Who: Chase and Reagan, with a dash of Mara When: Friday afternoon, June 15 Where: Chase’s house Status" Complete
Given everything that was going in, Reagan had been pretty neglectful in saying hello to her cousin. Especially since he had moved into her neighborhood. There was really no excuse for how long it had taken her to stop by, so Reagan opted to walk down to the house he was supposedly sharing with his girlfriend to finally welcome him to Point Pleasant. She knew she should have brought flowers or food or something but the flowers in her yard were still growing and Reagan was not much of a cook. She doubted Chase would mind if she showed up empty-handed. It wasn’t like her dad wasn’t helping him out with the expenses so she decided that she was helping by association.
Stepping up to the house, Reagan rang the doorbell, unsure as to whether she would be meeting his girlfriend or not. She knew she would probably eventually have them over for dinner one night to properly meet Chase, but as of right now, this would do.
Chase was equally responsible for not dropping by to see Reagan, but every time he thought of it he was in the middle of something. Unpacking the house had taken longer than expected and finding a job was an even worse pain in the ass. There weren’t near as many openings as a big city would have, and the office job he’d settled for was the kind of thing that made him want to strangle people. It was a good job and it paid well, but it felt like it was mostly kissing ass and filing paperwork, two things that tried his patience on a good day. Definitely nothing to brag about, but there was upward potential if he stuck around. Chase wasn’t sure how their situation would play out yet, but he hoped they would be able to stick around.
He wasn’t expecting any visitors and approached the door with caution until he saw Reagan on the other side. Living in a big city had given him certain instincts and he supposed it would take a while before those relaxed a bit. “Hey,” he smiled as he opened the door, then stepped forward to give her a hug. “It’s been forever. Come on in.”
"Hi." Reagan returned his hug and stepped into the house. She knew it would be nice, given that it was in Black Cove but she still looked around, wanting to see just what Chase brought with him. "It's great to see you again. I was surprised when dad told me you and your girlfriend were moving here." Surprised, but maybe pleasantly surprised. She liked her dad's side of the family just fine but she rarely saw them and Chase had always been fun to talk to during family holidays and stuff like that. She wasn't sure how well Caius and Chase would get along but she knew Caius would tolerate him for Reagan's sake. "Is Mara home? When do I get to meet her?"
The house was nicely, but sparsely furnished, the result of Chase having expensive tastes without the money to back it up. He and Mara were also coming from an apartment, which hadn’t had near as much space to fill. It made Chase itch to buy more, but that took money he didn’t have. And he didn’t expect Mara to do it. He loved her for a lot of things, but not her homemaking skills. “It was kind of a spur of the moment thing,” Chase admitted. “We needed a change of scenery and your dad really came through for us.” He’d dropped off a bottle of wine as a token of thanks, but that really didn’t cover it. This was the kind of favor that would be repaid over time, in his head, by showing he could manage it without fucking it up. “Mara’s up stairs taking a nap. If you don’t get to meet her today, we’ll have to stop by sometime. Can I get you something to drink?”
Reagan thought Point Pleasant was a bit drastic for just a change of scenery, but it was always possible her dad didn't warn Chase about this town. At least he was living nearby, so if he needed help, Reagan could be there for him. She considered Chase's offer for a drink and then shrugged and gave him a smile. "Water would be good, thanks." She followed him towards the kitchen, still getting a good look around. "Caius and I will have to have you both over for dinner soon. Did you get a job lined up or are you still looking?"
It was actually quite the opposite of what Reagan was thinking—Chase and Mara had come to Point Pleasant specifically because of the weird things that happened there. It would make it easier for them to blend in in a town where people already went missing on a regular basis. It would also help to be closer to the witches in their family, as Chase’s abilities were far more limited. “I got an admin position in the mayor’s office,” he said as he led her towards the kitchen. “The people are annoying, but the pay is good, so I guess I can deal with it. Anything there I should be aware of?”
"The mayor's office." Her brows rose in surprise. "That's a good job, even if its administrative. I don't know the mayor terribly well, though I imagine mom and dad do. Caius might as well, so I'll ask him." Reagan eyed Chase as she entered the kitchen. "What did your family say about you moving here? Can't imagine they were too happy that you moved several states away." And to Point Pleasant, of all places. Sure, Chase's family might not be aware of all the weird shit that happened here, but maybe they were. Her dad had married a witch, after all.
