Chapter Text
“Mind if I sit?”
Jed jumped in his seat, his attention torn from the book he’d been absorbed in for the last hour or so. Then he looked up and realized who was talking to him, which flustered him even more, and his back snapped up straight as a rod. “Ms. Forbes — I mean, Headmistress Forbes, sorry, yes. Of course.”
“I’ve told all of you to call me Caroline, but it doesn’t seem to stick, does it?” Smiling sunnily, Caroline pulled out the chair on the opposite side of the library desk Jed had been using and sat, dropping down a large, old tome similar to the one Jed was reading in front of her.
“Right, Caroline. Sorry,” he said again, awkward. It had been years since Caroline had been at the school, and he couldn’t get used to it. She had been one of the few constant adult presences in his life until she’d left to look for an answer for the Gemini curse. It was weird when she left and even weirder to suddenly have her back. The last time he’d seen her he’d only been a few months past his last growth spurt so he was still getting used to looking down at her instead of up. And now she was back and insisting that the Squad, at least, used her first name, and he wasn’t really sure how to get comfortable with any of it, even if it was good to have her home again. He’d missed her.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll get used to it eventually.” She opened her giant book and started rifling through. “Actually, I’ve noticed you’re in here a lot, maybe you can help me. I’m trying to find fairy lore for Wade. Can you believe that Alaric never helped him look into his lineage? Or the history of fairies? I mean, I know there was a lot going on, but c’mon, Ric, help a kid out,” Caroline scoffed, rolling her eyes.
“Sorry, I’ve been mostly sticking to the Greek and Roman mythology, and some Chinese, lately. But if I come across something I’ll let you and Wade know.”
“That would be so nice, Jed, thank you.” She flipped another page, not even bothering to look at it, before saying, “So I heard you and Ben are taking a trip?”
“Yeah, I mean, that’s the plan. When we get enough money saved up.” With the school mostly cleared out for the summer, they’d figured it was safe enough to stick around and get summer jobs before they left. Jed was waiting tables with Finch at the Grill while Ben had just started working at a local mechanic’s. They’d had to open a bank account and everything.
“Well, that’ll be nice. I know how hard it must be for you to be here as a human, handing over alpha to Finch. I think some time away is exactly what you need.”
“Oh.” Jed swallowed nervously and tried to think how to explain that that his and Ben’s ‘trip’ wasn’t temporary. “Um …”
Apparently he didn’t have to. Caroline’s face fell and she said, in a more formal tone than before, “Ah. You’re not coming back.”
“Well, no, not never or anything,” Jed rushed to assure her. “Just not for a while. And not … permanently. I mean, I finished school, I’m an adult and I’m not a werewolf anymore, so I kinda can’t stay, y’know?” When Caroline didn’t say anything, he asked in a small voice, “Are you mad at me?”
That seemed to shake her out of her funk, and she grabbed his hand with her own and smiled warmly. “No, Jed, of course not. I guess I’m still not used to how much changed while I was gone. I knew my girls were growing up when I couldn’t be with them, but I didn’t realize how many other things I missed. You’ve all grown so much. Pedro is learning complex spells, Hope had her first real boyfriend and I never even met him, and you … you’re ready to move on.” Her smile turned sad. “I wish I’d been here for more of it, that’s all.”
“You were trying to save Lizzie and Josie.”
“But I didn’t. All that time away and research, and then I wasn’t even here to help Lizzie through her transition.” Caroline sighed. “You can only make the best choices you can with the options you’re given, and I tried to be the best mom I could be. I just wish I’d been around more.” Her expression turned sly. “Then I might know more about Ben.”
Jed felt the tips of his ears heat up. “What about Ben?”
“Oh, I don’t know. When I left, all you cared about was becoming alpha, and you barely went to class and you kept crushing on girls who were, let’s say, not always the nicest to you.”
“They weren’t all that bad …”
“And look at you now! If you’re not with your super devoted boyfriend or your best friend that you’re helping become alpha, you’re in the library. And half the time, your super devoted boyfriend is in here with you. I mean, Lizzie told me about how you joined the — sorry, what do you guys call it, the Squad?”
“MG’s idea.” He was pretty sure. He hadn’t exactly been in the loop at the time.
