James had known something was up when he couldn't reach Brianna all of Thursday night and then both his kids' phones were out of service as well and it was time to panic. He would have liked to believe that a cell tower was down or something mundane and harmless was going on but that just wasn't reality for them and it didn't explain why he couldn't reach them online either. He hadn't intended to go home until Saturday night, giving him enough time to both work and have a little fun on Friday night but he left the hotel in the small hours of Friday morning after unsuccessfully trying to sleep through the night. The drive was hard and he berated himself for not leaving sooner but driving as tired as he'd been would have been stupid.
The call came when he was closing in on Point Pleasant. Brianna was hurt, in the hospital and driving into town was like driving onto the set of a horror movie. Cars had crashed or flipped over and there was blood in the snow in more than one place he drove past. James hated not knowing what had happened, he hated being in the dark about anything so he called - and woke up - his secretary and had her tell him everything she knew before he reached Mercy Hospital. His kids looked haunted, tired and scared, Phee clung to him like he'd just risen back from the dead and Brianna was not in good shape. Thankfully she didn't have to stay at the hospital for longer than it took to get her stitched up and on some antibiotics. James hated hospitals. He always felt helpless there and the place was just so full of germs.
The drive home was... weird. Everyone was so shell shocked and quiet as well as distant and he couldn't shake the feeling that they were actually angry at him for not being home when all of this happened. Like that was his fault. If he was being fair he could have admitted that yes, it was, but it was work as well as play and work was important. Maybe he was projecting because he hated the fact that he hadn't been there for them when they most needed him. When they got home, the kids went to their rooms to shower and rest and James had some time alone with his wife. He took her coat, hating the visible bandages under her shirt. This was going to take time and leave ugly scars, always there to remind him. "Do you need anything?" he asked once he'd hugged Phee and watched her wander up the stairs. "Anything at all."
Brianna was exhausted. The stitches were already bothering her and Brianna fought the strange urge to just pluck them back out of her skin. But she assumed that was just the fatigue. The pain medicine they had given her at the hospital was still floating pleasantly through her system, which eased some of the prickliness she had been feeling all morning. James was home, which was both a relief and an annoyance. There was some unfair blame being lobbed at him in her mind for all of this, even though he had been gone for work - or mostly work - and she had no way of knowing that he would have been able to do anything about all of this anyway, even if he had been home.
Unfortunately emotion wasn't always rational, especially for Brianna. With the kids having wandered off to take care of themselves now, Brianna glanced warily at James before wandering down the hall towards the kitchen to make herself some coffee. Something hot and full of caffeine. She probably needed to sleep, but she wasn't sure the throb in her shoulder would allow it, unless she took some sleeping pills.
"I don't know what I need right now," she said truthfully. "I'm still trying to process everything. Things seem a bit blurry to me right now. I'm sorry you had to cut your trip short."
"Don't be ridiculous," James muttered. "As if I could stay away." He cut her off by the coffee maker, giving her a concerned little frown and lightly gripping her arm. "Sit down, I'll make it," he told her, even if he would prefer it if she drank something more substantial; a fruit juice or a protein shake, something with more nutritional value that would help her body heal. He understood the allure of coffee though so he didn't pester her about it. Not yet. She looked tired and fed up and the last thing she needed was to get into an argument so even if James liked to assert control at times, he knew when to hold back. Especially with Brianna.
Brianna wanted to shake him off, and if she had more energy, she might have. Instead she relented, her entire body begging her to sit for a few minutes. Still, she hesitated briefly before turning away to sit down at the table. Scratching idly at her shoulder, she stared out the back window for several moments before her gaze shifted back to her husband, who was making her coffee. "Sebastian had... some kind of salve he made. I was in too much pain to think about it much. But I have no idea how he knew what to do, and what he used. It helped with the wound, at least with the pain. Is that something you might have taught him?"
James knew for a fact he hadn't taught Sebastian anything about healing salves but with the irritation that bubbled up in him at the thought that he might still be learning somewhere else, he didn't want Brianna to feel that same ire. "I've taught him a few things," he said casually and it wasn't strictly a lie since the fact was that he had taught his kids quite a few things by now - just not that one. "I'm glad it helped. Do you remember what he used?" James wasn't much in the business of healing and helping. He did know a few things about easing pain but mostly he liked offensive spells and protective ones. Herbal remedies especially always felt a little feminine to him. He grabbed the creamer from the fridge, planning on making her coffee exactly the way she liked it to perfection. He wasn't always a good husband but he did know how to take care of her needs.
