All Them Witches
A Sequel to Rosemary's Baby (2014)
Ch. 1: What's Happening With Rosemary's Baby?
As Rosemary walked with Adrian in his stroller, along the streets of Paris, she was stopped by several young couples, all of which cooed over him. They all said the same; "He's beautiful". To which, Ro replied with, "Thank you. He's perfect." It seemed to be her go-to response; he was perfect, aside from being Satan's human child.
As she got closer to La Chimere, Guy came jogging alongside her, as though he wanted to speak to her. Rosemary turned up her nose, stating, "I have nothing to say to you, Guy…" and kept walking.
Guy continued beside her, "Ro...Ro…" It was clear that he wasn't going to let up until she spoke to him.
"I'm not interested in anything that you have to say…" Rosemary stated calmly, still walking, hoping to get rid of him.
"Rosemary, please…" Guy pushed, grabbing her arm.
"She's not interested…" A low voice growled behind the two of them. "I suggest you move on"
"Excuse me?!" Guy barked, "Who the hell do you think you are?!"
As the pair looked back, they saw Roman glaring at Guy. "Roman!" Rosemary smiled, happy to see a familiar face coming to her rescue.
"Do you still have that ticket back to New York?" Roman asked with a smile, towards Rosemary, wrenching Guy's hand from her arm.
Rosemary nodded, smiling, "I've decided not to go back, though."
"What a waste" Roman purred, glancing to Guy; who seemed suddenly annoyed by his presence.
Guy sighed, "I'm trying to talk to my wife, Roman…If you don't mind…"
"Oh, no" Roman nodded, raising his hands in defence, "Of course…How dare I intrude on such a sensitive subject?…As I've done repeatedly in the last few months…Go on." He smiled, taking a step back.
Rosemary gave a huff, laughing as she ripped the ring from her finger, pinging it off Guy's forehead, scoffing, "I'll save you the trouble…", then began to walk away.
As Guy followed after her, shouting, "Rosemary!" she ignored him. When he called after her again, once more grabbing her by the arm, he sneered, "Where do you think you're going?!"
"Home" Rosemary answered, "I'd like to have a nice afternoon, alone with Adrian…So, if you don't mind…" She turned her back on him again, and continued, humming to Adrian, as he'd started to cry in his stroller due to the raised voices scaring him.
As Guy was about to reach out for her arm once more, Roman strode to him, grabbing his arm and wrist, "Let's see how you like it…" forcing him into an arm lock from the front, walking him away from Rosemary and Adrian. "Not a nice feeling, is it?" Roman smiled as Guy growled in pain, "Being grabbed by someone bigger and stronger than you…?" He continuned backing Guy away, and Guy tripped; having been walking backwards; over a curb. As Roman held onto him, he purred, "As I said…I suggest you move on…" keeping him upright.
"What makes you think I will?" Guy seethed, "I want what's mine!"
"Yours?" Roman laughed. "Adrian is not yours, by any stretch of the imagination…Now, for the sake of the sequel you've started…Why don't you start packing…hm?" Guy gave Roman a confused expression, and Roman added, "It'd be such a terrible waste, not getting on that flight back to New York"
"I don't know if I can do that" Guy sneered, livid with Roman for interfering.
Roman shrugged with a smug grin, "Well, then I don't know if I can continue being your benefactor…" When Guy sighed, Roman stated, "It's for the best…"
"If you say so…" Guy sighed, starting to walk away from Roman.
"And…while you're packing…" Roman added, "…Strike that. Before you and I part ways…I'd like my lighter back"
Shit, how did Roman see that?! Guy thought to himself; he'd taken a personal possession in case he needed to get back at Roman, later. "You've got a good eye, Roman…" Guy smiled, playing off the fact that he'd stolen something from him, as he handed the lighter back.
"Stealing from your mentor…isn't exactly the best way to get a leg up" Roman purred. "I suggest you head off to the Sorbonne…Let them know you won't be teaching as of next week"
As he and Roman parted ways, Guy shook away the pain in his forearm, muttering to himself, "Damn it, Roman's stronger than I gave him credit for…"
From several feet away, Roman smirked, calling to Guy, "He also has exceptional hearing." When Guy looked back in surprise, Roman smiled, "I'll take the compliment, though, thank you." He gave a cocky wave, and crossed the street, stopping in front of La Chimere for a quick smoke before he went inside, watching Guy like a hawk.
