Chapter One: Day One--Attempt # 1

Kennedy stood outside her apartment building, with her arms crossed, as she waited for her sister to arrive, so they could head off to the club that they had been invited to for the night. She hadn't really dressed up, because she figured that it wouldn't be that type of party, so she wore a pair of jeans and a nice enough shirt, with a black blazer. It was a comfortable outfit, which was good, because she needed to make sure that if anything were to go wrong, there would be no wardrobe malfunction that would prevent her from leaving….or getting Lara out of some random situation she was bound to get into. The girl was smart, and nice, but her social skills had a habit of being a bit off. She was a klutz who had a habit of saying things before she really thought it all through, especially when she was never--Yes, Kennedy definitely felt she needed to be comfortable.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone to see what time it was, and sighed in frustration, 'Why can't she make my life easier, for once?' she wondered. The door to the building opened and Daphne stepped out, wearing small shorts, a t-shirt, with a small white jacket, and fur covered boots, making Kennedy frown even more, "What the fuck are you wearing, and why do you own boots like that?"

"I like them," she huffed, "Asshole."

"Right back at you," they stood in silence for a moment, and then Kennedy groaned, "Where is she? For once, we're actually going somewhere together that doesn't involve me having to talk to her bitch of a mother, and she's late? What the hell?"

Daphne laughed, "Maybe she's having issues picking out what she's going to where. Or," she turned her head slightly, "maybe she's having trouble sneaking out of the school, because she's not supposed to leave the grounds. It could be that--"

"It could be that," Kennedy laughed, "But, could she not call me and be like--by the way sis, since she has a habit of calling me that lately…I'm going to be extremely late, and possibly completely throw you off your game."

"Is it possible, Kennedy being thrown off her game? No," she said, sarcastically, "What kind of game are you playing tonight, exactly? Will I need to put some ear plugs in when I go to bed tonight, so I won't hear your artful skills getting one of those scanks you bring around to scream your name at three in the morning?" her best friend just laughed, which in turn made her laugh, "Yeah well, I guess I should be used to that by now…though it has been a bit quiet lately, don't you think? Are you finally starting to slow down a bit?"

She shrugged, "Nah, I'm just looking for new options, is all."

"I guess it would be hard to find something new in a town you've seen every square inch of," she scooted closer to her, "Why the hell is it so cold outside, and how are you not shaking your ass off?"

"I'm not half naked, for one thing," rolling her eyes, she took off her jacket, and put it around her best friend's shoulders, "Plus that jacket you have on is as good as a holey shirt. Whereas I have warm clothes on, and don't look like a hooker--Your street name wouldn't happen to be Trixie, would it?"

Daphne gasped, sarcastically, "How'd you know?" she asked, "Is my pimp selling me to this side of the totem pole, now?"

"Please, you'd come willingly," Daphne slapped her on the arm, "Hey watch it, we don't want some cop thinking I'm your pimp, and we're having some sort of disagreement, now do we?" she looked at her phone again, "Man, I'm going to kill her when she gets here,"A car drove up in front of them--one that was even more expensive than any car Kennedy had every bought, or been given, since that was how she ended up with most of her expensive items, "My God," she said, with a dropped jaw, "There's a Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster in front of me," she said, naming the silver car, "It can't be--"

"Oh, but it is," Daphne said, also with her mouth hanging open, "She told me he got a new car…but I wasn't expecting this."

Kennedy shook her head, "This just can't be happening," the door on the passenger door of the car opened, "My eighteen year old sister's boyfriend has a cooler car than me--What has the world come to?"

"I don't think you've noticed your sister, yet," Daphne said, as Lara stepped out of the car, wearing a miniskirt, and a black tank, "Or you'd be a little bit more on edge--You know, I'm not one to usually notice these things, just because I've closed my eyes to the universe, but your sister--"

"Finish that sentence and you will be going apartment hunting tomorrow, with your lack of cash flow," Kennedy warned.

Daphne nodded, "Okay."

Lara smiled at Daphne and her sister, "Hey, guys--Oh," she turned back to the car, and leaned her head in, saying a few words.

"She's really not used to those," Daphne commented, after seeing how Lara carelessly bent over, without even considering that she might be giving them an unwanted view. She looked over to Kennedy, who had her eyes shut tight, "That's mature of you."

"You better not be looking," she said, keeping her eyes closed.

Once she had finished saying by to her boyfriend, who remained in the car, at her request, she closed the car door, and headed over to the two women, "Hey, guys, sorry I'm late. There was all this traffic, and Graham was asking all these weird questions--Why are you all dressed like that? Are you sure you're just going to hang out with your sister?"

