The Drinks - August 18th
Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 18
Title: The Drinks
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/SPN
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Supernatural people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Buffy settles into her life after following Sam to Stanford.
Notes: Follows Galena, Illinois (Redux)
Seasons: Post-“Gift”/Pre-series
Word Count: 1265
August 2002
“Hey,” Buffy said sliding into the booth.
“Hey,” Sam greeted with a wide smile. “You know, you didn’t have to do this.”
“I did, actually,” she replied. “I was accepted to a community college a town over.”
“Really?”
“In about eighteen months, I’ll be an EMT.”
“Medicine?”
“I no longer have a Watcher or a vampire or any kind of friend who has spent years putting me back to rights after a bad fight. Besides, after demons and vampires, humans are easy to handle when they get violent.” Plus after her time with the Winchesters…Hunters needed someone trained in medicine.
Sam considered her. “You’re still going to fight?”
“If I have a choice, no probably not. But I learned what I want and what happens are two completely different things.” She sighed. “We’re supposed to be celebrating.”
“Because we made it a week without Dean appearing and dragging me back?”
“Maybe. But, no, we should celebrate life. As long as this is the life you choose, enjoy it.”
“You don’t think it’ll last,” he noted.
“I think when you know what goes bump in the night, it’s really hard to ignore the shadows.”
“I just wanted my own life.”
Buffy put her hand over his. “Then take it, Sam.”
“You can do it too.”
“I’m hoping so.”
88888888
Buffy sprawled out on the floor of Sam’s dorm room.
“I’m headed to class,” Sam told her as he stepped over her.
She took a swipe at his foot, grinning when he danced away. She pulled herself into his bed and tossed her blanket over her head.
“Too many early classes,” Sam’s roommate noted with annoyance.
Buffy grunted her agreement. Not that she had much time for a lie-in. She would have to get up and get to class soon enough. After that would be her night job as a nursing assistant. Between her strength, her ability to ignore shit, and her flawlessly clean background check, she had been able to land a job fairly simply.
As soon as she had enough, she would rent an apartment and get out of Sam’s dorm. His roommate didn’t seem to mind, but every week she stayed risked their exposure.
88888888
May 2004
Buffy kept her count going, lost in the rhythm. She didn’t know how long it was before someone stood across from her. Ash, he was taking over. She put her hands up and backed away.
“Hold compressions,” the doctor ordered. The EKG flatlined. The doctor did a review of the code, before calling it.
“Elizabeth?” Monica got her attention.
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“No…but I’m used to that.”
Monica gave her a grim look. “It’s late, you said you needed to be out of here by six.”
Buffy looked at the clock. “Damn.”
“What’s so important?”
“My brother’s twenty-first,” she said as she ran for the showers.
88888888
Buffy was late, she was irked. She raced through the college bar, skirting around flirty girls and drunk guys.
“Buffy!” someone called.
She turned and saw Sam. He grinned and waved her over. She slid into the booth next to him and wrapped him in a hug.
“Happy birthday,” she said.
“So this is the famous Buffy?” someone asked.
“Famous?” Buffy asked, pulling back. “Infamous, maybe.”
“This is her,” Sam confirmed. “Buffy, you remember Patrick and Brady?” He pointed to the guys across from them.
“Hey, guys,” she said.
“And this is Jessica,” Sam said, gesturing to the blonde next to him.
Buffy reached across Sam to shake Jessica’s hand.
“What’ll it be?” a waitress asked.
Buffy raised her hand. “A pitcher of water, two pitchers of whatever is on tap, and five Four Horsemen.” She put a couple bills on the tray. “Rest of it is yours.”
“Thanks!” the girl chirped.
“So,” Patrick said. “Been busy, Buffy?”
“Meh, mostly work and home.”
“If you need a break for some fun…”
“Dude,” Sam snapped.
“Don’t interfere,” Buffy said swatting Sam’s arm. “Don’t you know that if a twenty-something is working with no man in sight, she must be desperate?”
“You can do better,” Brady told her with a suggestive eyebrow raise.
“You have got to stop doing this,” Sam begged.
Buffy chuckled and leaned towards Jessica. “Sam is just easy to tease.”
The waitress came back over with their drink order and set everything down. They spread everything out.
“You work in a hospital?” Jessica asked Buffy.
“Yeah. I’m an ER tech. Also volunteer a weekend a month to the fire department.”
“So you are the saint Sam described.”
“He only worships not having to work for summer housing,” Buffy replied with a grin.
“I think he’s just proud of you,” Jessica noted.
Buffy grinned at her brother. “I feel the same.”
