Chapter seven
"Well?" Willow asked, expecting Buffy to know exactly what she was referring to. Her friend turned round, her expression revealing she didn't know. They were taking the long way to the Bronze; both enjoying the evening air and the quiet that came with it. Willow wore a cotton dress that matched her red hair to perfection.
"Well what?" Buffy asked.
"What did he say? What's going to happen?" This was met with a less convincing show of ignorance. "Did you flutter your…..did you cry?" Willow persisted relentlessly, warming to the topic.
"Willow!"
"I….I read it somewhere."
"Yeah? What was it 'how to win a man's heart: the old fashioned way' by Jane Austen?"
"Did you say you loved him?" Willow continued unruffled.
The Slayer relented. "I didn't spell it out….well, OK I did, but I mentioned it in passing rather than as a statement," she explained.
"What did he say?"
"He loved me…but in passing…not as a statement."
"That's so sweet," the Wicca wiped a tear.
"Don't get carried away there, Wills. It's not going to happen."
"You'll just have to try harder."
"I'm tired, Willow." She laughed. "And I have some dignity; I gave it my all. I can't open my heart every week."
They reached the doors to the Bronze. A bright and rather violent poster announced it was Punk Night. A small queue of revellers had formed up outside as bouncers checked them for any weapons.
"They remind me of the people you see on postcards from London," Willow observed. "Hey, perhaps Giles will be here….you know, to relive his youth."
"Thanks, Will. Just what I need; an age reference to make me feel better. Besides, he wouldn't be seen dead at a theme night."
"Hi, Giles," Willow greeted the Watcher enthusiastically as he approached the two girls.
Buffy turned round to see Giles, Xander and Anya. Xander was dressed for the part and Anya's hair was sticking up in a spike. Giles looked uncomfortable in blue denim jeans and a tight shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She looked at him: a mixture of sympathy and humour.
"It wasn't my idea," he offered by way of an explanation. "I really don't want to be here."
"Of course you do," Xander encouraged. "Themed nights at the Bronze are always good."
"Yes, and you're old so you'll remember Punk from the first time," Anya innocently rubbed salt into the wound.
"Sad to say, I was a little old for Punk. The early 70s were more my scene, but," he added quickly, "I was young enough."
"Well there you are then," Buffy closed the subject and took him by the arm as they all entered the nondescript doors of the club.
Their ears were assailed as soon as they passed the threshold; a loud wall of music, or a resemblance of instruments being played.
"Err…..this is OK. I mean it's…" Buffy struggled.
"…sort of like Grunge, but without the melody or the Beastie Boys without the subtlety. Don't you agree, Giles?" Willow teased. Buffy glared at her to be met by fluttering eyes from her friend. She sighed and watched Willow walk away laughing.
"Philistines!" They all looked round to see Spike standing behind them. They had just enough time to back out of his way as he charged on to the dance floor and proceeded to join the other revellers jumping in the air, all with their arms straight at their sides, and making special effort it seemed to collide and head butt each other violently.
"You'd think that would hurt," Buffy commented as Spike purposely collided with another guy, sending him off to one side. The victim then returned to the floor and returned the gesture.
"This bouncing is normal, I guess?" Xander asked unsure of the spectacle.
"Oh yes," Anya spoke up. "I remember a Clash concert I attended where a woman wanted vengeance on her boyfriend for sleeping with six of her friends. I made him bounce six feet. He hit the ceiling and cracked his head open. Much blood flowed, which kind of added to the enjoyment if I recall…..What?" She asked when she saw the others looking at her, horror on their faces.
"Do you fancy a bounce?" Willow asked rejoining the group.
"What, and give Xander the satisfaction of watching different parts of me bounce, I think not…and don't deny it hasn't crossed your mind, young man," she directed at the youth next to her.
"Hey," he held up his hands, "I'm a full-blooded male."
"I can vouch for that," Anya offered.
The music changed to No More Heroes by the Stranglers.
"Are you patrolling tonight?" Willow asked.
"No."
"That's three nights in a row," Willow observed. "Hey Giles, can I have time off….with pay, of course."
"We can't all neglect our duty," Anya commented.
"Thank you, Anya," Buffy said. "Say, I think I will bounce. Coming Xander?"
"Will you all stop calling it the Bounce," Spike butted in annoyed. "You make it sound stupid."
"Hold on," Buffy said stopping short of the dance floor. Her eyes followed a tall brooding man leading a girl from the club. She saw rather than heard the obsequious comments he was making towards that evening's quarry. The victim looked up at him with eyes of worship, hanging on every word as though he was her one true love. "I won't be long."
