Part 20: People in the Know
#
A week had passed in relative silence without Jackson King making another appearance. Giles theorized that the young man was every bit as confused about what had happened as Buffy was, only he was without the guidance of a Watcher, having nothing to rely on but his instincts. No one was quite sure what those instincts would tell him to do, but him leaving Sunnydale was not something they considered likely.
Angel stayed in Sunnydale, unwilling to leave Buffy alone while King was still out there somewhere. He made but two brief trips to Los Angeles to train with Mara and have another talk with the Oracles. The former was far more successful than the latter and by the end of the week Angel and Buffy sparred together for the first time since he had turned human. He ended up on his back a lot, of course, but was slowly getting used to having mere human strength. It was a start.
Buffy also told her mother about him and that they were back together. Joyce was, at first, not particularly happy about it, but that was before she heard about Angel's recent transformation. She had also not missed how depressed her daughter had been ever since Angel had left town and, with most of the reservations she had had about him linked to his vampire nature, decided to give the two of them a chance. It helped, of course, that Angel was quite charming when he wanted to and also knew a lot about art and history.
Buffy went about her new duties as trainer for Burke's SDO agents and found that it was a lot of fun. After the initial breaking of the ice the agents quickly warmed up to her, recognizing the skills and experience she brought to the team. By the end of the week Buffy took them out on their first joint patrol and things went quite good, though they met but few vampires. Burke was quite happy and Buffy secretly basked in the occasional looks of admiration she got from her new colleagues.
The entire gang paid a visit to the hospital where Faith was still in a coma. By now the doctors had noticed the sleeping girl's almost constant nightmares. There was nothing they could do for her, though, and some theorized that it might even help her wake up if her sleeping state grew more uncomfortable. Buffy was not so sure about that and said a short prayer for her sister Slayer before they left.
No new revelations about the Huntsman were found in the remaining texts the Council decoded. Giles conferred with them several times and a decision regarding the fate of Jackson King was reached. If the young man did not show himself capable of suppressing the violent urges of the force hosted inside him then the Watchers would have no choice but to try and bind the Huntsman again. This would, of course, lead to Jackson King's death.
No one wanted to see him dead, though, not even Buffy and Angel. Their best chance was to try and capture him. The best chance for that to happen, though, involved Buffy's new colleagues, who as of yet knew nothing about the Huntsman.
#
Riley approached the Summers home, not really sure what he was to make of Buffy's invitation for tonight. They had something to discuss, she had said, something she preferred to talk about outside the SDO barracks.
That was fine by him, actually. Ever since he and Buffy had learned the truth about each other and her joining the team they had been ... distant. Okay, they had not actually been all that close before (at least not as close as he would have preferred to be), but they had been friends of a sort and Riley had enjoyed that. Now, though, their relationship seemed to have been reduced to the strictly professional. He realized it had only been little more than a week, but in that time they had not exchanged a single word that was not about business.
Thus her dinner invitation had come as something of a surprise.
Riley raised his hand to knock on the door, but it opened before he could and Buffy stood there, smiling at him.
"Hi, Riley! I'm glad you came."
"How could I not?" he asked, smiling back.
Buffy took a step forward and closed the door behind her, the smile on her face growing a bit guarded.
"Riley, before we go in there is something you should know. I ... remember how I told you about this guy I was together with a long time and how I was not over him?"
He just nodded. How could he forget about the guy who was to blame for Buffy's reluctance to risk another relationship.
"Well, he's here. You're gonna meet him in about a minute."
That was something of a surprise to be sure. Riley just looked at Buffy for a long time, then managed to gather his wits back together. Reminding himself that he was her friend, nothing more, he stifled the irrational bout of jealousy he felt rising.
"Are you ... I mean, you are back together then, I take it?"
"Yes, we are," Buffy said, her blooming smile telling him all he needed to know. Buffy was happy, there was no mistaking that. Riley sighed. If only she would smile that way because of him. Well, it appeared there was nothing he could do about it and as long as she was happy, well, he could live with that. Somehow.
"I just wanted to tell you first," Buffy went on. "I didn't want any awkward silences in there."
"No silence from me, then. I promise."
"Thanks!"
Buffy opened the door again and led them inside, where something of a crowd had already assembled. Riley was taken aback for a moment. He knew Giles, of course, as well as Buffy's dorm mate Willow. The woman who was busily preparing the big dinner table was her mother, he guessed. There was a certain resemblance there.
As for the rest, though ...
"Okay, introductions are in order," Buffy announced their presence to the room. "Everyone, this is Riley. Riley, these are Xander, Anya, my mother Joyce, Doyle, and Angel."
