10. Tensions

Lilith and Tyler stood in the middle of the charred ruins of Putnam Barn. There wasn't much space between them when the two cars carrying their friends pulled up and parked. The two gripped each other's hand tightly. As soon as the rest of the Sons and the cousins poured out of the cars and took in the sight of the two clasped hands, there was silent astonishment.

"Baby boy getting some?" Reid mused snottily. He failed to see Tyler's jaw clench.

Quin's head whipped around to look at Reid. "Don't you ever talk about Lil that way!" she snapped.

Reid just rolled his eyes at the girl and blew her off. Caleb looked between Tyler and Lil. "What's going on you guys?"

"Something weird happened." Tyler began.

"You're not foolin around with that statement." Reid muttered. The tension in the air was palpable.

"Could you keep your mouth shut for one minute do you think?" Quin lashed out at him.

"Stop." Meredith murmured and got both of the blondes' attentions. "Lil, don't get me wrong, if you want to be with Tyler, that's fine, but this is sort of sudden…"

Lil nodded. "I know. He came to get some notes from Sheridan. As soon as we were alone in the room together it was like…"

"It was like we couldn't be separated."

"It almost hurt."

Tyler nodded now. "My stomach hurt, I felt sick, and then suddenly she was right there and we were touching and then kissing and everything was perfect. There was like this…" he couldn't find the word.

"Zap or something." She filled in for him.

"Yeah, like a zap, but then it was all better. No more pain or uncomfortable sensations."

"How did this happen?" Meredith was confused. Never before had she heard of anything like it.

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, because I do want to know," Lil began and then looked at Tyler. "But I don't care really. I just know I don't want it to change. This feeling is amazing."

The others were silent. Each group thought the same; these actions were so unlike their loved one. Reid finally looked up and at the Lilith coldly. "What'd you do? What magic did you use to ensnare him?"

Lil looked like she'd been slapped, and Tyler held her closer and glared at Reid. "She didn't do anything Reid, weren't you listening at all?"

"Dude, Reid has a point…" Pogue addressed Tyler hesitantly. "I mean, shit like this just doesn't happen."

"What do you mean Reid has a point?" Quin asked abruptly. "How do we know that Tyler didn't do something to Lil? Yall have just as much power as we do."

"That's ridiculous." Caleb had to talk loudly over the others. "If we use it the power ages us. You all have already admitted there are no side effects to your using. I'm not trying to accuse anyone of anything but…"

Meredith sighed and moved to Lilith and Tyler. She looked at them both intently. "Obviously we need to find out what's going on, and we'll never do that if we're all constantly arguing." Meredith turned to look at everyone else. "I'm very sorry, but this is needed." She waved a hand at the group and uttered two words the men didn't understand.

What they did understand though was that suddenly not only could they not move, but they couldn't speak either. Looking at the others they could see that the only one not affected was Meredith. She crossed her arms over her chest and addressed the group. "This is what someone else using their magic on you feels like…a niggling in the back of your head. A faint and constant whisper in your ears. Normals can't feel it or hear it, but we can." Her voice was mildly scolding. She turned to the Sons. "Tyler would feel it if Lil had used magic on him." Then she turned to her cousins. "And Lil would feel it too. All this arguing is going to do is make things end badly. The group of us has far too much power for it not to. We need to stop fighting. Let's find out what happened, and maybe figure out why?"

She waved her hand in the reverse of what she'd previously done and they became mobile again.

"Don't ever do that to me again." Reid hissed angrily.

Mer didn't even blink at his fury. "Don't make me and I won't."

"You Bit.." Reid began, and his eyes turned black.

"Reid, enough!" Caleb snapped. "Meredith is right, even if I didn't like her methods, her words are right. Fighting and suspicions aren't helping, they'll only hurt. If Tyler and Lilith are somehow tied to each other now, then we need to all stick together. It unites us."

Meredith had turned back to the new couple. "What was different? What happened differently that might have caused this?"

Lil shrugged. "I was angry…about those guys in town."

Tyler wasn't any more help. "Dude, I couldn't find any of the other guys, and I was freaking out about the next paper."

Everyone mused silently to themselves. "Oh my Goddess!" Sheridan's eyes widened and she looked at everyone. "I know what happened!"

"Well, what is it?" Reid asked impatiently. He'd calmed down and was feeling more reasonable.

"They were alone."

"So?"

Sheridan rolled her eyes. "Lil, have you and Tyler ever been alone together. Like really alone with none of the rest of us around?"

Lil frowned. "Well, we'd have had to been wouldn't we?"

Tyler was shaking his head. "No, we never have. There are always at least three of us together when we're together; at least three."

"That must be it then. You two finally occupied the same space without any other factors, and whammo, this happened."

"Okay, say you're right. Why them? I mean, would it have happened if it was me and Tyler, or Merry and Reid, or any combination of two of us?" Quin was frowning.

Sheridan was looking thoughtful. "I don't think so. I think it's specific. Of course I don't know that for sure…"

"Here's my question…" Tyler broke in. When he had everyone's attention he continued. "What's it all mean for the rest of you?"