Title: Segue
Summary: What we all need
Warnings: none
Spoilers: BtVS:Shadow
Acknowledgment: As always, my thanks and appreciation to Theo for his many helpful suggestions.
AN: The title of this chapter is taken from "Lean On Me", recorded by The Temptations (and other, lesser groups).
AN2: Seems it's been about eight months since I last updated this story. That's bad, very bad, and I apologize. On the other hand, part 5b should be ready within the next couple of weeks.
Part 5a: Somebody To Lean On
Despite the bandages Riley had carefully wrapped around her, Buffy still winced from the sharp tearing sensation in her side when she was startled by the sound of her mother's approaching footsteps.
Joyce poked her head over Dawn's shoulder. "Are you disinfecting something?" she asked, her nose wrinkling at the sharp and pungent odor of alcohol.
Buffy looked desperately at Riley, who was concentrating on appearing as if he were not concentrating on stealthily hiding the first-aid supplies. "Huh? Oh, uh--"
"Mine! All mine," piped up Dawn. "Cordy had been showing me a trick you could do to-to, ah, to make nail polish extra shiny. But I must have got something wrong." She grinned apologetically. "Nope, I'll never do that again without professional supervision." Dawn made a crossing motion over her heart and looked appropriately regretful.
Joyce's smile was indulgent. "Cordelia's a sweet girl, I'm sure, Dawn, but don't you think you should be hanging out with kids your own age?" Joyce patted Dawn on the arm, gave Buffy and Riley a mother's tolerant but knowing look and left, closing the bedroom door behind her.
A very smug Dawn smirked and bounced on her toes in a tiny victory dance. "Did I just pull a slayer-related mom cover-up thing or what? Come on, who's the man?"
"You are. A very short, annoying man." Buffy gave Dawn a disapproving frown. "And since when have you been hanging out with Cordelia?"
Dawn's happy expression faded back to her more usual sulky, sullen teenager demeanor and she refused to answer.
Buffy sighed. If the monks had had to make Dawn from scratch, why did they have to make her be friends with Cordelia? She sighed again. "If I show you something, you promise you won't tell?"
Dawn's eyes lit with the promise of getting to see something cool. She quickly crossed her heart again and made a zipping motion across her mouth. Buffy lifted the hem of her blouse to reveal the bandages underneath, completely surrounding her midriff. A small blood stain was already beginning to show through.
"Oh, neat!" Buffy's expression darkened. "I mean, gross!. I mean, ouch! What happened? Is it serious?"
Buffy was about to rebuke Dawn for her childish reaction until she saw how genuinely worried Dawn was.
"Mom can not know! Okay? You'll help me with the household stuff?"
"Oh, sure. I save your butt and you dump all your chores on me." Dawn waved off Buffy's look and sat down next to her, their shoulders brushing lightly. "I got it. You're covered. We're good. Just lucky it's not bikini season."
Buffy smiled and reached up to run her fingers through Dawn's hair. Although aware Riley was present, the sound of his seemingly over-loud baritone voice surprised her.
"So Dawn takes household duty. And I'll take tonight's patrol." He packed up the last few items and snapped shut the first-aid kit.
"You don't need to do that, Riley. One night without a patrol, no biggie. I'll just catch them tomorrow."
"It's okay, Buffy, I want to. Really."
"Well," she demurred, "then you shouldn't do it by yourself."
"It'll just be a quick sweep." Riley nodded, but his tone was defensive. "I'll stay out of trouble."
"Hmmm. Do me a favor? Take the gang with?"
"Even nail-polish girl?" Riley cracked a smile to show he was half-kidding.
Buffy appeared to reconsider for a few seconds but her face soon cleared. "Those guys covered for me for a whole summer. Even Cordy. So yeah, her too. Maybe she'll get a splinter and provide some entertainment if it's a light night." Buffy smiled brilliantly. "And don't be afraid to use her as bait."
Riley chuckled along. "Okay. I'll go with the whole group tonight."
Dawn, who had been looking on the whole time, spoke up. "When do I get to patrol?"
"Not until you are never!"
---
"Ouch! Staked with your own stake." Xander shook his head in sympathy as he stopped the car outside the looming cemetery gates. "Man, that's got to be a Buffy first. Is she okay?" He glanced up at Riley's reflection in the rear-view mirror and, though worried about Buffy, couldn't help quirking his lips into a smile at the sight of the lanky man crammed between Tara and Willow.
"Yeah, she'll be fine. In time. She just needs the night off for some R&R."
"But she's okay?" asked a concerned Willow.
"Let me out of here first before I answer that," insisted Riley.
The doors popped open and everyone piled out, Riley last, sliding across the seat and ducking his head before standing and stretching.
Xander led the way to the back of the car. "You figure just this night off? Or longer?"
"It should be longer. Buffy deserves a vacation!" Willow was quite firm.
Riley nodded his head in silent agreement before answering Xander. "I don't know. The penetration was pretty deep, but it didn't hit anything vital and it didn't look like any splinters broke off. You tell me. You know how fast she can recover better than I."
Xander gave it some thought as he unlocked and opened the trunk, revealing two large, black duffel bags. He lifted out one and Riley grabbed the other. "Well, I don't think it's a matter of physical recovery. Will's right, she's got enough to worry about with the latest big bad after Dawn and her mom's illness. And all that on top of the regular slaying. She should have a break. We'll pick up the slack as long as she needs."
"Darn tootin'!" Willow agreed.
"We'll likely get our asses handed to us," sniffed Cordelia. "You all remember how well we didn't do the last time El Buffo took a powder."
Willow made a long face. "That's not fair, Cordelia!"
"Well it's true. You were practically the Three Stooges."
Riley was starting to get a bad feeling about this patrol if these guys were as bad as initial signs were indicating.
"There were four of us, Cordy," corrected Xander.
She nodded her head. "Right. The Three Stooges. And me. And only sixty-percent dusted. Like I said, stooges."
Riley's brow wrinkled while he did the math. If they had been out there all summer, and had a sixty-percent kill ratio, that would make them almost as good as the most experienced squads in the Initiative. Better than most in fact, since they experienced zero casualties. He whistled at the irony that they thought they had done badly. He began to reassess his initial impressions.
