Buffy swung the door open and led 'Cat' in. The girl seemed highly annoyed,
much the way she had been with Merrick, but seemed to be holding in her
anger at the moment.
"Guys?" she said outloud, and on the sofa, Willow stirred sleepily from her position and stretched, smacking Oz in the nose.
"Yeah, Buffy, we're here," she yawned. And stared at the girl.
"Willow, this is Cat. She fell out of the sky when we were waiting for the Slayer, so we were hoping you could find out who she is," Buffy explained. Willow began to shake.
"Buffy, I'm not. I can't.. I don't *do* magicks anymore," she said, a tremble in her voice. The thought of the power surge, and the rush of the feeling of magick coursing through her veins was so tempting..Willow pushed it aside, and looked plaintively up at her friend. Oz scowled on her behalf.
"How can you ask that?" he demanded. Buffy crossed her arms defensively.
"I'm not. I'm asking Willow, as one of the nicer people here, to find out who this girl is, through *asking* her," she explained. Willow smiled with relief.
"Yeah, sure, I can do that," she replied, and went over to where the girl stood, and pl;aced a hand on her arm.
"Don't *do* that!" she yelled, and pushed Willow away. Wiillow crashed into Angel, who was standing a few feet away. The girl stared at her arm, mystified by the power.
"*Now* will you let us talk to you?" Buffy said, an eyebrow raised. Mutely, the girl nodded.
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Cat stared at herself. She couldn't even shove her *brother* that hard at home, and she'd pushed the redhead halfway across the room. She'd heard that some drug highs made you feel stronger, but surely her body wasn't capable of that kind of strength?
"Now will you let us talk to you?" the blond asked, and she nodded, wanting to know more.
Cat sat down in the chair, dressed in some of 'Buffy's' clothing, seeing as how her PJs weren't exactly standard dress here. She'd combed her hair, and tried to wake up, but it seemed this wasn't a dream.It had to be a hallucination, or a really *bad* joke, and she'd decided to play along.
"What's your full name?" 'Willow' asked, gently.
"Catherine, Emily Buckingham," she replied. "But everyone calls me Cat."
"Cat, how old are you?" Willow asked the girl again, at least she was answering the questions now, and not declaring them insane. Her shoulder still *hurt* though, she reminded herself, wincing.
"I was 15 in September."
"So you're nearly sixteen, then." Cat looked up, puzzled. To her, she'd been 15 two month s ago, and it was nearly Christmas. Judging by their cxlothes, she'd say it was late summer here.
"No. I was 15 two months ago," she replied, honestly. Willow looked up at Buffy. "It must work differently over there," she said, and Buffy nodded.
"Where are you from?" The questions resumed, nicely, but firmly.
"Suffolk, England. London originally, but I moved to Suffolk about seven years ago."
"What do you know about magick, and Slayers?" Cat smiled. So they were still peddling that, were they?
"Magick doesn't exist. At least, not levitation, and stuff like that. There's this thing called Wicca, but it's a religion, and the spells they do, are stuff like blessings, and get well stuff. No bad stuff," she explained, watching their faces look confused now.
"Slayers don't exist. Except on a show called Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which has been on for about six years. Apparently, the Council, in charge of them, is based in London, but we still don't get the show until after America has seen it," she remembered, wrinkling her nose.
"So what about vampires? Do they exist?' Willow probed.
"Nope! There are weird cults that *believe* they are," she offered, "They bite people and stuff, but they're not vamps. And don't go telling me vamps are real, cos I watched a documentary that told me howe they make the Grr faces, so that can't fool me." She sat back, and crossed her arms.
"So how d'ya think you pushed Willow across the room like that?" Buffy queried. Cat felt perplexed. She hadn't tried to explain that one.
"I don't know. Maybe I'm strong, or I took acid or something. I have no idea."
Buffy grinned at Angel.
" I think you're gonna have to prove it to her," she said, and Angel morphed.
"Do you believe *that*?" she asked, smiling. Cat shook her head. Buffy sighed.
"Angel, I can understand you're avoiding this, but bite her!" she ordered.
"Buffy! I know you might not like her, but Angel eating her isn't a good idea!' Xander protested.
"If Angel bites her, she'll have to know it's real," Buffy replied, and looked at Cat.
"Fine." Cat said with a smirk. Angel walked over, and grabbed Cat by the shoulders. She looked up, momentarily terrified by the long fangs, and yellow eyes. He pushed her head to one side, roughly, and grazed herr neck with his teeth. She jumped. Slowly, he sank razor sharp fangs into her neck.
