DISCLAIMER!!!! Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow, and all the characters, from "Buffy theVampire Slayer" aren't mine. They belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy. I'm jealous, but what can I do? All other characters, and the story itself are the sole property of ME, and my imagination. Please send all comments on the story to ME! Thank you and come again!
Xander, sitting across the table, watched as Eddie came to. Jesus, Buffy really nailed him, the boy thought. Eddie, meanwhile, was looking around the Library, trying to get his bearings. "You ok?" Xander asked.
Eddie looked across the table, his eyes focusing on Xander. "She hit me, didn't she?" he asked as he rubbed his jaw.
The dark-haired boy nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Good for her!" The male Slayer replied, a smile on his face. "I thought she would cry or apologize or something."
"Well then you don't know Buffy. She's not the apologizing type." Xander said, a little surprised at Eddie's nonchalance with being knocked on his ass by a girl. "She's more the 'hit you in face, knock you senseless' type."
This time it was Eddie who nodded. "Good. That's what I was hoping for," he said as he stood up and stretched. "Anyways, I deserved it."
"Yeah, you did", Xander said in total agreement. "You're really lucky she didn't kill you."
Eddie smiled again, this time in amusement. "Oh I doubt she would have gotten the chance. If I really thought she was a threat, she would have been dead before she got within 4 feet of me."
Xander stared at the boy in amazement. "Boy, you're in a fantasy world! Buffy could have kicked your ass, and not even broken a nail."
"Oh, I'm not doubting her fighting ability," the young man said. "I'm saying that she wouldn't have gotten the chance to use them."
"Why not?" Xander asked.
Eddie lost his smile, reached back and pulled out a large black pistol. "Oh, just call it a feeling," he said as he placed the firearm on the table.
Xander looked at the gun and then back at Eddie. "Ah, that a Glock?" he said after failing to come up with a response.
Eddie, who had been looking around the Library for Sidney, turned back toward Xander. "Yeah, Model 27, why?"
Xander picked up the Glock. He inspected closely, then removed the clip and inspected the ammo. "This is .40 Smith&Wesson, isn't it?"
Eddie looked at Xander, impressed despite himself. "Yeah, it is. You know a lot about guns?"
Memories of his transformation on Halloween and his recent visit to the local army base filled Xander's mind. "Oh, just a little." He said as he fiddled with the gun.
Eddie watched as Xander inspected the gun again, looking at the clip and down the barrel of the handgun. "Careful," he warned. "There's still a round in the chamber."
"Oh, yeah," he mumbled. Xander pulled back on the top of the gun and released the bullet into the palm of his right hand. "Thanks."
Eddie turned away from Xander and walked toward the office on the far side of the Library. He saw Sidney and Giles through the glass partition. They appeared to be talking intensely, Giles gesturing with his hands. The zombie Slayer began walking toward the office, when Sidney caught his eye. Sidney motioned for Eddie not to intervene and to stay put. Eddie stopped and shrugged. If Sid doesn't want my help, fine, he thought.
Looking around he noticed that Buffy and the red-haired girl were gone. Looking over at Xander, he saw the teenaged boy was still looking at the Glock. The male Slayer shrugged again, and walked back to the table. "So," he asked as he sat down across from Xander. "Where'd you learn about guns?"
After knocking out Eddie, Buffy had stormed out of the Library. Willow had quickly followed her friend, telling Xander and Giles that she'd handle it. What the heck was I thinking? Willow thought as she sat beside a very angry Slayer.
"This isn't fair!" Buffy said for the third time. "Why did Giles call for this other Slayer? Doesn't he think that I can't handle a bunch of stupid zombies by myself?"
Willow paused before answering her friend. "You know Giles has faith in you. I think he called Sidney because it was him who needed help."
"If he has so much faith in me, why didn't he tell me about this other Slayer? This Slayer who is a guy!" Buffy asked, her face showing her confusion and anger.
"Well, maybe Giles didn't know about him." Willow told her distressed friend. "Remember, Giles didn't know about Kendra till she showed up."
"Yeah, well I don't care!" Buffy told Willow. "I've had it up to here with all these Slayers showing up, starting fights with me, and then telling me how to do my job. This stops now!" With that, the Slayer got up and started toward the Library.
