Note, I do not claim to own any of the characters, only the storyline is my own. I only do this for fun.
Second, I am sorry it has taken so long to update this story, I got caught up in my other story.
Chapter 8
Alice cradled Buffy against her gently.
That had to have been the most amazing experience of her very long life.
She had always just figured sex just wasn't that great, and that it was the same for everyone.
And with her aversion to being touched, well, she had just thought she would never really enjoy it.
Buffy snuggled closer and Alice thought about just how right it felt, and god!, the woman was so warm.
Alice couldn't help but smile.
She knew that they would have to talk more about what it meant for Buffy to be her mate, but right now all she wanted to do was hold the blonde close, and it seemed that Buffy was of a similar mind.
Within minutes the slayer was asleep on Alice's chest.
Not wanting to wake the woman, Alice let her mind wander, hoping for another "dream" of the two of them.
When she realized that a "dream" would not come, she turned her attention to the woman in her arms, and the reason for her being here.
Carlisle hadn't been lying or even exaggerating when he had said the slayer wasn't ready to face Edward.
She needed more training, and she needed some sort of advantage.
There had to be something Alice thought.
She had lived a very long time, and even vampires could forget things, it was a matter of remembering if she had ever come across something that might give a mortal extra strength to fight one of their kind.
But there was also the fact that since she had never even heard of the slayer before, anything she found might work differently on Buffy.
Or it might not work at all.
Thinking about the problem, Alice realized that while she knew about some of the physical advantages a slayer possessed, she didn't really know just how different the woman was from a normal human being.
She looked down, and bit her lower lip, Buffy was making the cutest little whistling snore Alice had ever heard.
It was so light a snore that Alice could easily have ignored it if she chose, but it was, along with the half smile on the blonde's face, just the most adorable thing.
She had to work not to laugh and wake the woman.
Most likely Buffy would not take kindly to being called cute by a vampire, no matter what the circumstance.
Lightly Alice traces a pattern across Buffy's back.
She is trying hard to think of anything that might help, but the warmth of the woman is just so distracting.
Ruefully she admits to herself that lying naked pressed skin to skin with her mate is not the best place to think of serious matters.
The slayer had taken her completely by surprise.
Not only with her capacity to accept, but also with her eagerness to be with her.
When Alice had seen Buffy in her doorway, she had expected the blonde to take one look at the drawings and run, or maybe just tell her why it couldn't work out.
That the woman would end up having sex with her then and there was more than she could have hoped for.
Alice grinned thinking that she could definitely get used to being with someone who knew what they wanted, and wasn't shy about going for it.
It wasn't like Jasper had been indecisive, but because of his gifts he had constantly left the choices to her.
He second guessed himself because he hadn't wanted to influence her in any way with his own desires.
She supposed it was part of being raised a to be a gentleman.
In truth, it had driven her crazy, even though it allowed her to limit how often she had sex with him.
She knew things were going to be different with Buffy, but she couldn't "see" anything to tell her how.
Then Buffy began to wake.
Buffy's POV
The slayer woke slowly, stretching as she did, and remembering as muscles protested just what she had done before falling asleep.
And then there was the fact that she could feel she was still draped over a very naked female vampire, though now the vampire's body didn't feel as cool, barely a few degrees different from her own she would guess.
While she had slept her body had warmed Alice's, she guessed that answered that question easily enough.
Knowing she can't put it off any longer, and with her cheeks heating, she slowly opens her eyes and looks up at the vampire.
Only to find Alice smiling warmly down at her.
Realizing she is still laying mostly on top of Alice she blushes harder.
"I'm sorry, I'm probably crushing you, I'll just . . ." she mutters.
Alice, not letting go, replies "I'm not that crush-able"
"You SO are" Buffy says without thinking.
And then Alice is laughing, a bright happy laugh, and Buffy finds herself completely transfixed by the pixie like vampire yet again.
She realized that she might well be falling for this vampire.
Oh, she had been with other vamps, and had thought herself in love with one before, but this was just so different from the others.
She had liked Alice from the start, she was the type of person Buffy would have been friends with in high school.
And it just seemed so natural that she was seeing more in Alice than just a friend now, that she was attracted to her.
And the attraction was more than just the physical, though god knew the brunette had gotten her off but good.
Buffy knew a few things about Alice, but she wanted to know more.
What was her favorite movie?
What kind of music did she prefer?
Did she have a favorite flower?
