Chapter 8.
The Return Part 1: The Slayer the Savage and the Jedi
Settling in.
It was a strange concept, made all the stranger by the simple fact the place she was settling into was her own room. For more than three months she had been gone, living a mere existence, lost within a sea of faces and blissful anonymity. No one had known who she was or even cared, and she had liked it that way. The thought of coming home had been too painful to bear. Not because she couldn't face her mother after defying her wishes in order to save the world. Not to face her friends who had held a slight hint of bitterness towards her; for allowing the situation to snowball out of hand. And not to face her watcher whom she had utterly failed. No, none of these were reasons enough to keep her away.
It was him.
His memory that seemed to permeate everywhere she looked. The bed they had slept on, the window he had climbed through, almost everywhere she looked provoked an image, a memory. The man who had captured her heart and her soul, who had become the love of her life… and the greatest enemy she had ever faced. The man she had kissed goodbye for the final time before cramming a sword through his heart and sending him to hell… to save the world.
Angel.
Not Angelus the rampaging monster, but Angel the man, her great love. Even now, the thought of it was like someone twisting the knife in her heart. So she didn't think about it. She was determined to put it behind her, and she would put it behind her. Because she was Buffy Summers and she had no other choice but to press on.
Within an hour after coming home and recovering from the emotional rollercoaster ride that had been her reunion with her mother. Buffy had decided to check her local sources for any information concerning 'mysterious deaths' or anything out of the usual. The obituary in the Sunnydale Tribune was ironically a great source of information, if one read between the lines and the world of unsaid that didn't make it into the paper. She was surprised by what she saw; absolutely nothing on mysterious deaths dating back two weeks, which was simply unheard of in Sunnydale.
That's odd. Buffy frowned in confusion. But she decided to hold off on more digging until after she had reacquainted herself with her estranged friends and her watcher. Assuming they were still alive. What if they had been killed while she was away? What if they had been hurt? What if…no…no, her mother would have made sure to break the news immediately if anything bad had happened to any of them. What if they hated her? What if they never wanted to talk to her again? Those questions were closer to the truth of what she feared.
She had abandoned them when the thought of staying in Sunnydale became unbearable. They had a right to be angry with her, she knew, but she desperately hoped they would forgive her. Oh god how she hoped…
Apart from her mother, they were all she had now.
An hour later she found herself unpacking the last of her stuff in her room, dumping the last of the contents into her closet. It seemed as if it had been a lifetime ago since she had been in this place. It felt so familiar and yet…not; like she had been disconnected from it as she had everything else. Reaching into her closet she grabbed a sweater and headed towards her mother's room and the slight thumping emanating through the walls.
"Mom?" Buffy asked, stepping into the room and watching as her mother hammered a nail into the wall. At Buffy's question Joyce accidentally drove the hammer into the dry wall in startled surprise.
"Oh, Buffy!"
Buffy cringed at the sight of the dry wall but her mother smiled as she pulled the hammer out and turned to face her with one hand holding the hammer and the other holding some hideous looking mask.
"Uhhm…' Joyce stammered.
"Sorry" Buffy said wincing as she did so.
"No, no. Don't worry about it. I-I guess I just got used to all the quiet while you were gone." She smiled reassuringly "But it's no problem."
Joyce adjusted the mask in her hand and turned it to hang it over the hole in the dry wall. Buffy's opinion of the mask, now that she had a clear view of it from the front, didn't change one iota. It was carved in some sort of reddish wood with cutouts for eyes, which were slanted inward and appeared very evil. There were a series of protruding teeth, much like fangs set in its upper jaw. There was no lower jaw.
She wanted to slay it instantly on the account of it being so hideous.
"Uh Look!" Joyce said as she hung the mask on the hook "It's Nigerian. We got a very exciting shipment at the gallery." Joyce glanced at the room with a slight smile. "I thought I'd hang a few pieces in here. It cheers up the room."
"It's angry at the room, Mom. It wants the room to suffer." Buffy replied as tactfully as she could. Thankfully it wasn't in her room or she would have had to slay it.
Joyce nodded. "You have no appreciation for primitive art." Joyce looked down and noticed that Buffy was holding her sweater. "You going out?"
Buffy looked at her sweater guiltily. "Oh. Um…well, Ii-if it's ok. I'd like to find Willow and Xander."
"Will you be slaying?" Joyce asked. And Buffy couldn't help but hear the slight hint of concern in her voice.
Buffy smiled weakly to reassure her, "Only if they give me lip." Buffy looked at the mask again, or fangs in desperate need of an orthodontist.
"Uh, can I make you a sandwich or something before you go? You must be starving." Joyce asked.
"I was un-until that four course snack you served me after dinner," Buffy replied delicately. She hated the awkward tiptoeing they were doing around each other.
"Well then, um…you know, why don't I drive you? Uh, I mean they could be anywhere." Joyce said as she moved to her dresser to grab her keys.
"Mom…if you don't want me to go….just say so." Buffy sighed.
Joyce looked to her keys with a thin, tight smile. "No, no. I-I just want to put this whole thing behind us, get back to normal." Joyce inhaled deeply and Buffy could see that she was doing her best to maintain her composure and not break down again. "You go. Have a good time."
"Ok." Buffy said after an uncomfortable moment between them. They still had a lot of healing to do, but at least it was a start. Buffy smiled and simply gave her mother an awkward wave then she left the room and out of the house.
*********
The thing about Sunnydale was that the place had way too many alleyways, each one interconnected in series of mazes that crisscrossed the entire town. It was just one of a few features about good ole Sunnyhell that no doubt made the town very popular with its vampire and Demon community. One could literally walk from one end of town to the other without ever using a main road to get to ones destination.
Despite the fact that no one publicly admitted it, the population of Sunnydale rarely used these back alley roads during the day and almost never at night. All due to the things that went bump in the night that they just knew that didn't exist yet avoided at all costs anyway. These back alleys were a world unto their own where the local Vampires and Demons resided without fear of discovery or persecution by the world at large. It was the dark underworld of Sunnydale that resided just beneath the surface of a thin veneer of beauty and peace of this quiet and pleasant town.
Someone walking these alleys during the dead of night was either very naïve, insanely stupid, had a death wish, or was simply up to no good of their own. Buffy Summers however fit into a very unique category, shared by an elite few, as she was one such person definitely up to the side of good. As she strolled through back alley after back alley she couldn't help but be amazed at the lack of activity. During long nights of patrols she rarely failed to catch a number of Vampires or Demons up to something and it was usually no good. If anything, she had expected the streets to be even more swamped with vamps since she had been gone.
But they weren't.
The dark beating heart of Sunnydale was eerily quiet. And that, ironically, unnerved her more then what she expected to find, as she proceeded down one of many such alley ways heading to the Bronze on an initially haphazard, but now, full stop patrol.
