Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 12:41:19 -0800 (PST) From: Nick Richards Subject: "Charmed: New Beginning: Part Eight" Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to these characters. All factions and representations of "Charmed" belong to the WB and its writers and producers. I do not make profit from these stories. This story is fiction and does not mean to imply anything about any Celebrity mentioned and their sexual orientation or personal life. This story will contain intimate relationships and sex between two males. If this offends you, or you are not allowed to read this story due to age restrictions, please leave. "Charmed: New Beginning" "Episode Eight: Charmed Cancun" "Are you joking? That's a little ridiculous." "Twila, prices on airline tickets have gone up a little since you last booked a flight." "We could just teleport. I mean, really. I'm not paying that much to spend time on a crowded airplane full of people who could be carrying a contagious sickness, wasting hours that could've been saved by teleporting." Tanner rolled his eyes, flipping through the Book of Shadows while his older siblings bickered about the airline tickets. They'd been at it all morning. Going from different websites to calling airports. It had taken them all but a minute to decide where they wanted to go, but the method of getting there was taking forever. "Isn't teleporting to Cancun personal gain?" Tanner finally spoke up, looking over his shoulder to peer at his siblings. Twila rolled her eyes. "Of everything that we've been through the past two weeks, I wouldn't care to conjure a million dollars and see if the Elders had anything to say about it. They owe us." Twila said, straightening up from looking over Tristan's shoulder at the computer. She walked away from them and into the kitchen. Tristan made eye-contact with Tanner as they both smiled. Tristan began typing away as Tanner returned to the book. It was definitely true: the Elders owed the Charmed Ones. They had gone forward in time and prevented a devastating future from taking place. How did they repay the Charmed Ones? By erasing their memories of most of the events that took place. The entire thing was pretty much a blank besides the fact that they knew they stopped the future Source and rescued Tanner. Tanner rose from the couch and stretched. He walked into the kitchen just as a flurry of white and blue formed in the middle of the kitchen. "Hey guys," Aric said, smiling. "Hey Aric. What's new?" Twila asked, looking up from the coffee she was stirring. Tanner smiled and went to hug Aric. "Nothing really. Just checking up on you guys. Anything going on here?" Tanner shook his head. "Nothing really. We haven't had a demon attack in a few days. It's been really quiet." "Good. Sorry I haven't been able to get to you guys for awhile. The Elders have been debriefing me about the whole "Back to the Future" thing." "Don't worry about it. We haven't really needed you for the past few days anyway." Tanner said, smiling. "That's good, the Elders sai-" "We're going on vacation." Twila blurted, cutting Aric off. He looked at her as she raised her coffee cup to her lips again. "What was that?" "We talked about it yesterday, and we decided we're going to go on vacation." "That's great. You guys really deserve it." Aric said, smiling at Twila. She looked at him in confusion. "Really? You're not going to get mad or tell us it's not the right time?" Twila asked, shocked. Aric chuckled. "No, you guys really deserve a good vacation. Where are you going? "Cancun!" Tanner said, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Wow. I hear it's nice this time of year." Aric said. Twila burst into laughter. "Really? `I hear it's nice this time of year?' Oh Aric, you crack me up." She said, laughing again. He looked from Twila to Tanner, cocking his head in confusion. "It was just kind of cheesy." Tanner explained, as he started to chuckle. Aric looked at them both with blank expressions as their laughter settled down. "So what's up with you and Tristan?" Twila asked, taking another sip nonchalantly. Aric gagged on the coffee he had just put in his mouth. "Uhh, nothingwhywouldsomethingbeup?" Aric asked, his words rapidly forming together. Twila laughed again. "Well, the last I remember, which doesn't necessarily count for anything these days apparently," She began bitterly," You two kissed and then we had the little end-of-the-world fiasco and your couple drama was put on hold." "Couple drama? There is no couple drama." Aric muttered, looking into his mug solemnly. This time Tanner laughed. "You two are like those soap operas Twila watches. It's always something." He said crossing his arms. "Look, I like Tristan. He likes me. But after that it gets complicated." "What's so complicated about that? It doesn't get any simpler!" Twila screeched. "The Elders complicate things. They don't want a relationship to get in the way of your duty to the magical world. At least not yet." "Not yet?" Tanner asked," What does that mean?" "They're deliberating the fact of our "love" to see if a relationship between the two of us would be healthy and safe." Twila scoffed. "It's not their jobs to be matchmakers! What is it with them and the whitelighterness?" Twila said, rolling her eyes. "More like what is it with your family and the whitelighterness? They've never had to deal with this kind of thing until your family started with it." Tanner shook his head and smiled and he grabbed a few bottles from the spice cabinet and walked through the kitchen door, leaving Twila and Aric to feud the fact of love. As he climbed the stairs to the attic, Tristan rose from his laptop in the conservatory and walked into the kitchen. He froze in the doorway as Twila and Aric looked at him from the island. "Well, I'm gonna go help Tanner with those potions." Twila said, almost too loudly. She quickly grabbed a pot from the stove and whizzed out the doorway. Aric and Tristan looked at one another. "Hi," Tristan said, his hand forming a small wave. Aric smiled. "Hi," Aric replied. They stood there for another second in silence. Tristan walked toward Aric as he began to speak. "Listen Aric, I don't know what's going on betwe-" Aric pulled Tristan into a deep kiss, his lips cutting off Tristan in midsentence. Tristan tensed up, but soon melted into the kiss when he realized what was happening. They began to kiss softly, their lips brushing one another's as Tristan's hands cupped Aric's neck and hair and Aric's hands went to Tristan's waist. They kissed for what felt like an eternity, before Tristan broke the kiss, gasping for air. Tristan leaned his forehead against Aric's his breathing deep. "I missed you." Aric whispered, his breath soft on Tristan's face. Tristan smiled. "I missed you too." They stood there for another moment and Tristan lifted his head to look into Aric's eyes. "What does this mean Aric?"" "It means that even though The Elder's are talking about us being together, I still want to be." Aric said, smiling as his eyes met Tristan's. Tristan smiled, and before he knew it, they were kissing again. A man stood at the pedestal of an altar in Babylonia, tracing the rough surface of the ruby jewel in the ring he wore on his left hand. Every now and then, it would glow, exuding power from the depths unknowable from only looking at it. He was deep in thought, his mind wandering to the growing threat of the Charmed Ones. He knew they weren't something to underestimate, but he didn't think they'd be capable of something they had pulled off the previous week. Although, he was glad they got rid of