Okay...first things first...mmooch, I like to let things progress naturally. At this point in time I can't even tell if she's going to end up with Angel or Pike. This story is unfolding in my mind as fast as it can at this point. I am hoping to get chapters up in a fairly reasonable amount of time. I am a very busy girl though, so please don't stop reading if I can't get chapters up. But...on with the story!
Let the Game Begin
"Into every generation, a Slayer is-" Rupert Giles, the new librarian and apparently Buffy's new watcher, was cut off by his new charge.
"-is born. She alone will have the strength and skill, yada yada. I've heard it okay?" she shot.
"Buffy," Giles told her, "this isn't a game. It isn't fun. Its not-"
"I know!" she raised her voice at him. She took a step back from the counter at the front of the library that they were both standing at and drew in a deep breath. When she exhaled, she said, "I know," in a much calmer voice.
Giles shuffled some things around on the counter top and pushed on his glasses a little. He cleared his throat before talking again.
"Are you ready to continue training?" he asked her.
"Anytime," she told him, somewhat cheerfully.
"Meet me here after school everyday. No excuses," he told her.
She had already turned and was walking away. She waved a hand at him.
"I'll be here."
Pike was waiting outside the library door. When she opened it, he straightened.
"So, how was he?" he asked, nonchalantly.
Buffy sighed, "just another old British guy wanting me to meet with them alone after dark."
Pike chuckled and put an arm around her, steering her towards the front door.
"Classes?" he asked.
She just gave him a look and he flashed her a knowing smile.
Angel couldn't help but stare when he noticed Buffy and the guy that always seemed to be around her walk out to the court yard. They sat at a picnic table and began talking. The guy would laugh every now and then, but Buffy never cracked a smile.
"Bro," Jesse told him, "you have got to end this obsession now. Its not healthy."
Angel chuckled and shook his head.
"I'm not obsessed," he informed him, "Just curious."
Jesse shook his head in disbelief and continued eating his apple. Xander had a textbook open attempting to study. Willow was seated on the grass beside the bench that the 3 boys were sitting on with her last class's assignments spread out before her and a pencil in hand, not paying much attention to any of them.
The rest of the day went on as normal for the 4 of them. Angel was the only to notice Buffy going back to the library, rather than home afterwards. He was curious but decided to go home instead of sticking around.
Buffy walked into the library with Pike tagging along beside her. Giles came out of his office with a book in hand as well as a stake. He handed the stake to Buffy before looking up from his book.
"I, uh-" he said, stumbling over words that he couldn't form.
"He knows, Giles," she informed him. She sighed, "Giles, this is Pike, Pike this is Giles."
Pike nodded and smiled goofily.
"Please continue," Pike told the older man.
"Why," Giles asked insistently, "does he know?"
"You can't keep him out of it trust me, " she informed him, "I've tried."
"Its true," Pike beamed.
Giles just sighed and took his glasses off to clean them rapidly. He motioned both of them as he started walking. In one corner of the library, he had cleared away bookshelves and had replaced them with mats and various other training devices. Buffy stepped toward the area with no hint of fear in her eyes. She had seen enough to not see this as a challenge any more.
"Interesting spot," she mumbled.
"I'm sorry?" Giles asked.
Buffy shrugged. She had grown quite fond of the abandoned warehouse that Merrick had had her training in. Training in this civilized area almost seemed an insult, but she would follow his orders the best she could. It was what Merrick would have wanted.
Pike took a seat on top of a nearby table and looked on. Buffy walked to the mats and began to stretch out while Giles explained what he wanted her to do. She didn't hear a word of it. Her thoughts had already faded back to Merrick. She went through the exercises that Giles led her through with a glazed look, but accomplished them perfectly anyway.
A while later, Giles was bent over trying to catch his breath. Pike watched in amusement.
"Uh, yes," Giles said in between gasps, "very, uh, very good. Pike?"
Giles motioned at Buffy who was still very much in her own thoughts. Pike jumped down off the table and took her arm. At his touch, she blinked as though coming to. Their eyes met and a secret message seemed to pass between the two that Giles couldn't decipher. He simply shook his head and headed back to his office, wiping sweat off his brow as he went.
It had grown dark outside when Buffy and Pike made their way out of the library. A light bang caught her attention. She stopped to listen. Pike let go of her shoulder and listened, too. She turned toward the noise and began to walk towards it. A little louder bang sent her into a sprint. Pike ran after her, but fell behind quickly.
