THE TOUCH OF YOUR HAND - CHAPTER TWO
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters, much as I wish I did. They belong to Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy, etc. etc.
Notes: At the time I wrote this (12/99) we, the viewers, knew very little about the Initiative program, so I invented my own version - so if there are discrepancies with the canon, that's why.
"We've got a message," Buffy called over her shoulder to Willow, entering their room behind her. Throwing her purse on the bed, she sat down and pressed the "Play Message" button on the answering machine. The recorded time of the message played, then, after a moment of silence, came a strange crackling sound followed by a muffled cry, like someone gasping loudly.
"What was all that?" Willow sat across from her, on her bed.
"I don't know." Buffy frowned. "It reminds me of something, only I can't think what it is."
Willow frowned also. "That cry sounded like someone in pain."
"Yeah, it did." Buffy checked the time. "Ten-fifty-seven. Whoever it was must have hung up just as I walked through the door." She picked up the phone, dialed a familiar number.
"Mom? Are you okay" She listened a moment. "No, I'm sorry I woke you. Someone started to leave a message on our answering machine, but they got cut off. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't you." She listened again. "Okay, sorry. Go back to sleep. I love you."
She hung up but immediately dialed another number. "Giles? Did you just try to call me? No? Must have been someone else, then. Hope I didn't wake you, 'bye." Another number - Xander's - and another negative. Ditto with Anya.
She replaced the phone and looked at Willow questioningly. "Can you think of anyone else to check with?"
Willow started to shake her head, then her eyes grew wide. "Buffy! What if it was Oz?" She wrapped her arms around herself. "What if he's in trouble or - or maybe he's hurt!"
Buffy went over to her friend and put an arm around her shoulders. "Will, there's no reason to believe it was Oz - any more than there is to believe it was . . . Riley. Or, or Parker, for that matter!"
Willow snorted. "Sure, like Parker would call you after that bop on the head you gave him." She managed a smile. "You're right. It couldn't be Oz. He's not even in Sunnydale. He's still off trying to figure out his wolfness quotient."
Buffy gave her a gentle squeeze of sympathy, then sat back and said, "I've had a funny feeling ever since we got back that I should do a sweep of the campus. Want to join me?"
"Sure." Willow brightened. "There's nothing like prowling through the night in search of evil vampires to lift one out of the doldrums."
Buffy stood up. "A sure-fire cure," she agreed, pulling out her bag of vampire weapons from under the bed.
"Here." She tossed a large cross to Willow and got a bottle of holy water for herself, stashing it in the pocket of her coat that didn't have Mr. Pointy in it.
"Ready?"
"Aye-aye, mon capitaine!" Willow snapped off a jaunty salute and they headed out again barely five minutes after entering their room. Once outside Buffy stood motionless for a second, then in obedience to her inner urging turned decisively to the left.
The night was cold and still, the campus unusually quiet. Only distant voices and laughter could be heard. Their footsteps seemed abnormally loud. "It's kind of spooky out," Willow remarked as they walked along.
Buffy glanced at her. "Are you nervous?" she asked.
Willow shrugged. "Not really. I was just making a comment." Then she squinted at the path. "Hey, Buffy, isn't that Riley up ahead?"
Buffy spotted him at the same time. "Yeah, it is."
"I wonder what he's doing out here this time of night?" Willow mused. She cast a sly glance at Buffy. "Maybe he's hoping to run into you."
Buffy smiled. "Nice thought, Will, but I expect the truth is that he and his buddies are playing their war games." This was the story she and Riley had agreed upon to explain their occasional encounters with him when he was wearing his combat gear. Riley had been adamant that Willow not be told about the Initiative; Buffy had reluctantly agreed.
She regarded his distant figure with ambivalence. Her feelings for the tall, good-looking TA had undergone a change since she'd learned about the Initiative. She still liked him - a lot - but she wasn't sure how she felt about his involvement with a military organization. He wasn't simply the good-natured, intelligent young man she'd thought he was. She didn't know what he was anymore, and it confused her. She felt uncertain and awkward around him now.
Willow shook her head. "Men. I just don't understand the fascination they have for playing at being soldiers. Look out!" She held out her cross defensively.
A vampire sprang at them from behind a tree. Buffy whipped out Mr. Pointy and staked the vamp in one smooth motion. She brushed the subsequent dust from her coat and said as they resumed walking, "I know. Why do guys have this compulsion for violent games?"
"Really."
Suddenly Buffy grew alert. "Something's wrong. Come on." They ran the remaining few yards, reaching Riley at the same time as a group of three semi-hysterical female students. Graham accompanied them, looking frazzled.
Buffy glanced at Willow and inclined her head toward the students. Willow nodded assent and immediately began trying to soothe the terrified girls, giving Buffy the opportunity to step aside to confer with Riley and his cohort.
"What happened?" she asked. Graham, like Riley, knew she was the Slayer and, also like Riley, didn't seem to know what to think about it - or about her. Sometimes Buffy thought they regarded her as competition, someone out to rob them of their intended guinea pigs.
"Vampires. Three of them," Graham said tersely. "One got away; Forrest is guarding the other two."
"They're immobilized?" Riley asked.
Graham nodded. "We zapped them good. They're as helpless as baby lambs."
Buffy's lips tightened. She detested the idea of torturing any helpless creature, even vampires, and in her opinion that was exact;u what the Initiative people were doing with their implants and cages. It was only one area on which she and Riley didn't see eye to eye.