"OOOOOWWWWWWW!" Buffy smiled. Cat believed them!
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Cat rubbed her neck ruefully, and tried to wipe the blood off. They were all staring at her now, with their arms folded.
What *else* would they come up with if I didn't believe them now?
"It's okay, guys, chill. I believe you, judging by the thing that looks like a killer teenager's hickey," Cat said, and touched the cut again. She pulled her hand away. The puinctures were closing over, and the blood had dried! She stared up at Buffy.
"Now what?' Buffy asked. Cat indicated her neck. "Accelerated healing. Part of the Slayer package," Buffy replied simply. Cat looked dazed.
"So you're saying that a fifteen year old English teen has been catapulted into an non exsistant town in America to become some ancient flower child's idea of a female rolemodel?" Cat said to hereslf.
"Why question it? You're here, and you gotta learn how to control your power, ewven if you do go." Xander stopped. Cat was staring at her hands.
"Go back? If I'm in Sunnydale, then where's home? My mum, my friends, my dog?" she looked up, and they could see her cheeks damp with tears. "If I'm here, then I can hardly be there, can I?" She fell silent, and the gang shifted uncomfortably.
"I think Cat, you'd better stay here tonight. If I put you on the couch here, Angel, if you guys are gonna go off to your hotel room, you'd better do it now. Dawn's in bed, right?" Buffy asked anxiously. Willow smiled, and nodded.
"Maybe tomorrow, you can share with her, or something," Buffy said to Cat, and Cat nodded. She led Cat upstairs, and ushered her in to the bathroom to shower.
"Dawn? You awake?" Buffy asked, knocking on her sister's door. No answer.
Must be asleep.
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Dawn pushed hard on the crypt door, and stumbled in the dark. Clem had gone off to to find out when Spike would be back, anxious about his friend. Something about a mindreading demon in L.A. She always came here, she missed him.
She walked over to the trapdoor, and yanked it up. Climbing down the stairs, she dropped onto her hands and knees, then dusted herself off. She grabbed a torch, and held it up, to reveal a form lying on Spike's bed. Moving closer, to see what it was, she held the torch higher. A hand shot out, and grabbed her wrist, and eyes flicked open, to reveal the shining blue orbs that she remebered drooling over.
" 'Ello Nibblet."
"Guys?" she said outloud, and on the sofa, Willow stirred sleepily from her position and stretched, smacking Oz in the nose.
"Yeah, Buffy, we're here," she yawned. And stared at the girl.
"Willow, this is Cat. She fell out of the sky when we were waiting for the Slayer, so we were hoping you could find out who she is," Buffy explained. Willow began to shake.
"Buffy, I'm not. I can't.. I don't *do* magicks anymore," she said, a tremble in her voice. The thought of the power surge, and the rush of the feeling of magick coursing through her veins was so tempting..Willow pushed it aside, and looked plaintively up at her friend. Oz scowled on her behalf.
"How can you ask that?" he demanded. Buffy crossed her arms defensively.
"I'm not. I'm asking Willow, as one of the nicer people here, to find out who this girl is, through *asking* her," she explained. Willow smiled with relief.
"Yeah, sure, I can do that," she replied, and went over to where the girl stood, and pl;aced a hand on her arm.
"Don't *do* that!" she yelled, and pushed Willow away. Wiillow crashed into Angel, who was standing a few feet away. The girl stared at her arm, mystified by the power.
"*Now* will you let us talk to you?" Buffy said, an eyebrow raised. Mutely, the girl nodded.
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Cat stared at herself. She couldn't even shove her *brother* that hard at home, and she'd pushed the redhead halfway across the room. She'd heard that some drug highs made you feel stronger, but surely her body wasn't capable of that kind of strength?
"Now will you let us talk to you?" the blond asked, and she nodded, wanting to know more.
Cat sat down in the chair, dressed in some of 'Buffy's' clothing, seeing as how her PJs weren't exactly standard dress here. She'd combed her hair, and tried to wake up, but it seemed this wasn't a dream.It had to be a hallucination, or a really *bad* joke, and she'd decided to play along.
"What's your full name?" 'Willow' asked, gently.
"Catherine, Emily Buckingham," she replied. "But everyone calls me Cat."
"Cat, how old are you?" Willow asked the girl again, at least she was answering the questions now, and not declaring them insane. Her shoulder still *hurt* though, she reminded herself, wincing.
"I was 15 in September."
