A/N: Damn! It's been a while since I've updated and I just want to say that I am truly sorry for holding out on you guys... I know a lot of people were probably wondering if I was even going to continue this story and the answer is 'yes, of course I am'. So here's the latest. You know the drill: Enjoy and review, please. Oh and you'll notice the work BREAK bold and in all caps a few times throughout the chapter. This new document thing on fanfiction won't let me upload symbols and what not so I had to find another way to distinguish between different scenes. So BREAK doesn't mean anything significant, it just means I'm shifting into a new scene.

CHAPTER 26:

Curiouser and Curiouser!

'This CANNOT be happening!' Sheila placed her hands on Pogue's chest, feeling his own heart racing beneath her palms, and took a deep breath. "Pogue..." Her voice was low, a mere whisper at a rock concert. "Pogue. Stop."

"Why?" He murmured against her lips.

"Because..." She pushed him tenderly back a few steps. "I don't want to know what you really think of me. You have to stop."

Pogue used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth, his face red with lust. "What's wrong?" His voice was rough and Sheila could see he was trying to restrain himself. "You look confused."

"Well-" She cleared her throat and straightened her stance (although at the moment she wasn't feeling very brave). "I was just wondering what you were doing..."

Pogue stared at her, hurt and rejected yet not wanting to trade this moment for anything else in the world. Finally, he shrugged, his eyes flashing black for a moment. "Nothing." He balled the paper towel in his fist and launched it into the sink. "Just helping you out." Sheila ducked her head, tucking her chin against her shoulder, and let out a long sigh of relief. He gave her a tender smile. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know-"

"-What came over you?" She interrupted, finishing his sentence with a snap of attitude.

He blushed. "Yeah..."

"I know."

"Know what?"

She stood silently for a stretch of time, trying desperately to control the urge to blurt out all her secrets to him. A tear fell. "Why you did it." Her voice was shaky, low. 'It's because I'm a freak! Because my other half wants nothing more than to suck out your energy by seducing you...' Sheila clenched her teeth and groaned, frustrated. "I can't do this." She shook her head. "I can't go on pretending I don't know what's going on with you and Caleb." 'The Covenant...' "Pretending like there's not this inner battle going on in me when you guys are around." 'This Power is going to destroy me...'

Pogue watched the tear land on her bare foot with mute concern. "There's something else, isn't there?" Sheila studied the patterns on the tiled kitchen floor, shapes and spots blurring with more tears. "Something that has to do with Caleb, right?"

"Pogue?" 'Please, please understand...' Sheila took in a deep, shuddering breath. 'Damn it! I could tell him... Who better to understand what I'm going through than one of the Sons...?' "What if I were to tell you something?" She looked up and met his gaze head on. 'I'm half succubus! And guess what? I have magical Powers just like you do!' "A secret..." She whispered, her bottom lip trembling, her face threatening to crumple into fresh tears.

"What kind of secret? Good or bad?"

"Uh..." She paused. 'Powers equal awesome. Sex equals good. Energy sucking equals bad.' "That depends..."

Pogue placed his hand on her shoulder. "Tell me." Sheila nodded and opened her mouth to reply.

BREAK

"What the fuck does that kid think he's doing?"

Tyler followed Reid's gaze and, through the kitchen door, saw Pogue standing way too close to Sheila, his hand caressing her arm. He squinted his eyes. "He's castrating himself, that's what. If Caleb finds out about this, Pogue will soon be a woman." He shuddered. "And an ugly one at that..."

Reid shook his head. "What about Kate?"

"They broke up." Reid shot him a look and Tyler shrugged. "What? I thought you knew."

"He works fast, doesn't he?"

"Yeah well Kate pretty much ate his heart. I don't blame the guy for trying to ease the pain."

"But with Sheila?" Reid shook his head with a sardonic laugh. "Kid's got balls."

Tyler snickered. "Not for long..." He chalked the end of his cue stick, the blue powder sticking to his fingertips. "Should we tell Caleb?"

"What are we his lap dogs?"

"Oh shut up. You could be bought and sold in a second, you little whore."

Reid shrugged. "True..." Tyler laughed. "But back to the point. We don't have to tell Caleb anything. Her scent will be all over Pogue. Caleb will just know as soon as he comes home."

