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Part 2
Through the rest of the week, Buffy and Gabriel continued to train together, toning their bodies and sharpening their minds. On Friday, they entered the library together. Laughing and teasing, they raced to get to the one comfortable chair in the center of the room. Gabriel dragged the chair away, turning in an attempt to keep himself between her and it. Nimble and cunning, Buffy punched him playfully in the ribs and slipped around the opposite side, under his arm and into the seat.
"Thank you!" she quipped, folding her arms across her chest smugly.
He growled in frustration and relinquished his hold on the arms of the chair.
"Well, the two of you seem to be getting on well enough." Giles commented, appearing from behind a bookshelf, a stack of papers in his arms.
"Ready to rock and roll." She smiled as she watched him as he carefully dropped the stack onto the tabletop.
"I thought we might try some sparring. Buffy, you haven't done much since Faith left."
Buffy's face darkened at the mention of the newest slayer. She took Faith's betrayal personally, for more reasons than one. She often wondered if she might have been able to do something to halt Faith's descent into darkness.
"Sparring?" Gabriel asked incredulously. "With her?"
"Well, yes. Is there a problem?" Giles folded his arms across his chest.
"Yeah, " Buffy narrowed her eyes in mock offense, "You worried I'm gonna beat you?"
"Not likely." He grinned, eager to accept her challenge. She bounced up out of her chair smiling, her hands raised into fists.
Giles quickly stepped between them. "Your enthusiasm is reassuring, but might I suggest that we reconvene in the gymnasium."
Buffy shrugged confidently. "Fine with me."
"Same here." Gabriel followed suit.
There was a roped off square on one side of the gym, left over from the day's P.E. classes.
"Looks like somebody was expecting us." Buffy noted, "Which is usually not a good thing."
"Take it as an omen." Gabriel smiled. "The day the Slayer gets her butt whipped."
Peeling off his shirt, he ducked under the top rope and stepped into the ring. Her eyes widened and she felt warmth rush to her cheeks.
"You ready, Summers?" he leaned casually forward on the topmost rope.
Snapping out of her daze, she fixed him with a cheeky expression and neatly hopped up and over the rope to land, cat-like, in the ring. "Any time you're ready."
Giles pulled an old pocket watch from inside his jacket and held it up. "We'll start with three minute rounds. Then, we'll move up to-"
The thick, gray floor mats thumped as Buffy stepped in and flipped Gabriel over her hip. He rolled into a quick footsweep that almost knocked her flat and bounced to his feet.
"Yes, well, I suppose you get the idea." Giles muttered.
Buffy blocked a series of swift blows, weaving from side to side. Gabriel was good, equally skilled with both hands and feet, and fast. She ducked under a right hand hook and went for his ribs. The strike was slapped aside and she barely avoided a lightning fast knee.
This was good. She hadn't sparred with someone who could push her like this in a long time. Hopping over a low kick, she landed already in position to counter his next move. She felt the world slip away and, with it, all the worries she had bottled up over the last few months. No Mayor, no Ascension, no college, no prom. All that existed was Gabriel and a sixteen by sixteen square of mats and rope.
He was feeling it too, she could see. His emerald eyes glittered with excitement and his face was flushed. His every movement was quick and controlled, his motions like those of a well-oiled machine. The combatants fought back and forth, neither scoring a hit, falling into a violent rhythm. The fight became like a dance. Punch, punch, kick, punch. Each circled the other, alternating between inspired attack combinations and dazzling defensive maneuvers. Yet, neither could gain advantage over the other. They were too perfectly matched.
Buffy's muscles sang with wiry strength as she darted back beyond the reach of a snapping fist. She rebounded into a jumping kick aimed at Gabriel's midsection. He dropped to the floor, narrowly avoiding the attack. He was pushing her to new limits, forcing her to adapt and attempt more intricate moves. Dashing into the corner, she dexterously ran up the ropes and leapt off them, spinning into a powerful kick. Gabriel saw the daring move too late and caught her small, white sneaker across the jaw. He hit the mats hard, flat on his back.
"Ow." He groaned, his body tensed with pain.
Buffy strolled over to his prone from, a self-satisfied grin on her face. She hadn't meant to hit him that hard, but she got caught up in the moment and her instincts had taken over.
