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Chapter 38: Drown
Kerrie and Ralphie stood at the edge of the beach, making out when there was a splash.
"What was that?!" Kerrie asked, looking around.
Ralphie looked around, " What?" he asked.
The splash happened again.
"That noise." Kerri said, looking around frantically.
"Look, I don't hear anything, maybe it's a mermaid." Ralphie joked, going in for a kiss. Before he could meet her lips, something pulled him off the shore. He screamed out and grabbed for Kerri's hand, but missed. Kerri screamed out herself, getting up and running back to the party.
"See," RJ said, " I told you you'd have fun." he said, high-fiving his teammates.
"Do they know we're..." I asked.
"No." he said quickly, " Unless you want them to know."
"No, just wanted to know." I smirked, " Thanks. The mass amounts of homework were about to kill me."
"I know." he said, " You know, you could have just talked to Oz or Doug and they could have helped with that."
I looked at him slowly, " Are you getting tired of me?" I asked.
"Nope, I just want you to be happy." he said.
"I am." I smiled, " And thanks, but I'm really not in the 'interacting with friends' mood." I shrugged.
"You know, I know you miss 'em." RJ said as we walked through the crowd.
I smirked, " They're all I have." I said, moving closely to him, " They've been with me forever."
"So, why are you doing this to them and yourself?" he asked.
"Doing what?" I asked. RJ stared at me, " I don't know." I sighed, " We've all changed a lot. Oz is half wolf, half rockstar, half Watcher, Kelly is a whiz kid, and Doug is a powerful witch. And what am I? The slayer? Sure, in the mystical world it's something, but not in their world. In the human world, I'm a B+ student with no job and a bad history with guys."
"you don't think you're good enough for them?" RJ asked.
"I'm the slayer. The only guy slayer, but what else am I?' I asked.
"The only thing between the world and evil most times." RJ said, " You kick ass. Didn't you say you faced a giant snake and some super vampires? Hell, just taking on vampires is an achievement that most normal people can't do."
"That's it." I said, " Normal people. I'm never gonna be one of them anymore. It's strange. In a house full of potential slayers, they didn't have to be the next slayer. And even after Buffy changed the world...it's not going to change back. I can never be normal again."
RJ looked down at me.
"Umm, and also, I don't have parents." I frowned.
RJ looked me in the eye, " Even if you weren't the slayer, you wouldn't be normal. You are one of a kind and you would be extraordinary." he said.
"Thanks." I smiled, " So, let's make with the partying."
"That's awesome. Look at you...partying." he chuckled.
We stopped at the stage. People were partying, tops were off, bottoms were off...beer was out and the music was so good! The Dingoes.
"Oz is great." RJ smiled.
I looked up at Oz, who smiled down at me, " Yeah...he is." I said, smiling back. Suddenly, there was a scream and everyone looked around, " So much for partying." I said, running towards the scream. When I got there, there was a girl screaming and looking out into the ocean, " What is it?"
"There was...something...it took my boyfriend!" the girl said frantically.
I looked out into the water and saw splashing. I took off my jeans and jacket and put on my goggles, then dove into the ocean, swimming towards the guy. I sighed with relief that I'd brought my goggles because I couldn't see underwater without them. I finally made it and the struggling stopped. I dove deeper, trying to see anything in the dark, but I couldn't. I could feel something with me though. I felt it swim behind me, and I turned to see it, but it was too fast. I back to see a green monster that resembled that monster in the Lagoon movies. Before it could touch me, I tried to swim away but it grabbed me. I kicked at the monster and swam back to the beach as fast as I could. I ran up on the beach in nothing but tighty whiteys. Normally, I would alternate between them and boxers, but RJ and I were going skinny dipping and...well, nevermind.
"Ok, everybody who is not looking at my penis, I couldn't find him." I said, covering myself, " There's definitely something out there though."
"Here's your pants." Kelly said, handing me my pants and jacket.
Groo chuckled nervously as we all headed back to call the police.
"So what do we know?" Groo asked.
Kelly raised her hand and everyone looked at her, " Well, we know that these things like water, right?" she asked.
"Yeah." Oz said.
"What else?" Groo asked.
"Apparently they love to eat people." Doug said quickly.
"Seriously?" Kelly asked.
Groo sighed, " What do they look like? Did the girl ever say anything but (he ran his finger down his lips to signify that she was a loony toon)?" he asked.
"Apparently not." Doug chuckled, " I wonder does Austin know anything?"
They all looked back and forth at each other.
Oz cleared his throat, " I'm not sure." he said, " But I'm looking into it."
"What are you doing besides doing that thing where you stare of into space?" Kelly asked.
"That's called thinking." Doug joked.
"Screw you." Kelly sighed.
"Look, you guys, maybe we should do some recon by the beach." Groo suggested.
