The Reunion: Part One
                                 By Grace Baker

     Summary:  After three years apart all seven friends(all from the last
series) meet up at Tony`s mansion(he is now a famous actor) and they all
find out what has been happening to the friends after they parted.  This is
part one.

     Disclaimer:  All the characters in California Dreams belong to Peter
Engel, etc.  I really don`t want to be sued and I want everyone to know
that I have absolutely nothing to do with California Dreams--just that it
is my fave programme, of course.                                            
 
                                    *  *  *

     Tony Wicks was woken up by the sound of the doorbell in his massive
mansion.  He heard one of the servants answer it, and a minute later, the
maid called, "Mr. Wicks, you have a visitor."
     "Well, duh," thought Tony.  Tony wondered who it was.  Today was the
day when he and all his friends would meet up again after three years
apart.  "Well, bring him in and take him through to the kitchen while I get
dressed," Tony called.
     He went to open up his huge wardrobe and went through his clothes,
trying to sort what he would wear that day.  Tony never really thought that
he would ever be in a mansion like this before, let alone live in one.  But
a year ago he had got his lucky break by playing the lead part in
Independence Day 2--The Martians Return to Party.  Now he had the world at
his feet, but he wasn't a snob.
     When he got downstairs he saw a tall Italian guy sitting at the table
harrassing the maid.  It was Sly.  He had just been slapped by the maid
after he had pinched her behind.
     "Hey, Sly, what are you doing here so early?" Tony greeted his old
friend.
     Sly turned around to see him.  A smile spread across his face and he
got up.  "Hey, hey, Antoine," Sly said, giving his friend a hug.  "Nice pad
you got here," Sly said, looking around the kitchen and admiring the view.
     "Yeah, well," Tony said with a smile on his face.  "Sly, what are you
doing here so early?  We're not supposed to be meeting til after lunch."
     Sly shrugged.  "Yeah, well, I wanted to surprise you.  Besides, I
didn't have enough money to stay another night at that motel down the
street.  So everyone's going to be here?" Sly asked,a frown spreading on
his face.
     Tony nodded with a smile.  "Yeah, of course.  Why, is something
wrong?"
     Sly looked uneasy.  "Well, this is hard to say, but, well, you
remember that guy Zane Walker who ripped off one of Jake's songs?"
     Tony nodded.  "Yeah, of course I do, man.  The guy was a total creep. 
I don't think anyone else could stoop that low."
     Sly lowered his face.  "Yeah, well, I did," Sly said quietly.
     Tony smirked.  "What are you talking about, Sly?  ...  What are you
talking about, Sly?"
     Sly sighed.  "A while ago, Zane Walker was in town and he couldn't
come up with anything original.  So I sold him Jake's songs.  Let's just
say that Jake wasn't pleased."
     Tony's eyes widened.  "You sold Jake's songs...you sold Jake's songs
...YOU sold Jake's songs?"
     Sly nodded.  "Hey, I needed the money."
     Tony shook his head.  "This was a bad idea, this was a very bad idea,
getting you and Jake in the same place for two weeks.  It'll be war, what
happened with Jake.  And please, don't try to make me feel sorry for you."
     Sly sighed again.  "He found out, was furious, the end.  We haven't
spoken since."
     Tony shook his head again.  This had probably been a bad idea, but he
couldn't cancel now.  He hadn't seen his friends--except Sam--for almost
three years, and they hadn't seen each other, although he knew that Sly and
Jake had had words face to face not long ago and he also knew that Tiffani
and Lorena shared an apartment.  But Sly and Jake in the same place at the
same time...what was he going to do?

