Destiny Lost
#1: In the Space of a Heartbeat
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: B/X, AU, action/adventure, romance
Summary: An accident seconds before being chosen causes the Slayer Essence to skip Buffy, leaving her a normal girl. Then, a year and a half later, her mom's new job and her parents' divorce brings Buffy and her mother to Sunnydale, where Buffy comes in contact with the world of the night and a young man dedicated to its destruction.
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up.
Distribution: Sure, just let us know where it is!
Feedback: Love it! We want to know your likes AND dislikes. Flames are the only thing we do not accept.
Spoilers: Basic BtVS mythology and vampire/slayer lore
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Chapter 4
After dropping Sonya off at her Biology class, Xander went to Chemistry and then managed to finish the rest of his classes without really paying attention to anything the teachers said. Basically, his scholastic day was just a blur of different teachers and classrooms. His mind was on other matters. He kept worrying over Sonya and also contemplating the mystery that was Buffy Summers. The golden haired girl seemed to occupy his thoughts way more than was healthy, but Xander didn't really care. Happily, his day was soon over and he rushed out into the hallway, anxious to meet up with Sonya and get their daily report to Giles out of the way.
Xander reached the library doors and waved at Sonya, who was sitting right outside of them. She smiled in return and let him wheel her into the library. He parked her wheelchair by the reading table. "I'll be right back," he told her, "I'm just gonna go find Giles. He'll want to talk to you. He was really worried."
Sonya nodded, trying to muster up a smile. "I won't go anywhere."
Xander grinned and headed up into the stacks, searching for the librarian. As he looked around for Giles, he heard the doors open and close. Walking to the balcony, he was surprised to see Buffy Summers walking through the doors and into the library. (I wonder what she's doing here?) he thought, before realizing belatedly that she would need to get school books since she was a new student.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Earlier that day...
After lunch, Buffy went through the rest of her classes with little difference. Cordelia was in a couple of them, and the brunette gave Buffy nasty looks each time they encountered each other. Buffy wondered why messing up a couple of prom queen posters was enough to earn the girl's enduring wrath, but no matter what Buffy thought, did or said, it didn't look like things were going to change. She was sad to note that she had no more classes with Alexander, or, if she did he had skipped them. She did have one class with the girl in the wheelchair, but the sullen brunette just looked away when Buffy tried to smile and say hello so Buffy just left, unwilling to make yet another enemy on her first day.
At the end of the day, Buffy had a pre-arranged appointment to see the guidance counselor. Mr. Platt ushered her into the comfy chair across from his desk. He templed his fingers together and stared at Buffy.
"So," he said in a calm, soothing voice, "how was the first day?"
"The classes were good," Buffy said, glad there was at least one positive thing she could cite about her day. "When I was a freshman I never would have thought that I could be interested in, or be able to pass honors level classes. I'm still no good at math, but I'm excited about honors English and History. And I think Computer Science will be fun. Ms. Calendar was really nice."
Mr. Platt nodded. "But what about the non-scholastic part of the day? Did you meet anyone?"
Buffy tried to think of a believable lie to get the man off of her back, but instead the truth came pouring out. "It was horrible. This girl, Cordelia, has decided to hate me, and all of her friends do too. I tried to talk to a couple of other people, but they just ignored me."
The counselor looked down at the file on his desk. "This is your record from Hemery. It includes some remarks from your counselor there. She says here that after your accident you went from outgoing to introverted and withdrawn. Do you agree with that?"
"She didn't understand!" Buffy exclaimed angrily. "My friends all turned on me when I couldn't go to parties and do cheerleading and all the stuff I did before. They didn't want a friend who was in leg braces or a wheelchair. Mrs. Wildman thought I stopped hanging out with Shirly and the rest of the girls, but they were the ones who dropped me. Maybe it did make me introverted, but do you blame me? And I tried to talk to people today, but apparently here people don't like me either."
Mr. Platt took her outburst in stride. "Now, Buffy, don't get too upset yet. Let me ask you something. Have you ever moved before?"
She shook her head. "Nooo."
"Well then, what you don't know is that it's virtually impossible to make friends on your first day in a new school. I've counseled many a transfer who had the same anxieties as you, and most of them went on to be well adjusted students with plenty of friends." He paused for a moment and then continued. "You had a hard time after the accident, but I can tell that it matured you. I think you are a very intelligent young woman and that you will go far in this school if you give Sunnydale High a chance. What do you think?"
