Transitory Evils

Part 11 – Definitions of Evil, Part 2


Approximately simultaneous with Part 1 of Definitions of Evil


Buffy sat, happily drinking a latte with Rochelle. London, she thought, agreed with her. They had come up to what some English people called ‘The Smoke’ the previous day, spent the night at the Carlton and had spent all day shopping. Rochelle had introduced Buffy to Portobello Road and open-air markets unlike any that Buffy had ever seen.

“So, you had fun today, Buffy?” Rochelle asked casually.

“That’s so of the yes,” the slayer answered happily. She grinned openly at the woman who had become her best friend.

“Oh good,” Rochelle’s smile was dazzling. “What do you want to this fine evening?”

“Clubbing?” Buffy asked hopefully.

Rochelle raised an eyebrow, “Why?” She asked.

“Find guys, why else?” Buffy answered honestly.

“I’m not really into that whole meat market scene,” Rochelle demurred gently. “But I guess I can make an exception. We’ve got adjacent rooms and a door, so it’s not like any harm can come to us if we actually get lucky.”

“Actually?” Buffy’s voice crept up in pitch as she quoted Rochelle. “Ro, we’re both hotties, and here I’ve got this whole accent thing going for me. We’ll find a couple of hunks.”

Rochelle smiled, and then rolled her eyes. “If we do,” she continued, “mine’ll be a dud root anyway.”

“A what?” Buffy asked, totally confused.

Rochelle giggled. “I meant he’ll be really lousy in bed. I’m sorry, I did my undergraduate work at the University of New South Wales, and a couple of terms sort of … stuck.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Y’know, one thing I really wasn’t missing was Giles and Spike using their own version of American. And now I have to go through it again!”

Rochelle rolled her eyes. ‘My God this girl is so self-obsessed that it’s frightening. Fortunately, that obsession makes it easier for her to control and mould to our needs. Oh well, I think I could do with a bit of rough trade.’

“Okay Buffy. Why don’t we head back and get all glam?”

Buffy grinned. She knew Rochelle had to be over thirty but she didn’t look it and her chestnut hair offset her pale complexion really well. Buffy was thinking of how her friend would look, all dressed up in real clothes rather than those horrid Watcher suits.

* * * *

Rochelle and Buffy sat in a corner of the dark, smoky club and scanned the room. “Lots of talent out there Buffy,” Rochelle said, smiling. “What’re you looking for?”

“Y’know, the usual. Fit, cute, heartbeat. That sorta thing.” Buffy grinned and winked at her friend happily as Rochelle did her best not to nasally expel her Pink Gin. Buffy continued talking. “You look damn hot in that outfit, Ro. What’re you looking for?”

“A construction worker or someone else who doesn’t need lots of concentration. You know that old song, ‘I Like ‘em Big and Stupid’? Well, that just about sums it up.” It was Buffy’s turn to stop herself from laughing so hard that she spilled her drink.

“My God! Ro! You go, girl!”

Rochelle smirked as she dryly answered, “So I’ve been told.”

Buffy’s eyes almost popped from her head. “Gee, Ro, get a couple of drinks in you, and a whole new side comes out.”

Rochelle just winked at her. “No, not really. The Council is very demanding of my time, and it’s the easiest way for me to get what I need. Needless to say, though, they have no idea.”

“It’s cool. Your secret is safe with me. We’ll be ‘hos together and keep it all quiet.”

“Hoes? What on earth do garden implements have to do with anything?” Rochelle asked, utterly confused.

“No, not hoes, ‘hos. Naughty girls.”

“Oh! You mean we’re a pair of tarts!”

”If you don't mean the pastry, then yep!” Buffy answered, grinning.

Rochelle laughed. “I may see if we can set up some language classes when we get back. If I can get permission, I’ll have you run the American English, and I’ll teach them Australian English.”

Buffy looked at her friend. “Bad Ro, bad bad girl. Work talk. Chug that drink.”

Rochelle sighed. “Okay, but if I have to, I’ll finish my idea, and then skull,” she smirked at Buffy before continuing. “My idea is pretty simple really. You told me about how much difficulty both Giles and Wyndham-Price had with your local slang. I’m going to suggest the courses so that a Watcher is ready to take over anywhere in the English speaking world as soon as possible. It’ll give us more flexibility and help you start to learn how to teach—because when you start to train future slayers, you’ll then have the rudiments in place.”

Buffy looked at Rochelle, wide-eyed. “That’s a really good idea, and I’m liking the idea of me teaching the tweedy boys.”

Rochelle grinned wickedly. “Gotcha! Chug together?”

Buffy glared at her for a moment. “Okay, let’s do it. Then we’ll hit the dance floor and I’ll show these Brits how to move.”

* * * *

As the two young women moved rhythmically on the dance floor, Buffy noticed a rather handsome young man. He was tall, with jet-black hair and piercing ice-blue eyes. She moved over, dancing as she went, and also noticed Rochelle lining up a target. In the older woman’s case, it was a burly man with tattoos on both forearms. Buffy winked at her friend as she moved in for the ‘kill.’

Just as Buffy managed to reach the man she had been eyeing, her slayer sense alerted her to the arrival of one or more vampires in the building. She turned and made her way back to Rochelle, much more quickly than she had previously.

She reached out and pulled at the brunette. “Ro,” she hissed. “Bathroom, now!”

Rochelle looked annoyed for a moment, until she saw the urgency in the blonde girl’s eyes. As soon as they entered the bathroom, Buffy whispered, “There’re vamps in here. Slayer sense”

“Oh good Lord, here? What should we do? I’m afraid I’m not very … skilled at fighting them.”

