I woke up to an amazing morning. Buffy looked down at me, stroking my
face. I was big with the smiles as I woke up and stretched. A perfect
morning is very hard to come by, but this was as close as I'd come in a
long while. I looked at the alarm clock next to the bed before turning
onto my side to stroke her hair and pull her head onto my chest. She
played with my chest with the fingers of her left hand before meeting my
eyes with hers and pulling herself up to meet my lips.
"Hey babe, I think you wanted to wake up early today." She smiled and then yawned before rolling over to look at the clock for herself. We lay in bed, looking at each other, just relaxing in the moment. It wasn't long before I couldn't help but lean over and kiss her again. Her answering kiss brought us into something that prevented us from an early morning. She barely got up in time to make sure Dawn was up and ready by the time Xander came to pick her up. As soon as they left, however, it was full awake mode. I helped her clean up the house some until Willow came down stairs and we all had breakfast together in the kitchen.
"So, Jake, what's the plan for today?" Willow was asking me. I looked around at both of their smiling faces, Buffy's brighter smile made me think of other things, but I still had to answer Willow.
"I'm not really sure. I had planned to just wash the car, or maybe go down to see a few friends of mine. Why, what's going on?" They looked at each other before Buffy turned back to answer me.
"I've gotta go find a job." A job? No kidding.
"Where are you thinking of applying?"
"Somewhere I don't have to go through a lengthy application process and can start making money now; which actually translates to fast food. I'm going down to the Double-Meat Palace to apply later. Do you want to come?" Wait, the Slayer was going to go work at fast food? She had to save the world for minimum wage? I don't know if I could be okay with that.
"You probably don't have to do that. Some of the guys I was gonna' go see today could maybe make a spot for you with their organizations. At the very least it wouldn't hurt for me to ask, right?" She seemed slightly skeptical, but hopeful.
"Well, you want me to come with you? Anything could be better than the Double-Meat Palace, right?" I didn't know if she'd like it where I was going, but I'd already put my foot into it.
"Sounds like a good idea to me, give you a chance to meet some of the people that can help you out. And if you don't like any of them I can still go with you to the dreaded Double-Meat." We collectively cleaned up the kitchen and then Willow went back upstairs to take a nap, she said, while Buffy and I went out and hopped in the car. My first stop for the morning was this older guy I'd met the last time I was here. His name was Doc Davis and he provided discrete medical services. Unlike most other doctors who did the same, he was actually trustworthy and I met him after the fateful night I met the slayer, dropping off the guy who'd attacked me afterward. Buffy came in with me when I walked in and when the receptionist told him who was here, he came out almost immediately and asked us to wait in his office, personally. He came in about five minutes later and shook hands with Buffy before he shook hands with me.
"Imagine, the Slayer in my office. Jake, to what do I owe the honor?"
"Wait, he knows who I am? How does he know who I am?" The Doc and I exchanged looks, but he answered.
"Some of my clientele are quite afraid of you, my dear. Not a week goes by that some demon wants me to look at a broken arm or some such that you gave him." She starts looking around the office, almost like looking for an escape.
"They don't come here; they go to where I stay open at the back of the shop three nights a week." He assured her.
"So you fix up the things that try to kill me?" Uh oh, time to try and save this.
"They also deal with information around here. Show her the file, Doc. The guy I brought in last time didn't want to tell me what I wanted to know, but he told the Doc here enough to fill up an entire tape recorder." Davis had turned to a drawer behind his desk and pulled out a large manila folder stuffed full of papers and a box of recorder tapes soon joined it on top of his desk.
"That's it?" At least she still seemed interested.
"Well, for this week, yeah." I knew the Doc was proud of his side business, and that he just recorded the stuff to prove that he could outsmart the demons, but the stuff he didn't sell just wound up in a safe somewhere to be forgotten.
"We need to talk. Do you think we could have a moment?" She smiled sweetly at the Doc as he nodded and left the room. "Do you think we're being recorded?" I didn't think so, but pulled out my cell phone and dialed a lengthy recording before I swept my phone over the most common places to hide a bug. This wouldn't catch everything, but the older bugs would static as I came near them. Just because I didn't find anything didn't mean they weren't there.
"I don't think dealing with him is such a good idea."
"Why not? You get a regular 9-5 job of easy stuff like filing mostly, and on the side you get access to all of his intelligence."
"But he fixes the things that try to kill me. How can I work here and support that while he's helping them? I don't think this is gonna' work." I nodded and acquiesced to her will, it was her job.
"Alright, well I've still gotta get his new number and catch up a little, so he doesn't think we're being rude." She seemed about to protest. "Relax, it'll be ten minutes max and if we ever need something we can't go to the ER for, we've got a fallback option." She thought about it for a second before nodding. I went to the door to wave at the Doc standing down the hallway that we were ready. It was actually eight minutes before we left, all of us smiling. We got into the car and it was instantly game on.
"I can't believe you would bring me here! You knew about his shady customers, you knew he recorded what people say to him. How could you think I could work here?"
"I knew you needed a job." I waited a few seconds, sending out soothing vibes, before continuing, "I knew he recorded them, but what if we got a hold of that info? We could find out things we might need to know about whatever else is coming. And yes I knew about his shady customers, because last time I was here I technically was one, not like with the demons or anything, but I couldn't be 'in' Sunnydale so I couldn't go to the ER to drop off that dude." We were silent for a minute while she thought about what I'd said. Finally she spoke, but it was like she wanted this whole thing to never have happened.