Buffy found herself smiling at Mr. Platt. He seemed to understand her -something few adults could claim to do, even her mother. "That makes sense," she agreed.
Mr. Platt sat back in his leather chair. Buffy could hear it squeak when he moved. "Now, I think that perhaps you should come and see me again in a couple of weeks, just to let me know how you're getting along."
She smiled. "I could do that."
"Now, do you have any other questions that I could help you with?" he asked with an answering smile. "Anything at all -- it doesn't have to be psychological."
"Well, there is one thing, but it's kind of piddly," Buffy said.
"Nothing is piddly," Mr. Platt replied. "Ask away."
"Well, where do I go to get text books? At Hemery, the teachers kept a stock in their rooms to give new students."
"That's easy," the counselor said, "extra books are kept in the library. The librarian's name is Mr. Rupert Giles. He's from England. I'm sure he can direct you to anything you need."
"Cool!" Buffy said, hopping out of her chair. "Thanks!"
She quickly made her way to the library. It didn't take long since the halls were virtually empty thirty minutes after the final bell. She pushed open the big double doors and entered a dark room with lots of bookshelves and heavy, dark furniture. Buffy felt almost like she'd stepped back in time to a day when girls wore big dresses and men considered them unable to do more than read novels and sip tea.
"Excuse me," she called. "Mr. Giles? Is anyone here?" She walked over to the big desk, but didn't see anyone. But her spine tingled, a feeling that usually meant someone was staring at her.
"Is anyone here?" Buffy repeated hesitantly, turning around to survey the whole room. That was when she saw the girl in the wheel chair sitting motionless by a table in a back corner. Buffy smiled in relief and took a couple of steps toward the girl despite her angry expression. "Hello," Buffy said, "I'm Buffy Summers. What's your name?"
Suddenly, a voice from above her replied, "Well, her name's Sonya Parker, but I don't think that she's the person you'd want to ask about textbooks, Buffy."
Buffy looked up and right into the eyes of the dark haired boy from class. He was leaning on the balcony railing and smiling down at her with a mischevious twinkle in his eyes. She blushed, unsure of what to say. "Um... hello. You're in my English class, right? I think someone said your name was Alexander?"
Then her eyes flew back to Sonya. She wanted to tell the girl that she knew what it was like to be bound in the prison of a wheelchair. It had been living hell for Buffy. But she didn't know this girl well enough to say anything at all. And Buffy didn't know Sonya's situation. Buffy wouldn't want to say something that would make her feel worse -- after all Buffy had always known her wheelchair days were numbered, but maybe this girl was bound to one for life. Buffy looked down at her legs. She knew where each scar was underneath the pants of her overalls.
Then a man with short brown hair, glasses and a tweed jacket walked into the room.
"Xander, Sonya," he called with an air of urgency, "I need to tell you..." Then he saw Buffy and paused. "May I help you? I'm Mr. Giles, the librarian."
Buffy turned to the man, impressed by his proper British accent. "Yes, my name is Buffy Summers, and I need some textbooks." She handed him a piece of paper. "Here's my schedule."
The man gave the crumpled bit of paper a cursory glance and then waved her toward the far side of the room. "The texts are all over in that section. They're arranged by class number. You must take the cards out of the back, stamp them and give them to me so I have a record of which books you elected to take. They will be due back, in pristine condition, at the end of the term."
His accent had impressed her at first, but now the orders were coming so fast and so clipped that Buffy felt intimidated. Inside she felt a little angry. Who were all these people in Sunnydale that thought they could intimidate her? She snatched the paper back out of the librarian's hand, muttered a 'thank you' and made her way over to the indicated shelves. She could practically feel the three pairs of eyes boring into her back as she searched for the texts she needed. It made her nervous, and she dropped a book. It was like they wanted her to leave, and leave quickly. Who ever heard of students delighting in the library after hours?
"Xander," Mr. Giles called, somewhat irritably, "would you go help Miss Summers? I think you're familiar enough with the system." He waved his hand toward Buffy and then went back in his office.
"Sure thing, Giles."
