A/N: Thanks to Niffer01, Cara Mascara, szym (glad you could join us, I've done that a time or two myself), lisaxo and guardian music angel for their reviews!

Okay, a shorter chapter here, but I hope you enjoy. I'm still figuring out where I'm going with this, so bear with me.

Wish me happy birthday for tomorrow! And I guess I should say happy birthday to Chase Collins, too...

Review and Enjoy!

Talia's nose itched.

She twitched it without opening her eyes. It didn't stop. She twitched again.

There was a pause.

It itched again. She swiped at it grumpily, finally opening her eyes.

Blue.

Reid's mouth twitched into a smile. God, I could watch those lips forever!

"Morning," he smirked, his finger tracing lightly over her nose before moving to her lips.

"Is it?" she asked sleepily. "That's nice," she groaned as she stretched languorously, twisting slightly in place before turning back to him.

"Yeah," he said, quietly. "It is."

She smiled back at him, feeling very goofy, and not caring one bit.

"I love you, Tal."

She grinned, and kissed him hard. "I love you, Reid."

"Could we sound any cheesier?" He joked, his hand back to stroking her face.

"Well, we could be Caleb and Sarah," she replied.

Reid laughed.

The lay together in silence, just enjoying being near one another.

"What did your brother say when you said you were going to stay here?" Reid asked after a while.

Tal sighed. "I won't lie, he wasn't exactly jumping for joy, but I think he's just glad that I'm okay. He knows that you care about me too, which helps I think," she smiled devilishly. "It's not him you need to worry about. Rena and Garret know. They'll tell Jacob. When he finds out, he'll have a conniption. You're lucky his wife is pregnant, or he'd be up here, kicking your ass for corrupting his little sister."

"Ahh, I can handle him," Reid waved off.

"Really?" Talia asked disbelievingly. "You've seen Will, right? Well Jacob is bigger, taller and badder. There is a reason why he's Alpha. He'd tear you to shreds. And of course, I'd have to sail in all 'knight in shining fur' and save your tight ass, and I really don't want to have to kill my brother because you can't keep it in your pants," she finished, sighing dramatically.

"I can't keep it in my pants?! I seem to remember you pulling it out more often than not!" He rolled onto his back, and placed one arm over his eyes. "I guess that means you don't want me to corrupt you any more then, huh?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that…" Tal replied, sliding a hand into his boxers and stroking his already hard cock.

Before she knew it, she was on her back with Reid poised above her, carefully holding his weight off of her.

"So you do want me to corrupt you some more," he purred, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. She smirked, but said nothing, opening he legs 'till his hips slipped between hers, fitting them together deliciously.

Their lips met, tasting each other with a hint of desperation still remaining. Reid's tongue thrust into her mouth, and her hips bucked in response moving her against him, causing her to moan.

He pulled back and stroked her face. "Are you sure you're okay for this?"

As an answer, she pulled his lips back to hers and buried her fingers in his shaggy blonde hair.

"Thank god," he murmured against her lips.

As their tongues duelled, she felt his hands begin to drift down her body, smoothing over her shoulders and just teasing the sides of her breasts before moving on. They slid over the dip of her waist, over the flare of her hips and on down her thighs before moving back up, this time under the old shirt of his that she wore, following his path back up her body, lifting it up as he went.

She shifted her weight to help and lifted her arms as he finally slipped it over her head. His eyes drifted to the covered wound on her torso. "Does it hurt, Babe?"

She shrugged. "A little, but nothing I can't handle, just go easy, okay?"

He looked at her, as if measuring the truth in her words, then nodded. His head dipped, but this time he kissed along her jaw before nuzzling down her neck, nipping lightly before sucking one full breast into his hot mouth. His hand closed possessively around the other, kneading it in time with the movement of his lips. Soon she was writhing under him, her fingers clawing at his back.

"Reid, please!" she gasped.

"Please what?" he asked before switching for her other breast.

"I need you!" she sighed, her head tipping back into the pillow as her back arched.

"Where do you need me, Babe?" he asked, his voice rough and strained.

"Anywhere. Everywhere. Inside me oh god Reid inside me!" she demanded as she gripped his hair tightly.

Suddenly he was above her again, and her hands went the waistband of his boxers, pushing them quickly off of his narrow hips. He twisted them over, so she was lying on top of him, their groins pressed together.

She sat up, lifting herself up carefully, before impaling herself slowly on his hard cock. Her head tipped back at the feel of his silky skin pushing into her, stretching her perfectly. His hands were on her hips, his fingers splayed wide. Soon their hips were touching and he was fully inside of her.

