Interlude 9A - Adventures with Amy II
Aetheron
Flinger of Spaghetti, Recorder of Results.
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***Amy POV***
—Friday Night—
I stare at the text message. Are you kidding me?
From Jack: 'Can't make it. Have fun with Faith.'
Sure. Have fun with Faith. The girl I was on the phone with when I got the text, being told she can't make it but wants me to go anyway so I can 'have fun with Jack.'
It has got to be genetic. Or something, since they're both 'adopted.' Stupid crazy vampire logic.
I call Harmony. "Hello?"
"Hey. Are you free tonight? The Idiot Twins did it again." It should probably bother me that I don't even consider voluntarily hanging out with Harmony to be a sign of an apocalypse anymore.
"Who is this?" What do you mean who is this!? I'm having flashbacks to sophomore year after cheerleading try- Oh… I sigh. Her mom really does sound exactly like her on the phone.
"Sorry, Mrs. Kendall. It's Amy. Is Harmony there?" I really need to convince Jack to buy Harmony a cellphone- oh screw it. I doubt he'd even notice if I added an extra line to our cell plan, let alone care.
"Oh. One moment, dear." Muffled yelling comes from the line for a moment and then Harmony picks up.
"Hey, Amy. What's up?"
"The Idiot Twins cancelled on me again. You free tonight? Want to Bronze?"
"We always go to the Bronze. Let's do something else. Something where I won't have to watch Xander make a mockery of-"
"You saw them making out again didn't you?"
"It was disgusting! He had his tongue down her throat!" Yeah, I didn't need that visual either.
"Okay. Okay. What do you want to do?"
"We could watch that star hole show."
"...What?"
"You know… That show with the worm gates? And that cute guy."
"Wormhole X-Treme? Sure. That sounds great." Yes! Muahahah. I've converted another one to joys of sci-fi. And all it took was a simple crush on Dr. Jackson. Soon I'll have you watching Star Wars with me too and you can stop staring at Jack and I like we're crazy when we argue Rebels vs. Empire.
"Yes! That's the one. I'll be over in a little bit with ice-cream."
—Winters Residence - Amy's Room : Later That Night—
Turning off my TV. I stretch out and yawn. "I still can't believe you like Dr. Jackson better than Colonel O'Neill."
"Oh, please. Jackson is clearly cuter. O'Neill is like old. You just like him because his name is Jack."
"Hey! I'll have you know I thought Colonel O'Neill was hilarious before I met the crazy vampire version! Err… oh shut up you. Are we doing this or not?"
Harmony manages to stifle her giggles and holds up her hands in mock surrender. "Indeed."
"Good. Now... where did I put it?" I stand up and rummage through the small mountain of stuff on my dresser. Grabbing my makeup bag when I finally find it, I turn back to Harmony. "Okay so what color are we-" I sigh. "Really, Harmony?" I swear I only looked away for like 2 seconds to find the nail polish. "Why are you naked?"
…
Already topless, Harmony begins working the button on her jeans. "We're going to paint our nails aren't we?" Lord and Lady! You still do that?
…
Oh Goddess! "Do you strip naked every time you paint your nails?"
"Of course I do." She stares at me like that statement is perfectly reasonable.
…And apparently she can remove her pants, while standing, without breaking eye contact.
I sigh "Hang on." I'm sure I have a couple of Jack's tee shirts around here somewhere… aha! "Put this on. You have to wear something remember."
"Why?" Because I don't want to stare at your obnoxiously flat stomach and unfairly large boobs all night.
…
"Hey! Don't just drop the tee shirt back on the floor." Since when do you not just put on the things I hand you? I definitely remember getting you to put clothes back on being easier than this.
"But that's a boy's shirt. I'm a girl." Yes, I can see that.
...Fine! Let's try this again with one of my shirts. It's not like you ever actually spill the paint on things anyway.
