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The next morning Adder wasn’t sure if she should mention having dinner with Ollie or that he kissed her. She did know she needed to mention the crazy bird Elizabeth. She was brewing coffee when she heard Mason’s door open and turned to look as she poured her cup. It was a sight she’d seen hundreds of times living here, his hair a mess from sleeping wearing just a pair of shorts and stretching as he yawned. She almost overfilled her cup staring at him, but quickly stopped and put the coffee pot down. “Mornin’ Mason.”, she greeted sipping her coffee. Mason nodded and ran his hands over his hair smoothing it back down as he walked. “Morning pet.”, he greeted pouring his coffee. He yawned again as he turned and leaned against the counter. “So you got in alright. No issues riding home with Ollie.”, he said after a few sips of coffee. Adder wasn’t sure if he was asking just to ask or if there was a twinge of jealousy in his tone. It was always hard to tell his emotions. She turned around and jumped up onto the island counter kicking her legs a little as she sipped her coffee. “Yea’ got ‘ome just fine. Ollie took me ta dinner at T’e Bells Inn. We ‘ad a good time talkin’ and such. T’en he drove me ‘ome and walked me to t’e door. W’ich t’ere was a bit of a surprise at t’e door.”, Adder recanted the night's events.
Mason raised an eyebrow as she spoke. So it wasn’t just driving her home. Mason wasn’t really sure how he felt in that regard. But he buried it because Ollie was one of his mates and Adder was too. He should be okay if they became more than friends, they were allowed that. Adder wasn’t his after all. “Ah. And what was at the door?”, he asked. “Elizabet’....”, Adder stated. Mason spit a little bit of his coffee back into his cup. “I’m sorry.”, he apologized. “Not yer fault. She was very rude bout it. Insisted yer her boyfriend. Made some looks at me cause Ah live ‘ere wit’ ya and Ashton. She also didn’t like t’at Ah pointed out if she was yer girlfriend that it would have been her at yer graduation party wit’ ya not me.”, Adder smirked. Mason sighed shaking his head but smiled a little. “Yeah. I don’t consider her my girlfriend. We’ve been out on a few dates and have had sex a couple times but I haven’t asked her to date me. I’ve only been on the dates I have because my Uncle Jamie, Aunt Wilhelmina's husband you didn’t get to meet him before you left, was suggesting I take her out. She was sent to a private school here in Oxford to finish high school since she was planning to attend at Oxford for university.”, Mason explained. Adder raised and eyebrow trying to not let her emotions show, so he was going on dates and had slept with a girl younger than her.
“She’s about a year younger than you. Don’t look at me like that, seventeen is perfectly legal. And she seemed nice enough, but that voice and well the more I’ve gotten to know her the less I like. She’s everything I hate about people in my ‘social class’. Was actually planning to call her today to say didn’t want to see her again.”, Mason sighed shaking his head. Adder chuckled. “Ah wasn’t judging mate. Ya weren’t like her….first were ya? Cause maybe t’at w’y she so crazy bout being yer girlfriend? Or are ya just t’at good in bed?”, Adder teased. Mason rolled his eyes eyes but smirked. “No I was not the one to deflower her. Try to stay clear of being that bloke. Other than the first girl I’ve ever been with I have managed to not be anyone else’s first. I kind of hope that maybe when I get married I might be my wife’s first and only, but virgin isn’t exactly a requirement for who I’d marry. As for if I’m that good...I’ve never had a complaint but you’d have to ask one of the birds on that.”, he answered taking another sip of his coffee. Adder nodded a little smiling. She certainly wouldn’t mind finding out for herself how good he was, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“Other than Elizabeth being here, anything else eventful happen?”, Mason asked casually. He was just trying to figure out what happened between her and Ollie, Ollie wasn’t there when he had gotten home but that doesn’t mean something couldn't have happened before he got home. “Well Ollie asked me ta a movie and gave me a kiss goodnight.”, Adder said really hoping for a reaction. Mason nodded. “Ooo a goodnight kiss. And a date? Look at you go.”, he teased trying to not sound even the slightest bit jealous. “Yeah. Ah mean t’e kiss wasn’t anyting to write bout it was just a quick kiss but it wasn’t ‘orrid. And figure a real first date wit’ him mig’t be fun. Ah ‘ad a good time last nig’t so…”, she shrugged jumping off the counter and reaching around him to put her cup in the sink. Mason leaned slightly so she could reach the sink. “Well good for you pet, you deserve a nice bloke and Ollie’s a nice bloke.”, Mason smiled. Adder nodded a little, she loved getting that close to him but knew better than to linger and stepped back when the cup hit the sink. “Well Ah gotta get ready fer work.”, she waved a little heading to her bedroom to get ready. Mason waited till her door closed to let out a breath having her pressed that close was starting to become a problem. But now that he knew Ollie was interested in her it might be a bit easier to not think of her as anything but a friend. He headed off to his room to get ready for the day, he needed to go and let Elizabeth down gently.
