Chapter 40

Buffy and Faith stood watching Vi and Rona. They were patrolling the graveyard waiting for Spike and Angel to attack. Suddenly Rona was punched in the head and she collapsed to the ground. Spike leapt out of the shadows in front of Vi who raised her stake to strike but Angel came out behind her and swatted the stake away. While Spike wrenched Vi's arm up behind her back, spun her around, baring her neck, Angel grabbed Rona and pulled her tightly to him, baring her neck as well. Their fangs descended toward the Potential's soft flesh and then.. They stopped. Spike and Angel's faces morphed back to normal.

"Okay, these two are dead. Why?" Angel asked.

"Cause the black chick always gets it first?" Rona asked as Angel let her go.

"What was that, Rona?" Buffy asked. Molly and Kennedy watched from a short distance away. As usual, Molly was taking constant notes on a small pad.

"I'm dead because they're vampires. I don't have Slayer strength, Slayer speed.. It wasn't a fair fight."

"Fine." Spike said. He looked down at Vi. "Do you think we care if it's a fair fight?"

"No, sir. You don't play by the rules and I have learned a valuable lesson.. Of some sort." Vi said. Spike twisted her arm a little harder and she yelped.

"Okay, Spike." Faith said. He smiled and let Vi go.

"You're right." Angel said. "You don't have Slayer strength but that doesn't mean that you're not strong. You have inherent abilities that others do not have."

"Not like Buffy and Faith do." Molly said.

"No. Not yet. But it's there." Faith said.

"You have the potential. You have strength, speed, instinct.. You just have to learn to trust yourself." Buffy said. "Rona, what did your instincts tell you to do just then?"

"Block his attack, keep him off balance, gain the advantage.." Rona said.

"No they didn't." Faith, Buffy, and Angel said.

"They told me to run."

"Vi?" Angel asked.

She nodded. "They told me to run. They're still sorta telling me to run." Vi added, glancing at Spike and Angel.

"Don't fight on his terms. If your gut's telling you to run, run. Regain the higher ground. Make the fight your own. Angel, what did your instincts tell you to do just then?" Buffy asked.

"Hunt. Kill." Angel responded darkly.

Buffy nodded. She pulled out a stake and sauntered up to Angel. "Come at me. Full speed." She turned her back on him and faced the girls. "He needs to kill to live. That tells you everything you need to know." Angel's face went feral and he leapt at her from behind with a vicious snarl. She neatly sidestepped and he landed face-first on the edge of a gravestone. She jumped onto his chest, straddling him, and seized him by throat, her stake poised to strike. "Instinct. Understand his but trust yours. You were chosen for a reason." Angel groaned a little. Buffy looked down. "You ok?"

"There are two reasons I'm groaning. Guess." Angel said quietly.

Buffy moved closer to his face. "I can feel one of them, but what's the other?"

"My head. Whacked it on the headstone."

"Awe, poor baby." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Any where else?"

"My chest." Angel pouted a little and Buffy smiled. She pulled his shirt up and kissed his chest with a slight lick. He caught her head and pulled her up to his lips and smothered her in a passionate kiss.

"That's hot." Rona said.

"So we're supposed to like make out with them or something?" Molly asked.

"Careful, Buffy. Just when you think it's part of the lesson, he'll hurt your arm." Vi said.

Buffy and Angel looked over as if they had forgotten anyone was there. Buffy flushed and stood up, pulling Angel with her. "Molly, Kennedy, let's go. You're up. Next lesson."

"I got this one mate." Spike said to Angel. "Take care of your girl." The bleached vampire nodded towards Buffy who was trying to hide her face behind her hair.

Angel smiled and walked over to her. He pulled her to his chest and she leaned back, content with the right now. Faith hopped up onto a headstone and watched as Spike darted off to hide.



The next day, Buffy paced the basement, an axe in hand, while the potential Slayers argued amongst themselves. Angel leaned against the stair railing, watching Buffy closely. Dawn watched from the stairs. Buffy finally had enough. She hurled the axe across the room and embedded it in the target that was set up. A perfect bulls eye. The girls looked up in stunned silence. Angel walked up behind Buffy and put his hand on the small of her back. She calmed down slightly, but her anger was still flaring. She looked at the girls.

