Joan Girardi hadn't been so pissed off since her mother had suggested she try out for the cheerleading squad. "We don't even know this so-called cousin of ours. How do we know that he's not some evil axe murderer or something?"
Her youngest cousin, Dawn Summers, nodded her agreement. "Yeah. There are six of us. You'd think that one of us would have seen a picture of this James Ellison."
"And a girl would think you'd all have something else to do than worry over our cousin being an axe murderer," Buffy Summers groaned. "Kevin, do you agree with them?"
Her eldest cousin looked up from his book with an expression of muted pain. It tore at her heart, but they'd all found out already that he didn't want painkillers. Moreover, talking about 'it' was just as forbidden. "No, I'm actually surprising myself by agreeing with you."
"Ooo, B got dissed!" Faith Summers crowed.
"Will you all shut up?" Luke Girardi asked, looking up from what looked like one big assed book. "I can't read Plato's theories on how the universe should run if you're all running your mouths!"
"You are such a nerd," Buffy laughed. "Besides, aren't his theories severely outdated? Why aren't you like reading Galileo's theories on how the universe really is? His and Copernicus' are the more relevant ones and they make more sense to modern man."
Her sisters and cousins turned to stare at her. Each of them had always found her slightly flaky, not in a bad way, but still flaky. Luke finally managed to speak up. "You know something about science and philosophy?"
"I'm not as dumb as I look," she sniffed. Looking at her relatives, she laughed. She loved confusing people like this. "I didn't ace biology because of my looks. And I didn't manage to pull As and Bs in all my classes even though I couldn't always make them because I needed the grades to graduate. Jocks can sometimes ride like that, but even if they offered that to cheerleaders, I wouldn't have taken it. I didn't need to."
Kevin flinched like he'd been shot. "Buffy, not every athlete slides like that."
"And did I say that?" she growled. "No, I said sometimes they ride. Note the use of the word sometimes."
"Oh." He sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just that…" His voice trailed off. He wasn't coping much better than anyone else, no matter how much they were hiding under their masks of bravado. Actually, he was handling it the worst of all.
Buffy stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out whether big sister mode or concerned friend mode was better. Finally, she decided on a combination of little sister and big sister. "Kev, we're all confused, mixed up, and downright pissed off at the moment. Granted, you were the only one actually in the damn accident, but we're all affected. And not only am I rambling, I'm about to cry too." She batted at the tears with the back of her hand.
Her cousin lifted his pain filled gaze to meet hers. "It's just…I've always been the jock, Buffy. The oldest one everyone can look up to. And Mom and Dad were invincible. Now they're dead and I'm trapped."
She blinked back the tears again, knowing that he felt far worse about everything than she did. He'd been at a friend's grad party that night, and everyone had been drinking, including his ride. So he'd called his parents to come pick him up and they were on their way home when a drunk driver had caused the fourteen car pile up.
What made his guilt even greater was the fact that his ride had caused the accident. Mackey Rincon, the football player who had driven drunk, had walked away without a single scratch. However, twenty-two other people had died there, and more than thirty others had been injured in some way. Kevin had been one of the most severely injured, lingering in a coma for five days.
When he did finally awaken, it was to the news that his parents and aunt were dead, and he'd never walk again. He'd been struggling with guilt for the three and half weeks since. Well, when he didn't have to suffer through physical therapy, which he'd be continuing once they got settled in.
Her tone was gentle but still firm when she spoke again. "We're about there. We're starting a new life, where no one knows much past our name and most won't even know that. They don't know that I burnt down the high school gym during my freshman year, or that my father used to play mind games with me. They don't know that you feel guilt over the accident, even though it wasn't your fault. Hell, Kevin, I heard about what happened at that damn party. You were the only one who hadn't even touched a beer. It's not fair that the accident happened, and you were paralyzed. It's not fair that we lost our parents. Then again, a lot of shit ain't fair."
Watching her older cousin, Joan had to wonder when she'd gotten so damn wise. When they'd been forced into family dinners as children, Buffy had always been…flighty. Yeah, flighty was a good description. "Hey, hate to butt into the conversation, but we're almost there. You might want to get ready for landing."
"Thanks, cuz." The look Buffy flashed her was full of warmth and made her look like a normal sixteen year old. Otherwise, there were shadows there that hadn't been there when she'd lived in L.A.
"It's all good," Joan shrugged.