Willow's frown cleared quickly when she remembered what she had brought. "But at least we'll be able to put those vamps in their place before they kill us. I really prepared this time, take a look." She pulled out a sheet of paper from her coat pocket and carefully unfolded it, smoothing out the creases as best she could.
"You got a strategy there?" Interested, Riley came over to take a look and stood behind Willow.
"Well...not exactly." Willow fidgeted and seemed embarrassed as Riley started reading over Willow's notes. Riley soon shook his head in disgust and stalked off toward the gates. Maybe his initial impressions were right after all.
"But it's almost as important!" Willow called after him.
"She worked very hard on it," attested Tara. She turned to her girlfriend and patted Willow on the arm. "I think you did a very good job."
Willow leaned over and gave Tara a quick kiss.
Curious, Xander took the sheet from Willow, pulling on his lower lip in concentration as he scanned the notes, while Cordelia read over his shoulder. Unlike Riley, Xander was nodding his head in clear approval. "Yeah, you got some good ones here, Will. A little heavy on the Dirty Harry, but nothing wrong with that."
He made a significant look toward the star-filled sky and flicked the paper about halfway down. "Shouldn't this one be 'Make my night'?
The girls looked at him.
"Uh, uhm, okay, that didn't sound so naughty in my head."
Cordelia snorted. "Says the pervie with a linoleum kink."
Willow and Tara exchanged confused glances as Xander scowled at Cordelia. What once would have been a fond recollection was now just another unpleasant reminder of if-onlys. Cordelia smirked, blissfully unconcerned by any effect her comment had on Xander.
Deciding to ignore her, Xander addressed Willow again. "Yeah, better keep it 'day'." He returned his attention to the sheet and read through the rest of the list. "And we should have more from Monty Python, y'think?"
"Bring out yer dead!" intoned Tara, causing both her and Willow to burst out in a fit of giggles. The Monty Python marathon last weekend at Xander's was still fresh in their minds. Even Cordelia smiled, though she turned slightly so the others couldn't see. Despite herself, she had sat through all the films with the rest of the gang, doing her own fair share of Python renditions.
Then she grimaced when she remembered next weekend was scheduled for a Mel Brooks "festival". She resolved to kill Xander if he followed through on his threat to re-create the campfire scene. She had already thrown away two cans of beans from Xander's cupboard and was keeping a sharp lookout for more.
"And next time let's include something from the Bronson oeuvre. But this is great work, Willow! Maybe you could whip up a database of this stuff, and we could have a fresh set every time we go out?"
Willow smiled her appreciation at Xander and she started thinking about how best she could implement Xander's suggestion.
Waiting over by the gate, Riley looked back in disbelief. "You guys are serious?! This is your big preparation?" he asked, making air-quotes. "A list of 'deadly' quips?" He shook his head, wondering again why he let Buffy convince him to take them along. This was not how an op should run! It was counter to everything he'd been trained for; so unprofessional as to be utterly ridiculous. Cordelia's claim to a sixty-percent kill ratio had to be way off. Way, way, wa-a-ay off.
"Well, someone once said humor was the best weapon," Xander pointed out.
"That's medicine." Riley groaned, not sure why he let himself get side-tracked into these kinds of discussions with Xander. "Humor makes the best medicine."
"Oh. I thought that was sugar."
"That helps the medicine," Tara gently corrected.
Xander's eyes widened and he bobbed his head. "Ah, that would explain a lot." No wonder all those candy bars never seemed to help him got over his colds.
"Well anyways..." Xander shrugged off the subject and walked up to Riley. "No, Riley, that's not our big preparation." He reached and grabbed the duffel from Riley's hand, set it down and unzipped it. "This is." Riley looked hopeful, wondering what kind of weapons they thought would come in handy.
Xander shuffled through the contents and lifted out the first item while still digging around with his other hand. "Lessee, we got two kinds of salsa, hot and mild. Regular chips. Blue corn chips for Cordy--"
"Really? You remembered?"
Xander showed Cordelia the bag, giving it a little shake.
"Thank you!" Cordelia seemed genuinely pleased when she took the chips from Xander.
Riley was dumbstruck by what was going on right before his very eyes. He turned his back on the proceedings to block out the sight of them, but was still unable to keep from hearing them.
"Twinkies for me. Oh, Willow, I stopped at the off-campus store you guys like and picked up some organic muffins." He looked down at the labels. "Banana currant, and poppy seed."
"Thanks , Xand!" Willow gave his arm a squeeze.
Riley slapped his forehead and swore to himself he would never do this again no matter what Buffy said. He liked and respected Xander a lot. He liked Willow and Tara as well and was gaining an appreciation for the potential of their power. Even the new girl, Cordelia, he could begin to see some things to appreciate, especially if those visions proved reliable for pin-pointing future danger.
Xander was still pawing through the bag. "We also got coffee, and hot chocolate, and--"
But this was just too much! Riley snapped, turning abruptly to face his team. "This is a mission, people! There's no chips and salsa on missions! Where's the weapons, where's the--"
"First-aid kit?" During Riley's tirade Xander had reached into to the other duffel and was now waving a largish box bearing a bright red cross on it. While Riley stuttered to a halt, Xander reached back in and pulled out stakes, a hatchet, a short sword, two crosses, and a squirt-bottle of holy water. He began passing the weapons around, meanwhile giving Riley a mischievous grin. He handed the bag to Tara, put his arm around Riley's shoulders and pulled him aside. The girls sorted through the remaining items in the bag, keeping some, and reloading others.
"Look Riley, I know this is probably not how you usually like to operate. It's a little... unorthodox?"
This earned a snort from the ex-Special Ops leader. "Just a little, yeah!"
Xander continued smoothly. "We've been doing this for a lotta years. Me, Cordy and Willow have been fighting vamps since before you knew those nightmares of toothy, bumpy, slimy, scaly things were real. Don't let all this stuff fool you. We really do know what we're doing." Riley started to protest but Xander cut him off and looked up earnestly at the taller man. "Trust me?"