She paused a moment to look down at the man who had turned her life upside down. His blonde hair was dishevelled, his blue eyes were clouded with passion, his full lips were slightly parted and the muscles in his jaw were jumping with tension. He wanted her. She wanted him.

So why was she still just sitting there?

With a wicked grin, she rolled her hips, not moving up and down, just grinding against him. His eyes fluttered shut before snapping. He seemed content to let her ride him, but took the opportunity to run his hands up her body, gently skirting her wound until he was palming her breasts. It was her turn to shut her eyes as his touch fuelled the fire burning inside of her.

His hands didn't stop for long though, tracing gently over her neck before cupping her face and pulling it towards his. He kissed her softly, as though he was afraid she would shatter in his arms. She had no doubt she would, but only in a good way, so she deepened the kiss, continuing to grind against him, despite the twinging pain in her torso.

He clit was now being rubbed between them and her orgasm was coming in leaps and bounds. Soon she was whimpering, struggling to support herself on her shaking arms.

"Reid!"

"It's okay Babe, just let go," he murmured against her hair.

She did as he said, and let go, pleasure flooding through her. She collapsed on him, feeling his arms wrap tightly around her. Her stroked her back, and she could still feel him hard inside of her. She knew they were far from over.

She twisted her head and nuzzled his neck before sucking on his ear, enjoying the metallic taste of his earring. As she laved the ring, his hands drifted back to her hips, then on to her ass, gripping it firmly as he began to move beneath her. Soon he was pistoning in and out of her, not as hard as they were used to, but still fast.

Soon she was coming again on his cock and it wasn't long after that he was joining her, spurred on by her pussy muscles clenching around him.

"Talia!" he groaned, bucking once, twice before collapsing back on the bed.

Their breathing was heavy as they lay together, the breath mingling as the came slowly back down to earth. Talia rolled gently off of Reid, settling in the crook of his arm, one leg still twined with his.

"So," he said after a moment.

"Yeah."

Reid's talented fingers traced along the tattoos on one of her arms, following the swoops and swirls across her skin.

"Hey, uh. This may be an inappropriate question, but do I need to worry about you drawing blood and turning me into a Werewo—Lycan?" he asked, correcting himself at the last moment.

"Nope," she shook her head. "You have to be born a Shifter, you can't be changed, poor baby," she patted him mock-pityingly.

"And the whole thing about wolves mating for life?" he continued.

"We do." He froze next to her, as though the idea scared him, but she didn't smell fear. "We're not mated. There's a difference between sex and mating, and a ceremony that binds the individuals together. All Shifters mate for life, but it's possible to have love and a family without the ceremony. Rena and her husband were never mated, and they were happy, at least for a while."

"But he left, right? If they had mated, they would have stayed together, wouldn't they?" he asked, genuinely interested at this little snippet of a different culture.

"Not necessarily. Mating does certain things that can bring the couple closer together, make it harder to part, but it doesn't change people. If there isn't the intention to make things work, mated partners can still split. They would never be with another person, and it would hurt like hell, but sometimes it's for the best," she said sadly.

"So it's still for life, even if it doesn't work out?" Reid asked, amazed at the power of it.

"Yeah. So mating isn't always the best thing. At least Rena has the option to find happiness elsewhere if she wants to."

Reid was silent.

"Umm, Reid?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to worry. I'm not ready for that sort of thing. I mean, I'm not even eighteen for god's sake!" she laughed, feeling the tension flow from his body.

"It's not that—" he began.

"I know," she interrupted. "But in some ways we're still kids. Hell, I've only known you for a month. My parents had already had Jacob and Will before they mated."

Reid smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Besides, we have enough problems with my family, the Joint Council, the Witches, and Collins breathing down our necks. Plus you still have school to finish," she continued cheerfully, smirking as his smile dimmed at the last one.

"Yeah, well, so do you."

"Nuh-uh," she shook her head. "I got my G.E.D. remember?"

"But if you're staying in town, it'll look suspicious if you drop out of Spencer, right? You have to keep your cover." It was his turn to smirk as her face fell.

"Damn."

"This is not good."

"Nope."

"You told the Boss it was just puppy lust. Now we've got both of them confessin' love. That ain't just lust, Will," Garret drawled, pacing the small motel room.

"I know," he sighed from where he was sprawled on the bed.

"Jacob's not going to be happy when he hears about this," Rena frowned.

"I know," he sighed again.

"The boys seem to genuinely feel the same way, though," Rena said, her tone vaguely optimistic.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Garret asked.

"Well, at least we won't have a bunch of heartbroken, men-hating girls on our hands."

