Here you go my duckies, another chapter for you. I hope you like it.

I do not own the Covenant or any associated characters.

Chapter 6: Lonely

I woke to a pounding head that throbbed on time to my pulse. Must have been some party to have a hangover like that. I moaned and tried to lift my pillow over my head, only there wasn't one there. In fact, it didn't feel as if I was lying in bed at all.

I blearily opened my eyes and found myself staring up at a starry sky and the tops of buildings. What? Where am I? I frowned and attempted to sit up, but a knife of pain stabbed me in the head and I fell back down. What happened?

Carefully I looked around as far as I could without moving, then everything came rushing back. Derrick, the fight, the information I had gained, and the pain. I shuddered at the phantom tendrils of pain and forced myself into a sitting position to taking a closer look around the alley.

A dumpster was sitting slightly crushed on its side near the mouth of the alley. There was some scorch marks on the ground where Derael had been standing, but other than that the alley looked like it had when I first arrived. With another moan I lay back down on the ground and tried to figure out my next step.

"All right Viviane," I said to myself. "What do you know?"

I knew that Derrick was a demon and that he was competing against my father. The competing included winning me over or killing me. At this moment killing me was probably the most likely. Peachy. I knew Caleb and the others suspected that there was more to me than I was saying. I knew my father would find me soon, and when he did there would be even more trouble. Double peachy. I was say in over my head and there was nothing I could do about it. Well at least it couldn't get worse.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Why did I always have to get proved wrong?

I turned my head and saw a shadowed figure standing in the mouth of the alley. I looked back up at the sky and rolled my eyes. "Yeah. I always lay down in allies and stare up at raining skies."

The man shifted slightly and tried to figure out whether or not I was being sarcastic. I rolled my eyes again and began the slow and painful process of standing up. The man tried to help me but I waved him back.

"Thanks, but I'm fine." I gave one last heave and I was up. Only slightly wobbling I forced a smile. "You can go now."

"Are you sure? You don't look too hot."

I snorted. "Well thanks. It's every girl's dream to be told she doesn't look too hot."

He shifted uncomfortably again then stepped closer to me so I could actually see his face. I was not happy to see that it was Reid. I glared at him but he ignored me.

"Are you sure you don't need some help, or want to talk about anything? Anything at all? I can be a real good listener."

My eyes narrowed. Was he hinting at what Caleb had been talking to me about earlier? Or was there something else? He could just be trying to get into my pants. Jo had told me about his reputation, and as far as I could tell it was quite accurate. Still, I could be wrong.

Yeah. And pigs can fly.

"I'm fine, Reid," I said irritated with the whole lot of prying teenage boys. "Just leave me alone." I turned on my heel and walked home in the rain. I never saw the three other boys step out of the shadows of the alley. I never saw their eyes flash from black to normal as they let go of their powers. I was too distracted.

XXXXX

"She seemed distracted."

Reid snorted and turned to the youngest of their group. "Really, Baby Boy? I couldn't tell."

"Shut up both of you. This isn't good," Caleb snapped. "Pogue, what do you think?"

Pogue shrugged. "I dunno man. She refers to others as 'humans', as if she isn't one herself. She has powers that aren't like ours. You saw her eyes, they turned to slits even when she wasn't using. As far as we could tell anyways. That Derrick dude, he seemed powerful enough to crush her like a bug, but he burst into flames as soon as a little bit of water fell on him. Nothing seems to make any sense."

Caleb nodded grimly. "She won't talk about anything either. That makes things harder."

Tyler shrugged. "You can't expect her to give up her secrets right away. She hardly even knows us, and she's probably been keeping her secret as long as she's been alive. In her place would you say anything?" The other boys shook their heads.

"Still, that doesn't change the fact that we have a problem," Pogue said sensibly.

"Maybe we should tell her about ourselves first," Tyler suggested. "The whole 'trust goes both ways' bit."

