Hedgehawk

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

September had been a terrible month for Hayden. After losing Kolby, she had spent the rest of the month moping around the coven household trying to make sense of everything. She wasn't entirely sure how to rebuild her life. She came here to be with Kolby. Granted, also to get away from some nasty shit in New York, but she had relied on Kolby being her guide here and helping her settle in.

Now she just felt stuck in limbo. Carlisle had, in the various moments over the course of the month, tried to help her settle in. However, she was more than aware that he was fighting his own demons, and right now, Hayden couldn't be the priority. She had contemplated trying to contact Kolby and say something, but he was a headstrong man who never went back on his word. Before that meant he would be there for her to the end of the time. But now it worked in reverse and meant that she wouldn't even be able to speak to him.

As time moved on Hayden began to gain a slight amount of respect for Carlisle. While most would see him as the nervous, perhaps overbearing type, when it came to coven matters he was quite attentive and engaged. While he certainly preferred not to have conflict, he did at the very least want to get to an outcome that everyone was okay with. He did start, however , making comments about how Hayden couldn't live here forever. While it was a sanctuary for witches, it wasn't designed for people to live here permanently. And while Carlisle was having housing issues himself, he seemed to be alot more proactive with it. Hayden herself didn't know what to do. She had contemplated moving back to New York and quietly accepting her fate. While it would be a death sentence to return, maybe she did deserve it. Not like anyone would actually miss her right now. Still, she at least had to give Tanner more of a shot.

Carlisle had informed her about the hand over ceremony, and about how formal it was. Hayden didn't have any kind of formal clothes, only bringing with her about six changes of clothes that she could fit inside her rucksack. Not that she particularly had alot of possessions to start with before she moved away. A couple of days before the ceremony Carlisle had taped a note to her bedroom door, stating that she would need to find something to wear. To help with that he had left his credit card and his car keys for her to use. Hayden had been tempted to go on a splurge and have some real fun. Old Hayden would have certainly done that. But she did owe Carlise. He had been good to her, even when she had been a monster to him as she was working through the breakup. So she decided to behave. Taking Carlisle’s car she took a day trip to Seattle to do some dress shopping. Trying to keep within a strict budget she eventually managed to pick out some nice clothes. It took alot of strength to avoid picking something a lot more extravagant and expensive. She wanted to look as good as possible however, she wanted to impress.

The night of the ceremony, Hayden spent the beginning of the evening staying in her room, watching as everyone else entered. She was scared of going down and actually speaking to anyone. After the disastrous fight that spilled out at the opening party, Hayden was scared that either someone would start on her, or she would get frustrated and wouldn’t be able to contain her own anger. Eventually however, Hayden decided to leave, she couldn’t hide forever. As she left her room, she passed both Mary and Lilith walking further down the hallway and didn’t bother questioning it. Going down the stairs, Hayden could see the large crowds forming in the hallway and came to a halt on one of the stairs. Looking down the stairs at the crowds Hayden could feel her heart racing faster. Her mind was telling her to run back upstairs, but her feet were glued in place. It seemed her enochlophobia was in overdrive tonight. She never really told anyone about it, because she was supposed to give off a tough girl image. Kolby was the only one she really told, and while she had expected him to take the piss out of her for it, he actually acted like a gentleman about it, trying to make sure that she wasn’t exposed to any crowds, and if she was, making sure they stayed as far away from her as possible.

Tonight however she was not going to have that luxury. Taking a deep breath, Hayden finished the walk down the stairs and into the hallway crowd. She did her best to walk alongside the edge of the crowd, practically hugging the wall at times as casually as she could to avoid anyone noticing her, making a break for the verdana where it was quieter. Getting outside she let out a deep breath, sucking in that refreshing outside air. She leant against the railing, taking some time to try and calm herself down.

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Hello,
Please can have the following post hidden

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5463985

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

Also a note to everyone else: I am opening one more spot for additional player ontop of this. Please feel free to join the discord if you have any questions about lore, systems etc. We would love to have you.

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

@thatguy If you wanna try and put a character sheet together, please do so. We have had a spot open up. Please feel free to join the discord if you want some help with lore etc

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

Hey, i was wondering if this is open now, or is it still closed?

@thatguy

Hey! Sadly yes we are still closed to new players and we currently have a bit of a waiting list I am afraid

Family Matters (A Hedgehawk & SouffleGirl123 1x1)

"Of course I do. Dad always taught me to look out for you. Plus it meant mother couldn't have any of the profits if the company kept only operating at break even." Aloysius spoke with a soft smirk. The company had technically only ever broke even ever since Aloysius took over, which conveniently meant that there was no need to give Esme any of that money. Al had been fumbling the finances for years to get her out, not that anyone in the company seemed to mind. "We can take a look at getting you access if you like?"

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

A collab between @SouffleGirl123 & @Hedgehawk Featuring Carlisle, Miles & Mary & Amanda

September had been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for Carlisle. There was so much going on in his life that he had struggled to keep up with the sudden changing of the relationships and dynamics that had occurred. Part of him had wished he could go back in time, before everyone returned from college where everything was alot more simple. Mostly because he wanted himself and Lilith to go back to being proper best friends again. While hanging out with WIllow was nice, he was not going to deny that. He still missed the company of the person he deemed closest to him. Even if said person had punched him in the face and threw bottles of tequila at him.

Still none of that mattered right now. His brain was being occupied by other things. More direct, and important things that needed to be dealt with. Like making sure everything was set up for this party. Over the past week Tanner had started filling up with various guests. The guise was that the society that the coven used as cover was having a celebration to crown a new leader. It was enough to keep the locals from suspecting anything. But Carlisle was angsty. The more people who were in Tanner the harder it was to maintain the masquerade. Sure they could memory wipe, but Carlisle didn’t fancy having to wipe half the town's memory just because some witch or magi had gotten too drunk.

At the moment Carlisle was standing in the entrance way of the coven household, standing there with a clipboard going through the schedule for the evening whilst also at the same time directing the various helpers and movers who were setting up decorations and furniture. ”I am standing here planning my own celebration party. I really should be getting ready and trying to relax. Shit. I need to go over my speech” Carlisle mumbled to himself, hitting his head with the clipboard when he realised he had even more work to do before showtime.

With his mother being on meal duty Miles had arrived to the coven house earlier with her. They'd decided to come together as they both knew the chances of Miles being sober enough to drive at the end of the night would be low. Miles had expected to be on grandparent duty as they were in town but they spending the morning with friends from their days in the coven.

As he wandered through the house he quickly caught sight if his old best friend. The pair had barely talked since the family dinner. Their only non-coven interaction was really just the random memes they'd send out of instinct. Miles didn't really know how to approach the situation with the man. He missed his friend but he knew there'd be some tension over Lil, especially considering Miles had turned back on helping him to get her at the drop of a hat. As he gets closer he hears Carlisle’s mumblings and couldn't help but chuckle. ”Truly a pitiful situation," he replies half-jokingly.

Carlisle lowered his clipboard upon hearing Miles' voice.He turned around and gave a small smile. It felt strange seeing his best friends again. They had been apart for almost two years, and then after being back for a few months he ended up getting with the girl he had a crush on all summer. It was alot to take in. ”Originally Lilith was going to do all this, but given the current situation i figured it was best not to bother her. Least I can do really” The exhaustion had left his body, but his eyes still held a speckle of tiredness for those that knew where to look.

Miles gave Carlisle a small smile in response before clapping him on the shoulder. ”You look tired," he muses. He didn’t really know what to say to the man. Sorry your crush and I still love each other didn't feel right because he honestly wasn't sorry but blowing it off left a bad taste in his mouth.

”Well. Now I am harbouring another being in my soul, it feels like I can’t quite get enough sleep to recuperate.” Carlisle let out a soft sigh. ”I swear my nose isn’t right, even with all the healies.” He brushed his nose with his fingers. ”I thought you were coming over later, what brings you here so early?”

