Chapter One
Supernatural.. Hell-monkey?
Previously..
"Is this Sarina Montero, Alpha of the Meteor Heights pack?"
"Who is this and how exactly do you have that information?"
"My name is Stiles Stilinski. I'm part of the Beacon Hills pack. We're here to help."
Presently..
A half hour had passed since the phone call, both Nick and Sarina hurrying to get ready and tell the others to meet at the clubhouse. Currently, they were in Nicks car as he sped carefully towards the clubhouse. He didn't need a ticket right after coming home. "Do you know anything about this pack from Beacon Hills?" Nick asked Sarina.
"Only a bit from our Hunter family, the Thorsens. They said Chris Argent is a Hunter that realized not all supernatural creatures, werewolf's especially, weren't all bad when he met the main members of the pack. There's Scott McCall, the Alpha, but I thought he was going off to college. His beta is Liam , whom is the only person Scott has ever turned. Liam's best friend Mason is human, as is Stiles although he was possessed by a Nogitsune. Then a were-coyote Malia Hale and her werewolf father Peter, who apparently was the Alpha who bit Scott but was killed then revived, I don't really know. A Kitsune is part of the pack, but she hasn't been around for a while, and then Lydia Martin is a banshee. That's really all I know because that's all the Thorsens will tell me."
"Fair enough, now who will get to the clubhouse first, assuming Beacon Hills made it there already?"
"Probably Daryl, he lives a couple blocks away. Nicole and Kiefer are a few blocks further and then everyone else is here in the heart of Meteor Heights suburbia, with Elliot being the furthest."
"Alright, let's hope no one tries to start a fight."
At the Clubhouse..
Daryl, usually the quiet one, looked at the pack in front of him, focusing on a shorter young man with swept back light brown hair. "Hey, you." Liam gestured at himself as Daryl nodded and grinned. "You wanna start a fight?" Suddenly, half his face had covered itself in scales as his kanima tail formed and waved itself behind him menacingly.
"Scott, is that.." Began Stiles, the gangly guy with the anxious voice to the Alpha, who looked a lot like the kid from that movie, Maid In Manhatten.
"A kanima, yeah. Its like Jackson all over again." This earned him a light slap on the arm as Lydia, the redheaded banshee reached around Stiles.
"Hey, Jackson's a wolf now, this one is more like the Chimera kanima, but natural. But this is a fight-free zone. It's not our territory, Scott."
Scott sighed. "I know that.. Wait a minute." He sniffed the air. "There are two Alphas here?"
"Technically only one. The other one is a genetic Alpha. He's the last living direct relative in his family. Also banging the ot- ow, fuck, woman!" Elliot said until Mara punched him hard in the shoulder.
"Stop it, you idiot. That's personal whether those two are here to hear it or not. And if they were, then Sarina will kick your ass. What he meant was that he hasn't unlocked his powers. His father was killed by our Alpha's uncle, whom she in turn killed. We don't know of any way to unlock them without biting him, and that would only make him a beta."
Stiles spoke up again. "We know a way that won't kill him, does that help?" Scott looked at his best friend. "What? Another Alpha on our side can't hurt, right?"
"He wouldn't be able to control himself, Stiles." Lydia said.
"Yeah, he would." Everyone looked at Mara, who sighed. "His anchor is our Alpha, as hers has always been him. Not to mention those two waited ten years to just actually be together. The self-control amazes us all, especially because some people," She glanced at Elliot with a meaningful look. "Can't realize when the same connection is possibly right in front of them."
Then, Nicks car pulled up, Sarina getting out first with her eyes burning red. "Daryl, shift back now. How did I know you would be the one to try something?"
As Daryl shifted back, Elliot laughed. "Because I know better these days."
"I don't want to hear anything from you either, Elliot. You give me enough headaches." That shut Elliot up as Nick joined her at the head of the Meteor Heights group, his eyes flashing red at the other preters. "Sorry about them. I'm Sarina, and you must be Scott McCall." She said looking at Scott, who nodded.
