Dark Times

Part Six: Introductions, Explainations, An Almost Cat Fight, and First Day of Classes

Disclaimer: See previous section. Why I still write this, I'm not sure....

Posted: November 16, 2004

Author's Notes: and so the fun arrives! This is one kick ass chapter, in some ways literally, but we'll get to that later. Just read and review please!

She was climbing into a limo when they stepped out into the rain.

"Sorry, forgot to warn you. It seems to be always raining here. But when we actually see the sun, the country's gorgeous. In about half an hour, barring traffic, you'll see the school."They sat back and tried to relax. They found it hard, though, with everything going on.

Their first glimpse, though they didn't realize it, was a solid stone fence about eight feet high on either side of the road.

"Persuades creatures to leave us alone. It doesn't prevent the really determined ones, though. We do on occasion get party crashers. And it ensures privacy. Though locals are starting to wake up about creatures that go bump in the night, if anyone found out about our school, we'd be swamped," Buffy told them as they gaped at the massiveness that was the wall.

Three miles down the road, they came to a driveway, barred by a huge gate. The metal framework over the gate depicted the symbols on four tarot cards, Head, Heart, Mind and Hand, with a stake entwined in a cross in the middle.

"Here we are. Home sweet home." Buffy smiled as the gates moved aside for them and they started down the driveway.

They caught glimpses of the schools Buffy had mentioned, as well as playgrounds, and parks, and outdoor work out stations.

When they finally came to a simple looking building behind the elementary school playground, a few people came out to greet them; a red headed woman about the same age as Buffy, a brunette man the same age, a brunette woman a couple years younger, and an even younger brunette, with long straight hair. Following them at a slightly slower pace was an aging man with splashes of white and gray in his brown hair.

"Hey, B! Who's this?" one of the brunettes asked, bounding up to her, "A slayer we missed?" she asked, looking at Jennifer, "And I know I told you that younger's definitely better, but ain't he a bit young for you?"

"No, F," she emphasized the single letter, "This is Jennifer and Connor. And I'll explain later," she said as the others caught up with the energetic woman. The youngest brunette, the one with the long straight hair, came up and stood next to the other brunette, "What? I don't get a welcome home hug?" Buffy asked, embracing the woman, "Nothing happened while I was gone? You didn't get into any trouble?"

"Buffy!" the woman cried, exasperated, "I'm not a teenager anymore!"

"I know, Dawnie," she grinned, "But I love the look on your face when I do that."

"Brat!"

Connor leaned over to Jennifer, "They're siblings."

"How can you tell?" she asked.

"They're bickering."

"Ok, guys, wanna do introductions here, or inside?" Buffy asked, as the rain slowly abated.

The clouds were slowly moving away, but not fast enough for the red head, it seemed, "Inside. Giles made tea," she quickly hugged Buffy. Who made a face at the beverage mentioned.

"I'll never get used to tea," she muttered to Jennifer and Connor as they all headed inside.

"Ok, Jena, Connor, the redhead is my best friend, Willow. The brunette over there is my other best friend, Xander. Giles is the older one, the watcher looking one. This is Dawn, my sister. The slutty looking brunette is a fellow slayer, Faith," she caught the pillow thrown at her.

"Watch out, B, or I'll throw more than that."

"Everyone, this is Connor, Angel's son, and...Jennifer...my daughter," she closed her eyes as shocked outburst came from everyone.

It took half an hour before everyone calmed down enough and to stop talking so Buffy could explain. Willow and Xander looked at Buffy with hurt in their eyes, "You never told us," Willow accused.

Buffy went over the same old story, about the better, normal life, but her friends didn't seem to buy it, "It was after sending Angel to hell, and...." she didn't meet anyone's eyes as she said what she said next, "I couldn't deal with any reminders of what we had had."

There was silence for a minute, "Wait, Angel has a kid?" Faith broke the silence, wracking her brains, "I think I remember that...Yeah, when Wes broke me out of prison, to save his ass!"

"I-I think you were in my dreams once-"

"Hey, fantasize away, but keep 'em secret, or they might not come true." It was Buffy's turn to throw something, and she opted to throw one of the ornamental daggers on the walls. Faith grinned, shaking her head.