"You're all going to die. But you knew that already because that's the cool reward for being human. The big desert at the end of the meal. Don't kid yourselves, you guys. This whole thing is all about death. You think you're different because you might be the next Slayer? Death is what a Slayer breathes, what a Slayer dreams about when she sleeps. Death is what a Slayer lives. My death could make you the next Slayer." She looked around and noticed she had their undivided attention. She looked at Angel. "Oh, goody. Rapt attention. I love that so much." She crossed the room and pulled the axe out of the target. Angel took it and put it on a table. "Now where was I? Ah. If we go with what Anya's resources are telling us, then the First is in remission for a while, which we think means advantage us."

"Well, what does that mean? About the First." Rona asked.

"Best we can tell, he.. Or, more precisely it, was putting a lot of stock in that UberVamp thing." Angel said.

"The Chaka Khan." Buffy said. "So when Faith and I kicked its ass, the whole First-y Circus decided to back off for a while. The good news: it means we probably don't have to worry about it pulling Spike's strings for a while. Here's the half-empty: time away means time to regroup and part of that regrouping is coming back stronger than ever. The odds are against us. Time is against us. And some of us will die in this battle. Decide now that it's not going to be you. I know you're all tired.. Far away from home.. Anxious. But you're all special. Most people in this world have no idea why they're here or what they want to do."

"You do. You have a mission. A reason for being here. You're not here by chance. You're here because you are the Chosen Ones."

Buffy and Angel turned to go upstairs. For the first time, they noticed that she was there. Buffy looked at her as she ran by. "Dawn, you better hurry up and eat something so you're not late for school." The Slayer continued up to her and Angel's bedroom.

Angel stopped and knocked on Connor's door. "Connor?"

"Yeah dad?" Connor called back.

"You ready for school?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, your mother's getting ready to leave."

"Ok."

Angel walked into his and Buffy's bedroom. Buffy stood in front of her vanity smoothing out her hair. When he walked up behind her, the only way she knew he was there was him wrapping his arms around her and leaning over her back to kiss her neck.

"I'm never going to get used to that." Buffy said.

"What?"

"Not being able to see you in the mirror."

"I don't need to. I have you to tell me how great I look."

"Great? Ha!" Angel was about to comment. "You're definitely the sexist thing I've ever seen next to Mel Gibson."

"What's Mel got that I don't?"

"Want a list?" She smiled and stood up, turning in his arms. "Don't worry sweetie. Mel's unavailable. He's got like seven kids and a wife."

"And you've got one and a husband."

"That I do."

"And you've got the coolest kid in High School." Connor said, standing in the doorway.

"You're just like your father." Buffy said. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"I'm getting better at this stealth thing."

"Why are you so spiffy today?" Angel asked. Connor was wearing khaki pants and a deep red sweater with a black stripe across the chest.

"Career day."

"Oh! That's right! You'll be spending today with me!" Buffy said happily.

"You want to be a counselor?" Angel asked.

"Kinda. I don't really know what else I'm good at except fighting and helping people. Like mom. So I figured, why not give it a shot?"

"Makes a mom proud." Buffy said, standing next to her son. He overshadowed her because he was so tall and built like his father. "Let's go."



Buffy talked into the phone while Connor surfed the internet. "Xander, I know.. I'm sorry. If you're going to take a shower at my house, lock the door. Of course they're curious." Amanda, one of Buffy's students, approached her cubicle and Buffy waved her in while she continued with Xander. "Ask Angel to guard the door. He's not gonna peek! Ew, gross Xander! Hey, I gotta go. Has Giles checked in yet? I thought he was picking up that Chao-ahn girl in Shanghai yesterday. Okay, well let me know if he does. Bye." She hung up. "Amanda, right? I'm all yours."

"H-hey Connor." Amanda said.

"Hey Amanda." Connor said, glancing at her from the computer.

Amanda sat down and looked at Buffy. "Do people ever think you're weird?"

Connor looked at Buffy and smirked. She elbowed him lightly and looked back at Amanda. "I guess.. Sure. In a charming, endearing, lovable.." Connor nudged her. "Yeah."

"I feel like people think I'm weird and so they pick on me. But I might be. Weird."

"Amanda, why do you think they you're weird?"

"One of the boys who picks on me.. I kind of.. See, if a guy picks on you, is it weird to think he's cute?"

"Oh.."

Connor was trying not to laugh. Buffy kicked him under the desk to stop him as Amanda went on. "It's just the last few times I've seen him, I've wanted to, you know, pick on him. Extra. More."

"Uh huh." She kicked Connor again.

"The thing is, I can't tell. My mom says when a guy teases you, it means he likes you."

"Sometimes that's true."

"Is it weird? We're mean to each other and we like each other."

