Series: Lover's Sky (9/9)
Title: Last Night (Salvation)
Author: Melanie M./Shai/Misty AKA SailorFireStarr@aol.com/SSailorUranuss@aol.com
Archive: please ASK if you want to archive it.
Pairing: a lot of them. Read and find out (if you don't know already)
Rating: PG 13/NC 17 (hell, I dunno)
Disclaimers: I don't own Popular or Buffy or anything attached to the shows and I'm making absolutely nothing off of this fic. Well, accept for maybe feedback if people decide to drop me a line.
Comments: I need feedback. Remember, FEED ME! Dedication & shout outs to David (DavedeShark), my mom (Shelly), my best friend in the whole world Todd (Tms117), Aeryn Sun (who always gives me FB ^.^) & Jos, just cause he's a cool dude ^.~ Also, I'd like to thank Type O Negative for Black No. 1 cause that's what was feeding my creativeness when writing this. Anything else. . .
Sam: Don't forget Djarum.
Oh, right. Much love to Djarum Black Cloves. You keep the stress down and the creativity flowing ::snickers:: Yes, I will stop rambling. Here's the conclusion to the Lover's Sky Series.
Last Night (Salvation)
She stood outside of the restaurant. Pulling one lock of stray hair behind her ear, she took a long drag from the Djarum Black Clove that rested carelessly between her fingers. The realization that she would see those who had meant so much to her in High School was finally setting in and now she was nervous. All the faces and the memories were haunting. They were all there. She would be the last to join the congregation but she didn't mind. Taking another long drag, she hastily pulled her lips from the searing filter. Giving it a bitter look she tossed it into the darkness and faced the doors. Taking a deep breath she straightened her black mens shirt and tight black jeans. She proceeded forward, her trench coat flapping idly as she entered the slightly chilled restaurant.
"May I help you Miss?"
Her face faltered. They never called her that back in. . .well, she wasn't there now so she'd just have to deal. "Yeah, McQueen party." She mentally rolled her eyes. Mike had to be the one to throw this shindig. He wanted his name all over it. The tall, lanky man escorted her to the table where they all waited and she took her seat.
"Glad you finally joined us Sam," Mike said cheerily.
"It's nice to see you too Mike," she attempted to say politely yet it still came out a tad bitter.
Mike's face became stern for a moment but eased quickly, knowing he couldn't scold her like a child.
"So what were you all talking about?" Sam inquired, attempting to hop into the conversation and be at least a little social.
"Brooke was just telling us about her work at Victoria's Secret," Jane replied.
"Let me guess, this years top model?" Sam snickered softly.
"Actually, yes. I just got finished doing a promo for our new Destiny's Angel's collection," Brooke quipped smugly.
"It's about damn time. We finished designing that thing months ago," Nicole grumbled playfully.
"We?" Carmen asked.
"Yeah. I work in design at VS. David, Shelley, Todd, Aeryn, Jos and me. We're the designers for the hottest Victoria's Secret's pitches and clothes. We design and the head honchos tell us whether it's shit or not. I love working there," Nic explained.
"That sounds cool," Lily threw in, making her presence known.
"What are you gonna do when they don't want you anymore?" Mike huffed.
"Dad, I have a BA in Computer Technology, I'll be fine," Brooke countered, scowling.
Josh sighed. Gayle hadn't bothered showing up and neither did his mother. She had some meeting to attend with George's mom. Yeah right. He didn't buy that crap for one minute. Listening contently, he pretended not to notice the absent parents.
"So Josh, what have you been up to?" Maria asked with a grin as she glanced at Lily.
"Uh. . ." That caught him off guard. "Well, I got my PhD in Forensic Psychology at Notre Dame and I'm playing pro football for the 9ers," he replied.
"Wow, that's great Josh," Brooke beamed with a warm smile.
"My boy here's done good," James boasted proudly, patting his son on the back, making Josh blush slightly.
"So has mine. Tell them what you've accomplished son," Brian cut in, staring at George.
George felt slightly uncomfortable as everyone focused their attention on him. "I. . .um. . ." Taking a breath he started over, "well, first I got my PhD in Family Law at Notre Dame and then went pro football. I was a rookie with the Cowboys, then I went to Green Bay. This season I'll be with the 49ers."
