Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Covenant cast...I do however own my characters.
Legends and Bloodlines Chapter Seven
A/N: To make up for my absence this is a longish chapter for you.
Pogue woke up the next morning with Bella pressed to him. At some point during the night she had rolled over and was facing him one leg thrown over his hip putting her body as close as possible to his. Her head was tucked under his chin using one of his arms as a pillow.
Pogue reached out with his free hand and stroked her cinnamon colored hair all the way down to the small of her back. Her body twitched and she giggled softly. Pogue did it again and got the same reaction. He enjoyed hearing her giggle. It made her sound more her age. He went to do it a third time but her slender hand darted out to grab his.
"That tickles." Her voice was muffled by his chest and he could feel her lips move against his skin making him shiver.
"I figured that." He told her with a smirk hoping she didn't notice any changes in his lower body. "How did you sleep." He asked her trying to direct her attention else where.
She gazed up at him with a slight frown.
"Good amazingly." Her gray eyes stormed over as she said to much.
Pogue touched her face trailing his course fingers down her cheek. "You sounded like you had a nightmare."
She cast her eyes down and he laid his and full out on her sculpted cheek bones admiring her beauty. "You calmed down after I snuggled with you." Pogue tried to say it in a jesting voice but failed. Her eyes looked back up to his.
"Thank you."
He shrugged. "My pleasure. We need to make sleeping arrangements soon though. Do you think another bed will fit in your room without you having to get rid of yours."
Once again Pogue tried to change the subject. Her eyes broke his heart.
"Yeah, I'll just get rid of a bookcase or two and put you a queen in." Bella got down to business. "We won't be able to do it any sooner than a week though. Until then I'll sleep on the couch in the sitting room."
Pogue snorted. "No you won't. I'm the one whose intruding. I don't really think either one of us need to sleep in separate room. If me being here helps you sleep better than take advantage of it darling." He said the last part trying to imitate Beau's heavy southern accent.
She frowned at him. "Are you making fun of southern accents?" Bella asked him her eyes baring into his.
"No. I think accents are cute." Pogue defended himself.
Bella sat up and bounced out of bed all legs showing. "I didn't figure you the type."
It took Pogue a minute to register what she was saying as he got a good look at her frame. A simple t shirt and little sleeping shorts showed off her legs and still managed to hide too much. The sun was coming through the glass setting her hair on fire making it glisten with golds, chestnuts, and blood reds.
"The type for what?" He finally asked. Watching her move around the room pulling open the closet for another t shirt and jeans. Her back was to him giving him a nice view of her ass while she dug through the chest of drawers for something. It wasn't big, but it was a nice round shape and his palms itched to touch it.
"To be gay." She answered him innocently. Prancing to the bathroom to change. Pogue laid back down in bed groaning to himself before hopping up and pulling on a pair of jeans carefully zipping them up over his hard on.
Damn her. He thought in his mind but he couldn't help but smile. Bella waltz out of the bathroom and almost hit him in the face with the door. She looked startled to see him there.
"I'm not gay." Pogue informed her walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.
"Gods I hope not." Bella whispered to herself as she tried to find her black and white checkered Vans. One was under the bed and the other was being carried away by Rojak who was starving. He carried the shoe down to the kitchen, which was in a frenzy.
Beau watched Tyler sleep thinking how innocent and peaceful he looked. Then he shook the younger man awake.
"Get up it's Saturday."
Tyler cracked open a bright blue eye at Beau before rolling over. Beau sighed and pulled the covers off of Tyler. The only response was a groan of protest. Finally, Beau flopped down on the bed with him propping himself up on his elbow.
"Wake up sleeping beauty." He coaxed running his index finger along Tyler's warm spine. Tyler shivered at his touch before turning his hand to look at him.
"Why should I?" His voice was soft and Beau wondered if he ever lost his temper and yelled at people.
"Because it's Saturday and we always take a picnic to the ocean on Saturday."
Tyler blinked at Beau trying to figure out why that didn't sound right.
"Where are we exactly?" He remembered that the had been in Salem Massachusetts before they walked through the weird door that brought them here. There wasn't an ocean within a days drive from Salem.
"Technically, a little bit off of the Canadian boarder. There are different portals that can take you to different places. Where going to go spend the weekend at my old home in Alabama on the coast."
Beau explained resting his hand on Tyler's rib cage during his speech. He frowned, finding the boy underweight.
"How much do you eat."
Tyler looked startled by this question. After the incident he never really ate normal meals.
"I don't know." He answered honestly. Yesterday's meal had been the most he'd eaten for about three weeks.
"That's not enough." Beau said and Tyler made a humming sound of agreement as Beau's hand stroked circles on his side.
"I'm serious." Beau said stopping the massage and making Tyler look at him.
"I know. I'll eat more promise." Beau nodded his silver eyes softening as he looked at Tyler.
He hadn't noticed how much smaller Tyler was than him. He was big having been raised on Southern cooked meals and Southern hard work in the stables and in the office. He ran his finger along Tyler's full bottom lip.