Turning a corner, Buffy spied a man dressed in a long brown trench coat moving somewhat too suspiciously for her tastes, as if he were searching for something…or someone. Quietly moving like the instinctive predator she was, Buffy silently began to follow the man and was about to spring and throw him against the brick wall to interrogate him, when he suddenly spun with frightening speed and tried to plunge a stake into her Heart. Acting instantly herself, Buffy blocked the strike and twisted his wrist grappling the stake free, but her quarry –a vampire; it had to be a vampire-kicked her in the stomach with incredible force. Biting back the shock and pain Buffy fell back with the momentum of the strike into a summersault as she brought her legs up to connect with her assailants chin to shatter his jaw…and was completely mystified when she connected with nothing.
Completing her summersault and regaining her footing-- and trying to regain her breath-- Buffy held the stake firmly in her hand and assumed a defensive stance. Her target straightened up and spun around to face her while at the same time expertly drawing a Katana from within his coat and assuming a high guard stance.
Buffy blinked as the shock of recognition hit her like a sledge hammer to the gut.
Xander!?
She hadn't recognized him at all. In fact, she barely recognized him now. He stood poised like a coiled spring ready to strike and Buffy couldn't help but come to the conclusion that he knew how to wield that sword, even though she had never seen him use one before.
As Xander stared at her, his remarkably intensely focused face softened as the light of recognition shone in his eyes. Eyes that suddenly had a lot more strength in them then she ever remembered Xander having.
Buffy took the opportunity to study him while he grappled with clearly conflicting emotions. Buffy couldn't help but notice his nicely broad chest and well toned body under that tight fitting shirt. In fact, it seemed as if Xander had gained about fifteen pounds. Upon further examination it was definitely fifteen pounds of rock solid goodness! As Xander slowly lowered the sword to hang loosely at his side, she took the opportunity offered by the sudden awkward silence to study him intently. The clothes were just part of the change, she realized, what was more important was the way he wore them. The way he stood there, proud and strong, was definitely not something she associated with his character. And again she couldn't help but come back to his eyes. Deep hazel pools that always held love, compassion and mirth, now held strength and determination as well.
To Buffy it was if some great force had simply remolded Xander into something else. And while she definitely approved of the physical changes in his body she couldn't help but feel a slow building wariness at what these changes implied. Xander didn't exactly have a sterling track record in that department. She was hoping against hope it wasn't what she was afraid of.
Realizing that Xander probably wasn't going to break the awkward silence between them Buffy decided to take charge of the situation.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you about playing with pointy sticks?" She shook the stake directly at him, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye."
"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Xander said in a deceptively calm and even tone that gave away no hint of a myriad of conflicting emotions battling for dominance within him. Finally, ever so slowly, he managed a weak, genuine smile that was purely Xander which reassured her in way nothing else could.
No Hyena…
"Jeez, Buff!" Xander breathed; finally convinced she was actually standing in front of him!
"Xander, you're… you're--" Buffy struggled to express her thoughts.
"--Yeah." In a way that was purely Xander, he ran his fingers through his hair. "It's the trench coat isn't it? The Katana's pretty cool, but it's just a little too much with the coat."
"No no, the coat's good." Buffy paused. "Is that stubble?"
"I'm working the Snake Pliskin scruffy thing." Xander suddenly gazed at himself in horror. "Oh God, no! I'm broody dark mysterious guy in the alley. I'm Angel! Kill me now!"
Unfortunately for Xander he was so absorbed in the moment that when the Force screamed out a warning he was a little slow to react. A vampire, the very one Xander had been zeroing in on in fact, burst out of a crate next to him and Buffy; knocking all three of them to the pavement and disarming them.
"I didn't mean literally!" Xander huffed in exasperation.
Xander recovered fastest, much to Buffy's surprise. Pushing aside all the emotions that seeing Buffy had caused, the young man obediently fell back on his training. With a speed and sense of control which had increased by the day, Xander's mind calmed as he centered himself in the Force.
With an agility and grace which took Buffy, still recovering, completely by surprise, Xander moved. His muscles contracted as he swung his knees up onto this chest, the movement shifting his center of gravity, lifting his lower back off the floor. The weight of his descending legs in return raised his upper torso, and pushing off strongly from the ground with pure upper body strength lifted him upwards and onto the soles of his feet. The whole movement had taken less than three seconds.
Stunned by its prey's instant recovery, the vamp hesitated for a split second, giving Xander the opening he was looking for. Xander's Force enhanced right hook connected firmly with his face spinning the vamp around---and right into a perfectly placed side kick by one very annoyed Slayer.
The vampire stumbled back from the blow, crashing loudly into a pile of trashcans and trash bags. His descent released a sickly smell of warm rubbish, for the day had been hot and the trashcan's contents had been heated by the sun. As the noise died away, Xander's radio crackled, making Buffy jump.
"Come in, Nighthawk, everything Ok?" Cordelia's voice boomed from the Walkie Talkie Buffy suddenly realized was hanging on Xander's belt.
Buffy was completely taken aback, "Night Hawk?"
In that instant the vampire who had been garbaged, jumped back into the fight. It had recovered surprisingly quickly, detangling itself from the pile of rubbish, and in her distracted state it yet again caught Buffy by surprise. The charging attack, which missed Xander, threw her roughly to the ground next to a nearby dumpster…right to where another fledgling sprung out of nowhere. Buffy, whose back was hurting slightly from the impact with the rough concrete, was right at its feet.
Acting in the span of heartbeat Buffy swept her right leg out. The blow connected with the new vampire's ankles. As it fell backwards the stupid triumphant grin that had begun to form on its face changed to a grimace of agony. It crashed painfully to the ground, its head connecting with the edge of the nearby dumpster in a loud and painful sounding *clang.*
Using her momentum, and a fair amount of anger at being caught off guard twice in one night, Buffy spun on her knees and lashed out with her left foot. The blow connected with the vamp's face with a dull crack, as the reinforced tips of her boots broke his jaw. Completing her spin Buffy was up on her feet in flash, eyes scanning the floor of the alley for her dropped stake. Before she could spot it, and finish off the vampire who lay still dazed at her feet, she was distracted for the third time that night.
Xander and the first fledgling that had jumped them were squaring off, with the vampire between her and her friend. Xander, looking surprisingly calm and focused, was now holding his Katana. The gleaming silver blade shone in the light of the moon, as her dark haired friend swung it upwards into the ready position, holding it with a firm confident grip in that same high guard stance he had used earlier.
Wow. Once again she wondered when Xander had learned to use a sword, let alone hold one properly. Buffy blinked then as another thought occurred to her. How did Xander get his sword back? They had both been violently disarmed when they were knocked to the ground, but while she was still searching for her stake, Xander had already recovered his weapon.
Momentarily spellbound, she watched as the fledgling grew tired of standing still and attacked. All brute force and savagery, but little skill, it charged the motionless figure of her friend attempting to tackle Xander to the ground. In a swirl of his coat, Xander spun gracefully out of the way. As his opponent stumbled past him, thrown off balance by the swift move, Xander lashed out with his katana with a massively powerful downward blow followed by a series of quick powerful strikes slicing into the fledglings back, practically dissecting the vampire, before a final strike severed the head from the body in the predictable explosion of dust.
