“I am such
a fucking bitch,”
“What?”
“I mean
it. You are too
good for me. I just
spent the last I don’t know how long
bitching and moaning and saying some of the worst things and you just
stood
there and let me,”
“I love
you,”
“Mmhm,
feels good though,”
Unfortunately,
or fortunately, rather, neither young woman could live without oxygen,
so they
reluctantly released each other. Tara
finger-combed
“
“I know,
but it’s so Watcher-y of him, you know.
Did you know I once accidentally picked up the phone while
he was
talking to Wesley and he does it too,”
Another
giggle came tumbling out of
Xander
immediately put his hand up to his left eye and pretended that he was
peering
through the lens of a camera. With
the
other hand, he began turning and invisible crank, mimicking the motions
of a
cameraman. “Ladies and gentlemen, we now join our intrepid camera crew
as they
carefully make their way through the lair of the giggling wiccabeasts. These mythical creatures,
once thought
totally extinct, have recently been discovered in the tiny little city
of
Anya stared
at her boyfriend for a long while before finally saying, “You are so
weird. Don’t ever
change,” she reached
up and ruffled his hair and then looked at
Everyone in
the room blinked at the tone of command in Anya’s voice. Xander wet his lips to say
something, but
“No problem,” she said, though her smile cracked some as she looked into Anya’s face and saw that she really was serious.
Tara and
Xander silently exited the room.
“I really,”
Anya began, stopping to look
“Then why
do you treat me like Spike?” Anya asked curiously.
There seemed to be no accusation in her
words, but they still ripped through
“Spike? What?
I, he, you,”
Carefully, Anya sat at the other end of the bench. “Yeah, Spike. The guy that, if not for a chip, would have made meals of all of us.”
“I didn’t
know I was, that you felt, I didn’t realize that you thought…”
“You do, I do, and I do,” Anya replied softly. “I know we talked, a lot, god we talked a lot, after the whole Troll thing, and that was good and we got a lot of those pesky issue things out, but…” she hesitated, shaking her hands in front of her face, “But I still feel that you see me as some kind of threat. And I’m not. A threat. Not to you, or to Xander, or to anyone. I’m not Anyanka, I’m just Anya. I’m human, like you, and I have human feelings and thoughts and needs.”
“And now, I’m doing the most human thing of all and I’m crying and making myself look ugly, and it’s your fault, but I’m not mad at you, I’m just frustrated!” Anya wailed.
Finding no
other response,
They pulled away, grabbing the package of tissues and wiping their eyes. “This is about Xander, isn’t it?” Anya intuited. “Some mysterious human childhood thing, right?” she accused, though her voice was gentle.
“I don’t
want to lose him,”
Anya made a face and sighed. “Do you think I’m going to drag him off to some exotic location where all we do is drink daiquiris and have perfect sex?”
“Well, I’m not. At least not forever. I mean, hello, good sex? I’m there. But, it’s not everything. And I know how important friends are. I mean, I sorta consider you all friends, well maybe except for-“
“Me?”
“I was
going to say Spike. ‘Cuz
he’s like a
vampire and, he wants to eat me, in a not so fun way.
And, ew, I wouldn’t let Spike do that in the
fun way,” Anya replied, causing
“Yeah, I
understand,”
Anya hadn’t heard her, because she continued on with, “And fangs? Can we say ‘ow’? No way I want fangs anywhere near me, because I’m against pain.”
“Oh, I
don’t know, they’re not too bad,”
“Oh hush! Did not!” Anya retorted, turning and staring at the door, willing her cheeks to stop flaming hotly.
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Did not,
not, not!” Anya threw her hands over her ears and pretended to ignore
“Would you children please shut up!” Giles’ booming voice shocked the two young women to silence.
“She started it,” Anya said defiantly, once the Watcher had turned away.
“Anya,” Giles sighed, pulling off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose, “I don’t care if the rotting carcass of Adam the demonoid started it, your childish insults are scaring away the customers!”
“Money? I’m
making the money go away? Bad
me, oh bad me! I am
so very, very sorry, Giles and
Tara and Xander peeked around the edge of the door and into the room.
“Is it
safe? Has the blood
dried yet?” Xander
quipped, causing
Anya held out her arms and examined them thoroughly. “I seem to be just fine, honey.”
“Shocked, I
tell you, I’m shocked,” Xander finally said, breaking the silence. “You mean, no more ‘hiss
hiss’ stuff?” he
asked, mimicking
“Well,”
“We’re
women, Xander. Of
course there will be
fighting. We’ve
just agreed not to kill
each other, right,
“Right!”
Xander, Giles and Tara exchanged glances, and then all three groaned.
%%%
“So how is your biology class, honey?” Buffy asked between grunts as she wrestled with a particularly large vampire.
“Oh, it’s wonderful, Buffy,” Amy said, and then proceeded to wax rhapsodically on just how wonderful the class was. About half way through her paean of praise, the vamp that Buffy was fighting let out a frustrated howl and jumped away from the slayer.
“All right, I give up! Stake me now before I go mad!” he shouted, ripping open his shirt to bare his pasty white chest. The thick, white lines of a Y incision gleamed in the moonlight. “Stake me now before I have to hear one more word!”
