Something To Atone For. BtVS/AtS, Doyle SI.

Chapter 7: Collecting Data
​

“You sure you don’t want to go to karaoke with Lorne? I did tell you how bad this thing is going to stink.” I only asked her to help me find a theatre that was showing old movies. But she seems to have taken that as an invitation.

Proving just how stubborn Fred is, she walks right past me and pays for our tickets. “Did you plan this out any better than when you rescued me?”

“... Not really.” I brought the brass knuckles Gunn gave me and yet I really don’t think they’re going to be much help.

A knowing grin links her cheeks. “That’s what I figured.” She hands over my own ticket to the creature feature and I follow Fred over to the concession. “If I’m going to make an informed choice, I need a larger sample size.”

“A what now?” Grabbing some skittles for myself, I have the teen behind the counter add Fred’s snacks to my bill.

“Don’t worry about it.” Avoiding the question, Fred distracts me by pointing out the old posters on the wall.

The theatre is one of the oldest in the city and walls are covered in stains I hope are only from water. Only a handful of other people are in the building and one lonely guy is storming out for a refund.

“Last chance to back out.” I hold the door open and try not to gag.

The foul odour hangs in the air, making it hard to think of anything besides sweaty feet. Fred is quick to hand me her popcorn and cover her nose.

“I’m starting to consider it.” It takes a few seconds before she leads us to the cleanest pair of seats, leaving me time to scan the room.

Another couple are huddled under an air vent and a trio of snickering teens have their feet on the chairs in front of them. But it’s the loner in the corner who really makes me nervous.

Not sure if he’s just a drunk or the demon from my vision. He’s the only one who doesn’t seem to notice the stench though and that’s enough for me to keep glancing back at him.

“So how does this work?” Whispers Fred as the lights dim and the first trailer starts to play. “Do we just wait until someone gets attacked?” Her fingers are still pinching her nose and the words come out with a nasal echo.

Shrill giggles start to come from the loner in the oversized raincoat and the terrible aroma gets worse. The couple doesn’t even stick around for all of the trailers, grumbling about the place still not being fixed.

But the three boys manage to last well past the halfway point of the movie and my tension builds the entire time. Fred notices how stiff I am and holds out the popcorn.

Her expression is masked by the dim light as she leans closer, making me finally notice the scent of her perfume. Lilac. Too bad I’m moving to Sunnydale, otherwise I’d really be tempted to make a move.

“Get ready.” When the teens finally admit defeat and file out the side door, the temperature seems to drop a few degrees.

My eyes lock with the potential demon’s and suddenly he’s in motion. Leaping towards us with deadly intent, the putrid demon clears two aisles at a time.

Trying not to panic, I slide my hands into my pockets. “Damn, that guy is fast.”

Clenching my fists, I pull them out with the brass knuckles on. And as the demon prepares to make it’s final leap to close the distance, I release the building pressure behind my eyes.

Shock flashes in the eyes of the creature for just a moment, making it hesitate at the last second.Clearly not expecting a Brachen, it hisses in confusion.

Opening it’s mouth wide enough to reveal two rows of jagged stone teeth, it tries to assert it’s dominance. Fred isn’t cowed though and I hear a click come from her hands.

A pair of wires shoot towards the demon and soon it’s roaring with pain. The stun gun crackles in her steady hands as Fred gets the first shot in.

“Don’t just stand their, the battery is almost dead!” Her warning stirs me out of my shock and gets me to throw myself at the demon before it recovers.

It’s even weaker than the vampire I saved Levar from, letting even someone untrained take control of the fight. Each punch is delivered with enough force, my arms shake right up to the shoulder.

But even if it’s not the strongest demon, it ends up being quite a clever one. After a solid uppercut it feigns defeat, ‘collapsing’ at my feet.

“Did we get it?” When I glance back at her, Fred is still clutching the stun gun to her chest.

“Not ye-” The second I leave myself open, the demon lunges at my arm.

It’s teeth go right through the windbreaker and my skin with seemingly no effort. The searing pain doesn’t last long though, with my whole arm quickly going numb.

“It’s got a poison bite.” I try to warn Fred but the slurred words barely sound English to my ears. “Stay back.”

Instead of trying to get the creature loose, I use the bite to pull it’s face in close. Even as I can feel the venom spreading and the rest of my body starts to tingle, I don’t stop punching the demon in the side of the head.

