Summary: When Spike helps Buffy pull a fast one on
Parker, things turn out much
more complicated than they first appear. Scenerio #2 in the
Immortal
Guardian Series
Chapter
6: Conversations
Buffy finished up her breakfast
just as the doorbell rang. Putting her
plate in the sink, she hurried to answer the door. Joyce was coming by
to drop off some things she had found while 'cleaning' the basement, so
Buffy wasn't surprised when she saw her mother standing there with her
hands full. Joyce thrust a coat rack towards her daughter and bent over
to pick up a box. Buffy quickly put the it in the corner of the
entryway. Then she grabbed Spike's duster off the newel post and put it
on the newly acquired coat rack before turning to help Joyce.
"There was some man with a camera taking a picture of me earlier today.
I only caught a glimpse of him because he tripped," Joyce whispered,
jerking her head slightly backwards through the door, indicating the
bushes across the street.
Buffy peered over her mother's shoulder, but didn't observe anything
out of the ordinary. Not understanding why, except for some basic
instinct, Buffy sniffed the air. A familiar scent wafted through the
air; a scent reminiscent of Riley and his pals from the night before.
Buffy glanced into her mom's eyes, nodding.
"Hey, mom, we really needed a coat rack. Spike has been using the
staircase," Buffy said acting as normal as possible, as she took the
box her mother was holding. Buffy noticed the box was filled with china
so she carried it to the kitchen and placed in it on the counter.
Following Joyce back outside the two women set to work bringing several
boxes into the house from Joyce's Jeep.
"This is your Grandma Summers's china. She wanted you to have it,"
announced Joyce as she started to carefully remove the dishes from the
box she had just set down on the counter. Buffy nodded as she moved to
fill the sink with hot sudsy water.
"Spike said that he dropped some jewelry by for the gallery," commented
Buffy as she put some of the china in the sink. She turned off the
faucet and sunk her hands into the water. Buffy found washing dishes
relaxing; a mundane task in a hectic life.
"Yes, he did. I looked over the schedule and the next free time
available for an auction won't be until late January," Joyce informed
Buffy as she handed her a stack of bowls.
"Cool. The other auction is scheduled for just after Christmas,"
replied Buffy, as she dipped into Spike's mind to find out what had
happened while he was away in Los Angeles.
"Good news is that the commission coming from the jewelry sale insures
that I won't have to travel over Thanksgiving,"
"That's great, mom," Buffy said excitedly, "I was planning on inviting
everyone over here for dinner. That is if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all. Just let me know what you need," replied Joyce as
she handed Buffy the last of the china. She grabbed a dishtowel to
begin drying the washed china. Buffy indicated which cupboard to put it
in and in a matter of minutes the two Summers ladies were finished with
their task. The boxes were broken down to put in the recycling bin.
Spike came downstairs to find his two favorite women discussing holiday
plans. He absentmindedly dropped a kiss on Buffy's forehead as he
passed by her. Spike rummaged through the fridge for something. He
wasn't particularly hungry at the moment; he just had the munchies. And
he was totally uninterested in blood.
The topic of blood got him to thinking about how the Slayer's blood had
tasted last night. It was changing from when they first mated; getting
more powerful. Spike couldn't believe he was still supercharged from
the few mouthfuls he had swallowed the night before. He was broke out
of his inner musings when Joyce said his name.
"Spike, I think the quality of the jewelry you brought by the gallery
requires a black tie event," Joyce informed the vampire. She took
several brochures out of her purse to hand to the vampire, who studied
them for a few minutes before throwing them down on the counter.
"Sounds good, Joyce. I want to see the Slayer in a formal gown," Spike
answered, waggling his eyebrows at Buffy.
"You should have been here at prom time then, Spike. Hellhounds and
formal dresses," Buffy said primly as she blushed under his hot gaze.
She turned her back to him and picked up one of the brochures to glance
through.
"Did you ever have a school event not get interrupted, pet?" Spike
asked as he slid his arms around Buffy's middle, resting his chin on
her shoulder.
"Few and far between. My favorite was Back to School Night. That little
event got me out of a grounding," Buffy smirked as she rubbed her cheek
against Spike's.
Joyce enjoyed watching the level of affection she was observing between
her daughter and her boyfriend. She had known there was something
different about Spike ever since the night that they were formally
introduced. Joyce remembered, from his visit the year before, the flash
of awe in the vampire's eyes when Buffy had the wooden spoon pressed
tightly against his chest. She had wondered then and there about
Spike's true feelings for her daughter.
