Title: The Freshman - Replay 3/3
Author: Gail Christison
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: B/G subtext, brief G/O
Summary: Response to Luisa's challenge to rewrite The Freshman. Mostly exactly that, but with a bit of extra fun thrown in. :-)
Disclaimer: Dang it, Joss...why couldn't you get it right the first time??? Also, a small amount of dialogue from the actual show was worked into the text here because I felt it was too good to lose or ignore and is copyright Joss and Mutant Enemy. See if you can pick the Joss bits <g>
Timeline: Re-working of the season 4 premiere
Spoilers: Not really...many pre-season 4 references.
Feedback: Whatta concept! <vbg> chriscln@ozemail.com.au
Author's Note: This story was inspired by Luisa's BGWM challenge for a re-working of The Freshman, for which I owe her great thanks. Oh, and sorry, mate. I did try to convince them smoochies were part of the plan, but they weren't listening this time <g> Also many thanks to Karesia for her cool beta. I've since polished further, so all mistakes herein are my own. :-)
Dedication: To Savvy
Buffy shook her head. "My first class isn't until eleven. We'll research, then I'll do the couch thing, and in the morning you can do the gentlemanly thing and take me back to the dorm nice and early. It's all good."
"In that case would you like a cup of tea?"
"Juice, please," she said brightly, then frowned as he headed for the kitchen with the remnants of his supper. "Giles, can I ask you something?"
"Mm? Yes, of course."
Buffy listened to the rattle of the cups and the kettle hitting the stovetop before continuing. "I...um...was wondering where Olivia went...?"
There was a short silence from the kitchen, then the sound of the cookie jar being burgled again.
"She...she, um, decided to stop over and see some old friends in New York before flying back to England for her next shoot."
Buffy quietly walked over to the kitchen archway. "Are you okay?"
Giles was so surprised first, by her proximity, and second, by the question, that he jumped. He turned slowly. For a long moment their eyes held, then the kettle started to whistle, making both of them jump. He swung back to take it off the heat and pour enough hot water in his teapot to warm it briefly before emptying it again and adding the leaves.
"Yes...yes, I suppose I am. She's a lovely girl, Olivia...and a dear friend." His eyes seemed to go to a very distant place. "She stood by me through some extraordinarily bad times when we were younger, and never once judged me..."
"Get a lot of that, huh?"
Giles turned and raised an eyebrow.
"Being judged," Buffy supplied.
He gave her a 'what do you think?' look and she reddened.
"My arm's a lot better already," she said awkwardly, removing the sling to avoid his gaze. She flexed the arm. "Gotta love that Slayer healing. And what Sunday doesn't know, hopefully will hurt her big time," she added darkly, her eyes flashing as she planned how she might use the healing break to her advantage.
Giles recognized the diversion but allowed it, simply handing her a cup of tea and leading the way back out into the living room.
"I'm not exactly sure how to research your problem," he said as they sat down. "This time it seems to be a more localized incident...one not necessarily going to be assisted by my books. These...vampires, were there any significant features? Anything particularly noticeable about them?"
Buffy shrugged. "Stupidity," she offered, but Giles was unimpressed. "Okay, Sunday was pretty strong, and it seemed like...especially with people starting to notice that kids are going missing...they've been there for a while. Sunday...she's...she's not stupid. I'm not sure what she is...but she's their leader."
"So there's no sign that they've been sent by anyone, or that they might represent some ancient order or other...?"
"No-o-t unless there's an ancient order of sarcasm...or really bad taste in clothes."
Giles rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, very funny. If they're contemporary in dress and behavior it's likely that most, if not all of them are former students. School and newspaper records are going to be more important than ancient texts."
"Meaning that when Xander gets back we'd better go borrow Willow's computer. Either that or break into the office back on campus..."
Giles gave her 'the look.' "I think Willow's computer will do nicely. I'll take you now because it'll be useless without a cable for the modem and I'm sure you have no idea what that is. We'll leave a note for Xander."
Buffy looked at him with her eyebrows raised and an amused expression.
He stared back. "What? I can't have learned anything about computers?"
She shrugged. "I thought they were evil...modern contraptions...anti-Giles stuff?"
"Yes, well, times change." His expression grew sheepish. "And last time Willow was here with the infernal thing she forgot her cable. She was most annoyed."
*******
Buffy stood in the doorway of her dorm room and stared. Giles, Willow's Notebook in hand, was looking over her shoulder at the half-empty room with equal perplexity.
He watched her move across to her stripped bed and pick up a piece of paper, then moved swiftly to her side when her expression changed to one of stunned shock and hurt. He made a noise under his breath as he read it over her shoulder.
"How very opportunistic...and materialistic, of them. Times have changed. Vampires used to be hunters...not scavengers."
"We've gotta find them and get my stuff back," she said quietly. "And of course kill them all really, really dead..."
*******
"Kids disappearing every year...not too many...just enough so everyone thinks they up and left," Buffy read off the computer screen. "They have to be hiding out somewhere...on campus or at least nearby."
