The Cowan Job

Chapter 1 – Starting with the Beginning

Disclaimer: Whilst I do plan on adding the odd original character, a vast majority of what is here belongs to 'Ocean's 11/12' and 'The Italian Job'.

"What did you think would happen?" The teenaged blonde argued over her shoulder, laughing at her two best friends who were slowly following behind her.

"It's not as though what we did was against any rules," the boy argued, glaring at her. "Anyway, it was an accident!"

"And," a brunette added, "Not even my fault."

Stella just laughed louder as Linus turned to glare at his lab partner. "Not your fault?" he asked, "How is it any more my fault than yours?"

"You said you'd take care of the clean up." She told him simply, smirking at his almost outraged expression.

"No," he told her leaving no room for argument. "I said I'd take care of the scalpels, you're the one who decided a dead rat was better off in a cupboard than the rubbish."

"What?" Stella gawked at the pretty brunette as the real story began to come together.

"It was not a cupboard, it was an esky." Claire told her pointedly "And that's where we got it from."

"Claire," Linus started slowly. "When we got it, the esky was cold, by the time we had finished the esky had gone warm and then over the weekend it got hot, and thus you get a smell."

"That's what you were fighting with Mr Campbell about?" Stella was laughing so hard she gasped for breath as she watched her two friends argue. "That is so much better than the story Claire told me."

"What did Claire tell you?" Linus asked suspiciously before being spun around by a pull on his arm and marched back down the hallway. Claire muttered something about how they were going to be late for the detention as she pushed him around the corner not bothering to say goodbye to their friend in her haste. "You know, I can just make her tell me later." Linus told the brunette holding his arm in a death grip.

"By which point I won't see you until tomorrow and you'll be over it by then," she shrugged smirking at him as he held the door open for her following her inside.

Needless to say Linus found the detention dull, two hours of writing the same lines over and over again while Clair's habit of twirling her hair around her pen became more and more distracting. He breathed a sigh of relief when the clock hit five o'clock and the teacher told them they could leave.

Linus walked with Claire towards her locker as she pulled out her books for the night. He was only half listening as she told him about the 'friends' episode that would be on that night and how she had read on the internet that someone was going to get married in it. He knew better then to try and join in on her monologues, unless the person really knew what they were talking about it could be dangerous, so seeing he had no idea he decided to leave it be.

The air outside had gotten so cold it hurt Linus' throat as he breathed, but somehow Claire never seemed even slightly affected moving straight on from 'Friends' to the new series of 'Law and Order' that was starting next week and how she was 'in absolute agony over the wait'.

The walk to the Cowan's front door was shorter than either of the teens would have liked, and before long they were making their way down the twisting driveway that lead to the Cowan's house. Claire suddenly stopped speaking as the house came into view, but neither were looking at the house. Rather their eyes were fixed on the silver Merc in front of it.

"I thought you weren't expecting your dad for another few days," Linus sighed softly running his hand along the smooth hood as he walked passed it.

"I wasn't," She told him, though her eyes and voice seemed to be somewhere else completely, "Guess they pulled out." She shrugged turning back to him as he simply nodded. This was possibly what had brought the three of them together in the first place, the ability to be open about what was going on at home and knowing the others understood. Claire knew well that Linus and Stella were the only two at school who possibly could have known what she was telling them, and that was fine with her.

After a quick peek through the window by the door she turned back to Linus, an uncharacteristic blush surfacing as she indicated towards the house, "You probably shouldn't..."

"No" he agreed quickly, nodding as he kicked some rubble with the toe of his shoe, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely," she agreed smiling "Tell Stell' I'll see her then."

"Will do," both teens stood somewhat awkwardly for a moment before Linus, after taking a quick peek through the windows around them, leant forward to place a small kiss on her lips before pulling back abashed. "See you."

He stepped quickly back off the porch before turning to move back up the driveway giving her one last wave before he disappeared behind the trees. Moving back up the driveway alone took about half the time it had taken them to go down, but it was always like that for Linus, he was a naturally fast walker and his grandfather had always encouraged it saying the ability to move quickly without being noticed was very important for an individual such as himself.

Stella sat at her desk ignoring the math problems in front of her as the music in her room threatened to damage her hearing. She gave herself credit for at least attempting the problems, but having found herself at a dead end was waiting for Linus to get back so she could have some help.

Movement on the street caught her eye as she saw Linus turn the corner he was half-way up the street before he paused. Not moving for just a moment before he turned and left the way he had come. Even from so far away the blonde could tell there was something wrong with her friend

His pace was hurried, even more so than it normally was, Stella hurried to the front door only to find that he was already outside of her sight. She closed the door softly knowing she wouldn't catch up with him now. She sat in her room wondering if she had imagined that something was wrong at all, it was unlike Linus to not tell her if something was going on, though she'd noticed that both of her good friends had been acting odd lately.

It was not quite an hour later there was a soft knock on her door.

"Hey," she said looking up, feeling surprisingly relieved to see Linus enter her room, "is everything alright?"

"Of course it is, why wouldn't it be?" he dropped his bag by her door before settling into a chair by her desk. He seemed at ease but Stella felt as though he was feeling something else. There was an underlying look in his eyes of exhaustion, and something else that may have been bewilderment.

Not wanting to add to any upsets, she simply shrugged. "I saw you coming back before."

"Claire left her calculus book in my bag." He told her quickly, standing up again. "I better do my homework, I'll see you later."

He left so quickly Stella didn't even have a chance to ask about his rush. It wasn't until the door down the hall was closing that it occurred to Stella, in all the time they had spent together that was the first time she ever felt as though her friend may have been lying to her, she left herself a mental note to ask him about it later.

Stella never did ask Linus about the lying. In fact by that time the next day she didn't even remember the conversation.

It's been ages I know, but the story's finally being written in a way that might make sense to someone other than myself.

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Elle-05