It lets go after the fifth one. But I’m not falling for that again and follow the demon to the floor sticky with decades of pop stains.

I end up losing count of the blows and only stop when I feel the skull shatter. Panting from the effort, I barely manage to climb back to my wobbly feet.

Fred rushes over to throw my arm around her shoulder, giggling at my slurred words. “Now we got it.”

“We sure did.” I can hear the worry as Fred helps me walk. “Are you going to be alright?”

“I should be fine by morning.” It takes a few tries before I get the words out clearly enough for her to understand them. “But maybe call an ambulance if I stop breathing.”

I barely notice the walk back to my car. The sensation of floating is far too overpowering and I don’t even try to stop myself from singing.

At first I think Fred is joining in with me. But eventually I realize it’s actually laughter. And yet I don’t seem to care in the slightest.

I make her thumb wrestle me for the keys. Forgetting that I can barely move a muscle, it ends up turning into us just holding hands for a good thirty seconds.

“I’m going to call this one a win for me.” She slides the keys out of my other hand and opens the back door with another giggle. “Now get in.”

The street lights flicker above me like I just left a rave and I barely even notice when the car stops. Fred manages to dart out and return with Lorne before I realize it’s only my head spinning.

“You look like you just got thrashed by the Groosalugg.” Lorne pats me on the head like a dog after climbing into the passenger seat.

“I got bit.” When I try to speak, it only comes out as a long humming sound.

Giving me a condescending smile, the empath seems to have gotten the gist of my meaning. “I can see that. How are you feeling big guy?”

“Like a cloud.” My answer gets some breathy laughter from the Pylean, before he gives Fred an intrigued look. “How did it go?”

She considers the question for so long, I assume that I just lost my hearing. But a few blocks later, Fred finally answers with a voice barely above a whisper.

“I’ve made up my mind.” Fred’s voice grows more confident. “Allen’s not going to last the year if he does this alone.” She glances in the rear view mirror to find me waving like the queen at anyone we pass.

 

Chapter 8: The Direct Approach
​

Coming back to Hemery, I notice a shift in the mood before I even finish taking attendance. An undercurrent of anxiety fills the students as I count a few empty seats in my first class, with one girl in particular watching everyone warily.

Buffy Summers isn’t the same carefree and admittedly bitchy girl I saw last week. Today she looks like the weight of the world is on on her shoulders and I use the quiz she left blank as a way to talk to her between classes.

“You seem to be taking Cassandra’s death pretty hard?” I cut right to the chase and hold up the sheet with only her name on it.

Muttering her true feelings on the subject once she makes sure no one is listening in, Buffy gives me the smallest opening. “Somebody has to.”

“You didn’t seem to get along with her last week.” I heard you and your friends teasing the bookish girl. “What changed?”

“Nothing,” She tries to deflect with a grimace very out of place on such a bubbly face.

“Really?” I know Buffy likes people being mysterious about as much as I like tomatoes and decide to stop playing games. “Because I kind of think the vampires are pretty big change.”

Buffy’s eyes go wide and her jaw hangs in shock for more than a couple seconds. “... That’s crazy talk.”

“Look...” I meet her nervous stare with a confident one of my own. “I don’t care what some stuffy old men in England say. You aren’t alone in the fight.”

“But Merrick said-” She stops herself at the last second and frowns. “Wait. How do you know who I am?”

“How did the Watcher find you?” I’m honestly asking, because it was left pretty vague.

Crossing her arms, Buffy makes sure to keep the desk between us for the conversation. “I get these skull splitting headaches that the Powers That Be like to call visions.”

“Say again?” Confusion filters into her voice.

“They aren’t as metaphorical as a Slayer dream. But I have to feel everything the potential victim does.” Shrugging at her horrified gasp, I continue the explanation. “I was supposed to find my own champion and guide him over in Sunnydale. But I think you could use some help first.”

“Champion?” No longer concerned that I’m going to attack, Buffy’s curiosity takes over.

With a cocky grin, I fill her in on the truth of the situation. “It’s a world with nearly six billion humans and about two billion friendly demons. It’s the very epitome of self centred, to think you’re the only person fighting the good fight.”

“But I’m the one who was...” She trails off as I tap my temple.

“Chosen?” She nods awkwardly and I take great pleasure in hammering this point home. “Sorry, but that’s actually pretty common.”

Hope bubbles inside the cheerleader. “I don’t have to save everyone by myself?”

