Diana sat awkwardly in the large red leather wing backed arm chair in the large living room waiting for the gathered women to arrange themselves and stop talking. The side board was laden with a chilled bottle of white and three opened (and empty) bottles of red wine from the house's cellar.
Diana herself having taken a swig before the rest had arrived sat on her hands watching. She didn't have to wait much longer, her Aunt came back in holding a freshly opened bottle of red, she topped up a few people before pouring a very healthy measure into her own glass and came to stand by Diana.
"Ladies." She called once; the room immediately fell to order. They all took a seat on the many sofas and chairs scattered around the central coffee table.
"What's going on Heather?" An older middle aged woman with dark greying hair asked. Her eyes flickering to Diana.
"Diana." Heather prompted. Diana slowly stood and nervously wrung her hands. She took a steadying breath, focused on the framed picture of her Uncle and Mother at the back of the room and spoke.
"Today I visited the funeral of Kate Argent." Confused looks crossed many of their faces, anger crossed the others. "I have been getting closer to their youngest Alison in an effort to learn more about them so that we might be better prepared."
"Heather! You condone this?!" The woman from before snapped at her Aunt. Heather silenced her with a fierce look.
"Carry on Diana." Heather commanded. The blonde looking more and more like a warrior in her niece's eyes.
"I stayed out of sight and can identify the attendees. One in particular. I'll never forget his face." Diana steeled herself and looked into each of the women's eyes, she held their rapt attention.
"Gerard Argent."
A hiss went up in the room, several jumping to their feet and shouting. Others silent and pale.
Diana turned and pulled the glass from her Aunt's hand, taking a large gulp of the fortifying liquid.
Heather quickly took the wine back from her but her harsh look had softened to one of understanding.
"Ladies." Once again she called the room to order.
You ok? You feel like you're really nervous. Stiles asked.
I've just told the coven about Gerard.
How'd that go? Stiles asked his concern growing.
Six people are shouting about how this is my fault and the others look like they want to grab their families and run. Diana answered. So about as well as I expected it to.
Christ. Stiles swore.
"What Diana saw is not her fault. He is here because of his family, not ours." Heather said firmly, her hand coming to rest on Diana's shoulder.
"If you want to take your family and run then you are always free to do so, but know this, we have always been and will always be stronger together."
Diana rubbed her cheek guilt gnawing at her insides.
"Well of course she brought him here Heather." The vocal woman being the middle aged greying lady. "She found that Martin girl with a spell. Despite the embargo." She spat at Diana.
Diana shot to her feet at the insult.
"How dare you." Diana said her voice like poison, "All I have ever done is try to protect this Coven, you think I wouldn't let Lydia be found by the police? You think I would willingly betray you to the hunters is that it? To the man who took my mother from me?!" Diana demanded loudly. The other woman stood up in return.
"You're so chummy with the daughter, who's to say you're not passing her information about us? You wouldn't be the first in your family to help a hunter." She accused. Diana balked, her blood rising.
"You think…" Diana spluttered. Her eyes flashed and Diana could see fear behind the older woman's eyes.
"Beverly." Heather said trying to diffuse the now fast becoming source of entertainment.
"Gerard stole your mother not just from you girl. He took her from us too." Beverly spat. Diana shook with rage now,
"He didn't just take my mother from me Beverly. He stole her legacy."
Beverly scoffed,
"You were her Legacy. And may I say; some legacy." Beverly gestured to Diana. "You may look like her dear, but you aren't half the Witch your mother was. Finally the Preston line runs out."
"I remember you now." Diana scoffed a smirk growing on her face, "You're the Martin's neighbour. Neighbourhood watch wasn't it?"
"Wasn't what?" Beverly asked shocked by the sudden tone change.
"Wasn't it the only thing you can actually control? I see now," Diana looked around the room, "You resent the Preston's control of the area." Diana lent in to the older woman, "Don't make the mistake of thinking that the power in the Preston line is gone just because it ends in me and don't think that you can try to use this to wrestle control from my Aunt. She is just as much Preston as I am."
Beverly looked about the room too. She saw the annoyed glares of her fellow Witches and sat down quietly a sheepish look on her face now.
Diana smirked again retaking her seat in the armchair crossing her legs in satisfaction.
"I am recommending that we extend the embargo on magic until Gerard and his people leave our town. If you really have to cast larger spells please notify the coven before you do and only use them if absolutely necessary." Heather said regaining control of the room from her niece.
This was met with grumbling but signs of acquiescence.
"Thank you for coming so soon ladies. There is nothing else that I wish to discuss."
