Chosen Chapter 8: The Trial of Billie Jenkins

Part 7

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As the heavy wooden doors magically swung open, Violet stepped into the grand hall of Magic School. She wanted to head straight to Arthur's office, though she saw him standing by the window talking to a man she had heard a lot about, but had never personally met. Leo Wyatt, the headmaster of the school and husband of one of the Charmed Ones. She slowly walked over to them, though they only noticed her when she was about to reach them, as they were busy talking.

"Sorry to interrupt." Violet said.

"No problem." Leo said. "You must be Violet. I heard a lot about you."

"Likewise." Violet replied with a slight blush, wondering what Arthur had been telling about her.

"I should get going, give the two of you some privacy." Leo said. "I am sure you have a lot to talk about. Nice to meet you, Violet."

"Yes, you too." Violet replied.

As Leo smiled and walked away, Violet waited and looked at Arthur, who was nervously pulling at his tie. She did not know if it were good or bad nerves.

"So what is going on?" Violet asked. "How did the meeting go?"

"It was okay, or actually, it was great." Arthur said. "The professor was really excited about my work and he would love to have me on the expedition."

"That is great." Violet said happily.

"Yeah." Arthur replied somewhat timid.

"What is wrong?" Violet asked.

"The expedition is starting earlier than expected." Arthur said. "The professor wants to leave in a couple of days, and he needs my answer by tonight. I already discussed it with Leo and he is okay with me taking the time off."

"So you already decided?" Violet asked concerned. "I thought you wanted to talk it over with me, since I was your girlfriend and all."

"I do want to talk about it with you." Arthur said. "But this is such a huge opportunity."

"Then how can I say no?" Violet replied. "I don't want you to give up your dream because of me. I don't want you to end up blaming me."

"I would never do that." Arthur said.

"You say that now, but you don't know how you'll feel later on." Violet said.

"So what now?" Arthur asked confused.

"Now you go." Violet said determined, enough though it hurt. "It will only be for three months, I will still be here when you get back. So go discover some ancient wizard city or whatever."

Arthur smiled and hugged her. "Thank you." He whispered and kissed her. "You could always come with me?"

"No, I can't leave school or my friends." Violet said. "Besides, you will be doing important work. You don't need me to distract you. I will just wait here."

"Then I guess I should call the professor and start getting ready." Arthur said.

"Do you have to start packing tonight?" Violet asked as she wrapped her hands around his waist. "I figured since we only got a little time left together, we should use it for something special."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Arthur asked.

Violet did not answer him, but instead leaned in to kiss him. She meant it when she said she wanted to make their time together special. She had waited for a long time, but she felt like now was the right time. She wanted to give him something to come back to. Arthur smiled as he kissed her back and together, they disappeared in spirals of blue energy.

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Duncan appeared in the hotel room in an orange glow. His astral self looked around and noticed the room was empty, a little too empty. It looked deserted. Duncan walked to the bed and saw a note lying on the sheets. He picked it up and sat down.

Duncan,

I thought about what you said and you were right. I need to figure what I really want, and I can't just keep doing what I am doing. Nick and I are going to find a way to get our lives in order. I will contact you once I figure it out. I hope you read this.

xx Nathan

Duncan sighed as he rolled up the note and let himself fall down on the bed. He had told Nathan to figure out what he wanted, though he had not expected he would feel so bad about it. He wondered if and when he would see him again.

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When there was a knock on the door, Jake got up from his couch and turned down the volume of the TV. He opened the door and was surprised to find Billie standing before him. With a faint smile, he let her inside. She smiled back and entered as he closed the door behind her. Jake wondered why she was here. They had barely talked since everything happened.

"How is your sister?" Billie asked as she sat down.

"I watched her wake up and leave from a distance." Jake replied. "It looked like the spell worked, she seemed annoyed, but not suspicious."

"Must have been hard, seeing her like this." Billie said.

"I never wanted her to be a hunter." Jake said. "When I left I asked my father to let her have a normal life, but she was determined to be just like me."

"She is not like you, you know." Billie replied. "You don't see the world as black and white."

"I used to." Jake said as he sat down next to her. "My family is pretty screwed up like that. It was all about hunting. Magic was evil and I learned to hate it."

"But you don't anymore." Billie said as she placed her hand on his arm. "You opened your eyes and you saw the truth, that some magic is good. Maybe your sister will see it too eventually."

"As long as she is with my father, that will never happen." Jake replied. "And I can't risk getting involved with them again."

"Why not?" Billie asked.

"Because of you." Jake said. "I have denied it for a long time, but I have feelings for you, Billie. And if my family ever finds out, they will destroy you, me and your friends."

"You have feelings for me?" Billie asked with a skeptical smile.

"I am not good with expressing myself." Jake said reluctantly. "Besides, my upbringing left me with some emotional and commitment issues. Admitting my feelings is the best you're going to get."

"Good enough for me." Billie replied with a smile. "I guess we both have to get used to it. I have feelings for you too."

"Do you really think this could work? The witch and the hunter?" Jake asked.

"We'll never know unless we try." Billie replied.

"So we're going to try?" Jake asked. "The whole dating thing, being normal and stuff like that?"

"I think we'll skip meeting the parents, but sure." Billie remarked with a smile. "If you're up for it."

"Definitely." Jake replied and moved over to kiss her. She returned his kiss and leaned back until they were intertwined on the couch. After making out a little, they lied down and Billie rested her head on his chest. Jake wrapped his arms around her.

"So how was the vision quest?" Jake asked.

"Intense." Billie replied. "It was really confrontational, but it helped. There was this whole trial. Mikelle was there to guide me, and everyone I cared about was there. In the end I learned to accept things the way they are, so I could finally let go of my guilt."

"Good." Jake said. "So was I there?"

"Uh… yeah." Billie replied after a short hesitation. "You were a bailiff. And you looked damn good in that uniform."

"Well, luckily, I still have my old cop uniform." Jake said temptingly.

"That sounds great." Billie replied with a smile.

"So did anything else happen in your quest?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, before I woke up, Mikelle showed me all these images, sort of like a premonition." Billie said with a frown. "They were pretty random flashes, but I think she was trying to warn me about something that is coming."

"Like what?" Jake asked.

"I have no idea." Billie replied with a shrug. "I don't want to worry about that right now. I just learned to let go of the past, so I am not going to freak out over the future either."

"Smart choice." Jake said.

"Of course." Billie remarked with a smile as she sat up. "Right now, all I want to do is focus on the here and now. Everything else can wait."

Jake could not agree more. After all they had been through, they deserved a little peace and quiet, something normal. Billie leaned in and kissed him as her hands moved down to unbutton his shirt. However, instead of waiting for her to finish, Jake lifted her up and carried her into the bedroom and they both laughed. Tonight was just about the two of them. Like Billie said, everything else would come another time.

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The End

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Thank you all for reading. This story was the last chapter of the first arc of Chosen. The series will pick up again soon. Please review!