Disclaimer: I don't own none of the series mentioned in this story.
Author's note: Okay. So now I've got a bit more action going on. For anyone wondering about the powers popping up all over, there's actually a reason for that. That being said, everyone has some sort of innate gift that takes a fair amount of time for people to really discover. For the characters I'm using, I'm giving them something that would seem unique to their talents or characters. I know with that statement, a lot of you are likely saying 'so why isn't Freddie using technology? Or Jade using darkness?' or something along those lines. The answer to that is to read my other stories in order to better understand why. For anyone wondering about the bad guys featured in this story, they'll have a larger role to play, but not the biggest role as far as the bad guys are concerned. You'll see what I mean eventually. Also, I'm going to try something that I've seen done in pairings but I haven't tried myself for certain reasons. Anyway, here is the next chapter.
Venice, California
The sun rose as a new day was beginning in the state of California. The skies were clear and the temperature was a bit high, but did nothing to dampen the spirits of the California citizens. However, for two young ladies, the mood was rather somber and a bit fearful considering the events of the previous night. Sam had stayed up all night with Cat as the faux redhead stared straight at the television in their living room until she fell asleep come morning. Sam was worried as the other girl had been strangely silent to a point of being mute. If Sam had to guess, her roommate had never been in a situation like the one from last night. She looked at her cellphone and decided that it was better to send a message now rather than wait. Despite her change in demeanor, thanks in part to the Valentine girl, she still felt that she wasn't the most experienced in comfort, especially since she was just as scared.
A few hours later...
Sheraton Hotel
Freddie sat on the bed of his room as he awaited the arrival of the brunette girls. Normally, he would be thrilled to be spending a great deal of time with two lovely girls, especially since Jade and Tori seemed to be taking an active interest in being around him, partly for school, and partly for friendship. However, there was a third part that Freddie felt was a bit much even for himself to even admit. He read the message Sam sent to him again. He called her to ask what was wrong. However, the blonde was quite vehement in requesting (or demanding as he had known her to do) that he just show up with the two singers/actresses. Freddie didn't have to wait any longer as he felt the two young ladies approaching. He thought it odd for second until he remembered that his powers made him see things that he knew wouldn't normally be there. The thought made him smile just a bit. He moved to the door to answer and opened it and smiled at Tori and Jade.
"Hey. How did you know we were here?" Tori as, caught off guard momentarily.
"I felt your presence," Freddie said calmly, trying his best not to laugh at the statement. Jade raised an eyebrow as she looked to Tori who had a blank stare on her face.
"No way," Jade replied.
"Hey, we've been attacked by vampires, used superpowers to kill them, not to mention meeting someone stronger than us, possibly someone or something not human. Not exactly your every day happenings," Freddie replied calmly.
"He's got a point. At least we're still here. In fact, if not for you, we might not have made it out," Jade said as she smiled sweetly at the former tech producer. Tori did the same, which caused Freddie to feel a bit bashful at the way the girls looked at him. He felt that same sensation that had settled inside him just from seeing both of them genuinely happy, thanks in no small part to him. He thought back to when he would do the same for another brunette and a particular blonde and almost frowned.
"So what do we owe the pleasure of your time with us?" Tori asked coyly.
"Well, Sam sent me a text earlier and I read before I called you two. I tried talking to her to see what was up. But she made it clear that she needed us to come to her and Cat. I've known Sam for a long time. And when she gets pushy, it's usually for a reason. Just the way she spoke earlier sounded like something went wrong. I think it best we just get there quickly," Freddie replied.
"We can take my car. I got my license after my dad gave me some lessons. Plus he finally returned the favor for me taking Trina with us to Yerba," Tori said. Freddie looked to Jade for an explanation but she shook her head, signaling that she'd talk about it another time. Freddie followed the two out of his room, his mind admiring all aspects of the two young women. He shook his head to clear the thought
Venice, California
The three brunettes marched to the door, with Freddie knocking once they approached. Barely three seconds later, the door was opened with Sam looking, to Freddie's eyes, slightly on edge. He wondered what could've been going through her mind but decided to wait.
"Good. You guys are here. Come in," Same said, as she grabbed Freddie's hand and yanked him inside, much to Jade and Tori's chagrin. The two singers followed the former couple into the apartment. Excluding Sam, everyone was shocked to see Cat watching the news on television with an expression unlike her usual behavior. Freddie wasn't sure what to make of it as he had only seen her the two times; once at Kenan's house during Andre's party and when Tori's play went wrong.
