Well Behaved Women... (Chapter 9)
Well Behaved Women Don't Make History
by tenshinrtaiga
Disclaimer: I don't own the Nine Lives of Chloe King or the Covenant.
Summary: Sequel to The Witch Uniter. Things are hectic for Chloe now that the Order has found out who she is and her secret is blown at her high school. It doesn't help that things are still rocky for her and Alek and that she and Reid keep getting closer. But those problems don't matter if she can't get the local supernaturals to agree to her peace treaty.
Chloe sighed as she packed away the last of her new clothes into her closet. Fashion Week, as per usual, had been a fun, but utterly exhausting blast. It was good to be home.
A thump from outside her room distracted her and had her rolling her eyes. This was getting ridiculous. Ever since The Italian Incident, Alek had been on her like glue. To be honest, it was a miracle he was allowing her to go to the bathroom by herself since then.
She knew that she had really scared them, but that was no excuse for smothering her. The Order wanted to kill her. It was a fact of life. Nothing they could do would change that and hovering over her shoulder every second of every day was not going to help in any way.
She needed a break. She needed to let loose and blow off some steam; preferably without her stalker boyfriend.
Chloe nibbled on her lip as she considered on the best way to ditch Alek. Maybe she and the boys could go out clubbing. They hadn’t done that in ages and she knew that she wasn’t the only one reaching the end of her patience with the Mai.
A ringing sound interrupted her thoughts and she reached out to answer her phone without checking the ID. “Hello?” she asked, still contemplating her escape plan.
“Chloe? Hey, it’s Brian.”
Chloe blinked. It had been a while since she’d thought of let alone talked to Brian. Not since he found out that she was back together with Alek. Not since his father made her out as the Uniter. “Hey, Brian,” she greeted, not allowing any of her hesitance to creep into her voice. “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to grab a cup of coffee?” he asked tentatively. “I know we haven’t talked in a while and I just wanted to catch up.”
Chloe blinked. On one hand, she had promised herself after meeting Whitley that she would stay away from Brian. On the other hand, she was just saying that she needed something to relax and blow off steam… “Sure. Our usual place in half an hour?”
“Great!” he replied excitedly. “I’ll see you there!”
Chloe put down her phone only to look up at an angry Mai, glowering down at her.
“Are you out of your mind?” Alek growled angrily. “His father is the one who did this to you!” he remarked, pointing at the small scar over her heart, revealed by her low cut top.
“Yes. His father. As in not him,” Chloe retorted, standing up to fetch a light jacket.
“He’s a Rezza!” Alek replied. “It’s in his blood to hunt us down and kill us.”
The strawberry blonde sighed. That was true. “We are who we choose to be,” she said instead, though not entirely sure if she meant it. Did she think Brian would end up escaping his family’s legacy? It was hard to say.
“You’ve lost it.” Alek nodded decisively as though it were fact. “You’re not going.”
“Sorry, dad,” she sneered, “but I am.”
Alek crossed his arms over his body. “I forbid it.”
Chloe blinked as though shocked by his words. Who was he to forbid her to do anything? In a moment of anger, black bled through to her eyes and before she realized what she was doing, she had already Used, pinning Alek to her floor with magic. “You do not own me,” she hissed like an angry animal. “You do not control me. You are not my master. I do what I want when I want it.” She was sick and tired of having to report her actions to them. Sick of being followed around, being told what was and wasn’t ‘safe’. She was done.
With a forceful stomp in her step, she left her room, leaving her boyfriend trapped for someone else to deal with.
Still seething, Chloe made it to the coffee shop in less than thirty minutes, but lucky for her, Brian was there early as well. “Hey.” She smiled in greeting as she sat down next to him. “It’s been a while.”
Brian winced lightly, knowing that their distance was on him. “Yeah. Sorry,” he replied. “I was just… you know what, it doesn’t even matter. I’m sorry.”