---Sunnydale High - Classroom : Tuesday - Picture Day, Third Period---
I try to ask her again before class starts. "If Jack got a king cobra because he 'eats other snakes,' why do I have a Cerberus?"
"No. It's supposed to be a Basilisk. You know, dangerous to look in the eyes? King of Serpents. The king cobra is just the closest I could find.
"Why do I have a Cerberus?"
"Because you fell asleep on the job in that crypt?" Hey now!
"Excuse me. I was put to sleep by a cursed pocket watch. I did not just decide to take a nap."
"Uh huh… and Fluffy was put to sleep by music. See? Plus you wanted something to keep you safe like a guard dog when you met Jack. Cerberuses are like magic guard dogs." What does Jack have- Oh. Jack is my magic guard dog.
Harmony smiles, looking incredibly pleased with herself for her little convoluted bit of logic. "...Why does Faith have a hippogryph?"
"Buckbeak is a proud and beautiful creature, and will like totally fuck you up if you insult him. Does that sound like anyone we know? Plus, she was trying to run away to safety and start a new life. Then she met Jack like buckbeak met Sirius."
"Okay. Point." I suppose it even makes sense if you're Harmony. "Why the unicorn then?" If you're making this all about Jack, I can't imagine you think he… met you in the forest and… drank… oh. Oh my.
"I like unicorns." Harmony stares at me blankly but with a huge smile on her face. The 'duh!' apparently no less obvious for being left unsaid. I'm not sure what to make of that.
——Sunnydale High - Cafeteria : Thursday Lunchtime——
Spotting Jack walking out of the cafeteria I grab him by the arm and pull him down the hallway. "You talked to the band kids?"
"…Yes." Damn it, Jack. Buffy would have noticed that hesitant pause. What did you do?
…
Why do I even care? "Are they going to vote for her?"
"Most of them should."
I stare at Jack with an eyebrow raised. "Should? Come on Jack. This is important to Harmony."
"As much as it pains me to admit it, the subtleties of mind control are an art, not a science. Seriously, ow… That was physically painful."
I roll my eyes at my crazy vampire. "There there… If you want to be a drama queen about it can you at least make sure you art not a science your way through the drama club too?"
"You know, when I put this idea in Harmony's head I didn't expect it to be quite so much work. Not for me anyway."
I sigh. That bothered me a lot less when I hated her. "Jack… could you try to not mess with Harmony's head anymore? I kind of like her the way she is."
"Huh? Oh... No. I just asked her if she had considered it. There was no mental mojo involved."
"And when she… feeds you?"
"Her idea actually. I think. It happened a few times during programming, and then apparently she lost some weight and decided the two things were related. She's been the one insisting it be an every Monday affair."
Huh… She's doing that without being thralled into it?
——Saturday Late Morning——
I wake up in my usual seat at the kitchen table. Coffee cup in hand. Following the sound of voices, I walk into the living room.
"Jack, have you seen…" Jack's sitting on the couch with Harmony straddling his lap grinding against him, leaning in towards his face. Harmony is clearly suicidal.
Hearing me, Harmony leans back away from my vampire, I knew I should have fed her to the hyenas- wait, does she… have a brush in her hand? "Amy! Thank God you're here! Hold his head, he keeps squirming when I try to put the eye liner on him."
"Eyes are designed to dislike being poked!" Jack glares at her for a moment, before turning towards me. His face is painted white like the Joker. He looks so incredibly irritated. I don't even bother trying to suppress a giggle. "Hey! You laugh now, but you're next. Poison Ivy's skin is green remember… and red hair too."
…
They're just getting into costume. I dismiss the magic pooling in my hand. "You have to catch me first!"
I manage to almost turn halfway around before an arm wraps around my waist and lifts me off the ground. Who the- "Nuh uh, Ames. If I had to dye my hair, you do too."
Faith!? looks… really different with blond hair. "Wow." She even has red and black tipped pigtails to match the pattern on her outfit. It's a nice touch. I wonder who came up with that?
She looks fantastic as always. Of course she does.
