AN: Alright, no real side note about this chapter. Just my regular thank yous to reviewers.
To Catlimere: Thanks for the review. I thought that since some of the Brotherhood was older that they would have a little more control over their hormones. And as for Eve, well she happens to have a special place in my heart.
To ladyofthedragons1: hmm, it will be amusing to watch everyone of the Scooby again deal with the professor… then Logan… ohhhhh
To A Watcher: Eve is definitely going to make things more interesting. The question is in a good or bad way.
To beenieweenie: Eve's deal? Hmmm, read and find out!
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Chapter Ten- Jack and EveSidney drove the car in silence for fifteen minutes. At the beginning of those fifteen minutes, Ann had made attempts to get Eve into a conversation but the dead Slayer told to the child to 'shove it' after five minutes. Sidney and Jack glanced at each other like weary tomcats fighting over a mouse.
In truth, Sidney had a lot to say to Jack but she wasn't quite sure how to. When she had left Maine those months ago, she had not said a word to Jack because they had come to an awkward situation in their home life. A week before Sidney had left her and Jack's relationship had taken a drastic unwanted change and now Sidney wasn't sure how to get it back to the way it had been.
Sidney smiled at the beautiful white dress she had laid out on her bed. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, Cinderella's dress perhaps and she had the perfect Prince Charming to take her to the ball. Ori had said it was the most romantic thing she had ever seen.
Marshall Pike wasn't the kind of boy that would've noticed Sidney during high school, but he seemed to notice her just fine now and that was what mattered.
At the same time Jack, Sidney's charge, walked in with a glower upon his handsome face. He took one look at Sidney's dress, the stars in her eyes and snarled viciously, wishing he could pummel Pike's face in.
Instead he said, "Bella, I know how important this date is to you, but Pike is someone not to be trusted. He'll use you."
Sidney wheeled around, glaring. Jack had been like this ever since she had told him about her date, "What's your problem? Can't believe that Marshall likes me?"
"No, I didn't mean that-"
"Well I got news for you, Jack, I'm going out tonight and nothing you do is going to stop me. Understood?" Sidney said tersely.
Jack glared right back at her, "You're making a mistake."
"No, I'm not."
Four hours later, Sidney walked up to her room trying to hold back tears. She pushed herself into her room and fell onto the bed, crying. Her whole body shook with them. Marshall had doped her, the pig.
Then Sidney felt two hands rub her back and she stilled. But Jack no took notice of her stiffness he just kept on rubbing in that soothing way until Sidney's body had relaxed into hot wax. The tears still streamed down her face, but they were silent.
"I'm sorry, bella." Jack said softly.
Sidney raised a hand and whipped the tears off of her cheeks, "I can't believe Marshall did that to me." she whispered helplessly.
"What did he do?" Jack soothed.
"He was horrible." Sidney said, "The whole time we were at the restaurant he didn't dance with me. Oh, but he danced, don't get me wrong. He danced with whatever beautiful blonde he found. And if that wasn't enough he made me pay for the dinner. And then we got back to my house, which was the worst thing of all. You know how my parents were out of town?"
Jack's hands stilled on her back, "Yes," he said slowly, "I know."
"He wanted to come up to my room!" Sidney shouted in horror, "He expected me to fall into his arms just by smiling. He tried to kiss me, he said nasty things about hearing I was wild in bed and he pushed me against me door." She was so enraged she didn't sense Jack's teeth pull away from his lips in a silent snarl, "But he got something he didn't expect. I kneed him in the groin."
Jack said nothing for to he was too busy trying to think of ways to torture Pike when he felt Sidney shift underneath him. He moved away from her so she could sit up. Sidney looked over at him with clouded eyes.
"Aren't you going to say 'I told you so'?" She wondered, "I mean you did warn me that Marshall was no good."
"I should've been nicer about it." Jack said as he inched closer to Sidney. There was a pretty pink blush on her cheeks a she leaned an inch closer.
"Yeah, but you were still right." Her face moved just a little closer and her lips pouted, "If I had just listened to-" Then he finished the distance.