Riley bit his lip and looked very unhappy. He relented with a gusty sigh. "Okay, we'll see how it goes."
Xander grinned. "Good man! You'll see, we'll make a great team." He returned to the girls and they read through the list of quips again as they decided who got which lines.
Riley was still shaking his head as he led the way into the cemetery. They quieted down somewhat after entering but he still flinched with every word spoken and every chip crunched.
"Since at the moment I don't have my mouth or hands full of chips, I'll go ahead and scout around a bit. This is about where Buffy was attacked and the vamp headed off in that direction." He leaped off without waiting for approval. They slowed their pace, watching him go.
Xander paused his munching and watched Riley, awed by how he slipped from shadow to shadow, silent as a ghost. "Look at that," Xander mumbled around a mouth full of chips. "He's so cool! Like the best secret agent-man ever. Darn, I wish I could do that." He reached into the bag Tara was holding and grabbed another handful of chips.
Cordelia had also been watching Riley. She turned to look at Xander and raised her eyebrow inquiringly. "Speaking of linoleum, I thought you had all that army training. Couldn't you, like, fix something in 57 seconds?"
Xander shrugged. "I did, but it's been fading. About all I'm good for now is spit-shining my boots. And it was disassemble an M-16. Now maybe if I had the manual and 57 minutes I could--whoa!" Xander tripped over a stone, all the food in his hands flying. The loud grunt Xander made as he hit the ground, the crunching of all the broken chips, and the resulting laughter from the girls startled Riley, even as far away as he was.
Xander popped up quickly and hurriedly brushed himself off. Cordelia looked derisively at Xander as Tara and Willow tried to stop giggling. "Double-Oh Lame, I presume?"
Xander glared, snatched a chip from her hand, crammed it into his mouth and loudly chomped on it. He turned and ran off after Riley, who had paused his own advance and was crouched behind a large gravestone fifty yards ahead.
Even as Cordelia allowed herself a good laugh at Xander's expense and his childish behavior, she noticed that, while outwardly not as proficient as Riley, he actually moved just as quietly and quickly, taking an even better route with more shadows. The curve of her lips changed subtly and she nodded her head in grudging respect.
When Xander joined up with Riley the girls automatically spread out to watch and cover their flanks. A rustling from the north side of the cemetery made them all hush and duck. The rustling was soon revealed to be a leather-clad, mangy, Ace Frehley wannabe, casually striding over the graves, completely unconcerned with his surroundings. The vampire approached a crypt and carelessly hauled open the heavy iron door, the screeching hinges not bothering him at all. With the door opened the Scoobies heard laughter and yelling from inside, quickly cut off when the door screeched shut.
Cordelia watched Riley and Xander motion to each other with incomprehensible hand signals. They both swiftly crept forward to either side of the crypt and peered into the wire-covered openings. Watching Riley and Xander work together, seeing Riley's obvious competence and professionalism, Cordelia began thinking about some ideas that would help them on future patrols.
Ten minutes later they all rejoined back near the cemetery entrance. "They got a party going on in there?" asked Willow. Even from this distance they could now hear the raucous noise from the crypt as the vampire party apparently kicked into high gear.
Riley nodded grimly. "And we're not crashing this one." He wistfully looked back over his shoulder. "Not without better armament. But it looks like they've got it pretty cozy in there: they'll be around for awhile." Xander nodded his agreement. "We can come back and kill them later, during the day when they're sleeping. Let's try another cemetery."
They loaded back into the car and headed for Hilltop Cemetery. Two fruitless hours later, even after using Cordelia and then Tara as bait, Riley looked severely disappointed. "We may as well go, I don't think we'll be doing much good this night."
Cordelia immediately voiced her approval. "Well, hey, the night's still early. Let's go to the Bronze." It had been a chilly night and, even with the hot chocolate and the extra layers they wore, all of them were beginning to feel the effects. Tara vigorously nodded her head, and Willow also seemed inclined to agree though she would continue if they wanted to.
"All right then. Bronze it is." Xander retrieved the duffels and they headed back toward the car.
---
Xander parked a block away and they trooped through the alley leading to the Bronze. Every now and then the alley lit up as the doors opened to let someone in or out, each time the light was accompanied by a blast of noise.
Riley began to hang back as they approached. "Why don't you guys go on without me. I'm not really in a party mood. And I want to check on something."
Xander stayed beside Riley while the girls went on ahead. "You sure, man? I know it might not have looked like it tonight, but we really do know what we're doing."
"Yeah, I know. Kinda." Riley smiled. "Sure is hard to tell sometimes."
Xander returned his smile. "It has the vamps fooled, but I hear you." Xander dropped the smile. "Now, desperado, you're not about to ride off and do anything lone-wolfish and stupid, right?"
"Promise." Riley stood ram-rod straight and all but saluted. "After I check on Buffy there's some weaponry I want to track down, and then it's sack time. I want to be rested when we give those vamps a wake-up call they'll never remember."
Xander gave him a hard look.
"I swear," Riley promised, "I'll meet you at Giles' shop tomorrow and we can go after the nest in the morning, armed for bear." Xander's face settled into a relaxed and satisfied expression. Riley turned to leave, then stopped and called over his shoulder. "And sans salsa, please."
Xander, who also had started on his way back to the Bronze, looked supremely offended. "Hell yeah! Who wants salsa in the morning? That's just yuck. It'll be Fruit Loops for us!" He laughed when Riley threw up his hands and looked heavenward for help.
With an exaggerated, aggrieved head shake, Riley turned and started walking back down the alley, flinging his arms as though washing his hands of the whole matter. Xander, still chuckling, rejoined Willow, Tara, and Cordelia just as they were entering the club. Cordelia looked up at Xander's approach, noting the lack of Riley. Over Xander's shoulder she saw Riley transit a pool of streetlight back near the alley entrance. "Where's tall, dumb and dangerous going?"
"Be nice to my friends, Cordy. I have so very few of them," Xander scolded her lightly.
Cordelia shrugged and desisted from anymore comments.
