Yes, I'm still alive :P I know I promised that I would update the story sooner, but the internet has been acting whack at our house, so the phone company decided to start doing some whack test. Long story short: I'm back after a day and a half of no internet :P
Anyway, I wanted to upload something and this is pretty long, so hopefully everyone enjoys this. It gets more into Bridge's feelings, and James's background, of a kind :P
Wolvmbm: Thanks! I think twists keep the story more and more interesting right? It means that no one can really know for sure how the story will end...Heck, even I don't know how the story will end :P Yep, Gwen knows all abotu Rose. She found out in the previous story, they used to be best friends before Rose left, and are now once again bfs :) Thank you very much and I hope you enjoy the chapter :D
Luiz4200: Thanks! I just meant that eventually he would, but the case is that Bridge is a very curious girl, and sometimes, some things are better left the way they are. If you tempt a curious person too much, they won't rest until they find the whole truth. I don't know, I guess he could have...but I thought the story would be better if he didn't tell the truth. Rose is a very dangerous person, hard to convince someone that your mother is the prime killer of magical creatures...albeit evil magical creatures :P Enjoy the chapter!
Onej6: Thanks! I just want more input on whether some things annoy the readers, or not :) I'll try not to :D Enjoy the chapter!
==The Next Day, 6am
Jake was sleeping peacefully. It was Sunday, no having to wake up early. He suddenly felt a presence in the room with him. Whoever it was, they were approaching him. He felt someone else on the bed with him. He then felt arms rope around his neck. His eyes shot open as he saw Rose looking at him.
"You gave a scare!" Jake yelped.
"I'll give you a warning next time Dragon Boy." Rose smirked.
"Very funny. So, what's up?" Jake shook his head
"Some idiot at the Huntsclan wasn't doing his job. And on top of that, Avezon escaped, and guess what else? Avezon's kid? James? He's going out on a date with Bridge today. Seems like she's been keeping a secret from you." Rose said with a knowing smile
" WHAT? Damn, anyway, that's nothing compared to my secrets. She probably thinks I'm going to interrogate him like I did with Fitz." Jake muttered.
"What? I never heard of this one!" Rose said, feeling left out.
'It was last month, I kept getting the feeling that Fitz was eyeing her, so I started to get tough on him, and question him."
"Note to self: never be in the same room as Jake while talking to another guy." Rose joked.
"Ha ha. Anyway, I think I scared the poor kid off. Now it's time to scare Avezon off. No way is he going to date my daughter."
"May I remind you that he's a slayer, just like David and I are?"
"May I remind you that his father and mother are fanatics in the area of killing magical creatures?"
"Right... especially considering the fact that Gwen has done nothing but help Haley and I battle for magical creatures, not to mention the fact that James has had no instruction from his father."
"But he is a recent graduate from the Huntsclan Academy."
"Let me try another tactic. You try and meddle with the two of them and then you'll get to have a real battle with me, and not a staged one. And I will guarantee you it'll hurt."
"Yes Huntress, anything you say."
"That's my Dragon Boy." Rose smirked, kissing Jake on the lips. They stayed that way for a while, and they broke apart and eventually fell asleep. Well, Rose fell asleep after she put her bracelet on, just in case.
==Later on the day...around 11am
Bridge was sleeping like a log, but Jen and Jake thought that she had to get up sometime. But instead of Jake's usual hollering, Jen was going to wake her up, properly. She entered her daughter's room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Jen gently shook Bridge's shoulder. "Hey, wake up Bridge."
"Huh?" Bridge's eyes gently fluttered open, before opening fully and looking at the designer. 'That wasn't a dream was it?"
"Nope, I am dating your father." Jen giggled.
"Speaking of dating, I erm, have a date today as well."
"Oh really? Your father isn't aware of this I presume?"
"Not really. Dad would blow a gasket if he found out."
"Now why would I blow a gasket?" Jake asked, leaning on the doorframe.
"Because your daughter is under the impression that if she tells you, you'll lose it." Jen smirked.