Chloe shrugged with a small smile on her lips. “It’s okay.” She took a moment to flag down a waitress and order a cup of coffee before turning back to the older boy. “So what’s new with you? What have I missed?”
“Not much,” Brian answered as he took a sip of coffee. “I, uh, actually started working for my dad.”
The strawberry blonde froze in surprise. “Really?” she choked out lightly, terrified that this was some sort of trap and that she was about to lose yet another life. Inwardly, she cursed herself. She was pissed off at Alek, but that didn’t mean she should have been so careless. She should have told one of her brothers where she was and who she’d be with. It was just that she wanted some time away and what was the point in leaving Alek behind if someone else was just going to follow her in his place? “I thought you didn’t get along with your father.”
Brian shrugged with a grimace. “I don’t really. But he gave me no choice really. He wanted me to go back to school and I wanted to stay here.” For a second, his eyes gazed at her a little too deeply and Chloe wondered if she was one of the reasons he wanted to stay. She quickly brushed the notion off. They barely knew each other; there was no way that she could possibly factor into his decisions. “So I made a deal. I’d work under him at the company; I’d be the prodigal son he’s always wanted. In exchange, I get to stay.”
“Well, it’s good that you managed to find a way to compromise,” Chloe offered, nibbling on her lip as she tried to figure out what she was supposed to say. “And it’s good that you’re finding out more about your company, right? I mean, it will belong to you one day, won’t it?”
“Maybe.” Again, Brian shrugged. “One day. Not one day soon.” He took a sip from his coffee before returning his attention to her. “What about you? I think I read somewhere that your family’s pretty well off as well. Any company training you have to go through one day?” he asked, wondering if this was something they’d have in common.
Chloe shook her head. “Not really. My dad’s a big time hedge fund manager.” She smiled at Brian’s small wince. “I know, I know. Not a very popular career with the people after the big Downturn, but…” She trailed off with a shrug. “He’s taught me a bit. My older brother Tyler’s always taken to it like a duck in water. He’ll probably be a businessman too. But no, our fortune’s an inherited family fortune brought over from Europe. Sure, we add to it with whatever career we choose, but we don’t have a family company.”
“What did you do in Europe?” Brian asked curiously. This was the most he had ever heard Chloe talk about herself.
The strawberry blonde laughed. “Not much. We ruled and married into wealth and royalty.”
“Royalty? Wow.” Brian blinked in surprise.
“It’s not as glamorous as whatever you’re thinking. This was back when quite a bit of Europe consisted of small states and self-proclaimed royalty. Anyone who could fight for it, could own land,” Chloe explained. “My ancestor, Charles, was English living under King James II’s rule. He married a German princess from the main land and then, deciding that there was too much unrest in Europe, asked permission from the King and moved to America with his four best friends and started a colony in Massachusetts devoted to the Crown.” Chloe hid the part about where they only left because of the rise in the European Witch Hunt. The families had hoped to escape it by leaving, but the hunt for witchcraft made it even to the Americas.
“Intense family history,” Brian said, looking impressed by the story. “You mentioned something about a brother?”
Chloe nodded. “Tyler.”
“I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned any siblings.” Brian paused as he tried to recall before turning his attention back to her. “Tell me about him.”
The witch paused as she debated what to say. If Brian knew about the Order then he might just be trying to gather information on her and the Covenant. If he didn’t, then he might just be curious. That’s why she’d been misleading so far. She had been talking about her adoptive family as though they were her biological family because she didn’t want to get into Ukraine and Jonathon King in case he was part of the Order after all. “Don’t know what to say. He’s almost a year older than me and in college. We have four best friends that we grew up with and we all live together.”
“You all live together? That’s nice; you guys must be really close. What’s it like living with all of them?”
