Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fast and Furious plots.
nurseygirl Summary: There are some work in progresses that I have been working on trying to get over writers-block. So far there are only two but I might add on to them. These are both AU stories all notes are in the stories. Notes: I have run these through a grammar checker and spell checker. I don't have a Beta so if you are interested let me know, it is just difficult to find someone who will proofread a Buffy/Riley story. I have combined the two fandoms Jesses' into one person, Buffy's Jesse.Work Text:
Title: Bets and Consequences.
Rating: T
Author: Brandy
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine.
A/N: Since I mess with back stories I add s little background work so the reader isn't confused about what is going on. You can skip to the story from here but you might be lost on who is who.
Summery: Jesse makes a bet with a consolation prize he really had no business putting up. The consequences could cost him his family.
Spoilers: Completely AU for the Buffyverse. Almost completely Au for the Fast and furious series, they like to race but nothing illegal (e.i. Robbing trucks and such) like in the movies.
Ages:
Dom 34
Brian 32
Letty 30
Mia 29
Roman 31
Vince 33
Johnny 31
Lance 28
Graham 23
Willow 20
Riley 23
Buffy 21
Xander 22
Cordelia 21
Jesse 22
Faith 20
Forrest 24
Back-story:
Dom is roughly ten years older than the others. Brian is about eight years older and Letty and Mia are about seven years older than the Buffy crew. Dom and Letty are known as Papa and Momma bear. Brian and Mia are Uncle and Aunty Bear.
Faith and Letty are sisters, Riley and Brian are cousins, Xander is Dom and Mia's cousin. Graham is Vince's half-brother. Roman and Forrest are brothers and they met the others through Romans friendship with Brian and Forests friendship with Riley. Forest followed Roman to Dom's garage one day and pretty much never left so Dom offered him a job. Willow is best friends with Xander, Jesse, and Buffy. Cordelia is Leon's sister. Jesse is a combination of both fandoms Jesses. Johnny Tran never caught Dom with his sister, cause Dom wouldn't cheat on Letty, he might flirt but he would never cheat. So the bad blood between Dom and Tran is over a bad business deal only. Lance Nguyen spotted Dom's crew at a race years earlier and fell hard for Willow, who has been with Graham since she was fifteen. Willow graduated early due to her high IQ, she started her freshman year of college at the age of sixteen. She is currently in her last year of tech school.
Story starts here:
Jesse had always done stupid things, all his life he was always messing up one way or another. None compared to what he had just done, however. As his car slowed at the finish line just behind the car of Lance Nguyen, Jesse groaned with dread.
He would never have made the bet had his girlfriend not been flirting with Lance and boasting about what a nicer ride Lance had than Jesse's own. So Jesse in all his boneheaded glory and jealousy had challenged Lance to a race. Which would have been fine had Jesse actually had the 10 grand that was the set buy in-amount around there for a race. He told Lance he didn't have the 10 grand but if Lance won he could have the car that his girlfriend so obviously hated. Lance shook his head, said the car wasn't worth the fuel it would take to win it.
So in what Jesse had thought was a smart move he had bet Lance that if Lance beat him in the race he would not only pay him the 10 grand in full with a 125% interest rate within the next two months and for each week that passed he would owe another 10 grand. If he failed to pay within the next two months should Lance win than Lance would get a consolation prize and the money come summer.
After hearing what the prize was Lance had agreed without hesitation. So with his friends and family sitting on the sidelines, none of them knowing the full price that was on the line Jesse and Lance had pulled up to the starting line and waited for the signal. Once that flag dropped, all that was heard was the squeal of tires and engines roaring as the two cars speed out.
Jesse thinking he had the lead and was close enough to the finish line hit his NOS and was pushed forward as the car was propelled by the extra boost of gas. Smiling Jesse was yards away from the finish line when Lance's car came speeding past him.
"NO!" he shouted out in horror as he realized that Lance had beat him.
After putting the car in park and leaning his head against the wheel so the impact of what he had done could really set in, Jesse felt like puking.
