Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Covenant movie except for the original characters and the plot.

A/N: Thanks so much to RedRogue for her wonderful editing, as usual. Things could get really ugly without her.

Step 4: Add a Touch of Magic

The drive to my home was not a comfortable one to say the least; long, slow and tortuous were more accurate adjectives. The covenant, aside from Tyler, still believed I was crazy, which impeded conversation a bit. Adding the animosity that emanated from Reid to the mix, made for one of the most uncomfortable car trips I'd ever had to endure.

After two hours of stilted silence, I'd had enough. It would take at least three more hours before we reached the border and about one more hour after that to reach my home. I was doing all of the driving and was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel without anything to distract me.

"So where's the fifth?" I hedged around what I hoped was a safe topic.

I didn't think it was possible, but the already loaded silence became even heavier

Curiosity got the better of me and I ventured a peek in the rearview mirror; only to end up on the receiving end of one of Reid's deadlier glares. Apparently it wasn't the right question to get them talking.

I tried again. "Have you been contacted by your wives-to-be yet?"

More silence greeted the question. They weren't going to crack like Tyler had.

Since conversation was definitely not an option, I tried turning on the radio. I mashed the "seek" button futilely looking for something other than static, however, seeing how we were on the highway and miles from civilization, there was no music to be found. I sighed. I wanted to ask about their situation. I was concerned for Kate and Sarah. I hadn't known either of them long, but they'd been nicer to me than most of the people I'd met so far. Caleb, Pogue, Tyler hadn't received word from their intendeds. As far as I knew, I was the only one to have found my way to one of their own, which of course did not boost my credibility.

Finally, after what felt like a decade drive rather than the six hours it actually took, we arrived. I parked the car down the driveway and took in the familiar surroundings; I hadn't been home in a couple of years because of my studies. It used to be taboo to marry outside one's race, but my parents had been as indifferent to laws, both written and unspoken, then as they were now. They were not well respected for their decision. They'd wanted for Lily and I to get our magical education, but without having to deal with the stigma of being "mixed" and sending us away to study with various masters in distant countries had been their best solution.

Getting out of the car I stretched out, my muscles having become sore from staying in one position for so long, and started to follow the path that lead to the house.

"This way," I called out as I waited for them to catch up.

Even with my peripheral vision and the fact that it was already dark out I clearly saw the this-is-it disbelieving look Reid gave me as the house came into view.

"Sorry to disappoint, Reid, but this isn't some secret safe house owned by the Black family."

"Ha ha," he replied to my taunt. And I had to laugh in turn. The fact that he'd gotten my reference meant that he had to have read the Harry Potter books.

"I still don't get the point of this visit," he said coming up to me.

"The point is to convince you I'm not one of the R.R.Fs."

He smirked in the dark and continued walking.

As we made our way to the house, I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I imagined how the Covenant would react to meeting my parents, especially my father. Lily and I looked like our mother, which basically translated to human looking. Aside from the slight iridescence of our skin and tricolored eyes, we could have been part of the normal crowd. The fey come in all shapes and forms and even though my father was on the human side of the scale, he would not go unnoticed in a crowd. With pale golden skin that could only be described as sparkling and hair that mirrored the colors of the boreal forest during autumn, a person didn't have to be looking at the various shades of blue of his eyes or wings to see that he wasn't human.

I hesitated at the door, doubting my decision to bring the sons of Ipswich. I'd brought the Covenant here on a whim. Tired of their constant claims that I was insane, I'd wanted to shut them up once and for all without thinking about what I was doing first. As satisfactory as the look on their faces as they met my father was sure to be, I wasn't so sure that my parents would relish their quiet existence being disturbed by a bunch of disbelieving teenage boys who wouldn't recognized the truth if it bit them all in their collective asses.

