Hello everybody! Sorry it took so long for an update. School is brutal. But, to make up for the lack of update-age, here's an extra long chapter for you. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE COVENANT! EVERYONE KNOWS THIS

Pogue desperately wanted to close his eyes and make it all go away. He wanted to be able to say that the gorgeous, amazing girl in front of him was not possibly going to die later. But he would've been lying to himself, because there was a distinct possibility that she wasn't going to be breathing by the end of the day. Covenant dreams were practically prophetic, and Pogue wished for once that his dreams weren't like a freakin' magic eight ball.

Pogue tried to calm himself down as he felt the power rise within him. He was pretty sure his eyes were black behind the now-closed lids. It scared him a little how much he wanted to use nowadays. It was almost like he was turning into Reid. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, hoping they were the normal hazel.

" Are you okay?"

He shifted his eyes to Astaire. Giving her a lazy smile that masked his true turmoil, he squeezed her shoulder as he walked past her.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Turning to him, Astaire shook her head a little and looked into his eyes. Her brown orbs were full of intensity, and Pogue felt like she was looking right through him.

"Liar," she said softly, confirming Pogue's suspicions. He didn't answer, holding her gaze for only a second before looking behind her at his brothers.

"You guys ready or what?"

Reid grinned and walked towards the door.

"I'm driving," he said casually. As he sauntered out the door, he swung a set of keys around his finger, the silver Hummer logo catching the light.

Tyler's mouth dropped open as he glared at the blonde's retreating form.

"Dude, it's my car!"

His only answer was the roar of the Hummer starting.

"Black. Lace."

"Pink. Silk."

"Personally, I say orange g-string."

All the boys turned and looked at Astaire. She shrugged, sipping her mocha milkshake.

"What? The girl looks more than a little kinky."

Reid burst out laughing, almost spewing onion ring bits on Caleb, who threw him a disgusted look. Tyler's eyes were anywhere but on Astaire as his face turned slightly red. Pogue sat back relaxed, not shocked in the slightest, but marginally amused at the boys' reactions.

"She used to say stuff like that all the time," the biker said, gulping down some Coke. " I don't know why you guys are so surprised."

Reid chuckled a bit more then leaned forward and smirked at the girl across from him.

"Who said anything about surprise? All I wanna know is just how kinky she is, since she seems to know something about it."

Astaire smiled seductively and crossed her legs under the table, purposefully running her foot tantalizingly down Reid's leg.

"You can't even imagine."

Letting out a breath, Reid leaned back again and crossed his arms.

"Vixen."

She laughed, her eyes full of humor.

"Always," she joked.

Pogue looked at her from her left, silently agreeing with her. He was suddenly lost in memories of the two of them together…some of them very PG-13. But instead of smiling devilishly as Reid would've had they been Reid's recollections, Pogue just wistfully thought of the past.

Things were royally screwed up now compared to then, especially with Astaire's maybe-imminent death weighing on his mind. He didn't know what to do about it, but he definitely didn't want to do nothing. Frustrated, he clenched his fists under the table.

"Pogue."

He blinked. Astaire was staring at him in concern, much like she had done earlier that day at her house.

"What?" he asked. He tried to focus on unclenching his fists to shake away his negative thoughts. It wasn't working.

"The waitress wanted to know if you wanted more Coke."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah," he responded absentmindedly to the waitress, "Thanks."

"No prob," the waitress answered politely before walking off.

Pogue sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

" You're not okay," Astaire said, her eyes roaming over his face. She placed one of her hands over his now-loose fists under the table.

He finally straightened out his fingers before holding her hand tightly. The warmth he found there was as comforting as it was a reminder of his fears.

"I want to tell you what's up," he started, coming clean, " but I don't want to ruin the mood."

Astaire raised a brow.

"Well, me worrying about you can ruin the mood too."

Pogue nodded.

"You're right…but lets not talk about it here." He turned to his brothers, trying to cover up the anxiety he was feeling. He knew his face was usually and open book to his emotions, but he didn't want them asking questions before he talked to Astaire privately. "Hey guys, Astaire and I are gonna go to the payphone for a sec."

