Brewdening Love Discussion
Mar 9, 2014 8:01:48 GMT -8
Post by PuzzleChick on Mar 9, 2014 8:01:48 GMT -8
In honor of Anya, I finally got this chapter finished! (Okay I've had it done for awhile but was procrastinating big time on the final editing. ^^; ) I hope you all enjoy it.
Revenant of the Serpent: Chapter Ten
{Chapter Ten}
The rest of the plan was arranged in short order. They would meet the contingent from La Push in the abandoned area where they had come over the wall a little before dawn, to take advantage of the time frame when the guards would be at their most tired and heading back to quit for the night. From there they would head down into the populated area – and the church – as a group. If they moved quickly, once they hit the part of town where they were likely to be spotted it would only be a ten minute walk, and their sheer numbers were counted on to avoid opposition from the single guards that may be out. With a few hours left, everyone was urged to try to get some more sleep. Hugo couldn’t possibly sleep, however, and Brian, who Hugo had thought could sleep just about anywhere, couldn’t either. They both lay there awake, occasionally glancing at each other, before Louisa sat up too and beckoned them both to the door. She ushered them into the hall and opened the door of the second room over.
“It’ll be quieter in here. And between you and me, that many people living in two small rooms starts to get to you,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“It’s not so bad,” Brian said. “Reminds me of h– of the bays, back in San Francisco. You get used to it.”
“Hugo said you guys live on a shipping dock?”
Brian nodded and launched into an explanation of the system. It made Hugo smile to see him so enthusiastic about a conversation, and he appreciated him taking her attention, too.
There would be plenty of time, he hoped, to regale her with all the little stories of living with the rebels. It was the big details that he wondered when to bring up. Elaine, the baby, Brian’s half-breed status…Brian. Should he wait until after the takeover and trust that they would survive it? Or take the chance to speak now?
Not that she needed to know any of it. Elaine and their child were part of a different world, and he and Brian had agreed during planning the day before to keep their relationship and his vampirism a secret from Forks. Neither would win them any popularity.
The latter detail he couldn’t help but want to share with her, though. They had always shared good news with each other before, and that he’d found both love and acceptance of himself – things he knew he would have gone his life without in Forks – was something worth celebrating. Hugo didn’t really think she’d reject him for being...bisexual? Was that what he was? She’d been the one to guess that Brian was gay long before he’d had it pointed out and had merely seemed amused.
The fact that even he wasn't sure what word to use was what tripped him up. Hugo hadn’t realized it before, but this was one thing about the rebels that he’d liked: he hadn’t had to explain his sexuality. He’d gone from Elaine's temporary lover to dating Brian, and their genders were the least of anyone’s worries. This would be the first time he actually had to come out. As much as he loved Louisa and wanted her to know what he’d learned about himself, he didn’t know what to say.
Caught up in his mental debate, he just sat and watched her and Brian talk. That was when he started to notice certain new mannerisms. Whereas she used to lean in, now she kept straightening her back, as if it ached. She’d used to wave her hands around when speaking, but was instead holding them in close at her middle or rubbing at her shoulders. A few more clues fell into place. He had thought her figure looked a little curvier. Molly had apparently been lecturing her on resting, and since when had she had a sensitive nose?
“Louisa, are you pregnant?”
Brian cut himself off mid-sentence. She turned to look at Hugo, and for a moment none of them moved. Then she smiled and shook her head.
“I should have known better than to think I’d keep the secret from you.”
“Y-you are, then?”
She nodded. Brian’s eyes widened. Hugo had no idea how to ask his next question; if he even should ask it. He’d learned in San Francisco that there were some things a person shouldn’t pry into.
“I can tell what you want to ask,” she said, making his face flush.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s not Anderson’s. I don’t think, anyway. I guess there’s a chance, but the timing gives me hope.”
His head was reeling. In a second he’d gone from worried to hopeful to anxious again. “A chance? Then, you and he–”
“I married him, Hugo. You didn’t think he was going to skip over the consummating part, did you?”
“I’m sorry.” Of all the apologies he’d given, this one was the most desperate. “Louisa, I’m so sorry, if I’d known leaving would…put you in that situation I would–”
“Would have what? Stayed and gotten murdered? How on Earth would that have actually improved anything?” She reached out to touch his shoulder. “I knew what I was getting into with this marriage. It was a political move for me, and that’s how I want it to be treated. Getting in with Anderson meant access to information and relative safety. I decided one unimpressive night was worth it.”
“One?” He’d figured Anderson would want more than that.
She smiled, a mischievous smile he recognized. “I yawned a few times and might have asked if that was all when it was over. It seems like it kind of killed the mood.”
Brian snickered.
“I paid close attention, and I’m almost positive I didn’t conceive that time. When I started to suspect I was pregnant I flattered him enough to sleep with me again. Anderson’s not the brightest, so he completely bought it when I said I knew I was pregnant after a month.”
“So, if it’s not Anderson, who is the father?”
Her smile faltered.
“It was Xavier, wasn’t it?” Brian said. Louisa nodded. Suddenly, Hugo realized who she had been asking about earlier. Not someone older like he had been thinking, but the one near their age. As he recalled, Xavier had been the type of guy most of the girls there liked, solid and husky. He was good at sports and manual labor, and relatively quiet. Everyone had assumed he’d become a hunter, but he’d chosen to go into farming with Mark, which, despite its less courageous nature, hadn’t stopped him from being considered one of the most desirable suitors of his year. He didn’t remember her ever showing interest in him, though. Besides a rather more pressing reason:
“Didn’t he get engaged to Tammy last year?”
Louisa’s expression was hard to read, but as she spoke her cheeks got pinker. “He did. Before I married Anderson I tried to constantly be around people, so Holden couldn’t get me alone. I spent a lot of time with them, and I sort of…really noticed him for the first time.”
