The Wonder From Down Under

Author: Anne Parnell

Title: The Wonder From Down Under

Copyright: November 2002
Rating: PG-13

Spoilers:
Buffy: Season 2 up until Phases.
Highlander: Season 5 until Season finale. Richie Ryan lives.

Keywords: Buffy/ Highlander.

Summary: Someone new has moved in to Sunnydale and boy is she unhappy about the fact!

Legalese:
All characters except those noted below with their respective rights, properties, and copyrights are the property of the respective creators, authors, owners, producers and agencies. These characters are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended or meant, and no money will be made from this story. This story may be copied in its entirety, and may be distributed as long as all copyright information remains.
The characters of Shaw Hunter and Father Ulric Johansen are the property of Tim Knight. He can be contacted at doobytim@aol.com.
The characters of Steven St. Wolf, Charlie, Brian Jessup and Ted the Avatar of the Pizza God are the property of Steve Pantovich, as is the universe in which this story takes place. Steve can be contacted at Steve711@concentric.net.
The characters of Alison Jarman, Kaitlyn Jarman, and Father Maye are mine and anyone who wishes to use them can contact me at anne@kayleyangel.com.

Author's Notes:
Dedications: To Steve, Grand High Poobah of the Wandererverse, for giving the original Okays for my stories and for tossing in a few wonderful ways to add twists and turns to my stories.
To Tim, Comic Adviser – One Liner Extraordinaire, the man of wit and in jokes.
To Timbo who will find some of the jokes in this story relevant to some of the jokes we have to put up with (and for also coming up with a few of them)

Here are the changes from your regular shows:
Buffy:
1. Due to her drowning death at the hands of the Master, Buffy is Immortal.
2. Passion and Becoming never took place, so Jenny and Kendra are still alive and well. Kendra is attending UC Sunnydale.
3. Faith is a good girl… no really… she is… trust me…

The Wonder From Down Under

I still call Australia home, and by crikey! There's more to it than Crocodile Dundee and Kangaroos!

Monash Medical Centre
Clayton, Victoria, Australia
September 9th 1999

The paramedics rushed through the emergency doors, nurses and a doctor rushed over to the stretcher they were pushing.

"Her vitals are down, she needs blood quickly!"

"Breathing is shallow!"

"Code Blue, get the crash cart!"

Kaitlyn raced to catch up with the surgical team, only to find herself swept up into the arms of a nurse. He held her as the party disappeared through the swinging doors.

"Sorry luv, but only staff is allowed through there," he told her softly.

"But that's my mummy!" she cried.

"I know luv, but we mustn't get in the way of doctors. They are trying their best to make your mummy better. Now let's go to the cafeteria and get ourselves a nice drink of Milo. How does that sound?"

"O-okay."

"My name's Aaron, what's yours?" he asked, trying to get her mind off her surroundings.

"Kaitlyn."

"That's a pretty name. How old are you Kaitlyn?"

"I'm 13 tomorrow," she answered proudly.

"Wow! You're a big girl!"

"My mummy is going to throw me a BIG birthday and I'm allowed to have my friends spend the night too."

Aaron shook his head at that revelation. He knew that there was little hope that she would be having her party but he couldn't say a word to her.

"Friends staying the night? What a lucky girl you are… how many are coming to your party?"

"Ummm, let's see… Alice, Mary, Jessica, Jenny, Erin, Elizabeth and Jayne. But only Jayne and Erin are staying the night. They are my bestest friends in the whole world!"

"Sounds like fun… can I come?"

"No… you're too old."

They rounded the last corner and walked into the cafeteria. Aaron ordered a Milo for Kaitlyn and then ushered her back to the waiting room.

"Now Kaitlyn, I have to go back to work but I'll come out to check on you every now and then. Try to get a little bit of sleep if you can… I'll see if I can get a bed for you."

"Okay Aaron… thanks," she said crawling up into a ball on the hard, white, plastic seat.

*****

A half hour later, Kaitlyn watched as Aaron and someone she didn't know walk towards her. Aaron squatted in front of her so his eyes were in line with hers.

"Kaitlyn, I want to introduce you to Dr Simmons. He's been hard at work helping your mother out. He wants to have a quick chat to you."

"Okay Aaron." He stood up again but didn't leave them.

"Kaitlyn, I need you to understand me. Your mother is very sick at the moment but she is asking to see you. When you go into her room, it's going to look very scary. She needs help to breathe so there are a number of tubes hooked up to her. Please don't touch those tubes. Okay?"

"Y-yes Dr Simmons."

"Good girl. Now Aaron is going to take you in to see her. But remember not to touch the cords."

Aaron took her hand and ushered her to her mother's room where a priest was sitting next to her bed.

"Ah, this must be young Kaitlyn. You're mother is so proud of you. I'm Father Maye."

"Hello Father, how are you?" she asked politely. Although not a devout Catholic, she had been raised to respect the Church.

"I'm very good, but I'll be leaving you and your mother alone for a moment to let her chat to you." He and Aaron left the room quietly while Kaitlyn moved closer to her mum.

"My little Kait," she gasped painfully, "you are such a big girl."

"Mummy, what's wrong?" Kaitlyn asked her tearful mother.

"Kaitlyn, remember I love you. Remember I will always love you. Kaitlyn, I have to go soon… I'm not going to be leaving this hospital room."

"Mummy?" she asked confused.

"Kaitlyn, your daddy is calling me… I have to go to him."

"But what about me?" Kaitlyn asked in tears as a mind numbing horror began to sink into her heart...

"Shhh, Kaitlyn. I have asked Father Maye to find your Aunt and Uncle. You'll live with them, they have a daughter who I know you will like… please Kaitlyn, I know you feel like I am abandoning you… but I will be with you forever. Be strong baby. I love you sweetheart," she said with her final breath.

Suddenly the alarms off the machine went off and nurses and doctors rushed into the room. Aaron rushed in and picked Kaitlyn up and moved her out of the way of the doctors. He stood there with her in his arms while she cried for all she was worth.

*****

Tullamarine Airport
Melbourne, Victoria
October 13th, 1999

"Final call for all passengers boarding Qantas Flight 093 to Los Angeles. All passengers for Qantas Flight 093, this is the final call," the P.A. system informed the International Lounge of the Melbourne Airport.

"Well Kaitlyn, this is us. Are you ready?" Father Maye asked. There was no way that he would allow a child to fly to another country without a guardian. He also was going to make sure that she found her way to the family she would be staying with. The Good Shepherd Church and the St Justin's Church had both raised money for him to take Kaitlyn to Sunnydale, California.

"Yes Father Maye, thank you for helping me," she answered somberly.

"My child that is what I am here to do."

Together they picked up their carry on luggage and boarded the plane for a long flight.

*****

LAX Airport
California

After they had finally touched down in California and grabbed their luggage, Father Maye escorted Kaitlyn towards the rental cars.

"I decided after such a long flight that we should take the scenic route to Sunnydale. Shall we set off?"

"Okay Father. How long is it from here to Sunnydale?"

"A few hours from what I have been told… I just hope that Father Ulric's directions are clear enough for me."

"Father Ul-ric?" Kaitlyn tried to pronounce his name.

"Yes, Ulric and I have met a few times, his name is Finnish, although he was raised here in America. When I heard your family was in Sunnydale, I called him for help. He has been a great help to me in organizing your move."

Unable to reply to Father Maye, Kaitlyn Jarman hopped into the rental car and stared silently out the window as they drove toward Sunnydale, leaving her old life behind once and for all and moving into an uncertain new one.

*****

Jarman Household
Sunnydale, California

"Dad, what time are they due for arrival?" Ali asked as she checked herself in the mirror one more time.

"Ali, you look beautiful as always and your cousin is due any moment now. Father Maye called to notify us that he was just entering Sunnydale and that was only 5 minutes ago. He is stopping off quickly at Father Ulric's to drop his bags off before coming here."

Andrew's eyes furrowed in puzzlement. "Tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't that where your friend Shaw lives?"

"What if she doesn't like us?" Ali panicked. She had only found out about her cousin a day after her father was notified of his sister-in-law's death. So when Ali found out that her cousin was coming to live with them, she became nervous, despite the fact that she hadn't gotten to go to her aunt's funeral.

"Settle down Ali. Why don't you give Ted a call and ask him to come over? He's practically family now, so he should be here to meet Kaitlyn too."

"Okay Dad," Ali answered, grateful to have a job to occupy her frantic mind. She dialed Ted's number and held her breath till he picked up.

"Ted, it's me. Can you come over quickly? Dad and I would like you here to meet Kaitlyn."

"Sure, I'll be there in a few minutes."

After hanging up the phone, Ali ran to the mirror to check her hair again. < Jeez, now I'm acting like Cordy. I don't care if my hair is out of place, so why am I in front of the mirror?>

*****

Johansen / Hunter Household
Sunnydale, California

Shaw answered the knock on the front door and found herself looking at Alison… or rather what a young Alison would have looked like.