Adder went to go to her job and let them know end of summer she’d be leaving for London. And in the meantime Mason begrudgingly agreed to meet Elizabeth for coffee, where he fully intended to break things off so she wouldn’t think this was more than what it was. He knew he couldn’t probably tell her this wasn’t going to work over the phone, that would be very rude. He headed out of the flat and down to the coffee shop he’d agreed to meet her and there she was sitting at an outside table. Her long blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail shimmered in the sunlight and stood out as vividly as her fair skin against her navy tank top with it’s butterfly print. The angel she was sitting she was facing away from him but he could see her long legs crossed neatly at her ankles and the soft skin of her legs visible up to the cuff of her khaki colored shorts. Mason shook his head. “Get it together man she’s a horrid person and her beauty is only skin deep.”, Masson muttered to himself as he walked over. “Elizabeth?”, he said walking closer. She turned and shot him a bright smile her bright blue eyes sparkling at the sight of him. “Mason.”, she greeted getting up. Mason held back a wince at her nasally speaking voice. Once he was close enough she hugged him around the neck and gave him a rather extended kiss.
Mason rubbed his lips together after she pulled back reminding himself he was there to call things off not to anything else, but she was rather good at that. “Please sit. I wanted to apologize to you in person. And if necessary I will go back to your flat and apologize to your roommate and your boyfriend. I was behaving so terrible last night when I went to your flat. It’d been a rather rough day for me yesterday. My grandfather Arthur Gore has fallen rather ill and I’d wanted to see you just to kind of have someone to talk to. And you weren’t answering your phone and I started to get worried. I shouldn’t have gone to your apartment or yelled at your roommate and her boyfriend”, she said rambling as she sat down. Mason sighed sitting down. he tried to not show any signs of annoyance at her speaking voice or that she kept calling Ollie Adder’s boyfriend. It just didn’t sit well with him. So he paid attention to what she was saying but was mostly just watching her lips move reading them instead of listening to her nasally voice. He nodded a little as she spoke and frowned some when she mentioned her grandfather falling ill. “I’m sorry to hear that. Please send my regards to the Earl of Arran in a speedy recovery.”, he said being polite. “Do you forgive me though for how rude and out of line I was last night? I shouldn’t have presumed that I’m your girlfriend or anything about your living situation with that other girl.”, she said reaching over and holding his hand rubbing small circles on his palm with her thumb.

Mason sighed a little looking down at her delicate hand over his. “Yeah sure I understand. It is a bit of an odd situation having a female roommate. I’ll admit it’s a bit unorthodox and many would call it scandalous. But she’s a very good friend to me and Ashton, and she has her own room and we have ours. Nothing scandalous ever really happens. Closest to scandalous might be seeing Ashton or I without a shirt, which really you got a beach, pool, gym, or just got for a run you can see a man not wearing a shirt.”, Mason shrugged. Elizabeth smiled a little biting at her bottom lip slightly still rubbing his palm. “I’ve seen you shirtless Mason, and it’s certainly scandalous just for the thoughts that proceed seeing something like that.”, she smirked. Mason chuckled a little looking up from her hand to see her eyes locked on him and there was a slight glint to them. He wasn’t a mind reader but there was enough little hints of what she was looking to do post coffee. And he kind of hated himself a little for this but he did have a weak spot for her in that aspect. “Well would you like to actually see my flat beyond the front door?”, he asked. Elizabeth smiled and finished her cup. “Love to.”, she said standing up. Mason stood up placing a hand on the small of her back as they walked.
He escorted her up to the flat and unlocked the door opening it for her. She smiled stepping inside looking around. “So are your flatmates here?”, she asked. Mason shook his head. “Ashton ended up going to London to stay the night with Tiffany so she could let her friends there see the ring and such as they got engaged yesterday. And Adder is at work at the moment.”, he answered. Elizabeth smirked turning to look at him. “So it’s just us?”, she questioned taking a few steps closer to him placing a hand on his shoulder. Mason smiled a little rubbing his lips together, blondes always a weakness. "It would a appear that way.", he said letting his hand find their way to her narrow waist. "Which room is yours?", she asked wrapping her arms around his neck. Mason smirked leaning in kissing her bringing his arms tighter around her. "Right this way...", he said pulling back slightly and picking her up. Elizabeth laughed a little too avoid the nasally sound that was about to escape he kissed her again. Elizabeth didn't think anything of him kissing her at that moment beyond passion. She moaned into his mouth wrapping her legs around him. Mason adjusted his grip to hold her by her bum as he carried her to his bedroom. He had left the flat intending to call things off but in the end brought her to his bed.
Mason certainly wasn’t proud of his lack of resolve in the situation. Which after she’d left he’d set to getting Ashton’s things pack up for him to finish moving out and started packing some of his things since a matter of months he and Adder would be moving out too. He was carrying out some boxes from Ashton’s room when Adder returned to the flat. “So ‘ow did letting t’e crazy bird down go?”, she asked grabbing a beer from the fridge. Mason looked over at adder and shook his head. “ya didn’t call it off? W’at ‘appened mate?”, she asked sitting down on the sofa. “I went to meet her at the coffee shop up the street, figured it would be rude to tell her over the phone that I can’t see her anymore because she’s a nasally elitist snob.”, he explained putting the box in the stack with the others before sitting next to her on the sofa. Adder nodded a little slipping off her sneakers and socks and stretching out letting her legs stretch over his lap, which was a normal thing she’d done over the years when sitting on the couch with him. “So w’at ‘appened?”, she asked looking at him. Mason glanced down at her legs over his lap, she’d worn shorts to work so her legs were mostly bare. She had rather long legs similar to Elizabeth, but the difference was Adder’s were more tone from fighting and had the subtle scales on the outsides. Thinking about legs brought his mind around to Elizabeth’s having been wrapped around him earlier and a small thought crossed his mind of Adder’s legs being wrapped around him instead. He pushed through thought aside though and looked at her. “Walked up and she’s sitting there...with those darn long legs visible and well got a tad distracted I suppose. She apologized for her behavior yesterday. Apparently she was trying to find me because her maternal grandfather has taken ill and she wanted someone to talk to.”, he explained.
