I'd posted this chapter TEN days ago on another site, but was too busy (work-wise)/lazy (dead tired when I got home) to post it here and on FFN that day...then FORGOT that I didn't post it! Oops! Thanks to a new reader posting comments (on AO3), I remembered that I was behind!
Here's a side note...I have a vacation coming up VERY soon! I leave THIS Tuesday and will be gone (and probably off the grid...unless I find free wifi) from 9/13/22 through 9/25/22. I'm going on a cruise...which is my FAVORITE holiday! Amsterdam, Bruges, at sea, Edinburgh, Inverness, Kirkwall, Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Portland, London! I'm going to make every effort to post C34 before I go, but I have A LOT to do before going (plus two days of work and driving an hour to pick up my dog sitter the night before). Flight doesn't leave LAX until 1:55pm, so if I don't get to it before I leave the house on Tuesday, then MAYBE I can do it in the airport while I'm waiting to board. But it I just can't find the time, I deeply apologize.
Anyway, here's the next bit. Thank you to those who are reading...and extra thanks to everyone who has posted comments! It is the comments that keep me writing this. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Chapter Thirty-three
Run of the Mill
The next week went by quickly—and it dragged at the same time. Buffy spent her days practically glued to her books, reading and studying like a crazy person. Well, a crazy person in the sense that she had no life outside her books and it was driving her insane.
Hah! What sane person actually enjoyed having her nose buried in a book?! That caused her to smile sadly, her thoughts turning to her red-haired friend that she missed terribly.
The reading wasn't difficult though, as it was designed for the younger student—created to interest and engage an eleven year old, it was easy to follow. And humorous sometimes. At least it was from the point of view of a sixteen year old American from the late 1990s. Several times the wording made her laugh out loud. That part...not so horrible!
Tom had stayed at the house until Friday afternoon and then Vin and Sophie thought he should return to Wools—for a couple days, at least. At which time Buffy panicked slightly, thinking she couldn't do it without him.
"You can and you will," he said sternly—then kissed her soundly and walked out.
Buffy watched him go. She'd wanted to see him back to the orphanage—to give everyone there a warning glare—but he'd refused, saying it would make going back there much harder if he had to close the door in her face. When she couldn't see him anymore, she closed the door and started to cry—then went to the kitchen for a snack and some hot tea, then finally returned to her room for more studying. Tom had gotten her started on her studies, surely she could continue without him.
On Saturday morning she slept in. Quite late. It was almost two in the afternoon before she awoke—and nearly three before she forced herself to get out of bed. She'd stayed up most of the night reading. All night really.
"Who says I won't be sorted into the blue one?" she grumbled as she sipped her morning tea and flipped through the first year Transfiguration book. She was nearing the end of it after only two days of reading and was quite proud of herself—if she did say so herself.
Sunday was spent doing mostly the same thing—reading, reading, reading—because she needed to be able to show Tom that she meant business when he returned. She'd spent all day Sunday going through her Dark Arts text book—which was the most interesting one she'd read so far—until evening was approaching and she felt the itch to go out and work off some boredom by poking a pointy stick through the chest of a dark creature with two sharp pointy teeth. Or several of them if she encountered more in need of being dusted.
"I need to step out tonight," she told Vin and Sophie at the dinner table that night.
The sisters looked at each other, then at their young guest.
"Where do you think you'll go?" Vin asked.
Buffy frowned, then shrugged. "Does it matter? I just... need to get out."
"We understand that, dear, but..." Sophie started.
"But we're worried," Vin finished. "You've been cooped up in here studying for days and..."
"We're really proud of you, Buffy," said Sophie.
Buffy grinned. It was nice to hear those words coming out of an adult's mouth. The grin though, did not last. "You have...but face," she said with a frown.