88888888
The phone ringing made Buffy step away from where Sam was putting Jessica into a cab.
“Hey,” she answered the phone.
“You get him a Four Horsemen?” Dean asked.
“Of course. Only one of his friends didn’t make it through all of them.”
“Lightweight?”
“Nah, just preferred beer to shots.”
“And you?”
“Please, Slayers don’t even feel that.”
He went quiet for a moment. “How is he?”
“Good, Dean. He’s good.”
“Dad took off a few days ago. He called tonight, in his cups.”
Buffy rolled her eyes. If there was one thing she had learned in her year on the road with the Winchesters, it was the John was a drunk. Dean seemed to ignore it, but Sam never handled it well.
“You taking me back to my dorm?” Sam asked as he walked up behind her.
Buffy snapped her phone closed. “Of course. Can’t get my little brother drunk without walking him to his door.”
Sam grinned at her a little tipsy.
88888888
Buffy didn’t bother to take out her keys as she approached her apartment door. She already knew that the lock had been picked. She pushed open the door, leaning against the frame to stare at the scene before her.
“Hey, kid.”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “John.”
“Did you buy a few rounds for him?”
“Yeah. I did. And I met his girlfriend and swatted at his friends’ advances.” She set her bag on the table and kicked the door closed. “We really need to talk about your knack for breaking and entering.”
“How is he?”
“I’m great,” she bit out. “Lost a patient today. Seventeen, drowning. Took care of woman who was ancient and couldn’t remember things from one moment to the next.” She stopped herself. “But that’s not my job is it? No. Apparently I was put on this earth again to watch after Sam. ‘Cuz little bro needs super-powered big sis, but she doesn’t get to have a life.”
“I told you-”
“Yeah,” she cut him off. “If I was willing to die for a girl I knew wasn’t my sister, I should be willing to look after Sam.” She set her hands on her hips. “And I’d do anything for Sam and Dean. Even you. But this isn’t exactly a life, waiting for something without any information.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Because that has gone so well the last three years.”
“I know you’re angry-”
“I’m not Sam or Dean. I learned not to swallow the shit someone fed me just because they claimed to know better than me,” she snapped. “So either tell me what I need to know or stop showing up on my doorstep drunk.”
John watched her with bloodshot eyes for a moment, then he closed them and feigned sleep.
He was gone before Buffy rose the next morning.
Title: The Drinks
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/SPN
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Supernatural people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Buffy settles into her life after following Sam to Stanford.
Notes: Follows Galena, Illinois (Redux)
Seasons: Post-“Gift”/Pre-series
Word Count: 1265
August 2002
“Hey,” Buffy said sliding into the booth.
“Hey,” Sam greeted with a wide smile. “You know, you didn’t have to do this.”
“I did, actually,” she replied. “I was accepted to a community college a town over.”
“Really?”
“In about eighteen months, I’ll be an EMT.”
“Medicine?”
“I no longer have a Watcher or a vampire or any kind of friend who has spent years putting me back to rights after a bad fight. Besides, after demons and vampires, humans are easy to handle when they get violent.” Plus after her time with the Winchesters…Hunters needed someone trained in medicine.
Sam considered her. “You’re still going to fight?”
“If I have a choice, no probably not. But I learned what I want and what happens are two completely different things.” She sighed. “We’re supposed to be celebrating.”
“Because we made it a week without Dean appearing and dragging me back?”
“Maybe. But, no, we should celebrate life. As long as this is the life you choose, enjoy it.”
“You don’t think it’ll last,” he noted.
“I think when you know what goes bump in the night, it’s really hard to ignore the shadows.”
“I just wanted my own life.”
Buffy put her hand over his. “Then take it, Sam.”
“You can do it too.”
“I’m hoping so.”
88888888
Buffy sprawled out on the floor of Sam’s dorm room.
“I’m headed to class,” Sam told her as he stepped over her.
She took a swipe at his foot, grinning when he danced away. She pulled herself into his bed and tossed her blanket over her head.
“Too many early classes,” Sam’s roommate noted with annoyance.
Buffy grunted her agreement. Not that she had much time for a lie-in. She would have to get up and get to class soon enough. After that would be her night job as a nursing assistant. Between her strength, her ability to ignore shit, and her flawlessly clean background check, she had been able to land a job fairly simply.
As soon as she had enough, she would rent an apartment and get out of Sam’s dorm. His roommate didn’t seem to mind, but every week she stayed risked their exposure.
88888888
May 2004
Buffy kept her count going, lost in the rhythm. She didn’t know how long it was before someone stood across from her. Ash, he was taking over. She put her hands up and backed away.
