It was around nighttime, I found myself standing in the cemetery with Buffy and Roman standing in the shadows watching our girls train.
Rona and Vi made their way through among the gravestones. Clearly, they were nervous and worried. Both had their stakes held up at ready, but they looked more like scared children than warriors.
A branch snapped making me smirk, they turned towards the sound, terrified and suddenly Rona was punched in the head, she collapsed to the ground.
Spike leaped out of the shadows in front of Vi who raised her stake to strike him, but Spike batted her hand aside easily. He wrenched her arm up behind her back and spun her around, baring her neck. His fangs descended toward her soft flesh, but he stopped, and his face morphed back to normal.
I grinned at Buffy, who just smiled back at me.
"Okay, these two are dead why?" Spike asked.
"Cause the black chick always gets it first?" Rona asked getting to her feet, annoyed.
"What was that Rona?" Buffy asked.
We stepped out of the shadows, Molly, Kennedy and Lyla was with us. As usual Molly was taking constant notes.
"I'm dead because he's a vampire." Rona said correcting herself. "I don't have Slayer strength, Slayer speed or whatever it is that Tori has... it wasn't a fair fight."
"Fine." Spike muttered looking at Vi. "Do you think I care if it's a fair fight?"
"No, no sir!" Vi told him nervously freaking out" You don't play by the rules, and I have learned a valuable lesson...of some sort."
I smirked at the sir part; it was kind of funny thinking of Spike as a sir. Spike twisted Vi's arm a little hard making her yelp.
"Okay Spike." I told him easing him off, he looked at me and I gave him a look.
He smiled at me and let go, I turned back to the girls.
"You're right." I told them nodding. "You don't have slayer strength and you're not a Dhampir like Lyla or I or a hybrid like Roman but that doesn't mean you're not strong. Everyone has a fighter inside them, just gotta figure out how to bring it out."
"You have inherent abilities that others do not have." Buffy added making me nod.
"Not like you or Tori do." Molly said.
"No not yet." Buffy told them. "But it's there, you have the potential, and you have Tori, she has more experiences with vampires even more than me." Buffy looked at me, making me smile at her.
"Speed and strength are important but you need instinct first." I said taking over a little. "Northman rule number one, you need to trust yourself." I glanced at Rona. "Rona, what did your instincts tell you to do just then?"
"Block his attack, keep him off balance." She told me making me raise an eyebrow. "Gain the advantage."
Buffy looked over at me, I shook my head listening to her heart and heard an uptick in the beats.
"No they didn't." I told her earning a look. "Don't forget I can tell when someone lies."
"They told me to run." Rona said sighing.
"Vi?" I asked glancing over at her.
She nodded.
"They told me to run." Vi said glancing at Spike warily. "They're still sorta telling me to run."
I let out a small quiet laugh earning a look from Spike who heard it. I shrugged and smirked at him. He rolled his eyes softly in amusement.
"Don't fight on his terms." Buffy told them. "If your guts telling you to run, run. Regain the higher ground and make the fight your own." She turned to Spike. "Spike, what did your instincts tell you to do just then?"
"Hunt, kill." Spike said shrugging.
Buffy looked at me giving me a light nod. I grinned a little, taking off my leather jacket, handing it to Buffy and sauntered casually towards Spike, letting my fangs come out to play. They came down with a click earning looks. I ran my tongue over them feeling the smoothness.
"I'm not saying you can do what Tori's gonna do because that's kind of her thing." Buffy said looking at me. "But pay close attention maybe you can use the same force."
I raised an eyebrow pausing for a moment.
"Wait which thing?" I asked making her look at me.
She tilted her head at me.
"You know that whole hand chest thing." She muttered.
"You mean the one where I shove my hand through a vampire or villains chest and rip it's heart out?" I asked staring at her. "Or spine.. or possibly both? Depending on my mood?"
"Wait you can do that?" Kennedy asked.
"It's a power move we were taught but it takes enormous amount of strength and a lot of anger...and it's not exactly for a show and tell." Roman told her making her nod, giving Buffy a look. "It's not something you guys would be able to do either."
Kennedy nodded.
"I am not ripping my mate's heart out Buffy." I added glaring sternly at Buffy.
