AN: This chapter is dedicated to one of my wonderful readers, D'Blacq. Your reviews keep me going! The first part of the chapter I decided to add specifically for you. It was all going to be revealed anyway; I just chose to move it up a few chapters. Please ignore my sloppy attempt at SA slang; it's been a number of years since any of it rolled off my tongue. Hope you all enjoy the chapter.

AIN't ALWAYS GOING TO BE GOLD

Part 2

Kenny walked home from school most days. His parents were both in the medical field his dad a clinical pharmacist and his mom a world-renowned neurosurgeon, and their professional lives left little time for something as mundane as picking up him from school. For the most part his parents' busy work schedules did not bother him, but on days like today he wished he had at least one of them to talk to on the way home. The announcement of Ruth Ianos's placement at the school left him with a burning nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach. The feeling was only slightly ameliorated by the news that Zach was named King Arthur for the school's play.

Back in South Africa Kenny would have turned to his grandfather for advice on such matters. The old man always knew exactly what to say and do; he was the wisest man Kenny knew. His death in a supposed robbery was what had spurred his parents into relocating their family to the wonderful city of San Francisco. His older sister, Elizabeth or Beth for short, loved the city. He on the other hand felt like he did not belong. His life and friends were all back in South Africa. All of their belongs were still back in their old home. Their dad was planning to return next month to pack up and ship the items they still wanted.

The only bright spot in this whole nightmare of his life was meeting Zach Halliwell. The blond teen had taken him under his wing and introduced him to the teen's group of friends. Somehow, he and Matthew Halliwell had clicked and were fast on the way to becoming very good friends. The only problem was Kenny had a secret. It was a secret even he was not supposed to know. He was adopted.

Kenny reached the trolley stop nearest the school and hopped onto the stopped trolley. He paid the fair by waving his phone over credit card machine and found a seat next to a sleeping old woman surrounded by fill grocery bags. Sighing he slipped his backpack off and cradled it on his lap.

Being adopted was not a problem. He loved his parents; he could not even bring himself to call them his adopted parents. They were his parents. The problem stemmed from his biological parents. It was a problem he discovered on his tenth birthday.

It was tradition for his family to go away for the weekend of any of their birthdays. Most often these trips were simple jaunts to one of the many natural attractions South Africa had to offer. For his tenth birthday, however, his parents had arranged for them to go to Paris for the whole week. Again his sister was more excited about the trip than he was, but even though he preferred taking photographs of nature than architecture he reasoned Paris was pretty enough.

The trip started off normal enough. They visited all the usual tourist attractions and ate at amazing restaurants. He even tried escargot and found it to be more appetizing than he thought. The dish would never be one he ordered again, but he would not pass if someone offered it to him. The trouble started when his parents went to attend some symposium at the nearby university and left his sister to look after him at the hotel. His sister took this to mean she could boss him around and be as annoying as an older sibling can be. After the tenth time of being asked to go fetch something for her, he had had enough. He decided to take a walk around town without telling Beth.

Their hotel was across the street from a park, and he chose to take his camera and see what he could find to photograph in the park. The park was mostly deserted except for a few homeless people. He wondered around absorbed in capturing photographs and was not paying attention to his surroundings. One moment he was looking through his viewfinder trying to get the right angle on a tree, and the next he was staring at the nude torso of a very large male.

"What do we have here?" asked the man in a gruff voice.

Kenny whimpered. "Nothing, I was just going…"

The man sniffed the air and growled. "This is my territory!"

Confused Kenny nodded his head and backed away. The man reached out and caught him by the arm. Kenny yelled but the world around him shimmered and turned into a fire lit cave. Terrified he pulled free of the man's grasp and ran. Something blue, round, and hot crashed into the ground in front of him leaving a scorch mark. He tripped over his feet trying to stop and toppled to the jagged floor.

"What are you doing in my territory?" yelled the man, holding another of the blue balls in his hand.

Kenny sniffled. "Taking pictures."

"Taking pictures," mocked the man and he threw the ball at Kenny.

Kenny screamed and held up his hand to protect his face. Thick and thorny vines leapt out of the palms of his hand and formed a shield of sorts. The energy ball smashed into his newly formed shield. The impact threw Kenny back onto the floor, knocking the wind out of him.

"An elemental?"

Kenny blinked away the bright flashes in his vision. He held up the shield at a complete loss for words. He knew about magic; everyone did. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would have powers. The man who assumed to be a demon advanced on him, and he threw his shield at him. The demon knocked the feeble disc aside with his thick arm.

