A/N: Characters belong to Joss, I just play with them
You'll Be Back
CHAPTER SEVEN
Buffy had jumped through every hoop The Council had made her jump, like she was one of those show dogs or something. Her friends as well as Spike had been out through a series of questions about her and slaying. It all seemed so unfair to Buffy. But she knew that if she didn't act like a good little Slayer, The Council were liable to leave without telling her the information they had on Glory. She couldn't let that happen for Dawn's sake she needed to get to the bottom of Glory's mission statement.
She entered her house, throwing her backpack on the floor by the door.
"Mom?" She called out
"Rough day?" Asked a familiar voice
Buffy stood shocked, face to face with Glory. All of her instincts told her to attack but she held off for a moment, she wasn't sure why.
"So this is where the Slayer eats, sleeps and combs her hair... It's adorable" said Glory breezing past Buffy into the living room.
Buffy's eyes dart to the fireplace she saw her weapon of choice, a firepoker
"Personally, I need my space y'know but this is good..." Glory rambled on
Buffy edged behind Glory and reached for the firepoker
"Tsk tsk" Glory scolded "if I wanted to fight you could tell by the being dead already"
She gently pulled the firepoker away from Buffy and sits down.
"So play nice" Glory smirked
"What do you want?" Buffy asked
"The Key. I wouldn't be here otherwise, I think you know where it is" Glory told her
"Glad you think so" said Buffy
"Well, it is the only thing keeping
you alive right now" Glory continues
Buffy's eyes widen as Dawn enters the living room, Dawn sees the look on her older sister's face and knows straight away that something is wrong
"What?" Dawn mouths
Glory is completely oblivious to Dawn's presence "You should get down on your knees and worship me"
Using her eyes Buffy gestures to Dawn to go into the kitchen, Dawn takes a step in that direction while Glory continues to talk.
"You think it's neat having 'Slayer strength'. Big deal" Said Glory
Dawn is almost out of the room
"Hey Kid" Glory calls to Dawn
Dawn froze in her step, Glory clicks her fingers behind her to Dawn, she knew she was there.
"C'mere"
"Leave her out of this" said Buffy
"Not gunna ask again"
"This is between us" Buffy said more sternly
"No... this is between me and my Key.
You just happen to be the thing in the way" said Glory
Dawn with folded arms looking extremely creeped out stepped in front of Glory
"And you... Are just the cutest thing I ever did see in my life. What's your name honey?" Glory asked the brunette
"Dawn"
"Did you know your sister took my Key, Dawnie? And she won't give it back. Bet you know where it is don't you?"
"She doesn't know anything" Buffy told her
"I know some stuff" Dawn told them
"I bet she takes your stuff all the time huh? Where's my Key, Dawn?" Glory said trying to convince Dawn to tell he everything she knows
"Dawn, Go" Buffy demanded
"You're always talking about stuff I'm not supposed to hear... I'll figure it out you know!" Said Dawn leaving the room
"I like her, she's sassy" Glory's smile faded "And I'll kill her. I'll kill your mom, kill your friends and I'll make you watch when I do"
Glory gets to her feet "Obviously, this is a one-time thing. Next time we meet, someone you love dies. You know you can't stop me"
Buffy stayed planted in the same spot until Glory leaves.
"Buffy who was that?" Asked Joyce coming into the living room
"Pack a bag" Buffy told her
XXXXX
Buffy didn't quite know where she was going to take her mom and Dawn. At first she thought it'd be a good idea to take them to stay with Giles for a while, then she remembered her Mom & Giles' history when they had been left alone in the past. That combined with the fact Giles had said taking care of Dawn for the night caused him to have a few more grey hairs than what he started out with.
She needed somebody strong who she knew that would protect them no matter what. Then his face flashed in her head. Spike; he would be able to take care of them, he'd protect them no matter what. So she packed them up and took them to the cemetery.
"Buffy are you sure about this?" Asked Joyce
"It's the only place that I know you'll be safe" said Buffy
"I think it's kinda cool..." Smiled Dawn
"It's not cool Dawn" Buffy scolded "And it's just for a while until these Council guys have gone and I can protect you"
"Okay" Joyce gave her daughter a grateful smile as they entered Spike's crypt.
He'd been sleeping, he flew off the sarcophagus and into a fighting stance before he realised who it was "Oh it's you, I was worried for a second" he said rubbing his eyes.
He noticed that Joyce and Dawn had accompanied her inside. "What's with the outing?" He asked
"I need your help" she told him
He grinned "Oh you do, do you?"
"Spike I'm being serious..." She said "I need you to protect them"
"That's a boat load of manly responsibility"
"Spike please" Buffy begged "You're the only one strong enough to protect them"
It touched Spike that Buffy trusted him enough to look after her mother and sister, he thought about it for a moment and decided it would win him extra brownie points if he did. Plus he'd enjoy the Summers' girls company.
"Okay..." He told her "Ladies, c'mon in. Don't be shy"
"Keep Dawn here as long as you can" Buffy told her mom
Buffy takes Spike aside
"I know I don't have to tell you this, but..."