It was too late to go back now and I did not relish the idea of them thinking me insane and a liar even more than they already did. After a moment more of hesitation, I tried twisting the doorknob, belatedly remembering that I didn't have the key. It clicked and turned easily; it had been left unlocked. I sighed again, only in exasperation this time. As powerful and intelligent as my parents were, they were not very sensible when it came to caution. All it would take was one intrepid human to fall upon them at the right time and the whole community would be exposed.

The house looked empty at first, but I could hear indistinct voices drifting down the hallway. I followed the light I saw coming from the living room, expecting to come upon my parents playfully arguing about something trivial.

I wasn't quite in the living room yet when someone, a male, spoke.

"I will not leave this place without my bride."

I stopped dead in my tracks as the energy that emanated from the room changed, turned menacing. Turning around, I saw the Covenant coming up behind me, unaware that something was wrong. I wanted to go see what was happening, but I was too uncertain of the situation. Not wanting for their introduction to the magical to be a violent one, I quickly crossed the short distance that was separating us and grabbed the first person I reached.

That person just so happened to be Reid.

"Hey, I know you want me," he said, adding that annoying and oh-so-inappropriate smirk. "But you'll have to wait your turn; there's a line at school."

For some reason his mood seemed to have improved, which I would normally have commented on, but there was a time and place and this was not it. "Change of plans, we're coming back some other time," I said, half-dragging Reid with me and grabbing Tyler along the way.

"Why?" asked Pogue, putting himself between me and the entrance.

"Now's not a good time," I answered brusquely. The energy levels were still rising in that room and for some reason the Covenant had yet to notice anything. How had they survived this long?

"Care to elaborate?" Caleb stated rather than asked, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I let go of both the arms I'd been holding onto and turned to face Caleb who had positioned himself behind me opposite Pogue.

They were blocking all the escape routes. Did they think I wanted to run away? What for?

"It's just a bad time. My parents are taking care of a family matter."

"Really…?" Reid trailed off, inserting sarcasm in every syllable. But I wasn't paying attention to him; I was watching Caleb. He was their leader whether they realized it or not. He was the one I needed to convince.

"I'm only taking you to a motel. I swear to bring you back tomorrow so that you can speak to my parents."

I could see Caleb gauging the situation, wondering whether or not I was lying. I didn't expect much else seeing how they hadn't believe anything I'd told them so far. He was about to speak when it hit our group.

The force of the blast knocked me into the wall, but I was the first to recover. Pushing myself away from the wall, I ran for the living, forgetting about the Covenant. From the doorway I saw my father facing off with a male Sidhe whom I'd never met.

Nicca.

It had to be him.

I looked around the room to see both my mother and sister rising from the floor where they had probably been knocked down by the energy wave. Neither of them looked seriously hurt.

I turned my attention back to the two men squaring off in the middle of the room. My father had never been a violent man, what could this stranger have done to make him so angry? Then I thought back on what I'd heard earlier. Nicca had come for my sister and obviously my father had objected.

It was in moments like these I wished my powers were more useful, more like my mother, more like my father, and less like the mixture of them both they were. I could make flowers bloom, make fruit ripe, revive a dying tree, but nothing that would help the situation. I didn't have a hand of power, a single ability outside fey nature, as most Sidhe do. In that way I was like my mother, I could use magic, but my range of abilities was constricted to a single field.

"Wow," I heard someone said softly from behind me, a reminder that I'd brought the sons of Ipswich to meet my parents.

I turned to find Tyler transfixed by the sight of the Sidhe men facing off in the center of the room. If nothing else, Tyler seemed to be convinced now.

Returning my attention the unfolding events in the living room, I saw that I wasn't the only one who'd heard Tyler. Both my father's and Nicca's gazes were riveted to the Covenant gathered at my back. No one said anything at first; they all looked surprised to see me, not to mention the group of gawking teenage male witches I'd brought along for this visit.

I laughed shakily, unnerved to have the attention of two very angry Sidhe men fixed on me, even if one of them was my father. "Hi dad, I just came to visit…"

I'd barely gotten the words out that I was interrupted by Reid.