Buffy was seriously impressed.
A noise behind her made her turn, but unfortunately she was too late. Before the glowing dust motes of Xander's defeated opponent had even settled upon the ground, she was slammed painfully into the nearby brick wall, as the vamp she had failed to stake attacked. Disarmed and unaware of her surroundings, she proved an easy target even for her wounded enemy.
The shock of her head bouncing off the wall hurt like hell, dazing her, but she still acted instinctively. Anticipating an attack, she dropped to her knees and even though her vision was still blurry she kicked out at where she expected the vampire's ankles to be, where her slayer sense told her his ankles should be. Her feet connected only with air. Tensed for an impact which never occurred she miscalculated and fell back against the wall. Yet again her head impacted painfully with the bricks, and even though the blow was far less serious than before it still made her eyes water. Wincing, she shook her head trying to clear her blurred vision. The movement made her head hurt, but it worked. The sight that greeted her restored vision however made her wonder if she had hit her head a little harder then she thought.
Willow and Cordelia had appeared, as if by magic… or blunt force trauma, and apparently dragged the vampire away from her. As surprised as she was by their sudden appearance she watched as the pair, holding the wounded fledgling by each arm, ran him backwards away from her, using their momentum to hurl him against the chain link fence. It crashed into the stiff metal links with a cry of pain, bouncing forwards from the impact and falling to its knees at the base of the fence.
As Buffy watched, still a little dazed but rallying swiftly, Willow produced a stake while Cordelia produced her stun gun. After a quick glance the pair charged as one, attacking the already recovering vampire from different directions to divide his attention between them. Sure enough, the vamp instinctively concentrated his attention on the stake in Willow's hand, apparently blind to or ignoring the threat of Cordelia and her stun gun.
The vampire, its broken jaw still flapping open uncontrollably from Buffy's earlier assault, grabbed Willow by the shirt and tossed her aside, apparently just as they had hoped he would, leaving Cordelia an opening to…
*Snapbuzzzz*
Cordelia activated her stun gun right into the vampire's rib cage, pushing him backwards. The fang face spasmed uncontrollably against the fence for a few moments before Cordelia pocketed her stun gun. Smoking slightly, the vampire groggily tried to reach out for her to steady itself but Cordelia grabbed him by the wrist. In a graceful move which justified her position on the Cheerleading squad, she locked his arm, spun towards him, threw her hip into him and flung him roughly to the ground on his back with surprising strength. There was a harsh crack of bone as something in the demon's body broke from the impact with the concrete of the alley floor.
Straitening up Cordelia looked her way and beamed brightly in recognition. "Hey Buffy!" Then she went right back to work laying into the vampire just as Buffy felt Xanders comforting presence come up behind her.
"Any time Willow!" Cordelia snapped, as one of her expensive clad legs connected with the Vampire's already broken jaw. It snarled in agony, but was apparently immobilized.
Willow rose to her knees and plunged the stake into the vamps chest dusting it instantly.
"That's all of them, isn't it?" Willow asked as she rose to her feet.
"Oz said there were three of them but I don't see the other one anywhere." Cordelia actually scoffed in disappointment.
Buffy, who had finally recovered her stake from where it had rolled under a bin, was trying to wrap her brain around what she was seeing. Her friends had dusted not one but two vampires, by themselves! To say she was amazed was a bit of an understatement. Her mind just kept working in small circles at the thought of her friends, who, when last she saw them, could barely managed to handle one vampire, and now could handle two with relative ease.
She was about to say as much but suddenly caught a hint of movement in her peripheral vision behind Xander. Acting fast and instinctively she shoved Xander aside and brought her stake up to throw at the charging vamp when suddenly a crossbow bolt slammed into his chest and he exploded into dust.
Snapping around and looking up Buffy saw Oz on the roof of one of the buildings overlooking the alley; he waved once to Buffy then pulled up his Walkie Talkie.
"Told you there were three of them." His voice resonated from the Walkie Talkies each of the Scooby gang had.
Cordelia shrugged and simply nodded while Xander motioned for Oz to come down. Oz nodded then disappeared from sight only to reappear a few moments later with a reloaded crossbow just as Cordelia and Willow finished dusting themselves off.
Buffy didn't know what to think and just simply watched in amazement and feeling slightly left out, and hurt. For it seemed as good as they had become, they didn't seem to need her anymore, as they checked each other for injuries with a skill and practiced ease that clearly indicated they'd been at this for a while. Confident they were all ok they turned as one to face her.
Buffy smiled sheepishly. "Hey, guys."
**************
Somewhere in Mexico…
He didn't need to breathe, so when he drew in a long breath and exhaled it the action did nothing to enhance his calm, though it did serve very nicely to express his frustration.
"I like to try new things, I like to check stuff out, go over that next hill, you know? I ain't some poncy explorer like, but I like getting out there and enjoying the world and the people in it."
He dropped the still warm body he was holding, the dark eyes still open but glassy, bereft of life.
"Especially the people in it." He smiled briefly with blood stained lips until his frown returned. "But I tell you this, there's only so much Mexican food a man can live with!"
Spike tilted his bleached head and slipped out of his game face.
"Except presumably Mexicans, but even that's a little suspect."
He walked away from the shack and the three former occupants who lay motionless within, digging a bottle of Bourbon from his long leather coat, the glass glinting in the moonlight.
"Yeah it's fine for a bit, and I kinda like the culture down here, the history. But I think I've had it with the food."
He took a swig from the bottle.
"Is there anything that ain't spicy? It gets in the blood and it's too much!"
"You're far from home." The haunting melodic voice of his companion spoke, so gentle and delicate it served as a striking contrast to the often vicious monster who owned it. "My Spike, long road to walk on, lots of bends."
"Granted my tastes are pretty run of the mill, I don't care much for fanciness," Spike allowed. "I'm more for the moment, getting there is all the fun. And granted I grew up in Victorian London, not known for its cuisine."
"I ate a Tiger once. It purred the whole time," Dru said. Whether in agreement or just to herself was anyone's guess.
"Okay, great, but I figure what I'm trying to say is when can we get the bleeding hell out of this place?"
The apparition turned to him, her charcoal hair and pale skin striking in the moonlight.
"Right now."
Spike frowned. "Okay, I admit I was expecting to do some convincing first."
Drusilla rolled her head playfully. "I want to go home now. Take me back."
"Now you're talking, I was looking at ships back home, got a nice freighter heading for Plymouth tomorrow, we can still make it and be in London by the end of the month."
"Not that home Spike, the other one."
"Eh?"
"The Hellmouth."
"Oh, Sunny hell… oh, right, except we said we weren't going back. Ever. And I'm still not sure I like what I'm hearing about in those soddin visions of yours."
"Things have changed."
"So you aren't still upset about the whole, you know, deal thing?"
Dru smiled. "So easily turned, pretty head, pretty head, easily turned."
"What? It was business," Spike grunted. "And making Angelus look like a prat."
"You wanted him dead, gone away."
"It's been an ambition of mine for a while." Spike shrugged. "So why this change of plan?"
