Chapter 30: When It Rains It Pours
We finally get back to Aunt Dee’s at around 4 o’clock. We went to a restaurant after the burial.
Aunt Dee invited the Scoobs back to the house, but they gotta go research. We’ve gotta find out about Alicia and my father and what this shit all means. We decide to do the glamour switch though. Buffy’s gonna be Dawn and come back with me to my Aunt’s. Giles is stayin’ too, the others including Vi as Buffy will be tryin’ to wrap this shit up.
At my aunt’s place, Me and B try to get as close to each other as possible, without looking like that’s what we’re doin’ but a couple of times we just naturally gravitated towards each other. It’s hard to break that kinda habit, I guess.
I go upstairs to change and I hear Leah and Kara say they’re gonna take Kara’s grandmother home, she lives about an hour away, so they ask Aunt Dee to watch Joey. He’s down there right now entertainin’ the people that came back to the house, I can hear Buffy laugh with delight at his antics. He’s been standin’ and tryin’ to take some steps, but usually only gets a couple out before he falls down on his diapered ass with a huff. It’s very cute.
As I come down the steps I see Buffy kneelin’ on the floor steadyin’ him from behind. She’s givin’ him words of encouragement and darned if he ain’t lookin’ like a quarterback on the sideline gettin’ last minute instructions from his coach before goin’ out to the huddle. When I get down to the bottom of the steps he sees me, I crouch down and hold my arms out to him. He gives a determined head nod and Buffy lets him go, there are squeals of excitement as he makes his stunted way across the living room. He kinda looks like Frankenstein the way he’s walkin’ with his arms out. I can hear people shhhin’ each other because if he gets too excited he’s gonna fall.
Uncle Jimmy’s got the camera and he’s recordin’ this. Leah and Kara are gonna shit when they find out he took his first really big steps and they weren’t here. I feel bad, but it’s awesome to witness this. Finally, with two steps to go he stops and sways a little, then lunges forward and his momentum makes him kinda twinkle toe the rest of the way into my arms.
The people in the livin’ room and dinin’ room that were watchin’ are goin’ nuts with claps and cheers. I’m huggin’ him and I look to B who’s bawlin’ happy tears. I feel tears spring to my own eyes as I see that. Aunt Dee rushes over to us and hugs us both, Jules and Ash run the rest of the way down the stairs and join in on the hugs. It feels awesome.
Joey pipes up and we all pull back to look at him, he’s still got that look of determination on his face. He looks like he’s tellin’ us off.
“He’s sayin’ he’s not done.” Aunt Dee explains. It’s a bunch of gibberish, but his face shows that’s exactly what he’s tryin’ to say. My aunt and cousins break away from me and I turn Joey around, point at B and give him a mini pep talk for encouragement, then I let go and he makes his Frankenstein-y way over to B. She’s laughin’ and cryin’ her happy tears with her arms held out to him. She’s in her Dawn glamour but I know it’s her and my heart feels full to burstin’. When he gets to her she picks him up and lifts him over her head. People around her are givin’ him little pats on his back and are cheerin’ his accomplishment. He’s so happy he’s shakin’ his chubby arms and legs in victory.
After a while he’s decided he’s had enough, I guess, ‘cause other people are tryin’ to get him to walk, but he ain’t havin’ it. I see B make her way upstairs to use the bathroom and I go into the kitchen and slink up the stairs the back way. I can hear the toilet flush and I knock on the door softly, she says she’ll be done in a moment and then must feel the tingles ‘cause the next second the door is ripped open and she’s pullin’ me in with her. She snaps her fingers and the glamour disappears. We’re kissin’ like there’s no tomorrow and we haven’t seen each other in years. I wanna pull her clothes off and leave them in shreds, but I know we can’t do that. Can’t look suspicious, we don’t know who’s here that could be a spy. Plus if my family heard us fuckin’ Aunt Dee would have my ass in a sling, ‘cause I told her there wasn’t anything between me and Dawnie, and she’d think I lied to her.
Out of nowhere I get a chill and that makes me think of Alicia, and my dad. I still haven’t seen him anywhere. That’s botherin’ me ‘cause he said he’d see us today. That fuckface can’t keep a goddamn promise if his fuckin’ worthless life depended on it.
Buffy must feel my anger ‘cause she’s pullin’ back from me a bit, I’m tryin’ to pull her in as close as I can get her.
“Faith, Faith….wait.” She’s breathless and that’s only eggin’ me on. “Baby, wait, please.”
That please snaps me outta tryin’ to strip her and I pull back and look into her eyes.
“Faith, what’s the…” Before she can get ‘matter’ out I hug her desperately and bawl my eyes out on her shoulder squeezin’ her to me like she’s my life line in a bleak and stormy sea.