”Well my memaw and papaw made other plans and I thought I'd let Lil get ready alone so I came with my ma," he replies simply. ”How are you holding up? The Montgomerys aren't giving you too much grief are they? I know grandpa John can be a bit of a hardass."

"Honestly, Grandpa John ain't the issue. Lilith is. She is really passive aggressive when she wants to be. And doesn't let up. Like… I have gotten on her bad side before. But she has never been this bad. Heck, I don't even know if she will be able to hold it together when we have to do the ceremony." Carlisle let out a deep sigh " No she would behave, she would then find a way to make me suffer" Carlisle then began to rub his forehead.

Miles gave a sigh, looking his friend up and down. ”Look, bud, I don't want to seem like I'm pandering but maybe acting like Lil's at fault for your pain isn't the best way to go living, y'know?" Miles replies, scratching the back of his neck.

" I know that. But she is prone to overreacting you know. You try and help and all of the sudden she starts going off on one. I was trying to take charge and stop John from killing you. Didn't hurt him, or anything. Just kept him somewhere where he could calm down." Carlisle raised a hand dismissively " It doesn't matter now anyway. I have far bigger things to be worried about… there are so many important people in Tanner right now, and the barrier isn't anywhere near its full strength"

Miles shakes his head at the boys comment. ”My dude, maybe just don't intervene into other's business," Miles replies running his hand through his hair. He looked at the few people in the house rearranging furniture and hastily putting up decorations. ”Things seem under control enough… I think you need a drink. Pick your poison. Wine?"

”Since when have you known me to drink alcohol?” Carlisle questioned. ”Sorry, that came out wrong. The last thing I need right now is my sense to be impaired. I already have the Guilds lapdogs rummaging around doing a ‘security check’” Carlisle scrunched his nose and then took a deep gasp of air inwards ”There is just so much…”

”And why is that being put over there!? Useless!” Carlisle sighed at hearing the voice of his mother in the distance. This was all he needed.

At Carlisle's question Miles shrugs. ”You gave it some good goes in college," he replies before tugging the clipboard out of the boy's hands. ”I'm not saying get wasted, although that might really get rid of those nerves you got right now, but just something to dumb off that high. You worry too much."

That was when Amanda's voice could be heard through the room. Miles tensed slightly. Amanda was an uncomfortable figure at best. Miles knew she wasn't his biggest fan but he was more concerned what she might cause his mother to do. Or Claire.

Walking into the room Amanda finally saw the site of Carlisle and Miles. Walking over she saw Miles and gave off a grunt of disgust. ”I know I said to learn to delegate tasks to your lessers Carlisle, but a task as important as this should be delegated to a…urchin” With that she snatched the clipboard from Miles’ hands and began to flick through. ”No no no. Why did you write a plan and schedule like this? It is all wrong and out of place. No wonder this place is chaos” Before she could say anything else, Carlisle took the clipboard from her.

”This is a coven event. I am incharge of the coven. This is how I have decided to do it. We only do this once every 25-30 years, so its not like I have alot to go on. Everyone will be happy, and all the important events are in the right order. Please bear in mind however, you are only here because you are a council member, otherwise you wouldn’t be here at all.” Amanda stuck her nose out at the last comment, not saying a word she turned around and stormed off towards the library, Carlisle gave a sigh of relief.

As Carlisle and his mother squabble Miles couldn't get a word in edgeways and in a moment she was gone. ”Gee," he says with an exasperated sigh. ”24 years and I'm still just a street urchin to her. She's gonna get a fist in the wrong place between ma and Claire if she's not careful." Miles then turns his attention to Carlisle, properly addressing him this time. ”Good onya for standing up to your ma. So about that drink?" he offers once more.

”One glass of wine and that is it. I need to go through my speech and make sure it sounds like it was written by a human and not a robot” Carlisle bit his bottom lip. ”I never understood mother. She has always held disdain for the Price’s but sometimes I think it is from jealousy more than anything else” Carlisle mused as he led the pair into the kitchen.

”Attaboy," Miles cheers as Carlisle leads the pair into the kitchen. ”Trust me, the booze will make you sound a lot less robotic so win-win, right?"

At Carlisle's musing Miles gives a shrug. ”Suppose our mas butted heads back in the day. Probably doesn't help mine and Claire are so close but she probably can't take it out on a Montgomery,"

"Well she can politely stick it. I have had enough of everyone arguing and bickering because of blood and power. Being a witch these days is hard enough without having all this stupid infighting. If I want my rule to be about anything it is going to be about stability. I don't want to make the history books" Carlisle said with a soft smile as they entered the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of wine off the rack, he pulled out two glasses before trying to untwist the cap off the bottle.

”I guess if all hell breaks loose it'll give our future kids something to talk about," Miles muses, watching as his friend struggles with the twist cap. Eventually he puts a hand out, beckoning the man to pass over the bottle, and pops the lid off with ease. He pours them both a glass and pushes one toward Carlisle. Miles wasn't the biggers of wine drinkers himself but he wasn't going to turn down a chance to drink with his friend.

Sighing as he had to hand the bottle of over to Miles, Carlisle would take the glass of wine back and take a big drink of it from the get go, letting out a semi-satisfied sigh afterwards ”Knowing my luck, the coven will break apart over my watch and we will be taken over by the Guild. Sounds about run of the course for me.” Carlisle then messed around, swilling the wine around in his glass as he watched it spin around. ”So how are things with you Lilith? Have you decided what you are or aren’t yet?”

At Carlisle's question the man raises an eyebrow. It had been 3 weeks since Lil and him became official once again. Although he knew Carlisle was on odd terms with Lil, Miles wasn't surprised he hadn't heard through the grapevine. It made Miles feel almost awkward in sharing this information, considering the pair's situation when it cam to Lilith a month ago. ”I'm surprised you don't know," Miles says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. ”Lil and I got back together, like properly." At this moment Miles prepared himself to have to charm his friend, unsure how he'd react.

Hearing the news, it was as Carlisle suspected. Lilith wasn’t going to tell him anything. The only time they spoke was when she was giving him the sideeye or berating him. There was no way she was going to divulge this kind of information at the moment. Carlisle would be lying if there wasn’t a part of him that was stinging at the news. It was to a degree like college repeating itself all over again. Maybe it was Carlisle's fault for developing a crush on one of his best friends former lovers.

”That's cool. Good on you” Carlisle said with a small smile, taking another deep gulp of wine. He then put the glass down and smiled some more ”Lilith deserves to be happy, and while a part of me wishes it was me. I am more than happy it is with someone I trust to look after her.”

Miles sighs, taking a sip of his own drink. ”You're saying the words, Car, but I'm not sure if you mean them," he replies reluctantly, toying with his wine glass. ”Look, part of me wants to say I'm sorry but it'd be a lie. I know it hurt you, and for that part I am sorry but I don't really feel sorry for being with her again."

Miles turns in his place and seats himself on the bench, watching as people hurriedly set up the mansion, some occasional slinking away from Amanda Aston snapping instruction and insults. Miles was still not good with this confrontation thing. He doubted he ever would be. ”I was so determined to show you I was a different person to the one who took all your girls. Some of those were jerk moves, I know. Maybe not fully my fault but a jerk moves nonetheless. When I figured out you liked Li, well it felt like a perfect opportunity to do that. I guess fate was laughing hard at that idea." Miles sighs, taking a sip of his wine.

"Look if you had told me a few weeks ago you were going to make a move for Lil, I am not going to lie, I would have swung for you. But… It Doesn't matter how I feel about Lil, because she doesn't feel the same, and I can't change that. There is nothing I can do." Carlisle would join Miles on the bench, pouring himself a second glass of wine " At the end of the day. As long as the two of you are happy, that's all I care about. Besides, I don't even know if me and Lil are still even best friends, or even friends at this point. No point crying about not being my girlfriend if you are losing them as a simple friend" Carlisle let out a small sigh, masking it with another drink from his glass.

