Karma
by Redwulf
Third Verse
A/N: Betaed by Spikeslovebite aka Tam aka My Evil Twin Skippy :P
(Library)
"You know, all I want is to be a good slayer, a decent student, a daughter my mom can be proud of, and set a good example to my kid sister. Is that to much to ask?" Buffy asked her Watcher as she entered.
"No, I think those are all admirable goals,” Giles replied.
"Well then, we need to ixnay the vamps feeding on campus." Buffy rolled her eyes as she moved to sit. "You heard about it, right? Guy killed and left in the girl's locker room?"
"Yes." Giles took off his glasses. "Will he rise again?"
"No she just drained him." Buffy answered as she flounced into a chair. "She sucked him, but didn't let him suck her, which was kinda nice of her."
"Her?" Giles asked, his interest piqued.
"Yeah. Most times it’s the female vamps that lure young males off to feed from, while the male vamps tend to favor females. They only turn the most attractive and this guy was barely human looking.” Buffy looked sullen "GAH!!"
"Very astute deduction." He was suitably impressed.
"Yeah, but this is MY school. Who do they think they are, feeding here?" She was beyond pissed. "We need more help than just us, Giles. Doesn't the Council have wet works teams they can send to help us?"
"Normally the slayer fights alone,” Giles replied carefully. It was unheard of for a slayer to make such a request. Usually, when it came to the Council’s interference, they were more territorial than most vampires. Some factions within the Council would be overjoyed at a request for aid from a Slayer, but some would see it as a sign of weakness. He liked this young girl already, so he would have to choose his wording in the request carefully.
"Giles, I can stop the big bad's alone." Buffy said with a sigh. "But while I'm doing that, all the little bad's are feasting on Sunnydale. I’m only one girl. I can only be in one place at a time, you know?”
“Well, Buffy, this IS the Hellmouth,” Giles pointed out, buffing his glasses to a high gloss.
Buffy glared at him. Did he think she was stupid? “Well aware of that, Giles. Kinda sitting right on top of it, you know. Whose idea was that anyway? Build a high school filled with hundreds of potential hormone bombs over the mouth of hell. It just reeks of stupidity!” she scoffed.
Giles coughed delicately. “Er, that would be Mayor Richard Wilkins.”
“Ahh, yes. Mayor Wilkins; future big bad. We still have a few years before we have to deal with him.” Buffy inspected her nails. “Why anyone would want to sell their soul to become a giant snake is beyond me.”
If his eyes bugged out any further, they would fall right out onto the floor. “Buffy, how do you know all of this?”
She shrugged carelessly. “Dunno. Don’t much care, but you might wanna write this stuff down. Sorry, Giles, gotta run." Buffy popped out of her chair and sped from the library, leaving her watcher with enough fodder for days of research.
In the back of the stacks was a very confused Xander Harris, his eyes as big as saucers as he wondered what the hell he had just heard.
(Revello Drive, Buffy’s room)
Buffy stood before the mirror holding a slinky black dress up in front of her
"Kneel, for I am your slutty sex kitten. Bring me naked Spike with a platter of butter on the side." She giggled until she realized that this Spike could just be a figment of her imagination. Some fantasy her brain cooked up. She threw the dress on the bed next to her with a sigh of frustration.
Next was a blue dress with a floral print. "Hello, would you like a copy of Watch tower?" She tossed it down with the black one in a fit of anger. "I used to be good at this," she muttered.
Joyce entered the room to find her daughter obviously distressed. "Hi, hon."
Buffy began putting the dresses away. Depression was beginning to set in. "Hey."
Joyce hated seeing her oldest like this, so she tried to change the subject. "Are you going out tonight?"
"Yeah." Buffy replied tiredly. "I'm going to a club."
"Oh, will there be boys?" Joyce asked.
""No, mom. It's a nun club." Buffy smiled at her mom in spite of herself. "Yes, boys, just not the right ones."
"Buffy,” Joyce began. "Was there someone in LA?"
"No." Buffy looked around glumly. "Maybe I'm too picky. I just want exactly what I want."
