Disclaimer: I don't own Nsync. I don't know Josh Chasez in real life. This will be a Josh Chasez centered story. This story is in no way meant to imply that he is homosexual in real life. This piece of literature is simply the work of a fan and is pure fiction.
I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, or anything associated with these shows. They belong to their creator Joss Whedon and whoever else owns them. This piece of literature is simply the work of a humble fan.
Now that all the disclaimers are out the way, time for the introduction. I have no idea when I came up with this story. It was a long time ago I know that. I think I was spacing out, while I was in Anatomy class and that's when I got the idea to do this.
If you have any comments, feedback or you just want to drop a word. Send them to SilvenFox@yahoo.com
Author Note: I said last time that there were 25 Potential Slayers. I checked and at the time there was only 17 (including Kennedy) living at the Summers residence.
Chapter 7
Buffy was extremely ecstatic about the training room. JC had to promise to spar with her almost a dozen times before they pried her from the room. It was decided once the tour was over that all of the potentials would be moved to the bedrooms that were located in the Keep.
They would be able to fit comfortably since the Crystal Keep magically altered to have as many rooms as needed. Which was a fact that had Giles and Willow mystified and curious of. Giles would move in also to keep an eye on the girls. That only left the Summers' sisters, Willow, Spike, Andrew, and JC sleeping inside the house. Xander and Anya lived in separate apartments.
"I can't believe I can actually breath again," said Dawn, collapsing on the couch in the living room.
They had spent the last hour moving the Potentials into the Crystal Keep. The Potentials had no qualms with moving. They were just as grateful for the opportunity at living in a bigger space.
Buffy smiled from beside her sister. "Tell me about it. Its nice having less people in the house."
"I'm beat. Those little brats had too much stuff. I'm going home," announced Anya.
Xander nodded, standing up with her. "I think I'll go home too. I've still got to go to work tomorrow. It was nice meeting you JC."
JC smiled up at him from his position on the sofa. "You too."
Xander and Anya left leaving Buffy, Dawn, Willow, and Andrew siting around. Spike had opted to go out instead of helping. JC leaned back into the comfortable sofa pillows. It was the middle of the night but thanks to his Slayer affinity for sleepless nights he was wide-awake.
"There's a question that has been on my mind all day. Why is the first evil here now? What's so special about this time frame that it's attacking now?" asked JC suddenly.
Buffy's eyes grew sad. "It's because of me--"
"NO! Its my fault," interrupted Willow, placing her hand on top of Buffy's. "I think you know that Buffy died, right?" Willow continued at his nod. "I worked some really dark magic to bring Buffy back to life because I thought she was stuck in a hell dimension. It worked and we had unknowingly yanked her out of heaven. There was something we didn't count on... The First has never been able to act directly because of the balance between good and evil. I broke the balance and tipped the scale on goods side by bring Buffy back to life, which disrupted the Slayer line. Now, the First is able to act and tip the scale in evils favor."
"Then I guess we'll just have to even it by kicking the First's ass," said JC smiling.
"RIGHT!"
Everyone looked at Andrew who was standing up on top of the armchair with his fist pumped into the air. He had a silly grin on his face and his blue eyes were shinning. Noticing the looks he was getting he smiled sheepish and sat back down looking around like nothing had happened.
"Er -- right..." said Buffy. "I think its time for me to hit the hay. I have to go to work tomorrow to."
"And I have school," groaned Dawn.
The three girls stood up to retire for the night. Buffy turned to JC before heading up the stairs to her room. "Andrew can show you the guestroom. He sleeps in there too. Is that alright?"
JC nodded. "Its fine. I've shared plenty of rooms before."
Buffy gave him a small smile. "Thank you for coming. We really need the help. It's tough when they all look to me, you know. Maybe we can share the burden of leadership."
She gave him a last look before departing up the stairs. Andrew gazed at him smiling timidly. "Our room is this way," he said, leading JC down a hallway.
He came to a door and opened it. The room had painted blue walls and two twin beds pushed against both of the walls with a nightstand separating them. JC moved to the bed that looked neat and untouched and sat his bag on top of it then sat down himself.
JC got ready for bed dully noting that Andrew seemed to be going at the changing process at a much more slower pace then he. JC stripped to his boxers then slid on a pair of black sweats and gray T-shirt.
`He must be shy,' figured JC, noticing that Andrew was still fiddling with his clothes as if hesitating to take them off. JC turned around to give Andrew his needed privacy. He could hear a hurried scampering and when he turned around a minute later, Andrew was dressed differently and tucked underneath his bed covers.