"You must be Kaitlyn, come in. Is Father Maye with you?" Shaw offered kindly. She felt a sympathy for the child since she knew what had happened to her parents.

Kaitlyn just looked at her, too shy to respond.

"Kaitlyn, I am Shaw Hunter. Ulric is my foster father. Would you like to come inside?" Shaw tried again. She liked children and Kaitlyn had suffered more than any child should.

Opening the door wider to allow Kaitlyn to enter, Shaw stepped aside as Kaitlyn quietly entered the house. After Kaitlyn was inside, Shaw looked out to see where Father Maye was.

"Father Maye? Are you all right?" she asked as he struggled with a few bags.

"Yes, I am fine. Just trying to get my bags out from under Kaitlyn's. I'll be inside in just a moment." The huffing and puffing he was doing belied his statement, but Shaw knew better than to argue.

"All right, Father Maye." She said, letting him handle things.

Shaw left the door open and walked into the kitchen, where she had seen Kaitlyn enter as she turned around. Looking around, her sharp eyes focused on the young Jarman looking at a photo of Ali, Faith, David, Jessica, and herself. The three of them had the photo taken at one of the Renn Faire's she had taken them too.

"Who's this?" Kaitlyn asked softly, pointing to Ali. "You all look like something out of a bloody Robin Hood movie."

"That is your cousin, Alison. She is one of the people you will be living with. The other dark-haired girl is my friend Faith. The others are David and Jessica."

"What is she like?"

"Alison? Alison is extremely intelligent and very loyal to her family and friends. She has had a rough life but is willing to overcome it, just like I know you will be."

"How would you know?" Kaitlyn shouted, "Have you ever lost the only family you have ever known, then had to move overseas to stay with family you have never seen??"

"Actually Kaitlyn, I have," Shaw softly explained.

"Yeah right. That's what the shrinks say too."

"Kaitlyn, would you like a soda while I tell you about my life?"

"No I'm all right." Kaitlyn defiantly stuck her chin out and Shaw saw it as something else that she and Alison had in common. "So how rough has your bloody life been?"

"Do you really want to know?" Shaw asked, giving the younger girl the chance to decline. When Kaitlyn gave her a glare, daring her to compare misfortunes, she decided to give the "official" version of her life, as she was under standing orders not to reveal her dimensional origins. "You have obviously noticed that I do not have an American accent."

"Get out of here," Kaitlyn sarcastically snapped. "So where are you from?"

"I am from Scotland." When she received a doubtful look, Shaw shrugged. "I am also a military brat. My father was in the SAS, the Special Forces. My mother, on the other hand, was an agent of MI6, British Intelligence. I… I don't remember Mother, because she was killed in the line of duty before I even turned three."

"What about your Dad?"

"He died when I was ten, fighting terrorists in Africa. I went to live with my grandparents, who I idolized. When I was thirteen, a madman murdered them and…" She stopped and wondered how easily she had been about to reveal something that she rarely told anyone. "Let us just say, that I tried to kill him. I failed and lost two-thirds of my blood before I escaped him. But I was alone, Kaitlyn. The only thing I had left was a desire for revenge and no family to help me through my grief." She sat down and folded her fingers together. "At least, I thought I had no family. It seems that Connor, a kinsman of mine, found out about me and sponsored me as an exchange student. I moved to America knowing only two things; that I did not want to be here, and that I had a cousin closer to my own age, a female cousin. We got off to a bad start, but since then we have come to love each other as sisters more than distant cousins, Kaitlyn. To be honest, I know for a fact that having any family at all, even one teenage cousin, kept me from becoming someone truly dark. For those years I had no one, I was not a very nice person."

"So how'd you cope? I mean, it's killing me."

"No it is not. Kaitlyn, if you are anything like your cousin Alison, you will be able to survive anything that comes your way."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I will let Alison explain, if she is up to it. Kaitlyn, what Alison has been through can be considered just as painful, if not more so, that what we have been through."

Kaitlyn scoffed at that comment but let it slide.

"Oh this must be Kaitlyn, Paddy has been telling me so much about you," Ulric commented as he walked into the kitchen, followed by Father Maye (who was rolling his eyes at the comment).

"Paddy?" Kaitlyn giggled.

"Yes Kaitlyn, Paddy is my nickname. My real name is Patrick Maye but since I am from Ireland, they call me Paddy."

"Oh… okay then."

"And Paddy, I would like to introduce my daughter, Shaw Hunter." Ulric grinned from ear to ear. "Shaw is from Scotland, Paddy. So like you, she is a slightly stubborn Celt."

Shaw grinned. "And proud of it… sassanach." She got a laugh out of Father Maye at the Gaelic word for "Englishman."

"Hello Shaw, how are you?"

Shaw stood up and extended a hand. "I am fine Father. How are you?"

"I'm quite well. Now Kaitlyn are you ready?"

"Yes Father," she said quietly as she stood up.

"Kaitlyn, remember what I told you. If you want to talk about it again, I will listen to you," Shaw offered.

Kaitlyn watched her for a few seconds. "Thanks Shaw."

Father Maye and Kaitlyn walked out the front door and towards the car. Ulric and Shaw stayed near the door.

"I'll see you in a little while," Paddy called back.

"See you then," Ulric responded.

*****

Jarman Household

"Was that a car?" Ali panicked again.

"Shhh, sweetheart what has gotten into you?" Ted asked her, holding her close to him.

"It's just, well, I never knew I had a cousin and now she's coming to live with us."

"She'll love you Ali."

"Y-you sure?" she asked nervously.

"Well I do," he responded cheekily before leaning out of the way of Ali's swatting hand.

"You have to cause you're my boy," she laughed before kissing him.

A cough from the doorway startled them. Turning around, looking guilty although they hadn't done anything wrong, they saw Andrew and two others.

"Kaitlyn, Father Maye, I would like to introduce you to my daughter Alison, and her boyfriend Ted."

"Hi there. How was the flight?" Ted asked as Ali kept staring at Kaitlyn.

"It was rather good, not much turbulence. Anyways, I think I will leave you all to get to know each other. Thank you Andrew for taking her in. Goodbye, Kaitlyn, and remember, anytime you need to talk you have my numbers."

"It is no problem Father, she is my niece. I'll show you out," Andrew answered, leading Father Maye towards the door.

*****

"K-Kaitlyn, did you w-want me to show you around t-the house?" Ali asked nervously.

"Just to my room please," Kaitlyn asked bitterly. <Man, I can't see how she's had a rough life. She looks like one of the rejects from 90210… and man her boy is HOT! I wonder what he does for a living?>

"Alright then, I suppose you're tired from your long move… it's just up here," she started up the stairs, "then it's that door there. I hope you don't mind, it used to be a study… we're in the middle of renovating it for you."

"Thanks," Kaitlyn said, walking towards the door Ali had pointed at.

"If you need anything, Dad's room is the door at the end and I'm that door there," Ali added as a reference for her.

"Yeah…" Kait replied as she shut the door to the room.

"Well, that was rude!" Ali said to Ted as she turned around to go back down the stairs.

"Ali, just remember that she has just been through a really rough time. Think about how pleasant you were after your life changed dramatically for the worst… it wasn't that easy to remain nice, was it? And you were two years older than she is now. Give her a chance… let her get used to our way of life…" Ted rationalized as he followed her into the lounge.

"Yeah, you're right." Ali said with a grumble. "Oh well, where were we before we got interrupted?"

"Oh we were right in the middle of this…" he said leaning over and kissing her again.

*****

Kaitlyn sat in her new room and looked about the place. It looked rather empty and plain. White walls surrounded her, with white carpet on the ground. A day bed had been moved into the room until her own bed was shipped in from Australia. The wardrobe was empty but that was something she could soon fix.

She was going to have to wait a few days for the rest of her belongings to come, but in the things she did have, she decided to start unpacking.

Opening her two luggage bags, Kaitlyn went through the task of deciding how she was going to organize her wardrobe. Finally settling on the order, she got to the task of putting it all away.

When she had completed that, she pulled out her favorite soft toy and curled up on the bed. She tried to think of some good things about her move but nothing could come to mind… everything ended coming back to her mum's death. Too much for her to bare, Kait started crying.

"This is so unfair! Why mum?" she sobbed over and over, becoming angrier. Her bedroom light started flickering, the light fading and growing stronger.

"Stop it!" she yelled at the light and with that, the bulb blew apart with a shatter, glass shards falling all over the floor and peppering her bed. She started screaming, becoming hysterical with fright.

She felt the bed start shaking as her fear shot skyward, and the rumbling only became worse as she began screaming for her mum. So occupied was she in her terror, that she didn't hear the knocking on the door, nor did she notice anyone coming into her room until a slap on her cheek snapped her out of it.

"You hit me!" she yelled at Ali, cold anger replacing her fear.

"I had too, you were hysterical… I tried to get you to stop but nothing worked."

"Just get out! Leave me alone…" she sobbed, ignoring or missing the look of worry on her cousin's face.

