to prevent it from happening.

He spent the night propped up against her door so that he wouldn't miss it if she happened to try to sneak out. By the time she woke up, he had sat himself on one of the chairs from the chess table, awaiting her. (oh and by the way, he didn't want her going to work either... he knew what that mayor had planned for her and he wasn't going to allow that while he still drew breath.)

They had a little spat, and Gabriella asked him why should she stay? He said because he loved her, because she loved him, because they needed each other. She accused him of making her his prisoner. This made him upset, so he asked her to prove to him that she'd be safe if she left. He asked her to look into the future and show him. So, grudgingly, she did. She asked the whatever-it-was to tell her if she would be okay in the near future.

Naturally, she won't be. The whatever-it-was showed her her original visions of her and Nate. She reiterated 'near future?' It responded to her question by showing her a magic 8 ball saying 'signs point to yes'. Then, a little surprise.

She saw herself and Nate at a carnival in a fortune teller's tent, and her asking for some questions to be answered.

When she came to, Nate reminded her that it said 'near future'. She pulled out her cell phone and called her boss to quit without notice.

So, things began to get a little more normal. Gabby studied her mother's old books, and Nate remained ever watchful to see if Gabby would attempt any of her random thoughts of escape. Then, one evening, he decided they should go out to dinner. Gabriella went and changed into a dress with a very short skirt.. just to torture him. She'd threatened to do just this back when he'd trapped her in her room while they'd searched for her mother.

Deciding he'd give her what she was obviously asking for, Nate grabbed her butt among other things as they walked to the car. Gabriella felt uncomfortable.

They had a little tiff in the car when Nate refused to remove his hand from her knee. So, as he hit the gas he moved it up further. The entire time Nate refused to let himself (even though he really wanted to) smile victoriously as Gabriella started to wish that she hadn't have put on that dress after all.

When they got to the parking lot, Nate parked the car and started complimenting her on her legs, remembering how compliments would make her flustered. Then he started telling her he had an aching desire to run his tongue along the insides of her legs.. "a little like this" he said as he ran his finger along the inside of them. Gabriella couldn't decide if she really wanted to stop him like she was trying to, or if she wanted him to add more pressure to his feather-light touch. Just when he knew he was driving her crazy, he mentioned that they couldn't do that because she was hungry after all. He got out of the car and allowed himself a small smile while she wasn't looking.

Gabriella told him to stop the 'seduction crap' before she walked off in a huff. He caught her after she'd walked a few steps and said that if she didn't want him to act like this then she shouldn't dress the way she was after denying him. He says that she did it to torture him, and it was only fair to torture her in return.

He also reminded her just who exactly she was dealing with. His words of wisdom to her were, "Before engaging in any battle it is wise to understand one's enemy." Then he didn't kiss her when she expected him to.

Undaunted from this warning, she asked him about vampires and garlic. He explained to her that all human food was gross, but garlic was the nastiest thing on the planet. So, she ordered blackened salmon with garlic mashed potatoes. --- her move to keep him off of her.

It worked. A little too good. Days later, she felt tired of having Nate treat her like she was disgusting because it took days to get out of her system. Nate wasn't extremely disgusted (like a little garlic could keep him off of her!), but he wanted her to feel the rejection she thought she wanted. She didn't like it. In fact, she didn't like it so much that she planned another escape attempt.

Of course, Nate was there to stop her. Aggravated that it took this for him to pay attention to her, Gabriella told him how hurt she was. He told her how hurt he was that she'd ordered the garlic on purpose. They went back and forth for a little while before Nate realized that he should just let her go if she really wanted to go or they'd repeat the same cycle over and over of him wanting to keep her safe so making her feel like a prisoner causing her to get back at him by walking around in skimpy little outfits then denying him but being upset when he tried to get a little frisky which would make him mad and back off a little more than she wanted etc etc. (catching my breath now)

She left and went to a motel. At the motel, she had a long conversation with herself in the mirror and determined that she had trust issues since remembering what her mother did to her father when she cheated on him. She tried to convince herself that Nate was trustworthy.

Meanwhile.... what about Gus and Marge? What happened to them?

They went to stay at another of Gus's 'children's' house in Barnacle Bay that had to vacate the area for a while while he waited for the current generations to die off. Gus begins to realize he's very attracted to Marge.. almost like it's unnatural. He does his best to keep his distance. It wouldn't do for her to know just how very much he wanted her.

He can't resist her for long, and eventually took what he considered his. They share a passionate struggle for power that looked like Marge was losing. That is... until Marge climaxed. Then Gus became certain he knew what Marge's dark gift was. She was addictive, and he was addicted. He felt an overwhelming desire to please her that he fought tooth and nail from then on.

