Chapter 6

Tree Hill, North Carolina; 19 August 1999 – 16:22 EDT

Xander was walking back towards the kitchen with a tray of dirty dishes in hand when heard the bell above the door ring. He looked up to see Haley enter the otherwise empty café. After she had left it took some convincing for Karen to go, as well, to get ready for the party and leave him in charge of holding down the fort. There were only a handful of customers during the time he was alone, and things had gone well.

Haley smiled when she saw Xander in his white half-apron balancing a tray full of dishes. "Looking good, Xander. I think we found your hidden talent," she teased him.

"It takes one to know one," he shot back at her with a grin. "You are just in time to help me with washing these dishes."

Haley laughed and walked over to him. "You know, I think one of us has to man the counter in case we actually have customers coming in. And I wouldn't want to deprive you of the experience."

"Nice one, Haley," Xander said and disappeared into the kitchen. After a minute he came out into the café again and asked, "How did things go with Lucas?"

"Actually, better than I feared. You know, you were right, Xander. He freaked out a little, but then he said he understood. It's really all I could ask for. Thank you for talking to me earlier and pointing things out to me. Couldn't have done it without you."

Xander shook his head. "Yeah, you could. But if you want to express your gratitude in other ways, there's a dishtowel with your name on it waiting for you," he said, grinning at her broadly.

A military installation somewhere under Sunnydale, California; 19 August 1999 – 15:59 PDT

"Full system scan has been completed, Sir. All tracers have come up empty. We still can't determine how the files were accessed. Lieutenant Davis has completed the database review and this is the list of files accessed in the same manner. All 8 files are related to Project Progeny," Corporal Meyers stated and handed a printout over to his commanding officer.

"Have all primary subjects been located and placed under surveillance?"

"Sir, all but one primary target have been located, with full level two surveillance procedures in place. However, we have not been able to locate target number 7, Alexander Harris, through standard measures. I'm hereby requesting permission to activate target's locator chip and utilize Alpha Team for surveillance and possible retrieval of subject."

"Very good, Corporal. Permission granted. You have full satellite and network access for this mission. Dismissed."

Tree Hill, North Carolina; 19 August 1999 – 20:09 EDT

"Okay, Karen. We'll be there in 10 minutes," Haley said into the phone and hung up. She looked at Xander, who was eying her curiously. "There's been a mix-up at the party and they didn't get their cakes. Looks like we have to close down here and make an emergency delivery to save them from sugar-deprivation."

"Great. I'll drive," Xander said as they walked into the kitchen.

"Hm, why is it again you are stuck here in Tree Hill? Oh right. Don't even think about getting behind the wheel of my mom's car," Haley told him and laughed when she saw the expression of mock hurt on Xander's face.

Lucas moved through the crowd of people, his eyes searching the room. He felt confused by the events of the past couple of hours. The party so far had been fun for the most part. He had tried and find an opportunity to talk to Peyton, but it never really worked out. She looked stunning in her black spaghetti-strapped dress and had taken Lucas' breath away for a moment when he first saw her. They had thrown longing looks across the room to each other, but whenever he tried to get closer to her someone had interrupted him and kept him away.

Brooke had practically thrown herself at him and it took a lot of self-control for Lucas to not take her up on her offer to join her for a private skinny-dipping in her Jacuzzi. And then he'd seen Nathan and Peyton starting to talk again, with Brooke eagerly telling him that they were in the process of getting back together.

Lucas thought about Brooke as he was exiting the house into the extensive backyard of the Scott estate. She seemed so angry earlier when she'd come out of the house and, obviously drunk, started a game of Truth or Dare. Or maybe just dare, 'cause nobody really tells the truth anymore, he remembered her saying.

He cringed at the thought of what had happened next. Brooke had dared Peyton to kiss him in front of everybody to show how she really felt about him, and to Lucas' surprise she did just that. The kiss was passionate, almost desperate with a deep longing, but almost as soon as his surprise had worn off Peyton broke off the kiss and rushed away.

His eyes scanned the backyard and he saw a lonely figure sitting on a swing towards the far end of the yard. He walked up to Peyton and caught her attention when he got close. "So that was…" he trailed off.

She looked at him with a nervous expression on her face. "Yeah."

"What was that? A game?" he asked, sounding more angry than he wanted it to come out.

Peyton crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Kind off." She looked away briefly and then back at Lucas, a smile forming on her face. "Want to play again?" she asked and let out a laugh.

