Chapter Forty-nine They were already asleep by the time the phone rang. Nate grumbled, rolling over onto his stomach. He nestled deeper into the pillow and resumed his snoring. The second ring sounded and he mumbled something unintelligible. Annoyed, Lindy crawled out from beneath his arm and reached for the phone. "H'lo?" she said, her voice groggy. Her mother's voice sounded distraught on the other end of the line. "Turn on the television, Lindy." Lindy blinked, momentarily wondering if she was still dreaming. "Why?" "We're being attacked by terrorists. Turn on the TV." Not quite believing her mother, she fumbled for the remote by the phone. Punching the power button, she was wide-awake when she saw the replay of the jetliner crashing into a the World Trade Center. "Oh my God," she whispered, reaching over to shake Nathaniel, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Muh?" He blinked several times at the sudden brightness in the room, smacking his lips, before glancing up at her. When he saw she wasn't even looking at him, he turned over to see what she was staring at. He groggily watched the newscaster, saying something about hijacked airliners, and was about to go back to sleep, when he suddenly caught the America Under Attack headline. He sat up a little higher, propping his pillow up behind him. "What's going on?" She turned to him, covering the receiver with her hand. "Mom says they crashed some planes into the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon." "The Pentagon?" he asked, yawning. "How? I thought that would be the safest place to be." "You'd think." She stared at the screen with the shellshocked reporter, splitting her attention between the screen and the phone. "Has anyone called Anton and Bryn?" she said into the receiver. "Walter's on his cell right now with him. Alex is getting hold of Anne." Jess's voice broke. "Michael's back there, Lindy. He told me he was going sight-seeing today, and we're not able to get through to his hotel." "No," Lindy whispered. She now remembered that her uncle was back in New York for a veterinary conference. Her eyes went back to the screen, horrified by what she was witnessing. "Oh my God, Nate. Did the tower just collapse?" He nodded, dumbstruck. It looked as if a demolition team had gone in and rigged the place. It just collapsed upon itself like a house of cards. Nate gently took the remote control out of her hand and turned up the volume. He couldn't quite believe it. Maybe it was shock, or too many years of watching mindless destruction and special effects in action movies, but it didn't look real at all. The replayed crash sequences looked almost fake. And although somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that hundreds of people had just died, he was at a loss as to how to react. "It's just unreal," he mumbled. Lindy nodded. Shock was the only word that covered what she was feeling. She was numb, thinking that one of the tallest buildings in New York City had crumbled into nothing. She swallowed, numbed by the casualty figures that the reporters were tossing around. "What was that, Mom? Okay," she said softly. She hung up the phone. "Mom wants us to come over. She wants to try to keep the line clear in case Michael or Anne call." He yawned again, then lazily threw the covers back. He mumbled something about using the bathroom, then staggered into the unlit room and closed the door. Lindy got up and quickly dressed, then grabbed some clothes for Nate to put on. She tossed them on the bed before knocking on the door. "Nate, I'm going to go get a bottle for Liam in case he wakes up." He opened the door and shut off the light. "Why doesn't your mom just call Michael and Anne? I'm sure their secretaries could tell them it was an emergency." Lindy bit her lower lip. "They've already tried that. Anne's trying to reach Michael too." She grabbed the diaperbag and began checking if it had enough supplies. "What? He get called out on an emergency spaying or something?" "No!" Her eyes were welling up with tears. "Nate, he's in New York." "What?" He managed to keep from asking what the hell Michael was doing there. "I'm sorry, Lind. I didn't know that." He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm sure he's all right. He probably just can't get through on the phone." "Probably," she said. She didn't say what she was thinking. [But what if he was there?] Her eyes strayed back to the screen. "Oh my God! The second tower just collapsed." She sat down on the bed, stunned. "What the hell is going on?" "I don't know, baby." He hurriedly got dressed, then walked over to the crib. Careful, so as not to wake Liam up, he plucked the baby out of the bed and laid him on his shoulder. "Let's go. I'm sure your mom is anxious to see you, and I can come back later if we forget something." He didn't say it, but he didn't exactly feel qualified to comfort her by himself. She needed her family, and the sooner they were together the better. Lindy allowed Nate to gently guide her downstairs to the wine cellar. He pulled on one of the floor to ceiling wine racks. It slid outward