Jessie Sammler, Vampire Slayer
Chapter 36
Author: j_rock873
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jessie's family learns what happened to her in the previous three chapters and gets a tour of London afterwards.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from either show.
Reviews: I would like them. Constructive criticism is ok.
A few minutes later, Grace's apartment in New York
"H-Hello?" Grace mumbled half asleep.
"Grace, I know it's early, but Buffy needs you asap in London."
"What's wrong? It isn't Jessie, is it?"
"Yes."
"Oh no, she's still alive, isn't she? I mean she isn't…," Grace tried to say as she began to panic.
"No, but Buffy thinks it's important enough that you should get there quickly."
"Ok, give me a few…Hold on for a few seconds," Grace requested as she began talking to someone in the room with her, "Ok, I'm back."
"Who were you talking to?"
"Xander."
"Why is Xander at your apartment that early? You're not secretly dating him are you? Because I don't think Vi would like that," Willow giggled.
"No, she's here too. We tried to have a movie night like you did back in Sunnydale. I guess we weren't able to stay awake either. They want to know how bad it is too. They want to come with me if it's really bad."
"Do you remember when I showed all of you what was going through my mind after Kennedy left me?"
"Uh huh," Grace answered nervously.
"Buffy said that Warren got off easier than a vampire that Jessie staked last night."
Willow heard Grace gasp before telling Xander and Vi, who immediately wanted to know if they could come with Grace.
"Just give us about ten minutes to get ready."
"Ok."
Five minutes later, The Sammler/Manning home
"Hello?"
"Gracie, what is it? Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Yes, I do. It's about 4:10 over there, right?"
"Yes, what's wrong? Are you and Jessie ok?"
"I'm fine, but Jessie isn't. Willow wouldn't tell me what exactly what was wrong, but Jessie is still alive. It most likely has to do with her and Katie. Buffy seems to think it's important enough for you to be there. If it isn't as bad as they're making it out to be, I'm sure Willow can quickly teleport you back home."
"Give me a minute to talk to Rick," Lily suggested before putting her daughter on hold, "He says ok. Just call us when Willow's ready."
A few minutes later, the home of Karen Sammler
"Rick, it's only a quarter after four in the morning. What's so important that it couldn't wait for at least another five hours?"
Karen started to shake a little as Rick let her know it was about Jessie.
"What? Jessie did what? Grace said that? Buffy thinks that? Ok, I'll get ready as soon as I can. Call me when she's ready."
Around 11:00 AM; London, England time; the girls' apartment
Buffy and Faith had been sitting on the couch as people kept teleporting into the apartment. First it was Willow; then Grace, Xander, and Vi; then Lily and Rick, and finally, Karen and Eli.
"Wow, she does have a nice sized family."
"Yeah, where are your younger kids, Lily? I think their names were Zoe and Matthew."
"My sister Judy is watching them. We made up a lie about something Jessie and Grace sent having some problems getting through customs, and we'll make up more if we have to cover up the trip."
"Good, it's better that she doesn't know the real reason Jessie is here. We have some coffee for those who want it. We only have regular coffee though."
"That's fine," they said in unison.
Everyone else except Buffy and Faith smirked when Eli became focused on the couple in front of him. Faith grabbed Buffy's hand protectively as she stared back at him, making Buffy sigh happily.
"I guess, I'll give the introductions for the few who don't know each other. Mom, Rick, Karen, and Eli, this is Xander and Vi. He's been friends with Buffy since high school and with Willow since they wore footy pajamas," Grace paused when everyone laughed as Willow's blush was as red as her hair. Grace continued after it had died down, "Vi is a slayer that lives in New York, like Xander and I do. The brunette on the couch beside Buffy is her girlfriend, Faith. I'm sure Eli remembers her though."
The Scoobies, Grace, and Vi laughed as Eli looked away from the happy couple.
Grace then finished the introductions, "This is my mom, Lily; my stepdad and Jessie's dad, Rick; Jessie's mom, Karen; and Jessie's brother, Eli."
"So how much longer will it be before Jessie wakes up?" Karen questioned seconds before Dawn and Jessie's bedroom door opened.
