I Make Money Move

Mitchell blinked at Natalia’s question. From anyone else, his answer would be simple. Quick, easy and void of emotion. But then again, only another Burgess could fully understand Mitchell’s issues with what they were about to do. “Yeah,” he let out, his face tightened and a hard expression morphed onto his features as Mitch paused briefly to inhale sharply. “…When have I ever not joined you in a fight?” He asked, eyes cutting to Nat.  Mitch inhaled again and reminded himself that his baby cousin didn’t need him to look after her anymore. With a sigh, he centered himself. “Alright. We’ll do what we have to do, get out and go home. This is your lead. I’ll follow.” Mitch conceded as he joined alongside Natalia. Together, the pair marched into the mansion. The word safe was not uttered since Mitchell knew that sometimes the best plans spilled blood, if needed. And for this? It may be necessary. But as long as he kept his eyes on the prize, Livi would be free from this. All of the violent, manipulative bullshit that came attached to their family’s coven. It wasn’t her fault that she, too, was a Burgess. Mitchell voided his face of emotion and kept his mind blank. He was just a soldier under changing leadership. No more, no less. 

--

Natalia walked up the ornate path and the front steps as she nodded to one of the security guards that stood outside. Generally when more than a couple of Burgess got together there was always someone making sure that their enemies wouldn’t try to take out as many of them as they could in one go. She actually grinned at him when he spoke to her. “All I get is a nod, Nattie?” he asked, to which she rolled her eyes but still hugged the man, kissing his cheek. “Alright now, Ivan, you know I’m a married woman now. Keep those eyes to yourself. It’s been way too long. But I’m here on business. We’ll catch up one day.” She cast a glance at Mitch. “Don’t say a word about it.” She knew he might say something about her and the help once again, especially the familiarity that the two had. 

As she kept walking, feet pushing her forward, other staff greeted them, but she kept walking. Heading straight to their sanctioned meeting space. The ornate boardroom that occupied one of the rooms. It was a more civilized meeting, one they didn’t suspect they would have to murder anyone so they could all sit civilized around a table. Natalia looped her arm through Mitchell’s just before they walked in, to give the illusion of normalcy. And normalcy was she was practically attached at the hip to him always. She walked in the room with a smile as if this would be a pleasant meeting. “Hey, mama, dad. Grandma...everyone.” A lot of Burgesses were in that room. Their grandparents, Nat’s parents, Mitch’s father, and brother were there as well. There were cousins and higher-ups in the coven in attendance.  Natalia only let go of Mitch when it was time to sit down. “We’re really about to have an official meeting about my marriage, huh?” she asked. 

“Why didn’t you bring your wife, Natalia?” her grandmother asked. To which Nat shook her head not really wanting to answer this. 

“Well, Chloe’s busy with things on her own front with Grant and that end of things. I have some other family business to bring to the table too. So let’s get this out of the way first. Things are fine. Chloe’s fine. I think that me and Mitch can handle the Revelationists front of things, right?” She looked at him for help on this front knowing that she didn’t want there to be too much focus on this or her wife. 

“I’ve noticed,” Connor said, giving Nat a small nudge. “I know the feelin’. Except instead of sayin’ things to intentionally hurt each other, us Kents fight with our fists. You don’t know how many times my old man and I went at it. And okay. Well how about you start with tellin’ me? You can let it all out to me and anythin’ you say will stay between the two of us. Promise. You say no one can handle how you really feel, but maybe give me some credit? What else?”

“My mom and I never went at it because I had a fear that should we, then I might not have a life left to live. My family can love you enough to kill you. That’s an actual thing.” Nat shrugged. “I mean I’m upset. I feel like a fucking Drake song. Or even Lil Wayne at this point. Like I wish I could pick the world up and drop it on someone’s fucking head. I was in this mindset that maybe Chloe and I would get to a point this year to start talking about starting a family. But instead, I might be canceled, my career down the drain and my wife...I don’t even know what she’s doing most days. I don’t even know if I want to know, and what if they took her away from me? What if they still take her away from me? What do I do when the love of my life is set on this path and I can’t follow her? And then don’t even get me fucking started on Mitchell which is another story altogether unrelated to this one.” 

“Cancel culture at its finest, huh?” Hale said, letting out a deep sigh, before turning and giving his good friend a light nudge. “How you two holding up? You doing okay?” He asked as he slide her phone out of her hand and tucked it into his back pocket so that she could have a moment of peace from it all.

“Yeah, canceling Chloe means canceling me. And I’ve been down this road. People wanted to cancel me at first for coming out against Trevor. That story’s still a he said, she said. Now this...I don’t know how we are truthfully. I don’t know what to do. Or how to fix this or if I can even help Chloe through this. Or even if she’ll let me. The Burgess in me says that people should pay and probably die. I had a fucking family meeting... I don’t know anymore.” 

