A/N: Hey there, everyone! It's me, MBAV fan66! And it's time for the next chapter!
In the last chapter, we saw that Benny is actually working for Stern and was hired by him to steal the Lucifractor from the Morgan family. So, Benny's not exactly a good guy from the get-go in this story if he's working for Stern. Lol! But will that change as the story continues? I mean, he's not entirely a bad person. He doesn't mind beating people up, but that's far as it goes, though. He's not a killer like most bad guys are. At least, the real evil bad guys, that is. Like Stern. *giggle* ;P Stern has no problem killing someone if it means getting what he wants. Plus, he's also on a revenge mission to kill every single vampire in Whitechapel! Good or bad! You can't tell me that's not evil. *giggle* :P
Anyway, there's not much else to say here, really. All I can say about this chapter is that now Ethan and his family come into the picture, as Benny tries to weasel his way into their home to look for the Lucifractor. But that might prove a bit more difficult than he thinks as the story progresses further. *giggles* ;P
Shout outs to these lovely people!:
Legaciesfan01- I don't know if you've been following along and reading this story, but I just wanted to say thank you for adding my story A Broken And Lonely Life to your favorites list. I appreciate it! :D
Bennyweirlover17- Thank you! I'm glad you liked it so much! :D And yeah, I just thought I'd give Stern a backstory on why he wants to kill every vampire in town. So, I went with what we know about Stern's reasoning behind wanting to do from the show. Which was he was trying to finish what his ancestor had started all those years ago before he was killed by Jesse, back then. So, I sorta played off that scenario a bit and went from there. :) Anyway, I hope you'll like this new chapter just as much as the last one then, friend! Enjoy! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own My Babysitter's A Vampire or any of its characters. All I own is this story and any OCs that may appear. Also, credit for the plot goes to my friend on here, Bennyweirlover17.
After leaving Stern's place, instead of getting right to work, Benny decided to return back to the hotel that he was staying at, instead. Once he got there, the young wizard collapsed onto the bed exhaustingly and took a nap. Deciding that he'll come up with a plan of action later, after his nap.
A couple of hours later, Benny woke up feeling refreshed finally after his jetlag and all that walking, he had done earlier. "Now, to get to work." he said to himself with a stretch before getting up but then he paused for a second once he felt his stomach rumble with hunger. "After I get something eat, first, that is." he then said to himself. But there was a problem with that. He didn't really know the area very well, though. So, Benny grabbed his phone from the bedside table and looked up nearby restaurants to eat at. After a couple of minutes of scrolling, he ultimately decided on grabbing some pizza to eat at this little pizzeria called Pizza Palace that was only just 3 blocks away from the hotel. "You could never go wrong with a good pizza to eat to help satisfy one's hunger!" thought Benny happily to himself with a smile before going back to the home screen on his phone and pocketing it in his pants. He then grabbed his wallet and jacket and headed out the door.
"Man! This is some great pizza!" praised Benny impressively, as he happily took another bite from his slice of pizza. Enjoying its taste as he sat there at his table in the pizzeria, chowing down on some greasy cheesy goodness.
As he ate, something then occurred to Benny about his job. He didn't know the Morgans' address! So, after wiping his hands off and taking a quick sip of his soda, Benny pulled out his phone and texted Stern. Asking him for the address. Minutes later, Benny's phone went off with a buzz and the little tone he has set for it to notify him of new text messages. He checked his phone and saw that Stern had sent him the address. Benny smiled before going back to eating his pizza.
Perched high up in a tree, hidden from view, sat Benny. After receiving the Morgans' address from Stern and finishing up his pizza, the mercenary wizard decided to do some recon work on what he was up against here. So, far from what he could tell, the Morgan family appeared to be just like any other normal family would. But then again, he's only been spying on them for one day, so far. So, he didn't really have a whole lot of info to go on here about their normal daily routine. But it did appear that the family was somewhat well off, though, when it came to money. They weren't rich or anything, but they did live in a nice neighborhood, though. In a nice little cozy house with a decent yard, both front and back.
In fact, it all kinda reminded Benny of the place he used to live at with his grandmother, growing up, before her passing. A forlorn/nostalgic look then appeared on Benny's face as he thought back to those days before he then quickly shook his head. Snapping himself out of memory lane and focusing his attention back on the house that sat across the street from him. He didn't have time to reminisce about the past. He had a job to do. So, he got back to carefully spying on the Morgan family from across the street up in his tree.
Benny continued spying on the Morgan family for a couple more days before deciding he's done enough surveillance on them. He still didn't know much about the family, but he had enough to start with, at least. He couldn't afford to keep spying on them from afar because surely at some point they would notice someone watching them. Besides, he mainly just wanted to see what he was up against, really. So, far they didn't appear to be too strong or powerful, though. But then again, it's not like they use their abilities freely wherever they go, either. And he was only able to watch them from outside the house, meaning he couldn't actually see them on the inside. So, there's no telling what they do inside the home. So, it was best to just end the spying for now and start plotting his next move.
Back at his hotel room, Benny sat on his bed thinking of ways to get into the house to retrieve the Lucifractor. First, he thought about breaking into their house while they were all out, but he decided against that plan of action, though. Mainly because he still had no idea where they kept the Lucifractor at in their home. If they even kept it in their home, that is. So, that idea was a no-go.
