Hi all! So sorry it took so long to update but school's made for a hectic schedule! Hope you enjoy. Feel free to review, and thanks to all of you who have done so already!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant, and I don't own the song "Masquerade" ( Andrew llyod Webber does). But I do own Astaire.

Note: In the first part of the chapter. bold thoughts and bold song lyrics. Then in the rest of the story, thoughts are just italicized

Astaire spun around, showing off her red party dress. She smiled as she looked at Sarah inquisitively.

The blonde grinned, looking her friend over. Astaire was definitely a knockout.

" Fantastic. Pogue's gonna have a heart attack."

Astaire laughed. She turned to the mirror again and fingered her dress.

"Perfect."

The two girls left the room and stopped at the top of the stairs. Astaire loved these steps. A girl could really make a grand entrance. Descending down the staircase slowly and gracefully, Astaire's eyes searched out one person's. When her eyes met his, she smiled even wider.

His eyes stared lovingly into hers before looking at her attire. Pogue's jaw dropped a bit as he pulled on his jacket lapels. Astaire walked over and gently pushed his jaw up, giving him a kiss. When she pulled away, he smiled and took her arm.

"You look beautiful, Air."

She pulled him closer.

"Thank you. You look amazing yourself."

"Thanks."

The couple made their way into the dining room of the Parry mansion, followed by all of their friends. Everyone was decked out in their best for Pogue's early birthday dinner. The atmosphere was light and happy as they all sat down. Pogue sat at the head of the table and Astaire on his left.

Mrs. Parry stood up and raised her wine glass in the air, preparing for a toast. Her eyes were misty, but she didn't shed a tear. Instead, she smiled widely as she watched her son peck his girlfriend on the cheek.

" Well," she started off, looking around, "it's been almost eighteen years. Eighteen long, joyous years of having the best son I could have asked for." She looked lovingly at the teenager in question. "Lord knows you kept me on my feet, between all the daredevil stunts and motorcycle injuries, but I wouldn't change that for the world. Happy eighteenth birthday, honey. Love you." The woman then paused, smiling softly. "To Pogue!"

"To Pogue!" They all echoed raising their glasses.

After taking a sip of her water, Astaire looked over at her boyfriend and smiled. His face was bright and his grin couldn't be bigger. She laid her hand over his and he turned to look at her with light in his eyes. If he was happy tonight, then she was happy.

Three hours later, she walked into the kitchen holding the drink glasses.

"Just put them down, sweetie. I'll get to them later," Mrs. Parry said. She turned away from the oven to smile at Astaire.

Astaire looked briefly into the oven after returning the smile. She put down the glasses.

"Cookies?"

Mrs. Parry nodded. " Cookies are always a good way to end a celebration."

CRASH!

The darker girl turned, looking at the floor. A single glass, her glass in fact, had fallen to the floor, spilling water everywhere. The water spread quickly, covering the entire kitchen floor.

The entire floor? That doesn't make sense…

Astaire turned towards Mrs. Parry, but the woman wasn't there anymore. The water was now up to Astaire's ankles. She ran to the swinging kitchen door, pushing against it. It didn't budge, and the water had reached her knees. Astaire's confusion began to turn into fear.

"Pogue! Pogue, help me!"

She slammed against the door frantically. Nothing happened, except that the water kept rising…

"Pogue! Guys! Anyone! Help!"

Astaire looked around for another exit. Seeing the windows, she grabbed a trashcan and threw it desperately against the glass. The metal trashcan hit the window then fell uselessly to the floor. The glass didn't even crack.

Masquerade.

Paper faces on parade

Masquerade

Hide your face so the world will never find you.

Astaire looked around for the source of the music. The soft melody seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere, taunting her. The water continued to rise. It was to her shoulders now and she raised an eyebrow slowly.

Pool water?

The chlorinated smell snaked its way up her nostrils and into her mouth. She coughed violently, gasping for breath. She couldn't seem to take in any air. Astaire felt like she was going to asphyxiate, and against her better judgment she began to panic.

The water had reached her mouth now. She tilted her head back trying to get a deep breath. It was no use. Soon the water encased her completely. Astaire kicked her legs, trying to swim upwards. She had to get out.

"It's no use."

Astaire froze. The male voice was chillingly carefree, almost childlike in its glee.

Who is that?

"I'll never tell," he singsonged with a devilish smirk.

Astaire was terrified. She frantically put her hands to her throat, almost out of air. Her lean body went limp and her eyelids fluttered. She could feel death. She could taste it in the monstrous amount of water crushing her. This was the end.

Masquerade

Leering satyrs, peering eyes

Masquerade

Run and hide but a face will still pursue you.

"Things aren't always what they seem."

With a final crescendo to the music, Astaire's eyelids fell shut. But she could swear she had heard that man's voice before.