"The circus is coming to town, and we're missing the carnival."
Spike tore some fabric from one of the bodies.
"I'm guessing you're being metaphorical here pet."
"Everything is lights, twinkling burning lights, circles and circles stretching and combining."
"Like a slinky?" Spike asked. "No, not like a slinky."
"It's chaos, violence, a rampage and we're going to miss it."
"Can't have that." He took another swig then stuffed the fabric in the neck of the bottle. He held the bottle in one hand, gazing at its remaining contents mournfully, then lit the fabric stuffed into its neck with his silver lighter. "I love a good rampage."
He absently threw the bottle into the shack. It smashed against a wall, the tinkle of the broken glass lost in the *WHOOMPH* as the contents ignited. Liquid fire exploded out into the room. Spike turned away from the gathering flames.
"It's all starting, all because of him."
"Who's that then?" Spike leant against a boulder. "Who do I thank for this smash and grab bonanza?" he queried, hands shoved deep into his pockets against the cold of the night.
"Chaos, bringer of chaos, impulse, death on a whim, black passion and murder."
"Does he have a shorter name? In case I need to write it on a card?"
Dru turned to him. "You'll see. We all will."
She smiled up at the moon. Behind her, the flames licked at the dry roof timbers of the shack, the growing inferno beginning to consume the evidence of their snack.
"The Savage, he just arrived."
Somewhere in California…
The five bikes roared off the highway and stopped at the bar, a dingy battered place that served anyone who traveled this out of the way road. Their clients weren't exactly the bedrock of society; mostly they were hard bitten biker gangs, neo Nazis and an assortment of criminals and scumbags who made most prisons look tame. The police didn't stop here, even truckers didn't stop here. Only those looking for trouble passed its doors.
The five bikes halted, the throaty engines stopping as the riders got off, each a hefty mass of scuffed leather and chains. Three were human, massive bearded men with tattoos and Nazi helmets, the others were yellow skinned demons with red eyes, pointed ears and razor sharp teeth.
"Hey, give me a minute," one of the humans grunted. "I gotta take a piss."
He headed towards the bushes over the road.
"There's a crapper inside!"
"In that place?" He called back. "I ain't that crazy!"
The other bikers laughed as he disappeared, giving their riding partner a few moments to put himself in order before they joined the rest of the gang. They were only waiting seconds before there was a burst of light from the bushes over the road, several bolts of electrical lightning shooting out and starting a few smile fires.
"Whoa, what the hell?" A biker gritted. "Flayer, dude, you alright?"
There was no answer.
"Hey Flayer, did you piss on a power line? You dumb asshole!"
There was still no answer.
"Maybe we should check on him."
"He's just joking with us."
"It ain't funny. Razor, get the gun."
Suddenly the bushes moved and a figure appeared in the shadows walking purposefully towards them.
"Flayer?"
The man approaching them was very different, clean shaven but just as large, his face unflinching and grim, short spiked hair sitting on his head. He was wearing biker gear too, very familiar gear.
"Hey, that's Flayers jacket!" Razor yelled. "Where's Flayer!"
The man ignored them, moving to walk past them to the bar.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
The new arrival stopped, sharply turning his head to fix the demon biker with an impassive stare.
"Good, now where did you get that jacket?"
The arrival spoke in a deep even European accent.
"I took it from a dead body."
"Dead? Flayer's dead?"
"Affirmative."
"How?"
"I crushed his neck with my left hand."
The four remaining bikers went very quiet, the silence broken by the click of a gun being cocked.
"Then you just made a big mistake."
"No," the Arrival said flatly. "You did."
Razor swung up his handgun, but too slow. With inhuman speed the new man grabbed his wrist and effortlessly broke it, dropping the gun to the ground and Razor screaming with it. The three other bikers rushed him but with no effect, their combined weight not even shaking the arrival. He backhanded one hard enough to launch him ten feet, punched the second in the neck sending him choking to the floor, and then jammed his hand through the chest of the third, literally squeezing his heart to jelly.
The fight took seconds, leaving the arrival standing just as calm as before, but now surrounded by dead bodies.
"Wha- What are you?" Razor squealed.
"I need your motorcycle."
"Take it!"
"And your shades."
"Okay!"
"And more weapons."
"Inside." He pointed at the bar. "Everyone packs!"
The arrival walked straight into the bar, the door closing behind him as Razor struggled to his feet. There was no sound from the bar; he would have expected to hear shouts by now, screams, even gunshots. But there was nothing. It didn't really matter; this was no place to hang around. He fumbled for his keys, wincing at the pain in his wrist as he sat on his bike, racing to start the engine.
Without warning the door burst open, a body flying out and hitting the dirt with a thud. It was leather clad, and to Razor's surprise was in fact the new arrival. It had been battered and bloodied, some form of demon golem maybe, he didn't look too closely, he just fumbled with the keys.
"Come on! Come on!"
The broken doors to the bar fell off their hinges as a new figure emerged, a shape even larger than the arrival. Even in his fear Razor stopped, the appearance of the man in the door freezing him in shock.
He wore some form of horrific armor, an assortment of bones overlaying armor plating, skulls decorating his shoulders with one particularly fierce skull serving as a helmet, jagged teeth framing the burning eyes of the warrior. He carried a long blood wet sword and through the door Razor could see an image of utter slaughter, the entire bar painted in blood. Whatever this new man had wanted he was too late, this warrior had already wiped out the most vicious bar in the state, apparently single handed. Now he advanced on the arrival, laying flat on the ground.
"Next time…" The warrior spoke in a voice like hot coals scraping in a furnace. "…Say please."
He jammed the sword through the chest of the Arrival, twisting the blade and then lifting it up, hauling the dying creature up from the floor and holding it speared on his sword.
"No challenge," the warrior sneered, and then tossed the body aside. As he did so his eyes fell on Razor.
"Start!" He twisted the keys. "Start!" Razor murmured to himself, feeling the icy cold fingers of terror gripping his heart, squeezing it.
"Not yet weasel." The Warrior stepped in front of the biker demon. "You have one chance to live. Where am I?"
"Ca…Ca...Cal…California." The demon squeaked
"Ah, the New World," grinned the fearsome warrior. "And where do those of power go in California? Where is the heart of power, the place of the Gathering?"
"I…I… I think the Hellmouth."
"Hellmouth." He sneered. "Sounds like my kind of place. Where?"
"Sunnydale, down that road." Razor pointed with his useless hand.
"Well done. Now go away." The Warrior turned his back, picking out a suitable motorcycle. "And worm!"
"Wh-what?"
"Wherever you go, whomever you speak with, tell them of me, tell them I am here and I will tolerate no rivals!"
"Okay."
The Warrior broke a vicious grin. "Tell them the Kurgan has returned!"
"The Kurgan, right, Kurgan."
"No rivals!" He raised his bloody sword with a laugh. "There can be, ONLY ONE!" he roared then he sped off on the bike disappearing into the night, the echo of his cackling haunting the dark.
