ONE
I
Buffy carelessly wiped the table with the stained rag. She sighed and wiped
the sweat from her brow. The diner's air conditioning was malfunctioning,
and she was certain she was going to die of heat-stroke sooner or later. She
took a seat at the table and leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment. She
tried not to think of Sunnydale , of her family , of her friends … of
Xander.
Her eyes shot open when she heard a tiny tinkle from the bell positioned
above the diner's door , signalling the entrance of another customer. She
looked down at her uniform and adjusted her name tag. It said 'Sally'. There
was no 'Buffy' in the name-tag collection, and she decided getting the
management to make one for her would be a waste of time, so she chose
'Sally'. Besides, she was tired of being Buffy. She had been Buffy all her
life - maybe it's time she was someone else for a change.
She looked up and spotted the customer. He was a tall, lean man with what
looked to be a very bad moustache. He was wearing a tight jeans and a
ridiculous cowboy hat. She giggled to herself and got up. She waited for him
to take a seat before walking up to him, carrying her notepad with her.
"What will it be?" she asked, putting on a fake southern accent. She did
not know why she did it, but it somehow felt it was appropriate at the time.
The man looked at her, but it wasn't her face he was staring at. His eyes
were hard and cold, and his stare was chilling. Buffy shifted uncomfortably
and waited for his answer. After staring at her bosom (and her name tag) for
several long seconds, the man finally spoke, in a thick, rough voice. "Well
… Sally… I think you have a good idea what I want."
"Really." Buffy answered with a bored tone to her voice. She wasn't
entirely new to encountering this type of customer. She lowered her notepad
and stared into his face innocently.
He licked his lips. "How about you give me a good serving of some lovin'?"
Buffy tried not to laugh but she did so anyway. "I think not," she said.
"Come on sweetie," his voice turned into what seemed to be a sneer, "Let
Teddy here have a taste of your honey."
His hand reached out to grab her, but Buffy reflexively grabbed his wrist
and held it tight. "How about I give you a taste of bone-breaking?"
Teddy chuckled, hardly intimidated by what seemed to be a small, petite
blonde waitress carrying a notepad. "So you like it tough, heh? I like that
in a woman."
Buffy's patience grew thinner by the second. "Funny. Why don't you get the
hell out of here before I kick your ass."
"A nasty little firecracker, aren't you? Why, I'm sure you could put that
sweet little mouth of yours to good use , you …" He didn't finish his
sentence, but instead got up howling and moaning. Buffy let go of his hand
and he clutched his wrist with his other hand.
"AW! Bitch! You broke my God damn hand!" He screamed, still holding his
wrist tightly.
"I tried to warn you." Buffy replied, shrugging her shoulders. The truth
was, she was quite certain she didn't break his hand. She didn't apply too
much pressure and she didn't hear any bones snapping, but she even if she
did break some bones, she probably wouldn't have cared.
Teddy continued howling, drawing the attention of another waitress. The
middle-age woman sauntered up to the scene with nonchalance. "What's the
matter, Teddy?"
"That fucking bitch broke my fucking hand!"
"Oh, don't be such a baby. Why don't you go on home and put some ice on
it," the woman told him, hardly bothered by his condition. "And don't bother
coming back till you've learnt how to treat women with respect."
Teddy glared at her with hatred in his eyes, and turned around. He left the
diner, mumbling curses as he went. The other waitress laughed quietly to
herself and looked at Buffy. "Don't bother about old Teddy. "
"You know him?" Buffy replied, throwing down her notepad on the table.
"Sure do," she answered. "He does this all the time. Every month he comes
down to the diner, doesn't order a thing, and just hits on the waitresses.
You're the first one, however, who hit on him , though, pardon the pun."
The older woman laughed at her own joke.
"Miranda," the slayer said warmly, "You should have told this earlier, and
I could have really done some damage."
"I wouldn't encourage that," Miranda replied, "The management frowns on us
killing potential customers."
"I doubt Teddy could be considered a potential customer."
"All those tightwads couldn't care less." Miranda glanced towards the
entrance as she heard the familiar tinkle of the bell. A young lady stepped
inside and headed for a booth. "Let me get that one."
