Chapter: All the love
Two weeks later,
"Kate?"
"In the kitchen, Thomas!" she calls. She can hear him letting out a few huffs as he gets out of bed. She smiles as she turns back to the stovetop to her frying potatoes and bacon. These last two weeks were delightful. They'd talked in depth to each other and of course, made lots of love to each other. He shuffles into the room and she turns towards him. He's barefoot and wearing only his trousers, which earns an approving smile from her. "You're up."
"Well, hard to sleep with you cooking up such a nice breakfast." He steps towards her and kisses her cheek. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Much better."
He runs his hand over her stomach. "Any nausea?"
"None, which is why I wanted bacon this morning." He chuckles as he wraps a hand around her waist and pulls her close. She sighs as he rests his head on her shoulder. "I don't want to go home tomorrow."
"Me neither, let's stay another day." He suggests. "Today's Saturday, I'll call on up and say we'll be coming back up on Monday."
"Oh, God yes." Thomas grabs her around the waist and spins her around to face him. Kate giggles as she drapes her hands around his neck. "We're going to burn our food again, for the fourth time!"
He groans. "Fine." he reaches over and moves the food over. "Satisfied?"
"Yes." She kisses his nose as suddenly the door to the cottage splinters open with a crash! Kate screams and Thomas spins around, keeping her tucked behind him as two men burst into the room with guns! Kate steps behind him, keeping her body hidden from prying eyes as her brother enters the room with a gun in his hand!
"Anton?" she is stunned beyond belief. "What is this?"
Anton turns to her and stares, his eyes going wide in shock. His face grows red in furious anger as he snarls out. "Get the hell away from Kate, now!" Thomas steps aside warily watching her brother. He reaches back for her, to offer her his hand, which she takes. That little action causes him to grow furious with anger. "Get your hands off her or so help me, I'll blow your head off here and now!"
"Alright!" Thomas says in a far calmer tone than she can manage. "I've let her go."
"You," Anton orders to one of the men. "go get her stuff. And you," he turns to Thomas. "and I, are going to have a talk outside. Now!"
"He's not going anywhere!" Kate half-shrieks as Thomas takes a few steps towards her brother. She stays right behind him. "You owe me an explanation as to what you're doing here!"
"I've come to take you back home."
She stares at him before laughing. "I'm not going anywhere with you! have you lost your mind?"
"He can't hurt you anymore, Kate." Kate stares at him in shock. There is something dark, apparently nagging him. "I've got eyes in the house, I know that he's been hurting you, forcing himself on you every night since I left you."
Kate blinks and shakes her head. "He hasn't been hurting me!"
"You don't need to lie for him anymore."
"Who's your source?" Thomas demands.
"You," Anton pulls his gun and aims it as Thomas's head, causing Kate to scream. "are in no position to make demands!"
"Anton," she pleads desperately, her heart pounding in her throat. "please, don't do this to me again."
"Kate," Thomas holds his hand up. "stay calm, it's alright."
"Your feelings for him are not real." Her brother snapped. "You feel that way because you've been stuck here with him for months."
"That's not true. I love him." her brother shakes his head in denial.
"You don't love him, you think you do." He snaps. "He's brainwashed you."
"No, he hasn't!"
"What the hell is going on in here?" her suddenly father roars, causing everyone to jump. He's there, his gun drawn along with Polly.
"Anton wants me to go back home with you and him." Kate explains as she takes a few steps back from Thomas. there's a gun in the kitchen drawer, if she can get to it.
Her father stares at him. "Have you lost your mind, boy?" he then glowers at the men. "I didn't give any of you orders to do this!"
The men now look very confused. "We were told this was a kidnapping."
"Kidnapping?" Polly snorts. "Look at her hand, she's got a ring. They're on their honeymoon!"
The men shoot Anton dark looks as they lower their guns. Only one man has the guts to speak to her father. "We're not getting mixed up in this."
"A wise move. Go wait in the car."
"Don't you dare!" Anton shrieks. Kate uses this distraction to slowly pull open the kitchen drawer. The gun is right within her reach and she can only pray it's still loaded.
"I don't know what's going on with you Anton." Her father is furious. "I've told you again and again, that Kate is alright. she's happily married."
"Not for long." Anton suddenly grabs Thomas around the throat and presses the gun to his head.