“You don’t have to save anyone.” My voice is hard with intent as I desperately try to get through to her. “You got chosen because the Powers know how much potential you have. But you have to be the one to choose what you do.”

“But I have a destiny,” Buffy retorts with a scowl. “That’s what Merrick says.”

“Do you know how many people have died since class started this morning?” I meet her stare and refuse to budge on my point. “And I mean violent ones that could have been prevented.” Before she has to guess, I throw out the ball park number. “About three thousand people.”

Her eyes snap wide again with horror. “That’s so many people!”

“So don’t worry about saving the whole world. Just focus on saving the part of it you live in and the rest of us will do our part.” I can tell it hasn’t really sunk in and so I try a different approach. “Look, just don’t ignore someone screaming for help and you’re fine. If you want to go out and be an active hero, that’s even better.”

When the bell rings for the next class, Buffy leaves with a thoughtful expression on her face. An expression she has right through to the final bell and the basketball game I’ve been asked to help chaperone. It’s not just the students who are going missing now.

The ‘How funky is your chicken’ dance, actually seems to inspire the Hemery players. But I think it’s more because of the very obvious sexual overtones.

I’m distracted when Buffy springs into action and I nearly lose her scent in the pursuit. When I do catch up to her amid all the under construction parade floats, Buffy has been entranced by Lothos.

The master vampire struts towards her with supreme confidence, while the Watcher rushes at him with a stake in hand. Knowing how little time I have, I don’t hesitate.

“Kakistos is ten times the vampire you are!” My desperate taunt works and Lothos backhands the Watcher instead of stabbing him in the chest.

“Such insolence!” Rage flows out of Lothos as he floats down towards me, the Slayer forgotten and free to check on Merrick. “You shall spend the rest of your incredibly short life begging for forgiveness!”

“I’m not the one scared of a teenage girl.” I manage to keep the bravado in my voice and count it a victory when Lothos snarls.

Faster and stronger than anything I’ve fought so far, Lothos proves he really is a Master. My feeble attempts to defend myself, ends up with me groaning at his feet faster than I can tie my shoes.

It’s enough time for Buffy to save me though and she does with a flying kick that would have snapped a normal human’s spine. “You alright?”

“Was all part of the plan.” Shaking off the pain as good as I can, I accept the hand up.

“Who’s Khaki Toes?” Buffy hands me a spare stake as Lothos considers his the new odds carefully.

“Master Vampire in Boston who makes this guy look like a Carebear.” I make sure my words are loud enough for Lothos to hear clearly.

“That cloven beast is nothing compared to true excellence such as my own!” My words struck more than a few chords and send Lothos into a frenzy.

He slashes for my face, only for Buffy to save me once again. Her instincts are better and she’s pretty much my superior in every single way.

When Lothos realizes this isn’t going to be the quick kill he planned, he promises to make me regret crossing him with a final mocking taunt. “Forget a quick death. You’re going to scream for the next decade.”

Once he flies off into the night dramatically, I finally allow myself to sag in relief. But Buffy doesn’t give me more than a few seconds to catch my breath before tugging on my elbow.

“Merrick!” She pulls me over to the moaning man and the kid who looks a whole lot like Luke Perry. “Is he alright?”

Pike clearly has no medical training and can only shrug uselessly. “... He’s alive.”

“Help me get him into my car.” I know how bad Buffy is at both driving and lying. “I’ll take him to the hospital and think of something to tell the principal.”

“Huh?” Frowns Buffy and I can see her think back to what she said in the gym. “... Oh.”

“I’ll explain it was a clingy ex who got involved with a gang.” Anything to keep the heat off you specifically. “But you might want to think about either acting or writing as a career. It lets you get away with a lot of weird behaviour.”

That doesn’t cheer her up and she gives me a full force pout. “I don’t want to be weird though.”

“So go work retail in Broadview Heights, Ohio.” My random suggestion throws both Buffy and Pike for a loop, making me explain with a wry chuckle. “Safest town in America. I was looking for places to hide before I chose to get involved.”

“You sure I don’t need to come with you?” Buffy watches me buckle Merrick into the passenger seat.

Knowing she needs some time to think, I shake my head. “I just slept for two whole days. I’ll keep watch until he can check himself out.”

“Go on a bender?” Pike misinterprets my meaning and gives me an impressed look. “You really aren’t like any teacher I’ve ever had before.”

“Was recovering from a demon bite,” Correcting the teen, I clear my throat loudly. “You better have helmets for that thing.”