Buffy ran straight for the locker rooms and burst through the single door to the women's side. A window at the top of the wall banged shut in time for Buffy to reach the inside. She knew it was too late to try and catch whoever had already left the scene. Pike finally came running in, a little winded. She motioned for him to be quiet and began probing through the locker area. Satisfied with finding nothing, she headed back towards Pike and the two walked out the door and, finally, out of the school.
Outside, someone watched them from the shadows. She grinned evilly and slipped even further into the shadows, fleeing the scene. The Master would be pleased with her knowledge.
The next morning, Buffy was surprised to see an ambulance and a police car sitting outside of Sunnydale High. She watched as two men in white uniforms wheeled someone out on a gurney. She couldn't see who it was because of the sheet that had been draped over the body. She cringed a little inside. Had this been the victim of whatever had escaped out the window last night?
"Oh, erm," Giles started when he saw Buffy enter the library, "good morning, Buffy."
He smiled at her before blowing on his mug of tea. He took a quiet sip and set the cup down on a table.
"Was it a vampire?" Buffy blurted out.
Giles gave her a puzzled look before answering slowly, "I believe so. How did you -"
"I saw something last night. If I had only been a few minutes sooner I could've saved him. Or her. Which was it?"
"Uh, him."
Giles picked the cup back up and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Its not your fault, Buffy," he told her kindly.
"But I was right here," she insisted, backing away from his hand.
Pike strolled in with a sloppy grin on his face as usual. When he saw Buffy looking upset, his face immediately fell.
"Well I'd ask if you were happy to see me, but what happened?" he asked.
"Someone was killed last night. In the locker room," she said quitely.
Pike walked over and embraced her. He held her close, attempting to soothe her. She took a deep breath and pushed him away.
"Just one more to the list," she shrugged.
Angel watched her sitting by herself at lunch. She looked so sad today. He picked up what was left of his own lunch and walked towards her.
"Is this seat taken?" he asked politely.
Buffy's eyes slowly came up to meet his. She sighed, but Angel couldn't detect disgust, so he sat down. He awkwardly leaned forward in an attempt to make himself look more comfortable than he really was. She looked back down at the indescribable mess that was lunch today without a word. Angel glanced back at the others who were gazing curiously in his direction. He waved at them to reassure them; it didn't work, as they continued to stare at the both of them.
"So..." Buffy trailed off, startling him.
"U-um," he stuttered, trying to regain composure. "I just saw you sitting here all by yourself and figured you might like some company."
"Well she's not really alone," a new voice said behind him, "but you're more than welcome to stay."
Buffy shot Pike a look as he sat down on the other side of her.
"I'm Pike," he said, offering a hand to Angel.
"Angel," he replied, cringing a little under the older boy's obvious possession of Buffy.
Pike attempted to make conversation while Buffy sat in a stupor. He didn't know how much longer he could keep covering up her social awkwardness. She had been so cheerful and bright before Merrick had been killed by Lothos in Los Angeles. Now, almost anything could set her off into one of these moods. She needed help that the Watcher's council was definitely not going to acknowledge.
Meanwhile, under an old abandoned church, the woman from the shadows bowed down deep before a grotesque looking vampire.
"Master," she began. "I have great news."
He extended a pale, taloned hand towards her and grinned, almost fatherly.
"Yes?" he asked patiently.
The woman took his hand and stood to meet his gaze.
"The Slayer is here," she exclaimed.
The Master's grin widened. He clapped his hands together and folded them.
"Excellent work, Darla," he beamed.
Darla's smile widened as well when she saw how this news affected him. The smile became a mischevious grin.
"What are we to do with her?" she asked.
"My time is coming," he informed her, as well as the other minions that were in the chamber, "and I have a feeling she will have a role in it all her own."
He sneered and laughed evilly into the cavern. More than slightly afraid to not, his minions joined in with him until the entire church rang with maniacal laughter. The Master silenced abruptly. The minions all slowly did the same nervously. When the Master knew he had their attention, he said, "what are you laughing at?"
FYI: I might only go through the first two episodes for now, just because this is looking like its going to turn into something much larger than I had originally intended. The more reviews I get though, the more likely there will be of more episodes later.