Buffy’s jaw dropped and Amy’s mouth snapped shut. “Rude, much?” Buffy said in a particularly low voice. She started to come closer to the vamp, but stopped when she got within striking distance. “Just for that, I’m going to make you listen to my honey tell me all about her day!” Buffy glanced over at Amy, who was turning a lovely shade of pink. “Go ahead dear, tell me everything. I’m sure Bruno here will wait for you to finish.”
“Uh, Buffy, honey, that’s okay, I can tell you later, really,” Amy hedged, watching as the vamp actually pleaded with her with his eyes.
“Yeah, what she said,” the vamp agreed, nodding his head vigorously.
“No, I think I want you to tell me, in detail, all about your day,” Buffy decided, smiling lovingly at Amy. “After all, it’s what a loving girlfriend should do, don’t you think?” she turned her question toward the vamp.
The vampire blanched and began to babble incoherently.
“Buffy, put him out of his misery, please? I’d much rather tell you about my day in private,” Amy said, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously and swiveling her hips suggestively.
Buffy’s hormones took over, sending her into a seductive haze. Without a backward glance, she chucked a stake over her shoulder, neatly impaling the babbling vamp.
“I’m all yours,” the blonde haired slayer said, stepping into her lover’s arms.
Amy giggled a few minutes later and said, “Honey, is that a stake up your sleeve or are you just happy to see me?”
There was a muffled thud as Buffy chuckled and shook out her spare stake. “Never know when I’m gonna need a backup,” she said, grinning widely. “Now, where were we?”
Amy grinned and kissed her lover softly. “Right about here,” she said, and then kissed her again.
“Good place,” Buffy replied breathlessly.
%%%
“Tell me
again why we agreed to do this?” Homicide detective Vanessa Richards
asked her
lover, Elise Manning as they navigated the streets of
“I still can’t believe they canned Kate,” Elise said, avoiding her lover’s question. “I mean, she was the best that precinct had and they tossed her out for what? A few late nights and some insubordination? Idiots.”
“I think it was more than that. I know she’s not very open with her cases, but some of the guys told me that she had been downright zip-lipped about them,” Vanessa said, turning the wheel to avoid a group of drunken college kids.
Elise raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Anything else? I mean, so far, all I see is suspension level offenses.”
“She struck a superior officer,” Vanessa admitted softly. “He was involved in some kind of black magic, but that was enough for the review board. They gave her two choices: turn in her badge, or seek psychiatric counseling.”
Elise nodded in understanding. “And there’s no way that proud little Katie is going to let some shrink pick her brains.”
They drove on in silence, then finally, Vanessa turned onto a small street and found the apartment complex where Kate lived. After parking the car, the two cops spent a few minutes locating the actual apartment. It was close to five o’clock in the evening when they finally rang Kate’s doorbell.
The door opened to reveal a Kate Lockley that the two detectives never thought they would see. Distracted, disheveled and slightly confused, their old friend looked like hell.
“Oh, you’re here, great. Come in, find a place to sit, I’ve got some things to do before we go get her,” Kate said hurriedly, not bothering with formalities.
Elise and Vanessa shared a look and gingerly entered Kate’s home. There were things everywhere. Newspapers, magazines, empty pizza boxes as well as bags and boxes from nearly every local fast food joint littered the home.
“Okay, who is that and what did she do to our Kate?” Elise whispered as she pushed some of the detritus off of a tattered couch.
“I think she’s worried about Sarah,” Vanessa said, sitting next to her lover and idly draping her arm across the back of the couch.
Sarah
Matthews, once a detective with the
Kate had taken Sarah home with her and for several months, tried to help her friend kick the massive addiction she had to cocaine. Unfortunately, the drug’s hold on Sarah was too strong for the detective to manage, along with her job. Add to that her occasional work with Angel Investigations, and it was easy to see how she was fighting a losing battle. Regretfully, she had convinced her friend to check into a small rehab clinic. Sarah had gone to the clinic, but it was too late to save Kate’s career as a cop.
Today was the day that Sarah was being released from the clinic. The former cop had gone through the program with flying colors. Elise looked around the house and decided that maybe Kate hadn’t done as well. Nudging her partner, she stood and went to the kitchen, where she located a couple of trash bags.
Ten minutes later, there were two very full bags in place of the mess in the living room. Kate stepped out of her bedroom, tugging on a black sweater. Her skin was pink from scrubbing and her platinum blonde hair was still wet from the shower. Elise and Vanessa were sitting on the couch where she had left them only moments ago, but now her living room looked half way presentable.
She blushed a deep crimson. “You guys didn’t have to do this,” she said softly.
Elise and Vanessa stood up and walked over to the door. “Hey, it’s okay. It gave us something to do while you got ready,” Elise said, waving her hand nonchalantly.
“Yeah, Kate, don’t worry about it. No biggie. Let’s go get your friend and bring her home,” Vanessa said, opening the door.
Kate took a deep breath, and then nodded. “Let’s do it,” she said shortly, walking briskly through the door.
The clinic was a two-hour drive outside of LA. On the way, Vanessa and Elise peppered Kate with questions about her life after the force, only to receive mostly monosyllabic answers. Sensing that something was bothering their friend, Vanessa let her more sensitive partner take over the questioning, while she kept her mind on the road.
“So, what have you been doing, if you’re not out kicking crack dealers and pimps around?” Elise asked bluntly, surprising Vanessa.
Kate blinked, then laughed bitterly. “That sounds like something Van would say. You two haven’t been body swapping have you?”
Elise turned, looked at their passenger and said, “Well, we have done some swapping, but it wasn’t bodies,” then winked.
Kate looked at her, and then felt the tips of her ears warm as she imagined what the attractive detective meant. She glanced out the window and muttered, “It had to be this week that the engine decides to quit.” The beautiful former detective ran her fingers through her still slightly damp hair and sighed. “I’ve been working with Angel,” she admitted softly.
“Oh?” Elise asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t like him much.”
“I don’t, but working with him allows me to continue helping people,” Kate replied in a tight tone. “I might not be able to be a cop anymore, but I can’t sit around while monsters walk the streets at night.”
“How is Sarah doing?” Vanessa asked, throwing in her own question. “You never did say how she ended up out at the ‘Weeds.”
Kate’s eyes drifted shut. A vision of pale skin spider webbed with thick, crimson blood flashed across her lids. She swallowed hard, trying to push the images away, but they came at her anyway, reminding her of just how low Sarah had sunk.
She
walked in the door and smelled the alcohol first.
There was a hint of something else in the air
as well, something all to recognizable to a homicide cop – blood.
“Sarah?”
Kate called out, unholstering her sidearm and moving slowly through the
apartment.
She
looked around the room, dropping her weapon down to her side when she
saw her
friend.
“Oh God, Sarah…” Kate whispered in horror, rushing to the other woman’s side.
Kate opened her window and looked out at the setting sun. “It was right before the disciplinary hearing. I came home and she was passed out on the couch, drunk and high. There were broken mirror fragments on the coffee table and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the floor,” Kate’s voice was dull and emotionless, but her eyes shone with wetness.
“I reached down to shake her, and she didn’t respond. I shook her again, and that’s when I saw the blood.” Kate and Elise exchanged glances and Kate looked away first. “There were cuts everywhere – on her fingers, on her arm. Some of the blood had mixed with her paint.” Sarah was an amateur painter, dabbling in creating works that were both beautiful and disturbing. “Her eyes were black and blue and her wrist was dislocated. Turns out that she fell down the stairs that night, coming home from partying. She painted all night, high, bloody and with that broken wrist. There were other bruises, too. Marks from who knows where.” The words were laced with acid. “So I left her a note telling her to get help and went to bed. When I woke up, she was gone and her stuff was all packed away.”
Kate ran nervous fingers through her hair and looked up into Elise’s understanding eyes. “I tried to see her, but she wouldn’t let me visit. All my letters were returned, unopened. My phone calls went unanswered. I figured she didn’t want to have anything to do with me, because I let her down.” The tears that had been threatening to fall came down like an avalanche, but Kate’s voice was still cold and distant.
“What did you do?” Elise asked gently.
“Do?” Kate choked on a laugh. “What could I do? I waited. I kept sending letters. I worked my ass off for Angel. I found dealers and made sure they couldn’t peddle their shit to anyone anymore.”
“So, is Sarah expecting us?” Vanessa asked, getting right to the point as they pulled into the driveway of the clinic. A large wooden sign proudly declared, “The Tumbleweeds”.
“Probably not,” Kate admitted, already unbuckling her seatbelt. “I sent her a letter a couple of days ago telling her I would be here for her, and it didn’t come back.”
“Oh, that’s hopeful,” Vanessa said, rolling her eyes as she parked the car.
Elise reached over and laid her hand over her partner’s and shook her head slightly. “Honey, be nice,” she said softly.
Kate was already out of the car and heading up the walkway to the front office of the clinic.
Vanessa linked her hand with Elise’s, marveling as she always did at the contrast of her own dark toned skin against the creamy paleness of her lover’s.
“I’m sorry,” Vanessa said, bringing their joined hands up and placing a brief kiss on the back of Elise’s hand. “I’ll be good, I promise,” she said, looking up into Elise’s eyes. Amusement flickered across her partner’s cherubic face, and then turned serious.
“I hope things will be all right for them,” the light haired detective said, pulling her hand free and opening her door. “I have a feeling Kate’s emotions are little too far out of whack for Sarah to be ‘just a friend’.”
Vanessa laughed heartily. “Oh honey, would you stop seeing lesbians behind every rock!”
Elise smacked her partner’s arm as she exited the car. “Hey, just because my gaydar works and yours is constantly on the fritz…”
“It’s not on the fritz, it just doesn’t work so well with women!” Vanessa protested, coming up beside Elise and wrapping her arm around her waist. “Maybe you broke it,” she suggested lightly.
Elise laughed and patted Vanessa’s stomach. “Well then, if that’s the case, it’ll stay broken. I’d rather you not clue in to all the gorgeous women who practically fall over themselves drooling when you walk into a room.”
“Honey, that’s not me they’re falling over, it’s you,” Vanessa replied softly, just as they reached the door to the clinic.
“Mushball,” Elise accused, turning and standing on tiptoe to place a brief, hard kiss on her partner’s lips.
