Chapter 15: A Bad Penny

*****Where We Left Off*****

"What's a slayer?" Tim had asked.

Buffy looked at the students, who were waiting to see how she would answer the question. She considered how to respond, glancing at Derek, who shrugged.

"I don't want to lie to you guys, but I don't think me telling you would help you sleep very well at night," she said.

"We're not stupid," Tim said. "We know this town is messed up. Guys on the football team said they were nearly killed by some monster in a graveyard, but you saved them. One of them insisted it was vampires, and the vampires said you were the slayer. What is that? Are you not human?"

Buffy could tell that the thought that she might not be human was upsetting him.

"Okay, have a seat, and I'll tell you what I can," she said. Then she began to give them a very sanitized version of her world.

"The world is much older than many people believe. Once upon a time before humans were created, there were these Old Ones, pure demons. Eventually, after humans were around, they mixed with humans, creating vampires and other dark supernatural creatures," she said.

"So vampires are real?" Tina asked, clearly afraid.

Buffy nodded. "Unfortunately, they are. They can't enter your home if you don't invite them, so don't ever verbally invite anyone into your home after dark. Crosses and holy water do repel them," she said.

"Does this mean I have to start going to church?" Craig asked.

Buffy grinned. "Well, it can't hurt, but at least carry around a cross or some holy water," she said.

"But I'm not Catholic," Tim said, frowning.

"I'm sure the Catholic church in town will give you some water," she said. "But any minister can bless the water—they don't have to be Catholic."

"So where do you fit in?" Tim asked.

"Well, almost as soon as vampires were created, a higher power made sure that there were warriors to rise up and fight back the darkness," she said. There was no use confusing the kids with the whole demon powered part of being a slayer. "For some reason, they decided that young women should be the ones equipped to fight the vampires. For a long time, it was just one girl—the Chosen One. She is empowered with stronger reflexes, endurance, strength, and healing. The girls are called vampire slayers. Normally, these girls are empowered at age fourteen or fifteen. When one dies, another potential is called."

"Fourteen?" one of the teens said, horrified.

Buffy nodded. "Yes," she said.

"What makes one person called over another?" Shawna asked.

Buffy shrugged. "No one really knows," she said. "Is it genetics? Is it random? I can't say. I just know that when I was fifteen living in Los Angeles, all I cared about was cheerleading and boys and the latest fashion. Then a man came up to me, and he told me that I was chosen. When I realized that he was right—I was very different, my life changed forever. So, Tim, yes, I am human—my blood is the same as yours. If a scientist was to examine it, they wouldn't see any anomalies or anything out of the ordinary. The empowerment comes from a higher power—it's completely mystical." She made sure to use that word instead of talking about magic. This was enough for them to handle.

"What do you mean by higher power? Like God?" Craig asked.

"I'm not sure how to answer that. I call it the Powers That Be or PTB," she said. "Is it the big G God? I can't say. I just know someone or something with power greater than humans decided that regular humans weren't equipped to fight the supernatural monsters that are out there."

"That's kind of cool," Shawna said. "It's girls who get to be the hero for a change."

Buffy was glad to see a few other girls smile and nod.

"So you can teach us how to protect ourselves?" Tim asked.

Buffy nodded. "The main thing is don't wander around alone at night," she said. "Beacon Hills is starting to attract more and more dark creatures. Werewolves are the guardians of the city, but I'm here to help them. And I have a few friends that are pretty special, too, so I don't want you guys to be afraid. Some of my friends will be working with the Sheriff's department, patrolling and watching over the town."

"Are you going to teach how to kill vampires in your training class?" Shawna asked.

Buffy looked at Derek. These kids were so different from the kids she went to school with. It was incredible how accepting they were. There was no pretending anymore with them. "I'm not sure that's a good idea—at least not on campus," she said. "We don't want teenagers thinking they can just go kill vampires. Vampires are faster and stronger than humans. They may look more human than a werewolf, but they're a demon. A demon that has hijacked a body."

"But we need to know what to do," Tim said. "The football players you saved were all big guys, and they didn't know what to do."

Buffy considered her options. "Well, I'll think about it, okay?" she told them.

"Okay, that's enough grilling of my girlfriend," Derek said. "I'll see you tomorrow. Go home. Be smart."

The kids dispersed, many excited to spread the new gossip. Others were more introspective, trying to come to terms with everything.

"Well, that was surprising," Buffy said as they walked back to his car.

"Not as much as it would've been before I met you," Derek said.

"How did you like it?" Buffy asked as he unlocked his car, opening her door for her.

"It wasn't too bad," he said. They got into the car.

"Didn't Mason say he was going to join the track team? I didn't see him," she said.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask him," Derek said. "I don't really know the kid."

"I will," Buffy said. Mason already had a special place in Buffy's heart because he was a human willing to throw in with the supernaturals. His best friend because a werewolf, and he doesn't run or flinch. He was like Xander, and Buffy wanted him to be safe. "Learning to run from bullies is a good thing."

"So is learning to fight them," Derek pointed out

"We can teach him to do both," Buffy said.

"True," he said.

"So you wanna stop at that Chinese place and pick up some food to take home?" Buffy asked, giving him a hopeful look.

