Disclaimer: "The Covenant" names, titles, characters and all other registered trademarks are the property of Sony Pictures Inc. (Screen Gems) and Lakeshore Entertainment. I solemnly swear that there is no monetary gain on my part by writing this FICTIONAL alternate universe to "The Covenant" (c) 2006. All "Charmed" names, titles characters and all other registered trademarks are the property of Spelling Entertainment, and Constance M. Burge. All original characters are my sole property, and released to public archiving by Nifty Archives. All songs belong to their respective artist and recording corporation.
The following contains sexual and romantic relations between two or more men. If this subject makes you uncomfortable please do not read on. If you are under the age of 18 (21 in some states) and therefore it is illegal to view this material please do not read on.
If none of the above applies to you, well then ENJOY.
Conversations enclosed in " " are spoken aloud Conversations enclosed in < > are only between Dave and Caleb Conversations enclosed in : : are telepathic
Last Time on New Covenant:
I popped my iBuds back in and hit shuffle again. This time Pink's raspy sweet voice flowed through them. "Uh uhh uh/check it out going out on the late night/looking tight feeling nice just a cockfight/I can tell I just know that it's going down tonight."
I looked at him one more time and saw the energy ball in his right hand, I sheathed my athamé and orbed my Sai to my hands. This would be fun.
Chapter 14:
"All you Halliwells are the same, sniveling little idiots, always thinking you could be more than you really are, always this persistent faith in something so utterly out of your control."
The demon's voice dripped off the walls, permeated the air, suffocated the oxygen. It was like molasses to my brain. It had been one of the weapons I hadn't expected; how could I have foreseen his voice to affect me physically, to make me sluggish and heavy, even make me lose my aim.
"You can say what you want, but at the end of the day you will still be nothing more than a pile of ashes, and I will walk out of here-"
"STOP!!! You will not walk out of here; you will never leave this cave again. You're my prisoner and it shall stay that way forever!!"
The words hit my body, slam after slam of force landing on me. My arm was killing me, the gash that ran from the shoulder to my wrist had forsaken most of my mobility, fighting the demon was a task, but one that I had to do, I couldn't die. I had to get back to my brothers, to my mom and dad.
I pooled my strength and rallied my energy, I had to do this, had to regain control of this fight and had to survive; no matter what.
"Powers ancient Powers New Hear this plead I send to you From this evil so transient Take its voice."
The sparks flew everywhere, the wind picked up, and bells tolled throughout the cave. I could see the power flying out and about, trying to find its target.
"With these words so easily spoken Take this witch's spell Let it Be Broken."
Everything ceased, the power dispelled. I wasted no time, I couldn't afford to. I gripped my Sai and lunched myself at the demon's chest; I orbed mid-air and bounced my orbs off of every wall. I had to confuse him, had to make my position unknown. When he looked away from my actual position I reformed and drove both my Sai into his heart.
"Blood and stone Fire and ash Take this demon."
The demon convulsed then erupted into a million pieces, I orbed myself up and out.
Caleb
I was in my room, just sitting there, looking off into space. There were so many things running through my mind, David's relationship with DJ, Ty and Pogue's weirdness around me, Reid being a whole new person thanks to Lana. There seemed to have been so much change in three months that it was quite sickening to take it all in.
It had started early in the school term. For the first time Provost Higgins chose to test the knowledge of the in-coming students by giving them a placement test. Wyatt had laughed it off, but Chris and Dave had hit the books with a ferocity that paralleled (if not surpassed) obsession. It had paid off handsomely though.
Through their studies they somehow managed to land themselves in our grade, so the "Sons of Ipswich" and the "Charmed Children" were now all seniors at Spencer Prep. Then DJ had come on in, and his score had...I don't have to spell it out. Anyway, we all thought it'd be great spending all our time together, but it hadn't turned out quite like that. Chase Collins had come back, under Chris' protection no less, and that had begun the spiral which we all rode now.
I looked at myself in the mirror and analyzed myself closely. How could I be so stupid? Why couldn't I see past my anger? How had things gotten so far outta control?
Something deep inside me revolted at the idea of David being in love with DJ, and another part of me couldn't forget the images that David had unwittingly put into my head, or the feelings that had been attached to them.
My phone began blasting Usher's "My Boo" and I shivered all over, David hadn't stopped doing that to me even though we barely ever saw each other anymore.