Once Guy was out of sight, Roman snuffed out his cigar, and headed inside to find Margaux and Rosemary seated with Adrian, near the fireplace in the sitting room. "There's Uncle Roman!" Rosemary smiled, pointing to Roman as Adrian giggled and gurgled in delight.
"'Uncle Roman'" Roman chuckled quietly.
"He adores his Uncle Roman" Margaux purred, as she embraced her husband, sharing a quick kiss in greeting.
"Of course he does" Roman nodded. It made complete sense that a child of Satan himself would be enthralled with someone like him.
After a moment; once Rosemary had fed Adrian; they heard a key unlocking the door. Both Rosemary and Roman gave a heavy, annoyed blink in realisation that Guy was home. He'd been to the school to hand in his resignation papers, and had come back to do as Roman had suggested to him. Of course, Rosemary hadn't heard that part of their conversation, and so, she asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I still live here" Guy growled, unaware of the fact that Roman stood behind him; having gone to the kitchen just before he came home.
"For a few more hours…" Roman smirked, with a handful of grapes. As Adrian began to cry, Roman went to him, stroking his little head, smiling, "He won't be around much longer." It immediately calmed the fussy baby.
Guy saw a double-meaning in Roman's words, and snarled, "What's that supposed to mean?!" As Guy's raised voice startled him, Adrian began to wail again.
Roman groaned, sighing, "See what you've done?" gesturing to Adrian, who wailed like a siren in Rosemary's arms, despite her efforts to calm him down.
"Hand him to me" Margaux quietly ordered with a maternal smile. As Rosemary passed the fussing baby to Margaux, she hummed, gently massaging the baby's temples. "The same technique I learned in Tibet for headaches," she stated, "Works on fussy babies."
"That's amazing!" Rosemary gasped in awe.
Margaux nodded, then looked to Roman, beaming, "That's the reason why you've never seen Roman in a bad mood"
Roman frowned for a brief moment because she'd called him a fussy baby, then smirked in return, "Well, it's one reason…Won't give you the other one…," he nodded to Adrian, "Innocent child in the room."
The women both laughed, shocked that Roman; a seemingly proper gentleman; would say something like that. It didn't quite shock Margaux as much as it had Rosemary; she was used to it. Margaux stood, still laughing, and swatted Roman in the chest, "Roman!" as she held Adrian in the other arm.
"I don't mean to brag, of course" Roman smirked again, raising his hands in defence, almost as though expecting to be smacked again. He lowered his hands when Margaux didn't smack him a second time.
Margaux gave a sigh, though still smiling, and said to Rosemary, "This…is what happens when he's opened up a bit. You see the absolutely filthy mind"
Rosemary laughed, still in shock, "I never would have expected something like that to come out of your mouth, Mr. Proper."
Roman took a seat next to Rosemary with a suggestive smirk, shrugging. Guy had started slamming things around, trying to find everything that he needed to pack, and this set Adrian crying again; an angry cry this time. Something that Rosemary had yet to hear out of him. "Oh, Christ on a stick" Roman sighed. As Guy's noise continued, Adrian's cry grew angrier, to the point that a few books fell from the shelf next to them. Margaux held no reaction, while Roman gave a smile in realisation; Adrian wa already showing signs of his supernatural power. However, Rosemary was horrified. Roman placed a hand on her knee, assuring her, "Everything's fine. Perfect, even…This is completely normal for Satan-spawn." He chuckled; he'd never used that term, meaning it literally before. "You'll get used to it…eventually" He grinned sheepishly, "Possibly"
"If not," Margaux added, "I have a wonderful anti-anxiety recipe." She rested a comforting hand on Rosemary's shoulder, smiling as Adrian's tantrum subsided; stopping as he looked to Roman. Adrian stared deeply into Roman's intoxicatingly blue eyes, now gurgling contently. "You have an admirer, mon cher" Margaux stated, looking to Roman.
Roman smiled, looking to Adrian, and Rosemary hummed, "Would you like to hold him?"
