The Water's Daughter

The Pack

I walked around the Sunnydale Zoo with Buffy looking at the different animals in their cages. We just walked around looking from cage to cage before a gang of bullies.

"Oh, look. It's Buffy and all her friends," the leader, Kyle, said making the others laugh.

"That's witty," Buffy said.

"Very," I agreed.

"Do you ever wonder why nobody cool wants to hang out with you?" Tor, another part of Kyle's little gang asked.

"Just thankful," Buffy told him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Were you this popular at your old school? Before you got kicked out?" Rhonda, one of the two women of the group, asked bumping shoulders with Buffy. The group laughed again as the continued their way leaving the two of us standing alone.

"Careful! She might beat you up!" I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Buffy," I said. "You still have us."

Sometime later we were at the elephant cage, Buffy reading the plaque as I just stared at the large animal before Xander and Willow ran up to us.

"Hey! Buffy! Liz!" Xander greeted us.

"You missed it!" Willow said sharing the same grin as Xander.

"Missed what?" Buffy asked her confused.

"We just saw the zebras mating!" Xander told us before nodding to Willow. "Thank you, very exciting."

"It was like the Heimlich, with stripes!" Willow said.

"And I missed it. Yet somehow I'll find the courage to live on," Buffy laughed before we all began walking in the direction they'd come from.

"Shame, really. I'm crushed to have missed zebra sex."

"Where were you?" Willow asked us.

"Uh, we were looking at the fishes," Buffy told her.

"Was it cool?" Willow asked and I gave her a look.

"Creatures covered in scales swimming in their own filth?" I asked sarcastically. "Very cool."

"I'm feelin' that you two are not in the field trip spirit here," Xander said.

"Well, it would... It's nothing, I... We do the same zoo trip at my old school every year. Same old, same old," Buffy explained.

"Just be happy you don't have to fill out worksheets on everything in the zoo," I told them. "Everything's a learning experience in London."

"Buffy, this isn't just about looking at a bunch of animals. This is about not being in class!" Xander said and Buffy and I shared a brighter look.

"You know, you're right! Suddenly the animals look shiny and new," Buffy said and I nodded.

"I'm suddenly sad to have missed the zebra's mating."

"Gotta have perspective."

The four of us were walking by the Hyena House when we saw Lance ducking under the yellow tape with Kyle and his gang.

"What are Kyle and his buds doing with Lance?" Willow asked.

"Oh, playing with him as a cat plays with a mouse," Xander said.

"What is it with those guys?" Buffy sighed.

"They're obnoxious. Professionally," Willow told her.

"Hope they get paid good," I joked making the redhead and blonde laugh.