"So, you guys know what you're dealing with, right? Because we really only have the knowledge the Argents kept in their own bestiary, so without knowing exactly what's going on, we can't figure out how to help you guys." Scott said, looking more at Nick than Sarina, able to realize Nick had no idea how to really follow the conversation.
"People have been going missing in the deeper parts of the forest for the last three months, but its been getting more frequent. The last to go missing happened a little under three days ago."
"Any signs something supernatural is going on otherwise?" Stiles asked, looking at a small laptop in his hands.
"Claw marks too deep for a werewolf in some of the trees, scattered feathers here and there, and when someone goes missing, a wailing caw sounds throughout the whole of Meteor County. We picked what we thought could have been a molted claw. This is it." Sarina handed Scott a thick talon that had an amber color to it. Liam's eyes widened.
"Scott, that looks like one of the claws the Dread Doctors were using with the Chimeras. The talons that allowed Theo to steal the other Chimeras' powers for his own."
"You're right, and that could only mean one thing.." He was cut off by Nick.
"Sorry to interrupt, but being the new guy in this situation, I have to say this. What sort of supernatural hell-monkey are we trying to find and stop, exactly? Can't you just give a straight answer instead of beating around the bush while conversing amongst yourselves?"
The whole of the Beacon Hills pack stared at Nick, until Stiles spoke up. "Supernatural.. Hell-monkey? I want to know where you thought of that," Turning to Scott, he continued. "I like him. Reminds me of me back when we first started this crap."
Scott shook his head. "Well, when we last encountered talons like this, they were from a rare supernatural creature known as a Garuda. Otherwise known as an elemental eagle. Usually they associate with thunder or lightning, so everyone used to call them thunderbirds."
"Oh this gets better and better. You guys got a hellhound hiding around here? Garudas are usually around hellhounds for some reason. Argent thinks it has to do with the ancient legends of the harpies." Lydia said, ever the most read one of the group.
"Hellhound? No, I'm pretty sure we've never had one around. But, there was some deforestation done in the deeper forest that stopped when the kidnappings started." Elliot said.
"That might do it, but even Argent wasn't too sure if Garudas hibernate, which would explain why the kidnapping began after the deforestation was started. If they don't, then there's something else going on. No other incidents that point to anything supernatural?"
Sarina thought about it, but shook her head. "I don't believe so. When we went to investigate, though, there was a huge ash tree that looked like someone had tried cutting it down, chainsaw still stuck in the thing. By huge, I mean like Animal Kingdom Tree of Life huge."
Scott shared a look with Lydia. "You don't think..?"
The redhead pursed her lips. "It is possible. The nematon at home couldn't be the only one, otherwise we would have had more than the one Durach."
"God bless you." Nick said, not completely following.
"Sorry. A durach is like a dark druid. We had one as a teacher one year. She was the one that basically lead to Scott becoming the true Alpha he is now."
"Oh. Well that's interesting enough. Now, since my powers are inaccessible, how do I go about helping when the fighting starts?"
"Well, there's always a metal baseball bat like I always use," Stiles suggested. "Element of surprise always helps, too."
"Hold on that, actually." Mara interjected. "You said before you had a way of helping Nick gain his powers without killing him, and I hope that protects all of us from having to lose any of our own."
"Wait, that's actually possible? We can just awaken Nick's latent abilities?" Sarina asked, hope in her voice.
Scott nodded. "It's not the simplest thing to do, though. We need six specific herbs to mix for it to work, so unless you know a guy.."
Sarina laughed. "You're lucky it's a Thursday, otherwise we might have already missed him. Everyone in the cars, we're going to visit Doc." Nick got into the passenger seat, knowing Sarina knew where to go better than he did.
The two groups in their envoy of carsmdrove into town and all parked in the backcparking lot of the local animal hospital. When Nick saw where they were, he turned to Sarina. "You meant Doc Powell? What does he have to do with any of this?"
"He won't tell us what his little Organization is called, he just tells us they monitor supernatural beings in their specific areas. And without him, none of us would have as good a grasp on our powers than we do."
