Summary: Everything is a cycle. Chandra finds out a little more.
3rd in the "Cold Summer Series"
*~*~*
From the reaction in Giles' eyes, no one could really tell whether he was pleased or not that Olivia was going to be around. Chandra filled them in on what had been happening in LA up to the point she met up with Angel. Dawn had to leave the room early. She said she was tired, but Willow could tell that having another slayer around so soon after her sister's death was hard. It was as if Buffy's death had been for nothing. Another slayer just popped up. No big deal.
Spike had sat and listened to the new slayer intently. She glanced up at him every so often. No one had bothered to mention that he was a vampire, but something in the way she looked at him let him know that she knew.
As the meeting ended, they filed out one by one.
Giles looked to Chandra. "Uh, where is Olivia?"
"She's still in LA. She had a couple of things to take care of before she heads over here. She's talking to Wes and Cordy."
"Not to Angel?"
"Oh, Angel's here with me."
Giles did a double take. "He's what?"
"He's here. He told me he'd get a room and meet me there." She stretched. "I'm gonna do a patrol then head out. You want me to meet you here tomorrow?"
He nodded. "There are some things I think we should discuss."
"I'd like to know a little more about Buffy."
He swallowed. "Why?"
Chandra paused at this. "She lasted longer than most slayers. She moved on from the Council… I guess she's just kinda my role model."
*~*~*
Spike sat on a tombstone with his bottle of vodka and looked up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky. "You up there, slayer?" he asked the sky before taking another swig. "You know, I could have myself a nice flat in England or Brazil by now. I hope you're happy. I'm keeping my bloody promise to you."
"You made a promise to her?"
He turned to the voice he'd hear for decades on end. "Yeah. What's it to you, Peaches?"
Angel stood with his hands in his pockets. "It's a nice change."
"Yeah? Well, don't get used to it. I'm not liking it." He took another drink and looked at the sky again. "Love's a bitch, ain't it?"
Angel took a moment to think about this. "You really loved her?"
"And you're surprised? You loved her too, mate. Lost your bloody soul because of it. And here I am, wussing out because of it."
"Things change."
"I don't!" Spike stood abruptly and flung the almost empty bottle aside. "This is bull shit! Why am I keeping a promise to a bloody dead girl that…" He trailed off and sighed.
Angel grinned. "Welcome to the right side of things."
*~*~*
Chandra sighed and twirled the stake in her hand as she walked. One vampire. How boring is that? She'd had way more action in LA. She stopped and leaned down, picking up the last remaining shards of what seemed to be a vodka bottle by the smell of it. Glancing around she saw a crypt with its door ajar.
She smiled.
Either this was a bum who was too drunk to know about the dangers of the night or a vampire on a pity trip. She was leaning towards the latter as she slowly opened the crypt door the rest of the way. "You!" she exclaimed, amused.
Spike rolled over and looked to her. "Slayer." He rolled his eyes. "Just great."
She smiled at his reaction and strode in. "So, who are you?"
He sat up and scoffed. "As if you don't know."
She furrowed her brow. "If I knew, I wouldn't ask, dumbass."
He growled and vamped. "Careful what you say, Slayer."
She touched her tongue to her top lip and giggled. "I already guessed you were a vamp. But what I don't understand is why no one in that whole room was afraid of you. Unless for some reason…" She got right up to his face. "You're a harmless little puppy."
He snared and grabbed her throat before doubling over in pain.
She looked confused. "What the hell was that?"
He looked up, his human face now apparent. "Bloody chip. Keeps me from hurting people."
She smiled again. "You're Spike."
He glared. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Angel and Giles informed me about you."
"Lots of surprise there. What did they tell you?" He pulled out a cigarette and lit up.
"You were a big bad, then you became suckered by a Slayer." She smiled. "I can't blame you. I mean, who wouldn't want a Slayer?" She turned with her arms out, showing off the fit body of the fighter of evil.
His eyes roamed over her. "You're presuming a lot. On the other hand..."
"On the other hand, you have different fingers." She smiled.
He growled. "You can go now."
She nodded. "I know I can. But will I?" She stepped closer to him. "What if I want to do something else?"
He quirked an eyebrow. "Like what?"
She smiled. "You wish." Her tone grew serious. "I want to hear it. You've killed two of us. Then fell in love with one. How does that work?"
She reminded him a little of Buffy. He smiled. "Well, pet, just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off."
*~*~*
By dawn, Angel was worried. He paced in the hotel room waiting for Chandra's return. She'd gone out patrolling. He'd had a feeling that he should have gone with her. LA may have been tough, but this was the Hellmouth.
When the door opened his eyes shot to the female figure of the new slayer. "Chandra!" He grabbed her arms and looked her over. "Are you okay?"
Her face was in thought, her voice soft and quiet. "I'm good. Thank you."
Angel set her down on the bed. "What happened?"
She looked up at him. "I talked to Spike. About the Boxer Rebellion, about New York, and about Buffy." She looked down again. "I listened to it all. All night."
He sat in front of her on the floor. "And?"
"And I'm confused now. As to what a Slayer really is. What she is to do. I mean, I know I slay and all that, but I never really thought about the end. Or of being loved, ya know?"
He grinned a little. "Yeah."
She yawned. "I'm tired. Think I'm gonna hit the sack." She took off her shirt.
He turned away. "Want me to get out of the room first?"
She giggled. "I ain't got nothing you haven't seen." She slipped out of her jeans and turned down the covers. "You can sleep here too you know."
He looked at her as she lay in the bed. "I think I'll be fine."
She bunched up the pillow and closed her eyes. "Suit yourself, servator."
He smiled. "And what makes you think I'm your savior?"
She yawned. "The vision."
Angel's eyes narrowed as he watched Chandra sleep, her eyelids moving, signifying she was dreaming.
