Author's note: Thank you to everyone who favorited or signed up for the alerts for my story! It really does me so much to me. I would also like to give a speical shout out to RockaRosalie, Angel of the Night Watchers, bjq, Maddymoo25, January Raines, TheRealTayler13, YannieMae, CasandraReece, and a guest for their wonderful reviews! Seriously, keep the love coming!

Thanks for sticking with me and my writer's block. FYI, the block is gone. ;) Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Kate stood outside the bar with the single lamp post which flickered in the small parking lot, cold and alone. The whipping wind knotted her hair it into a tangled mess as she gazed at the door Pogue had slammed shut behind him moments ago. Winter lay just under the late October breeze causing her to wrap her arms around herself for warmth. Though she hadn't been outside for long she could feel goose bumps break across her skin, and no matter how cold she was, she couldn't bring herself to follow Pogue back into Nicky's. Even the thought of Alex comforting him didn't cause her feet to move, though the rush of jealously did seem to warm her a little.

So many emotions battled within her chest that it tightened, making it suddenly hard to breath. Her vision spotted and her head felt light. Bracing herself against Pogue's Jeep, she sucked the chill air greedily between her lips. The door to the bar burst open then, sending a jolt of hope through her. But the expectation of seeing Pogue vanished as Aaron Abbot stumbled outside.

Kate straightened but didn't make a move to avoid him seeing her, especially in an upset condition. Again, her feet held their ground no matter what her mind said as she watched him reach into his coat pocket to fish for his keys. He didn't seem to notice her until he was almost standing in front of her.

Seeming confused, he looked around as if expecting someone else, Pogue perhaps. "Hey," he said, a puff of white rose into the air as he spoke.

"Hi." Her gaze dropped to the ground, not wanting him to see the tears in her eyes. A few seconds went by while neither said anything. Feeling his gaze on her she looked back to see him staring. Her eyebrows furrowed and she took a breath to snap at him for doing so when he spoke.

"Do you need a ride?" His words were slurred and came out hesitant, his eyes wide almost as if he surprised himself by asking. He glanced back at the bar, his tongue darting out to wet his dry lips. "Actually, forget it."

As he moved around her, Kate caught a whiff of something bitter and strong. She reached out and closed her hand around his wrist. Up close she could see his glossy eyes were unfocused and he looked a little wobbly on his feet. "Are you drunk?" She looked down at the keys in his hands. "And about to drive? You're an idiot."

"I'm not the one who's standing out here alone in the cold." He jerked his head back toward the bar. "You and lover boy get into a fight?"

"Screw you," she snapped, throwing his arm back at him. He stumbled a few steps and turned without a word. As Kate watched, a sense of responsibility blossomed in her chest. She couldn't just let him drive drunk, even if Spenser Academy was less than a ten minute drive away. She looked over her shoulder at the door to Nicky's. It didn't seem as if Pogue would be back out to get her any time soon and she was too proud to go get him.

So with an agitated sigh she hurried after Aaron and snatched the keys from his hand. "I may not like you but I'm not going to let you drive when you're clearly wasted."

Aaron didn't protest. With an unsteady hand he pointed to where a black Ford F-150.

Alex bent low over the pool table, aware of Reid's eyes on her ass. The shot was too easy, almost as if someone placed the balls in a perfectly straight line leading to the pocket. She gave the cue ball a gentle tap and watched it roll straight into the hole. She lifted her blue eyes to the two Sons of Ipswich. There was already a twenty dollar bill hanging between two of Tyler's fingers, a smile on his face.

Reid looked incredulous, his lips thin with shock. "We lost."

She reached up and patted his cheek, grinning. "You sure as hell did." Snatching the money from Tyler, Alex spun on her heels and shoved the winnings into her back pocket. She peeked over her shoulder as she moved to the dance floor and noticed they were already setting up a new game with a couple of familiar looking guys. Maybe they go to Spenser, she thought as she wound her way around a group of giggling girls staring in the Son's direction.

The air was heavy with smoke and the smell of alcohol; she could taste it with every breath. She stopped and welcomed the beat of the music vibrating within her chest. Her eyelids shut for a half a second, soaking in the sounds around her. Though she enjoyed the quietness of the morning, it had been easy for her mind to wander; she felt relaxed now with her mind buzzing with dozens of conversations. It made it impossible for her own problems to squeeze their way in.

