Disclaimer: Officer! Officer! It's not mine, it belongs to a friend!

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Chapter 13

"I thought you were dead?!"

"If I had a nickel for every time I had that line said to me…," Buffy trailed off and grinned at the dumbstruck expressions on the faces of Cho An and Robin Woods.

She wasn't too surprised. The Scoobies tended to be a tight-knit, insular group by nature. The Sunnydale Potentials had seen Buffy leave the hotel in San Fransisco but they hadn't really been interested in why. She hadn't sent postcards to anyone but Giles, Dawn, Willow, Xander, and one or two random ones to Faith, and they wouldn't talk about that with anyone but themselves. She had had little to no contact with the outside world and absolutely no contact with the new Council. So rumors of her being dead were to be expected.

"Where have you been, Buffy?" Robin was the kind of guy to get straight to the point. His expression was already under control and his question was calm but curious. His and Faith's relationship had never gotten off the ground after Sunnydale. Though they were still good friends, they were simply too different. He had been looking for some kind of permanence and she, at the time, had had itchy feet. He was quite happy now with his position as Principal of the new school.

"I was actually living outside of Hong Kong for a while," Buffy replied in perfect Mandarin much to the surprise of Cho An, "I've been traveling around for a bit lately. I came across Helena being held captive though and decided I should probably return her to you guys. I also have a favor to ask."

"Of course," Cho An found herself immediately falling into a subservient role. She didn't have to, of course. Buffy held no official ranking within the Council, she wasn't even a technical member. She should just be considered another Slayer. But Buffy Summers had never been just another Slayer.

Cho An had never had the problems that the other girls had had with Buffy. For her, the time in Sunnydale had been spent in a haze of confusion and fear. She hadn't even learned the whole story of what had happened there until weeks afterward when she had found someone to translate the story for her. She now knew that the other girls and even the Scoobies had rejected the girl and kicked her out of her home but back then she hadn't known what was going on.

What Cho An did remember though was the sight of Buffy going toe to toe with that first Turok-Han. Cho An knew she was tough now, five years as a Slayer had proved it to her. But she didn't know if she would have been tough enough to last eight years on a Hellmouth with no other Slayers to call on. Cho An and all the other girls received a salary and a place to stay, they were supported in everything they did. She now looked back on the time in Sunnydale in a different light, remembering all of them being stuffed into the Summer's home and Buffy coming home late at night, exhausted from work, and then having to go out and patrol.

She also remembered the last speech Buffy had given before going down into the Hellmouth. She hadn't been able to understand all of it, only pick out a few words, but it hadn't seemed to matter. Buffy had always just had a presence about her and after those few words all of the Potentials, Cho An included, had gotten up and followed her into Hell, literally. And they had won.

So know she didn't even think twice about helping the other Slayer out, it seemed natural. Whatever Buffy needed, Cho An would try her best to do it, if only in thanks for keeping her alive those five years ago.

"I need you to get me a job."

"Eh?"

"I need you to set it up so that I can get a job at the Cleveland Academy."

"Why do you need us to do it?" Cho An was very confused. She wasn't quite sure what she had expected to hear come out of the older Slayer's mouth but this certainly wasn't it.

"You just have to go over there and I'm sure they'll help you out. Willow is Principal there and Rhona is Head Slayer, plus Faith and her team are based there for now. They all know you."

"That's the problem," Buffy explained, smiling slightly. Cho An didn't think she'd ever seen the girl smile before, she had been much more angry and stressed in Sunnydale. Then again, there wasn't much to smile about in Sunnydale. But her smile made her seem much more approachable, as if she were letting the two in on a secret.

"I don't want to be known," she continued, "I need you to set me up with a fake identity and background. Like I was an old Council trained Potential that didn't make it to Sunnydale and you guys found me out here, or something," she waved her hand in the air to explain away the details. "I also need you to quietly alert Willow and the rest that know me out there that I'm coming and that they have to pretend that they don't know me."

"May we ask why, Buffy?" Robin seemed a little confused, but willing to listen.

"Something's going on," her voice was suddenly grim and the smile dropped from her face, "Things are moving out there and I need to figure out who they are and what they want, but to do that I need to be able to move about freely. If I come back out into the open now it might scare them into hiding and I don't want that. I'd rather root them out right now."

"What do you mean? Who's moving?" Robin and Cho An were suddenly more concerned. If this was a global move they needed as much information as possible.

"I don't know who they are yet," Buffy shook her head, "that's why I need more information. But I can tell you this, Helena wasn't the only newly Chosen girl kidnapped lately. I saved one more in Mongolia last week. She hadn't been picked up by the Council yet, so I gave her family the information on where to go."

"Keep an eye on your young ones," she told them, "and get out to the newly Chosen as soon as Willow gives you their locations. Whoever they are, they know our vulnerabilities, so stay alert."

"We'll start switching up our patrol routes and randomizing our training schedules," Cho An agreed, "Do you want us to start beating on some doors?"