“Does Tammy know?”
“Yes. They were kind of like us, you know? They picked each other out of friendship. She actually told us to go ahead if we were interested. They’d realized that romance was just too awkward for them. We all talked, and agreed it was okay, so he and I decided to see where things went and they uh…went pretty well.”
“So he wasn’t unimpressive, huh?” Brian said.
“Not at all,” she replied, the two exchanging grins that made Hugo want to blush.
“Did he know you were pregnant?” Hugo said.
“No. I couldn’t decide if I wanted him to know, at first. I did love him, in a way, but…I don’t know, it wasn’t enough to say ‘let’s have a family and be together.’ I didn’t want that. I thought it might be easier if everyone believed it was Anderson’s, and the secret would stay mine. A little memory of someone I was fond of.” Sadness tinged her voice, and the fact was forced back upon them there was little chance that Xavier was still alive, and they all knew it. “I guess a real memory, now.”
“I’m sorry.” Hugo moved closer so he could hug her.
“Thank you.” She leaned into his shoulder.
“Don’t…don’t blame yourself.”
“I’m not. It’s tempting, but I don’t think it was because of me.” Her voice caught, but she pressed on: “I think Holden went after him because he was friends with Mark and Tom, and they had all been caught discussing your mom’s disappearance. Tom was harder to touch. He and Ali have always been social, but Mark and Xavier were often on their own on the farms, it would be easy to make them disappear. After Xavier did, that’s when I warned Mark. At least I saved one of them.”
“You saved a lot of them,” Hugo said. “And he, you know, he kind of lives on, in your child.”
Louisa gave a little hiccupping laugh and wiped at her eyes. “You got sappy while you were living with the rebels. Are they all like this?”
“No, it’s just him,” Brian said, which Hugo thought was bold of him, considering he could think of one rebel who he could make say some awfully silly things when he got him alone.
“Heh.” Hugo let her go, but kept his arm around her shoulders. At that moment, he knew at least one thing that he did want to tell. “Well, I guess our kids will be around the same age.”
“What? Our kids? We don’t–” Her jaw dropped. “You mean? In San Francisco, you…!?”
“Her name is Elaine. If the baby is a girl, I asked for her middle name to be Louisa.”
“Wow.” She was speechless for a moment. “Why didn’t she come back with you?”
“She’s a trader, and lives in another camp. We weren’t in a relationship. They call it a repopulation project.” He explained the basics, with some input from Brian, and once she recovered from shock she looked intrigued.
“Maybe we could do something like that here. I mean, Holden’s marriage thing is just a stepping stone on the way to the real point, not letting people die out. Making that step optional could only improve the process. There’s La Push, and I bet we could find people still alive in other cities, to improve bloodlines.”
“We’d have to wait a generation first,” Hugo said. “I don’t think getting rid of Holden is going to change people’s minds on morality, but eventually…it might not be a bad idea.”
“Well, we’re going to be around for awhile, so let’s keep it in mind,” she said. Hugo agreed, and hoped that her optimistic outlook on their lifespans held true after tomorrow.
Before dawn, Louisa left them to go rouse the others and get them organized, leaving Brian and Hugo alone. Brian immediately moved closer to his side, and Hugo reached for his hand.
“Ready for this?” Brian asked.
“I don’t know. This thought keeps going through my head that if this plan backfires, it’s going to be my fault. They’re right, it is a gamble. I thought I knew Holden before and I was wrong then. Maybe I’m wrong now.” He stared at Brian’s overly-large eyes through the gloom. Even though he’d seen him at night several times, he still wasn’t quite used to them. “You wouldn’t have followed me in here if you thought my plan was a suicide mission, right?”
“I wouldn’t have let you come in here if I thought that,” Brian replied. “There’s always a risk of backfire. That doesn’t mean you give up.”
“You’re right.” He shook his head. “I know you’re right.”
“Come here.” He took Hugo’s hands and tugged him in for a kiss. “You didn’t tell Louisa about us.”
“It’s…it’s not the right time. I don’t know if there will be a right time in this town. You heard Mr. Rein– Christopher. Even if we get rid of Holden, those attitudes are still going to be around. It might be safer if nobody knows, not even Louisa. Are you mad?”
“I don’t care who knows or doesn’t know. I just care if I have you.” Hugo smiled, and Brian furrowed his brows. “What?”
“Nothing, I was just thinking about rebels and certain ones who are sappy.”
“Shut up,” Brian said, and effectively silenced him with another kiss.
Ten minutes later they quickly shuffled apart as footsteps fell outside the door. Louisa opened it and Julia, as a wolf, bounded in, clothes in her teeth. She tossed them at Brian and turned back for the door.
They split up into groups of three, Julia leading the first, Hugo the second and Brian the third. The idea was to minimize loss; if one got caught, the other two might still be able to escape. They would take a route along back roads to return to the meeting spot. It was longer, but it significantly minimized chances of being spotted. Adding to their luck, more clouds had rolled in, obscuring any moonlight.
Julia had the pack and her senses to help guide her back, and Hugo knew the area, so Louisa stayed with Brian’s group to help him. It wasn’t easy to step back out without him; Hugo never really realized how much he depended on trusting Brian to back him up until he wasn’t there. Maybe he depended on that a little too much, he thought as he pushed his nervousness down, looking to the others in his group for signals of when to move. He knew he couldn’t always expect Brian to swoop in and take control if things went bad, but being back in Forks was bringing back memories of his departure. He’d felt so small back then, and Brian had been untouchable, fearless and full of fire and stories about a world Hugo could only imagine.
Hugo felt small now, but so did Brian. So did all of them.
He reminded himself of Isaac’s words from the morning before and pressed on.
