A/N: Here we are again...
6
The night passed without incident and Angel got no further information from the demons of Flower Meadows just like Buffy had pretty much known he wouldn't. They probably thought he was the demon that was pretending to be Angel who had killed several of their friends. Not really good at putting them at ease.
The next day everyone went back to their lives, work, fun, training and blah, blah, blah. Buffy spent most of her day training and getting ready for when the demons would hit. It was night again by the time she came back upstairs for dinner. Everyone sat at the tables eating and Buffy made her way over to Willow, Xander, Giles and Dawn and sat in the empty seat around the table.
"You've been working real hard, Buffy" Willow said, "Don't want to burn yourself out"
She waved a dismissive hand "Me? Not possible. Besides I'm sure you've been doing some important stuff too"
Willow shrugged "Just trying the locator spell again and I was all for having another try to conjure up the talisman but Giles told me not to"
Giles sipped his tea "I just don't want you to endanger yourself, that kind of magic isn't easy and I know you are perfectly capable of it I just don't think twice in the space of twenty four hours would be a good idea"
"I get it Giles" Willow rolled her eyes.
Dawn yawned "What time is it?"
"Late" Buffy said, "Everyone's made sure we're all locked up, right?"
"Twice over!" Xander piped then frowned "Man that was the highlight of my day..."
The Slayer stretched herself "I might go and patrol"
"Some of the girls could come with you" Giles said.
"Nah, I'd prefer it if they were here to take care of the place. Incase something happens"
"Way to make me feel safe" Dawn mumbled.
Buffy patted her shoulder and swallowed the last of her food "There, there. Gotta go"
She stood and turned on her heel walking from the hall to travel to the basement. Once there she passed a couple of girls training to retrieve the scythe and she instantly felt empowered by it. She grabbed a couple of stakes too then made her way back upstairs and grabbing her jacket she left.
She thought about going to the graveyards again but decided against it heading into the sparse town instead. She passed the bookstores, including Willow's occult bookstore and a couple of clothes shops. There was a fishing supplies shop and a hardware shop and a whole row of coffee shops stupidly next to each other. No one was out much apart from a few teenagers who watched her, unsure, because she did have a huge wicked looking scythe in her hand.
"Hey" Buffy nodded to them "Just fancied a stroll, you know?"
"Uh, yeah right" One of them nodded then they all scattered in different directions leaving Buffy walking down the middle of the road alone.
The night was dark and a little cold so she did the belt on her jacket up and looked up at the moon with icy breath coming out in billows. The few streetlights that were actually out there seemed to be broken at least all but one did. Leaning against that streetlight she saw a figure looking up at the moon as she had just been doing but smoking a cigarette. Buffy moved over to the sidewalk and hid partially behind a tree to watch the man. From here she could see he wore all black and his hair was an unnerving familiar white blond. Buffy swallowed her dread and looked harder but from the distance she couldn't tell if it was the Demon Spike or not. She needed to get closer so making the scythe more visible she stepped out from behind the tree and started walking down the middle of the road again. As she approached the man heard her boots on the road and turned to face her. Buffy let out a big sigh of relief when she saw it wasn't him. Just a coincidence. His race was rounder and his chin more triangular than Spike's and his lips were thinner. Not to mention he was taller and his shoulders broader – they really didn't look that much alike, it turned out she was just paranoid.
The man frowned, his brown eyes sparkling in the moonlight "That's an interesting choice of self-defense weaponry. Most girls go with mace or a stun gun," He said in a very American accent motioning to the scythe.
Buffy walked past him and shrugged "Gets the job done"
He called after her "Are you a Slayer?"
Buffy looked over her shoulder "Seriously is it tattooed on my forehead?"
"Scythe kind of gave it away" The man stood up straight and stepped toward her "Besides I study Slayers"
She turned to him and frowned "Study them? Oh, god! You're not a vampire are you? Studying your enemy or whatever?"
"Hardly" He laughed and as he stepped closer she could see his hair was merely blond not white blond like it had looked from a distance "Pure human am I. No, I work at the college I'm a professor of modern mythology. Slayer stuff is by far the most interesting thing I've ever read. Although I guess it's not technically myth because we have a whole house full of 'em living right here in Flower Meadows. I'd really like to ask you a few questions"
Buffy shook her head "Busy, sorry"
"Just answer me this then; is it true that there use to be only one Slayer?"
Buffy sighed "Up until three years ago. Well, technically there were two but that was an accident..."
The man looked at her deeply "You? You were the original Slayer"
"Well, not the original Slayer it goes centuries back"
"That's amazing" He took a puff of his cigarette "So you must be Buffy Summers?"
She looked at him "Okay, why do you know my name?"
"I read your Watcher's Journal. You see I have a contact that used to work for the supposed 'Watcher's Council' and she rescued a few volumes" He smiled "Your Watcher seemed to be perplexed by you"
Buffy waved her hand "Must be an old one. Although he's still perplexed..."
"Amazing!"
"Yeah, well...I have to go" She started away.
