Buffy nervously knocked on the heavy wooden door tucked in an alcove of a sunny little garden patio area. Behind her, water bubbled softly in a gurgling fountain that was currently overrun with water plants. The Slayer relaxed slightly as she heard her companion quietly tapping his finger against his pant leg in a repeating rhythm. She smiled as she glanced over her shoulder to see Oz's eyes closed in concentration as he copied the sound of the fountain with his talented fingers.
The teen jumped when the door opened and her Watcher offered her an almost friendly greeting.
"It's so good to see you, Buffy," the librarian intoned with a soft smile on his lips that helped convey the truth of his statement. He resisted the urge to hug the teen who had been gone for so long. He hoped that she was recovered from her ordeal last spring and ready to face her next challenge. The older man stepped back and motioned the teen into his apartment.
Buffy returned Giles' smile with one of her own before stepping into his short entrance hallway. She was followed closely by Oz. Her host had just inquired after her summer visit with her father when he spied the young man in Buffy's shadow. He immediately inquired after the unexpected visitor's identity.
"Um, yeah, this is Oz. He's kinda a new friend."
"Oh... yes... good..." stammered Giles in startled reply before grasping Buffy's elbow and shuffling her around the corner and into the tiny hallway between his galley kitchen and his bathroom.
"Do you believe this is wise?" he questioned as he released his grip and whispered in a hiss of concern. "Remember how stellarly it went the last time you involved a young man in your Slayer life?"
Buffy and Giles glanced around the corner at Oz who was standing casually in the librarian's living room. His hands were hidden inside the pockets of his khaki cargo shorts and he slowly perused the room with his eyes in a bid to get a better read on the adult whose home they invaded this morning. The musician's fingers itched to wander through the rather large collection of records he could see stashed along one wall of the room. The young man's lip curled in a hint of a smile as his gaze bounced from pile of books to pile of books. The room was veritably a cornucopia of bound copies. There were books strewn across every flat surface and stacked in several piles on the floor. The majority of the volumes appeared to be quite old and Oz wondered what the guru of weird and wiggy was researching.
The Slayer and her Watcher pulled their heads back from the corner.
"Oz is not like Owen," Buffy whispered vehemently. "He isn't looking for a quick rush. He doesn't have a death wish either."
Buffy fidgeted with the bottom of her soft shirt for a moment before meeting Giles' eyes.
"It won't make a difference anyway. He knows about my being the Slayer," she admitted softly.
"Buffy," sighed Giles in a mildly disappointed tone. "Please tell me you aren't using your Slayer status as a way to impress boys."
Horror clouded Buffy's eyes and she shook her head in the negative.
"No, Giles. Cordelia actually told him."
When Giles frowned in confusion, Buffy was quick to amend her statement.
"Not that I wasn't in the process of telling him anyway," she admitted. "I was all with the explaining when Cordy breezed in and threw the entire Slayer package out on the table."
A hint of a smile lightened Buffy's drawn face.
"Not that the whole, staking four and a half vamps for dessert last night wouldn't have kinda given away the secret anyway."
"Four and a half?" Giles repeated in a tone of question that demanded an explanation. Buffy sighed. This time, she grabbed her mentor's elbow and pulled him into the living room.
"Why don't we explain," the pretty teen offered.
Eager for the story, the Watcher allowed himself to be led back into his sitting room where his Slayer facilitated better introductions. Giles offered the two teens refreshments and they settled into seats for the interesting tale of the dinner with the dingos last evening.
While sipping freshly prepared lemonade and nibbling raspberry topped biscuits, Buffy and Oz shared the story of their after dinner floor show. The Slayer conveyed most of the rendition but her companion added a few timely observations to her oration. Giles listened quietly through the description of Buffy's destruction of the four low level vampires but his breath caught as Buffy began to describe the almost epic battle she fought with the bleached blond vampire. He stood from his seat when she admitted that she was unable to stake the male before the female vampire intervened. She decided he counted as a half but Giles did not seem amused by her levity. In addition, his slight pacing prevented the librarian from noticing Oz's fleeting reaction to the careful editing of the confrontation end. The teen wondered briefly as to why Buffy failed to mention the dream connection with the male vampire.
