To Thine Own Self Be True
by mike
Field Trip
[reviews]
Chapter 6
Field Trip
As we walk out my front door, I yell back to my mom, "Mom, We're going to the Bronze. I'll be home by 10:30."
"OK, Buffy, and hope to see you soon Willow." She called back.
Walking down the street, the air hung still, the warmth of the day slowly dropping to a silky coolness. The sound of our shoes and the feel of Willow by my side were background to the still slightly disconcerting dual perception of the world of five senses and this new world of extended vision. I felt like I had a third eye that was looking somewhere that my other two couldn't. As new and different as this was, there was also something incredibly comfortable, warm and, and Willow. Willow was there with my new sight. Not in a way that I could actually see, more like a warm whisper in my ear. A caressing touch barely felt.
[I can feel you with me. It's very nice. ] I let the thought slide towards her.
[Yes, you feel like a warm caress.] I felt the loving in her words like honey on my tongue.
I felt less disconcerted as the two worlds in my perception began to meld together, still separate but cohabiting now.
[The one across the street is moving again.] I brought her attention to what now appeared to be a demonic stalker.
[Yea, it sure looks like he's following us, which indicates that he came here to do just that. Could he know who you are? ] Willow elaborated with her observation of the possible possession entity following us.
[Possibly, but I have an idea, we need to surprise him so we can find out what his game is. I don't want to kill it if there is a possibility of their being an innocent soul involved. Do you know of some place on the way where I can place you safely out of the way? I also need good ambush aids to take him from behind so I can disable it quickly without killing it.] I asked her. [And this mind talking is turning out to be way cool.] I added a mental giggle.
[I know of a good spot just a block from the Bronze. It's a side alley with lots of potential for ambush. ] Willow then visualized her memory of the alley and I knew exactly what to do.
[That's perfect, is it any wonder I love you so much. Beauty and brains, how did I get so lucky? ] I replied somewhat rhetorically.
[You haven't gotten lucky yet.] Willow thought back with a very teasing quality to her thought. [But if you keep buttering me up like this, I'm going to rip your clothes off any time now.]
Wow! Willow confidence building was definitely beginning to have an effect. I just wasn't sure if I was ready for it as I felt my whole body flush at the unbidden vision of Willow tearing my clothes off in passion.
[There's the alley.] She said before I became totally lost in the vision.
[Its action time.] I replied, silently cursing that it wasn't a different type of action.
A tall dark figure walked into the alley. Previously, this is where my vamp senses would kick off, but with the extended demon scape, all I felt was intensification due to proximity. But the feeling was somewhat muted as I gazed down on him walking below me with the feeling that somehow there was also a soul in residence. Willow was safely tucked up on a deep window sill about fifteen feet above the ground. I was doing a hand stand on a steel bar running between two buildings over the alley about ten feet up. Just as he passed beneath me, I swung down catching him at the base of his skull with my feet. The force of the blow literally flipped him over and he landed on his back with my foot firmly against his neck after the completion of my dismount.
[Awesome Buffy.] I felt Willow's admiration. I had to catch the smile that wanted to come out in response to the pleasure I felt at her comment. I had serious issues at hand or foot depending on your point of view.
"You want to explain yourself, stalker? Or do I just dust you now?" I state meaningfully, with my words spoken slowly and carefully.
He looks up at me and gives a little smile. He hasn't broken into game face yet but I don't let up the pressure on his neck.
"Don't worry, I don't bite" He actually smirks.
I slowly remove my foot and take up a defensive stance letting him get up.
He looks me over while rubbing the back of his neck and says, "I thought you'd be taller, with more muscles. But you are pretty spry." He grudgingly says.
"What do you want?" I get right to the point.
"Same as you." He says, his voice conveying a creepy intonation.
"And what's that?" I ask, finishing with an incredulous lilt to my voice.
"To kill them, to kill them all." He says vehemently.
"Wrong." I say totally fed up with this bull and I then did my best to convey that feeling with the anger I felt laced into the following words. "I just want a nice quiet evening alone with my girl friend and to be left alone. But you've got to have something else on your mind, so spill already."
"You have to be ready," he tells me with a hint of menace. "The harvest is coming"
"And what's that supposed to mean?" I ask him, instantly becoming more cautious to his tone.
He reaches into his coat and pulls out a black case and tosses it to me. I catch it with my left hand never taking my eyes off of him.
"You're standing at the mouth of Hell. You better be ready." He just keeps up with the cryptic bull. This guy is so full of himself, I can't believe it.