He was a dead man when the others found out what he did. They loved each other, they were family regardless of most of them not being blood. So this bet could cost him those that he loved.
A rap on the window had him looking up into the face of Faith Ortiz. She had a quizzical look on her face as she pointed to Lance who was leaning against the back of his car with a smirk on his stupid face.
Jesse slowly opened the door and climbed out. Faith was shaking her head and telling him he was kind of stupid for racing his car against the likes of Lances own suped-up machine.
"Hey, Jesse!" Lance called out from beside his cousin Johnny Tran.
"What!" he shouted at the other man.
"You have a week, if not the price goes up and the more you will owe. Though to be fair I kind of hope you pass the two-month deadline. That consolation prize is really the only thing I want so I will for sure collect on that." Lance replied with a laugh and climbed back into his car driving off.
Jesse groaned again and turned to look at his family. All of them had identical looks of confusion on their faces.
"What did you do?" Brian asked in a voice that held so much accusation that Jesse knew he would be in it dip if he voiced what happened.
"Something stupid, obviously." Cordelia voiced as she raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him.
As his family pressed him for more details about the bet that he had made with the other racer Jesse could only hear the last part of the bet in his Brian. The proverbial nail in his coffin.
"What's the consolation prize?" Lance had asked.
"My sister, Willow, for the entire summer." he had answered with dread in his tone.
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He kept lying to his family, told them he had taken care of the bet he had made with Lance some month and three weeks ago. Calling Lance one night to beg him to stop with the taunts about the bet when his family was around, after laughing at him Lance agreed. So the small reminders as Lance called them stopped when they were around any of Jesse's family, but when they were away Lance took pleasure in reminding Jesse just how much he would owe come the next week. The truth was Jesse had the money, he was a couple thousand short and he had promised to pay in full with interest. So each week he was just that much short of the full amount and he was starting to worry that he wouldn't be able to pay up without coming clean to someone about what he had done.
His could ask Vince for the money but that would backfire on him if Vince told the others about having to loan Jesse the money. Plus there was always the chance that Vince would tell his brother Graham who was Willows boyfriend and well there would be no way around that beat down.
His best bet would be Mia, she was the softhearted one of them, she would probably lecture him and then let Brian handle the beat-down. No those two were out of the question, and Dom and Letty were a defiant no go. They would beat him so bad his great great great grandkids would feel it, assuming he lived through the punishment long enough to have kids.
Jesse stopped and wondered if he could talk his brother, by thick friendship only, if he could borrow the money, but that wouldn't help. Xander, whom Jesse saw as his brother was Dom and Mia's cousin. Then the word would get back to them and Jesse would still be a dead man. Assuming Xander didn't kill him first.
No matter how he looked at it Jesse was in for a beating. He only had hours till the deadline and he was still short on the payoff. Throwing a wrench across the room nearly missing the car that Forrest was working on Jesse had never felt more like an idiot.
''Hey Jesse, whats up man.'' a voice spoke from behind him.
Jesse turned to find Riley standing there.
"I'm an idiot," Jesse told him with a sigh.
There was no way out of it, he was going to have to tell someone what he had done.
Shouting from outside the garage drew everyoneΓϼ├┤ΓË£├¯ΓË£├ïs attention.
"Where is he!" a womanΓϼ├┤ΓË£├¯ΓË£├ïs shouting voice carried from inside the Toretto home.
The back door swung open and Willow stormed down the steps. She stomped into the garage amid everyoneΓϼ├┤ΓË£├¯ΓË£├ïs questions and marched right up to Jesse. Reaching up she grabbed his ear and pulled him into the side room that Dom used as a washroom.
''Ow!'' he moaned as she twisted his ear while shoving him into the room. Snickering from the others followed him into the room.
''Tell me, you didn't.'' she demanded.
''Didn't what?" he asked rubbing his ear.
''Make a bet with Lance that you shouldn't have,'' she demand placing her hands on her hips, a definite sign that she was angry.
Jesse couldn't even reply. He was shocked she had come all this way from school just to yell at him.
