Who: Anthony and Caius When: Sunday, Oct 8, late morning Where: the D’Onofrio house Status: Complete
Veronica Kelly’s visit to him on Friday was enlightening. Caius hadn’t spoken to his father outside of absolutely necessary business matters for pretty much the entire week. He hadn’t gone to him for help, because Anthony hadn’t made it clear that he could or would help, especially if Caius was adamant about not leaving Reagan. But Veronica had clued him in that there were tools at his disposal, if he could just swallow his pride long enough to ask his father for them.
So that was what he was going to do. He didn’t want to, but if his and Reagan’s lives depended on it, he would do whatever he had to do. Caius had been obsessively reading about family curses, and he’d made the private resolution that if everything they tried didn’t work to save them, then he would be the sacrifice in the end. He wouldn’t let this destroy Reagan, even if that meant stepping in front of her somehow. He fervently hoped that wouldn’t be the case, as he had no desire to die anytime soon, but it was what it was.
Caius drove over to the family home around mid-morning on Sunday, hoping to catch his father when his mother and sister were out of the house. He didn’t want to deal with Miriam on top of everything else, and he didn’t want to upset Sera in case things went sideways. He knew they did a lot of shopping on Sunday mornings. When he pulled up, Anthony and Sera’s cars were there but Miriam’s wasn’t, so perhaps he’d gotten lucky. He parked and got out, letting himself in through the front door. Caius started walking through the house to hunt down the D’Onofrio patriarch.
Veronica had informed Anthony of her visit to Caius after it was over. Anthony had been mildly irritated, but he knew he couldn't get angry with her, as Anthony wouldn't have hesitated to visit Reagan had he felt it was necessary. And apparently Veronica felt it was necessary on her end. And so Anthony fully expected Caius to come around eventually, he just had no idea how long it would actually take.
With Miriam out meeting a few girlfriends for brunch, Anthony stayed in his study upstairs, going through some older books that were left to him by his grandmother. He wasn't expecting to find the answers to their family's problem in there, but he was certainly open to darker means of controlling the situation if his son couldn't do it. Anthony knew exactly what Veronica had suggested to Caius, but to Anthony, it felt like a lost cause and a waste of time. Unfortunately, he would have to bite his tongue if he wanted Caius to stick around and perhaps put his faith in his father again.
When he heard the car out front, Anthony walked over to the windows to peer down through the curtains. He wasn't the least bit surprised to see Caius walking up the pathway to the front doors. That didn't take long at all. Closing the book in his hand - Caius didn't need to know his father was researching blood possession - he set it down and walked over to the fireplace mantle to open up the cigar box. He pulled one out to light, figuring Caius would eventually find him. They had a large house but there were only so many rooms Anthony frequented, and his study was one of them.
He sensed his son's presence at the door as soon as he got comfortable in the chair in front of the fireplace, and he lifted the hand holding his cigar. "Ramon Allones Patagon," he said of the cigar. "I don't imagine it's too early in the day to smoke with your old man."
It was Sunday, so Caius checked the den first. He wasn’t a man who would sit around and watch a football game, but there were plenty of comfortable chairs in there to sit in and read. Anthony wasn’t in there, so Caius headed for his study. His father rarely took a real day off from work of any kind, so it was the only other possibility. He trotted lightly up the stairs and down the wide hall. Caius was right, and wasn’t surprised to see that Anthony had been expecting him. A little irritated, but not surprised. He was sure Veronica told him all about their talk. “Never too early,” he answered mildly, walking into the study. Caius closed the door behind him, just in case.
Anthony motioned toward the cigar box on top of the mantle before bringing his own cigar back to his lips. He didn't mind that Caius shut the door. Sera might have been home somewhere, and he had no idea if Miriam had explained the situation to her or not. As it was, privacy was always preferable for these kind of situations. "How is Reagan feeling," Anthony asked, watching Caius. "Has she shown any side effects from the Obscurities?" Anthony was sure he would have heard, either from Caius, or Veronica, who was still checking in on her daughter even if Reagan didn't know it.
