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Chapter 15: Charity Cases
Two weeks ago...
A scared girl named Patience ran from the guys in robes. She didn't know a whole lot about any of this, but she knew that this was not a good thing. To have robed guys after her. Guys, sure, but not robed guys. She gasped as she turned the corner and a beautiful blonde woman came into view. The woman was taller than her, but not tall at all. She was beautiful and seemed so familiar. She even wore a heart with thorns around her neck.
" Hey, hold up, girlie." the woman said, " Where you going?"
" These guys in robes...they..." Patience panted.
The woman frowned and looked around, " Robes? They're after me too! In here." the woman said, ushering Patience into the alley as the robed guys flew past the alley.
" It all started when I got these powers, sorta like Wonderwoman...I guess..." but Patience stopped at the sight of the robed guys, " Um...um..."
" Charity." Charity smiled behind the girl, snapping her neck and causing her to fall over, " Well guys, I think it's time we move on. The bosses want us to make new friends." she smirked, twirling her necklace.
The robed figures behind her nodded and turned to leave. Charity smiled and walked away too.
I woke up in cold sweat. The dream was vivid...very vivid. The bringers, the poor dead slayer, and...who was the last person? The face was blurry and pretty unseeable. Maybe a hell god, maybe Glory was back! But, no, Glory died a long time ago. I looked over at Connor, who had slept with me. In the innocent way. It wasn't like it sounded. Not sex. Not hot, monkey sex. Just sleep. After being in an alternate reality, I was pretty wiped, not to mention the total power trip my Comp teacher was taking.
" You okay? You're sweating." Connor said, turning the light on.
I nodded, " Dream." I said simply.
" The same one?" he asked.
" Same killer, different scenario." I said, sliding out of bed, " I'm thinking someone's trying to warn me."
" Warn you? You mean that mean chick is coming our way?" he asked.
" I don't know." I said blankly, " I'm wiped. I felt like Buffy, going into the Hellmouth, getting the scythe, fighting Faith and Buffy...outrunning the demons and the first. What if the first gains enough strength to get a body? Then what will we do?" I asked, panicking.
" What we always do." Connor smiled, kissing me, " We'll fight."
" I don't think I can sleep." I said quickly.
" What do you want to...oh." Connor said, realizing what I meant, " Are you sure?"
" I'm not sure, I just...it's weird what we need." I said.
Connor sighed, " It has to be what we both want." he said.
" Who says? I mean, it's not like it's our first time." I said.
" But that's special to you, you know it." Connor smirked.
" We may not have long. I mean we could die tomorrow. I could die..." I started.
" And the world could fall to pieces, but we have time." he said, putting his arm around me.
" The moon's doing that thing where it shines and the demons all run around." I smiled.
" Yeah...We can patrol later." he said, nestling behind me.
" Oz, what is this?" I asked.
" Training." Oz said. I looked at him as if I didn't know him, " I'm starting to rethink my career decision."
I pouted, " I miss rocker Oz. And am I really that difficult?" I asked.
" Do I seem like a watcher to you?" Oz asked.
" Nope." Kelly said from the counter.
" Aren't you supposed to be catalouging?" I asked, causing her to skidaddle.
" Somebody's rude this year." Doug said, pointing to his arm, " I remember."
" You made a pass at me, no subtle or hot, just harsh and seriously lame." I spat.
" Yeah, sorry about that." Doug said, looking from me to Connor, " I really am."
" Is this the part where I say that we were just kid?" I asked.
" Yeah." Doug nodded.
" It was a few months ago." I said, shocked at the thought of the excuse, " And, even though you look amd act normal doesn't mean anything."
" And why not?" Doug asked.
" Angelus." I said without hesitation.
" Good one." Oz chuckled, " Next time, say Willow."
" Why Willow?" Kelly asked.
" Goddess inside a tiny witch." Oz joked.
" Why did I miss that one?" I asked, " Look at me, would you think I'd be a slayer?"
" o." Doug smirked, " I guess you're right."
