Part 16
7 pm
Buffy let Giles in when he knocked. "Hey, Giles," she greeted her
Watcher, who had his nose stuck in a dusty book. "I just ordered
Chinese."
"That demon you killed a few nights ago, I think I found it in this
book." He handed her the book and followed her inside. She sat, and
looked at the picture of a demon with yellow skin, webbed hands and
feet. It looked harmless enough on paper, but Buffy had found it a
definite challenge to kill. She'd finally succeeded in doing so by
beheading it.
"Yeah, that's it. A Grumlik demon? Okay. So why the research, do you
think there are more?" Buffy asked.
"Most likely, it's a pack demon."
"Great, I suppose I'll go see if I can locate their hideout after
dinner," Buffy sighed. "But I need more weapons and holy water first.
It's been a long week, and demons are getting better at taking away
and breaking my weapons."
"In the weapons chest back at my place," Giles replied, putting the
book down and polishing his glasses.
"I'll drop by and get them before I go out," Buffy said, as she got
up to answer the doorbell. "Come on in, Wesley."
"Buffy," Wesley nodded. "You're looking well."
"Expected me to be dead long before now, didn't you?" Buffy asked.
"That's not what I meant," Wesley protested.
"Sure it was," she shrugged, joining them to sit down. "And I don't
take it as an insult at all. We all know that slayers don't usually
live more than five years after they're called, and I understand why
now. It's hard to have any kind of a normal life. I guess I've
managed, but staying alive the last twenty years isn't all thanks to
me alone. Riley gets a lot of the credit," she said. "He made this
his life too, until it killed him." She looked away, as she didn't
want to see the inevitable sympathetic expression. She'd mourned for
a year, and had intended to start moving on.
"I am very sorry about what happened to him, Buffy," Wesley said.
"Thanks, Wesley," she smiled at him. "I miss him, but I'm dealing.
Now, to change the subject. Why don't you go ahead and tell me what's
so important?"
"Hold that thought just a moment," Giles said as the doorbell rang.
He answered it, and paid the delivery boy. They settled back down
with their food, and Buffy looked at Wesley expectantly.
"Okay," Wesley said with a sigh. "There's no easy way to say this,
except to just say it. Faith's been killed."
Buffy frowned. "Well, I think my first reaction is: she was still
alive? My second reaction, and I'm sorry if this offends you, but...
yay?"
"I realize there was no love lost between the two of you," Wesley
said. "She was far from my favorite person, too. But I'm telling you
this, because you need to know that another slayer has been called."
"Of course she has, because things just _have_ to be that
complicated," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "So is she evil too?"
"Buffy please," Giles frowned at her. "Tell us about her, Wesley."
"Well, she's fifteen, her name is Analiese, and she's currently in
Romania. They've been training her for some time, in the event she
was needed to replace Buffy, actually. In the past two days she's
slain twenty vampires."
"Not bad for a newbie," Buffy admitted. "So, am I going to be
replaced?"
"I really don't know what the Council's plans are," Wesley
replied. "When Faith was killed, I called them to find out if they
knew. And they told me of the new Slayer."
"Well, thank you for telling me, Wesley," Buffy said with a smile. "I
realize that I'm not the Council's favorite Slayer, I'm not really
sure if they still consider me a Slayer. But it's nice to be warned
about these things."
"You're welcome," Wesley shrugged. "I was here, anyway, so..."
"Yeah," Buffy's face darkened, and she got up abruptly, walked into
the kitchen.
"And I'm still a bumbling idiot," Wesley said with a sigh.
"No you're not," Giles protested. At Wesley's questioning look, he
shrugged. "Well, not as much as you used to be, anyway," he said with
a smile.
**************
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Buffy said to Willow,
making a face. She'd called Willow after killing off the other
demons, and she'd invited her to go out with her and Xander. "A
country/western dance club?"
"It's fun!" Willow said with a smile, pulling her friend over to
where Cordelia and Xander were sitting.
"Hi Buffy," Cordelia said cheerfully.
Buffy looked at her suspiciously. "What, the _entire_ LA gang decided
to take a field trip?"
"Don't start," Cordelia warned. "I was planning on being nice to you
tonight. Even though you ripped poor Angel's heart out--" Xander
grabbed Buffy by the hand and pulled her onto the dance floor,
effectively ending the probable cat-fight.
"'Come on, Buffy, it'll be fun!'" Buffy said, glaring at Xander.
"Hey, we're all trying here," Xander said defensively. "Cordelia
cares about An--"
"NOOOOO!" Buffy screamed. "Don't mention his name, Xander."
"Fine," Xander replied, "Let's just try to have fun, Buff."
Buffy sighed and shrugged. Xander had a dance style all his own, and
it soon cheered her up. He would randomly spin and dip her, and she
was soon laughing, and enjoying herself.
And then she looked over at the table. Wesley and Angel had walked
up, and were chatting with Cordelia. Buffy stopped abruptly, and
Xander pulled her off the dance floor so they didn't get in the
way. "What's wrong?" he asked, and then he saw what she was looking
at.
"Did you--" Buffy turned on him angrily.
"No!" Xander backed away, hands up in a defensive gesture. "Willow's
my guess. My wife wants you to be happy, because we're so happy, and
she wishes you weren't alone."
"I'm not alone," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. And I'm not sixteen
anymore, I haven't needed HIM for a long time."
"Fine, but what would it really hurt to be civil to him?" Xander
asked. "And I can't believe I'm even on this side of the
conversation," he said with a grin. "What's wrong with this picture?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha." Buffy replied sarcastically. "Fine. Civil. I'm good at
civil." She grumbled as she followed Xander over to the table.