"And what would this so called event be?" Jake asked, going over to sit on the chair.
"I'm going out, on a date, with a guy." Bridge said, little bits at a time.
"With whom?" Jake questioned, even though he already knew the answer.
"His name is James Avezon. He's really nice, and he seems really caring." Bridge said, blabbing.
"I'll be the judge of that! Just one thing, and you have to promise this to me ok? Or else you're not going out. You have to promise me that you aren't going to reveal that you're a dragon to him ok? Trust me, sometimes it's best that some people don't know ok?"
"Fine... I wasn't going to tell him anyway! The only reason Art and Fitz know is because Fu Dog blabbed on them!"
"I just want to make sure." Jake said.
"Sure dad, just like you wanted to make sure that Fitz didn't want to date me? He thinks you're worse than the government!"
"The guy would not stop looking at you!" Jake countered.
"So? Are guys not allowed to look at me now?" Bridge asked, exasperated.
"No! It's just that, I don't know, I just want to make sure he's not some freak weirdo!"
"Do you see me questioning your dates, dad?"
"She's got you there Jake!" Jen said, bursting out laughing. "Just let her go Jake, let her have some fun! Be trusting for once!"
"Fine, but please, don't tell him about the magical side of the family ok?" Jake pleaded.
"I agree with Jake there, Bridge. Sometimes, keeping a secret for just the right moment is a better idea." Jen conceded.
"Don't worry! I won't tell him! Jeez, you make it sound like the guy is going to go running for the hills when he finds out I'm a dragon!"
"He could." Jake shrugged.
"Right...of course. Is that what happened with the woman that gave birth to me? She found out you were a dragon and split?" Bridge asked with disgust.
"No! No, trust me, when she found out I was a dragon, she said that she loved me. Bridge, can we not talk about this? It's not something I want to talk about. Come on, let's go eat breakfast."
The family went down and ate their breakfast, with a certain cloud of silence over them. Jake's words were ringing through Bridge's head. Every time her dad told her something about the hated woman, she got more and more confused, and the woman became more of a mystery. Jen was giving Jake a glare. Why would he keep torturing her like this? He could at least give more information away, but it seems he always did that. He always shrugged it off, tried to make it a non-committal answer.
Jake broke the silence. "So, when is James going to come and pick you up?"
"He's going to come at noon. We're going to hang with Art and Fitz for a while, and then just go on our date."
"Then you should probably go change, it's already 30 past. Do you need any help or anything?" Jen asked.
"Nah, I'm good." Bridge answered, putting her stuff in the sink and going upstairs to change.
"You're an asshole, you know that?" Jen asked when they heard Bridge close the door to her room.
"What! What did I do wrong?"
"You could tell her more! Not just, 'she said she loved me' then go into some sob story that you don't want to talk about it! You're only going to make it worse when the truth comes out!"
"Please! If I tell her more, she's going to want to hear more and then she's going to be closer to the truth, and if she finds out before we tell her, she's going to go berserk!"
"Am I interrupting something?" a voice asked by the doorway.
Jake and Jen both whipped their heads around, only to sigh in relief when they saw who it was.
"Hey. No, Jake and I were just settling a matter out." Jen said, rolling her eyes as she went to go put her stuff in the sink.
"Isn't it great to have an argument with your beloved?" Violet smirked, taking off her mask.
"If you want to live another day, you would do better to keep that on, yourself hidden, and your mouth shut." Jen cautioned.
"Alright, fine. But afterwards, I want to know what's got the Huntsclan all in titters. Heard some poor soul got sent to the dungeon because the Huntress got pissed off." Violet jabbed.
The doorbell rung. "Hide, or else you're going to regret coming here." Jen cautioned, going over to open the door.
"Hi Mr. Lo-" James had his whole speech ready, backed up by Art and Fitz but was unfortunately derived from it when he saw the famous designer. "Sorry, wrong house."
