Disclaimer: The characters belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy, I own
nothing.... except the plot!
Inspiration: All the earlier inspiration plus.... listening to lots
of Chris Beck music while at work, more tacky horror films,
and more appauling weather (but also two days of sunshine)!
Recap: Buffy and Willow are in Manchester, England to help another
slayer, Torr, who happens to be half were-wolf....
Its Grim Up North (4/10)
Buffy wondered what time it was and just how long she'd slept as she
was now feeling rather refreshed. The sound of a door closing
elsewhere in the apartment spurred Buffy into getting up. She looked
back down at Willow, still all curled up in the bed, 'So beautiful'
she thought as she crept out the room trying not to wake the sleeping
wicca.
Buffy headed towards the kitchen, the jetlag had surpressed any
hunger for food but now it was released, her rumbling stomach
proclaiming that she needed to eat. As she walked past the door to
the bathroom she could hear water running and she thought she heard a
slight whimper followed by a growl, but decided that it was probably
just her imagination so she continued towards the fridge.
Inside the bathroom Torr was cleaning the wound caused by the
Weequay's blade, she hadn't realised just how deep it had gone and
even with increased slayer healing powers the wound had reopened as
she washed it. She wrapped a bandage round her arm, hoping that it
would stop the blood, and continued with her wash.
When Joe had been sorting out the travel arrangements he made sure to
ask what food Buffy and Willow liked so that he could get them
something to eat, Buffy opened the fridge to find that he'd bought
everything they'd even slightly mentioned. However, even faced with
such a choice, there was only one thing Buffy wanted - peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches.
****
Graham entered the abandoned warehouse and headed towards the office,
he knew this place well. "Time to rise and shine", he announced as he
pulled open the blinds letting the sun flood the room.
"Bastard." screamed the occupant of the room as he ran for the
shadows smoking slightly "What do you want?"
"A favour, I believe you owe me that much." Graham replied
"I owe you. We took you in, looked after you, but then you joined him
and had the others killed. I owe you nothing."
"But I spared you... Well have it your own way, you can die now."
Graham opened the blinds more, narrowing the shadowed space.
"What is it you want me to do."
"Simple. Do the one thing so many others have failed to do. Kill the
slayer."
"You know what she looks like, do it yourself." the vampire replied
but Graham continued to open the blinds until the vamps feet were
smoking. "OK I'll do it, just close the blind. Do you have any
suggestions on how."
Graham closed the blind and began to explain the ideas he'd been
considering.
****
As Torr left the bathroom she spotted Buffy sitting on the sofa
polishing off the last of her sandwiches, "You must be Buffy."
Buffy turned to face Torr, "I'm guessing you're Torr." she replied.
Torr was about the same height as Buffy but slightly more muscular
with short black hair. "But how'd you know that I was me and not
Willow?"
"Oh, I spoke to Joe before I got back." "He was explaining the whole
more than one slayer thing, the fact that Willow used to date a
werewolf and you're reaction to the family secrets. So we're cool?"
"We're cool." Buffy noticed the bandage on Torr's arm slowly turning
redder. "Tough fight?"
"Oh, that." Torr replied placing her hand over the bandage in an
attempt to stop it bleeding, "Just some annoy spiny yellow thing."
"With blades that appeared out of its arms."
"Yeah that was it. You've faced one."
"A while ago." Buffy remembered homecoming night, her and Cordelia
stuck in the forest cabin.....
/
Outside the cabin something growled...
"Do you hear..." Cordelia didn't get a chance to finish as Kulak, of
the Weequay clan, came crashing through the window. He grabbed Buffy
and threw her down onto a mattress on the floor. As he swung his
blades at her she rolled out of the way and grabbed the set of
antlers off the wall to use as defence. While Buffy blocked the
blades with the antlers, Cordelia slapped him on the back with her
spatula.
"Cor, the gun!" yelled Buffy as Kulak stood up and swung at Buffy.
The blade caught her slight on the arm and she fell.
Cordelia grabbed the rifle from the floor, aimed and fired. The
bottle on the shelf behind Buffy exploded.
"Cordelia, the spatula."
/
..."Yeah, he got blown up by some German hitmen." she continued.
"You'll have to tell me the whole story at some point. But right now
I need to sleep, it's been a while since the last sunny day and we're
going to need our energy for tonight." Torr replied heading towards
the training room and the camp bed she had set up in there.
"OK, I will."
"Nice pyjamas by the way!" Torr commented sarcastically as she
disappeared into the training room
Buffy looked down at her sushi pyjamas, "Well I like them." she
muttered as she sat back down and flicked through the TV channels.
****
"Just be there tonight, and bring everyone. We'll meet beside the
Town Hall." the vampire from the warehouse said.
"Sure Cullen, but how do you know she'll be there." replied the
second vamp.
