Chapter Twenty Seven

Victor shook his head as John spoke of this plan and he wasnt buying it, not one bit.."you are absolutely crazy if you think we are going for this" he finally spoke..

"wait a sec ok, this may work" Natalie said honestly as Victor looked at her..

"are you kidding, using you as bait, I dont think so" he said once more..

"Listen it may not be the most secure plan" John began as he looked at them..

"thats an understatement, absolutely not" Victor walked across the room and Natalie chased after him..

"listen this could work, it gets us close to her" she began as Victor looked at her now..

He kept his voice quiet.."we still dont even know if this is a scam, I mean all of a sudden he wants to help, come on Natalie I know your not nieve" Victor shook his head..

"he could of ended the both of us already, im going for it" she said quickly as his eyes got wide..

"do you even understand what you are thinking of, this could end bad in way neither of us could image not to mention we still have a bit of an issue about a certain rouge" Victor said seriously and she swallowed hard..

"yeah well right now we have to deal with one issue at a time and stopping the end of the world seems pretty high up on my list" she said as she spun from him and then looked at John..."Im in"

"Like hell you are" Victor snapped..

"i think she is able to make her own decisions" John said dryly as Victor began walking over to him..

"You dont even know who she is" Victor snapped at him.."dont you dare try and act like you have a clue, because you dont"

"i said I was doing this and I am" Natalie snapped loudly as they both looked at her..

"were wasting time" John said seriously..

"dont do this Natalie, not after everything" Victor warned and she ignored him as she walked past him and up to John, she swallowed hard..

"just tell me what I have to do" she said to john, she didnt know if this would work but it was the only thing they had and if it would put an end to the apocolypse then it was worth it..

"i cant let you do this natalie, I just cant" Victor called out and as she turned she saw him rushing at her but before she could yell out at him he suddenly flew against the wall, she quickly turned to see John standing there with his hand up..

"what did you, what did you do" she said in absolute shock as Victor lay motionless on the ground..John didnt say anything for a moment as he looked at her and she went to run over to Victor to see if he was dead, he looked dead but before she could get to him John grabbed her..

"it had to be done" he said nearly emotionless and then she was screaming as they whirled through the air at a high speed..

The speed alone made her stomach turn and she had screamed until her mouth ran dry and just when she didnt think she could possibly take any more torture, it ended, just like that as she stumbled on the ground..

She was absolutely livid not to mention on the verge of vomiting as she spun around and looked at him as he stood there.."what the hell did you do" she snapped at him as her heart continued to race..

"he was getting in the way" he said nonchalantly as he began to walk past her..

"You killed him!" she yelled furiously as she grabbed onto his arm and he spun around, just inches from her, his eyes dark..

"your boyfriend will live, trust me" he said sarcastically..

"You son of a bitch" she yelled as she went to hit him but he caught her hand..

"I already told you that I dont want to fight with you" he said in a low serious tone as he let go of her arm.."Now I dont know about you but I need a drink" he said as he walked from her and she now took in the view in front of her. They were in a livingroom of what looked like a huge house. The ceilings alone had to be atleast twenty feet high and vaulted. She quickly spun around some more as she took in the detail, where the hell were they? She went to yell at him, she was beyond enraged, so he hadnt killed Vincent but he had been close to it and now he took her to god knows where.. He was no longer in the room..

A large leather sectional couch sat perfectly in front of a very large fireplace, satin curtains lined the windows and enormous pictures hung on the walls of the great room..She looked in the direction that he had taken off and she quickly ran to what looked like an open door on the opposite side of the room, was he going to kill her? Was that bitch Evangeline there too?

As she pushed past the stain curtain that hung against the doorway she came to a halt as she looked out over a balcony and gasped. They were on top of some sort of mountain, below was a body of water crashing into rocks and she looked up at where she stood, seeing the outside of the house but it wasnt a house at all, it was a damn castle..

"it will be one hell of a fall if you decide to jump" he said as she spun to face him, he stood in the doorway, two glasses of something in his hand..

"where the hell did you take me" she demanded as he stepped closer and she backed up..

"drink this, you'll feel better" he began nonchalantly..

"I dont want a damn drink, take me back, take me back now" she ordered him..

"No, we have a deal" he said as he held out one of the glasses to her and she refused to take it as she backed up more..

"I never said to whip me through the air, how the hell did you even do that" she snapped at him..

"theres a lot of things I can do Natalie, now drink" he continued to hold the glass out to her..

"this is kidnapping" she snapped at him..