"James! Hey, no, I explain everything later. Hey Art, hey Fitz." Bridge panted, having run down the stairs and bolted to the door. She saw that her friends and boyfriend were dumbfounded that a designer was at Bridge's house.
"So this is the famous James huh?" asked Jen, making the boy in question blush a deep red.
"Now James, I want Bridge back in one piece, and if you do anything to her, you'll sorely regret it, understood?" Jake cautioned.
"Yes sir! Don't have to worry about a thing." James said, grimacing at the threat. He had heard that some human parents could be worse than magical creature parents when it came to protecting their young.
"I better not." Jake growled.
"Bye dad, bye Jen." Bridge said, closing the door.
==Central Park.
Bridge had said she would explain everything as soon as they got to Central Park. They got there, and sat down. James sat down leaning against a tree, hugging Bridge, who was leaning back on his chest, while Art and Fitz sat across from them.
"Ok girl, spill. What the hell was Jen Phillips doing at your house?" Art asked, not being able to hold off any longer.
"Well, apparently, my dad has been dating Jen for the past month. Now that they decided that they were quite steady, they decided to let me know. So, she's going to be around the house for a while, fuun." Bridge explained, rolling her eyes to the last part.
"Are you telling me that you don't want Jen Phillips as a potential mo- parent?" Fitz asked.
What none of the kids knew was that a couple of figures crouched on the tree were listening in on their conversation.
"I don't know Fitz! I guess it would be nice, but the thing is that she seems so fake!" Bridge answered, sighing and leaning backwards into her boyfriend. The woman in question seemed taken aback by the answer her daughter gave. Both she and her sister continued to listen.
"Fake as in?" James asked.
"Fake as in the fact that the woman acts like she cares about me! I mean, wouldn't you think it's suspicious that my dad and Jen are ready to break up if I say so?"
"Say what?" Art exclaimed.
"That's right. If I decide that I don't want them to date, I just have to say it and they'll break up. Plus, she acts like she cares about my feelings, she actually wanted to not only comfort me, but also hug me? I mean, what sort of person cares that much about someone else's kid?" Bridge explained.
"That is a bit suspicious. Hmm, so what do you think she's doing?" Fitz asked, trying to do this from a rational point of view.
"I think she's trying to keep me as a fan, because, I might add, it turns out that she's the one that gave me that dress for my birthday. And on top of that, I think she's just going to marry my dad and then take her kindness and shove it up my ass." Bridge replied, a bit savagely. So savagely, that Rose actually flinched a bit at hearing the response.
"Come on Bridge, I'm sure that's not the case." James soothed.
"Not the case? No one can be that kind...ever! She has no reason to be kind to me, except for one, which would be to gain something from this. What can she gain by being kind to me? She gets to keep dating my dad, and me happy. If anyone else has any other theories, I'm happy to hear them."
"She could just really care for you?" Art attempted.
"Right, or maybe, she's new to parenting or she's one of those parents that spoil their kids." James theorized.
"Or, she could be hiding a dark secret that she plans on telling you later on, and therefore is making you trust her so that you won't go berserk when she does tell you." Fitz concluded.
Everyone, the two sisters on the tree included, were shocked. For different reasons, but shocked nonetheless.
"Too far-fetched?" Fitz asked, apologetically.
"Definitely." They all agreed.
"Too many far-flung scenarios from my parents." Fitz said, shaking his head.
"Anyway, I still don't think she's as kind as she seem." Bridge said.
"I got it! She moonlights as a killer, kind during the day, a homicidal maniac at night!" Fitz exclaimed.
If only Fitz knew how right he was Rose mused from her perch.
"Fitz, you really need to spend some time away from all those cop shows, and your parents' consultations!" Art said.
"Sorry-y! I just never really had friends before, well, friends that didn't just want free consultations." Fitz said, abashed.
"Aww, Fitz, don't worry, we think you're a great guy!" Bridge said, getting up from where she was sitting and hugging her friend.
