End of the game.

By Magick Flame

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Disclaimer:

With the exception of Madison Parker, I do not own any of the characters used in this fanfiction. They are property of NBC. I am just using them in a plot of mine and without asking for anything more than reviews to tell me if you like it or not.

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Chapter 1: End of a life

Melody Parker was standing on the balcony of her flat, a hot cup of coffee in her right hand, her eyes looking at the light of the rising sun lighting the streets of Los Angeles, making the snow glowed under its warm yellow-orange rays.

"Mel? I can't find my bag."

"Right on the couch, where you dropped it yesterday when you got back."

The woman smiled as she heard her half-sister swore loudly as she checked the hour. She walked back in the flat and took a quick glance at the clock as well.

"You're late, Madie."

Madison Parker glared at the older woman in front of her before she jumped over the couch to retrieve her bag. She checked that everything she needed was in there, then headed for the door.

"I'll be back for lunch."

"It's your turn to cook." Melody smiled as her sister sighed. "I don't mind eating out."

"Japanese?"

Melody nodded her agreement and Madison walked out, waving good-bye. Once again, Melody turned to take in the sunrise. It was those little things of life she was enjoying for the last two years. The things she hadn't really known she was missing before. Those things she had given up for the sake of a man who had probably never really loved her.

Melody shook her head to clear it from the thoughts. As far as she was concerned, she knew only four people in Blue Cove, Delaware. And was in touch with only one of them. With a smile, Melody walked up to the table, where two boxes, wrapped in traditional christmas paper, were waiting to be sent to two kids. Sitting at the table, Melody took a pen and two pieces of paper and wrote a quick note to send with each present. Then, using her most beautiful handwritting, she wrote on the tags tied to the presents:

To Debbie Broots

From Miss Parker

and,

To Tyson Russel

From Miss Parker

Melody stiffled a yawn and put down the pen. She had worked all night long and was in great need of sleep. So she wrote a note to Andrea, asking her to send the packages the usual way. Then went to sleep.

***

Melody was awoken by the smell of food being heated in the microwave. She stirred slowly, yawning widely as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. A quick glance at the clock beside her bed told her it was 2 pm. Grateful to her little sister not to have woken her earlier, she sat up in her bed and stretched a bit before standing up. She walked to the living room in her pajamas, letting her nose guiding her.

"Smells real good."

"It can, when you know how much it costs."

Melody smiled as she sat at the bar separating the living from the kitchen. Madison was always moaning when the both of them were buying something. But neither of them had ever had any problem with this: Madison had been raised by a couple of famous and successful lawyers and Melody, being the darling 'daughter' of the Center's Chairman, had had more money than she could spend. And now, Melody was running the most popular night-club in the whole of Los Angeles and Madison was already successfully walking in the steps of her foster parents.

"Have you sent the presents?"

"Yep, Debbie and Tyson should received them right for Christmas. And have you decided on what's going to happen at the club for this particular day?"

"I think that we gonna go totally silver and gold this year. So we can use the stuff I've bought for the two past years. Then, the traditional gifts give away should do the trick. Maybe I could even convince our dear Harry to be our Santa Claus this year."

The two sisters carried on talking as they ate. Then, Madison got up to do the washing up. Melody sat there, staring at her sister. Even with her lighter shade of brown hair and her deep blue-green eyes, Madison still looked a lot like the mother she had never known. And like Melody herself. No one could doubt that the both of them were sisters when you saw them together.

"Are you gonna tell me what's in your mind or you gonna keep staring at me like that?"

Melody smiled slightly at her sister's back. Madison had also inherited their mother Inner Sense.

"Thinking of Mommy and how I'm glad to be free from the Hellmouth."

Madison looked over her shoulder with a smile for her big sister.

"You really should stop watching TV, Mel."

Melody laughed as she got up and went to her room. After all, she still had to go to work.

***

Later that day, Melody was dressed in hip-hugging dark blue jeans and black top and giving last minute orders.

"I want you all to understand something. We need to be sure that everyone is very satisfied of us. Christmas is coming and fast. And we want as many people as possible in the club when this time comes. Alright?"

The cheers of her staff made her smile. She nodded and everyone went to take their place. The club opened less than a minute after that. From her office above the dance floor, Melody looked as the evening unfolded. Several times, she went to dance, loosing herself in the music as much as any of the younger people here. And when the club finally closed, around 4 am, Melody Parker was feeling at peace with herself, as she usually felt when she was coming back from her night working.

Back at her flat, a cup of coffee in her hand, Melody watched the sun rising above Los Angeles. Behind her, Madison was eating her breakfast. The phone rang and Melody, being the nearest, went and picked it up.

"Yes?"

"Good morning, Angel. It's time for you to come back home."

And Melody's cup crashed on the floor as she recognized the voice of her father.

***

Author's Note:

Well, I've decided to start my very first pretender fanfiction. I honestly don't know how it's going to end yet, even if the plot is already laid out in my mind. Tell me what you think of this beginning.