on silent hinges to reveal a staircase leading down into the tunnels connecting the houses. Unlike the first time they had explored them, lights were now installed every five yards along the walls. They headed leftwards down the tunnel, towards Lindy's family's home. They exited the tunnel quietly, into the library at her parent's home. Following the sound of the television, they walked in to the living room. No one noticed them at first, as they were glued to the telecast. Nate noticed that Amanda was still home, which meant she hadn't gone to school. He wondered just how long they'd been aware of what was happening. When Jess looked up to see them, several other pairs of eyes followed her as she quickly got up to hug Lindy. Nate exchanged subdued greetings with the others, before softly asking, "Where are Anton and Bryn?" "Bryn's trying to get in touch with her parents," Walter said, equally quietly. "There was a fourth plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, and the news hasn't said yet where it went down." He heard Lindy's response to a question Jess quietly voiced. "No, I didn't 'see' anything, Mom. But that doesn't mean...." Lindy trailed off as Jess' face crumpled. Alex whistled low. "They've cleared US airspace. All planes except military are now grounded." "Oh God," Jess said. "Are we at war or what?" She took a deep breath. "Who's behind this? Domestic terrorists or foreign ones?" "I wouldn't discount either one," Nate mumbled, sitting down on the couch with Liam on his shoulder. Now with both sides of his family in turmoil, he felt helpless. All they could do was sit and wait. He kept his voice low to keep from waking Liam. "It seems a little too well executed to be local. But at this point there's no telling what's going on." Amanda had been sitting, watching everything with wide eyes. "All the attacks have been on the East Coast, right? Where would they attack if they wanted to hit the West Coast?" Alex swallowed. "That's hard to say. Los Angeles is a possibility." "Or San Francisco," Lindy said in a dull tone. "We've got the landmarks, the airport, the military bases across the bay, and Silicon Valley to the south. We're a prime target." "Then you definitely aren't going to work today," Nate said. "It might be best if you called the warehouse and told everyone to go home." "I already have," Anton said, walking into the room. Bryn held on tightly to his hand, looking distraught as well. "Did you get in touch with your parents, Bryn?" Jess asked. She nodded. "They're okay. Wherever the other plane went down, it wasn't near them." Jess let out a sigh of relief, falling into the recliner. "At least we know one set of family is okay." She rested her head on her hands, coming her fingers through her hair. "Now if Michael would check in..." "Your brother?" Anton asked. "He's back there?" Jess nodded. "There's a annual veterinarian conference he likes to attend. It switches between the coasts every year. This year it's back east..." She took a shuddering breath. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I lose him the way I lost Rachel..." Both Alex and Walter moved in to protectively hug and pet her. Anton caught Lindy's eye. "Rachel?" "Her sister. Died when she was 13." Lindy shook her head when he opened his mouth to ask another question "It's a story for later." Bryn leaned against Anton, placing her hand on her stomach. She could feel how restless Max was, reacting to Jess's fears, as well as her own. She rubbed her belly, trying to soothe him. Quietly, so only Anton could hear her, she asked, "Do you have any friends in New York, or someone you want to call?" Anton nodded. "Yes, but I'm not sure I can get through now. Most of them are probably safely home, but..." He sighed. "New York is home to several vampires, as well as one of the main sites the Gathering is held. I doubt there were any in the trade center when it was attacked since it was after dawn, but there's always a chance..." She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. "I love you so much, Anton." He hugged her tight, watching the screen. Projections of 20,000 casualties. Talk of airplanes unaccounted for. And the lingering question of who could have done this. Vampire friends who were possibly trapped in the building. And even if by some miracle they had survived the collapse, a well meaning rescuer removing the debris would ensure their death by sunlight. It was almost too much for him to process. They had gone to bed just hours ago, only to wake to a living nightmare. There was a part of Bryn that was secretly thankful this had happened now, if it had to happen at all...and not when they might've been in danger themselves. In just weeks, they had a trip planned to New York. Now there was no telling if they'd still go, or if they'd even want to. She pressed tighter against Anton, clutching his T-shirt, grateful her family and friends were safe. And horrified for those who weren't. Bringing Bryn along with him, he walked over to Jess and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is there anything we can do?" Jess shook