Chapter One:
(3rd Person POV)
The city of Sunnydale had been saved, or er... destroyed while the rest of the world was saved from the Original Evil. None of them really felt any different, except they all felt a since of relief, new beginning, and new terror as they knew what needed to happen next. Just because the town had been reduced to rubble in the fight, did not mean that darkness was not everywhere. Or that the Hellmouth had been destroyed. Let's face it, a Hellmouth is like a Mountain. They're all over, and while sometimes doormat always dangerous and hungry. One thing was for sure, nothing was ever going to be the same again.
Welcome to Sunnydale! Yeah right...
There was an omniscient light that went over all the Earth and scattered to every female from age 10 to 19. It surrounded them and made them all a Slayer. Within the world darkness had formed, and within each generation there was a Slayer. None of us were prepared for what that would mean. Two girls-I mean: women were chosen as they slept that night.
(Ren's POV)
With a long and full yawn I stretched in my bed. As my hands came back one of them had snatched my cell phone. I turned on it's little screen to see some notifications, and one of them was a text. "You have to come over, meet me at Bronze", said the text message. I didn't think anything of it as I got out of bed. I felt lighter, and different, but not in a real way I could explain by words. It was good, confusing, and weird.
I opened up my closet and sank back at the lack of clothing. "All well", I said with a shrug grabbing a tank top and some jeans. I pulled a solid colored T over the tank, and shoved my feet into some well worn sneakers before brushing my teeth. Downstairs, looking around at the partially messy house I shrugged. "Meh", I don't need food. Besides, I am not even hungry despite the sparking pain that dully aches in my stomach.
Purse, check. Keys, check. I.D. Card, triple check. Money, check. Then sun took a moment to adjust to as I stepped outside and locked the front door of my house. The air was warm, and thankfully not muggy. My pale and freckled skin liked the feel of the sun once in awhile despite the rashes I always got from it. I looked to the side. Yep, Mom's car was gone. Good. I could have friends over, more importantly a boy if I so chose. Nay. I don't really have a guy in my life, and I guess that's okay. It's better than Uncle Xander and his escapades with various demon women who either want to use him or love him. See, there's an upside to everything!
I thought about the story of how all girls are now chosen Slayers, and the all the sacrifices my family had made to save the world. Everything they have been through, and will continue to suffer through until they die. It made me proud, and sad at the time. With a buzzing in my back pocket I pulled out my cell phone and answered the phone call. "Hello"? "Hey sweetie"! "...Hi Mom... er.. Dad? I am still trying to figure that out", "Either just Kendall or Father. We both know Willow is so the Mother; Anyway. Did you make sure to eat before leaving for school"? No. "Yes, of course", I said with an eye roll. "Good, and make sure you have a weapon on hand just in case. Have a good day hun", Kendall said hanging up. I shook my head slightly as I put the phone back in one of the butt pockets of my jeans. My mother, Willow took a daring choice when she decided she wanted to raise a child with her new and lover. Using Magic and the passion they share she had managed to get pregnant, and with me. 19 years later here we are, and here we will probably stay.
I felt a shift in my bag and scrunched my face. What was that? Then my phone went off with a text. I pulled the phone back out and read, "I just want to make sure you're all set. Have fun"! Said the message from my Mother. Don't tell me she... I opened my bag and found a knife and wooden stake in my purse. Great...
Onward I walked through street and sidewalk. I graduated from Sunnydale High with my GED, which almost got eaten by a ravenous pack of risen dead wolves that someone pulled as a "prank". Haha.. Funny.. NOT. I thumbed the ribbon that came from my GED in my hands as I walked. It helped me feel safe as I left the house. I don't really like traveling alone, and I hate getting attacked by demons even more. So naturally I just don't leave home much. I go to college online, and have an online job as a live chat assistant for tech support. However it is okay to get out now and then, and I even like it sometimes.