"Relax I have this.'' he told her as he lightly shoved past her and back out into the garage where everyone had gathered.
Everyone was scattered around the garage.
"You have this?" Willow demanded as she followed him out of the small room.
Jesse closed his eyes and sighed. Willow had never been the one for dramatics but she was giving Cordelia a run for her drama queen crown at the moment.
''Yes I have this, Wills. How did you even hear about it?'' he asked turning back to her.
"Johnny Tran came and visited me. Kept asking for Toretto's redhead, which by the way would be a pretty cool name for a bar or grill Papa bear. Anyway, he got a little worried when he heard about you not paying on the bet. So I came home to talk to Lance myself.''
''Since when do you get involved in our bets?" Brian wanted to know.
It was common knowledge that Willow never got involved with the bets. Which is partly why most of the other racers respected her so much, she enjoyed the show but she never wanted to be in it.
''Didn't have a choose this time,'' she replied still looking at Jesse. ''Do you want to tell them or should I? If I know you as well as I think, then you told them you already paid the bet.''
"Look I have the money IΓϼ├┤ΓË£├¯ΓË£├ïm just short,'' Jesse said as he almost pleaded with her to not rat him out.
"Ok, hold on. Who do you owe money to Jesse?" riley asked as he looked at his friend.
"Lance.'' was the reluctant reply.
''How? You haven't raced Lance in two months.'' Forrest inquired.
"Still owe him from that race,'' Jesse muttered.
Oh, he was about to get yelled at, hit, and possibly killed. He glanced over at graham who had reached out and yanked Willow to him in a tight hug and kiss.
''Ok so clear this up for us. What did you do that was so bad that Johnny would go to Willow who was at school on the other side of the country, and why would Willow agree to get involved when she never had before.'' Dom wanted to know, though he had that gleam in him eye that said he had a pretty good idea about what the bet had been for.
Jesse looked at Willow, he wanted so bad to blame her for this but he couldn't, no this was of his own making.
''The day I raced Lance, I didn't have the full buy-in amount. I offered to race for pinks but he said my car wasn't worth the cost of fuel it would take to race. So I offered him something else.''
''What?" Letty asked, her own eyes cutting over to Willow with a knowing look in them.
''Look it was a stupid bet. I realized half-way through the race I never should have made it.''
''Was that before or after you hit the NOZ too soon?" Willow snapped at him, earning her a sharp look from her boyfriend, and everyone else.
"OK, I deserve that,'' Jesse replied.
"What did you bet Jesse,'' Xander spoke up.
''The 50 grand for the buy-in amount, plus 125% interest per week I am unable to pay and if I couldn't pay within the next two months he would receive a consolation prize. The deadline is tonight.''
''Which is why Johnny came to me. He was worried about the consolation prize stipulation. Just so you know I paid the debt." Willow supplied.
"Alright, but what is the consolation prize?" Mia asked.
Here it was the moment Jesse knew he was about to die. He glanced at Willow who just looked at him sadly.
''Not a what, it's a who,'' he told them. "I promised Lance he could have Willow for the whole summer.''
He had known it was coming but he was still unprepared for the power behind the blow when Graham flew past Willow and swung his fist into Jesse's face.
No-one moved to pull Graham off of him and he didn't defend himself. He knew he deserved every punch that was raining down on his face and probably more. After what seemed like hours but more likely wasn't even a full minute, Graham was pulled off of him.
"Gray calm down," Vince said to his brother.
"Don't tell me to calm down Vince." the normally level-headed man growled.
Without warning, Graham got loose of Vince's hold and launched himself at Jesse once more. There were a few well-placed punches to his throat that really hurt, and one to his left eye that would more than likely have him only being able to see out his right eye.
It felt like Graham's attack on him lasted hours before Jesse heard Dom and Brian saying to break it up has he felt the other man being pulled off of him. Dom had pushed Graham toward Willow who wrapped her arms around the enraged man's waist.
"How much?"Brian wanted to know, there was a venom in his voice.