"Yeah I know if anything happens to them, I'll stake you good and proper" he replied
"I was gunna say no orgasims but that works too"
Spike smirked at her, Buffy reconsiders her options and quickly decided that there were non. She leaves giving her mom and sister a brief smile before closing the door.
XXXXX
Buffy realised quickly she was late to jump through yet another one of The Council's hoops. She really hoped they didn't mark her down for tardiness. She'd made it to the alley behind The Magic Box before she was attacked by a man wearing a leather helmet.
XXXXX
Travers was restless, Giles could tell that this could probably knock Buffy down a few points. Not that it mattered the type of man Travers was he'd rather see the world destroyed than give Buffy the information they so needed.
"Twenty minutes and counting Rupert" Travers reminded him
"She'll be here" he replied
XXXXX
Buffy was surrounded by three masked men, all of them closed in at once. The leader, held a sword and swung for her. She ducked just in time. The two other men attack swirling quarter-staffs.
She turned to face one of then and the other hit her hard behind her knees making her drop to the ground. She fights back sending the guys flying into the air landing a few feet away. She looked up just in time to see the leader bringing his sword down.
Buffy rolled out of the way, the sword missing her by inches. She flipped to her feet as one of the quarter-staff guys swings his stick hurtling towards her - this time Buffy caught the staff mid blow, she shoved the stick forward and knocked him in the face
Buffy squared off with the other two.
They both struck at once. Buffy grabbed sword-guy's arm at the wrist just as he came thrusting at her. Using his own sword, she cut staff-guy's stick in half. With a kick to the head the quarter-staff guy joined his friend in la la land.
Buffy tackled the leader to the floor; jamming the staff up against his windpipe
"Let's see who you are" she said still crushing his throat and removing his mask revealing a man with a symbolic tattoo on his forehead
"Kill me, Slayer" he choked "But know it will just buy you time"
"Who are you?" She asked
"A solider in a vast army" he told her
"What army?"
"The Knights of Byzantium, now your enemy" he replied
Buffy continued to pump the guy for information, she learned that the order had been sent to destroy The Key. She had let the man go, she knew it wasn't worth killing him as he had told her that more and more Knights would come. Though she did have his sword as a neat souvenir.
She walked into The Magic Box clearly distracted.
"You're late" Travers scolded
"Yeah..."
"Was there an attack?" Asked Giles
"Yeah..."
"Well now you've finally arrived, lets begin the review" said Travers
"No..." Said Buffy
Travers looked at her for an explanation
"There's not going to be a review" she told him
"I beg your pardon?" Travers said
Buffy calmly hoisted the sword up for a moment then laid it gently on the table. The pointy end directly at Travers
"No review. No questions you know I can't answer, no hoops. No jumps" Nigel was about to speak, Buffy turned to him before he let out a sound "No interruptions"
"Everybody is just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. And I figured out why. I have power, they don't"
Buffy paced the room a little "Glory came to my house today"
The gathered crowd of people murmured in shock and some with disapproval
"Buffy, what happen-" asked Giles
Buffy quickly interjected "Just to talk... She told me she could squash me in a second. But she didn't because I have something of hers. I have power over her"
"You didn't come all the way from England to give me information. you came to poke your nose in my operation. You want to be let back in the fold, to give your jobs some meaning again"
"Oh, this is beyond insolence-" Nigel began
Buffy threw the sword at him that stuck into the shelf inches away from his head. Shutting him up
"I'm almost certain I said no interruptions"
"That was excellent" said Xander
"You're Watchers right? And without a Slayer you're just sitting pretty. You can't stop Glory, you wouldn't know how and you can't do anything with the information that you have. You're gonna tell me everything you know, then you're gonna jump on a plane, jet back to the mother country and you'll only contact as and when you have any information that is helpful"
She paced once more, she noticed all eyes had been on her for the last few moments, it felt good to tell these stuffy Watchers exactly how things were going to work.
"The magic shop is going to stay open. Giles will be reinstated at full salary as my official Watcher.
Giles coughed into his hand "Retroactive"
"To be paid retroactively from the month he was fired. I will continue to patrol with the help of my friends"
"I don't want a sword thrown at me. But... We're talking about children" said the blonde haired Watcher
"I'm talking about two powerful
witches and a thousand year old
ex-demon" Buffy smiled
"Willow's a demon?!" Anya blurted
"The boy? No power there" said a stuffy Watcher
"That boy has clocked more field time than all of you combined. He's part of the team" she told him
"That's Riley-speak" Willow grinned
"I've clocked field time" Xander smiled proudly
"You're probably all good at your jobs, the only way this can work is if you work with me rather than against me. I need an answer right now from Quentin" she said turning towards Travers
"Cause I think he's understanding me" she said echoing his words from a few days ago
Travers was silent for a moment "Your terms are acceptable"
The scoobies clapped and whooped loudly
Buffy sat in front of Travers "See? No begging" she said sweetly
"But I wanna know... Glory what is she?" Buffy asked
"There's a lot to go through" said Travers
"I just want to know what kind of demon I'm fighting..."
"That's the thing, Miss Summers. Glory isn't a demon" he told her
"What is she?" Buffy asked fearful for the answer
"She's a god"
"Oh"