“Fort Lauderdale?!?” Only Giles would be able to ask a question laden with surprise and still not appear to be knocked off kilter in the slightest. Everyone else on the other hand stood with eyes wide in disbelief or mouths open, looking very much like fish out of water.

Dreyfuss smiles, a small, slight upturning of the lips that doesn’t quite reach his eyes before continuing in the same droll manner, his voice taking on a somewhat sardonic tone as he looked at each of them with something akin to disdain in his eyes, his hand still holding the package out towards Buffy.

Her eyes narrowing, Buffy extends her right arm, keeping it tucked close to her body, trying to keep her burned hand hidden from prying eyes, and she takes the offered bundle from Dreyfuss.

“What is this,” she asks coolly, and she gestures with the package in her hand.

“That my dear, is the start of your new life,” Dreyfuss answers, staring directly into Buffy’s eyes. “Since I represent your father, and I have his permission, I can tell you that you will find in this particular package 2 sets of keys and documentation showing ownership of properties in Sunrise, Florida as well as various legal documentation concerning the ownership of the properties and bank cards for your various monetary accounts and CDs. You will also find 2 first class tickets for you and the youngest Summers daughter,” his eyes flick emotionlessly over to Dawn, pausing for a moment before looking back at Buffy and continuing, “leaving tomorrow morning from LAX to Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale International Airport where you will find a car waiting for the both of you to take you to your apartment,” and this time the smile reached his eyes, making him appear almost wolfish, delighting in the confusion he was causing.

“Excuse me? Ownership of properties?!?” Dawn asks incredulously. “You mean like a house or something?!?”

“What kind of properties?” “Whose ownership?” Willow and Xander both ask simultaneously, shock still rendering everyone from comprehension.

Handing the package over to Giles, Buffy takes a step toward Dreyfuss, addressing him in a voice that was tight and dangerously low. “Look Mr. Dreyfuss. I don’t know who you are, or what kind of game you are playing.”

~another step~

“But I’m tired and the events of the past few days have left me with very little patience.”

Buffy takes one more step, purposely invading the invisible borders of proper personal space, taking a small measure of satisfaction at his visible discomfort with having her in his face. “Now, you can either cut with the cryptic bullshit and give me some answers, or you can take your package and limp out of here,” her voice so cool you could almost hear her words crackling with the ice in her eyes.

Backing up a step, Buffy was pleased to see the veil of fear replace the mocking in his eyes and Dreyfuss swallowed hard, closing his briefcase with a snap before taking another small step back.

“I, I wish I could explain more but my, my involvement was more to deliver the package and inform you of its contents,” Dreyfuss explained, clearing his throat to try to cover his apparent distress, finding that his first assumption of Buffy as being small and delicate to be more than lacking, his intimidation of her obvious to everyone in the room.

Passing his briefcase to his opposite hand, Dreyfuss reached inside his coat pocket, pulling out a card and handing it to Giles, talking a step back, almost tripping over the chair he was sitting in, in his haste to put more distance between himself and Buffy.

“I’m sorry I cannot give you more answers Miss Summers. The package holds a note from your father as well, possibly explaining in more detail. If you have any more questions, please feel free to call me at my office. I’m sorry to just show up and drop something like this in your lap without much explanation, but I thought to leave this package at the front desk for you and then continue onto my meeting with another client when I ran into Mr. Giles downstairs. He insisted that I come upstairs. Again, I do apologize, but I must be going now,” and with that he reached the door to their suite, nodding at them once before opening the door and closing it quickly behind him.

“Way to go Buff. You practically frightened that guy so much, I thought we were going to have to call housekeeping for a mop,” Xander quipped.

“Yes, well, leaking bladder aside, our Mr. Dreyfuss has left us with quite a mystery. Shall we sit and have a look at this package?” Giles asked, brandishing said package with a small flourish.

6 hours later, after a whole lot of talking and a whole lot of shock over the contents of the package and with Willow’s quick foray online revealing that the bank accounts were indeed very real and very ample, Chinese takeout being passed around with chopsticks being brandished as tools for conversation emphasis as well as eating utensils, and with Giles 10 minute hushed conversation to God knows who, Buffy’s head was hurting. The conversation seeming unending, punctuated with various form of “Oh my God/Goddess” and the questions still forthcoming, Buffy picks up the phone, dialing the number on the card that Dreyfuss practically threw at Giles in his hasty retreat. Waiting patiently for the beep at the end of the recorded message she was listening to, Buffy left one of her own in a tone that hinted that lack of obedience would be most painful.

“Mr. Dreyfuss, this is Buffy Summers. I’ll stop by your office in the morning. I have a few questions for you that I would like to have answers for immediately. I also suggest that you have my so-called father present as well,” and with that she hung up the phone with a resounding click just as there was a knock on the door.

Still standing at the small desk where the phone was sitting, Buffy turned to find Dawn opening the door with Angel standing on the other side. Immediately his coffee-coloured eyes locked with her own dark green ones.

And with that, she promptly fainted.