[IC] The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

[psych0pomp]

^{DATE AND TIME: Friday ~Midday ______________________LOCATION: Timeless Taverna and Inn______________________INTERACTIONS: None}

---

A sweaty earthy smell surrounded a young Pallas as his fingers bit into the loam of the walls. It crumbled under the pressure with the clay sticking underneath his fingernails. The roots were not far from his eyes, dangling from the ceiling above. He was small. At full height, he was a little below his parents’ waist. In the shimmering light of the magical lantern, he saw the dark silt of the earth staining his fingernails. He looked onwards, and squinted, barely making out the silhouette of his parents. His father had slammed the cellar door shut and pulled the ladder down. His mother chewed her lip, something she only did when she was so deep in thought. She only stopped when she tore through the flesh.

“And we can trust this man? This… Monty Price?” she asked, finally breaking the thick silence.

“We have to, Polina.”

“I still don’t know how I feel about him digging up bodies and placing them in the house.” She paced back and forth, the heel of her boots sinking into the wet dirt. “Are we sure the sultan’s men will be fooled?”

His father approached her and placed his large, worn hands on her shoulder. His eyes were hard to read in the light, but Pallas could make out the curve of his father’s bushy, and usually well kempt, beard—and it seemed to sag. Maybe from a frown? “Yes,” he whispered in that deep voice of his. “It will work, because if it does not, then what use was it to leave?”

“Ionas,” she said with a sigh. “Was it a good decision to leave the other three with your brother?” She turned and looked at Pallas, her eyes were visible in this light. Large and green, the color that he’d inherited. They drowned in tears that spilled into the creases underneath them and collected in the puffy rise that had formed recently. No doubt it was caused from days without sleep. Not that the child would know that.

He kissed her brow, pushing back the fabric she’d quickly wrapped around it. “Yes, they’re only after us—and Pallas. He’s the only one with your gift.”

The crackling that began in the periphery of the child’s hearing became louder and louder until there was a smash. He let out a yell of surprise. His mother pulled away from his father and knelt to him, gently placing her hand over his mouth as she looked him in the eyes. “Shh.”

Smoke poured in through the cracks of the trap door, and an oppressive heat consumed the space they were in. His father walked past the two to the far end of the small cellar and pushed on the wall made of slatted wood. It peeled away like a bud away from its bloom to reveal a path further into the darkness. An eruption of voices joined the dull sound of crackling.

“Come on, if we’re going to meet Mister Price’s men, we need to go,” his father said.

His mom nodded and turned to her child as his mouth felt dry and acrid from the growing smoke. “Ready to live somewhere new? You didn’t get this honor like your siblings did. You’ll love New York.” She kissed the top of his head. The blood from her sliced lip trickled down his face like sweat. Not really thinking about it, he stuck his tongue out and licked it.

He didn’t remember what he’d divined, but when he came back, his mother was gripping his shoulders so tight that they ached from the pressure. “So soon?” she asked. “But at least it’s not now, and for now, we need to leave. Come kamari mou.” She stood, grabbing his small hand and pulling him down the tunnel. His mother wouldn’t live to see New York, but at least she’d die knowing her son was safe.

---

Pallas jerked off the bed with the force of a mastiff who had just been spooked. His legs and arms went everywhere, tangled in the sheets. Yet the ice cubes from the cold glass of water followed him and kept sliding down his body, veering very close to dangerous territory. He was able to swat them away and sat there in the crumpled mess of his bed partially wet and very disgruntled. Over him stood his “cousin” Eleni. She was the last of the line of the Xendaris family, or at least those that hadn’t stayed back in the homeland when his parents left. Her dark hair had lightened with age, but you couldn’t really discern the actual number from her face. She didn’t have many wrinkles. Instead, she had lines drawn into her flesh since she never stopped frowning. Pallas couldn’t imagine that she had ever been happy in her life. Her nails clicked against the side of the empty glass. The one that was used to douse him in water.

“What’s the deal, theía?” he asked as he pulled the robe he’d been wearing back over himself.

“I told you not to call me that. I am not your aunt.”

“Sorry. I thought we were keeping up appearances so as not to spook the locals.” As he said ‘spook,’ he held his fingers up and waved them in a menacing manner. “I’ll refer to you by your proper title, γιαγιά.”

That’s when she lobbed the glass at him. Well, glass was probably more a term to describe its shape than its actual composition. It was a thin, plastic tumbler they used down in the dinner. It didn’t hurt, but it did bruise Pallas’s ego. Which he conveyed by placing his hand on his brow and feigning death by falling back into the bed.

“Get up, you lazy sack of shit. This isn’t your home. You can’t squat here. You have to earn your keep.” She crossed her arms, no longer being burdened by the glass. “And from my understanding, you didn’t even go to the coven welcoming or the party. What’s the point of handing the position ‘down’ to you if you’re going to sit around here all day and—“ That was about the time that she broke into rapid-fire Greek. Pallas knew what she was saying, but he didn’t dare take the time to parse out each individual insult.

“Ah,” he remarked. He sat up, grabbing the still-wet glass from the bed. “That was—last night?” he asked, quizzically.

Eleni leaned over and snatched the glass from his hand and tossed it at him again. This time, it had force behind it. “No, that was three days ago. You’ve been up here doing gods’ know what for three days. I’ve let you because Karl told me to leave you be. But he’s not here now, he’s at the store. So, I get to wrestle you from this cesspit.” She moved to the slanted skylights that adorned the vaulted ceiling of the room. He was on the top floor, where the heat rose too quickly, and the air conditioner never reached. It was usually uncomfortably warm here. Well, that was until she got a window open, and the stinging chill zapped through the room and immediately froze all the water on his body. Pallas pulled his robe tighter and shot daggers at his cousin.

“What do you care? You can’t die from it.”

“I can still get pneumonia.”

“Good,” was all Eleni said as she grabbed the glass again. Pallas flinched, only for her to smile and go to leave. “Now, clean up this mess, clean up yourself, and go do something with yourself.” Then out the door she went, making sure to close it gently. No matter her mood, she wasn’t ruining the frames of the old house. It was built in the gothic style of the 1920s with quite a few Victorian flourishes thrown in. Pallas didn’t know why. He vaguely remembered them working on it while living in a smaller, colonial-style home. It was flat and the rooms followed each other like a snake. This place had been finished after he’d left, and so he never got to see it in its original state. Not that it was in bad shape now.

It was apparent that the family had done a lot to maintain it, and it even had plumbing, heat, and air. All the floors were the original hardwood or tile. Some of the walls had been redone, but most of them were a part of the bones of the house. All the kitchen appliances had been replaced, and whatever carpet or rugs there were had also been updated. It didn’t creak when you walked, but it still had this old, hollow moan that would happen at the witching hour. A reminder that everything contained some sort of soul. Well, except for—

As much as Pallas didn’t want to admit it, Eleni was right. She wouldn’t hear it from his mouth, but she’d probably pop her head in to see that he’d cleaned the renovated attic space with its tight corners and minimal furniture. He took a shower and dressed. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but that bar was high considering some of the other outfits he’d taken to wearing around. Most of them he didn’t show off to the town of Tanner. He felt like they’d have more questions than he had answers.

He leaned over the sink and glared into the mirror, pushing his short dark hair back with his hand, as he touched up around his eyes with some concealer. Then a touch of black eyeliner from a dull pencil, and he looked at himself. It worked. He didn’t look as dead as he felt.

Pallas inhaled after that, summoning his power, and making sure his abjuration seals were still up. A flicker of blue surrounded him like a neon corona, and the lamps on the wall dimmed. The spells were still up. Just an antidetection spell, but necessary for his continued existence. The lights around him snapped back to full strength as the magic faded.

Sliding down from the banister of the main stairs to the second floor, he barely caught himself at the end. He vaulted off and took a few uneasy steps forward to steady himself.

“Oh good, I needed to dust that,” a voice perked up. Pallas turned to Karl, Eleni’s husband and probably the nicest being in existence. He wondered how those two got on, but Karl was like a ray of sunlight to her frigid heart. And if that was the case, then Pallas was a deep freezer. They’d met in Italy when both were different trips of “magical enlightenment.” To hear the tale of it, it was love at first sight—instant as they come. Which seemed to be a strange way to put it. Anything that was instant was usually noodles or coffee, and neither of them was good. But who was he to judge? He’d known love maybe twice in his life, and both times it exploded in his face like a defunct Roman candle.

“Glad my ass could be of service.” He feigned a curtsey.

Karl was hauling groceries in a small cart that he’d made from spare wood, casters, and wheels. It looked like someone made it by hand and not in a good way. But Karl liked it, and it did its job. “I take it Eleni woke you up. Despite me asking her not to.” The diminutive Swedish man cut his eyes further into the house.

“Not at all. Apparently, you can only silence your alarm so many times before your phone shocks you. I didn’t know they could do that. But technology is confusing,” Pallas lied through his teeth. It was easier to keep the peace than to rile anyone up. “Speaking of—”

“No,” Karl said with a smile. “Pallas, you do not have a license in the States. I’m not letting you drive the auto. But I do have the key to the bike locks. Hm. How about you use that?”

“In this outfit?”

“I mean you’re more than welcome to do it in the nude, but I doubt you’ll get far.”

“Because all my adoring fans will faint at the sight of my Adonis-like figure?” Pallas asked with a sly smile.

“Ok.” That was all Karl said as he fished the key out of his pocket and handed it to Pallas. “Do not lose the bike, again.”

Pallas snatched the key from his hand. It was on a gnome keychain. Wildly embarrassing, but it would keep him from forgetting it. It’d only get more embarrassing—and possibly more Swedish—if he did. “Yes, sir, I also promise not to have that much Fireball again.”

“Have some class, Pallas.”

“Never.” He winked at Karl, and the man pulled his cart along with a chuckle. Pallas then reached into his coat pocket and pulled a cigarette from within its depths.

“No smoking,” Karl yelled down the hall.

“Fucking diviners,” Pallas grumbled as he slid the cigarette between his lips, but he didn’t light it up. Instead, he made his way towards the main entrance. He really needed to make sure that the coven knew he was ready to replace his “older family.” Also, anything to get out of the house and be able to do something beyond waxing the floors—of which there were a lot. He swore if he had to do that again, he’d just douse himself in it and set himself aflame. Which was a viable threat from him, but he was a bit of a baby when it came to pain.

Pallas exited onto the main grounds and made his way to the neon teal bike with another one of Karl’s creations strapped to it that was supposed to be a basket. There was even a helmet perched on the front seat. Pallas groaned and looked over his shoulder at the vintage truck that Karl and Eleni drove. For a second he considered hotwiring it and driving into town. But how long would that take? How much crap would he get on his outfit? But he’d also have heat and air. He lifted both his hands as he contemplated each option.

After a second, he let out a string of curses in Greek before walking towards the bike, but he did toss the glittery pink helmet into the bush. He’d have some dignity—however small.

[WolfLover]

Aurora Newman + Blaise Newman

---

The next few days seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. By now, the news of the Werewolf attack was surely spread around the Coven. Especially among the elder generation that wasn’t present at the party. Her mother was unimpressed with the events that had transpired. Maria Newman was under the belief that her daughter should have removed the Lycan curse, to save the coven the hassle of the attack and tragedy of the barrier falling. It took Aurora all her might not to snap. As much as Aurora wanted to figure out the curse; it wasn’t that simple on her end. She was most skilled with curses of her own creations. Those that she had less knowledge of and what they did, wasn’t exactly her area of expertise. Especially those that were more rare.

It had been one of those moments, that she couldn’t help but feel inferior in her magical talents and like she had failed at trying to help protect her friends and coven members. Despite her vast knowledge of curses, it felt like maybe she just hadn’t studied curses as much as she should have? Aurora hated the fact that her mother always had the ability to make her second guess herself. It was irritating. Her father on the other hand, seemed to be the more forgiving parent in the situation. Aurora half expected him to be harsh too. He usually was when it came to her holding up magical standards to the highest expectations. But this time, he was fully aware that some things were beyond her control. Let alone the Coven’s.

Despite his reassurances, she spent the rest of the week surrounded by grimoires. Reading up on curses. Just in case anything like it happened again. But she was stubborn like that. Maybe it was the fact she was older and had more responsibilities on her shoulders, when it came to protecting the younger ones. Between trying to absorb more magical knowledge; she also finished off her work projects. Sending off the final edits and notes to the publishing company.

Visible bags under her eyes; when she had been in the zone she had forgotten to get decent sleep. Running on energy that was coffee.

Now that Saturday had hit; Aurora felt like a hole was returning to her life. It was the anniversary of her brother’s death. No matter how many years had passed, it didn’t seem to get easier for the blonde. Having missed her brother, especially in trying times like these. Like on every anniversary of Mikael’s death. Aurora went to the cemetery, with a few bouquets of fresh flowers. Even if she visited every so often; maybe more often than her parents. She liked to keep his grave looking nice. The flowers weren’t just for her brother’s grave. It was also for her grand-mother Vivienne, who had died 4 years prior. Both the graves were close together.

The morning was fairly breezy, as she made her way towards the grave’s. Holding the flowers in her arms. The cemetery was empty. No one in sight. Just herself for the time being. Coming to the two respective graves. Most of the previous flowers and decorations around the two had wilted away. Kneeling down by her brother’s and grand-mother’s graves. Aurora began to brush off the dead and dried out flowers.

Tears welling in her eyes, as she looked at her brother’s grave. “I wish you were here. Things were always easier when you were around.”

As she started to arrange the fresh flowers, around the two graves a warm and familiar voice sounded from behind her. “I figured you’d be the first one here today.” Putting a hand on her shoulder, he gave it a gentle squeeze. Smiling to himself when he saw the flowers that Aurora was putting around the graves. “Iris and Hyacinths were always your grandmother’s favourites. I still remember how she liked to wear them in her hair on our wedding day.” Musing at the old memories.

Smiling at the memory her grand-father shared. Even if she heard it so many times before, it never failed to make her smile. “I know. They always did suit grandma.” she said softly. It’s why she always brought those flowers for her grand-mothers grave. “Mom and dad didn’t come with you?” Knowing that the question probably sounded stupid. Aurora most likely knew the answer.

A slight sigh escaped the elderly male. “We both know the answer to that.” Blaise Newman’s wrinkles became more pronounced with his sad expression. “Your parents always had their own way of grieving. I don’t think that they’d ever want to interrupt our time with Mikael and your grandma on days like these.”

“Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if they do grieve.” As cruel as that thought might sound, it was true. To her, her parents were always so pent up with unsaid emotions. It almost made them robotic, with how much they withheld them. The last time, she remembered them showing any hint of major emotions was when she was still a child, and her brother was alive. Things were a bit happier than; despite how hard they always were on Mikael when it came to him learning magic. Now things were…broken.

“I just miss…” her words trailed off, as she swallowed back more tears that were threatening to form in her eyes.

Watching as his grand-daughter arranged the last of the flowers on the two graves. He frowned slightly at her words. Knowing how stubborn both his son and daughter in law were, especially when it came to their emotions. “You miss the old days. Me too…me too.” Finishing off her trail of thoughts.

“Unfortunately, I could never tame your parents' stubbornness, in the way they handle things.” As he spoke, Aurora stood to join him in standing. It was then that he noticed how exhausted she looked. Not just emotionally. But physically. “When’s the last time you slept?” His brow creased, as he frowned. Looking down at her with concern.

She didn’t think that anyone could ever try and calm her parent’s stubbornness. As much as she loved her parents, she wished that they cared a bit more, in a mother parent way, than a Witch way. Or maybe they were affected by Amanda Aston’s persona ; given that her mother always tried to remain amicable with Carlisle’s mother when working together for so long the two seemed to share similar views when it came to being strict when it came to their parenting ways. No wonder, her parents were ‘stuck’ in their ways when it came to being stubborn. Not that she expected them to change anytime soon. They were, just how they were. “No one can change their ways.”

As he questioned her about her sleeping, Aurora knew that she couldn’t ever talk her way out of things. Not when it came to being around her grand-father. Blaise could always see right through her; like an open book. “I….” Almost stopping herself, when she saw the eyebrow already rising higher in concern. “Few days. I just had things to take care off.”

Running a hand over her face, she sighed. Trying to rub the tiredness off of her features.

“Don’t try and stretch yourself thin Kiddo.” Worried that Aurora was overworking herself. He could guess what the reason behind it was. It’s not the first time, he’s seen Aurora like this. But it certainly wasn’t a coincidence that she was like this, so soon after the events that transpired a few days ago.

Looking at her grand-father, she hated the thought of worrying him so much. But she couldn’t help herself. Set on proving her mother wrong. “I just need to be of use, if anyone needs me.”

With a slight shake of his head, he let out a light chuckle. “You’ve always been of use, when people need someone to lean on. But being tired and not sleeping, aint going to help anybody; least of all you.” He knew full well that she’d always put things on the line, in order to help members of the coven. But he didn’t want her to stop living her own life, for the sake of the coven.

“Don’t let your mother get to you.”

“How did you…?” Aurora didn’t recall mentioning her mother, and what she had said to her the other day. But somehow, he just knew what the problem was.

Wrapping his arms around his grand-daughter in a hug, he lightly chuckled. “I might not be a diviner, but you forget that I know you very well. I can always tell when something is bothering you. Besides, I know how hard your mother tends to be on you. It’s not the first time, she’s stressed you out.” Not wanting his grand-daughter to second guess herself. Blaise was proud of her, and all that she had achieved. Hell, he was proud of the coven in it’s entirety. “Your mother is not worth stressing over. Just believe in yourself Kiddo. You’ve done more to be proud of than your mother gives you credit for.”

“After we’re done here, You should get home, get some rest.”

The hug was warm, and soothing. Nothing had been better than being in the embrace of her grand-parent. “You and your infinite wisdom.” she said with a soft smile. He always knew how to make her feel better. Maybe it was just part of being a supportive grand-parent. Her grandfather always understood her much better than her parents at times.

“I’ll try not to let it bother me, but you know how I get.” That earned her a nod. He knew how she was, even with reassurances. If he could change how her mother affected her, he would have. Remaining by the two graves for a few moments longer. Aurora tried to think about something other than her family issues. For a short while there was just comfortable silence between grand-father and grand-daughter; both living in the past. The happy memories that they shared with the people that they had lost and loved.

[Little Bird]

Caitlin

Out for a Walk

Saturday

The days following the party had dragged by at a snail’s pace for Cait. The morning after had kicked off to an uninspiring start; Carlisle had all but kicked her out of the Coven manor when she tried to talk with him. Since that morning, she had stayed away from the house for some time, spending the week at her parents’ house. It wasn’t much better there either though, as both her mother and father remained generally silent towards her. The fact that she had chosen to spend most of the days lounging around the house hadn’t done her any favors. On the few instances that her parents did in fact speak to her, it was to belabor the fact that she should have been at the Coven resuming her training… as if there were a line of people there waiting to help her with that. 

When she woke up on Saturday, she stared at her phone screen, contemplating any call she could have made. Victor was the first to come to mind. But she knew he had just been through a load of shit. She might have tried to reach out to Aurora… but she didn’t have her number. That left Daniel; he had offered to coach her, though she had been hesitant to reach out or take him up on the offer. Pocketing her phone after fifteen minutes of staring blankly into a dark screen, Cait dressed herself and crept out of the house. It was still early, and her parents were fast asleep, no doubt finding what enjoyment they could in the weekend; they, like other seniors of the Coven, had been running some level of damage control in the wake of the werewolf attack. 

As she closed the front door behind her, Cait wondered if word had reached them that she had, in fact, magic’d her way through a fight with a werewolf… or if all anyone said was that she turned tail and ran for her life. “They probably wouldn’t care, huh, Tig,” she said to a small Maine Coon, Tigris, sitting out on the front step. She rubbed the top of the cat’s head as she hopped down the front step. Not looking back, she strode down the driveway and to the street, wishing she could have gotten her skateboard back. 

The walk, long, and a bit chilly in the morning hours, brought her to the park, where the alluring sound of wheels rolling over concrete drew her to the basketball court. Off-loaded from an old VW Bus sitting at the far end of the court, a makeshift set of ramps and rails set up like a mobile skate park was laid out. Jumping in turn off of a kicker were two faces Cait knew from high school. One, a lanky Latino man with dark, shoulder length hair; the other a young brunette woman. "Yo," Cait called as the pair landed on the flat. "Ricardo! Dez! Getting in a sesh before the ballers come out?"

The pair turned and skated to stop near Cait. "That Mo?" Ricardo asked, popping his board up into his hand.

"Yeah bro." Cait replied with a nod. "It's me."

"I thought you were in Cali," Dez spoke half-snarkily.

"I heard you got fucked up down there," Ric added.

"It got hot down there." Cait replied with a defensive tone. "Had to come back up for a bit. Y'know. Wait for the crew to chill a bit before head out again."

"Bet." Ric's face shifted. "I thought I saw you the other day. You were going to the mansion. What is that place about anyways?"

"No clue man." Cait shrugged. Her insides churned; her surface stayed calm though. "Wasn't me you saw; never been in the place. Probably some fancy social club."

"Right." Ric shrugged too, though he eyed Cait with scrutiny.

"Where's your board at, Mo?" Dez chimed in, breaking an awkward silence.

"Home." Cait said without missing a beat. "Need to do some work on it."

"Well get to it. Ric and I were gonna hit some spots in the city one day. Would be cool if you were there too. It would be like old times."

"That'd be sick." Cait fist-bumped her friends. "I gotta duck out right now though. I'll hit you up later."

~-------~

It was mid-morning as Cait strode back down her driveway. A revolving door of thoughts spun around as she started onto the front walkway.

Magic vs. Skating. That was the debate. To bury herself in the daunting effort of catching up to her peers in the Coven, or to cut loose at the first chance to do what brought her peace of mind. To invest back into the life of being a Witch, or stay her course a skatergirl. The former had been pulling more aggressively since the party. As she was, she was being torn by two paths that demanded full attention.

"I'm guessing you didn't go to the manor."

A voice hummed in Cait's ear as soon as she entered the house. She turned to see her mother sitting cross-legged in an armchair in the living room. Cait began to walk over. But, to her shock, her mother stood up and walked to meet her halfway.

"At least you got out of the house, finally. You were becoming a couch potato."

Cait said nothing.

Not dismayed, her mom continued. "I... I feel that your father and I... and maybe the others as well, were too quick to give up on you."

Cait remained silent.

"The weight we put on our own children to master powers they never asked for. To thrust the burden of an underworld of horrors onto teenagers and young adults. It's crazy, really. And almost none of us were ready for it when we started; even heads of the Council struggled at first. My point is, I understand why you've been running from it all."

"I haven't been--"

"You can't lie about that, Caitlin, dear."

Cait fell silent again.

"Trial by fire." Cait's mom walked to an end table, picking up a large, leather-bound book. "That's always been the policy for Covens world over. And there are some things we just can't run from forever." She held the book out for Cait. "Like what runs in your blood."

"What's this?" Cait asked.

"A gift from your grandfather. My father. Your Papa Lafayette. There's no hurry for you to read it; go at your own pace. But it's the ongoing history of our family, my side of it anyways. I, believe it will have more to do with you than the Cade side right now."

The book dropped into Cait's hands without her even realizing she had reached for it... like it too was pulling her in. "I... um... thanks Mom."

~-------~

The old book sat on Cait's nightstand. Cait sat on her bed, staring the book down as if its pages would jump out at her. She sat like that for close to thirty minutes before she finally broke eye contact.

A whirling storm of inspiration had hit her. She reached for her phone and pulled up Daniel's number.

"Hey dude. Been thinking about it a bit. If you still can, I could use some help with my magic."

[Send]

The text 'whooshed' out. Cait flopped out onto her bed and heaved a heavy sigh.

((OOC: On a time crunch this morning. Will format this thing more later))

[SouffleGirl123]

_{A @HaleyTheRandom, @SouffleGirl123, & @Hedgehawk collaboration.
Featuring: Lilith Montgomery, Miles Price, Carlisle Aston, John Montgomery, Mary Price, & Guest Starring Claire Montgomery.}

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

The tension in Lilith’s shoulders hadn’t disappeared since Friday night.

Having an extra set of hands on the ranch was always a welcomed thing - but not when the mouth attached to them continued to make weak ass apologies. Lilith had done all that she could to remain cordial with Carlisle, even if most of her attempts in making things ‘better’ included ignoring him. She wasn’t used to having to share her bathroom or Grandfather with anyone, so the change had been different to say the least.

Despite all of the trouble with Carlisle though, Lilith couldn’t help but worry herself about Sunday dinner. She and Miles hadn’t talked since the Coven party, and she had done everything that she could to keep herself from dwelling on the thought. Standing there in the kitchen beside her grandfather, she thankfully found herself too caught up in the current moment to focus on her worries.

Lilith’s phone was connected to the sound system as usual. Tanya Tucker’s Delta Dawn played over the speakers as she and her grandfather danced around the kitchen - both literal and metaphorical. The young woman was aware that Carlisle was floating around here somewhere, but she couldn’t be bothered enough by his presence to let it kill her current high. With the steaks in the oven, and a new bottle of whiskey just being cracked open, Lilith began to gather plates in order to set the dinner table.

When Mary came knocking, John was the one to answer the door. Giving the woman a hug, the older man completely ignored Miles standing behind her, and immediately shut the door behind himself to make his point stick.

”So Mary - how are things,” John asked.

As the Prices approached the ranch’s porch, Mary turns to her who was trailing closely behind her son, a stern look painted on her face. ”You better be on your best behaviour, kid. I better not hear one of them sarcastic remarks of yours tonight, y’here me? I don’t wanna watch you play with death,”

Miles looks up at his mother, giving her a small smile. ”I don’t know what you’re on about, I’m always on my best behaviour,” he jokes half-heartedly. If he was being honest, part of Miles was nervous and it wasn’t in fear of John. No, he was more nervous about what would happen between him and Lilith. The night of the party a week ago was hazy at best. He remembered her telling him of her grandad’s condition and he remembered the kiss they shared on the couch but from there were only fleeting moments committed to memory until he woke up for work the next morning in his bed with his arms wrapped around Lilith. Was there an ‘I love you’ in there? He wasn’t sure. He couldn’t help but wonder if Lilith remembered more than him.

What didn’t help was the almost radio silence between them. Lost between work and the massive headache that raged in his skull that morning messaging Lil wasn’t an immediate thought then he didn’t know what words to write and next thing he knew it felt all too late. For someone who could talk Miles was far from the best texter. He took a shaky breath as he followed his mum to the door.

Mary reciprocated John’s hug, glad that Miles had been carrying the large bowl of potato salad thus freeing her arms. ”Oh y’know, same old. How have things been at the ranch?”

Miles had almost ran right into the door as it was slammed in his face. He huffs, rolling his eyes. He really hoped the whole night wouldn't be like this. He knocked on the door himself with his free hand before raking it through his hair. For as much as seeing Lilith was making him nervous John Montgomery still very much brought an uneasy feeling to his stomach.

As the pitiful knock came through the door, Mary raised an eyebrow at the older man. "For as much as you don't like it, you should probably let him in,"

”Same shit, different day,” John huffed, beginning to walk away from the door until Mary made a comment. Hearing her words, his expression hardened into a scowl. Pursing his lips, John reached for the door handle. He didn’t open the door all the way, but he reckoned it was enough to please Mary and let Miles know he was safe for the time being.

Seeing Mary, Lilith set the plates down on the table before walking over to the older woman and giving her a hug of her own. Listening in to the small talk being made, Lilith was hyper aware of the fact that Miles was right outside the front door. She had known he was coming to Sunday Dinner, but that hadn’t eased her nerves in the slightest.

The young woman was doing her best not to act excited or on edge. She wasn’t going to lie and say that she wasn’t pleased Miles was there - but they also hadn’t discussed the aftermath of the party. How much did he remember? Did she even want to know? Should they just avoid it completely? It was times like these when Lilith was glad she was the only empath in the family.

Wrapping her arms around Marys neck, Lilith quickly whispered in the other womans ear. ”Please help me keep gramps from killing him.”

At Lilith’s plea Mary gives a small chuckle, wrapping her arms around Lilith’s small frame. "My plans exactly, I really don’t plan on cleaning up a crime scene tonight. Did you hide the ammo by any chance?”

As the door is partially opened Miles blinked at it a couple of times, unsure if he was meant to walk in or if John would berate him for being rude for doing so. Eventually Miles felt he had spent too long at that door and pushed it open the rest of the way. At the sight of Lilith a small smile spread on his face. Although he was still wracked with nervousness it really was nice to see her, hell, part of him was almost glad to see John too. There was a sweet nostalgia to it all.

”Good evening!” he greets the household, pretending that the door slam in the face didn’t faze him slightly.

”As much as I could find,” Lilith whispered back with a small chuckle of her own. She may have been laughing, but Lilith was genuinely concerned for Miles state of wellbeing.

Walking away from Mary, Lilith went back to setting the table. As Miles walked in, Lilith couldn’t help the fact that her eyes lingered on his - even if it was only for a split second. Focusing her attention on the wooden grain, Lilith moved around the table as she set down each plate.

”You can just sit that over here somewhere,” she said, hoping that Miles knew she was talking about the massive bowl he was holding.

John had moved back across the room to take the steaks out of the oven, bringing over the large cast iron pans to the table.

”So Miles,” John began, doing his best to remain cordial. ”How was college?”

At Lilith’s instruction, Miles’ eyes settled on her once more. Damn, she was beautiful, that never changed. He gave a nod, crossing the room to lay down the bowl. He wanted to idle up next to Lilith and joke about how dead he was going to be tonight but John had starting talking to him first.

Honestly Miles’ was surprised John didn’t just flat out refuse his existence but he was glad for it. ”I- uh- I only spent a year actually in college,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. ”But it was great, something new. Turns out studying doesn’t beat real world experience though,” he replies. Silence falls for a moment before he was reminded that he should ask John something. ”How has the ranch been?” he asks, ”I’ve kinda missed this place,”

Hoping that she might be able to give Miles some words of encouragement as he approached her, Lilith couldn’t help but be mildly disappointed when her grandfather had spoken up.

Taking his seat at the head of the table, John raised an eyebrow when Miles had mentioned he had dropped out of college. He hadn’t ever expected much from the boy, but seeing him as a quiter only made John’s perception of him worse. Lilith had taken the bowl from Miles’s hands, placing it on the table before taking a seat herself. Beginning to pour drinks, Johns expression soured when the young man asked him about the ranch.

”Been fine,” he huffed. ”I’m up to my ears in paperwork, but such is life.” Taking a sip of his drink, Johns eyes shifted to his granddaughter before falling back on Miles. ”Real world experience is great, kid - but an education is even better in some situations.”

”C’mon gramps,” Lilith joked light-heartedly. ”I don’t think Miles wants the whole speech right now.”

Although Miles was thankful for Lilith trying to step in he was going to squander that all away, it wasn’t like he was going to sit in silence and let John see him as less and less. No he had to have an active role in his destruction it seemed. ”And this wasn’t one of those situations,” he replies through gritted teeth, standing at his old spot at the side of the table a seat away from the man, lest he be close enough for John to hit him. He grips the top of the wooden chair tight, his knuckles starting to turn white. ”No point in spending 3 more years studying if I already have a good job in the field,” he says, trying to come off as nonchalant. He looked the old man in the eyes, throughout his whole childhood the pair had a somewhat tumultuous relationship but this was the first time they have had a proper conversation since him and Lilith broke up all those years ago. Despite his mother’s warnings, part of him was ready for a verbal war.

At the scene before her Mary took her own seat between Johnthon and Miles at the side of the table. "Moving on now. Lil, Miles, how was your first week as coven members?” she asks in an attempt to change the subject, taking a sip of her own drink. She snuck Miles a quick dirty look, a warning for him not to press on before it escalates.

”Look. All I’m sayin’ is why reach for the moon when you could have the stars too,” John chuckled, well aware of the fact that he was already under Miles’s skin in such a short matter of time.

Not leaving anyone any room to get another word in, Lilith turned her attention to Mary after shooting John a look of disapproval.

”It’s been an adjustment,” Lilith responded, now taking a drink herself as she passed the bottle to Miles. Their hands had touched for the briefest of moments, goosebumps racing up her arm as she pulled away. ”I can’t speak for Miles, but I can say I’ve already learned a few things,” continuing to speak, Lilith took another drink from her glass as her attention fell back onto Mary. ”Like how people are still going to ignore me, my family's connection to the barrier, my predictions - but I digress.” Pursing her lips, the young woman sighed. ”I guess the most important thing I’ve learned so far is how to try and get along with people that I don’t want to.”

”You mean that Carlton boy,” John questioned. ”Where is he anyway?”