" I'm always right." I chuckled.
" You met Angelus?" Connor asked, sitting on the counter.
" Met?" I asked, " If you mean did he try to kidnap me and Dawn, yeah. He told me he was going to rape me after he sucks my life through my neck. Romantic? Sorta. Totally gross...definitely."
" What?" Connor asked, hopping off the counter, " He said that?"
" You have met Angelus, right?" I asked, " Not the sanest guy. More like the evilest evil in all Evildom."
" That's off-putting." Kelly said, " Maybe you would have liked it. I mean, Angel is hot...right, has to be to bag a slayer. So, Angelus would be like..."
" That's not funny." Connor growled.
" Sor-ry. who is this guy anyways?" Kelly asked.
" My dad." Connor said angrily.
The room went silent and Oz and I looked at each other.
" Not really. Ok, Angel has a soul. Angel plus happiness equals no soul. Ergo, Angelus. And he's a vampire. Dawn's big sister, Queen Slayer, Buffy, dated him and had to kill him. He went to hell, Faith went to jail, Buffy died, Evil Willow cried, Xander lost an eye and they all saved the world. The end." I said, leaving not only Kelly and Doug, but Oz, Groo, and Connor shocked.
" Buffy died?" Oz asked.
" A little." I said sheepishly, " She died...chaotically, but she was brought back...chaotically." I said nervously.
" Ok, Buffy died?" Oz repeated.
" Willow and Tara manned the battlestations, Xander and Anya were back-up, Spike was lookout and Dawn and I were innocents. It's all old news." I said testily, " A lot of tears from Dawn."
" Hello." Came a voice. We all turned to see a mother and her little girl. The little girl looked at me. I looked at her too. There was something strange about her. Something familiar.
" We'll take this." Connor said, grabbing Groo.
" Training please." I asked. Oz nodded and walked me to a room filled with training equipment. The equipment was so cool and I was happy to see he had done this. They all had, " You guys...are awesome."
" It was nothing." Oz chuckled, " Lost a few fingers, but..." he chuckled.
I chuckled too and moved to the dummy in the middle of the room, " So, what's on the agenda?" I asked, sitting on a nearby desk.
" Dedication is..." Oz began, but he stopped as I chuckled, " What?" he asked.
" It's cute. You're really trying and it's cute." I smiled, " Okay, can you speak as Oz and not as my watcher?" I asked.
" WHo?" he joked, " Cute? Me? Seriously, I don't wanna be cute, I wanna be the watcher. I don't wanna mess you up. That's why some british guy with a jones for books and very old Beatles songs. Not that I'm dissing the Beatles, cause hey..." Oz said, sitting the Watcher's guide down.
I walked over and stood in front of him, " We both know that the book isn't gonna help much." I smiled, " You remember when me and Dawn snuck into the demon club and ya'll had to come and get us?" he nodded, " That's not something a book can teach. Connor and Groo do the 'working' part and we do the slaying. In order to do the slaying, I need to be a slayer, not read about one." I argued.
" Right." Oz nodded, staring at me.
" Besides, Giles was a kick ass watcher, but come on! You're freakin Oz." I chuckled.
" Give me a roundhouse." Oz commanded, leaning on the gymnast bar.
" You got it." I said, roundhousing the dummy.
" So, do you thkn we'll be doin much fighting?" Kelly asked, " I just got my nails done and they're a pain when they break. And these clothes were on sale." she said, posing.
Doug chuckled, " Why? You have a hot date?" he asked.
Kelly nodded, " Bingo." she said with a mild whistle.
" Oh" Doug said in realization, " You're dating already."
" Yeah, it's sort of no-celebate thing I'm trying." Kelly laughed, " You should try it. That's okay, right?"
" Duh....you're eighteen and I'm not you're father." Doug said, acting as if it didn't affect him.
" I just hope he's not a demon or married." Kelly said uncertainly, " Especially married." she mused.
" that should be the least of your worries." Doug spat.
