A/N: Yeah yeah. I know. She is at it again. Another new story. Eek. I know. This was an idea that has been boiling in my head for the past month now and I needed to get things out of my system. Now please, bear with me people. I need to make things right. Ha. Now, this is a story of love, betrayal, death and everything in between. It will combine the first and second generation of the Son's of Ipswich and hopefully it will give love to those who really need it. Hopeful it is good. I would just like to note, this story is not all about Reid. It is about all the Sons.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing you recognize. However, the characterizations are mine as well as the lovely Francesca Blake and Georgia Sand.

Prologue I
Without Tears

His hand grazed upon her shoulder as the coffin slowly passed them. He was gone now. All she had in the world was her son who had put his hand in comfort. She didn't know why. She wasn't crying. She had not shed a single tear since he died. Not one. All she did was call the doctor so he could announce the time of death. Next she fixed the legal papers. Everything her husband own had to be transferred to her son's name as soon as possible. She called the funeral home and told them to embalm his body at the earliest possible time. She ate dinner. She took a long hot bath. And finally, she went to sleep.

And now, she was just watching his remains be buried six feet underground. How could she not cry, while saying goodbye?

"May his soul rest in peace among the angels in heaven as well his loved ones…"

She couldn't even understand what the priest was saying. She wasn't listening at all. She wasn't doing anything. She was just staring into space. She was numb.

"Mother…"

She was snapped out of her reverie by her son's voice. She looked around to see that the mound had been filled in and that the tombstone had already been set in place. The service was over and she and her son were the only people left.

"Mother, are you alright?"

She turned her head and looked up from the brim of her hat. He looked so much like his father. Same eyes. Same smile. Same recklessness. It was a miracle that there seemed to be no semblance of her in him. If she didn't know better, she would say that the boy was his father. She turned her head back and faced the tombstone once more.

Here Lies
Joseph Andrew Garwin
Born July 31, 1965. Died August 12, 2007
Beloved Husband and Father and Friend
"There is more to life than breathing."

Just like James.

And soon, her son would be on the same path too.

"I am fine."

-o-

Reid walked to the road to where he parked his car. But as he came to the lot, he noticed that his friends were still there waiting around Tyler's Hummer. All the Sons of Ipswich were there to support him at this time. Reid's father died one night, it was in a hospital bed, private. No one was allowed to speak a word about his father's condition. To the doctors, it was an inexplicable degenerative disease that the family kept secret. To the Covenant, it was dying the inevitable death.

Caleb was the first to approach his friend. No. This was not because of his aching feeling of responsibility, being the unofficial leader of the group. It was not often that they got along with each other, but this time, there was an affinity between the two. Both had fathers lost to the power which they wielded. Of course, James Danvers' untimely end came when he willed his power to his son, but there was still a great amount of empathy that came from the eldest. Caleb clasped his hand on Reid's shoulder and stopped him before he entered the car.

"Hey man, are you alright?"

"My father just died Caleb. What do you think?" Reid said, shrugging off his friend's hand. He had always been that type of person. Empathy was pity to him, and it was something he didn't want, nor need. He just wanted to get back to school so he could get his mind on something else, other than his mother's blank stare. "She didn't even cry, not one tear."

It was a well known fact around the right circles, that Meredith Garwin was not exactly the most expressive of women. She was cold and distant, even to her own family. There were only a handful of times that Reid had even seen his own mother's smile. It was only too sad that she quickly hid them once they were noticed. Reid knew that his father loved Meredith's smile.

Reid thought that his father's death would have been enough to see some reaction from his mother. He kept waiting for it the day that Joseph died in that hospital. But no. Not one word. She just called the doctor, called the lawyers and called the funeral home.

He knew his father was hopelessly in love with his mother. But most of the time, he just felt like Joseph was never in the receiving end of that love.

He started the engine, put his foot on the gas and just drove on.

The rest of the Sons could do nothing but watch him as he drove. It was typical Reid, explosive, then reclusive.

"Do you have any idea where my son is headed?" Said a voice from behind them. It was Mrs. Garwin. She had once again dawned her sunglasses, hiding her expressionless eyes from the boys' scrutiny.

"Sorry Aunt Meredith. He didn't say anything." Said Caleb. He knew he would have to be the one to speak for the group. Tyler had always been unnerved by his best friend's mother. As for Pogue, he was never good in funerals. He didn't actually know what to say to a woman who had just lost her husband or a son that had lost his father. He was the only one of the Covenant who still had his father. No matter how aged, his father was still alive.

"Well." She said monotonously. "When he comes back, please tell him to pay me a visit. There are things to be said and I want to do it face by face. Goodbye boys. Please say hello to your mothers for me, and give them my apologies for not being able to attend to them at the funeral." With that, the woman turned around and walked away from them.

-o-

Garwin Manor was not exactly one of the most appealing homes in Massachusetts. It was dark. Meredith liked keeping it that way. The drapes were always pulled, covering the windows entirely and blocking the light from entering. Reid pulled up the drive way of his childhood home with familiarity despite the appearance of the house. In a way, the house itself reflected his mother.

Meredith Garwin was the only person in the world Reid was actually scared of. She was the only one who could make him act like a total gentleman. She was the only person he would obey when giving out orders. She was the only person he couldn't look at straight in the eye without deterring a few seconds later. Her silence and her calm were intimidating. Her very presence commanded respect. None of the other Ipswich wives held her disposition. For that, he was thankful.

The servants had told him that his mother had been waiting for him in the conservatory. It was the only room in the house that was allowed sunlight. The conservatory was his mother's favorite room.