Miles huffed, sitting in his seat. He wanted to argue back with John but was cut off by his mum and Lilith. At least Lilith was already passing him the liquor. His hand brushed against hers as it found a free space on the bottle causing a small smile to play on his lips. He poured his drink before turning his attention back to his mother's question. ”I mean Monday was… interesting but apart from that it doesn't feel all that different yet,"

Carlisle at that moment, came down from upstairs and looked around at the sudden crowd around the table. This was the first time all week he had actually come out of his room. If he wasn't doing ranch things, or working at the Coven, he spent his time in his room staying out of Lilith's way. Things had been tense and he wasn't sure if he had made any progress with Lil forgiving him. He looked a bit better too. Most of the exhaustion was now gone, though he had seemed to have developed really pale skin, almost like he was coming down with some viral infection.

"Hey everyone. Didn't wanna come down too early and cramp everyone's style" He said with a nervous chuckle. Seeing Lil, John and Miles in the same place was like facing all of his anxieties at the same time.

Miles' eyes flew to the familiar voice coming from the other side of the dining room. ”Carlisle?” he enunciates. Over the past days he’d attempted to text Carlisle a couple of times but never got a response. Part of him had thought maybe Carlisle was mad at him for leaving with Lil that night but if that was so why was he here? He looked between him and Lil. Did Carlisle have another reason to avoid him? What if Carlisle felt guilty for something? ”What are you doing here?” he asks brashly, not that he intended it to come out harshly. He couldn’t help but suspect he might be here for Lil. It’s not like Miles and Lil kept up any form of substantial communication over the week, maybe Monday night truly was nothing.

Carlisle could detect the harsh and brash nature of Miles' words. A small smile came across his lips. It seemed someone was insecure. "Well circumstances forced me to live in the coven household and well, it was quite lonely. Actually it was hell. So I came here and Lilith and John were kind enough to give me refuge until I figure out exactly what is going on" With that Carlisle would sit down next to Lilith, trying to keep distance between him and Miles. He made sure that he was also a fair bit away from Lil, despite being next to her. He didn't want to annoy her.

On any normal day, Lilith would have killed for a Sunday dinner like this. All of her favorite people in the same place, enjoying a meal together - who wouldn’t want that?

As Carlisle entered the room with what could only be described as a weak attempt at 70’s swag, Lilith couldn’t help but momentarily dwell on the fact that Miles had mentioned Monday. What all did he remember? There was no way to ask him outright without exposing herself or making things awkward. She had been prepared to explain why Carlisle was there herself - or better yet gloss over the whole thing - but Miles seemed to beat everyone to the punch. Lilith couldn’t help the way her eyes cut in Miles' direction as she heard his tone. What on Earth did he have to be so defensive for?
It took every fiber of Lilith’s being not to shove Carlisle out of the chair as he took a seat beside her. John had made it very clear that she was supposed to be nice to their guest, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a few accidents while he was here, right? The closer that Carlisle got, the more difficult it became for Lilith to ignore his emotions. Thought to be fair, she would have assumed that his arrogance was suffocating everyone - not just herself.

”For someone who’s in a tough spot, you seem to be feeling really smug about all of this,” Lilith quipped. ”Why’s that?”

Miles knew that response should have calmed him but he very much didn’t like the pomp in Carlisle’s voice. It took Miles everything in him to not growl back at Carlisle’s response. Instead he took another gulp of his drink, letting himself get distracted by the burning sensation of the alcohol. What was Carlisle playing at? It was less Carlisle’s being there that made him mad but the almost triumphant tone of his voice. As if he won some game between them Miles was never really playing, as if he’d won Lil by just being there. As Lilith spoke up Miles remained slight, cautiously watching Carlisle.

Hearing the quip from Lilith, Carlisle almost shrank in his seat. His shoulders curled inwards as he almost began sliding down his seat to disappear. "I was… I wasn't trying to sound smug. I am just grateful that you were there for me when I needed it. Despite everything going on this week." He responded meekly. Clearly she wasn't ready to start forgiving him yet.

Eyes still locked on the boys cowardly frame, Lilith pursed her lips, trying to keep in her inner bitch. ”Just because you don’t say it, doesn’t mean you’re not feeling it.”

"Honestly I am not" Carlsie raised his hands defensively. He knew that Lilith was still apprehensive about him being here. "After what my mother did, I thought I could cope on my own for a whole and it turns out I couldn't. I needed help, plus it feels nice to be close to people I trust. Never really felt this way with my own mother"

”Honestly, I’m not” Lilith mocked him. ”Either you or my powers are lying to me, and I don’t think it’s the divination, my guy.” Pouring herself another drink, Lilith took a sip before speaking again. ”We’re not here to fix your mommy issues. Pass the potato salad.”

"I.." Carlisle was about to call into question her divination abilities. But decided against it. Deep down he was a little happy that he was closer to Lil right now than Miles. But it wasn't his main emotion. He was being truthful about being grateful. He picked up the potato salad and quietly handed it over, not saying a word as he did. Afterall, Lil could just cut through his words and find out the truth.

Miles had remained silent in the tennis battle that had become of Carlisle's and Lilith’s words. He couldn’t help but feel off about this whole situation. The fact Carlisle was under the same roof as Lilith day in, day out ”But why here Carlisle. Don’t you have a whole townhouse to go to?” he asks, putting a hand out to take the bowl of potato salad from Lil when she was finished spooning her helping onto her own plate.

"Well… Yes." Carlisle started. He had an idea where this was going to start going. "Yes, but it wasn't an issue of where I had to stay, it was more the issue that living on my own it seems is a terrible idea."

Miles’ eyes narrowed at his friend. Only a week ago he was rooting for his friend to get with Lilith but now sitting so close to her with the week just gone behind him he couldn’t help but feel… was that jealousy toward him? ”And you chose to come here? After how Monday night ended for you?”

It seemed now it was Miles turn to dig into Carlisle. He was half expecting both Mary and John to get a turn next. "I don't know why I was pulled here. My body just went on auto pilot and when I felt my worst I came to the person who made me feel the safest. Which was Lil. Trust me. Once I realised where I was I had contemplated going back, but by then it was too late. I know this week has been rough, but me and Lil have had a whole two years of hanging around being the only young adults in the coven. We spent alot of time together" He wasn't exactly sure what Miles would make if his answer, but he was being honest. While Miles and Carlisle were technically best friends, that only really ran up to College when Carlisle came back home. Since then that spot had been occupied by Lilith.

”Autopilot, huh,” Miles responds, trying to hide his bitterness, his eyes moving between the pair. He knew Lil and Carlisle were close and that had never bothered him before now but it seemed something had changed in the last week. Miles piled potato salad onto his own plate before looking up, his eyes meeting Lil’s. How did she feel about what happened Monday? Hell, did she even remember any of it?

Lilith listened silently as Miles and Carlisle exchanged words. She didn’t want to read people's emotions, but it was hard not to do when being in such close proximity to everyone. She knew that Carlisle was being truthful when he said he was grateful and that Lilith made him safe - but she couldn’t hide the fact that she also felt arrogance and a strange twisted sense of pride there. Miles on the other hand - he just seemed to be radiating a slow boiling anger. The thought was enough to make the girl tilt her head ever so slightly in realization as their eyes met again.

Was she in the middle of yet another dick swinging contest between the two of them? She was just about to speak up when John beat her to it once more.

”What happened Monday,” the older man questioned, now beginning to pass the first pan of steaks on to Mary. ”Everyone keeps beatin’ around that bush, but it don’t seem like y’all want to talk about it.”

At John’s question, Miles sucks in a breath. Sure he wanted to have this conversation but he was more wanting to have it with Lil, privately. Not in front of her gramps of all people. ”Oh, just a werewolf attack… and the falling barrier and all that,” he responds sheepishly, looking down at his plate.
"Smooth,” Mary mutters sarcastically before taking a sip of her drink.

John Montgomery may have not been blessed with the gift of divination, but seeing the reactions of people around him was enough to let him know that something was going on. The color had seemed to drain from Miles face, and had found it’s way to Liliths. Carlisle was cowering as usual and Mary…

Giving a quick glance at his surrogate daughter, John’s expression soured. ”Werewolves, yeah… I heard about those.” Swallowing his first bite and taking a drink, John looked around the table once again. ”That doesn’t explain why I had to go get Lil from Marys, or why you all look like you’ve been caught with a hand in the cookie jar.”

Mary gives a sigh, putting her glass back on the table. She knew John would put it together eventually. "Well, what do you reckon happened, pops?” she asks the older man, turning to face him. She could only hope he wouldn’t be close enough to a weapon.

Mary’s disposition was enough to make John uncomfortable by itself. The tension in the room made the older man reach for the revolver that he kept strapped under the table. There was a fifty-fifty chance that Lilith could have hidden it away with the rest of them earlier this afternoon. Feeling the cold metal in his hand, the older man had to fight back a smirk. It seemed that his grand-daughter hadn’t tried quite hard enough this time.

His expression still stern, John watched as Liliths face turned to an even darker shade of red. A panicked look seemed to set into her eyes as she looked across the table at Miles. Carlton seemed smug.

Turning his attention back to Mary, he muttered ”You gotta be shittin’ me,” before leaning back in his chair, revolver in hand.

Mary’s eyes narrowed at John as his hand seemed to fumble under the dining table. She didn’t really need to look next to her to know what he was up to but she couldn’t help herself. Just as she thought, the man had his revolver sat on his knee. The sight brought a wave of protective anger over her. Sure, John was essentially her second father but if that gun was going to be pointed where she knew it would be, that was her son he was threatening. Mary wasn’t going to stand for that.

"Johnathan Alexander Christian Montgomery!” she snaps, slamming her cutlery down on the table. "You better not be ‘bout to point that gun at my boy or so help me I will rain down on you from the grave after takin’ that bullet. You’ve already lost one daughter, you wanna lose the closest thing ya got to another?” she sneers, leaning closer to the older man.

As Lilith gave Miles that panicked look the little colour left in his face seemed to drain away. Sure, John had threatened him with a gun or 2 in the past but he never seemed to actually draw one. At least not to the point that his mother spoke out against the man so harshly. He returned Lilith’s panicked look, seeming like a deer in headlights.

Finger still on the trigger, John’s protective energy matched that of Marys.

”I ain’t gonna kill the boy, Mary, but I think he should know full well what the fuck will happen if he hurts her again. You might be the closest thing I have to a daughter, but that’s Lilly sittin’ in that chair, and I’d take losing you and him over her any day of the goddamned week.” As he spoke, John began to bounce his leg up and down with both anger and anxiety. What the hell was happening right now?

Meanwhile, Lilith’s brain was going into problem solving mode as usual. How was she supposed to fix this situation?

”Now gramps, I don’t think there’s any reason for anyone to have their hands on a weapon right now.”

”Bullshit,” John spat, his attention now on his grand-daughter. ”You really think I’m just goin’ to sit here and let you go back to bein’ a shell of a person? When you were with him, all you did was make him your life. Your mood wasn’t right unless his was, and when he left - all you did was stay locked in your room for months. Hell, you even tried to kill yourself, Lilly. And I know it wasn’t all over a boy - especially that one - but I’m not goin’ to sit here and let him ruin shit again.”

”Gramps - honestly - we haven’t even discussed what happened,” she mumbled, pushing the food around on her plate with her fork. She knew she was in the hot seat right now, and she had no idea how to get out of it.

Carlisle watched as the situation unfolded. This wasn’t ideal at all. Someone was going to get hurt and here he was just sitting back and listening. Wasn’t this what he was supposed to do? Keep the peace? With a soft sigh he rubbed his temple ” I think everyone should just calm down for a moment, put down any offensive weapons before we do something we regret.”

”I think you should shut the fuck up while you’re still ahead, boy.” John replied almost too quickly.

Carlisle would farrow his brow. No one speaks to him like that. Maybe his inner mother was showing. With a heavy sigh, he focused his magical energy for a moment, looking over at John. ”Really? You wanna do that? Well…” With a burst of energy he focused his magic on John, activating his mental prison spell and sending John into a dimension inside Carlisle's mind; a blank space where there was nothing but Carlisle’s surface thoughts. With a heavy sigh, he lay back on the chair, trying to regulate the energy inside his body. Something felt off though. Like something was sapping his power from the inside. ”Until you have calmed down, you aren’t coming out. I am sorry, but You need to sit there and listen to what Lilith and Miles have to say” He would then look over at the duo, and smile. ”There, now you can speak and figure this out without anyone threatening you with violence”

Watching the scene fold out in front of her, Lilith felt a rush of rage. Who the actual fuck did Carlisle think he was? He hadn’t learned how to leave well enough alone, or how to respect anyone? Why did he always have to intervene? Who the fuck did he think he was to use magic on her grandfather - especially when his body was riddled with cancer?

”Carlisle. What did you do,” Lilith asked firmly, making eye contact with the young man. The look on her face seemed to freeze Carlisle in place, leaving her with no response - even if Lilith had only given Carlisle a split second to make his decision before she acted.

As Lilith stood up, her chair slid back across the hardwood floor with a horrible scratching sound. Lunging at Carlisle, her fist connected with his jaw as both of them fell to the floor. Straddling the boy's waist, she continued to hit him over and over shouting ”What did you do!”

Too caught up in the moment, Lilith couldn’t realize that John had regained consciousness behind her. Whatever spell Carlisle had cast had been broken when she had hit him.

”Lilith,” her grandfather shouted, trying to shake off the dazed state that he was in.

Adrenaline taking over her body and mind, Lilith still didn’t realize what was happening around her. At this point she had grabbed Carlisle's hair, using it as leverage to smash his face into the floor over and over again. It seemed that seeing him bleed only fueled her rage even more.

John had gotten up from his seat, coming over to pull his grand-daughter off of Carlisle. He had left the gun on the table, needing both hands to do what little he could. ”Lilly, stop it,” he shouted, grabbing her by her upper arms as he pulled her away.

Lilith stood up, adjusting her t-shirt and wiping the blood off of her knuckles. John had already begun to walk away, leaving her plenty of opportunity to start kicking Carlilse in his ribs and stomach. As she reared back for what must have been the fifth or sixth kick at this point, John had given up trying to stop her.

Carlisle had begun to double over himself, coughing as he did so.

The air in the Montgomery house seemed to grow thicker, almost pushing Lilith down. A loud pop seemed to come out of nowhere as Liliths foot connected with Carlisle’s body once more, a bright light seeming to come from the doorway.

Miles watched the scene before him unfold, it all seemed to happen all to fast for him to respond. Before he knew it Lilith was attacking Carlisle… again. As John gives up separating the pair Miles strides over and grips Lilith’s shoulders. ”Lil, I think he’s near dead enough,” he coaxes, giving her shoulder a squeeze. ”I doubt you want to be scrubbing blood out of the floorboards,”

As the group had crowded around Lilith, Mary slipped the gun off the table and into her pocket before sculling the rest of her drink. "I just wanted a nice family dinner,” she complains to herself under her breath.

Carlisle thought he had helped. He had given Lilith and Miles the space to have that conversation about whatever the hell they were, in safety. So why was he suddenly attacked by the person he had tried to help? Carlisle couldn’t even defend himself in time. Lying on the ground as each kick came in, causing him to cough harder. The energy inside him was becoming stronger and stronger, each kick made him feel like he was going to throw up more and more.

Then it happened. In a moment he felt like he had lived an entire new life. Memories that weren’t his. Turning to look at the door, he felt his own soul over by the door. But his soul was here. Trying to sit up looking at the door, he spoke, while also coughing up blood. ”What the fuck did you do!?” He said almost glaring at the figure in the door. ”Well Lil, meet your mother. Somehow.”

With a confused expression, Lilith looked at the doorway to see the figure of a blonde woman standing in front of the door.

Stretching out her arms and wiggling her fingers, the stranger tilted her head to the side, observing the scene around her.

”Well then,” she remarked. ”Thanks for the help back,” she said, looking at Carlisle sprawled out on the floor. Spotting the faces of Mary & John, a smile stretched across the womans face before her eyes fell upon what she assumed to be Lilith and Miles. ”Well I’ll be damned,” she breathed. ”Someone pass me a cigarette. I think we got some catchin’ up to do.”

Mary’s eyes were quickly drawn by a flash of light at the front door that was soon replaced by a very familiar face. She rubbed her eyes to ensure they weren’t lying to her only for Claire to still be standing in front of her. "Where the hell have you been?” she asks, crossing her arms as a jovial smile starts to play on her lips.

Shrugging her shoulders, Claire made her way across the room to give her old friend a hug. ”Oh y’know,” she joked. ”Here, there. Around, if you will. Kinda just been up there in space, floatin’ above your heads.”

Mary shook her head in disbelief as Claire pulled her into an embrace. "A decade, a whole-ass decade. Do ya understand the turmoil those kids put me through? Had to leave when the hormones started, didn’t ya?”

”Tell me darlin’ -” Claire began, a mischievous look in her eyes as she stood back to look at Miles and Lilith. ”Did we guess it right?”

"I think they’re still figurin’ that out but Imma hazard guess it’s a yes. You have a lot to catch up on,” Mary replies. Her eyes move to their children, Miles hands still on Lilith’s shoulders. "Don’t think your pa’s too impressed ‘bout it though,”

John was standing there frozen in shock, much like his grad-daughter. ”What the fuck,” he murmured. ”I - is this real?” he questioned.

”Mom,” Lilith asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

”Yeah, it’s me. Sorry I just kinda… left everyone,” Claire responded, shrugging her shoulders once more. ”That wasn’t really the plan. I tried to get back here every chance I could, but I couldn’t go see Cordelia - unlike some people,” she quipped, her eyes falling to Carlisle.

Looking back up at Lilith, Claire was unable to contain her excitement any longer. Wrapping her daughter into an embrace, she kissed the top of Liliths head. ”You’ve went and grown up on me, haven’t you, lovebug?”

”Kind of couldn’t help that part,” Lilith joked, returning the hug.

”So you mean to tell me you were dead and now ya ain’t?” John questioned once more.

”Something like that.”

”I don’t fully understand it, but I have all of her memories. And I can feel my soul in her” Carlisle coughed as he tried to stand up, blood almost dripping from his mouth. He struggled to stand, falling back down. His body looked rough. His face looked exactly the same as the night he was found in the basement. Exhaustion covering his entire body. ”Y’know. I don’t feel so good”

Knowing full well that she could have helped Carlisle, Lilith chose not to. It was now Johns turn to hug Claire as Lilith stood there looking at the battered boy. ”Well. You know where we keep the medical supplies,” she replied sourly before turning back to her mother. ”Want something to eat?”

Carlisle listened to Lilith's tone. Even when he managed to somehow be responsible for bringing her mother back from the dead, she still hated him. He tried to stand up once more, holding on the sofa for support, and accidentally dripping blood onto it in the process. His face hurt. His body hurt too. ”Like how did you do that? How did you come back, and why do I have your memories? Why do I feel like me and you are the same person?”

”It’s complicated, kid. You came through the astral plane, broke it, and I found the crack. That’s the easiest way I know to put it. Granny mentioned something about being tied to your life force and sharing memories or somethin’ like that.” Rambling on, Claire continued to observe her old home until her eyes feel onto the kitchen table. ”Is that whiskey and ribeyes I see?”
Miles was left looking around at all the figures in the room, still in a state of shock himself. The last person he expected to see in front of him was Lilith’s mum in all her southern glory. It seemed the discussion he wanted to have with Lilith would have to be postponed for the evening. He had so many questions yet he didn’t know which ones to start at. Before he could utter out a single word Mary answered her friend’s question.

"Come join us, I’m sure we can spare some food for ya. We got a lot of catching up to do,”

[Sugar and Spite]

_{A @SouffleGirl123 & @HaleyTheRandom collab; Featuring Miles Price & Lilith Montgomery}

Miles idled by the front door of the bar still dressed in his formal work clothes, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his blazer. He pulled out his phone and glanced down at his messages. Earlier that day Lilith had messaged him for a debrief session from the night before so here he stood awaiting her arrival. At least we’re on hanging terms he thought to himself with a sigh. The night before seemed to bring so many more questions than answers and none of the very few answers he got had anything to do with last Monday night. He still had no clue what Lil remembered or where they stood in their relationship at the moment.

Just when Lilith thought that her life couldn’t get any more strange, her mother had appeared in a burst of light. She had spent all of last night catching up with Claire. Where have you been? How are things? Did your spirit abandon me on purpose? What was the situation with Miles? How was John? What about the ranch? The Coven? Mary? What was the deal with Carlisle? What hobbies do you have now? What music do you like? How many tries did it take for you to get your license?

So. Many. Fucking. Questions.

Lilith loved her mother, and she knew and felt that she was beyond blessed with the fact that the woman had literally magically reappeared in her life - but that wasn’t a big enough distraction to keep her brain from feeling like it was melting. The young woman had caught wind that her grandfather had a doctor's appointment that afternoon, and Claire had fought tooth and nail to drive him there. That meant that Lilith would finally have some time to talk to Miles.

The situation with Carlisle was still sticky, so Lilith had decided to shoot Miles a quick message that morning, asking to meet him at Huskers.

Once she had arrived that afternoon Lilith approached the entrance and easily found Miles, since he was standing right by the door.

”I don’t know about you - but I could really use a drink,” she joked as she approached the young man, a small smile on her face.

Miles had just looked up from his phone to do another sweep of the street in front of him to see Lilith walking toward him. He flashed the small woman a smile of his own. "After last night? I need at least 3," he responds, opening the bar door and waiting for her to enter first.

Miles was still trying to wrap his head around the events that had happened the night prior. Even just trying to wrap his head around the fact Claire was back was a struggle for the man. Not to mention that his mother was in a mood when they got home. He wasn't sure what rattled her more, the altercation with John or the fact the closest thing she had to a sister just reappeared as if she never died. Regardless, she was obviously in some form of shock.

"I don't think my mum's all too impressed with your paw paw after last night," Miles says with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "What about yours? Has she asked you every question under the sun yet?"

At the mention of her grandfather, Lilith couldn’t help but sigh. She understood why he was so protective - and she had gotten a total earful after Miles and Mary had left - but she wasn’t excusing his actions.

”I’m sorry. He just… I don’t think he was actually going to shoot you,” she replied, entering the bar. ”You just have to understand what that summer was like for me after…. Everything. Or actually - maybe it’s better you don’t,” she rambled on with a chuckle. Making their way across the slightly sticky floor, Lilith pulled out a barstool as she continued their conversation. ”Every damned question under the sun, moon, and stars,” the brunette grumbled.

As the bartender approached - a newbie named Samantha, fresh out of training - Lilith began to order for the two of them. ”Dozen buffalo wings, ranch please. Carrots, no celery. The garlic bread, add cheese. A shot of Jose with extra lime, and for you…” she said, her eyes settling on Miles. ”I’m assuming whiskey?”

At the mention of the Summer after their break-up, Miles clenched his jaw. He'd kept his distance from Lil then, his mother had made sure of that, but that didn't mean he'd hadn't heard of Lilith's state. He didn't really know how to respond, was 6 years too late for a sorry? Instead he remained silent as he traversed the sticky floor of the bar and settled onto the stool next to Lilith. He pulls off his blaser and drapes it over his lap, the bar was already stuffy enough as is.

It wasn't long before Lil was ordering for the both of them, seeming to remember their orders perfectly. "You know me too well," he says as she asks him about his drink choice. "I'm impressed, 6 years and you still know our order like it was yesterday." Miles shakes his head before his eyes are temporarily distracted by the scene before him. Even on a Monday night the bar seemed to be keeping a healthy patronage, not that there was much else to do in this town.

As their drinks are set on the table he turns once more to Lilith, giving her a half smile. A single question played on his tongue until he could no longer contain it. "Look, I'm not an empath or a mind reader or whatever but I think we've both been holding in the same question. Last Monday… what happened? Like, what do you remember?"

”As many times as I’ve repeated it, I think it’ll be the only thing I can remember when I’m old and riddled with dementia,” she joked, trying to keep the mood light while she watched the bartender ring their order in on the POS system. Regardless of what had happened between them, Miles had remained one of Lilith’s most favorite people in life. There were certain things that she couldn’t forget no matter how hard she tried - like their bar order for example.

While Miles continued to speak, Lilith knocked back her first shot of the night, biting into the lime slice afterwards. As his words settled in with the bar stench, the young woman felt the heat rise to her face. Clearing her throat, she signaled to the bartender that she was ready for another round of shots before speaking.

”Well. I remember hitting Carlisle with the tequila bottle, most of the werewolf attack, and the barrier falling. Things are a little hazy around the edges. Starts to get really iffy around the time I remember telling you about John… not too much after that until the next morning when I woke up in your shirt.” While speaking, Lilith seemed to avoid eye contact with Miles, keeping her focus on the football game flashing on the TV screen behind the bar.

Miles threw back his own shot, carefully placing the glass back on the bar table. As Lilith speaks Miles attempts to make eye contact with her but hers were fixated behind the bar. With a sigh he spins in his own seat, his eyes also leveling at the TV. As much as he knew this conversation was uncomfortable he knew it was better happening before the liquor took over and they were back to square one with no clue where they were at.

"Well," Miles muses. It seemed Lilith’s memories of the night were even less than his. It checked out, the fact that the woman ended up in his bed and not a hospital gurney was beyond him. "Honestly, I don't remember much more, it all gets pretty hazy around the time you told me about John. I remember glimpses of us- uh- kissing, in the reception room. Honestly I think I was still a lil drunk in the morning cus I hardly remember rolling out of bed." At this point the server placed Miles' perfectly timed second shot in front of him. He swipes it off the table and downs it.

Drinking her second shot of the evening, Lilith pursed her lips as she went over her thoughts and memories once more. ”Miles,” she blurts out. ”I’m like ninety-five percent sure we slept together.”

Miles raises an eyebrow, turning his face to his friend. "Ninety-five?" he questions, tracing his finger across the wooden bar table before them and picking at a couple of the loose grains. "Li, you woke up in my bed, in my shirt. I'm willing to bet the chance is probably a lot higher than that,"

”I know,” she groaned, facing the facts that were being laid out before her. ”Your mom didn’t seem to mind the fact I was lurking around the house though.”

Deep down, Lilith knew that she could keep avoiding the inevitable question forever. She could sit there and make all the jokes in the world - but it still wouldn’t change the situation.

”What are we doing here, Miles?”

Miles ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it before gesturing to the bartender for 2 more shots. "That's what I was hoping you could tell me," he replies softly, trying to capture her purposefully distracted eyes in his own. Part of him called that it knew the answer but he pushed it away. Sure, their reunion last week may have made him privy to a yearning for his former love he hadn't realised he had but was it the same for her?

"What I can say though is I think I'm starting to understand that drunken words, sober thoughts mantra you'd always use on me," Miles didn't distinctly remember telling her he still loved her but with the deepest part of his soul he knew it must have come up. A part of him wanted to make that grand confession properly but instead he swallowed his words alongside his next shot of whiskey. Him and Lil were finally on speaking terms again and he didn't want to lose that so fast.

Watching as the offensive team was headed towards their third down, Lilith was grateful for the fact that their food had finally arrived. Beginning to pick at the garlic bread, she stole a quick glance at Miles before turning her attention back to the game. She could tell that he was nervous, and while she thought she had enough anxiety for the both of them - Lilith completely understood where he was coming from. Or at least she’d like to think that she did.

”But what are we to do with sober thoughts, when we can’t remember drunken words,” she mused, mostly talking to herself. Taking a bite of the bread, Lilith took her time chewing the food before speaking again. ”All I know is that I’m done avoiding you,” she stated with a shrug of the shoulders, eyes still locked onto the TV screen. ”But I’m not sure that we could be ‘just friends’, and I know that we can’t be anything more.”

Miles gave a sigh, gingerly picking up a wing. Lilith was right, as much as he wanted things to go back to what they were there was too much damage between them but there was also too much history to just be friends. He dips the wing in the ranch and takes a bite out of it, waiting until it had completely slid down his throat before talking again. "So where does that leave us? What is there in between? I don’t know if I can get by with just being colleagues or whatever,” he replies.

”Well,” she began, taking a drink of her Coke. ”I guess we’d be… friends, for lack of a better term,” Lilith laughed. ”I reckon the best thing for us to do is just take it day by day. It’s pretty obvious that we still… have feelings for each other. And I don’t think we can sort all that out in just one conversation. So for now… we’ll just take it step by step - and if I wanna get tequila drunk and maybe kiss you at a party, then I’d like to be able to do that too.”

With those thoughts out in the open, Lilith knocked back another shot before ordering yet another round. The pace at which Miles and Lilith were putting down their drinks seemed to raise concern from the bartender, who sat two waters on the table with the shot glasses.

"Friends that kiss, sure,” Miles muses, grabbing the shot glass and downing the next drink. If he was being honest with himself that conclusion felt unsatisfying, empty even. He pushed the water glass away, it was the last thing he wanted right now. Instead he signaled for another round before picking apart a piece of the garlic bread. "How’s Carlisle?” he asks after a moment of silence. He knew Lilith could feel his emotions, no matter how much he tried to cover them so a quick change of the subject felt the perfect way to push the conversation away. "You haven’t killed him yet, have you?”

”You know she ain’t given’ you any more shots until you drink at least a little of that. Poor girl does have to follow the law after all,” Lilith remarked, watching as Miles pushed the glass of water away. The energy in the room seemed to shift as he did so. Lilith tried to push the thought out of her mind, knowing that if she paid too close attention she would feel exactly what Miles was.

”Carlisle's fine,” she huffed, now taking her turn at the wings. ”At least I think he is. Haven’t really talked to him. I think gramps would let him stay if he promised not to use any more magic in the house.” Shrugging her shoulders again, Lilith continued to fight the feelings coming from Miles' way to no avail.

It seemed as if the young man was trying to fight off whatever he was feeling, making it just a little harder for Lilith to get actual clarity through her abilities. She knew that she was breaking her own personal rule, and she hoped that she could forgive herself for that. More importantly, she hoped that Miles could forgive her for using her powers on him.

”Are you mad at me,” she blurted out.

As Lilith pushes for Miles to drink the water he gives a huff before downing the glass before him. Bartenders truly could be quite the buzzkill yet he knew he was just chasing a numbness he was hoping the liquor could supply rather than a high. At her question Miles gives a sigh, grabbing another wing. Even without Lilith’s empath abilities Miles could feel the shift in the emotional energy of the room.

"Mad?” he asks after swallowing his next mouthful of chicken. "No, I don’t think mad is the right word. What makes you say that? Unless your empath abilities know something I don’t, wouldn’t be the first time,” he replies. He fought the thought to tell her his feelings mirrored almost disappointment, maybe a bit of confusion and even embarrassment floating in that head of his. She’d probably figure it out anyway. He didn’t know why he was almost so sure that they would get back together as if the hurt of their past wasn’t real. As if it were even a good idea.

The easy way out would be blaming everything on her anxiety - to tell him that she assumed he was mad at her because that’s the way things always seemed to go. She didn’t want to admit that she had used her powers, but - ”I’m an empath Miles, I can’t just turn it off. I’m going to pick up on what you’re feeling whether we like it or not.”

With another sigh and a drink of water, Lilith set the glass down a little harder than intended, causing a heavy thud to come from the hardwood of the bar. ”Maybe mad isn’t the right word,” she continued. ”But I know you aren’t pleased.”

A scoff escaped the young man at Lilith's words. Whether it be her empath abilities or not she knew him way too well. Sitting at the bar at huskers may have not been the best place for his next move but Lil seemed unwilling to just let go of the conversation. Miles turned in his barstool so his whole body would face her. Even as the cause of his disappointment she was utterly captivating to him, for as long as he could remember she always was.

"Honestly, Li? I don't think I can settle with friends that kiss, not anymore," he says gently, pursing his lips for a moment before continuing. "I know we hurt each other and I know commitment was never my strong suit but just… hear me out," With that response he meets her eyes for a moment before carefully turning her head by her chin to face him. Miles then presses his lips onto hers, unable to help but taste the buffalo sauce laced on her lips. Why did everything seem to taste so much sweeter that way? He lingered there for a moment, allowing them to share a breath before pulling away.

"You feel it too, don't you? The electric shocks with every touch, your heart almost thumping out of your chest when our lips meet. Don't lie to me and tell me you don't. I might not have your abilities but I know you, Lilith Montgomery. I know the way your brow scrunches up when you're concentrating and the way you seem to impossibly feel colder when you're tired and how you keep a pocket knife in your right boot, and how you haven't threatened me with it even though you've had so many chances to do so this past week," he says, keeping his eyes on hers, regardless of if she was looking back at him. "What a waste of so much I know to be without you. Wasn't it your great-grandma herself who said we were written in the stars? What sort of Montgomery ignores the calling of the universe herself?"

The young woman had been focused on trying not to read Miles' emotions, her attention stuck on the various food items in front of them. As she listened to him speak, a thousand feelings ran through her. Fear and curiosity, mostly - but he was right. She couldn’t ignore how it felt when their lips met, or when they brushed passed each other in random hallways; How he seemed to look at her in the way that only he could, ever since they had spoken at the Coven house. All of this was made more apparent when Miles kissed her.