"Sorry about that. You'll do better luck next time." She offered her hand and helped him to his feet.
"Easy for you to say." He rubbed gingerly at his jaw. "You're still going to be able to talk in an hour."
"Yes, well I suppose that should be enough for today." Giles said, his eyes wide and unblinking. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen such an impressive display in his life. Unconsciously, he slipped his watch back into his coat pocket. "I trust I can leave the two of you to lock up when you leave? I must run along. I've forgotten that I have a meeting."
"No problem, Giles." Buffy nodded. "I'll leave the keys in your desk."
The librarian tossed her a jingling set of keys and exited briskly.
"And then there were two." She said as she pocketed the key ring. "Come on, I'll take you for a frozen yogurt."
She turned around, ready to leave. Gabriel was leaning heavily against the bleachers.
Oh God, I must have hit him too hard, she thought hysterically. She had allowed herself to get too into the fight, overestimated his resilience. "Hey, are you all right?" she touched his forehead and jerked her hand back. It felt like his skin was on fire.
"Yeah, " he lied, his breathing harsh and uneven. "I just need a minute or two. G-get my jacket, would you?"
"You don't look so good." Her face was knotted with worry. "Maybe we should get you to a hospital."
"Just get my jacket!" he snapped irritably. He calmed almost instantly. "Sorry. There's medicine in my inside pocket. Could you get it please?"
She snatched up his charcoal gray jacket from the far end of the bleachers and quickly rummaged through it. In the depths of the inside pocket, she closed her fingers around a small plastic cylinder. Pulling it out, she heard it rattle dully. She pressed the bottle into his hand, noting that, unlike his forehead, the flesh of his fingers was cold. Popping the bottle open with a practiced motion, he shook out a small, single black ball the size of a pea and popped it into his mouth. Within seconds, he was looking better.
"What is this stuff?" Buffy held the plain bottle up to eye level, relieved that the episode hadn't been her fault, and peered at the little globes inside.
"I don't know." He slipped the bottle out of her hand and into his pocket in one fluid motion. "My father sends them to me about every month or so. If it wasn't for these little things, I might not be here."
"What do you mean?" she frowned.
"Three months ago, my father came to visit and took me on a week long excursion into the jungles of Brazil. You know, to learn about the uses of different plants and how to survive alongside some of the bigger predators. That kind of thing."
"Oh, of course." She feigned understanding, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Giles and I do that all the time."
"I caught some kind of bug and got really sick, thought I was dying. He gave me one of these and I got better in a few days." He smiled sadly as he pulled on his jacket. "Ever since then, I have to take one every day or the sickness comes back."
"Do you have any idea what it is? The sickness, I mean?"
"Not really." Gabriel shrugged, "My father said it has something to do with my special nature. Regular doctors wouldn't have a chance to understand it even if I could tell them who I am. It doesn't matter though, as long as my father knows. He's a pharmaceuticals researcher so he spends a lot of time travelling all over the world. I don't get to see him very often anymore, not since I was twelve. The pills remind me that he's out there, watching out for me."
"I know what you mean." She nodded, "My Dad lives in LA. He calls a couple of times a month, but I only get to see him in person once in a while. I really miss him sometimes."
"What do you say we go get that frozen yogurt?" he smiled, "Ow." His fingers prodded gingerly at his jaw.
"Sure, you buyin'?" she patted his cheek tenderly and recoiled with a giggle as he winced.
"So then what happened?" Willow leaned over the edge of her bed, eager to hear confirmation of her suspicions.
"Stop drooling, Will." Buffy chuckled, aimlessly flicking through the television channels from her seat on the floor. "NOTHING happened. We went out for ice cream and then I went home."
"No smoochies?" she complained.
"Not even so much as a smoo."
"But you said he tried to kiss you!"
"Yes, the operative word is tried and that was almost a week ago." Buffy clarified, "Why do you care so much?"
"Buffy," Willow intoned in a beleaguered voice. "How long are you going to do this?"
"Do what?!" but Buffy had a feeling she already knew what Willow was getting at. This wasn't the first time she had brought it up and she doubted it would be the last.
"You know what I'm talking about. You can't go through your life alone like this."
