Chase had left early that following morning, Birthday plans for the birthday boy, he had sung mockingly at Leah, slamming the barn doors behind him, leaving Leah with a world of grief to mellow in.

Her parents, the Simms and Parrys— and probably the late Mr. Garwin —had known about the ritual. They had brought her into the world with the singular purpose of dying, and the more she thought about, and the more her stomach twisted, and the more she cried, she couldn't fault them because if they had brought her the same page Chase had gleefully shown her the night before and told her she could save her brothers life— Reid's life, Tyler and Pogues' lives —she couldn't have seen herself turning them away.

Telling them that the boys would have to suffer.

She could see herself agreeing to go through with dying— making peace with it —if it was for her boys. Perhaps she watched too many movies, Leah turned her head to look at the ceiling of the old barn at the sound of rain harshly pouring down from the sky, or perhaps she loved the boys too much for her own good.

Reid, she loved her brother and the others but she'd been in love with the fair haired warlock since she was seven. Leah shut her eyes and rested her head against the wall of the barn she had pushed herself up against. Her arms pulled her knees tightly against her chest.

Chase walked in through the barns side door, Sarah, dressed in a beautiful silvery white dress, looking like a real life sleeping beauty floated in, asleep behind him.

"What the hell are you doing with her?" Leah demanded to know, she got to her feet, "Let her go Chase she has nothing to do with this!"

"But that's where you're wrong, what does Pogue call you? Little D?"

Leah felt hot red anger coarse through her veins, "Let her go Chase!"

The sound of a car could be heard driving up the road and Chase, with a playfully evil expression raised both eyebrows at Leah. "Looks like the birthday boy is here!" And then he vanished, the lights in the barn turned off with his disappearance.

"Chase! Chase get back here! Let Sarah go!"

It was silent, as it had been the whole day before Chase had shown up with Sarah, the only sound being the pattering of rain, and then suddenly it wasn't. Leah heard a loud explosion of glass.

"Caleb!" She shouted panicked, the booming sound of thunder drowned her out. "Caleb!"

The barns side door opened and in walked her sopping wet brother, "Caleb!" Leah shouted in relief.

"Leah!" Caleb didn't check for any traps, no sign of Chase or anything; instead he ran to her, picking her up in his wet arms. He grabbed her face in his hands, "You're okay?" Leah nodded, her hands on the sides of his face,

"You're okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, I need to get you out of here."

"Would if I could, but Chase chained me to the wall," Leah said looking down at her leg. Caleb's eyes flashed and the iron chain around her ankles feel limp on the hay covered ground.

"Alright—"

"—Wait," Leah pulled pack on her brothers hands, "—Caleb Chase has—"

"—You know!" Chase said from the landing above them, Caleb pushed his sister behind him, "I'm beginning to think you won't keep up your end of the bargain so I brought a little insurance policy." Caleb moved a fraction of an inch in Sarah's direction and Chase, now above Sarah— Caleb pushed Leah behind him once more —in a harsh voice told them that if they touched Sarah she died.

Caleb held his hands up in a surrender, Leah fisted the back of his jacket as the barn around them started to shake violently and Chase, chuckling pointed at the ceiling.

"Witchy!" The barn stopped shaking and Chase, leaning on the banister in front of him busted out into a fit of giggles. "Wait, hold on, did I just say witch? You know what I'll make this easy for you, you lose control of your car on the way to the pathetic little dance, your sister with you, trust me, I'm good at car accidents. Everyone will miss you, they'll say great things about you, sorry Leah but no one actually knows you, nobody but the covenant will know the truth, but to them you'll become a legend, the one who gave his life for them."

"How about you let them go and I let you live out your life?"

"Come on Caleb you know why I can't do that, why I need your sister, right? You asked your mom?" Caleb tensioned and for a moment Leah though the barn would start shaking again.

Chase elevated on top of the banister, "How about I make you my witch," he wondered snidely.

"I'll never will you my powers, I won't let you hurt my sister."

"That looks like trouble for Sarah," Chase said.

"I'll never let that happen either."

"Fine," Chase sighed dramatically, "We'll do it your way." Chase then sent a blast of power at Caleb— and Leah —both of whom went flying through one of pillars holding up the barn.

"Leah?"

"Kick his ass," she demanded as she army crawled away from her brother and into a pile of damp, mold-smelling hay.

Chase kicked a blast of bower at Caleb, and then stopped, Caleb groaned loudly.

"It's like taking candy from a baby."

