The New Disneyland (Fluff-a-thon Fic)
Buffy climbed the porch stairs two at a time and dropped down into the swinging chair next to Xander.
“I still can’t get over how out of place this house is, it looks like something from days gone by in New Orleans, those big sweeping mansions on the bayou.”
The Slayer squeezed his hand, “It’s good to have you back Xand.”
“It’s good to be back,” he hoisted a glass of water into the air, “I can actually drink out of a tap.”
She grinned, “Well about a month ago you wouldn’t have been saying that, Giles had to get the whole house re-piped. But that’s Giles for you, HQ has to be old and have that funky musty smell.”
“Along with creaky floorboards and a sense of foreboding,” they both laughed, “It’ll be nice to pick up a hammer and nails again though.”
Buffy rested her head against his shoulder and stared out at sunset, “So this means you’ll be staying on here for awhile longer?”
“As long as Giles doesn’t suddenly decided we need to scout for more Slayers in the Himalayas or some equally far off land then yeah, I’d kinda like to hang around here for a bit.”
“I think a certain little sister would like that too,” she teased pulling her head away from his shoulder and laughing, “All those letters you sent her and the rest of us were lucky if we got a postcard once a month.”
He turned bright red and Buffy laughed even louder, “They were letters, it’s not like I was sending anonymous little gifts or anything.”
The Slayer was always amazed at just how effective Xander’s one-eyed glare was and she squirmed beneath it, “Who told you about that?”
“Willow, then Faith and finally Dawn,” he laughed at her pursed lips, “I kept waiting for Giles to have a gossip with me over tea, I’m glad to see he’s managed to retain his Y chromosome.”
“He hides in the library with his books most of the time, you remember how he struggled to deal with me back in high school now he’s got that times fifty to deal with. He’ll be glad to have some male company around.”
“Speaking of which what happened to Wood?”
“You didn’t think you were the only one Giles would send halfway around the world did you?”
“I was kinda hoping I was special.”
Buffy hit his shoulder and he dropped the impression, slipping his tongue back inside his mouth, “He’s in London, tracking down Council contacts and information.”
A bell sounded and they both got up, but before they could get inside Dawn appeared at the door a big grin on her face.
“There’s another one in the kitchen!”
“What is it?”
“Looks like the head of an axe,” Faith laughed as she ran her fingers over the blade, “Obviously this guy knows the way to your heart isn’t through candy.”
Buffy raised an eyebrow and took the strangest present to date out of the Slayer’s hand, “Maybe Giles knows what it is?”
“A francisca.” He stepped into the kitchen and put his empty cup of tea on the counter before reaching out to take the object from the blonde slayer, “It’s a throwing axe which was used by the Franks, a national weapon of sorts until the 8th century. It is rare to find one of such good quality, one of the better presents you have received.”
The room broke into quiet laughter and Giles merely rolled his eyes, “In more serious matters, I still think it would be wise of us to all be on the look out. We have no idea who is sending Buffy presents and we already have enough trouble keeping a low profile.”
“People in town calling you a big old perve again,” Faith teased.
“Yeah Giles, when are you going to stop trying to hang out with the cool kids,” Xander joined in and Buffy grinned as her sister punched him in the arm.
“I’m trying to figure it out, honestly, I’m keeping my eyes and ears open but other than Dawn casting that spell which lead us straight back to the post office I’m running on empty here.”
“You cast a spell?” Xander’s whisper cut through the silence and Dawn merely rolled her eyes and mouthed later at the carpenter.
“What number are you up to anyway?”
“This is number six unless you count that half eaten box of chocolates that you and Dawn swear wasn’t addressed to me.”
Faith grinned at Dawn, “What did you expect us to do with them B, they were from the land of chocolate itself.”
“And tasted like heaven,” Dawn added, “Well other than those weird marzipan ones, so we did leave you some.”
“You’re both so generous. Anyways, I think I might go test this new present out.” She took the weapon from Giles and held it in her hands, “So I just throw it? Nothing to it?”