"I'm not alone." Buffy dropped the TV remote and turned toward her friend. "I have you, and Xander, and Oz, and --"
"Angel." Willow regarded her seriously, "You said that the two of you are just friends, but sometimes, I don't believe you. What are you waiting for?"
"I-I don't know." The blonde-haired girl dropped her eyes and shrugged helplessly. "Things with me and Angel ended so suddenly and harshly. I kind of feel like we were cheated."
"Maybe that's why Gabriel showed up here." Willow surmised optimistically, "I mean Gabriel is an angel and he is very cute. He's even special, like you."
Buffy shifted uncomfortably. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, Will, but I'm just not ready to replace Angel yet."
Willow frowned. "Who said you had to replace him? I used to have such a huge crush on Xander but when I met Oz, things changed." She paused sheepishly, "All right, they didn't change fast enough, but they changed. I still have a special place for Xander, but now I have a place for Oz, too."
She laid her chin down on the back of her hands and looked at Buffy, concern brimming in her coffee brown eyes. "He likes you, a lot, I think. I think you could like him too, if you let yourself."
Buffy regarded her suspiciously. "You seem to know an awful lot about my love life, or lack thereof, to just be an innocent bystander, Willow. Spill."
"I don't know what you mean." Willow waffled. "I-I just had a feeling. A surprisingly accurate feeling, much better than I thought it would be."
"Willow?!" Buffy questioned dangerously.
"I did a Seeing." Willow admitted guiltily. "Only a little one. To see what might happen with you two."
"Willow, I don't need your help with my love life. Why don't you do a Seeing on the Mayor and find out what he's up to."
"Oh, no." Willow shook her head, "too much . . . interference. Yours was way easier."
"Enough, Willow." She smiled, "Let's just watch TV, okay?"
They sat in silence for long minutes, neither really watching the screen.
Buffy cocked an eyebrow and looked to Willow out of the corner of her eye. "What exactly did you see?"
"Mr. Mayor," the secretary's voice sounded across the intercom, "there's someone here looking for an unscheduled appointment. Should I send him away?"
"Hmm," the mayor considered, "unscheduled appointments are a disruption to my itinerary. Send him in anyway, but tell him he only has fifteen minutes."
"Right away, Mister Mayor."
With a quick hand gesture, the mayor sent a signal to Faith who obediently backed into an alcove. The large mahogany door opened and a tall auburn haired figure strode through. He wore a long, dark trench coat and walked with a confidence bordering on arrogance. "Hello, Mayor Wilkins." the man said with a distinctly english accent.
"Well, it's good to finally meet you face to face, Mr. Giles." the mayor beamed, quickly shaking his visitor's hand and unconsciously wiping his palm with a sanitized towelette immediately after. "Your reputation precedes you."
Reaching out, he beckoned to Faith. "This is my executive assistant, Faith."
"Hello, Mr. Giles." she purred, sauntering out of the shadows of her alcove. The dark haired girl looked the newcomer up and down appraisingly. "So you're Giles' little brother, huh? Nice."
"Call me Peter." he smiled warmly.
"Now, now, Faith." the Mayor cautioned. "Mister Giles is here on business." He folded his hands together before him on his desk. "What can I do for you?"
"My end of the bargain is in place." Mr. Giles slid his hands into his pockets. "In fact, things couldn't have fallen into place more smoothly."
"Are you sure your boy is as good as you say he is?"
"Born and bred to be the best." Peter assured, "You won't find a better assassin on the face of the planet, I guarantee."
"It seems to be a bit of a conflict of interest to place him in your brother's care, considering his close ties to the Slayer and all."
"Not to worry, Mister Mayor." Mr. Giles strolled across the room toward Faith, a distant confidence in his eyes. "My son is . . . controllable." As he passed the end of the desk, he casually left a cylindrical glass bottle filled with small black beads on the corner. His green eyes lingered on Faith as he walked. She moistened her lips enticingly, as she watched him reach out a tanned hand toward her. Leaning into him, she closed her eyes and smiled.
"What an interesting sculpture. Is it Cantonese?" Peter reached past her and took a fist sized wooden statuette in his hand. Faith's eyes narrowed angrily and she stormed quietly to the other side of the room.
"Malaysian, actually." the Mayor leaned forward and took the glass jar in his hands. "Mr. Giles? May I ask what this might be?"