"Ooooh! I wanna go!" Kelly said.
"Me too!" Doug said behind them.
"What about you, Oz?" Groo asked.
"I...umm, I'm gonna do some other things." Oz said, getting up and leaving without another word.
"He's taking this whole 'Austin's freaking superiority complex' thing too far." Doug commented.
"Well, they were close." Kelly said.
"Yes." Groo said, looking down.
"Sorry, it's just that...was it such a big deal? So Connor called a few times and we didn't tell him. Connor's in Hell now and it doesn't matter." Doug said, " He's picking his new boyfriend over us."
"So you're gonna mope? You're gonna be all mopey?' Kelly asked.
"No, it's just that..." Doug trailed.
"We all miss him." Kelly said sadly.
"So, are we going to the beach?" Groo asked.
"Yup." Kelly and Doug said in unison, standing and going to get ready.
"So, this is the beach in the daytime?" I asked, laying on my back in the sun.
"You never went to the beach in Sunnydale?" RJ asked, " I mean, I seem to remember us on a beach in Sunnydale."
I chuckled, " Yeah. That was fun and totally not what I meant. I haven't really seen an 'anything' in the daylight." I said, " Like you said, been too busy kicking ass."
"My boyfriend kicks ass." RJ smiled.
I looked up at him, " That's something I didn't expect you to say." I said, looking at him.
"What?" he asked.
"Boyfriend." I said slowly, " You've never said that. You've said that you love me and everything else, but you've never actually referred to me as your boyfriend."
"I guess. I haven't exactly heard you shouting it lately." RJ smirked.
"I have so!" I said.
"Yeah, but you know what. I don't remember hearing you say you love me." RJ said, looking over to me.
"Love you?" I asked, " I have. Before...I'm sure I have."
"No. I don't remember that." RJ said as they laid on the beach. RJ smirked and looked as if he was about to say something, " Austin..."
"Hey!" Kelly said, running up to us.
I looked from her to RJ. RJ shrugged and I smiled at her, " What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Same thing you are." Kelly smirked.
"Oh yeah. We were just on our way out." I said.
"I bet you were." Doug said indifferently.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing." Doug said, " I was just about to say nothing."
I nodded, " I think we should go." I said.
"You sure? We were having fun." RJ said.
I shook my head, " Umm, yu can stay. I have a lot of homework," I said, getting up and grabbing my towel, " I'll see you guys later."
"What about me?" RJ asked.
"Not so much." I said, heading home.
"DOUG!" Kelly said impatiently.
"He was going before I said anything." Doug said, " Let's go for a walk."
"How about you go for a hike." Kelly said, laying down beside RJ. Doug sighed and left down the beach.
"Sorry, I tried." RJ said.
"Thanks...are you sure he's not mad?" Kelly asked.
"I'm sure. You just have to trust me." RJ shrugged.
"I do. It's just that something is coming...something big." she said.
"Really?" RJ asked, " Where's that Groo guy?"
"He is picking up the food. There he comes." Kelly smirked, looking for her hotdog on the tray.
As I waslked up to my house, I saw Oz sitting on the porch. I hesitated for a minute, then kept walking. When I got closer, I could tell Oz was angry. He wasn't prone to showing emotion, but when he did, you know it. He was cute when he was angry.
"Oz, what's..." I started.
"Okay, just listen. Normally, I would just relax and listen to you. And I have. I didn't tell you about Connor because it wasn't important or something you needed to hear. I think you're being stupid! And if you think about it, you'll see you're acting like an ass." Oz growled.
"Oz..." I said.
"....Look, all of us seperated is dangerous and stupid." Oz said.
"OZ! It's not about Connor." I said, sitting on the stairs.
Oz sat beside me, " Really? Good, cause that's all I had." he said, " What's this about?"
"Oz...what do you see when you look at me?" I asked.
"The Slayer." Oz said.
"Exactly! Just a slayer. The Slayer. The Only Male Slayer." I sighed, " What doyou see when you look at Doug and Kelly?" I asked.
"Umm, a jock with super powers and a girl with more brains than she realizes." Oz answered.
"And they get to go to college and get married and do things I will never do. Even you, a werewolf, are a rockstar. What am I? A loser who is living in a house that his grandparents are paying for and that's about it." I said.
"so, you feel inferior?" he asked, " That's a new one."
"Everybody is changing, but I can't." I said sadly, " I'm not going to go from a jock to Harry Potter. I'm not going from a Barbie to a Whiz kid...I go from being kinetic to being dead." I said defeatedly.
"Not true." Oz said, " You have the most potential of all us. You can be a strongman or bounty hunter or spy or something. You save the world weekly and you're a wizard...not to mention you're a pretty sexy person."
I looked at Oz, " You think I'm sexy?" I asked.
