Chapter 3
"Oh please, please. Can I be the vampire? Pretty please!" I rolled my eyes as I finished with the pleading. I really didn't care that the platinum infection wasn't here. He wasn't the only one who could help train these girls and they were so young. The one I'd brought with me was only 13 and there were a couple who were 12. 12! My God what the hell were the Powers That Be thinking!
"This isn't a game, Phade." Dawn, the little Key that was, had a problem with keeping her mouth shut at the most important moments. Just like this one.
"Never said it was kid. Listen," I turned to Buffy who apparently had something to say but she'd just have to wait until I finished. "I've been living with a vampire for the last two years not to mention a werewolf. I've had lots and lots of practice. Tons, all right so how 'bout we get to work cuz it's not like we have much time."
"Fine. Leave you're weapons here." Buffy pointed to the bag Kennedy held out to me. Now here was a girl who could actually-partially hold her own. She wasn't as young as the others and she enjoyed the fight. This girl liked it more than chocolate and I love chocolate… but the fighting- well, it does relieve stress.
"Ha ha ha, no." I shook my head and turned away from the group.
"Phade!"
"Look, send the blond out without a weapon and he still has fangs. Me? I'll keep mine just incase there's something else out there… do promise I won't use 'em on the kids though." I waved still walking backwards into the cemetery.
I was getting on her last nerve and I knew it. In her place I would've sent me packing at the first sign of insubordination, not that I wouldn't mind being shipped back to LA. Buffy needed all the strong bodies she could get and seeing as how I was one of the strongest here…not to mention that glowy ball of pain-!
I rolled my shoulders almost feeling the ache from the blow. I could've killed Willow if she'd been in the lobby when it happened. And why did I want to go back? Why exactly did I want to leave such a densely populated town in which I could expend all my rage on the various amounts of demons?
"I miss them."
"Alright. Phade is the vampire for now." Buffy stated. She paced in front of the girls looking each one over critically.
"Usually you go in pairs and I've sent you alone. Tonight though, we're doing something different." The smile on her face was cold and Dawn wasn't sure she liked it.
"B." Faith, watching them straightened just a little.
"Kennedy, Dawn, Amanda and Xoe." All four girls stepped away from the group each clutching their wooden stakes. They stood ready and some looked more willing than the others.
"You need to work as a team on this one. Concentrate on your surroundings, don't forget to search high as well as low. She's right." Buffy looked into the cemetery thinking of Angel. "She's been living with a vampire for the last 2yrs so she knows them better than any of you."
"Add that to her list." Faith commented. "She does things, things you wouldn't expect." She said going to stand next to Buffy. "Don't forget," Faith tapped her temple. "She knows what you're thinking."
"Go."
Once the girls were off Buffy kept staring at Faith. She wanted to ask what unexpected things Phade would do. How had she ended up with Angel? Not 'with' as in 'with'! At least she hoped not.
Would Angel-?
"Was she so…?"
"B. You've already asked me." Faith replied with a sigh.
"I know but she's just so…!"
Faith stifled her laugh and simply patted the blond Slayer's shoulder. "She grows on you. But you might wanna watch your thoughts…"
Buffy turned the frown on Faith only both Slayers stopped at the sound of rustling leaves.
The group of girls walking behind them kept going oblivious to the sound. Buffy sighed internally, these girls were walking bait. Not a one could focus long enough to pay attention to something that would potentially save their lives.
Had she been so careless?
'Merrick died so I must not have been careful enough.'
If you ask me what these girls need is more hand to hand techniques not street training. Then again they are going to fight those ubervamps and demons not to mention those crazy fucked up priests Caleb sent after them so street training a smart idea. Then again these little girls didn't have a vampire to deal with, they got me.
"What a bitch."
"You'd think she was in charge the way she acts."
"I don't know why Buffy hasn't told her to go-."
"Hey! I can drop my 2pennies in with you on her but I personally want to stay alive so can you three focus?"
"Now who's bossy?"
Well, Dad always told me I'd never hear anything nice about myself if I kept eavesdropping. For once he was right and even though I wanted to laugh I had to hold it in.
'Ooh, right under my tree. Perfect.'
I dropped down in the middle of them and scared the skinny red head and Dawn into a scream. Then I laughed.
Kennedy brought her stake to my chest looking pissed off though it quickly changed to confusion when I didn't move.
"Loose something?" I asked still holding her hand. She frowned pulling back only I decided to throw her in to Dawn's kick. Behind me I could feel Amanda hesitate though red jumped in with another staking motion.
I swear these girls were so obvious!
I turned with a round house and red was out while Amanda tried a left jab combo. Now, she had been paying attention to my lessons.
"Next time add a kick to the knee." I told the girl lying at my feet. I had that feeling again, the same one where I saw it happen just before it did. I turned stepping back and reached up with my hand.
"You want this back?" I asked Kennedy.
"How-?" she barely hesitated before she pushed her questions aside and attacked. I moved out of her punch and raised my leg out of her kick slapping her with my free hand. I knew this would piss her off which would get her to make a mistake, something she still had trouble controlling.
"Come on, I'm right here." I said as Dawn came up with her. I blocked both side kicks pushing them back, the girls stumbled and Dawn fell on her skinny butt. I was surprised she didn't just give up instead she tried to sweep my feet out while Kennedy was busy throwing punch combos.
"Ok girls, time to finish up." With that I grabbed Kennedy and pulled her close. Using her own stake I turned her smacking her chest with the thick end of it before throwing her aside.
Dawn's round house needed a lot of work. She wasn't even looking where it was going to land giving me a perfect opening to grab her as well.
"What would your sister think?" I tisked dropping the stake beside her head. Amanda stood unsure of what to do.
"Now what? What do you do?" I asked holding my hands out to the sides. "You're the only one standing, Amanda. What do you do?"
Kennedy sat up rubbing her shoulder and Dawn just grumbled to herself. I glanced behind Amanda but red was still out. Had I hit her too hard?
"I – I…"
"I what? I's not gonna do shit for you kid. This is life or death. Two of your friends are dead and one's out cold. What the fuck do you do?"
Man o man she looked ready to cry. Why hadn't she been told this? Amanda stood clutching the fucking piece of wood like it was going to give her the answer she desperately wanted to hear.
"Gimme that!" I snatched the damn thing from her hands and still she wouldn't leave red. Well, loyalty was good but in this case it only made her dead.
"If I were a real vampire I'd already have your God damn neck!"
"Jesus! Do you have to be so harsh?" Dawn muttered already standing.
"You want to stay alive?" I replied seeing her holding a wooden stake. "What the hell did I tell you all about the wood? Where's the silver stakes I handed you guys?"
"Seems we forgot to bring them." Kennedy spoke up somewhere by my knee.
"Seems to me you're dead. Dead people stay that way." this was one of those verbal battles I didn't like. Teenagers thought they knew everything under the sun.
"Not in Sunnydale they don't." see what I mean?
"They do when I kill them." I threatened. "Go help your friend wake up." I jerked my thumb in reds direction knowing the skinny thing would have a huge bruise on her face by morning.
Shit, hadn't I told Buffy I wouldn't hurt them? No. I'd said I wouldn't use My weapons on them. It was a blurry line I was walking…
"She's out cold." Kennedy said.
"What are you waiting for?" At their looks I had to get forceful. "Hump her back to the others." Neither of them liked that they were about to carry some one on their shoulders through a dark cemetery with who knows what lurking in the shadows.
"Now."
"Look what I found, B?" Faith pushed a shrub aside and let the dark figure go first.
"Spike." Buffy's tone wasn't happy and he knew it.
"Hey, ducks. I was out for a stroll-."
"What are you doing out here, Spike?"
"Well I was just-. Hey, wots that?" he pointed behind Buffy who turned. Her mood went from bad to worse at the sight of them.
"What happened?" she ground out. Dawn glanced over her shoulder to the brunette behind them but said nothing. That, if anything spoke volumes.
"What did you do?" Buffy accused Phade.
"Hey, she walked into it. Grumpert there, dead by stake. Key-that-was also dead by stake. That one there froze but she has been paying attention which is more than I can say for your sister. Her roundhouse needs work. She doesn't spot her targets, that's gonna get her killed."
Buffy crossed her arms over her chest feeling frustrated and angry. How could these girls not get it?
"What don't you get? What is it that needs to happen for you to understand that this is not a joke!" she asked the Potentials.
I sat back on a head stone and watched Buffy give them a dressing down. I began to notice how much this really bothered her. Here I'd been thinking she was just using the girls as little soldiers then again I would too if the situation was the same. You use what have and make the best of things until you can make it better.
The girls looked shamed faced except for Kennedy who kept glaring at me. I smiled giving her a little wave and watched her face flush. I admit it was juvenile but this was my only source of amusement. Besides, they were fucking annoying!
'God I hope I was never this bad.'
After the 'speech' Buffy let the blond infection do the surprising. Which was ok with me, it gave me a chance to observe him.
Interesting, very interesting.
