A/N: I'm aliiiiiiiiiiive! And though I could probably through in some angsty note like, "But I'm dead inside" or some jazz, this shall be a lovely Thanksgiving Eve! I myself shall eat my weight in ham and go into a sugar coma for a year, and I hope that you all can do the same! (If that's your cup of liquid nitrogen.) Hopefully I'll get another chapter up before or during Thanksgiving!

Disclaimer: Look! In the air! Is it a bird? A plane? No. It's the rights to CoN, still out of my grasp. And as such, I get nothing out of this except wonderful reviews and nice followers!

Chapter Fourteen: War

Caleb and Nick sat at the only free table in Cherise's section of Sanctuary. It was packed, filled with both the supernatural and humans, and it assured Caleb that if Nick did tell Cherise about them now, she couldn't kill them with so many witnesses. Though thinking about it, Caleb was beginning to think she might only attack him. Her precious little boy was straight before he met him.

"Hey, baby, Caleb," Cherise smiled as she deposited a large plate of fries between them. "I wasn't sure if you ate at Kyrian's. If you want more, you know you can tell me."

The look on Nick's face was both pained and grateful. He hadn't forgot the days where his mom would go without so that he could have what little they did have. Though they were doing a lot better these days, he couldn't help but think that he had ruined his mother's life. If she'd given him up, she'd probably be married with the daughter he knew she'd always wanted. And now he was going to tell her that he was with Caleb. It would kill her. He looked at Caleb pleadingly.

Can we not...? Not yet at least?

The look in Caleb's eyes were unreadable as the thoughts reached him. He had told himself that he would go Nick's speed, but he didn't have to like it. He'd spent too much of his time in the past centuries trading kisses like whispers.

But Nick's worth it... he thought to himself before sending a neutral, Okay, back to his secret boyfriend. Nick's gaze was searching, but Caleb casually ignored him, stealing a fry and eating it. It was nearly impossibly hot, and only spite kept him chewing. Cherise hid a smile knowingly, though she didn't understand what led to the behavior.

"How are you feeling, Caleb?" she asked, the laughter not quite out of her voice.

Swallowing, Caleb gave his most charming smile. "I'm fine. It was mostly superficial," he lied. If Cherise sensed this, she didn't say anything. Instead, she continued to smile.

"What do my boys want to drink?"

For some reason that she couldn't fathom, both boys slightly blushed before giving their orders.

"Well, that was subtle."

Both boys jumped and quickly checked to make sure Cherise was out of earshot. When they turned back, they saw the owner of the voice that had nearly busted them.

Wynter looked just as sinful as she did in class, now wearing scarlet lipstick. On most girls their age, they'd look ridiculous, but on Wynter, it looked impossibly...

"You boys just gonna let me stand, or are one of you going to be a gentleman and scoot so I can sit?"

Caleb was about to say no purely on principle alone, but before he could, Nick had already shifted to make room for her. It could be said that Caleb wasn't pleased. It could also be said that Antartica was a little chilly.

Nick- Caleb started but was cut off by Cherise's return.

"Oh, hello," she smiled at Wynter. Caleb noted that it was a lot dimmer than the one she'd aimed at him minutes earlier. "Are you one of Nick's friends?"

"I'm new here, and we met at school," Wynter beamed. "I'm hoping we can become great friends soon, though. Are you his big sister?"

"Mother," Cherise corrected as she placed the boys' drinks before them. "Nicky, where's Kody?"

Caleb nearly spat out the drink he'd been sipping on, and Nick flushed pink. Wynter's smile remained, though Cherise could see something shift in the girl's eyes. Cherise refused to back down.

"We...had a fight," Nick finally supplied, and she decided that she'd take that up with him after she got off. For now, she let her eyes tell him exactly how she felt about that little piece of information and the new girl that was steadily moving closer to him.

"Well, after you're done eating, I want you and Caleb back home immediately, got it? No guests."

Caleb used his drink to hide the satisfaction on his face as Wynter's smile faltered slightly. Cherise left without another word to her, and it was then caleb realized that she hadn't counted him as a guest.

"You're mom's nice," Wynter stated flatly as she stole a fry. She made the steaming food seem as cool as ice, and her reaction was a lot more tame than Caleb's. "Is your dad just as cheery?"

Nick elected not to answer, and Caleb stood.

"Well this awkward little get together has been lovely, but we have homework and avoiding you to do," Caleb replied with a polite smile. He pulled Nick up and they began to leave, Wynter's strange giggle following behind them.

They left their tip with Aimee and left.

It's build-up, okay? Sorry for the crappy chapter regardless, though! And also for the OOCness! Also, thanks to Rin asa Uchiha, Estel Caprice, casfire, gothpandaotaku, kaoru12211991, and the really nice guests for your comments! That are so nice (and a bit challenging at times) and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! Thanks also to all those who read/follow/favorite this fic and/or me! It means so much to me and brightens my day frequently! Sorry for my lovely hiatus, and I'll try to do better in the future! Thank you all for sticking with it for so long! Have some pleasant holidays and such! Keep rocking!