psinex@yahoo.com Reverse Polarity 3: The Babysitter Never Drinks by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Everyone here is Marvel's, except for Steven, who's mine, and Buffy and the babysitter, who're 20th Century Fox's. Please don't sue. -------------------------------------------------------- Summers Residence, Sunnydale, Cal.: 12/31/99: 17:00 hrs PST: -------------------------------------------------------- "But MOOOOM !!" Jean looked at her brood with understanding and firmness as she adjusted her earrings for the mayor's New Year's ball. "Buffy, you and Ray are just too young to watch the twins alone," she said in the front hall. "But Erik -" Buffy pleaded, her blonde ponytail bobbing with frustration. Ray and the boy-twins, Nate and Steve, watched, hoping their elder blood-sibling could wheedle their mother into relenting. "Erik's only 10 himself," Jean said, looking at her 9-year-old daughters and 7-year-old sons with an air of command. "Now, go get your pajamas on, and relax. You can stay up until 12:30 IF you behave for the babysitter." "Kidsitter," Nate corrected. "We're not babies." He and Steve tromped upstairs, sharing a look and some sort of incomprehensible message over their psi-link. Ray and Buffy followed, thinking much the same thing. ~This BITES,~ Ray sent. ~Yeah,~ Buffy thought regretfully. Ray squeezed her hand and psmiled, ~You'll get your powers someday ...~ ~Ray, you and the twinners got yours before you were even 3 !~ Buffy thought with a pang of sorrow. ~I'm ... I'm not a mutant, am I ?~ ~So your power'll be diff'rent !~ Ray sent, hugging Buffy as they entered their bedroom and changed into pajamas. ~You might be an ESPer, or maybe a healer - that's SUCH a cool power - or maybe it's just straight TK - and you've got that aura sight thingie, even if it does go out on you sometimes-~ "Thanks," Buffy sighed, slumping into her beanbag chair, "but we both scan the truth: I'm a flat-" "No y'rnot !" a boyish voice cried from the doorway. The girls looked over and fought down smiles as Steve ran to hug Buffy with tears in his eyes. "Y'r my big sis an' y'r cool an y'r not a flatscan !" Steve moaned. He wiped his eyes and added, smiling, "Someday y'll be a big a hero'ne, like Mom was b'fore we were born. I saw it inna dream." "Like Frank's precog ?" Ray asked wistfully. The others, with Nate peeking in the door, rolled their eyes; Rachel had been obsessed with Franklin Richards ever since they had met at Generation X's graduation in June. "'Oh, Frank, I'm in LOOOOOVVVEEEE,'" Nate teased in a feminine voice, fluttering his eyes. He ran giggling as Ray teked Mr. Bear at him, snarling, "GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE WEASEL !!" She ran after Nate, and Buffy smiled at the shrieks of tickle-laughter coming from the boys' bedroom. That, and an older boy yelling, "RAY ! I'M NOT DRESSED !" "Like boxers count, 'Rik," Ray said sarcastically. Buffy winked as the kids' older foster brother, Erik Lehnsherr, dressed in boxer shorts, stuck his head in the girls' room and frowned, "Tell your twin I need my space." "You need a T-shirt," Buffy grinned. Erik rolled his eyes and let a wide-eyed Steve follow him back to the boys' room, glaring at Ray as she passed with an innocent look. "You'd think I never saw 'Rik in swim trunks before - it's the same thing," Ray smirked. "Now, what're we gonna do to the kidsitter when he or she arrives ?" "You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna behave - you only get one shot a staying up through a fake millenium," Buffy said, standing and stretching. "You and this 2001 crap," Ray muttered. "Y2K's not gonna stop for the 'real' millenium, y'scan." "You worry too much," Buffy teased. The girls looked at each other, and burst out giggling. "I thought YOU were the worrier," Ray smiled. "'Gonna party like it's 1999...'" Buffy laughed, running downstairs. "Buffy, be careful," Scott smiled as his eldest daughter landed beside him at the front door. The kids ran downstairs - Erik in a West Coast Avengers T-shirt - over his boxers - and looked up as Jean opened the door to admit the babysitter. "Hello, Mr. Summers, Mrs. Summers," a teenage boy nodded. He had brown hair, and odd-colored eyes - almost an ice-blue like Erik's. Buffy just 'saw' his aura and hid behind Scott. "Daddy," she