"She's always there on a Thursday talking to that rat Dave."
"Him... Can't we just kill him, he spoils all our fun."
"No. He's going to send her to us, and he's not even going to realise
it."
****
Willow had woken around noon with an even greater need for food than
Buffy had had hours earlier. After devouring a full English
breakfast, kindly cooked by Joe, she had settled down to watch TV
with Buffy. It was now nearing 7pm and they were wondering when Torr
was going to reappear. Suddenly, from inside the training room, they
heard a thud followed by a crash, then the door opened and Torr
appeared clutching her head.
"Damn shelves." she muttered as she entered the main room.
"You're awake at last." came a yell from Joe in the kitchen.
"Very funny. So you must be Willow." Torr commented as she approached
the redhead.
"Yep, that's me. I'm Willow." Willow replied shyly
"Cool." remarked Torr not really knowing what to say.
"So are we going to RockWorld tonight then?" asked Joe as he appeared
from the kitchen
"Well I need to, you're welcome to join me." she replied
"RockWorld?" questioned Buffy
"It's a rock music club, Torr has a contact she meets there."
explained Joe "Have you got anything gothic, dark or just black to
wear? Otherwise you'll stand out too much."
"I have." replied Buffy
"But I haven't." added Willow
"That's OK I know someone who can lend you something, appropriate."
Torr replied raising her eyebrows, Buffy wondered what Torr was
planning...
****
Graham walked through the tunnel system back towards the underground
entrance to his apartment.
"His plan will fail" a voice came from the shadows.
"I know but I need to find out if these second slayer rumours are
true, can you go along and watch." Graham replied as he continued
walking.
"Of course. I want to study this slayer so that I can take my
revenge, she will pay for what she did."
****
"Doesn't look like a night club." commented Buffy as they reached the
entrance. She turned to face Willow, "You look just like the vampire
version of you."
Willow just glared back, Torr's friend had lent her leather trousers
and a very tight top, 'This is so not me' she thought.
Joe entered the club first and paid the entrance fee for all of them,
as they climbed the short flight of stairs Buffy realised that the
club stretched out behind the shops next door and was actually pretty
big.
"This is more like a night-club." she remarked
The music blasted out of the speakers in the main room and as they
reached the door to it they could feel the vibrations travelling
through the floor.
"Make yourselves comfortable, I'll be back soon." with that Torr
headed off across the dance floor towards a short man standing in the
corner.
****
"Any news Giles?" asked Xander as the gang entered Giles' house.
"They're fine." he replied, "Willow phoned earlier. It appears that
the other slayer, Torr, is watcher less and part werewolf, but she
sounds like a fairly OK person."
"Did you say part werewolf?" questioned Tara
"Seems that her father was a werewolf and she's inherited some of the
wolf genes." Giles continued.
"I'm not sure I like that idea." remarked Spike arriving late
"You're late again." commented Anya
"So." he replied
"You two stop it, we have patrol to do." yelled Giles as he collected
the weaponry together.
****
Torr and the young vampire entered the backroom behind the dance
floor where they could talk. Dave was only 20 when he had been sired
5 years ago, but he had been a friend of Torr's from before she was
called and they remained close, provided she never caught him feeding.
"What have you heard?" Torr asked.
"Not much, a few rumblings about something going down tonight, near
the cinema." Dave replied.
"How about bigger things?"
"I heard something about summonings, but I'm not sure who or what.
They know that I talk to you, so they don't talk to me!"
"Well see if you can find out, you know how to contact me."
****
Willow was quite intrigued by the tall lanky guy with black curly
hair with pink streaks who was dressed in a black mini skirt and a
leopard print womens jacket, complete with shoulder pads, 'Don't his
legs get cold' she thought as he walked past.
"It's very loud in here, isn't it." Buffy yelled
"What?" mouthed Willow not even attempting to out do the music.
Buffy just shook her head in defeat; the noise was just too deafening.
****
As Torr walked through the crowd of people on the dance floor she
noticed that Joe had found a table in the far corner, where it was
quieter.
"Did you find out what you needed to?" Willow asked
"I think so." Torr replied, "But we ought to leave, something's
happening tonight near the cinema and I think we should be there to
stop it."
"Any idea what?" questioned Buffy as she followed Torr towards the
exit.
"He didn't know, but it sounded urgent." Torr lead them out of the
club and they headed towards the cinema just up the road.
****
"Looks quiet." Willow commented as they reached the cul-de-sac behind
the cinema.
"Looks are normally deceiving around here." replied Joe.
As they turned to leave a van pulled up blocking the end of the road.
A group of five vampires got out the side of the van, as another four
climbed on top from behind it.
"I'll kill Dave." Torr exclaimed as she turned to Buffy, "Now we get
to see just how well you can fight..."