"So what's next?"
"I've got to go by the base"
"Wait, the base? What do you need to go to the base for?"
I want to go see a few guys there. Plus there's an officer I know who can hire civilians to work there. Ever think about being an unarmed combat instructor?"
"Is that what you did?"
"Yeah, the last few years I was in, I did that for agents and stuff. But if they don't use you for that here, you could at least help out with the recurrent training that goes on here."
"I don't know about working on the base. I haven't had too many good experiences with the military."
"Not all the military is the same as the Initiative, Buffy."
"You know about the Initiative? Wasn't that supposed to be top secret or something?"
"Well, I used to be in good with some people that are now pretty high up. I called one of them up, one of the guy's we're gonna go see right now in fact, after I had my run in with you to see what the government knew about all of this. He met with me in person and explained what they knew and what they were going to do about it. Could you imagine every vampire in the world having a chip like Spike's? That was how the idea was pitched to me, except our own military would carry transponders and they couldn't attack anyone carrying a transponder, then we'd drop them into hostile zones and let them feed on the other side during the night, and then when daylight came both problems would be solved. He told me a lot, Buffy; some of it I can't tell you yet, but most of it seems pretty pointless. Those bureaucrats could never really see what a threat the underworld could be to them."
"So did you ever know Riley?"
"Do you mean Agent Finn? Is that who Xander mentioned the other night before we sparred?"
"That's him. How do you know him?"
"I helped teach him. Mostly I used to cover unarmed combat, but I got into some marksmanship too. He was part of the Initiative, wasn't he? I haven't seen him in a while."
"He was, but he... left." There was something there she wasn't telling me, and it sounded like something personal.
"Does he still favor his left side?"
"Yeah. He does. Anyway, so what kind of wait time would I be looking at if I went to work here?"
"That all depends on how long it takes to get your clearance paperwork done. Shouldn't be long at all if I convince him you want the job." She was silent, thinking, the rest of the way to the base where I showed my ID to the Gate guard and he saluted before waving me in. We finally pulled up in front of a nondescript building with a number on the side, but no sign marking its unit designation. We headed in together, through a glass door, to see a man behind a bulletproof glass booth. I handed him my ID and he went to tapping a few keys on his computer while I asked Buffy to pull out her ID. She finally produced her old college ID, just as the Sergeant behind the desk handed me back a green swipe badge and I passed him her ID and told him that I was going to sign her in. He nodded like he was listening to me, but typed her into the computer anyway and shortly he pulled out a similar badge, but blue in color, to pass through to me. I showed her where to wear it, nodded at the Sergeant who told me to have a great day, Sir; before I swiped my card through the reader at the door to his right and held it open for Buffy to lead the way. We were down the hallway and out of his earshot when I finally asked her how deep in with the Initiative she'd been.
"I thought you knew."
"I knew it was here, and I knew you were here. After finding out you knew Riley, and knowing he was with the Initiative, I speculated."
"Well, I helped them out a few times. Until my professor, their medical lady, Walsh, tried to kill me. Then I killed the evil multi-monster she was building and blew up most of their lab after the vampires and demons and stuff they had got out of their cages."
"Wow, you never do things half assed, do you?"
"Nope, not my style. So who's this guy we're going to meet again?'
"He's a general, so he's pretty high up there even though he's only got one star. I knew him when he was a Captain, back before I was training agents in Georgia, we served together. I helped him out of a tight spot, and then he helped me out a little and we've pretty much been doing the same thing, off and on, ever since."
"And he's the guy we need to talk to about getting me a job here?"
"Well, he's the guy that tells the guy we need to talk to that he wants him to hire you. We're working from the top down on this one, babe." We were silent as we made our way upstairs and took a short walk through the local Hall of Heroes before making our way to another card swipe door. We walked into a square room with a receptionist sitting at a desk and a hallway extending away from us with signs hanging from the ceiling. I told the receptionist my name and who I was here to see before he, another Sergeant, told me to wait a second and checked my name against his computer. He nodded at me to go on in, but to knock first. The General and I were definitely on a first name basis; he called me Jake, and I called him General.
"How's it going, you old son of a bitch?" Well, most of the time anyway. I responded in kind, of course.
"Better than any day as an overbearing yet falling apart incompetent who's still responsible for everything." We shook hands firmly before he motioned us to sit down across from him.
"So who's this wonderful person, and what is she doing slumming with you?"
"I'm Buffy Summers, and you are?" Oops, time to step in and stop fooling around before she felt slighted.
"Buffy, this is General Butler; he's the commander of this base. And I'm sure he's very pleased to meet you." I turned back to the General with a face that told him he'd better agree with me.
"Buffy Summers? As in the Slayer Buffy Summers?" His tone was questioning, but his face was thoughtful.
"Does everyone in this town know who I am? Why was it so hard to get a loan if everyone knows who I am?"
"Your reputation does precede you, young lady. I can assure you that not everyone in this town knows who you are. I only know because I had the distinct lack of pleasure to review a few files from the Initiative experiment. I'm sorry for everything that happened to you." Buffy's look clouded up and its time to change the subject, I think.