"Girls! Calm down!" Ted yelled from the doorway. He could hear them yelling downstairs and the last thing he wanted was for Andrew to hear them too, although the way Kaitlyn was going, there was little chance he wouldn't.

"Not a chance Lover boy! She hit me."

"Kaitlyn, although I haven't lost both my parents, if you would just talk to me… maybe I could help…" Ali tried gently.

"No! You could never know the pain I have been through!" Kaitlyn hissed back.

"I can tell you what I've been through, but it isn't the same as what you're going through. But I know what it's like to hurt," Ali retorted.

"Yeah right Little Miss Melrose… just get out of my room. Get out! Get out! Get out!" she screeched.

Ali and Ted left the room, leaving Kaitlyn to sob uncontrollably on the floor.

*****

The pair walked into Ali's room and she turned on her CD player. She turned the volume up to cover the crying from the other room. The repetitive chords of The Living End's "Save the Day" filled the room.

"Ted, what can I do? I want to help her…" she turned to him, pleading with her eyes that he would know the answer.

"Sweetheart, you have to give her time. It's going to be rough on her."

"Where did you get this?" a voice demanded from the doorway. They turned to see Kaitlyn standing there with an awed look on her face.

"Get what?" Ali asked confused.

"This CD… where did you get it?" Kaitlyn asked excitedly. Her mood was completely opposite to how she had been mere minutes ago.

"Why?" Ali asked, still confused not only by the question but the change in Kaitlyn.

"Because it's only the band that formed around the corner from where I lived… These guys rule!" Kaitlyn said, showing an interest in the other CDs that Ali had.

"Oh my… The Mavis's, Powderfinger… silverchair! Where did you get these from?" she asked since she hadn't expected anyone to know of them.

"My mom brought them back from me when she went to Australia a few years back. I'd never heard of them before but they seemed pretty cool…" Ali explained, not sure why Kaitlyn was pressing her about them.

"Do you have any others?"

"A few… ummm, Savage Garden is around somewhere."

"What about AC/DC, INXS, Midnight Oil, Jimmy Barnes, Chisel?" Kaitlyn asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, actually I do… they are in here," she opened another CD cabinet and Kaitlyn saw it was full of Australian artists.

"C-can I borrow some of them… and your CD player for a little while?"

"Why?"

"Cause they are from my home… I miss being around my friends and at least this will help me out," Kaitlyn pleaded.

"Sure thing, take which ever CDs you want… just let me know which ones you take so I don't go crazy looking for them later," Ali agreed, cheering up.

"Thanks… and Ali, c-can we t-talk later?" Kaitlyn asked softly.

"Yeah sure. Just let me know when," Ali said. <Who would have thought that mom's music taste would come in handy?>

She watched the latest addition to the family walk out of her room, struggling with CDs and smiled.

"Ted, help me get the CD player into her room."

"Jeez, all I am is slave labor huh?" he joked as he helped Ali unplug it and then lifted it up to carry.

"Nope, also my eye candy…" Ali giggled.

"Well then, I'm not complaining!" he laughed as he followed Ali across the hallway. He waited as Ali knocked softly on the door before entering.

"Hey Kaitlyn, we thought we'd save you an extra trip. Where would you like it set up?" she asked her cousin.

"Anywhere… I don't mind," she answered not paying much attention to Ali, just looking at the CDs in front of her.

Ted put the player in the corner and set it up. He made sure it was working properly, and turned the volume down a little, before he grabbed a CD and put it on. As the start of the song came on, he looked at the CD cover in front of him. He had never heard of the band nor the song, The Mavis's "Cry".

"Thanks, now can you guys leave?" Kaitlyn asked abruptly. They looked at her but followed her wishes and walked out of the room.

*****

<Man, pick the perfect song for me didn't they? I have to try a little bit more to be nicer to them but it's just so hard. She probably doesn't know anyone my age…>

Kait threw herself on her ‘bed' and listened to the music, trying to calm herself down. She had never thought of herself as bitchy before but replaying the scenes in her head she realized she had been today.

She thought about changing the CD but couldn't be bothered finding out where the button was to open it. She was still angry with Ali and with herself. <Why should I bother opening it? Why can't it just open itself?>

With that the CD draw opened itself.

"Huh?"

*****

A few hours later

"Hey kiddo, we're heading out. Dad's gone to see Sydney again today so you're with us," Ali said as she opened the door to Kaitlyn's room.

"He's gone to Australia and didn't take me?" Kaitlyn asked in a pained voice.

"Huh? Where did you get Australia out of that comment?" asked Ali, a little confused.

"Sydney… capital city of New South Wales, largest capital city in Australia? Home of the upcoming Olympic Games… any of this ringing a bell," Kaitlyn prodded sarcastically.

"Oh sorry, not that Sydney. Dad meets with Sydney once a week. They talk. You know, guy stuff…" Ali avoided the obvious answer, not wanting to embarrass her Dad.

"Oh, a shrink huh? Okay then, that's cool. So where are we going?"

"We're going over to visit my friend Faith and you can meet Dawn," Ali didn't go into the whole explanation of the Summers household, which Faith always referred to as Slayer House.

"How old is Dawn?" Kaitlyn asked curiously.

"She's 13. You'll be in the same school class as her," Ali explained.

"And what? You're expecting us to be best friends?"

"Nothing of the sort, but I figured that you should know at least one person your age before you begin school. And she can clue you in on where kids her age hang out, so you can find stuff to do."

"Well then, let's go…" Kaitlyn turned off the music and followed them outside.

*****

Dawn answered the door when they knocked.

"Hey Ted, not used to you knocking without a pizza in one hand," she joked.

"Dawn, nice to see you too."

"Hey Ali, Faith said you guys were coming around."

"Hey Dawn. Thanks. By the way, this is my cousin Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn, this is Dawn Summers." Kaitlyn looked at the girl she was being introduced to. Dawn was slightly taller than herself with long, brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing a black singlet top with tight red leather pants and a pair of black slip on sandals.

"Hey Kait, come in," Dawn opened the door and they followed her into the house.

Once they entered the lounge room, Kaitlyn stopped short as she noticed Brian sitting there with Sherlock.

<Wow, he is cute!>

Dawn saw her reaction and held in a giggle.

"Sorry, he's taken," Dawn told her, no doubt hinting at just who had taken him.

"Damn! All the good ones are always taken or gay…"

"Kaitlyn!" Ali exclaimed embarrassed.

"What? It's true you know…"

"Anyways, I'm Brian," the red faced boy interrupted, blushing under Kait's microscope.

"Hey Brian, I'm Kaitlyn but you can call me Kait."

A voice from the kitchen made them all turn around.

"Oh God, they cloned AJ."

"They did not, Faith," Ali shot back.

"Oh good. It's not like you got that much height to spare," Faith answered.

"Hey!"

"I like her," Kaitlyn inputted.

"For some weird ass reason, everyone does," Ali said meekly.

"So this is the Wonder from Down Under huh?" Faith asked, looking at Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn watched her walk around and couldn't believe what Faith was wearing. The hip hugging dark denim jeans, the midriff baring silver halter top and the two-inch high boots put everyone in the room to shame. Kaitlyn felt so inadequate around her considering she was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a loose Billabong t-shirt.

"What's it to ya?" she asked defensively.

"Just asking, you know… being polite…" Faith shrugged.

"Yeah, okay I am…"

"Man, you've been here for five or ten minutes now and you haven't once said…" Faith started teasing.

"Don't say it! Please don't say it…" Kaitlyn begged, knowing exactly what was about to come out of Faith's mouth.

"Don't say what? Crikey?"

"Man, we don't ALL say that! See that's what I hate about him, he's given people the wrong idea about us Aussies… we don't say crikey, we don't all try to grab deadly snakes, or jump on crocodiles," Kaitlyn ranted.

<Although Faith's done the latter,> Ali groaned to herself.

"But you have to admit that he has become a bit of an Australian icon," Ted said interrupting her rant.

"Well, yeah, I do. But I don't have to like it!"

"Hey does anyone want drinks?" Faith asked suddenly. With a round of nods and a chorus of ‘I do's,' Faith headed into the kitchen.

"I'll help Faith," Ali called out as she followed.

*****

"So have you told her about vampires or anything?" Faith asked as she grabbed a bottle of soda out of the fridge.

"No, and I don't intend to for a while. I just want her to get used to living in America. You know, let her be a normal kid for a little while," Ali explained.

"Do you think she's going to be in the dark for very long?" she asked curiously.

"Not a chance. Especially since she seems to like Brian and Dawn. Can't see them endangering her life just so they can look like normal kids."

"I'll pass the word to the others. Let them know not to mention anything around her until you give the word," Faith guaranteed. "But let Dawn and Brian look like normal kids. She could use it. I've been there, AJ. You know that."

"Thanks Faith. I really appreciate this," Ali said with gratitude.

"How's Andrew?"