Madame Jinx. He never would have thought that she would have betrayed them like that; but, they took care of her, so now, he wouldn't have to. He heard a wisp of a cloak from further down the corridor, and whirled around, a fireball in his palm. The cloaked figure did not stop walking towards him, but held up a hand, which bore an encircled pentagram with different sigils on it. It was the mark of The Covenant. The warlock known as Viper allowed the fireball in his hand to dissipate as his nerves began to unclench. Viper, along with the rest of the Covenant, had been very touchy recently, and had decided to vacate the halls of Babylonia, at least for the time being. The Charmed Ones had gained a foothold by destroying Madame Jinx, but they weren't sure how much of one they'd managed to get. So, just to be safe, the leaders all retreated into their various kingdoms and hiding places, until they decided to convene once again. This night was the first that Viper had been requested to meet someone in Babylonia. As the figure approached closer, Viper recognized the face as Nyx, the goddess of night and shadow. Well, that's what the Greeks thought of her. She was just an exceptionally powerful demon. Not that he would ever underestimate the power the demoness wielded. "My lady, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Viper asked, his velvet voice echoing off the abandoned halls of Babylonia. "Hello, Viper. I do apologize for asking you to come here. But I believe I have found something regarding to our last conversation." She answered in a sweet soprano voice. "Really? Of course, I should not be surprised. Your resources are about as deep as mine." He said, intrigued. She laughed softly. "Well, when you've lived for as long as I have, you make acquaintances with powerful people." "Who is it?" "He's old. Older than I am if you're willing to believe that." "Really," Viper said astounded. "He was born in the first century B.C." "Incredible. How do you know him?" "We met during the Gothic War. His fighting skills are like none I've ever seen before." "Fantastic. You know where he is then?" "Yes, it took a lot of searching, but I've found him. He said he'd be able to meet with you soon. You can contact him through this." She said, pulling a small mirror from her cloak. Viper looked at the mirror in amazement. "He is old isn't he? This method hasn't been used in over a thousand years." "Yes, he prefers to use the old ways for most things." She said, her eyes watching the mirror with a cold fascination. "And what of your end of the bargain? Have you found someone as well?" "I have. I believe, paired with your contact, the Charmed Ones will be no match for them." "Excellent. May I ask..." "He's an old friend of one my contacts. The contact is dead now, but I was still able to reach him. If I'm estimating correctly, he should be about the same age as your friend. " "Wonderful. Perhaps they know each other." Nyx said, smiling. Viper chuckled, then looked to the demon as her eyes grew cold. "Viper, these people we're going to be dealing with are powerful. Older than we are. I am a very powerful demon, and so are you. Together we could conquer The Covenant. But will we have enough power to control these two?" She said, her eyes full of somber uneasiness. Viper looked into her eyes and took one of her hands. "My lady, I do not mean to ridicule you. But I have more than enough power alone to conquer these two for the rest of eternity." He said, placing her hand on his ring. She gasped as she felt the power pulsing from the stone. "How?" She inquired, looking at the stone with fascination. "I have acquired power from several different sources. The Triad. Unsuspecting demons. Witches. Madame Jinx. I have enough power to shatter mountains. These soldiers will be no problem. Besides, when they see what we have to offer, they should be willing to do our bidding." Nyx smiled as she ran her hand over the precious ruby again. "Very well then. I should not have doubted you." She said, looking into his eyes. "I will contact you in a few days to meet again." Viper nodded, as she backed away and disappeared in a flash of light, leaving it so dark, Viper could not see in front of him. Finally, he had the second piece to the puzzle. Soon, he wouldn't be worrying about the Charmed Ones. "Twila, come on. To not take some would be really stupid" Tanner whined, reaching for the potions in her hand. Twila shook her head. "No magic on the trip. I don't want it getting in the way of our family time." "But to not take some precautionary items with us could be really bad." "Tanner, what kind of demon is going to follow us to Cancun?" She asked, ridicule showing on her face. Tristan walked into the room, a magazine in his hands. Without looking up, he muttered, "The devoted kind. You know, like the ones who follow us everywhere." He said, walking to the couch in the attic. "I really don't think they're going to know the Charmed Ones went on vacation." Tanner tried another quick grab at the potions, as Twila easily leaned out of the way. "Tanner, you're about as clumsy as a fainting goat. I saw that coming." Tanner looked at her. "A fainting goat? Do you churn your own butter too?" Tristan chuckled, from the couch. They both turned to look at him. At the sudden silence Tristan looked up, meeting his siblings' eyes for the first time since entering the room. "What?" He asked. Twila eyed him suspiciously. "What are you so happy about?" She said, walking closer to the couch. He rolled his eyes, turning away from her. "Nothing. Why?" "Oh, nothing," Tanner piped up, "it's just that a certain whitelighter just left and now you're all happy and bubbly." Tristan rolled his eyes again. "Whatever." He said getting up. "When are we leaving, Twila?" "First thing tomorrow morning." She said, her smile brightening. "Then I better go pack." Tristan said, leaving the room quickly. Tanner watched him go. "That wasn't suspicious..." He said. Twila nodded. Tanner looked from her to the potion table, creeping closer. He saw Twila focusing on the magazine that Tristan had left on the couch. He quickly grabbed three potions from the table and put them behind his back. She turned around and looked at him as he smiled. "Well, I have to go pack too," Tanner said, almost too loudly. He turned around not waiting for a response and walked swiftly away and to his room. Several hours later at Aric orbed into the unlit park as he heard another of his charge's cry for help. He was confused, for this charge had not contacted him in months. His eyes struggled to adjust to the lack of light in the park as he looked around, searching for the source of his charge's pleas. A bright glow soon caught his attention, bringing his focus on two figures in the distance. One was a tall man, an energyball in his hand, as he walked toward the other, shorter figure. The shorter boy must've been sixteen or seventeen. This was Aric's charge. As the demon wielding the energyball rushed the younger boy, the dark sky was lit once again with a bright orange, as fire was launched from the boy's hand. The demon shimmered to a few paces away, successfully dodging the fire blast, and launched another energyball. Aric scrambled to help his charge, running to close the distance between them. He ran until he came into contact with the demon, tackling him to the ground. They rolled on the grassy terrain for a few seconds, battling for dominance. "Nate, do it now!" Aric yelled to the boy, looking on the battle from a few steps away. Aric orbed off of the demon as a fire blast punched into the demon's chest, incinerating