"Can I come?"
"Sorry, don't take civilians on patrol"
"Oh, of course not" He called after her "My name is Professor Dante Green"
Buffy was at the end of the street when she called back "Nice meeting you, professor" she turned down the next street and rolled her eyes "Fans"
It was down that dark road that Buffy ran into a group of six vampires that quickly surrounded her in a loose circle. All seemed to be in their early teens what with the acne and greasy hair not to mention they reeked of CK One. It made her sad to see people so young turned into vampires but she had seen younger. Didn't matter really, young or old they were about to be dust and they had no say in the matter. Being the Slayer was like her job and she intended to do it to the best of her ability. She was definitely employee of the month.
"Slayer!" They hissed all at once, eerily.
"I'm thinking I need a disguise or something" Buffy frowned, sighing "Too many people are guessing my secret identity. Do you think a pair of glasses will work?"
They all rushed her simultaneously and Buffy whirled around in a circle with the scythe outstretched as she decapitated all six vampires in one fell swoop. They all gaped at her and turned to so much dust that was promptly blown away by the wind. Buffy sighed running a hand through her hair and then leaning the weapon against her shoulder.
"Maybe a trench coat and a fake moustache?" She mused to herself as she walked away into the darkness alone "A mask!"
Professor Dante Green watched from the end of the road Buffy had come from with an impressed expression on his face. He pulled out a pen and pad of paper from inside his jacket and scribbled something down.
Dante green quirked an eyebrow "This could get interesting...think of the thesis I could come up with...wow..." He muttered as he walked away back home to his laptop and his research materials.
This, he realized, could be the start of something amazing.
7
Buffy returned home later than she had expected it turned out that the vampires were out in force that night. Perhaps they had heard that the Slayer's team had been turned into demons and thought she would be off worrying about that and neglect the patrolling. Oh, had they been wrong.
She had dusted almost an even dozen of vampires and a couple of demons looking to feast on the blood of the innocent. Not that many people fitted that criteria. Buffy made a note to discuss the little meeting she'd had with the Professor to Giles but she forgot.
She slept a couple of hours then found herself back in the basement working her frustrations out on the punch bag and following that with a short run on a treadmill. By the time she came back upstairs people had just started waking up for their various jobs and other things they had to do. Robin appeared and then was gone out of the door a moment later as his first class was due soon. She found out Willow had already gone to open up the bookstore and that a lot of the girls were on their way out to college.
Buffy found Dawn in her room reading a book whilst munching on a candy bar.
"Hey" Buffy walked in slowly and sat down on the corner of the bed.
Dawn sat up straighter on the bed "Hey, how was patrol?"
"Eventful" She smiled "No college today?"
"Nah" Dawn shook her head "Day off; finally"
Buffy patted her shoulder "At least you're gonna finish college"
"Hey, don't jinx me"
"Sorry"
"This really bothers you, doesn't it?" Dawn said softly.
"What?"
"The whole demons taking your face"
"It bothers me more that they've taken my friend's faces" Buffy replied honestly "That everyone will be in danger because I can't hurt them, only the one that's taken my identity and believe me that bitch is gonna get wailed on"
Dawn laughed "You wont feel weird about punching your own face?"
"The First sometimes turned in to me" Buffy reminded her.
"Yeah but you couldn't hit The First"
"True"
"Don't worry Buffy" Dawn said smiling reassuringly "We will get these guys then go out for cake afterwards"
The Slayer arched an eyebrow "Double chocolate cake?"
"Of course"
They both smiled and then Buffy was gone wandering the halls of the house until she sighed finally and made her way back down to the basement. She was practicing with a staff, Friar Tuck style, and whirling it around energetically in the air. She heard him move before he spoke but she had known he was there all along anyway.
"How about a little hand to hand?" Angel asked from behind her.
"Sure" Buffy shrugged turning to him as he stood shirtless with a staff gripped tightly in both hands and a warm smile on his face "You not sleepy though?"
He chuckled "Like I could relax with all your heavy breathing and sweating"
Buffy arched an eyebrow.
Angel grinned as he realized what he has said "Okay, maybe I could get use to it. Come on, Slayer, kick my shiny vampire ass"
"Did you really just say that?" She laughed.
He spun the staff around in a circle quickly before grabbing it in both hands again "I think I did"
"Bring it on, Soul Boy" She motioned him over.
They both started to circle one another, slowly, watching the other ones moves. Angel's strides were wide and far apart, keeping his legs a shoulder length apart and giving him a sturdy stance. Buffy preferred to have smaller, closer steps moving quick and cleanly. It had always worked for her in the past. Angel bowed his head toward her and they both continued to circle, waiting for the other one's move. They could do this for eternity. Apparently Angel got impatient, being immortal and all that, and he lashed out straight staff toward her. Buffy hit the stick away to the side and knocked it down but Angel swept his staff back up and hit her in the side making her sprawl sideways as he brought the staff back up to hit her on her cheek hard.