Again, Chloe hesitated. She hated having to double check her words and check for hidden meanings. “It’s great. We’re all really close but since we all know each other so well, we also know when to give each other space,” she replied vaguely, but seeing Brian’s expectant look, she caved and gave more detail. “They’re really my best friends. We’re like family. There’s Caleb, the responsible big brother and Chase the irresponsible one. Pogue is the wild child and Reid’s the bad boy. Tyler and I are the babies.” She rolled her eyes teasingly.
Brian made an odd face. “You live with five guys?” he asked. “What about your parents?”
Chloe shrugged. “They’re back home in Massachusetts. The boys came out here to go to school and I came to be with them.” Which was a complete lie. She came out to San Francisco to work and the boys came to be with her. She gave an internal sigh of annoyance at having to lie to someone she considered a friend.
“And they don’t mind you living with all guys?” Brian sounded incredulous and just a bit jealous. “They don’t worry about you?” he asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend his cruch.
The strawberry blonde shrugged. “Like I said, we grew up together so our families all know each other. They’re fine with it. As for worrying about me, they’re probably hoping something happens. I know that my mother, for one, is rooting for me to get back together with Reid whereas my Aunt Evie has some sort of delusional hope about me and Caleb,” she replied honestly, although it was possible that there was too much honesty in her response.
Brian scowled. “You dated them?” he asked with more than a bit of judgment in his voice.
Chloe folded her arms in annoyance. She came out today to relax and get away from the stress of her life. But so far, all she’d done was watch her words, double guess everything and lie. She was not happy.
“Yeah,” she replied simply, standing up. Now it was her turn to leave angrily.
Brian seemed to realize he’d gone too far because he too stood up. “Chloe… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”
“I know and I get it,” she said, cutting him off. “But I don’t think this is a good idea. Goodbye, Brian.” Something in her tone got through to the brunet and he seemed to realize that she wasn’t just talking about their meeting; that this goodbye was final.
Chloe turned on her heel and left. She liked Brian, but she didn’t think she’d ever talk to him again. Things were just too complicated between them. She didn’t like having to watch her words or wonder if he was going to betray her. And call her crazy, but she just didn’t like lying to her friends.
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by tenshinrtaiga
Disclaimer: I don't own the Nine Lives of Chloe King or the Covenant.
Summary: Sequel to The Witch Uniter. Things are hectic for Chloe now that the Order has found out who she is and her secret is blown at her high school. It doesn't help that things are still rocky for her and Alek and that she and Reid keep getting closer. But those problems don't matter if she can't get the local supernaturals to agree to her peace treaty.
Chloe sighed as she packed away the last of her new clothes into her closet. Fashion Week, as per usual, had been a fun, but utterly exhausting blast. It was good to be home.
A thump from outside her room distracted her and had her rolling her eyes. This was getting ridiculous. Ever since The Italian Incident, Alek had been on her like glue. To be honest, it was a miracle he was allowing her to go to the bathroom by herself since then.
She knew that she had really scared them, but that was no excuse for smothering her. The Order wanted to kill her. It was a fact of life. Nothing they could do would change that and hovering over her shoulder every second of every day was not going to help in any way.
She needed a break. She needed to let loose and blow off some steam; preferably without her stalker boyfriend.
Chloe nibbled on her lip as she considered on the best way to ditch Alek. Maybe she and the boys could go out clubbing. They hadn’t done that in ages and she knew that she wasn’t the only one reaching the end of her patience with the Mai.
A ringing sound interrupted her thoughts and she reached out to answer her phone without checking the ID. “Hello?” she asked, still contemplating her escape plan.
“Chloe? Hey, it’s Brian.”
Chloe blinked. It had been a while since she’d thought of let alone talked to Brian. Not since he found out that she was back together with Alek. Not since his father made her out as the Uniter. “Hey, Brian,” she greeted, not allowing any of her hesitance to creep into her voice. “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to grab a cup of coffee?” he asked tentatively. “I know we haven’t talked in a while and I just wanted to catch up.”
