Gabe and Genevieve: Chapter 5

Gabe and Genevieve: Chapter 5

Gabe and Gen put the girls to bed after getting home from the wedding. They'd both been silent on the drive home. Both were afraid to speak, as if it would break an invisible shield holding everything together. Eventually, the eerie silence of the house crashed down on Gabe and he snapped first. Gen pulled him into a tight embrace and let him cry on her shoulder.



They remained that way for what seemed like hours, Gen whispering sweet soothing words into his ear. After awhile, they snuggled together in bed, Gen holding tightly to Gabe. They fell asleep like that. Gen woke early the next morning to keep the girls busy so Gabe could make the necessary arrangements. He had Eric's remains brought back to the house and they had a small, private service as he was buried by the pond. His headstone was placed next to the gigantic space rock Eric had seen crash to the earth that had been placed on the front lawn.



Gabe said a few words to remember his friend and then the silence returned. Gen bit the inside of her lip while watching him. The girls, sensing the mood, remained quiet and still longer than natural for any toddler.



Finally they started to squirm and wiggle so Gabe and Gen put them down on the lawn to play. Gabe turned to Gen and gave her a sad smile. "Some honeymoon this is turning into." he said
Gen pulled him closer to her and stroked his cheek, "It's not important. We have years to have honeymoons." she said softly.



Their day was so busy with the kids and arrangements that they didn't get a moment alone together until well after night fall.



All the next week, Gen was nauseous but kept brushing it off as the twins were running her off her feet.



Coupled with a few other symptoms, Gen booted up the laptop and tried to attribute all the symptoms to stress, bad eating and not enough sleep. She'd almost had herself convinced until she looked at the calendar sitting next to the desk.



When Gabe came home from work that day, he didn't drive up in his own car or with the carpool, instead he came home in a bubblegum pink (Gen's favorite color) little car. Gen saw him drive up from the window and met him on the lawn. He held out a set of car keys for her, complete with a sparkly pink heart key chain. "What's this?" she asked?
"A wedding present." Gabe said a little unsure. In truth, he just wanted to spoil her and saw it on the lot on the way to work that morning so he'd bought it on the way home. She stared at the car, then at him, then at the car again. Gabe watched, amused. "You needed a car - it's pink, like you." he said with a grin.



Gen threw her arms around his neck and showered him with kisses. Gabe laughed "So you like the car then?" he asked, she responded with more kisses.

Even though she was 99% sure she was pregnant, she refused to acknowledge it for awhile. While she was playing on the floor with the twins she felt a tiny little nudge from inside. She shot to her feet and prodded her tummy a bit, willing it to happen again. And it did. A soft "bump" in her belly made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. It seemed like the timing was all wrong with Eric and then the twins so young...and yet....it felt right too.



Gen told Gabe the news that night. He was excited but understood her concerns. He felt a few of them and then some in the back of his mind but he couldn't help but be excited about a new baby. And the twins were growing more independent every day - they could walk and talk and potty on their own. In fact, he realized their birthday was right around the corner. As it was the weekend, he planned a small birthday party for them and ordered two cakes.





When Gen told Morgana and Nimoe about the new baby, Morgana was thrilled and squealed when the baby kicked her hand.



Still newlyweds, Gen and Gabe found their spare moments consumed with each other - despite the fake gagging noises they elicited from their daughters.



The weeks passed and Gabe became restless. There was no response from Patrick or the vampires that he could detect regarding Ronan's death. Even though Eric was dead, he knew how these people worked and had expected much more, much sooner. Regardless - the four of them were comfortable and made an effort to sit down together for dinner at night. Neither Gabe nor Gen could cook well but they tried, (and sometimes Eric's ghost would visit in the night and make a meal and leave it out for them).



The twins settled into the school routine easily. They often woke up early enough to play together on the playground before the bus arrived or to play a game together.





Gen started to feel lonely at home all day while Gabe and the girls were gone. She knew she was safest at home but her growing baby bump was not really enough social interaction. Her closest friend in town was Andre, who she called almost every day to chat for awhile. He was human, with no idea of the true nature of the town but he was a gossip and always gave her the scoop.



Gabe could tell the final weeks of pregnancy were wearing on her, so he came home one day and put his work in his office and then went in hunt of his wife - normally he could spend a couple hours writing reports and articles each night but Gen was more important. He found her staring at the TV. He grabbed the remote and turned it off. Before she could protest, he pulled her to her feet and kissed her. Then he turned on the stereo and they danced and laughed.



Mid-dance, Gen grabbed her belly as she sucked in a heap of air. "Gen?" Gabe asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Gen didn't reply for several moments. Just when she seemed ready to tell him something, she looked down at the floor, where her water had just broken all over his shoe. Gabe looked down as well and his eyes grew wide. He looked from her to the puddle several times and then panicked for a moment.



He pulled himself together as she gave him a piercing glare accompanied by a loud moan. He called a friend to keep an eye on the girls and then ushered Gen to the car. They came home the next morning with a cute little screamer named Mordred.



Gabe returned to work that day and had to go over to city hall for a press conference that evening. On the way in he spotted an unfamiliar face.



The cowboy vampire was still hanging around the columns when Gabe came out so Gabe pretended to leave. Eventually the vampire had his dinner and left city hall in a big white truck. Gabe stayed a distance behind him to follow him.