Lucas smiled back at her and they both started to lean towards each other in preparation for a kiss.

"No way," Haley laughed as they walked towards the house, each carrying a couple of boxes with cakes and pastries. "A twinkie could never match one of Karen's vanilla crème pastries."

Xander shook his head rapidly, careful not to drop any of the boxes he was carrying. "Oh, the ignorance! That's just wrong, Haley. But I can't really be mad at you; I bet no one has ever taught you how to really eat a twinkie the proper way. Well, today is your lucky day, young lady, as you've met the twinkie master. It's simple, really, and…" Xander trailed off as he took in the scene before them. They had come across a swing set in a quiet part of the backyard occupied by Lucas and a blonde girl with long curly hair, with the two of them obviously just about to kiss.

"Sorry guys, coming through," Haley said a little surprised.

Peyton turned around and Lucas looked up to Xander and Haley, both of them looking embarrassed.

"Uh, sorry, we just… um, your mom called with an SOS, so we just thought we'd sneak in the back and not bother anyone," Haley said with a smile.

"You guys need any help," Lucas asked.

"No, we are good and you, um, you've got your hands full, so don't mind us and just carry on," Haley said slightly uncomfortable and started walking past the couple.

Xander thought it was better not to add anything and just nodded to Lucas before following Haley into the house.

"Everything you need for a first-class sugar coma," Haley announced as they entered the kitchen and set down the boxes on the counter.

Deb let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Oh, let's see." She opened one of the boxes and admired the various pieces of cake. "Oh, these cakes are gorgeous. Who makes these?"

"These guys," Karen smiled and held up her hands, obviously pleased with the reaction.

"Thank you both for bringing these over," Deb said to Xander and Haley. "The caterers can take it from here. Go join your friends. Have some food."

"No, that's okay. We have to get back, anyway. I'm still on the clock," Haley responded. She was uncomfortable staying with a crowd she wasn't really a part of, and the likely possibility of running into Nathan was both frightening and exciting. Definitly more frightening than exciting. She'd already been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride today because of her growing feelings for him, and she didn't want to push her luck.

"Did you lock up when you left, turn off the coffee machine?" Karen asked. Seeing Haley's nod, she said, "Well, then you're off the clock. Now go, have fun. It only comes around once."

Haley sighed in defeat. There goes my excuse. "Okay." She motioned for Xander to follow her as she walked out of the kitchen. "Alright, twinkie king. Let's see who we can find here to mingle with."

A military installation somewhere under Sunnydale, California; 19 August 1999 – 17:43 PDT

"Sir, we've located the target. He's in North Carolina," Corporal Meyers reported.

"Good work, Corporal. Is the tracking chip still fully functional?"

"Sir, we've remotely activated the chip and it is linked to both long and short-ranged systems. The biometric readout is somewhat inconclusive though, with several parameters outside the defined standard ranges. Given the age of the implant the data could very well be false due to a malfunction."

"Or it could be correct, and PP-7 is finally waking up," the commanding officer responded with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Send the team. Have them monitor the situation. They are authorized to extract the subject, if the need arises."

"Yes, Sir."

Tree Hill, North Carolina; 19 August 1999 – 21:17 EDT

Brooke felt angry and hurt by the events of the past hours. Despite her best efforts to get with Lucas he had brushed her off time and again. I threw myself at him, basically offered him the time of his life. By now we should be screwing in my Jacuzzi, but all he's interested in is ogling at Peyton from across the room. She is soooo not his type. She wandered around the house, feeling sorry for herself and drinking from an almost empty plastic cup of vodka and coke in an attempt to numb the pain and loneliness inside.

When she entered one of the hallways she noticed Nathan and Haley walking past. Brooke felt like lashing out, and with any restraint removed by the large amount of liquor she had had, here was her chance. When she and Tim had looked for more liquor in Nathan's room they had found a little study kit Haley had put together for Nathan, and the note in it gave Brooke all the ammunition she needed. "Tutor girl," Brooke called out.

Haley sighed and turned around. "It's Haley," she said.

Nathan had a bad feeling about what was about to happen and tried to step in. "Brooke…"

Brooke ignored Nathan, her eyes fixed on Haley. "Haley, right. Nathan's own personal little care package." She watched as Haley seemed to get nervous and the crowd around them took notice of the conversation. "Everything starts to make so much more sense now. You two are adorable. What was my favorite part? Believing you'll do well is half the battle," she quoted from Haley's note.