"Your not a kid and your boyfriend back there was about to ruin everything, I told you I wanted to help, dont make me change my mind" he said darkly...

Natalie contemplated telling him that Vincent wasnt her boyfriend but the idea of being alone with souless John was a bit overwhelming and so she kept her mouth shut, maybe if he thought Vincent was her boyfriend than he wouldnt do anything crazy..

"drink" he said again..

She narrowed her eyes at him and then snatched up the glass in a huff as she downed it.."Happy now?"...He didnt reply as he sipped his drink.."i want to leave" she said again..

"well thats not gonna happen, atleast not until you help me" he said as he walked over to the balcony and looked out, she studied him for a minute, maybe Vincent was right, maybe this was a bad idea after all..

John stared out into the ocean below, his head was absolutely throbbing and his gut was in knots, what the hell was it with this chick and how was she in his head.. At first he had thought that maybe it was a memory but by her behaviour he had his doubts because the girl in his head wasnt angry with him, it was the opposite actually..

He had been back at his place earlier when he felt an overwhelming urge to see her and then just like that he was in front of her, he couldnt explain it, it didnt make sense but somehow he felt connected to her..

"You didnt have to do that to him and you didnt have to take me here" she began as he looked at her now, studying her once more..

"how did you get in my head" he said low but his tone was very serious..

"Im not getting in your head" she said quickly, her voice coming on nervous like and he immediately picked up on it..

"Your not a witch, are you" he continued with confusion..

Natalie rolled her eyes now.."maybe I am" she said quickly, her heart racing dangerously fast..

"No your not, I would of sensed it but" he began as his voice trailed..

"But nothing" she snapped.."I said I was gonna help but this...this is completely uncalled for" she shook her head..

"I saw you standing in a room" he began as she swallowed hard and backed up some.."that wasnt fake, that was real, wasnt it"

"I dont know what your talking about" she said quickly, maybe too quickly..

"i think you know exactlly what im talking about, you said you knew me before" he began as she rolled her eyes..

"yeah well that doesnt really matter now does it" she said bitterly.."i want to go"

Images of Natalie standing nearly naked before him filled his head as he looked at her...Natalie saw the way he looked at her, it brought back memories of another time but this wasnt like that other time, it couldnt be cause even though John was a womanizing ass a year ago, well he still had his soul and now he didnt..

"You cant hide it from me Natalie, I can see it now, I can see you" he said seriously as he looked at her and she swallowed hard..

"yeah well your just crazy" she said quickly..

"Fine, maybe am i" he said as he stepped closer to her and she instinctively backed up some..The thought that he remembered her from a year ago, it not only made her heart skip a beat but it also terrified her, this wasnt the john she knew and she couldnt let herself get vulnerable with him not when so much was at stake.."why are you so nervous?"

"Im not nervous" she snapped as she looked around for a quick escape route but she honestly had no idea where they were, even if she did run where the hell would she run to.." Victor is going to come looking for me"

"trust me he cant find you here" he said as he continued to walk over to her..

"why are you doing this" she yelled at him.."i said I would help you" she was becoming frantic..

"why arent you telling me the truth, all I want is the truth" he snapped back at her as he got right in front of her and she sucked in a deep breath..She couldnt find any words, she just couldnt.."did we have a deal?" he cocked his head as another memory came to the fore front and she swallowed hard..

"a deal? I thought that is what we just discussed" she said quickly even though she knew he wasnt talking about the present deal.."why cant we just do what we planned, you said you wanted to get back at Evangeline and by us sitting here" she began to ramble but surprisingly he grabbed her as she gasped and before she could say anything he kissed her, like really kissed her. For a moment she tried to resist, she tried to push on him but it was futile, she had missed his kiss, god how she had missed it even when she knew that she shouldnt..

He slowly pulled back and looked at her, she was panting breathlessly, his eyes darkened with lust and something else, she freaked out and immediately slapped him on the face, she promised herself she wouldnt be vulnerable, she had to think of Victoria, she had to find a way to get her daughter back.. He continued to stare at her and she moved away from him..

"dont do that" she said with her voice trembling, she could still feel his lips on hers..

"I must of done quite the number on you" he said nonchalantly..

"Oh please" she rolled her eyes and he immediately got in front of her again..

"does your boyfriend know that we shared a bed?" he raised an eyebrow at her..

"your delusional, you know that right" she went to step back but he grabbed her arm..

"dont do that, dont lie" he said seriously.." I may not have my soul like you claim but Im not stupid"

"Just let me go ok" she said quietly now as she stood there..

