Chapter Twenty-Seven: Settling Slayer
"Okay so my theory...guys are scum. Boys, men, it doesn't matter, their all the same! Guys are scum and we're better off without them!" Buffy stated officially, digging her spoon deep into her bowl of chocolate ice cream. "I mean honestly, what's the use for them? Sure, they can make us feel all special and loved for a while, but ultimately, what's the point? In the end they're just going to leave us alone and upset. We're better off without them though..."
Joy laughed at the slayer's rambling. "I imagine you're speaking from experience." She stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
Buffy bit her lip with a silly grin, "Well, maybe just a little."
"Buffy has the worst record of guys that I know of!" Dawn decided.
"Thanks, sis!" Buffy rolled her eyes. "Yours isn't all that great either, as little as that past is." She laughed. "Remember vampire boy?"
"Oh, like I'm the only one that's ever fallen for a vampire!" Dawn retorted.
"We're so not going there!" Buffy protested.
"Excuse me?" Joy spoke up. "Buffy's been with a vampire?" Her eyes grew wide. "How? I mean why? When?"
Buffy hesitated, "Well, that's a very long story, for another night..."
"Oh no! Tonight's all about cheering me up, and I think hearing about your past screwed up relationships could be very cheering for me." Joy grinned. "Tell me all about it!"
Buffy glared at Dawn. "Way to go Dawn!"
"Sorry, but she's right. If the two of you are going to ever get along as slayer companions, I think Joy has a right to know about your past. Including your boyfriends." Dawn shrugged.
"Fine..." As Buffy started to give in Willow entered the living room from the kitchen, carrying a large plate of gooey chocolate chip cookies.
"I've brought more comfort food!" She smiled and set the plate down on the table. Tara followed behind her girlfriend with another bag of popcorn.
"Good! Buffy was just about to tell me about her past history with a vampire lover." Joy announced, taking a bite of the warm cookies and letting it melt in her mouth.
"Really? Well, we came at just the right time." Willow made herself comfortable with pillows and blankets on the floor and Tara curled up next to her. Joy and Dawn were sharing the couch and Buffy was sitting across from them in an overstuffed chair.
Buffy sighed and opened a can of soda. "So, first you have to realize that it was a long time ago, it was actually my first year that I knew I was a slayer. I was a sophomore in high school, and he was so amazing!"
"He was a vampire, Buffy!" Joy interrupted.
"Hey, this is my story!" Buffy frowned. "Besides, I didn't know he was a vampire at first. He looked completely normal. He looked incredible! He was strong and handsome, and he made me feel so cared for. He was the first person that made me really accept my destiny. He helped me realize the importance of being a slayer. For a while I thought he was a watcher, but then I realized that he didn't even know Giles." She smiled as she remembered their first meeting. "I kept running into him at strange times, usually when I was in a fight. He always seemed to be around to help me when I needed him. Without even realizing it, I started falling for him. And then one night he was at my house, it was after a serious fight, and we kissed, and then all of a sudden I saw that he was a vampire! God, was I surprised! Well, at first of course I didn't want to be around him. He was a vampire, I was the slayer, it was obvious what would have to happen. But then we talked and he told me why he was different."
"Buffy, vampire's aren't different. They are all blood thirsty fiends!" Joy interrupted again.
Buffy raised her eyebrow, "My story!" She reminded the young slayer. Joy nodded in apology and let Buffy continue. "He told me that he had a soul." She waited for Joy's response, but she was silent. "He was cursed by a gypsy years ago. She gave him a soul, which is something that vampire's don't have. That's how vampires can kill so carelessly, they don't feel it. But he did. He felt everything with his soul. He hadn't killed a human in like a century! He couldn't. He didn't want to. So basically, he was a vampire that was working for redemption. He fought on the side of good." Buffy explained. "And he could have feelings and emotions. He could love. And he did love. I loved. We loved each other so much..." Her eyes had started to water but she blinked back the tears and continued. "We were together until my graduation, and then he left. He knew that we couldn't be together forever. Life wouldn't let us. No matter how much we loved each other, we couldn't be together, so he went to LA and I have only seen him a couple times since." She finished her story with a hopeless sigh. "Angel was my first love, and at times I wonder if he was my only love."
Joy sat up straighter. "Angel?" It couldn't be him! It has to be a different person. Angel's not a vampire! Then again, how many guys are named 'Angel'? But...no way! She tried to convince herself that he wasn't the same guy. "What did he look like?"
Buffy smiled. "He was very good looking!" She giggled. "Tall, brown hair, brown eyes...I don't know, he was handsome!"
