"You idiot!" Rodney roared at his son. "Do you know what you have done?"
Samuel hung his head and said nothing. He'd known he'd be in serious trouble with his father for causing a scene in public. He hadn't been able to help himself, though as he was desperately in love with Alex Blake. Alex had said that no, he wasn't, because he had treated her as a nonentity, never listened to her opinion, and treated her as hardly anything but a slave, much less the love of his life. Those weren't her precise words but what she had said meant the same.
"You caused a confrontation in public! Accused her fiancé of using a love spell on her, which was particularly stupid and also likely suicidal. Didn't it occur to you that her father would've checked for any spells? Of course it didn't, because you weren't thinking with your brain, but with your manhood instead. No Cohen allows their manhood to control their actions," Rodney roared angrily.
Samuel said nothing, as he had heard this probably 1000 times by now. It was an often repeated phrase within the Cohen household. Samuel had never thought about the fact that while Alex might not ask her father to take action, Sedgwick Blake might decide to do so. He had after all accused his daughter's fiancé of putting Alex under a love spell. He knew it had been stupid, but he had been desperate and the desperate often did stupid things.
"Such an action could ruin this family very easily Samuel, if Sedgwick Blake decides to take action! Alex could demand practically anything from him and it would be granted," Rodney yelled angrily.
"She wouldn't do that," Samuel protested automatically.
"And how well do you really know her? You dated for a few months 10 years ago and you can't get to know anybody in that amount of time," Rodney pointed out acidly. "I admit it isn't likely that Alex will seek revenge on you, as she's not the type," Rodney admitted somewhat reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean that her father can't take action. He might not, but we really don't know what he will do. Sedgwick can easily throw you out of Refuge and tell you to never come back. You'd never make it in the normal world, as it is huge and complicated and you'd be dead inside a week. There would be absolutely nothing I could do to stop him.
"You just better be damn glad that Sedgwick is such a reasonable man. Also, remember the Blakes own the land upon which this town rests, so the head of the family has numerous options when dealing with certain situations. It is a privilege to live here, not a right and it might not matter that the Cohens have been part of this town since it was formed 500 hundred years ago."
Samuel hadn't thought of that, but then he had to admit thinking wasn't his strong suit. He had just seen Alex and had to approach her, before she disappeared. He had ignored the guy that she was holding hands with. He had wanted so badly to get back together with her, to marry her and have children by her, but now he knew that would never happen. His, Alex, had given her heart to another, so he had lost her for all time. He hadn't noticed water coming out of Rossi's shoes until he had already started arguing with Alex. He had known then that this guy was a selkie and he had chosen Alex as his mate.
"You have nearly caused a major incident!" Rodney roared. "You will apologize, you hear me! You will buy her a nice gift that does not imply that you want to get back with her, so that means no chocolates and definitely no roses or jewelry. You will also send her a letter and apologize for your actions. After that, you will either find yourself a witch to marry within the next six months or I will arrange a marriage for you."
"Yes, father," Samuel said hanging his head in shame.
"You are my oldest son and you will act like it!" Rodney continued to rant.
"Yes, father," Samuel said yet again.
"Get out of my sight!" Rodney finally roared, so angrily that steam was almost coming out of his ears.
Samuel fled. Once he was away from his father he relaxed a little, but knew what he had to do. He would send an apology letter and gift to Alex and then quietly take his own life. It was the only way out of his situation. He knew of no one that would actually mourn him, not even his siblings, who had as much love for him as they did the fish in the lake.
He would just quietly fade into obscurity. His father was right about one thing and that was he would never survive in the normal world.
~~~Criminal Minds~~~
"I never expected Samuel to do something like that. To accuse you of being under a lot of spell. That's a serious accusation around here," Branna said shaking her head.
Alex and Dave had just gotten through telling Branna and Sedgwick exactly what had occurred.
"Yes, it is," Sedgwick agreed gravely. "You handled it in exactly the right way and I'm proud of you."
Alex blushed at the compliment, because she knew that her father was being sincere.
"Alex believes that the father was so overbearing and demanding when Samuel was a child, that he might have damaged him mentally," Dave told Alex's parents.
"That's certainly possible," Sedgwick said after having thought about it for a moment. "Rodney, no doubt rules his family with an iron fist. He's a lot like his son, but worse."
"You don't think that Samuel was physically abused do you?" Alex asked her parents suddenly.
"I don't know," Branna said and Sedgwick just shook his head negatively.
"It's very possible, but I don't know really," Sedgwick said. "It was likely just intimidation, but considering Rodney's general attitude, it's not impossible that his wife and his children were physically abused. For all we know, he could be totally different in private."
"If he did abuse his family he kept it behind closed doors," Branna added.
"Poor Samuel," Alex said in genuine sympathy. "Dave told me that I couldn't have fixed Samuel if I had married him and he's right. I only would've made myself miserable and I know it."
"Still, that doesn't mean you can't feel sympathy for him," Dave said. "As you said he's an okay guy, just not the one for you."
"I basically told him that he needed to stop pining over me, find himself someone that shared his ethics and morals and didn't mind being a house witch," Alex said. "I was as gentle as I could be, but I know I hurt him with my words. And what if his father demands restitution? You know what kind of man he is."
"If he does I'll handle it," Sedgwick said firmly. "Rodney isn't that stupid though and since that confrontation took place in the middle of the sidewalk near your old high school, there are plenty of witnesses that know you did nothing. You were just walking along showing Dave all the places you hung out when you were growing up. You didn't approach him for instance, he approached you shouting your name. Rodney can't accuse you of putting spells on him, as I'm sure he would've checked. Besides, Samuel's a grown man so Rodney really can't do a lot of things anymore, because he's over 30 and not some naïve, young buck of 18 or 19. He might very well be touched in the head due to his father's very abrasive personality when he was growing up, but we have no way to prove that and there is nothing we could do even if we could."
Alex knew her father was right so nodded.
"I just feel sorry for him," Alex admitted.
"And you should, as it shows you have compassion, even for someone that caused you trouble," Sedgwick told his daughter.
"I suppose we had better start packing to head back," Alex said somewhat reluctantly. While she had come to love the little seaside town, where she had met Dave, she felt so safe here in her childhood home she was rather reluctant to leave after just a couple of days and really they had only been here about a day and a half."
"Yes, classes begin tomorrow," Dave said. "You need to be there early for your first day."
"At least stay for dinner," Branna said.
"We can stay long enough to eat another wonderful meal before we head back," Dave said causing Branna to blush.
Sedgwick watched this and simply smiled to himself. Dave sincerity was obvious, which was likely what had caused his wife to blush, rather than the compliment itself.
"You won't get any objections from me," Alex said smiling. "I always enjoy having a homecooked meal."
"Wonderful," Branna said rising. "I'll go get started on that right away."
"You might as well go keep yourself occupied for the next hour at least," Sedgwick told his guests. "It'll be at least that long before dinner's ready."
"I'm sure we can keep ourselves occupied," Dave grinned at Alex, who blushed knowing immediately what her fiancé was implying.
Sedgwick simply chuckled and left the two to themselves. It was as obvious as the nose on your face that the two had blocked out everyone else but each other, but frankly, that was the way it should be. Dave and Alex never even noticed he was gone, as they were simply too absorbed in each other.
~~~Criminal Minds~~~
"Home again," Dave sighed, as he dropped his bag on the floor.
"So have a good time?" Aaron inquired as soon as Alex and Dave appeared.
"Mostly," Alex said. "It was wonderful seeing, mom and some of my siblings."
"Yes, I really like Alex's mother, she's very warm and welcoming, an excellent chef," Dave added.
Aaron snorted in amusement at that, but said nothing.
"So what went wrong that you didn't enjoy yourselves all the time?" Aaron asked.
"Nothing really," Alex sighed stretching her body, as she was stiff. "Just the fact that Samuel decided a confrontation would be a good idea, right in the middle of a public sidewalk I might add."
"Her old boyfriend," Dave explained briefly.
"He was my only serious relationship before I met Dave, but that was 10 years ago. I believe I mentioned him when we first met," Alex added.
"So this Samuel wanted you to get back together," Aaron guessed.
"Yes, he did," Alex said rolling her eyes in exasperation. "He's an okay guy, but he's too stodgy and set in his ways for me. Also, his thinking is like out of the 16th and 17th centuries about a woman's proper place. He would have expected me to basically be a house witch, look after the kids, cook and clean. While I do want kids, I also want a career as well. I would have been miserable married to him and I know it."
"I think he has it in his head that he's in love with her, because she's the only one that's ever been kind to him," Dave said.
"His father is a bastard, arrogant, cold, demanding," Alex explained. "I have no doubt that he rules his family with an iron fist, even though they are now all adults."
"So you think, that this Samuel believes he's in love with you, because you're the only one that was ever kind to him," Aaron said.
"That's basically it," Alex said. "He's stopping himself from finding a woman to marry and having a family. I believe that all his father's demands, when he was growing up damaged him, mentally at least. I have no doubt that his father demanded perfection out of his oldest son, and when Samuel failed to meet those impossible standards, Rodney was very likely insulting about his son's faults and that's at a minimum," Alex said.
"Children have many faults, ones that disappear, once they are adults and mature," Aaron suggested.
"I have to agree with Aaron," Dave said.
"So do I," Alex agreed soberly. "His father's not one to notice the damage he's doing to his children and even if he was, he probably wouldn't have done anything about his attitude. I have no doubt that his wife is so intimidated by him that she wasn't able to give any of her children the love they needed. Since Samuel is the oldest son though that comes with certain responsibilities."
"He accused me of using a love spell on Alex," Dave added and Aaron winced at that.