Before the Sons could protest, Astaire had already slid out of the booth, hands still intertwined with Pogue's as she lightly pulled him out of the booth as well. The two teens made their way over to the payphone in a secluded alcove of the diner.

"Okay Pogue," Astaire said softly, taking his other hand in hers, "Out with it."

Pogue glanced briefly at their intertwined hands before fixating his attention on the floor.

"Last night, I had a dream. You were in it…" he trailed off, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, what'd I say?" Astaire asked, raising his chin so that his eyes met hers. " I must have said something pretty awful if it's wigged you out like this."

As soon as he looked into her warm eyes, Pogue couldn't downplay his emotions anymore. His handsome features were wracked with worry and fear. It was startling to see on so strong a person.

"It's more of what you didn't say," he answered, subconsciously grasping her hands more tightly. " You didn't say anything because you were dead."

Astaire sucked in a breath, remembering her own dream. She pulled her hands out of Pogue's slowly, wrapping her arms around herself. She suddenly felt extremely cold, as if someone had sucked all the warmth out of the atmosphere.

"How?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer. "How did I die?"

"I don't know," he answered, running his fingers through his hair. "There was just you, on the ground with a lot of blood on your shirt. Your eyes were blank…everything that is usually in them was missing. There was no spark or anything."

She shifted uncomfortably while putting her hands in the pockets of her jeans. Pogue's information didn't coincide with her nightmare.

"I had a dream last night too," she confessed, " I, um, died in that dream as well. Except, I drowned at your eighteenth birthday dinner. A glass of water fell in the kitchen, but somehow there was water filling the entire room. And it was pool water."

"You hate the pool," Pogue said, crossing his muscular arms. " I can't even imagine you walking near the edge of the pool."

Astaire smiled a little, mostly to alleviate some of the tension.

"Hey, I was at the meet the other day, wasn't I?"

Pogue smiled as well.

" Yeah, you were." He threw his arm casually around her shoulder, trying to subtly make up for the loss of contact. "Thanks for that, by the way."

She shrugged with exaggerated nonchalance.

"Well, y'know. No big deal." After a moment or two of silence, Astaire shook her head and slid down to the floor, suddenly serious again. " These dreams though, they are a big deal." She looked up at a still standing Pogue. "Regardless, I don't want you to tell the guys yet."

Pogue stared at her in disbelief and confusion.

"Why not? We'll have a better chance of protecting you if all of us know what's going on."

Astaire sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. As logical as she knew Pogue's words were, they just made her more firm in her decision.

"I don't want to be a damsel in distress. This isn't an old black-and-white movie Pogue. I just want to have a normal day. A calm, normal day with my friends where I don't have to worry about my impending death."

Pogue's eyes narrowed in sudden agitation. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up before clutching her shoulders.

"That's such bullshit and you know it."

"Excuse me?" she inquired archly.

" Today, Astaire!" Pogue almost screamed, trying and failing to keep his temper in check. "In my dream, you die today! You don't… We don't have time to brush this off! We have to do something. Now!"

Astaire telekinetically lifted Pogue's hands from her shoulders, her eyes stubborn behind their vivid green hue.

"Let me show you why I don't want to tell them," she explained in frustration. " There's a reason why I won't ruin today."

Then, with a wave of her hand, everything stopped. Pogue's eyes widened as he surveyed the unmoving waiters and waitresses, the customers whose forks were stopped halfway to their mouths, and how the money was literally frozen in midair as it slipped from the cashier's hand to the register.

Astaire grabbed Pogue's hand and pulled him along, striding somewhat angrily past the statuesque inhabitants of the diner. She stopped at a familiar table, jerking the biker to a stop.

"Look at them!" Astaire ordered. "See how happy they are?"

Pogue shifted his eyes to his friends, taking in the sight. Caleb was smiling, a content, genuine smile, as he looked at his two brothers. Tyler was turned around in his seat, talking to a pretty girl with wavy navy blue hair. She was laughing happily at something he said, and Tyler looked like for once, he felt like someone other than Baby Boy. Reid, like always, was being mischievous. He seemed to be engaged in a straw wrapper war with a boy in the booth behind Caleb. The straw was between his lips, and the paper wrapper projectile was already en route.

