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Future Imperfect by Lilachigh
 
Chp 5 Explanations
 
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Future Imperfect

Chp 5 Explanations


“So are we vampires, too?” Joyce was perched on the edge of the sofa, staring at Buffy. The Slayer had just finished her talk to the twins. She’d been brisk and factual, relating the background of the Summers family, how she and Grandad had met and how the Shanshu prophecy had changed so many lives in so many ways.

Joyce had stopped listening halfway through. Sometimes Granny could go on and on with her explanations.

“No, of course we’re not, stupid!” Billy broke in. He was sitting on the swivel chair by the desk, annoying Buffy by spinning round and round as he spoke. “Grandad’s a vampire, Granny’s something called a Slayer and – ”

“Sit still, Billy!” Buffy broke in.

“And Auntie Dawn used to be a ball of energy!”

“Green energy,” Spike put in helpfully from where he was leaning against the wall, watching their faces as they took in the information.

“Well, you needn’t worry about Auntie Dawn at the moment,” Buffy said hastily, glaring at her lover. “Yes, Grandad’s still a vampire, but not the usual nasty sort. He saved the world – twice – so some very important, powerful beings gave him a share in an enormous gift which is a bit complicated so I won’t explain it until you’re both older. But he’s a good vampire.”

“It would be cool to be green energy!” Joyce said, concentrating on what she considered most important.

Spike’s nerve endings tingled. His granddaughter had Buffy’s determined look on her small face. He could almost see her brain working as she considered how she too could turn herself into nothing. “No, it would be extremely silly and – dangerous,” he said crisply. “So we’ll have none of that, Missy, or you’ll be grounded for weeks.”

Joyce pouted and glared at him. For a second she wondered what Granny would say if Grandad started hopping round the room on one leg singing a naughty song Billy had taught her, but then decided that it was a bit too soon to show people that particular talent she’d discovered she had.

‘How can they ground us?” Billy asked in her head. ‘You’ll just transport us wherever we want to go.’

‘They don’t know that yet.’

‘How can they not know? Geez!’

“So, what your Mom and Dad want you to know is how different our family is to other ones. Not better, just different. Vampires and demons do exist, sadly, and you will learn, in time, how to kill them. Yes, it’s a scary thought but you’ll have me and Grandad to show you how. Just like your Mommy did…”

“Was she scared?” Billy asked, fingering the cross that hung on a leather cord round his slender neck.

“Mommy? No, never. She was a brave little girl…”


…Shanny Summers stared out of the window into the dark night. She breathed on the glass and drew a smiley face in the mist. She had no idea what country they were in. She thought it might be France, but it could be Holland. She did know that it was her birthday. She was thirteen today.

She’d had presents, too: small things that you could easily carry in your pockets or backpack. Nothing large or bulky, of course, because when you were part of a demon fighting family, you had to be prepared to move fast and you couldn’t do that if you were burdened by possessions.

Shanny sighed. She’d so wanted a puppy for her birthday. She’d seen one in a pet shop the other day when she was out with Uncle Andrew. They’d stopped and peered at the little white and brown bundles, tumbling over each other as they played.

“Oh, look! Aren’t they cute? Do you think I could ask for one for my birthday?” she’d said but knew, without even looking that he was shaking his head and what the expression on his face would be. The funny look she called the “poor little Shanny” look. Lots of people she met pulled that face. The only ones who never did were Mom and Dad. But they were the ones who would say no to the puppy. So there was no point in asking.

Outside in the garden of the house they were living in now she could see Mom and Dad walking, their arms round each other’s waists, heads close together. She knew what they were talking about so urgently – her.

She bit her lip so hard she could taste blood. She hadn’t meant to be rude. She couldn’t even remember the last time Mom had raised her voice to her. But she didn’t want to learn to kill demons and vampires! She wanted to stay as far away from them as possible. They terrified her. She couldn’t remember a night when she hadn’t lain awake, wondering if one was under the bed, just waiting to crawl out and eat her.

The argument had been made worse because Mom and Dad thought she’d be pleased that they were going to teach her to kill something now she was a teenager! They’d looked genuinely puzzled when she’d said no, she hated demons and didn’t want to go anywhere near one - ever!

“But Shanny, you have to learn to defend yourself,” Dad had said. “Your Mum and me won’t be around all the time to look after you. Now you’re getting bigger, pet, you’ll be out on your own sometimes, visiting friends – ”

And that was when she’d been rude. “What friends?” she’d shouted. “I haven’t got any friends! I’ve been to six different schools, Dad. In six different countries. I can say “My Mom’s a vampire Slayer and my Dad’s a vampire in six different languages, but, hey, it doesn’t matter because I can’t say that to anyone - they mustn’t know who we are. And that’s why I haven’t got any friends!”

“Shanny! There’s no need to talk to your father like that.” Her mom had stared at her, green eyes angry and appalled and she’d known it was because her dad was looking desperately hurt.

“Sorry! Sorry! But you can’t make me kill things if I don’t want to.” And she’d flung herself out of the kitchen, up to the bedroom she shared with two other young girls who were Slayers like her Mom and were thrilled to be learning how to kill vampires now they’d turned thirteen.