Miles looked over at his friend and pursed his lips. For as much as he didn't regret getting back with Lilith he couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. ”And where do we stand?" he asks simply. Part of Miles knew they couldn't instantly go back to their friendship. Heck, he knew in some ways their closeness only went so far. Miles was far too blase for something deep and Carlisle was closer to Lil, whether she saw that closeness or not.

"From my point of view, nothing has really changed. You are still my best friend. Sure, we aren't as close as we were back in college, but that was because we were apart for a year and a half" Carlisle would take another deep drink of his glass, almost finishing his second glass in the space of ten minutes. "Don't mean we can't become closer. Moving forward there is going to be alot of trials and tests. For all of us. We are going to all need each other if we are to figure out how to navigate them all"

Miles polishes off his glass but doesn't refill it, there'd be better tasting alcohol in his near future and he didn't want to get wine drunk before so. ”Y'know," he says softly, placing his glass back on the table. ”When you and Lil got close it stung a bit. Not in a 'I want her to myself' kinda way just…" Miles takes a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. ”We were essentially raised together. Even before she moved here there were the biannual Montgomery-Price holidays and all that. She was my closest friend, we both knew things about each other noone else knew. We grieved her memaw and ma together. And after I screwed it up and we broke contact I never had anyone who knew me as well. You were the closest. The Olympia guys were great but let's be honest, they were only there for the parties and funtimes. I guess watching my 2 closest friends push me away to get closer hurt a bit."

" I mean me and Lilith never got close until I returned from college with my tail between my legs. We were the only two from our year group to still be in Tanner. So we kinda bonded over being alone. If you were still in Tanner it would have played out differently. When you came back, well. Then it got awkward, I had to do my best to balance you being around and Lil not wanting to be near you. In hindsight I should of seen it coming with the coven reunion." While Miles was abstaining, Carlisle was pouring himself his third glass of wine "Well, the past is the past. We can't change it, only decide what we want to do going forward"

”In your defense, none of us saw it coming. I actually thought I'd be the one with a broken nose at the end of the first day. Man, that girl can punch," Miles replies, a small smile spread across his face at the last line. He watches as his friend pours another glass, unsure whether or not to stop him. He settled on the second option, Carlisle could figure himself out.

"Tell me about it" Carlisle continued taking another sip from the glass "Imagine if she actually did martial arts. This whole world would be screwed… Look… I don't hold anything against anyone. I got to go to the astral plane and be told that you and Lil were literally written in the stars. No amount of tampering or sabotage was ever going to work." a small sigh led to him taking another swig of his drink " It doesn't matter anymore anyway. Last week I had my own run of luck. Do you remember Willow?"

”The therapist, right?" Miles asks, his brow furrowing.

" Yeah, well. Last week she came around the household while I was working on the arrangements for today. And well, turns out she has been liking me for a long time. And we kissed" Carlisle let out a little squeal at the end of his sentence before drowning it with more wine.

Miles couldn’t help but chuckle as Carlisle squealed like a little school girl as he talked about kissing Willow. ”Look at you go, Car. How was it?" he asks.

" It was great. We went for a date out to Huskers and it was really cool to spend time with her. Apparently she has liked me for a long time and I have never even noticed it" Carlisle said with a smile, once more taking another swig of wine "I forgot how much I like this stuff. And to think, I had been hiding juice in wine bottles and replacing vodka for water for years because I thought alcohol made me ill"

”I'm happy for you, bud," Miles say, clapping Carlisle on the back. ”And I promise she's all yours. I'm a taken man now, a properly taken man,"

”I think it was the attempted keg stands that made you ill. I appreciated the attempt but it's very much not your expertise," Miles chuckles as Carlisle compliments the wine. He couldn't help but remember Carlisle's attempt to beat Miles' time but barely getting up in the air. Part of Miles thought his friend might have died that day.

" Well that is a relief. Just gotta make sure that I don't screw it up and somehow scare her away or cause her to beat the shit out of me in the world's biggest overreaction" finishing off the third glass, Carlisle let out a small burp, followed by a small giggle. It was clearly that somehow, he was starting to become inebriated. "Gonna take it sloooow, maybe woo her at the dance later tonight"

Miles looked at his friend incredulously. He'd only seen Carlisle drunk on a couple of occasions, both being in college. His speech was bound to be interesting indeed. ”Having fun there?" he asks.

Pouring the last of the wine into the glass Carlisle let out a small chuckle " I am having a blast. The best time of my life. Don't know why I am stressing about this party or the ceremony or that Salem woman. I am happy and everyone else can suck it" With that he necked the glass of wine and put the glass down on the table a little too hard.

Miles couldn't help but wonder if he sounded similar when he got drunk enough. It definitely has a lot more liquor for them to get there. ”I can't believe I'm about to say this but you might want to slow down for a moment. You're not Lil or I, you can't really hold your liquor,"

" I can hold my… " Carlisle interrupted his own sentence with a hiccup before bursting out laughing " At least I am a cheap guy to buy drink for" realising the bottle was empty, Carlisle pouted. "Maybe we should get some more from the fridge?"

”Car, you know I'm all for the drinking but maybe hold on for a moment, don't want you chucking up on anyone during your grand speech," Miles replies with a chuckle. Part of him couldn't believe he was the responsible one for once. This must be how Carlisle felt through college.

”I already have my speech planned out…” Carlisle slurred slightly ”Fuck my mother, Fuck the Guild, Fuck the old elites who think they are important. I am now in charge… And I say… we Par-tay ” With that Carlisle raised his hands in the air and gave out a cheer, which was loud enough that it seemed to catch the attention of Amanda.

All Miles could do is cover his face with his hand to hide the astonishment written over it. This was not good at all. Amusing? Absolutely. Probably one of the best speeches at these stuffy guild events. Probably Carlisle's best too. But also likely not a good thing. Lilith was probably going to kill one of them for this.

Carlisle locked eyes with Amanda’s disgusted look and he called out ”Yeah I am talking about you, you demented old bean” At that remark, Amanda stormed on over and was about to admonish him when she realised he had been drinking.

”Ah, I see the urchin has had you drinking. There is a reason we don’t let you drink Carlisle. You can’t handle it and you start getting ideas well above your station when under the influence.”

”Well I am the station now! I decide whats over or above my station level…thing” Carlisle carried on, not really making alot of sense. Amanda instead moved her eyes to Miles.

”Make yourself useful and get him cleaned up. Last thing I need is for him to disgrace the Aston name infront of the whole magical world!”

”It’s my magical world now and y’all just livin’ in it!” Carlisle cooed.

”Mands! Can I call you Mands? Actually I don't care," Miles greets Carlisle's mother with a smile. He may have not intended his friend to get this drunk, Miles did only offer and pour one drink after all, but he was happy to take the hit. ”Funny thing about handing over your job, I don't work for you anymore," he says with a shrug.

”Yes? Well that means I don’t get punished if I magically beat your ass into the ground” Amanda hissed back. ”Just do your ‘friends’ duty and look after him. If you do mind, I am off to go and greet Salem, and probably warn her that the Coven is about to fall off the edge of a cliff” With that Amanda stuck up her nose and walked off.

”Yeah, well I…I ain’t afraid of cliffs, or Salem. I can have her…out in the parking lot…” Carlisle meandered off, trying to get up and almost falling over in the process.

”Woah, bud," Miles replies, grabbing onto Carlisle to stabilize him. ”I hate to admit it, but your ma has a point. We should clean you off,"

”I will clean you off…” Carlisle started as Miles began to lead him away from the bench. It took a while, but Carlisle eventually sobered up enough that it wasn’t plainly obvious he was drunk. But his head was hurting. Although, Miles did have to help Carlisle into his suit, which Carlisle took as a game and began removing clothing as Miles was putting it on.