When his group reached the wall, Julia had already set the shifters to work helping people over, using light provided by dull lanterns. They were trying to be quiet, but some reunions were too joyful to contain, as Jared reunited with his niece, and Tom with Mark. Tom also received a warm welcome from Molly, who smiled brightly when he came over to tell Hugo that he’d spoken to Tess and that the healer had told him, with cautious optimism, that his mother was showing improvement.
“I’ve missed Rachael so much,” Molly said. “The first thing I’m going to do when this is over is tell her how sorry I am for ever doubting her.”
“I’m sure Mom’s going to say you don’t need to apologize,” Hugo said, the news boosting his mood.
He wanted to linger in reuniting, but his conscience prodded to pitch in and help the people coming over. He was not entirely surprised to see Andrea clambering one-armed down the ladder, but was taken aback to see Jou follow her. Andrea looked at him and must have noticed his expression because her first words were: “Just because I missed Brian that night does not mean I can’t shoot with my left, you know.”
“Wh-what?”
“You looked surprised.”
“Oh. Oh, no, I wasn’t surprised to see you,” Hugo said, holding up his hands. “I was thinking about Jou, actually. You and Isaac I expected, and I definitely don’t doubt your ability. Yeni’s not a surprise, either. But Jou’s not really much of a soldier. I didn’t expect him to come in.”
“He wouldn’t stay behind,” she said, glancing over at him too.
“Do you think he should be here? He’s not even armed,” Hugo said, watching as Jou gave his gun and holster to another person.
“Do you want to be the one to tell him he’s got to go back?” She shrugged. “Plenty of the survivors don’t know how to shoot, and they’re coming. Leaving him behind on that account wouldn’t be fair.”
“Well, yeah, but they’re coming to give testimony. And he’s younger than everybody else going in.”
“So? Someone has to be the youngest. He’s old enough to train as a hunter in the Resistance, how is this much different?”
Hugo bit his lip. “If anything happens to him, Charlie will kill me.”
“He knows the risks.” Andrea didn’t raise her voice, but the acceptance in it was clear. “He’s not a child.”
He is a child, Hugo wanted to protest. You’re old enough to remember when kids weren’t even allowed to work, much less to go war. What happened?
Oh, he knew. He knew the uprising had happened. He knew the world had changed, and that someone had to fill in the spaces the dead had left behind, regardless of whether they were ready to or not.
He also knew he was in the right. It was wrong to make fourteen-year-olds into soldiers, just like he’d known the rebels were wrong when they had called Brian crazy instead of trying to understand why he’d brought that gun to the graveyard. But being right didn’t change reality.
“Hey Hugo!” Jou waved at him, walking over.
“Hey.”
“What’s wrong? You’re looking at me like I’m making you sad or something.”
“Nothing. I er, didn’t expect you to come over is all.”
“You didn’t think I was going to let the rest of you go without me, did you?” Jou struck a pose that reminded him of Charlie. “We came here together. We’re a team.”
“We are a team,” Hugo echoed, managing to smile.
Jou looked around. “Speaking of…where’s Brian?”
Hugo looked out into the shadows beyond the dim glow of the lanterns. “That’s a good question.”
The sky was beginning to lighten to the east when Hugo finally saw the third group coming their way.
“Where have you been?” He demanded. The entire La Push contingent had already gotten over the wall and outfitted themselves, the wolves already shifted and lying about conserving their energy while the others discussed strategy.
“Sorry, we kept having to stop,” Louisa said.
“Why?”
“Brian kept saying someone was following us.”
“There was?” Hugo looked at him in concern. “How did you know? You heard something?”
“No, it wasn’t that I heard anything,” Brian muttered in a tone that suggested he’d already answered that question several times. “I saw them.”
“We backtracked a few times, we never saw anybody,” Mark said.
“They weren’t always there. Just a couple times in the beginning, in the distance. But they showed up more than once, so they had to be following us.”
“That’s insane,” Lori, who had arrived with Julia’s group, said. “It was too dark to see five feet ahead. I kept stepping on people’s feet, and you’re saying you saw someone in the distance?”
“Hugo, someone was following us. Someone knows we’re here, I’m sure of it,” Brian said, staring hard at him. Hugo hesitated, then drew Brian off to the side, telling the others to rest, and that if any of them had experience with firearms to see Isaac and Andrea.
“I’m starting to understand my night vision,” Brian hissed before Hugo could ask. “It doesn’t only make it easier to see in the dark. It makes people sort of…light up. Like when I said Isaac and Andrea looked bright. I don’t know why or how, and it doesn’t always happen, but when it does, I can tell. I saw someone lit up behind us.”
Hugo’s heart pounded. There was no reason for Brian to lie, and he didn’t think his lover’s desperate gaze was manufactured. Something had spooked him.
“Do you think they followed us here?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see it again after the first few times, and Louisa led us through a couple loops to throw them off.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Even if we threw them off, they’ll tell Holden. He’ll have people searching.”
“Okay. Okay, thanks.” Hugo brushed his arm with his hand gently, then stepped over to address the group, which was now numbering close to fifty. “Slight change of plans. We’re not taking the same route back. We’re going to follow the wall and come out at Julia Way.”
“Why?” Miles asked.
“Yeah, that’s going to take us through trees, we’ll have to go like two by two,” Tom said. “I thought the point was to form a group.”
“I know, but we think someone might be watching the other route. It’s not worth it. Following the wall will keep us out of sight for the longest time, especially since we’re running behind. If anyone wants to stay behind, this is the last chance to say so. I won’t hold it against you. If your heart’s not in it, you shouldn’t take the risk.” He watched the group carefully, and saw several people glance around as if waiting for someone else to make the first move, but nobody did. He waited another minute, just in case, but the extra time only seemed to steel resolves.
It was time to go, yet Hugo felt like he needed to do something more. Something to express what it meant to him that these people had his back. Only one thing came to mind, and he raised two fingers to his forehead. Near the front, he saw Andrea smile. Simultaneously, she, Brian, Isaac, Yeni and Jou all raised their hands back.
