Disclaimer: I own zippo. Script belonging to David Fury and Jane Espenson. And all ultimately to Joss Whedon. There, I am taking no credit. Except for my own dialogue and Tuscany. Translations curtsey of http/ babelfish.altavista .com/tr
LIFE SERIAL (part 2)
Spike had just taken a swig from his mug of blood when there was a knock on his crypt door. His immediate assumption that it was Buffy was destroyed by the knock itself. It was a relatively quiet rap not the demanding pounding that Buffy used those rare moments she actually did knock. Spike hesitantly walked towards the door. Uncertain as to whether he'd have to fight some nasty demon that he probably owed money to. He flung open the door and leapt back from the sunshine. Tuscany stood in the doorway.
"Can I come in? Or do you like the occasional sunlight in the crypt?"
Spike rolled his eyes before gesturing the new slayer in. She was so polite. Hadn't she figured out it was a slayers right to walk on into any old vamp house she wanted?
"How'd you find me?" Spike asked the obvious question.
"Giles told me where to look," She answered. There was a delayed silence as both thought of things to say. Spike wanted to know how Buffy had reacted to Tuscany but if he just blurted out the question the girl might get offended and leave.
"I just got a mug of blood. You want any?" Spike offered before kicking himself. Human so no she definitely didn't want blood.
"Thanks but no thanks," Tuscany declined wrinkling her nose.
"That was a stupid question," Spike admitted.
Tuscany smiled, "No. It was sweet of you to offer."
Spike raised an eyebrow at her.
"Not that I'm implying you're sweet. Not in anyway," Tuscany reassured him.
"I got a bottle of Jack D," He suggested.
"It's barely noon," Tuscany replied. Spike shrugged.
"Um an isn't 21 the drinking age in the states?" Tuscany was running out of decent reasons why she shouldn't have a drink. God knows she wanted one after last night.
"Do I look like I'm gonna dob you into the police, Convict?"
Tuscany sighed defeat, "what the hell."
"Have a seat," Spike pointed to his chair before descending to get the alcohol. He remerged with a bottle and two glasses. He filed them up and handed one to her.
"Cheers," Spike said raising his glass.
"Cheers," she responded and clinked her glass to his. Then she downed the liquid. It burned her throat but she didn't cough or splutter.
"Drank that like a pro," Spike acknowledged.
"Legal age is 18 back in Oz," she enlightened. Spike smirked.
"Oh my god. I meant for drinking," She lay her head back against the seat and shut her eyes before saying, "It's 16 for the other thing."
He looked at Tuscany. Taking the moment to examine her. If he had to pick one member of the Scooby's she was related to he'd go with Tara. They shared the same body shape but something about Tuscany's attitude was very distinctly Buffy. He poured her another glass of JD before giving into his curiosity.
"How'd things go last night?'
"Well they didn't exactly roll out the welcome wagon… or any wagon. They haven't spoken to me really since last night. It was big with the badness."
"That's gotta be a pain in the bloody ass."
"Well you know it's because it's my fault that their parents split up. I had an elaborate plan from the realm of pre-conceived children to ruin their lives."
"Ah so you're a convert to that theory now?"
"Dawn gave a pretty convincing rant down the hall this very morning," Tuscany winced at the memory.
"What did Buffy say?" Spike lowered himself on to the arm of the chair.
Tuscany swallowed the contents of her glass and held it out for a re-fill, "Left this morning to audit with Tara and Willow. She just kind of ignored me. Perhaps it's cause I kinda evicted her from her bed last night."
"What do you think? Is it your fault?" Spike looked in to her eyes.
"No," She snapped, "Not my fault. They know me for what barely two days and they give me this crap like they've had this shit family life. God hate to have mother that loved you," Tuscany announced sarcastically before continuing on raving, "Not saying my adopted family wasn't great because they were but still. And I'm the slayer as well. Try adding that onto the burden list… And I think I'm very tipsy."
"More like drunk," Spike accused good-naturedly.
"I just had to get out of there and you're the only person I know here and so I grabbed my bag, took it to the house and dropped by."
"Your bag? I didn't see a bag before."
"I travel light but not that light. Nah I stashed them in… um… a place."
Tuscany managed to empty the glass again but some dribbled down her chin, spike exhaled noisily and reached over to wipe it off. He was over come with a strange urge to be nice all of a sudden.
"Listen to me. It's not your fault, the divorce, and they know that. Well at least Buffy does and Dawn's young. Give them time to come round and they will accept you."
"Thank you," She whispered back gratefully. She got to her feet. It was a very ungraceful movement but she moved towards the door.
"Thanks Dr Phil. I needed it," She said it genuinely before leaving his crypt. Spike watched her go. She may be a woman but she was also young. She needed to be looked after and he'd do it. And funnily enough his motives weren't completely selfish and Buffy obtaining orientated.
