Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Spoilers: Post-Covenant, slight A/U for GG.

LIKE YOU LIKE AN ARSONIST

CHAPTER 1: Truth Be Told

Hey Upper East Siders, did you miss me? I just got back from a fabulous vacation in St. Barts. Now I'm sporting a fabulous tan that will match perfectly with all of my college outfits. I'm sure everyone's busy getting ready for the first day of school. We are about to begin a totally new chapter of our lives. New school, new friends and new parties. It's going to be a wild and wicked year. I can smell it.

Sightings:

B and S shopping at Barney's for their NYU debut.

D and V at a local bookstore browsing through boring literature.

C strolling into Bass Industries with the air of a millionaire.

And N boarding a plane to Massachusetts. Well, looks like there has been a slight change of plans. Is N going to Harvard instead of Columbia as he planned?

We'll find out soon enough. Let's hope everyone will be on their best behavior because I will be watching very closely.

You know you love me,

XOXO Gossip Girl

…

Nathaniel Archibald had just experienced the worst week of his life. First, his father had been found and sent to prison. Second, his grandfather had bought him a spot at Harvard University. And third, his mother told him he was adopted.

Life could not just get any fucking worse.

He now sat in his dorm room. His roommate hadn't moved in yet. It was exactly three days before the start of the first semester. He had taken the first flight out after his mom had dropped the bomb on him. On first instinct, he wanted to find his real family. But now, as he sat there, he wasn't quite so sure he was ready for that yet.

His iPhone began to ring. His mom's number flashed on the screen. He sighed. He knew he had been a little hard on her. God knows she had already been going through a lot with his father's imprisonment and all that. He answered the call. "Hello?"

"Nate honey? Where are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm in Harvard, Mom."

There was a sigh of relief. "Look honey, I'm sorry -- "

"It's okay. I understand. You don't have to."

And that's when he finally built up the courage to search for his real family. He grabbed his jacket and climbed into the black Porsche Carrera that his grandfather had been generous enough to give him. He drove in silence. Chuck had given him all the information he needed. Address, telephone number, and names. He didn't have the guts to give them a call first. He knew if he did, he might chicken out. A surprise visit would be better. At least he hoped it would be.

After what seemed like forever, he finally entered the small town of Ipswich. It was not what he expected. The town's name had never really been familiar to him, and he had actually thought that it would be akin to that of the countryside. When in fact, it was the complete opposite. The entire town reeked of wealth. But unlike the Upper East Side where everything and everyone was gleaming in its modernism, Ipswich was bordering on ancient. Everything was old-fashioned. The manors, the gardens, the wrought-iron fences.

Old money. He thought appreciatively. After five more minutes of searching, he found the house he was looking for. He parked underneath a colossal oak tree just outside the gate. It was wide-open. He stood there, unsure of whether to enter or not. There were no security cameras visible. Fuck it. He thought, walking through and right towards the front door. Without another moment's hesitation, he rang the doorbell. He noticed that an ornate gold S had been carved into the center of the wooden door. The name flashed in his head: Simms.

He was a Simms. Nathaniel Simms. He backed away, suddenly feeling very dizzy. What was he thinking? He couldn't do this. Just when he was about to run off, the door opened. And he saw himself staring at – a mirror-image of himself. He was speechless. Chuck had mentioned that the Simms had a son, one who went by the name of Tyler. But Nate didn't even consider this.

Twins.

He had a twin. And he was staring at him like he had seen a ghost. Was it just his imagination or were his eyes turning black? "Who sent you?" Tyler hissed in a low tone. Nate backed off, severely disturbed. Those aren't just contact lenses. Tyler's eyes were as black as night.

"I'm – I'm Nate. I'm your brother." He blurted out. In an instant, Tyler's eyes returned to their normal shade of blue. Nate could feel his heartbeat accelerate.

"Tyler?" A woman's voice called out from inside the house. "Who is it?"