Nodding, Nick followed Sarina into the animal hospital, where Doctor Powell stood at an examination table. Looking up, he smiled at seeing Nick. "Ah, the prodigal son returns home. No need to ask, I already know why you have brought him, Sarina. Please, however, tell me is there news about the disappearances?"
"Yeah, Doc. It seems your assumption of a garuda was correct. We just can't pinpoint where it's hiding as of yet. And how did you know why we came?"
"You know me, Sarina. I know everything." Smiling, he winked at the couple who only just realized they had been holding hands. "Although, there won't be any investigating on your part tonight."
"And why the hell not?" Sarina asked, pouting.
"Simple. Nick will need you watching over him from the procedure. If anyone else stayed with him, he may not be able to control the rage he will undoubtedly feel as his latent abilities awaken."
Sarina looked torn, but looking at Nick, she smiled as she knew the right decision. "Alright, I can do that. Mara, Elliot." The two in question looked toward their Alpha. "You two are in charge of our pack while I stay with Nick. But, all of you listen to Scott if he asks something of you. He's the most experienced to lead." Everyone nodded as she turned then to Scott and his pack. "Keep them out of trouble, especially Elliot. He has a habit of finding unwanted attention."
Scott laughed. "Don't worry about that. Most of my pack has the same problem. I'll make sure everyone gets back safely."
"Thank you. I already lost one with the shitstorms we've been through, I can't lose another, as much as I know it's inevitable."
Nodding, Scott turned to leave. "Oh, and Deaton says hello, Doctor Powell."
"He's still kicking? Good for him. Next time you see him, please tell him to come through town sometime, maybe? These kids could use some tactical upgrades, and Deaton has always had the best methods."
Scott nodded. "Yeah, sure. We can handle back home without him for a couple days. Alright, gang, time to check out this deeper forest of yours." Turning, he lead the rest of the group out, Mara trailing behind. "Sarina.. You sure you don't want anyone here to help? What if this thing in the woods is just the distraction?"
"I'll be just fine. I'm protecting Nick," She squeezed his hand, remembering the night they'd shared. "If anything comes in here threatening him or me, I can take them." She nodded, smirking at her best friend.
"Go, Mara. Protect that idiot of ours, he's just stupid enough to fuck up."
"That he is. Alright, stay safe, guys. We'll be back as soon as we can." Sarina nodded, and Mara ran out to catch up with the others.
"It really is good to finally see you back, my boy," Doc Powell said, clapping Nick's shoulder. "Now, come. Just in case, I can't have the procedure done in the exam room, I have patients tomorrow."
"Aww," Whined Sarina. "Not the isolation room!" She saw the amused look on Nick's face. "I wasn't always so in control. It took me months to really figure out that the only thing that kept me anchored was you."
"Of course, you've always been a little firecracker, little lady." Nick laughed as Doc Powell lead them down to the basement morgue of the vet clinic and to the back room, which happened to be a fully-encased steel cage. Doc Powell stepped back out and the couple heard him rummaging through the herbs and spices he kept for supernatural circumstances.
A few moments later, he came back with a regular surgical syringe, full of an almost glowing red liquid. "You didn't have to mix it?" Sarina asked.
"As I said earlier, Sarina, I knew why you were bringing him. I figured Malachai's son would come to unlock the dormant gene. Now, this will most likely put you in excruciating pain temporarily, and after that there is a state of delirium, but you should be fine afterwards. Any questions?"
"Once it's done, will I be as strong as Sarina is?"
"Not at first. But, give it a few days to a couple weeks and the pack you both basically share will boost you to her level soon enough. Now, if we're ready?" Powell asked, Nick nodding. "Alright, here we go." He stuck the needle into Nick's neck, the younger man's neck, Nick's face pinching with the feeling.
Extracting the needle, he caught Nick as he started to fall back, leaning him against the wall as Sarina sat next to him. "If I need any assistance, you'll hear over the intercom." Sarina nodded, the good doctor taking his leave and closing the heavy doors. Nick saw scratch marks all over the inside of the door as he started to feel the aforementioned pain. "Were those.. You?" He asked, trying to not let the pain get to him.
