CHAPTER 2
Tara and Willow hold hands and spin themselves in circles until Willow knocks into someone. She gains her balance and comes around to see who it is.
"Buffy! I was just . whoa, I'm really dizzy. Everything is spinning. It's so cool."
"Yeah," she takes a sniff, "what's that smell?"
"Nothing," Tara says as she spins in place and they both laugh.
"Willow, your shirt is sort of wet. What happened?" Dawn asks.
Willow smiles.
Giles and Joyce walk up, they are laughing. Giles has his coat tied around his waist.
"Mom?" She looks at them. One of Giles shoelaces is untied and their hair is all messed up, "What were you two doing? Forget it! I don't even want to know."
"I'm a grown women. Besides, it's not what you think."
"No, not at all," Giles jumps in.
"We were jumping."
"Jumping. Right. I'm not familiar with your 60s' slang. Is that a euthanism for getting it on? Buffy retorts playfully.
"Oh, we ran into Xander and Anya. They went ahead on home. Said they might catch up with you tonight."
"Well, it's getting late and I've got to get home, shower and launder my cloths for tomorrow. I'll see you all later."
"Goodnight," calls out Dawn.
"Take care Rupert," Joyce calls as well.
"Rupert . you sure you two weren't." Buffy asks again.
"No."
"Goodnight Giles," Buffy then adds.
"Goodnight Mr. Giles," Tara and Willow say.
Giles waves to everyone and slowly heads toward the car lot. Buffy hesitates as everyone leaves.
"Buffy, what's up?" Dawn asks.
She sort of shakes her head.
"Nothing."
"Come on you two!" Joyce yells to them. They all pile in and drive off.
Pisha. "Aaaggghhh!!!" Buffy gets up with a helping hand from Xander after having staked a vampire.
"But you see, it's not that I want to be alone. I've just had some bad experiences. I don't want to have to go through this all over again."
"Well, he seems nice. Tell me, does this Ben fellow sleep during the day?"
"No."
"Roam the graveyard at night?"
"No."
"Have a dying, unsatiable thirst for human blood?"
"Well, Buffy. He's human. And a doctor, your mom must be proud. Have a good time, I am sure this one isn't going to fly off in a black helicopter at night for a jungle in some country I can't spell."
"Xander, I am still hurting from Riley. I don't know what to do. I'm sure, yet unsure. I cross my mind."
"Buffy," grabs her shoulders, "just ease into it. You weren't with Riley that long, so you didn't have that much vested emotional interested. Ben's like the next wave; if you catch it now, you won't be thrown off. Just ride with it. If you don't like where it's going, don't worry, you'll reach shore. If you do, you two can then create your own waves."
Buffy stares into Xander's face. "Xander, did I ever tell you how much I value your friendship/"
"Nah."
"Well, I do - plus that ocean relationship analogy was narly dude."
"Thank the good people who bring us Baywatch."
Buffy smiles and they continue to walk slowly through the night.
"Giles said you helped him do some remodeling in the Magic Box. You ever think about going into business for yourself? Craftsman for hire?"
"I thought about it, but I got not financial backing for a loan and most the tools I use are loaners from work. I helped design and build the wood shelves and supports for your weapons in the training room and."
They hear someone struggling and head for that noise.
"Umha!" a vampire exclaims while trying to push himself up out of the ground.
"Hi there," Buffy bends down in front of it, "how are you tonight? Shhh . you might wake the dead."
Xander leans on the tombstone behind the vamp, looking down at its head.
"You look like you could use a hand, Xander, let's give him a hand."
They both clap a few times.
"Ugh!" it moans angrily. "Wait a second, is that dandruff? Can vampires even get dandruff?" Xander asks. As soon as it has pushed its chest up far enough, Buffy pulls out a stake.
"Sat hello to Adam for me," she rams his heart. He turns brown and dust fills the air and he explodes in sand and smoke. The loose ground shoots up with the exploding sand and some bounces off the tombstone onto Buffy.
"You know, we could open a business. Summers' and Harris's Vampire Fertilizer. Or pesticide. Will vampire ashes kill weeds?"
Buffy brushes herself off with her hands.
"So how many does that make?"
"Five," he replies.
"And there were?"
"Six."
"Five out of six isn't bad." she tries innocently.
"No, we must kill then all and speaking of which . over there!"
They see a vampire dusting it's self off. It comes around, sees them and takes off.