Pogue stared at Astaire, his hazel eyes burning into her dark brown ones.

"They're happy now, but they won't be later when they find out you've kept something from them. Especially something that could happen to you today."

Astaire nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I know. But it's my decision to make."

Pogue leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead, his eyes slightly sad.

" Same as always. So damn noble…" He slid into the booth beside an unmoving Caleb before gazing up at her again. "Just promise you won't leave me."

Although not sure what he meant exactly, Astaire nodded anyway. She fought the urge to touch her forehead as Pogue beckoned for her to sit. Her forehead was warm where he'd kissed her, and though thoughts of her impending demise weren't completely off her mind, they has taken a backseat to her musings over her flustered feelings about Pogue. Astaire leaned into him, after she sat down, craving contact and comfort. She felt safe in Pogue's arms, even though it wasn't technically her rightful place anymore.

"So we should probably get things moving again," Pogue suggested, breaking her out of her thoughts. " I'm sure Tyler wants to finish his conversation with that girl." He laughed a bit. "I wonder how he started talking to her in the first place."

Astaire nodded, agreeing with him. With a blink, her eyes became green.

"The shift back might feel a little weird," she informed him, "like being on a roller coaster."

He looked down at her, holding her gaze. " Don't worry. I'm here for the ride."

She looked away, breaking their eye contact and the moment. After taking a deep breath and concentrating, she began to start time again.

The straw wrapper Reid had been shooting flew right towards Astaire. She deflected it with a lazy flick of her hand, not even bothering to use her telepathic powers. Reid frowned in confusion.

"When'd you get here?" he asked, putting the straw into his drink. Six straws were now poking out of the thick vanilla shake.

"Been here," Pogue answered, picking the last onion ring off of Reid's plate. He grimaced at the lukewarm temperature before continuing. "Guess time just flew by for you."

After hearing this, Caleb quirked a brow. His chocolate eyes were suspicious.

"I'm pretty sure that's not exactly what happened. Is it Astaire?"

The brown skinned girl smiled, shrugging lightly.

"Guess not."

Reid looked perplexed for a moment longer before his mouth dropped open in realization. A slight expression of angry disappointment came over his face.

"I can't believe you stopped time and left me freakin' frozen while you and Pogue walked around. If you weren't a girl, I'd hit you."

Pogue scowled at Reid.

"You'd better not if you don't want to end up being crushed to a pulp."

The blonde rolled his crystal blue eyes, obviously not threatened. His mood shifted yet again, and he was already getting over his anger. Carelessly, he put his hands behind his head and scanned the diner for attractive girls.

" Relax man," he told Pogue in an offhand manner as he winked at a passing brunette. " I said if she wasn't a girl. Besides, if she was a dude, you wouldn't be interested in her." Reid turned back to the table, a smirk on his face. " That is, unless you're keeping a secret from all of us."

Pogue didn't even dignify that with a response. Meanwhile, Caleb fought the urge to sigh at Reid's antics and settled on asking Astaire a question.

"So have you mastered that particular power? I assume that's why you used it."

Astaire scoffed as she flicked a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah right," she told the eldest son, turning to face him. " I just used it to make a point."

"To Pogue?"

"Yes."

Caleb's eyes narrowed a little. Something wasn't right.

"What about?"

Astaire held his gaze, quirking an eyebrow like he had before. She was almost daring Caleb to ask her more questions.

"Nothing in particular."

The eldest shrugged, still suspicious, but letting the issue drop for the moment. Pogue shot Caleb an "I'll tell you later" look that pacified the latter.

"She probably just froze everything so the two of them could go at it," Reid drawled.

Tyler, who had finished his conversation with the girl and exchanged numbers, turned around to the table, only catching the last part of the sentence.

"Who's going at it?"

Reid smirked. He lazily moved his index finger between Pogue and Astaire.

"Our own Romeo and Juliet."

The youngest rolled his eyes.

" I doubt you even know the whole story of Romeo and Juliet," he told his friend. "In case you didn't know, they both died at the end. Obviously, both Astaire and Pogue are still here."