Tyler did not reply. He appeared to be in shock. A woman in her later forties appeared beside Tyler.

"My god. Nathaniel?"

…

Tyler Simms did not know what to think when he came face to face with his own reflection. He had immediately jumped to the conclusion that it had been a Darkling. It sounded far-fetched seeing as how they had already gotten rid of Chase almost a year ago. But he could not think of any other explanation. Until he said he was his brother.

All four of them sat in the living room. His father, Thomas Simms had joined them without question. Tyler could not help but feel a little betrayed. They kept a brother from him. And more so, a twin brother. But knowing his father, he would have his reasons.

"I apologize for not calling earlier." Nathaniel spoke.

"What brings you here Nathaniel?" Laurel, my mother, asked. Her voice was not unkind. In fact, she looked like she wanted to embrace her son. But something was stopping her.

"Please, call me Nate." He said. Tyler could see a trace of uncertainty in his face. "My mother told me no less than twenty-four hours earlier about my adoption. I just wanted to meet you for myself. Please know that I have no hard feelings for your decision to give me up. I presume you have your reasons."

Tyler was impressed. He was dealing with this well. Much more than he was. "Yes, dad. What exactly are your reasons?" He bit out through gritted teeth. Laurel winced.

Thomas was silent. A war seemed to be raging in his head. Tyler could sense his indecision. Finally he spoke. "Nathaniel. I am about to tell you something that will seem very unreal to you. It will be your choice whether or not to believe. But I must first ask you to promise not to relay to anyone, not a soul, about the information I am about to share to you."

Doubt began to cross Nate's features. "I promise."

Tyler shot him a warning look. "You'll be breaking the Covenant of Silence."

"He deserves to know." Thomas said in a tone that brooked no argument. "He is part of our family."

"Our family is one of the few who escaped the brutal witch-hunting in England during the 17th Century. Our kind have been brutally persecuted ever since. That is why the remaining four families of Ipswich decided to form a Covenant of Silence. And until recently last year, it has kept us safe. For 300 years it has kept us safe." Thomas waited for an interruption. There was none. Nate was staring at him with an unreadable expression. "No one really knows how the Power came to be. It has simply been passed on from generation to generation, to the eldest male in the family."

Tyler felt realization dawn on him.

"Although you and Tyler are twins. He was born first. He is older than you by only two minutes." Laurel explained. She looked tearful. "We gave you up to protect you. As much as we loved you and wanted to keep you, we couldn't."

"Tyler being the firstborn, acquired the Power. You didn't. Which makes you defenseless against the things that might come after us." Thomas said. Tyler did not know whether or not to feel jealous of Nate. He was able to live a normal life. Tyler didn't. And he was going to die a lot younger than his brother. But then again, if he had been in Nate's shoes he wouldn't be able to feel the thrill of Using and he wouldn't have met the best guys in the world. And, he got to stay with his real family.

"That explains your eyes turning black." Nate pointed out. His voice was eerily calm. This guy's self-control is amazing. Tyler thought. He could teach Reid a thing or two. "So what exactly can you do?"

"Anything I want." Tyler replied easily. "But it comes with a price. Every time I use, I age."

Nate's eyes widened. "You're kidding right?"

"I'm afraid not. You should consider yourself lucky." Tyler told him.

Nate nodded. There was a moment of silence. He glanced at his watch, it was half-past seven. "It's getting late. I should be heading back."

"To New York?" Laurel asked.

"No. To Harvard. I moved in a few hours earlier." Nate said.

"Nonsense! You should just spend the night."

Nate seemed relieved. "That would be great, thank you."

"Tyler, would you show him to one of the guest rooms?"

"Of course mother."

…

Nate resisted the urge to pinch himself repeatedly to make sure that this was all not just a dream. Witches. Who knew. It was almost impossible to believe if he had not seen the way Tyler's eyes darkened to pitch-black. He followed his brother upstairs. Brother. Twin brother. Funny how things could change your perspective on life in a matter of minutes.

