Queen Bee
by cathy nort
chapter 5
[reviews]
As Joyce finished the coffee she was too lost in thought to hear the trio
enter the house. Juanita pointed toward the light in the kitchen. Her voice was
barely audible. "She's mine."
Emily and Muriel went silently up the stairs pausing at the top to let
their eyes become accustomed to the dark. They moved against the wall their dark
clothing blending in with the surroundings. Below they heard the mother humming
to herself as she snapped off the kitchen light.
Joyce, in the familiar settings of her house, moved from the kitchen and
started down the hall. Juanita was there waiting for the unsuspecting woman. As
Joyce passed Juanita stepped out. Joyce felt the karate chop strike her across
the back of her neck. Her world dissolved into nothingness. She would have
dropped to the floor but Jaunita caught Joyce under the arms as she went
limp and lowered her without a sound to the floor. "Sweet dreams lady."
Juanita joined the two other Slayers as they were being cautious and not
hurrying along the hallway. They had decided to wait for Juanita since they were
aware of the reputation of the Slayer Buffy Summers. Muriel, who was in the
lead, indicated a door by making a stabbing motion with her finger. The other
two nodded.
Muriel turned the door knob slowly and pushed it open. The door, as it
swung open, creaked loudly. "Oh fuck!!!" Muriel thought. Light flooded the room
as the three rushed in. Sitting up in bed looking directly at them, her fingers
still on the lamp's switch, was a pretty brunette. She was wearing a frilly,
pink hip length gown and white underpants. She didn't look very dangerous but
the three slayers knew better than to judge by appearance.
"Who are you?" the brunette asked rising to her knees on the bed.
The three Slayers fanned out to surround the startled Dawn. Dawn jumped to
her feet and went into a defensive stance. Dawn was hardly an expert in the
martial arts but she figured these three didn't know that. Unfortunately that
didn't deter there attack any either.
Dawn's head swiveled trying to keep all of them in view but that was
impossible since Muriel was on her left, Juanita on her right and Emily in front
of her. "MOM!!! Buffy!!!" Dawn managed to call just before Muriel leaped
across the bed and her shoulder knocked Dawn sprawling to the floor. Dawn
scrambled to her feet screeching and flailing out at her attackers. Dawn's
defense was haphazard at best which momentarily puzzled the three Slayers. This
girl didn't look very Slayerish at all.
Dawn rushed at Emily trying to bowl her over but Emily stepped to one side
and grabbed Dawn as she went by. Dawn felt herself being spun around. Muriel was
now in front of her with an arm drawn back and a balled fist cocked
for delivery. Dawn saw it coming but it didn't matter. It landed solidly
on Dawn's chin. There was the briefest explosion of light behind Dawn's
eyes then total and complete black. Dawn slumped in Emily's grip completely
knocked out.
Muriel looked at Dawn's inert form now being hoisted up into Emily's arms.
"I expected more from her than that."
"I know. And how young she looks. I bet she's not older than 13. I didn't
think you could train a Slayer that young."
Muriel just stood and shook her head. "Make's you wonder who's doing the
recruiting around here. Well let's get her down to the van. You would have
thought with all the commotion her sister would have woken up."
"Heavy sleeper no doubt," Emily said as she carried Dawn out into the
hall.
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When Buffy arrived home after her mother's frantic call she found Joyce up
in Buffy's own bedroom. The room did show signs of a struggle for the bed
was messed up and a chair was on it's side. Dawn must have resisted to some
extent. Buffy rushed up and hugged Joyce. Willow had followed Buffy after the
call and was just entering the bedroom. "Oh my gosh," Willow said.
Buffy pushed her mother back to arms length. "What happened Mom?"
Joyce's hair was ruffled but other than that she looked unharmed. She was
still a bit frantic and Buffy had to wait until Joyce calmed down. "I don't
know honey. I had just finished making the coffee when I got knocked out."
"Who was it?"
"Beats me." Joyce rubbed the back of her neck. "Got me from behind. Was out
before I hit the floor. When I came to about a half an hour later they were
gone. And Dawn was gone too."
Willow was at Buffy's side. "I suppose they knocked out Dawn too. What is
this all about Buff? Dawn's the most harmless girl in the world"
"Wish I knew, Willow. But I don't."
