1 week later.
Buffy sits down after training for awhile with Jiles, breathing harshly. This totally rocks! A punching bag, throwing knives, a practice dummy, a balance beam, this is so cool! Hey, now that I have time… "Hey Giles, I was wondering, have you ever heard of a vampire named Spike?"
Giles stops what he's doing and looks at Buffy with slight shock. "Yes, why?"
"Well, I guess you could say I bumped in to him the day I met you."
"Ah. Well, he's well known in the council. While I was in training, around your age, he killed a slayer, and few more before her. He's dangerous, Buffy. He also is known to have killed his victims by thrusting a spike into their skulls, hence the nickname, Spike. If you want to look him up in the chronicles, by all means, go ahead. The more you learn about him the better."
"Well I tried but he wasn't in there." Buffy informs Giles, disappointedly.
"Oh, well in the chronicles, he doesn't go by Spike. His surname is William. Buffy? Are you all right?" Giles looks at Buffy and can see the surprise and recognition in her face. There was something up.
"Yeah, sorry, just kinda zoned out for a minute there." I know that name. It's in there somewhere, but I can't seem to remember. Augh, I can tell this will bring on some serious headaches. Then Buffy thought of another question, one of more importance. "Did you know Doug?"
Giles looks down and starts to clean his glasses. "Yes. He was an important member of the council, and very loyal. Straight to the very end. He was a mentor of sorts to me, and the other watchers in training. Very respected. You were lucky to have worked with him, and trust me, I'm sure he was glad that you were his last."
Buffy looks down and flicks off non-existent lint of her pants. "He was great. He was the dad I never had."
"I never did find out who, um, put him to rest." Giles ask Buffy respectably.
"Drusilla." Buffy answers back automatically. " And Angel, her dog."
Giles looks at her and says with regret, "How?"
Buffy glares at him and looks away. "Decapitated, drained, mangled, broken. Shall I go on?"
Giles sighs and walks up to Buffy and kneels, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, but I needed to know. We need to set a plan to capture and kill the both-"
"At least there is some good news to all of this. We only need one. I killed Drusilla after I found Doug's body. Angel left before I could stake him, but I know he followed me. I can thank Doug for that much, I mean, that I was able to dust a very powerful vampire."
Giles looks at Buffy proudly, "And I shall continue with what he started. The makings of the most powerful slayer since Elizabeth Mestering."
"What?" Buffy looks up at Giles. I know that name too. It's so familiar, but why can't I pin point it? Yeesh, in need of some serious me time. " I mean, who's she?"
"She was your great, great, great, Aunt. Didn't you know?" Buffy just looks at Giles with her jaw open. I never heard of a great, great whatever Auntie who was a slayer, and was the greatest in her line, until me that is. " That's right Buffy, she was the first slayer to ever kill an ancient vampire. This vampire was near to being the first, but not by a few thousand years or so. Your Aunt was very strong, I mean for someone who was a slayer in the 18th century."
"You mean, at least 2 hundred years ago? Whoa, now that does make me feel important."
"Look, we should get back to practise, you caught your breath ages ago. Then I can help you find the chronicles for that information on Spike, er, William."
"Yeah, whatever." That name again, William, why does it stick into my brain like a sore thumb? God, I have to call Willow when I get home, She'll help me out.
LATER"(ring ring, ring ring.) Hello?"
"Hey Willow, it's Buffy. I have to get you to help me. I-"
"Um, Buffy, sorry but now isn't such a great time. Xander is over and we-"
"Oh. Well it's okay, I understand. I'll talk to you later."
"Thanks a bunch, I'll call back okay? Bye"
"Yeah, bye." As Buffy hung up the phone, there was a rustling noise outside her window. Buffy picks up a stake, being prepared like she is, and edges her way to the window. It's probably just a cat. "What the hell is that?" Buffy looks out onto the front lawn, and sees a Vengeance demon, but she doesn't know that, walk out from a bush just as her face was taking a human form. Then she goes up to the walkway, and starts to make her way to the door. "I'll bet anything that mom would let that thing in here." Buffy bolts down the stairs and reaches the bottem just as the doorbell rings. " I GOT IT!" she calls out to Joyce. Buffy opens the door and looks up to a girl about her age, supposedly, and she's rather pretty. The girl is wearing a navey blue mini skirt, with a navey blue overcoat, and a white under shirt. There was no way that this was a normal business woman. " Can I help you?" Buffy asks as she eyes her up.
"Maybe. I'm looking for a woman by the name of Joyce Summers? It's about her art work. I'm a dealer and I'm very impressed by her work, I'd appreciate it if I could have a chat with her."
"At 11:00 at night?"
"I'm a very busy woman."
Buffy looks at her, wondering if she could trust this…..thing, and she didn't even know what it was. Maybe if she stayed in the room with her mom and the woman, it would be okay. I mean, if it really was for her mom's art work, she couldn't turn this person thingy away. " Whatever. Come on in, Miss..?"
"Just call me Anyanka, or Anya for short."
"Sure, Anya, she'll only be a sec." Buffy lets 'Anya' inside and leads her to the living room, " Mom, it's an art dealer here to come talk to you." Buffy tells her mom as she walks into the kitchen. "She's in the living room."
"What? Really? This is fantastic! oh Buffy, this is the break I've been waiting for!" Joyce reaches out to hug her daughter.
Buffy pulls away and starts to head over to the living room. " We shouldn't keep her waiting."
Joyce, now a little disappointed, fixes her hair, straightens her shirt, then follows after Buffy into the living room. "Hello, and thank you for coming. I hope it was no trouble." Joyce smiles at the young woman.
"Oh no Mrs. Summers, it wasn't any trouble, none at all." Anya replies with a knowing smile. Yup, she's going to miss this job. But not to much.