disclaimer: Joss Whedon made the park, i'm just playing in it.
Every Moment
Problems
Time, Buffy had decided, was a strange creature. It never seemed to move normally anymore. Granted, she wasn't all that positive it had ever been exactly what one would call consistent, but this was different. Before time had either moved too fast or too slow, now it seemed to be both at once. And it skipped sometimes too. Buffy felt as though she were missing more and more of what went on around her. Probably this should have worried her; instead she only found it slightly annoying, and even then only because it kept causing awkward moments like this.
"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, blinking at Kennedy who was wearing the tell-tale face of impatient expectancy that Buffy had come to associate with these little space-outs of hers.
"I said, what do you think?" Kennedy repeated.
"About what?"
"Were you listening at all?" demanded Kennedy irritably. "I've been talking for, like, fifteen minutes here."
"Sorry," said Buffy, wincing slightly and fiddling with her toast. "I was thinking."
"And I was talking. Apparently to myself."
"Hey, I said I was sorry. You gonna get to the point or just complain some more?"
She felt a bit bad for snapping — she had apparently ignored the other girl for some time — but Kennedy got on her nerves. She was a good fighter, a good Slayer even, but Buffy still couldn't quite figure what Willow saw in the girl. There again, this was now a world where Faith, who was back in Chicago with Robin, had now been with the same guy for more than just one night so maybe she should just give up trying to make sense of such things.
Kennedy sighed and rolled her eyes. "I said, we didn't see much on our sweep last night. This place is really slow, it's like even the people here don't cause any trouble."
"I've noticed," said Buffy. That, at least, was a sentiment to which she could relate. "I found a couple of vamps in town, but they were pathetic. Two of them didn't even know who I was. It was sad."
"Maybe we should move again," Kennedy suggested offhandedly. "Find another hellmouth or something."
"I'm not sure we can afford to move again yet," Buffy groaned. Finances were not her strong suite. "Did Giles remember to ask you about that, by the way? We were hoping that —"
"That maybe I'd know someone who could help us out? Yeah, he asked." Kennedy shrugged. "My family might know someone. They're on vacation til the end of the week though, so I can't call them til next Monday."
Privately Buffy wondered what the hell kind of vacation required radio silence even from family members. Out loud she said, "Fine, great. Who's training with the potentials today?"
"That's what I was trying to ask you," said Kennedy. "I though you were, but then you were all totally out of it and I wondered if maybe I should do it instead."
Buffy pursed her lips. She disliked the idea of giving over her responsibilities like that, especially to someone who was always so eager to take up the slack. But, she was distracted, and these days there were so many potentials it was difficult for any one person to manage by themselves anyway.
"Why don't we try breaking it up some?" she suggested. "I'll work with the newest arrivals. You take the ones we picked up between Chicago and New York. Vi and Rona can help Giles put the rest through their paces for the morning. Xander and Andrew can take over in the afternoon. We need to do laundry," she added with a grimace. It was getting really difficult to manage the everyday household stuff these days, partly because they had next to no money, but also just because they had so many more people to manage now.
"Fine," said Kennedy. She looked slightly startled by Buffy's sudden switch to commander mode. Or maybe it was just the out of the blue mention of laundry. "What about tonight? I could take out a group…"
Buffy shook her head. "Let Vi and Rona do it. You, me, Willow, Xander, and Andrew are going to do an expanded sweep of the area."
"Again?" Kennedy asked. "There's nothing here. There hasn't been anything here all month."
"Yeah, well, call me paranoid," said Buffy shrugging. "We're doing it anyway." She'd been the Slayer long enough to know that whenever things were quiet tended to be when you had to be the most on your guard. Finishing the last of her breakfast, Buffy stood, put her dishes into the already overflowing sink — they so needed to fix that dishwasher — and headed for the door.
"Come on. Let's go rouse the troops."
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Staffs clashed, people grunted, the afternoon sun beat down mercilessly making the trainees sweaty and grumpy. Xander Harris walked the line, calling out the strikes and blocks, pausing here and there to correct a trainee's stance or grip or movement. Despite the heat and the frequent complaints from the girls, Xander had found that he actually rather enjoyed working with the trainee Slayers like this. It was something he could do, something he was good at.
