Buffy walked home, her mind in a giddy whirl. Billy Fordham, her old friend from Hemery, was here in Sunnydale—and he knew her secret! This was big. It was also dangerous.
[But why should it be more dangerous for him than for, say, Xander and Willow? They know the truth and they manage to deal with it just fine. Knowing about all the creepy crawlies out there means Billy'll be careful when he walks the streets unlike everybody else here who live with permanent blindfolds on.]
[But it's not safe to expose him to this kind of thing. Hello? Remember Owen?]
[Oh yeah, Owen. He-Who-Walks-With-Danger. That guy admired Emily Dickinson and you remember what you read about her? Stayed in one room her whole life and went completely looney tunes. That should have been a tip-off right there that Owen didn't have his head on straight.] There was a mental snort following that inner dialogue. Owen hadn't really known what he was getting himself into. Apparently, Billy did.
So there'd be no hiding the way there was with the other students in Sunnydale High. There'd be no awkward pauses or stuttering while she and the others tried to talk about vampires or demons in front of him without giving away vital, scary information. Best of all, she could talk about the things from her old life, the life she had before her whole existence collapsed into a constant round of demon fighting and saving the world.
Billy knew her, knew plain old Buffy Summers. With him she could be Normal Girl instead of the school weirdo who hung out with Xander, Willow and the school librarian. Sure, he knew she was the Slayer but he had said it as if it were the most natural yet meaningless thing in the world. It was as if he'd learned she was working at the Dairy Queen when she'd told everybody else she was employed at Tiffany's and he was okay with it. He knew it was a big deal for her but he didn't stress the point. With Billy, she was an ordinary girl, Slayer powers or not.
[Unlike Angel.] Yeah, meeting Angel at the Bronze while Billy was with her had been really tense, too. That was confusion with a healthy side order of awkwardness thrown in. Angel and Billy hadn't liked each other; she could tell. That was the last thing she needed—a vampire getting jealous over an old schoolgirl crush.
[But what right does Angel have to get huffy about things? Okay, we kiss and we talk except he doesn't talk much, not about himself. And it's not like we're dating. I want us to date but we can't 'cause of the whole vampire thing. But he drinks human drinks so he could eat human food if he wants or at least go through the motions. So why doesn't he make the effort for it, for me? And what do I really know about Angel anyway other than that he's hot, he's old and he's a vampire? I know way more about Billy than I do about Angel.]
Why was she even thinking like this? She and Billy had never been anything to each other, really. She'd had a yen for him and he'd completely ignored her. Yet now he was here and he did seem interested in getting to know her and he was totally on board with the slaying thing. He was acceptable in a way that Angel was not.
[And that means, what? Billy is human and available so Angel gets tossed to the side? Wow. Fickle much?]
[Am not! Billy is just…a possibility. In a way that Angel isn't. I can talk about Billy to my friends and to my mother.] She heaved a sigh. That's right; she still hadn't told her mother about Angel yet. She simply didn't know any way she could manage that. Just how did you tell your mother "Hi, mom! My boyfriend's a vampire?" She wasn't figuring out this one anytime soon.
Buffy shelved the Angel issue for the moment as she opened the door to her house. "Mom! I'm home! You'll never guess who I met at school today!"
Her mother came out, wiping her hands. "Buffy. I'm glad you're home. I fixed your favorite—spaghetti and meatballs."
Her voice was light but underneath it all Buffy heard the unspoken words and anxiety that had lain there ever since her mother learned the truth. She was saying in her momish way, "Buffy, I'm glad you're alright and didn't get killed and did I mention how much I hate your being a Slayer?" Yep, that never went away no matter how much her mother tried to deal. All at once, Buffy didn't want to reveal Billy's reappearance. He was like a gift just for her. Couldn't she keep him to herself just a little longer?
[Well, she wanted me not to hide things from her.]
[She meant about the slaying. Billy's not a slaying secret.]
[So why shouldn't you talk about him? In fact, she'll probably be just as thrilled as you are. Here's something normal in Buffy's life, something that is non-slayage related. She'll flip.] She smiled at her mother. "That's great, Mom." She dropped her bag on the floor, paying no attention to her mother's cluck of disapproval, and went to wash her hands in the sink. "I saw Billy Fordham today."
Joyce entered the kitchen. "Billy Fordham? Who's that? He sounds familiar."
"Well, he was only my fifth-grade crush from Hemery. We never went out so you never met him."
"Oh, that Billy Fordham!" Joyce's face creased in amusement. "I remember him now. I heard you talking endlessly about him on the phone to your friends about how cute and hot he was."
"Mom! You were listening in on my phone conversations?"
"No! But you sometimes left your door open and I kept hearing 'Billy Fordham' this and 'Billy Fordham' that with every other sentence. It's not hard to put two and two together."
Buffy blushed and wiped her hands on the dishtowel. Then she turned to her mother. "Well, it turns out he was transferred here to Sunnydale High. Isn't that great?"
"That's just wonderful. Well, how did he look?"
"He looked great, Mom. Better than I remembered," Buffy mused to herself.
Joyce noted the dreamy look on her daughter's face. "So…any chance Billy is returning that old crush?"
Buffy smirked at the suggestive tone in her mother's voice. "Maybe." She began setting out the plates and forks for the evening meal. "There was another thing, too. Tonight, when we were walking home, I kinda ran into a vampire."
Joyce paused in the act of doling out a ladle of pasta. "You did? Did Billy see anything?"
"No. I staked it and then I told him it was a cat. But he didn't buy it. Turns out he already knew about—you know. The slaying thing."
Her mother blinked. "He knows…about the slaying? H-how?"
Buffy shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe I wasn't as careful back at Hemery as I thought. I didn't think any of the crowd I used to run with noticed folks were disappearing. But I guess good old Billy was taking notes while everybody else was totally clueless."
"Including me." Joyce shook her head. "I don't believe it. Even one of your old high school pals knew before I did. Talk about being out of the loop."
"He was way cool about it, too. He was like, 'Hey, Buffy. Good to see you again. By the way, I know you're a Slayer. What're you doing after school tomorrow?' It was great. Kinda weird. But really great."
"Well, that's good—I suppose." Joyce tried to digest this piece of news. "What do the others have to say about this latest development in your life?"