…
Wait… since when does Poison Ivy have green skin?
Oh whatever. I want a brownie.
---Sunday : Driving Home---
My lovely little fantasy of making things explode is interrupted by a loud crack and Jack groaning. "Faith... please tell me you aren't actually stuck there?"
Oh, that is priceless. Miss I can kick your ass at Mario Cart can't fit her own ass through the... okay, so admittedly it's a super tiny window. I look back to Jack. "...Pull over." I pop open the glove compartment.
"Yeah. We should probably get her out of there."
I fish out the camera. "Oh. Right. That too. Of course. After I take some pictures. Harmony, smile for the camera."
Jack pulls over into the breakdown lane. I try to hand him the camera so I can get my own picture. He waves me off. "Hang on, get one more first."
---Sunnydale High -Cafeteria : Tuesday - Lunchtime ---
Faith sits down across from Harmony and I and looks back and forth between us for a moment. "Yo, Harms, who are you goin to homecomin with?"
"Jack. Duh." Wait what!? I thought I was going with Jack. Damn it. "I mean, I was thinking about making Larry take me, but he's gay." Larry's gay? "So that won't do at all."
"... you got a problem with gay people?" Faith stares at Harmony with narrowed eyes. Shit, I forgot about her little crush on Buffy. This could get ugly really fast.
"Of course not, I just think they should stick to their own kind." Uh... Harmony? Abort! "You know... like, date other gay people?" Oh... that makes more- wait, no! I'm mad at you.
"Hold up. I'm going to homecoming with Jack." Harmony turns and looks at me with a wide eyed deer in the headlights expression.
"Have eitha of you told Jack this?" Faith interrupts our impending argument with her stupid 'being reasonable.' No... I just assumed jack would go along with what I wanted. Damn it.
"...No." Harmony and I both answer in unison. Oh. Good. She hasn't asked him yet either.
"Why not?"
...
"It's Jack." All three of us agree simultaneously before laughing.
"Right. Well then. You two are both goin with Jack because otherwise he'll try and say you're goin togetha. He was trying to tell me he wasn't goin at all this mornin." Faith rolls her eyes and stabs at her lunch to convey her thoughts on that idea. "Between the three of us I'm sure we can keep an eye on him and make sure he shows up. Uh... Maybe I should tell B to keep an eye on him too in case he tries to wander off."
"Yeah. He's worse than I am with shiny things."
...Oh Harmony. No one is that bad. But still, "yeah, we may need help corralling him. I'm sure Buffy will jump at the chance to make him do something he doesn't want to."
"I still say you guys' rivalry with B is fuckin retahded, but I guess it helps us here."
---Homecoming---
I maneuver Jack across the dance floor towards where Harmony is talking to Larry and his date, a junior I think is named Michelle?
...I thought Harmony said he was gay? Huh. Sucks for Michelle.
I spot Willow and Xander moping on the sidelines as we shuffle past. Why are they upset? I know Oz is playing tonight, but... Oh. There's Cordelia. Apparently she and Buffy are still glaring at each other.
But then, where's Faith? Oh Goddess. She's talking to Scott? That can't end well. "Excuse me a moment." Leaving Jack at the refreshments I walk over to Buffy.
"If you're going to flirt with a girl, shouldn't it be the one you came here with?"
"I am not flirting with Cordelia!"
"Uh huh. And that's why Faith is all by herself over there, and you're over here staring at Cordelia's admittedly impressive rack."
"I am not!"
"Right... you're just short enough that her boobs are eye level. I get that, but still, it looks like you two are flirting."
"As if!" Thank you Cordelia. You're being so very helpful right now.
Both girls glare at me, then each other, before storming off to their dates.
Okay. Now, to go grab Jack again before... Urgh! Too late.
Lord and Lady. I left Jack to his own devices for barely a few minutes and he already looks like he's going to murder that guy.
"Jack, stop scaring the villagers and come dance with me."
