Old Habits

Conor: roadtrip

Conor

We packed a bag together and left it by our bedroom door, in case we had to go in a hurry. I wondered if it still wasn't better to just kill Jackson and Lacy. Maybe he had been bluffing before.

Our classes were not cancelled, but they were subdued. Susie looked like she was ready to cry and Casey kept getting distracted. Algebra was just harder math, at least as far as I could tell. Math that had letters in it representing unknown numbers. Tish didn't sit in on our lesson like usual, she was down at the shop punching something. I didn't feel like punching anything. I wasn't sure I felt anything at all.

It was a little silly to get homework when I knew I wouldn't complete it for tomorrow, but Casey gave it out anyway. Susie darted off as soon as Casey said we were done. Katie and Casey watched me as if I might disappear at any moment.

"We could always leave," Casey told me. "You know the pack is ready to."

"We just got our lives back together," I replied. "Carol and Steve just moved for us. The hunters finally leave us alone. I will come back."

"You don't have a good track record there," Katie pointed out. "Maybe Grant should go."

"No way Keith lets Aidan go with Grant," Casey replied. "And no way Aidan lets Grant go alone."

"I'll find Stefa and I'll come back," I repeated. "Tish isn't planning on having our kid on the road. She'll kill me before that happens."

Casey gave a smile. "Yeah, I imagine so."

I took my school things back down to my room and decided to take the time to tidy up, starting a load of laundry and hanging Tish's hoodies that had managed to cover the whole of our bedroom floor. I knew I could order her to stay home; Mel was right about the danger. But I didn't want Tish to hate me. I didn't actually want to be alone with Jackson.

I heard the car pull up and I decided to hop out the window rather than face my pack again. It was Jackson in the driver's seat. He looked smug.

Mel came out of the front door a moment later, clearly not happy with me for skipping the door. She nodded for me to get back onto the porch and I obeyed. She waited out in the sunshine watching as Jackson turned off his engine and reluctantly stepped outside.

Ralph rolled out of the door next to me.

"Are you going to be all right?" he asked. "You don't have to go, Conor."

"I'll be fine," I told him. "I have Tish. We're going to deal with the vampire and come back home in time to start planning in the green house. I was looking forward to that."

"We'll save some for you," Ralph promised.

I leaned down to hug him as Mel turned away from Jackson coming back onto the porch.

"Lacy is staying here; can she use your room?" she inquired.

"Of course." I replied.

Tish burst through the door with our bag. It was ridiculous, I thought. There was no real reason that Jackson should want me to come along. Except, I realized, he knew that Stefa would was keeping tabs on me. He wanted Stefa to find us, not the other way around. In that case, I wasn't sure if we'd make it back all right.

"Last chance," Tish said as we approached. "We can murder them now and deal with the consequences later."

"That truly sounds like a terrible plan," I replied.

Jackson frowned at Lacy, who was very nonchalant about grabbing her bag from the car and heading to the house, trading places with us. He looked like he might also be wondering if he shouldn't change his mind.

"Last chance," Tish repeated, but at Jackson this time.

Lacy waved and went inside. Jackson muttered to himself, and went around to the driver's seat, not even speaking to us. I opened the back door, letting Tish scramble in before hopping in myself. Susie was in the window, watching us with tears in her eyes. We had to come back, I told myself. I was not going to leave my family again.

"So, we're now in the car," Tish said. "What horrible trap have we run into?"

"It's not a trap," Jackson complained as he pulled his SUV out of the drive and out onto the highway. "I want to find Stefa. I thought you would either have Stefa here or you'd be willing to find Stefa with me. Not that I would have to tell my clan to murder you all if you tried to send me on my way."

"Sure, blackmail, just skip any other negotiation tactic," Tish grumbled.

"What the hell?"

We both looked up at figure in the middle of the road. Jackson slammed on his brakes, though the figure did not look concerned about this near miss as the SUV landed just a foot from him. The person walked to the passenger's side door and opened it.

"Mike?" Jackson sputtered. "What the...how..."

"You are loud and predictable, and I was tasked to watch Conor," Mike replied, pulling back his hoodie to reveal a dark skinned vampire that I recognized from Chicago. "And so I can finally leave this place to figure what happened to my clan."

"Sorry, what?" I questioned. "You've been watching me?"

"Since Christmas," he agreed. "It's very boring out here in Montana. I'd usually stay in the cabins you guys have been working on when you weren't there. I've now tried moose, fox, rabbit and quail, and I never want to drink squirrel blood again. I haven't gotten any calls or messages since the end of February. I am concerned, but I didn't want to leave and that be the one damn time the hunters came back and tried to kidnap you again."

"Sure, you're on our side," Tish grumbled.

"No, not yours. Conor's," Mike corrected. "Doesn't matter since we're all on the same quest now."

He settled into his seat and gestured for Jackson to continue driving. Jackson did not.

"So I could drop these two back off at home, not deal with their furious pack, get my heir back and just take you?" he questioned. "Why would I drag Conor along?"

"I go where Conor goes," Mike replied and leaned back his chair. "So if the four of us are going to find Stefa, we should head to St. Louis. That's the last time I heard from Pat. The hunters have an outpost out there so Tish might be able to get new information. Jackson and I can take turns driving; you two should sleep because we're going to be more useful in the nighttime; especially since I have no interest in drinking your blood. Cool?"

"Who are you again?" Tish questioned.

"I'm Mike," he said, wriggling a little to get comfortable, as if he was going to take a nap. "I'm a hundred and fifty year old vampire from Queens, but I've been in Stefa's clan since she was turned. She asked me to stay and watch out for Conor because she was worried that the other clans might try to involve him in the feud that's happening right now. I hadn't anticipated Jack, but I'm not shocked by this turn of events. I would have called her to ask how to handle Jackson, but no one is answering my calls. I'm worried. I'm not sorry about this road trip."

Mike pulled out mirrored sunglasses and slid them on his face.

"Sure,"Jackson said and finally continued driving down the highway.