"Um..." Xander began, grinning somewhat sheepishly,
"Wolf check. Bad dream. Nothing to tell, really. Promise."
But his image of Cassie, pale as a ghost, stuck in his mind. Xander didn't want to admit it, but he was worried about her.
Cordelia sat back on her heel in relief when Xander suddenly awoke. Of course, being Xander, he awoke muttering strange comments. "Wolf check?" she questioned him "Like Oz-Wolf check?"
Xander grinned. Leave it to Cordy to be able to cheer him up when he was depressed with only a few words. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he said, "Yeah, but no worries. I passed with flying colors. Too bad the same can't be said for my last math test..."
Looking back at Jessica, Xander said, "You've probably already guessed this, but I'm not entirely... human."
"You got that right" Cordelia muttered, refering to his strange behavior. Then she realized what Xander was saying "Oh! You mean because of when you were in the hospital and they had to give you werewolf and slayer blood through a transfusion and it made you feel all funky?" Just as the words slipped out of Cordelia's mouth she realized that, just maybe, Jessica wasn't supposed to hear that. Plastering a big smile on her face she turned to Jessica and said "Just kidding! That must have been somebody else I was thinking of..."
Cordelia spills the beans about Xander -- "Wolf check? Like Oz-Wolf check?"
This P.O.M. was written by Danielle (Cordelia), Sonya (Xander/Willow/Doyle) and nominated by Trip (Cassie/Sharon).
Xander noticed Amy giving him a weird look and figured she was just mad about how he'd treated Brenna. He rolled his eyes. What, did she think that just because he was being cautious, he was going to let the new girl die? He wasn't a creep. He did have human decency! But she obviously was afraid of that, otherwise she wouldn't be treating him so strangely. It hurt to think that she could think so low of him. He might not technically be all human anymore, but that didn't mean he was a monster!!! Did it?
"Come on," he murmured to Jessica, motioning for her to follow him into the kitchen so they could get the supplies that Amy needed. But while he was searching through the kitchen cabnets for the big bowls that Amy wanted, his mind kept flashing back to the expression on Amy's face. Did she really think he was a monster? Did all of them think that?
Jessica bit her lip and gave Xander a sideways look. She guessed that Amy's look had hurt him - she had, after all, directed it at both of them. But she understood why Xander was being cautious. He was right to be.
So what was the matter with him?
Xander looked over at Jessica out of the corner of his eye. Did Jessica think that? Did she even know the whole story about his "enhancements" yet? Did he want her to know? Xander didn't think he did. Because if she started looking at him the way Amy had, he didn't think he could take it.
Amy got up and took a few steps toward the kitchen. "Xander, Jessica!" she called, "Brenna is healing herself. I don't need the supplies anymore. Thanks, though!"
"Right. Sure." Jessica sighed and looked back toward the other room. "Why not?"
Xander sighed, looking down at all the bowls that he was juggling in his arms while he figured out which one Amy wanted him to bring her. "They could've told us that sooner!" he grumbled.
"It would have been nice," Jessica answered, giving him a slight smile. "Here. Do you need some - " She cut off as someone stomped into the room.
Suddenly, someone bumped into Xander from behind and all of the large, silver-colored bowls went flying across the floor. Xander shook his head, trying to clear it, as he jumped into a crouch and glared up at the person who had run into him.
It was Sharon.
"Rude, much?" he said, a bit snippishly, waiting for her to offer some sort of apology for knocking him over like that.
She didn't say anything and just continued on her way, leaving Xander and Jessica alone in the kitchen.
"What was that about?" Jessica asked aloud. Xander didn't seem to hear her.
Xander growled, slamming his hand down on the tiled floor and actually knocking a piece of tile loose. He looked down at the tile, which was covered with small speckles of blood from where a piece had nicked his hand, and sighed. He had to watch that super-Slayer/wolf-strength thing more carefully. But the cut on his hand was already healing thanks to his slayer-enhanced powers.
For a moment Jessica could only stare. She couldn't have seen that. Someone healing that fast wasn't possible.
Not for someone human, anyway.
She pressed her lips together. [This is Xander,] she told herself. [He doesn't need you gawping at him like he's a freak.] She bent down to pick up a bowl, careful not to look at his hand. [It doesn't matter who he is. He's your friend.]
Jumping to his feet easily, Xander started grabbing all the bowls and throwing them into the sink, next to a pile of dirty dishes from when someone had made coffee earlier and had not cleaned it up.
Looking over at Jessica, Xander made a concentrated effort to control his anger. In a clipped tone, he said, "I'm going outside to let off some steam. You can come with if you want... or not... whatever."
Jessica nodded mutely, still holding her single bowl in her hand. As he stepped outside, she reached over and dropped it into the sink. "Sure," she said quietly, although he couldn't possibly have heard her. "Right."
Her eyes fell on the broken tile. Glancing around quickly, she knelt down and smacked her fist into it. All she got were bruised knuckles. Xander was a lot stronger than he looked - too strong to be a normal human being.
She rubbed her hand against her dress and stood up, staring after him. [What's the matter with me?] she demanded. [I'm supposed to be able to handle anything. Why should it matter? I could handle everyone else here just fine. Why should Xander be any different?]
She smiled tightly. [Because I don't love anyone else here. That's why.]
