Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me, they belong to their respected parties and creators.
Note: Still takes place after the season finale. And thank you Banquo for the help!
Strength and Honor
part 2
By: Marcus
New York – 3 weeks later
"Lunge! Parry! Strike! Block! Attack!" Duncan yelled as he and Buffy went through one of their daily training exercises. Buffy did as Duncan had instructed her as he walked around her, stopping her to correct mistakes in her posture and positions of her body and sword. But Duncan was thinking to himself that she was doing exceptionally well in her progress, it had already been three weeks since they arrived in New York and her ability to learn and master weapons was really showing.
After another few minutes of practice Duncan took his sword from the office of his gym and approached her, positioning himself in front of her with his sword up, standing in defensive posture. "Attack." He said. Buffy looked at him in question, this was new, so far he had instructed her, trained beside her, but now he told her to attack him. "Don't worry, just do what you were just doing and I'll move along with you." Duncan said. Buffy nodded "Ok."
Buffy stood in preparation for the drill, he sword brought up with the blade coming down across her upper body, her weight well distributed along her legs. There was a silent pause, waiting for the first move was always the longest in a drill, a fight also.
Breaking the wait, Buffy lunged forward, aiming for Duncans chest in the blink of an eye. Duncan leapt back, she was quicker than he had first thought. As she brought her sword around for another strike, Duncan blocked it swiftly. Buffy leapt back as the position reversed, Duncan swung for her midsection twice before she repositioned herself and blocked low. Duncan surprised her as his foot slide out and hit her behind the knee.
She winced with a yelp as she dropped to her knees, before she knew it, Duncans blade was at her throat. She looked up at him, she was a little more than disappointed with herself, Duncan smiled at her with cheer "You're dead." He said before backing away a few steps bringing his sword down to his side and holding his hand out to her.
Buffy looked at his hand for a moment before taking it. She shot to her feet in an instant, looking into his eyes. "You did good, you're fast, and your technique is well developed, but you have to work more at it." Duncan told her as he walked back to the office with her close behind. "Don't worry Buffy, the more you practice at it, and the more you'll learn, soon you'll be able to hold your own." He said, sitting at his desk and stowing his sword.
Buffy sat on the chair by the wall, nodding silently "I'm usually good with a sword, I've fought with one before. I'm just feeling…off. I don't know what it is." She said to him. Duncan looked up at her "You've fought with one before?" he asked. Buffys eyes widened for a moment as she looked away, she forgot that she hadn't told him that she was a slayer, or was a slayer. She really didn't know right now, but it didn't stop her from going out and patrolling the streets at night.
"Uh, yeah, practice, past time, you know, something to do." Buffy said, finding a lack of a cover up for her slip of the tongue. Duncan didn't think much of it as he looked back at the paper work in front of him. Buffy breathed deeply, looking around for a few moments. "I'll go shower and go to Joes." She said, feeling like she had to get out or go nuts. Duncan nodded "Don't get drunk now." He said with a smirk on him face.
As Buffy was walking out of the office she turned around, looking at him with narrow eyes in false frustration "Very funny." She said before she left the room and went up the elevator.
Half an hour later, Buffy was in her small area of the apartment that was her room, the space that was behind the spiral stairs leading to the roof, Duncan had set it up for her. It was a little small, but it had a nice view of the outside. She slipped into a pair of Jeans and a shirt, it hung around her upper body with a tight fit, accenting her curves. She walked over to the couch and snatched up her coat and tossed it on over her shoulders.
As she was heading for the elevator she stopped a few feet from the door. She had the feeling that she was forgetting something. When she felt the lining of her coat she sighed in frustration, her sword, she'd forgotten it again. She rushed back to her room to fetch it quickly. As she was walking back she hide it carefully under her coat as Duncan had taught her to, she felt the presence of another immortal near.
She dismissed it as she thought it was Duncan coming up from the stairs, but when the door opened she stuck her head around the corner to talk to him for a moment. Who she saw wasn't Duncan "Hey, I'm…" she began, but she saw a woman instead, thin like her, but dark, black hair that was short. "You're not Duncan." Buffy said, backing away from the woman slowly.
