Authors Note; I own nothing TVD or Covenant related, only Verity and the plot.
Songs- The Turtles; Happy Together
Bon Jovie; Living On A Prayer
Chapter 11.
School that day flew by too quickly, as did Verity's time at the stables. Stefan accompanied her and helped her clean the stables and watched her as she exercised three of the horses around the practise field, fascinated as she gracefully stayed a top of the horse over the large hurdles they would jump.
After two hours, it was time to face Verity's parents; a task Verity was unprepared for. In New York she never had a boyfriend, stayed out late a lot and rarely saw her parents. Here in Ipswich she had a job, maintained good grades and saw her parents a lot, and suddenly they were interested in her life and who she was. Now her mother was working on the house they lived in, Katherine and Stanley Hanes had made getting to know their daughter and making up for lost time number one on their list of priorities and had suddenly become a lot more concerned of her where about's and what she was doing with her spare time.
"You don't have to look so nervous you know, it's going to be fine." Stefan said, holding her hand as they walked up to her front door.
"I just don't know how they're going to take the news." Verity shrugged.
"If you want you can always go to plan B and tell them you're moving in to the dorms?" Stefan took the key from Verity and unlocked and opened the side door to the vast house.
"I'd rather tell them the truth, I don't want to lie about you." She shrugged, they made their way in to the house and up to the kitchen of the staff wing where Katherine was making dinner for Marcus who was sat reading a book at the small table.
"Mom, dad, this Stefan." Verity blurted out, not sure how to start the conversation.
"Hello Mr and Mrs Hanes, it's a pleasure to meet you." Stefan said calmly, offering his hand out to Stanley, who shook it.
"Hello Stefan. Please take a seat." Marcus, a tall and toned man who was blonde and pale stood and pulled out a chair for Stefan, and the both sat down.
Verity went to her mother and gave her a brief hug and sat next to her boyfriend, Katherine, a dark and glamorous yet stern looking woman, stood next to her husband's seat.
"Hello Stefan, it's nice to meet you, are you a school friend of Verity's?" She asked.
"In a way, yes ma'am." He answered, watching the couple; Marcus seemed relaxed and Katherine tensed. Verity had told Stefan all about her parents; her mother and father met in Mexico during a college break and fell in love quickly, after graduation they married and moved around for a few years before settling in New York where she worked as an interior designer and built up her own company and he worked as an investment banker and financial manager. They had Verity and Katherine left the managing of her company to her close friend (and verity's Godmother) and raised Verity. As soon as Verity was old enough she was sent to the best private schools and Katherine went back to her life as a hardworking and demanding business woman, Marcus worked 6 days a week from sun up to sun down-he felt that he had to prove to Katherine's father that he was good enough and able to provide for her, and never failed to spend Sunday spoiling his only child. The pair had moved out of town to take on this project for the national park when Marcus felt he needed a break from his pace of life before he cracked due to his stressful and never ending work load and in a way Katherine was unforgiving that they had to move away. Something she would argue with her husband over when they thought Verity couldn't hear them.
"Stefan's actually my boyfriend. We've been dating a while now." Verity spoke, her voice wavering.
"How long is a while sweetheart?" Marcus smiled, feeling sad his daughter had a boyfriend, but wanting to make sure she was happy and safe with him.
""Couple of months, not long after we moved here. He was new to town too." She explained, feeling her mother's eyes on her.
"What brought you and your family to town Stefan?" Katherine spoke with a firm voice.
"My sisters and I moved in with our uncle at the boarding house on the edge of the next town over. Spencer is a better school and it's a nice area here." He answered, lying about his "uncle" still being alive. It was hard for him to explain to Verity that he actually was no longer living when she asked about him during their first precious days together.
"Where did you move from?" Katherine wanted to know, not budging from her assured stance.
"We moved around a lot but we had arrived from Seattle." Stefan explained, understanding why Verity was nervous.
"Can I get you something to drink Stefan? Perhaps you could join us for dinner?" Marcus spoke up, sensing the tense atmosphere beginning to occur.
"I'd like that very much Mr Hanes." Stefan said with his usual impeccable manners.
"I'll make some coffee." Verity stood up and went to busy herself, making drinks for everyone, hoping it would ease her mother slightly.
"Verity has told me a lot about the project you're working on, I was lucky enough to see the main lobby not so long ago. I think it's amazing what you're doing." Stefan complimented Katherine and took his coffee from verity and thanked her, giving her a warm smile.
Marcus, seeing how Stefan and Verity looked at each other, and seeing Stefan's gentle and polite mannerisms, was relaxing more at the thought of him as his daughter's boyfriend.
Katherine, however, was not so relaxed. She sat down slowly but did not take her eyes from Stefan.
"How many sisters do you have Stefan?" Katherine asked, taking her coffee from Verity.
"Two, one my age and another a year younger." Stefan replied.