The girls walked out into the family room while rubbing their eyes. They all could see that the two didn't know that they were being watched by someone other than Buffy and Faith.
"Oh, sweetie, what happened to you? Was it a vampire or maybe K…"
"Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?" Jessie asked as she and Dawn then got a look at everyone in the room. Dawn quickly sat down on the couch between Faith and Willow as Jessie started again, "What are all of you doing here?"
Nobody said a word. They only directed their attention to the four girls on the couch.
"You TOLD them, didn't YOU? Why? You didn't give me a chance to tell them in my own way," Jessie growled as her anger began to rise quickly.
"Buffy felt it was important that you told them in person," Faith interrupted as she felt the need to defend Buffy.
"Well, she's wrong. I didn't want to tell them in person. I was going to tell them in a few days by either a phone call or e-mail."
"Oh, sweetie, this is something that we should know about within a day, not two or more," Karen declared as she stood up to hug her daughter, "So how did you get those bruises?"
Jessie didn't say a word before staring directly at Buffy.
"YOU hit my daughter? Why would you do that?" Rick questioned.
"Because she almost put Dawn in danger and scared her and all of the younger slayers that were with us last night."
They all faced Jessie this time.
"Yeah, she's right, unfortunately," Jessie revealed as she walked over to Dawn, hugged her, and apologized, "I'm truly sorry, D, I never meant to scare you like that. I guess I just sort of lost it for about five minutes."
"More like closer to ten minutes," Buffy informed her.
"Whatever," Jessie responded before turning back to Dawn, "I'm still your best friend, right?"
"Always," Dawn promised as she returned the hug and smiled.
"Aw…," Faith chuckled before her mouth was covered by one of Buffy's hands. Buffy held it there until Faith assured her that she wouldn't say anything else to embarrass Dawn.
"Sorry, D, I couldn't resist."
Dawn frowned at her for a few seconds before gazing at the floor.
"What happened between you and Katie, sweetie?" Lily inquired carefully, "Did you two break up?"
"I'm not ready to talk about it. Sorry you made the trip for nothing."
"Please talk to us," Karen begged.
"I don't want to…," Jessie tried to speak but was interrupted by Willow. The rest looked on in silence as the redhead and blonde whispered back and forth, "Ok, you can do that."
"She can do what?" Dawn said this time.
"I'm going to show you what Jessie saw and heard from the break up until Buffy knocked her out, so she doesn't have to talk."
"You knocked her out?" Grace gasped.
"Only because of the slayer strength," Buffy described, "This is going to be like when you showed us what you were thinking, right, Willow?"
"Exactly, whatever expressions you see on my face will only be Jessie's emotions at that time," Willow explained as she put one hand on the top of the TV and the other on Jessie's forehead.
Everybody's eyes shifted back and forth between the TV screen and Willow. As Katie and Jessie's entire fight was played out, they saw Willow's hair color change constantly between red and black while tears ran down her cheeks. They became worried when this started.
"Will, are you going to be able to handle that?" Buffy quizzed with concern written all over her face.
"Yeah, Red, will you?"
Willow smiled briefly at both slayers caring before going back to the task at hand.
"I'll be fine."
They saw the confrontation between Jamie and Jessie and felt a little relieved but still nervous about what was to come. When it got to the meeting of the first vampire, Jessie's family, Xander, and Vi couldn't contain the laughter. They looked over to Willow as her hair had stayed red through the entire fight while she laughed louder than all of them. They came to the conclusion that the accent and the run and stumble fake out were the reasons for the loudest laughs.
"I should have told the slayers how vampires and other demons can't resist the run and stumble," Buffy spoke through laughs.
The sadness came back when it got to the last dance between Dawn and Jessie. Dawn began crying as she watched, for the second time, Jessie run away from her and sit on the ground outside the club. When it got to the most dreaded moment, they saw Willow's hair color immediately go back to black and blood start to run from her nose. This paled in comparison to what happened next. They were stunned as Willow's face became so red the blood was almost undetectable.
"WILLOW, STOP IT BEFORE YOU GO TOO FOR US TO BRING YOU BACK!" Buffy yelled.
