Half Breed: Part Three
by JeanetteB
The Library

Buffy and crew had arranged themselves at a table and looked towards Giles as he began his usual habit of pacing around the room. They had dropped by earlier in the day to give him a rough idea of what happened the previous night and to see what he could dig up about dhampirs in general and Leonora in specific. Agreeing to meet back when classes ended for the day, they left Giles to his research, in the hopes that he would have something concrete for them come the afternoon.

Buffy watched her Watcher pace for a few minutes before finally losing her patience. “Okay, Giles, spill it. What did you find?”

He looked up at the table absently. “Y-yes, well. There was nothing that I could find concerning Leonora. Nothing in the Watcher diaries, certainly. But when I began to look for information concerning dhampirs, I had a bit more success.” He walked over to their table and picked up an old book. He quickly found the page he was looking for and spread the book open on the table so they could all see. “Here, in this passage,” he continued, pointing to the specific paragraph, “is a mention of dhampir nature. It would seem that a dhampir is…”

“The half-breed get of a human and a vampire,” Leonora’s voice finished for him. The small group at the table turned to see her entering the library. She had exchanged the black t-shirt of the night before for a dark blue one, and had added a pair of dark sunglasses, but otherwise looked the same.

Buffy took a quick look out the library windows just to verify what her eyes were telling her. “Um, don’t take this the wrong way, but why aren’t you a charcoal briquette?”

“Yeah,” Xander commented. “Shouldn’t you be dhampir flambé by now?”

“Books haven’t been much of a help, hmm?” Leonora walked to Giles, hand extended. “You must be this Giles that they spoke of last night. I’m Leonora.”

Giles took her hand and shook it, mildly surprised at the human warmth it possessed. Actually quite a bit about this young woman surprised him. “P-pleasure to meet you, I think. I take it you’ve been introduced to the rest?”

“Not officially,” she answered, grinning at Giles’ little addendum to his greeting. While Giles made the introductions official, she turned her attention to the books on the table. All were old, but none of them would have any but the vaguest mention of her kind in them. She had been more than correct in her assessment of their information.

Giles turned his full attention to her. “As you can see, our research here as turned up relatively little on dhampirs—there is remarkably little mention of your kind in relation to any of our vampiric texts. Any information you would be willing to provide would be a great help.”

“Like why you’re here, for a start,” Buffy cut in, not wanting to let Giles sidetrack them. She was more interested in what Leonora was doing in Sunnydale.

“I’m looking for someone,” Leonora replied smoothly, then turned back to Giles and the others. “And why I’m not ‘dhampir flambé’, as Xander so eloquently put it, is easily explained: it’s one of the perks of being a half-breed. I have the soul of a human, but the demonic genetics.” She grinned at Xander. “My DNA strand is *wicked*.”

“So that’s how you can be outside in daylight and not spontaneously combust?” Giles verified, jotting a few notes down in his own diary.

“Bingo.” Leonora perched on the back of a library chair with her booted feet on the seat. “I can go out in the sunlight without fear of my head catching on fire. Sunlight weakens me and I don’t like to do it that often—it makes me itch—but as long as I cover up and wear sunglasses I can put up with it.”

“You said it weakens you—how badly?”

Leonora glanced briefly at Buffy before answering. The rest of the group simply listened, fascinated. “I’m weakened to about the level of a normal, healthy human.”

“Your demonic nature—that’s the glowy eyes and the insta-fangs, right?” Willow piped up from her seat.

Leonora smiled at her, a real smile and not her usual grin. “Correct.”

“Ah, so your vampire nature manifests itself as glowing eyes and elongated canines, rather than as the demonic visage common to full vampires.” Giles was still scribbling.

“And you’ve got the whole strength thing,” Xander added, not wanting to feel left out.

“Yes. Enhanced strength, speed, and agility. I also heal faster than normal humans.”

“Age?” The Watcher asked.

“328.” She watched as everyone’s eyes grew round. Even Giles seemed shocked.

“That means she’s even older than…” Willow began before Buffy’s glare silenced her. “I’m shutting up now.”

Leonora was interested in the by-play, but chose to ignore it for the moment. “My body just decided it liked this age and stopped. No one has ever been able to explain it.” She shrugged, unconcerned.

“And, um, your nutritional needs?” Giles glanced at Leonora uncomfortably.

“A big DUH on that one, Giles,” Buffy interrupted scornfully. “She said last night that she had fed.”

“Indeed I did, Slayer.” Leonora’s grin was back, mocking Buffy. “That plate of pasta screamed for mercy before I cruelly devoured it.”

Giles made a funny choking sound, which sounded suspiciously like laughter to Buffy. He was polite enough not to laugh in her face. The others were not so well bred. Xander was trying to hide it behind his hand, Cordelia was chuckling openly and even Willow and Oz were smiling. She stood up and began to pace, not at all happy at being made a fool of. She just couldn’t get the upper hand with Leonora. And that was really beginning to make her mad.

“Okay, fine. I’m a moron when it comes to dhampirs—happy? So what *do* you eat?”

Leonora looked at the Slayer thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. “Anything liquid is fair game. I love anything pasta—especially with lots of garlic. I used to be able to eat solid foods, but they don’t sit well anymore. I guess my body doesn’t process them the older I get. And there is always blood.” She paused as Buffy swept the group with an “I told you so” look, then continued. “But a little animal blood mixed with whatever I’m eating at the time seems to satisfy *that* hunger. Unless I’m healing; then the amount depends on the damage.

Giles wrote furiously, transcribing the conversation in his dairy. Silence had descended upon the library as everyone absorbed the dhampir’s words. Leonora watched all of them, and when it became evident that no one was going to speak, she said, “And now, perhaps, you might answer some questions of mine?” She waited until she had Giles’ attention before continuing.

“As I’ve said, I’m looking for someone. The vampires last night weren’t forthcoming with the information, but I’m hoping you will be more helpful.”

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