Buffy dressed in her freshly washed uniform, gave her cat a hug and put her on nametag. She was the brave Anne who was quiet and normal. It would be the story of her life. She tried not to think of anything as she refilled the cat dish, grabbed a piece of bread and frowned noticing she had only two little pieces left. That should be enough for two more breakfasts or one dinner. She realized that she would need to visit the grocery store soon though. It was Wednesday, only two days until she received her first pay check. She would just make a point to eat what she could from the diner, then Friday after work she would stop by convenient store she saw and grab some food. She was surprised to find that she had been in L.A. almost 5 days now.
She had been working at this job three days now and it was going well. Her feet always hurt and her back always ached but she didn’t mind it as much as she expected. The job kept her busy and it helped her not think about Angel or her home.
She slid on her boots and walked out into the sunlight. She missed her relaxing days in the sun but she couldn’t think about that. She was Anne with no past and who worked in a diner as a future. She just had to accept it.
She opened the door to the diner and flipped over the ‘Open’ sign and started to fill the sugar and cream containers to put on the tables. She didn’t hum, didn’t whistle but accepted the silence as she worked. She refused to think or feel anything as she just wanted quiet and to be left alone. She wanted to escape and working as Anne was helping. She felt like she had nothing to live for as Anne which was better than thinking she had something to live for as Buffy. She welcomed the first customer of the day as a way to keep her mind clear of any unwanted thoughts.
Being her third day on the job, she had gotten into a routine. Every day was the same thing. She would help about twenty customers in the morning, take a lunch break during the 11:30 to 11:45 change from breakfast to lunch and then work until 5. As she helped the next customer, she realized they returned day after day as well.
Her boss walked by her saying again, “Can you close tonight? It’s another 5 hours of overtime.”
Buffy nodded thinking again of how she had nothing to do and working until she dropped was better than watching television and run the risk of thinking. She collected the money, pocketed the tips and attempted some false smiles to those who insisted she gave them. Mostly she just followed the steps she had to give. No one cared about her here and that is how she figured life should be. She shook her head refusing to think such thoughts before refilling someone’s soft drink
Spike drove into L.A. turning down his music to glance around the city. He banged the steering wheel as he realized it was still very light outside. He had driven through the night and had refused to think and was amazed he had managed to get here in one piece since he was relying on autopilot. He knew he needed to find somewhere safe to bunk for the day and to park his car. In the back of his head, there was a nagging feeling that no one would want his car. It had blackened out windows and was very old but still, a bloke can never be too careful in the big city. He drove along a while shaking his head at all the people in this city before he finally found the place he and Dru had frequented when they had stayed in L.A. quite a few years ago. It was still around a few months ago when they had driven through L.A. on the way to Sunnyhell so he figured it would still accept him. He drove his car into the shaded area as to not draw attention to himself and grinned as he grabbed a bloke who was walking past and drained him quickly. ‘Nothing like fresh blood before bed’, Spike smirked as he stood in the shadows between two buildings. Having finished his meal, he dropped the man’s body behind a dumpster knowing they wouldn’t find it for days.
Spike then knocked on the door and he could hear rustling inside and someone yelling, “Go away.”
Spike yelled, “It’s William the Bloody looking for a safe place to take a rest. Open up!”
A small vampire opened the door and peeked out. He was wearing some trousers and a bright plaid shirt. He adjusted his clothes that were very much outdated as he questioned, “Got anyone with you? Where’s your girl?”
Spike shrugged not bothering to explain, “Didn’t need her” and he pushed his way in grumbling and grabbed the couch pushing some younger vampire to the ground in the process. The younger vampire peered at him but left the room. The small vampire shrugged saying nothing about his houseguest, and disappeared up the stairs leaving Spike alone.
Spike looked around realizing this place hadn’t changed at all. He had brought Dru here a few months prior when he had first entered Sunnyhell. Dru had insisted on staying with the locals even though Spike said they could have a place in any hotel. He sighed missing Dru a bit. She had been a good companion when she wasn’t on a crazy rant. She was always smiling and happily proclaiming that the world was always all right with her even when it wasn’t with him.
He rolled over as his thoughts changed to the Slayer. She was cute, especially when angry. She definitely had spirit that he had never seen in a girl before. He knew that from that first meeting where she had confidently thrown away her weapon and wasn’t afraid to fight. She also didn’t cry when he was about to drain her and always had a come back. He should have known she would survive Angelus. She was resourceful, smart and a real beauty. Fighting with her had always gotten him so hot and it got her hot too. He could always catch the scent on her even though he knew bloody well that she would never admit it.
He wondered if all vampires turned her on or just him. Well obviously Angel had done the trick since she had slept with him after all and had caused all this mess. But he could hardly blame her since she was young still, barely 17. The big Poof should have known about that clause. It was his duty as a vampire. If it were him, he’d have done tons of research, not banished himself to some sewer drinking rat guts. .
Spike let out an unnecessary deep breath feeling the strain that driving for 8 hours with no rest had on his body. He had a busy night ahead of him tonight and decided he really needed his rest. Tonight he would find the Slayer.
Buffy worked hard until closing. She was happy to see the last customer leave as she pushed her hair that had fallen from her ponytail out of her face. As she was about to throw away the food for the night, she saw there was some fish and chips left from their daily special. She was so ready to go home but wanted to ask her boss if he wanted anything before she tossed it so yelled to her boss who was in the back office, “Mind if I toss the special?”
There was no answer so Buffy thinking he was just immersed in his work, approached the back office where Henry usually sat. As she peeked in, she observed that the office was empty. Just then her ears detected voices in the back of the diner. She was curious as she quietly crept towards the back door to investigate. She stood in the shadows so no one would notice her as she watched Henry stood interacting with an unseen person.