Chase wasn’t at all surprised to hear that her parents knew the mayor. They were probably neighbors, for fuck’s sake, and he was almost certain that was how he’d gotten the job in the first place. Personal references mattered far more than anything else on his resume, at least around here, but he’d managed an office just fine back home, so he did have some talent in that department. “They’re not thrilled, but I didn’t really ask for their opinion either,” he said as he poured her a glass of water. “It’s kind of nice, actually. Freeing. They’re no longer up in my business, which is better all around.” Again, he wondered how much Reagan knew. If it was nothing, then his reason for being there was quite a bomb to drop.
Reagan wasn't surprised to hear Chase's family wasn't pleased about his moving away. And she understood the need to get away sometimes. Her dad was pretty laid back but her mom always seemed to be in her business. It could be exasperating at times. She smiled at her cousin, one brow arching. "So you moved to Point Pleasant with your girlfriend for more privacy? Do they not like her?" That could have been a reason to put distance between him and his family. Reagan sometimes wondered what her life would have been like today if she and Caius had just left town together instead of having their parents constantly trying to keep them apart.
“I don’t really care about their opinion,” Chase grinned, because no, they did not especially like Mara. His mother thought she was too wild, uncultured, and outspoken, things Chase liked about her. And his father thought she was a leech, only interested in Chase for his money, which was a laugh. Chase did well enough for himself, but if Mara was after wealth, then she could do far better, and probably with a guy that was a little less headstrong than Chase himself. “Actually…” Chase started, his expression turning more serious. “There was an accident. Mara got hurt and— and I contacted your mom for help. We thought a change of scenery would be a good idea.”
That was a bit unexpected. The accident, not so much, but hearing her mother had helped Chase? Why hadn't she been told? Reagan knew it was none of her business and that her mom had secrets of her own, but it was mildly exasperating, especially when Veronica was always involving herself in Reagan's life. "What happened to her?" Reagan asked, sitting down on one of the bar stools. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but you know you can trust me." Not to mention she was a witch and living only a few houses down the street. If Chase needed something, obviously he could come to her for help.
Chase hoped he could trust Reagan because he needed to trust Reagan. If anything went wrong, he was depending on his cousin and her family for help because his own family couldn’t do shit. He liked to think he had things under control, but he wasn’t stupid enough not to have some kind of a backup plan. Being here would make things easier in the long run. “She fell and… and hit her head,” he frowned, the memories of that night making him feel ill. “I performed a ritual to heal her. But there are potential side effects.” He knew he was being vague, but he was reluctant to delve too far into the truth. It had been a while since he’d seen Reagan and he didn’t know if she’d understand the lengths he would go to to save the one he loved.
Reagan studied Chase closely, aware that he was leaving certain details out. If her mother had helped Chase with a ritual, one with side effects, then it had to have been dark magic. And why would he have to use dark magic if his girlfriend had simply hit her head? Folding her arms on the countertop, she suddenly wanted to meet this girlfriend, if only to see if she felt anything dark radiating from her. "That's awfully vague, Chase," Reagan said. "And I doubt my mother helped you if you were this vague with her as well. How badly did she hit her head that you needed magic to heal her?"
Chase considered his options and decided that he could either tell Reagan now and handle the fallout, or keep his mouth shut and let her go to her mother, who would likely tell her anyways. At least if he was the one telling her, he had a better handle on the situation. He controlled the narrative. He had no idea what Veronica might say, or how she would spin it, but he wanted it coming from him first if it was to come out at all. “She died,” he said, his voice calm despite the rising tension in his body. He gripped the countertop, thinking he needed a drink himself, something stronger than water. “I had a ritual that I’d been—been researching, but it was all theory. Your mom helped piece it together for me, fix the bit I didn’t have right, tweaked it for the specific situation. It was all pretty rushed, but it worked. I got her back. That’s what matters.”
Reagan exhaled slowly as Chase explained what happened. She knew she had no right to judge, considering what she had done herself. And she wasn't judging. But necromancy was dark fucking magic. She didn't even think Caius would touch it, unless something happened to Reagan, and even then he might respect the natural cycle of life. Reagan wanted to call her mother and ask exactly what she helped Chase do. But that would come later. "What did you have to do?" Reagan asked finally. "Because that kind of magic comes at a price. It usually requires a lot of blood."
Now Chase did pour himself a mid-day drink, not at all caring if Reagan would judge him for it. He’d given her enough fuel for that already, so he might as well pile it on. He didn’t really feel like discussing his part in the ritual because she was right. It required a ton of blood and there’d been only one viable source in the middle of a city. “Um. Yeah,” he sighed. “It required, like, almost a gallon of blood. I had to bury her, draw a circle of salt around the body, request an alliance with my chosen entity, then pour the blood over the earth as a form of payment.” It was only his first payment, but it was the most important one, as it brought Mara back. The rest he could figure out going forward. He rubbed his hands together, slightly nervous to be speaking this story aloud. “It was… intense. She rose three days later.”
