(Ya'll, I'm sorry that I haven't been updating regularly-school has been
getting hard and my parents are on a control trip so please forgive me.
Thanks for your reviews and e-mails.)
Chapter Six: The New Scooby Gang
Miss Crowe, who insisted that Ashley call her Carrie, and Ashley talked for the whole of fourth period and when the bell rang Ashley insisted that she had to go.
Carrie turned out to be cooler than Ashley expected. When Ashley told her about last night and how she felt about it all Carrie ended up telling her about Buffy Summers and how she met her demise. How friends kept her alive and even helped to kill the greatest of evils they faced. She also told her of the pain Buffy went through because of her friends and for her friends. All in all it turned out that without friends the Master would have risen and the whole world would have gone to hell in a hand basket. Then Carrie talked with Ashley about what she would do personally and told her that she would back her no matter what her decision was.
Then they talked about the training and more on the schedule. As it turned out Ashley would have to check in with her every morning, training would be every day of the school week from when school let out to six, then she would patrol every night for at least two hours. Ashley granted that it was a rather tight schedule but as of now she had no complaints.
So there she was thinking of all the things her and Carrie had talked about and rushing down the hall to Parker's car. Indeed, she ran into him as she was rounding E-hall, he was coming to look for her.
They exchanged a few words and he got her books and guided her to his car. When they arrived they loaded up and he took her home.
"Do you want me to come in?" he asked.
She grabbed her books and walked around the car to his window, "You can, but you'll be here at about eight anyway right?"
"Well yeah," he said, "well I'll see ya then."
"Yeah." She smiled and leaned into the car and kissed him before walking into house.
*******
"Mom! I'm home." She said as she walked in. Her mother didn't get the job she was 'auditioning' for yesterday so she made plans for another one Friday.
"Hey Ashley," her mother said, walking out of the kitchen to meet her in the foyer, "how was school?"
"It was great," she said as she dropped her books in the living room corner and followed her mother back to the kitchen.
She leaned on the island as her mother was busy at the stove, "By the way- there's this boy at school who asked me out today. Do you mind if he comes and picks me up?"
Her mom nearly dropped the spoon that she was using to stir whatever is she was cooking, "Oh, already?"
Ashley shrugged, "Yeah."
Her mother turned to her, "And where will you be going."
Ashley pondered for a minute, "Some place called the Bronze, it's a local club."
Her mother sighed and tapped her fingers on the island countertop, "Okay, but be careful. I don't like the idea of you going out with someone on the THIRD day of school."
"Oh its fine mom, really---its that boy who's been picking me up in the morning. I told you about him."
"Okay," her mom said, "Be back by twelve."
"You got it mom." Ashley smiled and walked up to her room.
*******
Ashley turned on the TV in her bedroom and flipped it to MTV. The one thing she hated about being on the West Coast is that she was behind on the shows she watched back home. Though it didn't do her much good to flip on the TV because as soon as she got comfortable on her bed something hit her window.
So she got up in sync and walked to the window, opened it and there was Eric leaning on his windowsill.
"Hey!" Ashley said, "I had almost forgot you lived next door-you've been a stranger lately."
He eyed her, "A stranger, huh? I just figured it was time we talked so I figured I throw something at your window and get your attention."
"Well it's got. You wanna come over? We can talk-its like four hours before Parker's coming over to pick me up."
He nodded, "Alright, I'll be over in a sec."
They closed their windows and Ashley headed downstairs.
"Mom, Eric's coming over!" she said as she exited the stairway.
Her mother came out of the living room, "What?"
"Eric, our next door neighbor who's in my US history class."
"Okay," her mother eyed her.
It wasn't but a minute after her mother finished her words that Eric knocked on the door.
"Hey, come on in." Ashley said as she opened the door.
Eric walked in, "Thank you."
Ashley guided him into the kitchen and introduced him to her mother. And with a few comments about how good the cooking smelled and a few well placed compliments he had the total approval of her mother. And so they hung around in the kitchen with her mother drinking cokes and conversing.
The time actually went by pretty fast, and Ashley and her mother got to know Eric better. He turned out to be a very funny person, friendly and Ashley also noticed that he seemed extremely loyal to his friends from the way he acted. His history wasn't particularly exciting, and he made it clear that in Sunnydale there was no life for teenagers outside the Bronze (he grinned at Ashley in reference to the Slayer thing-not knowing whether or not her mother knew).
