Hunter's Strike

It was late afternoon when Angie woke. She shuffled into the living room sleepily and found Gabriel already awake and sitting on the sofa chair. He had the laptop open in his lap.

Angie's hair was a mess and under her eyes were puffy, meanwhile Gabriel looked as immaculate as ever. "Not even a hangover, really?" she complained bitterly.

"No, I'm fine."

"So did that stick find it's way back up your ass?"

He looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"Message from Drunk Gabriel."

He arched a brow and turned his attention back to the laptop screen. "I see." He gestured to the window. "By the way, the glass needs to be retreated."

She realized just then that he'd pushed the sofa chair out of the sunlight coming into the room from their gigantic window. "What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." The back of his hand was an angry red.

Her eyes widened. She walked over to him and knelt down next to the chair. He closed the laptop and straightened up. "I said I'm fine." She ignored him and took his injured hand in hers. His skin was raw and blistered. She pushed up his sleeve and found the burn went all the way up his forearm. "It looks worse than it is. It doesn't even hurt. It'll heal soon.

She gave him an exasperated look. "Fine then." She kissed the back of his hand and stood up. She headed into the kitchen in search of breakfast.

He rubbed the back of his hand. "What was that for?"

"Payback for last night."

"I made a fool of myself, didn't I?"

"Yep."

"Just tell me nothing happened with Donovan." He placed the laptop on the coffee table and stood up.

"Judging by how dissappointed he looked when we left, I'd say your dignity is still intact." Angie discovered a box of cereal in the cabinet. She quickly grabbed it.

Gabriel took his coat off the rack by the door and threw it on. "Where are you going this time of day?" she asked.

"I'm going to see someone uptown about a car." he answered while he pulled on his gloves.

"Do you need me to come with?"

He shook his head. "It shouldn't take long. When I return I'll help Calypso clean out the pool. She won't leave me alone about it." His phone chimed from his pocket, as if on cue. "Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"Milk." She said around a mouthful of dry cereal.

"All right. Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone."

"Right back at you."

After he left, Angie's eyes went to the laptop. She stuffed another handful of cereal in her mouth while she contemplated its closed surface.

He'd been awfully swift to shut it when she got close...

"Fuggit." She said, dusting off her hands. She scooted around the counter and sat in the sofa chair. She pulled the laptop onto her lap.

She hesitated at the last second. What was it that guys usually looked at on the internet that they didn't want anyone knowing about? Last night she HAD learned that even vampires get lonely.

She let out a nervous laugh. She was being silly. This was Gabriel she was thinking of here...

Okay, that only made her more curious. She opened the laptop.

A few tabs were open in the browser. And they were Craigslist ads for used cars. She had to admit she was a little disappointed.

The first tab was for Facebook, which surprised her. Gabriel was hardly ever on. His profile was bare bones, he didn't even have a profile picture.

She clicked on it. If anything she could ninja his account and leave a hilarious message. It would teach him to always log out when he was done.

It wasn't his wall he'd been on though, but her profile. He'd been going through her pictures. Just what was his interest in her life before meeting him anyway?

The picture he'd been looking at was from her college days, not so very long ago. It was a big group shot that someone else had tagged her in. She rolled her eyes. Of course HE was in it as well.

She was in the back, clutching her ex's arm and grinning like a maniac. She had nearly forgotten how handsome he was before she'd broken his nose.

She quickly logged out of Gabriel's account, then logged into her own. She went through the pictures until she found it again and untagged herself. She didn't need this kind of aggravation in her life.

She logged out again and shut the laptop. That was enough of that.

She was feeling uneasy. Had Gabriel been going through her pictures innocently, or had he been looking for a pic with her ex in it?

He couldn't have heard her last night when she was talking to the brothers, right? If he had, surely he would have mentioned it while he was drunk on the bus, right?

She'd never meant to tell anyone. She scolded herself for letting her guard down. Out of everyone, Gabriel was the last person she wanted to find out. She wouldn't be able to bear it if he saw her as weak or broken.

Her hands were trembling. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She was getting worked up over nothing. Gabriel wasn't going to find out because she was never going to tell him.

xxxXXXxxx

The weather report on her phone had said it was ninety degrees out, but it felt like ninety-five. Tomorrow it would push a hundred, the last gasp of summer. She and Sybil were bent over, pulling up the weeds that were growing out of the cracks in the pavement by the pool.

Angie had traded her jeans for shorts and sandals. She wore a black tank top under a thin unzipped gray hoodie. Sybil wore baggy black shorts that went down to her knees, and a heavy black pullover hoodie.

"How do goths even survive summer?" Angie asked.

"Hey, I am not goth. I am punk noir."

Angie held up her hands, which were covered in thick gardening gloves. "I stand corrected."

Sybil wiped at the sweat beading in her forehead. "It's a good thing we're having a night party."

"Even then it's only supposed to go down to eighty-five tomorrow night."