"Yeah, well...I can't believe they took your stuff. Murder, I expect...but petty larceny just seems so...petty," Xander observed.
Giles cleared his throat. "Yes, well...is there anything else in the school records that might indicate who they are...or were? Something that might lead us to where they're staying?"
Buffy shook her head. "If Willow hadn't already hacked into the faculty computer network just to see if she could, I wouldn't have even got this far...no...wait...school newspaper...edition files. What am I looking for, guys?"
"Allow me?" Giles offered. Buffy cleared the seat and Giles sat down.
They watched him try several different search parameters. "Aha," he muttered some considerable time later, and sat back.
Xander made a 'well...?' gesture with his hands. "So..?"
"Oh...um...the earliest suspicious disappearance on campus is recorded on the same front page as this..." He touched the screen with a finger tip.
Xander squinted at it. "The former Psi Theta fraternity house lies dormant while zoning issues drag on before the city council. Okay...so...oh, I get it."
Buffy peered at the grainy picture. "You do?"
Xander looked to Giles. "Abandoned building sans visitors...vampire condo, right?"
"Oh," she said, trying hard not to look as stupid as she felt. "And probably lots of warehouse space too..."
"Probably," Giles confirmed. "Are you all right, Buffy? You seem rather... distracted."
She dragged a hand through her hair. "It's been a long couple of days. Before...when college wackiness was kicking my butt, and I didn't save Eddie...a-and Sunday beat me and I didn't know how to stop her," Buffy looked down, "I really wasn't sure I could do this anymore. I still don't..." she trailed off.
Xander spread his hands to encompass Giles as well. "And yet...here we are. Avengers assemble! Let's get it going!"
Buffy half smiled at him. "Yeah, you guys...there aren't words. It's just...Willow and Oz...they're just starting classes...and they don't need this, and you guys...Giles said it himself...I should be able to take care of it by myself, now..."
Giles opened his mouth to speak, but was beaten by Xander. "Ok, Buff, what's the 'what' here?"
"It's just, like I said to Giles: what if I can't cut it?"
Xander frowned. "Can't cut what? Slaying?"
She turned to look up at Giles. "Slaying, college, everything..."
Xander turned her back to face him. "Buffy, this is all about fear. It's understandable, but you can't let it control you. 'Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to anger.' No wait, hold on. 'Fear leads to hate. Hate leads to the dark side.' Hold on, no, umm, 'First you get the women, then you get the money, then you...' okay, can we forget that?"
Giles rolled his eyes.
Buffy grinned a little. "Thanks for the Dadaist pep talk, I feel much more abstract now."
" The point is, you're Buffy," Xander pointed out gently.
"Yeah, maybe in high school I was Buffy."
"And now, in college you're Betty Louise?
"Yeah, I'm Betty Louise Plotnick of East Cupcake, Illinois. Or I might as well be."
Giles snorted.
Xander persisted. "Buffy, I've gone through some fairly dark times in my life, faced some scary things, among them the kitchen at 'The Fabulous Ladies Night Club.' Let me tell you something, when it's dark and I'm all alone and I'm scared or freaked out or whatever, I always think, 'What would Buffy do?' You're my hero. Ok, sometimes when it's dark and I'm all alone I think, 'What is Buffy wearing?'
Buffy's eyes widened and then looked at him with affection. "Can that be one of those things you never, ever, tell me about?"
Giles shook his head, resisting a smile of his own, but allowed Xander to hold the floor.
"It's a deal," Xander agreed and looked from Buffy to Giles. "Let's put this bitch in the ground! Whadaya say?"
Buffy similarly looked from one to the other, faces both filled with concern, familiar, dear...
She smiled slowly. "I think I say...thank you...both."
Xander grinned widely, but his cheeks were pink. "And nothing says thank you like dollars in the waistband.
Ok, what do we do first?"
Giles light-heartedly cuffed the back of his head, illiciting a fake 'ow', then dropped a hand on his shoulder. "I believe we're going to repossess some belongings."
They were in the process of gathering arms and supplies from Giles' trunks when the door was flung open.
"Hey guys! Going somewhere?"
Buffy's mouth fell open. "Willow...and...Oz. Hey guys...what brings you here just when we thought you were all with the, y'know, coupl-y fun?"
"Got your note about the computer; thought we might be missing something," Oz summarized.
"What he said," Willow added brightly, happily assimilating all the familiar faces. "Hey look...it's us...we're us again. This is so cool."
Buffy looked from one familiar face to another and then finally at the man who would always be her Watcher, no matter where they were or what happened to them. Their gazes held for what seemed an age, before they both slowly grinned at each other.
A moment later she faced everyone again. "It's more than cool," she agreed.
Her smiling eyes lingered for a long moment on all of their faces, then grew serious. "Thank you," she said softly...
They watched her turn as they had a thousand times before, and shoulder her crossbow.
"Time to go kick some serious vamp-ho butt..."
The End