The woman walked towards her, looking angry and curious at the same time. She had the feeling of wisdom, yet an immature attitude to her. "No, and neither are you, where is he?" the woman asked, walking towards her still, but keeping a cautious distance from Buffy.
Buffy felt the couch with the back of her foot, and stopped moving "He's down in his office." She said to the woman "Who are you?" she asked. The woman stood less than five feet away from Buffy, hand on her hips and staring at Buffy. "My name is Amanda Montrose, and what did you do to Duncan?" she demanded.
Buffy shook her head, eyes wide a little more "Me? I didn't do anything." She said. Amanda smiled at her; the curiosity remained while the caution vanished and was replaced with a good attitude "Don't worry darling, I was just playing with you, I talked to him downstairs awhile ago, he told me about you." She said. Buffy loosened up and sighed with relief. She was realizing that the immortal life was going to take a little more getting used to than she first thought.
Amanda walked up to her and held out her hand to Buffy "Pleased to meet you." She said with a smile. Buffy smiled as well, giving her a wicked look "You do that often?" she asked, shaking her hand. Amanda waved her hand and laughed softly "Oh, no darling." She said.
Buffy patted her coat off a little "Good, I'd hate to think I'd have to fight another so soon." She said. Amanda smiled with a shrug "After awhile, you learn to live with it…for the most part." She said. Amanda noticed that Buffy was ready to go out someplace, she noticed the coat and all "Where are you off to?" she asked,
Buffy looked down at herself and back at Amanda quickly "Oh, yeah, I was going to go out to Joes, get a drink, talk to him." She said gingerly and with cheer. Amanda smiled "I'll come with you, we have to talk, get to know one another." She said with a perky attitude. Buffy smiled, letting her arms raise and drop to her sides lazily "Sure." She chirped.
Sunnydale
Dawn lay in her small makeshift bed soundly for once. She was staying over with Willow and Tara for the next couple of nights until Giles was able to set up a suitable room for her at his place. She woke up suddenly, breathing a little quickly. She got up quietly as she saw Willow and Tara were sleeping still in each others hold.
Dawn went into her bag and rummaged through the clothes and items she had in it. After a minute she took out a frame, small and rectangular. The picture was of all of them. Willow and Tara, Anya and Xander, and in the center was her, Giles and…Buffy standing behind where she sat. All smiling from a happier time. She stood up and walked over to the window and took a seat beside it, looking out to the stars.
She looked over to her two friends and saw them still undisturbed in their sleep. Dawn couldn't sleep again so she dressed in some warm clothes and sneaked out the door quietly. She walked out the college living area quickly, not wanting to attract any attention. Sure, she knew this was a stupid idea to go out at night alone, but she didn't seem to care about that.
She followed the street until she arrived at the cemetery. She wandered past trees and grave markers slowly, holding a stake in her pocket and wearing a cross around her neck, Buffys cross.
After awhile she arrived at the weeping willow tree, seeing Buffys grave off to the side of it. But she stopped just a ways back from it as she saw Spike there. She crept up close a little as she heard him talking.
"The funeral, well, as you know luv, it was hard on all of us, especially your little sis and Giles…" he said, Dawn couldn't hear the next sentence that followed, but it was something personal "…Giles is trying to get custody over Dawn, I think we all know what would happen to her if he doesn't, either a foster home or your bloody estranged father." He said.
Dawn leaned against the tree as she watched and listened to him "I keep thinking about that morning when we lost you, I blame myself, as I should. I went up there before you managed to and tried to save Dawn. Tried…I should have, I made a bleeding promise to you and…and I failed you." He said. "I don't know if you know or not, but when I saw you lay there on that pile of junk, dead…I broke down. I couldn't help but cry and cry." He said, he now noticed that Dawn was behind him, he could smell her blood.
"But I still intend to hold my promise to you Buffy, I'll protect her…'till the end of the world." He said, loud enough for Dawn to hear him. He stood up and turned around quickly to see her stand fully on her feet "Hey cupcake, couldn't sleep?" he asked her. Dawn took a deep breath and nodded "I…had a dream." She said to him, hesitant to go any further than that.
