Re: Fic; Where Do We Go From Here? (The Chosen 1) 3b/4

["bighotvirgo" <BHV@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I can't wait for the next part(s) to this. I really like the pacing 
you've set up.

More please?


--- In buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Kirayoshi@H... 
wrote:
> And here's the second half of it.
> 
> ======== 
> 
> "Yo, Dawn," Steven called out from the walk-in cooler, "do we 
need any lemon slices for drinks tonight?" Dawn was casually 
cleaning the bar at the `New Bronze', helping Steve get it ready to 
open on one of her rare shifts Buffy let her work. 
> 
> Dawn checked the mini-fridge, then called back to Steven, "We 
could use a half-a-pan up here. Oh, and two quarts of 
strawberries, Buffy's running a special on smoothies tonight." 
Steve nodded as he grabbed the requested citrus.
> 
> Dawn had to smile as she wiped down the bar with a wet 
cloth. For the first time since her mother's death, Dawn finally 
felt like she had a true family. Ever since that final battle with 
Glory, where she watched her sister dive off of the mad 
goddess's tower, Dawn felt disconnected from any family. Her 
father had all but abdicated the title, Giles had left for England, 
Spike was never really family even if he cared for her and Buffy in 
his warped way. Willow and Tara did their best to fill the void but 
it didn't feel the same.
> 
> Even when Buffy miraculously returned from the dead it didn't 
feel entirely like her. Buffy had been distant, removed from the 
world, from her friends, from Dawn. Then things got worse. 
Tara left. Willow got mixed up with bad magic. Buffy got mixed 
up with Spike. Tara came back, only to have a bullet slam 
through her body, killing her instantly. Willow went insane, 
nearly taking the world down with her in her grief.
> 
> It was that final terrible day, when Buffy's best friend became 
her worst enemy that led to things turning around for Buffy. 
Whatever darkness had claimed her, Buffy had finally fought and 
defeated it that night. For the first time since her resurrection, 
she wanted to reclaim her life. More importantly she wanted to 
share that life with Dawn.
> 
> Naturally the Hellmouth had other ideas. There was an 
apocalypse to deal with, new potential slayers to train and a 
hundred other details. For awhile Dawn feared that she was 
losing the sister she had finally found again to the general she 
was becoming. And as the situation with the Caleb and the First 
Evil became more desperate, as emotions and tensions 
between everyone became frayed, Dawn did the only thing that 
made sense at the time. She turned her back on her sister.
> 
> But somehow that was behind them. The Hellmouth was 
behind them. The crater that used to be Sunnydale was behind 
them. And here in Seattle she and Buffy finally bonded as 
sisters, not as Slayer and Key. And now that Willow was living in 
Seattle and back in Buffy's life, Dawn felt happier than she could 
remember feeling in a long time. Her family was back.
> 
> Dawn grabbed a chamois and started to buff the brass fixtures 
around the bar to a vibrant sheen when she heard a commotion 
at the main entrance. The door to club burst open and a petite 
redheaded girl stumbled in, holding an obviously bleeding gash 
in her side, her t-shirt ripped and bloodied.
> 
> "Vi!" Dawn screamed out as she saw the girl.
> 
> "Oh...thank God, I f-found the right...place." The redhead 
mumbled as she collapsed on the floor.
> 
> Dawn rushed over to her fallen friend and checked for a pulse. 
She breathed a sigh of relief as she felt it still beating strong and 
that Vi had only passed out from the pain and exhaustion. "Steve 
I need your help!" The young brunette yelled out to the strong 
man staring aghast at the scene before him. "Now, Steve!" He 
dropped the grapefruits, rushed to her side and asked what he 
could do.
> 
> "I need you to carry her to the office and put her on the couch, 
ok? Oh and place her so this side is facing out," she ordered 
Steven, indicating the wound on the girl's side.
> 
> "Dawn I don't think we should move her and also I think we 
should call an ambulance." Steven started to protest.
> 
> "No, no ambulance or police Steve," Dawn shook her head 
violently. "Now get her moved to the office. When you've done 
that I need you to call Buffy and tell her I need the "Emergency 
Kit" she'll understand." Dawn looked at the redhead and 
continued. "Oh and also have her bring some old clothes she 
doesn't mind getting messed up." 