"So how's business, General?"
"The usual: boring and brutal. How 'bout you, demon hunting seems to agree with you."
"I'll take that as a compliment. I have recently discovered, however, how easily overmatched I can still be." I smiled at her, trying to bring her back to the conversation before I made the request on her behalf.
"Hey, are you gonna be around for a few days? I've got a new toy I'd like you to try out, if you've got the time."
"I think I can arrange some free time next week, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I was wondering if you've got any available slots for unarmed combat instructors."
"Why, think you can shake off the rust that easily and come back to work? Actually I could use someone with your skills with this new group coming back in. They'll be thinking they know everything again, and that just won't do."
"-and that just won't do." We said at it at the same time, just like the old days when he'd call me onto the carpet to 'ream me a new one' and we ended up talking over whiskey instead. I nudged aside the old memory and looked at Buffy for her reaction as I continued.
"Actually, she might be interested. I don't suppose you could make a phone call and get her an appointment with whoever your current evaluator is, could you?"
"Well, I could. But... are you really as good as they say you are?" This last was directed at her, and she smiled sweetly before answering.
"That is why they call me the Slayer, isn't it?"
"Gumption, that's what that is. I like her, Jake. Better be careful or I'll steal her away from you." Without glancing at her, as badly as I wanted to see her reaction, I managed to retort.
"Yeah with your wife and your girlfriend both hunting you down for it, I'd wager." Another old running joke from days that we could no longer live up to. I could see the answering thought in his eyes. Were we just playing at doing our jobs after everything else we'd already gone through?
"I'll call over right now. You remember where the training facilities are? Good, be there to meet with Captain Bearsnet in about twenty minutes and he'll be expecting you. I expect you to give me a call later this week to let me know when you can check my new toy out; I think you could use it. It was very nice to meet you, Ms. Summers, and I hope this will not be the last time." We stood up and shook hands before leaving his office and heading out to the car, stopping to turn back in our badges for our ID's. Once in the car, we headed over past the airfield and next to the hospital; the perfect place for a training area.
"Hey, you okay?" I looked over at the worried tone in her voice and nodded before smiling and answering, pushing aside the thoughts that never leave you alone after war.
"I'm okay, just thinking is all. Remembering different times, some of which I'd rather not re-live, is all." We got out of the car together and I walked her across and through the track, the pull up bars, the outdoor sparring ring, and the open grassy fields used for calisthenics before heading inside. I found his office easily enough and checked in with this office's receptionist before being told to wait a few minutes until he was ready to see us. She was pacing almost nervously, so I asked the Specialist behind the desk to come get us when it was time and walked with her outside the front door.
"Are you okay?" She smiled slightly then sighed and relaxed a little before answering.
"Yeah, it's just the whole apply for a job that's not evil thing, plus the whole I'm on a military base thing, rounded off with a good old case of how much do these people actually know about me. I guess I'm kinda wondering what I'm doing here when I could be at the Double-Meat in near obscurity." Sounded to me like she'd thought this through more than a just little bit.
"If you don't want to be here, we'll leave. I just wanted you to know there are more options out there for you. You don't have to limit yourself to fast food."
"Excuse me, Sir."
"Yes." I glanced over my shoulder at the Specialist who nodded at me to come in when I was ready. I nodded once in response and returned my attention to the Slayer.
"Do you want me to do this?" Her question took me by surprise; this wasn't the person I was used to.
"Babe, you do what you want. If you want this job, it's yours. If you want to go work in obscurity, go do that. Tell me what you want and I can help make it happen, but it's all your choice." She blinked at me and then squared her shoulders to march head first straight into his office.
"Good morning." The man standing behind his desk looked very sharp in his uniform with polished brass and cleanly shaven face. After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries he motioned for us to please sit down before leading right down to business.
"I understand you might be looking for a position as an unarmed combat instructor. I'll have you know that the training program offered here is extensive and any instructor I will employ must be thoroughly proficient in martial arts."
"Look, mister-"
"Captain." He'd cut her off, but she shrugged it off and continued without pause.
"Captain, I assure you that I can handle anything you can throw at me."
"So you wouldn't be opposed to a minor test then would you?" At Buffy's head shake he picked up the phone at his side and asked for some sergeant or other to meet us in the practice hall in five minutes. Standing he led the way down the hall and into a largish room with mats on the floor and a podium toward the front.
"Will you need to change? We can provide sweats for you, if you prefer."
"I'll be fine." I pulled her to the side and whispered into her ear.
"Remember to be careful, you don't want to kill this guy, but he's also likely to know some tricks you don't. Use your size to your advantage, he's probably not going to be used to fighting someone so small." She pulled me closer and applied pressure to my arm.
"I have done this a time or two before, remember?"
"I get it. Sorry." She let go her vice grip on my arm and I resisted the urge to rub it. I turned to see a very large and very cut man enter the room. He walked with the swagger of a man with utter confidence in himself. He went to speak with the Captain before stretching out on the mat.
"You ready to do this?" I was beginning not to like Captain Bearsnet and this sergeant didn't seem any better. Buffy nodded and moved onto the mat and I walked over to stand beside the captain to watch. It started out simply enough. They shook hands and then backed up a few feet and waited. The sergeant waded in with blows aimed high at her head; she ducked under and kicked him in the stomach. The fight lasted about three more blows, none of which landed on Buffy, and the end result was priceless; the sergeant sent flying across the room. I was the only one clapping my hands at the end but it was worth the look on the Captain's face and Buffy's answering grin. The sergeant took his time standing up, and he didn't look pleased.
