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DISCLAIMER: I just play with HIS toys.
SUMMARY: Post-Chosen. A long distance call. She's already used every excuse not to
make it... but she's run out on them and the phone is waiting for her.
WORDCOUNT: 1257
DEDICATION: For Markey, her birthday was yesterday and I had promised her a
birthday treat months ago.
LONG DISTANCE
by Leni
She has his number, of course she does. She found it in her pocket days after they left
Sunnydale. A scrap of paper with numbers and his name scribbled on it. As if she needed
the name, she'd have recognised his writing anywhere.
But she didn't have time for phone calls as they hurried into the nearest hospital - one
which hadn't fallen and crumbled and disappeared into ashes - to treat the girls and poor
Wood. There was no time to look for a payphone as she tried to explain the doctors why she
had so many hurt people, why they were all under her charge. "No, I'm fine. I'm fine.
Please treat them first," she had pleaded repeatedly as the nurses and doctors kept
tugging at her to get checked. "We have to see those injuries, miss," they had
insisted. Thank God they never asked how those 'injuries' healed so soon, thank God they
didn't more than blink and look confused as girl after girl got checked out.
But Wood was no Slayer and so they had had to stay around the area for more than a week.
And how to sit down and dial his number when there was food and shelter to be found? There
was no time between training and hunting and eating and what with Giles and his weird idea
of 'group sessions'. He had even asked her to organise them. Yeah, as if one year working
in a school institution gave her any idea of how to work with so many teenagers in close
quarters. Oh, and close quarters they were. The only ones with some sort of privacy were
Giles and Xander. Andrew had deserted them after checking out the last Slayer, Buffy had
only nodded and thanked God for one mouth less to feed when Willow had told her of his
absence. That left her Watcher and her friend as the only men in a myriad of girl-women,
the two y's keeping some semblance of order when the x's decided to become the bitches of
hell.
Buffy chuckles, forgetting the note in her hands for a moment. Nothing like weeks living
with so many girls for Giles to forget every blush he once reserved for PMS chats. He had
been a pillar of strength in those first days, when the only thing Buffy could understand
was that she needed the girls to be safe. When her first thought in the morning was how
long would Giles' money hold and the last before sleep was the knowledge that the next day
money would be even tighter. But her Watcher had been there to support her, had given her
a focus beyond the Slaying with meetings schedules and mindless chores.
"It's your turn to go shopping," he'd told her in his best Watcher voice when
Xander had voiced the need for more milk. Buffy had been surprised at first, caught at
mid-sharpening new stakes, she hadn't heard that tone often, not even when he was her
Watcher. But, just as four years ago, she had finally accepted his suggestion/order.
"But you promised you'd come with us tonight!" Vi had complained. Buffy
remembers merely raising an eyebrow and looking down at the girl, she had pointed at
Giles, "He's the Watcher, we're Slayers. Do the math." The girl had huffed and
muttered "Watchers never give a damn." Buffy had stopped then, remembering
Giles' many sacrifices for her, remembering Faith's words about the new Wesley.
"Those alive do," she had shot back and finally dragged Xander to the next
supermarket.
She had forgotten about calling Angel by then. Two days later Wood had been freed from the
doctors' grasp, an exceptionally grinning Faith guiding his steps with a sure hand on his
arm. Buffy had smiled at seeing them together, and her desire to grab the nearest
telephone had lasted the ten seconds it took Faith to stop smiling and announce that she
was ready to go on.
After that Buffy only remembers chaos as they tried to define a course. Excited girls
going on and on about their expectations, what they hoped to find in the new Hellmouth.
Buffy, Willow and Xander had avoided all questions about their past adventures, they had
limited themselves to smile benevolently at the inexpert Slayers and grimace when one of
their wishes hit too close home. But the girls were nothing if determined and when they
realised that neither the original Scoobie Gang - and where had they heard that name? -
nor Faith would answer their questions, they turned to Dawn and Giles. Key or not , Dawn
was 100% a teenager and being the centre of attention was the best thing in the world.
Giles, on his part, didn't like the attention one bit, but for decades he'd believed that
when a Slayer asks the Watcher answers no matter how personal and uncomfortable. But
sometimes the data they got from Dawn and Giles didn't seem to register.
"Wish demons are good enemies," a girl had confided once to her friend,
"real tricky because they have no heart to stake." Buffy and Willow had cringed
and immediately gone to sit at Xander's both sides. "It's okay," he had
reassured them. But they had just linked their arms around their best friend and not let
anyone see his tears.
Cleveland had been as interesting as the girls had hoped. Upon seeing their energy and the
readiness to use it, Giles had immediately insisted on more 'group sessions'. Truthfully,
Buffy hadn't seen the necessity until one night Faith had approached her - a rare thing
even though their enforced closeness. "Work on those damned sessions, Buffy. Or
you'll have to deal with your worst Faith-nightmares."
After that, she's paid closer attention to the girls and discovered that Faith was right.
They were wild and needed guidance desperately. So she re-formed the groups and
distributed the schedules. The next day she was talking about her experience, the do's and
don't's she had compiled during her years as the only Slayer. Eventually she had dragged
Willow and Xander along. Even Faith on occasion though she kept saying that she'd be a bad
example and even if Buffy couldn't fully contradict her, she felt the girls needed to know
what power-thirst could cause. The dawn after Faith had her first meeting found the two
primary Slayers talking on the motel's ceiling. Buffy hasn't forgiven her, there's still
too long a way for that, but she thinks that maybe - just maybe - she may understand Faith
a little more now.
Through all those months she's brought out Angel's number more often. First she thought to
ask for information and leave it at that, all their demonology books had been lost and
they needed material for research. Then she thought of asking for help, how could they
even think of looking for other Slayers when they could barely maintain the ones they had?
Both times she gave the number to Giles and she was glad when he didn't ask question and
merely dialled and settled facts with the vampire.
But the time to hide is over. She has just told the girls that they need to face their
past if they want a real future.
Angel is her past. Maybe even part of her future.
But she has to deal with him in any case.
Buffy breaths deeply and makes a decision.
She dials quickly - before she can reconsider it - and waits for him to answer the call.
The End
09/12/03
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