Disclaimer. As before, only the plot and a few self inflicted characters are mine.
A/N. "..." Denotes telepathic thought. Italics only, just denotes personal thought.
Chapter Twenty Five.
The Grange, Reading.
Dan's Audi pulled to a halt at the large wrought iron gates. The side window came down, his hand appeared and tapped a code into the entry keypad on the post. The gates automatically swung inward and he punched the accelerator, the car responding with gusto up the lengthy driveway.
As the house came into view, Buffy gulped.
"You said house…Not mansion!" She said. "This must be as big as Leonard Norton's place in the Hampton's!"
"Leonard? Oh, right Kennedy's dad. I wouldn't know, as far as I'm concerned it's just my parents home." Said Dan, modestly playing it down.
Parking the car he jumped out and walked round to open the door for Buffy.
"Thank you." She smiled. "You're such a gentleman. Will it all change when we're married?" She said, questioningly.
"If it does. You have my permission to nag me about it...Frequently." He replied, smiling back.
She alighted from the car and stood gazing at the structure in front of her.
"Do I detect a hint of nervousness?" He thought, watching her reactions.
She wrinkled her eyebrows at him. "Now I know how that nun felt."
"Which nun?" Questioned Dan, aloud.
"The one in the movie, with the castle, she sings a lot. Climbing over the mountains. Being chased by the Nazi's."
"Oh right. That one…This made you think of The Sound of Music?" He thought, answering her question.
He gave her a smile and placed a hand over hers, squeezing it gently. Buffy felt her apprehension disappear at his touch, as though if he were at her side there was nothing she couldn't face, couldn't defeat. The feeling was that powerful.
They walked up to the front doors. Dan opened one of them and they stepped into the domed entrance hall. Dan led her on into the house.
They entered the main reception hall. The place had a Mediterranean feel to it. One that continued through the whole of the ground floor, and up the wide marbled stairs that curved up the wall behind them.
The sound of a door closing somewhere above them drew her attention to it's source. There was a circular gallery cut into the ceiling above them allowing light from the upstairs to filter to where they were. She could see that it had a glazed dome roof above it, the source of the natural light. A man appeared at the balustrade reading a magazine as he sauntered along the upper level. As Dan thought it, she got the message too, this was his father. Outwardly he looked like an older version of Daniel, slightly greying at the temples and somewhere near to Giles' age.
"Hi, dad." Called Dan.
Derek looked up. "'Hello son, you made it then." The voice wasn't as cultured as Giles', it reminded Buffy more of Ripper's accent. He put the magazine down on a nearby table and hurried down the staircase. As he did he glanced at his watch. "And punctual too, your mum will be amazed." He said, grinning.
"Thanks dad!" Retorted Dan. "Dad, this is Buffy, my fiancée. Buffy, this, wind up merchant is my old man, Derek Carter."
Derek held out a hand to her. Buffy gave him a beaming smile and they shook.
Derek was a little taken aback for a second, it showed in his eyes, and Buffy realised that she'd inadvertently put a little too much effort into the handshake.
"That's a good grip you've got there, love. I could use a grip like that in some of my meetings. These young exec's today think they've got to prove themselves by wringing your hand off." He said.
He was smiling as he said it, and Buffy understood that it was a compliment.
"Yeah. Sorry. I get a lot of practise, always with the meet and greet."
"Yes, you must. Becky tells us that you work for a charity?"
Buffy was about to answer when a woman appeared from a door at the rear of the hallway. Seeing the three there, she smiled and approached. Buffy saw that her eyes reflected the smile, the same way that her own mother's had when she was genuinely happy.
"Sorry. I didn't hear you arrive. I was busy in the dining room." Said Kate.
There was another round of the introductions and Kate suggested that they should adjourn to the sitting room. She led the way down a wide corridor to another large airy room with comfortable sofas arranged in a 'u' shape.
"Nice place you've got here." Commented Buffy. "I like the Mediterranean feel, you've got, it reminds me of my place in Rome."
"Thank you. We'll give you the tour later, if you'd like. You have a house in Rome?" Asked Kate.
"An apartment, in the Vatican district. Some friends are staying there at the moment. It's not really home though I've moved around a lot in the last couple of years." She explained.
The conversation picked up pace as everyone fielded and answered questions about themselves. Buffy finding out more about the Carter family history and relating her account of the fall of Sunnydale, the one that fitted in with the plausible, official reasoning behind its destruction.