Chloe blinked. On one hand, she had promised herself after meeting Whitley that she would stay away from Brian. On the other hand, she was just saying that she needed something to relax and blow off steam… “Sure. Our usual place in half an hour?”
“Great!” he replied excitedly. “I’ll see you there!”
Chloe put down her phone only to look up at an angry Mai, glowering down at her.
“Are you out of your mind?” Alek growled angrily. “His father is the one who did this to you!” he remarked, pointing at the small scar over her heart, revealed by her low cut top.
“Yes. His father. As in not him,” Chloe retorted, standing up to fetch a light jacket.
“He’s a Rezza!” Alek replied. “It’s in his blood to hunt us down and kill us.”
The strawberry blonde sighed. That was true. “We are who we choose to be,” she said instead, though not entirely sure if she meant it. Did she think Brian would end up escaping his family’s legacy? It was hard to say.
“You’ve lost it.” Alek nodded decisively as though it were fact. “You’re not going.”
“Sorry, dad,” she sneered, “but I am.”
Alek crossed his arms over his body. “I forbid it.”
Chloe blinked as though shocked by his words. Who was he to forbid her to do anything? In a moment of anger, black bled through to her eyes and before she realized what she was doing, she had already Used, pinning Alek to her floor with magic. “You do not own me,” she hissed like an angry animal. “You do not control me. You are not my master. I do what I want when I want it.” She was sick and tired of having to report her actions to them. Sick of being followed around, being told what was and wasn’t ‘safe’. She was done.
With a forceful stomp in her step, she left her room, leaving her boyfriend trapped for someone else to deal with.
Still seething, Chloe made it to the coffee shop in less than thirty minutes, but lucky for her, Brian was there early as well. “Hey.” She smiled in greeting as she sat down next to him. “It’s been a while.”
Brian winced lightly, knowing that their distance was on him. “Yeah. Sorry,” he replied. “I was just… you know what, it doesn’t even matter. I’m sorry.”
Chloe shrugged with a small smile on her lips. “It’s okay.” She took a moment to flag down a waitress and order a cup of coffee before turning back to the older boy. “So what’s new with you? What have I missed?”
“Not much,” Brian answered as he took a sip of coffee. “I, uh, actually started working for my dad.”
The strawberry blonde froze in surprise. “Really?” she choked out lightly, terrified that this was some sort of trap and that she was about to lose yet another life. Inwardly, she cursed herself. She was pissed off at Alek, but that didn’t mean she should have been so careless. She should have told one of her brothers where she was and who she’d be with. It was just that she wanted some time away and what was the point in leaving Alek behind if someone else was just going to follow her in his place? “I thought you didn’t get along with your father.”
Brian shrugged with a grimace. “I don’t really. But he gave me no choice really. He wanted me to go back to school and I wanted to stay here.” For a second, his eyes gazed at her a little too deeply and Chloe wondered if she was one of the reasons he wanted to stay. She quickly brushed the notion off. They barely knew each other; there was no way that she could possibly factor into his decisions. “So I made a deal. I’d work under him at the company; I’d be the prodigal son he’s always wanted. In exchange, I get to stay.”
“Well, it’s good that you managed to find a way to compromise,” Chloe offered, nibbling on her lip as she tried to figure out what she was supposed to say. “And it’s good that you’re finding out more about your company, right? I mean, it will belong to you one day, won’t it?”
“Maybe.” Again, Brian shrugged. “One day. Not one day soon.” He took a sip from his coffee before returning his attention to her. “What about you? I think I read somewhere that your family’s pretty well off as well. Any company training you have to go through one day?” he asked, wondering if this was something they’d have in common.
Chloe shook her head. “Not really. My dad’s a big time hedge fund manager.” She smiled at Brian’s small wince. “I know, I know. Not a very popular career with the people after the big Downturn, but…” She trailed off with a shrug. “He’s taught me a bit. My older brother Tyler’s always taken to it like a duck in water. He’ll probably be a businessman too. But no, our fortune’s an inherited family fortune brought over from Europe. Sure, we add to it with whatever career we choose, but we don’t have a family company.”