"They may still end up heartbroken, Re. None of the Councils are gonna be happy with this. As soon as our business is finished with Collins, the Witches are gonna kick us out. They'll hate the idea that the boys have split loyalties. End of story."

Rena just looked back at him, her eyes full of sorrow for her daughters.

"You shouldn't have let it get this far, Will. It's your job," Garret gently chastised.

Will sat up sharply. "It's my job to make them miserable? Bullshit! They were careful, they waited 'till we knew they weren't the ones we were looking for. I did what I could, but I'm not going to be the bad guy. You can't help who you fall in love with," he finished, giving Garret a meaningful look. The lion's eyes flicked towards Rena, but she didn't notice, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"We need to tell Jacob," she said quietly.

Will barked out a shocked laugh. "What?!"

"This could affect his dealings with the Councils. He should know. In the end, it's his choice what we do," she shrugged, obviously unhappy about what it might mean for the girls.

Garret nodded, and even Will had to admit the final call was his Alpha's. He pulled out his cell and punched in Jacob's number. He had already called his brother, telling him the basics of what had happened, but he hadn't had the time or the energy to get into the whole mess with him.

"Hi, Will," a soft voice answered from the other end of the line.

"Hey, Anna. How're you doing?"

"Good, except I feel like a beached whale most of the time," light laughter followed. "Much better now we know you're all okay, we were so worried when we thought… Anyway, did you want to speak to Jake? He's around here somewhere," her voice grew muffled as her hand covered the mouthpiece, but Will could still hear her. "Jacob! Get your cute ass over here, Will's on the phone!"

"What's up?" his brother asked after a moment.

"Hold up, I'm putting you on speaker, Garret and Rena are here too." Will tapped the button, then set his cell on the table sitting between the three of them.

"What's wrong? Why aren't Tal and Jess there, too?"

"Well, that's what we need to talk to you about," Rena said after a moment of silence.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice tied between worry and exasperation.

"There's not easy way to say this," Garret began, "so I'm just gonna say it. Jess and Tal are, well, they're in love. With Simms and Garwin, I mean," he finished, scratching his head.

There was a gusty sigh. "How bad?"

"Completely," Will admitted. "Jess and Tyler are joined at the hip. And Tal, well, you know she's never interested in guys, but now…"

"Damn, this is trouble. What about the boys?"

"They're boys teenage boys. What d'ya think they're like?" Garret drawled.

"Rena?" Jacob asked.

She was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "They're good boys. Garwin is a little wild, maybe, but Tal can handle him. Tyler is very sweet, he even said that if Jess had to leave, he'd find some way to come with her, and I have no doubt that Garwin would do the same for Tal. The other two are trustworthy too, they seem very loyal as friends."

Jacob was silent.

"We need to know how to handle this, once the Witches find out what's going on, they're gonna flip their shit and appeal to the Joint Council," Will prompted.

"So I can either back up the girls, probably screw up everything we've built up with the Witches and the Council, and risk loosing all the allies we have, or I can order them back and have my sisters hate me forever."

"Pretty much," Garret answered sympathetically.

Jacob's answer was immediate. "Fuck the Council and fuck the Witches. Family comes first, always. You have my support." And that was why he was Alpha. Pack came first. No question.

They were not meeting in a clandestine location. The wind was not howling, the thunder was not booming, and lightning was not flashing across the sky.

Instead, the very important meeting between the Sons of Ipswich and the Witches Council took place in the conference room of the Sheraton Hotel in nearby Danvers, with weak spring sunlight arcing through the windows. Drinks and pastries were laid out on a sideboard, and tea was already steaming gently in mugs in front of the Witch representatives.

They themselves were not what one would expect. There were no hooked noses, not pointy hats and not a single wart between them. There were three older women, the eldest with her grey hair pulled into an elegant French twist, looked perhaps sixty-five, seventy at the most. The other two looked around fifty, one thin and severe, and the other plump and round. Accompanying them were three younger Witches, Agents, not diplomats.

One was male, tall and thin, his tilted eyes quick, observing everything. If he was unhappy at being the only male present, it didn't show on his blank face. The other two were slightly younger than him, one tall with frizzed red hair, and the other short, with shoulder length dark brown curls. They were three that had questioned Ophelia, Will and Talia before.

As the Sons walked into the room, all eyes fixed on them. They well dressed well, in the same suits they had worn for the gala last week.But the witch's eyes widened at who came in behind them.

Willem and Garret were next, all controlled menace. Then Ophelia, Alejandra and Sarah, with Talia, Rena and Jess pulling up the rear. They were dressed less formally than the Sons, with the Shifters wearing loose, easy to remove clothing, Jess and Rena in summer dresses, Talia, Will and Garret in jeans and tees.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The grey haired woman blustered. "This is a Witch matter, you have no right to be here!"