" Honestly, it's the first...Do you love this skirt? I got it half off and it matches the shirt." Kelly smiled, walking off to shelve the books in her hands.
" Love you." Doug said to himself, watching Kelly walk away. He turned back to the computer and continued indexing.
Meanwhile...
" So, are we making the move?" Charity asked, lounging in the plush and newly rebuilt office of Wolfram and Hart.
Lindsey McDonald whirled around from the window, " Yeah. If you can find them and you aren't afraid to mess up lady Sadvige's plans, go ahead." he smiled.
" Now we can have some real fun, y'all." Charity said, leaving the office.
As Oz and I walked through the park, I noticed more muggings than actual demons. It was...refreshing. I looked over at Oz, who seemed calm, despite the big moon overhead.
" So, the world is going to hell?" I asked.
" That's what all the old guys in suede are saying." Oz smiled, " The moon is...can't remember the last time I enjoyed the moon."
" Enjoy away." I said boredly, " Maybe soon demons even fear daylight...then what?" I panicked.
" That would suck, Mr. Negativity." Oz smirked.
" I prefer Mr. Realistic." I said, " Or Mr. Slayer...or, you know, A-Nasty." I chuckled. We both laughed.
" HELP!" came a shriek from the middle of the park. I looked at Oz and Oz looked at me, then I bolted from my stop and sped to the shriek. When I arrived on the scene, the woman was on the ground and a big, green monster was loping towards her!
" Never fear, super skinny guy is here." The demon chuckled in a low voice.
I frowned, " Hey! It's not the size of me, it's what I do with." I said, kicking him in the chest and sending him flying backwards, " See, now you're mad. Now you wanna shred me." I smiled. He got back up and I bitch-smacked him down. I hit him again before he could hit me, then looked around for something to finish him with. I looked around and my eyes narrowed in on a bench, so I smashed it, grabbing the sharpest piece and I waited until he charged after me to impale him on it!
" Oh my gosh! You're just like me." the woman said, geting up.
" Doubt that." I said, helping her up.
" Super strong? Unless you're a vampire." she said eagerly.
I looked at her awkwardly, " Right, and yo uknow abou them because..." I said.
" So, you, like, live here?" Charity asked, looking around.
I stopped, " Yeah. Not mine, my...Connor's dad's. We just inhabit it." I said impatiently.
" And you're Connor." Charity asked, looking at Oz.
" No." Oz said quickly.
Charity stared.
" Oz, he's Oz, my watcher." I said, walking to the counter, " So, you're.."
Charity smiled and played with her hair, " Charity. I'm new in town, or at least I was a while ago. I'm from Texas."
" I'm from Oklahoma myself." I confessed, " Little, big town. Not a serious place, but I miss it." I smiled.
" We should call Giles and Buffy, they need all the slayers they can get." Oz insisted, " They make big and scary fun, you'd like them."
I nodded and walked to Oz, " Tell them I said hey." I said, turning to Oz.
" You don't want to talk to them?" Oz asked, " Suffering from a little post-slayerism?" he smiled.
" Huh?" I asked.
" The slayer thing...the male slayer." Oz asked.
" No." I said quickly, " Not exactly. Just feels like a wound. Not entirely sure I wanna pick it."
" A lotta nots." Oz sighed, " Fine." he said, walking away.
I turned and walked back to Charity, " You seem familiar, where do you stay?" I asked.
" Around. I got in town a little while ago." Charity smirked.
I turned and walked back to the counter, " I thought you'd been here a while." I asked.
Charity pulled a really big knife from her pocket and crept up behind me, " Well, you know, it's a little touch to keep your story straight." she said, lunging at me.
I caught her hand, " Believe me, I so get that." I said, kicking her in the chest, causing her to stumble backwards, " Recognized the necklace." I said, stopping in front of her, " Why?" I asked.
" Come on, a, you know..." Charity began, but I punched her, " Not supposed to hit a woman."
" You're not a woman." I sneered.