The women milled about a little while longer finishing their wine or sodas before leaving, catching up on how a tea or potion did or recommending a spell for a small problem. Diana and her Aunt remained where they were, a few of the women coming up to Heather and chatting, Diana mainly went ignored.
She stood to leave having grown bored of the situation and wanting to go to bed.
Diana froze; they had all turned to look at her, their gazes fixed upon her their stares expectant. She acted on instinct, it had been doing alright so far why not push it that little bit further.
"I call this emergency meeting of the Beacon Hills Coven to a close." She bowed a little then looked to her Aunt. Heather was radiating pride.
I think I just closed a Coven meeting. She buzzed to Stiles.
What? Seriously? He replied equally as excited.
Diana watched the congregated women set down their glasses on the coffee table and file orderly towards the large mirror by the living room door. One by one they stepped calmly onto the glass and vanished.
Pretty sure yeah. Diana laughed to him.
Heather rested her hand on Diana's right shoulder coming to stand before the girl. She beamed, tears welling in her yes.
"It was like looking at your Mother again." She said thickly. Diana stared wide eyed,
"This is your inheritance and you just showed that you are capable. You have to wait until you're twenty one however, but it will be yours. Preston's are leaders." Heather told her, Diana nodded not able to form words.
"Am I still grounded?" She hedged. Heather laughed,
"Oh yeah, so grounded still." She looked away from the red haired girl then, "Now, go to bed, it's late."
Diana grinned cheekily, kissed her Aunt's cheek and scarpered out of the room.
Diana herself having taken a swig before the rest had arrived sat on her hands watching. She didn't have to wait much longer, her Aunt came back in holding a freshly opened bottle of red, she topped up a few people before pouring a very healthy measure into her own glass and came to stand by Diana.
"Ladies." She called once; the room immediately fell to order. They all took a seat on the many sofas and chairs scattered around the central coffee table.
"What's going on Heather?" An older middle aged woman with dark greying hair asked. Her eyes flickering to Diana.
"Diana." Heather prompted. Diana slowly stood and nervously wrung her hands. She took a steadying breath, focused on the framed picture of her Uncle and Mother at the back of the room and spoke.
"Today I visited the funeral of Kate Argent." Confused looks crossed many of their faces, anger crossed the others. "I have been getting closer to their youngest Alison in an effort to learn more about them so that we might be better prepared."
"Heather! You condone this?!" The woman from before snapped at her Aunt. Heather silenced her with a fierce look.
"Carry on Diana." Heather commanded. The blonde looking more and more like a warrior in her niece's eyes.
"I stayed out of sight and can identify the attendees. One in particular. I'll never forget his face." Diana steeled herself and looked into each of the women's eyes, she held their rapt attention.
"Gerard Argent."
A hiss went up in the room, several jumping to their feet and shouting. Others silent and pale.
Diana turned and pulled the glass from her Aunt's hand, taking a large gulp of the fortifying liquid.
Heather quickly took the wine back from her but her harsh look had softened to one of understanding.
"Ladies." Once again she called the room to order.
You ok? You feel like you're really nervous. Stiles asked.
I've just told the coven about Gerard.
How'd that go? Stiles asked his concern growing.
Six people are shouting about how this is my fault and the others look like they want to grab their families and run. Diana answered. So about as well as I expected it to.
Christ. Stiles swore.
"What Diana saw is not her fault. He is here because of his family, not ours." Heather said firmly, her hand coming to rest on Diana's shoulder.
"If you want to take your family and run then you are always free to do so, but know this, we have always been and will always be stronger together."
Diana rubbed her cheek guilt gnawing at her insides.
"Well of course she brought him here Heather." The vocal woman being the middle aged greying lady. "She found that Martin girl with a spell. Despite the embargo." She spat at Diana.
Diana shot to her feet at the insult.
"How dare you." Diana said her voice like poison, "All I have ever done is try to protect this Coven, you think I wouldn't let Lydia be found by the police? You think I would willingly betray you to the hunters is that it? To the man who took my mother from me?!" Diana demanded loudly. The other woman stood up in return.
"You're so chummy with the daughter, who's to say you're not passing her information about us? You wouldn't be the first in your family to help a hunter." She accused. Diana balked, her blood rising.
"You think…" Diana spluttered. Her eyes flashed and Diana could see fear behind the older woman's eyes.
"Beverly." Heather said trying to diffuse the now fast becoming source of entertainment.
"Gerard stole your mother not just from you girl. He took her from us too." Beverly spat. Diana shook with rage now,
"He didn't just take my mother from me Beverly. He stole her legacy."