Adder rolled her eyes. “Oo Ah sure someone ta talk to wasn’t exactly her agenda mate.”, she said shaking her head. Mason laughed a little shrugging. “But she did say to apologize to my flatmate and her boyfriend for her behavior as it was uncalled for.”, he explained. Adder laughed a little. “Boyfriend? She referring ta Ollie? He ain’t my boyfriend…”, she defended. She may have had a good time last night with Ollie and agreed to see a movie but that didn’t make him her boyfriend, and something about using that term around Mason seemed weird verging on wrong. Mason chuckled. “She doesn’t know that. She just saw Ollie walking you to the door so she assumed.”, Mason said. “Ah suppose. So she apologized and ya decided ta not call it off?”, Adder questioned. “Um...something like that.”, Mason said. Adder raised an eyebrow. “We ended up here…”,he explained. Adder nodded a little. “Ah see. So ya go ta call t’ings off wit’ her and end up bringing her ‘ome fer a morning frolic between t’e s’eets?”, Adder questioned shaking her head. Mason sighed a little. “Not exactly proud of that. I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve got a weakness for blondes especially with long legs. I still plan to call things off.”, he stated.
Adder rolled her eyes thinking to herself if he had such a weakness for blondes and long legs why was she constantly overlooked. “Ya mig’t need ta break it off by phone if ya lose yer resolve t’at easy round her.”, she suggested turning on the television and sipping her beer. “I might, but I’ll try again in person. It’s only polite after all.”, he said reaching and taking the beer from her and taking a swig watching the football match she’d turned on. “Oy t’at’s mine.”, she said taking her beer back. “Get yer own.”, she said. Mason chuckled. “Why get my own when can just share yours?”, he teased resting a hand on her calf stretching his other arm out along the back of the sofa. Adder smiled a little taking another sip of her beer pretending to guard it from him. She sighed a little looking at his hand on her leg, it wasn’t really something that mean anything but she liked the feel of his hand on her bare skin and how he didn’t seem to think twice about her scales. She turned her head back to look at the television to just watch the game with him. She wasn’t going to say anything, especially as his hand started to lightly rub her calf even over the scales, she’d just take what she could get even if it was a ‘just friends’ deal.
Mason tried twice more that week to call things off with Elizabeth but each time ended up not and instead found himself in bed with her again. Adder was disappointed in him each time, he knew. He was actually rather grateful for the break from trying to break this off with Elizabeth for their trip to Crawley and then London to apartment hunt. “So you ready for this? Getting all the facts about your past?”, he asked as they pulled into the parking of the only abbey in Crawley. Adder sighed getting out of the car looking at the large stone building, flashes of early childhood memories hitting her. Being taunted by the other children, being treated like she was spawn of the devil himself by the nuns. She nodded a little. “As Ah’ll ever be. Not really looking forward ta t’is.”, she frowned. “Ah don’t ‘ave good memories of t’is place..”, she explained. Mason gave her a small smile and side hug. “Hey it’s going to be alright mate. I’m here with you. No one is going to be mean to you.”, he assured before heading up the steps of the abbey and inside. He was greeted with a smile from a nun. “Good afternoon sir. Welcome to Worth Abbey. How may I be of help?”, she asked then blinked seeing Adder walk in behind her. The elderly nun took a step back seeing the copper snake eyes and scales visible along Adder’s neck and bare arms and legs.
“Is there something wrong sister?”, Mason questioned seeing her step back startled. Mason looked over his shoulder to Adder and then back to the nun. “Sssseerrpent..”, the nun stammered out pointing at Adder. Adder raised an eyebrow and looked at Mason then at the nun. “Her name is Adder. And your behavior is rather unchristian and far from what I’d expect from a woman in the service of our Lord who loved all.”, Mason said shaking his head. “I’m sorry. It’s just..if she’s who I believe she is. She hasn’t come to this place in some ten years.”, the nun excused herself. “Ah’m sure Ah ‘aven’t.”, Adder glared a little. she bit back the part of ‘justifiably so’. “Maybe her recognizing you is a good thing. Means she can get the information we need.”, Mason stated. The nun looked from Mason to Adder a bit curious. “And what information is that?”, she questioned. “My birt’ certificate and anyting’ legal paper-wise. Ah need t’em for my job.”, Adder explained stepping to Mason’s side. “Job?”, the nun questioned skeptical that a child who had ran away at the age of eight could really hold a job of much merit. “Yes. Adder is going to be working for Templeton Enterprises as security for the CEO. So I’ll assume you still have the files about her time here that she can retrieve.”, Mason explained. “Security for Lord Templeton? Hmm who’d have thought it. Well I’m glad to see our Lord has shown you the path. The archives are this way.”, she said leading the way down a set of stairs and into a dusty room with filing cabinets.