Luke, meanwhile, was looking out at the Cascade Airport. "What do you think that he's like?"
Faith was the first to answer. "I dunno; none of us do. He probably isn't an axe murderer at least, but other than that, I can't help you, kid."
"I'm not that much younger than you," he pouted.
"Chronologically, you may only be a year younger than Fay and three younger than me," Buffy told him, starting to gather their things, "but we've both seen things you never will. We've seen more than most people would ever think of, even in their worst nightmares. Things like that age a person far more than the passing years."
"What was so bad about a hick town in the middle of no where?" Kevin asked.
"It didn't earn its nickname of Sunnyhell by being nice." Dawn threw her backpack over her shoulder as she stood up.
"Sunnyhell?" questioned Joan as she too prepared to stand. They were waiting for the end of the people getting off so that they could. After all, they had two strikes working against them. For one thing, they were all minors. And for another, Kevin had to be helped into one of the airport wheelchairs. None of them were even discussing how stupid it was to check a wheelchair in as luggage.
"You'll understand one day," Buffy told her, knowing it deep within her soul. For just a minute, however, she hoped that it would never come to pass. She didn't want Joan to lose her innocence. "Look, does anyone know how we're going to know who this dude is?"
"Ooo! Ooo!" Dawn was hopping from one foot to the other in the middle of the runway, waving her hand enthusiastically. "I have an idea!"
"And what is this idea?" Kevin asked. "And honestly, put your hand down. Not only are you not in school at the moment, this is a runway, honey. I think that the pilots might get the wrong impression."
"Oops," she blushed, doing as she was told. "Maybe he'll have a sign. They always do on T.V."
"I just knew you were addicted to Lifetime movies, D." Faith was thoroughly enjoying the fact that her sister had yet to stop blushing.
"Shut up!"
"Make me, little sister."
"Will both of you chill?" the blonde snapped in annoyance. In reality, she wasn't as annoyed as she sounded but a big sister had to take a stand on some things. Scanning the area, she spotted it. "Guys, I think that would be our cousin."
"Who?" Luke asked, finally looking up from Plato.
"The guy who's holding the sign reading, 'Summers and Girardi children" she answered. "Duh!"
Forming a bunch around Buffy and Kevin, the cousins walked over.
Dawn, who had never learned tact, immediately said, "We're your cousins. Are you an axe murderer?"
Jim couldn't help it. He chuckled. "No, just a detective. You're Dawn?"
"Yeah." Coming face to face with her greatest fear—that their guardian was evil—and finding out that it was just a fear, was a relief.
"Hello, I'm Buffy," the blonde told him coldly. Hazel eyes locked with blue and held them, judging what they saw there. A small smile worked its way across her face. "I'm pleased to meet you."
"Yo, I'm Faith. You got any experience with teenagers?"
"Not really." He managed to sound reasonably calm. After years of dealing with Daryl's friends, he knew that he couldn't sound nervous. Teens fed off of the fear. They were like little vultures. No, more like piranhas.
"Then you're getting a hell of a crash course," Luke grinned. His grin slipped the moment that Jim caught sight of Kevin. They had all hoped that the lawyer had told their new guardian, but he obviously hadn't. Jim was far too shocked to have had warning.
"Guess you're sending me back," Kevin stated. For the five not in the accident, the night after the accident was spent in an emergency foster home until the social workers could find a family friend to place them with and they'd told Kevin about it. He already knew that the system would be hell.
"Why would I do that?" Jim asked levelly. "If you say it's because you're a freak, I will turn you over to Blair. Considering what he's done every time I use that word, I don't even want to know what he'd do to you."
"You're not sending Kev back?" Joan spoke up, worry working itself through her voice.
"No. It just means that we have to find another place faster."
"Huh?" was the only thing coming from Dawn's lips.
"The elevator in the apartment building only works when it wants to and we live on the third floor. Anyway, our apartment is only a two bedroom loft."
Buffy picked up on the 'we' and 'our' rather quickly. She wasn't the oldest of three girls for nothing, and the past had made her that much more observant. "You have a wife?"
"A roommate," was Jim's simple reply before laughing. "Blair is going to kill me when I show up with you six."
"Why will she?" Luke questioned.
Jim finally stopped laughing as they approached the baggage claim but a smile still lingered. "He will kill me because I didn't exactly tell him anything when I called him at work."
He didn't even notice the knowing glance the girls exchanged amongst themselves.