Nine

.

"Here you go," he says, placing a steaming mug of coffee in front of me.

"Thanks."

"Sure." He sits down across from me and starts sipping his juice.

"Why are you smiling like an idiot?"

"Nothing," he says, still smiling, "Though I do like it better when we spend the morning over breakfast rather than fighting your punch bag in the forest."

"It's for your own good," I say, pointing my fork at him.

"I know. Thank you."

"Sure. I mean, I can't just let you go around, dancing with vampires and werewolves, with only your magic to defend yourself. This is basically charity."

"Right," he mocks, "Still, thank you. And thank you for staying over. Liv probably won't say it but it means a lot."

"What are friends for?" I say and Lucas smiles. And in that smile, I feel like I know why despite every oath of loyalty toward the clan and the family, my dad never spoke of Luke's. Maybe it's just history repeating itself, since Lucas, Olivia and I are also college friends, but I feel like this friendship will only grow and grow over time. Even if we don't keep in touch; even if we end up borderline adversaries on certain cases. Right now, I feel like if twenty years from now, I come to Lucas and ask him to let me hide my gone-astray-killing-machine-of-a-son in a prison instead of taking him out the old Lightbringer way, he'll just help me and mention it to no one. Just like my dad did.

Liv comes in, looking exactly like I always imagined her to look when it is this early in the morning. She sits down, failing at holding back a yawn, and seems very unhappy to be here. Her breakfast is ready for her and she sips her coffee in silence for a while.

"You said Luke called you?" she asks all of a sudden, squinting.

Her brother and I share a glance before I answer, "Yeah. I mean he didn't say what was wrong exactly but he did say you needed a friend. Right, Lucas?"

"Right." He nods and we avoid sharing a glance this time. A white lie can't hurt.

"So what, you guys just– pick up the phone and talk about how bad I need a friend."

Lucas cocks his head, sensing the explosion coming. He places a hand over her wrist and locks eyes with her, "Hey. You were a mess last night and you didn't wanna talk to me. I was worried, so I called your friend."

"You mean you called our friend, 'cause there is just so much that we share."

Again, her brother and I share a cautious glance before she adds, "Do you think I haven't noticed you two parenting me around? You're together all the time or talking over the phone or texting… I mean you two look like you're married already, is there something I should know?"

"Are you… seriously, seriously suggesting that I should come out?"

"You did it once," she shrugs, "Anyway, I'm spending the day with Tyler; I don't wanna see your faces right now." She then clears her throat and leaves for the bathroom without another word.

"Is that your morning routine?" I ask after a minute, ready to laugh.

"I– She tends to be… cranky in the morning."

"Wow."

"Don't judge; I'm pretty sure you have a couple flaws as well."

I chuckle, happy to be here right now anyway, and say "If you weren't gay, I think I would end up marrying you, Lucas Parker."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, you make me coffee in the morning and you let me choose the music when we drive."

"You do realize we wouldn't be having sex. Like ever."

"I do," I nod, playing along, "But no marriage is perfect, Lucas darling. And I'm sure we would come up with some arrangement."

He chuckles and shakes his head.

"Think about it though: not having to lie to your boyfriend about why you went away for the whole week."

"You wouldn't tell me the exact why though," he objects, acting stern.

"But you would know enough. Utter secrecy is a major deal breaker; trust me. I mean, beside the classified details, I don't have to hide anything from you. You have no idea how refreshing that is."

"You know what, you're right. If you were a guy, I would probably end up marrying you too."

.

%%%%%

.

I close the trunk and glance at Lucas. His hands are stuck in his jeans pocket and he has this big sad smile that I kind of hate.

"I should stay."

"No, you should not."

"What if something happens?"

"Liv and I have been okay our entire– well, at least for the past eighteen years. Nothing crazy is going to happen over a week."

I look away and he places his hands on my shoulders, locking his eyes on mine with determination.

"We'll be fine. And if something were to happen, you know I would call you. And It's not like we're on our own; we have a whole bunch of vampires here to help in case we need it."

"Right."

"Go home to your family; have fun, talk to your dad."

"Easier said than done," I snort and he smiles. "Is it weird that I don't want to leave here? I mean it feels… wrong, to abandon you guys–"

"I know what you mean," the witch nods. "It's gonna be weird for me too not to have you around. But you have to go. At least to make sure your clan still trusts you completely. Nothing better than a turkey and mashed potatoes to overcome passed quarrels."

I roll my eyes but can't retain a smile. Lucas smiles back at me, his eyes lighting up.

"It's just for a week," he reminds me, "It'll be over before you know it."

"It'd better be," I say warningly and he chuckles.

Then my gaze falls onto his ring, the one in which he stored my ancestors before the Other Side went down. It's been over five months now, and we still haven't figured out a solution to help them out. Not that they are in any danger, but their spirits probably need a wider space in order to find peace. I chew on my lip and Lucas follows my gaze.

"Hey, how about you hold on to this for the week?"

"Your ring?" I frown. "What do you want me to do with it? It's not like I can use magic or whatever."

"Did it occur to you that it was an excuse to offer you a ring?" he jokes and I can't help a smirk.

"It's your family in there," he says taking it off his finger, "and it's Thanksgiving. You guys should be together."

I stare at him, squinting, as I try to figure out whether I should take it. I want to, but that doesn't mean I should.

