Blood of Enemies, Blood of Friends
Chapter 38 – Viva Las Vegas
During the weeks that followed Valentine's Day, nothing extraordinary happened. The students attended their classes, practiced quidditch, and studied. Ron and Draco finished their detentions with Buffy. Ginny dug into heavy reviewing for her O.W.L.S. Dawn, Shannon, and Ron continued their regular Slayer patrols. Ron and Hermione also attended to their prefect duties.
The Scoobies also turned their attention back to their teaching, spending evenings devising lesson plans and grading papers. Buffy and Faith continued with extra patrolling of the Forbidden Forest, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
During the first week of March, Buffy received an urgent owl from Angel. He had finally succeeded in tracking down the gemma sanguinis. It was currently in the possession of a very elusive vampire in Las Vegas. Angel promised to provide additional details, when she arrived in Las Vegas.
Buffy called a meeting that night in the Scooby common room to decide their next move. The Scoobies, Cat, Narcissa, the Gryffindor teens, and Draco attended the meeting.
"We know the gem is in Las Vegas. Angel will have additional details there for us when we arrive," Buffy explained.
"Who's going?" asked Xander.
"I am," said Shannon.
"No, you are not. You cannot miss school," said Giles firmly.
"I know the city. That's where I am from, if you don't remember," stated Shannon. "Besides, I haven't been back since the Bringers attacked my family. I need to do this."
"I am thinking we should go on Friday," said Buffy. "I see no reason Shannon can't come, but she needs to floo back Sunday night, so she doesn't miss classes."
"I'm fine with that," said Shannon.
"And before you ask, yes, Dawn can come too for the weekend, but the rest of the students are staying here," added Buffy. "And you two will not be involved in getting the gem. You will only take care of Shannon's personal business." Shannon and Dawn agreed without further comment. They did not want to give Buffy the chance to change her mind.
"I'm in," said Cat. "I know the city fairly well. I've taken quite a few vacations there."
"Me too," said Faith. "Besides, it can't hurt to have another Slayer around as backup."
"But aren't you wanted?" asked Willow. "The last thing we need is for you to wind up back in prison."
"The Watcher's Council took care of that," explained Giles. "Faith's records were wiped clean. She no longer exists in the penal system."
"Well, you aren't going without us," stated Anya.
"We can floo back with Dawnie and Shannon on Sunday," added Xander.
"Ok, so the better question seems to be, who isn't going?" said Buffy.
"I will stay here," said Giles.
"Me too," said Willow. "We should at least have some people left to teach the following week, especially if it takes you awhile to track down the gem."
"I will stay here as well," said Wesley.
"So then it's me, Xander, Anya, Cat, Faith, and Robin. Spike or Angel will probably meet us as well," said Buffy. "Ok, so be ready to leave after classes on Friday. That will have us in Vegas for Friday morning their time."
"I'll check with Professor Dumbledore about the best place to floo in the area," said Wesley.
"No need," said Cat. "We floo to the Crosswands Casino." Everyone looked at her. "What?" she asked. "Less airfare means more gambling."
****************
Dawn and Shannon spent Thursday night packing for their weekend in Las Vegas.
"It's a shame Draco and Harry can't come with us," commented Dawn.
"Why can't they?" replied Shannon, a plan formulating in her mind.
"Because Buffy would never allow it," Dawn stated matter-of-factly.
"But if Buffy didn't know. I mean, she will be too busy tracking down the gem to notice what we are doing."
"What do you have in mind?" asked Dawn.
Shannon explained her plan. They finished packing and then wrote letters to Draco and Harry, which they planned to give them before departing the next day.
Draco,
We are staying at the MGM in Las Vegas. You could floo to the Crosswands and then walk about a mile and a half down the strip to the MGM. We will meet you right off of the elevators on the sixth floor at 11:00pm. If you sneak out just before 10:00pm, you should make it here by then.
Harry knows how to get out of the castle and into Hogsmeade to use the floo network. You will have to work with him to get here.
Hope to see you.
--Dawn
Harry,
We are staying at a muggle casino-hotel in Las Vegas. You could floo to the Crosswands and then walk about down the strip to our hotel. We will meet you right off of the elevators on the sixth floor at 11:00pm. If you sneak out just before 10:00pm, you should make it here by then.
Draco knows the name of the hotel where we are staying. You will have to work with him to get here.
Hope to see you.
--Shannon
"Do you really think those two can work together?" asked Dawn.
"They will if they want to see us this weekend," replied Shannon.
****************
Immediately following classes on Friday, everyone going to Las Vegas gathered with their luggage in the Scooby common room. Each person took a turn at the fireplace. They each threw down a handful of floo powder and shouted, "Crosswands Casino." Before leaving, Dawn and Shannon said goodbye to Draco and Harry. Both girls handed their boyfriend a letter and told him to read it immediately after they left.