"The auction will be held in late January. I will hammer all the
details out and get back to you. Now, you two lovebirds, I need to get
to the gallery," Joyce informed the couple. They followed her to the
front door where they waved good-bye to her from the porch.
Buffy pulled Spike to the porch swing where to the casual observer they
sat in silence, just enjoying each other's company. In reality, Buffy
was relaying to her mate the memory of the scents she had committed to
memory earlier. The mated pair had been so busy with other business
lately that they hadn't had time to fully explore the side effects of
the claim between them. They soon settled on the agreement that wards
against electronic devices were needed at all the Scooby residences. It
was something else that needed to be discussed with Giles.
"Time to go see Giles, luv," said Spike as he stood up and pulled Buffy
to her feet. They grabbed their coats, locked up the house and got into
Spike's car. The pair kept careful watch on the streets behind them as
they drove through Sunnydale and were not surprised to see a sedan
tailing them.
Parking outside Giles's apartment, Spike and Buffy casually strolled
through the courtyard as if they were unaware that they were being
followed. Spike knocked on the Watcher's door and they were quickly
ushered inside where they also found Willow, Xander and Anya waiting
for them.
"Where's Oz?" asked Buffy as she took a seat at the dining room table
along with Spike and the others. The table was littered with book,
Willow's laptop and doughnuts from the local Winchell's.
"He's watching that other group practice," Willow answered, her voice
tinged with enough jealousy to cause the others in the room to stare at
her. She returned to her laptop without noticing her friends were
looking at her. None of them had realized things weren't going too well
for the Wicca and the werewolf. The silence was deafening until Xander
broke it with a report on his part-time construction work at the
fraternity house.
"I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary, but they sure do clam up
whenever I am around. That's pretty suspicious, if you ask me. My
pseudo army training tells me those boys are very regimented, too,"
Xander informed the group as he shoved a doughnut in his mouth.
"This is even more suspicious," said Willow, her eyes glued to the
screen of the laptop, "Professor Walsh and every member of the Lowell
House fraternity transferred into UCSunnydale about 6 months ago. In
fact the fraternity itself is only 6 months old."
Speculation flew around the room until Giles stood and began pacing.
The Scoobies all quieted down as he took off his glasses to begin
polishing them. They watched as a myriad of expressions passed over the
Watcher's face before he began to speak.
"Normally I would say that these commandos would be a tremendous help
against our war on the evil here in Sunnydale. However, the fact that
they tried to take Spike in front of witnesses and with the attitude
that Riley showed towards Buffy, I do not believe this is true,"
pronounced Giles.
"My mom... saw someone taking pictures of her this morning," piped up
Buffy as she chewed on her lip, "And... I could smell them outside the
house. Whoever it was smelled exactly like Riley and his buddies."
"Hey, what exactly do you mean you can smell them?" asked Xander.
"I mean, I can smell everything better now, but only when I focus on
it," Buffy answered, closing her eyes in concentration, "Giles, you had
some whiskey... it's been a few hours though. It's there but not that
strong,"
Buffy opened her eyes and looked at Spike who sniffed the air in the
direction of the Watcher. He nodded before speaking.
"Last night before bed, right, Rupes?" asked the blonde vampire of his
fellow Englishman. Giles nodded and his eyes settled back on Buffy, who
closed her eyes again.
"Willow, I can smell your power and Oz on you. Actually I can feel the
power, too. It's kinda scary," Buffy gasped, her eyes popping open.
Spike moved closer to put his arm around Buffy who gazed at her Watcher
with tear glazed eyes, "Giles, she needs some guidance. I just had an
image of Willow in my mind. Black hair, black veins, black eyes and way
scary powers."
Giles stared at both the girls in speculation. Something important was
happening here; something that would change the world. He had an
inkling of an idea as to what was going on with Buffy, but he needed
more facts. Giles made immediate plans to contact the coven in
Westbury, England, where his childhood friend, Althanea, lived. She
would be able to either send someone or recommend someone to come to
Sunnydale to guide Willow.
"What about us?" Anya asked, indicating herself and Xander. Buffy's
forehead wrinkled as she took in the scents of her other two friends.
"Xander just smells human, but I can smell the demon you used to be,
Anya. And even though you both showered I can smell the..." Buffy broke
off as she blushed deeply. She turned her face and hid it against
Spike's shoulder. There were some things about her friends she just
wasn't ready to know.