3rd in the "Cold Summer Series"
*~*~*
From the reaction in Giles' eyes, no one could really tell whether he was pleased or not that Olivia was going to be around. Chandra filled them in on what had been happening in LA up to the point she met up with Angel. Dawn had to leave the room early. She said she was tired, but Willow could tell that having another slayer around so soon after her sister's death was hard. It was as if Buffy's death had been for nothing. Another slayer just popped up. No big deal.
Spike had sat and listened to the new slayer intently. She glanced up at him every so often. No one had bothered to mention that he was a vampire, but something in the way she looked at him let him know that she knew.
As the meeting ended, they filed out one by one.
Giles looked to Chandra. "Uh, where is Olivia?"
"She's still in LA. She had a couple of things to take care of before she heads over here. She's talking to Wes and Cordy."
"Not to Angel?"
"Oh, Angel's here with me."
Giles did a double take. "He's what?"
"He's here. He told me he'd get a room and meet me there." She stretched. "I'm gonna do a patrol then head out. You want me to meet you here tomorrow?"
He nodded. "There are some things I think we should discuss."
"I'd like to know a little more about Buffy."
He swallowed. "Why?"
Chandra paused at this. "She lasted longer than most slayers. She moved on from the Council… I guess she's just kinda my role model."
*~*~*
Spike sat on a tombstone with his bottle of vodka and looked up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky. "You up there, slayer?" he asked the sky before taking another swig. "You know, I could have myself a nice flat in England or Brazil by now. I hope you're happy. I'm keeping my bloody promise to you."
"You made a promise to her?"
He turned to the voice he'd hear for decades on end. "Yeah. What's it to you, Peaches?"
Angel stood with his hands in his pockets. "It's a nice change."
"Yeah? Well, don't get used to it. I'm not liking it." He took another drink and looked at the sky again. "Love's a bitch, ain't it?"
Angel took a moment to think about this. "You really loved her?"
"And you're surprised? You loved her too, mate. Lost your bloody soul because of it. And here I am, wussing out because of it."
"Things change."
"I don't!" Spike stood abruptly and flung the almost empty bottle aside. "This is bull shit! Why am I keeping a promise to a bloody dead girl that…" He trailed off and sighed.
Angel grinned. "Welcome to the right side of things."
*~*~*
Chandra sighed and twirled the stake in her hand as she walked. One vampire. How boring is that? She'd had way more action in LA. She stopped and leaned down, picking up the last remaining shards of what seemed to be a vodka bottle by the smell of it. Glancing around she saw a crypt with its door ajar.
She smiled.
Either this was a bum who was too drunk to know about the dangers of the night or a vampire on a pity trip. She was leaning towards the latter as she slowly opened the crypt door the rest of the way. "You!" she exclaimed, amused.
Spike rolled over and looked to her. "Slayer." He rolled his eyes. "Just great."
She smiled at his reaction and strode in. "So, who are you?"
He sat up and scoffed. "As if you don't know."
She furrowed her brow. "If I knew, I wouldn't ask, dumbass."
He growled and vamped. "Careful what you say, Slayer."
She touched her tongue to her top lip and giggled. "I already guessed you were a vamp. But what I don't understand is why no one in that whole room was afraid of you. Unless for some reason…" She got right up to his face. "You're a harmless little puppy."
He snared and grabbed her throat before doubling over in pain.
She looked confused. "What the hell was that?"
He looked up, his human face now apparent. "Bloody chip. Keeps me from hurting people."
She smiled again. "You're Spike."
He glared. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Angel and Giles informed me about you."
"Lots of surprise there. What did they tell you?" He pulled out a cigarette and lit up.
"You were a big bad, then you became suckered by a Slayer." She smiled. "I can't blame you. I mean, who wouldn't want a Slayer?" She turned with her arms out, showing off the fit body of the fighter of evil.
His eyes roamed over her. "You're presuming a lot. On the other hand..."
"On the other hand, you have different fingers." She smiled.
He growled. "You can go now."
She nodded. "I know I can. But will I?" She stepped closer to him. "What if I want to do something else?"
He quirked an eyebrow. "Like what?"
She smiled. "You wish." Her tone grew serious. "I want to hear it. You've killed two of us. Then fell in love with one. How does that work?"
She reminded him a little of Buffy. He smiled. "Well, pet, just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off."
*~*~*
By dawn, Angel was worried. He paced in the hotel room waiting for Chandra's return. She'd gone out patrolling. He'd had a feeling that he should have gone with her. LA may have been tough, but this was the Hellmouth.
When the door opened his eyes shot to the female figure of the new slayer. "Chandra!" He grabbed her arms and looked her over. "Are you okay?"
Her face was in thought, her voice soft and quiet. "I'm good. Thank you."
Angel set her down on the bed. "What happened?"
She looked up at him. "I talked to Spike. About the Boxer Rebellion, about New York, and about Buffy." She looked down again. "I listened to it all. All night."
He sat in front of her on the floor. "And?"
"And I'm confused now. As to what a Slayer really is. What she is to do. I mean, I know I slay and all that, but I never really thought about the end. Or of being loved, ya know?"
He grinned a little. "Yeah."
She yawned. "I'm tired. Think I'm gonna hit the sack." She took off her shirt.
He turned away. "Want me to get out of the room first?"
She giggled. "I ain't got nothing you haven't seen." She slipped out of her jeans and turned down the covers. "You can sleep here too you know."
He looked at her as she lay in the bed. "I think I'll be fine."
She bunched up the pillow and closed her eyes. "Suit yourself, servator."
He smiled. "And what makes you think I'm your savior?"
She yawned. "The vision."
Angel's eyes narrowed as he watched Chandra sleep, her eyelids moving, signifying she was dreaming.