Part 3
"A Slayer?" questioned Buffy, incredulous. "This is just my luck.
I come almost 2,500 miles to get away from my friends and slayer connections to meet
up with the new Slayer of all people. This is just great!"
Audrey tried to speak but Buffy was not finished.
"Why can’t you people leave me alone?" she all but screamed, her tone indicating
she was not talking to Audrey.
Confused, Audrey finally managed to get in a word.
"Listen, I don’t know what you are talking about, but why don’t you come home
with me tonight? We can talk to my watcher and sort everything out."
Suddenly, a vamp popped out and rushed at Buffy from behind. Before Audrey could
even react, Buffy drew out her stake and flipped the slayee to the ground. She paused,
stake aimed at heart
"D’ya mind? We were talking" she drawled before plunging the stake into
the vampire.
Buffy stood and dusted herself off "Anyways, you were saying?"
Audrey just stared. "Well, you were rumored to be the strongest Slayer."
"Who me? I don’t think so. And I’m retired. I’m through with slaying."
Buffy remarked as she turned to go.
"No! Wait!" cried Audrey, "Just come and talk to Alfred, and me. I
want to talk to you. Find out about this job. About you."
Buffy hesitated. Then, she seemed to surrender to something.
"All right. I was running out of money anyways. Lead on."
The stone mansion that Audrey led Buffy to was gorgeous. It was 3 stories tall and
looked to be from the 18th century.
"Gee, how d’ya manage to live in such small quarters?" remarked Buffy dryly.
Audrey didn’t answer, instead striding quickly up to the door and letting Buffy and
herself in. She led Buffy up the stairs and down a long hall. At the end of the hall,
they ran into a door. Audrey knocked once and barged in. A man was seated at a computer,
typing, with his back turned to the girls.
Audrey cleared her throat and the chair swiveled to face them. It was all Buffy could
do not to gasp. The man that sat before them was YOUNG! He couldn't be more than
25. This couldn't be Audrey's watcher. Her brother maybe…
The mystery man rose quickly and strode towards Audrey.
"Audrey! Back so soon? Is something wrong?" he exclaimed before finally
resting his gaze on Buffy, "You brought a friend?"
"Al, where are your manners?" Audrey chided, obviously enjoying the thought
of how her watcher was going to react to her next few words, "Buffy, this is
my watcher, Alfred Williams."
On the word ~watcher~, Alfred's eyes bugged out. He shot her a quick "what-are-you-
doing?!" look which Audrey impishly ignored.
"Alfred, I would like for you to meet Buffy Summers. A Slayer"
***
Buffy settled into bed about 2 hours after her meeting with Alfred. she thought with
a snort. He sure didn't look at all like a watcher. He was about 6 feet, dwarfing
Buffy. With sandy blond hair and twinkling blue eyes, he totally destroyed the mold
she had cast for all watchers. Well, from the look on his face she wasn't exactly
his vision of a typical slayer.
The corner of her eyes caught sight of the phone on the nightstand and for a moment,
she wanted to call Willow. It was midnight, which would put it at 9 o'clock in Sunnydale.
It was on that thought that Buffy drifted into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.
***
Alfred thought with a chuckle. He hadn't been able to believe his ears when Audrey
had introduced her as a Slayer. But, she had the skill and the Student ID to prove
it. He had asked her about a license but she had mumbled something about her mother
and a plate before turning away.
After he had been convinced that the small girl was in fact the Buffy Summers, he
had sent Audrey to find Buffy a room to stay in and got Buffy to promise to attend
Audrey's training session in the morning.
There was something that that girl was hiding. But, to judge from her eyes and attitude
it wasn't likely that she was going to divulge anything anytime soon. Well, extreme
times call for extreme measures. He turned to his computer and opened up an e-mail
message. Then he began typing a message for help to the Watcher's Council.
Part 4
It was around 11 o'clock at night when the phone rang. Giles eagerly picked up.
"Buffy? ~pause~ Oh, no sorry. ~pause~ Who? ~pause~ About Buffy? Why not now?
Is she okay? Where is s- ~pause~ Fine, tomorrow morning. Thank you. Good-bye."
Giles wearily replaced the handset on the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
Buffy had been missing for 5 days. A word with Synder told him Buffy was expelled.
Willow had found Mrs. Summers in tears, demanding to know where her daughter was
and "what the hell was going on": Giles had sighed in relief when Willow
and Xander had volunteered to handle that area. A Ms. Pevets from the watchers council,
who would tell him nothing beyond the fact that Buffy was safe.
Until tomorrow then.
***
Was Alfred's first conscious thought. His head cleared and he saw Audrey hovering
over him with an ice pack, and Buffy in the background apologizing and swearing she
hadn't meant to hit him so hard.
"It's all right Buffy. That was a fantastic right crossover. I hadn't seen it
coming."
He and Buffy had been training all morning. After a time, he had switched over to
sparing with quarterstaffs. She had mumbled something about Friar Tuck and started
to defend herself half-heartedly. Then, without warning, something in her snapped.
Eyes burning, jaw set, she really came at him. Within seconds she threw and out-of-nowhere
crossover and well, the rest was history.
***
Buffy chewed her lip nervously. She hadn't meant to hit him so hard. she sighed.
They had been sparing with quarterstaffs no less. She hadn't been interested. With
only half her mind on the fight, her thoughts began to wander…To the last time she
had used quarterstaffs. The day she had first kissed Angel. Her body had sagged as
the reminders started to pile up. Suddenly, her grief turned to anger. Anger at life,
at fate for handing her this whole icky life filled with sad, lonely things. She
began to lash out at the nearest tangible object which had been, unfortunately, Alfred.
He was being really nice about it, now that he was conscious. She sent Audrey for
more ice and helped Alfred to the couch in his study.
"Alfred" she broke off, "That name doesn't fit you. You're much too
young. Maybe in 30 years, but for now you need a new name. You're last name's Williams?
No, that won't work. Wills? Yeah, that'll work. And if you don't like it, I'll hit
you again," Buffy finished with a quick grin. "Seriously, though, I never
meant to hit you like that. I just-"
"You just what?" asked Wills softly.
"I don't know. I was just thinking about the last time I used a quarterstaff
and it.. reminded me … of something..very painful. Finally, I just got mad and well,
you know the rest," she added with an apologetic grin.
"What was it that was so painful?" prodded Wills gently.
"Nothing" came the short reply, the tone stopping all further questions
in that area.
Wills held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. But would you help me
to my computer?"
"Sure"
With Buffy all but carrying Wills, he was soon set in front of the monitor. As he
booted up Buffy began to giggle. He shot her a questioning glance.
"It's just that I never expected to see a watcher in front of a computer. Mine
wouldn't even go near them. Giles once called it a 'dread machine'," she imitated
in her best British tones. "He left all the technology to Willow and Ms. Cal-"
Her voice cut off and her lips pressed together in a thin line as she stared at some
unseen picture. Just as Wills was about to break the silence, Buffy turned and walked
out of the room saying something about finding Audrey and the ice.
He sighed. She wasn’t ready, not yet. He swiveled back to the screen and clicked
on his "New Messages" file. One new one.
Alfred,
Keep Buffy there at all costs. She has had a very traumatic experience as of late.
We do not know the whole story as of yet but we are sending someone to meet with
the girl's watcher. Reportedly, she has been missing for some 5 days.
Watcher's Council