A/N: I do not own the story or any of the characters from The Covenant. I was intrigued by the storyline from the movie and inspired to start a story in this realm. Any ideas, people and places not recognized in association with The Covenant belong to me and any real life parallels are entirely coincidental.
Crossroads of Destiny
Chapter 2
Sarah Wenham flopped on her bed, stressed from the Chemistry exam she just took. She was glad it was Friday and that she had the whole weekend to recuperate from the rush of midterms that she and all of the students at Spenser Academy just went through. Winter Break was in a couple of weeks and she looked forward to not having classes for the two solid weeks she would be stuck at school.
Her parents, on rather short notice, had called to inform her that they would be visiting her hated Aunt Eileen in Colorado. While she would miss spending Christmas with her folks, she was relieved at the same time. The past six weeks have been extremely trying with starting a new school, starting a relationship, finding out that the man she started said relationship with was part of a coven of witches that had supernatural powers. Not to mention the insane fifth Son of Ipswich that tried to kill her roommate, her boyfriend and herself.
It was enough to make any sane person go nuts.
She eased herself into a sitting position, glancing at the clock on her nightstand. She had three hours before the crew was getting together at Nicky's to celebrate the ending of the ghastly midterms as well as Tyler's returning from Ireland. Having taken the exams before he left, he refused to give his friends any clues on what to expect. She figured Reid would want to rip his best friend a new one for that.
She, on the other hand, was rather eager to meet Tyler's cousin, Aislinn Turlough. Caleb had shown her the e-mails of the photos that the youngest Son of Ipswich had taken during his time in Ireland and she had been blown away by the sheer beauty of the castle as well as its mistress.
According to Tyler, Aislinn had actually turned out to be his pen pal from overseas. Caleb was suspicious of that fact, not believing in coincidences. Sarah thought that she had finally driven the point home that there was no way that Tyler and Aislinn could've known that she would be relocating to the U.S., and so their connection as pen pals was purely coincidental.
Her boyfriend pointed out that Aislinn's grandmother had been sick for three years, a whole year before she started corresponding with Tyler. Unfortunately, Sarah had nothing to say to that. While she believed whole-heartedly that it was a coincidence, she could understand Caleb's suspicions. He would wait to reserve judgment until he got to meet her.
The door to her room opened rousing her from her thoughts. Kate Tunney, her roommate and best friend entered and threw herself on her own bed.
"Finally!" The pretty mocha skinned girl exclaimed.
Sarah laughed at her friend's comment.
"Tell me about it. Thank god, it's over!"
The two women exchanged grins.
"So, Nicky's at seven?"
"Oh, most definitely!" The blond said with a smile. "Wouldn't miss Tyler getting reamed out by Reid for the world!"
Kate laughed. "I think Pogue will join in on that."
"Speaking of Pogue, how are things with you two? Do I hear wedding bells in the distant future Mrs. Pogue Parry?"
Kate threw a pillow at her roommate. "Oh shut it."
The beautiful blond laughed at her friend's discomfort.
"Seriously, dish. What's up with you two anyway? Have you stopped avoiding him yet?"
All good humor fled Kate's face as she chewed her lip.
"Sarah, you know that I had to deal with what happened my own way. Pogue and I, well I don't know. It hurt him that I did not visit him for the week he was in the hospital and I can understand that. But he also should have understood that I needed to sort through what happened and I could not do that if I saw him in a hospital bed covered in bruises and unconscious."
"I know." The blond said softly recalling how bad Pogue looked. Now he was almost fully healed, something of a miracle in her opinion. She wouldn't be surprised to find out that the coven had done something to help their brother recover faster.
"But that is all in the past now. So why have you continued to avoid him?"
"I don't always avoid him." Kate said defensively.
Sarah raised her brow in surprise at her friend's tone. "Yes, you do."
The pretty mocha skinned girl glared at her roommate.
"Look, you weren't the one who almost died of magical spider bites because your boyfriend has special powers that some insane man coveted!"
"No, but I AM the one who was captured and used as bait for MY boyfriend so some insane man could kill him!"
Kate's lips were pressed together in anger. Suddenly, her shoulders slumped.