Tyler's face fell. "Which will be when...?"

Reid's boyish humor slowly disappeared and the worry that he tried so hard to mask from Tyler withered his features by ten years. "I don't know..." He sighed, breaking the triangular formation of the cue balls at the end of the pool table. "See, if you guys would've made that stupid tree house into the Bat Cave like I suggested we wouldn't be having this conversation. All we'd have to do is send up the Bat Signal every time one of us disappears and POOF! we are found."

"Seriously, Reid. The Bat Cave?"

"What? The only reason why you voted against it was because I said those curtains you made for the tree house were hideous."

Tyler sniffed. "I spent a lot of time on those curtains..." He went for a shot but hesitated at the last second, the white cue ball spinning along the side of the felt lined table. "Damn it." He muttered. "And for your information, Mr. Garwin, I didn't pick out that fabric. My mom did."

Reid pressed his lips into a thin line to keep from laughing. "That explains a whole lot..." Tyler scowled.

"Hey, you two, what's doing?"

BREAK

Sheila opened her mouth, the confession forming on her tongue but she made a mistake and looked into Pogue's eyes and froze. There was nothing but concern and empathy there. "I'm a... Er..." She hesitated, swallowing back her words along with the lump in her throat. She sighed, closing her eyes, and berated herself for overanalyzing it. "A virgin..." She squeaked. "I'm a virgin." 'No, you're a coward...'

Pogue blinked, then started laughing. She frowned, planting her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "But that's it? That's what your secret is?"

Sheila found herself standing there in surprised silence. Of all things, she didn't think he would laugh. "Forget it." She growled, brushing roughly passed him. "I shouldn't have said anything."

He reached out and caught her hand, stopping her. "Wait. I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting that. I was a jerk to laugh at you."

She stared at him, her gaze hard. "And...?"

"And-" He sighed. "If that's what this whole thing is all about then I respect that. It's your decision and I shouldn't take advantage of it."

Her face softened. "Yeah, I'm new to this whole 'boy' thing so if it seems like I'm coming on to you, then I'm sorry. I don't mean to..." She shrugged. "Sometimes it feels like I have a whole other person inside me, controlling my actions and words. It's like your brain shuts down and you stop thinking and then all you do is feel... You know what I mean?"

Pogue nodded. 'Hmm... Reality check... Maybe I don't care about her that way and I just had a slight brain lapse...' Caught up in his thoughts he didn't even move when she punched him in the shoulder. He stumbled, his arm stinging.

"Ow." He mouthed silently, clutching his arm. "What was that for?"

"For laughing at me."

"I said I was sorry!" He grinned. "Besides you can't be mad at me..."

She huffed. "I can't?" 'Whoa, deja vu...'

"No." He opened a cupboard and pulled a sauce pan down, setting it on the stove with a soft 'clang'.

"Whatever..." She rolled her eyes as he poured milk into the pan, setting the flame on low. She had reached the kitchen door when he said the words that made her insides melt.

"I'm making hot chocolate..." He said in a taunting singsong voice.

She gripped the handle of the doorframe, hanging her head in defeat. Turning on her heel, she sat at an island stool in the middle of the kitchen without a word and watched him stir the cocoa powder into the milk. Dipping a spoon into the mix, he brought it to his lips and sipped, a deep rumble of a satisfied groan forming in his chest. He poured out two mugs, topping them with whipped cream and slid one in front of her.

Sheila eyed it before she slowly brought it to her lips. She took a long sip, her eyes closing in chocolate ecstasy, the drink was perfect as usual. Pogue watched her with a tiny smile.

"Well...?"

She set the mug down, some of the melted whipped cream sloshing down the sides. "I hate you." Her mouth was set in a thin line but her eyes danced with amusement.

Pogue snickered. "Who're you trying to kid?" He snatched up her mug, tilting his head toward the door and she got up, following him into the game room. He handed the hot cocoa back to her. "You love me..." He grinned and she laughed, playfully swatting his arm.

"Hey, you two, what's doing?" Reid and Tyler pegged the long haired boy with a pointed look causing Pogue to falter in his steps. Pogue shrugged. "What?"