Then Xander walked out the back door and sat down outside on the grass, looking at the beautiful rays of light from the sunset. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he pulled them up to his chest and rested his chin on his knees and tried not to cry. It was just so frustrating sometimes! Half the people inside that house seemed to hate him or they just lived to agrivate him! And no matter what he did, he was still always wrong! He tried to be accepting of newcomers, like Jessica, and everyone acted like he was too trusting. He tried to be wary of them, like in Brenna's case, and everyone thought he was a mean, heartless freak! But all he was trying to do was protect his friends! Why did that make him heartless? Maybe they were right, maybe he was just a freak now. After all, he always managed to piss everyone off, didn't he?
Xander sighed, running his fingers through the soft dirt and tracing small circles in it. Then a terrible thought occured to him. He was always being possessed by evil powers, right? Well, maybe that was because he had less humanity in him to fight off the evil. Maybe he really wasn't a *real* human anymore. Maybe he *was* a monster.
As all these thoughts swirled through his brain, Xander finally couldn't hold the tears in any longer. They ran down his cheeks in torrents and he didn't even bother to wipe them away. After all, if he wasn't a real human anymore then they weren't even real tears, were they? And nothing he did even mattered...
"Xander?"
Jessica's soft hand closed around one of his as she knelt down beside him, heedless of the hard dirt under her bare knees. With her free hand, she grabbed the torn corner of her dress and ripped off a scrap. Vaguely, she realized that her school friends would be horrified to see her destroying such an expensive piece of clothing, but she had long stopped caring
about what they thought of her.
"Here," she said quietly, wiping his cheek with the scrap. She didn't think she was intruding or invading territory that was very clearly Cordelia's. Xander was her friend and he was hurting. She cared about him in more ways than that, but she doubted he would ever see her as more than that.
Not that that mattered now. "Amy shouldn't have said that. I can't believe that she would think..." She trailed off and started again. [Damn, I suck at this!] "Don't let her get to you like that. Anyone who could be possessed and come out this nice would..." She realized her eyes were blurring and blinked back tears furiously. "Damn. I don't even know what to say. She's
wrong."
Knowing how inadequate her words sounded, she gave up and settled for squeezing his hand. This was new territory for her, but she'd be damned if she was going to let anyone - even certain witches who were going to get a /serious/ talking-to as soon as possible - hurt him.Jessica helps Xander deal with the ramifications of his strange powers
This P.O.M. was written by Lisse (Jessica/Miranda), Sonya (Xander/Willow/Doyle) and Erin (Jeffery/Aidan/Joyce... temp. Amy/Giles) and nominated by Trip (Cassie/Sharon).
Cassie walked back down the hall, her feet barely touching the floor. As she walked back into her bedroom, she saw that Sharon and Doyle were out of it. She smiled at them. Now was the time. The time to say goodbye.
Cassie went first to Doyle. Doyle, the half-demon who had tried to save Sharon and herself earlier when under attack from Nathan and had been presumed dead. Doyle, the one who shared cute pet names with Amy. Their affection for each other over-flowed so much and they didn't even notice. She silently wished them luck.
Now Cassie padded over to Sharon. Sharon had been her life-line through all this, her anchor to sanity. The beautiful mother figure, though she could have been her sister. And she was so beautiful. Cassie had never told anyone, but she had hoped to be like Sharon when she was older. Cassie knew that Sharon would be just fine in this group. She kissed her lightly on the forehead before turning to leave, fighting back tears without a sound or expression. Now the hardest goodbye was behind her. She stopped to turn off the light, and before doing so, she snuck one last painful look to her mentor. Now enveloped in darkness, she shut the door, one hand in her pocket, twirling the
bottle...
Cassie stopped when she came upon Amy's room. She stuck her head in, expecting to see Amy. Red hair splayed across the pillow. Cassie walked over to the bed to see who it was. The girl was facing the door, so Cassie recognized her as Willow. Willow could use magic too, and Cassie had hoped she and Amy would be able to help her with Cassandra. Cassie was glad she
had come up with a solution that wouldn't cause her to be a bother to the two witches. She bit her lip. She regretted not getting to know Willow better. "Goodbye," she whispered, rushing from the room. She couldn't be sad, not now. She nervously twirled the bottle in her pocket after closing the door...
She looked across the hall to Jeffery's room. She couldn't face him right now. Not yet. So instead she made her way down to the main bedroom, surprised to find Joyce in bed with Giles, though it was a sweet site, not sexual in any way. Cassie had just started feeling close to Joyce. She was also becoming a
mother figure, someone who could nurture her the way she had needed growing up. The way she still needed. Here was a woman who had dealt with so much pain, so much fear. She probably had the most courage out of anyone in the group. 'Even me, with what I am about to do' Cassie thought. She kissed Joyce's forehead too.
Now she looked at Giles. He looked so tired, but so at peace right now as well. He had beat himself up so much over not being able to come up with a way to help her, so frustrated that it was at the edge of his mind and yet, he couldn't grasp it to save his life. To save her life...
But it was too late to think about that now. She wondered if she would have been as close to him as her own Watcher, Joanne Abbott. Joanne had told her such wonderful stories of her old friend. That old friend had been Giles. Cassie wished she'd told Giles of her connection to him and how much Joanne regretted losing touch with him. Finding a pen and small note pad on the desk beside the bed, Cassie scribbled, "Call Joanne Abbott" and her phone number under it. Joanne deserved to hear about her, and to hear from Giles period. She placed the note pad on Giles beside the bed and turned to go, twirling the bottle...
