Later that night Odette was sitting at table at the Bronze. Sprung Monkey was playing "Believe" loudly, and the dance floor is crowded with people. After her dad had taken off after Buffy Odette needed to get out of there, she had no idea what she was going to do. Her world was spiraling out of control, and she couldn't tell anyone about it because they'd think she was insane. Luckily she'd run into Willow on her aimless wander. Willow had invited her to go to the Bronze and Odette agreed, eager to lose herself in the loud noise and chaotic dances.
She was waiting for Willow to come back from getting her drink across the club, grumbling slightly to herself when she saw she was chatting with Buffy at the bar, when Jesse came up at plopped himself down in the chair across from her.
"Hey Det! Fancy meeting you here. I thought for sure you were going to stay in the library till they cataloged you."
Glaring irritably Odette glance away. "Not now Jesse I'm not in the mood."
His brows furrowed, and he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "You're never in the mood anymore Det. I don't get it, what do I have to do to…"
Odette raised a hand, effectively stopping his tirade. "Don't" she hissed furiously thinking this was the last thing she wanted to deal with after the day she had been having.
Jesse slammed his hands on the table and leaned forward. "No ok, I like you Odette, I have for a while. and we've had this conversation before, and you always change the subject. What is it? Are you seeing someone else?"
Odette's expression turned thunderous, and she stood, leaning into his personal space and his face went slack as he opened his mouth. "Oh, don't even fucking think about it." His jaw shut with a click. "How dare you! I've tried to be gentle about this Jesse because we've been friends for a long time, but this is to much damn it. Apparently I can't be vague about this because you just don't get it. I like being your friend Jesse I really do. But I don't want to date you. I don't see you that way, and I damn sure do not need to be 'seeing someone else' to justify that. I would like to stay friends, but if you are gonna be like this about it you can bugger off for all I care!"
Turning on her heels Odette left him gapping at her as she disappeared into the crowd. Stopping to lean against a wall Odette rubbed her forehead in frustration. Between the dead guy in gym, the revelation about the supernatural, and now Jesse, Odette wasn't sure how much more she could take. With a sigh she went back to navigating through the crowd, deciding to take the stairs to the balcony, hoping the less crowded areas would help her calm down. Reaching the top of the stairs gave her pause as she caught sight of a familiar brown jacketed figure leaning over the railing, scanning the dance floor.
'Dad must be worried about me' she thought with a smile and started toward him. When she was a few paces away she opened her mouth but was interrupted as a blond slide up to him on the railing.
"So, you like to party with the students? Isn't that kind of skanky?"
Giles scoffed and turned to her, "Right. This is having fun. Watching clown-hair prance about it hardly my idea of a party. I'd much rather be home with a cup of Bovril and a good book."
Odette felt her brow twitch in indignation as the blonde rolled her eyes. "You need a personality. STAT."
"This is a perfect breeding ground for vampire activity. It's dark, crowded. Besides I knew you were likely to show up. And I have to make you understand."
Odette felt her face fall, he hadn't come looking for her, he had come looking for Buffy. Odette turned on her heel and stormed right back down the stairs.
"Well, well, if it isn't the little songbird. What's got you spewin'."
Freezing mid-step, Odette groaned, "My luck seriously can't be this freaking awful." Turning she crossed her arms defensively. "I can honestly say there are about a million people I would rather see again than you."
Mr. tall, dark and green eyes snickered, and put his hand over his heart woundedly. "Now, now, no need to get hot under the collar little bit."
Half lidded eyes met his unimpressed. "Yeah look, I'm having a really rotten day so why don't you just beat it?"
Already turning away, she was brought up short, hair's standing up on the back of her neck, as he called out to her. "Your friends with the little redheaded mouse right?" she glared at him over her shoulder, and he shrugged. "Just asking a question pet, thought you might wanna know she followed some shifty looking guy outside a few minutes ago.
Her irritation at his creepy pet name was thrown out the window as she glanced furtively around with no sign of Willow. It wasn't like her to go off with random guys, what the heck was up with this night. Floundering for his name for a moment, "Do you know which way they went…..Axel?"
He grinned and motioned with his head, heading off toward the exit by the stage. Odette winced at the sudden pain in her forehead but quickly followed after the obnoxious Australian.
She followed him down the street and went to ask him if he really knew where they were going as they passed the graveyard, when a shriek pierced the air.
"Will!" Odette gasped and took off toward the sound. She heard Axel keeping pace behind her and headed toward the mausoleum.
As Odette reached for the door however Axel's hand closed around her forearm like a vice. "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed, trying to pull his hand away with little success.
Axel grinned wickedly as he pushed her back against the stone. Odette went to hit him but he caught her fist easily, and restrained bother her writs with one hand.
"Let go you fucking ass!" Odette flinched as Axel grabbed her chin forcing her to look at him. With a menacing grin his face morphed, eyes sunken and turned bright gold, his forehead was pinched, and he looked straight out of twilight zone. Odette's voice chocked in her throat as she glanced down and caught the moonlight flashing on his wicked looking fangs.
"Cat got your tongue, pet?" Axel purred, knotting his free hand in her hair, forcing her head to the side. "Don't worry." He said softly as she cursed and trashed in his hold. "It will only hurt for a second."