"You mean Giles, Xander and Willow? Willow and Xander only met Billy this evening at the Bronze and he only 'fessed up to me about the knowingness after we left. So I haven't had a chance to spill the beans to them yet. Even when they do find out he's on to the Slayer thing, I don't know how they'll take it. Billy may be an old friend to me but he's new to them."
"I would think vampire-staking would automatically qualify him to become part of the group."
Buffy scrunched up her nose in mock admonition. "Ah, but there's a whole ceremony he has to undergo first. It involves goofy hats, chanting, secret handshakes and code names. Xander would probably want a name like Nighthawk or Raven or Silver Fox or something macho like that."
"Guess Flounder and Pinto are out then." Joyce smiled, getting into the spirit of the conversation.
"Huh?" Sometimes her mom was so strange.
"Never mind. Before your time, I suppose. I'm glad you don't have to hide who you are from Billy."
"Me too, Mom." She sat down to the table and picked up the salad bowl. "Shall I bring him over tomorrow, then?"
"Be my guest. I'd just love to hear what he and his parents have been doing since we left Los Angeles."
Buffy lay sprawled on the bed sheet. She was scribbling intermittently in her notebook with one hand. The other was clutching the phone while she chatted with Willow. "Just like that. Said he found out right before I got booted from Hemery."
There was a burst of animated gabble from the other end. "Yeah, I guess it is. I don't have to constantly worry that he's gonna find out my dark secret. It just makes everything easier." Another pause. "I'm gonna see him at school tomorrow. I think that's a gimme. And Mom wants to meet him, too. I think she's just thrilled for any bit of normalcy—not to mention news from L.A."
There was more talk and she frowned. "Angel? What about him? This thing with Billy—not that there's a thing 'cause he was just a crush not a serious boyfriend—it just started. And I'm not sure what I have with Angel. I mean, if Angel would just give me a definite sign that I'm not just an on-again, off-again thing with him, maybe I could tell Billy 'Sorry, I'm taken.' "
This time the babble on the other end was longer. "Yes, I know Angel killed Darla for me. But that's not the same as candy and roses. I mean, as romantic gestures go, it doesn't exactly make the list, does it?"
Willow said something else and Buffy sighed unhappily. "Okay, he's been there for me. But so have the rest of you and you don't do a disappearing act just when things get intense. With Billy, I could give the normal gal routine another try."
She paused. "Well, maybe it won't be like Owen! Face it, that boy had issues. I'm gonna try somebody among the living, breathing and sane for a change. And Billy is somebody my mom knows about unlike Angel so that's another mark on the positive side of the chart." She listened a little while longer. "'Kay, Willow. See you at school tomorrow." She clicked the off button and hung up.
Willow was really nervous. Well, she wasn't nervous that Angel was going to bite her throat out. If that had been her number one concern, she'd never have invited him into her room. She wasn't stupid or anything. But Angel was jealous and a jealous bloodsucking creature of the night might be inclined to do something rash. Rash as in the destruction-of-property kind of rash.
After hanging up on Buffy, she'd been startled to see Angel at her window. It wasn't a surprise knowing he wanted to talk about Buffy. Hearing that he was leery of Billy wasn't much of a shock, either. So she was pleased and eager that he wanted to use her vaunted computer skills. However, she was beginning to wonder if having an oversized vampire in her room was such a good idea. Angel was such a…hovering presence.
Right now he was leaning over her shoulder and breathing into her hair. Except that he wasn't breathing which made the whole lurking bit even more unnerving. No, make that annoying; nobody liked it when people leaned over your shoulder while you were working. Finally she was fed up with it.
"Angel, will you quit it?" The vampire moved back and she relaxed. "That's better." Then she peered at the computer screen. "Hey, that's weird."
"What is?" The brunette vampire squinted at the screen and tried to make sense of the information.
"I just checked the school records and Billy's not in them. I mean, they usually transfer your grades and stuff but he's not even in them."
Angel was glad to see his suspicions confirmed although he worried about what that meant for Buffy. "And he should be, right? He said he was in school with Buffy."
"Uh huh. Something about getting transferred here along with his dad." Just then she heard her mother calling for her and she panicked. "Ack! Go!" she whispered, shooing Angel away. "I-I'm not supposed to have boys in my room!"
Angel nodded and walked to the balcony. Then he paused, staring at Willow. "Willow, thanks for helping. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Buffy what you found out tonight…or about seeing me."
The redheaded girl was immediately dismayed. "You want me to lie to her? It's Buffy!"
"It's not lying. You're just not telling her the truth. We really don't have enough to go on and she'll put my interest down to mere jealousy. We just found out Billy lied about being in school with Buffy. We still don't know why. We should keep a lid on this until we know more."
Willow nodded reluctantly. Lying to or hiding things from her friends went against the grain. But Angel was trusting her and she felt kinda proud at the thought that he was counting on her help. Besides, if she didn't tell Buffy, there was always somebody else she could confide in…
"I knew something was up with this Billy guy!" Xander crowed while stabbing at his congealing noodles.
"Actually, you didn't know. Angel was the one who picked up weirdness on his vampire-o-meter," Willow replied. She'd filled Xander in on Angel's late night visit over school lunch. After enduring his pissy questions about what she was doing letting a dangerous fiend into her room, she'd been subjected to self-satisfied "I told you sos" about Fordham until she couldn't stand it.
The brunette boy mumbled around a mouthful of pasta. "Well, score one for Deadboy. How do we break this to Buffy?"
"We don't. We don't want to upset Buffy until we know more." Willow eyed the graying lumps of meat on her tray critically.
"You mean Deadboy doesn't want Buffy to know he's jealous about the new man in her life," Xander corrected. He pointed a fork at her untouched food. "You gonna eat that?"
The redhead shoved the tray towards him. "Be my guest. And I think you might try following his lead and not showing how jealous you are."
"I'm not jealous! I just thought it was uncool of Buffy to ditch us for a guy who used to ignore her back at her old school. That so not friendly to us, her friends!" He huffed in self-pity and tore into the lumpy meat swimming around in the thin gravy.
Willow grimaced and tried not to watch him devouring the questionable meal. "I think she might have been a little lonely."
"With us around? Surely you jest!"
"Well, with Billy she gets to be with somebody she knew way back when. S-sometimes I think she feels left out with the two of us. We have a whole history she's not a part of and that must be hard on her."