"So you believe these two are more than the average minions and fledglings you normally encounter?"
"Definitely," Buffy answered Giles.
"Hmm, so it seems we have a few new players in town," Giles began as he reached for a few smaller books on his dining room table.
"You mentioned that the female was called Drusilla and that the male was Spike," the researcher confirmed.
"Yup," Buffy agreed.
Giles frowned. "Spike is a rather unorthodox name."
"The female also called him William," Oz offered.
"And both sounded British," he added.
Giles smiled in thanks to the musician's addition and asked if they had any other observations to help narrow the search. Oz shook his head slightly. Buffy mirrored him but worried her lower lip between her teeth when Giles turned towards his table to pull a few more books free.
"They felt familiar," Buffy blurted at her Watcher's turned back.
Giles stopped sorting books and turned to face her. He lowered his hands so that the books in each one rested against his legs.
"Familiar?" the Brit prompted.
"Um, yeah," Buffy replied nervously. "Familiar. You know, like lollipops."
Oz smirked at the slightly pained expression on the teacher's face at Buffy's strange admission. He wondered if he needed to find a Cali-girl to British Librarian translator for the older man. Unlike her watcher's expression, Buffy's face suddenly seemed to glow with excitement.
"Totally like lollipops," she confirmed with a nod. "You know, sometimes the pink ones taste like cherry and sometimes they taste like strawberry and raspberry... oh, I like the raspberry ones."
Noticing the slowly forming frown on her Watcher's face Buffy rushed to continue her explanation.
"So, then, since they could be any flavor, you have to lick the pink lollipops to tell what flavor they are. Anyway, these vamps tasted familiar."
"You licked them?" Giles asked incredulously. The image of Buffy licking her prey before staking them made him shudder.
"Ewww, no," Buffy fervently denied. "I was so not licking the undead. It just is like... hmm, like they were all vamps but some of them are cherry vamps and some are strawberry vamps. They all look like vampires but they, I don't know, maybe not taste but maybe these ones felt like raspberry vampires instead. If you can feel a fruit, you could tell. They were raspberry."
Giles set his books down and asked her to explain it better. Buffy sighed in frustration. It was hard for her to describe how these two vampires reminded her of Angel, Darla and Luke. They had not felt like the other fledglings and minions of the Order. She tried again. Buffy's rambling about tingles and fruit and flutters in her stomach and lollipops without identifying wrappers forced Giles to count to ten to avoid harshly snapping to her about reaching her point. Her expanded explanation only served to confuse the librarian further.
"I sound like my dad on the phone," Oz suddenly interrupted the Slayer's convoluted explanation.
"Huh?" Buffy replied at the same time as Giles offered "Excuse me?"
The Slayer and her Watcher stared at the young man for a heartbeat. Both frowned for a moment at the strange interruption. Oz returned the stares with an unflappable little smile.
"You know, its a family thing. I sound like my dad. And my Uncle George. I don't look like either one but I sound just like them."
Buffy suddenly beamed like the sun in June.
"Exactly, you and your dad and your uncle are raspberries," she intoned as if it made perfect sense.
Giles frowned once more before he turned his attention to his Slayer.
"Did these new ones feel like the Anointed One?"
"Nope," she answered with a corresponding shake of her head.
"So it wasn't an Order kind of feeling. Perhaps an actual linage familiarity," her Watcher replied as he once more turned from the teens and shuffled towards a different pile of books. While he searched, he mumbled about how it made sense for it not to be Order related since Angel had never claimed to be part of the Order. With a swift efficiency, the librarian extracted an armload of tomes from the two piles on the floor by his steps to his loft. He handed one to each teen before sitting at his table with the four remaining references. For a moment, Oz stared at the book. Giggling, Buffy shared the sad news that they were officially in research mode and that he would just have to help now that he was knee deep in the weird. The teen just shrugged slightly and settled onto the left end of the couch. He began rapidly skimming the text for any reference to the two new vampires.