At six Carolyn and Chris showed up, and her mother invited them to dinner. So the five of them sat down to the dining room table to eat when a few minutes after six Sherri showed up and increased the dining number to six. And so they all sat there conversing over some Italian dish her mother had cooked.
It wasn't long before Ashley looked up to the clock and saw that she had only an hour before she had to be ready for her date with Parker and so she told them she had to go get ready. Sherri and Carolyn also excused themselves to go help her choose her attire.
*******
"This one's nice." Sherri said, not believing that her and Carolyn James were talking-just last week they were arch-nemesis's. But she was glad that there was one less person to pick on her.
"Yeah." Carolyn said, gazing over the hunter green halter-top dress, "What about this?" she held up a tight fitting black outfit.
"That's nice, a little Slayerish but cool all-around." Sherri nodded.
"But isn't she a slayer, shouldn't look like a slayer or should she look like a non-slayer?" Carolyn looked through Ashley's closet and then her and Sherri saw the perfect outfit for a first date.
Soon Ashley walked in wrapped in a bathrobe with wet hair. She was rigorously drying her hair as Carolyn and Sherri were showing her their choices. After about thirty minutes she was done getting ready and there came a knock on her door.
"Yes," Carolyn opened the door-it was Ashley's father.
"Daddy!" Ashley said as she gave him a hug, "You finally back from Sacramento?"
"Yes, and what are wearing?" he eyed her dress.
"It's a dress daddy." She said, looking herself over to make sure everything was where it should be.
"It looks like underwear." He eyed her.
"Uh!" Ashley grunted as she guided him to the door, "Since when does the man on the cover of Lawyers Weekly know about teenager fashion?"
Her father stepped outside of the door, "Since he became your father."
"Alright, Mr. Lawyer of the Month, you make it onto the cover of Seventeen magazine and then I'll consider using your Puritan fashion tips-love ya daddy." She smiled and shut the door.
She turned to them, "So how do I look?"
They both gave thumbs up and grinned as they saw how nervous she was. Of course, Ashley had no idea why she was so nervous-she had been with Parker plenty of times in the past two days. She figured it would be enough to calm her to think of him, as he was when they were together normally-but most of their encounters were NOT normal.
The doorbell and her mom calling up to her room interrupted her pondering: "ASHLEY! YOUR DATE IS HERE!"
She looked up to Carolyn and Sherri and she headed to the door of her room, but she was interrupted by Sherri and Carolyn both saying: "What are you doing!?"
Ashley turned, "I'm going to meet my date."
Sherri sighed, "Sure! Great way to start off a date-don't' you know anything?"
Carolyn chimed in by saying: "You NEVER go straight down! You wait a few minutes, give him time to ponder and then blow him away by gracefully moving down the steps and walk up to him and say-"
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Sherri interrupted.
"Exactly!" Carolyn agreed.
"And why do I do this?" Ashley looked confused.
Sherri eyed her, "Because if you keep him waiting it builds up his anxiousness. Then when you come down you stake him in the heart, not literally, with your looks and when you say 'sorry to keep you waiting' it ties the whole date into a start mode."
Ashley eyed her.
"DUH!" Carolyn stated, "When you say it the guy usually stutters out 'No problem' then you know you've got it in the bag."
"But we already have it in the bag-I mean we've already kissed and pretty much tied the knot, well, in the dating way." Ashley said.
"Just do it!" the two girls ordered in unison.
"Alright!" Ashley eyed them, "Here I am, going down there and doing what you said."
"Alright then!" Sherri said, gazing over to Carolyn, "We'll be there later."
Ashley eyed the two girls just before walking out of her room and down the stairs. She was careful to do the pose and walk that they had told her to do. She let her hair fall over her left shoulder as she walked down the stairs. She slid a strand of her hair behind her ear as she walked up to him.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." She said in her best tempting voice she could muster, feeling entirely stupid. Especially as her mother, father, Eric and Chris looked on.
