One by one, the cars pulled up the snow-covered driveway. The young woman stood at the large paned window, looking outward. Nervously, she brushed a stray lock of red-tinged brown hair back behind her ear. Lexa Townsend was nervous and giddy and jittery and a thousand other little feelings all mixed together. She had spent the last three weeks arranging all this. She only hoped the others would feel the same. She smoothed out the material of the burgundy satin gown she wore and prepared to play hostess.
The first to enter was Jack, his brown hair looking like it had never seen a comb as usual. He at least bothered to dress somewhat respectably, in khakis and a tie. For some who was technically the second oldest person in the gang, he behaved much more like the seventeen year-old he resembled. “Nice…” he muttered as he walked in, eyes taking the home. She couldn’t help but smile at that.
Just a few moments later, his partner in crime, Matt walked up, dressed as always in a silk suit, this time a kind of blue-grey. Smirking faintly, he laid his micro-fiber trench coat across Lexa’s outstretched arms. Saying nothing, he joined Jack in conversing quietly by the fully-stocked dining table. Things were going well so far, but the two most important couples had yet to arrive.
After about 5 minutes, Alex and Jessica pulled up in his black classic Thunderbird. She smiled sadly. Jessice was her best friend, before the vampires that destroyed their school made her one of them. She had a soul now, because of the manipulations of the Dweller, and that made things easier, but not better. They had been lovers as well, before her attraction to Philip tore them apart.
As for Alex, that was a whole different story. Just a few nights ago, the two of them had become… entangled while under a mystical compulsion, which didn’t sit very well with her current boyfriend. Alex had harbored a crush on her for sometime now, and had she and Dante not spontaneously found each other, it might have even gone somewhere. Alex had long antagonized Dante and their little tryst triggered a brawl that almost turned deadly. Things had calmed down, Dante forgave her, and he and Alex were having a tentative truce at the moment.
Jessica practically tackle-hugged her when she opened the door. The petite blonde still looked fifteen thanks to her status as one of the living dead, and her behavior did little to contradict her appearance. Since Jessica and Alex had started dating, their friendship had slowly returned, though the sexual tension between them was still there, if reduced from what it would have been just a couple of years ago.
Lexa took her fleece overcoat and shushed her before she could start firing off questions. “I promise, Jessie, I’ll explain everything shortly. Go over with the others, and I’ll be there as soon as the rest arrive.” Jessica moved past, taking in the contemporary interior like a Japanese tourist at Disney World. Alex walked silently past, smirking not too dissimilarly than Matt. She blushed inwardly, but worked not to let it show. Unlike some compulsions, they both retained full memory of what had occurred, and she knew he was still carrying marks she left on his back and arms.
Finally, Dante and Dawn pulled up in her 350Z. Dawn must have had to practically break his arm to get him to wear something other than jeans and a t-shirt, but she had succeeded. He was wearing a microfiber suit Mat picked up for him, despite his protests, though this one was a charcoal grey, with a solid black tie. Lexa ran her eyes over his frame and wished he’d dress up more often. Men, for some reason, looked better the more they wore, in her opinion. They had such fine frames that just begged to be decorated.
Dawn, on the other hand, was proving that women looked better in less. She had on a long, black velvet dress that fell to her ankles. The material clung to her hips while the the slit up the side afforded a partial view of her well-defined legs. Lace covered the open cleavage, but that only accentuated her form. No matter how often she saw her, Lexa couldn’t help of think of the young woman that was tentatively supposed to be her Watcher as an angel given flesh.
She gave them both a quick kiss before taking their coats. She had had a small crush on Dawn ever since she met her that night at Club Noir, but never expected it to be anything. Then again, she hadn’t exactly thought much of Dante on first meeting. Yet, here she was, 6 months later, involved in a complicated three-way relationship with a Harley-riding, bar-brawling guitar player, and her collegiate Watcher. Dante was quiet as usual, but Dawn had to ask. “Lexa, what is all this?”
Smiling, she slips her arms between those of her two lovers and led them into the dining area. “Alright everyone, I know you’re all wondering what’s going on. For the last few weeks, I’ve been running around, liquidating the gems we brought back from our little backyard archaelogical expedition, into the kind of money needed to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time.”