“Lord Templeton?”, Adder asked raising an eyebrow looking at Mason as they walked. “She’s talking about my dad.”, he whispered back. “Thank you. Now where might we find her file? She doesn’t exactly recall her given name after so long.”, he requested looking around the space. His OCD about cleanliness and organization was going nuts, his hands twitching slightly. “I’ll get it.”, the nun answered pulling open a drawer kicking up more dust. She set a thick faded manila folder on the table. “That’s all eight years she was here.”, she stated. “Ah was ‘ere for eig’t years?”, she asked. “Well guess t’at’s w’y Ah don’t remember muc’.”, she said looking at the folder. “Thank yhou sister. We’ll call if we need anything else.”, Mason smiled. The nun looked at Adder then Mason but nodded taking the chance to leave. She kept her distance as she went past Adder as if afraid of her holding her right arm tight. “Well at least this was easy.”, he said opening her folder and looking at the top page. he quicklys canned it and laughed. It was a report about her getting into a fight and biting another child then running away. “A scraper even from the start.”, he teased. “Ah never was much fer ot’er peole.”, she smirked. “Apparently, pet.”, he chuckled.
He started sifting through the papers mostly seeing reports of her getting into fights with other children and the nuns. “Well I see why the nun was scared of you when you walked in. You bit at least five nuns sending them to the hospital for treatment in your short time.”, he said shaking his head a little. Adder leaned back on a filing cabinet and watched him, he was a much faster reader than her. “Well you at least did decent for marks in the couple years of schooling they gave you.”, he commented holding up a couple report cards. She raised an eyebrow and eyed them. “Huh..”, she shrugged. “Ah here we go. These are the papers we need. Here’s the official paper of being given up for adoption…”, his voice fading out reading the signature, Laura Fortescue-Gore. “W’at wrong?”, she questioned. “Nothing...just I know your birth mother.”, he said flipping to the final page in the folder. He looked over the birth certificate. And there under ‘father’ was James Duckworth-Chad. Mason took a deep breath and looked at Adder. The longer he looked the more he could see the similarities in the face and body to Elizabeth. And in that moment he felt rather dirty. He’d been sleeping with her younger sister. Sure he hadn’t known but the physical similarities were always there. He just hadn’t wanted to see them. Adder shook her head. “ And ‘ow can ya know ma mot’er?”, she questioned.
“She is Lady Laura Duckworth-Chad, eldest daughter of the 9th Earl of Arran. She married James Duckworth-Chad who is close friends with my uncle Jamie. So she plays bridge with my mom and Ashton's mom.”, he explained. “So… Ah guess she’s important?”, she asked. “Soecially speaking. The Duckworth-Chads are fourth cousins to the royal family.”, he explained. “Ah Good fer t’em.”, she shrugged. “That’s not exactly why I’ve got his expression. Don’t really care about social status stuff. But this.. well it means I know your sisters...one rather well.”, he said trying to think how to say he’d been sleeping with her sister Elizabeth. The physical similarities now apparent to him it was starting to make some sense why he didn’t just call it off and kept bedding her instead. He knew being with Adder was out of the question. Not because of any of the reasons people might thing. But because she is one of his best mates and that was more valuable and not worth risking for more. “Are ya saying’ w’at Ah tink?”, she asked shaking her head. “If you’re thinking that Elizabeth, the one that instead of calling things off with I keep ending up in bed with, is your sister. Then yeah we are on the same page…”, Mason admitted.
“Jeeze, mate”, she sighed She wasn’t really sure how she should feel about this. But the one feeling she had was jealousy. She’d had it of Elizabeth from the first date he went on her. And now knowing that her younger sister was getting to go on dates with an share a bed with the man she wanted. “I didn’t know. If I had known she’s related to one of my mates I’d not even gone on one date let alone gone further.”, he tried to defend. “Yeah’...”, Adder frowned a little trying to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t want it to come out as jealousy. Even if it was. “Another reason to call it off.”, he shrugged. At least this time he hoped that if he went to call it off now seeing the similarities between the sisters he’d not just sleep with her again. It’d be a twisted way of sleeping with Adder and he just on principle couldn’t do that. “Oh Ah’ll bet t’at ends well.”, Adder rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t going to end well anyways. I don’t plan to tell her that I can’t see her on grounds that she’s the biological sister of my best mate/flatmate/personal body guard.”, he laughed a little.
“But anyways. So guess according to your birth certificate you’re Leah Mary Duckworth-Chad. To be official given who your biological parents are you’d be Lady Leah Mary Duckworth-Chad.”, he said with a smile. Adder made a face at the name. “Aw don’t want to be Leah? It’s a pretty name and at least better than your sisters. Elizabeth Lettice, Minna Evie and Viola Cecily.”, he chuckled. “Ah’d rat’er keep Adder if Ah can.”, she said shaking her head. “You can do that. Now that we have all this information we can get your name legally changed to whatever you like. And that’s what will go on payroll and be on your bank account and all your ids.”, Mason shrugged. “Ah like Adder better.”, she nodded. “So do I. But I keep rights to call you Leah in jest and generally in private to avoid explanation.”, he said packing up the folder. Adder laughed. “As long it’s only you w’o calls me t’at.”, she agreed. “Do you want to meet them? Laura and James I mean?”, he asked as they started up the stairs. “Fukkk no. T’ey didn’t want me so w’y would Ah want t’em. Don’t need t’em.”, she said with a snort. “Fair enough. You don’t need them. You’ve got me and Ashton and Tiffany of course.”, he said making sure to include Ashton and Tiffany. “We’re your family now Adder.”, he said walking out of the abbey with her. Adder smiled she finally had her past and could properly leave it in the past and just move forward to her future. Sure she might not be at Mason’s side how she’d like but she was still going to be with him and that’s what mattered in the end.

