*~*~*~*
Angel drove into town, determined to track down the demon and simply eliminate it.
Or we could capture and torture it...Angelus suggested helpfully. Haven't had a decent helping of torture since that thing with Giles. I wonder if this demon would hold up as well as good old Giles did?
Hey! I'm the Soul, remember?
Yeah, but the only exercise we get is with the Buffster!
Are you complaining??? Angel asked incredulously.
Do you THINK I'm that stupid?!?! I'm just saying, I need a good kill, and since it's going to be a demon after my Buffy, so much the better...
Angel rolled his eyes. Don't start that again.." He muttered under his breath.
Angelus chuckled.
As they arrived in town, they saw that everything appeared normal...
Heads up, Soulboy, our demon seems to be in the general store.
I know, I can feel him...
Angel casually walked across the street from where he had parked the car, to the store. He was getting closer. Angel had to be careful. He was aware of the curious stares aimed in his direction.
As Angel went to the front counter to speak to the attendant, he noticed that a few people had followed him in.
Damn!
Who cares?!?! They don't give a damn about us! If they get caught in the crossfire, stiff shit!
They haven't done anything wrong. They're just curious.
Malicious, you mean! Don't you remember what Buffy heard from their thoughts???
They don't know her. Anyway, do you think that she'll be pleased to hear that we let a few locals get killed because of what the thought of her?
Okay, when you put it that way...she might get a little pissed...
You think??? She'd make you come out so she could kick your ass, then you'd immediately let me back in control so that I'd feel the repercussions...I don't think so!
Now, there's an idea...Angelus smirked.
Shut up!
Angelus did as he was told, for once. The demon was near. Angel looked around. There were eight people in the main part of the store, behind him. Too many to tell which of them was the demon.
Angel turned to the shop keeper. "Has anyone...a stranger...been asking about me?"
The young man nodded, "Yeah. A woman, a few hours ago..."
Joyce. "Anyone else?"
The attendant shook his head. "Nope."
Angel decided to try something else. "Any strangers come to town recently...apart from the woman?"
The youth indicated his head to the back of the store. "Just him. He's looking for some blonde chick, who supposedly moved here in the last few months. You're the only new addition this town has had in the last two years..."
He broke off when he noticed that the stranger had captured Angel's complete attention.
The stranger appeared to be a man in his late thirties, Angel noticed as he stepped closer. Blond hair, but violet eyes that seemed to twinkle...
A Travlik demon. The eyes were a dead giveaway...
Unfortunately, they didn't care if people knew about them or not.
It spoke to him, "I want the Slayer."
Angel growled at him, "Well, you're not going to have her..."
Angel turned on his heel and exited the store, knowing that the demon would follow him. He got in to the car and drove toward an isolated area, where they could fight.
Predictably, the demon got into his own car and followed...
*~*~*~*
Buffy began to worry. She could feel them coming closer. The feeling of evil in the air was palpable.
It couldn't have captured my Angel, could it? She asked herself. No, she immediately dismissed the concept. Even if it has, my Angels would never bring it here...Of that she was certain.
Something else caught Buffy's attention. There was someone else, a human, in the area. And it was near Angel and the demon.
Oh, God! She had to risk it. She could tell that Angelus didn't know that there was a human there, which meant that Angel didn't know either. Buffy quickly grabbed her joggers and took off down the long driveway. Dammit! I'm gonna demand that Angel get me a motorbike! she thought, as she felt the hard, seemingly endless, track beneath her feet...
*~*~*~*
She watched from behind a nearby tree, as the demon got his ass kicked by the vampire. She stifled a chuckle. It wouldn't do her, or Angel for that matter, any good if she caught their attention. She didn't seem to be needed, so she just watched as the vampire took his frustration out on the demonic being that had been after his girlfriend.
It was the perfect opportunity for her to study him. She didn't know his deal, didn't understand him, and she didn't like that...
She raised her eyebrows as Angel knocked the demon to its knees. That hadn't been what had captured her attention, though. What held her attention was his strangeness...
He seemed to be talking to himself...
*~*~*~*
Oh, come ON, Soulboy! I wanna have some fun! Angelus seemed to whine.
Angel was getting annoyed. All the way there and all the way through the fight, Angelus attempted to persuade Angel to let him out so that he could have a go...