"Strawberry glaze. Right tasty by the smell of it. Sticky. Hard to wash
off of some places," Spike finished for the Slayer, his smirk and
tongue curl in place. Payback was a bitch, too, as he sent his own
naughty images to Buffy. Images of her licking and sucking strawberry
glaze off of his hardened cock. Her instant arousal both inflated and
soothed his ego.
"Do you have any other heightened senses?" Giles directed the
conversation back to the important topics on hand. He had an idea that
his Slayer and her vampire had a mental connection that far transcended
anything in the Council's recorded history.
"I haven't tried them, Giles, but I am sure they are. There's something
else I need to show you guys, but you have to promise not to freak,"
answered Buffy.
When all of her friends had agreed, she nodded to Spike who slid into
game face and growled possessively at her. Buffy knew she hadn't full
control of whatever was happening to her yet, and she needed Spike's
help to show it to her Watcher and her friends. Buffy felt her fangs
descend and while she couldn't feel it she knew her eyes were taking on
the same iridescent green-gold glow Spike said they had exhibited the
night before.
"Wow, you are so pretty," Anya informed the Slayer before anyone else
could speak, "I heard about this happening to a Slayer about 600 years
ago. She was older than you, though, and the Watchers did a ritual to
try to help her but she didn't survive. They were calling her a
sulta...sulna...sul..."
"The Slayer Sultana. Yes, I have heard that legend. In the entire
history of the Council it has only happened about six times, usually
when a Slayer reaches the age of 21 or 22. None of them have survived
the transformation," Giles finished trying to keep the trepidation out
of his voice, "How are you feeling otherwise?"
"I feel awesome, Giles. Really powerful," replied Buffy, allowing her
fangs to recede as she glanced slyly at her mate, "Spike has something
to tell you."
Spike glanced at the Slayer and sighed. Sure, her friends were pretty
accepting of him, but he hoped the next little tidbit didn't get him
staked. As a whole the group hadn't really discussed the claiming or
his feeding habits.
"Slayer's blood is changin', becoming much more powerful," Spike
carefully gauged the reactions of the people surrounding him and found
himself once again glad that things had changed between him and Buffy,
"'m still charged from what we exchanged last night and that's never
happened before. Ever."
This time it was Spike that got Giles's speculative look. He studied
the vampire as he mulled the information of the meeting over in his
mind. Things were getting complicated. But when were things ever easy
on the Hellmouth. Making up his mind that the materials he had on hand
were not going to aid him in the research that was needed, Giles picked
up the phone to make an overseas call.
"Reggie, yes, it's me Rupert. You remember the item we picked up at
that estate sale years ago? I want you to bring it to me here in the
States. No, no, don't mail it, I need it delivered personally. Of
course I will pay for it. Oh and bring the Apotropaic Prophecies, too.
Remember, mum's the word on this," Giles spoke into the phone for a few
more minutes. When he hung up he turned to the Scoobies assembled in
his apartment, "I think we should try and go about doing things as
naturally as possible. Stick to the rules and hopefully we will all
come out of this safe and sound."
As Buffy was speaking to her Watcher and Willow about the phone call
that needed to be made to the coven in England, Spike sidled up to Anya.
"Where did you get that strawberry glaze, demon-girl?" Spike asked as
he eyed the Slayer across the room. Nothing like some afternoon delight
to make them both happy. He grinned when Anya let him know exactly
where to get the sticky confection. Spike was across the room and
pulling Buffy out the door, only giving her enough time to wave at her
friends as he dragged her across the apartment complex courtyard.
~~~~~~~~~
The Slayer watched through hooded eyes as her vampire prisoner
struggled against his bonds. It had been a fierce battle, but in the
end the best man... er, woman had won. The vampire had struggled
violently against her as she tied him to the bed, snarling and flashing
his fangs at her. However, when the Slayer had ripped the clothes from
his body, his cock had betrayed him; hard and weeping pre-cum.
The vampire watched his Slayer captor with feral demon yellow eyes. He
couldn't believe he lost to the Slayer, but she hadn't dusted him.
Instead she had dragged him home, tied him to her bed and stripped him
of his clothes. It was then that she discovered the damned organ
between his legs that betrayed his lust for her golden body. The
delight in her eyes had been palpable and the vampire worried about a
virtue he had long since abandoned.
"You belong to me now, vampire, and if you hope to make it out of this
encounter undusty you will do everything that I want you to do,"
growled the Slayer as she picked up two squeeze bottles, one filled
with strawberry glaze and the other with caramel.