Astaire shifted a bit in her seat as Pogue's arm tightened a little around her. It didn't go unnoticed by Caleb. However, he said nothing about it as he turned to address the group.

"You guys ready to go? I guess we need to pick up Astaire's movie choice. I don't own any chick flicks."

Groaning dramatically, Reid pulled on his black beanie. He rolled his eyes.

"What's the poison this time? I swear if there's some chick in it dying of cancer I'm gonna friggin' hurt somebody."

Putting on her jacket and preparing to leave, Astaire shot Reid a look.

"Well, because of that disgustingly insensitive comment, you'll just have to wait and see what movie I picked. And trust me Caleb," she added to the eldest, " I'm sure you'll have it." After wrapping her scarf around her neck and smiling mischievously at everyone but Reid, she walked off to the exit.

"What'd I do?" Reid asked as he too bundled up for the brisk weather outside.

Sighing, Pogue fixed the collar of his leather jacket as he moved to follow Astaire.

" Nobody likes a jackass Reid."

"The Matrix?!"

Reid's shock couldn't have been more pronounced. Astaire smirked as she took the movie out of the case and went over to the DVD player.

" I'm just full of surprises."

She placed the movie in the player, pushing the slot closed gingerly. Turning towards the boys, she smiled.

"Anybody want popcorn? I feel like being Doris Day today."

The boys all nodded, looking grateful. After looking around at all of them, Astaire nodded in confirmation and headed to the kitchen.

Standing in the center of the large, glistening cooking area, she looked around ponderingly.

I definitely should've asked where the popcorn was.

"Glad to see you've found the kitchen."

Astaire turned to see Pogue grinning at her. Sticking her tongue out childishly, she moved to the cabinets. She placed a hand on one of the handles hesitantly.

"The kitchen is in the same place. I found it just fine. Now, finding the popcorn is another story."

Pogue's smile widened as he moved behind Astaire and reached for the cabinet above her head. His hand closed over hers as he pulled the cabinet open.

"It's right here," he whispered in her ear.

Astaire closed her eyes at the sound of his voice.

Oh. My. God

His voice sent shivers down her spine and made her want to melt. And he was so close… he had to be doing this on purpose. Grabbing a bag of popcorn, she willed herself to move towards the microwave. These random moments of intimacy with Pogue left her discombobulated.

"So did you only come in to see if I found the kitchen?" she asked, trying to sound normal.

"No. I wanted to talk."

Astaire paused for a second as she opened the microwave door and put the popcorn in.

"About what?"

"Us."

She closed the door with a startled bang.

"What?!"

Pogue moved closer to Astaire, but didn't touch her. She was thankful. She was going to need her senses about her if she and Pogue were going to have this conversation. The boy in question looked neither nervous nor anxious, but instead appeared determined and passionate.

"I'm still in love with you," he told her in a sure, steady voice. "And you're in love with me too."

Astaire's mouth dropped open. She was pretty sure she looked like an unattractive mix between a deer in the headlights and a fish out of water.

"Say something," Pogue said, his voice unshaken and, if anything, commanding.

Flustered but trying to hide it, Astaire turned back to the microwave so Pogue couldn't see her face. She pressed the 'popcorn' button as she spoke.

"How can you be so sure of your feelings? How can you be so sure of mine? I've only been back for three days, Pogue."

He sighed as if he was exasperated by her answer.

" I just know. It's just something I feel. It feels right. Way more right than me and Kate did." He moved a little closer as she turned around. " We should be together again."

Astaire sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She thought about Pogue's declaration carefully before responding.

" We're meant for each other. I can't deny that. But I don't think we should be together again. Not yet. I just got back, and you just broke up with Kate. Besides, I don't want us to get together just because you think I'm going to die. I want it to be because it feels natural."

Pogue looked frustrated. His eyebrows were knit together slightly as he put his hands on Astaire's shoulders.

"You don't understand."

She looked at the boy in front of her. He was staring at her intently, his eyes boring into hers, looking for the answer he wanted.

" You love me," Pogue said after a moment.

Astaire didn't even have to think about her answer.

"Yes."

"You believe me when I say that I love you."

"Yes."

Pogue sighed, confused. His hands dropped off her shoulders.