Sitting up Buffy looked around the room again and another question came into her head, and then out of her mouth before she thought better of it.
"Alice, where do you sleep?"
"Um, vampires don't sleep, at least my kind don't" the pixie answered with a shrug as she slowly got to her feet.
Buffy quickly lost her train of thought, staring at a very unapologetically nude vampire, who was standing directly in front of her.
After a moment Alice noticed her silence and her intent gaze.
"What's the matter slayer? Cat got your tongue?" she asked, arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
Buffy's eyes flew to the juncture of the woman's thighs, then she looked up and met Alice's golden gaze, before shooting the vampire a wicked grin and answering.
"Not at the moment"
Alice's mouth dropped open in surprise for a moment before she pulled Buffy to her feet and kissed her deep.
The slayer buried her hand in the brunette's silken locks and kissed her back as if trying to memorize every part of Alice's mouth.
"you minx" Alice murmured as they parted.
Hesitantly Buffy asked the next thing that was on her mind.
"What do we do next?"
"maybe a shower?" the brunette vamp replied.
Buffy opened her mouth to tell the vampire that that wasn't exactly what she had meant, but then simply closed it and let herself be lead by the hand into the opulent bathroom just off of Alice's room.
As Alice went to turn on the shower, Buffy saw her hesitate and glance back at her, a worried look on the vampire's face, but both quickly disappeared as Alice caught her looking.
"Help yourself to whatever soaps you like Buffy" she said before turning to brush her hair at the mirror.
Later
Once they had showered and dressed Alice had insisted that they should go back to Buffy's motel room, because if Edward came near the house he would, most likely, know exactly why Buffy was there.
Along the way they had stopped to grab Chinese food, Alice had gone in with her to order, giving Buffy an excuse to order as much as she wanted since it would be assumed that the food was for both of them.
Now they were sitting on the bed in Buffy's room while she unpacked her food.
Well, Buffy was sitting, Alice had stretched out on her stomach making herself comfortable.
"Are you really going to eat all that?" Alice wondered aloud.
Buffy shrugged, "Most of it, yeah. Slayer metabolism is pretty crazy"
"What do you normally do? To get enough to eat that is." the brunette asked frowning.
"Most of the time I just eat a lot of smaller meals" Buffy said as she grabbed a container of cashew chicken and a fork.
"And people don't notice?" Alice asked, a note of incredulity creeping into her voice.
Buffy, her mouth currently full of chicken, just shook her head.
After swallowing she continued.
"It's like vampires, and everything else that goes bump in the night. People don't see it because they don't want to know about it, except for my sister, she always says I eat like a pig"
The slayer smiled a little thinking of Dawn.
"You have a sister?" Alice asked with a smile.
Buffy nodded since yet again her mouth was full.
"How old is she?"
Buffy swallowed and set down the take out container.
"She's 18" she said, then frowned.
"Alice, how old were you? When you, you know, changed".
Alice rolled over and sat up, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"Uh, I don't exactly remember"
"How can that even happen, I thought vampires had perfect memories" the slayer wondered aloud.
Alice just shook her head.
"I'm the exception. No one really knows why, but I can't remember my human life at all, or my first few years as a vampire"
Not knowing what else to do Buffy reached out, taking Alice's hand and lacing their fingers together.
"I'm sorry" she murmured.
Alice just smiled and raised Buffy's hand to her lips, kissing it.
"You should try to finish your food before it gets cold" she said finally.
The slayer finally nodded and picked up the little paper bag with her egg rolls and a cup of sweet and sour dipping sauce in it.
Alice's POV
The slayer kept surprising her, from how easy she was to be around to her ability to understand how Alice felt about things.
She watched with mild astonishment as Buffy ate, only now and then pushing away bits of vegetables that she obviously didn't like.
True to her words, the slayer finished almost everything she had ordered.
Alice actually wouldn't have believed that the trim, toned blonde could eat so much, if she hadn't just seen it for herself.
Buffy cleaned up the now empty cartons and napkins and then laid down on the bed next to her, seemingly content just to be close to her.
The brunette, having been quiet for a while now, finally spoke what was on her mind.
"Carlisle was watching you for a bit, while you trained. He told me he doesn't think you're ready yet. Unfortunately I have to agree."
She bit her lip before continuing.
" I need you to tell me if there's some slayer trick or secret that might give you an advantage in the fight, because I've been trying to think of something and I'm coming up empty here"
Buffy looked at the ceiling for a moment before just shaking her head.