"Same here Fitz, you're a bit whack, but a good whack." Art said joining in the hug. They broke apart, and realized that James was very busy studying the grass by his feet.
"Don't worry Mr. Shy, you're a good friend too." Bridge joked, grinning.
"Ha-ha, real funny. Sorry, I just never grew up in an environment where people hugged, or showed affections for one another, at all." James said, still not making eye contact with anyone.
Bridge then went and kissed him, full on the mouth. James had noticed that Bridge's mouth was always warm, it felt like he was putting his hands by the fire or something.
"Thanks," he grinned, more like blushed, when they broke apart.
"Yo, lovebirds, can you leave that for when you go on your date!" Art exclaimed.
"So, where did you grow up James?" Fitz asked.
"You could say it was the military. This top secret location, where the walls were a dull grey, and windows were non-existent. It felt more like prison than anything. Emotion was like this unwanted and considered to be like showing weakness. Like showing you were human." Fitz explained.
"Soo, did you run away or what?" Art asked.
"Nah, you graduate the program when you're , I graduated, and now I can live in the real world." James shrugged.
"So, what does that make you? I mean, what did you learn there? Did you quit after you graduated?" Fitz asked.
"It just makes me a damn good fighter. I just learned basic surviving in the wilderness skills, how to kill animals, wild animals I mean, and weapon handling. Nah, I can't quit, it's one of those, you're in it for life kind of things, and I don't see my mom quitting any time soon, she has too much fun working there."
"Wow, and I thought the school system here sucked, this must be like a picnic for you then." Bridge said.
"Yeah, it is. But enough about me, how about, holy cow is that the time! We need to get going if we're going to catch that movie!" James exclaimed. The young couple jumped up and then ran for their lives.
"Enjoy you lovebirds!" Art hollered after them. The only response they got was a wave from Bridge.
"Come on Fitz, let's go see if the skatepark is busy or not." Art said, getting up from their own sitting places and leaving.
The two sisters that had been listening, grabbed their staffs and teleported back into the Long Household, where they both took off their masks.
"It seems like acting kind is no longer common." Rose mused shaking her head.
"To say the least. She really is quite something sis, you have raised quite the child."
"Shut up Vi. You come here just to tease me? I'm flattered."
"Live life a little. Relax Rose. You're trying too hard to get Bridge to like you! That's clearly noted by the comments your daughter is making."
"How can I relax? I'm trying to get Bridge to trust me so when I do tell her the truth, she doesn't get even madder at me!"
"Relax sis! She'll accept you, I'm sure. You're her mother!"
"Vi, let me get this through your head. She resents me! She doesn't think that she doesn't have a mother, she thinks that I gave birth to her, gave her to Jake and said 'fuck you, you and your daughter can go to hell.' Or something along those lines. And since my glorious husband is always veering off the topic, Bridge doesn't know much about me, which makes it easier for her to hate me."
"Alright Huntress! Don't kill me! I'm just trying to be encouraging to you!" Vi mocked, appearing to be afraid.
"In all honesty, I don't think Bridge will ever forgive me. But I'm going to do the best I can. I owe her that much."
Tadaa! That was the young lover's first date! How will things work out when their alter-egos meet for the first time? And are things heating up, or is that just me? Anyway, since I have a lot written out, here comes a snippet!
"I want you to understand something. I care about you as much as I care for your father."
"Therefore, Fu Dog will be keeping you company tonight."
"Speaking of which, how was your date?"
"How surprising, as always, people go for looks."
"Enjoy your date!"
"Fu! What do you know about her!"
"Middle school? Are you kidding me? What were they, highschool sweethearts or something?"
"I intend to find out Fu, and if you utter a word about this to anyone, you're dead."
Like mother like daughther. Fu thought
"I will find the truth, then, I'll make her pay for ditching us, the coward."
"Relax sweetheart, I'm right here, no one's going to hurt you."
Soo, I think that Wednesday sounds about good. As for Spies, I think I'll leave it for the weekend. Sunday.
Enjoy!