"Im sorry I cant,.. not until I know the truth" he said as he looked at her.."and I got all the time in the world" he finished as he let go of her and then walked back inside as she stood there, her heart absolutely racing..She ran to the edge of the balcony and looked over, there was no way in hell she could get down from there..

The waves crashing on the rocks below made her stomach turn as she spun and looked at the empty doorway, she would have to deal with him, she had no choice, but she wasnt about to reminise with him either. He was too unstable for her to risk him knowing the truth and so she thought quick, she would have to fake this, somehow..

She quickly walked back into the large livingroom, it was empty but she could hear him in the kitchen and then he was walking back in the room, another full glass in his hand as he sipped it.."so?.."he looked at her..

"fine you got me" she finally said as his eyes perked up with interest.."maybe you saw me naked, once" she said quickly as he looked at her.."and yes a deal was involved"

"once?" he raised an eyebrow..

"you said you wanted the truth, right" she said as she walked in the room more..He didnt say anything.."i came to you looking for help, you agreed only If I stripped down for you" she lied as she looked away from him.."so I did, my brothers life was hanging in the balance and you were the only one I could turn to"

"and so you paid me with a strip tease" he said with disbelief..

"I never said you werent an ass back then" she said with a shake of her head..

"Ok say I buy that" he began as he continued to sip his drink.."what about the other times? Were they deals too" he raised an eyebrow and she swallowed hard, she didnt know that he had remembered various things about the short time they spent together..

"yeah well apparently you have a wild imagination" she said sarcastically..

"oh that must be it" he began and then within seconds he was in front of her as she gasped.."but that just doesnt seem right"

"yeah well I hate to break it to you but I was with victor then" she lied nervously..He seemed to contemplate what she said for a second.."I told you the truth ok"

"did you?" he raised an eyebrow again..

"why does any of this even matter ok, you dont have a soul remember and apparently you have fake memories" she said as she swallowed hard..

"prove it" he said as he stared at her..

"what?" she said somewhat shocked.."i dont have to explain myself to you" she went to walk away from him but he reached out and touched her arm, she froze as she looked up at him..

"then what is that, behind your eyes" he said quietly..She didnt answer him..

"theres nothing" she began nervously, he stepped closer to her, closing in the distance as he looked at her..

"oh there is definitely something" he finished as his head dipped down to hers and she went to move back but her legs wouldnt let her as his lips landed on hers, she gasped in shock as he possessed her mouth and then he was pulling her close, crushing her body against his as his tongue took over her mouth..

She got lost in the moment as she allowed him to kiss her once more and yet again she fell into it. There was such a familiarity to his kiss and his touch, it set her body on fire and then he was pulling back as he looked at her..Studying her once more..."explain to me again how I created fake memories" he rasped as he looked at her and she panted slightly..She went to back up from him but he didnt let go of her as he kept her crushed against him.."that wasnt fake and this isnt either" he said as his lips crashed into hers again and before she knew it he was lifting her up as they kissed in a frenzy..

She felt them move quickly across the room and then she was falling down, her back hitting into the soft couch as he continued the onslaught, she could barely think as he kissed her and ground his body against hers.. Images from a year ago flooding her head and if she tried not to think about the current situation, well it almost seemed like he was the John she knew, but he wasnt that John and that thought was too much to bear, she pushed against his chest as he broke contact with her mouth. His eyes filled with heated lust..

"i cant do this, not now, not when..." her voice was shaking as he looked at her and then he was quickly getting up as she tried to control her breathing. He stood at the edge of the couch seemingly in deep thought as she quickly sat up. Her body ached for his..

John felt completely and utterly torn. He wanted her and bad, he could barely take it.. The images in his head were so real that he could almost feel himself inside of her..He hated that he couldnt think straight, that his body had a mind of its own and he was left at its mercy..He blanched as he stood there, he really didnt have a soul and he honestly didnt know how he felt about that. It was hard for him to feel anything at the present moment..

For the last year he had been a whirlwind of anger and bitterness. He did what he wanted when he wanted and now he couldnt even do that. What was happening to him?

Natalie quickly stood, she wasnt sure what he was going to do now, her wallet fell on the ground and his eyes landed on something that had fallen out of it, she scrambled to get it from the ground as he too reached for the piece of laminated paper on the ground..Natalie felt her eyes go wide as he picked up the picture she had of Victoria in her wallet.."give that back" she snapped at him as he looked at her and then back at the picture in his hand. It was of a small baby with soft red hair and piercing blue eyes.."I said give it back" she said a bit louder now as her voice shook and he looked at her..

