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by Chris Kenworthy (scoobyhq@fcmail.com)
Disclaimer: Don't own Buffy the vampire Slayer or the characters of any of the Slayerettes. (Probably a good thing too.)
"It's self-destructing, Buffy," Willow complained frantically to her best friend. "The big date between me and Xander is crashing and burning, and neither of us knows what to do to fix it!"
"Slow down," Buffy advised. "What's the problem?"
"We don't know the problem! There just... the spark between us isn't here! There's no connection. He's saying and doing everything right, and he says I am too, but... nothing! We're completely stuck in the Friend Zone," she said loudly as they walked into the restroom.
Buffy cast her gaze over the facilities (most of which she had no need for right now and she didn't think Willow did either,) and examined her reflection in the counter mirror as a stall while she thought of what to say to Willow. "Well, as I see it, there might be two things happening. First, there's been so much angsty big deal made out of this date that there's pressure, and the pressure is suffocating your chemistry and killing the romance. If that's what happening, find a way to relax, and problem solved."
Willow took several seconds to assimilate that. "What's the second thing?"
Buffy gulped, and had to take a deep breath before she could answer Willow's question. "Maybe this thing with you and Xander really is about wanting what you can't have - unfufilled longings, forbidden fruit, stolen moments. If that's the thing, then you'll never be able to find happiness with each other."
"Wow," Willow said. "So, well, this is sounding kinda like 'relax or else.' Just great." She adjusted her leather costume nervously.
"So, let's talk about something else then," Buffy decided, leading Willow back out of the restroom. "Tell me Willow, have you noticed and cute guys at this dance who might hit it off with your terminally single best friend??"
Willow smiled broadly, reminding Buffy of the last glow of a sunset over the ocean, and turned her mind to Buffy's question. "Well, there's Scott Hope, who's looking very cute as Clark Kent..."
"Nach," Buffy said, shaking her head vigorously enough to send her long ponytail flopping back and forth, and gesturing dismissively with one hand.
"Really? Why?" Willow pressed curiously. "I thought you liked him, and I think he wants to get together with you again..."
"No," Buffy repeated. "I couldn't get involved with Scott again - I'd always be wondering if the axe of his unfufilled expectations would come down on me again. Next?"
"Well, Scarlett's dashing Rhett Butler has been seen looking in your direction repeatedly all night..."
"Nope again," Buffy said. "Cole is... well, he's great, but I'm not looking to be the second gal to steal Cordelia's honey in less than a month." Buffy caught herself. "Uh, no offense meant to the first gal, of course."
Willow giggled. "No, of course not. And then there's the mysterious stranger heading towards us, or rather you, I think, with a fiery determination. But somehow I don't think you're the Slayer he really likes, Buffy."
"Huh?" Buffy looked around, scanning the crowd, and in a few moments saw Jonny Hardcastle moving towards them exactly as specified.
Just as he came up to them, Willow said, "Well, I'd better go meet up with Xander again. Thanks for your help, Buffy." She quickly hugged Buffy, and then disappeared into the crowd. Jonny looked at Buffy as if expecting her to speak first.
"Uh, hi," Buffy opened. "How's it going?"
"It's going, sweetheart," he said. "Not going too well, not going too badly yet at least..."
"Well, the vampires haven't come yet," Buffy said offhandedly. "I'd call that a plus."
Jonny's mouth dropped open. "But... are you sure they haven't??"
His question stopped Buffy's confident thoughts in their tracks. She had been proceeding under the assumption that when trouble first came, there would be no mistaking it. That was the way most trouble came to her. For some reason, she was reminded of her first day in Sunnydale, running into Giles right here at the Bronze. He had told her that a Slayer must be uniquely sensitive to vampires, able to sense their presence even through crowds and the human facades they put up to hide themselves as they hunted. Buffy had never really mastered that trick - she had never before really seen the need to, as almost all vampires tended to be careless or flamboyant enough to give themselves away long before it was too late. But maybe this time...
Buffy shook herself back to reality and addressed Jonny again. "No, I'm not sure, why? Do you think they're already here?" she asked, already thinking she knew what his answer would be.
"Yeah, sweetheart. I can feel them in here. At least two of the Brotherhood - I can almost smell them by now. But I've never gotten a good look at their faces - not the ones that look human, that is."
Buffy considered. "Okay, I'll spread the word to step up the search. Do you have any idea just how subtle these guys are? Most vamps I know wouldn't stay in disguise very long."
"They'll do whatever they need to do to complete the operation," Jonny told her soberly.
"Great, just great," Buffy muttered to herself as she turned away to look for Giles.
(Still in the Bronze, a little bit later,)
Giles wandered intently through the club, studying each costumed dancegoer he saw most intently. Buffy had told him of Hardcastle's suspicions that the Brotherhood was already inside, and given that they had no clear idea of the intentions of these remarkable vampires, identifying them as soon as possible was of paramount importance. Hence why Giles was wandering around the dance, giving everyone he saw an intent examination - to try to recognize any vampire that might be among them.
He had had absolutely no success so far, of course. As Giles continued his search, another level of his mind reviewed what he had learned of their mysterious ally, Mister Hardcastle. For he had indeed found out more about the dedicated young man, in his copies of the Watcher diaries of all places!
Jonny Hardcastle had been in love with Karen Kimball an English Slayer, when she was called eight and a half years ago. Though William Littlefield, Karen's watcher, (and once a mentor of Giles himself,) had convinced Karen to keep her destiny a secret from Jonny, the truth had come out a year later, and Jonny had trained himself to help in Karen's fight. (This had quite surprised Giles, who hadn't realized that there was precedent in the Watcher Diaries themselves for Buffy's own 'Slayerettes.') William's diary didn't mention what became of Jonny after Karen's death, but Giles could fill in the blank himself - distraught with grief over the death of his girlfriend, and consumed with guilt for his inability to protect her, Jonny had declared undying vengeance on all vampires for her death and had hunted them on his own.
Suddenly, Giles' dual level of awareness must have faltered, for he bumped into another partygoer. He looked at her costume... Queen Guinevere. Oh no... Giles looked into her face, and met the gaze of his ex-fiancee for the second time that night.
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