Buffy thought for a moment, then answered, “Call the Council on your cell. I know about the stake squads. I’ll lure the vamp or vamps outside, and if I need back up, then the squad can move in too.”

“I will. Just make sure no-one comes in while I call.”

Rochelle’s call took less than a minute. “We’re lucky. They can be here in about half an hour. So, what do we do until then, oh glorious leader?”

Buffy looked at her strangely for a moment. “Are you channelling Xander?”

“What?”

“I meant, that last comment was very Xander-esque, that’s all. As for what we’re going to do, you can hide while I lure the vamps outside.”

“Alone?”

”Well duh! They’d eat you in a heartbeat.”

“Okay, what are these boys you’ve called armed with?”

“Stakes, what else?”

“I was hoping for some ranged weapons, preferably super-soakers full of holy water.”

Rochelle blinked. “Why did none of us ever think of that?”

“Because you’re all tweed wearing stick-in-the-muds who have no idea of fun?” Buffy asked. Then she grinned and poked her tongue out at Rochelle who was, in equal parts, fighting off apoplexy and laughter.

“I’ll have to remember to make the recommendation to the Council Board. It’s a very fine idea.”

“Well, I’m off to ‘dance’,” Buffy said quietly.

“Be careful, please. I don’t want to lose you,” Rochelle said just as quietly.

* * * *

Buffy moved through the club, knowing that when she got close enough, the vampire or vampires would detect and follow her. She methodically covered the whole club; thankful it was only a single story, before she headed outside. She looked back casually to notice at least seven men and three women following her. ‘Shit,’ she thought, ‘this is gonna be tough.’

She looked behind her again as she exited the club, noticing that the vampires following her were spread out. She turned and walked down Regent Street, and ducked into a small side street, knowing that the leading vampire would see her and follow.

As the leading vampire turned the corner, the last thing he ever saw was a piece of wood hurtling at his chest before he exploded into dust. Buffy then peered cautiously around the corner, to see three more vamps, all now in game face, heading towards her. She moved out onto Regent Street, looked at the trio and then ducked back into the dark side street. This time she moved further down the small road, and crouched in a pool of darkness between streetlights.

The three vampires, two male and one female turned into the side street and, unable to see Buffy, began to run down the road, hoping to catch her. As they passed her, she threw a stake that caught the trailing vampire in his back and he cried out as he became dust floating in the light breeze. ‘Two down, eight to go,’ thought Buffy. As the other two turned to face her, she heard the sound of more vamps coming up the street from behind. “Okay, who want’s to try and take the Slayer first?”

The vampires halted momentarily. Then one drawled out, “So, tart, you’re the Slayer? Pull the uvver one! Ev’ryone knows the Slayer’s over the bloody pond.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “What did I do to deserve this? It’s Spike without the bleach job.” As she finished the comment, she threw a second stake, which hit the mouthy vamp full in the chest, instantly reducing him to dust.

By now, Buffy saw that all seven remaining vampires had entered the street, and she had only a single stake left to dust them with. ‘Okay, one to my left and six to my right,’ she thought quickly and suddenly cartwheeled left and twisted, delivering a roundhouse kick to the lone female vamp’s temple. As the woman staggered and reeled from the impact, Buffy quickly staked her and turned to face the six oncoming vamps.

Buffy scanned the six vampires who were cautiously approaching. Then, behind them, she saw Rochelle appear at the street corner. Seeing Buffy facing six vampires, she hastily ducked back, out of sight.

The blonde breathed a sigh of relief before taking a moment to focus herself for the oncoming onslaught. The vampires came at her in a single group, moving at a dead run, while Buffy moved backwards and to one side. She suddenly sprinted forward and staked the vampire to her left, leaving five. She continued to run forward before turning and the remaining five had to slow and turn to follow her.

The slayer was now standing and facing the remaining five vampires, with her back to the Regent Street end of the small road they were all silently fighting in. The remaining vampires were now much more cautious as they slowly advanced. “Let’s see,” Buffy said reasonably, “so far the score is Slayer five, bad guys zip. Are you sure you want to keep playing the game?”

“Slayer?” Asked one of her opponents. “Yes, you are the Slayer,” he nodded to himself. “That was what I was sensing, why I followed you. Your presence is not desired here. Go now, but if I see you again, I shall kill you. Tell your watcher that Tarquinius the Damned this.”

Buffy backed away. She was well aware that she had been lucky, and the fact that they had been unaware that the she was in England had worked in her favour. Her luck, she knew, couldn’t continue. As she slowly moved towards Regent Street, the remaining vampires turned and ran in the opposite direction.

* * * *

Rochelle sat in one of the chairs in the hotel room, while Buffy just flopped on the bed. “That was nasty, Ro. All the training doesn’t really help with the real thing.”

Rochelle nodded. “The heavy boys weren’t really happy about you working alone. I suspect I could be in trouble for that.”

Buffy smiled back at the older woman. “Don’t worry. I’ll simply point out what ability any watcher would have to stop me if I chose otherwise … none.”

“That’ll infuriate Peter,” Rochelle observed as Buffy rolled onto her side so she could look directly at her friend.

“And this should worry me why? It’s not like you can advertise for Slayers in the paper, right?”

Rochelle giggled in spite of herself. “I can understand some of Giles’ early reports much better now, but he was wrong. It’s not that you have no respect for authority, it’s that you think respect should be earned.” Buffy blinked. “Damn, Ro, I hate it when you do that. No secrets around you, are there?”

The brunette grinned at her. “No, none at all. But it’s our secret, right?”

“Deal.” Buffy answered firmly.

“Good, now we should get some sleep and head back to Devon tomorrow. Night Buffy.”