Showing posts with label Swimming Upstream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swimming Upstream. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

47: Too Many Barriers

I haven't finished this, but a good enough portion is done so that I feel like I won't mess it up on my way to the ending I want. So... it's back! I'll try to update every two weeks or so.

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Recap:
*Julian rapes Gabriella to get her pregnant and make a hybrid werewolf/witch that can one day work the stone as well as benefit from it.
*Tanner's mate, Katharine, uses a spell to drastically and painfully speed along Gabriella's pregnancy.
*Nate, furious with Marge and Derek, decides to race off on his own to find a way to rescue Gabriella from Tanner's pack.
*Robert is no longer able to resist Marge and falls under her siren's spell.

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Earlier this morning....
    I can hear them! Nate thought with vicious glee as he raced around in the woods surrounding Tanner's compound. It must be an effect of the stone that I can't hear Derek's pack. Tanner's pack has been missing theirs for quite some time now
    Tanner's sentries had, of course, discovered his presence soon after his arrival in the surrounding area. 
     That's right, pups. There's a vampire in your midst. He stifled a sadistic laugh at the young ones' frustrations with not being able to catch him. They don't know I can hear their communications! It must be the animal blood in them that makes them so very very easy to read.
      Sure boys, keep trying to trap me. I know your every thought! he thought as he outmaneuvered them once again.
      Still, the sun was on the rise, and he would need to seek out shelter soon.

      Didn't some sort of lore exist that said vampires couldn't cross running water? Hah! Wrong! he thought as he raced down the river and dove below the surface of it.

      He allowed the river to guide him to the large lake nearby, and he found a dark cave in which to hide for the day. Sure, he felt a mild discomfort and annoyance because he couldn't breathe, but breathing was unnecessary. He could hear the wolves' frustration that they'd lost his scent, and he allowed himself a grin.

      The grin fell off of his face as he pondered his situation. That house was a fortress! He quickly scanned his Gabriella's memories. Thus far when he could spare a quick second to examine the place, he found no weakness in the outer fortifications. He didn't lose hope, however, of ever finding one. Every fort had its weakness.

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       Marge and Robert finally tore themselves from his bed to go to her house and retrieve the stone.
     "It's strange." Marge commented as she and Robert approached the entrance to her her hidden underground room. "I saw Gabby doing this. Not me."
      "You saw it?" Rob asked.
       Shit! Rookie mistake, she thought harshly to herself.
       "And you 'just knew' that Derek wouldn't be angry enough to stop us from being together. Tell me," he said with distrust laced in his voice, "my dear Rose, just how that is."
      "I have visions." she admitted quietly.
      "And you screwed up just now by revealing that, didn't you? You weren't going to tell me?" he asked, his arms folded.
      "There was no need for you to know."
      The two of them descended the staircase in tense silence.
     Marge approached the shelf that housed the true stone, but Rob didn't care about it for the moment.

      He stopped her hand, and as she looked at him in question, he asked, "How could I not need to know?" He paused before continuing, "And you can find out what Tanner is planning!"
      "I'm unable to see. I've tried numerous times, but for some reason, I'm not given any answers sometimes." She looked at him apologetically, hating that she wasn't more powerful.

      Suddenly, he felt this overwhelming need to comfort her, and this tender emotion brought to mind another question. "Have you seen our future? What happens with us?"
      "Wouldn't it be better not to know?" she asked him.
      His face screwed up for a second as he thought yet again how insane it was to be falling for a vampire. Still, he said, "I have to know... if you're able, please." Please tell me where this insanity will lead, he thought as he turned her completely around to face him.
      Marge let out a sigh and did as he requested. She closed her eyes and wordlessly thought her question. Then, she let out a small, distressed noise as a feeling of hopelessness washed over her. She could see Robert standing apart from her with a large grouping of wolves behind him. She was leaving him, and both of them wore a resigned expression. It wouldn't last ... They as a couple couldn't be. There would be too many barriers in their way.
      "What is it?" Robert begged, not liking the expression Marge wore.