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The next morning Adder wasn’t sure if she should mention having dinner with Ollie or that he kissed her. She did know she needed to mention the crazy bird Elizabeth. She was brewing coffee when she heard Mason’s door open and turned to look as she poured her cup. It was a sight she’d seen hundreds of times living here, his hair a mess from sleeping wearing just a pair of shorts and stretching as he yawned. She almost overfilled her cup staring at him, but quickly stopped and put the coffee pot down. “Mornin’ Mason.”, she greeted sipping her coffee. Mason nodded and ran his hands over his hair smoothing it back down as he walked. “Morning pet.”, he greeted pouring his coffee. He yawned again as he turned and leaned against the counter. “So you got in alright. No issues riding home with Ollie.”, he said after a few sips of coffee. Adder wasn’t sure if he was asking just to ask or if there was a twinge of jealousy in his tone. It was always hard to tell his emotions. She turned around and jumped up onto the island counter kicking her legs a little as she sipped her coffee. “Yea’ got ‘ome just fine. Ollie took me ta dinner at T’e Bells Inn. We ‘ad a good time talkin’ and such. T’en he drove me ‘ome and walked me to t’e door. W’ich t’ere was a bit of a surprise at t’e door.”, Adder recanted the night's events.
Mason raised an eyebrow as she spoke. So it wasn’t just driving her home. Mason wasn’t really sure how he felt in that regard. But he buried it because Ollie was one of his mates and Adder was too. He should be okay if they became more than friends, they were allowed that. Adder wasn’t his after all. “Ah. And what was at the door?”, he asked. “Elizabet’....”, Adder stated. Mason spit a little bit of his coffee back into his cup. “I’m sorry.”, he apologized. “Not yer fault. She was very rude bout it. Insisted yer her boyfriend. Made some looks at me cause Ah live ‘ere wit’ ya and Ashton. She also didn’t like t’at Ah pointed out if she was yer girlfriend that it would have been her at yer graduation party wit’ ya not me.”, Adder smirked. Mason sighed shaking his head but smiled a little. “Yeah. I don’t consider her my girlfriend. We’ve been out on a few dates and have had sex a couple times but I haven’t asked her to date me. I’ve only been on the dates I have because my Uncle Jamie, Aunt Wilhelmina's husband you didn’t get to meet him before you left, was suggesting I take her out. She was sent to a private school here in Oxford to finish high school since she was planning to attend at Oxford for university.”, Mason explained. Adder raised and eyebrow trying to not let her emotions show, so he was going on dates and had slept with a girl younger than her.
“She’s about a year younger than you. Don’t look at me like that, seventeen is perfectly legal. And she seemed nice enough, but that voice and well the more I’ve gotten to know her the less I like. She’s everything I hate about people in my ‘social class’. Was actually planning to call her today to say didn’t want to see her again.”, Mason sighed shaking his head. Adder chuckled. “Ah wasn’t judging mate. Ya weren’t like her….first were ya? Cause maybe t’at w’y she so crazy bout being yer girlfriend? Or are ya just t’at good in bed?”, Adder teased. Mason rolled his eyes eyes but smirked. “No I was not the one to deflower her. Try to stay clear of being that bloke. Other than the first girl I’ve ever been with I have managed to not be anyone else’s first. I kind of hope that maybe when I get married I might be my wife’s first and only, but virgin isn’t exactly a requirement for who I’d marry. As for if I’m that good...I’ve never had a complaint but you’d have to ask one of the birds on that.”, he answered taking another sip of his coffee. Adder nodded a little smiling. She certainly wouldn’t mind finding out for herself how good he was, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“Other than Elizabeth being here, anything else eventful happen?”, Mason asked casually. He was just trying to figure out what happened between her and Ollie, Ollie wasn’t there when he had gotten home but that doesn’t mean something couldn't have happened before he got home. “Well Ollie asked me ta a movie and gave me a kiss goodnight.”, Adder said really hoping for a reaction. Mason nodded. “Ooo a goodnight kiss. And a date? Look at you go.”, he teased trying to not sound even the slightest bit jealous. “Yeah. Ah mean t’e kiss wasn’t anyting to write bout it was just a quick kiss but it wasn’t ‘orrid. And figure a real first date wit’ him mig’t be fun. Ah ‘ad a good time last nig’t so…”, she shrugged jumping off the counter and reaching around him to put her cup in the sink. Mason leaned slightly so she could reach the sink. “Well good for you pet, you deserve a nice bloke and Ollie’s a nice bloke.”, Mason smiled. Adder nodded a little, she loved getting that close to him but knew better than to linger and stepped back when the cup hit the sink. “Well Ah gotta get ready fer work.”, she waved a little heading to her bedroom to get ready. Mason waited till her door closed to let out a breath having her pressed that close was starting to become a problem. But now that he knew Ollie was interested in her it might be a bit easier to not think of her as anything but a friend. He headed off to his room to get ready for the day, he needed to go and let Elizabeth down gently.