"Fuck!" he sounded flabbergasted. He'd replaced Tyler at my back and was staring open mouthed at Nicca.

I knew it was inappropriate, but I could help it: I rolled my eyes. My father sent me a quizzical look. I shook my head in answer; it was going to take a while to explain.

Taking advantage of our distraction, Nicca swung his sword, aiming low. My father reacted in time, but not quickly enough to completely avoid the attack. Nicca managed to slash his arm.

My father readied himself for the next attack, but the next blow never came. Instead Nicca raised his hand and the gash on my father's arm began bleeding profusely. Other cuts began to appear and bleed just as freely. Nicca had the hand of blood.

All of this had happened in a matter of seconds.

"What the hell?" one of the Sons, I wasn't sure which one, asked, or rather stated, from behind me. So much for their first encounter with the community not being a violent one.

I made to help, but someone grabbed my arm. It was my mother. She and my sister had moved closer while we'd been watching the dueling pair. I gave her a questioning look.

"Be quiet," she said looking behind me. "And don't interrupt," she added for my benefit before returning her attention to the fight.

I wanted to help, but looked on horrified instead as my father lifted his own hand and threw his power at my sister's husband-to-be. The room became brighter as if dawn was rising early. Darkness gathered at the center of the room and crawled up Nicca's form, swallowing him. His eyes widened, his free hand coming to his throat, he looked like he was choking.

Maybe it was adrenaline that made it seem like things were happening at a much slower speed than they actually were, but it seemed like the two stood there hands raised, fighting, for hours. Finally, Nicca dropped to his knees, subdued. My father had won.

I started towards them, intending to help, but my father raised a hand to stop me.

"Leave," he commanded, looking at the other Sidhe.

Something close to hatred gleamed in Nicca's eyes, but he lifted himself off the floor and staggered towards the door. Moving out of his way when he left the room, we watched his wounded form as he made his way out. Reaching the front door, he turned. "You know the council's orders as well as I do."

I wasn't sure who he was speaking to.

But my mother who'd been watching his retreat with cool eyes answered. "We do."

Seeming satisfied with the reply, he opened the door and walked out.

I felt my sister move back into the living room and heard my mother speaking softly to my father. They would care for his wounds. I let out a breath I wasn't aware I'd been holding, but continued staring at the door, I couldn't help but feel like he could simply decide to come back and take my sister.

A hand grabbed my shoulder, making me jump. I turned around to find Caleb staring down at me, eyes full of questions. I looked behind him, the others sons had similar expressions on their faces: confusion, shock, even a little curiosity. I was certain they'd managed to guess the gist of it, but I wasn't sure I was up to explaining what had just happened on top of everything else.

I was tired, still a little shell-shocked, but mostly angry; angry at the council for issuing such a decree, at the man-Sihde who'd just left, at Reid for not believing me, and I couldn't stop the sarcastic remark that came next. "Still think I'm crazy?"

"No." Caleb looked defeated.

I wanted to rub it in, say 'I told you so,' but I decided to be an adult about it instead. "Good."

I moved past the cluster they'd formed the entrance to the living room and went to see how my father was faring. He was sitting on the floor in a pool of blood as Lily hovered over him, healing wounds after she'd cleaned them, but he managed a smile for me as I came closer. Sitting next to him, I began dabbing at his wounds with a clean cloth, trying to be helpful.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" I think it was Tyler who'd spoken.

My mother looked at them first, then at me. "You never introduced us to your friends."

I wasn't sure I wanted to right this moment. They'd just beaten out one of their future sons-in-law, how would they treat this one? Decided to get it over with, I ushered into the room the sons of Ipswich and introduced them one by one. "Caleb," I said lightly pushing him into the room, "Pogue," I continued, "Tyler." I hesitated before also introducing the last member of the group. Was this really a good idea? "And this is Reid, the guy I'm supposed to marry." I finished lamely.