Scene Three
Riley was pleased. The agents he'd sent out had done their job well. It was a good offer, a suspicously good offer. Close down your branch of Pete's Cows and you were made for life. The owners had been too astonished to wonder why, and now the vamps would get what was coming for them. A demon was a demon despite chip or soul, and the most dangerous demons were the ones who people trusted.
Riley was only doing his job.
Only being a demon hunter.
So why hadn't he been able to tell his wife the truth? He'd meant to, evan wanted to. But in the end he said it was for her. His wife had recently gone vegitarian. He'd said that was why:that he realized how inhumane slaughterhouses were.
She'd thought it was a huge over reaction and waste of money, but he knew she was thrilled. Her protests were feeble and without emmotion, and before he'd left, she'd kissed him and wished him luck.
Now all he had to do was close the deal.
"I'm going out to patroll." Buffy said suddenly. "oh." Willow looked a little hurt. "oh...O.k. We'll just stay here and read about how cows become hamburgers....and look at all the pretty pictures..." As she spoke, Willow look repulsed and pale.
Tugging on her coat, Buffy said:"I already had to do that. Double Meat Palace, remember?" "oh.Yeah."Willow pushed away from the table and looked up hopefully. "Can I come??" "Sorry." Buffy said, heading for the door,"i think I really need some time to myself." She grabbed a handfull of stakes off the table and left.
Buffy headed for the old Pete's Cows. It seamed like a sensible place to go. And hadn't willow been suspicous it was demons all along? Mabye a good stake through the heart and a dustily ever after would solve the whole problem and she could go back to her usual muddled labrynth of fealings of and for Spike. "here's for hopeing." she whispered, kicking a stone along in frount of her.
Something moved in the outskirts of Buffy's peripheral vision and she spun around instinctively. Nothing.
An ugly growl came too late to warn her, and the vamp landed on buffys back like a burr. Inhaleing sharply, Buffy drove her elbow swiftly into her opponents stomach with such force he fell away from her, landing on his back with the wind robbed from his lungs.
Ovious or not, the vamp was smarter then she'd expected. He grappled her ankle with a cold, vicelike grip. With a shriek, Buffy tripped and landed along side the vampire. The stakes flew from her hand and scattered across the pavement. The vamp sprang to his feat.
Buffy rolled, her hair flying across her face, one arm extended to grasp a stake. The demon leaned down, reaching for her throat. To choke her? To drink her?
Buffy didn't wait to find out.
She let him think she was finished. He didn't grab her wrist because he was intent on holding her down.
He leaned closer....closer.
Buffy drove the stake quickly through his heart. His eyes bulged. For a moment, skelital hands groped for her neck.
Then he arupted and vanished, and Buffy got her dustily ever after, after all.
She lay on the concrete and stared at the sky, black as a void. Stars where scattered across seamingly at random, the north star burning brighteset of all. But Buffy could make out the big dipper.
"haven't lost your touch, I see?" Buffy sat bolt upright. "hu-what?" she looked around her for the owner of the voice. She knew who it would be before she saw him, but she didn't really believe-
Riley Finn held out a firm, solid hand to help her up.
Buffy stared, her eyes huge and round, and her scarlete lips parted in shock.
She fitted her hand into his.
"Wha-what are you doing here?" Buffys voice was an octive higher than normal.
"I had a little unfinished buisness with my old Alliance peers when i left last time, but my wife didn't want to stay, so we went back home to drop her off." he said gruffly. "I wasn't planning on seeing you." Buffy glanced up at the sky. The north star seamed abnormally bright to her. When she looked back at Riley, her eyes were evan brighter. From lurking tears or anger, it was hard to tell. "I'm allowed to have a life, you know. You shouldn't begrudge me for---for what---for spike---when you left. I know you could hear me. And then you blamed it on me and got married. Without so much as a friendly post card."She was almost laughing by the time she finished.
"no. It's not that. It's just that...I can't see you." "why?" "because whenever I do,I wish I never left."
Riley was only doing his job.
Only being a demon hunter.
So why hadn't he been able to tell his wife the truth? He'd meant to, evan wanted to. But in the end he said it was for her. His wife had recently gone vegitarian. He'd said that was why:that he realized how inhumane slaughterhouses were.
She'd thought it was a huge over reaction and waste of money, but he knew she was thrilled. Her protests were feeble and without emmotion, and before he'd left, she'd kissed him and wished him luck.
Now all he had to do was close the deal.
"I'm going out to patroll." Buffy said suddenly. "oh." Willow looked a little hurt. "oh...O.k. We'll just stay here and read about how cows become hamburgers....and look at all the pretty pictures..." As she spoke, Willow look repulsed and pale.
Tugging on her coat, Buffy said:"I already had to do that. Double Meat Palace, remember?" "oh.Yeah."Willow pushed away from the table and looked up hopefully. "Can I come??" "Sorry." Buffy said, heading for the door,"i think I really need some time to myself." She grabbed a handfull of stakes off the table and left.
Buffy headed for the old Pete's Cows. It seamed like a sensible place to go. And hadn't willow been suspicous it was demons all along? Mabye a good stake through the heart and a dustily ever after would solve the whole problem and she could go back to her usual muddled labrynth of fealings of and for Spike. "here's for hopeing." she whispered, kicking a stone along in frount of her.
Something moved in the outskirts of Buffy's peripheral vision and she spun around instinctively. Nothing.
An ugly growl came too late to warn her, and the vamp landed on buffys back like a burr. Inhaleing sharply, Buffy drove her elbow swiftly into her opponents stomach with such force he fell away from her, landing on his back with the wind robbed from his lungs.
Ovious or not, the vamp was smarter then she'd expected. He grappled her ankle with a cold, vicelike grip. With a shriek, Buffy tripped and landed along side the vampire. The stakes flew from her hand and scattered across the pavement. The vamp sprang to his feat.
Buffy rolled, her hair flying across her face, one arm extended to grasp a stake. The demon leaned down, reaching for her throat. To choke her? To drink her?
Buffy didn't wait to find out.
She let him think she was finished. He didn't grab her wrist because he was intent on holding her down.
He leaned closer....closer.
Buffy drove the stake quickly through his heart. His eyes bulged. For a moment, skelital hands groped for her neck.
Then he arupted and vanished, and Buffy got her dustily ever after, after all.
She lay on the concrete and stared at the sky, black as a void. Stars where scattered across seamingly at random, the north star burning brighteset of all. But Buffy could make out the big dipper.
"haven't lost your touch, I see?" Buffy sat bolt upright. "hu-what?" she looked around her for the owner of the voice. She knew who it would be before she saw him, but she didn't really believe-
Riley Finn held out a firm, solid hand to help her up.
Buffy stared, her eyes huge and round, and her scarlete lips parted in shock.
She fitted her hand into his.
"Wha-what are you doing here?" Buffys voice was an octive higher than normal.
"I had a little unfinished buisness with my old Alliance peers when i left last time, but my wife didn't want to stay, so we went back home to drop her off." he said gruffly. "I wasn't planning on seeing you." Buffy glanced up at the sky. The north star seamed abnormally bright to her. When she looked back at Riley, her eyes were evan brighter. From lurking tears or anger, it was hard to tell. "I'm allowed to have a life, you know. You shouldn't begrudge me for---for what---for spike---when you left. I know you could hear me. And then you blamed it on me and got married. Without so much as a friendly post card."She was almost laughing by the time she finished.
"no. It's not that. It's just that...I can't see you." "why?" "because whenever I do,I wish I never left."