"Two thousand is how much I was short. Then something came up and I only have half of what I owe him now. "Jesse groaned out as he was hauled up and threw against the work shelve.
"What came up? What was more important than paying off a debt that could keep our sister from being Lances sex-slave, cause you know that what ever he has planned for her is not PG rated."Xander spat out as he stepped forward.
"Hey what's going on?"a voice said from behind everyone.
They all turned to look at the driveway and there stood Candace Hamilton.
Candace was a neighborhood girl that was known to go from guy to guy but not before she ended up spending every dime the guy she was with had. She and Willow had never gotten along because Willow had always called her out on any of her attempts to hook up with any of their group. When she went away to school the other girls had taken up the job.
"No."Letty growled out.
Candace walked over to Jesse and Brian shoving Brian out of the way.
"No."Mia echoed Letty's disbelief.
"Baby, are you alright?"Candace cooed as she ran her hands over Jesse's battered face.
Cordelia who had been watching the other girl like a Hawk stalked up to her grabbing the unsuspecting woman's left and hand yanking it toward her face.
"$200,000.00 retail."the brunette said holding up Candace's hand to show off the ring that sat sparkling on her ring finger.
"I love the tiny little jeweler that lives in your girls Brian, man,"Roman said with a small laugh.
"No."Buffy huffed out in shock at Candace.
"When..."Forrest started in confusion.
"We started dating three months ago. He proposed three weeks ago."Candace told them with a scoff.
At the other woman's announcement Willow had disentangled herself from Graham and walked over to Jesse. She had a very strong intuition of just where that money had come from.
"Jess?"she whispered looking into his eyes and saw the confirmation there.
Without warning Willows fist flew up and into Jesse's face knocking him to the ground.
"You..."Candace started.
"Don't you even start with me, I just punched my brother, someone I love. I hate you so what the hell do you think I will do to you?"Willow growled at the other women.
"THAT is my fiancee!"Candace shouted at the redhead slapping, Willow.
"THAT is your current boy toy! You don't love him. You are incapable of loving anyone other than yourself you embeddable whore."Willow shouted back at the bleach blonde woman.
With a growl Candace tackled Willow to the ground and with a yelp of 'chick fight!' from Roman the two woman were rolling on the ground. Candace was pulling Willows hair as Willow was legit punching Candace in the face so hard that there was already blood pooling from the blonde's nose and mouth.
Jesse who had finally climbed to his feet and looked at the two woman fighting to Graham who still looked like he wanted to kill Jesse. They came to a silent agreement and they moved forward and each grabbed their respective girlfriend.
"Come on babe,"Jesse muttered as he pulled Candace off of Willow.
There was a slight hint of pride behind his eyes as he saw even though Candace had been the one on top it had been Willow who had done the most damage. A trip to the ER looked like it was in order for Candace and Jesse.
Willow's hair had been pulled from the ponytail it had been in and there was scratches on her face were it looked like Candace had tried to claw her face but it wasn't too bad.
Jesse dragged Candace past everyone and down the drive as Willow was pulled from the ground and into Graham's arms.
Graham grabbed her lightly by the face and looked her over.
Letty had gone to the shelve and pulled out the emergency kit.
"Did I win?"Willow asked looking up at him.
His eyebrow went up and the smile on his face was beaming with pride.
"You're a little hellcat, aren't you?"Brian said with a laugh.
"Imagine what she's like when they are..."
"Forrest,"Graham growled out with a warning in his voice his head turned so his narrowed blue eyes were focused on his friend.
Everyone chuckled, they knew exactly what Forrest was about to say. Dom walked over to Willow and Graham, he took Willows chin in his hand and started at the scratches on her face.
"Well, you don't need an ER and Candace does so yes, I would say you won."the bald man said with a chuckle.
"Yay, me!" Willow exclaimed with a bright smile.
"Ok, let us get you cleaned up, you can celebrate your victory later," Letty said as she grabbed the first aid kit off the shelve in the garage.
"It was my first fight, and I WON." Willow retorted while raising her arms in victory over her head.