"I'm not going to expose myself to a girl who obviously doesn't trust us, who we might not be able to trust either. She could very well just stab us in the back," Reid argued. "I say we force her to tell us."

"How?" Tyler demanded. "We can't force her to say anything. She has powers. As far as we know she's immune to our powers."

"Guys!" Caleb snapped. The two immediately fell silent and turned to look at their leader. Caleb sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're both right. We can't risk exposing ourselves first, but we need to show we trust her or that she can trust us first. How can we manage that?" he muttered to himself. He thought about it for a moment then brightened and turned to Reid and Tyler.

"I have an idea," he announced.

Reid looked at Caleb warily. "I don't like that expression on your face," he said.

"Me neither," Tyler muttered.

"We get her to fall in love," Caleb said nodding. "Tyler will get her out on a few dates and if all goes well she'll come to trust him and hopefully tell us everything."

Reid burst out laughing. "You want Baby Boy to get a date? You're crazier than Derrick. Remember last time?"

All the boys winced and Tyler blushed. "Aw, come on," he muttered. "That was a long time ago."

"Not to mention he's shyer than a newborn kitten," Reid snickered. "It'll take him a year to work up the courage to ask her out. By that time it'll all be over."

Caleb looked at him with irritation. "Fine. Then you're going to do it."

Reid choked in the middle of a laugh and stared at Caleb. "What?" he finally managed to choke out.

"You have lots of experience asking girls out and you're not shy like Tyler. You'll have to stop all those one night stands for a while though," Caleb said with a wicked glint in his eyes.

Reid's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"You should talk to Sarah and Kate and get their advice on what would work on a girl who's not a slut," Pogue added with a smile almost identical to Caleb's. "I would also advise to stop being such an idiot. Be sweet and charming."

Reid looked at his friends, panic clearly showing in his eyes. "You've got to be joking."

Caleb shook his head. "No Reid. I'm completely serious. Start tomorrow and try to fix some of the damage you no doubt had already caused. Talk to Sarah and Kate. They'll help."

"Do I have to?"

Caleb stared into Reid's eyes, not blinking once. "Yes."

XXXXX

When I finally walked through my door the house was dark. Jo had gone to bed already and trusted me to get home all right and to lock up. I was strangely pleased by this and crept quietly to my room so I wouldn't wake her up. I quickly got ready for bed and curled up under my covers, shivering slightly as the past events finally sunk in.

I had almost died. Derael had almost killed me without even breathing hard. It was mostly luck that I had gotten away. If the holy water hadn't reached its mark I would be dead. It scared me. I had never dealt with something so powerful before, and I wasn't sure I was going to last this time.

I shuddered and quickly turned on some music to distract my mind. I didn't want to think about it anymore. I just wanted to pretend that I was normal, that my mother wasn't dead. That I didn't have to be afraid for my life. I wish. With a sigh I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning I was almost late for school, and I wasn't feeling very well. My brush with death had left me sleep deprived and jumpy. My eyes were red rimmed and droopy, my hair tangled due to lack of time to brush it out properly. I nearly fell out of my chair when a student dropped a textbook on their desk and almost attacked another when they bumped into me accidentally. It took a tremendous effort on my part not to completely fall apart when Kate and Sarah came and dragged me to their table at lunch.

"You don't talk to people enough," Kate complained. "You're such a hermit."

"I like being a hermit," I protested. "I like my space."

"There's space and then there's reclusive," Sarah said sagely. "One is good and the other is bad. You're veering dangerously to the bad. Kate and I are going to help you with that."

Unable to come up with a good excuse I reluctantly allowed them to tow me to their table where the four boys were waiting. They gave me warm smiles when we approached.

"Hello ladies," Caleb said while wrapping an arm around Sarah's waist. "How are you?"

"Wonderful," Kate said with a smile while she sat with her boyfriend.

"Just peachy," I muttered sourly, glaring at the lot of them.