Vanessa quirked a saucy grin. “Always,” she said, opening the door.
Kate was already inside, pacing around the waiting area nervously. She spotted her friends and waved half-heartedly.
Elise pulled away from Vanessa and said, “Van, honey, I’m going to go tame the tiger. Why don’t you go and see if you can find out the ETA on Sarah’s release.”
Vanessa nodded and headed for the front desk while Elise walked over and began talking softly to Kate.
“Kate, sit down. You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet,” Elise said, taking the taller blonde detective by the elbow and leading her to a chair.
“But, but, what if she doesn’t want to see me? What if she’s still mad? What if she hates me?” Kate said, flopping into the chair bonelessly.
“We’ll deal with that when we cross that bridge. Right now, it’s not going to matter if you worry yourself into an anxiety attack. Sit back and relax. Van’s going to find out how long we have to wait,” Elise patted Kate’s hand and shot a worried glance over at her partner, who seemed to be getting nowhere fast with the receptionist.
“I’m sorry miss, I can only release that information to the immediate family of the patient,” the receptionist told Vanessa in answer to her query. “Clinic policy,” she added.
Vanessa considered whipping out her badge, but she didn’t want to turn the visit into a zoo, so she nodded and said, “Thank you,” the tall detective studied the badge on the woman’s shirt, “Carol. Can you at least give me a wave when she’s headed out here? We’re here to take her home.” She turned to join her friends.
The receptionist studied Vanessa, and then looked over at Kate and Elise. Such a shame, really, Carol though sadly. Matthews didn’t have any family and hadn’t had a single visitor aside from Kate the entire time she had been a guest of the Tumbleweeds. Carol made a decision and called out softly to the dark skinned woman, “She’ll be out in another fifteen minutes. They’re processing her outtake papers now.”
“Thank you,” Vanessa said, smiling brightly, and then went over to tell Elise and Kate the good news.
While she waited, Kate chewed on her lip, wondering if Sarah would be different from all the other junkies out there, if she could truly kick the habit.
“Hey
there pretty lady, got time to have a little fun with me?” Sarah
flirted
drunkenly with Kate while the officer worked on filling out another
report on
the skel that had been found, headless, in an alleyway downtown.
“Sar,
could you, maybe, let up on that stuff for tonight?” Kate asked with
some
asperity. “Christ
on a crutch, I thought
you were trying to kick the habit, not swim in it!”
Sarah
wiggled her boxer-clad hips suggestively.
“What’s the matter, copper, you don’t like having happy
old me bouncing
around your playhouse?” she pouted, taking a long drink from her bottle
of
whiskey.
Kate set
aside her papers and looked up at her friend.
“You know you’re welcome here, Sarah.
I just wish that you would try to get off the stuff,
that’s all.”
“It’s
hard,” Sarah replied, flopping down in a chair and glowering at her
sock
covered feet, “and it hurts like hell.”
The drunk played with the thick, red scar that decorated
her thigh. “I just
need a little more time, Katie. Please?”
she looked up suddenly, her
tear-filled blue eyes finding Kate’s and pleading silently. “I promise to be good.”
Kate let
her head drop back on the couch. She
couldn’t say no to Sarah. Not
after –
not after failing to help her father get over his own addiction. Sure, Dad was a gambler,
but it was still an
addiction, and any addiction a sickness.
Kate wasn’t going to let her friend down; she wasn’t going
to let the
demons take another person she cared about without a fight.
“All
right, but, I’ve really got to get these reports filled out, so could
you kind
of keep it down?” she growled out, turning back to the papers at her
side.
Sarah
squealed happily, jumping up and rushing over to land in Kate’s lap,
hugging
her friend tightly. “Thank
you,
Kate! You won’t
regret this, I promise
you!” She hopped up
again and paced
around the room, sucking down the JD like it was water.
“Hey, I know!” she blurted, “I’ll paint you
something pretty, that’s it!” and she was off to her room, where she
stayed all
night, working feverishly on her canvases.
The moments ticked by in silence, peppered only by long, nervously stuttered sighs as Kate alternately paced and sat. Finally, the receptionist looked up, caught Vanessa’s eye and nodded.
“Come on, show time,” the detective said, grabbing Kate and pulling her up.
Kate felt her knees go rubbery and wondered if she could run and vanish at the same time. Was she ready to see Sarah? Was she ready to try and understand all the strange emotions her diminutive old friend unleashed with in her?
“Easy there, Kate. We’ve got your six,” Elise whispered softly.
Those words were just enough to give Kate the shot she needed to stand up, pull her sweater down and square her shoulders. With a tiny nod, she stepped forward to greet Sarah.
Sarah Matthews had changed. Her clothes, the tattered jeans that brushed the tops of mismatched Converse high tops, the battered leather bomber jacket and the too-tight white ribbed tank top were the same, but there was something very different about Kate’s old friend. It wasn’t her hair, though that had gone from a head full of dark peach fuzz to soft brown locks that brushed leather clad shoulders. It wasn’t the subtle signs of good food and proper sleeping habits that had turned Sarah’s body from the fragile, weak state she had entered the clinic in to this new, well fed and rested woman who strode confidently down the hallway. No, it was the confidence. The tiny smile that danced playfully around the corners of the young woman’s mouth. It was the playful banter she exchanged with the nurses she passed. It was the way her face lit up for a brief instant when she spotted Kate.