Pike looks like he’s going to argue at first, before he sees the steel in my eyes. “Yeah.”

“Good.” I don’t get in my car until he follows through and pulls a pair of them out of his saddlebag.

“Wait!” Buffy remembers something from her encounter and snaps her fingers. “Lothos said he had big plans.”

“And we’ll be ready for him.” It’s clear the words don’t reassure her. “But if you want to help out....” She nods fervently, her eyes locked onto the moaning Merrick. “Just make sure you bring some protection to Homecoming.”

 

Chapter 9: Rise And Shine
​

After a quick call to let Fred know where I am, I settle in beside Merrick’s hospital bed. Thankfully, I don’t have to wait until sunrise for the Watcher to open his eyes.

Shortly after two, Merrick stirs awake with a groan of pain. “Buffy?”

“Sent her home.” Flicking the lights on, I smirk at his frown. “Figured it was time we talked.”

“You aren’t a vampire.” His eyes are locked onto the silver cross hanging from my neck.

“Nope.” And that’s all I’m giving you.

“You’re one of her teachers.” Merrick is trying to put the puzzle together and I figure he’d manage it if he had the rest of the pieces.

Lifting a hand, I give the ‘sort of’ motion. “Substitute.”

Merrick isn’t happy with my lack of answer and stares me down. It’s nearly a full minute before he makes up his mind and his scowl softens ever so slightly.

“One with excellent timing.” I think that’s the closest I’m getting to a ‘thank you’ from the guy.

“Would be a pretty crappy champion if I let you die right in front of me.” Filling a Styrofoam cup with room temperature water, I hand it to the groggy Merrick. “Doctor said you have a concussion and a couple broken ribs. You should probably try taking it easy for a couple weeks.”

“Lothos isn’t going to wait for me to recover.” He glances at the sun just starting to peak over the mountains. “And it would seem I owe you for standing guard as well.”

That’s just the opening I needed. “Since you can’t get in the thick of things for a while. How about we do each other a favour.”

“I don;’t need any help with my charge.” Merrick grabs the clothes I left folded on the other chair and stumbles towards the bathroom.

“But I do.” Letting people help you is supposed to make them like you more. Let’s see if it really works. “And you Watchers are supposed to be good at the whole demon research thing.”

After he finishes dressing, Merrick emerges with an intrigued look. “What kind of demon?”

“I got bit by one a few days ago and wondered if you knew what species it was.” A venom capable of knocking a demon out for two days? That’s something that could come in handy one day.

“Do you have a description? Or did you notice any side effects?” The Watcher fills up his cup one more time and downs it in a single gulp.

Pulling out the roll of pictures Fred developed, I hand Merrick the best one. “The thing reeked and had a bite that knocked me out for two days.”

“You’re incredibly lucky.” His blue eyes widen just enough for me to know the Watcher is impressed. “Or the Boretz demon was a juvenile. Because the venom is supposed to leave you in a hibernating state for weeks.”

“Slow eater?” I can’t stop myself from asking and soon come to regret my curiosity.

Shaking his head slowly, Merrick grimaces at the mental image he’s about create. “They bring prey back to the nest and let the young feed on fresh meat...” He pauses for emphasis. “It takes days.”

“Must have been a young one.” Realizing how bad things could have gone, I’m very glad Fred decided to tag along.

“What about the other demon?” More willing to discuss shop than his own condition, Merrick signs himself out at the front desk and follows me outside.

“Don’t have a picture of this one. I just know it’s been haunting a hotel for a long time and causes paranoia.” And really I hope that’s enough for you to go on.

“Several known species could be responsible.” He doesn’t seem excited by the challenge, instead grumbling as he climbs into my Corolla. “I’ll need to investigate first.” Giving me directions back to his apartment, Merrick watches me out of the corner of his eye the entire way.

“Well if you handle that for me...” Trying to find the right words, the pause seems more intentional than I wanted. “Me and the crew will help Buffy take care of Lothos.”

The middle aged watcher considers the offer in silence, stroking his grey goatee with heavily scarred fingers. “Do you have a plan?”

“Kill all the vampires.” I know what he wants to hear and deliver to the best of my ability. “At least the ones too stupid to run.”

“It’s not that simple,” Cautions the older man when I pull over outside his place

“Nothing ever is.” But why stress myself by over complicating plans that can change at the drop of a hat?

