Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 14

Mariano Inn Pt. 1

"This is ridiculous," Edward complained, taking the bag that Bella had given him and swinging it over his shoulder. "We don't even know the people and you want us to--"

"We know them," Bella interrupted, smiling sweetly at the vampire. "We know James and we know…uh, what's his name? 'Can't remember."

"Then why don't we go to that man's house?"

"Pacey! That's it." Bella handed him another bag for him to carry. "We can't go to Pacey's house because we don't even know where he lives. For all we know, he could live in another state. He's just James's babysitter."

Edward eyed Bella suspiciously. "And what makes you think that James lives near?"

"I've seen him running around during the day, Edward. His parents look nice enough…" she said, scrunching up her nose as she looked at the now black couch. "Gross."

"Yeah, from far away. Do we even know anything about them?"

Bella ignored him, touching the couch. "Could they not have ruined our new furniture? I mean, it took me hours to pick out this couch. It was cream-colored and so comfortable."

Edward put his hand on Bella's shoulder, frowning at her. "This isn't safe. What if they figure me out?"

"You wear your feelings as if they were your clothes, Edward," Bella laughed. "I think anybody will be able to figure out that you're in a bit of a bad mood."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Bella!" He yelled, exasperated.

Bella turned to him, suddenly serious. "I have all of this figured out, Edward. It's night out, you'll be fine. Now, unless you decide to let them know that you're a vampire by putting on--"

"You know I wouldn't do that."

She smiled at him, going up on her toes so that she could gain access to his face more easily. She kissed him softly, pulling away quicker than either wanted. "Then we have nothing to worry about, do we?"

"I'm still not sure about leaving here so quickly. I mean, you're hurt…they'll see the bite marks." He lifted a finger and traced the outline of the two teeth marks.

Bella shivered from the sudden affection, she leaned into his hand. "That's what scarves are for."

"It's not cold ou—" he started, but stopped as Bella had already walked out of the house. "Bella!" he exclaimed, running after her. She was walking fast, hands in her pockets. He grabbed her shoulder, making her stop and turn to face him.

Her face was angry. "Look, Edward, if you want, you can sleep upstairs on a mattress that's burnt to shreds, I'm not stopping you…but, I—we need to find a place to rest. Who knows if those vampires are coming back?" Her voice cracked just then, and her face pleaded for him to agree.

"Bella, we can find another place."

Bella shook her head, pointing to the sky. "It's almost daylight, I'm scared and tired. And right now, having you to protect me might not be enough considering the way you've been beaten up." She placed her hand on his bruised cheek bone as soothingly as possible.

"So that's it, you don't feel safe with me anymore," Edward stated, not even bothering to make this a question. It was already a statement for him. "Bella, I'm sorry if I let you down by letting you get hurt, but--"

"You didn't let me get hurt. I'm not your responsibility, and I don't know how this…this is going to work if you think of me as a job, as a burden," she finished, not meeting his eyes. "I got hurt because there are always bad things out to get me, and I know you can't always be there. I have to learn to not have to depend on you like that."

Edward put his hands on her hips, shaking his head. "God, Bella, I want you to depend on me. I need you to depend on me."

"That's nice, but it's not true," she responded, her mind set. "Let's go."

They walked down the street silently, until they reached their destination. Bella looked back at Edward and took his hand before walking up Rory and Jess's steps. Edward let go of her, knocking on the door, apparently his mind was made up also.

Like they expected, they didn't answer for several minutes. And also, they knew that they wouldn't be met by James's eager face. A young woman in a bath robe answered, her face filled with pillow marks.

"Hello…" she said groggily.

Bella smiled at her, she had prepared for this moment. "I'm Bella Swan. This is my boyfriend, Edward."

"If you're selling something, we're not interested," the woman replied in state of annoyance, almost shutting the door in their faces, but luckily Edward caught the door before it had closed.

Edward gave the woman his most charming smile. "We're deeply sorry if we woke you, Miss…but we know your son," he said, hoping that this would catch her attention.

"What, did James harass you or something? We apologize for him, but there is no reason for you to come here at this hour…" Her blue eyes had warmed slightly, but they weren't quite where he wanted them yet.

Edward leaned against the doorframe. "No, no. It's nothing like that." He paused, looking full of thought. "Uh, it was just…"

"We live here, in this neighborhood," Bella interrupted. "We just moved here about two weeks ago."

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms across her chest. "Yeah?"

"And tonight, these horrible people came by, and they broke into our house." Bella put on her best worried face. "They hurt Edward pretty bad, and they almost set our house on fire."

The woman's face was now filled with worry also. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry…would you like to borrow our phone? Call the police or something? Whatever I can do for you…" she offered.

Bella smiled. "Actually, about that…our house is pretty much in no shape to be lived in right now. So, we were wondering if we could spend the night here." She looked over at Edward. "We don't know anyone else around here…and we're scared that they might come back."

She extended her hand. "I'm Rory." After Bella and Edward took their turns shaking it, she opened the door a bit wider. "I would love to have you stay here. We have an extra room, and there's no reason why it should be a problem."

Bella suddenly put her arms around the older girl. "Thank you so much!"