"I don't," Brianna muttered. "I couldn't think straight... but he was insistent that I use it. Annoyed with me, even. It was very unlike Sebastian. The sheriff's daughter was here too. He looked... haggard when he picked her up from the hospital. I can't even begin to describe to you what was out there." She brushed her hair back from her face, wishing she had thought to take a bath before coffee. Brianna just wanted to soak in some scalding hot water for a while until she felt clean again. "I think maybe you need to be for home with us for a while. At least until we're sure this isn't going to happen again. Help our children become better equipped to protect themselves when we're not around to do it for them."
James poured her coffee and stirred in some sugar and creamer as she talked, trying to keep his brows from furrowing as much as they seemed to want to. Sebastian had been acting weird a lot this year and while James would love to blissfully blame puberty he was sure that wasn't it. He'd done a purifying ritual on him to get rid of any possible curse effects but what Brianna was saying now stirred up that old concern that it hadn't been enough. "I don't plan on leaving again for a while," he told her as he brought the cup over to her, setting it on the table before taking a seat next to her. "I want you to learn to use your own magic too, practice to the point where it becomes a natural reaction and not something you need to think about. I need you to be able to protect yourself."
"Clearly," Brianna muttered. She took a sip of her coffee, finding it tasteless. But it was hot and it felt good burning her throat. "I have my family grimoire," she said finally, looking up at James. "I've been reading it. I haven't... tried much of the magic written inside. But when that thing attacked me, I could feel the fire wanting to... explode. Do something. But nothing happened. It was like the lid was screwed on too tightly. I want to know how to use it."
Some tension inside of James loosened up as she spoke, that tired worry replaced by excitement. "That's good," he said and didn't attempt to hide the fact it made him happy to hear it. "You've buried it for so long, it's normal to feel that way. We'll change that." He reached over, rested his hand on her knee and gave her a little smile. "I think you could be a powerful witch, Brianna. If you want to be." He'd admittedly have some mixed feelings about that; what if she became more powerful than he was? It would make him proud, yes, but he still wanted to be the stronger one in the relationship, the protector, the provider.
Did she want to be a powerful witch? Brianna had been taught at a young age that magic was evil, that it would be their family's downfall if she practiced. And now she had this ability woken inside of her, desperate to get out. She felt it every day. And with that thing out there... maybe she wouldn't have gotten hurt if she had been able to defend herself. And maybe her curiosity and desire to be something more was pushing her along now as well. "I want to be able to protect my family," Brianna said finally. "So if learning... accepting this... will help me do that, then I'm ready to learn."
James could practically hear the gears turning in her head and he watched her as she considered it, breaking into a smile when she reached her conclusion. "I'm glad to hear that," he told her. He'd always hoped that when they were old enough, his kids would want to learn but so far only Trip was of age and he'd shown no interest. If anything he seemed to have sided with his mother all these years and treat magic like something to be avoided and it honestly drove James crazy. Things looked like they were changing now and while the motivations for them all to learn weren't optimal, he was liking the result. He hoped Trip would change his mind too now that Brianna was onboard, a whole family of witches was more than most households could boast of. There was usually a dud or two in the mix. "This is your birthright, Bri," he murmured. "And you are going to be a force to be reckoned with."
Getting James to smile could be taxing at times, but apparently magic did the trick. Her husband wanted this for her, and Brianna was finally coming around to the realization that she wanted it too. Given what was in that grimoire, it seemed as though her ancestors were powerful. And dark. But that had appeal as well. She kept her hand around her coffee mug, studying her husband silently. He clearly wanted his family to tap deeper into their magic and learn. She wondered if his ego could survive it if Sebastian became stronger than he was, or Phee... or even herself. James liked being the man of the house, the one in control. What if he lost that? "If you are committed to teaching your children what they need to know... and me... then I'll allow it. But that means cutting back on your trips," she murmured. "And being here. Especially after what happened yesterday."
James's trips were as much for his need for freedom as they were for work and if he was honest with himself, it wouldn't hurt work much at all not to go. He just liked the clubs and the girls and that outlet for his sadistic side that he didn't get at home. He knew it would build and he would get antsy eventually but maybe he could find a different sort of outlet for it because Brianna was right and he didn't want to leave his family for a while now, not after this. "I'm staying home," he promised her. "I just hope you don't get sick of me." He smirked again, cocking a brow at her.