The way she said that last name made it clear that he was 'that guy'. Buffy immediately went to him, slipping an arm around his waist. Angel pressed a kiss to her crown before looking at Riley again.
"Pleased to meet you, Riley," he said, holding out a hand. "Buffy has told me a lot about you."
"Well, she did mention you, too, once or twice," he answered, shaking the offered hand.
The man had a strong grip and for a moment Riley considered turning this into a little contest of strength. Childish, he chided himself a moment later. It was not Angel's fault that Buffy had fallen for him long before Riley had met her. Riley was envious, there was no denying that, but again, nothing to be done about that. Especially not by some childish display of machismo.
Riley greeted the others, getting a brief explanation of what place they took in Buffy's life with each handshake. He was rather taken aback by Anya's calling him James Bond's farmboy cousin, though, and not just because he was unaccustomed to women complimenting him so directly.
"Ah, Buffy, could I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure!"
They went into the kitchen, out of earshot of the others.
"Buffy, do they ... does everyone in there know about SDO?"
"Well, of course ... not," she added after seeing the look on his face. "My mother doesn't ... I mean, not in so many words. She does know I've ... but she really doesn't know anything. And Anya, I don't think Anya paid much attention when I ..."
Riley sighed deeply.
"Buffy, remember that document you signed?"
"Oh! You mean the one that said ... uh, am I in trouble?"
Riley moved a hand through his hair. This was exactly why it was never a good idea to mix business with private stuff. For all intents and purposes Buffy had violated the non-disclosure agreement she had signed, telling several people without security clearance about classified matters. She could be brought up on criminal charges for that.
"They are my friends, Riley," she told him. "Well, except maybe Anya. But it doesn't matter, really! They all know about me being the Slayer and haven't said a word to anyone for over three years now. I couldn't simply not tell them. I haven't told them Burke's name or any details, I promise!"
"Buffy, I ... okay, let's forget that for now! You obviously had a reason for getting me here tonight. Probably not just to meet your friends, right?"
"No. Let's rejoin the others, okay? We'll eat and then I'll explain everything."
Riley nodded, his thoughts still racing about Buffy's blatant breach of secrecy. If he told Burke about this it could put an end to their so-far very productive cooperation. Burke might understand, but his superiors probably would not.
He finally decided to let things be for now. He would get to know Buffy's friends better and play it by ear. Hopefully none of them would blab on about this to yet more people. Yeah, hopefully.
Buffy's mother served dinner and they chatted amiably for some time, ignoring everything that had to with vampires, secret government operations, and chosen warriors. Buffy's friends were a strange lot, especially that Anya girl, but quite likeable in their own way.
After a hefty round of ice cream that made Riley take a mental note to run two extra miles tomorrow they settled down on the living room furniture and got down to business.
"Riley, the main reason we wanted you here tonight is this guy," Buffy said, handing him a photograph. It showed a young man, no older than twenty at the most.
"What about him?"
"His name is Jackson King and, to make a long story short, he is extremely dangerous."
Giles then filled Riley in on the lore of the Huntsman. Riley was curious about this Watchers Council he briefly mentioned, but did not press the older man about that. When he learned what happened between King and Buffy but a week ago he almost lost his cool.
"That bastard," Riley growled.
"It wasn't his fault," Buffy calmed him. "We were both driven to it by ... whatever it is that makes us what we are. According to everything we know he is an innocent in this, Riley. Think of him as a little boy who was given a really big gun and tries to figure out what it is and how it works without anyone around to show him."
A deep breath later Riley had calmed down somewhat, sharing a brief look with Angel. The other man was no more happy about King than Riley was, that much was obvious. It almost made him smile. If the choice was between a guy whom Buffy adored and this Huntsman guy, well, that was no choice at all, was it?
"Okay, so what do we do about him?"
"We need to capture him," Giles said, taking over the reigns of the conversation again. "As I said, King is probably extremely confused and unpredictable. For obvious reasons we can't risk Buffy going out to hunt him down and, well, I fear the rest of us would not stand that much of a chance to take him down should we find him."
"He is as strong as Buffy," Angel said, "maybe stronger. But he is still human, so unlike a vampire he will be vulnerable to things like tranquilizers, gas, things like that."
"I get it. So you want our teams to go and look for him, is that it?"
Giles nodded. "Remember, Riley, this is an innocent young man out there. Under the right circumstances he could be a tremendous asset to our cause. We need to capture him alive. If he dies then another youngster will be chosen as the Huntsman and, I fear, all this will start over."
Riley still had trouble believing in the whole 'chosen by a higher power' thing, but he understood the problem they were facing. Buffy needed his help in this and, after what he had heard, he intended to give it to her, no matter what he had to do to convince Burke.
King would find the tables turned on him very soon.