Then Benny thought about taking one of them hostage and forcing them to hand over the Lucifractor. But he quickly shot that idea down. For one, who's to say that they wouldn't fight back rather than give in to his demands. And for two, he didn't like using force all that much unless necessary. Plus, there was a little girl there! He didn't want to mentally scar the poor child by having some mysterious, magic-wielding stranger just come into their home and start threatening her family if they don't give him what he wants! He wasn't that bad of a guy!
And then, there was option number 3. He could just get into the family's good graces by somehow befriending one of the family members and getting them to trust him more. That way, all their guards would be down and they wouldn't suspect a thing when he swipes the Lucifractor from them and makes his getaway. But first, he'd have to get them to trust him enough so that he could trick them into revealing where it's hidden, though.
Benny pondered the third idea some more and the more he thought about it, the more he liked it. So, decided to go with that plan of attack, instead! But the real question was...who does he cozy up to in the family, though...? Not the parents because they were too old for him to have much in common with that would make it easier for him to bond with. And not the little girl because she was too young. That only left one person in the family he could trick into giving their trust to...the son. From the looks of it, he looked to be around the same age as he was which should make it easy to befriend him without any suspicions.
"Yes! Becoming friends with the son is my ticket in!" cheered Benny happily/proudly to himself with a big smile on his face.
But then, something important occurred to Benny. "Crap! I forgot about two of the family members being seers!" cursed Benny, as he went back into thinking mode again. He had forgotten about the mother and son of the family being seers. And if he was to get close to the son first then he had to first figure out how to prevent him from getting a vision from him about what he was up to. However, it didn't take Benny to come up with a solution, though. He remembered a ring that his grandma once gave him, that apparently at one time used to belong to his grandpa (who had crafted and spelled the ring himself). It was a kind of protection ring that protects the wearer from any kind of mystical mind tricks. Like mind control, mind reading, persuasion of the mind, telepathy, and so on. She even said it can protect against a seer's ability to get visions from you, as well.
Remembering this, Benny quickly hopped off his bed and rushed to where he kept his bag at. He immediately started digging through it until he found what he was looking for. Pulling it out and holding it up slightly to look at it. It was the ring that his grandmother had given him. It wasn't fancy or anything. Just a black-looking ring with ancient little symbols engraved around the band part of it. Apparently, the symbols represent protection of the mind and the ring itself was enchanted with a spell that protects against one being able to look into one's soul, as well. Or rather, gain visions of one's true intentions or past, that is.
Benny smiled before then slipping the ring onto his right hand's ring finger. "This ought to help protect me against the powers of a seer." he said a little triumphantly to himself. Although, the ring was a little too big to fit his finger properly. But thankfully, though, he knew a spell that would cause the ring to automatically resize itself to fit his finger better. So, with a few magical words uttered in Latin, he cast the spell and the ring suddenly constricted itself around his finger slightly until it fit perfectly.
Now, with a way to protect himself against the seers in the family, Benny felt like he was finally ready to set his plan into motion. Since there was still enough time in the day, he decided to get started right away on his plan. He just hoped that the son wouldn't be indoors for the remainder of the day, is all. If so, then he'd have to wait to put his plan into action tomorrow, then.
With everything he needed, Benny left his room. Hopeful that he'll be able to kick his plan into action today rather than later.
Benny waited patiently in some bushes as he staked out the Morgan residence. Hoping that soon the son of the family would come out of the house and leave, so that way he could follow him and "pretend" to bump into him on accident. Resulting in short and temporary "fake" minor injury.
Although, after hours of hiding out in a bush, Benny quickly began to grow tired of waiting. "Ugh. I wish I had something of his to do a locator spell. Then this would be so much easier, and I wouldn't have to hide out here in some bushes like a creep all day!" complained/grumbled Benny to himself quietly in annoyance.
After a while, it was obvious that the dude wasn't going to either be exiting or entering the house any time soon. Plus, Benny was starting to get hungry now, too! So, Benny decided to call it a day for now and just head back to the hotel, seeing as it was starting to get dark out. And something told Benny that he didn't want to be out at night in this town. In fact, ever since he set foot into this town, it constantly gave off this...bad supernatural vibe of sorts.
Of course, before he returned to the hotel, Benny decided to stop off somewhere real quick and pick up a bite to eat, first. All that stalking tends to work up an appetite, after all!
The next day, Benny had accidentally slept in. Thus, missing his opportunity to accidentally "bump" into the son of the Morgan family. Since the son usually takes morning jogs around the neighborhood. For what purpose, Benny didn't know. To Benny, the guy looked to be unathletic and not very strong physically, either. He actually just looked like your average, somewhat scrawny guy, if he was being honest here!
"Kinda like me." thought Benny somewhat disappointedly/embarrassingly to himself with a frown, as he sat there in bed for a minute or two. Hating how he just basically admitted to himself that he was physically a weak person. But hey! Who needs to be physically fit when you've got magic at your disposal?! If there's something heavy that needs to be moved or lifted, then magic can easily move it for him with just a few simple little words! So, with that in mind, Benny didn't let his previous thought get him down too much, anymore.