Elise saw that brilliantly brief flash of emotion and gloated inwardly. She’s so gone! Externally, she gave the young woman a welcome smile and kept to Kate’s back.
“Kate,” Sarah said quietly, stopping when she got within three feet of the former detective. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”
“I promised I’d come and get you,” Kate said softly.
“I know, I read the letter.” It was a casual statement, but the effect the words had on Kate was monumental. An invisible wall between the two friends seemed to crumble away as Kate stepped forward and put a tentative hand on Sarah’s arm.
“Sarah, I-“ Kate started to say, but Sarah shook her head.
“Don’t. Don’t say you’re sorry for saving my life. Please, don’t ever try to take back the greatest gift anyone has ever given me,” Sarah said softly as she signed one final paper.
Speechless, Kate watched as a nurse tore off a piece of paper, admonished Sarah to, “Make sure you make your meetings,” and handed her a large manila envelope. Sarah turned away from the desk with Kate’s hand still on her arm, took a deep breath, and reached her arms out to her friend.
“Forgive me?” she asked tentatively. Ice blue eyes peeked out from under dark brown bangs to look up into stunned green.
“I, you, we, there’s nothing to forgive, Sarah. You’re my friend,” Kate stammered, accepting Sarah’s bone crushing embrace as she did.
“Thank you,” Sarah replied softly, relishing the first real honest hug she had shared with her friend since their academy days. She pulled away and coughed, suddenly embarrassed by her public display of affection. Looking down, she shuffled her feet back and forth, and then looked up at the two detectives behind Kate.
Elise smiled brightly and stepped forward. “Hi, I’m Elise Manning. This is my partner, Vanessa Richards,” she said warmly, taking Sarah’s hand and shaking it firmly.
Sarah nodded, walking toward the front door. “I think I knew that,” she said, smiling wryly. “But I’ll never know for sure. This way to the car?” she pointed to the only vehicle in the visitor lot.
“That would be the one,” Elise replied cheerfully.
“Excellent,” Sarah replied. As soon as she was outside, she tilted her head back and took a long, deep breath. “Much better. Hey, do you think we could get a burger or something soon? I’m starved. I haven’t eaten since yesterday. Didn’t want to get, well, I was kind of nervous this morning.”
Kate chuckled and walked up next to her friend. “You haven’t changed. Still lead with your stomach, don’t you?”
“Always. Gotta feed the beast,” Sarah rubbed her stomach and grinned.
“In that case, I’d say a stop at the nearest greasy spoon is in order!” Kate declared, wrinkling her nose in a goofy smile.
Elise gave Vanessa a private, knowing smile. Vanessa sighed and said, “What color?”
“For what?” Elise asked, a puzzled expression rippling over her face.
“Your new toaster oven, of course,” Vanessa replied.
“Hmm, gonna have to think about that one, Van,” her partner said, returning her attention to the two women in front of them.
Kate opened the door and watched as Sarah got in and slid across the back seat. Then she folded her larger frame into the seat next to Sarah and pulled the door shut.
“Before your friends get here, I just wanted to say that I know one apology isn’t going to fix eight months of asshole behavior, so I want you to have this,” Sarah reached into the inner pocket of her jacket and pulled out a round wooden token. The number two was burned into its satin-smooth surface and there was a tiny hole painstakingly bored through it. Intricately knotted cord created a chain from which the token could hang.
Kate allowed her fingers to graze the surface of the coin, and then shook her head. “I can’t take this, Sarah. I can’t take your sobriety token. It’s too precious.”
Sarah looked at her hands, turning the token over and over. “No, I want you to have it. It’s just a piece of wood. The sobriety is something else. But I need you to have this, to know that what you did was right. To know that I don’t hate you.” She offered the necklace again. “Please?”
“I-“ Kate started to speak, but stopped when she heard the crunch of feet on pavement. Sarah quickly shoved the token back into her jacket.
“So, have we decided where we’re going to eat?” Vanessa asked as she climbed into the car. The little vehicle dipped dangerously when Elise added her compact form to the passenger seat.
“Good God, Kate, but you have bony knees!” Elise exclaimed as she settled back in the seat.
“If you didn’t have such a dinky car, you wouldn’t have Kate’s knees in your back,” Sarah said before Kate could speak.
Vanessa chuckled as she started the engine and backed the car out of the spot. “Looks like you’ve got a champion, Lockley.”
Kate scowled at both Vanessa, who ignored her, and Sarah, who just gave her a mischievous grin.
“I think it’s sweet,” Elise decided, reaching over to turn on the radio.
“Oo! I love this song!” Sarah cried out happily, bouncing up and down and singing along with the radio.
Kate tipped her head against the side of the car, sneaking a glance at her long time friend. A tiny smile crept over her lips and she forced it back, but soon, without her realizing it, the smile was back. When Elise turned to say something to Sarah, she noticed Kate, completely asleep, wearing the smile.