“Well you need to aim of course but yes, it is a very simple weapon.”
Faith made a move to join her but the blonde shook her head, “I need to clear my head, this hunt’s going to be solo, I’ve got my cell in case anything happens.” She added the last part because of the look she saw being passed around the room. Buffy still didn’t know why they worried, her solo hunts had never been a problem until they’d moved into this place. She could only assume it was because they’d all gotten so use to going out in groups. But she found that sometimes it was the only way she could clear her head.
It still amazed her that Giles had found this house to the back was a huge forest which they had had to cut back to make way for bigger training grounds. Although if the town council ever came knocking they were in the process of putting in a swimming pool. Buffy smiled at the idea as she stepped over a large sword someone had left near the demon dummy. Courtesy of the Slayers in Training, it was painted hot pink, Buffy didn’t really see how that would make them train harder but judging by the amount of times it needed arms reattached obviously the girls weren’t having trouble. As she took her first step into the forest and turned slightly to take one last sweeping view of the house she realised the hot pink demon was like a beacon, and an oddly fitting one at that. The blonde knew it was strange that she loved taking late night walks through the forest but nine times out of ten it guaranteed her something to fight and that was always what she needed after she got one of the mysterious gifts. It was the hope that sliced through her like a hot poker, she knew who she wanted her admirer to be but she also knew there was no way that hope could ever be fulfilled. Funnily enough it had been Xander who had broken the news to her about what had happened in LA. She and Dawn had thought he’d made the surprise trip for any other reason other than to tell them the fate of those she had loved in Los Angeles. Once the shock and sickening feeling in her stomach had receded (but only slightly) the Slayer and her sister, by then well and truly infatuated with Xander, boarded a plane straight to Cleveland where everyone was awaiting them with open arms. She had been surprised when Faith had proven to be her pillar of strength, telling her about the goings on in LA through her conversations with Wesley and sometimes with another man Buffy had never met called Gunn. In fact it was Faith who had introduced her to the therapy of the late night forest walk.
“You used to get lots more vamps but they’re smarter now. They know to avoid the Slayer nest,” the brunette joked, “Remember when we went rogue, want, take…”
“Have,” Buffy added listlessly, “I remember, so much has changed since then. You used to be the wild child.”
Faith huffed, “Used to? I think my picture is still next to rebellious in the dictionary. But I know what you mean, I’m not rogue anymore. It’s kinda weird.”
“What is?”
“Being back in the Scooby Gang.”
She didn’t know why those words affected her so much but before she knew it she had crumpled to the ground and was dry heaving with Faith’s arms wrapped protectively around her.
“Shhh B, it’s all going to be all right, we’re strong, we’ll get through this together.”
“God Faith, why did it have to happen, everything was finally working out, why this? Why now?”
“Because that’s the way its always got to be with us, the whole scales thing.” The brunette jumped up and Buffy quickly followed suite, she’d heard the slightest crack of a twig and just from that they were ready to fight. Faith nodded at her and they both slipped quietly into the brush on either side of the small clearing they’d come to rest in. The blonde slayer had never been happier to see a pus dripping demon at that moment and even though he gave a good fight it was all over too soon for Buffy.
She hadn’t realised tears were pouring down her face until Faith came back from disposing the body and asked her if she was hurt.
“No, I don’t think it even got the chance to scratch me.”
“Oh,” Faith looked as though she was about to say something else but Buffy held up a hand to silence her.
“Don’t, I think this late night walk and fight thing has done me some good. It’s just a lot to take in, I’ll be ok, I’m strong.”
“Amen to that sister,” Faith announced pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. If it had been any other moment Buffy would have looked at her terrified because it was so un-characteristically Faith but she accepted it and leant heavily on the brunette for support as they made their way back to command central.