She stood outside the main bedroom after closing the door, leaning against it, thinking of her life with Joanne in Louisiana. Times had been so much easier then. She woke up, trained, went to school, trained, did her homework, trained, ate supper, and went to bed, repeating the cycle again. Sure, it wasn't the most fun, but it was all she knew. She didn't know
slumber parties telling ghost stories; she didn't know dates that ended with an exhilarating kiss that left her breathless for the rest of the night, laying in bed thinking up wedding plans and baby names; she didn't know of a normal life. Her life was death.
She giggled, thinking of how ironic that statement was.
But her life had not been bad, she couldn't complain. Losing her mother had hurt, not knowing her father had hurt too, but that wasn't his fault. And Joanne had been a good parent to her. Cassie had always been scared that the Council would take her away from her because of how close they were. But Joanne carried clout with the board. She'd probably already gotten promoted to a higher position.
"I love you, Joanne," Cassie whispered into the air, confident that she would get the message, some how, some way. And she twirled the bottle...
"One more stop to go," she whispered, not having to add, "Before Jeffery." She made her way to another guest room, where she found Aidan. The Watcher in training. His pillow looked wet, and his face had traces of tears. Cassie wept for him. Not
physically, but emotionally. Cassie had not understood Aidan, but this example of his inner pain touched her. The way he cared for the group and their well being, and their shunning of him and his ideas and suggestions had moved him to tears. He was
sensitive, loving, and truly a great man. Cassie got a tissue and wiped away the few wet spots his face had retained, then put it in his palm, gently closing his fingers around it. She left, closing the door so nobody would walk in while evidence of his pain was still visible. She wanted to help him keep his pride.
And she twirled the bottle...
Now she knew she had to see Jeffery. She entered his room, and was startled to find him awake. Was he awake? No, he just breathed especially loud.
"Don't scare me like that," Cassie told his sleeping form, laughing. He was so handsome, lying there. Cassie didn't even think that he might be embarrassed to have a girl standing in his room with him in nothing but his underwear. But Cassie didn't even notice. She was focused on his face.
Cassie kneeled by his bed, studying him. She wanted to remember him in exact detail. She had put him through so much pain. But she would end that all now. That look of pain after Cassandra had tried to kill him would haunt her no more. That accusing expression would be gone, replaced by a look of gladness.
Cassie knew he was the one. The one with whom she was meant to experience her first kiss.
She leaned forward, kissing him lightly on his lips. No wedding bells. No birds singing. Only silence. She gave him an empty look, needing to say no more. She twirled the bottle and made her way to the stairs after closing Jeffery's door and herself off from the people upstairs forever.
Once downstairs, she entered the living room. She saw Buffy first. The Chosen One. She had died, sending Kendra, who had been followed by Faith. Cassie was amazed that Buffy went on. After dying once, Cassie wasn't sure if she could go back. She wished that she had the inner strength Buffy had.
'But I do,' she realized. 'Otherwise, how could I do this?'
She thanked silently Buffy for helping her to realize this. And twirled the bottle...
Next to her was Angel. Angel, once known as Angelus, the vampire with the face of an Angel. And he did. He was so handsome and looked tranquil, though she knew that undescribable pain bubbled beneath the surface. She couldn't imagine him hurting an innocent little kitten, much less mauling and killing people for hundreds of years!
But he had. And he had overcome it when getting his soul back, fighting evil to make up for what he had done. He could never fully repay the debt he owed, but he fought on anyway. Angel was a man who didn't demand respect. But he got it anyway. And rightfully so. She twirled the bottle...
Amy was nestled in her little self-made nest, warm and cozy by the fire. Cassie was drawn to that vision. She, too, would be warm and cozy soon. That provided a little bit of comfort in these last bittersweet moments with this group.
Cassie now knelt beside the Madison sister. Amy was so open, so trusting, so likeable. Warmth and love just poured over her and touched everyone the group came in contact with. Even if she didn't trust you, she made you feel trusted and comfortable. Amy was probably the person you first liked when getting to know this group. She would always hold a special place in Cassie's heart. Turning to the person beside Amy, Cassie twirled the bottle...
Next to Amy lay a girl Cassie didn't recognize. She had the lightest blonde hair she'd ever seen. She must have been the one who screamed earlier. Cassie wished her well, hoping she would fill a physical void Cassie left in the group. She knew there would be no emotional void left. She was contributing to the group, not detracting from it. That thought brought a smile to her face. And she twirled the bottle...
Leaving the room, Cassie walked aimlessly, not knowing where she was going. She didn't know where the others were. Luckily, her eyes were adjusted to the dark. No lights were on inside, and the moon was not bright enough to guide her path.
She almost missed seeing Faith. Faith had had a difficult day, due in part to her. If Faith had died, Cassie would have become the Chosen One. Cassie smiled, wondering if her selfless gift to the group would somehow add to Faith's life, to her strength as the Slayer. Her joy lessened a little as she thought of how she would never know, never get the chance to find out.
She twirled the bottle to take her attention off of her pain. This was a happy moment.