Astaire woke with a start. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was shaking all over. She sighed and pulled her hair out of its tie.

Some dream…

She had no clue what her nightmare was about, but she knew it couldn't be something good. Her instinct screamed at her that something awful was about to happen. She rubbed her bare arms, suddenly cold.

Astaire found herself wishing that for once her instincts were wrong. Now was the worst possible time for something to go wrong, considering Pogue's ascension was at the end of the month and her own birthday a few days after that. This month, if ever, was not the opportune time for a conflict.

Ding Dong.

Raising her eyebrows, Astaire slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of gray sweatpants. After grabbing a zip-up hoodie (she doubted whoever was at the door wanted to see her bra-less) she went downstairs to the door. She looked through the peephole quickly. Pulling back, she rolled her eyes and opened the door.

"Hello boys."

Caleb smiled and held out a cup of coffee.

"Hey. We brought you your favorite, White Chocolate Mocha."

Smiling gratefully, she took the cup.

"Thanks. Come in guys."

Caleb and Tyler breezed past her with easy smiles. Reid pushed her lightly on the shoulder and messed up her hair. She scowled slightly at him before starting to fix it.

"Did you just wake up?"

Pogue stared at Astaire after asking the question, looking surprised. He knew that she didn't sleep past nine on the weekends. It was now 11:35.

She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Late night…. So what's up with the surprise visit?"

Pogue knew the feeling. He'd had a rough night himself and a pretty freaky dream. Trying to forget about it, he learned against the wall and shifted his eyes to Caleb to address the purpose of their visit.

"You came up with the idea, man. You explain."

Caleb raised an eyebrow. Pogue was lying his ass off. It was Pogue who had oh-so-casually mentioned that the Sons meet up with Astaire to hang out for the day. Caleb resisted the urge to sigh. His best friend could be such a wuss sometimes when it came to Astaire. He supposed he couldn't do much better, seeing as he was the same way with Sarah, but still. It was slightly tiring. Abandoning his train of thought and smiling good-naturedly, Caleb turned to Astaire.

" We're 'bonding' today. Just hanging out."

Astaire nodded, a smile on her face. She couldn't think of a better way to spend her day, especially after having that nightmare. A fun-filled day with the guys was just what she needed.

"Okay. What's the plan?"

Deciding to speak, Pogue pushed off the wall, coming to stand next to Astaire. However, he kept a very cautious space between them. Not sure of how they had left things off the night before, he opted not to invade her personal bubble. He wasn't sure if she had forgiven him that much.

"We're going to that new diner on the outskirts of town. Nifty Fifties." He said, switching his bike helmet from hand to hand. " Then we're going to watch movies at Caleb's house."

" And," Reid continued, "Since you've been MIA for a while, you get first movie pick."

Astaire smiled devilishly and crossed her arms. If she wanted to, she could make the boys suffer for an hour or two through the movie of her choice. Hmm…decisions decisions.

"First movie pick?" she said, her eyes alight with humor, "Well, you know what that means."

The boys noticeably cringed as they exchanged glances. Here came one of the consequences of being best friends with a girl.

"Chick flick." They groaned, trying not to glare at her. Maybe if they looked like the prospect of sitting through some sappy movie was only slightly horrifying, they would only get a slightly sappy movie. It was a long shot, but it was all they had.

Astaire's grin grew as she watched the pained expressions of the boys in front of her. It was so typical of them to assume she would pick a chick flick. Little did they know she had no intention of torturing them later. But now was a different issue, so she decided to keep them in the dark.

"Guess you'll have to wait and see. Bring your tissues boys!" She laughed at Reid, who looked like he wanted to take that movie and stick it where the sun don't shine. " Cheer up, Reid." She said, ruffling his hair. " Now, let me go upstairs and get ready. You guys just chill here for awhile."

" Yeah, a long while." Reid quipped, pulling his black beanie out of his pocket and pulling it over his hair. 'It takes girls forever to get ready."

Astaire paused at her position on the steps and slowly took a sip of her coffee. Swallowing, she looked at Reid.

"You wanna bet?"

Reid smirked in delight.

" Fifty bucks. Forty-five minutes or less."

"Deal."

"And you have to look like you always do. No looking like crap."

Now it was Astaire's turn to smirk. The picture of confidence, she leaned nonchalantly on the stair banister.

"Darling, I couldn't look bad if I tried."

With that, she turned and gracefully continued up the stairs, oblivious to Caleb and Tyler's amused grins, Pogue's intense staring, and Reid's smug grin.

"Start the clock, oh-fearless-leader," Reid drawled to Caleb, slipping his hands into his pockets with careless confidence, "I've got fifty bucks to win."

Ten minutes later, Pogue and Reid were racing each other in some car game on Astaire's PS3.

" Dude, I'm gonna win," Reid gloated, his fingers nimbly pressing buttons. "Cars are my thing."

