Loved all of your reviews for the first chapter! Thank you so much!
To answer a concern some of you had, the story will focus mostly on the twins, but there will still be DE and plots following others as well.
Anyway, carry on :)
"You got your bag?" Daniel confirmed, as Skylar threw her leg over his bike.
"Yup, let's go."
He waited until she'd pulled his spare helmet into place over her hair before lifting the kick and pulling the clutch.
The machine came to life beneath them.
"Hold on," he told her over the engine's roar, and she gripped his sides.
A moment later, they were tearing down the drive and hitting the road.
It was cold, but the roads were not yet iced over, which Daniel was glad for because the second they did, his mother was going to take the keys to his bike.
Before, this wouldn't have been as big a deal, but since Skylar wrecked her car last month, it would leave them with zero means of transportation.
Well, not entirely accurate.
Michael had a car, as antique as it was, and could give them rides, but it was unlikely that the male would want to wake up at the crack of dawn to do so for school.
Unless perhaps Skylar asked him.
Daniel halted briefly at a stop sign, and became more aware of his sister sitting behind him.
His eyes glanced down to where her arms were wrapped around his waist, and he could see a hint of her birthmark peeking from beneath the sleeve of her jacket.
It was identical to the one on his own wrist and was the binding point of the magical bond they'd been born with.
Sometimes, he was grateful for it.
It allowed him to keep better tabs on his sister, who tended to find trouble without even trying, and to make sure she was safe.
He could calm her down and understand her better than anyone else when it mattered, and they were closer than most siblings because of their shared struggles.
She was also able to help make the Change more bearable for him until he was able to ignore the pain and in return, he kept her magic from being too explosive when her emotions got the best of her.
He knew when she was hurt, when she was sad, when she was excited, or when she was happy, and vice versa.
It was a good system that they'd used to their benefit many times before.
Really.
It hadn't become an issue until recently.
He hit the gas, turning toward the road to school, before letting himself think of the why.
And basically, it was that he'd noticed that something was changing between his sister and his best friend.
Sure, Michael had grown up side by side with them and was his brother in every way but name, but he knew that the male was different with Skylar.
He had always loved and looked after her like family, but lately...there was something more to his stare.
Daniel knew that if the Pack lacked anything, it was privacy, so he tended to try and stay out of people's business.
But this was Skylar. His sister. His twin. So he'd watched the situation.
When it seemed that Michael's infatuation with her was as far as things were going, he'd let the issue slide and had kept his mouth shut.
But then, he'd had the dream.
Two weeks ago, he'd been lying in bed, beat as hell after an intense training session with Michael and two Pack sons who were visiting.
The younger three were new to the transition, but the Alpha didn't let that excuse earn them any freebies.
Damon had drilled them hard until they were all practically crawling up the stairs to their rooms.
Daniel had showered and thrown himself in bed, so sure that he'd pass out until morning with zero problems.
However, things had gone a little differently than he'd anticipated.
At some point after his consciousness left him, he began dreaming, and it was a good dream.
Jessica Clark.
She was a quiet girl with flawless brown skin and dark curly hair that gave off hints of caramel highlights in the sun.
He'd had a crush on her since the day she'd started at Mystic Falls High, his Sophomore year.
He'd thought the attraction was one sided, until last year, when she'd kissed him for the first time at a football game.
It had taken all the control he'd had to shut his wolf down as long repressed instincts fought to flare up.
It wasn't fair to her for someone like him to want her.
But he did, and in his dream, she'd wanted him just as much as she had that night behind the bleachers.
They were in the woods, on Pack land, out by the river.
The day was cool, but not freezing, and they'd laid out a blanket to sit on.
He'd kissed her there, in the clearing, where the sky could see them, and the thicket of trees surrounding them offered protection and privacy.
Then she'd pushed him back on the blanket, covering her body with his.
It was nice, until her teeth brushed against his neck, teasing a bite.
When he flinched, she pulled away.
Only it wasn't Jessica's hair falling around him then, and her eyes were definitely not blue .