Rory laughed, letting them in.

--

"You are unbelievable," Joey muttered, hands on her hips as she glared at Pacey. "Seriously, it's mind-blowing how you can possibly accomplish to piss me off even more than I was."

Pacey completely ignored her, walking down the street ahead of her. "It's just for the night. Maybe they'll let us borrow they're car so we can get over to triple A and get a new key."

"Borrow their car?" She asked him incredulously. "So you can lock their keys inside it and ruin their day, too?"

"Woman, we've established that it's my fault," he said, turning around to face her. "Where is your set of keys?"

"Inside the locked house," she answered, trudging ahead of him. She looked to be out of breath as she tried to stay ahead of Pacey.

He laughed to himself at the sight of Joey waddling ahead of him, but quickly swallowed it when he heard her begin to mutter.

They reached the Mariano's house. Pacey walked up the front steps, knocking on the front door.

Joey stood next to him, shaking her head silently as she grumbled to herself. "Didn't know you hated Rory so much."

"Oh don't you dare turn this on me, Pa-" She was interrupted as Rory opened the door, a sleepy scowl plastered on her face.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked them, supporting her weight with the open door.

Pacey opened his mouth to answer, but Joey beat him to the punch. "He locked his ring of keys in the car."

"How many times do I have to remind you? You locked the car without any sort of warning."

"So I have to ask for your consent every time I do something?" She asked him, hands placed on her hips as she narrowed her eyes. "Is that it?"

Rory muttered sleepily to herself, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Guys, I really don't care. What do you want?"

Pacey turned to Rory, a bashful look on his face. "Well, just somewhere to crash for the night; a simple gesture to prove our devoted friendship."

"Simple gesture?" She repeated, eyes wide as her knuckles turned white on the door. "I've already got someone else bunking in our spare room. Honestly, they're situation is worse than yours is-"

"Who?" They both asked in unison, surprised looks on their faced.

"Edward and Bella, this young couple from down the street," Rory explained, pointing to their charred house a few houses down. "Someone broke into their house and set it on fire, after beating up Edward."

"Well, to be honest, Rory," Pacey began, stepping from foot to foot. "At least they can get into their house. We don't even have any windows open or anything like-"

Rory glared at him, pointing inside the house. "Just get in, you ungrateful man."

"Ha," Joey muttered, walking in before him. "Thanks, Ror," she said as she walked by, an apologetic look on her face.

Rory smiled slightly before shutting the door behind them.

--

"We're leaving," Draco had said shortly after he explained everything to Hermione. "They can easily get us here, and we can't risk it."

Hermione looked panicked as Draco began packing clothes and essentials into a small bag. "How…how did he…?" She trailed off, before realization dawned on her. Draco used his wand, she thought to herself. Lucius traced it. Her hand came up to hold her head as she sat down on the bench at the foot of their bed. "Is this really happening?"

Draco simply rolled his eyes, bustling about the room, searching for anything they might need. "Just get your things together. We have to go," he told her sullenly, walking into the bathroom to gather anything he might need in there.

"Where are we going, though?" Hermione asked, shoving some of her own things into the bag. She frowned when she noticed the bag wasn't getting any bigger. "Did you bring an Endless bag with you?" She asked loudly, looking it over.

Draco nodded, shoving things inside. "Figured we'd need it sometime."

Hermione sighed heavily, throwing in a few small things before zippering the bag closed. "I can't believe it," she said to him, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed.

Draco noticed his fiancé's crestfallen face. He sat down next to her, embracing her tightly. He placed a kiss to her temple before speaking. "It'll be fine," he reassured her. "Think of it as a vacation."

"Without the glamour," Hermione muttered, her voice taking a sour tone.

Draco got up, lacing his fingers with hers and grabbing the Endless bag. "Let's go. Might as well leave while it's dark."

"Where are we even going?" She asked him again, pulling on a coat as they walked outside.

"No idea," he answered, shrugging. "I'll figure it out in a second. We just need to get out of this neighborhood."

Hermione walked over to the driver's side of the car, fumbling for the keys with shaking hands. She growled slightly as she dropped the keys. When she bent down to get them, she heard voices approaching.

"…You are unbelievable. Seriously, it's mind-blowing how you can possibly accomplish to piss me off even more than I was."

"It's just for the night. Maybe they'll let us borrow they're car so we can get over to triple A and get a new key."

"Borrow their car? So you can lock their keys inside it and ruin their day, too?"

"Woman, we've established that it's my fault. Where is your set of keys?"

"Inside the locked house…"

She got up from the ground, peering over the roof of the car at Draco. He seemed to be lost in thought. She turned towards the arguing couple, noticing they were walking in the direction of the Mariano's house. An idea struck her as she turned back to Draco. "Now, tell me again how much your father hates muggles?"

Draco's shifted so he was looking at her, an eyebrow turned up in a questioning look. "Come again?"

"You're father hates muggleborns," She began, but was interrupted.

"Isn't it obvious?"

She disregarded him, continuing with her idea. "He would never stoop low enough to actually walk inside a muggle house, now would he?"