The truck stopped at a small collection of rundown houses and the vampire went inside one. On the front lawn, Gabe saw another unfamiliar vampire talking to a human girl.



After the female vampire left, Gabe got out of his car and started chatting with the girl. He used all the charm in the book and she let it slip that she'd come into town with seven vampires, including the area vampire Regent who'd been out of the state for the last few months. Gabe looked around, unsure of why a Regent and his entourage would be staying here exactly. He caught sight of the very Regent at that moment.



Genevieve fretted at home that night. The press conference should have been over hours ago and Gabe still wasn't home. He wasn't answering his phone and his boss had already confirmed for her twice that the conference was over and he'd seen Gabe leave. She paced around the house switching between fear, panic and anger. When he finally came home and looked unhurt she hurled herself into his arms and then started yelling. "Where have you been?! Why didn't you answer your phone?! I've been worried sick! I almost called the police but their pretty useless so I thought better of that. Do you plan to speak anytime soon or should I keep yelling?"

Gabe answered her with a long kiss and then he dragged her up to the bedroom and closed the door. "Where's your suitcase?" he asked.

Gen sputtered for a moment, not the reply she was expecting. "What? I don't know, in the closet I suppose" she replied gearing up for another yelling session.



She didn't get a chance as he disappeared into the closet that moment. "Gabriel!" she said loudly. He reemerged with a suitcase in hand and tossed it on the bed. He crossed the room and held her hands. "You have to go. You have to take the kids and go. To the lake house or anywhere, you just have to get out of Riverview. Now."



"I will not!" Gen replied firmly. "I'm not leaving you or this house! You said this was a safe house, well we'll be safe here together. Besides there's been no supe activity in months, since Er..." she trailed off then.

"There has been activity, way too much activity, all right under my nose." Gabe said with a small amount of panic in his voice. "And I have to deal with it, the entire Regents council is here and..." he allowed himself to smirk slightly, "That just doesn't happen - you don't put everyone in one room....ever." He stopped and could tell she was unprepared to leave. "Gen. Genevieve. I can't..."

"Can't what?" Gen asked stubbornly

"I can't protect myself, and you and them" he said motioning toward the hall and presumably to the children "right now, not with what's happening. I need you guys to leave so I know you're safe..."



Gen stared at him for several minutes ready to argue. "Don't send me away Gabe, please don't send me away." she finally said simply.

"I don't want to, I really don't. I want you here and I want them here but I have to do my job or we will always be in danger, THEY will always be in danger - more danger than they should be." he said pleading with her to understand. He could tell she was still unconvinced. "Patrick has brought in just about every vampire he knows. He wants you and since he's been turned down by the council in that respect, he wants us - all of us. Dead. The protections on this house will hold if he doesn't get ahold of the coven or the fae. And he's trying, he's really trying. Every supe community in the town has called in reinforcements. They're protecting themselves, if they could, they'd offer us on a silver - well not silver - platter just to keep the peace. This is bad Gen - please. The lake house is safe, safer than here and you'll have physical and magical protections. You can't be here, you can't be in Riverview."



"Then you need to come with us. We'll go, together." she said, hoping but not expecting, him to say yes.

"You know I can't." he said. "I have to see this through. I talked to Thomas, the vampire Regent and he's agreed to call a council - a true council. I have to be here for it, I have to try and bury this Patrick situation now."

"But you could be killed!" Gen exclaimed.

Gabe didn't reply. He just took her hands in his and look into her eyes. "Please go, I will bring you back as soon as I can."



Gen struggled to keep the tears from flowing. When one fell, Gabe brushed it away and pulled her close to him. "I love you Genevieve, I will stay safe and I will be fine and we will be together very soon, all of us."



"Promise?" Gen asked, knowing as he said yes that it wasn't a promise he could control. She kissed him deeply and they pushed the suitcase off the bed as they fell onto it together.

The next morning before work, Gabe told the girls they were going on a trip with mommy for a bit and explained that he expected them to be good. He managed to keep it light and happy even though he felt broken inside.



He gave each of them a hug before sending them out to the bus and going to his own car to go to work.





While the girls were at school and Gabe was at work, a man dropped off a shiny red SUV Gabe had purchased that morning, knowing neither of the other cars could handle the luggage. Gen signed for it and started packing a few of the necessities for the trip like clothes and toys. The Lake house was fully furnished and then some but she wanted it to feel like home as much for the kids as for herself.



She explained to the maid, the basics of what was going on and gave her a number to call just in case.



Later that day she felt ill but figured she had eaten much all day and her nerves were shot.


When Gabe and the girls got home from school, the car was completely loaded. They both agreed, they needed to get far away from town before sundown just in case. No one knew they were leaving, let alone where they were going.



Gen told the girls to get in the car and loaded Mordred into his carseat as well. She turned back to Gabe and threw her arms around him. "You stay safe" she whispered against his lips. "We'll be waiting for you and it better not be long" she said with a wink.



Gabe gave her the longest kiss they'd ever shared and didn't want to let go. Finally he broke the embrace and walked her to the car. They both held back tears as he said goodbye to the girls and kissed baby Mordred on the head. Gen silently released the tears as she backed out of the driveway...