Maybe it was the tequila going to her head, or perhaps her nervous attachment style - but Lilith couldn’t help it as the heat rose to her face once more, tearing her eyes away from his. She could sit and listen to people talk about their emotions for days on end, but the young woman had never done well when speaking or confronted about her own. Tears pooled in her eyes, careful not to look at Miles as he finished speaking.

Lilith knew all of the facts. She had spent plenty of time with her great-grandmother Cordelia in the Astral Plane learning about the secrets of Divination, the Montgomerys and her own life. The young woman knew full well that she and Miles would never be able to avoid each other - but she didn’t want whatever sort of relationship this was going to be to be painful.

”I know, Miles,” she sighed, blinking the tears from her eyes as she threw back the next round of shots that the bartender finally decided to bring over. ”I’m not ignorin’ anything. Not Cordelia, or what I feel for you, or even the fucking stars. I think part of me wants to be with you, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to trust you, or keep gramps from shootin’ ya.” At the last thought, a small laugh escaped the girls lips.

Miles gave a sigh, knocking back his own shot. He grabbed a napkin from the holder and held it out to Lilith. "Honestly, At this rate I don’t think what we do is gonna change how close your paw paw is from shooting me at any moment.” he replies with a shrug. He then mulled over the rest of her words, not quite sure how to respond. He wanted more than anything to know the right words to string together to make Lilith trust him once more but he knew that wasn’t a possibility. The damage had been done, and had been brewing for 6 years. "As for trusting me… I don’t know Li. I guess you’re just gonna have to take my word for now. I mean, you can use your empathy if you want but I can tell you all you’ll see in genuineness when I tell you I never want to be the reason you hurt like that again. I don’t know what else I can offer.”

Grabbing the napkin, Lilith began to dry her face off as she listened to what else Miles had to say. Deep down, she wondered what he expected of her right now. What was it he wanted? Was he expecting her to hit him? Did he want her to jump up and down in excitement, begging to be called his girlfriend? Lilith honestly didn’t know how to respond. Trusting Miles seemed like a very large leap of faith - especially with how much they had been through. She had forgiven him for a majority of it, but forgetting it seemed to be proving more difficult.

Knowing full well that he was being honest, Lilith sighed. If he knew her as well as he said he did, then Miles also knew that Lilith wasn’t good with things like this. Hopefully he wasn’t expecting her to respond with something as poetic as he did.

”Well,” pursing her lips, she thought for a moment. ”What sort of position would we find ourselves in if I did want to try and trust you like that again?”

Miles took a moment to look over Lilith before offering her another napkin with a lopsided half-smile. He wished he knew what answer Lilith was searching for in that question but he doubted even she knew. For as good as Miles was with flowery language, sometimes the right words were the hardest to find. "Hopefully a better one?” he offers pitifully with a shrug.

Miles turns back to the TV that had earlier held Lil’s gaze. "I really hurt you, didn’t I?” he asks, his voice barely a whisper. Although he didn’t fall into a pile of tears on the outside like his friend, Miles seemed to hate confrontation just as much as her. He picked at another wing, an attempt at distracting at least his hands.

Taking the second napkin from Miles, Lilith continued to dry her face. A small chuckle escaped the girl at his response. As the young man turned his attention to the TV, Lilith struggled with what to say next. Miles had beat her to it, asking one of the things she had least expected to hear. Her expression hardened as she signaled to the bartender for another round of drinks.

“Lil,” Sam began with a sigh. “I’m only serving you this much because you work here. Please slow down.”

”Yeah, yeah. I know,” Lilith responded, clearly blowing off the bartender's concern. ”Make it a double and I’ll try to get out of your hair here soon, hm?”

Rolling her eyes, Sam went on her way to make their drinks. With her distraction gone, Lilith had no choice other than to dwell on Miles' words.

On one hand, she had been waiting for this moment for what felt like forever. There were plenty of nights that she wanted to scream at Miles, and make him realize what he had done. There was a longing for him to feel the same pain that she had. On the other - how were you supposed to tell someone you loved that they hurt you? How were you supposed to go into detail about the things you don’t know if you’ll ever be able to forgive them for - the things you tried to forget?

”That’s putting it lightly,” was all Lilith could manage as she threw back another shot. ”But we were kids, Miles. No use in worrying over it now.”

Miles fell silent, dead silent. That was a rarity for him. Even when his words were few he was accompanied by the tapping of fingers or movement in his seat but for once in his life he was dead silent. His fingers remained still, one of his hands unmovingly wrapped around his next shot.

He supposed he knew this, or that some small part of him did at least. Their history held ghosts Miles had become pretty adept at running from, shoved away by parties and one night stands. He didn't know what to say as realisation hit him, true realisation. Eventually he finally willed his arm to move enough to down the shot.

Lil's closing statement wasn't much comfort to Miles. For as much as she said it he knew things like this never really left Lilith’s thoughts and just forever pulled at her insecurities. "Is it though?" he responds, his voice small as he avoids her gaze.

Lilith had a horrible habit of bottling things up inside, and that’s exactly what she had done with the whole Miles situation - shoved it into the smallest, darkest corner of her mind that she could find, never to be touched again. With each second of silence that passed between them, it became more difficult for Lilith to hold back her emotions & thoughts.

”I just didn’t understand,” she nearly mumbled, now picking at the napkin in her hands. ”Why after everything we’d been through… you just tossed me away like I didn’t mean anything to you.” As Lilith spoke, it was easy to see that she was no longer in the present moment, and instead reliving the past. ”I was supposed to go with you, you know? To college. You were going to get your fancy degree, and I was going to get out of this stupid fuckin’ town. We were supposed to get our own apartment and –” Her voice thick, Lilith shook her head. ”But I realize those were my dreams - not yours - and I can’t keep blaming you for not wanting the same things I did. Sure, that first summer after you went away was a little rough, but I’d like to think that I managed it just fine. Gramps & Mary would probably disagree, but whatever.”

Miles gave a sigh, unsure on how to respond. He wasn’t even sure what was running through his head in those days. He could make very good guesses but many of those moments were numbed away. "You didn’t mean nothing to me, Lil,” he says softly. Absent words, he knew that. For as many times as he could say it he knew it meant nothing when he never acted those words out.

After a few moments to collect his thoughts Miles still felt he was coming up empty. "I really don’t know what to say, Li. I know I wanted a forever for us but I guess… I don’t know. I guess part of me hated seeing you so hurt by me. It was just easier to take the hit of wanting to try other things then admit all I did to you was wrong.” Miles’ face became hot as he talked. Part of him swore he could feel tears rising to the corners of his eyes but he held them back. It was so unlike him to cry.

”Maybe it’s the trauma bond talking,” she sighed, still not meeting his gaze. ”But I’d like to think that you made the good outweigh the bad. At least most of the time.” Now trading the torn up napkin for another piece of garlic bread, Lilith turned to look at Miles for a brief moment before registering the expression on his face. Quickly turning her attention back to the food in her hands, Lilith debated on what to do or say next. ”I really don’t think you should be beating yourself up over it now.”

"Well, that's something," Miles replies to her first comment before taking a chicken wing and biting into it. He hated the awkward silence between their words, both unsure on what to say or how to say it. Miles was done with the pain of the conversation.

"So," he starts in an attempt to change the conversation. "Friends who kiss sometimes?" Miles still wasn't entirely sold on that idea but maybe it was just what Lilith needed. Maybe it was what was better for them both.

Lilith was definitely starting to feel the effects of the alcohol now, and wasn’t quite sure if Miles wanted another shot - yet she still ordered them another round. Sitting up straight, Lilith sighed once more. While being ‘friends who kissed’ would be the most simple thing for them both, Lilith also knew that she was giving Miles more time to break her heart by not being completely truthful about her feelings.

”Mom said something last night that really got me thinking,” she stated, staring off into the distance now at nothing in particular. ”Said that you should never stop fighting for the ones you love and care about - that’s why she never tried to stop breaking through the astral plane and all that. And I’m not saying that I want to fight for you, Miles Price, but I do know that it’s going to kill me to see you be with anyone else. And it might be toxic and screwed up to say that - to claim you as my own in only that weird twisted way that I can - but it’s true. Because the truth is that you have plenty of friends you kiss, but I want to be different, dammit.”

Miles was stunned, unable to respond for a moment. His eyes flew to Lilith's, meeting them again although she was likely not looking back into his. Soon a goofy smile spread across his face. "And you say you don't do words," he says cheerfully, nudging her arm with his elbow before downing the last shot and slamming it on the table, more so from the alcohol making him a less aware of his volume then anything else.

"Well I guess that really only leaves us in one place," he announces. This was it, what he's been waiting for. It seemed there was weight in him stating he wanted to get back together when they split all those years ago. Almost a told you so moment he'd keep unspoke. "Lilith Montgomery, will you be my girlfriend… again?" Miles asks aloud. He was swaying from side to side but wasn't sure himself if that was alcohol or his general hyperactivity, or both.

Heat rising to her face as her words settled in the air, Lilith couldn’t help but laugh as Miles nudged her arm. ”I think I’d like that,” she joked, throwing back her last shot. ”But I promise if you break my heart again - you ain’t getting out of this shit alive,” she half-way joked.

"Oh I’m sure your paw paw would make sure of that. Probably Claire too now she’s back. I’m sure she already has a thing or 2 to say about the past decade,” Miles responds. Although he was completely serious on both fronts, it had nothing on the joy of the past moment. That goofy smile remained on his face as if he didn’t expect either of Lil’s family members would happily hold a gun to his head, probably right in this moment really.

”Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll let me mount your head on the wall,” she laughed, throwing down a few bills for the bartender before climbing down off the stool. ”C’mon. Let’s go see if we can still convince Ol’ man Jenkins to sell us a bottle down at the truck stop.”

[Sadie]

_{A collab between @Sailorsadie & @Hedgehawk
Featuring Willow & Carlisle}

Everything had been quiet in the town and with the Coven. Almost too quiet. Almost two weeks had passed since she’d seen Carlisle, and it weighed on Willow heavily. He hadn’t been in the best of moods nor had he been appropriate with her and Clara’s return. Finally getting a day off work, she decided to check up on him herself. For…Coven related reasons. Or so she told herself.

Driving up to the Coven house, she parked at the curb and got out of the car. She smoothed out her deep purple sundress and pushed her hair off her shoulders before heading up to the door. Walking up to the door, she took a deep breath and shook out her hands, finding herself incredibly nervous. Why should she be? This was work related. Magic related. This visit had no other reasoning behind it. So what if she stopped by her house just to dress up? Didn’t mean anything.

The young woman knocked once on the door before letting herself in. She raised a brow and glanced around the empty front entrance. ”Hello? Anyone home?” Shutting the door behind her, Willow walked around the lower level and found no one. She could have sworn she saw a vehicle in the driveway. She eventually made her way up to the second floor before seeing a door cracked open. Peeking her head in, a smile immediately brightened her face as she saw the person she was looking for. ”Carlisle?”

The room she opened the door to was the coven leaders office. It was quite a nice little space, certainly not pokey. But at the moment it was decidedly empty. Amanda had moved everything out, leaving empty shelves and cupboards. In their place were little post-it notes that Carlisle had scribbled on; giving suggestions as to what he might furnish these bare units with. The only place that wasn’t bare was the dark oak desk in the back end of the room. It was littered with paper and folders, and buried there was Carlisle, who raised his head upon hearing Willow call his name. ”Hey! Willow, come on in!”

Slowly opening the door the rest of the way, she looked around the room and blinked. Willow distinctly remembered this room having much more furniture and decor. Tilting her head in question, she looked back at Carlisle and took in a slow breath. He looked ragged. She cleared her throat and approached the desk. ”Hey…I wanted to check in on you, since last time we spoke you weren’t feeling that great.” Willow rocked back slightly on her heels as she bit lightly down onto her bottom lip. ”So…How are you?”

Carlisle slowly put down the pen he was using, and put a bookmark onto the documents he was filling out, before folding it shut and giving Willow his full attention. ”I am alright. I think. Getting hit by exhaustion twice in a single week certainly was an experience. One I don’t intend to replicate anytime soon” With a click of his tongue, Carlisle rested his shoulders on the desk. ”So what brought you to the coven randomly?” He asked, somewhat perplexed as to why she was here.

”Um.” She brought a hand up to play with the ends of her hair, a nervous trait for her. A small grin pulled at the corners of her lips as she studied the man. He looked better than he had, so at least that was something. Tilting her head at him, she shrugged. ”Am I not allowed to check in on a friend?”

After how their previous engagement had gone, being called a friend was certainly a surprise. He was surprised he hadn’t had another glass bottle thrown at him. They seemed to be everywhere at the moment. Crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair he smiled. ”No, of course you are, I am just shocked anyone would be with what happened at the party. Though I suppose you didn’t get to experience it live.” He unfolded his arms and motioned for her to at the chair opposite the desk.

Quickly taking the invitation, Willow moved forward and swept her hands over the back of her dress before taking the seat. Her brows furrowed as she sat back against the seat, her legs crossing at the knee. She shook her head and let out a slow breath. She hadn’t quite been updated on all the happenings at the party, but she was still surprised to hear that nobody had bothered checking up on the man. ”I hear that’s a good thing, actually. To not have been at the party.”

"Yeah, I wish I hadn't of been there. Though to be honest, the reason it was a bad party was because of me. Things have changed a bit since then. I have moved out of the household. Couldn't stand being here 24/7" Carlisle unfolded his arms and watched as she sat down.

She blinked at that information. Nobody was living at the Coven house? Willow was pretty certain that she’d never heard of the house being empty before. Must have been some party. Clearing her throat, she leaned forward slightly, her elbows on her knees. ”Do you want to talk about any of it? I’m all ears. Always.” She gave him a reassuring grin.

"Well, there isn't too much to say. I didn't really enjoy hanging around with Hayden. Couldn't kick her out. So I moved out. Ended up asking Lilith for help. Even though we aren't still on great terms. The ranch has always been a safe space" It was true that the duo hadn't really made alot of progress over the past week. Carlisle was trying his best however.

Hayden. That was the new girl she heard about. There were quite a lot of people who had issues with that one. She gave a slight nod of her head as she actively listened to him, even though Lilith was mentioned once more. Not just mentioned, now they were living together? Taking a breath, Willow tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ”Well, at least you know she’s always there for you. I have a spare bedroom too, if the ranch gets to be too much.”

Carlisle listened to Willow and nodded giving off a slight chuckle. "The ranch is something alright. But it's nice to be in a Hive of activity. Even if it is a bit tense at times." Carlisle would give off a soft smile as he watched Willow put some of her hair behind her ear. "Thanks for the offer though. One day I might just have to stay over for a night"

She couldn’t help the pink in her cheeks at his last statement. Willow cleared her throat and steadied herself. She was a grown woman, she shouldn’t be acting like some lovesick teenager. That wasn’t who she was anymore, even though she had been holding a torch for the man ever since their school years. ”Y-yeah, absolutely. Sounds great.”

Her eyes went back to the paperwork on his desk, then once more to the empty room. Willow let out a slow breath and decided to change the subject lest the flush creeping up her neck gave away her feelings. ”What, um. What happened in here?”

"Mother decided to clear the office of anything of 'sentimental' value to her. So basically everything. I need to find some things to replace it with. Though I am kind of holding off. With my mother disowning me… I don't know if I will end up becoming Coven leader. It could be Lil or Serena now. More now than ever" Carlisle had been avoiding thinking about the upcoming vote to decide the replacement for the coven leader. It was going to happen the day before the handover party. Normally it was a formality as everything had already been decided. But for the first time in a long while, people weren't so sure now. "Either way. I am stuck actually planning the event. And there is so much I have to order and arrange. I feel like a wedding planner"

Willow bit the inside of her cheek as she studied the man. She hated that he was going through so much turmoil. Clearing her throat, she played with the ends of her hair as she looked at the paperwork on his desk. The only real thing she could do to help was with the event. She’d never planned a party in her life, but for Carlisle? She’d do anything. With a short nod of her head, she offered up a kind smile. ”Lucky for you, you now have me. What can I do to help? I’ll help with any part of the event.”

Carlisle was going to simply shrug off the offer for help. Afterall, it was his job to do all this. And it wasn't that complicated. It was mostly signing paperwork. "I mean, there isn't alot to do right now. It's mostly just checking things have been ordered. But if you come back the day before the event, I could totally use some help figuring out how to decorate the place. I have no idea how to make it look attractive"

”Done. I’m your girl.” She blinked before giving an awkward laugh. ”For the event.” God, shut up, you sound like an idiot. Willow let out a breath before glancing down at the watch on her wrist. She hated that she couldn’t keep her cool around this guy. What was it about him, exactly? She couldn’t put her finger on it but there was something that just always kept her coming back for more. Clearing her throat, she gave him a small smile. ”Well, you look better than you did the last time I saw you. So. Maybe the ranch will do you some good. Sure Lilith’s grandfather is keeping you busy.”

"Honestly right now, I am not sure where I prefer to be, here or at the ranch. Both have their pros and cons" Carlisle ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t really want to involve Willow with all of the drama that was surrounding his life right now. He didn’t really know where he preferred to be and while Willow was being nice and generous, he wasn’t entirely sure how stable she would be, if she discovered what had happened on that Sunday dinner. ”Thanks for all of the help though. Listen, this is out of the blue, but do you maybe fancy getting a drink at Huskers this evening?” It was a casual question, company would be nice. Plus it meant he avoided going back to the ranch for a bit.

Her entire back straightened at the idea of getting a drink with him. Did he just ask her on a date? Or was she projecting her own wants onto him? Willow had to try not to react in such a quick jab manner. She had to play it cool. It was just a drink. At Huskers. With the guy she had had a crush on for years. No big.

Clearing her throat, she gave a slight nod of her head and offered up a small grin. ”Sure. I’d love to.” That’s an understatement. Stop with the stupid grin. It’s just a drink. She cleared her throat. ”Meet there around eight?”

”Awesome, it’s a date!” Carlisle proclaimed back, tapping his hand against the wooden desk. The idea of having a drink with someone had perked his mood somewhat. He had wished somewhat that it was him and Lilith going for drinks. In all honesty he missed getting drunk senseless at Huskers with her while everyone was at college. But Willow was a nice enough person to get a drink with, even if she was a little too enthusiastic at times.

Willow tried with all her might to hide the blush creeping up from her neck. He had confirmed it was a date. But, a friend date? Maybe something more? It wasn’t time to get ahead of herself. The man still obviously had feelings for another woman, but- maybe she could wiggle her way into his heart? It would all start tonight, it seemed. She grinned and nodded her head. ”A date. Yes. Well, I’ll let you get back to your checklists. I’ll see you tonight, then.”

Thinking about it. Willow was always enthusiastic. And she always seemed to blush whenever she was around him. Maybe he hadn’t noticed. Maybe he was so fixated on trying to chase after Lilith that he had completely ignored an amazing woman right infront of him? It was almost as if the darkness had been lifted from his eyes. He was looking at Willow in a different light all of the sudden. A very attractive light at that.

”Wait! Hold up” Carlisle called as Willow was starting to make her goodbyes. He got up and moved around over the desk until he was right infront of Willow. Was he really going to do this? It seemed he was. He stood there for a second, up close to Willow while staring into her eyes before suddenly moving in and planting a kiss on her lips. He could feel heat rush to his head as he did, this felt good.

Willow barely had time to react before he was standing in front of her, his face coming ever so close to her own. Is this happening? What- All thoughts went away as his lips brushed against hers. A bit stunned at first, she gave a brief second’s hesitation before deciding to go for it. Bringing her hands up to his chest, she placed them lightly against his shirt as she returned the kiss. Her entire face felt flushed, but this felt right. Just as she knew it would.

It felt as if some kind of cosmic rebalance had just shifted in the universe. Things were coming up Carlisle. His brain scanned through all the things Miles used to say to girls at parties. Anything that would make him sound all cool and suave. ”So yeah, drinks later, and maybe your place after if things stay this hot.”

Letting out a slow breath, she searched his face and blinked at his next statement. Willow tilted her head and couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her throat. Patting a hand on his chest, she shook her head. ”You’re not Miles, Car. Let’s just start with a drink and take it from there, okay?” She grinned and leaned forward, brushing another kiss against his lips. Before he could react, she pulled back and raised a brow, a smile on her lips. ”I like you for who you are. Don’t go pretending to be somebody else with me, okay?”

It felt weird that Willow was able to tell exactly who he was trying to emulate. But she was right. She seemed, for some reason, to enjoy dorky, clumsy and somewhat always getting into trouble with his best friends Carlisle. The second kiss caused Carlisle to sigh with contentment. He simply nodded at her words and took a step back. ”Yes, So I will see you tonight at the bar”

”Eight at Huskers.” She grinned and bit softly at her bottom lip before turning, heading outside of the house. Willow had to play it cool, had to keep the blush from her cheeks and the pep out of her step. Soon she made it to her car. Slipping inside, she gripped the steering wheel and squealed with excitement. Once it was over, she cleared her throat and brushed her hair back from her face before driving off.

[Sugar and Spite]

_{A collab between @Sailorsadie & @HaleyTheRandom
Featuring Delaney & Rowan}

In the few short hours since the Coven party, Rowan had finally felt like he had one of those ‘movie scene moments’ in real life.

Once Delaney had hopped in his truck, he had happily let her connect to the janky bluetooth adapter that stayed shoved in the aux. Rowan had taken his time driving through the back roads of Washington. The few beers that he had had made him just slightly nervous to be behind the wheel - even if he wasn’t drunk. One of the very last things he wanted to do at the moment was run over a deer.

When they had arrived, Rowan had walked around the truck to open the door for Delaney. It was pretty easy to tell that she was the drunken one in this situation, and Rowan wasn’t about to let her fall face first into the dirt because she forgot to use the side-step. Once the lights were on, thermostat adjusted, and the playlist was booted up, Rowan turned his full attention to caring for Delaney once more.

In her adorable drunken state, Delaney had convinced Rowan to dance around his living room for the first time in what felt like decades. They had joked around, and he had made sure that he had cooked her a meal worthy of a queen - then came time to debate over who would take the shower first. Much to his surprise and pleasure, Delaney had actually spent quite some time arguing with him about getting him in the shower with her. He wanted to be a gentleman - through and through - but he’d be damned if his little blue-eyed Jubilee wasn’t making that hard.

So he had given in.

Delaney had made fun of him for using borderline horrible hair products - but she still let him wash her hair and get out all of the glass that Lilith had missed. She had absolutely cashed in all of those kisses that she was promised, and nearly put up another fight when Rowan had bridal carried her to his bed. He had offered to take the couch, but Delaney refused, pulling him down onto the mattress with her.

He had woken up the next morning with his arms wrapped around her. Rowan laid there for a moment, soaking in the scene before him. Tracing her shoulder and neck with gentle kisses, the man eventually decided to climb out of his spot of comfort before heading downstairs to make breakfast for the both of them.

The smell of eggs dragged her from her sleep. Slowly blinking her eyes awake, she took in the scene before her. This was definitely not her room. Furrowing her brows, she slowly sat up, the blanket falling from her bare chest. It was then that everything came flooding back to Delaney. The dancing, the shower, the bed…

A smirk tugged at the ends of her mouth as she fell back onto the mattress, her hair splaying out from all ends of her head. She had one hell of a hangover, but thankfully she didn’t black out last night. Every little memory was perfectly implanted within her mind and continued to play itself out as she reminisced. Everything had been absolutely perfect. Better than she could have ever imagined.

But now it was time to join the hunky dunk for breakfast. Getting to her feet, she quietly padded her way to his closet. Her fingers ran across every single item before stopping on one of his plaid button ups. Very woodsy of her man. That thought broadened her smirk. Her man. Did this mean he was really hers now? Man, she hoped so. Letting out a breath, she slipped the item on and buttoned it up just to the center of her chest. It rested just below the curve of her behind.

She took a moment to run her fingers through her hair before slowly making her way downstairs. Looking around, she soon remembered where the kitchen was and walked into the room to join him. The sight of him at the stove brought a mischievous gleam to her eyes. Delaney walked up behind him and carefully slipped her arms around his waist, laying her cheek flat against his back. ”Morning, hunky dunk.”

Upon what felt like natural instinct, Rowan froze up momentarily before hearing Delaneys voice. A small smile broke through his hardened expression, his spare hand wrapping around her wrists as he reached to turn off the stove.

"Well howdy there, Jubilee," he responded, the remnants of his accent pouring through. Rowan unwrapped her arms from around him as he turned around, planting a kiss on top of her head. "How'd you sleep?"

Jubilee. While before she only liked giving the nicknames, she couldn’t stop smiling at the one he gave her. His sweet little dessert. Delaney nibbled on her bottom lip as she looked up at the man. And boy, did she have to look up. She tilted her chin up towards him for a kiss. ”I slept amazingly, until I woke up all alone. But now I see it was worth it.”

She looked behind him and eyed the food on the stove. Looking back at him, a shy smile stretched across her face. ”You made me dinner. You didn’t have to do breakfast too. Though I’m really not complaining.”

Placing a gentle finger under her chin, Rowan dipped down to place a kiss on the woman's lips. He allowed the moment to linger for a short period of time before turning to grab plates from the overhead cabinet.

”Cooking is one of my weird love language things you gal’s are always goin’ on about. ‘Sides. I rarely get to cook for more than one.” Delaney’s comment had almost made Rowan chuckle. He did things for her because he wanted to - not because he felt like they were required. Not to mention if his momma knew he kicked some poor girl out the door without breakfast - he was sure she’d still whoop his ass.

”I played it safe,” he continued, now shoveling food onto either plate. ”Everyone likes scrambled eggs, right?”

Now reaching for glasses, Rowan moved to open the refrigerator before catching a glimpse of Delaney from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help but to turn his full attention to her once more. The sun was shining through the windows, glistening off her eyes and dancing through her golden hair. Perched up against his kitchen counter, Delaney looked like she fit right into the scenery. Rowan stood there looking dumb founded with one hand on the refrigerator handle, staring at her standing in his shirt.

”That’s my favorite look of yours so far,” he commented before hiding his red hot face behind the fridge door. ”Apple or orange, my dear?”

”I mean, not everybody, but I do.” She looked over at him just in time to see him staring at her. Delaney bit down on her bottom lip to hold back a squeal of delight. She was absolutely delighted in him looking at her like that. Letting out a slow breath to hopefully hide her own blush rushing up her cheeks, she pulled herself up onto the counter and slowly kicked her legs.

Tilting her head, she allowed herself to look over the man as his face was hidden. She knew right then she’d never grow tired of looking at him. Delaney then realized he asked her a question. Clearing her throat, she ran a hand through her hair and looked at the rest of the kitchen. ”Apple for me, thank you.”

This time, the chuckle building up inside managed to escape the man. Reaching for the apple juice, Rowan nodded his head in approval before closing the fridge behind him and moving back over to her. Moving around the kitchen as gracefully as a man of his stature could, he eventually managed to get their glasses filled and over to the same counter with the plates of food and Delaney herself.

Silence filled the air as they began to eat.

”So what are your plans for the day,” he asked.

Delaney barely remembered what the food tasted like last night, so she was surprised when his food was actually really good. She then prided herself on snatching up a man who could cook. As she ate, she did a little wiggle on the counter out of pure delight. This was the happiest she could remember herself being in quite some time.

Glancing over at him as he spoke, she finished her bite and sipped some of her drink. ”Other than working later tonight? I don’t really have anything. Not planning on going back to the Coven any time soon with all the hell that was unleashed yesterday, so.” She gave a shrug of her shoulder. ”Anything going on in your world? Do you need me out of here soon?”

Watching her from the corner of his eye, Rowan was happy to see that she was, well - happy. She was absolutely adorable, even when she wasn’t trying. While he knew her last comment was well intentioned, he couldn’t help the fact that his anxiety rose ever so slightly. Rowan really hoped that she didn’t feel like he was rushing her.

”Of course not woman,” he nearly huffed. Hell, I’d give you the damned key to the place if you just asked, he thought. ”I just gotta feed the chickens, split some wood - usual household things. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” he adds, looking over at her.

Her eyes widened a bit in excitement. ”You really do have chickens here? Oh, I wanna see!” Finishing her plate, she set it aside before sliding off from the counter. Delaney scrunched her nose as she looked down at her outfit. ”Pants are a necessity though. Need to go find my pants.”

Bouncing up to him, she stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek before hurrying back upstairs to find her pants. She already made up her mind that she was keeping his shirt, so he’d just have to deal with that fact. It didn’t take her long before she was pulling her leather pants back on and looking around for her shoes. ”Babe, know where my heels went? I don’t remember where I kicked them off at.”

After Rowan had finished speaking, he had taken the last few bites of food off his plate - leaving him very little room to protest as Delaney bounded up the stairs. He wasn’t used to such an excited response at the mention of his animals - at least apart from Sassy, who was probably terrorizing said chickens at the moment. The kiss on the check had caused the heat to rise to his face once again. Downing the last of his apple juice, Rowan placed the dishes in the sink while waiting on Delaney to return.

Babe.

Hearing the word fumble from her lips, Rowan shook his head as a grin spread across his face. ”I uh… yeah,” he called back, clearing his throat and turning off the faucet. Crossing the room, Rowan grabbed her shoes from beside the front door, getting ready to head up the stairs himself before meeting her in the living room instead. ”You got pretty frustrated with these things last night,” he commented with a smirk. ”Kicked ‘em off in the truck, so I took the liberty of making sure they were safe. Don’t know if it’s the best choice in footwear around these parts, but I doubt you can fit any of mine,” he joked.

As Delaney put on her shoes, Rowan moved to do the same and grabbed his boots and jacket before re-entering the room. ”You’re real excited about this, aren’t ya,” he half-asked, half-stated as he put on his footwear. Once Rowan had sorted his own things out, he draped his jacket over Delaneys shoulders before leading her to the front door.

After slipping both of her heeled boots on, she stood and beamed over at him. She shrugged her shoulders and pulled her hair up into a messy bun, securing it with the lone hair tie around her wrist. Delaney wasn’t really a woodsy type girl, but she always got excited when any kind of animal was involved. Especially ones she didn’t see on a normal basis.

”What’s not to be excited about? They’re chickens!” Slipping her arms into the jacket, she pressed the fabric to her nose and inhaled his scent. If he wasn’t careful, she’d steal this article of clothing as well. She wanted everything that reminded her of Rowan. Still, the jacket was huge on her. Pushing the sleeves up to her elbows, she clapped her hands as she followed him out.

Rowan couldn’t help but laugh once more as he opened the door to the fresh morning air. The chicken coop wasn’t all that far from the house, which lessened his worries about Delaney tripping and falling. He still kept a close eye on her anyway as they traversed the rocky ground. Sassy had bounded up shortly after they had stepped outside, jumping up and down in excitement. Rowan had promptly tried to gain control of the silly dog, trying to keep her from knocking Delaney over. He knew that the blonde didn’t mind, but he still didn’t want to risk it.

The chicken coop was one that Rowan had constructed himself out of old wooden pallets and chicken wire. He had nailed some spare tin on the sides and the roof for wind and rain protection, and the bottom was surrounded by a ring of concrete to keep the wolves from digging underneath. It was tall enough to fit himself, and once inside you could easily spot the twelve individual cubbies that the chickens used for their nests.

”Ain’t nothing too fancy,” he stated. ”But they seem to like it.” Taking a look around, Rowan reached into the small loft above them to grab the chicken feed. Upon hearing the bag rustle, a large tan looking chicken began to peck wildly at Rowan's boots. ”Watch out for Marge. She’s a menace.”

Delaney tried everything in her power to hold back a squeal. Not only did she get to interact with chickens today, but she also got to see Sassy. She knelt down to better pet the dog when she noticed the large hen come around the coop. Her eyes widened in amusement as she watched the chicken peck at Rowan’s boots, then came over to peck at her own shoes. Letting out a laugh, she kept her hands to herself. Last thing she needed was a chicken to start attacking her.

Standing slowly, she peeked into the coop and looked inside at the little cubbies. This life was so far apart from her own. Yet, she knew after last night and this morning that she absolutely loved it here. Rowan’s house was quickly becoming one of her favorite places. With another small laugh, she beamed at Rowan and shook her head. ”You know your life is pretty much amazing, right? To be able to have all of this to yourself, to live your own life the exact way you want to?” Delaney let out a slow breath as she placed her hands on her hips. ”I love it out here. So calming. Quiet. I don’t know why you ever leave.”

Rowan gently used his foot to guide the chicken away from Delaneys boots. He was silently grateful for yet another positive reaction from the woman - most people would - and definitely have - tried to kick Marge away. Sure, she was a pain in the ass, but she was also Rowans best egg laying hen.

”It’s not by choice, I can promise you that,” he chuckled, now filling the small trough with chicken feed. Reaching back above him, Rowan put the bag back into the loft before keeping a watchful eye on the chickens to make sure that a fight didn’t break out. They were mostly good about not starting crap with each other, but accidents could still happen.

”I inherited the land from my Pops,” he began. ”When I first moved out here, it was all just trees and wildlife - so I just started to build. Cut down a few trees - made a house. Cut a few more and added the upstairs, built the coop. I just saw all of this potential of what this place could be, and I guess I just never stopped. In a world full of chaos, I guess all I ever really wanted was a nice, quiet place to call home - so I made it happen.”

