Giles glared at Buffy. She smiled sweetly back at him. The rest of us waited to see what the problem was.
"Must you think of nothing but food?" Giles asked.
"It's already dark, so we don't have that advantage. We've been in this room researching all afternoon. Fish and chips don't go very far. I think we should get dinner first," Buffy said.
"I agree," said Beatrice, "it's better to die on a full stomach than an empty one."
"I also think that we should split up. I don't want to squeeze into Beatrice's bug again," Buffy said.
"I don't think that is a good idea," said Van Helsing. "We should stay together."
"I have a car," Professor Wells said. "I would like to come with you."
Van Helsing glanced at me and said, "Now Professor Wells, you don't need to come with us."
"You're not thinking I'm too old to be of any use, Johan? I was a watcher when you and Mr. Giles were in short pants. I've forgotten more about vampires than you two have ever learned."
"Testosterone poisoning, it doesn't go away," Buffy muttered into my ear.
I had a hard time not laughing at that. Van Helsing and Wells did look like some sort of posturing birds or maybe bucks as they glared at each other. Beatrice was trying to keep a straight face as well. Giles was wisely staying out of it for the moment.
I said, "You know, it might be better if all three of you stayed here."
"What?" they said at the same time.
"Look at who we have here; a slayer, a vampire, and a police woman who's also a telepath, two ex-watchers, and a watcher. Isn't what you're supposed to be doing watching? Why don't you stay here and we'll go get some dinner and then deal with the vampires."
"That is a very foolish idea..." Van Helsing began.
"Young lady you have to be joking," Professor Wells added.
"I was joking, but I have a counter-proposal. Since you don't seem to be hungry, why don't you three go in Professor Wells' car and check things out? You'll agree not to go in after them, just see if they might actually be there. Beatrice, Buffy, and I will go grab some food and then meet you at the house."
"Very good," Professor Wells said.
"If you think that's best," said Van Helsing.
"Very well, it's settled. We have your cell phone number, Katherine, so we will keep in touch. Please don't take very long," Giles said.
Buffy, Beatrice, and I nodded. Then Professor Wells led us all back through the library. Giles and Van Helsing went off to his car. Beatrice took us to where she had parked hers. Buffy got in the back seat and gestured for me to sit beside her. We braced ourselves for another one of Beatrice's hair-raising drives.
"I thought we'd go to a little Italian place I know. They get the food to the table fast," Beatrice said, turning towards us. "You're not allergic to garlic are you, Katherine?"
"Garlic doesn't bother me. It doesn't matter to me where we go, I can't eat right now anyway," I said.
"Still stuffed from lunch?" asked Buffy.
"No, it's after sundown. You know the vampire thing."
"Right, sorry. Actually I wanted to ask you more about that without Giles around."
"I don't really like to discuss it that much, but I guess you two deserve to know what you're dealing with. Can it wait until we get to the restaurant?"
"Sure."
We spent the rest of the drive in silence. I was worrying about what Buffy wanted to know. From what I saw on the TV show, vampires in Buffy's world were pure evil. Was she wondering how I could be alive and a vampire and whether I had a soul or not? I haven't been much of a believer in the soul thing. If I had to say what it was vampires lost I would prefer to call it humanity. There was also the fact that in the TV world vampires were at least part demon. That wasn't the theory I had heard for this world.
Beatrice pulled into a space right next to the restaurant. It was called Raphael's and she had to eat there a lot. The waitress greeted her in Italian and led us to a table in a corner. Beatrice ordered for us in Italian and the waitress, whose name turned out to be Theresa stopped to gossip with her.
When she had gone to put our order into the kitchen, I asked, "Does you telepathy help you learn languages?"
"Yes, it does. I was thought of as something of a lingual prodigy in school," Beatrice said.
"I wish I could have a talent like that," said Buffy. "I'm flunking Spanish. Telepathy would make it a lot easier."
"It's not all good, Buffy. I had to learn to protect myself from other people's minds at a very young age. It is refreshing being with you and Katherine, since I can't read either of you."
Beatrice was right about the speed of service, within just a few minutes Theresa was back with salads for all of us. I waited until she was gone and then divided my salad between their plates. I've had lots of practice at being polite during night time meals.
"So, what is it that you want to know?" I asked.
"I'm not sure where to start," Buffy said. She took a few bites of salad looking thoughtful. "OK, you said you have to have blood, can it be animal blood or does it have to be human?"
"Human."
"But you've never killed anybody, right?"
"Do you think I'd admit it in front of a policewoman?" I asked. At the shocked looks on their faces I added, "I've never drained anyone more than they would giving blood at Red Cross."
"So how do you get people to let you drink from them?"
"There are two main ways I get blood. I pay for it, or I drink from criminals."
"You pay for it, icky. What exactly do you mean by that?" Buffy asked.
"I'm not sure I should tell a minor."
"Oh, come on. I've seen things you wouldn't believe."
"There are female prostitutes that don't care what sex their clients are. I pay them for sex and hypnotize them while I drink their blood."
"What about AIDS?" Beatrice asked.