"I could call a friend at home, ask them to look into it. But there's nothing that comes to mind right now".
The vampire nodded to herself.
"Then we need to get back to training. I'll have to stop holding back at some point"
At this the brunette looked to the blonde to see if that was alright by her, and, getting a nod of encouragement, she continued.
"You should know that the thought of losing you, already, is just, it's not an option. Do you understand?"
Alice saw a shadow flicker in the slayer's eyes for a moment.
She knew she was probably scaring the woman with her intensity, but she also knew that she had to say something.
"I understand" the blonde replied quietly.
Changing the subject would probably be a good idea now the vampire decided.
"So, who will you call for help at home?" she asked.
"I should call my watcher, but I'd rather call my bestie Willow" Buffy said with a smile.
"Will she be able to really help?"
Alice knew she was new to the slayer's world but thought that since a watcher had gotten Buffy in touch with the Cullens, that a watcher would be the more logical choice.
Buffy nodded "Yeah, if anyone can, it would be her. She does better research than most watchers, and she's a witch, so, you know, magic. Willow has the best chance of finding something that would help".
"A witch? Are you sure that calling her is a good idea?"
Alice had never met a witch before, none of her family had so far as she knew, so she wasn't sure what sort of magic Buffy might be asking for.
"Oh, she doesn't deal in anything dark. And she's a good friend. I'd trust her with my life".
While the brunette processed the thought of a good witch Buffy sat up and laid a hand on her arm, slowly running gentle fingers down from elbow to wrist.
Alice shivered at the delicious sensation, then quickly captured the blonde's hand in her own.
"Keep that up and you wont be getting any sleep tonight"
The woman actually had the audacity to smirk at her before replying.
"Sleep is over-rated"
Alice arched an eyebrow.
Then she lunged, pinning the slayer to the bed with her wrists above her head, in a move so fast it had the blonde's eyes widening.
She enjoyed the look of surprise in the woman's face for a moment before leaning down and kissing her slowly.
She took her time with the kiss, tasting every curve of Buffy's mouth, and taking advantage of her position to rub herself against the other woman's body.
Only when she herself was almost ready to say to hell with needing rest, did she finally draw back and release the slayer's hands.
"You need rest, and I won't take no for an answer on this"
She could almost see Buffy struggle not to whimper at her denial.
But the slayer had one last retort.
"I could always say the H&H's made me do it" the blonde whispered mischievously.
Later
Alice was still chuckling over Buffy's explanation of what the H&H's were.
Now though, she was back at home, intent on some research of her own.
She already hated leaving Buffy's side, but it was necessary.
Whatever else the slayer was, she was still mortal, and that meant that she needed her rest.
Pulling up a chair in front of her desk, the vampire got out her laptop computer and started her search online.
It still seemed a little odd to her that so much information was at her fingertips any time she wanted it.
Oh, Alice was far from technophobic, but the internet still hadn't been around for most of her lifetime and such things took a little getting used to.
At least the machines were much faster now than they used to be.
Calling up a couple of different searches she got to work sifting through the results.
So many results in seconds, but it was only a beginning.
The real work lay in sorting fact from fantasy, and where vampires were concerned there was always an excess of flights of fancy.
It was a good thing she didn't need sleep, because this was going to take a while.
Buffy's POV
She had thought she would never get to sleep last night after Alice had left her motel room.
The brunette pixie had left her so worked up, so aroused, that she had nearly had to take a cold shower to get herself under control.
The need for sleep had finally claimed her after a few hours, but the dreams she had had were more than just suggestive, they were downright seductive.
As if the slayer actually needed the push to be back in Alice's arms.
They had agreed to meet back at the gym this morning and go back to training.
Buffy was eager get there, though she couldn't be really sure if it was because she knew she needed to work on fight techniques that would actually work with Edward, or if it was just the chance to see Alice again.
Yeah, the thought of Alice in another cute pair of sweats was definitely a hell of an enticement she thought with a smile.
She decided she would swing by a restaurant and get her food to go, take it to the gym with her.
She wanted to be there early just in case as they hadn't set a time to meet there.
As it turned out, Buffy had just enough time to finish eating before Alice arrived.
And it was a good thing she had finished, because the slayer nearly swallowed her tongue when she saw what Alice was wearing.
The vampire's outfit consisted of a pair of white leggings and a royal blue long and lean tank top, paired with simple white running shoes and a blue headband that matched the top.
The ensemble highlighted every long line and lush curve the vampire had.
