| CHAPTER FOUR, Wedding of the Ordinary |
The following morning, Scott and Isaac emerged from their room without any need of prompting from Francis or their warlock hosts. True, they'd spent a little too long in the shower doing things that forced a minor limp into Isaac's step, but even that amount of time allowed them to walk down to the kitchen before Reid and Tyler. They were fully dressed in their tuxedos, courtesy of the Danvers family, ready for the wedding that would be taking place in only two hours.
Francis came in only a few minutes later, showing in Mrs. Simms' sister, Kristina. She smiled awkwardly at the two werewolves and they did the same, the three waiting for the three warlocks and Carol Simms. The older couple arrived first, taking up conversation only with Kristina Evered, though Richard Simms mostly remained his quiet self. Another fifteen minutes passed by before the older warlock exited the room and called up the stairs angrily. Tyler and Reid immediately came running down, Reid looking slightly unsettled and tucking the back of his shirt in. Richard frowned but stifled any comments he would normally make, leading the way out to the cars just as Reid's aunt and uncle pulled up in their limo. Scott and Isaac exchanged looks with the two younger warlocks, first at knowing about their 'upstairs activities,' and then again at their marvel with the limo.
Scott and Isaac were allowed to clamber in first, crouching all the way towards the front. Reid and Tyler followed, then Thaddeus and Elizabeth Garwin, Richard and Carol Simms, and finally Kristina Evered and Francis. The limo set off to a smooth ride towards Boston and the younger four remained relatively quiet, the 'adults' embarking on the smallest talk about the wedding, the women more so focused on the locations and the men about their theories concerning the expenses. Tyler's aunt eventually asked about Scott and Isaac and they were introduced as the 'boys that caught Tyler's attackers.' Kristina immediately became impressed and tried to press them further as to how it all happened, forcing Richard to jump in and change the subject as she knew nothing about the Covenant, let alone werewolves and the greater supernatural world.
After having hit some traffic going into Boston, the limo finally pulled up to the Boston Public Library. "It's at a library?" Isaac asked, looking at the two warlocks as they walked in behind the older members of their party.
"Sarah's parents met here," Tyler answered. He looked back at them and continued in a more hushed voice. "Caleb wanted her to pick the place because the real ceremony will be back in Ipswich." That left the two werewolves even more confused, but Isaac didn't get the chance to press further in that moment as Pogue came into sight and pulled them off elsewhere—Pogue was the best man and Tyler and Reid, despite the latter's long-held tension with Caleb, were the other two groomsmen. Scott and Isaac immediately felt out of place, nervously following the older guard of the Covenant. They quickly found themselves at the site of the ceremony, a location within the library that seemed wedding-suited: the courtyard.
There were already guests seated along one of the sides under the building's overhang. The Simms and the Garwins walked over to greet some of them while Scott and Isaac stopped, looking around to take in the beautiful day and the exquisite venue. "What do you think he meant by 'the real ceremony?'" Isaac asked, his eyes focused mostly on the fountain in the middle of the light pool.
Scott only shrugged, bumping sides with Isaac, a grin on his face. Isaac smirked at him, both sharing a look of satisfaction when a tougher looking, yet equally impeccably dressed woman walked over to them. She smiled, her French braided blonde hair blowing calmly in the light wind. "It's good to finally meet you," she said to Isaac first, extending her hand. "I'm Linette Parry…Pogue's mother." Isaac took her hand and a dash of fire glazed over her eyes; immediately the younger couple understood. "This won't be the last time you hear this tonight," she continued, turning to shake Scott's hand, "but I want to thank you again."
"Ah, so these are Reid and Tyler's friends," said the man walking up to them. "Randolph Parry," he said, holding out his own hand. "Are they repaying you well?" he kid. Scott nodded, looking at Isaac's uncontrollable smirk before blushing himself, knowing that their versions of 'repayment' were two completely different things.
— | CC | —
The ceremony came to full fruition without any hiccups. A justice of the peace had conducted the official pronouncements—for obvious reasons—and signed their license before the entire congregation; apparently this was a high value wedding for Boston. Amongst the spectators were Sarah Danvers' boss—the Governor of Massachusetts—and her wife, the Mayor of Boston, a few members of the city council, and one vetted journalist for The Boston Globe: Shauna Cho.
