Blood Tears 16 - Slowly Breaking Heart
"Hello Faith, Jonathan asked me out!"
The vampiress glanced up from the sofa and smiled at the beaming Slayer. Ever since Kendra had started at Sunnydale High at the start of the new school year she'd been raving about the 'sweet' Jonathan. "That's wicked Ken, I assume you said yes."
The Slayer nodded before breaking out into giggles. "He was so funny, he blushed and stuttered. I thought he was going to faint when I said yes."
"You'll find a lot of boys do that when talking to a pretty girl," Faith commented dryly. "So where's he taking you?"
"To a restaurant."
"Then you'll need a new outfit."
The Slayer stared at her. "Why? If Jonathan asked me out does he not already like what I wear?"
The vampiress raised an eyebrow; once again Kendra's sheltered upbringing had left her with a somewhat unique viewpoint. "You're missing the point Ken," Faith explained. "When a girl goes out on a date with a boy, she gets dressed up for two reasons. To show the boy that she thinks he's worth the effort and to show the world how beautiful she is. If you want I could give you some money to go shopping with the others at the weekend."
"Oh," the Slayer glanced down at the floor. "Sometimes the others tease me about my choice in clothes. Would you go with me?"
The vampiress beamed, she knew the others didn't mean anything by their teasing; it was just that Kendra's secluded childhood had left her ill- prepared for the rough and tumble of American high school life. "I'd love to, we'll go tomorrow night." Life was full of ironies, she reflected happily. Who could have guessed that a 300 year old vampiress would get the little sister she'd always yearned for in a girl fated to hunt her kind?
"Faith, there's something else."
Faith nodded encouragingly. "Go on Ken."
"Willow said Jonathan might want to take me dancing afterwards. I was hoping," the girl glanced at the floor again. "You could teach me."
"I'd love to Ken, I really would. But the sort of dancing I know is kind of formal, not the sort that's done today." "Oh," Kendra looked disappointed. "But Willow told me you were teaching Xander the horizontal mambo. Could you teach me this dance?"
Faith's mouth dropped open. That Rosenberg, she fumed, it's always the quiet ones. Judging from the guileless look on Kendra's face she thankfully didn't have a clue what she'd said. Desperate to change the subject she asked. "Xander not with you Ken?" usually they walked home together for company and security.
The Slayer looked puzzled. "Have you forgotten? Jonathan said he gave Xander a note from you at lunch."
The vampiress felt an icy hand grip her stomach. "K...Kendra I didn't send -."
Suddenly the front window shattered and a brick with a note attached hit the carpet with a thud. Her limbs shaking, Faith walked over to the brick, pulled the note off and quickly read it. A moment later she let out a pain- filled scream, dropped the note, and leapt out of the window.
* * *
"Faith. Next time you see your boy he'll have a lot more in common with us. He'll be one of us. Bring a stake. Love Angelus. P.S. Darla approves." Giles put the note down, unable to quell his stomach's nervous somersaulting. One of his children at the mercy of that fiend, they'd got lucky last time. He somehow doubted they would again.
"Darla approves." Buffy glanced around the library looking at the hastily summonsed group. "Darla approves? What does that bitch approve of?"
Giles shifted uncomfortably. He'd guessed that Xander and Faith's relationship had changed a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't the most natural of relationships, but it was none of his business and it did make two people who hadn't experienced much love happy, but he had hoped the boy would have the courage to tell the others before they found out. Although the Watcher had never envisaged them finding out like this. "Em, Faith and Xander have developed intimate relations."
Buffy's nose crinkled up in puzzlement. "Intimate relations?"
"They've been doing the horizontal mambo." Willow interrupted, rather unhelpfully in Giles' opinion.
"Xander's been making it with that Faith chick? Wow, he's the man!" Jonathan exclaimed.
"They've been having sex! Xander's with a vampire! That's sick! That's worse, that's worse than wearing last year's fashions!" That came from Cordelia. Next it was Kendra's turn. Her face paler than Giles would have thought possible, the Slayer turned to Willow. "I asked Faith to teach me the horizontal mambo because of you."
"Hey don't worry about it," Oz broke in. "Could be worse, she could have agreed then you'd really be in for a shock."
"Dear god," moaned the Watcher his head clasped in his hands. He was starting to think that his predecessors had been right all along about Slayers not having a life outside of their duties. "Can we please focus?" he pleaded.
"When I get my hands on him, I'll make him wish Angelus still had him," Buffy muttered.