"But you still don't want to be with me?" he asked imploringly. His deep voice conveyed the intensity of his feelings for her and his need for them to have a relationship again. These unspoken ideas were not lost on Astaire, and she felt touched, but a little part of her also felt anxious. The raw passion in his voice threatened to overwhelm her, and she felt like it was only a matter of time before she became lost in his emotions. It was unsettling to feel his love so strongly after missing it for so long. Most of all, it startled her to realize that she was more in love with him then ever.

Slowly, she reached up and touched his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment, laying his hand on hers and keeping it in its place. Astaire loved the feel of his hand on hers and she smiled a little as he opened his eyes. They stood in silence for a few seconds before she finally found what she wanted to say.

"I love you so much," she began, fighting to keep her voice steady, " and I don't think I ever stopped, not even when I was away. I'm pretty sure I love you more now than I did when we were sixteen. But that's why I don't want to rush things. I don't want our relationship to suffer because we tried to just…dive into it. Yes, we love each other, but that's not enough to keep us together. I don't want us to separate because we were too impatient to wait for the inevitable. We will be together, Pogue. We just have to give it time."

Pogue stood looking at her, understanding. It made sense. But Pogue Parry tended to think with his heart instead of his head. And he was okay with doing that just now.

"I get it," he said, "But all your logical reasoning won't stop me from doing this."

He pulled her body closer and kissed her, his huge hands gripping her waist. It wasn't a soft kiss. It was powerful, passionate…just like him.

Succumbing to the indescribable feeling of his lips on hers, she started to kiss him back. Smiling against her lips at her response, Pogue lifted her onto the countertop behind her. Their mouths moved expertly together, and her arms wrapped around his neck. The microwave went off, but she was completely lost in the moment. All of her feelings for Pogue were evident in her actions.

Pogue's lips moved to her neck, and his hands drifted up to her shoulders.

"Didn't you miss this?" he whispered. "God, the heat…" he continued his work on her neck and she gasped. She was pretty sure he gave her a hickey. He was always possessive like that. Soem things never changed.

" I missed you," she said somewhat breathlessly. " But I suppose this is a nice bonus for coming home." He chuckled and she could feel it on her skin. She pulled his face up to hers, connecting her lips to his. After a few moments, she pulled away and smiled. "Well Mr. Parry, it seems you've rendered my argument useless."

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her off the counter into him.

"Good."

"AHHH!!!"

The two teenagers snapped their heads to the window, looking frantically outside.

"Somebody's in trouble," Astaire said hurriedly, pulling away from Pogue and moving closer to the glass. The scream came again, louder this time as if it were closer. It was full of pure terror and scared Astaire to no end. But she also felt the need to save the person, who sounded as if she were a young girl.

"Maybe it's nothing," Pogue said, grabbing Astaire and trying to pull her farther from the noise. "Or if it's anything, I'll take care of it." The longhaired teen was trying to keep his head clear as his eyes searched for the source of the yell. He hoped it was nothing, that whatever this problem was, it wasn't going to end in tragedy. His nightmare flashed through his mind. He had to keep Astaire from leaving the manor.

Suddenly, a thirteen-year-old girl ran into their line of vision outside the window. She looked terrified beyond belief as she ran into the dense forest area on the Danvers' property. As the girl dashed into what she thought was safety, Astaire saw the source of the preteen's terror. A monstrous being was chasing after the girl. It looked suspiciously like a darkling, but it was much too large and undefined. It didn't matter anyways what the thing was…Astaire was going to have to stop it in order to save the girl. Without another word, Astaire pulled herself out of Pogue's grip and raced out of the room.

"Astaire stop!" Pogue yelled. He sprinted to the exit of the kitchen, only to be held from leaving by some sort of invisible force.

Astaire.

His eyes turned ebony as he tried to destroy the barrier. In the distance, the front door of the manor slammed. "Shit!" he cursed, willing himself to put more power into his efforts. A few seconds later, the barrier fell and Pogue dashed to the front door. He didn't have time to gather the rest of the Covenant…at least, not physically. He sent out a telepathic call for help.

Astaire's in trouble. Get to the forest behind the house. Now!