With a smile back on his face again, Benny got up out of bed and took a shower. After the shower and getting dressed, he then grabbed his satchel bag (that he normally always takes with him whenever he goes somewhere) and walked over to where his phone, the room's keycard to get in, and the ring sat at on the bedside table. He stuffed his phone inside the bag (because it was much easier to carry it that way and less likely to wind up broken), along with the room's keycard, as well. Then he slipped on the ring and left his hotel room. Grabbing his jacket by the door on his way out.
After grabbing a quick bite to eat, first. Benny was back at it again with his spying on the Morgan household, as he waited for the son to leave the house again that day. Or at least, Benny hoped he would leave the house again that day, that is.
About an hour and a half later, the son of the Morgan family left the house. So, Benny carefully followed him around to wherever it was that he was going to. Benny could've just set his plan into action anytime he wanted to while the guy was out and about, but he thought it best to wait until the right moment to jump into action, though. Ideally, when the guy was close to his house, that is.
Benny followed the son to the town's local library. From Benny's perspective, it looked as if the guy was returning a book or something. Afterward, the guy then decided to stay and do a little reading of some sort. Of course, Benny was now bored as he waited around for the dude to finish reading and finally head home or at least out of the boring library, anyway. He was tired of lurking around the library to spy on him, all while trying not to be noticed.
Eventually, the guy finally left, and Benny was hot on his trail, too. Thankful to finally be leaving the library.
It appeared as if the dude was heading home now. So, that's when Benny decided that now was the perfect time to execute his plan.
Once the guy had reached his street and was only a block away from his house, Benny did a teleportation spell to teleport himself ahead of the dude. Just a little ways from the guy's house, in fact. He made sure to teleport himself somewhere out of sight and patiently waited for the guy to draw near.
"Glad I learned how to do the teleportation spell." thought Benny proudly to himself with a smug smirk. Granted, yes, he knew how to teleport now but he could only do short distances, though. He still had to learn how to master being able to teleport much longer distances, you see. But he'll get there eventually. For now, just being able to teleport a short distance was good enough for him.
Before the guy had gotten closer to Benny's location, his phone had rung. He momentarily stopped to get his phone out and see who was calling him. Then he answered it and kept walking while talking to whoever was on the other end of the call. This gave Benny a perfect distraction so that he'll be able to do what he intends to do without the guy noticing him just coming out of nowhere on the street.
"Perfect! It couldn't get any better than this." thought Benny satisfyingly with glee to himself once he saw Ethan talking on the phone while walking down the street after answering it. The young wizard couldn't help but smile to himself at how well everything seemed to be going for him, right now. Apparently, Lady Luck was on his side today.
Once the target was within range, Benny sprang into action. He hopped out from where he was hiding at and casually just strolled down the rest of the sidewalk until he accidentally bumped into the son of the Morgan family. Causing Benny to fall to the ground.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you ok?!" apologized the Morgan son before quickly telling whoever he was on the phone with that he has to go and that he'll call them back later and then ended the call. He quickly then slipped his phone back into his pocket before offering the stranger he accidentally knocked onto the ground a friendly hand to help him up.
"Yeah, I'm alright, dude." replied Benny absently as he dusted some dirt off himself. But when he looked up at the dude, he was genuinely surprised at just how good-looking this guy was upon closer examination. "Whoa! I had no idea how hot this guy was until now!" thought Benny smitten with surprise, but he quickly shook himself out of it and stopped starring all googly eyes at the guy by shaking his head a little. "No, Benny! You have a job to do! Focus!" he then mentally scolded himself. He then flashed the guy a friendly smile. "No worries." he then said to the guy.
"Are you sure?" asked the guy with his hand still extended out for Benny to take.
"Yeah, I'm fine. There's no need to worry." answered Benny as he took the offered-up hand, praying that his ring will work. Considering the guy's eyes remained normal looking the moment their hands touched each other meant that the ring was working its magic and preventing the dude from getting a vision from him. Although Benny also couldn't help but stare deeply into the guy's gorgeous brown eyes for a bit longer before the guy then tried to haul him up off the ground. Bringing Benny back down to Earth and back to what he should be focusing on right now.
So, the moment he was back up on his feet, Benny then quickly pretended to be injured. "See! I'm perfectly A-Okay. Ow!" he began to say confidently before suddenly flinching in pain with a small painful cry to go along with it. He almost lost his balance if it wasn't for the guy catching him and helping him stand up on one leg. "Ok...so maybe I'm not as ok as I thought." stated Benny bashfully.
"Ugh! This is all my fault! I should've been watching where I was going." said the guy guilty, as he blamed himself for Benny's injury. "Again, I am so sorry!" he then apologized, again.
"No! No! It's cool, dude. Accidents happen." reassured Benny sincerely in a kind and forgiving manner.
"Are you sure?" said the guy guiltily with a frown.
"Yeah! It's no problem. We're good. Alright?" reassured Benny kindly again to the guy with a smile.
The guy nodded, taking Benny's word for it. "Think you can stand or walk on it ok?" asked the guy in concern, referring to Benny's injured ankle.
When Benny tried to stand on his "hurt" ankle, he quickly made another painful wince as he jolted his hurt foot back up off the ground again while being supported by the guy. "Nope." replied Benny with a head shake. "I think it's sprained." he then stated.