"Baby,” Joyce said with a smile. "You’re fifteen, its ok to want it all."
"I want a bad boy with a heart of gold. A scholar, with a smooth honeyed voice that will love me more than life. One with no secrets, no mystery just him loving me till it scares me to death,” Buffy informed her mother. "A body like a Greek god, and blue eyes so intense they take my breath away."
"Oh my." Joyce laughed softly at her daughter. "If you find him, see if his dad is married."
"Mom!" Buffy looked at her mom in mock outrage. "This is MY fantasy."
"Yours and every other woman alive, honey," Joyce chuckled. "Just be careful honey."
"I will, Mom,” Buffy replied patiently.
"You know, I think we can make it work here. I've got my positive energy flowing... I'm gonna get the gallery on its feet... Oh, uh, we may have found a space today." Joyce was almost bouncing in her excitement. "And the school is a-a very nurturing environment, which is just what you girls need.
"Well, actually..."
"Oh, not too nurturing.” Joyce broke in hastily. “I know you're sixteen. I've read all about the dangers of over-nurturing."
"More like the environment needs nurturing, which is cool." Buffy smiled at her mom. "Makes me feel all adult like."
"It's hard. New town and everything... It is for me, too. I'm trying to make it work." Joyce said as she took her daughter's hands in hers "I'm *going* to make it work."
"I know." Buffy told her. "I have faith in us."
"Oh, you're a good girl, Buffy," she said as she patted her on the head. "You just fell in with the wrong crowd. But that is all behind us now."
"It is. From now on I am only going to hang out with the living,” Buffy said as she released her mom's hands "I mean lively. Lively people."
Buffy walked back to her closet with an awkward look on her face wondering if tonight would be the night or if, like in her dreams, she would have to wait another year for her dream guy to show up...
"Hmm. Okay. You have fun,” Joyce told her as she left the room.
(Later that evening on a dark street.)
Buffy sensed him before she heard him. She knew who it was. Of course it was Angelus. She kept walking, picking up her pace, and letting him know that she knew she was being followed. She hoped he would announce himself, but noooo, not Angelus. Brood wonder master of helping without, you know, ever helping much. Then she saw it above her. Perfect.
The black shape moved up the alley obviously looking for someone. From his awkward movements one would have almost thought he were on crack. As he walked on he looked through the trash as if money might be hid there, money or the elusive slayer.
Buffy waited until he was right beneath her and vaulted off the bar attached to the wall above him. She landed hard on his back, knocking him to the ground.
"Ah, heh. Is there a problem, ma'am?" The brooding man with the now cracked protruding forehead asked.
"Yeah, there's a problem. Why are you following me?" Buffy demanded.
"I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I don't bite,” he said. "I don't do the evil thing anymore. I'm a hero; a champion."
Buffy backed away from him still in a fighting stance. Her disgust was evident as she looked him over. She backed off and let him get up, but kept her fighting stance.
"Truth is, I thought you'd be taller or bigger muscles and all that. You're pretty spry, though," he mumbled while massaging his neck.
"What do you want?" Buffy asked. She just wanted to get this over with.
"The same thing you do.”
Buffy threw him her stake. "Knock yourself out. Insert into chest area and vacuum as needed.”
"We can do it together,” Angel suggested almost cheerfully, hoping she didn’t miss his subtle double entendre.
"You think it takes two of us just to stake you?" Buffy snapped. She didn’t have time for this. Not tonight. She started to determinedly walk away.
"You're standing at the mouth of Hell, and it's about to open. You need my help, whether you want it or not," he called after her.
She stopped. Turning back to him, she looked at him with a wide-eyed gaze. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small box. "You might need this." He tossed her the box, smiling as she caught it deftly. "Don't turn your back on this. You've gotta be ready," the stranger said as he tried to saunter away.
"I don't want your damned present, you half-wit brooding retard!" Buffy flung the box back at him; hitting him in the back of the head and knocking him back down. "If you want to help, bring your over-bearing, sanctimonious ass to the high school library tomorrow at four o’clock."