Throwing open the heavy door as if it were made of nothing, Pogue ran towards where the girl had disappeared, knowing that Astaire would've followed her. He entered the dense group of trees frantically, his eyes searching. It was just beginning to turn dark, the sun setting ominously over the trees.

"Astaire! Astaire!" He shouted over and over again, screaming himself hoarse. Pogue didn't care. He just had to find her.

"What's going on Pogue?"

Pogue whirled to find his brothers behind him, worried looks cemented on their faces. Caleb was the one who had spoken, his deep voice commanding in order to mask his fear. It was clear that while Caleb didn't know exactly what was happening, he knew it had to do with what Pogue and Astaire weren't telling him earlier, and he was pissed. However, Pogue didn't have time to explain.

"Find her!" he ordered the other three, hands clenched into fists and black eyes flashing. "She's in here somewhere! Find her before she gets hurt!"

Pogue spun around and started running, staying alert for any sign of Astaire. He heard the other boys behind him, but didn't bother to turn around and look at them.

"Pogue, be careful," Caleb warned. "There's something in here with an enormous amount of dark energy."

The biker wasn't listening. He was too concentrated on trying to locate the girl he loved.

BANG!

Pogue spun to his left at the sound.

"Shit," Reid murmured. "That sounded like a gunshot."

The four boys tore off towards the sound, fear quickening their paces. Pogue's mind was racing, hoping and praying that Astaire wasn't…hurt. He wouldn't even allow himself to think the word "dead."

They reached a clearing, all of them skidding to a stop as they took in their surroundings. Pogue began to panic. He'd seen this clearing before.

"Oh no," Tyler whispered suddenly. "It can't be…"

There, in the middle of the clearing and highlighted by the orange glow of the fading light, was Astaire. Her white shirt was stained red with blood and her eyes were unfocused as her prone body lay awkwardly on the ground.

Pogue rushed over to her, kneeling to administer CPR. He had to try. She couldn't die like this. He pressed his lips to hers, trying to give her air. Pumping forcefully on her chest, he turned around and glared at his brothers.

"Help me!" he screamed angrily. "Help me, damn it!"

No one moved. The other Covenant members were still, save for Reid's shaking.

"Stop it Pogue." Caleb said quietly, "That's not helping."

"She's dying!" Pogue yelled. "She's dying and you're not even trying to save her you bastard!"

Caleb took a step forward slowly, and Pogue could see that the eldest son's eyes were dark as night. Caleb was trying to remain calm, that much Pogue could tell, but he was slowly losing his composure.

"I've been using to heal her ever since I saw her," Caleb said. "And so have Reid and Tyler. It's not working, Pogue. Nothing is happening."

Pogue turned his eyes back to Astaire and used his own power to try to heal her. He saw no change in her condition, so he tried again, using a little more.

"It has work. It's going to work."

He stared into Astaire's eyes, searching for a spark. He couldn't find one. All he saw was a deep nothingness, a dark abyss in her once lively eyes. Pogue choked back a sob. She was dead.

"I can't believe this happened," he whispered brokenly. "She promised she wouldn't leave me." He ran his fingers over the wound in her chest, flinching at how warm her blood was. There was so much of it…too much of it.

"C'mon, Pogue, " Tyler called softly. "We've got to go call the cops so that they can come pick up the bod--" He cringed, faltering. " So that they can…" the youngest trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Reid slowly went over to Astaire's still form, his eyes never leaving her blank ones. He kneeled by her head and trailed his pale fingers over her ashen face, pulling her eyelids shut gently. He didn't say anything as a tear ran down his cheek.

"Tsk, tsk. What's with the long faces boys? Didn't you know that someone with healing powers was on his way?"

The Covenant snapped their heads up to see a dark-skinned teenage boy striding confidently across the clearing. He was tossing two objects up and down in an outstretched palm.

Caleb's dark eyes focused sharply on the boy. He was prepared to use if need be.

"Who are you?"

The stranger had reached them, and they could all see his careless smile as he threw two red dice up in the air and caught them in his hand. His gray eyes shone brightly as he looked at each boy.

"That's right," he said with ease. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Xavier Dyson. Dice for short. Nice to meet you."

Thanks for reading!