Reagan understood the need to drink so of course she wouldn't judge him for that either. When Caius lost his memory of her, she had been drinking a couple bottles of wine a day, and that usually started around lunchtime. Sipping her water, she watched Chase and wondered what Caius would say when she told him her cousin made a deal with an entity to bring his girlfriend back from the dead. At least she understood now why he came to Point Pleasant. That woman would fit in here, if she wasn't some sort of undead abomination. It was obvious to Reagan now that Chase had probably killed someone to get that blood. And wasn't that something Reagan could understand, especially now? "I can only imagine," Reagan murmured. "How is she? She's not violent, is she? Nothing concerning about her demeanor?"
Entity had been a nice way of putting it when Chase was pretty confident he’d made a deal with a demon. Not the devil, if there was one, but some dark being that could exchange life for blood. Or maybe it was just a life for a life and the blood was just proof of the exchange. Chase didn’t know all the details and he knew that could come back to bite him later, but the longer Mara was gone, the lower his chances of bringing her back had been, so he’d had to act quickly and ask questions later. “She seems fine,” he said, his tone substantially lighter. “Nothing concerning that I can tell yet so far. She seems a little wilder, but she always was, and I feel like that’s the kind of thing that makes you, I dunno, embrace living.” The most noticeable aspect, as far as he could tell, was that she no longer wore underwear, and that was a side effect he could enjoy.
"Near death experiences make you embrace living," Reagan pointed out. "Actually dying and being resurrected by magic is very different. I'm glad to hear she's doing okay now, but you need to keep an eye on her. If she says or does anything even remotely out of character, call my mom or come see me, okay? She could be changed and you just don't realize it yet. She may not even realize it." Reagan paused and then arched a delicate brow. "Do you think I could meet her before I leave?"
Chase knew Mara had changed. He could sense it, even if he couldn’t put his finger on the exact differences. She was still herself, but Chase would be a fool to think an experience like that would bring her back unscathed. He didn’t know what to watch out for per se, but he’d been watching just in case. “I know. That’s part of why we had to move. I think it’ll be easier with people who didn’t know her before. I’m hoping we won’t have to bother you or your mother, but my skills are limited compared to yours,” Chase said, then glanced up, as if he could sense what Mara was doing at that moment. “Sure. I should probably go wake her anyways.”
In this case, Reagan wanted Chase to bother her. They weren't best friends or anything but he was still family. Not to mention, living a few doors down from a potentially dangerous woman was something she needed to be aware of, Caius as well. She smiled when Chase agreed to wake her up. "I promise I'll be nice." That went without saying, of course, but Reagan knew that some people were wary around her, generally because they were wary of her husband. If Mara and Chase were going to be here for a while, starting off with a good first impression was important.
Chase had never been wary of Reagan, despite knowing about her abilities. He probably should be, but he’d come to think he could brute strength his way into just about anything. He’d even found a way to cheat death for Mara’s sake, using magic that didn’t require him to be a witch. He knew Reagan could make things difficult though, so he wanted to be on good terms with her and Caius. Family made the best allies. “I’d like meet Caius sometime, too,” he said, setting down his drink before leaving to go wake Mara. “I hope he knows more about us than just this.” While he’d like to keep this between the two of them, he had a feeling Reagan would tell him. He couldn’t blame her. He just hoped it wouldn’t sour things. “I’ll be right back,” he said, then slipped up the stairs to wake Mara from her nap.
Reagan watched him leave, exhaling slowly. If Chase was telling her the truth, and she believed that he was, then Caius would probably be intrigued by their new neighbors. Coming back from the dead was no easy task and there was no doubt in her mind that Mara would likely exhibit... behavior issues... in the future. She just wanted to make sure Chase was prepared for that. Already Reagan was thinking she could ward the house to protect her cousin against violence. Maybe she could even convince him into getting a magic-imbued tattoo as well.
Mara was already stirring when Chase entered the bedroom. She had never been one to nap before the "accident" but now it felt like she needed more sleep than usual. Thankfully she always felt refreshed when she woke up, rather than groggy, so she was in a fairly good mood when she opened her eyes to see Chase. Mara always slept naked, which seemed like the perfect way to greet him now. Holding her arms out to beckon him into bed with her, Mara gave him a sleepy smile. "Come here and fuck me."