"Where are you going?"
"To destroy some illusions." She pulled a stake from her bag.
"Be careful," Giles said simply as she made to leave.
"Always."
When she was out of earshot, Giles turned to Xander. "Follow her. Make sure she doesn't need help."
The pleasure at being considered worthy out weighed the curiosity the young man felt at being given the task.
Buffy let the club door slam loudly behind her. She stood just outside the entrance and watched the vampire lead his meal to the shadows of the wall opposite. He made to kiss the girl, but Buffy caught the glint of ivory in the weak light of the alley's lamps. "Excuse me," she said.
The demon turned round; its face a vicious mockery of the human it occupied. His eyes went wide and he smiled on realising who had disturbed him. The girl beside him stood held in his vice like grip, terrified.
"Slayer! Superb. You took your time. I thought I was actually going to have to take this one." He meant the girl beside him trying her best to break free.
"Let her go then and I might let you have a taste of me."
"Let her go?" His expression changed to the triumph of evil over innocence. Buffy realised she was too late. He gripped the girl with both hands and broke her neck in one fluid motion that looked as though no effort was required and less thought.
Buffy's heart beat fast as she made to move towards the monster. She stopped short, however, when another figure emerged from the shadows to stand alongside his colleague. He raised a crossbow and aimed it at the Slayer. At that moment Xander joined the scene. Years of fighting the un-dead enabled him to take in the scene straight away. He stood to Buffy's left.
"Xander?" She uttered but without taking her eyes of the bow.
"Giles thought you might need help," he replied by way of an explanation.
"Isn't that sweet," the crossbow wielder commented. "It'll be a shame to kill them. They make such a lovely couple. Perhaps we should just cripple them and they can be given hospital beds next to each other."
"If you're going to kill us, do it quickly. Just don't bore us," the blonde before them uttered contemptuously.
"Err..excuse me," Xander added. "My life has been quite eventful lately, so feel free to bore me all you like."
The vampire levelled the crossbow and pulled its trigger. Buffy caught the bolt with her left hand before it reached Xander's chest, and threw her stake with her right. The crossbow fell to the ground amidst a sprinkling of death dust. The other vampire knew its limits and made a quick exit from the scene. The Slayer gave chase.
"Buffy!"
She turned round eventually at Giles' third shout of her name.
"What? I'm kind of busy here!"
"Busy doing what?"
"Chasing….hunting. Oh shit." She stood still, dwarfed by the warehouses either side. Anyone who didn't know her would say she was lost, out of her depth in the wrong part of town.
"Hey, Buff. How about that dance," Xander offered. He stood a couple of yards behind Giles.
She looked in his direction. "Sorry?"
"We were going to dance. How about it?"
She looked at Giles then back at the younger man. "…no thank you….I…"
"Go on. You can release all that pent up rage with some sexy moves." He gyrated his hips.
Buffy smiled weakly. "Not tonight, Xander."
"I'll let you hold me close…."
"I said no!" She sighed and brought herself into check for his benefit. "It's Punk Rock, Xander," she smiled, changing the tone.
"Give us few minutes, Xander." Giles asked.
Watcher faced pupil. She was nearly 20 feet away but he could make out the fear in her eyes and that her hands were shaking. "That was a neat trick with the crossbow bolt," he said offhandedly.
"You saw that, huh?"
"Yes."
"What about the follow through with the stake?"
"Not bad, although if you'd done it on the run, you'd have made up the distance to the other vampire and stopped him from escaping."
Buffy laughed genuinely. "Yessir. I'll remember that next time." She lost the smile, though and looked away a few seconds before returning her gaze to her guide. "If you hadn't stopped me I'd be out there still hunting it down; letting it get ahead just a little then dragging it down without mercy." She held out her hands; they shook in spasms. "My body wants to go now, regardless to the fact that it'll kill me. My veins itch beneath my skin. A whole week spent avoiding the hunt and I could have gone just like that."
"A week isn't long, Buffy. We'll get through it. You've got a week in New York to wind down, although how anyone can wind down in that city escapes me."
"Stay off coffee, I guess," Buffy suggested. She finally closed the gap between them and put her arm in his. "Giles." He looked down at the girl by his side. "Don't send Xander…or anyone for that matter, to check on me again. I might not catch the next time." He nodded his acceptance.
"When do you fly out?"
"Tomorrow afternoon, and I can't wait."
Giles drove everyone back to his apartment, except Willow, whom they left at the bus station to wait for Tara's arrival on the late bus. They walked into the Watcher's living room, Buffy last. She stopped in the doorway, a little stunned: several balloons were suspended on string, tied to the back of dining chairs, and a small pile of presents, carefully wrapped, lay on the table. She looked at Giles, a pretend dangerous look fooling no one.
