By Jody E.
Buffy and Dawn’s week in New York passed quickly. Dawn had her audition on Tuesday. She read her lines in a loud clear confident voice, and didn’t get so much as a callback. She hadn’t really expected one. But while waiting her turn to read, she had met a girl named Stephanie who was also trying to make it on Broadway. She told Dawn about a club where all the chorus kids hung out, and invited her to come along that night. Buffy realized that she couldn’t keep her 20 year old sister locked in a hotel room all week, and grudgingly gave her permission, so Dawn’s social life in New York suddenly took a turn for the better.
Buffy had phoned the Council of Watchers with William’s idea about Faith. She asked them please not to pressure her, but to make her a reasonable offer. Buffy assured them that she would relinquish her powers if necessary. In the meanwhile she met with Tina every day, watching her train and offering advice. Her best advice would have been to ignore most of what Miss Scott was teaching her, forget the Japanese Aikido and use her instincts. Unfortunately, Tina did not yet have those instincts, Buffy realized, so she kept that opinion to herself, and mostly just looked on encouragingly.
In the evenings, Buffy went patrolling with William. They had always fought well together, only now they were fighting demons, not each other. New York was certainly a hotbed of activity, like Sunnydale had been in Buffy’s early years there. She realized that she was having a terrific time, though she sorely missed Emily and spoke to her on the phone every day. William was astonishingly good company, and he amused Buffy with his sardonic comments about everything and his ready wit.
On Thursday night, William, Buffy and Dawn went and saw Hannibal. It was so hilariously over done, and Alan Cummings was such a stitch as Hannibal Lector, that they enjoyed it tremendously. Afterwards they went out to Sardis, because Dawn had wanted the full theater experience. Buffy and Dawn ate cheesecake while William had raspberry sorbet.
"Well, I say that any show that features a song about eating brains, is my kind of musical!" William declared. Buffy and Dawn laughed.
"William, you are so weird." Said Dawn. She raised her eyebrows, "Holly says so too. She warned me about you."
"She did, did she? When did you two have a heart to heart?"
"After my audition. She told me I wasn’t bad, just inexperienced. Then she warned me about getting involved with a vampire. She says that she learned the hard way. But, " Dawn looked innocent, "She did say that you were great in bed."
"Dawn! "William and Buffy exclaimed simultaneously. Buffy turned beet red.
‘Hey, I’m only quoting."
‘My, look at the time! I think we’d better be going." Buffy would have loved to have grabbed Dawn by the hair and dragged her out of the restaurant, but instead she figured she had better salvage what dignity she still had left.
Before dawn on Friday morning, the phone rang in Buffy’s room. Quentin Travers had retired because of ill health a few years ago, but his replacement, Roland Lonsdale was no improvement. He also seemed to be unaware of the time difference between London and New York. In a haze of sleep, Buffy tried to comprehend what he was telling her. Basically, Faith had turned the council down cold. To paraphrase, She was going to work for Angel and she needed her powers, there was nothing the Council could possible offer her and they could go screw themselves. Good for her, Buffy thought. Buffy told Lonsdale that she would do what was required. She would be back in Sunnydale by Sunday. A council representative would meet her there to perform the spell. It was way too early to process such bad news, so Buffy rolled over and went back to sleep.
The news didn’t seem much better when she awoke. Buffy didn’t say anything to Tina and her watcher that afternoon, since Lonsdale had asked her not to, but she watched Tina carefully. She was tall, much taller than Buffy and when she grew into her knees and elbows would probably be well built. The strength and agility would come with the calling, along with the heightened senses. IF she were called, that is. It would be pretty ironic, Buffy thought, if she relinquished her powers for the benefit of some unknown Slayer in Oklahoma or Pinsk. And what exactly was she going to do with the rest of her life? What was she trained for? She had a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts, which prepared her for exactly…nothing. She could work at the Magic Box; though Anya managed it so competently that all Buffy would be was just another sales clerk. Willow had found her niche in computers; Xander loved his construction work…what was out there for an-ex Slayer?
By the time Buffy met William that evening, she was in a foul mood. She told him what had happened with Faith and the council.
"So by this time Monday, I’ll be Buffy the civilian." She said mournfully.
"Don’t do it," said William. "Tell ‘em to take a soddin’ leap, just like Faith did...you don’t owe those bloody gits anything! Come here to New York and be the Slayer, yourself."
"Don’t you think I’ve considered that? But I’m 26 years old and have a 4-year-old daughter. The council doesn’t want me as the Slayer here in New York. I’ve never toed the line or been under their control the way they would have liked. Giles and I spit in their faces too many times for them to want me anymore. They may call it voluntary retirement, William, but basically, I’ve been fired!"