Alright, now back to Nathaniel and Gabriella....

Gabriella couldn't stay the whole night at the motel, so she left at about 3am to head back home. As she went to car, she heard a strange growling that sounded like a large dog or a bear or something coming from the dark woods. She quickly got in her car... which wouldn't start. (typical)

When it finally did, she sped out of the parking lot.

Nate had been having a nightmare of Gabriella in trouble when he heard her very noisy car pull into the driveway, waking him up. He heard Gabriella wondering if he'd even forgive her.

Quick as a blink, he popped up in front of her and said, "Yes he will!" Then, well, you can see what he did next in the picture.

Still, though, Gabriella felt nervous about being intimate. Nate decided it was time for another dance lesson, and this time, he chose to teach her the tango.

She struggled with it at first, but Nate thought she was just being stubborn and refusing to try on purpose. When she finally started really getting it, she laughed at the next song to play on his playlist, Queen's "Somebody to Love". Yes, they danced the tango to "Somebody to Love". (Nate says it's all in the leading.)

The whole dance scene reflected, almost directly, their whole relationship. By the end of it, Nate carried her off, headed in the direction of his bedroom.

But of course, Gabriella freaked out. Nate got really mad and he said to her, "And I wondered why you were still single and still a virgin" really angrily. Then he kicked himself when he felt the words he said pierce right through her and then settle right in, there to stay.

So, then he tried to eat humble pie, trying very hard to not let the sight of her drive him insane. He tried to apologize, but she wouldn't have it. He said it. He meant it. She didn't want him to take it back. She told him about her trust issues, but Nate knew there was something else. She was afraid, but he couldn't figure out about what exactly. She finally told him she was a little afraid of him and really afraid of the actual deed. She thought to him that she was also a little afraid he'd bite her. He told her he wouldn't... unless she wanted him to. Suddenly she wasn't so afraid of that, and in fact, it turned her on just a little bit.

Gabriella, unhappy with him being unhappy, turned around and thanked him for understanding, brushing her fingertips against his face. This was a weakness of his, and the thin shred of self-control he had shattered. The next few seconds found Gabriella beneath him on the bed.

She tried to back away, but he just followed her and pulled her back. Before too long, Gabriella started crying, and Nate couldn't stand it anymore how he was making her afraid. He backed off and said he couldn't do this until she was ready, and she obviously wasn't ready. But he wasn't giving up and he planned on doing whatever it took to get her ready because it was going to happen.

Then he made another request. He didn't want her sleeping upstairs anymore, but to just move into his bedroom with him. She was okay with this.

They fell asleep, and we travel into another dream sequence:

We see Helen standing, looking out a window, waiting for her Nathaniel. It was Christmas 1863, and Nate had gotten leave for Christmas. They'd agreed to just meet there at the ball. At first, she was worried he wouldn't make it, but then she saw the Hamilton's carriage pull up.

She barely had any time to calm herself down before she found herself swung around in a circle in Nate's strong arms. Then he kissed her right in front of everyone, and she fussed at him about it. What she wanted to do was find a cozy little spot somewhere where they could have a very friendly reunion in private. Then Nate recommended they go do that, without Helen having to tell him. It was almost like he could read her mind!

So, they went off into a bedroom and had a more passionate reunion, and they were interrupted by Nate's sister, Bethany, and her boyfriend, Thomas, who were both sixteen. Nate scolded them for wanting to do exactly what he and Helen were doing, and Bethany called him on it. Helen broke up the fight and everyone relocated to the ballroom.

They shared some lovely, happy moments. Thomas was sure to steer clear of Nate, and Helen reminded him that those two were the same age as they were when Nate asked her to marry him. A preacher was in town, and Nate begged Helen to have them go ahead and get married that night and just have a party later. She didn't want that. She wanted the big wedding.

Then the dream shifts to a less-happy scene.

After saying goodbye on the back porch, Helen followed Nate around to the front of the house. He had to leave to go back, and Helen was afraid for him. He assured her everything would be fine, and he asked her to promise him that when he saw her again that they would get married. She said yes. He said 'good, then when I get back we can get started on making little Hamilton babies' before he laughed at himself. He kissed her once and rode off.

Helen raced off to a small hill in front of the house to watch him go. She almost didn't make it. Her skirts kept getting in the way and tripping her up.

She only just barely saw Nate before he disappeared forever behind the horizon. She never saw him again... in this lifetime.

Nathaniel got awakened by Gabriella's crying, and he gently shook her awake. When she woke up, the dream was still fresh in her mind, and she threw her arms around a very shocked Nate. Of course, he saw everything in her memories of the dream before they started to disappear. That's not from reading my mind. That's from Helen's mind! Nate thought, and begged Gabriella to tell him what this meant.