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"Shit," Tuscany muttered to herself as she stumbled inside the Summers house. When he had held her chin and said those things her stomach had done a weird flip-flop. She grunted again as she climbed the stairs to settle herself in the bathroom. Her head pressed against the cool tiles on the wall. She couldn't get a crush on Spike. She barely knew him and he was totally spoken for. Well sorta but he was off limits any way.
"Crap," She said again. Why can' I find the nice normal un-taken alive boys, she thought to herself and her mind traveled back to the month before she had found out she was the slayer.
Her first long term Boyfriend, her first kiss and her first time. It really was a tragic tale. She hadn't known exactly what had happened but as soon as she had become the slayer it had all become startlingly clear. She had loved Michael and he had loved her. Then he disappeared. She gad been inconsolable for ages and then she became the vampire slayer and Michael showed up again. As a vampire. She sniffled as she remembered the moment he had appeared vamped out. He looked as stunned to see her, as she was to see him. The whole incident had ended with her driving a stake right through his heart. The minute before he dusted he's face had returned to that of a human's and he whispered three words.
"I love you."
Then he was gone. Scattered into a million pieces just like her heart. It had only been recently that she had managed to pull herself together and move on. She had cried for days when it happened but she had toughened up. Encouraged by her 'watcher.' It wasn't possible she was developing feelings for Spike. Too early. Too soon after Michaels death. Could only end in pain.
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"It was like time was in fast forward," Buffy explained to the group in the living room. Giles was giving her odd looks like she had lost the plot. Xander and Anya weren't there but she had just got off the phone to Xander. He had pulled a construction job for her and received a quick briefing over today's event. Willow and Tara both looked interested. Her two sisters were on either side of the room. Dawn shooting death stares at Tuscany and Tuscany looking uncomfortable.
"Then I found something on my sweater and when it disappeared in my hand time went back to normal," Buffy concluded.
Well Buffy you have been under a lot of pressure. Is it possible that you imagined it?" Giles asked cleaning his glasses.
"Giles this wasn't in my head. This was real."
"Well I suppose a little research couldn't hurt," Giles humored her placing his glasses back on his head.
"I'm sorry today was so sucky," Willow said trying to make amends. Tuscany abruptly stood and began examining photographs on the wall. The conversation had taken a personal level and she didn't want to seem like she was intruding.
"It's ok," Buffy assured her friend, "Maybe I just need to ease myself back into the school thing slowly."
"Well you could work at the magic box," Giles offered.
"That could be… fun," Tara trailed off and retreated to silence.
"Thanks Giles but I already told Xander I'd take on a construction job tomorrow."
Giles nodded.
"Well I'm exhausted. I think I'll hit the sack," Willow announced. Tara nodded and the two witches left.
"I'm going to sleep too," Buffy said turning towards the stairs before stopping and looking at Tuscany, "Sorry I forgot you kinda were a guest of my rooms."
"No. Take your room back," Tuscany hurried out, "I'll sleep on the couch. I don't mind. In fact I love the couch."
Buffy nodded slowly and then left the room. Giles said his goodnights too. Tuscany was muttering to her self.
"God could I have sounded any more like a desperate girl begging for acceptance than if I actually were a desperate girl begging for acceptance…. Wait I am. Never mind!"
It became apparent that Dawn and herself were the only to left in the room. Dawn was staring at her uncompromisingly and Tuscany felt herself flinching inwardly at the defiant stare. Tuscany unsteadily picked up a picture of Dawn, Buffy and a woman who must have been their mother.
"Is the your mother," Tuscany's stuttering sentence increased the tension. Dawn nodded curtly.
"She's beautiful," Tuscany said quietly.
"Do you mind if you don't talk about my mother," Dawn snapped, jumping up and snatching the picture out of the older girls hands. Tuscany bit her lip before replying, "sure."
Dawn began pacing up and down the room. She rounded on Tuscany.
"I don't have to treat you like a sister," She told Tuscany.
"Ok," Tuscany agreed with a soft voice.
"You aren't part of this family and we didn't need another sister," Dawn continued. Tuscany took it silently.
"You show up and because we share ONE parent, that's one NOT two, and because you're another slayer you think you can jump right into the gang!"
"That wasn't my intention…"
"Shut up. No body asked you to be here and nobody asked you to talk."
Tuscany clenched her fists at that and for the first time sadness was replaced by a flash of anger. Tuscany reined it in. Dawn was young, emotional and impulsive she reminded herself. Probably wouldn't help to belt her however much she deserved it.
"You're not my sister. You never will be my sister," Dawn finished and glared a bit longer before racing up the stairs to her bedroom.
Tuscany sat slowly on the couch and bit her lip. She didn't sleep that night.
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Tuscany followed Giles into the magic box. She had been surprised to here Tara calling her for the phone. Nobody she knew would have known where she was. Her adopted family only knew that she was away on slayer business and not to worry. Giles had invited her to spend the day at the magic box.
"I've given great thought about you Tuscany. As a slayer you need a watcher," He informed her as he led her around the shop. She blanched at the mention of watcher but Giles didn't notice.