Willow paused the action on the TV before speaking to her best friend, "Buffy, I have it under control. These are Jessie's emotions, not mine, remember?"
"Then why are you bleeding because Jessie didn't?"
"I guess it's taking a little bit more out of me, but I can handle it until it's over."
Everyone focused on Jessie, who nodded as tears were flowing down her cheeks at a fast speed before advising, "Watch the TV, not me."
When anyone tried to get closer to Jessie, she held them back by raising her hand in front of them. They noticed the pain on Karen's face as she regretfully sat down. Karen, Lily, and Grace began turning green as Jessie showed the slayers on the screen how much damage she had done to the vampire. The sickening feeling remained as they observed Buffy and Jessie fighting. When the fight was over, Karen got up and ran to the bathroom. She didn't even take the time to close the door. The sound was like high definition to the slayers. Willow released the hold she had on the TV and Jessie's forehead. As she stepped back from Jessie, she began to sway from side to side. Jessie caught her and led her safely back to the couch.
"Are you going to be ok, Red?" Jessie began as she wiped away sweat and the blood with a towel.
"Yeah, I'll be ok in a few minutes. Wow, that was intense."
"Yeah," Jessie agreed as she saw her mom return.
They made their way slowly to each other as the rest waited patiently for whatever would happen next. The group smiled in relief as the blonde collapsed in her mother's arms and let the tears fall.
"OK, I know why my family and Willow are, but why are you two here?" Jessie babbled to Xander and Vi when she stopped crying.
"Believe it or not, they really care about you," Grace told them as she smiled with pride.
"Why, I'm not that special, just another slayer."
"That's where you're wrong. You're not special, you're extraordinary. You have protected Dawn so many times whether it was physically or vocally. How could I not care about someone like that," Xander confirmed as he hugged the blonde.
"I care because I really respect you. Sure, I was a little disappointed when Buffy and Faith put you in charge so quickly, even after kicking Kennedy's ass. But you never let that go to your head. You treated all of us with respect, and only disciplined us when it was justified," Vi stated as she also finished with a hug and a smile.
"Better watch it Xan-man, J might steal your girlfriend away," Faith teased as everyone except Xander laughed.
"I wouldn't do that. Well, I probably could, but I won't," Jessie chuckled, "Ok, since you know everything that happened, is there anything you want to ask?" Jessie mentioned to her family.
"Yes, we understand you getting angry with the comments that vampire made, but was it necessary to be so vicious? Is there something else you're not telling us?" Lily assumed as the rest agreed with her.
"Yeah, when Katie and I were still together, we got just as many insults as we got support. One day it was so bad, I almost called it quits. Katie was able to somehow convince me to ignore them. If it hadn't been for her, you would have never found out that Katie I were ever a couple. Yes, Grace?" Jessie voiced as her attention was drawn to her stepsister.
"Uh, what do you want us to do if she tries to contact us when she fails with you?" Grace prodded as she stepped back to be ready for another attack of any kind.
Jessie sighed before answering with, "Well, if the caller id shows it's her, just ignore it. I don't see her going home for the holidays unless Tad invites her. So what would you like to do now? Would you rather go back home now or get some sleep here for a few hours and then go on a tour of the campus and the city of London?" Jessie smiled as the rest of her family voted for some sleep and a tour, "Ok, that's settled. I don't think there are any empty dorm rooms right now, so could Dad and Lily use your and Buffy's bed, Faith?"
"Sure," Faith consented as she pretended to lead Buffy to the bathroom, "B and I will just be in the tub."
"Faith, not now."
"Geez, B, I was only kidding. I meant the shower anyway."
"FAITH!" Buffy yelped.
"Relax, you all know I was kidding, right?"
"Yes," they insisted unanimously with a nod while trying to ignore the way Eli was blatantly gaping at Buffy and Faith.
"D, can my mom use your bed while Eli uses mine?" Jessie pleaded in hopes of getting him to quit ogling her friends.
"Ok, uh, J."
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you say anything when Katie said those things about Xander?"
The rest became interested as they had been wondering the same thing.
"Can you handle the truth and not be mad at me, or should I lie?"
"I want to hear the truth. I can't promise I won't be mad, but I will still want you to be my best friend."
Jessie surveyed the room as they all showed that they wanted to know too.
"Because part of me agrees with her. I'm sorry, but it's just the way I feel."
"Ok, well, thanks for being honest," Dawn sighed.
Jessie then gave her family a tour of the apartment. They were pleased to see that Jessie had a nice place to live. They became curious about the three pieces of wood lying on Jessie's side of the dresser.
"What are those?" Rick asked as he pointed to them.
"Oh, the two smaller ones are the ones I used to kill my first two vampires. You remember that story, don't you?"
"Yes," Karen told her as they all smiled at her.
"The third is a gift from Buffy. She gave it to me after I got back later that night. It used to belong to a former slayer named Kendra. That was her name, right?" Jessie guessed as she turned to Dawn, who was standing right beside her.
"Yes. Now, just give us time to get cleaned up, and then the beds are yours for a few hours," Dawn claimed with a smile.
"Thank you, Dawn," Karen asserted with a smile.
"You're welcome," Dawn replied as she couldn't help blushing at the smile on Karen's face. After the entire family left the room, Dawn turned back to Jessie and asked, "What?"
"I just wanted to thank you for letting my mom use your bed. So thanks. You can use the bathroom first, if you want."
"Ok, cool," Dawn answered before removing most of her clothes while being unaware at how Jessie was checking her out.
While Jessie was taking her turn in the bathroom, Dawn got dressed and headed to the family room. When she entered, she saw Buffy having a pleasant conversation with Karen while Eli was passed out on the couch. She felt herself jump a little at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder and a voice whispering into her left ear.
"So when are you going to make your move on her?"
"I-I don't know. Don't you think I should give her at least some time? I mean she probably still loves Katie."
"Even after Katie broke her heart?"
"Yeah, it's something you don't necessarily get over in a day or two, a week, or even a month."
"Ok, but I wouldn't wait too long. You don't know how long the other members of the Jessie Sammler fan club will wait until they make a move on her."
"Don't you think some of them will be scared off when they learn about what she did last night?"
"Maybe. Hey, I think J's done. Go get her, D."
"Can you please be quiet?" Dawn ordered softly as she opened the door just enough to see Jessie wink at her as she walked over to the dresser.
"Did you catch her naked?" Faith whispered after seeing the smile on Dawn's face as she closed the door.
"I thought I asked you to be quiet? And no, I didn't."
"Ok."
Dawn made her way to the kitchen in search of some juice while Karen joined her in search of another cup of coffee.
"I thought you promised to quit teasing Dawn about Jessie," Buffy reminded her girlfriend.
"I did, that's why I'm giving her advice about when to make some kind of move on J," Faith confided.
Five and a half hours later
After Jessie's family had gotten enough sleep and Willow had teleported Grace, Vi, and Xander back to New York, the remaining Scoobies had accompanied Jessie as she showed her family around the campus and the city of London. After almost two hours of seeing mostly museums, Eli had enough and was informed on how to get to the clubs he might be interested in.
"Hey, Red, could you do some sort of spell to keep the doors to my and Buffy's bedroom locked until we get back? You know, so he won't able to look around and other stuff?"
"Sure," Willow assured her as they noticed Buffy and Jessie giving Faith an "Ew, yuck" expression.
Faith then explained to her girlfriend, "I just didn't want him to be touching anything he shouldn't be touching."
"Do you think he would do something like that?" Jessie questioned the brunette.
"Yes, I do. Sorry, J."
"No problem, I understand. I would too if I was…," Jessie muttered before covering her mouth with her right hand, making Faith's smirk come back as Buffy's eyes almost bugged out.
"Hey, what are the four of you talking about? You're supposed to be showing us the city," Karen teased her clearly embarrassed daughter.
"Sorry, it wasn't anything too important," Jessie told them as Faith and Willow laughed, Buffy smacked her girlfriend on her arm, and Dawn gazed curiously at her best friend and possibly future girlfriend.