She looked at me realizing what she said, how it sounded and gave me an innocent look. I rolled my eyes turning to my mate who had pleased look in his eye and gave him a fang smirk.
"Full speed." I told him.
I turned back to the girls.
"A vampire needs to kill to live." I told them shrugging. "That tells you everything you need to know but use your judgment not all vampires are bad a lot of them like myself consider ourselves decent members of the community, we're even vegetarian."
"Vegetarian?" Kennedy asked.
"It's a joke within our community." Lyla told her giving us a look. "The only blood we drink are from four legged...Strictly animal only."
"There are bad ones and there are good ones but how to tell the difference is important." I said giving Kennedy a gentle look. "Most of us just want to survive."
She nodded.
I heard Spike snarl and go to leap out at me from behind, I neatly sidestepped, and he landed face first on the edge of a gravestone, it caught me off guard for a second before I took that as an opening and seized his throat, he flipped over on his back pulling me on top, I straddled him ready to strike.
"Instinct." Buffy told the girls. "Understand his but trust yours, you were chosen for a reason."
Spike suddenly gasped in pain making me look down at him.
"You okay?" I asked frowning. "That face plant looked like it hurt?"
"A couple of ribs ain't quite right since..." He told me painfully; he paused seeing the look on my face. "I'm fine."
"You should have healed already, you downed all the blood we had in stock, we'll be restocking for months..." I told him feeling bad. "Let me see."
"No."
"Spike" I muttered raising his shirt to check it out, my eyes trailed down as I felt around for the wounds, but he gently took it and pushed it away.
"I'll be fine." He told me calmly.
I frowned staring at him, he just stared back like it was nothing.
"That's hot." A voice said making me look up seeing the girls and Buffy just staring at us.
"So we're supposed to like make out with them or something?" Molly asked.
"Uh Tor not that I don't approve but maybe we should get back to the lesson." Buffy said giving me a look.
I looked back at her.
"Hey, I got no shame here." I retorted standing up and pulled Spike up with me. Spike just smiled at me, holding my hand.
"Awe." Lyla said gushing at us. "Finding your mate must be such an amazing feeling, I wish mine would come."
I just looked at her and smiled, shrugging.
"Can come when you least expect it." I told her before looking over at the other two girls.
"Molly, Kennedy let's go, you're up." Buffy told them walking off. The girls nodded, following.
I looked at Spike, who was still staring at me. There was a familiar light in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a while.
"You sure you're okay?" I asked quietly, gazing up at him frowning a little "You'd tell me if you weren't?"
I rested my hand against his chest where some of the cuts he had would have been and calmly felt through his shirt for them.
He tilted his head at me softly and swiftly grabbed my hand, he lifted it up and kissed the little pad and nuzzled it a little bit and laid the side of his face inside it. My worry melted instantly.
"Don't worry about me." He murmured staring into my eyes.
"With you as my mate I always worry." I retorted lightly earning a soft smile, he leaned down and gave me a small kiss on the cheek before I went to join Buffy.
I don't care what people think or if I should be a little more mindset on the upcoming battle, after going through what we did, I wasn't going to hold back anymore. I was going to love him with everything I had. I got a second chance and I'm not going to waste it.
------
Back at my house, Buffy and I were down in the basement in one of the rooms, listening to the girls argue amongst themselves.
Buffy and I shared a look before she threw an axe across the room, and it was embedded into the wall.
The fun time was done, these girls were not ready, not even Lyla and she was a Dhampir princess, she was trained since birth like I was.
The girls looked up at us stunned.
"You're all going to die." Buffy told them. "But you knew that already because that's the cool reward for being human. The big desert at the end of the meal...Don't kid yourselves."
"This whole thing is all about death." I added glancing at Lyla. "You think you're different because you might be the next slayer... or co-slayers." I glanced at Buffy who nodded.
"Death is what we breath, what we dream about when we sleep. Death is what slayers live. Our deaths could make you the next." Buffy told them earning silence. "Oh goody, Rapt attention. I love that so much."
She crossed the room and pulled the axe out of the wall.
"Now where was I?" She asked looking at me.
"If we go with what my resources are telling us." I told them shrugging. "Then the First is in remission for a while, which means advantage us."