him instantly. Aric landed next to Nate, breathing heavily. "What happened?" He asked. "I was walking home from baseball practice. There were three of them. Appeared out of nowhere. I hit one of them with my bat, I think I knocked him out. The other one got a flame from me, but this last one was tough. He's been chasing me for about twenty minutes. What took you so long?" "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. I just didn't hear your call until just now. I've been `up there', but I still should've heard you." "Well, all that matters is that you made it in time." He said, holding his arm. Aric moved his hand to reveal a bloody wound. "Did he get you?" "Yeah, I'm lucky that's the only shot he got. He was just shooting them off the fly." Aric hovered his hand above the wound, his golden touch healing the boy's arm. "Aric, why did they come after me? I mean, I've been safe for a year now, and they just randomly come after me tonight?" He asked, pulling his healed arm away. "I'm not sure, Nate. But all that matters now Is that you're safe." Just as Aric said the last word of the sentence, a sound broke through the air, as Nate's face fell. He looked down, to where the atheme had entered his chest from behind and looked back up at Aric. Aric had only seconds to react, as his heart began to burst into pain. The pain he felt from his charge's life being taken. He fell to the ground as an evil laughter rang out into the night. "Well, well, well. I haven't seen you in a long time Aric. How've you been?" A deep voice asked. Aric, still struggling from the pain, inched his head upwards, looking at the source of the voice. As his eyes met the face of the demon he knew as Ross, his sight was once again obscured by light. A crystal cage of dark magic warped around him, making his escape impossible. "This was too easy, Aric. I think you're losing your touch. You know better than to keep the charge in the same place as the attack. It couldn't be a TRAP or anything!" He said, bellowing into laughter again. "What...do you want... with me?" Aric whispered, the pain still throbbing in his head and heart. "Oh, I just wanted to get you out of the way, that's all." Ross, said, waving his hand and the crystal cage, with Aric in it, and he disappeared into the night. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to remove your pants." "Are you serious?" Twila asked, looking from the cute airport security guard to Tanner. When he nodded, she rolled her eyes and turned to Tanner. "You're kinky aren't you?" Tanner asked, smirking as he began to unbuckle his belt. The guard just looked at him. Tristan shook his head and looked around. Here they were, one checkpoint away from the gate and Tanner beeped when he went through the metal detector. Now he was having to take off his pants in a very crowded airport, and it was causing quite a scene. People had started to look their way, only out of curiosity, but then were shocked to see Tanner removing his pants. This kind of thing would happen to them. Tanner unfastened the bronze button at the top of his jeans and slowly pulled down the zipper before he stopped. He looked to the guard. "You're sure YOU don't want to do this?" Tanner asked, giving the guard a lusty look. The guard only smirked, while Tanner slid his jeans down his muscular thighs. Tanner's choice of underwear that day just so happened to be a pair of low-rise boxer briefs which, by coincidence were a size too small. Twila noticed the guard's eyes never leave Tanner's package as he swiped the sensor across his groin. Tanner stood firm in his place, his hands on his hips in a superman pose. This might as well have been a normal day for him. The guard removed the sensor and nodded, backing away. Tanner bent over to pull his pants up. "You're sure you don't want to do a cavity search?" Tanner asked, his voice never wavering. "Tanner! That's enough!" Tristan said, grabbing his younger brother by the arm and pulling him away from the guard. Tanner picked a business card out of his pocket and flicked it at the guard, while he put his pinky and thumb up to his ear. "Call me." Tanner mouthed as Tristan dragged him across the terminal. Twila rolled her eyes again and picked up her bags. Several hours later, the three siblings walked into their hotel room. "Wow, this is really nice." Tanner said, walking around the Deluxe Suite. "Alyss got us the best rooms they had," Tristan said, investigating the beds by jumping onto one of them. "Remind me to thank her." Twila said, rolling the balcony door back and walking into the sunlight. The three of them were silent for a few moments, before Tanner retrieved his suitcase and began rummaging around in it. "What're you doing?" Tristan asked. "Uhh, getting my swim trunks. Duh. I'm getting out on the beach and meeting some guys as soon as possible. My Spanish is a little rusty though..." He said, trailing off. "Really? I thought you were gonna screw the security guard right there in the terminal." Twila said, giggling. "Well, only if he wanted to..." Tanner muttered, trying to find his Spanish dictionary he packed. "You are ridiculous." Tristan said, packing his clothes into one of the dressers. Tanner ignored him. "Twila, do you think you could write a spell that would like, I don't know, break down the language barrier? I don't want anything to get in the way of me and all the hunks. Especially the language." "I could interpret for you." She said, smiling sweetly. He rolled his eyes at her. "Really? You wanna interpret while I'm banging him too?" He said, scowling. She laughed a little. "Actually, that'd probably be hot." Tanner laughed this time, throwing one of the pillow from the bed at her. She ducked quickly, causing the pillow to fly off the balcony. They stopped and looked at each other, before bursting into laughter. "I'll go get it." Tanner said, swiftly changing into his trunks and walking out the door. He took the elevator to the bottom floor and walked out the back entrance into the rather deserted pool and beach area. He looked around for the velvet pillow, but was at a loss for its location. He looked around, shielding the sun from his eyes. He finally spotted it in one of the pools, floating on the crystal blue water. There was only one guy in the pool, floating on his back. His long dark hair floated out from him, as he relaxed on the pool's surface. Tanner took a moment to drink the sight in. He looked to be about six feet perhaps, and a dark, well tanned body. His chest glistened with beads of water from the pool and his abs raised up and down to match his steady rhythm of breathing. Tanner watched him, before snapping backing into the world. Then, he stopped again. How was he supposed to get the pillow? He looked around for a moment, not finding anything to reach into the pool with. Even though he had changed into his trunks, he didn't really want to get wet yet. While he was thinking, his question was answered for him. The man's head collided with the pillow, causing him to rise out of his float as he looked for the object of his collision. He noticed the pillow and a look of confusion came over his face. "Umm, sorry, that's mine." Tanner spoke up, again startling the man. "How'd you manage that?" He said, a thick British accent coming from his mouth. Tanner stopped in confusion for a moment, startled by the isolated vowels in the man's tone. He sure hadn't expected that. "I threw it at my sister, but she's got reflexes like a ninja, so it went out the window instead." The man laughed. "Well, here's the pillow, but I doubt you'll want to use it anytime soon." He