Nicole grinned. "Impressive. What about you Spam? Done anything productive with your existence?"
"Actually, I have. I'm a Homicide Investigator for SPD. I love my job. Work my own hours most of the time and I get paid very nicely," Sam quipped, grinning triumphantly.
"SPD? Where's that?" Jane asked, intrigued.
"Sunnydale Police Department. It's on a. . .well, there's a lot of unexplained deaths so my work's never done. It's not too far from LA," Sam answered.
"What about you Lily? What have you done?" Brooke wondered aloud.
"Well, I earned my BA in journalism but for about three years I was on All My Children as Bianca's new gal pal slash lover. Then when I decided to leave they sent my character off to another country. Just in case I want to go back. After that I published my first horror novel. Haven't been able to stop writing since.," the Latina responded proudly.
Nicole eyed Carmen. "What about you? Lost the chub. What happened?"
Carmen smirked. "I'm a Marine. Special Forces. As a civilian I work for Cover Girl in the productions department."
Nicole was genuinely shocked. Thankfully the waiter came to take their orders.
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They all sat there, very content and full. There had been idle chit chat throughout dinner but nothing of much interest. Jane examined Sam with a smile. She seemed happy with the hand life had dealt her. There was only one question that remained. "So Sam, have you found Mr. Right yet?"
Sam was uncomfortable for a split second. Then she remembered what she had told herself before she'd come to this gathering and smiled. "No and I never will because I'm queer as in gay. I have an exquisite home and a beautiful girlfriend along with a nice crowd of friends who'll watch my back in any situation. And no, I'm not trying to toy with you." Whoa, that came out more condescending than she'd planned but hey, she was finally coming out.
"Is this some kind of sick game?" Jane snarled angrily.
"Like I said, no. I'm serious and if you can't accept that then it's your loss," Sam snapped. Being in Sunnydale had made her way more realistic, sarcastic and bluntly honest.
Before Jane could lunge at her daughter Mike cut in with an inquiry of his own, "What about you Brooke? Any lucky guy in your life?"
Brooke froze. Way to go Sammy! Now she was in the spotlight and she had no clue what to say. She wasn't as courageous as Sam and right now she felt very intimidated by her father and the other elders at the table.
"I'm very lucky, and 100% female thank you. We make each other happy so don't go there pops," Nicole answered for her lover. She knew it would have been harder had her mother bothered to show up but thankfully she hadn't. She also knew Brooke was uncomfortable. She could feel it. Gently caressing Brooke's hand under the table she braced herself for the backlash.
"What the fuck is this? Are you all insanely stupid or just screwed up in the head?" Mike screamed, catching the attention of every person in the restaurant.
"It's the truth, sir and none of us are stupid or screwed up. If we are it's because we've hidden this for such a long time," George growled.
"Stay outta this! Or are you one of THEM too!" Mike barked.
"Yeah, I am. I'm as gay as Melissa Etheridge, the Indigo Girls, Rosie, Mathew Shepard, Little Richard and rainbow colors. I love Josh and no one, including your narrow minded ass, will change that," George sneered ferociously.
Josh cringed. That statement would surely provoke world war three. He glanced about, taking in all of the angry faces. He notice his father's the most. He'd never seen him so perturbed and he knew this couldn't be good. He thought about speaking on behalf of the gay community but decided against it seeing as his father was right beside him.
"WHAT?" Brian screeched.
Maria glared at her daughter. "Don't even. . ."
"What? Say I'm a dyke? Ok, I won't. Never liked the term anyway. But I am a lesbian and you can't change it mama. I'm a grown woman now," Lily cut her off.
"Who is she? What whore did this to you?" Maria hissed.
"Me. And I'm not a whore thank you very much," Carmen scoffed in response.
"One big happy family," Nicole sighed, rolling her eyes.
Brian grabbed George by the front of the shirt, threatening him as the other parents took similar actions. Carmen and Nicole secretly thanked the powers that be for their absent parents as three officers approached the brewing physical fights. "Is there a problem here?" the tall, muscular one asked sternly.
Nicole stood, staring Mike down before he could lay another finger on Brooke. Her eyes snapped toward the officers. "Yes actually. These twits are disturbing the peace and assaulting some of us."
The shorter officer with spikey red hair shook his head. "Sorry Mike but I'm gonna have to take you in. You know the law," he sighed, motioning for his men to cuff Mike, Jane, Maria, James & Brian.