TO BE CONTINUED
#
A week had passed in relative silence without Jackson King making another appearance. Giles theorized that the young man was every bit as confused about what had happened as Buffy was, only he was without the guidance of a Watcher, having nothing to rely on but his instincts. No one was quite sure what those instincts would tell him to do, but him leaving Sunnydale was not something they considered likely.
Angel stayed in Sunnydale, unwilling to leave Buffy alone while King was still out there somewhere. He made but two brief trips to Los Angeles to train with Mara and have another talk with the Oracles. The former was far more successful than the latter and by the end of the week Angel and Buffy sparred together for the first time since he had turned human. He ended up on his back a lot, of course, but was slowly getting used to having mere human strength. It was a start.
Buffy also told her mother about him and that they were back together. Joyce was, at first, not particularly happy about it, but that was before she heard about Angel's recent transformation. She had also not missed how depressed her daughter had been ever since Angel had left town and, with most of the reservations she had had about him linked to his vampire nature, decided to give the two of them a chance. It helped, of course, that Angel was quite charming when he wanted to and also knew a lot about art and history.
Buffy went about her new duties as trainer for Burke's SDO agents and found that it was a lot of fun. After the initial breaking of the ice the agents quickly warmed up to her, recognizing the skills and experience she brought to the team. By the end of the week Buffy took them out on their first joint patrol and things went quite good, though they met but few vampires. Burke was quite happy and Buffy secretly basked in the occasional looks of admiration she got from her new colleagues.
The entire gang paid a visit to the hospital where Faith was still in a coma. By now the doctors had noticed the sleeping girl's almost constant nightmares. There was nothing they could do for her, though, and some theorized that it might even help her wake up if her sleeping state grew more uncomfortable. Buffy was not so sure about that and said a short prayer for her sister Slayer before they left.
No new revelations about the Huntsman were found in the remaining texts the Council decoded. Giles conferred with them several times and a decision regarding the fate of Jackson King was reached. If the young man did not show himself capable of suppressing the violent urges of the force hosted inside him then the Watchers would have no choice but to try and bind the Huntsman again. This would, of course, lead to Jackson King's death.
No one wanted to see him dead, though, not even Buffy and Angel. Their best chance was to try and capture him. The best chance for that to happen, though, involved Buffy's new colleagues, who as of yet knew nothing about the Huntsman.
#
Riley approached the Summers home, not really sure what he was to make of Buffy's invitation for tonight. They had something to discuss, she had said, something she preferred to talk about outside the SDO barracks.
That was fine by him, actually. Ever since he and Buffy had learned the truth about each other and her joining the team they had been ... distant. Okay, they had not actually been all that close before (at least not as close as he would have preferred to be), but they had been friends of a sort and Riley had enjoyed that. Now, though, their relationship seemed to have been reduced to the strictly professional. He realized it had only been little more than a week, but in that time they had not exchanged a single word that was not about business.
Thus her dinner invitation had come as something of a surprise.
Riley raised his hand to knock on the door, but it opened before he could and Buffy stood there, smiling at him.
"Hi, Riley! I'm glad you came."
"How could I not?" he asked, smiling back.
Buffy took a step forward and closed the door behind her, the smile on her face growing a bit guarded.
"Riley, before we go in there is something you should know. I ... remember how I told you about this guy I was together with a long time and how I was not over him?"
He just nodded. How could he forget about the guy who was to blame for Buffy's reluctance to risk another relationship.
"Well, he's here. You're gonna meet him in about a minute."
That was something of a surprise to be sure. Riley just looked at Buffy for a long time, then managed to gather his wits back together. Reminding himself that he was her friend, nothing more, he stifled the irrational bout of jealousy he felt rising.
"Are you ... I mean, you are back together then, I take it?"
"Yes, we are," Buffy said, her blooming smile telling him all he needed to know. Buffy was happy, there was no mistaking that. Riley sighed. If only she would smile that way because of him. Well, it appeared there was nothing he could do about it and as long as she was happy, well, he could live with that. Somehow.
"I just wanted to tell you first," Buffy went on. "I didn't want any awkward silences in there."
"No silence from me, then. I promise."
"Thanks!"
Buffy opened the door again and led them inside, where something of a crowd had already assembled. Riley was taken aback for a moment. He knew Giles, of course, as well as Buffy's dorm mate Willow. The woman who was busily preparing the big dinner table was her mother, he guessed. There was a certain resemblance there.
As for the rest, though ...
"Okay, introductions are in order," Buffy announced their presence to the room. "Everyone, this is Riley. Riley, these are Xander, Anya, my mother Joyce, Doyle, and Angel."
The way she said that last name made it clear that he was 'that guy'. Buffy immediately went to him, slipping an arm around his waist. Angel pressed a kiss to her crown before looking at Riley again.