Coming up with a rough outline and rolling with the punches has worked out so far. Shrugging off Merrick’s look of disappointment, I give him another one of those queenly waves from the other night.

“I’ll patrol with Buffy every night until homecoming.” Which should give you time to figure out what kind of demon is haunting the Hyperion. “Should be enough time for you to be up and tap dancing around.”

If anything happens to her...” He growls with pointless menace.

“I’ll probably be dead a few seconds later.” I don’t bother lying and that strangely seems to be what makes Merrick finally give me a chance. “Not even going to pretend I’m playing the same sport as Buffy.”

The long stare as I drive away, makes me more than a tad uncomfortable. He’ll fillet me if Buffy gets hurt.

That should do more than give me goosebumps. But I’m really just relieved that Merrick is a Watcher who cares.

When I get back to Fred’s apartment, I can see from the street that her lights are still on. I’m not sure if it’s because of me or Lorne still adjusting to California time and consider it the entire elevator ride.

Sliding the spare key into the lock, I’m very relieved to find her laughing with our empathetic friend. Scooby Doo proves itself to be fun for both all ages and all species. With the duo red in the face and halfway through one of Fred’s tapes.

“I need to get myself one of those things,” Lorne manages to stop his laughter long enough to point at the screen. “What is it called?”

“A dog collar.” The answer slips out of Fred’s mouth, along with a string of medicated giggles.

Joining her with some chuckles of my own, I eventually correct the genius with a grin. “I think he means the ascot.”

“That would make more sense.” She nods sagely, her eyes never leaving the cartoon.

“You two have fun?” They slide apart at my approach and make enough room for me to squeeze in between them.

“Fred was on the phone most of the day,” Explains the demon with tinfoil in his hair. “But the sweetheart still found the time to pick me up some of this dye.”

Neither seems very concerned, so I tell myself not to worry either. “Anything important?”

“Just dealing with some school stuff, nothing to worry about.” Waving off the question, Fred is quick to change the subject. “I finally found the Maclays. You said two kids named Tara and Donnie, right?”

“Yeah. That would be them.” Relief mixes with dread as I realize this means I need to start getting ready for the move to Sunnydale. “Where did you find them?”

Fred wipes her fingers on her Dallas Cowboy pyjamas and hands me some papers. “Louisiana. The dad works for the city dump about an hour and a half outside New Orleans.”

“Don’t you have school in a few hours?” Suddenly noticing the birds are chirping, I turn to Fred with a concerned look.

“Nope.” Popping the P, the Texan native props her feet on the coffee table with a carefree grin.

 

Chapter 10: Let’s Try The Truth
​

While Lorne flips through the rack of jerseys, I test the weight of a wooden bat. When Fred notices and tries to hold in her giggles, I throw on my most intimidating expression.

“I’m Batman.” The growl is completely the wrong tone and the reference is about a decade early. But it gets the response I was looking for, turning Fred’s snickering into full blown laughter.

“So does that make me Batgirl?” She grabs a lighter one and mocks my stance with her own pose.

“Lorne dresses bright enough to be our Robin.” Glancing over at the demon with frosted tips, I’m happy to see him really coming into his own.

Tossing a few pairs of ice skates into the cart, I consider how hard it will be to fasten the blades securely. “How good are you with power tools? Last time I used a drill, I put a screw right through my thumb.”

“Oh my...” Her face flushes at the idea and it takes her a couple seconds to decide between the two climbing axes on the shelf. “That must have really hurt.”

“Not even half as bad as the visions.” And it’s really just starting to sink in that those are going to be for life.

Fred gives me a concerned hum and decides to just get both of the axes. The cute way she tilts her head and mutters under her breath to come to such a decision, give me an uncomfortable thought. What happens if I kiss someone?

Do the visions get passed on like with the single kiss Doyle and Cordelia shared? Or will it require a full on Com-Shucking ritual?

Is it my choice, or will they only pass on if I’m about to die? Grimly, I try not consider the fact that the visions might just be Jasmine’s way of controlling me.

It’s not like I can just ignore visions of innocent people dying though. So the best I can do is keep making long term plans with my own knowledge.

“Are you going to tell Buffy about the...” The genius gives me a wry smile and mimes sneezing. “You know?”

“After we deal with Lothos and the Hyperion.” It will probably be a better idea to tell them not all demons are evil, when I’m handing over a stack of cash. “I want to stack the odds in my favour before I spill the beans.” Only one chance to get them all on the plate.