"At first I thought about telling the council and getting one sent out but decided since I am here and you are here I may as well teach you. Are you following?"
"Yes Mr. Giles."
"Please call me Giles. Everybody else does."
"Alright."
"Now I know your watcher wasn't really your watcher but did he teach you anything. Train with you?" Giles pulled out a seat at the table and Tuscany followed suit.
"Weapons, honing skills… that sort of thing. Oh and languages!"
"Which languages?" Giles looked up slightly shocked. It hadn't been standard to teach a slayer anything but basic knowledge of demons and how to fight them.
"Français fluent mais d'autres aussi bien," Tuscany stated.
Fluent French but others as well.
Giles wanted to test her, "Was über Deutschen?" What about German?
Tuscany smiled, "Selbstverständlich." Of course
Giles grinned, looking forward to testing a slayers intelligence and not just reaction speed, "Ελληνικά; Πώς είστε;" Greek? How are you?
"Πρόστιμο! Σας ευχαριστώ για την ερώτηση. Θα μπορούσατε να έχετε ρωτήσει στα αγγλικά!" Fine. Thank you for asking. You could have asked in English.
"Non il punto. Il punto deve verificare la vostra abilità nelle lingue. Italiano?" Not the point. The point is to test your ability in languages. Italian?
Giles was ecstatic as Tuscany replied, "Sono ragionevolmente buono con italiano. Siete fluenti in tutte queste lingue?" I'm fairly good with Italian. Are you fluent with all these languages?
"Eu sei os princípios dentro mais!" I know the basics in most.
"Você sabe o português. Obviamente!" You know Portuguese obviously
"Как вы с русским?" How are you with Russian?
"Я хорош с всеми европейскими языками. Я не могу поговорить азиатские языки однако!" I'm good with all European languages. I cannot speak the Asian languages though.
"¿Por qué es eso?" Why is that?
"¡Él nunca tenía una ocasión de enseñarme que y usted acaba de cambiar al español!" He never had a chance to teach me and you just switched to Spanish!
"Hice sí y cerca él usted medio…" Yes I did and by he you mean…
"My watcher? Yeah!" Tuscany reverted back to English.
"I'm surprised he didn't teach you demon languages."
"He said that demons speak earth languages on earth and that I'd only really need to know demon languages if I was going to hell and he had no intention of letting that happen."
"Ik ben droevig!" I'm Sorry.
"He only taught me fundamentals of Dutch," Tuscany confessed.
"Then I will add Dutch to the list of things I'll teach you as well as weapons."
"You speak Dutch as well?" Tuscany demanded.
"Well… uh… we'll think of it as a learning process for every one," Giles said smiling.
"Très bien," Tuscany said relaxing and enjoying herself for the first time.
"You enjoy languages?" Giles wanted to know. It was one thing to know them and entirely different thing to love them.
"Yes! It's a way of saying things you don't want people to hear. And languages are a part of the world and I always wanted to travel."
At that point Anya burst into the shop.
"Giles, what is she doing here? She makes people sad and moody and will make the customers sulk and go away and not give me their money," She blurted out. Giles glared at her as a look of sadness passed over Tuscany's face again. He had felt bad about her treatment by the Summers girls.
"¡Para los casos ahora estoy hablando en español así que ella no sabrá que estoy a punto de llamar su loco que ella sea! y deseo que ella tenía todo el dicho eso en una lengua que no entiendo para ahorrarme de tener que oír todo el eso." For instances right now I am speaking in Spanish so she won't know I'm about to call her crazy. Which she is! And I wish she had said all that in a language I don't understand to spare me from having to hear all that.
Giles smiled at Tuscany when she said that.
"It's just Dawn and Buffy that get upset around me because in remind them of our father's cheating ways," Tuscany explained to Anya.
"But it is men's nature to want to spread their seed to as many different women as possible. How can you be held responsible for their uncontrollable urges?"
"I... I'm not sure," Tuscany answered looking confused.
"Men want to have sex with many different women. Don't blame yourself," Anya said.
"Odd way of saying it but strangely comforting," Tuscany reflected on Anya's words.
"Now come I will teach you the great world of retail," Anya said grandly seizing Tuscany by the hand.
"Με βοηθήστε!" Help me! Tuscanybegged Giles urgently in Greek as she was dragged away by Anya towards the cash register!
AN: Wow. I haven't even finished Life Serial yet. But I'm gonna update again in the next hour or so but I just wanna break up the chapter reading. And I know I went a little crazy with languages but I wanted Tuscany to have a strong point that Buffy didn't have and I apologise if they're not quiet correct translations. Thanks to all my lovely reviewers! I just wish I could get the all clear that FF is letting me respond to reviewers. I don't like Dawn either. And I totally agree about the money issue someone raised and I don't think Tara and Willow are paying rent. And my spelling is always crappy but I'll do my best. And Tuscany may get with someone but that's a secret…. but that wasn't a response to reviewers…(shifty eyes) lol please review!