Sera knew at least the basics of the situation, because Caius had told her himself. But he didn’t want to worry her, if this talk didn’t go well or hot heated or something. He walked over to the mantle and pulled a cigar for himself free, then sat down next to his father in the other chair. He pulled his silver lighter out of his pocket and idly twirled it between his fingers for a moment, looking over at his father. “None that I’ve seen or heard about,” he answered. “She’s rather unhappy at the moment, because of our ... situation.” Caius made a vague gesture with the cigar, then stuck it between his teeth to light it. He continued after his first puff. “Stressed and angry, but not ill. But I think that’s an understandable reaction, myself.” He’d read enough about the Obscurities to have a rough idea of what to look for, and so far Caius hadn’t seen it.
“Understandable,” Anthony said before he took a couple of puffs from the cigar, his eyes on the fire he had created in the fireplace earlier that day. It was a breezy day in Point Pleasant but not hot enough, if you asked him. He needed to be closer to his element. “But,” he continued, “stressed and angry will not help your situation. There’s not a lot of time to devote to those emotions right now. Veronica told me she came to speak to you. I imagine that’s why you’re here. You want the family journals.” There could be answers in them and Caius wanted answers. Enough to swallow his pride and show up at his family home. Anthony had yet to decide if he was actually going to give the journals to Caius or not. He supposed it would depend on how this talk went.
Caius felt a flare of aggravated frustration rise in the back of his throat, but he swallowed it back down without letting it show. Of course being angry and stressed didn’t help anything, but not everyone had their emotions under the kind of tight leash that Anthony D’Onofrio did. Caius was angry and stressed too, he was just more skilled at suppressing his feelings than Reagan was. But honestly, that was one of her strengths. She could channel that rage into something useful, where it made Caius less effective. So he had to choke it back for now. “I’m aware the clock is ticking, that’s why I’m here,” he said before putting the cigar between his lips again for another puff. “Yes, I do want the family journals. Veronica is going to give the Kellys’ to Reagan, perhaps with both we can piece something together.”
"You don't think we've tried that?" Anthony asked sounding slightly amused before he looked over at his son. "Perhaps you two will have better luck. Fresh eyes, so to speak. I can try to help you trace the Baron lineage again, if you want my help, that is. I'm sure Veronica told you no one knows what came of the family after her great, great granddaughter was born. That's quite a bit of research to take on, but... it's probably your best bet. I've long since theorized that blood will be the only way to break the curse... and not our blood. Your ancestors have tried very powerful magic, Caius, to no avail. Not many of them knew, or were willing, to use dark magic."
Caius was getting a little fucking tired of being derided about what he thought people in the past had or hadn’t tried, when he was just trying to get some goddamn information. They kept telling him how stupid he was for not knowing things when he hadn’t known about any of this until very recently. It was so maddeningly condescending. His jaw tightened a bit at Anthony’s initial tone, but that was just something else to smother. He needed his father’s help, not to alienate him. “I would greatly appreciate any help you can give me,” he replied after a moment. “And you know I’m willing to do what it takes to fix this.” It was very possible his father didn’t know that, or didn’t believe it, but Caius was resolute. They were going to excise this problem from their lives, and move on into the future.
It was too difficult to put to rest his belief that Caius couldn’t handle this problem on his own. Anthony knew his son was coming into his own as a witch, and his power was growing exceedingly fast. But Anthony wasn’t quite ready to give up the reins of control just yet, and he knew how sideways this entire thing could go if Caius allowed his emotions to cloud his judgment. But he was willing to help Caius and Reagan. He didn’t want to lose his son anymore than Veronica wanted to lose her daughter. But it felt as though it would land on him to be the voice of reason. Anthony studied Caius for a moment, the aroma from his cigar filling his senses. “Based on what I know about this curse, I’ve come to the conclusion that blood from the witch who cast the magic is needed to finish it. Perhaps it can be given willingly, but if not…” Anthony trailed off and took another puff from his cigar, allowing those words to linger between them. It was entirely possible that a sacrifice would need to be given. It was the darkest of magic, taking a human life. He was capable of doing it without flinching, but he wondered about Caius. “We haven’t been able to find anymore information on the Baron family, but… perhaps you and Reagan will have more luck. Obviously there could be something we’ve missed.”