II
Buffy poured herself a cup of coffee. She stirred her cup aimlessly and
stared into space. Her thoughts wondered back to Sunnydale. She missed
everybody. She missed Xander.
"Hmm … deep thought in progress." Miranda came by and set down next to
Buffy. She reached out for a nearby cup and helped herself to some decaf.
"Thinking about a long lost lover?"
Buffy jolted back into reality. "What?"
"Nothing," the older woman said, "You just looked … lost for a moment."
"I was." She paused for a moment. "Maybe I still am."
"Life getting you down?"
"*Everything*'s getting me down. I miss home."
"Then go back."
"I can't." Buffy sighed and took a gulp of coffee. It was refreshing to
have caffeine in her system. "Not anymore. Things have changed, and I can't
go back."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. I'll just drown my sorrows in caffeine." Buffy emptied her cup in
another gulp. "Nothing says therapeutic like a cup of coffee with two
sugars." She smiled weakly at Miranda.
It had been nearly three months since she left Sunnydale that morning. The
morning she hopped on the first bus to 'Anywhere but Here'. The morning
after she and Xander … changed their relationship. Or destroyed it.
She had managed to find a job as a waitress in a tiny diner in the middle
of town. It wasn't the best job, but it was a job. It would get her through
- one way or another. She found herself a small apartment with reasonable
rent. It took her nearly a month to settle down. She had not bothered to
tell anyone where she was, except her mother , and even that was in a four
line letter, two and a half months later.
She pressed her fingers against her neck, expecting to feel the cool touch
of silver, but there was none. She remembered that she didn't have her cross
anymore. Buffy couldn't help but wonder if he was still keeping it. She
wondered if he hated her, if he moved on , or if he still loved her.
*tinkle*
Buffy sighed and waited a few seconds before getting up. She grabbed her
notepad at the side of the table and headed towards the booth where the new
customer had decided to sit. She pushed a few strands of hair behind her
ear. "What will it be?"
"How about my best friend - to go?"
Buffy gave a puzzled look and looked down at the customer. "Xander?"
I
Buffy carelessly wiped the table with the stained rag. She sighed and wiped
the sweat from her brow. The diner's air conditioning was malfunctioning,
and she was certain she was going to die of heat-stroke sooner or later. She
took a seat at the table and leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment. She
tried not to think of Sunnydale , of her family , of her friends … of
Xander.
Her eyes shot open when she heard a tiny tinkle from the bell positioned
above the diner's door , signalling the entrance of another customer. She
looked down at her uniform and adjusted her name tag. It said 'Sally'. There
was no 'Buffy' in the name-tag collection, and she decided getting the
management to make one for her would be a waste of time, so she chose
'Sally'. Besides, she was tired of being Buffy. She had been Buffy all her
life - maybe it's time she was someone else for a change.
She looked up and spotted the customer. He was a tall, lean man with what
looked to be a very bad moustache. He was wearing a tight jeans and a
ridiculous cowboy hat. She giggled to herself and got up. She waited for him
to take a seat before walking up to him, carrying her notepad with her.
"What will it be?" she asked, putting on a fake southern accent. She did
not know why she did it, but it somehow felt it was appropriate at the time.
The man looked at her, but it wasn't her face he was staring at. His eyes
were hard and cold, and his stare was chilling. Buffy shifted uncomfortably
and waited for his answer. After staring at her bosom (and her name tag) for
several long seconds, the man finally spoke, in a thick, rough voice. "Well
… Sally… I think you have a good idea what I want."
"Really." Buffy answered with a bored tone to her voice. She wasn't
entirely new to encountering this type of customer. She lowered her notepad
and stared into his face innocently.
He licked his lips. "How about you give me a good serving of some lovin'?"
Buffy tried not to laugh but she did so anyway. "I think not," she said.
"Come on sweetie," his voice turned into what seemed to be a sneer, "Let
Teddy here have a taste of your honey."
His hand reached out to grab her, but Buffy reflexively grabbed his wrist
and held it tight. "How about I give you a taste of bone-breaking?"
