CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: MR MCNAMARRA
Friday: 3:45pm21st August 1998
California: Sunnydale
Dawn walked into the gallery, whistling happily. She went past the displays towards the offices and smiled as she saw Buffy.
"Hey big sis," she greeted.
Buffy looked up and grinned. "Hey lil' sis."
It was a ritual that had begun after Tim and Joyce had sat down and explained everything to Dawn, from Joyce's first marriage to Buffy's disappearance and sudden reappearance.
"Is mom around?" Dawn asked.
"She's on the phone with your dad," Buffy replied.
Dawn nodded and perched herself on the desk, swinging her legs happily.
"You're having dinner with us tonight, right?" Dawn asked.
"Yup. It's Friday, remember?" Buffy answered.
"Just checking," Dawn said.
Joyce hadn't understood why Buffy couldn't live in the house on Revello Drive where she belonged. She didn't know about Buffy's Calling, and Buffy planned on keeping it that way. It was better if hardly anyone knew. Buffy knew that she had to take her Destiny seriously, she had had that taught to her in many different ways in her days as a Potential, and she understood the need for secrecy.
The fact that Tim knew and was a good ally was tremendously helpful. He managed to keep Joyce calm about Buffy not living with them, and had helped Joyce see that it was better that Buffy stay with her 'uncle' so that she could still have stability in her life. Tim explained that Buffy needed time to deal with the new developments of having a family and that it would take time.
So, Joyce had conceded eventually. Buffy would work in the gallery Monday, Wednesday, Friday and have dinner with them on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights. Saturdays and Sundays were spent training with Giles.
Buffy was thrilled to finally be part of a family. She had expected things to be strange at first, but she had fallen straight into the part of the big sister and eldest daughter. She had worried that Dawn would be upset, but Dawn had been thrilled to learn that Buffy truly was her older sister.
Giles had been extremely lenient with Buffy for the first few weeks that she had been adjusting to suddenly having a family. Six months later, he was firm about sticking to the old schedule. As for Buffy in the slayage department, she'd never fought better in her life. She had friends, she had family and she had so many reasons to be alive.
Xander had stopped stalking her and had opted on just getting to know her as casually as he could. Willow had also joined Xander in his new preoccupation with getting to know the new girl. Neither of them knew that Buffy was Joyce's daughter, though Willow was curious as to why Dawn and Buffy had been spending so much time together.
Faith and Buffy trained together, Giles allowing it because it meant that Buffy was fighting someone with equal training and someone who could almost keep up with Slayer stamina. It was also helpful to observe Buffy's fighting skills when he wasn't on the receiving end of them.
Ethan came in and out of town whenever he could, flying weekly to places all over the world, always bringing back small souvenirs for Buffy, Faith and Giles.
Buffy put down her pen and looked at her younger sister.
"Wanna go grab some ice cream or something?" Buffy asked.
"Ice cream? I am so there. It's about a gazillion degrees out there!" Dawn said.
Dawn grinned and happily took her sister's outstretched hand. For Dawn, life had never been better.
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Buffy raced into the house she shared with Giles, the door slamming behind her. It startled Giles who was on the phone with someone. She shot him an apologetic smile and raced up the stairs, stopping short when she caught what Giles was saying.
"Yes, sorry about that. Yes, my Slayer. She's rather…energetic at this time of the afternoon," Giles said.
Buffy grinned, loving the stuffy way that Giles put everything. She could hear the affection lacing his voice even as he spoke semi-badly about her.
"Now? Are you certain? A demonic fighting arena. Yes, I had heard they existed. Terrible things really," Giles said. "No. No, I wasn't. When? Oh. Yes. That soon."
Buffy felt her heart drop. By the sounds of it, they were going to move. She shook her head but Giles didn't see it. He was too busy rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Yes. Yes of course. I'll inform you when we get there. Yes. Alright. Thank you."
Giles hung up the phone and reluctantly turned to where Buffy was staring at him from halfway up the stairs.
"Giles, no," she said quietly.
"I'm afraid we have to," he replied.
"But…I just got my family back," she said.
He nodded. "I know."