Cordelia, Xander, Willow and Tara entered the Bronze and stopped just inside the entrance to take a moment and adjust to the noise and light. They edged their way further into the crowd while scanning for a free table or at least a space they could all fit in.
Xander let Tara and Willow move ahead before he shouted above the noise, just loud enough only Cordelia would hear. "He's says he's going to check on Buffy. And then he's just going home early. We'll meet tomorrow to deal with the vamps."
Cordelia had to raise her voice to answer him. "Well that's going to be difficult, because there's our fearless slayer right now." Cordelia pointed to a blond sitting alone at the bar, her back to them. Xander squinted but the woman didn't turn her head and he couldn't be certain from this angle.
When Xander turned to Cordelia to express his doubts he saw that Willow and Tara had snagged an empty table and were waving frantically at Cordelia and Xander to follow. Xander returned their wave and nodded his head before looking back at the bar. "How can you tell?"
Cordelia looked offended. "Oh, please. I'd recognize that color of hair-dye anywhere. Are you saying Riley didn't know she was here?"
"Didn't sound like it."
Cordelia shifted to face Xander. "Is there something going on with them?"
Surprised by the question, Xander quickly said, "Dunno." He'd promised Riley he wouldn't tell Buffy about Sandy, and figured he shouldn't tell anyone else either. He pointed across the club. "Hey, Willow and Tara found a table, let's go sit!" He took a couple of steps before he realized Cordelia wasn't following.
Xander sighed and came back. "Okay, look, Buffy's not saying anything to me, and Riley isn't saying much more, but I think they're in a kinda rough spot. Riley did say something once and..." Xander was chagrined and Cordelia looked at him inquisitively. "And maybe I'm talking too much. They have some stuff to work out." He peered at Buffy. "Maybe I should try talking to her again?"
"And you're what? The voice of experience with successful relationships?" Cordelia scoffed.
A hurt look flashed across Xander's face but quickly passed. His expression became serious. "I'm their friend, Cordy. Both of them." Xander checked to verify Willow and Tara were still at the table.
"And I'm not?" Cordelia's question caused Xander's head to snap back. He stared at Cordelia and she nodded her head once. "Okay, I'm not. But I still care. And you are too close to the situation."
"And you're a fair and dis-interested observer, with sage advice to dispense?" Xander asked in airy and faintly mocking tones.
Cordelia smiled and patted him on the arm. "It's good we understand each other so well. Now go save me a spot and order a fancy de-caf drink for me, not too sweet."
Xander hesitated, pursing his lips. Cordelia noticed he hadn't left yet and she made a brushing motion with her hands. "Shoo, Xander, I've got work to do." She turned about and marched over to the bar. Xander watched her momentarily disappear into the crowd before he went to join Willow and Tara. A waitress was already there and he added his and Cordelia's order.
---
"Buffy."
Buffy's eyes widened before she turned to acknowledge the intruder. She scowled at Cordelia for a second and returned to her coffee drink.
The barista approached Cordelia to take her order but was impatiently waved off as Cordelia sat down without being invited.
Buffy let the silence drag on for a few minutes before she asked, "Where's Xander?"
"I'm not his keeper," Cordelia responded archly, "but if you must know, he's over there with Willow and Tara."
Buffy glanced around in the direction Cordelia had pointed. Neither girl said anything more for several long moments.
"Riley's fine, too, by the way, but he decided not to join us tonight--seemed wound a little too tight to enjoy our apres-slay relaxation." Cordelia didn't bother to mention Xander's speculation about his destination.
The mention of her boyfriend's name seemed to jar Buffy out of whatever funk she was preoccupied by. "He's alright? Patrol went okay?"
"Thanks for asking. Yes, he's good." The tenseness in Buffy's posture eased slightly. "We're all good; no one got hurt." She shrugged. "Neither did any vamps. Xander did slay a bag of chips, so that's something. But your friend had a bunch of home-boys back at the crypt. The odds were not in our favor and, with surprising intelligence I must say, Riley and Xander decided we should wait till the sun was on our side before we took out the nest."
Buffy smiled quickly but made no other response. Cordelia continued to stare at her.
"Can I give you some advice?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "This ought to be good. What, Dear Abby, should I spank this time?"
Cordelia pointedly ignored Buffy's jibe. "You know, I'm not the type to second-guess myself, and I make no apologies for my behavior. Ever. But that doesn't mean I don't have a few regrets."
Despite herself, Buffy's curiosity was piqued and she looked up at the taller girl beside her. "Really? Such as?"
"I sometimes wonder if it would have made a difference if..." Cordelia took a breath, "if I'd ever told him how I felt about him, back then."
"Huh?" Buffy's brow wrinkled in confusion.
Cordelia inclined her head back to where Xander was sitting and chatting with Willow and Tara. "Xander. Oh, don't get me wrong. He was the chief engineer in that romantic train wreck, no doubt at all." Cordelia looked down at the bar in front of her. "But still... would it have made any difference if he knew what I told you that night?"
"And this has what to do with anything advice-y? Pretend I might actually care."
Buffy noticed Cordelia make a visible effort to restrain herself. After she calmed down, Cordelia continued. "I don't like him much, but even I can tell he's in love with you. He's an easy read and I know where he stands. I'll bet he'd sacrifice almost anything for you. But have you figured out how you feel about him yet? Have you ever really told him?"
Buffy was incredulous. "Xander?!"
"Riley!" Cordelia shook her head. "Wow, being the slayer certainly doesn't improve you perceptive skills much, does it?"
Buffy's glare was almost enough to make her flinch. "Riley is a) mine, and b) none of your business!"
"Oh, I'll admit he's pretty salty--in a corn-bread kind of way--but he's not really my type. And anyway, I don't poach, even someone who's about to fly the coop."
"Fly the--? Riley's not going anywhere. I'd know."
"Would you? Doesn't seem to me like he's around much, considering he has nothing else to do but be with you. Seems to me you've been letting him stand out in the cold." A note of sympathy crept into to Cordelia's voice. "Look, Buffy, if you don't love him, then fine, maybe it's time to let him go. But don't let him dangle."