"Did you think you could get away with not celebrating your birthday just because you were going to be away?" Xander asked.
"Yes actually."
"Happy 20th birthday, Buffy." Giles handed her a card and a small box. "Open it later."
She looked at him curiously but was shaken out of it by Anya thrusting a larger and softer gift into her hands. She took the package and walked round the table to sit down on the sofa. A dress unravelled itself as Buffy held it by the neck. "It's beautiful, thank you, Anya."
"I know and it fits me as well so you can lend it…..what?" She looked at Xander's pained expression.
"I don't know why you tried to avoid your birthday," Xander stated.
"Every one goes to so much effort, I sometimes wonder whether it's because you all think it might be my last."
"Think yourself lucky you get one at all, I haven't had one for centuries," Anya butted in which quickly changed the mood and allowed everyone to laugh at her expense.
"Pick a day, my love and we'll make it special," Xander soothed. Buffy regarded the clumsy young man, a feeling of strong love for the devotion he had for his girlfriend. They were always making fun at Anya's unfortunate remarks and his self-deprecation, but she realised then that he deserved more than that.
The next present was from Willow. Buffy opened the packaging to reveal a book entitled 'Events of the 70s'. There was a small note in Willow's handwriting that said 'useful research' She laughed. Giles looked over her shoulder and looked at her puzzled. "It's for college," she lied.
The phone rang.
After some moments, Giles turned to face the others, his face pale. Buffy stood up quickly and backed away. "It's not Dawn, is it..or Mum?" She pleaded.
"No," he replied quickly. "No, it's Willow…..he…" Giles gestured to the caller on the phone, "he has her…he wants you to go to him or he'll kill her…."
"Who….Giles what are talking about?…put whoever it is on the speaker."
Giles pressed the button and placed the receiver on the table. Everyone could hear breathing echo from the phone. The caller discerned the change in sound. "Ahh I see I have an audience. Slayer, are you there? I do hope so as I have gone to a lot of trouble here."
"Who is this and where is Willow?"
"Buffy!" Willow cried out from the other end of the line. She then let out an agonising scream.
Xander lunged at the phone. "Willow! If you harm her…." He shouted into the speaker, a frightening rage taking over him that scared Buffy and Anya both.
"Shut up, boy!" The voice shouted back contemptuously spitting out the last word.
Buffy pulled Xander up and gently guided him over to Anya. Keeping a controlled distance away from the receiver she steeled herself. "Whoever you are, if Willow is harmed, I will hunt you down relentlessly, and your painful death will be told to scare children for generations."
The threat was met with cruel laughter. "Hunt me down, but my dear I count on it. I want you to hunt me down. Do your worse, slayer. I know you're on borrowed time; fit to burn out."
"Don't worry, I've got reserves left yet. Even if means you're my last task, believe me I'll go out on a high."
"I love it. This is going to be fun. Before you reach me, however, I have a journey for you to undertake," he revealed menacingly. "Do you remember the Starsky and Hutch episode where one of them had to chase around the city answering telephones to get the next clue to his partner's whereabouts?"
"I'm not that old," she responded, mouthing an apology to Giles. "But I've seen the re-runs. Let me guess, you want me to run around until you deem it appropriate for me to find you."
"Got it in one. The Watcher knows the first location, and come alone or you'll have to carry your friend home." He hung up. Buffy replaced the receiver on its point and faced Giles. He handed her a piece of paper with an address written on it.
"I don't know what to do," he said helplessly.
"Make it go away or make it better," she smiled weakly. Giles saw she was shaking.
"Buffy, what did he mean by 'fit to burn out'?" Xander added disturbing the moment.
Buffy came to her senses. "No time to explain. Xander, you and Anya go to the bus station and meet Tara." She kissed him on the cheek. "Go now."
"But, you might need some help finding…"
"Xander, he said come alone, let's go," Anya pulled her partner to the door. She looked knowingly at Buffy, who returned the gaze, a surprised look on her face, but grateful for her actions never the less.
Watcher and pupil were left alone. "Look after Dawn for me," she asked simply.
"Buffy…"
"Promise."
"I promise….and, Buffy…you and I…..I mean, I think we could…"
She put a hand over his mouth to stop him finishing. "You sweet man." She kissed him affectionately and opened the door to leave.
"Buffy." She turned round. "I never told you how the other slayer died…..the one who overcame the hunt."
"I assumed her watcher killed her." When Giles didn't deny it, she smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders.