Giles, Willow, Tara, Buffy and Spike stared wide-eyed at Kia's retreating back and all visibly flinched when the door slammed behind her.
"Ok what just happened?" Buffy exclaimed.
"This is probably really hard for her. All the questions. Everything happening so fast." Tara offered. Spike nodded.
"She doesn't strike me as the most forth coming with her past." He agreed and looked towards Buffy. "Maybe Buffy should go talk to her?" he suggested. Buffy looked surprised but nodded.
"Yeah sure. Ill be back." She said and went out the door. Kia was sitting on the top step of the stair well two doors down from Giles room at the end of the hallway. Buffy sat down next to the silent girl and looked at the large window across from them. Kia stared at the skyline visible through the tinted glass and tapped an unit cigarette on the top of her left hand.
"What's wrong? You seem to storm out a lot." Buffy asked. Kai shrugged and her cigarette tapped faster. Buffy sighed and waived her hand in front of Kia's eyes. "Hey! Snap out of it! I can't help you if you don't tell me what the problem is!" she demanded.
"You want to know what the problem is?" Kia asked, her voice was quiet and hard as cement. "This is happening to bloody fast. This huge massive thing is being forced down my throat and you just expect me to get it. And I don't."
Her voice got a little louder and her accent grew more pronounced. Kia quickly snapped open her lighter and lit the cigarette in defiance of the large no smoking sign hanging in the stairwell. "Why me!" she asked suddenly turning to Buffy, her eyes pleading.
"I'm not special, I'm nothing! I'm just a freak of nature with total recall. I'm not some divine warrior! You know for your information god HATES me, he's made it abundantly clear that he wants me to suffer for as long as possible before I collapse into a corner rocking back and forth babbling incoherently! I'm not a chosen one for anything. For Christ sake, I don't even get picked first for kickball." Kia informed her and took a deep drag off her cigarette. Buffy looked at her for a minute.
"You done?" she asked. Kia smiled in spite of her self.
"Yeah." She replied and they both giggled. Buffy sighed and gently reached out to brush a stray strand of hair out of Kia's eyes. Kia flinched away from Buffy's hand and quickly brushed it away on her own. Buffy smiled sadly at Kia.
"What happened that made you so cynical?" she asked, half jokingly. Kia shrugged.
" Sixteen years of being taught that god is either vengeful or dead hasn't really done much for my positive outlook." Kia said with a tiny smile. Buffy rolled her eyes.
"Yeah well I can assure you that god isn't dead. I've seen way to many miracles to think that." Buffy assured her. Kia nodded.
"Yeah you probably have. Although god must have a wacky sense of humor." Kai said with another smile. Buffy frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Kia smiled wider.
"You and Spike? I mean god has got to be laughing at that. A vampire and a slayer in love." She said shaking her head in amazement. Buffy's eyes went wide.
"H-h-how did? We were... we thought we were being so stealthy." Buffy said sounding worried. Kia laughed.
"Oh no you were but you two smell like sex and each other so I kind of ran with it." Kia told them. Buffy sniffed her shirt slightly and frowned.
"I don't smell anything." She said Kia shrugged.
"Maybe you just can't tell because you're used to it. But once you two were in a room together it was obvious that you two had sex recently." Kia told her trying to keep the embarrassing quaver out of her voice that always showed up when she had a more than five-minute conversation with anyone. Buffy looked slightly embarrassed.
"Spike and I haven't actually had sex yet." She said. Kia frowned and leaned towards Buffy. She inhaled deeply and smiled.
"That's not what I smell." She told her with a smile. Buffy smiled also.
"Well we haven't actually finished the act but all the stuff that comes before it we've done a couple of times over." Kia giggled a little then her face became more serious.
"What's it like? Being a slayer?" she asked. Buffy frowned and searched for the right words to explain.
"Its hard. And lonely, even with friends they can't really understand. I was one of the lucky ones. I have a family and people to tie me to the real world. Most slayers have just they're watchers and their calling. They die young. Most of us don't live past eighteen." Buffy told her. Kia took a drag of her cigarette and blew it out hard.
"Well I didn't really have any plans past then any way." She said with grim good humor. Buffy smiled and gently touched Kia's hand. Kia managed to suppress the instinctual flinch and Buffy smiled.
"Your lucky too. You have us. Spike, Giles, Willow and Tara and me. All my people. We are a pretty embracing group. There are even some more back home. Its kind of a secret identity deal, so you have to pick your friends carefully." Buffy explained. Kia nodded.
"How many of you are there?" she asked.
"It me, Giles, Willow, Tara, Xander who you haven't met yet and his fiancé Anya. She's a former demon. My little sister Dawn who is fifteen. She used to be a mystical key that opened a hell dimension. And Spike who you seem to be friends with already." Buffy informed her. Kia smiled.
"Yeah. He's alright. He kind of gets it I think." Kia said. Buffy nodded and glanced back towards the hotel room.
"Yeah, he does."
Xander Anya and Dawn were waiting at the airport to pick up the group when they arrived. Buffy came through the doors first followed closely by Spike. Then came Willow, Giles, and Tara. Xander smiled and came forwards.
