Disclaimer: I own nothin’.
I’m really into the Pussycat Dolls at the moment. I don't apologise for the use of their song.
Chapter 9
Buffy’s first instinct was to fall to the ground and thank god but she withheld. Her second was to refuse, Giles was still getting over Kendra’s death, right?
‘A-Are you sure?’ she asked tentatively. She didn’t want a Drill Sargent hell bent on keeping her alive. If he wanted to train her, sure, that’s fine, but she would not be his way to fix his past mistakes. If tried to work her like that, she‘d quit. Let the other Slayer pick up the slack. Kendra had continued after Buffy; whoever was called after Kendra could handle it.
Giles sighed and lowered himself into Angel’s vacated chair. ‘Not really, no,’ he rubbed his forehead as though warding off a headache. ‘But in truth, I don’t trust anyone else to properly look after you. No Watcher is trained enough for this. I don’t even think that handbook would help in this circumstance-’
‘Wait, back up, handbook?’ Buffy was puzzled. What handbook?
‘You never received one?’ Giles looked shocked and Buffy’s curiosity was piqued. She shook her head. ‘This is unprecedented. All Slayers get the handbook. It’s called the Slayer Handbook,’ Giles ranted and Buffy hid a smile. He was so…English. Her smile widened.
Buffy clicked her fingers in a sudden show of remembrance. ‘I remember reading a passage in Merrick’s journal. He said, and I quote, “As for the Handbook… I felt in Buffy’s case it wouldn’t be needed.” What’s wrong with my case Giles?’ she pouted.
Giles shook his head and stood, pacing the office. Everyone seems to do that, Buffy thought. This is, like, the Office of Pace… The Pace Space…the Pacey office. No the last one sounded too Dawson’s Creekish. Is that even a word, she wondered. Creekish.
'When are you thinking of leaving?’ Giles broke into her random thoughts and she had to think hard to recall what they were talking about.
‘Tomorrow night. There’s no point in putting it off any longer. More people are just going to die,’ she said reasonably and Giles nodded his acceptance.
‘I’ll leave you to announce it to everyone here. I’ll go pack. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.’
******************************
Angel rose as Giles left the office with a frown on his face. The Watcher exited the building with out a glance at the vampire and walked out into the sunshine. Buffy stood in the doorway and watched the watcher leave. Angel almost smiled at that, thinking Buffy would have got a kick out of it.
‘Everything okay?’ he approached Buffy slowly. She looked up at him and a smile blossomed on her face.
‘Yeah,’ she said in wonder. ‘Everything’s… fine. Can you get everyone together? I need to tell everyone something.’
‘Sure,’ Angel wanted to ask her what was going on but he stopped himself, instead rounding up all of the A.I team-minus Cordelia- and Willow.
When everyone was seated, Buffy stood in front of the group, looking nervously excited. ‘Tomorrow night Willow and I are leaving for Sunnydale,’ she held up a hand before anyone could protest, which was just what Gunn and Connor were going to do. ‘Sunnydale is in severe need of a Slayer and I feel I need to be there.’
Angel watched her closely, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He’d known Buffy wasn’t really the dumb blonde she pretended to be and now everyone else knew it too. She spoke calmly and powerfully, like a leader. She spoke like a Slayer; no nonsense and in charge. She wasn’t a teenage girl asking to go to a different town, she was a Slayer telling the team of her plans for her life. God help the vampires and demons of Sunnydale.
‘Willow and I have talked, in length, and this is what we have decided to do. You all have L.A. under control. What use am I here? Sunnydale needs some looking after and we all know I am the Slayer for the job. Giles was here earlier. He told me he has some information about Sunnydale that we need to know before we go,’ she paused. ‘He also told me I need a watcher.’
‘You don’t need a watcher, Buffy,’ Willow cut in. ‘You’ve done fine on your own. Why now?’
‘Giles spoke to the Watcher’s Council about me and they told him they wanted a watcher for me. Probably feeling guilty about neglecting me or, you know, not checking to see if I was alive and all. Did you know there was a Slayer handbook?’ Wesley was the only one who nodded.
‘Ooh a handbook?’ Willow bounced in her seat. ‘Are there T-shits too ‘cause that would be cool.’
‘No, but there is a cool calendar and fan club,’ Gunn joked and Fred whacked him across the head.
‘I never got the handbook because Merrick felt it wasn’t “needed in my case”,’ she huffed. ‘My case. What was wrong with my case?’
And the teenager is back, thought Angel with a smile. That didn’t last long. Gunn and Willow discussed marketing products for a few moments then Buffy cleared her throat.
‘Wait. I have a question,’ Connor put his hand up. ‘Who’s your watcher going to be?’
‘Umm… Giles.’
The room went so silent that, if someone blinked, it would have been heard. Buffy stood there fidgeting with the hem of her yellow top as everyone took in the news. Willow‘s head swivelled around crazily, trying to see everyone’s reactions. She looked puzzled as to why it had gone so silent. Angel tried to explain.
‘We’re just shocked, Willow. Giles was the Watcher of the Slayer before Buffy. She died and he still mourns her loss, even though they weren‘t that close. After her death, he cut off all ties to the Watchers Council. As far as we know, he hasn’t so much as spoken with a member since then. Wesley not included,’ Angel watched the understanding dawn on Willow’s face. Buffy just nodded. He’d told her a small part before had Giles arrived.
‘Why, then, is he going to help Buffy?’ she smartly asked and no one had an answer for her. Everyone shrugged but Buffy stepped forward.