"Ok. Well, uh... do happen to live anywhere nearby, then? If so, then I can walk you there." asked the guy.
Benny shakes his head then. "I'm afraid I'm not from around here. So, I'm not very familiar with the town's layout, you see. But I am staying at the Spring Valley Hotel, though, if that helps any?" informed Benny.
"Not really." replied the guy, answering Benny's question. "The Spring Valley Hotel is quite a ways from here. Much too far to walk on a sprained ankle from here, I'm afraid." frowned the dude in concern.
"Bummer." replied Benny a little downheartedly to match the guy's current expression.
There was a moment of silence between the two as they tried to think of something else. The man then briefly looked up ahead of him for a split second as if debating something internally before finally coming to a conclusion.
"Tell yah what. My house isn't all that far from here. How about I help you to my place and then we go from there? Maybe after a bit of rest, it'll be ok enough for you to get home at least?" kindly offered the man, as he told Benny his idea.
Benny thought about it for a minute, not sure if he should take up the guy's offer or not. "Are you sure, dude? I really wouldn't want to impose. Plus, isn't kind of dangerous to be inviting strangers you just met off the street to your place, like that? For all you know I might be a serial killer or something!" he stated carefully, although the last part was more of a joke, though.
The man chuckled a little at Benny's joke. "Nah! You don't look like the type of guy that goes around killing people for fun. Besides, I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character, anyway. And you sir, seem like a pretty decent guy to me. So, it's alright." replied the man genuinely in a kind and lighthearted way with a smile. A smile that momentarily captivated Benny for a brief second before snapping out of it.
"Well, if you're sure it's ok, then...alright. Lead the way!" replied Benny with certainty in his voice and a smile on his face.
The guy smiled happily at that before then readying himself to help Benny. Once they were all set, the duo began their short trek to the guy's house.
When they had made it onto the guy's front porch, Benny carefully took a seat on the wooden bench outside. However, though, after he was seated Benny noticed that the guy was busy pulling out his keys to unlock the front door.
"Ok. Now, you're starting to make me think that I'm the one in danger of being in the presence of a serial killer, now." joked Benny awkwardly a bit, as he looked at the dude in mild confusion. This made the guy laugh a little, as he continued to unlock the door. "But seriously, though. I'm good here on the porch until my ankle feels better." he added.
"Don't be ridiculous! If I left you out here alone then what kind of host would I be, then?!" politely stated the guy in defense. Just then, the door unlocked, and he gently pushed it open. "I promise, I'm not a serial killer or anything." he then said to Benny with a warm smile before making his way over towards him. "Besides, what kind of serial killer still lives at home with his parents and little sister, anyway?" he joked amusingly before helping Benny up.
Benny laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that." lightheartedly agreed Benny back to the guy. "By the way, I never really got your name? You know. So, that way I'll know my killer's name if you do turn out to be a murderer, after all." asked Benny politely then while still joking about the serial killer thing with the guy.
The guy chuckled. "Fair enough." he then said. "It's Ethan." smiled the guy, as he gave his name to Benny while helping him inside. "And you?"
"Wow! Such a handsome name for such a handsome guy." thought Benny dreamily to himself before snapping out of it for what seemed like the one-hundredth time that day since first laying eyes on this dude.
"Benny." answered Benny with a friendly smile, as he hobbled along beside Ethan over to the couch.
After he was seated, Ethan quickly went over to close and relock the front door, again. As he walked back over towards the couch, Benny took a quick glance around the room he was in.
"Nice place you got here. It's... very cozy and homey." genuinely complimented Benny.
"Thanks. It's my parents' place, actually." replied Ethan kindly, as he took a seat in the armchair next to the couch. However, there was a tiny blush that had appeared on his cheeks, though, as if embarrassed to say that.
"You live with your parents?" asked Benny curiously, even though he already knew that answer. But he had to keep up appearances, though.
Ethan bashfully nodded his answer. "Just until I decide on whether or not if I want to go to a college that's far away or more closer to home." he then explained.
"How old are you? If you don't me asking, that is." wondered Benny curiously.
"Nineteen." replied Ethan. "I'm kinda taking a year off before starting college. Sort of like a... break from schooling and whatnot." clarified Ethan casually with a little shrug at the end, as he explained his reasoning for not starting college right away after graduating high school like most teens typically do.
"That's cool. I kinda see your reasoning behind it. I mean, after practically spending about 13 years out of your life having to attend school every year, you kinda want a break from it all to see what it's like to not have to deal with school for a whole year for once before heading off to do more schooling. Am I right, dude?" guessed/explained Benny understandably.
"Yeah! That's absolutely it!" exclaimed Ethan impressively in surprise to Benny, making the said male then laugh a little at Ethan's response.
"And your parents are alright with the decision?" curiously asked Benny then.
"Yeah. They are." simply replied Ethan. "To be honest, I think my mom is kind of glad to have me stick around for another year, though." quietly joked Ethan then with a small amused look on his face, as he slightly leaned in a little bit when he said it.
"Let me guess. She still sees you as her precious baby boy, even though you're not little anymore?" quipped Benny in amusement.
Ethan nodded at Benny's hypothetical question with a playful look of annoyance on his face first before then laughing about it. Benny joined in on Ethan's laughter with him, as well.