"Well, what does that mean?" Rona asked. "About the First."
"Best we can tell, he— or, more precisely, it— was putting a lot of stock in that Uber-Vamp thing. " Buffy told them. "The Chaka Khan."
"Turok Han Buffy." I told her giving her a look. "They might be baddies but have a little respect."
"Right well when Tori kicked it's ass, the whole firsty circus decided to back off for a while." Buffy added staring back at me. "The good news is we probably don't have to worry about it pulling Spike's strings for a while. Right?"
"For now." I said nodding frowning a little. "Here's the half empty though, time away means time to regroup and part of that regrouping is coming back stronger than ever, the odds are against us and time is against us and some of us will die in battle."
"Decide now that it's not going to be you." Buffy told them. "I know you're all tired...far away from home...anxious. But you're all special and most people in this world have no idea why they're here or what they want to do... You do. You have a mission, a reason for being here. You're not here by chance. You're here because you are the chosen ones."
"You should think about what that means." I told them turning and walked out of the room, going upstairs, spotting Nick and Dawn. "Hey, you two better get moving or you'll be late for school."
-----
Later in the day I was taking my lunch break, it was a slow day, sitting in the break room chewing on a chicken ranch wrap and iced tea that Kassandra packed for me while talking on the phone with Xander.
I started taking morning shifts and it was exhausting, if it wasn't for being part vampire, I probably would have crashed already, I might when I get home.
"Xander, I'm sorry but if you're going to take a shower at my house, tell Spike and you can use ours just remember to lock the door." I told him rolling my eyes. "There are seven bathrooms and I'm not including mine or Nick's and soo many girls."
I heard my alarm buzz on my watch and glanced at it checking the time.
"Hey, I gotta go, gotta check on a patient." I spoke into the phone. "Has Giles checked in yet? He was picking up that new girl Chao Ahn in Shanghai yesterday. Okay well let me know if he does...bye." I hung up.
I finished my can and lunch, throwing away the wrappings and headed out for rounds.
--------
After finishing hours of a shift, I was tired and ready to crawl into bed and sleep.
I entered to find my place in complete shambles and a huge argument in full bloom between Xander, Andrew, Rona and Vi.
"Why do we always have to yell?!" Andrew exclaimed cutting through all the screaming.
"Makes me glad I live far from people, no one can hear you." I said making them all stop and look at me. "I was only gone for a couple hours; you know helping to save other human lives? Glad it was a slow day at the hospital." I rolled my eyes.
Willow walked in from the dining room with Buffy.
"Tori."
"Hey everybody look it's Willow and Buffy." I retorted glaring at the group. "Perhaps with a blunt weapon of some sort because I'm going to use it if the house my grandparents spent the rest of their lives building ends up in pieces." I gave Xander and Andrew a pointed look. "Can't promise what I use it on."
Xander was the first one to back down and chuckled nervously.
"She's uh, she's kidding right?" Andrew asked.
"I wouldn't count on it." Nick told him from where he, Lyla and Spike were standing watching the fight happen.
"And why weren't you stopping this before it got this far?" I asked giving my brother a look.
He looked back at me innocently.
"Tori we just got news." Buffy said drawing our attention.
I glanced at her and Will and moved into the dining room. Everyone followed.
------
I stood in the archway of the dining room with my arms crossed, Spike was beside me. Everyone else including Anya gathered around the table.
"And she's sure?" I asked watching Kassie bring out trays of food and set them down, she handed me a drink which naturally I welcomed and took a huge one already feeling relieved.
"Positive." Willow told us. "Althenea said the seers located another potential slayer here in Sunnydale, someone that already lives here."
"Oh god."
"All these girls flocking to town and this one's already here and under our noses?" Anya asked.
"Wait the seers couldn't find out her name or her address or anything?" Xander asked looking at us. "Am I getting the definition of "seer" wrong?"
"I was hoping to take the girls out tonight for a little show and tell." Buffy said looking at me. "But maybe now we shouldn't."
"They were so excited." Andrew said. "You're going to break their little hearts."
I looked at him and hissed making him shut up before looking at Buffy.
"This town is lousy with Bringers." I told her shrugging. "We don't want to risk that they find this new girl first, but we shouldn't skip training, it's too important, this is war prep."
