|
|
When she exited the bathroom, she took a few steps before stopping for a moment to let her eyes readjust to the light of the main room. “Are you okay?” Angel asked, from behind her.
Buffy spun around to face him. “Yeah,” she said. “You saw, huh?”
Angel nodded, it had taken all his will power not to jump in and strangle Pike when he had kissed her. “And heard.”
“Angel, I didn’t know he was going to do that,” Buffy said worriedly, taking a step towards him.
“I know,” he said, opening his arms to her. She stepped within the circle of his arms, relieved that he wasn’t mad at her and needing to hug him. “Besides, I think he learned his lesson when you knocked him flat.”
“He better have,” Buffy said angrily. Angel smiled a little, glad she was as mad as he was. He was still very angry though and incredibly jealous. The image of Pike kissing her flashed through his mind again. The thought of someone else’s lips touching Buffy’s, *his* love, made his blood boil. His arms tightened around her possessively. Buffy could tell he was feeling jealous and was worried that he wouldn’t trust her now.
“Angel,” she said looking up at him, “You know I didn’t encourage that. It was a total surprise, when he … I mean, I was trying to explain to him that there could never be anything between him and I. I love *you*.”
“I know,” Angel said with a smile, brushing a strand of hair out of her uplifted face. “I heard.” She reached up slowly and kissed him. She smiled at the feeling of his lips upon hers. Since Pike had kissed her, she had felt off balance. This was right and she could feel it. Angel deepened the kiss, as if needing reassurance of her feelings. She answered him with a hunger of her own, a need to set her world back on course. No kiss can last forever though and they reluctantly broke off the kiss.
“We better go after him. Giles will have a fit if he gets killed on the way to the library.” Angel nodded reluctantly. They walked out of the Bronze, never seeing the man sitting at the table, directly below where the argument had taken place, just a short while ago. A spot of popularity and light was never noticed, when one was hunting vampires. He smiled wickedly as he watched them leave.
“He who hunts the worst in history, shall become hunted by one who he wished to kill. He shall be haunted by past and future combined, which will be his savior or the distraction which will lead to his destruction,” Arestor intoned, “Pike has found his distraction, so now is the time. Now, he will meet his destruction.” Arestor looked down into the uplifted faces of his followers. “He is getting help from the Slayer and her friends. You,” he ordered, pointing to one of the vampires, “Go capture one of the Slayer’s friends. Alive.”
“Yes, master.”
“And you,” Arestor said, pointing to another, “Go with him. Make sure that the Slayer finds out that we have one of her friends and that we will be holding her at the bluff overlooking Sunnydale. Also make sure that he gets away with the human.”
“How, master?”
“Once he has escaped, tell the Slayer. Or tell one of her friends. Or leave a NOTE for all I care!” Arestor said, his voice rising from a sweet lulling to an enraged shout. “I don’t care how you do it. Just do it!”
“Yes, master!” the vampire replied, trembling in fear.
“Go!!” The two vampires scurried out. Arestor turned to look at another vampire. “Take a message to Spike. Tell him that we are going to have a Slayer guest soon, and he and Drusilla are welcome to join us.” The vampire bowed and ran out the door. Arestor sat down, with a satisfied smile upon his face. All that was left now, was to wait.
Pike could hear footsteps following him about halfway to the library. He listened intently, being carefully not to increase his speed. There were a pair of them, a man and a woman. He was about to turn back and attack, when the wind changed. He smelled her perfume, and his heart sank. It was her … and *he* was with her.
She’d rejected him, knocked him down, literally. She’d said she was in love with Angel. Even from the brief time he had been in Sunnydale, he could see she had changed, but could she have changed so much? She had hated vampires so much when he had known her. She had gone after vampires with the cold determination of a professional. When he had met her, she had only known that she was the Slayer for a few days. After Merrick had died, she had been so sad. She hunted with a professional air, although he sometimes thought he could see some anger. She desperately didn’t want to be part of that world. Pike used to love being able to make her smile in the middle of the day, when vampires were the farthest thought from her. Now she was always happy. She had been happy when she had come into the Bronze, despite the fact that it was past sunset. She had joked about prophecies. He couldn’t understand this change. It seemed that she had gone through more here than she had in LA. Why was she happier here? Maybe it’s because she has more friends here, friends who know about her slaying, he thought. Maybe it’s because of *him*, his mind whispered. He shook his head, his heart denying what his mind was telling him. That she had grown, and that she no longer needed him. He tried to deny the fact that he was holding onto the past.
