Sorry for the long wait & Short chapter! Summer's here and work has gotten really busy! I'll try to update a lot sooner! =]

It's Always Raining in Seattle

I awoke early the next morning, showered and checked out of the hotel. After another super long day of driving, I finally arrived in Seattle. It was still raining. Of course. I found a nice hotel and set up shop. I sat on the bed wondering what to do next. I was finally in Seattle…so check that off the list. Now as for the next plan…

I sat for close to an hour trying to think of how I could find the Cullen's. To no avail. Thinking back, I've never been the brains of the gang. I'm the muscle, definitely. The heroine. The comedy, Xander. The drama, Cordelia. The damsel-in-distress, Dawn. The rebel, Faith. The pansy, Wesley. The heartbreaker, Angel. The crazy, unlikely hero, Spike. The brains….Willow…and Giles. I knew what I was going to have to do. I didn't want to do it, but I was going to have to. I had no real other choice. I was going to have to call Giles and ask for guidance.

It's not like I hadn't called since we had all parted ways. I called a few times to check on Dawn, of course, but this was obviously different. I wanted Giles [and everybody else] to think that I could take care of myself, which I could, physically.

I sat staring at my phone, debating, for at least another thirty minutes before I finally just picked it up and dialed. It rang and rang. And rang. And rang. By the tenth or eleventh ring, I was mentally making out a plan to fly to England when Giles finally answered.

"Buffy, do you have any idea what time it is here?" he answered, groggily.

Oops. I guess I forgot about time zones. Where it was four p.m. here…It was midnight there. "Oh, sorry Giles. I completely forgot about the time zone change."

"Obviously, Buffy. I'll have Dawn call you back later?"

"Well, I didn't call to check on Dawn…I called, well, because…"

I was having trouble asking for help, as usual.

"What is it Buffy? Is there something wrong? What's happened?" Giles sounded more alert now.

"No no no. Nothing is wrong. I just need…help. With something."

"What is it, Buffy?"

I launched into the long-winded story of the diner in the little town with the GSI. [Haha, that's still cracking me up as I tell this.] I told Giles of my plan to track down the Cullen's…just to make sure they were "behaving themselves".

He responded with typical Giles. "Buffy, do you think that is wise? Tracking down a family of vampires, whom you know nothing about, by yourself? Why don't you call for some help? Maybe from Angel?"

At that suggestion, I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or throw up.

"Yeah, right. No thanks. He was clingy enough when we were staying there before. I don't need help physically; I need help research-ily. How do I find them?"

There was a short pause followed by "Buffy, you called me overseas, in the middle of the night, to ask how to find some one?"

I realized where this was going. I told you, I'm not the brains of the operation. I'm the gorgeous, muscle-y heroine.

"Yes, I guess I did."

"Have you tried the phone book? You said that this Sheriff said something about them going to University there? Have you tried looking them up through the University registries?"

"Well, truthfully, I've only been here for, oh, I don't know, a couple of hours." My voice trailed off at the end of that sentence. I was being dumb, I realized that now.

"Goodnight, Buffy. Next time, please do try to remember the time change."

"Thanks, Giles. Goodnight"

It's weird saying 'Goodnight' at 4:30 in the afternoon. I sat there for another few minutes before realizing that I was starving. From what I heard from the GSI, the Cullen's didn't seem that dangerous of a clan, so I figured that a little dinner break wouldn't hurt. Tracking the Cullen's was just going to have to wait until after dinner.