One voice raised above the rest caused her eyelids to flutter open. The voice was familiar and was now calling her name. Alex turned to see Pogue moving quickly toward her.

"I thought you left?" she asked with a carefree laugh. The music's tempo sped up, pulling at Alex's hips to move back and forth. "Did you come back to dance with me?"

She was aware of how serious his gaze was, and the fact that Kate wasn't clinging to his arm. She glanced around in attempt to find the dark haired girl but the dimness of the bar made it difficult.

"I need you to talk to her," he said, not needing to clarify that he was talking about Kate.

Alex let out a little laugh. "I don't know why you came to me, she hates me if you haven't noticed." She pointed a finger towards the bar. "Sarah is right over there."

Pogue ran both hands roughly through his hair, tension clear in the way his jaw to tighten. A frustrated sigh rushed passed his lips. "Kate thinks I'm into you so you have to convince her that I'm not."

Alex felt a flash of annoyance. All she wanted to do was dance but here Pogue was practically saying that Kate thought Alex was trying to seduce him. Sure, Alex had flirted with Pogue once or twice. He was gorgeous with his long hair, intense eyes and god-like body. Alex couldn't have been the first girl to bat her lashes at him so if Kate was jealous or afraid Pogue would stray, that was a problem she needed to work out with him.

"I don't have to do anything."

"Please." The way his voice wavered on the word, as if trying to control the emotions she could see passing over his face, made Alex stop dancing. The heartbreaking expression on his face was almost painful to look at, and it didn't help that his hazel eyes were pleading, begging.

She didn't know Pogue very well so she shocked herself when she heard herself say, "Fine."

Relief seemed to wash over him as he turned and led the way across the dance floor, the crowd parting like the Red Sea for the Son of Ipswich. A blast of cold air rushed to meet her as she stepped outside causing a violent shiver to rake her body. She wished she would have made the detour to grab her jacket on the way out.

Dark clouds hanging low in the sky and a distant rumble threatened a storm. The trees creaked in the wind, pulling away colored leaves from their branches. Alex watched as they drifted to the parking lot that sat parallel to Nicky's, which Pogue was now running across.

Confused as to his hurry, Alex went after him but at a slower pace. Her vision was momentarily unclear as the light from a single lamp post flickered off. She blinked, unable to focus in the sudden darkness but she heard Pogue's footfalls on the gravel lot and followed the sound.

"Kate! What are you doing?" His voice was urgent.

A girl's voice drifted to her over the low rumble of an engine. The light, now directly above them, sputtered back on and illuminated the scene before her. Kate sat in the driver's seat of a big truck, her eyes narrowed on her boyfriend.

Alex was within earshot so she caught Kate's sentence. "You turned your back on me and went inside! And I wasn't just going to stand back and let Aaron drive home after he'd been drinking."

Abbot? Alex, only a few feet away now, peered into the truck to see Aaron slumped over in the passenger seat, passed out drunk.

Kate's gaze snapped to Alex, glaring. "What the hell do you want?"

Alex's temper flared and she opened her mouth for an unkind retort when Pogue took a step forward. "She's out here because I asked her to talk to you. To reason with you that I'm not into her and she's not into me."

Kate looked furious, like at any moment steam would shoot out of her ears. She moved her gaze slowly to Alex at the same time Pogue looked back at her expectantly. Alex took a deep breath, swallowing all exasperation with the dark haired girl. She met her gaze steadily, blue versus brown.

"Look, Pogue told me you were jealous," Alex started off. Beside her, Pogue sucked in a breath as if wishing she hadn't started off so blunt. "I admit it, I think your boyfriend is hot, and yes I have flirted with him, who hasn't? But I'm not into him, and you must be in-fucking-sane if you think this guy would stray from you."

Kate's eyes were fixed on her. She seemed to be thinking of what to say but Alex didn't wait to find out. With a quick look at Pogue, Alex twisted on her heels left them in their silence.

Pogue tried calling Kate several times but every time he was sent straight to voice-mail. He knew he shouldn't be bothering her after she had asked for some time, but it was hard to sit back and wait.

With a miserable sigh he tossed his phone onto the bed and squinted at the clock on the wall. It was well after three in the morning, and though fatigue weighed heavily on his limbs, his mind couldn't stop going back to what happened that night.