Sighing, Sophie looked at Vin, then back at their guest. "It's just that we are worried. Maybe you should take a day off." Sophie's eyes went to the thin piece of wood that was sticking out of Buffy's hair—sort of keeping her hair up in a bun. She knew that Buffy had another up her sleeve as well and...who knew where the others were at this point.
Vin bit her lip. "The wands we purchased at that secondhand shop aren't perfect, but...they're something. Aren't they?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah," she said—and she completely agreed. She'd been able to use them a bit—she'd levitated a feather and had screamed in triumph—but they definitely weren't great. And they felt nothing like holding Tom's. She needed to get a wand of her own!
"But I was thinking that I need to get out and find something out there, because...what I have here, isn't grabbing me," she said as she reached up and pulled the wand from her hair. It sparked a bit as she waved it around, but that was about it. "To take to the Ollivanders, you know? I need to find that magical substance for them," she said almost desperately. She'd gone through all the belongings that came with her from 1997 to 1942—a crossbow, her silver cross and the chain it hung on, her mother's earrings, her prom dress, a pair of pumps, her bra, stockings, and underwear, and the clips she'd had in her hair, the black leather jacket—she'd even searched each pocket—and there was just...nothing! Absolutely nothing magical!
Vin and Sophie nodded.
"Let us..." Vin started, her gaze going to her sister.
"...contact Edna," Sophie finished.
Buffy grimaced.
"Please, Buffy," Sophie almost whined. "We understand your feelings..."
"We share your feelings, dear," Vin put in.
"But we worry about you going out alone...after how you returned the last time," said Sophie.
Buffy sighed. Clearly, Tom had told them everything. She would have to have a talk with him about that. There was no sense worrying them when it was unnecessary. She'd come home beat up. So what! She'd healed. Easy, peasy.
"Tom didn't tell us," Sophie said quickly, as if reading her thoughts.
Vin shook her head. "We came down to check...to see if you were home yet and..."
Buffy frowned. She'd looked at herself in the mirror before showering and knew the horror that they'd seen on her face. She also knew that they'd seen her in bed with Tom and blushed. She'd told him Vin and Sophie would know he was there, but now they knew. Neither of them mentioned their sleepy cohabitation though.
"Okay," she whispered, resigning herself to having a babysitter for the night.
Both Vin and Sophie exhaled heavily—and just after that the doorbell rang.
"I'll just...get that," Sophie said as she got up and flounced out of the room—returning quickly with their younger sister.
"Look who was at the door," the older blonde said as she reentered the room.
Buffy scoffed. "Looks like you three scripted tonight's outing."
"Don't be cross, Buffy?" Sophie said pleadingly. "We knew you'd need to get out."
"You've been studying so hard, dear," Vin added.
"And we hated the idea of you going alone," Sophie added.
Edna eyed the Slayer—her presence was clearly being forced upon the girl. She should have known Lavinia and Sophronia would have kept silent on the matter.
Buffy nodded, her eyes going to Edna Giles. "Okay boss, where we goin'?"
Edna raised a brow. She had not been expecting the Slayer to capitulate so easily. Her minimal experience with this one had taught her the girl fought everything. Edna took a moment to study the Slayer, then reached into her bag and pulled out a file.
"The Council has provided me with this," she said, holding up the folder, then flipping it open and scanned what was inside. "It appears to be nothing more than your run-of-the-mill nest."
Buffy nodded—then surprised Edna by holding out her hand for the documents.
Edna frowned. It wasn't standard procedure to allow a slayer to peruse the details on her own. Instead, Watchers gathered particulars and studied them, researched them further, then told the Slayer what needed to be done. A slayer rarely asked to actually see the documents. Or demanded all the details.
But Buffy was a different sort—very different!—Edna was learning. Buffy Summers was something to behold.
Sighing, she held the file out to girl and waited and said, "The Council would like to see what you can do with it."