Buffy watched as the mystery-guy walked down the stairs, taking them two at a time and quickly coming up to stand beside her. As she was handing him her schedule, his fingers accidentally brushed hers, causing them both to look up quickly. Their eyes met and she swallowed nervously, trying not to let him see how he affected her. "Uh, what books did you say you needed?" he asked as he looked over the schedule. He began to pick out books for her without waiting for an answer, gathering everything she'd need quickly. Buffy didn't object to him taking control of the situation. He seemed to know this library a lot better than she did. Besides, with her stomach doing flip-flops the way it was, she doubted she wouldn't be very much help.
Once they had gotten everything, she followed him over to the counter and they set the books down. "Now we have to get the cards out of these and stamp them," he told her, "then the books are all yours, Buffy."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Leaving the youngsters to take care of Miss Summers, Giles retreated into his office. If it hadn't been necessary for his cover and to earn his keep, he knew he would not work in a school. Giles didn't like children. He'd much rather be with the musty old artifacts in the British Museum.
There was something about Miss Summers, though. It was like something was on the tip of his mental tongue and Giles just couldn't figure out what it was. Like he was supposed to remember her name for some reason.
Then Giles put such nonsense out of his mind. He had more important things to worry about. He was very relieved that Xander had brought Sonya back safely. In actuality, perhaps there had not been a reason for him to worry about his charge, but considering past events, it was understandable.
His fingers crumpled around the paper in his hand. It was a message from the Council. He had to tell them, but he couldn't. On the Slayer's 18th birthday, the Council tested the Slayer by forcing her to face a vampire without her extra powers. It was a barbaric custom that Giles had never approved of. Now that he knew the Slayer he approved of it even less. Sonya would turn 18 in an increasingly fewer number of months -- three to be precise. The Council had just sent a letter confirming their arrival in three and one half months.
Their search would have to be fruitful soon. If they could not find a spell to reverse Sonya's paralysis where medical efforts had failed, everything would blow up in his face. Giles would be deposed, Sonya would be summarily killed (most likely), but what worried him just as much as Sonya's fate was Xander's. The Council mandated secrecy about the Slayer, her mission and her powers. What would they do to a normal person who had assumed such a role?
Giles had tried to turn Xander a way the day the lad burst into the library, fresh from a meeting with his undead friend the queen of the Sunnydale vampires. Giles tried to stall Xander, but the boy wouldn't have it. Xander would fight vampires, with their help or no. So Giles had accepted Xander's help and trained him in conjunction with Sonya.
But now it seemed that their time was running out. Giles wasn't sure if he should tell Xander and Sonya or not. But one thing was for sure. Miss Summers had to get out of the library before Giles could do anything productive with the rest of his day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Xander began to stamp and de-card the books, he looked over at Buffy and smiled, saying, "By the way, it's Xander." Seeing her confusion, he clarified, "You said you thought my name was Alexander, but I actually go by Xander." Grinning, he added, "Well, at least my friends call me Xander. Everyone else makes me suffer by using the full name." His grin grew even wider. "And if they REALLY want me to suffer they'll use my middle name, too." Lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, he told her, "You see, my middle name's LaVelle. But I try not to make that common knowledge for obvious reasons! I mean, come on... Alexander LaVelle Harris?" He shuddered dramatically, "I'd never live it down!"
Buffy giggled. "Someone must've had it in for you when they picked that name," she agreed. "But at least your first name is cool. I like Xander - that's a really cool nickname. My parents gave me a name that reminds people of a cocker spaniel name," she added with a small frown.
"So," she said casually, "what do people do for fun in this berg anyhow? Are there any rockin' hang outs that a new girl like me should know about?"
Xander shrugged. "Well, the only place worth mentioning is the Bronze. It's a club on the far side of town. They have live music and stuff, so it's pretty cool." He paused and considered asking Buffy if she might like to meet him there tonight. But before he could get the words out, he noticed Sonya sitting over by the reading table and quickly remembered that he had to patrol, like always. Xander sighed. Being the substitute Slayer didn't leave much time for a personal life.
Turning his attention back to Buffy, he wracked his brain for something to talk about and finally said, "Um, I think the Dingoes are playing tonight, so you should definitely show."
Buffy smiled shyly at Xander as she pulled the last card out from the last book and stamped it. For a minute she'd hoped that he might ask her to meet him at the club, but maybe it was too soon for that. What she remembered about boys said that he would be playing it cool now. Maybe he would show up at the Bronze if she went. Or maybe he hadn't been playing any type of game at all. Buffy just didn't know. But she did know that there was no way she'd be stuck sitting around with her mom all night.