William was outraged by the council’s treatment of Buffy. He knew how important her powers were to her. He had once been an ordinary man, and he never would have traded one moment of his vampire unlife, for a lifetime of mediocrity. But there was nothing he could do to help Buffy. This was between her and the Council.
"Tell you what, pet. I’ve got a big case lined up. Gak demons, a whole nest of them. At least you’ll have a last night of glory, eh? And then if you’re real good, I’ll take you to a place I know."
"What kind of place?" Buffy asked suspiciously.
"That would be tellin’. Come on Slayer, let’s get a move on and kill us some demons."
She smiled sadly. He wouldn’t be able to call her Slayer much longer. She put on her black leather jacket, and they went out.
A few hours later, they were exhausted but exhilarated. The Gak demons had proven to be surprisingly tough and it had taken a major effort to defeat them. But Buffy and William worked together flawlessly, covering each other’s backs, and always there with a weapon when needed. So well did they work together, that the demons were dispatched before midnight. Dawn was out clubbing with her new theater friends. Buffy had met them and they seemed nice enough; so after reminding Dawn a dozen times that the legal drinking age in New York was 21, which she was NOT, she had let her go with a fairly light heart.
The place that William took Buffy turned out to be a funky little club in the West Village. There was a live band, and the place reminded her strongly of the Bronze, before the Troll renovations. Buffy looked at the band half expecting to see Dingoes Ate My Baby. As they sat down at a small table and ordered drinks, Buffy wondered if William liked this place because it was like the Bronze or in spite of that fact.
"I’m getting deja vue all over again, "said Buffy looking around.
"This place reminds you of the Bronze, right? Me too. " He hesitated. "Uh…actually, I brought you here for a reason. Pet. Soon you’ll be leavin’ and I probably won’t get to see you again...and there is somethin’ that I have always wanted to do…Dance with me, Buffy?"
‘You know you want to dance, Slayer.’ Those words had haunted her dreams for years. For Spike, the word meant fighting and making love; for him the two were almost interchangeable. She had always sensed that and when they had fought each other so bitterly all those years there had been an underlying sexual tension that had scared Buffy to death, as much as she had sought it. But this was William…6 years had changed him so much, perhaps he just meant…dance. Did she dare? In a couple of days she was going back to an ordinary life. She put down her drink. "Why the hell not!" She said, more to her herself than to William.
They stood up. The band obligingly started playing a slow song. William took her hand and led her to the dance floor. At first they held each other awkwardly like teenagers in a school gymnasium. Buffy hadn’t danced in years, not since her wedding, in fact, and William was an unfamiliar male body in her arms. Unfamiliar, but yet familiar...for some reason it seemed as though they had done this before, somewhere, somehow. In the hot stifling club, William’s hands felt cool on her back. Buffy had danced once with Angel at her prom, and she remembered the feeling, but that wasn’t what was haunting her. Gradually as they moved together, her arms moved up around his neck and his around her waist, and soon they were barely moving at all, just shuffling their feet, their arms around each other as though they had been dancing together for years. As she put her head on his shoulder, Buffy felt William’s lips brush her hair. And then her neck. She turned her head so that he found her warm lips with his cool ones, and suddenly they were kissing there on the dance floor and not really dancing at all.
When William brought Buffy back to her hotel room, Dawn was already back, but it was just as well that she couldn’t invite him in. It would be a big mistake, Buffy knew. They lived 3,000 miles apart but the distance between them was more than miles. Still she couldn’t resist kissing him outside her door for quite a long time even after Dawn called out, "Goodnight William!"
The next morning, Saturday, Buffy awoke early and with a feeling of doom. She had dreamed about Faith, but the dream was indistinct, and Buffy struggled to remember the details, in vain. Dawn also woke up in a gloomy mood. Today was their last day in New York and neither of them were looking forward to leaving...Dawn, because she had fallen in love with New York, and Buffy because...well Sunnydale would seem awfully tame after this, for more reasons than one.
Their plan for this last day was a good one. Buffy was meeting early with Tina for one last sparring session, and then she and Dawn were going to do some serious shopping. She couldn’t go home to Sunnydale empty-handed. As for tonight, William had some major slayage planned, but Buffy decided that perhaps she wouldn’t go. Last night had been a little too much fun. She remembered how angry she had been at William the first night they had arrived, worried that he and Dawn would get involved. That fear had proven groundless. William thought of Dawn with affection, and Dawn apparently regarded William as her ticket to Broadway, but there was nothing else evident between them. If only she could say the same for herself. Strangely enough, until last night William hadn’t shown her the slightest sign that he still thought of her romantically after all these years. He had been amicable but casual, treating her like an old family friend. Buffy sat up, as it suddenly hit her. Damn him! Spike had finally gotten smart! And she had fallen for him, hook, line and sinker. Well, that didn’t change anything. She was not getting involved with any vampires at this stage of her life, especially now that she was about to become a civilian. She had a new future to plan, even if she wasn’t looking forward to it.
