The phone rang.
"I'll get it! " cried Buffy. It might be Angel her heart hoped, but her brain told her it was someone trying to sell them new house siding & they hardly had enough money to buy chewing gum. The smoothest voice Buffy had ever heard in all her 17 years spoke:
"Miss Summers, I would like to make an appointment to see you at your earliest convenience, tonight if at all possible. I am do tomorrow in New York to address the General Assembly of the U.N. so if tonight would be best for me. Of course if this is inconvenient I can come back - say early next week. "
"Xander is that you? " she asked, suspiciously.
A deep, rich laugh, like oil from a gushing well came over the line. " I take it you refer to Mr. Harris? No, Miss Summers - my name is Rothchilde. A further condition is also necessary say a truce for the that evening at the very least. "
"A truce? " her mind raced.
"You understand me very well. I am what you call a Vampire. I will put myself in your power in your own house, if it makes you feel more comfortable so you may talk to me stake in hand. All I ask is your word that you will hear me out & let me leave unmolested. I think we have items of mutual benefit to discuss. "
"What items? "
"Come. Miss Summer, that's what we need to discuss. Oh, & please don't call your watcher. His interests & yours do not always coincide - do they? He doesn't want you to have a life does he - no dates - no cheerleading! Watchers have always been a stuffy bunch. I have noticed that over the centuries. "
Buff gulped. " How do I know you won't try & hurt me or my mom? "
"First of all I give you my word. I have never broken it - that's is one of the reasons I am alive & where I am to day. Second, I will be in your house & quite within your power. Shall we say 7:30 this evening? "
Intensely curious Buffy agreed. When they hung up she briefly considered calling Giles, but decided against it. He was always such a spoil sport & Buffy was dying of curiosity? What did this Vampire want? "
It seemed to take forever to reach 7:30, Buffy was watching outside while a black limousine pulled up to the curb. The chauffeur was Spike! Respectfully her enemy held the door open & a tall distinguished looking man in a top coat that must have cost ten thousand dollars got out of the car, looked at with intelligent curiosity at the house and came up the walk. Buffy had two stakes up her sleeves when she dashed to the door.
"May I come in? " he asked with significance. With her heart exceeding the speed of sound, Buffy stood aside & nodded. She had never felt such power & assurance. The master seemed like a child compared to him.
He bowed & handed her an ornate card. It read. M. Rothchilde, C.E.O. Vampires, Ltd. She gulped.
"Whose that? " asked her mother, coming in to the room.
Before Buffy could speak her visitor bowed to her mother & smiled charmingly.
"I am a representative of a trust. I think your daughter may be the very one we are looking for, I hope she has a bright future. "
Buffy felt chilled, but of course her mother could not catch the significance of the implication, but Buffy sure could! He reached in his pocket & Buffy tensed her hand on the sakes, but he only brought forth a velvet box which he proceeded to open and a glittering sapphire necklace spilled out like the night skies. He kissed her flustered Mother's hand as he handed it to her
"Mrs Summers, I want you to have this trifle. When I saw your picture I was taken my your, beauty, intelligence & basic honesty & decency - I know this family heirloom had found a home. Permit me, " he said to the stunned woman. And with polished grace he put it around her neck. He always had a way around necks, he thought with satisfaction.
She touched the priceless treasure with fluttering hands. " I simply couldn't accept! " she said unconvincingly.
He smiled with smooth & practiced charm. " It is rude to refuse a guest. I really insist! "
"Well -" said an overwhelmed Mrs Summers rushing to admire the necklace & herself in the mirror.
"Now if I could just have a moment of Miss Summers Time?" - her mother hardly noticed when they left the room.
"What are you up, too? " asked Buffy suspiciously.
"Have they told you the average life expectancy of Vampire Slayers, Miss Summers? "
Giles sure had skated around that one. " No. "
"I thought not. Here is a list of the slayers over the last thousand years. "
Buffy scanner over it. Hardly any of them reached twenty - the oldest barely made 30. Her heart went cold.
He could be lying, burt she doubted it. It fit all too well.
He signed. " Such a waste, they were so young & beautiful. They died without children, & their thanks were usually only the hate & suspicion of those they protected. "
Buffy found herself nodding despite herself.
"I have come to a conclusion, partly because of my great admiration for you, Miss Summers & partly because I belatedly realized the destructive & counter productive nature of our relationship. You - Slayers kill Vampires, we make more vampires to replace the ones you kill - more innocent people die, finally after some greater or less difficultly you are killed. Another slayer arises to take your place. You are dead & we start the same silly cycle all over again & again. " He shook his head with infinite regret. " Who loses - everyone especially the young slayer. Who gains - only the watchers who like all bureaucrats are only interested in protecting their jobs. "
Buffy had never of this in these terms before. Despite herself she found herself nodding.
He beamed. " Excellent! I knew you were infinitely smarter than the rest! I am prepared to offer you 200,000 tax free dollars a year to stop your slaying activities. "
"What! " she was stunned. " 200,000!!!. " She did a standing jump of about five feet from her chair.