”Dude… Why did you let me drink that much. I am hungover before my own party starts”

”Hey," Miles says defensively, raising his arms. ”I offered 1. Anything extra you had was your problem. You're and adult, it's not my job to monitor your drinking,"

” So just like me in college then to you?” Carlisle said as he rubbed his head and looked at the clock. ”Dude it is almost time, you better go get ready yourself, depending on what you are going to wear. Also, where is your mother, I need to speak with her.”

Miles looks down at his own clothes, a vest over a red button up shirt. He already had to wear a suit 5 days a week, he wasn’t going to make it 6. ”Dude, I'm already dressed," he argues begrudgingly. When Carlisle asks about his mother, Miles shrugs. ”I don't know, the kitchen? What do you need my ma for?"

Looking Miles up and down, Carlisle shook his head. ”You know Lil is getting dressed up right. She isn’t going to be happy if you wear that. Alos, I gotta go ask her something important” With that, Carlisle left Miles in his bedroom before popping his head back in again ”I keep spare clothes in the closet you can use” He remarked before running off downstairs to find Mary in the kitchen. Entering, Carlisle would lean on the counter to smile at Mary. ”Hey Mary, I have a question… and a favour… and it is a pretty big one…”

Miles watches as Carlisle runs off, shaking his head. Lil had seen him earlier and said nothing so he assumed what he was wearing was fine and chose not to take Carlisle's offer.

Mary was in the kitchen helping cook some of the party food when Carlisle approached her. The older woman furrowed her brow. "Sure, dear, what can I do for you?" she asks

”So you know with the ceremony and all that. There are parts where the new leader and then their parents are supposed to be together. It’s all pomp and circumstance nonsense really. Things like welcoming the guests at the door, they are supposed to introduce you to everyone etc. Honestly, it might as well be taken from the fucking princess diaries. Anyway… I don’t really want to be there with my mother. She will just use every chance she can get to belittle me in front of people. I was hoping, maybe you would take her place instead?” Carlisle asked, slightly unsure of the answer he was about to get.

At Carlisle's question Mary's face softened. Of course, Carlisle," she replies, placing the tray of spring rolls she was holding on the kitchen bench. "You'll have to tell me what I'll be doin' but I reckon I could,"

”Most of it is just standing there and posing, Only bit that requires involvement is the introductions bit. But I gave everyone an invite they have to give to you, so you know exactly who they are. I am really nervous though. This speech is freaking me out in more ways than one”

"In what ways?" she asks, leaning over the bench.

”I am just worried that it won’t actually be any good. That people will not enjoy it, or that it will make me look weak. We both know that I don’t exactly have a way with words” Carlisle spoke as he rubbed his hair in both frustration and anxiety.

"Well, we've got some time. How 'bout you practice with me?" she offers with a gentle smile. "I can tell you for a fact, Milo didn't get his way with words from his father,"

With a shake of his head Carlisle spoke ”It is okay, thanks for offering though. If i spend any longer trying to speak it or going through it, I am just going to keep nitpicking it and making myself worse. Its just performance anxiety. The past 30 days haven't really done much for my confidence.”

Mary nods in response. A ding goes off from the oven and she turns to pull out a tray of chicken nuggets. "You just gotta buck up, kid," she says, placing the tray on the bench. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Now why don't you go and start welcomin' people in, I'll join you in a moment,"

---

Later That Evening

Coven Household Entrance - Council Handover Ceremony - 7PM

---

Carlisle had sobered up enough that he could finally interact as a human being. He took a moment to adjust the bowtie on his Suit. It was finally 7pm and everyone was starting to arrive. The ceremony was all pompous and a little dated, but it was tradition. Standing there Amanda began to walk over to him.

"Let's get this over with shall we? Try and look happy, we have to at least keep up appearances" Carlisle would cough slightly, pulling at his collar before finally saying what he had wanted to say all afternoon.

"Asides from the ceremony tonight, and that's all, I don't require you for anything. I have asked someone else to step in for me" Carlisle smiled as he motioned towards the now incoming Mary, causing Amanda to scoff in disbelief. "Really now? Out of all the people you could choose, you went for the Urchin Breeder"

"You're a lil touched, ain’t ya?" Mary drawls. She takes a step toward the woman, sizing her up. "I'm only gonna ask you just once to leave my boy out of this. At this rate you seemed more obsessed about him than ya own kid standin' right here. Now, tell me Amanda, what makes you think he's gonna go runnin' back to you after you disowned the poor boy?"

Amanda didn’t back down when Mary tried to size her up. Sure Mary was taller, but Amanda was going to let this commoner push her around. ”Because if he knows what is good for him, then he will realise that power stays together. Even when said power is a worthless sack of shit that doesn’t even deserve the name”

"Yeah, no. There'll be none of that here," Mary says before turning to Carlisle. "Why don't you go and greet some of our guests, you don't need to listen to the psychotic ramblings of this sour puss." She then turns back to the woman before her and steps even closer. Mary wasn't the angry type but Amanda seemed to know how to push her buttons from the day she moved to Tanner all those years ago. "For someone who made a big deal about havin' the boy and how well he'll be raised you really turned out to be a disappointment of a parent, didn't ya?" she quips.

Carlisle took a step back. He wanted to say something, but he had the impression that Mary wanted to deal with this himself. He would take a few moments to adjust his bowtie and take the final few steps to the door, making sure he was still in earshot of duo. Amanda on the tiger hand just took a deep breath through he nose, exhaling hard. "The problem was I had to make do with my pathetic husband. If his true father had actually had him, he would have been useful and powerful, not wasted on some stumpy little southerner like you"

"True father? Mary laughs, looking the woman up and down. "Bless your heart, you're more delusional than I thought. Just because you want someone to be yours doesn't make them meant to be. Besides, chances are your boy would still be a warlock, mine is. Not that that matters that much. No, all you would have done for yourself is be left to raise that poor boy on his own, and for his sake I'm glad you weren't."

" Please. His father never cared so long as he was out of the way. I raised Carlisle on my own. And at every possible chance to impress or show that he was an Aston, he failed. Your son gained powers that are wasted on him. Oh if I had want I deserved, Carlisle would have been so powerful it would have made Lilith and Serena look like bitches." Amanda still looked outraged, occasionally she would glare at Carlisle, who would look away and greet the various coven members from both around the world, and from Tanner.

" I would explain more about it, but to be honest that would be giving away spoilers about little Jonathan. And I don't think I am ready to drop that on you yet" Amanda proclaimed with a grin.

"My son's doin' perfectly fine with the powers he was given, thank you very much. As is yours. What you actually deserve is to be dragged into the depths of the hells themself!" Mary snaps in return, heat rising to her face from her anger. The temptation to grab the nearest stick and whack the woman over the head was strong but this was not the place.

At Amanda's final comment Mary crosses her arms and raises her brow. There was a lot about Miles' father she didn't know. She knew he was far from a truthful man, she only knew about his magic thanks to her divination and he'd up and left without a trace after 2 months of acting like he was excited about her pregnancy. But what did Amanda know? Did Mary even care? Probably not enough.

Mary scoffed, looking the woman up and down. "You think anythin' to do with that name would still sting? It's been 25 years, I'm not insufferably petty like you. Y'know what? If Johnathon Park ever comes a'knocking you can have the bastard to yourself. Or better still, punt him back to Korea and out of my face."

Amanda simply laughed at how Mary ended that sentence. She didn't care? Really? If only she knew. Amanda would cross his arms and raise her eyebrow "It doesn't matter anyway. I was left with a useless son who only had one job: Be better than the piece of shit you spat out. And somehow, he befriended him and failed to do that." Amanda huffed one more time, clearly Mary was getting under her skin.

