Title: Carmen the Vampire Slayer – What I Did On My Summer Vacation: Nicole Julian
Author: Panda
Fandom: Popular
Pairing: Nicole / Mary Cherry (sort of)
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimers: Everything good belongs to someone else. Popular characters belong to Ryan Murray etc and the Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon etc. I own nothing and I make no profit from playing with the characters and ideas.
Author’s notes: This story takes place in the summer between junior and senior years and is part of a series of short stories from the point of view of different characters.
Feedback: panda_brighton@hotmail.com
“Mary Cherry! Get your lazy butt out here!”
I place my hands on my hips and tap my foot lightly on the ground, fixing a scowl on my face. The classic Nicole Julian ass-kicking pose one which I frequently used on the Glamazons to whip them into shape. Although I have been known to resort to violence my legendary wrath usually does the trick. And if any one needed a wake up call now it was Mary Cherry. Her abortive attempt to attend the Prom had been the last straw and seemed to have thrown her into some sort of depression. That, and Mama Cherry’s finally realising that her dead daughter’s credit cards were still in use. Yes, we have had some set backs in the past couple of months but we are still new at this. I think to myself how much pleasure I took in seeing Spam weeping over the grave of that loser Harrison John, remembering how she stayed there long after dark and didn’t realise that Carmen and Brooke were lurking back in the bushes protecting her. You would think after what had happened she would be a little more careful. I could have had her that night but it is fun to think of her wailing with grief, letting it eat her up inside until she is just a shadow of herself. And then when I turn Brooke the whole thing will begin all over again and then when the inevitable happens and Carmen goes too poor little Spammy will just go crazy with grief. Maybe then I’ll start on her family.
I come out of my happy revelry to realise that Mary Cherry still hasn’t made an appearance yet. Rather then yell at her again I march over to her door and turn the handle. It’s locked. I rattle the handle.
“Let me in!”
No response. Screw this, I think and kick the door in. It splinters in a satisfying way and I push my way in. The room is in darkness, all the curtains drawn even though it is night. This being no hindrance I scan the room for Mary Cherry and eventually realise that the lump of bedding must be her. I march over and rip the blankets off. Sure enough huddling on the bed is Mary Cherry. She barely moves when I shove her hard onto the floor.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I yell, kicking her “Get up!”
“Leave me alone” she moans.
She looks thin and drawn, well more than usual, and I realise that she probably hasn’t fed in the week she has been cooped up in here. Well I’m not putting up with this any longer. She may be a dumb blonde Texan but she’s my dumb blonde Texan. She protests weakly as I drag her by the hair to the bathroom and throw her into the shower turning the water up as high as it will go. She screams a little and tries to scuttle away from the scalding deluge. Ever since she got those holy water burns she has a thing about being burnt. I turn the water down to a cooler settling and grab a bottle of body scrub and up end it over her.
“You look like shit, Mary Cherry! Get cleaned up, we’re going out to dinner.”
“I don’t…”
“I don’t really care what you want” I growl at her and go into my vampire face just so she understands how serious I am “Clean yourself up!”
She starts to rub at the gloopy body scrub that is dripping down onto the stupid prom dress she is still wearing. It is worse than I thought. I give her half an hour before marching into her room again. At least she is clean now. Wrapped in a towel she is staring at the mirror in her walk in wardrobe. After we were turned I decided that there was no place like home and we took up residence in the Julian mansion and now she has one of the guest suites.
“Do you miss it? Mary Cherry asks quietly.
“Miss what?” I reply thinking at least she is talking and I suppose I should encourage it.
“Being able to gaze upon the divineness that is my gorgeous” she responds, sounding more like herself.
“Trust me, babe, I can still see you and you aren’t looking so hot.”
She turns and glares at me, well go me, I think, at least I got a rise out of her.
“Nicole, you know what I mean!” she accuses.
I almost grin, sometimes Mary Cherry is so easy, but I hold my stern demeanour.
“Take a picture it lasts longer.” I snap at her “Come on, you’re making us miss the dinner rush.”
She gazes at me for a minute with that blank look which indicates she is thinking.
“Oh my God, Nic! You are a genius!” she hollers at full volume and I take a step back “I will use my amazing talents as a photographer to make up for my disability.”
As she gestures at the mirror I wonder exactly what amazing talents she is referring then to my shock she wraps her arms around me in a giant bear hug. I am too stunned to protest and eventually she lets go.
“Thank you Nic! You saved my life!” she declares expansively “If there is anything that I can do for you, Hon, just let me know.”
As I step back towards the door I say
“Right now you can move your ass a little, I’m getting hungry.”
I leave the room and as soon as I am out of her view I find myself breaking into a huge grin. What the hell, I think, instantly suppressing it, I don’t really care whether Mary Cherry rots in her room for the rest of her unlife, do I?