Draco's face dawned in understanding, but quickly changed to one of indifference. "He would think of all that and more. He'd probably check every house in the neighborhood, using us as an excuse to go on a killing spree."

Hermione's face fell, looking down at her shaking hands. "It's better than wandering around, isn't it?" She looked back up at him. "We'll at least be safe for a few nights."

"We will, they won't," he reminded her. "By staying there, we're putting them in danger."

"It's just temporary," said Hermione, continuing to push the idea. "We'll try and find another place as soon as we can, but for now it's all we can do."

Draco sighed, looking lost in thought for a moment before he nodded, agreeing. "Just what are we going to tell them?"

"We've locked ourselves out," she explained, "And they're the only ones on this block we know well enough to ask for this favor."

Draco just nodded, grabbing the bag and walking over to meet Hermione. After a few minutes of walking, they reached the Mariano's. Hermione looked at Draco warily, before knocking on the door.

Rory opened the door, a disgruntled look on her face. "Yeah?" She asked them, one eye opened in sleepiness.

"I know this is a huge favor to ask of you," Hermione began explaining. "But we've been locked out of our home, and we really couldn't think of anywhere else to-"

"…stay?" Rory finished for her. "It's fine, really. Half the neighborhood is here anyways."

Draco nodded. "I'm sorry if it's an inconvenience, but we really didn't know where else."

"Trust me, your not the first tonight," she told them, letting them in and closing the door behind them.

--

"Ugh, I can't believe our luck…" Buffy grunted, looking over at the bleached vampire. "Can you believe our luck? I mean, I thought we were done with all this…demonic stuff once Sunnydale tumbled down."

Spike smirked at her, breathing out a cloud of smoke into her face. "'Don't know, pet. I thought you seemed pretty anxious to get some action since you came to L.A…"

"I went to see you, you idiot," she replied, waving the smoke away. "Can you not?"

"Can I not what?" he asked smugly.

Buffy rolled her eyes, taking the cigarette by force and sending it hurling towards the street. "Smoke. I hate it when you smoke. You taste like a chimney. And then with the smell of the bleach…jeez, I wonder why I even kiss you anymore when you smell like this."

"'Cause I'm irresistible." Spike brought his hands up to his hair subconsciously. "You don't like my hair? I 'ave to dye it once a week, and it's not my fault an army of demons decided to attack the same day that I'm scheduled for m'beauty--"

"I beg of you not to finish that sentence," she sighed, looking back at the house that they had arrived at only minutes ago. "So you don't think their home?"

Spike rolled his eyes, looking at the dark house. "The lights aren't even on. They probably have places to be. And I really find that insulting that that git had plans on a Friday night and I don't."

"Can we focus on the fact that we have no place to go and it's almost sunrise?" Buffy asked, hoping that this would get his attention. No such luck. He just smirked at her. "Spike," she complained.

Spike took a step towards her, forcing Buffy against the doorframe. He put a finger on her bottom lip, dragging it down slightly. When she tried to stop him by lifting her arms, he only pressed himself against her harder. "I can think of some things to occupy our time…"

"That's such a stupid line," Buffy said, an amused expression on her face. "I'm not falling for what you think are charms."

"It's not charms that keep you hot, pet," he mumbled, leaning in for a kiss.

Before their lips could even meet, Buffy widened her eyes, pushing Spike off her with full slayer strength. "I got it!" she exclaimed, running down Pacey and Joey's steps.

Her vampire boyfriend stayed behind, groaning to himself. "Slayer! We're not done here!"

She looked back at him, rolling her eyes slightly. "Try to lower your horn level by at least two percent so we can get on with our lives a bit more normally."

"What the hell is it, Sla--"

She interrupted him by yelling out a name he would have never expected. "James!" Buffy smiled, going up to him and taking him by the hand. "I almost forgot about him."

Spike looked at the slayer curiously, raising an eyebrow with a scowl. "So it's that little bugger that you were thinking of while we were about to snog?"

She didn't even bother answering his question as she pulled him by the hand, down the sidewalk and towards the first house of the cul-de-sac. "While you were giving me your usual speech, I noticed that at least four people were going into that house. I think it's where James lives."

Spike tagged along, not looking too convinced. "Are you bloody positive that it's James's house? Because it would look a tad embarrassing to show up at a stranger's house asking for a little person that's not even four feet tall."

Buffy let out a laugh, slowing her walk just a little, so she could enjoy the walk a bit more. "I have Slayer senses, I'm sure." She tightened her grip on his hand, and now they were walking side by side.

Spike grinned at her.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, avoiding his eyes and even letting herself blush a bit by his constant staring.

But he couldn't answer, as they had already arrived at James's supposed house. He pursed his lips together, watching her trot up the stairs. "'Hope you have a little apology ready, 'cause--"

"Hello, Mariano Inn, how may I help you?" said the young man who had answered the door.

Buffy's cheeks reddened, running a hand through her blonde hair. "I'm incredibly sorry, we have the wrong house."

All the time that Buffy had been talking (which hadn't been long) he managed to look even more bored by every other word. "Depends. Who were you looking for?"

"James," she said, a bit embarrassed.