The taller officer glanced at Brooke. "Are you pressing charges? Any of you?"
They all shook their heads. What a disaster! Sam sighed. "You guys wanna go to my place?"
"Why not Spam. I wanna meet this gal you're all gaga about."
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Arriving at Dracula's old castle Sam smiled. "Welcome to my home."
"Whoa, creepy much?" Lily shivered, slightly uneasy in this drab place.
Sam ushered them inside. She led them to her living room where a tough looking blonde stood with her back to them. "Trouble?" Sam asked urgently, her eyes slightly darker now.
The blonde jumped slightly then sighed, not turning around. "Routine patrol," she answered cryptically.
"And you're here? Where are the others?" Sam asked as the others watched silently.
"I missed you and I figured you'd be back before ten," she glanced at her watch. "I was right. Nine thirty two," she whispered, aware that these strangers were Sam's friends yet still untrusting. "They'll meet us in about fifteen at the crypt." She hated speaking in code but it was vital at this point.
"Ah. . ." Sam smiled. Walking over to the blonde she wrapped her arms tightly around her. "I'd like you to meet my friends."
The blonde turned around in Sam's arms and kissed her softly. "I'd love to."
The others were hypnotized by the woman's sparkling blue eyes and light complexion. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and the way she smiled was a sign of pure bliss. They remained speechless as the woman slipped out from Sam's embrace.
"Hey. My name's Buffy," she introduced herself softly, cautiously.
Sam stepped forward. "This is my sister Brooke, her girlfriend Satan, my ex George, his boyfriend Josh & my best friends Lily & Carmen," she pointed out all of them as she spoke.
"It's nice meeting all of you," Buffy whispered.
Then they heard something crash through the door. The figure ripped through the hallway and stopped in front of the living room. "B," a woman's voice panted, "we got a problem."
Buffy stiffened. "What's up?"
The figure panted, trying to catch her breathe. "Red's down. Wicca's gettin her home but the. . ." she stopped. Her dark eyes scanned over the new faces. "Business," she whispered enigmatically.
Buffy slid a small pack over her shoulder, staring at Sam. "Ready?"
Sam looked at her friends. "You guys wanna come? I have to warn you, the things you'll see tonight will be like nothing else you've ever seen. It'll be one hell of a ride," she informed.
Nicole was the first to speak. "Thrills? Sounds like fun. I'd hate to go back to work and tell them the highlight of my weekend was having the rents arrested."
"This isn't a game Satan. This is real. Can you fight?" Buffy replied.
"Call me Nic, please & I'm great with a sword."
"Good. Who else is in?" Buffy asked.
Brooke looked at the others who only nodded. "We're all in."
"Follow me," the woman in the hallway whispered.
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Arriving in the graveyard, Buffy distributed weapons. Lily was the only to protest. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Look, take this stake and use it if you have to. They're already dead and I'm sure it doesn't hurt at all," Buffy coaxed.
Lily sighed & took the sharpened piece of wood. This was getting even creepier.
It was silent for a moment. Then they came flooding toward them, a horde of about 30 vamps, three demons and one very pissed off warlock.
Buffy glanced to the side to see Tara, Xander, Anya and Spike preparing for battle. "Get the warlock," she yelled, knowing her and the others in her group could handle the vamps and demons.
Tara nodded, concentrating so that she could hit this warlock with all she had once he was weak enough. Spike and Xander rushed in to weaken him while Anya leant her powers to Tara.
Buffy's crowed hacked and slashed their way through the vamps easily but the demons were tossing them around. Faith caught one off guard, killing it instantly. Nicole, Brooke and Carmen diced another while Buffy and Sam crippled the last.
They all charged the warlock, attacking him wildly. He threw them back, gathering his energy. His eyes became red as he prepared to launch his attack.
Tara knew it was now or never. With a shutter she let all of her energy mold into one big attack. The needle shaped object went undetected by the warlock as it penetrated his stomach. With a flash of light and screaming he faded without a trace. Tara collapsed into Anya's arms, panting heavily.
"Nice work everybody," Buffy panted, tiredly pacing toward the fallen witch. She knelt and touched the blonde's cheek. "You ok?"
"Yeah," Tara gasped.
"If Will coulda seen you, she'd have been proud."