"That, my dear Mayor, " the englishman replaced the sculpture on its stand and tapped his fingers into the palm of the opposite hand. "is the means with which to control my son."
"Oh?" the Mayor arched an eyebrow, "Do tell."
"You see, Gabriel is the result of a project I've had in mind since I was very young. This has all been planned out since before he was born. His training is not quite complete, but he is ready for what you need. Now, I'd be a fool to develop so much power in a person without the means to control him." Mr. Giles strolled over and plucked the glass bottle out of the Mayor's hand, holding it up to his face.. "Which brings me to these little darlings. Imagine the most addictive substance in the world and multiply its effects by ten. Add in an ingredient engineered to unlock a decade of mental conditioning, along with an experimental muscle enhancer, and you have the perfect control system. They were specially developed for Gabriel's physiology. They have no effect on a typical person, but, without a regular supply of these, he can't even think straight. His own supply is about to run out, so all you have to do is let him know that you have them and he's yours."
Faith walked closer to the desk and took the bottle gently from Peter.
"You turned your own kid into a junkie!" she exclaimed, her interest renewed by the sheer devilishness of the act. She brought the jar to the Mayor who took it carefully and placed it prominently on his desk.
"Well, Mister Giles, I assure you that once the Ascension is complete, your cooperation will not be forgotten."
"I'll have to take your word for this." the englishman commented dryly.
"My word is my bond, my good man." the mayor rose and, placing his arm around the Peter's shoulders, guided him toward the door. "When the job is done, my people will be in touch and you will be paid."
The three left the office together, The mayor and Mr. Giles leading, while Faith followed close behind.
"Tell me, Mr. Giles." The mayor began cheerily, "How do you feel about miniature golf?"
Buffy hopped out of the back of Oz's van and bounded up the walkway to Giles' apartment.
Oz cocked his head to the passenger seat where Willow sat. "Serious Slayer business?" he asked.
"No, " she peered after Buffy through the window, "She's going to get Gabriel."
"As far as I recall, nobody else agreed to inviting this guy along." Xander complained from the back.
"I don't know, " Oz considered, "it might be kinda cool to have another, Slayer-type hanging around. Might make things more interesting around here."
"Interesting?!" Xander exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, "We live in a town that thinks every night is Hallowe'en and you want more interesting?!"
"Xander, " Willow peered at him from her seat, "He's new here. Buffy's his only friend. If he doesn't come with us, he'll have to hang out with Giles all afternoon."
Xander visibly shuddered. "All right. Even I wouldn't condemn a man to that."
Buffy knocked on the heavy wooden door once, then again. Was anyone home? There was a distinct rattle from the other side of the door, as the locks were being thrown. The door opened a crack and a green eye whose pupil was limned with yellow peered out.
"Oh Buffy, it's you." Gabriel smiled, allowing the door to fall wider open.
"Hey." She waved, pushing the rest of the way in, "You waiting for something."
"Not really, " he replied, "Just expecting a delivery."
Leaning back comfortably in his favorite chair, Giles folded down the top of an immaculate newspaper and smiled a greeting. "Hello Buffy, what brings you here?"
Gabriel laid a worn looking book down on the coffee table and walked into the kitchenette to pour himself a cup of tea.
Buffy reached over and pulled the spine of the book upright so she could read it. "'Ancient Cultural Rites of Passage.'" She read aloud, "You know, I didn't see the family resemblance until now."
"It's quite fascinating." Gabriel and Giles responded in unison, each peering over a cup of tea, then looked, stunned, to one another.
"Well, Giles, I hope you don't mind if I borrow your nephew for the afternoon." She took Gabriel by the hand and tugged him toward the door. "A week's worth of the torture you refer to as 'training' deserves at least a one-day pass from the penitentiary."
Giles sputtered and squawked, but neither Gabriel nor Buffy paid him any heed. Gabriel barely had enough time to snatch up his jacket before they were out the door.
"So where are we going?" Gabriel asked.
"I had a feeling you needed a little loosening up and finding you here on a sunny Saturday afternoon proves it to me beyond a shadow of a doubt."
"And your solution is?" he smirked.
"You've been hanging around with Giles way too much. We are going to introduce you to something other people your age call fun."
They approached Oz's van and Buffy held the door open, and ushered Gabriel inside.