Eyes now falling upon hers, Rowan cleared his throat again. ”Didn’t mean to ramble on like that. Apologies.”

She hung on to his every word as he spoke, seeing the passion in his eyes. Delaney shook her head and stepped up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Glancing up at him, she kissed at his jaw and beamed. ”Don’t ever apologize to me about your passions. Ever. Okay?”

Delaney looked back at the chicken coop, watching as they all started to peck at their feed. A bright grin was on her face, her eyes sparkling. Everything about this place just spoke to her. It was very different from her bar nightlife, her partying ways. It all just seemed…like another world. One with its own different kind of magic. Letting out another breath, she looked back up at him. ”Everything here is perfect. Including you.”

Completely lost for words once more, all that Rowan could do was bring his lips to meet hers again. Usually he was full of words - he just chose not to say them. Delaney on the other hand literally left him speechless. It was a new feeling, something strange and welcomed at the same time. He kissed her for as long as he possibly could before breaking away, pressing his forehead to hers as he took a deep breath inward.

”I ain’t the best at this sort of thing,” he began. ”But would you do me the honor of bein’ my lady,” he asked.

She was still lost in the sensation of the kisses when he started speaking, but was fully aware by the end of his sentence. Delaney sucked in a breath and beamed, her heels doing a little tappy dance on the gravel. ”Hunky dunk, I thought you’d never ask.” Nipping at his bottom lip, she kissed him once more. ”I’m all yours.”

[Sadie]

A @Sailorsadie & @Soufflegirl123 collab
Starring: Delaney Barlowe & Miles Price

---

---

It was only a night after Lilith and Miles had made up yet here he was again, in front of Huskers once more but this time sat in his car. With the later time than when he met Lilith the night prior hed’s had time to get changed. He tapped his phone over his hand repeatedly as he walked from his car to the bar. He had to admit, it seemed borderline scandalous meeting another girl in a bar right after reconciling with an old love but it wasn’t like that with Delaney. The girl was his best friend, his wingman, nothing more. They just ignore the one time they were ever more.

Miles pushed open the door to see Delaney at the bar, preparing a cocktail in a rambunctious display. He shook his head as he approached the bar with a goofy smile. He waited for the woman to serve her drink before calling out to her, ”I just want all the tea you have in this place.” He slips into a barstool. Miles and Delaney’s monthly catch-up was one of his favourite parts of the month.

Glancing up at the voice, she immediately beamed at the sight of him. It felt like forever since she had last seen him, even though it wasn’t more than a day. Delaney made sure all her current customers were set before moving over to Miles, pouring him a shot of his favorite. She handed it over before leaning against the bar. ”Well, well. Aren’t you lucky? I happen to have so much tea.”

”I’m willing to bet not as much as I do,” Miles replies, leaning into the bar also. After a moment he picks up his shot and holds it out to Delaney in a silent toast before downing it and slamming the glass back on the table. ”When do you finish? I don’t think you only want half a mind for some of this,”

Delaney raised a brow at the confession before looking over her shoulder at the clock. She looked back at him before refilling his shot glass. ”As if you don’t know when my shifts end. You’re my last customer.” She pushed away from the bar before winking at him. ”Let me close out on my people and I’m all yours.” Without waiting for confirmation from him, she nodded and started closing out the tabs of the patrons at the bar.

It was about ten minutes later before joining him at the other side of the bar. She nodded to her relief to pour her a shot of rum before she looked back at Miles. ”Alright. Who first?”

As Delaney joined his at the table, Miles gave her shoulder a nudge. ”Welcome to the fun side,” he jokes before ordering a beer from the bartender. After all the drinking the past week he was sure his liver was going to hate him.

At the woman’s question, Miles cocks his head slightly in thought. His beer is placed in front of him and he takes a drink, still thinking through her question. ”How about we flip a coin for it?” he offers, pulling his tattered leather wallet from his back pocket and producing a dime. ”Head or tails for you to start?”

Looking down at his wallet, she snorted and shook her head before throwing back her shot. She set it back down on the table and nodded for a refill before returning her attention to Miles. ”Hmm…Let’s go for tails this time. Though I have a feeling I know what your tea is all about.”

Miles chuckles at her comment, wondering how close she really was to guessing his new. Probably further than she thought. ”I’m not so convinced you do,” Miles muses before flipping the coin in the air. He snatches it in his hand and slaps it onto the back of his other hand in a closed fist. He then reveals the coin to show tails facing up. ”You first, Disco Inferno,” he says, slipping the coin into his pocket. ”First lemme guess. He took you back to his place and cooked you dinner. You slow danced under the stars and talked about your traumas and feelings then he dropped you home with a kiss on the forehead like the good boy he is?” Miles guesses, his voice half mocking in a few places.

Delaney smirked at the man and raised a brow. He didn’t know her at all. Well, he did. But he didn’t know her and Rowan. Picking her new shot glass up, she brought it to her lips and grinned. ”Well, yes. There was dancing.” She knocked back her shot and placed the glass back onto the table. Running a hand through her hair, she sat back in her chair. ”He made me dinner, like the good boy he is.” Her smirk broadened as her eyes held a bit of a sparkle. ”And he made me breakfast.’

”Damn, girl. Look at you go,” he says, pointing his bottle in her direction calling for the clink of glasses before taking another swig. ”So does that make you fully off the market now?”

Clinking her empty glass against his, she let out a slow breath and shrugged. She looked up at the bartender. ”I’ll switch to beer now.” Looking back over at Miles, Delaney scrunched her nose and grinned. ”Well, he asked me to be his lady.” She bit the inside of her cheek as she looked away from him. ”I like him, Miles. Like…like him. I want this to be it. I want-” Letting out another breath, she shrugged before looking back at the man. ”I want Rowan to be it for me.”

She huffed out a breath and nodded as her beer was delivered. Picking it up, she sipped at it. ”And that feeling alone scares the hell out of me.”

Miles’ fingers tapped against the glass bottle as she talked, his voice remaining silent until she mentioned Rowan asking her out. ”Boy howdy!” he called out in response. One of the few southern phrases he’d picked up from his family and the Montomerys, although it seemed out of place in his Pacific Northwestern accent. ”Look at you go, truly a one person woman now,” He was happy for his friend, it was about time she found her happiness too. As she confessed her last line, Miles nodded along. He knew that feeling way too well, he’d felt it with her but maybe in a different flavour. For him it was less of the fear of something new but moreso the fear of messing it up… again. ”I get it,” he shrugs before taking another sip of beer. ”Is he worth the fear?”

Delaney took only a moment to think about his question. With a slow grin, she brought the bottle back to her lips before nodding. ”Yeah. I really think he is.” She huffed out a breath and shook her head. ”He was, is amazing. Sorry, Miles, but you have nothing on him. Whatsoever.” The girl smirked then nudged him. ”Now. Enough about me. What about you and Lil? The thunderstorm back together again?”

”Wow, rude. I guess some people just don’t know perfection when they experience it,” Miles jokes, nudging his friend in return before bringing the bottle to his lips. At her question he gave her a goofy grin. ”Well, do you want the long or short story? I promise the long story is probably worth your while,”

]color=teal]”Oh, I’m going to need more alcohol for this.”[/color] She waved her hand at the bartender. ”Shots, and keep them coming.” Delaney finished her beer before tossing it in the garbage can behind them. She looked back over at him and nodded. ”Alright, hit me. I’m sure whatever put that dumb grin on your face is so worth my time.”

”Oh, where do I start?” Miles half teases before downing his own bottle of beer and setting the empty bottle next to him on the bar table. ”I would start with last Monday but honestly you probably figured as much as either Lil and I remember. We were wasted, man.” He starts before calling for another shot himself. ”Anyway, her grandpa John figured it out. Threatened me with a gun- not that I’m all that surprised. Oh! And Carlisle lives with them now?” At this moment Miles shot was set in front of him and he downs it.

She just sat there and blinked at him. Delaney had the inkling that Lilith and Miles had hooked back up, but there was so much more to unravel here. John threatening Miles- actually, no. That one didn’t really surprise her. But Carlisle living with them? Scoffing, she sat back in her chair as she looked off. ”That guy just keeps getting himself involved with Lil somehow. When the hell is he ever going to get the message?” She rolled her eyes and downed her own shot.

”He still doesn’t when it punches him in the face, literally. I kinda feel sorry for the man. I swear Lil nearly killed him.” Miles stops himself for a while. While he wanted to tell his friend about his godmother who died a decade ago returning he knew that was the last thing the Montgomerys wanted getting out while she readjusted to the land of the living. He hides his hesitation with a call for another beer.

”So family dinner was kinda a bust, I have to say. I was hoping to talk to Li just to figure out what is going on between us but between everyone just being at everyone’s throats it funnily enough didn’t come up,”

”Eh, he probably deserved it,” she responded. She held no love for the man, and was definitely not a fan. By a long shot. Delaney shook her head and took another shot when it was placed in front of her. ”I still can’t believe you went to the family dinner. After everything. Especially knowing how old man Montgomery is when it comes to Lilith. And, quite honestly, how he feels about you.”

At Delaney’s response Miles shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. ”I don’t know, I guess I was kinda hoping enough time had passed that things would go back to the way they were. In my defense we did plan this before Lilith woke up in my bed,” Miles replies with a huff.

Letting out her own little huff, she shook her head and eyed the man. She felt sorry for him, in a way. Delaney knew he was head over heels for Lilith, but there was a lot of pain there. She had seen the two together and it was like oil and flame. Then again, nobody else made more sense together than the two of them. She just hoped her best friend wouldn’t get hurt in the process. Or do something to fuck it all up again. ”Look, Mi. You know I love ya. But you two need to figure this shit out before it blows up in your faces again.”

”Yes, yes, I’m getting there,” Miles jokingly chastises before clearing his throat for dramatic effect. ”Last night,” he begins, looking his friend in the eyes, ”We met up again. And before you make some comment about me coming on too strongly or whatever, Li invited me out.”

He takes another sip of his beer before continuing. ”To start with, she just wanted something casual, I guess is the best way to put it, but I don’t know if I could take that, not anymore. Anyway, we talked, quite a bit and, well, we’re official again,” he says before downing his drink before his friend could contribute.

Delaney blinked at him before playfully shoving at his arm. ”You could have started out with that. Making me sit here thinking I’m gonna witness hellfire again.” Taking another shot, she sat back and folded her arms across her chest. As she thought, she couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her chest. ”Damn. Look at us. You with Lilith, me with Rowan. One person people.” She scrunched her nose. ”When the hell did we grow up?”

”Who woulda thunk it?" Miles asks in agreement, slumping over his next drink. ”Do you have that sinking feeling? Like you’re scared you’re just gonna screw it up again? I was so so sure that I’d never mess up again, that I'd be perfectly committed but the more I think about it the more I’m scared I’ll get it wrong.” Miles turns back to his friend. Despite sharing such joyous news his face was almost twisting in internal pain. ”I can’t lose her again, D. I really can’t”

Looking over at best friend, she let out a slow breath before offering up a slight nod of her head. ”You won’t. We’re older now, we’ve learned from our mistakes.” Delaney cleared her throat and looked down at her drink. ”But I get what you’re saying. I barely have Rowan and I’m terrified of doing something stupid.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at Miles. ”But you two love each other. Everyone knows this. Just don’t stop fighting for her, okay? Don’t run anymore.”

Miles forces a small laugh. ”For almost a decade running is all I've done. Running and distracting and blaming. I just don't know if I know how to live any other way." Miles gives an exasperated sigh, bringing his new bear to his lips. ”I suppose you're right though. We're older and wiser… I hope,"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. ”You’re older. I’m wiser.” Giving him a small grin, she shrugged her shoulders. ”You’ve already proven you can live another way, Mi. You came back to Lilith. And despite everything, the two of you are back together now.” Delaney groaned and shook her head. ”Just, whatever you do, don’t tell her we slept together. I rather like my hair in my head, okay?”

Miles chuckles, giving his friend’s shoulder a squeeze. ”I suppose I’ll save that little tidbit for when you really get on my bad side,” he teases.

Delaney eyed him. ”Don’t make me waste a decent drink on your head.” Looking down at her phone as a notification went off, she visibly became more soft. ”Anyway, Rowan wants to have dinner. I’ll see you when I see you. Don’t fuck up.” Leaning over, she placed a kiss on top of his head, ruffled his hair, and walked out of the bar, leaving him with the tab.

[Little Bird]

Daniel & Caitlin

Meet me out in the woods at 1pm. We'll get some training in.

Bet. I'll be there.

The morning hours came and went quickly for Cait after waking to a text from Daniel. The prospect of something constructive put a fresh energy into her. It was a scatter-brained energy though. She bounced about mentally. While the 'gift' from her mother still sat by her bed, she hadn't had much focus to spare on reading; not about family history at least.

Still uncertain of how to approach training, she donned a light jacket, and at noon, made the walk to the edge of the forest. She shivered in a short chill of Northwest autumn air. She looked around for Daniel, then shot him a message.

I'm here. Just outside the woods.

Daniel saw the text but didn’t bother responding, instead just jogging out of the woods waving, ”hey Cait, how you feeling? Ready to start mastering your potential?” Daniel wiped away some sweat on his forehead, he was wearing sweatpants and a plain green t-shirt. He had brought a hoodie along but left it at the training spot.

Cait heard Daniel call to her, and looked a short way along the treeline. Already, by the sound of Daniel's greeting, it was feeling that this would be a different sort of training training session than she remembered. The spirited tone in Dan's voice as he jogged out of the woods was a sharp contrast to the formality of training under the elder Witches and Warlocks. That he came up dressed like the high school P.E. teacher reinforced that.

Cait looked down at how she was dressed from feet to waist. The worn in Converse and cargo pants quickly felt less than appropriate; should she have come ready for sporting events? "I'm good." she looked at Daniel with a chuckling smile. "Just thinking I might be crazy to try to do this. It's been a hot second since I trained with magic."

”*Responding to Cait’s feeling, something positive*” Daniel waved for her to follow him into the forest, ”come on, I’ve been setting this up all morning. It’s not too far in, but it’s off trail, no one should be bothering us.” Daniel led the way and after a few minutes they came to what looked like an impassable wall of shrubbery. ”There’s a clearing just through here, I think we could technically walk in, or I could teleport us in, you just have to hold on tight to me.” Daniel didn’t want this part to be awkward, it would basically be like a hug, friends hugged, didn’t they?

She didn't need to think more than once, or for very long. "Taking sticks and prickers to the face wasn't what I had in mind for today." She grabbed hold of Daniel. "OK. Take us in."

Daniel held on to Cait and focused his magic. Taking another person with him was a lot harder than just teleporting himself twice. There was a rush of wind and then nothing, they had made it to the clearing. ”Tada,” letting go of Cait, Daniel presented what he had set up. There were several hoops around the clearing at different heights and of different sizes. There was also what appeared to be jump ropes on the ground as well as werewolf shaped standees. ”Well, what do you think?”

Cait gasped; she had never teleported before, and the sensation was odd at best, like being whipped into the wind back out again. It left her a bit winded.

She looked around the clearing with interest and a bit of skepticism as she caught her breath. The werewolf cutouts made sense, she figured. But the hoops and jump ropes looked out of place. "Thinking I should have dressed for gym class. Are we practicing magic or doing some kind of crossfit?"

”Well I find my magic is pretty connected to my physical abilities, but that could entirely be a me thing,” Daniel admitted to her. ”We don’t have to do anything physical if you don’t want to. I mostly set this up to help you test your abilities. I don’t know exactly what you can do so I worked with what you told me back at the party.”

Daniel teleported next to one of the standees and knocked on it, ”you mentioned having some kind of energy blast ability, I figured these guys would work well for target practice to start.” Next he teleported to one of the hoops that was at basically ground level, it was quite large, big enough to step through, which he did as he spoke. ”These are for your telekinesis, I can conjure things for you to levitate through them, it’ll help your control to move things at different heights and stuff. Speaking of levitating… Daniel teleported next to Cait and grabbed one of the ropes, ”you mentioned being able to levitate yourself, I was basically going to swing the rope under you as you did as a sort of motivation.”

Daniel dropped the rope and looked around the clearing before facing Cait again, ”everyone’s magic is different, so there’s no one way to train. I’m basically all self taught, and the best way for me to train was to just work on my skills. Reading theory is all well and good, but for me at least the only way to learn something new is to just do it.”

Cait gathered her thoughts for a few minutes while allowing Dan to explain his thought process. She quickly and consciously veered away from the standees and walked over to the set of hoops. "Might as well start with this, she said, pointing to the hoops. "To get myself warmed up, y'know?"

”Right now I just want you to do whatever you’re comfortable with,” Daniel told her, ”it will also give me an idea of what you can do so I can think of better way to help train. When it comes to your telekinesis what can you lift comfortably and what can you lift at your maximum? Think you could lift me?”

Don't think I can lift you. Cait thought it over for a second. "Most I've done is levitating myself; but only short distances. I weigh like 115… Let's see 60lbs to start?"

Daniel nodded and waved his hand. In front of Cait, there appeared a metal ball, flattened on the bottom with a handle on the top, with a big 60 on it.

”Okay, now don’t try and force it. You’ve gotta treat your magic like it’s a muscle, if you work it too hard too fast you’ll just end up hurting yourself. Just work at your own pace, of course if I feel like you’re maybe not pushing yourself enough I’ll try and get you to do more. But for now we’re just seeing how you fare with something you feel you can do.” Daniel gave her an encouraging smile and a thumbs up.

"OK." Cait swallowed and breathed in, scuffling into place. With her right hand she reached out to the kettlebell sitting some twenty feet away. The Telekinesis that formed the backbone of Cait's Magic had always operated as an extension of her physical body; that much she had learned, and even explored on her own to a degree. As she stood, arm extended, she was channeling an energy that, in essence, invisibly lengthened her reach forward.

The sensation was weird to her; it always had been. A feeling of energy coursing from her core and through and out of the palm of her hand. Her muscles and bones seemed to vibrate in what she imagined felt like electricity passing through her body. When it was all she had to focus on, it often felt uncomfortable, despite that she had gotten used to feeling it.

When she felt resistance, she knew she had gotten hold of the kettlebell. She could feel it in some ways… mostly that it was dense and heavy. She envisioned herself grasping the handle. At the upward motion of her arm the weight began lifting off of the ground… one inch… two inches… four inches… one foot. Then THUD!

The weight dropped to the ground. Cait looked up, catching Daniel's eyes with a stare mixed with embarrassment and concern. Hoping he hadn't read much into it, she shook her head like a dog shaking off the rain. I… sorry… uh… lost my grip on it."

Daniel wanted to do a bit of his own training so he summoned a shadow clone to stand off to the side and do some basic martial arts moves, just to get the feel of having a clone be semi autonomous. He watched as the weight lifted off the ground then suddenly came crashing down. ”You know Cait, you should be more confident in yourself. You lifted something more than half your weight a foot off the ground, that’s pretty incredible. Honestly I think telekinesis is one of the most useful types of magic. Being able to interact with objects at a distance has so many useful applications. Especially if you’re eventually able to lift more than what you could physically.” Daniel glanced at his clone, the moves were sloppy but they sharpened up as he thought about it. He either needed to figure out a better way to make the clones autonomous or how to do parallel thinking. Would parallel thinking be a conjuration spell? Probably not, but he’d have to look into it.

”I’m not sure why you’ve never seriously trained your magic before, whether you just didn’t really care or some other reason. I won’t push you to tell me if you don’t want to. But you have to remember that your magic is yours, and no one can take that away from you. I’m sure that you’ll go on to do great things with your magic, you just have to believe in yourself and stop being worried about what might go wrong. That’s why we’re here, so you can test your limits. Your magic is as much a part of you as your hand is, so don’t be afraid of it.”

What might go wrong… what it might mean to embrace this part of her… Cait had seen the weight it put on peers and elders alike; lauded or laughed at over what they could or couldn't do.

Certainly don't want to be laughed at, do you?

I don't want to be helpless.

So then?

She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes at the kettlebell. The quicker she got through this, the better off she'd be. The right hand reached. The essence of her magic flowed from the palm of her hand. It was faster, and more purposeful. The weight lifted, and, in a labor of the mind, she slowly pushed it towards the lowest hoop…

Fade Scene

[WolfLover]

Aurora Newman + Daniel Cooper

_{Collab with @Duskshine749}

---

It had been almost a week since the party and the werewolf attack. Daniel still hadn’t told anyone about his involvement in the whole thing. Well, other than Aurora, but she was a special case, Dan just found it so easy to talk to her. He was still agonizing over who to tell and when and he really needed a distraction. Luckily he had at least some reason to leave the house, his one nice shirt had been torn to shreds, and he really should have at least a couple of them. So he hopped in the car and drove over to Red Oaks Plaza, listening to a podcast about the latest gaming news on the way.

Once at the mall Daniel found a spot pretty far from the doors, but it was easy to park in and a little walking never hurt. He popped in a wireless earbud and continued his podcast as he walked into the mall, heading straight for the Walmart. His clothes didn’t need to be some fancy brand, they just needed to fulfill the function he wanted for them. In this case it was looking nicer than the stuff he usually wore.

His previous shirt was also from Walmart, so he was hoping he could maybe find the exact same one. Though knowing his luck, things he liked were probably out of fashion, so he would have to spend some time trying to figure out what he liked and what looked nice enough.

Sleep.

That’s how Aurora had spent most of her week-end, after her visit to the Cemetery. And it was well needed, her body needed to catch up on some sleep. When she finally woke up on Sunday, late morning. Much later than was normal for her; Aurora felt refreshed and like she had some of her energy back again, after having a few sleepless nights.

After getting something to eat, for breakfast. Aurora fixed herself up for the day. Her Outfit simple, opting for a t-shirt with a pair of jeans, light cardigan of sorts and flip-flops. She decided to head into town for a little shopping spree. Having run out of a few things at home, she thought it’d best to restock before it’d slip her mind again. After hopping into her car, the drive to town was pretty peaceful. Luckily, there wasn’t much traffic. Which was somewhat unusual on a week-end. But guess she caught it at the right time. Finding a parking space in the massive car park outside Walmart. Aurora parked her car beneath the shady spot. With her car being dark of color; it seemed to sap in more heat. Not wanting her car to be baking hot, when she’d finish. After locking up her car, she headed inside. A small trolley at hand, she began to browse through the familiar shop. By the time she reached the clothes section of the shop, she had a few things in the trolley; mainly bathroom products.

Spotting a familiar face, pouring over t-shirts; she cleared her throat so as not to startle him. “Looking a bit lost there, do you need some help?” Aurora offered, with a smile.

”Oh,Aurora, hey,” this was a surprise to be sure, but considering it was Aurora and not someone else it was certainly a welcome one, ”is it that obvious I have no clue what I’m doing? I need some nicer shirts to wear to social events, the only one I had was ruined last week.” Daniel thought about how thankful he was that Aurora had run into him as he paused his podcast and put his earbud away. She probably knew more about fashion than he did, and if he was being honest, she was the only one he really cared about impressing if he was going to be dressing up. ”I can join you for whatever it is you need if you’d like, shopping is easier with someone else I find.”

“Hey.” Returning the greeting with a smile. It seemed like her assumption about him being stuck wasn’t wrong. “You just have that unsure look on your face.” The female had learned how to read people; especially those that she had known for a long while. So reading his expressions was easy by now. Most of the time, she could suss out if something was up.

When he put away his ear-buds, Aurora herself took a proper glance over the male shirts and their varying style that were laid out in front of them. “So, what sort of thing were you going for? Buttoned up or?” Questioning, so she could have a better idea in her head what to help him look for, when it came to the nicer set of t-shirts that were being sold here. Hearing his offer, to help her with her own shopping, caused her to smile gratefully. “Sure, that’d be nice. I mean if you don’t mind.” Not that she was expecting him to help. But it was sweet of him to offer his help.

”I don't mind at all, as for a shirt, button downs are nice, easy to remove, so I wouldn't mind one of them. I was also thinking of getting one with a collar and only a couple buttons. Damn it what are those called, a polo I think? One of them." Daniel grabbed a shirt off the rack, it was a black button up with some kind of repeating pattern on it, kinda like a flower, ”I don't really like shopping, I'm very likely to just grab the first thing I find acceptable, like this shirt, and buy it just to finish quickly. So I'm really glad I ran into you, you can make sure I get something actually nice."

Listening to what Daniel was looking for, Aurora nodded deep in thought. “I am sure we can find you something.” Looking around the section, it didn’t take long for her fashion keen eyes to spot what Daniel had in mind. Of course, Aurora picked out a selection of a few shirts for him to pick from. All of them were colors, in which her mind would bring out the color of his eyes. Therefore a good match for him.

Once they had found him a few suitable shirts; the rest of the shopping didn’t seem to go by that slowly. Aurora didn’t need that much, but still having Daniel helping out made it go by all the quicker. Going through her mental list, she double checked her trolley. “I think we found everything.”

Daniel was right in thinking shopping with Aurora would improve the experience. It still wasn't something that he really wanted to do, but if it was with Aurora, then he could certainly tolerate it a lot easier. ”Awesome, thanks again for helping me out Aurora," at that moment Daniel's stomach decided to remind him he hadn't eaten breakfast with a loud grumble. ”I'm gonna get something to eat since we're done shopping now, wanna join me? It'll be my treat, as thanks for getting me looking more fashionable than I could ever be on my own."

"Don't mention it. It was a pleasure." Aurora said with a soft smile. She was glad that he was happy with the choices she helped pick out for him. Aurora didn't think that his fashion had ever been wrong, just needed a little help to find some extra things. As he offered to get some food, she decided to join him. Feeling peckish despite having eaten earlier. "Food sounds good." they deserved it after their shopping spree. With his help, carrying the few shopping bags she had was made easy.

They made their way down to the food court and decided on what looked good. Daniel spotted a table and sat at it, waiting for Aurora to sit as well before he started eating. He could get used to this, being with Aurora, just hanging out, it was nice. Easy. It just felt kinda right. ”You know, today almost felt like a date." Daniel was caught up in the moment and said what he was thinking.

What'd you say that for, dummy? She's nice to everyone, she's not doing it because she likes you. She knows you betrayed the coven, why would she ever want to be with you after that

As they reached their destination, Aurora picked out a caesar salad and some lemon ice water. Sitting down at the table with Daniel; her bags beneath the table by their feet. She was about to take a sip of her drink when he said something that surprised her. "P…pardon?" stammering a little. Did she hear him right? It wasn’t often that someone made her speechless, but in this instant she was. If only just a little bit.

Wait. Did Daniel like her that way?

She couldn't help but wonder if that's what he wanted. Aurora had to admit that she had always found him attractive and she couldn't help but have a bit of a crush on him. Despite his crimes, he was always a fun, sweet guy. Maybe this indeed felt like a date. But was it one?

Now you've done it…

"Don't worry about it," Daniel said hastily, "I mean, it was just a thought I was having. This is something people in relationships do, right? I'm probably not someone you'd want to be in a relationship with anyway, so, y'know, you can forget I said that." Well now this was awkward, they still had a whole meal to eat, Daniel considered just leaving but that would just make things worse the next time they saw each other.

Aurora couldn't let it go. Too many thoughts were running through her mind right now. "I can't let it go. I mean it's kind of hard to let it go, when it's out there on the table right now." She shook her head. Her brow furrowed as he tried to brush it aside. It was hard to let it go, considering what he had just said a few seconds ago.

"Maybe you're assuming wrong." pretty much letting it slip that she indeed did like him.

Daniel was avoiding eye contact but looked back at Aurora on that last sentence. He never expected Aurora would feel the same way. Throughout university Daniel had never had much luck with girls, every time he tried to start dating he was turned down. But now this seemed to be different, Aurora was here and seemingly telling him she returned his feelings.

"Aurora, Daniel took a sip of his drink and cleared his throat, "would you like to go on a date with me? A real date, as nice as today has been it was accidental." Well now it was out there, and if Daniel had misread the situation things were about to get a lot more awkward.

For a split moment she wondered if she said too much. Feeling nervous as he was avoiding looking at her. Had she misjudged what he said before? Hopefully not.

Biting her bottom lip slightly as she waited for him to say something. Anything. Then he said the golden words.
"I'd love to." Aurora spoke with a warm smile. "Even if was accidental, today has been nice." she spoke with a light blush. She did always enjoy spending time with him.

"Well it's not over yet, let's finish our food then I'll help you carry your stuff to your car." Daniel spoke with a smile on his face, lunch went from awkward to wonderful with just a few words, and he couldn't be more glad about it.

She smiled back brightly. “Sounds like a good plan.”As they ate their lunch, they enjoyed each other’s company; catching up on the last few days. Sure, Aurora had dated during her college years, but the relationships didn’t stick. The guys either turned out to be jerks, or there just wasn’t a deep enough of a connection for the relationships to actually be worth it. But things with Daniel were always easy, natural if anything. She couldn’t help but feel like a giddy teenager for the rest of their lunch hour.

[Sugar and Spite]

_{A collab between @SouffleGirl123 & @HaleyTheRandom; Featuring Miles Price & Claire Montgomery}

Miles walked to the front door of the ranch, the evening breeze feeling chilly on his skin. He couldn’t work out why it felt so cold, was it preparing for the approaching Winter or the nervousness he held. Sure, it was normal for one to feel nervous when directly spending time with their girlfriend’s mother but Claire Montegomery was his godmother, that woman helped raise him until her supposed death. So why did the air feel so heavy? Hell, why was he even scared?

He contemplated turning around and just going back home. Make some excuse about having a meeting with an overseas client and bottle the stress for another day but he knew his mother wouldn’t allow that. Instead he knocked at the ranch door and braced for impact. Once upon a time Miles would have swung the door open and walked in like he owned the place but he was trying very hard to climb back into John’s good graces, even if he wouldn’t be around at this moment to impress.

Claire had spent every waking moment since her return looking after her family - just as she had always done. Both her father and daughter had seemed to manage without her, but she couldn’t help but notice all of the small things that needed to be cleaned and tidied around the house. Nor could she ignore the massive amounts of paperwork that were piling up in the office. John could play the role of tough man all he wanted to; Claire knew he was struggling. There wasn’t anything putting the ranch at risk - at least not for now - but someone had to get a move on signing shit.

Now taking her turn sitting at the head of the kitchen table, Claire was doing just that. Multiple papers and files laid spread out before her, reading glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Hearing the knock at the door, Claire did what any other person would do and answered it.

”Miles!” she greeted the young man rather cheerfully. ”Come on in.” Turning to move back across the room, she asked: ”The drive over wasn’t too bad, I hope?”

If Miles was being honest, the last thing he expected on his next visit to the ranch was a warm welcome from anyone but Lilith but there one was. ”Claire,” he greets the woman smoothly before following her back into the house. Her cheeriness definitely alleviated some of the nerves that beat at him but there was still some uneasiness that lingered within him. Miles figured it was just some tension from the dinner earlier that week and hoped it’d leave him soon, he hated feeling out of place in what was essentially his second childhood home.

At her question he gave a nod of his head. ”Nah, not bad at all. How are you adjusting to not being dead anymore?”

”It’s interesting,” the woman replied, pursing her lips as she sat back down. ”I’ve missed a decent chunk of everyone's lives. Country music ain’t the same no more. You can’t hang up on anyone properly anymore because phones ain’t made to give you that satisfying ‘click’ when they close anymore. Target’s taken over everything. No one makes their coffee at home anymore. I swear Little Debbie cakes got smaller - but at least ol’ Jack Daniels is still the same,” she sighed, reaching for the bottle that seemed to stay on the Montgomery table these days. ”Want a drink?”

”Please,” Miles replies, loosening the tie around his neck and taking a seat of his own. He watched as the woman poured them both a drink. Part of him was still trying to process the fact that she was really here in front of him. She looked exactly the same as she remembered her, almost eerily so. ”Don’t mean to press any sore spots but did it feel like 10 years in the astral plane?”

Throwing her feet up onto the corner of the table, Claire took a sip of her drink before speaking. ”Time’s weird there,” she replied, looking off into the distance. ”Sometimes it would feel like five minutes, others would feel like an eternity. I was able to keep an eye on all of you from time to time, but it was hard. I’m not even sure if Astral Plane is the right word for it. It was something… in between. Cordelia could visit me, but not vice versa.”

Taking another drink, she studied the boy for a moment as he sat there in his business suit. ”What’s this fancy job you got now that I keep on hearin’ about?”

Miles was halfway through taking his first sip of his drink as Claire talked about her time in the astral plane, namely that she’d been occasionally keeping an eye on them. It took all it had in him to not choke on the whiskey in his throat. How much had she seen? ”Oh, and- uh- what did you see?” he asks, taking another sip in an attempt to cover up the nervousness on his face. Miles did tend to have a good poker face in times like these, accompanied by the fact he was hardly all that nervous, but there was something about Montgomerys that made it hard for him to keep that cover. Maybe it was the fact they were so close to him for so long he knew they knew him too well to be able to hide much, not to mention their divination being able to pick up what the human aspect missed.