"Want another shot?" The sergeant nodded his head and rushed headlong at her only to be misdirected and knocked down again. He sprung up quickly and rejoined the attack. I think Buffy actually let him get a hit in before she spun and kicked him in the face; he stayed down.
"Seen enough?" The captain turned toward me as he answered my question.
"Quite. Sergeant, are you alright?" The sergeant got up slowly and wiped at the blood on his face before nodding. Finally standing upright, he walked over to Buffy and stiffly shook hands with her before asking the captain for permission to go to the hospital to get his nose checked out. It was a much deflated man that walked out the same way he'd come in. The captain immediately began telling us about the pay, benefits, and hours per week she could expect. Buffy nodded with a polite expression on her face before asking for the man's card and telling him she'd call him if she was interested. We left him there with a bewildered look on his face as we walked out to the car.
"So you don't want to work here?" I waited until we were in the car and on our way off base before asking.
"I don't think I belong here."
"Alright, I'm not gonna push. Wait, yes I am. This is a good job, doing what you're already good at and its good money. I guess I just don't see the problem here."
"No, you don't. I can't work in a place where they know more about me than I do. Where everything I do has a number and a file somewhere. I'd rather work in fast food than have to worry about people looking at me without me knowing it all the time." She took a deep breath. "I can't do that." We were in the car by now and on our way off the base and back into town. We were both quiet for a time and there was definite tension, but I had no idea what to do about it. As I find myself to be a creature of habit I followed the same plan I normally follow in these kinds of situations; I stuck my foot in it.
"I'm sorry I'm not being big supportive guy over here, but you'll be costing yourself money and the chance for an easy job you're already good at that would normally get you home in time to wait for Dawn after school. I understand you've had a bad experience with the Initiative, but they don't even exist anymore!" I caught myself raising my voice and paused to take a breath. When I continued I was much subdued, but still clearly agitated. "I don't understand, Buffy. You don't have to explain it to me, but pardon me for showing some concern over you risking your life nightly and saving the world to be paid minimum wage and come home smelling of grease every night."
"That's what this is all about? You're worried about the way I'll smell? You really don't get it. My bad experience wasn't just about them trying to kill me, I deal with that everyday. My deal with them had to do with saving a... friend from that place. He was in deep, like you, and he knew a lot more about it than I did, like you, and he was big on trying to get me involved, like you. See a pattern?"
"Wait, you won't listen to me because someone else had a similar opinion before and it got someone hurt? So now you don't trust me and I'm evil, deceitful, and trying to corrupt you into my conspiracy. Jeeze, Buffy, it's like you're not even hearing me over here." I could tell before she opened her mouth she was getting huffy and defensive. I took a deep breath and held up my hand. "Wait." I centered myself and sent out some soothing vibes which actually might have calmed me more than her. She ignored my hand and brought up a very good point.
"Why are we fighting about this? Why are we fighting at all? It's my job."
"I don't know. I guess I should just be there for you only when you want me to be and shut my mouth the rest of the time." I think she was shocked into silence by my last point and it gave me time to think. She was right and I knew it, but there was still this lack of trust thing going on between us we'd have to deal with eventually. She said she wanted me around and in her life more than just a background player, but she didn't seem to trust me at all today. I pulled up in front of the Double-Meat Palace per her request and stopped the car. She moved to get out but I put a hand on her leg and she paused in her motion.
"I'm sorry we fought about this. I'm sorry we fought at all. I don't want you to think I won't support you just if I think you're wrong, but I'd be even more wrong if I didn't let you know how I felt about it. Look, just take the General's number in case you change your mind after seeing what it's really like in there." She was cold at first and looked like she just wanted to get out of the car but she took a breath and met my eyes as she put her hand on mine and her other hand took the card I'd offered her.
"Look, I'd be pretty surprised if we actually made it through a week without some kind of a fight, it's kind of my track record. I'm sorry if you thought I didn't give your friend a chance but I will think about giving him a call if it doesn't work out here. Don't worry about picking me up, I can walk home from here and I could use the time to think. Thanks for trying to help me." She pulled her hand away from mine and got out of the car shutting the door behind her. She physically squared her shoulders, almost like she was heading into a demon's den, before marching her way through the front door and into commercialized hell. I drove around a bit and stopped back by my new gunsmith friend from the other day to pick up some extra ammo before making my way to her house. Dawn was there and we talked about her school day and something about a girl in her homeroom and that girl's boyfriend or someone else's boyfriend or... actually it was kind of hard to keep track of. We waited for Buffy to get home together and I had dinner ready for all of us, nothing fancy of course.
She headed up to get her shower and I pulled out the sheets I hadn't used in a while. I thought they'd be kind of appropriate considering the fight we'd had. We'd been quiet during dinner and even though Buffy and Willow made some small talk no one really asked her about her prospective job. I'd kept silent about the other places we'd checked out beforehand and about almost everything else for that matter. She came out of her bedroom in her PJ's and I heard her walk around upstairs before coming down to see me settling into the couch, the lights already off. She was silent as she saw me, her face unreadable. She turned and made it halfway up the stairs before rushing right back down and practically jumping on me before burrowing her way in between me and the couch. Without a word I kissed her cheek, wrapped her in my arms, and followed her into dreamland.
