Disclaimer: Every character that has been taken from BtVS or AtS belongs to Joss Whedon. Every other character belongs to me.

A/N: Another chapter beta'd by lovely Fetching Mad Scientist. What was this film's title? "My Beta Is Great and I'm Not?" :) If there are any mistakes left, they're totally my fault.

Still looking for a person, who'd like to make a banner for this story.

***

Los Angeles, 2006

The next morning Carrie had a hell of a headache. Though she had been expecting it – new place, new people, lots and lots of thoughts – it didn’t make it any easier to deal with. Jenna was sitting beside her, looking a bit frightened. She handed her friend some painkillers and a glass of water.

“Feeling any better?”

Carrie smiled at her weakly. “It’s not like the pain will vanish the second after taking a medicine,” she pointed out. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. So,” she took a sip of her water, “did you phone your parents?”

Jenna expected she would hear this question soon, but she didn’t have to like it, “Like they care.”

“Sis, they’re going to be worried sick! They let you go because you promised you’d phone home immediately after we got here. That was a day ago. And you know that when Spike learn that you constantly forget about contacting them he’ll put you on a first bus to Greenville.”

“Carrie, they probably haven’t even noticed that I’m gone – “

“They love you very much. They just have other problems right now – “

“Yeah, getting divorced is a big thing, isn’t it?” Jenna snorted. “Who’d find a second for their own daughter? This year I’ve spent more time in your, and Spike’s, house than in my own. And, did I hear any complaints? Come on, would any normal parents allow their kid to bond with an eccentric Englishman and his rebellious cousin? – “

“I don’t want to argue with you… Jen, just promise me that you’ll let them know you’re still alive. Pretty please? I don’t care about… Argh!” Suddenly, Carrie caught her head and moaned unhappily.

“Okay, okay, I promise I will. Just calm down and stop worrying, it only makes the pain worse… Maybe I’ll go for Spike?” Jenna quickly offered. She felt a bit guilty, because she shouldn’t have used her best friend’s headache to avoid this talk. Jenna was just glad to get out of Greenville, far away from her parents' arguing and flying plates… That’s probably why Spike had agreed to take her with them – well, besides introducing her to the Council, of course. Personally, Jenna would gladly forget about this second reason; but, like she had avowed earlier, she trusted Spike also on this one.

Carrie watched the slayer. Seeing Jenna’s internal struggle, she decided to let it go and leave this talk for another occasion. She massaged her temples, considering Jenna’s idea. “Nah, no need to worry him. He had a rough night, remember?”

Indeed, Spike had been out again shortly after popping in to check on them and scaring off Giles. Carrie suspected that Angel had sent him to collect some information. Spike had always been able, if not to blend in and listen, then, to force the right people to say the right things. Either by drinking, bribing, beating them up, or just making friends. He was a master in this area.

Now he had to be sleeping, and Carrie wanted him to rest. She could feel his nervousness, how hard it was for him to see all those people again. He had to have his full strength to get through tomorrow night.

And well, she had been living with him for like…? Two years? She knew it was far too early for him to get up.

She closed her eyes and lay quietly.

“Maybe you want to stay alone for awhile? I’ll go, if you – “ Jenna started, getting up from the bed, but Carrie grabbed her arm, her eyes snapping open.

“Please, stay,“ she asked quietly. “It’s better having you here.”

“But it must be disturbing, you’ll never rest properly with me thinking out loud,” Jenna joked lightly.

“Believe me, everyone in this hotel is thinking out loud. Your thoughts are nice,” Carrie murmured, shutting her eyes again. “Friendly. Friendly thoughts are good. You don’t mind staying, do you?”

The slayer replied with a smile, “Hey, friends are definitely for radiating friendly thoughts.”

“So I’m friends now?” Carrie teased. “About a year ago you, quote, ‘hated that pink monkey’, end of quote.”

Jenna smiled, “Well, you’re still a pink monkey but – “

Carrie jumped up and hit Jenna with a pillow. She was definitely feeling better.


***

Greenville, 2005

Each time she had to cross St. James’s park she felt as if she entered some kind of a sanctuary. But not a holy, calming one – St. James’s was a place where two people had died. ‘Three, actually,’ she corrected herself. Rutheford, anonymous girl, and herself. At least, that was what the Council’s database was now stating.

It was getting late and she had to hurry if she wanted to get home before the sundown. Of course, she wouldn’t have been that long at school if she could have helped it – unfortunately, Mrs. Roberts was very strict about her helping with some stupid science project. It wasn’t her fault she was good at Maths and Physics.

Maybe, in a different life, Jenna would be happy to stay after school and do pointless experiments with a bunch of other kids. However, in this one, she had only one wish – go home early, do her homework and get some sleep before the next patrol. Was it too much to ask for? –

Jenna stopped abruptly. She stared at one of the park benches, currently occupied by a person she wanted to see the least. She was actually ready to turn around and walk away (not a thing a slayer would do, yes, but these weren’t working hours anyway), when the person looked up from the book she was reading, and looked right at her.