Chase would have liked nothing more than to give into Mara’s request, but he still possessed a strong enough sense of decorum that said it was impolite to leave his cousin waiting for that long. If there’d been a party going on, sure, but she was downstairs by herself. It would have been rude, and they would have been loud. “Later, love,” he grinned as he bent to kiss her. One hand braced against the bed while the other traced the curve of her breast. Just seeing her like this, touching her, began to stir his arousal and he knew he had to pull back. “My cousin dropped by. I’d like you to come down and meet her. Get dressed? I promise to rip it off you later.”
Mara nearly growled with frustration when Chase said later because she wanted him now. But her irritation faded into something slightly more pouty when he explained that his cousin was downstairs. She hadn’t met any of his family in Point Pleasant yet and while she wanted to meet them, she thought it was a little rude of them to show up when she wanted sex. But, it was what it was and she could do this for Chase. “Okay,” she murmured, slipping out of bed and running her hands through her short hair. She didn’t want to take a long time finding something to wear so Mara pulled on a summer dress to cover her naked body. That was the best she could do at the moment. Even the soft material felt confining. “What’s her name again?” Mara asked as they headed for the stairs. “Rachel?”
Chase could see the frustration flash in her eyes, but was glad not to have an argument about it. He would make it up to her after Reagan left. He would fuck her wherever she wanted, however she wanted, until she was so worn out that she needed another nap. But right now, he needed her to come downstairs and meet his cousin. He smiled as she pulled a dress over her head. Still no underwear. Easily fuckable. Chase loved it. “Reagan,” he reminded her quietly. And then they were there. Chase smiled at his cousin. “Reagan, this is Mara.”
Reagan stood when she heard Chase and Mara coming downstairs. The woman looked normal enough. Petite and pale, but she certainly didn't come across like a zombie. Not that Reagan really expected her to. She knew the undead wasn't exactly how pop culture portrayed them. And Mara was alive... technically, anyway. "It's nice to finally meet you," Reagan said with a smile.
"Reagan," Mara repeated. "Like in The Exoricst."
Reagan blinked and glanced briefly at Chase, but kept the smile on her lips. "Yes, I suppose so. And Mara... that means bitter, doesn't it?"
There was a beat of blankness on Mara's face before she grinned in response. "Yeah, it does. Do you want to stay for lunch or anything?" Mara looked up at Chase. "Did you eat yet? We could order a pizza or something."
Chase belatedly realized that he should have warned Reagan, that just because she said she’d be nice didn’t mean that Mara would be. She had bite to her, which was something Chase adored, but it didn’t make her a warm and fuzzy person. She’d been that way even before the incident, so it was nothing new. He held his breath as Reagan and Mara exchanged pleasantries, if they could be called that, then found himself smirking. It might not have been the most friendly introduction, but Chase thought it had gone far better than most. “Not yet,” he answered Mara. “I’d be good with pizza. Want to join us?” he asked Reagan. He could tell she was assessing Mara, but he doubted she’d see anything off about her. If something was physically off about her, he’d have caught it by now, and Reagan didn’t have a base set to judge her mental state. Maybe that’s what she was doing now, trying to set that base, but Chase thought he’d catch if something was wrong long before anyone else.
"I probably shouldn't," Reagan said, smiling politely at the invitation. "I have to get to the shop. But I would really like for you two to come over for dinner one night next week so you can meet Caius. It can be a welcome to Point Pleasant dinner and I know Caius is excited to meet both of you." A lie, of course, since Caius really wasn't a people person outside of his job. But Chase was family so Caius would behave. That was assuming that Mara behaved too. Reagan couldn't pinpoint anything "off" about Mara, but she didn't really expect to. Sometimes those kind of changes were much deeper than the surface.
“That’d be great,” Chase smiled, coming to stand beside Mara, his hand resting low on her back as he faced Reagan. He knew there was more to it than just a welcome dinner, but that was likely all it would be on the surface. Chase wasn’t going to spend an evening recapping how they’d ended up where they were now, no matter how many questions Reagan and Caius might have. They didn’t need to know any more of the details unless something went wrong, and Chase was determined not to let that happen. “Just let me know when. We’ve got most nights free. Still don’t know a lot of people around here yet, so we don’t have much in the way of a social schedule.”