Michael.
Daniel had frozen as his best friend smiled at him and leaned down until their lips were touching.
And to his astonishment, dream him had kissed Michael back; had ran his hands down his sides, wanting him closer...wrapped fingers in his golden hair and turned his head so that his neck was bared.
Daniel had bit him, before waking up confused, panting, and nauseatingly turned on.
The dream had thrown him through a loop.
He wasn't gay, or even bi, and even if he had been, Michael was practically his brother.
Having those kind of thoughts about him made no sense.
It had been days before Daniel had been able to look the male in the eyes, and even longer before he realized what had actually happened.
That little revelation had come after a run, when he noticed his sister's eyes eating up the sight of Michael's bare back.
Only then did he consider that his bond with Skylar may have played a part in his questionable sex fantasy.
After all, they'd projected things to each other accidentally before, and he'd been weak that night.
So it was possible that it hadn't been his mind formulating the thoughts after all...that it was hers.
The theory had given him some relief, but still, it was weird seeing the two of them together now, wondering if what had happened in his dream was actually what was going on between the two of them.
It was a thought he tried to push from his head.
The school parking lot was mostly full when they pulled up, but thanks to Seniors having reserved spots, Daniel wasn't worried about space.
He found his and parked the bike, then helped Skylar off the back.
"Thanks," she murmured, after he killed the engine, and took the helmet off her head.
He hung it over the back as she ran a hand through her hair to straighten it.
"So, are you still wanting to go to the Grill for lunch?" she asked, "You could bring your new giiiirlfriend."
Daniel rolled his eyes, "Okay, first of all, she has a name, you know? And second, aren't you grounded?"
Skylar shrugged, "That doesn't mean I can't go out."
He blinked at her, "Actually, that's exactly what it means."
Now she was the one rolling her eyes, "I meant for lunch. I've gotta eat right? And Dad didn't specifically forbid leaving the campus for lunch. He just said I had to come straight home after school."
Daniel smirked, "Yeah, as much as I'd love to see you negotiating the specifics of your punishment with our father, I think I'm gonna pass."
"But you're my ride," she complained, "If you aren't going to take me, then who will?"
He grabbed his backpack out of his saddle bag and threw it over his shoulder, "I'm sure you'll figure something out. Or you could just eat here on campus like every other car-less senior."
"Okay, the car thing was an accident. When are you gonna let that go?"
"When you start to grow again, Shorty," he teased her, patting her head and he earned a glare as she swatted his hand away.
"You're so lucky we're at school right now," she grumbled, as a group of students walked by.
Daniel laughed, "I know; I love you too."
They started up toward the building then, and Skylar let her bad mood slide in exchange for better topics, "So do you still think Dad's going to let us go to Tennessee with him?"
"Don't see why he wouldn't," Daniel said, lowering his voice as they walked inside, "Elijah's still up there with Bonnie and they're supposed to be tracing the lineage of that new werewolf the pack found. The alpha wants to-"
"Who cares," Skylar cut him off, "Just think about how many miles we can cover up in those mountains! Pack land here is so limited once you've ran it a couple million times, and this is a real chance to test our boundaries. Really run!"
"Shh," he warned her, glancing around, "Trying not to expose ourselves here, remember."
Skylar shrugged, "No one cares enough to listen here anyway. You worry to much."
"And you don't worry enough," he pointed out, "Which is why you're grounded and I'm free to go see the new Space War movie this weekend."
His sister paused, "You would not go without me."
"Wanna bet?" he lifted a brow, messing with her a little.
"Dick," she accused, before turning to find her locker.
Daniel laughed quietly, and left her to go to class knowing that they'd revisit the topic in homeroom.
"Kael?" a small voice called out.
Michael looked up from his book at the sound of his nickname, "In here."
His little brother found his way into the kitchen and came to stand on the opposite side of the table, where he was trying to do school work.
"Whatcha doing?"
He gave William a little smile before lifting his book for the young boy to see, "Just math. You?"
