Carcass *Chapter 11 up on 3/01*
by DawnBTVS
Convenience
"Okay, so we've settled on an alphabetical system, right? Cause I have the Elnuch demons in the E file but if you want it a different way..." Buffy trails off. It's night now and Giles and her have been working on a system for most of the day and afternoon. Dawn finally gave up on helping an hour ago and retreated to her room. Giles sighs, taking his glasses off.
"Buffy, really, I think that the system will be fine. Anymore organizing and I'll be requesting a lobotomy I'm sure," Giles sighs. Buffy gives him a weak smile and a nod.
"I'm sorry. It's just that I'm still trying to find a better paying job than the one I have. Waitress at Denny's doesn't quite pay all the bills. I'm still using money from Italy to help. Anyway, this helps give me something to do. I've been patrolling for three weeks with nothing but garden variety vamps showing up so I get bored easily," Buffy admits, rising to her feet from the couch. Manila folders starting with A and ending with Z are spread out on the floor in a nine by three formation.
"I heard a rumor from some friends with the new Council that Amy has been causing trouble," Giles says as Buffy finishes pouring a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. She walks back into the room, handing Giles his cup of tea, as she remains standing.
"Trouble that requires a stake?" Buffy asks, taking a sip of her coffee. Giles gives her a thin smile.
"While Amy has proven to be a disturbance, she doesn't deserve to be staked. I'm not sure of the veracity of the claims however I caught word that Amy has been restoring the dead as well as dragging together demons from various dimensions. Andrew informed me that...Tara was the last person raised," Giles remarks with pain visible in his voice. Buffy has a look of shock as she lowers her mug onto the coffee table.
"What?" she whispers. Giles sighs.
"Nobody has seen or heard from her since. I've been trying to track the whereabouts of Tara but haven't been able to find her," Giles explains. Buffy takes a seat on the couch, feeling numb.
"I-I have to try and find her, Giles. I can't let something happen again," Buffy says, rising to her feet, and heading straight for the door. Giles starts to say something to calm Buffy but she's already out the door. Dawn pads down the stairs, staring at Giles from the base of the steps.
"What's going on?" Dawn asks, confused at the hurried state of her sister.
"Your sister decided to patrol," Giles answers. Dawn nods her head but can tell that Giles is holding something back. She gives him a weak smile and heads into the kitchen.
~~~BTVS~~~
I had managed to locate my previous living residence with little problem. I killed the maid and stuffed her body in the bathtub in an effort to try and hide the evidence of what I had done. I didn't have any remorse for the killing and was grateful that her death had quelled my pain. I tossed what few clothes I had into my black leather suitcase as well as the few bathroom toiletries that the hotel had to offer. I could feel the dawn approaching, even with the shades drawn. It as an internal feeling, like an alarm clock buzzing. I laid down on the bed, hoping to get enough sleep to feel revitalized when night arrived.
~~~BTVS~~~
I wake up slightly startled at the ringing by my left ear. I realize I've been sleeping on my stomach and roll onto my back should there be an attacker in the room. I shut the alarm off with a waving right arm, puzzled, as I had never set the alarm earlier. I hadn't been disturbed from my slumber so odds are that it wasn't a maid who had set the alarm for me. I lift myself onto my elbows, eyes scanning the darkly lit room. I'm still getting used to the way that everything can be seen so clearly at night. I was lucky if I could see a quarter of the things I can see now as a human. I throw the covers off and swiftly get to my feet. I crouch down, eyes still scanning the room but I can't detect anything else in here with me aside from the corpse in the bathtub of course. I grab my black suitcase and walk to the door, exiting my rented room. I quickly clamber down the steps and reach the front desk. A clerk looking in his twenties with a cheery disposition greets me.
"What would you like, Ms. Rosenberg?" he asks me with such cheerfulness that I want to rip his throat out where he stands.
"I want to check out," I say, hefting the suitcase up to show him how serious I am. He looks at me for a few seconds but finally nods his head.
"Sure. Your payment comes out to...$150 for three nights," he says. I fish out a wallet and open it to find the money greeting me. I hand him the cash and turn, exiting the building as fast as I can. I know my sire was there in my hotel room. I'm slowly getting infuriated at how she never bothers to stick around when I wake up. I pause, ears taking in a multitude of sounds. I close my eyes, trying to just locate her. I open my eyes with a pleased smile. I begin to run, silently cheering for improved speed, towards the sound of my sire's voice. I reach the clearing of where she is almost three seconds later. It's there that I see a girl with blonde hair, stake in hand. She doesn't even spin my sire around when this girl stakes her. I know who this girl is. A name flashes in my head. Buffy Summers. I keep my distance as she kneels to attend this victim.