He slumped back in his seat, making himself comfortable, at least being around Claire was a lot more comfortable than her father. As she mentions his job Miles gives her a half smile. ”I work in HR. Ma says she never thought I’d end up behind a desk. I guess she's got a point but I’m good at talking, I guess it just felt like a good option. Wanna give her a better life, y’know?” Miles replies with a shrug before taking another sip of his whiskey.

Claire thought for a moment, wondering which memories to share with him. There were a lot of private moments she had happened to stumble upon, but nothing to scaring for anyone involved. ”Just random things,” she responded, ever so slightly blowing his question off in the process. ”Mostly just Lilly.”

Listening to the young man speak, she continued to observe him. It was almost freakish how much time had passed - at least in her mind. She still imagined Miles as a little boy. He had barely just entered his teenage years before she had disappeared. Now he was sitting here looking more like her younger brother than her godson. A small smile played at the corners of Claire’s lips as she heard Miles’s last comment.

”Me and your mom had this dream of a commune one time,” she laughed. ”Figured we could start with the ranch, and then grow from there. Then life got in the way of things.” Claire knocked back what little was left of the alcohol in her glass before pouring herself another drink. She left the cap off for Miles, a clear signal for him to help himself.

”Now that we have the small talk out of the way,” Claire sighed again, resituating herself as she did so. ”I reckon’ I should tell you I brought you here to talk about Lilith - but you probably already knew that part.”

As Claire talked of her and her mother’s old plans Miles couldn’t help but chuckle, finishing off his whiskey. ”That definitely sounds like the two of you. I guess it almost felt like one between our house and the ranch sometimes,”

That was when Claire moved to her next topic of conversation. Miles tensed up a bit, squirming in his seat to sit more upright. He knew this was coming. He snatched the whiskey off the table and helped himself to another glass, he would definitely need it now. He gave a nod in response while taking a quick sip of his newly-filled cup. Was it just him or was it getting warmer in the room? ”I did have my suspicions- yeah,” he clarifies softly.

Watching him squirm where he sat, Claire's previous smile seemed to vanish. She was used to putting the fear of whatever god there was into men - but she didn’t want that from Miles. ”Relax kid,” she half-way joked. ”Ain’t nothin’ to fear ‘cept for the repercussions of your own actions.” Taking another drink, she took a moment to figure out how to articulate her thoughts. ”One thing that I remember seeing was the night Lilith… had her breakdown, if you will. Now let me start by saying that absolutely no one blames you for that, Miles. Shit happens and we can’t predict how others will react to the choices we chose to make. But… she tried to call you that night. I don’t know if you put two and two together from all the missed calls or not - but she did try to reach out. I’m not blaming you for that night, but I do have to ask why you left my girl alone in the first place.”

Miles gave an audible sigh, leaning back into his chair. He didn’t remember much of that night when the calls came flooding in. He remembered seeing the first few and figuring Lilith wanted to pick up where they left off- whether it be in the harsh fight they had the day earlier or in their relationship that had recently ended. From there he ended up getting black out drunk, a worse state than usual in an attempt to ignore the pain and woke up to more missed calls than he could imagine. One of his biggest regrets was not picking up that phone. That was the first major moment he failed to be there. He’d talked her off so many cliffs in the past but the worse one was the one he missed.

Miles took a moment to collect his thoughts and figure out how to word his answer. ”I guess I was scared,” he responds, his voice low and small as he tries to fight off the waves of emotions that accompanied that memory. ”I mean, at first I just expected her to get on the phone and yell at me off the heels of a fight we had earlier and when I realised I was probably wrong…” he readjusts himself in his seat again, slumping forward and taking a sip of his whiskey. ”I don’t know how much you know about what we were like then but we weren’t good for each other, I was the last person she wanted to see the last time I saw her before those calls. I guess I was scared I was just gonna make it worse.” Miles’ eyes pointed at the ground, unable to meet Claire’s as the shame overtook him at that moment. He takes another sip of whiskey to close himself out.

Watching and listening as Miles spoke, it was easy to see how sincere he was being. Claire didn’t have to study the boy to know he was telling the truth though. Ever since he was little, it seemed that Miles was unable to lie to his godmother. He had wiggled himself out of many instances with his mother, but he had rarely been able to do the same with herself. It seemed that fact was still proving true.

”I get it,” was all she had to say for a moment, letting their words settle into the air. ”It’s a weird thing having that Carlisle boy’s memories,” she mused. ”I know the things that Lilith has told him, but I still don’t really know the full story. I suppose it’s not really my place to know. She mentioned something about you two getting back together the other day? We had to keep the conversation a little hush-hush. Didn’t want John to hear, ya know?”

Miles pursed his lips as she spoke. The fact that Claire had Carlisle’s memories concerned him. There were a lot of things in that memory bank of Carlisle’s that probably weren’t the best to share with his godmother. ”I suppose if you got Carlisle’s memories floating up there you know a good gist of the story. I’m a bit surprised John hasn’t made a fuss about it yet,” he replies, taking another sip of his whiskey. At the mention of the result of his and Lilith’s catch up at the bar a couple of days prior a small smile spread on his face. Now that was a better memory. ”We did. Just trying to figure out how long I’ll make it before John mounts my head on a pike,” he half-jokes.

Pressing the glass to her lips once more, a small smirk appeared on Claires face as she spoke. ”That’s because he doesn’t know yet. And what you don’t know can’t hurtchya. Though I’m sure he has strong suspicions.” Shuffling around some of the papers on the table, Claire began to make neat stacks out of the various files and pages before her. ”’Sides. He’s not the one you need to worry about,” she quickly added. ”He still considers you family. Not quite sure if he wants you and Lilith to be a thing, but he’ll respect it in his own way. Now Lilly herself on the other hand…” Claire chuckled, slightly wincing as one of Carlisle's most recent memories rose to the surface. ”That girl knows how to swing.”

When Claire mentioned John still seeing Miles as family the boy couldn't help the snicker that escaped his lips. ”I think I lost all rights to being seen as family the day I broke it off with Li. Probably earlier than that really," he replies, downing the rest of his glass and placing it onto the table. ”Do you have the memory of her hitting Car with a tequila bottle?" Miles asks before sinking bad into his seat.

In this moment he'd once again felt comfortable in the Montgomery ranch, the fear and unease he'd felt washed away. Truly he was expecting Claire to interrogate him about every little wound he'd given to her daughter. He'd deserve that talk but being off the hook felt good. ”Must be weird having someone else's memories. Do you get all the feelings too just the visuals?"

Pursing her lips once more, Claire began to ponder what Miles was saying. She reckoned he had every right to come to the conclusion that he did - but Claire also firmly believed that Miles was one of the very many stand-in sons that John had ‘adopted’. Facts aside, she wasn’t about to sit here and inflate Miles’s ego with such a thing. He had hurt Lilith badly - everyone knew that - but it was childish to worry over and blame people for things that happened years ago.

”Visuals and emotions,” Claire responded, now finishing off the rest of her drink. ”I can picture the memory in my head, and I can sense the emotions around me - or him - and I can feel what he’s feeling. The whole tequila thing is very vivid - the whole party is, honestly. At least from Carlisle's point of view.” Filling her cup once again, Claire continued to speak. ”He’s an interesting being, that boy. Can’t seem to take the hint about anything, always seems to think he’s helping when he’s clearly not. I’m not even sure where to begin to describe how he feels about Lilly. Shit makes me want to gag, honestly.”

Miles only gives a thoughtful ”Hmm," as Claire recounts her experience with Carlisle's memories. As interesting as it would be to explore his friend's mind, the last thing he'd want is constant exposure to his past to that degree. ”Honestly, Carlisle is probably the only person that party was vivid for," he muses, mainly to himself.

As Claire complains about Carlisle's feelings Miles couldn’t help but chuckle. Lilith and her mother truly were cut from the same cloth. ”I suppose I can't really say anything about the feeling side, might come out a bit too hypocritical."

”I beg to differ,” Claire responded, shaking her head. ”I suppose he does love her, in his own way, and he does seem to want the best for her.” Her brow furrowed, the blonde tilting her head to the left ever so slightly as she concentrated. ”I don’t like the way he seems to see her as his. I could be wrong about that, but that’s at least what it seems like to me. This whole ‘it’s my turn. You’re supposed to be with me’ shit is a little… strange.”

”Anyway,” she sighed, drinking more of her whiskey. ”I reckon it’s not a problem so long as he isn’t a little asshole anymore.”

”Yeah, I get that," Miles muses, leaning forward in his seat and wringing his hands. No matter what was said between the pair, Miles couldn’t shake the feeling of unease the knowledge that woman could vividly picture Carlisle memories of him. Memories of him easing Carlisle's mind at parties by telling him him and Lilith were casual to college days of kicking the man out of their dormroom so he could entertain his latest hook up. He knew those members probably painted him in a dark light

”Look," he sighs, ”There's probably some memories up there that I… or probably neither of us want you having so if there's some sort of brain bin you could just chuck 'em into, that'd be great."

”Happily,” Claire laughed. ”Like I’ve said Miles - the past is the past. You don’t have to worry about me hanging it over your head.” Continuing to shuffle through the papers now, Claire let the silence fill the room as she continued to occasionally take a drink from her glass.

”I do have to ask one thing of you though,” she began, her eyes moving up from the table to meet his. ”Don’t hurt her. And I know that it’s a dumb thing to ask of you, because that’s what people do - they hurt other people with the choices they chose to make, even unintentionally. All I’m asking for you is to not hurt her intentionally.”

At her request the young man nods his head. ”I'm trying, Claire. I promise," he replies simply before giving a deep sigh. ”I really do want to be better,"

Hearing Miles’s words, Claire's expression softened as she gave him a sympathetic smile. ”You already are, kiddo.” With a sigh, Claire took a large sip of her drink before reaching for a pack of her cigarettes. ”Now you might wanna go on and git before they get back from doin’ the evenin’ rounds. Still need to give John the news and all that jazz. I got some leftovers you can take your momma on the way out.”

”Yeah, you're right," Miles muses, pushing himself up and out of the chair, readjusting his tie in the process. He hadn't imagined this talk going as well as it did but he was glad for it, thankful even. Her mention of leftovers took him back to days when Claire would cram his overnight bag full of food and supplies and would convince a young Miles to play 'spy' to sneak money from Claire into his mum's possession without her realising. Simpler times in some ways. ”Thanks Claire, for everything. I think having you back has been good for Lil," he says.

[Hedgehawk]

A collab between @Hedgehawk & @Sailorsadie ft. @HaleyTheRandom
Starring: Carlisle, Willow & Lilith

Carlisle couldn’t really focus all afternoon. A briefing with his mother about how to act around the Guild during the handover party. Not that any of it actually sunk in. Carlisle was still thinking about Willow and the consequences of him kissing her. He wasn’t regretting it, far from it, but a part of him wasn’t quite sure what was going on and if he had made a wise choice. Still he was looking forward to the date. He had still wondered how long Willow had been into him, and how he had been too stupid to realise it.

He was right outside Huskers Bar and Grill at the exact time that he promised he was. He had opted for a casual suit to wear for the evening. He checked his watch to make sure he was on time. He then began to develop a sinking feeling that Willow might not actually turn up and this was some kind of trick on him.

After finishing up with work for the day, Willow had hurried home to get ready for her big date with the guy she’d been in love with for years. She had a mini panic attack in trying to decide what to wear, but ultimately decided on a little black mini dress. She had straightened her hair and added kitten heels and large hoop earrings to the ensemble. Taking a glance at the clock, she swore under her breath when she realized she was going to be late.

She hurried to her car and pulled up to the bar about five minutes past their scheduled meet up time. Quickly parking, the woman stepped out of the car, smoothed out her dress, and walked to the door. Willow’s face immediately brightened and she beamed when she saw him. ”Hey, sorry I’m late. You look great.”

Carlisle would be lying if he hadn’t spent the last five minutes panicking if he had been set up. Seeing her however, caused all of his anxiety to go away, and a whole new sensation to take over his body, as his eyes wandered over the dress that adorned her figure. It was very seductive that was for sure. ”No No, it is fine. You look even greater.” Carlisle replied with. It wasn’t smooth at all, far from it, but his nerves were making this all very difficult for him. Holding out his arm to wrap around hers, he would give her a soft smile as he would escort her to the entrance of the bar and enter together.

Her grin widened at his compliment. She couldn’t believe that after all these years, this was actually happening. She might have to give Lilith a thank you gift for finally cutting ties with him. Hell, she’d give her an entire bouquet if Willow could finally call Carlisle hers. Wrapping her arm through his, she gave a slight nod of her head and walked into the bar. She looked around and cleared her throat, her eyes immediately focusing on Lilith. Great. Why didn’t I think she’d be working tonight? This is going to be awkward.

Letting out a breath through her nose, she nodded to the hostess as they were led to a small table in the back. Willow took her seat, smoothing down the back of her dress before sitting. She crossed her legs at the knees before returning her attention to Carlisle. ”Thank you for this. I haven’t been out in forever.”

Carlisle would also noticed Lilith at the same time as Willow did, and Carlisle almost froze. The duo hadn’t really spoken much in the week since the events of the sunday dinner, Carlisle had always gave her a wide berth as he could have sworn that he heard growling as he even got close to her. Moving to the table with Willow, Carlisle did his best to look away from Lilith, hoping that by some divine miracle, she did not notice. ”I should be thanking you. I have never actually really been out really” ’Well done Carlisle, really selling yourself here aren’t you’

Her brows furrowed in question when he mentioned he hadn’t been out. What had he been doing all this time? She thought for sure he had at least gone out a few times before. With a shake of her head, her grin pulled at her lips as she studied him. ”Well, I’m honored you chose me to go out with.” A blush crept up her neck and she shrugged her shoulders. ”I’ve been wanting to go out with you for quite some time.”

”Oh really, how long?” Carlisle asked. He was genuinely curious about this, but at the same time knew that he was going to kick himself when he found out how long it actually was. This entire time he had been so fixated on everything else, or more specifically someone else, that he had completely let the thing skip him by.

Damn her blushing. She could swear her face was red and she suddenly felt very hot. Would she really admit how long she was crushing on the guy? Honesty was always her best policy, both in work and her personal life. Letting out a breath to steady her nerves, she shrugged her shoulders. ”I’ve had a crush on you since school, Car. But you’ve always been interested in, well. Someone else. So I never acted on it.”

School…wow… okay. Carlisle was struggling to process how he could have missed the woman's signals for nearly 6 years. Though granted, three were away at college. ”The whole Me and Lilith thing. That was only really the past year while everyone else was in college, and we were here alone. Since school though? And even after all this time, you still wanted to be with me?” There was a level of disbelief in his voice. Not at her for liking him, but for the fact she was okay with waiting as long as she did.

”I’m a patient woman.” Willow gave a small shrug of her shoulders as she dipped her head. Or a crazy person. Maybe both, who knows? She let out another small breath before looking back up at him. ”I was shy in school, and focused on my studies. So I couldn’t have been with anyone anyway. But, yeah. After all this time…I still want to be with you.” She felt as if her makeup was going to melt off with all the heat that was emitting from her face.

At this point Carlisle's brain just stopped processing what was going on. Was this really all happening? He had never really had anyone interested in him before. Sure Miles and Lil had conversations with him, but never this deep, or about loving someone. Carlisle was at a loss to what to say. Or more precisely, so nervous that he didn’t know how to act and his fear of screwing things up was stopping him from saying anything. Eventually after a moment of awkward silence the awkwardness was enough to override his fear and cause him to open up. ”I guess I am a lucky guy then.” He said with a nervous laugh.

Blinking, she rose a brow and grinned at him. Was he interested in her too? Sure, he had kissed her back at the Coven house. But did that kiss actually mean something, or was it just a test to see if they had chemistry? Willow knew she had felt something with the kiss, but didn’t know if he did as well. She shrugged her shoulders and tucked her hair behind her ears- a nervous trait. She didn’t have to be nervous, though. This date would go great and maybe they could see about being a couple. She cleared her throat at that thought. She was clearly getting ahead of herself. This was a date, sure. But would anything come of it?

Then she realized she hadn’t responded to him. She let out a breath and shrugged her shoulders. ”I didn’t mean to make this awkward or put you on the spot. You have no obligation whatsoever to feel the same about me. I just wanted to let you know where I stand. This isn’t just some game or a fleeting courtship to me. There’s actual feelings behind me being here tonight. And I just want to make that known upfront. You can do whatever you want with that information, but that’s where I stand.”

”What!? No! You aren’t being awkward at all. If anything, all of this is on me. I am just so nervous about saying or doing something that will cause this to go wrong. Like… I haven’t had any interest in me. And yes, I think you are really beautiful and I think you have a great personality. And when we you know…kissed… I really felt something. So much so I can’t focus on anything else all day.” Carlisle stroked the back of his head as he looked over the menu for the grill casually. ”Suppose we should pick some food”

She couldn’t imagine her face being able to flush anymore, but she bet it did. She probably resembled a beet at this moment. With a small laugh, she looked down at her menu and tried to hold back the squeal that was sitting at the back of her throat. Willow couldn’t believe she had made that much of an impact on him with that kiss. Then again, she had been hardly able to think of anything else either. Willow nudged his foot with hers and gave him a shy smile. ”I haven’t been able to really think about anything else, either…” Biting her bottom lip, she grinned and looked back down at the menu. Their waitress should be by sometime soon and she wanted to be prepared just in case it was Lilith. That’d be my luck…

On the other side of the bar, Lilith had been busy working her Friday night shift. The end of the fall season had brought unusually large golfing groups into Huskers tonight as they looked for one last outing this year without their wives.

Dutch Beaukema happened to be one of them.

He was a friend of Husker himself, and had been coming in and out of the bar for years. Dutch was an older man - around seventy-five years of age if Lil had to guess - who stood at a daunting six feet, four inches tall. He was a pervy old shit, but his money was good and he had a heart of gold. Most people couldn’t stand to serve him, mostly because they didn’t know how to talk to him. Dutch was the sort of man that liked to dish shit out and take it back in - preferably ten fold.

Hair thrown back into the usual mess that it was, Lilith ran around the restaurant filling in for the multiple people who had called out that evening. First and foremost, she had to cover her own shift. Then she had been given a seven table section on top of the barstool seats she usually had to serve because Kylie the waitress had called out; not to mention everyone was taking turns playing dishwasher because Ryan had decided to bail that afternoon as well. Being short staffed while serving Dutch’s party of thirty was a literal nightmare - but at least Lilith knew she was going to be tipped well.

As the hostess came to tell her that a new table was sitting in her section, Lilith turned to look back over her shoulder, seeing Carlisle and Willow walk through the door. Taking a deep breath, Lilith sat down the three pitchers of beer that she currently had in hand in front of Dutch and his friends.

”Lilith,” Dutch said, looking over at her in his drunken state. ”Have I told you how beautifully breathtaking you are tonight?”

Her lips formed into a thin line while she took a split second to figure out how to respond. Eyes full of mischievous sparkle, Lilith began to fill the mens empty beer glasses as she spoke.

”Now Dutch,” she sighed, tilting her head to the side as she turned on her southern charm and gave him a playful scolding look. ”Calling me pretty doesn’t make up for how much of an ass you’ve been tonight.” Her response had gotten a few ‘oooohhhhs’ and whistles in return before she quickly added: ”And with all the times you’ve been divorced, we all know that ain’t the first time you’ve heard them words.” As they both laughed along with the crowd, Dutch tried to wrap his free arm around Liliths waist, prompting her to slap the older man on the shoulder as her brow furrowed. ”Don’t you go startin’ your shit back up on me Dutch. Put all the bills on one tab - because we both know you love me - and then have the boys tip me thirty percent for all the shit yeens put me through tonight.”

”Y’all heard the girl,” Dutch yelled out into the bar. ”Grab your wallets and start throwin’ them twenties on the counter.”

Shaking her head, Lilith clapped him on the back once more before walking off with a laugh. Her smile still lingered as she approached Carlisle and Willow’s table.
”Evenin’ guys. You already know who I am - so no need to introduce myself,” she began, now pulling her pen and serving book from the apron tied around her waist. ”Can I get you guys started off with something to drink? Then we can move on to the dinner specials if you’d both like.”

Seeing Lilith come over, Carlisle nearly slunk into his seat, wanting to disappear. He didn't know exactly how Willow was going to react, but from his point of view, he was finding it strange that Lilith was being polite. Sure, it was her professionalism talking, but it still took Carlisle by surprise. "Well, I think to start with I will have a bottle of light beer, how about you Willow? Pick anything you like, it is a date afterall!" He said with a very nervous chuckle.

Great. Awesome. And Carlisle’s acting weird. This is going to be a fun night. While she didn’t necessarily have anything bad towards the woman, she didn’t like how much pull Lilith had on Carlisle. She knew it wasn’t her fault, but she couldn’t help but just want her to be completely out of his life. Willow didn’t want to be a rebound or a second option. Yet with Lilith, she felt that was all she could ever be.

Glancing over at Carlisle, she gave him a small grin at the nervous chuckle, which all but confirmed how tonight was going to go. She cleared her throat and looked back up at Lilith, a grin on her face for the woman. ”Hey, Lilith. I’ll start with a glass of berry sangria, thank you.”

Scratching down some brief notes, Lilith couldn’t help how her eyes cut to Carlisle in his moment of awkwardness. A date? Good for him.

Sure. A date with a girl who looked like her - maybe even acted like her from time to time - at the place she worked. What on earth was this boy thinking? At least it was a start.

Fighting the urge to grab Carlisle by the ear and pull him into the kitchen for a speech, Lilith returned Willow's smile. ”Excellent choice, my dear. I’ll get that put right in for you guys.”

Keep it professional, Li, she thought to herself, turning on her heel to walk back behind the bar and begin to grab their drinks. As she squatted down to grab Carlisle’s drink from the beer cooler, the young woman let her facade drop for just a brief moment. Taking a few deep breaths, Lilith stood back up behind the bar, reaching above her on the drink rack to grab the proper glass for the sangria.

She had taken a little extra time making sure that everything was right for the two of them. It was a little hard to make bottled beer look fancy, but Lilith was sure to grab a frosted glass to go with it. The young woman had spent just a few extra seconds adding extra garnishes and such to Willows sangria - topping it all off with a bright purple hibiscus flower before walking the drinks back over to the table.

”I hope you guys enjoy those,” she spoke as the drinks landed on the table, already beginning to overthink the situation. Hopefully Willow hadn’t latched on to the fact that Carlisle had said ‘a beer’ in a bar full of beer - or the fact that Lilith had picked what Carlisle had always told her had been his favorite. She had been the girlfriend who had to compete with the girl best friend before - and she didn’t want that for Willow. Lilith didn’t want to make her feel like that, or screw this up for them unintentionally. Second guessing herself, the thought of transferring their table to another server quickly ran through her mind as she rambled off the evening’s specials.

”So tonight the app feature is garlic knots with a side of marinara. Entree wise we’re offering an eight ounce filet, cooked to order, served with mashed potatoes and mixed veg. I’ll let y’all ponder over that while you look at the menus, unless you have any questions for me right now?”

"Ohhh the Filet sounds really nice" Carlisle chimed as he looked at the menu. He forgot how nice Huskers was. He didn't really come here, or really go out often, mostly down to his anxiety of being near new people or places. This was a real change for him. "I think I will go for that. Is there anything that catches your eye Willow?" Feeling slightly more relaxed now, Carlisle would smile at Lilith, trying not to be awkward.

Wrapping her hands around her drink, she took a sip while Lilith spoke and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. She cleared her throat and looked back over at Carlisle, her eyes watching at how he interacted with the waitress. It was still very clear that he was trying to put Willow at ease, but she didn’t know if her nerves would be able to survive the night. She had a strong feeling that she was a rebound.

Giving him a small grin, she glanced back at the menu before looking back up at Lilith. ”I’ll just take the salmon with the veggies.”

Lilith did her best to keep her eyes somewhere between the two of them, looking back and forth between the pair so that her eyes didn’t rest on either of them for too long. She stood their writing down their order, silently hoping that she hadn’t beaten whatever best friend telepathy her and Carlisle had shared out of him.

’Don’t fuck this up, she thought, hoping that he could catch the vibe.

”Awesome choices,” the brunette responded, nodding her head as she collected their menus. ”How would each of you like your dishes cooked? Chef recommends medium for both.”

Carlisle would nod to Lilith at the mention of having his meat done medium. He then smiled once more "That sounds fantastic" He took a small swig of his beer, noticing that it was his favourite. Clearly Lilith had saved his ass again. Looking over at her, he could pick up the vibe. He knew he couldn't screw this up. He was just nervous about saying anything.

”Medium sounds great, thanks Lil.” She grinned at the woman before her eyes went back to Carlisle. Willow didn’t want to be a rebound. She had to find some way to ease herself into his life, to take up a part that wasn’t marred by the woman in front of them. She just hoped she’d be able to do so, for the sake of her own heart. Looking back at Lilith, she grinned. ”And the drink is perfect, by the way.”

”Thank you,” Lil replied, now smiling herself. ”So is that dress. You look stunning. Now if you guys will excuse me, I’ll go ring this in and give you two some time to chat.”

As Lil walked away, Carlisle smiled at Willow. And perhaps that was the catalyst that caused him to realise what was going on. ”I know what this looks like…” He started with a soft sigh, taking a gulp of his beer to calm his nerves. In reality his parents had forbade him to drink, as apparently he couldn’t control it. ”I know this looks like some kind of rebound thing. Where I get with anyone because Lilith turned me down. But it isn’t. So in the interest of transparency, if you want to ask me anything about me and Lil go ahead. I won’t tell any lies or hold anything back” Hopefully this would help calm Willow’s nerves, but also his own too.

She blinked at his words. It was definitely not something she thought he would ever bring up. But, it was growth. Progress. Willow couldn’t help but grin at him. He may think that this isn’t a rebound thing, but she knew a part of it always would be. Hell, it was Lilith Montgomery. Who could really compare to her? Clearing her throat, she took another sip of her drink before speaking. ”Okay…You say this isn’t a rebound thing. So. What made you ask me out on a date? Or hell, kiss me? You’ve never shown any interest before.”

”Well…” It seems Willow has opened up on a tough question. One that could destroy everything if he didn’t respond correctly. But he did have a good response. Well. He thought so. ”... It was a combination of two things. Like, I don’t know why, but my brain suddenly registered the way you were looking at me. Like had I really been that stupid to not notice that someone had been looking at me in that way. Secondly, my brain just felt something different. I felt attraction. I kissed you because I wanted to confirm what my heart was telling me. And yeah. I like you.”

”Oh.” She couldn’t help the blush that crept up the sides of her neck. Willow nodded her head slowly as she played with the straw in her drink. ”I won’t lie and say the kiss completely surprised me. But, it was a good surprise.” Her eyes flitted over to Lilith and studied the woman before looking back at Carlisle. ”So whatever you had going on with Lilith is over?”

A lump formed at the base of his throat. Don’t make me say it his brain fired back. He knew this was coming. He would have to face this one day. He liked Willow, but to say it now, this early, this raw… Carlisle wasn’t ready. But. He knew that if he didn’t, Willow would never trust him. She would always have that doubt in her mind. Carlisle let out a deep, almost defeated sigh.”We were never a thing to begin with. There was nothing going on. I had feelings for her, which rather than just admit, I let build up and up to the point where it became critical. Then Miles came along and I felt scared and it caused me to lash out and try to shoot my shot in the worst possible way. I don’t want to make that kind of mistake again.”

Willow nodded along silently as Carlisle explained everything. She watched his face and studied his expression. She realized how tough this was for him to explain. So, they weren’t a thing? She knew he had a thing for Lilith. Hell, everyone knew. Willow just didn’t know that it wasn’t reciprocated. Her teeth sucked in her bottom lip as she thought about everything he was saying. She cleared her throat and tried for a joke. ”Well. If it makes you feel any better, you won’t make that mistake with me. Cause the feelings are definitely there.”

”Well, if my track record on women is to be believed, I am going to screw up in oh so many other ways. I am sure mother would say that I would test the patience of that love of yours” Carlisle said with a very nervous laugh. It was a laugh, but he was using it to disguise his genuine fear of screwing up around her. ”This is embarrassing, but I haven’t really done a date thing before. So what do we talk about?”

”Everybody screws up, Car. It’s just how we respond and react that makes all the difference.” She could feel her social worker side coming out, and she had to take a deep breath to not let her work interfere with her relationship. Willow cleared her throat, but then couldn’t help a small grin when she realized he’d never been on a date. She’d been on a couple, but nothing that had sustenance. She wanted this time to be different. Willow shrugged her shoulders. ”Well. We talk about our likes, our interests. See if we have anything in common other than initial attraction to each other.”

Carlisle stopped for a second. What did he like? Could he even say that he had hobbies? Hanging around with Miles was really just because he tolerated him, and dragged him to parties. He never really ever did things he wanted to do. Infact he had been like this for so long, he couldn’t even think of things he would want to do. ”Well…. I uh…um… I like to watch movies? I try to play games, but rarely find the time. The coven takes up so much of my life the past few years. My mother would just keep me working. Lilith was the only one who would pull me away from the cycle.”

Nodding slightly, she tilted her head in thought. It wasn’t fair to him that he was a young man who didn’t know how to have fun. That’s what Willow could provide to him. Some fun. Lilith wasn’t in the picture anymore, as far as she could tell, so she could be the one to occupy his time. Thinking about what they could do, she finally gave a slight nod of her head before speaking. “Okay. So. Movies. We could go to the drive in or the theater? Or just take a day and hang out at Pinewood? I like to bowl and play arcade games, so that could be really fun.”

”Yeah it does sound really fun. I have never really tried bowling. I am sure I would throw myself down the aisle and hit the pins myself.” Carlisle said with a laugh. ”After this whole handover ceremony, we could try and get to Seattle? Maybe even go to the beach.” Carlisle tried to suggest, trying to keep the conversation flowing. But just sitting next to Willow was enough for him.

As she continued to drink, her liquid courage was running through her veins and she found herself beaming at him. She loved that he was planning to do more things with her. Was Willow finally getting what she had wished for since high school? It looked as if she might. She nodded her head and sat back once her drink was finished. ”I love the ocean. Sounds like another date, Car.”

”It does” Carlisle said with a soft smile. He then looked over at Willow before leaning over the table and kissing her on the cheek. ”Sitting in the sand holding hands with you while the sunsets. That sounds amazing. We could make it a small holiday. I am sure the coven could cope without us for a few days.”

Why did her cheeks have to blush so damn hard? Blowing out a small breath to even out her nerves, she beamed more and nodded at him. ”It does sound perfect. The coven would survive, I’m sure of it. I’ll just have to look at my schedule and see if I have a break in between patients. But we can totally make it work.”

”Well I am sure we can figure it out” Carlisle said with a smile. He would then sit back down and get comfortable one more time. ” I hope you don’t think sending time with me is like interacting with your patients. I know I can be difficult to work with. ” Carlisle said with a slight huff.

Her brows furrowed and she quickly shook her head. ”I don’t mix business with pleasure. While yes, it can be difficult at times since I just like to help people, I really try to leave the shrink at the office.” She cleared her throat and shifted in her chair. ”I really hope you don’t think I do that to you. Sometimes it happens, but I really try to not let it.”

”No…No… I just don’t want to be a burden. Sometimes I feel that I come with alot of baggage that people have to deal with. I sometimes think that with mine and MIles’s and now Mine and Liiths’s friendships, that I cause the people I am with alot of hassle.” Carlisle let out a little sigh, finishing off his beer bottle and he looked down a bit.

Seeing him hang his head in defeat pulled at her chest. She took a breath and reached over, cupping her hand over his. Giving it a light squeeze, Willow lowered her head so she could look into his eyes. She gave him a soft grin and shook her head. ”Car…If I thought you were going to be a burden to me, I would have never accepted this date. I never would have been vulnerable enough to finally tell you what my feelings are. I’m all in on this, okay? There’s nothing about you that’s a hassle or a burden to me.”

Hearing that she was all in on this should have reassured Carlilse. Instead it caused him to feel even more pressure to perform. He didn’t wanna let her down. He had tried to learn from Miles. But he was far too confident and suave for Carlisle to emulate properly. ”Well… If you say so. Just expect me to eventually geton your nerves trying to help. That seems to be a common theme. Haha. Oh this date is going fantastic” He nervous laugh, once again made an appearance.

Shaking her head slightly, she took a moment to search his face. She could tell he was still nervous and holding back a bit. How could she convince him that, despite everything he was saying about himself, she still maintained feelings for him all these years? Willow liked him for him, flaws and all. Biting the inside of her cheek, she reached up and put a hand against his cheek before leaning in, her lips brushing across his. She pulled back slightly and grinned. ”I like you for exactly who you are, warts and all.”

