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KINDRED (part 2)

The room was silent as they stared at the tied up girl. Tuscany stared back! She held their eyes defiantly but there was a tiny spark of fear. She was in a strange country, surrounded by people she didn't know and she didn't think being the slayer was going to guarantee her survival. They spent time with a vampire it was obvious they weren't new to this supernatural world and it was almost impossible that they hadn't heard of the slayer but they were staring at her as if she had just announced she was Elvis and the little pink men from mars were attacking. Giles spoke first.

"Well… this is quite a surprise."

"I knew it," Spike snapped triumphantly and grinned victoriously at the Scooby's. Xander felt the urge to stake him but focused on the present issue.

"That's wonderful but I just trusted you with my identity! You think you could return the favour."

Giles British side kicked in than as he realised that Tuscany had no idea who any of them were.

"Well my name is Giles…."

Tuscany coughed and interrupted, "name AND species please."

"Rupert Giles. Human. I'm a watcher for the council. I assume you know what that is."

"I know what a watcher is. Never had much experience with the council though," Tuscany didn't elaborate but her eyes narrowed and there was a bitter edge to her voice.

"I'm Dawn," The girl with long brown hair spoke up. "I'm a human. With no special powers. I wanna be able to do research though. You know, contribute help." She sent a pouty look at one of the women with shoulder length brown hair and a ghost of a smile. Xander stepped forward.

"Hi I'm Alexander Harris. Sex: male. Occupation: construction. Marital status: girlfriend. Species: Born and bred human variety. My hobbies include comic books and fighting evil. You hit Spike, I like you," Xander finished his own introduction with a grin. Spike scowled at him.

"I'm Anya. I am an ex-demon. I like money."

Tuscany raised an eyebrow before replying, "Hi, Anya."

The red headed woman stepped forward. Tuscany was interested in her. She had power.

'My name's Willow and this is my girlfriend Tara," Willow indicated to Tara who gave a small wave.

"When you say girlfriend do you mean girl space friend as in girl who is a friend? Or girlfriend?" Tuscany asked.

"Girlfriend," Tara answered as Willow sat down next to her and placed a hand on her knee.

Tuscany shrugged, "Cool. Witches right?"

"Yes. Witches!" Willow said smiling affectionately at Tara.

"One last person," Tuscany said turning her head to face Spike.

"Me?" Spike questioned pointing one black nailed finger at himself.

"Yes vamp. You!" Tuscany was most intrigued by his presence.

"I'm Spike. You know what I am and I am definitely not part of this little best friend cubby house club."

"You have a chip in your head that makes it impossible to hurts humans?" She didn't wait for an answer before she muttered, "fascinating," to herself.

"Obviously we need to discuss this," Giles took control, "you'll understand, of course, if we leave the room for a private conversation."

Tuscany waved one tied up hand dismissively and began looking around the room intently. The Scooby's filed out into the kitchen. Spike went too. Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them while leaning against the cupboard. Spike sat on the bench and the Scooby's claimed remaining stools.

"I suppose she must have been activated in Australia those months during Buffy's death," Giles concluded putting his glasses back on.

"I guess that makes three slayers now. What with Faith as well," Dawn said staring at the table.

"And lets all remember how that went," Willow spoke violently. She detested Faith. Tara soothed her with a smile. Xander had a strange grin on his face, which disappeared when he caught Anya staring at him.

"How did you taser her Spike? Didn't you're chip exploded?" Dawn was curious.

"Stun gun's don't hurt. Just a little prick. I wasn't actually thinking about hurting her. Just stopping her," Spike said with a grin pleased at the loophole in behavior modification chip.

"So we have to contact Buffy. Let her know there is another slayer in town," Tara asked looking at the people in the room.

"She left no contact number," Giles sighed, "And they weren't meeting in LA."

"Somewhere in between. Neutral ground." Dawn's voice was small. Spike almost growled.

'We're all just saying we believe her?" Anya demanded, "After what we've been through we're just going to accept that she's the slayer because she said so."

"I believe her," Giles said looking up.

"So do," Willow agreed.

"I bloody believe her," Spike said rubbing his hand across his stomach where she had kicked him. It still stung.

"So what we have to do is make her welcome. Make up the couch. Let her stay at least until Buffy gets back and has a say in things."