"Yes, Amy." And Faith wonders why Harmony and I just expected he'd go along with our plans.
---Homecoming Queen Announcement---
Up on stage, Devon takes the mic. "In this envelope I hold the name of this year's Homecoming Queen."
Of the other side of Jack, Harmony starts excitedly vibrating in place. Looking around for Faith I spot her looking back at me from next to an equally fidgety Buffy. We roll our eyes at our friends' antics, but clap along.
"And the winner is... Harmony Kendall."
An excited squeal to my right, precedes Harmony bounding up onto the stage.
"Oh my God. Thank you all so very much. I have so many people I'd like to thank. My friends Amy, Gwen, Shanice, Aphrodesia," Jack starts spasm-ing in place trying not to laugh at the names, which makes me giggle too. "... Blue, and Anya, for helping me with my campaign." Jack is suddenly stock still staring at Harmony. What just happened? "And most of all, Jack Winters for convincing me to run in the first place." Jack waves up at Harmony, but his smile has turned to the fixed one he uses when he's faking it. Something's wrong.
While Devon is reading off the winner for Homecoming King, Jack is looking around the room as though searching for something.
He either finds it, or confirms it isn't there because he tunes back in as Larry is finishing up his own acceptance speech with an unexpected nod to Xander.
Jack blinks a few times when he notices Larry up on stage with Harmony.
"Gods Damn It. When did she become a person instead of a science project?"
"...What?"
"Oh, nothing important. I just wasn't expecting seeing Harmony up there with some other guy to bother me."
"Oh..." Joy! I finally get my confirmation that Jack truly has no interest in Harmony and it's because he's surprised he likes her now.
"I mean, I'd kind of decided she's like my niece to be you know? So it really should be my brother up there with her." Err- Wait. Niece to be!? That means... No. Not okay! You can't have- "Of course now that I'm thinking about it, I find the idea of feeding her to William bothers me just as much." So... He's notplanning to feed my friend to his brother? Good! "So, did you happen to notice when she went and became a person?"
...
"No. But I know exactly what you mean." When did Harmony of all people become my friend?
—Friday Night—
I stare at the text message. Are you kidding me?
From Jack: 'Can't make it. Have fun with Faith.'
Sure. Have fun with Faith. The girl I was on the phone with when I got the text, being told she can't make it but wants me to go anyway so I can 'have fun with Jack.'
It has got to be genetic. Or something, since they're both 'adopted.' Stupid crazy vampire logic.
I call Harmony. "Hello?"
"Hey. Are you free tonight? The Idiot Twins did it again." It should probably bother me that I don't even consider voluntarily hanging out with Harmony to be a sign of an apocalypse anymore.
"Who is this?" What do you mean who is this!? I'm having flashbacks to sophomore year after cheerleading try- Oh… I sigh. Her mom really does sound exactly like her on the phone.
"Sorry, Mrs. Kendall. It's Amy. Is Harmony there?" I really need to convince Jack to buy Harmony a cellphone- oh screw it. I doubt he'd even notice if I added an extra line to our cell plan, let alone care.
"Oh. One moment, dear." Muffled yelling comes from the line for a moment and then Harmony picks up.
"Hey, Amy. What's up?"
"The Idiot Twins cancelled on me again. You free tonight? Want to Bronze?"
"We always go to the Bronze. Let's do something else. Something where I won't have to watch Xander make a mockery of-"
"You saw them making out again didn't you?"
"It was disgusting! He had his tongue down her throat!" Yeah, I didn't need that visual either.
"Okay. Okay. What do you want to do?"
"We could watch that star hole show."
"...What?"
"You know… That show with the worm gates? And that cute guy."
"Wormhole X-Treme? Sure. That sounds great." Yes! Muahahah. I've converted another one to joys of sci-fi. And all it took was a simple crush on Dr. Jackson. Soon I'll have you watching Star Wars with me too and you can stop staring at Jack and I like we're crazy when we argue Rebels vs. Empire.