"Hi." Willow chirped as he crawled past her and sat in the back.
"Hey." Xander's greeting was less enthusiastic.
Buffy clambered in and, smiling reassuringly at Gabriel, sat a calculated distance from him. "You've met Oz haven't you?"
"Hey." Oz nodded from the driver's seat. He looked to Willow. "So, are we mall bound?"
"Absolutely." She grinned, patting the back of his hand excitedly. She leaned back and nudged Gabriel. "Oz likes me to navigate." She confided, "That's why I get to sit up front."
"For which we are eternally frightened." Xander interrupted, "Can we go now? Mall's not going to be open all day."
"Actually, " Oz observed as he turned the key in the ignition and pulled onto the street. "One of the great things about malls is that they do, in fact, stay open all day. Part of what makes them prime hanging grounds."
"Oh." Xander sat back, dejected.
"You're taking me to a mall?" Gabriel questioned incredulously.
"Absolutely, " Buffy replied cheerily, "It's an American tradition. Now that you're living here you should learn some of the wonders of our culture. Namely, the mall."
"It turns out that what I said actually translated into 'I am eating my shoes.' The woman was understandably confused." Gabriel leaned back in the hard metal chair, finished with his tale.
"You've been so many places." Willow paused to sip on a half empty iced tea. "It must be hard to adjust whenever you move."
"It's not that bad." Gabriel shrugged, "You'd be amazed at how quickly you can pick up a new language once you're immersed in it."
"How many languages do you know?" Buffy ventured as she careful picked a small morsel from the side of a cranberry muffin and popped it into her mouth.
"Four, plus a bit of Gaelic that I absorbed in Edinburgh."
"You know, I was planning on travelling to Europe." Xander put in, eager to step into the spotlight. "Do the whole road trip thing. You know, sow my wild oats, the whole experience."
"Where did you plan to go first?" Oz asked.
"Europe." Xander frowned in confusion, "Didn't you hear me?"
"I think he means 'where' in Europe." Buffy clarified.
"Oh, well, you know, when you live the life of a road warrior, you never know where you'll end up. Maybe I'll visit some of those Aztec temples or something. I've been meaning to get a close look at them."
Willow made an apologetic face. "Aren't those in South America?"
"Right!" Xander grinned to hide his embarrassment. "Right you are, Willow. So, Gabriel, what other interesting stories that have nothing to do with me do you have?" Dropping the cheerful facade, he sank back into his chair.
"It's getting late." Gabriel looked at the clock across the square. He wasn't feeling very good. He had taken his last pill this morning and there was no sign of the next shipment. The sickness was returning, he could feel. It started as an all over ache, but it would get worse.
"So what do you say?" Xander folded his arms across the table and rested his chin on them. "Bronze, tonight?"
"That's such a crazy idea that it just might work. I'm in." Oz smirked. Willow nodded in assent.
"Sounds good to me." Buffy smiled, "What do you think, Gabriel?"
Gabriel shifted uneasily in his seat. "I don't know. I should get up early tomorrow. I don't want to be out too late."
"So don't stay out late." Buffy shrugged, "You should at least come out for a little while."
"Now, now, Buff." Xander interjected. "If Gabriel here is too tired to go out then maybe we should let him get his rest."
Gabriel eyed him with mild amusement. It didn't take the Sight to reveal his motivation. "I'll go." He nodded in Xander's direction, "And we'll see who gets tired."
"Great!" Buffy hopped up out of her seat and clapped her hands together. "Let's go."
When Gabriel turned the key in the lock and went inside, Giles was still awake. Sipping a steaming cup of Earl Grey, the librarian chuckled lightly, an uproarious laughter to him, as he watched a late-night british comedy sitcom.
"A delivery came while you were out." He pointed over his shoulder at a medium sized box on the kitchen table.
Gabriel immediately ran to it and, drawing a knife out of the drawer, started sawing at the packing tape. It seemed to take forever, the knife chewing through the tape only to find another layer underneath. Frustrated, he stabbed the blade into the corner and attempted to tear a hole. The box twisted and bent under the force, but only a small rent opened. Growling, he dug his fingers into the opening and ripped at it until he could get the top off. There were a number of articles inside. Dried fruits, trinkets from a dozen different countries, rare literature and a few items of clothing. But not what he was looking for. Pawing around inside the box a few times, he still couldn't find it. Desperately, he upended the box, spilling its contents onto the table. There was no other explanation. It wasn't there.