Thomas and Laurel were obviously good people. Nate could actually see himself being their son. But this was not a world he was meant to be in. It was only Tyler's. It was by pure chance that he had been born. He was not supposed to be in the equation. And he was perfectly happy not to. But he would certainly love to get to know them a little bit more.

"So, Harvard huh?" Tyler said leading him into a bedroom with beige wallpaper. He took a seat on the loveseat by the door. Nate settled himself on the king-sized bed. This was exactly what he was used to. "My friends Caleb and Pogue are going there."

"Caleb?" Why does the name sound so familiar? "What's his last name?"

"Danvers. Know him?"

Nate could not believe his fortune. That was the other name plastered onto his dorm room door. "Looks like he and I are gonna be roomies."

Tyler laughed. "Well good luck with that. He can be a little overbearing sometimes. I'm actually meeting them in a few minutes. You should come."

The other Sons of Ipswich, Nate presumed. He smiled. "Sure, why not."

…

Tyler could not wait to see the look on his friends faces when they see Nate. They were on their way to the Danvers Manor. They were going to meet up there, explain what needed to be explained, and then head off to Nicky's afterwards. They brought Tyler's Hummer with them, leaving Nate's Porsche at the Simms Mansion. Reid had been annoyed that Tyler couldn't pick him up. He wanted to shock them all at the same time. Nate had been all-too willing to join in his little fun.

They finally made it to Caleb's house. The lights were on in the foyer. Tyler could hear their voices talking inside. Without further ado, he pulled open the unlocked door and walked in with Nate right beside him.

The silence that emanated was total. You could have heard a pin drop.

"This is my twin brother, Nate." Tyler could no longer control himself. He burst out laughing. "The look on your faces!"

"Baby boy, please stop the irritating laughter and explain." Reid demanded. Always the one to burst his bubble. He managed to explain everything in less than twenty minutes. It would have only taken ten if Reid hadn't interrupted at five-minute intervals.

"Oh and Nate's gonna be your new roomie." Tyler finished.

Caleb looked pleased. "That's perfect." Nate grinned.

Pogue didn't look too happy. "Hope I won't get stuck with a total dork."

"I hope you do." Reid drawled. Pogue glared at him. "Baby Boy and I will be ravishing all the ladies in NYU."

"NYU? You never told me you were going to NYU." Nate said sounding surprised.

Tyler shrugged. "Forgot to mention it."

"Two of my friends go there." He suddenly looked alarmed. "Shit. No one still knows I'm adopted. They'll freak if they see you. In fact, they'll probably think you're me."

"You should tell them." Pogue advised.

"Worry about that tomorrow." Reid said dismissively. "Tonight. We party."

…

Well looks like we've got an extra four heads to watch out for. Let's just call them the Sons, four incredibly beautiful male specimens. How they managed to stay hidden in such a small town is a mystery. Even they managed to escape my probing gaze. But now they're all out on the radar. There's no hiding now.

Sightings:

N driving off back to Harvard in his sweet black Porsche Carrera with a bright yellow Ducati right beside him and a sleek silver Ford Mustang trailing behind.

R and T loading up T's Hummer and getting ready to head to New York.

Your Email:

Dear GG,

I've heard some crazy stories about the Sons. How they dabble with witchcraft and stuff. Do you believe that?

Hermione Granger

Dear Hermione Granger,

There are a lot of things that I believe in, but witchcraft is not included in that list.

GG

Looks like Harvard and NYU is the place to be this year. Anyone attending either of the two universities should consider themselves lucky for even being in the same place as the infamous Sons. As of now, they are all still holding clean records. We'll see how long that will last. Especially with N in the mix. He never finds it difficult to stay out of trouble. I'll be in touch.

You know you love me,

XOXO Gossip Girl

…

A/N: Review please. :D