**************
"You know, I-maybe it's too late. Maybe we should just come back tomorrow." Buffy said. She surveyed the building in front of her with visible anxiety. An outsider, let alone anyone aware of Buffy's fearsome reputation, would have been mildly perplexed at her reaction. The building itself, a well kept bungalow with a neat garden, fresh paint, cheerfully illuminated curtained windows and a polished door knocker, could never be remotely intimidating. Her friends knew better. It was not the building which had Buffy spooked but the individual who dwelled within.
Buffy stood across the street, her typical bravado completely absent. She eyed the home of the man whom had come slowly to replace her father. During the walk across town, she had for a while managed to forget the events of the past months. She had immersed herself in her friends company, taking comfort from their presence, their obvious pleasure and affection for her. She had fought hard to hold in her obvious questions. The changes among her friends were obvious and numerous. She longed to ask what had happened, but hadn't dared. By mutual and unspoken agreement, none of them had discussed the events leading to and since her abandonment of them. Neither had any of them voiced any of their feelings about her actions. Clearly neither side wanted too, preferring to stick to safe neutral topics like the weather, gossip or shopping.
Now though the issues they had been content to bury rose again, heavy on their minds, none more heavily than for Buffy. Her earlier nerves had returned full force. Despite the fact that her meeting up with her friends had seemed mostly positive she was still apprehensive about this reunion. When the others said nothing or gave no signs of following her suggestion her apprehension only increased.
Buffy wasn't a coward. She had faced horrors that would have made other brave souls gibber in sheer terror before barricading themselves into their houses and never coming out for the rest of their lives. But as she crossed the quiet street, and walked up the short concrete path between neatly mown lawns, she was as close to sheer panic as she had ever been.
She paused just at the threshold. The glazed window set in the stout door glowed welcomingly, but the cheerful light did nothing for Buffy. She stood there for a few moments, aware of the silent figures of her friends behind her, watching her intently.
"What if he's mad?" Buffy finally gave voice to her inner turmoil, somewhat understatedly.
"Mad? Just because you ran away and abandoned your post and your friends and your mom and made him lay awake every night worrying about you?" Xander turned to Oz and Willow somewhat nervously. "Maybe we should wait here."
Buffy gave him an annoyed look that hid the sharp sting of that comment before she turned toward the door and knocked the taps a few times…lightly. Visible through the colored glass, she saw an indistinct figure appear in the hallway and approach the door. Audible even from the thick wood there came the sound of heavy bolts being pulled back.
Giles pulled open the door. As it swung inwards, his wary gaze fell upon the small figure on his doorstep. He saw Buffy, and she saw his familiar eyes widen. His gaze rested upon her for several priceless seconds, then moved beyond her to the three silent figures of her friends, standing a little way back. Those intelligent eyes surveyed them briefly, registered their mixed expressions and lack of life-threatening wounds, then returned to Buffy. She gazed up at him, a neat figure in a dressing gown and slippers, and her heart pounded in a potent mixture of nerves and affection. He looked tired, but there was a light of emotion in his eyes which she could not decipher. Otherwise, aside from his initial flash of surprise, the Englishman's face remained completely impassive, despite the wellspring of conflicting emotions bubbling within him.
Xander as usual, was quick to point out the obvious. His words broke the silence, shattering the strange spell that had come over all of them.
"Check it out. The Watcher is back on the clock. And just when you were thinking career change, maybe becoming a…a looker or a…a seer."
Thank you, Xander," Giles said as he slipped on his glasses
Giles looked intently at his Slayer. "Welcome home, Buffy." His eyes were on hers, and in them she saw something which made her nerves subside slightly.
Buffy smiled hesitantly up at him as Giles pulled the door open further and stepped back to allow them all entrance.
*********
Buffy, somewhat hesitantly, sank down into one of Giles's big leather armchairs. Her friends, by silent agreement, left her and Giles alone together. Instead they invaded Giles's kitchen, scouring the Watcher's cupboards to round up snacks. As the hurried back into the room, toting various plates, bowls and jugs, they caught up with the conversation.
Giles was seated in his own chair, hands in his lap, listening to Buffy. They noticed she looked less nervous, but still seemed very small in the depths of her chair. Giles also looked unsure, although that might have been because he was still recovering from Buffy's sudden arrival. They were talking though, and it soon became clear that Xander, Willow, Oz and Cordelia hadn't missed much.
"I got in a few hours ago, but I wanted to go see my mom first."
Buffy looked up briefly as her friends entered, then looked back to Giles. As unobtrusively as possible, well, as was possible with several plates of snacks, a jug and several glasses, the four friends found seats around the room.
"Yes. Yes, of course. How did you find her?" Giles asked
"Well, I pretty much remembered the address," Buffy replied.
"Ah, eh. I mean, uh, how are things between you?" Giles floundered. He got up. "Ah. Excuse me for a moment."
Not looking at Buffy, he walked into the kitchen, aware that everyone was looking at him. Once around the corner and out of sight he leant wearily against the counter. His emotions threatened to overwhelm him. It felt so good to hear her voice. Trying desperately to regain his composure, he lifted the kettle off its housing and began to fill it with water. The water gurgled in the jug, which it rapidly began to fill up, but he didn't notice. Distracted by his churning emotions, It was only when it had almost reached the top and was about to overflow that he realized and hurriedly turned off the tap.
He hadn't realized just how glad he was that she was back. His Slayer, He had missed her terribly, much like a father would miss his…no. No he couldn't allow himself to think that. He had to maintain some professionalism between them. Taking his time, he lifted the kettle out of the sink, placing it on its mounting and set the water to boil. He moved about the kitchen, collecting mugs, milk, sugar and other tea-making related paraphernalia, trying to get a grip on his racing emotions and think about what would happen now.
Next door, after the silence that had fallen at Giles's hurried exit, her friends started to talk quietly.
"Hey, so you're not wanted for murder anymore," Oz informed Buffy. The werewolf, who had his arm across Willow's shoulders, was perched on the arm of the sofa, which Willow and Xander had taken early so as to be near to Buffy.
"Good. That was such a drag," Buffy replied dryly.
"So where were you? Did you go to Belgium?" Xander asked, trying to go for a light tone despite the fact he wanted to ask far more serious questions.
"Why would I go to Belgium?" Buffy asked with a smile.
"I think the relevant question is why wouldn't you? Belgium!" Xander smiled hugely eliciting a laugh from Buffy. Man it felt good to hear her laugh.
"What about you, Xander? What's up with you? Where did you learn to use a sword like that?" Buffy asked as the events from earlier in the evening came back in all their detail.
Xander seemed to hesitate slightly which Buffy found slightly weird.
"Oh you know, same old, same old. Dustin' vamps and the like," Xander said. For some reason he couldn't explain he didn't exactly feel comfortable going into any details just yet that involved Anakin, he didn't understand why.
Silently Xander berated himself for his earlier mistake. He had known it wasn't a vampire that had been stalking him. Vamps were pretty easy to detect once you got used to observing the walking hole in the Force. But how could he not have known what Buffy felt like? He railed against himself for his failure to identify her and nearly killing her, which was something he wasn't sure he would have been able to live with. The thought made him struggle to hold his center.