"Hey babe, I think you wanted to wake up early today." She smiled and then yawned before rolling over to look at the clock for herself. We lay in bed, looking at each other, just relaxing in the moment. It wasn't long before I couldn't help but lean over and kiss her again. Her answering kiss brought us into something that prevented us from an early morning. She barely got up in time to make sure Dawn was up and ready by the time Xander came to pick her up. As soon as they left, however, it was full awake mode. I helped her clean up the house some until Willow came down stairs and we all had breakfast together in the kitchen.
"So, Jake, what's the plan for today?" Willow was asking me. I looked around at both of their smiling faces, Buffy's brighter smile made me think of other things, but I still had to answer Willow.
"I'm not really sure. I had planned to just wash the car, or maybe go down to see a few friends of mine. Why, what's going on?" They looked at each other before Buffy turned back to answer me.
"I've gotta go find a job." A job? No kidding.
"Where are you thinking of applying?"
"Somewhere I don't have to go through a lengthy application process and can start making money now; which actually translates to fast food. I'm going down to the Double-Meat Palace to apply later. Do you want to come?" Wait, the Slayer was going to go work at fast food? She had to save the world for minimum wage? I don't know if I could be okay with that.
"You probably don't have to do that. Some of the guys I was gonna' go see today could maybe make a spot for you with their organizations. At the very least it wouldn't hurt for me to ask, right?" She seemed slightly skeptical, but hopeful.
"Well, you want me to come with you? Anything could be better than the Double-Meat Palace, right?" I didn't know if she'd like it where I was going, but I'd already put my foot into it.
"Sounds like a good idea to me, give you a chance to meet some of the people that can help you out. And if you don't like any of them I can still go with you to the dreaded Double-Meat." We collectively cleaned up the kitchen and then Willow went back upstairs to take a nap, she said, while Buffy and I went out and hopped in the car. My first stop for the morning was this older guy I'd met the last time I was here. His name was Doc Davis and he provided discrete medical services. Unlike most other doctors who did the same, he was actually trustworthy and I met him after the fateful night I met the slayer, dropping off the guy who'd attacked me afterward. Buffy came in with me when I walked in and when the receptionist told him who was here, he came out almost immediately and asked us to wait in his office, personally. He came in about five minutes later and shook hands with Buffy before he shook hands with me.
"Imagine, the Slayer in my office. Jake, to what do I owe the honor?"
"Wait, he knows who I am? How does he know who I am?" The Doc and I exchanged looks, but he answered.
"Some of my clientele are quite afraid of you, my dear. Not a week goes by that some demon wants me to look at a broken arm or some such that you gave him." She starts looking around the office, almost like looking for an escape.
"They don't come here; they go to where I stay open at the back of the shop three nights a week." He assured her.
"So you fix up the things that try to kill me?" Uh oh, time to try and save this.
"They also deal with information around here. Show her the file, Doc. The guy I brought in last time didn't want to tell me what I wanted to know, but he told the Doc here enough to fill up an entire tape recorder." Davis had turned to a drawer behind his desk and pulled out a large manila folder stuffed full of papers and a box of recorder tapes soon joined it on top of his desk.
"That's it?" At least she still seemed interested.
"Well, for this week, yeah." I knew the Doc was proud of his side business, and that he just recorded the stuff to prove that he could outsmart the demons, but the stuff he didn't sell just wound up in a safe somewhere to be forgotten.
"We need to talk. Do you think we could have a moment?" She smiled sweetly at the Doc as he nodded and left the room. "Do you think we're being recorded?" I didn't think so, but pulled out my cell phone and dialed a lengthy recording before I swept my phone over the most common places to hide a bug. This wouldn't catch everything, but the older bugs would static as I came near them. Just because I didn't find anything didn't mean they weren't there.
"I don't think dealing with him is such a good idea."
"Why not? You get a regular 9-5 job of easy stuff like filing mostly, and on the side you get access to all of his intelligence."
"But he fixes the things that try to kill me. How can I work here and support that while he's helping them? I don't think this is gonna' work." I nodded and acquiesced to her will, it was her job.
"Alright, well I've still gotta get his new number and catch up a little, so he doesn't think we're being rude." She seemed about to protest. "Relax, it'll be ten minutes max and if we ever need something we can't go to the ER for, we've got a fallback option." She thought about it for a second before nodding. I went to the door to wave at the Doc standing down the hallway that we were ready. It was actually eight minutes before we left, all of us smiling. We got into the car and it was instantly game on.
"I can't believe you would bring me here! You knew about his shady customers, you knew he recorded what people say to him. How could you think I could work here?"
"I knew you needed a job." I waited a few seconds, sending out soothing vibes, before continuing, "I knew he recorded them, but what if we got a hold of that info? We could find out things we might need to know about whatever else is coming. And yes I knew about his shady customers, because last time I was here I technically was one, not like with the demons or anything, but I couldn't be 'in' Sunnydale so I couldn't go to the ER to drop off that dude." We were silent for a minute while she thought about what I'd said. Finally she spoke, but it was like she wanted this whole thing to never have happened.
"So what's next?"