"Maybe." Xander chewed determinedly on the tough meat before swallowing. "But, hey, she can make new history with us! Just let her hang with us for awhile, say, a few dozen years. She'll forget all about these fly-by-nighter sophomore guys."
Willow shook her head and sighed. It was gonna be a long school day.
She scowled at the two males with her. Xander had been reluctant to travel with Angel until Willow had stressed how the vampire's suspicion had put them on the right trail. However, the two were digging in their heels when she mentioned telling Mrs. Summers. "Willow, I don't see why Buffy's mother has to be involved in this," Angel said.
"She told Buffy she doesn't want anything about the slaying being hidden from her," Willow argued.
"But, Wills, we don't know if this is anything to do with the slaying gig. For all we know, Billy may be your average run-of-the-mill creep," Xander protested. "Should we get that good woman all riled up over nothing? I mean, she's still recovering from the whole 'Oh my god, my daughter's out killing the undead' news we sprang on her. Besides, we can probably handle it."
"Shouldn't she know what's going on in Buffy's life? I talked to Buffy and her mom's really psyched about her getting together with Billy." She didn't miss the unhappy look that flitted over Angel's face so she hurried on with her argument. "Besides, I'm thinking she'll listen to her mom more than us if Mrs. Summers tells her this kid's bad news."
Xander huffed. "Fine. And what if Buffy's there? What do we tell her? Say we're taking her mother out for a night at the Bronze?"
"Buffy isn't there right now. She's out with Billy." Angel's jaw clenched so tightly she wondered why he didn't break teeth.
"Already? Damn, for somebody who gave her the cold shoulder in high school, he's a fast mover. I wonder how Mrs. Summers could let an older boy put the moves on her only daughter. No offense, Deadboy," he told Angel.
"I told you not to call me that, Xander," Angel rapped out. Xander grinned snarkily as they headed towards the house on Revello Drive. He decided to ignore the boy for the time being. "I still can't believe that Mrs. Summers knows about the slaying. Does she know about me, Willow?"
"Nope," Xander chimed in. "I wanted to tell her but Buffy evidently still thinks of you as a deep, ugly secret. Guess telling her mom she's dating a bloodsucking corpse wouldn't really go down well with her."
"Well, it beats dating an oversized praying mantis or a life-draining mummy," Willow retorted.
"Life-draining mummy?" Angel murmured, glancing at the redhead.
Xander wasn't about to let any of that slide. "I wasn't dating Ms. French! She asked me to her house for tutoring and she was really using me in a diabolically scheme to be the sperm donor for her eggs. And Ampata tricked me. She tricked all of us. I didn't know what she was. Besides, you went to meet some guy who turned out to be a demon that you contacted on the Internet which all the experts tell us is a big, fat dating no-no for us teens. Honestly, Willow, you're supposed to be one of the smart ones." He shook his head sadly, making tsk-tsking noises.
Willow shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "Whatever. The fact is we've all made weird dating choices so we shouldn't go throwing stones. Right, Angel?"
He shrugged. "I suppose. Now what cover story are you going to use to explain me to Mrs. Summers, Willow?"
"Thanks for driving us, Mrs. Summers," Willow told her gratefully. Reminding the other two that Joyce had a getaway car in case they needed to make, well, a getaway had been the clincher for her argument that she be involved.
"No problem, Willow. I was really surprised to learn you'd been investigating Billy Fordham. You still haven't explained why you were so distrustful about him in the first place."
Willow began chattering as she got out of the car. "Well, since I've been with Buffy, I've been trying to hone my, um, instincts! And I got a strange vibe from him. Didn't you get a vibe, Xander?"
Xander nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah. Big ugly vibeiness. Inner sirens going off and screaming 'Intruder Alert!' That sort of thing."
Angel added, "He also left no paper trail and no records. That's rather incriminating to me. And Willow couldn't turn up anything about him except the name and address of this place."
"I see." Joyce peered narrowly at Angel. "And you say you've been helping Buffy with her…night work? Where do you come into this exactly?"
"That's what I keep asking myself," Xander muttered.
"I was sent by higher powers to help Buffy on her path. They haven't told me anything about it since then. I'm just a fighter for the good side like Giles, Mrs. Summers."
"Oh." Joyce was uncertain how much of this information she should take seriously. This Angel had a curious stillness and maturity she'd rarely witnessed in boys of his age. He was also rather reticent about his role in Buffy's life. Everything about him was setting off her Mom radar; privately she resolved to have a chat with Buffy about him when she got her daughter alone. And who were these higher powers he mentioned? She had a feeling it didn't have anything to do with the government.
The quartet peered up at the structure. From without the Sunset Club appeared rather unimposing, looking more like a warehouse than anything else. Joyce thought that for a club it was rather lacking in class. They couldn't hear anything from the outside. "Well, it looks like we're going in. Cover me!" Xander joked and rapped at the door.
The viewport opened and the doorman peered out at them. "We're friends of Billy's," Angel said. The unseen guard nodded, opening the door.
"Gotta love the security in this place," Xander whispered.
"Yeah, anybody else think that was too easy?" Willow responded in an equally low voice.
"Why are you whispering?" Angel asked. "There's nothing here except a crowd of…" He peered over the guardrail into the depths of the club below. "Really badly dressed humans," he finished.
"Humans? Why shouldn't they be human? And how can you tell anyway?" Joyce probed.
"Uh, uh, well, look at how they're dressed!" Willow babbled. "Think any vampire would be this obvious?" Indeed, the denizens in the club looked like rejects from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Pancake makeup, Goth wear, fright wigs and silly capes seemed the norm. Joyce wondered what kind of spooky dress-up games these children were playing. No one seemed above the age of twenty and she felt very much out of place.
Evidently she wasn't the only one. Xander slumped, trying to make his loud clothes less visible. "In no way do we stick out like sore thumbs."
Angel scanned the club intently, looking for anything the slightest bit deadly about this bunch. "Let's spread out. You guys check downstairs."
"Sure thing, Bossy the cow!" Xander called after his retreating back. He descended the stairs with Willow and Joyce. Any jumpiness they may have felt disappeared. These kids weren't dangerous. They were actually kinda nerdy. They were talking about death and being eternally young and treading the dark paths. Xander was the first to comment about it. "Are you probably noticing a theme here?"