"Yes, its what's called a win, win situation. We don't get killed, we don't have to make many new Vampires & you live, get married, have kids & live a normal life. Everybody wins. "
"What about my friends? " asked Buffy surprising herself by thinking it over.
He beamed like father Christmass. "That is another of the benefits. We would guarantee the safety of your Mother, WIllow, Xander, Miss Calendar, - even Cordelia Chase if you wish. " He smiled & she felt chilled. " Without such an agreement I can not of course answer for their safety. "
"What about Giles? "
The CEO shrugged indifferently. " He's hardly a danger to us - what can he do hit us with a book?
Buffy found herself laughingly with the Vampire.
He leaned forward ernestly. " You see the advantages to all parties. We don't have this wasteful conflict with a slayer, you live a long life with plenty of money. If we kill you - well another slayer arrives & we all back where we started. Except that you & your friends are probably dead, but with peace between the slayer & vampires - we are all safe. No slayer can arise as long as you live - We both win. "
"What about -
" Oh, you're thinking of Tenra or Kendra or well - what's her name. " He smiled. " She has already meet with an unfortunate accident. She was just too eager & too serious - not the slayer you are. " He shrugged " It was a pity, she was so young, with her whole life in front of her. " He smiled. " I would hate to see that happen to you, Miss Summers - may I call you Buffy? But it will sooner or late, sooner or later. "
She wavered. " But what about all the people you will kill? "
"Any leader of a large country can kill more in a year then all the vampires have killed in the history of the world. There are what five billion people? - we just thinning the herd a trifle - most donors are not killed anyway you know - they just lose a little more than they would at a blood bank. Look at it this way, the world has too many people in it anyway - you're all straining the natural resources of the planet, Vampires, not humans are the endangered species. " He laughed " I could make a good case before congress on the endangered species act & get ourselves under the protection of the government of the United States. "
"But you kill people! " Poor Buffy's head was spinning. 200,000 dollars - & tax free!
"Nobodies perfect! Besides, wolves. bears, crocodiles, alligators kill people & they are on the endangered species list. "
Buffy's mouth hung open. She had never heard such effrontery in her life! But it all made sense in such a hideous cold, logical sense. She would have 200,000 a year or be dead, probably before she was twenty one
"What about Angel? "
"We don't like traitors any more than other political groups, but I will make a concession because I like you & find your mother charming. As long as he leaves us alone will let him alone, but Buffy - he's not good enough for you. I have a young man who would be ideal for you on my staff - he of course doesn't know I'm a vampire. " He passed over a picture of the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen. She started dolling. He made Tom Cruise look plain!
"He comes from a good family & will graduated from Harvard next year. "
Angel receded into the background. She stared so hard at the picture that she didn't see her visitor smile.
"Excellent! I see we have a deal! I am so relieved! I like you & I find your mother utterly charming - so sweet & innocent. "
"Hey!," said Buffy, " You leave my mother alone! "
"Trust me, I would not find her half as charming as a Vampire. It takes several hundred years before any vampire is fit to be seen out in public with me. You were not alive at the time, but after he killed you the Master had at least the good manners to say ' nice dress'. " He sighed " On, the whole my employees are so crude. Oh, well as Popeye said - 'we are what we are & that's all that we are.' "
He got up & bowed. " I am greatly relieved that we have made such an advantageous deal. All mankind will bless you for this decision. "
Buffy was so overwhelmed. She certainty had never meet anybody like him before. " Are you really addressing the UN tomorrow? "
He laughed " But of course! I am the chairman of the world health organization board of directors -I am talking about the low level of blood donations in the world. "
Buff couldn't help but laugh.
Buffy's mom was eagerly waiting to see their visitor again. She had seen the limo outside, looked at the necklace, remembered how charming & distinctive - & good looking he was & wasn't going to miss a chance to say - come again some time. Again she was thrilled to get such a gallant kiss on the hand.
And so Buffy, her mother & her friends lived happily ever after. Mrs Summers now Mrs Rothchilde in a civil ceremony - was disappointed not to see more of her husband - he was never home during the day, but she knew how busy he was & found the gallery he purchased for her in Manhattan to take up all her day light hours anyway. It was certainly nice not to worry about making ends meet. And the servants were all so respectful! If she didn't know better she would have thought that they were terrified of her husband, but that of course so absurd. Buffy became a sought after debutante & married the gorgeous guy in the picture and had twin boys right away - 6 months after they were married. Cordelia became her social secretary. WIllow was made head of Mr. Rothchilde's new computer-soft ware firm which soon had Bill Gates on the run. Talk on the internet & the street was Mircosoft had lost in a blood bath. Xander-became a talk show host & married Cordelia - where to the satisfaction of both they argued all the time & then made up with passionate vigor. Angel was soon forgotten & just seemed to disappear from the face of the earth. Giles was killed to no one surprise by a ton of falling books. All agreed that it was such an unfortunate accident.
Buffy's mother was thrilled to see how well her new husband & Buffy got along. She had been so afraid that her sweet little girl would be resentful of her stepfather, but they seemed to have so many interests in common.
But that of course is another story.
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