"Hey Dave." "Hey ba...Caleb" "What's up?" "Well I just wanted to invite you over for Thanksgiving dinner, and let you know that I'm baking you a cake for your birthday, and that I want you to be with us. You shouldn't be in that mansion all by yourself" "I'll think about it k? I have to go; I'm in the middle of something." "Sure."
It hit me then that if I wanted to even the playing field, to give David some understanding of what I was going through, then I had to give him a taste of his own medicine, I had to make him feel the heart-wrenching agony that I'd felt when I found out what had transpired between him and DJ. I gathered my energy around me and cast it out in a silent spell, something to replicate a voice, to create the illusion of companionship. The figure that formed in front of me was a surprise so great that I almost lost control of myself.
"Sorry about that Aaron, my ex...can you believe he wants me to go to his house for the holiday?"
"I keep telling you, he's a little kid, now back to more important business, like getting you to cum"
The call clicked then and I was alone...well except for the fluidly languid form of Aaron's naked body in front of me. Every movement it made left impressions of its prior position, giving it an ethereal aspect that both scared and transfixed me. I wanted to touch it, wanted to feel its substance, and if I must be truly honest, I wanted to touch Aaron, have wanted to for a longer time than I can remember. I crave his attention, always I want to be in his eyes and it's never mattered how, simply that I am there. Whenever I see myself reflected in his ice-blue eyes I feel lost. Even with David it wasn't the same, I felt loved and secure there, felt warmth and love...but the raw intensity that I saw and felt whenever Aaron's eyes were directed towards me, the fire that burned inside them, and the hunger that housed itself there, it could easily be overwhelming if ever he caught me by surprise. Aaron's entire being bespoke animalistic urges and reactions, and it arose those same needs and responses inside me.
As I stared at the being in front of me, it seemed to become more and more solid, as if it was gaining flesh and bones the longer it stayed here, the longer that I allowed myself to be transfixed by the shape which I had unknowingly brought to life. The thought suddenly crossed my mind, that perhaps this creature WAS Aaron and not just an Aaron construct. What if I had unwittingly faded him here, what if I had somehow managed to summon him from wherever he might have been before and the more time I spent here with him the more my magic would solidify him. Normally I would've called Dave and asked away at every possible scenario of it, made him think and re-think about possible outcomes, but I couldn't do that now. I felt a pang as the thought struck home; David and I were off limits to each other. I would have broken into myself had not the Aaron construct spoken its first word since I had made it and cemented my deep-seated fears that this really was Aaron.
"Danvers."
It seemed like it was trying to pose a question, like it had somehow begun to recognize me. I needed magical help and I needed it quickly. I remembered that Kira was supposed to be my white lighter; she was supposed to guide and advise me in the ways of magic, but until now that had been Dave's job, one that I had freely given and he humbly taken. In that I saw his heart, as true and loving as it always could and would be. Maybe I had overreacted, maybe I had taken things a bit too far, maybe it had been my own insecurities which had ripped opened the flood gates on something that was barely a passing drizzle. I began to examine the situation, began to mull every aspect of it over and over; I wanted to see something that up until now I had missed, some clue that had been overlooked by my jealousy and my conceit.
"Danvers...?"
The simple word (now more complex) shook me out of my reverie. First I had to deal with whatever this was, and then I'd deal with my situation with Dave.
"Kira, if you can hear me please...I need to speak to you."
There was the familiar sound of a million glass beads colliding with each other, and then Kira was there. She looked a little lost, surprised in a way.
"Caleb...why did you call me?" she sounded utterly shocked, not in a bad way, but still shell-shocked.
"I need to ask about...I don't really know what or how that thing" I pointed at the Aaron construct "came to be, but I think it's getting smarter. Could I have summoned the actual person...without meaning to?"
"It is very much becoming more and more real...I think you have to dispel it, you have to get it out of here and away from us. I think the more magic it feels the more real it becomes, and I think you're right, I think you summoned the real person, but because you didn't mean to you've done it bit by bit. Your first summoned his unconscious and its getting more and more to be his actual self."
"I've no idea what I did to even get him here, I don't know how to let go of it."
Kira's face burrowed into deep thought, even though mine didn't I could guess at what she was thinking. David was one of the best witches when it came to breaking spells, he had written most of the annulment spells in both versions of the Book of Shadows, and still had more in his own Grimoire. David could dispel anything he pout his mind to, even if he didn't know how it had originally been made, but there was no possibility that I would ask David to come into my room, to dispel a naked construct of the school's bully.
