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When Ivory awoke, the sun had not yet risen and she was alone on the couch. Stretching and giving a little moan, she pulled the blanket covering her a little higher, relishing how plush and comfortable this sofa was. Coming more awake, Ivory half sat up, looking around the interior and relieved when she heard a shower going upstairs.
Quickly, the Slayer stood, going to retrieve her miniskirt from the spot where she had tossed it the night before, then attempted to find her other garments. It wasn't until she came to the torn blood-stained shirt that she heard Chase descending the staircase.
"Hey," Chase greeted. "Finally up, I see... You've been asleep for quite a while."
Ivory bit her lip, a warm feeling descending on her as she recalled last night's events. But with it came a small degree of guilt on her part. Nevertheless, she strode closer, reaching to caress the side of his face. Not sure of what words were appropriate for the given situation, she leaned closer and gently kissed him.
Chase put one hand to the nape of her neck, deepening the kiss and plainly conveying everything he felt for her. Pulling back, smiling warmly, he said, "Just the reaction I was hoping for... Here I was almost expecting you to be having a panic attack."
Ivory gave a short chuckle, looking downwards briefly. She was silent for a long moment, her thoughts going to Kenyon and feeling another twinge of guilt at what had occurred here. Glancing back up at Chase, she added, "Actually, I don't think you're very far off..."
His smile faded at that, and he casually wrapped his hands around her arms. "Ivory," he murmured, studying her face before drawing a conclusion. "You regret it, don't you? You think this shouldn't have happened."
The Slayer bit her lip, vehemently shaking her head. "No," she said firmly. "I mean..." Ivory paused again, then tilted her head slightly to one side. "I knew what I was getting into, but... I'm still confused. I'm not any more sure of what my feelings are now than I was last night... Chase, don't get me wrong. It was... It was nice, and you... you did everything right... But it was also my first time. Something I had thought I'd save for Kenyon, or something I didn't think would happen so soon!" She paused again, trying hard to convey exactly what she was thinking. "I... I feel a great deal for you, Chase, but I don't know if it's quite in the way you want. That's what I regret." She gazed up into his dark piercing eyes. "That maybe I don't feel for you what you would hope I did..."
Chase's hopes sank at those words, but he didn't let it show. Reaching up to touch the side of her face, he whispered, "It's okay. I understand. That would be asking too much... I wouldn't do that, Ivory, would never beg that of you."
Tears stung her eyes at his sincere words, but Ivory bit them back, angling her head and pressing Chase's hand more firmly to her face. "Thank you," she murmured in return. "For everything, Chase... For rescuing me last night when I needed it, for taking care of me..." She gazed up into his eyes. "For giving me my sister. Now that I know... Now that I've had time to sleep on it, I can't blame her for doing what she did. From all accounts, it sounds like she's had it rough. I'd be surprised if she didn't resent me after all that."
Chase nodded in agreement, leaning forward to kiss Ivory and relieved when she didn't pull away. When at last it ended, he said gently, "We should be heading back... I imagine your father must be very worried by now, so let's not prolong that any longer than necessary."
"Worried?!" Ivory exclaimed in bewilderment, going for her watch. "But it can't be..." She froze, noting that the time was 6:15 in the morning; she and Chase had been out the whole night. "Oh, my God!" the Slayer cried. "You're right! We've got to get going." She dropped the watch, now heading for her ruined shirt. "Chase, what am I gonna do?! I can't wear this!"
He groaned, pulling on his own clothes before handing her his cashmere jacket. "Here, this should do," Chase replied, watching as she pulled it on and zipped it all the way up. The two of them finished getting dressed in seconds, then Chase escorted her out, throwing a slight guilty glance at the blood-stained sofa. After a few seconds, he told Ivory to wait, ran back in, and deposited all the money he had on him on the kitchen counter, hoping it would appease the house's owners whenever they may return...
Cordelia lay on her stomach on the bed in her room, adding a little more to the directions she would leave for Ivory and occasionally checking to make sure she wasn't being watched. She hadn't gotten too far when her sensitive ears picked up the sound of raised voices in the corridor behind her.
Curious, Cordelia stopped to listen, then, deciding it warranted investigating, hid the slip of paper beneath the covers, stood, and walked to the entryway. Peering down the hallway, she caught sight of Cinnamon and Ethan only, but knew by the sound of Riley and Leeloo's voices that they were nearby.
"How stupid could you be going head to head with the Slayer?!" Cinnamon was shouting. "That was a dumb move, Leeloo! You could have been killed!"
"Back off, Cinnamon!" Leeloo snapped. "I had everything under control! And don't start in with another rant about how I shouldn't have considered trying to kill her. That was the furthest thing from my mind."
Ethan took a step in what Cordelia assumed was Leeloo's direction. "Calm yourself, dear child," he said in a placating, charismatic tone. To Cinnamon, he added, "Nothing will be solved by arguing over it now. It's just fortunate that neither of our dear girls were hurt, don't you agree?"
