Covenant of Liars (Part 2)
Covenant of Liars
by tenshinrtaiga
Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant or Pretty Little Liars
Primary Characters: Alison DiLaurentis, Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, Hanna Marin, Chase Collins, Caleb Danvers, Pogue Parry, Reid Garwin, Tyler Simms.
Secondary Characters: Ezra Fitz, Wren Kingston, Samara Cook, Sarah Wenham, Kate Tunney, Caleb Rivers and more.
Pairings: canon pairings plus some Caleb D./Spencer, Aria/Reid, Alison/Chase
Author's Note - Much thanks to my artist dhfreak for the awesome art.
Summary: No one really knows how the Power came to be. Not even the Book of Damnation recorded its beginning. But those who mastered it have always been hunted. In the middle of the 17th Century, many escaped the brutal Witch-hunting in England and France by coming to America. As the brutal persecution of those with the Power spread throughout Massachusetts, the ten families of Ipswich (Danvers, Hastings, DiLaurentis, Putnam, Parry, Fields, Montgomery, Garwin, Simms and Marin) formed a Covenant of silence. And for 300 years it has kept them safe. Until now.
Alison, Caleb, Spencer, Pogue, Reid, Aria, Emily, Hanna and Tyler have to deal not only with their own high school drama, but the strange supernatural ones that keep popping up. And it doesn't help that the Covenant of silence is splitting at the seams as Spencer deals with her family, Caleb finds himself in love with someone else and Aria falls for her new teacher. And of course, further splitting the group, there's Alison and the girls as they try and secretly deal with That Jenna Thing.
“So, where is your girlfriend again?” Sarah asked as she enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her hair. The group had wanted to catch a movie but Sarah had already seen it. Caleb, being polite, had invited the girl to run a couple of errands with him so that she wouldn’t be wandering around town alone.
“She’s meeting her sister’s fiancé,” Caleb explained as he shifted gears.
Sarah nodded in understanding. “Right, the crazy sister. Why didn’t you go with her?” she asked in probing curiosity. She couldn’t get Kate’s voice telling her that Caleb had a thing for her out of her head.
“I had errands and…” Caleb hesitated to continue, but plowed on. “Her family is kinda intense.” Seeing his companion’s questioning look, he reluctantly elaborated. “Her mom and my mom have been giving me these looks especially now that our 18th birthdays are coming up.”
Sarah just looked even more confused. “What kind of looks?”
Caleb gave a weak chuckle. “The ‘why-the-hell-haven’t-you-asked-her-to-marry-you-yet’ kind of looks.”
The blonde choked slightly on air. “Oh, wow,” she muttered, her eyes wide. Maybe she and Kate were way off on this. If he was serious enough about Spencer to ask her to marry him… “Are you planning on asking her?”
“I… honestly don’t know,” he admitted with a small shrug. “Spencer and I have been together for years, but we’re… more like siblings than anything else.” This was the first time he’d confessed this secret to someone outside of the Covenant. To be honest, it felt kind of great. Enjoying the feeling, Caleb continued. “We only really got together because our families kept pushing us toward each other and we just wanted them off our backs. We figured we’d date a few months and the whole thing would blow over.”
Sarah nodded in understanding. “But it didn’t?”
Caleb chuckled for real this time as he gave her a sideways look. “I mentioned the marriage looks, right?”
~
Spencer slowed to a stop outside her apartment as she bent over to catch her breath. After a good minute, she walked inside the small complex and headed toward the third floor. Her iPod was blaring loudly from her armband. She reached behind it and withdrew her key, opening the door. She quickly headed toward the fridge, gulping down a bottle of water harshly before kicking off her shoes and making her way to the shower.
Relaxing under the hot spray, she began to mentally prepare herself for Hurricane Melissa. Even as Spencer dressed, she was thinking up ways to just keep quiet, keep her head down and simply survive the family gathering.
In no time at all, she was in front of her parent’s large mansion. She took a deep breath and let herself in. She heard voices in the living room and walked straight there. “Hey,” she greeted with a smile causing everyone to look up at her.