As his fangs sank into the crook of her neck, Odette Screamed. It burned, she felt is lips come into contact with her skin and felt him pull. Just as spots started skimming the edge of her vision, Axel pulled back. Odette struggled briefly but managed to look up into his face. Tiny blue sparks danced across his eyes and his face morphed back to a more human look. Shock and curiosity reflected in his gaze. As his tongue flicked out to catch a line of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth Odette felt her stomach heave.
She thrashed to the side and was surprised as she crashed to the ground. He had to have let her go. Her neck throbbed painfully, and her hand came away bloody as she touched it.
Axel's chuckle reverberated through the night air. "Isn't that interesting. Go on little bird, run. I haven't had a good chase in decades."
Bile rose in her throat. He was playing with her. glancing around Odette tried to re-ground herself but her head spun, she'd never outrun him. Glancing to the side she reached out and grabbed the door to the mausoleum, yanked herself up, and ran inside, only to stop short. Willow and Jesse where huddled in the corner, Jesse bleeding profusely form his neck and two vampires, faces fully vamped out, boxing them in. At the interruption they turned, gazed immediately locked on her bleeding neck. But quickly turned to look at Axel as he strolled in behind her.
He paused at the sight of them, shoving his hands in his pockets and dipping his head to the woman.
"Darla."
The woman blinked, looking him up and down. "Axel? I haven't seen you in decades." Glancing at Odette she grinned. "Still playing with your food I see."
He shrugged "No more than you." He jerked his chin at Willow and Jesse. "bit early for the harvest isn't it?"
Odette blinked, harvest? What the heck was the harvest.
The vampire woman, Darla, grinned, "the master needs strength, the harvest will come soon enough. He will be glad of your return."
Odette inched a few steps toward her friends only to have Axel's hand flash out faster than she could see and fasten in her hair once more.
Odette whimpered as he pulled her closer, "Now that's not very nice pet. Trying to leave already? I'm not done with you yet." His tongue flicked out and ran along her bleeding collarbone and Odette bit off a sob as it escaped her throat.
Axel raised his head to address his fellow vampires but paused, cocking his head and all of a sudden the world practically spun as they were standing on the other side of the building. Odette blinked dizzily; these vampires moved to damn fast.
As she blinked her vision back into focus she almost cried in relief as Buffy and Xander came strolling though the door.
"Well, this is nice. It's a little bare, but, a dash of paint, a few throw pillows – call it home."
Darla snarled at the young blond. "Who the hell are you?"
Buffy blinked, "Wow, you mean there's actually somebody in this town who doesn't know already? Phew! That's a relief. I'm telling you, having a secret identity in this town is a job of work."
As Buffy led the two unoccupied vampires away from Willow and Jesse, Xander glanced nervously at Odette and then back at Buffy. "Buffy, we bail now, right?"
"Not Yet!" hissed Darla's male companion before turning his attention back to Buffy. All the while Axel seems completely uninterested in the surrounding event and ducked his mouth near Odette's ear, causing her to flinch. He whispered vulgar things in her ear, making her struggle harder, but she may as well have been a kitten pushing against concrete for all the good it was doing her.
Buffy called attention back to herself. "OK, first of all, what's with the outfit? Live in the now, OK? You look like DeBarge." She scolded the male vampire before turning back to Darla. "Now, we can do this the hard way, or, well, actually, there's just the hard way."
Darla grinned wickedly, "That's fine with me."
"You sure? Now, this is not gonna be pretty. We're talking violence, strong language, adult content." The boy vampire rushed her from behind without warning. However, without even looking, Buffy whipped out a stake and stuck it in him. He fell to the ground and instantly turned to dust. Darla looked shocked for a moment, only to snarl as Buffy continued to taunt her. "See what happens when you roughhouse?"
"He was young and stupid." Odette felt axels chest rumble as he commented. If she ever got out of this alive she was going to throw away any movie she had with Australian accents. His voice would probably be haunting her nightmares for weeks.
Buffy glanced nervously at Odette before turning her attention to her other friends. "Xander, go."
Darla lunged at Buffy as Xander quickly lead Willow and Jesse away. Axel chuckled and purred in Odette's ear. "That's awfully cold of them. Leaving you here. But don't worry pet, you've got my full attention." He bent toward her neck again but quickly adjusted her in front of him, using her as a shield as Darla slammed into the nearby wall and Buffy turned her attention to Axel.
"You know, I just wanted to start over. Be like everybody else. Have some friends, you know, maybe a dog. But, no – you had to come here. You couldn't go suck on some other town."
"Who are you" whimpered Darla and Buffy scoffed.
"You don't know?"
Odette glanced behind her and felt her face pale, "Buffy, look out!" she croaked.
A very large, very pissed off looking vampire came from the back of the mausoleum and grabbed Buffy by the back of her neck and lifted her straight off her feet.
"I don't care." He hissed and threw Buffy across the room where she hit the wall with a crack. The newcomer turned raising an eyebrow at Axel and Odette, before stalking over to Darla, still sprawled on the floor, and glared down at her.
Odette swallowed thickly; all she had wanted was to blow off some steam before going back home to talk to her dad. If she died as a Juicebox for the Australian vampire she was going to come back and haunt somebody for the injustice of it all.