Cinnamon threw a sharp look at him. "Don't try to sweet talk me, sorcerer," she growled, transforming into her vamp face. "I created you solely to serve a purpose. You'd be wise to stay on my good side, because once Falmorean is released into this realm, I'll have no more use for you!" She paused, her look of rage frightening Cordelia just as much as it did Ethan. "That time is almost at hand. The Slayer and her father are almost within our grasp. We need to be ready!"
"And we will be," Riley added, stepping into view. Cordelia caught the way his eyes shifted secretly towards Leeloo, then listened with rapt attention as he went on. "I'll inform the lesser vamps to prepare themselves. We hold back until the right moment, then act as one to bring down Angelus and Ivory."
At this, Leeloo spoke up, a note of concern in her voice. "But you promised not to kill them!" she said to her three companions. "Whatever else they may be, they're still my family!"
Ethan looked towards her. "And I can assure you that that's not our intention," he said, although Cordelia could tell even from a distance that he was lying. "We need them for the ritual. Afterwards, they're all free to walk. Even you, if you so desire. Or will just a family reunion be enough for you?"
Apparently, Leeloo couldn't see as easily through the deception, for she answered yes. "I mean... I'd like to walk," she added quietly, her eyes most certainly on Riley.
"Then we're set," Riley replied, reaching out and pulling her gently to him. "Unless you would allow me to change your mind for you, dear Leeloo..."
"Give it your best shot," Leeloo answered, angling her head and openly inviting him to kiss her. Cordelia turned away at this point, ducking back inside her room and contemplating what she had just overheard.
*So it is true,* Cordelia mused. *They are planning not only to betray Leeloo's trust, but kill her as well. But why? When she and Riley are so tight... or are they?* With a groan, Cordelia went to her bed, flopping down on it once more and angling one arm underneath her head. Staring up at the stone ceiling, she felt, for the first time, a wave of pity for the younger vampiress and secretly wondered if anything could be done to save her...
When they arrived back at the apartment complex, the first thing Chase offered to do was accompany Ivory to her father's room, in the hopes that together they might smooth things over a little faster. The Slayer only gave it a second's thought before agreeing and the twosome walked hand in hand to their destination. However, neither one of them could have had ever been prepared for what they would find.
Ivory stopped short when she noticed the door was slightly ajar, and she silently motioned to Chase what was amiss. Then, just as quietly, the Slayer inched forward, letting go of Chase's hand and pausing just outside the room. In one swift motion that surprised even her companion, she shoved the door inward, simultaneously somersaulting inside. When she rose to her feet, a stake was already in her hand, and Ivory spun to look for an assailant.
What she found, instead, was her father staring at her in shock, half scrambling to stay out of the sunlight's path. Angel took a moment to calm himself, then said, quite calmly, "To what do I owe the honor of that entrance?"
Ivory lowered her weapon, relaxing her stance. "The door was open. You had me scared," she answered.
Angel nodded once. "I could say the same to you," he stated, his eyes going from her to Chase. "Where've you been all night? You had us worried!"
"'Us?'" Ivory questioned in turn. "Who's...?"
She was cut off when she heard someone emerging from the bedroom. The person in question appeared as if he'd just awoken from a deep sleep, rubbing at his eyes. "What's going on?" Kenyon asked as he walked into view. "I thought I heard..." He cut off when his hands dropped and he got a good look at her. "Ivory!" he exclaimed, suddenly racing forward to embrace her. "You're back! And... God, I thought you were hurt or..."
Ivory gasped at the tightness of his embrace and gently pushed him away, her injuries flaring slightly under his touch. Kenyon's brow furrowed with worry at her reaction and even raised her father's concern; the former was quick to ask her what was wrong.
Ivory bit her lip, softly saying, "Last night's attempted slaying went kind of rough of me... Fortunately, all I'll have to show for it is a few scars. If it wasn't for Chase... Well, who knows what might have happened if he hadn't been there." She looked up at her long-distance boyfriend. "We had to spend the night hiding out from her and her friends in this vacant house in the desert. I know, I should have called... In the meantime, Kenyon, what are you doing here?"
Kenyon softened slightly. "I felt bad about not being able to make it the other night to take you to the dance. So I persuaded my parents into letting me drive up last evening to see you... Guess I just missed you and Chase before you took off." He moved to put one arm around her, then thought better of it, not wanting to hurt her. "Okay, obviously hugging is out, but... is it still alright to kiss?"
Ivory hesitated for a second, her eyes darting briefly towards Chase. But she fought down the waves of guilt enough to nod in agreement. She let Kenyon pull her closer, his lips pressing gently to hers. It was short and sweet, the kind of kisses she had come to expect from Kenyon, but inwardly, Ivory felt wrong about it. Right now, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt either of the men in her life, but at this moment, it seemed she couldn't help but do just that. Gazing up into Kenyon's loving, trusting eyes, the most she could hope for was that she was doing a good job of hiding her mistakes not only from him, but her father as well...