“Spencer!” Veronica smiled, standing up to give her youngest a hug.
“Mom.” Spencer smiled back before giving her dad a hug as well. “Dad.”
Peter gave her a nod. “Spence.”
Unable to avoid it any longer, Spencer turned to face Melissa and her new fiancé. “Melissa. It’s good to see you.”
Melissa stood up and gave Spencer a delicate hug. “You too.” She smiled, but there was a hint on condescension in her eyes. “This is Wren. Wren, my baby sister Spencer,” she introduced.
“Hi.” Spencer smiled tightly, holding out her hand, wary of yet another of Melissa’s monotonous boyfriends.
“Hello,” he replied in a crisp British accent as he shook her hand.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s move this to the patio, shall we?” Veronica asked, already making her way outside. As they all sat down and got comfortable, Veronica turned to face her youngest daughter. “So, Spencer. I’m surprised to see you alone. Where’s Caleb?”
Melissa’s knuckles turned an almost unnoticeable white at the mention of her sister’s relationship with Caleb Danvers. Spencer had the perfect relationship with the perfect boy for the last two years while Melissa only found her fairytale prince recently.
“He’s up at the Colony House,” Spencer said significantly, not wanting to spill too much in front of Wren.
“Ah.” Peter and Veronica both shifted uncomfortably at the reminder of William Danvers, that generation’s reminder of all that could go wrong with magic.
“So, Spencer,” Melissa spoke up, changing the subject. “I was wondering when you’d have your things out by.”
Spencer looked at the older girl oddly. “What?”
“Actually, Melissa, we hadn’t had a chance to talk about that with Spencer yet,” Veronica interrupted.
Feeling wary, Spencer turned to look at all of her family members before asking suspiciously, “Talk about what?”
“Spencer’s a smart girl, I’m sure she realizes what’s going on.” Melissa shrugged dismissively. “I was wondering when you’d have your things moved out of the apartment. With classes starting up next week, Wren and I need to be moved in soon.”
Spencer looked at her sister incomprehensively before turning to look at her parents. “You’re kicking me out of my apartment?” she asked hoarsely.
“Oh, don’t act so surprised.” Melissa rolled her eyes. “Wren and I are getting married. It’s only natural that we have our own space.”
“So get your own apartment,” Spencer replied quickly.
Her older sister stared at her in confusion. “Why? We have the State St. place.”
“My apartment!” Spencer replied angrily.
“Spencer,” Veronica said trying to calm her youngest down. “Your sister is right. She and Wren do need their own space and you can easily come and live with us or in the dorms with your friends. Aria doesn’t have a roommate right?”
Spencer looked at her mother oddly before scoffing, unsurprised that her mother knew next to nothing of Spencer’s life or the people in it. “Aria moved back with her family three years ago.”
“Oh,” Veronica stated, surprised.
After a moment, Spencer sighed and calmed down. She knew that no matter how much of a fuss she put up, Melissa was still going to get the State St. apartment. “It’s okay,” she agreed grudgingly before a small smirk played on her lips. “I can just move in with Pogue.”
“What?” Peter asked, surprised. “No! You can’t move in with that… that hooligan.”
“Hooligan, dad?” Spencer questioned with a grin.
“He has long hair and drives a motorcycle. What else do you suggest I call him?” Peter growled out furiously as he harshly bit into his bread roll.
“We just call him Pogue.” Spencer laughed, though it was still a little forced. “And he’s the only person left. It’s too late to get me into the dorms and he’s the only one with an apartment.”
“What about Caleb?” Veronica asked, ignoring her husband’s spluttering.
“He lives at home,” Spencer responded, questioning once more how little her parents knew of her life.
“Yes, but you two could get an apartment together. Neither of you lack money.” Veronica turned to her spluttering husband. “Oh, stop it. Those two have been dating for two years. They’re almost eighteen. Evie and I have just been waiting for Caleb to pop the question.”
Melissa scowled. This lunch was supposed to be about her and her upcoming nuptials, not Spencer’s. How did everything always turn back to her little sister? Even when Melissa won, Spencer still managed to come out on top.
