The Search

Chapter17: Epilogue

July 26. 2020

"I can't believe my little baby boy is turning 13 years old today," said an emotional Marita as she looked out the kitchen window at her son, playing with his cousins and sister.

"I know! He is going to be the first one of the kids to receive his powers, I wonder how he is going to handle it," said his uncle Tyler, as he munched on one of the carrots that Marita was slicing. She glared at her brother for stealing the food she was making, but turned her attention quickly back to her son. Every time she looked at Jace she saw his father in him, through and through. He was headstrong like Marita, and loyal like Caleb. She smiled quietly to herself, as she turned to look at her brother.

"I know, it's a big thing, but I know that my little one can handle it. Plus, we had the talk not that long ago," she said. Tyler nodded.

"And how did that go, by the way?" he asked, as he grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"Well, as well as could be expected. You know how it was when you found out, at least you had the other three sons, but Jace is kind of going through this alone. Albeit his sister is only a year and a half behind him, but still." She said, feeling sad for her oldest.

"And you know another thing, it really isn't fair that we have to have both the 'where the babies come from' talk, as well as the 'you have powers that could destroy you' talk. Normal parents really have it easy," she said, grimacing. Tyler merely chuckled at his bitter sister.

"You know, you're right, but we wouldn't have it any other way, now would we," he said, "life would be too boring, don't you think?" he twisted off the cap of the beer, and took a swig as his brother-in-law came into the kitchen. Caleb wrapped his arms around his wife, and kissed her cheek.

"How is my lovely wife on this fine day?" he asked, as Tyler excused himself before they got too mushy even for him.

"Oh, you know, just freaking out that her little baby is turning thirteen today and receiving his powers, no big," she said, as she fought the tears back from her eyes. Stupid hormones.

"You know he hates it when you mother him, especially in front of the other kids, so try and not to mother him too much today, okay, honey?" he said, not realizing that was the last thing the mother of the birthday boy needed to hear.

"I do not mother him! I am his mother! I will do what that titles deems necessary, Mr. Danvers, and if you will kindly let go of me, I have snacks to prepare," she said. Her moods would go up and down more so lately, and Caleb was kicking himself for not thinking before he spoke. He was merely trying to save her from getting hurt and Jace from getting embarassed. 13 was a difficult age for boys when it came to how to act around their mothers with their friends around. Caleb backed away from his wife, and pulled himself up on to the counter.

"Sorry, Mar, I was just thinking that Jace is growing up so fast," he said, trying to explain himself. Mar merely snorted in derision.

"You know, this is all your fault that I am so emotional lately, Mr. Danvers," she said bitterely as she tried to manoeuver herself around him and the island of the kitchen, but gave up in a huff.

"And it's also your fault that I am as big as a freaking house," she said, close to tears once again.

"Aw, sweetheart," he said, sliding off of the counter and grabbing his wife in a hug, "but you look so beautiful pregnant, it suits you!" he said, trying to get her mind off of its current path, for it was leading to a bit of a breakdown. She sighed in her husbands arms, letting him comfort her. This is what she meant about her crazy mood swings, she didn't know when she was going to be so angry she would lash out at Caleb and then she didn't know when she would just start bawling her eyes out. It was so tiring. She hated being this pregnant.

"You know, seeing as how this is my third pregnancy, I thought it would go easier," she said as she backed away from Caleb and rubbed her protruding stomach. She was already eight months pregnant, and felt like crap everyday; it took everything she had this morning to get out of bed, and get her house ready for everyone to come over. She was exhausted all ready and the party had barely started.

Just then she heard some people enter her kitchen from the back yard.

"Mar! What are you doing? Let us take over, you go and rest those feet of yours," said Kate, as she was followed by the other wives, and Tyler. Mar looked to her friends with a thankful expression, as she willingly handed over the knife to Kate. They knew she was tired when she relinquished control so easily, for normally Marita was the one to take control and not ask for help.

Tyler's wife Aishwarya opened the fridge to take out the other plates of snacks for the party. She was a stunning woman, with beautiful tanned skin, and striking green eyes. The woman could take anyone's breath away, and did. Her brown hair cascaded down her back, curling slightly at the end. Marita had no idea how Tyler got his hands on her, but Aish was absolutely in love with her brother. Their son, Devdas, was the cutest kid you would ever lay eyes on. He had his father's dishevelled hair, and his mother's striking green eyes. He hadn't quite grown into his eyes yet, so they looked huge on his face, but it made him that much cuter. Dev would definitely be the heartbreaker of the group, Mar mused to herself, as she let her husband walk her over to the kitchen table chair.