"We'd better get this pool ready by then, in that case." Sybil paused for a moment for a water break. She grabbed her bottle from the cooler by the pool and drank half of it in two gulps. She sat at the edge of the pool and let her legs dangle off the side. "Hopefully the heat is not too much for the vampires."

Angie dropped the trowel she'd been using to dig up roots in exasperation. "You've known this whole time, haven't you?"

"Yep. I mean, come on. Callie's terrible at pretending to be human."

Angie sat next to her with her own bottle of water. "So, what? Vampire roommates are no big deal?"

"Are you kidding me? Callie is the best roommate ever! Vampire roommates rock." Sybil's eyes were wide in amazement.

"My vampire roommate can be a bit surly sometimes." Angie said wryly.

Sybil polished off her water. "Hey if he walks around naked after every shower, I will totally trade with you."

"You seem to be quite taken with Gabriel." Angie teased.

"How are you not? Come on, don't you wanna just." She bit her bottom lip and made an incomprehensible noise in the back of her throat.

Angie laughed. "I guess goths really go for the thin and pale look."

"It's punk noir!" She splashed Angie with the few drops left in her bottle.

Angie held Sybil's arms down with one of hers and dumped the rest of her water bottle over her head.

They both erupted in laughter. "Oh no... My mascara..." Sybil moaned falsely, wiping at her eyes.

"Hey, everyone knows to never start a water fight with Angie Statton!"

Sybil got to her feet quickly and sprinted over to where the hose was lying on the ground. Angie sprang to her feet as well, but wasn't fast enough. "Ah ha! Now the tables have turned!" Sybil cried.

She let Angie have it with the hose. Angie shrieked as the cold water doused her overheated skin. "Oh now you're asking for it!"

She charged at Sybil, who panicked and dropped the hose. "Oh sugar!" Sybil took off but Angie was hot on her heels.

Angie caught her quickly and they flailed like fish out of water. Sybil managed to pin Angie's arms to her body. "Come on now, it's time to be honest..." She said slyly. "You can't honestly say Gabriel isn't completely smoking."

Angie shrugged. "What's there to say? I guess I just don't have GOTH senses like SOME girls."

"Oh that is it! You are so getting tickled." Sybil stuck her hands under Angie's hoodie. Angie shrieked for the second time.

The two girls squirmed a bit till Angie tripped and landed on her backside. Sybil sat on her legs and continued to tickle her. "Admit it! Do it!"

"Okay! Okay!" Angie yelled between laughs. "Uncle! Uncle!"

Sybil stopped her onslaught, but stayed poised and ready to continue if Angie didn't say what she wanted to hear. "I'm waiting."

"Gabriel's not bad." Angie looked to the side, still laughing.

"AND?" She asked expectantly.

"And I don't exactly mind how he walks around after a shower, or the fact that he sleeps naked! Now get off me!"

Sybil stood up. "See, was that so hard?"

Angie lay on her back weakly. "It was AGONY."

"The truth always hurts." Sybil nodded sagely. "He really sleeps in the nude?" That sly look crept back into her eyes.

"Hey, don't make me install locks on the door." Angie sat up and rubbed her back. "And I'm pretty sure."

"Man, how can you sleep ten feet away from THAT?" She helped Angie to her feet.

"Oh yeah, only two walls and a toilet separating us. I'm on pins and needles just thinking about it."

Sybil wasn't paying attention to her anymore. Her eyes were fixed on the parking lot next to the pool area. "What. On. Earth..."

Angie looked as well and spotted a black car that looked like it was made in the fifties slide into a spot. "Aw, don't tell me..."

She and Sybil walked over as Gabriel cut the engine and got out. A plastic shopping bag dangled from one hand. "This is the car you bought?" She asked incredulously. "THIS?"

Sybil pushed both hands through her hair. "Holy cow, is this a Studebaker? Aw man, this thing is a death trap on wheels."

"It's a 1947 Studebaker Commander, and it's in perfect working order." Gabriel assured them. "It's a good car, I used to own one." He handed the grocery bag to Angie.

"This car is even older than our last one!" Angie pointed out. She opened the bag and was pleased to see a quart of milk.

"Man if this car hits anything, everyone is going to die." Sybil moaned. "That's not plate glass in the rear window, is it? That stuff can cut a person to ribbons."

"The windshields have been replaced with laminated glass." It was apparent that Gabriel was trying his best to be reasonable.

"Are there even seatbelts?" Angie cupped her hands over the glass and peered into the passenger's seat.

"Yes, there are seatbelts." Gabriel answered patiently.

"Well at least you won't be speeding in this thing. What's the top speed? Forty?"

"It's actually eighty-six miles per hour."

Angie's eyebrows shot up. Sybil placed one black sneaker on the front bumper. "This thing is solid steel. If there's a head on collision all of the kinetic energy will transfer right into the front seat. It's heavy too, so you're going to be spending a lot of money on gas.". Angie stared at her. "What? Goth girls can't be smart and practical? Since when?"

