(Untitled)

[taughtbykerouac]

continued from here.

I smiled at Willow and waited as she dispensed what sounded like a weeks worth of troubles into one concise paragraph. Made me realize I really did miss the whole gang, even the trouble.

"More like problems, first of all Amy brought home her new boyfriend the other night, and you will never guess who it was. Tucker. Demon

Comments

[taughtbykerouac]

Buffy managed to force her way into her room, and Wills and I did the hang back thing. At least until they wheeled her ex-roommate out on the gurney. I wasn't sure but it looked sort of... well demonic-ey? Then again, that wouldn't surprise me. Once it was clear, Willow and I moved in and it had to be the straw that broke Buffy's back, because she was in tears.

My arms just held her close and my hand ran down her hair, trying to comfort her somehow. I suppose college is a lot rougher than I would have guessed. Then again, add in the Slayer Calling and you have enough work to choke a horse.

"Hey, it's going to work out. It is just a whole Trouble-a-Palooza at once is all. We just need a plan, and hey we got the team here. We are Plan-Equipt here."

I nod to Willow so that she shuts the door. The onlookers are getting a bit creepy. Willow moves and shuts the door, and pulls her laptop out of her bag and starts to set up.

"So lets think of what we know. There are a lot of crazy things going on around here and I have a feeling that either there is some crazy ring leader, or we have too many creatures in Sunnydale."

[superhero_grrl]

"Don't you dare do that again. On no, Not until you tell us what just happened."

I shrugged, like I even knew what had happened?

I was there, crying on Xander's shoulder with the gawking onlookers that you'd think I'd be used to by now. I felt a little weak and a little worried and I hated all of it.

"Hey, it's going to work out. It is just a whole trouble-a-Palooza at once is all. We just need a plan, and hey we got the team here. We are Plan-Equipt here."

I didn't even realize we were actually in my room again, my room. That I didn't share anymore. My room that Kathy, the demon died in.

"So lets think of what we know. There are a lot of crazy things going on around here and I have a feeling that either there is some crazy ring leader, or we have too many creatures in Sunnydale."

I sighed, finally pulling away from my bestest Xander shaped friend.

"Well either is possible, but I have no idea what happened to Kathy, Everything was happening when I got here, and she's a demon. Was a demon, her face was pealing off and there was definate demon underneath. I don't know what bothers me more, that a demon's been living with me or that I'm not sad she's dead."

[_wishingwillow_]

"Hey, it's going to work out. It is just a whole Trouble-a-Palooza at once is all. We just need a plan, and hey we got the team here. We are Plan-Equipt here."

"Equipment check," I sounded, hoping that it came across as solid as I felt. The door to Buffy's room was now shut, his arms were around her, and my computer was already humming to life. We were alone, but we were also us, and that was more than the good.

It was the best.

Now if we could only pick up Buffy somehow, and get her to feel that again too. It wasn't until this moment, everyone together again, that I finally saw just how cut off we had become.

"So lets think of what we know. There are a lot of crazy things going on around here and I have a feeling that either there is some crazy ring leader, or we have too many creatures in Sunnydale."

"There are always too many creatures here," I added from my chair. "But that hasn't stopped us before." Maybe I was being overly positive, but all I really wanted right now was to see my best friend smile. Or at least stop crying.

"Well either is possible, but I have no idea what happened to Kathy, Everything was happening when I got here, and she's a demon. Was a demon, her face was pealing off and there was definate demon underneath. I don't know what bothers me more, that a demon's been living with me or that I'm not sad she's dead."

"It could be either Buffy," I offered, a touch quieter this time. "And it would be ok. I mean, we would understand either. And I will stay here tonight, if you don't want to be alone. Or if you don't want to be here, I am sure Amy wouldn't mind if you crahsed either."

[taughtbykerouac]

This wasn't easy for any of them really. They were all in these strained places. School for Buff' and Wills' and a lack of anything for me. Well okay so that wasn't stressing me at all. However the fact that I had barely seen my friends? That was stressful enough for me.