said, handing the pillow to Tanner. The man pulled himself out of the pool and grabbed a towel. "I suppose I should thank you. It's about time for me to get back to work." "You work here?' Tanner asked in confusion. "Oh yes. I moved here with my aunt and uncle a few years ago. I was lucky enough to get hired by this amazing hotel." He explained. "I'm Jonathan, by the way." "I'm Tanner. I'm just on vacation." He said, shaking the extended hand of Jonathon. "Well, I hope to see you around Tanner." Jonathon said, wrapping the towel around his waist and walking into the hotel. Tanner smiled and picked up the pillow from the ground. At least he didn't have to worry about the language barrier with Jonathon. "I want those damned witches' hide-out found!" Rang a low voice, shaking with fury. "I've had enough of this. They just vanquished three of our best warlocks." "My Lord, we're trying everything we can. We didn't think this coven would be so strong. We thought we'd have the entire city under control by now." "And now it's been more than a week. Get to doing the job right, or your scorch marks will be replaced by someone who can." "Yes, my lord." Said the demon backing away from the warlock who sat on a throne in the enchanted building. "My liege, I believe we have something." Said a demon, entering the room. He bowed before continuing. "We may have found one of the leader's households. We have men following him as we speak and we'll have more information for you by sundown." "Very good, Jiri. You've impressed me." "Thank you, my lord." "Keep me posted." "Twila? Twila? Wake up." A whispered voice reached her ears. "Twila." This time it was a moderate level of volume. "Twila, I'm gonna count to three..." "Okay! I'm up!" Twila whined, waving her hand across the room as Tristan ducked to evade a lamp that was tossed with her hand gesture. "Uhh, hi! Living here!" "Sorry. I didn't realize I was doing it." She said, rising up from her nap. "Well, get a move on. The dinner reservations are at six." He said, buttoning the front of his turquoise dress shirt. "Where's Tanner?" She asked, stretching in front of the bed. "He went to the front desk to get more towels." "Alright, well, let me grab a shower real quick." She stated, running into the bathroom and closing the door. Tanner ran down to the front desk to get to towels. That was no problem. But when he got in the elevator, looked at his watch, and noticed the time, he felt rushed. As soon as the elevator door opened, he ran out, dashing straight into a tray of wine glasses. And the person holding them. The sound of broken glass rang down the hallway as Tanner and the victim were knocked to the ground. "Bloody Hell!" A British voice rang out, calling Tanner' attention. "Oh, God! I'm sorry! I'll pay for those, I promise." Tanner rambled, trying to get to his feet. "It's fine, it's fine." Jonathon said, standing up as well. He brushed himself off and paused, looking at Tanner again. "Well, I suppose it's a fancy meeting you here, eh?" "Yeah, but I gotta go. My brother is gonna kill me!" Tanner said, ignoring Jonathon and running down the hall. Jonathon shook his head and began to pick up some of the larger glass pieces. A moment later, Tanner came running back. "I'm on the wrong floor..." Tanner said, smiling sheepishly and pressing the `up' button on the elevator. Jonathon laughed. "Oh, you think this is funny? This is everyday life for me..."Tanner said, awkwardly waiting. "I think it's quite the laugh actually." Jonathon said, still chuckling. The elevator door opened and Tanner stepped in. He pressed the button for his floor and waited for the door to close. Before it could, Jonathon's hand caught the door. "Say, you wouldn't mind, like, catching a drink later, would you?" Jonathon asked. Tanner did a double-take. This tanned, mega-hot British guy in Cancun was asking him on a date? Hell yeah. "I would love t-" "Great! Pick you up at eight?" Jonathon asked, grinning a smile of dazzling white teeth. "Umm, well, could we do it like, tomorrow or something? My brother and sister and I are going out tonight." "Oh, well, if that's your fancy." "Umm, yes, that is my fancy." Tanner said, awkwardly stating his answer. He smiled when Jonathon laughed. Then he remembered the time. "Oh shit! I have to go!" he said, pressing the button again. "Your towels!" Jonathon said, laughing as he threw them into the elevator. "Thanks!" Tanner said as the door closed. Jonathon smiled as he heard the elevator start to rise. He turned, and his smile faltered as he looked at all the broken glass. He looked right and left down the hall. Then, he swiped his hand over the mess, as the pieces reformed into the perfect wine glasses they had been ten minutes before in a flash of green. He picked up the tray and began down the hall to his original destination, not giving a second thought to what he just did. "Really Tanner? You're going on a date with a guy you don't know in a foreign country?" Tristan said skeptically. "What about the "language barrier" thing?" Twila asked, smirking. "He's British." Tanner said, smiling at them. Twila's jaw dropped. "No way! Ughh you are so lucky." She said, sighing exasperatedly. "I don't really think this is a good idea." Tristan said. "Tristan, lighten up would you? We're in a country where no one knows we're witches. That's safety tip number one. Number two , is that in the case of an emergency, I have powers. It's a done deal that safety is not an issue on this trip." Tanner said, taking a drink of his white wine. "He does have a point Tristan." Twila started. "Yeah, what's the worst that could hap-" "Ahh! No! Don't say that! For the love of God please do not say that!" Tristan interjected. "If you say that, something is bound to go wrong." Twila and Tanner looked at him and smiled, before being served their food by the waiters. Twila was in the middle of reading her book on the evaluation of the human mind before Tanner's voice shook her from her concentration. "Twila, which one looks better?" Tanner asked for the third time, holding up two different tees. "Tanner, is it really too much to ask for an hour of quiet? I've been trying to read this all day. I finally got rid of Tristan. Now that he's on the beach playing volleyball, what do you need." "No need to be bitchy about it. I just want to know which one looks better." He said, holding the shirts up again. She looked at them both. "Go with the yellow one, with that black and white checkered belt." Twila answered, looking down to her book again. "Thank you!" He said, smiling at her decision, holding the tee up to his body in the mirror. "Diva." Twila muttered under her breath. "I heard that!" He said, his eyes darting towards her in the mirror. "I love you." She smiled, not looking up. "Please be careful tonight, Jonathon." "I know, I know. Bloody hell, you'd think I've never been outside..." "Jonathon, don't talk to your aunt that way. We're just trying to keep you safe." "Sorry Aunt Chloe." Jonathon said, looking down. "But I think I'll be alright. I am twenty four. I can take care of myself." "Well, your uncle Alec and I just think that with all the recent demonic activity the coven has been facing the past few days, it may not be safe. They could be watching the house." "I'll be extra careful. I promise." Jonathon said, turning away from the mirror and looking at his aunt and uncle. "I'll be back later. Don't wait up for me, alright?" Tanner smiled as Jonathon opened the door of his Camaro for him. "Thank you very much." Tanner said, as Jonathon got in the car. "So where are we going?" "A little place off of the beach. It's