Disclaimer: Nothing's mine…That pretty much goes without saying. But yet I still say it.

Chapter Two

"Rupert, who was that?" the female, another Watcher named Erica, asked curiously as the elder Watcher came back to where the newer Slayer was lying. "A friend of yours?"

Giles shook his head as he sat down, removing his glasses and cleaning them with his shirt. "Never met her in my life. At least not to my knowledge. But she might be what we need for the Council," Giles said as he placed his glasses back on his face.

Erica tucked a small bit of her black hair behind her ear as she looked through the traffic to see where exactly the ambulance was. She could hear that it was very nearby but she could not pinpoint its exact location. "What we need for the Council in what sense?" she asked curiously.

"Someone for the medical staff," Giles answered plainly.

"Medical staff?" Erica inquired politely. "The Watchers Council has a medical staff now?"

"Hopefully," Giles answered again as he continued tending to the young Slayer. She was new to the whole thing and she still had much to learn. But that would be why he and others would be training them.

"The ambulance is here," Erica informed Giles politely. Giles nodded as several EMTs came out and began helping the bleeding Slayer.

"Mommy, why did that man want to talk to you?" Ella asked curiously as the taxi pulled them up to the hotel.

"He wanted to give me a job," Elizabeth answered plainly as she started searching for money to pay the taxi driver with.

"Damn," the driver muttered. "First arrive here and already a job offer. Some might say it's fate that sent you here."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she handed him the money. "Others would say its carelessness that forced me to come here," she informed him as she began getting out of the cab. Ella followed her mother and clutched tightly to doll.

"Wow!" the young child began in astonishment. "This is like a castle! Is this really our new house?"

Elizabeth chuckled slightly as she shook her head. "No, sweetie, this is just a hotel. We're, um," she began as she tried to think of the best way to put what she wanted to say in language Ella could understand. "We're visiting these people until we find a place to live."

"I want to visit that nice man you work with," Ella said clearly. "Who lives here?"

"Not anyone I used to work with," Elizabeth answered as she, Ella, and Ella's doll began walking inside the hotel. "And this isn't anyone's home."

"Then how come there's a lot of people here?" Ella asked curiously. She looked around the hotel lobby, staring in amazement at all of the chairs and couches and desks. "And why don't people want to live here? It's pretty."

Elizabeth smiled at Ella once again as she grasped her daughter's hand tighter and began walking over to the front desk. For the time, she would have to ignore Ella's questions about hotels. It was not something she really wanted to do, but she saw it as necessary. If she did not, then the two of them would probably be standing in that lobby all night.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the desk asked, looking expectantly up at Elizabeth. Her well-manicured nails were placed above the keyboard as she waited for the reply.

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, we had a reservation under the name Elizabeth Corday," she informed the woman. "That's C-O-R-D-A-Y," she added for emphasis.

The woman nodded as she began typing the name into her computer. "Ah, here you are," she said triumphantly. "Room 819." She turned around in her chair and fished out the key. Upon turning back around, she gave that key to Elizabeth. "You'll want to take these elevators here on the left. Once you get to the eighth floor, it's the third room on your right."

Elizabeth smiled as she put the key into the pocket of her black pants. "Thank you for all your help," she told the woman. She grabbed hold of Ella's hand again and began leading her to the elevator.

"So why are we here Mommy?" Ella asked curiously. She stopped, forgetting about her question at the sight of the elevator. "Ooh! I wanna push the buttons!" she announced as she raced over and squeezed her way through the two other people standing there.

"Quite the hyper little child, isn't she?" a man dressed in a suit asked as Elizabeth approached them.

Elizabeth nodded. "That she is."

"My nieces are like that," the man empathized. "I'm Tom, by the way. Tom Channing," he introduced as he extended his right hand to Elizabeth in greeting.

"Elizabeth Corday, pleasure to meet you," Elizabeth responded as she shook his hand. The elevator dinged as it arrived.

"Mommy, it's here!" Ella said excitedly as she ran into the open elevator.

Elizabeth sighed in relief when she realized no one had been in the elevator that would need to get out. She quickly followed Ella inside and Tom followed her.

"I wanna push buttons," Ella declared. "What numbers?" she asked, curiously looking up at Elizabeth and Tom.

"Eight," Elizabeth answered before turning slightly towards Tom.

"Nine," Tom informed the young child.

Ella smiled, dutifully pushing the two buttons. She looked over at Tom. "Are we here to visit you? My mommy said we're visiting, but I don't know who we're visiting."

Tom smiled down at her. "I think you're here visiting all the sights that London has to offer. But right now you're sleeping in this building," he explained.

"Oh, ok," Ella said with a shrug. She sat down on the floor and began playing with her doll.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said sincerely to Tom. "I would have been up all night explaining this to her if it weren't for you." She smiled slightly as the elevator came to a stop at her floor. "This is my stop," she announced as she motioned for Ella to get off the floor. "Nice meeting you."

"Same goes about meeting you," Tom said as he watched the two get off the elevator. "Maybe I'll see you around?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Anything's possible," she told him before the elevator doors closed once again. She smiled as she began walking down the hallway towards their hotel room. "Ok, Ella, this is our room," she informed her daughter as she opened the door.

Ella further pushed the door open once it was unlocked. "Wow," she said in astonishment. "It's just like I dreamed. Big beds!" she announced happily as she rushed over to the closest bed. She quickly kicked her shoes off then began jumping on the bed.

"Ella Greene!" Elizabeth scolded. "Get off that bed this instant!"

"Come on, it's fun!" Ella pointed out. "You know you want to. Please?" she begged.

Elizabeth sighed as she rolled her eyes and took her shoes off. She walked up to the queen sized bed and crawled on. Ella grabbed her mother's hands and pulled her up. Before long, Elizabeth too was jumping on the bed.

"See, fun!" Ella announced proudly after a minute or so of both of them jumping.

Elizabeth nodded as she stopped. "Ella, sweetie, we have to stop now," she said as she sat down near the foot of the bed on the right side.

"Why?" Ella asked as she sat down next to her mother.

Elizabeth sighed as she tried to catch her breath. "Because we don't…we don't want to break the bed," she said before her breathing returned to its normal pattern. "We don't have enough money to buy a new one for the hotel. And it's time for someone to go to bed," she explained with a look at Ella. "There are some pajamas in the small suitcase for you."

Ella grumbled. "Do I haveta?" she asked.

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, you have to. You can change in the bathroom. Mummy needs to make a phone call," she said as she walked over to the phone on the table between the two queen sized beds.

"Ok," Ella mumbled as she walked over to the suitcase and began taking out her clothes. After finding something she liked, the young girl walked into the bathroom and closed the door firmly behind her.

Elizabeth smiled as she sat down near the head of the other bed. Her right leg was crossed over her left one as she picked up the black receiver. She pulled out the business card and began dialing the number on it. After three rings she was greeted with the answering machine. Once it had finished its course, Elizabeth spoke. "Hello. This message is for Rupert Giles. It's Elizabeth Corday, the woman you met at the airport earlier. I'm just calling to let you know that I am interested in the job," she started.