"And who are you?" I ask, trying to get any kind of comprehensible information out of him.
"A friend" he replies.
"I don't need a friend." I tell him, now totally fed up.
"I didn't say I was yours." He states smugly and turns around and walks away.
Both Willow and I tracked him on our virtual landscape until he was a couple blocks away before I leaped up next to Willow and she immediately put her arms around my neck and pulled me into a desperate kiss. I could feel all the fear and trepidation she had been holding in check all wash away on the waves of energy the contact provided.
[ phew, ] she thought, "That was exciting, in a very non fun way, well maybe a little fun 'cause it wasn't boring but not the kind of fun I want to repeat any time soon." She blurted out with her eyelids raised up and drawn back like when somebody just said boo.
"I hope so too, but don't count on it." I assured her as best as I could. "Can you place where the other two blips are?" I asked getting back on track.
"If I've got the landscape right, they're at the Bronze." She said with her forehead scrunched in concentration. Oh my gawd, she's even cute with the scrunchy face. If she ever figures it out, I'm so screwed, but I'm certain that my Willow would never take advantage of it. On second thought, after that ripping my clothes off comment, maybe it wouldn't be so bad with Willow in control, yea, maybe not so bad after all. As these thought meandered through my mind, warm squishy melty body feelings were quickly turning me into a pile of dreamy eyed mush.
"By the way, what did he toss you?" She asked me, apparently totally unaware that she had just incapacitated someone with the strength of twenty virile men into something resembling melting butter sliding off the top of a pile of hot pancakes.
"Huh." I responded brilliantly. "Oh, the case." Good recovery Summers.
I remembered the black case in my hand and opened it up. Inside was a silver cross and chain.
"Why'd he give you that?" Willow asked me.
"Crosses hurt vamps, even burn them on contact, I suppose he thinks I need all the help I can get." I reply as I felt my own brows knit in thought.
"Do you think a Star of David would work the same way?" She asked her question sending hopeful shivers up my arms.
"I don't know, but since vamps were around before Christ, I wouldn't be surprised." I said with sudden inspiration. "If you get me one, I'll try it out the first chance I get." That would be so cool to see the symbol of David burned into a vamp. I might just let him live for awhile until enough other vamps got the idea.
"I sure hope it works, 'cause there's no way Ira Rosenberg's little girl is wearing a cross." She states emphatically.
"OK partner." I say turning around so she can climb on my back. "Lets get you down and then we can party." I tried to imply a double entendre, but I think I failed as she climbed onto my back and threw her arms tightly around my neck without saying a word.
*******
We walked into the club which is actually a converted warehouse. I was assaulted with glaring lights and the sounds of a grunge type band trying to sound like nine inch nails. I had to give them some credit; at least I could tell who they were trying to sound like. We found a couple of seats at the drink counter, a little off to the side.
[Lets get visual's on our bad guys. I'll take the one on the dance floor and you try and spot the one in back, ok? ] I think at her, which is really great because it is unlikely we could hear each other talk over the noise of the band.
[I'm on it.] She shoots back, her enthusiasm to help felt momentarily like slurping a slushy too fast.
I can't quite pick my guy out of the crowd but I notice that there is a second level that looks down on the dance area.
[I need to get upstairs to get a better view of the dance floor. Would that help you also? ] I ask her.
[I've already got mine spotted.] And she flashed me a view of a young blond girl in of all things a catholic school uniform.
[Oh my god, she sticks out like a sore thumb.] I groan in almost sympathy for the fashion deprived undead.
[Keep an eye on her while I go up top for a look see and let me know if she makes a move on anyone.] I tell her and then something occurs to me as a tsunami of doubt crashes upon the reef of my insecurity.
The band had just completed their set so I put my hand on her knee which is touching mine and I say,
"Willow, I just realized that I'm kinda being command girl. You don't feel like I'm bossing you around, are you?" I ask her guiltily, with the noose drawing tight.
"No way Buffy, I understand that this is your world. You have all the experience and know what you're doing. It would be stupid if I was to question you. And the confident way you say things makes me feel safe. Like I just know that you know what you're doing and I'm in awe of how you handle yourself. Like taking out that huge guy and pinning him to the ground in a second flat. I'm totally at your command 'cause I know you'll take care of me and I'm just so excited that I can help you." Then she shot me the smile and I knew we were OK, even better than.
[But when I get you alone, it's my turn.] And she wagged her eyebrows at me suggestively.
