AN: I'm back with chapter two! I hope you who are reading this enjoy it and continue to reviewing.
To The Watcher: Thanks for your review! I'm glad you liked the being. I hope to continue to earn your respect and support in this fic. Keep reviewing!
To Red Fox7: I'm glad you liki. And I was thinking about making Rogue and Sidney friends, too! Great minds think alike, no?
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Chapter Two- The Slayer AbroadMadonna's gritty new song, American Life, pumped through the headphones and into her ears. The blonde woman lowered her head into her chest and tried to get comfortable on the small Greyhound buss.
It's useless, Buffy Summers thought, raising her head, I'm not getting any sleep tonight. Especially on this buss.
So she concentrated on the song pumping from the headphones. She glanced around the buss and saw everyone else was asleep, including her three companions.
The person sitting next to Buffy, who bore the name Faith, was curled into a ball, trying to find comfort in sleep. Glossy, dark locks covered her face as she said in her sleep, "Robin." Buffy smirked.
Across from Faith and Buffy sleep a red-haired woman and dark-haired man. Willow Rosenberg had an old textbook spread out on her lap and her head bobbed in her sleep. Besides her Xander Harris snored, looking quite comfortable squished up in the cotton seat, but then Xander used to spend every Christmas camped out in his backyard so he was probably used to uncomfortable sleeping.
Buffy felt a genuine smile bloom on her lips as she looked at her three friends. Though she would never admit this, she was glad they had forced her to let them come to Bayville with her. The thought of being alone was not a happy one.
Her only regret was that her former Watcher, Giles, and her sister, Dawn, couldn't join her on the journey, but they needed to stay in LA and train the new Slayers. She always didn't want them to get involved in another fight when they didn't have to. After all they had been through a lot and deserved a break.
"Buffy, you can't go it alone." Giles had said in his annoyingly British accent. Buffy rolled her eyes, ignored her former Watcher, and continued to pack her cloths for her quest to Bayville, New York.
"Buffy…"
The Slayer, the One Who Changed Everything, turned to her former Watcher then and said calmly, "I won't be going alone. In case you don't remember Xander, Willow and Faith bullied me into letting them come. See, not alone?"
"I should be with you." Giles counted.
"You aren't my Watcher anymore." Buffy shot at him and instantly regretted her words when that hurt look came over Giles's face. Sighing, she said, "Listen I need you here to help the new Slayers, okay? I know they've got Vi and Rona and Kennedy, but they need a Watcher."
"I wish I could go with you." Giles still persisted.
"I'll be fine. If the Vamps there are too much for Faith and me, then I'll call for backup. K? You'll be the first to know if the world is doomed." Buffy snapped shut her suitcase, "And don't train the girls to hard, okay? It's only be a month since the First. They need rest."
"I know, but Buffy-"
"Oh and tell Robin thanks for getting me that job at Bayville High for me. I haven't seen him lately or I'd do it myself." Buffy said.
"He's with Faith." Giles said, a fleeting smile tugging his lips, "I think he and Kennedy were planning your murder for not letting them come with you, but Faith and Willow intervened."
Buffy grinned, "That's me, mean Mother Slayer, making lovers split up because I can't have my own affair. Ain't I horrible?"
Giles shook his head, "Be careful, okay? Watch your back."
Buffy raised her eyebrow, "Ah, hello? I am the Slayer."
"I'm not talking about the vampires, Buffy. You know all about the weird stuff going on in Bayville. It's been all over the news." Giles said worriedly.
Buffy rolled her eyes once more, "Oh, yeah. Attack of the 'mutants'." She said, raised two fingers from each hand and quoting the word mutant, "You know, someone should break it to those senators that they're reenacting World War 2 with the Jews. I'm not worried about them. Basically, don't bother me, I won't bother you."
Giles shook his head, "Be careful." He said again, sounding more like a father then a teacher.
Buffy laughed, "Giles are you forgetting who's coming with me? I got a very powerful Slayer and a Witch slash Wicca. Oh, and a guy with an eye-patch. Sure, I wouldn't trust Xander with a sword or a bow and arrow, but he can pull his weight."
"Alright…"
"Don't let Kennedy and the other Slayers destroy this dingy apartment, okay? It's all we can afford." Buffy said and stepped out of the room she shared with Faith and Rona.