Daphne nodded, "Those are reasonable questions, considering how you usually dress."

Kennedy looked her sister over, with a frown, "I'm actually missing those mathlete shirts at the moment--I think you left one here last time, why don't we just run upstairs, and do a little last minute changing, like Daphne always does before she goes out…or even to the grocery store."

"I could meet my soul mate in the grocery store--If I were looking, of course, " she added.

Lara gave Daphne a quick hug, "Okay, Daph, we have to go," she saw Kennedy open her mouth to say something, "We're already late, sis, there's no time to change, so let's just go. Which car are we taking--Yours or Daphne's? Daphne's looks less expensive, which could be good for us."

"I'm offended by that," the blonde said, as she handed Kennedy the jacket she had let her borrow, "Sadly, Daphne has no gas, seeing that I have not had a job in about three weeks. Job searching is hard, did I mention that?"

The two sister's rolled their eyes, "Only a million times."

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"Okay," she put the car in park, and then turned it off, before turning to her sister, who had been fixing her skirt the whole way there, "I don't know why you decided to get all," she gestured out her outfit, "but, I do know that no matter what your intentions were, you better call them off," she looked over at the club, which looked pretty new, "This is not the time to go off experimenting."

Lara laughed, "First of all there were no intentions of anything. I just thought I'd try to look a little different than usual, and since my roommate, who is never actually in our room, stocks up on these types of clothes, I decided to take advantage of my recourses. Secondly, I go to a school that is an all girls school every day of the week, except for on the weekends, when things are suddenly coed--hints Graham, who I'm totally in a monogamous relationship with…what was my point?" she paused, "Oh, yeah--If I were going to any sort of experimenting, I'm pretty sure I could do that at school. Plus," she took off her seatbelt, and opened the car door, "I'm very secure in my bisexuality."

Kennedy laughed, as she too got out of the car, "I've so heard that one before."

"What is up with you full pledged lesbians always judging us bisexuals?" she asked, rolling her eyes, "Be glad that you're my sister, or I might have to pull out some hardcore facts about the fact that all people are attracted to--"

"Not the time, Lara," she took a deep breath, as she began to walk towards the club, making sure that she was in the right mode. All thought had to be focused on one things, without any distractions, or outside emotions. Lara being there was already going to 'cause an issue, so everything else needed to either be there completely, or as if it never existed in the first place.

Lara looked over at her sister, noticing a certain seriousness in her eyes, "Are you doing some kind of mind routine, right now, 'cause you've got this weird look in your eyes. If you're worried about me getting in the way of whatever you're here to do, you shouldn't be--I will not get in your way. Don't worry about me, tonight."

"You know…" she trailed off for a moment, while looking over at her sister. At that moment, she didn't see that annoying girl, "sometimes, you're not so bad."

"Wow," she put her hand over her heart, "That is the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Now," she grabbed Kennedy's arm, "Let's go, we're late."

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At a table in the loud club, full of loud eighteen through twenty-three year olds, minus a few of the staff, Willow and Buffy sat, staring out at everyone. After being convinced to dance, Willow was ready to head home, and go to bed for the night. She was tired, and the place seemed louder than usual. Not to mention the fact that a certain someone had yet to show up, like Dawn had said she would.

She leaned over towards Buffy, "I think I'm gonna leave soon," she yelled.

Buffy frowned, "What? Why?"

"Because I'm tired, and I didn't want to come in the first place," she answered. Her best friend gave her a look, "What? What is that face that you're making right now?"

"Well," the slayer began, "I'm thinking that your reason for coming has not showed up, and now you want to go back to the school and down yourself in ice-cream, over a non-rejection rejection," she paused, confused by her own words, "Will, you can't not date for the rest of your life. I haven't seen you look at anyone the way that you looked at this woman, in a very long time. She could be nice."

"She could be a lot of other things that aren't nice. I know that you guys are just doing what friends do, but I'm really fine with being single. I'm a busy woman these days, anyways. How do you know I'll even have time for a relationship--Why am I even thinking that far ahead?"

Buffy smiled, "Because that's what you want…a relationship. And, we both know you would make time, even if it's not with this hot mamma you were staring at, earlier," she put her hand on top of her friends, "I'm thinking that we should go out tomorrow, to a more grownup place, where we're not having to watch a bunch of slayers run around on the dance floor. That way we'll both just be able to really focus on ourselves, and open our eyes to the possibilities."

"That's nice of you, but you do realize that we're not looking for the same thing, right?" she laughed, "Where could we possibly go where there will be straight guys, and lesbians? Unless…."