"We are very proud of you, now come on. Let us get you cleaned up." Mia said with a chuckle as she grabbed Willow by the arm and led her toward the house.
Graham watched as the girls led Willow into the house. As the door slammed shut behind the ladies Graham started to his car.
"Where are you going, man?" Xander called out to him.
"I have some unfinished business with your brother!" was the reply before the other man got into his car and sped off.
The remaining group of men shared a look before Brian ran off to his own car.
"I'm no it." he called back to them before he shut his door and took off after Graham.
"What are the odds that Brian is going to stop him before he does any real damage to Jesse?" Leon asked.
"Pretty good chances, but knowing Bri he will probably let Gray get a few more punches in before he stops it," Forest said.
"Lets go check on the girls," Vince suggested.
They found the women in the living-room sitting on the sofa.
"So what are we going to do about Jess?" Buffy asked.
"Nothing. Let it go. I paid the stupid debt." Willow told them.
The men all exchanged a look.
"Um, I think Gray might have a different agenda." Riley supplied looking around at the guys.
"Where is Gray, and Brian for that matter?" Faith asked looking past the guys.
"Well, about that." Xander started.
"Gray went after Jess didn't he?" Willow wanted to know running a hand through her hair.
"Yeah, but Bri went after Gray," Dom told her.
Willow nodded, she knew that Brian would keep her boyfriend from killing her brother. A yawn wreaked through her body as Jet-lag finally overtook her system.
"Go get some rest Wills, you must be exhausted from the flight and your in-ring debut." Faith spoke up.
"I think that is a great idea. I'm going to go crash in Grays room. Wake me if you need help with dinner." Willow said as she hugged Buffy before walking down the hall to the add-on room that had been turned into Graham's bedroom.
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The car sped through the light narrowly missing the car that was coming from the right.
"He is going to kill himself, just so he can kill his girlfriend's brother," Brian muttered as he watched the driver of the bystander's car flip the bird out of the window at Graham's taillights.
Pulling out his cell phone he dialed Jesse's number.
"Brian, aren't you mad at me too?"
"Listen, I think what you did was a douche move and you deserved that beat down at the house, however, Graham is on his way to continue it and you might not walk away this time." Brain informed him as the light turned green and he slammed his foot on the brake hoping to catch up to Graham.
"I would deserve it. I shouldn't have done it, but I really honestly thought I could beat him in that race." Jesse told him and he sounded like the lost little boy he had been when Brain first met him.
"I'm about four minutes from the hospital, I caught a red-light, Gray had sped through it, try and not let him kill you before I get there." Brain said before hanging up and pressing his foot on the gas more.
He knew that not even hospital security could keep Graham off of Jess if he was angry. As the hospital came into view he saw Graham's car pulled up on the grass in by the entrance.
"An angry Graham is like the Hulk, no sense just Smash," Brian muttered as he parked his own car in a parking spot and ran toward the doors.
He heard the panicked screams and shouts before he even saw anyone. Making his way to the waiting room he saw Graham and Jesse on the floor much like they had been at the house, except, this time, Jesse was defending himself. Brain saw the hospital security have their weapons trained on Graham.
"Freeze!" one of the guards shouted.
"Stop!" Brian yelled at the guard.
Brian was slowly making his way to the pair fighting on the ground.
"Brian makes this stop, he is hurting my Jess," Candace whined at him with a pout.
Brian had to give it to the girl, she seemed genuinely upset right now, though that could be because she had an audience. Choosing to ignore her Brian focused on the dueling pair on the floor.
"Gray, stop! You need to calm down man," he said slowly easing his way toward the fight.
He saw that a lot of the other patients were huddling along the walls trying to stay out of the way of the scuffle.
"No!" Graham growled out as he slammed his fist into Jesse's face.
Brian was not looking forward to getting into the middle of them.
"Yes, Gray you need to stop. Look you're scaring the kids," he said trying to get Graham to see that there were children in the room witnessing this whole ordeal.
"Make this stop Brian!" Candace cried again.
"I'm trying," Brian told her as he kept his eyes on the two men he considered family.