And made it impossible for her to flee.

‘Damn it.’

Jenna hoped, that looking ostentatiously away, and passing by as if nobody was there would be the key to successfully getting away.

Well, she was wrong.

“You’re avoiding me,” Carrie stated calmly, forcing Jenna to stop and look at her. “How long will you keep pretending that I’m not here?”

“Until you aren’t,” Jenna told the other girl angrily. “I’ll make it clear for you: I don’t want to have anything to do with you. Okay? So, leave me alone. It’s getting late, my parents are going to freak out if I don’t come back in thirty minutes.” She resumed walking.

“Jenna!” Carrie called after her. “You know we can’t leave it like that. Something has to be done – “

“Yeah, you can move to the other side of the globe! You and your vampire buddy.”

Carrie rolled her eyes. “Is that what this is all about? You’re afraid of Spike?”

In a few leaps, Jenna was standing right in front of Carrie. “I am not afraid of any vampire,” she said through gritted teeth.

“So why are you running away?”

“Him – vampire. Me – slayer. You – not wanting the bloodshed. Are you getting the picture?”

“It doesn’t have to be that way.”

“Why are you so desperate to make me – I don’t know – like him?” Jenna asked, not knowing how to get rid of Carrie.

“Because… I-it’s important, “ the pink-haired girl finished, unsure. “I can’t tell you why it is… not when I’m not certain you won’t – “

“Right. When you’ll finally be able to tell why it’s so important,” Jenna mocked, “call me. Adios.”

She sped up, cursing her bad luck. This little talk had cost her those precious minutes that parted her from the sundown – it was already dark. But no, that couldn’t have been the end of her trouble. Jenna didn’t even get a chance to leave St. James’s – in a few minutes, she heard a scream. Someone in a disturbingly familiar voice called for help.

‘Guess my shift has just started,’ she thought grimly, before running back to the place she had talked to Carrie. The nearer she was, the more positive she was getting. She felt goosebumps covering her skin, when her slayer senses kicked in – vampires.

And indeed, two of them were after the girl. She was very fast, Jenna could see it, but not fast enough – they surrounded her and while she was trying to avoid the first demon, the other one grabbed her arm. When Carrie turned around and kicked him in the guts, the second vamp hit her in the head. Carrie fell helplessly; her short, pink hair quickly became red on the left side. Jenna caught a glimpse of a stake Carrie was holding, too weak to use it.

The slayer stepped in.

The vampires, certain that the prey was too hurt to get away, turned their ugly faces in Jenna’s direction. Deep in the pocket of her jacket, she clenched her own weapon, waiting for them to strike. To her surprise, they stayed in place and dropped the game faces.

They weren’t going to attack. Weren’t they hungry for another girl?

“What are you doing here?” The first one snarled, stepping in front of Carrie’s motionless form.

“Nothing,” she replied innocently. “Just, you know, walking by.”

“Make sure you’ll walk by in the other direction,” the second vampire said threateningly. “There’s no reason for you to wander around here.”

“Not exactly,” Jenna started slowly, stretching vowels. “This girl and I,” she pointed to Carrie, who was now lying in a pool of her own blood, “we’ve got some unfinished business.” With every carefully said word, Jenna was approaching the demons. “You know, I just hate that pink monkey… I want to watch you hurting her.”

No vampire could stay indifferent to such pure cruelty and malice. Those two burst into a sincere laugh.

Jenna took another few steps.

“You heard that, Jim? God, isn’t she the sweetest sadist you’ve ever seen? Can we keep her?”

“If it was up to me, we’d make her one of us,” Jim agreed, looking at Jenna in awe. “But it’s not our call. Leave her, Sam, we’ve got a work to do. Boss would stake us for getting distracted. And you, girl, run off, we’re – “ Before he could finish that sentence, Jenna plunged a stake into his heart.

It didn’t go that easy with the remaining vampire. Jenna was so caught up in the fight, she didn’t notice Carrie, who managed to stand up, stake in hand. Nor did the vamp. He paid a high price for his lack of awareness – Carrie staked him, just like his friend – absolutely taken by surprise.

Both now covered in dust, the girls stood in front of each other, panting.

And then Carrie collapsed.

Jenna knelt by her side – she was still conscious. The slayer gently touched Carrie’s head, eyeing her wound. “It looks ugly,” she told her sincerely. “We have to get you to a hospital.”

“No hospitals,” Carrie cried in panic. “I have to go home, I have to – “

“Damn, girl, if we don’t get you patched up, you won’t stop bleeding! I’ll call for help.”

“No help, no hospitals. Too dangerous. More of them. Wilson’s Avenue, 2098. Please.”

Jenna shook her head. “I can’t carry you on my back – “

There was a glimpse of humour in Carrie’s eyes. “Thought you were a slayer.”

Jenna couldn’t think of an answer to that, so she just helps the other girl stand up; and half carrying her, started walking in the Wilson’s Avenue direction.