Author: Tiffany
Send Feedback To: Tsparkle14@aol.com
Disclaimer:
Some of these characters (Willow, Xander, Giles, Spike, Anya, Buffy, etc) are
property of Joss Whedon, I don't own them, blah, blah, blah. The occasional demons
come products my whacked out imagination. The other characters are people who have
foolishly allowed me to use their name and manipulate them in my fic however I choose.
Hahaha…
Suddenly everyone started talking at once.
"It's not really a power…
More of a…" Grace started.
"Talent!" Maggie supplied.
"Yeah,
she can-" Tiffany began
"Write," Josh put in.
"Fight,"
Rachel said at the same time.
"Do magic," Lisa interrupted.
"Uh,
all three," Quiller said. "She's really good at all-"
"I
don't have a power," Jordy mumbled, interrupting.
The rest of them gave
her sympathetic looks. They knew how upset she was about this. During the two months
of training they had each found that they specialized in a particular piece of magic.
So they spent much of their training time strengthening that ability. For some, unexplained
reason, Jordy hadn't found her specialty. Jordy was, as all of them, a great fighter
and a skilled witch, so it didn't really matter that she didn't have a power. Except
to her. They had tried to tell her it was no big deal, but Jordy had taken it hard.
So they avoided mentioning it.
"Oh," Sarah said.
Mari noticed
that they had obviously touched a nerve, so she changed subjects quickly. "Oh,
uh, hi…" She said to Paige, "I didn't even see you there, you've been so
quiet."
Paige looked up, awakening from the daze she had been in all
morning. "Huh?" she asked.
Xander saw Paige now too. "You weren't
here yesterday… Wait, I thought there were only eight of you… There are nine now?
When did this happen?" Xander asked, confused. He sighed, exasperated. "Am
I missing something?"
"A brain?" Fiona suggested, smiling sweetly.
"Haha,"
Xander said, resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at her.
"Oh,
yeah… this is Paige, The one I called you about last night," Quiller said to
Giles.
"Ah," He said, smiling at Paige.
Paige smiled back.
She seemed to be returning to the world of the living.
"So she isn't
a Slayer?" Xander asked.
They ignored him.
"I think we should
be going," Josh suggested. "We've got some research to do, and we're going
to want to look for another place to stay… I don't think any of us can stand many
more nights at Bill's Motel."
"You're actually staying there?"
Wilow asked.
Lisa nodded. "Unfortunately."
"If the PTB
is so powerful, why can't they conjure up some buckage? You know, help us out a little,"
Grace grumbled.
Giles looked up, an idea coming to him. "I think I know
a place you might be able to stay," he said. "Excuse me while I make a
phone call to confirm it. For now, you may bring your things here. I don't want you
staying another night in that rat infested motel." He disappeared into the kitchen.
Quiller
grinned. "Guess we should go get our bags" she said as they headed towards
the door.
"I'll come with you, if you don't mind. I have a few questions,"
Mari said.
"Sure," Jordy said. Now in a slightly better mood after
Giles' offer.
The Slayers filed out of the apartment along with Mari and the
door shut behind them.
Xander watched Paige leave.
"So she wasn't
a Slayer?" he asked again.
Fiona rolled her eyes.
On the way to the motel, Mari walked next to Maggie, watching the pouch she
had seen Maggie pull a cricket out of earlier.
It didn't take long for Maggie
to pull another one out. Mari watched in fascination as Maggie ate it.
"What's
with you and those crickets?" Mari asked.
Maggie giggled. "It's
all Lisa's fault," she said.
"Was not!" Lisa argued, from her
spot behind Maggie.
"Was too," Maggie said, smugly.
Lisa
glared. "It was an accident," she grumbled.
Maggie rolled her eyes.
"Suuuurrre."
"What was an accident?" Mari asked.
Lisa
sighed. "I was trying to do this spell…"
"To make me stronger,"
Maggie added.