"That sounds like fun," she said. "I may have to check it out." She picked up her armload of books and then added, "Well, I guess I'd better get out of Mr. Giles' hair." Buffy started walking for the doors.
Before she could make it even half-way down the hallway, she heard Xander call out, "Buffy, wait!" She turned and saw him jogging after her, one of her books in his hand. "You forgot this!"
Buffy smiled and took the book from him. It was hard to juggle them all in her arms. Finally, she had to take her backpack off and store some of them inside. When the canvas bag was full to bursting she hefted it back onto her shoulder.
She looked up at the boy in front of her. "Thanks a lot," she said.
Xander smiled, "No problem." As she turned to walk away, Xander stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Oh, and Buffy? You shouldn't listen to what anybody else says about your name." Smiling shyly, he added, "It's a lovely name." Then he waved and headed back to the library, silently berating himself. (It's a LOVELY name?!?!? Oh, yeah, that was suave, Xander! She probably thinks your a big dork now!) As he was about to go through the library doors, he stopped and looked behind him one last time, watching as Buffy made her way out of the school building and into the sunlight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Slowly, Buffy walked home from school, smiling as she recalled Xander's compliment. When she got to the house, it was empty, of course. Her mom was at work and wouldn't be home until five or so. Buffy did all of her homework and then worked on unpacking her room. By the time her mom breezed in the door, excited about her first day at the gallery, Buffy's bedroom had regained some semblance of order. Buffy jogged down the stairs to meet her mom in the kitchen.
"Hi, honey," Joyce said with a big grin. "How was your day?"
"Good." Buffy was only partly lying.
"Did you meet any nice people?" Joyce asked as she busied herself in starting dinner preparations.
Buffy nodded. "The guidance counselor is really nice. And I met a cute boy. His name is Xander."
Joyce beamed at her daughter -- happiness that things were turning around written all over her face. Buffy didn't want to disabuse her mom of the notion, so she didn't mention eating lunch alone or having run-ins with Cordelia Chase.
They had a quiet mother-daughter dinner, with Joyce filling Buffy in on all the happenings at the gallery. Then they washed the dishes together. Ever since Hank had left, the two of them had gotten a lot closer. Buffy missed her dad a lot, but she liked that fact that she and her mother were becoming more than mother and daughter - almost friends.
"So," Joyce asked as Buffy put away the last clean dish, "any plans for the evening?"
Buffy's smile was a little mischievous. "That boy I told you about..."
"Yes?" Joyce prompted eagerly.
"He kind of invited me to a club called the Bronze. It's here in town and they have live bands play."
"You have a date already! That's great!"
Buffy had to tone down her mother's excitement. "No, it's not actually a date. He just suggested that I check it out. I'm hoping that meant he's going to be there, too."
Joyce nodded wisely. "I see. It's the shy courting game. I've done that occasionally myself."
"Did it work?" Buffy asked with interest.
"A few times." Joyce herded Buffy upstairs to her room, and said, "Now you get ready. And have fun tonight. And don't forget your curfew."
"Midnight, I know." Buffy saluted, and Joyce laughed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After an agonizing wardrobe decision -- Buffy's outfits had gone from contemporary and chick to casual and easy maintenance over the last two years -- Buffy made her way to the Bronze. It wasn't difficult to find, but it was in a bad part of town, though their wasn't much town to be either good or bad. If there hadn't been so many kids going to the same place, Buffy would have felt a bit conspicuous in her bright blue sundress in the dank, dark street that lead to the club's entrance.
Buffy entered the Bronze and looked around. There were tables and chairs, as well as a bar and lounging areas complete with comfy couches and overstuffed chairs. A bar took up a big portion of the middle of the room, and a dance floor and a stage took up the other part.
Loud music assailed Buffy's ears from the band on stage. They looked like a bunch of high school students, and the name of the band was written on a drum in marker: Dingoes Ate My Baby."
"Morbid," Buffy muttered, moving over to the bar. She ordered a coke and paid for it quickly.
Now she was unsure of what to do. She felt conspicuous alone. It seemed like everyone else was there with someone. She caught a glimpse of Cordelia on the other side of the room with her bevy of beauties. Buffy stayed as far away as she could get. She positioned herself next to the dance floor and scanned the room. Xander was not in evidence. Her heart fell a little. But maybe, she decided, he would show up later.
She fixed her attention on the band. They weren't bad, even if they didn't know too many chords.