"Man, I can't believe how much of a difference him going to see Sydney has made. He's like he used to be. Still not well enough to work, but his checks and the money I make from Romero's is enough to live off for the moment. It may get a little tighter with Kaitlyn living with us, but we'll manage, we always do. If worst comes to worse, I'll borrow money off mom but I prefer not heading down that path if you know what I mean."

"Let me know if you need any help later on, like when you and Ted wanna go get smoochies without her hanging around…" Faith teased.

"Deal!" Ali jumped to agree.

*****

Meanwhile Kaitlyn was fielding questions from the others.

"So is it like always sunny like we see it on TV?" Dawn asked, wondering if it was like Sunnydale's weather.

"Not a chance. I lived in Melbourne, which has the reputation of ‘four seasons in one day' and the reputation was well earned!"

"What sports do you guys have down there?" Brian added.

"Besides like basketball, tennis, and soccer, we've got two types of rugby, Aussie Rules, cricket and a number of others. I love Aussie Rules, one day you guys HAVE to watch it!" she answered enthusiastically.

"So what TV shows do you have?" Dawn asked.

"Okay, majority of our TV shows comes from England and America, mainly America. We do have a number of TV shows made in Australia too. There is Neighbours and Home & Away, which are our versions of soap operas. An excellent comedy/satire show called Good News Week, basically poked fun at all current news. The host of it is a bit of a cutie too! Then there are the other comedy shows and such, plus the usual police shows like Blue Heelers and Water Rats."

"Hey, instead of us asking more questions and making you talk about your home, which you'll have to do at school, wanna head to the movies?" Brian changed the topic.

"Sure what's on?" Kaitlyn asked. Dawn and Brian looked evilly at each other.

"The Matrix," they said in unison.

"Keanu Reeves is the nicest guy. And boy is he good looking in person," Kaitlyn boasted to the surprise of Dawn and Brian.

"You've met him?" Dawn asked in shock.

"Yeah, m-mum worked as a personal assistant to one of the guys who worked on the Matrix. During the school holidays I would attend some of the shoots, which meant that I met Keanu. It was awesome!"

"So who else have you met?" Dawn continued to ask.

"Well I met Carrie-Anne Moss, who plays Trinity. Man do her scenes rock! She gets some of the most amazing visual effects and special effects done in her scenes. But I was kept away from majority of the areas so I only got to see little bits and pieces."

"So do you know any other classified details?" Brian had to ask, eyes gleaming with eagerness.

"Yes but if I told you I would have to kill you," she replied cheekily.

*****

Ali and Faith walked out of the kitchen with the drinks and handed them around. Ali sat next to Ted, curling up to his side, while Faith sat cross-legged on the floor with Sherlock.

"So Mini-Ali, how are you enjoying Sunnyhell?" Faith asked innocently.

"Faith!" Ali hissed quietly. Faith shrugged.

"Can you not call me that please?" Kaitlyn ignored the question.

"Sorry KJ, did you have a problem with Mini-Ali?" Faith teased.

"I really don't like that one," Kaitlyn complained.

"If you don't, she'll just come up with something worse," Dawn pointed out.

"Really?"

"The more nicknames she gives you, the more she likes you," Ali confirmed.

"How many has she given you?" Kaitlyn asked Ali.

"I stopped counting long ago…"

"Oh Short Stuff, you know you love it!" Faith added.

"Oh I do?"

"Sweetheart, you know you do…" Ted laughed.

"Laugh it up Pepperoni Boy, you haven't heard half the ones she uses for you," Ali retorted.

*****

Later that night Kaitlyn lay awake on her bed listening to Don't Change by INXS. She thought about Dawn and Brian, hoping that she would get along well with them. They seemed fairly cool and friendly.

She opened her diary and began to write in it.

October 13th 1999

I know I haven't written very much in recent times, I haven't felt like it since I found out I was moving overseas. The good thing is that I got to watch the AFL grand final. Bad thing is that North Melbourne won it. Also I managed to play in my last basketball grand final, which we won by one point. Man, I hate close games.

Well I have finally met the part of my family I never knew about. I'm living with them now, in America of all places. Jayne would be so jealous since she dreams of living in LA one day. I personally don't want to be here, I just want to be at home.

My uncle Andrew is seeing a shrink from what I gather. I wonder why, since he seems like a normal everyday guy. My cousin Alison seems to be embarrassed by that concept and tried to cover it up. I found out that Ali is a student at UC Sunnydale, the local college. It's strange because in Australia College means high school, where as here it means the same as University from what I gather.

One thing I think Ali and I can agree on is music. Her mum got her a heap of CDs from Australia, so it's all the music I love! She also has a great boyfriend from what I can see, his name's Ted and he is rather good looking. He was here to meet me today and came with us to meet some of Ali's friends.

Dawn is a confident teenager, something I hope I can be. She's my age and dresses to kill but that could be the influence of whom she is living with…one Miss Faith Pryce. Dawn is dating a boy named Brian; from what I gather considering she warned me he was taken.

Faith is another matter. Man is she cool! Confident isn't strong enough to describe the way she looks and dresses. Today she was dressed in something I would expect them to wear in clubs. I take it that she likes getting attention. Another thing that grabs me about Faith is that fact she rarely uses anyone's real names. Already she is calling me Mini-Ali and KJ. From what Ali and Dawn tell me, I should be expecting more if she likes me.

Only a few days to go until I start school here, the school year is structured rather differently to back home. Dawn and Brian have only just started the school year whereas I was almost finished. Hopefully it will just be like the work we were doing back home. I wonder if they offer languages here? I want to continue my Indonesian and Italian…

I better head to bed now; Ali has afternoon classes tomorrow so she is taking me around town in the morning. I wonder if Ted will come with us… I hope he will.

Kait

Oh one last thing, that's something else I discovered. Ted and Ali work together, they deliver pizzas around town. No wonder they got together!

*****

Part Two

Jarman household
October 14th 1999

"Kait! Hurry up, your breakfast is getting cold," Ali called up the stairs. She had already served up her Dad's pancakes and had just placed a stack of pancakes on the table for Kaitlyn and was fixing her own.

"Thanks Uncle Andrew, for breakfast," Kaitlyn said as she approached the table.

"Why are you thanking me? Ali does all the cooking in this household," Andrew pointed out.

"Oh. I just assumed… thanks Ali," she said as Ali approached the table with her pancakes.

"So you ready to see Sunnydale?"

"Yeah I guess so."

"I hope you don't mind, but Ted will be coming with us…" Ali informed Kait.

"No, that's no problem at all," Kaitlyn said hurriedly. <Excellent, got something to look forward to now.>

"Dad, I'll drop Kaitlyn off just before lunch. I'll head straight to classes and then to work. Cesar wants me to work tonight, tomorrow night, and then the Saturday night shifts. Did you want the regular?" Ali asked as Kait ran upstairs to grab her jacket.

"Sure, just find out what Kaitlyn wants. Ted, will you be coming around after work?" Andrew asked before turning to his daughter's boyfriend.

"I think I'll let you guys have a ‘family' night. Let Kaitlyn get to know you a bit more without me being around. But I'll be over tomorrow before and after work. My car's being repaired so Ali is driving me to and from work."

"Am I just?" Ali asked, hearing about this for the first time.

"Are you just what?" Kaitlyn's voice piped up from behind them.

"Nothing, so we're off?" Ali skipped over the question, wanting to get on the move so she wouldn't be late to classes. She turned to give her Dad a kiss, missing the hurt look that shadowed her cousin's face.

*****

Sunnydale
Half an hour later

The trio walked through the town of Sunnydale. Ted and Ali pointed out the local sights, which were boring as hell to Kaitlyn. She hadn't seen anything that made this town stand out from any of Melbourne's suburbs.

"Man, Melbourne is WAY better than Sunnydale. I mean come on… where are the sports centers? Where are all the footy grounds and basketball courts? Where can we go roller blading or bike riding? Do you even HAVE a shopping center or mall or whatever you Yanks call them?" she ranted.

"Do you think we should…" Ted started.

"…take her to the parks?" Ali finished for him.

"Oh my god, could you two be more pathetically in love with each other? And parks? What are you talking about?" Kait spoke eagerly.

"Weatherly and Hammersmith Parks… or we could go to the Sunnydale Mall…" Ali answered.

"The parks… please! Can we go there?"

"This way," Ted said leading the way to Hammersmith Park.

*****

As they approached Hammersmith Park, Kaitlyn's eyes widened. She could see people riding by on bikes and a few on roller blades. Teenagers were spread out in little pockets, some of them smoking and others just lying in the sun. A few people greeted Ted and Ali as they walked into the park.

"You know all these people?" Kait asked suspiciously. <Mr and Mrs Popularity I take it… I knew that she had to be one of the popular people>

"Just barely. Do you know how many people in this town have pizzas delivered to their places?" Ted laughed.

"Everyone remembers the people who bring the food," Ali added. "And we remember which are good tippers."

"So what's the other park like? Weatherly wasn't it?"

"More sort of like a picnic area… not so much a teen hangout. We can head there if you want… but it will be our last stop ‘cause I have to get to class soon," Ali answered, looking at her watch.