Buffy turned to Jennifer and Connor, after returning Faith's grin, "I have two extra bedrooms in my apartment, why? I have no clue, because everyone I know lives here, but you guys can sleep there. Let's get your bags and stuff up there, ok?" they nodded, "And, Faith? I'll meet you in the basement in twenty minutes." The brunette just kept smiling.

A knock came on the door as they stood looking around the apartment, not sure of what to do. They didn't have to answer the door, because it opened on its own, and Dawn stood behind it.

"I thought she had left you guys alone up here," she said, letting herself in, plopping down on one of the couches.

"She said something about going to the basement..."

"Here's the deal: Buffy and Angel used to be involved. Guess you figured that one out, but he left her so she could have a normal life, but he was still jealous about her supposedly moving on. They still love each other, but they know they can't be together. So whenever Buffy comes back from visiting with Angel, she and Faith hit the basement, to work off some of her...you could call it sexual frustration. Or just frustration, 'cuz Angel is one cryptic vampire," she babbled, jumping up to snag an apple from the fruit basket.

"Work off?" Jennifer asked, intrigued by the story.

"Mm-hm," Dawn said, her mouth full of apple, "The thing is...it's too complicated, and even I don't understand the whole thing, and I'm her sister. They used to be enemies, and now that they're friends, they prefer to beat the crap out of each other than talk. Sometimes they talk. Mostly they just beat the shit out of each other," she shrugged, setting the half eaten apple on the counter, "Welcome home Buffy," she muttered, grinning, "So, you guys wanna go watch? It's some quality entertainment, trust me. But then you've never seen two slayers going at it," she left the apartment, leaving the door open, expecting them to follow. As Connor went to close the door, she stopped him, "Are you trying to ruin my plan to get Buffy back for her comment earlier?" He shook his head, and she set of for the stairs.

Once they stepped out into what they expected to be basement looking, they heard the sound of blows. They looked around in awe at the state of the art workout room. The walls and floor were white, with blue mats covering areas that looked well used.

The back end was covered in thick foam mats, and that's where they saw the blond and the brunette. They headed over towards them, and watched.

The pace seemed fast to them, but Dawn assured them they were just warming up. A few kicks, a few punches.

"Ready, B?"

"As ever, F," was the reply.

The pace picked up and they seemed to be flying at each other, and taking hits that would have knocked a football player unconscious. Though witness to many schoolyard fights, wrestling matches, and even karate tournaments on ESPN, neither of them had seen anything like the fight before them. Kicks turned to punches with a rhythm and balance never before seen. It flowed like a dance, only much more violent.

"You're getting weak in your old age. Wanna step it up a bit?" Faith teased, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

In answer, Buffy feinted a front kick, turning it into a round-side combination, all at what seemed to be the speed of light. Even Dawn, witness to many such excursions, could barely follow the lightning quick attacks.

"Had enough?" Faith asked as Buffy threw a punch they all could see, about fifteen minutes after they started.

"Nah, just warming up." Buffy swung her arms back and forth, then twisted to crack her back. Then she was upon Faith with a fury.

Ten minutes later, Faith checked her watch. Both were breathing heavily, with damp spots on the tank tops they both wore.

"Damn, B. He sure threw you into a tiffy! What'd he do this time?"

"Oh, nothing. He acts like he's completely over me; I pretend I'm over him. Same old."

"Did you tell him about the reference to a reference to a prophecy one of the kids found?"

"Kid? You sleep with younger!"

"And you sleep with the dead! Did you?" It appeared that the two slayers hadn't noticed them yet, as the stretched.

"No," she sighed, "It's just that...I've been having strange dreams. Prophetic dreams, but it's different somehow." She picked up her water bottle, about to go on, but then noticed them, "Hey guys. Come to check out the show?"

"We're here till...for a long time," Faith said, twirling one of the bo staffs nearby.

Buffy walked over to them, "This is the private, Scooby Gang workout room. You're welcome pretty much anytime, except when the sign's on the door."

"The sign?"

"Why?" Jennifer asked.

"Willow's in here, practicing, and interruptions put us all in danger."

"What?"