“Of course it was. I know you were already on a good path, is what I’m saying. But how happy you are? That seems new. So tell about the person that’s had you smiling ever since I said his name.”
Had he? He hadn’t noticed, but when she pointed it out, he could feel it, the corners of his mouth stretched almost to their limits; and even now that she’d pointed it out, he couldn’t stop. “Fine, okay. Um. Well. He’s Prometheus, basically, which is awesome.”
“And my sort-of ex was the original hybrid, we’ve all had impressive significant others, that’s not what I’m asking. Tell me about Ben.” She propped up her chin in her hand, her eyes shining, and for possibly the first time, Jed saw Caroline not as a headmistress or the closest thing to a mother figure he’d ever known, but as a girl frozen in time at seventeen.
He took a steadying breath, trying to put it into words. “Ben is kind. He’s also really funny, which I don’t think everyone gets, but he’s hilarious. He’s smart but he’s even worse at thinking things through than I am, and he’s got a martyr complex bigger than Hope’s. And … I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”
“Trust me, I’ve been there,” Caroline said with a small laugh.
“It’s like … okay, so the first time we hung out, we barely knew each other and we’d talked about all this big stuff from his past, and it should have been awkward, right? But it wasn’t. I already liked him. And when he told me that he lo — uh, had strong feelings for me, I wasn’t surprised, even though we’d only known each other a few weeks, because I felt it, too. We like doing the same things and he’s friends with my best friend already, and I can tell him anything. We just … fit.”
“I couldn’t have said it better.”
Caroline looked over Jed’s shoulder. “Ben! We were just talking about you.”
“I heard.”
Jed turned his head to see Ben on the stairs, wearing the blue jumpsuit from the mechanic shop with grease spots on it as well as on his skin in a few places. His arms were crossed and he had one of his lopsided, tucked-away smiles on his face. Maybe Jed should have been embarrassed that he heard all of that, but he wasn’t. It wasn’t anything Ben didn’t already know anyway. “You’re back early.”
“There were no more cars left to fix so they sent me home” He nodded respectfully at Caroline. “Headmistress Forbes.” Then he walked down the last stair and the few steps to Jed before bending over, balancing himself on Jed’s shoulder and giving him a brief kiss. “Hello.”
“Hey.” Jed reached up and scrubbed some grease off of Ben’s neck. “How was it?”
“I continue to be an adequate mechanic thanks to my gift and my sibling’s instructions, and I don’t mind the work. For a summer’s employment, it will suffice.” He rubbed the thumb on Jed’s shoulders in small circles, staring down at him fondly.
“Okay, well, I should go.” Jed tore his eyes away from Ben’s to look at Caroline as she stood, seeming both amused and a little sad. “It was fun catching up, Jed. And Ben … nice jumpsuit.” Without waiting for either of them to say anything else, she walked up the stairs and out of the library.
“What was that about?” Ben asked, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
“Not sure. She was supposed to be looking stuff up for Wade, but she left her book.” Jed shrugged. “Do you need to go change now? Because we could try researching fairies for him, since we’re already here.”
“The shower can wait.” Ben pulled the other chair around the desk so it was next to Jed’s and sat down, while Jed swapped his book for the one Caroline had abandoned. After a minute or two, Ben put his hand in Jed’s, and they stayed that way until it was time for dinner.
*
For the next three months, Jed didn’t think about the conversation between him and Caroline much. She was busy getting ready for the new school year, and he was focused on his job and helping Finch and Wade, and all his spare time was spent with Ben. It wasn’t until the a couple weeks before they planned to leave that he even spent time alone with her again.
It was one of the less humid nights in August and he was waiting for Ben at the Old Mill. Instead, he heard unsteady crunching behind him and turned to see Caroline picking her way down the path. He pushed the six pack he’d brought with him under his chair before calling out to her. “Ms — uh, Caroline? What are you doing out here?”
“I came to see you,” she said, wobbling a bit as she made her way into the clearing. “I’d forgotten how difficult that walk was in heels, I should probably get used to more practical shoes if I’m going to be chasing students in these woods again. And other things.”
He chuckled. “Makes sense. Were you looking for somebody?”