her head, biting her lip. "I don't know. If you've got any connections in New York --" "Say no more, Jess. I'll see what I can do." When noon rolled around and there was still nothing they could do to help, Jess finally sent them home to rest. Lindy could see that her mother needed some time to herself, or possibly with just Alex and Walter, so she invited Chandra and Amanda to stay at her home for the day. She gave them free reign of the house, graciously accepted Chandra's offer to watch over Liam for a few hours, and then followed Nate upstairs and back to bed. She sat dejectedly on the bed, staring blankly at the floor as Nate knelt before her and gently removed her clothes. He stripped off her shoes and socks, his gaze on her face, tenderly caressing her skin even though he wasn't sure she could feel it. He moved up to remove her shirt and bra, pausing to kiss her face between each article of clothing. By the time he picked her up and carried her to the head of the bed, her body nude and limp in his arms, she was weeping openly against him. He put her down in the bed and climbed in beside her, ignoring his clothes for the moment. Cradling her close, he gently stroked her hair and kissed her eyes. "Shhh, baby. It'll be okay. Everything will be all right." Shuddering, she grabbed his shirt tightly, curling her body around his. She was shaking, sobbing, waiting for the phone to ring, and at the same time dreading it. Eventually pulling back to take a breath, she looked up at him, reaching up to trace her fingers along his lips. He kissed her fingertips, then her forehead, lingering there, before finally kissing her closed eyes again. "I think you need some sleep," he whispered. "It's not helping you or anyone else for you to be worrying all day long." "I just want you to hold me." "I will." He tugged her closer, rubbing her side. "Do you want something to eat?" She shook her head, then met his gaze with sorrowful eyes. "Will you make love to me?" His gaze softened even more. "Of course." She started pushing his T-shirt over his head as he rolled on top of her. She whimpered a bit as he settled between her legs. She couldn't seem to stop crying, even when he leaned closer to kiss her. She cradled his head between her hands as she opened her mouth to his tongue. Lindy guided one of his hands down to cup her breast. He squeezed her lightly, sliding down to kiss and lick at her other breast. He nuzzled her with his nose, pressing his face against her cleavage and inhaling deeply. Lindy closed her eyes to focus on the sensations, her legs tangling with his. She wanted him to take off his jeans, so she could feel his bare skin against hers, but she didn't want him to move. He opened his mouth over her nipple, tickling and flicking it with his tongue, before closing his lips, and sucking lightly. She shook as he increased his suction, arching against him. His thumb brushed over her other nipple, making it even tighter. Her arms went around him, lightly scratching his spine. She dipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his jeans. Nate lifted up long enough to for her to unzip his jeans and slide them and his briefs down to his knees. He shimmied against her, pushing his pants the rest of the way down with his feet, then kicked them to the floor, settling against her again. He moved his mouth to her other breast, resuming his special treatment, making her nipple bright red and hard in his mouth. He shifted lightly against her, rubbing his cock against her crotch, before kissing his way down her stomach. When he pushed back the covers on the bed, pushed her legs apart, she could only watch with breathless anticipation as his mouth covered her sex. She cried out when his tongue first caressed her. She pressed harder against his mouth, whimpering as he lapped at her clit . Her hips flexed as his hands reached around to grasp her buttocks, holding her firmly. And when his tongue pushed into her opening, her breathing grew more ragged. Eyes shut and hands clenching the comforter, she could only ride out the sensations. She wasn't sure how much she could take. She rocked her hips against his mouth, whimpering with each long, slow pass of his flattened tongue up the length of her sex. She could feel her arousal flowing, her opening pulsating against his mouth. He pushed her thighs up and out, swiping his tongue over her anus with each pass, lingering on her clit at the top, before lazily beginning again. She started quivering with a low-centered, gently tingling orgasm that grew even more intense with every pass of his tongue. Instead of stopping when she started to whimper, Nate kept up the maddeningly slow pace. She tried to wrap her legs around his shoulders, only to have him force them back apart. She continued to moan and shiver as her orgasm reached its peak, and then sank back boneless into the mattress. He lifted up and pressed his fingers to her clit, gently rubbing small circles to keep the tingling continuous. He then grabbed his cock and drew it up and down the length of her sex, coating the head with moisture. He tickled her clit with