"Well, it depends. I mean, sometimes that's how people relate. Being mean to each other.. Even mortal enemies. Then with the.. And that leads to no good, absolutely no good, and much confusion, and then it's over, or you think it's absolutely, seriously, definitely over, and that's confusing, too, the over part, which it is. Because it's a world of heartbreak and bad choices. And then he comes back after you find out about.." Amanda stared at her. "So maybe." Buffy offered a wan smile but Amanda just looked confused.

"What mo.. Buffy's trying to say is that sometimes a guy means he likes you when he's picking on you and other times he just picking on you." Connor said.

"Guys perspective?" Amanda asked.

"Yup."

"So I should just come right out and ask him?"

"Uh huh."

"Whatever. I'm gonna be late for class." Amanda got up and left.

Buffy looked at Connor and rolled her eyes. "What!?" She rolled them again and started doodling on a notebook.



When Buffy and Connor walked in the door, a full-scale argument was in effect in her living room. Xander, Andrew, Rona and Vi were yelling at the top of their lungs and Angel was no where to be found.

"Why do we always have to yell?!" Andrew yelled.

"I was only gone a couple of hours." Buffy said, angry.

"Buffy.." Angel said, walking in.

"Hey, everybody, look. It's Angel. Perhaps with a blunt weapon of some sort."

"Honey, we just got news." He motioned towards the dining room and escorted her there. Connor, Xander, and Andrew followed.

"What's the what?" Buffy asked.

"Another potential." Willow said, sitting at the table next to Anya. "Althenea called to tell us that she's here."

"And she's sure?"

"Positive. Althenea said the seers located another potential Slayer here in Sunnydale, someone that already lives here."

"Oh God.."

"All these girls flocking to town and this one's already here and under our noses?" Anya asked.

"Wait, the seers couldn't find out her name or her address or anything? Am I getting the definition of 'seer' wrong?" Xander asked.

"Angel and I were going to take the girls out tonight for a little show-and- tell but maybe now we shouldn't." Buffy said.

"They were so excited. You're going to break their little hearts." Andrew said.

"This town is lousy with Bringers. Don't want to risk that they find this new girl first." Angel said.

"No, you guys should go. I can do a spell to find her tonight. I just have to get together a few ingredients. But you shouldn't skip your training. It's too important." Willow said.

"You think you can handle it?" Buffy asked.

"No problemo." Xander said.

"Yeah, you guys have more important things to do." Connor said.

"Okay, we'll take them." Angel said.

"Yes!" Andrew said.

"Andrew, you're not going." Buffy said.

"Buffy, can I see you upstairs for a minute?" Angel asked. She nodded and followed him up.

"What's wrong?"

"Two things. One: I need a kiss from my wife. Two: Gunn called. We need to get up to LA soon. The Beast is getting famous with its killings."

"One of the two I can solve right now." Buffy smiled and pulled lightly on Angel's sweater till he was close enough to reach up and kiss. "What will your wife think of me kissing you?"

"I'm sure she'd beat the hell out of you. She's the jealous type."

"Oh, then I'll have to watch out for her."

Angel smiled and kissed Buffy again, more deeply this time. They moved into the bed and stayed there for a while, both falling asleep in each other's arms. When night fell, they woke up and headed downstairs. Andrew was arguing with Connor again about whether he could go tonight or not. Connor was refusing and telling him that Buffy and Angel weren't going to let him go either. When Andrew spotted Buffy and Angel on the stairs, he followed them, pleading with both of them. Buffy and Angel walked into the kitchen where the potentials were loading up on weapons.

"Andrew, you're begging." Buffy said.

"I'm not begging." Andrew said.

"You're like a small dog dancing for Snausages." Angel said.

"You guys don't want me coming along because you think I'm evil."

"He doesn't seem evil exactly." Vi said.

"He's not evil but when he gets close to it, he picks up its flavor, like a mushroom or something." Buffy said.

"But I'm reformed! I'm like Vegeta on Dragonball Z. I used to be a pure Saiyan and now I fight on the side of Goku."

"Still not coming." Angel said.

"It's not fair! Spike just killed people and he gets to go."

"Spike didn't have free will. You did."

"I hate my free will." Andrew sighed just as Faith and Spike walked in.

"So this is where you're all hiding." Spike said.

"We ready to go or what?" Faith asked.

"Let's go girls." Angel said.

They all headed out. Buffy and Angel grabbed stakes before they walked out the door while the rest of the group was already loaded down, ready for action.