Chapter 12 yay. And thank you all so much for all the reviews for the last chapter. It is now my most reviewed chapter yay. Im so happy you all seemed to like it so much. HUGS to you all.
I have tied something different in this chapter I hope you all let me know if I should keep it up or leave it as a one time thing. At this point I could do either with ease.
This chapter is a little fluffier then the last few but I find that makes it a nice change of pace and worry not angst will come it always dose. Also you will be getting your first glimpses at Bren and Persy as a couple and what they will be like I hope you find them as interesting together as they are apart.
And as always please review when done reading... Thank you all.
I hate the world today, your so good to me
I know but I can't change
Tried to tell you, but you look at me like
Maybe I'm an angel underneath
Innocent and sweet, yesterday I cried
You must have been relieved to see the softer side
I can understand how you'd be so confused, I don't envy you
I'm a little bit of everything all rolled into one
I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way
Lyrics by: Meredith Brooks
True Love is Never Easy
Persy
Waking up to blinding happiness is really amazing -- I recommend it to everyone. Of course I'm not willing to share the source of mine. I was completely wrapped up in Brennan's body and arms and could feel a blush of shyness covering my body as I watched him sleep. Awkwardness aside, I could get used to waking up naked in his arms. It's weird because I had woken up in bed with him more times than I could count and yet this was such a different experience. I guess a night spent in love making will do that. I had no real idea since this was all so new to me. It then occurred to me that if Brennan had been waking up with me all those years that he could not have woken up with any of THEM. The thought made me happy and shy all at once. Could this be a first for him to? I wondered. I found myself really hoping it was that something of this nature could be special only to us...to me.
I may have been stoic over the years, never letting anyone see it, but I hated how Brennan had run around from woman to woman. Jealousy may be a new friend to Brennan, but was an old companion of mine. That's probably why Clair's plan had held so much appeal to me really.
Freeing an arm, I brought my hand up and lightly traced the line of his high cheek bone. I felt a jolt rock through me as he suddenly reached up and grabbed my hand and brought it to his mouth, gently laying a kiss on it. His lips were on mine and I found myself under him. Giggling I poked him in the ribs.
"You haven't even opened your eyes yet," I teased, "are you even awake?"
Lifting his lashes up I found myself drowning in his moss green eyes and felt my mouth go dry.
"What can I say -- I can't get enough of you?" he smiled before giving my lips another kiss.
"I bet you tell all the girls that," I tried to say it as a joke but was unable to keep a waving in my voice that gave away the vulnerability I felt where his history with women was concerned. And with the sigh he gave he had noticed it as well.
"No I don't," he said simply and seriously.
Biting the bottom of my lip and searching his eyes looking for the truth of his words, I was more then satisfied by what I found. "Good" I told him trying to hide the fact I felt so insecure.
Brennan
What was I doing? No I'm not going to think about this, I'm just going to enjoy it. Shoving my insecure side down I shifted my focus back on to the paper I was writing. Trying to ignore the girl sitting on my bed playing the guitar singing softly to herself. It did not help that she was only wearing one of my shirts.
"Do you mind?" I asked peevishly.
"Do you?" she countered.
I gave her an annoyed look, "I'm trying to write a paper here," and added a pointed aspect to my glare.
"Well I find your quiet and yet angsty studiousness disturbs my creative flow," she raised an eyebrow at me.
When did she learn to raise and eyebrow? Sighing, "that's just ridiculous and you know it."
"Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" she asked curiously.
"No I'm trying to get this paper written."
"My writing music has never bothered you before," she pointed out and I felt myself actually blush a very, very little bit.
"Ooooo well now I see. Hmmm don't blame me if you can't keep your brain out of your pants," she chuckled, my only consolation the fact she was red as a tomato.
"Well you could at least get dressed...you do have your own clothes here."
She looked down and I could see her gulp, "yeah but they don't smell like you", she whispered just loud enough for me to hear. Her words constricting my chest and making my body more aware of her than ever before. Really what could I say to respond to that? Focusing on my DVD collection I started to count it. I knew exactly how many I had but I needed the familiarity of the actions to help soothe my body mind and emotions that were raging over such a simple admission on her part.
When I gave into myself where she was concerned, it was with a promise to myself that neither she nor the feelings she evoked in me would ever control me or interfere in my life. I had to get this paper written.
"My cologne is in the bathroom, go spray it on what ever you change into," I told her, turning back to my paper and pushing her from my brain. And it was working for about a minute until she got over the shock of my words and responded.
"You really are smart," she did not say this nicely, but I ignored her tone
"Yes."
"That was not a compliment."