She had been happy at the start, smiling and laughing with Sarah. The way she squeezed his leg gently under the table, her lingering kiss promising for more. Thinking of the look in her eyes had Pogue reaching for the phone again but he dropped his hand short. Calling her again would only make her mad. He reassured himself that after Alex's interesting speech that Kate's anger had seemed to fade. She didn't even argue when he suggested that he get Aaron home safely.

The drive from Nicky's to Spenser Academy was short, and with Aaron passed out in the seat next to him, it was quiet. He caught himself looking into the rear view mirror for too long, back at Kate driving his Jeep, wondering what she was thinking. She had been silent while she had hopped from Aaron's truck but he was hopeful when their gazes met as she grabbed his keys.

His stomach clenched at having not noticed her discontent sooner, though it hurt even more that Kate questioned his loyalty. He had never given her any reason not to trust him, so why be jealous of Alex? He had never made any conscious choice to flirt. Yeah, Pogue thought Alex was attractive, but to him Kate was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. Picturing her face, he yearned to hold her and to prove that she was the only girl for him.

The soft buzzing of his phone brought Pogue back from his reverie. Whatever hope he had that it was Kate was quickly squashed as Caleb's name light across the screen. Disgruntled, he snatched it off the gray comforter and read the message before quickly replying with a simple, okay.

He had had plans with Kate to go into town but he could bet now it wasn't happening anymore. She wanted her time so he would allow her to have it. He would do anything for Kate. As hard as it was, Pogue threw himself onto the bed and forced his mind to go blank.

Alex woke the next morning feeling groggy. As she rolled to look outside Connor pounced after her hair, his claws tugging at the blonde strands. The sky was gray, and the rolling clouds spit a light drizzle against the window. She could almost feel the cold pressing in on the glass and was grateful for the warmth of the thick patterned comforter.

Not ready to start her Sunday, she looked around the room. A pile of dirty clothes lay in the corner of the room; Alex made a mental note to put that on her to-do list for the day before moving to the dresser. Drawers stood half open with clothes stuffed sloppily into them, while the surface of the dresser stayed nearly bare and neat. When she had moved from Chicago she hadn't grabbed much beside her clothes. She'd left behind or thrown away most pictures of her friends but she couldn't bring herself to leave them all. Her gaze moved slowly, almost reluctantly to one of the two frames. Two girls smiled at her; a younger version of herself with a brunette, both with their heads thrown back in laughter. Kylie had been her best friend since the age of 8, the longest friendship she'd had, and in one single moment that friendship had been betrayed.

Alex tore her gaze from the picture, unable to stand to bitter taste of betrayal in her mouth, and moved to the second picture frame. Her heart squeezed at the sight of her mother. A camera had captured her mother in a moment of pure bliss; Alex vividly remember the day the picture had been taken because the very next day she found out that her father, Robert had been seeing another woman. At the age of seven, Alex had watched as her world was turned upside down. She remembered her mother crying hysterically as her father walked out the door. Even with Alex's encouragement it had taken a long time for her mom to find joy again.

Tears threatened to spill down her face so she dug her palms into her eyes to stop them from falling. Her mother's death was still so fresh, and though she had mourned, the thought of her made her want to curl up in a ball. But she knew her mom wanted her to live life happily and not fall apart.

With somewhat of an effort she threw her legs over the side of the bed and grabbed her phone from her nightstand. After the slow, quiet morning the day before Alex needed to get out of the house for a few hours. She found Sarah's name in her contacts and sent her a text message.

It was early afternoon by the time Sarah had come to pick Alex up. The sun fought hard to peep through the billowing clouds; weak golden rays of light skittered across the pavement as they drove into town. After parking in a small lot set in between the Post office and bank, the two headed toward a café to start the day off right. With November right around the corner, the days were consistently becoming colder and shorter.

Inside, it was cozy and warm; the smell of coffee and sugary pastries made Alex's stomach gurgle appreciatively. Small squishy chairs scattered the floor, all muted colors of gray and soft brown. Most were filled with people on laptops or reading, however after ordering they were able to find two at the front of the shop. Alex settled into her seat, folded her feet under her and took a bit of her blueberry scone.

She looked out the window, at the town that was now her home. She had to admit that she never thought she would actually come to like this place. But here she was with a small smile on her lips.

"What are you smirking about?"

Alex glanced up to see Sarah staring at her, cradling a cup of coffee between her hands.