Bedazzled by her beauty and quick wit, Angel watched her from his perch on the ground as she walked away. Oh, yeah. She wanted him. He could tell.
(New York City, New York)
He watched the bleach blonde shave. It was a more than a little surreal. This was the baby-faced version of his mother's killer. Every instinct begged for the death of the monster in front of him, but his newly returned mother called the man friend. It was strange to think that this man had stood over the dying body of his future wife— a woman he had yet to meet— and defended her with his very life.
"You know you don't look so tough,” Robin said to the former vampire.
"Well, yeah. Bloody Powers think this is some kinda sick joke,” Spike replied. "They think somehow Buffy will fall for this seventeen year old version of me."
"What?" Robin was surprised. "You mean you were older?"
"Yeah." Spike finished shaving and put his t shirt on. "Was turned at twenty-eight, but being love's bitch has its advantages." He stood quietly, staring at Robin. "Your mum is a good woman. Are you gonna be okay when we get to Sunnydale?"
Another strange feeling swept over Robin. His mother's killer treating him like they were best friends. It was too bizarre for words. "Yeah, we'll get through. And you?"
"No, I hate this." Spike looked hurt and confused. "I get to bloody watch the woman I love fall for a poofter I had to dust in the old timeline? No, I'm not alright, but we all have our crosses to bear."
(Bronze, Sunnydale California)
Buffy reached the front door of the club to the sounds of a band playing very loud. It grated on her nerves for some reason, as she pulled her hair back to reveal her smooth bare neck. She paid the bouncer at the door and then walked in looking around for friends or enemies.
As Buffy moved slightly to the beat she saw a guy waving, thinking he was waving at her she waved back. Then as she turns she saw a very attractive woman waving at the guy. She walked away quickly embarrassed. //Oh yeah I'm not embarrassed// She thought.
A smile crossed her face when she saw Willow sitting at the bar. That was what she needed some friend time to balance out the weirdness.
"Hi!" Buffy greeted the red head and bounced up onto the stool next to her.
"Oh, h-hi." Willow said as she turned to face Buffy. "Hi."
"Are you here with someone?" Buffy asked.
"No, I was just hoping Xander would show up," Willow stated dejectedly.
"You and Xander are going out?" Hope dawned in Buffy's breast.
"No." Willow sighed dramatically. "We used to go out, but then we broke up."
Buffy thought that Wills was lucky for that but put on her ‘best friends’ sympathetic face. "How come?"
"He stole my Barbie." At Buffy's confused look she added. "Oh, we were five.'
"Oh." Buffy tried for sympathetic.
"I-I-I don't date a lot...lately." Willow said shyly
"Why not?" Buffy asked genuinely confused.
"Well, when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool, or, or witty, o-or at all. I-I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away,” Willow informed her.
"It's not *that* bad!" Buffy was way wigged at the images she had in her mind of a confident attractive Willow. It wasn't this Willow, it was the Willow in her head wearing leather pants and eating Ice cream with her. Where the image came from she might never know. "You just need confidence."
"No, i-it is. I think boys are more interested in a girl who can talk." Her expression begged Buffy to cheer her up.
"You really *haven't* been dating lately." Buffy grinned
"It's probably easy for you,” Willow told her enviously. She had seen the way Xander had been drooling over the blonde.
"Yeah, real easy." Buffy replied thinking of Xander's developing obsession and her earlier run in with the brood master. Her shoulders slumped.
"I-I mean, you don't seem too shy." Willow said quickly trying to cheer her new friend up.
"Well, my philosophy,” Buffy began but thought Willow might not wanna hear it. "Do you wanna hear my philosophy?"
"Yeah, I do!" Willow answered thinking that she might find out the secret of instant coolness. Already she saw Xander and others following her around like the new Queen C.
"Life is short,” Buffy informed her with a smile.
"Life is short?" Willow asked for clarification, feeling as if she had been gypped.