"I think it must be a mom thing or something!" mocked/laughed Benny.
"Yeah, me too!" agreed Ethan while still laughing, too.
"So. How old are you? If you don't mind me asking, that is." then asked Ethan after laughing for a moment longer.
"Not at all. I'm actually twenty." simply answered Benny with a nonchalant shrug and a smile on his face.
"That's cool. You're just a year older than I am. Well...more like a few months I imagine. Since I'll be turning twenty here pretty soon myself, in just a couple of months." commented Ethan.
Just then they heard the door being unlocked and in walked an older-looking man and woman, accompanied by a teenage girl it seems. They were laughing and smiling as they entered the room but the happy smiles soon quickly fell once they saw Benny sitting on the couch.
"Oh! Hello there." said the woman politely in mild surprise to Benny when she saw him sitting there on the couch. Benny just gave a little awkward wave in return as his greeting back at her. "Ethan, honey. Who's this?" she then asked Ethan, turning her head to look at him puzzlingly. Although, Benny could also see a slight bit of caution and suspicion in her expression, as well.
"This is Benny. He hurt his ankle when I accidentally ran into him and knocked him down earlier on the sidewalk." replied Ethan.
"Oh, dear! I hope it's not broken?" stated the woman (who Benny assumes must be Ethan's mother) with concern in her voice.
"No worries, ma'am. It's just a small sprain, is all. Nothing major. I should be fine in a few minutes if I stay off of it long enough." answered Benny back at her in a friendly and reassuring manner. The woman was a bit relieved to hear that but her husband, on the other hand, was still slightly suspicious of Benny being here, though.
"And you decided to bring him into our house?" questioned the man curiously to Ethan with a quirked-up brow to match. "Couldn't he just have walked back to his own house to rest and tend to it, instead?"
"I had to, Dad. Benny doesn't live in the neighborhood. He's staying at the Spring Valley Hotel which is much too far to walk to on a sprained ankle. So, I brought him back here to rest until he felt fit enough to walk on his own just fine, again. I couldn't just leave him there stranded! And I didn't want him to just sit outside on the porch until he felt better, too! I thought maybe he should sit somewhere more comfortable while he waits rather than on some hard wooden bench on the porch." explained Ethan to his father, somewhat defensively.
"Spring Valley Hotel?!" exclaimed the woman in surprise. "Why on Earth would you be all the way over here, then?" she then asked Benny.
"Well, you see, ma'am. I'm not originally from Whitechapel. I usually travel from place to place because of my job. But recently I decided that perhaps it was finally time that I settled down somewhere peaceful. So, I came to Whitechapel. I heard it's quite the unique little town to live in." explained Benny sincerely and kindly as he spun more of his web of lies to these people. "The only reason why I wound up in your neck of woods is because I wanted to check out the neighborhood to see if it was the right fit for me. And to see if there were any houses for sale or rent here, too. So far, I'm still undecided. Anyway, that's when we accidentally ran into each other on the sidewalk." Benny was calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was desperately praying that they bought it. It was one thing to easily fool Ethan, but his parents are an entirely different story since they're more experienced at being adults than Ethan is, right now.
"Come on, Mom and Dad. Benny's not a bad guy. Please let him stay. You know I'm a good judge of character and if I would've thought he was a bad guy then I wouldn't have let him in the house." begged Ethan.
This caught Benny off guard a little. He didn't expect Ethan to be pleading his case, like this! But welcomed it, nonetheless, if it meant gaining his parents' trust, as well.
Benny then noticed the woman narrowing her eyes at him for a second or two. Probably using her powers to gauge his intentions properly and to see if her son was correct about him being a good person. In which case, Benny would like to think he was a good guy in some way or another. Or at the very least, a decent guy. Who uh... does bad things sometimes just to get by, that is.
The two older adults then looked at each other for a brief minute, as if communicating with each other through their eyes. The woman gave a slight nod towards the man. Probably to tell her husband that she saw no major warning signs in his aura that he was a bad person and that he was no threat to them or their family. Then they both looked back towards the two young men on their couch with their decision.
The man sighed first before giving his reply. "Alright, son. He can stay."
This brought a smile to Ethan's face.
"But only until he feels better, though." then said the man in a stern tone with a small glare.
"Understood, sir." nodded Benny understandingly to the man, as he too had a smile on his face like Ethan did.
"Great! Now that the strange man in our living room has been identified and is free to stay. Can I please go to my room, now? I promised Kaitlyn that I would call her when I got home." stated the girl to her parents, semi sarcastically with a bit of attitude/annoyance in her tone, as well.
"Alright, sweetheart." sighed out the man exasperatingly to his daughter.
Once her father gave her permission to go, the girl left and headed upstairs without another word.
"Teenagers." then commented the man quietly to himself while shaking his head disappointingly-like. "I can't believe we have to go through this again, already." he said somewhat dispiritedly.
"Oh, stop!" blurted the woman, giving him a light and playful nudge to his side. "It's not that bad! At least, our kids aren't like... those super rebellious type of teens, dear. And besides, the attitude and rebellious streak are all a part of growing up and them trying to figure out their identity in life before they reach adulthood. We all go through it. So, cut her some slack. Will yah?" she stated sincerely and lightheartedly, as well, with a warm smile.