Reid's wife, Maggie, was laughing with Kate as she opened bags of chips and placed them in bowls. Her curly red hair bouncing around her face. She smiled as she remembered how difficult it was for Reid to even get a date with her in the beginning. Reid, the it guy, who rarely heard a no from the ladies heard it many a time from Maggie before he wore her down. Maggie was the complete opposite of Reid, as in she was the studious one who rarely went out of her dorm room, unless it was to go to class. It was a wonder Reid even knew she existed because he rarely went to class at Spencer.

She was happy in this moment as she watched his brother try to help the women in the kitchen, only to be shooed away. Caleb reached to pull Marita's leg up to rub her feet, and Mar smiled at her attentive husband. She hadn't seen her feet in over a month, but that didn't stop her from letting her husband give her a much needed foot rub.

"Mommy?" asked a sweet voice from the doorway. Marita looked up to find her little girl, Nora, looking at her, with three other kids around the same age behind her. "We're super hungry, and Uncle Reid is taking forever trying to figure out the BBQ," she said, her blue eyes wide and sparkling. Her daughter was adorable, she had no qualms in admitting that, she looked much like her brother, but Mar liked to think that Nora had some of her in her. Marita laughed at the comment about Reid, and heard a snort come from Maggie.

"I said that I would take care of it, but Reid merely said, nah, this is man's work," Maggie said, as she grabbed a plate of veggies and a bowl of chips to lay out for the kids to snack on while Reid continued to refuse help.

The four kids smiled up at Maggie, as they all clambered around the table, grabbing for the food as if they hadn't eaten in days. Maggie softly rubbed Alexander's hair in passing as she went back to her task at hand. Alexander had bright red curly hair just like his mothers and the blue eyes from his father. Reid completely doted on both Alex and Maggie, turning out to be quite the family man. Alex was born shortly after Norah and Devdas, making him the middle one of the group. Already she could tell that Alex was going to be like his mother, studious, She smiled at that, thinking that Reid is not going to know what to do with a son that actually likes to go to school, and doesn't try to make trouble. Mar kind of wished that he would have had a son just like him to teach him a bit of a lesson, but this might be more of a learning experience then anything for Garwin.

Marita pushed a piece of hair out of Nora's face as she munched on a celery stick, as she continued to let her thoughts wander. Marita looked around the table at the future generation of the Covenant, minus Jace, and smiled. She felt they were going to be okay, these kids were good kids, and for the most part had good heads on their shoulders. Pogue Jr, or Po as they called him, was a looker like his father, but wasn't as stoic as his father. Po's personality was more like Kate's, fun-loving and outgoing. Pogue couldn't believe all the activities his son was involved in at school, with glee club, auto shop, concert band, dance team, basketball, hockey and baseball. Much unlike Pogue who had barely wanted to be on the swim team, but just went along with his brothers. Po was always humming some sort of tune, and she knew that he was going to be quite the little artsy kid. All he wanted for his birthday this year was a guitar, and he would hound his parents every second to let them know that.

"Mom, Dad, I am pretty sure that Uncle Reid just blew up the BBQ," said Jace, as he walked into the kitchen. The group laughed as they heard curses coming from the backyard, and a chorus of laughter from Pogue and Tyler. Mar motioned for her son to come to her, and he rolled his eyes but obliged. He knew that this day was a big deal for his mother, even though he couldn't really fathom why. He was growing up, it was bound to happen. He heard Po and Alex giggle as she grabbed him in a hug.

"Ah, my Jacey, are you hungry sweetie?" she asked, resulting in a cough from Caleb, signalling she was being a little to mothery towards Jace. Mar sighed as she let go of her son, and let him grab a chair so he could also have a snack.

"Yeah, thanks Mom," he said as he reached for a carrot. Caleb smiled at his wife as he rubbed her shoulder. Mar smiled in return, placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Ew, Mom, Dad, can you not?" Jace asked, as he made a gagging noise, making the other kids giggle. All except Nora.

"Hey, I think it's sweet that they still do that even though they are so so old," she said, coming to her parents defence.