And then her brother shot up, sending the power Chase had kicked and stomped at him his own way, sending the warlock flying back. Chase shot a blast at Caleb who levitated himself in the air causing Chase to miss; Chase missed his next three shots as well. Only to capture him with a million translucent strings that radiated danger. Chase dragged Caleb forward only to throw him back, up through the landing and then onto the ground.

"Caleb!" Leah shrilly screamed. Chase rolled his neck,

"God you can be annoying, can't you?" Chase wondered before flashing his eyes at Leah, taking away her voice. Chase, behind Caleb looked down at the warlock, who struggled to get to his feet, "Bet you did that a lot growing up, huh?"

He then flung Caleb across the barn and to a pillar.

Lightly flashed dangerously as power flooded into her brother, Leah watched helplessly as he screamed in pain.

"Are we ascending?" Chase grinned, eyes black. Chase sent a blast of power at Caleb. "Scary huh, Caleb, the new power you get when you ascend, frankly, I don't think you're cut out for it so why don't we call it a night. Just say the words."

Her brother fell to his knees, Chase loomed over him and with a defiant look in his demonic eyes Caleb sent a blast of power at Chase who easily deflected it, knocking over an oil lamp, starting a fire. Leah rushing the length of the barn ran over to the fire as her brother and Chase continued to fight; unable to yell out that a fire— one thing that could so easily kill them both —had broken out, tried to put it out herself by smothering the smaller flames with her shoe, only for the fire to continue to spread.

"Trying to impress your date?" Leah heard Chase ask her brother as she herself rushed over to a spelled Sarah, not touching her.

When they'd been children Reid had used to follow Caleb around screaming I'm not touching you, because there was in fact an inch of space between Reids stubby finger and Caleb. Leah wondered if she could use something— a shovel, a gardening hoe, anything —to lead Sara away from the flames because she wasn't touching her.

Leah looked wildly for something when she saw it, a pitchfork lodged into the wall behind Chase, who stood over her struggling brother and ran for it. Chase turned as Leah reached the pitchfork and levitated her in the air,

"Nut-uh," Chase grinned, "No fair."

"Leave her alone Chase!" Caleb demanded. Chase, with a single finger, knocked Caleb against the ground, and then, with much more force, did the same to Leah, knocking her out, leaving her crumpled on the floor of the barn in a heap of slowly trickling blood and limbs.

...

Chase picked Caleb's head up by his head and forced the younger warlock to look at his sister and the flames encroaching around his girlfriend.

"Ready to say uncle?"

"I'm ready for you to go to hell." Chase levitated Caleb in the air before throwing him out the window, he looked back at Leah and sighed.

"The thing's people will do for those they love," Chase said before following Caleb out into the rain where the battle raged.

And for a moment, like the battle had in the barn Caleb thought perhaps he'd lose, thought that maybe he wouldn't save his girlfriend and his sister and his friends; thought that perhaps Pogue had been right Chase was too strong, but the something happened, a flood of new adrenaline, new power flooded his being.

Caleb, just as Chase had in the barn, held the ball of power his enemy had thrown at him; Chase stood there with his jaw open before he rushed at him. Caleb through the power at Chase who flew back; the power shot through the warlock and into the barn; a ball of fire that resulted, incinerating's Chase instantly.

Caleb, panting, stood there for a moment before rushing into the flaming barn. On the other end he saw Sarah, still spelled and floating, and then he saw his sister, crumpled on the ground.

"Leah! Leah!" Caleb shook his sister, slowly Leah opened her eyes.

"Caleb?"

"Hey it's okay, it's over, I got you," Caleb said brushing bloody hair out of her face,

"Chase?"

"Gone, but Leah we have to get out of here, can you walk on your own?" He wondered as he helped her to her feet. Leah swayed, but stood by herself.

"Yeah."

'Good, my cars out there, go, I have to get Sarah," and then with a peck to forehead he delved further into the flaming barn. Leah hesitated for a moment, thinking to go after him before turning towards the barns doors, walking out and into the rain. Leah saw it, Caleb's car, not to far in the distance, and on shaky knees she walked to it, over the shattered glass before she curled up in the passengers side seat; eyeing Caleb who emerged with Sarah in his arms.

Leah, through the rain, could see Caleb sit Sarah down in an old wagon for a moment; a moment later she sat up on her own, her arms around his neck, kissing him. Leah turned away in disgust.

If this is how he feels when I kiss Reid… she thought, a small smile on her face as she thought of the warlock.

When the pair of them walked up to the car, Sarah leaning on Caleb and Caleb on Sarah, Caleb stumbled to his sisters side of the car and pulled her out; hugging her tightly, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

"I thought—" he choked.