Graham wasn't paying an attention to Brian, his focus was on the man under him as he continued to hit him.
"Graham! This is not what Willow would want you to do. Stop and think about it man, she was mad, yes but she let Jess walk away from the house. She still loves her brother, man." he tried again.
"Shut up, Bri," Graham growled as he punched Jess again.
"Brian stop him!" Candace screeched.
"I am." Brian snapped at the irritating woman.
Brian gave a sigh before throwing himself at the pair on the ground and knocking Graham to the side of Jesse. Graham swung up at him and Brian fell to the left and half on Jesse.
Jesse pulled himself from under and flung himself at Graham.
"Oh come on! I just got him off of you!" Brian groaned in exasperation as he climbed to his feet.
It was another three minutes before the fight broke up when Jesse and Graham both fell to the floor in exhaustion. Brian was lying on the ground between them as he had dove back into the fray in order to keep a little order.
"I hurt all over." Graham groaned.
"Serves you right." Jesse moaned wiping the blood that was pouring from his nose. "Dude I think my nose is broken."
"I hate both of you right now. I'm too old for this." Brian uttered as he looked up at the ceiling tiles.
"We love you Uncle Bear." the two younger men chanted at him before they busted out laughing.
"God, you are all three morons," Candace said with a shocked voice.
"Yeah, but we will grow out of it, eventually," Jesse said with a laugh as he climbed up into a chair.
"How's your face?" Brian asked as he pulled himself into the chair next to him.
"Hurts pretty bad. How's your hands, Gray?" Jesse asked the third fight participant.
"It looks pretty gnarly. I think I broke a finger on Brian's stupid face." Graham said holding up his hands and showing them a finger that looked like it was bent all the way back.
"Mia doesn't think my face is stupid," Brian said in defense.
"That girl needs to get her eyes checked then." Jesse retorted.
"She's just being nice," Graham told Brian.
"Shut up, both of you idiots." Brain scoffed crossing his arms across his chest with a pout on his face.
Graham and Jesse started laughing at Brian. None of them were paying any attention to the doorway until someone cleared their throat.
"Well, I was just gonna make sure you weren't arrested but you three look like you need a doctor." the newcomer said with a shake of the head.
"Gray started it." Jesse proclaimed.
"No, you did when you agreed to that stupid bet." the newcomer said as they made their way into the room.
"Ok, fine it was all my fault." Jesse amended.
"Well, at least you finally took responsibility. Now, you and I have an issue." the newcomer said just before punching Jesse in the face.
Jesse grabbed the armrests of the chair as he felt himself lift up out of the chair a little.
"Xander, what the hell man?" Jesse yelled as he looked up at his brother.
"You used our sister as a pawn in a bet, what did you think that Wills and Gray were going to be the only ones to be mad at you?" Xander wanted to know as he took the seat on the other side of Jesse.
"Yes! They are the only ones that it should have bothered." Jesse muttered as he wiped the blood from his nose that was once again bleeding.
"Wrong! She's my sister too you dunce." Xander shouted at him slamming a hand down on the arm of the chair scaring a lot of people.
"What's going on at the house?" Brian asked trying to calm the younger man down.
"Oh, they were cooking dinner when I left," Xander said with a shrug.
"Willow was cooking? The only time she should be near a kitchen is when she's making cookies. Were there cookies being made?" Brian asked perking up at the thought of the delectable baked goods that Willow was known to make for bake sales.
"No, she was sleeping when I left. I guess the jet-lag and her fight with Mrs. Dunce over there wore her out."
"Shut up Xander, you idiot." Candace snapped at him.
"What did you just say?" a new voice spoke from the doorway.
Once again attention was turned to the entrance of the room and there stood not one but two newcomers.
"Pretty sure I heard her call him an idiot." she the older of the two brunettes that stood in the entry way.
"Babe?" Brain and Xander both spoke.
Cordelia and Mia walked over to their respective boyfriends all the while glaring at Candace.
"Whoa, you look like crap, babe," Mia said looking down at Brians' face.