"What makes you think she'll agree to it?" Spike asked Giles.

"Who? Buffy?"

"No, Tuscany," He jerked his head towards the door to the lounge room, "She's a slayer. You're not her watcher. What makes you think she do what you say and stay here. Who knows what rules she plays with?"

"Ok hating this right now and kill me if it ever happens again but I kinda agree with Spike," Xander began, shooting a glare at the vampire, "We can't be sure she'll just stay!"

"We'll just have to ask her then," Giles said making a move towards the living room. The rest of the Scooby's followed.

"Oh dear," Giles muttered when they got there. The chair had been broken and the rope.

"Hey I've fixed that chair," Xander said.

"Serves you right for leaving a slayer tied up by herself," Spike said with a condescending smirk aimed right at Giles.

"Find her Spike," Giles tried to restrain his temper at the vampire.

"I knew I get asked," He patted the stun gun still in his duster pocket before striding out the door.

Tuscany had bolted. Almost as soon as they had left the room she had broken the bonds and made a break for it. She understood they weren't discussing her claim of slayer. They had all believed her. No what they were talking about was what to do with her and Tuscany had a feeling that the plan didn't include her imput. She wasn't having any of that. She was here in this literal hellhole for a reason. A mission so to speak. She knew they would send the vampire. That's why shy was going towards the main street. She remembered how crowded it was. Late night shopping or something.

She turned onto the street and cautiously made her way down. Her eyes darted from left to right, trying to seek out danger. She was also trying to process what she had just seen. Witches, vampire, humans and a demon all in a room. More or less getting along although the vamp did seem the odd one out. Not the oldest though. That was the demon. She may be human now but Tuscany could sense her age.

They had mentioned Buffy. The slayer! Buffy must be a common name in Sunnydale. She had come searching a Buffy. They weren't the same person though. Her Buffy was dead. Not running off to LA to see… Tuscany hadn't caught his name but Spike had called him a poof. Her Buffy was rotting in the ground and as the body crumbled so had her hopes decayed. She felt her eyes pricking. She wouldn't cry. She hadn't cried in years. The last time she cried was when she fell out of a tree and broke her arm. It healed fast. She always healed fast. Even faster now she was the slayer.

She felt a shiver down her spine. Vampire!

"G'day."

Tuscany turned to face the vampire who had just made an abysmal attempt at imitating her accent.

"Spike that was a pathetic attempt at being Australian. You'd never know your country founded mine."

"Not really. We just sent our convicts to you. You got our trash." Spike shrugged. Tuscany narrowed her eyes and her mouth dropped, insulted.

"All right then governor. I shall be good and let ya 'scort me back t'the house. Shall I bring tha chimney sweep as well?" Tuscany replied with an exaggerated cockney accent.

"That was awful, convict!"

"How do No grab you?"

"Not a tightly as a yes would."

"Make do!" And with that Tuscany turned to walk away.

Spike ran and moved in front so he blocked her advance, "Come on. Are you tryin' to tell me you aren't the least bit interested in meeting another slayer? The slayer. The original one. The proper one."

"Yeah because she is going to welcome into her life with open arms. Slayers are territorial. Comes with the title."

"I can just let you walk away. Bringing you back earns me brownie points."

Tuscany put her hands firmly on her hips with her legs slightly parted, staring at him defiantly. Something about how she stood struck Spike. It was the flash of familiarity that came and went. He shook his head and grabbed her upper arm. She didn't fling him off which surprised him. She looked up into his face. She was giving him one chance to persuade her.

"You have to meet her. She changes every one's life. She changed my life," He was speaking with feeling. Letting the love he felt for the slayer creep into his voice. Tuscany couldn't help but roll her eyes at the indirect confession of love and the weak persuasion. She saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head. A toddler had broken away from his mother, whose arms were laden with bags. The little boy, unsteady on his feet but moving with great determination, was heading towards the road. Spike was still talking but Tuscany wasn't listening. She watched as the toddler his the road and his mother notice and shout after him. He paid no mind. His mother chased him and he thought it was a game. The car heading toward him was no game!

