“You play for kittens,” Buffy said shaking her head in disbelief as they drew closer to Giles’s house. Spike had filled her in on all the details of demon poker and no matter how times he explained why kittens were as good as money, she just couldn’t make her mind understand it. She was hard and not at all fluffy by nature but even she thought kittens were cute. “You demons sure know how to live it up.”
“So are you up for a game or are you too squeamish?”
“What would I do with them when I win, I mean it’s not like I think kittens are the other, other white meat or one of those fruit juice thingies you just pop a straw in and drink down? What would be my motivation?”
“You would be able to sell the kittens on the demon market, a good one can fetch…”
“No don’t tell me…I don‘t want to know.” Buffy said cutting him off. She had done a lot of things for money but selling kittens snacks to demons was just a little to much, even for her. “So what hoops do you think they are going to make me jump through tonight?” She asked rapidly changing the subject.
“I don’t know but I wager there will be a lot of them.” Spike admitted with a shrug.
“What ever happened to charging in and kicking ass? I mean I don’t get this waiting crap. I’m not saying we go in blind or anything but I’m starting to think I might die of old age before I get to kill anything.”
“Dying of old age isn’t exactly the worst way to go out.” Spike reminded her.
“Says the guy who will never age. You’ll still be all handsome and sexy seconds before you go poof and gray is not really a good color for me.”
“You think I’m handsome?”
Since she wasn’t really sure why she had said it that way, she had no choice but to admit the truth. “You’re easy on the eyes but don’t get all puffed up and manly on me. I am still, way better looking than you… even though you have those amazing cheekbones and bluer than blue eyes.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth she felt like slapping her hand against her lips, half afraid of what might come out next. She had thought that last bit and it had went straight out of her mouth before her brain could realize it wasn’t something she wanted to share.
Thankfully they were finally at Giles’s doorstep so she was spared from having to figure out what was wrong with her. Knocking, she tried to act casual, so Spike wouldn’t pick up on her sudden unease. When Giles opened the door, her voice was unusually chipper. “Hey, sorry I was late…I got lost. My brain is just not fully awake yet.”
“That seems to be going around.” Giles said backing away to let her and Spike in.
She could see the others and saw right away what Giles had meant. They all looked a little worse for the wear and she spotted more than a few shadows under some eyes. Riley and Faith on the other hand, both had smiles so bright, that they were bordering on radioactive. “That’s my fault, they came by last night being all neighborly and I kept them out a little later than usual.”
When he raised his eyebrow, she relented. “Okay a lot later than usual, but gee Mr. Giles please don’t ground them. I mean look at Faith and Riley, they have more than enough energy to cover for the rest of us until we get back up to speed.”
“You are a slayer Buffy, you can’t afford to let your extra curricular activities wear you down.” Giles said hoping to use this as a chance to instill some discipline in the girl. “What would you do if we were attacked right now?”
“I would fight and keep as many of you alive as possible because that’s why I am here but I’m not your slayer. This is a one shot deal only.” Buffy reminded him, instantly bristling at his authoritative
tone. Her voice held the cold note of finality that warned him not to argue, but either he was tone deaf or oblivious.
“You are a slayer Buffy and like it or not, it is now a part of your life. I have already contacted the Council and they are sending you a Watcher. Until he or she arrives, you will train along with Faith.”
She had tried being nice and all that had gotten her was a patronizing lecture. So now she would just have to show him exactly who he was dealing with, she decided, taking a step closer to him. “I am the one in control of my life and that is something you and your Council will just have to deal with. I haven’t seen you all hanging around during the last nineteen years so I am not about to let you walk into my life now and tell me what and what not to do. So call your boss and tell him not to bother or dial the number and I will.”
She was so much like Faith was in the beginning, so unwilling to face her destiny but just like her, Buffy had no choice in the matter, he thought sadly. He had gotten through to Faith, with time and that wasn’t something he had with Buffy. She could very well pick up and disappear into the streets of LA again. The Watchers Council wasn’t something you could escape and that was something both he and Faith understood quite clearly. They had broken away from the Council after it had refused to assist them in finding a cure or antidote for Angel when the mayor had poisoned him. But the Council could find out whatever secret ambition or desire you carried and use it to lure you back into the fold.
Just like when they had offered to pay Faith’s entire college tuition knowing that it was not something Joyce could afford since her ex-husband had stopped the child support payments the day Faith had reached her eighteenth birthday. He would have been willing to contribute, but he had used the bulk of his savings to purchase the Magick Box. The offer had come at a time when they had been desperate and it had been impossible to refuse. If anyone could convince Buffy that it was in her best interest to stay, it would be the current head of the Council, Giles decided crossing over to the phone to make the call. Quentin Travers could teach the devil a few tricks. After briefly explaining the purpose of the call, he handed the phone to Buffy without a word.