I could feel my eyes open wide and my cheeks warm up with a blush and I gulped.
"Thanks Will" I nearly stammered. Oh my gawd, I've unleashed a monster, oh yea, I've unleashed a goddess thoughts spin around in my mind.
I gave her knee a quick squeeze and headed for the upstairs. I still had my guy placed in my mind, but I'm vertically challenged and there are a lot of tall people around. I think it was a basketball convention. When I got upstairs, I was surprised to see the librarian/watcher leaning on the railing looking down.
[Watcher on the poop deck.] I shot at Willow along with the image of Mr. Giles checking out the crowd below accompanied with my feeling of 'what the hell is he doing here'.
[What the heck is he doing here?] She asks me, the thought accompanied with concern.
[Looking for me probably,] I replied, [there is nothing he can do here, so let's find out what he wants. I'm going to try and leave my self open so you try and listen in. I could really use your take on him. ] I meant this completely. I was consistently finding that Willow filled in my gaps.
[I'm with you Buff. I'm not letting him pull anything on you.] Her thoughts restored my confidence.
"Into the breach rode the six hundred" I mumble under my breath as I approached the watcher from behind.
"Come here often to check out the young crowd?" I say loud enough for him to hear. He jerks his head around and glares at me.
"I came looking for you. I knew you'd be here. This is a perfect breeding ground for vampire activity." He whispered loud enough for only my ears to hear.
"Just looks like fun to me" I answer nonchalantly. I needed him completely off guard.
"Can you even tell if there are any vampires here? You should be able to hone right in on them. You need to be trained." His tone was so emphatic, I almost clicked my heels which was enough to make me totally distrust him.
"Sure," I reply, intent on keeping him off guard. While he's talking I had already put my bird's eye view to good use and got a visual on bad guy number two. I sent Willow the visual and got back a [ewwwwe ].
This was going to be fun. I pointed the vamp out to Giles and said "There's one"
"How can you tell? How can you be sure?" He asks me with so much condescension I felt the urge to strangle him.
"Oh please," I say in my best snooty prep school voice. "Just look at the way he's dressed, nobody would dress like that unless they'd been under ground for the last ten years."
"You can't rely on such obvious telltales all the time. You need to train your senses." He responded dramatically. He just doesn't give up.
"You need to prepare." Mr. Persistence continues. He kept trying to push his point that he needed to train me and that I needed him. I wasn't ready to reel him in yet, but soon. But he did give me an opening to get some information on vamp with a soul.
"Prepared, that's what your friend you had following me said, what's up with that anyway." I said with annoyance.
"Who said what?" He demanded, his indignation would be funny under better circumstances.
"Some tall dark creepy guy. Said something about a harvest. And that we are at the mouth of Hell. I really didn't like him." I said with just the right amount of petulance so that he would continue to think of me as just a little girl who didn't know what she was doing.
"Harvest, Mouth of Hell?" He repeated. "Did he say anything else?" I could almost see flecks of foam forming at the corners of his mouth.
"No, he didn't. I thought you were buds or something." Oh, I am so good with the petulant little girl tone.
[Buffy, we've got action.] Willow called my attention back to our virtual landscape.
"Damn, vamps making his move" I say loud enough to break Giles from his reverie about my recent revelation.
"Can you handle it, do you need any help?" I look at him momentarily surprised that he actually sounded concerned and offered to help.
"No, I can handle it." And with that I took off. He hadn't done anything to earn my trust yet.
I quickly made my way back downstairs taking the most direct route towards the moving reject from the '80's.
[He's with a medium height brunette heading for the door.] I heard Willow update clearly in my head with my eyes just catching site of the two as they headed out the door.
[Oh no, the blonde is with Jesse.] Willow's thought was tinged with panic.
[Stay calm, Willow, I'll take this one quick and be right back to keep Jesse from making himself into a late night snack.] I quickly assured her.
As I step outside just fifteen feet behind them I yell out. "Hey, you"
As they turn around to see what's going on, I continue "Just where do you think your going with my boyfriend." I threaten the girl and stomp toward her with clenched fists and fire in my eyes.
"I didn't know, please don't hurt me" she quivers. Sometimes, I just don't know my own power.
"Get back in side while we work this out." I glare at her.
She quickly runs back into the club and I see the arrogant and stupid vamp just smirking at me. He actually thinks I want to fight for him.