"Just thinking that Ipswich isn't as terrible as I thought it'd be." She sipped at her Pumpkin Spice Latte and regarded the blonde in front of her thoughtfully. "So how did you end up here?"

Before responding, Sarah brought her drink to her lips, hiding a sheepish smile. "I want to go to Harvard Law School. Spencer Academy looks great on an application so I transferred."

"Wow, Harvard." Alex was impressed. She wouldn't have ever pictured Sarah in such a profession. A teacher, maybe.

"Yeah, you know, Legally Blonde really opened up my eyes," Sarah said with a laugh. But then her face sobered. "I just don't like it when bad people get away with things."

Alex nodded in understanding. Her words had Alex wondering if there was a reason why Sarah wanted to be an attorney. If a certain experience had caused her to want to pursue law or if she was just that good of a person to want to keep the bad guys off the streets.

"Alright." Sarah clapped her hands together, her cup now empty. "Where to next? Shopping? Movie?"

"Negative," Alex replied with a grimace. "When my ass of a father banished me here, he was in too much of a hurry to leave me much milk money. I actually need a job."

"Ooh, job hunting." Sarah made a face. "I should probably start looking, too. Got to save for college books and whatnot."

Alex popped the rest of the scone into her mouth and stood up. "Well, today seems as good as any to find a job."

Sarah led the way from the café and back out into the cold. She fussed with the blue scarf around her neck, arranging it until the exposed skin was covered. The color of the fabric deepened the shade of her eyes which were peeking over at Alex.

"Any idea where you want to work?" Sarah waved a hand back and forth as if indicating the whole street. "There's a lot of small stores and shops, and from what I believe, the hours are decent."

"It doesn't matter, as long as the pay is decent, too."

The sidewalks were busy with people dodging in and out of stores avoiding the cold and hurrying over crosswalks; the cars waited patiently at the stoplights. Alex peered into windows of the shops they passed, hoping to find a place that wouldn't be too horrible to work at.

They had only walked for a few minutes before she paused in front of a small boutique. The window was large and oddly shaped like a star; the tables inside looked to be set at random, cutting the store into five sections. Cute, stylish, casual clothes dangled from wooden hangers on the wall and were folded neatly among the tables. Her gaze went to the sign on the front door where the store hours were posted; Monday-Friday: 11am to 9pm and Saturday: 9am to 3pm.

"Oh, I didn't even think about applying here!" Sarah said, gaining Alex's attention. She pushed open the door and stepped inside, Alex following behind.

An older woman with dark hair looked up at the ding of the bell. "Sarah, what a pleasant surprise!" The woman moved from behind the counter, a smile on her face. Her blue eyes went to Alex. "It's good to see you again, Alex."

Alex eyebrows furrowed for a moment. Up close, the lady looked familiar but she couldn't place where or when she had met her. Seeing the confusion on her face, Sarah spoke. "This is Teresa Simms, Tyler's mom."

It dawned on Alex suddenly that she had in fact already met her, though briefly. "Oh," Alex said, "Yeah, hey."

Teresa smiled warmly, her gaze moving between the two. "What brings you into town?"

Sarah shrugged and looked to Alex before turning back to Teresa. "Just out and about, then we decided to do a little job searching."

"Well, I have been looking for an extra set of hands around here." Teresa's blue eyes sparkled. "When can you start?"

The clock on the car's dashboard read four o'clock by the time Sarah pulled into Alex's driveway. Though it was well into the day, the thick, dark layer of clouds held up, winning the fight against the sun. Alex glanced up, her light eyes on slow moving clouds.

"Don't worry," Sarah said, following Alex's gaze. "You'll get used to the weather."

Alex turned back to her blonde friend. "I've feel like I haven't seen the sun in ages. Is it ever not cloudy?"

"Rarely." She laughed as the car came to a stop in front of the towering house that Alex tentatively called home. Thunder boomed and lightning struck as Alex opened the passenger door. That's when a downpour of rain started to patter off of the top of the Jeep.

Alex resisted the urge to let out a groan as she waved goodbye to Sarah and jumped out of the car. Her hair instantly matted wet to her head as she dashed up the front steps and into the house. She wasn't surprised to find the hall light on or a fire burning in the fireplace; she had noticed Blair's car in the driveway as Sarah dropped her off. Hearing her nice, her aunt poked her head out of the living room and smiled.