”I have warts?!” Carlisle exclaimed as he pulled back and ran his hands down his face, trying to detect any kind of trace of what she had just mentioned.

Willow couldn’t help a small laugh. She shook her head and brushed some of his hair away from his eyes. She loved his eyes. ”It’s just an expression, Car. I just mean that I like every part of you, even the things you don’t like about yourself. I wouldn’t be here tonight if there wasn’t anything about you that I couldn’t handle.”

”People can like the bad parts of me?” Carlisle asked as his brain struggled to keep up.Not even his own mother would confirm if she actually loved him. Whenever he asked she would deflect the question. So he wasn’t used to someone saying that they were here through thick and thin. Lil and Miles had said it sure, but not to this depth. To this degree. ”Best thing I can do is try and live upto your expectations”

Her brows furrowed in concern at his question. Had he never been fully accepted by anyone before? Willow searched his face and tilted her head as she studied him. At his next statement, a grin stretched across her face and she shrugged her shoulders. ”I have no expectations, Carlisle. You have absolutely nothing to prove to me, okay? I like you. Really like you. Just for who you are.”

Hearing how she said that she really liked him caused Carlisle to blush slightly as he felt the heat raise to his head. He wasn't able to say anything as the food had finally been delivered. He smiled to Lilith and thanked her before picking up his knife and fork and beginning to eat. "Wow this is really good"

Sitting back in her seat, she grinned at Lilith in thanks before digging in. She groaned at the first bite and nodded her head in agreement. ”So’s this. I rarely come out to Huskers anymore. I should change that. Their food is always great.”

Soon their drinks were refilled and the meal went by without a hitch. It wasn’t as awkward or embarrassing as she thought it would be, especially with Lilith being their waitress. She actually happened to be really sweet with the both of them and very considerate of her time. Maybe she was okay with this whole situation. When the food was gone, Willow sat back and put a hand on her stomach. ”Well. I’m thoroughly sated. Thanks for suggesting we do this. Tonight has been a really good night and I can’t wait to do this again with you.”

"It has been an amazing experience. I have honestly enjoyed this" Carlisle would pay the bill, leaving a $50 tip for Lilith. Even though he knew the Montgomery family didn't need the money, he still wanted to show his appreciation. Helping Willow up, Carlisle would lead the duo out of the bar. Standing on the street he would smile. "Honestly, this has been one of the best nights of my life"

”Good.” Looking around them, she ran a hand through her hair and let out a deep breath. She didn’t understand how this could have been one of his first dates, but she wasn’t about to argue or complain against it. The night had been pretty great for her as well. She smiled at the man and leaned over to him, brushing her lips against his in a soft kiss. Her arms wrapped around his waist and hugged him during the kiss.

Carlisle let out the softest of moans as she kissed him. He would return the kiss back, placing his hands around her back and holding her close as he tried to embrace her. He would hold the kiss for a while, taking the time to savor and enjoy the moment. She tasted equesitive. He eventually pulled away and smiled towards her. "That felt like a dream come true." He spoke softly.

A blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks before nodding her head. ”Maybe now things are turning in your favor, Carlisle Aston.” Pulling further back, she tucked her hair behind her ears and let out a breath. ”We should definitely do this again sometime soon. I need to be getting home though, I have an early patient.”

A part of Carlisle wanted to tell Willow to stay with him for the night. But at the same time he didn't want to push his luck. He wasn't Miles afterall. "Look after yourself okay? Text me when you get home" He mentioned, pulling her in for one more kiss on the lips.

Smiling against his lips, she gave him one final kiss before pulling away for good. Willow kissed his jaw and ran the back of her knuckles against his cheek before nodding. ”Goodnight, Car.” Stepping back, she waved her fingers and headed off to her car, a stupid goofy grin spread far across her face.

[Hedgehawk]

[Hedgehawk]

A collab between @SouffleGirl123 & @Hedgehawk Featuring Carlisle, Miles & Mary & Amanda

September had been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for Carlisle. There was so much going on in his life that he had struggled to keep up with the sudden changing of the relationships and dynamics that had occurred. Part of him had wished he could go back in time, before everyone returned from college where everything was alot more simple. Mostly because he wanted himself and Lilith to go back to being proper best friends again. While hanging out with WIllow was nice, he was not going to deny that. He still missed the company of the person he deemed closest to him. Even if said person had punched him in the face and threw bottles of tequila at him.

Still none of that mattered right now. His brain was being occupied by other things. More direct, and important things that needed to be dealt with. Like making sure everything was set up for this party. Over the past week Tanner had started filling up with various guests. The guise was that the society that the coven used as cover was having a celebration to crown a new leader. It was enough to keep the locals from suspecting anything. But Carlisle was angsty. The more people who were in Tanner the harder it was to maintain the masquerade. Sure they could memory wipe, but Carlisle didn’t fancy having to wipe half the town's memory just because some witch or magi had gotten too drunk.

At the moment Carlisle was standing in the entrance way of the coven household, standing there with a clipboard going through the schedule for the evening whilst also at the same time directing the various helpers and movers who were setting up decorations and furniture. ”I am standing here planning my own celebration party. I really should be getting ready and trying to relax. Shit. I need to go over my speech” Carlisle mumbled to himself, hitting his head with the clipboard when he realised he had even more work to do before showtime.

With his mother being on meal duty Miles had arrived to the coven house earlier with her. They'd decided to come together as they both knew the chances of Miles being sober enough to drive at the end of the night would be low. Miles had expected to be on grandparent duty as they were in town but they spending the morning with friends from their days in the coven.

As he wandered through the house he quickly caught sight if his old best friend. The pair had barely talked since the family dinner. Their only non-coven interaction was really just the random memes they'd send out of instinct. Miles didn't really know how to approach the situation with the man. He missed his friend but he knew there'd be some tension over Lil, especially considering Miles had turned back on helping him to get her at the drop of a hat. As he gets closer he hears Carlisle’s mumblings and couldn't help but chuckle. ”Truly a pitiful situation," he replies half-jokingly.

Carlisle lowered his clipboard upon hearing Miles' voice.He turned around and gave a small smile. It felt strange seeing his best friends again. They had been apart for almost two years, and then after being back for a few months he ended up getting with the girl he had a crush on all summer. It was alot to take in. ”Originally Lilith was going to do all this, but given the current situation i figured it was best not to bother her. Least I can do really” The exhaustion had left his body, but his eyes still held a speckle of tiredness for those that knew where to look.

Miles gave Carlisle a small smile in response before clapping him on the shoulder. ”You look tired," he muses. He didn’t really know what to say to the man. Sorry your crush and I still love each other didn't feel right because he honestly wasn't sorry but blowing it off left a bad taste in his mouth.

”Well. Now I am harbouring another being in my soul, it feels like I can’t quite get enough sleep to recuperate.” Carlisle let out a soft sigh. ”I swear my nose isn’t right, even with all the healies.” He brushed his nose with his fingers. ”I thought you were coming over later, what brings you here so early?”

”Well my memaw and papaw made other plans and I thought I'd let Lil get ready alone so I came with my ma," he replies simply. ”How are you holding up? The Montgomerys aren't giving you too much grief are they? I know grandpa John can be a bit of a hardass."

"Honestly, Grandpa John ain't the issue. Lilith is. She is really passive aggressive when she wants to be. And doesn't let up. Like… I have gotten on her bad side before. But she has never been this bad. Heck, I don't even know if she will be able to hold it together when we have to do the ceremony." Carlisle let out a deep sigh " No she would behave, she would then find a way to make me suffer" Carlisle then began to rub his forehead.

Miles gave a sigh, looking his friend up and down. ”Look, bud, I don't want to seem like I'm pandering but maybe acting like Lil's at fault for your pain isn't the best way to go living, y'know?" Miles replies, scratching the back of his neck.

" I know that. But she is prone to overreacting you know. You try and help and all of the sudden she starts going off on one. I was trying to take charge and stop John from killing you. Didn't hurt him, or anything. Just kept him somewhere where he could calm down." Carlisle raised a hand dismissively " It doesn't matter now anyway. I have far bigger things to be worried about… there are so many important people in Tanner right now, and the barrier isn't anywhere near its full strength"

Miles shakes his head at the boys comment. ”My dude, maybe just don't intervene into other's business," Miles replies running his hand through his hair. He looked at the few people in the house rearranging furniture and hastily putting up decorations. ”Things seem under control enough… I think you need a drink. Pick your poison. Wine?"

”Since when have you known me to drink alcohol?” Carlisle questioned. ”Sorry, that came out wrong. The last thing I need right now is my sense to be impaired. I already have the Guilds lapdogs rummaging around doing a ‘security check’” Carlisle scrunched his nose and then took a deep gasp of air inwards ”There is just so much…”

”And why is that being put over there!? Useless!” Carlisle sighed at hearing the voice of his mother in the distance. This was all he needed.

At Carlisle's question Miles shrugs. ”You gave it some good goes in college," he replies before tugging the clipboard out of the boy's hands. ”I'm not saying get wasted, although that might really get rid of those nerves you got right now, but just something to dumb off that high. You worry too much."

That was when Amanda's voice could be heard through the room. Miles tensed slightly. Amanda was an uncomfortable figure at best. Miles knew she wasn't his biggest fan but he was more concerned what she might cause his mother to do. Or Claire.

Walking into the room Amanda finally saw the site of Carlisle and Miles. Walking over she saw Miles and gave off a grunt of disgust. ”I know I said to learn to delegate tasks to your lessers Carlisle, but a task as important as this should be delegated to a…urchin” With that she snatched the clipboard from Miles’ hands and began to flick through. ”No no no. Why did you write a plan and schedule like this? It is all wrong and out of place. No wonder this place is chaos” Before she could say anything else, Carlisle took the clipboard from her.

”This is a coven event. I am incharge of the coven. This is how I have decided to do it. We only do this once every 25-30 years, so its not like I have alot to go on. Everyone will be happy, and all the important events are in the right order. Please bear in mind however, you are only here because you are a council member, otherwise you wouldn’t be here at all.” Amanda stuck her nose out at the last comment, not saying a word she turned around and stormed off towards the library, Carlisle gave a sigh of relief.

As Carlisle and his mother squabble Miles couldn't get a word in edgeways and in a moment she was gone. ”Gee," he says with an exasperated sigh. ”24 years and I'm still just a street urchin to her. She's gonna get a fist in the wrong place between ma and Claire if she's not careful." Miles then turns his attention to Carlisle, properly addressing him this time. ”Good onya for standing up to your ma. So about that drink?" he offers once more.

”One glass of wine and that is it. I need to go through my speech and make sure it sounds like it was written by a human and not a robot” Carlisle bit his bottom lip. ”I never understood mother. She has always held disdain for the Price’s but sometimes I think it is from jealousy more than anything else” Carlisle mused as he led the pair into the kitchen.

”Attaboy," Miles cheers as Carlisle leads the pair into the kitchen. ”Trust me, the booze will make you sound a lot less robotic so win-win, right?"

At Carlisle's musing Miles gives a shrug. ”Suppose our mas butted heads back in the day. Probably doesn't help mine and Claire are so close but she probably can't take it out on a Montgomery,"

"Well she can politely stick it. I have had enough of everyone arguing and bickering because of blood and power. Being a witch these days is hard enough without having all this stupid infighting. If I want my rule to be about anything it is going to be about stability. I don't want to make the history books" Carlisle said with a soft smile as they entered the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of wine off the rack, he pulled out two glasses before trying to untwist the cap off the bottle.

”I guess if all hell breaks loose it'll give our future kids something to talk about," Miles muses, watching as his friend struggles with the twist cap. Eventually he puts a hand out, beckoning the man to pass over the bottle, and pops the lid off with ease. He pours them both a glass and pushes one toward Carlisle. Miles wasn't the biggers of wine drinkers himself but he wasn't going to turn down a chance to drink with his friend.

Sighing as he had to hand the bottle of over to Miles, Carlisle would take the glass of wine back and take a big drink of it from the get go, letting out a semi-satisfied sigh afterwards ”Knowing my luck, the coven will break apart over my watch and we will be taken over by the Guild. Sounds about run of the course for me.” Carlisle then messed around, swilling the wine around in his glass as he watched it spin around. ”So how are things with you Lilith? Have you decided what you are or aren’t yet?”

At Carlisle's question the man raises an eyebrow. It had been 3 weeks since Lil and him became official once again. Although he knew Carlisle was on odd terms with Lil, Miles wasn't surprised he hadn't heard through the grapevine. It made Miles feel almost awkward in sharing this information, considering the pair's situation when it cam to Lilith a month ago. ”I'm surprised you don't know," Miles says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. ”Lil and I got back together, like properly." At this moment Miles prepared himself to have to charm his friend, unsure how he'd react.

Hearing the news, it was as Carlisle suspected. Lilith wasn’t going to tell him anything. The only time they spoke was when she was giving him the sideeye or berating him. There was no way she was going to divulge this kind of information at the moment. Carlisle would be lying if there wasn’t a part of him that was stinging at the news. It was to a degree like college repeating itself all over again. Maybe it was Carlisle's fault for developing a crush on one of his best friends former lovers.

”That's cool. Good on you” Carlisle said with a small smile, taking another deep gulp of wine. He then put the glass down and smiled some more ”Lilith deserves to be happy, and while a part of me wishes it was me. I am more than happy it is with someone I trust to look after her.”

Miles sighs, taking a sip of his own drink. ”You're saying the words, Car, but I'm not sure if you mean them," he replies reluctantly, toying with his wine glass. ”Look, part of me wants to say I'm sorry but it'd be a lie. I know it hurt you, and for that part I am sorry but I don't really feel sorry for being with her again."

Miles turns in his place and seats himself on the bench, watching as people hurriedly set up the mansion, some occasional slinking away from Amanda Aston snapping instruction and insults. Miles was still not good with this confrontation thing. He doubted he ever would be. ”I was so determined to show you I was a different person to the one who took all your girls. Some of those were jerk moves, I know. Maybe not fully my fault but a jerk moves nonetheless. When I figured out you liked Li, well it felt like a perfect opportunity to do that. I guess fate was laughing hard at that idea." Miles sighs, taking a sip of his wine.

"Look if you had told me a few weeks ago you were going to make a move for Lil, I am not going to lie, I would have swung for you. But… It Doesn't matter how I feel about Lil, because she doesn't feel the same, and I can't change that. There is nothing I can do." Carlisle would join Miles on the bench, pouring himself a second glass of wine " At the end of the day. As long as the two of you are happy, that's all I care about. Besides, I don't even know if me and Lil are still even best friends, or even friends at this point. No point crying about not being my girlfriend if you are losing them as a simple friend" Carlisle let out a small sigh, masking it with another drink from his glass.

Miles looked over at his friend and pursed his lips. For as much as he didn't regret getting back with Lilith he couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. ”And where do we stand?" he asks simply. Part of Miles knew they couldn't instantly go back to their friendship. Heck, he knew in some ways their closeness only went so far. Miles was far too blase for something deep and Carlisle was closer to Lil, whether she saw that closeness or not.

"From my point of view, nothing has really changed. You are still my best friend. Sure, we aren't as close as we were back in college, but that was because we were apart for a year and a half" Carlisle would take another deep drink of his glass, almost finishing his second glass in the space of ten minutes. "Don't mean we can't become closer. Moving forward there is going to be alot of trials and tests. For all of us. We are going to all need each other if we are to figure out how to navigate them all"

Miles polishes off his glass but doesn't refill it, there'd be better tasting alcohol in his near future and he didn't want to get wine drunk before so. ”Y'know," he says softly, placing his glass back on the table. ”When you and Lil got close it stung a bit. Not in a 'I want her to myself' kinda way just…" Miles takes a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. ”We were essentially raised together. Even before she moved here there were the biannual Montgomery-Price holidays and all that. She was my closest friend, we both knew things about each other noone else knew. We grieved her memaw and ma together. And after I screwed it up and we broke contact I never had anyone who knew me as well. You were the closest. The Olympia guys were great but let's be honest, they were only there for the parties and funtimes. I guess watching my 2 closest friends push me away to get closer hurt a bit."

" I mean me and Lilith never got close until I returned from college with my tail between my legs. We were the only two from our year group to still be in Tanner. So we kinda bonded over being alone. If you were still in Tanner it would have played out differently. When you came back, well. Then it got awkward, I had to do my best to balance you being around and Lil not wanting to be near you. In hindsight I should of seen it coming with the coven reunion." While Miles was abstaining, Carlisle was pouring himself his third glass of wine "Well, the past is the past. We can't change it, only decide what we want to do going forward"

”In your defense, none of us saw it coming. I actually thought I'd be the one with a broken nose at the end of the first day. Man, that girl can punch," Miles replies, a small smile spread across his face at the last line. He watches as his friend pours another glass, unsure whether or not to stop him. He settled on the second option, Carlisle could figure himself out.

"Tell me about it" Carlisle continued taking another sip from the glass "Imagine if she actually did martial arts. This whole world would be screwed… Look… I don't hold anything against anyone. I got to go to the astral plane and be told that you and Lil were literally written in the stars. No amount of tampering or sabotage was ever going to work." a small sigh led to him taking another swig of his drink " It doesn't matter anymore anyway. Last week I had my own run of luck. Do you remember Willow?"

”The therapist, right?" Miles asks, his brow furrowing.

" Yeah, well. Last week she came around the household while I was working on the arrangements for today. And well, turns out she has been liking me for a long time. And we kissed" Carlisle let out a little squeal at the end of his sentence before drowning it with more wine.

Miles couldn’t help but chuckle as Carlisle squealed like a little school girl as he talked about kissing Willow. ”Look at you go, Car. How was it?" he asks.

" It was great. We went for a date out to Huskers and it was really cool to spend time with her. Apparently she has liked me for a long time and I have never even noticed it" Carlisle said with a smile, once more taking another swig of wine "I forgot how much I like this stuff. And to think, I had been hiding juice in wine bottles and replacing vodka for water for years because I thought alcohol made me ill"

”I'm happy for you, bud," Miles say, clapping Carlisle on the back. ”And I promise she's all yours. I'm a taken man now, a properly taken man,"

”I think it was the attempted keg stands that made you ill. I appreciated the attempt but it's very much not your expertise," Miles chuckles as Carlisle compliments the wine. He couldn't help but remember Carlisle's attempt to beat Miles' time but barely getting up in the air. Part of Miles thought his friend might have died that day.

" Well that is a relief. Just gotta make sure that I don't screw it up and somehow scare her away or cause her to beat the shit out of me in the world's biggest overreaction" finishing off the third glass, Carlisle let out a small burp, followed by a small giggle. It was clearly that somehow, he was starting to become inebriated. "Gonna take it sloooow, maybe woo her at the dance later tonight"

Miles looked at his friend incredulously. He'd only seen Carlisle drunk on a couple of occasions, both being in college. His speech was bound to be interesting indeed. ”Having fun there?" he asks.

Pouring the last of the wine into the glass Carlisle let out a small chuckle " I am having a blast. The best time of my life. Don't know why I am stressing about this party or the ceremony or that Salem woman. I am happy and everyone else can suck it" With that he necked the glass of wine and put the glass down on the table a little too hard.

Miles couldn't help but wonder if he sounded similar when he got drunk enough. It definitely has a lot more liquor for them to get there. ”I can't believe I'm about to say this but you might want to slow down for a moment. You're not Lil or I, you can't really hold your liquor,"

" I can hold my… " Carlisle interrupted his own sentence with a hiccup before bursting out laughing " At least I am a cheap guy to buy drink for" realising the bottle was empty, Carlisle pouted. "Maybe we should get some more from the fridge?"

”Car, you know I'm all for the drinking but maybe hold on for a moment, don't want you chucking up on anyone during your grand speech," Miles replies with a chuckle. Part of him couldn't believe he was the responsible one for once. This must be how Carlisle felt through college.

”I already have my speech planned out…” Carlisle slurred slightly ”Fuck my mother, Fuck the Guild, Fuck the old elites who think they are important. I am now in charge… And I say… we Par-tay ” With that Carlisle raised his hands in the air and gave out a cheer, which was loud enough that it seemed to catch the attention of Amanda.

All Miles could do is cover his face with his hand to hide the astonishment written over it. This was not good at all. Amusing? Absolutely. Probably one of the best speeches at these stuffy guild events. Probably Carlisle's best too. But also likely not a good thing. Lilith was probably going to kill one of them for this.

Carlisle locked eyes with Amanda’s disgusted look and he called out ”Yeah I am talking about you, you demented old bean” At that remark, Amanda stormed on over and was about to admonish him when she realised he had been drinking.

”Ah, I see the urchin has had you drinking. There is a reason we don’t let you drink Carlisle. You can’t handle it and you start getting ideas well above your station when under the influence.”

”Well I am the station now! I decide whats over or above my station level…thing” Carlisle carried on, not really making alot of sense. Amanda instead moved her eyes to Miles.

”Make yourself useful and get him cleaned up. Last thing I need is for him to disgrace the Aston name infront of the whole magical world!”

”It’s my magical world now and y’all just livin’ in it!” Carlisle cooed.

”Mands! Can I call you Mands? Actually I don't care," Miles greets Carlisle's mother with a smile. He may have not intended his friend to get this drunk, Miles did only offer and pour one drink after all, but he was happy to take the hit. ”Funny thing about handing over your job, I don't work for you anymore," he says with a shrug.

”Yes? Well that means I don’t get punished if I magically beat your ass into the ground” Amanda hissed back. ”Just do your ‘friends’ duty and look after him. If you do mind, I am off to go and greet Salem, and probably warn her that the Coven is about to fall off the edge of a cliff” With that Amanda stuck up her nose and walked off.

”Yeah, well I…I ain’t afraid of cliffs, or Salem. I can have her…out in the parking lot…” Carlisle meandered off, trying to get up and almost falling over in the process.

”Woah, bud," Miles replies, grabbing onto Carlisle to stabilize him. ”I hate to admit it, but your ma has a point. We should clean you off,"

”I will clean you off…” Carlisle started as Miles began to lead him away from the bench. It took a while, but Carlisle eventually sobered up enough that it wasn’t plainly obvious he was drunk. But his head was hurting. Although, Miles did have to help Carlisle into his suit, which Carlisle took as a game and began removing clothing as Miles was putting it on.

”Dude… Why did you let me drink that much. I am hungover before my own party starts”

”Hey," Miles says defensively, raising his arms. ”I offered 1. Anything extra you had was your problem. You're and adult, it's not my job to monitor your drinking,"

” So just like me in college then to you?” Carlisle said as he rubbed his head and looked at the clock. ”Dude it is almost time, you better go get ready yourself, depending on what you are going to wear. Also, where is your mother, I need to speak with her.”

Miles looks down at his own clothes, a vest over a red button up shirt. He already had to wear a suit 5 days a week, he wasn’t going to make it 6. ”Dude, I'm already dressed," he argues begrudgingly. When Carlisle asks about his mother, Miles shrugs. ”I don't know, the kitchen? What do you need my ma for?"

Looking Miles up and down, Carlisle shook his head. ”You know Lil is getting dressed up right. She isn’t going to be happy if you wear that. Alos, I gotta go ask her something important” With that, Carlisle left Miles in his bedroom before popping his head back in again ”I keep spare clothes in the closet you can use” He remarked before running off downstairs to find Mary in the kitchen. Entering, Carlisle would lean on the counter to smile at Mary. ”Hey Mary, I have a question… and a favour… and it is a pretty big one…”

Miles watches as Carlisle runs off, shaking his head. Lil had seen him earlier and said nothing so he assumed what he was wearing was fine and chose not to take Carlisle's offer.

Mary was in the kitchen helping cook some of the party food when Carlisle approached her. The older woman furrowed her brow. "Sure, dear, what can I do for you?" she asks

”So you know with the ceremony and all that. There are parts where the new leader and then their parents are supposed to be together. It’s all pomp and circumstance nonsense really. Things like welcoming the guests at the door, they are supposed to introduce you to everyone etc. Honestly, it might as well be taken from the fucking princess diaries. Anyway… I don’t really want to be there with my mother. She will just use every chance she can get to belittle me in front of people. I was hoping, maybe you would take her place instead?” Carlisle asked, slightly unsure of the answer he was about to get.

At Carlisle's question Mary's face softened. Of course, Carlisle," she replies, placing the tray of spring rolls she was holding on the kitchen bench. "You'll have to tell me what I'll be doin' but I reckon I could,"

”Most of it is just standing there and posing, Only bit that requires involvement is the introductions bit. But I gave everyone an invite they have to give to you, so you know exactly who they are. I am really nervous though. This speech is freaking me out in more ways than one”

"In what ways?" she asks, leaning over the bench.

”I am just worried that it won’t actually be any good. That people will not enjoy it, or that it will make me look weak. We both know that I don’t exactly have a way with words” Carlisle spoke as he rubbed his hair in both frustration and anxiety.

"Well, we've got some time. How 'bout you practice with me?" she offers with a gentle smile. "I can tell you for a fact, Milo didn't get his way with words from his father,"

With a shake of his head Carlisle spoke ”It is okay, thanks for offering though. If i spend any longer trying to speak it or going through it, I am just going to keep nitpicking it and making myself worse. Its just performance anxiety. The past 30 days haven't really done much for my confidence.”

Mary nods in response. A ding goes off from the oven and she turns to pull out a tray of chicken nuggets. "You just gotta buck up, kid," she says, placing the tray on the bench. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Now why don't you go and start welcomin' people in, I'll join you in a moment,"

---

Later That Evening

Coven Household Entrance - Council Handover Ceremony - 7PM

---

Carlisle had sobered up enough that he could finally interact as a human being. He took a moment to adjust the bowtie on his Suit. It was finally 7pm and everyone was starting to arrive. The ceremony was all pompous and a little dated, but it was tradition. Standing there Amanda began to walk over to him.

"Let's get this over with shall we? Try and look happy, we have to at least keep up appearances" Carlisle would cough slightly, pulling at his collar before finally saying what he had wanted to say all afternoon.

"Asides from the ceremony tonight, and that's all, I don't require you for anything. I have asked someone else to step in for me" Carlisle smiled as he motioned towards the now incoming Mary, causing Amanda to scoff in disbelief. "Really now? Out of all the people you could choose, you went for the Urchin Breeder"

"You're a lil touched, ain’t ya?" Mary drawls. She takes a step toward the woman, sizing her up. "I'm only gonna ask you just once to leave my boy out of this. At this rate you seemed more obsessed about him than ya own kid standin' right here. Now, tell me Amanda, what makes you think he's gonna go runnin' back to you after you disowned the poor boy?"

Amanda didn’t back down when Mary tried to size her up. Sure Mary was taller, but Amanda was going to let this commoner push her around. ”Because if he knows what is good for him, then he will realise that power stays together. Even when said power is a worthless sack of shit that doesn’t even deserve the name”

"Yeah, no. There'll be none of that here," Mary says before turning to Carlisle. "Why don't you go and greet some of our guests, you don't need to listen to the psychotic ramblings of this sour puss." She then turns back to the woman before her and steps even closer. Mary wasn't the angry type but Amanda seemed to know how to push her buttons from the day she moved to Tanner all those years ago. "For someone who made a big deal about havin' the boy and how well he'll be raised you really turned out to be a disappointment of a parent, didn't ya?" she quips.

Carlisle took a step back. He wanted to say something, but he had the impression that Mary wanted to deal with this himself. He would take a few moments to adjust his bowtie and take the final few steps to the door, making sure he was still in earshot of duo. Amanda on the tiger hand just took a deep breath through he nose, exhaling hard. "The problem was I had to make do with my pathetic husband. If his true father had actually had him, he would have been useful and powerful, not wasted on some stumpy little southerner like you"

"True father? Mary laughs, looking the woman up and down. "Bless your heart, you're more delusional than I thought. Just because you want someone to be yours doesn't make them meant to be. Besides, chances are your boy would still be a warlock, mine is. Not that that matters that much. No, all you would have done for yourself is be left to raise that poor boy on his own, and for his sake I'm glad you weren't."

" Please. His father never cared so long as he was out of the way. I raised Carlisle on my own. And at every possible chance to impress or show that he was an Aston, he failed. Your son gained powers that are wasted on him. Oh if I had want I deserved, Carlisle would have been so powerful it would have made Lilith and Serena look like bitches." Amanda still looked outraged, occasionally she would glare at Carlisle, who would look away and greet the various coven members from both around the world, and from Tanner.

" I would explain more about it, but to be honest that would be giving away spoilers about little Jonathan. And I don't think I am ready to drop that on you yet" Amanda proclaimed with a grin.

"My son's doin' perfectly fine with the powers he was given, thank you very much. As is yours. What you actually deserve is to be dragged into the depths of the hells themself!" Mary snaps in return, heat rising to her face from her anger. The temptation to grab the nearest stick and whack the woman over the head was strong but this was not the place.

At Amanda's final comment Mary crosses her arms and raises her brow. There was a lot about Miles' father she didn't know. She knew he was far from a truthful man, she only knew about his magic thanks to her divination and he'd up and left without a trace after 2 months of acting like he was excited about her pregnancy. But what did Amanda know? Did Mary even care? Probably not enough.

Mary scoffed, looking the woman up and down. "You think anythin' to do with that name would still sting? It's been 25 years, I'm not insufferably petty like you. Y'know what? If Johnathon Park ever comes a'knocking you can have the bastard to yourself. Or better still, punt him back to Korea and out of my face."

Amanda simply laughed at how Mary ended that sentence. She didn't care? Really? If only she knew. Amanda would cross his arms and raise her eyebrow "It doesn't matter anyway. I was left with a useless son who only had one job: Be better than the piece of shit you spat out. And somehow, he befriended him and failed to do that." Amanda huffed one more time, clearly Mary was getting under her skin.

Mary couldn’t help but smirk at the woman before her. It seemed she had gotten under her skin. ”I’d be careful with your words if I were you, Amanda Aston. There’s quite a few folks around here who are just as protective over my boy as me, and less graceful. Regardless, you’re startin’ to piss me off. Do you really want another incident like ‘96? ‘Cus I’d be more than happy to relive that for you,” With that the woman takes another step forward, her face floating inches from the shorter womans ear. She then lowers her voice into a gruff whisper. ”Your smugass face looks like it’s due for some new dents. You might be able to show some emotion again after I knock out all that work.”

Amanda wasn't going to be made to look like the fool. Normally. However, memories of that day back in '96 was enough to cause Amanda to take a step back. With a deep, angry sigh, she glared at Carlisle "If you want to take that piece of disappointing shit under your wing then feel free. But he will let you down to. This Coven and indeed the entirety of witch-kind is about to go to the dogs" Amanda would take one more step back, just to be away from Mary.

”I don’t do that consistent disappointment to hate thing when it comes to the kids- I’m better than that. Now why don’t you be a dear and leave both of my boys alone,” Mary’s voice remained calm and gentle yet she made it clear it was very much a threat.

Amanda simply huffed and stormed off "Yeah well good luck with that" With that she went away, leaving Mary alone. Carlisle looked over at Mary, a look of quiet fear in his eyes.

Mary shook her head at the woman as she walked off and joined Carlisle. "Don't you go worryin' about us old crones, kid. I know how to handle your mother."

"I know. But it just feels sad. This was supposed to be a big day. A whole celebration, but now it has been reduced to a petty bitching contest because my mother decided it would be a good idea to try and undermine me" Carlisle sighed and rubbed his head.

"Y'know, it only becomes a competition with her if you let it. She feeds off of making you feel inferior. If you don't let her, she has no power. This can still be that big celebration, just ignore her and get on with your life." Mary replies, adjusting the golden watch on her wrist. Her eyes floated to Amanda for a moment, giving the woman a glare if she dared to look back.

Amanda simply ignored the duo and walked away, leaving Carlisle to greet one of the guests. "I know. It just felt like I haven't really had a mother growing up. Silly I know. Why do you think they bought me the townhouse at 16? It wasn't because they wanted me to be luxurious I can tell you that"

Mary sighed and pursed her lips. She was sure as far as parents go she was fair from the best, or at least the most attentive. Having to spend countless hours working to make ends meet over raising her son did that. If Carlisle's mum were anyone else Mary would be the first to ask Carlisle to give her some grace but Amanda didn't deserve it. "I'm sorry you went though that, kid. Let's not worry about that tonight though. You have me, ok?"

”Well that was what I was going to ask you… I suppose now is the best time to ask rather than later.” Carlisle would pull at his bowtie and straighten his back. ”So I have a job offer for you… As you know, mother stripped away nearly all of the jobs in the coven household so that she could keep the funds for herself. I don’t really like the sound of that. So I know that you have amazing skills with looking after places… I was wondering if you would want to take on the role of Seneschal? Its paid of course, fully paid with vacation and all the other benefits.” This was Carlisle’s way of trying to apologize over how shitty his mother had treated her. He couldn’t change the past, but he could at least, make the future better.