"Wait a minute," exclaimed Jonathan, a look of puzzlement on his face. "Shouldn't we be contacting the police if Xander's been kidnapped?" His eyes widened. "You're saying Faith's a vampire. You're all nuts, I'm outta here."
"Kendra!"
The Slayer picked up the nerd by the scruff of his shirt. "I hope this won't affect our date Jonathan," she said apologetically.
The boy's eyes bulged in shock. After a minute he managed to speak. "Well it's not like I'm swamped with offers so no."
"Good answer," Oz nodded approvingly. "Blowing off a Slayer, probably not a good life choice."
"What's a Slayer?"
"In a minute Jonathan," Giles replied impatiently. "What did the girl who gave you the note look like?"
"Well she didn't come out of the shadows so I didn't see her face too clearly. But she was blonde, blue eyes, built like a swimsuit model and -."
"Darla." Giles sighed. That more or less confirmed it, it wasn't a ruse, Xander had been taken. The only question remained was how to get him back unharmed.
"Jonathan," it was Kendra. "Do you want to help us?"
"With vampires? Well I don't -. Well all right, Xander's always been pretty cool to me and he did encourage me to ask you out."
"Another civilian, bloody marvellous. "My cup runneth over," the Watcher muttered. He wondered idly if the Council would accept his resignation. Probably not, way his bloody luck was going they'd dig another Slayer out from somewhere for him to take care of. Three Slayers, he shuddered at the thought.
"Giles?"
"Yes Buffy?"
"What does 'Darla approves' actually mean."
"Ah," Giles glanced around the room to see every one except a pale faced Jenny and a sickly looking Oz staring at him, those two had worked it out. "I suspect Darla was curious about what exactly Faith found so alluring about Xander. So," the Englishman searched for the most palatable way of putting it. "I think she forced herself on him."
Willow collapsed into Oz's arms, while Jonathan comforted a shaken Kendra and Cordelia let out a most unladylike curse before starting to cry. Buffy though regained her composure. "I'm not letting them turn Xander," she declared defiantly. "What's the plan Giles?"
Giles paused in thought. "The first thing we must do is find Faith and prevent her from indulging in a suicide mission. The only question is where will she be?"
"Well duh," Cordy spoke up, her mascara running and her normally healthy tan grey. "Where do we always go for info on a demon's whereabouts?"
Giles exchanged a glance with Buffy. "Willy's."
"Hello Faith, Jonathan asked me out!"
The vampiress glanced up from the sofa and smiled at the beaming Slayer. Ever since Kendra had started at Sunnydale High at the start of the new school year she'd been raving about the 'sweet' Jonathan. "That's wicked Ken, I assume you said yes."
The Slayer nodded before breaking out into giggles. "He was so funny, he blushed and stuttered. I thought he was going to faint when I said yes."
"You'll find a lot of boys do that when talking to a pretty girl," Faith commented dryly. "So where's he taking you?"
"To a restaurant."
"Then you'll need a new outfit."
The Slayer stared at her. "Why? If Jonathan asked me out does he not already like what I wear?"
The vampiress raised an eyebrow; once again Kendra's sheltered upbringing had left her with a somewhat unique viewpoint. "You're missing the point Ken," Faith explained. "When a girl goes out on a date with a boy, she gets dressed up for two reasons. To show the boy that she thinks he's worth the effort and to show the world how beautiful she is. If you want I could give you some money to go shopping with the others at the weekend."
"Oh," the Slayer glanced down at the floor. "Sometimes the others tease me about my choice in clothes. Would you go with me?"
The vampiress beamed, she knew the others didn't mean anything by their teasing; it was just that Kendra's secluded childhood had left her ill- prepared for the rough and tumble of American high school life. "I'd love to, we'll go tomorrow night." Life was full of ironies, she reflected happily. Who could have guessed that a 300 year old vampiress would get the little sister she'd always yearned for in a girl fated to hunt her kind?
"Faith, there's something else."
Faith nodded encouragingly. "Go on Ken."
"Willow said Jonathan might want to take me dancing afterwards. I was hoping," the girl glanced at the floor again. "You could teach me."
"I'd love to Ken, I really would. But the sort of dancing I know is kind of formal, not the sort that's done today." "Oh," Kendra looked disappointed. "But Willow told me you were teaching Xander the horizontal mambo. Could you teach me this dance?"
Faith's mouth dropped open. That Rosenberg, she fumed, it's always the quiet ones. Judging from the guileless look on Kendra's face she thankfully didn't have a clue what she'd said. Desperate to change the subject she asked. "Xander not with you Ken?" usually they walked home together for company and security.