"Not original, I'll grant you, but it's true. You know? Why waste time being all shy and worrying about some guy, and if he's gonna laugh at you. Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead,” Buffy told her trying to cheer her up.
"Oh, that's nice!" Willow replied trying to see the logic in this.
Buffy took a drink of her soda and saw Giles on the upper level standing on the catwalk. She rolled her eyes, wondering if the Watcher realized how perverted he looked hanging out in the corners at a teenage bar.
"Um, I'll be back in a minute," she told the red head.
"Oh, tha-that's okay, you don't have to come back,” Willow answered, figuring this was probably a brush off.
"I'll be back in a minute,” Buffy repeated with a smile as she turned to leave.
Willow, deep in thought, mumbled to herself. "Seize the moment." Over and over again, like a mantra
(New York City, New York)
Nikki Wood entered the room to see her former watcher, Bernard Crowley, shuffling papers with a frown on his face. It was strange how time had seemingly aged the man beyond his years. She wondered absently how much of that had been her death and how much was having to raise her son. She had missed him. He was once one of the constants in her life.
"You can admit that this freaks you out, Crowley,” Nikki told her watcher. "I know having your long dead slayer return must be strange."
"Well, it might help if she hadn't returned with her now almost human killer,” Bernard said with a smile. "I still think we should contact the Council."
"In time, old friend,” Nikki informed him. "You did get the documentation for our trip to Sunnydale?"
"Oh yes.” He looked around his desk. "Strange, but I have it. Young ‘William’ is my grandson. His father and his father's brother, your husband, died in an automobile crash. Hence you, YOUR brother Robin, William and I living together. How is Robin dealing with this?"
"He's coping Crowley, barely, but still coping,” she told him.
(Meanwhile back at the Bronze in SunnyD)
The eerily dark lights are broken only by the driving lights and rhythm coming from the stage as Buffy slipped up the stairs with the ease of a seasoned predator. Buffy snuck up behind her watcher with a smirk on her face. "So, you like to party with the students. Isn't that kinda skanky?"
"Oh, right,” Giles started in surprise. "This is me having fun. Watching... clown hair prance about is hardly my idea of a party. I'd much rather be at home with a cup of Bovril and a good book."
Despite his sarcasm it was obvious the watcher was glad to see her.
"Gawd Giles." Buffy grinned impishly at him. "You need a personality, stat!"
Giles looks below them at the crowd of teenagers. “This is a perfect breeding ground for vampire activity. It's dark, it's crowded... Besides, I knew you were likely to show up, and I wanted to observe you at work."
"...that the Harvest is coming." The words seemed to trip out of Buffy's mouth.
"What did you say?" Giles asked.
“The Harvest. That mean anything to you? 'Cause I'm drawing a blank." Buffy seemed almost afraid of the information she had revealed.
"I'm not sure. Uh... W-who told you this?" Giles began cleaning his glasses.
"That's just it! I don’t know! We— you and I— were talking and that just popped out.” Buffy looked around nervously. "But somehow I know it's important."
"The Harvest?" Giles put his glasses back on. "Do you get these flashes often?"
"All the time and they are wigging me out." Buffy leaned on the rail next to her. "A while ago I was talking to Willow and got a head full of images, her and me eating ice cream, her eyes black and attacking demons, her as the head of a coven, in Bath, I think?"
"Dear Lord, we were afraid of this." Giles put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "From what the council explained to me earlier, in extreme circumstances when a slayer receives the amount of information from the Powers that you have, sometimes you only remember parts of it as you need it. Young Willow will be a Witch?"
"Oh yeah." Buffy says nodding slowly. "Xander Harris, as annoyingly obsessed with me as he is, will be a Watcher hit man type. Jesse, I have no idea, but I think if he lives he might be a watcher of some type."
Giles nodded slowly processing the new information. "The Powers are sending you a team then.” He paused for a second before continuing. "Miss Rosenberg I might have guessed, perhaps even young Jesse, but Harris?
"Yeah, Xander,” Buffy’s voice was thick with exasperation. "If I don't kill him first, that is."
