“ . . . So all I need to do is go shopping and find this weird rock thing and I’m not the slayer anymore?” Buffy asked
Gwendolyn cringed slightly at Buffy’s phrasing.
“I wouldn’t have put it that way myself but yes,” Gwendolyn replied, “You need to go now the alter will be arriving soon and we only have a small window of opportunity.”
“The alter?” Buffy asked curiously
“I’ll explain the next time we meet. You need to go now.”
Buffy nodded. She slipped the note book into her pocket and rushed off back down the alleyway. This was her one chance to solve all of her problems to finally have that normal life she has craved ever since she was called all she had to do now was to gather . . .
Distracted by her thoughts Buffy walked straight into the other person who was walking through they alleyway. Stunned she looked up at the male curiously.
“Danny?” she asked
With a guilty expression Danny raised his hands defensively.
“Okay, I know how this looks,” he said quickly in a nervous tone
“What are you doing here?”
Danny hesitated for a moment and tried to find the right words.
“I followed you.” he replied
Buffy looked at him suspiciously.
“Why?”
“I wanted to see if you’re alright.”
Buffy shook her head in disbelief.
“What?” she asked curiously
“I-I know it’s kinda weird and I never do this sought of thing it’s just . . . you look so sad. I just though maybe you wanted company where you were going.”
Buffy felt herself smile. She wanted to be mad at him but he seemed so genuine which was a rare thing in her world. But then something occurred to her.
“How much did you see?” she asked
Danny shifted nervously.
“Not much really,” he replied, “just the part where you went into this alley, talked to the strange woman about getting supplies and that rock thing called the prophet stone, then you bumped into me.”
Buffy rubbed her forehead. This was the last thing she wanted to do. She looked up at Danny seriously.
“Danny, listen to me, you can’t tell anybody about what you saw alright? You promise?”
Again Danny raised his hands defensively.
“Hey I didn’t understand most of it. Gotta ask what’s a slayer?”
“Duck!” Buffy exclaimed with urgency
Danny looked at her confused.
“What? You turn into some kind of bird?”
“No! I mean duck!”
Buffy rushed up and forced Danny onto the ground. She swung out with a left hook and caught the vampire on the jaw. The vamp stumbled back as Buffy rolled over Danny’s back and kicked the vamp in the stomach. The vampire flew down the alleyway and landed hard on his back. Buffy quickly scanned the alleyway for anything she could use as a stake. Spying a broken chair she snapped off one of the legs.
By this stage the vamp was back on his feet. Moving at full vampire speed he punched Buffy in the stomach then, grabbing her by the collar, forced her into the wall. Buffy struggled for a moment before she kicked back with her leg catching the vampire in the groin. Groaning in pain the vampire walked back slowly. Buffy swung around quickly and staked him through the heart.
She dusted herself off as a dazed and confused Danny joined the slayer. He looked at the pile of dust that used to be a person and shook his head lightly.
“What just happened here?” he asked
Buffy looked at Danny.
“That was a vampire.” She replied, “He was about to eat you.”
There was a long awkward pause between the both of them while Danny tried to process what was just said to him.
“Again I ask what just happened here?”
Buffy smiled at him and put her arm around the confused males shoulder.
“Come on I’ll take you back home.” She said softly.
Back at Danny’s apartment Danny sat astounded. Buffy had just finished explaining what she is to him and he was having a hard time dealing with the notion of vampires and demons being real. He leaned forward in his chair and looked at her curiously.
“I got to get this right in my head,” he remarked, “Vampires are real and it’s your job to fight them.”
“Pretty much.” Buffy replied
“Wow that's . . . I mean, no offence Anne, but you don’t look like you’re built for destruction.”
Buffy dropped her head and played with her hands.
“One girl in all the world,” Buffy continued, “and that one girl was me. It was my job to save everybody.”
“That’s heavy, like Oprah heavy; you have to do this stuff on your own?”
Buffy shrugged.
“There were others. Some of my friends from school helped me out with the research and stuff. But mostly I did the fighting.”
“That why you wanna give it up?” Danny asked
Buffy looked up at him.
“You don’t understand Danny. It’s the pressure, it’s constant, it’s like a giant weight crushing me until all that is left is a mini me who has no room for normal stuff.”