                                    *  *  *

     Jake Sommers took a seat on the coach, which was the second one he had
taken that day, and cursed silently.  After Sly had sold his songs to his
former idol Zane Walker, he had had to sell his bike, and had had to part
with a few other possesions as well--his guitar for one.
     Well, he supposed it had been his own fault.  After all, he hadn't
been *forced* to hire Sly as a manager after Sly had dropped out of Pacific
Coast University.  But he certainly regretted it.  And it was going to take
every ounce of restraint not to rip Sly's lungs out.  He knew that Sly had
changed a lot after graduation, but there was no need for him to have taken
advanage of a friend like that.
     Jake had had to get a coach at five o'clock in the morning, then this
was the 11 o'clock one.  He couldn't sleep though.  He had managed to catch
at least 45 minutes of sleep before the kid in the seat opposite him had
started bawling again.
     He pulled out his wallet, to make sure nobody had stolen his money
while he had been asleep.  He realized that he had brought his old wallet
with him for some reason.  After checking that his money was still in his
wallet, he started flipping through the pictures.  
     There was the one which his brother Kyle had taken at graduation of
him.  Then there was him and all his friends at graduation.  Then there was
a selection of photos Kyle had taken of him at graduation.  Then there were
the pictures from the fantasy dress party that had been held at Lorena's
loft a few days after graduation.  There was Sly and Mark dressed as Laurel
and Hardy, Sam dressed as Dr. Susan Lewis from ER, Tony as Eddie Van Halen,
Lorenna as Marilyn Monroe, Tiffani as Uma Thurman from Pulp Fiction, and
him dressed as Brad Pitt from Interview with the Vampire.
     Then there were the pictures that Sly had faked of Tiffani to get her
a model's job.  She looked gorgeous, long blond hair, the Vampire.  But now
he couldn't stop thinking about Tiffani.  They had broken up shortly after
graduation. They had parted on good terms, but he was anxious about seeing
her when he got to Tony's.  He didn't really expect to feel anything for
her.  It wasn't as if there had never been other girls after she had left,
but there had never really been anyone who he felt as close to as Tiffani,
even though they had all been apart for three years.
     Anyway she had been to a university in Hawaii, hadn't really gotten
into it, then she had tried her stint of modeling, then moved in with
Lorena.  The last thing Jake knew was that she was now into acting, which
had rather surprised him, because in all the years he had known her she had
never surpressed any intrest in acting and had fallen asleep in drama
class.
     Even now, seeing those pictures of her, all his feelings came back for
her, but he blocked them out quickly.  Sly would probably try and exploit
her with something.  Tiffani had had a small part in one of Tony's films--
The X-Files: The Director Kills Off Mulder and Scully--where Tony played a
good guy sent to kill Cancerman and Tiffani played one of those bad girls
who seduces the good guys.  Fortunately she didn't seduce Tony.
     But Jake still had revenge on his mind for Sly and if he could just
come up with an idea he could be well away.

                                    *  *  *

     Tiffani Smith and Lorena Costa were in the bathroom of a gas station
not far from where Jake's coach would later stop for a break.  Tiffani was
applying a lot of make-up to a bruised eye, while Lorena did her make-up,
totally oblivious to what Tiffani was doing.  Even though she had been
driving in the car with her for several hours, she hadn't seen the black
eye.
     Lorena glanced over at Tiffani.  "You know, Tiff, you might want to
concentrate on the rest of your face, not just that one eye."  She went
back to doing her own make-up, then she did a double take.  "What's that
stuff on your eye?"
     Tiffani quickly stuttered.  "I had a bit of an accident on set," she
said, although she knew that Lorena would figure it out sooner or later.
     Unfortunately, it happened to be sooner than later.  "Don't give me
that.  He hit you, didn't he?" Lorena asked.
     Tiffani nodded sadly.
     "That creep.  I knew I couldn't trust him.  He was too rough, that was
his problem.  I knew he wouldn't treat you well."
     Tiffani sighed.  "Yeah, well, you were right.  Happy now?"  She
finished her make-up, then walked out to the car to wait for Lorena.
     She really didn't know why she had moved in with Lorena in the first
place.  She was judgemental of everyone she dated and didn't really approve
of her taste in clothes.  But she and Lorena had gotten close in the past
year and were now best friends.  Still, she hoped Lorena would be able to
keep her mouth shut about the incident.  She sighed as Lorena came back
out, already gossiping about a girl's make-up that she had seen in the
bathroom.
     They pulled out of the gas station.  Lorena did it rather badly and a
coach that was pulling in honked loudly.
     Tiff's mobile rang, startling Lorena and making her nearly crash into
another car pulling in.  Tiffani answered it.  She put a hand over the
mouthpiece and grinned at Lorena.  "I got an audition."
     Lorena smiled back.  "All right.  Look, er, Tiff, I'm really happy for
you an all, but do you think that you could keep your mobile turned off
when I'm driving, please?"
     Tiff grinned again.  "Yeah, I know--you're a bad enough driver
already," she said, chuckling, already her spirits lifting.  She turned her
attention back to the coversation she was having on the phone, ignoring the
dirty look that Lorena shot her.

                                    *  *  *

     Later that day, Tony and Sly were waiting for the rest of guys to
come.  Sly was hoping that Jake didn't come first, otherwise he wouldn't
have the protection of the girls.  Not that theyd give it to him after they
heard what he had done to Jake.  But he knew they'd probably stop Jake from
killing him, a bit reluctantly, but they'd stop him.
     There was a ring at the door.  Sly immediately hid in the kitchen
though he seriously doubted that if it was Jake, no amount of hiding would
save him.
     Tony looked out the window, then came into the kitchen.  "Don't worry,
Sly.  I think it's only Tiff and Lorena, though they probably won't be that
pleased with you once they find out about--" 
     He was cut off by Sly.  "Yeah, yeah, I know.  And they'll find out
soon enough, won't they?" he sighed, suddenly wishing he had never heard of
Zane Walker.
     Tiffani was quietly talking to Lorena, telling her not to tell anyone
about what had happened.  Lorena nodded reluctantly, and the two girls
greeted Tony and Sly.
     "Hey, Tiff, you had a little accident with the mascara, did you?" Sly
cracked.
     Tiff bit her lip, hoping that Lorena wouldn't tell them.  Lorena had
promised but her best friend had the a mouth the size of Luna Park and she
couldn't always count on her for that long.  Luckily Lorena didn't tell
them and neither of the guys figured it out.
     "Wow, this is a beautiful house, Tony," Lorena exclaimed.
     Tony grinned.  "Thanks.  I'll give you the guided tour if you want."
Tony glanced at Sly, who was shaking his head.  Tony started to worry in
case Jake came while he was showing the girls around, and in a house that
big it would be difficult to hear the doorbell.  "Actually, why doesn't Sly
show you around?  He's probably been in enough rooms looking for the
toilet." He smirked.
     Tiffani stayed in place.
     "Coming, Tiff?" Sly called.
     Tiffani shook her head.  "I'll just wait down here with Tony" she said
cheerfully.
     10 minutes later she looked in the mirror and saw that her mascara was
running.  "Tony, is there a bathroom down here?" she asked.
     "Yeah, but don't tell Sly.  It's down the hall, first on the left."
     Tiffani smiled.  "Thanks, Tony."
     While she was in the bathroom she heard the door ring.  "That's either
Mark, Jake, or Sam," she said to herself as she washed her face and did her
mascara again.  Unfortunately she didn't hear who it was.  She came out of
the bathroom to hear two male voices talking.  One was Tony and the other
she didn't recognize.
     Tony looked up.  "Hey, did you find the bathroom okay?"
     Tiffani nodded.  "Yeah.  Jeez, Tony, Lorena was right.  This is a
beutiful, not to mention big, place."
     Tony nodded.  "Yeah, I know."
     While they had been talking, the guy who Tony had been talking to
turned around.  Tiff was shocked to see that it ws Jake.  She hadn't
recognized him, what without his leather jacket and all.  She flashed him
her million dollar smile and went over to hug him.
     "Hey what happened to the jacket?" she asked curiously.
     Tony flashed Jake a questioning look.  Neither of them were sure
whether they wanted to bring up the subject of Sly ripping off Jake's
songs.
     Before Jake could say anything, Tony said, "Well, he sold it.  He
thought that it made him look immature."  Jake glared at Tony and Tony
shrugged and turned away.
     "So you're into acting now?" Jake asked Tiffani.
     She nodded.  "I know I fell asleep in drama class, but when I visited
Tony on the set of The Director Kills Off M&S, I thought it looked
interesting.  Besides, Drew Barrymore had dropped out and so I ended up
playing the part of the bad girl.  I think Chris Carter was desperate," she
said, flashing another grin.
     Tony turned around.  "Hey, did you hear from the audition guy of that
musical?"
     Tiff smiled again.  "Yeah, I got an audition."
     Before they could congratulate her the door went again and Tony ran to
answer it.  Standing there was a guy their own age with a goatee and
horrendous clothes.
     It was Mark.
     Tony only knew it was him because Sly had told him ahead of time, and
Sly only knew because his uncle had rang ahead and told him.  Sly didn't
really keep in touch with his relatives that much.  Actually, he only
contacted them when he was in trouble or needed money.
     Sly chose to come down at that moment.  He looked pretty pleased to
see his cousin, but not so estatic to see Jake.
     Jake looked up as Lorena and Sly coming down the stairs.  He grinned
at Lorena but glared at Sly.  As soon as Sly got down, he lunged for him.
Luckily, Tony stopped him just in time.
     The phone rang and Tony went to answer it.  Jake didn't try and lunge
for Sly again but he did shoot hm some pretty mean glares.
     "Jez-us," muttered Tiff, "what the hell is the matter with you, Jake?"
     Sly sighed.
     Before Jake could say anything, Mark said, "Now calm down.  I don't
thnk that Jake trying to kill Sly is the way to go.  We should try to love
and respect each other."
     The others exchanged curious looks.
     Jake blurted out, "Even if Sly sold all my songs to that jerk Zane
Walker?"
     Lorena and Tiffani looked at each other, completely shocked.
     "Sly, er, let me get this straight.  You sold Jake's songs?" Tiffani
said.
     Sly nodded sheepishly.
     All of a sudden Tiffani lunged for Sly, and Mark, who had been silent
since Jake's outburst, had a thoughtful expression on his face.
     Tony chose that moment to come out, and Sam chose that moment to show
up.  So while she was expecting a warm welcome, half the friends were
trying to kill Sly.
     Jake, Lorena, and Tiff looked up and smiled sheepishly.  (As they had
been trying to kill Sly).
     "Er, hi, Sam," they murmured as they pulled themselves of Sly.

     Half an hour later, Jake, Lorena, Tiffani, Mark, and Sam were all
seated in couches in the living room.  as soon as the three of them had got
off him, Sly had taken the opportunity to take off, murmuring something
about going to a bar.  Mark was murmuring something about peace, love, and
harmony.
     Tiffani sighed.  "I can't believe that Sly stooped as low as to steal
one of your songs and sell it to that jerk Zane Walker," she said.
     Lorena nodded.  "I mean, what could have been going on that he needed
money so desperately that he would have sold Jake's songs to Zane,
especially after what Zane did last time?  Jez-us.  I can't believe there
are so many jerks in this world.  I've already heard of one today before
this.  Jez-us.  First Tiff's now-ex beating her up, now Sly ripping of
Jake's songs."  Lorena turned to see Tiffani glaring at her and all the
guys looking shocked.
     "Oh, gee, I was wondering when that would come up, even though I told
you NOT to mention it."  The others were looking at her. 
     Lorena cleared her throat.  "I've started so I'll finish.  Tiff
started dating this jerk about 6 months ago  She met him at an audition. 
They weren't that serious, but this guy--what was his name again?  Oh,
yeah, his name was John.  He got too possesive or something like that and
you can guess what happened next," Lorena finished.
     Tiffani was giving her the evil eye.  Lorena did feel kind of guilty
about blurting off, but these people were all her friends.  They might be
able to help.
     "Jez-us, I just thought that was mascara," Sam murmured.
     Tiff shook her head.  "Well, now thanks to Lorena, you all know."
     Just then Tony burst out of the kitchen with a big smile on his face. 
"Guess what, guys.  I got a call from Rory Porter.  You know, the director?
And he says that if I invest some money in his film he will make sure that
I get a good part in the upcoming film 'While You Were Babysitting.'  It's
the sequel to 'While You Were Sleeping.'"  Tony paused as he looked at all
his friends.
     "Excuse me, I need to go and wash all this mascara off my face,"
Tiffani said, exiting to the nearest bathroom as soon as she could.
     Tony looked at the others.  "What's going on, guys?" he asked.

                                    *  *  *

     Sly was sitting in a bar drinking a gin and tonic.  He didn't normally
drink, but given the recent circumstances he thought that maybe now might
be the right time to start.
     He noticed an attractive girl smiling at him. He gave her a dashing
grin and walked up to her and squeezed into a seat between her and a really
fat biker guy.  "Hi."
     The girl smiled.  "I couldn't help noticing you.  You're the best
looking guy to come in here for a long time," she said.
     Sly smiled.  He definitely liked this girl.  Very forward.  Back in
high school, if he had said that to a girl, he would most likely have been
punched out, by either the girl or the boyfriend.  It was always either,
not that the comment itself was sleazy or anything.  It was just that the
suggestive remark he made after that was usually sleazy.
     "Well, that's very kind of you to say.  That kind of remark definetly
deserves a free drink from yours truly.  What are you drinking?" he asked
her.
     She told him that she was drinking whatever he was and he felt in his
pocket for the money.  He didn't have much.  He hoped that she wasn't a big
drinker.
     An hour and a half later, the two of them had mananged to get
completely drunk on exactly $6.50, which was the amount that Sly had had in
his pocket.  Sly was drunkly telling this girl, whose name was Carolyn, all
about his problems.  She was probably not listening but managing to look
interested anyway.  Though when Sly mentioned Tiffani's name, all of a
sudden she did look interested.
     "Wait a minute.  You mean Tiffani Smith?"
     Sly nodded drunkly.  "Yeah, you know her or something?"
     Carolyn's face took on a bitter expression.  "Yeah, she's my main
competition for the lead in a new musical."  Then her face lit up slightly.
"Say, you couldn't maybe do something to sabotage her audition, could you?" 
     At this point, Sly was well drunk, and he did something that he would
never do unless he was under the influence of alcohol and in the presence
of a very attractive woman who was taking advantage of him.
     Sly shrugged.  "I don't know...she is one of my best friends and--"
     Sly was cut off when all of a sudden Carolyn wrapped her arms around
his neck and kissed him square on the mouth.
     2 minutes later they parted briefly and Carolyn stood up.  "You were
saying?"
     Sly stood up.  "Sure, I'll do it.  For you."
     Carolyn's face lit up.  "That's what I thought you said.  Now would
you do me the honour of taking me home?"
     Sly nodded.  "Sure."
     She wrapped her arms around Sly and they headed for the exit.  Sly
didn't think twice about the fact that what he was going to do would be
betraying one of his best friends.  He placed his mind on Carolyn as he
followed her out of the bar.

end of part one