Spencer, meanwhile, was completely flabbergasted. Caleb proposing? “Uhm, he’s still taking care of Aunt Evie. I don’t think he’d be okay moving away from her right now. Maybe I can just get a new apartment?” she offered hesitantly.
“Yes!” Peter agreed readily. “We’ll get you a new apartment. A better one! One far away from the Danvers’ mansion.” Veronica rolled her eyes at her husband, but gave in. Melissa, on the other hand, couldn’t believe that she was the one getting married and yet her sister was the one getting a new apartment. Wren looked confused, but amused by the whole thing.
~
Wren walked onto the front porch from the sprawling mansion to find Spencer lounging alone on the front porch, flipping through a book. “I’m sorry,” he offered.
She looked up in surprise. “For?”
“Taking your apartment,” he clarified. “I had no idea you didn’t know or I would have said something.”
Spencer blinked in shock as a slow smile made its way across her face. “It wouldn’t have made a difference, but thank you.”
He sat down on the bench next to her. “So, can I ask?” He waited for her attention to focus back on him. “Your family dynamics are…”
“Crazy?” she offered with a smile before slipping a bookmark in between the pages and giving Wren her full attention. “It’s kind of complicated. Are you sure you want to know?”
“Well, considering I’m going to be part of this family soon, don’t you think I deserve to?” he asked with a playful grin.
She paused in thought as she mentally debated how much to tell him. “My family has this… inheritance,” Spencer started awkwardly. “And growing up, it was expected that Melissa would be the one to receive it. Looking back on it, that sort of seemed stupid because she was… too old. But the inheritance is supposed to go to the best girl in our family and that always seemed like her.” Spencer paused once more as she mentally went over her words to make sure they made sense.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Wren spoke up. “And how would they even be able to tell who the ‘best girl’ was? That’s ridiculous.”
“It’s complicated and not really up to us, but that’s basically what it boils down to. Anyway, growing up, it was always Melissa. My parents doted on her and always talked about how things would change when Melissa… inherited. And I just sort of… came in second.” She shrugged as though it wasn’t really a big deal.
Wren looked at her for a moment before reaching a hand out, gently laying it on her own. “Spencer, your parents love you.”
“No, I know. I know that they love me.” She looked up and gave him a slightly wobbly smile, but her eyes were glossier than normal, signaling tears ready to fall. “They just love Melissa more. When her thirteenth birthday came and nothing happened… it was like someone died. And then when my thirteenth birthday came and I… inherited. God. It was like I had somehow stolen it from her. They had always doted on her before, but after? Melissa could do no wrong and I was just the evil little sister who took what was rightfully hers.”
Wren wished there was something he could say to that, but he really had no clue what. “Who decides who gets the inheritance?” he finally asked in curiosity, hoping to distract her a bit. “What qualities are necessary?”
“It’s complicated. As for qualities… that’s complicated too. I think the reason I inherited it is because of my friends. We all come from really old, wealthy families and we all grew up together. We’re all the same age and we are all receiving the same inheritance. The reason Melissa didn’t receive it is because she’s too old. That’s what I think anyway,” Spencer admitted although she didn’t add that had Melissa been the one to inherit, then the others would have been born sooner to match her. Since she did not, they were all born later to match the first, in this case Caleb.
“I see,” he stated although from his tone, it was clear he did not see at all causing Spencer to give a light laugh.
“Liar.” She grinned softly, but her eyes were no longer teary and the smile on her face didn’t contain a hint of wobble. Standing up, she gave a bit of a stretch. “I think it’s time I head back,” she spoke softly to herself before turning her attention back to Wren. “You know, you’re not like Melissa’s other boyfriends.”
“Oh?” he asked, standing up as well.
Spencer gave a mysterious smile. “I actually like you.”
~
“Caleb!” Veronica smiled widely as she stood up to give the tall boy a hug. “Spencer said you couldn’t make it.”