I just raised my eyebrow at her in annoyance. Couldn't she see I was trying to do write my paper? I was actually starting to wonder if I could get away with tossing her out of the room. Oooooh that would be so nice, of course she would have to get changed first. How damn inconvenient to my fantasy. But there was no way I was going to let her loose in the boy's dorm dressed like that.
"Because in my experience smart people are really very dumb. And there is no way I can have sex with a dumb person," she was still talking. And not really making any sense either, but by the look on her face she was making perfect sense to herself. Women I honestly think I understand them better than most, but they still leave me scratching my head half the time. This one more then most. Giving her a smirk, more then a little amused at this point at her senseless ravings, I could not help but provoke her more. She was something else in a temper. It was probably a redhead thing. Note to self -- test out hypothesis and piss off a few redheads.
"Well you're too short. At this rate I will be a hunch back by the time I'm 30."
"I am not...you're to tall," she shot back "Sasquatch!"
"Thumbelina."
She actually spluttered at that, and I could no longer contain my laughter and was more then a little gratified when I heard her own giggles joining me.
"I really do have to get this paper done Sephany," I said a few minuets latter to which she shrugged and got out of bed, heading to the closet to get herself some clothes.
"Ok."
As she brushed passed me, I grabbed her pulling her into my arms and lightly kissed the hickey on her neck. I barely remembered giving it to her. They weren't something I usually did, but yet again I found my self making an exception where she was concerned. I tried not to think too much on it.
Looking up from her neck I caught her eyes in mine, "the harvest dance is this weekend."
"Yeah," she started to bit her lip -- the sight made me smile. It has always been one of her more endearing habits and a sure sign she was nervous. Call me perverse, but I like that I made her nervous.
"Go with me," I was instantly rewarded with a smile from ear to ear and could not help but return it with one of my own.
"Yes," she said throwing her arms around my neck, sitting in my lap and giving me a hug. It was just such a foreign kind of physical contact for me. There was nothing sexual to it. Just happy affection with a woman. I think I actually liked it, and so found myself returning her hug. Gods I was turning into such a pansy.
Giving her rump a light smack, "but now I repeat myself, I really do need to get this done," and with that I shoved her off my lap so she fell on her ass with an oomph and went back to ignoring her. Even when she did kick me before storming off to get changed.
Clair
I walked down the halls between classes noticing every little thing around me. The whispers and glances both lustful and disdainful. Most were directed towards me. What could I say? I always attracted a lot of attention. And no, that was not my ego talking, it was just the way things were. Unlike most people in the world, I demanded attention in every movement I made in ever article of clothing I wore and in every look I gave -- in every word I said. It was all deliberate on my part.
Wallflower Hood was never something I was destined for, and I was not about to make excuses for it either. In all honesty I liked to think of myself as a shark in a sea of fish. It really was a good analogy. You can call me bitch or a slut, and on some level you might be right, but really if you do, it says more about you then me. In the end I could not care less.
Arriving at my class, I walked into it and took my seat dead center in the room. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my history books. So many kids my age hated this subject. I was not one of them. There was too much about mankind and its nature to be learned. History had a really nasty tendency to repeat itself. And that kind of knowledge always gave me an edge over those who disdained this topic. What can I say but that I planned on becoming a psychologist when I grew up. Yeah, I chuckled at the term grew up, too. That was something I did when I was 12 years old and it was the hard way. Oh well, I was better off for it.
Mr. Finch walked into class and started to drone on. At a guess it was teachers like this that were the reason so many hated this topic. It seemed to be some kind of unwritten law that history teaches master the art of droning. Ohh well, I came to class for the grades, not to learn.
Yeah you can add cynical to bitch and slut.
As the class passed on in a blur my mind wandered. Persy had been MIA for over 24 hours now without a word. I would be worried except Brennan was missing to. Ahh Brennan O'Reily -- the school's other shark -- we had been circling each other for years. Pretty much staying out of each other's way, until Persy handed herself to me on a silver platter. Call me Lex Luther with a hunk of Kryptonite. No way I could pass up the opportunity. I thrived on challenges, especially when the pot was sweetened with Paris. The School's golden bo, its most desired male, our crown prince if you will.
Yeah I admit it my ego took a blow when he blew me off last year, and I was going to rectify the public opinion that he did not actually want me. I did not care if he actually caved or not, in fact I was pretty sure he wouldn't. It only mattered that everyone else thinks he did. Ok I guess you can add egotistical to cynical, bitch and slut.
The time ticked by, but soon enough the class was over, and I was leaving the class to go to an even more dreary math class. But things were looking up. Persy was standing outside waiting for me and glowing like a light bulb. Yeah, that girl has been getting laid. I smirked at her.
