Summary: A decline in Hellmouth activity makes the Scoobies wonder.
2nd in the "Cold Summer Series"
*~*~*
Giles sighed as he looked over the weekly ledger for his shop. Buffy had been gone just over a week now but she was still in his every waking thought. He'd loved her like a daughter and was just as proud. Her sacrifices had meant so much to the world. But they'd meant even more to him.
The chime rang, shaking him from his thoughts and making him glance to the door of the Magic Box as Willow walked in. She smiled and made her way to the counter. "Morning, Giles."
He smiled in return, just to be polite, not that he really wanted to smile. "Good morning."
"I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges."
He had to do a double take. "Pardon?"
Willow giggled. "Just wanted to, you know, lighten the mood."
This time his smile was genuine. "Well done." He set his ledger aside. "No school?"
"Summer break just started. I told you the other day." She frowned. "You okay?"
He swallowed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I've just been thinking..."
"About Buffy?"
He closed his eyes and took of his glasses.
Willow sat down. "I've been thinking a lot about her too. I miss her. I thought that maybe patrolling and stuff would make me feel better."
"How has that gone?"
"Not well. I mean, there's been hardy anything. Like nada."
Giles replaced his glasses on his face. "Nothing?"
Anya emerged from the backroom with a heavy sigh. "This is very boring." She sat next to Willow. "It's about times like these I wish someone was conjuring a demon."
*~*~*
Dawn laid a single white rose on her sister's grave. "I miss you." She kneeled down and touched the headstone. "It's been hard, but I'm living. Just like you asked me to." She paused for a sigh. "Everyone's been really great. Even Spike."
"Now don't go telling her that."
Dawn gasped and turned. "Spike!"
He chuckled and sat next to her. "Sorry, I couldn't resist, little bit." His face softened as he looked to the headstone. "She's still looking out for you."
"I know."
He paused. "There's been little going on. Maybe she's raining stakes from above."
Dawn paused to think this over. "It has been a little quiet, hasn't it?" She looked at the blonde vampire beside her. "What do you think it means?"
He scoffed. "That I'm getting hella bored!"
*~*~*
Xander picked up the phone by the bed with a sigh. "Hello?"
"Xander?" The voice was softer than he remembered but defiantly her.
"Cordelia?"
There was a pause. "Did I wake you up?"
He sat up. "It's okay. How are you?"
She sighed. "I'm okay. Just kinda got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory."
He chuckled a little. "It's good to hear from you."
"How is everything down there? I mean, since…"
"Since Buffy died?"
Her voice barely came out. "Yeah."
He took a deep breath. "It's been hard, but we're making it here." He took a pause. "If it helps, you're going to be the first one I tell."
"Tell what?"
"I'm getting married."
He could hear the smile behind her voice. "That's great! To who?"
"Anya."
"You mean the vengeance demon?"
"She's human now."
"Oh, well… good for her! We found a new slayer."
"Pardon?"
"New slayer arrived here. Her name is Chandra."
"So what's she like?"
"She's a slayer. That's about the big of it. She's a little 'all about Chandra'."
He paused. "Things have been kinda quiet around here."
"Never a good sign. Think Chandra and Angel should come by there?"
"Eh, I could do without deadboy."
"Oh grow up, Xander. He's a good guy. He's saved my ass more than once. So yeah, he almost ate everyone when he got all groiny, but ya know? I got over it."
"Cordy?"
"Yeah?"
"You sure you're okay?"
*~*~*
Since Buffy's death, the group had decided to hold nightly meetings to catch up on impending doom that they would have to thwart. These meetings, however, recently consisted of pencil tapping and sighs. Things had calmed down to maybe one or two dustings a week.
This meeting wasn't really going that different. Giles paced as he cleaned his glasses. Dawn popped her bubble gum. Anya groaned and began to rub on Xander's thigh, waking him from the sleep he was getting.
"Huh?" he squeaked.
Spike snorted. "Welcome back sleeping beauty."