Angie pointed at her. "Ah! You said it!"

"Dammit!"

"I think we're done admiring the new car now." Gabriel suggested. He started walking away.

Sybil and Angie looked at each other. Sybil snickered, which set off Angie as well. They stood by the car giggling. Finally Angie waved her hands and walked away, shaking her head. "I am so done right now."

The sun had just slipped behind the tall buildings surrounding them. Sunset was approaching. Gabriel took off his hat, scarf, and gloves. He placed them in a neat pile by the pool. "Where's Calypso?"

"I'm right here. I was getting the new paint." Callie exited the building through the back door and hurried over. Even though there was no longer any direct sunlight shining down, Callie still wore a wide sun hat and long gloves. She was a lot younger than Gabriel, and burned much more easily.

She placed two paint cans at the side of the pool, then hopped down into it. There were already two brooms in the pool. She tossed one up to Gabriel, who caught it one-handed. He joined her and together they swiftly swept up the leaves and detritus that had accumulated on the pool floor.

Angie and Sybil stood at the pool's edge, each holding a black trash bag, which the vampires soon filled up. Callie hopped out of the pool. "I'll leave the next part to you, sweetie." She retrieved the hose and fed it down to him.

Gabriel shrugged out of his long coat and handed it to Angie. Then he unbuttoned his white shirt. He folded it carefully and held it up. Sybil grabbed it before he could hand it to Angie. "I'll just take that." She smiled. "Don't worry, I'll keep it safe." She held the material up to her face and breathed deeply.

Gabriel looked like he was about to say something, but then decided against it. He picked up the hose and twisted the head to the high pressure setting. He squeezed the trigger, aiming at the pool wall. The water pressure began stripping off the peeling paint. The slight splashback of water hit his bare skin and turned to steam.

Angie sat on the pavement, folding her legs. She leaned back and relaxed, thankful that the air was becoming cooler. Sybil joined her, clutching Gabriel's shirt.

"You want me to leave you two alone?" Angie teased her.

"It smells like sexiness." Sybil sighed in contentment.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but vampires don't sweat, so no body odor."

"Then he uses a very attractive cologne."

"Vampires don't need body odor, or cologne for that matter." Callie sat down next to Sybil. "Humans use smells to communicate all kinds of feelings, without any conscious thought. Pheremones to attract the opposite sex, for instance. Vampires do the same thing, but with influence."

"Wait, I thought influence was voluntary." Angie interjected.

"It works in layers. There's the influence that we wield, to better dominate our prey, and the influence that is subconscious, helping us to blend in with humans."

"And sexy influence?" Sybil asked.

"That's a little of both. When I am attracted to someone, then my influence manifests, trying to better the odds in my favor. If I really wanted to stack the deck, I could increase my influence to make me irresistible." Callie smiled. "I say 'me', but my influence isn't that strong. It would take a much more powerful vampire to really make an impact."

The trio turned their attention back to Gabriel. Sybil looked down at the shirt in her hands. "So, the reason why I have the hots for Gabriel... is because of his influence and not his bod?"

"Yep, sweetie, you're not actually straight."

"Well that's a relief! I was so confused about why I was attracted to a guy all of a sudden!" Sybil's brows knit in confusion. "Wait, how come I'm the only one affected?" She jerked a thumb at Angie.

Angie shrugged. Callie waved a hand at her. "Angie's around Gabriel constantly. Peripheral influence is pretty much useless to her. It's a little ironic if you think about it." She laughed softly.

Angie looked at her hands, lost in thought. "If what you're saying is true... Then Gabriel..." She fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Yes sweetie?" Callie said encouragingly.

Angie's eyes widened. She turned to the others.

"Here we go." Sybil smiled.

"Does this mean that Gabriel still has conflicting feelings for Donovan and it's manifesting through influence?"

Sybil and Callie's smiles were suddenly strained. One of Callie's eyebrows twitched. "I'm not sure that's really the reason..."

"But it makes sense! Their relationship is so complicated." Angie's brow furrowed with worry. "I mean don't you think that-"

Sybil held up both hands, stopping Angie in her tracks. "No. Shush. Stop." Angie tried again to speak but she put two fingers on her mouth and shushed her. "Just no. No more talking."

Callie had her head in her hands, trying desperately not to laugh. "I never thought I would feel sorry for Gabriel, and yet here we are."

The water stopped. Gabriel tossed the hose up out of the pool. Then he jumped ten feet up onto the pavement, landing lightly on his feet. He walked over to where the girls were sitting. "Once the water dries we can start painting. The paint should be dry by morning."

Each of them were giving him strange looks. Evangeline looked worried, Sybil looked sympathetic, while Calypso wore an expression that was a cross between pity and amusement. "Is there something on my face?" They shook their heads.