The man simply rolled his eyes at her, knowing that she was right, before then smiling fondly back at her. "You're right, honey. It's all a part of growing up and finding out who you are in the world, huh?" he said sincerely back at her in a kind and understanding tone. He then gave her a little quick kiss on the lips.
Benny noticed Ethan cringed a little in disgust at seeing his parents kissing like that. Even though it was only a short quick peck on the lips. But to Benny, he thought it was sweet that they weren't afraid to still show their affection in front of others. Even at their age. He could tell that they truly do love each other. He vaguely remembers seeing his own parents share sweet and tender little kisses like that with each other while in front of him, back when he was little. It always made him so happy to see his parents so in love with each other.
"Oh my! Where are our manners?! We haven't even introduced ourselves to you, yet!" suddenly exclaimed the woman in surprise once she realized that they haven't properly introduced themselves, yet. "Well, I'm Samantha Morgan. And this here is my husband, Ross Morgan." she then politely introduced, as she points to herself first and then to her husband with a kind and friendly smile on her face.
"And the young lady you just saw leave for upstairs is our daughter Jane." added Ross politely, as well.
Benny put on a kind and warm smile, then. "It's very nice to meet you all." he said in response to their introductions.
"Well, I've got some yard work to do in the backyard, now. So, if you'll excuse me." stated Ross suddenly.
"Ok, dear." replied Samantha sweetly to her husband before accepting the peck on the cheek he gave her.
"Benny, it was nice meeting you and I hope your ankle gets to feeling better, too." stated Ross sincerely to Benny, then.
"Thanks, and I'm sure it will, sir." earnestly replied Benny with a smile before the man then took his leave towards the backdoor.
After watching her husband exiting the room, Samantha then turned her attention back on Benny again. "Since you're a guest in our home, can I get you anything? Something to drink or snack on, maybe?" politely asked Samantha to the young man on her couch.
"No. That's quite alright, Mrs. Morgan. But thank you, though." politely answered back Benny with a gentle smile, as he turned down her kind offer.
"Well, ok then, dear. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything." she said sweetly. "Or you could always just send Ethan to fetch you something, instead." she said jokingly then with a small giggle at the end.
Ethan let out a small moan of disproval/annoyance at his mother's comment, then. Which only made her giggle more before finally making her way towards the kitchen.
After that, Ethan and Benny mostly chatted on the couch with each other for about 30 minutes.
"How's your ankle doing? Does it still hurt any?" asked Ethan then.
Benny then slowly stood up to test out how his injured ankle was doing. He carefully shifted his weight a little bit over from his good foot to his hurt one. Then he did a small/light bouncing-like motion on it before then stopping and smiling happily about his now fully recovered ankle.
"Nope! I think it's all better, now." replied Benny happily. "I think I'm ok enough to make the walk back to the hotel."
"That's great, Benny!" cheered Ethan, although there was a slight bit of hurt and sadness hiding behind his words, as well. He frowned a little while Benny wasn't looking. He felt a little sad that the guy had to leave already. He really enjoyed hanging out with him. Plus, he's kinda cute looking, too. Ethan didn't want him to go so soon but it wasn't his choice to make, though. It was Benny's. Besides, he didn't want to come off seeming like a creep to the poor guy by trying to force him to stay longer. But who knows? Maybe they'll meet again someday? At least, Ethan hoped they would, that is.
"Well... I guess I better be heading out, now that my ankle is all better. I've got a long walk ahead of me back to the hotel, after all." stated Benny, as he reached up to the ceiling to stretch a little after sitting on the couch for so long like that. He then grabbed his bag off the floor and slung its strap over his shoulder. "It was real nice meeting you and your family, Ethan. And I enjoyed hanging out with you, too. It was fun! Even if all we did was just sit on the couch and talk the entire time, though." lightly chuckled Benny at the end in amusement.
"Yeah. Me too." replied Ethan with a smile.
Benny smiled back, as well, before then making his way towards the front door. But before he could take another step, Ethan suddenly bolted up from off the couch in an urgent-like manner.
"Wait!" called out Ethan desperately, as he jumped up from the couch. Curious, Benny turned around to look at him. Suddenly, Ethan felt his cheeks begin to burn slightly with embarrassment at his little outburst just now once Benny's eyes were on him, again. "Um... how about I give you a ride back to the hotel? Uh... just in case." nervously/awkwardly asked Ethan, then.
Benny smiled a sincere and kind smile then at the bashful guy before him. "Sure. I'd like that." replied Benny.
"Great! I'll go ask my dad for the car keys, then." said Ethan happily with a cheery smile on his face before heading off in the direction of where the backdoor is.
Benny just stood there smiling for a minute as he watched him leave the room. Then he took one more look around the room while standing there, carefully scanning the place for anything that might reveal where the Lucifractor was hidden at, in the house. He didn't know if they had it well hidden somewhere or hiding in plain sight. From what he could tell so far it wasn't anywhere in the room hiding in plain sight.
"They must have it hidden somewhere else in the house." deduced Benny keenly in his mind.