She spoke up. "Was anyone hurt?"
"No," Graham said. "We got there in time to prevent injuries, other than a few scratches. They mostly just got a scare."
"That's a relief." Buffy took in a deep breath and let it out again. "Someone needs to escort these girls to safety." As Riley started to say something, she added, "Don't even suggest it. I'm sure Willow won't mind, but I need to make sure there aren't any more vamps around - other than the one that got away, I mean. That 's my job, you know."
It was Riley's turn to tighten his lips. Then he nodded. "Right. Graham, you and Willow make sure the students get home safely. Then go back and help Forrest."
"What about him?" Graham indicated the bushes in back of Riley. Buffy spotted a pair of feet peeking out from under the shrubs and realized that the group had yet another captive vampire. She looked away without comment.
"He'll be fine until reinforcements come. Which reminds me." Riley got a slightly sheepish look on his face. "Call in whoever's on standby. I think it's Bennington and Thomas."
Graham sketched a salute with a faint grin on his lips. "I wondered when you were going to think of that, Boss Man." They all walked over to the girls. Willow had done wonders in calming them, but they were still agitated. Understandably.
"Willow, you and Graham escort these ladies to safety. Buffy and I will contact Security about those men who attacked you."
Willow raised an eyebrow. "Who died and made you boss?"
Riley looked considerably taken aback by the blunt question. Unthinkingly he'd spoken to her as he would to one of his crew, ordering rather than requesting. Buffy didn't bother to hide her amused smile. She took Willow to one side.
"Please, Will. Riley needs to talk to Security and I need to look for the vamp that got away."
"It was vamps, then? I mean, I sort of thought so from what they were saying, but I wasn't sure."
Buffy nodded.
"Well, okay," Willow said grudgingly. "Be careful." With a long, cool look at Riley she turned back to her charges. "Okay, let's get you all home."
"Who were they?" A girl with long brown hair shuddered visibly. "Their faces - "
"Masks," Graham put in smoothly. "They just wanted to scare you more."
"It worked," the girl retorted, wiping tears off her pale face.
"Come on." Willow put her hand on the girl's back and gently urged her forward. "It was just some stupid guys playing stupid guy games." She looked back at Graham. "Come on, soldier boy, let's get them home." They moved off.
Buffy waited a moment then turned to Riley. He gave her a half-smile. "Hi," he said, a bit uncertainly.
"Hi." She smiled back, but with slight reserve. "Fancy meeting you here." All of a sudden the same sensation she'd felt earlier returned - the feeling that someone was close by. She looked around them searchingly, turning in a slow circle.
"Something wrong?" Riley asked her.
"I don't know," she replied absently, still scanning the area. "I just have this feeling that someone's watching me."
Riley inspected their surroundings closely. "I don't see anyone."
"No," Buffy agreed vaguely, then added, almost to herself, "The last time I felt this way was when . . . " Her voice trailed away as she became lost in thought. When she didn't continue Riley asked, "When what?"
"What?" Buffy looked at him blankly.
Riley said in a patient tone, "You said that the last time you felt this way was when . . . ?" He made an encouraging gesture with his hand.
"Oh." She shook her head. "Uh, it's not important." Some day she might tell Riley about Angel, but now wasn't the time, not when their relationship was in such a tentative state.
Riley shrugged. "Okay, if you say so." An awkward silence ensured. After a moment Buffy said briskly, "Well. Guess I'll go hunt vampires. See you tomorrow in class?"
"Tomorrow." Riley nodded. "Uh, Buffy . . . would you like to go to a movie or something tomorrow night?"
"You're not on duty?" she asked. Riley shook his head. "Well, I'll need to check with Giles first, especially after all this vamp activity tonight. Is it okay if I let you know tomorrow?"
Riley made a resigned face. "Sure." Then he drew nearer. "Does Giles always dictate your social life, Buffy?" His voice was soft, his expression one of wanting to make up.
"No," Buffy said quietly, tilting her head back as he came close. "No more than Professor Walsh does yours." Riley stopped short at her mention of the Initiative leader. After a second Buffy continued. "Riley, I have responsibilities I can't ignore. You of all people ought to understand that."
"I do," he told her, coming another step closer. "As you are so subtly pointing out, I have responsibilities as well. What I don't understand is why our duties can't be the same."
"Join the Initiative, you mean?" Buffy shook her head. "I don't think so. I kill vampires, Riley. I don't zap them with stun guns, or put implants in their brains so that they're helpless to feed or even defend themselves, and then cage them like laboratory rats. From me they get death, but it's fast and it's clean."
"I see." Riley looked away. "Well, I'll see you in class then."
As he stepped back a glint of silver on one of his fingers caught Buffy's eye. She glanced at it idly. It was a ring. She looked more closely. It was a claddagh ring. A chill ran up her spine, lifting the hairs on the nape of her neck. Useless to remind herself that there must be several dozens of students on campus wearing similar rings. The ring, along with the feeling she'd had of being watched that she only got when Angel was around . . . she knew.
"Where did you get that?" she asked hoarsely. Riley followed her gaze.
"The claddagh ring?" Riley held up his hand. He motioned behind him with his head. "I took it off him. It probably belonged to one of his kills."
"Oh my God." Buffy's face drained of blood.
"What's wrong?" Riley was completely bewildered.
Buffy shoved past him and threw herself on her knees beside Riley's captive, frantically pushing away the shrubbery to get a look at him. A familiar face came into sight. Her heart stopped.
"Angel," she whispered.