"Hotel Room" by Tendo Rei has a sort-of explanation as to why Herbert hates Hill so much, but never in explicit detailing. ;D In a previous fic, "Bleeding Rose", I did a similar thing as to what REALLY happened between Herbert and Hill in the basement, as did ridley160 in her fic "Untold events in the basement". You've been warned, nuff said.

Also in "Bleeding Rose", Hans Gruber and Carl Hil were old friends from younger days - only the latter man deceives him in the end as we know. Stemmed from "Hotel Room", maybe others.

Chapter Seven

Pain and Pleasure

"Ah, Mr. West. Just the man I wanted to see." He sneered at the older man's sarcasm outlined around the word "man"; he treated him like a child when Gruber wasn't around. He stepped aside for Herbert to come inside; for Carl Hill to call him from his mentor's house at this time of night should be branded suspicious to any other person, but he knew why. And to demand the paperwork of Hans' theories - no, it wasn't a request - and the order of not telling his teacher where he was going or there would be consequences...

"What do you want?" Herbert wasted no time in demanding to cut to the chase. The papers were in a folder tucked safely into his coat so no one else would notice.

Hill chuckled as he closed and locked the door, Herbert turning around fast and glaring at him with his chin up in defiance. "I don't suppose you would want a drink before we get down to 'business.'" Herbert didn't answer, just continued to scowl up at him. Hill smirked again. "I didn't think so." His smile soon faded. "I trust you have them."

"Indeed I do," Herbert answered, reaching in and giving the folder to him.

"Very good," Carl mused as he opened it and flipped through the pages. "That old fool doesn't have it in him to organize his files, but at least he has everything in order. And you take after him." He raised his eyes to Herbert as he spoke, who seethed at the disrespectful way he spoke of Hans. It made him wonder how on earth he had thought of this man as his "oldest friend". "You may take off your coat while you're here, Mr. West. Since you will be here for awhile."

Herbert wanted to spit back that he would prefer to leave now that he'd seen the papers, and since he had a feeling there was more than Hill was letting on; his senses detected more than just what the man had told him over the phone about merely reviewing what Hans had broken to him about "the latest work". He bit back his words and obeyed, shedding his long black coat and hanging it on the rack against the wall. He felt Hill's eyes on him the whole time, not once taking them off.

"By awhile, you mean more than simply looking over the papers."

Hill chuckled and set the folder down on the table. "You're a smart boy, West. But not smart enough to tell your mentor you'd be here. Had you told Hans, you would have spared yourself the trouble." His smile darkened. "I want what Gruber has claimed to break the boundaries of. But we both know that his delusions are far more advanced than anyone should know, and you, as his pupil, share that pretension. We both know death won't be truly conquered. Medical science won't ever do that trick. However...this could serve a purpose of mine as soon as I leave tomorrow. I would have to need some time to kill before I take off."

Herbert stood his ground. He knew what the man was planning to do all this time, knew it all along but couldn't get his poor professor to believe him when he suspected Dr. Hill had ulterior motives since his genius level was nowhere near perfect as Dr. Gruber's. "I won't let you take the rise and allow Dr. Gruber to fall into disgrace. You won't be labeled the paragon of man because you stole the ideas of another man who actually works for a cause -" He didn't get the chance to finish before there was a stinging sensation across his face, and he was on the ground.

Hill's figure towered over him before he was yanked up by his hair and dragged across the room, then thrown onto the bed, his stomach face down. Herbert rolled over to get up before the older man was on him and pinned his smaller, weaker form to the bed. "I would watch that mouth if I were you, you little runt," Hill growled into his face. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to show some respect?" First his father, now this son of a bitch. Herbert spat in his face, receiving another slap. "You're such an arrogant little monster who needs to be put in his place. I will take immense joy in doing this the hard way, because the hard way is the only way."

Herbert looked down in horror when he saw Hill unzip his pants; he tried to squirm himself out from under before his wrists were grabbed and pinned to his sides. "NO! Don't do this to me!" he shouted. Hill only laughed.

"Lessons learned, boy. This is one you will learn tonight...all night long." Hill let go of one of Herbert's slender wrists. "Behave or I will do worse than bruise your little face." Herbert held his breath as his belt was undone, followed by the button and zipper with efficiency. He wished there was a way to get away with Gruber's work - and his fragile, untouched body - safe and sound, but the terrible truth was it was useless. Herbert snarled when Hill's hand slipped down his briefs and felt him through, grinning maliciously when he found and tugged the hair between Herbert's legs. Of course, Hill's smile said it all if not spoken words, before he withdrew his hand and roughly turned Herbert over onto his stomach; Herbert hissed when cold air soon violated his bared buttocks. He tried one more time to escape before something horrible intruded, and his hair was grabbed so his face was shoved into the quilt and that his screams of agony were muffled, so the neighbors wouldn't hear. Nobody was here to help save him from the shameful violation of his body that he'd brought himself to...and most of all, he did this to Dr. Gruber. He'd betrayed him, and this was the price he was paying for it.