"I've got to go by the base"
"Wait, the base? What do you need to go to the base for?"
I want to go see a few guys there. Plus there's an officer I know who can hire civilians to work there. Ever think about being an unarmed combat instructor?"
"Is that what you did?"
"Yeah, the last few years I was in, I did that for agents and stuff. But if they don't use you for that here, you could at least help out with the recurrent training that goes on here."
"I don't know about working on the base. I haven't had too many good experiences with the military."
"Not all the military is the same as the Initiative, Buffy."
"You know about the Initiative? Wasn't that supposed to be top secret or something?"
"Well, I used to be in good with some people that are now pretty high up. I called one of them up, one of the guy's we're gonna go see right now in fact, after I had my run in with you to see what the government knew about all of this. He met with me in person and explained what they knew and what they were going to do about it. Could you imagine every vampire in the world having a chip like Spike's? That was how the idea was pitched to me, except our own military would carry transponders and they couldn't attack anyone carrying a transponder, then we'd drop them into hostile zones and let them feed on the other side during the night, and then when daylight came both problems would be solved. He told me a lot, Buffy; some of it I can't tell you yet, but most of it seems pretty pointless. Those bureaucrats could never really see what a threat the underworld could be to them."
"So did you ever know Riley?"
"Do you mean Agent Finn? Is that who Xander mentioned the other night before we sparred?"
"That's him. How do you know him?"
"I helped teach him. Mostly I used to cover unarmed combat, but I got into some marksmanship too. He was part of the Initiative, wasn't he? I haven't seen him in a while."
"He was, but he... left." There was something there she wasn't telling me, and it sounded like something personal.
"Does he still favor his left side?"
"Yeah. He does. Anyway, so what kind of wait time would I be looking at if I went to work here?"
"That all depends on how long it takes to get your clearance paperwork done. Shouldn't be long at all if I convince him you want the job." She was silent, thinking, the rest of the way to the base where I showed my ID to the Gate guard and he saluted before waving me in. We finally pulled up in front of a nondescript building with a number on the side, but no sign marking its unit designation. We headed in together, through a glass door, to see a man behind a bulletproof glass booth. I handed him my ID and he went to tapping a few keys on his computer while I asked Buffy to pull out her ID. She finally produced her old college ID, just as the Sergeant behind the desk handed me back a green swipe badge and I passed him her ID and told him that I was going to sign her in. He nodded like he was listening to me, but typed her into the computer anyway and shortly he pulled out a similar badge, but blue in color, to pass through to me. I showed her where to wear it, nodded at the Sergeant who told me to have a great day, Sir; before I swiped my card through the reader at the door to his right and held it open for Buffy to lead the way. We were down the hallway and out of his earshot when I finally asked her how deep in with the Initiative she'd been.
"I thought you knew."
"I knew it was here, and I knew you were here. After finding out you knew Riley, and knowing he was with the Initiative, I speculated."
"Well, I helped them out a few times. Until my professor, their medical lady, Walsh, tried to kill me. Then I killed the evil multi-monster she was building and blew up most of their lab after the vampires and demons and stuff they had got out of their cages."
"Wow, you never do things half assed, do you?"
"Nope, not my style. So who's this guy we're going to meet again?'
"He's a general, so he's pretty high up there even though he's only got one star. I knew him when he was a Captain, back before I was training agents in Georgia, we served together. I helped him out of a tight spot, and then he helped me out a little and we've pretty much been doing the same thing, off and on, ever since."
"And he's the guy we need to talk to about getting me a job here?"
"Well, he's the guy that tells the guy we need to talk to that he wants him to hire you. We're working from the top down on this one, babe." We were silent as we made our way upstairs and took a short walk through the local Hall of Heroes before making our way to another card swipe door. We walked into a square room with a receptionist sitting at a desk and a hallway extending away from us with signs hanging from the ceiling. I told the receptionist my name and who I was here to see before he, another Sergeant, told me to wait a second and checked my name against his computer. He nodded at me to go on in, but to knock first. The General and I were definitely on a first name basis; he called me Jake, and I called him General.
"How's it going, you old son of a bitch?" Well, most of the time anyway. I responded in kind, of course.
"Better than any day as an overbearing yet falling apart incompetent who's still responsible for everything." We shook hands firmly before he motioned us to sit down across from him.
"So who's this wonderful person, and what is she doing slumming with you?"
"I'm Buffy Summers, and you are?" Oops, time to step in and stop fooling around before she felt slighted.
"Buffy, this is General Butler; he's the commander of this base. And I'm sure he's very pleased to meet you." I turned back to the General with a face that told him he'd better agree with me.
"Buffy Summers? As in the Slayer Buffy Summers?" His tone was questioning, but his face was thoughtful.
"Does everyone in this town know who I am? Why was it so hard to get a loan if everyone knows who I am?"
"Your reputation does precede you, young lady. I can assure you that not everyone in this town knows who you are. I only know because I had the distinct lack of pleasure to review a few files from the Initiative experiment. I'm sorry for everything that happened to you." Buffy's look clouded up and its time to change the subject, I think.
"So how's business, General?"
"The usual: boring and brutal. How 'bout you, demon hunting seems to agree with you."
"I'll take that as a compliment. I have recently discovered, however, how easily overmatched I can still be." I smiled at her, trying to bring her back to the conversation before I made the request on her behalf.