"Nah, I think we should walk round here some more. This place looks pretty good. Can we go blading?" Kait asked eagerly.

"Do you really want to for 15 minutes? By the time we get the blades and then pack up to go home that will be all you get…" Ali answered.

"Fine. Do it your way, take me home then." Kait sighed. <But I'm definitely checking this place out later on!>

*****

Later that night

Kait sat on the stairs of her new home; listening to the soft mumbles floating from the kitchen. She couldn't hear much but knew it had something to do with her. She knew that Ted was over again, even though he had said he wasn't coming around. He was apparently defending her but she didn't know why.

"Ali you have to tell her. It's your duty as her cousin," Ted's voice sounded, suddenly very clear.

"We can not tell her about anything that we…" Ali's voice faded away again.

Fed up with being talked about behind her back, she stood up and walked into the kitchen, pretending not to have heard anything.

She watched as Ted spotted her and fell silent. Ali had turned to see why he had stopped and she fell silent as well.

"Did you have a good time reading?" Ali politely asked.

"Yeah it was fun. Need more books soon, though. And new clothes for school since mine will probably be all out of date. Can we go out somewhere tonight?" she added in a rush.

"Not tonight Kaitlyn. I'm tired after work; I'm just going to be watching videos all night. Do you want to join me?" Ali lied smoothly while twisting her hair round a finger.

"Ted are you going to be watching videos with us?" Kait asked, hoping he would be because she didn't want to be alone with Ali in a room for any length of time.

"No, I'm heading into work now. I'm on the late shift," he answered.

"Fine, well I think I'm going to have an early night too. Night all," Kaitlyn said before running back out of the kitchen.

<One more day ‘til I get my gear, then freedom! I'll have my blades, my bike…> she thought before throwing herself on the day bed, <my normal bed!>

She pulled out her diary and read over a few entries before she started her latest piece.

October 14th 1999

This place is nothing compared to home. How is a budding young sport enthusiastic supposed to live in a town where there are no places to play sport? Back home I had my choice of Oakleigh, Nunawading and Ashburton Recreational Centres and then the ones in the city itself. There are no local swimming pools from what I can see and I take it that the only basketball court anywhere in Sunnydale will be in the local schools.

Why the hell was I sent here? It is a hellhole. Ali spends all her time either with Ted, at work or at college. Why does she work so much? It's not like she supports this household.

Speaking of Ali and Ted. What the hell were they talking about earlier? This is the fifth time I have noticed them whispering and then stopping when I walked into the room. But this time seemed different. ‘It's your duty as her cousin,' Ted had said. What are they hiding from me?

A few more days and I'll be starting school. I am so nervous! At least I know Dawn and Brian… and I'm allowed to hang with them. Dawn mentioned another girl, Debbie I think her name was, who is also our age. I guess in a way Ali was right, at least now I do know some people who attend the school.

On Saturday I am meeting up with Dawn and Faith who are taking me shopping to get some new ‘threads' (as Faith calls it). Which is totally fine by me since I need new clothes… and Ali is apparently working the whole day and night.

Oh well, it's not like I got any say in where I was sent. And thank goodness for small favours… the money left over from Father Maye's fundraiser was given to me for spending. Not that it is a lot of money, but at least I don't need to ask to borrow some for shopping on Saturday. I'll need to exchange my money so it is the right currency but that's easy enough to do I guess. And I can't believe Andrew gave me extra because he knows I really want to try to fit in at school… but I don't know why I can't tell Alison about it?

Kait

*****

Sunnydale Mall
October 16th 1999

Ali dropped Kait, Dawn, and Faith at the front of the Mall on her way to work. Kait and Dawn had been laughing away in the back seat while Faith had been promising Ali that she wouldn't make Kaitlyn buy anything that she didn't want to.

The three girls headed inside and Faith herded them directly to Chi Jeans. Although Faith had promised that she wouldn't make Kait buy anything she didn't want, she never said anything about not showing them to her.

"What's this place?"

"You've never heard of Chi Jeans?" Dawn asked shocked.

"No. Should I have?"

Dawn shook her head as Faith started pulling out different styles of jeans for Kait to look at. Kait couldn't believe the style of jeans on offer. Whenever she bought jeans they were just a normal, easy fit jeans. These were crystal embedded jeans. She looked at them carefully before selecting a pair of form fitting jeans with a blue sapphire sown in a pocket. After trying them on she decided that she would buy a pair until she looked at the price tag.

"Nope, don't like them. Sorry," she said putting the jeans back. "Where to now?" Kait said.

"You didn't like them? Oh well onto Gap. See if anything in there can push the boundaries of Ali's limits…" Faith explained evilly.

"All right! Let's go then," Kaitlyn eagerly jumped to the task.

Faith led the two girls towards Gap before she turned suddenly to them.

"Do either of you see anyone following us dressed like Robin Hood?" Watching them shake their heads, she laughed.

"Last time I was with a Jarman in the Mall that's who followed me… of all males it had to be rejects!"

"'Kay Dawnie, you and Kait go wild… I'm taking a look around by myself. Meet you up here in an hour," Faith informed them as her eyes travelled over a few pairs of pants she liked.

"Sure thing, this way Kait," Dawn said, pulling Kaitlyn towards the Girl's section.

"I know that we wouldn't classify ourselves as kids anymore but with your size and my style, I think we can work out some great outfits for you. Plus generally speaking, these are a lot cheaper than the adults section, but we can check it out after looking through here."

They finally pulled up in front of a range of skirts and jeans. Dawn had a quick look around but decided that she really needed to know what she was working with.

"Now, what do you have at home? Do you need more tops or more pants? Dressy or casual?"

"I've got several shirts and nice tops at home. Definitely need more bottoms, either pants or skirts I don't care. I prefer casual, really casual!" Kait answered each question in turn.

She watched as Dawn rummaged round the stacks, pulling out different items and adding them to an ever-growing pile. Finally when Dawn had a pile of about 30 items, she showed them to Kaitlyn.

"Now if any of these take your fancy, let me know. We'll put them in a pile to try on and then toss the others away. Then we do the final cut by trying them on and seeing how they look on you."

"Sounds fair I guess, let's do it."

Together, they worked the pile down to about 15 items, which Kait took into the changing rooms.

*****

Faith slowly worked her way around the selections of pants before stopping at a pair that she knew she just had to buy, even if they wouldn't be for her. They looked like jeans but made of leather instead of denim. She quickly flipped the tag and saw what they were called "Leather Boot Cut Jeans". She picked a size and walked over to where she had last seen Dawn.

"Hey is KJ in there?" she asked.

"Yeah, going through some of the clothes I picked for her. What are they?" Dawn asked noticing the jeans.

Faith held them out to her and Dawn nodded in appreciation.

"So you reckon KJ would go for them?"

"Hell yeah! But I think it's a bit over her budget."

"I know, so what size is she trying on pants wise?" Faith plotted evilly. Dawn, seeing where Faith was headed, divulged the information and let Faith head towards the register before Kait could come out of the changing room.

*****

Kaitlyn finished trying on the clothes that Dawn had selected. She had to agree with majority of the clothes she had bought into the room. If it was left just to her, she would have never had tried on half of the clothes, but after trying them on she liked them. The good thing for her was the majority of them were the right type for her training.

She had the right tops for the skirts and jeans she tried on, but she felt she needed a couple more tops for the casual look. Discarding the ones she didn't want to buy on the way out, Kaitlyn walked with a spring in her step.

"So what did you decide on?" Dawn asked eagerly.

"Two of the three skirts, four of the five track pants, but the rest I didn't like much. Oh I also decided on the two stretched sports jackets. But can we check out the women's section quickly. There are a couple of more items I want to try and buy."

"You chose the skirts? Oh yeah, I am so good! ‘Course we can go there… do you know what you are looking for?"

"Yeah, I think so."

They walked over to the Women's section and Kaitlyn browsed the stuff on sale. On the way she saw a pair of leather pants she wished she could afford.

"Oh man, these look so cool. But there is no way I could ever buy a pair of them, way too much. Ali would freak if I wore them!" she told Dawn, who smiled secretly.

Moving away from the pants she headed towards the tops. There she found a couple of tank tops that would be easy to move in, but still clinging enough that she could wear them out. She also found a ribbed cardigan that would look nice with the tanks when they were matched with one of the skirts.

"Okay, I'm all done. How much longer ‘til we have to meet Faith?"

"Just about now. The checkout is just over there…" Dawn pointed her in the right direction, before following the heavily burdened girl to the checkouts.

While Kaitlyn was purchasing the clothes, Dawn walked over to the waiting Faith.

"So how'd you go with KJ?" Faith asked.

"She barely bought anything dressy. Mainly casual stuff, still nice but nothing to your standards!" Dawn replied honestly.

"Now I know what you guys went through with Spockette…" Faith joked.

"Oh yeah, those pants you bought… she loves them! She saw them and wished she could afford them…" Dawn reported.