JC smiled an inward smile at his shy antics. He copied Andrew by going under the covers in his own bed. The moonlight drifted in through their window giving light to the room. JC could make out Andrew lying in his bed staring at the ceiling.
JC decided to break the tense silence. "So... How did you get involved with Buffy and her group."
Andrew tensed up slightly at the question. He paused for a moment deciding the best way to tell his story. JC frowned worriedly seeing how stiff Andrew had suddenly become.
"I'm not really apart of the group officially. According to Buffy, I'm not allowed to leave until she says so."
JC gaped. "You're a hostage?"
Andrew shook his head. "I prefer the term `guestage'," he said, making air quotes with his hands. "I don't mind really. There all really good people and they've been awful nice to me seeing as what I did to them and my friend."
JC was speechless. He couldn't believe the shy young man lying on the bed beside his could be capable of doing anything remotely bad. "What did you do?
Andrew let out deep breath. "I used to apart of a group with two other people. We all had special skills that we contributed. Warren was a genius at robotics, Jonathon is... was our Warlock, and I could summon demons."
JC dropped his jaw. "You can summon demons?" he asked disbelieving.
Andrew nodded a small smile on his face. "I learned from my older brother Tucker. Together the three of us joined forces and stole and became richer than we thought we would ever be. Buffy tried to stop us, so we made her life a living hell for a while. As it went on, Warren started to get, get, more mean. He started bossing Jonathon and me around like we worked for him and not together. Things started to go downhill from there. Warren killed a girl and then tried to blame it on the Slayer."
Andrew looked sadly at JC. "It never was so supposed to be like that. I swear. We were just supposed to have fun and become rich. Killing and hurting people wasn't supposed to happen. Warren made us go alone with it. I lov-- I respected Warren too much to just leave him."
JC narrowed his eyes at the slip. He could have sworn Andrew was going to say love, but covered it up.
"Buffy eventually told the police what Warren did to that girl and they came for him. But he didn't go quietly. He came to Buffy's house and shot her. The bullet didn't kill her as you can see. He tried to shot a second time but the bullet missed and went through the window upstairs where Willow and her girlfriend, Tara was. The bullet hit Tara and killed her on impact. Willow was pissed. She called on the darkest magic she knew and tracked us down and tried to kill us. She found Warren and killed him, but Buffy stopped her from killing me and Jonathon."
"Then what happened?" asked JC entranced by the story.
"Willow wanted the rest of the world to feel the pain she was feeling, so she tried to end the world. We wouldn't be here today if Xander hadn't stopped her when he did."
JC's eyes widened in realization. "That's why she said earlier she had a bad time with magic for a while, but she got better."
"Yeah, she's better now. It's been a few months since all that's happened. Willow channeled some really powerful forces and that dark power never went away. She's probably the most powerful witch in the world because of it."
"How did you end up here and where's your friend, Jonathon?"
Andrew sniffled and wiped his nose with the end of his long sleeve shirt. Unnoticed to JC a tear slipped down his face. The blond hurriedly brushed it away.
"Jonathon and I stuck together after leaving Sunnydale. I thought we were safe and happy. Then Warren started to appear to me. I thought it was his ghost. He told me to go back to Sunnydale and... Kill Jonathon. He wanted me to bleed Jonathon over the Seal of Danzathar, which is a locked portal to a demon dimension that's buried under the school. Warren told me if I did it we would be together again and I believed him. I killed my best friend because I was tricked by the First Evil. It was masquerading as Warren the whole time."
JC swiftly moved from his bed over to Andrew's. He pulled the sobbing younger man into his arms and let him cry it out. Andrew cried for everything that had gone wrong recently. Losing Warren. Finding out Warren never loved him. Killing Jonathon. Being tricked. All his grief he had kept locked up and at bay was finally being let out in a never-ending stream of tears. JC comforted him as best he could. He ran his hand soothingly across the small of Andrew's back, surprised when the younger boy arched into his touch and laid his head on JC's shoulder.
The next thing JC knew Andrew was fast asleep. The room was filled with the soft snores of a slumbering Andrew. JC laid him down carefully and pulled the blankets up over him. He gazed down at the younger boy. There was something about Andrew that was drawing him closer. Besides the attraction he felt, JC also felt a need to physical be near the younger man and protect him from everything that sought to harm him.
"I'll protect you," JC whispered, running his hand through the sleeping boy's hair. Andrew smiled in his sleep.