Frowning, Buffy took the folder, gave the notes inside the once over, then shrugged and put the file down on the table. "Okay. Sounds totally garden variety. Not sure why they're overly concerned, but...we can head over to this Highgate Cemetery if you'd like. I'd like to get changed first. While I'm loving all my new outfits..."—she looked over at Vin and Sophie and grinned—"slaying calls for something a little less froufrou."
Edna eyed the fluffy pink skirt the Slayer was wearing—wondering where in the world her sisters had acquired such a thing—and nodded. "Agreed."
Buffy smiled. It was a little forced, but if this was the only way she was getting out of house tonight, then she'd do it. She had, after all, agreed to the arrangement.
Sort of.
When Buffy had left the room, Vin turned on Edna. "Nest? What sort of nest? How large?"
"What's a nest?" Sophie asked.
"A group of vampires who live together," Vin answered without looking at Sophie. Instead, she was glaring at Edna.
Edna scoffed. "Vampires are not alive, Lavinia! You must remember that!" she snapped.
Vin scowled. "You know what I mean, Edna!" she snapped back.
"Well, it appears that Sophronia does not!" Edna returned sharply, her eyes going from Vin to Sophie. "It's a group of vampires that take up residence together," she said. "Sometimes called a clan or a coven if they're highly organized. Other times a brood or a clutch...if they are less so. Either way, they can be very dangerous."
"More dangerous than just one lone vampire?" Sophie asked.
Edna rolled her eyes. "Of course! Imagine a pack of rabid wolves being released into a crowd of unsuspecting people. But these...these things...these soulless creatures are intelligent and pure evil. They make meals of some and turn others, increasing their numbers," she explained.
Then she looked at Vin and shrugged. "We don't have much information. There have been several disappearances over the last six months and an influx of different clans. We have wanted to send in a team, but haven't gotten around to it yet, as this is not the only case we have at the moment. We considered bringing the Slayer in from Chicago, but...Miss Winters' Watcher believes it to be a bad time. However, now that we have a slayer in the area, it seems like rather a good time to investigate further."
Sophie snorted. "That's a very long-winded answer for, there are a lot of big scary vampires and the Council is too afraid to take care of the issue on their own. Let's pawn it off on a child. "
Edna huffed. "The Council does not have the physical power to rid the city of all the vampires, Sophronia!" she snapped. "The Slayer, on the other—"
"Buffy!" Sophie cut in with annoyance. "If you're going to use her, the least you could do is use her actual name. And my name, for the record, is Sophie! You bloody well know that you're the only one who calls me Sophronia and you also know that I don't like the way you say it!"
Edna sighed again. It seemed that she and her older sisters would never see eye to eye. They never had, even in their youth.
"Sophie. It is not my intention to disrespect Buffy. I am just not accustomed to using a slayer's actual name. The turnover of slayers makes it rather difficult. In my tenure with the Council, I was seen seventeen different girls Called to the position. With Buffy, it is now eighteen and she is only the third one that I have actually met. Sadly, they are all just numbers to me."
"Buffy is not a number, Edna! You must stop thinking of her like that!" Sophie admonished. "It's unacceptable and...inhumane! And...she's just a girl who's had the misfortune of not only being Called to fight the forces of darkness and evil, but has also been thrown back in time to a place where nothing is familiar to her. It's simply...not fair!"
Edna eyed her sister. Sophie had tears in her eyes. She looked frantic. Edna then glanced at Lavinia. She was standing off to the side with her arms folded over her chest. She wasn't tearful, but she looked pained as well. Edna was not accustomed to seeing such seriousness from either of her sisters. Usually they were out spending money on frivolous things, not spending time and effort on a stranger.
Sighing, Edna went to the folder on the table and picked it up again. She wasn't supposed to share information the Council had given her with an outsider, but...as Buffy's guardians, she decided they had a right to be apprised of the situation.
"The nest is not huge, but it is growing," she told them. "Tonight is to be reconnaissance only. The Council needs more information in order to better assess the situation. We do not wish to put the Slayer... Buffy...in any danger."