      She didn't want to tell him. She almost knew without trying that this relationship was impossible, but to have it shown to her filled her with despair.
       "No." she whispered.
      "We're going to have to one day part ways, aren't we?" Robert guessed. When Marge didn't deny his statement, he said, "It doesn't take a psychic to figure that one out."
    "Yes." she admitted. "You were standing with many wolves behind you, and as I was walking away, I turned once to look back at you. There was no hatred, only sadness."
      "You mean 'will be' because it hasn't happened yet." he growled, gritting his teeth.
      "It's hopeless, Robert. We need to stop this." she said as she turned to pick up the stone. "I'll do my best to stop -"
       "I don't want to!" he said, sounding almost like a spoiled child.
       Her face screwed up as she prepared herself to confess, "It's my fault you feel this way."
       After a few seconds of silence, he said, "So I wasn't imagining it ... the pull."
       "Is my 'dark gift' as it's called." she finished for him before putting the stone into the bag she brought. She turned and made her way up the stairs with him following close on her heels like ... a puppy.
       "I want to say it doesn't matter." he admitted as she closed the secret panel. "That I'd have wanted you anyway with or without that 'gift'."
      She smiled a little as she said, "A nice thought."
     She walked into her dining room and suddenly felt his too-warm arms wrapping around her to stop her progress.

      "I do want you anyway, Rose." he said desperately as he used his name for her, breathing in the scent of her hair.
      "This will only bring pain." she reminded him as she turned around in his arms. Then she was silenced from saying more things he didn't want to hear as his lips hungrily claimed hers.
      "For as long as I can." he finished his earlier statement.
      The sound of the mantle clock chiming reminded the pair of their duty. They needed to return to the pack's house. No more words were spoken as they mutually agreed to leave more of this conversation to a later time and place.

Monday, February 4, 2013

46: Every Rose Has Its Thorn



recap:
-To keep Nate from making a hopeless attempt to rescue Gabriella, Marge knocks him out with a spell once again, and he sleeps through Gabriella getting and seeing in a vision that she's pregnant with multiples then tortured by Tanner's mate, Katharine, to drastically speed along her pregnancy.
-When Nate wakes up (the night before the full moon), all this information comes rushing to him, and he attacks Marge, blaming her from stopping him from saving Gabby. Then he dashes out the door, leaving Derek's pack and abandoning the help they will offer tomorrow night. He doesn't want to wait that long.

Adult content


     Marge let her shock take the back burner as she tried to keep Nate from escaping. She couldn't allow him to ruin the surprise in the surprise attack. She aimed her spell at him several times, but Nate's speed and the strength granted to him from his rage helped him to dodge each spell she hurled. She noticed none of the wolves cared whether he left or not. In fact, the belligerent Rocky merely stood in the doorway to the living room and calmly watched him go while he beat one end of a new pack of smokes into his palm.
     With Nate's departure, the news of Gabriella's status hit hard. Tortured. Pregnant. How could they know this so soon? What now? How was Gabby tortured? What will this mean for their plans? Even more: she let this happen. 
      Marge collapsed at the top of the stairs into a bawling heap. She wasn't normally thrown into fits of despair. This new news of her daughter, and the fact that she could've maybe stopped it, made her break down.
     Robert stood at the top of the stairs just outside his bedroom on the third floor. He'd rushed out of his room when he heard the vampires arguing. Derek had told him to watch them, and he hadn't returned yet. He'd dashed back into his room to watch the male vampire run off. Shit! Now what? he thought in a rather pissed off manner. Then he heard crying.

     He couldn't stand the sight of a crying woman, even if that woman was a vampire.
     "What happened?" he asked as he stood near her.
     "It's all my fault!" Marge cried out.
     He knelt down next to her and moved to try and get her attention, also to brush away any tears. However, he felt surprised there weren't any. He'd forgotten they couldn't cry. What was this then?
      "Where did Nate go?" he asked, trying his best to remain detached.
      "To go get himself killed trying to rescue Gabriella." Marge answered and heard Rob cuss under his breath. Suddenly, she looked up at him imploringly and said, "Go get him! Make him come back!"
       Robert stood up and saw Rocky standing in the foyer. "Well?!" he yelled down to him. "What are you waiting for? Go find him and get him to come back! Use whatever means necessary except killing him." he ordered before Rocky started grumbling about having to go and fetch the old-timer when he wasn't too fond of the bloke to begin with.
      Robert turned around and knelt next to Marge again, who still cried without tears and tried to hide it from him. She kept mumbling about it all being her fault.
    "Rocky will bring him back if he can." he said to the woman, trying to sound reassuring. He started to wonder if there was more to it than that because she wouldn't snap out of her state. "What else is it?"
    "She's pregnant. Somehow they know that already. And for some reason they've tortured her. Nate has this ... connection with her where he can hear her thoughts all the time. When he woke up, he knew what had happened immediately. He blames me! And why shouldn't he?"
   He accomplished it already, Rob thought to himself, remembering the smell in the woods. He didn't understand the torture, however. Why would they do that? I wish she'd stop this pathetic not-crying crying. He reached over to try and pull her hand off of her face, but she stubbornly maintained its position. Why am I even bothering? I don't care about this woman, he thought, but he also couldn't tear himself away. Her presence in his dreams hadn't helped matters either.

