Reading Key: Italics indicate emphasis. One "x FS x" left justified is a change of point of view. Centered line breaks of multiple "x FS x"s equal a scene change.
Author's Note: Yeah, sorry for the long wait. I've got a lot going on, very little of it good. Like most others, I really need the economy to turn back around, just for starters. Also have a new puppy. Literally every minute not at work or sleeping is spent watching him so he doesn't tear the house apart (also some of the time I am sleeping I have to watch him, lol).
And I actually thought I'd already posted this chapter so I was working on the next one while doing the chapters for my other stories, which slowed me down a bit. Oops! Anyway, hope you enjoy.
Thank you to all the reviewers of the first chapter. Normally I take the time to answer each one (the signed ones anyway) to show my appreciation, but the gap between updates was so long this time that I didn't think anyone would remember what they said in their review. Never doubt that I cherish each and every one, though!
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"When are they letting you out?" Sarah asked after she had placed a vase of lilies on Kate's bedside table and taken a seat in the single chair in the room.
"They said since the allergic reaction is all but gone, I can leave anytime," Kate answered from her place sitting up in her hospital bed. "But my father is flying in a specialist tomorrow who's going to look at my skin and see if any permanent damage was done that needs to be fixed. So I'm staying at least until he's seen me."
Sarah nodded understanding. It was Saturday afternoon, a little over twelve hours since Caleb had Ascended and begun the fight with Chase. After showering, eating and taking a nap as he had suggested, Sarah had called to check how Caleb was doing. He'd been in the midst of planning his father's cremation and had told her he wouldn't see her until late. Not wanting to stay alone in the room where so many creepy things had happened, Sarah had decided to visit Kate. She had stopped at the florist on the way.
Her lilies were not the only bouquet in Kate's room. There were several vases on multiple surfaces in the room, as well as a few 'Get Well' cards propped up near them. Sarah wondered how many of them were from Kate's family and how many were from male 'friends.'
"Has Pogue been able to come see you?" she asked absently as her gaze returned to the other girl. She vaguely remembered Caleb saying something about Pogue being in an accident, but she had no idea how badly he may have been hurt.
Kate's jaw tensed and she looked away. "Yes."
Sarah frowned at her roommate's venomous tone. "What's wrong?"
"He broke up with me," Kate spat out. "Said Chase told him about what we did."
Even though she didn't mean it, Sarah said, "I'm sorry."
Kate didn't look like she believed the cliché, crossing her arms in front of her. "We should think about one of us asking for a new room assignment. I can't deal with seeing Caleb all the time, reminding me of Pogue."
Sarah parted her lips, mute for a moment. Though she'd had passing thoughts of changing rooms herself, and could understand where Kate was coming from, she didn't want to make an enemy of the only female friend she'd made at Spenser. And even if they did wind up in separate rooms, if she made it seem like that wasn't what she wanted, there was a chance Kate would stay at least somewhat friendly with her. She needed to have someone to hang out with while Caleb spent time with the other Sons.
"Can't we wait until you've had time to think about it? At least until you come back to school."
"Whatever," Kate replied. She leaned more heavily into the pillow behind her. "Would you mind leaving now? I'm tired."
"Sure," Sarah said softly. "I'll see you later."
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"Thanks, Caleb," Pogue said as his friend wheeled him out of the hospital.
He was going home the evening after Caleb's birthday, against doctors' recommendations. They wanted to keep him another twenty-four hours for observation, but Pogue couldn't stand being stuck in the hospital a minute longer. The full day he'd been there had been more than long enough. The pain medication they'd been giving him… they didn't know it was completely unnecessary… had been making him feel woozy and off. He had been afraid it might make him see Emily again. Seeing her image when he had no idea if he'd ever really see her again was torture.
"No problem," Caleb responded. "I'm just glad Tyler let me borrow his Hummer and that Reid didn't insist on coming. You wouldn't be comfortable in the Mustang, and no one should have to suffer Reid's driving. We both know the second I got out to get you he'd take the driver's seat."
Pogue frowned, confused as to why Caleb would think he'd be uncomfortable in the car. Sometimes he felt slightly claustrophobic in the compact vehicle, especially after the freedom of riding a motorcycle, but he thought he'd hid it from Caleb. He did, however, agree with the other young man's assessment of Reid.
"Why didn't he and baby boy come?"
"Reid had a date. I'm not sure why Tyler didn't come. He's been even quieter the past couple days."
Unbidden, the words Pogue thought actually left his mouth. "He's been withdrawn since Em left. The chance of losing more people important to him probably freaked him out."
Caleb actually stopped walking for a second before he started moving again. He agreed quietly, "I never thought of it that way before, but I think you're right."
Pogue stayed silent for the rest of the trip out of the hospital and into the vehicle. He was glad that Caleb didn't push him to talk. He wasn't sure he would be able to without it turning into an overly emotional reaction. And when he got that way, he sometimes Used accidentally.
