***

Anya had seen a lot in her time so she didn't scare easily. The people who had kidnapped her, and blindfolded her now hustled her though the dark. Hands pressed against her in scary ways as she was moved from a cramped space to a more open area with echoes all around. She heard low chanting and praying and hoped that something would happen soon

The blindfold disappeared and harsh light assailed her eyes. She glimpsed a form that took solid shape as her eyes adjusted to the vision in front of her. It was a man with swarthy Mediterranean features Anya had cursed Italian men often enough during her time as a vengeance demon, she could tell one on sight. This was obviously the bad guy, Antonio.

"You're the bad guy shame on you for kidnapping me. You realize of course, your dastardly plot will fail."

"What dastardly plot would you be referring to?"

"Who can know, this being Sunnydale you're obligated to come up with an interesting plot to destroy or dominate the world just to get yourself noticed."

"Well I trust that kidnapping you has moved me firmly to the top of the list of those The Slayer must deal with."

"I hope so, I hate this place and I want Xander to come and rescue me."

"Who would have thought the deadly Anyanka would have become a mewling maid eager for a man's attention. When I think of the women I sent to the stake and the inquisition dungeons for invoking your name."

"Hey if any of them had a man like Xander I doubt they would have needed my services. Now since you obviously need me alive I want food. I hate attending sacrifices on an empty stomach, especially my own."

"I could be waiting to kill you."

"If you were going to kill me you would have done It and the lack of robed acolytes tells me that any ceremony hasn't started so I'm safe till it does."

"The idea of you dying to further my own ends, means very little to you."

"It's part of some boring plot to make yourself a god or take over the world or something equally vapid and useless like that?"

"Being a god means nothing to you." The vampire mage asked incredulously.

"Are you kidding, me do you know what troubles you have when you have god-like powers. Blink in the wrong way and that cute maiden you were hoping to despoil turns into a bird, blink again and the bird becomes a man. Stop blinking and the man becomes a god, who is all pissed because he is no longer bird."

"You retain knowledge of the mystical energy flow, how impressive."

"Of course it is, now can I have that food please I want be well fed when Xander and the others show up and kick your ass."

Antonio started at the woman and then dissolved into peals of laughter, he was still laughing when he left the temple.

Anya lay there for a few minutes before she got even more bored. She began to sing a song from one of the films Xander showed her, when he wanted to scare her. "Zippidee-do-da, Zippidee-ah my-oh-my what a wonderful day…"

***

The sun was just setting over the California mountains when Buffy dressed herself in her grubbiest workout clothing and ventured into the darkness of a converted workspace/dojo. The room was filled with mats and pummel horses that Giles had liberated from the wreckage of the high school a year previously. The material showed the wear and tear from frequent use. None was more beaten looking than a heavy bag hanging in a corner. It was to this, that the slayer tuned her attentions. She sought comfort from her thoughts that raced through her head.

What was Antonio after that needed the blood of a vengeance demon and why was hell interested in the outcome?

Buffy began to practice the katas that had brought her through five long years of slaying vampires and fighting demons. The basic stretches and moves that would prepare her for the more intense physical side of the training.

Hell and been her constant companion these five long years. Five years of lying to Dawn and to Joyce her mother, presently visiting a long neglected aunt whom no doubt would be enjoying the chance to spoil the youngest Summers.

She began throwing punches at the heavy bag sending it rocking around in a circle. She could remember the times she had wondered, Is there really was a larger agency, a design behind the evil that stalked the streets of Sunnydale?

Could she really be doing hells dirty work by stopping Antonio? Did that mean that despite his methods Antonio was working the same side of the street as Sonja and herself? After all, wasn't Sonja just a little crazy? Her mind a constant tug of war between the human she had been, the vampire she was and the monster that she could become at the drop of a hat. What about Buffy herself, Part of an ancient Group of warriors whose noble purpose had been corrupted by power mad schemers. Could any of them be truly good people if their paths were so thorny and divergent?

Buffy took the work out up a notch landing blows in quick succession. The point of this was to keep the bag at a 45° angle without losing control of the heavy bag. That included the kicks she was now landing on the equipment. She felt a buzzing in the back of her head. Giles called it her combat sense. Part of the gifts she had as a slayer. It told her that a vampire was in the house. It was close. Without stopping her practice, she called out.

"Aren't you the early raiser"

"You didn't even know me twenty four hours ago how do you know when I get up"

Buffy unleashed a three stage kick that pushed the bag over the forty-five degree cut off she had assigned. Cursing she topped and gave herself a one hundred push up punishment. She saw Sonja standing in the doorway.

Sonja had shed her ubiquitous leather jacket and sunglasses. Her altered Romones tee shirt had the sleeves ripped off. Her arms were pale like the rest of her. Scars and bruises crisscrossed them; the latter now vaguely discolored having partially healed. She was standing in the doorway to the work area dressed loosely in a silk bathrobe Giles had dug out of storage for her.

"Anya had better hope Xander doesn't see you like that or it over."

"From what you remember it would take more that this to distract that boy."

"From what I remember?"

"You had a memory or two that was in a locked off part your mind. Something about him tying to get someone named Cordy to love him. Does your short jacket and wanting him to unwrap his present jog you mind."

"That was… interesting I think most of the respect that I have for Xander is wrapped up in how much he didn't take advantage of that situation."

"There aren't many guys in my life that I respect. Melfis is a demon, with all that that implies. Chaz, he was many things but I can't honestly say that I ever really trusted him. I have to say it disturbs me meeting guys like Giles and Xander. I'm used to thinking most guys are asses."