Buffy smiled as she remembered the conversation. He worried too much. Like a father.
Buffy hoped that once she reported everything was okay in Bayville and the vampires were all dusted he'd relax. Giles was still exhausted from his battle with the First and worrying didn't help him rest.
At the thought of the First, Buffy frowned. It been a month since its defeat and the destruction of Sunnydale but the costs of the battle still lay heavily with her. She had lost so many new Slayers… so many cut down in their prime.
Diana… who died at the hands of the evil priest Caleb.
Molly… who suffered the same fate as Diana.
Amanda… who died in the final battle with the First.
Those Slayers, who had trusted Buffy with their life, had lost it. And thinking of them made Buffy think of all the others who had died.
Anya… the demon Xander had loved and lost.
Xander… though he hadn't died he had lost the use of his right eye forever.
And Spike… a vampire reformed who had destroyed Sunnydale and proved himself to be a champion.
At the thought of Spike, Buffy felt her gut tighten. True enough she hadn't loved the bleach-haired man, but he had been an alley, a friend and he had fought bravely, had died for everyone when everyone had shown him at one point nothing but contempt. She knew none of the Slayers that had survived that fight with the First would forget what Spike had done and how brave he had been.
Buffy turned her head to the window and blinked. She was had seen something move besides her window. Though she would never admit it her first thought was: mutant?
And the driver of the buss gave a small scream and slammed on his breaks. Buffy lunged forward and braced her hands against the seat in front of her. Besides her, Faith was jarred awake. She looked over at Buffy with a frown.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Dunno." Buffy answered, watching as the buss driver, panicking, ran off the buss to see what he had hit. Buffy felt her hand instantly reached for the stake tucked in her waist belt. She mentally cursed herself for packing her scythe in her suitcase.
At that exact moment, the buss driver screamed and Buffy watched as his bloodied body was thrown against the front window of the buss. Everyone within the buss screamed and moved to the back, like a panicked group cows.
Buffy and Faith's eyes met and they nodded, time to go to work.
Buffy and Faith stood up, stakes in their hands. As they headed to the front of the buss, Buffy watched as Xander and Willow, jarred from sleep as well, reach for the stakes under their seats. Buffy shook her head.
"Stay on the buss." She ordered, "In case they come on." With that, she and Faith hopped off the buss.
Buffy didn't notice the two humans that didn't panic. One seemed to be holding the air in her arms and the other had a golden light in her eyes. The one with honey blonde hair pushed open the window and hopped out of it, planning on help the two Slayers. The other cooed the air, or what seemed to be the air.
Nor did they notice the man that sat in the back of the buss, a video camera clutched to his eyes. He too jumped out of his window, but not to help, but to watch, to record the events of the Slayers' battle.
Seven vampires, there faces twisted into predator-form, were feasting on the buss drive when the two Slayers made it outside the buss. Buffy motioned to Faith to move behind them. So caught up in feeding they were that the vampires didn't notice Faith or Buffy move.
Then without warning, Buffy lunged forward, howling a battle cry. She caught one vamp off guard ad plunged her stake deep into his back. The vampire howled and became dust. Faith lunged forward, taking a vampire by the heart. The vampires reacted quickly. They lunged to their feet, forgetting the dead buss driver, and attacked.
Three attacked Buffy while Faith took two. Buffy round-house kicked one vampire and sent him flying into the ground. From behind her a vampire grabbed her shoulders and hauled into the air. Buffy struggled to find freedom as her other vampire enemy moved in for the kill. Buffy raised her feet and pushed her black boots into the vampire face. She then jerked her body free, wheeled around and slammed her stake into his heart. The twisted face disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Faith was having just as hard as time as Buffy. The two leeches lunged at her and Faith ducked. Their faces crashed together, but they recovered quickly by grabbing Faith legs and sending her back crashing to the ground. One vampire loomed over her, ready to take her blood, when Faith rammed her heels into the vampire's groin. The vampire may have been dead, but that didn't he was immune to that pain. He fell forward on top of Faith and right into her awaiting stake. With that vampire down, she turned to face the next one.