I watched the couples as they sat down and grimaced when I realized that the only empty seat was next to Reid. I forced myself to suck it up and sat down gingerly in the chair. I half expected one of boys to accuse me of witchcraft of something, but they didn't. It was like they never thought I was different. In fact it was almost creepy how normal the conversation was.

"Isn't chocolate cake the best dessert in the world," Sarah said while popping a piece of said cake in her mouth.

"No way. Hot fudge sundae with peanuts, a bit of caramel drizzled over it and a cherry," Kate argued. "Nothing beats that."

"Fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies," Tyler said with a smile. "The really gooey kind that melts in your mouth."

"My grandmother's apple pie with ice cream," Pogue chipped in.

"Lunar cake," Caleb said with a smile.

"What about you, Viviane?" Kate asked curiously. "Do we have a tie breaker?"

"Nope," I laughed. "While all those things are really good, you're missing the best thing in the world."

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Lindt chocolate balls," I said dreamily. I could feel my mouth water just thinking about it. "Nothing can ever beat that."

The other agreed that Lindt chocolate was really good and we discussed favorite flowers, food, animals, books, superheroes, anything that came to mind. By the end of lunch I had gathered so much random, seemingly useless information I didn't know what to do with it. With a mental shrug I stuffed it to the back of my head, just in case.

The rest of the day when rather quickly and I began to perk up after while. It wasn't until after school that anything went wrong. There wasn't even anything I could do to stop it.

"Hey Viviane, wait a sec!"

I sighed and waited for Sarah and Kate to catch up with before continuing my walk to my car. Why did girls find the need to talk and be together all the time? Even in the bathroom they go in clumps. I was beginning to feel like an outcast everywhere that I went.

"What's up?" I asked once they reached me.

"What are you doing tonight?" Sarah asked brightly.

I looked at her warily. "Does this have anything to do with your new goal to get me to become more sociable?"

"Yep!"

"In that case I am extremely busy tonight. I think my dog might be sick and I have to take her to the vet. I was planning on staying with her all evening."

Kate glared at me. "You don't even have a dog," she accused.

I blinked at her. "How do you know that?"

"You told us at lunch," Sarah informed me.

"Oh." There you go folks. A good reason not to tell anyone anything about yourself. They can catch your lies. "Well…"

"You have to do something with us tonight," Sarah ordered. "Either you will join us later at Nicky's, or you will join us now as we watch the boys' swim practice."

I pursed my lips. It would probably just be a lot easier to go along with Sarah and not argue with her. And if I had to choose between being busy now and being busy later I would choose now. Later I wanted to go after Derael, or at least gather information about him. Though how on earth I was going to do that I didn't know, but I was sure that I would figure something out.

"Fine," I muttered in defeat. "I'll go quietly."

Sarah and Kate laughed and dragged me into a large building not too far away. When the breeze blew into my face I could smell the chlorine from where we were standing. I wrinkled my nose as we walked closer and tried to ignore the smell as it grew even stronger.

Seriously, I don't get why people swim in that awful smelling stuff. It hurts the eyes, it smells, and it slowly destroys your clothing over time. Isn't a nice clear lake much better? It smells nice, it doesn't hurt your eyes as much, and it doesn't slowly degrade your bathing suit. It also is nice to look at. That's a bonus.

"Is something wrong, Viviane?" Sarah asked worriedly as we stepped into the building.

I quickly smoothed out my features and smiled at her. "Yeah, everything's fine. It's just a strong smell."

Kate nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it takes a little getting used to. I hardly even notice it anymore."

I nodded and we sat down on some bleachers on the far wall. Sarah and Kate got out their homework and I followed suit quickly. Together we started on our homework while waiting for the boys to get out of the change rooms. When they finally did I was the first to notice. Only because of my heightened senses. I was not eager to see them in bathing suits at all. Nope, not one little bit.

I whistled softly. "Nice. I have to hand it to you ladies, you know how to pick a good view." I let my eyes wander over the scenery.