"Oh, you can run, but you can't hide - especially from my bad puns."
Xander trails behind her huffing, "I hate it when they run."
"Tell Danials I am going on break, please."
Ben walks to the locker room. He puts his shoulders back and shakes off his tension. He then pulls off the green hospital shirt and opens the locker. He catches Buffy's reflection on a mirror on the backside of the locker door.
"Buffy! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here . in the men's locker room."
"Oh no, you can keep going. I don't mind." She smiles slyly and then chuckles.
"So, how can I help you, here, again, in the men's locker room?"
"I thought I'd ask you on a date."
"A date?" he says with a bit of a surprise.
"What? It's the 90s. We can do that now."
"I would love to, what did you have in mind?"
"Well, you know the Fair is in town and I thought we could go there. Have fun, STAT."
"Really? Tonight?"
"My night could use 12 C.c.s of pleasure. Why, is tonight not good?"
"I have an early shift tomorrow, but I would love a re-schedule. Seriously."
"Then it's a date. Good."
Ben looks at her.
"What?"
"I was going to change, got an hour lunch."
"Don't stop on my part . oh, okay. See you Thursday."
"See you Thursday too."
Buffy walks out and a few seconds later a fellow male nurse walks in. A black man. He looks at the door and then Ben.
"What was that all about?" he inquires.
"Nothing," Ben responds.
"Sure . I didn't know 'Nothing' was so hot."
Ben pulls down his green pants and when he opens his locker a red dress Glory had been wearing falls out. He jolts his head to the left and sighs in relief that the other nurse had not been facing him. He picks it up quickly and shoves it under a spare change of cloths. He takes a deep breath, wondering if he can pull this off.
Buffy yawns and stretches as she comes down stairs. The sun is low and making it's night decent. Everyone is watching television.
"What are you guys watching?"
Tara and Willow continue to watch, Dawn turns and looks up at Buffy.
"Three people were found dead this morning, all with puncher marks on their necks."
"That's impossible. Xander and I dusted all of then last night, not a single one got away."
"If it was not them, then who? This town has been pretty dry for a bit," Willow comments.
"Spike!" Buffy says suspiciously.
The news man reads, ". and they morn for their lose."
Tara and Willow hold hands and spin themselves in circles until Willow knocks into someone. She gains her balance and comes around to see who it is.
"Buffy! I was just . whoa, I'm really dizzy. Everything is spinning. It's so cool."
"Yeah," she takes a sniff, "what's that smell?"
"Nothing," Tara says as she spins in place and they both laugh.
"Willow, your shirt is sort of wet. What happened?" Dawn asks.
Willow smiles.
Giles and Joyce walk up, they are laughing. Giles has his coat tied around his waist.
"Mom?" She looks at them. One of Giles shoelaces is untied and their hair is all messed up, "What were you two doing? Forget it! I don't even want to know."
"I'm a grown women. Besides, it's not what you think."
"No, not at all," Giles jumps in.
"We were jumping."
"Jumping. Right. I'm not familiar with your 60s' slang. Is that a euthanism for getting it on? Buffy retorts playfully.
"Oh, we ran into Xander and Anya. They went ahead on home. Said they might catch up with you tonight."
"Well, it's getting late and I've got to get home, shower and launder my cloths for tomorrow. I'll see you all later."
"Goodnight," calls out Dawn.
"Take care Rupert," Joyce calls as well.
"Rupert . you sure you two weren't." Buffy asks again.
"No."
"Goodnight Giles," Buffy then adds.
"Goodnight Mr. Giles," Tara and Willow say.
Giles waves to everyone and slowly heads toward the car lot. Buffy hesitates as everyone leaves.
"Buffy, what's up?" Dawn asks.
She sort of shakes her head.
"Nothing."
"Come on you two!" Joyce yells to them. They all pile in and drive off.
Pisha. "Aaaggghhh!!!" Buffy gets up with a helping hand from Xander after having staked a vampire.
"But you see, it's not that I want to be alone. I've just had some bad experiences. I don't want to have to go through this all over again."
"Well, he seems nice. Tell me, does this Ben fellow sleep during the day?"
"No."
"Roam the graveyard at night?"
"No."
"Have a dying, unsatiable thirst for human blood?"
"Well, Buffy. He's human. And a doctor, your mom must be proud. Have a good time, I am sure this one isn't going to fly off in a black helicopter at night for a jungle in some country I can't spell."