Tara smiled as Xander helped her up. "Back to home base?" Xander asked, not wanting to leave Willow at Buffy's house too long.
"Yeah."
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At the Summer's home. . .
"So Buffy, mind introducing us?" Xander asked as he eyed Brooke.
Nicole narrowed her eyes, incinerating the man's attempt to make any move on her girlfriend.
"Oh, right. Guys, these are Sam's friends Carmen & Lily, her ex George, his boyfriend Josh, her stepsister Brooke and Brooke's girlfriend Nicole." Buffy took a deep breath. 'Try saying that ten times fast,' she thought.
"Hey, I'm Xander. This is Tara, Faith, Dawn, Spike and . . . um. . . Anya. Willow's kinda wounded so, yeah, she's in her room," Xander babbled.
Tara waved shyly as Anya sat as far from Xander as possible.
"Hey. It's nice to finally meet you. Sam talks about you guys a lot," Dawn replied.
After seeing what she had, Lily was a little dizzy and sick to her stomach. She sat on the comfy couch with a sigh. "Do you guys do this on a regular basis?"
"Every day," Willow answered from the bottom of the stairs. Tara rushed to her lover's side, steadying her. Tara led Will to the couch, both of them sitting beside Lily. "We have to," Willow continued.
Lily now realized this was no nightmare. This was real. "Remind me not to go on vacation here," she giggled.
They all laughed and the room got quiet. Sam smiled, looking at the others. "Guys, me and Buffy have some. . .uh. . .stuff to do, so um. . .make yourselves at home," she said nervously, hastily following the blonde slayer up the stairs.
Nicole shook her head. "Screwing like bunnies. Must be a pastime."
At the mention of those ferocious little monsters Anya leapt into Faith's arms, screaming, "where? Keep those beasts away from me!" Apparently she hadn't heard anything besides the word "bunnies". She was frantic. Her eyes were darting about nervously and she began shivering slightly.
Nicole arched a brow. "Was it something I said?"
Dawn giggled. "She's afraid of rabbits."
Nicole resisted the urge to laugh. "Sorry Anya, it was a figure of speech."
Faith internally sighed. Taking Anya to a chair, she set her down and smiled softly. "Hey, it's ok. Ain't none of those bastards round here so chill sweetie. They ain't gonna get you," she soothed, gently cupping the blonde's cheek.
Anya nuzzled to the touch with a sigh. She wrapped her arms around the slayer's waist and pulled her closer. Meeting her eyes, she smiled as if the world around her didn't exist. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you, love."
Xander looked more than slightly perturbed. His face was glowing crimson and if anyone would have seen the way his eyes were nearly glowing with fury they might even mistake him for a demon. He knew where he'd gone wrong and even now, ten years later, he couldn't stand seeing somebody, other than himself, with Anya. When Faith had come back he dealt but about a year after that it became apparent to him that they were together. He still hadn't completely dealt with that. The first four years he was a bitter, sarcastic sot but then he had decided to keep his anger to himself. He had lost her and this was for good.
Brooke sighed, sauntering over to Nic and sitting next to her. She rested her head on her lover's shoulder and smiled. This hadn't turned out so bad.
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Sunday afternoon at Sam's house. . .
"Well Spam, looks like we gotta get back to our boring existences," Nic sighed dramatically.
"Looks that way. Hey listen, I was thinking. We should do this more often. Maybe not here but I think we should all keep in contact. I mean, we didn't really see each other for ten years and look how much things have changed," Sam responded with pleading eyes.
Brooke nodded. "Sounds great. Here's our number. Don't be a stranger." They all exchanged numbers and agreed to meet at Josh & George's new place the following Friday.
All of the others, aside from Nicole, got in their cars and prepared to leave. As Nic was headed out the door she tuned to face Sam and the Scoobies. "Hey Sam, it's been great. Be careful out there. I'm kinda starting to like you." She smiled warmly. "But don't tell anyone I said that." With that she left.
Sam smiled. She wouldn't admit it aloud but she was actually starting to like Nic too. This was a new beginning and there was no telling where the days and nights would take them. This was the last night. The last night of their hatred and the last night any of them would consider the world a peaceful and loving place. That knowledge wasn't all that bad, for it would help them in life and with this they all grew even closer. Friendship never ends.
