BtVS: Alternate Lives

Who: Bronte and Bethany
Where: Bronte's Beach House
When: Friday Evening - December 4

Bronte had picked up Bethany from Bailey's place for an over night stay at the beach house. It seemed like that ever since the girl's return into the family fold that she and Bethany had talked at least a few moments every day, and it had been during one of those chats that it was decided Bronte would take the girl over night. She had remembered what the times were like when they were younger and Bethany had been left in Bronte's care for an evening. The blonde tried replicating those times by making sure she had Bethany's favorite foods and drink on hand and a couple current movies, along with one or two that had been the girl's favorites those few years back. She wanted her younger cousin to feel welcome and wanted now that Bethany was back with her family where she belonged.

Bethany, for her part, was thrilled. She felt like a little girl again, and almost squealed as she pranced into Bronte's home. The redhead grinned cutely and looked around with a sparkle in her eyes. "This place is GREAT, Bronte. I'm totally remembering why I always used to wish you were my mom."

( I need gossip! )

Who: Bethany & Bronte
Where: Avarice
When: Friday evening

Thank God for Baily. Those four words kept resonating through the mind of young Bethany Bale, as she realized that her older sister had done all the workd for her in contacting the other local family members and telling them what had happened.

She realized that her parents had been quite vile. Literally hiding your child away, telling the rest of the family she was dead, just because you were ashamed of her, was pretty high on the douchebaggery scale, but Bethany couldn't hate them. She more... pitied them.

Besides... how could she pity herself? While she used to feel weird, being the ONE pureblood Bale who couldn't transform into a wolf... she found that now she was the first Bale in history to be a Vampire Slayer. Weird? Naw... she felt SPECIAL.

Besides... now was the awkward but fun part: reconnecting with her long-lost family. Starting with her favorite cousin. The one who would babysit her as a child, and was her best friend as well. Bronte.

She wanted to meet at someplace more her style, but Baily had told her Bronte was working Friday night, and if she wanted to talk, they had to meet at Avarice. Oh well. Eardrums be damned, right? So the young redhead nervously walked in, arms crossed, looking a little out of place in a red sweater, tight bluejeans with ripped knees, and plain white sneakers, her hair tied back in a very loose ponytail.

Who: Neely and Bronte
Where: Bronte's House
When: Sunday Morning, Nov. 22nd (11am)

Neely, ever the restless soul, woke up ridiculously early on a freaking Sunday and tossed and turned for a few minutes before deciding The Hell With It and getting up. She made herself a healthy breakfast, yoghurt, wholemeal toast and orange juice, and then had a quick, cold shower. Full and clean... she then had to decide what to do with her day. She'd probably have to talk to Ben soon... since she needed his opinion on something, but at the same time, she was putting it off. So instead? She decided to go to the beach and hire-out a surfboard... and hey, didn't Bronte live that way?

( And Not Doing So Bad, Surprisingly )

Who: Grant, OT Bronte
Where: Insane Lanes Bowling Alley
When: Monday night

While at first glance, Grant Kellerman looked like a stuffy, shirt-and-tie-guy, he was a big kid at heart, and loved to have fun. So when he heard what had happened to his business partner, Benjamin Bale, well... considering how much he adored Ben's sister Bronte, he knew he had to do something to get the girl's mind off of her brother for a while.

And when you're a big kid like Grant was, and you need a distraction, where do you go?

DAMN RIGHT. A huge-ass bowling alley, with a built-in arcade.

Clad in a brown suit with a shockingly pink tie, he took his younger date's hand, practically pulling her in after him.

"C'mon, Bronte. Seriously, you're gonna LOVE it here. Besides, you'll get to see my mad electronic hoops skills. Women have been known to faint in the presence of my sheer awesomeness."

Who: Skylar and Bretton, Open to medical personal and Damon's detective agency
Where: Saints & Sinners
When: Saturday Evening

( Read more... )

Who: Bronte and Grant
Where: Outside Bronte's Beach house
When: Wednesday Evening(October 28)


Bronte, still dressed in a short, black strapless dress, stood barefoot on the beach, heeled shoes gripped within one hand as a wave rolled in to caress over her feet and then roll back out into the vast, wide ocean from which it had come. The evening had gone better then she had anticipated. The unofficial opening of her friend, Edmund Blackstone, had gone quite smoothly with no apparent incidents that would tarnish the restaurant or the man's good reputation. And her date for the evening, her escort actually as that was how Grant Kellerman was seen in the eyes of the blonde when things had first started out that night, well that hadn't gone the way Bronte had thought, or hoped. She had found herself actually enjoying the man's company as he proved to be quite well behaved in the social setting of high society. In fact since the evening was still relatively young with the time just passing ten, Bronte had extended an invitation to the man to escort her back to her beach house so a few more moments could be shared with each other.