She nodded.
"Yeah, you should go, I can do a spell to find her tonight." Willow told us. "I just have to get together a few ingredients."
"You think you can handle it?" I asked.
"No problem." Xander said waving his hand dismissively.
"Yeah, you guys have more important things to do." Dawn told us.
"And we'll be here." Roman told me. "If anything happens."
I smiled at my cousin.
"Okay. we'll take them." Buffy said gesturing between us.
"Yes!" Andrew exclaimed excitedly.
"Nerd, you're not going." I told him rolling my eyes.
My phone started buzzing so I pulled it out seeing my aunt's number. Buffy looked at me.
"Giles?"
"Nope Olivia... that kid's always right on cue" I told her smirking at the thought of my child. I looked at Buffy. "Give me a minute."
She nodded.
I walked over to the sliding door and stepped out onto the patio, clicking the answer button.
"Hej alskling." (Hey sweetheart.)
-------
Finishing up my call, I walked back in the house, staring at my phone frowning a little.
Everyone else had moved into the kitchen except Spike, Buffy and Andrew.
"You okay?" Spike asked walking closer.
"I miss my baby." I told him nodding. "Boston's so far away, I mean I'm glad she's in the furthest city from here but still... I've never been away from her for this long."
"Won't be long and we can bring her home." Buffy told me.
Spike nodded in agreement with Buffy, kissing my cheek to comfort me.
I smiled at him.
"Now for the last time you're not going." Buffy said giving Andrew a look.
I turned from my mate to the two.
"Agreed." I muttered rolling my eyes. "Last thing I need is a human nerd getting under my feet."
I heard the old servant door open; Kassandra came walking in with her arms filled with newly filled jars, followed by Lyla who was kind enough to bring in the dish pans full of meat.
I walked over and took some of the jars from my cousin.
"Thanks." She mumbled.
I smiled at her.
"Looks like you had an accomplished hunt." I told her walking into the kitchen.
"Yeah, eventually we will restock everything your precious mate sucked down." Kassie said smirking.
"Hey it wasn't all him" I told her defensively grinning at her. "You got six blood drinkers in this house now, we're lucky the animals haven't gone extinct."
She smiled at my joke.
Andrew followed after me with Buffy.
The other potentials were filling up my kitchen, I was starting to really be grateful that my grandparents built such a big house.
"I'm not begging!" He exclaimed.
"You're like a small dog dancing for Snausages." I told him rolling my eyes again, placing the jars on a counter where Roman was kindly boiling it for us so we could ration it out and rebottle everything.
Nick was out in the backyard having a throwing practice with Dawn. He has taken over teaching her to fight as his future mate, it's his job now to teach her everything.
"You don't want me coming along because you think I'm evil." He said making me snort.
I covered myself with a cough and helped Roman by grabbing freshly washed bottles I had already washed earlier and set them on the counter.
I took the blood Kassie had gathered and poured it into the pot Roman had on the stove, while Kassie took the meat from Lyla putting it in the drain rack, working on that part. Lyla stood with her watching how she did it. Not all vampire clans kept the meat from the animals they drained like we did.
The three of us worked in sync.
"He doesn't seem evil exactly." Vi told us.
"He's not evil." Buffy told her. "But when he gets close to it, he picks up it's flavor, like a mushroom or something."
"But I'm reformed!" Andrew exclaimed. "I'm like Vegeta on Dragonball Z. I used to be a pure Saiyan and now I fight on the side of Goku."
"Still not coming." I told him, taking one of the filled bottles and took a drink, licking my lips in happiness.
"It's not fair!" He yelled. "Spike just killed people and he gets to go."
My eyes snapped over at him, hissing threateningly my fangs clicked down as I slammed my bottle down on the counter.
He looked at me with wide eyes.
"Spike didn't have free will." Buffy told him calming me down. "You did."
"I hate my free will." Andrew said sighing.
I glared at him deadly, growling.
Spike entered drawing everybody's attention, The girls all greeted him cheerfully.
"We ready to go?" He asked looking around before stopping on me, I felt him looking at me but I ignored him staring Andrew down. "Everything good?"
I glared darkly at Andrew.