"Gee, that's sweet of you." Brain muttered in return as Graham and Jesse started to laugh.
"Told you, she was just being nice." Graham chuckled before groaning as a sharp pain shot through his ribs.
"Ow, but so funny," Jesse said as he doubles over in pain.
"Ok that's it, you three need medical attention, mainly you two," Cordelia spoke up, aiming the last of her statement at Graham and Jesse, as she marched out of the room and to the nurse's admittance station.
"Fine, but they are going to have to come in here and take my vitals cause I can't move." Jesse agreed as he slumped low in his chair.
"Second," Brian spoke as he mimicked Jesses move.
"Third," Graham said as he just laid his head against the wall as his chair was against it.
"I do not envy those admittance nurses." Mia laughed as she heard Cordelia's voice raise in volume.
"And you want to marry that," Jesse said turning to look at Xander.
"What?" was the reply from Brain, Mia, and Graham.
"Yes, I do," Xander said with a proud smile on his face.
"Talk, now little cousin," Mia demanded getting up and glaring at him.
"What? Oh, come on Mi. I have been with her since we were sixteen. You had to of known that I was going to marry her eventually."
"Well I had hoped but I didn't think you were considering it yet. How far ahead have you thought about this?"
"Thought about what?" Cordelia asked coming back into the room.
"Nothing." Mia, Brian, Jesse, and Graham said as one.
"Our engagement," Xander spoke up like it wasn't a big deal.
"Oh, you finally told them? Does that mean I can now show off my pretty sparkly ring?" Cordelia asked with enthusiasm.
"You're already engaged? When did that happen?" Jesse pouted.
"A few weeks ago," Xander said with another shrug.
"How in the hell did Cor manage to not spill the beans for a few weeks?" Brian wanted to know silently applauding the girl's ability to control her mouth.
"That explains all the extra make out sessions you two have been having. You have been shoving your tongue in her mouth to keep her from telling about it." Graham muttered from his seat.
"Pretty much," Cordelia confirmed as she sat down on Xander's lap.
"Now, that is a strategy that should be employed by everyone," Brian said with a laugh.
A nurse came in and called Jesse to triage. Before he walked out of the room he turned back to the group.
"Hey, guys? I know I have to earn back everyone's trust but are we cool for now?" he asked looking at the people he considered his family.
"Still too early for that verdict," Mia spoke for them.
"You got a long way to earn that trust back," Xander said with a shrug.
Everyone looked at Graham, who had never moved his head from against the wall with his eyes closed.
"Gray?" Jesse asked tentatively.
"I hate you, probably will for a long time, but who knows I might get over it in the future." the other man said never opening his eyes.
Jesse nodded and followed the nurse.
"Well since you two are now in opposite rooms, we are going to head home," Xander said to Graham as he stood up taking his fiancee with him.
"I am gonna stay, make sure they are okay," Brian said as he kissed Mia goodbye.
"Don't tell Willow about this. Please?" Graham requested as he looked over at them.
"Nope, not gonna be the one to tell her you tried to kill our brother in the E.R. waiting room." Xander snorted.
A second nurse came in the room and had Graham follow her.
"See you back at home guys," Brian told them as the trio left.
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The bed dipped down and she could smell his aftershave.
As the bed stopped moving and she felt the warm body next to hers, she moved closer to him.
He wrapped his arms around her.
"Is my brother still alive?" she wanted to know.
His body tightened up as she felt him take a breath.
"Yeah, Brian wouldn't let me kill him."
"Good, even if what he did was a jackass move, I am still attached to him." she muttered sleepily.
"You forgive him for it?" he asked looking down at her face, luckily her eyes were closed or she would have freaked out over the bruises on his face.
"Not yet, give me a few days and I will think about it again. Now, shhh. It's sleepy time." she said she snuggled closer to him.
With a chuckle, he held her tighter and breathed in her scent of sweet pea and lavender.
"I love you." he muttered before drifting off to sleep.
TBC? I feel like this is a one-shot but I might continue it.
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