Caleb gave the woman a smile before turning to give Peter a handshake. “I just finished my errands actually. I’m just here to pick Spencer up.” He turned to the two people who stood up from the couch. “Melissa,” he greeted, “and you must be Wren.” Caleb reached out to shake the shorter man’s hand. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Melissa smiled leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks,” Wren echoed as he placed his hand on the small of Melissa’s back.
Caleb moved toward his girlfriend and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. “So, is it okay if I spring Spencer?” he asked with a charming grin on his face.
“Oh, of course,” Veronica hastily agreed. “We were just having some after-dinner drinks. It’s a pity you can’t join us. Are you two going on a date?” she questioned with a calculating look in her eye.
Seeing that Mrs. Hastings was clearly wondering if tonight would be the night that Caleb proposed, Spencer hastily cut in. “Not really. We’re just meeting up with the others at Nicky’s.”
“A bar?” Melissa spoke with disapproval. “Really Spencer?”
“Oh, let your sister have her fun,” Peter waved off. “She’ll be with the others and she knows better than to drink. Better Nicky’s than somewhere else.” Here he stared down sternly at Caleb, as if knowing exactly what would be happening between the couple if they were alone.
Caleb coughed slightly but resolutely ignored the not-so-subtle hint. “Alright, well, sorry for just dropping by like this and sorry, Melissa, for missing your engagement dinner,” he apologized before turning to Spencer and muttering a hasty “Let’s go”.
Spencer choked on a small laugh before saying her own goodbyes and quickly escaping. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Spencer chanted once the two were in the car and on the road.
The brunet gave a chuckle before reaching out to rest his hand on her knee as he drove. “That bad, huh?”
“Wren was surprisingly not that bad,” she admitted. “Not sure how Melissa roped him in, but if I didn’t know any better, I’d suspect magic was involved.” They both laughed at that before Spencer suddenly grew solemn. “Melissa is kicking me out of the apartment.”
“What?” Caleb asked in shock, car swerving slightly as he turned to look at her.
Spencer nodded, her lips pursed tightly. “Yeah, apparently she and Wren need their own place to live. Like they can’t afford to get their own apartment?” she scoffed.
“So, where are you going to stay?” Caleb asked obviously.
Here she let out a laugh. “Oh, you’ll love this. Since it’s too late to get into the dorms, I said I’d move in with Pogue and dad about had a heart attack! Then mom suggested we move in together,” here the couple exchanged a knowing look, “and dad freaked out even more. Finally, I suggested that I get a new apartment. So now dad’s buying me a new place and Melissa’s getting the State St. apartment she loved so much,” Spencer mocked.
The brunet gave a low chuckle in amusement. “Your family is crazy.”
Spencer gave a bittersweet smile. “All of our families are.”
The two drove in silence toward Nicky’s for several moments before Spencer spotted something. “Isn’t that Hanna’s car?” she asked as she pointed to a car pulled over by the side of the road.
Caleb paused the car and Hanna looked up from where she was inspecting something underneath the hood, a guy stood beside her apparently trying to help. With a glare, Hanna made an obvious shoo motion while the guy was still looking at her car.
With an amused smile, Caleb drove on. “Leave it to Hanna to pick up guys while having car trouble,” Spencer said with a chuckle.
~
“You have got to be kidding me!” Hanna groaned as she slammed her hands on the wheel forcefully. “Why me?” She exited the car, teetering on her heels because of the pebbles on the side of the road before going to the front of the vehicle and opening up the hood. She scanned inside, but ultimately rolled her eyes. It wasn’t like she knew what she was looking for. Unless the problem had a note attached explaining what was wrong and how to fix it… in small words… then Hanna knew nothing about cars.
“Need help?” a male voice asked near her.
Hanna whirled around, hand pressed to her heart in shock. “You scared me!”
The boy grinned and tucked a long piece of shoulder length dark hair behind his ear. “Sorry,” he said, but looked decidedly unapologetic. “Do you need help?” he asked again.
“Uhm, yeah,” Hanna replied, moving to the side so the boy could see inside her car. She studied the boy and realized with surprise that he was the one from earlier. He was inside the store while she was with the others and was the one seen talking to Jenna Marshall. “You’re new here, right? I don’t recognize you.”