She held back tears and closed her eyes. Before her Watcher could say anything else, his Slayer had shot up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door shut. Giles winced at the sound and couldn't help but wonder whether anything in his Slayer life would ever go smoothly.
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Saturday: 10pm22nd August 1998
California: Los Angeles
They had driven to Los Angeles during the day, Buffy giving her Watcher the silent treatment even though she knew that it wasn't actually his fault. The Council had arranged for a small apartment for the two of them in the centre of the city, a largish two bedroom place with an amazing view of the beach. When Buffy had seen the view, she had been shocked out of her stubborn refusal to speak and had pointed towards it enthusiastically.
"Giles! This place…look, it's gorgeous!"
Giles had smiled and nodded his agreement. He hadn't been terribly happy about the move either. He had only just become comfortable in Sunnydale, and moving hadn't been on his list of top priorities.
Buffy had settled into the apartment fairly quickly, putting her belongings in the drawers in her room. As much as she hadn't wanted to leave Sunnydale, she had to admit to liking the new apartment a little more than the old place she and Giles had been living in before.
Faith and Ethan had both promised to be in LA by the end of the week once they found a place to stay.
Explaining to Joyce and Dawn why she had had to go with Giles when both the Stanton women knew that Giles wasn't actually her uncle had been harder than Buffy had expected. Joyce couldn't understand why Giles wanted to move, especially now and when he had explained that it was for work, Joyce had practically begged for Buffy to stay in the house on Revello Drive.
After Buffy had assured her mom six or seven times that she would be coming back to Sunnydale, Joyce had acquiesced, albeit reluctantly. She still didn't understand and she had made Buffy swear on her life that she would return and phone regularly.
"So…" Buffy said when she had finished unpacking. "Should I go patrol? Get a feel for the area?"
Giles looked up, his thought pattern interrupted as her heard his Slayer's voice.
"What? Oh, uh, yes. Yes, patrol. Uh, perhaps you should make it a shorter one than usual. You can get a better knowledge of the vicinity tomorrow during the day," he suggested.
"Alright. I'll be back in about two hours then," she said.
Giles nodded and barely noticed that she had gone. Buffy shut the door behind her after grabbing several of her favourite weapons and the spare key to the apartment.
She walked quickly, moving through the streets and memorising where everything was. There were several run down buildings that she wanted to have a look at during the day as possible vamps nests, but for now, she stuck to the streets.
Four vampires later, she found herself in the middle of an abandoned parking lot that belonged to what looked like a club. She couldn't hear any sounds, but she could feel that there were several demons nearby. She held a stake and a dagger at the ready, her crossbow on its shoulder strap.
From out of nowhere, she was surrounded by six demons, four of them circling her as two of them hung back at the rear to watch. Buffy swallowed hard and attacked before they had a chance, quickly sizing up which of the four demons would be the easiest to kill. She seemingly chose correctly and the first demon was dead in a matter of seconds.
She held off two of the demons that rushed towards her, sidestepping one and throwing the other towards the two demons that hung back observing. The fourth demon growled at her and lunged, impaling itself on her dagger. It fell backwards, Buffy's dagger still embedded in its chest. Buffy almost groaned as she realised she'd just lost a weapon.
Within minutes, she had staked one of the demons, and while the demon howled in pain, it didn't fall to the ground as she had expected it to. Clutching at the wound on its chest, it swung towards her, catching her arm with its claws. She pushed past the pain in her arm and swung at the bleeding demon with her good hand. The demon stumbled back and Buffy took the opportunity to ready her crossbow and fire at the demons heart. It yelled in pain and collapsed to the ground. Buffy quickly reloaded the bow and looked around for the three remaining demons.
Gone.
She furrowed her brow in confusion and pushed her sixth sense outwards to try and feel them. She could feel them in the air around her, but she couldn't see them. With her crossbow still aimed, she turned in a slow circle, not wanting them to catch her off guard. The moment she had turned, she felt an electric current go through her back, shocking her. She fell to her knees as she felt another bolt hit her.
She lay, sprawled on the ground. Through her fading vision, she saw another figure step forward, one that looked and felt human.
"Nice work boys. She'll be a real crowd pleaser. Who knew that Slayers came so damn hot? I think Mr McNamarra will be pleased."
And then, her world went black.