Chapter 22: November 2014
Since that first Thanksgiving that Spike, Nika and Wesley had spent together, it had become something of a tradition to get together. Unlike most typical Thanksgiving day celebrations, they didn’t always have turkey, and it seemed that every year the crowd got larger. This year was no exception, although Gunn and Fred had elected to spend the holiday with Fred’s parents.
At this point, dinner had been moved to the Hyperion, as it afforded more space and a larger kitchen than any other available venue. The twins and Meg loved going to the old hotel, as there were plenty of places to explore. They usually managed to con Spike into playing hide and seek with them.
Hannah watched the twins beg him to play with wide eyes. Connor joined in immediately, betting Spike that he could stay hidden for longer than the vampire could. Then Connor looked over at her. “Come on, Hannah.”
She shook her head, and Spike and Connor looked at each other. “No getting out of this one, Slayer,” Spike teased. “Besides, it’ll help hone your vamp-trackin’ skills. Connor isn’t quite as good, but—”
“Put your money where your mouth is, Spike,” Connor challenged. “I’ll bet you a ten that Hannah finds you before she finds me.”
“Why not make it a twenty?” Angel suggested. There was a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His hair was finally starting to grow back in, and he was feeling rather relaxed. It was a good day when the hotel was full of life again. “I’ll join.”
Hannah wasn’t sure she liked this plan at all. “I don’t know—”
“Go have fun, Hannah,” Wesley said from behind her. He was standing with Giles, who had come into town for official Council business. “You have the day off.”
She was still hesitating when Spike spoke again. “Trust me, pet. This is an essential part of your training. Every Slayer has to learn how to relax now and again.”
Giving in with a shrug of her shoulders, Hannah asked, “So what am I counting to?”
“A hundred,” Will insisted .
“Slowly,” Davey put in. “You gotta give us time too.”
Meg, having forgotten her attempts at being grown up now that her father and Connor were playing, nodded firmly. “The round couch is always home base,” she added. “You have to tag us before we get back there. You have played hide and seek before haven’t you?” she added in a superior tone.
Hannah actually hadn’t, but there was no way she was going to admit that in front of all these people. Instead, she just buried her face in the cushions of the round lobby couch and started counting.
~~~~~
“Did they manage to rope Hannah into playing?” Nika asked as Dawn entered the kitchen.
Dawn grinned. “Not only Hannah, but Angel too. He has a bet on with Spike and Connor as to who’s going to get caught first. Spike told Hannah it was part of her training to get her to join in.”
Cordelia’s eyebrows went up. “She got Angel to play? Good. That’ll get him out of our hair for a while.”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Wish my training could have been more play and less work.”
“She needs to act the child,” Enid opined. “She is serious all the time. Always thinking about what she is doing, how she is acting.”
“That’s what the Slayer does,” Buffy argued. “You have to.”
“Oh, come on, Buffy,” Dawn cajoled. “You know you weren’t all work and no play. I seem to remember a certain amount of Bronzing in your past.”
Buffy made a discontented sound, but she didn’t argue her point further. Hannah irritated her. What caused her even more discomfort was the knowledge that her irritation was irrational and unfair. “Well, I hope Spike is careful. That wound—”
“Is completely healed,” Enid said, patting her on the shoulder. ” Relax, cariad . Spike is quite well, and he is very much recovered. Meg needs to see her father play to set her own fears to rest.”
Buffy relaxed slightly with Enid ‘s reassurance. The older woman never lied, nor did she sugarcoat the truth. It was easy to believe her. “Yeah, he’s better.”
“And your nightmares?”
The question was asked in a low tone, so that none of the other women heard. They were discussing how long the roasts needed to be in the oven. Buffy met Enid ‘s eyes, startled. “How—”
“You are not the only one who worries,” Enid replied, her tone amused. “He asked me if I might give you something.”
Buffy shook her head. “No. If they’re Slayer dreams, it’s better that I have them. If they’re trying to warn me or something—”
“These are not prophetic dreams, I think,” Enid interrupted gently. “These are memories, and they are your deepest fears, are they not?”
Buffy flushed. “Something like that. I just keep seeing—” She broke off. “It’s not something you can just forget.”
“No one is asking you to forget,” Enid replied. “Remember, Buffy—memories can easily tear us down, or they can be used to build something stronger. Do not let yours undermine what you have spent so many years building.”
Enid bustled off to stir the gravy, leaving Buffy to stare down at the vegetables she was supposed to be chopping. Enid was right, of course. She knew she’d been brittle these last weeks—brittle with fear that sapped her strength.
Buffy just didn’t know how to let it go.
~~~~~
Giles swirled the scotch in his glass and then savored the taste. Outside Angel’s office were the distant sounds of play and the even more distant sounds from the kitchen. It was rare for him to make two trips back to California within such a short timespan, but he’d deemed it necessary. He’d wanted to look in on Spike and Buffy, as well as see how Wesley was getting on with Hannah.
He also needed to discuss what was to be done about the Cleveland Hellmouth.
“I am fairly certain you aren’t here just to eat Thanksgiving dinner with us, Rupert,” Wesley commented, sipping at his own drink.
Giles smiled slightly. “No. Is it that obvious?”
“It’s tradition at this point,” Wesley replied. “You always show up for the apocalypses.”
Giles winced. “Yes, well, there’s no apocalypse this time, thank goodness.”
“But there’s something.”
“It’s about the Hellmouth.”
“I assume you’re not referring to the one in Sunnydale,” Wesley said with a quiet sigh. ” Cleveland , then?”
Giles nodded. “After this last incident, the coven has been hard-pressed to keep a lid on things. We believe that the area would benefit from the presence of a Slayer.”
Wesley was shaking his head before the words were even out of Giles’ mouth. “I’m sorry, Rupert, but I don’t see how I can relocate. I have a family to consider—not just the boys, but Nika and—”
“That’s what I thought you would say,” Giles interrupted smoothly. “I had to ask, though, you see. There’s another option.”
Wesley frowned, realizing suddenly who Giles was referring to. “You’re talking about Connor and Dawn.”
“They do work for the Council,” Giles responded. “And Connor is more than a match for a Slayer. I think it is our best option.”
“Then why would you even suggest I move?” Wesley asked, a touch of anger in his voice. “You won’t make me feel guilty about this, Rupert. You’ll recall that when I told you I’d come back to work for the Council, I made it clear that I wouldn’t travel.”
“You did,” Giles said, unruffled. “Still, the tradition is for the Slayer to go where she is needed. I was told to ask you if you’d be willing to go to Cleveland . I also told the Council that I would back your decision, whatever it happened to be.”
Wesley gave him a sour look. “You already knew.”
“They didn’t.” Giles shrugged. He’d grown mellow in his old age. There wasn’t much that bothered him anymore. The older Watcher had known Wesley wouldn’t agree to move; the Council had insisted he ask. They had paid for his flight back to the States, which meant he would still be able to make it back for Christmas. Giles thought he might be getting the best part of the deal.
Wesley chuckled, realizing that Giles had timed his visit well. “I see. I honestly don’t know if Connor and Dawn would be willing go,” he commented. “They might refuse as well.”
Giles shook his head. “No, I don’t think they will. It may take them some time to make the transition—time that I am willing to give them. They are both young, however, and do not have the ties that you and Spike do here in L.A. “
“You’re right about that much.” Wesley considered that idea for a moment, recognizing the truth in Giles’ words, knowing that Connor and Dawn might like to start again in a new city , might relish the chance to begin their own life away from family.
Giles took another drink, emptying his glass. “I’ll speak with them later. I wanted to talk to you away from the others, though. You and I understand one another. Your wife might not be so forgiving if she thought I was trying to get you to relocate to Cleveland .”