Buffy's face snapped to the side and her hair fell in her face, hiding it. Angel stopped, unsure of how badly he had hurt her.
"Buffy...?" He started.
"You should've mentioned..." She shook her hair out of her face and smiled "That it was gonna get rough"
He smiled too, dancing backward "That's all it could ever be"
She jumped at him then and he whirled the staff around to hit her but she was too fast and did a forward roll on the floor, gliding under his sweeping arm and coming up behind him. The Slayer stayed crouched and as he only just started to turn she whacked her staff around his back so hard it would have broken a normal person's bones. Angel stumbled a little and she took the opportunity to sweep his feet out from under him with the staff.
Angel tumbled to the ground on his back and Buffy stabbed her staff down to hit him in the solar-plexus but he rolled quickly out of the way and stretched his legs out to trap her knee between his feet and twist to pull her over. Buffy fell to the ground on her front and started to crawl away but Angel grabbed her feet and dragged her down underneath him. He did a sort of push up to stay above her without actually touching her. Buffy reached her arms up and locked them around the back of his head pulling his face down over her shoulder and slamming it into the ground then kicked her foot up to his stomach causing the vampire to sway to the side and tumbled on his back to the floor.
In the next instant both the Slayer and the vampire had flipped up on their feet and rushed each other, staff's lay on the floor lost for now. Angel ran at her full force and Buffy bent her knees and jumped attempting to go over his head. Angel knew her move and grabbed her in mid-air around the waist and threw her to the ground. He kicked out toward her and she rolled out of the way and was up on her feet a moment later.
Angel punched out to her and she caught his fist but he was ready for it and used his other fist to ram into her side so hard it lifted her off of her feet. Buffy sucked in a breath and fell back a few steps. A staff was by her foot and she slid her foot under the stick and kicked it up into her open palm. She whirled it around a la' Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon style. She stepped forward and thrust the rounded end of the staff toward his abdomen. He jumped back and she swept the staff up hitting him with a vicious upper cut that sent his head snapping up and back.
The staff whirled back down in a sweeping arc smacking him in the ribs so he fell to his knees. The staff came down again toward his shoulder and Angel caught it but Buffy spun around landed him in the face with a roundhouse kick. He swayed on his knees and Buffy kicked his hand releasing the staff and bringing it down to finish him off.
Angel groaned and did a backward roll before standing and leaping sideways to avoid another hit, he hit the ground rolling and was up in a blink and you'll miss it move. Buffy turned toward him and he lifted his leg up and swiped it down kicking the staff from her hand up into the air from where he plucked it up with his hand and before she knew what hit her the staff caught Buffy across the shoulders and in another quick move the back of her knees got hit. The Slayer fell face-first to the ground and let out a frustrated grunt. The vampire brought the staff back down again and she was gone suddenly, nothing but ground there. He turned, surprised and a fist hit him full force in the face.
Angel let out a sound of surprise and a wooden staff hit him hard in the abdomen then knocked the staff from his hand. Buffy ran at him and he jumped up attempting to sweep over her.
Buffy lifted her staff up as he was just passing her overhead and jabbed the stick onto his stomach where he flailed and got stuck mid-air. Buffy grunted from the effort of keeping a man who was heavier and taller then her up in the air with just a staff. She shoved him up hard and he hit the ceiling then she heaved him over her and he crashed to the ground very ungraciously in a pile.
"If I can't jump over you, you can't jump over me" Buffy tsked and kicked him in the ribs so he rolled over onto his back.
Buffy snapped the staff across her knees and it broke in two jagged pieces. She straddled his waist and pressed the stick to his chest, over his heart.
Angel put his hands up in a defenseless gesture "One of these days I'm going to win against you"
"Keep praying" She smiled and crawled off standing up.
Angel sat up and sighed "Praying doesn't really go with my moody vampire with a soul just trying to atone deal. I'm more about the wallowing"
"Wallowing is a good look for you. Stick to it" Buffy took a few hard breaths "Thanks for the fight. I really needed a good challenge"
"Figured you might" He stood slowly "Do you mind if I sleep now? Need to re-cooperate a little. Unless you want to talk?"
She waved a dismissive hand "Nah, I'm cool. Thanks again, Angel"
Buffy smiled and turned on her heel marching up the stairs and shutting the door quietly behind her. She winced finally at her injuries and made her way to the bathroom to run herself a long hot bath, which she soothed her aching bones in. She soaked in the bath and thoughts ran through her head. Demons wearing her friends faces – needing to have plan to combat these demons and not having one was a big worry for Buffy. The group usually rallied round and Willow gave them magickal backup, Giles researched and Buffy herself went in and kicked demon ass. It was the way things always worked but now it seemed that magick didn't work on these demons and Giles was sure the situation wouldn't be in any books and, well, Buffy had no ass to kick. They were gonna have to wait for the demons to come to them. She hated it when it went down like that.
A/N: Ah, my favourite type of Bangel (Buffy/Angel) – when they beat each other up. Oh and Spuffy fans? – Soon, very soon....mwhahahaha!