Storm Brew

"You had sex."

I nearly choked on my orange juice. Sweeping a few bang from my eyes I looked to Anna.

"What?" I asked incredulously. She smirked with a face that said I-can-see-right-through-you. Yikes. "I did not!" God, this time I heard my own pitch go high.

"You're glowing and floating—either you had sex or you're pregnant…" She tapped a finger on her chin just as I gaped. "Maybe both."

"We used protection—" I clapped my hand over my mouth.

"Ah-ha!" She pumped a fist in the air. "My sexth sense never fails."

I looked a bit gloom for a while, just because she was one of my BF didn't mean I wanted her to know about my love life—I didn't know why I'd bothered, though. Anna always had a nick for finding this stuff out. Once, Pacey met us at Starbucks and the first thing Anna said as he sat down: You got laid.

"You know that's not really a word, right?"

"Sexth is my own personal neologism, every writer has one."

"Except you're not a writer." I pointed out stirring the juice with a straw.

"Whatever," oh boy, she had her tell-me-all-the-details face. "Come on, was it better than with Parker?"

A heart beat later her words had us wincing. Parker… Parker was dead. What did his family think? I should feel awful for not thinking about what happened, but I didn't want more grieve and sorrow. There was enough for me to deal with as it was. I cleared my throat looking to Anna's forest irises.

"For starters we didn't have sex," Anna was ready to object but I was quicker. "We made love." I blushed when she cooed. "And it was very memorable."

Her face turned skeptical when I said nothing else.

"That's all you're giving me?"

I smiled with a tiny shrug—

"Chocolate doughnut?" I blinked at the pastry in front of my face.

My eyes didn't linger on the food ringlet though; they traveled up the hand, the arm and fell on his face. Nate's cognac eyes were sparking like sunlight, his hair had grown a little longer—now that I noticed—since I'd met him. Before, it had been shorter with styled waves to one direction, now it had a little more length and volume—he'd combed it backwards looking like he was ready for a photo shoot.

Nate sat beside me spreading his arms over the booth's seat, and then he sank into the cushion in a very lazy manner turning his head to Anna.

"Sorry, I was late." From the corner of his eye he eyed me. "I had some trouble finding my jeans."

I rolled my eyes shyly pushing my elbow into his side. Of course he wouldn't have problem sharing what we'd done last night. Men. Anna didn't look all that shocked by his smartass apology. She waved him off with disinterest.

"I already know, my sexth sense picked it up way before you arrived."

Nate perked an eyebrow at me.

"Her sexth sense?"

I pursed my lips together shaking my head.

"You don't want to know." I bit into my doughnut.

With my free hand I twirled Nate's necklace-ring watching the letters sparkle. I wondered who'd given it to him, he never said. I watched a couple of teenage girls past our table, they eyed us, eyed Nate, and I resisted giving a hands-off-he's-mine look. I couldn't blame them for staring, especially when he was wearing a shirt with four undone buttons. Huh… Nate gave me a look when I buttoned one of them.

"Three's enough." I commented locking my gaze with him and subconsciously bit the corner of my lip as Nate spread a hot smirk—

"Can you stop having eye-sex?" Anna drummed her fingers.

I straightened my body facing her suddenly very aware of all around me. I could hear some of Nate's chuckles.

"Thank you," she sighed relieved. "Has he told you?" She asked me, I didn't have time to ask "what ?" before she'd already turned to Nathaniel. "Have you told her?"

"We had other things on our minds." His fingers played with a strand of my russet hair, I gave another bite to the chocolate pastry to hide my emotions.

Anna rubbed her forehead looking like she wanted to beat the crap out of my boyfriend, for not being able to be serious for one minute.

"You had sex—love, whatever you want to call it, I get it. Now can you please focus on what's important?" Nate's pose grew a little more serious. "Which, in case you've forgotten, is keeping her safe?"

"I'm right here..." I mumbled before wiping my mouth with a napkin.

"No I haven't forgotten," He said with a rougher tone. "But that's why you're here, right? Why Reed sent you?"

"God—can't you stop whining over it? Everyone else would be happy to have help against killers." She whispered the last part with a firm scowl.

"I'm not everyone else." Nate stated with pride.