Reagan had no intention of interrogating Chase, at least not while they were all eating dinner together. But she knew Caius would be able to take a look at Mara with his Obscurities and see if there was anything of concern living inside of her. Best case scenario was that Mara was just a little odd, having cheated death thanks to Chase. Worst case scenario was that Reagan would have to worry about finding her cousin dead one day because his girlfriend turned violent. "If filling up a social calendar is something you're aiming for, I can probably help you with that," Reagan said with a laugh. "But what about next Wednesday? I'm not closing the shop that night and Caius should be finished with work at a decent time."
“Wednesday should work,” Chase smiled, shooting a quick glance at Mara, as if to confirm. He knew they didn’t have anything planned, so she shouldn’t have any reason to protest, but if she wasn’t happy about it, then he’d find some way to make it up to her. They needed to be able to rely on Reagan and her husband if anything went wrong, though Chase was determined not to let that happen. He’d fucked up once and now swore he wouldn’t let it happen again. “Let me know if you want us to bring anything,” he offered, already planning to pick up a bottle of wine. He might not have grown up as well off as Reagan did, but his parents had managed to instill a few good manners in him that just seemed to stick.
Mara shrugged, because she didn't have a job and now she wanted to meet Reagan's husband and see her house, Wednesday was fine with her. Maybe she needed to meet people and make "friends" and do things that were normal, at least on the surface. "Can you cook?" Mara asked Reagan skeptically. The woman was really pretty and had an air about her that hinted at not being overly domesticated. Mara could be wrong, after all, but she was willing to bet Chase's cousin liked to order in more than she did getting her kitchen messy.
The question wasn't particularly odd, but Chase's girlfriend was looking at her like she would be shocked if Reagan knew the difference between a pot and a pan. "I like to think I can, but I guess you'll have to ask my husband to know for sure," she said lightly before her smile widened and her focus turned to Chase. "Just bring yourselves. Seven o'clock? If it's a nice night, we'll eat outside on the deck. Once you're both more settled, we'll get together with Nate too. I'm sure he'd love to see you again."
Chase shot Mara a look of slight exasperation, but didn’t point out how rude the question potentially was. As dinner guests, he wasn’t going to judge where she got the food. If she could afford to order in every night, more power to her. What Chase knew of his cousin was that she leaned towards being a perfectionist, so his guess was that if she cooked, she did it well. He also suspected she’d rather pick up food than serve something potentially bad to a guest. But that was all based on past experiences. He supposed they’d have to find out first hand. “That sounds good, Rea,” he smiled. “I’ll have to shoot him a text and let him know we’ll see him soon.”
Mara felt Chase's look but ignored him. It wasn't like this was new territory for him. She had never been overly personable but she could get along with people as long as they didn't annoy her. Reagan wasn't scowling at her or anything, so she figured things were fine.
"Great," Reagan said, stepping in to give Chase a hug. "I'm glad you're here. I'll see you both on Wednesday, but if you need anything before then just text me or come by. It's number 12, right down the street." She pulled back and gave Mara a smile. "It's nice to meet you too. If Chase is ever at work and you want company... feel free to come around." She somehow doubted Mara would take her up on the offer, which was really the only reason why Reagan gave it. She could just imagine Caius opening the door to this woman. Then again, he might be amused by it. Maybe.
“Thanks, Reagan. We’ll see you soon,” Chase said, hugging his cousin, then walking her to the door. He doubted Mara would wander down to Reagan’s place, but maybe she’d get bored and they’d hit it off. That could be a good thing. He worried sometimes that she’d be bored while he was at work. This town was so much smaller than what they were used to and there was so much less to do. A few friends would be nice, just so long as they kept their distance. Chase knew things were going to be complicated for them and he didn’t want anyone to get unnecessarily hurt. At least Reagan and Caius could protect themselves, even if they didn’t know entirely what they were getting into.
Mara wasn't much of a social butterfly but she thought it might be beneficial to get in good with Chase's family, especially if they were witches. Right now, she felt like she and Chase had things under control and she didn't want anyone else interfering. So she stayed put, watching Chase walk his cousin to the door, already feeling too confined in the dress she had pulled on.
Reagan paused just outside the open door, turning to Chase. While Mara looked and sounded normal, Reagan knew enough about dark magic that things could take a turn rather quickly. "Call me," she said quietly, "if anything unusual happens. We'll do our best to help."
“I will,” Chase said quietly. “Promise.” Because if things turned bad, he might be way out of his league. He didn’t know what to expect, but he didn’t have magic at his fingertips the way Reagan did. What he’d done to bring Mara back was probably a one time thing, magic-wise, and after that he was on his own. He knew sacrifices would have to be made, but how much and how often was something he’d yet to figure out. Only time would tell if he was over his head and how far he’d have to climb to get back to the surface.