To try and ease his agitation, Caius started manipulating the air around the smoke he slowly exhaled to push it into different shapes. When he really got going, he could build intricate, mandala-like designs, and it felt like meditation, but for now he couldn’t give it that much focus. Just the tiny flow of magic to turn his cigar smoke into a bird or a tree was soothing. He listened to what Anthony said with his eyes on the fire in front of them. Caius understood exactly what he meant, and all he felt in his gut about it was coldness. Maybe that was from him maturing in his magic, maybe it was the Obscurities, maybe he just had more of Anthony’s unfeeling steel in his core than his father knew. But Caius was certain at the moment he could kill someone to do this, to save himself and Reagan. They could try it a less brutal way, of course, but if all the blood of Baron’s descendant was needed, then that was what they would have. If they could find one, if the goddamn bloodline hadn’t died out ages ago. “If it’s not given willingly, we’ll take it,” he murmured first, taking another puff from the cigar. “Who knows, there’s more genealogical information out there on the internet than there ever has been, maybe we’ll get lucky. Do you have any idea how much time we can expect to have?”
Anthony said nothing at first, merely studying Caius through the smoke of their cigars. His son sounded confident. Determined. It could be all talk, of course. Could he take a presumably innocent life to save his marriage? Maybe so. Anthony found a small part of him wanted to find out. His lips twitched briefly before he brought his cigar back up to his lips. "Ah, yes, the internet. It's worth a shot, Caius. I can't tell you how much time you have. There's never been a pattern that anyone has been able to figure out. It could be weeks, it could be years. You and Reagan could have four children before it hits... and it could tear you both apart tomorrow. The journals outline the history, what happened and when. It doesn't always affect both families. Sometimes it targets one, and leaves the other alone. It's a complicated history, but I feel like if anyone can find an answer, you and Reagan can. Of course Veronica and I will help, if you trust us enough to do so."
It wasn’t just about the marriage, to Caius. It was about saving their lives. Doing what Veronica had mentioned and using magic to break their bond to one another was the very last resort in Caius’s opinion. He couldn’t imagine his life without Reagan, and he knew she felt the same. They were stronger together, no matter what his father thought about it, and Caius couldn’t imagine breaking them apart would bring anything but destruction of a vital part of each of them. He had to do everything he could to avoid that. He listened, dark eyes moving over to his father’s face again. Anthony’s words were much more helpful than they had been at the first reveal of this problem, and he had to wonder if any of that was Veronica’s influence. ‘It’s worth a shot, Caius,’ hadn’t exactly been his attitude in the beginning. But Caius would take it, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, etc. “Can I trust you to do so?” he couldn’t help but ask, a bit of bitterness seeping in through the edges of the words. “Can we rely on honest transparency from here on out? No manipulations, you let us try it our way first?”
Anthony leaned forward a touch, resting his elbows on his knees as he studied the fire flickering in front of him. He could intensify the fire if he wanted to... and he could also suffocate it to non-existence. He felt the same way about the Kelly women, though of course, he had long hoped it would never come to that. This would have been so much easier if the two families despised each other. The Capulets and Montagues had the right idea, if you asked Anthony. "You can trust me to help you," Anthony said finally, looking over at Caius. "No manipulations, Caius. But I am not sure you would appreciate honest transparency from me. You wouldn't like what you heard. We'll try it your way first. You have my word on that."
Caius wanted to snap that he didn’t need his father’s opinions, he just needed his help, but he bit his tongue on it. There was still betrayed fury bubbling under his feelings about all of this. They could’ve been dealing with this issue years ago, with everyone involved and aware so they could at least try to make informed decisions, but it was useless to complain about that now. His jaw and mouth were tight as he looked back at his father, so many things that he wouldn’t appreciate burning the tip of Caius’s tongue. One day those things might see the light of day, but not before this problem was solved. He had to put aside his bitterness and hurt and focus. More than just his and Reagan’s life depended on it. Until then, he would just have to deal with this painful wedge between him and the man he’d trusted the most in his life. “Thank you,” he said quietly instead. “I would like to start with the journals as soon as possible. May I have them, please.”