Oz chuckled and looked away, " All the time." he said.
"Yeah...I...the demons." I said nervously, " Any idea about monsters?"
"No, but it seems oddly familiar." Oz said.
"Sunnydale? You think something like this happened in Sunnydale?" I asked.
"Yeah." Oz said, obviously thinking.
"Okay...maybe...the yearbook. There was always a strange thing page, and maybe there's some signs on that page!" I said, running up the steps and into the house, followed by Oz. Once inside, I found the yearbook and plopped it on the table, " Here, the swim team." I said.
"I almost forgot..." Oz said, " I don't...I wasn't..."
"We need more info." I said, picking up my cell phone, " Hello, Xander."
Kerrie found herself in the bathroom, clutching a picture of Ralphie. It was of them by a river and they were so happy. She felt a darkness invade her senses as if she could no longer go on.
"Oh, Ralph." Kerrie cried.
"What?" a voice said, causing Kerrie to whirl around and see Ralphie staring at her. He seemed to be leaning to one side and his skin was an awkward, pale blue. He swayed uneasily and looked at her, lusting for her.
"Ralphie?" Kerrie said, looking him up and down, " Where've you been?! What's...what's the matter with you? Ralphie...Ralph!" she screamed as he tottered to her and grabbed her, smashing the window and sliding out!
"So, now you see my predicament?" RJ confessed to Kelly, who just looked over at Groo. Groo looked as if he was angry, then his face contorted into an unreadable one, " How do I tell him?"
"There's this thing with your mouth and just telling him." Groo bursted.
Kelly shot him a venomous look, " Do you love him?" he asked.
"I don't know..." RJ said slowly.
Groo sneered, " So you don't?" he asked.
"I do..." RJ said quickly.
"You don't?" Groo growled.
"He might..." Kelly said, turning to RJ, " You do, right?"
"I DO! I do." RJ said, " But I have to go."
"Why?" Groo asked.
"Because, I'm not suited for much else. I'm a quaterback." RJ smiled, but darkly, " Do you really think it's my destiny to end up with the slayer? As much as I love him, I cannot do anything but love him. I can't protect him...I can't do anything but love him."
Groo slumped back, " That's...you should tell him." he said.
"That was beautiful...if you weren't leaving my best friend, I'd feel sad for you." Kelly said, looking around, " Is it about to rain?"
"I think so, let's pack up." Groo said, alreadying packing things.
RJ was slowed, thinking of the storm, thinking that the storm meant something more. It was anything but good news. Something was coming adn someone was leaving, right? He was leaving. But something bad was on its way.
I had gone back to the beach, trying to find any evidence of the demons, but my search had led me here, to this abandoned building on the pier. The building hooked right into the ocean and was the perfect place for a group of demons to go. Xander, between fights, had described the Sunnydale swim team and filled me in on how they were turned into demons and set free into the ocean. Apparently, they had come home to this Sunnydale-esque town. One major difference, they weren't getting away this time. I clutched my crossbow as I crept through the warehouse. The dark, creepy interior no longer faded me. I kept my cool, but still made sure to look around and watch out for any surprise attacks. There was a muffled noise and I looked up to see the girl from the beach hanging above a pool of water. A laughter came from all around me.
I raised my crossbow, " You do not have to do this. She's your girlfriend." I said into the dark, cold warehouse.
"That's why we need her." he said.
Something rattled and I pointed the crossbow in that direction, " Sorry. I can't let you do that." I said quickly.
"Let me? Who do you think you are?" he chuckled.
I chuckled myself, " You should read more...Look it up, Slay-er." I said confidently, " And this is my town."
"Sounds like this is going to be fun." he growled. His growl was a low, almost moan.
"You have no idea." I said, listening closely. I could hear something. A clomp, but it was overshadowed by a sloshing noise. And the water under me moved quickly.
"My friends are almost here." He chuckled.
"The more the merrier." I smirked. I looked to see him standing by the girl. He licked her face and I raised the crossbow. I didn't want to hit her, so I steadied it. He chuckled and before I could fully prepare, his skin began to peel and he ripped at his skin, pulling it off to reveal a monster. A green one that I saw from the ocean. I shot the crossbow and it struck him, knocking him to the ground! I quickly ran up a ledge and jumped up to the next level of the warehouse...I felt deja vu for a minute, but I shook it off and ran up a few more stairs and jumped to the very top, using all my slayer power. I quickly untied the ropes and let her down.
"Thank you!" she cried, hugging me.