She’s strokin’ my head and soothin’ me with lovin’ words, she’s also cryin’ and she’s tellin’ me to let it out, we’ll get through this together.
I’m not only cryin’ for Gee Gee and Alicia, but I’m cryin’ ‘cause I’m probably gonna have to be the killer I’ve been tryin’ hard not to be. Like I said, if my Dad’s behind this I’m gonna have to waste him, I don’t want to leave it to nobody else to do.
It’s gotta be me.
After a few minutes I realize we better get goin’, any more time in here and we’ll be missed. At least we should get outta the bathroom, I don’t think it’ll hurt none if people knew we were talkin’ in a room somewhere, just not the bathroom.
I just want all this bullshit to be done so we can find out what happened to Ken and we can get back to our lives and our apartment. Our wonderful fuckin’ apartment that I haven’t seen in a couple of weeks, it feels like years. We’re doin’ our best, but it just keeps gettin’ more complicated.
I feel a hell of a lot better from just that little amount of time bein’ in B’s arms. I tell her I’m comin’ to see her tonight, then we kiss sweetly and I leave the room. I go into Gee Gee’s room and get the fuckin’ fright of my life.
Alicia’s standin’ there lookin’ at Gee Gee’s pictures on the wall. I look around for a weapon, I’m sorry, but I still don’t trust her completely.
I hear B about to pass by and I intercept her and pull her into the room. She immediately stiffens and I can see she’s tryin’ to gauge our options. Alicia could get outta the window but she’d be burnt to a crisp in no time, it’s really bright out there.
Speakin’ of which I wonder how she got here.
I close the door quickly and B does the spell to make sure we’re not heard.
“What’s up, A? I thought you would get in touch with me tonight. Kinda weird you just showin’ up, uninvited, and unannounced.”
Hmmmm fuck, uninvited. I didn’t even think of that, she didn’t get an invite, so why’s she able to be in the house? And how in the fuck did she get in unseen?
“I haven’t heard from your father since after the wake.”
“Yeah? That’s unusual?”
“Yes, he said he had to go to a meeting after we got back, that’s not unlike him, with his current bid for office sometimes he has to meet his political strategists at all times of the day or night.”
“So what makes this so unusual?” B/Dawn asks.
“He hasn’t been in touch. He usually calls me pretty regularly.”
“He must be in love.” I say, a little annoyed. Why the fuck do I care where the bastard is?
“Yes, I think he is.” Alicia says uneasy.
“So whatta ya want us to do about it?”
“I…I’m concerned because what it might mean.”
“Alicia, you’ve got the gift of eternal life, er, death. I’m gettin’ older by the second here. What’s up?!”
“They could be on to us. Or you to be more precise.”
“Dawn, get on the phone to…” Oh fuck it. If B’s supposed to be Dawn, is Dawn Andy again? This shit’s getting impossible. “Uh, Xander, give him a heads up.” I don’t want B to expose herself as wearin’ a glamour, but I think Alicia might know. When I called B Dawn she looked at us curiously.
We hear some commotion from downstairs and I think it’s about either Joey or maybe my family’s watchin’ a game or somethin’. Shit, I haven’t even been payin’ attention to any sports.
All of a sudden I hear my name bein’ yelled. I tell them to hang on and I open the door. “Yeah?”
“Come look!! Look at the news!” Aunt Dee’s yellin’.
“D, go call Xand. Alicia, uhhh yeah, stay here I guess.” Or try your luck at gettin’ burnt up.
I run downstairs. Everyone’s huddled around the TV, the local news has somethin’ goin’ across the bottom of the screen, I can see a body bag on a gurney bein’ rolled to an ambulance.
“A source close to the family tells Channel 5 news that Mr. Lehane was recently re-united with his estranged daughter, and was in attendance at his ex-mother-in-law’s wake on Wednesday night. He is survived by his daughter, a sister Katherine, brother Jason and his girlfriend of one year, Nina Scarlotta. An investigation is being launched with the help of the FBI. Heather…”
Holy fuck!!
“Thanks Ed, such a heartbreaking story. Up next is Harvey’s forecast, we hope the weather warms up just a little.”
“I know, it’s been unseasonably cool hasn’t it?”
No one knows how to react. It’s like the air has been sucked outta the room. Aunt Rae is tutting and sayin’ ‘Madonna mia’. But everyone else is just silent.
Aunt Dee looks at me and she doesn’t know what to say.
It’s fuckin’ curious but I feel bad, just a bit, and I’m mad that someone fucked with my family. Even if it is my asshole father.
“Faith…”
“Dee, not right now, ok? I need to make a phone call.” She nods at me, understandin’.
I turn and run up the stairs takin’ them three at a time. B’s on the phone in Ash’s room, she’s frantic.
