Chthonic|| 5SOS

2.4 Calum: Possession

"Calum would you like to meet my parents?" Calum's heart stopped. Parents? It was one kiss. They'd kissed once, well and there was that time they made out in the parking lot of Walgreens or something but she was so embarrassed after that that she apologized several times and turned bright red before glancing around to see if anyone had been staring at them. Calum had smiled and they continued walking to her car. They'd held hands, talked non-stop and had seen each other everyday since the funeral for her former boss but it wasn't 'meet my parents' worthy.

"I um.." Calum stuttered out. He hadn't stuttered in a while. He was always so calm and collected. Ava could tell she had stepped over some sort of line but she didn't regret it. Her parents were important to her and Calum was becoming important to her as well. She thought it would be good for them to meet. Calum never talked about his parents but he had mentioned his sister several times. As far as Ava could tell, his parents were dead. He always referred to them in the past tense and the one or two times he had mentioned them, he got this far away look in his eyes.

"You don't have to." Ava said quickly, taking his hand. "You're just important to me and they're my parents. You don't have to meet them anytime soon if you don't want to. I just... I don't know how to explain to them where I'm going everyday. I say a friends house but.. We never go to your house.." Ava paused.

"I don't live in a house." Calum said with a shrug. Ava pursed her lips. "I live in an apartment with my sister." He corrected quickly. Ava nodded. He had never mentioned that before. Ava tried not to think about how little she really knew about Calum. She knew he didn't go to school but had a job but he never said where or what he did. He would somehow always turn the conversation back around to her. She liked that he always paid such close attention but she wished he'd open up a bit more to her.

"Okay well.. It's like I said. It doesn't have to happen soon. I just want you to know that it's.. It's important to me. My family means everything to me." Ava smiled and squeezed his hand. Calum gave her one of his rare smiles, ones she wished she could see more of but they were few and far between.

"We can meet them today." The words slipped out of Calum's mouth before he could stop them. He couldn't take them back now though. Ava was smiling so broadly he knew there was no way he could back out of meeting her parents now.

"Really?"

"Of course.. If it's important to you, then it's important to me." Ava leaned across the table and kissed him. Calum was glad he had said that but only for a moment. Meeting her parents? What the hell was he thinking? He was a demon, not exactly boyfriend material. Though, he supposed his vessel looked nicer than Calum actually was.

"Thank you Calum. Come on, let's go." She stood up, gathering her purse. Calum downed the rest of his coffee and threw the cup into the trash. Ava smiled. Calum did everything so gracefully. Taking his hand, they walked out of the coffee shop together and headed down the road back into the suburbs, heading towards Ava's house.

"So what should I expect?" Ava detected a hint of nervousness in his voice which was new. She liked it.

"My dad he's nice, a little hard on me but I'm a good girl. My mom, she's wonderful. You'll love her. I've told her about you already."

"You have?" Calum asked in surprise.

"Yeah she.. My mom she was sick recently and I mean.. Really sick. She has cancer.." Calum stopped walking and since they were holding hands, Ava had to stop too. "No I don't.. I don't have any problem talking about it." Ava said as Calum opened his mouth.

"You still don't have to tell me."

"I want to." Ava said, stepping closer to him. Calum licked his lips and nodded. "Well, by some miracle, she got better. It was.. It was incredible but before that happened.. I told her about you."

"What'd you say?" Ava blushed at Calum's question.

"I just mentioned that you were a cute boy I saw sometimes and that we had met at the diner."

"Technically we met out here." Calum said gesturing down the street.

"Yeah but.. My parents are always telling me not to talk to strangers and such. They said I'm too nice and one day it'll get me hurt or you know.. Worse but I can't help it." She shrugged. Calum swallowed hard. Hurt? Maybe? Killed was more like it though. If anyone found out Calum was in love with a human.. Wait.. Love? Was Calum even capable of love?

"So I shouldn't mention how I bumped into you on the street." Ava laughed and shook her head.

"Maybe not." Calum and Ava began walking up a driveway, heading towards a front door. Calum didn't know his hands could still shake with anticipation. Ava let go of his hand and pulled out her keys to the house. Calum watched her put it in and turn the knob. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" She called out. "And I have a friend." Ava beckoned Calum to come in, which he did, closing the door behind him.

"I'm in the living room honey." A tired voice called out. Ava moved through the kitchen and into the living room, Calum trailing behind her. A women with thinning blonde hair was sitting on a couch covered in blankets and buried in pillows. Calum paused. The women.. He recognized her.

"Hi mommy." Ava said walking around the couch Ava kissed her mothers cheek and gestured for Calum to come forward. "Mom this is Calum. I told you about him remember?" Calum held his breath as she turned to him as he walked around the couch. He could be wrong, he could be wrong.. But he remembered her serene features, her hair splayed out across a pillow. That meant she was..

"Of course but oh honey you never told me how handsome he was." Calum blushed.

"Thank you ma'am." Calum replied as he shook her hand. Her soul. It was almost as pure as her daughters. The only reason it was tainted was because of her deal with a demon. Unbeknownst to her that is but she was still part of the deal.

"Oh please, don't call me ma'am. Makes me sound old." She said with a tired smile. "Call me Rebecca."

"Okay." Calum replied with a nod. She smiled.

"Nathan! Honey, we have a guest." Calum became rigid as he heard the footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Yes, yes I'm right here." He heard Ava's father say. "What is your name young.." Nathan Crest stopped speaking because he was staring at the face of a devil. "What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded, shouting at Calum.

"Um.. Sir?" Calum asked trying to sound confused and slightly afraid at the same time.

"Daddy! Why are you yelling at him?" Ava asked moving in between Calum and her father.

"How are you..? Ava! Get him out of here! Don't you know what... What he.." He couldn't finish his sentence. He couldn't tell his wife and daughter he made a deal with the devil and here he was, flesh and blood before him.

"Nathan what's gotten into you?" Ava's mother asked a little embarrassed that her husband had started yelling at her daughters friend.

"He's.. He's not human."

"Daddy!" Ava exclaimed.

"I don't want him in this house!" Nathan shouted.

"Dad!" Ava shouted at the same time her mother said, "Nathan!"

"You can't ask him to leave you don't know him!" Ava exclaimed.

"Ava it's fine. I'll just.. Go.." Calum said slowly, backing away. He had never been so afraid before.

"I'll see you out Calum." Ava grumbled.

"No you will not!" Her father snapped at her.

"Ava it's fine seriously.. I'll see you later." Calum said moving quickly out of the house. He couldn't believe how badly he had fucked up. The women whose cancer he cured maybe a month and a half ago, the same day he met Ava, that was her mom. That was her dads soul he would collect in 5 years. Calum had saved Ava's mother only to steal her dad away years later. What had he done?