The guy seemed to get very mad and very soon. He rolled his brown eyes. "Jeez. We should make that kid take care of all these people."

"All these people?" Buffy repeated, confused. "We were just…I mean, some people came into our house and just took everything. They damaged our more vital stuff that we needed…for sleep."

"They took the telly," Spike interjected from behind Buffy.

The man raised an eyebrow at the strange couple. "Sorry. That excuse has been taken already. Try again."

"What do you mean, try again?" Buffy inquired, fidgeting with her thumbs. This man made her awfully uncomfortable.

"Jess, are you harassing these nice people?" came a voice from behind the man. A woman with a very pregnant belly and brown hair stepped up from behind him, pushing him aside.

Jess looked at the woman, eyes narrowing. "Now, Joey, that isn't very nice."

Buffy extended her hand to the woman, smiling tightly. "I'm Buffy, this is Spike. We were just wondering if we could stay the night. I was a bit confused by your husband--"

"Husband?" Joey scoffed. "I'd have to speak mumble-and-grumble to be able to be married to Jess, which explains why we don't exactly get along."

"Can I go now?" Jess mumbled. "Answering the door was supposed to be my thing but now I see I've been replaced by Moby Dick."

Joey shoved his shoulder. "There you go again with the literary references. You know it annoys the hell out of me," she snapped.

"Oh, that's right, we're not cultured enough to get a good book in between the first brownie and the second."

Spike raised both his arms, interrupting the on-going quarrel. "Look, mate, we're just here for a place to stay. And it'd be preferable to stay out of the soap opera you have going on over here."

Buffy giggled. "And he's usually good with the Passions stuff."

Jess turned to Joey. "They say that people broke into their house and took necessary…" he turned to Buffy. "How was it that you put it? 'Sleeping stuff'."

"The soddin' house is bloody destroyed," the vampire growled, looking mad.

Joey looked at Spike as if he was an angel sent from heaven. "You're British…" she said dreamily.

"Believe it or not," he answered.

"And you look a bit like David Beckham…" she drifted off, studying his features.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, furrowing a brow at Spike and Joey's interaction. "First of all, he looks nothing like David Beckham. Secondly, I'd also prefer for us to get inside before sunrise. He's got a heavy allergy towards the sun."

Joey threw a smile at Spike. "Your complexion is amazing. I mean, no wonder. I would never go out in the sun too if I had skin like yours."

After that was said, both vampire and Slayer followed Joey inside the house. And before they could get very far, Spike stopped Buffy and leaned in towards her ear.

"Who's David Beckham?"

--

Rory collapsed onto her king-sized bed, sighing deeply. "Do you ever wonder how James meets so many people? I thought they would never stop coming," she told her fiancé, who was now sitting next to her, rubbing his temples. "The fact that we've been up all night makes our schedule all funky. Now we have to sleep in the day and be nocturnal. Who knew that having a kid would be so much work?"

Jess smirked at her, taking her hand in his' and placing a kiss on her knuckles. "You know the night is not even half-way over, right?"

"Oh, they can take care of themselves," she dismissed. "Almost all of them are over eighteen. Bella looks iffy."

Jess let out a throaty chuckle, leaning back and laying next to Rory.

"I think I liked it better when it was just us and Pacey and Joey," Rory decided, letting her eyes close for just a few seconds before someone started knocking on the door. "Come in!" she yelled, granting an entrance to one of the blondes that Jess had let in.

Buffy walked in, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I don't know if you really care…but I think there's someone at the door."

Rory groaned, sitting up. "I haven't met you, have I?" she asked, standing up and extending a hand. "I'm Rory Gilmore."

"Buffy Summers," Buffy replied, smiling warily. "And just so you know, I don't think that there are any towels left…and with that situation going on; a lot of people are being welcome to walk around naked."

Jess smirked behind both women. "I might have encouraged that," he admitted, not looking like he cared very much.

"Jess!" Rory gasped. "I can't have people walking around my house naked. What will happen to the furniture?" She groaned, urging Buffy to follow her. "I'm not a very menacing person…can you be firm?"

Buffy smiled widely. "I think that's one of my specialties."

"Make love, not war!" Jess whooped after them.

--

Rory's face paled once she saw who was at the door. The last people in the world that she expected to show up at the house were standing right on her doorstep, duffel bags in tow. She inwardly groaned as she stepped in front of Buffy. Buffy left her side to go deal with the decrease in towels. "Come to join the rest of the crowd?" She asked them, eyebrow turned up.

"What?" Kate asked, face contorting in confusion.

"The entire block is currently rooming here," she explained to them. "You here to join them?"

Kate faltered for a second, and Sawyer stepped in. "Our house got flooded," he began. "We left the windows open."

"Oh." Rory looked down at her feet, rocking back and forth.

Kate broke the silence. "I know it's a lot to ask; especially now since I'm guessing we're the last to get here." Rory nodded. "Is it alright?" Kate asked, shifting the duffel bag on her shoulder.

