Title: Slayer Central chapter 6
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.



A gentle rapping was heard at the door.

Giles did his best not to disturb his sleeping wife, but she stirred when he gently slid his arm out from under her.

"Whassup, sweetie?"

"Somebody at the door. I'll take care of it. You go back to sleep, luv."

Instead of following his advice, Buffy reached over and turned on the lamp on her nightstand as Giles pulled on his robe and opened the door.

"Angel, Wesley. Did something happen on patrol?"

The vampire looked embarrassed as Giles closed the robe more fully.

"Actually, no. That's why we wanted to talk to you. Should we go to the living room? I mean, Buffy needs her rest..."

"And Buffy is right here. Plus Buffy isn't going to rest until she knows what's the what, so you guys might as well come in now."

Giles quirked a small smile.

"She Who Must Be Obeyed has spoken. Come in, gentlemen."

Buffy snuggled up to Giles as he resettled himself on the bed. Wesley took a chair, while Angel stood awkwardly at the foot of the bed.

"So, nothing happened and that's why you woke us up? Gotta say, guys, as plans go, that one doesn't look like a winner."

"Let's let them explain, shall we, Buffy?"

"Sure thing. Whatever you say."

Wesley began the tale.

"For three nights running now, there has been absolutely no vampire or demon activity in Sunnydale so far as Angel and I have been able to ascertain. We have further discovered that a delivery of blood to the hospital was waylaid and stolen four nights ago."

"So the vamps have been stocking up on Handi-snacks and staying in nights. All of them?" Buffy frowned in puzzlement. "Why would they do that?"

"It would be strange enough if it was just the vampires," Angel added, "but it's the demons too. Willy says he's ready to go under if his customers don't come back soon."

A sudden thought struck Buffy.

"Ohmigod! Mom! Her operation is the day after tomorrow. What if they don't have enough blood? What if she needs a transfusion?"

Giles pulled her close.

"It'll be alright, Buffy. We'll make sure she gets everything she needs."

"There's another delivery tomorrow night. Wesley and I will go and make sure it gets in safely."

"Thanks, Angel. Maybe you should take Xander with you, just to make sure."

"I was thinking, Spike, actually..."

"Whatever. Just make sure there's enough of you to keep that blood safe. If they can't get at it that way, the vamps have to come out at some point."

"Perhaps we should step up patrols?" Giles suggested. Buffy nodded.

"Good idea. Two teams every night, sweeping different areas. I'll draw up a game plan in the morning."

Giles stood and led the visitors to the door.

"And I'll consult my books; see if there's any precedent for this strange behavior. I must say, though, I can't recall having heard of anything quite like this before."

"Nor have I," Wesley agreed. "Shall we research in the morning?"

"Yes, I think that would be best. Fresh minds."

When Angel and Wesley had gone, Giles returned to bed and reached over Buffy to switch off the light.

"Hey! Didn't anyone ever tell you that's rude?"

"Rude, perhaps, but a very good way to fit in an extra goodnight kiss."

He proceeded to demonstrate as Buffy giggled.

*****

"Tara? Are you awake?"

"No."

"Liar. Are too."

"So you saw through my tangled web of deceit?"

"Sure did."

"What's bothering you, baby?"

The redhead snuggled closer to her lover.

"I hate the first night in a new place. Somehow I can never get to sleep."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe your energy isn't in synch with the new place yet. And it's harder here since there are so many people and they're all so interconnected. Your spirit will find its place."

"What about your energy? Has it found its place?"

"The same place it always is: right with yours."

"So you're awake because my energy is still wandering the house looking for its spot?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it was all the racket coming from Xander and Anya's room a little while ago."

"Feel like making some noise, too?"

Tara giggled as she kissed her lover hungrily.

*****

Wesley turned to confront the eyes he'd felt boring into his back as he pulled his pajamas and toiletries from the dresser.

"What? What do want, Angel?"

"Nothing. Just...Wes, you and Cordy..."

"Our relationship, or lack thereof, is none of your concern."

"That's where you're wrong, Wes. You two keep making things hard on everybody. You need to work it out."

"And how, precisely, am I to do that on my own? Cordelia hasn't spoken a word she could avoid to me since our...disagreement."

"You never told me what this was all about, anyway."

"No, I didn't. What's more, I won't. It was personal."

The Englishman swept out to the bathroom.

"Great. I have to share a room with him until he gets back with Cordy. I hate having other people around when I'm trying to think."

He pulled out his sketchpad, and began to work on a portrait of Buffy.

*****

As soon as she heard two sets of footsteps heading up the stairs to the attic room Angel and Wesley were sharing, Cordelia left her room and padded down to the kitchen for her abandoned hot chocolate. To her annoyance, she found she was not to be alone this time, either.

"Well, well, I see I'm not the only one who was having a bit of trouble falling asleep" Leo announced jovially as he pulled down another mug for the girl.

"Yeah, well, I'm not used to living in a commune yet."

"Nor am I. At least, I haven't been for some time. Now, do you prefer your cocoa with or without marshmallows?"

"Without, please."

Cordelia seated herself at the table and watched thoughtfully as Leo heated the milk.

"Could I ask you something, Leo?"

"Fire away."

"Why are you doing this? I mean, you had this great house all to yourself, and you hardly know most of us, so why are you letting a bunch of strangers take over your life like this?"

"What makes you think this is the first time a bunch of strangers have taken over my life? And what makes you think I don't like it?"

Cordelia shrugged as her host set a steaming mug before her and seated himself across from her."

"Okay, I'll bite. What bunch of strangers?"

"You know I was a Watcher, don't you?"

"Buffy said something about that, yeah."

"How much do you know about Watchers, Cordelia?"

"I know they're usually pretty stuffy and wear tweed a lot. And they know lots of old, weird stuff, like languages nobody speaks anymore. And they have to know lots of ways to fight, because they have to train Slayers to kill stuff. Oh, and every other Watcher I've ever met has been English. I guess that's pretty much it."

Leo smiled to himself.

"And did young Wesley never tell you anything more about it?"

"Young Wesley? Young? Okay, he's like, fifteen years older than me. He's not all that young."

"He's hardly old, either. Just entering his prime, in my estimation. Then again, I suppose he does seem pretty old to a girl of twenty. Now to a seventy-three year old man with a heart condition, he seems like a boy."

"I never thought of it like that. So, what else do you think Wesley should have said about Watchers? He doesn't really like to talk about it."

"Do you have any idea how a Watcher is chosen?"

"I thought it was maybe something you had to take tests for. Or maybe they go to career day at the big English colleges and try to woo all the best students with promises of adventure and learning to kill things; y'know, like the Army."

"A colorful idea. Perhaps it should be suggested in place of the current method. Not that those hidebound....still, it would be more civilized, and probably lead to less trouble. No Watchers are destined much the way Slayers are. But there's more to it than that. We're, for lack of a better term...bred."


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