"Watch yourself." I told him firmly hissing "Or some nerd might find himself as First bait."
He looked terrified; he whipped his head over at Buffy who gave a supportive nod. He eyed everyone else who stared him down backing me up even the girls.
I rolled my eyes at him, getting rid of my fangs, turning to Buffy.
"Let's go before I follow through on my promise." I told her eyeing Andrew, spinning on my heels and went over to my mate, Spike gave me a look but said nothing clearly hearing everything, grabbing my hand.
I slowly calmed down at his touch.
"Let's go, girls."
We headed for the front door. All the girls followed behind with weapons, excitedly, leaving Andrew, Kassie and Roman in the kitchen.
----------------------
Buffy, Spike, the girls and I walked into the smoky populated bar Willy's. Vampires and demons of all shapes and sizes were enjoying their time. Willy had just reopened two months ago in a new location.
The girls were looking around while I was smirking a little. I felt good to be in a place like this, but I was a little weary of how the girls will react, Spike had his arm wrapped around my waist loosely, with his hand in my front pocket as I leaned on him.
"This is a bar." Rona said looking confused.
"Best damn field trip I ever took." Kennedy said.
"Look, they're all...." Molly trailed off.
"They're demons!" Vi exclaimed. "It's a demon bar. It's like a gay bar only with demons."
I sighed glancing at Buffy.
"Their views could use some work." I told her pointedly.
She nodded, patting my arm.
One large demon with fleshy tendrils hanging from its face stood up.
"Spike! Long time." He greeted making me raise an eyebrow at him. "Nice of you to bring snacks."
"Touch them and lose your privates." Spike told him.
The demon glared but backed off.
I looked up at my mate seeing the look on his face.
"I didn't like him." Vi told us.
"Nice job of blending in girls." Spike told them, I nudged him a little making him look down at me.
"We're a bunch of fifteen-year olds in a demon bar." Rona said defensively. "How much blending in did you think we were gonna do?"
"Look it's okay." Buffy told them. "Usually, you come to a place like this, you want to be seen. You want to scare someone or make contact."
"Or have a strong drink?" Molly asked.
"Not usually that." I told them shrugging.
"Willow told me you don't drink?" Kennedy asked.
"She's right I don't usually." I told her honestly. "Sometimes I do just for taste but since I can't really get drunk it's a waste of money to buy."
"American Vampires can't get drunk." Lyla told her. "No one knows why."
"Actually, we can just not the same way as humans can, though it's not recommended out in public." I told her sneaking a look at Spike, he had a smirk on his face remembering that one time in college. I nudged him but found myself smiling. It's where our whole thing started.
"American Vampires?" Kennedy asked glancing at us. "What's the difference?"
"American vampires are more evolved." I told her thinking highly of my community. "We follow a strict system there are many different kinds of vamps in the world, respect for all of them but I'd choose my side any day... the american vampires are so far the better fangdom."
Spike looked at me with a strange look on his face at that. I just smiled at him innocently making him roll his eyes in amusement.
"But your only half vampire so wouldn't you have your own category?"
"There aren't really that many Dhampir's that exist in this world, since we're born and not turned." I told her shrugging. "My father and grandfather were members of the American vampire League so that's were my loyalties are."
"Mine too." Lyla added.
Kennedy nodded.
"Do they card?" Vi asked.
"Nope." I told them nodding to the bar. "Go ahead. Down all the yak urine shots or pig's blood spritzers you like."
"Yum." Lyla said.
"Gross." Vi said at the same time, they looked at each other making me grin a little.
"You got that right." Spike told them, I glanced over at him. "Prices they charge. You could get human blood..." He noticed the stern look on my face and backtracked. "Or animal blood. Straight from the body..." He noticed the girls faces. "Vampire?"
"Look if I come here, it's because I gotta wring information out of something large, scary, drunk and with a roomful of friends that don't care very much for a slayer." Buffy told them. "Remember that. There's not a being in here that wouldn't gladly rip your throat out."
"Buffy." I muttered earning a look. I raised an eyebrow at her sternly.
"I mean most of them." Buffy said backtracking. "Some are bad news, some aren't, just use your judgement."
"Thank you." I told her frowning. Spike noticed and kissed my cheek, I glanced at him feeling calmer.