"I wanna go outside and play, but Mom said no," Will sighed, sitting down in the chair across from Michael, "She said I gotsta finish my school work first."
"Well, how much more do you have?" Michael asked, setting his book down.
"Not much," Will insisted, "And Dad would let me play! But Mom said no so he said no too."
Michael smirked, "Well how about this. You bring your school stuff in here and I'll help you get through it faster. Then we'll both go outside and play for a bit, okay?"
William nodded vigorously, then jumped off the chair and sprinted for the foyer.
Klaus passed him as he entered the kitchen.
"Whoa," he called, as William breezed passed him, "What is that all about?"
Michael leaned back in his chair, crossing his ankles, "I promised to help him finish his school work so we could go outside."
"Ah," His father nodded, coming further into the room, "That explains the excitement then."
He dropped something on the table, "You left this in on the porch."
Recognizing the object as his sketch book, Michael sat straight, swiping the thing from the counter, "Thanks. I didn't even realize."
Klaus nodded, "I'd guessed as much. But be careful where you leave that, would you? I'm not the only one who would have seen it, and someone else might ask questions as to your subject matter. Understand?"
Michael nodded, a light blush coloring his cheeks, "Yes sir."
His father's eyes appraised him, but the male nodded, "Alright."
A moment later, Caroline entered the room and Michael was saved from any more embarrassing gazes.
He tucked the sketch pad beneath his school books as his parents greeted each other.
"Michael, are you finished with your Algebra?" his mother inquired once his father released her.
"Almost," he assured her, "Just a few more equations."
"Good," she noted, "Then help William with his, please. I'm going into town with Elena to yell at some bakery workers."
He decided it was better not to ask, "Yeah, I'll help him."
She smiled appreciatively at him and walked over to kiss the top of his head, "Thank you."
He nodded as her hand ran over the loose bun he'd pulled his hair into, "You know...I could schedule you an appointment at the barber while I'm-"
"Mom," he groaned, pulling away from her touch, "I don't want to cut my hair."
She sighed, unsurprised, "Fine. But at least start using conditioner. It'll knot less."
"Caroline," Klaus reached over for her, "Let the boy be, love."
"Oh alright," she caved, "I'm going."
She offered Klaus a final kiss, then glanced back at her son, "Just make sure William finishes his work before he does any playing. And he's getting sneaky, so really check and make sure he did the work."
Michael nodded, "I will."
She nodded back, then let Klaus lead her from the room.
Michael shook his head as the disappeared, and once checking to be sure that no one else was popping up, he pulled his sketch book out of its hiding place.
Art had been a hobby of his since he was little and would watch his father paint masterpieces onto blank canvases.
He would practice for hours, trying to imitate his father's work, but never quite managing to exact the form.
As he grew older and developed his own skills, he realized that he preferred drawing to painting, and had managed to become quite good.
He'd filled pages and pages with sketches of the woods, the Manor, different members of the Pack, his school...well, his old school.
He'd been yanked out since the Change hit, seeing as it was too easily triggered right now for him to be in a room full of humans for hours on end.
But he didn't mind.
More time at home meant more time to explore his hobby, and it was hard to deny that a certain "subject matter", as his father had called it, had taken precedence in his sketches.
He flipped a few pages into his book and paused when he found his favorite piece.
Skylar.
It wasn't the first drawing he'd done of her, of any of Pack, but from this one particular sketch, the rest of the pages that followed were, in some way, of her.
Different positions of her body, both as human and as wolf.
Close up sketches of his favorite parts of her; her neck, her arched back peaking from beneath her shirt, her eyes with trails of hair falling into them, her long fingers.
And roses, drawn on, next to, or over her body in various forms.
He could imagine why his father would think certain members of the household could have an issue with these images.
Not because they were exposing or sexual really...but there was an intimacy to them he wasn't sure he was ready to explain.
Probably best just to keep this in his room for now.
"Kael!"
He was pulled from his thoughts as William entered the room again, an arm full of books and folders, "I got all my stuff! Let's hurry and finish so we can play! Ooh, what's that?"
