Title: Jade green
Author: Spikeyhabits
Pairing: S/B but also slight S/F
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Nothing in this world belongs to me not even the clothes on my back.
"From beneath you it devours very cheery" Buffy said as she pored through countless books. Anya threw her book down with an exasperated sigh "Theres nothing at all with been searching for hours, it's pointless" she moaned voicing all of the groups thought. "I know" Buffy sighed "but we've got to keep looking".
"I agree with Anya we've researched for hours perhaps we should take a break," Giles said as he flicked through a very large dusty book. "Buffy come on the King of research just said we should have a break" Xander pleaded with the stubborn slayer. "I suppose" she replied grudgingly setting down her books.
"YES" a chorus of slayers in training shouted as they ran out of the room before Buffy could change her mind.
"Buffy you're working yourself into the ground" Giles said gently as he approached her. Buffy ignored him and turned away remembering what had happened with Spike. Giles sighed guiltily as he studied the emotionless face of his slayer. "Buffy you know I'm sorry but i really believe that .........."
Whatever Giles was going to say was cut off by a knock at the door. Buffy gladly jumped up to answer it to escape from Giles speech. "Oh" she said less than pleased at the visitor.
"Buffy please can i come in" Principal Wood pleaded.
"You have five minutes" Buffy replied curtly.
"Where's Spike?" He replied as he entered the Summers home "I think he needs to hear this as well"
"He's resting in the basement, knuckle dusters leave a mark," The slayer said coldly.
"That's why i wanted to apologise for my behaviour" Wood replied bashfully. Anya,Xander,Willow and Giles had been studying the interaction closely and were surprised at the slayers cold tone.
It was at this point that Dawn made her entrance. "Dawn hi" Wood said warmly as he noticed the younger Summers girl.
"Hey" she said in an emotionless voice, she may be angry at Spike for hurting her sister but underneath her anger she still cared for him. Slowly the slayers in training re-entered the room watching the scene unravelling before them.
Suddenly before Principal Wood could carry on there was another knock at the door. "Who is it now?" Buffy muttered as she headed toward the door "everyone i know is here".
"Hello slayer" an unfamiliar voice was heard from the door.
"Who are you" Buffy demanded as she slowly started to take a stake out of her back pocket.
"Well you can leave that stake where it is, slayer I'm not a vampire," the tall man answered as he entered the house without an invitation. "Who are you then" Buffy said warily.
The stranger laughed, "The names skip and I'm here to help on the behalf of the powers that be".
"The powers that what what" Xander said puzzled.
"The powers that be, magical beings that control what happens on Earth and sometimes send help"
"Exactly" the stranger replied, "I've been sent to help with the first evil, but I'm not going to be here long, so i better get started, this battle is going to be harder then any you've ever faced, harder then Glory, Adem and the Master put together. Only one vampire and one slayer can stop it" he paused as he took out a thick book from his pocket "All the information you need is in here, i would of been here earlier but i had to stop by LA to get one of the two people that can stop the first evil"
"Angel" Buffy said hopefully to Skip before he could reply a voice from the doorway answered for him.
"Don't get your hopes up B" Faith said as she sauntered into the room.
"What do you want Faith" Buffy said through gritted teeth.
"Well i thought that would have been fairly obvious, I'm the slayer he talked about he came to LA to get me" Faith answered.
Willow cut in scowling at the rogue slayer "she's going to defeat the first evil" she snarled.
Faith smirked "still holding a grudge, it looks like your way over Xander" she bit back as she looked pointedly at Willows hand. Willow dropped Kennedy's hand as if it had burnt her. A brief flicker of pain passed over Kennedy's face that when unnoticed as everyone's attention had gone back to Faith. She carried on "I'm not quite sure who the vampire he's talking about is all he said is that we'd find him in Sunnydale". Skip chuckled nervously as he looked around the tense group.
"Where do we fit in?" Buffy asked quietly but the whole group knew she was really asking where she fitted in.
"Well your all here to help Faith and protect the SITs" Skip replied quickly. Everyone could see that Buffy was shocked for once it was someone else's duty to save the world. Anya was the first to break the silence "So where can we find this vampire that's...." before she could finish her sentence someone spoke from the kitchen doorway.
" How come i wasn't invited to the party?" Spike said as he surveyed the group with a cold stare that rested on a fidgeting Principal Wood. Everyone was shocked to see Spike up already. As Spike eased into a shirt Faith approached him seductively "My we are going to have fun," she said as she looked him up and down.
Buffy like the rest of the group had noticed Faiths interest "Faith this is..." she started but was cut off by the other slayer "Spike, we've met" Faith said curtly "but you seem different now".
"He has a soul," Anya said obviously enjoying the pair's interaction.
"Ohhh like Angel, maybe i can help you get rid of it" Faith said leaning towards him and trailing her hand down the edge of his sleeve. Unlike most normal people who would have been intimidated by Faith and turned into a stuttering mess, Spike remained his usual cocky self.
