He opened his mouth, then closed it again, staring at her in bewilderment. “Was that…? Did he just…?”
“Go ‘poof’? Yeah, they do that.” Buffy nodded, then frowned. “Kinda weird, if you think about it. Other demons don’t do that. They usually just melt into a big puddle of goo, it’s really gross.”
“Uh huh, I bet.” Spike shook his head as if to clear it. “So, you’re telling me that was a…?”
“A vampire, yes.” Buffy gave him a strange look. “You really haven’t seen one before?” Spike just shook his head. “Huh. All right, come on, we’ve better get back before Giles will lose it. You don’t wanna see him freak out, believe me.”
Spike looked at her in confusion for a moment, then shook his head firmly. “Don’t think so, pet. Just have to find my car, then I’m out of here.”
She nodded in understanding. “I see. And if you’ll run into another vampire?”
He gave her a blank look before glancing around. “There are more?” She just raised her eyebrows. “Right, then I’ll just kick its soddin’ ass. How hard can it be?”
Buffy snorted. “Yeah, ‘cause you really seemed to know what to do when that vamp attacked you before.”
“I do now!” Spike glared at her. “I’ll just stab it with a…” He glanced down at the sharp, wooden object in Buffy’s hand.
Looking amused, Buffy held it up in front of him, so he could get a better look. “It’s called a stake. It has to be made of wood. Have any of those hidden somewhere in that coat?” He just looked at her for a moment, then shook his head with a defeated sigh. “Then how do you plan on ‘kicking its soddin’ ass’?” She made a terrible imitation of his British accent. Seeing that he seemed to be at a loss for words, she took pity on him. “Why don’t you just come back home with me? If you still wanna leave tomorrow, then I’m sure Giles won’t mind giving you a ride. Where were you going, anyway?”
He shrugged. “Dunno. Just… away from this bleedin’ town.”
“So, you’re not taking the job Giles offered you?” Buffy gave him a curious look, waiting for him to answer. Spike remained silent, and she went on; “That’s okay, I’m sure he won’t mind. And it’s not like you really need the job, right? I mean, I’m sure you’ll find something else, wherever you’re going.” The tone in her voice indicated that she doubted, and that made him really annoyed.
“You don’t know a bloody thing about me!”
Buffy shrugged. “Guess not. I just assumed that you weren’t stupid enough to turn a really good offer down, unless you had another option.” Knowing that she had a point, Spike had no idea how to respond to that. Her expression softened. “Just give it a chance, okay? I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you think.”
“Right!” Spike snorted. “So, I’ll be working in a magic shop by day and killing vampires by night. Bloody dream come true!”
“Slaying.”
He gave her a confused look. “I beg your pardon?”
She smiled a little as she explained; “We don’t say ‘kill’ vampires, we use the word ‘slay’. Sounds more…” She hesitated.
“Professional?” He smirked.
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Appropriate.”
“Of course.” Spike gave her a doubtful look. “Vampires are real?”
“Uh huh.”
“Bloody hell!”
About an hour later, Buffy and Spike had returned to Giles’ house and were currently sitting in the kitchen, waiting for their tea to get ready. Buffy sighed. “Giles has been living in the states for years; you’d think he’d discovered the miracle of the coffee maker by now.”
Spike snorted. Then he became serious. “You do this a lot, then?”
She frowned. “Making tea?”
He rolled his eyes. “No. Killing…” He paused, correcting himself. “Slaying vampires.”
“Oh.” Buffy took the kettle off of the stove and poured some of the hot beverage into two large cups. “Almost every night.” He gave her an impressed look, and she shrugged. “I have been training with Giles for years. He was…” She paused, handing Spike one of the cups. “He’s a Watcher. It’s his job to…”
Spike interrupted her, a smirk on his face. “Watch?”
The look she gave him told him she was not a least bit amused. “No. A Watcher is a person who’s responsible for teaching the Slayer everything there is to know about vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. It’s the Watcher’s job to prepare the Slayer for the inevitable battle between Good and Evil.”
He let out a low whistle. “Yeah? Never would’ve taken Rupert for the type who was into that kind of stuff. Quite impressive.”
“I guess.” Buffy smiled a little. “Giles has been wonderful. He’s been like a father to me. He’s taken care of me ever since…” She stopped, abruptly, and looked away.
“Since William died?” Spike eyed her a little warily, not sure if the topic was off limits. Buffy nodded, so he guessed it was okay to go on. “I’m sorry about what happened. Hardly knew him, though. Rupert said you were pretty close.”
“We were.”
Spike waited for her to say something more, but she didn’t. He then decided to change the subject, and cleared his throat. “Right, so Rupert has been training you? How long have you been the Slayer?”
Buffy looked up, a bewildered look on her face. “What?!”
He frowned. “You know, how long have you known you were destined to save the world from Evil? I don’t know how it works. Do you find out at a certain age, or have you always known?”
“What are you talking about?” Buffy stared at him like he had lost his mind. “I’m not the Slayer!”
“You’re not?” Suddenly he was beyond confused. “But…”
She burst out laughing. “Oh my God, are you kidding?! A girl as a Slayer, that’s just…” She shook her head in amusement. “No, Spike, I’m not the Slayer. You are.”
TBC