"Xander, I am still hurting from Riley. I don't know what to do. I'm sure, yet unsure. I cross my mind."
"Buffy," grabs her shoulders, "just ease into it. You weren't with Riley that long, so you didn't have that much vested emotional interested. Ben's like the next wave; if you catch it now, you won't be thrown off. Just ride with it. If you don't like where it's going, don't worry, you'll reach shore. If you do, you two can then create your own waves."
Buffy stares into Xander's face. "Xander, did I ever tell you how much I value your friendship/"
"Nah."
"Well, I do - plus that ocean relationship analogy was narly dude."
"Thank the good people who bring us Baywatch."
Buffy smiles and they continue to walk slowly through the night.
"Giles said you helped him do some remodeling in the Magic Box. You ever think about going into business for yourself? Craftsman for hire?"
"I thought about it, but I got not financial backing for a loan and most the tools I use are loaners from work. I helped design and build the wood shelves and supports for your weapons in the training room and."
They hear someone struggling and head for that noise.
"Umha!" a vampire exclaims while trying to push himself up out of the ground.
"Hi there," Buffy bends down in front of it, "how are you tonight? Shhh . you might wake the dead."
Xander leans on the tombstone behind the vamp, looking down at its head.
"You look like you could use a hand, Xander, let's give him a hand."
They both clap a few times.
"Ugh!" it moans angrily. "Wait a second, is that dandruff? Can vampires even get dandruff?" Xander asks. As soon as it has pushed its chest up far enough, Buffy pulls out a stake.
"Sat hello to Adam for me," she rams his heart. He turns brown and dust fills the air and he explodes in sand and smoke. The loose ground shoots up with the exploding sand and some bounces off the tombstone onto Buffy.
"You know, we could open a business. Summers' and Harris's Vampire Fertilizer. Or pesticide. Will vampire ashes kill weeds?"
Buffy brushes herself off with her hands.
"So how many does that make?"
"Five," he replies.
"And there were?"
"Six."
"Five out of six isn't bad." she tries innocently.
"No, we must kill then all and speaking of which . over there!"
They see a vampire dusting it's self off. It comes around, sees them and takes off.
"Oh, you can run, but you can't hide - especially from my bad puns."
Xander trails behind her huffing, "I hate it when they run."
"Tell Danials I am going on break, please."
Ben walks to the locker room. He puts his shoulders back and shakes off his tension. He then pulls off the green hospital shirt and opens the locker. He catches Buffy's reflection on a mirror on the backside of the locker door.
"Buffy! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here . in the men's locker room."
"Oh no, you can keep going. I don't mind." She smiles slyly and then chuckles.
"So, how can I help you, here, again, in the men's locker room?"
"I thought I'd ask you on a date."
"A date?" he says with a bit of a surprise.
"What? It's the 90s. We can do that now."
"I would love to, what did you have in mind?"
"Well, you know the Fair is in town and I thought we could go there. Have fun, STAT."
"Really? Tonight?"
"My night could use 12 C.c.s of pleasure. Why, is tonight not good?"
"I have an early shift tomorrow, but I would love a re-schedule. Seriously."
"Then it's a date. Good."
Ben looks at her.
"What?"
"I was going to change, got an hour lunch."
"Don't stop on my part . oh, okay. See you Thursday."
"See you Thursday too."
Buffy walks out and a few seconds later a fellow male nurse walks in. A black man. He looks at the door and then Ben.
"What was that all about?" he inquires.
"Nothing," Ben responds.
"Sure . I didn't know 'Nothing' was so hot."
Ben pulls down his green pants and when he opens his locker a red dress Glory had been wearing falls out. He jolts his head to the left and sighs in relief that the other nurse had not been facing him. He picks it up quickly and shoves it under a spare change of cloths. He takes a deep breath, wondering if he can pull this off.
Buffy yawns and stretches as she comes down stairs. The sun is low and making it's night decent. Everyone is watching television.
"What are you guys watching?"
Tara and Willow continue to watch, Dawn turns and looks up at Buffy.
"Three people were found dead this morning, all with puncher marks on their necks."
"That's impossible. Xander and I dusted all of then last night, not a single one got away."
"If it was not them, then who? This town has been pretty dry for a bit," Willow comments.
"Spike!" Buffy says suspiciously.
The news man reads, ". and they morn for their lose."