> 
> The blonde man gingerly picked up the wounded girl and 
carried her to the back office. Vi whimpered softly as he placed 
her on the couch. Dawn rushed in carrying the woefully 
inadequate first aide kit from behind the bar and ushered Steven 
out of the room. The manager then went back to the bar and 
called his boss to relay the message Dawn told him to give.
> 
> Dawn closed the door behind the retreating man and moved 
over to the couch. Vi was still passed out and had her face 
scrunched up in pain. Dawn gently smoothed the girl's red 
bangs from her sweat-damp brow and closed eyes. "Oh Vi what 
happened to you?" The young brunette whispered. Dawn then 
went into what Buffy once called 'watcher junior mode' and broke 
open the kit she brought with her. Using the small scissors she 
found in the case, she carefully cut the wounded girl's tight tee 
shirt off her strong young
> body. Dawn inspected the open wound and found that no main 
arteries were cut and that the girl's abdomen hadn't been 
punctured. "Good it's only a flesh wound." Dawn whispered and 
proceeded to clean the wound out with peroxide. Once she had 
cleaned it adequately, Dawn packed the gaping cut with all of the 
gauze from the kit and waited for Buffy to arrive.
> 
> Within a few minutes, Buffy and Willow rushed into the club 
and the blonde called out for Steve. "Where are they?"
> 
> "In the back boss. Dawn's got the girl back in the office." Her 
assistant manager replied. The two women ran to the back 
office.
> 
> "Good you're here." Dawn sighed once she saw her sister. "Ok 
Buffy, open the case. I need the Vicral sutures and a large 
bandage," the younger Summers stated clinically. 
> Buffy did as her sister bade and handed her the suture kit. 
Dawn carefully stitched the wound closed as Willow looked on.
> 
> "Wow Dawn those are some really good stitches. How'd you 
get so good doing that?" The witch asked.
> 
> "Um, temper tantrums and stuffed animals don't really get 
along Willow." The brunette answered, all the while never taking 
her eyes off of the injured girl on the couch. "Ok now I need the 
bandage." Dawn stated as she tied off the last stitch and cut the 
thread free. Buffy handed it to her and watched as Dawn tenderly 
placed it over the fresh stitches and lovingly smoothed it out on 
the girl's side.
> 
> Dawn sat back on her heels and looked up at Buffy, seeing the 
wonderment in her older sister's eyes. 
> 
> "What?" Dawn asked innocently.
> 
> "When did you become all take-charge girl? I don't know but I 
think I kinda like that side of you Dawnie." Dawn turned her head 
away at Buffy's praise, and Buffy smiled at her sister's blush.
> 
> "Do you think we should wake her or just let her rest?" Dawn 
asked ignoring her sister's complement.
> 
> "Let's wake her," Buffy replied. "We need to know what 
happened to her and if it was slayer related." 
> 
> Dawn reached into her kit and pulled out a little ampoule, 
snapped it open, and waved it under Vi's nose. 
> 
> The young girl thrashed around for a bit then her eyes opened 
and focused on the people in the room. "Hey I found you." Vi 
whispers as she recognized Buffy.
> 
> "Yes you did Vi, so why don't you tell us how you got hurt ok?" 
Buffy asked going straight into "Slayer Mom" mode.
> 
> Vi tried to get a little more comfortable, despite the pain lancing 
her side, before she started. "Ok let's see, oh yeah I was looking 
for this place and down at the end of the block I ran into these 
three guys. Well I didn't get any slayer tingles so I didn't think I 
was in any danger. The leader, I guess that's who he was, starts 
asking me where I was headed and I told him I was looking for 
here. He had this weird look on his face and before I knew what 
was happening one of his friends whipped out a knife and cut 
me. He 
> said that this would give 'That Bitch' a message not to screw 
with their business and then they just shoved me down and 
walked off. That's when I stumbled on down the street and found 
this club."
> 
> Buffy fumed as she heard Vi's description of events. "Phat 
Albert," she muttered to herself. She had hoped that between 
herself and Officer Richardson they had placed the fear of God in 
him, but it was clear that Phat still thought he owned the 
neighborhood.
> 
> "Now can we call the police?" Steven suggested from the 
doorway.
> 
> "Huh?" Buffy shook her head at Steven's words, letting them 
register. Fishing a small card out of her fanny-pack, she handed 
the card to her partner. "Oh, right. Steven, call this number for 
Officer James Richardson. We're on his regular beat, and he 
gave me that number in case any of Phat Albert's gang tried 
anything funny around here. Vi," she returned her attention to the 
young Irish girl, "I know you've probably got the Super Bowl 
halftime show in your head right now, but do you think you could 
describe who cut you?"