“The leader of the San Francisco rebels saluted her followers this way,” Hugo said. “I know to most of you that doesn’t mean anything, but Emma was brave, and did the best she knew how to for her camp. To me, earning her salute was a high honor, so I want to give it to you. I’m grateful to all of you. However this ends, thank you for standing with us.”
With that, he turned to lead them out.
When they reached the Way, Hugo and Julia stepped out first to survey the area. Satisfied that there was nobody on the street, Hugo waved everyone out from the trail, forming them into a group with the shooters on the outside and the wolves guarding the front and rear. He would walk in front, flanked by Brian, Isaac, Andrea and Jared, who may have criticized his plan, but had been on the hunting team and knew his way around a gun. They had heard the church bells for the first service ringing as they approached, and he knew that almost everyone would be at school, work, or the service at this time. Everyone had already been briefed at their respective meetings, any other questions having been answered during the walk. There was nothing more to do than take a deep breath and start walking.
They had nearly reached where the Way turned into Stevens Circle when the wind shifted and all of the wolves tensed in unison, snarls bursting from their throats.
Mitch Lockwood emerged from behind the last building on their right, a gun of his own held at arms length, finger on the trigger. Hugo had aimed at the threat at the first noise, but the sight of his stepfather left him stunned for a second too long. The next, his gut took a sickening swoop as the door of the building burst open, and before he could give an order, people poured from it into the street, each raising their own weapons.
Mitch, standing in the middle of his own force, regarded his stepson and his group. He aimed his gun, not at Hugo, but at Brian. “Hello Hugo.”
Hugo tried to breathe and found it nearly impossible as he stared down multiple barrels. His hand holding his gun quivered. His other hand, which he had raised to signal everyone to wait, hung in midair, too afraid that dropping it might signal the wolves or soldiers to attack.
“When Rife told me he believed we had intruders, I wondered if it might be you. Matthews reporting that your rebel friend was here all but sealed it. Although some of you are more of a surprise.” His eyes searched the group and landed on Louisa. “Mrs. Tate. We found Anderson in your closet this morning. I assume you have some idea of how he got there.”
Beside him, Brian drew in a breath through his teeth. Hugo slowly shifted his gaze to him, and saw the same indecision in Brian’s face that there was in his mind.
He could silently signal to shoot. A shot from either side would spark a firefight, but if his got off their rounds first, they held the advantage. His group had fewer shooters, though he would bet that he had the better ones, and the wolves were each as dangerous as a gun themselves. If it came to a fight, his side held the edge, talent-wise, so long as they had those crucial first few seconds.
He recognized the faces of most of the people across from him, and he knew they had been drafted out of fear and control. They were as much Holden’s victims as the scarred people standing on his side, but they were an enemy at this moment. If he accepted their deaths, and necessary losses on his own team, they would have the most people standing when it was over.
On his other side, Isaac was shaking, and a glance at him showed he had gone pale, but unlike during the vampire attack, he was holding his ground.
You have to live with yourself.
Slowly, he drew his hand into a fist and moved his arm back, signaling the others not to attack. Not yet. He had to think…
“You come in here with your army and you don’t have anything to say?” Mitch asked.
“We’re not here to hurt anyone.” His voice cracked.
“I doubt that.”
“We just want Holden to leave. That’s it.”
“The people here won’t survive without a strong leader.”
“No, they will. We have a plan that will make Forks better and save more people.”
Mitch gave a short laugh. “You have a plan. You and your army of society’s rejects.”
“Nobody is a reject. If we stop looking at certain people that way, we could be better, a lot better,” Hugo said.
“That’s a childish sentiment, Hugo. Leaders like Father Holden help us survive by knowing when to cull the herd.”
“You know he’s out of control. You know what he did to Mom.” For an instant, he saw the slightest of recoils. “Why would you keep supporting him?”
“He’s our children’s only protection,” Mitch repeated. “Father Holden has power.”
“Power? He’s one man in one town with control over a couple thousand people that he only has because he’s taught us to be afraid. That isn’t power.”
“Our safety from vampires depends on belief, and he gives people that. That’s all the power we need. The rest of the world is dying. There isn’t anything else that matters.” Mitch’s words didn’t match the person Hugo knew his stepfather to be. He’d never heard him sound tired. For a moment, the sound gave him hope.
“Don’t do this. Innocent people will die if this turns into a fight,” Hugo pleaded, not to just Mitch, but the entire group. In their expressions he saw shock and confusion, and clung to hope that some of them might listen. “Just let us go in and talk to him. To everyone. We’ll let anybody who wants to leave go safely. I promise the kids will be safe. I promise you’ll be safe. Holden’s the one who hurt Mom. He’s the one threatening to hurt you if you rebel, but I won’t. The world isn't dying. Mom's alive, you know. I saw her. And look, look at us-”
"Mitch..." He heard a man's voice. It was Rife, who was staring at his son. Hugo saw his arm lower slightly. "Mitch, maybe-"
The hesitant voice of his soldier made his stepfather's eyes turn steely. “A few dozen lives will never equal a few thousand,” he said. The man Hugo recognized was back, his familiar boiling temper in his voice. A tone Hugo knew too well, the tone that meant no argument on the planet would sway him. His gaze slid away, down the barrel of his gun toward Brian, the rebel who had set everything that had happened since in motion, and Hugo realized in that moment that he’d lost his gamble.
Mitch pulled the trigger.
So did Hugo.
Notes: Happy birthday Anya! I don't even know if you still read this fic but I wanted to do something for your special day!
Finally getting to this point in the story is really exciting. It’s less exciting because after this I have very little of the plot actually figured out, so um…let’s see how that goes.