"You mean 'Vampires Yay?' '' Willow answered.
He nodded. "That's the one."
A girl wearing blood-red lipstick and white greasepaint smeared on her face walked up to them. "You guys are newbies. I can tell."
Willow spun to face her and eyed her long gown and neckband. Prom wear along with the death-warmed-over look. She could just hear what Cordelia Chase would have to say about this girl's outfit. "No. We come here all the time."
The girl continued to babble on, her enthusiastic prattle at distinct odds with her gloomy attire. "Don't be ashamed! It's cool that you're open to it. We welcome anyone who's interested in the Lonely Ones."
Willow couldn't believe her ears. "The Lonely Ones?"
"You're talking about vampires, aren't you," Joyce said, staring this sweet-looking girl in the eyes. It wasn't a question.
She nodded, her face lighting up. "That's right. I'm Chantarelle, by the way." She blinked and took note of Joyce Summers's obvious age difference. "You're kinda older than the usual people we get in here."
"That's because I'm an adult. I'm mature. And sane," Joyce replied. "Vampires aren't cute and cuddly, dear, and they're not something a child should be fixating on. Actually, nobody should be fixating on them. What do you poor children think you're doing?"
Chantarelle lifted her chin defiantly. "We're not children and we're not stupid. Vampires aren't dangerous. They're misunderstood creatures who've been unfairly stigmatized by unreal representations of them on TV and silly horror movies."
"Another member of the Anne Rice fan club. Man, that woman has a lot to answer for," Xander mumbled to Willow, rolling his eyes.
"My dear, vampires are not lonely," Joyce said sharply. "They travel in packs just like rats. I should know; a bunch of them attacked Sunnydale High on Parent/Teacher night. I happened to be there when they did it. They murdered two people."
"Really?" This question came from another club member, a chubby girl whose black-on-black studded leather-and-fishnet garb did nothing to hide her obvious youth. She appeared to be around sixteen or so; Joyce wondered what her mother could be thinking to let her leave the house dressed like that.
A young man in a shiny blue cape retorted, "Don't listen to her. People pretend to be scared of vampires. But who wouldn't want to be one? You get to be young and good-looking forever." He raked Mrs. Summers with an attempt at a sneer. "You look okay for your age. But when things start sagging, you're gonna wish the clock had stopped at 19 just like anybody else."
Joyce replied in an even tone, "The clock doesn't stop when you become a vampire. Everything stops. You die and become a walking corpse. That's the bottom line." She looked around. They had managed to draw a small crowd as curious listeners came out of the woodwork. "Is that what you're all hoping for? That you'll become vampires?"
"Well, yeah. Like Marvin says—" Chantarelle said.
"Diego. It's Diego now. Dammit, is that so hard to remember?" Shiny Blue Cape whined.
Joyce raised her voice so that the others could hear. "Vampires are not friendly. They are vicious predators, no more cuddly than wolves. The ones who attacked the school tried to kill my daughter. If you turn yourselves over to them, they'll kill you, too. Trust me on this."
A shocked murmur ran through the club at this information. Some of the members began to look uncertain and a little scared. Diego tried to regain control of the situation. "Come on, people! She's lying. I mean, if vampires attacked the school, why is she still alive?"
"Because of the Slayer," Angel said from the stairs.
"The what?" Chantarelle asked. Her eyes fastened on the tall, dark, handsome stranger and her heart fluttered in her chest. He radiated power and there was an exotic allure to him that was almost like that of the creatures whose world she yearned to join.
"The Slayer. You've never heard of her?" He leaned against the rail and regarded them all with almost casual contempt.
"Angel! What are you doing?" Willow whispered.
Xander jumped on the stairs beside Angel and hissed into his ear. "Yeah, Deadboy. Giving away trade secrets like this, not what we had in mind for the evening's performance."
Angel paid him no heed. "The Slayer is the protector of mankind, even foolish little children like you. She saved most of the people in that school including these good folks here." He nodded in the direction of the others. "Those vampires meant to kill all those people just as any vampires you meet would kill you. The Slayer prevented that. That's why this woman is alive. So listen to her when she warns you about vampires." He swept them with a laserlike gaze and then turned to exit the club.
Joyce appealed to them just once more. "Please. I don't know why you're all so eager to throw away your lives when you have so much time ahead of you. But, if any of you want to give this up, it's not too late."
Some of the kids began edging towards the exit, ignoring the hisses and boos that came from the stubborn. Marvin, er, Diego and Chantarelle watched Xander, Willow, Joyce and Angel leave. "Those people were friends of Ford's?" Chantarelle asked uncertainly.
Diego threw the departing members a menacing glare. Actually, he only thought it looked menacing. Nobody had had the heart to tell him he looked as if he'd gotten something stuck in his eye. "I'm telling Ford about this."
Mrs. Summers sat in the car and watched the stragglers exiting from the club. She counted maybe nine people who'd decided to rethink the whole immortality scam; that wasn't even a fifth of their number. There had been so many more of those deluded kids in there. How could any of them think being a vampire was a wonderful life? It was a blow to learn Billy was mixed up in this foolishness. He'd seemed such a nice boy when Buffy described him. Well, you never could tell with people. She pursed her lips and started the car.
After delivering Willow and Xander to their homes, she insisted on inviting Angel into her house. He had tried gracefully to withdraw but she had been adamant. There was more going on here than just friendship between Buffy and this man; she could sense it. Unfortunately, her interrogation was cut short when Buffy and Billy returned, both chattering animatedly with each other. Angel stood up and Buffy halted, dismayed and a little peeved at seeing him.
"Oh! Mom, hi. Ford was just walking me home. Uh, bye, Ford!"
"Buffy, wait. And you, young man. Get in here," Joyce stated in a tone that brooked no refusal.
Buffy and Billy stared at each other uncertainly. Billy stammered, "I-I've really got to get going. My folks are gonna be worried about me…"
Angel gave Mrs. Summers a meaningful look. "Actually, I think Ford should leave. It's getting late."
Joyce wavered. She didn't know Angel at all. But what she'd heard him say at that club and Willow's apparent trust of him led her to believe he had Buffy's welfare at heart. There was a tense silence. Then Billy smiled feebly and exited the house as fast as he could.