The drive to his apartment was also accomplished without any talking. When Caleb stopped, unable to pull into Pogue's assigned parking spot, Pogue looked out the front windshield. Sitting in its spot, in pristine condition, was his… Emily's… motorcycle.
He was out of the vehicle in seconds, jogging to the Ducati to inspect it more thoroughly. It took Caleb a minute to catch up with him since the other Son had to turn the Hummer off first. Pogue's hands ran caressingly over the bike, checking every inch. It was in the exact condition it had been in before Chase had attacked him on the highway. It had all the tiny dings, scratches and worn spots it had accumulated since Emily had first got it. He could have fixed them at any time since she'd been gone, but it wouldn't have been her bike anymore and he just couldn't handle that after everything else he'd lost.
Hearing Caleb behind him, Pogue breathed, "Thank you. First you heal me, and now the bike? I know I should be telling you not to Use so much just after you've Ascended, but you really have no idea how much this means to me."
"What are you talking about, Pogue? You're not healed. You look like a walking advertisement on the dangers of riding a motorcycle."
"You can't see through the glamour?" Pogue asked.
He was surprised despite the fact that he hadn't been able to see through it either. Caleb was the strongest of them, even before he had Ascended. Technically, the four of them were supposed to have an equal share of the Power, but Caleb had always been more in tune with it. It was how he had sensed Chase before the rest of them had. Pogue used to think it was because Caleb was the oldest of this generation's Sons, but they now knew that to not be the case. Maybe it was because Caleb was so intent on not being as weak as his father.
Caleb shook his head. "You're healed? Completely?"
"Yeah," Pogue replied. "I thought for sure it was you. I guess it could have been Reid and Ty working together."
"Maybe," Caleb mused. "But Tyler hardly ever Uses unless it's all of us together, and this is a little too thoughtful to have been something Reid came up with."
"True," Pogue agreed. "But what other explanation is there? Even if Chase survived the fire like you've been fearing, he wouldn't have healed me."
Caleb shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we can ask the guys later. Unless you want me to call them over here now?"
"Nah." Pogue nodded to the Ducati. "I think I'm going to go for a ride."
Caleb smirked. "Be careful, man."
Pogue rolled his eyes. "Real funny, Caleb."
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Caleb moved the Hummer out of the way so Pogue could pull out. He watched the other boy ride away with a slight frown. He could feel during their conversation that Pogue was holding something back from him, but he wasn't sure if it truly was a secret Pogue was hiding or if it just had to do with Pogue's discomfort at having brought Emily up out of nowhere.
Pogue hadn't said Emily's name in months. He'd gotten drunk twice since she'd been gone. The first time had been a week after Emily had disappeared when Pogue had accepted that she was gone. It was then that he had stopped talking about her, had become unwilling to hear anyone else say her name, let alone anything else about her. The second time had been a month after she'd left, on what would have been Emily and Pogue's third anniversary of dating.
That had been the night Kate had made her move on him. Caleb had done nothing to stop it, thinking Pogue would work out whatever he needed to by using her for the night. He'd never expected Pogue to start dating her. They'd all known what she was like. But it was Pogue's life, and as long as he wasn't thinking about bringing Kate in on the secrets of the Covenant, it was his to live how he chose.
With the way Pogue had brought Emily up today, thoughtfully and calmly, Caleb felt hope that he was ready to truly deal with his loss and move on. For real this time.
Caleb drove back to Tyler's house, parking the Hummer in the circular front drive. The Simms estate was nearly as large as the Danvers one. In some ways Caleb found it more impressive since it wasn't as dark and was better maintained. While his father had been living in the old homestead and his mother had been self-medicating with alcohol, he hadn't felt like he had the right to change anything. Now that things had been irrevocably altered, maybe he could do something about it.
He let himself in to the Simms house, knowing he had been more than welcome to do so since before he was old enough to walk. Making his way to the large room on the left side of the main staircase, a family room Tyler had claimed as the place for the Sons to entertain themselves when they'd been twelve, Caleb was surprised to find Tyler and Reid. Oddly, since it was usually the other way around, Tyler was pacing and acting anxious while Reid sprawled in a chair, completely calm.
"What happened to your date?" Caleb asked the blonde Son, though his gaze remained on the youngest of them.
"Something came up that delayed her, we're meeting at Nicky's in an hour," Reid answered.
Caleb nodded and dropped the keys in Tyler's hand when the other young man walked over. He frowned at the almost jumpy way Tyler was acting. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Tyler immediately responded. "Just have somewhere to be."
"Where?"
Tyler frowned. "You're not my father, Caleb."
Surprised at the hostility in Tyler's voice, Caleb held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry. I'm going to be worried for awhile since they didn't find any remains."
His admission seemed to calm Tyler, who nodded understanding.
Reid piped up, "Even if he did survive, you think he would risk coming back after you whooped his ass?"
"I don't know," Caleb said. "Logically, coming back once he's licked his wounds would be an even greater risk since Pogue Ascends soon, and we know he knows a lot about us. But he's addicted, and desperate. He could see it as his only choice. Who knows, he may go after one of your fathers if he thinks he won't be able to beat us."