"Who are you?"

Kenny clambered to his feet. Eyes jotted around the room for an exit. "What are you?"

The demon laughed and formed another energy ball. "A newbie? It's almost cruel to kill a newbie."

Kenny watched with widening eyes as the demon threw a third energy ball at him. The energy ball was millimeters from his face. He could feel the heat scorching away his eyebrows. The world shimmered and the energy ball disappeared.

"What?"

The demon looked as shocked as Kenny felt.

"No witch can shimmer."

The demon charged at his conjuring an athame. Kenny threw out his hands automatically. A fire ball sprang to life in his open palm. The demon ran straight into his hands, impaling itself on the large fire ball. Kenny shrieked as the demon turned to ash and blew passed him. He blinked and found himself back in the park right next to his broken camera.

The trolley reached the end of its run, and Kenny climbed off still lost in thought. The incident in Paris spurred on an intense Internet search about magic. He discovered what an elemental was, and that he could only be an elemental if one of his parents were one as well. He had confronted his parents, and they acted like he was crazy.

It was a year later when he finally uncovered the truth about his ancestry. He caught his parents arguing late one night. His mother wanted to keep him in the dark still, and his dad thought it was cruel to not tell him. His mother won, but he had learned that he was adopted. It did not take a lot of searching to find his birth certificate and the adoption papers. Along with the papers was a letter written by his biological father. The letter spelled out everything, including that he was an elemental and that his mother had been a powerful sorceress, one of the last surviving members of The Order. She had died in childbirth, and his dad unable to deal with his grief had given him up.

Kenny reached the house he was supposed to call home. It was a nice enough house with a substantial rose garden in the front and a wrap-around porch. Ignoring his rumbling stomach, he climbed the stairs to the second floor and then the second set which lead to the attic. He waved his hand in front of the knob-less door and it slid open to reveal his decked out bedroom. His parents had bought him all the best of the latest gadget in a vane hope to buy his approval of their move.

He deposited his backpack by his desk and knelt beside his bed. He reached under and pulled out a metal safe. He spun the dial, opened the safe, and withdrew a medium sized book with an intricate leather cover. The book was the only other thing his dad had left him besides the letter. It was a recounting of his dad's family history or at least the magical part of the family history, their Book of Shadows.

He flipped through the pages until he arrived at the all too familiar passage. The paragraph was written in a very loopy handwriting. It was a warning against exposure. The ancestor who had written the article witnessed her sister get persecuted and eventually was killed by people the two sisters once considered friends. Ever since his sleep over at Matt's the other week he had been debating on telling the Halliwell his secret.

A knock on the door broke Kenny out of the revelries.

"Who is it?" he yelled quickly putting away the book.

Beth knocked on the door again. "Me, domkop!"

Kenny shoved the closed safe back under his bed and walked over to the door and opened it. Blocking Beth's view into his room he stood in the middle of the doorway. "What?"

Beth twirled a few strands of her brown hair around her finger. "Mum wanted me to make sure you get your homework done."

Kenny scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. "Voetsek, Beth."

Beth rolled her eyes. "Don't tune me, boetie."

Kenny dismissed her and turned around, but she put her foot in the doorway to keep it from closing. He gritted his teeth and spun back around.

"Are you going to homecoming?" asked Beth in a consolatory tone.

Kenny squinted at her. "Yeah, you?"

Beth shrugged. "None of the boys at the school are that cute."

Kenny translated in his head; no one had asked his sister out. He was half of a mind to let her stew. Unfortunately a voice in his head very similar to their grandfather reminded him she was his sister.

"You can come with me and my friends."

Beth pulled a face. "Your nerdy friends?"

Kenny balled his hands into fists. "Actually Matt's on the baseball team, and Danny's one of the best swimmers at the school."

Beth moved her head from side to side in thought. Her dark eyes not quite meeting Kenny's grey eyes. "Alright—dankie."

"I'm meeting the guys at Zach's house before to get ready. I'll ask what the girls are doing, but I'm sure they'll be happy to have you join them."

"Who are the girls?"

"Sophie Watson and Rebecca Starling," answered Kenny.

Beth nodded and chewed on her tongue before saying, "Really, bro, thanks."

Kenny shrugged. "No worries."

Zach was the first of his group of friends to arrive in the lunchroom on Thursday. The room was already packed, but he found an empty table and sat down. Usually he would have lunch, but his parents had given him money to buy something today. With the Comedy Sports game that night Zach felt it too risky to try and eat anything and settled for a large bottle of water.