Once the ceremony concluded, they had a small reception in the courtyard for the more public guests, the aforementioned included. It only lasted an hour and it reminded Isaac of the only cocktail party he'd been to when his genetics professor invited him to one for the biology department. Ms. Cho eventually made it over to the werewolf couple and briefly interviewed them, mostly inquiring as to how they knew the newlyweds and where they were from—of course, they made up a story on the spot. When the small reception ended, Scott and Isaac made their way back to the limo and, after it filled with its previous passengers, it took them to the Boston College Club, located on the 36th floor of 100 Federal Street.
The drive was probably one of the most awkward few minutes Scott had ever endured. At the base of it all, Richard Simms continued to steal glances their way every few minutes or so, and whenever Scott or Isaac noticed, he quickly looked away. Kristina Evered continued to make attempts to press them further about saving Tyler, but every time one of the other four Covenant elders would interrupt and sidetrack her. The worst of all, however, was that something was going on between Reid and Tyler. Neither of them had spoken to the other since they got into the limo and both were looking out of opposite windows, their body language suggesting some fight had erupted.
Scott and Isaac continued to share a look with each other now and then, even sparking up some whispered small talk about wanting some 'real food' at the event they were headed to. But thankfully, the drive only lasted 15 minutes, part of which they spent in traffic. When they finally got out in front of the tall skyscraper, the breath of fresh air was revitalizing both physically and metaphorically. The awkwardness did carry on into the elevator, but Pogue and Kate managed to cram in there with them and their banter was amusing enough that the discomfort seemed to break enough.
The atmosphere seemed to shift on its head: where the public reception was in an open space and filled with almost 120 people, many of whom were only associated with the families, this space was more closed and personal, only 40 bodies remaining, all of whom had personal ties with Caleb, Sarah, or their families. The mood was different, too, as the music and lighting almost demanded fun and a good time (despite the sophisticated, high-end location they were currently occupying).
After a short few minutes of allowing everyone to arrive, people seemed to be gathering in a quasi-line to speak with the core members of the ceremony, as well as Caleb and Sarah's parents. Scott and Isaac joined the line, eager to expel the remnants of that awkward feeling they'd had since leaving Ipswich. Eventually, they first encountered Caleb's groomsmen: Pogue, as mentioned, had been Caleb's best man, with Reid as the number two, and Tyler as the number three; in that moment, however, Reid was nowhere to be found. Next were Sarah's bridesmaids: her maid of honor was a woman she'd gone to Harvard with and continued on to work with her in the governor's office, while Kate served as the number two, and another woman who'd been friends with Sarah sometime before Spenser served as the number three. Each of these six would later be paired off accordingly for one dance after the bride and groom took the floor.
After the bridal party was Evelyn Danvers: Caleb's mom. From what Scott had learned from Reid, she was an alcoholic of sorts, but today she seemed to have her full wits and faculties intact as she delightedly greeted them both. After conversing with Evelyn for a little longer than they had with any of the others, apart from Kate Tunney who'd grown to adore them from a long distance, they met Sarah's brother, Timothy. 'Tim,' who was only a year older than the werewolf couple, seemed just as charming, witty, and driven as his sister and bore a remarkable resemblance to Ronan Farrow; after finding out that they were, in fact, a couple, Tim seemed to open up a little more and the conversation immediately jumped to a higher level they didn't expect. After Tim, Sarah's parents seemed like cookie-cutter parents—both still in love after 'all these years,' both head over heels for Caleb, and both so happy and proud of their daughter. They didn't talk much, but Scott was stricken with hopes that his father might one day be just as happy for he and Isaac—engaged, married, or not.
"I'm so glad you guys came," Sarah said, hugging Scott first, allowing Caleb to shake Isaac's hand before they switched. "You guys did so much for us when you didn't have. I know I'm not one the special guys, but thank you on behalf of all of us."
Scott shook his head with a bashful grin on his face. "Really, you guys have to stop thanking us. It's what we do. We're good guys and we were just helping out some other good guys." Caleb nodded but Sarah mouthed 'thank you' again, causing Scott to hang his head and laugh a little.