%%%
The four women exited Mama Pat’s Diner, laughing and joking easily. After returning to the city, Vanessa had driven them to one of the cop’s favorite late-night hangouts for burgers and all you can eat fries. After watching Vanessa and Sarah consume several plates of the large, wedge-shaped fries, Elise and Kate could only marvel at the capacity of their friends’ stomachs.
When they finally pushed their plates away, Kate breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she liked spending time with her friends, she really wanted to get back to her apartment. Tomorrow she was supposed to go with Wes and Angel Investigations’ other new employee, a young man named Charles Gunn, to search the library at USC for some information on an ancient elixir that was supposed to be effective in keeping certain demon’s eggs from hatching.
On their way out of the diner, Elise coughed slightly and said, “You know, in all the talking we’ve done, I don’t think we ever asked you where you were planning to go, Sarah?”
Sarah ran a hand through her hair and shrugged one shoulder lightly. “Dunno. I’ve got some money left in my bank account. I guess I can get a room somewhere. Yeah, in fact, maybe you guys could drop me off at a Motel 6?”
Kate shot Sarah a hard look. “I told you in the letter that you were welcome to stay at my place,” she said sullenly.
Vanessa and Elise dropped back, knowing the two friends needed to work this out privately.
Sarah shoved her hands into her back pockets and shrugged. “I know, but I really don’t want to be a burden on you, Katie,” she explained honestly. “I know I put you through a lot of shit before, and I want us to have the time to make things right.”
“You’re not a burden,” Kate muttered, suddenly wishing she were anywhere but here. How can she do this? Why do I feel like a crushed out teenager around her? She’s just a friend, Kate. Remember, she knows what you look like when you’re barfing your guts out at 2 a.m. But as much as she tried to fight her internal voice, something about being around Sarah Matthews drove Kate to distraction. You’ve never been gay before, Kate, how can you be now? she asked herself while watching Sarah walk over to Van’s little car.
“Besides,” Sarah abruptly said, turning and flashing a brilliant smile in Kate’s direction, “I bet you haven’t cleaned the place in weeks.”
Kate flushed and ducked her head. “Guilty as charged,” she admitted.
Sarah was about to respond when the resounding crack of flesh on flesh made all four women look down an alleyway. A man and a woman were pressed against a wall, and Kate almost dismissed it as a hooker and her john, when she saw the guy reel back and sucker punch the woman in the stomach.
The overly made up woman doubled over, gasping and drooling blood at the same time. A sharp intake of breath was the only warning Kate had that she was about to become involved as a flash of leather and denim bolted past her.
“Leave her alone!” Sarah shouted, grabbing the man and hurling him against the opposite wall. “She’s not a fucking kick bag, you asshole!” she added, delivering a solid hatchet kick to the pimp’s shin. The sound of bones crunching echoed down the alley, kicking Kate into gear.
Reaching for her service piece, she frowned when she realized she was unarmed. I turned it in three days ago, she reminded herself, growling in frustration and balling her fists instead.
Vanessa and Elise cautiously stayed back, deciding that they would only get involved if necessary. Elise pulled out a cell phone, but Vanessa shook her head.
“No, Sarah needs to do this. So does Kate, I think,” she said.
“Okay, but I’m gonna get the girl out of there. She might need an ambulance,” Elise replied, handing her phone over to Vanessa and heading into the ally.
Elise grabbed the hooker’s arm and helped her out while Sarah delivered a solid punch to the pimp’s jaw.
“Like beating up little girls, do you? Well how about you try this one?” Sarah taunted, dancing back and pulling off her jacket at the same time.
Kate stepped up next to her friend and said, “Sarah, I think you’ve made your point. Maybe we should go-“
A snarl of rage cut her off. She looked up just in time to see the pimp’s face twist and shift horribly. Mud brown eyes turned yellow, long, sharp fangs sprouted as the man began to laugh maniacally.
“Oho, I like the feisty ones,” he chortled. “They taste so good,” he added in a long sensual drawl.
Sarah watched the guy’s transformation and didn’t move. Something about this was eerily familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. Something that she should be terrified of, but she couldn’t quite drum up the fear. Anger at his treatment of the girl still boiled in her veins.
“What the fuck?” A scrabbling sound behind Sarah caused her to quickly turn around, knowing Kate had her back. It was a kid. Some scrawny, punked out junkie that was now trying to pull himself up with the wall. A needle still hung limply in his arm and vomit stained his torn up tee-shirt.
Sarah’s focus narrowed in on the needle. A rush of almost forgotten sensation rocketed through her body. A low, keening moan erupted from her and she collapsed as memory and hunger overwhelmed her.
It was
night. The window
was open, letting in a
salt flavored breeze that felt so good as it floated across her heated
flesh. Below her
was Michiko, her Michi,
laughing delightfully as she tasted the Asian woman’s flesh. A mirror lay discarded on
the floor, a thin dusting
of white still visible on its surface.
A
bottle of whiskey sat on the bed stand, beckoning to Sarah. Casually, she reached for
it, taking a long
drink of the harsh liquor.
“You
look good enough to eat,” Michiko whispered seductively as Sarah drank. “But that’s not to be your
fate, my
love.” Long nailed
fingers stroked
languorously over soft flesh.
Confused
Sarah felt the bottle drop away and hit the floor, shattering. A strange lassitude began
to seep over her
and suddenly, she was very afraid.
