Buffy looked over the sword in her lap, it caught that last rays of
the suns dying light and reflected it back into her eyes. The steel was
expensive and the blade sharp, Giles would have been fascinated by it.
It was like Angel to only get the best.
Spike watched her examine the weapon with a trained eye as he mentally prepared himself for the fight ahead. Wesley was taking them directly to the battle sight and with darkness as their stage they would strike.
He snaked an arm around Buffy and drew her closer to him. She bended her head back to him and flashed a soft smile before settling into his embrace. The sword lay in her lap and he combed his fingers through her golden locks.
Wesley glanced at the two in the rear view mirror, frowning. He had studied William the Bloody as a preparation for becoming a Watcher and knew the history of the vampire. Seeing the same Slayer who had so many years ago opened a vein for Angel now curl into the embrace of his childe seemed ironic in his eyes.
"How's Rupert doing?" He asked casually.
As though catching herself Buffy straightened from Spikes embrace and sat independently from his arms. "Back in England."
"And the others?" He questions as though he had bothered to think of them since leaving Sunnydale.
"They're OK." Her answer is simple, because they both know the whole story would take longer then this ten minute car ride.
~~~
Connor distracted himself with the coming night, watching as the stars begun to dapple the darkening sky. Riley stood beside him, but his thoughts distracted him. They stood silently outside a small market at the edge of downtown LA. Gunn and Angel had left to scout out for any members of the Bloodlust that could be spying on them. Their strategy was in surprise.
Riley constantly shifted his position and Connor would have assumed it was because of the up coming battle if it wasn't Buffy who was on her way right now.
He had to wonder what the obsession with this girl was.
Rarely his father would talk of her with sorrow and longing in his voice. That tone was only reserved for one other person.
Cordelia.
It was only when Angel explained to him what a Slayer was that Conner learned of Buffy. A girl who is gifted with supernatural strength, chosen to kill the demons and vampires that plague the world. The girl that his father fell in love with. He was given a deluded version of the story, but he grasped the important aspects. Like how Angel lost his soul to her on their single night of passion.
The irony of the situation nearly made him laugh. The Slayer falling in love with a vampire, even one that has a soul is a cruel twist of fate. Connor hadn't given much thought to the girls past that however. His father had always had terrible luck with love. His mother for one, which was a tragedy in of itself. And Cordelia who had transcended past mortality.
But when he saw the Slayer in the lobby he knew there was something special about the girl. His father had never told him how pretty she was - although Connor preferred the more untamed beauty of Faith – Buffy had an inner elegance and power to her he had never seen in anyone else. Maybe that was why everyman in the house seemed to falling over themselves for her.
It was pathetic really. He had never considered that his father would resort to such behavior to win over a girl. But that was nothing to the way the other two men were behaving. The other vampire, Spike, seemed oblivious to a world outside of Buffy, though his snide remarks proved amusing. Riley was different story all together. When his wife had died he had retreated into a state of mourning, only coming out of his room after night had fallen. He sometimes came back bloodied and hurt, but no one had the heart to tell him this meaningless slaughter of demons would accomplish nothing. Fred would simply bandage his wounds and once his body had half way healed he would go back on the streets.
In the previous weeks he had gotten better. He would go outside during the day and join them for dinner. At times he even smiled.
But when Buffy had stepped into the hotel his attitude had spun completely around. Suddenly he was laughing and life returned to his eyes. Gunn and Fred would have been astonished if they had decided to stick around for all the festivities and Angel was too preoccupied with the Slayer to notice a change in Riley.
A car slowed to a stop and disturbed Connor from his thoughts. He picked up the battle axe he had laid on the ground and made his way over to Wesley who had just exited the car. Buffy and Spike came out the other side and Riley quickly walked over to the Slayer, ignoring the vampire who stood next her. Connor was to far away to hear the exchange but Buffy seemed to wave him off and ask Wesley where Angel was.
"He'll be back soon." Connor replied for the Watcher, hitching the axe on his shoulder.
Buffy nodded to him, but her mind was elsewhere as though she was considering something of greater importance.
"So we going to get to the killing soon or what?" Spike asked impatiently at the Slayer's side.
Connor ignored the vampire and caught the familiar sense of his father's presence before he came into sight with Gunn. Both of them were fitted for battle with weapons in sight and hidden discreetly.
Angel tossed an irritated glance at his wayward child as he walked up. "Buffy." He said gruffly in greeting. "This is Gunn."
"Hey." Gunn nodded toward the Slayer who smiled back.
An awkward silence hung and Wesley broke it momentarily to ask where Fred was. Gunn simply answered that she wasn't feeling well, but wished them best of luck.
"So let's go kick some vampire ass." He said a little too energetically at the solemn group before him.