Saying Grant expected the evening to go this well would have been a lie. By this time, he'd fully expected the younger blonde to have sent him on his way. So imagine his surprise when the girl seemed to be actually enjoying herself! As they walked along the beach, the financial whiz couldn't help but smirk as he let his hand fall inches from hers, just to gauge how she would react.

"I must say I'm happy... I figured by now you'd have had one of your family's many 'contacts' have me 'taken care of'..."

( Read more )

Who: Grant, open to Bretton and Bronte
Where: Avarice
When: Tuesday night

Christ, this place made Grant feel old. Now, he was only 35, but being in a blazingly busy rock club, with teens swaying and jumping all over the place? Made him feel ancient. But he had recently been hired by Benjamin Bale to be his financial advisor and part talent scout for Full Moon Records, and he needed to start hearing some of the local talent.

Oh yeah. There was also the small fact that Bretton had asked him here to meet his sister Bronte. The 'hot blonde number', as Grant put it, that he'd seen in a photo on Bretton's desk.

Standing by the bar, wearing a black leather jacket over a black shirt and tie and matching slacks, the older man looked over at Bretton and grimaced.

"You're sure she's coming, right?"

Who: Sofia OT Bronte
Where: Avarice
When: Saturday night (October 24)

It was safe to say that the undercurrent of drama making the rounds through LA's supernatural underbelly had yet to encompass all its players. Then again, Sofia had her own drama she was working through and everyone else's? Well, that wasn't her top priority.

Still, the fact that she'd yet to run into Benjamin again was almost too convenient. She wasn't looking to start trouble with him and apart from that wild (literally) night, she'd gotten the feeling that he wasn't too thrilled to see her in the city. True, he hadn't asked her to leave, so that was something, but to think that he was still holding on to some kind of past grudge? It unsettled her slightly.

Despite it all, she wasn't looking for him when she walked into Avarice Saturday night. She'd enjoyed the club the last few times she'd been there and, with so much other crap pressing on her mind, letting off some steam and relaxing was just what the doctor ordered. She was looking Euro chic in an artfully shredded mocha mini-dress that contrasted against the golden tone of her skin, accented with gold hoops in her ears and layers of diamond-encrusted gold bangles about her wrists. Sooner or later, if she didn't find some way of earning income, she'd have to start selling off her jewelry – or pawning, because most of her collection was of the variety that it might raise a few red flags if she tried to bring in the pieces to any reputable jeweler, and that was the last thing she needed.

With a smile to the girl working behind the bar, she ordered a double of Patrón and glanced over her shoulder to take stock of the people on the dance floor.

Who: Bronte and Bretton
When: Friday Night
Where: Ben's place above Avarice


Bretton led his sister politely to Ben's game room (which he knew unfortunately was likely used for far more than games), and then calmly whispered:

"You're a terrible liar, sis. I know that glare. I'm just more used to seeing it directed at Ben. Now what's going on?"

"Funny thing happened at Avarice last night," Bronte started once she followed Bretton into the game room, "I was just getting ready to leave and this blonde came in. A blonde who used to be a red head." Bronte hadn't made the connection right off, but it didn't take her all that long to recognize Jaide now sporting a blonde look. And she may have taken the woman stopping at the bar as coincidence if it weren't for her approaching the bar and asking if Bretton was there. "Know anything about that?" Giving him a look with the crossing of her arms to her brother.

"Yeah, Jaide's back in town." Bretton shrugged, unable to grasp why his sister seemed so angry about it. "It's not like I'm seeing her again, so what's the big deal?"