"No, alright!" Angel growled aloud. He was glad that Buffy wasn't there. She seemed to get a kick out of watching he and Angelus argue.
He did understand Angelus' point though. He carried a demon inside himself, he knew the need for violence.
Angels wondered if it would really be so bad, to give in just this once...
*~*~*~*
Buffy was nearing the group. She could feel their presence getting stronger. She could also pick up on a few of the townspeople. Damn! I'm getting too close to town...
The added thoughts, even though they were feint, were numerous. They were beginning to give her a monster migraine...
Soon, she wouldn't be able to differentiate between all of the thoughts floating through her mind. Angelus', the demon's, and the human's thoughts were still by far the strongest, but she still had to hurry...
Buffy paused in shock. No. It can't be... It was then that she realized who the other person was. You've got to be kidding me...why on earth is she here?
Buffy resumed her pace, but picked it up a lot...
*~*~*~*
She watched in fascination as he turned into Angelus before her very eyes. It was easy to see that they were two very different beings. She had witnessed Angel in vamp mode before, but this was darker. Angel had never had a look that cold on his face.
She could tell that the demon noticed the change in his captor as well, she could almost smell his fear.
She was captivated by the vampire's voice, as he calmly described exactly what he was doing, and what he was going to do to the demon, for even thinking about hunting down his Buffy, not to mention killing her...
She paused, there was someone behind her...
She thrust her arm up, in an attempt to get rid of them, but found it immobilized by a hand that had clamped itself around her wrist.
She spun around to face her opponent, but immediately relaxed as she recognized her, "Buffy!"
"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.
Faith grinned. "I'm here to save your ass..."
*~*~*~*
Angel looked up as he noticed movement behind him. It was Buffy.
What the hell is she doing here?
I don't know, but Faith's with her...
That slut just spells trouble...
Don't talk about her that way...
Why the f*ck not??? She's tried to hit on me more than once...
She's not that bad, she's just had a bad life. She's still a slayer...and she's not ALL bad.
Yeah, right. You might wanna go over there and make sure she doesn't try to kill Buffy. Not that Buffy couldn't kick her ass; but...
...yeah, I know. If Faith gets highly emotional, Buffy might be distracted enough for Faith to get her...
Angel rushed to Buffy's side.
*~*~*~*
The sister Slayers spotted Angel abandoning the unconscious, and profusely bleeding, demon, and rushing toward them.
Buffy immediately took charge, "Don't worry, Angel, she's not going to kill me...but my head is starting...to..."
Buffy put a hand to her head and began to sway dangerously, just before she collapsed.
*~*~*~*
Come on, Buff, wake up! came Angelus' pained thoughts.
Hey, B, you aren't gonna let me take all the Slaying glory, now, are ya?
I wonder who she is? But Mr. Ryan and the young lady seem to really care for her welfare...
Buffy felt a small prick in her arm. She struggled to open her eyes...she was so tired...
*~*~*~*
When is she going to wake up? Angelus asked his soul.
Angel was worried. It had been five hours since her faint.
I don't know...
Where's the other Slayer?
I don't care...
Come on, Soulboy, we don't want her to run off with anything...Buffy would be pissed when she wakes up...
IF she wakes up.
Angelus began taking his frustrations out on Angel, She's gonna wake up, God damn you! She's gonna wake up, and she's gonna be fine!
She'll be fine, Angel echoed.
*~*~*~*
Looking back, it had been a pretty bad time for them, considering how well Buffy was actually doing.
Buffy had awoken barely an hour later. She and Faith had talked, and sorted out their feelings toward one another. They had never realized just how jealous they were of each other.
Buffy had been jealous of Faith's carefree lifestyle, whereas Faith had been jealous of Buffy's family, friends and skills. Only, Buffy wouldn't really deal with her family and friends much, anymore, and they were about even in the skills department...
They were truly sister Slayers...
It hadn't been until Faith had left, that Buffy realized something about herself, something about her body...
She could hear someone in her mind. It wasn't her Angel, or Angelus. The people of the town were too far away, the doctor and Faith were long gone.
She couldn't understand the thoughts. They were incoherent, gibberish to her. Something told her that things were about to change. She would always have her Angels, but someone else was going to join them...
Buffy smiled...
She was pregnant...
hehehehe...I'm an evil bitca! Don't worry, though, there's gonna be a sequel...
Go to the sequel, Child Mentality