Now she looked at Cosmo, paying such attention, even in slumber, to his girlfriend. Could he have gotten any closer to her? She could tell how much he cared for her by the protective way he lay beside her. She hoped Faith realized what a catch she had in this decent, NORMAL guy.
Continuing on, she twirled the bottle...
She noticed a door open a crack in the hallway. She walked inside and saw Cordelia asleep on a couch. Cordelia, with her wit and snide remarks, threw people for a moment at first. But she was just someone who craved acceptance but was afraid to show her vulnerability. She twirled the bottle...
And on the ground, a characteristicly selfless act, was Xander, the half/Slayer half/werewolf hybrid. He was usually the last to trust newcomers, but this spawned from his caring and compassionate heart. He loved each and every one in the group, and felt he had to protect them. Buffy and Faith were the Slayers, and Amy, Jeffery, and Willow had their magical powers,
but Xander took it upon himself to see that no harm came to any of them. She could understand what it must be doing to him to know that someone had used his body to try to kill that same group he fought so hard to protect. She had felt the same.
Cassie put her lips near his ear. "I understand you," she whispered in his ear, hoping he would remember this in the back of his mind when he awoke and carry it with him always.
On her way back out, twirling the bottle, she found herself in another room, with another new girl. She sent her the same good wishes she had the one beside Amy. "Will they even remember me?" she thought, sadness creeping back momentarily before she pushed it back.
She twirled the bottle. It was time. She made her way back down the hall, then stopped, turning around. She went to the front door, opening it. She breathed deeply, wanting to smell the fresh air one last time. All her senses seem enhanced. She could see every detail in the leaves. She smelled the sweet fragrance of the trees and flowers, with a hint of a fresh mowed
lawn down the street. She heard the crickets and their sweet melody. She felt the cool, refreshing breeze move through her, revitalizing her and bringing her senses to a peak. It started to rain lightly, a drizzle. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, elated as the rain drops melted quickly.
She felt she had now said goodbye to the world. Her final goodbye.
She twirled the bottle, walking back down the hall, away from the other occupants. She came to a door, a door that apparently the family wanted to keep closed, the room sealed.
It beckoned to her.
A memory came to her. A vision from a dream. THE dream. Jeffery. The beach. The key. It had fallen onto the sand, out of the pocket of his jeans, unnoticed by Jeffery, and unacknowledged by Cassie. But Cassandra had probed his mind, seen the purpose for the key.
Cassie knew it fit this door.
She walked slowly, resolutely, back upstairs to Jeffery's room, hesitating at his door. She didn't know if she could face him again. She took a deep breath and walked in. Looking around, she saw his pants on the floor. Knowing exactly where to look,
she withdrew the key, dangling it between her thumb and index finger.
Then she made a mistake. She looked at him.
Choking back a sob, she felt the pain, confusion, wondered, "Should I do this?" She couldn't face that, and she ran from the room, almost forgetting to close his door.
Even at this moment, what she believed the highest in her life, she payed attention to the common courtesy.
She didn't remember that final walk back to the door. But now she was there, facing her... She couldn't bring herself to finish her thought, and that scared her.
She quickly went to shove the key in the keyhole, missed and scrambled to get it in. She felt panicked, had to get in, had to get away...
The door clicked and she stumbled into the room. She found the light switch, flicked it on, and closed the door, leaving it unlocked. She didn't want to make it too hard on everyone. She lay the key on the floor, just beyond the crack at the bottom of the door. She didn't want them kicking it and losing it when whoever it would be walked in eventually.
Now she took out the bottle, twirling it in her hands to read the label again. Sleeping pills. The strong kind. A new prescription too, picked up half a week earlier, just one pill missing. One pill. All that was needed for a good night's sleep.
Cassie poured all of the contents into her hand, letting the bottle drop to the floor.
It bounced, in slow motion it seemed, the sound echoing, like a slow, rhythmic drum beat, deafening to Cassie. Scenes flashed through her mind. Fighting with the Buffy and her friends, training with Joanne, her sixteenth birthday, driving in her first car, Christmas when she was 8. Her first vampire kill...
She felt sad now. Thought about how nice things might have been...
"Goodbye, JoJo," she whispered, using the pet name for Joanne she'd used before her teenage years. For over five years she had not uttered it, had not thought of it. But it came back to her now.
She eyed the pills. Counted them. It wouldn't take long.
She snapped her hand up, throwing her head back, pouring the pills down her throat. Coughing, she fell to the floor...
----------------------------------------------
Cassie didn't know how much time had gone by. She felt heavy, everywhere, like she was swimming, but not in water. Something thick, like molasses or syrup. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to hurt.
She felt herself slipping away. This was what she had wanted...
And as she faded, as everything went black, her senses dulling...
*No, JoJo... I don't want to do this...*
Something flashed inside her brain, her soul, casting light on the true meaning of what she was doing...
*No!... I don't want to be here... WHAT HAVE I DONE?!*
She felt herself falling...
She reached desperately for something, anything... She just had to grasp onto something...
There was nothing.
Her decision had been made.
*Please, JoJo!*
*I didn't mean to..*
Her soul cried out. The fall ended.
It was done.
*I didn't mean to...*
Cassie Says 'Goodbye' and Tries to Commit Suicide -- *No, JoJo... I don't want to do this...*
This P.O.M. was written by Trip (Cassie/Sharon) and nominated by Sonya (Xander/Willow/Doyle).