Teddy chuckled, hardly intimidated by what seemed to be a small, petite
blonde waitress carrying a notepad. "So you like it tough, heh? I like that
in a woman."
Buffy's patience grew thinner by the second. "Funny. Why don't you get the
hell out of here before I kick your ass."
"A nasty little firecracker, aren't you? Why, I'm sure you could put that
sweet little mouth of yours to good use , you …" He didn't finish his
sentence, but instead got up howling and moaning. Buffy let go of his hand
and he clutched his wrist with his other hand.
"AW! Bitch! You broke my God damn hand!" He screamed, still holding his
wrist tightly.
"I tried to warn you." Buffy replied, shrugging her shoulders. The truth
was, she was quite certain she didn't break his hand. She didn't apply too
much pressure and she didn't hear any bones snapping, but she even if she
did break some bones, she probably wouldn't have cared.
Teddy continued howling, drawing the attention of another waitress. The
middle-age woman sauntered up to the scene with nonchalance. "What's the
matter, Teddy?"
"That fucking bitch broke my fucking hand!"
"Oh, don't be such a baby. Why don't you go on home and put some ice on
it," the woman told him, hardly bothered by his condition. "And don't bother
coming back till you've learnt how to treat women with respect."
Teddy glared at her with hatred in his eyes, and turned around. He left the
diner, mumbling curses as he went. The other waitress laughed quietly to
herself and looked at Buffy. "Don't bother about old Teddy. "
"You know him?" Buffy replied, throwing down her notepad on the table.
"Sure do," she answered. "He does this all the time. Every month he comes
down to the diner, doesn't order a thing, and just hits on the waitresses.
You're the first one, however, who hit on him , though, pardon the pun."
The older woman laughed at her own joke.
"Miranda," the slayer said warmly, "You should have told this earlier, and
I could have really done some damage."
"I wouldn't encourage that," Miranda replied, "The management frowns on us
killing potential customers."
"I doubt Teddy could be considered a potential customer."
"All those tightwads couldn't care less." Miranda glanced towards the
entrance as she heard the familiar tinkle of the bell. A young lady stepped
inside and headed for a booth. "Let me get that one."
II
Buffy poured herself a cup of coffee. She stirred her cup aimlessly and
stared into space. Her thoughts wondered back to Sunnydale. She missed
everybody. She missed Xander.
"Hmm … deep thought in progress." Miranda came by and set down next to
Buffy. She reached out for a nearby cup and helped herself to some decaf.
"Thinking about a long lost lover?"
Buffy jolted back into reality. "What?"
"Nothing," the older woman said, "You just looked … lost for a moment."
"I was." She paused for a moment. "Maybe I still am."
"Life getting you down?"
"*Everything*'s getting me down. I miss home."
"Then go back."
"I can't." Buffy sighed and took a gulp of coffee. It was refreshing to
have caffeine in her system. "Not anymore. Things have changed, and I can't
go back."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. I'll just drown my sorrows in caffeine." Buffy emptied her cup in
another gulp. "Nothing says therapeutic like a cup of coffee with two
sugars." She smiled weakly at Miranda.
It had been nearly three months since she left Sunnydale that morning. The
morning she hopped on the first bus to 'Anywhere but Here'. The morning
after she and Xander … changed their relationship. Or destroyed it.
She had managed to find a job as a waitress in a tiny diner in the middle
of town. It wasn't the best job, but it was a job. It would get her through
- one way or another. She found herself a small apartment with reasonable
rent. It took her nearly a month to settle down. She had not bothered to
tell anyone where she was, except her mother , and even that was in a four
line letter, two and a half months later.
She pressed her fingers against her neck, expecting to feel the cool touch
of silver, but there was none. She remembered that she didn't have her cross
anymore. Buffy couldn't help but wonder if he was still keeping it. She
wondered if he hated her, if he moved on , or if he still loved her.
*tinkle*
Buffy sighed and waited a few seconds before getting up. She grabbed her
notepad at the side of the table and headed towards the booth where the new
customer had decided to sit. She pushed a few strands of hair behind her
ear. "What will it be?"
"How about my best friend - to go?"
Buffy gave a puzzled look and looked down at the customer. "Xander?"