"Back in our training time," Lisa said. "And
it worked. Maggie is stronger because of me," Lisa grinned proudly.
"Only
a little. Besides, there were side affects," Maggie mentioned.
"Only
one!" Lisa reminded her.
"It was this potion thing I had to drink,"
Maggie said, ignoring Lisa. "And for some reason, the combination of herbs and
things Lisa put in it had a bizarre reaction to the my body."
"And
she's been bug obsessed ever since," Lisa finished.
"Especially
crickets," Maggie grinned, eating another one.
Mari shook her head. "That's
one messed up story. And I hate to say it Lisa, but it does look like it was your
fault." Mari said with a smile. Maggie grinned. Lisa glared.
Soon after,
they arrived at the motel and gathered their things. By the time they finished, Giles
had pulled up in his convertible and Xander in his van.
"I get Giles'
car!" Rachel cried, racing towards it.
"Me too!" Grace squealed,
running after Rachel.
Josh was the fastest, so he got there first. "Shotgun!"
he called, hopping into the passenger seat. Giles chuckled and helped put the bags
in the trunk.
Xander pouted.
Paige strolled up to the van. "I'm
going with Xander," she said with a smile.
Xander grinned.
Somehow
they managed to fit Josh, Rachel, Grace, Tiffany, and Quiller into the convertible.
Mari, Jordy, Paige, Maggie, and Lisa climbed into the van.
"So, where're
we going?" Quiller asked. "Back to your apartment?"
"No,
actually," Giles answered. "The plans worked out. I'm taking you to the
place you'll be staying," he added
The group cheered. Giles smiled.
It
didn't take long before they arrived at the house. It seemed like paradise to the
Slayers, considering what they'd gotten used to the past 2 months.
In the
van, Mari stared at the house. "Isn't this…"
Xander nodded. "Buffy's
old place."
Giles unlocked the door and the Slayers walked inside the house, examining
it. All of the furniture was still there.
"Whoa, nice place," Grace
said, with an approving nod.
"Yeah, how'd you manage this?" Josh
asked.
"An old friend wanted to leave Sunnydale in a hurry and still
hasn't sold the house," Giles said. "She offered to let you stay
here
rent free."
"Tell your old friend thank you," Quiller said
As
the Slayer examined the house, and Xander gave them the grand tour, Mari hung back
with Giles.
"Joyce is letting the new Slayers live here?" She asked,
a bit surprised
Giles nodded.
"Huh. You'd think she'd hate the
whole Slayer process by now," Mari said
"She's a giving woman,"
Giles said.
Mari smiled sadly at him. He had been dating Joyce for a short
time before Buffy died. Joyce had ended it then, unable to see the man she felt was
responsible for her daughter's death. They kept in touch now, but Giles missed her.
"Are
you gonna tell them this place belonged to the old Slayer's mom?" She asked.
Giles
shook his head. Mari nodded, understanding.
Xander concluded the tour, and
the Slayers met back up with Giles.
"Where're the others?" Lisa
asked.
"Sarah, Fiona, and Willow are watching over Stacy," Giles
answered
"How is she, by the way?" Rachel wanted to know.
"Sleeping,"
Xander said. "She seems okay, just tired."
"Glad to hear it,"
Josh replied. "So… what's the plan for tonight?"
"I'm thinking
research," Quiller said. "On this thing that's after Paige, and whatever
attacked Stacy."
"You're only saying that 'cuz you don't have to
work at research like the rest of us," Rachel whined. Quiller smiled.
"I
think we should patrol," Maggie suggested. "Sunnydale has been without
a Slayer for too long. I say we go kick some demon >tos<!"
Lisa
shrugged. "I say we party."
"All in favor of partying,"
Grace said, raising her hand. Tiffany, Lisa, Rachel, and Jordy also raised their
hands.
"But-" Quiller started.