The buzz of conversations around him made it easy to forget the problems at home. This morning he had caught his dad, grandmother, and Grams arguing in the Conservatory. His dad was adamant about not unbinding his powers; that they still had other options to try out. He said that Chris had some idea that the three siblings were working on. Piper stood in the middle interjecting a voice of reason, but she was of the mind that unbinding their powers was not the worst idea. If they were attacked at least they could defend themselves. Grams wholeheartedly defended the notion that witchcraft was their family's destiny. She also said something that made his dad blow up. It actually frightened Zach to see just how powerful his dad was.

The conversation kept echoing in his head all morning. His teachers even called him out on his the lack of attention. Thankfully he had the excuse of his upcoming performance, which lessened the threatened punishments hurled at him. To say he was thankful when lunch finally rolled around would be the world's greatest understatement.

"Hey, tiger!" greeted Angela slipping into the seat right next to him.

Zach stifled a groan. "What's up, Angela?"

Angela pouted and leaned in closer. "Is that anyway to greet your girlfriend?"

"You're not my girlfriend. Aren't you dating that punk from Central High?"

Angela tittered and placed a hand on his thigh. Zach gulped. "You've always had such a wild imagination. It's one of the things I love about you."

Her hand crept further up his leg.

"Angela, what are you playing at?" he asked, hating how weak his voice sounded.

She leaned in all the way and nibbled his earlobe. "Anything you want, sweetie."

Zach pulled away and caught a flash of familiar flowing dark brown hair disappear out the nearby doors. He rounded on Angela and brushed her hand off his crotch.

"What the hell!"

Angela laughed and smiled vindictively. "Maybe I'll catch you later then, tiger." She mocked a cat clawing and got up, brushing passed a shocked Matt.

"Um, dude?" said Matt.

Zach slammed his fists on the table. "I hate her! Please, tell me it's not as bad as I think."

Matt, eyebrows raised, cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, if you are thinking that Rebecca didn't see that little display of affection then I'm sorry to burst your bubble."

"What the fu—hell is she thinking?"

Matt chuckled. "I've always told you she's an conniving bitch, and I've heard her boyfriend dumped her. She's on the prowl for a date to Homecoming."

"I'm glad you find this funny," said Zach, slumping. "I need to find Rebecca."

Sophia and Kenny joined the table.

"Were you making out with Angela? I thought we were done with that bitch," commented Sophia.

Kenny sat down. "Who's Angela?"

"Zach's ex," supplied Matt.

Sophia continued, "she the Devil incarnate. Somehow, God only knows how, she roped our innocent and adorable Zachy poo into dating her for six months. Then she crushed his fragile heart in her talons and hopped onto her next ride."

Zach glared at Sophia. "She did not crush my heart, and it's not fragile."

Sophia shrugged. "Whatever, Romeo, but I'd try and get to Rebecca before she hears about this."

"Uh—she saw it, Soph," intoned Matt.

Zach stood up. "Who needs enemies when they can friends like you."

He stormed off. He burst out of the cafeteria with every intention of finding Rebecca. He made it three paces down the hallway before his day went from bad to worse. Peter stalked out of the boy's bathroom with a couple of the members of the swimming team in tow.

"Oh look, it's the freak."

Zach pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not today, Peter."

Peter grinned. "What's wrong, freak?"

"I just want…"

Peter cut him off. "You just want? Who the fuck cares what the freak wants?"

Zach squeezed his hands into tight fists. "Get out of my way, Peter, please."

Danny walked out of the bathroom. "What's up, Pete?"

Peter greeted his teammate with a clap on the back. "Just showing the freak his place in the world."

Danny's smile faded. "Let's go get some lunch, guys."

Peter shook his head. "No. We need to finish the freak's lesson."

Danny stepped in front of Peter and placed a hand on his chest. "Dude, this isn't smart. A teacher could come down the hall at any moment."

Peter batted Danny's hand aside. " He's been strutting around school all high and mighty all week. First he has the gall to go on a date with Rebecca, and then he gets the lead role in that crappy play. No, he needs some sense knocked back into him. He needs to be reminded that his kind don't belong here. They need to go back into the shadows and sewer."

Zach threw the first punch or at least he tried to. Someone caught his arm and pulled him back. He kicked and heard Andrew yell out in shock and pain. Andrew's grip slacked and Zach charged forward. Danny blocked him from reaching Peter. Clearly Danny's level head won out with their other teammates. They held Peter in place.