“Miss Winters, I am Quentin Travers, how can I be of service to you?”
“Tell Giles and whoever you are sending out here that their services are not needed, because I’m not in the market for a Watcher.”
“We have guided the slayer since the beginning and…”
“I got this story already, so let’s just get to the point. I am not your slayer, that’s Faith’s job. So let’s all go back to our lives and let her get on with it.”
“You are a prostitute, Miss Winters. That it hardly what one would call a life worth living. As the slayer you will have a purpose, a sacred calling that can deliver you from the degradation of your current status.”
“Being a whore isn’t degrading Mr. Travers, it’s just business. What is degrading is you thinking that I am going to fall in line just because you said so. I don’t take orders.”
“Perhaps it would be easier if you think of yourself as our employee.” Quentin told her calmly, striving for a reasonable tone. “We will provide you with an apartment and enough money to see to your needs.”
“Men pay to enjoy my body but no one can buy me, not even you.” Buffy told him crossly. He insulted her for being a hooker and then tried to buy her, talk about your mixed messages, she thought rolling her eyes.
It was time this girl learned her place, Quentin thought coldly. He had done quite a bit of research after receiving Giles call and now it was time to show the headstrong Miss Winters, exactly who she was dealing with. “The Council has a considerable amount of power Miss Winters. So much in fact that it can be used to make your life quite difficult, even in Los Angeles.”
“Sorry Travers but I don’t take threats well either. You take your shot though, but you’d better make sure I stay down because when I get back up it’s my turn.”
He could tell from her voice that she meant it but he was far from through yet. He didn’t care how he convinced her to take her rightful place in their organization, all he cared was that she fulfilled her purpose. “Are you sure there is nothing you want Miss Winters?” He said easily as if he hadn’t just threatened her moments ago. “Perhaps for someone other than yourself?”
“What are you talking about?”
“From what my sources told me, the Scourge is currently in LA. They even mentioned that you and the vampire with a soul are trying to help a group of half demons escape them. Quite admirable but from what I understand, it is proving quite impossible to find any ship willing to carry them to safety.”
“So if you’re the good guys why aren’t you trying to help?” Buffy asked not liking where this was going one bit.
“It is not our policy to assist demons Miss Winters.” He told her firmly, unhappy that a second slayer had fallen in with that particular vampire. “But if you were to accept my previous offer and become our employee, then I think we can make an exception this time. With one phone call, I can have them out of the harbor by this time tomorrow and I will personally make sure that they arrive at their destination safely.”
“You know I’m not just going to take you word on this, so stick by the phone and I’ll let you know.” Buffy said seconds before hanging up.
She took several deep breaths trying to get a hold of her temper and turned to look at Faith. “Could you call Angel? I think he and I need to have a little talk and I don‘t know the damn number.”
Since Buffy was obviously not in the mood to answer any questions, Faith quickly punched in the number and handed back the phone while it was still ringing.
When Buffy heard Angel’s voice float across the line, it tripped off her anger all over again. “You lying fucking bastard! I trusted you to take care of Kraken and now I hear you can’t deliver.”
“Listen Buffy only a demon can transport them and the only one in the business is a full blood. He doesn’t want to get on the bad side of the Scourge by helping us, because he knows they will kill him.” Angel explained quickly, not concerned about how she had found out about the trouble he was having. “It’s going to take some more time but with the wards up we should be able to keep them safe for as long as it takes to get them out.”
“And if the wards fail…what then?” Buffy asked already knowing the answer.
“Then I give you my word that I will die trying to save as many of them as I can.”
“As of this moment Angel, your word doesn’t mean jack shit to me.” Slamming down the phone, she felt the cold hand of fate tighten around her neck. She wished with all of her being that she was soulless because if she was, she could walk out of this house and go back to taking care of herself and herself alone. But she couldn’t, she knew what it was like to be a kid hiding in the dark so the bad man couldn’t find you, couldn’t put his hands on you. And now once again she was trapped, the room was getting smaller with each passing second and if she didn’t get out soon then she would be that girl again. All the defenses she had built up, brick by painful brick would come crashing down and she would be eight years old again pressed down against a bed as the last of her innocence was ripped away.
She had been to afraid to fight that day, she had just accepted it, silently screaming for someone to save her as the tears streaked down her face like rain. No one had come to her and when she finally found the will to fight, it had been so another girl would never have to go through what she had faced. Now for another child, she was willing to surrender so that he could have the kind of life fate had refused to allow her. “Call Travers, tell him to make the call. Tell him that once I know for certain that he held up his end of the bargain…he’s just bought himself another slayer.”
When Giles moved to do as she said, she headed for the door. She heard someone call her name and that was all the motivation she needed to fling it open and run into the night like all the hounds of hell were on her heels, snarling for her blood. This was her last night of freedom and she wanted to breathe it in while she still had the chance.
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