She froze at what sounded like footsteps, what made the hairs on the back of her neck rise though was that the footsteps stopped as soon as she did. Immediately everything that she had been thinking about flew from her mind and she was in Slayer mode. Buffy felt her arm twitched and a slight grinned formed on her face, she was itching for this fight. She stood there waiting, the moonlight turning her face almost translucent but still nothing came. The Slayer rolled her eyes and dropped her fighting stance but only enough to start tapping her foot impatiently.
“Come on, I know you’re there. If you didn’t want a fight you wouldn’t have come so close to Slayer HQ.”
Still nothing moved and if she had been a normal everyday girl, albeit an odd one for taking a walk in a forest at night, Buffy would have sighed, figured it was her imagination and kept on walking. But she hadn’t been that normal everyday girl for a long time and her senses told her that something was out there, watching her. What they didn’t tell her was why it hadn’t made its move yet.
“Ok, so maybe you’re new at this, that or you’re a little slow, maybe your mom dropped her precious little spawn one too many times on the head. Either way what usually happens is you attack and I wind up kicking your lumpy arse. So come on out here and fight like a demon.”
Even with all her senses trained on the spot the sound had come from there was still no movement. It piqued her curiosity and she moved forward, her hand instinctively reaching inside her coat and wrapping around her stake.
“Well seeing as you’re not breathing I’m going to have to retract my lumpy arse statement and change it to pasty.”
Her eyes barely caught the flash of movement but that didn’t deter her brain from ordering her feet to start running. Buffy was already on top of the vampire before she even realised she’d moved. When she looked down the blonde was sure her heart had stopped, there was no way this could possibly be happening.
“What? How? Why? No, no, no.” Her breathing was shallow and rapid and the Slayer jumped off the vampire and stumbled backwards trying to get away from him, “No, oh god no.”
“Buffy.”
“Don’t, don’t mess with me like this, not like this.”
“Buffy.”
The quiet voice, the voice she heard most nights in her deepest sleep was calling to her right now.
“This isn’t real, I don’t know what’s happened but this isn’t real.”
“Buffy.” He stood up now and still the Slayer backed away.
“You can’t be here, Faith told me, we watched the news…you can’t be ali…”
“Alive? Well no, I didn’t get that lucky.”
Something clicked in her brain and again her body was reacting without thought, her fists were pummelling into his chest and tears were streaming down her cheeks, “You do not get to make jokes.”
He took her fists and in the moment she collapsed against him, every wall, every guard was dropped and yet she felt completely safe against his still chest.
“Angel?” Her voice was barely audible but she felt him squeeze her tighter in response, “But how?”
“The how involves a trip to hell and back, I don’t think you need to hear that story right now.”
“Literally?”
The chuckle made her shiver and again he tightened his grip on her, “No this time not literally, but as you said, you watched the news, it was chaos in LA. Buffy…I wish I didn’t have to be the one to tell you this.”
She held a hand up to his mouth, “I know, he used up all his nine lives, thank you though, for being willing to tell me.”
He kissed her fingertips, “Your welcome.”
With the simple kiss Buffy felt herself catapulted back through their history and the emotions bubbled away inside her, making her stomach flip upside down until she bought herself back to reality. “It’s really you?” Her voice was barely above a whisper in case he told her no but she let her hand trace his all to familiar face and stared into his eyes.
“It’s really me, I tried to let you know, I just didn’t want to show up on your doorstep, especially after everything you’d already been through.”
“You were the one leaving the presents?”
A small smile played on his lips but it disappeared when he spoke, “I thought you might get it, you know me I’ve always been one to hide in the shadows.”
“The creepy skulking guy,” the Slayer teased.
“The one and only.”
Buffy sighed and stood up pulling him with her, “You know most guys would have stuck with flowers and candy.”
“And most girls wouldn’t squeal at the sight of a nineteenth century sword.”
“Touche.” Buffy snuggled under his arm as they began to make their way out of the forest.
“So Cleveland?”
“What can I say, Hellmouths are my Disney Land.”