"I hope you at least got some kind of avowals of commitment first," I asked her as we started to walk down the halls together. She started to bite her lip and I sighed, "I will take that as a no."
"Well I kind of did...It's Brennan we are talking about here and, well for him, it was an avowal of commitment."
"You are so naive," I shook my head.
"He's sworn off other women."
Ok that did get my attention. If it was some other guy I would have stayed cynical, but this WAS Brennan, and that kind of promise was a big deal.
"Guess we were making more progress then I even thought," and at my words she stopped biting her lower lip and smiled warmly -- her cheeks a little red.
"We now have to figure out the next phase of our game plan," I started to be cut off.
"I...I don't know Clair; I don't think I want to keep playing games. We're together kind of now, and I'd rather see how that goes at the moment, and if I push him to hard right now he will shut me out completely. I just don't think that after coming so close now that I could handle it if that happened."
Ohh boy he's gotten his hooks into her good, she was in only a 24 hour span ready to go passive and start hoping it would all work out for the best. Instead she was just setting herself up for another vicious circle. But I could also see that like Brennan, if she was pushed too hard right now she would close her walls down, and I would be the one pushed out. I could not take that risk, not when I had Brennan O'Reily giving me the looks he has been whenever we have been in the same room. He was out for blood and I was not ready to give it to him. Have you ever seen what Superman does to Lex Luther once the Kryptonite is removed from the picture? It's not pretty. Yeah ok so you now know my big secret. I love comic books. Go ahead tell...no one would believe you anyway.
So I let it all drop for now at least. "So you think you can tear yourself away from your sex toy for a few hours and eat lunch with me?" I asked teasingly.
"Yeah he kind of kicked me out of his dorm for the next few hours, something about needing to finish some paper," she actually pouted.
"Careful, he may be good in bed dear but at the end of the day its your finger you want him wrapped around, not the other way round," she shrugged at me as we stepped outside.
"Have you talked to Paris yet...made peace with him?" I asked, curious for a few reasons. First of,f Paris was starting to spend an indecent amount of time with Shirley Buckley, and if I was stood up for the dance this weekend in favor of her I would not be pleased. Secondly, and this one I have to say got to me but somehow in all of this, I ended up caring about the tiny girl beside me, and I knew the estrangement from her brother was hurting her, even though she tried to hide it.
"No."
"You should."
"I know..."
"And..."
She shrugged "I'm a coward?"
What could I say, it was true. Persy was a girl who rather lives in her own mind than face things. The only exception so far that I had seen to this was her persuit of Brennan -- and look at how many years of hurt she had to go through before finally doing something.
"You should probably approach him first -- calm him down enough so he won't try and kill Brennan once Brennan tries smoothing things over with him," I pointed out to her, and we all knew that. If Paris started a fight Brennan would be the one to end, "and I'd rather not have my date to the dance sporting a black eye and broken ribs," I reminded her of the last time they fought.
"You're right Clair, time to pull my head out of the clouds and fix this, after all it is my fault."
"Can't argue with you there."
We had reached my car. The campus was a massive one -- think Cambridge or Oxford. And the Math department was on the other side of the campus from the history building. So it took a drive to get there in the 15 minutes I had. There was an underground transport, but most of those who could drive would.
"Ok Clair I'm off, meet you in the caf for lunch," I told her as I got into my car waving back as she waved to me.
Paris
I knew the instant she entered the room. I always had been very aware of her. It was probably a big brother thing. I had planned on going to talk to her tonight with Shirley, but it looks as if Persy had her own plans. Not sure how I feel about that. But there was not much I could do about it now, unless I wanted to come off as an asshole and that would kind of defeat the purpose.
"Hi," she said softly as she sat down beside me. We were in one of the smaller school rec rooms. It pretty much consisted of a few bay windows, a fire, a ton of bookshelves stocked with books, a large flat screen plasma tv and a ton of comfy couches. It was my favorite of the rec rooms, and where I was going to be found if not in class, or my dorm with the guys, or with Shirley.
It was on one of the couches by the fire at which we found ourselves sitting awkwardly together.
"Hi," I answered her back. I was not going to make this easy on her-- my overgrown pride would not let me.
So we sat there together in silence, both squirming waiting for the other to start. No way was it going to be me.
"I'm sorry that you had to find out like that," she squeaked out finally.
I looked over at her. She was ravishing her lip, and looked like a tomato. Typical Persy -- the big brother in me was torn. The dotting half wanted to say it's all forgotten and hug her but the over-protective half wanted to yell at her for being so stupid and thoughtless. So instead I just sat there and said nothing, yeah, not my finest moment.