the head, moaning as the small nub pushed against the slit at the tip, shifting his hips to push himself back and forth. She moaned again, the opening of her sex contracting, searching greedily for his cock, and she shuddered violently as he abruptly thrust into her welcoming sheath. She clenched tightly around him, inside and out, before forcing herself to relax. The tingling hadn't abated at all. If anything was growing again as he lazily thrust his hips. She whimpered and pushed hers up to meet him. Looking into his eyes, she pulled his head to her mouth and slipped her tongue inside him. He groaned softly, sucking on her tongue. He added a bit of a swivel to his thrusts, making his movements irregular and unpredictable. Although she'd already come once, it hadn't been the explosive orgasm he was eager to give her. He wanted to make her forget everything else but this moment, this room, this bed. After a minute or two, he pulled out of her, his cock wet and bobbing as he turned her over onto her belly, then pulled her ass up into the air. Pushing back inside of her, he thrust hard and strong from behind her, grunting with each slap of his balls against her, his body supported on extended arms. Lindy cried out and pushed back against his hips. He continued to thrust hard, swiveling his hips. Pumping hard against him, she reached down to stroke both herself and what she could reach of his cock and balls. She keened harder, whimpering. He finally pushed her hand out of the way and shoved himself deep inside of her, holding her ass tightly against his hips, grinding her against him. He continued to rotate his hips in tight little circles, pushing himself deeper inside of her, sliding his hand down to cup her sex. He didn't touch her clit, wouldn't give her that satisfaction, but merely spread her wider, opening her sex to his cock. His balls were snug against his body, and she was squeezing him tightly in anticipation, but he froze there, pressing against her womb, savoring the contractions of her wet hot sheath. "You gonna cum for me, huh? If I give you more, are you gonna cum?" "Yes!" she gasped out. She turned her head back to look back at him through her tousled hair. She tightened her grip around his cock, as if trying to squeeze his orgasm out of him. "I want everything you can give me, Nathaniel. Make me wail. Make me scream. Just make me cum." He groaned as his balls drew up even tighter, but he bit his tongue harshly and somehow managed to keep from exploding inside of her. His fingers rubbed against the opening of her sex, teasing the tight ring of skin wrapped around him. Lifting his damp fingers away, he lightly rubbed them over her nipples, pinching, flicking them with his thumbs. "Do you know how good this feels, how tight you are?" He shifted against her, pushing deeper still. "I don't think I'm going to stop with just once. I think I'm going to keep fucking you all day, until you can't cum anymore. What do you think of that?" "Oh God!" The images that his words provoked pushed her into an intense orgasm. She squeezed him tightly, shrieking and pushing against him. Her claws extended from her fingers, slicing into the mattress. "Nathaniel!" He roared at the sensation of her climax gripping him, and rapidly pulled out to start thrusting, pistoning feverishly in and out of her, his own orgasm peaking seconds later. He slammed himself deep inside of her, filling her almost to overflowing, his entire body spasming with release. He twitched against her, panting heavily, before grabbing her around the waist, and pulling her with him as he rolled over onto his back. Her back to his front, with her lying on top of him, he buried his face against her hair and tried to regain control of his breathing. "Oh God, that was good!" She just lay on him, trying to catch her breath as well. She could still feel the tingling of that incredible orgasm he had given her. She turned her head slightly, trying to kiss him. Unable to reach his face, she pushed up and rolled over so they now rested chest to chest. She nuzzled the side of his face, kissing his jaw. One eye slipped open to glance at the claw marks a few inches from their heads. "Um, Nate? I think I ruined the mattress..." He opened his eyes and followed her gaze, then gave her a lazy grin. "Nah. Nothing a little duct tape won't fix. We can flip the mattress over when we're done...which won't be for quite a while, so rest up while you can." She made a contented noise, snuggling against his body, and giving a sigh. "Everything's going to be all right, right Nate?" she asked, still craving reassurance. "Yeah, baby." He kissed her forehead. "Everything's going to be fine." Bryn stood in foyer, watching above for Anton to close the bedroom doors. Once he had, she let Petunia outside for a few minutes, blinking in the glare, before quickly ushering the dog back inside and locking the door. The puppy bounded up the stairs in front of her, turning on each landing to make sure she was following. Bryn opened the door to the bedroom, and saw Anton standing there, staring into space, his shirt partially