"Zach! Stop!" shouted Danny.

Zach tried to get passed Danny, but the older boy was far too quick and nimble. Tiring, he stood up straight and flattened his clothes. He glared at everyone, including Danny and Andrew. Hastily he walked away ignoring Andrew's calls. As soon as he was out of sight he broke into a run and continued running until he reached the school's front doors. The doors were not locked and no one was standing guard. He hesitated for a moment, leaving school grounds without permission would disqualify him from competing tonight. Peter's words rang in his ears, and all thoughts of Comedy Sports left his mind. He ran out the doors and down the street.

Running was not one of his past times, but he did go running regularly with Matt. It did not surprise him to find himself a good twenty blocks away from school before he started to feel winded. He slowed to a walk and took in his surroundings. He was not far away from the Bay Mirror, the newspaper his Aunt Phoebe, once worked at; he turned the corner and headed in the general direction of the newspaper's headquarters.

Fate, destiny, and chance must get some sick pleasure out of making life a living nightmare for humanity. When it came to his family and him in particular the universe must hate them. Everything that could go wrong did. He hated that fact of being a Halliwell. They never seemed to catch a break. He dug his hand into his pocket for his phone only to find it not there. He had left it in the front pocket of his backpack, which was currently stuffed in his locker.

His dad's office was downtown near the Bay Mirror, but he could count on one hand the number of times had had been to the building. His Uncle Chris's offices were more recognizable but on the other side of town. He should turn around and walk back to school. The punishment would be far less severe if he did not make his parents come fetch him from some random part of the city.

"I do hope you have a very good reason for not being at school."

Zach jumped and clutched his chest. "How'd you find me?"

His dad stepped out of the alleyway he must have orbed into. "I'm your father, Zachary."

"Right."

Wyatt bent down to eye level with his son. "What's wrong?"

Zach laughed hollowly. "Where do I begin?"

"How about at the beginning?"

"My lunch period is nearly over," said Zach.

Wyatt checked his watch. "And how were you planning on getting back in time?"

Zach shuffled his feet.

Wyatt's eyes narrowed. "Right, we'll discuss it later. Let's get you back to school."

His dad offered a hand and Zach took it. They stepped back into the alleyway and vanished into a swirl of orbs. They reappeared across the street from his school. Wyatt guided him back into the school's office.

Ruth Ianos was seated at the office manager's desk when they walked in. "Good afternoon, Wyatt."

Wyatt smiled. "Hello, Ruth, I heard you got a job at the school. Congratulations."

Ruth grinned. "Thank you. I take it you are here to drop off young Zachary. We had heard he left school in a bit of a hurry."

Wyatt nodded. "Yes, sorry, that's my fault. I forgot to call in earlier and say I'd be taking him to lunch."

Ruth pursed her lips. "It is against school policy for a student to leave the premise with prior permission during school hours."

"Like I said, my fault. It won't happen again."

"Since it is Zach's first offense as far as I know, we will chalk it down to a simple misunderstanding. Off you pop to your next class, Zachary," said Ruth sweetly.

Wyatt bobbed his head. "Thank you, Ruth."

"Let's not make a habit of it."

Wyatt squeeze Zach's shoulders. "I'll see you after school."

"Yeah, thanks."

Zach walked through the office. As he passed the principle's office the hairs on the back of his neck tingled. He shivered and hurried to make it to biology.

"Sorry, Mrs. Carter," he said as he stepped into the classroom.

Mrs. Carter nodded at him. "Take a seat."

The only open seat was next to Angela. He groaned and trudged over to her. Only after he sat down did he remember his backpack was still in his locker. Angela nudged him and slid her book over to him so that they could read the chapter together. Begrudgingly he accepted her help and set to work reading the chapter. Throughout the period Angela acted like nothing had happened at lunch, and when the bell rung she got up and left before he could thank her if he had been so inclined.

He quickly collected his backpack from his locker and rushed over to his next class. In geometry he deliberately sat in the seat closest to Mr. Pink's desk. Andrew and Kenny both gave him quizzical looks when they entered the room, but neither approached him. They took their usual seats in the middle of the classroom. Mr. Pink opted to spend the period reviewing material that would be on their exam the following day.

Kenny was the first one to catch up to him after class. The smaller teen pulled him to the side of the corridor with a look of deep concern on his face.

"Are you ok?"

Zach forced a smile. "Of course, everything's peachy."

