Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this writing exercise, blah blah blah. Please don't sue. Reviews are welcome and encouraged.

To Ardwyad, Tracy and Lisa who put me up to writing this story.

A Different Type of Normalcy

By littlelights

There were times when his friends wondered just who was the dominant one in the relationship, Caleb Danvers or Sarah Wenham. And at this moment Caleb would have to pass that designation to his girlfriend.

Friday night was movie night.

Or as Tyler described with a chuckle, 'it's HER choice of a cinematic piece of crap' night. Caleb had to agree. No flaming explosions, shifty spies or even a lot of f-bombs. When Sarah chose the movie, it normally included period costumes, teen hijinx or the occasional boy babe. And they'd flashed in front of his eyes in all their widescreen, surround-sound glory.

John Tucker Must Die. Stick It. Marie Antoinette.

He wouldn't admit it to his friends later, but Mean Girls was pretty decent.

"Dude, you are so whipped!" Reid Garwin taunted during a rather intense session of foosball. "Letting your girl pick the movie is like watching a movie with your mom."

"Too much estrogen." Tyler added.

To his credit, Pogue kept his thoughts to himself. It was clear to him that Caleb's mind wasn't on the game. His best friend, who was usually so focused on his immediate task, was in danger of losing to Reid. The younger blond was the weakest player of the group, but even now he was nearly tied with Caleb.

Pogue casually swiped the hat from Reid's head, distracting him long enough to allow Caleb to score the winning point.

"No fair!" Reid fumed, snatching his hat away from Pogue's grasp. "Jerk."

"Listen up, Reid." Pogue said as he took his younger friend's place at the game table. "When you get together with a girl, you'll be more than willing to watch a few crappy movies."

Caleb smiled, welcoming his best friend's input and watching as the ball was released onto the game area.

"It's a small price to pay." Caleb said. "Movies are a good excuse to be together away from school."

Reid did not seem satisfied with the explanation. While adjusting his hat, the younger boy began describing his ideal movie night, which included a barrage of action films, followed by a rather intense and almost embarrassing description of a groping session.

Caleb occasionally glanced up from his new game to gage the opinions of his other friends. Tyler seemed to be in a quiet world of his own making, which was his custom when comparing exactly what he and Reid had in common on any given subject. Pogue was entirely focused on the foosball game, seemingly oblivious to Reid's diatribe. But there were moments when his eyes met Caleb's and that familiar glimmer of understanding passed between them. It was a subtle look which acknowledged how similar their tastes ran.

On this night, Caleb had the feeling that he and Pogue had shared the same experiences with their respective girlfriends. Pogue might never admit exactly how much lee way he gave Kate while in the company of Tyler and Reid. But to his best friend, Pogue's demeanor explained quite a bit. At some point, Kate was making the leading decisions in her relationship with Pogue. But he certainly wasn't going to let Reid's descriptive little rant change anything.

Lost in his musings, Caleb gave Pogue the opportunity to score three times within a span of two minutes. He should have been paying more attention, but it was time to leave the other sons of Ipswich to their own devices. He had to pick up Sarah for their movie night.

"Taking off already?" Tyler asked. "You haven't finished your game."

Pogue offered Caleb their parting gesture, a meeting of fists and a small smile. "You're not focused on anything other than your girl. You're no good to me like this."

Caleb met Pogue's fist with his own and smiled gratefully. "Talk to you later." He said. Looking at Tyler he gestured, "Take over for me, and don't let him intimidate you."

After a final goodbye to his friends, Caleb drove through the brisk late winter weather to pick up Sarah from school. It was becoming one of his favorite rituals, watching her scamper down the stairs and into the waiting warmth of his car. Just as always, Sarah's eyes were alight with eager anticipation as she ran to meet him. And when she finally slid into the seat and close enough for their greeting kiss, Caleb always felt renewed wave of well being flood his senses.

There was always a small moment right before their lips met, when he could read all the emotions swimming in her eyes. She loved him, truly and irrevocably. It was as potent and lasting as the powers he acquired with his ascension. That knowledge reaffirmed his commitment to keeping his abilities in balance. He wanted to see her smile and feel the full press of happiness which filled his senses when they kissed, for the rest of his life.

Sarah released him from the kiss, and fastened her safety belt. Her eyes were still a little dreamy, and she shivered as her body adjusted to the heat of the car.

"How are the boys?" She asked, shifting in her seat to come in closer proximity to his body.

Caleb sank back into focus, and began to drive the familiar route to his family's home outside town. "Entertaining themselves, as usual." He said.

Sarah's left hand came to rest on his lower thigh, which had become her way of keeping some form of physical contact between them while he was driving. "What does that include, exactly?" She inquired.

"A foosball playoff, followed by watching Reid hit on a few girls."

Sarah laughed, imagining Reid chatting up a few local ladies without garnering much success. "Kate said she and Pogue were meeting up later. It was all very mysterious. She didn't have a lot of details."

"I wasn't privy to anything," Caleb said with a smile. "Pogue has been playing his cards pretty close to his chest lately. I don't know what he's up to exactly."

When they arrived at his house and settled onto the couch in the media room, Caleb passed a glass of Sprite to his girlfriend and relaxed against the smooth leather cushions. The impish look in her eyes made him a little apprehensive to ask what movie she'd selected.

"What are we watching?" He asked.

"I think it's something you'll identify with," Sarah replied.

She handed him the movie case, and watched his face as he read the title.

Caleb paused and went completely still.

"The Craft?"

Sarah bit her lip and flashed him her best, 'don't dislike me too much' look. "Does it hit too close to home?"

He tried not to release his sigh of resignation as he spoke. "Maybe."

"I thought it was worth a rent," Sarah offered lamely. "Eye candy for you and girl power for me…"

She was interrupted by Caleb's soft laugh of amusement. He placed the movie case onto the antique table beside him and turned to meet her gaze.

"Eye candy? A group of emo goth girls occasionally dressed in camo or leather don't hold much appeal for me."

"Really?" Sarah smiled. Her voice was light and teasing. "Not your type, huh? I understand."

Caleb was amused. She truly had no idea how many ways she affected him.

"You're the only woman of power who appeals to me." He said as he cupped her face, and slid his thumb smoothly across her chin.

"I don't have any powers," she stated, closing her eyes as he traced her bottom lip. "I don't know anything about magic."

"Yes, you do."

Caleb leaned in and kissed her, taking care to bring his other hand to caress her neck in an equally slow fashion. They drifted, giving and taking from each other for several moments. Sarah broke the kiss and crawled into his lap. She kissed the sensitive area beneath his ear and asked, "So, you won't mind watching the movie?"

Caleb wrapped his arms around her and smiled. Sarah was a woman with so many strengths; she was intuitive, intelligent and understanding. These qualities, when used in conjunction with her mind and body, had the potential to take him completely off guard. But she demonstrated the same respect and talent for wielding her abilities as he did.

Until he met Sarah he'd never known how much simple physical touch affected him. His mother had been distant, despondent over his father. His friends were, well, guy friends. They were close in so many ways, but always aware of personal space.

Sarah was, in the simplest terms, a hugger. She used physical reinforcement constantly around him. It had taken a few months to acclimate himself, but now he was gaining confidence to show her the same style of affection. His hands found the ticklish areas on the sides of her lower back, and used them to his advantage.

Sarah laughed and transformed her actions from what had been rather compromising into something more respectable. She kissed her way out of his arms, stood to insert the movie into the player and took control of the DVD remote.

"You're going to like this, I promise." She said, pressing the play button on the clicker.

Caleb simply shook his head and laughed.

Fin

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