The Bronze was a cool little night club, but I sometimes broke in during the day when they were closed and empty. Like right now. I was using my knife and a hair pin to attempt to unlock a door. When that obviously wasn't working I just busted the window lock and climbed up on the trash bin. Then maneuvered into the window and inside the Bronze. Chairs were on the tables, and everything was clean and empty at the moment. I took a whole table of chairs down and put my purse down there. Then I went to the counter. A drink sounded really nice. Not an... Okay yeah an alcoholic beverage. Beer from the tap, straight, simple, and pure.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You know your Mother would freak if she knew", said a smooth and deep feminine voice. I jumped and sprayed beer on the counter as I put the nozzle away. "Shit, Dawn you can't do that"! I said panting with fleeting relief. Dawn, NOT to be mistaken for Buffy's little sister. Oh no. The key... she died. It hurt everyone deeply, but none more so than Buffy herself. To this day you can see the distance in her eyes when she looks at her daughter, Dawn Summers named in honor of her little sister. A Slayer pregnant? What? THE Slayer pregnant? No way? …. Yes way, and a very complicated way. Dawn in her existence breaks all the rules. Slayers are supposed to... well... slay demons right? Well who would have figured that while having sex with a demon she loved with every fiber of her being, that they would carry a seed in their dead sperm that would light life inside of her. No one would have figured! And yet, here she is.
"Haha. Who else do you think would be here"? She asked as I laughed almost hysterically. "Okay, I didn't think it was THAT funny", she told me with a smile and faint laugh. She came forward slowly and I crossed the room to give her a nice hug. "How did you get here? Sun out and all", "Oh, that? No big. I am beyond dead remember?", "Oh, uh Okay", I said not really understanding still to this day. I don't really know that anyone does. "Do you uh, want one"? I asked Dawn holding a pint of bubbly fresh beer. She crinkled her nose in disgust and shook her head. "No thanks. I don't want any of that, but I will take some virgin sex", she said with a wink and wink. "Yeah you would", I teased sticking out my tongue. "Says the non-virgin", she teased right back sitting at the table. I shook my head laughing with embarrassment as I made the drinks and sat down at the table across from her.
"How has your summer been? Any jobs yet"? "No. Nothing yet, but having a wicked good summer", she said with a smile sipping on the drink. "Mmm... fruitt", she said. "What about you"? "Well", I said with a sigh. I sat back in the chair thinking deeply about the answer to that question. I began by telling her about how something unexpected and super secret had happened that no one in the family was to know about. About how...
(Flash Back)
I was on the couch playing on my PS3 when I heard the front door open. "Hey Mom, what's for dinner"? I called over as I pushed buttons and shot at things on the tele. "Heh, getting my eye popped and saving the world, and what is the world doing? Playing make believe rather making believe", said the gruff voice. "Xander"! I said startled with a hot and red face. He just laughed softly as he took his jacket off and sat down next to me. "Yeah, just me Kiddo. Oh, I forgot to tell you that the Willster and her mate are going out for the weekend", "So that's the real reason you're here", I said shirking and suddenly unamused by his visit. "Do you want to go out and eat, or pizza"? I shrugged my shoulders. "Eating out it is. Go get dressed", he said and touched my shoulder and smiling. That was odd, he didn't normally do that. He winked at me as I turned to go upstairs to my room. There I quietly changed into leather pants, a lacey tank, and Buffy's old red leather jacket that had a funny orange like red patch from where a demon had cut it trying to kill her once.
He ended up taking me to the Bronze, and ordered me a bunch of snacks. A big pretzel with cheese, and a hot dog with sour crout and mustard on it. They were good and filling and the natural flirtatious air was heavy and hung heavy in the air as he drank and talked to people randomly in the room. Mostly girls who scoffed and left him there looking like a sore loser. That kind of made me feel bad for him. Everything that he has done, and everything that he has been through. Saving the world over and over, getting dumped and used, and never having the one person he always loved, including someone he grew to love deeply die. And another feeling began to fill in my chest. A confusing, scary, and overwhelming one. An inappropriate and so wrong attraction.