And now Mom and Dad were walking round the garden, deep in heated discussion, and she knew the subject of the talk was “What do we do about Shanny”.

She turned from the window and threw herself on her bed. She hated them! Hated this life they made her live. Hated the fact that they enjoyed it, liked the killing, the fighting, and the endless battles to clear Europe of evil.

“They don’t care about me at all,” she muttered into her pillow. “All they care about is each other and the rotten mission. I bet they wish they’d never had me. I’m just a burden, a nuisance. I hate them!”

But she knew deep down as she lay there, waiting for them to come and tell her what they’d decided that what she hated most was that her parents weren’t scared of anything and she was scared of everything….

“I’m not frightened of anything,” Joyce said softly to Buffy. ‘I’d like to see a demon here, rather than just in the funny places Billy and me go to. It would be neat.”

Buffy groaned. “No, it wouldn’t Joyce. You and Billy are too young to fight demons yet. Grandad and me just want you to know what you might have to do one day. And I want you to promise me that you won’t ‘go’ to any of those other places again. It could be very dangerous. What if you couldn’t get back?”

Joyce sighed. She was getting bored. Why on earth shouldn’t she be able to get back? Why were old people so bothered about being safe? As if she’d let anything happen to Billy. And she never went anywhere without him. She didn’t think she could go without him. That was funny! She’d never thought of that before.

Spike caught Buffy’s glance and nodded briefly. They’d done enough for one session. The twins needed to absorb the knowledge they’d been given before learning how to deal with it.

“OK, kids. Outside and play,” he said. “And don’t go too far from the house. We’ll be eating dinner soon.”

He stood back from the door as they raced off, yelling, pushing and shoving like any brother and sister. Buffy shut the door against the sun. “How did I do?”

“You were great, pet.” He wrapped his arms round her slender shoulders and gave her a hug. “Inspirational, Slayer.”

“I sucked!” she muttered, her face buried against his chest. “God, Spike, it was easier making speeches to the Potentials about fighting the First. Joyce just looks at me with that cocky, “I know it all,” attitude and I want to shake her. I get it that she has powers, but she‘s still only eight years old! She hasn’t got eyes in the back of her head but hey, some demons do and they could grab her while she was thinking of a spell and she’d be gone.”

Spike wandered into the kitchen and pulled a bag of blood from the fridge. This was going to be lesson number two for the twins – watching him drink his dinner! But maybe they’d leave that until tomorrow.

“They didn’t totally freak out about me being a vampire, luv,” he said. “Or were they just hiding it?” He tried to sound casual but Buffy looked up sharply, her ears attuned to every inflection in his voice.

“Kids accept a lot quite easily at that age,” she said. “Magic is such a big part of Joyce‘s life – I think the vampire revelation came as just one more thing to think about!”

Spike stood at the specially tinted window, looking out into the yard. The twins were sitting, side-by-side on the porch swing, not speaking, just sitting, swinging gently, their feet scuffing along the ground.

“They’re doing that talking without speaking thing again,” he said quietly. “I suppose that’s one of the things that upsets Shanny so much. ”

Buffy sighed. “Everything upsets Shanny,” she said with a touch of irritation in her voice. “Anyone would think she had no experience of magic. Jeez, Spike, she’s our daughter. Why did she ever think she could keep the twins away from our world? Billy, perhaps, but she must have seen what was in Joyce right from the start. I mean, I know we weren’t probably the most observant parents ever, but even we could see that Shanny had no powers, that she was just a nice, normal child who deserved a nice normal life….

…..“So you’re sending me away.” Shanny was sitting cross-legged on her bed, staring up at her parents. She’d guessed they’d have a plan, but she’d never dreamed they’d get rid of her completely.

“No, well, yes, we’re sending you to America,” her mom was saying. “We’ve been selfish, wanting to keep you with us, but you’re right, Shanny, you need a normal life with a home in one place and a good school and friends. There are lots of States at home which are practically demon free now. You’ll be quite safe.”

“Will I come back for holidays,” Shanny whispered, her face blank. She’d had years of keeping her emotions under control. Never cry, never whimper, never make a sound in case the demons found you. All that training was coming in handy now.

“Well, yes, of course you will,” her dad said. He sat on the bed next to her and took her hand. “Bloody hell, Shanny, we don’t want you to go but your mum’s right, you need to lead a different life to ours.”

Shanny felt him squeeze her hand but she didn’t respond. She let her fingers lie against his cold palm until he let them go. “When do I leave?” she asked idly, staring out of the window and missing the look of despair and anguish that crossed her parents faces….

….Spike poked moodily at a saucepan full of chilli that was cooking on the stove. In all the years they’d been together, he could never get Buffy to make it strong enough. “So you think Billy is a normal little boy?’

“Well, he certainly can’t do magic. Apart from the telepathy thingy – which lots of twins have, not just witchy ones – he seems normal to me.”

Spike licked the spoon, ignoring her glare of disgust. “Buffy, sweetheart, believe me, that little boy is far more dangerous than Joyce. And I haven’t got a single idea how to deal with him.’

To be continued




 
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