♡

the crowd of people gathered outside of the college, Dakota sighed when she spotted Gale Weathers at the front, talking to a woman with short, brown hair. She continued to walk with the group, staring longingly at Sidney who was smiling at Derek. A loud ringing sounded when the Chief tapped the microphone on the stand, getting everyone's attention.

"My name is Chief Louis Hartley." He announced.

"Chief Hartley!" Gale beckoned, making sure the camera was on her. "Hi, Gale Weathers, author of The Woodsboro Murders. Do you think the killer will strike again?"

"We have no evidence this is a serial killer." Hartley answered vaguely. "I'd like to read from a prepared—"

"Can you tell us any," Gale paused, clicking for the cameras to focus on her again, "precautions that you're taking?"

"Well, first of all, we think it's just an isolated incident, and we will be carrying out..." his voice continued to drone on.

"Oh my God, this is huge." Randy muttered as he and Mickey came to a stop.

"Do you have an suspects?" They heard Gale ask.

"Sidney, look. It's Gale Weathers." Randy stated.

"What?" Sidney asked, looking towards the crowd and spotting the obnoxious woman.

"Star of the Gale Weathers press conference. Based on the book by Gale Weathers. Soon to be a major motion picture starting Gale Weathers." Randy mocked.

"Be kind. She saved our lives." Sidney reminded him.

"And then became famous for writing about our near death experience." Dakota murmured.

"She had calf implants." Randy mused.

"Chief Hartley, do you plan on giving the town a curfew?" Gale asked loudly.

"I'm gonna get closer." Randy said and walked off.

"So that's her." Derek hummed in a really creepy, raspy way.

"Yeah." Sidney nodded.

Dakota spotted a group of girls walking over to them, looking as though they thought of themselves to be more important, which they did, "Hello, girls. Enjoying yourselves?"

"Oh, hello, Sister Lois." Hallie replied as the group turned to look at the girls. "Sister Murphy."

"Hello, pledge. Hello, Dakota. Hi, Sidney." Lois greeted.

"Hey." Sidney said awkwardly.

"This must be flat-out hell for you both." Lois said. "How are you holding up?"

"I manage." Sidney answered smoothly and Dakota hummed in agreement with her.

"It's really weird, isn't it? To think this fuss is all because you two! I mean, not directly, but in some six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon way." Lois smiled. "Yeah. Now, Hallie, are you gonna bring your friends to our little martini mixer tonight?"

"No." Dakota denied.

"I have a lot of work to do." Sidney muttered.

"We'll be there." Hallie agreed, placing her hands on Dakota's and Sidney's shoulder.

Ignoring the people who actually declined, one of the girls continued, "Oh, good. Because, Sid, Dakota, we have our eyes on you. You hang in there and if there's anything we can do—"

"—the Delta Lambdas are very sensitive to your plight." Lois said.

"Yeah. Bye!"

"Bye!"

They walked away, Derek speaking up although he was still staring at the girls, "You gonna start to dress like that once you get in?"

"That's not gonna happen." Sidney shook her head.

"Why not, love? I could definitely see you living your life in a safe green dress with a pastel blue cardigan that you got from your great gran, three times removed because of her awful dress sense." Dakota smiled at her.

Sidney chuckled and nudge their knees, "Shut up."

"The Delta Lambdas are the biggest bunch of fuckin'—"

"Hey!" Hallie cut Mickey off. "I'm pledging Delta Lambda, thank you."

"Oh, my God." Sidney muttered and got up, walking away from them and towards someone.

"Who's that?" Derek demanded.

"Calm down, blonde John Travolta. It's only—"

"Dewey?" Sidney called, cutting off Dakota who followed after her to greet their friend. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Ah!" Dewey sighed as he hugged Sidney and then Dakota. "Oh, I was worried about you both."

"Yeah?" Sidney asked lightly.

"I heard about what happened and I was on the next plane." Dewey explained.

"Not quite dead yet." Dakota gave him a grin.

"Yeah, I see that. Can we talk?" Dewey asked.

