A/N: Ok, so trying out a story for the very first time. Be kind, heh. Don't own anything, 'cept the obvious OC. And the chorus in italics is from Alice Cooper's "Poison", which I also don't own. Enjoy.
Chapter One:
Welcome Home, Baby Girl
Everyone knew not to play that song on the jukebox in Nicky's. In fact, Pogue Parry demanded it. Nobody was to push "F8." That song.. Well, let's just say it's a song that Pogue associates with one person.
But that one person was no longer at Spenser Academy, the rightful place for her. No, she had to move halfway thru freshman year. Some suspected the reasoning; only a handful, which included his best friends Caleb, Reid, and the girl's twin brother, Tyler, knew the real reason.
After she left, Pogue asked Nicky to take it out of the jukebox. Claiming it would be too much of a hassle, Nicky let it be. Until Pogue started threatening and fighting anyone who dared to play that song in his presence. Nicky wisely amended his objection, putting a piece of black tape over the song's title, so nobody played it.
And it had worked. For almost three years, Pogue hadn't heard the song. At least, not in Nicky's bar. From time to time, while sitting by himself in his apartment, he listened to it.
But he managed to escape the song while out with his friends and his girlfriend, Kate Tunney. That is, until this particular night.
It was a miracle he could even hear the music over the chatter of Ipswich residents and Spenser Academy classmates. The bar was packed on the Friday night. He was talking to Kate about plans to go to Boston the next morning, when he picked up the chorus
"I wanna love you, but I better not touch.
I wanna hold you but my senses tell me to stop.
I wanna kiss you, but I want it too much.
I wanna taste you but your lips are filled with poison.
You're poison running through my veins.."
Instantly, his eyes flew towards the jukebox, wondering who the hell would be that brave. Everybody forgot about whatever song title was underneath the tape a long time ago and moved on to the wide selection.
He noticed a small blonde dancing by herself next to it, her back towards him. She swayed carelessly to the beat, letting her long blonde fly around her. Everyone else at the table noticed Pogue's reaction and also watched the girl, asking among themselves who would be that brave. Or that stupid.
He stalked over to the girl, pulling her arm to face him. His light brown eyes met bright green ones. Only one person in the world could have those eyes..
"What're you doing here?" he winced; his voice sounded harsher than intended.
She just scoffed at him; "Wow. What a nice homecoming. Good to see you too, Pogue."
A smirk graced her lips. Lips he knew a bit too well.
He cleared his throat.
"You moved back?" he asked, still not letting go of her arm.
"Yeah. Got sick of California. I'm back as of today. Start again Monday," she filled in, not caring that he was still holding onto his arm.
Like only she could, she smiled at him and his insides turned to mush.
Before he could question anything, the two found themselves surrounded by the rest of the Sons of Ipswich.
"SIS!" Tyler yelled excitedly; Pogue was forced to let go of her once Tyler started hugging her, followed by Reid, and lastly, Caleb.
"What're you doing back, baby girl?" Reid asked, much nicer than Pogue did earlier.
She gave him a sweet smile.
"I just missed you so badly, Reid, that I had to pack up all my shit in California and come rushing back."
"See, I knew you'd see it my way," he played into the game they had established around puberty.
Playfully, she rolled her eyes and gave him a slight shove as he mocked hurt.
The playfulness lasted for about another 20 seconds, when the group heard a voice behind them.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Riley Sims, back from exile."
Riley closed her eyes, her lip curling on its own at the sound of his voice.
With dignity and a brave face, she turned and face him.
"If it isn't Aaron Abbott. Still little, I presume?" she said, casually scratching her nose with her pinky finger as if she wasn't dropping a hint.
She heard Reid and Tyler laugh behind her.
But Aaron's expression didn't change as he closed some of the distance between the two of them before speaking.
"You're still dying to find out."
"You're still nothing more than a walking STD to me, Aaron. Sorry," she shrugged a shoulder, feigning sorrow.
His face finally fell and he looked utterly pissed off.
But when he went to take another step forward, he was cut off by Pogue, who stepped in the middle of them.
"Think about that again," Pogue said, his voice laced with unspoken threats and rage.
"Aw, how cute. But you forget Parry; she ain't your girlfriend anymore."
"But she's still my sister," Tyler responded, stepping next to Pogue. By nature, Tyler wasn't a fighter. Except when it came to his baby sister.
"And she's still our best friend," Reid spoke, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"And you still don't have a chance in hell," Caleb added, holding her hand in his.
At that, Riley laughed out loud.
"Run back to your lackeys, sweetie," Riley told him, shooing him away like a nosy 3 year old.
With a huff, Aaron walked away from the group.