Spike took out a fag and lit it up, taking a puff from it. "I know the feeling." He said "I keep running that night over in my head, and it always drives me nuts." He said. Dawn walked towards him, coming next to him looking down at the headstone "I miss her so much…sometimes I feel like she's not dead, like she's going to walk through the door any moment and run up to me…hold me, kiss me and just say everything's going to be alright."
Spike looked at her silently, listening on every word Dawn said. "But…I-It's not going to happen, she's here, dead, under all this dirt." She said "And she's never going to hold me again."
Spike hesitantly moved his hand up, bringing it to her shoulder, he waited a moment, wondering if he ought to take hold of her, be there for her. After a minute he gave up and rested his hand on her shoulder "We're all still here for you Dawn, me too." He said. Dawn smiled sadly as she touched his cold hand for a moment. She walked to the headstone and kissed her hand, and pressing it to the stone where her name was on it.
She rose back up to her feet, and walked over to Spike. "You hungry luv?" he asked her, Dawn shrugged, not really knowing if she was or not. Spike huffed and tossed his smoke away "Well I am, c'mon, a walk ought to tire you out anyway." He said, taking her with his arm around her shoulder and leading her away from the cemetery.
As the two walked away, eyes watched them, the color jade. A woman with long raven black hair, standing at 5"9, he physique was thin, slender and strong. She watched curiously as she had been doing for the last day since she had arrived. She particularly watched spike closely, the vampire who was aligned with other people, and fought demons. After watching them leave, she sped away into the night air, into the woods and into the void.
Anya woke up to find that Xander wasn't in bed next to her. She sat up, using the sheets to cover herself as she looked around the room. After a minute of waiting and thinking, she decided to get out of bed herself and see what he was up to. She tossed the sheets aside, revealing her total form in the nude. She got up from the bed and tossed on her robe, tying it at the waist.
She waked out of their room to find the room barely lit, Xander was sitting at the window looking out to the city. "Xander? Why are you up this early?" she asked him curiously and concerned, especially when she saw him take a drink from a beer. What really made her concerned was that Xander never drank, it had something to do with his father.
Xander put the beer down and kept his gaze to the outside, the lights of the city. "Couldn't sleep." He said blatantly. Anya walked up to him and sat next to him, putting her hand on his. "You had that dream about her again didn't you?" she said. Xander looked at her, nodding silently "I keep seeing her lay there…dead. And I keep waking up with that horrible feeling inside." He said to her, referring to Buffy.
Anya leaned forward and kissed him gently, she pulled back a little and looked him straight in the eye "It's been almost three weeks straight now. I really think you should see one of those…what do you call it…head shrinkers?" she said, trying to find a proper term for a therapist. Xander smiled lightly as he leaned forward and returned the kiss.
He looked at her lovingly "Maybe later, right now I just want to…I don't know what I want right now except you here close to me." He said, looking at her with a hint of sorrow in his eyes, Anya knew him pretty well, this was one of those close moments that defines a person emotionally in a deep way. She looked at him and hugged him, holding him closely "I will be with you beyond eternity Xander, I promise." She said to him.
Xander closed his eyes and smiled "I do too Anya." He said, abiding himself by the same promise. Anya stood up holding his hands in hers "Come to bed now." She said gently, leading him away to the bedroom.
New York
Buffy and Amanda walked into Joes bar to see him on the stage playing his guitar. Buffy and Amanda walked tot he table closest as he stopped when he saw them coming to him. He put down his guitar and smiled at them "Hello ladies, how you two doing?" he asked, walking to the bar that wasn't far from him.
"We're doing fine Joe." Amanda said as he returned with a drink for Buffy, her usual whenever she comes by, a light beer, only one. Buffy took the drink and took a sip as they took a seat with him at the table.
"So, Buffy, you consider my offer?" Joe asked her. Amanda looked at Buffy oddly "What offer?" she asked, already lost in the conversation. Joe and Buffy looked at her, Joe smiled his usual smile of kindness and somewhat all knowing attitude "Well, Buffy here is gonna have to start a new life sooner or later, and she's been helping out around here a lot from time to time, so…I asked if she'd be interested in running a bar I'm going to try opening out of town." He said.
