Tree Hill Slayer
Chapter 6
When Buffy woke up, she was momentarily confused at where she was. It was still dark outside, maybe 4 or 5 in the morning. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and it all came rushing back. First she recalled that she was in Tree Hill and not Sunnydale. Then she remembered Peyton's kindness at letting her move in with her. And finally, she remembered the alcohol.. The boldness of kissing Brooke. It all made her feel a little dizzy. Or maybe that was just the booze.
Still, Buffy was a slayer and being a slayer meant she burned off alocohol much quicker than other people. She was only barely tipsy and she needed to get some fresh air. She went to the front door and turned the door knob. Of course, it wasn't locked. People in Tree Hill were really trusting. Maybe TOO trusting.
The Slayer headed out onto the small suburban street and walked slowly, smelling the late late night, early morning air. It was actually really relaxing to be there. She remembered that the cafe wasn't too far away and she thought about walking past it when she heard a noise behind her. It sounded like someone else walking. But Buffy pushed the sound to the back of her mind. There was no reason to worry. She was in Tree Hill, not Sunnydale.
Buffy kept walking, but after a moment, the footsteps got faster and finally she just had to turn around. And the footsteps stopped. But there, in the darkness, underneath a tree was a man. He smiled at her when she saw him.
"Slayer," he said.
Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
He got a little closer. "You heard me. Slayer. What you are. Chosen one, blablabla."
Buffy walked up closer, wrapped her hand around the guy's throat, pushed him against the tree. "Listen, Buddy," she said, "I don't know who you are and I don't know how you know who I am.. But I'm NOT that girl anymore. I'm not a Slayer. I'm a normal girl."
He put his hands up, and lifted his chin to get some air. "Hey, I'm not here to rile you up or anything. You don't have to cut off my air supply."
She let him go, backed up a step. "You're not a vampire?" She was confused. She felt such weird tinglies around him.
"A demon, technically," he said, and rubbed his throat. "But a GOOD demon. Fighting for justice and all that."
Buffy wanted to just punch the guy, punch him til he couldn't breath again. But it was getting more and more light outside and she knew that if anyone saw her, they would surely be confused. Maybe even call the police. She swalloed. "Who ARE you? Who sent you? Why are you here?"
The man shrugged, stood up straight, dusted off the shoulders of his coat. "Name's Whistler," he said. "No one sent me. And I think you know why I'm here, Slayer."
The blond searched his face for meaning. He was a good looking guy, young, had a bowler had pulled tight onto his head. And yet he was 'technically a demon'. She took a deep breath. "Then what do you want? And can you STOP calling me that. I TOLD you, I'm not..THAT...anymore."
"Sure you are," he said. "You'll always be. As long as you're livin', you'll be THAT. And I know you're trying to start over and all that. But you have to realize it's not that easy! You can't just run away and expect the bads of the world to forget about you. Sooner or later there gonna track you down."
"I changed my name," Buffy said, her voice soft. "I have friends here now."
"So what?" Whistler replied. "You think demons care which season you're usin' as your last name?" He chuckled. "They don't. The hellmouth may be in Sunnydale but there are bads all over this planet. And before long, they're gonna start showing up here. Do you want that for your new friends?"
Buffy licked her lips. "No. I don't. But..." She closed her eyes and started rubbing them. "How long do I have Whistler?"
"I don't know that. No one knows. They could start showin' up today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe a few weeks from now. Months. Who knows? That's the gamble. You're like a beacon for the evils of the world. Once you realize that it's IN you, not just all around you... you'll stop running."
Buffy opened her eyes back up, maybe to argue, or maybe just to accept what he was saying. But he was gone. There was no sign of him anywhere. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to run again. But of course, she couldn't run. That's what he just told her.
So he walked back to Peyton's house, slid back inside the door, and laid back down on the couch. There was nothing to do but wait.
Buffy knew that she shouldn't put Peyton and Brooke in danger. But she wasn't ready to give up on her new life. Not yet. After all, Whistler said it could be a few months before anything showed up.