"Cat? Hey Cat?" Tori tried to get the faux redhead's attention. She was met with no response form the shorter girl.
"You better not have done anything to her!" Jade yelled at Sam.
"NO! I would never hurt her! I swear!" Sam replied, with her hands up in surrender. Jade studied the blonde for a minute as she began to notice the same red and black aura that Freddie did. She decided to leave that matter for another time.
"So what the hell is going on?" Freddie asked as he was confused.
"She's been like this ever since last night. I've been trying to do everything to snap her out of it. But nothing's worked," Sam breathed out with a sigh.
"What did happen?" Tori asked as she was just as worried.
"Not even five minutes after you guys left, some weird guy just showed up in here. We didn't even hear him come in. The windows were locked, we were the only ones in here yesterday, and you three were the only ones that showed up. He shouldn't been able to come in without us knowing. But when we turned around, he was just sitting at the table like he owned the place. I went to protect Cat from here. But as soon as he gets near me, he grabs me and tosses me across the room. And I don't mean I was pushed and stumbled. He literally picked me up with one hand, and then flung me across the room like I was a paper ball," Sam said. Freddie, Jade and Tori looked surprised at the confession. They thought back to a few nights ago when they were attacked as they left Nozu.
"Sam. Did this guy have a weird face, like really pronounced ridges on his forehead? Maybe golden eyes, and fangs?" Freddie asked. Sam looked at her ex-boyfriend oddly at his question.
"No. His face had smooth features. He was handsome. More than handsome; he was freakin' hot. But he had blood red eyes. He looked like someone you'd see in a action movie, like Blade. And why would you ask me something like that anyway?" Sam responded as she shook her head. Freddie looked to the three girls, silently communicating a certain decision. Tori simply nodded while Jade shrugged her shoulders.
"Sam. This is going to sound nuts. Especially coming from me. But You probably weren't the first ones attacked. And I doubt you'd be the last. We were attacked a few nights ago," Freddie began.
"By what? Crazed fans?" Sam asked, trying to add levity to the situation.
"I wish. We...we were attacked by vampires," Freddie replied.
"Vampires?" Sam asked back. Freddie nodded which earned Sam laughing up a storm at the explanation. As soon as the blonde calmed down, she looked at the serious faces of the three brunettes.
"You're not joking," Sam stated rather than asked.
"Sam, you said yourself that the guy tossed you across the room. I doubt he would've left so easily unless something else happened," Freddie said.
"Well something did. I tried to fight him off. Got in some good hits, but he shrugged them off like they were nothing," Sam said.
"That is weird. It's one thing to be able to get one, especially from one of your hits when you really want to hurt someone. But just taking them and then still standing is something else. How did you fight him off?" Freddie asked.
"The light," Cat suddenly spoke up. Everyone looked to her as her facial features softened considerably.
"For a moment, I could feel darkness surround me. It was like I was falling into an episode. He would've killed me. Fed on my blood. But then, I saw the most beautiful light. As if it were calling out to me. And then, it burst out from inside of me. For me, it was salvation. For him, it was judgment," Cat finished saying. The other occupants looked on, wide-eyed as it was the most serious, poetic, and yet chilling thing they had ever heard come from the normally bubbly redhead.
"He didn't explode into dust or anything did he?" Freddie asked. Sam looked at Freddie oddly.
"No. He was a light lost in darkness for a long time," Cat followed up. Freddie thought on the shorter girl's response as something about her statement seemed to match something but he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"So how did you make him leave?" Jade asked. Cat didn't say a word in response. She merely lifted a hand and a soft, silver glow with crackling energy surrounded it before it faded, and the redhead put her hand back down. The young woman did it as if it naturally came to her that everyone else in the room was occupied wondering how she did it without the level of concentration it took for her.
"Cat...what did...how...huh?!" Tori asked without forming a complete question. Before the shorter redhead could answer, there was a knock on the door. Everyone looked at the door as Sam went over to open it. On the other side stood an older woman, with fair skin, and dark hair down to hair neck. She had on a black blouse with dark blue jeans, appearing like any other woman. However, Sam felt that something about the woman was off.
"Hello. My name is Jenny Calendar. I'm here to investigate about the intrusion that happened here last night," the woman stated to the blonde girl. Sam debated shutting the door in the woman's face.
"Sam. Let her in," Cat called from inside the apartment. Sam looked back wondering what was wrong with her.
