A Bar Outside LA, Friday Evening

[bigbrothersean]

Sean and Savannah had snagged a portal to LA and rented a car from there. (Well, more like grabbed a car from the Cabal offices' motor pool, but pfft. Details, details.) Actually getting to the little dive bar that was their destination took maybe ten, fifteen minutes

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[walks_two_paths]

"You will not beat him with his guitar," Savannah said hotly, probably surviving them all with her defense of Bryce.

She ran a hand through her hair, trying to figure out the best way to explain this. It shouldn't matter to her what Bryce thought, right?

"Last year, before Johnny graduated, the school took the students on a Spring Break cruise in the Caribbean. Johnny and I got into a big fight over him thinking that I couldn't take care of myself -- I'm an excellent horsewoman, damn it -- and we spent a good part of the afternoon and evening in different parts of the ship. Later that night, he came to apologize, telling me that he had overreacted and that he just loved me so much and hated the thought of me getting hurt." She shook her head, a smile crossing her face. "We had both been drinking a damn lot and when we spotted the wedding chapel, Johnny thought it was the perfect way to apologize."

She took a drink of her soda. "After we sobered up and found out what happened, we decided that we might as well stayed married because it was going to happen with us someday anyway." She frowned a little. "Papa Benicio found out, hit the roof and had the marriage annulled because I wasn't eighteen yet. Johnny said it didn't matter and that as far as he was concerned, we were still married and would have a real wedding after I graduated and no one could do a damn thing to keep us apart."

[cabalprogeny]

"And I suppose nobody pointed out to Benicio that the age of consent is different in different places in the world." Bryce rolled his eyes. "And it's entirely possible that depending on where you were married and what state you live in now, you were legal and it was perfectly valid."

What? Poli-sci major going into law school here.

[walks_two_paths]

"We tried," Savannah murmured, a hint of pain in her words as she remembered what her adopted grandfather had done after that. She shrugged it off. "And legal age in Maryland is eighteen, annoyingly enough. But we decided that arguing with everyone was too much of a headache and me getting upset was pissing Johnny off in a major way. I didn't want him upset over me being upset, so I told him that it was all right and that we would remedy it after I turned eighteen. So, sometime after I graduate, there'll be a wedding."

And when that was announced, there would be a whole new round of fighting.

[bigbrothersean]

"Twenty bucks says you guys just end up eloping," Sean said, stifling a grin. "Because neither of you is going to actually care about the whole big wedding thing."

"Plus it'd probably be smarter," Bryce chimed in. "That way you don't have Benicio fighting you guys every step of the way to help out."

He did an admirable job of keeping the dislike out of his voice; it only crept in a little bit.

"Hate to say it, but I almost agree with you," Sean said.

[walks_two_paths]

Savannah shook her head, rubbing her forehead as she looked at Sean. "I can't hurt my family like that," she murmured. "Yeah, Johnny and I could care less the size of the wedding and would be plenty happy just running off to get married. However, I won't do that to Paige, Elena or mom, and Johnny would never do that to his sister. Besides, you know very well that Summer, Isabel, Chris and Wyatt would kick our asses for not having a wedding that they can come to."

She took a deep breath and then looked at Bryce. "I'm hoping that we don't end up fighting him on everything. After what happened after Spring Break and Johnny's graduation, I hoping like hell he doesn't push like that again because I'm not sure that I would be able to keep my temper and Johnny's in check if it comes to it."

She turned back to Sean. "After the fiasco with him trying to buy Johnny off to walk out of my life and him submitting college applications for me in Rome and Paris, I'm pretty sure he wants to be on his best behavior for awhile -- or what passes for it for Papa Benicio." She quirked a small smile. "Besides, whatever we did, Jeremy would be there, too, and he seems to be a good influence on Benicio." She raised her eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that we're supposed to be talking about you and not me here."

[bigbrothersean]

Sean just grinned at her. "I'm a Cabal son, Savannah; we're taught to deflect questions and conversations practically from the cradle."

It was true, honestly.

He fixed his sister with a look. "But since we're talking about me... I don't want you putting off your schooling to help me. I appreciate the offer. I appreciate it a lot. And before you start protesting again, I propose a compromise."

Bryce had started to get up from his seat; curious, he paused where he stood.

"Instead of a year, you stay until the end of the summer," Sean said. "That'll give you time to help find someone else and start training them."

[walks_two_paths]

"I wonder how well that's going to work with your wife when she catches you trying to do that to her," Savannah wondered, completely forgetting that Bryce had no idea that Sean was legally married. "She would kick your ass."

Well, maybe after she got done being amused at how cute it was and making him flail a little bit.

She thought about that for a second and nodded. "That could be a reasonable compromise. Besides, I might already have someone in mind."

[cabalprogeny]

And that? Would be Bryce sitting back down with a very solid thud.

"You're married? What the hell? Jesus Christ, Sean, the family's going to flip their collective shit at you when they find out!"

"Which is why they're not going to find out," Sean said. "For as long as I can manage it, anyway."

[walks_two_paths]

Savannah had the grace to look sheepish. "Oops. Sorry, Sean." But damn that desire to try to make them both feel comfortable. "Uhm, if it makes any difference, she's not a witch?"

No, but she was pretty damn bad ass.

[bigbrothersean]

Sean just facepalmed.

"And how long has this been going on?" Bryce demanded. "How long have you been married? How long have you known her? Who is she?" Breathing was apparently optional.

"We've been married for three and a half months or thereabouts, I've known her for a year or so -- " Not that they'd been close until after that, but no breaking Bryce just yet. " -- and we'd been dating since... September? I honestly don't remember." It seemed like forever, in the amazing kind of way. "And her name's Annja."

"What does she do for a living?"

"At the moment? Does 'high school senior' count?"

And that? Would be Bryce trying not to choke on his tongue.

[walks_two_paths]

Savannah apparently meant helpful in someone's dictionary tonight. She just couldn't stand the idea of Bryce thinking badly of Sean.

"It's not what you think," Savannah said hurriedly. "Annja is an archaeologist. There was an issue on an assignment she went on and a apparently a spell was triggered." She smiled faintly. "She's legal."

In so many ways...