"I can smell if someone is sick. Most prostitutes are very careful about AIDS these days."
We were interrupted by the return of Theresa. She put our salad plates on a tray. Beatrice had ordered Fettuccine Alfredo for herself, spaghetti for Buffy, and had said that all I wanted was salad. I let the others work on their dinner. The restaurant was lined in dark wood. Pictures of figures such as the Pope, Frank Sinatra, and some people I didn't recognize lined the walls. It was a nice family restaurant. I wished that I could taste the cooking. Buffy and Beatrice certainly seemed to be enjoying it.
"You're not hungry?" Theresa asked me, coming back from the kitchen to check on us.
"I had a big lunch," I said.
"To bad, you miss my mother's cooking."
"Your family owns this place?"
"Yes, my grad father is Rafael."
"You're very lucky."
"I think so to."
Some other patrons came in and she hurried off the seat them. I realized that talking about myself was making me maudlin. I was wishing that I had a family like Theresa's. I decided to change the subject.
"Buffy, how did you find out you were the slayer?" I asked.
"I thought you said that there was a TV show about me here," she said.
"For one thing, I didn't watch it and for another your history could be totally different."
"When I still lived in LA this guy named Merrick showed up and told me I was the slayer. Usually they find the slayer a bit sooner, so it was a shock. I had to slay some vampires at the school. Then my parents got divorced and my mom moved with me to Sunnydale. When I got there Giles was waiting and he let me know that I'd moved onto the Hellmouth."
"What about your friend, Angel? How'd you meet him?"
"He was hanging around Sunnydale. It was a while before I found out he was a vampire."
"I thought you could sense vampires?"
"I was still new at things back then. What about you, any boyfriends?"
"No, I haven't had a single one. Sometimes I think Van Helsing is interested, but we don't live in the same city. What about you, Beatrice."
"Not at the moment. I've gone off dating co-workers and I don't have time to meet anyone else," Beatrice said with a sigh.
"We sure are a great group. I don't know if I ever want to fall in love again, it hurts too much," Buffy said. "Never get in a position where you have to kill your lover."
"No kidding. I can't even imagine that."
"So you're mom is dead, what about your dad?" Buffy asked me.
"I never met him. I'm not even sure he knew about me. My mother met him in a mental home. He was a telepath too." I said.
Beatrice nodded, "A lot of telepaths are seen as crazy, until they learn how to block thoughts."
"Yeah, I guess that's what got him in there. My mom was being driven nuts by vampires. They kept talking to her and no one believed her. I guess things could be worse then I had it," I said.
"Where did you grow up, with family?" Buffy asked.
"No, I was placed in a special government program for children of people with powers. I grew up with a lot of interesting kids," that was an understatement. "Mutants often develop their powers in their teen years. For some weird reason I didn't show any vamipric powers until I was thirteen."
"Are there any others like you?"
"There's one other who's known as the Jaywalker. He's a vampire slayer himself. I have no desire to meet with him; I don't think it would go well. He's apparently got quite a temper."
"It sounds lonely."
"How can it be lonely when I keep meeting friends like you?"
We smiled dopily at each other for a moment. The others were finished with their pasta. Beatrice waved Theresa over so that we could pay. Beatrice gave her a large tip and she smiled and waved us out the door.
Interlude
While Dru was getting ready to leave and ignoring him, Spike headed up to the surface to find a pay phone. He looked up the number for Madame Lyanka's. The phone rang a number of times before she picked up.
"Madame Lyanka speaking," she said.
"This is Spike," Spike said, "I have a proposition for you."
"Who is this?"
"Spike."
"I don't know any Spike."
Spike covered the speaker for a moment and growled. "It's William, we met a bit ago. I was with Antonius."
"Of course," Lyanka sounded amused. "What is it that you wish to propose?"
"I was wondering if you would be willing to betray our friend, Antonius?"
"That would depend on what you want me to do and how much you'll pay me."
"I've got money. Do you have any way to knock him out for a while?"
"I take it you don't want him going back to your world with you."
"No, I bloody well don't. There's enough competition back home without a 2000 hear old vampire that can do things we can't."
Lyanka was silent for a moment. Spike listened to her breathe and wished he had time to meet with her in person. It would be a lot easier to convince her. He had about $1000.00 American. He hadn't seen how much Antonius had given her. It might have been more, it might have been less.
"How much can you offer me?" she said at last.
"$500 American," Spike said.
"That's not enough. $2000."
"I can give you $700."
"No less then $1000."
"Fine, but can you do it?"
"I can give him something that will knock him out for a very brief time.
You'll have to act very quickly."
"Not a problem, what are the details?"
"Before I finish the ceremony I will give each of you something to drink. It's the way to connect you to the portal. The drink I give him will be something that will make him dormant for a minute at the most."
"Works for me. I'll give you the money right before we leave."
"Very well."
Spike hung up the pay phone and headed back Antonius' house whistling. That would show the damn elder. No one was going to come between his Dru and him. She would forget all about Antonius and Heather soon after they got home. Things were looking up.