A minute later, Ethan re-entered the living room with keys in hand. "Ok, I got the car keys! Let's go!" called out Ethan enthusiastically with a smile, as he held the car keys up and gave them a little jingle first, before then walking over towards the door where Benny was at.
Benny quickly gave Ethan two thumbs up while smiling himself. Then the two left.
On the car ride back to the hotel, there was an awkward silence between the two for a while before Benny decided to break it. He hated awkwardly silent moments between people.
"So, um... you can drive, huh? That's cool." stated Benny impressively while trying not to sound too awkward and nervous. He honestly didn't know what else to say.
Ethan gave a little nod while keeping his eyes on the road in front of him while driving. "Yeah. I got my learner's permit over the summer just before starting my junior year of high school and my G2 permit during my senior year. I plan on finally getting it upgraded to a full Class G license sometime after my birthday." explained Ethan, as he drove.
Benny was glad that he understood how the licensing process here in Ontario, Canada worked. Or else he'd be really confused by what a G2 permit was and what makes it so different from your typical driver's license or learner's permit. Benny may not have grown up in Whitechapel, but he did grow up someplace else in Ontario, though. So, he was very familiar with how some things worked in Ontario, legally. Not everything, though. Since he wasn't a lawyer, judge, or politician. But just about what everybody else who lives in the Canadian province, knows, that is.
"Sort of like a... belated birthday gift to yourself?" asked Benny curiously/thoughtfully.
Ethan's face momentarily scrunched up into a thinking-like expression real quick before then morphing into a delightful smile at the idea. "Yeah! A belated birthday gift to myself!" he answered brightly/cheerfully. "I like that!" he said smiling.
"So, how long have you and your family been living in Whitechapel for?" wondered/asked Benny.
"As far as I know, all my life." answered Ethan. "Both of my parents are from here and were actually high school sweethearts during their junior year of high school. They even went to the same college here in town so they could still be together." further explained Ethan.
"They must really love each other a lot then, huh?" stated Benny.
"Yeah, they do." replied Ethan fondly. "I hope to find love like theirs, someday. Someone you'll do anything for and want to spend the rest of your life with, happily." rambled Ethan fondly/longingly.
Benny just nodded along, even though Ethan wasn't looking at him. Deep down, he kinda wished for the same thing, too. But with him being a criminal, basically, that would be impossible. No one wants to spend forever with a thief and a crook, like him. Not unless they were also in the same type of business as he is, that is. But Benny imagined that would make for a crappy relationship then, as the two would have a hard time trusting each other, probably. A lot of backstabbing and betrayal with a whole lot of making up involved. Assuming they did ever makeup, that is. But the point is, that it would most likely be an off-and-on kind of relationship which wouldn't necessarily make for a good long-term relationship. At least, not the kind of long-term relationship that Benny would like, that is.
"Anyway, apparently my family, on my dad's side, has been around for a really long time in Whitechapel. So, we're like... one of the town's oldest remaining families in town." added Ethan simply, as he came to a stop at a stoplight and waited for it to turn green.
"What about on your mom's side?" curiously asked Benny.
"They've been around for a long time, too. But not as long as my dad's side, though." answered Ethan casually with a shrug. "I guess her family didn't come to Whitechapel until years later. Hundreds of years later, to be exact. As in the 1930s, I believe? Whereas my dad's family has been around ever since the town's beginning back in 1809." replied Ethan informatively before the light finally turned green for him to go.
"Wow... that's a really long time." replied Benny somewhat impressively. "If your family name has been around for that long then how come you're not filthy stinking rich then, huh?" commented Benny lightheartedly as a joke but also as a question, too.
"You would think we'd be rich, huh? But nah. We're like everyone else in town. Your average middle-class citizen." Ethan replied, with a small amused chuckle at the beginning. "I guess my ancestors never really saw a need to become wealthy and powerful in town. They were just happy living their regular lives as is, I suppose. Either that, or we were never really able to accomplish anything big here in town that would make us rich. As in inviting something that really took off and became big, even to this day. Or starting up a very successful company that would remain in the family for many generations to come." he then simply stated guessingly, as he thought about it.
"What about now? Does the current Morgan generation wish to make a name for themselves someday and strike it rich one day, eventually?" asked Benny curiously.
Ethan shook his head. "Not really. Like our ancestors, we're satisfied with what we got now. Food on the table, clothes on our back, a roof over our heads, and each other. That's all we need pretty much to feel happy and complete in life." answered Ethan contently. "Oh! And a good education and career, too! You can't get by in life without having those two things, too, yah know?!" he then added lightheartedly with a smile.
"Wow. You guys are pretty basic, huh?" joked Benny teasingly, making Ethan laugh a little.
"I suppose you're right about that, huh?" laughed Ethan. "But sometimes the most basic and simplest of things is all we need in life to make us truly feel happy in the world." he then stated wisely to Benny.
"He's right." thought/mulled Benny to himself. "I remember how happy I felt back then, when I still had my parents and grandma in life, growing up. Those times were probably the most happiest I've ever been in life... Before it, all went to hell and my life became a total disaster, that is. Making me decide to become a lone wolf who'll do just about anything to survive in this cruel world." he then thought bitterly to himself. "Pish! Whatever! True happiness is overrated now, anyway. At least... for me it is." he then mentally scoffed to himself.
