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Buffy walked down the stairs of the cabin and headed into the kitchen. Her training session with Spike had been just what she needed to release all of the anger she felt inside. He was good at what he did, and she couldn't deny that she learned from him, but she still felt like she was doing something wrong everytime she was around him.
When they had finished, she had hurried upstairs to get ready for her date with Drew, ignoring the hunger pains in her stomach. She always ate after training or patrolling, it was a habit for her. So once ready, she decided to grab a quick snack before heading out with Drew.
As she turned the corner to the kitchen, her smile quickly diminished when she saw Ted, appearing to cook supper.
"Buffy," he said, looking up at her. "Are you enjoying yourself here?"
She walked past him and opened one of the small cupboards, pulling out two granola bars. "Yeah, I am."
"Well that's nice to hear. Your mother is overjoyed that you haven't had any... outbursts. And I'm hoping that will continue, won't it?"
She sent him a glare as she started to eat one of the bars. "You know me, I'm unpredictable. What happens today, might not happen tomorrow."
He turned from his place at the stove to face her, watching her as she ate. "That, however, isn't nice to hear. You know how it makes me feel when your mom isn't happy. I don't want to have to..."
She stepped closer to him, interrupting him. "To what Ted? Put me in my place? I'd like to see you try. I've... come across some new skills that I never knew I had before and I seriously hope that you try something on me because I will be the one putting you in your place."
His hand lifted, but was quickly back at his side at the sound of Joyce calling his name. "In the kitchen, honey!" he yelled to her.
Buffy smiled, satisified, as she waited for her mother to come in. When she did, she walked over to her. "Mom, I'm going out with a guy named Drew tonight. He's really nice, he actually works here, helping out his grandparents with the maintenance and stuff... I don't know how late we'll be, but I promise not too late."
Joyce smiled at her. "I think that's great honey, just what you need. Have fun and be careful, okay?"
Buffy nodded. "Oh I will. Thanks mom, I love you," she said before leaving.
Joyce turned to Ted and smiled. "Well, she seems to be really adjusting to all of this, doesn't she? I know she was upste when she first found out, but this time away from the city will be good for all of us."
He nodded. "I couldn't agree more Joyce."
Buffy jumped off the sofa at the sound of someone at the door and quickly straightened herself in the hallway mirror before opening it to find Drew smiling at her.
"Hi Drew," she said, returning the smile.
"You ready?" he asked, offering her his hand.
She took hold of it and followed him outside. It felt good to be with someone normal again, someone who didn't know about all the bad things that really were happening in the world. It made her feel like a normal teenager, something she had missed since she found out she was the slayer.
"You look beautiful," he said, looking over at her.
She could feel herself blush. "Thanks Drew, so, what exactly are the plans for tonight? I feel like I should mention that Buffy and bugs are unmixy things."
He laughed. "Bugs are pretty hard to avoid when you're in the middle of the woods, but I'll try my best to keep you distracted."
She grinned. "I'm holding you to that."
"Tell me something about you," he said with a smile. "Where are you from?
"The ever interesting Sunnydale," she answered.
"Really? I moved to Sunnydale last year with my parents, so we'd be closer to my grandparents if they needed us. How come I haven't seen you around? I know I wouldn't forget a face like yours."
"I just moved back, I was... away for a bit. I guess we'll be seeing more of each other than I thought."
"Is that a bad thing or a good thing?" he asked, glancing over at her.
"Definitely good. It'll be nice to actually hang around with someone I like for a change."
He laughed. She loved his laugh - it was a real, down to earth laugh, not a fake one just meant to amuse her.
His grip on her hand tightened as they crossed over a tricky patch of roots and brush. She didn't feel the need to tell him that she had no problem with obstacles such as that - instead, she let out a slight, but efficient gasp as she faked a stumble. When she felt his arm embrace her waist, a smile formed on her lips as he carefully guided her past it.
"Thanks," she said, stopping to look up at him.
When her gaze met his, she felt her heart warm. Even though she hardly knew anything about him, she could feel that he was someone she could trust, and that made her truly happy. She didn't pull away or refuse when she saw his head moving closer to hers, instead, she closed her eyes and waited for his lips to touch hers. When they did, she felt safe and at peace in his hold.
A few seconds later, a tingley feeling came over her - she tried to ignore it at first, but knew it wasn't going away. It wasn't the type of feeling she got when he kissed her, this was different. This feeling could only mean one thing - a vampire.
Reluctantly, she pulled away from him, looking up into his eyes. "I, um, can you excuse me a minute?"
He stared down at her for a minute, trying to figure out exactly what was happening, but eventually he nodded. "Sure, just try not to go to far, it's easy to get lost out here at night. I'll be close by if you need me, just yell."