The part with Louisa was really tough because marital rape is a thing and it shouldn't be trivialized, but also marriage and sex for political reasons are things and that's what I was going for but idk. Tumblr had made me constantly afraid of backlash. OTL
The rest of the plan was arranged in short order. They would meet the contingent from La Push in the abandoned area where they had come over the wall a little before dawn, to take advantage of the time frame when the guards would be at their most tired and heading back to quit for the night. From there they would head down into the populated area – and the church – as a group. If they moved quickly, once they hit the part of town where they were likely to be spotted it would only be a ten minute walk, and their sheer numbers were counted on to avoid opposition from the single guards that may be out. With a few hours left, everyone was urged to try to get some more sleep. Hugo couldn’t possibly sleep, however, and Brian, who Hugo had thought could sleep just about anywhere, couldn’t either. They both lay there awake, occasionally glancing at each other, before Louisa sat up too and beckoned them both to the door. She ushered them into the hall and opened the door of the second room over.
“It’ll be quieter in here. And between you and me, that many people living in two small rooms starts to get to you,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“It’s not so bad,” Brian said. “Reminds me of h– of the bays, back in San Francisco. You get used to it.”
“Hugo said you guys live on a shipping dock?”
Brian nodded and launched into an explanation of the system. It made Hugo smile to see him so enthusiastic about a conversation, and he appreciated him taking her attention, too.
There would be plenty of time, he hoped, to regale her with all the little stories of living with the rebels. It was the big details that he wondered when to bring up. Elaine, the baby, Brian’s half-breed status…Brian. Should he wait until after the takeover and trust that they would survive it? Or take the chance to speak now?
Not that she needed to know any of it. Elaine and their child were part of a different world, and he and Brian had agreed during planning the day before to keep their relationship and his vampirism a secret from Forks. Neither would win them any popularity.
The latter detail he couldn’t help but want to share with her, though. They had always shared good news with each other before, and that he’d found both love and acceptance of himself – things he knew he would have gone his life without in Forks – was something worth celebrating. Hugo didn’t really think she’d reject him for being...bisexual? Was that what he was? She’d been the one to guess that Brian was gay long before he’d had it pointed out and had merely seemed amused.
The fact that even he wasn't sure what word to use was what tripped him up. Hugo hadn’t realized it before, but this was one thing about the rebels that he’d liked: he hadn’t had to explain his sexuality. He’d gone from Elaine's temporary lover to dating Brian, and their genders were the least of anyone’s worries. This would be the first time he actually had to come out. As much as he loved Louisa and wanted her to know what he’d learned about himself, he didn’t know what to say.
Caught up in his mental debate, he just sat and watched her and Brian talk. That was when he started to notice certain new mannerisms. Whereas she used to lean in, now she kept straightening her back, as if it ached. She’d used to wave her hands around when speaking, but was instead holding them in close at her middle or rubbing at her shoulders. A few more clues fell into place. He had thought her figure looked a little curvier. Molly had apparently been lecturing her on resting, and since when had she had a sensitive nose?
“Louisa, are you pregnant?”
Brian cut himself off mid-sentence. She turned to look at Hugo, and for a moment none of them moved. Then she smiled and shook her head.
“I should have known better than to think I’d keep the secret from you.”
“Y-you are, then?”
She nodded. Brian’s eyes widened. Hugo had no idea how to ask his next question; if he even should ask it. He’d learned in San Francisco that there were some things a person shouldn’t pry into.
“I can tell what you want to ask,” she said, making his face flush.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s not Anderson’s. I don’t think, anyway. I guess there’s a chance, but the timing gives me hope.”
His head was reeling. In a second he’d gone from worried to hopeful to anxious again. “A chance? Then, you and he–”
“I married him, Hugo. You didn’t think he was going to skip over the consummating part, did you?”
“I’m sorry.” Of all the apologies he’d given, this one was the most desperate. “Louisa, I’m so sorry, if I’d known leaving would…put you in that situation I would–”
“Would have what? Stayed and gotten murdered? How on Earth would that have actually improved anything?” She reached out to touch his shoulder. “I knew what I was getting into with this marriage. It was a political move for me, and that’s how I want it to be treated. Getting in with Anderson meant access to information and relative safety. I decided one unimpressive night was worth it.”
“One?” He’d figured Anderson would want more than that.
She smiled, a mischievous smile he recognized. “I yawned a few times and might have asked if that was all when it was over. It seems like it kind of killed the mood.”
Brian snickered.
“I paid close attention, and I’m almost positive I didn’t conceive that time. When I started to suspect I was pregnant I flattered him enough to sleep with me again. Anderson’s not the brightest, so he completely bought it when I said I knew I was pregnant after a month.”
“So, if it’s not Anderson, who is the father?”
Her smile faltered.
“It was Xavier, wasn’t it?” Brian said. Louisa nodded. Suddenly, Hugo realized who she had been asking about earlier. Not someone older like he had been thinking, but the one near their age. As he recalled, Xavier had been the type of guy most of the girls there liked, solid and husky. He was good at sports and manual labor, and relatively quiet. Everyone had assumed he’d become a hunter, but he’d chosen to go into farming with Mark, which, despite its less courageous nature, hadn’t stopped him from being considered one of the most desirable suitors of his year. He didn’t remember her ever showing interest in him, though. Besides a rather more pressing reason:
“Didn’t he get engaged to Tammy last year?”
Louisa’s expression was hard to read, but as she spoke her cheeks got pinker. “He did. Before I married Anderson I tried to constantly be around people, so Holden couldn’t get me alone. I spent a lot of time with them, and I sort of…really noticed him for the first time.”
“Does Tammy know?”
“Yes. They were kind of like us, you know? They picked each other out of friendship. She actually told us to go ahead if we were interested. They’d realized that romance was just too awkward for them. We all talked, and agreed it was okay, so he and I decided to see where things went and they uh…went pretty well.”
