Author: mkcrl120
Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned in this story belong to Joss Whedon or Mutant Enemy or some other people. I own nothing and wrote this just to get it out of my system.
Summary: I'm writing some of these, as I've come up with ideas that I honestly don't know what I'll be doing when the Ultimate series gets that far. In the meantime, these won't go away from my brain unless I do something with them. Warning: It may be a standalone it may be spoilers for something later; only time will tell.
Rating: 15 probably… mainly for language.
Setting: Season 3 - I think you'll recognise when.
What The Hell(mouth) Happened?? - Chapter 38
The Next Day.
Lunchtime.
The Library.
"I can't believe you're still spouting that crap..." Jesse spouted from his place at the table.
Giles counted to five in order to remain calm. "I am not allowing you to bring guns out on patrol and that is final."
"You saved my life with one last night... my life... not that I'm not grateful or anything, but think of how many other lives we could save that way too." Jesse continued.
"You don't know how to use a gun." Giles countered. "How many do you lives might you be endangering..?"
"Those lives are already endangered." Jesse raised his voice further. "It's not like I'm suggesting taking pot shots into crowds... I'm agreeing vamps as the only targets."
Around the table, Buffy, Xander, Willow and Jenny watched this argument swing back and forth to each participant lie they were viewing a tennis match.
"Knew this was going to happen." Jenny muttered under her breath. "Maybe we should have just let him get bit."
"Hey." Willow exclaimed from the seat next to the teacher.
"Only a little bite." Jenny defended her comment.
"There will be no biting of my boyfriend." Willow stated, treating Jenny to her reserve face, who promptly turned away ignoring the younger woman.
"Bet Jesse really hates that." Xander joked to Buffy, causing Willow to go bright red.
"I meant evil biting... from vampires..." Willow corrected herself, blushing further with each added comment.
"Really..?" Buffy teased. "Is this acceptable biting a mutual thing or strictly one way..?"
"Shhhh." Willow stated, lowering her head towards the table so she could hide her face in her hair. The others turning their attentions back towards the main event.
"We'd use them safely." Jesse commented, apparently on the defensive now.
"You lose stakes repeatedly." Giles pressed the argument. "You think I'm willing to risk that with a gun..?"
"It's not like we've ever lost a crossbow." Jesse smiled at him, trying to get a 'see we are responsible' expression on his face.
Giles wasn't buying it for a second. "But you have tossed them aside when the fighting's become up close."
"Not loaded." Jesse argued. "And who'd throw a loaded gun away when they're in a fight anyway."
"I'd prefer not to find out." Giles stated in a condescending tone.
"Guns could be more useful than they could harmful." Jesse shrugged, "That's all I'm trying to say."
"You want to see how harmful guns could be..?" Giles asked rhetorically before heading towards his office.
"Knew this was coming." Jenny muttered to herself, while all the others watched him disappear behind the door.
Xander and Buffy exchanged confused glances, while Jesse turned back to the others trying to recruit some backup.
Giles came out of the office and threw a newspaper down on the table.
All turned their heads to read it, noting the picture of a local shop below the headline.
"Student killed in drive-by shooting." Giles read aloud. "And that was only last night."
"Okay... it's not like it happens every night though." Jesse tried countering, even as he realised the futility of trying to do so.
"It's already too often for my tastes." Giles paused, letting that sink in. "And that is why I'm not agreeing to teach any of you to shoot, nor will I agree to any firearms being allowed on patrols while you are my responsibility." He finished taking the paper and heading back to his office.
"Can't believe it only happened last night." Jesse mumbled to himself. "Took a lot out of my argument." He continued unhappily.
"You think there's a death that occurs in this town that Giles doesn't read about..?" Jenny asked the others, before standing intending to depart towards the office.
She was interrupted by Faith and Cordelia strolling into the library.
"We gotta tell Pete and Scott." Faith announced as she walked in.
"Tell Pete and Scott what..?" Xander asked.
"About the hellmouth..." Faith began.
"And demons..." Cordelia continued.
"And shit...." Faith finished.
"Ermm... why..?" Jenny asked.
"Cos like Xander had to face these vampires himself last night." Faith explained. "And cos of over-protective Pete, I couldn't back him up."
"You didn't back him up!" Buffy leapt in on that last fact.
"Not til I could dump Pete, no." Faith responded.
"You dumped Pete!!!" Buffy went wide-eyed. "It's like over and everything..?" She asked a little sadly.
"No." Faith shook her head. "Are you like on something..?"
"No." Buffy commented. "It's just all this information flying past me... Xander fighting alone, you dumping but not really dumping your boyfriend. I thought I was missing out on interesting stuff..." She drifted off ashamedly.
Faith sighed, "Two vamps turned up. Xander went to deal. Pete went to offer to help..."
"Hang on, Pete's fighting vampires now..?" Willow asked confused.
"He didn't know they were vampires." Cordelia responded.
"Man, I bet he got his ass kicked." Jesse theorised, then refused to meet Faith's glare.
"Yeah, thanks for that..." She commented. "Pete got pushed over, I dealt with one vamp, Xander dealt with the other... done deal, everyone lives... I'm just saying it would have been easier if Pete knew to let me follow Xand."
"Where were you..?" Jesse asked Cordelia.
"Distracting Scott... who thinks it's bizarre how we all run towards screams." She replied. "Says it's against natural instincts or something... I think I agree with him."
Giles chose this moment to come out of the office. "What's going on..?"
"The girls think we should invite Pete and Scott into the gang." Jenny summarised for him.
"I don't think so." Giles instantly replied. "We aren't here to go advertising what we do... especially not to impress your significant others."