The memories from the Halloween costume fiasco had faded some, but the concepts were still there. The more he used them the fresher they stayed and nothing stuck with a soldier like drill training. Of course, the army didn't use staffs, but the principle remained the same no matter what weapon you were using. In a real fight, you didn't have time to really think about what you had to do. You needed it to be automatic, to feel as natural as breathing. So you practiced it. You repeated the moves you needed to know over and over and over, until you could do them in your sleep.
"Why do we still have to do these?" groaned Celia as Xander passed by. She was one of the girls who'd been with them in Sunnydale. Xander had always found it interesting how the ones who complained the most seemed to always be either the newest girls who didn't get it, or the most experienced ones who were confident enough to think they didn't need it anymore. You'd think they'd learn. But maybe they needed to be caught off guard a few times before they realized how important even the most basic things could be.
"Because it gives the newer girls some variety in practice partners," he said, gesturing to Celia's partner, a young, eager-eyed little thing named Kaylie. Kaylie grinned up at him. Xander grinned back, he liked Kaylie; she was tiny and only thirteen years old but she was always the first of the new girls to volunteer to try something new.
"Besides," Xander continued, looking mischievously back at Celia, "this is good for you old-timers. Character building, keeps you on your toesies."
Kaylie giggled behind her staff. Celia rolled her eyes but quit looking so annoyed with the drill. Xander smiled and kept walking down the line. As he neared the end he found Andrew, trading strikes and blocks with Nikki and wincing with every blow.
"For someone who keeps saying he used to be evil you sure are a pushover," Nikki said, her dark eyes twinkling.
"I was evil," Andrew insisted, wincing again and backing up a step as she struck at him. "I made evil plans and cast evil spells and stuff and . . . Xander, why do I have to learn this?"
"Hey, you wanted to be useful, remember?"
That Andrew actually was capable of being useful had been a surprise to everyone. And that Xander had been the one to see his potential had surprised them even more. Xander himself still had trouble believing it sometimes. But the boy was useful; he could read several demon languages and was learning a few other human ones from Giles and Dawn, and his research was thorough. He still wasn't much of a fighter but after the battle at Sunnydale he had hinted that he wanted to learn, and Xander had needed a project after Anya. Unfortunately, that now meant he was basically permanently saddled with Andrew.
"But I'm no good at fighting," Andrew whined. "I'm really better off working in a research-y, household-y capacity."
"Andrew," Xander said as patiently as he could, "even Giles knows how to fight, and he's a retired librarian. You can at least learn the basics. Now, come on. You've wiggled completely out of line. Get back in it and stop giving ground. Nikki, make that high strike a little higher. Good."
As he turned to go back down the line of trainees his eye caught on the figure waving at them from the porch of the old farmhouse they using as HQ.
"What's the word, Dawnie?" he called.
"Giles sent some of the others to the grocer's," she hollered back. "They should be back in half and hour with ice cream and lemonade for everyone!"
"Awesome-sauce!" Xander shouted happily. Then he groaned. "A hundred teenage girls with super-strength all fighting over and then hopped up on ice cream. God Almighty, what did I ever do to deserve this?"
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Buffy, would you concentrate, please? We need to figure this out!"
"And I told you, I'm no good at this kind of thing," Buffy shot right back, ducking and spinning as they sparred. "Honestly, Giles, just talk to Kennedy or — or wait until she talks to her family or whatever. I've got enough in my plate already."
"Buffy —" Giles began impatiently.
"What if we turned this place back into a farm?" suggested Willow suddenly. It was an idea she'd been toying with for a while now and she hated to see Buffy and Giles fight all the time.
"What? Ouch!" said Giles, straightening to look blankly at her and earning himself a clout from Buffy's foot.
"Giles!" Buffy exclaimed, seeming half startled, half annoyed by her former Watcher's lapse in attention. "You're supposed to duck."
"Yes, clearly," said Giles rubbing his shoulder. "Um, Willow, what did you mean by that?"
"Well," said Willow, "I just thought, you know, since we're here on this old farm, maybe we could, you know, use it. You know, like, plant corn or something? I mean, we have plenty of people to help and all."
"Hmm, interesting idea," Giles mused. "Of course, in order to by seed we need money, but still, interesting idea…"
"Well, we've got some money saved up, right?" said Willow. "Maybe it could work. I don't know. It was just an idea. Buffy, you should come out with us some time this week. Me and Xander and Dawnie were going to that pub in town this Thursday. Why don't you join us?"
"I don't know, Wil," said Buffy, putting away the training equipment and leading the way up the stairs to the kitchen. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea."
"I think it's a good idea," said Giles. "You've been spending a lot of time here or out on patrol. You should spend some time with your friends as well."
Buffy turned to stare at him. "Seriously? This from the man who barely even knows the meaning of the word 'vacation?'"
Giles put his hands up in surrender, mumbled something apologetic sounding, and left the room. Willow winced at the chilliness of her friend's tone. Sometimes she wondered if things would ever be right between Buffy and Giles again.
"Oh, come on, Buffy, it'll be fun. You remember fun, right?"
Buffy shot her a look, then pulled out a box of cereal. Willow sighed; she wasn't really sure why she was pushing this so hard, and Kit had said she'd be there either way, but it felt important for some reason. She didn't know why she thought the girl might be able to help, but as her magical abilities continued to grow and change Willow was learning that it was often wise to listen to her intuition. At least, that's what she told herself.
"Come on, please?"
""I have to patrol, Wil," said Buffy, not meeting her eyes. "You know that."
"No I don't," Willow protested. "There are at least fifty other capable Slayers here plus all the newbies and you've said yourself it's a slow town as far as dark, demony stuff goes. Let Vi and Rona take the girls out for a change. You deserve a break."
"Maybe," Buffy allowed, "but I'm starting to see a pattern with my break-taking. You know, the kind where I take a break, it seems fine and then all of a sudden it's raining disasters."
"But then this will be fine then," said Willow triumphantly, deciding to play her last card. "Because technically you won't be off duty. Not really. There's someone you should meet. She said she'd be there Thursday night and —"
"Wil, what are you talking about?"
"Kit. She's a wi— a magic-user. I met her last time we went out," Willow explained. "We got to talking and I told her some about you and us and what we do and she wants to meet you. I think maybe she's interesting in helping, y'know?"
"You told a random stranger in a pub that you're a witch?" said Buffy, raising her eyebrows disapprovingly.
"What? No. No, I didn't tell her anything," said Willow quickly. "She started it — I mean, she knew, she could tell what I am. She told me she was into the magics too, showed me, even. I mean, she didn't do anything, but—"
"And now she wants to meet me," said Buffy, frowning thoughtfully into thin air.
"Well, you are the Slayer."
"Alright," said Buffy suddenly. "Alright, I'll come. I won't stay the whole night; I still want to patrol, just in case, but I'll come and meet this new witch in town. And we're still doing the extended sweep tonight."
"Okay, fine. Great!" said Willow, grinning at her friend. "Oh, and, Buffy?"
"Yeah, Wil?"
"Maybe — maybe you could have some fun before you leave? I mean, I know you're all Responsibility Girl now and all, but, I think at least for five minutes the world could, you know, deal?"
Buffy sighed and turned to look out at the pale evening sky.
"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, maybe."
A/N: so, there seems to be some interest here so i'm going to keep going with this. please keep giving me feedback here. i love comments, thoughts, constructive criticism, etc. let me know if i'm still holding your interest, if i'm keeping the characters in character (or mostly, anyway. i'm not a miracle worker here...), if i miss some grammar or spelling mistake. also, i tend to go off on tangents. i promise i'm going to try really hard not to get too distracted with this, but i am notoriously ADD so if i seem to be getting way off please let me know. otherwise, read and enjoy ^_^
~SilverKit