"Welcome to the Hellmouth, I've lost every notion of what my life could be or my duties or even of what good and evil is largely because my mom moved to this town."

"I wish I could still talk to mine." Sonja volunteered, she was not sure where that thought came from but it was the truth.

Buffy reached the end of the hundred push-ups. Feeling that she could do better; she hauled herself into a handstand. She then began doing another hundred. "I remember seeing a picture of the two of them they seem like a nice couple."

"As I recall they were very much in love and they loved Denise Very much."

"Do they know about …I mean have you ever let them know"

"My father knows I am alive, but my mother, for reasons too complex to explain, thinks I'm dead and that it how it's staying"

She crossed the floor of the workout space and proceeded to lean on the soles of Buffy's feet. Buffy started counting again this time fighting against the increased weight.

"How did he take the news…was he happy…sad?"

"He paid someone to try to kill me."

Buffy stopped in her surprise. Feeling her body start to list, she quickly converted the move to a backward handspring. Landing on the balls of her feet, she converted the landing into the patented stance that had gotten her onto the Sunnydale cheer squad, for all of five minutes. Sonja clapped and whistled.

"At least he showed an interest I can't remember the last time my dad called or wrote."

Sonja looked at Buffy. She knew Buffy actually could remember and it had been awhile. She watched as Buffy pulled a tarp off what had looked like a simple dummy. It was a Mr. Slam punch target doll.

"What the hell does this do?" Sonja asked.

"Giles ordered it then, Xander took it apart and reinforced it. It can stand a lot more punishment now."

She adjusted a front panel. The eyes shone red and a shrill beep came from the abused punching dummy. Buffy began hurling punched and kicks in a frenzied fashion. Sonja watched and marveled at the speed the girl could reach even in a practice fight. The punches were landing on all the targets, as were her kicks. The kid had a supreme amount of control. Any one of the blows on a person would have crippled or killed and in less then a minute she had landed over five dozen. The dummy finally surrendered with another shrill beep. Buffy's smiled and brought her racing breath under control looking around the room she realized she had neglected to bring a towel. Shrugging she flipped the bottom of her shirt up and rubbed the sweat that was cascading from her face. Sonja looked at the little ticker in the punching dummy. The number was high, very high.

"Can I take a crack at this?" The Blue Woman asked cautiously Buffy nodded and reset the punching dummy. It gave its beep hesitantly as though fearful of more punishment. Sonja wailed on the punch dummy delivering dozens of blow in a few seconds. The three-minute sequence ran its course followed by the shrill beep. Buffy checked Sonja's score it was the same as hers.

"Beginners luck." said Sonja dismissive.

"Nice try, but I'm enough of a good sport to admit your good…really good"

Sonja looked around the room and spied a pair of cushioned hand pads discarded in corner. She had seen them before. The trainer usually wore the pads over his hands and the trainee took shots at them. Buffy followed her glance.

"Who uses those?" Sonja asked as she walked over to pick up the plushy pads.

"Giles, he can only stand to go for about one round or so before his hands hurt too much."

Sonja shed the robe. Sonja dragged on the training pads and positioned herself in the middle of the floor.

Buffy took a stance in the middle of the floor opposite Sonja. Nice Robe should I be concerned has a nice ladies robe stashed at his house."

"They're a loner from Giles. He seemed reluctant to expound on who wore it before me but they have good taste,"

"Well its not like I have anything to boast about." Buffy jaunted gracefully showing off her sweat sodden workout togs."

Setting her stances Sonja eyed her opponent "are you ready." Buffy nodded. "Then bring it "

The sparing continued. Sonja would dance around her and occasionally throw her arm out to bop Buffy on the head. Buffy would try to avoid this and dodge or deflect the oncoming blow. At one point Sonja connected with a solid easily avoidable left hook.

"You're not concentrating, focus"

"Meeting with Mel bothered me" the young girl dodged to the side and aimed a flurry of low at the left pad

"Don't you trust me yet?" Sonja suddenly stepped in close. Buffy dodged to the side and aimed a kick at the right pad.

"I trust you fine. It's the thought of fighting someone else battle for them" Sonja held out the pads and Buffy responded immediately with a series of body blows.

"It doesn't matter who you go after Buffy. At some point your going to be doing someone a huge favour by taking out some beast."

"I don't fight to do hell dirty work; I fight to protect the innocent."

"Then you going to have to accept that protecting lives sometimes you unintentionally advance some hellish agenda. It doesn't make you hellspawn it just means the universe is working the way it normally does."

With this, Sonja went for a leg grab Buffy reacted immediately. She used the vampire's hold on her leg as a pivot hurling her other leg high. It curled around Sonja's head sending the two of them tumbling to the floor in a giggling laughing pile of arms and legs.

That is how they were when Giles walked into the room.

He took one look at the pile "You two had an energetic workout, I trust?" he said as he removed and polished his already spotless glasses.

They collapsed in laughter. In Sonja's case rust colored tears squeezed out of her red eyes.

They slowed for a moment then looked an each other's disrobed and sweaty state. The look in Giles' face was a battleground of male lust, watcher-like disapproval, and parental concern. The two girls roared with renewed laughter, Buffy's sides starting to ache with the exertion.

"If you two are done, Spike has scouted the location for tonight's festivities. He reports that, and this is a direct quote." getting into a schoolmistresses knickers would be easier."

"Kind of hard then huh"

"I've known my share of schoolmistresses. We could well be home in time for Nightline."

The two women stood and marveled at the button down man in front of them. He looked back at them with wicked gleam in his eye "For God's Sake I did have a life before I met you children." He headed out the door leaving the women to follow him in stunned silence.

***