Beverly scoffed,
"You were her Legacy. And may I say; some legacy." Beverly gestured to Diana. "You may look like her dear, but you aren't half the Witch your mother was. Finally the Preston line runs out."
"I remember you now." Diana scoffed a smirk growing on her face, "You're the Martin's neighbour. Neighbourhood watch wasn't it?"
"Wasn't what?" Beverly asked shocked by the sudden tone change.
"Wasn't it the only thing you can actually control? I see now," Diana looked around the room, "You resent the Preston's control of the area." Diana lent in to the older woman, "Don't make the mistake of thinking that the power in the Preston line is gone just because it ends in me and don't think that you can try to use this to wrestle control from my Aunt. She is just as much Preston as I am."
Beverly looked about the room too. She saw the annoyed glares of her fellow Witches and sat down quietly a sheepish look on her face now.
Diana smirked again retaking her seat in the armchair crossing her legs in satisfaction.
"I am recommending that we extend the embargo on magic until Gerard and his people leave our town. If you really have to cast larger spells please notify the coven before you do and only use them if absolutely necessary." Heather said regaining control of the room from her niece.
This was met with grumbling but signs of acquiescence.
"Thank you for coming so soon ladies. There is nothing else that I wish to discuss."
The women milled about a little while longer finishing their wine or sodas before leaving, catching up on how a tea or potion did or recommending a spell for a small problem. Diana and her Aunt remained where they were, a few of the women coming up to Heather and chatting, Diana mainly went ignored.
She stood to leave having grown bored of the situation and wanting to go to bed.
Diana froze; they had all turned to look at her, their gazes fixed upon her their stares expectant. She acted on instinct, it had been doing alright so far why not push it that little bit further.
"I call this emergency meeting of the Beacon Hills Coven to a close." She bowed a little then looked to her Aunt. Heather was radiating pride.
I think I just closed a Coven meeting. She buzzed to Stiles.
What? Seriously? He replied equally as excited.
Diana watched the congregated women set down their glasses on the coffee table and file orderly towards the large mirror by the living room door. One by one they stepped calmly onto the glass and vanished.
Pretty sure yeah. Diana laughed to him.
Heather rested her hand on Diana's right shoulder coming to stand before the girl. She beamed, tears welling in her yes.
"It was like looking at your Mother again." She said thickly. Diana stared wide eyed,
"This is your inheritance and you just showed that you are capable. You have to wait until you're twenty one however, but it will be yours. Preston's are leaders." Heather told her, Diana nodded not able to form words.
"Am I still grounded?" She hedged. Heather laughed,
"Oh yeah, so grounded still." She looked away from the red haired girl then, "Now, go to bed, it's late."
Diana grinned cheekily, kissed her Aunt's cheek and scarpered out of the room.
Diana was suspicious. The cards had told her a great change was coming, but nothing else. It was why she disliked the cards as a way of telling, they never gave a clear answer. She had tried to other methods, the runes telling her the same thing as the cards. Even her crystal ball gave nothing up.
Eventually she accepted the fact that she would not be told anything else but to keep in mind what she had already been told. That wasn't without a fight however. She had downed three shots of Gin to help her reach a trance state by which she might glimpse more of the meaning behind the cards, but even with a helping hand from the Gin she couldn't reach a trance state.
Diana wrenched the lace curtain dividing her from her ancestors back from the mirror casting it over the right hand side of the frame in frustration.
"Diana?" Her grandmother said confused at her sudden appearance. "What's wrong?"
"I can't see!" She lamented with a growl of frustration.
"See? As in…"
"As in the sight! The fucking cards told me change was upon us but they won't tell me anything else! Every god damn time I pull from the deck it's the same three cards staring back at me. It's like they're mocking me, why are they mocking me?"
Her grandmother sighed.
"I was a charmer, stay here; I'll be back with a diviner." Her grandmother's figure faded into the background.
Diana threw her arms aloft with frustration throwing her onto the floor she sat cross legged waiting.
She listened to the old house settle around her, it was totally empty again. Simon was at a late meeting and Heather was pulling another night shift. Neither liked to be separated but they liked it even less when one was in the house without each other.
Fox on the Run burst into the silence of her room. Stiles. It was the ringtone that she had for him. She thought it was the most fitting song for him. Gypsy was his for her on his phone, the only one with a personalised ring tone.
She scrambled for it picking up the line and pressing it to her ear.
"Hey Stiles." She looked back to the still empty mirror, "You need something?"