"That must have been awful. To see the whole town collapse like that." Said Kate. There was concern in her voice. "Especially after everything else."
"Actually, the only thing I miss about the place are my mother and the friends who didn't make it out….My sister couldn't understand why I was smiling as it collapsed. When I stood on the edge there, the only thing I could think about was that we'd escaped. Like the chains had been taken off. I'd made it out of a place where I'd been stuck for seven years. Somewhere that I thought I'd never leave, alive anyway."
Derek gave a low whistle. "Was the place that bad?" He asked.
"Kinda. There was a gang culture under the surface. Drugs, and worse. It wasn't the nicest of places to be, especially after dark."
Derek placed a hand upon his wife's. "They never told you that on the documentary! And here's us thinking we struggled to build up our life and business. It just shows that there's always two sides to a story, and other people aren't always as lucky."
The sound of a gong being hit came from somewhere outside the room.
"Ah. Sounds like lunch is ready." Said Derek. "Come on, Mrs Danby doesn't like to be kept waiting."
-------------------------------------------
Westbury.
Giles, Olivia and Natalie were walking by the lake in the grounds of the school.
"I've come to a decision. I'm going to sell my place in Dursley." Said Olivia, suddenly.
"Are you sure?"
"Quite. I can still paint here, you need help with the administration, and I can teach art to the students. I know you haven't found an art tutor yet."
"What about a school for Natalie. Didn't you say that she was due to start at the local school there in September?"
"Yes, but circumstances have changed somewhat. Anyway, I was a busy beaver on Friday. I've researched a couple of local schools. One is State run, and the other is privately funded. Both are equally as good as each other. They both have their pro's and cons."
"And they would be…?"
"The state run school is a small village school, only twenty children there spread over four teaching staff. She'd have to make new friends, which shouldn't be a problem, and it would help her to interact with children of her own age. Although it's small it provides a very much needed local community facility. There may be a move by the LEA to close it in the near future, if they decide that it's not a viable concern. Local pupil numbers are falling."
"Hmmm. And the other….?"
"The other is an extremely well funded and prestigious, private school. Highly rated teaching staff, friendly, protective, and very close to home. The only problem with it is that there aren't any children of her own age group there."
"Ah, I see. You mean here." He said, realising.
"In a few years time, you may need to think about a crèche or a section for younger children, especially as slayers and watchers get older and may want to start families of their own. However, in the meantime, why don't we utilise the local amenities and help keep them 'afloat', as it were."
Giles' mind worked out the possibilities.
"It had crossed my mind that at some point we'd have these things to consider. I didn't actually think that we'd need to act upon them so soon. Let's talk about it with Natalie first, shall we. Then we'll make an appointment with the school and see how it goes?"
Olivia smiled. "Thank you."
"For what? You presented an excellent case. The outcome was a foregone conclusion."
She squeezed his hand. "Not just for that. For accepting me back, accepting Natalie, welcoming us into your life."
Giles smiled at her, warmly. "How could I resist. To be honest, there was something missing in my life. I did feel a large gap when you left, and with hindsight, had you stayed, it would have been very dangerous for you. I had my work to throw myself into. It was how we were trained. The mission comes first. I had other priorities at that point in time. However, had you decided to stay, that would have been alright too. I would have found a way around it."
"Ah, the old council calling the shots again."
"Precisely."
"Will you ever be rid of their influence?"
"Hopefully, one day. Though it may be a while yet before all the ghosts are exorcised."
"Like tomorrow, for instance?"
"Yes. Leigh still had is supporters even though he was excommunicated, as it were."
"Do you think any of them will turn up?"
"Possibly, although they'll not be there to cause trouble. It would be…Unseemly. Are you concerned for our safety?"
"No, I think you've covered that angle, by asking Vi and Xander to accompany us. I wasn't sure what to expect. The last funeral I attended was my fathers so I'm not really au fait with the formalities."
"They're nothing special, I assure you. I specifically asked for it to be kept fairly simple. I really do want to keep as low a profile as possible."
"So it would be alright for Natalie to attend as well then?"
Giles paused and gave her a puzzled look.
"I don't understand. Why? Has she asked to come. Does she not want to stay here with the watchers?"
"No. I know it probably sounds a little harsh. I'd like to break her in gently, so to speak."
Giles was puzzled. "I'm sorry, I fail to see…."
She put a finger on his lips. "Hear me out. Please. If she's going to be around slayers, witches and watchers, it's likely that there will come a time when the people she's now just getting to know, are possibly killed in violent circumstances, and if she learns to accept the notion that people die, she may deal with it a little easier…."