"Is something the matter?" Giles inquired.
"No." he answered dolefully, "I was just expecting something different, that's all.
He began pacing the room restlessly. The apartment seemed so small all of a sudden, he felt like it was smothering him.
"Gabriel, sit down please." Giles pleaded quietly. "Read a book if you need something to do."
"I'm sick of reading books!" he snapped testily, "I'm going for a walk."
He stalked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. As he strode briskly down the walkway, he was filled with regret. He hadn't meant to leave in such a fury. He felt so frustrated today. And sore, too. His muscles ached vaguely, like a mild bruising. He stretched and rubbed the back of his neck as he hit the sidewalk.
"I had a feeling you'd be cute." A strange female voice announced, "Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh?"
He whirled around, startled. A dark haired girl, dressed in form fitting black pants and a sleeveless top leaned casually with her back against the trunk of a tree. He hadn't even seen her hidden in the shadows as he passed. "Who are you?" he asked.
"I'm kinda like your guardian angel." She pushed off the tree and sauntered up to him. "I'm here to make sure you make the right choices."
There was something disturbing about her, something cold and empty. He felt a chill as she slid a long, slender finger across the back of his neck. "What do you want?" he asked, stepping out of her reach.
"Take a walk with me. I'll buy you a drink and we can talk about you're future in Sunnydale." She took hold of his hand and began to walk.
Working his fingers out of her grasp, he followed cautiously. He walked beside her in silence, his mind uneasy. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong about this girl. He angled his head and looked at her, studying what his particular vision showed him. She was lonely, that was for certain. Arrogant, too, and filled with a lot of pain. There was something else, a familiar power he sensed from her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
She pushed open the door to a dark, smoke hazed coffee shop and entered. Selecting a corner booth, she sat and extended her arm, offering him the opposite seat. Gabriel noted that she chose a particularly dark table and kept her back to the wall. Not very comforting observations, in his opinion.
A sleepy eyed waitress passed by their table and the dark-haired girl snapped her fingers. "Two mediums." She indicated with a pair of upheld fingers. The waitress nodded and veered off toward the kitchen.
"What did you mean by 'my future in Sunnydale'?" he asked, slipping into the offered seat.
The girl shrugged. "There are a lot of opportunities in this little town. If you know where to look."
"I see." He leaned back in his seat, uncomfortable. He didn't like the way that this conversation was going.
"There's someone I want you to meet."
The waitress arrived with two steaming coffee mugs and placed them on the table. Faith handed her a small pile of change before she left. The dark-haired girl wrapped her hands around the cup and held it up in front of her face until her eyes were just barely peering over the rim at him. "Go ahead," she said, "Drink up."
Warily, Gabriel touched the hot mug to his lips and took a tentative sip. It was good, flavored faintly with chocolate, and it calmed him somewhat.
"This person you want me to meet, who is he?" he asked.
"Let's say he's a friend for now." She answered cryptically.
"You're not telling me very much that would interest me." He said, sipping at his coffee. "And that only makes me more suspicious." Normally, he would have stood up and left right then, but he felt oddly relaxed and decided to stay a little longer. The coffee seemed to help quell the odd gnawing sensation inside him.
"There's no need to get worried, now." The girl warned. "You've got to be patient." She watched him carefully, as if expecting something.
"I've had enough of this!" he growled, pressing his palms against the top of the table and rising. The world shifted and fell sideways, blurring sickeningly. He collapsed limply back into the booth, limbs sprawling.
"What did you do?" he asked, his tongue thickening.
"Slipped a couple of mickies in your drink." She explained casually, "Didn't think they were going to work for a minute there. You're tougher than I thought." She grabbed him by the arms and attempted to gather him together. He struggled, but his muscles refused to respond, resulting only in a feeble twitching.
"Oh, come on, now." The girl shook her head with an incredulous smile. Bending froward, she pressed her cheek close to his ear. "You can't honestly think you're going to get away, do you? Honey, no one here's going to help you. And I don't care WHO you are, I'm the Slayer and nobody beats me."
Gabriel's eyes rolled up inside his skull and he slumped in her arms.