Kenny did not look convinced. "Did you talk to Rebecca?"

"None of your damn business," snapped Zach.

Kenny held up his hands in defeat. "Just wondering, dude. I'm sure she'll understand once you explain everything."

Andrew found them. "What the hell was that with Peter, dude?"

Kenny frowned. "Peter?"

"Zach, here, went psycho on his ass during lunch. If Danny and I hadn't stopped them we'd probably be bailing them out of jail about now."

Kenny eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"No, now explain. Peter's always an asshole. What got to you today?"

"That might have something to do with Angela's little coup d'état in the caf."

Andrew copied Kenny's frown. "What's Angela done now?"

"She was all lovey-dovey on Zach, and Rebecca saw."

Andrew mouthed, "Oh."

Zach pulled his fingers through his hair. "What am I going to do?"

"You're going to explain things to Rebecca, and I'm going to have a sit down with Angela," said Andrew cracking his knuckles.

Ms. Quinn interrupted them. "Mr. Halliwell, come with me. The rest of you, off to class."

Andrew and Kenny did not have Ms. Quinn as a teacher and did not realize just how severe her voice sounded. Zach knew he was in deep trouble and followed the drama teacher without a word to his friends. Despite her short stature Ms. Quinn commanded a great deal of respect from students. As they walked against the flow of teens rushing to class Ms. Quinn created a break in the throng. They made it to the auditorium without a single kid jostling into them.

"After you," said Ms. Quinn waving him in.

Zach followed directions.

"Sit."

He sat down in the closest chair.

Ms. Quinn crossed her arms and stared at him with her brown eyes. "So you thought it'd be funny to sneak off school during lunch?"

"Ms. Quinn…" he started but fell silent.

"Not only did you leave school without permission, but you got into a fight with your fellow students. These are not the actions of someone I want to represent this school. Tell me one good reason I should not cut you from the team, Mr. Halliwell."

Zach chocked. He had thought the administration might stop him from participating tonight but not Ms. Quinn. She was always to first to go to bat for one of her students.

Ms. Quinn tapped her foot impatiently. "I am waiting."

"Err—Ji—Ms. Quinn, I can explain."

"There is no excuse for fighting. None. You and this Peter Thomas have had a number of rows at school. I do not care what it is he has done to you. YOU DO NOT FIGHT!"

Zach shook in his seat. He had never seen Ms. Quinn this angry.

"The office, this Ruth Ianos, has given an explanation for your abrupt departure during lunch. The administration has chosen to not ban you from any school activities because of this break in the school's rules. Unprovoked attacks on your fellow students, however, cannot be overlooked. It has been my advice that they ban you from all extra-curricular activities for a week."

"BUT…" Ms. Quinn eyes flashed and he shut up.

"For whatever reason Dr. Ianos overruled my recommendation."

Zach breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am still responsible for the reputation of the school's Comedy Sports team and drama department. You will not be allowed to participate in tonight's tournament, and if you set a toe out of line again, Mr. Halliwell, I will remove you from the school's play."

Zach gulped. "But, Ms. Quinn, tonight."

"That is my final decision on the matter. I will inform the team. You are dismissed."

Zach slowly got out of his seat, his mind reeling. Knowing it would be pointless to argue he left quietly. Mr. Cole did not even acknowledge his tardiness when he arrived for Health class. He took his seat in the pair of desks he shared with Rebecca; only Rebecca was not there. He surreptitiously looked around the room for her but she was absent. The class dragged on as Mr. Cole went over the female reproductive cycle. Zach did not pay him any attention. He was off the Comedy Sports team, at least for tonight, and when Corey heard about his ban there was a good chance he would be removed from the team permanently. He could not catch a break today. The bell rang, and his three friends surrounded him almost instantly.

"What did Ms. Quinn want?" asked Andrew, taking Rebecca's seat.

Zach swallowed down the frog in his throat. "She's banned me from tonight's tournament."

"What!" yelled Matt.

Kenny still trying to gain the lay of the land looked mildly confused. "That sucks."

Matt threw his hands in the air. "It's more than sucks. Without you we're going to get slaughtered."

"Guys, I don't care about tonight," said Zach and half meant it.

Ms. Quinn's punishment did bother him, but he had a bigger concern.

"Where's Rebecca?"

Matt lowered his eyes. "Amber told me she went home sick after lunch."

"Sick?"

Matt offered him an apologetic smile. "Have you tried texting her?"