Derek grinned. "Sure," he said. He'd never dated a girl who loved to eat like his slayer. She burned so much energy, and she needed lots of fuel.

After he grabbed dinner, they drove home. Buffy gave a running commentary on her ideas and plans to help the kids. She was really excited to be able to make such an impact in such an important way. Derek used to want to be left alone, but now he was in love with a woman, who would forever be surrounded by people. His mother would very much approve. In some strange way, he felt closer to his mother having her in his life.

He unlocked his front door and pushed it open for her to enter. She was carrying the food and walked straight to the kitchen, sitting it down on the counter.

Unlike Derek, she didn't see the woman who stepped out of their bedroom.

"Hello, lover."

Just the sound of that voice had all of Derek's instincts waking up, and his claws came out. "What the hell are you doing here?" he growled. "How did you get in?"

"I broke the balcony door," Kate Argent said with a smirk.

Buffy heard voices and stepped out to see who was there. When she saw Derek's tension, she picked up her stake off the counter.

"Derek?" she asked as she stepped into the room with her. "Who's that?"

"That's Kate Argent," he said grimly. "She broke in."

Buffy didn't hesitate but threw her stake, nailing the woman in her right shoulder. Before Derek or Kate could react, she moved, knocking Kate onto her back.

Kate tried to throw off the much smaller woman, but Buffy pulled out the stake, causing her to cry out in pain. Then she stabbed her on her left shoulder.

"Buffy!" Derek exclaimed; a bit shocked at his girlfriend's display of violence.

"Don't Buffy me," Buffy growled. "This deranged cat massacred your entire family, and I'm about to take away one of her nine lives."

"I thought you didn't kill shape shifters," Kate gasped. She grossly miscalculated and underestimated Derek's slayer girlfriend.

"I don't kill innocent shape shifters, and if you'd stayed human, I'd probably let the police deal with you," Buffy said. "But you're not human, and it's my job to protect humanity from monsters like you." She stabbed Kate in the stomach.

"Derek!" Kate called out. She was losing a lot of blood, and the slayer might actually kill her.

"Buffy, you're getting blood all over the place," Derek commented. It actually brought him an unholy joy to see Kate in such obvious pain. She tortured him more than once and did so with a smile on her face.

"Sorry, babe, but it can't be helped. That this insane bitch thinks she can just march into our place without consequences pisses me off," Buffy said. She threw the stake down and punched the woman in the face. That was even more satisfying.

"I came because I had information on the hunters," Kate spit out. "I wasn't trying to pick a fight."

"You tortured my boyfriend. You killed his family, and then you broke into our place," Buffy listed. She punched her again.

"Let her speak, Buffy. She's like a snake—always slithering around," Derek said. "She might actually know something."

Buffy moved away slightly, so that Kate could sit up. Since Buffy didn't have her stake still in her body, Kate could feel the blood loss slowing.

"So tell us," Buffy said.

"Then you'll kill me?" Kate wondered.

"I might," Buffy said coldly. "But if you don't start talking, I'm going to gut you like a fish. Then I'll burn your body, so there won't be any possible way you resurrect."

Derek knew he should a bit horrified at the ruthless side he was seeing from Buffy, but he wasn't. It made him love her even more.

"The hunters are targeting alphas," Kate said. "Scott's in danger."

Buffy stood to her feet. "You can leave. If I see your face in this town again or around Derek, I will kill you—slowly," she warned.

Cautiously, Kate got to her feet. Blood was still oozing out of her, but she would live if Buffy didn't attack her again. "I will leave," she said. Holding her stomach, she gingerly made her way to the front door.

After she left, Derek turned to Buffy and said, "Watching you stab Kate was a revelation."

Buffy looked at the blood on her hands and grimaced. "Stabbing vamps is so less gory," she said with a sigh. "Sorry for grossing you out."

Derek moved and grabbed her bloody hand, pulling her close. "It was a revelation because I wasn't at all grossed out," he said, bending down to kiss her neck. "How about we go clean you up?"

Buffy grinned. "Shower before dinner? I think I can live with that," she said, dragging him by the hand to the bathroom.

After having too much fun in Derek's unusually large shower, Buffy was dressing when Derek said, "I better call Scott and tell him to be on guard."

Buffy nodded. "Yes," she said. "I'll call Willow, so she can talk to Oz. He's an alpha also."

"The hunters would be stupid to come back to Beacon Hills," Derek said.

"In my experience, bad guys are usually pretty stupid," Buffy said with a snort. She reached for phone. "If those hunters are dumb enough to come after Oz or Scott, they're going to regret it."

"I wonder why my security alarm did not go off when she broke in?" Derek wondered.

Buffy looked sheepish as she admitted, "Oh I forgot to set it."

*****England*****

Susie followed the guy who was following the wolves into a non-descript building. She debated on what to do. Her training told her to head back to headquarters and have a backup with her before approaching. However, this was the first real lead they'd gotten, and she didn't want to lose the advantage. Instead of approaching the building, however, she got out her phone to call it in. She'd sit on the place, watching until other slayers arrived.

After sending a text, she put her phone away. Her ears picked up a sound, and she turned just as the baseball was coming down on her head.

******TO Be Continued******