unbuttoned and seemingly forgotten. Wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, she pressed her cheek to his back. "I love you." Anton stroked her arms, head half bowed. "I wonder if that's a good thing, Bryn." "Anton, what are you talking about?" "You heard the casualty numbers they are projecting. Twenty thousand people, although I have a feeling that number will drop significantly. But it got me thinking. Assuming I feed on one person every other night since I've been a vampire, that's over 182,000 people I've killed. Nine times the number of the terrorist's victims. The only difference I can see is that they killed them in one fell swoop. Me over a matter of centuries." She sighed, tightening her grip a bit. "Sometimes I wonder if you're really as old and wise as you say you are...because you sure say and think some really stupid things sometimes. You're nothing like a terrorist, Anton, and you never will be. After everything you saw today, how can you even think that?" "But what *is* the difference? What separates me from them or even a common murderer?" He turned around in her arms to look at her. "Your father was right in some ways. I kill to survive. For a while, I tried not to. I tried living on animal blood for a while, but I always ended up hunting humans after a while. And eventually, I stopped fighting it and lost the horror of what I was doing. And once in a while, I considered ending my existence. But I never went through with it." Bryn sighed. She hated it when he got to thinking like this. A long time ago, she might've wondered the same things about him...but that was before she'd gotten to know him. And love him. He wasn't a soulless, mindless, merciless killer. He wasn't even a murderer, in her opinion. "Sit down," she said, waiting until he did so. Once he was seated at the end of the bed, she lowered herself onto his lap and met his gaze. "You want to know what makes you different? Then listen to me, and don't say a word until I'm done." As he nodded, she licked her lips. "Those men, or maybe even women...the terrorists, they weren't trying to save their own lives. They didn't give a damn about the existence of hundreds of people on those planes, or the many thousands in the buildings, either. For whatever reason, they killed themselves and everyone around them out of hatred. They had to learn to fly those planes, which means that they trained for what they were doing. It was planned months, possibly years in advance." She stroked the side of his face, her palm scraping against his stubble. "You, on the other hand, are trying to survive. You're remaining here for your friends, the wives you've had before, and the family you have now. And no matter how much you might think so, you don't really want to kill anyone. Or even hurt anyone. Feeding isn't something you can control, Anton, I know that. It's an impulse...an instinct, deep inside of you, a drive to keep you alive, because if it were up to your brain, you wouldn't do any of the things you must. If your logic could win that battle...you would've withered away a long time ago, and I never would've met you." She leaned closer and kissed his jaw, and the corner of his mouth. "I love you so much, because you are a good person. A gentle soul, a very loving and generous being. But I also love that part of you that takes over when you need to feed...because without that, I wouldn't have you here with me. And I need you so much." She hugged him tightly, her eyes tearing up. "And you know what else? I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe people die, because they've finished learning their lessons for this lifetime, and because their deaths will teach a valuable lesson to someone they love. I believe that they would've died, whether you had a hand in it, or not. And I don't ever want you to feel guilty, because whatever it is you end up doing...it's what was planned for you. And me. And everyone else whose life you touch. Do you really think it was an accident that you've lived this long? I don't. I think it was your destiny, Anton. And I'm so glad to be a part of that." He let out an emotion-filled laugh. "You sound as if you've been around longer than I have." She smiled, then softly pressed her lips against his. "Maybe I have." His arms went around her, holding her tight. "You also make it sound like there's a divine plan for me being around." A long time ago, he would have believed her. But after praying daily for some sort of understanding as to what he was, some indication from God that he was not damned for what was done to him, and not receiving an answer, he had given up on believing in the supernatural beyond his kind and werewolves centuries ago. "And what's so wrong about that?" She stared into his eyes for a moment, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "This must be what you feel like when I don't believe in myself." She placed her hands on his chest, shifting slightly to face him squarely. "Sugar, what would you tell me if the situation were reversed? If I were the vampire, and I was trying to justify my existence and what I do to stay alive, would you tell me that I'm evil or a murderer? That I'm eternally damned, and God must hate me...or because I exist, there can't really be a God in the first place? Would you believe that of me?" "No, Bryn," he said softly. "I would never believe that of you." "Then why do you believe it of you?" He thought about that for several minutes. "Because, Bryn, even being raised by a vampire, all I heard, despite the fact that Ivan was a fair man, was that we were creatures of the night, spawn of evil." He leaned his forehead against hers. "Maybe you're not the only one who has things to unlearn from their parents." She smiled tenderly, angling her head so she could kiss his mouth. "You definitely do need to unlearn that. Do you have any idea how much I love you? It just crushes my heart to hear you say these things about yourself. I think I can honestly say, with all authority, that you are the most un-evil person I know." She grinned. "You're the Anti-evil." He smiled softly at her. "Thank you, Bryn." He leaned forward to kiss her gently. "Please, keep reminding me of that." He leaned back to lay down on the bed on his side, pulling her down with him. "I should try making some calls in a little while to see if I can find anything out about Jess's brother, as well as trying to reach my friends." "Ok, in a little while." She continued looking at him for a moment, before crawling up towards the pillows. Settling down with her head on his pillow, she patted the one next to her. "Come up here." She watched as he lazily pushed himself up and then crawled towards her, lying down with a thud on the blankets. She grinned at him. "Will you stay here and talk to me for a little while?" "What do you want to talk about?" he asked, stroking the side of her face. "What do you believe? I mean, about God and everything. Do you think I'm delusional or naive for thinking He exists?" He gently stroked her head. "I can't really say that Bryn. Because I once believed in Him myself. I was even studying to be a priest for a while. However being Transformed put an end to that." He looked into her eyes, still stroking her head. "For the longest time I searched for some sign that God existed, that He was real. And the longer I searched, the less proof I saw. And so slowly I ceased to believe in Him." She grinned at him, then giggled, and despite being charmed by her smile, it annoyed him. "What are you laughing for?" "Because that is so *you*, Anton!" She lowered her voice, doing a terrible impression of him. "'I can't see it, I can't hear, and I can't touch it, so therefore it doesn't exist!'" She grinned at him again. "I think it's time for another one of your leaps of faith, literally this time. There is no proof, for any of us. I admit that the whole bible thing could just be a children's story blown way out of proportion. But if it makes you feel good, if it helps to feel like you're not alone and there is a reason for our existence, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. "You already know my theory on magic and make believe. I think without it life is really dull and pretty much pointless. But if you have something to believe in, whether it's God, Ganeesha, or a talking purple dinosaur...it gives you a little bit of hope. Personally, I don't really think God is a 'He.' I think it's whatever you want and need it to be. A man, a woman, a tree, a star, the moon, the universe, an idea--anything. I think it's just easier to say He, because that's what we know. I guess I'm more spiritual than religious...I don't think there's a choice between Jesus or Allah or Buddha. I think it's all the same thing, and we believe whatever makes us comfortable." He smiled at her. "That's a very sensible, mature view, Bryn. If more people thought the way you do, the world would be a much nicer place." He gently pressed his lips to her forehead. "To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what I believe in. I have no way to explain what happened in the hospital chapel, Bryn, but it does have me wondering again." "That's definitely better than flat-out denial." She snuggled closer to him, kissing his neck. "I don't want to change your beliefs in anything, Anton. I guess I just want you to be open to all possibilities. I mean, look at all of the 'weird' things you've experienced so far. Man finding new worlds across the ocean, religious wars, new countries born and old ones falling, the birth of steam ships, trains, and airplanes. All of that would seem mundane to some people...but then add in vampires, werewolves, and aliens. After all of that, who knows what's coming next." "I shudder to think, my dear." He kissed her again, caressing her stomach. "But I have a feeling we'll find out in a few months. I wonder what Max will be. Human, vampire, or a bit of both?" Bryn pressed his hand harder against her stomach. "He'll be our son, Anton. Our miracle baby." His smile grew wider, before fading slightly. "I should probably start making those phone calls, see if I can get through." She nodded, her smile fading as well. "I think I might go get something to