"Anton!" Kate screams, her voice drawing every eye to her as she pulls the gun from the drawer and presses it to her chin. Everyone stops in place. Kate's own heart is threatening to beat out of her chest.
"Kate," Thomas asks his breathing rapid. "put the gun down."
"If you pull that trigger Anton," Kate warns. "I pull this one!"
"Anton." Her father warns. "Let him go now."
"Kate, put the gun down!" Thomas orders.
"I told you once before," she holds his gaze. "I won't go through the pain of losing you. if he kills you…then I'm going with you."
"Anton," her father demands. "let him go, now."
"Kate," Thomas begs. "point the gun away, please. Think of the baby."
"You're pregnant?" her brother moves the gun away from Thomas's head. he looks shocked. "You're going to have a baby?"
"Of course I am!" Kate turns sideways so he can see her protruding belly. "I don't know who told you that Thomas has been hurting me, but they're very much mistaken."
"Anton," her father bites out. "this is the last time I'm telling you to put the gun down."
"You're always telling me what to do." Anton suddenly shouts his face red. "You know how I feel about her and neither of you has a right to-
In that moment, Kate pulled the gun away from her chin and shot Anton in the chest! Anton dropped the gun as Thomas broke free from him and punched him in the jaw. The pop and spewing blood told Kate that Thomas had broken his jaw. As Anton reached for the gun, her father and Polly fired on Anton, causing him to drop to the ground in a heap.
Thomas takes the gun from her hand, pulling her into a bruising embrace. "Don't ever f**king do that again!" Kate nods as she clings to him. "Do you understand me?!"
"Yes."
Polly steps towards the phone. "I'll call an ambulance."
Kate sighs and pulls away from him. "There's a medical kit under the sink."
Thomas grips her arm. "No. not this time Kate."
She jerks her arm free. "He's my brother. Please, go get it." He hesitates before heading to the bathroom. She sighs as she looks over her brother's figure. He'd been shot in the chest, collarbone and stomach. His jaw is broken. She inhaled deeply as she knelt to examine him. "Dad, I'm going to need you to hold him down."
Her father nods as he kicks Anton's gun out of his reach. "I love you Kate." Her brother gasped out.
"No you don't," she snapped. "if you loved me, you'd let me be happy in my marriage."
When Anton grabbed her hand and kissed them, her blood ran cold. Surely, he hadn't meant… then, she thought about it for a second and chills for terror ran through her. there were always moments of him staring at her, he'd never approved of any boys hanging around her growing up. Now, dozens of thoughts that she'd brushed away over the years began to pelt her at once. She looked at her father, the sickly color of his skin testified that he hadn't seen or suspected such a thing either.
"Let go of me." Anton didn't. he held onto her hands tightly and Kate felt sick. "Let go of me!"
Thomas appeared out of nowhere to pull her hands free from Anton's bloody grip. "Kate, get away from him." Kate allowed him to hand her towards Polly. "Tell us what to do, but I don't want you to touch him."
"I'll tell you what to do." Polly states. "Just let him die. There's something unnatural with him."
"Polly," her father orders. "take Kate out of the room. now. Thomas, help me up."
"Here." Polly guides her towards the stairs. "Breathe Kate."
Kate inhales deeply as Polly leads her out to the front porch. Kate breaks for the railing of the porch to vomit onto the ground. she groans and holds her stomach as Polly braces her back. Kate groans as she straightens up to find Polly extending a handkerchief to her. "Thank you."
A gun going off, causing her to scream and run back into the cottage. She wasn't sure what to expect when she ran into the room, but it wasn't to see was Anton with a bullet in his head and her father holding the gun. Kate covered her mouth as Thomas took the gun from her father and set it on the table.
Her father inhaled as he turned towards her, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Let's go to the house, there is a lot we need to discuss."
Idcam: I know! It was a rather unconventional surprise, but it seemed like her.
Author's note.
My sister gets credit for this turn of events, I wasn't planning this! She was watching Ben-Hur with me and commented that Anton reminded her of Messaulus. Unbeknownst to her, the actor portraying Messaulus was directed to play the character as a spurned, gay lover. I went back, read my work and everything just fit into place. It explained his obsessive behavior! I will try to update by tonight and not leave my readers hanging, but no promises.