" It's okay, you hit like my grandma. SO everything's 5x5." she smirked.
" A? 5x5? You're not Faith" I said angrily, " And this whole scenario isn't gonna shake down like that."
" We'll see!" Charity said, throwing the knife. I caught it and she kicked me in the stomach. I stumbled against the wall and dropped the knife. Charity grabbed the knife and flipped back, " Smart guy. I'm gonna see you again soon!" she said, hightailing it past Oz and Kelly. Their eyes looked from Charity to me, then to the mess.
" Rogues gallery?" Oz asked.
My nostrils flared, " Ya think?! Turns out she's big bad from my dreams." I raged, " She's killing slayers...but she is a slayer."
" So, we're saving slayers, then?" Kelly asked.
" How was the date?" I asked.
" Cheap." Kelly replied.
" Eh." I shrugged, " Get Doug so we can..." I started.
" Gone." Kelly said.
" As in?" I asked quickly.
" As in not here, was here, but left...pretty much left the building." Kelly said.
" Okay, where is he?" I asked.
" Connor and Groosalugg needed a third and I sure wasn't going. I just bought these shoes." Kelly said walking to the counter and shuffling papers, " Do I have to pick this up? Can't we just do a little spell to.."
" No!" I said testily, " Is there an address?"
" For what?" Kelly asked.
" The job they're all on." I asked.
" Duh, how else would we get the money?" Kelly said, searching the papers. She found it and handed it to me.
" What in the hell was I thinking?" I asked, getting the address from here.
" I'll go." Oz said, grabbing his coat.
" Sorry, but no. Love the van and all, but I need you here in case something goes wrong...that and I can run faster." I said, jogging away.
" True, no stoplights." Kelly said.
" Be careful!" Oz yelled after me.
I nodded and continued out the door.
Kelly turned to Oz, " God, get a room." she said, walking behind the counter.
Oz looked at her blankly, " What are you talking about?" he asked.
Kelly shuffled the papers, " Come on, it's way obvious that you're in some serious like with Austin, which is weird cause you're his watcher. And because you're his boyfriend's best friend and we all live here together."
" I know." Oz said, still blank, " This is just between us, right?"
" I can keep a secret." Kelly smirked, " I so didn't tell anyone about Groo's weird sex dreams, so you're safe. On one condition," she said, handing him the stack of papers, " Enjoy." She said, leaving.
I slammed through the door and immediately saw Connor, Groo, Doug, and the little girl's mother laying on the floor. I rushed to Connor and checked his pulse. Good and I looked over to the rest of group and they were moving. They were all moving except the mother. I moved her and checked her pulse. It was definitely negative.
" She's not waking up." a voice came behind me. I whirled around to see Charity standing next to the little girl from before, " Our little slugger here has just scored the winning point."
" Mommy!" the little girl said, tears streaming from her eyes.
I looked up, " You sick skank." I said, rising to my feet.
Charity's nails dug into the little girl and she squeaked, " Might wanna watch watch you say, a little girl's neck snap."
" Yeah, but what about the child's neck?" I asked, " You're a monster." I said, noticing the guys start to move.
" Right, I'm the monster! The son of two vampires, the demon guy and the witch. Evil's not so black and white anymore, huh." Charity smirked.
" Yeah, actually, it is. Because unlike many other demons, you have a choice and your powers are meant for helping not hurting." I said, my eyes moving to the sight behind her. A big, scaly demon. It's eyes were red and it was...I think that was a tail. Charity looked back and the demon swatted her across the room. The little girl ran to me and I told her to stay with Connor and the guys. I ran to the demon and watched Charity work him over! After a few punches and kicks, the demon made to hit her and I grabbed its hand, swinging it into the wall. Charity took her knife and stabbed him in the gut and swung it upwards, slicing him open. We stepped back and looked at each other, then I punched her in the face and she flew backwards into a glass cabinet and she howled in pain. She got to her feet and ran to me, kicking me in the face, but I punched her in the gut again and she flip=kicked me. I rolled back and Charity put the knife to my throat.