"Watcher's pet," Buffy muttered at her friend when she noticed how accepting Oz was with the unanticipated assignment. Oz raised his head and smirked at her before continuing to read. The easy acceptance tickled Buffy. Unlike when Xander was first corralled into research, Oz hadn't uttered a single complaint. It made the Slayer wonder if her new friend might be a good friend for Willow too. With that thought in mind, she opened her own assigned reading and flopped onto the other end of the couch. She then whined that she should have called Willow to help too. Willow was always open to opening books. Giles only answered with a hum which pretty much conveyed that he wasn't really listening to her suggestion because he was too involved with what he was reading. Buffy ran her right hand through her shortened hair and resigned herself to an afternoon of books.
The Slayer skimmed a number of pages until the names Angelus and Darla caught her attention. She focused on the passage which described a dinner party hosted by a copper baron, Nicholas Hughes, in Swansea in Southern Wales during 1750. The small private party was attended by Sir Lawrence Briggs who was a member of the Watcher's Council. The knight was visiting his wife's family in Southsea after his assigned potential had reached adulthood without a calling. He was awaiting reassignment. As expected of a well educated watcher, Briggs described the gathering in detail and Buffy found herself caught in the images of times long past. The Watcher wrote extensively of the lovely young woman, Darla who had enchanted many of the male guests while her companion, a handsome Irishman called Angelus, had likewise charmed the attending ladies. Briggs further explained that his wife had a delicate constitution and fell ill before the end of the meal. Ever concerned for her health, Sir Lawrence and his wife left the gathering before dessert was served.
The next day, the Watcher was contacted by the local constable and questioned about the affair the prior evening which had ended in a bloody massacre. After insisting he could be of assistance in identifying the attendees, the nobleman was invited back to the gory scene. Once returned to the Hughes' home, Nicholas was shocked to find that beside his wife and himself, six of the seven other couples had been slaughtered in the dining room. The only missing attendees were Darla and Angelus. Given his training as a Watcher, Briggs immediately recognized the slaughter for a Vampire attack. Because of this observation, the writer described all the remains in detail.
As she read, Buffy's hands began to shake. Her stomach churned as she read the description of the shattered and drained bodies. Most likely, she would have handled the tale if Briggs had not also included the condition of the bodies in the remainder of the house. She rapidly skimmed over the next few lines. Three maids, two footmen and the butler where all found killed. The cook and scullery maid were discovered hiding in the basement and babbling about monsters and hell. The dead staff had their necks snapped and none bore any of the bite marks or savagery that the party guests had endured. On the other hand, the victims found upstairs were another matter. In the hallway, a middle aged woman who he assumed was a nanny or governess had a gaping wound in her stomach.
Silent tears raced down Buffy's cheeks as she then read about the young bodies that were found in the family nursery. The Hughes had five children ranging in age from fourteen down to three. When Briggs speculated that the oldest boy, a brave young man of twelve had attempted to protect his siblings, he had his arm shattered and his head ripped from his shoulders. The iron poker from the bedroom fireplace still remained in the clenched fist of the dead child.
Bile bubbled in Buffy's throat as she read the lines about the discarded bodies of the two youngest children who appeared to have been killed by being flung violently against the wall. Words began to swirl and breathing became difficult for the teen. The book finally fell from the Slayer's hands as she read about the brutalized bodies of the fourteen year old girl and her younger sister who could not have been more than ten. Both had been sexually assaulted and left bleeding and dying in the bloody bedsheets.
The book hitting the floor startled both Oz and Giles. They shifted their attention from their readings to Buffy. Her breathing was so rapid she verged on hyperventilation. An expression of misery marked her face and her condition immediately concerned her companions. Giles moved from his table towards the couch in hopes of helping her.
"Buffy?" Oz whispered softly as he shifted towards her only to freeze when the teen began to wail. The cry pierced the silence and send shivers up both males' spines.