‘He said that he didn’t trust anyone else to look after me as no one else was qualified. Plus, I think he was surprised that I didn’t get that handbook,’ she explained and everyone nodded. It all fit.
‘So Giles is leaving with you?’ Wesley asked and Buffy nodded. ‘Then I have a few things I must do. If you will excuse me,’ he disappeared into his office.
‘Anybody hungry? I’ll order food,’ Gunn offered and everyone put a hand up. ‘What?’
“Mexican,’ Fred said immediately. She blushed as everyone looked at her.
Buffy saved her. ‘Mexican sounds good. Will?’
‘Yeah, count me in,’ Willow nodded.
‘Cool, I’ll order. The usual?’ he asked Fred and she nodded.
While Gunn was gone, Buffy and Willow sat on the couch and made their plans for the next day. Buffy would need a place to stay and Angel knew she couldn’t live with Giles. It was then he remembered what he had in Sunnydale. ‘Buffy,’ he butted in on the conversation as he perched on the side of a chair. ‘I have a property in Sunnydale you could use, you all could use. I’d let you stay there free of rent.’
Willow glanced at him curiously. ‘What property do you own?’
‘The Crawford St Mansion.’
Willow's eyes widened in surprise. ‘No way. You own that? That place is huge.’
‘Yeah, I’ve had it for years now. Never knew quite what to do with it. If you want it, it’s yours.’
‘Wait,’ Buffy cut in. ‘There are mansions in Sunnydale?’ she asked Willow. ‘You own one?’ she directed at Angel. They both nodded. ‘Okay then, just wanted to be clear.’
Angel smiled- he was doing that so much more lately- and reiterated the offer. She seemed hesitant to accept but in the end he knew she had no other choice. He stood and walked into his office. He called a cleaning company he knew and had them go out to the mansion to get it ready. The utilities still worked but he had no idea what condition the place was in.
Call made, he returned to the lobby to find the girls gone. A little searching and he found them out in the garden. They were sitting enjoying the suns rays and he smiled again. She was so beautiful in the sunlight. She belonged there, it’s warm rays shining down, lighting her, creating a halo around her like the angel she was.
She belong in the sun, she was the sun; his sun. He belonged in the darkness, the shadows. Could they really make something out of whatever there was between them? He knew she was attracted to him but how long could that possibly last? She wasn’t meant for him, wasn’t meant to be in the shadows. Maybe it was for the best that she was leaving.
She glanced up and caught his eye. She smiled brightly at him and he couldn’t help but return it. She looked so happy. Who was he to try and take her out of the sunlight?
**********************
Buffy put on some music as she packed. The Pussycat Dolls blasted from the speakers and she danced across the room in time with the beat.
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me
Don't cha
Don't cha
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me
Don't cha
Don't cha
Willow came in carrying her suitcase and dropped as he heard the song. She too began to dance, helping Buffy pack as they went. The song finished and so did their packing. Buffy sat on the bed and clutched her stuffed pink pig-Mr. Gordo- to her chest. Willow sat beside her and together they looked around the room, making sure they left nothing behind.
‘That’s everything,’ Buffy sighed and Willow wrapped an arm around her. Buffy leaned her head on the redhead’s shoulder. Just over half an hour til Giles arrived.
‘There’s no use moping, Mr.’ Willow announced and Buffy rolled her eyes. ‘In case it slipped your notice, there is a price on your head, demons are after you, you’re in love with a vampire, you’re moving to a new and equally dangerous town.’
Buffy stared incredulously at her. ‘And that’s supposed to make me feel better how? Wait, what did you say?’ Her eyes narrowed.
‘You have a price on your head?’ Willow asked innocently.
‘No, after that.’
‘Demons are after you?’
‘After that.’
‘You’re moving to an equally dangerous town?’ Willow offered and Buffy growled.
‘Before that.’
‘Ohhh. You’re in love with a vampire?’
‘That’s the one,’ Buffy nodded. ‘And, no, I’m not.’
Willow remained silently staring at Buffy. ‘I’m not,’ she still denied.
Willow kept staring and Buffy caved. ‘Yeah, okay. I think I kinda am.’
‘See, that wasn’t so hard was it? What are you going to do about?’ she asked, losing her earlier bravado.
‘Nothing, I suppose. What can I do? I’m not supposed to have relationships. Not even with you. I suppose that’s a moot point.’
‘You used to have friends though, right?’
‘Yeah, of course. It’s just being the Slayer made me different. But it's my fault I stayed that way. People are always trying to connect to me, and I just slip away. Maybe it’s time that changed. Whaddaya say, wanna be friends?’
Willow laughed and Buffy reached behind her to grab a pillow. Buffy hit her over the head with it and Willow recovered quickly she wrenched it out of Buffy’s hands and retaliated. They were rolling around on the floor when Connor came to get them.
‘Giles is here,’ he looked a little startled and Buffy snorted. Willow hit her again which triggered the continuation of the fight. Connor was unfortunate enough to be hit by a stray pillow and he quickly hightailed it out of there.
The girls collapsed after he left, breathing heavily while laughing. ‘I think you scared him away,’ Buffy panted and she laughed at Willow’s outraged cry. The redhead half-heartedly threw the pillow towards Buffy but it came nowhere near her. ‘Come on, we better get down there.’
They got up and righted the room before taking their cases downstairs.
Next- Dun da nuh nuh. We find out Sunnydale is, oh my god, a Hellmouth *grin*
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Oh and BelovedSlayer? Your fluff is coming up ; )
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