"Is this...is she.. yours?" he said with shock and she snatched the picture from his hand..

"Its none of your business" she said quickly as she fumbled with the picture, quickly trying to put it away..

"You have a daughter?" he said as more of a statement than anything else..Natalie didnt say anything for a moment, she felt sick with anxiety..

She decided to go with it but without letting him know the full truth.."thats why I need to go, now" she said quickly as he looked at her a bit shocked..

" why were you looking for me if you have a child at home" he said with confusion..

"my reasons are my own" she said defensively as he continued to look at her suspiciously..

"How old is she?" he continued to pry..

"what part of this is none of your business dont you understand" she said angrily as she turned from him and glanced at the picture in her hand, it nearly brought her to tears as she stood there, damn those pregnancy hormones, they were still doing a number on her, even three months later..

"is victor?" he began and she spoke quickly, she didnt know why she did but it just came out..

"yes" she lied as the room got incredibly quiet..She quickly shoved the picture back in her wallet.."You have to bring me back" she said with a dry throat as she turned and looked at him. He seemed perplexed as he looked at her, she felt her nerves getting the best of her, what if he figured it out, what if he knew the truth..

"vampires cant reproduce" he said quickly as he looked at her, he too felt sick to his stomach, she had a child and with that blood sucker..How was that even possible?

"Yeah well he did, we did" she said quickly and he cocked his head now.."that doesnt even matter, what does is that you bring me back"

"what is her name?" he asked as if he didnt even hear her..

Natalie stepped back now.."im not having this conversation with you" she began as he stared at her and then she felt something strange, it was an odd throbbing sensation in her head, almost like the start of a wicked headache and then it got worse as she winced some and grabbed her head.."what the hell" she said somewhat stunned as she looked at him and then it hit her, she had let her guard down, he was in her head and she began to panick as pain raked through her body.."stop it" she yelled out..

Images raced through his mind, he hadnt been able to read her mind before and now he had worked hard to take the wall she had down but then he was in as images raced through..

"would you like to know the sex of your child?" the ultrasound tech smiled at her as Natalie looked at her enormous belly, excitement ran through her..

"Yes please" she said as Gigi squeezed her hand and the tech smiled..

"Its a girl" the tech grinned..

"stop, please" Natalie pleaded with him as she hunched over in pain but he continued to pry..

"You see this sweetheart, this is where your gonna sleep" natalie said as she rubbed her stomach and stood in front of the crib in the large nursery.."i cant wait to meet you"

"stop...stop this" Natalie cried out now as she dropped to her knees, her hands on her head..

The sound of a babys cried filled the room as natalie fell back completely exhausted, sweat beading on her forehead.."she's beautiful Natalie, so beautiful" Gigi said with tears in her eyes as natalie looked up and the nurse brought the small baby over to her chest as natalie looked at the tiny little life now cradled in her arms, she began to cry with joy and sadness.."You did it natalie" Gigi leaned down to her..

"I just...if he could see her" Natalie cried as she held her small miracle..

"i know, she has his eyes" Gigi said with tears as they both looked at Victoria..

Natalie's heavy onslaught of crying finally made him break free from her mind as he looked at her, completely shocked himself as she cried into her hands as she stayed on her knees..He almost felt like he would vomit as he stood there, his gut tightened to an unbearable force..

Natalie felt the throbbing subside as she held onto her head, she knew instantly that he was no longer invading her mind but he didnt say anything and she was actually frightened to look at him but he spoke before she could.."Victoria" he said quietly as she looked up now...

"You son of a bitch" she yelled as she jumped up and slapped him hard, followed by her hands pounding into his chest, her tears were falling freely now as he stood there stoic and allowed her to beat on him.."dont you ever...ever do that again" she yelled in tears as she continued to hit him and then she was compelled to look up at him during her onslaught attack..His eyes were wide with shock and awe..

"she's mine, isnt she" he said with a stunned voice as natalie stopped the pounding on his chest and gasped, she went to deny what he was saying, she had to deny it but he spoke again.."she is, I have a daughter" his words lingered in the air as natalie backed up and went to make a run for it, she needed to get out of there, even if it was an impossible feat but he grabbed her before she could get far..

"let go of me, let go" she yelled out but he didnt let up his grip on her.."fine you want the truth, well here it is!" she yelled out in tears.."You do have a daughter you son of a bitch, you do!"