Sarina looked at the door. "A few. Most of it was actually Nicole. Were-jaguars are particularly violent when in a rage."
"Remind me not to intentionally piss her off then. How did your uncle, a werewolf, turn her into a were-jaguars exactly?"
"Something with her genetics, I think. I'm not really sure, we all just turned out how we did. And then Daryl intentionally decided to stay a kanima, despite the chance to be a wolf like us. You feeling okay, Nicky?"
Nick managed a weak smile. "For now. The pain is pretty bad, but I can handle it." He stiffened as the pain suddenly flared. "Gah, fuck that hurts. How temporary is it because I wouldn't wish this pain on anyone whocdidnt deserve it."
Sarina giggled. "I can tell. Don't worry, it'll be over soon enough, baby." She said, squeezing his hand as Nick's eyes turned fire red and stayed that way, his features wolfing out fully in front of her. "You'll make it through this, I know you will."
Thirty Minutes Later, Old Ash Tree, Meteor Heights County National Forest..
Stiles looked at the ancient tree. "That really is a big tree. So this is what the nematon looked like before the Hunters cut it down years ago. Ominous, isn't it?" He stated more than asked, glancing at the chainsaw still half-embedded in it. Lydia, who was pacing around the base of the tree, nodded while Scott made light conversation with Mara and Elliot.
So, what have you all faced since you became a pack? How long ago did it all happen?"
"Well, Sarina was the first bitten back almost seven years ago, and her uncle turned the others from the original group shortly after. We took him down and not two months later we had a Wight infestation."
"Wight? Like the ghosts?" Mara nodded. "Who did the exorcism?" Scott joked.
"No one. Apparently, if its supernatural we should be able to actually make contact with it. The Wights had a particular weakness to gold, so Doc Powell rigged up sets of gold-woven gloves. Those basically did the trick. After that we had a family of were-coyotes try to take over. We had been wolves and whatever for a good year or so by then. That took a few months to take care of and we found a way to banish them from town in a way they'd never be able to step foot in town again. Otherwise they would lose their powers entirely, and you can tell how that revelation was received by the pack in question.
"We had two years of peace before some crazy warlock came in and tried turning us all into berserkers. By this point Daryl was part of the pack so him being a kanima was very useful. The warlock, though, almost fully turned Sarina. Come to think of it, I'm surprised we were able to get her back at all, considering we didn't have Nick. That was also when Nicole was turned by some were-jaguar that had been trying to build a pack to take down some werewolf that apparently killed her before. She skipped town when she found she was no match for the six of us, especially not once Nicole joined us.
"Come to think of it, we haven't had much of a problem since then. Kiefer was accidentally turned two years ago while we had a rogue Kitsune running around. He's actually still in town, held in the supernatural wing over at Raven House for the Mentally Unhinged. And that brings us to now, with this garuda or whatever it is running around."
"Wow, that's actually somewhat random as far as attacks go. But, we've faced pretty big odds ourselves. We even stopped a werewolf from Nazi Germany from controlling his own army of Ghost Riders. Almost lost that one, too." He was cut off by continuing by Lydia, who had touched the Meteor Heights version of the nematon by this point and had received a vision.
"Scott? There's definitely a garuda here. But, it isn't just one," Everyone turned to look at her. "There's five, and they were actually trapped inside this tree by an Alpha other a century ago."
"So when they tried to cut down the trees, the garudas were released?" Lydia nodded. "Any idea why they were trapped in a tree?"
"Killing innocents after they decided this area would be a good place to nest. It seems Meteor Heights has always had caring Alphas. Makes you wonder why Beacon Hills wasn't so lucvky, what with Peter and Douglas and Deucalion."
"I see your point. What about any current whereabouts?"
Lydia pointed toward a mountain range several miles away from where they currently stood, only the crest visible through the treeline. "There are cabves somewhere up in that range."
