I don't need you: Introductions
At 6:45 the next evening the Scooby gang and Spike were in the magic shop waiting for Higgy to arrive. Anya was at the till counting money with Xander's arms wrapped round her waist, Willow was talking to Giles about their acquaintance and her possible reasons for attacking Spike, while Buffy was training in the backroom and Spike was sitting on the table smoking.
"What if she's a vampire?" Dawn asked. She had been dragged along by Buffy who refused to leave her little sister at home alone, and was sitting doing homework at the end of the table that Spike was not sitting on. "I mean, you guys only saw her last night. She could be trying to trick you."
"She can't be, she was wearing a crucifix round her neck. If she were a vamp she would have been smoking." Spike replied before taking another drag from his cigarette. "'Sides she didn't smell dead and the chip fired when I hit her. She's alive."
"Oh."
"Plus if she was a vampire she would be dust by now." Buffy supplied as she came back into the main shop. "No vampire gets past the slayer. Except for ones with souls and chips." She added hastily.
"So we think she's, you know, normal?" Willow asked.
"What? Buffy we must find and destroy this 'normal'." Xander quipped. He moved and sat next to Willow on the counter. Sure it was fun being best friends with and witch and the slayer but sometimes he felt like a third wheel.
"Yes very funny Xander." Giles began. "But I really feel that we shouldn't tell her our personal details quite yet. We should get to know the girl first. See if she's trustworthy before we tell her everything."
"But she knows about vampires already. She knew Spike's real name and she kicked his ass."
"HEY!"
"Anya she may indeed know about vampires and demons and by the sound of it Spike, but it is likely that she has no idea what a slayer is. Besides..." Giles was cut off when Higgy burst in with two girls flanking her.
"Sorry we're late. Met up with a few vamps on the way. Tricky sods, they had a Fangar demon with them, but they were a good piece of training for us." Higgy explained to the scoobies.
"Are you okay?" Willow asked. When she received three nods in reply she sat back down.
Higgy grinned. "All right. First introductions. This," she pointed to the girl on her right, "Is Cheryll Fenwick. She's a potential." Waiting for the gasps of the scoobies she looked disappointed when she heard nothing. "You know? A potential?" pause. "A potential slayer? One of the ones who could be chosen should anything happen to the current slayer?"
"Oh really?" Giles spoke up, finally understanding what the girl meant. "That's fascinating." He walked up to Cheryll and began to shake her hand in greeting. "I'm so glad to meet you. I've never met a potential before."
"Thanks. "Cheryll grinned, clearly not sure whether to be scared or pleased with the man's recognition. "I'm pleased to meet you." She released her hand and began to wander round the shop while talking. "I love being a potential you know. It's great being able to kill vampires and demons and everything. Ever since I found out I've been training and fighting. It's great, I love this life."
"That's wonderful. Tell me who's your watcher?"
"Oh...erm...I...I don't have a watcher. I've been training with Higgy for what seems like ever. I don't think I have a watcher. I don't care; it's fun with Higgy. She's not all stuffy and boring. She lets me fight against real vampires and teaches me really cool stuff. I'm glad I don't have a watcher."
"This is amazing...there's never been a case of a potential with no watcher."
"Well what can I say? I'm unique." Cheryll began wandering round the shop while the others all looked at Higgy questioningly.
"Hey, she's my friend. And since I had a lot of training already, it was just easier for her to come with me then to get a watcher." Higgy explained.
Buffy was staring at the wandering girl with interest. "Giles are you trying to tell me that if anything happens to me then she might take my place?"
"What?" Cheryll turned around and locked her gaze on Buffy. "You're the slayer? Cool!"
"Yeah, I'm Buffy Summers. This is Dawn my little sister, Giles my watcher, Willow she's a Wicca, Xander he's my friend, Anya his girlfriend, and Spike." Buffy pointed as she introduced everyone and they waved to the girl, except Spike who lit himself another cigarette.
"Oh...so he's the one?" Cheryll looked at Higgy who nodded in reply.
"Yeah, but let's just finish intros first okay? This," she pointed to the other girl who had been silent all this time, "Is Amy Ford. She's our friend. Ever since we found out about Red and me she's been there. Helping with training and research."
Amy waved at the scoobies who waved back. "So you're normal?" Xander asked.
"No I'm..." Higgy nudged her in the ribs, hard. "Ow...yes...I'm normal. Well as normal as I can be considering..." Higgy nudged her again. She sighed, folding her arms in denial. "I'm normal. Unlike some people here..."
"Amy!"
"What? Higgs you've got to tell them. Spike's not going to be able to do this on his own. So stop with the small talk and tell them."
"What? What am I not going to be able to do on my own?" Spike asked trying to control his temper. He was sick of this. First the girl embarrasses him beyond belief and now she's making friends with his...well not friends exactly but they were his none the less.
Higgy sighed before answering. "You might want to sit down."