Adder went to go to her job and let them know end of summer she’d be leaving for London. And in the meantime Mason begrudgingly agreed to meet Elizabeth for coffee, where he fully intended to break things off so she wouldn’t think this was more than what it was. He knew he couldn’t probably tell her this wasn’t going to work over the phone, that would be very rude. He headed out of the flat and down to the coffee shop he’d agreed to meet her and there she was sitting at an outside table. Her long blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail shimmered in the sunlight and stood out as vividly as her fair skin against her navy tank top with it’s butterfly print. The angel she was sitting she was facing away from him but he could see her long legs crossed neatly at her ankles and the soft skin of her legs visible up to the cuff of her khaki colored shorts. Mason shook his head. “Get it together man she’s a horrid person and her beauty is only skin deep.”, Masson muttered to himself as he walked over. “Elizabeth?”, he said walking closer. She turned and shot him a bright smile her bright blue eyes sparkling at the sight of him. “Mason.”, she greeted getting up. Mason held back a wince at her nasally speaking voice. Once he was close enough she hugged him around the neck and gave him a rather extended kiss.
Mason rubbed his lips together after she pulled back reminding himself he was there to call things off not to anything else, but she was rather good at that. “Please sit. I wanted to apologize to you in person. And if necessary I will go back to your flat and apologize to your roommate and your boyfriend. I was behaving so terrible last night when I went to your flat. It’d been a rather rough day for me yesterday. My grandfather Arthur Gore has fallen rather ill and I’d wanted to see you just to kind of have someone to talk to. And you weren’t answering your phone and I started to get worried. I shouldn’t have gone to your apartment or yelled at your roommate and her boyfriend”, she said rambling as she sat down. Mason sighed sitting down. he tried to not show any signs of annoyance at her speaking voice or that she kept calling Ollie Adder’s boyfriend. It just didn’t sit well with him. So he paid attention to what she was saying but was mostly just watching her lips move reading them instead of listening to her nasally voice. He nodded a little as she spoke and frowned some when she mentioned her grandfather falling ill. “I’m sorry to hear that. Please send my regards to the Earl of Arran in a speedy recovery.”, he said being polite. “Do you forgive me though for how rude and out of line I was last night? I shouldn’t have presumed that I’m your girlfriend or anything about your living situation with that other girl.”, she said reaching over and holding his hand rubbing small circles on his palm with her thumb.

Mason sighed a little looking down at her delicate hand over his. “Yeah sure I understand. It is a bit of an odd situation having a female roommate. I’ll admit it’s a bit unorthodox and many would call it scandalous. But she’s a very good friend to me and Ashton, and she has her own room and we have ours. Nothing scandalous ever really happens. Closest to scandalous might be seeing Ashton or I without a shirt, which really you got a beach, pool, gym, or just got for a run you can see a man not wearing a shirt.”, Mason shrugged. Elizabeth smiled a little biting at her bottom lip slightly still rubbing his palm. “I’ve seen you shirtless Mason, and it’s certainly scandalous just for the thoughts that proceed seeing something like that.”, she smirked. Mason chuckled a little looking up from her hand to see her eyes locked on him and there was a slight glint to them. He wasn’t a mind reader but there was enough little hints of what she was looking to do post coffee. And he kind of hated himself a little for this but he did have a weak spot for her in that aspect. “Well would you like to actually see my flat beyond the front door?”, he asked. Elizabeth smiled and finished her cup. “Love to.”, she said standing up. Mason stood up placing a hand on the small of her back as they walked.
He escorted her up to the flat and unlocked the door opening it for her. She smiled stepping inside looking around. “So are your flatmates here?”, she asked. Mason shook his head. “Ashton ended up going to London to stay the night with Tiffany so she could let her friends there see the ring and such as they got engaged yesterday. And Adder is at work at the moment.”, he answered. Elizabeth smirked turning to look at him. “So it’s just us?”, she questioned taking a few steps closer to him placing a hand on his shoulder. Mason smiled a little rubbing his lips together, blondes always a weakness. "It would a appear that way.", he said letting his hand find their way to her narrow waist. "Which room is yours?", she asked wrapping her arms around his neck. Mason smirked leaning in kissing her bringing his arms tighter around her. "Right this way...", he said pulling back slightly and picking her up. Elizabeth laughed a little too avoid the nasally sound that was about to escape he kissed her again. Elizabeth didn't think anything of him kissing her at that moment beyond passion. She moaned into his mouth wrapping her legs around him. Mason adjusted his grip to hold her by her bum as he carried her to his bedroom. He had left the flat intending to call things off but in the end brought her to his bed.
Mason certainly wasn’t proud of his lack of resolve in the situation. Which after she’d left he’d set to getting Ashton’s things pack up for him to finish moving out and started packing some of his things since a matter of months he and Adder would be moving out too. He was carrying out some boxes from Ashton’s room when Adder returned to the flat. “So ‘ow did letting t’e crazy bird down go?”, she asked grabbing a beer from the fridge. Mason looked over at adder and shook his head. “ya didn’t call it off? W’at ‘appened mate?”, she asked sitting down on the sofa. “I went to meet her at the coffee shop up the street, figured it would be rude to tell her over the phone that I can’t see her anymore because she’s a nasally elitist snob.”, he explained putting the box in the stack with the others before sitting next to her on the sofa. Adder nodded a little slipping off her sneakers and socks and stretching out letting her legs stretch over his lap, which was a normal thing she’d done over the years when sitting on the couch with him. “So w’at ‘appened?”, she asked looking at him. Mason glanced down at her legs over his lap, she’d worn shorts to work so her legs were mostly bare. She had rather long legs similar to Elizabeth, but the difference was Adder’s were more tone from fighting and had the subtle scales on the outsides. Thinking about legs brought his mind around to Elizabeth’s having been wrapped around him earlier and a small thought crossed his mind of Adder’s legs being wrapped around him instead. He pushed through thought aside though and looked at her. “Walked up and she’s sitting there...with those darn long legs visible and well got a tad distracted I suppose. She apologized for her behavior yesterday. Apparently she was trying to find me because her maternal grandfather has taken ill and she wanted someone to talk to.”, he explained.