Amanda's eyes widened and she looked over to Buffy "Oh darling, you'd be wise to accept such a generous offer, that could help you with the more important things in life, like money." She said with a smile. Joe chuckled to himself as Buffy looked at Amanda with a raised eyebrow, she reminded her a lot of Cordellia. The sense of style, fashion and money seemed to be what she really cared about, at least from what she knew of her at the time.
"Well…" Buffy said, looking at her drink "…I accept, but under one condition." She said, but wanting to control a part of the deal. Joe nodded, motioning with his hand to Buffy. But before she could proceed, Amanda looked at her watch and stood up "Sorry darling, but I promised Duncan that I'd meet him in a little while, later." She said, rushing to the door. Buffy watched her leave and glanced over at Joe with a bemused look on her face "Is she always like that?" she asked.
Joe nodded "Knowing her, she's got some job to do. She's a thief by the way, well, former thief. Mac's got her going through rehab for thieves." He said jokingly. Buffy looked at him seriously now "Before I ask my exception, I need to know, were you able to do the favor I asked you?" she asked, hoping for an answer she wanted to hear.
Joe stood up and walked to the bar, his back to Buffy. He looked at her over his shoulder "Yeah, I managed to get a report on your sister and friends back in California." He said. Buffy shot to her feet and walked towards him in a hurried rush "Well? Are they ok?" she asked, frantic for an answer. Joe reached behind the counter and gave her a think folder "I got photos and files on them for the past three weeks, especially on your sister Dawn." He said.
Buffy saw the folder and quickly snatched it from him, she held it firmly and gently "Thank you Joe." She said, looking up at him. Joe turned to her and smiled "Hey, since when can I resist a pretty womans plea?" he joked. Buffy smiled at him and gave a kiss on the cheek "Lucky me." She said.
She went to sit alone in the far corner of the bar as a few others were entering now, Joe looked at her walk "What's the exception?" he asked, remembering her condition to the exception of the job offer. Buffy turned around to look at him "I want to run the bar in California." She said.
Joe didn't answer, just looked at her with a sigh "I know Mac is gonna have words with me now." He grumbled as he walked to his customer.
Buffy sat at the table and opened the folder. The first thing she took were the photos, there were a few packs of them, the first was of Giles and some of the others, Willow and Tara, Xander and Anya…Dawn. She even saw Dawn and Spike around each other, Buffy smiled at that, she was grateful that he was still around for her, he did promise to protect her until the end of the world after all.
She saw their moods, faces. She knew then how hard her death had hit them, and it hurt her so much to look at these photos even. She went to the photos of Dawn. She pulled out the small stack and flipped through them. She saw the way she was, her mood, Giles picking her up from school. Willow talking to her on a bench by a park. Her mind was already made up, she was going back, but it was going to be more difficult than she wanted it to be. She had to stand by the immortal rules…for now.
She knew that she couldn't let them know who she really was, or that she was alive still. But she had to be there for them somehow. She read over the reports that were made by the watchers. Spike was…an enigma to them, go figure, they didn't know about the demons and vampires. She read through the others as well as the situation in the town of Sunnydale, there were a lot of lots and buildings for sale, it was a good spot for her to open a bar there, right in town. All she had to do now was tell Duncan, and he was going to be against this all the way most likely.
Amanda sat next to Duncan at the dinner table in the restaurant, eating fine cuisine (as she always wanted to.) "So, what do you think of Buffy?" Duncan asked her, taking a sip of his wine. Amanda swallowed her food and nodded as she wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin "I like her, but of course she needs help with her sense of fashion, but she's…different somehow, there's a feeling to her that I can't put my finger on."
Duncan nodded "Tell me about it, I've only been teaching her for a little over three weeks and she's already reaching the point where I almost can't teach her anything more, but there's something that's holding her back. And she is different like you said, but physically…she's more than she seems." He said. Amanda looked at him, curious as to what else there was to know about this new student of Duncans "Do tell."
Duncan chewed a piece of his food and another sip of wine followed "Well, for one, she's stronger than I am. The first time we fought in the mat, she nearly knocked me out in the first ten seconds. And she learns really quick, the moment I gave her a sword, she seemed to know how to use it like the back of her hand." He said. Amanda nodded, it was odd for just on young woman "But what's that you said about her 'missing something'?" she asked.