Buffy had her vampire pinned up by the front of the buss. She grabbed her stake and embedded it deep into the vampire's chest. Just as the vampire was dusted, the one Buffy had kicked earlier rose from the shadows.
"Buffy!" Faith shouted in warning, struggling with her own enemy. The vampire threw all his weight on top of the Dark Slayer and they crashed onto the ground. Faith gritted her teeth and rolled over on the vampire, trying to raise her stake. The two enemies disappeared into darkness.
Now it was Buffy's turn to be pinned against a wall. She gritted her teeth and tried to move her stake, but it sat immobile in her hand that was crushed against her chest. She crushed herself, thinking: after all the evil I've brought down this is how I'm going to die? She felt the fangs of the undead brush her neck and she knew any moment the fang would draw blood. But then suddenly, the vampire no longer held her.
Buffy pushed herself away from the buss and wheeled around, thinking she'd find Faith had come to her rescue. But she didn't see Faith. Instead, she saw the vampire hovering a foot above the ground, a golden fire surrounding him. The vampire howled in pain. Buffy's eyes then were drawn to the causer of this gold fire. A young woman, a few years younger then Buffy herself, held her hands out in front of her with a gold fire consuming them. A beam of the golden fire came from her hand and was what had caught the vampire. Her teeth were gritted and she struggled to maintain focus.
"Hurry!" She cried to Buffy, "I can't hold him." She lowered the beam of her light until the vampire was only two inches off the ground.
Buffy rushed forward, raised her stake and plunged it deep into the vampire's chest. Buffy drew in deep breathes and managed to smile at the blonde woman. The gold light had left her hands and she looked exhausted, but she smiled.
"Hey, thanks. Cool moves." Buffy gasped and she thought the girl looked surprised at what Buffy had said, but then a more pressing matter came to her mind, "Faith? Faith!"
Franticly she searching the dark, but couldn't see. The blonde woman raised one hand and the light wrapped around her fingers, illuminating the area. They saw, just in time, Faith raising a stake and dusting her vampire enemy. Looking a little tired, Faith stood and gave Buffy a lazy grin.
"Worried about me?" she asked, "I'm touched, B."
Buffy rolled her eyes, "You think I want to fight those things alone?" she asked as if it was obvious.
Faith frowned, "Didn't those guys seem… I dunno… stronger?"
Buffy nodded, "Yeah. I've never fought a vampire so… actually I have… ah, let's put it this way. I've never fought a normal vampire so strong. They also seemed confused. Like they didn't know why they were here."
Faith shrugged, "Well, we took down seven of them at one time. Can't be that hard can it?"
"I helped." The blonde pointed out.
Faith turned and grinned, "Ya sure did. Thanks a lot… ah, insert name here."
"Oh, I'm Oriana McNeil." The blonde said, "Friends called me Ori."
"So, Ori, what exactly are you?" Faith paused, "You a mutant?"
Ori hesitated for a moment before sighing and saying, "Yeah, I am."
Faith's grin widened, "Cool."
Ori looked at Faith like she had suddenly grown two heads, "You mean you're not afraid of me? Like all those other people."
"Honey, I'm a Slayer." Faith said.
"And we don't judge people because they have powers." Buffy added, "I know not all of you are bad."
Ori grinned, "That is so cool. I've never met normal humans that haven't been afraid of me when they learned what I was."
"Well, we aren't exactly normal." Faith pointed out, stuffing her stake back into her waist belt. Buffy did the same while Ori watched one.
"Oh, right, you're Slayers. Ah, what are Slayers?"
"Basically, you know the vampires and demons in all the scary movies?" When Ori nodded Buffy went on, "Well, we fight them with magickly given super-strength. We save the world on a regular basis and don't get credit for it because then we'd be hauled of to a loony bin."
"Oh."
"Ya know, I always wanted to meet a mutant. Never did though 'cause you don't get many mutants in jail even though the world seems to hate you guys." Faith said.
"You were in jail?" Ori asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. Murder. Oh, don't worry, I'm totally reformed. Right, B?" Faith drawled.
"And if you aren't, I'm here to keep you in line and remind you way you aren't in jail any more." Buffy said, half joking half serious.
Ori looked between the two of them, shrugged and said, "So, where are you two guys going?"
"Bayville." The two Slayers said union.