> 
> Vi grimaced slightly from the pain, then pursed her lips in 
thought. "I think so, yes, I can identify the fricken' gobshites that 
did this to me."
> 
> "Good," Buffy announced, putting on her leather jacket and 
heading for the front door. "Willow, Steven, hold down the fort for 
me. Dawn, Vi, you fill in the cops when they get here. I'm going 
to have a meeting of the minds with Phat Albert."
> 
> "In other words," Dawn guessed, "you're gonna bust some 
heads?"
> 
> "Something like that," Buffy nodded as she opened the door.
> 
> "Buffy?" Willow called out to the departing Slayer. Buffy 
stopped and turned toward her. "Be careful."
> 
> "Hey," Buffy grinned to assure her friend. "This is me, here."
> 
> Willow watched silently as Buffy ducked out of the door and 
into the night.
> 
> ======== 
> 
> "You're getting sloppy," 'Phat' Albert Moretti backhanded his 
subordinate, 'Iceman' Isaacs, sending the hapless thug 
sprawling on the asphalt. "The idea was to make her scared, to 
discourage anyone from dealing with that Summers bitch." The 
imposing hood glared down at Iceman, cold contempt pouring 
out of his eyes. "I wanted that bitch shakin', not bleedin'!"
> 
> "Cuttin' a bitch up always make her shake, Phat." Iceman said 
tersely. 
> 
> "You don't get it, Ice," Phat answered. "Last damn thing we 
need is that bitch comin' after 
> us. I just wanted a little scare, and you nearly get us in 
trouble!"
> 
> "Trust me, Phat," an angry voice echoed from the end of the 
alley. Phat, Iceman and seven other thugs craned their heads, 
seeing an angry woman, her legs bent in a defensive stance, 
her figure silhouetted by the streetlights behind her. "He didn't 
'nearly' anything. You're in trouble."
> 
> Seven hands reached within jackets for their guns, but Phat 
stopped them with a wave of his hand. "No, men," he spoke in a 
tone of quiet command, "drop your pieces. I want this done long 
and painful. Fists only."
> 
> "The girl your goon cut," Buffy snarled as she walked forward, 
her footsteps on the asphalt as steady as a ticking clock, "she's 
a friend of mine. As long as your little turf war was between you 
and me, I was happy to ignore you. But when someone hurts my 
friends, that makes me unhappy." One thug rushed toward 
Buffy, his hands thrust forward in a move Buffy recognized as 
Brazilian kung fu, one of many disciplines Giles had touched on 
briefly during her early training as the Slayer. He charged toward 
her, howling from deep in his stomach, only to fold with a 
satisfying crack as Buffy's foot impacted hard with his gut. As he 
doubled over in obvious pain, Buffy continued her approach. 
"And like I said when we first met, Phat, it was in your best 
interest to keep me happy."
> 
> Phat didn't say a word, he simply snapped his fingers. Iceman 
and the remaining thugs immediately sprang into action, circling 
Buffy, cutting her off from the alley entrance. Phat stood up and 
strode toward Buffy, his eyes cold and unreadable in the dim 
light. "I'll hand it to you, Summers," Phat announced blandly. 
"Few people can take Lupe down as quickly as you just did. 
You're good. I figure you could take three, maybe four of us 
down. Too bad there's more than four of us, ain't that right 
guys?" The other thugs laughed harshly as the circle narrowed 
around Buffy.
> 
> Buffy stood her ground, staring Phat straight in the eyes. 
"You're right, Phat," Buffy said levelly. "I probably could take four 
of you on a good day." She slowly turned around, facing each of 
her potential attackers, making sure to make eye contact with 
each of them as she passed them. "The question is," she 
continued, her voice calm and deadly, "which one do I take down 
first?"
> 
> It was a simple strategy, one Giles taught Buffy during her first 
year at Sunnydale. When confronted by superior numbers, 
address them as if you were speaking to each one as an 
individual, and let each individual vamp know that he would fall 
before you did. Vampires sometimes attacked in large groups, 
but they possessed no pack mentality. They tended to think of 
themselves first and the group second.