"I'll be sure to tell you if I do," she said, wishing she could be in a better mood for him. But her arm hurt and she was feeling groggy and tired. Having James home did make her feel safer, and like she may be able to actually relax without worrying about their kids. Brianna reached for his hand and squeezed gently. "I think I need to go wash the hospital smell off of me and then take a nap." She was exhausted and her mind was running a mile a minute. She just wanted to turn everything off for a while.
James wanted to go with her. He'd had a long drive and hardly any sleep. A shower and a nap sounded heavenly. He just couldn't shake the feeling that at least one parent should stay awake for a while, be there in case anything went wrong - in case their kids felt afraid or insecure about everything that had happened. He wasn't used to being the available parent but neither was he a complete stranger to it. "I can help you with that," he said. "I'm guessing you want a proper shower, even a bath? I can enchant those bandages to keep them dry." He wanted her to feel better but that little trick had the added benefit of reminding her just how useful magic could be.
Brianna thought it over. A shower would be quick and then she could get into bed. But a bath sounded pretty heavenly in that moment too. Then again, she was afraid if she took a bath she would end up falling asleep in the water. "A shower would be good," Brianna said finally. "If you can help me keep the bandages dry, that would be helpful. I would take a bath but I feel like I would fall asleep and potentially drown." Her lips twitched briefly. "I would appreciate the help."
"You are in luck," James muttered. "That happens to be my element." It was a simple spell, in part thanks to the fact he was so finely attuned to air. He thought he could have used water too, in a completely different way of course, but air did the trick nicely. He moved closer to Brianna, gently peeling her shirt aside and giving her a soft little smile. His magic could be dark but that part of it all was never meant to touch his family. This however, this benign little spell that really felt more like a party trick than anything useful - that he could show her and he hoped the simplicity and gentle nature of it might further work to change her mind on magic. "When this heals we can get rid of the scars," he said once he was done. "I hate seeing you hurt."
Brianna hadn't even thought about the scarring. If he could get rid of it, she would absolutely let him. Brianna didn't like to consider herself shallow, but she was vain enough not to want some hideous reminder of what had happened to be visible for the whole world to see. She lifted a hand to rest it over James's, feeling too tired not to continue being angry or irritated with him. He was home now and she didn't have to worry about anything but herself for a while. "Thank you," she murmured finally. Brianna sighed and moved to stand so she could head upstairs for her shower. "Can you... did you call Trip? By the time the phones began working again I was in too much pain to think about all of that. I just want to make sure he's okay." As far as she knew, this had been isolated to Point Pleasant, but it was silly to simply assume.
"I didn't want to worry him," James muttered. "The outside world is fine, as usual." He'd grown up in Point Pleasant but sometimes he realized just how insane it was that this was normal to him; something strange and horrible happened and the rest of the world had no idea about it. "You have about seventy minutes," he told Brianna, gesturing at her bandages. "Seventy seven minutes from casting. Magic is... fickle like that." He sometimes felt like magic was intensely pretentious but that was its prerogative he supposed. He was just pleased he wasn't married to a woman who asked if he'd still love her with scars because no, he wouldn't love her the same. He'd want to get rid of them, his wife should be flawless.
She supposed James was right, but the urge to check in with her oldest son was still there. Maybe she would just give him a call tomorrow to check in. Brianna glanced at her shoulder. "Seventy minutes should be plenty of time. I'll probably go to bed when I finish. I didn't get a chance to check if there was any potential damage to the house, so you may want to do that if you get a moment. My car is definitely going to need to be replaced." And now she was thinking of everything they would need to do, but she didn't have the energy to really do any of them. But telling James was a step, because he could take care of the issues now.
"You're getting ahead of yourself," James reminded her gently. "Go shower and rest, I'll take care of what needs to be done. I'll call Trip this afternoon and we'll worry about the car later. I'm not going anywhere so you can use mine if you really need to." Preferably he would go with her, not eager to have her or the kids go anywhere by themselves until he was certain this particular incident wasn't about to happen again. He got up too then, pulling her closer by her arm, careful to only touch the side of her that wasn't hurt. "Right now I want you to only focus on yourself."
Brianna couldn't think of anywhere she needed to go and if there was something they needed, James could handle it. "Thank you," she murmured, lifting up on her toes just enough to press a kiss to his lips. It wouldn't be difficult to focus on herself today. She was simply too tired to focus on anyone else. If the kids had been younger Brianna might have fretted more, but they were both teenagers and could take care of themselves. At least today. She held onto James with her good arm for a moment before pulling away to head upstairs.