The Slayer looked puzzled. "Have you forgotten? Jonathan said he gave Xander a note from you at lunch."
The vampiress felt an icy hand grip her stomach. "K...Kendra I didn't send -."
Suddenly the front window shattered and a brick with a note attached hit the carpet with a thud. Her limbs shaking, Faith walked over to the brick, pulled the note off and quickly read it. A moment later she let out a pain- filled scream, dropped the note, and leapt out of the window.
* * *
"Faith. Next time you see your boy he'll have a lot more in common with us. He'll be one of us. Bring a stake. Love Angelus. P.S. Darla approves." Giles put the note down, unable to quell his stomach's nervous somersaulting. One of his children at the mercy of that fiend, they'd got lucky last time. He somehow doubted they would again.
"Darla approves." Buffy glanced around the library looking at the hastily summonsed group. "Darla approves? What does that bitch approve of?"
Giles shifted uncomfortably. He'd guessed that Xander and Faith's relationship had changed a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't the most natural of relationships, but it was none of his business and it did make two people who hadn't experienced much love happy, but he had hoped the boy would have the courage to tell the others before they found out. Although the Watcher had never envisaged them finding out like this. "Em, Faith and Xander have developed intimate relations."
Buffy's nose crinkled up in puzzlement. "Intimate relations?"
"They've been doing the horizontal mambo." Willow interrupted, rather unhelpfully in Giles' opinion.
"Xander's been making it with that Faith chick? Wow, he's the man!" Jonathan exclaimed.
"They've been having sex! Xander's with a vampire! That's sick! That's worse, that's worse than wearing last year's fashions!" That came from Cordelia. Next it was Kendra's turn. Her face paler than Giles would have thought possible, the Slayer turned to Willow. "I asked Faith to teach me the horizontal mambo because of you."
"Hey don't worry about it," Oz broke in. "Could be worse, she could have agreed then you'd really be in for a shock."
"Dear god," moaned the Watcher his head clasped in his hands. He was starting to think that his predecessors had been right all along about Slayers not having a life outside of their duties. "Can we please focus?" he pleaded.
"When I get my hands on him, I'll make him wish Angelus still had him," Buffy muttered.
"Wait a minute," exclaimed Jonathan, a look of puzzlement on his face. "Shouldn't we be contacting the police if Xander's been kidnapped?" His eyes widened. "You're saying Faith's a vampire. You're all nuts, I'm outta here."
"Kendra!"
The Slayer picked up the nerd by the scruff of his shirt. "I hope this won't affect our date Jonathan," she said apologetically.
The boy's eyes bulged in shock. After a minute he managed to speak. "Well it's not like I'm swamped with offers so no."
"Good answer," Oz nodded approvingly. "Blowing off a Slayer, probably not a good life choice."
"What's a Slayer?"
"In a minute Jonathan," Giles replied impatiently. "What did the girl who gave you the note look like?"
"Well she didn't come out of the shadows so I didn't see her face too clearly. But she was blonde, blue eyes, built like a swimsuit model and -."
"Darla." Giles sighed. That more or less confirmed it, it wasn't a ruse, Xander had been taken. The only question remained was how to get him back unharmed.
"Jonathan," it was Kendra. "Do you want to help us?"
"With vampires? Well I don't -. Well all right, Xander's always been pretty cool to me and he did encourage me to ask you out."
"Another civilian, bloody marvellous. "My cup runneth over," the Watcher muttered. He wondered idly if the Council would accept his resignation. Probably not, way his bloody luck was going they'd dig another Slayer out from somewhere for him to take care of. Three Slayers, he shuddered at the thought.
"Giles?"
"Yes Buffy?"
"What does 'Darla approves' actually mean."
"Ah," Giles glanced around the room to see every one except a pale faced Jenny and a sickly looking Oz staring at him, those two had worked it out. "I suspect Darla was curious about what exactly Faith found so alluring about Xander. So," the Englishman searched for the most palatable way of putting it. "I think she forced herself on him."
Willow collapsed into Oz's arms, while Jonathan comforted a shaken Kendra and Cordelia let out a most unladylike curse before starting to cry. Buffy though regained her composure. "I'm not letting them turn Xander," she declared defiantly. "What's the plan Giles?"
Giles paused in thought. "The first thing we must do is find Faith and prevent her from indulging in a suicide mission. The only question is where will she be?"
"Well duh," Cordy spoke up, her mascara running and her normally healthy tan grey. "Where do we always go for info on a demon's whereabouts?"
Giles exchanged a glance with Buffy. "Willy's."