"Don't worry, I'll tell you later," Jessie conveyed to Dawn before continuing to mention and point out other sights to her family and missing how Dawn reacted to Jessie's breath on her skin.
However, her friends clearly noticed, and the four of them went into telepathic mode again.
Are you ok, Dawnie?
I think so, Willow. Why can't Jessie see what that stuff does to me? She knows I love her, so wouldn't she think twice about whispering in my ear or holding my hand innocently?
I guess she assumes you can handle it, D.
Well, obviously it's getting harder to not do anything. I just want to kiss her and hold hands constantly. And…
Ok, oversharing Buffy cut in.
Sorry.
Well, she's single now, so make your move. Faith encouraged her.
What, just go ahead and ask her out or kiss her the next time we're alone?
Yeah, or get even more daring.
Faith, could you stop giving my sister tips on how to seduce her best friend?
Why? They worked on you.
Ok, it's my turn to say oversharing now. Dawn frowned.
We better stop. Jessie and her family are watching us.
Willow nodded to the people behind them.
"Sorry, J."
"It's ok, D," Jessie announced with a smile before turning back to her parents.
Buffy, Faith, and Willow glanced at Dawn with consoling smiles as she sighed very softly.
A few hours later, the girls' apartment
Jessie's family had seen everything they had wanted to see in London and was ready to go back home. Her family still wasn't sure though if Jessie was going to be ok, or if she should come home with them.
"Are you sure you're going to be ok and don't want to come back home with us?"
"I'll be fine. I'm sorry, I worried all of you."
"It's ok, sweetie. You know if you change your mind we're just a phone call, or maybe I should say a teleportation spell away," Rick chuckled at his own attempt at light humor.
The rest indulged him in his attempt and laughed too.
As they started to say their goodbyes, Faith spoke up, "Uh, Karen, Rick, Lily, can B and I have a word with you for a minute?"
She signaled for them to join her over by her and Buffy's bedroom door before winking quickly at Willow, who quickly nodded back. Dawn stood beside Eli and Jessie as she tried to appear confused but had a feeling that Faith was talking about her. She glimpsed toward Jessie, who seemed to be slightly distracted.
"Anything wrong? Do you hear something?"
"Just you and Eli talking," Jessie divulged as she rubbed her ears, not understanding that Willow was blocking her slayer hearing from what the other slayers and her parents were talking about.
"Ok," Dawn answered as she knew what was happening and eyed Willow. I knew it. They're talking about me. Most likely about how much I love J. I hope they don't embarrass me.
Don't worry, Dawnie. They're not going to embarrass you.
So they are talking about me. What are they saying?
Nothing for you to worry about. Just don't let them know we're talking like this.
Alright.
"Karen, Rick, Lily, I know after seeing that stuff on the TV, you're worried about J again, but you don't need to be. We'll take good care of her."
Buffy could help but smile too when Jessie's parents smiled at Faith's nickname for their daughter.
"We know that, Faith, but thanks for saying so. We see how all of you care about her, especially Dawn. It's good to know that she'll have such a devoted friend like her," Karen interrupted before giving the slayer a smile.
Faith smirked at how Jessie's parents seemed to have no idea on how much Dawn liked her best friend.
"It's a little more serious than that," Faith continued as she held back the sarcasm that wanted to come out.
"What do you mean?" Rick asked confused.
"She's in love with your daughter. Maybe Dawn will be able to help J get over Katie. Or as I liked to call her, hotstuff."
"Faith, remember what I said about oversharing?" Buffy groaned.
"Is she really?"
"Yes, Karen, she is," Buffy confirmed.
Jessie's parents failed to glance briefly at Dawn. Then they along with the Scoobies discovered that Jessie was in a slightly intense discussion with Eli and had to glare into his eyes each time he started to shift his attention to Buffy and Faith. Faith and Willow shared a smirk as Buffy let out another groan. They walked back over to Dawn, Jessie, and Eli and finished their goodbyes. Dawn had grown a little uncomfortable at the hugs she received from Karen and Lily but succeeded in hiding it. To her, they felt like the same type of hugs she would get from her own mom. And to be honest, it almost freaked her out as much as Buffy's stare had done earlier that day.