“You know everyone in town?” the boy asked, looking up in amusement before reaching into her car to mess with some of the parts.
The blonde girl shrugged. “The ones my age,” she replied. The cute ones my age, she added mentally.
“Well, you’re right. I just moved here a couple weeks ago.” He smiled charmingly. “I’m Caleb Rivers.” He held out his hand, but it was covered in car oil. “Oh, sorry,” he quickly retracted his hand.
“I’m Hanna,” she replied with a grin, eyes lit up in interest. “So, Ipswich or Spencer?”
“Sorry?” he asked in confusion, looking up from what he was doing.
“Wow, you are new,” she laughed. “Ipswich High or Spencer Academy,” she clarified.
“Ah.” Caleb nodded in understating. “Ipswich High. And judging from you BMW, I’d say you go to Spencer.”
“Now you’re the one who is right,” she replied making sure to smile cutely. Over his shoulder she spotted a familiar grey mustang slowing down and quickly waved her friends away. She wanted to know more about the cute bad boy who just moved into town. And it didn’t hurt that she wanted to know more about how he knew Jenna. “So, what were you doing out here in the middle of the night? This road is deserted. Were you heading to Nicky’s?” she asked probingly.
“Nicky’s?”
Hanna let out a genuine laugh. “Yeah, Nicky’s. It’s a bar down the road. Everybody hangs out there. You should check it out.” Just as she finished speaking, Caleb appeared to finish. “Did you fix it?” she asked in complete surprise.
Caleb grinned charmingly. “I don’t know. Why don’t you try her and find out.” Doing as told, Hanna disappeared into her car to turn the engine on. When it came to life, she squealed excitedly.
“Hop in!” she lowered her passenger side window to yell.
“Why?” he asked in confusion.
Hanna shook her head in amused exasperation. “I told you. Nicky’s!”
~
Aria let out a sigh as she sat in the corner staring in boredom as her boyfriend and his best friend worked the pool table. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she had come in laughing with him and now she was being completely ignored. Standing up, she moved to the pool table. “I’m grabbing food. You boys want?”
“Just a couple of beers,” Reid answered back distractedly as he leaned down to take a shot.
Tyler scowled lightly. “Dude, I can order for myself. Control freak,” he muttered under his breath before turning to Aria. “I want… just a beer,” he finished sheepishly. Aria let out a laugh before turning on her heel to head to the bar.
“Hey, Nicky,” she greeted warmly. Everybody here knew Nicky. He was a decent guy and didn’t mind selling the occasional beer to a minor. The only thing he asked was that if you were going to do something stupid, do it elsewhere. “Reid and Tyler would like a couple of beers. They’re at the pool tables,” she ordered, waiting for him to hand said drinks over to a waitress to drop off. “And can I get a burger and a beer too?” She sat down at the bar, not feeling like sitting at a table by herself. The others hadn’t arrived yet, so she was pretty much on her own. She glanced at the others sitting at the bar and caught her eye on the man sitting next to her. “Good book,” she complimented his choice, her lips twitching at the sight of a guy choosing to read in the middle of a crowded bar.
“Ah.” The man put his book down looking sheepish. “Thanks.”
“I’m Aria,” she introduced.
“Ezra,” he replied back shaking her hand. “You like Catcher in the Rye?” he asked gesturing down at his book.
Aria nodded. “Yeah, I do. More than I expected to actually.” Nicky set her food and drink down and she slipped him a twenty for her food and the three beers ordered. “Keep the change,” she said grinning up at the bartender.
Once Nicky left, Ezra started up the conversation once more. “Are you a student here?” he asked.
“Yep,” Aria agreed easily before munching on a fry.
Ezra smiled, leaning in slightly when the noise level rose. “What’s your major?”
Aria hesitated for a quick second as she realized that Ezra thought she was a student at the local college Hollis. Going along with the charade, but without outright lying, she responded. “I think I’d like to major in English.”
“I studied that.” Ezra grinned. This time his movement closer had nothing to do with hearing her better.