"Your gorgeous you know that." Beau asked him watching the younger man closely. Tyler shook his head tears coming to his eyes as he looked away from Beau's gaze.
"Not really."
Beau leaned over kissing his cheek.
"Yeah you are. Don't let anyone tell you different love. Now hurry up and get dressed. I can hear Cameron and Jordyn arguing downstairs already."
Beau bounced out of bed leaving Tyler laying there feeling the press of Beau's lips to his skin. Muttering under his breath he jumped out of bed and got dressed, meeting a washed and sunny looking Caleb out in the hallway and a rather worse for ware Reid who had forgotten to brush his hair.
Tyler was about to force Reid into his room to introduce him to a brush, when a door shut from further down the hallway and Pogue joined them, looking deep in thought.
"Whats wrong?" Caleb asked though he was sure he already knew the answer.
"Nothing just thinking." Pogue replied looking at Tyler.
His friend looked happier than he'd ever been to tell the truth.
"She driving you crazy?" Reid asked thinking about the warning against Bella. Pogue thought about it. Bella was in a way. He wanted her but then he didn't.
"It's complicated." Gods he wanted her but what he wanted from her was deeper than sex...He wanted to be special to him.
"What are we doing. It's a little early for you isn't it Reid?"
"Cameron told me something about a picnic that they take the first Saturday of every month." Reid informed him.
Pogue shrugged. "Bella didn't mention anything." He thought aloud.
"She probably just forgot." Caleb comforted him not wanting him to feel rejected by the headstrong woman.
Pogue shrugged again and Tyler put his arm around the taller man. "Lets go see what this picnic business is about. Beau woke me up from a really good dream for this."
"About him no doubt." Reid muttered to no one in particular.
Tyler grinned sheepishly, making all of them laugh as the walked downstairs into the kitchen, where it was clear that peace was just made with Bella standing hands on hips looking disapprovingly at Cameron and Jordyn, and Beau who was trying to look as stern as Bella but failing miserably every time he looked at the girls.
A few dishes were broken and Jordyn had flour poured over her front, while Cameron stood a distance apart with eggs yoke dripping from her hair. The Sons couldn't contain their laughter at the sight. Cameron with her sophisticated air and Jordyn with her no flaw attitude had wrecked the kitchen.
"You would think it was brain surgery to prepare a picnic!" The other women looked thoroughly shamed.
"But to start a fight over something so childish as to what wine...ERRR!" A sound of frustration escaped her. Bella took a deep breath and looked at the two.
"Let's start cleaning up. Where are we going this Saturday Beau, or have you decided yet." Bella asked him. It was Beau's turn to pick their picnic location. Beau looked at her as she got the broom out of the broom closet.
"Home." He said softly knowing she wouldn't want to. Bella hadn't been to their house in Alabama in the two years since their parent's death. She hadn't cried a single tear. It wasn't pride or being cold hearted. She hadn't let herself mourn. She'd held herself back and away from the rest of the world.
"We are home...you just want to set up by the pool?" Bella asked starting to sweep.
"No, I mean home as in to our house in Alabama." Bella paled and turned to him. "I'm sorry?"
"You heard me Bella. The beach we used to play in when we were little. White sand remember? You ran laps there every day after you turned thirteen. I had my fourteenth birthday party on the deck and beach. You and mom spent the night out there when you were sixteen and your boyfriend Seth had cheated on you with your best friend. Remember that? I want to go there Bella. I want to go home." Beau ranted at her.
Pogue tensed watching Bella's reaction. Her hand shook slightly. She shook her head sending her hair flying.
"I can't." She said weakly before running away. Pogue followed her chasing her up the stairs and back into her room. She lay face down on her unmade bed taking deep breaths.
"Go away Beau." She demanded.
"Good thing I'm not Beau." Pogue replied sitting next to her.
"Go away." She repeated not turning her head to look at him.
He flipped her over and looked down at her. Her eyes were dry but there was still so much pain there. The pain was starting to be erased by anger directed towards him. Gently Pogue stroked her cheek and watched her eyes change from a storm cloud gray to that of a gray dove.
He loved watching her eyes change with every emotion. It was like watching the clouds move in the sky and the weather change. He rubbed her temples, smoothing back her cinnamon colored hair. They sat in silence for several minutes just staring at each other. Him comforting her and her letting him comfort her.
Finally, he linked his hand with her's. "When your ready to talk to someone, I'm available. My mom and dad are dead too. Dad's been dead since I was eight and my mom died when I was sixteen. Caleb's mom raised me."
Bella looked at the man sitting before her with slight wonder. How could her be so...free and giving after the loss. She couldn't...but she found herself wanting to explain to Pogue but she couldn't find the words.
So instead she nodded and did something she rarely did, especially to people she'd known for only two days. She sat up suddenly and hugged him. "Thank you."
She found his powerful arms wrapping around her and pulling her into his lap as he hugged her back. "Bella, if your not ready to face it...I'll stay here with you." He said into her hair.
She nodded taking deep breaths once again to fight back the emotions. "It'll give us a chance to get to know each other better." She nodded and he sat her down on the bed to go and tell the rest of the household that they were going to stay there with each other.