Disclaimer: We do not own the Covenant. If we did, the plot would have been WAY better. We also do not own any Gilmore Girls references/storylines you may recognize, any songs we name, people we may mention, and anything else it is impossible we could own. We DO own Seasons 1-4 of GG on DVD, 2 hairbrushes and a pack of mint-gum! Oh, and Ash, Griff, Kay, and Amanda.
The Last of the Cursed
Griffen and Ashlynn have a secret. Their souls have survived over the years through a curse that travels from mother to daughter every generation on their thirteenth birthday. Only, this time, something has gone terribly wrong, and five years after the transformation, the Curse has begun to destroy them. Now they have to break it and face the world as mortals, or perish and become trapped within the cycle.
"Turn it up!" Tyler yelled, and the volume became deafening. Caleb hit the gas and the car shot forward. It was the day after graduation, and the Sons of Ipswich were ready to party. This summer was gonna rock!
"Did you see that chick at Nicky's yesterday? She was smokin'!" Reid said, taking a swig from his beer.
"Shit yeah, and she was totally into you man!" Pogue said. "She kept checkin' you out!"
"She did at that," Reid said, smugly.
"I don't know why, you'd hump her and dump her in a week at best," Caleb said to him.
"What can I say? Daddy's gotta pollinate the flowers, if you know what I mean."
"No, I don't know what you mean, but if you have a thing for flowers then, well, I'd be worried about you, man." Caleb looked at Reid in the rearview.
"Man, you're just jealous cuz Sarah isn't delivering between the sheets. Don't hack me down cuz the chick you're with is a prude."
Caleb slammed on the brakes. "Don't you ever talk about her that way!"
"Touchy, touchy!"
"Yeah, man, lighten up." Tyler said. "We're here to party! Let's go!" He whooped and downed the last of his beer.
"C'mon man, let's go." Pogue said, "Don't listen to Reid. Even he knows he's a dick!" he said pouring beer over the blonde's head. Reid punched him in the gut as best he could from the backseat.
"Hey hey!" Caleb yelled. "Watch the leather!"
Half and hour later they were down in the Dells, for the first end-of-the-year party.
"I've gotta go find Amanda, I promised I'd find her as soon as we got here." Tyler said, and went in search of his girlfriend. Reid made a 'whipped' sound after him, and Tyler gave him the finger.
"Guys!" Kate called, running over to them.
"Hey, Kate. Hey, Sarah!" The boys greeted them.
"Oh, I love this song, I wanna dance, C'mon." Sarah tugged at Caleb's arm, and Kate led Pogue out along with them. Reid rolled his eyes, and scoped the crowd for girls. He quickly found a couple of blondes looking his way, and headed in their direction.
The Sons of Ipswich didn't see the two girls far off in the distance, calmly watching them.
"What's happening?" Asked the pretty blonde one.
"Tyler, Caleb and Pogue are with their girlfriends, and Reid's already got two bimbos on his arms. Same old same old." Answered the other, as she exhaled a drag from her cigarette. She flicked her straight, dark hair behind her shoulder, and stood up. This one was about a head taller than the blonde, and had an angry expression permanently plastered to her face.
"Should we make an appearance?" The blonde asked.
"Why the hell not? Not that standing here, far away from our 'peers' and watching them engage in drunken acts of stupidity isn't fun."
The blonde rolled her eyes, "C'mon then." She straightened her tight skirt, and adjusted her blouse.
"Boob check?" asked the tall one, cocking and eyebrow at her friend.
"Well, it wouldn't kill you to look nice." Said the blonde, running her fingers through her hair and checking her make up.
"Actually it would." Answered her friend. "I don't see why you do that all the time, it's not like the two minutes it took us to get from the car to here screwed up your look."
The blonde sighed and tugged her friend along.
Sarah spotted them first. "Griff! Ash! Hi!" she called, waving them over.
"I didn't expect you guys to be here." She said to them.
"Well, here we are," The blonde one, Griff, said. "Not quite sure what we're doing, but here we are."
"You could chill with us," Pogue said.
"Goody," Ash said with mock enthusiasm. She surveyed the party with a look that was a mix of contempt and apathy.
"Aw, c'mon, Ashley, lighten up," Reid said, slinging his arm around her shoulders (the blondes had spotted something shiny and apparently left). She snickered and yanked herself away.
"It's Ash, not Ashley. Don't touch me, creep of Ipswich, I'll kick your ass."
"Feisty! I like 'em like that," he said, grinning.
Scoffing again, Ash went in search of a drink.
"You'd better watch it Reid, she really could kick your ass," Tyler said. Amanda laughed.
"She bench presses more than our gym teacher," she said, giggling. She was an annoyingly happy person.
Griff shot her a dirty look. "That's my best friend you're talking about, you know."
"Sorry," Amanda said as Ash returned.
"Whatever," Griff said. "It's not like there's a guy in this school who could bench-press you," she muttered to herself.
"The HOTTEST guy was over by the keg!" Ash squealed. Looking back toward where she was.
"But, I was here the whole time," Reid said.