a cozy little place." "Sounds good." They arrived at the restaurant that Jonathon had just described as "posh" in the car, which got Tanner laughing. "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to your lingo." He said, still laughing. "Well, pardon me." Jonathon said, opening the front door for Tanner. "Good evening, gentleman. Names please." "It will be under Chaney." "Very good. Right this way." They followed the server to a table and were served their drinks. "So where are you from?" "I live back in San Francisco. It's awesome there. I'm a chef at one of the restaurants that my grandmother used to own. I live with my siblings." "That's nice." Jonathon said. "Yeah. We've always been really close. Our grandmother just recently died, and one of the conditions of the will was that we had to move in together In order for us to inherit everything else." "Well, that's a tad different." "You don't know the half of it." Tanner said, taking a drink. Jonathon was about to ask more, when their food arrived. After an hour, they had finished with their meals, and Jonathon received his credit card back after paying. "Would you like to take a stroll on the beach for a little while?" Jonathon asked, holding the door open for Tanner again. "Ooh, that's be nice." Tanner said, smiling. When they got to the beach, they took their shoes off, holding them as they walked the sandy beach. There weren't many people around, the beach only being populated by a few other couples walking. "So, you live with your aunt and uncle, right?" "That's right. We moved here about three years ago." "Why's that?" "My parents were killed. I decided I wanted to move on with my life. I was going to move anyway, but my uncle extended me an invitation to join them here. So, I decided, `Why not'." "That's pretty cool." "Yeah, and the job at the hotel is pretty grand as well." He said, his thick British accent rolling though the evening breeze. A wave came crashing across the shore, sailing over their feet. They both stopped for a moment. "This was fun tonight, Jonathon." "I thought so as well. Thank you for joining me this evening." Tanner smiled, and the next thing he knew, Jonathon's lips had met his own. Tanner pulled back for a moment, hesitating. "I'm sorry if that was inappropriate." Jonathon said, looking down at Tanner. Tanner grabbed the back of Jonathon's head and crashed their lips together. They kissed for several moments, their lips tracing each other's. Tanner stopped and looked up at Jonathon. They smiled as they parted, joining hands as they continued to walk down the beach. They walked like that for a moment, before a dazzling light blazed orange light. Tanner gripped his arm where the fireball had made contact. Jonathon whipped around, his sight focusing on a tall man in the horizon, hands blazing with fire. Tanner looked around, before tackling Jonathon to the side after seeing an energyball soaring through the air at them. "Damn it, how did they find us?" Jonathon muttered under his breath. Tanner caught the quick words, and looked at him in confusion. "Listen to me," Jonathon started, "when I count to three get up and run back towards the car. Alright?" Tanner nodded in confusion. He looked around as the sky was filled with more light. "One, two, three!" Jonathon bellowed, his hands glowing a bright green as two of the demons erupted into flame from the green energy. Tanner ran, still gripping his arm, as he caught flashes of orange and blue and green. He made it back to the car, and turned, seeing Jonathan wave his hand at the two remaining demons. They were suddenly engulfed in green energy, a ball forming around them. Jonathon ran to the car and gunned the engine. He flipped the car into reverse and drifted down the highway at speeds of eighty miles an hour. "What the hell just happened?" Tanner asked. "I didn't think they even knew where I was. Damn it." "What?" "Listen, this might sound weird to you. But, I'm a witch. Those guys back there have been looking for me." "A witch? Like-" "Yeah, I know it sounds crazy." "No, like a good witch. Like, you fight demons and stuff?" "Uh... Yeah..." "Yeah, this would happen to me." Tanner said, feeling in his pocket for his phone. He winced at the pain from his arm. "What do you mean?" "I'm a witch too." Silence filled the car for a moment. "Wait, you mean, like me?" "Kind of." Tanner said, holding the "2" button down on his phone. "Tristan is not gonna be happy about this..." "Hello?" Answered a voice from the other end of the line. "Heeey Tristan. We kind of have a problem..." Twila lay her head against the side of the hot tub, enjoying the heat of the water. Tanner had left about two hours ago for his hot date. Of course, only her brothers got that lucky. Three guys had hit on Tristan down on the beach, and quite a few girls, but they didn't really matter. Tristan shot them all down anyway. She kept wondering what was going on with him and Aric. Aric left the house a few days ago and then Tristan was all bright and bubbly and it was very confusing. Unbeknownst to Twila, objects around the room had begun to levitate. At first it was only the small objects, but as Twila grew in her thoughts, her powers had responded. By the time Tristan walked into the room the couch and a few chairs were being lifted into the air, along with the lamps. Basically anything that wasn't bolted down to the floor. "Twila!" Tristan gasped out of surprise. Twila's eyes shot open as anything that was levitating went flying towards Tristan. He threw up a telekinetic shield as the furniture stopped a few feet away from him. "What the hell, Tristan?" Twila shouted, trying to reign her powers in. `What? I knocked on the door before I came in." He said, trying to put everything back in its place. "Sorry. I guess I was just deep in thought." "Well, we kind of have a problem." Tristan said, reluctant at first. "Did Tanner break something else? Because I'm telling you, we're already having to pay like a thousand dollars in damage-" "Twila! Stop! Tanner's in trouble." "What?" She said stopping abruptly. "What happened?" "He was on his date. Demons attacked him." "I thought we were going to be safe. Ugh, why did they have to follow us? And why do they always go after Tanner?" "No, they were after his date. He's a witch too. From what Tanner told me, Jonathon is part of a local coven. They've been at war with a tribe of demons for a few weeks." "Oh, of course. Tanner couldn't find a regular guy..." "You're one to talk..." "Oh shut up." Twila put on a pair of blue jeans and a lilac shirt while Tristan put his shoes on. "So what's the plan?" Twila asked grabbing her phone. "Tanner's going to send me the address and we'll all meet up there." "Alright, let's get going." "Aunt Chloe, Uncle Alec, this is Tanner." Usually when Tanner was meeting a guy's family, it was under different circumstances. "I didn't think I'd be meeting your family so soon, Jonathon. And I sure didn't think they be healing one of my wounds from a demon." "So you're a witch too?" Chloe asked, pouring black liquid from a potion bottle onto his arm. "Yeah. Only for about four months. But my siblings and I have adjusted very nicely. We have demon attacks about every other day." "Blimey. I can't imagine." Jonathon said, handing Tanner a glass of water. "So do you and your family have powers?" Alec asked, leaning against the couch. "Yeah. My brother, Tristan, has Telekinesis. He's got pretty good control over it. My sister has a weird power. She can say spells. But not like regular spells, it's like, she says a word and the effect happens. It's weird." "I'd say. I've