~~ End ~~
Title: Last Night (Salvation)
Author: Melanie M./Shai/Misty AKA SailorFireStarr@aol.com/SSailorUranuss@aol.com
Archive: please ASK if you want to archive it.
Pairing: a lot of them. Read and find out (if you don't know already)
Rating: PG 13/NC 17 (hell, I dunno)
Disclaimers: I don't own Popular or Buffy or anything attached to the shows and I'm making absolutely nothing off of this fic. Well, accept for maybe feedback if people decide to drop me a line.
Comments: I need feedback. Remember, FEED ME! Dedication & shout outs to David (DavedeShark), my mom (Shelly), my best friend in the whole world Todd (Tms117), Aeryn Sun (who always gives me FB ^.^) & Jos, just cause he's a cool dude ^.~ Also, I'd like to thank Type O Negative for Black No. 1 cause that's what was feeding my creativeness when writing this. Anything else. . .
Sam: Don't forget Djarum.
Oh, right. Much love to Djarum Black Cloves. You keep the stress down and the creativity flowing ::snickers:: Yes, I will stop rambling. Here's the conclusion to the Lover's Sky Series.
Last Night (Salvation)
She stood outside of the restaurant. Pulling one lock of stray hair behind her ear, she took a long drag from the Djarum Black Clove that rested carelessly between her fingers. The realization that she would see those who had meant so much to her in High School was finally setting in and now she was nervous. All the faces and the memories were haunting. They were all there. She would be the last to join the congregation but she didn't mind. Taking another long drag, she hastily pulled her lips from the searing filter. Giving it a bitter look she tossed it into the darkness and faced the doors. Taking a deep breath she straightened her black mens shirt and tight black jeans. She proceeded forward, her trench coat flapping idly as she entered the slightly chilled restaurant.
"May I help you Miss?"
Her face faltered. They never called her that back in. . .well, she wasn't there now so she'd just have to deal. "Yeah, McQueen party." She mentally rolled her eyes. Mike had to be the one to throw this shindig. He wanted his name all over it. The tall, lanky man escorted her to the table where they all waited and she took her seat.
"Glad you finally joined us Sam," Mike said cheerily.
"It's nice to see you too Mike," she attempted to say politely yet it still came out a tad bitter.
Mike's face became stern for a moment but eased quickly, knowing he couldn't scold her like a child.
"So what were you all talking about?" Sam inquired, attempting to hop into the conversation and be at least a little social.
"Brooke was just telling us about her work at Victoria's Secret," Jane replied.
"Let me guess, this years top model?" Sam snickered softly.
"Actually, yes. I just got finished doing a promo for our new Destiny's Angel's collection," Brooke quipped smugly.
"It's about damn time. We finished designing that thing months ago," Nicole grumbled playfully.
"We?" Carmen asked.
"Yeah. I work in design at VS. David, Shelley, Todd, Aeryn, Jos and me. We're the designers for the hottest Victoria's Secret's pitches and clothes. We design and the head honchos tell us whether it's shit or not. I love working there," Nic explained.
"That sounds cool," Lily threw in, making her presence known.
"What are you gonna do when they don't want you anymore?" Mike huffed.
"Dad, I have a BA in Computer Technology, I'll be fine," Brooke countered, scowling.
Josh sighed. Gayle hadn't bothered showing up and neither did his mother. She had some meeting to attend with George's mom. Yeah right. He didn't buy that crap for one minute. Listening contently, he pretended not to notice the absent parents.
"So Josh, what have you been up to?" Maria asked with a grin as she glanced at Lily.
"Uh. . ." That caught him off guard. "Well, I got my PhD in Forensic Psychology at Notre Dame and I'm playing pro football for the 9ers," he replied.
"Wow, that's great Josh," Brooke beamed with a warm smile.
"My boy here's done good," James boasted proudly, patting his son on the back, making Josh blush slightly.
"So has mine. Tell them what you've accomplished son," Brian cut in, staring at George.
George felt slightly uncomfortable as everyone focused their attention on him. "I. . .um. . ." Taking a breath he started over, "well, first I got my PhD in Family Law at Notre Dame and then went pro football. I was a rookie with the Cowboys, then I went to Green Bay. This season I'll be with the 49ers."
Nicole grinned. "Impressive. What about you Spam? Done anything productive with your existence?"