Buffy shifted in her seat. "Riley takes care of himself. And I have to take care of Mom and Dawn. With that, and everything else, I don't have spare time just to hold hands and go on silly picnics with him. And as you reminded me, I am the slayer. I'm the one who has to be out there, every night, saving everyone's butts. I'm the one who has to be on top of everything, all the time. So excuse me if I forget to keep my boyfriend in the loop, or he isn't getting all the attention he wants. I've got more than enough crap to deal with already."
Cordelia blinked. She swiveled on her stool to face Buffy. "Yep, you're the slayer, the point of the sword. You've got the calling and the responsibility. But what are you first? Buffy Summers? Or the slayer? Either way, how did you last this long? One of the longest living slayers in the last hundred years, according to Giles."
Cordelia abruptly got up and leaned in, putting her face inches from Buffy's. "Let me give you a hint: it wasn't by yourself. Whether or not you care to admit it, you got this far because of the rest of us. Even me. So don't keep whining your it's-just-me-against-the-world song, because it's way off-key. We're all here fighting right along-side you. Our choice. We--and I include Riley--are here to help you. But that only works if you let us. We're ready. Riley is ready. If you care at all about him don't shut him out."
Cordelia spun around and walked off in a dark mood. She suspected most of what she had just said had gone to waste, but she hoped Buffy at least got a bit of a wake-up call. Well, whatever, she'd done what she could. Cordelia saw Xander waving to her and her mood improved considerably.
---
Buffy's head was down as she walked home, still fuming over her rather one-sided conversation with Cordelia. She had learned to appreciate--or at least tolerate--Cordelia's forthrightness, But who was Cordelia to tell her how to figure out her life?! Cordelia had no idea how much was crashing down on her from all sides.
Cordelia couldn't know the helplessness which threatened to overwhelm her at every moment, how helpless she felt trying to protect her sister from a foe who had brushed her off like pocket lint, how helpless she felt trying to save her mom from something she couldn't even see, much less fight. She laughed bitterly. How could they even think they could help her against any of that when she, The Slayer, couldn't even stop an ordinary vamp.
Buffy felt as if that slayerness had been the only thing keeping her going through it all. She had clung to it like a shield, using it to fend off the helplessness and vulnerability. Because the slayer had indeed bested every enemy, demon and apocalypse so far, giving her an innate sense of confidence that somehow, someway, she would succeed in the end.
So not Riley, not her friends, not even Giles, could understand what that vampire had really done to her. They couldn't understand how an ordinary vamp, when it had succeeded in staking her, had succeeded in puncturing more than skin. It had broken through the shield of her slayer confidence. They couldn't understand how she was now drowning in feelings of vulnerability and mortality she hadn't felt the like of since the Master had killed her. How dare Cordelia accuse her of not letting anyone in, letting anyone help, when they could never understand!
And how dare she be told how to deal with Riley. She knew how to deal with Riley on her own, thank you very much. Nobody knew him better then her, especially not Cordelia. If there was one thing Buffy could count on about Riley was that he always could be counted on. He was good that way.
Her head was still down as she turned up the walk to her house and fished the keys out of her purse.
"Hi."
Buffy was so focused on earlier events that night she hadn't noticed anyone sitting on the porch swing. Though he had spoken softly it still made her gasp, jump and drop the keys.
"R-R-Riley! Wh-what are you doing? I mean, here?"
"Waiting for you."
Riley slowly levered himself off the swing. Buffy stared dumbly as he approached her before she realized her open hand was empty. She avoided his gaze while she looked for her keys. Riley's voice floated down from above. "I thought you would be here resting and I came by to see if I could do anything for you." He reached down and easily swept up the keys and dropped them into her hand. "Or get anything for you."
"Oh." Buffy was flustered as she went to unlock the door. Her first try at putting the key in the lock missed and she tried again.
"Where were you?" Riley asked from the threshold as she stepped into the house and threw her purse on the table by the entrance.
"I-I was out for a walk." Her arm waved about, vaguely indicating the outside.
"A new kind of therapy for gaping gut wounds?" The note of sarcasm that had crept into his voice belied the smile he wore.
"Riley--" She tried to hide her embarrassment behind the genuine anger she was still feeling.
Riley's expression cleared and he waved her to stop. "Listen, Buffy, I think we need to talk about some things. But now is not that time."
Buffy noticed Riley was still in the entranceway and had not allowed the door to close. "What stuff? When?"
"Come with me." Riley stepped back from blocking the doorway, leaving the opening clear.
She anxiously glanced up the staircase. "But I need to see my mom..."
"Then you need to come with me."
"What? But Dawn--"
"Is with your mom. Come with me. Please?"
Buffy started to shrug her coat back on then stopped. "I'm not going anywhere, Riley, not until you till me what's going on!"
Realizing she wouldn't budge without an explanation, Riley sighed in frustration, both at the necessity to take valuable time to explain as well as the need to explain anything at all before she would trust him. "As I said, I came here to see if you needed me for anything. When I arrived your mom was packing. She wouldn't give me the details, but she said she had to go to the hospital. 'More tests and observations' were her exact words. You weren't answering the phone. Not even when I tried. So I took them both and promised to come back and find you. Behold my success."
Buffy stopped listening after the word 'hospital'. "Hospital?!" she demanded. "And you didn't think to mention that first?!"
Tight-lipped, Riley worked his jaw back and forth and then clenched his teeth together. Speaking with icy calmness he said, "She's in no danger. But you're right. I'm sorry. We can be there in ten minutes."
They made the trip in complete silence, Buffy not asking anything, sitting rigidly and staring out the window. Halfway into the drive Riley moved to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but stopped when she glanced at it like it was a threatening cobra. He pulled back and they finished the trip in silence.
---
"So what's a CAT scan?" Dawn looked up at Buffy to see if she had an answer.
"I don't know. It's some kind of..." Buffy shook her head and shrugged, then failed to stifle a yawn. They had been there all night and she had not slept at all.
"Computed axial tomography."