Buffy and Angel were only a step behind him, when he walked into the library. Pike stopped not far within the doorway, but they brushed past him. Buffy hoped up onto the counter and peered into Giles office, Angel standing next to her protectively. “We’re back,” she called in a singsong voice.
“That’s him den? The vampire hunter?” Kendra asked, from her seat at the table.
“Yeah. Who are you?” Pike asked, looking at the exotic young lady.
“I’m Kendra. The Vampire Slayer,” Kendra stated matter-of-factly. Pike stared at her as if she were crazy.
“Someone care to clue me in?” Pike asked no one in particular.
“Buffy drowned. When she died, the next was called. I did CPR, and Buff’s back,” Xander said from his position on the landing.
“Oh.” Pike looked at Kendra critically. She looked very serious and actually looked in pretty good shape, although looks had little to do with strength in a Slayer.
“Now that the introductions are over. Giles shouldn’t he be told about the prophecy?” Buffy asked.
“Oh yes. Well the prophecy states: He who hunts the worst in history, shall become hunted by one who he wished to kill. He shall be haunted by past and future combined, which will be his savior or the distraction which will lead to his destruction,” Giles recited.
“Certainly sounds like me, although I’m not aware of being hunted,” Pike said.
“Well how many of the vamps know you’re hunting them?” Buffy asked. Pike opened his mouth to answer, and then shut it seeing her point.
“Using the list you told the others earlier, we have been able to narrow it down to Arestor and Kakistos. We haven’t been able to come up with any leads on the second half of the prophecy though.”
“What about Angel?” Cordelia asked coming out of the stacks.
“Cordy that was a joke, I was making earlier,” Xander said.
“I know that! But, he’s the only one who easily fits the part about past and future … or at least past and present, being a vampire and all.”
“That is a possibility …” Giles said, turning the idea over in his mind. Cordelia gave Xander a superior look before descending the stairs to sit at the table.
“Well what if it means, Pike’s past?” Willow asked, “Then it could be Buffy, since she used to know him from LA.”
“If we’re talking about Pike, it could be anybody from his past,” Oz added.
“They’re all possibilities,” Giles said, still deep in thought.
“Pike, you said your family was killed by vampires. Were any of them turned into vampires?” Buffy asked.
“No. I stood watch over their graves two nights after they were buried and checked the graves a few days later. No signs of anyone rising from the grave.” Buffy nodded, satisfied that that possibility was out of the way.
“Well it looks like we’re just going to have to keep looking for our villain then.”
“Yes. Any luck out there?” Giles asked.
Buffy simply shook her head, but Angel nodded. “Willy said there’s a new vamp in town. Very powerful. Apparently he’s almost untraceable though. He’s able to blend in with crowd.”
“That rules out Kakistos then,” Cordelia said, slamming the heavy volume on Kakistos.
“Yep. Kakistos is so prehistoric, he doesn’t even have hands,” Xander said coming down to sit at the table. “He has these weird half hooves instead.”
“So that leaves Arestor,” Willow said brightly, before frowning, “Except, we haven’t been able to find much on him.” Oz hugged her shoulders, reassuringly.
“That’s okay Will. Now we can all research him. Except me. I’m going to go hunt, see if I can find where this guy hangs out,” Buffy said jumping down.
“I’ll go with you,” Angel said. Buffy nodded and gave a wave to Giles and the rest of the gang.
“Good luck with the researching,” Buffy replied brightly.
“Happy hunting,” Xander replied, with his usual humor. Buffy just smiled and left with Angel.
Hours had passed since Kendra had first met this vampire hunter. He chose to fight the vampires and he seemed to have the determination and seriousness that Buffy lacked. From what she’d heard, he had apparently traveled all over, killing vampires. Kendra had never been allowed to interact with boys much and now, every time she tried to talk to him, she couldn’t say what she wanted to. She could only wonder at the stories he must have to tell.
Pike found his attention and his gaze, wandering back to the Slayer that was now sitting across from him. She wore her hair in many braids, pulled back into a ponytail, to reveal the strong face. What stories this slayer must have to tell … What was he doing? He had just been harshly turned down by Buffy. He had thought about Buffy ever since he had sent that letter. He was infatuated with her. But tonight he had heard her say that she loved *him*. He should be heart-broken, infuriated even. He was infatuated with Buffy, he knew it. He should be plotting how to get her back, but …
“So … how long have you been a Slayer?”