Adder rolled her eyes. “Oo Ah sure someone ta talk to wasn’t exactly her agenda mate.”, she said shaking her head. Mason laughed a little shrugging. “But she did say to apologize to my flatmate and her boyfriend for her behavior as it was uncalled for.”, he explained. Adder laughed a little. “Boyfriend? She referring ta Ollie? He ain’t my boyfriend…”, she defended. She may have had a good time last night with Ollie and agreed to see a movie but that didn’t make him her boyfriend, and something about using that term around Mason seemed weird verging on wrong. Mason chuckled. “She doesn’t know that. She just saw Ollie walking you to the door so she assumed.”, Mason said. “Ah suppose. So she apologized and ya decided ta not call it off?”, Adder questioned. “Um...something like that.”, Mason said. Adder raised an eyebrow. “We ended up here…”,he explained. Adder nodded a little. “Ah see. So ya go ta call t’ings off wit’ her and end up bringing her ‘ome fer a morning frolic between t’e s’eets?”, Adder questioned shaking her head. Mason sighed a little. “Not exactly proud of that. I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve got a weakness for blondes especially with long legs. I still plan to call things off.”, he stated.
Adder rolled her eyes thinking to herself if he had such a weakness for blondes and long legs why was she constantly overlooked. “Ya mig’t need ta break it off by phone if ya lose yer resolve t’at easy round her.”, she suggested turning on the television and sipping her beer. “I might, but I’ll try again in person. It’s only polite after all.”, he said reaching and taking the beer from her and taking a swig watching the football match she’d turned on. “Oy t’at’s mine.”, she said taking her beer back. “Get yer own.”, she said. Mason chuckled. “Why get my own when can just share yours?”, he teased resting a hand on her calf stretching his other arm out along the back of the sofa. Adder smiled a little taking another sip of her beer pretending to guard it from him. She sighed a little looking at his hand on her leg, it wasn’t really something that mean anything but she liked the feel of his hand on her bare skin and how he didn’t seem to think twice about her scales. She turned her head back to look at the television to just watch the game with him. She wasn’t going to say anything, especially as his hand started to lightly rub her calf even over the scales, she’d just take what she could get even if it was a ‘just friends’ deal.
Mason tried twice more that week to call things off with Elizabeth but each time ended up not and instead found himself in bed with her again. Adder was disappointed in him each time, he knew. He was actually rather grateful for the break from trying to break this off with Elizabeth for their trip to Crawley and then London to apartment hunt. “So you ready for this? Getting all the facts about your past?”, he asked as they pulled into the parking of the only abbey in Crawley. Adder sighed getting out of the car looking at the large stone building, flashes of early childhood memories hitting her. Being taunted by the other children, being treated like she was spawn of the devil himself by the nuns. She nodded a little. “As Ah’ll ever be. Not really looking forward ta t’is.”, she frowned. “Ah don’t ‘ave good memories of t’is place..”, she explained. Mason gave her a small smile and side hug. “Hey it’s going to be alright mate. I’m here with you. No one is going to be mean to you.”, he assured before heading up the steps of the abbey and inside. He was greeted with a smile from a nun. “Good afternoon sir. Welcome to Worth Abbey. How may I be of help?”, she asked then blinked seeing Adder walk in behind her. The elderly nun took a step back seeing the copper snake eyes and scales visible along Adder’s neck and bare arms and legs.
“Is there something wrong sister?”, Mason questioned seeing her step back startled. Mason looked over his shoulder to Adder and then back to the nun. “Sssseerrpent..”, the nun stammered out pointing at Adder. Adder raised an eyebrow and looked at Mason then at the nun. “Her name is Adder. And your behavior is rather unchristian and far from what I’d expect from a woman in the service of our Lord who loved all.”, Mason said shaking his head. “I’m sorry. It’s just..if she’s who I believe she is. She hasn’t come to this place in some ten years.”, the nun excused herself. “Ah’m sure Ah ‘aven’t.”, Adder glared a little. she bit back the part of ‘justifiably so’. “Maybe her recognizing you is a good thing. Means she can get the information we need.”, Mason stated. The nun looked from Mason to Adder a bit curious. “And what information is that?”, she questioned. “My birt’ certificate and anyting’ legal paper-wise. Ah need t’em for my job.”, Adder explained stepping to Mason’s side. “Job?”, the nun questioned skeptical that a child who had ran away at the age of eight could really hold a job of much merit. “Yes. Adder is going to be working for Templeton Enterprises as security for the CEO. So I’ll assume you still have the files about her time here that she can retrieve.”, Mason explained. “Security for Lord Templeton? Hmm who’d have thought it. Well I’m glad to see our Lord has shown you the path. The archives are this way.”, she said leading the way down a set of stairs and into a dusty room with filing cabinets.