Immediately, Sidney reached up and tangled her hands in his hair. For the past year she had had a crush on him. The 'Florence Nightingale' syndrome as Ori called. Their lips met with the passion and fire of youth and yearning. Driven by needs he was almost ashamed of Jack pushed her back against her bed. Unlike with Marshall, Sidney made no move to stop him. She moaned against his mouth and angled her head to give him more access. Her breath caught in her throat turned into a moan and she gripped him tighter.
Then they were breaking apart, realizing they had made a mistake. Jack was a ghost and Sidney was human. It couldn't be done.
"Jack…" Sidney said softly.
"Don't." Jack snapped, stood from the bed and walked through the door. Sidney watched him leave, baffled, hurt and suddenly very weary.
Sidney placed herself on her bed and began to sob again. Just great, now she had ruined her friendship with Jack as well? She wanted to call Ori and have her friend console her, but she was afraid of what her friend might think. Ori knew as well as Sidney that ghosts and humans do not have affairs with one another.
"I ruined it." Sidney said helplessly, "He'll never want to speak with me again." And wasn't that for the best? After all, Sidney had a huge school-girl crush on Jack and it could turn into something she didn't want, "It's for the best." Sidney told herself and tried to believe. For a week she didn't speak, or even see, Jack. She suspected he went to hide out at the church with Father Tucker.
Then she had gone to LA…
Sidney had not spoken to Jack about what happened that night and from the look on the ghost's face Jack was not going to talk about. He just started out the window as they made their way to Buffy's apartment.
A frown marred her lips as the ride stretched into silence. So he wasn't going to say anything now? Well, that was fine with her. She was glad he didn't want to speak with her. Relieved. Why would she want to speak with him anyway?
Then Jack looked over at her with his oh-so dark eyes and Sidney remembered quite well why she wanted to speak to Jack. Scowling, she looked away from him, trying not to look him, into his eyes.
"I am sorry, bella." Jack said, reaching out to take her hand, which Sidney quickly averted.
"There is nothing to apologize for, Jack. I'm over it and I'd thought you'd be, too." The words were meant to purposely sting and from the look that came into Jack's eyes they had made their mark.
"Oh, look! We're here!" Ann said, oblivious to the tension in the front seat. She smiled in her child-like way and hopped out of the car. Eve growled with annoyance and went to follow the girl.
"This better damn better well be worth it." She muttered as she made her way up into the apartment. Sidney didn't even look at Jack as she got out of the car, though she heard him slam the door and follow her. She held her head high and walked into the apartment.
Buffy, Willow, Faith and Xander sat on the couch watching TV, waiting for Sidney to arrive. Ori was in the kitchen making a snack. Willow and Xander were exchanging words over a football team, but Faith and Buffy were silent. They all were nervous about what was to come. A new, dead Slayer would be brought into their midst and with her came very important information on their enemies.
What's taking them so long? They should've been here by now. Buffy thought in almost a panic. She glanced over at Faith and saw that the dark Slayer seemed to feel the same way as Buffy did.
If she hadn't been so anxious, Buffy would've smiled. It was odd how easily she and Faith slid into the role of parents. They both doted on Sidney because she seemed to have such a fragility about her and the same could be said to Ori, though without the fragileness.
We're getting sentimental in our old age, she thought and leaned back against the couch and reviewed her day.
It had gone swimmingly, and she thought that with a sarcastic tone. She had spent a good half-an-hour listening to Principal Kelly rant about mutants, had been hit on by every senior on the football team including Duncan Matthews, and to top it all off another dead girl had been reported in New York.
The Slayer had realized that someone was killing off all the Slayers again. She was reminded painfully of Caleb the 'good' reverend for the First. She could barely keep in check the rage that rushed through her veins at the mere thought of that horrid young man who thought all women were nothing but whores.
At that moment the door opened and Buffy was positive that the ghost called Ann had walked in because both Willow and Ori looked towards the door and smiled. Then Sidney walked and a chill ran down Buffy's spine. She looked over at Faith once more and the Dark One was shivering as well.
A Slayer had entered the room.
Besides her Willow's eye widened and she gave a small gasp, "Wow." she said.