Aidan just stood there, waiting for the empty hole that was his heart to implode and destroy him.
How much more did he have to go through today? No one listened to him when he tried to be a Watcher. His girlfriend dumped him and then flaunted her new boyfriend in front of his face with no remorse. Sharon's cruel comments were always there like an ice
pick in the middle of his heart. His guilt over his attraction to Willow constantly ate away at him. Cos's accusations and the resulting fight had left reprecussions. And now Willow's cruel comments.
Tears started to well up in his eyes. Aidan choked them back. Crying wasn't manly. He couldn't do this. He just couldn't do this any more. It hurt too much. All he wanted was oblivion. He wanted to go home. Nothing like this ever happened in Ireland. He just wanted to get out of here and never see any of these people again. It was obvious that no one cared about him. All he was, was a workhorse. Look up spells, Aidan. Help me cast, Aidan. Help me, Aidan. And did *he* ever get a thank you? Maybe he had, but at this instant, he couldn't remember one.
Willow said something else to him. Something from the bottom of the stairs. But he didn't hear her. Instead he turned and staggered into the nearest room. It was a bedroom. He couldn't tell if it was a guest room or what. It didn't matter. It was empty. That was all he cared about.
Aidan crawled into the bed and lay there in the fetal position. When the tears finally came, he burried his face in the pillow so his gasping sobs didn't echo around the whole house. Finally, he got the oblivion he craved. Sleep finally overtook his exhausted body, and at that point, Aidan didn't care if he never woke up again.Depression Catches up with Aidan at the Top of the Stairs
This P.O.M. was written by Erin (Jeffery/Aidan/Joyce) and nominated by Trip (Cassie/Sharon).
Jessica let out the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. "She's...she's okay, then?" she asked quietly, not wanting to distract the people who knew what they were doing.
Aidan's reaction told her all she needed to know.
The young socialite sat down in the far corner of the room, feeling like an outsider. The people here had been probably been thrown together by their need to fight Sunnydale's various monsters, but she could almost sense the bonds of friendship and love that held them together now.
That was why she was here, she realized; even back at Fifth and Main, she had recognized that unbreakable connection that seemed to run through the entire group. None of her little cliques had that. Harmony and Aura and their ilk would just as soon stab her in the back as suck up to her. She had companions and aquaintances, not genuine friends.
What had this group done while she scored goals and wove her way through the social scene and maintained her class rank? How many times had they done something brave and heroic and gone unnoticed, while she received awards for things that were, as far as real life went, pretty useless?
She didn't want to be that person anymore. She had been so confident in her normal life because she hadn't cared about anyone else's opinions. But she /did/ care about what these people thought of her. She wanted their respect. She wanted real friends. She wanted Xander and Aidan and all the others to think
that she wasn't a tagalong - that she could contribute and help do something really meaningful.
For the first time in her young life, Jessica Anderson
was the outsider looking in.
She sat quietly and watched the others, not speaking lest she disturb anyone, and wished that she could help.
Jessica the Outsider
This P.O.M. was written by Lisse (Jessica/Miranda) and nominated by Trip (Cassie/Sharon).
"Yeah, that's understandable," Xander nodded, smiling. He liked this girl. Unlike a lot of the people in Sunnydale, she seemed to be willing to see the truth and deal with it. And she was cute. Very cute, actually. Though Xander would be sure to leave that little tidbit out of his next conversation with Cordelia.
Jessica just smiled, not entirely sure what Xander had said. She was rather focused on his eyes. He had very nice eyes. And nice shoulders. And a nice voice.
Oooh-kay. Time to stop those thoughts right there. He probably had a girlfriend. Or a few admirers. Or possibly more than a few.
And nice eyes, of course.
Xander turned his thoughts away from dangerous areas and focused on the conversation at hand. He could tell that she was feeling a little embarassed and just plain weirded-out be everything that had happened tonight. His mind focused on one bright spot and he grinned, only too glad to point it out to her. "But at least you didn't faint. Most people faint the first time they see a monster."
"Hm? Oh, monsters." Jessica pulled her attention away from Xander's eyes - which were really very nice-looking - and returned her attention to the conversation. "I've seen vampires before," she explained. "Back in sophomore year. I was on my way to set up for the Spring Fling and I saw a whole bunch heading for the high school. And I've seen the bunny monster. And I killed one back there. A vampire, I mean, not a bunny."
She was going incoherent. That was a really, really bad sign.
*SNIP*
"Thanks, I think I've got it," Xander told her, focusing on the bunny and not on the fact that a very attractive girl was standing so close to him.
"You sure?" Jessica said, taking great care to focus on the bunny. Bunny. Bunny bunny bunny. Not Xander. Definitely the bunny.
*SNIP*
Xander looked up and saw Cordelia storming over to his side. He raised an eyebrow at her. "What's wrong, Cor?"
Jessica followed Xander's gaze to the outraged Cordelia Chase. Great. Just great. Now she remembered where she had heard Xander's name. Aura had called her up to gossip about how Cordelia was dating that Harris boy who hung out with that weird Buffy girl. Which meant he was very definitely taken.
Damnit.