"I'm going to follow him. See where he goes," Angel said and glided after the young man on silent feet.
Buffy grabbed at his arm. "Just a minute! What gives you the right to go spying on my friends?"
"Buffy, let him go. You and I need to talk—about a few things." She glanced in Angel's direction and then back at her daughter.
Buffy hesitated and looked between her mother and Angel. She didn't know how her mom had met him but they already seemed pretty chummy, especially about her choice in male friends. She reluctantly released Angel and turned back to her mother after he left. "Okay, Mom. Wanna tell me what's going on?"
"Angel and I were just having a little talk." Joyce crossed her arms and surveyed her daughter's suddenly guilty expression. "Willow introduced me to him tonight. Seems he's been helping you in your nightly crusade against the forces of darkness. Frankly, I'm surprised you never mentioned him. I would have thought a fellow fighter against evil wouldn't be something you'd keep to yourself."
Her mother's dry tone didn't escape Buffy. She wished she'd had more time to prepare a suitable story about her vampire beau. Instead she decided to hedge a little. "Well, he doesn't always fight with me. He usually just kinda pops in, tell me when there's evil a-brewing and then disappears again. I can go for nights without seeing him. Not what I'd call Mr. Reliable."
"Really? But he seemed to know about what happened on Parent/Teacher night. He was there, wasn't he?"
"Maybe. I didn't see him." That was the truth. He'd gone off with Xander and disappeared before she could talk to him. No lie there. She decided to get things back to safer ground. "You said you wanted to talk about Billy."
Joyce didn't miss the abrupt change in topic. But Billy was the more pressing problem. "Angel, Xander, Willow and I were concerned about Billy. It seems Willow did a little hacking and discovered Billy hasn't exactly been truthful about his staying here in Sunnydale. He's not registered at your school. In fact, there are no records about him at all."
"Willow was checking up on Billy? Why would she do that?" Buffy demanded.
"She said she was honing her instincts or some such thing," Joyce responded, waving her hands. "I don't know. Don't ask me to figure out modern day paranoia. Nowadays background checks seem to be as common as checking the brake fuel on a car."
"So Billy's not registered. Maybe his records were late in arriving. That happens sometimes."
"Perhaps. But we found out something else tonight, something rather disturbing. It seems Billy is an aficionado of a cult of vampire worshippers."
"What? No, mom, that's not right. He staked a vampire on his way over here tonight!"
"Did you see him stake the vampire?" Joyce asked.
"Uh, well, no." Now that Buffy thought about it, she hadn't seen a telltale pile of dust.
Joyce hated to be the one to burst Buffy's bubble. But what she'd seen at the Sunset Club disturbed her greatly. "Buffy, we were there. There were these teenagers, no older than you, all wearing these cheap Halloween outfits. They were all talking about embracing your inner darkness or similar nonsense. And they knew Billy. That's how we got in—by mentioning his name."
"That doesn't mean anything. Maybe it's one of those role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons or Pokemon." Buffy was grasping at straws here but what her mother was saying couldn't be true.
"Buffy, Angel told me he'd heard of people like this before, people who tell themselves fairytales about vampires, who are drawn to the allure of living forever. He called them foolish little children and when I told them how you'd been attacked on Parent/Teacher night…"
Buffy interrupted, "You told them that?"
"Don't worry; I didn't give away your secret. I merely wanted them to understand just how dangerous vampires are. When I told them that, some of them looked frightened and they left. Does that sound like people playing a harmless game to you?"
Buffy sat down on the couch. She didn't want to believe any of this. But her mother had been to this club with Xander and the others. Why would Billy be involved with people like that? Oh god, had she found another version of Owen? Why did this keep happening to her? She buried her head in her hands and sighed unhappily.
Joyce sat beside her and hugged her tightly. That Mr. Giles may have thought of Buffy as a seasoned fighter. But he would have had to revise his opinion if he saw her now. Buffy was still so very young, not even 17 years old. She shouldn't have to learn this early in life how treacherous and deceitful people could be.
The next moment her daughter looked up and Joyce was astounded at the change in her. The disappointment had vanished from her face. Instead a look of cold determination had settled there. "Okay, Mom. Say I believe you. We still don't know why Ford is pretending to be vamp hunting with me and vamp loving with those other people."
"Let's look at what we know, dear," Joyce mused. "Billy knows that you're a Slayer. But those other people there didn't even know Slayers existed."
"You guys talked about slaying?" Buffy's eyebrows shot up.
"Angel mentioned it. He didn't tell them your name. He just told how Slayers protect people. They'd never heard of them."
"So Ford knows something he hasn't told to his people. I'm also betting they don't know he's out there running around with stakes in his pockets either," Buffy said. "So the question is, who's zooming who here?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Buffy stood up and began pacing as she tried to sort things out in her head. "Ford is lying to us and lying to his friends. So we're all being set up for something. Since his friends are under the delusion that vampires are their friends and Ford is playing this up to them…"
"—Then they're probably going to be in for a rude surprise when they do meet actual vampires. Somehow I don't think any vampire would want to have those silly children around them forever."
Buffy stopped as she faced her mother. "That's it, then. That's Ford's plan. He's going to offer up his friends as vampire chow."
Joyce sucked in her breath at that awful revelation. "Oh those poor kids. We can't even warn them. We tried tonight but most of them wouldn't listen to us."
"Yeah, I guess they've bought into the whole die-young-live-forever insurance plan."
"There're just a couple of things I don't understand. What does Billy get out of this? And where do you fit into the picture? If he knows you're the Slayer, the last thing he should want is to have you involved. Surely he'd know you'd try to stop him."
"Except he doesn't know that I know. I was supposed to be kept on the ignorant list, too. So I'm being set up as well. I just don't know what for. I mean, Billy isn't a great inhuman evil. He's just a guy! He's a guy I knew back from Hemery, for Pete's sake! Why would he do this?"
The dejection had settled in her daughter's eyes again and her mother hated to see it there. She was desperate to figure this out, however. There was a terrible danger here not just to these dizzy teens but to Buffy as well. There was an obvious conclusion here, something both she and her clever daughter were missing.
There came a knock on the door and both women jumped. "Buffy, were you expecting anybody tonight?"
"No, but that's about par for the course." She opened the front door and wasn't the least bit surprised to see the souled vampire on the doorstep. "Angel. Back so soon?"