"Spike, Tori." A voice greeted making me turn around.
Clem was standing right behind us; I smiled at him and gave him a quick hug.
"How you guys been?" He asked. "How's Livy?"
I pulled back and smiled at the demon.
"She's good, spending time with family." I told him looking him over. "But you look great, so toned."
"It is so good to see you both back together." Clem told us scratching the back of his head. "I was worried there for a second, about the two of you... and the whole Spike leaving thing, I uh felt really bad."
I knew what he was talking about and gave him a small smile, I saw Spike's face fall in the corner of my eye, I glanced at him, I nudged him with my shoulder and leaned on him again. He looked back at me; I gave him a gentle look.
"It's okay, it's in the past." I said turning from my mate to the demon. "It's okay."
Clem smiled.
"Anyway, I saw this great show on the History Channel the other night that I knew you would love, I know how much you love history.... but then everything went all flooey with my TiVo."
I smiled at him, nodding.
"You know what, I just had an idea " I said glancing at Buffy for a minute. "Could I talk to you for a second over here?"
"Yeah sure." He said nodding.
I pulled him to the side away from the group, I got a few more greets from other demons and creatures including Willy himself.
"Wow she sure is popular here." I heard Lyla say.
---
After a while Clem and I walked back over to the group, I gave Buffy a look to back off, she nodded.
"Okay these are the girls." I told Clem crossing my arms.
"Howdy." He greeted waving his hand. "So, you girls are going to deal with demons, huh? Just let me tell you this...."
I smirked watching him lean forward like he was going to whisper a secret to them, they all leaned forward to hear him and suddenly his entire face peeled back, and a nest of snakelike tentacles shot out right at them.
They looked horrified.
"I could use a shot of that yak urine right now." Vi said making my smirk deeper.
---------------
After the bar we took the girls to a crypt, there was old furniture and sighs of recent occupation. The girls had lights shinning around while Lyla and I let our eyes adjust.
"There are many creatures in this world that can kill you, especially in small towns like this, vampire population beats them all." I told them crossing my arms. "A vampire is an animal." I walked further into the room, glancing around and took in a few sniffs, turning to look at them. "It's part of who we are, there's a thin line between the animal side and the human if there's anything human left... Sometimes they run in clans, sometimes alone or in my case a family but not all clan's are like mine... Who can tell us where we are?"
"It's a nest." Lyla said making me nod.
"How can you tell?" Buffy asked.
"Only a vamp could live like this." Kennedy told us.
"Okay that's a little insulting." I muttered pouting a little.
"Yeah I mean as a group we're not known for our tasteful decor." Spike said taking my side. "But in all fairness to the race, this place is seriously lacking in style."
"Thanks babe." I told him sighing, giving him a look.
"Merely saying." He told me innocently.
"Not all vamps live this way." I said turning from my mate to the girls. "You've all seen my house it was built by a vampire.... Vampires can live anywhere, anyway they want. Tastes, fashions, living conditions... rich or poor, all come in different shapes and sizes...Different fangdoms, types... We can vary, The animal inside?... Never the same but it's always there."
"Just because we're vampires or half vampires doesn't make us monsters." Lyla said drawing my attention. "We don't have to be."
"I know that" I told her gently. "But don't ever let your guard down unless you know for sure, you know how to sense if their dangerous or not" I gave Lyla a pointed look making her nod. "We have an edge where our slayer sisters don't, we know the minds of vampires better than them, you can use it to your advantage."
Lyla nodded.
"Is there a way to know they're the good ones right off the bat?" Kennedy asked. "I mean for us who aren't half vampire or whatever?"
I glanced at her.
"It's in the eyes." I told her nodding. "And the way they act and how they speak."
"We're not saying befriend every vamp you meet." Buffy told them giving me a small friendly look. "Maybe your generations will be different, like ours."
I smiled at her.
"Where'd you live?" Molly asked looking at Spike.
"What?" Spike asked blinking at her. "Oh you mean before? A crypt actually but nicer. A bit more....I don't know if posh is the right word, but it was more like...."
"Comfy." I added shrugging.
"Excuse me?" Kennedy asked looking at me. "When did you find it comfy?"