From the doorway, the girl in question laughed. "There is never a time when I'm not in danger," Buffy said as she waltzed into the room. "But I've learned to deal. Are we ready to boogie?"
The trip north to Highgate Cemetery started out in silence. Neither wanted to discuss business—not in the back of a hackney. How could they with the driver eyeing them every few moments?
Or perhaps he was eyeing Buffy's odd choice of clothing—a pair of boys trousers cinched tight at the waist with a belt, a top that looked like it might be nightwear, and a black leather jacket—and her big silver cross. She definitely wasn't dressed in the usual manner of a girl her age in the time she was in.
Edna sent a glance at the girl and decided that...yes, the driver was probably thinking her odd. At the very least, out of place. Which she was...on both counts, as far as the Watcher was concerned.
"Nice ride," Buffy remarked after a short time, the quiet between them becoming awkward when all that could be heard was the rumble of the vehicle. The quiet inside the cab had started to make her itchy—again—which caused her to squirm a bit, then bounce a little in her seat. "It's so...roomy."
"You haven't been in a cab before?" Edna asked, eyeing the Slayer, then frowning. She had to start thinking of the girl as a person, not just a slayer. Otherwise she was going to lose all connection with her sisters. They'd all made their choices—most of which she didn't agree with—but she didn't want to alienate them further? And they obviously loved this girl. Miss Summers. Buffy.
Buffy shook her head. "Not here. I once caught a taxi in Vegas though...in my time," she said, lowering her voice as her eyes went to their driver. "But this...it's almost like...a limousine. But without all the bells and whistles. Um. Not that I've been in a limo." She laughed. "I've heard though. And seen them in movies. I've seen these in movies too. Your black cabs are famous around the world. Someone once told me that, if I ever got over here, I had to take a ride in one. Just because, you know?" She grinned. "I hadn't been on a train either...until here. We drive everywhere at home. Mom has a Jeep Cherokee. Total mom car." Buffy made a face. "I'm babbling, huh? Sorry."
Edna pursed her lips and gave a stiff nod. "I have heard of a Jeep, but..."
Buffy smiled. "It's a much newer-than-now car, so you wouldn't know of it, I suppose. Yet anyway."
Edna nodded, but didn't otherwise respond.
Several moments of silence ensued, so Buffy spoke again. "How's Edmund?" she asked.
"He's well, thank you," the Watcher responded perfunctorily.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I didn't ask if he was sick," she said. "How is he? What's he doing today?"
"Edmund is with his father at work today," said Edna, her eyes looking straight forward. "They are researching."
Buffy snorted. "Sounds...fun. And by fun, I mean...not at all!" She shook her head.
Sighing, Edna glanced at the girl. "Not everything in life is fun, Buffy."
"Don't I know it," said Buffy, turning her gaze to the window and the rapidly passing buildings—and in some cases rubble. It was strange how some streets and buildings looked completely normal—as if World War II was not going on—and others were bombed out or completely leveled.
"There is a lot to research at the Council, dear," the Watcher said, her wording causing Buffy to look over at her. "Someone has to stay on top of things."
Buffy nodded. "Believe me, I get that. When Giles is in research mode, there's no stopping him. What I mean here though is...why does it have to be a sixteen year old boy?"
Edna frowned. "I don't take your meaning."
Buffy shook her head. "I don't get that you don't understand what I'm saying. I'm talking about Edmund. He's only sixteen. He should be going to school and doing homework and...out having fun with people his own age. You know... friends? And dating. Not cooped up in some stuffy old office pushing paper or in a library flipping through musty old books, gathering intel for adults who should be doing their own work. Gawd. It's so pathetic."
Still frowning, Edna sighed. "Sounds like we might be discussing your life as well."
Buffy shrugged. "Sure. What high school girl would want to be in my shoes?"