"Pool," Reid announced as he winked at Riley before grabbing her brother and leading the way towards the tables, knowing when Aaron was pissed, he bet more money and lost more often.
"I better go watch over them," Caleb said smoothly, kissing her knuckles before dropping her hand with a glance towards Pogue.
"Thanks," she said graciously, smiling widely at him.
"No problem, Riley. You know I'd do anything for--" he started.
They were interrupted by a set of dark arms snaking around themselves around Pogue's waist.
Riley recognized her at once: Kate Tunney. They'd been friends a long time ago. And now.. not so much.
"Hey baby. Sorry, I got to talking to Shirley abou--" Kate stopped herself when she noticed the girl in front of her, "Riley."
Riley smirked at the evident surprise of Kate's face.
"Hi."
"Back in Ipswich?" Kate questioned, raising an eyebrow as she continued to hold onto Pogue.
"Mm-hmm," Riley nodded, "For good, this time."
"Yeah," Kate thought she was smooth, but Riley saw the eye roll.
"I'm going to get something to drink. You want something, babe?" Kate turned her attention to Pogue, who was still looking at Riley.
"No," he shook his head.
Kate nodded, looked at Riley, then back at Pogue. She turned his head with her hand and laid a kiss on Pogue's mouth. A kiss that shouldn't be seen in public.
At the feeling of her stomach in knots and the nausea rising in her throat, Riley forced herself to look away. She caught the worried glance of her twin brother, but shrugged, sending him a small, reassuring smile that told him she was okay. For now.
Pogue turned back to her once Kate was gone.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly, putting his hands deep into the front pockets of his jeans.
She shrugged a shoulder.
"Wasn't like I was expecting you to stay single forever. How long have you guys been together?"
"Um, almost three years."
The shock and pain mixture that spread on Riley's face was enough to shatter Pogue's heart into a million pieces.
"Wow," she breathed, the knots getting tighter, "I would at least expect you to give it a few months."
When Pogue didn't respond, only looked down at his shoes, Riley shrugged a shoulder yet again.
"Oh well. It wasn't like we weren't together for two years."
"Riley," Pogue started, then stopped with Riley holding a hand up.
"C'mon Pogue, you know me. Apologies and excuses are the same damn thing. And honestly, I'm interested in neither. I moved back for my brother, for my friends. Not for some puppy love crush I had on you a million minutes ago."
She also was good at convincing herself of lies. At one point, she actually convinced herself that Pogue would've waited for her and they'd have a blissful reunion.
The night didn't exactly go accordingly, to say the least.
The second Kate came back, Riley found herself saying she was going to join Tyler and Reid at the pool tables.
Pogue knew he had hurt her. He could see it the second her usually vibrant green eyes turned dull, almost lifeless. It was like they had broken up all over again. He knew he should've stopped her from leaving, to kiss her and tell her that he loved her and they could be happy together again.
But he had lied to her enough. He knew he couldn't be together with her. Not with their painful, extensive history.
That wasn't the only reason, though. The other reason was currently sitting in front of him, complaining about her English teacher.
He liked Kate a lot, he really did. He sometimes even talked himself into believing that he loved her. But the second Riley waltzed back into his life, he knew he wouldn't be able to talk himself into being in love with Kate anymore.
He thought back to the last time he'd seen Riley.
"I don't get it. So you're just leaving?" a 15 year old Pogue Parry stood in front of his girlfriend of two years, watching as she packed up her belongings into two suitcases. She had just told him she was moving to California.
Riley shrugged a shoulder; "There's nothing else for me here."
To admit that her confession didn't hurt like hell would be the understatement of the year.
"What about Tyler? Or your mom?" Pogue was grasping straws and knew it.
She didn't answer; only shoved a few more things into her bag.
"What about me?"
For the first time, Riley's expression changed. He noticed the unshed tears in her eyes.
"You let me what you thought of me when I told you the news," she replied. She had been trying to sound cold and scolded herself mentally when she came out sounding sad and desperate.
Pogue winced; it seemed that topic was all they fought about.
She'd told him on Tuesday. He hadn't handled it well, to say the least. The very least. Tyler and the boys had taken into beating some sense into him Thursday night.
It was now Friday. And he was losing her quickly, with her plane scheduled for the red eye.
"What did you expect me to do, Ly?" Pogue demanded, his anger causing his eyes to turn pitch black.
Riley heard the familiar sound of glass shattering, and saw the destroyed picture frame. She glared at Pogue, whose eyes shamefully turned back to their original color.
"Great. Break my heart and break my stuff while you're at it," she mumbled under her breath.
The frame held the last taken picture of the four Sons of Ipswich and herself. She was in the middle, between Tyler and Pogue, who had his hands wrapped protectively around her waist. All were smiling, like they were all in on an inside joke.