"His souls permanent" she said hoping to steer Faith away from that idea.
"We could try anyway" Faith said to Spike, smirking.
Spike leaned in close and whispered in her ear too quietly for the rest of the group to hear "I thought it was bad".
Faith took a step back "How did you know?" she said in surprise.
"Well it definitely wasn't Buffy" Spike replied before strolling into the kitchen.
"What definitely wasn't me" Buffy said annoyed at being left out and Spike's obvious flirting with Faith.
"Nothing for you to worry about B" Faith said as she followed Spike into the kitchen.
"Wellll that was...interesting" Willow said as she surveyed Buffy's livid face.
Xander chuckled hoping to change the subject "So this vampire we're looking for"
"Ermm well we won't have to look very far" Skip said looking at the group as if it was obvious but only seeing a dozen blank faces and the back of one slayer as she tried to see what was going on in the kitchen. "Isn't it obvious" Skip carried on looking at them as if they were simpletons. He gave an exasperated sigh "OK I'll give you a clue he's in this house". Everyone in the room gasped apart from Buffy who was too bust trying to see what Spike and Faith were doing, Giles who understood but just exclaimed "good lord" and Xander who still didn't understand.
"What?" Xander asked, as he looked around at all the surprised faces.
"The vampire they're looking for is in this house," Willow repeated to a blank Xander.
"For Christ's sake he's talking about Spike" Anya shouted annoyed at her ex-fiancés stupidity.
"Spike and Faith are going to save the world, i can safely say we're doomed" Xander exclaimed.
"Well no, if it involves them breeding like bunnies I'd say were saved" Anya smirked at Faith's and Spike's encounter earlier and then grimaced at the mention of bunnies.
"Breeding like bunnies?" Buffy exclaimed turning around "There will be no breeding, right?" Buffy asked Skip.
"No, somehow i don't think that's going to stop the first evil" Skip replied laughing at Buffys expression.
"Hmm" Anya said uninterested in the conversation, "they'll be at it before the end of the week".
"They so will not" Buffy exclaimed.
"Come on Buffster, did you see the way they were acting around each other" Xander said, "and i mean she's so his type"
"And what type would that be?" Buffy and Anya both said glaring at him. Xander didn't hear the warning in their tone of voice and carried on "You know there's his skanky psychotic type, or the dumb blonde type" Xander said.
"Uh hmmm" Buffy said loudly as she looked at him pointedly.
"He he he" Xander chuckled as he tried to change the subject "Anyway you know Faith she'll just use him and lose him".
Anya spoke again "You obviously haven't slept with Spike then". About five SITs had to change their laughs into hacking coughs at the sight of Xanders annoyed and shocked face, even Willow tried to hide a smile at Anya's comment. Anya looked at the face of the shocked group "Ohh this is that thing where i say something i should of kept to myself, isn't it" she said to the blonde slayer that had gone quite pink herself. "Uh huh" she replied quietly.
Willow tried to change the subject "So how exactly are they going to save the world".
Skip stood up "I don't know exactly, it's all in there" he said as he pointed to the large book he'd given them earlier "all you have to do is translate it, I'd love to stay but unfortunately i have to go and help some more hopeless people"
Buffy got up to open the door but Skip had already disappeared in a cloud of smoke by the time she stood up. "Well she said i think we'd better go talk to..." she was going to say Spike and Faith but most of the group was already heading there apart from Wood and Giles who had stayed surprisingly quiet the whole time. Giles came forward and picked up the book Skip had left "I'll start translating this then" Giles said to Buffy.
"Ok" she replied nodding avoiding Giles gaze. With a sigh the ex librarian went to the door.
"I'll be at my apartment if you need anything, I'll ring you when I've made sense of this" Buffy nodded again. As the door closed Wood approached her "I'm sorry Buffy" he started but was cut off by the slayer.
"Apology accepted, now if you excuse me i have to talk to Spike and Faith" Buffy said no warmth in her voice. As she neared the kitchen Wood spoke again "It was nice though our date i don't want you to think i used you to get to Spike".
"It was nice and I'm not as angry at you as i was before, but i don't think you should be here right now, I'll see you on Monday Ok" Buffy said in a voice less cold then before.
"Ok" the principal replied as he headed out of the house.
Principal Wood stood on the lawn outside Buffy's house. "Your just going to let that creature get away with what he's done he killed me" A voice said to Wood as his expression changed to indifference. "I'm your mother and he murdered me," the voice said again goading the man next to her. "Your not my mother but no I'm not going to let him get away with it" The man replied hardly as he started to walk away.
DUN DUN DUN: In the next chapter:
· What is Wood planning?
· How does everyone react to Faiths arrival?
· What is in that dusty book?
· How does Buffy react to Faith and Spike's flirting