"Excellent. Oh here she comes… when Joyce picks us up, I'm just going to hide these pants in one of her bags… you know, to surprise her. So say nothing about it!"

*****

Kaitlyn joined the other two and was surprised when Faith offered to take a few of the bags. Handing a couple over, she looked around the Mall and noticed one more shop she had to go into.

"Wait right here, I'll be right back!" she said as she ran off.

"Where's she going?" Dawn asked.

"Don't know. But it's day time, so at least we know there are no sun challenged people walking around."

They stood there waiting and discussing various encounters they had been in. Faith always had to go one-step further than needed when it came to exaggerating. They were so wrapped up in conversation that they almost didn't notice Kaitlyn coming back to them. Stopping the conversation suddenly, they welcomed her back.

"What were you guys talking about just now?" Kaitlyn asked suspiciously.

"Oh nothing. Just wondering where you had run off to…" Dawn lied easily.

"I just had to get something. But it's nothing bad. I'll tell you when we get back to your place, because Joyce should be waiting for us now."

They walked back to the front of the Mall, idly chatting about nothing important. Waiting out the front, as expected, was Joyce who drove them back to the Summers house.

*****

Summers' household

"Thanks Mrs Summers for picking us up," Kaitlyn politely said.

"It's quite alright, Kaitlyn. How are your uncle and cousin?" Joyce replied.

"They're okay, I guess."

"That's good. Now Faith, Shaw called for you earlier… asked if you could call her back," Joyce told the now retreating Faith.

"We're going upstairs Mom," Dawn told her mother before walking up the stairs, leaving Kaitlyn to follow.

"This is my room. Anyways, what did you rush off to buy?" Dawn asked. Kait rummaged through her bags and found the item she had purchased in secret.

"Promise not to laugh?"

"Sure."

She slowly pulled out the item and turned it to Dawn. It was a bottle of blonde hair dye.

"I'm sick of everyone looking at Ali, then looking at me like I am her twin or a clone or something. Can you help me dye my hair?" she pleaded while watching her feet.

Dawn took the bottle and read the instructions. It didn't seem too hard.

"Sure. Let's do it now."

As they were dying Kaitlyn's hair, Dawn was telling Kaitlyn about what classes she should expect on the first day. It sounded good; seemed like all the subjects that Kait liked.

"But everyone in our year level will be having Gym, yeah?" Kait asked excitedly.

"Yep, at the moment it's learning how to play basketball. Or in other words, the girls stand on court doing nothing while the boys play basketball."

"So wear casual clothes on Monday?"

"Yeah, although you can get changed before class."

"Sweet as…" Kaitlyn said while plotting what fun she could have.

"Well, now I guess we just wait for the recommended 20 minutes and then you can wash it out."

"Thanks Dawn… I owe you for this!"

"Yeah, no problem."

*****

Half an hour later, Kaitlyn stood in front of the mirror with her new hair do. Her hair now fell in long, sandy blond strands down her back. She spun around showing it off to Dawn.

"Ali is gonna flip when she sees me…" she smirked.

"Why? It really suits you," Dawn asked.

Kaitlyn shrugged her shoulders before quickly tying her hair up in a loose ponytail. As she cleaned up after herself, Faith walked into the bathroom.

"Whoa! Look at the Blondie…" she said in shock.

"Do you like it?" Kait asked hesitatingly.

"Sure do. But why did you do it?"

"Cause otherwise I look too much like Ali, and I hate being compared to her."

"Makes sense I guess. Oh well, just letting you know that Andrew is here to take you home."

"How? I thought Ali had the car?"

"Don't know, not really fussed. Anyways, I think he's picking you up to make sure Ali doesn't see what you bought…"

"Why would she care about what I spend money on?" Kaitlyn asked confused.

"She worries too much about money and for good reason, but that's not for me to go into. You really need to ask your cousin!" Faith said, realizing that she had already said too much about something she shouldn't have.

"Thanks for coming shopping with me today, Faith and Dawn. And thanks for dying my hair too," Kaitlyn said with appreciation as she picked up her bags.

She followed Dawn and Faith downstairs and thanked Joyce for the lift back to her place. Hopping into the car, she was relieved when Andrew told her that he liked what she had done to her hair.

*****

After getting back home, Kaitlyn took all her bags upstairs and began unpacking them. She was halfway through when she noticed the leather pants. She looked inside the bag that they had been wrapped up in and saw the second receipt. Picking up the phone, she called Faith to find out if she had misplaced the pants.

To her surprise, Faith told her that it was a gift to her. Sort of a ‘Welcome to Sunnydale' type gift. The fact that Faith spent that much on her left Kaitlyn speechless. After hanging up the phone, she just couldn't believe it.

Ali mirrored her reaction when the older girl looked in on her cousin after work and saw the blond hair.

"What the hell have you done?" she exclaimed, her jaw open wide enough to let flies in.

"Well, duh! I dyed my hair, what does it look like? Anyways Uncle Andrew likes it…"

"I-it suits you, I-I guess. It was j-just a shock…"

"Hey Ali. Can I ask you a question?" Kaitlyn asked hurriedly as Ali was about to walk out the door.

"Sure, what's up?" Ali replied.

"While we were shopping today… Faith bought me a pair of pants. Said it was a ‘Welcome' present. Why would she spend so much money on me?"

"Faith's like that. She likes to help people out, especially those she likes."

"Has she ever done anything like that for you?" Kaitlyn asked.

"She has… bought me two dresses from Victoria's Secret when I was getting ready to go on my first date with Ted."

"She also mentioned something about you worry about money… why? What does Andrew do for a job?"

"Kait, it's a really long story which I don't feel like telling you right at this moment. Can we talk about this tomorrow before I go to work?"

"Sure. Yeah whatever…" Kaitlyn sulked.

"Kait, I promise. Tomorrow okay…" She gripped her shoulder. "Something to tell you about me, Kait. When I make a promise, I do whatever I can to keep it."

"Alright."

*****

Jarman household
October 17th 1999

Kaitlyn woke early and picked out one of her new outfits. She pulled on her black yoga pants, followed by a black stretch tank and a stretch sports jacket. Running downstairs, she scrawled a quick note, grabbed her blades, and headed out to discover more of the town.

As she skated around the town, she took in her surroundings. She reassessed her opinion of the place, thinking it was actually a quaint little town.

She passed her new school and decided to take a look around it. The school was much bigger than her previous school, and she hoped that she wouldn't get lost on her way to class the next day. She found where the gymnasium was and the front office, so tomorrow she could find where she had to go.

Heading back out, Kaitlyn took a wrong turn and found herself out near the beach. Taking her blades off she walked down to the water's edge and sat there. She loved the ocean, the sight, sounds, and smell. Lying back on the sand she dozed off for a little while. Waking up to a rumbling stomach Kaitlyn quickly headed back home.

*****

"Dad, where is she? This note doesn't tell us anything!" Ali ranted as she waved the note in the air.

"Alison, calm down. She'll be home soon," Andrew tried to ease Ali's mind. He knew exactly what she was thinking about, but it was daylight now so it wasn't that bad.

Just then the door opened and a flushed Kaitlyn walked inside, carrying her jacket and her blades.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"Alison, can I speak to Kaitlyn alone?" Andrew asked before Ali could yell at the younger girl.

"Yes Dad, I'll be upstairs."

After watching Ali walk upstairs, Andrew turned to his niece and explained to her to wait until it was a bit lighter before heading outside, and to leave a more detailed note as to where she was going.

"Sure Andrew, but what's up with Ali?"

"Ali worries very easily. She has looked after this family for the majority of her teenage years."

"Why is that?" Kaitlyn asked, unsure if she really wanted to know.

"You know how I see Sydney on a regular basis? It's to do with that. I don't feel comfortable going into too much detail. Alison is the only reason why I am still alive. She's the reason why we eat, why we can do anything at all."

"She earns the household's income?" Kaitlyn tried to understand.

"Yes, all our income comes from her pizza job and a small amount from the Government checks I earn. She almost dropped out of school to allow us to survive. That's why I told you not to let her know about the money I gave you."

"Oh, I guess the others were right when they said she's had it hard…"

"And that is only the tip of the iceberg. But the rest is for her to tell when she is ready."

"O-okay. I think I'm going to spend some time in my room. Get ready for school, you know?"

"Certainly, Kaitlyn. Remember I didn't tell you to upset you, rather to let you know a little more about your cousin."

"Okay Uncle Andrew." Kait started heading upstairs.

*****

Richard Wilkins Middle School
October 18th 1999

Kaitlyn approached the school feeling rather nervous. She was afraid that she would be behind in all her classes and that she would be alone, rather than having Dawn or Brian with her. Upon reaching the front of the school, she realized there was nothing to worry about.

"Hey Kait, welcome to our little corner of hell," Dawn greeted her with twinkling blue eyes.

"Hey Dawn, where's Brian?" she asked.

"Oh, Bri's gone to find Debbie. She's really cool; you'll so like her. She's almost new too; she's only been here a year."