"I see your point, but still though... it never really hurts to have a little bit of extra money in the old bank account. Now does it? As in... a grand or two, maybe?" joked Benny amusingly and teasingly to the guy next to him, driving.
"No, I suppose not." chuckled Ethan amusingly to Benny's little joke, as he made a left turn into a parking lot. He then pulled into an empty parking space and put the car in park with the motor still running.
"Well... here we are. The Spring Vallely Hotel." said Ethan with a slight hint of disappointment in his tone.
"Yeah..." replied Benny, also with a slight hint of disappointment in his tone, as well. Which sort of puzzled Benny for a second. He wasn't quite sure why he felt so disappointed about having to part ways with Ethan. He was there for business on the behalf of his employer, Mr. Stern! To infiltrate and find the Lucifractor, and bring it back to him! His encounter with Ethan is all part of the plan to use him to get inside the Morgan home with the hope of finding a clue as to where they're hiding the Lucifractor at, is all!
If it was one thing that Benny always had to remember doing jobs like these, was that to never get attached to the mark. Or else it'll only lead to trouble. So, he would always do just that. Making sure to keep himself emotionally detached from the situation not only on the outside but also on the inside, as well. And so far, he's been able to do that every single time without hesitation. So, how is this time any different? It's not. He just has to remember that going forward, is all. Like he always does. Ethan meant nothing to him. All he is to him is just a means to an end and nothing more. He was only just using Ethan to get what he wants. The Lucifractor.
The two sat there for a minute in awkward silence until suddenly Ethan began to frantically search around the car for something. Benny just sat there giving him this strange and curious look.
"Uh...dude. What you are doing?" asked Benny out of curiosity and confusion.
"Hold on! Just give me a sec!" replied Ethan, as he continued to rummage around the front half of the car. He then found what he was looking for. A small little notepad in the glovebox, along with a pen too. Ethan knew that his parents always kept a pen and notepad in the car just in case. He just didn't remember where, though. Not until now, that is.
Ethan then quickly used the pen to scribble something down on the notepaper under Benny's curious and watchful gaze. Once he was done writing whatever it was down on the piece of paper, Ethan then ripped it off the notepad and handed it to Benny with a smile.
Benny cautiously took the paper from Ethan's hand. "What's this?" he asked perplexingly before looking down at it to see what it says.
"It's my phone number!" answered Ethan brightly, before his cheery expression turned into a shy and awkward one. "In case um... you ever wanna just talk or hang out together again. If you want to, that is." he said bashfully while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
Benny looked back up at Ethan and smiled. "Thanks, Ethan. I just might." he graciously replied back, then.
This brought a smile to Ethan's face which in turn made Benny's heart want to skip a beat at the sight of it, to his surprise. But Benny quickly shut the strange feeling he felt inside, down. Reminding himself once again that he had a job to do and that Ethan was just a mark to use to score what he needed to get from within his family's home.
"Well, um... thanks for the ride, dude." thanked Benny. "I'll be sure to put this in my phone for safekeeping once I get back to my room. Just in case I wind up misplacing it or something. I'm not exactly the most well-organized person around, yah know." he then added half-jokingly while holding the piece of paper containing Ethan's phone number on it up in the air and giving it a little wave.
Ethan chuckled in amusement at Benny's fun little fact about himself. "No problem." he then said to Benny.
Benny smiled warmly at Ethan one more time before exiting the car. Once he was out of the car and at a safe distance from it, he gave Ethan a simple little wave goodbye. Ethan waved back at him with a kind smile of his own before finally shifting gears and pulling out of the parking space. Benny stood there for a minute longer as he watched Ethan drive away. Once Ethan had turned back onto the street again and drove off, Benny then turned and made his way towards the hotel's front doors.
Once he was back in his room, Benny immediately pulled out his cell phone and the paper with Ethan's number on it. He then put Ethan's phone number into his contacts, like he said he would because wasn't joking about him being a total unorganized mess when it came to keeping things nice and tidy. And a small piece of paper like this would most DEFINITELY wind up getting lost or misplaced somewhere easily with him.
After he finished putting Ethan's number into his phone, Benny couldn't stop himself from wanting to smile at the thought of having Ethan's number in his phone and him wanting to hang out together again.
"This is great! My plan worked perfectly! Now I have a way to get in whenever I want without suspicion. I'm now one more step closer to obtaining the Lucifractor from the Morgan family and returning it back to its rightful owner. And then when I do, it's payday, baby! Yes! This was indeed a good day." stated Benny happily to himself, about how well everything worked out for him today.
But what he didn't realize was that the smile on his face was really there due to the small flutter in his heart resurfacing again at the thought of seeing Ethan again and how he couldn't wait, too.
A/N: And that's chapter 3! :D
What did you think? Benny's trying really hard in not falling for Ethan, huh? Will he be able to keep his emotions in check in order to do what he came to do? Which is to steal the Lucifractor right out from under the Morgan family's noses to give to Stern. Or will he wind up giving in to his heart's desire and fail his mission in getting Lucifractor all because of some cute-looking guy he just met? Who also happens to be one of the family members of the people who he's supposed to steal it from. *giggle* ;P Guess you'll just have to wait and see! :D
Until next time, I'll be seeing you all around! Bye! ;D