"Wow, I mean, hi" she stammered.
Alice smirked at her.
"you can stop drooling now"
Blushing the slayer looked down at the floor for a minute before meeting Alice's golden gaze.
"That obvious huh?"
The brunette reached out and caressed her cheek.
"It is, but it's adorable and I love knowing I affect you like that".
Buffy leaned forward and laid what she intended to be a quick kiss on the brunette, but it soon turned into a passionate exchange that left her momentarily breathless.
She took a step back, catching her breath and trying to focus on what they needed to do, rather than what she wanted to do.
"Let me just clean up my mess and we can get started?" she said, gesturing to the styrofoam containers that lay spread across the floor at their feet.
Quickly she packed the containers back into the plastic bag and tossed it into the trash can.
She was still struggling to sort out her thoughts after that kiss.
"Well, I'm glad to know my slayer is keeping up her strength"
Alice said lightly and they both froze as they caught what she had just said.
Alice had just called Buffy hers.
It was both frightening and exhilarating at the same time.
Buffy took a moment and took a breath to try and calm her heart that wanted to melt at Alice's words.
"So, should we get started?" she asked at last.
Alice nodded and they both moved to the center of the mats to begin another day of sparring.
Later
Buffy wiped a hand across her brow and shoved her bangs out of the way.
They had been at it for hours.
She was dripping sweat and beginning to tire a bit, but she knew they needed to keep at it.
Alice was just so damned fast, and she warned that Edward was faster still, Buffy didn't know how she was going to beat him if she couldn't do better than she was right now with Alice.
She could tell she would have bruises later, but better bruises from her lover now, than mistakes that could be fatal with Edward later.
And the brunette had promised to kiss them better later.
It was the thoughts of later that kept the slayer smiling though out their rigorous workout.
The next time the slayer landed on her back on the mat Alice was there in a second, pinning her down, but playfully this time.
The brunette kissed her, her tongue dancing easily in and out of Buffy's mouth in a familiar, teasing way.
Then the vampire spoke "I think we should call it quits for today, you're just wearing yourself out now".
Buffy sighed before agreeing.
"You're right. I just don't know I'm going to beat him when I can't even land a solid on you".
Buffy was beginning to get a bit frustrated.
The sparring didn't seem to be doing much good.
And she hadn't heard back from Willow yet, even though the witch was normally quick to find a solution to any problem.
"Don't worry, we'll find something" Alice said, quickly seeing where Buffy's worry lay.
Alice sat back on her heels and Buffy sat up crossing her legs indian style.
"Ok. So what next?" she asked quietly.
"I was thinking clean up, grab dinner, and meet back at the motel in a few hours?" the brunette answered adding a question at the end to be sure it was okay with Buffy.
"Yeah, I know when I can smell myself that it's not pretty" the slayer quipped.
The vampire pulled her forward and kissed her deeply.
"Do I look like I mind?" she said with a flirty smile.
"Mmm" Buffy licked her lips "no, you don't".
With their plans for the evening made they both went their separate ways.
Alice's POV
Alice really would have preferred to just go back to the motel with Buffy, but there were a few things she needed to take care of.
The most pressing of which was her hunger.
She had not fed in a while, and while she quite enjoyed the scent of her mate, the woman was starting to make her mouth water, and not in a good way.
At least she didn't have to worry about her car slowing her down, she had left it at home today and simply run the distance to the gym.
Glancing around as she exited the former barn, out of habit, to be sure there was no one around to see, she sprinted off at full speed towards the opposite end of town and home.
If she was quick enough she could find something to eat and be home and into the shower before the slayer even made it back to her motel.
That was what she was hoping for anyway, she hated leaving the woman's side for too long.
She was trying her best not to think about what would happen once Buffy took care of Edward.
The slayer had a life back in California, she had friends and family that depended on her there.
Alice cursed her gift for not showing her what her own future held, she still didn't know what was blocking it at the moment, she had thought it might be depression over not being able to have her mate, but that was no longer the case, so she was just left wondering.
While normally she would have gone looking for big cats to feed on, today she wasn't in the mood for anything but a quick meal, and so settled on a pair of deer.
Afterward she deposited the carcasses on a trail she knew was used by natural predators in the area.
In a way she was giving back to the creatures she would usually have preyed upon, again she was part of the cycle of life and it made her feel better about herself.
Stepping into the empty house Alice glanced in the direction of Carlisle's office, she hoped what she wanted was still in there.