"Paris say something," she pleaded with me.
"Yeah you could say finding out along with the entire school population hurt," I grudgingly told her.
"You could say having the entire school population finding out was painful on my part as well."
She had a point -- Bren was an ass and I was going to make sure he was missing a few teeth for it.
"Don't blame Bren too much," what was she psychic, "I umm pushed him to it."
I rolled my eyes at this. "Yeah right, my sweat innocent vaginal sister who had never even been kissed seduced Brennan O'Reilly to beyond his breaking point making him lose all control." Looking at her pointedly, "you would not have even known where to start..." and that's when it hit me. She wasn't lying. A memory of Clair pushing buttons in the café a few weeks ago rushed up to smack me as the question as to why Persy and Clair had suddenly become friends. "That Bitch?"
"That's my friend your talking about Paris, and if it was not for her, me and Bren would not be together right now," she reveled to me. It was a lot to swallow.
"So, umm, you and Bren are official now," I admit my life would be easier if this is true.
Not looking me in the eye she nodded. She was a lousy liar. But really I was not quite sure what to make of the situation. It was all real frustrating for the over protective brother in me to deal with. Throw in my over protective best friend urges and my head was spinning. And as usual at the center of it all was Clair. And to make it all worse, she had some how managed to crawl her way into my sister's affections. This was going to get messy.
"So, ummm, do you forgive me?" she inquired timidly.
I sighed, yeah her sleeping with Bren bugged me...a lot. But in the end, I had always expected it to happen eventually. It was not something I tried to think about too much. No, that was not how she had really hurt me.
"Since you were nine?' I asked.
She gave me a strange look -- not making the connection so I was forced to spell it out to her.
"You went to him since you were nine for protection and comfort when I was your big brother," yeah I know she and Bren were close and yeah I know he was most of the reason she got through that time sane and whole, but still this had hurt. I was her big brother.
I felt her arms go round me and her head rest on my shoulder, "it took both of you" it was all I needed to hear.
"I love you Persephone." I hugged her back.
And there it is. Review pretty, pretty please...yeah I know im not above begging for reviews. Let me know how you like Bren and Persy together and how you liked the Clair POV (should I do more or leave it at that?) Would love to know who your favorite character is still the same or has it changed? and why? Who's your least favorite character? I find it helps when I get out side insights into the characters.
Coming next chapter the Dance and the Paris /Bren reunion.
Ok now for a Q and A
Did Bren and Persy have sex in the last chapter or did she just imagined it...?
Yep they did have sex in that classroom naughty students.
Why dose Brennan need revenge on Clair?
Ahh dose he really need it...Well Bren thinks so, not sure I agree with him though. Any way he has issues because Clair is meddling in his affairs and more importantly she seems to him to be playing with Persy and using her to get to him. In other words she is openly and out right challenging him and so a clash is inevitable.
What's up with the grammar and spelling?
I have gotten this a lot and im not surprised. I do have a learning disability and I do have 2 full time betas (who are MIA for the last bit) and a few other's who help me out. So no it's not laziness on my part. It just takes an army to edit my stuff sadly. I do hope to get the previous chapters edited again and re posted.
How do pronounce Percy's full name?
Perrr-se-Phony after the Greek myth of the young goddess who was kidnaped by the god Hades to become his bride.
Your from...?
Canada
Reader Responses
Punkrock13: Im very happy you liked it as to when they started dating well in the chapter Shit Meet Fan he asked he out and admitted to liking her and in the last chapter we find out he is spending all his time with her. I guess you can say it just snowballed from the first admission. For the rest of your questions see the Q and A.
Queen Anabella: Thank you im very flattered by your comments as for the grammatical stuff see q and a for answers.
Nefertiry: You were my first reviewer so I will forgive you this one time ;P Im happy you are still enjoying the story and do hope you review again.
Wishes and Desirers: Oooo I so agree things are just beginning to heat up. (For answer to question see Q and A)
XxGoddess of DesirexX: I loved how they got together too. It's just so Bren and Persy hehe. I hope you liked the fluffy couple stuff this chapter.
WhiteDragon354: OMG bannd from books that a fate worse then death I don't think I would survive it. It's a very good thing for FP then eh? Very happy to hear from you and to get your questions I love when people show interest in the story so thank you. I hope you liked this chapter to.(see Q and A for answers to questions)
Kairi-16: I loved your review it was so nice to read it. And I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. Ohh yean and Bren is uber hot I have link to cast pics in my profile if you like that kind of thing.
Review all please