Rory shrugged, looking back into the crowded living room. They were all gathered there, immersed in their own private conversations with their respective others. She tapped he foot on the ground, contemplating what Kate was asking. Ever since the talk she had with Joey, she had been really apprehensive on getting to know the couple better. James had taken an immediate liking to them, but she had done all she could to keep him away from the house, and away from the couple. She couldn't completely reject her plead for a place to stay, because that went against the morals she prided herself in.

She sighed heavily as she looked back up at Kate. "I don't think we've got much room left."

"O-Oh," stuttered Kate, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair. "Are you sure?" She asked her again, unaware of what was running through Rory's mind.

"I'm willing to-" She was interrupted as Bella walked up to Rory, tapping her on the shoulder. "Yeah?" Rory asked, turning her head to face her.

"We're running out of toilet paper, and I think…" She trailed off when she noticed the couple standing there. "Hi," she greeted, extending her hand to them. "I'm Bella."

Rory inwardly sighed, starting to regret letting anyone inside the house in the first place. "You were saying?" Rory reminded her.

Bella ignored her, keeping her attention on Kate. "What are you guys here for?"

Kate glanced at Sawyer before answering. "We found our house flooded," she explained.

"At least yours is still intact," Bella laughed. "Ours got charred to bits." Kate gave her a sympathetic smile. "Rory's been really nice about rooming," Bella continued. "I think there are three other couples here besides Edward and me."

"Is that right?" Sawyer asked, turning to Rory with his eyebrow turned up in a questioning gesture. "Didn' seem that way a couple seconds ago."

Rory smiled awkwardly, avoiding their gaze. "Thanks for clearing that up," she said to Bella. "I really thought we ran out of room."

"No problem," Bella answered cheerily, walking back to the cluster of people gathered in the living room.

"Come on in," Rory told them softly, stepping to the side so they could walk in.

--

Hermione grumbled to herself as she tried to figure out the coffee machine. When she had started drinking coffee, she was already at the age where she was able to do it magically, and she never really bothered learning the muggle way. As she fumbled around, she finally figured out how to get the top closed without anything spilling over, and she smiled to herself. Turning it on, she turned around and leaned against the counter, arms folded as she took in the scene in front of her. Everyone was grouped in small clusters of three or four, engrossed in light conversation. She smiled, happy to be surrounded by muggles. The troubles of her world, the wizard world, seemed distant as she stood in the modest kitchen, waiting for muggle made coffee to finish brewing.

She turned around to face the pot when she heard something plop into the coffee pot, rather than drip in. She groaned when she realized the coffee was as thick as porridge.

"Looks bloody awful," a voice chimed in behind her.

"I'm not exactly a cook," she quipped, turning the coffee machine off.

"Doesn't take a genius to figure out that machine," Spike told her, walking over to where she was standing. "Just coffee."

"Us Brits are tea lovers," she retorted, dumping the coffee pot into the trash before placing it in the sink. "That's my specialty."

"Mine's more of the red liquid variety…," he paused, realizing what he just said. "Wine. Wine's my choice of drink."

"You like alcohol?" Hermione asked, laughing at the look on his face.

"No, just like enjoying myself once in a while, 'ave a cup of wine with my bird," Spike said, smiling to himself at the thought of him and Buffy finding some alone time together.

Hermione nodded, scrubbing the pot. "Which one is yours?"

Spike pointed to Buffy, who was sitting on the rumpled looking couch, chatting with some brown haired girl. "That lil' blondie over there."

"She's pretty," she said admiringly.

"Bloody gorgeous, I'd say." He tossed a quick look Hermione's way before looking back at Buffy. "Not that you're not quite fetching or anything. Jus' like 'em short, blond, and stubborn."

Hermione giggled, placing the pot on the counter to dry. "I'm Hermione," she told him, holding out her free hand. "I've got a blond one myself," she said, pointing to Draco, who was chatting with a brown haired man.

"Spike," he said back, shaking her hand. "Looks like we've got a common interest."

They lapsed into silence, but were quickly interrupted as Pacey wandered into the kitchen. "Was that coffee I smelled?" He asked the two.

"Coffee impersonator," Spike snorted. "Luckily, I intervened in time."

"Oh, a modest bloke," said Hermione, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Pacey laughed. "That bad?"

"I'm not a cook," she repeated, shrugging.

"So…" Pacey trailed off awkwardly. "You two must have lots of things in common." Hermione looked at him weirdly. "You know, since you're both British and all."

Spike snorted, turning around to hide his laughter.

--

"Kate," Sawyer whispered into his girlfriend's ear.

She smiled at Bella, signaling to her that she'd be right back. "What is it?" she asked once they were out in the hallway. "I was actually having a nice conversation with that girl." She looked back at the living room, where Bella was now sitting on her boyfriend's lap.

Sawyer snorted, looking amused. "'Didn't know you liked talkin' with the younger gals."

"Well, she's nice," she responded, crossing her arms over her chest. "She's the reason why we're here, just so you know. If she hadn't intervened, there was no way in hell Rory would've let us in."

"I think she's got reason enough not t' trust us," Sawyer commented through his teeth, leaning against the wall.

"Can we not get into this in the middle of Rory's house? She already thinks I'm dangerous or something…I don't need her thinking that I'm being rude too." Kate let her eyes dart from Sawyer to the jam-packed living room where everyone was sitting. "But I know how you'd just love to ruin this nice time for me."