Edna hmm'd. "Is that the life you lead? At home in your time? Offices and libraries?"
Buffy looked at Edna and grinned. "Not the offices part, but I spend a lot of time in the library at School when I'm not in my classes. That's the cover job Giles has there...he's my school's librarian while I play student. Well, I am a student by day, but...at night, I'm she who hangs out a lot in cemeteries."
"And you have friends?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. I've managed to make a few."
Edna shook her head. "It's highly unusual. I have a hard time understanding why my grandson has allowed it."
Buffy barked out a laugh. "Giles didn't understand it at first either, but..." She shrugged. "It's not like he had a choice. I won't give up my friends. They keep me...grounded."
"Tell me about them. Your friends," Edna said next.
"Well, mostly it's just Willow and Xander. He nearly ran me over with his skateboard on my first day, but she's really the first friend I made there. Quiet and shy and very smart. I went to her to catch up on my studies when I first arrived at Sunnydale."
"You had fallen behind?" Edna asked, her brow raised.
Buffy shrugged with nonchalance even though the woman's obvious censure irked her. "Well, it's not like I have all the time in the world to study and... I had been tossed from Hemery...my old school in LA. I might have been responsible for a teeny little fire in the gym."
"Might have been?" said Edna, her eyes narrowed.
Buffy shrugged again. "Okay. Yeah. I burned it to the ground. They didn't seem to like that much." She scoffed. "No biggie," she said with a grin.
Edna snorted and shook her head. "I would imagine not."
"Well, it was infested with bloodsuck...um...bloody creatures." Buffy glanced at the driver—who seemed to be concentrating on the road—then mimed pointy teeth by holding her index fingers up to her mouth and pointing them downwards. "You know, the type with an iron deficiency and a massive appetite for...viscous bodily fluids."
Edna narrowed her eyes at the Slayer. "You might think me terribly thick, but believe it or not, I don't need you to mimic those...animals."
Buffy laughed. "I don't know, boss..." she started—but didn't go on when Edna harrumphed.
More silence.
"And Xander...he's a good guy. Silly, but nice and...he's Willow's best friend, ergo mine too." Buffy offered when Edna remained silent.
"Oh. And I had friends in LA too," Buffy continued—then frowned, her eyes going to the window again. "Or I thought I did. I realized later that they were all a bit superficial. I had been too, I guess." She paused.
"There was also this guy in LA," she said quietly as she leaned her forehead against the window. "His name was Pike and he was fairly punked out." She laughed a little. "He was a mechanic and...not attending school. My friends hated him. I didn't like him much at first and he...well, didn't think much of me and my friends at all either. Then a friend of his...and one of mine...they were turned." Straightening up, she shrugged and looked back at Edna. "Pike and I got close after that. After I was expelled, we took a trip to Las Vegas...to go hunting."
Edna stared at her. "Alone? With no adult supervision?"
Buffy nodded. "Times are different in my...time," she said. She looked at the driver again, but there was very little light left in the car, so she could hardly tell if he was watching them.
"Anyway, no one gives a damn about..." she started. "Well, that's not true...my mother did care." She laughed. "She wasn't too happy with me. When we got back to LA, it really hit the fan. There was this whole mental institution thing and...my parents separated. That's when mom and I moved to Sunnydale."
"And Pike? What happened to him?" Edna asked.
Buffy shrugged. "We'd had a falling out. I don't even remember what it had been about. After I left, I never heard from him again. He probably resumed being the ultimate beach bum slacker."
Edna gave Buffy a sympathetic look. "It is probably for the best," she said.
"Probably," Buffy said, nodding her head. "It's just...I considered him a friend and I don't have many of those, so..."
Edna nodded her understanding. It was becoming more and more clear to her why Buffy had befriended the Wools boy—and even her own son. She was lonely! And after a few minutes thinking on it, the Watcher realized that, despite having several adults in their lives, all three youths were drawn to each other because of it—loneliness!