“So he wasn’t unimpressive, huh?” Brian said.
“Not at all,” she replied, the two exchanging grins that made Hugo want to blush.
“Did he know you were pregnant?” Hugo said.
“No. I couldn’t decide if I wanted him to know, at first. I did love him, in a way, but…I don’t know, it wasn’t enough to say ‘let’s have a family and be together.’ I didn’t want that. I thought it might be easier if everyone believed it was Anderson’s, and the secret would stay mine. A little memory of someone I was fond of.” Sadness tinged her voice, and the fact was forced back upon them there was little chance that Xavier was still alive, and they all knew it. “I guess a real memory, now.”
“I’m sorry.” Hugo moved closer so he could hug her.
“Thank you.” She leaned into his shoulder.
“Don’t…don’t blame yourself.”
“I’m not. It’s tempting, but I don’t think it was because of me.” Her voice caught, but she pressed on: “I think Holden went after him because he was friends with Mark and Tom, and they had all been caught discussing your mom’s disappearance. Tom was harder to touch. He and Ali have always been social, but Mark and Xavier were often on their own on the farms, it would be easy to make them disappear. After Xavier did, that’s when I warned Mark. At least I saved one of them.”
“You saved a lot of them,” Hugo said. “And he, you know, he kind of lives on, in your child.”
Louisa gave a little hiccupping laugh and wiped at her eyes. “You got sappy while you were living with the rebels. Are they all like this?”
“No, it’s just him,” Brian said, which Hugo thought was bold of him, considering he could think of one rebel who he could make say some awfully silly things when he got him alone.
“Heh.” Hugo let her go, but kept his arm around her shoulders. At that moment, he knew at least one thing that he did want to tell. “Well, I guess our kids will be around the same age.”
“What? Our kids? We don’t–” Her jaw dropped. “You mean? In San Francisco, you…!?”
“Her name is Elaine. If the baby is a girl, I asked for her middle name to be Louisa.”
“Wow.” She was speechless for a moment. “Why didn’t she come back with you?”
“She’s a trader, and lives in another camp. We weren’t in a relationship. They call it a repopulation project.” He explained the basics, with some input from Brian, and once she recovered from shock she looked intrigued.
“Maybe we could do something like that here. I mean, Holden’s marriage thing is just a stepping stone on the way to the real point, not letting people die out. Making that step optional could only improve the process. There’s La Push, and I bet we could find people still alive in other cities, to improve bloodlines.”
“We’d have to wait a generation first,” Hugo said. “I don’t think getting rid of Holden is going to change people’s minds on morality, but eventually…it might not be a bad idea.”
“Well, we’re going to be around for awhile, so let’s keep it in mind,” she said. Hugo agreed, and hoped that her optimistic outlook on their lifespans held true after tomorrow.
- - -
Before dawn, Louisa left them to go rouse the others and get them organized, leaving Brian and Hugo alone. Brian immediately moved closer to his side, and Hugo reached for his hand.
“Ready for this?” Brian asked.
“I don’t know. This thought keeps going through my head that if this plan backfires, it’s going to be my fault. They’re right, it is a gamble. I thought I knew Holden before and I was wrong then. Maybe I’m wrong now.” He stared at Brian’s overly-large eyes through the gloom. Even though he’d seen him at night several times, he still wasn’t quite used to them. “You wouldn’t have followed me in here if you thought my plan was a suicide mission, right?”
“I wouldn’t have let you come in here if I thought that,” Brian replied. “There’s always a risk of backfire. That doesn’t mean you give up.”
“You’re right.” He shook his head. “I know you’re right.”
“Come here.” He took Hugo’s hands and tugged him in for a kiss. “You didn’t tell Louisa about us.”
“It’s…it’s not the right time. I don’t know if there will be a right time in this town. You heard Mr. Rein– Christopher. Even if we get rid of Holden, those attitudes are still going to be around. It might be safer if nobody knows, not even Louisa. Are you mad?”
“I don’t care who knows or doesn’t know. I just care if I have you.” Hugo smiled, and Brian furrowed his brows. “What?”
“Nothing, I was just thinking about rebels and certain ones who are sappy.”
“Shut up,” Brian said, and effectively silenced him with another kiss.
Ten minutes later they quickly shuffled apart as footsteps fell outside the door. Louisa opened it and Julia, as a wolf, bounded in, clothes in her teeth. She tossed them at Brian and turned back for the door.
They split up into groups of three, Julia leading the first, Hugo the second and Brian the third. The idea was to minimize loss; if one got caught, the other two might still be able to escape. They would take a route along back roads to return to the meeting spot. It was longer, but it significantly minimized chances of being spotted. Adding to their luck, more clouds had rolled in, obscuring any moonlight.
Julia had the pack and her senses to help guide her back, and Hugo knew the area, so Louisa stayed with Brian’s group to help him. It wasn’t easy to step back out without him; Hugo never really realized how much he depended on trusting Brian to back him up until he wasn’t there. Maybe he depended on that a little too much, he thought as he pushed his nervousness down, looking to the others in his group for signals of when to move. He knew he couldn’t always expect Brian to swoop in and take control if things went bad, but being back in Forks was bringing back memories of his departure. He’d felt so small back then, and Brian had been untouchable, fearless and full of fire and stories about a world Hugo could only imagine.
Hugo felt small now, but so did Brian. So did all of them.
He reminded himself of Isaac’s words from the morning before and pressed on.
- - -
When his group reached the wall, Julia had already set the shifters to work helping people over, using light provided by dull lanterns. They were trying to be quiet, but some reunions were too joyful to contain, as Jared reunited with his niece, and Tom with Mark. Tom also received a warm welcome from Molly, who smiled brightly when he came over to tell Hugo that he’d spoken to Tess and that the healer had told him, with cautious optimism, that his mother was showing improvement.