I threw my trash away and got up slowly. I didn't want him to look like a loser, and I wanted the other girls in the room to know it. My hips swayed in a way I had not felt before and his face turned many different ways in thought as I came near. He was obviously clueless as to what my intentions were as I trailed a finger over his chest and took his hand. What Mother and Auntie B don't know can't hurt right? I had lead him into the middle of the room while the band played and I began to dance on him. Xander was stiff, confused, baffled, and looked around the room. No Will, No Buff, Okay... As I rolled my hips and danced he very slowly seemed to relax. His whole face grew deep red with embarrassment and a look of regret he knew he would feel later as he moved with me. I smiled. I could feel him dancing with me, growing hot, and that was something I wasn't expecting that made me blush as I rolled my hips and flipped my hair a little. "No one gets to make a loser out of the great Xand", I said softly in his ear. He smiled and took my hand as a slow dance came to tune. "Thank you", he said to me as he danced close and slow. This time it wasn't dirty or naughty. It was slow, real, and nice. We did that until the place had closed for the night and he was to take me home.
In a dark alley we heard a rustle. We both jumped, being on our guard. We were expecting a vampire, or any other kind of demon as a mangy looking little kitten padded from the darkness. "Oh", I said loosening my stance. Xander just let out a laugh and pointed at the cat. "Fool me once", he said.
Back at home things felt funny and out of sorts as I sat down and turned on the gaming station. He was upstairs taking a shower, and then something stirred inside me as I thought of him in ways I never imagined I would have in my lifetime. Wet. Naked. Scars. Wanting to touch the scars and kiss them, like tenderly, hotly covering each deep pain that left their mark of his history and story. No. No! "Ugh"! I put everything away and decided I should just go to bed. I took off my clothes until I was in just my bra and underwear. Then I unclipped my bra when I heard the shower cut off. This tense sharpness sparked and surged in my chest and down the rest of me. I quickly threw everything into a pile and put on a see through night gown that ended at my butt and climbed into bed.
The lights were out, and it was quiet. I listened. With my eyes closed. I could hear him stepping out of the shower, and drying off with the towel as I pictured what that would look like. His bare chest and wet muscles, and … the happy trail which I have seen glimpses of before. I grabbed my other pillow, put to my face, and screamed into it. Why was this happening!? I had NEVER felt like his before, and why did I care so much?
"Hey Kiddo, you out for the night"? He asked at my door a little later. "Uh.. yeah but you don't wanna come in", I told him. That was obviously the wrong thing to tell him. He opened the door and turned on the light, looking around with concern. "Are you okay"? Then he saw me, laying on the bed, naked in lingerie... His whole face turned red and he covered his eyes stumbling backwards. "Oh God! Renee"! He shouted with the intense amount of surprise that I felt. "Wait, Xander"! Too late. He tripped and fell, hitting his head. Without thinking I rushed to his side and touched his head. "Oh, Xander I told you, you didn't wanna do that", I said softly. "I..I will be fine", he said with a shaky voice as he reached out to gently push me away. His hand froze, and his body stiffened as did mine. "Oh God. Is that.. what I think it is"? "If it feels warm, soft, round, and is a little hard... yes that would by my"~ "Oh God"! He jerked back and I jumped back rushing back into my bed. "This never happened. This.. this didn't happen", he said slowly walking out of my room and closing the door.
(Flash Back End)
"Wow", said Dawn with her eyes wide in surprise. "That... that's just... whew...", she said giving off a long whistle. "Yeah, and so besides that my summer has been normal. With school and work", I added stirring my foamy beer around. "That is just... weird", "yeah and I am glad that things didn't go any farther", "Me too", we agreed with a smile. Then we heard the window I had opened to get in break. Something had come crashing through! We both jumped up to go look at it. It was a break, with no writing. I heard fleeing laughter. "Fucking kids"! Growled Dawn with the little roar of a vampire in her chest as she shook her fist. "We should go now before we are the only ones seen here", I told her. "Good idea".
