[ 22 ] 2013 

"Hey, will you guys excuse me for a second?" Harley said to her cheerleading friends. Now that she had forgotten some of the details of her old life, she began spending time with Cindy and she thought she wasn't as bad as she originally thought. Granted, Cindy Hemmings wasn't the smartest girl at St. Genevieve's, but her heart was in the right place. She was gathered in a small group with Andrea, Cindy, Dempsey, and Hazel. The five of them acted as though they had been friends for years. Gesturing inside the house, she continued, "I'm going to go find Jack."

Cindy smiled wide. "Oh Harley, its so great to see you this happy with Jack. You really like him don't you?" Cindy was past trying to get Harley and her brother to date, especially now that he was interested in Hazel.

Harley nodded, "Jack is amazing."

The blonde turned to head towards the house when Dempsey stopped her, "I'll go with you." She offered. She thought it was best to keep a close eye on Harley Quinn, even more so in the state she was in.

With a shake of her head, Cindy told the brunette hunter, "She'll be fine. Besides, you still need to tell me about your trip to Mexico."

Dempsey sighed and let Harley walk off on her own. But Calum wasn't going to. He followed behind her, making sure she hadn't noticed him. Harley pushed the sliding glass door open that led into the family room where there were people everywhere. Some teens were at the bar, drinking all the amounts of expensive alcohol bottles they could find, while others sat with their couple, making out. Harley found her way out of that room and found the kitchen.

She was able to recognize Jack the second she saw him and a smile lit up her face. That same smile was wiped clean off at the sight before her. Jack was there, but he wasn't alone. He was acoompanied by a girl he held in his arms.

His lips were on hers and Calum watched from a small distance as everything seemed to crash around her. She believed she was in love with Jack, and what he was doing caused her great pain. The Canadian hadn't even noticed her there and with a slight gasp, she turned and rushed for the exit the same way she came. Only Calum was in her way and she bumped into him. The impact had been so strong in her urge to run away from her pain that she almost stumbled back, but Calum was quick and was able to steady her.

"Harley," He spoke to her for the first time in a while. In the last few days he had found he would speak of her, but never directly to her. He was afraid of the way she might act towards him. "Are you okay?" He asked, but he found his answer in her eyes. She was heartbroken.

And her heartbreak broke his heart as well.

"Yeah," She lied with a shake of her head, her blonde hair bounced around in her pony tail. Her head turned for a moment and she saw him again, still with his lips on another girl.

"You finally realized he doesn't love you." His hands rested on her shoulders and his brown eyes looked into her blue ones as he spoke. "You need to break out of this delusion. You don't love Jack, you only met him about two weeks ago."

"Without him I would die." She said to Calum.

"Stop Harley." Calum begged, his words pained.

"Its true." She assured him.

"What if..." Calum began, concieving an idea in his mind, which he hoped would work. "I could show you everything you're missing. What if I could show you how you were before this happened?"

She eyed him with confusion, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He took her hand in his and led her towards the kitchen, it was one of the only ways that led to the front door and then he would find the front exit. "You'll know after I show you." He told her. But she stopped him, yanking her hand away from his.

"Why would I go with you?" She asked, "I don't even know you that well."

"Harley..." He looked away from her, "Stop hurting me like this. We know each other and I want you to remember."

"You're only trying to separate me from Jack." She accused, a faint hint of anger in her eyes.

"That too." Calum agreed. When she still refused to go with him, he warned her, "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." In that moment, he looked into her eyes and gave her an order, "We're going to your house because I need the mirror, and you're going to behave." Harley slowly nodded her head and followed him through the kitchen and into the livingroom. As he passed Jack and the girl he was making out with, he waved a hand at her and commanded, "You, kick him in the balls." The girl immediately did as she was told and Calum laughed in amusement.

Jack called after Harley, certain that she had seen the whole thing, but before he could follow her, they were gone.

.

.

.

.