Ever a sentimental man, Roman's eyes teared a bit, and Rosemary handed Adrian over to him, knowing that his reaction to her question certainly meant 'yes'. As he held the baby in his arms, Roman took a breath to regulate himself, blinking away the coming tears. Adrian seemed wholly entranced in Roman's eyes, and Roman cooed, "Oh, the little Prince" as Adrian grabbed onto his finger.
Once Guy had finished packing, he dragged his bags to the door, and stood in the doorframe to the sitting room. He sighed as he watched Roman and Margaux fuss over the baby, thinking that it should rightfully be his. As Roman felt his presence glaring daggers at the side of his head, he turned and smiled at Guy; who sighed impatiently, "You never specified where I'm supposed to stay for the rest of the week…"
Roman smiled, recognizing right away, the arrogance of some Americans, confirming a European stereotype. He gave an equally arrogant sneer, "Well, you still have that broom closet you used to live in…"
Guy hesitated, trying to calm himself down, rather than start a fight with Roman in his own home. "Of course…" He nodded.
"Off you go, then" Roman smiled, nodding to the door in a silent dismissal. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out" He smirked, coining an American phrase. When Guy let the door close behind him, Roman glanced to Rosemary; who seemed somewhat surprised to hear Roman sat that; then smiled, "You'll recall…I don't like bullies" Roman frowned, "If a man of any capability lays his hands on a woman with intent to hurt or otherwise gain control over her…it might as well be considered a physical assault."
"What did he do to you, Rosemary?" Margaux frowned.
"Oh…," Rosemary stammered, "It was nothing, really" She shook her head, dismissing the issue from earlier in the day. Roman and Margaux shared looks of concern, and Rosemary sighed, "He…just…grabbed my arm. That's all."
"'That's all'?" Roman scoffed. "If he'd grabbed you any harder, darling, he might have dislocated your shoulder"
"But he didn't…" Rosemary sighed, wishing they'd drop it. To her, it seemed like it was nothing to worry about.
"Because I stepped in before it got any worse" Roman noted. "He may have loved you from the start…but something's changed in Guy…A darker force has taken over him"
"But enough about that for now" Margaux smiled, changing the subject. "Is it not time for Adrian to have a nap?"
Rosemary looked to the clock, and nodded, "I'll put him down…" She yawned, "I might have a nap, myself"
"If he should wake up before you, fret not…We'll take care of everything" Roman offered.
Rosemary smiled, "Thank you. The two of you are amazing"
…
As Guy settled back into his old apartment, he left his bags by the front door, and sat on the couch, head in his hands. A moment passed, and his head shot up, recognizing a foul odor; "Sulfur?" He smelled all around the small apartment, but couldn't identify the source, and went to the front door, opening it to smell the hallway. There was no foul odor in the hallway, just in the small apartment. "Ok, this is freakin' weird" Guy said to himself, feeling in his pockets for his phone. "Where's my phone?!" He panicked, patting himself down. He looked around the apartment, and couldn't find it anywhere.
As he looked for a landline, he jumped when it rang as soon as he went to dial "Jeez!" He gasped, looking to the call display. It was his cell. Whoever had his phone, they knew where he was, and they knew their previous home number. It could only be 5 people, and 2 of them were dead; Julie and the late Police Commissioner. It had to be either Rosemary, Roman or Margaux. "…Hello…?" He answered, somewhat skeptically.
"Clearly…you left your phone at La Chimere" Roman purred. "You might think to come and retrieve it before we have our locks changed"
"You're having the locks changed?" Guy frowned.
"Preventative measures" Roman nodded. "The place is just sitting here, waiting to be burgled"
"Funny, you should choose now to have it done"
"The locksmith only had two days available…it being Easter this weekend" He smiled, "Anyway…Do come by as fast as you can…We're expecting him within the hour"
…
Shortly after, Guy found himself back at La Chimere; the locksmith already there, working on the door. Roman came right to him, phone in hand. "Here we are…You should really be more careful with your possessions. In the wrong hands, it could lead to your downfall" He smirked, leading Guy out of the door, a hand on his shoulder. As he took Guy over the threshold, he subtly kicked his inside foot out, tripping Guy up, and causing a bunch of random items to fly from his pockets. Of course, Roman played it off, blaming the locksmith's toolbox, as Guy didn't notice it was really him. "Oh, would you look at that…" He scoffed to the locksmith, "Watch where you leave your things, huh?"