“I’ve missed Rachael so much,” Molly said. “The first thing I’m going to do when this is over is tell her how sorry I am for ever doubting her.”
“I’m sure Mom’s going to say you don’t need to apologize,” Hugo said, the news boosting his mood.
He wanted to linger in reuniting, but his conscience prodded to pitch in and help the people coming over. He was not entirely surprised to see Andrea clambering one-armed down the ladder, but was taken aback to see Jou follow her. Andrea looked at him and must have noticed his expression because her first words were: “Just because I missed Brian that night does not mean I can’t shoot with my left, you know.”
“Wh-what?”
“You looked surprised.”
“Oh. Oh, no, I wasn’t surprised to see you,” Hugo said, holding up his hands. “I was thinking about Jou, actually. You and Isaac I expected, and I definitely don’t doubt your ability. Yeni’s not a surprise, either. But Jou’s not really much of a soldier. I didn’t expect him to come in.”
“He wouldn’t stay behind,” she said, glancing over at him too.
“Do you think he should be here? He’s not even armed,” Hugo said, watching as Jou gave his gun and holster to another person.
“Do you want to be the one to tell him he’s got to go back?” She shrugged. “Plenty of the survivors don’t know how to shoot, and they’re coming. Leaving him behind on that account wouldn’t be fair.”
“Well, yeah, but they’re coming to give testimony. And he’s younger than everybody else going in.”
“So? Someone has to be the youngest. He’s old enough to train as a hunter in the Resistance, how is this much different?”
Hugo bit his lip. “If anything happens to him, Charlie will kill me.”
“He knows the risks.” Andrea didn’t raise her voice, but the acceptance in it was clear. “He’s not a child.”
He is a child, Hugo wanted to protest. You’re old enough to remember when kids weren’t even allowed to work, much less to go war. What happened?
Oh, he knew. He knew the uprising had happened. He knew the world had changed, and that someone had to fill in the spaces the dead had left behind, regardless of whether they were ready to or not.
He also knew he was in the right. It was wrong to make fourteen-year-olds into soldiers, just like he’d known the rebels were wrong when they had called Brian crazy instead of trying to understand why he’d brought that gun to the graveyard. But being right didn’t change reality.
“Hey Hugo!” Jou waved at him, walking over.
“Hey.”
“What’s wrong? You’re looking at me like I’m making you sad or something.”
“Nothing. I er, didn’t expect you to come over is all.”
“You didn’t think I was going to let the rest of you go without me, did you?” Jou struck a pose that reminded him of Charlie. “We came here together. We’re a team.”
“We are a team,” Hugo echoed, managing to smile.
Jou looked around. “Speaking of…where’s Brian?”
Hugo looked out into the shadows beyond the dim glow of the lanterns. “That’s a good question.”
- - -
The sky was beginning to lighten to the east when Hugo finally saw the third group coming their way.
“Where have you been?” He demanded. The entire La Push contingent had already gotten over the wall and outfitted themselves, the wolves already shifted and lying about conserving their energy while the others discussed strategy.
“Sorry, we kept having to stop,” Louisa said.
“Why?”
“Brian kept saying someone was following us.”
“There was?” Hugo looked at him in concern. “How did you know? You heard something?”
“No, it wasn’t that I heard anything,” Brian muttered in a tone that suggested he’d already answered that question several times. “I saw them.”
“We backtracked a few times, we never saw anybody,” Mark said.
“They weren’t always there. Just a couple times in the beginning, in the distance. But they showed up more than once, so they had to be following us.”
“That’s insane,” Lori, who had arrived with Julia’s group, said. “It was too dark to see five feet ahead. I kept stepping on people’s feet, and you’re saying you saw someone in the distance?”
“Hugo, someone was following us. Someone knows we’re here, I’m sure of it,” Brian said, staring hard at him. Hugo hesitated, then drew Brian off to the side, telling the others to rest, and that if any of them had experience with firearms to see Isaac and Andrea.
“I’m starting to understand my night vision,” Brian hissed before Hugo could ask. “It doesn’t only make it easier to see in the dark. It makes people sort of…light up. Like when I said Isaac and Andrea looked bright. I don’t know why or how, and it doesn’t always happen, but when it does, I can tell. I saw someone lit up behind us.”
Hugo’s heart pounded. There was no reason for Brian to lie, and he didn’t think his lover’s desperate gaze was manufactured. Something had spooked him.
“Do you think they followed us here?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see it again after the first few times, and Louisa led us through a couple loops to throw them off.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Even if we threw them off, they’ll tell Holden. He’ll have people searching.”
“Okay. Okay, thanks.” Hugo brushed his arm with his hand gently, then stepped over to address the group, which was now numbering close to fifty. “Slight change of plans. We’re not taking the same route back. We’re going to follow the wall and come out at Julia Way.”
“Why?” Miles asked.
“Yeah, that’s going to take us through trees, we’ll have to go like two by two,” Tom said. “I thought the point was to form a group.”
“I know, but we think someone might be watching the other route. It’s not worth it. Following the wall will keep us out of sight for the longest time, especially since we’re running behind. If anyone wants to stay behind, this is the last chance to say so. I won’t hold it against you. If your heart’s not in it, you shouldn’t take the risk.” He watched the group carefully, and saw several people glance around as if waiting for someone else to make the first move, but nobody did. He waited another minute, just in case, but the extra time only seemed to steel resolves.
It was time to go, yet Hugo felt like he needed to do something more. Something to express what it meant to him that these people had his back. Only one thing came to mind, and he raised two fingers to his forehead. Near the front, he saw Andrea smile. Simultaneously, she, Brian, Isaac, Yeni and Jou all raised their hands back.
