A New Start
by Bwriter
Chapter eighteen: Knowing
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Chapter eighteen: Knowing
"Okay, I never said anything when my boyfriend went willingly into that cage with the freak there —"
This was cut off by Willow's shout of "She's not a freak!"
"-Which I think I should get brownie points for but I'm not gonna sit here and watch Willow with this thing!"
Giles tuned to look at Buffy to see how she was taking this but to his surprise she looked as if she expected it. He watched as she put the blood back down and stood, walking over to stand toe to toe with Karen.
"I know what you're thinking right now, because I've been thinking it ever since I was turned. You're thinking of everything you've ever learnt about Vampires. Their nature, their love for the kill, the hunt. Right now you're thinking about how long it's going to be before I rip out their throats."
Giving both the gang and Karen time to digest what she had said, Buffy strolled over to the book cage again. Looking pointedly at the door, which was now lying on the floor a few feet from the cage she spoke again.
"You're think that with the strength of a combined Slayer and Vampire that if I was to turn against you, you would lose. And that's what this all boils down to for you isn't it Karen? Just because every person in this room hasn't seen me for the last six months, doesn't mean that I've abandoned my family. It's not in me to do that. I've been with you guys through every minor demon that I was happy to leave to you to deal with, certain you could deal with it. I've been here, listening to Willow cry over me, listening to how mom has a great new life in England and listening to you having you're conversations with Traver's on the phone without Giles or any of the other knowledge."
At this Buffy voice changed from the softly spoken words she was using to a growl.
"Care to tell them all what you were discussing or do you want me to?"
Hearing her lover's voice change, Willow was surprised to see her still sporting her human guise. Leaving her place at the table she got up and went to her lover and stood beside her as a show of support. Buffy flashed her a quick thank-you smile then watched as one by one Giles then Xander, who threw a glare at his former girlfriend, joined Willow standing by her side.
"So that's it huh? She comes back and you all just decide I'm not needed anymore?" Buffy was surprised to hear Karen's voice shake a little at the end.
"It's not about not needing you, the fact that they are standing by me means nothing other that they support me, even now I'm a thing." Raising her hand to stop any comments she knew Willow was about to make Buffy continued.
"It's about the fact that you've been speaking to a member of the council for over a month about the fact that I'm a vampire and still around and yet have said nothing to either one of them. Why? In fact Why Traver's? That was one thing I could never understand. Why him? There are men higher up than him who had to have known about me, so why talk to Traver's?"
Pausing to give Karen room to answer, Buffy looked at her friends. Giles was looking extremely pissed off; Xander looked betrayed but Willow she looked damn right scary. Fasted that Buffy could have thought she could move, Willow was across the room to where Karen stood and had slapped her hard across the face. Seeing the look in Karen's eye and knowing what she was about to do to Willow Buffy was beside them fasted that anyone could've blinked.
Grabbing Karen by the neck and slamming the taller girl into the counter behind her she let the demon take over.
"You even think of touching her again and there won't be enough pieces of you for anyone to ever think of burying."
The words were growled out between fangs that were just itching to be buried in the other girl's neck. Buffy or her demon had never felt this must bloodlust for another person since Angelus.
Willow, though she now hated the other Slayer couldn't let Buffy kill her. She wrapped her arms around her irate lover and started whispering into her ear about little things that didn't really make any sense but weren't supposed to anyway. They were supposed to ground Buffy again.
As soon as Buffy felt her lover embrace her she stopped the constant growl and immediately a soft purr escaped her. Letting go of Karen though not moving out of her space she uttered the words that would seal the other Slayer's fate.
"Get out. If I see you anywhere near any of the people I love ever again I will make good on my promise and not even Willow will be able to stop me."