"Yeah, could you let me in." Diana smiled, he must have picked up on her frustration through the bond. It had been three months now and the bond had matured a lot. So much so that they were easily picking up the others emotions.
Diana waved her hand; confident that her magic had opened the door.
"Yeah it's still not open." Stiles said. Diana frowned.
"Heather had probably cast it to not let me open it." She sighed, "To stop me from leaving the house."
"You got a window?" Stiles said, Diana moved round her bed to the window seat, she manually lifted the panel and waved her arm out the side of the house.
"I'm waving out of it now."
"I see you, hang on." He hung up, Diana watched as it took the boy ten minutes to scale the side of the stone house by the trellis battling round and being helped by the wisteria that grew on it.
Diana reached out her hand grasping his and pulling him in the rest of the way. She overestimated his weight and her strength however and somehow managed to pull him on top of her.
She burst into laughter at the predicament. Stiles hovered in between her legs, his arms either side of her head blushing like mad.
Gently she pushed him off of her onto the thick beige carpet.
"What are you doing here Stiles?" She asked turning her head to look at him lying like her on the floor.
"You seemed frustrated." He shrugged, "Thought I could help."
Diana rolled her eyes,
"In other words the full moon is in two days and you've prepared so much that you're now bored."
Stiles looked a little guilty.
"Yeah." He admitted. Diana shook her head pulling herself up and back to the mirror.
Stiles then took in the state of her room. Rune stones scattered all over her floor, cards strewn over her bed as if they were thrown in anger and several large candles on her vanity by her little mirror.
"You ok?" He asked, Diana rubbed her face with both hands.
"No." She snapped, "I'm not." She gestured to the Tarot cards on her bed. "I got the urge to pull from the deck just before Lydia disappeared and ever since then I have only been able to pull the same three cards, even the runes say the same thing. I can't cast any divination spells; I can't even enter a trance for one of the easy ones. Nothing." Diana sat heavily before the mirror in the same position as before, only now her hands were covering her face.
Stiles swallowed heavily. He got the feeling although he didn't understand it really, that this was big shit.
"You won't be able to see anything different until after the full moon. Or after the great change occurs."
"That's great Stiles, how did you get to know so much in two seconds?" Diana snapped.
"Umm, Diana." Stiles fumbled. "It wasn't me."
Diana's head shot up from her hands. A turn of the century Witch faced her in the mirror. A very curt look on her face as she considered Diana.
Diana groaned flopping back against the bed. Stiles moved round to sit beside her.
"Stiles, meet Aunt Lucinda. Also known as the single most disapproving member of my family." Diana said mockingly.
"Do you want my help or not?" Lucinda sassed. Diana rolled her eyes.
"Depends what you want in return." Diana sassed in return.
"No more of that 'Rock' music. We can hear it in here the volume that you play it." Lucinda said pursing her lips trying to look dignified.
"No." Diana said leaning forwards pulling the curtain back across the glass. It twitched wildly in response. Diana leant back to the bed again, Stiles leaning against the bed post next to her.
"So I take it not all of your family is so much fun." Stiles exhaled. Diana smirked,
"Nope. You really get a flavour for the eras." Diana tipped her chin to the sloped ceiling. A beat of silence dripped between the pair.
"I can't shake the feeling something's about to happen. Something big."
"How big?"
Diana mimed and explosion.
"Big enough to blow a hole in reality big." She said forlornly. "I just can't quite figure out what it is."
"You'd tell me if you found out though right?" Stiles asked worried. Diana just laughed in response.
"Of course. I can't have you getting hurt."
Stiles flopped back against the bedpost in relief.
"I managed to get a chain for Scott's moon today." Stiles opened, Diana looked at the boy then. He was his usual self, dressed in a flannel shirt over a T with jeans and a pair of sneakers but something was off, he was playing with his hands as if he couldn't bring himself to say something.
"That's great. Now spit it out."
"You know just once, I wish I could tell you something without you forcing it out of me." Stiles groused. Diana smiled. Stiles sat there for a second,
"Do you like Isaac?" He blurted. Diana looked at him puzzled.
"Sure. He's great." Diana said still wondering what he was getting at. Stiles blushed and shook his head.
"No, I mean. Do you, you know, like him." Stiles said again trying to make his meaning clear.
"Oh." Diana said suddenly realising the actual question.
Stiles met her eyes then, his whiskey eyes betraying the emotion that he felt.
Diana weighed it up in her mind, her slipper suddenly becoming fascinating. She shrugged.
"I've never really thought about him that way. Why?"