Haley felt confused, panicked and hurt. Oh my god. How did she know that? How the hell did Brooke, of all people, know about my note?

Brooke was on a roll by now, turning her attention to Nathan who looked completely confused by what Brooke was referring to, as he had not yet looked into the care package and had no idea it contained a personal note from Haley. "You know, Tutor Girl's little love note you passed around earlier, the one that said, "Call me if you need anything…." Brooke looked at Haley, a smirk on her face, "… at all."

There was laughter from the crowd around them. Nathan felt like slapping Brooke, but his real concern was for Haley. He stepped in front of her, trying to explain that that was not true. He would never do that to her. "Alright, Haley, I…"

Haley looked at him in shock and disbelieve. They were right. They all told me to be careful, warned me that he would hurt me. How could I have been so stupid to think he was any different? How could he do that to me? "Stay away from me," was all she managed to say before she turned around and quickly left the house just as the tears started flowing down her face.

"I'll definitely come by over the next couple of days," Jake promised. "After all I can't wait to team up with the man who defeated Lucas at his own game."

Xander shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I got lucky and I had a great partner."

Jake laughed. From what Lucas had told him about his basketball game on the River Court, it was a little bit more than just luck. "Whatever you say, Xander. Whatever you say."

Brooke wandered aimlessly through the house. By now she was completely wasted and had a hard time walking properly. She thought that expressing her hurt, even if it meant hurting someone else, was going to make her feel better, but it didn't. Despite her intoxication she was keenly aware that her little stunt earlier had been devastating for Haley. Seeing the pain in her eyes made Brooke only feel worse, even if she could never admit that. Nathan was pissed at her, and rightfully so. Of course, she shrugged him off when he told her that her games were getting old and that she should go home and sleep it off.

She came to a halt near the entrance and had to lean on the wall for a second to regain her balance. When she felt a little more stable on her feet, she looked around and saw Lucas coming across the room. She took a couple of steps towards him, determined to not give up on hooking up with him tonight. "Lucas," she said, a seductive smile on her face.

Lucas looked at Brooke and shook his head, barely slowing down. He felt suffocated in this house after he had confessed his feelings to Peyton while they were making out heavily only to have her accusing him of ruining it and running away. He needed to get out and Brooke was the last thing he wanted to deal with right then. "Come on, Brooke. Not now," he told her and walked past her and out of the house.

Brooke looked after him, clearly feeling rejected and hurt. Her eyes lingered on the door Lucas went through. Why doesn't he want me? What's so special about Peyton that I don't have? It's not like I asked him for anything that represents any commitment? I just want to have some fun! She turned around and started smiling when she saw Jake and another tall dark-haired boy she'd never seen before talk nearby. This night might be some fun after all, Brooke thought as she started to wander over. "Jake… Jake, Jake, Jake," Brooke said when she approached them.

"Oh, Brooke, Brooke, Brooke," Jake answered and smiled, only his eyes displaying the sadness he felt when he looked at her.

Brooke almost stumbled and had to hold on to Jake's tie to steady herself. "I'm drunk and you'll do," she announced as he started to pull him closer.

Jake had known Brooke for a long time and knew how she was at these parties. She had earned a reputation of being easy and a lot of fun, and many guys had been the lucky recipient of her attention. It wasn't that Jake didn't feel attracted to her, but from what he had seen it appeared as if Brooke never was the one getting the good end of the deal, and he liked her too much to use her like that. He brought up his hands and gently removed Brooke's grip on his tie. "Oh, hey, it's quite an honor, but I got to be somewhere."

Brooke turned to Xander. "What about you, handsome?"

"Me?" Xander asked with surprise. "I don't even know you."

Brooke's smile widened. "Here's your chance to change that and get to know me very well," she said seductively.

Xander felt uneasy about the girl's bluntness, and having Jake witness the whole thing didn't help his comfort level. She was stunningly attractive, but obviously quite drunk, and the last thing he wanted was to take advantage of her. "As tempting as this sounds I don't think this is a good idea," he said as he looked back at Brooke.

Brooke let out a bitter laugh as the evening and the alcohol started to catch up with her. "I can't believe this. Every guy is turning gay on me tonight!" She threw a last look at Jake and Xander and started to unsteadily walk towards the exit, grabbing her purse on the way out. "Fine. I don't need any of you," she muttered under her breath and started to rummage through her purse as she walked down the driveway.