"Damn."
Caleb blinked, and he and Reid both turned to look at Tyler, surprised at the youngest Son's mild expletive.
Tyler shook his head, "Dad wouldn't stand a chance."
Despite the fact that he'd never seen Walter Simms Use, Caleb was thrown by Tyler's immediate dismissal of his father's ability to fight. Like Ty, Walter was the youngest of his generation. He was also the one who had apparently Used the least. Garret Garwin and Simon Parry looked, respectively, ten and fifteen years older than they were. At most, Walter looked only a few years older than his chronological age of forty-one. Caleb didn't know if he had Used once for something big or just done smaller things over a longer period of time, but considering how he looked, Walter had to have more Power stored up than the elder Garwin and Parry.
Caleb was about to bring this up with Tyler when the other young man's cell phone rang. Tyler almost dropped it in his haste to answer it, opening it before it had the chance to ring a second time.
"Hey," he said softly. "I'm on my way now." There was a short pause before he responded to the caller, "Me, too. See you soon."
Caleb opened his mouth to ask who Tyler had been talking to, but Reid frowned and shook his head.
"I gotta go," Tyler said to both of them. "Feel free to stay as long as you want."
As soon as he was gone, Caleb turned to Reid. "What's up with Ty?"
The blonde Son fidgeted and started pacing. After almost a minute, he stopped and faced Caleb. "You don't remember what Thursday was, do you?"
"The day before my birthday?" Caleb responded in a confused tone. Then it dawned on him. "Emily's birthday."
As long as they had known each other, and it had been all of their lives, Emily had never really celebrated her birthday. Even once she and Pogue had officially been an item, she refused to let anyone make a big deal out of it, preferring to celebrate holidays and their anniversary instead. And she would never tell them why. The only concession she had ever made was to let the four of them spend the day with her. This year, that hadn't been an option.
"He's been pulling back little by little since she left. And Thursday…" Reid shook his head. "The whole Chase thing drew him out of it a bit, but now he's acting even weirder, secrets meetings and shit… I don't know if we should give him space or confront him. I've tried bringing it up a couple times, but he always changes the subject or ditches me."
"Do you think he's trying to find her?" Caleb mused aloud.
Reid frowned in thought. "What, you mean like with a private investigator or something?"
The four of them had tried to cast a tracking spell when Emily had first disappeared. It had fizzled before it even left the Covenant meeting room in the basement of the Danvers homestead. Nothing in the Book had been able to tell them why it hadn't worked.
Caleb shrugged one shoulder. "It's a thought. It could explain why he's being secretive."
Reid nodded, his lips pursed. His gaze drifted to the mahogany desk in one corner of the room. "We could check…"
Before Caleb could contemplate what an invasion of privacy it would be to break into the locked drawer where Tyler kept his important papers, Reid was already halfway there. Caleb quickly moved to follow. Blackness briefly flashed over the surface of Reid's eyes, and a second later he was pulling the drawer open. He lifted out a thin stack of papers and quickly thumbed through them; Tyler's birth certificate, Social Security card, high school transcripts and copies of college applications that had already been sent in.
Reid scowled, obviously disappointed at not finding the evidence he wanted. Caleb studied the drawer for a moment before realizing it wasn't as deep as it should be. He Used, too, and the false bottom sprang open. Caleb pulled out a stack of photos and frowned. The top one was about a year old, and it was of Emily and Pogue with the Ducati.
"Why would he hide this?" Caleb asked before flipping to the next photo.
His frown deepened when it proved to be the same one. So were almost all of the photos. There were twenty copies of that particular picture in total. Only the last photo in the stack was different. It was much older, and Caleb didn't think he'd ever seen it before. It was of Tyler and Emily, probably from eight or nine years before, sitting together in front of the fireplace in the room Caleb and Reid now stood in. The odd thing was that Tyler's parents were also in the photo, standing behind the seated children. It looked like a stereotypical family portrait. But why would they have taken it?
Reid snatched the picture from Caleb, staring. "That's just weird, man."
"Yeah," Caleb agreed softly. "But they were always close."
"True." Reid handed the photo back.
Caleb set it on the desktop and laid one of the copies of the Ducati photo next to it. Passing a hand over both, he Used to make the newer photo a replica of the older one. He then returned all the photos to the secret compartment of the drawer except for the new copy. Making sure the false bottom was pressed back down where it belonged, he put Tyler's papers back and locked the drawer.
"What are you going to do with that?" Reid asked when he was done.
"Hold on to it," Caleb answered. "If he doesn't snap out of this weird behavior soon, we'll confront him with the picture and tell him we saw the other ones. He's up to something, but I have no idea what."
He didn't mention his conversation with Sarah about the Ducati photo. If all Tyler was planning was to keep messing with Kate, Caleb had no problem with that, but he didn't want Reid knowing. The blonde boy would either bring it up at the wrong time or egg Tyler on into doing something more. As much as Caleb had no love for Kate, he didn't want things getting out of hand over her. She wasn't worth it.
To be continued…