A slow smile crept along the petite brunette’s face. “Really?” Aria turned to face him fully, completely ignoring her meal in favor of the man clearly hitting on her.
~
“I’m telling you, it was Jenna,” Emily whispered harshly as she and Ali danced out on the dance floor. “How many other blind girls live in Ipswich?”
Alison scowled but continued to swing her hips in time to the music. “That bitch has a lot of nerve.”
Emily shook her head in confusion. “What did you do that night?” she asked.
The blonde gave an amused wink, saying only, “Secrets, sweetheart,” before moseying over to dance with a hot guy that had been checking her out.
Emily gave a sigh. Ali still never talked about what she had done to get the five girls off the hook for The Jenna Thing. Whatever it was, it got Toby to confess to a crime he didn’t commit and Jenna to keep her mouth shut about how she was really blinded that night.
She made her way to the back where a couple of tables were pushed together and several people sat playing cards. “Emily!” one of the players greeted. “You playing?”
“If that’s alright,” she smiled. She wasn’t much for drinking or dancing so when she wasn’t with her friends she could usually be found playing a friendly game of cards in the back.
After the hand was finished, Emily was dealt in. She ended up sitting next to an extremely attractive blonde girl about her age. Emily reached out and threw a couple of bills into the pot. “You go to Spencer?” the blonde girl asked. When Emily looked at her in surprise, the blonde gestured to Emily’s wrist. Looking down, the brunette gave a laugh as she played with her Sharks bracelet. “I’m Samara.”
“Emily,” she introduced. “Do you go to Spencer?” Emily didn’t think so. The blonde didn’t look familiar and Emily would have noticed a girl as attractive as Samara.
“I start there, yes,” the girl replied.
“Transfer?” Emily asked surprised. There seemed to be a lot of transfer students this year.
“Yes.” The blonde nodded. “My mom’s in the military so we move around a lot.”
“You’re kidding!” Emily smiled excitedly. “My dad’s in the military!” The two girls shared a wide smile and began excitedly chatting and getting to know each other. Samara was glad to have a friend at her new school and who knew? Maybe something more.
~
Aria fixed her lipstick as she made her way over to the tables in the back. The others all gave her raised eyebrows since it was obvious exactly what she had been getting up to in the bathroom, but she studiously ignored them. Who she made out with was none of their business.
She raised an eyebrow of her own at Caleb dancing with Sarah out on the floor but Spencer didn’t look in the least bit phased so she said nothing as she sat down. “Hey,” Aria greeted everyone.
“Hey.” Emily smiled widely. “Aria this is my new friend Samara. Samara this is Aria.” Samara had clearly already been introduced around their circle of friends so Aria just gave a wave.
“And this is Caleb Rivers.” Hanna introduced her friend as well. “We’ve just been calling him Rivers so we don’t get confused.” Aria grinned and gave him a wave too.
“Ali,” Aria called to the girl in the corner, but the blonde didn’t stop sucking face with the guy she had been dancing with earlier. The group rolled their eyes, well used to her antics. Spencer opened her mouth as if she were going to say something when they heard the sound of glass breaking. Whirling around in her seat, Aria let out a groan at the sight of Reid and Aaron going at it. “It’s Reid and Tyler,” she called over her shoulder standing up. Before they could make it forward, Pogue was in front of them.
“We’ll take care of it,” he assured them before following Caleb out back to help their brothers.
They all sat back down except for Alison. “Why are we listening to them?” she asked.
“Because Caleb told us to stay,” Spencer responded as Sarah and Chase rejoined their table.
“And you’re going to just obey him like a good dog?” Ali asked cruelly. When Spencer did nothing but roll her eyes at Ali’s antics, the blonde gave a huff and folded her arms. “Alright, fine. If we’re not allowed in on the action then I guess I’ll just have to get a little action myself.” She reached down and gripped the shirt of the boy she had been making out with and dragged him to the door.
“Alison DiLaurentis, ladies and gentlemen,” Hanna muttered with an amused smile on her face as she sipped on her coke.
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