Elliot spoke up. "The Rialgo Caverns?" Now everyone was looking at him. "Yeah, me and Nick used to go exploring in those caves when we were younger. It's a huge system of caves and mineshafts that extend from one end to the other. Without Nick, it could take us cweeks to navigate everything. He was always better at navigating, I'd just be lost."
Mara giggled. "It's true. We wall went to a carnival and vElliot got lost for two hours in the fun houses hall of mirrors."
"You promised you'd never bring that up again." Elliot said, his mouth haunting open in shock as everyone else got a good laugh.
"Well, we should at least check out the nearest few entrances for clues. Can we drive over there?"
"Yes, but it's an hour quicker jogging through the rest of thee forest. The road doesn't cross through the forest for miles still. That's why we had to park by the trail entrance."
"Alright then, I guess we jog. Try and keep up, Stiles, Lydia. Liam, call Mason and see if he cash give us any more information we can use to find the garudas." Nodding with Scott's orders, the two packs began jogging toward the mountains.
Ten Minutes Later, Beacon Hills Animal Clinic..
Sarina looked at Nick, who had the most ridiculous goofy grin on his face. "What are you thinking about?"
"Not much, just how amazing last night was. I never realized just how flexible you were." He laughed, but his voice was slow, like he had to think about his words before speaking them.
"The delirium set in, huh?"
"Fuck yeah, it did." His hands had started vs hitting back and forth, and Sarina had removed his shoes and socks so his feet wouldn't ruin them when he shifted. "Thank you for staying, I know how you wanted to be out with the others."
"Nick, they all know how important you are, to me and the other original four. And I'd rather stay with you, making sure you're okay."
Nick chuckled. "You know, that should be my line to you. But I guess circumstances forced that to change. I'm gonna see if I can sleep, before I start speaking in tongues or something." Giggling, Sarina kissed his forehead as Nick closed his eyes to rest.
Fifty Minutes Later, Rialgo Caverns, South Entrance..
Elliot looked around when they arrived at the entrance to the cave. "Yeah, definitely lost already. I don't even remember this entrance, honestly. I think we came up by one of the entrances further up the base to the.. North, I believe."
"Well, this is the closest cave to the ash tree, so its as good a place to start looking for clues. Everyone spread out but not too far from each other." Mara said, Scott nodding to his pack to follow the instructions.
The group combed the outskirts of the forest near the cave, finding three other, smaller tunnels along the mountainside. Liam spoke up after a good twenty minutes or so after they spread out. "Scott, I'm getting a scent here that smells different than anything we've dealt with before." He said from the farthest small tunnel.
Scott, Mara and Elliot came over and indeed scented something unusual, along with the scent of what they all recognized as a dead body. "That's definitely not good," Mara stated. "We're going to have to tell Sarina's father at least one of those kidnap victims is dead."
"Is he the sheriff in town?" Stiles asked next, earning a nod. "Its nice to see similarities between our towns. Mine's the sheriff back home."
Mara sighed. "Should I call it in or try to get through to Sarina? Nick should be alright by now, right?"
Back at the Animal Clinic..
Doc Powell nodded as he checked Nick out. "You seem all good, but don't try to shift until later tonight on your own. And, I know it's much too late, but your father would be proud you decided to continue his legacy, my boy."
"Yeah, I'd hope so. Thanks again, Doc. I guess we'll be seeing more of each other from now on."
You bet, but don't be showing upl here every time you get a bad scratch. It'll heal in hours unless it's laced like with kanima venom, and much faster if it isn't very serious. Understood, Nick?"
"Understood, Doc. Sarina, let's figure out where the others stand and if they found out anything, yeah?" Nodding, Nick and Sarina left the clinic, Sarina's phone going off just as they left the door.
"Mara? Everything alright out there? What? There are five of them hiding out there? Fucking damn it. Yeah, he's fine. It worked, but he can't shift until at least tonight. Yeah, bring everyone back, we'll figure something out for the next couple of days. I need to make sure Nick's good for a fight," She winked at Nick as Mara's reply made her hang her mouth open. "Shut up, Mara! Go tell him then if you feel the need to joke about my love life." She hung up, pouting.