"Nope, there is no unless," she blurted, "Despite what Faith and Dawn are spreading around, not all slayers are gay, or bi, or whatever. Some of us are purely into all things men--Not that women aren't nice, I'm just not really into the whole…"

"I don't know, Buff. Look around you," they peered out into the crowd, mostly seeing a blur of bodies grinding against each other, or actually making out, "They've got a pretty strong case," she started to laugh, but stopped, seeing a new face appear in the crowd, "Oh…"

The slayer followed her friends gaze, and smiled, "Well, look who showed up after all."

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Lara tried her best to stay close to her sister as they made their way through the crowd. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable with the constant grazing of skin against her own, though she had not been prepared for it all, she was just trying not to be separated from Kennedy, before she knew it was time for her to back off. The thumping of the music was somewhat matching her heart, which happened to be pounding as well, as the excitement coursed through her. She could see, even from behind, that Kennedy was calm and held together, and so she was trying to match her sister's behavior, but it was already proving to be difficult. Actually going on one of Kennedy's 'outings' with her was something that she couldn't quite comprehend. Sure, it might have been because Kennedy had no other person to play the role of an enrolling student, but the fact was--She was needed. Her part, though just a part, was necessary for whatever was planned to be planned out.

"Dean!…Dean!"

Kennedy stopped walking, only to have Lara run into her, "Someone's calling you," she yelled, turning to her sister, who looked confused by her words. That was a sign of trouble for Kennedy. She looked her sister square in the eyes, as if to send a message, "Dean."

"Right," she said, having it click in her head. She looked around, hearing that name being said again, and spotted Dawn trying to get through the crowd, "Dawn," she called back, "Hey."

Finally able to make it through the crowd, Dawn stopped in front of the two sister, breathing heavily, with a smile on her face, "Hey, guys, I'm glad you made it," she looked the both of them over, and raised her brows at Lara's outfit, "That's a little different than the mathlete shirts."

"Too different," Kennedy commented.

Dawn laughed, "That's so something my sister would say," she looked over towards the table that Buffy and Willow were sitting out, noticing he sister's attempt to subtly wave them over, "Who is waving for me to bring you guys over, so follow me."

As Dawn began to push through the crowd, Kennedy leaned towards 'Dean', as they followed, "Okay, so this is the game plan, you ready?"

She smiled, "I've been ready."

"Anyways…" she rolled her eyes, "Right now, I'm find with the group hang out, but eventually, I'm going to need some one on one time with fifty-five," as she said that number, she looked past Dawn at the blonde sitting at the table, contemplating how she could possibly get her to follow the current of her plan. Once she saw the nervousness of the redhead, she began to see an opening. She saw a possibility that she had not seen--Had not known about, because it was part of the woman's background. It would turned a face; a number…into a person. But, at the moment, the face and number stood it's ground.

"Right, no crowding. Got it," Lara said, with a nod.

Dawn went and stood by her sister, "This is Buffy, my sister, and this is Willow," she gestured to each of them, as she spoke, "Buffy, Willow, this is Dean, and--" she tilted her head, "I don't know your name yet."

Lara looked at her sister, waiting to hear some kind of code name, just like her own, except probably one that usually belongs to a woman. That's why she was shocked, when from her sister's lips came the name--

"Kennedy," she extended her hand, "My name's Kennedy. It's nice to meet both of you."

Having seen the scene from across the room, Faith approached the table, "Well, look who showed up," she extended her hand, "Dean, right?" she asked, as she shook the younger sister's hand. Then she looked to the girl's sister, "And--"

"Kennedy," they shook hands, "And you're Faith."

She grinned, "That's me," she happened to glance over at Buffy, who was glaring at her, and stopped smiling, "It's cool that you made it. I'm just gonna go back over and keep an eye on my side of the club."

Willow frowned, "Aren't we going to talk about the whole enrolling?"

Dawn was the one to answer, "I just thought we'd let Dean get to know some of the girls first. You know…to, uh…"

The redhead squinted, "If she likes the atmosphere? Dawn, we're in a club, it's not like this is how they're are at the school."

"True. But, it's not like the girls don't act a little different when a teacher's not around," the youngest Summers explained, "This way, she'll get to know the girls a little, and see if she really wants to commit to the whole slayer lifestyle."

Buffy nodded, "I could see the reasoning in that," she got up from her spot, "I'll help with that. Let's start on Faith's side, and work our way back over," Willow gave her a look, "Don't worry, Will, we'll be back in a jiffy."

Kennedy took a small step, "I'll stay here," she said, noticing an immediate opening, "It's up to Dean, after all, whether or not she gets enrolled," she noticed a cup in front of the redhead, "I'm just gonna go grab a drink. Then, I'll come right back."

