Out of Sight... (Homecoming pt. II)
Another ongoing fanfic by Joe Stakem
Dawn had gone home with Willow and Tara, Giles and Xander were talking, away from Anya. "Look Giles, I just don't think giving Dawn slayer training has been very therapeutic, now she thinks she's supposed to be the fill in girl, the Buffy substitute, the Buffy Lite." The old Englishman took off his glasses. "Xander, I didn't intend give her the impression that my training her would be for her to be a slayer. I merely began to do this as a means of teaching her basic self defense, she mistook that for me trying to be watcher, then tonight she insisted on coming along, much to my protest, much to everyone's protest, but she would have snuck along either way." He was weary from even debating the issue with Dawn, but what could he do? He and Xander were just frustrated with the whole thing. Giles wasn't to blame, he too had a right to lapse in judgment, he merely thought that teaching Dawn the basics would help her deal with things, give her something to do after school instead of just crying all the time. "We gotta get it through that she is not the new slayer, and should not feel like she has to be." Xander said. "That may be true, but we must find some kind of alternative, we fell apart in battle today, and have been since...at any rate, something must be done before this situation gets out of hand." He was right, the Scoobies weren't enough, the vamps were organized now, they were stronger, they had a leader, a new vamp who came to town at the right time and took over...
Just then the bells on the door clanged, Anya came bounding out from behind the counter. "Hi customer, we were about to close, but then you came and brought money for buying things, please buy things or leave." The guy stood with a puzzled look. "I'm actually looking for someone." The guy said, just then another guy came into the store and stood behind him. "Well, we don't sell people, but we have shiny things, please buy something!" The ex-demon said. Just then Xander and Giles came down from the second floor, to be greeted by a familiar face. "Hey, man! Been awhile." Xander was happy to see Oz, but it would been better if they all could see him again. Giles, the more proper man, greeted Oz with a cordial nod, and uttering of the name. "Oz." "Are you the one who turned Willow gay?" Anya said, with an armful of shiny things to sell. "Ah yes, and this would be my better half, Anya, ex-demon." Oz shook her hand, "I'm a recovering werewolf." Then they all turned to look at Dave. "May we help you?" Giles said, flashing the standard smile. "He's with me actually, this is David, I met him in jail." They all looked back at Oz. "So, did you go gay too?" Anya asked Oz, Giles chuckled a little. "Come on hotlips, I thinks its time we put away the shiny things." Xander led Anya away, while giving Oz the thumbs up. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, Willow is--" Oz cut him off. "I know." "Dave is a traveling buddy, he happened to be hunting a pack of vampires when we both ran into psycho werewolf cops, and zombie hicks, it all led us back here." Giles was joined by Xander and Anya. "Vamps are no problem, we got tons of 'em, especially now..." He looked at the ground. Before Anya could speak, Xander covered her mouth. "Yes, very unfortunate business, we lost Buffy..." Giles trailed off. "Who's Buffy?" Dave asked, it was the first time he spoke since he got there. "She was the resident slayer here, until now, what the hell happened?" Oz said, sitting down. "It is a long story." Giles said, still a little misty, he had lost a daughter and a slayer. "She died saving us all." "We all knew she would." Oz said, hey was genuinely sad, but his Ozzy calmness always showed through, except in wolf mode. "Well, I'm going to let you all catch up, I gotta get huntin', thanks for the ride man, I'll see ya around." Dave said, he had his weapons already on him when he came in the store. He tossed Oz a roll of cash and exited. He walked out of the shop and over to Oz's van to get his gym bag full of weapons, he was on his own again, as well he should be, he didn't want anyone else dying because of him. Behind him in the shop, the others were still there, reminiscing, Dave had somewhere to be, he was headed for the cemetery, a familiar place for him, it was the only place he really known in a long time...
TO BE CONTINUED