"One your age? Are you a twin?"
"No ma'am, my sisters are adopted."
"How nice."
"So Stefan, do you play any sports?" Marcus interrupted, wanting to save Stefan from his wife's Spanish Inquisition.
"Not at the moment, but I used to play football." Stefan smiled.
""I played ball back in high school and college. Good game. I remember taking Verity to her first game when she was seven years old; she fell asleep in the first half! After that we stuck to spending Sundays at the zoo or museums." Marcus smiled as he remembered having to carry Verity back to the car because she was unable (actually she refused) to wake up until she was home.
"I loved our Sundays dad!" Verity smiled, sipping her drink.
"But then you grew up and began to sleep late; on the nights you would come home." Katherine said sternly.
"You mean the nights you actually remembered you had a daughter." Marcus quietly remarked under his breath. Stefan picked up on the tension and complimented Katherine again.
"It really is an amazing project you've taken on. Are the local people looking forward to you unveiling the finished work?" He asked.
"I hope so. It's going to take a long time to get everything we need to restore each room as it was. Verity, why don't you show Stefan the rest of the rooms while I serve dinner? It'll be ready in about ten minutes." She said, dismissing the pair.
"Sure. Come on Stefan, we'll start in the ballroom and take Bella with us." Verity smiled getting up, Stefan followed her and closed the Kitchen door. A happy Bella, hearing footsteps, padded down the stairs and greeted Verity and Stefan. They made a big fuss over her and took her through the maze of corridors and up to the main house and in to the vast ballroom.
"This will look beautiful when it's done. I used to hear about the grand balls that were held here." Stefan looked around the room.
"You never went to one?" Verity asked.
"No, Ipswich and Mystic Falls were two very separate and different towns back then. When they rarely crossed paths, people would exchange stories of gossip and scandal." He smirked at her, taking her hand and twirling her around, causing her to smile and Bella to run around chasing her tail with excitement.
"I would have loved to have gone to a ball back then. Was it as glamorous as the movies make it look?" Verity asked, once the twirling had come to a stop and she could put her arms around Stefan's neck.
"It had its ups and downs, like any party. Your parents-"
"Aren't always like that. They're stressed. I'm sorry my mom was a little off with you."
"They seem like nice people. Are you sure you want to go ahead and tell them? Because I can wait, Verity. I will wait for you." Stefan stroked her cheek and gave her a concerned look.
"I'm ready, you don't have to wait. I'm going to tell them tonight."
"Your mother won't be happy."
"I know. But my dad will talk her around. Eventually."
Bella dropped her favourite squeaky bone at Stefan's feet and barked at him, demanding to be played with.
For several minutes Stefan, Verity and Bella ran around the ball room, occasionally Stefan would confuse Bella by throwing the toy to the other side of the room and speeding over to catch it before she could, causing Verity to have a fit of the giggles when Bella would give up and just go back to chasing her tail.
"We better go back to the kitchen, we don't want to keep you parents waiting." Stefan announced, kissing her softly.
"You're right, we want to be in her good graces. " She smiled, picking up Bella's toy. Stefan wrapped his arm around her and they walked to the kitchen.
Dinner was on the table; beef casserole for Stefan and Marcus and vegetable pie for Verity and Katherine. The four ate in silence and Bella sat faithfully on the floor between Marcus and Verity.
Verity looked at Stefan and nodded, signalling that she was about to make her announcement. Stefan gave her a reassuring smile and she took a deep breath.
"I'm moving in with Stefan." Verity blurted, not very loudly.
"What?" He father said softly.
"I'm moving in with Stefan. And his family." She said to her father.
"Excuse me young lady?" Katherine paused and put her knife and fork down and looked at Verity and Stefan.
"I asked verity to move in with myself and my family the other day. I promise to take good care of her Mrs Hanes." Stefan said softly, not wanting to compel Verity's parents but feeling like it may be the only option.
"Is this what you really want sweetheart?" Marcus asked.
"It is dad, it really is. Stefan has done nothing but treat me well and we love each other." Verity declared.
"You're okay with this Marcus? With our teenage daughter moving in with a boyfriend she's had for five minutes?!" Katherine was outraged.
"Verity's a smart girl, she knows what she wants and Stefan is a nice guy and I trust he'll take care of her. Besides, if we say no what's to say she won't run off? We saw it happen with a lot of her friends in New York." Marcus attempted to calm his wife.
"I'm not happy with this Verity." Katherine said sternly to her daughter. "You're still in school! And too young!"
"You and dad were young too, and you've had a happy life together."
"I really do love her Mrs Hanes and I will take very good care of her." Stefan announced.
"And that's good enough for me Stefan." Marcus said, giving Stefan a smile and then turning to his wife, giving her a look that said don't challenge me on this.
Katherine sighed.
"When this doesn't work out, I won't be picking up the pieces." Katherine spat, pushing her chair back and walking out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.