Lexa disengaged herself from her companions and moved to stand beside the head of the table. “For the last several months, we’ve been working out of Alex’s manor, and we’ve all heard his rumblings about being a Motel 8. Matt lives too far outside of town, and the rest of our lodgings tend to be too small. I’ve always lived either at the school or at the Townsend estate with Uncle Warren. I’ve never had my own home, and I’ve wanted one for some time. I’ve also wanted a way to express my love, not just for the usual suspect, but for all of you. That brings me to where you currently stand.”
“This house is part of a select community of large homes constructed around Crater Lake, which you’ll notice is down the hill a short ways, if you go out on the deck. It’s three stories, and has six bedrooms and four bathrooms. I’ve made up the master for myself, and taken the liberty of decorating rooms for Dawn, Dante, and Jessica should they want to stay here. The other two bedrooms will be left as guest rooms for our never-ending stream of visitors, or for anyone else who wishes to spend the night. As for the rest, follow me.”
The others filed quietly behind her, as she led them on a guided tour of her new home. “As you can see, the two car garage has been converted. One of them I’ve set up as a workshop for Dante and his bikes. I even had it sound-proofed she he wish to play his guitar at odd hours of the day.” She looked up at the man who had made her confront her demons and smiled at him warmly before leading them downstairs to the lower level.
“I took the liberty of having the den converted into a study, stocked with books not only on the supernatural, but the scientific as well. I know I’m the only one here with a background in biology and chemistry, but I figured it would be a nice thing to have.” She glanced shyly at Dawn. “I managed to acquire a few tomes on magical art and lore I saw you looking at over at Greg’s shop. I wanted you to have a place to work as well.”
Dawn said nothing, and instead squeezed her hand for a moment. The young woman had always been quiet on the subject of their relationship. She and Dante had dated a few times before Lexa stumbled into the picture. By her own admission, she had never really been interested in women, and while she had found Lexa’s not-as-subtle-as-she-had-hoped attentions kinda flattering, it hadn’t been anything she would ever have pursued.
Fate threw them all a curve ball, and after that fateful Halloween party, the three of them had wound up sharing a bed together. Dawn never rebuffed any of Lexa’s slowly increasing physical advances towards her, and after a while, even returned them. Dante and Lexa had made their feelings for each plainly known (though not without the usual drama and questioning), and while Dante and Lexa had made it plain they were in love with Dawn, the young Watcher had deftly avoided clarifying her feelings for them, and neither were willing to push her.
She and Dante shared a passion, as well as a connection borne of the tragedies that had shaped their lives. With Dawn it was different. She was bright and vibrant, seeing the good in everything, forcing everyone in their group to take a higher road than they normally would. There was also a calming presence.
All this rushed through the Slayer’s mind as she slowly unveiled what could only be interpreted as long-term plans not just for her and Dante, but for this young woman who had just embarked on her own life, away from that of her sister and her friends. She forced herself to look into Dawn’s eyes, searching for some sign of what her Watcher was feeling, but all she saw was a quiet sadness in her eyes that didn’t match the soft smile she wore. A part of Lexa shuddered at the thought that she had gone too far, but she quickly pushed that aside to be dealt with later. December 26 may be a black day for her, but, by God, she was going to make the 24 th and 25 th memorable.
The tour continued, showing off the expansive deck/porch which provided an amazing view of Crater Lake. Lexa made a special note to point out the boat dock to Jack, with the addition that the lake was stocked with fish. “Fish?” the not-so-young man said, face lighting up. She never understood the draw of the so-called sport, but Jack embraced it with a quiet passion that was almost disturbing. The training room was also a highlight, as was the home theatre room. A place such as this would have been beyond her just a month ago, but the jewels she had brought back as a reward from a long-dead pharaoh had been more than enough for her to throw away the scads of money all this required without damaging the trust fund left to her by her parents. The rest Uncle Warren helped her invest so while she’d never be a true multi-millionaire in the classical sense, she’d never have to work a day in her life if she managed her finances properly.
With the show concluded, everyone returned to the main floor for dinner. Lexa was never much of a cook so she hired the best caterer she could locate to make and deliver the dinner with the provision she’d take responsibility for leftovers and cleanup afterwards. She liked her friends too much to risk poisoning them with her cooking on Christmas. So much had been invested in making this perfect, the Slayer though, what did it matter if she had to spend a few hundred on dinner?