“Neck braces?” Noticing the thick foam, I’m shocked at how simple the idea is. “You really are a winner Fred.”

Blushing pink from the praise to the tips of her ears, Fred isn’t done impressing me. “If we soak them in holy water first, it should be able to stop anyone in the crew from turning.”

“Should we try washing our clothes in it?” It’s not exactly expensive.

“Couldn’t hurt to try.” She grabs a few pool cues and cases on the way to the register. “You think these would be alright to just carry around? Sharpen them up for two sturdy stakes you could also crack a skull with.”

“Uh...” The clerk blinks at Fred’s comment, unsure if he should finish ringing us through or call the cops.

This is exactly why we brought Lorne with us and I point at him confidently. “We’re shooting a movie a few blocks over. Group of outcast teens and a cheerleader defend the school from aliens.”

Nodding along fervently, Fred helps sell the story with her enthusiasm. “It’s the first time I get to be in charge of special effects. You will not believe how much of the budget had to go towards tinfoil and Vaseline.”

“You did his makeup?” The red head behind the counter gets a good look at Lorne, his jaw quickly hanging in aw. “That’s going win you awards.”

“Awards?” That strikes a chord of intrigue in the ‘actor’. “Tell me more.” Lorne leans on the counter with a friendly smile.

The clerk nods eagerly and lifts up his uniform, revealing an Elvira shirt underneath it. “You could totally be a daytime version of the Dark Mistress.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea.” Get him a local program in Sunnydale and Lorne could walk around in the middle of the day. “You do love to talk.”

Just tell everyone he’s a method actor and if it takes off... That would actually give Cordelia a way to get something on her resume.

“Music rights will be expensive,” Warns Fred, turning Lorne’s smile upside down.

“Sunnydale has plenty of local bands. It shouldn’t be hard to get them to come on and play for you.” Lots of empty buildings we could rent out and I know the Dingoes would love the exposure.

After paying for the gear, I drop the pair off back at Fred’s place with a bag of Wendys. Lorne is too excited to even say farewell, still rambling on about his ideas to be even better than Leno. But the way Fred says my name and waves goodbye from sidewalk, makes me realize how far I’ve already fallen.

“You really don’t need to wait up for me you know?” I do have the spare key.

“Might as well start looking into the haunted apartment.” Fred rolls her eyes as Lorne impatiently waits. “You didn’t really give me much to work with.”

It’s not like I have a photographic memory, I’m lucky I can remember as much as I have so far. I know it’s only going to get harder to make informed choices, now that I’m starting to really change things.
Though I guess that’s probably a good thing. Fred and Lorne aren’t perfect matches for the characters I know from the show and that’s only made it easier to befriend them.

“Well I appreciate it. I’m pretty hopeless with technology.” She snorts at my words and finally lets Lorne drag her towards the door.

Once I see them get inside the building, I head off to patrol with Buffy. But instead of focusing on our surroundings, the petite blonde powerhouse peppers me with questions.

“What did you mean about two billion friendly demons?” That seems so contrary to what Merrick has taught her, that Buffy finds it hard to resolve the two ideas.

“I was going to wait until I had proven myself to you first.” Cursing myself, I realize lying will just ruin the trust I’ve managed to build. “But I guess now is as good a time as any.”

“What do you mean?” Wary eyes watch my every movement.

Trying to keep Buffy calm, I hold up my hands slowly. “Some of us just want to live a decent life and help out when we can.”

Relaxing the muscles in my face, I shiver when the blue barbs emerge from my face. She tense up for an attack that never comes so I go back to my human appearance once she’s gotten a good look.

“What are you?” She doesn’t jump right into violence and I can only hope that’s a good sign.

“Half Brachen.” The name is followed by a quick description, with my openness doing more to convince Buffy than anything I actually say. “Ask Merrick how often we cause trouble.”

“I will. Count on it.” No longer carefree, Buffy has at least stopped looking at me like a potential threat.

Grinning in an attempt to ease some tension, I remind her which class I teach. “Not exactly my strong suit. I’m teaching english, not math.” That gets a small giggle out of the Slayer I count as a victory and gets us patrolling again.

It doesn’t take long to find some of Lothos’ cronies, giving Buffy a chance to work through her frustration. She’s not selfish enough to take all of them though, leaving two of her classmates for me.

“Mister Doyle?” The baseball player I can’t remember the name of hesitates. “What are you doi-” Just long enough for my sharpened pool cue to slide between his ribs, turning him into a cloud of ash that blows away in the wind.

