Disclaimer: I do not own The Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The world belongs to them, and I am just writing this story for fun.

Chapter Thirteen

Tuesday came sooner than she had expected it too.

Lila felt like the world shifted. Macon had declared his love for her. Who knew? Shaking her head she made her way up the stairs to Greg's Book shop, and couldn't help but keep the goofy grin off her face. She was young and in love.

The bell rung as Lila opened the door and entered the store. Her dreamy smile had caused Barclay to raise his eyebrows.

"You look happy," Barclay said.

He looked a bit younger that day, either the weekend gave him some time to relax from wedding planning or doing the laborious chore of inventory. He gave her a small smile. "So did you have some fun over the weekend? Meet a special someone?"

"I did indeed." The special someone was in his in-law, but he wouldn't know that unless she told him.

"Who? Anyone I know?" Barclay joked as he set down a box full of new arrivals and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"It's Macon. I kissed him."

Lila swore the temperature decreased and he heard a female gasp in the back of the store.

"You WHAT?" Barclay shouted.

"He kissed me back. It wasn't one-sided if you think I was leading him on or anything," Lila told him.

She had a smug smile on her face. He might be her boss, but he wasn't her father.

"He WHAT?" A young woman came running to the forefront of the store.

She was a striking beauty with blonde hair and the curves in all the right places. However, she still had a bit of baby fat on her. She was staring at Barclay. Lila got the distinct impression that this might be Delphine, Macon's half-sister.

The two of them eyed her and their faces full of disapproval. Barclay's entire body tensed up, and the young woman switched her gaze from Barclay to her in a matter of seconds. Weren't the parents supposed to react like this? Not the sibling and the fiancé? Besides, if the woman really was Macon's sister she was awfully young to be getting engaged in the first place since she looked to be around sixteen years old.

"What?" Lila said.

Barclay and the woman just stood there. Oh for Pete's Sake.

"Am I not good enough for him? Is that it because honestly you should…" before she went on Barclay cut her off. His voice rough and his jaw was clenched.

"Let me get this straight. You kissed Macon, and he kissed you back?"

Lila nodded her head. "We're together. So, you better be used to the idea. His sister, Leah, approves." As she said this, Barclay whipped his head to stare at her.

"She What?" He yelled.

"What is with all the yelling?"

Lila could not understand why they were yelling at her. Obviously, she had to get used to his family, and they would have to get used to her. No easy feat if this was their reaction for any kind of announcement.

Barclay pinched his nose and the young woman hadn't stop saying "Oh dear, oh dear." Her body shook and eyed Lila wearily.

Barclay went over to the door and was about to turn the open sign to closed before his jaw dropped. Lila wasn't sure why Barclay's face changed from one of barely contained fury to one of absolute astonishment. Lila pivoted on her heal only to see Macon stand out front and open the door before Barclay was able to.

"You know if you keep your mouth open Barclay, a fly might make its new home in it."

Barclay had shut his mouth. He stormed towards Macon with a clear agenda regarding his soon to be brother-in-law. Lila jumped back to allow Barclay a pathway, and kept herself out of his way. The young woman ran up beside Barclay and Macon tipped his hat off to the young woman.

"Hello Del," Macon said as he took off his Fedora hat and smiled at her obliviously at ease with the situation before him.

"Macon," Del said. Her voice was high-pitched and full of worry for her half-brother. Lila gnashed her teeth. Everyone, but Macon and Marian, was a critic.

"How are you…" Macon started to say before Barclay stuck his finger out at Macon in an accusing manner. Macon's eyebrows shot four feet into the air.

"Macon Melchizedek Ravenwood," Barclay shouted and Macon blinked his eyes.

"What's with all the formalities Barclay?" Macon gave Lila a side-long glance, but returned his attention to Barclay.

"Don't you quip me," Barclay shook his hand out at Macon as if Macon committed some grave offense and continued onwards. "I heard from her," he pointed his hand at Lila as if she should be burned at the stake during a witch trial back in Salem, Massachusetts, "that she kissed you and you kissed her back. You know as well as I do Macon that…"

"I can make my own decisions. Thank you for that enlightening piece of advice Barclay. Riveting." Macon said drily. He eyed Lila with a question in his eyes, and she mouthed she would talk to him later. He got the point, but it wasn't Barclay that said anything, but Del.

"Macon, you should really listen to Barclay he does have…" she had started to say before Macon walked over to her. He wore another black pant suit, but had a black light wool jacket to keep the chill away—not that he needed it in the store. Macon put his hand on Del's shoulder and had lightly patted it.

"Del, I thank you for your concern, but I am appalled that the two of you," his eyes flew to Barclay's, who huffed, "are taking a sudden personal interest in my affairs. I can take care of myself, as you are very well aware."

Lila stood to the side of the tense filled family triangle she looked in on. Macon stood close to the door, Del to his right who scooted a few feet from her half-brother, and Barclay directly in front of him. Barclay eyed Lila and then returned his attention to Macon. Barclay walked up to Macon, his strides more even and less frantic.