“Hold compressions,” the doctor ordered. The EKG flatlined. The doctor did a review of the code, before calling it.
“Elizabeth?” Monica got her attention.
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“No…but I’m used to that.”
Monica gave her a grim look. “It’s late, you said you needed to be out of here by six.”
Buffy looked at the clock. “Damn.”
“What’s so important?”
“My brother’s twenty-first,” she said as she ran for the showers.
88888888
Buffy was late, she was irked. She raced through the college bar, skirting around flirty girls and drunk guys.
“Buffy!” someone called.
She turned and saw Sam. He grinned and waved her over. She slid into the booth next to him and wrapped him in a hug.
“Happy birthday,” she said.
“So this is the famous Buffy?” someone asked.
“Famous?” Buffy asked, pulling back. “Infamous, maybe.”
“This is her,” Sam confirmed. “Buffy, you remember Patrick and Brady?” He pointed to the guys across from them.
“Hey, guys,” she said.
“And this is Jessica,” Sam said, gesturing to the blonde next to him.
Buffy reached across Sam to shake Jessica’s hand.
“What’ll it be?” a waitress asked.
Buffy raised her hand. “A pitcher of water, two pitchers of whatever is on tap, and five Four Horsemen.” She put a couple bills on the tray. “Rest of it is yours.”
“Thanks!” the girl chirped.
“So,” Patrick said. “Been busy, Buffy?”
“Meh, mostly work and home.”
“If you need a break for some fun…”
“Dude,” Sam snapped.
“Don’t interfere,” Buffy said swatting Sam’s arm. “Don’t you know that if a twenty-something is working with no man in sight, she must be desperate?”
“You can do better,” Brady told her with a suggestive eyebrow raise.
“You have got to stop doing this,” Sam begged.
Buffy chuckled and leaned towards Jessica. “Sam is just easy to tease.”
The waitress came back over with their drink order and set everything down. They spread everything out.
“You work in a hospital?” Jessica asked Buffy.
“Yeah. I’m an ER tech. Also volunteer a weekend a month to the fire department.”
“So you are the saint Sam described.”
“He only worships not having to work for summer housing,” Buffy replied with a grin.
“I think he’s just proud of you,” Jessica noted.
Buffy grinned at her brother. “I feel the same.”
88888888
The phone ringing made Buffy step away from where Sam was putting Jessica into a cab.
“Hey,” she answered the phone.
“You get him a Four Horsemen?” Dean asked.
“Of course. Only one of his friends didn’t make it through all of them.”
“Lightweight?”
“Nah, just preferred beer to shots.”
“And you?”
“Please, Slayers don’t even feel that.”
He went quiet for a moment. “How is he?”
“Good, Dean. He’s good.”
“Dad took off a few days ago. He called tonight, in his cups.”
Buffy rolled her eyes. If there was one thing she had learned in her year on the road with the Winchesters, it was the John was a drunk. Dean seemed to ignore it, but Sam never handled it well.
“You taking me back to my dorm?” Sam asked as he walked up behind her.
Buffy snapped her phone closed. “Of course. Can’t get my little brother drunk without walking him to his door.”
Sam grinned at her a little tipsy.
88888888
Buffy didn’t bother to take out her keys as she approached her apartment door. She already knew that the lock had been picked. She pushed open the door, leaning against the frame to stare at the scene before her.
“Hey, kid.”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “John.”
“Did you buy a few rounds for him?”
“Yeah. I did. And I met his girlfriend and swatted at his friends’ advances.” She set her bag on the table and kicked the door closed. “We really need to talk about your knack for breaking and entering.”
“How is he?”
“I’m great,” she bit out. “Lost a patient today. Seventeen, drowning. Took care of woman who was ancient and couldn’t remember things from one moment to the next.” She stopped herself. “But that’s not my job is it? No. Apparently I was put on this earth again to watch after Sam. ‘Cuz little bro needs super-powered big sis, but she doesn’t get to have a life.”
“I told you-”
“Yeah,” she cut him off. “If I was willing to die for a girl I knew wasn’t my sister, I should be willing to look after Sam.” She set her hands on her hips. “And I’d do anything for Sam and Dean. Even you. But this isn’t exactly a life, waiting for something without any information.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Because that has gone so well the last three years.”
“I know you’re angry-”
“I’m not Sam or Dean. I learned not to swallow the shit someone fed me just because they claimed to know better than me,” she snapped. “So either tell me what I need to know or stop showing up on my doorstep drunk.”
John watched her with bloodshot eyes for a moment, then he closed them and feigned sleep.
He was gone before Buffy rose the next morning.