Sawyer shook his head. She was un-freakin'-believable. He would say somethin', and she would respond by puttin' all the blame smack dab on him. "So, I'm always the bad guy in all this?" He snapped.

Kate rolled her eyes, taking his arm and leading him into the main bathroom. As Kate had expected, the place was decorated in a girly fashion, purple towels and white wallpaper. She sat on the closed toilet, her face burrowed in her hands. "I can't keep having this fight."

"'S that 'cause you don' wanna fight or is it 'cause you jus' don' wanna make a bad impression on your little girlfriends?" he questioned, his voice filled with venom.

She stood up, her eyes pleading. "I don't want to fight, Sawyer. I thought I had made that clear already. I'm very, incredibly sorry about what happened. I know it's hard for you to accept the fact that I'm actually human and I make mistakes…I know you're perfect and all." She glanced down at his pants. "'Cause that fucking letter isn't burning a hole into your jeans, right?"

Sawyer ignored her last comment and took her by the shoulders, pulling her into him. She was closer to him than she wanted to be at the moment, and these seconds of silence reminded her of the first time she pulled a gun on him. "When you chose this lifestyle, Kate, you knew that there was no room for mistakes."

"Well, maybe I'm rethinking the whole thing," Kate retorted viciously.

--

"So, how'd he end up so…outgoing?" Edward asked Jess after finding the right words to confront the monosyllabic man. "I mean, you just sit there, and Rory's a bit shy. James is very…out there."

Jess turned to Edward, his face looking for a second like it was filled with knowledge. "I don't just sit here," he said. "I observe. I see things that nobody else notices because their all wrapped up in their little dramas. I have no dramas, so I can notice."

"Well…you look like your just sitting there," Edward chuckled.

"For example," Jess started. "I know that Kate is a fugitive, and her and that southern guy are having some deep problems. Nothing we would want to deal with, though."

"She's a--"

"And I know that that dragon guy and the frizzy haired girl are making out in the guest bedroom at this moment," he continued. "And that Rory is mad at your little lady."

"My little…?" Edward started to ask.

"I know that there's something going on with the weird British guy that always says 'bloody' all the time…and that Ms. Moby Dick is right now yelling at Pacey because she's secretly gathering the courage to talk to Kate about the fugitive thing," Jess finished, and leaned back. He grinned, looking proud of himself.

Edward widened his eyes, taking a sip of his coffee. "Now I know where he gets it."

Suddenly, a small blond ran and practically tripped over their feet, looking a bit overwhelmed. She looked at both men while straightening herself out. "Hey, guys," she said. "I know you," this comment was directed at Jess.

He nodded. "Bloody right."

The blond looked at him weirdly. "Uh, so, hi. I'm Buffy," she told Edward, shaking his hand.

"You have a strong grip," Edward complimented, nodding as he pulled away.

"Thanks."

"I bloody did not know that you have a bloody strong grip," Jess commented, a smirk prominent on his face. "Do you bloody work out?"

Buffy narrowed her eyes at the brown-eyed man, not finding his comments funny in the least bit. In fact, she was getting more annoyed by the second. "I don't."

"Well, then it's a bloody miracle, isn't it?" he exclaimed, taking a swig from his beer.

Buffy looked at Edward then back at Jess. Edward tried his best to stifle laughter. "Have you guys seen Spike?"

"Who?" Edward asked, before Jess could speak.

"My boyfriend," she explained. "Short, bleached hair, sounds a bit like Jess at the moment."

Jess nodded vigorously. "Your boyfriend and I are bloody good pals."

She rolled her eyes. "Something must have stuck."

"I wonder what the bloody hell it is," Jess mused.

--

Rory sighed, rubbing her temple as she walked over to James's room. Opening the door quietly, she found him sleeping soundly on his bed, soft snores emitting from his mouth. She smiled slightly, happy to be in the one calm room in the house. Walking over to him, she gently picked him up, placing his head on her shoulder. Just like she predicted, he stirred slightly, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he looked at his mother's face.

"Mommy?" He asked her, frowning slightly from being out of his bed.

"I'm just taking you to my room," she explained, walking down the hall. "There are some people here that need to stay in your room."

At the thought of other people, James immediately perked up. "Who's here?" He asked her excitedly.

Rory disregarded his question, reaching the doorway leading into the living room. James lifted his head and gazed at the group sleepily. When he registered who they were, his eyes lit up. He shimmied out of his mother's grasp, running into the middle of the room. He turned back to his mom, eyes wide with excitement. "You invited all of my friends?" He shrieked, hands shooting into the air with an excited whoop.

The room quieted down, their attention focusing on the tiny boy gazing at them all.

"Oh, I didn't have to invite them," Rory informed James, walking over to where he was standing. She picked him up before looking out at the group that was watching the exchange between Rory and James. Rory smiled shyly before speaking. "I was thinking we could hand out room assignments or something," she suggested.

Jess groaned from where he was sitting, placing his head in his hands. "We're officially an inn," he muttered.

