Ch 2: 10 Degrees Of Separation

The bus stopped just outside of Cleveland right next to the Blue Grass Motel. Buffy got out first and turned back to everyone. "I'm going to go in first." She said and walked off. Dawn, Andrew, and Rona got out of the bus.
"Excuse me!" Giles said. The three teens turned back. "Buffy said stay here." Giles said. They all exchanged glances and walked on. "Oh, dammit." Giles rested his head on the dash and closed his eyes.
"We'll watch them." Willow said from behind. "Won't we?" Kennedy nodded and they both followed the teens. Xander followed not far behind.
I guess I better join Buffy. Giles thought.

The Motel's lobby was small and had a sort of musty smell. Giles recognized it as old books from his librarian days. Oh how he missed them so. He spotted a telephone and walked up to it deciding to call one of the Watcher's Council's special lines. The one where if the whole Council get blowed up that's who you call. The theme song to Ghost Busters swam through Giles head for a second and he whisked it away aimlessly.
Buffy was standing at the desk with a clerk who obviously wasn't rich at all. He had on a brown shirt with tattered blue jeans and behind the desk was a t.v. and a dirty magazine. "Look,." Buffy looked at the guy's nametag. "Harry. WE need rooms. And if you don't give them to me.."
"All booked."
"What?" The man turned to her annoyingly and repeated himself. "How can it be all booked. What's so great about this Motel?" She asked. Giles decided to stay back out of the line of fire.
"It's a holiday." The guy said and sat back down reading his magazine.
"What HOLIDAY?" Buffy asked.
"A special one, If your not from Cleveland which is quite apparent yu'd know what I as talking about." Buffy grunted and walked out past Giles. Giles stayed quiet and followed.

On the bus Buffy began to speak. "Okay, we don't have a place to stay yet.but.we'll.get.one." She stormed out of the bus where Giles was.
"Where are they?" She asked heatedly. Faith and Robin joined her.
"We don't know. We searched the place. We fell asleep when all of this stuff went down." Faith said.
"Okay.Giles.you let them go?" She asked.
"I didn't let them. They forced me!" Giles said.
"What? They threatened to pull your hair?" Faith asked.

Dawn hit the cue ball and broke up the balls as they scattered and scittered away into a hole. But only one made it. A shiny black 8 ball. "Shit!" She yelled.
"Hey!" Willow said from a table across the way.
"Sorry." Dawn grabbed more quarters off the counter and inserted them. "Ready for another round?"
"Oh yeah. Eat my pain 8 ball queen!" Xander yelled jokingly. They were all at a local bar on the outskirts of town called The Room. Big in the teen scene. He racked up the balls and chalked his stick.
"Bring it on." Dawn said laughing. Rona and Andrew were in the corner at a table. Only one light hung above it casting an eerie glow on Andrew's drab face. Rona picked up her drink and laughed. They had been talking about Andrew's GURPS game the night before the Hellmouth showdown. "That's so funny!" Andrew smiled then lowered his gaze. "It isn't really funny is it?" Andrew asked. "No, not really." Rona said taking another sip. "Wanna play some pool?" Rona asked. "Sure." They got up and walked over to an empty pool table.

"Where are they?" Buffy asked walking down an unfamiliar alley. "Who knows B. I mean if I were a teen wandering around Cleveland where would I be?" She asked. "Club." Buffy and Faith both chorused. "Hey, cuteys." Two guys said from behind them. There faces were distorted.almost feral. "Not in the moos for two vamps." Buffy said. "How about 7." Another said from up top. He and five others jumped from the rooftops.

"Not in the mood for that either." Buffy said. "I'm in the mood fro Chile though." She said as the vampires rushed them.

"Do you think it was right leaving the ladies to find them?" Robin asked Giles. They were walking down a dark street with smashed street lights and broken windows. "They're Slayers they can handle themselves." Giles replied. "I mean, I'm kind of.well.Faith and me."

"Are in love." Giles said shining his flashlight around. "Yes. But, I want to.be closer. Not just.having sex." "Well, since you put it so blatantly in front of a proper Englishman." Giles said. "Wait a minute. He shined his flashlight down to a manhole. Red mist seeped from it. "Hellmouth having a party?"

"I should say so." As if on cue a red demon with spiked for hands jumped out and snarled. "Well, there's are little party animal now." Giles said.