Stiles sighed whether in relief or frustration Diana was not certain. Deciding she suddenly needed tea she stood going to her wall of shelves on the left hand side of her bedroom door where at chest height there was a tiny cupboard built into the shelf height, opening it and with a precision that comes from practice pulled out a soda can sizes jar. It was full of dried leaves.
"What's that?" Stiles asked watching her every move. Diana smiled down at him,
"Tea. Well specifically Russian Caravan tea." She lifted out a small silver jam spoon and metal mesh ball on a chain and took all of them to her desk where a large re-usable Starbucks coffee cup was.
"Aqua." She spoke into the empty cup. Stiles got to his feet amazed at the casual use of magic. The cup filled from the bottom up with crystal clear water.
"Calor in aqua." She commanded, the water beginning to steam she set it down on the white wooden desk. Diana casually opened the jar then set that down on the desk next to the hot water. Stiles watched from her shoulder as she used the flat based spoon to scoop out some of the dried leaves that reeked of smoke and put them into the metal ball.
"What is that?" Stiles backed away asking again. "It stinks."
"Smoked tea. It has the brilliant ability to taste like a log fire in Autumn." Diana beamed. She loved that tea was a part of magic, the little ritual around the brewing of the leaves and the instruments all reminiscent of magical processes.
She offered it to Stiles who hesitantly took a sip looking to Diana a couple of times.
"Holy crap." Stiles exclaimed swallowing the liquid. His eyes widened. Diana nodded excited that he understood. "It does!"
"You want one?" Diana offered as Stiles returned to looking nervous. He quietly pushed some of the Tarot cards out of the way on her bed and sat facing her.
This time if he wanted to say something she wouldn't rush him. She didn't have to wait long.
"When we were looking at that ambulance the other night," He paused his hands pressing his fingers in repeatedly trying to click them, "I kept thinking, what if it was you."
"What did you think would happen Stiles?" Diana prompted.
"Well at first I thought it was ridiculous, you're you. You don't need anyone. But then I thought about the hunters and what they would do to you."
Diana hummed. Stiles' gaze shot to hers then,
"I don't want you to go missing is I think what I'm trying to say." Diana nodded absorbing the information.
"I don't need nobody Stiles. I need you." Diana wanted to say, instead she swirled her tea and stared into the depths.
A pregnant pause seemed to rest between them then, Stiles began to twitch under her non responsiveness.
"You heard from Lydia?" He asked finally.
"There it is." Diana mumbled into her dark smoky hot drink.
"She's fine. Can't remember a thing; called earlier today." Diana left out the part about the loosing nine pounds; she didn't think that detail was worth sharing with the boy.
"You heard from Derek?" Diana shot back, Stiles nodded rapidly,
"Yeah he said there was an Omega wolf looking for the Alpha and that was the thing mutilating the bodies."
"He's going to start to build a pack, it's understandable." Diana nodded sagely finishing her tea.
"He is?" Stiles gaped at her. Diana shot him a disbelieving look and reached over to flick his forehead playfully.
"Yes. Wolves are stronger in a pack." Diana explained. Stiles looked puzzled,
"Then what about Scott? He's not got any other little wolf friends. Well, other than Derek."
"We are his pack." Diana shot back with a laugh. Stiles raised his eyebrows at her pointing at himself.
"You, me, Lydia, Alison." Diana waved her hand rolling her wrist.
Stiles stood, rubbed his head and allowed his gaze to wander round the room. It settled on an old looking book on her window seat. The metal clasps keeping it sealed.
"What's that?" He picked it up carefully. Diana moved to his side,
"Oh, that. Just old medical spells I thought I'd learn. Got a feeling that us hurting ourselves will become a somewhat regular occurrence." She explained.
"You need someone to practice these on?" Stiles said as if he was offering himself as her Guinee pig. Diana smiled tightly at him,
"Sure, but not tonight. It's late; you should probably be getting home." Stiles checked his phone, the time being half past eleven he nodded.
Diana took the book back from him setting it and her cup on her desk. Stiles dangled his leg out of the open window looking back at Diana.
"Don't cut me out okay?" Stiles said, Diana didn't say anything just tightly smiled at the boy again. Stiles knew that was a good as he was going to get and lowered himself back on to the trellis commencing the climb back to the ground.
Diana closed the window sadly completely missing the boy stood staring at her from the lawn.
Stiles watched her pretty face morph into sadness by the light of the nearly full moon. He waved but it went ignored.
"Diana." He whispered for a reason unknown to himself, his chest filling with such a heavy sorrow that he hadn't felt since the passing of his mother. Shaking his head he ran back to the end of the drive where he had left his Jeep out of sight of the house.