All this brought to her mind another oddity as to why she and Dante found themselves so completely taken with each other. He had traveled the world with barely any money in his pocket. She had grown up in a private girls’ prep school, scion of a large old-money family. Part of her said she should feel somewhat ashamed for this flagrant display of wealth, but she was just happy that she could do this, not only for herself but for those she cared about.
With a smooth motion from Lexa, the lights were dimmed to allow the white light of the snow-covered tree to provide primary illumination, coupled with the scattered candles she’d decorated the table and room with. The conversation was animated as they all joked with one another, reminiscing about everything that had happened since they all fell in together. Champagne flowed freely and so did the laughter. After nearly two hours, everyone moved down to the great room.
A few of Jack’s old friends showed up and dropped off gifts. They even got to meet Jack’s progenitor. The two were so similar it was terrifying. They had learned two weeks ago that Jack was in fact a clone of an Air Force general, but seeing the two of them standing side by side, exchanging sarcastic shots at each other all the while mirroring each other’s little gestures subconsciously was disconcerting. Even more amusing was that the fifty-year-old version seemed no more mature or calmer than his seventeen-year-old counterpart. Once a few words were exchanged, the group vanished in a flash of light. Lexa shook her head, at the irony that even though she fought vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness, she still found the concept of interstellar travel and megalomaniacal aliens to be unbelievable.
The night wound down as the hours moved into the early A.M. Matt retired early, having consumed a fair amount of the champagne. Jessie decided to grab Alex by the hand, and dragged him off to her room, whispering softly about christening it. Moments later, her laughter echoed down the hallway as she had to explain the concept to the 270 year-old Totem Warrior. Without a word, Jack just grabbed a beer and stood out on the deck, admiring the nights view now that the snowfall had eased up to a light flurry, leaving Lexa, Dawn, and Dante alone.
The hostess quietly stood up and excused herself to clean up the dining room before retiring, to which Dawn and Dante moved to follow. Dante brought china and dishes from the dining room while the two young women rinsed what they could and left the rest to soak. Despite having stared down hell itself over the last year and a half, it took an extreme effort for Lexa to finally find her voice. “What do you think?” It was such a simple question, yet she, the Slayer, couldn’t help but feel uncertain about the answer.
Dawn gently set down the plate she had been cleaning off. A moment passed before she spoke. “I haven’t really had a home, not since mom died. Willow and Tara tried, but without Buffy it wasn’t home. Then Buffy came back, but she was all wrong.” She slowly turned her head to look at the nervous Slayer. “Even after she found her reason to live, it just wasn’t the same. First, Mom and then Tara had died in that house. It couldn’t be home anymore.”
She smiled sorrowfully, much as she had back when she saw the study. “We went to Rome, but nothing changed. The apartment was nice, but it was too weird, being across the world. It felt more like a vacation than a real move.” Neither of them noticed Dante’s silent return. “I guess, I’ve just been missing that, coming home, and tonight I felt like I finally had.”
Without another word being said, the two of them just hugged. Lexa was the first to break the silence. “Welcome home, angel,” she whispered. Off in the doorway, Dante added, “I think I can say she pretty much spoke for both of us there.” A smile broke out on the Slayer’s face. She had wondered if he would have found all this a bit ostentatious. He was a simple, straightforward individual who didn’t require much to be happy, as evidenced by the Spartan nature of the apartment he lived in when they first met.
The two girls pulled apart. “I had hoped you’d like it.” She could feel herself beaming, she couldn’t help it. She looked at Dante as he walked towards them, his usually tousled hair neatly brushed back. His tie had been loosened, but amazingly enough he hadn’t removed it. He lightly caressed the side of her neck as he let a smile creep into his eyes. “I love it, and you; both of you.” The brunette moved in to kiss him, but he held her back.
Instead of their usual passionate embrace that had been their trademark ever since their battle beneath Boyd Manor, the biker-turned-champion leaned in slowly for a long soft kiss. The move surprised Lexa, as this was unlike him. Their affair had always been a wild, passionate one.
It had begun one afternoon, exploring the caverns beneath Boyd Manor, hunting Elizabeth, a former Slayer-turned-Vampire that had tormented Alex for centuries. Recent events had driven her further into her shell, and Dante kept making overtures, trying to reach her. For his kindness, she made a heavy handed attempt to tease him sexually, which devolved into a full-on brawl. It was there he proved his totem as that of the bear; while she was faster, she could not hope to challenge his strength, and soon he had her restrained. His attempts to reach her in her fury made him realize how much the two of them had in common.