Hill let go of his hair so he could grab both of Herbert's hips as he pushed in and pulled out, drawing an excrutiating sting of pain from the younger man and sharp gasps as he was free to roll his face to the side and breathe precious air. He also tried one last time to get him to stop this torture. "P-please...please, stop..." He whimpered, angry that his masculinity was damaged by his helplessness. "Just...let me go; I won't tell him...!" Herbert choked out, only to yelp at another jab into his flesh. He felt something hot and sticky inside him. He was bleeding.

Hill groaned and laughed at the same time, continuing as he responded. "I'll make sure of that, Mr. West...if you promise to remain here all night before my departure."

Oh, God, he was going to endure MORE of this all night! But he had to protect his teacher and his life, so Herbert nodded frantically, finally releasing sobs through his sore throat, the noises hoarse as thoughts of revenge and hatred quickly began to overtake his mind and the rest of the night after the painful release which his tormentor enjoyed...and he would get him for this in the very near future.

Herbert's cheeks burned as his eyes glazed and opened from being painfully squeezed shut, an equally painful smile managing its way on his face. Oh, yes, he would kill Dr. Carl Hill and have no regrets about it.

~o~

Herbert awoke crying and gasping, blinking and seeing darkness. He shivered and pulled the covers around himself, trying to protect himself from the shivers that ensued. For a moment, he felt safe - at least for the moment, and there was a warm but clothed body behind him. He looked up and gasped when he saw Lily's face looking down at him, concern etched into her face. "Herbert, what's wrong?" Her soft hand came up to brush the side of his face; the gesture made him wince slightly, but at the same time, it comforted him. He wanted to ask her why she was sleeping in his room with him because he did not like people in his room, yet he also was relieved that she was here.

"Nothing. Just...a dream," he lied smoothly, turning away from her. A flashback, in his mind. What happened to him in that hotel room at Hill's horrible hands. Another great reason he'd killed the snake for taking what belonged to him and Dr. Gruber...and for taking his body's innocence. This was why he didn't sleep anymore and shot up on the re-agent; when he slept, he dreamed of his father's abuse and death, then his mother's insanity which in turn switched to his rape. Dan and Meg could never know of this, no matter how he wished he could so they'd understand. He'd have been called that horrid name men who were sexually assaulted were labeled and disbelieved. But at least he would relate to Megan, who had almost undergone what Hill did to him. Both of them suffered by that monster who deserved what he got in the end.

Lily didn't believe him, once again. Sometimes, he hated that she could see right through him. "Don't lie to me. You were screaming 'Please, stop...don't do this to me...'" His head jerked back up to her, and he glared at her; she stopped where she was.

"I know what I said."

"Don't get defensive with me, Mr. West." He bristled at the name he did not go to medical school for to get his MD. "I'm here to help you."

"I'm a doctor. I don't need help." He sat up and turned his back to face her. But that didn't stop her.

"Herbert, whether you like it or not, I care about you even when you don't need it. More than you think. You might not have said it aloud this way, but it's certainly implied: you want a woman there for you, who worships you in a way you deserve no matter what. Well, I'm here." He stiffened when her hand touched his shoulder, and her breath was warm on his skin when she whispered in his ear. "So, tell me, what did you dream about? And take your time."

He took in a slow, deep breath to calm his racing heart. Why not? He'd told her about his parents and everything else, but he still feared what she would say to him next. He turned all the way around to face her, sitting back in the bed and drawing the covers up to cover his bare flesh. "Remember when I told you I worked alongside the late Dr. Hans Gruber?" She nodded. "Well, some time ago, he had a colleague named Dr. Carl Hill...yes, the same Dr. Hill who perished the night of the massacre," he added when he noticed she looked like she wanted to ask. "Anyway, he had a genius IQ nowhere near brilliant as Gruber's, and he was a bad influence in my eyes. I knew Hill was trouble the moment I laid my eyes on him. He never made any real breakthroughs in the fields of medicine like Dr. Gruber, but then one night when he called me in to review what Hans had discussed with him earlier that day, that was when it truly took a turn and I knew he was a menace to the scientific community...and to myself as well as Meg in the future."

She stiffened where she was. "What did he do to you? I heard people talk about how respected and brilliant he was, but you and he clashed in the classroom. Dan told me that one."