“What do you mean, disappeared?! Where are they?!!!”
What fuckin’ now?!
“What about a locator spell?” She runs a hand through her hair.
“Willow!! This is not good!!”
I take the phone from her hand.
“What’s up, Will?”
“Faith, oh my god! Rona and Vi are missing. We got back here and they went to their room. We were gonna meet in my room to research your father’s role in this whole thing, when they didn’t show up, I called their room. I just got back from teleporting into the room and nothing. Their stuff’s there but they’re nowhere in sight.”
“Did you call their cellphone’s?”
“They’re still in the room. Everything is still in the room, purses, coats, everything.”
Holy fuck. Holy fuck! HOLY FUCK!
“Ok Will, let’s stay calm. I’m guessin’ a locator spell didn’t work?”
“No…no it didn’t. Faith, what are we gonna do?”
HOLY FUCK!!! What are we gonna do?!
I look at B and she’s highly stressed. She’s gonna become even more stressed when I tell her the latest development with my Dad. And shit! I gotta tell Alicia, too. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t in love with him, but whoever’s behind all this shit has sent some sort of a message to us.
I break the silence. “Look Red, get everyone over to my Aunt’s house, NOW! Don’t bother with cars and shit, just teleport here NOW! You got it? Everyone!”
“Got it. Where should we teleport to?”
“The basement apartment, Leah and Kara aren’t home, just hurry, ok?!”
“Gotcha, we’ll be right there.”
I hang up with her and pull Buffy with me to Gee Gee’s room.
Alicia’s got the picture of them in her hands, she’s sittin’ on the bed and kinda smilin’, I guess you’d call it a ‘wistful smile’ or some shit.
“We were so young.”
Still are, A, although I don’t say that to her. That’s her curse, the fact that she’s still young and my Gee Gee’s dead.
“There’s some news,” I don’t say bad news, ‘cause I hated my dad and thought I had to kill him, plus I don’t know what kinda news it is.
“What happened?” B asks.
“They found my dad…”
“Found him?” Alicia looks up from the picture.
“Yeah, they just pulled his body outta Dorcester Bay.”
Buffy gasps.
“Oh my god.” Alicia gets up and starts pacing.
“And ‘Kennedy’ and ‘Buffy’ are missing.”
“Oh my god!” Alicia repeats.
“What the fuck are we dealin’ with here, A?!”
“Oh my god!” She says again.
“Alicia, get it together!” I make her stop pacin’. “We need to know what we’re up against!”
Buffy looks like she’s gonna yark. I wouldn’t blame her, this shit is fucked up. We might find Vi and Rona in the bay, too. That makes me wanna break down and cry.
“Faith!” Aunt Dee yells from downstairs as B hightails it to the bathroom. Shit, she’s gettin’ sick.
“Yeah?”
“Your Aunt Kate is on the phone.”
My Aunt Kate, she’s my dad’s sister, the one who used to take me to the Cape when she could. I feel bad, I forgot about them through all this. She was at the funeral and I briefly spoke to her, but we didn’t really get a chance to talk and get shit resolved.
I really wanna go to Buffy right now and help her out, but I gotta go downstairs. This fuckin’ day just keeps gettin’ better and better.
I pick up the extension in Gee Gee’s room. Alicia looks at me curiously.
“Hey, Aunt Kate.”
“Did you see the news?”
“Yeah I just saw it, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sure what to do or say, Faith.”
“I know, neither do I.”
“It’s somethin’, huh? You’re his only child.”
“Did you need me to do somethin’?”
“Maybe, I’ll let you know. I just wanted to make sure you knew, sorry you had to see it on the news. You’d think they’d wait a little to break the story, but they notified me and then the next thing I know the story’s on the TV. I haven’t even gone down to I.D. the body.”
“They probably got one of his co-workers to do it.”
“I guess.” She sounds like she’s in shock.
“You wanna come over here, Aunt Kate? I could have someone pick ya up.”
“Really? That would be nice. I don’t want to be here right now. They’ve got reporters callin’ and some have started to show up outside.” Her voice is stressed.
“Ok, you just stay there, I’ll send a car for ya.”
I hang up and go to the stairs. “Aunt Dee, can someone go pick up my Aunt?”
“Katie?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok…JIM!!!!” She blows out our eardrums.
I run to the bathroom and B’s got the glamour off. She’s kinda restin’ on the side of the toilet. All of a sudden I get this fuckin’ strong tingly feelin’ in my groin. Almost like someone shot me up with a gallon of carbonation. It makes me fall to my knees.
B looks over, she’s got a face like a ghost. “What’s…what’s the matter.”
I reach into the front of my jeans and my junk is gone. HOLY SHIT!!!!!!
She’s pregnant.