“Craig!” His friend snarls in shock, throwing himself at me with savage ferocity when I try to repeat the process.

He’s fast enough to nick me with his claws, leaving a pair of angry red lines along my jaw. But instead of flinching away, I swerve to the left and swing.

The bottom half of my pool cue cracks against the vampires skull, stunning the jock for my follow up. At first smug at my success, I get ready to help Buffy with her four.

“Took you long enough.” She’s already finished and is leaning against a parked van with a cocky smirk.

 

Chapter 11: Let’s Dance
​

Waving at Fred and Alonna up on the roof of the school, I’m relieved they haven’t been found by the school. Really going to need the balloon brigade to cover the students’ retreat.

“I wasn’t expecting you to have so many friends,” Admits Buffy, while Pike tries not to look uncomfortable in his tux. “Merrick really made it sound like this wasn’t going to be a lonely life.”

“You might be one of the chosen few.” Nodding to Levar, he leads his group towards to parked busses. “But the many who chose...” I turn and point to Jerome’s team currently breaking into the portable near the gym. “They outnumber us tenfold.”

“But...” Buffy frowns at such a conflicting message.

Tapping my temples with a knowing grin, I try to settle her nerves. “You want to know how this was all supposed to go down?”

“Everyone dies?” Pike scowls at the people laughing at his outfit and it looks to be taking all his willpower to stay.

“If I left when I was supposed to and let you handle this...” Pausing long enough to point out Merrick sneaking in through a side door, I give Buffy a rundown of the movie. “Merrick would have died, you burn the school down, and run away to Vegas for a few months.”

Her eyes go wide in shock and I don’t leave anything out. “You’re even supposed to end up in a psychiatric ward for while. You know, when you start telling everyone it was vampires that did it.”

“What?” Anger surges across the Slayer’s face.

“People want an answer. Most will stop looking once you give them one.” That comment leads to me telling the pair what to tell the cops after everything goes down. “So don’t run away and give a quick statement about some creepy guy stalking you. I’ll handle the rest of the questions.”

“People are really going to believe a vampire attack was just another school trying to prank us?” She’s doubtful of the claim, her eyebrows raising with a snort.

Handing over a couple balloons to stick in her handbag, Buffy reconsiders her opinion once I explain. “We make it look like a water balloon fight gone wrong and people will convince themselves it’s what happened.”

Gunn saunters over and holds up a green balloon of his own. “What’s the hold up Teach? Much longer and the crew is going to start chucking some of the ammo at the school.”

Mixing the holy water with paint only works when incredibly diluted and more like coloured water than anything. But it makes the acidic fluid a lot harder for the vampires to just wipe away.

“Sun’s still got to set.” My reminder makes us all glance up at the orange sky that gives us another half an hour at best.

“I lure Lothos and his goons out into the field, so you can get everyone else out the front?” Buffy triple checks the plan, the waiting what really seems to be driving her spare.

“My team will cover the escape,” The gang leader growls with more than a little frustration in his voice. “We’ll thin the numbers as much as we can.”

With a grunt of agreement, I make sure the modified bat will slide out of it’s holster with ease. “We got enough crosses to give all the students?”

“Grandma’s church was happy to provide them,” Confirms Gunn with a smirk. “Holy water and crosses is a fair trade for being able to hold night services.”

“How long you been doing this?” Pike is impressed by the claim, happy to see he can make a difference even with Buffy taking point.

“Few years.” Is all Gunn reveals, staying vague as he eyes my skate-bat with envy. “Was getting real tired of losing people I grew up with.”

As I try to consider how to answer that, I eventually settle on my bodies physical experience. “Found out about everything on my twenty first birthday. Took a couple years to get my head out of my ass.”

“It must have been really stuck.” Buffy smirks at me, while the two guys exchange confused looks.

“You two better get inside.” Making sure my foam neck brace is securely fastened, I find nothing out of place. “And remember to keep an arm’s distance apart.”

Pike’s eyes bug out while Buffy crosses her arms, not amused in the slightest. “Excuse me?”

“You know...” Sticking my tongue out like a very mature adult, I at least manage to not roll my eyes. “Putting some between you and the biters is probably going to keep you alive longer.”

“Oh.” Pike flushes in embarrassment while Buffy rolls her eyes. “That makes sense.”