"Congratulations from both of us," Isaac said, hugging Sarah and shaking Caleb's hand again.
"On behalf of the pack, too," Scott said a little more hushed. Caleb nodded and the werewolf couple walked off to find their prearranged seats before dinner started. When they found them, they saw Reid out on the balcony, leaning against the railing, a drink in his hand. Scott gave Isaac a look and the blonde nodded, 'allowing' Scott to go out there. The alpha slipped out into the beautiful early evening and settled his back against the railing next to Reid. "Do you wanna' talk about it?" Reid shook his head, taking another sip of his now watered down drink, the melting ice just stewing in the bottom with whatever remained of his alcoholic drink. "Are you okay?" Reid nodded. Scott just turned around and leaned exactly like Reid was positioned. "I know we're not the closest, but you can tell me anything."
Reid didn't speak at first; he only dropped his glass, only Scott watching it fall 35 stories into the pavement below—no one had been near enough to really notice it. "I told Tyler I want to move."
"And he wasn't happy?" Reid shook his head. "What did he say?"
"He said he doesn't wanna' leave. He wants to finish his law degree first before even considering a change like that. He also doesn't want to leave his parents, or Caleb and Pogue. The problem is, I do. I'm tired of Ipswich and Boston. School seems endless for me. My parents are gone and my aunt uncle…they've played their part."
"And Caleb and Pogue?"
"Pogue will always be my brother. But Caleb…I can't handle him anymore. And I know he's just as sick of me. Even back at the library, when he was getting ready for the ceremony, he just…I dunno.' There's just this rift that we can seem to mend. I'd rather just get out of here. Make some friends outside the Covenant."
"You don't have any other friends?" Scott asked, his brows furrowing.
"Nope. Never thought I'd have to, to be honest. But then we started Harvard and things changed. Baby-Boy's adapted better than I have. But even his friends are Caleb's friends. They're all crazy legal majors and I'm…it doesn't matter."
"What are you studying?" Scott asked simply—it had never come up.
"Literature, actually." Scott looked at him funny and Reid actually popped a smile. "Okay, Mr. Veterinarian." Scott shrugged and Reid let out a light laugh.
"Where do you wanna' move to? Any ideas?"
"I was actually hoping to move to Beacon Hills." Scott's mouth fell open a little, his eyes blankly staring at Reid. "I'm serious. You and Isaac, you're cool guys. I actually feel more connected to you than I do Caleb and Pogue these days."
"This isn't more 'I'm indebted to you' shit, is it?"
"As hard as it is to believe, Scott, you're actually nice to be around, even despite being seven years younger than me," he said with a wink.
"I'm almost 21!" Scott exclaimed and Reid laughed again.
"Tyler's more connect here, in Boston and Ipswich. I don't wanna' ruin that for him either but I just…I can't take this."
"You only just brought this up, right?" Reid nodded. "Give him some time, then." Reid nodded.
"Thank you, oh wise alpha."
Scott rolled his eyes and patted Reid on the shoulder. "Let's go back in…I'm hungry." Reid nodded, but his eyes flashed to black and suddenly bits of glass began to shoot up to his hand and reform into the glass they had once been in—even the ice cubes reformed and refroze. Scott shook his head, but smiled at the insanity of the little demonstration.
— | CC | —
When they finally got back to the Simms' mansion, it was already after ten; to say they'd had a long day would be an understatement. Scott collapsed face first into the bed while Isaac slowly began to shed himself of his attire one piece at a time. By the time he began to unbutton his shirt, Scott had rolled over onto his back and began to watch after noticing Isaac's activities. Scott's devious grin reappeared across his lips once more. Isaac's shirt fell to the floor near the closed door and he took a single step forward, unbuckling his belt. Scott's eyes immediately fell to the blonde's hands as the latter's green boxer-trunks became exposed. Isaac shot the top of his slacks down, the gravity carrying the belt as he took another, albeit more constrained, step forward.