And then the rational part of his mind caught up with him. It was because he had never felt a Slayer before. Despite having known Buffy for almost two years, he had never truly felt her in the Force before. Looking at her as she chatted away with Willow and Cordelia Xander couldn't help but be slightly disturbed by the dark predatory nature of the Slayer inside her. Not demonic, he recognized, but more primal, much like the Hyena spirit that had possessed him nearly two years ago, yet she maintained control. Buffy, the beautiful, bright, and radiant girl who had such a phenomenal impact on his life, could have such a dark primal nature just beneath the surface. It totally boggled his mind. How did she do it? Xander wondered and he definitely looked forward to asking her sometime in the future. But for now he just filed it away as part of the many things about Buffy that simply amazed him.
"Hardly," Cordelia scoffed. "It was summer boot camp with all the daily training and the nightly slaying. I tell you, life here took on a dangerous yet monotonous routine."
"Okay, I lied, a whole lot is new," Xander said. Yet again he didn't exactly know how to breach the subject of Anakin Skywalker to Buffy. How would she react? For the past several months the one hope of the Scoobs was that Buffy would return. Now that she had returned, no one knew exactly how to breach the subject of Anakin. Giles was eerily quiet on the matter, Willow kept glancing nervously to him, and Oz was his usual noncommittal self. In a way Xander felt as if he'd been put on the spot. In some way, some small way, it felt as if he hadn't stayed true to her.
Because a small part of Xander never actually believed that she would ever come home and he needed to accept that and move on. But these fears hid a much deeper fear they all shared. That Buffy only came home because she realized she was needed. If Buffy were to learn that there was someone new in town who did her job just as well as she did, she might bolt again. Despite the sudden, unexpected and surprising awkward tension between them all, none of the people in the room wanted to lose her again. But no one knew exactly how to say that. Xander, for all his new insights the Force offered him didn't exactly know how to broach it either. But it did give him awareness he otherwise wouldn't have, so he'd patiently wait for the opportunity to present itself.
"Here we are then," Giles said stepping from the kitchen as he set the tray down on the coffee table. "Cheer us up."
Buffy and Xander took some cookies while Giles reached for a teapot on the tray.
"So, were you, like, living in a box, or what?" Cordelia asked bluntly the one question they'd all been trying to ease into. Leave it to Cordelia to get to the heart of the matter. Yet, oddly, even she too seemed to be somewhat avoiding the subject of Anakin Skywalker…so far. Xander could only wonder how long that would last.
"Well…it's a long story," Buffy began delicately.
"Well, we're your friends, you can tell us," Xander replied.
"Yeah Buffy you can tell us," Willow echoed Xander's sentiments.
Giles poured several cups from the kettle. "Perhaps Buffy could use a little time to adjust before we grill her on her activities over the summer."
"What he said," Buffy quickly agreed, emphatically.
"Fair enough," Xander relented "In fact you can leave the slaying to us while you settle in. We got you covered."
"I noticed." Buffy nodded slowly with a distant look on her face as she recalled the fight in the alley way. "I really noticed. You guys did really great back there."
"We've dusted over twenty vamps these past two weeks alone!" Willow chirped excited.
"A-Team style," Oz smirked. He put his hand over Willow's and rubbed it gently.
"When I went out looking for you guys I noticed the streets were really quiet, it's like something seriously spooked the Vampire population. Was that you guys?"
"Kicking a little undead booty," Xander said with evident pride.
"Yeah but the outfits suck. This whole Rambo thing is so over. I'm thinking something more sporty, like Hilfiger maybe. I'll be sure to bring it up with Anakin tomorrow." Cordelia related as she ever so subtly dropped the bomb. Every member of the Scoobies, minus Buffy, snapped their heads around and glared at Cordelia.
Buffy noticed their reactions then looked to Cordelia in confusion. "Who?"
Everyone shifted uncomfortably while Giles cleared his throat. "There have been some…developments while you have been away Buffy," Giles began.
Buffy leaned forward with a look of determination on her face. "Like big brewing evil?"
"After a fashion," Willow murmured just a little too loudly. Giles directed a pointed glare towards her which caused Willow to look away. The other Scoobies looked as if they were getting very uncomfortable with the direction this conversation had just taken. Of course no one was surprised it had been Cordelia's doing. But Buffy clearly took the hint that something was going on that she needed to know about.
"Okay, what is going on?" Buffy demanded. She was getting tired of the sudden awkward tension. "Who is this akimbo guy?"
"Anakin," Xander corrected his voice carrying a little more of an edge to it then he intended which caused Buffy to recoil slightly as if she'd been slapped.
"That's a rather interesting and…a… complicated story in of itself Buffy," Giles began.
"Yeah right," Cordelia scoffed. "Well apparently he comes from a galaxy far far away, and has super funky powers called 'The Force'. He showed up a week after you left us, and saved these losers over here from being vamp food." Cordelia motioned toward the other Scoobies. "He's been hunting the vampires of Sunnydale day and night ever since. That's why the streets have been so quiet; they're terrified of the guy. And he's the one who trained us up to be a badass demon hunter team. All while you were living it up in Los Angeles. And what's with that dress sense of his? Despite my best efforts you would have thought Angel was the only one who dressed tall dark and depressing….and oh… I probably shouldn't have said any of this, should I?"
"Apparently not that complicated," Oz quipped.
Xander grimaced. "Way to ease her into it Cordy."
Buffy looked to each of their faces in turn. "You guys weren't going to mention this?"
"We were going to tell you Buffy." Giles said quickly "But we didn't exactly know how to broach the topic gently." Giles directed a patronizing glare to Cordelia who shrugged apologetically. He added gently, "You have also only just arrived."
"We wanted to give you some time and space, Buffy. We know you've been through a lot," Willow said.
"Besides there was no way you weren't going to learn about the guy anyway. The kind of waves he makes would have made that impossible," Xander quickly added. "So take a few days and slowly settle back into things, Buffy, we can handle it for a while."
Buffy smiled warmly at Xander. "Thank you for the offer Xander, but I can't. I just want to get back into the normal routine; school, slaying…kid stuff. And right now that means getting to know our new friend who's clearly made an impression. Where can I find him?"
"Tonight?" Willow asked in surprise.
"No time like the present." Buffy smiled forcefully.
Xander nodded. "Well, once we had finished our sweep near the Bronze we were going to meet up with him near the Espresso Pump. Depending on vamp activity tonight we were going to do a sweep of Kingman's Cemetery before calling it a night." Xander looked at his watch. "In fact if we leave now we can still make our linkup time." Xander said, rising from his seat next to Buffy and grabbing his sword. The others also stood and grabbed their nearby weapons and like a well oiled machine began to conduct checks of their primary and backup weapons, equipment and each other.
"No," Buffy said forcefully, rising to her feet quickly. It stopped them in their tracks. "You guys have done enough. Its time I started pulling my weight again. I got it from here. You all go home."