"Oh okay, so where do I go now?" Kait responded.

"The Principal's office. I'll take you so he'll hopefully let me show you around the place…" Dawn eagerly answered.

"Well, well, well… who do we have here?" a silky voice piped up behind them. Turning around Dawn had to groan.

"Teresa, don't you have to be somewhere infecting people?" Dawn bit out. <Crap. She gets the Buzz for picking on new people quicker than Immies feel each other coming.>

"I wasn't speaking to you Summers, but then again why would I? But this looks like a newcomer… where are you from?"

"Australia…" Kait answered, not liking this girl one bit.

"Oh? Where's your kangaroo?" Teresa asked to the sounds of laughter.

"I don't know but you're standing in his shit!" Kaitlyn responded before stalking off with Dawn following her. "And try coming up with an original joke, you moron!" As they walked, she let out a third crack. "And at least my dye job looks natural!"

"I so can't believe you just said that Kait! Man, did you see her face?" Dawn laughed.

"Nope, but I was kinda expecting that kind of question. Is that all you guys think about Australia?"

"Not always. But you have to admit; Sunnydale isn't really a tourist attraction. Some people are just small-minded and believe everything we see on TV. Anyways, in here…" Dawn pointed out the office.

*****

After spending several minutes going over her schedule, Kaitlyn followed Dawn back out into the throng of the school. Like Dawn, Debbie, and Brian, she was to have Chemistry first, followed by Gym.

Getting used to the stares coming her way, she fought her way through the crowd and bumped into Brian.

"Hey Kait, how's things?" he asked with a smile.

"Pretty good now that I am stuck with you and Dawn for the start of the day," she responded cheekily. <Damn he's too cute!>

"Hey! Anyways, this is Debbie Broots. Debbie, this is the crazy Aussie I was telling you about… Kaitlyn Jarman."

"Hi, welcome to Sunnyhell…" Debbie grinned before turning to enter the classroom. The others followed behind her and they sat down the back of the room.

Nervously Kaitlyn waited for the class to start, talking briefly to the others before the teacher walked in.

After the class started, Kait felt much better as she realized that it was all the things she had done previously. Answering many of the questions asked to the class, she ignored the glares of the popular crowd, including Teresa and her minions.

Feeling the stares of her new friends, Kaitlyn explained that she had studied all this earlier in the year. She also agreed to help them if they got stuck over any of the classes.

*****

Following the others towards the gymnasium, Kaitlyn had to grin at what she was about to do. Debbie had overheard Teresa telling Damien Martin to pick on her during the basketball match because she was a nerd. Kait was prepared to embarrass Damien and Teresa together in one move.

After changing into a pair of shorts and a singlet top, Kaitlyn followed the others out on to the court. The coach went around selecting people for ‘captains' to select the teams. Brian was one and Damien was the other.

Straight away Kaitlyn found herself in a team with Dawn, Brian, Debbie and two other boys, Stephen and Eric. Even though she was in the team, she was left on the bench for the start of the game.

She watched as what Dawn had told her came true. The boys were mainly playing, leaving the girls chatting amongst themselves. Finally Debbie became bored of it and agreed to substitute herself out of the game for Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn had been watching the way Damien played and waited for him to get the ball. Seeing her chance as he fumbled a catch, Kaitlyn intercepted the ball and took off down the court for an easy lay up.

"Way to go Kait! But be careful, Damien is one of the best players we have. His brother Hogan is considered the best player in Sunnydale," Dawn warned her in a Time Out.

"No problems Dawn… Watch and learn…" she replied smugly.

"I think someone has a plan," Brian added. Kait hoped he wouldn't ruin her plan.

"Sure have, let me take on Damien. And don't forget to pass the ball to us girls too!" Kaitlyn replied.

While heading back out onto the court, Kaitlyn heard Dawn whispering to Brian.

"She doesn't have a clue what she is getting into, does she?"

"Not one…" Uh oh. She wondered if he knew after all…

*****

The game wore on, with Damien playing tight on Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn returning the favor. Finally she got sick of it and waited for her chance. With the other team playing Zone defense, she knew that it would be slightly harder for her inside game but she didn't want to switch it over to her outside game just yet. <A little more salt into the wound for dear Teresa first.>

She watched as Eric brought the ball down the court before making her move. Getting clear, she was passed the ball. She saw an opening in the key and decided to go for it. Driving through the key, she didn't notice when Damien stood in front of her until she had plowed right through him, leaving the school's best jock lying on the flat on his back, moaning from the collision.

"Charge!" the Gym teacher yelled.

"How was that my foul? He moved into position late. It should be a block not a charge," she argued.

"That is not how you play basketball…"

"'Tis when you play Australian Rules. If the defensive player is not in position before the offensive player gets to the same place, it is against the defense. If the defensive player is there in position before the offensive player gets there, it's against the offensive. He moved in place just as I cleaned him up," Kaitlyn explained patiently, as if she was talking to a child.

"Well this is not the land of Koala Bears, it's America. So you play by my rules! Tone it down."

"Fine… and for the record… Koalas aren't bears!" She walked over to Damien and sweetly said, "You ready to go or you want me to wait for you to put your jockstrap back on?"

Heading back to defense, Kait decided to change the tempo of the game. The next time she got the ball in offense, she stood outside the arc and hit a three pointer with ease.

"Fluke," Damien teased as she picked him up.

"Maybe…" she answered.

*****

After hitting several threes in the game and generally embarrassing the ‘star' player, Kaitlyn was surprised when Damien came up to her after the match.

"Great game, how'd you learn how to play like that?" he inquired.

"Been playing since I was 5. Not just normal comp, but you know, representing my state in basketball and everything."

"Cool. Umm, I was wondering if you could help me out with my game after school one day? Teach me some of those cool moves you did…"

"Yeah, sure. Okay, sounds like fun."

"Sweet. Maybe afterwards, we could like hang?"

"I'll think about it… see ya Damien," she said before walking away with a huge smile on her face.

Dawn ran to catch up with her.

"Did I hear correctly? Damien asked you out? Man, Teresa is going to flip if she hears that!"

"So Teresa likes Damien huh?"

"Majorly. How'd you do that out there on court?" Dawn asked.

"That's what I love about being short; since people tend to look down to you, they underestimate just how much of a danger you can be. I learnt that playing Rep ball, no one expects you to be a threat."

They laughed as they headed in to the change rooms to get ready for the next class.

*****

Jarman household
Later that afternoon

"Ali, can you get the door? I'm doing my homework," Kaitlyn yelled after hearing a knock. She heard the running down the stairs and went back to her homework.

After an hour she decided to get a drink, heading down stairs. She noticed Ali pouring drinks. She motioned at Ali for a drink as well and then went to help her carry the glasses into the lounge. As she was the first to walk into the room, she noticed Shaw and Faith whispering about something before suddenly stopping.

"Thanks, Jordan," Faith said as she took a glass.

"Jordan?"

"I heard what you did on the basketball court… impersonating Michael Jordan…"

"No, more like Jason Smith or Shane Heal… or even Andrew Parkinson."

"Who?" Faith asked confused.

"National Basketball League players… in other words Aussie players…"

"Oh, whatever."

"Kaitlyn how was school today?" Shaw asked.

<Like Dawn didn't tell you…> "It was pretty cool, bit boring in most parts. You can only be asked when your pet kangaroos are being shipped home so many times before you begin yawning. Some of the impersonations of Steve Irwin were rather lame, but there was one that was quite funny because he almost injured himself. Did you have to put up with things like that when you began school here?"

"Unfortunately yes. But like you, I had people around me to help me out. They will eventually tire of it."

"Thanks Shaw, I better get back to my homework. See ya Faith."

Running back upstairs, Kaitlyn mulled over the latest changing of topic. So far nearly everyone she had talked to that was linked to Ali, had mentioned something about ‘hell' or had suddenly stopped their conversation when she came in the room.

"This is stupid! Why won't they tell me anything? Dawn does it, Brian does it, and Debbie does it… Faith, Shaw, Ali and Ted do it. What the hell is going on here?" she ranted to herself.

She heard the phone ring but ignored it.

"Kaitlyn, it's for you."

Heading out to where the phone was located in the hallway, she wondered whom it would be calling her.

"Hello?"

"Kaitlyn? It's Damien. I hope you don't mind, but I asked Dawn for your number."

"No that's okay. How are you?"

"Pretty good. Hogan, my brother, found out I was beaten by a girl so I have been picked on all night. So can't wait til you show me some of those moves! Would love to beat him just once!" he ranted.

"Well how bout tomorrow after school?" she suggested.

"Excellent. But there was another reason why I was calling…"

"Yeah?" <He sounds really nervous…>

"I was wondering if you would meet me at the Bronze on Friday night?" he rushed.

"The Bronze?"

"Yeah, local night spot. It's a club that lets under age kids in as long as they have a stamp on their hand to show that they are under age," he explained.

"Sure. I'd like that."

"Cool, well I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Definitely. Bye Damien."