"Hey, are you gonna be around for a few days? I've got a new toy I'd like you to try out, if you've got the time."
"I think I can arrange some free time next week, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I was wondering if you've got any available slots for unarmed combat instructors."
"Why, think you can shake off the rust that easily and come back to work? Actually I could use someone with your skills with this new group coming back in. They'll be thinking they know everything again, and that just won't do."
"-and that just won't do." We said at it at the same time, just like the old days when he'd call me onto the carpet to 'ream me a new one' and we ended up talking over whiskey instead. I nudged aside the old memory and looked at Buffy for her reaction as I continued.
"Actually, she might be interested. I don't suppose you could make a phone call and get her an appointment with whoever your current evaluator is, could you?"
"Well, I could. But... are you really as good as they say you are?" This last was directed at her, and she smiled sweetly before answering.
"That is why they call me the Slayer, isn't it?"
"Gumption, that's what that is. I like her, Jake. Better be careful or I'll steal her away from you." Without glancing at her, as badly as I wanted to see her reaction, I managed to retort.
"Yeah with your wife and your girlfriend both hunting you down for it, I'd wager." Another old running joke from days that we could no longer live up to. I could see the answering thought in his eyes. Were we just playing at doing our jobs after everything else we'd already gone through?
"I'll call over right now. You remember where the training facilities are? Good, be there to meet with Captain Bearsnet in about twenty minutes and he'll be expecting you. I expect you to give me a call later this week to let me know when you can check my new toy out; I think you could use it. It was very nice to meet you, Ms. Summers, and I hope this will not be the last time." We stood up and shook hands before leaving his office and heading out to the car, stopping to turn back in our badges for our ID's. Once in the car, we headed over past the airfield and next to the hospital; the perfect place for a training area.
"Hey, you okay?" I looked over at the worried tone in her voice and nodded before smiling and answering, pushing aside the thoughts that never leave you alone after war.
"I'm okay, just thinking is all. Remembering different times, some of which I'd rather not re-live, is all." We got out of the car together and I walked her across and through the track, the pull up bars, the outdoor sparring ring, and the open grassy fields used for calisthenics before heading inside. I found his office easily enough and checked in with this office's receptionist before being told to wait a few minutes until he was ready to see us. She was pacing almost nervously, so I asked the Specialist behind the desk to come get us when it was time and walked with her outside the front door.
"Are you okay?" She smiled slightly then sighed and relaxed a little before answering.
"Yeah, it's just the whole apply for a job that's not evil thing, plus the whole I'm on a military base thing, rounded off with a good old case of how much do these people actually know about me. I guess I'm kinda wondering what I'm doing here when I could be at the Double-Meat in near obscurity." Sounded to me like she'd thought this through more than a just little bit.
"If you don't want to be here, we'll leave. I just wanted you to know there are more options out there for you. You don't have to limit yourself to fast food."
"Excuse me, Sir."
"Yes." I glanced over my shoulder at the Specialist who nodded at me to come in when I was ready. I nodded once in response and returned my attention to the Slayer.
"Do you want me to do this?" Her question took me by surprise; this wasn't the person I was used to.
"Babe, you do what you want. If you want this job, it's yours. If you want to go work in obscurity, go do that. Tell me what you want and I can help make it happen, but it's all your choice." She blinked at me and then squared her shoulders to march head first straight into his office.
"Good morning." The man standing behind his desk looked very sharp in his uniform with polished brass and cleanly shaven face. After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries he motioned for us to please sit down before leading right down to business.
"I understand you might be looking for a position as an unarmed combat instructor. I'll have you know that the training program offered here is extensive and any instructor I will employ must be thoroughly proficient in martial arts."
"Look, mister-"
"Captain." He'd cut her off, but she shrugged it off and continued without pause.
"Captain, I assure you that I can handle anything you can throw at me."
"So you wouldn't be opposed to a minor test then would you?" At Buffy's head shake he picked up the phone at his side and asked for some sergeant or other to meet us in the practice hall in five minutes. Standing he led the way down the hall and into a largish room with mats on the floor and a podium toward the front.
"Will you need to change? We can provide sweats for you, if you prefer."
"I'll be fine." I pulled her to the side and whispered into her ear.
"Remember to be careful, you don't want to kill this guy, but he's also likely to know some tricks you don't. Use your size to your advantage, he's probably not going to be used to fighting someone so small." She pulled me closer and applied pressure to my arm.
"I have done this a time or two before, remember?"
"I get it. Sorry." She let go her vice grip on my arm and I resisted the urge to rub it. I turned to see a very large and very cut man enter the room. He walked with the swagger of a man with utter confidence in himself. He went to speak with the Captain before stretching out on the mat.
"You ready to do this?" I was beginning not to like Captain Bearsnet and this sergeant didn't seem any better. Buffy nodded and moved onto the mat and I walked over to stand beside the captain to watch. It started out simply enough. They shook hands and then backed up a few feet and waited. The sergeant waded in with blows aimed high at her head; she ducked under and kicked him in the stomach. The fight lasted about three more blows, none of which landed on Buffy, and the end result was priceless; the sergeant sent flying across the room. I was the only one clapping my hands at the end but it was worth the look on the Captain's face and Buffy's answering grin. The sergeant took his time standing up, and he didn't look pleased.