"Yes! That's the one. I'll be over in a little bit with ice-cream."
—Winters Residence - Amy's Room : Later That Night—
Turning off my TV. I stretch out and yawn. "I still can't believe you like Dr. Jackson better than Colonel O'Neill."
"Oh, please. Jackson is clearly cuter. O'Neill is like old. You just like him because his name is Jack."
"Hey! I'll have you know I thought Colonel O'Neill was hilarious before I met the crazy vampire version! Err… oh shut up you. Are we doing this or not?"
Harmony manages to stifle her giggles and holds up her hands in mock surrender. "Indeed."
"Good. Now... where did I put it?" I stand up and rummage through the small mountain of stuff on my dresser. Grabbing my makeup bag when I finally find it, I turn back to Harmony. "Okay so what color are we-" I sigh. "Really, Harmony?" I swear I only looked away for like 2 seconds to find the nail polish. "Why are you naked?"
…
Already topless, Harmony begins working the button on her jeans. "We're going to paint our nails aren't we?" Lord and Lady! You still do that?
…
Oh Goddess! "Do you strip naked every time you paint your nails?"
"Of course I do." She stares at me like that statement is perfectly reasonable.
…And apparently she can remove her pants, while standing, without breaking eye contact.
I sigh "Hang on." I'm sure I have a couple of Jack's tee shirts around here somewhere… aha! "Put this on. You have to wear something remember."
"Why?" Because I don't want to stare at your obnoxiously flat stomach and unfairly large boobs all night.
…
"Hey! Don't just drop the tee shirt back on the floor." Since when do you not just put on the things I hand you? I definitely remember getting you to put clothes back on being easier than this.
"But that's a boy's shirt. I'm a girl." Yes, I can see that.
...Fine! Let's try this again with one of my shirts. It's not like you ever actually spill the paint on things anyway.
---Sunnydale High - Classroom : Tuesday - Picture Day, Third Period---
I try to ask her again before class starts. "If Jack got a king cobra because he 'eats other snakes,' why do I have a Cerberus?"
"No. It's supposed to be a Basilisk. You know, dangerous to look in the eyes? King of Serpents. The king cobra is just the closest I could find.
"Why do I have a Cerberus?"
"Because you fell asleep on the job in that crypt?" Hey now!
"Excuse me. I was put to sleep by a cursed pocket watch. I did not just decide to take a nap."
"Uh huh… and Fluffy was put to sleep by music. See? Plus you wanted something to keep you safe like a guard dog when you met Jack. Cerberuses are like magic guard dogs." What does Jack have- Oh. Jack is my magic guard dog.
Harmony smiles, looking incredibly pleased with herself for her little convoluted bit of logic. "...Why does Faith have a hippogryph?"
"Buckbeak is a proud and beautiful creature, and will like totally fuck you up if you insult him. Does that sound like anyone we know? Plus, she was trying to run away to safety and start a new life. Then she met Jack like buckbeak met Sirius."
"Okay. Point." I suppose it even makes sense if you're Harmony. "Why the unicorn then?" If you're making this all about Jack, I can't imagine you think he… met you in the forest and… drank… oh. Oh my.
"I like unicorns." Harmony stares at me blankly but with a huge smile on her face. The 'duh!' apparently no less obvious for being left unsaid. I'm not sure what to make of that.
——Sunnydale High - Cafeteria : Thursday Lunchtime——
Spotting Jack walking out of the cafeteria I grab him by the arm and pull him down the hallway. "You talked to the band kids?"
"…Yes." Damn it, Jack. Buffy would have noticed that hesitant pause. What did you do?
…
Why do I even care? "Are they going to vote for her?"
"Most of them should."
I stare at Jack with an eyebrow raised. "Should? Come on Jack. This is important to Harmony."
"As much as it pains me to admit it, the subtleties of mind control are an art, not a science. Seriously, ow… That was physically painful."
I roll my eyes at my crazy vampire. "There there… If you want to be a drama queen about it can you at least make sure you art not a science your way through the drama club too?"