Mary couldn’t help but smirk at the woman before her. It seemed she had gotten under her skin. ”I’d be careful with your words if I were you, Amanda Aston. There’s quite a few folks around here who are just as protective over my boy as me, and less graceful. Regardless, you’re startin’ to piss me off. Do you really want another incident like ‘96? ‘Cus I’d be more than happy to relive that for you,” With that the woman takes another step forward, her face floating inches from the shorter womans ear. She then lowers her voice into a gruff whisper. ”Your smugass face looks like it’s due for some new dents. You might be able to show some emotion again after I knock out all that work.”

Amanda wasn't going to be made to look like the fool. Normally. However, memories of that day back in '96 was enough to cause Amanda to take a step back. With a deep, angry sigh, she glared at Carlisle "If you want to take that piece of disappointing shit under your wing then feel free. But he will let you down to. This Coven and indeed the entirety of witch-kind is about to go to the dogs" Amanda would take one more step back, just to be away from Mary.

”I don’t do that consistent disappointment to hate thing when it comes to the kids- I’m better than that. Now why don’t you be a dear and leave both of my boys alone,” Mary’s voice remained calm and gentle yet she made it clear it was very much a threat.

Amanda simply huffed and stormed off "Yeah well good luck with that" With that she went away, leaving Mary alone. Carlisle looked over at Mary, a look of quiet fear in his eyes.

Mary shook her head at the woman as she walked off and joined Carlisle. "Don't you go worryin' about us old crones, kid. I know how to handle your mother."

"I know. But it just feels sad. This was supposed to be a big day. A whole celebration, but now it has been reduced to a petty bitching contest because my mother decided it would be a good idea to try and undermine me" Carlisle sighed and rubbed his head.

"Y'know, it only becomes a competition with her if you let it. She feeds off of making you feel inferior. If you don't let her, she has no power. This can still be that big celebration, just ignore her and get on with your life." Mary replies, adjusting the golden watch on her wrist. Her eyes floated to Amanda for a moment, giving the woman a glare if she dared to look back.

Amanda simply ignored the duo and walked away, leaving Carlisle to greet one of the guests. "I know. It just felt like I haven't really had a mother growing up. Silly I know. Why do you think they bought me the townhouse at 16? It wasn't because they wanted me to be luxurious I can tell you that"

Mary sighed and pursed her lips. She was sure as far as parents go she was fair from the best, or at least the most attentive. Having to spend countless hours working to make ends meet over raising her son did that. If Carlisle's mum were anyone else Mary would be the first to ask Carlisle to give her some grace but Amanda didn't deserve it. "I'm sorry you went though that, kid. Let's not worry about that tonight though. You have me, ok?"

”Well that was what I was going to ask you… I suppose now is the best time to ask rather than later.” Carlisle would pull at his bowtie and straighten his back. ”So I have a job offer for you… As you know, mother stripped away nearly all of the jobs in the coven household so that she could keep the funds for herself. I don’t really like the sound of that. So I know that you have amazing skills with looking after places… I was wondering if you would want to take on the role of Seneschal? Its paid of course, fully paid with vacation and all the other benefits.” This was Carlisle’s way of trying to apologize over how shitty his mother had treated her. He couldn’t change the past, but he could at least, make the future better.

At his offer Mary gave him a smile. She wasn't sure how to respond. On one hand, it'd be a familiar job to her seeing as she tends so lovingly to the house and its occupants but it felt almost wrong to ask for money for that work. Not to mention she did enjoy her job but it was also getting tiring on her joints. Not to mention that Carlisle almost seemed to have a secondary motive. She asked her mind if it was suspicious and her divination declined so she decided to probe no further. "Let me think on it Car. How long do I have to decide?" she asks.

”As long as you need. I am in no rush to fill the position. I need someone to look after the household and make sure it is well stocked. Salary is $100K a year. It is a senior position afterall” Carlisle did have an agenda for sure. He wanted to make sure that Mary was not only sorted for retirement, but also had a much better work life balance. After seeing the sacrifices she had made, and how his mother had seemed to be responsible.

"That's very kind of you car, I'll think on it," Mary replies, turning back to the guests. "For now, though, we have people to greet,"

Carlisle simply smiled at Mary, briefly taking a moment to wrap his arms around her in a hug, muttering a ‘thank you’ before letting go and continuing to greet everyone as they entered.

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

A collab between @Hedgehawk & @Sailorsadie ft. @HaleyTheRandom
Starring: Carlisle, Willow & Lilith

Carlisle couldn’t really focus all afternoon. A briefing with his mother about how to act around the Guild during the handover party. Not that any of it actually sunk in. Carlisle was still thinking about Willow and the consequences of him kissing her. He wasn’t regretting it, far from it, but a part of him wasn’t quite sure what was going on and if he had made a wise choice. Still he was looking forward to the date. He had still wondered how long Willow had been into him, and how he had been too stupid to realise it.

He was right outside Huskers Bar and Grill at the exact time that he promised he was. He had opted for a casual suit to wear for the evening. He checked his watch to make sure he was on time. He then began to develop a sinking feeling that Willow might not actually turn up and this was some kind of trick on him.

After finishing up with work for the day, Willow had hurried home to get ready for her big date with the guy she’d been in love with for years. She had a mini panic attack in trying to decide what to wear, but ultimately decided on a little black mini dress. She had straightened her hair and added kitten heels and large hoop earrings to the ensemble. Taking a glance at the clock, she swore under her breath when she realized she was going to be late.

She hurried to her car and pulled up to the bar about five minutes past their scheduled meet up time. Quickly parking, the woman stepped out of the car, smoothed out her dress, and walked to the door. Willow’s face immediately brightened and she beamed when she saw him. ”Hey, sorry I’m late. You look great.”

Carlisle would be lying if he hadn’t spent the last five minutes panicking if he had been set up. Seeing her however, caused all of his anxiety to go away, and a whole new sensation to take over his body, as his eyes wandered over the dress that adorned her figure. It was very seductive that was for sure. ”No No, it is fine. You look even greater.” Carlisle replied with. It wasn’t smooth at all, far from it, but his nerves were making this all very difficult for him. Holding out his arm to wrap around hers, he would give her a soft smile as he would escort her to the entrance of the bar and enter together.

Her grin widened at his compliment. She couldn’t believe that after all these years, this was actually happening. She might have to give Lilith a thank you gift for finally cutting ties with him. Hell, she’d give her an entire bouquet if Willow could finally call Carlisle hers. Wrapping her arm through his, she gave a slight nod of her head and walked into the bar. She looked around and cleared her throat, her eyes immediately focusing on Lilith. Great. Why didn’t I think she’d be working tonight? This is going to be awkward.

Letting out a breath through her nose, she nodded to the hostess as they were led to a small table in the back. Willow took her seat, smoothing down the back of her dress before sitting. She crossed her legs at the knees before returning her attention to Carlisle. ”Thank you for this. I haven’t been out in forever.”

Carlisle would also noticed Lilith at the same time as Willow did, and Carlisle almost froze. The duo hadn’t really spoken much in the week since the events of the sunday dinner, Carlisle had always gave her a wide berth as he could have sworn that he heard growling as he even got close to her. Moving to the table with Willow, Carlisle did his best to look away from Lilith, hoping that by some divine miracle, she did not notice. ”I should be thanking you. I have never actually really been out really” ’Well done Carlisle, really selling yourself here aren’t you’

Her brows furrowed in question when he mentioned he hadn’t been out. What had he been doing all this time? She thought for sure he had at least gone out a few times before. With a shake of her head, her grin pulled at her lips as she studied him. ”Well, I’m honored you chose me to go out with.” A blush crept up her neck and she shrugged her shoulders. ”I’ve been wanting to go out with you for quite some time.”

”Oh really, how long?” Carlisle asked. He was genuinely curious about this, but at the same time knew that he was going to kick himself when he found out how long it actually was. This entire time he had been so fixated on everything else, or more specifically someone else, that he had completely let the thing skip him by.

Damn her blushing. She could swear her face was red and she suddenly felt very hot. Would she really admit how long she was crushing on the guy? Honesty was always her best policy, both in work and her personal life. Letting out a breath to steady her nerves, she shrugged her shoulders. ”I’ve had a crush on you since school, Car. But you’ve always been interested in, well. Someone else. So I never acted on it.”

School…wow… okay. Carlisle was struggling to process how he could have missed the woman's signals for nearly 6 years. Though granted, three were away at college. ”The whole Me and Lilith thing. That was only really the past year while everyone else was in college, and we were here alone. Since school though? And even after all this time, you still wanted to be with me?” There was a level of disbelief in his voice. Not at her for liking him, but for the fact she was okay with waiting as long as she did.

”I’m a patient woman.” Willow gave a small shrug of her shoulders as she dipped her head. Or a crazy person. Maybe both, who knows? She let out another small breath before looking back up at him. ”I was shy in school, and focused on my studies. So I couldn’t have been with anyone anyway. But, yeah. After all this time…I still want to be with you.” She felt as if her makeup was going to melt off with all the heat that was emitting from her face.

At this point Carlisle's brain just stopped processing what was going on. Was this really all happening? He had never really had anyone interested in him before. Sure Miles and Lil had conversations with him, but never this deep, or about loving someone. Carlisle was at a loss to what to say. Or more precisely, so nervous that he didn’t know how to act and his fear of screwing things up was stopping him from saying anything. Eventually after a moment of awkward silence the awkwardness was enough to override his fear and cause him to open up. ”I guess I am a lucky guy then.” He said with a nervous laugh.

Blinking, she rose a brow and grinned at him. Was he interested in her too? Sure, he had kissed her back at the Coven house. But did that kiss actually mean something, or was it just a test to see if they had chemistry? Willow knew she had felt something with the kiss, but didn’t know if he did as well. She shrugged her shoulders and tucked her hair behind her ears- a nervous trait. She didn’t have to be nervous, though. This date would go great and maybe they could see about being a couple. She cleared her throat at that thought. She was clearly getting ahead of herself. This was a date, sure. But would anything come of it?

Then she realized she hadn’t responded to him. She let out a breath and shrugged her shoulders. ”I didn’t mean to make this awkward or put you on the spot. You have no obligation whatsoever to feel the same about me. I just wanted to let you know where I stand. This isn’t just some game or a fleeting courtship to me. There’s actual feelings behind me being here tonight. And I just want to make that known upfront. You can do whatever you want with that information, but that’s where I stand.”

”What!? No! You aren’t being awkward at all. If anything, all of this is on me. I am just so nervous about saying or doing something that will cause this to go wrong. Like… I haven’t had any interest in me. And yes, I think you are really beautiful and I think you have a great personality. And when we you know…kissed… I really felt something. So much so I can’t focus on anything else all day.” Carlisle stroked the back of his head as he looked over the menu for the grill casually. ”Suppose we should pick some food”

She couldn’t imagine her face being able to flush anymore, but she bet it did. She probably resembled a beet at this moment. With a small laugh, she looked down at her menu and tried to hold back the squeal that was sitting at the back of her throat. Willow couldn’t believe she had made that much of an impact on him with that kiss. Then again, she had been hardly able to think of anything else either. Willow nudged his foot with hers and gave him a shy smile. ”I haven’t been able to really think about anything else, either…” Biting her bottom lip, she grinned and looked back down at the menu. Their waitress should be by sometime soon and she wanted to be prepared just in case it was Lilith. That’d be my luck…

On the other side of the bar, Lilith had been busy working her Friday night shift. The end of the fall season had brought unusually large golfing groups into Huskers tonight as they looked for one last outing this year without their wives.

Dutch Beaukema happened to be one of them.

He was a friend of Husker himself, and had been coming in and out of the bar for years. Dutch was an older man - around seventy-five years of age if Lil had to guess - who stood at a daunting six feet, four inches tall. He was a pervy old shit, but his money was good and he had a heart of gold. Most people couldn’t stand to serve him, mostly because they didn’t know how to talk to him. Dutch was the sort of man that liked to dish shit out and take it back in - preferably ten fold.

Hair thrown back into the usual mess that it was, Lilith ran around the restaurant filling in for the multiple people who had called out that evening. First and foremost, she had to cover her own shift. Then she had been given a seven table section on top of the barstool seats she usually had to serve because Kylie the waitress had called out; not to mention everyone was taking turns playing dishwasher because Ryan had decided to bail that afternoon as well. Being short staffed while serving Dutch’s party of thirty was a literal nightmare - but at least Lilith knew she was going to be tipped well.

As the hostess came to tell her that a new table was sitting in her section, Lilith turned to look back over her shoulder, seeing Carlisle and Willow walk through the door. Taking a deep breath, Lilith sat down the three pitchers of beer that she currently had in hand in front of Dutch and his friends.

”Lilith,” Dutch said, looking over at her in his drunken state. ”Have I told you how beautifully breathtaking you are tonight?”

Her lips formed into a thin line while she took a split second to figure out how to respond. Eyes full of mischievous sparkle, Lilith began to fill the mens empty beer glasses as she spoke.

”Now Dutch,” she sighed, tilting her head to the side as she turned on her southern charm and gave him a playful scolding look. ”Calling me pretty doesn’t make up for how much of an ass you’ve been tonight.” Her response had gotten a few ‘oooohhhhs’ and whistles in return before she quickly added: ”And with all the times you’ve been divorced, we all know that ain’t the first time you’ve heard them words.” As they both laughed along with the crowd, Dutch tried to wrap his free arm around Liliths waist, prompting her to slap the older man on the shoulder as her brow furrowed. ”Don’t you go startin’ your shit back up on me Dutch. Put all the bills on one tab - because we both know you love me - and then have the boys tip me thirty percent for all the shit yeens put me through tonight.”

”Y’all heard the girl,” Dutch yelled out into the bar. ”Grab your wallets and start throwin’ them twenties on the counter.”

Shaking her head, Lilith clapped him on the back once more before walking off with a laugh. Her smile still lingered as she approached Carlisle and Willow’s table.
”Evenin’ guys. You already know who I am - so no need to introduce myself,” she began, now pulling her pen and serving book from the apron tied around her waist. ”Can I get you guys started off with something to drink? Then we can move on to the dinner specials if you’d both like.”

Seeing Lilith come over, Carlisle nearly slunk into his seat, wanting to disappear. He didn't know exactly how Willow was going to react, but from his point of view, he was finding it strange that Lilith was being polite. Sure, it was her professionalism talking, but it still took Carlisle by surprise. "Well, I think to start with I will have a bottle of light beer, how about you Willow? Pick anything you like, it is a date afterall!" He said with a very nervous chuckle.

Great. Awesome. And Carlisle’s acting weird. This is going to be a fun night. While she didn’t necessarily have anything bad towards the woman, she didn’t like how much pull Lilith had on Carlisle. She knew it wasn’t her fault, but she couldn’t help but just want her to be completely out of his life. Willow didn’t want to be a rebound or a second option. Yet with Lilith, she felt that was all she could ever be.

Glancing over at Carlisle, she gave him a small grin at the nervous chuckle, which all but confirmed how tonight was going to go. She cleared her throat and looked back up at Lilith, a grin on her face for the woman. ”Hey, Lilith. I’ll start with a glass of berry sangria, thank you.”

Scratching down some brief notes, Lilith couldn’t help how her eyes cut to Carlisle in his moment of awkwardness. A date? Good for him.

Sure. A date with a girl who looked like her - maybe even acted like her from time to time - at the place she worked. What on earth was this boy thinking? At least it was a start.

Fighting the urge to grab Carlisle by the ear and pull him into the kitchen for a speech, Lilith returned Willow's smile. ”Excellent choice, my dear. I’ll get that put right in for you guys.”