At Giles raised eyebrow, she continued. "Xander thinks I should be his girl. I've tried being nice so far, but if he keeps pushing it, I might have to hurt his feelings."
Giles nodded then turned back towards the dance floor. "Look at them, throwing themselves about; completely unaware of the danger that surrounds them." .
"Lucky them,” Buffy remarked glumly
"I am rather chuffed, you know." Giles told her. "When told I was getting a Valley Girl slayer, I was certain that you would be more trouble than you were worth."
She didn’t rise to the bait. "Are you truly ready?" he asked her. "Even with all of the visions, are you truly ready? There's so much you don't know about them, about your own powers. A vampire appears to be completely normal until the feed is upon them, only then do they reveal their true demonic visage."
"You're like a textbook with arms. I know all this." Buffy smiled sadly at her watcher.
"The point is; a Slayer should be able to see them anyway." Giles sounded defensive. "Without looking, without thinking. Can you tell me if there's a vampire in this building?"
"Maybe,” Buffy drawled, toying with him.
“You should know. Even through this mass and this-this din! You should be able to sense them. Well, try! Reach out with your mind." Giles lectured as Buffy looked around "You have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you, until you, you feel every particle o-of..."
Buffy suddenly smirked and cut him off. “There’s three in the building and two outside."
"W-where?" Giles asked surprised.
"Right there, talking to that girl, Willow. Very strong Childe. Minion at the back door next to the bathrooms,” Buffy supplied. "And a rather old Master walking towards Jesse. The two outside are outside the door the minion is guarding. Someone is trying for take out."
"And you know all this..." Giles was perplexed. "How?"
"Tinglies, silly! Minions give off weak tinglies, Masters give off strong tinglies." Buffy answered. "And for those without, look at their clothes. The girl is in a catholic school girl's outfit. She’s obviously a cheap tramp, while the guy with Willow is stuck in the 80's. And the minion is in game face, duh."
"There clothes are dated?" Giles asked surprised.
"Carbon dated. Trust me, only someone living underground for ten years would think that was still the look” Buffy answered.
"But are you sure?" he demanded.
"Sorry, Giles. Super Slayer to the rescue." Buffy ran off to save her new friends.
Jesse was in heaven. A beautiful woman in a short plaid skirt was all over him. She was blonde, blue eyed and built like a brick shit house with fully carved wooden trim. He was gonna get laid. He smiled to himself.
"So, um, what did you say your name was?" He was trying for smooth.
"Darla,” the woman responded breathily.
"Darla." Another, not-so-breathy voice piped up from behind him. Jesse turned to see the girl that Xander was obsessing over. Buffy.
"Hiya, Darla,” Buffy bubbled cheerfully. "I'm Buffy... the Vampire Slayer."
And then his beautiful girl changed. Her face got unbelievably ugly and she grew fangs. Before she could attack him, Buffy pulled out the wooden tent peg she had been teasing them with earlier and stabbed his well built lady in the heart. There was a shriek and then a shower of dust.
"You killed her?" Jesse sputtered in exasperation. "She was gonna...I almost got…there were tits…and you killed her."
"She... was... a... vampire." Buffy told him slowly and succinctly. "She was gonna drain you then dump you in the alley."
"But, but, but..." Jesse squawked.
"And they have Willow,” Buffy informed him. "You gonna help me save her, or what?"
"Uhhhmmmm, yeah,” he whimpered in a lost voice. "I guess."
(The Master's Lair.)
The Master rose out of the pool of blood as Luke knelt before it and looked on. He stepped out of the pool over to Luke and offered his hand.
Luke took it with a look of total reverence as he lisped, "Master!"
"I am weak." The bat faced one told him.
Luke quoted the scriptures. “In the Harvest he will be restored.”
"The Harvest!" the Master hissed sibilantly.
"We're almost there. Soon you'll be free!" Luke informed him adoringly.
The Master reached his arm out to test his mystical confines. They are still as strong as ever. “I must be ready. I need my strength,” whined old bat ears
"I've sent your servants to bring you some food," Luke was quick to assure him
"Good. Luke?"