"Go to hell, Garwin. You're the most ego-filled guy on the planet, do you know that?" Ash snapped. She quickly walked away, in search of her mystery man.
"Yeah, She wants me," Reid said.
"Sure, buddy, whatever you say," Caleb said. Griff laughed.
"Hey!" Kate said, as a newer, faster techno beat sounded from the dance. "Let's go!" She grabbed onto Sarah and Griff, and rushed out. The boys hung back, and watched. The three girls shimmied and shook for the next hour by themselves. Once they saw Ash join them, but it was a while before they decided they needed to talk to the Sons again.
As the night wore on Caleb couldn't help but notice Griff more and more. Something was different about her. He'd known her since the second grade, but something was seductive about her that night. He felt bad, he loved Sarah, but, Griff was becoming impossible to ignore.
"I'm gonna call it a night," Sarah whispered to him. "See you in the morning?"
"Definitely,"he said to her. Kate and Amanda went with her, leaving the boys alone with Ash and Griff.
"So, ladies,"Reid said, putting an arm around either girl, "Where shall the party continue?"
Griff smiled, and said "I heard about a keg at the old cemetery."
Ash looked at his arm disgustedly and shrugged him off.
Reid sighed. "You know, sometimes I get the feeling she doesn't like me very much."
Griff laughed. "Very astute of you, Sherlock."
Ash couldn't help but notice the jealous look in Caleb's eyes as they watched Reid and Griff flirt. She smirked, it was so easy to toy with the Sons. They had been doing it since forever. It seemed to get easier and easier every time.
"Hey, how 'bout we head to Nicky's instead? I'm kinda hungry,"Ash said, hooking arms with Pogue.
It was Griff's turn to notice jealousy in the eyes of an Ipswich son. Grinning she said "Sounds good."
"You guys need a ride?" Tyler asked.
"Naw, we've got a car," Ash said, flashing a rare smile while climbing behind the wheel of her Viper. "Meet you there!" she called, starting her car and hitting the gas.
"Do they seem different to you?" Caleb asked, looking ahead to the taillights of the girls' car.
"Alive?" Pogue asked.
"Yeah, like, I've never really spoken to them before, not like tonight."
"Yeah, I always thought Ash was a lezbo," Reid said, obviously lying.
"You jackass, she had a boyfriend for two whole years!" Tyler said.
"Really? That's why she never went out with me!" Reid said, having a sudden revelation. "She's on the market now right?"
"She's not gonna date you, man," said Caleb, shaking his head. "Hate to break it to you."
"Well, seeing as you've got Sarah, Griff's not gonna date your smart ass either," Reid half pouted. His pride had been scarred.
"Ash has..."
"Anger issues," Tyler finished.
"Well, that too, but she's also got a certain finesse," Caleb added.
"What, like the shampoo?" Reid asked.
"Yeah, man, like the shampoo," Pogue rolled his eyes.
"You're hopeless, Garwin, you know that?"
"Whaddya mean, 'date Griff'?" Tyler asked, just getting the statement.
Reid shook his head, "And you say I'm hopeless?"
At Nicky's most of the crowd from both of the keg parties had shown up. Aaron Abbot was first to greet Ash and Griff as they walked in.
"Herro, ladiesh," he said, slurring his speech, and almost falling over. "Wot brinsh jew here?"
Ash stared at him like he was Bird Flu.
"They're with us, jackass," said Reid, coming up behind them, like magic, and snaking his arm around Ash's waist. Surprisingly, she didn't tear herself away. Folding her hands over his, she leaned into him.
"Hey, baby," she cooed. "I was wondering where you had gotten to." She twisted around and draped her arms around his neck.
He kissed her. "I know, sorry about that."
Aaron shook his head. "Wait...What? Dude, I'm so drunk." He staggered away.
The second he was out of earshot, Ash wrenched away from Reid's grasp. She shuddered.
"Aw, now, c'mon baby, we're not breaking up already?" He said to her.
"Fuck you, Garwin. I need some mouthwash," Ash headed to the bathroom.
"Bravo!" Caleb said, clapping. "I'm impressed, Reid, you've still got a head."
"Yeah, well," Reid's cheeks reddened in anger. He wasn't as big of a ladies man as he'd hoped, but he wasn't that bad. Who was she anyway?
"Don't worry about it, Garwin," Griff said to him. "She's just, scared."
"Of what? His ego making his head explode?" Tyler asked, laughing.
"Watch it, baby boy, I'll kick your ass." He said, shoving his friend.
Griff got very close to him. "She's afraid of you, your secrets."
He looked at her, puzzled and alarmed.
"I'm gonna go order. What does everyone want?" Pogue asked.
"Coffee and some Chili Fries," Ash said, just returning from the bathroom.
"A medium pepperoni pizza with a Dr. Pepper and hot sauce," Griff said.
The boys stared at them.
"Wow," Reid said. "I'll just have some fries and a burger."
"Me too," Tyler said.
"Make it three," Caleb said.
"Four," Griff said.
"What?"
"Well, to go with the pizza."
Pogue shook his head. "Okay."
"Don't forget the hot sauce!" Griff called after him.