"Five garudas?" Sarina nodded. "Up in the Rialgo Caverns?" Another nod. "Should have known that was why she asked about me. Elliot and I use to explore those caves when we were kids, before we met you and Mara in sixth grade."
"Well you, sir, are under my supervision until I think you're okay to fight. And Elliot will probably want to fight you too."
"I can handle Elliot. Its you I worry about fighting against." He laughed as he took in the town around the clinic. "So, what do we do now since its barely even one in the afternoon?"
"Wait for them for whatever other information they may have figured out. If you want, you can go buy some cigs down the street. I think I'm gonna need one myself soon."
Nick rolled his eyes. "It is a good idea. Alright, I'll be right back." He said, walking off in the direction of the gas station a block away.
Minutes later, Nick entered the gas station minimart and walked to the counter. "What can I get you?" Asked the burly man behind the register.
"Two Newport hundreds, please." Nick replied, putting his ID on the counter.
The man grabbed the two packs of cigarettes and looked at the ID. "Negron, huh? Any relation to Malachai?"
"Yes, sir. He was my father."
"Shame what happened to him. He was a friend. Haven't seen you around before. Just get into town?"
"Yesterday. Home isn't the same as it used to be." Nick could tell there was something this man wasn't telling him.
"I bet. You got the gift, son?"
"Depends on who's asking and what 'gift' you mean."
"Sorry, got ahead of myself. Name's Muldoon Thorsen."
Nick nodded. "Ahh, and here I was hoping to still avoid any unnecessary awkward meetings with the local Hunters."
"Hey, I figure any kid of Malachai Negron's is a good kid, but that doesn't make you exempt."
"I'm here to just protect my home like I can only imagine my father used to. Not to mention I'm the only other person who can keep the pack in line. I'm sorry I have to cut this short, but I have to get back to Saeina. She's waiting for me over at Doc's."
"Sure, go. Tell that little firecracker hello from me, and good luck figuring out what's currently ailing our city."
"Thanks, Muldoon. It was nice meeting you. Maybe sometime I'll stop in to ask about dad."
"Feel free. Have a good one." With that, Nick left the gas station and began walking back to the animal clinic.
As Nick approached Sarina where he had left her not ten minutes earlier, he packed one of the packs he had bought on his hand. Sarina smiled as she looked at him, hearing the noise of Nick's actions. "That took longer than expected." She said.
"Only because I met Muldoon Thorsen. Pretty nice guy, considering he's technically out to kill us if we get out of hand. He says hello."
Sarina shook her head. "Damn, I forgot he runs that gas station. Well, the others checked in, and they should be here shortly." She noticed a far-off look in Nick's eyes. "Baby, where do you keep going?"
"Just thinking about before I left. Realizing I never had the balls to just tell you how I felt. Maybe my mom would have let us stay."
Sarina shook her head slowly, smiling. "Oh, you big teddy bear. Stop thinking about the past, you're here now, that's all that matters. And even better, you have me." She giggled, sticking her tpngue out at him.
"This is true, and something I wouldn't change for the world." He wrapped his arms around Sarina, her height making his hands rest just below her breasts. "I am surprised there wasn't any other guys while I was gone, though. It was seven long years."
Sarina smiled as she leaned into Nick. "There was no other guys because there was only one you. If you had stayed and we hadn't gotten together by then, I was going to confess at graduation." Nick chuckled. "What about you? Any girls back where you moved to?"
"There was one. It was more of a fling, but there were some feelings there. She ended it a few weeks before I came back. She realized I was only dating her because she reminded me so much of you."
Smiling, Sarina rubbed Nick's arm. "What was her named?" She asked, curious.
"Eliza Zavid. Everyone called her Liz or Lizzy, though." Sarina nodded as the others began arriving back from their investigation.
Elliot spoke first. "Aw, you two are just adorable. You miss us?" Nick growled, his eyes glowing. "I'll take that as a no then. Well, we need to get you trained up before we go back up to the caverns. Who knows how much of a problem a garuda will be in a fight, let alone five. So, fearless leaders. What's our next move?"