"I-it's fine, n-no problem." Parker stuttered. He had his hair gelled and styled a bit different that usual, but still nice. He wore a long sleeved button up shirt, which was a very light, almost white, blue, and loose fitting jeans. And Ashley couldn't help but notice that bruise she had given him the night before had healed a bit more since the morning.
"Lets go then." Ashley smiled and walked out with him.
Eric turned to Chris, "She's got him around her finger."
Chris chuckled, "Obviously Carolyn and Gery gave her hints."
Eric looked to Chris, "Her name is Sherri."
"Oh, right."
The band that night was amazingly good, like a mix between Linkin Park's music and singing style and Justin Timberlake's dance rhythm. Ashley was enjoying herself, dancing with Parker and just being with him. Even better, no sense of vampire activity. She just got to enjoy time with Parker, being in his arms during the slow dances and tempting him during the faster ones added up to an all too good evening.
She swore to herself once she learned of herself being the Slayer that she would never think about being what she was again, although she did more than once. But now it was better, better than it had been in a long time. It just felt so perfect.
"All right folks!" said the country sounding lead guitarist, "Were gonna leave ya for tonight but we'll be back next Friday!"
The crowd applauded as they stepped off of the stage and Parker and Ashley walked over to the table they were sharing with the other guys. As soon as they sat Eric and Sherri came off of the dance floor along with Carolyn and Chris as the speakers began to blare 50 cent's new single "In Da Club".
Sherri took her seat on the end of the table right across from Ashley as they all began to talk about the night. Soon Ashley tuned out of the conversation as the music 'slowed' in her head and she heard a gush of wind from the left. She looked that way and sure enough she picked a vampire out of the crowd, however the vampire was coming straight to the table.
He walked up and Ashley eyed him, she didn't have enough time to warn the others.
He looked Sherri over, he was attractive to say the least, "Hey, you wanna dance?"
Sherri looked up and grinned, "Sure."
Ashley kicked her under the table and said through pursed lips, "I thought you had a boyfriend."
Sherri grinned, "We broke up." And then she left to the dance floor with the vampire.
As soon as they were out of hearing range she turned to them, "That dude was a vampire!"
Eric jumped up, "WHAT!"
Carolyn eyed Eric, "Keep it down moron!"
"Why didn't you say something?" Chris asked.
"I tried!" Ashley said, "That's why I kicked her."
Parker eyed her, "Well everyone hit the dance floor, we've gotta keep an eye on them."
Eric jumped up, "No need."
The rest also rose and scanned the dance floor.
"Why?" Carolyn asked.
"Because she just headed out of the door." Eric said and almost instantly Ashley bolted out of the door closely followed by the rest of them.
*******
"So what's all this I hear about you and you're ex?" the vampire asked Sherri as he led her off farther down the alley.
"Nothing, just a break up a few years ago." Sherri said as she kicked a coke can.
"Well your mourning over him is over." He replied.
"And why is that?" Sherri looked up to him.
"Because you're about to die." He vamped out and let out a deep throat growl.
Sherri screamed.
Ashley jerked her head in the direction of the scream as the rest came out and she went running to the noise telling them to stay behind, of course they didn't obey.
When they all made it there they saw Sherri bang the vampire in the head with a trash tin and then swipe it off of its feet with a 2x4. But when Sherri went in to shove the 2x4 in its heart the vampire flipped up and knocked her back into the brick wall of a neighboring building.
It was then that Ashley got the chance to intervene but was swiped across the face by the 2x4 the vampire stole from Sherri. Then to a surprising visual sight Parker, Chris and Eric ganged up on it. Then Carolyn rammed a broken piece of wood through the vampire, but she missed the heart and through some clever moves by the vampire he had enough time to dodge past them. However Ashley met him with an accurately placed stake and he turned to dust.
She looked up at them all, not badly bruised but Sherri looked extremely pissed. She grinned and said: "So you still want to be full fledged Slayerettes?"
Sherri grinned, "That kicked ass! I need some more of that!"
Then they all busted into conversation about the fight as they walked back down to the Bronze.
(Okay people, this marks the end of my 'introduction to the characters' if you want to call it that. From here on out the days will pass much faster and, to those of you who think its focusing too much on certain characters, I hope I to evenly spread the roles. Please e-mail my friend at avrilkicksass05@yahoo.com or post reviews here on fanfiction to help me make the story better. Thanks!)