"Want another shot?" The sergeant nodded his head and rushed headlong at her only to be misdirected and knocked down again. He sprung up quickly and rejoined the attack. I think Buffy actually let him get a hit in before she spun and kicked him in the face; he stayed down.
"Seen enough?" The captain turned toward me as he answered my question.
"Quite. Sergeant, are you alright?" The sergeant got up slowly and wiped at the blood on his face before nodding. Finally standing upright, he walked over to Buffy and stiffly shook hands with her before asking the captain for permission to go to the hospital to get his nose checked out. It was a much deflated man that walked out the same way he'd come in. The captain immediately began telling us about the pay, benefits, and hours per week she could expect. Buffy nodded with a polite expression on her face before asking for the man's card and telling him she'd call him if she was interested. We left him there with a bewildered look on his face as we walked out to the car.
"So you don't want to work here?" I waited until we were in the car and on our way off base before asking.
"I don't think I belong here."
"Alright, I'm not gonna push. Wait, yes I am. This is a good job, doing what you're already good at and its good money. I guess I just don't see the problem here."
"No, you don't. I can't work in a place where they know more about me than I do. Where everything I do has a number and a file somewhere. I'd rather work in fast food than have to worry about people looking at me without me knowing it all the time." She took a deep breath. "I can't do that." We were in the car by now and on our way off the base and back into town. We were both quiet for a time and there was definite tension, but I had no idea what to do about it. As I find myself to be a creature of habit I followed the same plan I normally follow in these kinds of situations; I stuck my foot in it.
"I'm sorry I'm not being big supportive guy over here, but you'll be costing yourself money and the chance for an easy job you're already good at that would normally get you home in time to wait for Dawn after school. I understand you've had a bad experience with the Initiative, but they don't even exist anymore!" I caught myself raising my voice and paused to take a breath. When I continued I was much subdued, but still clearly agitated. "I don't understand, Buffy. You don't have to explain it to me, but pardon me for showing some concern over you risking your life nightly and saving the world to be paid minimum wage and come home smelling of grease every night."
"That's what this is all about? You're worried about the way I'll smell? You really don't get it. My bad experience wasn't just about them trying to kill me, I deal with that everyday. My deal with them had to do with saving a... friend from that place. He was in deep, like you, and he knew a lot more about it than I did, like you, and he was big on trying to get me involved, like you. See a pattern?"
"Wait, you won't listen to me because someone else had a similar opinion before and it got someone hurt? So now you don't trust me and I'm evil, deceitful, and trying to corrupt you into my conspiracy. Jeeze, Buffy, it's like you're not even hearing me over here." I could tell before she opened her mouth she was getting huffy and defensive. I took a deep breath and held up my hand. "Wait." I centered myself and sent out some soothing vibes which actually might have calmed me more than her. She ignored my hand and brought up a very good point.
"Why are we fighting about this? Why are we fighting at all? It's my job."
"I don't know. I guess I should just be there for you only when you want me to be and shut my mouth the rest of the time." I think she was shocked into silence by my last point and it gave me time to think. She was right and I knew it, but there was still this lack of trust thing going on between us we'd have to deal with eventually. She said she wanted me around and in her life more than just a background player, but she didn't seem to trust me at all today. I pulled up in front of the Double-Meat Palace per her request and stopped the car. She moved to get out but I put a hand on her leg and she paused in her motion.
"I'm sorry we fought about this. I'm sorry we fought at all. I don't want you to think I won't support you just if I think you're wrong, but I'd be even more wrong if I didn't let you know how I felt about it. Look, just take the General's number in case you change your mind after seeing what it's really like in there." She was cold at first and looked like she just wanted to get out of the car but she took a breath and met my eyes as she put her hand on mine and her other hand took the card I'd offered her.
"Look, I'd be pretty surprised if we actually made it through a week without some kind of a fight, it's kind of my track record. I'm sorry if you thought I didn't give your friend a chance but I will think about giving him a call if it doesn't work out here. Don't worry about picking me up, I can walk home from here and I could use the time to think. Thanks for trying to help me." She pulled her hand away from mine and got out of the car shutting the door behind her. She physically squared her shoulders, almost like she was heading into a demon's den, before marching her way through the front door and into commercialized hell. I drove around a bit and stopped back by my new gunsmith friend from the other day to pick up some extra ammo before making my way to her house. Dawn was there and we talked about her school day and something about a girl in her homeroom and that girl's boyfriend or someone else's boyfriend or... actually it was kind of hard to keep track of. We waited for Buffy to get home together and I had dinner ready for all of us, nothing fancy of course.
She headed up to get her shower and I pulled out the sheets I hadn't used in a while. I thought they'd be kind of appropriate considering the fight we'd had. We'd been quiet during dinner and even though Buffy and Willow made some small talk no one really asked her about her prospective job. I'd kept silent about the other places we'd checked out beforehand and about almost everything else for that matter. She came out of her bedroom in her PJ's and I heard her walk around upstairs before coming down to see me settling into the couch, the lights already off. She was silent as she saw me, her face unreadable. She turned and made it halfway up the stairs before rushing right back down and practically jumping on me before burrowing her way in between me and the couch. Without a word I kissed her cheek, wrapped her in my arms, and followed her into dreamland.