"Wyatt...he's like a super witch right? He can just undo it...he can use the Book and get it out of here...WYATT!!!"
Kira's eyes widened in shock, her mouth was working to form words but it couldn't. The glass beads clanked and clonked and there was Wyatt, with nothing but a towel around his waist.
"Caleb...what's wrong?"
I didn't know then (and don't know now) what happened in that instant, all I remember is that there was a flash of light, the Earth shook under my feet, and then I was at Massasoit State Park, surrounded by the coldest water I had ever felt against my skin. I was drowning and I didn't even know how I had gotten there. I managed to fade myself over to the shore and dry land but the water was still there, choking me from the inside, I could only think of Kira, couldn't make her name into a sound, only a thought; a thought that was slowly becoming blurrier and blurrier. I hoped for her to come, I yelled her name in my mind, I craved her with my every heartbeat. It wouldn't be enough. I would simply die all alone on the shore of this lake.
When I woke, I was in a rustic wooden cabin surrounded by comfortable blankets and pillows. The smell of maple bacon drifted over to me from somewhere nearby, and the sunlight flooded every part of the cabin, except for the rectangle that made up the room where I was snuggled. I wanted to sleep and sleep and sleep; I didn't want or need anything but sleep. I drifted off again and dreamt of blood, pain and death, but even these horrible images could not wake me.
The next time I woke up, it was night-time, and the smell of chicken noodle soup filled the cabin. I could distinguish celery and carrots, and the spices that had been put in, it smelled so wonderful that my stomach churned and growled, I was hungry and there was no way to deny that. Perhaps I should fade myself home and get something to eat. I had already encroached on these people's good will for God knows how long. It was time to face the world again, time to get back on my feet and leave this cabin.
"Yea, he's pretty gone...I thought of that too Kira, he's wrapped in two sleeping bags but he still shivers all the time...yea I think that's it...I've done all I can, the only other thing is kinda gross...well I can't let him die now can I?...I know he's a jerk, but its called humanity you ice-bitch...whatever...Anyway I'll be here for a couple more days, make sure and tell the Provost that I plan on coming back...bye."
My whole body convulsed at that moment. If my ears hadn't deceived me, if this was not a dream, then the other occupant of this cabin was none other than Aaron Abbot. He had found me somehow and for some reason I was in his cabin, things couldn't get any weirder. If Aaron was suddenly being humanistic towards anyone, then perhaps the religious nuts were right, maybe the Apocalypse was coming after all.
I heard the tones of the numbers being hit, each one bringing Aaron closer to the bed where I was lying; I half closed my eyes so it would look as if I was asleep. The resulting blurriness of my vision gave the entire scene an ethereal or dreamlike effect.
Aaron Abbot stood at the doorframe of the bedroom I was in and stared at me, his eyes piercing every layer of cloth that was covering me. I had no understanding of what was going on, I only knew that I didn't want it to stop. I wanted Aaron Abbot's eyes to stay on me as long as possible. I could perceive his breaths, and the faint sound of the phone ringing on the other end.
"Max, it's Aaron...yea I'm still out here; listen what do you know about hypothermia?...no I know that part, I mean what are the most common symptoms?...ok...uh-huh...oh, wow...yea ok. What's the best way to treat it?...not working...no the patient can't drink anything...yea I thought so...none of your business, but thanks for the info. I'll talk to you once in I get back in town."
Hypothermia...Aaron Abbot thought I was suffering from hypothermia, and maybe I was, after all it had been freezing inside the lake, and who knows how long I'd been laying on the shore unconscious. My life could be hanging in the balance, which would explain why I was sleeping over 24 hours. If I was suffering from hypothermia then that also explained the many blankets and the sleeping bags thrown over me, and also the fact that even though I was wrapped in all of these I still felt cold. Aaron had done everything he could think of, and by the tone of his voice I would guess I wasn't responding to whatever treatment he was administering, and from what I remembered the last option when all else failed was to transfer body heat from yourself to the person suffering from hypothermia. The best way to achieve this was to lay naked next to the person and hold onto them.
"Danvers, Danvers, Danvers...what in God's name am I to do with you?"
Something in his tone, in his gaze, in him made me feel absolutely bare and defenseless, there was something so dark in him, so potent and malicious that there could be no denying its desires. Aaron was a being that could enthrall the strongest preys and have the weakest at his feet in mere seconds, his eyes were sharper than lion's claws and more gripping than the body of a Boa.