"We invited them, grandma," Reid smirked.

"Reid," Caleb said in a warning tone. He turned back to the group sitting at the table. "I'm sorry is we caused offence, but they're our friends and we want them here. We don't know much about your world, you can't blame us for wanting someone here to explain it to us," he finished, his tone polite, but with an edge that meant it clear that there would be no negotiations on this point.

The old woman pursed her lips but said nothing. The slim older woman leaned forward, looking at Garret. "You understand the consequences of refusing our jurisdiction here. Your Alpha will not be pleased," she said, her tone smug.

Garret stepped aside, letting Will step forward. "We're not disputing your rights here, but we are here as allies. Oh, and our Alpha has given us full support."

The woman's face fell, and a shocked look passed over the others.

"Very well then," the grey haired woman began. "Let us begin. I am Ms. Teasdale. These are my associates, Ms. De Laurio," she nodded at the plump woman to her left, "and Ms. McKenna, and the Agents Faulkner," the redhead, "Ndefo," the brunette, "and Yukemura."

Caleb nodded, taking the lead. "Caleb Danvers. This is Reid Garwin, Tyler Simms and Pogue Parry." They all nodded, although Reid's was more smirk than anything. "Jess and Rena Li, Garret Rawlins, Alejandra Quintero, Ophelia Arjuo and Willem and Talia Sarka."

Will grinned at Agent Ndefo. "We've met." A blush spread rapidly across her coffee-colored cheeks.

"Yes, I believe these Agents are the ones that…accidentally investigated you," she replied, having the good grace to at least sound embarrassed, even if she didn't look it.

Reid tensed but held steady.

"Well, let's make things straightforward, hmm? You are Lost Witches. You will agree to follow Council Law, and in return you will have our protection, and access to approved resources, which will be accessed via a Council appointed liaison. You will be expected to swear the oath that all Witches swear at their coming of age," Ms. Teasdale answered disinterestedly, as if there was no decision to make at all.

"You will be expected to follow Council directives, of course. No compliance with any of these will result in you being considered rogues and you will be hunted down by Council Agents," Ms. McKenna added, her tone deadly serious.

"We understand," Caleb began.

"Excellent. Now if you'll just—"

"However," Caleb continued, ignoring Ms. Teasdale, "we understand something else. Our power is rare, and strong. If we stood against you, we'd no doubt loose, but not before causing a lot of problems. So we have a few terms of our own."

All of the occupants of the room, including the Shifters, gaped in shock.

"We will swear to your laws. We will accept Council control. However, we will be in charge of this area, we will take care of any problems that arise. We will choose our own allies, under the understanding that they are only allying with us, and not the Council as a whole. Wewill be consulted regarding anything that goes on in our territory. All charges will be dropped against Ms. Arujo and we will choose who the liaison is."

The Sons were staring down the Witches, all in perfect agreement.

After a moment, Ms. Teasdale took a shaky breath. "Do you understand what you are demanding for us? Do you understand the consequences?" She was nearly shaking in fury.

Behind the Sons, the Shifters tensed, as did the Agents, all readying for a fight.

Caleb said one word. "Yes."

Ms. Teasdale blinked. The Agents took a hesitant step forward, waiting for their queue.

"Enough," Ms. De Laurio said quietly. It was like a switch had been flipped. The Agents immediately stepped back to their initial positions, and the two other Council members sat back in their seats. "I believe we can come to some sort of arrangement."

"But—" Ms. Teasdale began.

"Shut up, Elspeth," Ms. De Laurio said without looking at her. The old woman's mouth snapped shut with and audible click of teeth. "A special contract will need to be drawn up, the legal department loves any excuse. I see no reason why we should send much needed Agents up here if you will take responsibility for monitoring the area. These three will be staying in the area until this is all sorted," she said firmly, showing that despite ceding to Caleb's demands, she would not be ordered around. "We will also need the name of the witch you wish to be the liaison."

Caleb nodded, but it was Pogue who answered. "Alejandra Quintero."

"What?! But she's a Void!" Ms. Teasdale sneered. Alex was looking just as shocked as the rest of them.

"Elspeth, I won't tell you again!" A smile twitched around Ms. De Laurio's mouth as she turned back to them. "Agreed. This should prove very…interesting."

Arrangements were made for meeting in two week's time, and the witches filled out, the Agents shooting them assessing glances.

Once the room was cleared and they were left alone, Garret turned to them, a huge grin on his face.

"Holy shit! Jacob's gonna love hearin' this!"