Zach pulled out his phone and saw two missed calls from his dad. "No, but don't you do something like this in person?"

None of hi friends had an answer for him.

"Let's go. I'm in enough trouble already without being late."

Grounded. On top of the worst day in the history of the world his parents had decided to ground him. Zach was thankful that his grandmother was able to persuade his parents to postpone the initiation of his punishment until after the dance. The only problem was he was not sure if he wanted to go to the dance. Rebecca still had not texted him back.

"This day sucks."

Matt who lay on his bed chucking a tennis ball against the wall and catching it laughed. "It could be worse."

Pax, Zach's brown and white Shih Tzu, barked every time the tennis ball soared over her head. Matt gave up on his teasing and chucked the ball across the room. The tiny dog bounded off the bed and chased after the ball.

"But hey, at least Pax is back from the vet."

Zach shook his head. "Grounded for a week."

Matt sat up. "If I had run out of school my mother would have whipped my ass and grounded me until next century. You got off easy, my man."

"Why hasn't she texted me back?"

Matt shrugged and focused on getting the ball away from Pax. He may be the youngest of the four cousins, but even he knew that conversation would only ended badly. Instead he chose to lend Zach emotional support by hanging out. Talking was for parents or friends who were not him. He finally freed the ball from Pax's death bite and threw it again.

Zach slammed his phone on his desk. "I need to get out of here."

Matt perked up. "I can help with that."

"What?"

Matt grinned. "Come on, how many times have I snuck out of my house?"

Zach arched an eyebrow. "And how many times have you been caught sneaking back in?"

"Details, details. Let's worry about one thing at a time."

"Matt, I can't sneak out, or did you forget about the part where my dad can track me anywhere I go."

Matt shivered. "It's kinda creepy. Your whitelighter shouldn't be your dad. They have to keep watch over you, and what if you want to get lucky?"

Zach heaved in exasperation. "Seriously? How do you turn every conversation we have into one about sex?"

"Simple. I'm a teenage boy. What's your excuse?"

Zach mocked laughed. "Why are we even friends?"

"Got me. I like Mike and Rich way more than you."

Zach genuinely smiled. "Wonder how their trip to India is going."

"Knowing them they're having a blast and getting into all sorts of trouble."

Zach picked Pax up and set her on his lap. "Have you heard anything about the tournament?"

Matt cringed. "Yeah, Sophie had to go. She texted me a few minutes ago."

"And?"

"It doesn't matter…"

Zach covered his face with his hands. "They're going to kill me."

"Of course not. Why would they? It's not your fault Ms. Quinn is such a stickler for the rules. Dr. Ianos said you could compete."

Zach chewed on his lip. "How bad was it?"

Matt picked up his phone and held it out for Zach to see. On the screen showed a picture of Corey and the rest of the team holding up a massive trophy. They had won. Zach breathed out. He closed his eyes. They had won.

"Oh my God!"

Matt nodded. "It seems Corey stole the show."

Zach held a hand over his mouth. "We won."

"Yeah."

Zach jumped up and punched the air. "OH MY GOD!"

Matt petted the shocked Pax. "You alright?"

Zach grinned from ear to ear. "What? We won! Of course I'm alright. Fuck that, I'm fantastic!"

"They won without you."

"Who cares? We won! Do you realize how big this is? The school hasn't won in like three decades!"

Matt watched Zach jump around the room in amazement. "I didn't know you had this much school spirit."

Zach blinked still grinning. "Wins mean funding."

"Whatever."

Zach laughed. "Matt, this is the first good news I've had all day. Let me enjoy it, please."

"Um, dude," said Matt pointing at Zach's phone.

Zach looked down, vaguely wondering why the phone was on vibrate, and recognized the number.

"Answer it!"

Zach ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. Shaking, he picked up the phone and pressed the accept button.

"Hello?"

Rebecca's hoarse voice issued from the phone's speaker. "Hi."

Zach started pacing up and down unsure what to say next. "Uh…"

"Zach—please…"

Zach shook his head. "Don't say it. Rebecca, no."

Rebecca sniffled. "Stop texting me."

Zach opened his mouth to speak, but she hung up the phone. He carried on walking back and forth; phone held against his ear. His eye burned, and a lump grew deep in his throat. He could not look at Matt, but he heard his cousin climbing off the bed.

"Come on. Let's go."

Zach blinked rapidly, but the look on Matt's face showed he failed to trick him. "What?"

Matt opened the bedroom door. "Let's go. No one breaks up with my best friend over the phone. Let's go."