"Yeah." Sidney agreed, pulling Dakota with her and Dewey.

They sat down on a table in a gazebo, and Dewey was the first to speak, "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine, Dewey. Or we were." Sidney responded. "I mean, things were okay until now. But, uh, theatre's going great. I got my first starring role. We open in two days."

"That is great." Dewey smiled.

"Yeah. I'm loving it." Sidney grinned. "And we've got some good friends, and, uh, I'm seeing someone. Nice guy. Premed, no apparent psychotic tendencies."

"And you? You liking it?" Dewey looked to Dakota.

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm doing well in my classes and shit but i'll probably be glad when it's over." Dakota chuckled.

"You seeing someone?" Dewey asked.

"No. Not at the minute." Dakota smiled, glancing at Sidney who seemed none the wiser as Dewey gave her a slightly pitiful smile.

"I was just worried." Dewey confessed. "Look, Sid, Dakota, if there is some freaked-out psycho trying to follow in Billy Loom is' footsteps, you probably already know him. Or her... or them. They're probably already in your life. They get off on that. I just want you both to be careful."

Sidney sighed and got up causing the other pair to follow her to the edge of the gazebo, "You think we don't know that. Dewey? But what are we supposed to do?Just cut everybody off? Crawl under a rock? What?"

Dewey shook his head, "Just watch out. Keep an eye out. I'm gonna talk to Chief Hartley and the local police. I'm gonna just hang around. I wanna make sure you're safe, if that's alright with you." Dewey explained.

"It'd be our honour." Dakota joked as Sidney agreed with a nod.

"Alright." Dewey bid, patting their hands before limping off.

"Think it's gonna happen again?" Sidney asked Dakota worriedly.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't rule out that option." Dakota replied, putting an arm around her shoulder as they walked towards Hallie, Mickey and Derek who had been coming towards the gazebo.

"Hey." Sidney said.

"Hey." replied Derek, patting Sidney's arm, "You okay?"

"Uh-huh." Sidney nodded, leaning into Dakota slightly.

"Who was that guy?" Derek inquired.

"An old friend." Dakota answered.

"Deputy Dewey, Woodsboro's finest. What's he doing here?" Randy questioned.

"He's worried. Our surrogate big brother." Sidney chuckled.

"Nothing like a funeral to bring the family together." Randy joked. "I'm gonna say hi."

"Chief Hartley said the girl was stabbed seven—"

"Drop it." Derek ordered as Dakota shoved his shoulder.

"Hello, Sidney, Dakota." Gale greeted. "How are you both?"

"Hi." Sidney replied. "What do you want, Gale?"

"Well, I was hoping I might get just a few words with you." Gale smiled falsely and the camera man moved to reveal Cotton Weary.

"Cotton." Sidney said in shock.

"Hi, Sidney." Cotton said.

"What are you playing at, Gale?" Dakota looked at the reporter who was still putting on her friendly face as she looked to the camera, holding the microphone to her lips as she started a report.

"Here we are at Windsor College where Sidney Prescott has just been reunited with Cotton Weary for the first time since she wrongly accused him of murdering her mother—"

"What the hell are you doing?" Sidney demanded sharply.

"We want to know how you feel." Gale started. "Tell us everything that's happened, looking back on the last two years."

"Sidney, I'd just like to say that I forgive and forget." Cotton spoke up. "And just like you, I'd like to get back on with my own life."

"Do you have any comments?" Gale questioned.

"You bitch!" Sidney exclaimed and went to hit her.

"C'mon, it's not worth the assault case. She wouldn't bruise anyway, far too much plastic." Dakota scowled at Gale as they turned to walk away.

"Oh, Sidney, share with us, please!" Gale called but Sidney span and whacked her across the cheek.

"I take it back. It's worth it." Dakota laughed.

"I'll share with you!" Sidney glared, going to attack Gale but Derek pulled her back.

"Did you get that on film?" Hallie asked.

Dakota looked at the camera man, "Can I have a copy of it in slow motion? I wanna see the botox move out of place!"

{1408}