"Riley.." Pogue said, sighing heavily. He came up behind her and put his arms around her.
She barely resisted the urge to lean back into him. She knew that if she gave in now, she might regret it later. No, she wouldn't give in. She couldn't. For the sake of his future, she was willing to sacrifice her future happiness.
"We can do this together, Ly," he whispered softly, kissing her shoulder blade.
Going back into her cold demeanor, she repulsed away from his touch.
"No. You told me you don't want to do this. So I'm not making you. I'll do it on my own. Just leave, Pogue," she pointed towards her closed door.
"Riley."
"Go, Pogue."
"Ly, c'mon.."
"LEAVE!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
With a heavy heart, Pogue opened the door before turning towards her. She had her back towards him, but he could tell by the heave of her shoulders that she was crying heavily.
"I love you, Riley Sims," he told her honestly before leaving.
Now, almost three years later, she just walked right back into his life. The sight of her made him question plenty of things, most notably their last situation.
But that was a question he could save for a later date, not wanting her to run off again.
Shaking his head slightly, he let all thoughts of Riley drift away and tried to focus on the conversation Kate didn't seem to mind dominating.
Over at the pool tables, Reid and Riley were playing against each other for fun while Tyler and Caleb watched. All three boys were more than happy to have their favorite girl back in their lives.
After she had left, Tyler refused to talk to anyone for about a month. That was the beginning of womanizing Reid, since he figured all women were bound to leave anyway. Caleb had a tough time trusting girls from then on. On top of that, all three had to watch Pogue destroy his life from the inside out. He used more often. He continued to shock the Covenant when he announced he was dating Kate. Tyler punched him in the face; it was the only time anyone had ever seen Tyler be anything but sweet.
Riley hadn't been gone for six months yet.
"So, what do I get if I make this shot?" Riley stated playfully, leaning over the table as she lined up the damn near impossible shot.
"That depends. What do you want?" Reid countered, smirking.
Riley winked and chuckled as she saw Reid's eyebrows shot towards his hairline.
"Yeah right, baby girl," Reid rolled his eyes, "And have three guys wanting to beat my ass? How about I just give you a kiss on the cheek?"
"You're no fun," she fake pouted, then landed the shot perfectly.
If you weren't looking for it, you'd never have seen the flash of black that appeared in her eyes before she took the shot.
"You cheated!" Reid exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger.
She grinned innocently, smirking.
"Sorry, Blondie. Couldn't help myself," she explained, then giving him his own kiss on the cheek to get him to shut up.
Unlike any generation before them, Mrs. Sims conceived twins.
But, like every generation before them, the boy was born first. What nobody expected was the tiny glitch in the system that also gave his 5 minute younger sister the power. Their father explained that since they shared the same blood while in the womb, Tyler's powers were also given to Riley.
That, in no way, implied that they were only half as strong as the rest of the Covenant. Quite the opposite, especially when the two focused their powers together.
Nobody expected Riley to have the power until their 13th birthday, when she fell off the 2nd story balcony. And landed on her feet without so much as a scratch.
Around 10:30, Riley started to yawn.
"Well boys, I think it's my bedtime," she announced, standing up from the table.
Skillfully, she had dodged any glances or conversation with either Pogue or Kate, choosing to talk to the other three occupants.
"Do you need a ride back to the dorms?" Tyler asked his sister.
"Nah," she turned down, "I've got a car."
Tyler nodded; "We're still on for breakfast tomorrow?"
"Yes, brother. Don't worry so much. I'll be there," Riley promised, kissing his cheek.
"Good. Because you've got a lot of talking to do," he warned her, making her groan.
"You're a mean older brother."
She gave hugs and kisses to Caleb and Reid before barely even looking at Pogue, noting that he was staring at her intently.
"Bye," she said shortly, getting herself lost in the somewhat decent crowd before Pogue could stop her.
He groaned loudly when he realized she had walked past the jukebox and played F8, just to fuck with him.
"Think they'll get back together?" Reid wondered as Tyler and he drove in Tyler's black Hummer towards the dorms. It was 11:45 and Pogue hadn't even said a word since Riley left, causing Kate to leave pissed off. And without him.
Tyler shrugged a shoulder, considering the possibility.
"She's still rather messed up from.. y'know.."
Reid sighed heavily.
"Man, I don't blame her. Fifteen and got pregnant. That's just fucked up."
Instinctively, Tyler's grip tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles were pure white.
"Calm down, baby boy. It was three years ago," Reid reminded him, "You forgave your brother."
"Yeah, but not his actions. He should've been there for her."
Reid couldn't reply, because he felt the same.