eat...did you want to be left alone for a while?" His arms slipped around her, hugging her tight. "No, I don't think so, Bryn. I'll just follow you around on the cordless, if you don't mind." She grinned, then leaned closer to kiss him deeply. Letting him know just how much she loved him. "I don't mind one little bit." His calls had been semi-successful. He had been able to contact his vampire friends in New York after several attempted calls. And he had called in some favors for them to search for Jess's brother. Assured that he would be called if they found any news, as soon as the sun was down, he and Bryn started over to the werewolves's home. Bryn was carrying the casserole she had made earlier, certain that no one in that house was in the mood to cook. The car parked in the driveway let him know that Anne had arrived. He wasn't surprised to find her there. The whole pack of werewolves seemed to be drawing their members close, be them human, werewolf, or vampire, into a supporting network, afraid of what they would find out. "Anne's here, I see," Bryn said. "At least this is one night when she probably won't be fussing over me to sit down and rest." She grinned at him, squeezing his hand. "And it will be nice to have another plain ol' human in the group for a change. I just hope there's going to be good news soon. I cringe at the thought of you being there, and me not knowing where you were. Anne and Jess must be going insane." Anton nodded, squeezing her tightly around the shoulders as they walked up the front steps. "I just wish we had good news to tell them." The door was unlocked, so they just walked inside. Lindy was hugging Anne tight. Sitting on a nearby stool, Jess looked up as they entered the room, hope gleaming in her eyes. Anton watched that spark fade out as he shook his head. Alex poked his head into the room from the kitchen, and walked over to Bryn. "Let me take that from you, Bryn. Nate's fixing dinner right now." "Okay. Is there anything I can help with?" "No, I think we've got it pretty much covered, but thanks." She nodded, then turned her attention back to the others, taking Lindy's place when her embrace with Anne had ended. She squeezed the shorter woman lightly, watching over her shoulder as Anton talked with Jess. Pulling back a bit to meet the doctor's eyes, she said, "I know I'm not exactly family, but I hope you know my prayers are with you. And I'll do anything I can to help." "Thank you, Bryn." Anne gently patted her back. "I really appreciate that. I just wish there were some way we could find out right now if he's okay or not. It's this uncertainty that is killing me." Sabryn nodded. "Anton has friends looking for Michael. They'll find him soon." "I hope so," she said. "I don't know how much more of this I can take." "Did you maybe want to play a game or something? Try to focus on something else for a little while?" Anne gave her a sad little smile. "Maybe later. Right now I can't say that I'd be able to focus on much of anything. My thoughts are jumping from one thing to the next." "Well, I know it's not the same thing, but I felt something like that with Anton, once. When we were first together, we had a fight and I ended up walking away from him. By the time I realized it was almost sunrise, it was too late to do anything about it. I spent the whole day wondering where he was...and imagining the worst." She looked fondly in his direction. "But, aside from chewing him out for not calling me, I was so happy to see him again that night. I think it was somewhat of a turning point for us." "He seems like an amazing man, Bryn." Anne's eyes got an unfocussed look. As far as she was concerned though, the only amazing man she wanted to hear from was on the other side of the country, and hopefully alive. Her vision cleared in time to see Anton giving Jess a hug. She glanced over at Bryn, wondering how she'd take it. Bryn noticed her gaze, and gave her a small smile. "Jess and you both helped us so much when I was in the hospital. You in taking care of me and Jess in helping us communicate when I couldn't speak for myself. We think the world of both of you, and it's hard to know that we can't help as much in return." She gave a little self-conscious laugh. "Listen to me--'we' this and 'we' that. You'd think I thought I was the Queen of England or something." Anne gave a little laugh, her first since she turned on the news that morning. "How do you know you're not royalty?" She nodded her head in Anton's direction. "He could still hold title on some ancient estate. Or Nate could for that matter," she added. Bryn blushed slightly. "Actually, Anton still does have a title in Britain. He's an earl, I believe. We went there for our honeymoon." She placed her hand on Anne's arm, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "The first time I saw that he had his own servants, I was amazed...but when they actually called me 'my lady', I just about died! I still look around clueless when someone says 'hey lady' in public, but to have that as my title? Suffice it to say, I was not comfortable at all. I'm used to walking around