"You'll bring it back next week," he insists.

"Thanks."

I want to add more, but in the corner of my eye, I see Liv walking toward us. I discreetly pocket the ring and we share a glance before his sister joins us.

"Hey, are you sure you don't want to stay?"

"Liv…" Lucas implores, and his twin sister gives him a look.

She has no idea how easy it would be for me to cancel my family plans and stay with them, with her. I want to appreciate fully all the time that we have left together, but then I know they both need time on their own.

"…all I'm saying is: it's a long drive and we've been invited to a Friendsgiving dinner party."

"I haven't."

"Well, Elena is bringing her boyfriend Liam; we can easily add you to the list."

"It's ok," I smile.

I can't think of a weirder dinner party than all the supernaturals in Whitmore sitting around the same table and actually sharing glances and inside jokes while making sure I don't find out – because even though I feel like I know them, they have no idea that I know.

"I'll be back in a week. Take care."

"You too. And be safe."

Liv gives me a hug, a rather tight one, which is quite surprising, given that she is not a hug person either. We haven't spoken about the night I came over and I know she won't share it with me because it involves all sorts of supernatural explanations that she can't give her human friend, but I can feel in this long and tight embrace that it didn't go unnoticed. Liv is not one to give you a long friendship speech, but you get it when she wants you to understand something. And right now, she wants me to know how grateful she is.

We step back and I can see in her eyes all the things she can't voice. I give Luke a shorter hug and I finally get in the car. If I spend one more minute on that parking lot saying goodbye, I'm not sure I'll leave. I drive out of McKinley without thinking about it, focusing instead on some lyrics I mouth along with the radio.

During the long drive between Virginia and Vermont, I can't help but compare this year's Thanksgiving break with last year's. I was so excited to go home and tell my family about college, I couldn't wait for a full interview with Alice and the elders, and I was proud to have established contact with my targets. By that time last year, I had planted a tracker on their phones and I could monitor their every move from my computer. My head was still in the game; I was to watch and assess.

But now? I feel like I have been dancing on the border of treason. Not that I would ever turn on my family or anything, but when you think about it, I have been sharing clan knowledge with a witch. Not that I shared any classified details but he knows about us. This should probably concern me; I know my clan would be concerned. But I'm not. All I can think about is how easier it all became. Luke has been giving me information honestly, knowing that I still watch him and Liv – and I haven't discovered anything between them and Josette Laughlin so far.

I know my views on the clan are starting to change because of that. And I know that I'll need to let them know about my plans one day, and they'll probably freak out, but if anything, it gives me hope. Hope for a better future, and hope for better Lightbringers.

The next day, the sky is already dark when I finally pull over in front of the house. There is nothing but green, wide moors and large, bare forests around our property. I forgot how much I love this place.

"Andy!"

My head snaps toward Jared's voice as he walks out to me, a broad grin already spreading on his lips. I disappear in his embrace; hugging Jared is like hugging a bear.

"Hi, Jared," I smile, inhaling the familiar scent of pine and fresh mint.

"It's good to see you, kid. Damn, are you taller?"

"This joke is getting as old as you, Jar. And it's not even my birthday."

"Ouch." He runs a hand through his hair, and I notice silver is starting to pop near his temples.

"Let her take a breath, will you?" another voice calls and we both turn to Alice.

As usual, she is dressed in black; not necessarily her combat leathers, which she rocks, but practical and elegant clothes that seem to confirm her badass leader status. Her black hair is shorter than mine but her eyes are the same dark brown. She comes for a welcome hug while Jared opens the trunk.

"Did you really need all that?" he asks in disbelief. "Or did someone forget to mention you're staying for three months?"

"Very funny," I mock.

Then I see my dad. He is standing on the front porch, probably not knowing whether or not he should come and say hi. We stare for a minute, and I can feel all the resentment from a couple months ago evaporate. I was vexed that he lied to us but I understand. I picture him being young, with his own Lucas and Olivia Parker, and I understand why he did it.

"Dad," I smile, finally walking over to him for a hug, "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Andy," he says after a while, hugging me back.

For the first few hours, the conversation is all over the place. They're all about clan news and every time they ask about my witches, I need to remember to stay vague and I try to redirect my answers toward school. Jared and Alice insisted on carrying my bags up to my room without my dad's help, which resulted in a bit of tension for a couple minutes, but I led him to the kitchen so we could start making hot cocoas and cookies. I had forgotten how cold it was in November up here in the north; I was certainly not prepared for this.

I don't stick around for long that first night; the drive was tiring and though I stopped for the night after I passed New York, it was an intense two days. I take to shortest shower ever and prepare for bed, texting of course Lucas and Olivia about making it home safe. I am about to fall asleep when my phone rings.

Luke Parker. I frown, half-smiling, and pick up.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just glad to hear you made it safe."

"Yep, all good. And it turns out I was stressing out over nothing; my family's happy to see me and… It's actually good to be home."

"Good," he says, maybe a little too enthusiastically to sound true.

Silence stretches and I feel like there is something he wants to say but won't. I can't help but wonder whether it's about Jason and mundane things or whether it's Liv or if maybe something has come up.

"So," he finally says, "the weirdest thing happened today."

"Hm-mm?"

"Damon's alive."