"You know, when I put this idea in Harmony's head I didn't expect it to be quite so much work. Not for me anyway."
I sigh. That bothered me a lot less when I hated her. "Jack… could you try to not mess with Harmony's head anymore? I kind of like her the way she is."
"Huh? Oh... No. I just asked her if she had considered it. There was no mental mojo involved."
"And when she… feeds you?"
"Her idea actually. I think. It happened a few times during programming, and then apparently she lost some weight and decided the two things were related. She's been the one insisting it be an every Monday affair."
Huh… She's doing that without being thralled into it?
——Saturday Late Morning——
I wake up in my usual seat at the kitchen table. Coffee cup in hand. Following the sound of voices, I walk into the living room.
"Jack, have you seen…" Jack's sitting on the couch with Harmony straddling his lap grinding against him, leaning in towards his face. Harmony is clearly suicidal.
Hearing me, Harmony leans back away from my vampire, I knew I should have fed her to the hyenas- wait, does she… have a brush in her hand? "Amy! Thank God you're here! Hold his head, he keeps squirming when I try to put the eye liner on him."
"Eyes are designed to dislike being poked!" Jack glares at her for a moment, before turning towards me. His face is painted white like the Joker. He looks so incredibly irritated. I don't even bother trying to suppress a giggle. "Hey! You laugh now, but you're next. Poison Ivy's skin is green remember… and red hair too."
…
They're just getting into costume. I dismiss the magic pooling in my hand. "You have to catch me first!"
I manage to almost turn halfway around before an arm wraps around my waist and lifts me off the ground. Who the- "Nuh uh, Ames. If I had to dye my hair, you do too."
Faith!? looks… really different with blond hair. "Wow." She even has red and black tipped pigtails to match the pattern on her outfit. It's a nice touch. I wonder who came up with that?
She looks fantastic as always. Of course she does.
…
Wait… since when does Poison Ivy have green skin?
Oh whatever. I want a brownie.
---Sunday : Driving Home---
My lovely little fantasy of making things explode is interrupted by a loud crack and Jack groaning. "Faith... please tell me you aren't actually stuck there?"
Oh, that is priceless. Miss I can kick your ass at Mario Cart can't fit her own ass through the... okay, so admittedly it's a super tiny window. I look back to Jack. "...Pull over." I pop open the glove compartment.
"Yeah. We should probably get her out of there."
I fish out the camera. "Oh. Right. That too. Of course. After I take some pictures. Harmony, smile for the camera."
Jack pulls over into the breakdown lane. I try to hand him the camera so I can get my own picture. He waves me off. "Hang on, get one more first."
---Sunnydale High -Cafeteria : Tuesday - Lunchtime ---
Faith sits down across from Harmony and I and looks back and forth between us for a moment. "Yo, Harms, who are you goin to homecomin with?"
"Jack. Duh." Wait what!? I thought I was going with Jack. Damn it. "I mean, I was thinking about making Larry take me, but he's gay." Larry's gay? "So that won't do at all."
"... you got a problem with gay people?" Faith stares at Harmony with narrowed eyes. Shit, I forgot about her little crush on Buffy. This could get ugly really fast.
"Of course not, I just think they should stick to their own kind." Uh... Harmony? Abort! "You know... like, date other gay people?" Oh... that makes more- wait, no! I'm mad at you.
"Hold up. I'm going to homecoming with Jack." Harmony turns and looks at me with a wide eyed deer in the headlights expression.
"Have eitha of you told Jack this?" Faith interrupts our impending argument with her stupid 'being reasonable.' No... I just assumed jack would go along with what I wanted. Damn it.
"...No." Harmony and I both answer in unison. Oh. Good. She hasn't asked him yet either.
"Why not?"
...
"It's Jack." All three of us agree simultaneously before laughing.