“Nika might surprise you,” Wesley returned, but his smile told Giles that he’d been right in his assessment. Giles didn’t want to be on Nika’s bad side. She was a formidable woman.
“How is Hannah doing?” Giles asked, neatly changing the subject. “Are the two of you getting along alright?”
“We’re still in a period of adjustment, of course,” Wesley hedged. Giles’ raised eyebrow told Wes that he wasn’t buying it. “There have been a few difficulties, but nothing major. Nothing we haven’t been able to handle.”
“And Hannah? How is she coming along in her training?”
“She loves it,” Wesley replied frankly. “It has both Nika and me worried. Training is all she wants to do. Hannah doesn’t even argue with us about doing her homework.”
“You’re painting a picture of the perfect Slayer.”
“Too perfect, perhaps,” Wesley replied. “She’s afraid that she’ll make a mistake and get thrown out on her ear, I believe. While she’s enthusiastic, I think that her desire for perfection is having a negative effect on her fighting ability. She’s too stiff. Spike thinks that she isn’t flexible enough.”
Giles sighed. “Something like that will take time to work through. I imagine that at about the time she feels comfortable enough to act like a normal teenager, you’ll wish she didn’t.”
Wesley chuckled ruefully. He had a feeling that Giles was right.
~~~~~
In many ways, the game of hide and seek was somewhat unfair. The Slayer was more than capable of finding all the children, in spite of her unfamiliarity with the hotel. She also had no desire to see Spike or Connor lose. That meant that Hannah was more inclined to let the younger children slip past her as she hunted the great Angelus.
Wesley had explained about Angel and Spike. Angelus was one of the most evil vampires to ever live, and it was only the soul that prevented him from killing everyone. Hannah wasn’t sure what she thought about that.
She did know that while Angel was a decent guy to have at your back on patrol, Connor and Spike were a whole lot more fun to be around. Although, Angel did try really hard.
Hannah’s favorite night so far had been the night that Connor and Angel had taken her with them on one of their cases. They’d made her wait in the car, but watching them had been like watching poetry in motion.
Still, of the three men, she’d much rather see Angel lose. He would pout, and that would be funny.
Hannah took a deep breath and honed her perceptions as Wesley had been teaching her to do. She could feel the two vampires if she thought about it hard enough. Now all she needed to do was to figure out which was which.
Hannah caught Davey before he could reach the couch, but she allowed Will to slip by, knowing that it would boost his self-esteem. She managed to catch Meg too, because the little girl kept acting oh-so-superior.
After that, Hannah was fairly certain which vampiric signature was Angel’s, and she headed up to the top floor of the hotel. Stepping softly, watching out for creaky floorboards, she tried to still her breathing as much as possible.
She heard a rustle of sound behind her, and with a burst of speed, tackled Angel around the knees, taking him down.
The big vampire gave an ” oof” of surprise, raising an eyebrow when Hannah perched on his chest. “Gotcha.”
“Yeah, you sure did. Am I the last one?” Angel asked.
Hannah smirked. “Nope. I haven’t found Spike or Connor yet.”
Angel hid his own smile, letting out a frustrated sigh. He’d never tell her, but he had allowed Hannah to find him. Wesley had been talking about boosting her confidence. From the glow of pride on her face, this had been almost exactly what she’d needed. “Darn,” he muttered. “Spike is going to be insufferable for the rest of the day.”
Hannah clambered off the floor and offered him a hand up. Angel took it even though he wasn’t sure how much help she’d actually be. “Do you want to help me find them?” Hannah asked, thinking it might help Angel feel better.
“Tell you what,” he offered. “Why don’t you hunt Spike, and I’ll see if I can find that son of mine?”
Hannah thought for a second and then grinned at him—a child’s grin. “Betcha I find Spike first.”
She was gone a moment later, leaving Angel smiling. It was progress. Her willingness to engage in some good-natured fun with him was definitely progress.