“Lord Templeton?”, Adder asked raising an eyebrow looking at Mason as they walked. “She’s talking about my dad.”, he whispered back. “Thank you. Now where might we find her file? She doesn’t exactly recall her given name after so long.”, he requested looking around the space. His OCD about cleanliness and organization was going nuts, his hands twitching slightly. “I’ll get it.”, the nun answered pulling open a drawer kicking up more dust. She set a thick faded manila folder on the table. “That’s all eight years she was here.”, she stated. “Ah was ‘ere for eig’t years?”, she asked. “Well guess t’at’s w’y Ah don’t remember muc’.”, she said looking at the folder. “Thank yhou sister. We’ll call if we need anything else.”, Mason smiled. The nun looked at Adder then Mason but nodded taking the chance to leave. She kept her distance as she went past Adder as if afraid of her holding her right arm tight. “Well at least this was easy.”, he said opening her folder and looking at the top page. he quicklys canned it and laughed. It was a report about her getting into a fight and biting another child then running away. “A scraper even from the start.”, he teased. “Ah never was much fer ot’er peole.”, she smirked. “Apparently, pet.”, he chuckled.
He started sifting through the papers mostly seeing reports of her getting into fights with other children and the nuns. “Well I see why the nun was scared of you when you walked in. You bit at least five nuns sending them to the hospital for treatment in your short time.”, he said shaking his head a little. Adder leaned back on a filing cabinet and watched him, he was a much faster reader than her. “Well you at least did decent for marks in the couple years of schooling they gave you.”, he commented holding up a couple report cards. She raised an eyebrow and eyed them. “Huh..”, she shrugged. “Ah here we go. These are the papers we need. Here’s the official paper of being given up for adoption…”, his voice fading out reading the signature, Laura Fortescue-Gore. “W’at wrong?”, she questioned. “Nothing...just I know your birth mother.”, he said flipping to the final page in the folder. He looked over the birth certificate. And there under ‘father’ was James Duckworth-Chad. Mason took a deep breath and looked at Adder. The longer he looked the more he could see the similarities in the face and body to Elizabeth. And in that moment he felt rather dirty. He’d been sleeping with her younger sister. Sure he hadn’t known but the physical similarities were always there. He just hadn’t wanted to see them. Adder shook her head. “ And ‘ow can ya know ma mot’er?”, she questioned.
“She is Lady Laura Duckworth-Chad, eldest daughter of the 9th Earl of Arran. She married James Duckworth-Chad who is close friends with my uncle Jamie. So she plays bridge with my mom and Ashton's mom.”, he explained. “So… Ah guess she’s important?”, she asked. “Soecially speaking. The Duckworth-Chads are fourth cousins to the royal family.”, he explained. “Ah Good fer t’em.”, she shrugged. “That’s not exactly why I’ve got his expression. Don’t really care about social status stuff. But this.. well it means I know your sisters...one rather well.”, he said trying to think how to say he’d been sleeping with her sister Elizabeth. The physical similarities now apparent to him it was starting to make some sense why he didn’t just call it off and kept bedding her instead. He knew being with Adder was out of the question. Not because of any of the reasons people might thing. But because she is one of his best mates and that was more valuable and not worth risking for more. “Are ya saying’ w’at Ah tink?”, she asked shaking her head. “If you’re thinking that Elizabeth, the one that instead of calling things off with I keep ending up in bed with, is your sister. Then yeah we are on the same page…”, Mason admitted.
“Jeeze, mate”, she sighed She wasn’t really sure how she should feel about this. But the one feeling she had was jealousy. She’d had it of Elizabeth from the first date he went on her. And now knowing that her younger sister was getting to go on dates with an share a bed with the man she wanted. “I didn’t know. If I had known she’s related to one of my mates I’d not even gone on one date let alone gone further.”, he tried to defend. “Yeah’...”, Adder frowned a little trying to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t want it to come out as jealousy. Even if it was. “Another reason to call it off.”, he shrugged. At least this time he hoped that if he went to call it off now seeing the similarities between the sisters he’d not just sleep with her again. It’d be a twisted way of sleeping with Adder and he just on principle couldn’t do that. “Oh Ah’ll bet t’at ends well.”, Adder rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t going to end well anyways. I don’t plan to tell her that I can’t see her on grounds that she’s the biological sister of my best mate/flatmate/personal body guard.”, he laughed a little.
“But anyways. So guess according to your birth certificate you’re Leah Mary Duckworth-Chad. To be official given who your biological parents are you’d be Lady Leah Mary Duckworth-Chad.”, he said with a smile. Adder made a face at the name. “Aw don’t want to be Leah? It’s a pretty name and at least better than your sisters. Elizabeth Lettice, Minna Evie and Viola Cecily.”, he chuckled. “Ah’d rat’er keep Adder if Ah can.”, she said shaking her head. “You can do that. Now that we have all this information we can get your name legally changed to whatever you like. And that’s what will go on payroll and be on your bank account and all your ids.”, Mason shrugged. “Ah like Adder better.”, she nodded. “So do I. But I keep rights to call you Leah in jest and generally in private to avoid explanation.”, he said packing up the folder. Adder laughed. “As long it’s only you w’o calls me t’at.”, she agreed. “Do you want to meet them? Laura and James I mean?”, he asked as they started up the stairs. “Fukkk no. T’ey didn’t want me so w’y would Ah want t’em. Don’t need t’em.”, she said with a snort. “Fair enough. You don’t need them. You’ve got me and Ashton and Tiffany of course.”, he said making sure to include Ashton and Tiffany. “We’re your family now Adder.”, he said walking out of the abbey with her. Adder smiled she finally had her past and could properly leave it in the past and just move forward to her future. Sure she might not be at Mason’s side how she’d like but she was still going to be with him and that’s what mattered in the end.