"Actually, I have. I'm a Homicide Investigator for SPD. I love my job. Work my own hours most of the time and I get paid very nicely," Sam quipped, grinning triumphantly.
"SPD? Where's that?" Jane asked, intrigued.
"Sunnydale Police Department. It's on a. . .well, there's a lot of unexplained deaths so my work's never done. It's not too far from LA," Sam answered.
"What about you Lily? What have you done?" Brooke wondered aloud.
"Well, I earned my BA in journalism but for about three years I was on All My Children as Bianca's new gal pal slash lover. Then when I decided to leave they sent my character off to another country. Just in case I want to go back. After that I published my first horror novel. Haven't been able to stop writing since.," the Latina responded proudly.
Nicole eyed Carmen. "What about you? Lost the chub. What happened?"
Carmen smirked. "I'm a Marine. Special Forces. As a civilian I work for Cover Girl in the productions department."
Nicole was genuinely shocked. Thankfully the waiter came to take their orders.
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They all sat there, very content and full. There had been idle chit chat throughout dinner but nothing of much interest. Jane examined Sam with a smile. She seemed happy with the hand life had dealt her. There was only one question that remained. "So Sam, have you found Mr. Right yet?"
Sam was uncomfortable for a split second. Then she remembered what she had told herself before she'd come to this gathering and smiled. "No and I never will because I'm queer as in gay. I have an exquisite home and a beautiful girlfriend along with a nice crowd of friends who'll watch my back in any situation. And no, I'm not trying to toy with you." Whoa, that came out more condescending than she'd planned but hey, she was finally coming out.
"Is this some kind of sick game?" Jane snarled angrily.
"Like I said, no. I'm serious and if you can't accept that then it's your loss," Sam snapped. Being in Sunnydale had made her way more realistic, sarcastic and bluntly honest.
Before Jane could lunge at her daughter Mike cut in with an inquiry of his own, "What about you Brooke? Any lucky guy in your life?"
Brooke froze. Way to go Sammy! Now she was in the spotlight and she had no clue what to say. She wasn't as courageous as Sam and right now she felt very intimidated by her father and the other elders at the table.
"I'm very lucky, and 100% female thank you. We make each other happy so don't go there pops," Nicole answered for her lover. She knew it would have been harder had her mother bothered to show up but thankfully she hadn't. She also knew Brooke was uncomfortable. She could feel it. Gently caressing Brooke's hand under the table she braced herself for the backlash.
"What the fuck is this? Are you all insanely stupid or just screwed up in the head?" Mike screamed, catching the attention of every person in the restaurant.
"It's the truth, sir and none of us are stupid or screwed up. If we are it's because we've hidden this for such a long time," George growled.
"Stay outta this! Or are you one of THEM too!" Mike barked.
"Yeah, I am. I'm as gay as Melissa Etheridge, the Indigo Girls, Rosie, Mathew Shepard, Little Richard and rainbow colors. I love Josh and no one, including your narrow minded ass, will change that," George sneered ferociously.
Josh cringed. That statement would surely provoke world war three. He glanced about, taking in all of the angry faces. He notice his father's the most. He'd never seen him so perturbed and he knew this couldn't be good. He thought about speaking on behalf of the gay community but decided against it seeing as his father was right beside him.
"WHAT?" Brian screeched.
Maria glared at her daughter. "Don't even. . ."
"What? Say I'm a dyke? Ok, I won't. Never liked the term anyway. But I am a lesbian and you can't change it mama. I'm a grown woman now," Lily cut her off.
"Who is she? What whore did this to you?" Maria hissed.
"Me. And I'm not a whore thank you very much," Carmen scoffed in response.
"One big happy family," Nicole sighed, rolling her eyes.
Brian grabbed George by the front of the shirt, threatening him as the other parents took similar actions. Carmen and Nicole secretly thanked the powers that be for their absent parents as three officers approached the brewing physical fights. "Is there a problem here?" the tall, muscular one asked sternly.
Nicole stood, staring Mike down before he could lay another finger on Brooke. Her eyes snapped toward the officers. "Yes actually. These twits are disturbing the peace and assaulting some of us."
The shorter officer with spikey red hair shook his head. "Sorry Mike but I'm gonna have to take you in. You know the law," he sighed, motioning for his men to cuff Mike, Jane, Maria, James & Brian.