"There's my girls!" he beamed and pulled Buffy, Willow, and Tara into a big group hug. Buffy smiled.
"How was everything?" she asked. Xander shrugged.
"Same old same old. No apocalypses while you were gone." He told them. Dawn hugged Buffy then Willow, then Tara, then to his surprise spike.
"I'm glad you guys are back." She said and pulled Buffy into another hug. Xander glanced at the group expectantly.
"Where is she?" he asked. Giles stepped out of the way revealing Kia who was trying her hardest to be invisible behind the older man.
"Hi I'm Xander!" he said and pulled the shocked girl into a hug. Kia's eyes were wide and she looked over Xander shoulder at Spike who was shaking with suppressed mirth. Xander let her go and she smiled shakily.
"Kia Finnegan." She greeted and smiled nervously at the others. Dawn came forward and stuck out her hand.
"Hi I'm Dawn. Buffy's sister." She explained. Kia took her hand and shook it.
"S'nice to meet you." She mumbled. Dawn cocked her eyebrow and glanced over at Buffy.
"You sure this is a slayer? She's to quiet to be a slayer." Dawn said with a sly smile. Buffy mock scowled.
"Hey. I take offence to that." She said and pulled her sister in for another hug. Kia faded into the background to watch as the group chatted and hugged both at a lighting fast rate. They were like a large family. Must be so nice. She thought a little bitterly.
"So Kia, you like pizza?" Buffy's voice broke through the haze Kia's thoughts had built around her. Kia lifted her head and frowned.
"Huh?" she asked. Buffy smiled.
"Pizza. We were gonna head over to the magic box. That's Anya and Gile's store and get some pizza. I mean I know it's not as good as New York stuff but..." Buffy started to babble but they all looked surprised when Kia cut her off.
"Sure. Sounds good." She said firmly. Dawn linked arms with Kia to the older girls surprise and led her off in front of the others talking at a rapid fire pace while Kia listened with growing interest. Giles walked ahead with Willow and Tara, closely followed by Xander and Anya. Buffy and Spike dropped back and when they were sure no one was watching their hands linked.
"You owe me five bucks mister." Buffy muttered under her breath. "I told you Dawn would snatch her up in the first five minutes." Spike sighed and pulled a crumpled wad of ones out of his pocket.
"Yeah well its not fair bettin' on your sister. You know more about her." He argued. Buffy grinned and gently rubbed the top of his hand with her thumb.
"I'm glad were home." She said. Spike smiled and kissed the top of her head.
"Me to luv." He agreed and they walked out of the terminal.
"Ok what just happened?" Buffy exclaimed.
"This is probably really hard for her. All the questions. Everything happening so fast." Tara offered. Spike nodded.
"She doesn't strike me as the most forth coming with her past." He agreed and looked towards Buffy. "Maybe Buffy should go talk to her?" he suggested. Buffy looked surprised but nodded.
"Yeah sure. Ill be back." She said and went out the door. Kia was sitting on the top step of the stair well two doors down from Giles room at the end of the hallway. Buffy sat down next to the silent girl and looked at the large window across from them. Kia stared at the skyline visible through the tinted glass and tapped an unit cigarette on the top of her left hand.
"What's wrong? You seem to storm out a lot." Buffy asked. Kai shrugged and her cigarette tapped faster. Buffy sighed and waived her hand in front of Kia's eyes. "Hey! Snap out of it! I can't help you if you don't tell me what the problem is!" she demanded.
"You want to know what the problem is?" Kia asked, her voice was quiet and hard as cement. "This is happening to bloody fast. This huge massive thing is being forced down my throat and you just expect me to get it. And I don't."
Her voice got a little louder and her accent grew more pronounced. Kia quickly snapped open her lighter and lit the cigarette in defiance of the large no smoking sign hanging in the stairwell. "Why me!" she asked suddenly turning to Buffy, her eyes pleading.
"I'm not special, I'm nothing! I'm just a freak of nature with total recall. I'm not some divine warrior! You know for your information god HATES me, he's made it abundantly clear that he wants me to suffer for as long as possible before I collapse into a corner rocking back and forth babbling incoherently! I'm not a chosen one for anything. For Christ sake, I don't even get picked first for kickball." Kia informed her and took a deep drag off her cigarette. Buffy looked at her for a minute.
"You done?" she asked. Kia smiled in spite of her self.
"Yeah." She replied and they both giggled. Buffy sighed and gently reached out to brush a stray strand of hair out of Kia's eyes. Kia flinched away from Buffy's hand and quickly brushed it away on her own. Buffy smiled sadly at Kia.
"What happened that made you so cynical?" she asked, half jokingly. Kia shrugged.
" Sixteen years of being taught that god is either vengeful or dead hasn't really done much for my positive outlook." Kia said with a tiny smile. Buffy rolled her eyes.
"Yeah well I can assure you that god isn't dead. I've seen way to many miracles to think that." Buffy assured her. Kia nodded.