The vampire groaned as the Slayer stalked towards him, her high perky
breasts bobbing enticingly. His captor stood over him generously
squeezing the sticky sweet confections over his torso and cock. The
Slayer's feral grin scared him just a little, but he had to admit he
had never seen anything so sexy before in all of his of his unlife. His
cock jumped and hardened even more as the Slayer suddenly straddled his
hips; her hot moist mouth attached itself to a nipple.
The Slayer moaned as the dark masculine nipple hardened under her
tongue and the cock between her butt cheeks jumped, spreading
strawberry and caramel over her ass and lower back. She rose up
slightly so the tip of the vampire's cock nudged the entrance of her
quim; with a sudden downward thrust she filled herself to the brim. The
slayer swirled her hips a few times to spread the toppings evenly.
"Look at that, you Big Bad vampire, you got my nice, clean pussy all
dirty. Now you are going to have to clean it all up...with your
tongue," announced the Slayer.
The vampire couldn't believe his luck; he was going to be able to sink
his face between the Slayer's legs and be allowed to suck the juices
from her sweet cunt. He watched as the Slayer moved so her pussy hung
over his face and her lips hovered over his cock. Oh my God, he
thought, this Slayer was so fucking hot. What had he done in his unlife
to deserve such pleasurable torture?
The Slayer lowered her pussy onto her prisoner's face and moaned as she
felt his cool tongue slip into her folds. She could feel his fangs
digging into her flesh but she couldn't bring herself to care; it felt
so damned good. The Slayer fisted the girth of the vampire's sticky
cock in her small hand as she began to lick the sweet glazes from the
head. It was hard to remember exactly what she was doing with the
vampire between her thighs attacking her clit so vigorously.
The vampire had a hard time keeping his mind his appointed task when
the Slayer engulfed his raging hard on with her hot little mouth, her
tongue swirling the head on every down stroke. Between the Slayer's
sweet pussy writhing on his face and her heated mouth on his cock, the
vampire had to work to concentrate on getting his wrist bonds loose. If
there was a vampire anywhere in the world that could give the Slayer
what she deserved, it was certainly him.
The Slayer didn't know what felt better; the feel of the vampire's
massive cock between her lips or the feel of his lips on her clit. As
her orgasm hit her, the Slayer was shocked to feel hands holding her
hips, her pussy mashed even harder to the vampire's face. She tore her
mouth off of him and screamed her pleasure aloud. She would have
collapsed against him but her survival instinct took over. The Slayer
launched herself off of the bed and leapt towards the door.
The vampire tore off his remaining bond even before the Slayer was
halfway across the room. Using his supernatural speed, he knocked her
down onto her stomach on the floor beneath him. Now the captor was the
prisoner and the tables were turned. The vampire tangled one hand in
the Slayer's long golden hair as he stretched his hard body out on
hers. Lifting her head he began whispering in her ear.
"Now you belong to me, Slayer, and if you want to get out of this alive
you will do exactly as I say," growled the vampire, delighted when a
shiver of desire and fear passed through the golden body below him.
The vampire kneed the Slayer's legs apart and used his free hand to
lift her hips enough for him to slam his cock home in her tight, wet
quim. The feeling of her heat surrounding him was almost more than the
vampire could endure. He began a punishing pace and as he raced towards
his completion, he was delighted to feel her walls begin to flutter
with her own orgasm.
The Slayer moaned with desire from the forceful invasion even as she
still tried to escape the vampire. But the hand in her hair, the hand
on her hip and the weight of the body above her prevented movement. She
could do nothing but lay there and take the battering cock being rammed
into her pussy. But she wanted something more and soon she was begging
for his fangs.
The vampire stared down at the fierce warrior below him. He would have
never guessed that a slayer would want to be bitten, but who was he to
deny her? Twisting her hair in his fist, the vampire pulled the
Slayer's head to the side, exposing her neck to his perusal. He could
hear the blood pumping through her veins and smell how much her arousal
increased at the thought of having his fangs attached to her neck. The
vampire moved in to lick the neck in front of him and then sunk his
fangs into the soft, succulent flesh.
The Slayer cried out in pleasure as soon as the vampire sunk his teeth
into her neck, her body shuddering in orgasm. His cock felt like it had
increased in size inside her as her walls tightened around his girth.
The feel of his cool sperm flooding her insides caused yet another wave
of orgasms to run through her body. She collapsed beneath the vampire's
body totally spent and uncaring what he did to her now. His deep growly
chuckles in her ear caused shivers to run up and down her spine.