Tyler shook his head. "For someone so small, you sure can eat."
Griff grinned. "Thanks!"
They grabbed a table and Tyler went to help Pogue with the food. That left Caleb and Reid with Ash and Griff.
"Soooo," Reid said, breaking the awkward silence. "Where'd you learn to kiss like that?"
Ash now looked at him like he had Bird Flu.
"Grow up man," Caleb said.
"How long have you and Sara been together?" Griff asked. Out of the blue.
"About a year."
"Long time"
"Yeah"
"Happy?"
"Very."
"That's good."
"Yeah, it is."
"Ladies and gentlemen, the world record for most sentences spoken using less than three words has just been broken," Ash said, looking at both of them like they had Bird Flu.
"Who broke a record?" Tyler asked, returning with Pogue, arms full of food.
"Nobody," Caleb said, eyes still on Griff. She shot him a smile, and her eyes seemed to glow ice blue in the dim light.
"Okay, and your chili fries," Pogue said sitting down.
"Thanks," Ash said, and took an enormous gulp of her coffee. Nicky brought her a full pot a few seconds later. "No one else is drinking it."
Hopped up on coffee, chili fries, and half of Reid's burger, Ash jumped up and rushed to the juke box. Seconds later "Rapture" by Iio blared from it's speakers. Taking off her jacket, she tossed it back to the table and began to sway to the beat of the song, carefully raising her hands above her head. Griff whooped and joined her on the dance floor.
"C'mon, Caleb, get out here!" Ash grabbed his hands and yanked him out of his seat. Laughing, he obliged. Griff returned for a bite of pizza and grabbed Reid on her way back out. Tyler laughed while Pogue simply ate his 5th piece of pizza.
On the dance floor, somehow, the couples got switched. Griff kept getting closer and closer, and, in the heat of the moment, Caleb lost all thought. All that mattered was that he keep her there, dancing. His trance was broken by Ash slapping Reid for trying to grab her butt. He laughed, and pulled her to him, pressing them together with his hand in the small of her back, swaying to the beat of the music.
Three minutes later they returned, laughing and joking like old friends, instead of mere acquaintances.
"I think the world is coming to an end," Aaron Abbot said to his friend. Seeing Ash and Griff with the pathetic Sons of Ipswich. That was definitely a sign of the apocalypse.
"Look at them," one of his friends, Bordy said. "I didn't know they were dating, did you?"
"Nope," Aaron Said. " I didn't even know that they liked each other, let alone..." he trailed off. He had made it a point in the 10th grade that he would date all of the girls of his graduating class at least once, and those two (among a handful of others) were not in his belt notches.
"Damn. What about Griff and Caleb? I thought he was with Sarah," Bordy said.
"Who the fuck cares!" Aaron said, punching at the pool table. He stalked off outside to his car.
"Alright! Closing in 10 minutes, get your shit and get out!" Nicky yelled above the din. Groans, and various amounts of noise arose from the crowd and they all filed out.
Griff yawned. "I'm getting tired, Ash, we should go."
"Yeah, good point," Ash said, checking her watch. "It's nearly 3:00."
"Aw, c'mon! We were having so much fun," Tyler groaned through a yawn. Ash laughed at him.
"You're falling asleep where you stand, boy, you need to get to bed," she took a motherly tone with him.
"Yeah, see you guys around," Griff said, grabbing her jacket and pulling it on. "Thanks for the food."
"No problem," Caleb said. The girls waved as they walked out the door, leaving the Sons standing in awe.
"What just happened?" Pogue asked, slightly confused.
"What?" Reid asked, who was distractedly tugging on his gloves, remembering the dance.
"Tonight. I would have never in a million years thought that those two would have been here with us."
Ash started her car, and eased it out onto the street.
"Well, well, well, who'da thunk," Griff said. "They're falling for it."
Ash laughed and floored the accelerator. "They won't know what hit them."
They drove out to the woods and parked Ash's car behind a thick group of trees. Grabbing a black bag out of the trunk, they headed to a small shack in the woods. Turning an ancient key in the lock the door swung open, and the girls entered.
Theodore Danvers impatiently waited outside the wooden doorway. His wife's screams of pain could be heard, as well as the midwives' muffled attempts to soothe her.
It seemed like an eternity until Ashlynn emerged, her brow full of sweat.
'You have a son, sir,' she said tiredly, wiping her face on her sleeve.
'A son? A son!', Theodore cried. He joyously swing the girl around in a circle. 'Thank you!'
'Erm, you're welcome, sir. But, could you put me down now?' she asked, looking at him like he had small pox.
'Right, sorry!'
'Ashlynn, Come quickly!' came Griffin's cry from the bedroom. Both ladies rushed into the room and the door swung shut behind them.
Caleb woke up suddenly out of a dead sleep, covered in a cold sweat, and shaking. He hadn't been woken like that since just before his ascension. He mulled over his dream in his head. It had been so vivid. So real. But it couldn't have been, Ash and Griff were alive now, not back in the 1600s. He chalked it up to a nightmare, rolled over, and fell back asleep.