Dawn turned to Riley, who was casually flipping through a Sports Illustrated article about some Super Bowl played many years ago. She tilted her head, her expression clearly indicating he had not made it any more clear. "It's a robot with a tomahawk-axe thingy?"
Riley tossed the magazine aside and chuckled. "No, nothing like that. It's like an x-ray on steroids. It just takes very detailed pictures of the inside. Better than a plain x-ray, that's all." He looked up at the ceiling for a second. "I guess you could say it's like an axe, taking slices of the body. But only picture slices. No harm done." He smiled to try and reassure the youngest Summers.
Buffy looked anxiously from her watch to the clock on the wall to Dawn to Riley and repeated the cycle. "You have to go to school now, Dawn."
Dawn was surprised. "What?! At a time like this? No way, Buffy. I'm staying."
"No. You're not." There was a firm yet brittle quality to Buffy's voice. "There's nothing you can do and there's no knowing how long we'll have to wait. Your grades have been slipping--"
"Well, duh, look what's going on around here. I want to know what's happening with mom."
"You could take my cell phone and Buffy can call you when there's news," offered Riley. He could tell Buffy was near the edge, and squabbling with her sibling would not do anyone any good.
Buffy gave Riley a grateful look and jumped at the opportunity. "Yeah. You'll know the minute I know. That's a plan."
Dawn set her hands on her hips. "They don't allow cell phones in school," she grated.
Riley said, "Put it in silent mode and check for messages between classes. Nobody will be the wiser. C'mon short stuff, I'll treat you to breakfast first." Riley unfolded himself from the low seat and waited with an open inviting posture.
Dawn briefly considered putting up a better fight; one against two were odds that didn't faze her one bit. But the haggard and drawn look on Buffy's face finally convinced her. In Dawn's opinion, her sister seemed to be taking on much more responsibility than needed and, aside from boring and menial tasks, wasn't allowing anyone to help her. It was starting to show. Dawn couldn't understand why Buffy was being so stubborn.
Buffy again looked at Riley gratefully as Dawn reluctantly untangled herself from Buffy and stood next to Riley. Buffy also stood up and gave Riley a quick peck and sat back down, drumming her fingers on the arm of the seat, already putting them out of mind. Riley watched her for a moment longer and turned to leave with Dawn.
"Why does Buffy make me go?" Dawn asked when they were well on their way, "I'm worried about mom, too!"
"I think she just needs some alone time to, y'know, deal. She's got a lot of responsibilities and that includes protecting you. Part of that is making sure you don't flunk out."
Riley had gone along with the decision to keep Dawn from the knowledge of her supposed creation. The information was only logical, just a factoid, like knowing how to tie your shoe. Although the reason for Dawn's existence didn't provoke a gut-level response in him, the fact of her existence did. Dawn was Buffy's mostly lovable, always irritating, brat kid sister, real in every way that mattered. Simple as that.
But Riley understood it would be different for Dawn. She was at a very awkward and sensitive stage. Her life was already freaky and stressful enough. Adding doubt to her origins would serve no purpose. As Xander had said, it was easy for them to treat her normally; it just felt right and natural. She was family, and her well-being was just as important to him as Buffy's. Like Buffy, he also would do whatever it took to protect her.
"Yes, dad," snapped Dawn. Riley glared sharply at her. "Sorry. But going to school today is pointless. How can I learn anything when I'm so worried?"
The kid's got a good point, Riley had to admit. He suddenly smiled. "Who said we'd actually go? Let's get a bite and then we can play some hooky."
Dawn was astonished. "Goody-two-shoes Finn playing hooky?" She gave him a sharp nudge with her elbow and returned his mischievous smile.
Riley feigned indignant righteousness. "Hey, I'm an original anarchist!"
Dawn's response was a baleful stare.
He gave in and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her along. "Despite appearances, I've do have a bit of rebel in me. Your sister showed me that."
---
"What are you doing here, Xander?" Giles asked when he noticed Xander arrive with Cordelia.
"I'm supposed to meet up with Riley and take care of a vamp nest we found last night."
Giles face puckered in worry. "You went patrolling last night with Riley?"
"Yup. We found the vamp that stuck her, but he had too many friends with. We're going to take care of it today."
Giles was relieved to know Buffy's friends had learned the better part of valor sometimes meant turning tail and coming back to fight another day. His expression cleared and he returned to checking on some orders before opening the store for the day. Cordelia hung up her coat and went down to the basement storeroom to get some restocked items that needed to be put on display. Xander poured himself a cup of coffee and settled in to wait for Riley.
After awhile Giles looked up from his work. "Has anyone heard from Buffy today, how she's doing? Any news on Joyce?"
"Nuh uh. But strangely enough, we did see her at the Bronze last night. She left after speaking with Cordy. Riley was supposed to check on her, but I haven't heard anything since. Ask him when he gets here."
Giles closed up the ledger book, removed his glasses and began polishing them as he slowly came out from behind the counter. "And when will that be?"
"That's a very good question, and I'm darn glad you asked."
Giles carefully placed his glasses back on his nose and looked at Xander expectantly. "And the very good answer is?"
Xander grinned. "I don't know. But I'm still glad you asked. Means I didn't have to." He laughed as Giles rolled his eyes and went to go downstairs to help Cordelia.
---
Riley and Dawn meandered slowly through the park, heading in the general direction of the carousel which they could hear in the distance. Dawn had her arms crossed tightly across her body, taking quick tiny steps to match Riley's slower longer stride.
"You can take me back to school in a little while, I don't want to be a drag. I'm sure you have more important things to do than babysit the kid." Dawn tried to make 'kid' sound as sarcastic as possible.
"This is not a chore, Dawn. For a kid sister you're pretty cool." Walking in the late autumn sun filtering through the trees this morning, skin turning alternately cool and warm as they passed into and out of shade, Riley was able to forget all the real issues plaguing him. "This is actually kinda...nice."
Dawn pouted. "Well, Buffy acts I'm a burden. She's always on my case: do this, don't do that, don't stay out late. She's acting more like mom than mom is."