Cordelia reached Xander and the other girl and stopped her breakneck pace. Slowing up she recognized the girl as Jessica, a friend of Harmony's who tended to hang out with the popular crowd. Cordelia, who had been having trouble with the "in crowd" lately decided not to completely embarrass herself. Since Xander and Jessica didn't seem to be making any physical contact of any kind she merely said, "Nothing...I thought I saw something rather disturbing but I guess not." She finished with a loud, fake laugh.
"We were trying to hold onto the rabbit," Jessica said a tad irritably. She knew Cordelia had been losing favor with the incrowd lately - probably, she guessed, helping Xander and Company catch slime demons - but she still remembered junior high, when she had outright challenged Cordelia's leadership of the eighth grade girls. The two had never been on good terms, since neither had been able to seriously damage the other. After Cordelia had fallen out of favor, the point had really been moot.
She knew to respect another girl's relationship, though, no matter how low her opinion of that girl was. She gave Cordelia a small but mostly genuine smile. "I didn't mean to scare you. Really."
*SNIP*
Doyle followed Amy, Aidan and Cordelia to the group of people standing around in the middle of the street. He felt a little out of place since he didn't know most of these people very well. Noticing Jessica, he amended that thought. He didn't know some of these people at all. Doyle stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and shifted from foot to foot. Then he noticed that the new girl was shivering and quickly took of his jacket.
"Here ye go, lass," he said, slipping the leather jacket around Jessica's shoulders. "I think ye might need this a bit more then I do."
Surprised by the kind gesture - and now aware of where all the nice guys had been hiding - Jessica wrapped the jacket around her and glanced over at Doyle.
"Thanks," she said. "I wasn't expecting to be out here this late."
Giving her a friendly smile, he said, "Me name's Doyle, by the way."
"Jessica. I have no idea what's going on," she added. "I'm just here because my car broke down." That wasn't why she was staying here, of course. The way she saw it, she had two options: get someone to give her a ride home and let more qualified people handle Sunnydale's monsters, or actually put all those years of kicking soccer balls to good use.
Before she could make any life-changing decisions, Willow seemed to make up her mind and - Jessica couldn't believe this - stole Cordelia's car. Just how loaded was she?
Willow watched the other talk about the demon-bunny with a bored expression on her face. This sucks! I wanna go do something fun! she thought, looking around her with a sigh. Then she noticed that Cordelia had left her keys in her car. Smirking, Willow snuck over to the sporty red car and slipped into the drivers seat. As she started the engine and roared off down the street, she called out the window, "I hope you don't mind if I borrow your car, Cordy!" Then she rounded the corner and was out of sight.
"Oh, shit!" Xander cursed, as Willow disappeared around the bend. "She got the gree goo all over her. I think she's possessed or something! What are we gonna do?"
Cordelia couldn't control herself...she screamed, loudly. Her beautiful car, her baby, had just been stolen by some freak redhead covered in green monster bunny goo! Cordelia took off after her car, but her the high heels on her sandals only allowed her to get so far before her legs completely crumbled beneath her. Grunting as she hit the ground she watched the lights of her car disappear.
"Oh my God!" Jessica hurried over to Cordelia, hobbling slightly with her shoe missing. She bent down and helped the other girl to her feet. "Here. Don't worry. It's been a rough night for cars anyway."
She glanced over at the others, idly wondering who exactly was in charge. Oh, well. Someone had to be. "I'm guessing someone here knows how to ungoo Willow - and since Xander caught that bunny, I'm guessing we need it alive. We need to find out where Willow's going with Cordelia's car, too." She looked over at
Cosmo. "Let me see your phone. I need to tell my dad I'm not going to be home tonight."
She stopped when she realized that everyone was staring at her. "What? I'm going to help."
Jessica and Xander Lust -- "Bunny bunny bunny. Not Xander. Definitely the bunny."
A moment of terror and memories of seeing Jaws at too young of an age froze Jeffery. A wave of relief came with the realization that he was still dreaming. And since this was his dream, he would just dream himself a rescue. A Baywatch cutter appeared not too far off with Pamela Anderson Lee in one of those red bathing suits. She reached down and lifted him out of the water and into the safety of the ship.
"We'd better find Cassandra," he yelled to her over the sound of the motor and the waves. She nodded and then hugged him for good measure, causing Jeffery to smirk. This whole being in control of your dreams thing was quite a rush. Jeffery pointed to where he'd last heard Cassandra yell from and the captain revved the motor and steered them starboard.
Jeffery Dreams about Pamela Anderson Lee
"WILLOW!" Zeke shouted with exasperation.
Running over to her, she grabbed the vampire from behind, and pulled him down by his shoulders. Kicking him with amazing strength and following through with moves similar to both Buffy and Angel she finished him off easily.
"What?" Willow asked. Pointing a finger at the pile of dust that had been a vampire just a moment ago, she said, "HE started it!"
Walking back to Willow breathlessly and bloodied Zeke sat down beside her.
"Ok...that was so not fun," she said.
Willow shrugged, struggling to stay on her feet as another dizzy spell hit her. "Well, that's what I've been saying all along..."
It wasn't time to sit down however, as the fifth and final vampire took off in the opposite direction.
"I guess....we should finish him off or something," Zeke suggested and got up.
Starting after him, and still holding Willow up she hoped the other girl would sober up even a little bit.
Willow jerked her arm away from Zeke and cried. "Would ya hold on a sec? Sheesh!" Closing her eyes, Willow concentrated on her magic. "Just lemme try something..."