“Um… okay. I mean I guess we could go to a Spa in the Faerie Realm? Even though there they’ll look at me funny… It will be fine. Let’s do that- just- you’re not going to set anything ablaze there, will you? Because my reputation with the other faeries is already bad and if I show up with a pyromaniac, I might be banished for good this time.”

“Don’t you have other dimensions? We could go to one where no one knows our names? Or looks at us funny? I don’t want you to trade your comfort for mine. That’s too much or we can hide out somewhere and make our own spa.” 

“Too late,” Chloe said. Her voice as soft as a whisper as she slowly shut the laptop. “And that doesn’t sound like nothing. Your mom called a meeting? Because of this? Because of me? And Mitch is quitting the coven? Isn’t that no go? I thought your family was all coven for life and coven above each other sort of thing? It just seems like a big deal is all and Livi- It just seems like a lot. I mean how are you even dealing with it all?” She found herself asking, knowing that she was barely holding it together as is with just the alliance thing let alone the weight of everything else. “But, your career is important. You love being an actress and you love designing and I just jeopardized that? I- I know that. Your stuff is mine and mine is yours which is why I can’t believe I was this stupid. I mean I should have been thinking about how signing that petition could affect you. How it could impact us? But, I wasn’t. Instead, I was so caught up in their fake vision of a future. All it took was one conversation with my sister and I was sold. I wasn’t thinking about us and I should have been. Its just with everything that’s happened with being kidnapped and attacked and almost killed and with Vinny, I needed to believe that they wanted to help us- that they meant it when they said they wanted peace. And I guess a part of me wanted to prove people wrong. I knew people had their doubts about alliance before I signed up, but I just kept on telling myself that if my gut was right, if the alliance was as good as they said they were, then maybe people were wrong about Vinny too, and maybe I’m wrong about me? But, the homeland was nothing more than sweet words and false promises, Vinny was nothing more than a stranger, and I’m… well I’m not a sweet as I want people to believe. You’re my family too, Nat. And from now on, I promise I’m going to prioritize that. Screw everybody else.” 

“Yes. she usually does call meetings when things happen and she wants to get ahead of it. Not because of you, just because of the blowback that will come to the family. Because you are family now. I got out of the coven. I never really gave them a chance to truly have me in it. But then I became regent and they’re okay with that. Proud of the power it brings. So I’m pulling rank here. Telling them Mitchell is out not giving them room to argue with me, and that I’m taking over Livi’s tutelage wouldn’t make them suspicious. It’s the Burgess family sticking together even when in Vancouver. Or so I hope they’ll think that. But I’m going to get them out of this mess of a family before Livi is another broken Burgess.” Nat shook her head when Chloe asked her how she was dealing with this. “I’m not. I don’t have time to deal with it. I have to be the strong one and I have to react. I can’t stop to think about what I feel because I don’t get the luxury of emotions right now.” Even as she said it tears were blurring her vision. It all felt like a lot, and it was overwhelming to have one problem after another all converging in at the same time. Nat looked down at her hands as Chloe spoke. “What would have happened to us if it wasn’t a trap if the homeland was real, what would happen to us if I didn’t want to go but you did?” she wondered. “Would you leave me?” She wasn’t angry at Chloe for signing up. It just brought up quite a bit of questions. “My career will be fine. I’ll put it on pause for a while until things calm down. You don’t have to be sweet if that’s not who you are, Bunny. I mean I see you. I see the darkness and I see the light. I find both sides sexy, beautiful and uniquely you. I accept every part of you and I want you to be that person. The one you’re most comfortable with. Anyone that can’t accept that...I can light them on fire,” she tried to joke. “I love you, Chloe. Every part of you.” 

Mitch: Me? Some business? I'm the older cousin here. Not you.

Mitch: Get married once and now you think you're a real adult.

Mitch: IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. I DON'T LOVE YOU LIKE THAT.

Mitch: ...That's it. I'm moving. Poof. I've now left Vancouver.

Mitch: NO! NOT GRANNY! DAMN IT NATALIA -____-

Nat: And...so what.

Nat: I am a real adult. I've been an adult since I was 18.

Nat: Sir...unless you've got my wife over there stealing your phone I know it was an accident.

Nat: Poof my ass.

Mitch: ...wanna come over and get this 🍆-fil-a?

Nat: I'm going to need you to get some business.

Nat: Because it's too late at night to be texting foolishness accidentally to my phone like this.

Nat: I should come over there and cockblock you right now. Because if Nattie not getting anything because she going through some shit then Mitchie not either.