"Right. Well then. You two are both goin with Jack because otherwise he'll try and say you're goin togetha. He was trying to tell me he wasn't goin at all this mornin." Faith rolls her eyes and stabs at her lunch to convey her thoughts on that idea. "Between the three of us I'm sure we can keep an eye on him and make sure he shows up. Uh... Maybe I should tell B to keep an eye on him too in case he tries to wander off."
"Yeah. He's worse than I am with shiny things."
...Oh Harmony. No one is that bad. But still, "yeah, we may need help corralling him. I'm sure Buffy will jump at the chance to make him do something he doesn't want to."
"I still say you guys' rivalry with B is fuckin retahded, but I guess it helps us here."
---Homecoming---
I maneuver Jack across the dance floor towards where Harmony is talking to Larry and his date, a junior I think is named Michelle?
...I thought Harmony said he was gay? Huh. Sucks for Michelle.
I spot Willow and Xander moping on the sidelines as we shuffle past. Why are they upset? I know Oz is playing tonight, but... Oh. There's Cordelia. Apparently she and Buffy are still glaring at each other.
But then, where's Faith? Oh Goddess. She's talking to Scott? That can't end well. "Excuse me a moment." Leaving Jack at the refreshments I walk over to Buffy.
"If you're going to flirt with a girl, shouldn't it be the one you came here with?"
"I am not flirting with Cordelia!"
"Uh huh. And that's why Faith is all by herself over there, and you're over here staring at Cordelia's admittedly impressive rack."
"I am not!"
"Right... you're just short enough that her boobs are eye level. I get that, but still, it looks like you two are flirting."
"As if!" Thank you Cordelia. You're being so very helpful right now.
Both girls glare at me, then each other, before storming off to their dates.
Okay. Now, to go grab Jack again before... Urgh! Too late.
Lord and Lady. I left Jack to his own devices for barely a few minutes and he already looks like he's going to murder that guy.
"Jack, stop scaring the villagers and come dance with me."
"Yes, Amy." And Faith wonders why Harmony and I just expected he'd go along with our plans.
---Homecoming Queen Announcement---
Up on stage, Devon takes the mic. "In this envelope I hold the name of this year's Homecoming Queen."
Of the other side of Jack, Harmony starts excitedly vibrating in place. Looking around for Faith I spot her looking back at me from next to an equally fidgety Buffy. We roll our eyes at our friends' antics, but clap along.
"And the winner is... Harmony Kendall."
An excited squeal to my right, precedes Harmony bounding up onto the stage.
"Oh my God. Thank you all so very much. I have so many people I'd like to thank. My friends Amy, Gwen, Shanice, Aphrodesia," Jack starts spasm-ing in place trying not to laugh at the names, which makes me giggle too. "... Blue, and Anya, for helping me with my campaign." Jack is suddenly stock still staring at Harmony. What just happened? "And most of all, Jack Winters for convincing me to run in the first place." Jack waves up at Harmony, but his smile has turned to the fixed one he uses when he's faking it. Something's wrong.
While Devon is reading off the winner for Homecoming King, Jack is looking around the room as though searching for something.
He either finds it, or confirms it isn't there because he tunes back in as Larry is finishing up his own acceptance speech with an unexpected nod to Xander.
Jack blinks a few times when he notices Larry up on stage with Harmony.
"Gods Damn It. When did she become a person instead of a science project?"
"...What?"
"Oh, nothing important. I just wasn't expecting seeing Harmony up there with some other guy to bother me."
"Oh..." Joy! I finally get my confirmation that Jack truly has no interest in Harmony and it's because he's surprised he likes her now.
"I mean, I'd kind of decided she's like my niece to be you know? So it really should be my brother up there with her." Err- Wait. Niece to be!? That means... No. Not okay! You can't have- "Of course now that I'm thinking about it, I find the idea of feeding her to William bothers me just as much." So... He's notplanning to feed my friend to his brother? Good! "So, did you happen to notice when she went and became a person?"
...
"No. But I know exactly what you mean." When did Harmony of all people become my friend?