"Is she alright?" Xander asked with concern in his voice.

Jake shrugged, unsure how to respond. "She's Brooke," he stated matter-of-factly. "She's been like that for a long time. I just sometimes don't think this is really who she is." They started walking out of the house and down the driveway towards the street. "I'm glad you reacted the way you did. A lot of guys would not have said no to her, you know? So why did you?" Jake asked curiously.

Xander shrugged. "It didn't feel right. I don't want to use someone and hurt them in the process. It's just not me. What about you?"

"Same thing. And she deserves a lot better than that." There was a pause as both teenagers reflected on that statement for a moment. "Anyway, it was great meeting you and we are definitely on for a match or two this weekend. Have a great night, Xander."

Xander shook hands with Jake and responded, "Thanks, you too." He watched Jake climb into his car and drive off. The night air was fresh and crisp and the sounds of the party could faintly be heard coming from the Scott house. He looked back to the residence, debating if he should go back in again. I don't think we had parties like that in high school back in old Sunny D. It's certainly a bit different from going Bronzing. The memories of his old life in California and of his friends came back with those thoughts and he decided against returning to the house. Maybe Bronzing was better than this anyway.

He walked down the street past a row of parked cars when the relative silence of the night was disrupted by the sounds of someone throwing up, followed by a pained moan. Xander walked around the parked VW Beetle to find Brooke kneeling on the ground, one hand holding her hair out of her face while the other steadied her body from moving too much. She had her eyes closed and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Not trying to startle her with his sudden appearance, Xander took a step towards Brooke and squatted down to her level. "Brooke, are you ok?" he asked her softly, his voice full of concern.

Brooke opened her eyes slightly and raised her head to see who was talking to her. Her sight settled on Xander and she quickly tried to get up, almost causing her to stumble and lose her balance again. She took a step backwards and bumped into her car, stopping her movement and momentarily stabilizing her. Her head was spinning, but she wasn't drunk beyond the point to not feel embarrassed that someone saw her like this. "I'm fine," she said weakly and forced a smile.

Xander got up again, clearly unconvinced. "Do you want me to bring you home?"

"No, I'm fine," Brooke said more forcefully and shook her head. The movement caused her to suddenly feel even dizzier. Her knees started buckling in and she was about to fall forward when Xander grabbed her and held her steady while nausea overtook her again and she forcefully threw up again. "I'm sorry," she stated when she was done and had regained some control. "I'm not feeling very good."

"No worries. I'm taking you home," Xander stated while holding her in his arms. "Do you have a car here or do we have to walk?"

Brooke raised her arm and pointed to the VW Beetle. Xander opened the passenger door and helped Brooke get into her seat. He leaned inside and buckled her seatbelt before closing her door. Walking around the car he noticed Brooke's purse on the ground. Some of the content had fallen out when she had first thrown up, and he searched the area for any of her belongings before getting into the car. Brooke was sitting with her eyes closed, breathing rhythmically.

"So, where do you live, Brooke," he asked her as he started the car. When he got no answer he looked over to her to see that she had fallen asleep. This is gonna be fun he thought sarcastically, starting to look through her purse for a driver's license or anything with an address on it.

It took Xander quite some time to find Brooke's home. The house sat prominently towards the end of cul-de-sac in the affluent part of town, and Xander was quite impressed by the sheer size of the property when he pulled into the driveway. Must be nice to come from money, he thought and looked over to Brooke's sleeping form. Let's hope her parents sleep tightly, otherwise I'll be in deep shit.

Xander got out of the car, opened the passenger door and gently lifted Brooke from her seat. She stirred slightly but didn't wake up when he carried her over to the house. He fumbled with the keys while Brooke was nestled in his arms and finally found the right one to open the door. Stepping into the dark and quiet foyer, Xander was relieved when no alarm went off and no voices or footsteps could be heard.

Guessing that the bedrooms were most likely on the second floor he carefully carried Brooke up the wide staircase. Several of the doors in the second floor hallway were open and, after stopping briefly to listen for any sounds or movement, he quietly started to look for her room. It didn't take him long to find it and, with a sigh of relief, he put Brooke down on her bed. Her form was illuminated by the moonlight that was streaming into the room and Xander couldn't help but notice how pretty and peaceful she seemed. His eyes wandered down her legs and he was surprised to see that she must have scraped her knees earlier when he had found her since he saw some dried blood on both of her legs.