"Are you okay?" Buffy asks the victim, inspecting the guy's neck. The guy is clearly terrified. His heart's beating fast and his blood is motoring through his veins with such speed. I can almost feel myself just swaying to the intoxicating power of it. Buffy helps him to his feet.
"What was that?" the guy asks, still processing what happened. Buffy just nods her head as if this were common practice.
"Go home. Be careful though," Buffy says. Victim doesn't need to be told twice because he's already running the opposite direction of Buffy. I push both hands into the pockets of my black leather jacket as I walk forward. Buffy whirls around, stake raised to threaten me. I just look at her, expressionless. She lowers her stake in surprise. She glances at me, confusion on her face.
"What?" I ask, just surveying her. Her brows knit together in puzzlement.
"I sense a vampire but I don't see it," Buffy answers, hands to her side as she begins to spin in a circle, eyes roaming the area for this vampire to be. I just watch her, feeling slightly amused at her action.
"It's probably just a continuance of whomever you just staked," I remark, trying to reason with...Buffy before she realizes what's going on. She turns to face me, her face resigning to acceptance.
"Hey," Buffy says, throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. I place both hands on her upper back but grin to myself. I start lowering my hands down but she breaks it up before they can reach their intended destination. "When'd you get back? Wait, where's Kennedy?" Buffy asks me, a slight cock of her head. Kennedy? Who's Kennedy? I quickly try wracking my brain for this Kennedy.
"She's not here," I answer. It sounds like the truth to my head. Buffy nods her head, evidently taking this in a way that I'm not sure of.
"You two broke up?" she asks, already getting ready to hug me again. The thought makes me almost grin.
"Yes. We broke up so I came to Los Angeles," I say, trying to keep my answers short until I have my bearings about me. My bearings mainly being the time to go through my memories to try and place names with faces so I don't come off as a total idiot.
"With the suitcase, do you have anywhere to stay?" Buffy asks me. I shrug my shoulders in response.
"I was staying at a hotel but I left about fifteen minutes ago. I heard you were here," I say, remembering the list of reasons I had written down to come to Los Angeles. Buffy's name had topped the list. Buffy gives me a nervous smile. Her heart's starting to beat up just a little faster.
"You could stay with us. Dawn's enrolled at UC-Sunnydale for freshman year of college but she's living at home," Buffy says, nervously entwining her fingers together.
"That'd be nice," I say, looking about us at the night. I can feel a silent rage in my head at what Buffy did. I don't really understand it though. I'm not torn that my sire is dead but I'm angry that Buffy killed her.
"You look kind of pale. You alright?" Buffy asks, hand touching my shoulder. I glance down at the hand. Such slender fingers hardened by years as a Slayer. I glance back at her face.
"I'm fine. Can we get back?" I ask, earning a nod. She turns as I walk up next to her. We're walking in silence before Buffy decides to break it.
"I was originally patrolling because I heard that Tara had been raised," Buffy says, stopping, and turning to look at me. I look back at her, staying quiet. Tara was a blonde with a sweet, caring smile. My memories tell me that I cared deeply for her and tried to destroy Sunnydale upon her death. Buffy frowns when I give no verbal or emotional response. "Will?" Buffy asks, concern evident on her features.
"Do you want me to grieve or something?" I ask. I can tell it's cold and not something that I would normally say as a human given the circumstances. Buffy looks like I just physically slapped her.
"N-N-No. It's just you loved her and here she is having been revived and you barely bat an eyelash," Buffy says, thoroughly confused at the lack of any outgoing reaction to the revelation.
"I'm sorry that I'm not reflecting the proper emotion," I reply with a bite of sarcasm. Buffy frowns at my reply.
"What's wrong with you?" Buffy asks, not happy with my attitude. Evidently, this is big news it seems and I should've handled it better. Fuck it, I'm not human anymore. I don't feel anyway.
"It's just been a tough few weeks, Buffy. I'll deal later," I answer, continuing towards Buffy's house. She remains where she is for a few moments before the sound of footsteps resumes to catch up with me. We spend the rest of the walk in, for me, comfortable silence.