"What is it? The Slayer?" Xander asked, his interest piped.
Willow shook her head, dark red locks whipping around her face, as she said, "No, the boy with Sidney. He's… he's… oh my goddess."
"That good looking, eh?" Faith asked.
"I wish I could give you my eyes." Willow sighed, "I'm sure you'd appreciate him more then me, though I appreciate him enough. He's so rugged… Spanish, I think. He looked… like a conquistador."
Xander turned away frowning, "Great now I have a real live not-see-able Dead Boy and he's still better looking them me? Not boosting the self-esteem here."
Buffy grinned and looked off to the side of Sidney where she hoped the Slayer stood, "Ah, Slayer? Can you here me?" At Sidney's nod she continued, "I'm Buffy Summers. I'm sure you've heard of."
Besides Sidney, Eve was staring at Buffy in awe and for once she looked speechless, "By God it really is her. Buffy Summers. The Buffy Summers."
Sidney looked over at Buffy, "She says she pleased to meet you."
Buffy nodded, "I'd like to welcome you to the team and all but seeing as how you're… well, dead and I can't see you exactly… I, ah, won't. I know what you must be going through, but I need to tell me what happened. Why are you dead?"
Eve said in a low voice, "I grew up in Chicago and when I was nine my Watcher, Harriet Goodall, came and trained me to be a Slayer though I was only a Potential then. Then, when I was sixteen, you started your battle with First. I wanted to join you but my Watcher made me lay low until the battle was done. Then I felt myself be given the powers to be a Slayer and I knew you had won. Miss Goodall and I were planning to go to LA to find you when we were attacked. They killed Miss Goodall… tortured her to death is more like it. And then I was brought to him." At this point Eve snarled, "He called himself Jake and he has powers that rival that of the Slayer. I managed to hold him back for a few hours but then he managed to gut me. Normally, I would've healed my wounds but Jake has this knife that takes power and I died. Then I woke up in Maine and I was a ghost."
Sidney relayed this information to Buffy, her eyes wide. Buffy and Faith's faces paled just a little but their eyes did not portray their emotions.
"That must be why," Buffy muttered, "that that girl said Slayers and mutants are in danger. Mutants have power this Jake person can take. That's why they're here."
Willow's face paled, "So all those girls that have died, their powers are being given to whatever demon he serves?"
Eve nodded, surprised that she and Willow were making eye contact, "That's what he said to me right before I died. He said: 'with you power, he shall rise and the world will be as it was meant to be.'" Eve quoted, having memorized what Jake had said to her after she heard it every night when she tried to fall asleep.
As Sidney told Buffy what Faith had said, she frowned, "Willow, found out about this Jake guy. Check the cults and stuff. Faith and Ori keep a close eye on the Brotherhood, they may not have caused those murders but their powers could make them targets of Jake's. Xander, keep your ears open at Bayville, kids get in to the freakiest stuff, we both know that. Sidney, work on getting Ann… ah, exorcised or whatever… and keep an eye on Eve and Jack."
"This guy sounds like a wannabe Caleb." Faith muttered, speaking Buffy's thoughts, "Killing Slayers and stuff."
Eve, unnoticed by those who could even see her, bared her teeth and said angrily, "I know that guy. Heard if him anyway."
"We also start nightly patrols." Buffy said, unaware Eve had spoken, "We'll take shifts starting tomorrow. I'll go first, Faith will go second, and we'll interchange."
Buffy frowned as her brows drew together. She had a bad feeling about this.
This was not going to be a quick save-the-world job.
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All done! I love Xander and his whole Dead Boy thing. Does anyone remember Dead Boy? (aka Angel?) I thought it'd be amusing to seem him meet a real live dead boy who's hot. Anywho, stay tuned for chapter eleven Choices. Another evil villain is introduced and she makes an attack on the Brotherhood and gives them a very generous offer. Will the BH members choose the dark side or will Ori and Faith convince them otherwise? Find out! Until then (you know the drill) REVIEW!
"Heroes die bravely in battle. Cowards run home. Hmm, death or the wife? Tough choice."
-Lizzy Rebel