" strap yourself in for the ride." Charity smiled.
" Get away from him!" the little girl shouted, punching Charity in the jaw! Charity slid backwards and hit the wall!
" Wow...ok, I get it." I said, grabbing the girl and walking to Connor and the gang, " You guys okay?"
" I'm pretty sure that psycho bi...(We all looked at the little girl) lady is...psycho." Connor said, rubbing his head.
" I'm wanting to equate my fist with her face." I said, looking back at Charity, but she was gone, " But, of course, she skidaddled."
" That's usually the way it goes." Connor said.
" What do we do with the child?" Groo asked.
I shrugged, " I'm sure Buffy and the gang could use another slayer." I said nervously, " Do you have any relatives?"
" My dad...but he's..." the little girl said sadly.
" Well, you're special. Just like me. And I want to send you to live in Scotland with my friend Buffy. She's super nice." I said, trying to convince her, " It's like Hogwarts, only without the comfort...plus, hey, it's Scotland! The leprechuans and greeness...who doesn't love leprechuans and greeness."
" Could be fun." the girl said, " Real leprechuans?"
" And did he mention the greeness?" Connor smiled.
" We'll find your dad, but in the meantime, you can play in Scotland." I smiled, looking back at Connor.
" And that psycho slayer was like, 'strap yourself in.' and..." Doug said, reciting the whole story. I walked out, having lived it, it didn't have quite the same impact on me. So, I walked out of the room. Oz was in the office, drinking something.
" Is that alcohol?" I asked, causing him to look up at me, " If so, I need a drink." I said, sitting down.
" No." Oz laughed, " It's tea. Helps me not to bark at the locals."
" I don't know, man, hairy Oz is super sexy." I smiled, " It's weird that you...you were in a band, now you're drinking tea. Maybe you'll be british."
" Is that bad?" Oz asked.
" No." I smiled, " Look, Oz, I'm not stupid. There's something between us and if I wasn't in love with Connor, I'd jump at the chance to...explore. There would be mass amounts of exploring. You could fill buckets."
" You caught that too?" Oz asked nervously.
" I'm genius." I smirked, " You know, when you dated Willow and Dawn and me used to hang around, I had a total crush on you. Dawn had the thing for Xander and Janice had the thing for Angel...and Giles...and you...and Xander. She was kinda slutty. I mean, Giles...ewww, yet, I know what she means." I said, causing both of us to chuckle.
" Me? You crushed on me?" he asked.
" Yeah. I mean, besides the cool van, you were Oz. Cute and sexy and mysterious." I smirked.
" So..." Oz asked nervously.
" Betcha wish that was the truch, huh." Austin said, getting up, " It sorta is. I mean, he has feeling for you, but Connor is his love. He could never love us."
" His? Us?" Oz asked, shocked by the turn this conversation had taken.
" I'm not him." the look-alike said, " I'm not here to hurt you or to kill you, I'm just getting my point across. I'm powerful. If you go face to face with me, I'll murder and she is coming."
" Titan?" Oz asked.
" Bingo. Evil has many faces, but this is not one of them. His face is so pure and he's so pure. He's going to do it. Him and Buffy Summers, they're going to bring the world out of it. I am just." Titan said, disappearing.
Oz was shocked and dismayed as I walked in, " Oz. What's going on?" I asked.
" The little girl is alright?" Oz asked.
" Oz, are you okay?" i asked.
" Titan. He was here." Oz said.
I looked around, " What? What happened? Are you hurt?" I asked.
" He's...it's not what he did, it's what he said." Oz said, " We have to tell the gang."
I nodded, " Sure, come on." I said, walking out of the office with Oz.
" So, have you talked to the gang?" Oz asked.
" Well, I talked to..." I said as we walked out of the room, then I stopped, " Dawn?" I obviously shocked when I looked up and saw Xander, Buffy, and Dawn.
" Hiya." Dawn said, waving.