As they spoke they passed a bench with a homeless person lying on it, just rousing himself from sleep, pulling out crumpled newspaper from under his coat. Dawn noticed with interest because one of the side-effects of Sunnydale's less savory night-life was a general absence of homeless people out during the night. Either this guy was really messed up, or very, very lucky, or most likely a bit of both.
She frowned when the man suddenly locked eyes with her as she passed. His eyes grew wide, the whites showing all around, and he pointed at her and jabbered incoherently. Then he grabbed his head and began mumbling something about 'not being there' before he fearfully cringed away.
Dawn looked more frightened than Riley had ever seen her before. He shoved the man aside and quickly hustled her past. They were well away when he finally stopped dragging Dawn by the arm.
"You okay?" He looked back to make sure the man was not in sight anymore. "He's just some nutcase. Don't bother with anything he says."
"I'm okay. Really." Dawn had calmed down quickly but still looked shaken by the man's reaction to her. "Thanks for breakfast, but I think I would like to go back to school after all. Maybe doing something normal will help make me feel like things are, well... " she rolled her shoulders in an uncertain shrug, "normal?"
Riley nodded his head. "Won't you need a note or something to get back into school?"
"That won't be a problem. I've been forging mom's signature since sixth grade."
Riley laughed. "You're scary, Dawn, you know that?"
---
"You're late," stated Xander.
Riley was contrite. "Sorry. The time got away from me." As penance he held up a small, heavily laden backpack. Curious, Xander opened the flap and looked in to see three ugly green cylinders.
Xander grinned broadly. "Sweet! Incendiary flame-y goodness?"
"Nothing but the best for our friends." Riley closed the pack and slung it back over his shoulder.
"Well then, let's go have us a vamp-a-que."
"Do be careful!" called out Giles.
Riley and Xander waved as they left the shop, letting the door slam shut in their wake.
Though he was reasonably proficient with a gun, Giles still had reservations about the use of modern weaponry against legendary beings and tended to be overly nervous around them. All too often they let you forget how vulnerable you really were, and almost as often only pissed off the demon rather than doing much real damage. While Giles admitted there could be a time and place for guns and such, he firmly believed the old ways were usually best.
"What was that?" Cordelia asked, a little breathless from the trudge up the stairs.
"Oh, just Xander and Riley. Riley has acquired some incendiary devices and they're going after that nest of vampires." Though he fervently hoped Xander and Riley knew what they were doing, and expected Riley would be okay, he chuckled lightly. "I wager Xander will likely get his eyebrows burnt off."
Cordelia looked at the door through which Xander and Riley had just left. She remembered last night and how well Xander had moved when necessity called for it. "I'll take that bet."
"Really?" Giles was genuinely shocked.
Cordelia's nod was decisive. "Um hmm. I win, you make me coffee for the next month. You win, I make yours."
At first, given Cordelia's interesting notion of how to make coffee, Giles was loath to take her up on the deal. But he decided that with the proper tutoring he was sure he could get her to make something drinkable. "You're on!" They shook hands and proceeded with their day.
---
"Hail the warrior's triumphant return!" Xander called out merrily.
Seeing no-one else arrive behind him, Cordelia assumed an exaggerated and mocking look of disappointment. "Where?" asked Cordelia as she came up to greet him, peering over his shoulder for a so-called warrior. Xander wisely made no more comment and continued into the shop and leaned on the counter.
Cordelia followed him and gave a silent and careful appraisal, causing Xander to shift uncomfortably when he saw how close she was getting. Her head was cocked to one side as she inspected him. She came closer yet, even taking a whiff of his... eyebrows? Confused, he looked at her and began to edge back. "Something wrong, Cordy? The soap go out of warranty?"
Cordelia stepped back and smirked at Giles. "No, nothing's wrong." She gave Xander a wink and the flash of a bright smile and walked off lightly. Xander was further confused when she passed by Giles and said, "I like mine with non-fat milk and a teaspoon of sugar, Mr. Coffee. One cup in the morning, the other after lunch."
Giles sighed and appeared mildly disappointed. He brought his attention back to Xander. "Where's Riley?"
"Oh, he went to the hospital to find Buffy." Xander noticed Tara at the back table, books spread around her. He strolled over to see what she was studying. "Checking up on our latest meanie?" he asked, picking up a book and inspecting the title.
"In a way. I'm looking into the history of the Key, what exactly is it, how it was created, how it's used. The monk said the Key is used to open portals, But if Dawn is fully human, then how can she be used to do something like that? Maybe if we know more about that we can figure out how 'The Beast' Buffy fought intends to use it."
"And help us figure out the best way to defend Dawn. Sounds like a plan. I have a little time before I have to get back to work, how can I help?"
Tara pointed to one of the stacks. Xander picked up the top book, dropped into a seat, and started reading.
---
The customer, a young woman, looked around the shop disdainfully as Giles rang up her purchase. She gave a perfunctory "thank you" as Giles returned her card and put the items in a bag. Nevertheless, and despite her rudeness, Giles' eyes followed her, noting how the tight dress and high-heels emphasized the sway of her hips as she strutted away with mincing steps.
He was still staring at the closed door when Cordelia nudged him sharply. "She's half your age, Giles. Put your eyes back in your head before they get stepped on," Cordelia teasingly admonished him. But despite the teasing tone, Cordelia shuddered. Just the thought of someone as ancient as Giles and... Ick. Just ick.
Giles sputtered. "W-w-well, she is attractive, in a rather cheap and common way, but still..." Giles eyes unfocused for a another moment.
"Oh, please! Cordelia sneered, "They're fake. And lopsided. Top and bottom."
"Err, well, I, uh... I hadn't noticed." Giles sniffed and went to assist another customer.
After he left, Cordelia contemplated the door. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something almost malevolently familiar about that woman. Nothing came to her after several frustrating seconds and, irritated by the distraction, she shook it off.
Mere seconds later Buffy came busting in. "Who was that?" she demanded.
"Who was who?" asked Giles, coming over after breaking away from his customer. "The woman that just left." Buffy was breathing hard and extremely agitated.
"She was just a customer, Buffy."