Pogue scoffed, never taking his eyes off the screen. Reid could be so cocky, and even after knowing him forever, it still amazed Pogue how big the blonde's head was.

"Whatever," Pogue said, narrowing his eyes as he focused. " That's why you don't have one."

Caleb chuckled at his friend's antics as he texted Sarah on his phone. He wanted to tell his girlfriend that it was a " Sons & 'Staire" day that was meant to make up for lost time. Caleb smiled, knowing that Sarah would practically die of happiness at the sheer thought of the five of them rebuilding their friendship.

Turning back towards the battling boys, the eldest smiled.

"He's got a point man," he told Reid, siding with Pogue. Why Reid lacked a car was beyond him when the boy obviously loved to drive.

"Shut up Caleb," Reid grumbled, his button-pressing becoming more vicious, " Besides Pogue, when's the last time I saw you drive a car?"

The longhaired teen shook his head in disbelief. Reid of all people should have understood Pogue's love for speed extended to cars too.

" I have three cars, moron. Do you really think I don't drive them?"

Reid shrugged.

"It would be smart to. But we both know what I think about your intellect."

"Shove it."

The blonde smirked smugly. Once again his wit had gone unmatched.

"I win."

With a final jerk of his hands, Pogue sent Reid's car crashing as his own crossed the finish line. The victory screen flashed on the television, the colors hitting the two boy's faces: Pogue's smile and Reid's slack-jawed expression.

"Nope," Pogue replied, putting down the controller in satisfaction. "I win"

Reid dropped his controller with the attitude of a sore loser.

"Pure luck man, that's it."

As Pogue laughed, Reid rose and walked over to the youngest son.

"What're you doing, Baby Boy?"

Tyler took a sip of his water then pointed at the wall.

"Looking at pictures."

The blonde turned to the photographs, his blue eyes taking them in. Some he'd seen, some he hadn't.

"I wonder who this guy is."

Hearing this, Pogue and Caleb migrated over. Pogue looked more than a little curious, but a tiny bit hurt as well. It was irrational, but he felt upset at the idea that she had a boyfriend in L.A…. that she could've fallen in love with someone else. Pogue ran a hand through his hair agitatedly and tried to pass it off as something less telling of his feelings. He felt like such a hypocrite.

He looked at the picture intently, staring at a section at a time. Astaire was laughing, her hair natural and curly as she looked happily at the camera. It looked like she was at the beach. The sky was unbelievably blue, and a red surfboard visible in the background complemented it. It looked like a scene out of a movie. Reluctantly, Pogue turned his eyes to the Y-chromosome in the picture. He wasn't smiling at the camera, not really. It looked more like he was smirking playfully, and his gray eyes were fixed on Astaire. His tanned brown arms were holding her legs as she sat on his back. Donned in a black and red wetsuit, it was obvious the red surfboard was his. Pogue narrowed his eyes at the apparent closeness this dude shared with his ex.

Where Jaws when you need him?

"They look pretty comfy," Reid remarked casually, " I would definitely say that's the boyfriend."

Tyler looked at Pogue's slightly pissed off expression and decided to disagree for his friend's sake.

"They're probably just friends. She doesn't look like she's romantically attracted to him."

Caleb nodded in agreement, also trying to placate Pogue. He didn't even have to look at the biker to know he was upset. The emotions were rolling off Pogue in waves. Usually, Caleb would tell Pogue what he was really thinking—in this case that Astaire and the guy did, in fact, look "comfy"—but that didn't seem like the best option at the present time. The eldest son decided that for once, honesty was not the best policy, and that it would be wiser to just tell Pogue what he needed to hear before he accidentally blew up the townhouse.

" He's most likely just a brother figure," Caleb commented with a shrug.

Reid snorted, crossing his arms.

"Yeah right. He's looking at her with sex eyes."

Caleb glared at Reid.

"You have no tact."

"Who has no tact?"

All the boys except Pogue turned to look at Astaire. Pogue still faced the picture, staring at it with a mixture of emotions on his face.

" Reid has no tact," Tyler said, answering Astaire. "Which is why the next question he asks you will be blunt, to the point, and none of his business."

"Is that guy in that picture your California boyfriend?" Reid asked, jerking his thumb towards the photograph.

Astaire's eyes moved towards said picture. Suddenly, she laughed.

" No, of course not. That's just Dice, a friend of mine from my school in L.A."

Reid raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's just a friend. Not my type at all."

Hearing Astaire's words, Pogue felt much better. When he was certain that his face showed no signs of his previous emotional dilemma, he turned towards Astaire. But what he saw made him drop his polished helmet to the ground with a thud. Because in front of him, there stood Astaire, looking exactly as she had in a dream he'd had the previous night…a dream in which he'd found her dead in the woods.

I'll try to update soon, but no guarantees. You can check out the character pics on my profile - thinkmusic13