Danny sat back. This was beginning to be too much for him but, to his credit, he kept his cool.
“Man, I though giving rent late to Mr. Kowalski was terrifying but that’s nothing.”
Buffy tilted her head curiously.
“I don’t know,” she replied playfully, “he can be a very scary man when he gets all three of his chins wobbling.”
Buffy looked down at her watch. She colleted her things
“Anyway I have to get to bed. Got an early start if I’m gonna get all of these things.”
Danny stood up and opened the door for her.
“Good luck,” he said sweetly, “I mean it.”
Buffy grinned. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thanks Danny,” she replied as she stepped out the door, “Keep yourself safe.”
Danny saluted her. He watched her walked toward her door.
“Hey Anne.” He called out
Buffy stopped and turned to him.
“What?” she asked
“I was just wondering . . . how are you going to get to all those places in the book.”
Buffy pouted as she thought.
“I don’t know, bus maybe, hadn’t really thought about it.”
Danny shrugged awkwardly at her.
“I got a car . . . be a lot quicker.”
“Danny . . .” Buffy said seriously
“I’ll stay in the car I promise. I just, I don’t know, I don’t think you should do this alone.”
Buffy was about to argue but the look in Danny’s eyes stopped her. It was as almost as if he empathized with her situation like he is in a similar one himself.
“Okay,” Buffy replied, “but you have to promise me you’ll stay in the car.”
Danny smirked at her.
“No problem there, not a big fan of danger, I break out in hives it’s really embarrassing.”
Buffy laughed again. This boy good nature was infectious.
“I’ll see you in the morning Danny.” Buffy said before she entered her apartment.
~ Sunnydale High School Library – 1 hour later ~
“I think I might have another lead,” Giles said seriously, “I have a call from an associate in New York who said that he witnessed a blond girl fighting off a large man.”
The group remained silent. They just stared at the watcher with a look of pity on their face.
“Well?” Giles asked
Willow pouted.
“Sorry Giles, we like to be the yay squad but this is, like, the seventh lead.” She said sadly
“Yeah and every one has ended up with you down a big bunch of cash in airfares and us knowing zip about where Buffy is.” Xander continued
“That is no reason to stop looking!” Giles exclaimed, “She could be hurt or in danger.”
“Or she could have just run away.” Cordelia exclaimed
Giles leaned against the table.
“No, that’s not like her, she hasn’t run away before.”
“She didn’t have to kill Angel before either.” Oz commented in his trade mark even tone.
Giles sighed heavily and flopped down into the chair. He never realized how tired he was until that moment.
“This will be the last trip.” He said with heavy heart
Xander smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
“I’ll believe it when I see it G-man.” he replied
Just then the phone rang. With a sense of hope Giles scrambled into his office.
“Hello? Buffy?” he asked
“Not quite mate,” a man with a smug English tone replied down the other end of the line, “but thanks for the compliment.”
Giles twisted his face up in anger.
“Ethan.” He replied
“Hello Ripper.” Ethan replied
“What the hell do you want?”
“Easy there old mate I’d watch that temper of yours or I won't help you play your game.”
“What game is that?”
Ethan laughed.
“Find the slayer.”
Giles sat down in his office chair. A look of reserved hope on his face.
“You know where she is?”
“Maybe,” Ethan replied, “minds a little foggy what with being repeatedly hit in the head by old friends.”
“Where is she?”
“Oh come on Ripper what kind of negotiation is that?”
“What do you want?”
“I want many things. Just so happens the thing I want at the moment you keep in your personal safe.”
Giles face dropped.
“Not a chance in hell.” He retorted, “There is no way I am handing over something that powerful to you.”
“Well that’s alright mate I just leave you be so you can get back to your search,” Ethan replied, “Say, how is that needle looking in that haystack?”
Giles dropped his head in frustration.
“Alright,” he replied, “I give it to you, now, tell me where Buffy is!”
“Not so fast Ripper. That’s not all I want.”
“What else.”
“Oh, one or two things,” Ethan replied, “And you’re going to get them for me no questions asked.”
Giles grinded his teeth. He never like being backed into a wall like this but he had no choice.
“Fine!” he snapped angrily, “what do you need me to get?”
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