"—Yeah," Leah nodded, "Me too." She squeezed him tightly. When he pulled away he wiped his eyes with his wrist and looked back at the burning Putnam family barn.

"We should probably call the fire department," Sarah said.

"Reid first," Caleb said looking at his sister. His eyes flashed and the phone in the driver's seat flew to his hand, which he passed to Leah, who hit the number four and then the call button.

"Caleb?" Reid said urgently.

"Leah, actually," she replied.

"Oh thank god, Angle," Leah could hear the tears in his eyes through the phone. "Tyler and I-Tyler get the fucking keys man, we're coming. Hurry up Baby Boy!"

And hurry they did; Reid, fifteen minutes later before the car had managed to fully stop, threw himself out of the driver's seat— Tyler flung over to the steering wheel —Leah shot up from Caleb's passenger seat and ran to him. They met half way between both cars; Reid caught her in his arms, he spun her around; when he placed her on the ground he pressed his lips against hers heard, desperate and needingly. He tugged at her, pulling her closer and closer to him as she clawed at his shoulders, neither of them close enough to the other.

When they pulled away a moment, their foreheads resting against one another Reid breath in deeply.

"You're okay," he said, his eyes shut tight.

"I'm fine, I'm good." Reid kissed the crown of her head hard, the tip of his nose bending as he did so. No one commented on the tears that formed in the corners of his eyes. He pulled his head back.

"I love you," he said, "I almost lost you—" Leah brought his lips back down to hers, molding them against her own, his teeth nipped at her bottom lip and willingly she opened her mouth allowing his tongue to dart forth. There was no fight for dominance like in the cheesy romance novels Leah read, no battle of the wills, just passion, red hot, blood boiling passion.

When they faced Caleb, Tyler and Sara they smiled at the starry eyed look Sarah had while looking at them, and the awkward, grossed out looks Tyler and Caleb shared.

"Sarah and I will stay, we need to call the fire department, you should probably take her back to yours," Caleb told Reid.

"No," Leah said, "Home, I-I need to talk to mom."

"No!" Caleb denied, as did Reid and Tyler, Sarah looked at each boy in confusion.

"Caleb-"

"—Do you have any idea what she planned on doing to you?" He demanded, Leah nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, which is why I need to talk to her."

"Angel," Reid said softly, "Can't it wait? Please?" Leah looked at Reid's, soft pleading face and sighed.

"Tomorrow then, but seriously, I need to talk to her."

"I'm pretty sure Caleb did all the talking you need to do," Tyler muttered, Leah looked to her brother with both brows raised.

"You yelled at mom?" He had never raised his voice at their mother before, not when she was being a spiteful drunk wishing she only had one child, not when she'd called a ten year old Leah an ungrateful monster for sneaking out and treaking the eight miles to the Simms the first time Reids mother took off, and not when her mother had thrown an empty bottle at the wall while he and Leah listened from the archway as she ranted about their selfish, self centered father.

"Yelling is such an understatement," Tyler ran his hands through his hair as Sarah got on the phone with the nine-one-one operator. Leah continued to look at her brother who pointedly ignored her gaze.

"There's been a fire..."

Reid pulled Leah away from her brother, "We'll be at mine, come over when you're done here." Caleb nodded. Tyler, throwing an arm around Leah grabbed the keys from Reid;

"I'm driving."

"Fine by me baby boy," Reid said as he and Leah got into the back; Reid practically pulling Leah onto his lap, the hummer started up loudly.

"I'm glad you're okay," he whispered in her ear, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." A weight settled in Leah's stomach as she smiled softly back up at him.

"I love you," she told him. More than anything.

Chastely, he kissed her, as Tyler pulled away from the burning barn.

"I love you too Angle."

...

The next morning as Caleb waited with Reid and Tyler in Tylers Hummer— Caleb's car was in the shop —Leah sat in the living room on the sofa accent to her mother.

"I know what you must think of me," her mother started as she looked out the window and down to Caleb who pointedly looked away from their mother.

"You don't have a clue of what I think of you," Leah told her mother coolly.

"Don't I? You think I'm selfish, a monster."

"I do," Leah said, she played with the hem of one of Reid's old band shirts— My Chemical Romance —and then pulled a folded up slip of paper from her back pocket.

"What's that?" Her mother wondered.

"A list of demands, if I'm going to go through with the ritual—" her mother's eyebrows raised in shock "—I'm not going to be kept in this cage any longer. I want to be able to go to school, to go out with the boys and not be demonized for it; I want a life before I die."

"Why are you going through with this?"

"Because it seems that the only thing you and I have in common mom, is that we both love Caleb and the others."