The vampire didn't think the Slayer's quim could get any hotter or
tighter, but as she began to come it certainly felt like it to his
tortured rod. He shot his cold seed deep into her pussy causing even
more shudders to pass through the little slut's body. Boy, she had it
bad for the Big Bad. He chuckled as she collapsed beneath him in
defeat. He pumped against her body as his cock continued to spew forth
inside her. The vampire began to slow until he collapsed in triumph.
"I love you, Spike," Buffy whispered weakly as she tried to catch her
breath. She gave a small kiss to the bicep closest to her.
"Love you, too, Slayer. Better get into the shower if we plan on
getting to the Bronze on time, though," replied Spike, as he too tried
to catch his unneeded breath and returned her kiss upon her shoulder.
~~~~~~~
The Scoobies were gathered around a table chatting, when Buffy and
Spike showed up a few minutes late. Buffy blushed crimson red and Spike
smirked evilly when Anya asked Spike if he found the strawberry glaze
at the grocery store. Sensing Buffy's total humiliation Willow quickly
averted the attention of the group away from the Slayer.
"The Bronze is more fun this year, isn't it?" Willow asked the group as
a whole.
"'Cause of the gloating factor alone, you know? We're all about college
now. We've got heady discourse," replied Buffy as she and Spike sat
down at the table. Buffy scooted her chair as close to Spike's as she
could so he could put his arm around her comfortably.
"Yeah. Curfew-free nights of mom and pop-less hootenanny," Oz answered
in his usual stoic voice.
"Right. So if college is so great, what are we doing here and why is it
more fun?" asked Buffy. She was glad she and Spike had grabbed their
drinks on the way to the table because it gave her something to do with
her hands. This was the first time she had been in a large crowded
place since her transformation had started and she was glad Spike was
there to help her cope.
"Because the Bronze is nice and familiar. It's like a big comfy
blanky," Willow rationalized. Wednesday wasn't usually a Bronzing night
for the Scoobies, but for some reason Oz had invited everyone out for
the evening. Willow had to wonder what her boyfriend's ulterior motives
were.
"I was under the impression that I was your big comfy blanky," Oz
remarked. He felt bad asking Willow along to watch another woman sing,
but he just couldn't get that Veruca chick out of his mind. His
confusion weighed heavily on him. Oz hoped he wasn't making a big
mistake.
"Aw, you're my, my person blanky. This is my place blanky. You know,
with all the shock of the new, it's nice to have one place that you can
come back to where everything's predictable," Willow said, trying to
soothe her boyfriend.
Giles entered the Bronze. It had been quite awhile since he had entered
the Bronze on anything other than Watcher business. He looked around
the club until he saw the Scoobies sitting around a table chatting.
Giles knew he was going to be the odd man out, but he was getting bored
with how his life was drifting along. Boy, he really needed a job or
maybe a girlfriend.
"Hello," Giles greeted the group as he walked up to the table.
"Giles, trouble?" Buffy asked in surprise. She was happy to see Giles
out of his apartment. He had been a bit depressed ever since they had
blown up the high school the spring before.
"Oh, no, Buffy. Don't get up. No. Nothing like that. No, I just, you
know, I thought I'd drop by. Uh, latte anyone? On me?" Giles
pronounced, causing the entire table to look at him in shock.
"So much for your predictable blanky theory, Will," Buffy snarked
gently to her friend.
"Sorry," Willow answered, shrugging her shoulders.
"Splendid. Well, it's ages since I've been to a gig. Well, don't look
that way. I'm...I'm...I'm down with the new music. And I have the
albums to prove it," Giles informed the group as he pulled up a chair
to the table.
"Yes, but it's your cutting edge 8-tracks that keep you ahead of the
scene," Buffy teased her Watcher. She had come upon Giles, Spike and Oz
talking about Giles's record collection the week before. She thought it
was great how the guys were bonding.
"I've seen Giles' collection. He was an animal in his day," Oz replied
as he held his glass up in a toast.
Spike held his glass up clicking it against Oz's glass and Giles's
glass as Giles thanked the other two men for their support of his music
tastes.
"Hey, why not? If the stones can still keep rolling, why can't Giles?"
Buffy teased Giles gently making him blush just a little.
"Exactly!" Giles exclaimed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
The gang seemed pretty accepting of his presence and, after all, it
wasn't like he was the oldest person in the group now.
"I think it's brave that you're here, Giles," replied Willow. She
glanced at Oz who was watching the stage intently. His eyes glued to
the woman fiddling with the microphone stand. Her seething jealousy
twisted and turned inside her heart and mind.