"Don't say that word, G." Faith warned. "I ain't got no significant anything... he's just a potential playmate, understand..?" She finished with a smirk.
"So why do you want him to kn..."
"Cos it makes it easier..." She explained. "He'll know not to be all protective and shit... especially when I'm itching to cave a demon's head in."
"I don't think that actually warrants..." Giles began.
"So everyone else's partner gets to know, but ours don't... is that what you're saying...?" Cordelia argued.
"If I've been led to understand this correctly, you've only been seeing him since you yourself arrived here." Giles countered.
"But her boyfriend found out." Cordelia gestured towards Willow.
"Jesse was here from the begi..."
"Oz." Cordelia interrupted him.
"Pardon." Giles asked confused.
"Oz... she told Oz... well we were all there... but she told him."
"You mean in your reality..?" Giles asked, knowing he couldn't exactly prove or disprove her statement. "I'm sure there were special circumstances in that scena..."
"You mean like the vampire Buffy staked in front of him...?" Cordelia asked.
"Exactly like that, yes." Giles nodded his agreement.
"Well, we could do that... we'll just get Faith to drag one along one night." She finished happily.
"Yeah..." Faith agreed.
"No." Giles stated confidently. "We will not go looking for ways to prove it to them... if one should happen such as it obviously did with this Oz situation then maybe we'll review it... but until then..."
"G." Faith interrupted. "We're currently spending most of our efforts avoiding letting them know... having them find out accidentally is just a matter of not leading them down the wrong alley, or not holding them back when we get involved in a fight."
"We'll give it some thought... but for the moment, they stay in the dark." Giles authoritatively answered.
"Fine." Faith and Cordelia responded simultaneously, obviously not happy with the current situation.
The Master's Lair.
"Well done Matthias..." Post congratulated the elder vampire. "A very... professional review of the situation at the Bronze."
Matthias nodded, pleased with her comments.
"So Faith's little boyfriend is hampering her ability to fight as effectively as she should be... mmmm, looks like the Watcher's were right to discourage such amorous activities after all..." Post mused with a grin. "So bad for them... so very good for us."
"That said though, the vampires you sent mistress." Matthias began hesitantly.
"Yes..?" She asked.
"They were more showy than effective themselves... leaping through a skylight... and still failing to kill anyone before the Slayer got to them..." He answered, slightly fearful of her response.
"Matthias... you've got to learn which vampires are useful... and which are just... fodder." Post replied with a glint in her eye. "I bet the Master had them all grouped out in his mind... knew which ones to trust, which ones to send out for specific tasks and which would never be more than sacrificial lambs..."
"That he did." Matthias agreed with a smile.
"You've learnt a lot over the years." Post commented. "I've looked through the remains of Darla's stuff and I've found nothing useful... I bet if there was someone the Master trusted more than Darla you'd know who it was..." She smiled at him, standing up to face him and stroking his head with her left hand as she asked in the sweetest voice she could muster. "Wouldn't you..?"
"He wasn't sure about Darla." Matthias began, closing his eyes as he focused on the attention she was providing. "After she ran away with Angelus and caused havoc for a century he wasn't beyond thinking she might do it again... you know if Angelus ever returned to his former glory."
"Of course... the Scourge of Europe... he'd never truly forget such a thing even if he did allow her back into his good graces." Post continuing to gently carress his cheek with her fingers. She leaned in close enough for her lips to touch his ear, "And who would he have trusted when Darla wasn't available." She quietly whispered into his ear.
"Luke..." He gulped, feeling her tongue dash inside his ear.
"Good boy." She said, moving back so as to look him in the eyes. "You continue to be good to me... and maybe I'll be good to you." She finished in a seductive tone, before leaning back in to lick his neck.
Elsewhere.
Unknown office.
"Sir..?" The smartly dressed man asked as he strolled into the office. "There's someone here to see you that... erm, isn't on your iteninary."
"I'm not expecting any special guests today.." A man who looked like he was in his late forties replied, "We normally have to make arrangements when they're..." He paused, running a hand through the remains of his thinning red hair. "They look..?"
"Completely normal, sir... but quite angry..." The man responded nervously.
"Then why don't security simply deal with him..?" He added in a friendly tone.
"He's... well old sir... probably well into his sixties... I don't think they want to harm him."
"Sixty isn't that old, Alan. Seventy neither for that matter" The man replied with a grin. "Surely you should realise that. Sixty's barely twice your age. At sixty you could easily still have quite a decent golf game in you." He mused to himself. "He look like a golfer..?"
"Erm... no sir." Alan replied. "As I said, he's quite angry... keeps ranting about his grandson... says he heard about some of your... less official dealings sir. Says he wants your help or else."
"Or else what..?" The man replied in an amused tone. "Never mind, bring him in... let's see what he wants before he upsets any of the regular staff."
"Certainly sir." Alan replied, heading back the door.
Opening it, he gestured for the other man to enter. "A Mister Richard O'Toole to see you sir." Alan announced as he led a large elderly bald man into the room. "Please have a seat." He gestured.
The man sat down while the man opposite scrutinised him, Richard noticed the other man's eyes briefly resting on the scar on his left cheek, and flicking towards the visible tattoos on his forearms. He did note that at no point did the smile ever leave the other man's face.
"So, Richard..." The other man, paused seemingly remembering his manners. "May I call you Richard." At his nod he continued. "So Richard, what exactly can I do for you..?"
"It's like this... sir." Richard began, remembering that he definitely didn't want to anger the man sitting opposite. "It's my grandkid, right... he's the only family I have left, see..."
End chapter thirty eight