Herbert snorted; of course people would say that. "Of course; they're so ignorant, but your cousin knew better. I believe my cries in my sleep should be enough to tell you what he did to me to get the papers of Gruber's theories and research he spent half his lifetime trying to fulfill."

Her face was pure shock as the realization of his words dawned on her. "Oh, God, no, he didn't..."

"Yes, he did, Lily." Herbert answered her calmly; inside, he was burning up again. "I was violated by the man who stole Dr. Gruber's ideas to publish as his own so he could have his moment of fame. Which is why I killed him, removed his head from his body that night and re-animated him. He was a success, but then he took my notes and serum before he had one of his lackeys kidnap Meg and bring her to the morgue so he could have his fun with her that he had with me. Not long before Dan and I saved her, but in the mess, Hill and Dean Halsey weren't so lucky."

Lily said nothing, just leaned back and took a few gasps of air to try and calm herself. "Oh, I'm sorry..."

"Of course you are," Herbert said bitterly. "Everyone is sorry over something they never understand no matter how hard they try to."

"Herbert..." She moved from her side and got so close their noses touched. "...he's dead. He got what he deserved. You should try to let this go as I just now decided I don't love Jake anymore."

He laughed bitterly. So, she finally got over the cheating husband now, so soon? And him, forget? How could he when he remembered the pain like it was yesterday? "What do you expect me to do, then?"

He let out a noise of surprise when her lips were on his. His mind leaped with horror, and his whole body went stiffer than before. He couldn't move any further than he was because his back was against the wall. Lily's lips were soft and moist, just laying there on his to send tingles of pleasure that both excited him and petrified him. He had never been kissed before, nor had he ever kissed any girl. He didn't know what it would feel like. Herbert tried to push her away, but she grabbed his hands and held them in hers before bringing them down to her hips while her hands, now free, roamed over his tingling stomach and up his chest, teasing his nipples in the process. Herbert moaned delightfully, but then that voice inside his head was back, reminding him of his commitment to no lovers until his task was finished.

He broke back, gasping for air. "No...no, Lily...not now..."

"You know you want this," she whispered. "So do I."

"You're pregnant," he said, trying to get her side to change and also thinking about the child's well-being.

She smiled. "One time won't kill. Besides, my mother was pregnant when she did it, too. I'm still here, but I promise we'll both be gentle." With that, she kissed him again, her hands on his shoulders and massaging them in time with wrapping her legs around his waist. Herbert hummed with pleasure at the tension building up between his legs at what he felt between hers through the rayon fabric of her sleep pants. He shivered then, realizing that the room temperature had changed altogether and was about to ruin the mood. He sadly broke the kiss again, unable to control his shivering.

"I'm cold," he murmured, furrowing his brows and looking down, ashamed to look at her. He heard the sound of a shirt being lifted; looking up, he saw Lily had pulled off her top to show her beautiful chest to him. His eyes widened. He couldn't believe what a sight he was seeing, how her breasts were smaller compared to Meg's outlines - only brief scientific curiosity reasons - but defined and curved sweetly. He wanted to touch her, but he was too awkward. Lily smiled and took one of his hands, running it up her stomach to cup her left breast; she felt so soft and smooth, the peak hardening like a pebble. "Oh, Lily..." He didn't know what to say, to be honest.

And then she got off the bed to stand. "Lay back." He did, the covers still over his body, which were soon pulled down to expose all of him to her once again. His tremors became all the more powerful, but it wasn't just the air conditioner. He was embarrassed at being nude in front of a girl. No one had ever seen him like this, but she did when she bathed him earlier. Still, he felt like he wanted to curl back into his private shell. He tried recovering himself up, but Lily stopped him. Once she was sure he was okay now, he watched as she pushed the last of her sleepwear down to show more skin than he'd expected. His cheeks flushed now; she was more beautiful than he thought. He felt like crying; he had made it loud and clear that he couldn't lose someone else he loved. She then moved on top of him as though reading his mind.

"Herbert, don't worry. I won't ever leave you for whatever reason." She calmed him down with another kiss, and now Herbert could relax as her words returned to him from earlier. "I'll be by your side as long as we both wish once we handle Jake and the other thing out there...and many more to come."

He moaned happily and cried freely when a warm, wet feeling engulfed him, and he felt more alive than he'd ever been. Herbert held onto her the whole time, giving himself to her as she did to him whilst the fire between them burned the night away and his worries.

I thought Herbert and Lily's first love scene would be a sweet contrast to the sour flashback between him and Hill. Ironic, isn't it?

I even read "What Are Friends For?" by Lachrymal at Litha, as a reference (one line or two in particular) as to Herbert being embarrassed being naked, given he'd seen nude corpses, but in the name of science and not lovemaking.