Not wanting to leave her like that he looked around the room and saw that she had her own private bathroom. He went inside and wet a wash cloth with some warm water. Sitting down next to her on the bed he gently started to clean her wounds, trying his best not to wake her up. When he was done he covered her with a blanket and, with one last look, turned to leave.

"Don't go," he heard Brooke mumble in a timid voice. Surprised, he turned around to see her still lying in bed with her eyes closed, breathing rhythmically and clearly not really awake. "Nobody ever stays. Everybody just always leaves me," she muttered sleepily.

Xander studied her intently. The hurt and fragility in her voice triggered something inside of him, and after a moment of contemplation he realized what it was. The outward appearance of being tough and in control and the underlying vulnerability and insecurity; she reminded him of Faith. I could have saved her if I only had tried harder. But I didn't. What happened to her is partly my fault because I failed her. He looked at Brooke sleeping silently before him. It won't happen again.

Atlanta, Georgia; 20 August 1999 – 01:29 EDT

Archbishop Francisco Domingo de Polonia looked around the busy board room that was erupting in with another loud argument between two rival warlords over who was best suited for the assault on one of the primary Washington D.C. targets. With over fourty kindred and a dozen ghouls in attendance, the Sabbat War Council sessions were usually loud, violent and somewhat chaotic affairs. He contemplated to just sit back and see which of the two warlords was going to survive the fight that was sure to come when one of the messenger ghouls approached him and handed him an envelope.

He opened it curiously and read the short message. Anger swept over him like a tidal wave and he sprung to his feet, seeking an outlet. The ghoul in front of him never saw what hit him when Polonia's fist connected with his head, crushing this skull and sending his dead body flying across the room to land with a wet thud in the middle of the main conference table, splattering the area with blood. The room fell quiet, with all eyes shifting to the unexpected source of violence.

"The Demeter was destroyed last night en route to Washington," he said through clenched teeth while he regained his composure. "We lost all reinforcements that were on board." Letting the news sink in briefly he asked, "What other possible staging areas do we have identified for our other transports? Deepwater harbor within secured territory, but no major ports. Nothing too close to D.C. to attract attention but close enough to make our push north."

Hectic activity broke out as kine and kindred scrambled to provide an answer. The overhead beamer sprang to life and projected a map of the eastern seaboard into the wall. Gradually the map zoomed into the Mid-Atlantic States and variously colored markers representing troop movements and current areas of conflict popped up. More and more data was overlaid into the map and eventually one location started blinking in bright yellow. The Archbishop paced in front of the projection while he studied the map, his eyes settling on the designated location. Pointing at it he turned around and asked, "Has the town be cleared?"

"One of our packs went through last night. We haven't received an update yet but they are reliable. Whatever resistance was there is long gone by now."

He nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Redirect the other ship and set up operations immediately. We are moving our supply base to Tree Hill, North Carolina."

Tree Hill, North Carolina; 20 August 1999 – 02:03 EDT

The hyena spirit was wandering its host's mind, searching for an opening, looking for a weakness that would allow it to regain control. It wondered why it felt so listless, the memory of the recent challenge still fresh in its mind. As it kept moving a feeling of unease came over it. It stopped and looked around, sniffing the air. Out of the corner of its eyes it saw a blurred movement, but when it turned its head to investigate it did not see anything.

It started pacing across the area, carefully scanning its surroundings. It felt that it was being watched, but it couldn't figure out by whom. It started to run, trying to escape the unsettling presence, but no matter where it went the feeling would only very briefly go away. Arriving at a clearing in a densely overgrown part of the woods, it stopped to throw its head back and howl in anger and frustration. And then it saw him.

The man stepped out of the thick undergrowth that he had perfectly blended into a second before, a submachine gun expertly trained at the hyena. Their eyes interlocked and the hyena took a step forward, a threatening growl escaping its throat. The man ever so slowly shook his head slightly, his eyes boring into his target.

Stopping its advance, the hyena considered the unspoken statement, and after a few seconds, turned around and started to walk away. When it looked back over its shoulder the man was gone, even if his presence was clearly still there. Yes, it was no longer alone in its host's mind. It had to be careful, knowing that its actions would be watched, but the newcomer might prove helpful after all. Escape was still an option; it would just have to be more patient.

Author's note: I finally managed to get this new part done. Hopefully, the next parts will come more quickly. Feedback is always welcome and I very much appreciate the comments I have received for chapter 5.