"You know," Isaac said, lifting one foot to pull off the legging, "when I went to find the bathroom the second time, I heard Reid and Tyler fucking in the coat closet." Scott immediately blushed, clearly having visualized that. "I dunno' who was where, but it was pretty hot listening to them." Isaac pulled off the last leg and crawled over Scott so their groins were crushed together, the beta arching so he could look directly down at his alpha. He smirked at him, pushing his dick into Scott's a little before falling down so his mouth could latch onto Scott's neck. "But it wasn't as hot as that time you helped me with my freezer problem." Scott instantly ground up, his arms wrapping around Isaac's almost naked form and flipping them over to take control, straddling his waist. "I think I need some help again," Isaac said seductively before Scott pinned the blonde's wrists to the bed. Scott delved down and nipped at Isaac's neck as the latter tugged at the base of Scott's shirt.
— | CC | —
Scott walked out of the shower first, steam pouring into their bedroom as he tussled the towel over his hair. Isaac followed thereafter, his gaze locked on Scott's ass and the two red handprints on Scott's hips—Isaac loved taking Scott in the shower. He quickened his pace for a second and smacked himself into Scott's backside, wrapping his arms around Scott's abdomen in the process.
"Whoa," Scott exclaimed, his smile brightening upon feeling Isaac's nose nuzzling into his hair. "You can't seriously want a round three? My ass hurts and if mine hurts, I know yours does."
Isaac's head only shook before he planted a light kiss just above Scott's lightly protruding vertebrae at the base of his neck. "I just love you," he replied, squeezing the brunette a little tighter. Scott made to turn and kiss him when their door suddenly opened. Scott immediately dropped his towel to his crotch, Reid's eyes on the sight of them forcing all three of them to blush.
"Did you just not learn how to knock as a kid, or are you doing this just to screw with us?" Scott asked.
"I just like seeing you guys naked," Reid chided, that asshole-smirk appearing on his lips.
"What do you want, Reid?" Isaac asked, an undertone of possessiveness in his voice.
"Tyler mentioned something about a 'real ceremony' in the car earlier. You two should get dressed…you're gonna' wanna' see this."
— | CC | —
After dressing into some more comfortable clothes, as Reid had clearly been when he'd barged in, they clambered into Tyler's Hummer; Carol and Richard joined the Garwins in their car. They took an interesting drive through more of the rural area surrounding Ipswich, only this time they seemed to be heading more west than south. After about a half-hour drive in the misty, foggy night, they came upon an old building that, by initial appearances, may have been there since the colonial times.
"This is Caleb's family's first colony house," Tyler explained as they got out, pointing to the building off in the distance; no lights were on inside.
Scott looked at them as if to ask, 'And we're here because…?' Tyler smirked as Reid reached into the trunk, retrieving two long black robes, one for each he and Tyler. "We are not becoming werewolf sacrifices," Scott warned, his eyes glowing red and his claws and fangs protruding.
"Relax," Reid said, lightly tapping Scott's cheek. "You just get to watch."
"Shall we?" Richard Simms directed, walking through the open fence and leading his wife and the Garwins towards the tree line to the left. "We're already late." Tyler rolled his eyes before following, Reid behind him. Scott and Isaac exchanged a hesitant look before tailing the warlock couple. Finally, after about a five minute or so walk, they found themselves in a medium sized clearing.
Caleb and Sarah were there, dressed in plain white robes, a necklace of thorns and small flowers dawned around their necks, an old chalice in Caleb's hand and a sheathed medieval sword in Sarah's. Linette and Pogue Parry were also there, dawned in their own black robes, hoods covering their heads. Torches surrounded the circumference of the clearing, which Evelyn Danvers and Randolph Parry stood near, and all seemed normal—by ritualistic occult standards—but for what was in the middle it.
Scott's eyes widened and both his and Isaac's mouths opened. "Is that a…" Scott tried, but his words failed him.
Isaac confirmed, though, his eyes not lying to him just as Scott's weren't. "That's a nemeton."
Author's Note: To those who found the wedding description too boring or too rushed, or even wished that I had elaborated more on it, I can see where you'd say all of that-in part I'd probably agree. I really struggled with that scene, hence the update delay, but I knew I had to include something about it as that's why Scott and Isaac are away from Beacon Hills to begin with; I know it has to do with how mundane and boring I find weddings (and don't ask why then I'd center a fiction around one...I'm aware of that contradiction, too ;)