"Yes?"
"Bring me something... young."
(Cut to the sidewalk next to the cemetery. Willow and a vampire are walking.)
Willow was not a happy camper. A scaredy camper, maybe, but not a happy one. "Sure is dark."
"It's night," the 80’s reject teased her.
"Well, that's a dark time, night. Traditionally. I still can't believe I've never seen you at school. Do you have Mr. Chomsky for history?" Seize the day? By now, Willow asked wondering why she had ever listened to Buffy.
Thomas ignored her babbling and headed into the cemetery.
"Uh, the ice cream parlor is this way. It's past Hamilton Street." Willow really didn't like this.
“I know a shortcut." He grabbed her hand and dragged her along behind him.
(The Bronze. Buffy and Jesse are trying to find Willow)
Buffy and Jesse dashed out the door of the Bronze after having informed Giles of the situation. Xander was just coming in and stopped them as they ran past him.
"Hey, you're leaving already?" Xander hoped his best friend wasn't scoring with the woman of his dreams. That just wasn’t kosher.
"Oh, Xander! Have you seen Willow?" Jesse panted.
"Not tonight, no. Why?”
"She left with a guy,” Buffy told him, getting more and more antsy over the delay.
"We're talking about Willow, right? Scorin' at the Bronze, work it girl...work it!" Xander said with a typically goofy grin.
"No, I need to find her. Where would he take her?" Buffy said cutting him off.
"Why? Oh, hey, I hope he's not a vampire, because then you might have to slay him." Xander mocked her.
Buffy was taken aback by his statement. "Was there a-a school bulletin? Was it i-in the newspaper? Is there anyone in this town who doesn't know I'm the Slayer?”
"No. I only know that you *think* that you're the Slayer and the reason why I know that..." Xander began theatrically.
"You're a complete idiot, Xand.” Jesse informed his friend with disgust. "You gonna help us save Willow, or not, you dorkwad?"
"Look, whatever! It doesn't matter; just tell me where would Willow go?" Buffy snapped cutting off the argument.
"You're serious!" Xander was flabbergasted.
"We don't find her, there's gonna be one more dead body in the morning!" Buffy told him coldly.
(Cut to the cemetery. Willow and Thomas are walking.)
"Oh, okay, th-this is nice... and scary. Are you sure this is faster?" Willow asked nervously.
"Hey! Ever been in one of these?" The boy asked her. They had reached a mausoleum.
"No. Thank you." Willow made as if to walk away.
"Come on!” Thomas pleaded as he stepped up and pulled her back into him. “What are you afraid of?
He moved in toward her neck. She let out a yelp as he grabbed her and pushed her into the mausoleum. Willow tripped down the stairs and stopped up against the stone coffin. She turned around to face him quickly.
"That wasn't funny!" Willow was beginning to get pissed off. Yeah, she was still scared, but really pissed too.
Thomas came down the steps. She backed away from him until she came up against the wall and tripped over a pile of stones. At least, she hoped they were stones, coz ewwww!
"I think I'm gonna go." Willow moved past him quickly.
"Is that what you think?" He rushed towards her again. She skirted by him, but only because he let her. She looked up to find Buffy, Jesse, and Xander had blocked her way out as they entered.
"Oh, my God, you guys thank you!" Willow was never been so happy to see anyone. “Guys, let's get outta here!"
"Oh, you're not going anywhere,” Thomas snarled.
"Leave us alone,” Willow snapped feeling braver with backup.
"You're not going anywhere until I've fed!" he slavered, immediately slipping into game face.
Willow screamed and fell down in front of the others. Jesse, Buffy, and Xander all reached down to help her to her feet.
"Well, this is nice. It's a little bare, but a splash of paint, a few throw pillows... call it home sweet crypt,” Buffy snarked at the vamp.
The vampire charged, but Buffy staked him almost effortlessly and turned to her friends. "Let's go guys."
As the four exited the crypt, a small nondescript car slid to a halt in front of them with Giles at the wheel.
"Get in,” he barked.
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