At 6:45 the next evening the Scooby gang and Spike were in the magic shop waiting for Higgy to arrive. Anya was at the till counting money with Xander's arms wrapped round her waist, Willow was talking to Giles about their acquaintance and her possible reasons for attacking Spike, while Buffy was training in the backroom and Spike was sitting on the table smoking.
"What if she's a vampire?" Dawn asked. She had been dragged along by Buffy who refused to leave her little sister at home alone, and was sitting doing homework at the end of the table that Spike was not sitting on. "I mean, you guys only saw her last night. She could be trying to trick you."
"She can't be, she was wearing a crucifix round her neck. If she were a vamp she would have been smoking." Spike replied before taking another drag from his cigarette. "'Sides she didn't smell dead and the chip fired when I hit her. She's alive."
"Oh."
"Plus if she was a vampire she would be dust by now." Buffy supplied as she came back into the main shop. "No vampire gets past the slayer. Except for ones with souls and chips." She added hastily.
"So we think she's, you know, normal?" Willow asked.
"What? Buffy we must find and destroy this 'normal'." Xander quipped. He moved and sat next to Willow on the counter. Sure it was fun being best friends with and witch and the slayer but sometimes he felt like a third wheel.
"Yes very funny Xander." Giles began. "But I really feel that we shouldn't tell her our personal details quite yet. We should get to know the girl first. See if she's trustworthy before we tell her everything."
"But she knows about vampires already. She knew Spike's real name and she kicked his ass."
"HEY!"
"Anya she may indeed know about vampires and demons and by the sound of it Spike, but it is likely that she has no idea what a slayer is. Besides..." Giles was cut off when Higgy burst in with two girls flanking her.
"Sorry we're late. Met up with a few vamps on the way. Tricky sods, they had a Fangar demon with them, but they were a good piece of training for us." Higgy explained to the scoobies.
"Are you okay?" Willow asked. When she received three nods in reply she sat back down.
Higgy grinned. "All right. First introductions. This," she pointed to the girl on her right, "Is Cheryll Fenwick. She's a potential." Waiting for the gasps of the scoobies she looked disappointed when she heard nothing. "You know? A potential?" pause. "A potential slayer? One of the ones who could be chosen should anything happen to the current slayer?"
"Oh really?" Giles spoke up, finally understanding what the girl meant. "That's fascinating." He walked up to Cheryll and began to shake her hand in greeting. "I'm so glad to meet you. I've never met a potential before."
"Thanks. "Cheryll grinned, clearly not sure whether to be scared or pleased with the man's recognition. "I'm pleased to meet you." She released her hand and began to wander round the shop while talking. "I love being a potential you know. It's great being able to kill vampires and demons and everything. Ever since I found out I've been training and fighting. It's great, I love this life."
"That's wonderful. Tell me who's your watcher?"
"Oh...erm...I...I don't have a watcher. I've been training with Higgy for what seems like ever. I don't think I have a watcher. I don't care; it's fun with Higgy. She's not all stuffy and boring. She lets me fight against real vampires and teaches me really cool stuff. I'm glad I don't have a watcher."
"This is amazing...there's never been a case of a potential with no watcher."
"Well what can I say? I'm unique." Cheryll began wandering round the shop while the others all looked at Higgy questioningly.
"Hey, she's my friend. And since I had a lot of training already, it was just easier for her to come with me then to get a watcher." Higgy explained.
Buffy was staring at the wandering girl with interest. "Giles are you trying to tell me that if anything happens to me then she might take my place?"
"What?" Cheryll turned around and locked her gaze on Buffy. "You're the slayer? Cool!"
"Yeah, I'm Buffy Summers. This is Dawn my little sister, Giles my watcher, Willow she's a Wicca, Xander he's my friend, Anya his girlfriend, and Spike." Buffy pointed as she introduced everyone and they waved to the girl, except Spike who lit himself another cigarette.
"Oh...so he's the one?" Cheryll looked at Higgy who nodded in reply.
"Yeah, but let's just finish intros first okay? This," she pointed to the other girl who had been silent all this time, "Is Amy Ford. She's our friend. Ever since we found out about Red and me she's been there. Helping with training and research."
Amy waved at the scoobies who waved back. "So you're normal?" Xander asked.
"No I'm..." Higgy nudged her in the ribs, hard. "Ow...yes...I'm normal. Well as normal as I can be considering..." Higgy nudged her again. She sighed, folding her arms in denial. "I'm normal. Unlike some people here..."
"Amy!"
"What? Higgs you've got to tell them. Spike's not going to be able to do this on his own. So stop with the small talk and tell them."
"What? What am I not going to be able to do on my own?" Spike asked trying to control his temper. He was sick of this. First the girl embarrasses him beyond belief and now she's making friends with his...well not friends exactly but they were his none the less.
Higgy sighed before answering. "You might want to sit down."