"When do I meet her?" Buffy asked, watching Giles search the shelves of the Magic Box for another text.
"Spike is in the training room with her right now," Giles replied, continuing to scan the shelves. "He will bring her in when they are done."
Buffy's spine tightened at the fact that they were just one room away from the vampire and the new chosen one. Giles saw her stiffen and ceased his search. Turning to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Buffy, believe me when I tell you he's changed," Giles said softly. "The soul has done wonders for him. He's been dealing with the consequences of a hundred plus years of... well, you know what he's done. It's been difficult for him. But he wouldn't be here of I couldn't trust him."
Buffy's eyes grew wide at the words Giles spoke. Trust. Spike. Two words she'd never thought her Watcher would utter in conjunction with one another.
"He contacted you in England?" she asked quietly, not wanting Spike to hear their conversation.
"That, he did," Giles nodded.
"How can you be sure?" she asked, regarding the soul.
"I took him to the coven," he told her. "Esme saw it."
The Slayer nodded and slumped into a seat at the round table.
Spike was just finishing up a smoke at the side door to the training room when Tori came out of the bathroom, her seabag slung over her shoulder. He could smell the sweetness of her soap clinging to her warm skin. Hershoulder-length honey-brown hair was partially covered by a weathered khaki bucket hat.
She'd slipped on a pair of faded jeans held up by a thick, black leather belt, topped bya white wife-beaterand a brown-side-out camouflage jacket. Her battered combat boots peeked out from the slightly frayed bottoms of her jeans. The only jewelry she wore was a Swiss Army watch and her dog tags weretucked inside her shirt. He wondered if her face had ever seen a stitch of makeup and then decided that she didn't need it. Her dark brown eyes glittered dangerously beneath naturally dark, lush lashes. Her cheeks and lips were naturally pink.
He crushed out the spent cigarette under his heel and closed the door. She stood in the center of the training room waiting for him. He was never far from her side. At first, it had been incredibly annoying. After six months of his steadfastness, it had become customary and somewhat comforting. She couldn't remember a moment without him there and didn't want to think of a moment when he might not be there anymore.
"You ready, Love?" he asked taking her hand in his. "Not going to revert to name, rank and serial number, are you?"
She gave him a small, rare smile.
"Don't get salty with me, William. I can still cold cock you," she told him, eyes locked on the door to the shop.
He held the door open for her, allowing her to enter first. She eyed the blonde sitting at the round table and quickly sized her up. They were about the same size in height, but Tori figured she had at least ten pounds in muscle on the thinner girl.
Buffy looked up to meet Tori's hard stare. She wasn't what she had been expecting. She was petite, but hard. There was nothing soft about the girl at all. Her dark eyes cut through the room and practically fleyed Buffy. Spike stood directly behind her, his hand clutching hers.
Buffy's eyes darted up to meet his. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, but she immediately looked away somewhat disappointed. He had changed. She could tell in that one glance. And any affection he'd once held for her was gone. He gave her a cursory nod before pushing Tori toward the table.
"Rupe," the girl greeted the Watcher.
"Victoria," he smiled. "Buffy Summers, please meet Victoria Jamison-Smythe."
Tori offered her hand to the seated girl. Buffy took it briefly, not bothering to rise.
"Why don't you have a seat, Love," Spike suggested, holding out a chair for her.
She sat down and he took the seat beside her. Giles took the seat between them and Buffy. The tension was swarming around them as Tori continued to watch the other Slayer, waiting for her to finally look away. Buffy turned to Giles, a nervous expression on her face.
"I suppose this is rather... uncomfortable," he said, looking to each of them.
"So, I hear you knew my father," Tori said, still watching the Slayer nervously picking at her nails.
"I did," Buffy smiled weakly.
"And you're the reason he died," Tori continued, not caring how uncomfortable she was making the girl.
Buffy's face darkened. She remembered the battle with Lothos and Merrick's sudden demise.
"And you're the reason I had to be a Slayer," she threw back at Merrick's progeny.
Tori glared at her before nodding.
"Fair enough," she ceded. "Let me makesomething clear to you; I would have gladly stepped up to the plate had I known my calling. My father chose to keep that little piece of information from me. Sorry it's a little late, but I guess this is where you belay. I'm here. And if I go back now, I'm in CC. And I don't fancy myself a brig rat after a seven year run as top-billing sniper."
Buffy had no idea what she was talking about.
"They'll throw her in jail, Buffy," Spike interpreted. "Rupert and I had to take her by force. Right now, she's listed MIA. Missing in Action. She goes back, she'll have a lot of explaining to do and I don't think 'a vampire kidnapped me so that I could save the world from evil' is going to cut it in the Corps. They'll think she's a nutter."
Buffy sighed, sensing that Tori wasn't going to back off any time soon.
"Fine," she shrugged. "Now what?"
"Victoria will take over training the SITs," Giles told her. "Her military training will be beneficial to them."
"Really? And what about her lack of... of... slayage training?" Buffy childishly retorted. "We're slaying demons here, not killing humans."
"Same difference," Tori shot at her. "Just a little less clean-up when it comes to the demon variety. And I'm not exactly a stranger to the demon world, Summers."
"So, where does that leave me?" Buffy said, angrily.
"Be a good girl and maybe I'll let you be my house mouse," Tori told her indifferently.
"Your... your what? Who?"
"My house mouse. You can assist," Tori continued, rubbing a nonexistent spot on the sleeve of Spike's duster.
Buffy looked at where Tori's fingers were rubbing the smooth leather. The Marine and the vampire had an ease around each other that Buffy had never had with Spike. It made her seethe even more.
"I don't assist," she ground out. "I lead."
"Past tense, Peaches," Tori informed her, unaware that she was using Spike's derogatory nick-name for Buffy's ex. "You led. You may have been top brass before, but there's only room for one general in this war and you're looking at her, kid."
Tori stood up, kicking her seat back and started toward the basement door, not bothering to look back. She could feel Spike not too far behind her. He paused before following her down the stairs.
"I trust you'll take care of this situation, Rupert, before it gets out of hand," Spike addressed the Watcher.
"And I trust you'll take care of things on your end," Giles agreed.
Buffy stared as Spike closed the door behind him, not even glancing in her direction. She couldn't believe the audacity of that girl. Who the Hell did she think she was coming around after seven years and thinking she could take over an apocalyptic battle?
"Buffy," Giles began softly. "I know how difficult this is for you, but it's time for you to relinquish some control."
"You have no idea what this is like for me!!" she screamed. "You bring in some girl who thinks she can just take over after I've spent a large chunk of my life protecting my friends and family from resident evil. And you just let her take over -- her and... and... him."
"It's not like that, Buffy, and you know it. I... I thought you'd be relieved. The weight of the world is no longer resting on your shoulders," Giles told her.
"Maybe I like it there," she argued. "Maybe the weight feels good and I'm used to it and... and I just won't feel comfortable without it."
Giles hated doing this to her, but this was no time for diplomacy. She was no longer the one in control.
"Buffy, dear... I'm sorry," he told her. "You have no choice in this matter. Victoria is the one. You're still a Slayer, as is Faith. And we need you both in this battle. We need the Potentials. We need the witches, Xander and Dawn. Every helping hand is being called upon. But we have to work together and Victoria is right... there can only be one general and it is she."