Caius didn't need to speak for Anthony to pick up on his demeanor, but he wasn't going to provoke his son's anger today. Of course, it might make Caius feel better to let it all out, but perhaps this wasn't the time or place for it. He smoked a bit more of cigar, ignoring Caius's request for a moment or two before he finally stood. He set the cigar in the ashtray on his desk before opening a drawer to pull out a set of small keys. "I trust you'll be safe with these," Anthony said. He walked across the room to the wall safe nestled to the left of his book shelves. After thumbing in the code, the safe unlocked and Anthony opened it before reaching in to pull out a small mahogany box. He carried it to Caius and offered to him, along with the keys. "They're old, the pages worn. We've kept everything in tact and readable with magic, but it's not foolproof. There's a lot about your family in there that you don't know. Hopefully you'll find something enlightening."
Caius watched his father get up and make his way to the safe to get the box out of it. He stood up as Anthony approached again to take the box and keys from him. The box was nicely heavy and solid in his hands, the wood smooth and old-feeling against his palms. Anybody who knew Caius knew that he treated old books with reverence, and these were even more special. They were personal to his family. Before he even saw or touched them, he could feel the history, and he hoped with a bit of despondency that it wouldn’t end with him. “Thank you,” he murmured, more genuinely this time. Caius curled his fingers around the edge of the box and looked up to meet Anthony’s eyes. “Why did it skip a generation?” he asked, his brow furrowing again. It was a soft, curious question, not a demanding one. “Or did it?”
Anthony slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks, aware of what those books would mean to Caius. Their family history, the good and the bad, detailed between soft covers, read and re-read by their ancestors through the years. Anthony was not a sentimental man, but even he could feel the power in those pages. He wanted Caius to be able to contribute them someday, and perhaps Caius's children. The future was always uncertain, however, and Anthony knew better than to plan ahead.
Caius’s question surprised Anthony a touch, and it probably showed in his face before he controlled his expression. "It's been known to skip generations," he explained with a soft shrug. "Nobody really knows why. Perhaps Abigail Baron thought it more cruel to keep us guessing as to when and where it would strike." He paused, aware that the door was shut and his wife was no longer home. He could feel the emotional distance between he and his son, and he wasn't entirely sure admitting certain truths would bridge that gap, but... it was perhaps a start. Anthony exhaled slowly through his nose before nodding to the box in Caius's hands. "However... the curse hasn't skipped a generation in awhile now. We felt the effects of it, Veronica and I. And because we couldn't stop it, you and Reagan are now dealing with it, and perhaps that's part of our punishment as well."
Caius found that he wasn’t surprised. Part of him had suspected as much, the part that was capable of thinking outside his own immediate situation. He took a slow breath as that sank in. It was difficult to imagine his father as a very young man to start with, it seemed impossible to imagine him being passionately in love. With Veronica Kelly, no less. Caius was sure she’d been as stunning as Reagan was in her youth, and if the two of them had felt anything like what he and Reagan felt? No wonder they were both so full of ‘don’t you think we tried that.’ Caius studied his father’s face and tried to imagine what might’ve been different if this curse didn’t exist. The Kellys and the D’Onofrios, combining blood to create a new generation of witches ... what he wanted for himself had been denied to his father, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that at the moment. “Were you in love with her?” he asked in that same way. “Did you do the ritual she mentioned ... to break the bond?” Caius felt like he had to know.
It felt as if this part of the conversation was unnecessary. On the other hand, it would either give Caius more motivation to find a solution, or he would begin to understand why Anthony and Veronica had kept this family secret from them for so long. Maybe, perhaps, their parents knew this curse better than anyone. They weren’t treating this situation lightly, even if they seemed calm about it on the surface. The questions were becoming more personal, and a long buried, nearly forgotten about pain rose inside of him, unbidden and taking him a little by surprise. Anthony appeared thoughtful for a moment, brows furrowed, before answering. “Yes, I was in love with her.” He couldn’t help but sound a bit fascinated by his words and Anthony turned away from Caius, crossing the room to pick up how cigar again. “Veronica and I were, are, ambitious people. She wanted an empire and I wanted to exceed my ancestors with my magic. Run the town that murdered our ancestors. We were going to do it together.”