Tyler ignored him completely, slumping away from the pool table and the gathered group with a snicker and slammed his pool stick back into the holder on the wall with an annoyed grunt.

Pogue frowned. "What's with him?"

Reid stared at him for a moment longer, then blinked and looked passed him to Sheila, ignoring the question completely. "You want to watch a movie, Sweetness?"

Sheila took a sip of cocoa, weighing the tension in the room from behind her whipped cream. She inwardly rolled her eyes. "Sure." She answered, being sure to make her voice extra sugary.

Reid nodded toward yet another door leading to who knew where on the other side of the vast room. "Theater's through there. Why don't go ahead and pick out a good one and we'll catch up with you in a sec, okay?" Sheila bowed out without saying another word, leaving the boys to sort out their drama. They all watched her go, no one moving (or even breathing, it seemed...) until the door clicked softly behind her.

"What the fuck was that all about?"

Pogue looked up, blinking in surprise when he realized the question had come out of Tyler's mouth. He furrowed his eyebrows. "What? It's just hot chocolate..."

"Not that. The thing in the kitchen that happened before the hot chocolate..."

"The Fruity Pebbles?"

Reid sighed. "He means the kiss, you dumb fuck." The room grew silent.

"Oh." Pogue could feel his face growing hot. "That." He dropped his gaze to the floor, embarrassed. "Look, guys, I-"

"Save it, Bubb." Tyler clapped a hand hard on his shoulder and gave it a sharp squeeze. Pogue winced. "You don't have to explain anything to us. We're not the ones you have to worry about." Tyler brushed roughly passed him, a grin and icy stare on his youthful face, and stood right behind him, waiting.

Pogue lifted his head, his jaw clenched. "You're not going to tell him...?"

Reid laughed, walking over to Pogue and tugged the mug from his hands. "Nope." He took a deep sip. "Mmm... Good stuff..." He handed it back to Pogue with a deliberate shove, almost spilling it all over the cocoa maker's hand.

"I don't understand..." Pogue furrowed his eyebrows and inclined his head toward Tyler. "Tyler, you're like Spenser's very own 'Gossip Girl'..." He shifted around again, meeting Reid's crystal blue eyes. "Why wouldn't you tell him?"

Reid shrugged. "It's not our place." He nodded in Tyler's direction. "Right, Baby Boy?" Tyler gave him the equivalent of a facial shrug. "Besides, Caleb just Ascended. I'm sure he'll be able to sniff out the truth soon enough..." He casually picked lint off of Pogue's shirt, deliberating invading the other boy's personal space. "Speaking of which... Pogue, you smell-" He leaned in close to Pogue's neck and drew in a deep breath through his noise. Pogue shuffled back a step with an almost disgusted look on his face and felt Tyler's hands on his waist, stopping him. "Hmm... You using a new body wash?"

Pogue shook his head, restricted in his movements and unable to talk. He'd never been tag teamed by Reid and Tyler before and quite frankly, he was getting kind of scared. Reid gave him a sly grin and shrugged. "Well whatever it is, it smells amazing..."

Pogue felt Tyler inch closer to him and he resisted the urge to shudder when he felt the younger boy's lips vibrate against his ear. "Just like fresh peaches..." Tyler's mouth made its way down his neck, leaving a burning hot trail in its wake. "Delicious..." He felt Tyler smile against his skin, heard the small laugh that the other two boys shared as they roughly left him, escaping to the theater room.

He watched them go, his body shaking with banked rage and embarrassment. Pogue had the greatest urge to throw his cocoa mug at the door they had just gone through but her voice stopped him.

"Pogue? Are you coming?"

His heart sped up when she said his name. "Yeah." He croaked out, his hands shaking. He took a several deep breaths, taking a few minutes to collect himself.

"Pogue?"

He grew instantly hard, her sweet, melodic voice slicing through every single one of his thoughts, the mug finally shattering between his hard grip. Hot chocolate dripped pathetically from his fingertips. He looked down at himself, his eyes going black and scrubbing away the chocolate stains from his pants and the carpet, the mug coming together as a whole.

"Fuck." He cursed and made his way to the other room.

A/N: So there it was. Not the best. Probably not what you wanted but the next one will be better I promise and you know why? Because Caleb comes home... grin