“The leader of the San Francisco rebels saluted her followers this way,” Hugo said. “I know to most of you that doesn’t mean anything, but Emma was brave, and did the best she knew how to for her camp. To me, earning her salute was a high honor, so I want to give it to you. I’m grateful to all of you. However this ends, thank you for standing with us.”
With that, he turned to lead them out.
- - -
When they reached the Way, Hugo and Julia stepped out first to survey the area. Satisfied that there was nobody on the street, Hugo waved everyone out from the trail, forming them into a group with the shooters on the outside and the wolves guarding the front and rear. He would walk in front, flanked by Brian, Isaac, Andrea and Jared, who may have criticized his plan, but had been on the hunting team and knew his way around a gun. They had heard the church bells for the first service ringing as they approached, and he knew that almost everyone would be at school, work, or the service at this time. Everyone had already been briefed at their respective meetings, any other questions having been answered during the walk. There was nothing more to do than take a deep breath and start walking.
They had nearly reached where the Way turned into Stevens Circle when the wind shifted and all of the wolves tensed in unison, snarls bursting from their throats.
Mitch Lockwood emerged from behind the last building on their right, a gun of his own held at arms length, finger on the trigger. Hugo had aimed at the threat at the first noise, but the sight of his stepfather left him stunned for a second too long. The next, his gut took a sickening swoop as the door of the building burst open, and before he could give an order, people poured from it into the street, each raising their own weapons.
Mitch, standing in the middle of his own force, regarded his stepson and his group. He aimed his gun, not at Hugo, but at Brian. “Hello Hugo.”
Hugo tried to breathe and found it nearly impossible as he stared down multiple barrels. His hand holding his gun quivered. His other hand, which he had raised to signal everyone to wait, hung in midair, too afraid that dropping it might signal the wolves or soldiers to attack.
“When Rife told me he believed we had intruders, I wondered if it might be you. Matthews reporting that your rebel friend was here all but sealed it. Although some of you are more of a surprise.” His eyes searched the group and landed on Louisa. “Mrs. Tate. We found Anderson in your closet this morning. I assume you have some idea of how he got there.”
Beside him, Brian drew in a breath through his teeth. Hugo slowly shifted his gaze to him, and saw the same indecision in Brian’s face that there was in his mind.
He could silently signal to shoot. A shot from either side would spark a firefight, but if his got off their rounds first, they held the advantage. His group had fewer shooters, though he would bet that he had the better ones, and the wolves were each as dangerous as a gun themselves. If it came to a fight, his side held the edge, talent-wise, so long as they had those crucial first few seconds.
He recognized the faces of most of the people across from him, and he knew they had been drafted out of fear and control. They were as much Holden’s victims as the scarred people standing on his side, but they were an enemy at this moment. If he accepted their deaths, and necessary losses on his own team, they would have the most people standing when it was over.
On his other side, Isaac was shaking, and a glance at him showed he had gone pale, but unlike during the vampire attack, he was holding his ground.
You have to live with yourself.
Slowly, he drew his hand into a fist and moved his arm back, signaling the others not to attack. Not yet. He had to think…
“You come in here with your army and you don’t have anything to say?” Mitch asked.
“We’re not here to hurt anyone.” His voice cracked.
“I doubt that.”
“We just want Holden to leave. That’s it.”
“The people here won’t survive without a strong leader.”
“No, they will. We have a plan that will make Forks better and save more people.”
Mitch gave a short laugh. “You have a plan. You and your army of society’s rejects.”
“Nobody is a reject. If we stop looking at certain people that way, we could be better, a lot better,” Hugo said.
“That’s a childish sentiment, Hugo. Leaders like Father Holden help us survive by knowing when to cull the herd.”
“You know he’s out of control. You know what he did to Mom.” For an instant, he saw the slightest of recoils. “Why would you keep supporting him?”
“He’s our children’s only protection,” Mitch repeated. “Father Holden has power.”
“Power? He’s one man in one town with control over a couple thousand people that he only has because he’s taught us to be afraid. That isn’t power.”
“Our safety from vampires depends on belief, and he gives people that. That’s all the power we need. The rest of the world is dying. There isn’t anything else that matters.” Mitch’s words didn’t match the person Hugo knew his stepfather to be. He’d never heard him sound tired. For a moment, the sound gave him hope.
“Don’t do this. Innocent people will die if this turns into a fight,” Hugo pleaded, not to just Mitch, but the entire group. In their expressions he saw shock and confusion, and clung to hope that some of them might listen. “Just let us go in and talk to him. To everyone. We’ll let anybody who wants to leave go safely. I promise the kids will be safe. I promise you’ll be safe. Holden’s the one who hurt Mom. He’s the one threatening to hurt you if you rebel, but I won’t. The world isn't dying. Mom's alive, you know. I saw her. And look, look at us-”
"Mitch..." He heard a man's voice. It was Rife, who was staring at his son. Hugo saw his arm lower slightly. "Mitch, maybe-"
The hesitant voice of his soldier made his stepfather's eyes turn steely. “A few dozen lives will never equal a few thousand,” he said. The man Hugo recognized was back, his familiar boiling temper in his voice. A tone Hugo knew too well, the tone that meant no argument on the planet would sway him. His gaze slid away, down the barrel of his gun toward Brian, the rebel who had set everything that had happened since in motion, and Hugo realized in that moment that he’d lost his gamble.
Mitch pulled the trigger.
So did Hugo.
- - -
Notes: Happy birthday Anya! I don't even know if you still read this fic but I wanted to do something for your special day!
Finally getting to this point in the story is really exciting. It’s less exciting because after this I have very little of the plot actually figured out, so um…let’s see how that goes.
The part with Louisa was really tough because marital rape is a thing and it shouldn't be trivialized, but also marriage and sex for political reasons are things and that's what I was going for but idk. Tumblr had made me constantly afraid of backlash. OTL