"Well, thank you, all. You've made me feel right at home," commented
Giles, smiling at the group. He noticed Oz's preoccupation with the
stage and Willow's preoccupation with Oz. Giles lifted an eyebrow at
the others, who all shook their head, unsure themselves of what was
going on.
"Veruca's playing tonight," Willow said, the venom dripping from her
voice. Her tone shocked the rest of the table as Oz appeared blissfully
unaware of how his girlfriend was feeling.
"Yeah. Every Wednesday. I told you," Oz said, distractedly, unable to
take his eyes from the stage.
"So, Oz, what about the Dingoes? When are you guys here again?" asked
Buffy hoping to get Oz's attention focused back on the group, but to no
avail.
"Oh, we're up next Friday," replied the werewolf, not even turning to
look at Buffy. He didn't even notice the group looking at him in
astonishment.
Veruca's band started to play and she belted out a song with the ease
of a seasoned performer. The girl did have amazing stage presence,
which Giles even commented on. The rest of the group watched Oz and
Willow's byplay with growing unease. Oz's staggering preoccupation and
Willow's tearful jealousy was not a pretty site to behold.
Buffy decided to use this opportunity to test her new senses. She
concentrated on the woman singing on the stage and sniffed the air
delicately as not to bring attention to herself. It was hard for the
Slayer to separate the scents in the crowded room with her newly
heightened senses, but with Spike's mental prompts she soon had
Veruca's scent isolated in her mind. She raised an eyebrow at Spike.
Yep there was something different about the chick.
Willow couldn't control her feeling any longer, so with tears streaming
down her face, she jumped up and raced towards the woman's bathroom.
Buffy tipped her head to Anya and the two women stood up to follow
their friend to the restroom.
Using a napkin to make a quick note, Spike let Giles and Xander know
that Veruca was a werewolf. He shoved the note in his pocket just as Oz
turned back around to the table.
"Where's Willow?" he asked, a bit worried that he hadn't seen her leave
the table. He didn't know what it was about Veruca that entranced him.
It was as if she cast a magic spell to entrap him.
"The birds went to the loo," replied Spike, indicating the direction
the three women had traveled, "Refills anyone?"
Spike took the drink requests to the bar. When they were ready he
picked them up and started leisurely back to the table. He could see
that the girls had returned to their chairs already. Spike stopped
mid-stride as a now familiar tingle shot through him. Riley and several
of his cohorts were somewhere in the Bronze. Spike sent a little jolt
of information to Buffy who in turn informed the rest of the table.
Spike slipped into his chair just as Riley and two of his frat buddies
strolled up to the table.
"Hey Buffy, did Professor Walsh tell you the good news yet? She loved
your last paper so much she wants you to lead a discussion next week.
You get to work with yours truly on it," Riley informed Buffy. When
Professor Walsh gave him the assignment Riley was thrilled. This meant
he could get closer to the petite blonde girl who caught his attention
and possibly convince her that her boyfriend was up to no good.
"No, can't say that she has, Riley. Guess she will tell me in class
tomorrow," Buffy said as she shrugged her shoulders. She leaned into
Spike's side and smiled up at him, letting him know he had nothing to
be jealous over.
At that moment, two dark haired women appeared out of the crowd with a
blonde woman. The two darker women's bearings looked almost military as
they escorted the blonde between them. The blonde woman kept her face
hidden behind her curtain of hair.
Buffy knew instantly that the blonde was a vampire, but her scent was
entirely hidden by the same smell that clung to Riley, his buddies and
now the two newest members of his group. Buffy held back a gasp when
the blonde raised her drugged eyes to the group and acted as if she
didn't recognize any of them. Something was definitely wrong with the
vampiress in front of her; something that could happen to her mate if
they weren't careful.
"Hey guys, I forgot to tell you that my aunt is coming to town next
Thursday," announced Buffy to the group, using the code phrase they had
devised for trouble. Little did the Slayer know that the entire table
had gone on quiet alert as soon as they had seen who the blonde woman
was.
"Ya, we realized that ourselves," replied Xander.
Buffy nodded and then jumped to her feet. She walked over to the blonde
woman to pull her to the table. Buffy set her down in her now
unoccupied seat and sat on Spike's lap before dropping a bombshell on
Riley and his buddies.
"Harmony, I haven't seen you since graduation. I thought you went to LA
with Cordy," said the Slayer, causing the vampiress to look up at her
in confusion.