Angel strode in without ceremony. "It's about Fordham. It's worse than we thought. He's planning on turning you over to the Anointed One tomorrow night."
That was a phrase Joyce hadn't heard before now. "The Anointed One? Who's that?"
Angel peered at the diminutive blond. "You didn't tell her?"
The older woman's eyes narrowed. "Didn't tell me what? Buffy, I thought we'd agreed on this."
"Mom, I thought the Anointed One wasn't important. I mean, he's just a child."
"A vampire childe, you mean," Angel murmured.
"Angel, I beg you not to help," Buffy gritted out.
Joyce looked at her daughter. "Okay, obviously I've been kept in the dark about a few things. Who or what is this Anointed One? He's a vampire, right?"
Angel nodded. "He was created by the Master last year."
"The Master?"
"Head vampire around these parts," Buffy filled in. "Or at least he was. I killed him." She wanted to warn Angel not to speak and give away too much of that story. But she couldn't signal him by so much as a look. Her mother was keeping a careful eye on the two of them and she couldn't risk her figuring out the details behind the Master's final dusting.
"You killed this Master last year and I'm only learning about it now?" She sighed. "Of course; you and your friends have been covering this up for a long time." Angel was subjected to a piercing glance. "And you've been helping this entire time, too?"
"That's right, ma'am. But that's a story for another night. Buffy's in danger from this Fordham. He wants to trade her to the Anointed One in exchange for becoming a vampire."
"You heard him say that?" Buffy asked. She had still clung to the slender hope that it wasn't true, that Ford hadn't been planning to betray her, at least. Now it looked like that last hope was gone.
"Absolutely. I was thinking of nabbing him on the way out. But, other than holding him hostage at my apartment, I really don't know what to do with him."
Joyce reminded them of the matter at hand. "It's not just Buffy who's in danger. We believe Billy is planning to serve up his friends to these vampires as well. We could try to warn them again," she added uncertainly.
Angel was sure that wouldn't help. "We tried that this evening, Mrs. Summers. Short of seeing an actual vampire attack, nothing is going to change these people's minds about what vampires are really like."
"Then that's what we give them," Joyce decided.
"What?" That came from both Buffy and Angel.
"Even if we manage to save them from their own stupidity this time by shutting down the club, kidnapping this boy or killing all the vampires that are planning to make a meal out of them, these delusional teenagers would just set up another meeting place elsewhere and contact the local undead and become prey for them. They have to see vampires for what they are: vicious, bloodthirsty killers."
"And how do we do that, Mom?"
Giles stood at the front door, fidgeting under his cape. "I have to say this is a reckless and foolish idea."
"Duly noted, Mr. Giles," Joyce whispered. She and the others kept out of sight. Giles was the only one standing within eyesight of the door since he was the only one of Buffy's group the Sunset Club members hadn't previously met. Hopefully, the robes they were wearing would cause them to blend in and no one would question them. Tonight, the clothing would serve a dual purpose.
When the view port opened, Giles said, "W-we're friends of Ford's."
"Really? Man, that guy is sending some serious business our way. Come right in." The door opened and the members of Buffy's gang surged forward and pushed their way inside. "Hey, quit shoving! There's plenty of space."
The hoods were scratchy and severely limited their vision. Willow's nose twitched and she sneezed. "Where did Angel get these things? Were they in storage or something?"
"He said they were in the Master's old lair. Seems he had a big wardrobe from the old days. Who knew vampires were such clothes horses?" Xander replied. He tripped on the dragging hem of his costume and staggered against a familiar figure in a sparkly cape.
Diego's drink spilled onto the gleaming fabric and he gaped in dismay. He cried, "Shit! Look what you did! Do you know how expensive it is to get this dry-cleaned?" Then he did a double take and his gaze got hostile as he recognized the brown-eyed boy. "I remember you, you, unbeliever! You're persona non grata here."
"Oh, but bloodsucking fiends are always welcome, I suppose," Giles muttered under his breath. He and Joyce kept their faces averted as they unobtrusively took up their positions.
Willow smiled at Diego and chirped, "We thought we'd come back for another look. Hey, where do we sign up to get the free blood?"
"You changed your minds?" Diego took in their cloaks and the crudely applied white makeup.
Xander shrugged and made a clumsy attempt to adjust his outfit. "Actually, we weren't that down on it. It was just those two old people with us who didn't get the scene. Parents—what do they know?"
Diego considered. When he thought about it, the brunette and the cute redhead hadn't really said anything against vampirism. It was just that tall, annoying stranger Chantarelle kept staring at and the old woman who'd reamed their lifestyle choice. He grudgingly waved them towards the bar. "Well, okay. As long as you're tolerant. A lot of people weren't cool about your friends making a scene, you know."
Xander grinned and rubbed his hands together. "All right! Everybody in the crypt go Hey!" he said and scampered after Diego.
Ford was pissed. Diego had come up to him with Xander and Willow in tow and he had to resist the urge to smack him. Buffy's friends were the last people he wanted to see in this place. "Why didn't you tell me—" He noted the pair's avid gazes trained on his face and changed what he was going to say. "—That you guys were coming here? How did you find out about this place, anyway?"
"Well, this is a small town, Billy. News travels fast," Willow replied.
"And practically the only place worth going to is the Bronze. So when a new hotspot opens up, well, gosh darn it, we teens have just got to check it out," Xander finished. He waved his glass of wine around, not noticing Diego's flinch when some nearly splashed on his cape again. "Gotta say I love the death-on-death décor. Who's your designer? Count Dracula?"
Willow added, "Yeah, where can I get one of those long dresses? They're so Elvira-Mistress-of-the-Darky."
Ford glared daggers at Diego who was starting to get distinctly nervous. Why was the boss man so upset? Diego stammered, "Um, we really don't go in for the stereotypes shown on TV."
Willow pretended to be disappointed. "So I don't get to keep a vampire bat as a pet?"
Xander patted her arm. "Cheer up, Wills. I can always get you a tarantula or one of those creepy plants like Morticia had on The Addams Family."
The redhead beamed at him. "Really? You are the bestest boyfriend!" She gave in to impulse and kissed him on the cheek.
Xander flushed and then smiled feebly at Ford. "Women. They're all over you when you give 'em presents, huh?"