Gabriella finally knew why she kept dreaming about running in an annoying huge skirt. It was this dream.

Nate told her all that stuff really happened, and she dreamed it like she'd been there. He was beginning to think she was there. Gabriella didn't want to think that she was this Helen person, even though the dream was shown from her point of view. She worried that now Nathaniel would only love her because he thought she was Helen. Nate knew this. He tried very hard to keep from thinking it, but as we all know, the more you try to not think about something, the more it worms its way in.

In a slight huff, Gabriella got up and said she was going to go get dressed.

He couldn't help it. The idea was there, planted in his head. What if it was true? What if Gabriella and Helen were the same? Then Helen must've really loved... love him to come back like that. Could it be true?

He paced the floor in his room, trying to stop himself from getting his hopes up, and he failed miserably. Gabriella walked in, saw the look on his face, and turned right around.

The entire next week they spent trying to get Gabriella to work past her fear of physical intimacy. Things were only made harder and more difficult since Gabriella now suspected him of only wanting her now because he thought she was Helen.

Then the day of their visit to the carnival arrived.

Just like she saw in her vision. Gabriella had questions she wanted answered. #1 she wanted to know was if she indeed was this Helen person. The lady asked her why she didn't just find out for herself, since Gabby was more powerful than she was. Gabby explained that she wanted to hear it from somebody else. So, the lady "asked". She got quiet and gasped, then got quiet again. She told Gabby that yes, in a past life she was Helen Stone. Nate was so stunned he actually had to sit down.

The lady explained to them both that Gabby wasn't still Helen, that she had been Helen, but Helen was now dead. Her soul survived, of course, and then she became Gabriella. Nate was her soul mate. Gabriella was overwhelmed. Nathaniel was overjoyed. He only waited a little while before he practically vaulted the table, took Gabriella in his arms and kissed her passionately with the woman sitting there. Gabriella felt jealous of Nate's memories. She still could hardly believe that she was this other person a long time ago. She knew deep down it was true, but she worried that Nate loved Helen more.

Nate happily drug Gabriella through the streets of the fair to a secluded place next to one of the buildings. He was mildly upset by what Gabriella was thinking. To him, it was ludicrous for her to believe that he only loved her because she'd once been Helen. Yes, he loved Helen, but he loved her too. He loved her. Besides, how can she be jealous of herself?

They stay at the carnival until the place closes and they practically throw them out. Once home, they discuss Gabriella's past life. She'd died in childbirth with her fifth child, another boy. Nate didn't tell her the baby died as well. Gabriella wondered if there were any descendants. Nate said he purposefully did not keep up with that so that he wouldn't be tempted to disrupt their lives.

Then, both of them tired, Nate said it was time for them to go to bed. Gabriella inwardly groaned, dreading another bout of 'let's see how far we can push Gabriella tonight'. Nate told her he thought they'd been through enough today without doing that. Gabriella relaxed.

That thought of his changed when Gabriella finally came to bed after spending a ton of time in the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. She'd picked out something comfy to wear to bed that was new. It was silk. It made it to where Nate couldn't keep his hands off of her.

Again, Gabriella shot down everything Nate tried to do to get her to realize that she wanted this as much as he did. Frustrated, angry, and generally pissed off, he got out of bed to go sleep on the couch. He said he couldn't sleep in that bed that night without practically raping her. He also took the headache rather than hear her thoughts. Exhausted, he fell asleep as Gabriella cried herself to sleep.

Nate woke up in the middle of the night with the overwhelming feeling that something was wrong.

Then he heard with his ears that Gabriella was crying again, but this time the crying wasn't a pity party. No, this was more of a heart-wrenching cry. He tuned her back in. She was having a bad dream, a really bad dream. He felt a pull to go to her and wake her up, so he did. When Gabriella woke up, he realized she'd been dreaming of when Helen saw Nathaniel's name in the dead/missing list, and how Helen had regretted not getting married when she had the chance.

Gabriella started passionately kissing him. Nate, at first, tried to be good and not let it get to the point to where he would be tortured again, but then he sensed Gabriella's determination to not stop this time. That was all the encouragement he needed!

I won't go into a huge amount of detail on this love scene. Go read it if you really wanna know. :P hehe. At any rate, they finally... finally made love, and Nate asked her to marry him.

She said yes!

Unbeknownst to Nate, Gus stood just on the other edge of the property line, listening to them. Gus was thrilled. The blocking spell Marge placed upon him worked! Nate didn't 'hear' him.

(but remember... when Nate woke up.. it wasn't because he heard Gabriella crying, it was because he sensed something was wrong...)

Alrighty, that's the end of this summary for part 2!