She met Tina at around 10:00. She changed into sweats, because they were going to do some sparring. There was only so much that could be learned with training dummies. They faced off, and began. Tina had the technical moves down pat, but she tended to telegraph her punches, and kicks, and Buffy evaded them easily. She also couldn’t match Buffy’s speed or agility. Tina aimed a roundhouse kick at Buffy’s mid section, and stopped cold. She turned deathly pale, and started to shake. Buffy helped her to the bench and Miss Scott hastened over to see if she was okay. After a few minutes, Tina assured them both that she was fine, and wanted to continue. She and Buffy faced off once more, and this time Tina executed a perfect kick that hit Buffy in the shoulder, knocking her down. Buffy was stunned...that had been really good. Buffy got up and lunged at Tina, but Tina was suddenly a different fighter, matching Buffy punch for punch, kick for kick. Buffy had the advantage of 11 years of experience: Tina, the advantage of youth. But it was soon obvious to Buffy and to Priscilla Scott who was watching open mouthed there were now two slayers in the room. Buffy halted the workout. She and Miss Scott examined Tina, who said that apart from that moment of faintness, she had never felt better. Buffy felt a shiver of apprehension. How had Tina become a Slayer? This was so not good. Buffy excused herself and went inside to phone the only person she could think of, who might have some answers.
"Angel investigations," Answered Cordelia in a grumpy early morning voice. Buffy realized that it was barely 8:00 AM in LA.
"Cordy, this is Buffy! "
"Buffy! Well, this is a pleasant surprise. What’s up?"
"Listen, I have no time to chitchat right now. Have you heard from Faith lately?"
"Faith ? No...The last I heard she was in the halfway house and doing great. Angel is all gung ho on having her work for us, you know. I personally have my doubts, but …"
"Look, Cordy, can you track her down for me, and have her call me? It’s important." She gave Cordelia the phone number of the hotel and left Tina and Miss Scott, who were phoning the Watcher’s Council in London.
William woke up with a start and looked at his watch. 10:30. AM? He had just fallen asleep a little while ago. With consciousness, came remembrance. Buffy was leaving tomorrow. He thought about the night before and how many years he had waited for that one moment. Holding her in his arms, kissing her. And now she would be gone forever. He had a sinking suspicion that Buffy might want to get out of seeing him tonight. She had fought her attraction to him tooth and nail for as long as he had known her. Actually, he had once put up rather a good fight himself. His thoughts turned back to last night. William had felt many strong emotions in the 127 years since he had become a vampire. He had felt anger and hatred, exhilaration and a kind of manic glee, passion and lust, and in the last few years a kind of contentment, as he gradually came to terms with himself, but until last night he had never been simply happy.
He gradually drifted back to sleep. A loud buzzing startled him awake two hours later. Somebody was downstairs. William pushed the button, and heard Buffy’s voice asking to come up, but she didn’t sound like herself. A cold thrill of fear went through William. Something was wrong. His feeling was confirmed when he saw Buffy’s white face and her trembling hands.
He drew he into his private apartment.
"What is it, love...Emily? Dawn?"
"N-no. There was a man...hanging around the half way house. He was a pimp who had b-been bothering some of the women. He attacked one of them...I-I guess she had been one of his prostitutes. F-faith defended her...she beat the guy up...hurt him pretty bad, I guess. He –he couldn’t take getting his ass kicked by a woman, the bastard. She could have killed him...but she didn’t. She didn’t. So he came back last night...with a gun, and, and shot her. Five times. She...died at 7:30 this morning. I –I was working with Tina this morning, when she suddenly became the…Slayer...Oh William!" With that Buffy burst into tears.
William gathered her in his arms and held her while she wept. His heart ached for Buffy, because he could never stand to see her cry. But his mind was racing to process this information. Faith was dead. This new kid was the Slayer. Buffy’s powers were safe. Where was the bad here? Why was Buffy crying? Wasn’t Faith her enemy? William realized that this was an important moment. If he, a soulless being, could understand this...why Buffy cried at the death of her enemy...then perhaps he could truly connect with her and her human world.
"Buffy, darling, tell me...doesn’t this mean that you can keep on being a Slayer? Why are you so upset?"