( Read more )

Who: Bronte and David
When: Monday Night
Where: Avarice 

Who: Ben, open to Skylar and the entire Bale family
Where: Ben's place, directly above Avarice
When: Friday night


To the more old-fashioned, this would be considered a coming-out party. But whatever it was called, Ben had come to the realization that since being broken up with at 17 by Sofia, he'd never taken a relationship as seriously as he took this one with Skylar. And he wanted everyone in his family to know it.  He'd called everyone in his family that he knew was in the general area, and explained why he wanted them there. The Bales, for all their money and prestige, were still a very traditional family in that they'd all put any differences aside in order to welcome someone into the family, if the person bringing them in was serious enough.

Ben wore a three-piece suit, a one-of-a-kind Versace, his smile a little more nervous than his usual snarky grin, as he looked over to Skylar, clutching her hand nervously. He still couldn't help but be amazed at how natural everything with her felt. He hoped that when he had her big surprise gift ready... she'd be willing to accept it. God knew it was costing him enough money... but he knew if she did, it would be good for the baby as well.

"Well.. everyone's pretty much here.. let's go get you more familiar with them all..."

Who: Ben, open to Bronte
Where: Ben's place, directly above Avarice
When: Tuesday morning

How the hell did this happen? When did Ben, of all people, bother worrying about women and their effect on his life? This guy had spent the last ten years of his life living by the Jay-Z slogan of 'I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one'. He'd plowed (almost literally) through hundreds of women of all shapes, sizes, colors, and races, and never once felt an ounce of confusion, nervousness, or any of it.

But all this time, through every dalliance, every short-lived romance he'd had, he had ONE woman on his mind: Skylar James. Before she married Gwen, and ever since, they had played this elaborate game of cat-and-mouse that he knew (or hoped, at least) would one day lead to them getting together.

But he'd never planned on falling head over heels in love with the girl, as he had close to a year ago. Since then... every time he saw her, talked to her... it was the same thing: he felt pangs in his heart. And now that circumstances had finally brought them together, Ben was feeling a plethora of emotions, some good, some bad... and he needed to talk to the one person he knew would never take sides, would never sugar-coat anything for him. He needed his sister.

So, after leaving her an unusually (for him) serious message about needing to talk to her, he slunk down on his sofa, trying to make heads or tails of what the hell was going on right now.

Who: Baily and Bronte
Where: Baily’s Apartment
When: Friday Evening

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Who: Liz and Bronte
Where: Chloe's Sugar Shack
When: Monday Night

This felt... weird. All of it, really. Liz used to come to this place eons ago, while in med school, when it was a much-smaller diner called (unimaginatively enough) Dave's Diner. It was close to the school, and she could easily have one of her few friends meet her to have coffee and pie. Now, granted, the coffee at the Sugar Shack was tons better... but she felt a little silly being in a place so... bright and cheery. Yet, it was the perfect place to meet an old friend she hadn't seen in a few years.

It had begun the other night, while she was waiting to meet Wesley after work at Avarice. She heard Ben's cousin, Baily, talking to him, and they were talking about his sister, Bronte, being back in town.

Now, Liz had never before really done the math when she'd heard Ben's last name. She'd met Bronte years earlier, while in school. The two had gotten to talking at the diner one night, and hit it off quickly. But they'd lost touch once Liz started working, as due to the hectic nature of her job, she'd lost touch with about 99% of her friends. The remaining 1%? She worked with them. 

But she'd run to the Bales, explaining who she was, and asking if she could pleeeeease have Bronte's cell phone number, which they gave after she dealt with a few moments of Ben's skeezy flirting.

Of course, her luck, when she called, she got the woman's voicemail. But she'd left a message, saying she missed her, and that she'd be at their old hangout (granted, it was a new place now, but the address was the same) Monday night, that she was dying to catch up. Of course, knowing what she did now about the supernatural, and about the Bales... this had potential to be a VERY interesting conversation.

Who: Bronte and Ben
Where: Avarice
When: Afternoon(Friday - October 2nd)

Normally, an afternoon at Avarice was busy for Ben. Since he spent most nights living it up at the club, he normally spent the afternoons doing his work before the club itself opened. During this early part of the day, all that was open was the bar, which got the occasional straggler but not much else.

But considering Ben had spent all the previous night talking to Skylar, the girl he'd held feelings for for close to two years, needless to say it was going to be more a day of deep thought than of work.

Sitting at the bar, a beer in hand, Ben honestly was paying no attention to anything around him at the moment.

( No place like home )