"Yeah, I mean we won't blame you if you want to get out of here. I mean mess aside? The group of gawkers outside the door might not be too friendly. Next thing you know they will be asking for toothpaste and a cup of sugar. Do you have sugar?" Buffy shook her head no. Hopefully she could tell I was trying to make with the funny. Break the tension a bit. "See? Then chaos on the sugar shortage!"

Buffy laughed a bit through wiping her tears and trying to calm down.

"So do we agree we should take this meeting on the road? Perhaps to Wills' or dare I say... yeah. We don't have many choices here do we. Giles is in England, high school went boom. So we got here or there. I vote there."

[superhero_grrl]

I nodded, eyeing the pile of Kathy's clothes on the floor next to her bed. What would happen to all her stuff, did she have a demon family that was going to pick it up? Were they evil? Did I have to slay them? Did they know about me? Had she?

God I needed to stop thinking, just breathe, let Xander and Will help and everything will be ok.

"Do you think Amy will mind if we crash in your room for the research party, because her stuff is here and Taylor and Dawn are at home and I really can't take Dawn giving me that look right now."

I looked at Will, silently praying she'll say yes because I'm pretty much running out of options. I wish Giles was here, this would be a good time for his clucking noise and the cleaning of the glasses. It would be a good time for a lot of things. Like roomates not being demon and not getting murdered in my room. I mean she'd been annoying, that I could handle, but demon's and death right in my room? I'd had enough of that in high school.

It was so last year.

[_wishingwillow_]

"Yeah, I mean we won't blame you if you want to get out of here. I mean mess aside? The group of gawkers outside the door might not be too friendly. Next thing you know they will be asking for toothpaste and a cup of sugar. Do you have sugar? See? Then chaos on the sugar shortage!"

I looked up at my two best friends, eyes making a straight line over the top of the laptop. "Ummm, I don't think I have sugar either," I pointed out quietly. Rosemary, lavander and agrimony? I had those and then several more, all lined up in neat little jars. And some, not so little. "Is lack of sugar a problem now?"

If Xander wanted to try to lift Buffy's spirits with laughter, then the least I could do was follow his lead.

"So do we agree we should take this meeting on the road? Perhaps to Wills' or dare I say... yeah. We don't have many choices here do we. Giles is in England, high school went boom. So we got here or there. I vote there."

I nodded, already wrapping up the chords to my laptop. As it mostly was, we were on the same word of the same line that sat on the same page. It was just how things went.

"Do you think Amy will mind if we crash in your room for the research party, because her stuff is here and Taylor and Dawn are at home and I really can't take Dawn giving me that look right now."

"Come on," I nodded to Buffy and Xander, before pushing my way out the door. "Don't worry about clothes, I can lend you some. And don't worry about Amy either. After her recent guest? She has nothing to complain about."

[taughtbykerouac]

The three of us picked up our little Thrown Together Scoobie meeting and headed to Willow's dorm. There were still a few straglers outside the room but mostly muttering about how long it took the university staff to show up.

The walk over was quiet. I held onto Buff's hand for the most part and when we got into Willow's room we all spread out into our respective places. Will's went into desk mode, Buff crawled onto the bed and started to jot down notes from what she remembered and me? I was book man. As usual.

Sure I didn't know what I was looking for but I had books. Books with pictures and words that I couldn't spell if you asked me. I started to flip pages and glanced at a few things. You know. Busy stuff.

I tried to think of what we did know. It wasn't much, but there were a few things that didn't really make sense.

First we had the succubus at the club. Getting hauled off in a van. When I had been looking for Faith I had seen more than a few vans around Greek Row. Not that Faith was the rush week type, it was more like she was a where is a man type. So we had vans, and frat houses. No Faith, no Succubus, a dead demon roommate... and what?

Yeah it wasn't making any real sense to me. I mean sure it could make sense if this was some crazy sci-fi movie with secret military operations all researching on demons. I mean that would ...

Wait.

That would sort of make sense.

"Hey. Did either of you get that newsletter thing? I saw it tacked up on a wall on the way in here, but I thought I saw..."

I walked into the hallway and snatched it off the bulletin board. Government funding... Science Research... Maggie Walsh?? The wheels were spinning. Nothing top speed here, but still spinning.

"Willow? Can you get information on how much government funding the school was getting?"

If this was what I thought it was? I might have just become The Idea Man.