whispered. Scott looked at her and asked, "What, sweetheart ?" "He's ... different," Buffy gulped, trying to avoid those eyes. The boy laughed kindly and said, "You're quite right, Miss - ?" "This is Erik," Jean said, beginning introductions, "that's Barbara - Buffy, we call her - behind Scott, Rachel, Nathan and Steven. Here's the number where we can be reached ..." Jean rattled off some more instructions, while Scott knelt beside Buffy and whispered, "Honey, he comes with very good credentials. The Chaissons recommended him, and we did a background check - he's safe, I promise." "But DAD, he's a -" Buffy begged. Scott held a finger to her lips and kissed her brow, whispering, "You know where to call if you need us, OK ?" "OK," Buffy sighed. #I STILL don't trust this guy,# she thought, looking at the babysitter as Scott and Jean departed. "OK," the babysitter said, leading the way to the kitchen, "who wants some popcorn ?" "Me ! Me, please !" Nate and Steve begged. "Hey, wait a minute - Mom and Dad never even told us who you are," Erik called. The boy turned and smiled - #His teeth are so WHITE !# Buffy marveled despite her instinctual mistrust - and said, "Call me Angel." -------------------------------------------------------- 5 hours (and a few bad Dick Clark specials later): -------------------------------------------------------- The little boys were passed out in either of Ray's arms, sleeping in a pile with her on the couch. Erik was similarly asleep with Mr. Bear in his arms in the recliner Scott normally fell into after a day of lifeguarding. "Go fish ?" Angel asked Buffy as he smiled at her. "How about 20 questions ?" Buffy replied, sitting cross-legged on the floor about 3 feet from Angel. "Shoot," Angel winked. "Question 1: Are you alive or undead ?" Buffy asked. Angel's jaw dropped, and he was speechless for a moment. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you," Buffy added quickly. "I can 'see' things sometimes. My dad fought this zombie on the beach once - I saw it from his lifeguard truck, and it didn't have any aura." "You're a ... very precocious little girl," Angel said, chuckling despite himself. "I knew your sibs were mutants, but you ... you're something different. Mutant, but not quite like them." "It's a gift," Buffy shrugged. She arched an eyebrow and added, "Are you hypnotizing me ?" "Who, ME ?" Angel smiled. "OK, Buffy, you got me." "I am a vampire." Buffy's eyes bugged out, and she gulped; he was telling the truth, as far as she could tell, even if his aura was muted and odd and shot-through with black streaks. "It's ... it's a messy story - if you swear not to tell anyone else, I'll tell you," Angel offered. "Cross my heart and hope to die," Buffy said. Angel smiled sadly and said, "Be careful what you promise, Buffy. That's what got me into this situation in the first place." He began, speaking of Ireland in 1753 and Darla, and eventually Spike and Drusilla, his vampiric 'partners in crime.' "... and so, those vengeful gypsies cast a spell on me, and I got my soul back - but I still have to drink blood," Angel concluded. "I only prey on evildoers - and occasionally I kill other vampires who cross me. I promise, Buffy, I wouldn't harm children. I only took this job so I can pay the rent on my apartment." "YOU have an apartment ? Where, 1313 Lucifer Street ?" Buffy shot back. "Hey, Lucifer Street's pretty nice this time of year," Angel winked. Buffy laughed despite herself, and after a moment she squeezed Angel's hand. "I'm sorry I bugged you," she said. "I hope ev'rything works out OK." Angel looked stunned when Buffy kissed his cheek, and stood. "It's midnight," she said, pointing at the clock. "Happy millenium." "Rachel told me you didn't believe it would be the millenium until 2001," Angel replied. "I didn't believe vampires could be nice, either, but you're here," Buffy teased. "Now c'mon - tell me, is Dick Clark a vampire ?" Angel laughed so hard he fell over, awakening the other kids. "You kill me, you know that ?" he asked Buffy. "Now THAT was a bad joke - 'kill me' ?" Buffy giggled. They walked to get some more popcorn, leaving Ray, Erik, and the little boys smiling in surprise. -------------------------------------------------------- TBC ;) -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com