Title: Runaway
Author: PennyC
Chapter 14: Training and the Initiative
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 or 13.
Joyce sighed as she put down her nearly empty glass of scotch. She was ashamed to say that since Buffy had run away from home she had started drinking to ease her pain. The problem had only become worse after her daughter's shock return. She refilled the glass and made a mental note to buy another bottle.
She didn't know how it happened but every time that she and Buffy met they clashed. It didn't matter when or where or why, and - like her drinking problem - it was just getting worse. The think that bothered Joyce most was the fact that she was overwhelmed with joy that Buffy was alive and, if not completely well, then certainly not badly ill. Every time they were together however, the remembered fear, pain and worry overwhelmed her and in the emotional confusion that followed she lashed out, making the situation even worse. Joyce looked again at the Scotch close to hand. She supposed that the fact that she was nearly always under the effect of alcohol or hung over didn't help at all. Maybe she wouldn't get that bottle after all.
~
Giles rubbed his tired eyes as he read the passage for the fifth time. It didn't make any more sense than the first. Finally admitting defeat he shut the huge volume, throwing up a cloud of dust as he did so. As his hand sought for his cup of tea it instead touched another book. He glanced at the title so that he would know where to put it back. The Codex. Giles froze as memory and emotion panged painfully inside of him. Of it's own will his hand ran again over the cover. The Codex, the book which had lead to the death and revival of his Slayer. Even after all this time he still thought of her as his Slayer.
After she had left Sunnydale he had thrown all of his resources into finding her. He just couldn't believe that she was dead. After 18 months with absolutely no clues he had been forced to admit defeat, although he still held out hope that somehow he would find her, that there would be some little clue.
It had been just a few months after that that he had been approached by the Watcher's Council. To his amazement they wanted him to train the next Slayer who had been found not long before. It had taken him days of conflicted emotions before deciding to train the girl, Anna Cunningham. After all, many Watchers had lost their Slayers before, it was one of the unfortunate parts of the job. He was being given a rare second chance.
So, for the past 2 years he had trained Anna and watched her become part of the Scooby Gang. She was undeniably talented and a lot less trouble than Buffy had been at the best of times. But no matter how much time passed a tiny part of him still compared her to Buffy and find her lacking.
~
"I think that's everything," Buffy muttered to herself as she checked the things she had brought with her to the gym. The place was completely empty, everyone else either had duties or was catching as much sleep as possible before the next crises. She had deliberately arrived half an hour early so that she could prepare and make sure she had at least an idea of what she was going to do. Knowing Angel he would arrive at least 5 minutes early.
Just as she was thinking the words she heard the doors to the gym swing open. She grinned and turned around to look at him. He was wearing loose gray trousers and white t-shirt, standard Initiative training kit.
~
Angel held his unneeded breath before he opened the doors. The lights were on which meant she was in there, everyone was careful not to waste electricity. He didn't quite know how he felt about that. He wanted to smile, but at the same time felt oddly nervous, in a way he had never felt before. At least not that he remembered.
Finally he swung them open and stepped through. He saw her immediately, standing by a table with equipment on it and wearing white. The clothes were slightly too big for her as they didn't have her size in anything.
Buffy turned round to look at him and his breath caught again. She smiled and he felt an answering one cross his face.
~
"Hey," Buffy said softly. Suddenly she noticed the bandage around the top of his arm. "God, are you okay?"
Angel looked puzzled for a moment. "Oh, you mean this?" He gestured to his arm. "It's okay, I just pulled it fighting a fledgling. I'll be fine to train with you. That is, if you still want to." He sounded uncertain suddenly.
She smiled again at that although she was slightly disconcerted by how he'd picked up his injury.
"Why don't you go through your usual warm up so that I can see you working." He nodded and moved over to the mats where he started a series of stretches. Buffy watched him carefully, his every movement had been etched on her memory and she noticed that his actions were nowhere near as fluid as they used to be. The warm up's probably partly responsible for that. I think we'll start with a new warm up, maybe some tai chi and then move onto technique and strength builders. He looked just as muscular as he had before she had sent him to hell but didn't seem to have the same strength.
When she had finished she walked over to him. "Okay. Today I think I'll show you a better warm up routine. It'll give you better movement and should help you to get a bit move strength." She spent the next hour and a half showing him the exercises that he, Giles and Merrick had taught her. Buffy was delighted to see how quickly he learnt the movements and suspected that although his mind didn't remember them his body did. She was equally happy when she felt remembered strength and flexibility flowing through her own body. Neither of them was as strong or agile as they had been, but she was willing to bet that it wouldn't be long until they both were.
"So," she said as they finished the last exercise, "do you want to carry on training with me?"
"Yes," replied Angel, looked startled that she even had to ask. He handed her one of the towels that he had brought with him. "I know that I'm not that good, but I'd love to keep going."
Buffy glared at him as she threw the towel around her shoulders. "You are good, you just don't know it yet. Give me a few weeks and you'll be able to kick those commando's asses without breaking a sweat."
~
"Now then, Miss Summers, if you would just take a seat on the examination table." Buffy looked uneasily around the examination room she was in. She had never liked hospitals and this place looked more like a laboratory than a medical room. Slowly she eased herself onto the table, wondering as she did so exactly what her medical was going to be made.
If they come anywhere near me with those steroids I am so out of here.
"First of all I'm going to test your blood pressure and take a sample to ensure that you're in good health."
I bet even after four years I'm in better health than your commandos. Without commenting out loud she rolled up her sleeve. The doctor put the cuff around her arm and murmured something to the nurse who wrote it down. After a moment the doctor got out a syringe and took a large sample of Buffy's blood. She barely felt a thing and wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse. The same odd vibe she'd gotten from the commandos was coming even more strongly from the room she was in. And isn't that sample a bit big to be just running basic tests?
"Alright. Next I want to take your pulse and check your breathing. Then you'll be running for 5 minutes on the treadmill and I'll take them again." Buffy noticed that he spoke as if he expected to be obeyed instantly and although that annoyed her immensely she had already decided not to say anything until she had learnt more about the Initiative.
Over the next hour the doctor ran all sorts of tests on her and there were far more than Buffy had ever had in a basic examination before. The longer she stayed in the room the worse her feeling became until she was staying still by willpower alone. All her instincts were telling her to get out of there and she hadn't lived this long by ignoring them. Despite that she decided to stay put and do exactly what she was told. It didn't seem like a good move to alienate them at this point, it would make it a lot more difficult to find out more later.
"I think I've run all the tests I need to for now." He had just taken a swab from the insides from her mouth and she was uncomfortably aware that they seemed particularly interested in her DNA. "You're quite underweight but it shouldn't pose too much of a problem until you put it back on again. You'll need to come back in a month's time for another check up."
Buffy slid off the table as quickly as possible. In her haste to get out of the examination room she didn't see the doctor watching her intently, his eyes narrowed and a thoughtful expression on his face.