Willow held onto Tara's hand. "Anyone have any news? On anything?"
Xander perked up. "Yes! I talked to Cordelia today!"
Anya glared. "Your ex girlfriend Cordelia?"
"Yes. But not the point. She said something about a new slayer."
Giles stopped pacing. "New slayer?"
The young man nodded. "Yeah. Chandra I think she said. Angel was planning on bringing her by here to…"
"Bringing her here?" Giles interrupted. "Why on Earth would he do that?"
"Well, I don't know. This being the Hellmouth and all. I can see why she might not like it."
"Was that your attempt at sarcasm?" Giles asked, raising an eyebrow.
Xander slumped down. "Well, if I say no will it make the stupidity I feel go bye-bye?"
Willow sighed. "A new slayer. Someone to replace Buffy. Is anyone else seeing the wrong here?"
The chime wringing above the door of the magic shop stopped any replies. A girl with a long black braid, baggy jeans and a baby tee walked in.
Giles put on his glasses. "I am sorry ma'am. We're closed."
The girl smiled. "You must be Giles."
Tara swallowed. "New slayer."
Chandra nodded. "I'm Chandra. The Slayer." She strode, swaying her hips from side to side, grabbing a chair and flipping it around to straddle it. "I heard this was the Hellmouth. Thought I'd give it a whirl." She lost her smile as the entire group glared at her. "What? Do I have something on my face? You'd tell me, right?"
Anya narrowed her eyes. "She's spunky but very assuming."
"Assuming?" Xander questioned.
"That we'll like her. Like we did Buffy."
At the mention of the previous slayer, Chandra looked down. "Buffy was a great slayer. And I'm not trying to best her. I'm here to do a job." She looked to all of them. "Save lives."
Willow grinned a little. "Good answer."
Giles took a breath. "I suppose you have a watcher?"
She nodded. "My watcher is kind of in training with me."
He looked curious. "And who would that be?"
Chandra smiled. "You know her."
"I do?"
"Olivia."
2nd in the "Cold Summer Series"
*~*~*
Giles sighed as he looked over the weekly ledger for his shop. Buffy had been gone just over a week now but she was still in his every waking thought. He'd loved her like a daughter and was just as proud. Her sacrifices had meant so much to the world. But they'd meant even more to him.
The chime rang, shaking him from his thoughts and making him glance to the door of the Magic Box as Willow walked in. She smiled and made her way to the counter. "Morning, Giles."
He smiled in return, just to be polite, not that he really wanted to smile. "Good morning."
"I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges."
He had to do a double take. "Pardon?"
Willow giggled. "Just wanted to, you know, lighten the mood."
This time his smile was genuine. "Well done." He set his ledger aside. "No school?"
"Summer break just started. I told you the other day." She frowned. "You okay?"
He swallowed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I've just been thinking..."
"About Buffy?"
He closed his eyes and took of his glasses.
Willow sat down. "I've been thinking a lot about her too. I miss her. I thought that maybe patrolling and stuff would make me feel better."
"How has that gone?"
"Not well. I mean, there's been hardy anything. Like nada."
Giles replaced his glasses on his face. "Nothing?"
Anya emerged from the backroom with a heavy sigh. "This is very boring." She sat next to Willow. "It's about times like these I wish someone was conjuring a demon."
*~*~*
Dawn laid a single white rose on her sister's grave. "I miss you." She kneeled down and touched the headstone. "It's been hard, but I'm living. Just like you asked me to." She paused for a sigh. "Everyone's been really great. Even Spike."
"Now don't go telling her that."
Dawn gasped and turned. "Spike!"
He chuckled and sat next to her. "Sorry, I couldn't resist, little bit." His face softened as he looked to the headstone. "She's still looking out for you."
"I know."
He paused. "There's been little going on. Maybe she's raining stakes from above."
Dawn paused to think this over. "It has been a little quiet, hasn't it?" She looked at the blonde vampire beside her. "What do you think it means?"