only heard of one or two witches with dialect magic." "Yeah. And then I've got the power to freeze people or objects temporarily." "Well, that's a very nice caliber of powers." Chloe said, putting a cork into the bottle. "Our family is the only family in our coven with active powers." Alec informed him. "Yeah, I saw that on the beach." Tanner said, looking to Jonathon. "Energy manipulation." Jonathon said, his eyes meeting Tanner's. "Well, I think that'll do it," Chloe said, getting up from beside Tanner. Jonathon took her place and took Tanner's arm into his hands, running his fingers down the place where his wound had been. Tanner shivered, goose bumps rising to his skin. As Chloe went to the kitchen, there was a knock on the door. Alec rose to answer the knock, opening the door to find Tristan and Twila on the doorstep. "Ah, you must be Tanner's siblings. Come in." As they walked in, Jonathon dropped his hand from Tanner's arm, rising to meet his brother and sister. "You okay, Tanner?" Twila asked, walking over to him. "Yeah, all healed up now. They took us by surprise and my arm got hit. But Jonathon's aunt healed it all up." He said. She rose from her crouch and looked to Jonathon, who was greeting Tristan. "Hi, I'm Tristan." He said, shaking his hand. "I'm-" "Trouble." Twila finished. She crossed her arms looking at him. "Twila," Tanner began, before Twila cut him off with an arm motion. "Why are these demons after you guys?" She asked. "Well, my family is really the only thing that's standing in the way of their taking control of the city." "How are you able to stand in the way of a tribe of demons?" Twila asked again. "My family is part of a coven. While we're the only ones with active powers, there are quite a few of us, so we've been able to keep them at bay. Everyone else in our coven keeps stocked with a ton of potions, and that's how they end up dueling with the demons." "Why do they want control of the city?" Tristan stepped up, "They want to take control of the nexus here." Alec answered, entering the conversation. "Ugh. Another nexus? I don't like those..." Tanner said, retreating into himself. Jonathon sat down on the ottoman next to him, tracing circles on Tanner's back. "Okay, so where is this nexus?" Tristan asked, eyeing the pair cautiously. "It's below this house. The coven has been able to place very strong protection spells around the property. We believe it's almost impenetrable." Jonathon answered, his calm tone not changing through the entire interrogation process. Tanner rose from his seat and put his arm on Twila's shoulder. "Enough with the twenty questions game, Twila. They're on our side." He said softly. Twila let out a deep breath and turned to Jonathon. "I'm sorry. We're just really protective of Tanner." Twila said, her voice softening. "I understand," Jonathon started, "I was the same way with my brother." Tristan nodded. "Well, how're we going to take care of these demons?" Tanner asked. "I mean, we've got your family, my family, and your coven, along with the house's protection. I'd say we have a pretty good chance at winning this thing." "I'm not quite sure we can just march into their stronghold..." Alec said. "We don't have to," Tristan spoke up, "we'll make them come here..." Tanner and Jonathon were given the task of making more potions while the rest came up with the rest of the plan. Tanner was still laughing about when Jonathon's family had found out they were the Charmed Ones. They kind of spazzed out. After that, they finally understood why the siblings had seemed so confident about dropping the protective barrier and letting the demons come to them. As more of the coven began to arrive, the plan started to fill out, with Tristan and Alec taking the lead. Tanner hadn't really noticed Jonathon's family until now. Alec stood about as tall as Jonathon, maybe a little shorter, with dark eyes, and salt and pepper hair. He was really quite handsome, and he didn't look anywhere near his age of fifty-five. Chloe was about 5'7" with a shorter style of haircut, her hair only coming down to her shoulders. She had green eyes and light brown hair. Alec and Chloe's powers weren't quite as rare as Jonathon's, but were heard of often.. Alec had the ability of telepathy and Chloe had pyrokinesis. All in all, Tanner thought they made a great team. "Jonathon, can I ask you a question?" Tanner began, reaching for another ingredient. "Sure." Jonathon said, a smile In his words. "Earlier, when Twila was being the protective sister, you said something about your brother. You said, "That's how I was." What did you mean?" Jonathon's smile faltered for a moment before looking Tanner in the eye. "I told you my parents were killed. I didn't tell you they were killed by demons. My brother too. He was...young. Inexperienced. He charged right into a group of demons that were chasing a witch. They slaughtered him. My parents were angry, and they went straight for the gang's leader. They managed to vanquish every last one of them. And then the building blew up. They never saw it coming." "I'm so sorry Jonathon." Jonathon looked up, wiping his eyes. "My brother was coming home from a piano recital. I told him I couldn't pick him up because I was with a group of friends. If I would have picked him up, he wouldn't have run into those demons." Jonathon said, tears streaming down his face. "Jonathon, it's not your fault. If it was meant to happen, it would've happened no matter what." Tanner said, pulling Jonathon into a hug. "I know. It's just hard sometimes." Jonathon whispered, melting into the hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes. Jonathon finally straightened back up. "Well, let's finish this, shall we?" He asked, wiping his tears. "Umm, yeah, if you're sure." "No, I need to do this. Fighting demons just makes me feel...right." "Alright, well, let's get to it." "Now, all we need to do is summon one of the demons, and Alec can put some mind mojo on him, tell the leader that they've infiltrated the defenses, and they'll be on our doorstep within the next twenty-four hours." Tristan finished, announcing the last of the plan to the present company. "When they get here, everyone stay hidden until they try to open the nexus. We'll only have a matter of minutes to take them all out, otherwise we risk the nexus being changed." Twila started. "The leader himself will want to change the nexus, and he's probably one of the only ones who can. Therefore, we have a few main targets." She finished, stepping out of the way for Alec to come in. "Chloe, Tristan, and four of the coven will go to the basement. You will be the primary task force, and you will have the objective of vanquishing the leader. Twila, myself, and six of the coven will take the outside, to hold off any possible reinforcements. Also, the next in the chain of command may be with the second wave. Finally, Jonathon, Tanner, and the remaining five of the coven will be taking care of whoever else steps in the house." He rang out the orders. His tone softened as he added, "Please try to limit the damage of the house as much as you can..." Right after they had finished with the "briefing," Tanner saw Jonathon sneak out the back door. He swiftly made an exit as well, and followed him. When he walked into the dark, he saw Jonathon's figure on the porch, leaning on the railing. Tanner walked over to him, placing his arm on his back. "You alright?" Tanner asked. Jonathon nodded. "Thank for helping us. I mean, we've been fighting these idiots for almost three weeks straight. We've lost people in our coven. We've had a lot of close calls in the