Cat led the group out of the Crosswands. She had decided that they would be able to blend more easily in one of the high traffic muggle casinos. The group piled into two cabs and was taken to the MGM, one of the casinos on the main strip. They ate together, checked into their rooms, and went their separate ways.
Dawn and Shannon were happy to have a room on a different floor than the others. The girls decided to take naps, so they would be wide awake when Harry and Draco arrived in a few hours, assuming that they managed to work together well enough to get there. Buffy had told them that everyone else was going to take in some sights until they had to meet Spike after dark. Apparently, he had left a note for them at the front desk the previous night.
Dawn and Shannon decided to take naps, so they would be wide-awake when Harry and Draco arrived in a few hours. That is, if they arrived. Dawn still was not convinced that they could work together.
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Harry and Draco made a point of bumping into each other outside the Great Hall after dinner. "I take it you read your letter from Shannon," drawled Draco in a cool voice.
"Yeah," said Harry. "They sure aren't making this easy on us, are they?"
"No, but did you expect any less? They're best friends. They probably think this is a good opportunity to make us get along."
"Somehow I don't see you and me every being friends, Malfoy," replied Harry.
"Neither do I, Potter."
:"So, we are going to do this then?" asked Harry.
"Of course we are. Don't want to disappoint the lovely ladies," Draco answered.
"Fine," said Harry. "Meet me at the statue of the one-eyed witch just before curfew."
"Why there?" asked Draco.
"You'll see," replied Harry.
Harry left Draco standing in the entrance hall and made his way back to Gryffindor tower to pack some things for his late night excursion. Ron and Andrew caught up with Harry in their dorm room.
"What are you doing, mate?" asked Ron.
"I need you two to do me a favor," said Harry.
"Anything," said Ron and Andrew in unison.
"Malfoy and I are sneaking out of the castle tonight and flooing to Las Vegas to meet Shannon and Dawn. I need you to cover for me tomorrow, especially with Hermione," Harry explained to his friends.
"Harry, you know that I can't lie to Mione. She'll have a fit, when she finds out," said Ron.
"So, don't lie. Just distract her, at least until we are gone," said Harry. "Once we are gone she can't do anything about it anyway."
"I guess, but I don't think this is a good idea," replied Ron. "What if you-know-you finds out that you left Hogwarts."
"Just say his name, Ron. Voldemort has no reason to think I am going to America, now does he?"
"It still isn't a good idea," said Ron, more to himself than to Harry.
"I'm going anyway. At least you can honestly tell Hermione that you told me that it was a bad idea and that I didn't listen to you," commented Harry.
"Just be careful, mate," warned Ron, "especially sneaking around with Malfoy."
Harry agreed to be careful. He did not trust Malfoy either, but did not believe that Malfoy would risk doing anything to get them in trouble. He wanted to see Dawn as much as Harry wanted to see Shannon.
Harry finished packing his backpack, grabbed his invisibility cloak, and hurried to the library. He decided that it would be easier to slip out from the library than from Gryffindor tower.
At 9:30pm sharp, Harry saw Draco hanging out by the statue of the one-eyed witch. "Let's do this," said Harry. He pointed his wand at the statue and said, "Dissendium." The statue moved to the side revealing a small entrance to a tunnel that lead to Hogsmeade.
"Blood hell," said Draco under his breath.
The two boys slid down into the tunnel and made their way into Hogsmeade. They quietly climbed through the trapdoor in Honeydukes and walked over to the fireplace. Taking a handful of floo powder each, they took turns standing in the fireplace and saying, "Crosswands Casino."
Minutes later the two teens exited the Crosswands and walked over to the strip. "Now what?" asked Harry.
"They're staying at the MGM," replied Draco, who had just finished asking a muggle tourist where the casino-hotel was located. Draco pointed to the left, and the two boys started walking. "Damn, it's hot," complained Draco. Harry glared at Draco, but remained silent as they walked.
The two boys made it to the MGM with ten minutes to spare. They took an elevator to the sixth floor and found Dawn and Shannon sprawled out in two chairs, waiting for them. The girls jumped from their seats and hugged their boyfriends.
"I'm so glad you made it," said Dawn.
"I knew you would," added Shannon. "So let's go back to our room and figure out what we are going to do for the day."
"We were thinking that you should only stay the one day, so there will be less chance of anyone missing you at Hogwarts," explained Dawn. Draco and Harry nodded in agreement, before following the girls back into the elevator and up to their room.
****************
The adults decided to split up for the day and meet back in Buffy's room at dark to see Spike and get the information they came for. Xander, Anya, Faith, and Robin decided to rent a car and drive around the city. Anya had found a brochure in the room, explaining several sights that she wanted to see. Cat and Buffy decided to stay behind. Cat was itching to hit the blackjack tables and promised to show Buffy how to play.
Xander, Anya, Faith, and Robin drove past several small chapels that lined the road past the casinos. "I always wanted to get married in Vegas," commented Faith. "I get a kick out of the tackiness of it all."