Joy shook her head. It's not him! It can't be him! He did say he knew Buffy though..."And he doesn't kill humans?"
"Nope, he's a innocent as a puppy." Buffy shrugged. "But enough about my past...let's hear something about yours. I think it's only fair."
Joy sighed. "Well, my past isn't quite as romantic as yours, it's a little more depressing I'm afraid." She took another cookie. "You already know that my parents died last year." She said softly. "And I'm not the best at holding down a relationship. Before I left LA, I broke up with my boyfriend, Henri, and now Blake." She shrugged, trying not to think about Henri too much. She couldn't tell the girls the truth about what happened with him. That was her own pain.
"Right, well, I think that's enough of your damn depressing life!" Buffy tried to lighten the mood. "Let's move on to Miss-first-kiss-was-a-vampire!" She nodded to Dawn.
"Really?" Joy grinned. "It must run in the family."
Dawn laughed but Buffy frowned.
"What's the deal with Spike?" Joy asked suddenly.
Buffy tried to act oblivious. "Huh? What about him?"
"Come on, Buffy, while we're being all honest here," Joy had to know his story. "I know the two of you have some sort of past. Were you dating?"
"Umm, not exactly." Buffy bit her lip. "Nothing was ever official with us..."
"So, you were just sleeping together then?" Joy asked.
Buffy blushed. "Yea, so moving on..."
"That wasn't one of Buffy's high points!" Willow explained. "Spike and her didn't have the best relationship. It was more a sort of relationship of convenience. Riley had just left and Spike also sort of needed someone, so they sort of got together."
"Thanks Willow!" Buffy rolled her eyes at her too-honest best friend. "Well, it's basically like she said." Buffy agreed. "Spike was there when I needed comfort, and that's all there really was to it!" She threw a couch pillow at Willow. "Anyway, let's see...we've thoroughly damaged talking about my love life as well as Joy's and Dawn's, I think Willow's and Tara's are obvious..." She winked at the cuddling witches. "What do we do now?" Buffy opened a package of red vines.
Dawn slumped farther down on the couch, "I say we watch a movie and fall asleep!" She glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's after midnight and I'm so tired!"
Willow and Tara agreed.
Buffy sighed and searched through the DVDs they had rented for the evening. "Are we in the mood for tragic romance or girls on the warpath?" She questioned.
"Warpath definitely!" Dawn decided.
"Alright, Heartbreakers it is then." Buffy put in the movie and returned to her seat.
Joy sighed and took a few pieces of licorice. "I'm not really in the mood to watch a movie." She glanced at Buffy shyly, "Actually, I'm kind of hyper, sort of in the mood to patrol." She stood and started stretching. "Wanna come with me?" She asked Buffy.
Buffy grinned, "Absolutely!" She jumped off her chair to join Joy. "Have fun with the movie, we'll probably be back in an hour or so, okay?" She clarified with the others. They all nodded and Buffy and Joy hurried out of the house. "I've got to say, I'm a little surprised that you wanted to go patrolling. I didn't think you were into it."
Joy grinned. "I'm always up for a good fight!"
"Yea, I can tell." Buffy laughed. "Hey, since tonight's been all about fun, what do you say we make slaying fun too?"
"How?"
"Umm," Buffy thought for a minute. "Let's make it a bet or a game or something, let's see who can slay the most vampires in one hour, okay?"
Joy nodded, "And the loser owes the winner..." she paused, unable to think of a good enough victory prize.
"Breakfast tomorrow!" Buffy suggested.
"Deal!" Joy smiled. "You better be able to make some pretty damn good French toast, 'cause that's my favorite!"
"Well, you better know how to make blueberry pancakes!" Buffy replied.
The two slayers laughed at their silliness and raced the rest of the way to the cemetery.
"Ready?" Buffy withdrew her stake and crept into the graveyard.
Joy held up her own wooden weapon and nodded. "Ready."
"One hour!" Buffy took off in one direction while Joy started going in the other.
"Good luck!" She called over her shoulder to the older slayer. Joy held her stake by her side as she began searching the dark cemetery for any movement. Luckily for the gambling slayers the graveyard was crawling with evil vermin that night and within minutes both girls were busy battling the undead. For once Joy didn't waste time with fighting. She attacked all the vampires that she found speedily and staked them without any procrastination. She was determined to prove to Buffy that she could be just as good of a slayer.
An hour later, as agreed the girls met back up at the entrance to the cemetery. Buffy arrived, grinning and brushing dust remains off of her jeans. Joy arrived only a second later, spinning her stake between her fingers and shaking the dust out of her long, straight hair.
"Well?" Joy smiled.
