Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer still applies. The characters are not
mine and I make no profit. All characters still belong to their respective
owners. Please do not sue.
Notes: Located at the end this time.
Giles removed the glasses from his face and rubbed at tired eyes. It had been neatly three hours since the Slayer had appeared with the strange brunette in tow. He was no closer to understanding the girl now than he was then. For her part, Kitty had grown increasingly more belligerent as the night progressed.
"You're trying to tell me that you believe in demons and vampires, but not in mutants?" Kitty raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"I have a vast library of information and resources that chronicle the existence of vampires and demons. I have encountered a vast number of them." Giles replaced his glasses and regarded Kitty with a skeptical expression. "The only information I have on the existence of 'mutants', as you put it, is your word. And as that is what you claim to be when you have given me every indication of being nothing more than a ghost-"
"You're saying I'm dead?" Kitty stood suddenly, fists clenched at her sides.
"Why don't I ever get normal roommates?" Buffy asked no one in particular from where she sat on the couch. "I mean, honestly, as if being the Slayer isn't bad enough, now I have to deal with dead people."
"I am not dead." Kitty grated out.
"She's not dead." Willow confirmed.
"Beg pardon?" Giles turned to face the redhead.
"Come check this out." Willow motioned for both Buffy and Giles to join her at the computer. "I went to the web-sites that Kitty suggested. Apparently mutants have been all over the news on the East Coast."
"Why haven't we heard anything about them in Sunnydale." Buffy asked.
Willow shrugged. "Dunno, could just be standard Sunnydale selective awareness."
Giles squinted at the screen as Willow continued to scroll through the web-site. "Hold on a moment." He looked back up at Kitty, then back at the screen. "You've met Captain Britain?"
Kitty regarded him with an expression that was a mixture of shock and indignation. "You know about Captain Britain, and you still try to tell me I'm dead?"
"Captain Britain's powers are well documented in the watcher library in London." Giles said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "I assure you they are mystical in nature."
"No kidding." Kitty frowned. "So how much attention do you pay to the European super-hero scene?"
"None. Why do you ask?" Giles questioned her.
"But you followed Bri - Captain Britain?" Kitty pressed.
"Yes, when I lived in England. I have in fact been in the States for nearly the last decade." Giles sighed, "And as for paying attention to the 'super-hero' actions of one Brian Braddock, I happened to be a good friend of one of the Watchers assigned to researching the source of his powers."
Kitty nodded, eyes narrowing "Where is your phone?"
"Here." Willow moved to hand her the cordless.
"What do you think your doing?" Giles asked apprehensively.
"Nothing," Kitty quipped, "dead people don't use phones." She took the phone from Willow and began to dial. She placed the phone to her ear as it began to ring on the other end. "Brian."
xXx
Having resolved the state of Kitty's being the girls were headed back to the dormitories. "For what it's worth," Willow said, "I'm glad your not dead."
"Thanks." Kitty shook her head, smothering a grin. "You know, of all the reactions I've ever gotten to the fact that was probably the most original."
"We aim to be unique." Buffy quipped back. "Look, let me lay down some ground rules."
"Ground rules?" Kitty intoned raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Yes, ground rules." Buffy crossed her arms and gave Kitty her best 'I am the Slayer, do as I say' face. "It's not that I don't think that your capable, but I want you to stay out of the slay-ege scene."
"Look," Kitty gave her roommate a dark glare, put her hands on her hips and continued, "It's not like I want to be involved in this, but the N'Gari are after me. That puts me in the slay-ege whether you want me there or not."
"No." Buffy's voice was flat, harboring an unreasonable tone that Kitty had heard dozens of times from various team-leaders during her time with the X-troupes. "Dealing with demons is my job. I will handle it, I don't need to have to worry about you while I do it."
"I though you said I was capable." Kitty retorted. "Look, I promise that I will not go looking for trouble, but I won't promise to stay out of trouble if it finds me. Believe me, I don't want your job. I came to Sunnydale to get out of the saving the world business."
"Wrong town." Willow shook her head as she spoke. "We average one apocalypse a year."
"Great." Kitty was definitely at the end of her rope. "Look, it's late or early, depending on how you want to look at it, do we have an agreement."
"Fine." Buffy said in a tone that clearly indicated it was not fine. She did however let the subject drop and the girls continued on their way to the dormitories.
xXx
Kitty was back at her computer the next day, this time with Willow. "I thought you told Buffy you wouldn't go looking for trouble." The redhead stated in a mildly reproachful tone.
"I'm not looking for trouble specifically." Kitty said. "I'm looking for probable N'Gari nest locations."
"Exactly what I meant. Trouble." Willow did her best to imitate Buffy's 'intimidating face' but Kitty continued to study her monitor relentlessly.
"Willow," Kitty said in with calm reason, "How can I avoid the N'Gari if I don't know where they're coming from."
"Just because that almost makes sense does not mean that you are off the hook." Willow frowned. "You lied."
Kitty had finished her search, and was sending information to the printer. It wirred to life and began to spit out pages of information. "I did not." Kitty frowned back, sorting through her printouts. "I said I wouldn't go looking for trouble." She handed one set to Willow. "I never said I'd stay out of it if it found me. And trust me Willow, the N'Gari have found me. This is a copy of the layouts of the buildings that would make good N'Gari hideouts."
"There aren't too many." Willow mused as she sorted through the printouts herself.
"No, I think we can check them out tonight." Kitty said grabbing her bag. "I have to get to class now."
"Buffy won't like it." Willow warned.
"Buffy doesn't have a choice." Kitty called on her way out.
Notes: I don't particularly like the way that this chapter has come out. It really feels off, but I can't think of a good way to fix it. It does what I need it to do, but I plan on revising it later. On the brighter side of life, I will graduate in April!
