By My Hand

Untitled Part 7

Rupert embraced her the moment theywere outside. "Come home." He pleaded his arms still tight aroundneck.

"I told you, I am home." Freddidn't let him go.

"Tamsin forced you back here, youdidn't choose this. Just tell us what's going on."

Fred sighed and stepped back fromRupert. "I can't."

"Why not?" Rafael pressed.

"It's none of your business." Fred stated.

"Come on Fred, you had no problemstelling me everything before." Rupert snapped a little angrier thanhe'd intended.

"That was me, everything about me,this is different, this is... him." Fred glanced back through thepatio doors into the house. Vince was nowhere to be seen, both arelief and a disappointment.

"Vince? This is about Vince?" Rupert asked. "Or is this about Vincent?"

"Both." Fred stated. She didn'twant their help, she needed to do this on her own for Vincent. Ithad always been just her and Vincent, for three hundred years and shehadn't noticed when she lost him. Vincent knew her better thananyone, and she him, that she thought for one second he was capableof any of this...

Whether force of habit thanks to herearly years with Rafe or just her own sense of privacy surroundingher relationships this wasn't something she felt like divulging tothem. She'd let Vincent down enough, and what he was going throughwas no one's business but his and hers.

"You can't fix him Fred. Youcan't make him better, he's not going to change." Rafael tookher hand as he spoke, trying to convince her to walk away with them.

"He fixed me." Fred met his gaze. "He made me better. Vincent spent two hundred years piecing backtogether what you broke." She pulled her hand from his.

"And another hundred breaking itdown again." Paul snarled. "You don't owe him anything."

Fred kept her focus on Rafael. Hisexpression was almost blank. "You don't understand what you'reasking of me." She took a steadying breath. "I want you, I do,but I need him. Please..."

"We know what you are Fred." Rupert interrupted. "You don't need him to teach you anything,we can help."

"How...?"

"What do you think you are doingwith my wife?" Vince's cold voice cut through the air. Hesauntered onto the terrace, Rafael tensed, he was different now, andhe realized just how different Vince was too...

May 1708 Yorkshire Rafael-
Thehorses were nervous, pawing at the ground of their stalls, Rafaelpoked his head around the corner to see what was bothering them. Vincent was standing there admiring one of the stallions, which hadretreated as far back into its stall as it could get, snorting. Whatever Vincent was, even the animals seemed to perceive him as athreat.

"Beautiful animals." Vincentstated, gazing around the stable.

"Can I help? Sir?" Rafaelasked curtly walking out to face him.

"There's no need to stand onceremony Rafael, I know you know who I am. Winifred tells youeverything, and she's never out of your sight if you can avoid it. Iknow you saw us together yesterday." Vincent finally pulled hisattention away from the horses and to Rafael. "And before you ask,of course she told me about you, she loves you, it was impossible forher to keep from talking about you."