Chapter Six: The New Scooby Gang
Miss Crowe, who insisted that Ashley call her Carrie, and Ashley talked for the whole of fourth period and when the bell rang Ashley insisted that she had to go.
Carrie turned out to be cooler than Ashley expected. When Ashley told her about last night and how she felt about it all Carrie ended up telling her about Buffy Summers and how she met her demise. How friends kept her alive and even helped to kill the greatest of evils they faced. She also told her of the pain Buffy went through because of her friends and for her friends. All in all it turned out that without friends the Master would have risen and the whole world would have gone to hell in a hand basket. Then Carrie talked with Ashley about what she would do personally and told her that she would back her no matter what her decision was.
Then they talked about the training and more on the schedule. As it turned out Ashley would have to check in with her every morning, training would be every day of the school week from when school let out to six, then she would patrol every night for at least two hours. Ashley granted that it was a rather tight schedule but as of now she had no complaints.
So there she was thinking of all the things her and Carrie had talked about and rushing down the hall to Parker's car. Indeed, she ran into him as she was rounding E-hall, he was coming to look for her.
They exchanged a few words and he got her books and guided her to his car. When they arrived they loaded up and he took her home.
"Do you want me to come in?" he asked.
She grabbed her books and walked around the car to his window, "You can, but you'll be here at about eight anyway right?"
"Well yeah," he said, "well I'll see ya then."
"Yeah." She smiled and leaned into the car and kissed him before walking into house.
*******
"Mom! I'm home." She said as she walked in. Her mother didn't get the job she was 'auditioning' for yesterday so she made plans for another one Friday.
"Hey Ashley," her mother said, walking out of the kitchen to meet her in the foyer, "how was school?"
"It was great," she said as she dropped her books in the living room corner and followed her mother back to the kitchen.
She leaned on the island as her mother was busy at the stove, "By the way- there's this boy at school who asked me out today. Do you mind if he comes and picks me up?"
Her mom nearly dropped the spoon that she was using to stir whatever is she was cooking, "Oh, already?"
Ashley shrugged, "Yeah."
Her mother turned to her, "And where will you be going."
Ashley pondered for a minute, "Some place called the Bronze, it's a local club."
Her mother sighed and tapped her fingers on the island countertop, "Okay, but be careful. I don't like the idea of you going out with someone on the THIRD day of school."
"Oh its fine mom, really---its that boy who's been picking me up in the morning. I told you about him."
"Okay," her mom said, "Be back by twelve."
"You got it mom." Ashley smiled and walked up to her room.
*******
Ashley turned on the TV in her bedroom and flipped it to MTV. The one thing she hated about being on the West Coast is that she was behind on the shows she watched back home. Though it didn't do her much good to flip on the TV because as soon as she got comfortable on her bed something hit her window.
So she got up in sync and walked to the window, opened it and there was Eric leaning on his windowsill.
"Hey!" Ashley said, "I had almost forgot you lived next door-you've been a stranger lately."
He eyed her, "A stranger, huh? I just figured it was time we talked so I figured I throw something at your window and get your attention."
"Well it's got. You wanna come over? We can talk-its like four hours before Parker's coming over to pick me up."
He nodded, "Alright, I'll be over in a sec."
They closed their windows and Ashley headed downstairs.
"Mom, Eric's coming over!" she said as she exited the stairway.
Her mother came out of the living room, "What?"
"Eric, our next door neighbor who's in my US history class."
"Okay," her mother eyed her.
It wasn't but a minute after her mother finished her words that Eric knocked on the door.
"Hey, come on in." Ashley said as she opened the door.
Eric walked in, "Thank you."
Ashley guided him into the kitchen and introduced him to her mother. And with a few comments about how good the cooking smelled and a few well placed compliments he had the total approval of her mother. And so they hung around in the kitchen with her mother drinking cokes and conversing.
The time actually went by pretty fast, and Ashley and her mother got to know Eric better. He turned out to be a very funny person, friendly and Ashley also noticed that he seemed extremely loyal to his friends from the way he acted. His history wasn't particularly exciting, and he made it clear that in Sunnydale there was no life for teenagers outside the Bronze (he grinned at Ashley in reference to the Slayer thing-not knowing whether or not her mother knew).
