Date nights at the Starling house usually are a hotspot for hostility. Zombie hunters tend to date within certain circles, preferably with people that are still alive and aren't easy zombie bait.
Gideon Starling watched with a cold eye as his middle daughter came down the stairs in her best dress. The rest of the family had gone off to see a new movie together, so tonight he would be alone in the household. Juliet twirled around, making one last inspection of her clothes before bounding towards the door. She didn't see her dad in his usual chair until she nearly went out the front door. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him.
"You don't have to this cold dad." Juliet huffed with hands on her sides.
"I can and I will." Gideon replied. "Juliet. Do I have remind you…"
Juliet then finished his sentence by faking his voice. "…that dating a zombie is a stupid idea that usually ends with you without a neck?" Juliet waved it off. "Puh-leeze. I can handle any problem."
"Funny, my brother said the same thing." Gideon remarked.
"He's perfectly fine!" Juliet then reminded him. "Sure, he's a bit of leper…"
Gideon growled. Juliet went quiet.
"Do you got your compact chainsaw?" Gideon then asked to break the silence.
"Yes." Juliet dug into her jacket and retrieved a small box that could expand into a four-foot chainsaw. "I also got this…" She put back the box and pulled out an aerosol can with the logo 'Zom-B-Gone' out from the inside of her jacket. She shook it to show how full it was. "…and this…" Putting the can back, she then pulled out a small reflective disk. "Miniature flash bang, borrowed WITH permission from Cordelia…" She put it back and spread her arms. "Plus I can still kick ass with my bare hands if I need to." She then shrugged after seeing her father's dull expression. "Did I forget something?"
"No." He said while sighing wearily. "Just keep yourself safe tonight." He turned around, letting Juliet leave the house without any more interference. Just in time too; her date had just parked. Thank goodness, her date coming to the door would have ended badly.
"Hey babbyyy." Mariska waved from inside the car. She opened the passenger door for Juliet as she leapt in. Juliet leaned in and kissed Mariska on the cheek before the zombie girl drove off. "I guess your dad is letting up."
"Somewhat." Juliet shrugged. "He at least didn't give me the speech…this time."
"Don't worry baby." Mariska laid an arm around Juliet's shoulder. "I won't eat ya. At least…" She said with a mischievous smile. "Not the flesh…"
Sure, Mariska did try to sexualize Juliet and give her drugs, but Juliet could resist her quite easily. It was kinda part of the charm really. Mariska was the bad girl with the heart of gold, and Juliet wanted to redeem her.
And zombies are surprisingly good kissers. Mariska smelt good.