The scream continued as Buffy wrapped her arms around herself and she trembled so hard the entire couch vibrated. Giles attempted calling his Slayer's name repeated in hopes of reaching the panicking teen. When she did not respond to the words, the older man hesitantly attempted to touch her shoulder. Buffy's screaming stopped at his touch. She cringed from the contact and began crying.
"No... no... no... stop..." she repeated over and over as she folded farther into herself and tried to hide in the corner of the couch. Her eyes darted around the room and tears soaked her face and shirt as she wept uncontrollably. Both her companions attempted to reach her verbally again but she did not respond. She was no longer aware of her actually surroundings. Instead, Buffy found herself once more on the hard ground. She could smell the dumpster trash and she choked on its stench. She felt pain pulsing in her head and she felt the invading touch of her assailants. Uncounted hands skimmed her body bringing stinging harm. Her throat burned as she attempted to scream past the shredded materiel of her dress someone stuffed in her mouth. Their laughter and jeers echoed in her ears and she once more saw their faces. She looked into their eyes and felt the evil presence entwined in their souls and lending them strength.
Buffy choked and gagged. She vomited her earlier snack down the front of her clothes and continued to sob. Both males jumped at her violent reaction. Helpless, Oz and Giles could do nothing but watch. The teen frantically suggested that they call an ambulance but the older man shook his head. He explained that with her strength, Buffy might hurt someone who approached her to help.
"Then what do you suggest?" demanded Oz with a scowl clouding his face.
Giles sighed.
"I think we wait until Buffy calms herself," he offered quietly as he picked up the dropped book. Quickly skimming the page that his Slayer had been reading, Giles cursed himself softly. He set aside the book and cleared away the other materials from near the still cowering teen. The librarian shifted his coffee table farther from the couch and went to his kitchen to retrieve some towels to help clean up the smelly mess on the floor. Cautiously, he approached his slowly quieting Slayer. In an even tone, Giles spoke softly to Buffy as he wiped up the floor. When the crying teen finally shifted her head and eyes to look at the older man, he held out another damp towel to her.
Confused, Buffy stared at the towel. She felt disoriented. She could not remember where she was or why she was there. Her head and chest ached. A tired lethargy seemed to seep into the muscles of her entire body. Looking down at herself, the teen squeaked in disgust. She grabbed the offered towel and attempted to clean the vomit from her clothes. Fresh tears started as she uselessly dabbed at the smelly stains. Oz suggested that perhaps Giles could provide her with a change of shirt at least and the Watcher quickly complied. He retrieved a faded sweatshirt and a pair of flannel lounge pants with a drawstring at the waist from his bedroom loft area. Although Buffy wrinkled her nose slightly at the fashion damaged apparel, they were an improvement over her current outfit because they were clean. With a simple direction from Giles which pointed her in the direction of the bathroom, Buffy retreated.
While Buffy was in the bathroom, Giles cleaned up the remaining mess on the floor and sofa while Oz moved to the table with his book. With the soft sound of the shower as a backdrop, Giles questioned the Slayer's new friend about how they met. Oz closed his book. He wasn't sure how much Buffy was willing to have him share about their dream connection so he explained about being in a band. He shared that Buffy met him in the park at the beginning of the summer and that they seemed to click. After quizzing the teen a bit longer, the librarian admitted that he was worried about Buffy. He feared that she was not recovering from her assault. Oz stared at the stiff older man for a moment.
"You should be worried. It was traumatic. All things considered though, I think she is doing really well," stated the teen.
"How can you say that," Giles snipped. "Did we not just witness proof of how unwell the Slayer is recovering."
Oz stared at the educated man as if he was the village idiot.
"Buffy is a 16 year old girl who, for some unexplained reason, was chosen to carry the weight of protecting the world on her delicate shoulders. She's been gang raped. Died. Resuscitated and forced back into saving at least our small part of the world again. If she isn't due some post traumatic stress and some nightmares, I don't know who is."
"But surely," Giles began only to be interrupted by the teen.