I knew then that no matter how handsome or how strong his gaze, Aaron Abbot had something so deeply evil about him that no matter how I'd try to ignore it I would never be able to do so. I made the conscientious decision then to stir, to announce that I was awake, and I was fine. No further steps were necessary and I was good enough to go.
"Danvers, are you awake?"
<Caleb!!!! HELP ME!!!!>
I felt the pain run through my head as clear as bell, felt the broken bones and the bleeding gashes, felt the grime and the evil that surrounded him and knew that what I was about to do would create more problems than it would solve, but Dave was mine, and he needed me. I faded my clothes on and then I faded myself out, following the scream of my soul-mate, my heart and soul.
<Dave, where are you baby?>
I knew why he would go there, and I knew it was necessary, but it still infuriated me that he would go so far from me. I began the fading thing, then realized I could call Kira, and things would go much swifter, and it would resolve the where am I question.
"Kir-"
She was there before I had even finished the word, her face was all relief and happiness, I knew then that she didn't know what I knew, that none of them did.
"Kira, Dave's hurt, he's at the parking lot of P3, take me there...N OW!!"
"Take my hand"
And we were off, I could feel the urgency in her orbing, could hear a tone of bells resounding as she moved forward, I thought then, and knew for certain later, that she was sounding the alarm, she wasx sending the message to all the white-lighters who had a hand in this situation, and they in turn would tell their charges, Dave would be ok, Leo would get to him, and then things would smooth out. I knew they would. When we got to the parking lot, I could feel my stomach dropping, I didn't want to think of how he would look, didn't want to know how badly he was hurt, but I did want to know what or who had done this to him. The pain became crippling, and I fell to the ground, Dave was 20 feet away from me and the pool of blood around him was almost sickening, I couldn't look at him, it was breaking my heart.
Kira ran over to him and began to heal him, I could feel the warmth that ran from Kira's hand to Dave's body, but the pain wasn't lessening. Dave was close to death, so close that it would take Kira a long time, and I was afraid the time she took would simply put him closer to it. I called out for Leo, but nothing happened, I kept calling out his name, like a prayer, but still there was nothing.
Wyatt and Chris orbed in and I began to breathe a little lighter, their presence assured me Dave would be ok.
"Kira, what's wrong with him?"
"He's dying Wyatt, I can barely heal fast enough to keep his vitals up, I need you and Chris to help me, or he'll die."
Wyatt's face fell, and Chris crumpled to his knees, Wyatt looked paler than ever, and I knew then that something was utterly wrong. Dave was slipping away and I could only watch, could only writhe in the pain he felt, could only feel his death.
"We can't heal Dave, dad orbed us here, Wyatt and I have no powers right now..."
I wanted to scream, to rave and curse, to yell at the top of my lungs, but all I could do was lay there, 20 feet from Dave, feeling him slipping away faster and faster, watching Kira's efforts weaken as she weakened. I felt useless, defeated. Dave was dying and I couldn't do a single thing.
On the night of November 30th, 2007 the Halliwell family and the Danvers family held a massive wake. Their beloved children had been ripped from the world by the very same thing that had brought their lives together. David Halliwell's magic had entwined his beloved to him in a way that was unbreakable, even by death. When the attempts at healing him failed, the spell also took the life of Caleb Danvers. They were buried in San Francisco on the morning of October first, It still remains the sunniest and most peaceful day that any San Franciscan can remember.
Wyatt and Kira Halliwell had a total of four children, the first Halliwells ever to have more than three.
Chris and Chase Collins married in Massachusetts and moved to Canada, Vhris alienated himself from his family because he was never able to forgive himself for letting David die.
Pogue and Tyler broke up after a three year engagement, Tyler moved to New York and started a shelter for witches. Pogue moved to San Francisco.
DJ and Pogue lived together for years, until Pogue's death.
Lana, Matt and Cassie were never able to achieve the synchronization needed to cast a Power of Three spell, they met their deaths at the hands of the new Source.
Andrew dropped from grace after Matt's death and hung himself.
These lives touched each other in a way that had been unseen, their struggles were many and their joys small, but always memorable.
In loving memory of David Halliwell and Caleb Danvers.
Author's Notes:
I know that y'all will probably flood my inboxes with hate-mail but I simply cannot go on writing this story, it was never meant to go on past the 5th chapter, but I gave in and hammered out 14, I hope that y'all enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them, keep an eye out for a story in the sci/fi genre (fully original) thank you guys for your loyalty and for your support.
Blessed Be.