Suddenly there was a flash of light and the fleeing vampire turned to dust.
Willow opened her eyes and saw the ashes blowing away in the soft breeze. "Yippie! I did it!" she cried, dancing around. That just made her dizzy again, so she stopped.
Suddenly, a big, green, slimy demon appeared in front of them. Willow froze, her jaw dropping almost comically low. Looking over at Zeke, she pointed at the slimy demon and whispered loudly, "I didn't do it!"
Zeke and Drunk Willow meet the Slime Demon -- "I didn't do it."
This P.O.M. was written by Sonya (Willow/Xander/Doyle) and Laine (Zeke/Cosmo) and nominated by Trip (Cassie/Sharon).
Feeling a little uncomfortable standing outside, she thought about going into her house. Even though she wanted to have a chance to talk to Aidan, around her were two girls she really had no time for. When she noticed that Cordelia was sitting in the front seat of her car, she decided to go over and see her. Sure they may not be friends anymore, but if it was going to be a choice between talking with Cordelia or talking with Buffy and Faith, Cordelia would win all the time.
'After all,' Harmony thought, 'Cordelia is still from Earth. I have no idea what planet the other two were from.'
She walked over to Cordelia's car and leaned in the window.
"Hi. This is becoming a habit isn't it?"
Harmony Talks to Cordelia -- "This is becoming a habit, isn't it?"
This P.O.M. was written by Andrew (Harmony) and nominated by T'Lana (Amy/Giles).
Harmony sat in silence for most of the trip home from the Bronze. There were strange things happening within the tweako's group, that much was sure. And for all of Cordelia's bravado in dismissing her, she was sure that Xander would not be impressed to learn what Cordelia had been up to.
This, could of course, wait till school. All she was concerned with now was getting home and relaxing in her spa bath, before heading off to sleep. As she got out of the car, she waved goodbye to Aura and the rest of her clique. She stayed still watching as they left, then turned to walk to the front door.
Buffy smiled and walked over. "Harmony! How are ya?"
Harmony paused, her mind immediately sinking into confusion. She knew that voice. But why would Buffy Summers, Queen of all things strange at Sunnydale High, being greeting her. More importantly, why was she being friendly at all.
Faith laughed. "Ya, wow, your looking great now aren't you!" She smiled sweetly.
Turning around, Harmony looked Faith up and down. Sweet just didn't seem to suit her. Buffy, she could buy that, but Faith?
'Mind you,' she thought. 'She is correct, I do look fine.'
Harmony smiled warmly in return. "Thanks. You look... " She checked out exactly what Faith was wearing, trying to find something nice to say. After all if she said the first thing on her mind, funny and truthful as it may be, it would not endear her to the group. That after all was the whole reason for even acknowledging their existence. Thinking of a response she beamed her warmest smile at Faith.
"You look... comfortable."
Harmony, Faith and Buffy Talk Clothes -- "You look... comfortable."
This P.O.M. was written by Andrew (Harmony), Emily (Buffy) and Jenny (Faith). It was nominated by Erin (Jeffery/Aidan/Joyce).
Cordelia glanced at Aidan as he took his leave and then turned her icy stare towards Willow. Formulating her words in a perfectly menacing tone she inched towards Willow's face "Willow, I would appreciate it if you would *never* interrupt one of my personal conversations ever again. I know what your thinking and its not like that so please keep your eyes and ears to yourself and don't go treading where you don't belong. I'm going now...Why don't you go back to your new little boy-toy trophy and concentrate on your own pathetic life." Cordelia started to walk away when a thought struck her.
Spinning on her heel she faced Willow once again. "And about
Jefferey....poor choice in the boyfriend department. He's not much of a kisser." Giving Willow a smile she added "And I know that from personal experience."Cordelia Blasts Willow -- "[Jeffery's] not much of a kisser."
This P.O.M. was written by Danielle (Cordy) and nominated by Erin (Aidan/Joyce/Jeffery).
Looking up at the night stars she laughed loudly. He was so naive. To bad for him, cause if he figured things out sooner he might be better off. Apparently though, that wasn't going to happen. Besides, it wasn't her place to tell him anything he couldn't figure out for himself.
"You're right Jeff-o. *That* doesn't make her a slut," she said. With a strange twinkle in her eye, the one she got only when inflicting emotional wounds, Zeke continued, "But that's more than enough about me. And what is this obsession with Spike? I hang out with the guy a few times and suddenly we're an item? Look at Buffy. She's the one who fu...who screwed the soul right out of her vampire lover...me, I'm just in it for kicks."
Ending her statement with a bitter look in Willow's direction, Zeke turned away and noticed a sleek black Kawasaki just begging her to set it free from whoever was using it as quite literally, their mid-life crisis vehicle.
"Anyways, I seem to have other plans so despite how fun this is, I'll leave you to deal with it Willow. No further questions please." She mocked and walked towards the bike.
Hoping on the machine she opened it up and played with a few wires. Quickly enough, it purred to life and she revved the engine a few times for good measure. The owner must have heard and a man of about 50 came running out of the esspreso pump dressed in brand new leathers, with a shocked look on his face.
Flipping him off and giving Willow and co. one last smile, she sped off past them leaving the confused couple and the angry man in her dust.Zeke Taunts Jeffery, then Steals a Motorcycle
This P.O.M. was written by Laine (Zeke/Cosmo/Marius) and nominated by Trip (Sharon/Cassie).