While she and Buffy had been sparring she had remembered something that she had overlooked in her research the previous night.
When Carlisle had left the Voltori all those years ago he had taken with him copies of a handful of books that contained historical records of their kind.
The books would have been extremely dangerous in the hands of humans, but they might, just might hold something that could help them now.
Stepping into the shower Alice begins to wash briskly.
Once again she was glad her hair was short and wouldn't take long to wash or dry.
After her shower she threw on a pair of tailored jeans and a loose cream colored blouse with poet sleeves.
Then she padded nearly silently down the hall to Carlisle's office.
It felt a little odd to be in there without him, but she pushed the feeling aside and began looking for the books.
True to his cautious nature, Carlisle had stored the books in his personal safe.
There were five books in all, and though they weren't very large books, they were full of cramped, if neat, handwriting.
It was Carlisle's writing, he must have copied the books himself.
That little revelation came as a bit of a surprise to her as she had never thought to read any of these books before.
She glanced at her watch as she settled in an oversized chair to read.
She would give it a couple of hours and then she would head for the motel.
If she needed to she could take the books with her, maybe she would stay the night with Buffy and read while the woman slept.
If, that is, Buffy was okay with her watching over her while she slept.
Some mortals would definitely find that sort of thing creepy.
Alice just hoped Buffy wasn't one of those.
She made herself comfortable and started to skim through the pages as quickly as she dared because she didn't want to risk missing anything that might prove useful.
A couple of hours later Alice was growing restless, she rarely sat still for so long.
She was nearing the end of the second book and still had nothing to show for it except lost time.
Even though she still had three more books, she was beginning to lose hope, at least a bit.
Then she turned the page, and froze.
There, in Carlisle's precise handwriting, was a passage about a hunter of vampires who the Voltori had sought to destroy because he was giving them trouble.
" . . .sent Tomas as our most trusted soldier to deal with the hunter in a more final way. And in case he were to fail we sent also Roland. Roland was to follow and to document the reason and secret of this hunter's success. To observe and record for our satisfaction the prowess and strength of this troublesome foe."
As Alice continued she felt her hopes rise.
The unnamed hunter was said to possess an uncommon strength even among warriors of the day.
Roland had been given orders to stay hidden and not reveal himself even should Tomas fall.
The Voltori, it seemed, had been more concerned with having a record of the fight than with the life of their champion.
Alice shook her head, they really hadn't changed much in the last few centuries.
Then Alice came to Roland's account of Tomas' death.
"Then Tomas made what was to be his fatal mistake. Instead of finishing the man by breaking his neck or similar Tomas chose to savor his victory by making the man suffer. He did then bite the man upon the neck and sat upon a nearby stone to watch the venom do its work for him. The hunter did scream in pain and writhe upon the ground. And after a time he lay still and was assumed to have passed on. It was at this time that Tomas approached, intent to take the man's head for proof to present to Aro. But when Tomas was near enough the hunter rose swiftly to his feet, and with new strength and greater speed, he raised his weapon and beheaded Tomas in a moments time".
The writer had gone on to muse that in some unknown way the venom had worked in the opposite of the usual way on the hunter.
How or why was unclear, but the hunter had gained a strange power from the venom that had been meant to poison him.
Alice stared down at the page.
She had what might be the answer to their problem, but she also had more questions, and that had been the end of that entry.
Noting the time she gt up and stretched, she needed to get to her mate.
Alice looked at the books for a minute, deciding what to do.
There might be another, later entry, about the hunter, or another like him, so she would take all but the first book with her.
Returning to her room she grabbed a backpack to hold the books and pulled on a pair of stylish boots before heading out the door to see Buffy.
When she knocked at the door, Buffy pulled her inside and was pushing her against the wall and kissing her before the door had even finished closing.
"Does this mean you missed me?" she asked the blonde playfully.
"This means, you started something, and didn't finish, and now, I'm going crazy, with wanting you"
The slayer punctuated her sentence with kisses, making Alice grin widely.
She let the book bag slide gently to the floor and lifted the blonde by the backs of her thighs.
Buffy just smiled and wrapped her legs around Alice's waist.
Walking the few feet to the bed, she laid the blonde down and settled easily between her legs.
Looking into the woman's green eyes, all Alice sees is love and trust, the last things she should find in the eyes of someone who spent their time hunting and killing her kind, but the most important thing to see in the eyes of her mate.
"I love you Buffy".
