Legacy 112: Noah's Arc

Part 7

Xxx

Present,

After parking her car in front of Sean's house, Payton took a deep breath and headed to the front door. She felt nervous as she rang the doorbell. She needed to tell Sean the truth, that she was not ready to take things to the next step. She was worried how he was going to react. She knew he had been with other girls before and he might not want to wait. However, she felt that her first time needed to be special, and she wasn't ready yet. The door opened and Sean appeared.

"Hi." Payton said.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you." Sean said as he stepped out and closed the door behind him. "You didn't respond to my text yesterday."

"Sorry, I had family things going on." Payton replied.

"I get it." Sean said. "So what's up?"

"I was hoping we could talk about something." Payton said. "It's sort-of private."

"My parents and brother are in right now watching a game, but we can sit on the porch." Sean replied. "They won't hear a thing."

Payton nodded and they sat down on the steps of the porch. She was unsure how to start. Penny and Isaac were both so casual about sex, but it was still something she had trouble with discussing.

"What did you want to talk about?" Sean asked.

"Well, it's…" Payton replied nervously. "We've been dating for a while now. And I really like you."

"I really like you too, Payton." Sean said. "Were you worried about that?"

"No, it's not about that." Payton replied. "It's just, after our last date, when we were kissing and Penny interrupted us… What would have happened if she didn't?"

"What do you mean?" Sean asked confused.

"I mean… I'm talking about sex." Payton said embarrassed.

"Oh. I see." Sean replied. "What about it?"

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to." Payton said. "I know you've been with other girls. But I've… never done it. I just need to know where you stand."

"Honestly, I wanted to. I thought that was where we were heading." Sean replied.

"I don't think I'm ready for it yet." Payton admitted. "At least not yet. Is that a problem?"

"What? No of course not." Sean replied surprised. "Why would you think that? Was I pressuring you? Because that was never my intention."

"No, you weren't pressuring me." Payton quickly said. "But I could tell that you wanted to, and I wasn't sure if I could say no. Everyone thinks it's something casual, but it's not for me. I want it to be special. Maybe that makes me naive or something."

"Payton, listen." Sean said as he grabbed her hand. "I would never try to force you to do anything you're not ready for. And you're not naive. It's actually pretty cute."

"So you're not mad?" Payton asked.

"No, I'm glad you told me." Sean replied.

"But what if it takes a while before I'm ready?" Payton asked. "What if you become tired of waiting?"

"I can be patient." Sean replied. "We'll just take it slow and see what happens."

"Thank you." Payton said as she hugged him.

"Thank you for being honest." Sean replied. "So can I still kiss you, or is that off limits too?"

"You can definitely kiss me." Payton said with a smile.

"Good, because I don't think I can go without that." Sean replied.

Sean placed a hand on her knee and leaned in to kiss her. As they kissed on the porch, Payton felt relieved that she had told him the truth. He really understood and respected her choice, meaning he really was the gentleman she hoped he would be. Payton felt confident that when she was ready to make love for the first time, Sean would be the one.

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Many years ago,

In a dark plane of existence, the Avatar Alpha stood on a floating white platform. He was standing at a table that was projecting holographic images of the battle in the Heavens. He observed how Noah nearly succeeded in his rebellion and how it was stopped by Leo and Paige. Behind him, a column of orbs materialized into Calliope. Alpha turned to her and she slightly bowed her head as a sign of respect. Alpha waved his hand and the hologram faded.

"You have returned at last." Alpha said.

"Yes, but I failed." Calliope said disappointed. "Nothing played out the way we intended."

"Still, I am proud of you, Epsilon." Alpha said.

Calliope smiled faintly and was surrounded in a white glow. When the light faded, the Whitelighter had disappeared and had been replaced with a tall female Avatar with long brown hair, dressed entirely in black.

"It feels good to be myself again." Epsilon said. "I must admit I was growing restless posing as that Whitelighter all these years."

"Yes, we were lucky that she was killed by a Darklighter soon after she was reborn." Alpha noted. "It made it easy to replace her."

"But my mission failed." Epsilon said.

"It was not all in vain." Alpha replied.

"How can you say that?" Epsilon asked. "I was sent to infiltrate the Heavens and weaken the influence of the council. Noah was easy to manipulate. He was the perfect pawn. Until he fell in love with my cover. I tried to get him back on the right track, but he was just too content."

"So you faked your death, hoping that the grief would push him over the edge." Alpha said. "Smart move."

"Thank you." Epsilon said. "We almost succeeded. Noah would have created a new council, one that would be easier to sway our way. To create Utopia. Now we have nothing."

"We have something." Alpha replied. "We've proven that the council's rule is not absolute. Look how many Whitelighters were willing to turn on them. When the time is right to attempt Utopia again, we know we can convert them. That is our victory."

"It doesn't feel like a victory." Epsilon said distantly.

"I'm curious, Epsilon." Alpha noted. "All that time you spent with the boy. The relationship you shared. Were you never tempted? Did you never feel what he felt?"

"I…" Epsilon said hesitantly, and Alpha could tell there was doubt in her heart. "No, of course not. It was always about the mission."

"I see." Alpha said. "Either way, it's over for now. We will retreat until the world is ready for us."

Alpha disappeared in a flash of bright light, leaving Epsilon alone on the platform. She turned to the table and waved her hand. A hologram of Noah's face appeared. With a saddened look, Epsilon whispered goodbye and faded away.

Xxx

The End