"Nothing," Michael insisted, closing his sketch book before his brother caught sight of anything, "Let's get to work, yeah?"
"Yeah!" William's attention span was short, thankfully, and it wasn't hard to get his mind back on school and playing outside, "I gotta do my short story first. Then my science questions."
He pulled out the pages and Michael replaced the sketchbook back in it's hidden nook, making a mental note to find a good hiding place for it later.
"And I only got to do five on this page," Will was explaining.
Michael nodded, "Alright. Open your book then and follow the instructions. Let me know if you get stuck or have any questions."
Will nodded and grabbed his Science book.
Michael was about to turn back to his own work when his phone buzzed.
He reached over and clicked the home screen to see that he had a message.
From Skylar.
"Ugh. History. Just kill me now."
It was followed by a gun emoji and he smirked before texting back.
"You know, History can be interesting."
Her response was fast.
"It is not. It's just an old guy talking about older, dead guys. When and why am I ever going to need to know this stuff?"
Michael smirked.
"To prevent World War Three from happening. Obviously."
"Obviously," Followed with a narrowed eye emoji, "I hate you sometimes."
"No you don't. You hate abbreviated texts and green soup."
"Uh. Yeah! Because abbreviations are lazy and when I'm eating soup I want it to look appealing. Not like an ogre threw up in my bowl!"
"Fair point."
They continued on for a minute until William grabbed his attention for help on a problem.
Michael sat his phone down and focused on his little brother, but still, his smirk stayed in place.
Damon walked into the study where Alaric was bent over his desk, a pile of bank statements in his hands as he read over them.
A calculator was to his left, next to a glass of amber liquid.
"I didn't realize it was happy hour," he smirked, entering the room.
Alaric glanced up and offered him a half smile, "There's a quarter of a bottle left if you want some."
Damon shook his head and leaned against the arm of the sofa, "Nah. I'm good for now. How are things looking?"
Ric leaned back in his chair, "Breaking even at least. We're gonna have to try to pull in a little more money though if we want to avoid breaking into savings."
Damon nodded, "Yeah, okay. We'll figure something out."
"Tyler and George being in Toronto has set us back a little."
"I know," he insisted, "But we needed a clean up and they'll be back soon. We'll make ends meet until then. Hell, it's not as if there isn't plenty of shit here we can sell off for a couple grand, easily."
"And Klaus's paintings don't hurt," Alaric chuckled, "But I doubt he's had much spare time to work on them, with the trips the two of you have been making."
"Necessity," Damon assured him, "Keeping fear instilled in the would-be-Mutts is the only way our system remains intact."
"Of course," Alaric nodded, "Though perhaps, given recent events, it would be best to stick close to home for the next couple weeks."
Damon sighed, "I'm assuming you're referring to Skylar's little front page debut?"
"Yes. You know as well as I how riled things like this can get the humans."
"The Pack will lay low in the area," he said, "And Skylar won't turn off property again."
Alaric chuckled, "Now that, I'm not sure I believe. That girl has Elena's determination with your stubbornness."
"Maybe so," Damon allowed, "But she also cares about the Pack. Taking risks for herself is one thing, but risking the entire Pack is something else. Besides, Daniel can keep her in line. She'll behave."
Alaric shook his head, "Hard to believe they'll be eighteen soon."
"Two weeks," Damon sighed, "It's surreal."
"You can say that again…"
Damon smiled, "Elena just left to harass the bakery with Caroline for the cakes."
Ric chuckled, "The two of them together are a forced to be reckoned with. I pity whoever is working today."
"You and me both," Damon smirked, as someone knocked on the frame of the door.
He turned and saw Mason standing there, "Hey, boss. Elijah called about that kid."
Damon stood, giving the male his full attention, "What's the update?"
"Bonnie was able to trace the male's line."
"They know who his father is?"
"Yup," Mason's jaw flexed, "And you aren't going to believe it."
Okay, you know the drill ;)