Willow quickly stopped the blond-haired Slayer. "Buffy, listen! You just can't go in there and start yelling at him about stuff that he didn't even know about!"
Buffy stopped. "Why not?" she asked defiantly.
"Because Giles and Sidney, Eddie's Watcher, haven't seen each other in, like, forever!" Willow explained. "If you go in there, yelling at Giles about how it's unfair that there are other Slayers, Giles might never forgive you!"
Buffy was quiet for a minute. "I wouldn't have yelled," she said, slightly deflated. "I . . . would have spoken strongly."
Willow raised an eyebrow and looked skeptically at Buffy. "Ok! Ok! I would have yelled! Stop giving me the big eye." Buffy said her hands in front of her chest as if she were surrendering. "Nice trick, by the way." She commented on the now lowering eyebrow.
Willow smiled, pleased with herself. "Thanks! Xander almost pulled a muscle trying to do it this afternoon."
The pair of girls started to slowly make their way back toward the Library. "Speaking of Xander, what's up with the two of you?" Buffy asked Willow. "You guys don't seem to be your usually chummy selves."
Willow looked down at the floor and blushed slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh don't give me that!" The Slayer said. "You two are usually inseparable! Now you guys seem to be uncomfortable just to be in the same time-zone for more then a few minutes. Like I said before, what's up with you two?"
Willow, still looking at the ground, shrugged. "I don't know. This last week, Xander seemed to try and avoid me." She answered. "We've still been hanging out at lunch, but it's not the same as before . . ."
Buffy thought for a moment. "You say that you've noticed the new weirdness of Xander during the past week?"
Willow nodded.
"So, basically, he's been acting wiggy since the trip to the Cemetery." Buffy said, looking directly at her friend.
Willow looked up at Buffy, slightly shocked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh come on!" the Slayer exclaimed. "Don't tell me that you didn't notice the way Xander was acting after the ride back to school!"
Willow shook her head.
"He could barely look at you!" Buffy said, laughter creeping into her voice.
The red headed girl seemed totally lost. "Why?"
Buffy looked at her friend, surprised. "You really have no clue!" It was Buffy's turn to shake her head. "Remember the ride home from the Cemetery? How you were forced to practically sit in Xander's lap?"
Willow blushed again. "Yeah," she said timidly.
The Slayer could barely contain her laughter. "Well, while you basically jumped out of the car and into the school, Xander was forced to . . . how shall I put this . . . rearrange his equipment?"
Willow thought for a second, not getting what Buffy was telling her. Then her eyes widened. "You mean, he . . . " The young girl was utterly shocked.
Buffy couldn't hold back the laughter any longer. "That's right, Xander gave you the biggest compliment a teenage boy can give a girl!" The Slayer was laughing so hard that she was holding her sides.
Willow's face quickly matched her hair in color. "I thought that was his wallet . . . " Willow said quietly, burying her face in her hands.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Will." Buffy said as she finally got her laughter under control. "I just don't think that Xander has ever thought about you that way before."
Willow looked slightly crestfallen at Buffy's words. "But he's with Cordelia now."
"Yeah, and your with Oz. So?" Buffy told her friend. "It's not like he did it on purpose. He'll be back to his normal Xanderness when he realizes that."
Willow didn't say anything as she walked down the hallway. Buffy looked at her friend, slightly worried about her reaction. I thought she was over Xander, she thought to herself. Maybe things with Oz aren't going as well as I thought. "So, where's Oz? I haven't seen him around the past few days," she asked.
The red-haired girl seemed to snap out of whatever she had been thinking about. "Oh, him and the band have been practicing a lot this week." She answered distractedly. "They have a gig all this weekend."
"When does he leave?" The Slayer asked as they came up to the Library doors. "Is he coming with us to see 'Our Lady Peace' at The Bronze tonight?"
Willow shook her head. "No, but he said he'd stop by the Library before he left."
"Oh, that's too bad." Buffy said as she pushed the door open and the girls walked into the Library. It was only a split second after the words passed her lips, that the Slayer saw Eddie pointing a gun directly at them.
Chapter 8