Buffy watched as Henry pleaded with such intense desperateness in his voice, “I’ll get you the money. The Diner is making money; it’s just not enough. I have about $5,000 now and I can get more.”
The two guys stepped into view grabbing Henry and the taller of the two men stated, “You owe us $15,000 more. Not $5,000. We were sent to get $15,000 not $5,000.”
The red head man grinned glancing at the taller man, “Let’s beat him up for the rest.”
The taller man with brown hair grinned, “Good idea!” and he threw a punch and hit Henry in the face hard.
Henry brought his hands up to the men’s faces folding them together as though he was praying as his voice sounded even more desperate, “No. Please. If you kill me, then I can’t get you more money. I need my little girl. Please…”
Henry’s voice trailed off as he grunted loudly slumming against the wall as the red headed man kicked Henry in the stomach and re-lifted him up by the neck.
Buffy fidgeted with a soft sigh knowing she had to step in. Henry didn’t look in that great of shape and the other two men seemed to think that beating him to death would get them something somehow. She leaned down picking up a wooden cane that had been placed against the wall by Henry and silently snuck up behind the red head. Before anyone could notice her much less respond, Buffy whacked the red head over the head to knock him out. She threw the cane aside as she grabbed the brunette, shoving him up against the wall that had held Henry only moments earlier and demanded, “Where’s Henry’s little girl?”
The brunette tried to talk but couldn’t because Buffy was holding his neck too tightly so she loosened up just a tad and he sputtered out, “Lawsen has her in the warehouse.”
Buffy tried to make sense of this since she had walked into some kind of arrangement and only knew part of the story, “Why does he want the girl?”
The brunette glanced around as if he wasn’t going to answer and Buffy readjusted her hold on him to show she meant business. He looked down at his friend who was still knocked out and stuttered slightly as he answered, “He needed money. She was just the vessel to get money.”
Buffy rolled her eyes as she loosened the hold on the man’s throat a little more, “Take me there and I’ll let you live.”
The man nodded as his brown hair fell into his eyes as Buffy loosened her hold on him but quickly grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back to keep him from running away. She glanced back at the man on the ground and figured he would be out for a while. She grabbed the cane she had tossed aside thinking she might need it as she pushed the brunette forward saying, “Get going and make it fast. I don’t have all night to play games.” The man nodded and began to walk quickly as she followed behind him not releasing his arm.
In front of a large warehouse with blacked out windows, Buffy and the brunette stood. She took a look around not being able to tell anything from the outside. She pushed the man against the wall, “What will I find inside?”
He didn’t even hesitate to respond, “Tons of children, Lawsen, a few of his minions, and I think that’s it.”
Buffy nodded thinking he was telling the truth as she loosened her hold on the man’s chest as she offered, “This is your second chance at life. Make it a good one.”
With that she turned listening to the feet of the man disappear out of sight before she busted the door of the warehouse open determined to make an entrance. She looked around as she walked right in ignoring the glares as she spotted a tall vampire who she guessed was Lawsen himself. He sat in the middle of the room on a large chair that reminded her of a throne surrounded by a few minions.
In the back room, she could hear the sound of children crying and screaming. She took a deep breath to steady herself and prepare herself for battle then looked up at Lawsen trying to meet his eyes as she stated in a loud voice, “A party and I wasn’t invited?”
Lawsen glared at Buffy, noticing her for the first time “Who the Hell do you think you are?”
Buffy grinned liking the attention, “I’m Buffy the Vampire Slayer and you are Lawsen I’m guessing.”
Lawsen motioned to his minions obviously annoyed by the interruption, “Kill her. I’m tired of listening to her babble.”
Buffy let out an exasperated breath as she proclaimed, “I’m not supposed to be slaying anymore! Doesn’t anyone seem to care about that factor?”
The vampires did not as they rushed towards her and Buffy with ease, turned around in a fast circle dusting the minions within a few minutes. She straightened up her diner outfit and pushed her hair from her face as she stated in a fake whiny voice, “That wasn’t even a workout.”
Lawsen stood up rushing towards her and tripped falling at Buffy’s feet, which she use to kick him in the head to knock him backward. She then stood over him with a foot on his chest holding him down holding her stake still in her hand, “Out of curiosity what did you want the money for?”
Lawsen looked surprised at Buffy and then grinned, “A new car.”
Buffy laughed as she staked him, “All this for a new damn car? That’s what loans are for!”
She then stalked over to the back door, kicking it open as she yelled to the children, “Go home and don’t look back. Just run home.”
She stepped back to watch as about 20 children ran exiting the room running in all directions. The room was filled with crying and screaming, which caused Buffy’s head to hurt.
Buffy rubbed her temples to ease the headache that had formed still holding Henry’s cane. She headed back to the diner and wasn’t surprised to find Henry sitting on the ground outside the back of the diner still really shook up. She handed him his cane and offered him her hand to help him up. She looked into his red and tear-filled eyes as she stated with barely any emotion, “Your child is free and is home by now I’m sure. See you at work tomorrow.”
With that she patted Henry on the back and without turning back, dusted herself off. She realized something as she headed back to her house; she was still the Slayer whether she was Buffy or Anne. She did well tonight. She gave herself a few minutes of reprieve to realize she did well and to understand that she couldn’t run away from everything. She could run away to mourn and to be alone but she would always have to save people. It was her calling. She realized for a brief second that she was also lonely. She longed for someone strong to help her in her battles but shook her head refusing to think any further on that because it would lead to thinking of the vampire, Angel. She was thankful when she reached the door of her house, and opened it, leaning down to greet her cat, Lucky.