#1: In the Space of a Heartbeat
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: B/X, AU, action/adventure, romance
Summary: An accident seconds before being chosen causes the Slayer Essence to skip Buffy, leaving her a normal girl. Then, a year and a half later, her mom's new job and her parents' divorce brings Buffy and her mother to Sunnydale, where Buffy comes in contact with the world of the night and a young man dedicated to its destruction.
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up.
Distribution: Sure, just let us know where it is!
Feedback: Love it! We want to know your likes AND dislikes. Flames are the only thing we do not accept.
Spoilers: Basic BtVS mythology and vampire/slayer lore
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Chapter 4
After dropping Sonya off at her Biology class, Xander went to Chemistry and then managed to finish the rest of his classes without really paying attention to anything the teachers said. Basically, his scholastic day was just a blur of different teachers and classrooms. His mind was on other matters. He kept worrying over Sonya and also contemplating the mystery that was Buffy Summers. The golden haired girl seemed to occupy his thoughts way more than was healthy, but Xander didn't really care. Happily, his day was soon over and he rushed out into the hallway, anxious to meet up with Sonya and get their daily report to Giles out of the way.
Xander reached the library doors and waved at Sonya, who was sitting right outside of them. She smiled in return and let him wheel her into the library. He parked her wheelchair by the reading table. "I'll be right back," he told her, "I'm just gonna go find Giles. He'll want to talk to you. He was really worried."
Sonya nodded, trying to muster up a smile. "I won't go anywhere."
Xander grinned and headed up into the stacks, searching for the librarian. As he looked around for Giles, he heard the doors open and close. Walking to the balcony, he was surprised to see Buffy Summers walking through the doors and into the library. (I wonder what she's doing here?) he thought, before realizing belatedly that she would need to get school books since she was a new student.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Earlier that day...
After lunch, Buffy went through the rest of her classes with little difference. Cordelia was in a couple of them, and the brunette gave Buffy nasty looks each time they encountered each other. Buffy wondered why messing up a couple of prom queen posters was enough to earn the girl's enduring wrath, but no matter what Buffy thought, did or said, it didn't look like things were going to change. She was sad to note that she had no more classes with Alexander, or, if she did he had skipped them. She did have one class with the girl in the wheelchair, but the sullen brunette just looked away when Buffy tried to smile and say hello so Buffy just left, unwilling to make yet another enemy on her first day.
At the end of the day, Buffy had a pre-arranged appointment to see the guidance counselor. Mr. Platt ushered her into the comfy chair across from his desk. He templed his fingers together and stared at Buffy.
"So," he said in a calm, soothing voice, "how was the first day?"
"The classes were good," Buffy said, glad there was at least one positive thing she could cite about her day. "When I was a freshman I never would have thought that I could be interested in, or be able to pass honors level classes. I'm still no good at math, but I'm excited about honors English and History. And I think Computer Science will be fun. Ms. Calendar was really nice."
Mr. Platt nodded. "But what about the non-scholastic part of the day? Did you meet anyone?"
Buffy tried to think of a believable lie to get the man off of her back, but instead the truth came pouring out. "It was horrible. This girl, Cordelia, has decided to hate me, and all of her friends do too. I tried to talk to a couple of other people, but they just ignored me."
The counselor looked down at the file on his desk. "This is your record from Hemery. It includes some remarks from your counselor there. She says here that after your accident you went from outgoing to introverted and withdrawn. Do you agree with that?"
"She didn't understand!" Buffy exclaimed angrily. "My friends all turned on me when I couldn't go to parties and do cheerleading and all the stuff I did before. They didn't want a friend who was in leg braces or a wheelchair. Mrs. Wildman thought I stopped hanging out with Shirly and the rest of the girls, but they were the ones who dropped me. Maybe it did make me introverted, but do you blame me? And I tried to talk to people today, but apparently here people don't like me either."
Mr. Platt took her outburst in stride. "Now, Buffy, don't get too upset yet. Let me ask you something. Have you ever moved before?"
She shook her head. "Nooo."
"Well then, what you don't know is that it's virtually impossible to make friends on your first day in a new school. I've counseled many a transfer who had the same anxieties as you, and most of them went on to be well adjusted students with plenty of friends." He paused for a moment and then continued. "You had a hard time after the accident, but I can tell that it matured you. I think you are a very intelligent young woman and that you will go far in this school if you give Sunnydale High a chance. What do you think?"