"Hello, Mrs. Quinn." Ashton greeted when the front door opened. He knew Billy was at Luke and Cindy's party, and Mr. Quinn's car was in the driveway, but he hoped he wasn't in the livingroom. If he was, he would hear his wife having a conversation with no one and might believe her to be crazy.

"Hey Ashton!" She greeted back with a smile. "I finally got it right." She added.

Nodding, the ghost responded, "Yes, you did."

"Once again, you have horrible timing," She informed, her smile dropping into a frown. "Billy and Harley went to a party at Cindy's house. Weren't you invited?" She wondered, suddenly feeling pity for the boy who was visiting the house of one of his friends while everyone else was at the party.

"I was." Ashton lied. "But Cindy and Luke aren't really my friends." No one from this generation is my friend. "I've come here to ask about your neighbors...the ones who used to live across the street from you."

"Oh," Harleen said, "You mean Richard and Joy. They unfortunately passed away."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ashton pretended not to know.

As if remembering something in the last second, after a small pause, she informed the curly haired boy, "Richard's younger brother Cole came by soon after their deaths. He told my that if anyone asked about the house, I could give them his number and he would give them information. Do you have something to write with?"

Ashton was quick to shake his head. "No, thank you, Mrs. Quinn. I'll just ask Calum when I see him at school."

"Wonderful," The smile returned to Harleen's face. "I think the sooner the family gets rid of that house, the better. It'll give them closure."

"Yes," Ashton agreed, "Thank you, Mrs. Quinn. I should go. I didn't mean to be a bother."

"Goodbye Ashton." She gave a small wave before closing the door.

The moment the door shut, Ashton returned to Calum's house. He had a lot of things to talk about with Claire. He materialized in a dark room with a mirror, where he guessed Claire spent most of her time recently.

Sensing that he wanted to talk to her, she appeared in the room as well.

"What do you want, Ashton?" She rolled her eyes at him in annoyance. There was no patience left in her for him.

"You're a liar." Said the golden haired boy.

Claire gasped. "Me?"

"Who else?" Ashton snarled, "All that bullshit you said to Calum about he and Harley being related was a lie. I don't know why you did it, but you know its not true. Calum is Richard's son and Anne-Sophie was his mother, not you."

"He was practically mine!" She argued, "I raised that little piece of snot. And Con always loved him better, even more than Cole or Clarissa. He said it was because Anne was of a wealthier family."

"You're even more twisted than I thought." Ashton commented in disust. "You were willing to let them think they were related."

With a smirk prominent on her face, she shrugged her shoulders. Claire Feeney had no regrets about anything she had done while living and now that she was dead. "I don't care about anyone else as long as I benefit from something." She reminded him. "Calum is Anne's grandson, that's why he's so weak. He could never be like us, there's too much coward in him."

"That's why there's good in Calum." Ashton realized. "He is related to Anne. If he really had been related to both you and Con, he'd be a horrible person. I guess evil can be inherited."

"So are you going to tell him?" Claire wondered.

If she knew Ashton, and she did, she knew it would remain a secret until she herself revealed the truth. Just as she had thought, Ashton shook his head, "This is your truth to reveal, you know I don't like to say things that aren't mine to say." He looked at her with anger, it was one emotion she found was foreign in him. When they were alive, he could only look at her with unconditional love and devotion. "But if you take too long, I might just forget my manners and tell him myself. You certainly seem to have no manners in the way you lie to and decieve people."

"You might as well tell him yourself." Claire suggested, "Because he'll never hear the truth from my mouth."

-

ahaha!

turns out harley and calum really aren't related. but didn't i scare a lot of you with that chapter when it was revealed that they were supposedly cousins? i hope you all like the update. i cant write a long author's note like the ones i often write because i have music class soon.

so carley shippers out there, here's your ship back. and i honestly am beginning to want an alternate ending to this. so i might post the original and then post the alternate soon after. so you guys would be able to accept the ending you like most. but im not sure exactly how im going to end it or whatever.

anyway, thank you for reading. i'll go back and edit grammar and stuff after i get home.

i love you.

-clary xx