Once calmed, Lexa fell apart and confessed her sins; of how she drove away her best friend and lover for another, who was turned into a vampire and killed the very same friend. Tears pouring out of her, she told how she sealed the vampires in the dormitory halls and burned them to the ground along with any other potential victims/survivors, and how the screams of the vampires as they died tormented her at night. Cleansed by tears and the admission of the truth, Dante’s grapple turned from restraint to comfort and without meaning to, they shared their first kiss in the shadow of the Hellmouth.
Later that night, at the Halloween party held inside Boyd Manor, a confrontation with Elizabeth turned deadly as a more emotionally stable Lexa drove off the twisted ex-Slayer and her minions. The slaughter of the partygoers was ended when Lexa and Dante decapitated the vampire known as the Professor in a perfectly synchronized joint effort. Months later, it had been Dawn who was the one to introduce them to the concept of love-making as opposed to the animal passion they normally indulged in, but that had just been the one evening and their instructor had been the focus of their attention. That was the night they both realized they actually loved the attractive anthropology student.
Lexa and Dante had shared in the tenderness that night, but this kiss was different still. It wasn’t tentative and nervous; it lacked the awkwardness that was prevalent that night between Totem Warrior and Slayer. Now the two just slowly melted into one another. The fierce grip that held her firm was replaced with the gentle caress of his hand sliding down her back. Rather than grab his neck in an attempt to devour his mouth with hers, Lexa ran her fingers through his hair. Time seemed to stop, but eventually they moved apart. Looking to her right, the Slayer saw her Watcher doing just that, a smile on her lips, and even though she made no sound, one could see the joyful laughter in her eyes.
Without a word, Dawn moved forward and shared the same embrace with Dante. Moving back to lean against the counter, Lexa enjoyed the view of her two lovers delicately enveloping each other. Others would have felt jealousy at such a sight, but not this one. Instead a warm feeling blossomed in her heart, and all she could think of was if she and Dante had looked as beautiful a few moments ago. Beauty and the Beast; Lexa stifled a giggle at the thought.
They were such disparities, Lexa thought. Though she and Dawn were the exact same height, the younger Slayer always seemed taller and more equal to the more imposing Dante. Seeing the two of them like this, it always struck her that it would seem like the more imposing man would break the fragile-seeming college freshman. She knew better, though. Dawn had shown a strength of spirit that belied her outward appearance. It would not have surprised her to find that the burgeoning sorceress outlived them all.
The pair finally separated, and stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment. Dawn then turned to her charge and slowly stretched her hand out to her. Lexa hesitated only a moment, before taking the proffered hand. With a look not of mischief or lust but of a deep and unabiding affection, Dawn’s lips found Lexa’s. It was not their first kiss, and they had shared similar soft moments that night weeks ago, but this was new in a way she could not explain. As much as she thrilled to kiss her, there had always been this slight undercurrent of tension that her Watcher would come to her senses and stop their “experimentation” at any moment. Secretly, she often wondered if this ever would have come about without Dante’s involvement, and if it would end between them as well should something ever happen to him.
All that doubt dissolved away as she felt Dawn’s fingertips lightly trace the edge of her cheek. The same warmth that came over her and Dante during their embrace spread throughout the two women, and it was mutual, both could tell. When they moved apart, Lexa started to say “I love you”, but stopped herself, not out of fear, but because it wasn’t necessary. She knew how she felt, and whatever it was between them was real and beautiful entirely its own entity. Maybe it wasn’t love, maybe it was just affection tempered with a mutual attraction to the same man. It didn’t matter. All she needed to know was that they were happy together, and she was determined to enjoy this complicated and wonderful situation to its absolute fullest.
Without a word of warning, Dante swept Lexa up and carried her laughing into the bedroom, which was promptly repeated with Dawn. Depositing them both side by side on the large queen-size bed, Lexa reached up and pulled him to her by his tie, receiving another soft, deep kiss. As she felt a pair of soft hands slowly pull the straps of her gown off her shoulders, Lexa Townsend knew that she, too, had finally come home.