Keep it professional, Li, she thought to herself, turning on her heel to walk back behind the bar and begin to grab their drinks. As she squatted down to grab Carlisle’s drink from the beer cooler, the young woman let her facade drop for just a brief moment. Taking a few deep breaths, Lilith stood back up behind the bar, reaching above her on the drink rack to grab the proper glass for the sangria.

She had taken a little extra time making sure that everything was right for the two of them. It was a little hard to make bottled beer look fancy, but Lilith was sure to grab a frosted glass to go with it. The young woman had spent just a few extra seconds adding extra garnishes and such to Willows sangria - topping it all off with a bright purple hibiscus flower before walking the drinks back over to the table.

”I hope you guys enjoy those,” she spoke as the drinks landed on the table, already beginning to overthink the situation. Hopefully Willow hadn’t latched on to the fact that Carlisle had said ‘a beer’ in a bar full of beer - or the fact that Lilith had picked what Carlisle had always told her had been his favorite. She had been the girlfriend who had to compete with the girl best friend before - and she didn’t want that for Willow. Lilith didn’t want to make her feel like that, or screw this up for them unintentionally. Second guessing herself, the thought of transferring their table to another server quickly ran through her mind as she rambled off the evening’s specials.

”So tonight the app feature is garlic knots with a side of marinara. Entree wise we’re offering an eight ounce filet, cooked to order, served with mashed potatoes and mixed veg. I’ll let y’all ponder over that while you look at the menus, unless you have any questions for me right now?”

"Ohhh the Filet sounds really nice" Carlisle chimed as he looked at the menu. He forgot how nice Huskers was. He didn't really come here, or really go out often, mostly down to his anxiety of being near new people or places. This was a real change for him. "I think I will go for that. Is there anything that catches your eye Willow?" Feeling slightly more relaxed now, Carlisle would smile at Lilith, trying not to be awkward.

Wrapping her hands around her drink, she took a sip while Lilith spoke and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. She cleared her throat and looked back over at Carlisle, her eyes watching at how he interacted with the waitress. It was still very clear that he was trying to put Willow at ease, but she didn’t know if her nerves would be able to survive the night. She had a strong feeling that she was a rebound.

Giving him a small grin, she glanced back at the menu before looking back up at Lilith. ”I’ll just take the salmon with the veggies.”

Lilith did her best to keep her eyes somewhere between the two of them, looking back and forth between the pair so that her eyes didn’t rest on either of them for too long. She stood their writing down their order, silently hoping that she hadn’t beaten whatever best friend telepathy her and Carlisle had shared out of him.

’Don’t fuck this up, she thought, hoping that he could catch the vibe.

”Awesome choices,” the brunette responded, nodding her head as she collected their menus. ”How would each of you like your dishes cooked? Chef recommends medium for both.”

Carlisle would nod to Lilith at the mention of having his meat done medium. He then smiled once more "That sounds fantastic" He took a small swig of his beer, noticing that it was his favourite. Clearly Lilith had saved his ass again. Looking over at her, he could pick up the vibe. He knew he couldn't screw this up. He was just nervous about saying anything.

”Medium sounds great, thanks Lil.” She grinned at the woman before her eyes went back to Carlisle. Willow didn’t want to be a rebound. She had to find some way to ease herself into his life, to take up a part that wasn’t marred by the woman in front of them. She just hoped she’d be able to do so, for the sake of her own heart. Looking back at Lilith, she grinned. ”And the drink is perfect, by the way.”

”Thank you,” Lil replied, now smiling herself. ”So is that dress. You look stunning. Now if you guys will excuse me, I’ll go ring this in and give you two some time to chat.”

As Lil walked away, Carlisle smiled at Willow. And perhaps that was the catalyst that caused him to realise what was going on. ”I know what this looks like…” He started with a soft sigh, taking a gulp of his beer to calm his nerves. In reality his parents had forbade him to drink, as apparently he couldn’t control it. ”I know this looks like some kind of rebound thing. Where I get with anyone because Lilith turned me down. But it isn’t. So in the interest of transparency, if you want to ask me anything about me and Lil go ahead. I won’t tell any lies or hold anything back” Hopefully this would help calm Willow’s nerves, but also his own too.

She blinked at his words. It was definitely not something she thought he would ever bring up. But, it was growth. Progress. Willow couldn’t help but grin at him. He may think that this isn’t a rebound thing, but she knew a part of it always would be. Hell, it was Lilith Montgomery. Who could really compare to her? Clearing her throat, she took another sip of her drink before speaking. ”Okay…You say this isn’t a rebound thing. So. What made you ask me out on a date? Or hell, kiss me? You’ve never shown any interest before.”

”Well…” It seems Willow has opened up on a tough question. One that could destroy everything if he didn’t respond correctly. But he did have a good response. Well. He thought so. ”... It was a combination of two things. Like, I don’t know why, but my brain suddenly registered the way you were looking at me. Like had I really been that stupid to not notice that someone had been looking at me in that way. Secondly, my brain just felt something different. I felt attraction. I kissed you because I wanted to confirm what my heart was telling me. And yeah. I like you.”

”Oh.” She couldn’t help the blush that crept up the sides of her neck. Willow nodded her head slowly as she played with the straw in her drink. ”I won’t lie and say the kiss completely surprised me. But, it was a good surprise.” Her eyes flitted over to Lilith and studied the woman before looking back at Carlisle. ”So whatever you had going on with Lilith is over?”

A lump formed at the base of his throat. Don’t make me say it his brain fired back. He knew this was coming. He would have to face this one day. He liked Willow, but to say it now, this early, this raw… Carlisle wasn’t ready. But. He knew that if he didn’t, Willow would never trust him. She would always have that doubt in her mind. Carlisle let out a deep, almost defeated sigh.”We were never a thing to begin with. There was nothing going on. I had feelings for her, which rather than just admit, I let build up and up to the point where it became critical. Then Miles came along and I felt scared and it caused me to lash out and try to shoot my shot in the worst possible way. I don’t want to make that kind of mistake again.”

Willow nodded along silently as Carlisle explained everything. She watched his face and studied his expression. She realized how tough this was for him to explain. So, they weren’t a thing? She knew he had a thing for Lilith. Hell, everyone knew. Willow just didn’t know that it wasn’t reciprocated. Her teeth sucked in her bottom lip as she thought about everything he was saying. She cleared her throat and tried for a joke. ”Well. If it makes you feel any better, you won’t make that mistake with me. Cause the feelings are definitely there.”

”Well, if my track record on women is to be believed, I am going to screw up in oh so many other ways. I am sure mother would say that I would test the patience of that love of yours” Carlisle said with a very nervous laugh. It was a laugh, but he was using it to disguise his genuine fear of screwing up around her. ”This is embarrassing, but I haven’t really done a date thing before. So what do we talk about?”

”Everybody screws up, Car. It’s just how we respond and react that makes all the difference.” She could feel her social worker side coming out, and she had to take a deep breath to not let her work interfere with her relationship. Willow cleared her throat, but then couldn’t help a small grin when she realized he’d never been on a date. She’d been on a couple, but nothing that had sustenance. She wanted this time to be different. Willow shrugged her shoulders. ”Well. We talk about our likes, our interests. See if we have anything in common other than initial attraction to each other.”

Carlisle stopped for a second. What did he like? Could he even say that he had hobbies? Hanging around with Miles was really just because he tolerated him, and dragged him to parties. He never really ever did things he wanted to do. Infact he had been like this for so long, he couldn’t even think of things he would want to do. ”Well…. I uh…um… I like to watch movies? I try to play games, but rarely find the time. The coven takes up so much of my life the past few years. My mother would just keep me working. Lilith was the only one who would pull me away from the cycle.”