*****

Jarman household
Late afternoon
October 22nd 1999

Kaitlyn stood in front of her mirror, holding up different items of clothing and trying to decide what to wear on her date. Finally deciding on the leather pants Faith bought her and one of her old, red tight tee shirts, with a leather jacket that Father Maye had found in her mother's belongings. Getting dressed, she considered her options for makeup.

She matched it up with a pair of dressy boots and decided on a small amount of makeup. Pulling her long hair back she then tried to find a hairstyle that would look good with her outfit. Settling on just the front being pulled back, she quickly tied it back and made sure the rest of her hair was fine.

Knowing that Ali was delivering pizza, she knew that all she had to do was lie to Andrew that she was going to bed early before sneaking out the window of her bedroom. Looking at her watch, she noticed that it was still too early to get dressed.

Heading downstairs, she made herself a cup of hot chocolate.

She curled up in front of the TV and pretended to doze off so it would give creditability to her story. Andrew watched her for a little while but didn't say anything.

"Kaitlyn, sweetheart. Why don't you go to bed early?" Andrew asked an hour later.

"Okay Andrew," she said, faking sleepiness in her voice. "Good night."

She kissed him quickly before slowly walking up the stairs and into her bedroom. Looking at her watch again, she decided it was time to get dressed. Quickly changing, she heard Andrew's footsteps on the stairs. Jumping into bed, she pulled the covers up high to hide her clothes.

Andrew opened the door slightly and poked his head into the room. Seeing her in bed, he shut the door again and walked back down the stairs.

Quickly fixing her hair, she did her make up and headed out the window. She edged her way around the roof to the massive tree in their backyard. Grabbing a branch she pulled herself hand over hand until she got to the trunk. From there it was an easy climb down.

Sneaking past the windows, she headed out onto the street and away from her house as quickly as possible. Looking at the directions Damien had given her, she made her way to the Bronze.

*****

After getting her hand stamped, she entered the place. She could barely see in the dark lighting but managed to find her way to the stage where Damien was supposed to meet her. Looking at her watch, she noticed that she was five minutes late getting there.

Kait glanced around the Bronze to see if she could see Damien anywhere. He wasn't anywhere near the stage and that really hurt Kaitlyn. Deciding to wait a few more minutes, Kait stood there feeling like an idiot. Guys would come up to her, asking her to dance but she knocked them all back, hoping that the next person would be Damien.

Finally she realized that he wasn't coming. Trying not to cry, she headed back outside. Once outside, she let the tears fall free. Unable to see, Kaitlyn stumbled down the street.

She heard a footstep behind her, but when she turned, no one was there. Quickening her pace, she turned down the first available alley. The footsteps continued after her. Seeing a turn in front of her, Kait quickly rushed into the next alley only to find herself with a dead end in front of her.

<Shit. Who the hell is it following me?>

Looking around quickly, Kait found herself with nowhere to hide and several locked windows. But before she could break a window, the person following her appeared in the entrance of the alley.

"I smell fear," he said before Kait could really see him. He stepped closer and under a streetlight, that's where fear really gripped Kaitlyn.

She started screaming, hoping to alert someone to her position.

"Keep screaming, it sweetens your blood."

Kaitlyn kept screaming. Then she heard a rumbling around her. The windows were shaking in their frames. She backed right up into a doorframe and tried jiggling the handle behind her back. It was locked. She kept trying to open the door without turning her back to her attacker.

With fear taking a hold, she couldn't stop screaming. She let out one extremely high-pitched squeal and the windows broke and the streetlight shattered, leaving her in the pitch black.

She didn't see the glass heading straight for her assaulter, but she could hear his pain filled screams. She crept out of her hiding area and headed closer to him. She could see all the windows in the alley were broken but there was no glass under foot.

She was less than five feet away when he stood again.

"Now you die," he threatened as he came closer.

"You know, just once can't you guys come up with *one* original line?" a sarcastic voice entered the alleyway.

"Oh good, an entree."

"Don't think so ugly…" the voice came again before the man's head was decapitated.

"What the…?" Kaitlyn said, before coming closer to the person who rescued her. "Dawn?"

Dawn looked at the person who she had just rescued before groaning. Turning to her partner, she called him forward.

"Dawn? Brian? What's going on? How the hell did that guy disappear?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Umm… shit. Brian do you want to explain?" Dawn asked, rolling her eyes.

"Kaitlyn, that was a vampire. Want to talk about it?" he said bluntly.

"A vampire? There are no such things as vampires!"

"Want to make a bet?" another voice came behind Dawn and Brian. They quickly turned, moving fluently into a defensive stance. To their relief they saw it was someone they knew.

"Charlie!" Dawn said with relief.

"Dawn, Brian… does Buffy and Steve know you two are out?"

"Well, yes and no," Brian began.

"They know we're out, but not together," Dawn interrupted.

"Cut that out!" Brian protested amidst the laughter.

"Now, I believe someone said that there was no such thing as vampires…"

"Yeah, that would be me," Kaitlyn said boldly.

"Then what would you call me?" Charlie asked as his face changed. She let go of a scream when she saw his fangs.

"Kait…" Brian started trying to get her attention. "Charlie is a good vampire. He's okay, he won't hurt you."

"Yeah right…"

"No, Bri's right. Charlie won't hurt you. He's a good guy," Dawn added. With that Charlie let his face change back to normal.

"A good guy? Who are you Dawn?" Kait asked.

"I'm me. The one and only Dawn Summers."

"No really, who the hell are you?"

"Do you think we should tell her the truth?" Dawn whispered to Brian and Charlie. "Ali made us promise not to tell her, but she's already seen a vampire."

"Hello, I am standing right here. Ali made you promise not to tell me what?"

"Charlie, can you keep an eye out while we tell her everything?" Brian asked.

"Certainly," he said before he hid in the shadows again.

*****

"You expect me to believe all this crap? Demons? Yeah right!"

"Kait, you just saw a vampire… why can't you believe in demons?" Dawn asked gently.

"Next you'll be telling me that witches and dragons are real," she smirked.

"Well…" Dawn began.

"You are joking. Please tell me you are joking…"

"Sorry, can't do that," Dawn answered. "I've got witches for friends."

"Kaitlyn, Sunnydale is built on what's called the Hellmouth. It's an area where all kinds of strange things occur and all kinds of strange beings flock to. And we're the good guys who gather to fight back. That's where we come in. We're the good guys, well a couple of the good guys," Brian explained.

"And you are saying that my cousin knows about this and swore you guys to secrecy about it?"

"No, what we are saying is that Ali does know about this, she knows what goes on in this town. Hell, she and Ted both delivered 80 pies to one of our get togethers in which we had a gargoyle attending," Brian continued.

"Kait, Ali just didn't want to introduce you to the weirdness of this town before you had to… now knowing this, how come you are out and about town tonight?" Dawn asked.

"I was going on a date."

"Oh my god! A date with Damien, huh?" Dawn asked giddily.

"Yeah, a date with Damien," Kait said with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"He stood you up?" Dawn demanded.

"Do you want to say it louder? I don't think my friends in Australia heard you."

"Sorry, but that good for nothing son of a…"

"Dawn, it's okay. Now what I am worried about is getting back home. Ali and Ted are out there delivering pizzas to god knows where. They may see me."

"Not a chance, we know every corner of this town. And Charlie knows every alleyway like the back of his hand, so I'm thinking we go the back way," Brian said.

"Sure thing."

"Oh, and another thing… how'd you do that freaky glass thing?" Brian asked curiously.

"Huh?"

*****

The three teens and the vampire headed back out of the alley and towards one that wasn't a dead end.

"So you know they go around killing vampires?" Kait whispered to Charlie.

"Yep," Charlie replied.

"So which one's the sidekick?"

"Hey!" Dawn and Brian said in unison.

Watching the roads, they made their way passed Buffy's house before turning onto the home straight. They ducked through the shadows making sure that Kait was well out of sight from the road.

With Charlie's help to boost her up, Kait managed to climb up the tree.

"Hurry Kait, Ali's just turned into the driveway," Brian called from his post.

"Thanks guys, you better get out of here," Kait called back while creeping across the roof.

Swinging into the bedroom, Kaitlyn quickly changed clothes before jumping into her bed.

*****

"Kait, you awake?" Ali asked as she opened Kait's door.

"Hmmm, yeah," she replied sleepily.

"Cool, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright."

"Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow afternoon? Cesar's giving me the afternoon off… I know I haven't spent much time with you… so if you want to?"

"Sure, I'd like that."

"Great, well… night then."

After waiting for Ali to shut the door, Kait slipped out of her bed again and headed for her computer. Booting it up, she logged onto the net and ran a search on some of the information that Dawn and Brian had told her.

Choosing one link, she ended up on a site dedicated to telekinesis. Reading through the material in front of her, her mind started flashing to different points of time.

"No way… this can't be true," she whispered to herself.

Searching the net for more information on telekinesis, things fell completely into place.

"Oh great. I'm the bloody Aussie version of Jean Grey."