Buffy looked up at Angel, who shrugged and started across the street. The other's followed in an unorganized line toward the entrance to the sewers and to the Bloodlust.
It was like Angel to only get the best.
Spike watched her examine the weapon with a trained eye as he mentally prepared himself for the fight ahead. Wesley was taking them directly to the battle sight and with darkness as their stage they would strike.
He snaked an arm around Buffy and drew her closer to him. She bended her head back to him and flashed a soft smile before settling into his embrace. The sword lay in her lap and he combed his fingers through her golden locks.
Wesley glanced at the two in the rear view mirror, frowning. He had studied William the Bloody as a preparation for becoming a Watcher and knew the history of the vampire. Seeing the same Slayer who had so many years ago opened a vein for Angel now curl into the embrace of his childe seemed ironic in his eyes.
"How's Rupert doing?" He asked casually.
As though catching herself Buffy straightened from Spikes embrace and sat independently from his arms. "Back in England."
"And the others?" He questions as though he had bothered to think of them since leaving Sunnydale.
"They're OK." Her answer is simple, because they both know the whole story would take longer then this ten minute car ride.
~~~
Connor distracted himself with the coming night, watching as the stars begun to dapple the darkening sky. Riley stood beside him, but his thoughts distracted him. They stood silently outside a small market at the edge of downtown LA. Gunn and Angel had left to scout out for any members of the Bloodlust that could be spying on them. Their strategy was in surprise.
Riley constantly shifted his position and Connor would have assumed it was because of the up coming battle if it wasn't Buffy who was on her way right now.
He had to wonder what the obsession with this girl was.
Rarely his father would talk of her with sorrow and longing in his voice. That tone was only reserved for one other person.
Cordelia.
It was only when Angel explained to him what a Slayer was that Conner learned of Buffy. A girl who is gifted with supernatural strength, chosen to kill the demons and vampires that plague the world. The girl that his father fell in love with. He was given a deluded version of the story, but he grasped the important aspects. Like how Angel lost his soul to her on their single night of passion.
The irony of the situation nearly made him laugh. The Slayer falling in love with a vampire, even one that has a soul is a cruel twist of fate. Connor hadn't given much thought to the girls past that however. His father had always had terrible luck with love. His mother for one, which was a tragedy in of itself. And Cordelia who had transcended past mortality.
But when he saw the Slayer in the lobby he knew there was something special about the girl. His father had never told him how pretty she was - although Connor preferred the more untamed beauty of Faith – Buffy had an inner elegance and power to her he had never seen in anyone else. Maybe that was why everyman in the house seemed to falling over themselves for her.
It was pathetic really. He had never considered that his father would resort to such behavior to win over a girl. But that was nothing to the way the other two men were behaving. The other vampire, Spike, seemed oblivious to a world outside of Buffy, though his snide remarks proved amusing. Riley was different story all together. When his wife had died he had retreated into a state of mourning, only coming out of his room after night had fallen. He sometimes came back bloodied and hurt, but no one had the heart to tell him this meaningless slaughter of demons would accomplish nothing. Fred would simply bandage his wounds and once his body had half way healed he would go back on the streets.
In the previous weeks he had gotten better. He would go outside during the day and join them for dinner. At times he even smiled.
But when Buffy had stepped into the hotel his attitude had spun completely around. Suddenly he was laughing and life returned to his eyes. Gunn and Fred would have been astonished if they had decided to stick around for all the festivities and Angel was too preoccupied with the Slayer to notice a change in Riley.
A car slowed to a stop and disturbed Connor from his thoughts. He picked up the battle axe he had laid on the ground and made his way over to Wesley who had just exited the car. Buffy and Spike came out the other side and Riley quickly walked over to the Slayer, ignoring the vampire who stood next her. Connor was to far away to hear the exchange but Buffy seemed to wave him off and ask Wesley where Angel was.
"He'll be back soon." Connor replied for the Watcher, hitching the axe on his shoulder.
Buffy nodded to him, but her mind was elsewhere as though she was considering something of greater importance.
"So we going to get to the killing soon or what?" Spike asked impatiently at the Slayer's side.
Connor ignored the vampire and caught the familiar sense of his father's presence before he came into sight with Gunn. Both of them were fitted for battle with weapons in sight and hidden discreetly.
Angel tossed an irritated glance at his wayward child as he walked up. "Buffy." He said gruffly in greeting. "This is Gunn."
"Hey." Gunn nodded toward the Slayer who smiled back.
An awkward silence hung and Wesley broke it momentarily to ask where Fred was. Gunn simply answered that she wasn't feeling well, but wished them best of luck.
"So let's go kick some vampire ass." He said a little too energetically at the solemn group before him.
Buffy looked up at Angel, who shrugged and started across the street. The other's followed in an unorganized line toward the entrance to the sewers and to the Bloodlust.