"Hey!" said Caleb, "you're mother and I are only 31 years old, thank you very much,"

"Only? That's ancient!" said Po, the rest of the kids nodding along. Mar couldn't help but giggle, she knew how she felt when she was 11 and 12, 31 did seem pretty ancient. She grimaced as she got another pain in her back, and arched her body to try and relieve the stress on her body. Caleb looked to Mar and grimaced.

"Your back hurting again?" he asked, and Mar nodded in response, "Why don't you go lie down for a little bit, you have been on the go all day," He got up out of his chair to help his wife to their bedroom.

"Thanks Cal," she said, as she placed a hand to the small of her back as she waddled out of the kitchen.

Mar hadn't felt like this with Jace or Nora, but she guessed this is what happened when you were going to have twins, it took twice out of you as one baby would. Mar tossed and turned, which was no easy feat, as she tried to find a comfortable position. There wasn't one, not this late in her pregnancy. She growled in frustration, as she tried to turn herself once again. She remembered when she found out she was pregnant again, it was quite the surprise. Caleb and Marita were happy with their two beautiful children, a wonder that they even had two, seeing as how families in their line normally had one son. They assumed it was because of the same reason that Tyler and Marita were born into the covenant, their mother had the power too. Caleb was a wonderful father, always patient and caring, but stern when need be so as to not always make her be the bad guy. She felt the babies in her wage war against each other as they kicked the crap out of her. She placed a hand on her stomach as if to placate them, but they weren't quieting. She smiled, not sure if she was ready to have babies again in the house, Jace was already thirteen, and Nora was already eleven. The twins and their two older siblings would have quite the age difference. But Nora was ecstatic to have little siblings, she had always wanted a little sister or brother, now she was getting one of each.

The pain in her back would just not go away, so she decided maybe if she got up and paced a little, it would help to loosen up her overworked muscles. She paced in front of her bed for a bit, when she felt wetness flow down her legs. Her water just broke.

"Caleb!" she screamed, as she held on to her stomach. It was too early, she still had another month before she was supposed to give birth. Caleb was there within a second of her scream, and she knew that he had used to make it up here at the urgency of her call. She grimaced at him using, but another pain came on, and it was a strong one, that made her almost fall to her knees. Caleb was beside her, holding her up, his touch comforting her.

"Mar, what is it? The babies?" he asked, concern etched in every syllable of his questions. Mar looked to him, sweat starting to show on her brow,

"My water broke," she said, and Caleb looked startled. He settled her on the bed as he quickly packed an overnight bag. They hadn't had that ready for they weren't expecting to go to the hospital just yet.

"Jace," he called to his son. He heard him running up the stairs to his father's side, worry evident on his young face,

"What's going on?" he asked as he looked to his mother who was in a lot of pain.

"I need you to take this bag downstairs and grab the car keys. Put the bag in the car, and start it up," he said, and before he finished Jace was already grabbing the bag and running downstairs. "And tell them all that your mother is in labour," he yelled after his son. Caleb then helped his very pregnant wife down the stairs, very gingerly, They had to stop once so she could work through the pain of another contraction.

It seemed like everyone was running around in a tizzy, it seemed to always happen that way with big families when someone went into labour, at least her big family. Marita would have smiled at the frantic nature of everyone if she wasn't in so much pain. She knew the contractions were coming awfully fast and knew that if she didn't hurry she might just have her babies right here. That was always a fear of hers, that she wouldn't get to the hospital in time, and then something would happen to her babies, like they wouldn't get enough oxygen or something. She grimaced at the thought as another contraction contorted her body. As many people as possible piled into their SUV, but they ended up having to take two cars to fit everyone.

Nora was sticking very close to her mother, and Mar knew it was because she was scared for her mother. Jace had been through this before when Mar had Nora, but Nora didn't really understand what was going on. All she knew was that her mother was in a lot of pain, and she didn't know how to handle that. Nora held her mother's hand the entire time, as her father raced to the hospital. Some how they only hit green lights the entire way. Marita knew someone was using to make that happen, and she would definitely find out who it was later and give them a talking to. They needed to stop using their powers as much, they were getting older and didn't want to end up looking like they were 80 when they were only 40.

They arrived at the hospital and the staff admitted them quickly. The nurse told Caleb that he needed to fill out the paperwork, which made Marita panic a little, she needed him with her. Tyler took the clipboard out of Caleb's hands and motioned for him to go with his sister.

"She needs you, man, I'll take care of this," Tyler said. Caleb didn't have to be told twice, as he nodded in thanks and ran to where they took Marita.