"You didn't really want her, now did you?" I ask sweetly as I get within striking distance, my hand already wrapped around a nice sharp stake under my jacket.
"You want me, I can tell." He smirks just as my hand flashes out from under my coat and plunges the stake right into his heart. A big poof and I turn around to see a wide mouthed Xander staring at me.
"Whaaa, whaaa, whaaat was thaaat?" He finally sputtered out.
"What was what?" I smiled innocently, cocking my head in a way that I knew disarmed hormone driven boys.
"The guy who just went up in uhhh like poof" he explained with a wave of his hands.
[Willow, Xander's out here and he just saw me dust the vamp. Is Jesse still with the other one?]
[Yea, he is. How are you going to explain this to Xander?] Confusion overlaid all her thoughts.
[With plausible denial, I'll make him think he imagined it and I need a good distraction to make it work.] I tried to send feelings of reassurance and calm.
I look Xander right in the eye.
"Xander, I don't know what you think you saw," This is where I raise my eyebrows for dramatic effect." But Willow and Jesse are inside and Willow thinks Jesse is being hit on by some skanky hoe' dressed up like an innocent catholic school girl."
This gets his attention real quick. His imagination and hormones are in sync and I can tell that he's totally forgotten about what just happened for the time being.
"No way, I've got to see this. No way Jesse is going to score!" He jabbers excitedly turning quickly and heading for the club.
I enter the club right behind him and make a beeline for Jesse who's trying to look cool with the blond as she acts all cute and demure.
The vamp had gotten Jesse back into a semi dark corner under the stairs and no one else was around. Xander walked up to them excitedly talking to Jesse while totally drooling over the blond. The vamp just smiled bigger, thinking she was going to get two for the price of one.
[Willow, can you distract the guys long enough for me to take her out?] I asked already knowing the answer.
[I'm your girl Buffy, I'm moving in now.] Yep, that was the answer. Big smiley face if I could allow myself to smile right now.
As Willow came up behind Jesse, I approached from behind Xander.
Willow grabbed Jesse's sleeve, "Hey guys, I've got something to tell you. Can you step over here for a sec?"
"Uh, OK, but make it quick Will." Xander said as they both moved over with Willow, their backs turned to me and the vamp.
As soon as they were out of earshot, I approached the vamp and raising my eyebrow while smiling seductively, "You're way too pretty for a couple of dork's like them." I say in my best sultry voice.
She raises her eyebrow to match mine and also smiles. I reach out my left hand to take her right, which she places in mine, I feel the coolness of her dead flesh and keep my smile as I clamp down on her hand and jerk her body toward me and the waiting stake in my right hand. I twirl away as she disappears in a cloud of dust and I walk up to the boys who were being totally confused by some incredible Willow babble and improv.
"Hey Jesse, weren't you with the blond that just left with the big football player type?" I asked them with just a touch of amusement.
They both whipped around and not seeing her, "We're did she go?" They both whined.
[Good going my quick talking and very sexy lady.] I added with a silently mouthed thank you.
"Like I said, she left with this big guy, looked like he was her boyfriend. If you guys were hitting on her, I thing Willow just saved your butts." I told them pointedly.
The looks of disappointment on their faces were quickly replaced with looks of realization and eventually of relief.
"Thanks Will, you really saved Jesse's butt that time." Xander said nudging Jesse.
"Uh yea, thanks Willow." Jesse replied with just a hint of regret over what may have been, yea, in his dreams.
I did notice and appreciate Xander making a point of recognizing Willow for her help. I realized that if he had been friends with Willow all these years, he had to be pretty decent, even if he was a guy.
While Jesse stood there with a wistful look on his face, Xander looked back at me and said "Nice to see you out and about Buffy, want to hit the dance floor?" He said trying to sound confident and failing miserably.
I froze, and before I could do or say anything else, Willow was beside me clutching my hand saying, "Buffy has a curfew, and I promised her mom I would have her home by ten. We have just enough time to make it. Come on Buffy, you don't want to get grounded your first day out."
And with that, I quickly snapped out of my shock and let her pull me out of the club. As soon as we were outside, I stopped her, and gently grasped her hands in mine and looked her in the eyes.
"You are my hero." I said to her with total sincerity.
Her eye got big as her face blushed to a rosy pink." Really?" She asked timidly.
"Really, really," I affirmed.
She rewarded me with the smile and I responded with the goofy face and all was right with the world as we started off towards her house. Checking in on our virtual landscape and finding it clear, we clasped hands and swung our arms as we walked.