Buffy found herself smiling at Mr. Platt. He seemed to understand her -something few adults could claim to do, even her mother. "That makes sense," she agreed.
Mr. Platt sat back in his leather chair. Buffy could hear it squeak when he moved. "Now, I think that perhaps you should come and see me again in a couple of weeks, just to let me know how you're getting along."
She smiled. "I could do that."
"Now, do you have any other questions that I could help you with?" he asked with an answering smile. "Anything at all -- it doesn't have to be psychological."
"Well, there is one thing, but it's kind of piddly," Buffy said.
"Nothing is piddly," Mr. Platt replied. "Ask away."
"Well, where do I go to get text books? At Hemery, the teachers kept a stock in their rooms to give new students."
"That's easy," the counselor said, "extra books are kept in the library. The librarian's name is Mr. Rupert Giles. He's from England. I'm sure he can direct you to anything you need."
"Cool!" Buffy said, hopping out of her chair. "Thanks!"
She quickly made her way to the library. It didn't take long since the halls were virtually empty thirty minutes after the final bell. She pushed open the big double doors and entered a dark room with lots of bookshelves and heavy, dark furniture. Buffy felt almost like she'd stepped back in time to a day when girls wore big dresses and men considered them unable to do more than read novels and sip tea.
"Excuse me," she called. "Mr. Giles? Is anyone here?" She walked over to the big desk, but didn't see anyone. But her spine tingled, a feeling that usually meant someone was staring at her.
"Is anyone here?" Buffy repeated hesitantly, turning around to survey the whole room. That was when she saw the girl in the wheel chair sitting motionless by a table in a back corner. Buffy smiled in relief and took a couple of steps toward the girl despite her angry expression. "Hello," Buffy said, "I'm Buffy Summers. What's your name?"
Suddenly, a voice from above her replied, "Well, her name's Sonya Parker, but I don't think that she's the person you'd want to ask about textbooks, Buffy."
Buffy looked up and right into the eyes of the dark haired boy from class. He was leaning on the balcony railing and smiling down at her with a mischevious twinkle in his eyes. She blushed, unsure of what to say. "Um... hello. You're in my English class, right? I think someone said your name was Alexander?"
Then her eyes flew back to Sonya. She wanted to tell the girl that she knew what it was like to be bound in the prison of a wheelchair. It had been living hell for Buffy. But she didn't know this girl well enough to say anything at all. And Buffy didn't know Sonya's situation. Buffy wouldn't want to say something that would make her feel worse -- after all Buffy had always known her wheelchair days were numbered, but maybe this girl was bound to one for life. Buffy looked down at her legs. She knew where each scar was underneath the pants of her overalls.
Then a man with short brown hair, glasses and a tweed jacket walked into the room.
"Xander, Sonya," he called with an air of urgency, "I need to tell you..." Then he saw Buffy and paused. "May I help you? I'm Mr. Giles, the librarian."
Buffy turned to the man, impressed by his proper British accent. "Yes, my name is Buffy Summers, and I need some textbooks." She handed him a piece of paper. "Here's my schedule."
The man gave the crumpled bit of paper a cursory glance and then waved her toward the far side of the room. "The texts are all over in that section. They're arranged by class number. You must take the cards out of the back, stamp them and give them to me so I have a record of which books you elected to take. They will be due back, in pristine condition, at the end of the term."
His accent had impressed her at first, but now the orders were coming so fast and so clipped that Buffy felt intimidated. Inside she felt a little angry. Who were all these people in Sunnydale that thought they could intimidate her? She snatched the paper back out of the librarian's hand, muttered a 'thank you' and made her way over to the indicated shelves. She could practically feel the three pairs of eyes boring into her back as she searched for the texts she needed. It made her nervous, and she dropped a book. It was like they wanted her to leave, and leave quickly. Who ever heard of students delighting in the library after hours?
"Xander," Mr. Giles called, somewhat irritably, "would you go help Miss Summers? I think you're familiar enough with the system." He waved his hand toward Buffy and then went back in his office.
"Sure thing, Giles."