City cleared his throat. "Well, back home whatever threat we were facing never missed the chance to crash a party. And since all the disappearances happened out by the old ash tree.."
Sarina nodded. "That's actually a pretty good idea. But, arranging a party out in the woods with people going missing? I don't know."
"Do we have another tactic? I'd rather encounter these guys on our terms before we decide to try and take the fight straight to them." Nick put in.
Mara nodded. "There's the Nick I remember. Weighing the options and giving his informed opinion."
"Alright then, I guess we throw a party out in the woods." Sarina relented. "I trust Nick on this. We should give it a couple days before we put it into effect, though. Everyone agree on that?" The rest of the two packs nodded, making Sarina sigh. "Then that's that. Now, how about vwe call go for some food? I'm starving." A round of cheers sounded from the group as they piled into their cars, following Sarina and Nick to wherever she had decided to bring everyone.
Rialgo Caverns, South Entrance..
The garuda, who had forgotten their name long ago, sniffed the air, smelling the motley crew of other supernatural creatures. "The scent of the one who trappedf us in that tree over a century ago is present. Finally, we shall have our revenge on Antonio Negron and his ilk." He cawed to the other garudas in the caverns that the time to attack was close at hand.
Full Moon Buffet, Fifteen Minutes Later..
The two packs were seated in a private dining room at the local Chinese buffet. Suddenly, a noise sounded from Nick's pocket. "It's probably just my mom. I haven't checked in with her.. Yet.." He stopped, his eyes widening at the number that was shown on the cell. He answered it. "Lizzy? You told me you were going to lose my number when you left me last month."
Sarina, worried about Nick's seeming ex, listened in to the conversation from both ends. "Hello to you, too. Yes, I did tell you that, but something's come up. Nick, I'm pregnant, a couple months in fact. And you know where the rest of this conversation is going." Said the voice on the other end of the line.
Nick froze. "You're serious? Lizzy I can't deal with this right now. Not that I finally found the happiness I wanted here. I'm not going to up and move back to Scottsdale just because you say you're having my child." Everyone at this point was looking between Nick and Sarina, who looked like she was about to blow.
"I realize that, I can't ask you to do that. I just thought you would want to know I'm coming to Meteor Heights in the next couple of weeks."
Nick cursed his infallible ability to find drama where there should have been none. He eyed Sarina, whose nails had turned into claws as her irritation at the situation grew. "Believe me, that is not a good idea, Lizzy. I-" It was too late, as Sarina had snatched the phone from him.
"Listen here, bitch. You even try to take Nick back from me after we both waited ten years to be together, and I will not hesitate to rip your spine out through your fucking ass!" She hung up the phone and handed it back to Nick, still fuming and with her hand still shifted.
Mara sighed. "Well, that definitely could have been handled better."
Nick just hung his head as Sarina got up from the table. "Nick, please." Nodding, the couple both left the table and walked outside, sitting on a bench outside. "Are we really doomed to have this kind of luck? I can't stand thinking another girl could take you from me."
"Sarina, no one is taking me from you. I don't want Liz, and its not fair she had to call like that. I don't know what to do about it, either. What did we do to deserve this crap, anyway?"
"I don't know, and that's what is pissing me off the most. I just want us to be us. You really won't go back to her if and when she shows up here?" Nick shook his head no. "You better not. I just got you, Nicky."
"I know, babygirl. I've always been you're, no one else's. I sure as fuck didn't expect that call in the first place. I guess we just have to do what we always do."
Sarina grunted. "Is rolling with the punches going to be enough to get through this though, Nick?"
"It's going to have to be. So come on, let's get back inside. We'll deal with Liz when she's actually here and relevant. For now, we have to focus on our garuda problem." He kissed Sarina's forehead.
Sarina wrapped her arms around Nick and hugged him tightly. "As long as we have each other, we'll be alright, right?"
"Yes, my love. Always." Nick smiled, Sarina releasing him before they both went back inside to rejoin the others.