"I'm grounded," argued Zach weakly. He felt an intense desire to crawl under his blankets and never come back out.

Matt rolled his eyes and stomped over to Zach. He grabbed hold of his older cousin's forearm and dragged the blond out of the room and down the stairs. He released Zach when they reached the dinning room where the adults were seated.

He coughed loudly. "We are going out for a sec. Be back before curfew."

Chris arched an eyebrow. "Matt, we are about to go."

Matt cocked his head to one side. "Fine, Wyatt, can drive me back."

Serena stood up. "You're not going anywhere, young man." Chris tugged her back into her seat.

Zach rubbed his hands together nervously. "It's ok, man."

"No, we can fix this."

"Fix what?" asked Sarah, casually watching the exchange.

Zach imperceptibly shook his head. "Nothing. I'll…"

Matt stepped on Zach's foot effectively quieting the teen. He faced the two sets of parents. "Look, I know that Zach was an idiot today at school, and while I don't agree that he should be punished, it's whatever. But there is something we have to do. It's not bad or stupid or illegal. It is something that needs to be done tonight. And we're going. Ground me when we get back."

He turned around to start walking off but found his body below his neck suddenly frozen in place. Piper slowly lowered her outstretched hands.

"I really wish I could have done that when you guys were kids," she said sweetly.

Wyatt waved his hand and unfroze Matt. "Does this have anything to do with your actions today?"

Zach slowly met his father's concerned gaze. "Yeah."

"And you won't tell us about it?" continued Wyatt.

Zach shrunk back. "No."

Wyatt glanced over at Sarah. "What do you think?"

Sarah shrugged. "They can't go alone. Not with everything going on, but I know my wonderful nephew. He's an escape artist."

Chris actually chuckled but stopped when Serena gave him a severe look.

Wyatt bobbed his head. "Alright, I'll drive you."

"No!" exclaimed Zach.

"Sorry, kiddo, but if you want to go do whatever you want to do its this or we give you both sleeping draughts."

Zach cringed, but Matt nodded. "Fine."

Wyatt stood up. "I can drop him off later."

Chris and Serena pushed their seats back. "Don't worry about it. We can wait."

Serena started clearing the table, and Piper joined her in the kitchen to wash the dishes. Sarah started a conversation with Chris, while Wyatt disappeared to collect his keys. Zach and Matt were left standing awkwardly in the entranceway.

"Why did that feel too easy?" asked Zach.

Matt clucked his tongue. "Because it was."

"I don't want to do this in front of my dad."

"I'll think of something," said Matt quietly.

Wyatt returned with keys in hand. "Let's go, kiddos."

Zach and Matt led the way out of the Manor and both climbed into the back seat of Wyatt's car. Wyatt climbed in and glanced at them in the rearview mirror.

"Where to?"

Matt spoke up. "Rebecca's house."

When his dad's expression did not change Zach knew his parents at least suspected the reason for the day's events. He had a sneaking suspicion magic was involved and felt slightly violated. At the end of the day it was his life, and he should be able to live it however he pleased without interferences from his parents. Nevertheless, he was grateful as well; it meant he would not have to explain himself.

They arrived at Rebecca's house. Matt jumped out of the car, raced around to the run, and climbed back in to the passenger seat.

"So, Wyatt, how's life?"

Wyatt crossed his arms. "Rebecca doesn't know you're doing whatever you're doing."

Matt held up his hands in a familiar gesture. "Depends on your definition of know."

Zach shivered. "I can't…"

Matt turned around. "You're doing this."

"Doing what?" asked Wyatt more forcefully.

Matt faced his uncle. "Something happened at school today that Zach needs to explain to Rebecca. It's something he needs to do face to face, and here we are."

Wyatt sighed heavily. "I'm a terrible parent."

"No you're not! You're the best!" said Matt flatteringly.

"You have ten minutes. And not a words of this reaches either of your mothers."

Matt pumped his fists in the air. "Ok. Zach, do you know which room is hers?"

Zach nodded; the lump in his throat had returned.

"Perfect. Find some pebbles and get her attention. When she sticks her head out, try to convince her to meet you in the backyard. Also, best to not let her parents see you. It gets kind of messy when parents are involved," instructed Matt.

"How—no, I don't even want to know," said Wyatt softly.

Zach gulped and did not move.

Matt huffed. "God! Get going."