I just looked at her with no shame going to open my mouth when Buffy beat me to it almost knowing what I was gonna say.
"Teens Tori." She told me making me look at her and roll my eyes. "Moving on."
"Fine no fun." I muttered playfully, I felt Spike looking at me but ignored him and cleared my throat. "You have to spot and identify a nest on sight, know if they're the baddies or not. Look around, all of you." I nodded to the area. "Look for signs that just last night maybe a dozen, two dozen vampires were right where we're standing and see what you find."
"Go ahead." Buffy said skipping a beat.
The girls moved around, spreading out and checked the place out. Buffy looked at me, shaking her head.
I looked back at her.
"What?" I asked crossing my arms. "I got no shame Buffy, he's my mate."
"Yeah, yeah." She muttered. "I know."
She gave me an amused look and walked off joining the girls. Spike came closer.
"Work, work, work." He muttered pulling me into his arms. "And just when this little excursion was in danger of being interesting."
I rolled my eyes lightly smiling at him, I leaned up giving him a tiny kiss and pulled back seeing a lighter smile on his face.
"Tori, Buffy... I think we found something." Rona said cutting me off, I looked over seeing Molly and Rona standing over a shadowy figure on the floor.
I frowned a little, pulling from my mate and walked over to them, Buffy joined.
"It's a body." Molly told me.
Walking over I examined the man lying face down on the floor.
"It's not a body." I told them hissing. "It's leftovers."
The newly turned vampire turned over and glared up at me, my fangs came down with a click earning some looks from the girls.
----
The vamp stalked towards me, but I refused to back down, I stayed where I was, staring it down.
Buffy sat back on this.
"No one's safe." Buffy told the girls. "Not here, not ever. See this guy?"
"But he was dead a minute ago." Kennedy said.
"That was a minute ago." I told her rolling my eyes, hissing at the new vamp barring my fangs. The vamp and I circled each other. "Now he's the enemy, newborns are automatically strong, once they realize what they can do, they're going to use it..." The vamp came at me and swung at me but I decked him in the face and made him stumble back.
The vampire charged at me and tackled me to the ground.
I threw my hand out and threw him across the room onto it's back, it instantly rolled back to it's feet with a snarl.
I jumped back to my feet and growled loudly, reaching down into my boot and dragged out my hidden dagger, twirling it in my hand.
"You can't think too much, in a survival or death situation." I added keeping my eyes on the newborn. "It's either you or him if you win, he's ash and you saved a life but if you lose...well you get the picture."
I went to stab the sucker with my dagger, but the vamp knocked it from my grasp and tried to punch me, I ducked.
"I don't fear death." I told them hissing at the vamp, I felt holes in the back of my head from Buffy and my mate, I ignored them. "But I fear what will happen if I lose and he gets free."
I engaged the vampire, punching and kicked it with so much force it flew backwards and hit the ground. He laid there for a few minutes before he jumped to his feet.
Lyla moved to help me, but Spike and Buffy held her back.
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Still fighting the newborn, I pounded the vampire to floor and pinned it there delivering a powerful blow to his head.
"The question is never 'what do you think?" Buffy told the girls. "It's always 'what do you know? You gotta know because if you don't you make one mistake."
I delivered a punishing uppercut to the newborns jaw and sent it flipping backward over a low cement bench. It got to his feet and came at me again.
"It takes just one vampire to kill you so you got to know you can take him." I told them holding my head up high. "Never let your guard down, know your environment, know what's around you and how to use it, slayer, co slayers, or whatever the hell are you....To a fighter... everything is a weapon if you know how to see it. When you're fighting you have to know yourself, your brain, your body. Know how to stay calm, centered. Every move is important, and every blow has got to be a part of your plan."
"Because if you make that one mistake." Buffy added. "Then it's over. You're not a slayer, you're not a potential."
I grabbed my dagger from the ground the vamp charged at me. I blocked it's blow with my speed.
"You're dead." I muttered giving a fang smirk. "So, what do you know?"
I hurled the vampire backwards across the room with all my strength.
"Right now, the only thing you know for sure?" Buffy told them. "You got Tori and I."
I calmly placed my dagger back in its holder and backed out of the crypt with Spike and Buffy, slamming the door and locked the girls inside with the vampire.
