disclaimer:- i don't own it
a/n: well heres the next chapter, finally get to hear about what Buffy's been doing. still no Spike but he's coming i promise! thanks for all the fabulous reviews and i hope you find this chapter just as good.
Chapter 3
She almost regretted coming back to Sunnydale the moment everyone had settled at Giles'. They sat looking at her, eagerly waiting for her to explain where she had been and why she had run away. Really she thought the why was kind of obvious but she could tell that the Watcher in Giles desperately wanted to hear everything so that he could document it. There were lots of things she didn't want to tell them and some she just couldn't. While they sat staring eagerly at her she took in all the changes they had undergone. Giles looked just the same as he always did, perhaps a little tired, the kind that runs bone deep not the kind you can sleep off. Willow seemed to have come into her own, she was dressed more confidently and her hair was way shorter. Then there was Xander, he hadn't changed at all, maybe his wardrobe had taken a dive but he seemed the same to her. Her three oldest friends had a look in their eyes that screamed relief that now she'd returned everything would go back to how it had been before.
It wouldn't.
Angel looked the same, acted the same and still watched her with undisguised adoration. There was a new pain behind his eyes and she new it was the result f his time as Angelus. The only one who had stayed the same, in a good way, was Anya. She was still blunt and enthusiastic. It was a huge relief to Buffy to have someone so familiar on hand when the one person she needed at a time like this was otherwise occupied. There was one girl among the group that Buffy had never met. As if sensing her line of thought the girl smiled shyly.
'I-I'm T-Tara.'
Buffy realized that Tara didn't expect anything from her. Like Anya, Tara hadn't known the Buffy of before, she didn't expect her to return and fix everything. It was refreshing.
'Buffy, maybe you can start with your battle with Angelus.'
Buffy groaned, it wasn't like Angel hadn't been there. Why couldn't he tell the story? Surely he'd already told them what he knew. Then she remembered that he hadn't seemed to know what was going on when his soul was returned. She didn't know if that was permanent or just a temporary side affect of the re-souling.
'Well,' she began hesitantly. 'Spike came to me for a truce, he wanted to help kill Angel and save the world.'
Buffy smiled at something she was remembering and her old friends watched her warily. She seemed to realize that she'd drifted off because she shook her head and continued.
'Anyway, he came back to the house and mum found out about the slaying and we made plans to take down Angel. He went back to the mansion acting all weak and mum kicked me out.'
'Buffy, I'm sure she didn't,' Giles started but Buffy cut him off.
'Yeah she did. I went to the mansion and once I had Angel's attention and he started in on the whole you-think-you-can-stop-me-alone thing and that's when Spike and I started taking out minions. That didn't go down so well, Angel and I started fighting and Dru started to claw the crap out of Spike. Angel got his soul back but it was too late, Acathla was open and I had no choice. I killed Angel and then I left.'
'What about Spike and Drusilla?' Giles asked.
'Dru's dead.'
Giles was astonished. 'You killed Drusilla?'
'No.' Buffy shook her head. 'Spike did.'
Angel burst out laughing. It was actually kind of scary, none of them had ever heard him laugh, and he was always too busy brooding to have a good time. Despite the fear Angel's laughter seemed to naturally instill, Giles felt a similar skepticism.
'Buffy, are you saying Spike killed the woman he had been with for over a century?'
Buffy rolled her eyes; honestly if they knew half the things she did they wouldn't find it all that hard to believe. As it stood she wasn't quite ready to tell them some of the things that made it on to that list.
'Spike. Staked. That. Skanky. Cheating. Ho,' she stated clearly.
'Spike killed Dru?' Angel asked incredulously, like she hadn't just said it twice.
'Trust me. Dru is dead and Spike killed her.'
Not caring one way or the other, and certainly not seeing the strangeness in one soulless monster killing another, Xander moved things along before they could question her further about Dru's death.
'Why did you leave?'
Buffy gave him a look that clearly said "what, are you stupid".
'My mother kicked me out and I'd just sent the guy I loved to hell. Why do you think I left?'
Xander looked chastened and Willow glared at him but it didn't take long for him to get over it and ask his next question. He gave a quick, unapologetic "sorry" and continued on.
'So where did you go?'
Buffy brightened considerably at that, she was actually looking forward to telling them of all the things she'd seen and done, all the places she'd been. She smiled excitedly and drew her legs onto the couch even as her hands started moving to eagerly emphasize her story.
'I went to LA first, spent a couple of days there getting some money and a passport together.'
'The council found no record of you traveling on a passport,' Giles frowned.
'Well I used a different name didn't I?' Buffy spoke like it was obvious. 'I went to London first, spent a few weeks there and then spent a year traveling around Europe. It was incredible! I just went from place to place, wherever I wanted, whenever. I saw France, Holland, Germany. Ooh!' she exclaimed excitedly. 'I totally met Dracula in Romania! And the Gypsies! They were having this festival to celebrate Angel going to hell and we totally got to meet Miss Calendar's family. I spent a week just lying on a beach in Greece.'
Giles figured it would be wise to head her off before she got too involved in her story telling. The comment about Jenny caused his heart to constrict but the thought of her family celebrating Angel's death had the corners of his mouth quirking up in a smile.
'You say you spent only a year traveling Europe?' he asked. 'Where have you been for the last eight months?'
'Oh, we've got this totally awesome apartment in St. Petersburg. I am, or was I guess, working as a self-defense instructor, I work mostly with kids. It's just so great.'
'You're working in St. Petersburg?'
'Uh huh,' Buffy nodded enthusiastically. 'I work in the evening from four til eight and then I go patrolling or check out some local bars. Giles, I'm having fun for the first time since I was called.'
Giles felt guilty for a moment that this young girl had been robbed of a normal life but then he noticed the looks on Xander and Willows faces. They were happy for Buffy, that she was happy, but they were also angry that while she was seeing the world and having fun while they were stuck in Sunnydale fighting to save the world.
'When did you first meet Nikolai?' Angel asked all business. There was something Buffy wasn't saying but he couldn't put his finger on it.
'Bout a year ago.'
'What happened?'
'I was working at this demon bar in Istanbul when we met. He started hitting on me,' she explained with a disgusted shudder. 'He wouldn't take no for an answer. At first he was all "leave your boyfriend we could be so good together" blah, blah, blah. Totally got his ass handed to him, which changed his tune to something more "your boyfriend touches me again and he's dust unless you come with me". Well no one messes with my boyfriend, so I handed his ass to him but before I could stake him one of his boys banged me over the head. That was when he realized I wasn't just some vamp's girlfriend I was the slayer. He made it his goal in life to get me after that.'
It was only once she'd stopped talking that she realized just how much she'd told them. Angel and Giles looked furious. Xander had that "not again" look and Willow seemed eagerly curious. Tara didn't care much as she wasn't really familiar with Buffy. Angel finally realized what had been nagging at him. Buffy's constant use of "we" and her showing Nikolai's vamps her neck earlier. Buffy had not been alone on all of her travels, at some stage she had picked up a boyfriend and not just any boyfriend, a vampire.
'Buffy,' Gilles began but she held up a hand to stop him.
'No, Giles,' she said calmly. 'You don't get to make that decision for me. I made a choice a long time ago and I like the way my life is going now, all because of that choice.'
He didn't look at all happy and Buffy knew that soon they would have to talk about it. And they would talk about it just as soon as everything else had been handled. Nikolai came first, well no he didn't but she wasn't about to explain to Giles that the reason she didn't want to discuss her vampire boyfriend was because he was currently digging his way to invincibility.
Yeah, that could wait.
'Tell us more about Nikolai.'