"Death is never easy, whatever age group you happen to find yourself in. I was hoping to delay her exposure to any more trauma than is necessary, she's only four." He said, concerned for the sanity of his daughter. "Very well. If it does get too much for her, I'm sure Xander or Vi will entertain her for a while."
"I believe she'll be alright. Natalie's dealt with the fact that magic exists quite well, she's quite well balanced really, probably gets it from your side of the family." She laughed
Giles pulled her close. "Do you think so? I hadn't considered that some of my familial traits would manifest in her. ."
Olivia grinned. "With your brains and my looks, who knows what she might achieve."
Giles' turned and looked to where Natalie was attempting to skim stones across the lake.
"I believe we'd better start panicking now then." He said.
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Geneva, Switzerland.
Hecht sat in the chair, watching his wife swimming the length of Maguire's pool. As she reached the far end, Maguire came out from the house and sat next to him.
"What's the verdict on the laboratory situation?" He asked quietly.
"Juries still out, on that." Said Hecht. "However, I've made some headway in the procurement of an outlet. I'm signing the papers next week on a deal to purchase a bottling company in Lancashire. I've routed some funds from one of the subsidiary accounts so that it can't be traced back to us. They've got a considerable amount of warehousing space, so storing the product won't be a problem. As soon as I can reasonably accomplish it I'll start moving it from the temporary locations. Have you made the recording yet?"
"I've got a studio session booked for tomorrow in Bern. I've managed to find a place that will allow us to work alone. Once the CD's are made the ritual can be performed almost anywhere."
"One day we'll look back on this and think, why didn't anyone think of putting dark rituals and spells onto CD's, or making them downloadable before. It's so much easier on the effective use of a Shaman's time and prowess." Said Hecht.
As his wife began to swim back towards them they turned their conversation to football, and the chances of Manchester United achieving the double next season.
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Belgravia Police Station.
At first, Davies couldn't understand why he was still alive. He came to the obvious conclusion that his captors had replaced his cyanide pill with a harmless one. Gorman had been so convincing with the tale he'd told that he'd given them enough information to convict them all. That was not good. Still, they had to catch them all first….
The only saving grace was that he hadn't divulged the ten digit alpha numeric access number. That wouldn't be easy for them to obtain, and by the time they'd attempted to access it, the others would be alerted and would have moved the money. The only thing he wasn't sure of was the timescale of his captivity. He rubbed his face as he thought. He realised that there wasn't much beard growth so it could only have been a day or two at the most. He still had a headache, probably a leftover from the tranquillizer they'd used.
His stomach growled. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten. Gorman's accent was British, and southern, so he was guessing he'd been transported back to the UK; probably London. If he ever managed to escape, he'd need to get his bearings quickly, not run blindly about.
He hadn't taken much notice of his clothing earlier. His own had been replaced with an off-white boiler suit of sorts, so the hidden lock picks in the collar of his shirt had gone. Damn!
He mulled over his capture in Paris and the interrogation again, trying to ascertain if there were any clues that he'd missed. Then he realised. Gorman's face! It had shifted to some…thing? Had someone given him hallucinatory drugs? Probably not. That was a recipe for death. A powerful tranq and mind blowers would have killed him, no question. Again the question raised itself in his mind. How had Gorman done that?
The more he thought about it the more he couldn't figure it out. His mind wandered to the sci fi end of the theories…Unless…No…Not possible…An alien? Disguised as a copper. How nuts was that idea! There was only one way to find out. Ask!
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Sometime later, a guard in prison uniform brought him a meal on a tray. Thinking he might be able to use the utensils as weapons, Davies' hopes lifted, only to fall again as he noticed there was only a spoon on the tray, a plastic one at that. Another guard came in behind the first one, they weren't taking any chances then, they'd learned from their last experience of capturing a Musketeer….The hard way.
Neither guard spoke the whole time they were in there. They also avoided eye contact wherever possible.
"Under orders not to converse with the prisoner then!" Said Davies.
The guard shrugged.
"What. Not even a hello, hope you're enjoying your stay."
Again no reply.
"Get Gorman, or whatever his name is, in here. I want to talk to him. Now!"
The guard simply pointed to the tray of food, indicating that he should eat.
Davies was hungry, but he wasn't about to be tranquillized again, he didn't trust this lot.