Faith jumped in, "She's letting her not so figurative demon out. A demon that would kill any of us without a second thought. Well, at least me. Red doesn't like me much. Never has."

"So stay out, ok?" Buffy asked, "Come on. It's been a long day, and while you might still be on SoCal time, it's...God, 5:45, and some of us still have to enter grades."

"Campus curfew ends at 4:30, so you can go peruse campus if you'd like."

"No, I think they should at least try to sleep. The campus will be waiting, no matter what the hour."

"OO, she's been bitten by the Mom Bug. Watch out, you two," Dawn said. Buffy took a fake swing at her. Dawn stuck her tongue out at her and jogged off.

They couldn't sleep, so at 6:30 they toured campus. By 11, they were dead on their feet. Buffy only allowed them an hour's nap before preliminary training. They had an early dinner, and then bed by 8. Buffy woke them at five. An hour's walk around campus, just about three miles, and then prepatory measures for their first class with the other students.

They walked into the training gym ten minutes before class started, and the majority of the class was already there. Buffy had told them previously that her classes were very popular, especially when both she and Faith taught. Faith seemed to be taking her time in getting her teaching degree. Four girls to a mat, they were all doing partner stretches, with limited side chatter.

"Don't get any ideas," Buffy told Connor, eying some of the positions the girls were in, "Jena will be your stretch partner." She walked off with a smirk as he blanched.

He turned quickly to Jennifer, "It's not as if I don't find you attractive...but learning you're my sister-"

"I know. Well, let's get this over with."

Four hours later, Jennifer was the first from the gym, tired, sore, and picked upon. She couldn't do anything right. Buffy was always gently fixing her positioning, and then the girls had started doing it, but they were cruel about helping her.

She made it to the bathroom before the frustrated tears started. She sat on the toilet cover in the end stall. She hated her classes, and herself. She had no ability for this type of thing. She was a musician, not a fighter. Weapons had no appeal to her, and she didn't even know where the solar plexus was!

Suddenly the cell phone in her back pocket rang; a gift from Angel. Only he and Connor had the number at the moment, she hadn't found anyone else worthy enough, or even nice enough, to give it too.

"Hello?"

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You've been crying. I can hear it in your voice."

"My first class was awful! I couldn't do anything right! Connor has an apt for this, and he had an abundance of sparring partners, but who wants to fight with a girl you have to go easy on? And everyone was picking on me, like every two seconds, including Buffy! I'm worthless!"

"No, you're not. You are smart, and gorgeous, and I love you. You could never be worthless. The Japanese have this mindset where if someone is picking on you, it means they like you, and see your potential. If they didn't like you, then they wouldn't put the time into you. I think some of the girls were being malicious, but if you smile and thank them, don't let it get to you, then they'll eventually stop. And everyone's first classes are hard. Not knowing anyone, or anything, it's tough. But you'll get the hang of it, you graduated tenth in your class, didn't you? You'll get it eventually."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Jena...though...though I didn't get the chance to see you grow up, I feel like I should have known..." she heard him sigh on the other end, "if you need anything, even just a good listener, I have all the time in the world. And I don't sleep much, so you can call whenever you need to."

"Thanks Angel."

"You're welcome, Jena."

"So, why did you call?"

"I uh...well...I just wanted to talk with you. See how you were transitioning."

"The campus is gorgeous, Buffy has every right to brag. And I guess some of the academic classes aren't so bad."

"And how's Connor?"

"Good. He likes it here, with all the girls around every bend."

He laughed, "He'd better not be making trouble, Beware a slayer scorned...How's, uh, Buffy?" he asked quietly, and she thought she could hear the pain in his voice. The conversation between Buffy and Faith came back to her as she tried to find an answer.

"She's...ok. I'm surprised she doesn't have any bruises from the way she and Faith were going at it after we got here," she said carefully.

"She's a fighter, that's for sure," he sounded wistful.

Suddenly she had an idea, though she was unsure how Buffy would take it, "W-would you come visit sometime? Maybe you could help me with my fighting? I'm sure you have a lot of experience."

He sighed, "I don't think so, Jena. This is my town, and that's hers. I can't just come in whenever I like."

"Think about it, at least."

"I will." But he sounded like he had already made up his mind.