Willow was surprisingly the first to protest. "Um, Buffy I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean we have mean fighting skills now, and we're good, really good! And like Anakin said no one should ever slay alone!" Willow babbled then blinked. "Did I just quote him?"
"More like common sense," Oz smoothly directed.
"Look, guys, I'm fine, really. I don't need you to babysit me. I can handle this. What does he look like?"
"Hot, strong silent type, mysterious…right up your alley," Cordelia murmured not so quietly.
Buffy rolled her eyes then looked directly to Willow. "Willow?"
"Tall, blonde, muscular and hot…with just a touch of Angel like darkness and danger…." Willow flushed red and went quiet as she saw that every set of eyes turned towards her in amusement. "What? I never said he wasn't good looking and I'm ah…ah…"Willow turned to Oz with puppy dog eyes pleading for him to save her. Oz smiled reassuringly to Willow and wrapped an arm around her middle and drew her close.
Cordelia sighed. "Just get there before eleven and look for the GQ model guy. You'll know him when you see him."
Or he'll know you when he sees you, Xander wondered to himself. Yet again he thought back to the darkness he had felt inside Buffy; the primal nature of the Slayer sprit. Anakin would know instantly the moment she came close. In fact, if Xander had to guess, Anakin was probably already aware of Buffy's presence within Sunnydale. His mastery of the Force far surpassed Xander's own.
"Got it" Buffy said. "Look guys, are you all doing anything tomorrow? I'm jonesing for a little brainless fun" Buffy asked.
Xander grimaced internally; He had training with Anakin after school and plans with Cordelia later on that night. "Oh, I would, but um I'm gonna be kinda tied up." Xander smiled and motioned to Cordelia behind him.
Cordelia moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his abs while standing on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "Keep it up Nighthawk and I just might just keep you there. You sexy beast." Cordelia whispered naughtily with a wicked gleam in her eyes. Again her comment, which was supposed to be only for him, was just loud enough to be heard by the group; who were all doing good jobs of trying to look anywhere but at the happy couple. Either that or trying not to vomit. Xander had the biggest grin on his face. Giles was blushing.
Buffy hurriedly turned toward Willow "Will?"
"Um, tomorrow I-"
"Oh come on. Friends don't let friends browse alone," Buffy pleaded.
"Okay. I had some school work, but…I can change my plans."
Giles raised his cup as a thought occurred to him. "As for school, Buffy, You know you'll have to talk to Principal Snyder—"
"On it." Buffy nodded. "Mom is making an appointment with his ugliness. I know she can break him." Buffy looked to the clock on the mantle. "And on that note I should be going. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Buffy smiled and then she was gone. Her untouched tea still resting on the tray, steaming gently. Her friends staring at the door as it closed behind her.
*********
Buffy made good time on her trek to the Espresso Pump coffee shop, easily dusting two vamps along the way that she had baited into attacking her. Either Vamps just had bad memories, or they were newly sired, for they hadn't recognized her and proved little challenge. As she neared her destination she could feel the butterflies in her stomach flair in nervous anticipation. Moving through Sunnydale's streets with the deadly natural grace of a panther, she kept wondering who this new guy was. What was he and why he was here - that had so ingrained himself into her group of friends. According to Cordelia he had saved their lives when they had been attacked by a group of vampires.
Yet one more thing that could be thrown at her feet. Their lives put in danger by her inability to deal.
But this new guy had dealt with the vamps and he was still dealing with them. That said something about the guy, he was strong and he was committed to the fight.
Two points in his favor.
Another thing that her friends had mentioned was the fact that he had trained them up. And he had done it very well too. Buffy clearly recalled the incredible coordination and teamwork her friends had utilized when they had taken down three vampires. That said something else about him; he was well trained in small unit tactics.
Buffy however, wasn't sure if she would put this one in his favor or not. She definitely didn't like the idea of her friends slaying. She was the 'Chosen One'; she was the one fated to face these horrors. She was the one who didn't have a choice. This was her mission, her calling. Why did they always insist on needlessly putting their lives in danger? Well, now that she was back that would end. She would make sure of it.
So she didn't know exactly what to think about this guy based on what her friends had told her.
Then there were the other things she had heard from her less reputable sources.
On a hunch she had decided to check a source of information she otherwise would not have considered so soon. 'Accidentally' taking an alley to bait 'another' two vamps she had noticed loitering in the shadows, she had interrogated them rigorously before staking them. It hadn't taken much. 'These' two vampires knew her, or knew of her anyway, and had spilled the beans as soon as she threatened to peg them out in sunlight rather than dust them quickly. Their info pretty much matched what Cordelia had said about the local vamps being terrified of the guy. But what Cordelia didn't mention and what the vampires had so freely babbled on about was stories of what this guy had done. Stories of him singlehandedly clearing out entire nests by himself!
That wasn't something that even she had ever tried to do. Attacking vamps in their nest ran the risk of the Slayer being overwhelmed, which was why the tactic was seriously discouraged. Unless the Slayer had support. Armed with a stake and facing four to one odds would more than likely end in the Slayer's favor. Buffy was confident that she could handle six vamps but not without some difficulty. But in Sunnydale, jumping headlong into a Vamp nest usually ran the risk of facing eight to one odds…or worse, in close quarters and confined spaces. That was why Buffy tended to use divide and conquer tactics, methodically picking off the vamps a few at a time until the nest of vamps had been cleared. Not singlehandedly and recklessly rushing into their nest head on!
The vamps spoke in hushed whispers of his relentless pursuit of them night and day. Horrified whispers that they couldn't even lay a hand on the guy…which was more than a little impressive…and enough to irk her competitive spirit. But these tales bordered on paranoid ghost stories one told about a boogie man. It made their authenticity…suspect.
But the vamps had mentioned one little thing that caught her attention. Torture…
The thought disturbed her but at the same time she decided she'd reserve judgment until she met the guy and got a feel for him.
As she came within sight of the Espresso Pump she slowed. She could see the lights of the coffee shop at the end of the street. Unusually for Sunnydale, the coffee shop was a 24 hour establishment. More than once its staff or customers had fallen victim to the town's darker inhabitants yet in true Sunnydale style the business remained open, regardless of the attractive target it offered to demons and vampires. As such, it was on her regular patrol route, where she herself preyed on those who preyed on weaker prey.
As she walked towards it, scanning as a matter of course the shadows and side alleys for potential threats or suspicious couples, she could feel her heart thumping in her throat in nervous anticipation. As she walked stealthily along the sidewalk towards the shop, keeping to the shadows herself, she checked her back pocket under her sweater to make sure her stake was still there. About a hundred feet short of the building; she slipped from the shadows, and walked slowly and confidently towards the coffee shop.
At her approach, various heads swiveled to gaze at her, in one case literally. Immediately several figures rose and hurried from their seats. She surveyed each of them intently, recognizing a number of fairly innocent but still dangerous demons who she had encountered in the past. On the surface they all looked human, and none of them to her knowledge had ever progressed beyond the occasional burglary. Still, they obviously were wary of her, and she was comforted that despite her absence she was still clearly respected. She also knew that her return would be all over town by morning, for these were the movers and shakers of Sunnydale's demonic criminal community.