Rory shot him a look before continuing. "It's going to have to be two couples per room, since we're short of-" She was interrupted as the entire room broke out into quiet conversations with their respective others. "Hey, no complaining. It's just for the night, right?" When the group went silent, she visibly blanched at the thought of an entire weekend with this many healthy, adult couples staying in her home with a small three year old boy.

"Don't worry mommy," James assured her, climbing down from her grasp. He gazed proudly at the adults in the room, a goofy smile on his face. "They can all stay in my room," he stated, pointing a thumb at himself. "I've got a big boy bed. We can share."

"I'm sure that wouldn't work out too well, honey," Rory told him softly. "There's just too many of them."

Rory shot Jess a look, her eyes pleading for his help. He merely shrugged, smirking. "You're the one who made the decision for them to stay. I had no part in it."

She narrowed her eyes at him before turning her attention back to the group. "So, besides your other halves, anyone have an idea of who they want to room with?"

"Preferably?" Pacey asked aloud. "Alone. But you don't want to hear that. So I claim Rory and Jess. They might go at like bunnies, but at least they're quiet about it."

Rory blushed visibly, and Jess smirked. "Rule number one," Rory began, holding up her index finger. "No…" She glanced at James before lowering her voice. "No sex."

Most of the males in the room audibly groaned, and the girls laughed at their reactions.

"Not even if we're quiet?" Spike asked, his eyes looking hopeful.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "That's impossible."

Spike shrugged. "I guess you can say I've got talents."

Pacey cringed. "Can you have some self respect? Look, the poor boy is scarred," he said, pointing to James, who was listening intently.

James shook his head. "I know what sex is. When a man and a woman really really love each other, the man starts to-"

Rory interrupted him quickly, blushing. "James Mariano, where did you learn that?"

James grinned. "Grandma Lorelai told me it was valudable information for when I was a big boy."

Jess laughed at the anger on Rory's face, but quieted down when she glared at him.

Putting aside what James said, she turned to the group. "Any other claims?" After she got no response, she nodded. "Fine. Then we'll have to do this the hard way." She took out a piece of paper from her pocket and took a pen from the table beside her. "I've got all your names here." She started cutting out the little pieces of paper and put them in a small hat that she had brought with her.

"And what happens when we get someone we don't want to room with?" Bella asked the question that everyone wanted to ask.

Rory widened her eyes at Bella. "Then you deal, because you had your chance to speak up, and you didn't." She kneeled down in front of James and gave him the hat. "Will you do the honors, James, and pass this around?"

He nodded eagerly, and started walking from the beginning of the circle. The first couple was Draco and Hermione. "Hi guys!" he exclaimed excitedly. He leaned into Draco's ear. "I know what you're up to, dude." After scaring Draco just a bit, he pulled away and extended the hat. "No cheating!" he directed.

Hermione closed her eyes and stuck her hand into the baseball cap, drawing a small folded piece of paper. Draco leaned over towards her even more than he already was, interested to see who they got. "Uh…Pacey and Joey…"

Joey raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were rooming with Rory and Jess."

"You are," Rory stated quickly, not even wanting to think about rooming with anyone else. She took the paper out of Hermione's hand and crumpled it up. "Try again."

"Try again," James repeated.

"Can we speed this up, sweetcheeks?" Sawyer interrupted, looking exasperated.

James rolled his eyes, narrowing his eyes at the southern man. "My mom's cheeks aren't sweet! You're a silly guy…you talk silly too," he observed.

"Can we get on with this?" Draco joined in.

Hermione nodded, not even bothering to close her eyes this time. She drew another piece of paper. "S-s-spike and Buffy," she announced finally. She looked at Spike and smiled.

Pacey looked at the two with an amused expression. "That's ironic."

Buffy shrugged, looking like she didn't really care whether or not she roomed with them. "That works."

Rory shook her head, looking very proud that her system was working. "Okay, you guys can take the living room. We'll take the table out of here and set up some sort of bed on the floor…and then one of you get the couch."

"Brilliant, we get the most open space, of course," Spike commented, obviously annoyed.

"Fine, you guys can--"

"No, that's fine," Buffy interrupted, sending a death glare towards the vampire. "We don't want to be trouble, really. We only appreciate that you guys took us in."

"Fine, then we claim the couch," Spike exclaimed, raising his hand up.

Draco looked at Rory with a troubled expression. "Does that count, luv?" he asked.

Rory giggled. "I think so."

Draco turned to Hermione, looking for approval. She nodded. "We're alright with that."

James walked over to the next couple, Edward and Bella. Bella reached into the hat, grabbing a slip of paper. Unfolding it, she read aloud, "Sawyer and Kate." Bella looked over to the last couple without room assignments, and smiled at Kate. "Now I know your name," she said to her happily.

Buffy's eyes narrowed, looking at Kate from where she was sitting. She turned to Spike, leaning into his ear. "You've got super hearing. What was her name again?"

He looked at her warily. "Didn't know you were hard of hearing, pet."

She rolled her eyes. "Just answer the question."

"Kate."

She nodded, leaning back into the couch and folding her arms across her chest. Spike kept his gaze on her for a moment longer before turning back to the group.