It was late that night and so instead of seeing a clear blue sky, all he could see above was the sparkling stars. He came in and found her in the far end of the room, carefully watering her plants before she went to bed. The only affection his mother ever showed was for her plants. Prize winning roses and ribbon garnering begonias. Reid grew up watching his mother repot her seedlings, water the ferns and tend to the hybrids.

Without turning around, his mother spoke to him in her normal hushed tone. "Get a watering can Reid and make yourself useful."

He did as he was told. He took one of the watering cans on the table beside the doorway and started helping his mother. He was shocked. She had never asked anyone to help her before. It was always Meredith and Meredith alone who would take care of this conservatory. Not even the servants were allowed this. Reid quickly gained composure and spoke to hide his confusion. "So Mother, I know you didn't call me here to ask for help in watering the plants."

"Really now Reid. Have I taught you no manners at all? Aren't you even going to tell me about your day before we start with business?"

"Well, you would know all about that wouldn't you Mother. We were at the same funeral weren't we?"

"You know what I mean. Please son. Ignorance does not become you"

"It is inconsequential Mother. Please, do get to the point."

"Very well then." Meredith gently placed the watering can on the small stand beside her as she sat down on the patio. She raised an eyebrow at her son's cheek, but let it slide. He never argued with her, but Reid found this day as good as any to start the habit. "Sit down."

As soon as Reid, once more, did as he was told, Meredith brought out an old leather bound book, filled with yellowing pictures and newspaper clippings. It seemed to date all the way back to the Salem Witch trials. "Do you know what this is?" She asked him.

"The family records." Every family of the Covenant had a book such as this. The Book of Damnation was not the only one to record their passage through history. There were also personal family records that were passed through the ages to ensure that the family's legacy and secrets were kept intact. Reid remembered his father showing it to him one time, but he had not seen it since. Why would his mother bring it out now?

"This book contains decades upon decades of Garwin family events and secrets. I have just filled the latest pages with a record of your father's funeral." She said as she flipped the book carefully to show her neat handwriting upon the pages.

"Why are you showing me this Mother?"

"Look at the pages before that. Before the accounts on your father."

The boy turn the pages backwards, passing through his father's diploma and birth certificate before arriving at the account of his grandfather's funeral.

"Jacob Garwin. Died 1971. He was twenty seven. Your father was only six when he died." She said, pointing at the picture of the young Joseph Garwin and his mother at the funeral. Reid had never seen this picture before in his life. He didn't even know that his father was so young when his grandfather died. "Look further back, to your great grandfather." Meredith continued. But she began speaking even before Reid found the page. "Isaac Garwin. Died 1958. He was Thirty five and your Grandfather was fifteen. Shall I go on?"

"What is the point of this entire lesson Mother?" Reid said impatiently. He didn't need a lecture on family history and he didn't need to know when his ancestors died. He didn't see the relevance in all of this.

"The point is Reid, this family's eldest males do not last past their forty's. Six generations of first born sons have died by the addiction." She finished, closing the book and putting it back in its wooden box. She spoke it without even faltering or raising her voice. Despite the insurrection her son was showing her, she remained perfectly calm about everything. "You are bordering addiction."

"Mother, I get this lecture from Caleb everyday. I know already." He spoke in an exasperated voice.

"Oh, no you don't." She quietly snapped at him. "I can see it in you. You get a sense of euphoria every time you use. You can't help but give into it. The Urge. You have no self control whatsoever. Just like your father…if you are not careful you may end up…"

"What?!" He now raised his voice. "I might end up just like him? What is so bad about that Mother, it seems to be the family tradition right? Who am I to deny our legacy?" He spoke with venom as he stood up and prepared to walk away. His father had just died. He didn't need his mother making the matters worse by talking about his imminent death.

But before he could walk out the door, her voice stopped him. "Don't you dare Reid." It froze him to his spot. Her power over him had nothing to do with magic, and yet it seemed to be more powerful than anything that the Covenant could conjure up. He turned around and went back to the seat across from her. His head hung low, partly in shame and partly in anger. He could not look her in the eyes. To see them blank at a time like this was unnerving for him.

"Now. As I was saying. The lifespan of the Garwin men are not exactly long lasting. You will be ascending soon won't you?"

"On the twenty eighth."

"My son, eighteen years old. How time flies. I wonder if Evelyn and Beatrice felt this way when their sons ascended." Reid doubted that Meredith felt anything at that moment. If she did, then she was damn well at hiding it for most of his life. "As you said earlier, you need to protect the legacy. It is your duty to your family."

He raised his head at her words. "What are you saying Mother?"

"Your father is gone. Everything is now entitled to you. You are the Garwin heir. What I am saying Reid, is that you need to start thinking about securing the bloodline for the next generation."

"Are you seriously saying that..."

"Yes. That is exactly what I am saying." She interrupted him in mid-tirade. Meredith had never been lenient towards the public display of rage. Many a time she chastised her son on his hothead behavior. She was not going to tolerate it. "And you will keep your propriety in my presence."

"Sorry mother, we can't all be as calm as you." Each word that left his mouth was oozing with disdain. He once again stood up from where he sat and walked on, not even turning back. He went on storming out of the house.

A/N: Hopefully, you liked that. It is to be the beginning of a hell of a lot of twirling events. By the way, there are 4 Prologues to look out for. They will be little sneaks to the companion fic...Prologue. Yes, aren't I creative with titles, rolls eyes

Please do comment on my characterizations. Especially about Meredith and Reid.

My next Prologue is entitled : Prologue II: When We Danced
Mainly about the Parrys so Pogue fans get your freak on.

Please give me your comments! I swear I love you all. Constructive Criticisms are welcome. Don't flame if you know what is good for you, because I can bit back pretty hard on your ass.

Please check out my website for the Casting Call on this fic and for the Featured Sneak.