She nodded before disappearing into the woods. She walked cautiously, blindly avoiding stumps and fallen debree that would have likely caught any normal person off guard - but she was far from normal. Her hand slid to the inside of her jacket, where a stake was safely tucked into an inside pocket. She pulled it out and twirled it in her hand as she carefully scanned the area around her.
"Hey pretty girl, you lost?" came a voice behind her.
She turned quickly, to be comfronted by a bulky looking vampire who had a pleasant smirk on his face.
"Lost? No, actually I was looking for you."
His eyebrow raised. "Looking for me, huh? Not too many brave people around here, you telling me you're brave little girl?"
Buffy smiled. She didn't want to be too cocky - she was still learning a lot about being the slayer, yet she felt confident enough that she could handle one vampire on her own. "Well, yes, I do consider myself rather brave. Maybe you've heard of me, lately I've been known as the Slayer."
His smirk suddenly faded. "Oh really, Slayer you say... word did spread that a new one had been called, but I hardly thought the Slayer would leave the city to come out on a vacation."
"Sorry to disappoint. Now, can we get on with it? I have a date I need to get back to," she said as she brought her stake up.
He lunged at her, but she quickly dodged him and readied herself in her fighting stance. He turned and headed towards her, but she cut him off with a swift kick to his head, sending him stumbling to the ground. She walked over to him and when he recovered his balance, punched his jaw, sending him stumbling again. When she went to hit him a second time, he gripped her arm and forcefully brought her to the ground. She flinched as a nearby branch scratched against her face as she fell. Before she managed to get to her feet, the vampire had thrown himself onto her and grabbed her arms, pinning them to the ground.
As his fangs neared her neck, she brought her head up to connect with his, causing him to pull back in pain. With her arms now free, she hit the side of his head with her elbow and pushed him off of her. Quickly, she moved ontop of him and brought her stake up, but before she could act, he managed to grab a fistful of her hair and used it to pull him from her. Rushing to her feet, Buffy was sent staggering back when the vampire sent a kick to her stomach.
She forced herself to forget about the pain and focus on the fight she was yet to win. "Now you've done it, what am I going to tell my date when I go back looking like this? You are deader than dead jerk," she said before she jumped into the air, landing behind him. She grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled it back, reaching her stake arm around and driving it into his heart. "Hair pulling, really? That is so lame," she said as she released her grip and watched as he turned to dust.
With a sigh, Buffy attempted to straighten out her hair - although not perfect, it would have to do. She could feel the sting from several scrapes on her face and knew they would be hard to talk her way out of with Drew. The thought of just heading home and avoiding him occured to her, but she was starting to like him and didn't want to ruin the closest thing to normal she's had since becoming the slayer.
She tucked her stake safely back into the inner pocket of her jacket before turning and heading back to where Drew was waiting for her.
Buffy lazily walked up the steps towards the cottage. She was in no hurry to get inside, nor was she in the happiest mood. Drew had been concerned and surprised when he saw the shape she was in after she returned. She'd tried her best to conceal what had really happened, explaining that she'd tripped on something and fallen. He was barely convinced, but he didn't press it and she was grateful for that.
He had walked her home and left her with a soft kiss, one that she still felt on her lips. But she knew that bliss would soon disappear when she walked inside and had to face someone. She was hoping for Ted, at least he wouldn't ask her any questions. He would probably tell her she got what she deserved, however she got it. Her mother wouldn't be so easily dismissed.
Opening the door, she slipped inside as quietly as she could and immediately headed for the stairs leading to the bedroom. She was almost there when she heard movement and then his voice.
"Buffy?"
Frowning, she stepped off the last step and turned to face him. "Spike, I..."
She watched as his face fell and concern appeared. "Buffy, what happened?"
She walked past him and flopped down onto the couch, clutching her side when the pain hit her. "I ran into a vampire. It's no big deal, I'm okay."
He sat down beside her and silently inspected her wounds. "You're clearly not, let me help Buffy."
She sighed. "Fine."
He disappeared into the kitchen, and after a few minutes returned with a bowl and a cloth. He began to clean the cuts on her face when he asked, "where did this happen?"
"Deeper into the woods, I think. I was out with Drew, I don't know exactly where we were, but I just got that feeling I get when a vampire is around..." she flinched when dabbed some peroxide on the cuts. "Where do you think he came from? I mean we're in the middle of nowhere, it's not like this place screams vamp central."
He shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out. In the morning I'll do a scan of the woods."
She pulled away from him. "You mean we. I'm the slayer, remember?"
His face softened. "You're hurt luv, you need rest."
"What, this? Spike, I'll be good as new by tomorrow - I'm fine, and besides, busting vampires is kind of my job description."
He let out a frustrated sigh. "You're impossible, you know that?"
She smiled. "I've been told."
"Come here and let me clean you up, we can't have your mother seeing your face looking like that."
She leaned in closer to him, allowing him to continue what he was doing.