"Alex." She moved as if to give her niece a hug but paused and instead placed a hand on her shoulder. "I just got it a little while ago. How was your weekend?"

Her aunt looked tired; dark circles were under eyes and her voice was scratchy from lack of sleep. Alex's mind went to Friday night and her party, how the house was jam-packed with her classmates. Her gaze moved around the room belatedly double checking for any telltale sign of her unsupervised gathering but nothing stood out of place. She made a mental note to thank the others for helping clean up. "It was good. I got a job in town."

"Oh, that's wonderful! We'll have celebratory dinner tonight then," Blair declared. She took a step back and smoothed down her shirt. "Well, I still have to unpack, and I have a little bit of work left to do before tomorrow. Dinner will be a little later than normal, I hope that's okay."

Alex nodded and watched her aunt disappear down the hallway. With her hair still dripping from being caught in the rain, she ascended the stairs wanting to get out of the wet clothes.

She pulled on a pair of sweat pants and threw a t-shirt over her head and drew her damp hair into a loose ponytail. She glanced at her backpack, thankful she finished her homework the day before, though it would have been a way to keep herself busy.

Strolling from the room, she moved up the hallway, passed the open doors of what looked like to be spare bedrooms. The last door on the left was closed. She hadn't yet been in this particular room so she was slightly surprised as she pushed it open. The room was set up as a library; shelves covered with hundreds of books lined either side of the room, and a dark wooden desk was in the middle of the room. A large couch, a deep red color, sat behind it with half a four fluffy pillows and a blanket folded neatly on the arm.

As Alex studied the titles of the books she realized most were about the History of Ipswich. She grabbed a thin book and carried it to the couch. It was very old; she could tell by the way the leather binding cracked as she opened it. With the book balanced on her knees, she started to read about how the town had been settled.

The basement of the old Danvers' colony house was lit by dozens candles, as when the home was built the light bulb had not been invented. The flames wavered in the ever present draft, sending eerie shadows to dance against the walls. It would have been unnerving to anyone other than the eldest Son of Ipswich but the home, after all, had belonged to his ancestors after they had settled Ipswich.

When he opened the front door of the house just minutes ago it gave a low moan. Being over 300 years old the slightest breeze caused the timeworn wood to groan in protest. Caleb felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He had only stepped over the threshold a handful of times since his father's passing, and it was only to bury himself in the books of his family's history. He had not yet fully mourned the death of William Danvers and was unsure of how to. His father had chosen Power over family until the day he died.

He was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of footsteps echoing off the floors above him, and turned his dark gaze on the stairs. Tyler, followed by Pogue and Reid, nodded in greeting. Without speaking, they moved to sit around an empty stone fire pit in the middle of the room. Several moments passed before anyone spoke.

"I can feel the power urging me to Use," Caleb started, his hands clasped before him. "Ever since I ascended. The pull is growing stronger each day that passed."

Pogue's eyebrows were furrowed in concern. He would be the second to ascend and his 18th birthday was nearing. "But you've only just ascended."

Caleb ran a hand over his worried face as Reid spoke up. "Yeah, but with his dad willing him his power…" The sentence hung in the open and it was Tyler who snatched at it.

"You're strong," he said, blue eyes serious. "You can handle it until we find some way to stop the rapid aging. And it's not like you Use a lot."

"I'm not worried about me," Caleb replied, his eyes reluctantly moving to Reid.

Reid's eyes narrowed to thin slits as he met his gaze. "Why are you looking at me? I haven't used recently."

"Because you're always the one to Use," Pogue chimed it. "And we need to be careful because every time we call on our power the seduction is harder to fight."

"No shit, Sherlock," Reid exclaimed. "I'm aware of that, that's why I haven't Used."

Caleb stared at the blonde Son of Ipswich trying to see the truth in his eyes. Pogue was right; whenever someone Used it usually was always Reid. Pogue was terrified of the possible addiction, Tyler was too honest to lie about it, and Caleb didn't want to turn out like his father. "Well someone did a few days ago. I felt it."

Reid opened his mouth with what was sure to not be a nice comment when Tyler leaned forward and interjected. "Let's quite throwing accusations around and figure this out." He looked at Caleb. "Where should we start?"

Caleb rose from his seat and moved to the wall farthest from them where a long, tattered table sat. More than six dozen thick books were stacked untidily among the surface. "From the beginning."

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