"Yeah you probably have. Although god must have a wacky sense of humor." Kai said with another smile. Buffy frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Kia smiled wider.
"You and Spike? I mean god has got to be laughing at that. A vampire and a slayer in love." She said shaking her head in amazement. Buffy's eyes went wide.
"H-h-how did? We were... we thought we were being so stealthy." Buffy said sounding worried. Kia laughed.
"Oh no you were but you two smell like sex and each other so I kind of ran with it." Kia told them. Buffy sniffed her shirt slightly and frowned.
"I don't smell anything." She said Kia shrugged.
"Maybe you just can't tell because you're used to it. But once you two were in a room together it was obvious that you two had sex recently." Kia told her trying to keep the embarrassing quaver out of her voice that always showed up when she had a more than five-minute conversation with anyone. Buffy looked slightly embarrassed.
"Spike and I haven't actually had sex yet." She said. Kia frowned and leaned towards Buffy. She inhaled deeply and smiled.
"That's not what I smell." She told her with a smile. Buffy smiled also.
"Well we haven't actually finished the act but all the stuff that comes before it we've done a couple of times over." Kia giggled a little then her face became more serious.
"What's it like? Being a slayer?" she asked. Buffy frowned and searched for the right words to explain.
"Its hard. And lonely, even with friends they can't really understand. I was one of the lucky ones. I have a family and people to tie me to the real world. Most slayers have just they're watchers and their calling. They die young. Most of us don't live past eighteen." Buffy told her. Kia took a drag of her cigarette and blew it out hard.
"Well I didn't really have any plans past then any way." She said with grim good humor. Buffy smiled and gently touched Kia's hand. Kia managed to suppress the instinctual flinch and Buffy smiled.
"Your lucky too. You have us. Spike, Giles, Willow and Tara and me. All my people. We are a pretty embracing group. There are even some more back home. Its kind of a secret identity deal, so you have to pick your friends carefully." Buffy explained. Kia nodded.
"How many of you are there?" she asked.
"It me, Giles, Willow, Tara, Xander who you haven't met yet and his fiancé Anya. She's a former demon. My little sister Dawn who is fifteen. She used to be a mystical key that opened a hell dimension. And Spike who you seem to be friends with already." Buffy informed her. Kia smiled.
"Yeah. He's alright. He kind of gets it I think." Kia said. Buffy nodded and glanced back towards the hotel room.
"Yeah, he does."
Xander Anya and Dawn were waiting at the airport to pick up the group when they arrived. Buffy came through the doors first followed closely by Spike. Then came Willow, Giles, and Tara. Xander smiled and came forwards.
"There's my girls!" he beamed and pulled Buffy, Willow, and Tara into a big group hug. Buffy smiled.
"How was everything?" she asked. Xander shrugged.
"Same old same old. No apocalypses while you were gone." He told them. Dawn hugged Buffy then Willow, then Tara, then to his surprise spike.
"I'm glad you guys are back." She said and pulled Buffy into another hug. Xander glanced at the group expectantly.
"Where is she?" he asked. Giles stepped out of the way revealing Kia who was trying her hardest to be invisible behind the older man.
"Hi I'm Xander!" he said and pulled the shocked girl into a hug. Kia's eyes were wide and she looked over Xander shoulder at Spike who was shaking with suppressed mirth. Xander let her go and she smiled shakily.
"Kia Finnegan." She greeted and smiled nervously at the others. Dawn came forward and stuck out her hand.
"Hi I'm Dawn. Buffy's sister." She explained. Kia took her hand and shook it.
"S'nice to meet you." She mumbled. Dawn cocked her eyebrow and glanced over at Buffy.
"You sure this is a slayer? She's to quiet to be a slayer." Dawn said with a sly smile. Buffy mock scowled.
"Hey. I take offence to that." She said and pulled her sister in for another hug. Kia faded into the background to watch as the group chatted and hugged both at a lighting fast rate. They were like a large family. Must be so nice. She thought a little bitterly.
"So Kia, you like pizza?" Buffy's voice broke through the haze Kia's thoughts had built around her. Kia lifted her head and frowned.
"Huh?" she asked. Buffy smiled.
"Pizza. We were gonna head over to the magic box. That's Anya and Gile's store and get some pizza. I mean I know it's not as good as New York stuff but..." Buffy started to babble but they all looked surprised when Kia cut her off.
"Sure. Sounds good." She said firmly. Dawn linked arms with Kia to the older girls surprise and led her off in front of the others talking at a rapid fire pace while Kia listened with growing interest. Giles walked ahead with Willow and Tara, closely followed by Xander and Anya. Buffy and Spike dropped back and when they were sure no one was watching their hands linked.
"You owe me five bucks mister." Buffy muttered under her breath. "I told you Dawn would snatch her up in the first five minutes." Spike sighed and pulled a crumpled wad of ones out of his pocket.
"Yeah well its not fair bettin' on your sister. You know more about her." He argued. Buffy grinned and gently rubbed the top of his hand with her thumb.
"I'm glad were home." She said. Spike smiled and kissed the top of her head.
"Me to luv." He agreed and they walked out of the terminal.