family. And now, we finally have a chance." "It's what we do, Jonathon. This is just another walk in the park..." Tanner said. "I really don't know how we can thank you." Jonathon said, straightening up. Tanner smiled. "I do." He said, leaning in to kiss him. Jonathon took a moment to respond from the surprise, but soon wrapped his arms around Tanner. The kiss was soft and tender, their lips moving across one another's. Tanner's hands wrapped themselves around Jonathon's neck and Jonathon's to Tanner's back. They kissed for a few more minutes before Tanner pushed Jonathon back against a wall of the house, never breaking the kiss. The kiss became more urgent, and Jonathon could feel Tanner's want. He responded, as his hands felt lower to Tanner's ass. Tanner moaned slightly into Jonathon's mouth, his tongue slding over Jonathon's lips. Tanner tangled his hands into Jonathon's hair. "Ahem..." They heard someone interject. Tanner and Jonathon froze. "If you boys are done, we're getting ready..." They heard the door close and Jonathon began to loosen up. Tanner didn't. "Did we really just get caught in a raunchy make-out session by your uncle?" Tanner asked. "Yeah." Jonathon said. "Damn." Twila was finishing putting the crystals in place as Tanner and Jonathon walked into the room. No one else had really noticed them being gone with everything that was happening. Alec gave them a knowing smirk, but besides that, they made their entrance unnoticed. "Ready?" Twila asked, looking at Alec. He nodded. Twila turned to Tristan and held her hand out. He placed the spell in her hand and she began to read it. "Uhtefey Metelendah cotruunom ente kaam." The room flashed with a brilliant light and when Twila looked up, a demon stood in front of her. Tristan waved his hand and the crystal cage activated, white light pulsing from it. Twila turned to Alec. "Your turn." "Ready? Twila said these guys would be here any minute." Tristan asked Tanner, stepping outside into the sunrise. "Yeah. I mean, how bad can it be? From what Jonathon told us, there's not really anything special aobut these guys. There's just a lot of them." "Yeah, I guess so." Silence surrounded them for a moment, before Tristan spoke up again. "Tanner, what's up with Jonathon?" "What do you mean?" Tanner asked, confused. "I don't know, you two are just kind of close. Okay, a lot close. And I mean, you met him yesterday." "I know. It's just. I don't know, I can't explain it. There's just this bond between us, ya know? Like, we connected. I can't explain it." "I know what you're talking about." Tristan said, smiling. "Aric?" Tanner asked. "Yeah. I think we're together, but I'm not really sure." "That's great, Tristan. You two deserve each other." Tanner said, smiling. Tristan smiled too as he pulled Tanner in for a hug. "Let's go kick some demon ass." Tristan and Chloe were downstairs, waiting in the basement. From what Alec had told them, the demon he had taken control of, Jiri, was close to the leader. He had trusted Jiri completely and they would be here any moment. The coven had woven a spell, with Twila's assistance, that rendered them all completely invisible. Now all they had to do was wait. Moments later, they heard ripples upstairs, cuing the demon's arrival. "You two, scope the house, make sure no one is here. You, search for the basement." They heard the commands issued from the main level of the house and prepared to strike. Twila and Alec stood outside the house, invisible to the eye. The spell was written to where the casters could see each other, but no one else could. However, Twila was personally powering the spell, and they had all agreed that she could release it when the battle had actually begun, so as to take the strain off her. Twila grit her teeth as she looked at the demons surrounding the perimeter. She hoped she had enough energy to enter the battle at full force. The spell was taking a lot from her. A moment later, shouts were heard coming from the house, and a flash of green light was seen through the windows. Twila mentally dropped the magical load as Alec began throwing potions. `Here we go,' she thought. Flashed of green engulfed the inside of the house, as Jonathon began launching energy balls into the demons. Tanner mentally counted about five he had already vanquished, along with Jonathon's several, but the house was still very crowded. They must have suspected an attack. Tanner waved his hand at his half of the room, as all the demons came to a halt. Tanner wasted no time in spinning on his heel to slash through the demons with his atheme. Jonathon threw energyballs and weaved in and out of the demons. Several times, he saw Tanner being clumsy and had to throw an energyball into a demon Tanner had missed. Eventually, they made their way to the middle of the room where they met back to back. "Seeing you like this is giving me a hard-on," Tanner said, throwing a potion into a group of demons. Jonathon laughed and threw blades made of green energy into a demon. Chloe threw a firball upwards while Tristan caught it telekinetically. He focused on it for a moment, making it grow in size, before throwing it towards the demon standing above the nexus. The demon batted the engorged fireball away with his hand, glaring at them. "Well, this is a surprise."He said, looking at the pair of them. "Step back from the nexus!" Tristan said, his voice ringing through the basement. The demon laughed. "Or what?" "We'll vanquish you." Chloe said, a flame appearing in her hand. "You and what army?" He asked, laughing again. A crash was heard from above them, met with cries of pain. Tristan smiled. "That army." "And don't bother with reinforcements, we've already taken care of that too. And in moments, the protective barriers will be back up and you won't be able to summon any more of your lackeys." Chloe said. "I should've killed you and your family when I had the chance. I didn't foresee you would be this much trouble." "And now it's come back to bit you in the ass, yeah, we get it." "I grow tired of your tongue, witch!" He spat at Tristan. Tristan didn't make a move, but the demon was flung back into the wall behind him from a telekinetic shove. "My name's Tristan. I'm a Charmed One, nice to meet you." The demon shimmered from his position to stand right in front of Tristan. Tristan didn't have time to react before the demon delivered an uppercut, sending Tristan flying across the room. Chloe threw another fireball as the demon began to advance on her. Twila and Alec looked at each other after about a half an hour of fighting. The coven had finally been able to reproduce the barriers around the property. With a final spell, Twila physically threw the demons out of the property. Alec had a few cuts and some wounds, but nothing too bad. They smiled at each other, before a deafening explosion came from the house. They both jolted from the sound, before Alec's face fell and he began to run towards the house, worried. Twila followed, wondering what had become of the battle inside. Tanner and Jonathon had kept fighting. It seemed as though the demons were getting the upper hand. More and more of them kept showing up. Out of nowhere, a pulse from an explosion below shook the house, as the air rang with fire. Jonathon tackled Tanner to the ground, while the demons in the room burst into flame. Twila and Alec came running in a few seconds later. "Tanner! Is this really the time?" Twila asked as soon as she got into the house. Jonathon scrambled to get up. "The explosion. We were trying to get out of the way." They all looked at each other before turning to the basement, where