> 
> Much like Phat's thugs, who stopped moving in closer to Buffy 
and started to back away. Within a few seconds, the first thug 
ran off into the night, followed by one of his compatriots, then 
within a minute, all of Phat's troops dispersed, leaving the 
wannabe gangster alone with Buffy Summers.
> 
> "And then there were none," Buffy smiled as she slowly moved 
forward. "My advice after tonight? When you're in the prison 
showers, don't drop the soap."
> 
> Phat growled slightly, all pretence of calm civility falling away. 
"You don't get it, little Slayer," he spoke as his face began to 
contort. "I've been in charge of this turf for fifteen decades," he 
hissed through jagged sharp fangs, his now-yellow eyes 
gleaming with hatred from behind ridged brows. "And I don't 
care if the rumors that you closed the Hellmouth are true, I ain't 
lettin' you get in my way, bitch!"
> 
> Buffy stopped her approach, her eyes widening in shock for a 
second. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she mentally berated herself, not 
sensing the warning signs, the little telltale tingles! She 
absently remembered Vi's claim that she didn't feel any tingle 
around the thugs. She realized that the sun hadn't set when she 
arrived at the Bronze, so obviously he wasn't there. And silly me, 
I went and left Mr. Pointy at home!
> 
> "Geez," Buffy chimed nonchalantly, as her eyes darted across 
her field of vision, searching for something she could use as a 
stake. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
> 
> "No, Slayer," he lunged at her as she dodged his clumsy 
attack. "I kiss yours!"
> 
> "A century and a half and that's the best comeback you can 
come up with?" Buffy ducked another brutish assault, watching 
with grim satisfaction as the vampire charged into a pile of 
crates. Buffy noticed the splintered and moldering wood around 
the alley and smiled. It was time to wrap this thing up. 
> 
> Buffy crouched for a second, then kicked off, jumping toward 
the pile of splintered wood crates, landing squarely on her feet. 
She grabbed a jagged chunk of wood and broke it across her 
knee into a manageable length, satisfied with the tapered point 
at one end. Not aerodynamic, she thought, but it'll do.
> 
> "Y'think that will help you, little Slayer?" Phat sneered, slowly 
circling around the Slayer. 
> 
> Buffy shrugged innocently, "I was kinda banking on it, yeah." 
She replaced her bland expression with a determined glower, 
adding, "I'll just make it hurt a little more. Didn't like that crack 
about my mom." The vampire snorted before rushing Buffy 
again. Buffy stood her ground until Phat was within striking 
distance, and jumped toward him, impacting his body with hers. 
> 
> Pain lanced through her abdomen, forcing her to double over 
on the ground beside the vampire. She quickly examined her 
midsection, wincing at the spreading red on her sweatshirt. 
>From the impact with the vampire, her deep stomach gash, the 
final wound she had suffered in battle against the First Evil, had 
opened, sending waves of pain through her belly. She twisted 
around slowly, trying to keep in front of Phat, only to be sent flying 
backward by a boot to the chin.
> 
> "Your rep is inflated," Phat sneered, as he towered over the 
fallen Slayer. "Of course, once word gets around that I iced a 
Slayer," he added, pulling a gun out of his jacket pocket, "my 
street cred'll be spread all over town!"
> 
> "What a coincidence, so will you!" Something hit Phat's back 
with a muffled thud, causing the vampire to arch his back in pain, 
before instantly decomposing into dust. Buffy lifted her head 
heavily, watching as a familiar and confident figure strode toward 
her, a crossbow draped casually over her shoulder. "Hey, Buffy," 
Faith asked as she knelt down beside Buffy. "You okay? Looks 
like your playmate got in a lucky swipe."
> 
> "B-buffy?" the blonde Slayer asked wearily. "What happened to 
'B'?"
> 
> "Please, let's not get into that now!" Faith raised her eyebrows 
in exasperation. Carrying her crossbow by its shoulder strap, 
she slowly lifted Buffy to her free shoulder, saying, "C'mon, sister 
Slayer, let's get you back home." Buffy gratefully accepted Faith's 
help, leaning on her shoulder as Faith guided her home.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Friends are the DNA of society. They are the basic building 
blocks of life. If you have a couple of good ones, treasure them 
like gold. There's nothing better. Ever look at that MCI ad they 
have, "Friends and Family"? Who do they mention first? Your 
friends help you carry the big weight in life. That big burden 
we've all got called, 'What the Hell am I doing?'" 
> --Jerry Seinfeld