"Was it just me, or was the cemetery crowded with vamps tonight?" Buffy pulled her dark blonde hair up into a messy bun.
"Yea, seriously. I don't think I've ever seen so many vampires at once, maybe they were having a party!" Joy joked.
"Anyway, how'd you do?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"How do I know you won't change the truth after you hear how many I staked?" Joy questioned, raising her own eyebrow mockingly.
Buffy sighed. "Fine," she pulled a piece of paper out of her back pocket and ripped in half. "Do you have something to write with?"
Joy stuffed her hands in the pockets of her red leather jacket and pulled out a tube of dark red lipstick. She handed it to Buffy.
"Okay, so we're both going to write down our numbers and then we'll show each other at the same time." Buffy decided, quickly scribbling something down on her half of the paper. She handed the other paper and the lipstick to Joy.
Joy scribbled down her own number and then returned the lipstick to her pocket. "Okay, ready?"
Both girls turned around their papers at the same time. Joy gasped. She had been so proud of herself, she never would have thought that Buffy could have beat her!
"Wow!" Buffy explained. "Nine is impressive for one night, especially on your own!"
"Yea, but you still won!" Joy commented. "And you keep forgetting that this isn't my first time on my own."
"I know, but after the training and everything," Buffy grinned. "You must not have wasted too much time on the fight tonight. I guess my advice paid off."
"Don't get too cocky, Buff," Joy rolled her eyes. "You only beat me by three."
"Yea, but I still get blueberry pancakes in the morning!" Buffy laughed and started heading back towards her house. Joy had to jog to catch up to the taller slayer.
"Shit!" Joy exclaimed as the bag of flour slipped out of her hands and exploded on the floor. She leaned around the wall to glance into the hallway, hoping no one was awake yet. She had made sure that she would be the first awake after their previous late night so she could make Buffy her victory pancakes. However, the kitchen had never been a comfortable place for Joy. She had trouble making macaroni and cheese. She hurriedly began scooping the flour of the floor and hiding it in the trash can. The pancake batter was already prepared and she had been in the process of cleaning up when she had made the mess. "I hate cooking!" She muttered bitterly.
"Uh, good morning." The kitchen door opened and Riley poked his head in.
Joy looked up from where she was kneeling on the floor, still cleaning. "Oh, hi, Riley, right?"
"Yea, you're Joy?" He waited for her nod before he entered the kitchen and closed the door. "Is Buffy here?"
"Umm, she's still asleep I think. We had sort of a late night." She explained, struggling to clean up the fine powder.
"Really? Girls' night?" He grinned.
"Yes actually," Joy stood and took a paper towel from the counter. "They were trying to cheer me up, and we went patrolling and I lost a bet and now I'm stuck making Buffy her blueberry pancakes, and let me just tell you that I suck at cooking!" She sighed. "But we made a deal and I plan on sticking to it." She scooped up a cup of the batter and poured it into the already heated pan on the stove. "So, what're you here for?"
"Well, I just wanted to stop by and see if Buffy wanted to go out for breakfast, but I see you've taken care of that." He joined Joy at the stove. "Do you want me to help you with the pancakes?" He winked. "We won't tell Buffy that you didn't make them by yourself."
"Thanks," Joy accepted his offer appreciatively. "I'll get out the syrup."
"So, last I heard you and Buffy weren't exactly getting along." Riley flipped the two pancakes and waited for the other side to cook. "What changed? If you don't mind my asking..."
Joy shrugged. "I don't know. I guess lately I've just been realizing that my life isn't as simple as I wanted it to be, and Buffy seems to be someone who can really understand how that feels. Plus, she's an incredible fighter!"
"She is that," Riley agreed. "Plate," He dropped the two cooked pancakes onto a plate that Joy handed him. "Just so you know, Buffy's been pretty upset about not having your trust."
"Really?" Joy asked with interest. "How do you know?"
"Well, believe or not but she talks about you a lot. Especially when you guys would come home from patrol. She talks about how she wished you would open up to her and how much she wants to help you." Riley explained, pouring more batter into the pan.
"Yea," Joy smiled. "I'm starting to realize that." She retrieved the orange juice from the fridge and pulled a few cups out of the cupboard.
"So, you said they were trying to cheer you up last night...why weren't you happy?" Riley asked.
"Umm," Joy hesitated. She didn't really know Riley and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to know too much about her life yet. "Well, it was a guy," She sighed. "No big deal really..." He didn't seem to believe her. "Okay, so I had sort of a bad breakup yesterday and I was in need of some girl time." She admitted. "Anyway, thanks for helping with breakfast!"
"Sure, anytime," Riley grinned and scooped two more pancakes onto the plate.