Tuscany reacted and ran toward the child. Spike turned his head and in an instant analyzed the situation. There was no way any one was fast enough to get the little boy and run off before the car hit. Not even a slayer. But Tuscany ran anyway. Damn she was like Buffy and his heart swelled for a moment at the thought of his slayer. But only for a moment. Tuscany had reached the kid a couple of seconds before the car. She no time to move away again. She did the only thing she could think of. She picked the little kid up and threw him to spike. The vampire caught the child with ease and spun his eyes around to see the car impact with the slayer. She went over the top and land on her stomach. The car screeched to a halt.

Spike was frozen for a second as he watched the Tuscany try and get up but fall heavily back to the road again, the infant howled in his ear. He dropped the toddler with out much thought. The kids mother scooped him up. Spike ran towards the slayer. He gently turned her onto her back. Her eyes slowly opened. Her clothes were torn and bloody.

"I face vamps and demons and I get floored by, of all things, a fucking car," She noted the irony in a raspy voice.

"They're calling an ambulance right now."

"No. No ambulance."

"What? Are you crazy? You got hit by a car. I'd need an ambulance after that."

"Illegal resident. Wanted by police."

"Ok considering circumstances I'll wait for you to explain that story," Spike joked. Tuscany closed her eyes in pain and Spike sobered up.

"I really think you should go to hospital, Convict." Spike suggested gently.

"You sound like dodger off Oliver you know," Tuscany murmured. Her words were getting less distinct. People were surrounding them.

"Back to… house," Tuscany managed before she fell into unconsciousness. Spike didn't think it was a good idea but he had learnt his lesson when it came to arguing with slayers. He scooped her up in his arms.

"Hey what are you doing?" One woman screeched Spike vamped and snarled at her. All the people ran.

"Scooby's bloody owe me this time!"

Giles closed the door behind him and surveyed the anxious people in the hall.

"She's fine," Giles began but Xander snorted, "Or she will be. Just a bit beaten up."

"She got hit by a car," Dawn exclaimed.

"Saving a two year old," Tara added.

"Definitely a slayer," Anya stated with a tiny bit of sarcasm.

"Which is why she will be fine. She is a fast healer and she only has external wounds. They didn't even need stitching. The most severe was the gash in her side and the bump on the head," Giles reassured the group.

"Good job at bringing her in Spike," Xander said with a frown.

"I was talking her round when she went all Clark Kent on me. Not my fault!" Spike defended himself.

"Now boys play nice," Willow commanded.

An hour passed before they went to check on her in Buffy's room. Her eyes were open and she was staring dejectedly at the ceiling. There was a scattering of bruises on her face.

"I didn't mean to run away. I just was here for a reason," Her voice was quite and barely audible.

"Why was that?" Giles asked.

Tuscany swallowed with difficulty, "To find my sister. My half sister."

"You're sister lives in America? Aren't you Australian?" Willow was puzzled.

"Yeah Convict. What's the deal?" Spike asked.

"I was adopted. My Australian family was my adopted one. I was looking for my real family."

"What led you to Sunnydale?" Giles continued to probe for answers.

"I went to LA first. To find my father but he wasn't there. Over seas somewhere. But I was also looking for my half sister. I found a friend of hers. Sent me here."

"Which friend was this?" Giles unrelenting in his gentle interrogation.

"Strange friend. Vampire," She muttered something else that came out garbled.

"Like a what sorry?"

"Not like a. Angel."

Eyes widened around the room!

"Doesn't matter. She's dead. Saw her tombstone."

Everything was becoming clear in everyone's mind. Spike was shacking his head in disbelief remembering how she was familiar. Dawn's jaw was slack as she sat in shock. Willow and Xander exchanged looks.

"And this sister," Giles pressed, "What was her name?"

"Buffy," Tuscany said quietly, "Buffy Summers."

And her head dropped back on to the pillow. The room was silent and everyone stared at the slayer on the bed. In her sisters bed.

Xander broke the silence, "I think I speak for every one when I say… What?"

AN: Ok everyone… thanks to my two reviewers. According to rumour fanfic has banned responses to reviewers so I'm following orders until such time as alerted otherwise. There is going to be a big explanation chapter next so if you want questions answered let me know via a review and I will incorporate it into the chapter. It will include obvious things like watcher and how is she related to Buffy. Gotta fly now.

Please review! Pretty please! Constructive criticism is welcome.

MD666