Ford rubbed his temples as pain lanced through his skull. "Yeah. Women. Hey, Xander, do you mind if I talk to my friend in private?" Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Diego's arm and dragged him away. He pulled him up to the stairs and hissed at him. "What the hell are they doing here?"
"W-what's the matter? They said they were friends of yours when they came yesterday."
Billy froze as he stared Diego down. "They were in here yesterday? Why didn't you say something earlier?"
As always when he was chastised, Diego took refuge in sulking. "I have to do everything around here. Sorry, Mr. Flawless Plan Guy, it slipped my mind."
Chantarelle walked up to them, her fingers drumming on the railing. "When are they getting here, Ford? I need them to bless me. It's gonna be alright, isn't it? They're not gonna let us down?"
Ford winced and rubbed his forehead again. The pain was back and hearing Chantarelle's whiny voice wasn't helping. God, sometimes he could have gladly strangled her and Diego for the shit they put him through. "It's gonna be fine."
"No," said a voice above them. "It's really not." Buffy stood above them on the stairs, her icy gaze locked on the brunette boy standing next to Diego and Chantarelle. She started walking down the stairs never losing sight of Ford for a moment. She had already spotted her friends and mother in the crowd; she sincerely hoped her mother's plan would work.
Ford waved casually at Diego. "It's a little drafty in here, don't you think?" Diego understood and scuttled around the descending blond as he made his way upstairs.
She flashed Billy a brilliant smile. "I'm sorry, Ford. I just couldn't wait 'til tonight to meet you. I'm rash and impulsive. It's a flaw."
He shrugged wearily. "We've all got flaws."
Buffy stopped at the bottom of the steps and gave him a hard glare. "And apparently yours is that you're a lying scumbag." She shoved him against a pillar. "You were going to turn me over to those vamps, weren't you? What, did you think I wouldn't figure it out?"
He grinned and the remorseless expression chilled her to the bone. "Actually, I was counting on it." He laughed giddily and then began coughing. She stepped away from him, confused by both his out-of-place humor and the coughing fit.
"Why are you doing this? What about life is so sucky that you're throwing it away?"
This time his smile seemed laced with a kind of insanity as he crowed, "This is so cool! This is just how I imagined it. You, the big hero, wanting to know what the plan is. Me, telling you…" His gaze drifted up the stairs. "It's already happening."
Diego swung the inner door shut with a clang. Buffy ran up to the door and began pounding on it. Even with her Slayer strength she couldn't make a single dent. Ford called up to her. "Rigged up special. Once it's closed, it can only be opened from the outside. As soon as the sun sets, they'll be comin'."
She glared hatefully at him. "Okay, I know you were planning to feed me to them. But why them? Why your friends?"
Diego paled and glanced down at Ford. "U-us? Ford, what's she talkin' about?"
His face twisted and he spat, "Nothing. She's lying. The vamps are coming for her and just her. The rest of us are gonna ascend tonight."
"Oh, I don't think so." She turned to Diego and smiled sweetly. "See, your average vampire is a hungry beastie and we're talkin' vamps plural here. So they won't be satisfied with just me. They're gonna eat you." Her eyes darted to Chantarelle. "And you." She gazed at every member of the club near her. "And you and you and you. Wow, they've got a veritable smorgasbord to choose from and they can even get seconds."
She walked back down the stairs and addressed the backstabbing bastard who was selling out his pals. "What I still don't get is why, Ford."
"They're gonna make me one of them."
Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "And again I ask why? Why would you want an eternity of bloodstained clothes and rotten crypt body odor? Are you insane?"
"You don't understand," he whispered. "I don't wanna die."
"Neither do they but you're still serving them up on the menu. They don't deserve to die."
He shrugged again. "Well, neither do I. But apparently no one took that into consideration 'cause I'm still dying." Buffy stared at him, noting the flinch of agony and the pills he pulled out of his pocket.
"I look good, don't I?" he muttered bitterly. "Well, let me tell you something. I've got six months left and by then what they bury won't even look like me. It'll be bald and shriveled and it'll smell bad. No, I'm not going out that way." He smirked at the shocked look on her face. "I'm sorry, Summers. Did I screw up your righteous anger riff? Does the nest of tumors liquefying my brain spoil your fun?"
Joyce couldn't hear what Buffy and Billy were arguing about from where she was standing. It was obviously intense judging by the conflicting emotions flying across her daughter's face. She glanced at her watch and noted the time. Looking up, she caught a sharp nod from Mr. Giles and tightened her grip.
Buffy was done trying to convince Ford to stop his plan. It was no use anyway; the bomb shelter they were in was lined with three feet of concrete and there was only one door. The humans in here were trapped. She contented herself with smiling at Ford as she saw his growing unease. "What's the matter, Ford? Your toothy friends late? That's what happens when you're around forever. You kinda forget about little things like keeping track of time. And you're overlooking a few things."
Keeping his eyes greedily fastened on the door, his answer was sneering and dismissive. "Oh yeah. Like what?"
"My friends are here with me."
"I know. Too bad for them. They'll be vampire kibble like everybody else."
She shook her head and it was her turn to smirk. "Not really. They're not sheep like the rest of your people. They came prepared." At his startled glance she looked at the club door. "And I've got a man on the outside."
If looks could kill, Ford's would have struck her dead on the spot. He spun around to cry out a warning to his friends and she slugged him hard in the jaw. As he crumpled to the floor, Diego ran to his fallen leader only to cringe as she balled up her fists. "T-that's not gonna stop us. They're still coming and then we're all gonna be changed."
She scanned him up and down with a measuring stare. "Not in that dorky outfit, you're not."
The vamps sauntered up to the club door, laughing and licking their chops. They couldn't believe it when that stupid human had come wandering through the door. The Anointed One had been seriously pissed at the lapse in security until that boy had told them his plan to deliver up the Slayer. Some of the vampires were pessimistic, insisting it was a trap. But even now they could smell human meals—lots of them—just waiting behind the door.
"What about this Slayer? She's dangerous, right? I mean, she took out the Master." This fledgling was nervous and rightfully so. He'd heard the story about how this girl had bested the Master and scattered his ashes like so much confetti.
Another older vampire scowled at him, the action making his ridges even more pronounced. "Don't worry about her. She doesn't know we're coming and we've got her outnumbered."