"Fuck off. I eat that shit, then I fall asleep, again. Your mate comes in and tries it on with the mind games. Not fuckin' likely!" He snapped.
The guard picked up the tray and pulled another plastic spoon from his pocket. He took a spoonful from the tray and ate it himself. Then he replaced the spoon in his pocket.
After seeing the guard swallow Davies picked up the spoon and shovelled the food in like he hadn't eaten for a week. The other guard poured a beaker of water from the jug on the table and handed it to him as he finished. He downed that too and leaned back on the bed he was still chained to.
"So, you going to get that Gorman bloke, or what." He said.
"Thanks lads. You can leave us now." Came Gorman's voice from the doorway.
The two guards collected the tray, nodded, and left the room. Gorman locked it behind them.
"You wanted to see me?" He asked Davies.
"Yeah. Just wondering. What are you?"
"Not with you?" Said Gorman, puzzled.
"Your face. It changed while you were giving me that spiel about me being in a nuthouse."
"Still not with you?"
"I SAW IT! YOUR FACE CHANGED! DON'T DENY IT!" Bellowed Davies.
Gorman sighed and shook his head. He gave Davies a small smile.
"Come on, you can't reverse the game on us. If you think you're going to get a soft approach by making us think you're nuts, you've got another think coming. It won't work. No section eight for you, sunshine. You and your mates are hit men. We're still checking the information you gave us earlier, and we haven't decided whether to put you on trial ourselves yet, or hand you back to the military. If I've got it right, I believe that desertion in a time of conflict is a capital offence, isn't it? You're a killer, Davies. Plain and simple!"
"We're killers are we. So what's that make her then?" Retorted Davies.
"Make who?"
"That Summers bitch. The one I shot in Paris."
"I've told you already. You didn't shoot anyone in Paris, Davies."
Davies gave a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, I see. She didn't exist anyway, so there's nothing to cover up. That's nice and clean. How are you going to explain that there's a copper missing from the force then?"
"What part of 'you didn't shoot anyone in Paris', don't you understand?" Said Gorman, spelling it out.
"I know what I did. You prove otherwise."
Gorman looked at his watch and grinned. "I can't prove it today, but maybe tomorrow. At this moment, I can't be too certain, but I think they're both sitting down to lunch, somewhere a lot more comfortable than this." He said, smarmily.
Davies paled. "She set me up! How?"
Gorman shook his head. "Trade secret. You messed with the wrong people this time. Your mates were given a message when they tried to call to warn you. If they've got any sense they'll either give themselves up, or run and hide. The choice is theirs. But if they try anything else, I don't expect she'll have much patience left. She'll wipe the floor with them. And I'll be there, cheering her on."
"So she's a contract killer then, like us."
"You've got it wrong Davies. She's not a killer, contract or otherwise."
Davies looked at him in disbelief.
"Then why the hell do they call her The Slayer?"
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Reading. The Grange.
They finished lunch and returned to the sitting room for coffee. Mrs Danby brought in glasses and the Champagne that had been in the chiller.
"Dad, I'm driving." Said Dan.
"I know son, but we've got to toast the happy couple. You didn't have any wine, so half a glass won't hurt, will it?"
Buffy sent him a message.
"It's sunny out. My guess is you'll be okay. You'll heal yourself."
"You're probably right. I Shouldn't risk it though. I like my licence as it is. Clean." He replied.
Kate stood up and handed the glasses around as Derek poured. He toasted them and they sipped at their glasses. Dan took a few sips of his before placing it down on the table.
"You haven't told us how you met yet?" Said Kate.
"Pure chance, mum."
"Don't be evasive Daniel." She said.
Buffy grinned. "Actually, thinking about it, it was quite funny." Dan shot her a look.
"Careful!" He prompted.
She grinned at him. "Don't worry, I got it." She thought. "I was out jogging near Westminster Abbey. Danny was guarding something, not sure what exactly, and I crossed a line that I shouldn't have. Anyway…He tried to arrest me…." She added out loud.
"Bloody hell Danny, that's a new way of chatting a girl up." Laughed his father.
"Tried?" Queried Kate.
"Tried." Repeated Buffy. "It got a bit scary after that. Some guy they were arresting inside the Abbey came out and got all fighty, he grabbed a gun off one of the officers and pointed it at us. Danny pushed me over and dived on top and the other cops grabbed the guy again."
Buffy was trying to make it appear as though she'd not done much at the scene, that and put Dan forward as the hero of the hour, saving the damsel in distress. Kate's mouth dropped open. Buffy continued.