Nope he wasn't, but blinking out of my swoon faze I put a hand on Nate's leg so he'd behave. He lost patience quickly and unfortunately for me, so did Anna.

"The last thing we need is a scene," I started giving both of them looks. "So chill."

Anna huffed in Nate's direction but said nothing more to him. Nathaniel—who had his eyes slit at my friend—tightened his jaw a little then glanced down at my hand, and then at my eyes.

"Fine," he muttered. "You can wipe the puppy-eye look."

Sighing, I leaned my head on his broad shoulder making sure he wouldn't just get up and storm off. With Nathaniel you couldn't be too sure, besides, he had a history with epic disappearing acts.

"What haven't you told me?"

He glanced from my unfinished orange juice to me, looking pleased with himself.

"I figured out the riddle—I think." My eyes jumped at his words. "An historian is someone who knows about other's history and every person knows their own—assuredly they don't suffer from amnesia."

I gazed at him wondering why I hadn't thought about that—though, a sleep deprived brain wasn't a good tool for solving anything.

"But there's gotta be lots of historians in Georgia…" I tucked a strand behind my ear.

"There are," Anna took her turn. "But you're Mom went to College in Milledgeville—"

Huh, right that was so obvious—not. I didn't even know where the hell that city was!

"It's about two hours drive away from here." Nate's deep timbered voice filled me in. "Reed told us which College she attended—we didn't know."

I relaxed a little, though, not much. I really wanted to know what Reed and my Mom had been…

"Right," Anna said. "And most historians work at Colleges, teaching or researching—Reed also said your Mom had friend who was an historian, we looked her up and she works at Georgia College."

So this person was the next piece in the puzzle. Everything pointed to her, because honestly, I didn't want to think 'what if it didn't' I just wanted it to be the right answer.

"Her name's Megan Raycliff, ever heard of her?"

"No." Why would I? I didn't know about anything. It was hard to get used to being left out, especially when it came to your own parents.

Nate directed Anna a more than sour glare but placed his lips to my temple.

"It'll be fine." He whispered.

I tried for a smile, one that showed I had confidence like he had, but I'm afraid my spread of lips wasn't what you'd call shinny. Hopefully, Nathaniel had enough hope for both of us...

***

I never wished for earplugs so badly. You'd think their banter would have ended back at the diner's table—it didn't. It was like I wasn't even in the car... Only God knows how they managed to track down The Order members sniffing around in Atlanta and got them to spill where I could be. Then again, they did take one whole week. I sighed leaning my head on the passenger's window. What could be more up-lifting than to hear your boyfriend and childhood friend argue over you? I glanced over to the dashboard praying I wasn't seeing things. Nathaniel said Georgia College was two hours away from Atlanta and the by the digital numbers told my two hours had gone by. I could hear loud cheers in my head. Soon, I could be out of the car, spread my legs and run like the wind far away from them if they didn't cease arguing nonsense.

My aquamarine eyes popped when a sign came to view and it read in big, capital letters: GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY.

We'd arrived. Suddenly, I didn't want them to stop fighting, I didn't want Nate to stop the car. Weird how emotions could reverse themselves so quickly... This was the College my Mother attended... it was... well, it was all you expected a College to look like. Red brick walls, white framed windows, as well as Greek-looking columns—it was very artistic and beautiful. I should analyze it, take my time to notice the small details... I just couldn't bring myself to do it. My heart was jumping around. I had no idea why I was in such a nervous rack. Okay, so maybe I did. I was about to meet a person who wasn't an assassin and had been my Mother's friend. Plus she knew something about all that was going on—she knew my Mom was an assassin then. It was all I could conclude from the little bits of information I'd gained thus far. I was so jittery Nate had to pull at my arm so I would climb out the car. What a wuss I was being, really.

I saw Anna close her own door glancing at the tall building we'd parked in front of. Her raven hair shone with the sun rays. They made the edges of it seem a light red, it was peculiar. My prodding eying was broken by the stretch of her arms.

Nate was by my side again—to be honest though, I hadn't noticed him slipping anywhere else—now he held a box in his hands. The silver box. He opened my messenger's bag placing it inside safely. My eyes caught his.