"Okay," Willow nodded.

They watched Kennedy disappear, and then turned back to the redhead. Faith grinned, "Looks like she's legal," she looked over at Dean, "You do know what we're doing, here, right?"

She nodded, "Yep," she smiled--In the back of her mind however, there wasn't a smile. She was thinking only one thing, 'I don't think you know what you're really doing, though. Let's hope that this isn't that kind of job.'

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Kennedy stood at the bar, looking around her as she did. From the looks of everything--the number of people she guessed were there; the loudness of the entire club; the way that no one seemed to be paying any sort of attention to anyone that wasn't right in front of them--thing were going to work out. Really, she had thought it would take longer, and include a long process of getting closer and closer to the academy 'staff', but it wasn't looking that way. Of course, she was prepared for any sort of opportunities at all times. Meaning that though she wasn't doing things in her usual style, but she was still able to get the job done, if given a perfectly clear chance.

The bartender handed her a drink; it was light, so she could stay focused throughout the night. As she made her way back to the table, she made sure to know exactly where her sister was. They wouldn't be making any hasty escapes, but it was good to know where the girl was exactly. She also noted Buffy's position, as well as, Dawn's and Faith's. It was very important to know their whereabouts at all times. They were the only people who could possibly get in her way.

Once that was set, she looked over at the redhead, who seemed to be having an argument with herself--In her head of course. It seemed that the woman was having an issue with something, or someone. Possibly herself…but, it didn't matter. Kennedy didn't need to know those things; she didn't need to know anything. The things she needed to know were known, and anything outside of that did not exist. It just didn't.

"Sorry," she said, as she sat down, "There was a line, and about fifty IDs that needed to be checked."

"Yeah, we try to make sure that none of the underage girls get drunk. Last time that happened, things didn't go so well," she laughed for a moment, and then she realized what she had said, "Not that it happens a lot, 'cause it doesn't. I mean, it has happened…a few times, but we're doing all that we can to--"

"Dean doesn't drink," Kennedy interrupted. She tried not to frown at the woman's babbling, or to question it in any way. Questioning things brought about risks, so she pushed any sort of rising question completely aside, "So no worries about the drinking. Plus, I'm sure that her roommate, at that crazy all girl school she goes to, drinks and does all kinds of other things. That outfit she's wearing--" they turned to look at Lara, "It's her roommate's."

"Hmm, I was wondering why she wasn't exactly fitting Faith and Dawn's description," they both turned their eyes back to each other, which had her notice the woman's features once again, but she tried not to seem as if she were really staring, "So, how'd you hear about the school?"

"Dean heard about it, actually. At first I thought she was kidding, but once we did a little investigation on the internet, I was pretty convinced--Well, really I was convinced when we actually got to the school, but the internet had me questioning," she needed to seem as ordinary as possible. Like she had a life outside of her sister, and within the typical mindset of the average person; minimal talk of monsters if possible, and a slight questioning of everything, "How'd you end up working there?" she asked, though it was a question she knew the answer to.

"I helped set it all up after some changes that I made…It's complicated," she settled on that instead of going into the fact that she was the one who had made all the potentials around the world into slayers. That wasn't the type of first conversation she wanted to have with anyone, "But once I helped with the setting up, I figured I'd stick around, and help with teaching and stuff. We had settled in Europe in the beginning, but now we're giving the usual staff a little vacation--They're teaching in Europe, we're back in the U.S. of A."

"I like Europe," she nodded, "That was where I went to school for a while, and I had thought of staying, but I figured that I'd come back, at least for a while."

"Because of Dean?" she asked, before she took a sip of her drink.

Kennedy shrugged a little, "It had to do with family, yeah, but not Dean specifically," she paused for a moment, feeling a slight urge to continue to talk--Family was not a good topic for the job; not at all, but it had been brought up, and therefore put into the situation, "She didn't live at home, anyways."

"But knowing that the people you love are close makes things a little easier, even if you don't get to see them everyday, you know that maybe that weekend…or for lunch--Things like that, they're helpful," she gave a slight smile, and took another sip of her drink.

She also took a sip of her drink, "I guess," once again, she glanced over at her sister, who was laughing at the moment; a good sign that she was keeping busy. Then, she turned back to Willow, seeing her opportunity to get the focus back on fifty-five, and off of herself, "So, you and your friends, have you always stuck together, or…?"

"Well, Buffy and I have been best friends since high school, and we've pretty much stayed in the same area since then. We were apart for a year, and it was just weird, considering that our friend Xander decided to take a vacation from all of this. As for Dawn, she's been with us mostly, after she went through the whole wanting to spread her wings phase for about…six months," she laughed, "It didn't go well. Then, Faith…she's been around off an on, but mostly on, which is pretty ironic considering all the things we've all gone through."

