Misty

Thanks to that troll's actions at the dance, we got a breather since Dean Weston kicked her out of school. I could have told her not to mess with our old principal. He didn't take shit from anyone, including us.

Of course, that didn't stop other girls and guys from trying to make a play for Nash and me. What is wrong with people? Do they have this need to cause problems for a couple?

Nash and I didn't give them some lame ass excuse about not being interested. We told them we had a girlfriend/boyfriend. Period.

Nixon came downstairs and tossed hoodies at us, landing them on our heads. We pulled them from our heads and looked at Nixon in confusion.

"We need a break from this thing's shenanigans. So, we're going to the apple orchard," Nixon said.

"Didn't we try that last year, and Chet crashed our excursion and chased Mags around?" Nash asked.

"Yeah, but that dipshit isn't here to cause problems. He left school after what happened, not wanting to deal with the humiliation. And that 1-800-skank-a-hoe got kicked out of school for inciting a brawl at the homecoming dance."

Nash and I exchanged glances.

"I'm good with going to the apple orchard if you are," I said.

"Fine. If there are any problems, we come straight home," Nash said.

I nodded in agreement. I didn't want to deal with chaos at the apple orchard. Plus, I wanted cider and donuts.

We piled in the two vehicles while Nash and Nathan drove. Nixon, Kat, Nolan, Bria, Emilio, and Karlene rode with Nash and me. The others were in Nathan's SVU behind Nash's SVU. I scrolled through my music until I found Stuck In The Middle With You. 

Emilio started singing until Nolan joined in. Nash and I exchanged arched brows as we smiled. Nixon began to sing until we all did. I danced in my seat while snapping my fingers until the song ended. We cheered and yelled while clapping.

It's been a while since we let loose and had fun. It was a much-needed stress reliever.

Nash pulled into the apple orchard and found a parking spot. Nathan pulled beside him and parked. Everyone got out and shut the car doors before heading inside. We bought five bags to pick apples since the others begged Nash to make pies.

We took the bags to the orchard and headed toward the back. We didn't want anyone to stop us from climbing the trees. The guys climbed trees to pick apples while Nash helped me into a tree.

"Nash, I'm quite capable of climbing a tree," I said.

"There's nothing wrong with me helping you."

"It's only giving you an excuse to put your hands on my ass."

"It's quite perky ass."

"You're an ass."

"Nope, that's an ass." He patted my butt and smirked.

I rolled my eyes and climbed a tree before tossing apples to him. He held open a bag and caught the apples with it. I reached for an apple and lost my footing, slipping from a branch and falling. Nash dropped the bag and grabbed me before I hit the ground. My heart thundered in my chest as I stared at Nash.

His steel grey eyes with a blue ring focused on me as his lips curled into a lopsided smile. "I told you I would catch you if you fell."

"Literally."

Nash's chest rumbled while he chuckled before setting me down. "Are you okay?"

"Aside from a mini-heart attack, I think so."

"I think we have enough apples."

I nodded and helped Nash gather any apples that fell from the bag. Nash carried the bag of apples to the car and placed it in the cargo area before shutting the hatch and sliding his hand into mine. We walked into the building, bought fresh donuts, cinnamon sugar, and apple cider, and took it to an empty picnic table.

I poured cider into two cups and handed one to Nash before grabbing a donut and biting into it. Nash tossed a donut with cinnamon sugar into the bag, shook it, and pulled it out before biting into it.

"Remember when our parents would take us to the apple orchard," I said.

Nash nodded. "Dad would spend more time looking for me than picking apples."

I snickered. "He would find you helping me climb a tree."

"Your dad would laugh because he found it funny. Mine didn't since he was afraid someone would snatch me."

"Didn't your dad realize they would return you after a few hours?"

"It didn't matter. He hated when I would pull a Houdini on him."

"I can understand that after what he endured."

"I understand it now. I didn't when I was little. I thought my dad was sheltering me."

"Val doesn't strike me as the type to shelter anyone."

"He's not." Nash shook his head. "I didn't understand the situation as a kid. I just assumed."

"It's not hard to assume things when you're a kid. But isn't it better for our parents to inform us than keep us in the dark?"

"You would think. What if our folks are doing it to protect us? They didn't even understand the full extent of our return. How do you keep someone safe without necessary information?"

"Good question."

The others finally made their way to the table after dropping off the bags of apples to the cars. The cousins moved another picnic table beside ours before sitting down.

"What happened? You up and disappeared on us?" Nixon asked.

"Mags slipped and fell from a tree branch," Nash said.

Everyone looked at us in concern.

"Luckily, I have quick reflexes and caught her before she smacked the ground."

"Here, I thought we had to worry about demons. Now we have to worry about Maggie's clumsiness," Nixon said.

"Well, Mags is fine. So, we bought cider and donuts before having an in-depth conversation about my dad."

"Why are you discussing Uncle Val? He doesn't strike me as the topic of conversation," Nathan said.

"We talked about why my dad sheltered me when I was younger. Then, we wondered if it had anything to do with our return. It's not like they understood what was happening."

"People want tangible proof that reincarnation is possible. It doesn't matter if people have mentioned it happened to them. Without it happening to the person, people question it. It's the same with God's existence," Nixon explained.

"What made you decide to become a minister the first time? It's not like you attended church or anything," Nathan said.

"It's when I attended rehab and met this minister. I questioned the hell out of him until he handed me a Bible and told me I would find the answers to my questions. It wasn't until I understood the full extent of my problem that I realized I had a second chance. It's a huge wake-up call."

"Is that why you waited to reveal yourself to everyone?" Noah asked.

"Shit. No one was ready for my return."

We laughed because it was true. Nixon didn't sugarcoat the truth or care if he hurt your feelings. His philosophy was that the truth would set you free, even if I had to plow over you with a bus to help you.

"Personally, I could do without the demons chasing us," Nolan said.

"No shit," Nathan said. "I didn't expect to return to deal with this problem."

"Castiel did say He issued challenges. Did you think he would make our return easy?" Nixon asked.

"No, but a breather would be nice," Aiden said.

"The question is, for how long?" Diego asked.

Why did Diego's question make me uneasy? It was like the calm before the storm.

******
Valentino

I listened to the conversation at the table, absorbing the information. Trixie's leaving seemed too easy and simple. Right after her departure, Mags' locket started vibrating and glowing. It can't be a coincidence.

"What?" Mags asked me.

"I was thinking about your locket."

"What about it?"

"Doesn't it seem odd that it started vibrating and glowing after Dean Weston kicked Trixie out of school?"

"Are you thinking that twit jammed Maggie's locket somehow?" Nix asked.

"It's a possibility."

"How?" Nathan asked.

"How do most people jam a signal?" Noah asked.

"They use something to interfere with the signal," Emilio said.

"Exactly. If people can use an electronic device to jam cell phones and other devices, who's to say a demon can't jam an evil eye?"

"That means we can't rely on Maggie's locket to alert us when a demon is around," Kat said.

"Then we won't," Nix said. "We'll need to rely on our instincts."

We nodded in agreement.

We finished our donuts and cider before returning to the house since everyone wanted pies. Luckily, we picked up pie crusts and spices to make apple pies. That would save me time since I had to feed the animals before they gnawed off my arm.

I still haven't told Mags or the others about the idea Aiden, Nix, and I deduced with the ring. I didn't want to worry them if it wasn't possible. My gut told me not only was it possible, but it would shock everyone.

I wouldn't rest on your laurels with this group just yet. It's always calm before the storm, and a storm is coming.