He brought the cigar up to his lips, looking toward the fire instead of his son. “But it was our parents who used magic to sever the link between us. They knew what would happen and they took action. They broke the bond, as you called it. We moved on, met other people, lived our lives. It could work for you two. But... your children, Reagan’s children, or perhaps Reagan’s brother, or even Sera’s.... it won’t end with you and Reagan as long as the curse remains intact. Severing your bond will merely make it easier to remain apart. The magic won’t bind you to one another as it does now, bringing you back together whenever you’ve found a reason to be apart. But... how you feel will remain. And you’ll have to live with that everyday. Could you handle that if it meant sparing your lives? Some can’t and haven’t. And they suffered for it.”
It was interesting how similar they sounded to Reagan and himself. Young, ambitious, strong in magic, full of themselves, dedicated to each other. Caius wanted nothing more than to exceed his forebears in power ... well, almost nothing. Did he want Reagan more? He felt like that answer was yes, but was that a genuine desire or was it the magic of the curse talking? He hated questioning himself so much, it was driving him mad. Caius did his best to shove his own thoughts to the side and just listen to his father. An uncomfortable feeling ran up his spine at hearing that his and Reagan’s grandparents were the ones who separated their children. He wondered if Anthony and Veronica had been told about the curse before then, or if it was sprung on them abruptly as the way they interacted changed. He felt a dull bit of gratitude that they hadn’t gone ahead and done the same thing to their own kids yet.
“I want to end it permanently,” Caius said after a moment of silence. He had to wonder if Anthony was still in love with Veronica, somewhere deep down. He couldn’t imagine any force in the world changing his feelings for Reagan, even if they ended up necessarily apart. It would be hell, he was fairly certain he couldn’t handle it, but he didn’t want to admit that. “We can’t keep passing the buck forward, it has to end here. And we have to do it without any more of our blood shed. Veronica will kill me if she has to, to save Reagan, and neither of our family lines would survive a blood feud.” It was a quiet, calm observation, but Caius knew it was the truth. The entirety of their families’ survival rested on their shoulders. “We’ll find a Baron, and do what needs to be done.”
Anthony took a puff from his cigar, relatively untouched by the revelation that Veronica would kill Caius if she had to. Of course she would. And she knew Anthony would kill Reagan if it came down to it. But Anthony also knew it was the very bottom of the barrel, when all other hope was lost. "No one is going to kill anyone," he said confidently. "Unless it's the descendant of a Baron, and only if necessary." Although, to drain the blood of a witch that powerful... Anthony could only imagine the kind of power it would give him, as well as Caius. There were definite possibilities ahead for them. "Veronica and I didn't have the tools at our disposal that you and Reagan have. If you're capable of finding someone from the Baron bloodline, then we'll work with that. If not... we'll come up with something else, even if it's not preferable." He eyed Caius closely. "Your mother doesn't know my history with Veronica beyond the mere fact that our families are friends. I would trust that you won't tell her anything I've told you today. She's aware of the curse, but believes that simply keeping the two of you apart will be enough."
Caius again wasn’t surprised that Anthony had kept that kind of secret from his mother. He wanted to be, the part of him that put so much faith in the man and had trusted him to the ends of the earth ... but he wasn’t. He swallowed back the snort that wanted to emerge that Anthony would ‘don’t tell mom’ him, and he was somewhat tempted to say no, he didn’t keep important secrets from family. But Caius knew that was petty, and he had no real desire to fuck with his parents’ marriage, and it wasn’t precisely true. He’d married Reagan in secret, after all. He wasn’t confident yet that nobody they loved was going to die, but Caius chose not to argue with that either. Assuming failure right off the bat would only lead to it. So he nodded a bit, reaching over with his cigar to the nearby ashtray to gently stub it out. “Your secret is safe with me,” he murmured. “Thank you for your candor. I’ll start reading and I’ll be in touch.” Cradling the mahogany box to his chest, Caius pocketed the rest of the cigar and turned to head for the study door. There was work to do.