“What did you do in Europe?” Brian asked curiously. This was the most he had ever heard Chloe talk about herself.
The strawberry blonde laughed. “Not much. We ruled and married into wealth and royalty.”
“Royalty? Wow.” Brian blinked in surprise.
“It’s not as glamorous as whatever you’re thinking. This was back when quite a bit of Europe consisted of small states and self-proclaimed royalty. Anyone who could fight for it, could own land,” Chloe explained. “My ancestor, Charles, was English living under King James II’s rule. He married a German princess from the main land and then, deciding that there was too much unrest in Europe, asked permission from the King and moved to America with his four best friends and started a colony in Massachusetts devoted to the Crown.” Chloe hid the part about where they only left because of the rise in the European Witch Hunt. The families had hoped to escape it by leaving, but the hunt for witchcraft made it even to the Americas.
“Intense family history,” Brian said, looking impressed by the story. “You mentioned something about a brother?”
Chloe nodded. “Tyler.”
“I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned any siblings.” Brian paused as he tried to recall before turning his attention back to her. “Tell me about him.”
The witch paused as she debated what to say. If Brian knew about the Order then he might just be trying to gather information on her and the Covenant. If he didn’t, then he might just be curious. That’s why she’d been misleading so far. She had been talking about her adoptive family as though they were her biological family because she didn’t want to get into Ukraine and Jonathon King in case he was part of the Order after all. “Don’t know what to say. He’s almost a year older than me and in college. We have four best friends that we grew up with and we all live together.”
“You all live together? That’s nice; you guys must be really close. What’s it like living with all of them?”
Again, Chloe hesitated. She hated having to double check her words and check for hidden meanings. “It’s great. We’re all really close but since we all know each other so well, we also know when to give each other space,” she replied vaguely, but seeing Brian’s expectant look, she caved and gave more detail. “They’re really my best friends. We’re like family. There’s Caleb, the responsible big brother and Chase the irresponsible one. Pogue is the wild child and Reid’s the bad boy. Tyler and I are the babies.” She rolled her eyes teasingly.
Brian made an odd face. “You live with five guys?” he asked. “What about your parents?”
Chloe shrugged. “They’re back home in Massachusetts. The boys came out here to go to school and I came to be with them.” Which was a complete lie. She came out to San Francisco to work and the boys came to be with her. She gave an internal sigh of annoyance at having to lie to someone she considered a friend.
“And they don’t mind you living with all guys?” Brian sounded incredulous and just a bit jealous. “They don’t worry about you?” he asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend his cruch.
The strawberry blonde shrugged. “Like I said, we grew up together so our families all know each other. They’re fine with it. As for worrying about me, they’re probably hoping something happens. I know that my mother, for one, is rooting for me to get back together with Reid whereas my Aunt Evie has some sort of delusional hope about me and Caleb,” she replied honestly, although it was possible that there was too much honesty in her response.
Brian scowled. “You dated them?” he asked with more than a bit of judgment in his voice.
Chloe folded her arms in annoyance. She came out today to relax and get away from the stress of her life. But so far, all she’d done was watch her words, double guess everything and lie. She was not happy.
“Yeah,” she replied simply, standing up. Now it was her turn to leave angrily.
Brian seemed to realize he’d gone too far because he too stood up. “Chloe… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”
“I know and I get it,” she said, cutting him off. “But I don’t think this is a good idea. Goodbye, Brian.” Something in her tone got through to the brunet and he seemed to realize that she wasn’t just talking about their meeting; that this goodbye was final.
Chloe turned on her heel and left. She liked Brian, but she didn’t think she’d ever talk to him again. Things were just too complicated between them. She didn’t like having to watch her words or wonder if he was going to betray her. And call her crazy, but she just didn’t like lying to her friends.
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