It was 2 AM by the time they found a motel with a person of the girl's description staying. Giles had tried to get Buffy to hold off until the next day when it got late, but she'd insisted on finding the girl before she skipped town.
"I don't like it when people swing swords at me, Giles."
Buffy knocked on the door to room 13. No one answered. Buffy knocked again, harder.
"Perhaps she's already left, Buffy," said Giles. He glanced speculatively at the row of motel doors and the nearly empty parking lot behind him.
"Then she won't mind if I take a look around," said Buffy. She hadn't stayed up this late and driven all over Sunnydale to give up at the door of her best lead. She took a step back and kicked the door open with her chunky black shoe.
"I'd stay outside were I you," came a female voice from within the dark room. The accent was defiantly English, though a bit thick than Giles'.
"That sounds like an invite to me," said Buffy and entered, but the girl was waiting for her and knocked her back with the butt of her sword.
Buffy landed back on her rear with a grunt. She'd had the wind knocked out of her unexpectedly.
"Are you all right?" asked Giles and Buffy motioned towards the door. The girl had turned on the light to find her pack and was making to flee.
Giles stopped her with his sword across the doorframe and she backed inside dropping her pack and raising her sword. It was a beautiful weapon. Giles found it vaguely familiar.
"I don't want to have to fight you," he said.
"Afraid you're going to lose, old man?" The tall red haired girl taunted him.
Giles grinned, sure of his skill, "Not at all."
"Well then," she said, beckoning with her free hand, her brown eyes flashing with amusement, "let's have at it before you die of advanced age."
She lunged and he countered. Blades struck again and again as he pushed her farther into the small room. She was backing into a corner and she knew it.
Giles didn't want to hurt her if it could be at all avoided. He hoped it could be avoided, but he was having trouble disarming her.
Buffy was in the room closing in on her right. The girl and Giles locked swords at the hilt.
"What do you want?" she asked struggling. She'd underestimated him. She recognized the girl at her right as the one from the cemetery where she'd gone out to relieve some tension earlier in the day.
"We'd like to talk to you without you taking a swing at us," said Buffy.
"I've got nothing to say to you," she reached down to her boot. Buffy saw her, got there first, and had the little blade to her throat in less than a second.
Giles knocked the sword from the girl's hand and knelt to grab it.
"You'd better make sure I'm dead before you touch that sword," she growled.
"You'd better settle down," said Buffy.
"You'd better bloody kill me," she answered.
"We're not going to kill you," said Giles. He was holding both swords and standing between her and the door. "Back down, Buffy."
"What's your name?" asked Buffy, not backing down, still ready to fight the girl.
The girl hesitated then answered, "Stone."
"No, really?" said Buffy.
"Is your name really Buffy?"
"Ok, Stone," said Giles still breathing heavy from the melee, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"Same place I learned when to run," she said as she ducked pass Giles through the door with Buffy on her heels.
She didn't get far before the slayer knocked her down. She hit the ground of the parking lot hard.
"I thought you English had better manners," said Buffy standing up and dusting off her knees.
"Some of us are quite bloody minded," said Stone. She stood and faced them both.
Giles approached, his weapon neutral.
"All right, you win but I can't imagine what I have that you would want, but if you take my mother's sword I will find you." The threat in her voice was serious and heavy.
"We aren't going to take anything," said Giles, "we'd just like to know what you're doing in Sunnydale and why you attacked Buffy."
"I don't like it when people swing swords at me, Giles."
Buffy knocked on the door to room 13. No one answered. Buffy knocked again, harder.
"Perhaps she's already left, Buffy," said Giles. He glanced speculatively at the row of motel doors and the nearly empty parking lot behind him.
"Then she won't mind if I take a look around," said Buffy. She hadn't stayed up this late and driven all over Sunnydale to give up at the door of her best lead. She took a step back and kicked the door open with her chunky black shoe.
"I'd stay outside were I you," came a female voice from within the dark room. The accent was defiantly English, though a bit thick than Giles'.
"That sounds like an invite to me," said Buffy and entered, but the girl was waiting for her and knocked her back with the butt of her sword.
Buffy landed back on her rear with a grunt. She'd had the wind knocked out of her unexpectedly.
"Are you all right?" asked Giles and Buffy motioned towards the door. The girl had turned on the light to find her pack and was making to flee.
Giles stopped her with his sword across the doorframe and she backed inside dropping her pack and raising her sword. It was a beautiful weapon. Giles found it vaguely familiar.
"I don't want to have to fight you," he said.
"Afraid you're going to lose, old man?" The tall red haired girl taunted him.
Giles grinned, sure of his skill, "Not at all."
"Well then," she said, beckoning with her free hand, her brown eyes flashing with amusement, "let's have at it before you die of advanced age."
She lunged and he countered. Blades struck again and again as he pushed her farther into the small room. She was backing into a corner and she knew it.
Giles didn't want to hurt her if it could be at all avoided. He hoped it could be avoided, but he was having trouble disarming her.
Buffy was in the room closing in on her right. The girl and Giles locked swords at the hilt.
"What do you want?" she asked struggling. She'd underestimated him. She recognized the girl at her right as the one from the cemetery where she'd gone out to relieve some tension earlier in the day.
"We'd like to talk to you without you taking a swing at us," said Buffy.
"I've got nothing to say to you," she reached down to her boot. Buffy saw her, got there first, and had the little blade to her throat in less than a second.
Giles knocked the sword from the girl's hand and knelt to grab it.
"You'd better make sure I'm dead before you touch that sword," she growled.
"You'd better settle down," said Buffy.
"You'd better bloody kill me," she answered.
"We're not going to kill you," said Giles. He was holding both swords and standing between her and the door. "Back down, Buffy."
"What's your name?" asked Buffy, not backing down, still ready to fight the girl.
The girl hesitated then answered, "Stone."
"No, really?" said Buffy.
"Is your name really Buffy?"
"Ok, Stone," said Giles still breathing heavy from the melee, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"Same place I learned when to run," she said as she ducked pass Giles through the door with Buffy on her heels.
She didn't get far before the slayer knocked her down. She hit the ground of the parking lot hard.
"I thought you English had better manners," said Buffy standing up and dusting off her knees.
"Some of us are quite bloody minded," said Stone. She stood and faced them both.
Giles approached, his weapon neutral.
"All right, you win but I can't imagine what I have that you would want, but if you take my mother's sword I will find you." The threat in her voice was serious and heavy.
"We aren't going to take anything," said Giles, "we'd just like to know what you're doing in Sunnydale and why you attacked Buffy."