He scoffed. "That I'm getting hella bored!"
*~*~*
Xander picked up the phone by the bed with a sigh. "Hello?"
"Xander?" The voice was softer than he remembered but defiantly her.
"Cordelia?"
There was a pause. "Did I wake you up?"
He sat up. "It's okay. How are you?"
She sighed. "I'm okay. Just kinda got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory."
He chuckled a little. "It's good to hear from you."
"How is everything down there? I mean, since…"
"Since Buffy died?"
Her voice barely came out. "Yeah."
He took a deep breath. "It's been hard, but we're making it here." He took a pause. "If it helps, you're going to be the first one I tell."
"Tell what?"
"I'm getting married."
He could hear the smile behind her voice. "That's great! To who?"
"Anya."
"You mean the vengeance demon?"
"She's human now."
"Oh, well… good for her! We found a new slayer."
"Pardon?"
"New slayer arrived here. Her name is Chandra."
"So what's she like?"
"She's a slayer. That's about the big of it. She's a little 'all about Chandra'."
He paused. "Things have been kinda quiet around here."
"Never a good sign. Think Chandra and Angel should come by there?"
"Eh, I could do without deadboy."
"Oh grow up, Xander. He's a good guy. He's saved my ass more than once. So yeah, he almost ate everyone when he got all groiny, but ya know? I got over it."
"Cordy?"
"Yeah?"
"You sure you're okay?"
*~*~*
Since Buffy's death, the group had decided to hold nightly meetings to catch up on impending doom that they would have to thwart. These meetings, however, recently consisted of pencil tapping and sighs. Things had calmed down to maybe one or two dustings a week.
This meeting wasn't really going that different. Giles paced as he cleaned his glasses. Dawn popped her bubble gum. Anya groaned and began to rub on Xander's thigh, waking him from the sleep he was getting.
"Huh?" he squeaked.
Spike snorted. "Welcome back sleeping beauty."
Willow held onto Tara's hand. "Anyone have any news? On anything?"
Xander perked up. "Yes! I talked to Cordelia today!"
Anya glared. "Your ex girlfriend Cordelia?"
"Yes. But not the point. She said something about a new slayer."
Giles stopped pacing. "New slayer?"
The young man nodded. "Yeah. Chandra I think she said. Angel was planning on bringing her by here to…"
"Bringing her here?" Giles interrupted. "Why on Earth would he do that?"
"Well, I don't know. This being the Hellmouth and all. I can see why she might not like it."
"Was that your attempt at sarcasm?" Giles asked, raising an eyebrow.
Xander slumped down. "Well, if I say no will it make the stupidity I feel go bye-bye?"
Willow sighed. "A new slayer. Someone to replace Buffy. Is anyone else seeing the wrong here?"
The chime wringing above the door of the magic shop stopped any replies. A girl with a long black braid, baggy jeans and a baby tee walked in.
Giles put on his glasses. "I am sorry ma'am. We're closed."
The girl smiled. "You must be Giles."
Tara swallowed. "New slayer."
Chandra nodded. "I'm Chandra. The Slayer." She strode, swaying her hips from side to side, grabbing a chair and flipping it around to straddle it. "I heard this was the Hellmouth. Thought I'd give it a whirl." She lost her smile as the entire group glared at her. "What? Do I have something on my face? You'd tell me, right?"
Anya narrowed her eyes. "She's spunky but very assuming."
"Assuming?" Xander questioned.
"That we'll like her. Like we did Buffy."
At the mention of the previous slayer, Chandra looked down. "Buffy was a great slayer. And I'm not trying to best her. I'm here to do a job." She looked to all of them. "Save lives."
Willow grinned a little. "Good answer."
Giles took a breath. "I suppose you have a watcher?"
She nodded. "My watcher is kind of in training with me."
He looked curious. "And who would that be?"
Chandra smiled. "You know her."
"I do?"
"Olivia."