"What would your mother say? Does she even know?" Barclay whispered into Macon's ears.

Lila barely heard the words that Barclay spoke to Macon, seeing as he leaned into Macon's ear to whisper to him. The only words she heard were regarding his mother, and Lila thought again this was a class issue. She had enough of the proletariat drama when it came to Macon and his ilk.

Macon's entire demeanor had changed in a flash. His shoulders were tensed up, and Lila had to bring her knit sweater closer to her as the room dropped a few degrees. Either it was her imagination or her eyesight, but she swore she saw Macon go to Barclay and pushed him to the check-out counter in less than a second. It was probably longer, but felt that short.

Macon loomed over Barclay and had his elbow angled in the direction of Barclay's stomach, knocking the breath out of him. Del gasped, and even Lila thought Macon had taken it a bit too far. Macon saw what he had done and backed away. He was shaking as Barclay stood up and caught his breath staring at Macon the whole time. What was going on?

Del ran over to Barclay to make sure he was okay, and Lila had done the same for Macon to see if he was too. She had never seen a single person move that fast. Maybe Macon was a runner? He had to be with the way he moved, and used his weight to pin Barclay down.

As Barclay recovered himself his eyes widened at Macon before he shook his head in defeat and said. "Think about it."

Barclay whispered in Del's ear and she looked between Lila and Macon, and then got her things as if she was going to leave. Barclay, as he left the store, picked up his jacket and looked at Lila with a meaningful expression, then at Macon, and then back at her and sighed.

"Tomorrow? I have something to deal with right now." Lila had only to nod her head seeing as she hadn't expected to not work today.

Del and Barclay left the shop. Barclay threw the keys to the shop to Macon who caught them with no apparent trouble.

Barclay and Del's reactions were more severe than even an overprotective father, and Lila started to wonder what Macon was not telling her? Macon gazed outside the window to the retreating figures of Barclay and Del, and he closed his eyes before meeting hers. Walking over to her, he took a deep breath and held her hands in his. The palms of his hands warm as they embraced her own.

"Why did you tell them?" His voice exhausted, and even a bit disappointed.

"I was stupid. I had the goofiest look on my face and Barclay asked why and before I know it I told him. Then they overreacted." Lila shrugged it off. Macon hadn't seen it the same way as his shoulders tensed up.

"Barclay was being an ass to me about me kissing you and you kissing me back." Macon stepped away from her. His body was clenched with emotions and his knuckles pallid. His raven hair sleeked back and his face pale, for the second time Lila was intimidated by the man she loved. He turned his head to face her, his voice thick with emotion and hissed, "You know nothing. Nothing at all."

Lila stood there, her face paled as Macon continued. "They're right you know. I should have never…"

Oh for God's sake. He wasn't doing this again to her.

"Macon! Are you seriously going to have them walk all over you!" She pointed outside the window where Del and Barclay had been minutes before and didn't give him time to retort.

"You are your own person! You can make your own choices and decisions. If you want to be human that's what humans do! Make your own decision, and don't let others make them for you!" Lila's eyes bore into Macon's.

His face, a picture of determination, slid only to reveal how exhausted he really was and looked down at his own hands.

"Am I making the right one?"

He asked this to no one in particular. He wasn't asking her, she saw his gaze was far from the present. His muscles trembled through his shoulders, and Lila only had to put a hand on one of them for Macon to whip his eyes to gaze into her own blue.

"Who knows? The only way to know is for you to make a decision and stick with it. We'll take it one day at a time. That's how most people do this relationship thing." Lila fell back on her conversation with Marian.

Maybe he hadn't ever been in a relationship, and with the people she had just met it would be impossible for him to even think of having one with them breathing down his neck. He needed his own space, and she would help him get that freedom. Macon was his own person, and she would see that he knows that.

Macon's face changed as if he had a smirk permanently planted on his face. "Relationship thing? Why Lila Jane I thought you were more eloquent than that my dear." Lila socked him on his forearm playfully. His eyes glared at her, but she could see the mirth in them.

"You better watch yourself, Macon."

Macon's chuckle vibrated throughout the store as he opened the door for her and said, "I will."

Update:

So, for all of you at home I'll let you in on a little secret. My story is probably going to be a bit over forty chapters long (most likely fifty). I am currently writing chapter thirty six, and I will have the full manuscript done before I leave on vacation on the twentieth of this month. However, I will not be able to put the whole story up by then because it takes me half a day to revise/edit each chapter. I work in the mornings, and sometimes my afternoons get busy so I only have later afternoon and evening to put things together. That being said, I will try to have more updates than two a week, but I also want to have time to work on the rest of the story. I am just letting you guys know that this story will get finished in case any of you are worried.

Please do not forget to review this chapter, or the story as a whole. Even if you don't like it, please let me know what isn't working.