Buffy watched as the mystery-guy walked down the stairs, taking them two at a time and quickly coming up to stand beside her. As she was handing him her schedule, his fingers accidentally brushed hers, causing them both to look up quickly. Their eyes met and she swallowed nervously, trying not to let him see how he affected her. "Uh, what books did you say you needed?" he asked as he looked over the schedule. He began to pick out books for her without waiting for an answer, gathering everything she'd need quickly. Buffy didn't object to him taking control of the situation. He seemed to know this library a lot better than she did. Besides, with her stomach doing flip-flops the way it was, she doubted she wouldn't be very much help.
Once they had gotten everything, she followed him over to the counter and they set the books down. "Now we have to get the cards out of these and stamp them," he told her, "then the books are all yours, Buffy."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Leaving the youngsters to take care of Miss Summers, Giles retreated into his office. If it hadn't been necessary for his cover and to earn his keep, he knew he would not work in a school. Giles didn't like children. He'd much rather be with the musty old artifacts in the British Museum.
There was something about Miss Summers, though. It was like something was on the tip of his mental tongue and Giles just couldn't figure out what it was. Like he was supposed to remember her name for some reason.
Then Giles put such nonsense out of his mind. He had more important things to worry about. He was very relieved that Xander had brought Sonya back safely. In actuality, perhaps there had not been a reason for him to worry about his charge, but considering past events, it was understandable.
His fingers crumpled around the paper in his hand. It was a message from the Council. He had to tell them, but he couldn't. On the Slayer's 18th birthday, the Council tested the Slayer by forcing her to face a vampire without her extra powers. It was a barbaric custom that Giles had never approved of. Now that he knew the Slayer he approved of it even less. Sonya would turn 18 in an increasingly fewer number of months -- three to be precise. The Council had just sent a letter confirming their arrival in three and one half months.
Their search would have to be fruitful soon. If they could not find a spell to reverse Sonya's paralysis where medical efforts had failed, everything would blow up in his face. Giles would be deposed, Sonya would be summarily killed (most likely), but what worried him just as much as Sonya's fate was Xander's. The Council mandated secrecy about the Slayer, her mission and her powers. What would they do to a normal person who had assumed such a role?
Giles had tried to turn Xander a way the day the lad burst into the library, fresh from a meeting with his undead friend the queen of the Sunnydale vampires. Giles tried to stall Xander, but the boy wouldn't have it. Xander would fight vampires, with their help or no. So Giles had accepted Xander's help and trained him in conjunction with Sonya.
But now it seemed that their time was running out. Giles wasn't sure if he should tell Xander and Sonya or not. But one thing was for sure. Miss Summers had to get out of the library before Giles could do anything productive with the rest of his day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Xander began to stamp and de-card the books, he looked over at Buffy and smiled, saying, "By the way, it's Xander." Seeing her confusion, he clarified, "You said you thought my name was Alexander, but I actually go by Xander." Grinning, he added, "Well, at least my friends call me Xander. Everyone else makes me suffer by using the full name." His grin grew even wider. "And if they REALLY want me to suffer they'll use my middle name, too." Lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, he told her, "You see, my middle name's LaVelle. But I try not to make that common knowledge for obvious reasons! I mean, come on... Alexander LaVelle Harris?" He shuddered dramatically, "I'd never live it down!"
Buffy giggled. "Someone must've had it in for you when they picked that name," she agreed. "But at least your first name is cool. I like Xander - that's a really cool nickname. My parents gave me a name that reminds people of a cocker spaniel name," she added with a small frown.
"So," she said casually, "what do people do for fun in this berg anyhow? Are there any rockin' hang outs that a new girl like me should know about?"
Xander shrugged. "Well, the only place worth mentioning is the Bronze. It's a club on the far side of town. They have live music and stuff, so it's pretty cool." He paused and considered asking Buffy if she might like to meet him there tonight. But before he could get the words out, he noticed Sonya sitting over by the reading table and quickly remembered that he had to patrol, like always. Xander sighed. Being the substitute Slayer didn't leave much time for a personal life.
Turning his attention back to Buffy, he wracked his brain for something to talk about and finally said, "Um, I think the Dingoes are playing tonight, so you should definitely show."
Buffy smiled shyly at Xander as she pulled the last card out from the last book and stamped it. For a minute she'd hoped that he might ask her to meet him at the club, but maybe it was too soon for that. What she remembered about boys said that he would be playing it cool now. Maybe he would show up at the Bronze if she went. Or maybe he hadn't been playing any type of game at all. Buffy just didn't know. But she did know that there was no way she'd be stuck sitting around with her mom all night.