Feigning casual interest Buffy slowly walked through the open veranda, studying each of the remaining faces intently. There were at least a dozen patrons left but none seemed to match the description she had been given. Walking to the sidewalk she looked both ways down the street in case this 'Anakin' had not yet arrived. There were a few approaching figures, but none of them seemed to match the description she'd been given.
Buffy sighed. Nothing.
No one either who seemed out of place or even giving her a second glance….except for that creepy old guy spending way too much time checking out her ass. Ewww!!! Neither were her Slayer senses telling her anything, but then those had never been as acute as she had wished.
But other than that there was just a whole lot of nothing.
Buffy couldn't help but be disappointed and was just about to leave to patrol the nearby Kingman's cemetery, when those same aforementioned Slayer senses bristled at some presence nearby. At the same instant she realized by more conventional means, via the distorted reflection in a nearby mirror, that there was someone standing behind her.
"You must be Buffy." A strong, even and decidedly masculine voice emanated from behind her.
Buffy turned slowly. She blinked as she came face to face with a man in front of her.
When Cordelia and Willow said the guy was a hottie it hadn't really registered with her. But as Buffy took in the sight of the man before her she had to take a moment to catch her breath; which had suddenly caught in her throat. He was tall, with shoulder length blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Dressed from head to foot in dark clothes, he had a rugged but fashionable appearance in which Buffy detected Cordelia's fashion dictatorship.
He was also in good physical shape Buffy noticed. His clothes, while not skintight, hinted at lean, nicely defined muscles that weren't obscenely large, but spoke of practical, functional strength. He stood with his hands at his sides and palms held up, to show he had no weapon and meant no harm. It didn't quite work to put her at ease. Her instincts were screaming at her that weapon or not, this man could prove quite deadly.
There was something else about him too. Something intangible, subtle, but the thing which had made her Slayer side bristle.
Power.
She could feel it emanating from him; like residual heat radiating off of concrete after a hot summers day. It was barely perceptible but enough to tickle her senses. It kept her on guard and made her regard this new man cautiously.
"I am," Buffy responded after a moment.
"I know. Your friends speak very highly of you. The stories they tell of you are so precise you could not have been anyone else," Anakin said.
"And they've told me…almost nothing about you," Buffy replied.
He bowed formally "My name is Anakin Skywalker. Jedi Knight."
"And as you already seem to know, I'm Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer," Buffy said, strangely echoing his formality somewhat. Standing there in the well lit portico of the Espresso Pump, the two figures gazed at each other intently, as if sizing the other up. The more of this Anakin Buffy took in, the more her mind came back to the stories the vamps had told her. Recalling them now, when she was face to face with this man, she was almost certain that the two vampires had not (within reason) been exaggerating his exploits, but had been telling the truth.
She'd only been in his presence for a few moments but there was just something about his presence that dominated and made her feel small. Something under that calm and passive exterior that screamed passion and power, just beneath the surface. She also was sure, and aware, that her decision was not merely based on what she had heard and seen; that this man could be extremely dangerous.
Both of these aspects, as much as she hated to admit It weren't entirely unattractive either. And Buffy had to admit that the guy was very attractive.
"I noticed there's been a sharp drop in the number of mysterious deaths here in Sunnydale. I take it that's been your doing?" Buffy asked, feeling her way carefully forward in the conversation.
Anakin shrugged. "To some degree, yes. Though I must admit your friends have been very helpful in that regard."
Buffy smiled slightly. "Thank you for that, really. I don't know what I would have done if any of them had been hurt."
Anakin stepped closer rooting Buffy to the spot and causing her to crane her neck to look him in the eyes, he seemed to tower over her. "It was no trouble," he began in that calm voice of his. "They have helped me to adjust to my new life here. I am not sure where I would be without them."
Buffy subconsciously licked her lips. "I'm sure you would have done…fine." Buffy had to stifle a groan at how lame she sounded. "So…are you going to be staying in Sunnydale?" Buffy asked.
"For the foreseeable future," Anakin said.
"That's…good," Buffy stammered. "I ah…mean that…that you're…staying in town…being good."
Anakin nodded then looked around casually. "I had expected to meet up with the others. Where are they?"
"I sent them home," Buffy said quickly "This is my job not theirs, they really shouldn't be slaying."
"And yet they performed magnificently for the past three months…while you were away."
Buffy swallowed heavily at the barb. "Well I'm back now… and this really isn't a conversation that I want to be having right now. I just came to say Hello."
Anakin raised an eyebrow "Is that all?"
"No. I just wanted to get a feel for the guy who trained my friends to be some…some…into the Sunnydale version of the A-team."
"They fight well," Anakin said.
"I know." Buffy exhaled as she again recalled the events earlier that night.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between them before Buffy spoke again.
"Thank you…for…for protecting them. And for keeping the streets safe."
"It was my pleasure." Anakin smiled.
"Um, it's getting late and I still have a job to do. I should… probably go. It was nice to meet you, Anakin." Buffy smiled shyly.
"And you as well, Buffy," Anakin replied.
"I look forward to seeing you in action, see if those stories the vamps say about you have any truth to them."
Anakin smirked. "More than you know."
Buffy smiled again as her mind summed up her new…she didn't know exactly what to call him, yet.
Piercing blue eyes? Check. Magnificent body? Check. Broody aura of menace, mystery, and hotness? Check.
I am in so much trouble...
Even as those thoughts crossed her mind it filled her with a slight sense of unease for she realized she had started on a similar road not so long ago with a man she had fallen head over heels for. She would have to be very careful around him, less she fall into familiar patterns with someone who wasn't familiar.
"I'll see you later." She turned and walked away with a shy wave and soon expertly disappeared back into the shadows and out of site.
Anakin crossed his arms over his chest and intently tracked her progress as she walk away, and then he tilted his head slightly as if he'd just become aware of something.
"You're skills are improving, if I only just now became aware of your presence. The others are safe?"
Slowly a figure emerged from a nearby shadow, a very familiar figure. Xander.
"Of course; courtesy of werewolf taxi service."
Anakin chuckled then looked serious. "Why are you here?" Anakin asked.
Xander shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure things went smoothly. We don't exactly have a great track record in that department."
"Angelus. Yes I remember." Anakin nodded. "Is that all?"
Xander shrugged. "More or less but I was hoping she wouldn't do the whole Xena Warrior princess thing with us until after she got settled in."
Anakin raised an eyebrow at the culture reference. Xander blinked, began to explain, then fell silent as his master's raised hand. The faintly amused look told him he had been pranked. It was only for an instant, then the look was gone, replaced by the usually calm expression his master always wore.
"We'll deal with that when the time comes but for now go home, rest; you have school tomorrow and training."
"Yes Master." Xander turned to move then paused. "What did you think of her?"
"It is too soon to tell. But I will say this. Now that she's back I think life here in Sunnydale is about to get a lot more interesting."