Michiko’s eyes began to glow as she chanted softly in a
sibilant
whisper. As Sarah’s
eyes drifted shut,
she felt ropes bind her wrists and ankles.
When she opened her eyes, Michiko and some … others… she couldn’t focus… God, please help me! They were screaming and yelling and fighting and then, there was pain! A wickedly hooked knife dripped blood down her chest and she realized she had been cut. Struggling to see, she caught sight of her own thigh, laid open to the bone in a long, jagged gash. She wanted to scream, but all that came out was a strangled sigh.
“No!” Sarah gagged, remembering now. Remembering the days and weeks in Sunnydale. Remembering Michiko, and how the beautiful Asian woman had used her. Remembering the horror of that one night when Hell had come to Earth, and at the end, she had opened her eyes to see her old friend, Kate Lockley cradling her in her arms. “No!” Remembering the hope that had flared like a bonfire in her heart that her nightmare had been just that, a nightmare, and she was back at the academy and her mother was still alive and she was still in love with… “No.” It was just a whisper now, choked out between the tears that rushed out and spattered the ground by her knees.
“I guess she wasn’t all that, after all, “ the vampire declared, reaching for Sarah’s sob-wracked body.
“No,” Kate said, in a deadly voice, “but I am.” Two quick jabs and a left hook had the vamp backed against the wall.
“That wasn’t nice, you little bitch,” the vampire growled, springing at Kate and delivering a head-rocking uppercut to the blonde’s jaw.
Kate shook it off dazedly and backed up, leading the vampire away from Sarah. Casually, she glanced to either side of her, hoping to spot something she could use as a weapon. Damn it, why didn’t I remember my weapons? she berated herself furiously. The glint of metal caught her eyes and without looking twice, she grabbed and hurled it at the approaching vampire.
He ducked, but was drenched by the foul-smelling grease in the coffee can. Wiping his face, he sneered. “Food,” he growled. “I will make you watch while I bleed your friend dry.”
“I don’t think so,” Sarah’s dead voice caused the vampire to spin away from Kate.
As he turned, a flaming book of matches hit the vamp in the chest, catching the oil on fire. Shrieking in pain, the vampire dove for Sarah, but she sidestepped him easily. A hard kick to the knee drove him to the ground as he batted ineffectually at the flames beginning to cover his body.
“Sarah! Here!” Vanessa called from the entrance to the alley. Kate felt something fly by and watched as Sarah easily caught the thrown stake. She looked at it for only a half-breath before shoving it as hard as she could into the writhing vampire’s back. The stake clattered to the ground and Sarah looked up to see Kate running straight for her. The last thing she felt was her friend’s arms wrap protectively around her as the world went black.
%%%
“We have to tell Angel about this,” Kate insisted as Vanessa helped her put a still unconscious Sarah into the car. “He’ll want to know that they’re breaking into the flesh selling business.”
“Can’t you tell him tomorrow? I really think we should take Sarah to the hospital,” Elise asked as she walked up to the car, concern lacing her voice. She had just walked the young hooker to a local clinic and was more than a little concerned by the pasty appearance of Sarah’s face.
A groan was heard from the backseat. “No doctors,” Sarah said, as she came to. She rubbed her eyes. “I’m okay. Just a little woozy, that’s all. I’ll be fine in just a second,” she assured them as she tried to sit up.
Kate climbed in and said, “Here, let me help you.”
Sarah smiled tightly as Kate helped her to sit up and get belted in. “Who’s this Angel guy I heard you talking about? Is that the guy that was giving you so much guff a few months ago?”
Kate smirked. “Yeah, he’s my boss now.”
Sarah frowned. “Your boss? You mean, your superior? You got a new LT?”
Kate shook her head. “No, I-I’m not a cop anymore, Sarah.” She looked down at her hands.
Sarah bit her lip. This must be one of those things she didn’t remember. One of those awful blackout times that she should, by all rights, know everything about, but because of the drugs and her addiction, didn’t. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Did I- was it my fault?” Blue eyes welled with tears.
Kate shook her head emphatically. “No! I did that all by myself, Sarah. You had nothing to do with it at all. Only I could screw up like that,” she chuckled dryly and launched into the edited version of how she had been canned.
“So your friend’s office got blown up, you got shot, then cashed out all because of this Wolfram and Hart place?” Sarah asked after Kate had finished her story.
Vanessa snorted and said, “She’s left a few details out, but that’s the gist of it. Anyway, are we going to that blasted hotel again?”
After Angel Investigations’ original office had been destroyed, Angel had gotten a former client to help him lease an old abandoned hotel. There was still a lot of work to be done on the place, and Vanessa and Elise had been some of the people who Kate had “volunteered” to assist in the renovations.
“Yes. Wait,” Kate pulled a cell phone off her waist and dialed. “Hey, is he in? Great, no, not here, I’m coming in. Yeah. No, no, she hasn’t called me. Yeah, if she does, I’ll tell her to call you, Cordelia. No, I’m sure she’s fine. Don’t worry. Yeah. Okay, see you.” She hung up. “Angel’s in. Cordelia says that tonight’s been a ‘wonderfully headache free’ night, so that means things are slow.”