“Then I will,” Chloe said, reaching over for her computer, hastily flipping it open as she began to frantically google. “Your family? Don’t- Don’t lie. P-please?” She asked, her voice breaking as she did. She knew it wasn’t fine. She knew nothing right now was fine. She tried her best to ignore the way her hands were shaking as slammed the lid of her laptop back down. Whipping a tear from her cheek as her wife came to sit down beside her. “Have we? I just- I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I keep mixing you up in all of my shit. The stuff with Meredith and being kidnapped and being hurt back at Pride and with my Unc- Vincent and with the Gang and now this. You’re just- you’re so good at handling everything and I’m… maybe you had the right idea not wanting to get to serious with me. But, now it’s too late and you love acting and if I ruin that for you or get in between you and your family even more than I’ve already had I just- I don’t know what I’ll do. I’m just really sorry, Nat.”

 “Chloe...don’t look. People are fucking awful. When it came out about me and my accusations against Trevor...they were gross and awful and I still never really got justice for that. I’m willing to bet they are just as awful here. Bunny...Yes. My mom called a mandatory meeting to assess the situation, and I’m going to be in this meeting telling them to fuck off and also that I’m taking Livi under my tutelage and Mitch is quitting the coven. So it’s going to be a whirlwind of a day. But the family meeting is nothing to worry about.” Natalia heaved a sigh. “Okay. It’s not fine but you know what’s not important? What people are saying about me and my career. What’s important right now is you and me and making sure that we communicate and we talk about this.” Nat shook her head, lifting Chloe’s gaze to hers. “Bunny, when we got married, all of our things were each other’s things. Your stuff is mine now and mine is yours. Don’t you say that to me, Chloe. That was never...That was never about you. That was about me. I didn’t want to bring you into my shit. But I was wrong. Sharing our shit, is so much better than trying to shoulder it all alone. Baby, you are my family. You’re more important than everything else, than everyone else. And we’ll get through this too just like we get through everything. You just have to lean on me okay? Don’t shut me out. Let me be there for and with you.” 

“I think I’d want to do that. Be a Coven Leader someday. Probably won’t be able to happen for a while though, huh?” Astrid mused. She hadn’t wanted to be a gang leader given everything that had happened to her, but she sort of liked the idea of having a coven of her own one day. “Then you might want to get your girl to train you instead. Either that or get really good at ducking,” Astrid teased. “And I mean it wouldn’t be as bad as when Chloe first joined. I was talking more about a scratch here or there or all of your muscles being sore. Maybe a black eye in the worst case scenario. Your girl on the other hand might honestly be a masochist when it comes to taking a beating. Welp, I guess I’m lucky to have you to help me quickly get up the learning curve, then huh?”

“Yeah you have a little bit of catching up to do, but it’s possible. I mean look at me, I’m a regent in my thirties where there are much older witches that aspire to it. So anything is possible if you work hard and you know your shit. Because to this day I still don’t know why I’m best suited for the job of regent. But here we are.” Even though Natalia knew that she had no bias against Hedge Witches, she would but others before herself and it was very rare that she made selfish choices. “I’m pretty sure if Chloe and I wrestle I’m going to get distracted and it’s going to turn hot instead of educational. I can handle a black eye, but I am not going to be doing that whole whatever Chloe went through that I’m still not happy about. Yes, I mean I can teach you all the tips and tricks and save you the psychological trauma of learning like a Burgess.” 

“I was actually gonna check on you to see how you were doin’, but looks like you beat me to it, Burgess. And the wonderful thing about marriage is that you don’t have to have all of the answers. You’re in this together, so you’ll figure it out together. But, you don’t need to show up with a solution in hand or a game plan or anythin’ like that. Just be there for her. Be there to hold her and make her feel safe. Be there to listen to what’s goin’ on her head and how she’s feelin’. She may just need someone to rant to for a little bit. Someone to just hear her out without judgement or an answer. But, also make sure you’re gettin’ off your chest how you feel too cause I know you, Nat. And I know there’s a reason you didn’t sign up and I know you probably got pulled into a situation you didn’t want to be in too.”

“I don’t do well with together when my wife is in trouble. I’m more of a I need to fix it for her type person. So that she doesn’t have to go through this. That’s the part of marriage and partnership I’m working on. I’m more of a spring into action kind of a person, to be honest.” Natalia heaved a sigh. “I don’t think I can get off my chest how I feel. When I’m angry and upset, things come out wrong. In the Burgess house, when you’re angry and upset, it’s prime time to start saying things to hurt each other. You’ve never seen me and Mitch in a fight. We love each other to death, but because we do, we go for the gut. And I can’t tell her how upset I am, how mad I am. No. No one can handle how I really feel. Yes there was a reason I didn’t sign up. This was the reason. I never trusted it from the second they came in trying to be all pro-supernatural. And now look. They’re just puppet masters. Manipulating people.”