Sarah and Kate giggled at my reaction. "I know what you mean," Kate sighed. Sarah nodded in agreement.

"Pogue especially looks…fit."

They laughed. "It's nice to bring someone new here," Sarah giggled. "It's like seeing the boys for the first time all over again. You appreciate it that much more." She paused and studied the boys. "And notice new things for the first time. Reid has certainly come a long way."

Kate studied Reid as he stretched and joked around with the others. "He most certainly has. I wonder what he's been doing."

I examined Reid more closely. I had to admit as much as I hated his cocky attitude and smirk he did look rather…attractive. Wet hair falling into his face messily but still pleasantly, his muscles rippling as he stroked evenly towards the edge of the pool. When he climbed out you could clearly see his six pack. My better eyesight also picked up on a couple scars marring his skin, and I couldn't help but wonder how he got them. I stared at him for a moment, slightly fascinated as to the cause before turning back to Sarah and Kate.

I shrugged and smiled at the girls. "Yeah, he's not bad."

Kate smirked. "You took an awful lot of time to inspect someone who was 'not bad'."

I held back a blush and turned back to my schoolwork. "Did I? I hadn't noticed." I hate it when people notice those kinds of things.

Kate snickered and we went back to our homework, occasionally looking up to watch the boys swim. After a while the smell of chlorine made me thirsty and I looked around until I spotted a water fountain on the other side of the pool.

"Hey. Is that water in that fountain any good?" I asked Sarah and Kate.

Before Sarah could open her mouth Kate gave me an answer. "It tastes like wet zombie dog!"

I winced. "Thank you for that pleasant mental image," I said dryly.

Sarah laughed. "It isn't that bad. Kate's just being prejudiced because that's where Aaron usually makes his moves if girls stop by that fountain." She peered at the boys swimming through the water. "I think if you hurry you can make it back to us before he gets out of the water. I wouldn't dawdle though if I were you."

I nodded and walked carefully over to the fountain, careful not to step in any large puddles of water. I didn't particularly want a wet foot today and chloriny water is just gross to step in. I'm sure you know what I mean.

Quickly I drank some water and I was about to turn around when I heard a large, wet body step up behind me. I slowly turned off the water and turned slowly around to look at who ever was behind me. I had to force the Demon back so it wouldn't take over. All I needed was for some stupid teenage guy to get a glimpse of my Demon's eyes. That would be just beautiful.

"Hello," I said coolly. "Is there something I can do for you?" I asked the large brunette who stood there dripping and smirking at me. If it wasn't for the arrogant expression on his face I was sure he would be a handsome guy with all his muscles and white teeth. Still, that would just like gift wrapping a worm.

"I'm Aaron," he said with a widening smirk. "What's your name, Sugar?"

I glared at him. "I would tell you, but you already seem to know my name, Butthead. Oh, I mean Aaron."

His smirk soured a bit but he still kept it in place. "C'mon babe You know if I could rearrange the alphabet I would put 'U and 'I' together."

I blinked in disbelief. That was the one of the worst pick up lines I had ever heard. Though there was one other that still held the prize. I hoped he would know better than to bring it up.

"Your lips look lonely. Would they like to meet mine?"

Luck just isn't on my side. I mentally went through the list of ways I could respond. I could walk away, give him a tongue lashing then walk away, or better yet punch him and walk away. Hmm, the last seems the most satisfying…and fun.

I smirked at him and the let my fist fly right into his face. He swore and stumbled away from me. His fingers clutched his face in a satisfying way, and I could smell a tiny bit of blood leaking from his nose.

"Sorry pal," I said frankly. "My fist was lonely." With a tiny little smirk I walked away towards Sarah and Kate who stared at me with open-mouthed awe and delight. I never noticed Reid leaning against the wall with a calculating look in his eye as he stared at me.

So there you are. Please review. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when you do!

An no, it's not because my heart has grown mouldy.