The taller officer glanced at Brooke. "Are you pressing charges? Any of you?"
They all shook their heads. What a disaster! Sam sighed. "You guys wanna go to my place?"
"Why not Spam. I wanna meet this gal you're all gaga about."
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Arriving at Dracula's old castle Sam smiled. "Welcome to my home."
"Whoa, creepy much?" Lily shivered, slightly uneasy in this drab place.
Sam ushered them inside. She led them to her living room where a tough looking blonde stood with her back to them. "Trouble?" Sam asked urgently, her eyes slightly darker now.
The blonde jumped slightly then sighed, not turning around. "Routine patrol," she answered cryptically.
"And you're here? Where are the others?" Sam asked as the others watched silently.
"I missed you and I figured you'd be back before ten," she glanced at her watch. "I was right. Nine thirty two," she whispered, aware that these strangers were Sam's friends yet still untrusting. "They'll meet us in about fifteen at the crypt." She hated speaking in code but it was vital at this point.
"Ah. . ." Sam smiled. Walking over to the blonde she wrapped her arms tightly around her. "I'd like you to meet my friends."
The blonde turned around in Sam's arms and kissed her softly. "I'd love to."
The others were hypnotized by the woman's sparkling blue eyes and light complexion. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and the way she smiled was a sign of pure bliss. They remained speechless as the woman slipped out from Sam's embrace.
"Hey. My name's Buffy," she introduced herself softly, cautiously.
Sam stepped forward. "This is my sister Brooke, her girlfriend Satan, my ex George, his boyfriend Josh & my best friends Lily & Carmen," she pointed out all of them as she spoke.
"It's nice meeting all of you," Buffy whispered.
Then they heard something crash through the door. The figure ripped through the hallway and stopped in front of the living room. "B," a woman's voice panted, "we got a problem."
Buffy stiffened. "What's up?"
The figure panted, trying to catch her breathe. "Red's down. Wicca's gettin her home but the. . ." she stopped. Her dark eyes scanned over the new faces. "Business," she whispered enigmatically.
Buffy slid a small pack over her shoulder, staring at Sam. "Ready?"
Sam looked at her friends. "You guys wanna come? I have to warn you, the things you'll see tonight will be like nothing else you've ever seen. It'll be one hell of a ride," she informed.
Nicole was the first to speak. "Thrills? Sounds like fun. I'd hate to go back to work and tell them the highlight of my weekend was having the rents arrested."
"This isn't a game Satan. This is real. Can you fight?" Buffy replied.
"Call me Nic, please & I'm great with a sword."
"Good. Who else is in?" Buffy asked.
Brooke looked at the others who only nodded. "We're all in."
"Follow me," the woman in the hallway whispered.
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Arriving in the graveyard, Buffy distributed weapons. Lily was the only to protest. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Look, take this stake and use it if you have to. They're already dead and I'm sure it doesn't hurt at all," Buffy coaxed.
Lily sighed & took the sharpened piece of wood. This was getting even creepier.
It was silent for a moment. Then they came flooding toward them, a horde of about 30 vamps, three demons and one very pissed off warlock.
Buffy glanced to the side to see Tara, Xander, Anya and Spike preparing for battle. "Get the warlock," she yelled, knowing her and the others in her group could handle the vamps and demons.
Tara nodded, concentrating so that she could hit this warlock with all she had once he was weak enough. Spike and Xander rushed in to weaken him while Anya leant her powers to Tara.
Buffy's crowed hacked and slashed their way through the vamps easily but the demons were tossing them around. Faith caught one off guard, killing it instantly. Nicole, Brooke and Carmen diced another while Buffy and Sam crippled the last.
They all charged the warlock, attacking him wildly. He threw them back, gathering his energy. His eyes became red as he prepared to launch his attack.
Tara knew it was now or never. With a shutter she let all of her energy mold into one big attack. The needle shaped object went undetected by the warlock as it penetrated his stomach. With a flash of light and screaming he faded without a trace. Tara collapsed into Anya's arms, panting heavily.
"Nice work everybody," Buffy panted, tiredly pacing toward the fallen witch. She knelt and touched the blonde's cheek. "You ok?"
"Yeah," Tara gasped.
"If Will coulda seen you, she'd have been proud."