“How is our favorite bad actress?” Elise asked jokingly.
Kate
launched into a tale of Cordelia’s latest attempts at being discovered
in
As they pulled up in front of the old hotel, Sarah reached out and put her hand on Kate’s arm, getting her attention. “When did you turn in your badge? You never said.”
“Three days ago,” Kate replied tightly. “But I’d been on suspension for a month before that.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry Kate,” Sarah said, searching the former detective’s smoky colored eyes.
Kate shrugged. “I’m not. Sure, I’m mad. But I can do what I want to do with Angel, too.”
“And that is?”
A cold smile blossomed on Kate’s face. “Hunt the bad guys.”
%%%
Inside the old hotel, the group met and exchanged introductions. Sarah, feeling like an outsider, wandered off to explore the premises while Angel listened to what Kate and the two cops from Sunnydale had to tell him. He remembered her, of course. That made Sarah mildly uncomfortable, but she shrugged it off, knowing that she would be meeting people for a long time who knew her but who she wouldn’t have a clue who they were.
“Faith’s missing,” Cordelia’s statement was flat and emotionless. Her eyes, however, were dark and puffy and had deep purple circles under them from lack of sleep.
“Now, Cordy,” Angel started, but she glared at him. “Look, I saw her just the other day. She was fine. I’m sure she’ll be back soon, and she’ll tell you herself that she’s okay.”
“Yeah, Cordelia, don’t get yourself into a wad over the little woman. She’ll fly by when you least expect it, all ready for some home cooking,” Gunn, Angel Investigations’ newest member, joked.
Wes kicked him smartly, causing the young black man to yelp. “Be good, Charles,” the Englishman warned.
“Yo, English, ever think about not bruising me? I’m delicate you know,” Gunn griped while rubbing his leg.
Wesley snorted and turned his attention back to Angel who was talking about how he wanted them to break up and search for information about the vampire pimp.
“We need to find out if he was just an isolated occurrence, or if there’s a new nest in town. Gunn, I want you to –“
“Call my boys, I know. I’m on it, big guy.” He stood, startling Kate with his lanky six-foot plus height. She watched in amusement as he and Wes exchanged a complicated hand-slapping ritual to say good-bye.
They’re cute, but boy are they ever gay, she told herself, fighting to keep from laughing out loud at their antics. Then she realized that she had been “checking them out” and gulped. What the hell? I’m cruising my co-workers now? Am I insane? I don’t date. I don’t even care about dating. Why am I suddenly interested in looking at men? The answer didn’t seem readily available, so she ignored it for the moment.
Wes spoke up then. “What about those two Krellik demons over at Caritas? I distinctly remember them discussing ‘D’Hoffryn’s bastard’. I don’t suppose that applies to that young lady you met last summer?”
Angel frowned as he tried to recall the conversation he and Wes had overheard when Cordelia had dragged them to Caritas the night before. He rubbed his face and prayed that Faith would return soon. He was positive he couldn’t stand another visit to the karaoke bar to listen to Cordelia sob while singing, “Foolish Games”. Well, perhaps sing wasn’t quite the right description. Caterwaul might be closer.
Okay, the Host was listening to Cordelia and making his usual commentary. Wes was chugging a shot of whiskey and I was sipping an O-Poz. The Krelliks were at the table to my left, because I could smell their breath. God, that was almost as bad as Cordelia’s singing. Okay, they were talking about something. A bounty. I heard D’Hoffryn’s name and started to listen more. Oh, that’s right. Someone had spotted ‘D’Hoffryn’s little problem’ heading for town. That might be Aliz. If it is, someone should tell her she’s been seen. He shook his head sadly. Guess Spike’s not very good at the bodyguard thing. Of course, he wouldn’t be much better, either. That limited to the night part of being a vampire was what sucked most of all, when trying to be the hero. Not that he thought Spike was playing at heroics. He knew that the other vampire was being well paid to protect the daughter of Helen the Sage.
“I’m not sure, but on the off chance that it does, let’s give Giles a call,” Angel finally said. Wes nodded in agreement and picked up the phone.
“I’m going to go find Sarah,” Kate said, standing up. “If you don’t need me, that is?” she looked at Angel.
“Nope. Actually,” he looked over at the two detectives, Manning and Richards, and smiled. Elise had curled up on a couch next to Vanessa and was trying hard not to fall asleep. “I think I’ll show my guests to their room. Your friend can stay too, if she’d like.”
Kate nodded. “Thanks, I think.” She thought about the last time she had accepted an offer to stay in the old hotel, only to discover that none of the rooms were habitable.
Angel chuckled over the expression on Kate’s face. “Don’t worry, we’ve done some fixing up since last time.”
Kate looked around the room and noticed the clean draperies and new rugs on the floor. There was a distinct lack of dust in the air, verifying the truth of his words. She looked at Cordelia and said, “You went on a cleaning spree, didn’t you?”
The brunette actress shrugged lightly. “What else am I supposed to do between visions? Answer the phone? Hello, it’s not like clients are beating down the doors to see us!”
Kate smirked. “Isn’t that the truth?” she agreed.
Just as she was about to walk out of the room though, Cordelia whimpered, “Oh shit,” and collapsed.