Notes: Located at the end this time.
Giles removed the glasses from his face and rubbed at tired eyes. It had been neatly three hours since the Slayer had appeared with the strange brunette in tow. He was no closer to understanding the girl now than he was then. For her part, Kitty had grown increasingly more belligerent as the night progressed.
"You're trying to tell me that you believe in demons and vampires, but not in mutants?" Kitty raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"I have a vast library of information and resources that chronicle the existence of vampires and demons. I have encountered a vast number of them." Giles replaced his glasses and regarded Kitty with a skeptical expression. "The only information I have on the existence of 'mutants', as you put it, is your word. And as that is what you claim to be when you have given me every indication of being nothing more than a ghost-"
"You're saying I'm dead?" Kitty stood suddenly, fists clenched at her sides.
"Why don't I ever get normal roommates?" Buffy asked no one in particular from where she sat on the couch. "I mean, honestly, as if being the Slayer isn't bad enough, now I have to deal with dead people."
"I am not dead." Kitty grated out.
"She's not dead." Willow confirmed.
"Beg pardon?" Giles turned to face the redhead.
"Come check this out." Willow motioned for both Buffy and Giles to join her at the computer. "I went to the web-sites that Kitty suggested. Apparently mutants have been all over the news on the East Coast."
"Why haven't we heard anything about them in Sunnydale." Buffy asked.
Willow shrugged. "Dunno, could just be standard Sunnydale selective awareness."
Giles squinted at the screen as Willow continued to scroll through the web-site. "Hold on a moment." He looked back up at Kitty, then back at the screen. "You've met Captain Britain?"
Kitty regarded him with an expression that was a mixture of shock and indignation. "You know about Captain Britain, and you still try to tell me I'm dead?"
"Captain Britain's powers are well documented in the watcher library in London." Giles said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "I assure you they are mystical in nature."
"No kidding." Kitty frowned. "So how much attention do you pay to the European super-hero scene?"
"None. Why do you ask?" Giles questioned her.
"But you followed Bri - Captain Britain?" Kitty pressed.
"Yes, when I lived in England. I have in fact been in the States for nearly the last decade." Giles sighed, "And as for paying attention to the 'super-hero' actions of one Brian Braddock, I happened to be a good friend of one of the Watchers assigned to researching the source of his powers."
Kitty nodded, eyes narrowing "Where is your phone?"
"Here." Willow moved to hand her the cordless.
"What do you think your doing?" Giles asked apprehensively.
"Nothing," Kitty quipped, "dead people don't use phones." She took the phone from Willow and began to dial. She placed the phone to her ear as it began to ring on the other end. "Brian."
xXx
Having resolved the state of Kitty's being the girls were headed back to the dormitories. "For what it's worth," Willow said, "I'm glad your not dead."
"Thanks." Kitty shook her head, smothering a grin. "You know, of all the reactions I've ever gotten to the fact that was probably the most original."
"We aim to be unique." Buffy quipped back. "Look, let me lay down some ground rules."
"Ground rules?" Kitty intoned raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Yes, ground rules." Buffy crossed her arms and gave Kitty her best 'I am the Slayer, do as I say' face. "It's not that I don't think that your capable, but I want you to stay out of the slay-ege scene."
"Look," Kitty gave her roommate a dark glare, put her hands on her hips and continued, "It's not like I want to be involved in this, but the N'Gari are after me. That puts me in the slay-ege whether you want me there or not."
"No." Buffy's voice was flat, harboring an unreasonable tone that Kitty had heard dozens of times from various team-leaders during her time with the X-troupes. "Dealing with demons is my job. I will handle it, I don't need to have to worry about you while I do it."
"I though you said I was capable." Kitty retorted. "Look, I promise that I will not go looking for trouble, but I won't promise to stay out of trouble if it finds me. Believe me, I don't want your job. I came to Sunnydale to get out of the saving the world business."
"Wrong town." Willow shook her head as she spoke. "We average one apocalypse a year."
"Great." Kitty was definitely at the end of her rope. "Look, it's late or early, depending on how you want to look at it, do we have an agreement."
"Fine." Buffy said in a tone that clearly indicated it was not fine. She did however let the subject drop and the girls continued on their way to the dormitories.
xXx
Kitty was back at her computer the next day, this time with Willow. "I thought you told Buffy you wouldn't go looking for trouble." The redhead stated in a mildly reproachful tone.
"I'm not looking for trouble specifically." Kitty said. "I'm looking for probable N'Gari nest locations."
"Exactly what I meant. Trouble." Willow did her best to imitate Buffy's 'intimidating face' but Kitty continued to study her monitor relentlessly.
"Willow," Kitty said in with calm reason, "How can I avoid the N'Gari if I don't know where they're coming from."
"Just because that almost makes sense does not mean that you are off the hook." Willow frowned. "You lied."
Kitty had finished her search, and was sending information to the printer. It wirred to life and began to spit out pages of information. "I did not." Kitty frowned back, sorting through her printouts. "I said I wouldn't go looking for trouble." She handed one set to Willow. "I never said I'd stay out of it if it found me. And trust me Willow, the N'Gari have found me. This is a copy of the layouts of the buildings that would make good N'Gari hideouts."
"There aren't too many." Willow mused as she sorted through the printouts herself.
"No, I think we can check them out tonight." Kitty said grabbing her bag. "I have to get to class now."
"Buffy won't like it." Willow warned.
"Buffy doesn't have a choice." Kitty called on her way out.
Notes: I don't particularly like the way that this chapter has come out. It really feels off, but I can't think of a good way to fix it. It does what I need it to do, but I plan on revising it later. On the brighter side of life, I will graduate in April!