the explosion had occurred. "Chloe, make a really big fireball. Get ready to launch it. I'll distract him." Tristan said, summoning a potion from one of the unconscious coven member's hands. He charged the demon with a pipe he held in his hand. The demon blocked it with his own hand, as the pair reduced to hand to hand combat. Tristan looked over his shoulder and spotted a fireball as big as a large exercise ball. Chloe nodded. "Do it now!" Tristan said, rolling out of the way, but leaving the potion telekinetically hovering in front of the demon. The fireball and potion met within inches of the demon, as flame burst outward, shaking the house. Tristan got up from where part of the ceiling had collapsed on top of him. He looked around, searching for Chloe. "Chloe?" He asked out loud. "Here! I'm alright." She said, getting up from the floor. Tristan got to his feet and helped Chloe up. "Tristan?" "Chloe" Different voices rang from the top of what used to be the stairs. During the fight, some had fallen, and some had been used by Tristan as projectiles. Twila raised her hands slightly, and the four at the top of the stairs floated, descending into the basement. Alec and Jonathon went over to Chloe, making sure she was alright. Twila and Tanner did the same with Tristan. "What the hell did you do?" Tanner asked, looking around the room. "Massive fireball met with a highly explosive potion." Tristan said, smiling. Tristan turned to Chloe and began to say something, before he was repulsed off of his feet into the wall. The remaining group turned to see the demon standing in the middle of the room, blood pouring down his face. "That was a nice trick, I must admit. But it's over. I am going to kill you, and then I'm going to take the nexus for my own." He threw an energyball into an unsuspecting Tanner, and raised his hand to the ceiling above Alec and Chloe, causing it to collapse. "Quilen Forbaet!" Twila whispered stepping forward, a bright scarlet flame coming from her hand. The demon flew back a few feet, but soon rose again. "What the hell is with this guy?" Twila asked, launching another spell. Tristan came to her side. "That's what I've been wondering for the past hour." He said. A bright green orb flew over them, making contact with the demon. "Ideas?" Twila asked. "Yeah. But we need everyone. Keep him busy." "Why do I have to do it?" Twila whined. She placed her hands on top of one another and began to chant. "Is verbes consensius recissus est..." The air before her shimmered, as she continued chanting. Tristan went to Tanner, patting his face. "Tanner? Come on, wake up buddy!" Tanner began to stir, his eyes flitting open. Tristan smiled and looked over to where the ceiling had caved in on Alec and Chloe. Jonathon was already there, using his powers to telekinetically lift the rubble off of them. They both appeared to be conscious. "Tristan! Hurry up!" He heard Twila say. He looked back, seeing the demon throwing magical projectiles at the shield. Twila stood there, hands by her side, staring at the demon. He knew she was about to give in. "Alright everyone! Up! Get in a line! When Twila drops the shield, give this guy your most powerful shot." Everyone got into a line, and got ready. Tristan could feel the air grow thicker as each witch began to charge their own attack. `Come on, this has to work...' Tristan thought. "Alright, one, two, three!" Tristan shouted. The air shimmered again, the shield dropping. The basement lit up with bright lights, as the air, once again, exploded outward. Hours later, Twila opened her eyes. She was on the couch in Jonathon's living room. She jumped when Tanner touched her shoulder. "Hey," Tanner said. He had a bandage above his left eye and his shirt was open, revealing another bandage on his chest. "Hey, you alright?" She asked. "Yeah, I think I got the worst out of anyone. Physically anyway. We were kind of worried about you. You used a lot of magic over the last couple of hours." "What happened?" She asked, not remembering. "Tristan's plan worked. He said that anytime they combined their powers, it seemed to have more of an effect. So he thought we could combine our powers. And it worked. While the basement is a complete wreck, the demon is vanquished and the nexus is safe." "Wow." Twila said. "Yeah. The rest of the house is a wreck, but I told Alec you could take care of it when you feel up to it." "I will as soon as I can." She said. She began to rise, but quickly sat down again. "Headrush." She muttered. "Just take it easy for a few, Twila. You really overexerted yourself. That shield was impressive." "Thanks. Can you go get me a few aspirin? I have a killer migraine." He nodded and got up, walking to find Chloe. Tristan soon came over, hugging her. "Nice plan." She said, leaning into him. "Thanks." He said, smiling at her. They sat and watched the others move around the house for a moment. Tristan looked to Twila with a somber face. "We lost about four witches. They're preparing for a shroud now." Twila shook her head. "That was one buffed up demon. There's no way that it was natural. How did he get like that?" "I don't know. But let's put him behind us for now. I have a question for you." "Yeah?" "Tanner wants to bring Jonathon home with us. What do you think?" "Home with us? He's not a puppy, he's a human being. And he has a family here." She said, rolling her eyes. "I talked to Alec. He said he thinks it would be good for Jonathon. He said they would be able to manage without him." "Well, I mean, he only met him yesterday, Tristan. And now he's moving in with us?" "I know, that's what I said. But then I thought about it. That's kind of how Aric and I were. Tanner said that he felt connected to Jonathon. I can understand that." He said, pausing. "I don't mind. And I don't think it's a bad idea. Jonathon seems to be good for Tanner." Twila sighed. "Alright. But the next thing on the list is to find someone for me to be "connected to." Smart-asses." Twila, Tanner, and Jonathon stood at the airport, waiting for Tristan to add another ticket for the airline. The goodbye to Cancun had been hard, especially for Twila. She kept insisting that she was going to take a vacation by herself and not talk to anyone while there. "But then you would have to fight the tribe of demons all by yourself." Tanner said, pouting. "Well, I mean, we had like four days on vacation. Two of which were spent fighting demons. This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." "Stop complaining Twila. Come on." Tristan said, walking past them with their tickets in hand to the terminal. Twila rolled her eyes and grabbed her suitcase. A few hours later, they walked into the front door of the manor. Twila dropped her suitcase and walked towards the kitchen. On her way, she waved at her suitcase as it disappeared in a fountain of blue and red orbs. Tristan walked up stairs and went to his room without a word. Tanner looked at Jonathon and smiled. "Well, this is home." At twelve o' clock that evening, Tristan's phone rang. He was at his desk in his room, looking at a few portfolios. He held his hand out as his phone flew from the bedside table into it. "Hello?" "Tristan? It's Alyss. We have a problem. It's about Aric." Ta-da! I finally finished. Sorry I haven't written in about 7 months. You don't even want to know... Anyway, I have a ton planned for this story, and I can't wait to write more. I'd like to thank Adrian for encouraging me to write more and for being the best fan this story has. Anyway, comments, questions, and feedback are ALWAYS welcome! You know I love it! notoriousnick90@yahoo.com Nick