"Safe keeping, princess." He murmured tilting his head to where Anna was. "She'll stay out here on look-out duty." I parted my lips to disagree, of course he didn't give me the luxury of getting the words out. "Anna will be fine. This is part of her job, Melissa. Don't forget that out of the three of us, me and her are the ones trained to keep you safe. She doesn't need protecting."

But I did worry and Anna could get hurt, like Nate always did, no matter what.

"Exactly," Anna clapped my shoulders from behind, she leaned the side of her face to mine. "The only one who needs protecting, though, is you—from me." She said it toward Nathaniel but when she stuck out her tongue I knew this was all to calm me down. Anna wasn't this childish.

Sighing, I wriggled from her grasp softly.

"What about you?" I whispered looking dazed by the large arch that made up the door.

"I'm going with you, idiot." Nate bumped his fist on the side of my head, I gave him a light scowl. "I'm with you ever step of the way." He murmured pulling me against his hard chest, his lips brushed my cheek. "No matter what happens I'll help you."

My face heated—not from the proximity—my eyes were burning all of a sudden. I was having way too many mood swings in too little time. It couldn't be helped; Nate saying sweet things like these had all sorts of melting effects on my heart. I was a hopeless romantic, apparently.

Only when he led me up the stairs did the world around us came back into view. Anna was nowhere—I looked over my shoulder, then over Nate's. I didn't see her anywhere on Campus. She was probably scouting the area like Nathaniel called it. All the other people coming down or going up the white flight of stairs were young like we were—ones talked in groups, others struggled with papers falling out of their hands, student stuff. Stuff I never gave a crap about. Not really. I was a good student because I wanted my Dad to like me, and all he ever seemed interested in, was that. My grades, how well I did in school which was strange given how he never even attended a parents-teachers meeting. It was always Chris, my nanny. Anyway, I always took attending College for granted, who wouldn't? But now, I couldn't go back to being a normal art student. Now, I knew better.

Nate kept his steps with mine, opening the doors for me when they showed up. I wondered how he knew where we were going, it was like he had a map in his head or something.

"How do you know where we're going?" I asked stroking his hand—the one laced with mine.

"I called before leaving Atlanta." He began with a muse then glanced down. "You didn't think we'd just show up, did you?" Actually... Nathaniel chuckled deeply shaking his head with teasing in his eyes. "Get your head back in the game, princess. Remember that I always plan ahead. Always." He winked, I rolled my eyes out of habit. It was true, Nate always seemed to be one step ahead of everything. It used to bother me back when we wanted to kill one another, now I was thankful for this unusual trait.

"You talked to... Megan?" I hoped that was the right name.

Nate's head nodded.

"I called to let her know we were coming. Reed got me the number, of course." Of course, he had, I thought biting my lip.

"What did she say?"

Did she know my Mother was dead? Just how friendly had they been? Those were the first questions to jump me as my eyes met the words Megan Raycliff on a door window.

"She's sorry for your loss," Nate's knuckles prepared to scrap on the window. "And that she needed to talk to you. Urgently."

My heart lurched. Urgently? She did know something important.

Resisting the silent urge to grab Nate's arm and pull him down the hall filled with students—I braced myself, closing my eyes as I heard two consecutive knocks on glass.

With one shaky sigh my head tilted upward as shuffling came from within the office. Nathaniel was closer than before, his finger sending shivers traveling up and down. I stared, when the door parted. She was tall—almost as tall as Nate. Her hair, in contradiction to her height, was short and thick looking. Deep brown eyes caught up with mine momentarily, I thought I saw them widen then, but soon they traveled to Nate. As Megan took us in, I felt my resolve weaken and my back pressed into my boyfriend's chest. He wasn't about to let me run, though. I felt him shift and there was a subtle clear in his throat making me spy a look at his face.

"I'm Nathaniel Belanger. We spoke on the phone a few hours ago." He informed without missing a beat.

Megan's brown eyes showed immediate recognition to his words, but her attention fell to me.

"You must be Melissa," Her voice came out a little breathless. "Well," She opened the office door further motioning us inside. "We should talk—come in."

I jumped a little after feeling a pinch in my butt—I gave him a sharp look.

"Walk." He said with a tiny smirk.