Duncan sat back straight and looked at her "Well, I know for a fact that she can do better, and I mean way better than she's already been doing, but it's like she isn't all there. Like she's grown up to quickly for her age, and she's…lost something inside of her, I just can't put my finger on it." He said.
Amanda looked at him with concern, he didn't even know this young person for a month and already he was concerned greatly about her. Then again he always trusted some people he befriended quickly, he has a big heart. "Duncan, I think you should talk to her, maybe you can't figure it out because you don't know the whole story." She said.
Duncan leaned forward towards her "I suppose so, she seems like the weight of the world rest of her, and…it wears her down so much. A few times already I found her awake at night, looking out to the sunrise. Something about her past is just to much for her to let go."
Los Angeles
Cordellia and Winifred stood outside the door of Angels room, he hadn't come out in almost a week now, unless there was a crisis, but right after, he'd vanish right away. "Should we go in and see him?" Cordellia asked, not knowing what to do. Fred shrugged "I don't know, I don't know much of anything right now…think we can get him a taco?" she asked, rambling and becoming uneasy.
Cordellia shook her head "Come on." She said, waving towards her with her hand as they walked downstairs to the lobby.
They found Wesley and Gunn downstairs going over research on their next big case, another murder and mystery. They looked up at them as they walked towards them, Cordellia rested her hand on the desk, tapping her fingers as Fred stood beside her silently, shyly even.
"We have to talk about Angel, he hasn't been the same since we came back from Sunnydale." Cordellia said, stating the painfully obvious. Wesley put down his book and sighed, Gunn nodded as he looked to Wesley and Cordellia "Hey, she's right man, just when he gets his act together, this happens and he comes crashing down again." He said.
Wesley nodded "You're right, he needs us now, now especially. Who wants to go in there and talk to him?" he asked. The moment he asked, everyone went silent. Except for Fred who raise her hand shyly, Wesley looked at her "Yes Winifred?" he asked "You volunteering?" he added. Fred nodded "Well, yeah, I guess so." She said in almost a whisper. Everyone nodded to one another "Best of luck then." Gunn said as he walked off into the back room.
Fred looked at Cordellia as Wesley and them went upstairs to Angels room. Once there, Fred gently tapped at his door "Yes?" they heard him say, his tone was frustrated and impatient. The three of them looked at each other, almost afraid. Cordellia motioned with her thumb pointed at the door as she jerked her head to the side towards it. Fred looked like she was about to pass out "A-Angel? I-it's Fred, I'm coming in." she said, and took hold of the door handle and turned it.
She walked into the room to find it a mess, she couldn't even see the floor because it was littered with papers. The furniture was damaged or littered with clothing or otherwise. The room was dark as she calmly walked through the mess "Angel? Where are you?" she called out.
"I never got to say goodbye…" Angel said, standing in front of the window, silent and dark, concealed in the shadows. Fred turned around to see him there, her long dark hair swung over her shoulders "What?" she asked. Angel turned his head to face her "She didn't say goodbye Fred…now I never will." He said.
Fred looked down to the floor and knelt, she picked up one of the papers and held it up closely to her face so she could see it. "Is this her? Buffy?" she asked him. Angel kept silent now, not moving or answering her, she looked around to the other papers, most of them were drawings of her, Buffy.
"Leave me alone." He said finally, breaking this uncomfortable silence. Fred looked at him, she was nervous as she still was around people, but around Angel she seemed a little less uneasy "No, talk to me…don't let yourself be alone." She said. Angel slowly took hold of a lamp near him and threw it violently against the wall, shattering it "GO AWAY!" he screamed.
Winifred jumped back in a scare, she had seen him angry and violent, but never to his friends intentionally, not to her "N-No." she said, stuttering it out, afraid a little. Angel turned around to look at her, even through the shadows she could see his tears "It's not fair..." he began, he lost his voice in the tears as he lowered his head and collapsed onto the bed, crying.
Fred rushed to him at a calm pace, sitting next to him as he cried "It's ok Angel, it's ok…." She said, gently stroking his hair as he cried. She lay down next to him and looked at him, holding him even for awhile, letting him come to her at his own choosing.