My phone started ringing so I answered it.
"Northman?" I muttered turning from the two, listening to Roman. "Wait what? no we've been a little busy, didn't even hear it. Rome slow down, where are they? Okay. We'll be there." I sighed. "Nick really has to learn to calm down and let her breathe... They're still in premate mode, if this is how he acts now I'll hate to see what he does later" I shook my head thinking of my brother. "We're on it."
I hung up and turned to Buffy with wide eyes. She looked at me confused.
"What? Dawn?"
I nodded.
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Buffy, Spike and I headed for the school where Dawn had ran off to, turned out Dawn was the new slayer we were looking for, she didn't want to tell Buffy, she ended up running out in the middle of the night and Nicky was freaking out not being able to find her.
"Buffy, Tori up here!" Xander yelled.
My head snapped up focusing on the corridor, a young girl Dawn's age was using a pole striking blow after another, knocking them off their feet and sending them tumbling away.
They tumbled directly into our path, Buffy and I went to town. Buffy stabbed one Bringer with its own knife and then tossed it to Spike.
Spike dispatched the second, before screaming in agony as his chip activated stumbling to the side. I frowned panicking.
"Spike."
At the top of the stairs, the vampire attacked the girl, much to her own surprise she managed to hold her own and blocked the creatures blows with her pole.
It threw a roundhouse blow at her head, but she ducked and kicked the vamp against the wall and slammed the pole into it's chest. It instantly disappeared in a cloud of dust.
I snapped the last Bringer's neck and dropped his lifeless body to the floor before turning to check on my mate.
"You okay?"
Spike nodded and gave me a calm smile.
"I'm fine, just the chip firing." He told me grabbing my hand. "Guess it still works after all."
"But the Bringers aren't human." I told him thinking it through. "Why'd it go off?"
He stared back at me for a few minutes before shrugging.
"I don't know but I'm sure it's nothing."
I frowned at him, he saw the worried look still on my face, weaving his fingers through mine.
"I'm okay." He told me squeezing my hand.
I sighed nodding.
He pulled me with him as we joined the others.
Nick had his arms wrapped around Dawn protectively, Buffy came running to our side, Dawn stared at the girl.
"Okay... one minute I'm in Swing Choir and the next...what the hell is going on?" The girl asked. "You tell me to come to you with problems. Turns out a vampire attacked me! Problem. So I go to your house, only when I get there, this orange cloud hits me."
"She was at the doorway." Dawn said under her breath.
"And I don't know if you're into drugs but that's not my deal, all right?" The girl continued ranting. "That cloud hit me, and I got a little dizzy and discombobulated."
Buffy and I shared a confused look.
"It was Willow's spell." Dawn told us. "She's the potential slayer."
Buffy and I shared another look, before staring at the girl in realization.
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Back at my house, the girls were in the living room gathering around, telling stories. The new girl Amanda was now sitting among them.
I walked out of the kitchen with a tray of food Kassie had made a simple grilled cheese and a glass of milk. I spotted Dawn staring into the living room with a look of rejection.
"Hey, Dawnie, you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, I was thinking of hitting the books." Dawn told me. "Do some research on The First. It's in retreat mode right now but you're still going to need to know how to fight it and remove whatever hold it has on Spike."
"Great that sounds good." I told her gently before walking into the room and sat the tray down handing Amanda something to eat.
"Thanks."
I smiled at her.
"Hey you guys." Buffy said walking in with Xander and Nick. She noticed Amanda eating. "Want to head outside and get our newest arrival up to speed? You can bring that with you."
The girls nodded, standing and followed Buffy outside leaving Nick and Dawn alone.
I turned and headed out with them, sitting on my patio. Kassie, Roman and Spike joined me, Kassie handed me a warmed up tru blood and Spike wrapped an arm around my waist, while I laid my head on his shoulder and sipped on my drink quietly feeling exhausted suddenly.
We watched the girls train.
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New Chapter!
12/31/2022
Like. Comment. Vote. Let me know what you think.
Hope you enjoy! Nothing except Victoria belongs to me. It's a little hard to fit Tori's Dhampir world into the storyline but I'm working out all the kinks. Thanks for being patient and not being a hater.