There was no need to question what the woman was talking about, she knew Faith's past very well, along with Buffy's, and Dawn's past. The only one she hadn't taken much interest in was the past of the woman sitting in front of her--Her reason for looking into the other's was just to know what she was working with; anything and anyone who could possibly get in the way, "Well things seemed to work out pretty well, then."

"They did. They worked out great," she sighed, with a smile on her face, "How about you? You have any life long friends that you're still really close too? I hear it doesn't happen that often."

Her question of whether she had an advantage, from when she noticed the way the redhead was looking at her before, was definitely a yes--whether it was actually turning out to be an advantage was a different question, and one that didn't have a secure answer. She was almost completely sure that the woman in front of her was somewhat interested in her--Not completely, because getting a guarantee might cause problems, which she was not willing to let arise, "It doesn't happen often, trust me…but, I've managed to keep one around. She was actually my roommate at the school in Europe. Now, she's my roommate here."

"Oh," she put her hands in her lap, and looked down slightly, "Have you been living together long?" she asked, not wanting to directly ask the question that was running in her mind.

"Since graduation, pretty much. She's going through a rough spot right now--" it was information she hadn't planned on mentioning. In fact she had pushed Daphne completely out of her mind the moment that they had left the apartment building, and yet she found herself explaining a situation she hadn't really discussed with anyone, "She recently lost her job, and since her parents cut her off when she decided that she didn't want to be a doctor--like they had requested so nicely--well, she doesn't exactly have any money at the moment," she rolled her eyes, "Lucky for her, she's got a best friend like me, who's willing to take care of her…unless she stops looking for a job. If that happens, she might find herself standing on the nearest street corner, which has been the topic of conversation a lot today," she laughed--She laughed. An actual laugh had escaped her. A part of her was exposed; revealed. Time was shorter than she thought. It was time…

Willow laughed too, "We've also had strange topics of conversation at the school, lately," as they laughed, she found herself going into more of a staring than a looking at. That was when the words fell out, "You have a gorgeous smile," she noticed the slight change in Kennedy's laugh, and felt herself begin to blush, "I'm sorry--"

"No, it's fine," she glanced over at her sister, along with the woman she had walked off with--They were still laughing; their attention was still focused on something other than her and the redhead, who she looked to, "Do you want a refill?" she asked---Yes, it was time…

"Sure," she handed Kennedy the cup, "I was drinking that orange thing that they have," she laughed, "which I don't know the name of, because Dawn ordered it for me."

She put her nose over the cup, trying to see what it was that the woman had been driking, "I'll figure it, or get something even better."

"Thanks."

"No problem," when she turned, the smile on her face, faded. There was no longer a reason to smile, or laugh. Everything was in motion. Any emotion that had risen, she pushed down quickly, and carefully, making sure to put it in the right area. She needed to be focused; to not make any mistakes whatsoever.

When she reached the bar, she asked for a refill of what she knew the woman had been drinking, and of her drink as well--She was good at things like that, and knowing what drink the redhead had been drinking exactly would definitely be helpful considering what she was about to do. Once the cups were refilled, she subtly pulled a small glass tube from her pants pocket, which held what she needed to get the job done. Inside was a clear liquid that could be deadly when too much of it is taken into the body--It wasn't her usual way of doing things, but it would be clean--completely untraceable. She knew exactly how much would be needed to do the job. It was time to do it--As quickly, and as accurately as she could, she poured some of the liquid into the orange liquid, put the tube back in her pocket, and then picked up the cups to carry them back over to the table.

Before she reached it, she happened to look over at her sister, who somehow had a cup in her hand, making her question whether 'Dean' didn't really drink, though it could have been non-alcoholic. It wasn't like the girl hadn't been trying new things over the whole day. Lara lifted the cup in her direction, and smiled, which--for some reason--instantly made her arm rise in return. Then they both took drinks from the cups in their risen hands. Kennedy took a bigger swallow, as she turned her attention back to Willow, who was awaiting her return, just as her cell phone in her jacket pocket began to vibrate. She put one of the cups between her forearm and her stomach, trying not to put to much pressure on the cup, as she got her cell phone out of her pocket. The name on the screen was Daphne, which made her laugh, until the name on the screen began to blur. She looked to fifty-five, and then her sister…the room was turning into a blur.

That's when it hit her--Just as her eyes rolled back, and she felt her knees go weak, she realized…she had taken a drink from the wrong cup.

"Kennedy!"

-- TO BE CONTINUED --