Tara smiled as Xander helped her up. "Back to home base?" Xander asked, not wanting to leave Willow at Buffy's house too long.
"Yeah."
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At the Summer's home. . .
"So Buffy, mind introducing us?" Xander asked as he eyed Brooke.
Nicole narrowed her eyes, incinerating the man's attempt to make any move on her girlfriend.
"Oh, right. Guys, these are Sam's friends Carmen & Lily, her ex George, his boyfriend Josh, her stepsister Brooke and Brooke's girlfriend Nicole." Buffy took a deep breath. 'Try saying that ten times fast,' she thought.
"Hey, I'm Xander. This is Tara, Faith, Dawn, Spike and . . . um. . . Anya. Willow's kinda wounded so, yeah, she's in her room," Xander babbled.
Tara waved shyly as Anya sat as far from Xander as possible.
"Hey. It's nice to finally meet you. Sam talks about you guys a lot," Dawn replied.
After seeing what she had, Lily was a little dizzy and sick to her stomach. She sat on the comfy couch with a sigh. "Do you guys do this on a regular basis?"
"Every day," Willow answered from the bottom of the stairs. Tara rushed to her lover's side, steadying her. Tara led Will to the couch, both of them sitting beside Lily. "We have to," Willow continued.
Lily now realized this was no nightmare. This was real. "Remind me not to go on vacation here," she giggled.
They all laughed and the room got quiet. Sam smiled, looking at the others. "Guys, me and Buffy have some. . .uh. . .stuff to do, so um. . .make yourselves at home," she said nervously, hastily following the blonde slayer up the stairs.
Nicole shook her head. "Screwing like bunnies. Must be a pastime."
At the mention of those ferocious little monsters Anya leapt into Faith's arms, screaming, "where? Keep those beasts away from me!" Apparently she hadn't heard anything besides the word "bunnies". She was frantic. Her eyes were darting about nervously and she began shivering slightly.
Nicole arched a brow. "Was it something I said?"
Dawn giggled. "She's afraid of rabbits."
Nicole resisted the urge to laugh. "Sorry Anya, it was a figure of speech."
Faith internally sighed. Taking Anya to a chair, she set her down and smiled softly. "Hey, it's ok. Ain't none of those bastards round here so chill sweetie. They ain't gonna get you," she soothed, gently cupping the blonde's cheek.
Anya nuzzled to the touch with a sigh. She wrapped her arms around the slayer's waist and pulled her closer. Meeting her eyes, she smiled as if the world around her didn't exist. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you, love."
Xander looked more than slightly perturbed. His face was glowing crimson and if anyone would have seen the way his eyes were nearly glowing with fury they might even mistake him for a demon. He knew where he'd gone wrong and even now, ten years later, he couldn't stand seeing somebody, other than himself, with Anya. When Faith had come back he dealt but about a year after that it became apparent to him that they were together. He still hadn't completely dealt with that. The first four years he was a bitter, sarcastic sot but then he had decided to keep his anger to himself. He had lost her and this was for good.
Brooke sighed, sauntering over to Nic and sitting next to her. She rested her head on her lover's shoulder and smiled. This hadn't turned out so bad.
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Sunday afternoon at Sam's house. . .
"Well Spam, looks like we gotta get back to our boring existences," Nic sighed dramatically.
"Looks that way. Hey listen, I was thinking. We should do this more often. Maybe not here but I think we should all keep in contact. I mean, we didn't really see each other for ten years and look how much things have changed," Sam responded with pleading eyes.
Brooke nodded. "Sounds great. Here's our number. Don't be a stranger." They all exchanged numbers and agreed to meet at Josh & George's new place the following Friday.
All of the others, aside from Nicole, got in their cars and prepared to leave. As Nic was headed out the door she tuned to face Sam and the Scoobies. "Hey Sam, it's been great. Be careful out there. I'm kinda starting to like you." She smiled warmly. "But don't tell anyone I said that." With that she left.
Sam smiled. She wouldn't admit it aloud but she was actually starting to like Nic too. This was a new beginning and there was no telling where the days and nights would take them. This was the last night. The last night of their hatred and the last night any of them would consider the world a peaceful and loving place. That knowledge wasn't all that bad, for it would help them in life and with this they all grew even closer. Friendship never ends.
~~ End ~~