"Pleased to meet you, Riley," he said, holding out a hand. "Buffy has told me a lot about you."
"Well, she did mention you, too, once or twice," he answered, shaking the offered hand.
The man had a strong grip and for a moment Riley considered turning this into a little contest of strength. Childish, he chided himself a moment later. It was not Angel's fault that Buffy had fallen for him long before Riley had met her. Riley was envious, there was no denying that, but again, nothing to be done about that. Especially not by some childish display of machismo.
Riley greeted the others, getting a brief explanation of what place they took in Buffy's life with each handshake. He was rather taken aback by Anya's calling him James Bond's farmboy cousin, though, and not just because he was unaccustomed to women complimenting him so directly.
"Ah, Buffy, could I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure!"
They went into the kitchen, out of earshot of the others.
"Buffy, do they ... does everyone in there know about SDO?"
"Well, of course ... not," she added after seeing the look on his face. "My mother doesn't ... I mean, not in so many words. She does know I've ... but she really doesn't know anything. And Anya, I don't think Anya paid much attention when I ..."
Riley sighed deeply.
"Buffy, remember that document you signed?"
"Oh! You mean the one that said ... uh, am I in trouble?"
Riley moved a hand through his hair. This was exactly why it was never a good idea to mix business with private stuff. For all intents and purposes Buffy had violated the non-disclosure agreement she had signed, telling several people without security clearance about classified matters. She could be brought up on criminal charges for that.
"They are my friends, Riley," she told him. "Well, except maybe Anya. But it doesn't matter, really! They all know about me being the Slayer and haven't said a word to anyone for over three years now. I couldn't simply not tell them. I haven't told them Burke's name or any details, I promise!"
"Buffy, I ... okay, let's forget that for now! You obviously had a reason for getting me here tonight. Probably not just to meet your friends, right?"
"No. Let's rejoin the others, okay? We'll eat and then I'll explain everything."
Riley nodded, his thoughts still racing about Buffy's blatant breach of secrecy. If he told Burke about this it could put an end to their so-far very productive cooperation. Burke might understand, but his superiors probably would not.
He finally decided to let things be for now. He would get to know Buffy's friends better and play it by ear. Hopefully none of them would blab on about this to yet more people. Yeah, hopefully.
Buffy's mother served dinner and they chatted amiably for some time, ignoring everything that had to with vampires, secret government operations, and chosen warriors. Buffy's friends were a strange lot, especially that Anya girl, but quite likeable in their own way.
After a hefty round of ice cream that made Riley take a mental note to run two extra miles tomorrow they settled down on the living room furniture and got down to business.
"Riley, the main reason we wanted you here tonight is this guy," Buffy said, handing him a photograph. It showed a young man, no older than twenty at the most.
"What about him?"
"His name is Jackson King and, to make a long story short, he is extremely dangerous."
Giles then filled Riley in on the lore of the Huntsman. Riley was curious about this Watchers Council he briefly mentioned, but did not press the older man about that. When he learned what happened between King and Buffy but a week ago he almost lost his cool.
"That bastard," Riley growled.
"It wasn't his fault," Buffy calmed him. "We were both driven to it by ... whatever it is that makes us what we are. According to everything we know he is an innocent in this, Riley. Think of him as a little boy who was given a really big gun and tries to figure out what it is and how it works without anyone around to show him."
A deep breath later Riley had calmed down somewhat, sharing a brief look with Angel. The other man was no more happy about King than Riley was, that much was obvious. It almost made him smile. If the choice was between a guy whom Buffy adored and this Huntsman guy, well, that was no choice at all, was it?
"Okay, so what do we do about him?"
"We need to capture him," Giles said, taking over the reigns of the conversation again. "As I said, King is probably extremely confused and unpredictable. For obvious reasons we can't risk Buffy going out to hunt him down and, well, I fear the rest of us would not stand that much of a chance to take him down should we find him."
"He is as strong as Buffy," Angel said, "maybe stronger. But he is still human, so unlike a vampire he will be vulnerable to things like tranquilizers, gas, things like that."
"I get it. So you want our teams to go and look for him, is that it?"
Giles nodded. "Remember, Riley, this is an innocent young man out there. Under the right circumstances he could be a tremendous asset to our cause. We need to capture him alive. If he dies then another youngster will be chosen as the Huntsman and, I fear, all this will start over."
Riley still had trouble believing in the whole 'chosen by a higher power' thing, but he understood the problem they were facing. Buffy needed his help in this and, after what he had heard, he intended to give it to her, no matter what he had to do to convince Burke.
King would find the tables turned on him very soon.
TO BE CONTINUED