"Okay… how 'bout we split
it up?" Josh suggested, always the peacekeeper.
They grudgingly agreed
to that.
"I think it's time we leave you all to get settled," Giles
suggested.
He, Xander, and Mari left, shutting the door behind them.
1ater that night
Music pulsed through the Bronze, giving the
perfect dance beat to the packed club. Xander, Willow, Fiona, Josh, Rachel, and Tiffany
sat together at one of the tables, listening to the music and watching some of the
wild dance moves.
"Crazy," Josh said.
"What?" Fiona
asked.
"The busy night life around here. How could these people not know
what goes on at night in Sunnydale?"
"Oh, they know," Fiona
replied.
"But life goes on," Xander added. Fiona nodded.
"Did
you?" Tiffany asked Fiona.
"Did I what?"
"Did you
know about all this demon stuff," Tiffany explained.
"Of course,"
Fiona answered. "I lived here all my life. How could I not know? I denied it
for a long time. But deep down I always knew."
"What made you finally
admit it?" Rachel asked.
"I almost died. Stacy and I were out late
one night. A vampire nearly drained me and hurt Stacy pretty bad. Buffy and Willow
came along just in time," she said. "After that… we just couldn't go on
with everyday life, knowing we could do something. So I forced Giles to let us help."
"What's
the story with Mari and Sarah?" Josh asked
"Similar thing,"
she answered.
"What about you guys?" Willow asked. "What happened
when you were called?"
"It was this bizarre dream," Rachel
started. "They put us all in this room and explained it to us. We didn't believe
at first. But they convinced us."
"Then what? Did you just run away
from home?" Fiona asked.
"No. They gave us one day with our families.
Then the PTB did a spell. It was complicated but the end result was that we had never
existed. At least according to our family and anybody who had ever seen us."
Tiffany answered sadly.
"Like a reversal of what they did with Dawn,"
Xander replied. Tiffany nodded.
"Wow. For eight of you? That would be
one tough spell," Willow said.
"Yeah. Even for the PTB," Josh
added.
A new song started and Willow jumped up. "I love this song!"
she said, pulling Xander to his feet and dragging him onto the dance floor. Fiona
giggled, and turned to face the dance floor. She watched the two dance for a minute
and then noticed a girl next to the bar. She nudged Josh.
"Hey, I think
she's checking you out," Fiona whispered, pointing to the girl.
Tiffany,
Rachel, and Josh looked at the girl. Fiona was right. She was checking Josh out.
But Fi missed a crucial detail.
"Vampire," Tiffany and Rachel said
at the same time. Josh nodded.
"Wow. You can see it that easy?"
Fiona asked.
"It's not so obvious with some… but this chick just screams
undead," Rachel explained.
"Oh." Fiona said, watching the girl.
Then she turned to Josh again. "Shouldn't you… ya know," she made a subtle
staking motion. Josh sighed and stood up, heading towards the girl. They talked for
a minute and then both started towards the exit door.
Tiffany turned to Fi
and Rachel. "So, I was thinking-" she started, but two good-looking guys
behind her interrupted.
"Excuse us," One said, he then turned and
looked directly at Rachel. "Wanna dance?"
Rachel shrugged, and got
up, following him onto the dance floor. The other guy smiled at Fiona and gestured
towards the dance floor.
Fiona nooded and stood up to leave.
"Has
anybody ever told you you look like Justin Timberlake?" she asked, taking his
arm.
Tiffany rolled her eyes and finished her original sentence. "I was
thinking I could just sit here all by myself," she said to herself with mock
cheer. She sighed, put her chin in her hand and stirred the ice in her soda glass.
*****
The
girl vampire opened the door and forcefully shoved Josh into the alley.
"Hey,
no need to be so-" Josh started, and then looked around him. Five very ugly,
very big, and very dangerous looking vampires surrounded him.
"Pushy,"
he finished as the exit door slammed shut and the demons closed in around him.
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