"So you're nearly sixteen, then." Cat looked up, puzzled. To her, she'd been 15 two month s ago, and it was nearly Christmas. Judging by their cxlothes, she'd say it was late summer here.
"No. I was 15 two months ago," she replied, honestly. Willow looked up at Buffy. "It must work differently over there," she said, and Buffy nodded.
"Where are you from?" The questions resumed, nicely, but firmly.
"Suffolk, England. London originally, but I moved to Suffolk about seven years ago."
"What do you know about magick, and Slayers?" Cat smiled. So they were still peddling that, were they?
"Magick doesn't exist. At least, not levitation, and stuff like that. There's this thing called Wicca, but it's a religion, and the spells they do, are stuff like blessings, and get well stuff. No bad stuff," she explained, watching their faces look confused now.
"Slayers don't exist. Except on a show called Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which has been on for about six years. Apparently, the Council, in charge of them, is based in London, but we still don't get the show until after America has seen it," she remembered, wrinkling her nose.
"So what about vampires? Do they exist?' Willow probed.
"Nope! There are weird cults that *believe* they are," she offered, "They bite people and stuff, but they're not vamps. And don't go telling me vamps are real, cos I watched a documentary that told me howe they make the Grr faces, so that can't fool me." She sat back, and crossed her arms.
"So how d'ya think you pushed Willow across the room like that?" Buffy queried. Cat felt perplexed. She hadn't tried to explain that one.
"I don't know. Maybe I'm strong, or I took acid or something. I have no idea."
Buffy grinned at Angel.
" I think you're gonna have to prove it to her," she said, and Angel morphed.
"Do you believe *that*?" she asked, smiling. Cat shook her head. Buffy sighed.
"Angel, I can understand you're avoiding this, but bite her!" she ordered.
"Buffy! I know you might not like her, but Angel eating her isn't a good idea!' Xander protested.
"If Angel bites her, she'll have to know it's real," Buffy replied, and looked at Cat.
"Fine." Cat said with a smirk. Angel walked over, and grabbed Cat by the shoulders. She looked up, momentarily terrified by the long fangs, and yellow eyes. He pushed her head to one side, roughly, and grazed herr neck with his teeth. She jumped. Slowly, he sank razor sharp fangs into her neck.
"OOOOOWWWWWWW!" Buffy smiled. Cat believed them!
&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&
Cat rubbed her neck ruefully, and tried to wipe the blood off. They were all staring at her now, with their arms folded.
What *else* would they come up with if I didn't believe them now?
"It's okay, guys, chill. I believe you, judging by the thing that looks like a killer teenager's hickey," Cat said, and touched the cut again. She pulled her hand away. The puinctures were closing over, and the blood had dried! She stared up at Buffy.
"Now what?' Buffy asked. Cat indicated her neck. "Accelerated healing. Part of the Slayer package," Buffy replied simply. Cat looked dazed.
"So you're saying that a fifteen year old English teen has been catapulted into an non exsistant town in America to become some ancient flower child's idea of a female rolemodel?" Cat said to hereslf.
"Why question it? You're here, and you gotta learn how to control your power, ewven if you do go." Xander stopped. Cat was staring at her hands.
"Go back? If I'm in Sunnydale, then where's home? My mum, my friends, my dog?" she looked up, and they could see her cheeks damp with tears. "If I'm here, then I can hardly be there, can I?" She fell silent, and the gang shifted uncomfortably.
"I think Cat, you'd better stay here tonight. If I put you on the couch here, Angel, if you guys are gonna go off to your hotel room, you'd better do it now. Dawn's in bed, right?" Buffy asked anxiously. Willow smiled, and nodded.
"Maybe tomorrow, you can share with her, or something," Buffy said to Cat, and Cat nodded. She led Cat upstairs, and ushered her in to the bathroom to shower.
"Dawn? You awake?" Buffy asked, knocking on her sister's door. No answer.
Must be asleep.
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Dawn pushed hard on the crypt door, and stumbled in the dark. Clem had gone off to to find out when Spike would be back, anxious about his friend. Something about a mindreading demon in L.A. She always came here, she missed him.
She walked over to the trapdoor, and yanked it up. Climbing down the stairs, she dropped onto her hands and knees, then dusted herself off. She grabbed a torch, and held it up, to reveal a form lying on Spike's bed. Moving closer, to see what it was, she held the torch higher. A hand shot out, and grabbed her wrist, and eyes flicked open, to reveal the shining blue orbs that she remebered drooling over.
" 'Ello Nibblet."