The well dressed duo march across the street, leaving Gunn and I to take charge of our teams. He watches me take a few swings with the four bladed bat and gives an impressed whistle.

“Where do I get myself one of those babies?” His eyes are focused on the handle and how sharp of a point it’s been carved into.

“Fred made it.” My comment has Gunn cough in astonishment.

He watches me for any sign of deceit. “You serious? The nerd girl makes your weapons?”

“It was my idea...” I try not to pout and fail miserably.

“Should see what she can do to trick out my ride.” Gunn knocks his fist against mine as we split up.

“I’ll try and keep an eye on your boys.” But no promises.

Shaking his head, Gunn lets me know exactly where his priorities lay. “Just make sure we can fill more urns than caskets. They all know the cost.”

His response makes me frown as I climb onto the school bus. The eight guys following my lead have already gotten every window opened and are ducked down out of sight.

“I need a couple of you to open the doors and another two to cover them.” Gripping my bat tight to stop my hands from shaking, I wait for Fred’s whistle.

It only comes a few minutes after sundown. Three sharp blasts let us know how many groups of vampires we have to deal with and I wait for the screaming.

Balloons start flying off the roof, splashing against the dozen minions between the bus and school. “Water!”

With a roar to action, I lead the charge off the bus. The four streams that cover us, break the vampires into more manageable groups.

Only one is even capable of fighting back when we reach the group. But that changes after my swing nearly takes his nose off.

I don’t waste time working out frustration and go right for a kill shot. Feigning a swing for the vampire’s head, I thrust for his chest once he covers his face.

Two more whistles from the roof are followed by a volley of balloons. With a growl of frustration, I know we can’t waste the element of surprise.

“Cover us!” Roaring at the pair holding the doors open, I lead the final two inside the chaos.

It’s not as many vampires as I feared, which just cements my determination to save the students. “Everybody out!”

Drawing the attention of the crowd also sends a few vampires charging to close the doors. While my group handles them, Buffy takes the chance to lead the majority away.

I’m not even at half the strength I would be with my spiky face. That makes each vampire slightly stronger than me and these ones aren’t covered in holy water burns. Even if they are twice as strong as a strong man, they fight with nothing more than arrogant instinct.

It doesn’t take long to clear the gluttons still in the gym and start shepherding the stunned students to safety. “Third Street is taking the school rivalry too far this year. I expect you all to be above such juvenile retaliation!”

My explanation starts to get repeated by a few teachers who recognize me and soon the kids are starting to believe it. Thankfully no one questions the weapon in my hands or why the ‘pranksters’ are exploding into ash.

“Keep everyone covered until you hear sirens. I’ll handle the clean up.” Mentioning the escape clause was unnecessary, judging from the teen’s snort of ‘obviously’.

When I do reach the field out back and the real fight, I can see Gunn’s crew has suffered at least a couple casualties. Impossible to tell how many vamps they took with them though.

Pike is rolling around with a vampire he’s calling Benny, while Merrick tangles with the one called Amylin. Looks kind of like Pee Wee Herman. Standing protectively between Gunn clutching his ribs and a snarling Lothos, Buffy notices my arrival with a growing smirk.

“I finally figured out why Lothos is hiding here in Los Angeles.” My words are filled with plenty of bravado as I approach the master vampire from behind. “He’s hiding from Kakistos in the Master’s shadow.”

Buffy mouths ‘who’, the moment Lothos whirls around to face me. “You again? So eager to die?”

“He probably knows the only way anyone will ever fear him...” My taunting works and Lothos gets ready to pounce. “Is if the two real master vampires take each out.”

“Die for your insolence!” He shoots forward even faster than last time and collides with me like a freight train.

My back leaves a trench in the ground, as Lothos forces me away from any support. But just as he prepares to kill me, a high pitched whine interrupts.

He frowns in confusion just a half second before a ball of red light strikes him in the back. The flare explodes in a shower of sparks, igniting Lothos who screams for his final few seconds of existence.

When only his ash remains and I finally breath again, Buffy rushes over to help me up. The minions flee as soon as Lothos is dust and lets me turn to my savour.

Fred is standing in the middle of a dozen stunned crew members, a smoking flare gun in her hands. I only have time to appreciate the sight for a few moments before the sound of sirens can be heard.

“Time to spin a yarn.” Buffy bumps fist with Gunn. “Thanks for the help Charles.”

“It’s Gunn.” The protest doesn’t reach his eyes as he holds up the peace sign. “With two N’s.”