JC went to his own bed. His head hit the pillow and not five minutes later he fell asleep. His dream wasn't one of his normal dreams. This one was different...
It was nighttime and Buffy and JC walked the Crystal Keep checking on the troops. They walked quietly through the dark hallways and silently opened doors seeing many sleeping potentials. They passed the living room and JC picked up a book from the ground (Greek to English dictionary) and placed it on a table that held other foreign language books like French, Chinese, etc... Upstairs they walked; peeking in more bedrooms... more sleeping girls filled their sights. Off in the distance they heard crying. They looked down the hall, seeing Chloe, a potential, huddled in a corner, weeping.
"Chloe? It is Chloe, right?" asked Buffy as they started to approach.
JC walked forward with Buffy. "Chloe? What's wrong?"
Suddenly they were broadsided by a figure. JC collided into a wall by a sharp kick delivered to his head. Buffy and the unknown assailant wrestled with each other on the floor. Buffy was instantly overcome and pinned by someone she didn't expect to see. JC didn't recognize the person but it appeared Buffy did by her reaction at seeing them. It was a black woman with a painted face, tangled hair, and ragged clothes.
"It's not enough," said the woman. The First Slayer...
JC bolted upright, having been jolted from his dream. He gazed around at the blue walls of the guestroom. He looked over to see if his dream woke his sleeping roommate. Thankfully it didn't. JC really didn't feel up to explaining his dream now. He sighed heavily and lay back down, knowing that sleep wouldn't come again for him until hours passed.
By the time JC awoke the next day it was past noon. He was still feeling the jet lag caused from traveling one end of the country to the other end. JC found that Andrew was gone when he woke up. He changed clothes and an hour later he walked into the kitchen. Andrew was standing at the counter wearing a white apron and red and white checked oven mitts. He was mixing ingredients together in a large plastic bowl with a look of intense concentration etched on his face.
JC crept up behind Andrew. He leaned in close to his ear, "What are you making?" he whispered.
Andrew squeaked turning around with the wooden spoon held in a defensive position. "Hey, don't do that! You really scared me," Andrew said with a scowl on his face, as JC chuckled.
"I'm sorry," JC apologized still amused. "Really though, what are you making?"
Andrew let a smile settle on his face. "I'm making a funnel cake." His smile turned into a frown. "Although, not very well."
JC put up his hands. "Don't look to me for answers. I don't even know where the toaster is in my house."
Andrew sighed softly. "Then I guess we must wait for Buffy to come home. That girl is our only hope."
"Stars Wars: A New Hope, Princess Leia," supplied JC laughing.
Andrew looked at him with surprise. "How did you know?"
JC leaned against the counter trying to look suave. "Under these dashing good looks is a geek at heart."
"Really," said Andrew stunned, as if he couldn't believe it. "What's your favorite Star Wars movie and whose your favorite character?"
"Favorite movie: Return of the Jedi. Those Ewoks made the movie for me. Favorite character? Do you want characters from the movie or books."
"Movie."
"Then I would have to say Han Solo. Harrison Ford played him very well, I think."
Andrew looked at him in wonder. He thought JC had just been humoring him, but he really knew what he talking about. A wide smile spread on Andrew's face. They spent the next hour baking the cake and talking Star Wars.
"Don't you even say that Phantom Menace was a good movie! It was an abomination!" said Andrew empathetically.
"I know it was! George Lucas must have been on Skywalker Ranch smoking crack when he made that one," agreed JC.
"What am I walking in on?" asked Willow, walking into the kitchen. JC shook his head a smile on his face. Willow joined him at the table, grabbing an apple off the countertop.
"Nothing much," said JC smiling, giving Andrew a fond look. The blond didn't see the look. His gaze was focused on the measuring cup in his hand. JC bit the apple in his hand. "Me and Andrew was just talking Star Wars."
Willow giggled softly, glancing out of the window. The potentials were in the backyard training. They were lined up in four rows of girls, four in a line, sixteen in all. Kennedy, the oldest potential with the most training, stood in front of the formation. Kennedy leads in drill-sergeant fashion the rows of girls in combat exercises, shouting out different positions of attack and defense. The girls were dressed in sweats and they all were serious and professional as they practiced their kicks and punches.
Willow glanced at her watch. "I better go and get the weapons. Kennedy will need them soon. Oh yeah, later on can talk about magic? It's been awhile since I had another user to talk to."
"Sure," replied JC.