Dan took up the tale. "Anyway, after that, some mutual acquaintances decided that it might be good to put us together, so they gave us a little push, and here we are." He wasn't telling any lies there.
"So the incident at the Stag was the second time you had a gun pointed at you inside a week!" Said Kate. "Daniel, I worry about you and the guns. You've been lucky so far. Why don't you quit while you're ahead."
"Actually, that's another thing I've got to tell you. I am. Resigning, that is. I've been offered a teaching post." He admitted.
"That's a relief. Who do I have to thank for this opportunity?" Said his mother.
"Me." Said Buffy, sweetly. "Well, Giles, really, sorta." She added.
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There had then followed the explanation about the school, the WSC Foundation's public version, Buffy's role, and the jobs they were both intending to do there. Sometime later, Kate had given her the house tour and now they were walking around the grounds. Dan and Derek had been left behind at the garages, discussing the dilemma of Teresa Jane. They'd stopped by the stables and Kate was introducing her to the residents.
"Wells and Fargo, are two hunters. They're the ones that Becky and I ride. Wells is seventeen two and Fargo is sixteen hands…"
She glanced at Buffy, who was petting and holding a carrot for a small pony in the next stall.
….And that is Munchkin. The girls ride him, although Jamie wants to ride Fargo all the time. He's the one in charge. As silly as it sounds he's first in the pecking order, water, food, hay. You name it he's got to be first."
Buffy grinned. "I can relate to that."
"Really, you don't strike me as the bossy sort. Confident in your own environment, yes, but not bossy." Said Kate.
Buffy arched an eyebrow.
"Tell that one to my sister!" She grinned.
Kate smiled back. "You two sound a lot like Becky and Dan used to be when they were younger. Was it hard looking after her when your mum died?"
"What can I say. I made rules, and she broke them, then blamed me."
"But you stuck at it. You became her mum overnight. That had to be hard, it's hard enough coming to terms with becoming a mother when you've got nine moths to prepare, and yet, even now she's at Oxford, you're in England too. You still feel the need to look out for her?" Kate observed.
"We've only got each other. She's very special."
"Your father isn't around then. Mid life crisis?"
"Last we heard he was in Spain with his secretary. He didn't even attend mom's funeral or contact us afterwards to see if we were okay."
"From your tone, I'd say look out if he ever came near again. Do you hate him that much?"
"I don't know about hate…I just don't want to see him again…Ever!"
"What does Dawn think?" Asked Kate.
"She never mentions him." Replied Buffy, innocently.
"Hmmmm" Said Kate, suspiciously.
Buffy looked Kate square in the eye. "Are you analysing me?"
Kate slumped. "I'm sorry Buffy. It's the mother in me. I can't help it. I want to get to know you. I had four years to get to know Mandy. You must have realised that all this is a bit sudden. When Becky told us the other day that you were engaged, Derek thought there might be another reason."
She raised her eyebrows and looked down at Buffy's stomach, inclining her head in anticipation.
"Oh. No. Not pregnant." She said. "I've got enough people calling me 'mom' at the moment." She thought.
Kate looked relieved. "That's something, anyway." She paused. "I will say this though. Danny's different. I don't know what you've done to him, there's something about the two of you. The chemistry. He loves you, and you love him. I can tell that much. You finish each others sentences, as though you know what each other are thinking. You don't find that in a lot of people who've been together as short a time as you have….."
Buffy gave herself an inward grimace. Dan had said his mom was perceptive, but this was amazing. It was almost like what Andrea did when she read someone's aura.
"….The way you've been going about it, anyone would think you were telepathic." She finished.
Buffy gave a weak giggle. "Really, I, er, wow. That's really…deep!" She said, trying to sound as though she was astounded and confused by the statement. Fluffy Buffy wanted to come out, so that she could throw Kate off the sent. Kate saw it immediately, and shook her head.
"Buffy, you're not stupid, or an 'airhead', I believe the term is…I can't help but have the feeling that there's something about all this that both of you aren't telling me. Like there's some big secret. Becky knows what it is but she's not said anything. Even my mum's keeping quiet, and she can talk the leg off an iron pot.
"Your mom? Oh, right. Phoebe. She's nice. Tells some really good stories, apparently."
Kate grinned. "Yes, quite the storyteller is mum." She paused. Her eyes suddenly widened and her hands flew to her mouth.
"Oh my god! They're all true!"
End of Chapter Twenty Five.