"No, she couldn't have been! That was her! What did she do? What did she want?"
"Her?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "The one I fought. Y'know, the one the monk called 'The Beast'."
Giles stared at Buffy as a horrified expression came over him. He hurriedly went back to the register and dug out the receipts. Returning to the back table where Buffy had joined Tara and Willow, he laid down the register receipt but continued to stare at the credit card imprint, his expression showing some puzzlement. "She has only one name. Glory." He pulled off his glasses and chewed gently on the temple. "What an odd name."
"Not 'Glory The Hell Beast Who's After My Sister'?" snapped Buffy.
Giles looked again. "No, no. Just 'Glory'."
"Well that's her. I'm sure of it. And whatever you just sold her she's up to nothing but badness."
Willow read through the receipt, reciting each item aloud. "I'm sure you're right, Buffy. But I don't know, they seem harmless enough."
"There's got to be something there. We have to know what she intends to do." Buffy was a little calmer, but not much.
Willow tried to be reassuring. "It's going to be okay, Buffy, we'll hit the books, we'll figure it out." Tara nodded vigorously as they set aside their schoolwork.
Buffy bobbed her head, trying to think of all the possibilities. She glanced down at her watch. "School's almost out. Have you guys seen Riley?"
Giles answered from behind her. "He was here for a few minutes this morning, then left with Xander. He wasn't with Xander when he came back so I assumed he was with you."
Buffy shook her head and muttered, "No. He's never around when you need him." More loudly this time Buffy addressed everyone. "Okay, then I've got to get Dawn myself. We'll come back here. I need answers, guys. We have to know what this 'Glory' is up to."
She left without waiting for an answer.
For once they lucked out and were able to quickly piece together the purpose of the ingredients. It turned out there were three kinds of spells or incantations which used the particular set of ingredients purchased by Glory. One they were able to eliminate immediately since it seemed to be used to help control cantankerous draft animals.
They had some trouble figuring out which of the other two it could be. One was a spell to enlarge the size of some types of animals, the second to enhance certain aspects of a split personality while suppressing others. The former sounded much more likely and they proceeded on that assumption. They checked on the weapons readily available in Giles' shop, which were plenty, and waited for Buffy and Dawn to return.
---
"What have you got for me?" demanded Buffy the moment she entered the store, Dawn and Riley trailing behind her. After she had picked up Dawn at school, Buffy had found Riley at the hospital with her mother.
Willow shuffled her notes around and held up a pad, taking it back before Buffy could read anything. "Well, we think we have two possibilities. We're just not sure which one it is."
"This Glory is trying to create Dogzilla. Or a snake monster," said Xander, who had stopped by after work but was too late to actually be much help.
"Or she wants to bring out and strengthen some aspect of a multiple personality," added Tara.
"We think it's most likely to the monster," said Giles, "but, aside from general destruction--which she seems to be already quite proficient at, we don't understand why." Giles shrugged, took out a handkerchief and cleaned his glasses. "And the other, well, we just d--"
The front window crashed in, a shower of glass covering the front area of the store. Everyone spun about to look and, for a moment, saw nothing. They jumped when the creature, a large snake-like being bearing some type of odd prehensile forelimbs, slithered over the shards of glass as if gliding on ice.
"Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" moaned Xander.
Buffy recovered first from her shock and charged at the enormous reptilian demon. She leaped up for a flying kick and was surprised to find herself off-balance and spinning past the demon when she had missed. The snake had weaved to the side and easily batted her into a tall and heavy display case. Stunned by the impact Buffy wasn't prepared when the case crashed down on her and she blacked out for a moment.
When Buffy had began her attack Riley cast about for some kind of weapon. He grabbed a broadsword and ran at the snake. He was swept aside with an indifferent swipe, sliding across the floor and ending up in a heap against the sales counter.
Buffy soon regained consciousness but was pinned under the debris of the wrecked display case. She struggled to move out from under but, still weak and woozy from the attack, found it slow and difficult going.
With contemptuous ease and slowness the demon advanced toward the remainder of the group, weaving from side it side as if herding them together, it's slitted eyes darting back and forth. Xander wanted to do something but his muscles had frozen and he also felt himself being held tightly from behind, preventing him from doing anything anyway.
The demon's eyes suddenly locked on Dawn. It hissed as it's tongue flickered out and waved about, tasting the air. Dawn had never felt so helpless in her life when the snake seemed to stare not just at her but into her, able to see to the core of her very being. Something horrible stirred and twisted inside Dawn and she screamed. The clear nictating membrane flicked over the demon's eyes and it pulled back for a different perspective.
Dawn's scream broke through Xander's paralysis. He shrugged off whoever was holding him and, heart thumping madly, every nerve telling him he should be moving in the exact opposite direction, he started forward.
Before he could get there the demon broke off and reared back. It snapped its tail, destroying another case, and quickly slithered out the way it came, accelerating as it went.
By this time Buffy had worked her way out from underneath the debris. Her eyes widened in panic when she realized what happened. "It knows!!" she yelled at Giles. After a quick glance to assure herself Dawn wasn't injured she took off after the demon, desperate to kill it before it reported to it's master.
Riley, from his position by the counter, saw Giles run out the door, then soon heard the screech of tires. He guessed Giles was going after Buffy. He wondered why the screeching didn't fade away as Giles drove off. It took him a moment to realize it was Dawn, still screaming. Riley got off the floor and wobbled over to where Xander and the others were trying to comfort Dawn, who finally collapsed, sobbing, into Cordelia's arms.
Seeing that Dawn and everyone else was otherwise uninjured, Riley left to go after Giles and Buffy. When he finally caught up with them Buffy was slumped over the dead body of the demon. Exhausted, she only looked up as Riley and Giles came close.
"Is Dawn safe?" she asked in a weary voice.
Riley nodded. "Yeah. A little scared and a lot upset, but I think she's going to be fine. Everyone's okay. Let's get you back."
The good news seemed to invigorate Buffy, but she could only nod numbly as she leaned on Riley while Giles led them back to the cars and to Dawn.
to be continued...