     "How can this possibly be your fault? You know very well there was nothing anyone could do. Nothing anyone can do until tomorrow night. Then you can help us." he said as he reached around and rubbed her shoulder and neck. Her skin felt colder than ice, but it felt like a nice antidote to the burning heat he felt all the time. I shouldn't have touched her, he thought to himself, for now he realized how very much he enjoyed the feel of her skin under his hand.

     "It is my fault. If I hadn't have knocked Nate out the first time, he would've known she was getting abducted when it happened. Instead, he only realized it when it was too late after he woke up again." she said as she let go of her face and wrapped her arms around her knees.
      Why?! Why does she have to be beautiful? Robert thought as he battled within himself yet again to resist the invisible pull towards her. As it was, he tilted her face up with his fingers. He tried to convince himself that it wasn't just so he could get a better look.
      He took a deep, steadying breath and said, "How were you to know what would happen?"
      "I should've." Marge said, barely leaving out the part where she could've told him of her ability.

     What the hell is wrong with me? Robert thought as he noticed the look in Marge's ice-blue eyes change. It's like... she's calling me, reeling me in. Why did I get this close?
      "Whatever it is that you're doing, stop it." he mildly ordered, yet he also trailed his thumb across her lips, wondering if they would feel as good against his as her skin felt under his hand.
     "I'm not doing anything." Marge said, speaking the truth. Sure, when he'd tilted her head up, she'd noticed the look in his eyes. Only then did she remember how she affected him, even unconsciously. Earlier, it was all fun and games, but now, she just wanted someone to tell her everything was going to be okay.. even if it was a lie. She repressed a shiver as his over-warm thumb passed over her lips once again. It felt nice, and she wondered what it would be like should he give in and kiss her. Looking into his eyes, she could tell he very much wanted to. She consciously used her gift for the first time on someone that wasn't prey or as a defense, as she had with August.

      Rob couldn't take it anymore!
      "Yes. You are." he said after suddenly leaning into her, stopping himself just before he pounced, hovering his lips over hers. She'd gasped the tiniest bit and leaned away... but not very far away.

     The smallest of growls slipped out of his throat as Marge felt an arm slip around her to keep her from leaning any farther back. Then his lips roughly claimed hers, almost angrily.
      He was hot - in the literal sense. Everywhere he touched her burned as he pulled her up against him. He made Marge think of the old adage, 'if you play with fire, you're going to get burned'.
       Yes. Yes, I want this, Marge thought as she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and another of his hair as she passionately kissed him back.
       Robert groaned just before he mumbled into her lips, "No, you're supposed to be trying to pull away."
        "Why?" Marge asked him with a small trace of a coy smile.
        "Because I have no intention of stopping at a simple kiss."
        "Good." she replied and wondered how he'd take to her ripping his shirt off.

     Before she could decide whether or not to do it, however, he picked her up and carried her towards the stairs.
     Robert did what he'd wanted to do previously in carrying her up to his room. He wondered that if he could just slate his lust for her and be done with it, would she finally be out of his head? He was about to find out.
      Still, something inside of him knew he wouldn't want to let go.
    She's not mine. She can't be mine, even if she wanted to be. There is nothing preventing that monster from calling her back at a whim, he thought as his feet angrily pounded on the stairs.

     He almost roughly deposited the witch/vampire on his bed and immediately climbed on top of her, wanting to more closely peruse this creature that appeared to be submitting to his every wordless demand. Why do I want her so badly? Is it because she's Caitlin's mother? Even though they were both still clothed, he spread her legs just enough to settle himself between them before grabbing her face in his hand. As his thumb yet again traced her full lips, he thought, No. That's not the reason. If anything, that's a hindrance, one of the things that has prevented me from doing this sooner.
    Robert suggestively moved his hips against her, making her sigh. Marge. The name doesn't suit her. The red hair, the constant fangs... she's as beautiful as a rose... with thorns. He felt her hands, claw-like, reach for his shirt. He was fond of this particular shirt, and he didn't want it destroyed like it surely would be if it remained in her hands for much longer. He removed it himself before working on removing her dress.

    Marge rolled her eyes at Robert's attempt to preserve her dress and ripped it off of her body.
    After his mildly shocked expression left his face, Robert said, "That wasn't necessary. It's not like there wasn't time." Because I'm not letting you go any time soon, he finished up in his head.
     "It was in the way." Marge briefly explained. She started to wonder if she would literally catch fire being underneath him like this. She closed her eyes as the pleasantly-hot feeling of his hand traveled over her naked skin.
      After a few moments passed, Robert asked, "Why are you doing this to me?"
      Sadness filled her as she wondered if this would be happening in the absence of her gift. Had it not been for his bad attitude on their first meeting, she would've been attracted to him almost instantly. She supposed he didn't need an immediate answer to his question when his lips hungrily claimed hers.
      "If you don't want this, then don't feel like you have to." she said softly as his lips trailed down her neck. "I just wanted it."

       He paused before he said quite clearly, "Why in the hell would I not want this?"
       "I can think of a few very good reasons."
       "And none of them matter." he said while he undid the clasp of her bra. There was a small pause in their conversation with the removal of that article of clothing and his subsequent exploring of the recently-uncovered skin. "Except..."
      "What?" Marge asked after he'd let his voice trail out.
      "Him. Marge, I..." he paused a moment while his eyebrows formed part of a scowl. "That name doesn't suit you. Besides, that's what he calls you."
      She found herself smiling again as she asked, "Well, what name does suit me?"
      "Rose." he answered simply as his hand caressed her hair before a single finger ran against her fangs.
      A few minutes passed before she realized she'd stopped breathing. After a seemingly-endless moment of watching him watch her, she said, "Then that's what you should call me."
       A knock sounded from the other side of his bedroom door.
       "What?!" he snarled towards it.
       Rocky answered, "I tailed him until he was intercepted by the ancient one. They stood together for a while before the old-timer left the ancient one standing there alone. I didn't want to go up against him by myself, so I came back here to tell you that the old-timer's gone on to Tanner's land." There was a short pause. "Are you going to come out here, or am I going to have to talk to the door all morning? And where's the witch?"
       Robert muttered under his breath, "Use your damn senses for once." Louder, he replied, "You're not going to talk to the door all morning, you're going to go wait for my brother and tell him that I'm giving you your room back. The 'witch'," he paused as if he hated using that word, "will be rooming with me now."
      Marge's eyes widened while the two of them heard Rocky grumbling about 'crazy Lupa brothers taking on the strangest lovers' while he stomped down the stairs. Robert ignored him and removed both their pairs of underwear.

     Hot! Hot hot hot hot hot! Marge thought with an inward hiss as Robert joined their bodies. Then she groaned when he began to move.
      Robert shook his head a little to uncross his eyes after they'd done so when he'd pushed himself inside of her. How did I honestly think I could ever satisfy this lust I have for her? Shit, with every damn thrust I want her more. He pushed harder, demanding more out of her cold body that was indeed the very antidote to the raging fire inside of him.

     "Rose." he groaned when he pulled her up and closer to him. It was impossible anything could feel this good.
      Marge, or... Rose wrapped her legs around him and let him move her in whatever way he wanted. He acted like she weighed nothing as he pulled her to him while he simultaneously pushed himself deep inside her again and again. She desperately clung to him as the mounting pleasure consumed her.
     Robert groaned again as he made the blissful experience last. She's like a drug, he thought, and he was in no hurry to bring this fantastic feeling to a close. The euphoria he felt coursed through his veins like quicksilver, driving him insane.
    Still, no matter how much he tried to hold it off, he could feel his need building to the breaking point, and he closed his eyes while he picked up the tempo. When he opened them again, he saw Rose throw her head back with her mouth open, her teeth glistening in the dim light the storm outside allowed into the room. Her nails raked across his shoulder, drawing tiny droplets of blood as he brought their tempo up to a ridiculously fast pace. An exhale escaped him as Rose let out a whining cry, and as she came around him, he released inside of her, fusing their bodies as one for one blissful moment of eternity. They remained quiet for several minutes.
     Her tongue ran over his shoulder to lick up the droplets of blood just before his body healed in front of her eyes. He tasted... strange.
     Rob flipped his hair out of his eyes to look over at her expression. His eyebrows raised in response to hers being together. "Well?" he asked. "How do I taste?" he clarified, knowing what the answer would surely be, but he wanted to toy with her anyway. When she wouldn't answer, he offered, "Most of your kind find us disgusting."
     She looked relieved about the last thing he said as she admitted, "You are." She smiled back to his laugh.

    After some time had passed and morning arrived, Robert heard his brother enter the house. He wondered what he thought of what Rocky told him. Somehow he didn't think this is what Derek had in mind when he instructed Rocky to tell him to keep a watch on the vampires. He'd let one escape and mated with the other one.
     Rose took a deep breath in so she could say, "He won't be angry."
     Surprised a little that she was awake, he asked, "Oh? Why do you say that?"
     "I just know." she offered as her only explanation.
     "Hm." he said. Then he changed the subject, "We need to get you some clothes."
     She giggled softly before she asked, "Why? I have no sense of embarrassment about my body, and I don't need them to keep warm."
     "Then humor me for my peace of mind." he stated.
     "I doubt seriously that Jeanine or the fairy will let me borrow some of their clothing, and clothes from you, your brother, or even Rocky will be too big."
      "Then I'll break into Nate's house and take some for you." he said. He'd have offered to break into her house, but they both knew it was too protected. He could only enter if she took the new wards off of it that she'd placed upon her and the ancient one's return. Then a knock sounded on the door.
     Derek's moderately-calm voice sounded from the other side, "Robert, I will speak with you now." He stressed the last word to show that though his temper was under control, he only just barely had a lid on it.
      "Remind him of his fairy." Rose said quietly while he moved out from under her. She smiled at him while he covered her with the bed's blankets before he threw on his clothing.

     Robert took Rose's advice when Derek confronted him about what Derek considered the idiocy of taking a vampire as a lover. Robert understood the worry his brother had that his Rose still technically 'belonged' to the ancient asshole that killed their step-mother. He eventually convinced Derek that he wouldn't go back on his decision, and Derek repeated Robert's order to Rocky and gave him back his room. Both of the brothers knew not to expect the other vampire to return.

    True to his word, Robert easily broke into Nate's house to take some clothing for Rose. He'd happily found a drawer that was filled with what must've been her scent as a human. His suspicions were confirmed by her lit up face when she saw what he'd brought her, and she quickly put on a favorite old dress.
      "You're not tired, are you?" He asked her with a smile in his voice as he laid himself down on the bed on top of her.
      A small smile turned up the corners of her full lips before she answered, "I was up most of the night last night. Besides, you know I'm nocturnal, and we both need to rest for tonight."
     "We need to get into your house to get the stone before nightfall." he said almost sadly. He worried about what the night would bring, and now he had the added worry of losing her.
      "We have a few hours before we have to do that. Can't we just stay here and rest for a while?" she asked, appearing to echo his melancholy state.
     "Yes." he answered. "I like that idea." he added and held her close, wanting to make these precious hours with her last.


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So very, very sorry for the mild confusion about Marge's new name to those few that have read my silly, little legacy starring her. I'd always intended to change Marge's name to Rose, and as this chapter was being written, everything fell into place for it to occur now. Although, the only one to call her Rose is Robert, and it will most likely remain that way for a while.

The Rose in the legacy and the Rose in this story remain two separate sims that just so happen to have the same name and look alike... almost like they exist in an alternate universe from the other one. hehe.

Friday, May 4, 2012

3: Swimming Upstream

 

Warning: crappy pictures! I must've been tired when I took these.



"I thought you said you would never see me again." she spat with a note of sarcasm in her voice.

"Unfortunately," he began as he took a look around her humble living area, "something has happened that I cannot ignore." He threw his hands up before slapping his thighs in an aggravated fashion. "That's just the problem. I can't ignore it." he said as bubbles from the sink covered her hands. "Would you please get out of my head?"


"I'm not in your head. You're in mine, remember?" she said laconically.

"If I'm in your head I can't get out then. Whatever it is that you did, make it stop."

"I didn't do anything." she said simply like she was talking to a child.

"Yes, you did! Would you like for me to repeat everything you've thought last night and this afternoon? I'm assuming you slept most of the day."

She spun around to face him, leaning against the counter for support. She dried her hands on her shorts before she asked, "What on earth are you talking about?"


"You mean you don't know?" he asked as he took a few more steps in her direction.

"No. Why?"

He sighed and scratched his head, "I suppose I hoped in vain that you would know what to do." He paced back and forth in front of her agitatedly while she stared at him with wide eyes. 


"Oh, and that whole bit about your choices being taken from you, don't for one minute think I don't feel the same way! Don't you find it exceedingly odd that your vision told us we'd end up together somehow?"


She looked down and thought about how she'd long ago given up thinking anything about her visions were "odd". They were what they were, and she knew she'd figure out the "odd" things eventually.

When she didn't answer, he continued, "What if I don't want anything to do with you?"

She shrugged and waved her arm to indicate her house. "Nobody asked you to come over tonight! You're here because you have a problem! And you're only here because you think I can solve it! Well, guess what?! I can't." She paused a moment before she continued, "So stop saying you want nothing to do with me! Don't you think I've gathered that already?"

"So I take it this has never happened before?" he asked, deciding to ignore her outburst and get back to the reason he was here.


"No... you're the only vampire I've ever met. We don't really see any of 'your kind' here." she said, and as she said 'your kind' her lip curled up in a sneer. "Most don't believe you even exist."

"I've never heard of this happening before. Not to this extreme anyway." he said, determined to keep the conversation on getting her out of his head.

"You really heard everything?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes, and not only that, but I felt every emotion too." he said somberly.

Thrill she thought sarcastically.

"Oh." he continued. "And thanks for the compliment." he said with a grin. After her look of confusion, he added, "The eyes thing."

Go to hell. She glared at him. He merely laughed in return.

"Already there, I'm afraid." he said as he turned to go.

Gabriella knew this wouldn't be the last time she'd see him, but she was glad to see the back of him as he walked to her front door. She leaned back on the counter with relief.


Almost instantaneously, he was standing right in front of her with an angry expression on his face. "You know, you really piss me off with this attitude that you assume that since every other time you've been right, you'll be right this time as well!"

"It's not an 'attitude'; it's fact!" she panted, his sudden nearness making her very wary."Lord knows I don't want to be right this time!"

"Good!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" he barked back at her.

She backed into the counter as far as she could, feeling trapped. 

She was all but sitting in the sink as he lorded over her, just staring at her thinking God knows what.

So she doesn't read my thoughts as well. Psychic, not a mind reader. Good. Nathaniel felt somewhat reassured by this revelation as he sensed her wondering what he was thinking. How was it that just as he was about to leave he had that urge to run over and argue with her right in her face? He just got so mad that she was glad to see him go, and that mildly hurt his ego. That was a bad idea. It brought him too close to her. He could smell the sugary cereal on her breath.

She's wondering if I'm going to kiss her he thought with a touch of shock. Am I? No. That would bring us one step closer to her vision coming true. I should leave now. He quickly stepped back as if she had suddenly caught fire and he didn't want to get burned.

He turned and walked a few steps to her door once again.

She quietly followed him. "I'm sorry." she said out of the blue.

"For what?" he asked after he turned around again, curious as to what she'd actually say.

"For dragging you into all this. You didn't ask for it either. It's not really my fault, but I'm sorry all the same." she said to him in nervous embarrassment.

Nathaniel wondered about the woman standing in front of him. Since yesterday, all he'd seen of her and felt later convinced him she was an absolute shrew - complaining about everything, having a temper-tantrum, and generally being mad at the world and especially him. This sudden change of mood caught him a little off guard. It was a pleasant surprise, all things considered. 

She started speaking nervously again, "I just... didn't want you to leave angry. It would've bugged me later."

Even though it shouldn't. Why should it bug me if he's mad? she thought to herself. But I'm going to have a hard enough time going to sleep tonight anyway; why make it worse?

A unforeseen softening of his heart to the girl made Nathaniel suddenly furious. He could feel it happening, yet he fought against it like he was fighting to swim upstream.

"Get... out.... of.... my... head!" he said harshly to her while working hard to stifle the urge to shake her. Mildly frightened of his own anger, he fled out the door.

Gabriella concentrated on trying to control the frantic rate of her heart. She'd apologized and that's how he took it!?! What was wrong with him?

What was her life coming to? He must hate her. Who could blame him if all he'd seen of her was how she's acted the past day or so? In fact, he was probably listening in to her little pity party right now. AND he didn't want to! Sure, she'd love to "get out of his head", but she didn't know how she got in there so how can she get out?

Nathaniel didn't get far when he ran out of her house. He came back and stood outside her front window and felt awful about he acted. He just felt so angry that he was starting to believe the vision could be right, and he felt powerless to stop it. 

Again, he felt like he was swimming against a strong current. He knew he had to figure out how to block her out of his mind. He knew he should stay away from her and forget her, but how could he when he couldn't help but think about her every second?