Before I could say anything, I saw the demon running at us and I pushed her onto the second level, but the demon kicked me off the ledge and into the water below! As I gathered myself, I noticed a swirl of things moving around me. I tried to focus, but I couldn't. It was all too fast. I looked for my crossbow but couldn't see it. Suddenly, the swirls stopped and something grabbed my leg and pulled me under. I came face to face with something that looked like the demons, but was way bigger. I suddenly saw that there was so many of the demons that they could have filled the warehouse! I kicked the monster in the face and it hit me so hard I slipped deeper in the water. I hit the floor and looked around, my nose and eyes burning. Something landed beside me and I saw the crossbow. I grabbed it and aimed it straight ahead and shot! I hit something and I stood, underwater, and spring-loaded myself forward! Once I hit the surface, I gasped, trying to catch air. I got to my feet and looked around. I was surrounded by those creatures and severely at a disadvantage. The head demon sprung from the water, growling and that's when I noticed his chest.
I laughed, " Looks like you weren't really that fast, team captain." I snickered.
"How do you know?" he growled.
"Are we going to fight?" I rolled my eyes, " Or are you gonna keep talking?"
He pulled his fist up, trying to hit me, but I kicked him in the stomach and backhanded him! He hit me hard enough to kick my feet from under me and I fell and I could hear the metal grates below me twange. I rolled out of the way of his webbed foot and kicked him in the gut. I got up and three monsters piled on me at once. And the leader punched me in the gut, causing me to almost blackout.
Doug <Austin...You have to get out. I'm going to blow that place up...>
I looked around.
"Not talking now, are you?" The leader asked with a smirk.
I kicked him and flipped backwards, kicking a demon behind me and side-kicking one to the side and elbowing one to the left of me. I ran to the same ledge and jumped to it, but I didn't have time to run up the stairs. I grabbed a nearby rope and swung up to the next level and climbed out the skylight and stopped when I heard something behind me.
"You cost me my love!" Ralphie growled.
I panted, " You followed me? I am so gonna kick your ass." I said slowly.
"I guess I'm going to have to eat you after all." he said.
"Bite me." I said, round-housing the demon through the glass skylight and jumping off the warehouse and into the water below as the building blew up! I was so tired that I couldn't move. The water guided me as I floated up on shore. I laid in the sun, trying to move. The sun beamed down on me as I heard the gasps and the sirens.
Doug <Help me!>
I sat up quickly, panting, and stood. I took off running immediately.
Groo had transformed back to being Titan and he stood over a cauldron...How cliche' and drone, but it was the easiest way. These people had made it too easy to break them up and take them out solo. He didn't need Lindsey or Wolfram and Hart and now was the perfect opportunity to take out one of their big hitters!
"Something wicked this way comes." he smirked.
Doug had left the beach and was onow in a dark room, calling upon some spirit or another to help Austin kill the demons. The last few demons had slid by him, but not anymore. He was going to help. He loved the feeling of power sliding in and out of his body. The spell was already done when Doug flew back against the wall and his nose began to bleed! He felt everything he had being siphoned out of him. At that very moment, the door broke down. Doug looked backwards and saw Austin rush into the room.
"What are you doing?" I asked, walking deeper into the room.
Doug panted, standing, " This is my house...in one of my rooms in my house and you're breaking and entering...friend." he said.
"What?" I asked.
"You just broke down my door!" Doug said, throwing his arms up and causing papers to fly backwards, but I remained where he was.
"So, the rumors are true." I said, turning into Titan, " Tell me, are you scared?"
Doug was, but he would never say so, " Of who?" he asked.
Titan smirked and punched Doug, knocking him against the wall, " Oh, you know...me That battle, the one we all know is coming...well, it's almost here." he said, punching him and then raising his hands and torturing Doug, " This town is gonna swallow you all whole."
"Or choke on us." I said, kicking him in the face. He grabbed my punch and swung me into the wall and I ducked in time to miss his fist as it smashed the wall behind me, " Desquede!" I said, raising my hand at him. He looked at me, stunned, and disappeared.
"Where'd he go?" Oz asked, walking into the room.
"Gotta talk to Will about that." I said, sliding back against the wall next to Doug, who just stared, " What?"
"And you're all worried about me?" Doug chuckled.
"What were you doing?" I asked, looking around. Oz and I watched him.
"It worked, didn't it?" DOug asked, " I did it. They're all gone."
"Whaddya mean?" Oz asked.
"He killed them." I answered.
"Something's coming...monsters are leaving and...the Hellmouth. Something's on its way to kill us."
"Speak for yourself." I smiled.
"Something eviler than evil is coming," Doug said, " We have to be together on this."
I nodded and put my arms around her shoulder, " We already are." I smiled.
When I got home, I was beyond tired. RJ was standing on my porch, waiting.
"RJ?" I asked.
"We have to talk." RJ said sadly.
I shook my head, " That's not good, can I please wash off and..."
"I'm leaving." he said.
I stood there, staring at him. I couldn't believe what he'd just said and I couldn't form the words again. There were no words.
Thank you for reading. If you want another chapter, I'm really going to need more feedback.