"So the Slayer's in there. Mind if I join the party?" Angel said. He glided from the darkness behind the other vampires and they paused in surprise.
The older vampire, Lucius, growled at the sight of the stranger. "This is kind of a private party. Invitation for the Anointed One's clan only."
"Well, then, I should definitely be in on this. You see, I'm family. One of the Master's grandchilder, actually." He had stepped into position, effectively cutting off their retreat. He kept his stance loose and casual, his hands relaxed by his sides.
Lucius wasn't entirely convinced. Something about this guy seemed off although he couldn't put his finger on what it was. "Oh yeah? How come we've never seen you before then?"
"I'm shy." Without another word, Angel whipped out the short sword he'd hidden under his coat and sliced it through Lucius's neck. He ran through the falling ashes and charged the other vampires before they could recover from the shock. Without weapons, many of them were sitting ducks for his whirlwind attack.
The door rattled and banged open as a few of the panicking, fleeing vampires still left charged through the only retreat from the turncoat vampire in their wake. Chantarelle was caught by surprise as one of the vamps barreled into her, knocking her to the walkway. She cringed away from the grotesque visage and screamed as he snarled and ripped off her florid neckband.
Angel had bested many of the vampires. A few had managed to dodge him and run into the night. On any other occasion he would have hunted them down instead of allowing them to escape. But Buffy needed him inside. So he pressed his advantage and slashed at the remaining bloodsuckers who threw open the club door to escape him. He staked the vampire holding down Chantarelle and snapped at her to get up and out of his way.
Inside the club, all became pandemonium as the vampires charged down the stairs, torn between their urge to get away from Angel and the desire to feast on the delicious humans waiting. One vampire, Kevin, made a desperate attempt to appeal to the souled demon. "Dude, what is your damage? You're attacking the wrong people! There are plenty of humans here if you want to share! Are you out of your mind?"
"Nope. Just souled," Angel answered as his sword curved in a sweeping arc through the bloodsucker's neck.
"Everybody get down!" Xander yelled and he and Willow pulled out their double crossbows from under their cloaks and shot the nearest vamps. Joyce's weapon jammed before she could fire off the second shot and the vampire she'd missed charged at her, knocking the useless bow from her hand. He clutched her throat, squeezing until she gasped for breath. His head lowered to her neck and she smelled the fetid odor rolling from his mouth.
[Oh. God. Buffy…I'm sorry…goodness, his breath is rotten. Don't vampires ever brush their teeth?] The inane thought flowed through her mind and her vision blurred at the edges as the oxygen was choked off from her brain. Then the vampire's features crumbled into dust and she coughed as Giles caught her. "Mr. Giles…thank…"
"Thank me later. Buffy and Angel still need our help." Actually, that was no longer true. The demons had been successfully trapped between Angel and the armed forces lying in wait. Those still standing were easily brought down by Buffy and Angel's flying fists and stakes.
Xander, Willow, Giles and Joyce stood, shaking and panting heavily from their exertions. The Sunset Club members had escaped unscathed—from the physical trauma at any rate. Looking at their white faces (not entirely due to the makeup now), Buffy knew this was a night that would remain seared into their memories. Just as her mother had intended.
"Buffy, are you alright?" Angel said, staring into her face. Even now, covered with vamp dust, she was incredibly beautiful. Her hazel eyes shone, turning a moss green, and her breasts heaved with every breath, drawing his eyes to all the wrong places.
"Yeah. Mom?" She looked around for her mother and saw her leaning on Mr. Giles. She ran up to her and peered worriedly into her face. "Mom, are you okay?"
"Just fine, dear. I got a faceful of vampire breath but other than that I'm peachy."
Her daughter's nose wrinkled. "Ewww. Blood breath. Nasty."
"I'll say," Xander seconded. "Anybody want to grab a pizza to wash it out?"
"I wouldn't mind a pizza," Diego ventured.
Xander glared in his direction. "I wasn't talking to you, you pathetic vamp wannabe."
The sextet marched up the stairs and the club members fell away to let them pass. Passing by Ford's fallen body, Angel frowned. "Buffy, what do you want to do with him?"
She dismissed the unconscious boy. "Leave him. Either his devoted followers will pick him up or he can sleep it off here. In any case, he could use the rest. He's a very sick individual."
Buffy was weary as she threw the empty pizza boxes into the garbage. Not being one for human munchies, Angel had disappeared at the front door after a swift, stolen kiss. She would have liked to have him around a little longer as her friends tore through the pizza, filled the house with laughter and silly comments about the night's activities, the awful get-ups worn by the Sunset Club devotees and sneers about Billy and his vampire aspirations. Her mom alone had been sympathetic, giving Buffy considerate glances whenever the conversation lagged. Finally, the others had gone home to sleep away their post-battle high.
Buffy plopped down on her bed. She was tired but she never felt less like sleeping. Her mother watched her from the doorway. Joyce murmured, "Well, as battles go, that was pretty lively. Is it always like that?"
"No. Tonight was…" She hesitated, not certain what she wanted to say. "Tonight was different."
Joyce guessed the cause of her ambivalence. "Because of Billy."
"Yeah. I don't know what I'm supposed to say. Or feel. About him, I mean."
Joyce spoke softly to her. "You needn't say anything, honey."
"It'd be simpler if I could just hate him. I think he wanted me to. I think it made it easier for him to be the villain of the piece. Really he was just scared." She scowled and plucked at a loose thread on the bed sheet. Her mother sat beside her and said nothing only listened as Buffy tried to figure out the problem. "Nothing's ever simple any more. I'm constantly trying to work it out. Who to love or hate. Who to trust. It's just like, the more I know, the more confused I get."
Joyce replied, "I believe that's called growing up."
Buffy nestled closer to her mother and muttered, "Does it ever get easy?"
"You mean life?"
"Yeah. Does it get easy?"
Joyce raised her eyebrows at the half-teasing, half-pleading tone. "Honey, what do you want me to say?"
"Lie to me."
She sighed. "Yes, it's all very simple. It's just like in the fairy tales. The good guys are always true, brave and loyal and clad in shining armor. The bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy fangs and black hats and we always kick their butts and save the day. No one ever dies—well, no one for our side, anyway—and everybody lives happily ever after."
Buffy snorted. "Liar."
TBC