At his offer Mary gave him a smile. She wasn't sure how to respond. On one hand, it'd be a familiar job to her seeing as she tends so lovingly to the house and its occupants but it felt almost wrong to ask for money for that work. Not to mention she did enjoy her job but it was also getting tiring on her joints. Not to mention that Carlisle almost seemed to have a secondary motive. She asked her mind if it was suspicious and her divination declined so she decided to probe no further. "Let me think on it Car. How long do I have to decide?" she asks.

”As long as you need. I am in no rush to fill the position. I need someone to look after the household and make sure it is well stocked. Salary is $100K a year. It is a senior position afterall” Carlisle did have an agenda for sure. He wanted to make sure that Mary was not only sorted for retirement, but also had a much better work life balance. After seeing the sacrifices she had made, and how his mother had seemed to be responsible.

"That's very kind of you car, I'll think on it," Mary replies, turning back to the guests. "For now, though, we have people to greet,"

Carlisle simply smiled at Mary, briefly taking a moment to wrap his arms around her in a hug, muttering a ‘thank you’ before letting go and continuing to greet everyone as they entered.

[WolfLover]

Location: Coven Household
Mentions: Carlisle and Mary

---

In preparation for the biggest coven party of the year; the Pearson siblings had spent weeks trying to pick out proper outfits. Mainly, because Emma and Alaric Pearson had dragged all 4 of their children to the shops, so they could get the boys fitted for their suits and to pick out a suitable dress for Lydia. Whilst the boys had complained, Lydia on the other hand had rather enjoyed the shopping spree. Mainly because she got to tease the twins about their terrible taste in suits. Especially Cody, who seemed to think that going for a full green suit would make him stand out.

Whilst he would stand out, Lydia had to remind him it wouldn’t be in a very appealing way. The youngest of the Pearson siblings was convinced her brother didn’t have much of a fashion sense. In a way it was true, Cody didn’t have good fashion sense whatsoever. He was more of a throw anything on, even if it didn’t match. Luckily, her other brothers seemed more coordinated in their fashion style.

Of course, Lydia’s mother wanted her to look as classy as possible. Even though Lydia would have opted for something a bit more…her style, she still managed to find a dress that was to her liking, yet pleasing enough to her parents. Suppose, it was a win-win in some ways. As long as she didn’t have her brothers or parents nagging her about her clothing; she considered it a win. Though, she knew everyone would have to be on their best behaviour; with it being a more formal party than Lydia was used to. Whilst her parents told her stories about Coven Handovers, it was the first time she’d be witnessing the whole thing in person. All of them would. Not sure whether to feel excited or nervous; Lydia felt a bit of both. Maybe, because the previous party’s events were still stuck fresh in her mind.

The evening of the coven gathering, Lydia as usual was one of the last one's to finish getting ready. Mr and Mrs Pearson, had left their family house early. Mainly to pick up Alaric's parents; the children's grandparents as they had promised to give them a lift to and from the gathering. Meanwhile, the trio of brothers were down by the landing; waiting for Lydia to finish getting ready. Tristan slightly tapped his foot against the marble flooring of the family home. The twins looked bored, as anything. Leaning against the railing, Maverick had his head hanging, whilst Cody was humming a favourite tune to pass the time.

"Why...why does she always take so long?" Cody huffed, after he finished humming to himself.

Tristan kept checking the traffic. Irritable, that if his sister would take few moments longer; they'd be stuck in evening traffic. Especially as a lot of guests were attending. "Why don't you ask Lydia, when she comes down?" He suggested. Knowing it was just girly stuff. Thank-god, they didn't have two of Lydia in the house. Or they'd be waiting twice as long. Few more seconds and he than yelled out. "For the love of Gods, Lydia! Come down already!" hollering for the attention of his baby sister. Hoping she was ready.

"My hairs will turn grey, before she comes down." Maverick muttered under his breath, his head still hanging in boredom.

Lydia couldn't help but roll her eyes, hearing her brother yelling for her from downstairs. "Sheesh. I am just putting on my shoes. I'll be down in a second." Yelling back down, from her bedroom. Pulling the last strap of her of her shoes, over her heels. Lydia did a double take in her bedroom mirror; smoothing out the red dress she was wearing and adjusting the bangle around her upper arm in a more comfortable position. Scooping up her light shawl from her bed, along with her clutch purse; she than headed downstairs. Trying not to laugh at how bored, her brothers looked. It was slightly amusing, seeing them carrying the similar expressions across their faces at the same time. Instead she gave a slight apologetic smile.

"Why...why? just why?" Of course, Cody sounded dramatic when he asked the question that they asked her each and every time, she spent hours getting ready.

"What? It takes a while to look this good." Lydia pointed out, as she finished walking down the stairs. Her scent wafting through the Pearson household, due to her perfume.

Tristan tried not to roll his eyes. Of course, typical Lydia response. Instead, he grabbed the car keys from the small cubby holder in the hallway. Heading out first, so he could start the car. Whilst, he did also want to look good. It didn't take him forever, like his sister.

"Yeah, a while'...meaning forever, with you." Maverick teased Lydia. Following in Tristan's footsteps, at being the second one out the door. Deciding to ignore her brother's comments, Lydia walked out of the house; leaving Cody to close and lock up the house after them all. Once they were all outside, they climbed into Tristan's car, as their parents had taken the other family car. The car ride to the coven house, was mostly quiet. The twins were in the back-seat, bickering about their usual topics; favourite marvel films and superheroes. It was a topic, that they never seemed to drop. No matter how many years had passed and their views on the matter had developed.
Lydia was playing the with the radio station, whilst sitting at the front with Tristan. Tristan didn't mind the music, that Lydia picked. It somewhat helped drown out the bickering of the twins in the back. Mainly focused on the road, as he drove.

As they reached the Coven household, Lydia spotted a number of cars already in the driveway. Finding a spot to park, Tristan made sure that there was enough space for other cars to park and get out of their parking spaces. After they all clambered out of the car. He let Lydia hide the car key in her small bag.

After putting away the car key, in her bag. Lydia wrapped the light shawl around her shoulders. She walked towards the coven household with her brothers. Seeing Carlisle out front, along with Mary. Giving them both a warm smile, as they welcomed them to the event. "Good evening to you both." Lydia spoke. Wishing Carlisle good-luck, for the evening. If anything, he was probably nervous about taking over, from the other leaders. The twins and Tristan gave Carlisle an encouraging pat on the back, as they too wished him good luck.

[Sugar and Spite]

_{Starring: Lilith, John & Claire Montgomery; Featuring Miles Price @SouffleGirl123
Introducing: Salem De Silva - Guild Leader.}

In the weeks leading up to the Coven ceremony, Lilith had been getting used to having a mother again.

Claire seemed to fill the house with an interesting sort of energy - powerful, playful and protective all at the same time. She’d argued with her daughter over her decisions in boys and what to wear, and constantly gave her father hell. Honestly, their family dynamic hadn’t changed that much, even with all the time that had passed.

The Montgomerys had spent the last couple of hours before the Coven party doing what they did best: throwing verbal punches and drinking. Some of the ranch hands had decided to take a few hours off, coming inside of the main house to celebrate Lilith - though for what reason she had no clue. It wasn’t as if she was becoming Coven leader. Still, her mother was using it as some sort of cringy ‘you're a woman now’ celebration.

Lilith had taken extra time that evening making sure she was dressed properly before being forced to be the center of attention. Claire had wanted her to wear some frilly little dress - much like Lilith assumed most people would. However, the young woman had chosen to wear a pantsuit that evening. It was a very small step in proving to both her mother and grandfather that she could make her own decisions. The nods of approval from her family members was enough conformation for the young woman as she made her way down the stairs and to the front door of the Montgomery household.

”You know, I always thought suits were a men’s thing, but you make ‘em look pretty good, Li,” Claire remarked.

”You don’t think the pants are too tight?” the brunette questioned. ”Nearly had to jump into these damned pants, but I mean - last time I wore this thing was over a year ago.”

Putting on her jacket, Claire rolled her eyes. ”You look fine. Now let’s go.”

John had elected himself to drive, seeing as he was the most sober out of the three of them. The old man still had had a drink or two, but he refused to let Lilith drive and well - Claire was already wasted.

Once the three of them had arrived, John decided to park across the street before making a fuss out of opening the truck door for both of his girls. The small group had made their way across the lawn of the Coven house and eventually up the stairs to the entrance. They entered the house with their arms linked - John in the middle with each of the women standing at his sides.

In the spirit of remaining cordial, John had given a simple nod in greeting towards Amanda before Claire shot the woman the middle finger and wrapped her arms around Mary’s neck. Lilith sighed silently through her nose, giving a quick sympathetic glance towards Carlisle as she walked through the door. Claire had stayed back at the entrance with her best friend. Probably not the best way to let everyone know you were back from the dead, but hey - who was Lilith to judge?

The brunette began walking around the main hall of the Coven house, her grandfather close behind. There was only one person that Lilith wanted to see right now - and much to everyone's popular belief, it wasn’t Miles.

There had only been a few times in her life where Lilith Montgomery was ever lucky enough to cross paths with Salem de Silva. Tonight was one of those opportunities, and the young woman wasn’t about to miss it. John knew this as well, and had a rather good relationship with Salem himself - mostly built on respect and fear.

It didn’t take long for the young woman to find her intended target, walking into the other woman's open and welcoming arms for a hug.

”Salem,” Lilith began. ”It’s been ages, how are you?”

”Lilith Montgomery,” the woman mused, now pulling away to observe her as she held Lilith’s hands. ”You look amazing! Last time I saw you, you were what - ten, maybe?”

”Something like that,” she replied, a small smile on her face as she put her hands in her pockets.

John had reached for one of Salem's hands now, bending down to kiss the top of it like a proper gentleman in greeting. ”Ms. De Silva,” he commented, looking up at her now as he smirked, tipping his hat with his free hand.

”Mr. Montgomery,” Salem beamed, moving closer so that he could hug the man. ”You’ve got to be my favorite man, you know that?”

”Not the first time I’ve heard that one, ma’am,” he chuckled. ”How have things been with the Guild?”

”Oh usual things. Training the newbies, keeping magical users in line - I had a kid, too.”

”Really?” Lilith asked, clearly surprised.

”Mmhm, little Celeste,” the Guild leader replied, doing a quick scan of her surroundings. ”The little menace is running around her somewhere. I’m sure you’ll meet her later.”

”With all due respect ma’am, I don’t think anyone ever imagined you as the motherly type.”

”Now there, John. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

As the three of them began to laugh, Lilith felt an arm wrap around her waist. Her body stiffened upon instinct before her empath abilities kicked in. A quick read of the other person's emotions, and it was easy for her to tell that it was Miles.

Miles hadn’t really known what to do with the spare time until the start of the event. Miles liked parties but this, in his mind, was definitely not a party. Just a formal stuffy event where he had to play at least half-decent, lest one of the past members have a fit. At some point a random little girl had appeared, zooming around the house and had honed in on Miles for some reason, likely as he was the only person just standing around. She’d dragged him into her games. Miles had no clue what was going on, at some point she was pretending to shoot him, to which he very over-dramatically fell to the floor prompting a giggle from the child, then at another she was adamant he had to give her piggy back rides around the house for some reason. Whatever it was, it was a way to pass the time so Miles played along until more people came piling in.

Eventually the kid just ran off to play some other game with someone else, not that Miles minded, he’d caught Lilith and John in the corner of his eye talking to the guild leader. Salem did seem an interesting thought but the little he knew about her was enough to make the idea of getting to know her not fully worth it, he had enough short-fused assertive women in his life. He wandered up next to Lilith and slipped his arm around her waist.

”John,” He greets the older man at her side with the nod of his head before turning his attention to Lilith with a squeeze of her waist. ”Lilith, beautiful, as always,” he greets her aloud before moving his lips to her ear and uttering, ”You in that pantsuit is really doing something to me right now.”

He pulls his face away and looks to the other woman in the trio. ”Salem, I assume?” he asks, sticking out his hand not wrapped around Lilith. ”Miles Price, it’s a pleasure to meet you,”

As the heat rose to Lilith’s face, John pursed his lips, doing his best to keep his eyes off of the pair. Salem seemed preoccupied with the little red-head that had been chasing Miles around only seconds ago. As she lifted the little girl into her arms, Lilith felt the energy in the room shift - the tenseness in the air now beginning to radiate from Salem. Looking at Miles, it seemed as if the woman's smile had faded, her face turning slightly pale. Shifting the child's weight so that Celeste rested on her hip, Salem seemed to be stunned for just a brief moment.

”Salem de Silva,” she responded, reaching out to shake Miles’s hand with a firm grip. Looking the young man up and down once more, her brow furrowed. ”Forgive me. You just look eerily similar to someone I met in a past life.”

At her words Miles cocked his head. ”Can't say I know why but if you figure it out let me know," he says curiously, retracting his hand. His eyes settle on the little girl for a moment and he gives her a smile before looking back at Salem. ”You have an energetic lil tyke there, I have to say,"

”Oh I plan on it,” Salem commented, raising a brow at the boy as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. Hearing the rest of his words, the womans expression seemed to soften ever so slightly. ”Indeed she is, but she seems to like you well enough,” she remarked, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as her eyes met Miles’s once more. ”I’ll have to remember that.”

The Guild leaders focus now shifted to his arm wrapped around Lilith’s waist, her eyes cutting to John before finding the girl's face. ”Don’t tell me you’ve run off and found some eligible bachelor and didn’t even shoot me a text,” she joked.

The blush that had begun to fade from Lilith's face had now returned. ”Apologies ma’am. We’ve all been pretty busy around here as of late,” the young woman responded, trying to keep the mood light. Lilith could tell that there was something making Salem uneasy. Was it Miles? Surely he hadn’t done anything wrong just by standing here for the last minute.

Her eyes now sparkling with curiosity, Salem looked the pair up and down once more. ”All is forgiven. We’ll have more than enough time to catch up this evening - and don’t you dare try and avoid me, Ms. Thing.” The woman continued to joke, continuing to play the game of ‘hide your emotions’ she had mastered in her last forty odd years of life.

”I wouldn’t dare.”

”Lilith darling, if you’ll excuse me, there’s some more people I need to speak with before this event really takes off. I appreciate the warm welcome.” Salem grabbed onto Celeste from where she was perched on her hip, helping the girl down to the floor before smoothing her own dress and grabbing onto her little hand. ”John, would you mind escorting me? You know how I always get lost in this place.”

”Course not,” John replied, offering his arm to the woman.
As the group began to disperse, Salem wrapped her arm around Johns before they began to circle around the room. Most of the people who recognized her there were older members of the coven - people's parents and grandparents. It took all of ten minutes before John saw through the womans ruse.

”Now I know neither of us here are stupid,” he said, once they had found the drink table. ”What is it about Miles that has you all bent out of shape.”

Letting go of Celestes hand, Salem watched the ball of red hair dance around the main hall, interacting with anyone who would give her the time of day. Once the eight year old was far enough out of the way that hopefully couldn’t catch on to her mothers alcoholic tendencies, the woman reached for two glasses before filling one with whiskey and passing it to John. With a stern expression, she poured vodka into the second glass for herself.

”Follow me onto the veranda, would you?”

Doing as asked, John followed the dark haired woman until they were outside.

”What do you know about that Miles boy?”

”He’s a menace who needs to stay away from my granddaughter,” John huffed, pressing the glass to his lips.

”Besides the obvious,” Salem quipped, now staring off into the fading sun. ”Where’s he from? Who are his parents? How old is he?”

”That’s all a bit personal, don’t you think?”

”John, darling. Just answer the questions. No one’s in trouble - I’m just trying to solve my own puzzle.”

”I don’t suppose it would matter if we were in trouble or not - you’d fry us all if we got boring enough.” the older man joked, making his way over to stand beside her. ”That’s Miles. He’s a family friend, a year older than Lilly I believe. Mary’s son - the woman standing with Carlton at the front door.”

The gears in her head beginning to turn, Salem began to focus more on the woman that she had met earlier in the evening - even if only briefly. She remembered seeing that warm smile somewhere before; carefully hidden away in photos, stored in an old wooden box in the corner of an enemies closet. Miles’s jawline, the shade of his hair - even that oddly familiar tone of voice. Not to mention that the timeline did add up –

Taking a drink from her glass, Salem pursed her lips, a small fire beginning to roar behind her eyes. ”Thank you Mr. Montgomery,” she replied simply.

”Did you figure out whatever it is you’re thinking about?” he asked.

”I’ll let you know soon enough,” she sighed, turning on her heel to walk back into the house.

[baraquiel]

---

Helen was in her room, looking at herself in the tall mirror. Her mom Paulene helped her put on a very beautiful filipiniana dress that they bought in the local Asian market for a low price. She also helped her put on make-up and fixed her hair while Helen also helped out her mom. She left for a bit to get her purse from her and her husband’s room, leaving Helen to contemplate about the events that lead her to this point in her life.

It’s not like she didn’t want to go. It’s just that she was overthinking again and there were no ghosts around to help take her mind off things even for just a bit. She reckoned it would also be hard to make friends as she already thought that everyone there in her age already knew each other for a long time. In her experience, it’s hard to make new friends when everyone and their mothers’ were already friends and she’s the new girl.

“Helen? Anak? Are you done? We don’t wanna be late for the ceremony!” Paulene knocked on Helen’s door.

”J-Just a couple more minutes, Ma! Helen called out from inside her room. Paulene just rolled her eyes and opened the door. She’ll see her daughter was just looking at herself at her tall mirror for the nth time, flattening her well-ironed dress for microscopic wrinkles.

“Anak, what are you doing? You’re already done, we should be on the road by now.” She said in disbelief as she approached Helen. “Oh dear, we look fantastic. Your Mama still has her groove on~” Paulene said jokingly, patting her hairdo as she was also dressed in her own filipiniana. When Helen didn’t complain about her joke, she sighed, took her hands into hers, and made Helen face her. “Seriously, what’s the problem? Are you alright? You don’t seem to have any fever…”

Helen just looked at Paulene and sighed dejectedly. ”I’ts just… I’m regretting saying no to you whenever you offer me to take a visit there. I was just focused on practicing to myself so I can be on-par to everyone's level there. I’ve barely made friends in college and the few ones that I knew since I was young already left for work in another state. What if… What if they don’t like me? Find our magic weird?”

Paulene slowly nodded and sighed as well. “I understand your feelings, iha. You should see the look on their faces when a brown–skinned Asian approached their doors and told them she wanted to join their group,, especially when they saw our ‘unorthodox’ way of practicing necromancy for the first time.”

”I, uhhh… I imagine it must be horrible?” “Well, it was all in my head. sure, I still got some side-eyes and the occasional awkwardness but still, they were all actually quite nice and accepting! Some of them are a liiiittle bit difficult to get along with, it took quite an amount of time to get close to everyone too, but at the end of the day, I felt like I had another home outside of our home.”

Paulene and Helen looked in the mirror. “That’s what I want for you as well, iha. Being a part of the Coven is one of the best things that happened in my life, apart from me meeting your dad and having the two of you kiddos. You’re gonna do fine there, sweetheart. You’re going to learn a lot more than what I teach you. You’re going to meet people you can become friends with, people you’re gonna butt-heads with, possibly a future love interest, who knows? At the end of the day, the Coven is a haven for people like us. Despite our differences, we help and accept each other. We protect what’s ours.”

Helen smiled a bit at her mother’s words, resting her head on her shoulder. ”Thank you so much, Ma. I love you guys.” She said as they hugged each other tightly. “Oh, my angel… Let’s go get going already, you’re gonna make me cry and ruin my make-up!” Paulene joked as Helen finally laughed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eventually, Helen and Paulene were on the road towards the Coven House and being driven by Helen’s dad, Richard. He couldn’t contain himself from fanboying about the architecture of the House since he was an architect himself, and he said he’ll often visit Helen there every chance he could get. The three spent the rest of the ride exchanging jokes and uplifting Helen, which she very much appreciated. She already lived on her own when she went to live at a dorm during her college years but still, she could never get used to the feeling of being away from her family for so long.

When they got there, there were already a handful of guests catching up to each other as they went in line to enter the House. Helen kissed her dad’s cheek and hugged him before getting out of the car, her mother following suit as she kissed and hugged him good-bye too.

“You ready?” Paulene asked as Helen breathed deeply and looked at her mom with a determined look. ”Ready as I’ll ever be.” They walked hand-in-hand and got in line like the other guests, with Paulene smiling brightly on seeing her second home again and Helen trying to calm down her beating heart.

[Little Bird]

2PM. Day of the Handover Ceremony

A run of sweat ran down Cait's arms as they dropped limply to her sides. Thought the afternoon at seen to the usual Northwest chill, she was running hot right into her core. The sleeves of her lined plaid shirt had long since been rolled up to her elbows, allowing the late autumn air to cool her heated skin; as she gathered her strength and will, she unbuttoned the shirt and removed it entirely, tossing it into a crumpled ball behind her next to a light jacket she had removed not much earlier.

Her upper body was now stripped to just a plain, gray, t-shirt.

She craned her neck gently towards the calm sky above. At her nudging, a soothing breeze danced against her. Until her most recent training session with Daniel she had nearly forgotten that the element of air was something she could influence; she had spent the week since rediscovering that part of her magic.

"Wish I could show him. The day would have likely seen another secret rendezvous for practice, but the Handover Ceremony that would officially ascend Carlisle into the Leadership of the Coven was cause to leave the session until another day.

She shook off her head, undoing a few knots in her hair as she lowered her eyes to a large rock sitting otherwise comfortably in the back yard. Setting her legs in a horse stance, she proceeded with the routine movements of her recent learning. Arms out. Extend energy through the hands. Concentrate on your goal... The sense of pushback from her projected grasp told her she had the rock in hand. While the use of both arms was physically unnecessary, the mental factor made the process of heavy lifting that much easier; when she imagined she was lifting with both arms, she felt stronger... she wondered if Daniel would have any tips on getting over that.

Her mind processed the mass it was holding. By some odd 'psychosomatic mechanism,' as Dan had put it, her arms began feeling the resistence of the same weight. Heart slamming, she steadily pulled her arms up. Tethered to her by her telekinetic influence, the stone, an estimated 175lbs, rose from its spot in the dirt. There, she held it, three feet up, soil trickling down off the bottom. With a slow, arduous rowing motion, she pulled the rock towards herself; with a pressing movement following, she pushed it back to the space she lifted it. Repeat. The more she did these exercises, the more it felt like how she practiced skating... repetition bred refinement.

"Impressive."

It came at the apex of the 6th rep. Cait's focus broke. The tether of her magic around the stone snapped like a rubber band. She dropped onto her back, spread eagle on the back lawn, looking up at the upside-down face if her father looking down at her. "Dad!"

"Sorry. Sorry." Marcus Elliot Cade took a step back.

Cait turned, still on her back, reaching out to her father, who helped her back to feet.

"Need to work on concentration," Marcus said, in much the same tone as a teacher.

"Yeah. So... what's up?

Marc looked at his watch, smiled, and said, "Well, as happy as your mother and I are to see that you're finally embracing your magical potential, you should probably start wrapping it up for today. We've got to get cleaned up and dressed for the ceremony tonight. Your mother is getting a head start."

"Oh... Yeah... that. Cait soured slightly at the mention. She hadn't forgotten, but earnestly had hoped that wouldn't come up from her parents. "I was kinda thinking a might... maybe sit this one out.

"Why? I thought you were getting on well with people again. You have that guy that's coaching you..."

"That's one person though. And it's more of a teacher-student thing."

"Have tried reaching out to anyone else? You used to hang out with Victor quite a bit. And you used to say that you liked spending time with Lilith."

"Vic's going through some sh-- heavy stuff. And Lil..."

"All the more reason to be at the ceremony. Sometimes just being present is all you need to do for anyone."

"I...

"Caitlin Morgan Cade." Marcus' voice was uncommonly calm for using his daughter's full name. "You chose to stay. You said that to us the night after the Werewolf attack. But if all you do is hide around the house and out in the woods, is that any different from leaving again?"

Cait reeled back. She stared at her father, no words to come back with. He was right, and there was no denying it. Daniel had been the only other person she had spent any time with. Even her friends outside of the sphere if the Coven were left waiting on replies to messages and plans to be made.

Ushered by her father, Cait picked up her shed clothes and walked back to the house.

~=======~

The bedside clock changed to 4:00PM. Cait, showered and groomed was busy mulling over how she was supposed to dress for a Handover Ceremony. Fashion wasn't particularly her strong point; in high school, one of her superlatives had been "Most Likely to Underdress." She couldn't recall owning anything suited for a formal; she had rented a dress a shoes for senior prom... only to bail on it for a night in a half pipe.

"Stumped, huh?" Morgan Elizabeth Cade stepped into her daughter's bedroom, making Caitlin jump.

"Uh... yeah." Cait grinned. "I've never cared for playing dress up."

"I know. Come on. I'll give you a hand."

~=======~

Cait descended the stairs behind her mother. Morgan doned a simple, sleek brown dress; her feet slipped into a pair of white heels, though she carried a pair of flats in hand for later. From the pile on Cait's bed they had managed to tidy up an off-white button-up and a pair of navy blue slacks. In what Morgan called a small stroke of luck, they had also managed to pull a blazer that matched to the pants. Lacking any dressy footwear, Cait dug out a fresh, unscuffed pair of black, leather Converse. A belt that matched to the shoes capped her look.

"You pull off a Ben Stein kind of look well," Marcus commented as he looked Cait up and down.

"Best she dresses comfortably," Morgan stated pointedly. "So, Marc, what are we taking?"

"I was kind of hoping you'd let me take the Wrangler." A gleam of excitement flared in Marcus' eyes, and he met gazes with Cait, who returned a smile.

"Ugh. Your TAILGATER?" Morgan, though chuckling, was also rolling her eyes. "Babe, we're going to the Coven House, not Lumen Field. That thing will be an eyesore."

"No one has to look at it." Marc was already taking the keys to the Jeep off if the hook in the entryway. "Besides, with everything going on, I haven't had much chance to use my season tickets. Thing hasn't gotten out of the garage since January."

"OK then." Morgan laughed, and conceded. "Just this once though. Is that clear."

"Crystal." Marcus nodded. He spun the keyring around his index finger. The remote flipped into his hand, and with point into direction of the garage he clicked the start button. The revving of the SUV hummed through from the mudroom and the trio of Cades made their way to the vehicle.

The Whip

~=======~

The Cade Fam

As 6:30PM rolled around, so too did the Cades pull in to park on the lawn at the bottom of the Coven yard. The sound of Nirvana's "Come As You Are" could briefly be heard blaring out from open windows before dulling as they rolled up, and cutting off entirely as Marcus shutdown the engine.

The three hiked their way up to the house, merging in with the river of friends, guests, and dignitaries of the magical community. In a procession that felt much like going through a concert queue or amusement park line, they made their way up through the doors into the foyer.

On the other side of the doorway the leaders of the Coven stood, greeting people as they entered. Though for the most part a friendly experience, the Cades couldn't help but feel collectively put off as they passed the Astons. Amanda showed them only the faintest of expression; Carlisle, while courteous to his coming position, was quick with them, and only spared Cait a passing glance before turning to greet the next people in line.

"Par for the course with those two, eh?" Morgan whispered just audible to her daughter and husband.

"Well..." Marcus searched carefully for his words. "You know... things have been rough lately. Werewolves, passing the torch." Mark gave a sigh. "Plus I'd say that probably haven't been too quick to forget or forgive... certain hi-jinx." He and his wife both turned to Caitlin.

"What?" Cait's eyes rapidly darted between her father and mother.

"Just... be on your best behavior," her father said.

"Better, at that," her mother added. "Everyone who's anyone between the Covens and the Magi Guilds are here. Some of them already have their eyes on you... and me, to be fair. Just don't do anything to draw too much attention."

"Anyways, your mother and I are going to go catch up with a few people."

"So what do I do?"

"Go mingle. After tonight, your generation will be responsible for the Coven and its duties. You'll have to get on working terms sooner or later." Morgan looked over at Marcus after she spoke.

Marc nodded. "Once they hear you've been practicing I'm sure more of them will come around to you."

"Yeah." Cait dodged her father's eyes; she had no intention of telling anyone else that she had been training.

Little more to say to each other, Cait and her parents parted to their own devices.

~=======~

"Eyes on you?" Marcus whispered into his wife's ear.

"You know my family is crazy. Or did you forget our wedding day? There's a reason none of them were invited."

"Ah. Yeah. The Zealotry... That's why your father came here though. To get away from it. That's why you cut them off from us... and Caitlin."

"That doesn't matter much here. You should know that, Marc! As far as most anyone else is concerned, I am my family."

"Yeah." Marcus side stepped, pulling his wife with him as Amanda rushed pass them.

"Wonder what's got her like that," Morgan spoke in a hushed tone.

"Probably that," Marc nodded to the line of people still flowing in, where Mary looked to have taken a place by Carlisle.

"That'll do it I guess... Marc... are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Huh?" He squinted... how hadn't he noticed before? "Is that..."

"Claire Montgomery?"

"She's dead though..."

~=======~

Cait wandered through the droves of visitors. However crowded the house had seemed a month ago paled in comparison to how it was now. Every direction she looked, it seemed people were want to stick their noses up at her. Even the other Tanner Coven members came off mostly in a rush to shake her off. A look through the guests was fruitless in her finding company. Daniel was either not arrived or caught up in the sea of people, as was Victor. She spotted Lilith, but she was with Miles; the last buzz Cait had heard was the two were together, so she kept away for the moment.

Resigning to her loner status, Cait made a beeline to a set if tables spread with hors d'oeuvres and, more importantly, glasses of wine. She flitted into the line, floating a glass over to herself, drawing annoyed looks from a few people in front of her. She downed the glass like it was a shot of whiskey, set the glass down, and found herself a spot out of the way to sit down and people-watch.

[Sugar and Spite]

_{A @HaleyTheRandom, @Hedgehawk, & @SouffleGirl123 collab.
Featuring: Salem De Silva, Claire Montgomery, Mary Price, Amanda Aston & Carlisle Aston}

Amanda Aston was pissed off. Her own son had decided to replace her at the single most important event of the century. And he gave no thought about how it affected the Aston image. To make matters even worse, the woman he had picked was the worst possible woman he could have picked. Mary Price. That waste of space. She smiled nicely and treated everyone with grace, but she knew that was only a front. It was all a ruse to pull Carlisle away from her and leave Amanda with truly nothing.

So there Amanda was, sipping down shots of whiskey at the back of the house while everyone was entering the household. Her eyes never left the vicinity of Carlisle and Mary. She watched as Mary helped Carlisle greet guests and even supported him. Why bother? Carlisle had been a perpetual disappointment all his life. A few pats in the back now was hardly going to solve anything. Amanda watched as the Montgomery's entered the house. She was mid-swig when she watched them enter. It was then her eyes locked onto Claire Montgomery. That swig of whiskey suddenly turned into a choke as surprise and shock took over her system. Slamming down the glass and recomposing herself, she looked over again, just to confirm that it really was her. It was her. How? Why? Was it some illusion spell because the Montgomery's were desperate to bring back the past? To make it even worse the woman had the nerve to flip the bird at her as she entered. Amanda simply stood there completely stunned by what had just transpired. Amanda was livid.

As Lilith and John broke off to go look for something, Amanda closed in like a missile. As she got closer to Claire, Mary and Carlisle she began to feel it. Something about Claire felt off "How the fuck did you come back from the dead?" She sneered towards Claire. Now she was in sneering distance it was then she felt that strange presence and was able to put a figure on it "And why do you reek of my disappointment of a son?" She demanded glaring over at Carlisle who simply took a defensive step back behind Mary.

A tipsy Claire had been standing by the door, receiving mixed welcomes from the arriving Coven members. Strangely enough, Claire was used to this. Her presence had always been a controversial one, even before her death. All in all, she was having a rather decent time until the voice of Satan rang in her ears. Looking over at Amandas pissed of expression, the blonde couldn’t help but laugh.

”Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy,” the woman quipped, a smirk on her face as she took another drink from her flask. ”This world has changed in so many ways - but yet you remain the same, crabby, dusty bitch you were years ago. Jesus H. Fuckin’ Christ, Amanda. Get a grip.”

The gaze of hatred in Amanda's eyes couldn't grow deeper. First she flipped her off and now she was refusing to answer questions. She took a sidestep, angling herself so she could once more glare at her son, pointing her finger at him. "YOU! Explain yourself!" Carlisle once more moved back behind Mary. Maybe it was cowardice, but he did not want to at all get involved in this. Amanda simply huffed and looked back over at Claire. "Alot has changed in ten years. You will find all the grips you had around here aren't as strong as they once were"

Now repositioning herself so that she was standing in front of Mary and Carlisle both, Claire glared at Amanda. ”We’ll get to the fact of how you bought up all of the land with my name on it after my death later. For now I highly suggest you takin’ a few steps back there, buttercup, before I knock all of the botox out of that ugly, rigid face of yours. Do you really want to cause a scene with me, Amanda,” Claire asked, tilting her head to the side, now pointing a finger at the womans chest. ”You may have had your chance to run this Coven into the ground while I was away - but that still doesn’t change the fact that you’re you and I’m me.”