--

Bella shuffled into her and Edward's temporary room. Sighing happily, she dumped her bag onto the bed, flopping down next to her bag. Edward walked a few seconds behind her, setting his bag down at the foot of the bed.

"It's cozy," Bella commented quietly, rolling over to face Edward. "It's going to be tight, though." She motioned to the small bed, which was covered in batman sheets.

Edward laughed at the sight of the sheets before sitting down next to Bella. He began running his hands through her hair.

Bella looked up at Edward through her eyelashes. "What are we going to do about our house?"

Edward shrugged. "We're going to have to make some calls."

Bella sighed, bringing her head to rest in her lap. "I'm glad we have nice roomies," she told him. "I met them earlier today."

"Really?" Edward asked, his face hardening. He wasn't too keen on rooming with Kate and her boyfriend, ever since he found out about her being a fugitive.

"Mhmm," she responded, nodding her head. "We need some friends in this neighborhood, besides James."

"Look, Bella," he began, turning to face her. "I don't really think that-"

"Hey," they heard Kate's voice as her and Sawyer entered the small room. Sawyer was bearing all of their bags, and Kate was holding two mugs. She put them down on the bedside table. "We brought you some hot chocolate."

Bella looked at Kate excitedly, smiling widely. "Wow. Thank you. Did you guys already have some?" she asked as she took a sip from her mug.

Kate grinned at Bella's chocolate mustache, and signaled for her to wipe her lip. Bella blushed and did so, but still looked expectantly at the older woman to answer her question. "We're okay. I don't think Sawyer is a big chocolate fan."

"Nope. Can't say I am," Sawyer agreed gruffly.

Edward sat upright, suddenly a bit tense. He couldn't help it, Kate's presence made him immensely nervous. "Uh, Rory said that your bed is in the closet."

"We claimed James's," Bella giggled.

Sawyer nodded, making his way to the closet and pulling out an uncomfortably thin mattress. Kate helped him out, and the end result was a small, pink comfort zone on the floor. Kate flopped onto the bed, drawing out a pillow from beside her. "I feel ridiculous," she admitted quietly.

"Edward, can you get me another pillow?" Bella requested with an innocently sweet face on. She laughed as Edward left the room reluctantly.

"Poor boy," said Sawyer under his breath.

"I'm sure he loves doing that for her, Sawyer," Kate argued, patting the spot beside her.

Sawyer shook his head. "I don' think I'm even gonna fit on that thing."

Bella looked at the couple, and then nodded. "No, I'm sure you guys will fit fine." She then pointed to the bed where she was sitting. "If not, you guys can take the bed and we can take the--"

"No. Don't be ridiculous, Bella."

"Look, Freckles, I think we might wanna take her offer. Not that I'm fightin' or anything," he said pointedly.

Kate shook her head, in an I-can't-believe-you manner. "Sawyer, I don't want to make the night more utterly uncomfortable for them. Edward's a big guy too. He's not going to fit either, so--"

"Well, I don' think it's fair to--"

"They claimed it!" Kate fumed, standing up.

Bella looked at the fighting couple with a guilty expression. "I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to get you guys fighting. Really. You guys take the bed, and we'll take the floor. No problem, honestly," she tried her best to sound re-assuring.

"What is the problem?" asked Edward from his place at the doorway.

"No problem. There is absolutely no problem." Bella sent the vampire a meaningful look. "We're taking the floor. That's alright, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Edward said finally, after looking at Sawyer and Kate suspiciously. "What brought this on, then?" He inquired as Bella moved to the mattress on the floor.

"Sawyer was being stubborn and--" Kate started.

"You know what? I'm sick o' this! What the hell is your problem? Everythin' I do is wrong! I can't do nothin' right, so why in the hell do I try?" Sawyer yelled, and Kate looked just a bit surprised at his outburst.

"Because we're married, Sawyer," she exclaimed, pointing to the simple gold band on her finger. "We're married, and I thought that you knew what that meant. I thought you knew that--"

"What? 'Cause apparently I am an idiot, so maybe I need your much needed guidance," Sawyer spat.

Kate looked down, and when she looked back up, Bella could see tears springing from the older woman's eyes. "It means that for the first time in my life, you're supposed to take care of me. I'm supposed to make mistakes and you're supposed to forgive and forget. Before now, I never expected you to treat me well or even expected for our relationship to work, because that's the way things go with us…but I felt like now maybe some things could change if you even tried."

"What in the hell do ya think I'm trying to do, Kate? Do you really think I'm really tryin' to hurt you? I'm jus' tryin' to take care of you. I'm scared, Freckles," he told her softly. Tears were now definitely coming down her cheeks. "I'm scared tha' we might not make it and that they might take you away from me."

Kate bit her bottom lip, scrubbing away her tears furiously. "You say all this like you expect me to know this when you don't even speak to me. I don't even…" she drew in a deep breath, hiccups starting to arise. "I don't even know what you're thinking…" She shook her head, making a quick exit out the door.

Bella looked at Sawyer, and then at the place where Kate used to stand. She sighed and gave a look to Edward before following behind the older woman.