"Let her in," Cat said with a bit more force, that it caused the blonde to shiver just a bit. Sam stepped aside and opened the door wider to let Jenny inside. Jenny looked at the other young adults before her eyes stopped on Freddie. Jenny smiled for a second.
"Hi. My name is Jenny Calendar. As I mentioned to Ms. Puckett, I'm here concerning what took place here last night," Jenny explained.
"We already told the cops everything that happened," Sam said feeling annoyed.
"I'm not with the LAPD, Samantha. I'm with a different...group," Jenny replied. Sam directed a glare at the older woman, who only returned it with an indifferent stare.
"So who are you with?" Freddie asked.
"I can't tell you just yet. But what I need to know is exactly what happened," Jenny said to the young man. As she looked at him, she could see in his eyes that he was wary of some things but also determined to do his absolute best. In his eyes was a fire that drove him. It was something that reminded her of one of her best friends. With Jade, she saw a bit of darkness in the young woman but a drive to never let the bad weigh her down. She could see another friend, almost like a sister, in the young woman, and the resemblance was highly uncanny.
"It's just as Sam said to the police. Some weird guy just broke in and attacked us. We fought him off and then he left," Cat said. Jenny could easily see that the redhead was trying to hide something significant.
"It's perfectly alright to tell me what happened," Jenny said in a soothing voice to the redhead, as she sat down next to her. Cat looked into the woman's eyes and noticed that she was genuinely interested in wanting to know what happened.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Cat said, looking down at her hands linked in her lap.
"Try me," Jenny replied. Cat let out a sigh and explained everything to Jenny. While everyone was shocked at Cat's admission, they were just as surprised that Jenny didn't look on in disbelief but rather curiosity and intrigue.
"Did the attacker have a name?" Jenny asked.
"No. All he said was that he had some reason to worry about Cat. And...and that he knew my dad," Sam added the last part with a melancholic tone that Freddie had never heard come from her. Jenny looked to the blonde, as if assessing her, and gave her a small smile.
"Whoever he was, he was stupid to not stick around for you and your sister. And soon enough, you'll make him regret it," Jenny said. Sam looked at Jenny wondering if she heard her correctly.
"Now that the interrogation's out of the way, why aren't you calling us a bunch of morons for thinking we have superpowers?" Jade asked. Jenny smirked at the dark brunette and raised her hand. It was surrounded by a sparking indigo aura. The other occupants' eyes widened at disbelief as they had not expected to meet anyone else to do anything similar to what they've shown. Jenny giggled slightly at their expressions.
"Don't worry. You guys are still special. Just in your own personal way," she said to them.
"No. How did you do that?" Freddie asked.
"You all aren't the first ones to be able to do what you do. And chances are, you won't be the last. This kind of thing has been going on a lot longer than you would think. And while the attack last night was the first for you all, this is something you might not be able to handle on your own," Jenny said as she got off the couch. She went around and handed each of them a card with a phone number on it.
"If any of you wish to talk to a few others, just call that number. You'll be able to find friends to help you," Jenny said as she went to the door.
"Wait. I don't have any superpowers," Sam said. Jenny turned back and looked at the former web hostess.
"You might want to re-think that Samantha," Jenny said before she opened the door and left the apartment. Jenny closed the door and walked away. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. It took a few rings before her call was received.
"Hello?" came Xander's voice on the other end.
"Hey. I just spoke with the young man and his girl friends. It looks like there was another variable that we didn't know about," Jenny said to her friend.
"Is this good or bad for us? Living on the hellmouth, I've really come to hate surprises," Xander said, making Jenny laugh a bit.
"Well, there is more good than bad. You were right that the two psions and witch seemed to have a better handle on their abilities. But it looks like another friend of theirs has been thrown into the mix. Said she fired off a blast of silver energy at whoever it was that attacked them. Sandy was the only person who came close to that but the power I sensed from the girl was different. Sort of pure," Jenny remarked.
"That's definitely a first. But it might not be totally unexpected. Just as some magic users were attuned to certain elements, it's possible this girl might be attuned to something higher than pure energy," Xander explained.
"There's something else. You were right about the Puckett girl. She's got human in her but there's something else, something more powerful than we've ever seen in most other half-breeds. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was just like him," Jenny said as she thought back to a major battle years ago.
"No surprise there. As far as anyone else knows, most of half-breeds like those two rarely exist. In fact, Sachiel mentioned that there are two more in the world as far as he's aware of. But we'll have to leave them alone unless they come to us. We don't know what's going down in the future so if there's a chance we can help them help themselves, then the better off everyone will be," Xander said to his friend.