"No," Buffy shook her head, "I want to keep all inquiries very discreet. Let them think their getting away with it."

"A trap," Robin stated, getting it.

"Pretty much," Buffy agreed, "But first we need to figure out who they are and stuff and I'm the best person to do that right now. They probably think I'm dead, just like you guys did."

"Yeah," Robin drawled, "sorry about the whole dead thing…again. The gang hasn't exactly been forthcoming on information about you. Everytime anyone asks they just get this vague look on their faces and Xander just gets angry. After so long it was just assumed…"

"No," Buffy smiled again, "I actually don't have a problem with it. I needed some time to figure things out. And now, my being assumed dead is going to help us catch some bad guys, so it's all cool."

"What did you figure out?" Robin, ever the Principal, asked.

"That there's still a lot more for me to do," she said cryptically, "and that I don't have to do it alone."

….

Cleveland Airport, One Week Later

Buffy was reminded of that moment when she'd been bounced around like a pinball in the airport in Hong Kong. The Cleveland Airport was a lot different. Americans were so much more conscious of their personal space than Chinese people, she'd found. Here, she was carefully avoided as people rushed on their way to make their planes. It could also have to do with her appearance. It was so different from theirs. There was a time in her life Buffy would have never have considered going into public like this. Now she didn't think twice, her clothes were really comfortable.

Her jeans and other stuff had long ago worn out and she'd taken to wearing the loose cloth pants and wrap shirts that Master Shin had worn. Her hair she'd let grow pretty long, all the way to her waist, and it was pulled back in its usual French braid. Its blond highlighting had faded and left her with her natural mid to light brown. While it hadn't gotten a second look in China, except the brown hair and white skin, in America it was a bit different. I really need to go shopping, she thought, then laughed at herself a bit. I guess you can take the out of California, but not the California out of the girl. Shaking her head at her silliness, she walked outside to grab a cab.

"Where to, Miss?" At least he speaks English, she grinned.

"The Jenny Calender School for Girls," she answered and gave him the address, settling back in her seat. Just like the Academy in China that Cho An and Robin had run, all of the Slayer schools had ended up being named for people they had lost. The one in England was dedicated to her mother, the one in Africa to Anya, and the one in Rio, to Tara. Buffy thought it a fitting memorial to their lives. Life and hope out of death, it made sense to her. Smiling a little, she gazed out the window and watched the scenery pass by. It was sure to be an interesting day.

"We're here, ma'am," the driver told her an hour later and she go her first look at the place her friends had built. It was a large boarding school, placed in one of Cleveland's older suburbs. The grounds were big enough to be separate from everything and give the place privacy, but not to big. A large brick wall encased the area and Buffy could see the video cameras placed strategically about. They had pulled up to the wrought iron gate and there was a key plate next to her window. She approved of all the added security.

Thanking the driver and tipping him, she had gotten some money from Robin before leaving Shanghai, she grabbed her small bag and stood next to the gate. As the cab drove away she pushed the button on the keypad and heard a beeping sound.

"Can I help you?" Came a professionally smooth voice from the intercom.

"Hello, my name is Anne Montgomery," she spoke at the box, "I'm here from Shanghai to take up the teaching position. Cho An and Mr. Woods were supposed to tell you I was coming."

"Oh yes," there was a harsh buzzing sound and a click as the gate opened, "Please come up to the main building Ms. Montgomery, someone will meet you there."

"Thank you," Buffy pushed open the gate and stepped onto the grounds of the Academy. She couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive. After five years of not seeing any of her friends, she was finally back among them.

...

Author's Note:

To all those people out there who don't like my cliffhanger's, here's another. Hah! There's a reason for cliffhangers. Their supposed to keep you coming back for more (that's why I like them!).

One thing I should deal with. I loved Cho An's character. I don't think she got enough screen time in the show, she seemed really cool to me. So I threw her in here, but I have to admit I don't remember where exactly she came in in the plotline. I tried to go back and find out but all my stuff is still scattered from the move and I can't find my dvd's. They're buried in a box somewhere. So even if she didn't, I'm going to pretend she was there for Buffy's fight with the first Turok-Han and all that stuff. I also don't remember if she spoke Cantonese or Mandarin or something else. If you're some kind of purist, you'll just have to deal. It's call fanfiction for a reason.

Also, all I can say is driving for 12-14 hours for three days gives you a lot of time to plot. You guys are lucky, I have this whole story thought through, multiple times. All I've gotta do is write it out. I also had time to plot out 2 more long stories and multiple short ones, as well as figure out a solution to America's economic problems. Of course, it does involve firing most of the politicians, we've gotta keep a few around for paperwork, and funneling their 6 figure salaries into the General Fund. So somehow I don't see it getting past Congress. For anyone out there who has writer's block, I recommend a road trip across highway 40. There's not much to look at. You have to do something creative to make sure you don't fall asleep.

Omake next update!