"You're right. About what you went through and right about me avoiding Pogue. I don't know what I want. I love him, but at the same time I feel like I can't be with him. In all honesty, I think that the two of us should take a break."
Sarah joined her friend on her bed and hugged the sad woman.
"Kate, you have a lot to figure out right now and maybe having space between the two of you will help you find the peace of mind you need. I am here for you if you need to talk."
"I know Sarah. Thanks."
The two women sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.
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Reid checked his watch impatiently. "Where the hell is he?" He muttered.
Overhearing, Pogue leaned towards him, partially blocking out the din of Nicky's.
"He'll be here."
The blond man sighed, annoyed at having to wait. "I know."
Pogue studied his coven brother. "Is it Tyler you are waiting for, or his cousin?"
Reid snorted. "What do you think? Didn't you see the pictures of her, man? She is smokin'!"
The leather clad man shrugged. "I didn't get the chance to read his e-mails. I was too busy cramming for the midterms and finishing my physical therapy. Besides Caleb kept me well informed."
Reid's expression darkened at the mention of his friend's recovery. All of the Sons of Ipswich were tetchy about the accident and the situation between them and the deceased Chase Collins. Given the choice, he would love to bring that sonofabitch back to life just to send him back to hell, Reid Garwin style.
"Here comes Caleb."
The blond man shifted so he could see their coven leader clearly. He was making his way through the crowd, Sarah in tow. He could make out Kate Tunney behind them as all three of them fought through the throng of celebrating teens.
Pogue stood and greeted his best friend while Reid moved over to make more room at their table. He saw Pogue hesitate before hugging Kate. The blond man plastered a fake smile on his handsome features before greeting the newcomers.
"Kate, I didn't expect you to come. It's nice to see you."
The mocha-skinned woman leveled a glare at Reid.
"Yeah, I'm sure you are so pleased."
The blond man grabbed his heart like he was in pain. "Why the sarcasm? Do I not rate on your social scale at all? I am wounded. Truly."
"Knock it off Reid." Pogue said warningly.
"Ok, Ok, I was just kidding around."
Caleb shook his head at the blonde's antics. While he agreed with Reid's dislike of Kate, on some level he understood where she was coming from. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. But what it all boiled down to was that the Sons of Ipswich were able to handle seeing Pogue injured and were there for him through his stages of recovery. But his girlfriend wasn't. He honestly did not know how much longer Pogue and Kate could hold onto the threads of their rapidly unraveling relationship.
"Oh, look there's Tyler!" Sarah exclaimed from his side.
Reid whirled around and spotted his best friend weaving in and out of the crowd.
"It's about fucking time he got here……"
The blond man's voice died out as he caught sight of the petite raven-haired woman following at Tyler's heels. Dressed simply in a black form fitting sweater and a pair of dark jeans, she was stunning. And not in the wholesome girl-next-door way that Sarah was. No, she was more ethereal, more delicate. Her photos did not do her justice.
"Guys!" Tyler exclaimed happily as he finally made it to their table.
Reid stood and cuffed the younger man upside his head. "Good to see you Ty. Welcome back."
"It's good to be back. Guys, I want to introduce you to my cousin Aislinn. Aislinn Turlough, meet Caleb Danvers and his girlfriend Sarah Wenham, Reid Garwin, Pogue Parry and his girlfriend Kate Tunney." Tyler said gesturing to each person in turn.
"Hello. Tyler has told me so much about you. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Aislinn said softly.
Sarah smiled widely at the grey-eyed woman. "I absolutely adore your accent! It is wonderful!"
Caleb chuckled at his girlfriend's enthusiasm. "Sweetie, I think that maybe Aislinn would want something to drink. Take her to the bar?"
"Sure!" The friendly blond beamed before getting up and linking arms with the shorter woman.
"Let's go get you something to drink Aislinn."
Feeling slightly bewildered, Aislinn let Sarah drag her off to the bar unaware of the stares the two women were receiving. The lively blond elbowed her way to the counter and whistled for Nicky's attention. He motioned that he would be a few minutes and Sarah shrugged in response.
"So, have you seen much of the town yet?" She shouted over the noise so Aislinn could hear her.
"No. We landed in Boston and then drove here. Alana, Tyler's mother, insisted that she stay and help me get settled in before heading to her home."
"Are you staying at the dorm?"
Aislinn nodded. "Yes. I am fortunate enough not to have a roommate. Though in all honesty I think Máthair made a hefty financial contribution to the school before she died so I could have my own room."
Actually, she knew for a fact that her grandmother had done just that for Aislinn's protection and sanity. It would have been a disaster if she did not have her own room where she could be herself and be able to let all of her protective barriers go after hours.
"I am sorry for your loss." The taller woman said sincerely.
The petite woman smiled at the blond. "Thank you. That was kind of you to say. Tyler said I would like you and your openness."
Sarah blushed in pleasure at the compliment. "So you and Tyler are close?"
Aislinn shifted, but before she could answer Nicky approached them.
"Sorry about the wait ladies. What can I get you?"
"Oh, I would like a coke. How about you Aislinn?"
The raven-haired teen sighed as she eyed the ales on tap. She was not back home in Éire or at the village pub so a good pint of ale was out of the question.
"The same if you please."
Nicky raised his brow. "An Irish lass huh? Well I'll be. A bit far from home now aren't you?"
"I am starting at Spenser Academy on Monday. I guess you could say this is my home, for now."
He shrugged. "Well it will be nice having you around. Change of scenery and all of that. I'll be back with your drinks shortly."
Not quite sure what to make of the congenial older man, Aislinn thanked him. Seeing Sarah talking to Kate who had just joined them, she turned so that she was facing the dance floor and eyed the couples grinding with distaste.
"You should try that with me. I guarantee you that it will be a dance to remember."
Aislinn jumped at the sudden sound of a low voice in her ear. She spun around and eyed the man who had snuck up on her.
"No thank you. I am fine where I am."
The blue eyed man with longish hair laughed. "Somehow I doubt that. Come, dance with me."
He tugged at her gloved hand determined to drag her out to the dance floor. Aislinn dug her heels in and tried to snatch her hand from his grip.
"I said no thank you. Go find another partner."
Her sharp tone caught Sarah's attention. Looking over she saw Aaron Abbott crowding her new friend.
"Back off Aaron. She is not interested in dancing with you. Go find your slut of a girlfriend."
Aaron's face turned an ugly red as his grip tightened painfully on Aislinn's hand.
"I didn't ask you Wenham."
"No matter, she is right. I do not desire a dance with you. Please let me go." Aislinn interrupted.
A smile spread across his face. "Baby, I promise I'll let you talk all you want. I could go all night listening to that sexy accent of yours. You will dance with me though."
He tugged her hand harder. She felt her glove beginning to slip off and panicked.
"I dinna wan' to dance with you mon!" Her brogue thickened with her agitation.
Sarah grabbed Aislinn's other arm trying to break her free of Aaron's vice like grip. She shouted at Kate.
"Go, get Caleb or Tyler!"
The dark skinned girl immediately complied feeling uneasy at the determination she saw in Abbott's eyes. Luckily, she already saw all four Sons of Ipswich forcing their way towards them.
A shrill scream caused her to turn around. She saw Aislinn hunch over as if in pain, her bare hand cradled against her chest. She could have sworn she had seen a flash of white before the Irish teen closed her eyes. Her eyes widened as Sarah slapped Aaron across his face.
Kate started towards the crouched figure of Aislinn, but Tyler reached her first.
"No, dinna touch me! Ye canna get too close!" Aislinn shouted at the confused teen trying to help her. Tears poured from behind her closed eyes.
Silently, Pogue crept behind Aaron and put him in a headlock. Meanwhile, Caleb had grabbed Aislinn's glove from the floor as Aaron tried to fight off Pogue's hold. Handing the glove to Tyler he motioned for Sarah and the youngest Son of Ipswich to get Aislinn out of there.
Sarah gently pulled the distraught woman up by her arm before leading her through the throng of people and into the crisp autumn night. Tyler followed confused. He thought that after their argument the first night back in the castle that Aislinn and him had reconciled and was starting to be even closer friends than they had before when they were pen pals. He had unsuccessfully confronted his mother about what secrets Aislinn could be hiding, but she proved to be stone when it came to the Clan Turlough, refusing to tell him anything.
Aislinn's reaction just now caused his suspicions to spike. He was absolutely certain that there was something strange about the Head of the Turlough clan. Now that he was back home, he would have his coven brothers help him get to the bottom of it.
"I'm alright." The Irish teen said, stepping away from Tyler and Sarah.
"He just startled me. That's all. I am not used to such behavior back home."
Tyler stared at his friend's open eyes. He saw sheer terror lurking there as she tried to cover it up with a brave front. He reached out and handed her the forgotten glove. He knew that she would want it back as soon as possible. She had explained to him, after they had apologized for their short words to each other his first night in Éire, that she had extremely sensitive hands with a rare skin condition causing her to wear gloves all of the time. Of course, the exceptions were times when she was bathing, swimming or playing her violin.
"Thank you Tyler." She accepted her glove and tugged it onto her pale hand. She looked at him, her striking grey eyes brimming with regret.
"I am sorry I shouted at you. There was no cause for me to do that. I did not mean to cause a scene."
He smiled at her. "If I were you and I had Aaron Abbott all over me, I would've screamed bloody murder too."
"I think we all would have. It most definitely is not a pleasant experience to have that idiot hitting on you." Sarah chimed in with an exaggerated shudder.
Aislinn laughed. "It is good to know that I am not the exception."
The two women grinned at each other. Tyler saw Caleb, Pogue and Reid exiting through the side door and swiftly walked over to them while the two girls were occupied. Before the blue-eyed teen could speak Caleb pounced.
"What the hell happened?"
Tyler blinked, surprised at his friend's tone of voice. "Apparently Abbott was manhandling Aislinn and she got a little freaked out. She's not used to that kind of treatment. Back in Ireland, she is held in very high regard with all of the Turlough clan as well as the surrounding towns. No one would dare treat her like Abbott just did."
Pogue groaned. "A fucking princess. Great. Just what we need."
Tyler bristled at that remark.
"That wasn't a nice thing to say Pogue. You don't know her so don't judge her."
"I might be mistaken, but weren't you the one saying that exact thing before you went to Ireland? As I recall you were dreading the trip because you, and I quote 'Did not want to put up with a spoiled brat who couldn't even manage to tie her own shoes without her servants helping her?'"
"Um guys, I don't think that now…"
"Shut up Reid! This doesn't concern you. So what if I did say that Pogue? At least I have spoken more than a 'hello' to her."
The longhaired man snorted. "Considering that you have been around her 24/7 for the last week, I would expect that you would have said more than hello. I, on the other hand just met her and I am making a judgment on what just happened inside. Of course we all know the real reason why baby boy here would talk to any girl."
"Guys, seriously, you might want to…."
Tyler ignored his best friend's interruption. "What the hell is that supposed to mean Pogue?"
Reid gave up on trying to stop his two friends from bickering and for once decided to step back and watch the show with Caleb. The leader of the coven was shaking his head at the argument, Sarah and a white faced Aislinn at his side, having heard the whole thing.
"Gee, think about it baby boy. The only reason you would take the time to even start a friendship with a girl is so that you have a shot at getting into their pants. You and your cousin are not blood related in any way and you are like second cousins twice removed or something. So tell me Tyler, why the abrupt turnabout in your opinion of her? You couldn't stand the thought of having the spoiled princess in your life before."
Tyler's face was red with anger. "OK, Parry, that was fucked up! She is family and I would not consider her in that way for that reason alone. You have a twisted mind."
Pogue smiled cruelly. "Ah, but I do recall a certain comment that Caleb said you made in your e-mails. I believe it was 'Fucking bitch needs to get laid to make her relax.' Tell me, why would you say something like that if you had not considered fucking her?"
Caleb groaned. Oh, this was just perfect! This had gone from bad to worse. He could feel Aislinn shaking in rage and he saw the angered expression on Sarah's face. Reid wasn't helping matters either. The jackass was laughing his ass off and Caleb failed to see the humor in the situation.
Tyler was beyond pissed at this point. "We had a fucking fight you asshole! I was blowing off steam!"
The side door to Nicky's opened and Kate walked out. She stopped short at seeing Pogue and Tyler nose to nose.
"What is going on here?"
"I'll tell ye. My cousin and yer mon seem to be havin' words regardin' my character. I dinna know that I was held in such low opinion a'roun here. I canna listen to any more. I willna stay where I am no' wanted and I am obviously no' wanted here."
Both Tyler and Pogue stiffened as they heard Aislinn's voice, her brogue thick with anger and hurt.
"Fuck." Tyler breathed out.
"Hey man, I tried to warn you." Reid said holding his hands up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I will accompany the ladies back to the dorm. See you later Ty."
Caleb kissed Sarah on her cheek and patted Aislinn on her shoulder before turning his attention to Pogue and Tyler. Kate, seeing the displeasure on the coven leader's face, dashed to where Reid, Sarah and Aislinn were walking away.
"Look Caleb, I was just trying to rile Tyler up. You know how easy it is to get him going at times."
"Fuck you Pogue! You were the one who started it by insulting my cousin!"
"Yeah, and you continued it when you reacted. I must've hit the mark for you to get as angry as you are! All I said was that your cousin was a spoiled princess who couldn't manage the littlest things without help!"
"ENOUGH!!!!!" Caleb roared, his eyes black with anger.
His brethren backed off recognizing the signs of Caleb loosing control over his temper. Calming himself, he shot glares at both Tyler and Pogue.
"I don't know what your problem is Pogue, but you were outta line with your remarks. Do not transpose your own relationship problems onto someone else. Tyler did nothing wrong besides encouraging the argument to continue. Now we have a pissed off Irish woman to deal with and I for one am not looking forward to it. She is Irish and a woman who has been deeply insulted, not a good combination. I suggest that you both make amends, ASAP!"
Further down the road, Sarah laid a comforting hand on Aislinn's shoulder. The raven-haired woman was staring down at the ground as they listened to the raised voices.
"Kate? Why doesna yer mon like me?" The bewildered teen asked.
The mocha skinned woman opened her mouth to reply only finding that there was nothing she could say. She had no idea why Pogue was being so harsh on Aislinn but she was even more discomfited to hear Caleb reference her and Pogue's failing relationship. She really hadn't thought that their troubles were that obvious, but apparently she was wrong.
"I don't know. Maybe Caleb is right and that Pogue is transferring some of his frustration with our relationship onto others."
"I'm sure if you just talked to Pogue and he got to know you a little better, his opinion would change." Sarah said soothingly.
Aislinn's eyes flashed silver in the moonlight as she looked up, fury contorting her face.
"I willna ne'er talk to that mon! He is horrible!"
Sarah winced as she expected Kate to blast Aislinn with a few choice words for calling Pogue horrible. Surprisingly, the fiery mocha skinned girl only shook her head.
"I can't say that I blame you for that. I honestly don't know what got into him."
"Come on guys. Let's go. We can check out Aislinn's room. Maybe have a genuine girl's night." Sarah said brightly.
Smiling slightly the Irish teen nodded her head in agreement. It would be nice to have company particularly after the night's events. Arm-in-arm the three girls walked on, leaving Reid standing there with a bemused look on his face.
While he never claimed to be the brightest of the bunch, he was surprised that only he picked up on what was wrong with Pogue. He would sit back and just let the fireworks explode around him, as the rabbit hole got deeper for his friend.
He smiled.
This would most certainly be entertaining.
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A/N: Ugghhh! A whole lot of nothing in that chapter, or is there? There is actually a lot of information there that will help build the story, which I'm sure you guys are figuring out.
I know I said that I might spend some more time with Tyler in Ireland, but I decided to do something else with it instead. I'll be referencing his time with Aislinn in future chapters.
I hope that this chapter wasn't too painful to read, but I had to establish things and interactions to help move the story along. I plan to have another chapter up by the end of the weekend then I'll start my story rotation. I have three different stories in three different fandoms that I will be updating regularly. I just wanted to get a good start to this one before I began the rotations.
Anyway, drop me a line and let me know what you think. I appreciate your reviews and support!
Thanks for reading.
F.L.