Nodding slightly, she tilted her head in thought. It wasn’t fair to him that he was a young man who didn’t know how to have fun. That’s what Willow could provide to him. Some fun. Lilith wasn’t in the picture anymore, as far as she could tell, so she could be the one to occupy his time. Thinking about what they could do, she finally gave a slight nod of her head before speaking. “Okay. So. Movies. We could go to the drive in or the theater? Or just take a day and hang out at Pinewood? I like to bowl and play arcade games, so that could be really fun.”

”Yeah it does sound really fun. I have never really tried bowling. I am sure I would throw myself down the aisle and hit the pins myself.” Carlisle said with a laugh. ”After this whole handover ceremony, we could try and get to Seattle? Maybe even go to the beach.” Carlisle tried to suggest, trying to keep the conversation flowing. But just sitting next to Willow was enough for him.

As she continued to drink, her liquid courage was running through her veins and she found herself beaming at him. She loved that he was planning to do more things with her. Was Willow finally getting what she had wished for since high school? It looked as if she might. She nodded her head and sat back once her drink was finished. ”I love the ocean. Sounds like another date, Car.”

”It does” Carlisle said with a soft smile. He then looked over at Willow before leaning over the table and kissing her on the cheek. ”Sitting in the sand holding hands with you while the sunsets. That sounds amazing. We could make it a small holiday. I am sure the coven could cope without us for a few days.”

Why did her cheeks have to blush so damn hard? Blowing out a small breath to even out her nerves, she beamed more and nodded at him. ”It does sound perfect. The coven would survive, I’m sure of it. I’ll just have to look at my schedule and see if I have a break in between patients. But we can totally make it work.”

”Well I am sure we can figure it out” Carlisle said with a smile. He would then sit back down and get comfortable one more time. ” I hope you don’t think sending time with me is like interacting with your patients. I know I can be difficult to work with. ” Carlisle said with a slight huff.

Her brows furrowed and she quickly shook her head. ”I don’t mix business with pleasure. While yes, it can be difficult at times since I just like to help people, I really try to leave the shrink at the office.” She cleared her throat and shifted in her chair. ”I really hope you don’t think I do that to you. Sometimes it happens, but I really try to not let it.”

”No…No… I just don’t want to be a burden. Sometimes I feel that I come with alot of baggage that people have to deal with. I sometimes think that with mine and MIles’s and now Mine and Liiths’s friendships, that I cause the people I am with alot of hassle.” Carlisle let out a little sigh, finishing off his beer bottle and he looked down a bit.

Seeing him hang his head in defeat pulled at her chest. She took a breath and reached over, cupping her hand over his. Giving it a light squeeze, Willow lowered her head so she could look into his eyes. She gave him a soft grin and shook her head. ”Car…If I thought you were going to be a burden to me, I would have never accepted this date. I never would have been vulnerable enough to finally tell you what my feelings are. I’m all in on this, okay? There’s nothing about you that’s a hassle or a burden to me.”

Hearing that she was all in on this should have reassured Carlilse. Instead it caused him to feel even more pressure to perform. He didn’t wanna let her down. He had tried to learn from Miles. But he was far too confident and suave for Carlisle to emulate properly. ”Well… If you say so. Just expect me to eventually geton your nerves trying to help. That seems to be a common theme. Haha. Oh this date is going fantastic” He nervous laugh, once again made an appearance.

Shaking her head slightly, she took a moment to search his face. She could tell he was still nervous and holding back a bit. How could she convince him that, despite everything he was saying about himself, she still maintained feelings for him all these years? Willow liked him for him, flaws and all. Biting the inside of her cheek, she reached up and put a hand against his cheek before leaning in, her lips brushing across his. She pulled back slightly and grinned. ”I like you for exactly who you are, warts and all.”

”I have warts?!” Carlisle exclaimed as he pulled back and ran his hands down his face, trying to detect any kind of trace of what she had just mentioned.

Willow couldn’t help a small laugh. She shook her head and brushed some of his hair away from his eyes. She loved his eyes. ”It’s just an expression, Car. I just mean that I like every part of you, even the things you don’t like about yourself. I wouldn’t be here tonight if there wasn’t anything about you that I couldn’t handle.”

”People can like the bad parts of me?” Carlisle asked as his brain struggled to keep up.Not even his own mother would confirm if she actually loved him. Whenever he asked she would deflect the question. So he wasn’t used to someone saying that they were here through thick and thin. Lil and Miles had said it sure, but not to this depth. To this degree. ”Best thing I can do is try and live upto your expectations”

Her brows furrowed in concern at his question. Had he never been fully accepted by anyone before? Willow searched his face and tilted her head as she studied him. At his next statement, a grin stretched across her face and she shrugged her shoulders. ”I have no expectations, Carlisle. You have absolutely nothing to prove to me, okay? I like you. Really like you. Just for who you are.”

Hearing how she said that she really liked him caused Carlisle to blush slightly as he felt the heat raise to his head. He wasn't able to say anything as the food had finally been delivered. He smiled to Lilith and thanked her before picking up his knife and fork and beginning to eat. "Wow this is really good"

Sitting back in her seat, she grinned at Lilith in thanks before digging in. She groaned at the first bite and nodded her head in agreement. ”So’s this. I rarely come out to Huskers anymore. I should change that. Their food is always great.”

Soon their drinks were refilled and the meal went by without a hitch. It wasn’t as awkward or embarrassing as she thought it would be, especially with Lilith being their waitress. She actually happened to be really sweet with the both of them and very considerate of her time. Maybe she was okay with this whole situation. When the food was gone, Willow sat back and put a hand on her stomach. ”Well. I’m thoroughly sated. Thanks for suggesting we do this. Tonight has been a really good night and I can’t wait to do this again with you.”

"It has been an amazing experience. I have honestly enjoyed this" Carlisle would pay the bill, leaving a $50 tip for Lilith. Even though he knew the Montgomery family didn't need the money, he still wanted to show his appreciation. Helping Willow up, Carlisle would lead the duo out of the bar. Standing on the street he would smile. "Honestly, this has been one of the best nights of my life"

”Good.” Looking around them, she ran a hand through her hair and let out a deep breath. She didn’t understand how this could have been one of his first dates, but she wasn’t about to argue or complain against it. The night had been pretty great for her as well. She smiled at the man and leaned over to him, brushing her lips against his in a soft kiss. Her arms wrapped around his waist and hugged him during the kiss.

Carlisle let out the softest of moans as she kissed him. He would return the kiss back, placing his hands around her back and holding her close as he tried to embrace her. He would hold the kiss for a while, taking the time to savor and enjoy the moment. She tasted equesitive. He eventually pulled away and smiled towards her. "That felt like a dream come true." He spoke softly.

A blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks before nodding her head. ”Maybe now things are turning in your favor, Carlisle Aston.” Pulling further back, she tucked her hair behind her ears and let out a breath. ”We should definitely do this again sometime soon. I need to be getting home though, I have an early patient.”

A part of Carlisle wanted to tell Willow to stay with him for the night. But at the same time he didn't want to push his luck. He wasn't Miles afterall. "Look after yourself okay? Text me when you get home" He mentioned, pulling her in for one more kiss on the lips.

Smiling against his lips, she gave him one final kiss before pulling away for good. Willow kissed his jaw and ran the back of her knuckles against his cheek before nodding. ”Goodnight, Car.” Stepping back, she waved her fingers and headed off to her car, a stupid goofy grin spread far across her face.

Family Matters (A Hedgehawk & SouffleGirl123 1x1)

Aloysius gave off a small smile. "Mother really did pull the wool over your eyes. So when dad passed, the trust was created. Both myself and mother were signatories on it and we could release the money to you when you were 16, provided that we were okay being custodians and authorised any big purchases. finishing bus last peice of pizza, Aloysius carried on. "Did you ever check the accounts? I have been putting $500,000 in that trust fund every six months since taking over the company"