Robin smiled at her. "So, why don't we then?" he asked.
"Are you serious?" asked Faith excitedly.
"Well we are engaged, and the wedding itself should fulfill the bride's dreams," replied Robin.
"Wait, you mean you can just get married here?" asked Anya. "Without all the planning?" Faith nodded. Xander squirmed uncomfortably. He and Anya had successfully avoided the marriage argument since her return to life.
"Why don't we see if we can book a chapel for Sunday afternoon," suggested Robin. "Business should be taken care of by then." Faith kissed him in reply. "I'll take that as a yes," he said, smiling.
"Why don't we split up then," suggested Anya. "You two can go book a chapel, and Faith and I can go shopping so she has something special to wear."
"Sounds like a plan," said Faith. Everyone else agreed.
****************
Dawn, Shannon, Harry, and Draco decided to take a tour of the city. Shannon was excited to show them around. After several hours, the teens found themselves in the neighborhood where Shannon used to live.
"If you don't want to do this, you don't have to," Harry whispered to Shannon.
She shook her head. "I don't want to, but I need to," she replied.
The teens walked the few blocks in silence to where Shannon lived happily until only one year ago. The house was abandoned. Police tape still sealed the door.
"Now what?" asked Dawn.
Shannon indicated for them to follow her. They crept around the back, and Shannon let them in through a basement window. "This is how I used to sneak in after curfew," she explained.
The teens climbed the stairs to the main floor of the small rancher. "I want to get a few things," said Shannon. She led them to a small bedroom that had obviously once been hers. She found two backpacks in the closet and pulled them out. She began shuffling through drawers and looking under her bed. She found several photo albums that she placed in one backpack, along with some of her jewelry.
"I need to get some things from my mom and Victor's room," she said. "Can you wait here?" Her friends nodded and sat on her bed to wait.
After Shannon left the room, Dawn spoke. "This must be really hard for her."
"This sounds heartless, but I almost envy that she has things from her parents," said Harry.
"I know what you mean. Buffy and I have nothing. Everything from our mom and from our childhood got sucked into the hellmouth with the rest of the town."
Draco was silent. He felt guilty for ever feeling bad for himself about his family situation. He was lucky enough to still have his mother unlike Dawn, Shannon, and Harry. Draco put his arm around Dawn's shoulder and pulled her against him.
The teens sat in silence until Shannon returned, her second bag filled and her face stained with tears. "Let's get out of here," she said. "There's nothing left for me now."
The four teens exited through the back door and came face to face with a man in his early twenties, holding a gun. "Hands where I can see them," he ordered.
Shannon pushed her way to the front of the group. "Dave," she practically shouted.
The man lowered the gun. "Shannon?" he said. Shannon launched herself at the man and hugged him. "Shannon, we've been so worried about you. They found your parents, but no one knew what happened to you."
"I got away," she replied, "took care of some things, and started a new life." Shannon introduced her friends to Dave, who was a police officer and lived next door. Over the years he had seen some fairly odd things and had come to accept that it was best not to ask too many questions. He invited them next door, telling Shannon that his sister Cindy, who was once a close friend of hers, would be home from school soon.
The teens spent the afternoon with Shannon's old neighbors. They witnessed a tearful reunion between Shannon and Cindy and made plans to meet Cindy and some other old friends at a new club that night. The teens ten returned to their room at the MGM.
****************
Just before dark, Buffy knocked on Dawn and Shannon's door. Harry and Draco stood in the bathtub wearing Harry's invisibility cloak, before the girls opened the door for Buffy.
"What took you so long?" Buffy asked.
"We were in the middle of looking at some photo albums that we took from my house today," explained Shannon. The four teens had actually been doing just that for the past hour.
Buffy nodded. "So did you get everything you wanted from your parent's house?" she asked, a note of regret in her voice. Dawn figured that her sister was thinking the same thing that she had earlier about having nothing left from their home in Sunnydale.
"Yes," replied Shannon.
"I came to ask you two if you wanted to have dinner with the rest of us, before we meet Spike," said Buffy.
"No thanks," replied Dawn. "We'll just grab something on our own."
"We met up with one of my old friends today and are going to a local club with them tonight," explained Shannon.
"Just stay out of trouble," Buffy reminded them.
"We promise," Dawn and Shannon replied in unison.
"Oh, and one more thing," added Buffy. "Faith and Robin decided to get married in one of those tacky wedding chapels on Sunday. You two should plan to be there, before flooing back to Hogwarts."
"Really?" asked Shannon.
"Cool," said Dawn.
Buffy left the room, and Harry and Draco dropped the invisibility cloak and returned from the bathroom.
"Did you hear her?" asked Dawn.
"I thought that it took time to get married, even in the muggle world," commented Draco.
"The rules don't apply in Las Vegas," explained Shannon. "We should get ready for tonight. We can grab dinner on the way to the club."