At six Carolyn and Chris showed up, and her mother invited them to dinner. So the five of them sat down to the dining room table to eat when a few minutes after six Sherri showed up and increased the dining number to six. And so they all sat there conversing over some Italian dish her mother had cooked.
It wasn't long before Ashley looked up to the clock and saw that she had only an hour before she had to be ready for her date with Parker and so she told them she had to go get ready. Sherri and Carolyn also excused themselves to go help her choose her attire.
*******
"This one's nice." Sherri said, not believing that her and Carolyn James were talking-just last week they were arch-nemesis's. But she was glad that there was one less person to pick on her.
"Yeah." Carolyn said, gazing over the hunter green halter-top dress, "What about this?" she held up a tight fitting black outfit.
"That's nice, a little Slayerish but cool all-around." Sherri nodded.
"But isn't she a slayer, shouldn't look like a slayer or should she look like a non-slayer?" Carolyn looked through Ashley's closet and then her and Sherri saw the perfect outfit for a first date.
Soon Ashley walked in wrapped in a bathrobe with wet hair. She was rigorously drying her hair as Carolyn and Sherri were showing her their choices. After about thirty minutes she was done getting ready and there came a knock on her door.
"Yes," Carolyn opened the door-it was Ashley's father.
"Daddy!" Ashley said as she gave him a hug, "You finally back from Sacramento?"
"Yes, and what are wearing?" he eyed her dress.
"It's a dress daddy." She said, looking herself over to make sure everything was where it should be.
"It looks like underwear." He eyed her.
"Uh!" Ashley grunted as she guided him to the door, "Since when does the man on the cover of Lawyers Weekly know about teenager fashion?"
Her father stepped outside of the door, "Since he became your father."
"Alright, Mr. Lawyer of the Month, you make it onto the cover of Seventeen magazine and then I'll consider using your Puritan fashion tips-love ya daddy." She smiled and shut the door.
She turned to them, "So how do I look?"
They both gave thumbs up and grinned as they saw how nervous she was. Of course, Ashley had no idea why she was so nervous-she had been with Parker plenty of times in the past two days. She figured it would be enough to calm her to think of him, as he was when they were together normally-but most of their encounters were NOT normal.
The doorbell and her mom calling up to her room interrupted her pondering: "ASHLEY! YOUR DATE IS HERE!"
She looked up to Carolyn and Sherri and she headed to the door of her room, but she was interrupted by Sherri and Carolyn both saying: "What are you doing!?"
Ashley turned, "I'm going to meet my date."
Sherri sighed, "Sure! Great way to start off a date-don't' you know anything?"
Carolyn chimed in by saying: "You NEVER go straight down! You wait a few minutes, give him time to ponder and then blow him away by gracefully moving down the steps and walk up to him and say-"
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Sherri interrupted.
"Exactly!" Carolyn agreed.
"And why do I do this?" Ashley looked confused.
Sherri eyed her, "Because if you keep him waiting it builds up his anxiousness. Then when you come down you stake him in the heart, not literally, with your looks and when you say 'sorry to keep you waiting' it ties the whole date into a start mode."
Ashley eyed her.
"DUH!" Carolyn stated, "When you say it the guy usually stutters out 'No problem' then you know you've got it in the bag."
"But we already have it in the bag-I mean we've already kissed and pretty much tied the knot, well, in the dating way." Ashley said.
"Just do it!" the two girls ordered in unison.
"Alright!" Ashley eyed them, "Here I am, going down there and doing what you said."
"Alright then!" Sherri said, gazing over to Carolyn, "We'll be there later."
Ashley eyed the two girls just before walking out of her room and down the stairs. She was careful to do the pose and walk that they had told her to do. She let her hair fall over her left shoulder as she walked down the stairs. She slid a strand of her hair behind her ear as she walked up to him.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." She said in her best tempting voice she could muster, feeling entirely stupid. Especially as her mother, father, Eric and Chris looked on.
"I-it's fine, n-no problem." Parker stuttered. He had his hair gelled and styled a bit different that usual, but still nice. He wore a long sleeved button up shirt, which was a very light, almost white, blue, and loose fitting jeans. And Ashley couldn't help but notice that bruise she had given him the night before had healed a bit more since the morning.