Feeling his heart skip a beat on contact with her, he stopped for a spilt second to catch his breath and relax slightly. Girls didn't find it cool when guys passed out and wet their pants. That was usually frowned upon by the females. He had learned that lesson the painfully hard way.
"Well...only if you promise to protect me, I mean I make no qualms about the fact that there is quite literally no way I can protect you if we get into trouble and apparently there's a good chance of that in Sunnydale."
He took a few steps with her, they walked hand in hand. The butterflys still danced in his stomach but he held them under control a little bit better now.
"I really am a girly man I guess. Well...I mean I can still write my name in the snow and stuff...but there isn't any snow here. I did that once on a ski trip I went on with my family. My mom wasn't as impressed as I was." He said and watched her to see if she'd laugh.
Cosmo Reveals His Inner Self to Faith: He's a "Girly Man" Who can "Write His Name in the Snow."
Zeke looked over at Willow and scowled.
"Nothing much. I was just begging my own mother to kill me, but she refused. Too bad, I would much rather be six feet under than have a conversation with a tramp like you."
Sneering at the redhead she looked her up and down and shook her head, as if she was evaluating, judging and making some final decisions.
"I just don't get it. Then again with all that magic you throw around like nothing, it doesn't surprise me that they're all mysteriously drawn to you."
Getting up Zeke stood face to face with Willow and glared at her. How dare the witch interfere in her one family moment? Her one moment that was the closest thing to happy she'd been in years?
"I'd spit on you but you're just not worth it." she said and turned to walk out the door.
Muttering some very harsh, very rude references to the amount of people Willow had been kissing lately, Zeke walked out the door.
Zeke Insults Willow -- "I'd spit on you, but you're just not worth it."
"Well, that's brilliant, lad," Giles said standing up. He spoke with quiet strength into Aidan's ear, aware of the audience they had in Cordelia and other patrons of the bar. "Life goes to Hell and you hop on for the ride. Has it occurred to you that the very reason you're here is so that I can help you when the job becomes overwhelming and destroys your life? You'll notice I used when, not if, because it happens, all too often. You think I haven't been there? Think again. I, too, have been 'weighed in the balance and found wanting,' but I found the strength to get up, pick up my sword and keep fighting. If you can't find a way to do that, then just go home to County Wexford and cower in the dark. I'm here to help you. All you have to do is ask." So saying, Giles knocked back the last of his drink, set the lowball glass on the counter and walked off hoping what he said had sunk in.Giles Gives Aidan 'What For' -- "Life goes to hell, and you hop on for the ride."
This P.O.M. was written by T'Lana (Giles/Amy) and nominated by Laine (Zeke/Cosmo/Marius).
"Zeke, sweetie, be careful what you do while the police are here, OK? I think we've almost got them convinced to leave... if nothing else wierd or violent happens..."
Joyce Warns Zeke not to Antagonize the Police
This P.O.M. was written by Erin (Joyce/Jeffery/Aidan) and nominated by Laine (Zeke/Cosmo/Marius).
Okay, it's not like I'm a bad person. I'm nice to the people that deserve it. But how fair is it when I'm stuck in Sunnydale for Spring Break, and Xander Harris wins tickets to go to Hawai. Not only tickets but SEVEN of them. Please, if anyone could make use of those tickets it would be me, not a group of weirdos. And they didn't even tell me about it. I had to find out through other people. They treat me like I don't exist. ME. I'm only like Queen of the school.
Well fine, Cordelia still sort of has that position, but she must be falling soon. How long can you keep going out with a loser like Xander Harris with out it rubbing off on you? It's not like she has done anything to improve him. He still dresses like a reject. Okay so he does seem a little cooler these days, but still they hang around with that Buffy Summers girl. I mean fighting is so last year.
I'm rambling, I know that, but I'm sick of them not paying any attention to me.
Well that's it. No more. It's time I found out myself what is going on.Harmony's Intro, and a Vow to Find Out "What's Going On" with the Weirdoes.
This P.O.M. was written by Andrew (Harmony) and nominated by Danielle (Cordy).
Faith smiled at him. "So, are "we" ok?" She asked him.
Zeke heard Faith speak and from the backseat of the car she snickered loudly at the pair. What was Aidan going to say to that? 'Yes dear everything is fine, I kiss other women because I love *you*'. Whatever.Zeke Laughs at Faith and Aidan's DTR -- "...I kiss other women because I love *you*."
This P.O.M. was written by Jenny (Faith) and Laine (Zeke/Cosmo/Marius) and nominated by T'Lana (Amy/Giles).
Cordelia got out of the car and stood beside Aidan, adding detail to her story with a flourish of hand motions. "Willow....." she started, "Saw Zeke walking down the side of the road, and Zeke's all like 'Nathan killed Doyle' and then Willow just....opens up the sky and makes this hole in it and then she tells Zeke to come with her and then they just jumped in.....the big hole in the sky." She finished the story by throwing her hands up in the air.Cordelia Explains How Willow Made a Travel Vortex -- "...and then they just jumped in... the big hole in the sky."
This P.O.M. was written by Danielle (Cordy) and nominated by Erin (Jeffery/Joyce/Aidan).