*
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"Well that's not Buffy Summers." The blond Slayer Buffy had came across in
the cemetery was standing over the unconscious form of Dawn. "It's her
little sister and little sister is not a Slayer."
"Well that explains why she was such a pushover." Muriel said disgustedly.
"Your Watcher is not going to be happy. Dorie, after you saw the real Slayer why
didn't you come for us? Tell us before we grabbed this one?"
Dorie wasn't too happy and she didn't want to tell the trio of Slayers the
truth, that she had tried but had gotten lost. Instead......"I was delayed or I
would have."
"Do we dump her somewhere before she comes to? Along a road maybe?"
"No. I just talked to my Watcher. She said to hang on to her for a day or
so. She might be of some use. Carry her down to one of the cells in the
basement. We'll deal with her later."
*
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Giles was awaken from his sleep by the knock on his door. He threw his robe
on and opened the door. Buffy was standing there. He looked past her and saw it
was still dark outside. "Buffy come in. What time is it?"
"Early," Buffy stepped inside and folded her arms across her breasts as
Giles closed the door. "They've got Dawn."
Giles led Buffy over to the couch and sat her down. He sat next to her.
"W-Who has her?"
"The question that I can't seem to answer." Buffy sighed audibly. "Giles?
There was another Slayer in Sunnydale tonight. I saw her dusting some vamps and
she was pretty good."
Giles found that there was another Slayer in Sunnydale hard to comprehend.
"That's not supposed to be. The Counsel's suppose to regulate........"
"Spare me Giles. The fact is there was another Slayer. And the fact is my
sister has been kidnapped."
"Okay. Let's deal with that." Giles rose and went over to his computer.
Buffy followed, Giles clicked on and posted. Okay. Now give me a description of
this Slayer you saw."
Buffy did as best she could, She had only seen the Slayer briefly. "Blond.
5' 8" or 10". Slender. 17 or 18 years old."
Giles fed the information into the computer and the screen showed 14
matches. They were in the data base of registered Slayers. Buffy's picture was
among the fourteen. She examined each picture closely then she
pointed......."that's her."
Giles clicked on the photo.
(Dorie Beckett. 19 years old. Upper New York State. Independent. Retired.
Ex-Watcher Beth Hollaway)
"Independent? Retired? What's that all about?"
"Probably means she lost her Watcher somehow. Sickness. Death.
Incapacitated. There are numerous ways. This Dorie may have become attached to
her Watcher and when the Watcher, for whatever reason left, this Dorie might
have refused a replacement. It happens. If that happened to me you'd probably
react that way," Giles said with a sideways glance and a smirk.
"You wish. What's she doing here dusting vamps if she's retired? Can you
find what happened to her?"
"Not really. Once they leave the Counsel doesn't track them." Giles said.
Click. Click. .........another photo flashed onto the screen. It was of a
smiling, all-American Dorie standing beside a gray haired woman who was, in her
youth, no doubt pretty but now her features were gaunt and drawn. "That's
Dorie's Watcher."
"Not very healthy looking is she?" Buffy leaned closer to the screen. Giles
moved his hands to start to type in but Buffy stopped him. "Wait."
"What's the matter?"
The Watcher. I've seen her somewhere." Buffy studied the photo then closer
her eyes trying to visualize the face of the Watcher. Bingo!! recognition came
to Buffy. Giles. The Watcher. That's Dusty."
"How can that be. The woman is in her fifties."
"I don't care. That's Dusty."
Giles winced. "Buffy? When I sent in the camera photo you gave me I assumed
Dusty was a Slayer so the data base did not respond and only replied that there
was no Slayer recognition. That's because Dusty is, or was, a Watcher. If that's
Dusty she has somehow reclaimed her youth. The red alert came when I sent her
name into the Watcher data base. That's why we haven't been able to track
her."
"Then the truth is that she is dangerous after all." Buffy said.
"I'm afraid, even though I'm relieved at the same time that I hadn't given
you false information, that you are correct. Dusty is every bit as dangerous as
we thought." Giles stared down at the screen. Was this woman/child behind Dawn's
abduction? If so.........?
(Author's note: Going to try to post one more chapter before there will be
a 3 week lull in my story. Won't have access to a computer)