barefoot with paint all over me, not dining at fancy functions with eight pieces of silverware at my plate." Bryn smiled. "It is kind of a fun idea, though. I realized later that all that time I'd been self-conscious about my manners and wardrobe, I could've just had any servant who laughed at me fired without a second thought!" Anne laughed again, but this time it sounded forced. She didn't take her eyes off the phone. Trying to distract herself, she said, "You are looking very healthy for what you've been through. Has there been any trouble since I pulled your staples?" Bryn sobered a bit, shaking her head. "No, I'm fine." She was starting to feel like an idiot for joking around right now. That obviously wasn't what Anne needed to hear. "I'm sorry...when I get nervous, I talk a lot. I didn't mean to be rude or anything. I think--I'm just going to go sit down for a little while. Excuse me." "I'm sorry, Bryn," Anne sighed. "I'm just not myself at the moment." "It's okay. You have a very good excuse." Bryn excused herself again, and made her way around the couch to sit down. She watched Anton still talking to Jess and wondered if she'd ever truly feel she wasn't an outsider in this group. She imagined she felt a little like one of those caucasian photographers who took tribal ceremony photos for National Geographic. Out of place, intruding, and partially unaware of the customs. Instead of risking offending someone, she decided staying on the fringes and observing was probably her best option. Everyone jumped when the phone rang. Both Jess and Anne started towards it, both hesitating and looking at each other. "You do it," Anne said. Jess swallowed and picked up the phone. "Hello...yes...." She held for a few minutes and then gasped. Tears began to roll down her cheeks and her legs gave way. She collapsed onto the floor still sobbing, batting away Anton's hands as he tried to take the phone. Still crying, she passed the receiver over to Anne. Lindy hurried over to her mother and put her arms around Jess's shoulders, her face nearly white with worry. "Mom, what's going on?" Clutching the phone, Anne let out a breathless laugh that didn't sound very amused. "God, where are you? Why the hell didn't you call earlier, Michael?" Jess pulled herself together and stood up, wiping her eyes. She hugged Lindy tight. "I was just so relieved I lost it there for a bit." She gave a weak laugh, taking in Anton's and Bryn's expression. "God, I'm sorry. You must have thought..." Bryn gave a weak laugh of her own, watching silently as Nate walked out of the kitchen doorway and over to his wife. He pulled Lindy into his arms and squeezed her tight, lifting her a couple of inches off the ground. Bryn didn't know what he whispered in her ear, but whatever it was made Lindy smile widely and nod enthusiastically at him. [Maybe I do know what he said, after all,] she thought. Anton sided up to her, putting an arm around her. "I'm glad that we're all accounted for now." He squeezed Bryn's waist, watching as Alex and Walter first hugged Jess passionately, and then Anne in a brotherly way. Anne tried to shush everyone, listening intently on the phone. She covered the receiver. "He was evacuated out of his hotel early this morning, and was only able to get to a phone right now. Everything back there is chaos, but he's fine." Although she was still rather quiet in the group, Chandra didn't miss her chance for a hug either, embracing both Jess and Amanda as she heard the good news. Nate gave Lindy once more squeeze before returning to the kitchen, sure that everyone would be famished as soon as the worries completely passed. Leaning her head on Anton's shoulder, Bryn let her eyes slip closed and gave a soft sound of contentment as she placed her hand on his thigh. Anton gently stroked her hand as he watched Jess and Anne talk into the phone, trying to figure out how to get him home with all the flights grounded for the foreseeable future. In some ways he felt guilty for being so relieved that one person was alive when so many had lost their lives. He had to remind himself that it was a perfectly normal reaction. Wondering what the expression on Bryn's face meant, leaned over to kiss her on the temple. "What are you thinking, my dear?" "Honestly? I'm thinking I'm glad their personal crisis is over, and that I'm lucky I had you here with me the whole time. And I'm thinking that it's terrible this had to happen...but I'm selfishly glad that it didn't happen here, where we live." She opened her eyes to look at him, trying to hide her yawn. "And I'm also thinking that I wish time would stop for a while, because a soak in the hot tub and a long nap sound really good right about now." He leaned against her, feeling a bit tired as well. Tomorrow would be a busy day for both him and Lindy - they would have to go back to work and start dealing with the psychological as well as business fallout. But right now it felt good to sit on the couch with his arm around Bryn, watching the relief spread through the werewolf family. End Chapter Forty-nine <- Previous Chapter | Home | Next Chapter ->