************
7 pm
Buffy let Giles in when he knocked. "Hey, Giles," she greeted her
Watcher, who had his nose stuck in a dusty book. "I just ordered
Chinese."
"That demon you killed a few nights ago, I think I found it in this
book." He handed her the book and followed her inside. She sat, and
looked at the picture of a demon with yellow skin, webbed hands and
feet. It looked harmless enough on paper, but Buffy had found it a
definite challenge to kill. She'd finally succeeded in doing so by
beheading it.
"Yeah, that's it. A Grumlik demon? Okay. So why the research, do you
think there are more?" Buffy asked.
"Most likely, it's a pack demon."
"Great, I suppose I'll go see if I can locate their hideout after
dinner," Buffy sighed. "But I need more weapons and holy water first.
It's been a long week, and demons are getting better at taking away
and breaking my weapons."
"In the weapons chest back at my place," Giles replied, putting the
book down and polishing his glasses.
"I'll drop by and get them before I go out," Buffy said, as she got
up to answer the doorbell. "Come on in, Wesley."
"Buffy," Wesley nodded. "You're looking well."
"Expected me to be dead long before now, didn't you?" Buffy asked.
"That's not what I meant," Wesley protested.
"Sure it was," she shrugged, joining them to sit down. "And I don't
take it as an insult at all. We all know that slayers don't usually
live more than five years after they're called, and I understand why
now. It's hard to have any kind of a normal life. I guess I've
managed, but staying alive the last twenty years isn't all thanks to
me alone. Riley gets a lot of the credit," she said. "He made this
his life too, until it killed him." She looked away, as she didn't
want to see the inevitable sympathetic expression. She'd mourned for
a year, and had intended to start moving on.
"I am very sorry about what happened to him, Buffy," Wesley said.
"Thanks, Wesley," she smiled at him. "I miss him, but I'm dealing.
Now, to change the subject. Why don't you go ahead and tell me what's
so important?"
"Hold that thought just a moment," Giles said as the doorbell rang.
He answered it, and paid the delivery boy. They settled back down
with their food, and Buffy looked at Wesley expectantly.
"Okay," Wesley said with a sigh. "There's no easy way to say this,
except to just say it. Faith's been killed."
Buffy frowned. "Well, I think my first reaction is: she was still
alive? My second reaction, and I'm sorry if this offends you, but...
yay?"
"I realize there was no love lost between the two of you," Wesley
said. "She was far from my favorite person, too. But I'm telling you
this, because you need to know that another slayer has been called."
"Of course she has, because things just _have_ to be that
complicated," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "So is she evil too?"
"Buffy please," Giles frowned at her. "Tell us about her, Wesley."
"Well, she's fifteen, her name is Analiese, and she's currently in
Romania. They've been training her for some time, in the event she
was needed to replace Buffy, actually. In the past two days she's
slain twenty vampires."
"Not bad for a newbie," Buffy admitted. "So, am I going to be
replaced?"
"I really don't know what the Council's plans are," Wesley
replied. "When Faith was killed, I called them to find out if they
knew. And they told me of the new Slayer."
"Well, thank you for telling me, Wesley," Buffy said with a smile. "I
realize that I'm not the Council's favorite Slayer, I'm not really
sure if they still consider me a Slayer. But it's nice to be warned
about these things."
"You're welcome," Wesley shrugged. "I was here, anyway, so..."
"Yeah," Buffy's face darkened, and she got up abruptly, walked into
the kitchen.
"And I'm still a bumbling idiot," Wesley said with a sigh.
"No you're not," Giles protested. At Wesley's questioning look, he
shrugged. "Well, not as much as you used to be, anyway," he said with
a smile.
**************
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Buffy said to Willow,
making a face. She'd called Willow after killing off the other
demons, and she'd invited her to go out with her and Xander. "A
country/western dance club?"
"It's fun!" Willow said with a smile, pulling her friend over to
where Cordelia and Xander were sitting.
"Hi Buffy," Cordelia said cheerfully.
Buffy looked at her suspiciously. "What, the _entire_ LA gang decided
to take a field trip?"
"Don't start," Cordelia warned. "I was planning on being nice to you
tonight. Even though you ripped poor Angel's heart out--" Xander
grabbed Buffy by the hand and pulled her onto the dance floor,
effectively ending the probable cat-fight.
"'Come on, Buffy, it'll be fun!'" Buffy said, glaring at Xander.
"Hey, we're all trying here," Xander said defensively. "Cordelia
cares about An--"
"NOOOOO!" Buffy screamed. "Don't mention his name, Xander."
"Fine," Xander replied, "Let's just try to have fun, Buff."
Buffy sighed and shrugged. Xander had a dance style all his own, and
it soon cheered her up. He would randomly spin and dip her, and she
was soon laughing, and enjoying herself.
And then she looked over at the table. Wesley and Angel had walked
up, and were chatting with Cordelia. Buffy stopped abruptly, and
Xander pulled her off the dance floor so they didn't get in the
way. "What's wrong?" he asked, and then he saw what she was looking
at.
"Did you--" Buffy turned on him angrily.
"No!" Xander backed away, hands up in a defensive gesture. "Willow's
my guess. My wife wants you to be happy, because we're so happy, and
she wishes you weren't alone."
"I'm not alone," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. And I'm not sixteen
anymore, I haven't needed HIM for a long time."
"Fine, but what would it really hurt to be civil to him?" Xander
asked. "And I can't believe I'm even on this side of the
conversation," he said with a grin. "What's wrong with this picture?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha." Buffy replied sarcastically. "Fine. Civil. I'm good at
civil." She grumbled as she followed Xander over to the table.
************