"That sounds like fun," she said. "I may have to check it out." She picked up her armload of books and then added, "Well, I guess I'd better get out of Mr. Giles' hair." Buffy started walking for the doors.
Before she could make it even half-way down the hallway, she heard Xander call out, "Buffy, wait!" She turned and saw him jogging after her, one of her books in his hand. "You forgot this!"
Buffy smiled and took the book from him. It was hard to juggle them all in her arms. Finally, she had to take her backpack off and store some of them inside. When the canvas bag was full to bursting she hefted it back onto her shoulder.
She looked up at the boy in front of her. "Thanks a lot," she said.
Xander smiled, "No problem." As she turned to walk away, Xander stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Oh, and Buffy? You shouldn't listen to what anybody else says about your name." Smiling shyly, he added, "It's a lovely name." Then he waved and headed back to the library, silently berating himself. (It's a LOVELY name?!?!? Oh, yeah, that was suave, Xander! She probably thinks your a big dork now!) As he was about to go through the library doors, he stopped and looked behind him one last time, watching as Buffy made her way out of the school building and into the sunlight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Slowly, Buffy walked home from school, smiling as she recalled Xander's compliment. When she got to the house, it was empty, of course. Her mom was at work and wouldn't be home until five or so. Buffy did all of her homework and then worked on unpacking her room. By the time her mom breezed in the door, excited about her first day at the gallery, Buffy's bedroom had regained some semblance of order. Buffy jogged down the stairs to meet her mom in the kitchen.
"Hi, honey," Joyce said with a big grin. "How was your day?"
"Good." Buffy was only partly lying.
"Did you meet any nice people?" Joyce asked as she busied herself in starting dinner preparations.
Buffy nodded. "The guidance counselor is really nice. And I met a cute boy. His name is Xander."
Joyce beamed at her daughter -- happiness that things were turning around written all over her face. Buffy didn't want to disabuse her mom of the notion, so she didn't mention eating lunch alone or having run-ins with Cordelia Chase.
They had a quiet mother-daughter dinner, with Joyce filling Buffy in on all the happenings at the gallery. Then they washed the dishes together. Ever since Hank had left, the two of them had gotten a lot closer. Buffy missed her dad a lot, but she liked that fact that she and her mother were becoming more than mother and daughter - almost friends.
"So," Joyce asked as Buffy put away the last clean dish, "any plans for the evening?"
Buffy's smile was a little mischievous. "That boy I told you about..."
"Yes?" Joyce prompted eagerly.
"He kind of invited me to a club called the Bronze. It's here in town and they have live bands play."
"You have a date already! That's great!"
Buffy had to tone down her mother's excitement. "No, it's not actually a date. He just suggested that I check it out. I'm hoping that meant he's going to be there, too."
Joyce nodded wisely. "I see. It's the shy courting game. I've done that occasionally myself."
"Did it work?" Buffy asked with interest.
"A few times." Joyce herded Buffy upstairs to her room, and said, "Now you get ready. And have fun tonight. And don't forget your curfew."
"Midnight, I know." Buffy saluted, and Joyce laughed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After an agonizing wardrobe decision -- Buffy's outfits had gone from contemporary and chick to casual and easy maintenance over the last two years -- Buffy made her way to the Bronze. It wasn't difficult to find, but it was in a bad part of town, though their wasn't much town to be either good or bad. If there hadn't been so many kids going to the same place, Buffy would have felt a bit conspicuous in her bright blue sundress in the dank, dark street that lead to the club's entrance.
Buffy entered the Bronze and looked around. There were tables and chairs, as well as a bar and lounging areas complete with comfy couches and overstuffed chairs. A bar took up a big portion of the middle of the room, and a dance floor and a stage took up the other part.
Loud music assailed Buffy's ears from the band on stage. They looked like a bunch of high school students, and the name of the band was written on a drum in marker: Dingoes Ate My Baby."
"Morbid," Buffy muttered, moving over to the bar. She ordered a coke and paid for it quickly.
Now she was unsure of what to do. She felt conspicuous alone. It seemed like everyone else was there with someone. She caught a glimpse of Cordelia on the other side of the room with her bevy of beauties. Buffy stayed as far away as she could get. She positioned herself next to the dance floor and scanned the room. Xander was not in evidence. Her heart fell a little. But maybe, she decided, he would show up later.
She fixed her attention on the band. They weren't bad, even if they didn't know too many chords.