"Great," said Willow, getting up and heading up stairs to get the weapons for the Potentials outside.
JC turned his sights back on Andrew. The blond was really starting to look frustrated with his progress on the cake. JC chuckled quietly in his throat. The faces he was making were so cute. The sound of the front door opening and closing snapped him from his thoughts. Andrew dashed from the kitchen before JC even registered he was moving. JC followed him wondering what had made him move so fast.
The sight he saw made him bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. An apron wearing, oven mitted Andrew was standing in front of Buffy and a tall, bald, good looking black man. Andrew wore a disgusted look on his face as he stared Buffy down.
"Where the hell have you been?" Andrew demanded crossing his arms. "This funnel cake is kicking my ass."
"Yeah, I hear they're tricky," said the stranger.
Buffy smiled awkwardly. "Robin Wood, this is... Andrew." They shook hands. "He's our hostage."
JC frowned at that. He came forward to stand beside Andrew. At the same time both replied with,
"I prefer the term, `guestage'."
"He prefers the term, `guestage'."
Both even made air quotes with their hands. Wood and Buffy stared at the duo like they had never seen them before. Andrew and JC realized what they did and both started laughing.
"That was a little... different," said Wood slowly. He turned to Buffy. "So you hold him here against his will?"
Buffy had the decency to look abashed. "Well, he was evil, and people got killed, and now he...bakes. It's a thing."
"Oh," said Wood simply.
Andrew put his hands on his hips looking at Buffy frustrated. He tried to but to JC he still looked as sweet as an angel did. "Could we try to keep our secret headquarters a little bit secret? Keep bringing people in, they're gonna see everything. They'll see the big board."
This time everyone was looking at Andrew in confusion. JC didn't know what the hell a `big board' was. But if he was right, Andrew was going to explain it. Andrew huffed and ran off to the living room. They followed him and from behind the armchair he pulled out a white dry erase board.
"I, uh, made it myself," said Andrew timid.
"Oh, I wouldn't have guessed," replied Wood sarcastically.
JC growled in his throat giving the man a cold look. Wood heard the growl and looked at JC surprised. JC gave him an icy look of warning and other man seemed to understand by the brief indication of fear that flashed in his eyes.
The board that Andrew made was approximately 2' x 4', and was labeled: SUNNYDALE "BIG BOARD". Using every color of marker, the board featured a hand-drawn map of Sunnydale, with representations of trees, cemeteries, railroad tracks, and the street grid. A castle was drawn as their headquarters and little "demon faces" scattered about represented the First's appearances.
Andrew pointed to the board. "Uh, this is us. And this represents the First in various incarnations. And, uh, there's no pattern to the naked eye yet, but the instant one emerges, yours truly is on it."
Wood and Buffy look on in sarcastic shock. As one they looked at each other and walked away.
"Is it too hard to understand? I can make it easier," called Andrew.
JC walked to Andrew and helped put the board back. Andrew looked at him anxiously. "Do you think she liked it? She just walked away."
JC didn't want to lie to him. He paused in answering. "I think she did. I think you should have showed it at a later time though. Showing her now in front of him was a bit much."
Andrew didn't appear phased by his advice. He nodded seriously, "Okay, I'll just have to work harder on it and show her that I really do want to be apart of the team."
"I know you do. She does too, I think," responded JC smiling, squeezing Andrew's hand briefly.
On the way back to the kitchen they bumped into Wood and Buffy who had just returned from witnessing the Potentials training in the backyard. JC and Andrew both stopped in their trek.
"Hey, where you going?" asked JC.
Buffy opened a door that led to a set of descending stairs. JC looked down and guessed that this was the basement. Buffy and Wood answered JC's question at the same time, but with different answers.
"We're going go see the vampire," said Wood.
"Have a word with Spike," said Buffy.
JC stopped in mid thought of what he was about to say. His mind ran over their sentences and his brain analyzed them at rapid speed. He ran over the memories of last night's confrontation with Spike. He remembered the strange feeling he got from the bleached blond and the answer hit him like a mack truck...
"Spike's a fucking vampire! I knew there was reason why I don't like him!"
********************************************* I'm on vacation right now, so I have some time to write. So expect the next chapter early next week. In the chapters to come I will be using lines from the show because some of them were just too damn good to leave out. Question: Is it just me or is anyone going through Buffy withdrawal and do you wish this season of Angel picks up?
If you have any comments, feedback or you just want to drop a word. Send them to SilvenFox@yahoo.com