New York
Buffy took a sip of her drink, she was helping Joe right now with work behind the bar. One of his usual employees didn't show up and she jumped at the chance to help out. She handed a guy and his buddy two beers and left them quickly to rush to another group waiting near her "Hey! What can I get ya?" she asked in a good mood, there was something she really liked about working in a bar.
She bent down to fetch the group a couple of beers and handed them to them, she received the payment in exchange. She loved this, all the people, the rush, faces, music, it all seemed to alleviate her stress and attitude, bringing it up to a better level.
Joe walked up to her after it seemed to calm down and she was left to counting the money she made in tips, she looked up to see him and smiled brightly "Hey Joe!" she chirped happily. Joe smiled back in return "Hey Buffy, again, thanks for the help." He said. Buffy nodded with a wave of her hand "Happy to, don't worry." She said.
She suddenly felt the quickening, another immortal was coming close by, she used to stagger and grab her head before when she'd feel it, but now she just stood strong and looked around.
Joe noticed this "Don't worry, I called up a friend to come by." He said. Buffy smiled, relaxing "Cool, I hope you'll at least introduce me." She asked. Joe smiled and nodded "Don't worry, he's a friend of Mac's also, his name is…Adam." He said.
Buffy noticed the pause before he said his friends name, obviously there was something he wanted to hide. Just as she was thinking, a man appeared from the front door, wearing a long duster coat and a sweater and blue jeans. he looked rather handsome and in some ways even distinguished. "There he is, hey Adam!" Joe said, waving to his friend.
Adam saw him and walked over to her and Joe "Hey Joe, good seeing you again." He said with an English accent, it reminded Buffy of Giles a little. Joe pointed to Buffy standing next to him "Adam, this is Buffy, Mac's new student." He said, introducing them. Adam smiled at her "Hello Buffy." He said, holding out his hand.
Buffy smiled back and shook his hand "Yeah, great to meet you." She said back to him. Adam turned back to Joe "So, she's the one whose running the bar you're opening?" he asked Joe.
Joe nodded "Yeah, help her with her new identity, if anyone asks, she's the owner…which will be true." Joe said. Buffy's eyes widened as he said that "What?" she asked.
Joe looked at her and smiled sheepishly "Surprise?" he said. Buffy smiled in shock and surprise "You mean that you're giving me the new bar?" she asked, still not totally understanding what Joe was getting at. Joe shrugged "Well, I have lots of extra cash, and you've helped out a lot lately…and we'll wait a little to see how it all goes, but yeah." He said.
Buffy shook her head with a big smile on her face, she rushed in and hugged the old man tight, lifting him off the ground even "Thank you!" she said in a giggle. Joe smiled as she hugged him "Uh, Buffy…I can't breathe." He said in a strain voice.
Buffy's eyes widened as she just realized how she was going about her thanks, she put him down and patted him off "Sorry Joe, thanks." She said with a smirk sneaking through. Joe smiled at her "It's ok, Adam here will be coming along to help you out if you need it." He said.
Buffy turned to Adam and smiled "Cool, could use some help with all that paperwork." She said. Adam looked at Joe with a lightly upset look on his face "Gee, thanks Joe." He said "Now I have to do all the boring stuff." He added.
Buffy raised an eyebrow "Don't worry, where we're going it's never boring."
Sunnydale
Willow woke up, it wasn't even near Dawn yet, still very early in the morning. She shifted lightly as she felt Tara's arms around her waist, she smiled sleepily as she shifted herself closer to her.
"You're awake." Tara whispered to her. Willow turned around where she lay and came to be face to face with Tara "Yeah, still sleepy though." She whispered back, hoping not to wake Dawn (who was still gone.)
"Did you have that dream?" Tara asked her, gently tracing Willows cheek. Willow slowly blinked with a nod "Yeah, but it's getting different." She said, for the past few days Willow was having dreams of Buffy, but she wasn't sure what it meant, it wasn't like a memory of the past, but of the future. A premonition maybe? She didn't know yet, the dreams were still to unclear.