"I didn't run it into the ground. I made it better. And you decided to drink drive into a post or whatever it is you decided to do" Amanda snapped back at Claire. While it was true that she had bought up most of the land around the Montgomery Ranch, she wasn't about to let Claire think she had the upper hand. "Yeah I did. Been thinking about getting planning permission for some lovely social housing around the ranch. What do ya think?"

With a scoff, Claire reared her arm back to throw a punch at Amanda before a hand gripped her arm. ”Now ladies,” Salem began, lowering Claire’s arm for her. ”Don’t you think there’s a better time and place for all of this?”

Amanda gave off a smug grin as Salem had intervened. She didn’t want to gloat, but she knew that when it came to Salem, Amanda had a fair better relationship than Claire. ”You will have to excuse Claire. She has been dead for ten years, and somehow she is back, and I know my rotten son is involved somehow. Please tell me someone can feel it too”

”Don’t you dare apologize for me, you fuckin’ cunt,” Claire spat before adjusting her jacket. ”Sally,” she nodded, greeting Salem.

”Claire,” Salem responded, raising a brow at the woman momentarily before shifting her focus back to Amanda. ”We’ll focus on the witchy woo-doo at hand later - for now, I believe you and I have much larger matters to discuss.” As she spoke, Salem crossed her arms, looking the Aston woman up and down with disdain from head to toe.

Amanda looked over at Salem and noticed the sudden look of disdain. This wasn’t normal. The duo normally had gotten along just fine. Amanda straightened her back and looked over at Claire once more, the fire really starting to show in her eyes. ”Sure. What is it you need to discuss? If it is coven related matters, you will need to speak to the hiding, hapless Carlisle over there. Apparently Ty and John though it appropriate to leave him in charge”

Salem took a step forward, positioning herself so that she was now the closest to Amanda, and also so that she could put distance between her and Claire. Pursing her lips, Salem began to play the little mind games with Amanda that she was best known for, letting the other woman sit in her worry and fear.

”I seem to remember you making a phone call about twenty-five years ago - very close to this time of year, too, now that I think about it. You didn’t happen to leave out any information that you thought might benefit you in the long run, did you?”

Amanda took a step back as Salem came forward. She hadn’t been subjected to this in a long time. Amanda was normally an iron spined woman, but as Salem came forward she found herself shrinking down. Shaking her head, she took a second to try and figure out exactly how she was going to answer this. ”I told you exactly what you needed to know. You got your fugitive, I got a safe coven” Amanda replied back, keeping her composure.

Focusing on her breathing now, Salem shook her head as a small, dry laugh escaped from her throat. ”Come on, Mandy,” the woman taunted. ”Don’t play dumb with me,” she continued to speak, closing what little distance was left between the two of them. ”Think harder.”

Amanda suddenly found her retreat cut off by a wall, forcing her to stay still. ”So there might have been a few details I might have embellished when you wanted to know more…” Amanda's voice spoke out, shaking, confused, and a little afraid.

With another deep breath, Salem took a moment to close her eyes and recenter herself before speaking. Looking at Amanda once more, her eyes began to flicker with the literal power brewing beneath their surface.

”Everything you know,” she growled. ”Now.”

Amanda normally wouldn’t crack under this kind of pressure. She looked at Carlisle, hoping that he would cast a barrier around her, or do something to allow her to resist the advances of Salem. And Carlisle was prepping a barrier in his one hand, but it seemed to aimed at Salem, and not her, which only made it worse for her. With a frustrated growl, she carried on, keeping her voice low enough that Carlisle and Mary might not be able to hear. ”So I wanted Aloysius for myself. I never intended to hand him over. Only he wouldn’t take my advances. So I discovered he got with Mary, and then got her pregnant. I had planned to separate him from his newborn child and hope that would bring him back to me. Or at the very least, I could remove Mary and adopt the kid as my own.” Amanda breathed heavily as she finished explaining. ”Imagine it though. If me and Aloysius had a kid. The raw power it would have. It would have been spectacular. Put you to shame. But no. I had to go and have Carlisle. Little weak Carlisle.”

Mary knew that the conversation wasn’t for her but that didn’t stop her from eavesdropping. Amanda had a big mouth and even when she was trying to blab ‘quietly’ a whole neighbourhood could hear. Quiet was not her forte. She didn’t know whether to be mad or confused. Aloysious wasn’t a name that rung a bell to her. Well, actually, it did. She’d heard of the antics of some uprising against the guild from a man named Aloysius through the grapevine back in the day but apart from that the name was meaningless. ”What nonsense are you spewin’ now, Amanda? You ain’t makin’ lies about me to get yourself out of what Salem’s got planned,” she quips, rolling up the sleeves of her dress and stepping forth toward the woman.

Salem already knew the repercussions of Amanda’s actions - she just needed to hear the words. Claire was ready to rip the Aston womans throat out, but Salem seemed to beat her to it. Slapping Amanda across the face with a small electrical charge, Salem continued to glare at the woman as she cowered down.

”You stupid fucking bitch,” the Guild leader spat. ”Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

Amanda let out a gasp as she was slapped across the face, feeling the electric shock enter her face. She went to raise her arm to cast an ice spell at her but was stopped as Carlisle cast counter-spell on her. "I don't. I don't know what thing you seem to be panicking about"

At this point, Salem really didn’t know if Amanda was playing dumb or if she actually didn’t know. The woman was doing the best that she absolutely could to keep her anger in check, but the blue hue from her eyes never faded - even as she shot a look of thanks towards Carlisle.

”You were so caught up in your want and need for power that you never stopped to realize that a Leighton child is running through the streets of Tanner. A magi child - with no training or guidance as to what stirs inside of him. And now he’s gone and found himself a home with the Montgomerys’.” Arms now crossed once more, Salem shook her head at the floor before looking back up at Mary. ”I’m not upset with you. I have a strong feeling you didn’t know outside forces were directing the course of your life, and that isn’t fair to anyone.” Her eyes flicked back and forth between Claire and Mary for just a moment, her mind trying to find the right words to say. ”Your children, however, have broken one of our most ancient laws - Magi and Witch alike - without even knowing it.”

Carlisle spent his time listening, not taking direct action unless it was against his own mother. He was trying to do his best to learn from Lilith and not trying to ‘help’. But his brain was struggling to process what was going on. ”Let me get this right: Miles was a Magi the whole time? And my mother is somehow involved. And now he and Lil are together. And great families should never mix blood. So what exactly do we do?”

Mary looked back and forth between Salem and Amanda unsure what to say herself. She knew Miles’ father was a magi- a secret she kept closely guarded even from the Montgomerys. She also knew he had a mark the way magi did but she had assumed it was because of his descent, not his power type. A lie she’d told herself until she’d convinced herself that he was a warlock. Mary knew how to train warlocks, not magi. Still, that name floated in the air; Aloysius Leighton. That leader of the rebellion against the Guild.

’I think you may have my boy mistaken,” she gives a sigh as she thinks through her words. ”I know Milo’s dad was a magi but he’s not this Aloysius guy, just some Korean bastard from England. I don’t see how it’s much different to Ty and Junie, for both me and our kids. They’ve only been back together for what? A month? I don't think there’s much damage that can be caused.”

”First off - the man is Japanese. Don’t tell me you’ve been making that poor boy eat kimchi for nothing.” As Salem began to joke, the electricity radiating from her body seemed to fade. She had turned her attention from her anger at Amanda to her focus on the diplomatic duties at hand. Her eyes flicked to Carlisle. ”If I’m right - there’s nothing anyone can do at this point.”

Hearing Mary’s words, Salem gave the woman a look of sympathy. ”You say he went by the name of Johnathan Park? That’s an old Guild alias a friend of ours used to use way back in the day for undercover missions. Aloysius was originally born in England - that he didn’t lie about. And there’s no way to be for certain without a DNA test - but the sight of your son sent literal shivers down my spine, Ms. Price; From the way that he smirks, to the way he carries himself - even his tone of voice. I strongly believe that Miles is Aloysius Leightons son.”

Letting her words settle into the air for a brief moment, Salem continued to answer the rest of the group's questions. ”Ty and Junie are a normal magi and a normal witch - for lack of a better term. When people like them have children, the child becomes either a witch or a magi - no inbetween. One of the bloodlines will trump the other every time. Sometimes you can have magi and witch children in the same family, just like with the Delamars. In your case, Leighton blood is stronger than Price blood, making Miles a Magi.” With a deep sigh, Salem finished off the rest of her explanation, hesitant to speak certain things into existence. ”When two great bloodlines merge - seeing as the Leightons are one of our major families - one can’t beat the other. It creates a whole new species entirely - one that we’ve never seen before because we’ve always made it a point to avoid situations like these.”

The more Salem reveals of her son’s father the more a storm seemed to form in Mary’s eyes. She knew Johnathan- or Al rather- lied about a lot. She only accidentally found out he was magi- something her divination guided her in screaming red flags. She never bothered to ask it about much else and by the time she had Al was talking in half truths not strong enough for her magic to alert her of without a ritual. She knew he lied but this? This was too much. For the most part she was over the man, only remnants of anger and guilt for the life he denied her son remaining, but this seemed to open a whole new wound. She swallowed the lump in her throat as her hands balled into fists. She wished the man was right there to take it all out of him.

She took a long drawn out breath, now was not the time for anger. ”Okay, so we just have to stop them from havin’ babies, right? Not let the new species happen. I don’t know what to tell them but I’m sure we can sort this,”

"I am no diviner, but we may be too late for that. We know that they have slept together at least once. So it might be worth preparing for the possibility it is too late" Carlisle interjected. He then looked over to his mother. "So let me get this straight: You knew about this Aloysius guy. You wanted him to have kids with you to give you a strong kid and deliberately break a sacred law?. When you couldn't have that, and he refused to be with you, and he decided to get with Mary: you decide to report him. But you knew Mary was Pregnant. You knew that you were about to split a family. Salem and Mary both were in the dark. And then to top it right off. You had a sick plan to try and take Miles for your own. So what does that make me exactly!?" Carlisle's voice got louder towards the end. The last question was almost shouted.

Amanda laughed. It was long, drawn out, and had so much malice and disdain, most of it aiming directly at her son. " You really wanna know that? Simply put you were born for one purpose: To show up the Price family. And yet you couldn't even do that. You became the first Warlock in the great families history. The weakest ever recorded. It was pathetic. And then. I had to watch your worthless ass grow up and just to rub it in my face more, you befriended that urchin. I had to keep my mouth shut and watch as you played with the enemy. I knew that great families weren't supposed to mix. It's a law that doesn't come up very often. Why do you think I kept pushing you in Lilith's orbit? Remember, I am an enchanter just like your little friend. All I needed was to keep you and Lilith together long enough. And then once again that street cleaner of a son had to come back from college and once again get involved."

Carlisle's eyes opened wide as she spoke. A sinking feeling was opening in his stomach. He was used to being called useless. He was used to her attacking Miles. None of this was new. But the fact that his mother was talking about him and Lil. It was then it suddenly clicked on his mind. His hand reached out on instinct to hold onto Mary's for mutual support. "I had been best friends with Lil for two years… But my attraction to her had started this summer all of the sudden. It was like a switch had been flicked inside me. I became so much closer to her… It was you… You enchanted me to love Lilith…"

" Guilty as charged m'lord" Amanda let out a slightly hysterical laugh, not attempting to deny anything that Carlisle said.

Salem stood there watching and listening as Carlisle put together more and more of the puzzle. She didn’t know much about the young man, but she was grateful that someone here was putting together the pieces. The Guild Leader had always known that her counterpart had been a diabolical bitch, but she had no idea that Amanda had treated her son this way - especially in public. Was the now ex-Coven leader beginning to go insane?

As Carlisle’s comment rang in her ears about Miles and Lilith sleeping together, the woman literally bit her tongue to keep from spilling any more information. She had wanted to confront Amanda about the whole situation, but seeing how hungry the other woman was for power made her hesitant to give out the final card that she held. Besides - she still needed to confirm her largest suspicion of all.

Claire on the other hand, showed no restraint. ”Who the actual fuck do you think you are to be medeling in my childs life?” she nearly yelled at Amanda.

Mary gave Carlisle's hand a reassuring squeeze before stepping up to her friend and once more sizing up Amanda from over Claire's shoulder. Her mind was moving a thousand miles a minute, it was almost overwhelming the amount of new information she's recieved in the last minutes. Her gaze centered on Amanda.

"Let me get this right," she says venomously, pushing past her friend. "You broke up my family. You're the reason my son grew up without a father. And not only that but you planned to take him away from me?" Anger seemed to radiate from the woman's words as she realized the effect Amanda really had in her life beyond the jealousy and snark. "And after all that you tried to meddle with my god-daughter's life?! Well ain't you a piece of work?" Mary wasn't the angry sort, not really, not anymore. But this? This was an exception. She stepped up closer to Amanda before throwing a punch at the woman’s cheek.

Amanda let out a grunt as she felt Mary’s fist collide with her face, sending the older woman staggering back along the side of the wall, and nearly bowling her over. She raised her hand to cover her face, her eyes glaring in disgust. She once again went to cast a spell, only to again be counter-spelled by her own son. Just this time he wasn’t hiding it. ”Yeah I did. And I would do it again. Aloysisus was supposed to be mine! We were going to create a lineage that would put everyone else to shame. But he rejected me! Said he had no interest in power games or control. So I did what I had to do. Even if the end result was a disappointment.”

Mary was fuming, so much so she could almost feel the heat coming off her skin. "You upended my whole life! You left me strugglin'. You pompous idiotic bag of garbage, I'll knock them fillers out of that face of yours!" she yells, squaring up for another hit. She bends down to get to the woman's level before throwing a punch at her face.

Amanda simply got hit one more time, once more almost hitting the ground and causing a satisfying yell to escape from Amanda’s lips. The only reason she was standing was because of the wall. ”You can hit me all you like. But it doesn’t change the loneliness you feel. You should have seen him beg me not to tell. He didn’t want to leave his poor little Mary” Amanda taunted, faking tears at the end.

"Lonely?" Mary laughs, standing up and looking at the slight bruising on her knuckles. It'd been a long time since she'd clobbered someone in the face like that, and she was sure the last time was Amanda too. "I ain't lonely. No, Amanda Aston, unlike you people actually like me enough to support me. I'm just mad at the life you took away from my son,"

”Oh Boo Hoo, cry me a fucking river” Amanda retorted as she straightened herself up against the wall, adjusting her hair so it was back in place. Her eyes then rested on Claire ”And don’t you start either. You should be dead. I don’t know what kind of tomfoolery my idiot son has done, but once I figure it out I am going to be sure of undoing it and sending you back to your grave.”

Watching as Mary landed a few punches, Claire was honestly surprised that Amanda had chosen to keep running that fat mouth of hers. She had gone out of her way to to ruin many peoples lives on her pursuit of power; Amanda Aston had plotted murder against the woman that Claire called her sister, took away the father that her godson could have had, made her own son feel inadequate, and then proceeded to meddle in Lilith’s life. She had no right to tell who to get over what, when her whole entire life had been built upon never getting over a single damned thing.

And don’t you start either. That was all the permission that Claire Montgomery needed. Tying her hair back quickly as Amanda spoke, the blonde took a quick step forward before throwing all of the weight and force that she could manage into her punch - aiming for the other womans throat.

Amanda was nowhere near fast enough to avoid the punch, letting out a heavy and heft cough as she choked on her own windpipe after the punch connected. She staggered to the side, across the wall before tripping on her own feet and hitting the floor, gasping for air. Carlisle winced at the impact. He knew his mother deserved all this, but seeing it made it hard to swallow.

"So what exactly do we do with her?" Carlisle asked, looking down at his own mother on the floor.

”For starters you better hope she listens next time I tell her to shut the fuck up.” Claire was the first to respond as she shook the shock from her wrist, looking back and forth between Amanda gasping and the group before her.

Salem had taken the backseat as the events unfolded in front of her. The Guild Leader knew the full extent of her powers, and she didn’t want to kill someone her first thirty minutes back in Tanner. Claire and Mary seemed to have the situation handled, and Salem had given out the information she had come to spread. Not to mention Amanda had nearly gotten curbstomped without Salem barely having to lift a finger. It was already shaping up to be a very interesting and eventful evening.

”Well, I don’t think we should kill her - yet. There’s still some things I’d like for her to stick around and see.” Salem said, looking down at the disgrace of a witch before turning to meet Carlisle’s gaze. ”The rest is up to you now.”

Hearing that Salem had pretty much delegated to Carlisle caused the male to cough and pull at his collar. She was right though. Amanda was his problem. With a deep sigh he ran his hands through his hair while he thought through his options. "Technically she is needed for one part of the handover ceremony. But I don't feel comfortable with it. Not after learning all this shit. Alright. We will just have to change the ceremony" Carlisle clapped his hands together with a small smile.

"As for you though…" Carlisle spoke looking down at his mother. He would then cast mental prison on her, performing the same spell he had on Grandpa John and locking her away in his mind. This time however the prison was dangerous, as opposed to the blank space he had placed John. Any attempt at her to get out was going to hurt her.

It seemed that a large group of people had chosen to stare at the scene happening before them. The sudden realization seemed to unsettle Salem as she cleared her throat. ”Someone tell Lilith to come find me after everything is finalized tonight,” she requested of no one in particular.

With a shrug of her shoulders and a nod of the head, Claire looked at Mary and Carlisle before asking ”Shots?”

"I should probably refrain from Drink Casting." Carlisle said with a light laugh. "But you and Mary knock yourselves out. I will deal with everything and make sure Lilith speaks to Salem later on."

"Please," Mary responds to Claire's offer before looking around at the faces staring back at them. "Alright folks, move along, show's over," she calls out to the crowds, using a bit of her enchantment to call for their departure. Of course this had to happen when her own parents were in town, she'd have some explaining to do tomorrow. She then turns to Carlisle, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Sorry you had to see that, kid. Guess the kid ain’t gonna see me the same after that."

Reflecting through the conversation Mary seemed to be in her thoughts for a moment. Now less shell shocked she was able to pick up what Salem was trying to lay before them. Her eyes widened at the realisation as she then asked her divination a single question.

Yes it responded. Her face seemed to turn as white as a ghost as she purposefully looks at Carlisle once more. "I can talk to Lil, there's something I want to ask her," she says, her voice much softer than before.

"I think we all have questions for Lilith. But sure. I am going to have my hands full with all this shit." Carlisle replied, gesturing to the entire party.

[Sadie]

A @Sailorsadie & @Soufflegirl123 collab ft @Hedgehawk
Starring: Willow & Clara ft Carlisle

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The last week had been a whirlwind. Between dealing with patients, getting ready for the Coven party, and thinking about Carlisle, her time had been well spent. Yet, she found she was never happier than she had been right then. Things were going great in all aspects of her life. It could only get better from here. Though, it would naturally get better if Carlisle asked her to be his, officially.

Soon the night of the party arrived and Willow found herself at home, fixing her makeup in the vanity mirror. She wanted to look exceptionally perfect tonight, even going so far as to buy a rather scandalous looking dress. If she was going to date the head of this whole Coven thing, she had to look the part, right?

Standing, she started to pace the room and looked at her clock. Clara would be here any minute to finish getting ready together. She hadn’t seen the young woman since she got into town and it was about time they had some bonding time. If Willow could just get past her damned nerves, the party was going to be amazing and she wanted to share a big part of it with her best friend.

Already changed into her long yellow dress Clara appeared in front of Willow’s house. Well, that was her intention. Instead she appeared a couple of streets away and hitched up her dress and jogged the rest of the way, her black bag of makeup supplies banging against her waist. Teleportation was a good substitute for a car when not thinking about the logistical nightmare of one’s chances of missing their destination.

Eventually she met her friend’s door, giggling to herself. She was glad she had worn boots. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d seen her friend, both being wrapped up with their personal lives but she was excited to see how her past weeks had gone. She banged on the door before calling out ”Willow? Hellooooooo,”

Hearing the front door and then Clara’s voice, she beamed and hurried to her front door. Willow opened the door and her eyes widened a bit at the dress. ”Oh, that is gorgeous, Clar!” She threw her arms around the girl in a hug before backing up quickly. ”Come in, come in! I was about to get into my dress too.” Turning, she led the girl down to her room and let out a breath. ”Oh, I have so much to tell you!”

”Oh thank you!” Clara replies to Willow’s compliment on her dress before swishing the skirt. How Clara loved the swishing feel of a long dress. She reciprocates her friend’s hug before being led down to Willow’s room. ”Ooooooo, what kind of news?” she asks, excitedly bounding over to the woman’s bed and bouncing in her seated position

Sitting once more at her vanity mirror, she looked at Clara’s reflection and beamed. She couldn’t believe she had waited so long to tell the woman, knowing she always told Clara everything. Willow bounced a bit in her seat before bringing an eyeliner to the corner of her eyes, creating a dramatic look. ”So, remember how I’ve always had this thing for Carlisle? Well…” She squealed a bit before continuing. ”He kissed me last week. And we went on a date. It was amazing!”

As Willow tells her news Clara’s bouncing seemed to slow. It didn’t stop but it definitely slowed as she furrowed her brow. ”Doesn’t he like Lilith?” she asked. This was all confusing, people had been talking about Carlisle’s crush on Lilith for a long time now and suddenly Carlisle’s kissing someone else. Is that how dating works? she couldn’t help but think to herself.

Her smile faltered a bit before she let out a breath, shaking her head. She cleared her throat as she resumed her eye makeup, trying to keep her hand steady. Willow knew Lilith would always be a thing of discussion when it came to Carlisle. Yet, she was expecting her friend to be happy for her. Was there something Willow didn’t know? Was she being blinded by her feelings for the man? ”That’s all over. It wasn’t reciprocated. He’s moved on.”

Clara blinked once, then twice. ”That was fast,” she replies simply, falling back into her own thoughts. While she did want to feel happy for Willow, Clara did have some concerns and didn’t really know how to sort through them except just blurting them out. ”Does that mean if you break up he’ll kiss someone else next week? Is that how this works?” she asks somewhat earnestly, rubbing Willow’s bedsheets between her fingers.

”I-” She paused and let out a breath. How could she prove to her friend that this wasn’t going to end in disaster, when she wasn’t so sure of it herself? Willow cleared her throat once more and stared at her own reflection in the mirror. ”No, that isn’t how this works. He never broke up with her, Clar. They were never a thing, he told me. He said he finally realized how I felt for him, and he kissed me. And it was a great kiss.”

”People say he was obsessed with her. Is being obsessed a different kind of love to the kissing love?”

Biting the inside of her cheek, she dropped the hand that was at her eye as she looked at Clara’s reflection. She knew the woman only said these things out of love and concern for Willow, but damnit if she didn’t feel these same hesitations with Carlisle. Letting out a breath, she shook her head at her friend. ”Yes. No. I don’t know.” She groaned and hung her head, her palm coming up to cup her forehead. ”Look, all I know is that he told me things were just one sided and he was moving on. I helped him to realize that, I think. We went on a date at Huskers and saw Lilith there, and he really only had eyes for me that night. So.”

Giving a small shrug of her shoulders, she dropped her hand and raised another to finish her eye makeup. ”I believe him when he says he’s over her. Or, he’s at least on his way to being over her.” She groaned and scrunched her nose in the mirror. ”I’m a rebound, aren’t I?”

Clara thought for a moment. ”I don’t know, I just know mum makes comments at the TV on shows when someone kisses someone right after breaking up,” she replies to her friend.Clara looked over her friend, studying her movements and taking a moment to register the way she looked to be feeling. That was definitely a sad figure before her. ”Did I make you sad? I’m sorry,” she says, awkwardly staying in place on Willow’s bed.

She quickly shook her head at her friend and gave her a small grin. ”No, no you didn’t make me sad. From a clinical view I can see how this looks. I can see how I look like I’m a rebound.” Willow let out a breath. ”But from a personal view?” She shrugged her shoulders. ”I’ve had feelings for Carlisle since high school. And now I finally have my chance to be with him. So I want to forget Lilith even exists to him, even though I know that’s ridiculous.”

When I was little I always wanted to try cheerwine but they didn’t have it. I wanted it so so bad I cried. You told me ‘Clar, you don’t like cherry things, why would you like this?’ but I still wanted it. Eventually I got some and it tasted super yucky, I think I was sick. How do you know Carlisle’s not your cheerwine?’ She asks, pulling her bag closer to her to retrieve her make up soon.

Willow blinked in the mirror as she tried to think about what Clara just asked her. She understood the comment and she let out a slow breath. ”Car isn’t my cheerwine ‘cause we’ve kissed multiple times and it just keeps getting better. I just…I feel right when I’m with him. I’ve wanted this for so long and it just feels like it’s going to work out. But, I’ll keep an objective foot out the door. Just in case.”

Clara shrugged. ”Ok,” she replies simply and gently with a shrug. Toying with the zipper on her makeup bag. ”Oh, this may help you feel better!” she pulls out a small plastic bottle and holds it up for her friend to see. ”I brought face glitter!”

She couldn’t help but to smile and laugh at the sudden change, knowing her friend had finally dropped the subject. Willow finished with the makeup around her eyes and set it with her spray before standing. [color=lightblue]”Let me just get my dress. Grabbing the garment bag from her closet, she stepped into the bathroom and quickly slid into the white dress. She came back out a few moments later and spun for Clara. ”What do you think?”

Clara had stolen her friend’s place at the vanity and started on her own makeup. Unlike her friend she stuck to a light palette. And glitter. Lots of glitter. The best part about the glitter is it clung to her for days. That wasn’t her mum’s favorite part. Halfway into her eyeshadow she saw her friend’s visage in the mirror and swung around to look at her properly. ”Wow, Lo, you look good!” Clara says brightly before lowering her voice ”You’re not gonna get cold though are you?”

”Oh, I’m going to be absolutely freezing, but it’ll be completely worth the look on Carlisle’s face.” She smoothed out the dress before sitting on the edge of her bed. Willow looked under her bed and grabbed a pair of white heels before sliding them onto her feet. Leaning back, she smoothed her hair back and shrugged. ”I’ll wear my white trench coat there and take it off when we get inside. It’ll be fine.”xd

”Okay,” Clara replies with a nod, ”Just be careful, I don’t want you getting sick!” She turns back to the mirror to finish off her makeup. Pulling out her glitter once more she dabs it under her eyes and on her cheeks before holding out the bottle to her friend. ”Boys like shiny things,”

Grinning at her, she took the bottle and stood next to the girl at the mirror. She dabbed a bit of the glitter around her eyes and the tops of her cheekbones. Willow approved her reflection and gave the bottle back to Clara. ”I say we’re ready for this party, don’t you?” She returned to her walk in closet and grabbed a white trench coat out, sliding her arms into the article of clothing.

”Mm-hm,” Clara agrees enthusiastically, jumping out of her chair. ”Carlisle’s not gonna get mad at me again, is he?” she asks innocently, wringing her hands.

Willow shook her head and put her hands on the girl’s shoulders, bending down to look into her face with a grin. ”He absolutely will not, I promise. He’ll be too busy with Coven things to worry about anything else. Okay? So, we are going to take my car. I know your way is quicker, but. This way is safer.”

Clara’s face fell slightly at Willow’s instruction. ”But… mine is cooler. It’s a poof and tada, driving takes forever,” she complains with a sigh. ”Fine, but I get shotgun!”

”I know, I know. It’s very cool. But I paid more than my rent on this dress and I’d like to keep it in one piece.” Willow grabbed a clutch and her keys before grabbing Clara’s hand and practically dragging the woman to her car. She slid into the driver’s seat and started the drive to the Coven. ”I can’t wait to see everyone. I think this is the fanciest thing we’ve all been together, besides prom.”

”Prom had less old people so I think this is fancier,” Clara responds, buckling herself into the car and smoothing out her dress. She looks out the window and Willow drives out her driveway and down the street, watching the sunset through the trees. Clara always loved sunsets, Clara just loved pretty things.

”Oh, that’s true. There’s going to be a lot of older people there.” Her face paled as she thought about all the attendees. ”Carlisle’s mom is going to be there. What if she finds out we’re dating? I’ve heard she’s super intimidating.”

Clara shrugged. ”Maybe you should just hide from her. I have some excellent hiding spots in the house,” Clara had some favourite spots to stash herself away in when everyone in the coven was getting too much. All of which she found playing hide and seek in the house growing up. Luckily she was still small enough to fit into those hiding spaces.

Willow let out a slow breath as she continued to drive. She couldn’t just hide from people, she was an adult. She had to face them. Even though the thought made her palms all sweaty. Letting out a breath, she shook her head. ”No, I can’t hide. I’ll have to face her. Just remember me fondly, okay? Make sure my funeral is a nice one.”

Clara furrowed her brow at her friend’s words, trying to comprehend them. ”She’s not going to kill you… is she?” she asks her friend, watching her face carefully. For someone thinking they may die she seemed rather non chalant

With a small breathy laugh, she shook her head at her friend. ”I’m just kidding, Clar.” Mostly. She cleared her throat and looked up at the Coven house as they approached. There were several cars already there and she let out a shaky breath. She could do this. She couldn’t wait until Carlisle saw her. Parking in an empty spot just out front, she turned off the car and glanced at her best friend. ”Alright. You ready?”

”Mm-hm,” Clara responded, collecting the skirt of her dress in her hands. As much as she loved them they were awfully impractical. She awaited her friend to start opening her door before she did the same. As she stood she let her skirt fall back into place, giving it a quick swish with a couple of turns of her hips and giggling to herself. She then looks back up at her friend. ”Are you gonna go kiss Carlisle?” she asks.

Willow had gotten out of the car with her and grinned at the joy in her friend’s face. She smoothed out her dress and pushed her hair off her shoulders before grabbing her invite from the inside of the car. She beamed and bounced a bit on her heels at the girl’s question. ”Oh, most definitely. If he isn’t busy. I don’t want to mess him up tonight.” Looking back towards the house, she let out a breath. ”Alright, let’s go make our entrance.”

Clara gave a nod, bouncing to her friend. She hooks her elbow around hers and walks alongside her. As they got closer to the house it was becoming apparent the sheer amount of people at the event. She froze in her place briefly, swallowing the lump in her throat. She flashes Willow a smile then continues to follow her into the household.

Giving her friend an encouraging smile back, she led her up to the main house where their coats were taken. Willow looked around and soon spotted Carlisle. A beam stretched across her face at the sight of him in a tux. He looked incredibly put together and so handsome. She let out a breath and handed over her invitation. ”Hey, Car. You look great.”

Carlisle had been briefly distracted, and Willow was able to come fairly close to him before he realises. He jumped and turned back to face her. His mind melted. For a moment he didn’t say anything, his eyes instead focused and locked on the dress she was wearing and how it hugged her body. Swallowing hard, he smiled and leaned forward, kissing Willow on the lips. ”Welcome! You look even more amazing.. I mean… stunningly amazing”

A blush crept up her face at the kiss, then deepened to her cheeks at the compliment. The dress had done what she wanted it to do. Shifting on her feet, she let out a breath and grinned. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and she absolutely loved that he kissed her despite being around everyone. Maybe now everyone would see that they were on their way to being a couple, even though Carlisle had never outright asked her. ”Thank you.” She tugged at Clara’s arm and gave her a small wink before looking back at Carlisle. ”Everything here looks perfect. You outdid yourself.”

"I tried my best. It's not done too badly" Carlisle smiled and took a step closer to Willow running his hand along her cheek as he leant in a little to whisper, so only she could here""So, after this we need to work on getting you out of that dress"

Her breath immediately caught in her throat as it went dry. She bit her bottom lip and couldn’t help a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. Bringing a hand up, she ran the back of her knuckles along his jaw before she kissed his chin. Willow whispered back to him and winked. ”Only if you play your cards right, handsome. Gonna have to work for that reward.”

Carlisle felt his own throat go dry at the final statement. He could feel the heat rising, but at the same time people were queuing up. Regaining his composure he stood back up straight "Ahem.. I will be fighting hard for that then. Do enjoy yourself though" He said with a smile.

Willow’s smirk widened when she noticed her statement had hit its mark. She leaned forward and quickly kissed his cheek before dragging Clara past him and over to the main area of the room. Letting out a breath, she bounced on her heels and tried to hold back a squeal of excitement as she looked at the girl. ”I was so right about the dress. Told you, he’s over her.”

The past interaction was almost an awkward endeavour for the petite woman. Carlisle hadn't even spared her a glance, too enthralled by his new lover. Although Clara didn't mind being overlooked he had quite obviously missed the sour glares she was shooting him. Soon Willow was dragging her away, still glaring at the man until he was no longer in view.

At Willow's words she gave a half shrug, still not fully convinced at that claim. She then asks "What is he fighting for?"

Her cheeks immediately reddened as she tucked some hair behind an ear with her free hand. There was no way in hell she was going to repeat what just happened between her and Carlisle. Willow shifted her feet as she shrugged her shoulders. ”A, um. More time with me, of course. Come on, let’s go mingle.”