"In Refuge that's a serious accusation. Love spells are forbidden and if one is found being used the consequences are very serious. I told Samuel straight out that didn't he think my father would've checked me for any type of spell?"
"Somebody in the crowd said don't you know that type of accusation to get you in trouble, especially since Alex is a Blake?" Dave added chuckling. "It was a pretty serious situation at the time."
"Samuel tried to get me somewhere private to talk and I refused as I can easily see that leading to accusations from the father, Rodney," Alex added. "I now have about 20 witnesses that I did not approach him, that he's the one that called my name while I was showing Dave where I went to high school."
"Alex was actually hoping to avoid running into him," Dave said.
"I never imagined that he would cause a scene in public, as he's not really the type, you know?" Alex added.
"I understand," Aaron said nodding.
"I can easily see the Rodney yelling at Samuel when he hears about what happened. He's not a man that forgives mistakes, even if they're made by a child and this especially includes his children," Alex sighed
"The Blakes own the land that the town rest on, as you know. Apparently, this is a well-known fact. If Sedgwick wasn't such an understanding man he could easily throw Samuel out of town, to make his own way in the outside world."
"Samuel has absolutely no experience in the world outside of Refuge. He never went to college. I doubt his father would've allowed it, even if he had wanted to," Alex added. "There would be so many things that would be strange to him. He'd be lost in probably 10 minutes."
"Refuge is pretty modern, but it doesn't hold a candle to somewhere like Chicago," Dave added.
"He wouldn't know how to cross a busy street for example and probably be killed when a car ran him down on accident," Alex said.
"It's a good thing that your father is so understanding then," Aaron said Alex nodded.
"Yes, it is," Alex agreed soberly. "I think the only reason he confronted me in public was because he absolutely believed that he was in love with me."
"He was desperate," Dave added. "Desperate people often do stupid things. I really wouldn't be surprised if he committed suicide, because Alex will never agree to be his."
"I hate to agree with Dave on this one, but he's probably right. Samuel might very well see suicide as the only way out. Really, he's between his supposed love for me and his father's unforgiving personality. He might feel that dying is the only way out of his situation. I don't want that to happen, but I don't know what I can do to prevent it, you know?"
"The only thing you really can do is agree to date him again something that you are not going to do," Aaron said.
"No, I'm not," Alex agreed soberly. "I'm sure his father will try to blame me if his son commits suicide instead of himself, as he's the one that was likely very hard on his son when he was growing up, so it would be much more his fault than my own. The only thing I ever did was be nice to him. I just hope he takes my suggestion and goes see a witchdoctor, to see if they can help him get over his obsession with me. I want him to find a woman who will adore him and have those children I know he wants, even if that witch cannot be me."
"Why don't we go sit down. I'll go get us some drinks and snacks if you want them," Aaron suggested.
"Where is Penny by the way?" Alex asked.
"She'll be back soon," Aaron said. "She had to run some errands. Remember, it's earlier here, then where you just came from."
"As for the snacks you mentioned, no, we don't need anything, as we just had an excellent dinner," Dave said.
"Yes, we did," Alex agreed. "I could never turn down a homecooked meal when my mom is such a good cook."
"I don't blame you," Aaron agreed smiling.
"You'll get your chance to have one of Branna's homecooked meals if your relationship with Penny goes well," Dave told his friend.
"It's going fine," Aaron promised. "But remember Penny and I have just started our relationship while the two of you have been dating for a couple of months."
"I just want you to be as happy as I am," Dave told his friend. "I've been so happy ever since I met Alex and I know I will have many children."
Alex said nothing, but she knew that Aaron's and her sister's relationship was going to work out, because of her father's vision. It would be better to let their relationship reach it's natural conclusion on it's own, so she wouldn't say a word about what her father had told her. She wouldn't want to mess things up, just because she had opened her mouth.
"Well, if your relationship goes well, maybe we can get married at the same time. You can always tell anyone who asked that you started dating at the beginning of the summer like Alex and I did," Dave said.
"We'll see," Aaron said, not a adverse to the idea at all. "Let's not rush our relationship along."
"Good advice," Alex said
"Yeah, it is," Dave agreed.
Everyone heard the front door of the beachhouse open and knew that Penny was back.
"Alex!" Penelope exclaimed. "How was your visit to Refuge?"
"It went mostly okay," Alex said and begin to tell her sister exactly what had occurred.
"Poor guy," Penelope sympathized. "He believes he is desperately in love with you, which as you said is stopping him from finding happiness.
"I only hope he listens to me," Alex sighed. "I know Samuel feels like he's in love with me, but he needs to get over it and move on."
"Sound advice," Dave said.
The other two people said nothing but knew that Alex was fond of Samuel at least, even if she hadn't wanted to marry him.
The four of them sat chatting for some time before Dave and Alex went back to her apartment while Penelope stayed with Aaron and was going to be using one of the guestrooms.
~~~Criminal Minds~~~