"Do you ever think we made a mistake in how we brought all of this about? I mean they're all just so young to be dealing with this kind of thing," Jenny said.
"Me and many of the others were just as young, if not younger, than they were. I was sixteen when I heard about vampires and I staked Jesse when he was turned. Buffy was called to duty younger than that. If there's one thing I've learned in this whole thing, there's always a method to the madness. These guys were chosen to do things for a reason just as we all were. When it comes down to it, it's about what we do with our calling," Xander said. Jenny thought back to what he told the group about his trip through alternate realities, including one where everyone followed their supposed fates. She could only admit that he had a point.
"Alright. Anyway, I'm going to head back and just relax. I'll see you guys in a bit," Jenny said. Xander acknowledged her goodbye and they hung up. Jenny wondered what kind of mess these kids were getting into and hoped that maybe they could get help.
A few hours later...
Sheraton Hotel
Jade and Tori had dropped Freddie back at the hotel, and were walking to their respective cars after bidding farewell to the young man. They walked in an awkward silence not knowing what to say as the day's events began to catch up with them. It seemed as if one thing after another kept coming at them and it set them on edge. For the moment, there was one thing that someone felt needed to be addressed.
"It's amazing how well he's taking this," Tori said, catching Jade's attention.
"Who?" Jade asked.
"Freddie," Tori said.
"Yeah. He's been really wonderful during this whole thing. It's really too bad Sam and Carly couldn't let themselves really see him the way they should've. Or else they'd have never let him go. I know I wouldn't," Jade said as a ghost of a smile appeared on her face. Tori heard the last part and realized something.
"You like him?" the lighter brunette said. Jade looked at Tori and her face began to flush as she had never been one to give away feelings other than anger and irritation. However, being around Tori and Freddie had brought out a part of her that she rarely let anyone see, including Beck.
"Yeah. He's been really great to me, and you. He's treated me with respect. He's listened to me. And he didn't think I was weird. He's pretty mature," Jade said with a full smile on her face as she thought about the former tech producer.
"Oh boy," Tori said tiredly.
"What is it?" Jade asked.
"This sort of makes it kinda...complicated," Tori said bashfully. Jade thought for a second until she realized the same thing.
"You like him too?!" Jade asked. Tori tried looking anywhere but Jade's shocked face.
"What about Andre?" Jade asked.
"Andre?" Tori asked, confused.
"Yeah. The handsome musician that's stuck by you since day one? I thought you would've gotten together with him," Jade said, amazed.
"Jade, he's my best friend. He has been and always will be. Sometimes friends are just that," Tori said. Jade shook her head at the present dilemma.
"How the hell did we get here? And what do we do about it?" Jade asked.
"Maybe we can just keep hanging with him and see how he feels later on. I mean it's only been close to a week and already we're falling for a wonderful who probably doesn't feel the same way," Tori admittedly. Jade felt the same as she felt that she maybe jumping the gun a bit.
"Tori, we need to make a promise," Jade said.
"What kind?" Tori responded.
"We have to promise that no matter what happens, no matter who Freddie chooses, we don't let this affect our friendship with him or each other. I don't want to lose friends over something ridiculous. And after everything he's been through, Freddie should be happy and he needs friends who support him. We will do that for him. Promise?" Jade said as she held out a pinky. She knew that for her, it was as cheesy as it could get. But it was Tori, and she knew her former rival was quite honorable. Tori smiled and linked her own pinky with Jade's.
"Promise," she said to the dark brunette.
Inside his room, Freddie laid on his bed as he thought about the day's events. He felt that he shouldn't be too surprised that there were others like him and the girls. Although he found it odd that he kept being surrounded by hot girls with superpowers, he was glad that he had something that would allow him to help whoever needed it. This caused him to think about the two brunettes who had been slowly, but surely, becoming a part of his life. Tori was truly the girl next door who was quite sweet, and had respected him on his hobbies, skills, and interests. Jade was practically a wildcard as her image had projected someone who was to be reckoned with. However, she had allowed him to see beneath the surface and found a lovely girl who only wanted love and could give it when given the chance to trust. A smile formed as his face as he thought about both girls and what he seemed to enjoy most about them. However, before he knew it, his mind drifted to having the both of them in his life, as friends. And as more. He instantly sat up and began worrying about the new predicament he found himself in.
"Oooooh shit."