"Lets go then." Ashley smiled and walked out with him.
Eric turned to Chris, "She's got him around her finger."
Chris chuckled, "Obviously Carolyn and Gery gave her hints."
Eric looked to Chris, "Her name is Sherri."
"Oh, right."
The band that night was amazingly good, like a mix between Linkin Park's music and singing style and Justin Timberlake's dance rhythm. Ashley was enjoying herself, dancing with Parker and just being with him. Even better, no sense of vampire activity. She just got to enjoy time with Parker, being in his arms during the slow dances and tempting him during the faster ones added up to an all too good evening.
She swore to herself once she learned of herself being the Slayer that she would never think about being what she was again, although she did more than once. But now it was better, better than it had been in a long time. It just felt so perfect.
"All right folks!" said the country sounding lead guitarist, "Were gonna leave ya for tonight but we'll be back next Friday!"
The crowd applauded as they stepped off of the stage and Parker and Ashley walked over to the table they were sharing with the other guys. As soon as they sat Eric and Sherri came off of the dance floor along with Carolyn and Chris as the speakers began to blare 50 cent's new single "In Da Club".
Sherri took her seat on the end of the table right across from Ashley as they all began to talk about the night. Soon Ashley tuned out of the conversation as the music 'slowed' in her head and she heard a gush of wind from the left. She looked that way and sure enough she picked a vampire out of the crowd, however the vampire was coming straight to the table.
He walked up and Ashley eyed him, she didn't have enough time to warn the others.
He looked Sherri over, he was attractive to say the least, "Hey, you wanna dance?"
Sherri looked up and grinned, "Sure."
Ashley kicked her under the table and said through pursed lips, "I thought you had a boyfriend."
Sherri grinned, "We broke up." And then she left to the dance floor with the vampire.
As soon as they were out of hearing range she turned to them, "That dude was a vampire!"
Eric jumped up, "WHAT!"
Carolyn eyed Eric, "Keep it down moron!"
"Why didn't you say something?" Chris asked.
"I tried!" Ashley said, "That's why I kicked her."
Parker eyed her, "Well everyone hit the dance floor, we've gotta keep an eye on them."
Eric jumped up, "No need."
The rest also rose and scanned the dance floor.
"Why?" Carolyn asked.
"Because she just headed out of the door." Eric said and almost instantly Ashley bolted out of the door closely followed by the rest of them.
*******
"So what's all this I hear about you and you're ex?" the vampire asked Sherri as he led her off farther down the alley.
"Nothing, just a break up a few years ago." Sherri said as she kicked a coke can.
"Well your mourning over him is over." He replied.
"And why is that?" Sherri looked up to him.
"Because you're about to die." He vamped out and let out a deep throat growl.
Sherri screamed.
Ashley jerked her head in the direction of the scream as the rest came out and she went running to the noise telling them to stay behind, of course they didn't obey.
When they all made it there they saw Sherri bang the vampire in the head with a trash tin and then swipe it off of its feet with a 2x4. But when Sherri went in to shove the 2x4 in its heart the vampire flipped up and knocked her back into the brick wall of a neighboring building.
It was then that Ashley got the chance to intervene but was swiped across the face by the 2x4 the vampire stole from Sherri. Then to a surprising visual sight Parker, Chris and Eric ganged up on it. Then Carolyn rammed a broken piece of wood through the vampire, but she missed the heart and through some clever moves by the vampire he had enough time to dodge past them. However Ashley met him with an accurately placed stake and he turned to dust.
She looked up at them all, not badly bruised but Sherri looked extremely pissed. She grinned and said: "So you still want to be full fledged Slayerettes?"
Sherri grinned, "That kicked ass! I need some more of that!"
Then they all busted into conversation about the fight as they walked back down to the Bronze.
(Okay people, this marks the end of my 'introduction to the characters' if you want to call it that. From here on out the days will pass much faster and, to those of you who think its focusing too much on certain characters, I hope I to evenly spread the roles. Please e-mail my friend at avrilkicksass05@yahoo.com or post reviews here on fanfiction to help me make the story better. Thanks!)