"Nope... she didn't go postal and she isn't sitting in the corner, banging her head on the wall and drooling. She is doing an outstanding job."
The bluntness of the younger male's reply forced Giles to look at the situation from a new perspective. The gentleman realized that he had once again forgotten to look at his Slayer as a girl and not just as the Chosen One. It was the same mistake he had made when he first read the prophesy about her in the Codex. He removed his glasses and set them on the table. He rubbed his forehead as he heard the shower stop. With a renewed desire to help his charge return to normal, her Watcher replaced his eye wear and picked up another book. He figured that the best way to help her at this moment would be to find information on her newest threat. Giles felt unsure in regards to emotional display and support. Research he could handle with one eye closed and one hand wrapped around the neck of a Grabble demon. Silently, he hoped that the rest would sort itself. Stealing another glance at the insightful young man across the table from him, Giles suspected that Buffy's new friend might be just the kind of support she would need to help her weather her current emotional storm.
Buffy emerged from the bathroom looking like a little girl playing dress up in her father's clothes. At the neckline, the sweatshirt hung down off her shoulder. The sleeves were rolled thickly on her forearms. Likewise, the lounge pants were rolled so many times that they resembled bell-bottoms in their width. She self-consciously approached the table and offered a quiet apology. Pulling back one of the chairs, she moved to sit. Her bulky sleeve caught one of the books and tumbled it to the floor. She apologized once more as Oz reached for the fallen book.
As he retrieved the tome, Oz noticed an old, black and white photograph pushing out from edge of the book. He glanced at the portrait before he shoved it back into place.
"Found her."
Oz held up the photograph towards Buffy who immediately confirmed his find. The picture was most definitely the female vampire that they had encountered last evening. With only a quick glance at the haunting woman in the image, Giles took the book from Oz and began checking for any mention of the woman in the pages where it was found.
"Ah... here she is. Drusilla, believed to have been turned the night of Red Death at the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy. Records at the convent showed that the young woman was slated to take her vows as a nun the day after vampires entered the sanctuary and killed every resident of the cloister. Drusilla is believed to be one of four members of a vampire family called The Whirlwind that terrorized Europe for a large portion of the Victorian Era."
Giles glanced nervously at Buffy as he imparted the next bit of information. He feared to mention the next member of the Whirlwind because of her previous reaction to a tale of his exploits and because of her previous feelings for Angel. The British gentleman rushed through the next bit of the information.
"The Scourge of Europe was the dominate figure of the Whirlwind. The Scourge, the name given the utterly ruthless vampire Angelus, and his sire, Darla, were credited with some of the vilest and cruelest kills and tortures enacted by a vampire and recorded by the Watcher's Council.
Giles chose to skip any further coverage of the content on Angel's previous life. Instead, he flipped a page and continued.
"And here is your new friend, Spike. He is the final member of the Whirlwind. He is known as 'William the Bloody' but earned his nickname of Spike in the 1880s by torturing his victims with railroad spikes. Lovely. From this account, he appears to be about two hundred years old. Hmm, perhaps he is Drusilla's sire?"
"Oh... oh dear..." Giles muttered.
"No 'oh dears', Giles. I hate 'oh dears'," Buffy replied as she frowned at her Watcher. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared. "There are to be no 'oh dears' in relation to Spike."
Giles resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her petulance. Unfortunately, her pouting could not change the need for the concern. Giles stood from the current chronicle and moved towards his large book shelf. He ran his finger along a series of small journals. He pulled free one that appeared only a few years old and one that looked much older. Giles thumbed through the older one and replaced it on the shelf. He then pulled free the one next to it. Returning to the table, he explained his worry.
"I believe that you facing Spike is worth more than a few 'oh dears'," he began even while he flipped through one of the newly retrieved journals. "It would appear that William the Bloody has faced two slayers in the last century. He has faced two and killed them both."
"Oh dear," muttered Oz as he watched a myriad of emotions flit quickly across his friend's face.
Giles nodded.
"Yes, Oz. Oh dear is quite an appropriate response when the Slayer of Slayers comes to visit."