Setting himself up for failure, Zach slid out of the car. He crept across the lawn and to the side of the house. The lights were on in one of the upstairs' windows, Rebecca's bedroom. The flowery curtains were drawn except for a small slither in the middle. Zach bent down and gathered up a few small stones luckily lying in the flowerbed. He had never been great at sports, but his aim was not terrible. The first stone tapped against the glass; he waited a moment and threw a second one. It missed the window. The third and fourth found their mark. He was reading a fifth pebble when the curtains fluttered. Rebecca's head popped into view.

Zach held his breath and waved up at her. She spotted him and shook her head. Giving up on any form of dignity and acutely aware Matt and his dad could still see him; he clasped his hands to together and silently begged her to give him a chance. Her head disappeared, and he heart stopped. He slowly lowered his hands and turned around. A creaking sound gave him pause.

"What are you going?" Rebecca croakily shouted leaning out her open window.

Zach turned around and could not help a small smile forming. "Please, let me explain."

Rebecca shook her head. "No. Now go home, Zach."

His eyes watered up, and he sincerely hoped she could not see him that well. "Just come down and talk to me."

"Zach, you kissed another girl. What is there to discuss? And it wasn't even just some random girl, but your ex."

Zach glanced around. "She attacked me!"

Rebecca exhaled sharply. "Really? That's your excuse."

Zach shut his eyes. "It's the truth. I don't like her. She means nothing to me anymore. If I had a choice I'd willingly never see her again. If I saw her fall down in the street and there was a truck speeding toward her I wouldn't go and help her. Please…"

"You wouldn't help her?" Rebecca said, trying to fight a laugh.

Zach sensed the change in tone. "Ok, maybe that's taking it a bit too far, but honestly today—I don't know what today was. I didn't ask for it. And—and I didn't like it."

Rebecca disappeared again. Zach inched backwards trying to see anything more in her room. A light downstairs turned on and his heart speed up. If her dad came out now and saw him he would be in a lot of trouble. A door swung up and the side gate's lock clicked. Zach readied himself to sprint back to the car. He would not make it, but at least he would have done something. The gate creaked open to reveal Rebecca wrapped in a thick and fluffy deep blue robe.

"You didn't like it?" she asked softly.

Zach stepped forward, keeping his eyes on her puffy brown ones. "Not one bit."

Rebecca still kept her arms crossed protectively over her chest. "Because from what I saw you were enjoying the attention." She glanced down at his pants.

He gulped and blushed. "No. She disgusts me," he said shakily.

Zach stepped even closer and reached out. He softly brushed his finger against her cheek. Rebecca gasped at the contact. Steadily he rested his hand against her face and leant in close. He watched her eyes flutter close and closed his own, puckering his lips. Their lips met briefly. He rested his forehead against her forehead; eyes still closed.

"I don't want anyone but you," he breathed.

Rebecca shifted closer and Zach automatically wrapped his arms around her pulling her tightly against him.

"I can't—I don't want to get hurt."

"I'll never hurt you. I promised your dad, remember?"

Rebecca laughed hesitantly. "I should go. They think I'm checking for my cat."

Zach let her go but did not step away. "You have a cat?"

"Yeah, River. He was a stray that kept sitting by my window when we moved here. I'm sure I told you."

Zach shook his head. "Nope, I'd have remembered that."

Rebecca smiled. "I have to go."

Zach held up his finger. "One second."

He leaned in and kissed her again. When they broke apart they were both breathless, and Zach was keenly aware of how tight his jeans were.

"Night," said Rebecca softly, almost regretfully.

Zach licked his tingling lips. "See you tomorrow."

Rebecca's smile broadened. "Our second date."

"Yip."

"Good night, Zach." Rebecca turned to leave, but Zach caught her by the arm and spun her back around. He pecked her on the lips, leaving her knees a bit weaker.

Back in the car Matt was stretching his neck to get a better angle of Zach and Rebecca. "Can't they move into the light?"

Wyatt snorted.

Matt frowned. "What? All that work and I don't get anything out of it?"

Wyatt patted him on the knee. "Never change, kiddo."

"Don't plan to."

Wyatt nodded and turned on the engine. He smiled to himself thankful his son had Matt in his life. They were going to need each other.

AN2: First of all sorry for the week delay in the chapter. School and life got in the way. The next chapter is in the works, but may be released a bit later as well. Whenever there is a vacation during the school year professor seem intent of piling on the assignments, but that is enough complaining. The next chapter will leave you wanting more, a beloved (at least in my head) character dies—or not, you will have to wait and see.