12 hours and 6 minutes later Tristan and Heather Danvers were born to a very happy and exhausted Marita and Caleb. The doctors told her that an earlier than planned delivery date was normal for when a woman was expecting twins. The babies were smaller than they had hoped, but all in all they were going to be okay. They were placed in the incubator for overnight observation, but the doctor said that was just a precaution, that the babies were healthy and had full functioning little bodies.

Caleb quietly closed the door to his wife's delivery room, a smile plastered on his face. He walked down the hall to the waiting room, and found quite the sight. The waiting room of the hospital was an okay size, but with his entire family squeezed in there it looked tiny. Reid, Maggie, Alex, Pogue, Kate, Po, Tyler, Aish, Dev, Jace and Nora were all sitting together. All of them were sleeping, as it had been quite the tiring day, all except Jace. Caleb looked at his watch and it was ten minutes before 11:18 p.m., the exact time Jace was born. He looked at his son and motioned for him to follow him. Jace nodded, and with once last glance at his sister to make sure she was bundled under his jacket, he followed his father as quietly as he could. He didn't wish to wake any of his family.

He knew why his father was leading him to the roof, he was about to get his powers. Jace didn't tell this parents, but he was kind of scared. He still remembered when his mom and dad had sat him down and told him that he came from a long line of witches, and that on his thirteenth year he would receive the same powers as his ancestors, the same powers as his parents, and uncles. He would be a member of a Covenant that had been around for centuries. His mother warned him that he needed to realize that with his powers come certain responsibilities, he couldn't use them anytime he wanted. That's what scared him the most, the part where he could become addicted to the power, and that could deplete the length of his life. That was messed up for a twelve year old to hear, and made him mature faster than most. He followed his father up the stairs, silently, as if to his doom.

Caleb looked back at the sombre face of his son, as he lead him to the roof where no one would disturb them. He knew that Marita had wanted to be there for this, but she needed her rest. Caleb pushed open the door, and let his son pass him on to the rooftop.

"So, now what?" Jace asked, as he turned to face his father.

"Well," Caleb started, "first you need to stop worrying," he smiled. Jace rolled his eyes at his father.

"That's easier said than done. These powers that I am getting could destroy my life, and I honestly don't want them if that's the case," he said. Caleb smiled knowingly at his son.

"I had felt the same way when I was your age Jace. I saw what the power had done to my father, and I had wanted nothing to do with it, but that didn't stop it from coming, from happening. Nothing can, unfortunately. It's a part of who you are, where you came from, and who you will be. And, honestly, a lot of good can come out of it. Your uncle saved your Mom, and you for that matter, with the power. Without it, you and I wouldn't be standing here, having this conversation." Jace looked at his father, his interest piqued.

"Uncle Tyler saved my life with the power?" he asked, his voice in disbelief, "and mom's?" Caleb nodded, as he looked at his watch.

"One minute, son," he said, as he Jace looked up at him, worried. "Don't worry, it will be a mere tingle of the senses, nothing like when you actualy ascend in five years time. And afterwards, I will tell you the story from when your mother and I were in high school," Jace nodded, a slight smile on his face. Then he grimaced, as his whole body started to tingle, and then he could feel this power emerge from somewhere deep inside of him, flowing throughout his entire body. It was over within two minutes, and Jace looked at his hands, and felt his torso, everything seemed to be the same, nothing had changed. At least not physically. He could feel the power flow within him, and he itched to try it out, but the cautions from his mom and dad stopped him. Caleb clapped his son on the back, in a congratulatory slap, and led him to sit with him on the bench. Jace followed feeling the closest to his father that he had ever felt.

"Now, let me tell you the story of how Tyler, that is, Uncle Tyler saved us all,"

The End ^^

a/n Hey all! I really hope that my epilogue was satisfying! It was fun to write, because I got to make up the kids of the sons, heehee... Anyways, I really wanted to thank everyone for reading my story, you all rock so very much ;D And I also wanted to let you know that I put a link on my profile to pictures of what all the characters from the story look like, even those that were introduced in the epilogue, like the wives and the children. The pics of the kids were fun to search for, gotta love google images! Let me know what you think about this epilogue! I would love to hear what you think about it! Let me know if it was what you were wanting out of the last chapter of this story XD

thanks everyone for all the support!

As always,

XOXO

Rainy