The locksmith laughed, "Manger mon cul" (A rough translation, here, would be "Eat my ass")
Roman smirked, "You know I give into temptation at least twice a day…Don't tempt me, mon ami." As Guy collected the fallen items, he didn't notice that he missed something because Roman had pocketed it discreetly with a sly smile. "Shall I see you downstairs?"
"I'm fine" Guy gasped as Emile; the handyman; galloped by on all fours.
"EMILE!" Roman shouted to the man without a tongue, "SORTIR IMMEDIATEMENT!" He yelled, pointing to the elevator. "So sorry about him. It's rather difficult, teaching manners to an inbred bastard with no tongue and the IQ of a pigeon" He looked to Emile; who hadn't moved yet; and waved a hand, shooing him away, "ALLEZ!" Emile gave a low growl as he left, glaring into Roman's eyes. Roman looked away, not bothered in the slightest. As Roman saw Guy to the lobby of La Chimere, he purred, "Do try to enjoy your last few days in Paris…while you can" He opened the door, showing him out with a smug wave, then turned to the lobby receptionist, muttering, "Guy Woodhouse…does not come through those doors again, comprend?"
The receptionist nodded, "Oui, monsieur Castevet." The entire time that Roman was in the glass elevator, he watched out of the windows as Guy made his way back home. He pulled Guy's watch from his jacket pocket with a sadistic grin.
When he got back upstairs, Margaux handed him their landline, sighing, "Guy…"
"Didn't he just leave?" Rosemary yawned, rubbing her eyes.
"Go back and lie down, my dear" Roman smiled, taking Rosemary by the waist, leading her back to her bedroom. "Newborns are like a ticking time bomb. Get some sleep while he's down." He went back down the hall, answering Guy with a growl, "I hope you don't plan on calling every five minutes…"
"No, no" Guy shook his head as he crossed the street. "I just forgot to ask you something when I was there"
"Go ahead" Roman crossed one leg over the other as he sat next to Margaux; who listened intently, next to his ear.
"There was a really weird smell in my apartment, just before you phoned" Guy stated, "Almost like sulfur"
"Well, that is strange, isn't it?" Roman seemed rather unfazed, smiling to Margaux; who could hear Guy. "Are you sure you didn't…leave any eggs sitting around? Bad meat, or anything?"
Guy shook his head, "No, we cleared everything out when we left"
Roman shrugged in mock-confusion, "Older apartments always tend to have unpleasant odors, no matter what you do…And you're certain it wasn't, say, a neighbor neglecting to take out their trash?"
"It was only in my apartment" Guy stated, "When I checked out in the hall, it smelled fine"
"I don't know what to tell you" Roman shrugged with a smirk aimed at Margaux, "Other than the idea that you should likely get building management to look into it sooner rather than later."
With that, their conversation was over, and Margaux gasped, smiling, "Mon amour, did you do that?" Roman simply gave a shrug and a smile, and Margaux held his arm, asking more stern this time, "…Roman…?"
Roman raised his hands, smiling, "This one wasn't me…" He looked towards Rosemary's bedroom, and said, "The baby is stronger than we think"
…
At the small and dingy apartment, Guy was settling down to eat, when the taps in the kitchen started to drip. "The hell?" He muttered, standing to squeeze them tighter. As he sat back down, they began to drip again. He made sure they were shut off completely, again, and sat at the table once more. As they started to drip once more, he stood, staring into the sink. This didn't look like normal water; it looked almost reddish-brown. "The hell's going on?" He asked himself. He ran the water, and out from the taps, came not water, but blood. Guy instinctively jumped back about a foot in shock. "JESUS!" He gasped, shutting the water off. As he picked up the phone to call management, thinking that his mind was just playing tricks on him, there was no signal. He sat down again, and ran a hand over his face, wondering what to do next. Guess I'll just let it go, for tonight, Guy thought to himself. He wrote himself a post-it note to remember to phone the building management, then began to get ready for bed; as if he was going to sleep at all that night. It was most definitely going to be a rough night for Guy Woodhouse.