"Y-yes, William," She looked at him, as if suddenly understanding his question. "But don’t you see...I didn’t want it this way. Poor Faith. She never had a chance in this world. She didn’t have a family or friends like I did. She chose evil, because she never had anyone to encourage her to be good, or who loved her in spite of the way she sometimes acted. Except for the mayor, and he only used her for his own purposes. Her death right now is so unfair. She had paid for her crimes; she had a chance to go work for Angel and find a group of friends like I had and do some good in the world. But she chose not to kill that man, and because of that, The Powers That Be got their New York Slayer, and all of the Council’s meddling was totally useless." She spat the last part out bitterly.
"No point in beatin’ yourself up about it, Buffy. It isn’t your fault, love. You didn’t kill her. "
"I know, but I still feel guilty. Maybe secretly I wanted something to happen to save my powers. Maybe The Powers That Be favored me for some reason."
"Maybe it had nothing to do with you, honey. Maybe it was just fate. Maybe it would never have worked out with Angel. Maybe the Powers That Be actually knew what they’re doing. We don’t know anything, love. All we can do is guess." Humans. Having souls made their lives so…complicated.
"Well, Angel said that the women in the halfway house consider Faith a hero. This man had been terrorizing them, forcing them back into crime. Now he is in prison, and will be for a long time. At least she died helping someone. Maybe that will count for something. But I’m sorry William...I still can’t rejoice over getting what I want at the expense of a person’s life. Do you understand that? Can you understand that?"
"I think so, Buffy. I guess it means puttin’ yourself in the other person’s place. Thinkin’ that maybe if things were different, you might have ended up like Faith. Sorry, love…this stuff is bloody difficult for me."
"William, you have no idea how far you’ve come. Back in Sunnydale you never would have even asked the question. "
"And if I had asked the question back then, would you have answered me?"
She considered. "Maybe we’ve both come a long way. "
"Come, Love...let me make you some of my famous tea."
They sat and talked for a while. Trying to make some sense of what had happened to Faith. Buffy decided that she would go to Faith’s funeral in LA, when she got back. It was the least she could do. "Poor Faith, " Buffy said, shaking her head sadly, "I hope that she has at last found some peace."
"Buffy…" He took her hand and looked at it. Her gold wedding band shown on her finger below a small diamond ring. Maybe this was a mistake…but he forged ahead. "What are you going to do when you get home?"
"I hadn’t really thought about it. This changes everything, doesn’t it?"
"Does it, Buffy? What are you really going to do in Sunnydale, even with your powers intact? The Hellmouth is closed. Not much to do for a Slayer. "
"But Sunnydale is my home. My family and friends are there."
"Your friends have their own lives now. What are you going to do with yours? Join the WWF? Try out for Survivor 9?"
"What are you saying, William?"
"Come back to New York, Buffy. I’ve been looking for an assistant," at Buffy’s look, he hastened to add, "But a partner would be even better. There’s work to do here. And Dawn loves it here, admit it. NYU has a great theater department."
"But I have a house in Sunnydale!"
"Sell it. Now that the Hellmouth’s closed property values will be going up."
"What about Emily? She couldn’t live in a neighborhood like this."
"We’d find you a nice place to live...I know some people in real estate. And there are good private Nursery schools too. "
"But New York is on a Hellmouth!"
"Between you, me and the new Slayer kid, we’ll soon whip this place into shape. We’ll make it safe as houses."
"But it gets cold in the winter, here; it even snows!"
"Sweetheart, we’ll buy you a coat. And mittens. And ear muffs."
"I hate your office."
"We’ll redecorate. And get a secretary."
‘You’re making it very difficult to turn you down."
"That was the plan, honey."
William leaned in close to Buffy, and looked in her eyes. "Listen Buffy. Nothing has changed. I’m still in love with you. I’ve just developed a bit of self-control is all. But if you don’t want that to be a part of the deal, it doesn’t have to be. "
She looked in his blue eyes. "William...that I don’t understand. You have seen me once in 6 years. How can you still love me after all that time?"
"Buffy, I’m a vampire. We tend to look at life on a different scale. Remember, I was in love with Dru for 120 years, and would probably be in love with her still, if she hadn’t…Well, let’s just say that six years, to me, is just a drop in the bucket. I haven’t even begun to properly love you, Buffy."
He stood up and pulled her to her feet and they kissed, tenderly at first, then with increasing passion. After a long while, Buffy said, "I’ll come back, William. At least for a while, check things out and....see what happens. I can’t make any promises until I do a little research."
"Research… you mean about houses and schools and such like?"
"Well, that too." She smiled coyly, "But first I have to find out if what Holly said about you was true. I can’t move 3,000 miles for anything less." She ran her fingers through his soft curly hair. "It’s a good thing I’m not leaving until tomorrow morning."
William smiled. "That’s barely enough time, if we want to do a thorough job of it. We’d better get a move on, Slayer." He swept her up in his arms. She was so light, his precious Buffy. His heart full of joy, he carried her into the bedroom.
The End