Willow leaned into Taras touch softly "I miss her Tara." She said, looking at her sadly. Tara looked back into her eyes just the same "So do I, she was family." She said. Willow took hold of Taras hand and held it with a strong but gentle ease "Promise me something?" she asked. Tara nodded immediately, she'd promise anything for Willow "Of course." She said.
"Promise me…you'll…never leave me?" Willow asked shyly. Tara smiled lightly as she caressed Willows cheek "I'll stay with you forever, I promise." She said. Willow smiled as she touched Taras cheek as well "I love you." She whispered to her. Tara smiled still "I love you too." She said before gently pulling her in and kissing her softly.
When it ended they breathed deeply and simply looked at each other, both touching each other gently. Willow raised herself up to get a look of Dawn only to see her gone, and her bed empty "Omigod!" she yelled. Taras smiled vanished as well as she spun around in bed to see that Dawn was gone too "Dawn?" she called out.
Both rushed to their feet and began searching their home "Dawn?" Willow called out as she turned the corner and looked in the bathroom. After a few minutes they came back to their bed, standing in front of each other, Willow was going hysterical now "Where is she? I can't find her? Where could she be?" she went on in a rant. Tara took hold of the redheads shoulders "Shhhh, it's ok, I'm sure she's ok." Tara said to her, calming Willow down considerably.
There was a sudden knock at the door, Willow's eyes widened and she rushed to it, opening the door. The door swung open and Willow was relieved to see Dawn standing there with Spike leaning on the door frame next to her. "Dawn!" Willow yelled as she grabbed the young teenager and pulled her into the room, holding her tightly. She took Dawn by the shoulders next and shook her lightly "Don't ever do that again!" she yelled.
Dawn lowered her head a little, feeling ashamed for worrying Willow and Tara so much "I'm sorry, I…" she began, but Willow pulled her in for another hug. Tara stood at the door where Spike was still "Thanks Spike." She said. Spike shrugged as he tossed his smoke away and stomping on it in the hall "Ah, no worries." He said with a light grin on his face.
"Where'd you find her?" Tara asked, crossing her arms. Spike shrugged again "At…Buffys grave." He said. Tara looked at Willow and Dawn talking, Willow was now apologizing for yelling at Dawn, being hysterical and all, she looked back at Spike "What were you doing walking by there?" she asked. Spike somewhat hesitated, not wanting to ruin his 'bad boy' image "Uh…I was…patrolling." He said, raising his head as he figured out a weak cover.
Tara smiled at him, obviously he was lying and was there before Dawn was, she decided to indulge him in his answer and keep quiet "Thanks for bringing her back all the same, Willow was going nuts a little." She said. Spike grinned and nodded "Anytime, I just brought her out, something to eat a little." He said.
Before anything else could be said, someone tackled Spike to the ground. Tara jumped as it happened in a blur. Willow and Dawn came up beside her "Dawn, stay here!" Willow told her as she and Tara rushed out into the hall to see a dark hared woman beating the hell out of a defenseless Spike. Spike gave her a quick punch to the jaw, but started to scream in pain, clutching his head. The woman was a human for sure, otherwise Spike would have an easier time fighting her.
Willow stared at the two of them "Separate." She whispered. Immediately, Spike and the woman were thrown into the opposite direction of each other. Dawn immediately ran up to Spike as the two were released from Willows hold. Tara stood next to Willow as they looked at the woman who was approaching Spike once more. Dawn faced the woman and spread her arms out "No! Don't hurt him!" she screamed at the woman.
The woman stopped in her tracks, looking down at Dawn a little "Why? He's a vampire!" she said aggressively to her. Willow and Tara rushed up and stood with Dawn, protecting a dazed Spike "He's our friend!" Tara said in a low voice, obviously shy. Willow stared at the woman who stood there "Who are you?" she demanded.
The woman stood there, hands on her hips, her long, dark hair flowed to the small of her back almost, her eyes were a jade color. She stared at them intently "I am Catherine Tyler…the Vampire Slayer."
End Part 2
Ok, There you have it, part 2. I'll try and come out with a new part every weekend if I can, and till then keep sending your reviews will ya? I love the input! The more reviews I get, the better I can write.
-Marcus