AUTHOR'S NOTE This story takes place on Christmas Eve 2004 in Harmony. The following things have not yet been revealed to the Passions characters or have not yet happened:
a) The mother of Ethan's baby
b) Sheridan and Luis's tragic wedding
c) Mrs. Wheeler is really Katherine Crane
d) Gwen arrested
e) Theresa being paralyzed
f) Gwen kidnapping the baby
g) Little Ethan being returned to Theresa
And everything else since before the wedding, but those are the important things to this story.
DISCLAIMER Don't own anyone.
Thank you to those who reviewed!
…
Sam Bennett led the three into Harmony Station. He motioned to a set of chairs. "Sit down."
They did so. The guy dropped his head into his hands. "I'm so screwed," Sam heard him mumble.
With a chuckle, Sam headed toward the officer on duty. "What's with the kids, Chief?" he asked.
"Reckless endangerment," Sam replied. "Operating a vehicle under unsafe conditions."
The officer whistled. "What conditions were those?"
The boy looked up and the officer noticed the eye patch. "I only have one eye," he spit out. "Apparently that makes it dangerous to drive."
Sam turned back to them. "I'll need your names."
The redhead spoke up. "All of our names?"
Sam nodded. "You're all here. It's nothing big, just for our records." He pointed to the boy. "Starting with you."
He sighed. "Alexander Harris."
The officer typed his name into the computer. After a moment, he said to Sam, "All clear."
Sam turned his attention to the redhead. "Willow Rosenberg," she said blandly. Again, the name was put into the computer and given a verdict of all clear.
The blonde girl began to look distinctly uncomfortable when Sam turned his attention to her. "And your name?" he asked after a moment.
"Buffy Summers," she said finally.
The officer at the computer's eyes widened when he read the information returned at her name. "Uh, Sam?"
Sam cast a suspicious glance at the girl before leaning over the officer's shoulder to read the screen. His eyes widened and he looked back at Buffy. He walked up close to her. Buffy shifted nervously. "Do you have any idea what we might have found on that computer over there?" he asked sternly.
Buffy shrugged. "Vampires are taking over the world?"
Alexander stifled a laugh. Willow smacked him. Sam was not impressed.
"Are you aware that there is an outstanding warrant for your arrest?" he asked. "For – "
"For murder," Buffy interrupted. "Of a teenage girl found in Sunnydale High School." She stared coldly at Sam. "Yeah, I know." She folded her arms over her chest and leaned back. "Although I'd check the date on that warrant if I were you."
Sam was suspicious, but he turned back to the officer on duty. "Well? When's the warrant from?"
"May of 1998."
"What?" Sam asked, incredulous. "How can it possibly be that old?" He turned back to Buffy. "How have you not been arrested yet? It's been over six years!"
"My good looks?" Buffy shot back smugly.
"Buffy, stop," Willow said sharply. She turned to Sam. "First, Buffy didn't kill Kendra. The case was closed and I guess they just never removed the record of her warrant."
Sam narrowed his eyes. "And second?"
"And second Sunnydale doesn't even exist anymore," Alexander said. He smirked. "There was…an accident."
"An accident," Sam repeated. "And what kind of accident would that have been, Alexander?"
The boy cringed. "Please, call me Xander. I don't care if you are trying to arrest me. I can't stand people calling me 'Alexander.'"
"Fine, Xander. Where were you kids headed, anyway? Sunnydale is in California. What are you doing in Maine?"
It was Willow who answered. "We were headed here."
Buffy and Xander looked strangely at their friend, but Willow took no notice of them. She kept her eyes on Sam. "Do you know of any place we can stay?"
Uncomfortable with this turn of events, Sam didn't answer right away. Willow locked eyes with him. He heard himself saying, "I run a bed and breakfast. You are your friends are welcome to stay here."
Smiling brightly, Willow replied, "Thanks."
Another officer rounded the corner. "I have those records you asked for of the people at the mansion, Sam," he said. He stopped short when he saw the three detainees. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Oh Luis, hey." Sam took the file Luis was holding and gestured behind him. "This is Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, and Buffy Summers. They're, uh, guests in Harmony for the time being." Turning his attention once again, Sam put a hand on Luis's shoulder. "This is Detective Lopez-Fitzgerald."
"Pleasure," Willow replied coolly.
Buffy cocked her head. "What's with the file?" she asked.
"Official police business," Sam said shortly. "We're investigating an attempted murder."
An odd look crossed Buffy's face and her voice was filled with urgency. "What kind of murder?"
Sam was thrown. "Excuse me?"
"What kind of murder?" Buffy asked. "He wasn't bitten, was he?"
"No," Sam answered slowly. "He was poisoned."
"Oh." Buffy relaxed and leaned back in her chair. "Okay then."
Sam looked at her curiously for another minute before turning back to Luis. "Detective Lopez-Fitzgerald will be escorting you to the bed and breakfast."
"What?" The Detective did not look happy at his assignment. "Sam, I'm supposed to meet Sheridan at the park."
Sam glared at Luis. "Luis, you've had your job back for less than five hours. This is an order."
Luis got the point. "Right. Let's go," he said, beckoning Willow and the others.
Xander glanced at Sam. "But what about my car?"
"Did you not understand why you were brought in here? You can't drive. It's unsafe for you to drive in that condition."
Xander stood up angrily. He looked about to spit out a retort, but instead just muttered under his breath, "Caleb's gift just keeps on giving." Sam didn't understand what he meant, but he noticed a meaningfully sympathetic glance from Willow and a downcast look of shame from Buffy. He decided some questions were better left unasked.
Luis was at the door. "Hurry up, you three. I have somewhere I have to be."
"Well aren't you pushy?" Buffy asked. Luis glared at her before ushering them out of the police station and into his car.