“Yes, you. I’ve heard you spend a lot of time out here. Do you mind if I sit?” she asked, pointing at the foldout chair to the right of to his.
“No, of course not.”
“Thank you.” She started to sit, squinted at the seat, then brushed off some dirt before gingerly lowering herself down. “I have something for you. I know you and Ben are leaving soon, and Alaric and I decided we want to help.”
“Help how?” Jed asked, confused. “We’ve saved up, we have a plan —”
“Which I understand involves living out of a tent.”
“It’s what Ben used to live in and I like camping.”
“Well, this isn’t ancient Greece —“
“Georgia, he lived in Georgia.”
“Okay, Georgia. The point is, you’re an ex-werewolf and he's a demigod with siblings that don’t like him very much, traveling around in a broken down truck and a tent isn’t safe.”
“Wait, how do you know about the truck?”
“Lizzie told me how Ben made a deal with his boss’s friend for a used truck on his lot he couldn’t sell. So I made a call and negotiated for an RV instead.”
She tossed a ring of keys at him and he caught them automatically, his stomach clenching. “That’s really nice and everything, but I don’t think we can afford an RV.”
“You can’t. We can.” He opened his mouth to protest and she held up a hand. “It’s the least we can do. Alaric is the reason you have to leave. He killed you and un-triggered you and now you can’t stay in the place that’s been your home for almost half of your life. And I wasn’t even here when it happened, because I haven’t been around these last few years. The least we can do is give you a safer way to travel.”
He shook his head even as his fingers curled around the keys, because she was right, this was so much better than a tent. Still, he said, “It’s too much. And I don’t blame either of you for looking out for your daughters first.”
“Maybe not, but maybe we do, a little. We could have done more for all of you. This is something we can do to make up for it.”
Out of reasons to say no, and honestly not really wanting to, he nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She fixed him a serious look. “Look, part of me feels like I should tell you not to run away with your ancient boyfriend that you’ve known for a couple months instead of buying you a place to live while you do it, and probably that’s the instinct that I should be following as the new headmistress.”
“… but?”
“But,” she continued, “I know you can’t stay. Humans aren’t safe here, even tall ones with arms the size of my head. And you’re an adult, and this is your choice, and the only thing I can do is make sure you do it in the safest way possible. Which means an RV with doors that lock.” She sighed and smiled wistfully. “And I’m still a romantic, in spite of everything. What you have with Ben is special.”
“It is,” Jed agreed, his throat tight. “I can’t believe I found him.”
“I’m sure he feels the same way. Actually, I know he does, because I’ve seen the look on his face every time he’s around you. Like right now.” She frowned. “Does he have you lo-jacked or something?”
He swiveled his head to see Ben heading down the path and smiled at him. “No, I was waiting for him.”
“Right. Of course. That makes sense.” Caroline stood up and brushed off her pants. “I should leave you to it.” She winced and then she spluttered, “God, not it, I mean your date or whatever.”
This time the entire back of his neck went hot. “No, I didn’t think you meant … it’s fine.”
Fortunately, that was when Ben showed up. “Hello, Headmistress Forbes.”
“Ben, hi,” she said, smoothing out her button-down and not quite meeting his eyes. “I didn’t mean to crash your date. I’ll head back to the school.”
“No, stay,” Jed said impulsively. “I mean, if you want. We were just gonna hang out. I know you other stuff to do, but …”
“I’d love that,” Caroline said, sitting back down. “And I will ignore the beer that you are definitely too young to be drinking which I’m sure was brought down here by someone else.”
“Yup, definitely, totally not mine,” Jed insisted frantically, ignoring Ben’s smirk as he sat down on his other side. Caroline’s grin looked more amused than it should, so probably she was messing with him, but he scooted the beer further under his chair with his foot just in case. “Ben, Caroline and Dr. Saltzman gave us an RV.”
“That is an incredible gift,” Ben said solemnly to Caroline. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, but it was mostly for Jed.” She crossed her hands on her lap, leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “Speaking of which, what are your intentions with Jed? What sort of job do you see yourself getting on the road? Do you have any long term plans at all?”
“Um.” Ben turned to Jed, looking slightly panicked.
Damn. He really wished he could have a beer right now.