"Really us, too." When the Slayers just stared, Ori explained, "Me and my friend, Sidney. Sidney's a mutant, too. She can talk to ghosts and turn herself invisible. She kinda like a medium."
"Cool. Why are you two guys going to Bayville?"
"See, Sidney works for this priest called Father Tucker and-" Ori blinked at the look of hatred on the girls face, "What? What I'd say?"
"Nothing." Buffy said, "We just aren't too fond of priests since the 'good' reverend Caleb, tried to destroy the world and kill off the Slayers."
"Oh, well, Father Tucker is a very good man. He's not a mutant, but a medium and he tells Sidney where to go, who to help, who to help, that kinda thing."
"Like a Watcher." Buffy said.
"To much like a Watcher." Faith said rolling her eyes, "And I thought we were the only ones to suffer the fate of being surrounded by British men telling us what to do."
"Father Tucker's not British." Ori murmured and then said, "So why are going to Bayville?"
"For the obvious reasons." Buffy explained, "My Watcher, Rupert Giles, got word from an old contact that some strange forces are raising in Bayville and it's not the mutants. Faith, my other friends, and I are checking it out."
"Your mission is a lot more interesting then ours. We got some dead ghost floating around Bayville and Father Tucker sent us to check it out." Ori said and then she frowned, "Wait. I remember now! I know a Slayer!"
Buffy and Faith blinked, "Really?"
"Yeah, well not personally, but there is this guy who helps ghosts too, even though he's one himself, and there was this new ghost and she wouldn't talk about her death, but she said she's a Slayer." Ori explained.
"A dead Slayer? She may be one we lost in the battle with the First, or maybe a Potential killed by Caleb's men." Buffy thought for a moment, "Next time you talk to your Father Tucker ask him to send that dead Slayer down, maybe she'd be willing to talk to me. And until then, howa 'bout joining forces? That nifty power of yours will come in handy will fighting vamps."
Ori grinned, "That'd be great. Always wanted to be a hero. Can't wait to tell Sid!"
"Let's get on the buss, yo." Faith said, stepping onto the buss, "This'll be got counseling practice for you. These people are scared shitless."
Buffy rolled her eyes and stepped onto the buss. Everyone within it turned their heads and eyes to Buffy. Calmly Buffy said, "Bad guys are gone. Let's get out of here."
And that was that.
"So, ah, does anyone know who to drive a buss?" As she saw Xander raise his head, Buffy said, "Sorry, I mean does anyone with two eyes know who to drive a buss? Now offense, Xander."
A burly man stepped forward and took the seat. As he did so he asked of Buffy, "What happened to the driver."
"You don't wanna know, pal." Faith answered. The man took the words to heart and started to drive.
Ori moved to a pale girl that was holding the air and cooing. Buffy raised her eyebrow at Faith who made a circle with her finger on the side of her head.
"Is your friend insane?" Buffy asked and got a glare from the cooing girl.
"No she's not, Buffy." Willow chirped, sitting one seat in front of the crazy girl, "She's soothing a ghost-child named Ann."
"You can see her?" Ori, Faith and Buffy asked together.
Willow nodded and said, "I'm Wicca. Since I have a strong connection to magick I can see things that would be normally be invisible to the human eye."
"Glad I took you along, Will." Buffy drawled.
"Hey what about me? Secret Agent Harris?" Faith laughed at that and Xander glared, "Hey, I've got an eye-patch give me break."
"You're milking this for all its work." Willow muttered and Xander grinned.
"Yeah." he answered.
"So are working together?" Sidney questioned softly, her voice husky and deep, "Willow and Xander filled me in on the whole Slayer-thing."
Buffy sighed, "No one goes along with the whole secrecy-thing anymore. So," She grinned at Ori, "you like Madonna?"
Ori grinned and said, "You mean the goddess of everything wonderful?"
Buffy grinned, patted Ori's shoulder, and said, "I can tell this is going to be the start of a very beautiful relationship."
And that was that.
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All done! I know, kinda fast right? Well this is a fast story! So get with it and please, please REVIEW! And stay tuned for Chapter Three: Bayville High where we actually meet the X-Men! Whoa! Until then REVIEW!
"So I'm just supposed to help you out of the evilness of my heart?" Spike
-Lizzy Rebel