Day 2
Buffy woke up slowly in a large bed. The sun was streaming in brightly through the windows, and the air smelt of breakfast. Slowly, the Slayer hauled herself into a sitting position and smiled, stretching. She could get used to this, she thought, rolling out of bed and slipping into the connecting bathroom. After a quick shower, she slipped on fresh clothes and bounced down the stairs.
“Morning, everyone”, she greeted cheerfully, entering the kitchen where their rather maternally inclined host was making breakfast.
“Hey, sleepy-head”, Xander called out in mock-affront, stuffing his face with chocolate-chip pancakes. “I thought Slayers were supposed to be bright-tailed and bushy-eyed in the morning. How could you let us mere mortals beat you to the breakfast table?” Willow and Oz waved, but didn’t pause in munching their own pancakes.
“Good morning, sweetie”, the ex-Watcher Mrs. Gates cooed. “Would you like a chocolate-chip pancake?” The woman was sixty-ish and grandmotherly, apparently taking great enjoyment in having a whole brood of teenagers to feed. Buffy smiled and nodded, letting her gaze fall on Giles, who sat between Willow and Xander in the corner of the breakfast nook, sipping tea and looking mildly confused with the concoction in front of him.
Sliding easily into the space beside Xander, Buffy avoided watching the boy doing his Hoover impression, and asked Giles, “Aren’t you hungry?”
“Actually, Giles is on his second”, Willow chirped before the Watcher could answer. “I think the chocolate is getting to him.”
“This cannot be healthy”, Giles stressed in defense. “All this sugar...”
“Is much better than caffeine, Mr. Giles”, Mrs. Gates interrupted, gesturing at his teacup as she plopped breakfast onto Buffy’s plate. “Do you need more chocolate syrup, Xander?”
With shining eyes, the boy looked up at Mrs. Gates and smiled adoringly as he said, “I love you.”
“I’ll take that as a yes”, she laughed, then produced a bottle of Hershey’s from her apron pocket and handed it over Buffy’s head. “Now you kids behave, and don’t let Mr. Giles get you into trouble. I’ll just go feed the kitties.” Buffy watched her walk out, glanced down at the pancake and shrugged. Listening to Giles grumble about sugar poisoning, she made quick work of breakfast...
“It’s so still”, Willow observed. “There’s hardly anyone out, even in the daytime.” She stood on the curb, glancing at the shops on Main Street.
“Yeah”, Xander chimed in, digging his hands into his pockets as he looked up and down the nearly deserted street. “And the ones who are out don’t look to happy to see us.” As if illustrating his words, a young couple with a preteen boy scrambled from a store into a blue Volkswagen, the woman sending panicky looks at the Slayerettes as they unloaded from the Citroen.
Buffy climbed out Giles’ car slowly, almost unconsciously testing the air, and finding a lingering hint of darkness even in the bright sunlight. “I don’t think we’re going to get much information here”, Oz offered, glancing at the Slayer for confirmation.
“No”, Buffy murmured, her eyes fixed on the telephone poles, up and down the street, that were covered from base to eye-level in bright multi-colored flyers, all of them asking, ‘Have you seen this person?’ Buffy shook her head and watched the blue car drive away. “I think we know plenty.”
“I believe a standard patrol would be useful”, Giles said, paging through a book that was written largely in Gaelic. “Determine the vampire populace, see if they’ll tell you anything.”
“Right”, Buffy agreed. “Get a workout. Got it.”
“Xander, Oz, I’d like you to accompany Buffy. According to Mrs. Gates, all of the vanished individuals have been alone. Keep each other in sight at all times.” Giles removed his glasses and began to clean them, leaning back in the recliner. “I’d like Willow to stay here to help me research. Is that satisfactory?”
“It’s good, Giles”, Buffy agreed. “You and Willow and Mrs. Gates all stay nice and safe here. Me and Xander and Oz stick together like glue out there. Nobody’s alone.” Willow frowned, but didn’t object.
“Speaking of Mrs. Gates...”, Oz interjected, squeezing Willow’s hand soothingly, “Where is she now?” There was a quick silence as the group looked around, trying to remember when they’d last seen the older woman.
“Oh, no...” Buffy murmured. “She can’t be gone, she’s in the house somewhere...”
Then the lights went out.
“It’s dark”, Willow said slowly, holding tightly to Oz’s hand as they crept through the darkened house. “How’d it get dark so fast?”
“We were researching a long time”, Oz replied calmly, looking up the stairs assessingly. “We lost track of time.”
“Are we going up there?” Willow asked softly. “Do you think she’s up there?”
“I don’t know”, Oz admitted, “But there’s one way to find out.” He glanced back at Willow, his eyes glinting slightly in the dark, and asked, “You ready?” Willow took a deep breath, leaning forward to kiss him lightly, and nodded.
Slowly, they made their way upstairs....
Buffy held the heavy flashlight steady as she descended the stairs, testing its weight. It would make an adequate weapon...
A pull-chain attached to a light bulb swung near her face, and Buffy braced herself as she gave it a yank, shedding light on....
...the piles of boxes that were heaped on the concrete floor. The basement was a storage area, and a quick look around revealed no Mrs. Gates.
“So where is she?”, Buffy asked herself, loping back up to the first floor.
“Oh bother”, Giles muttered, looking out through the French doors at the back of the house. “I hope she hasn’t gone outside...”
There was a muffled thump in the kitchen, and Xander’s voice drifted in, swearing profusely.
Giles sighed, and in a much-put-upon voice, he called out, “Xander, if that good woman hears your language, she may very well collapse in shock.”
There was a brief pause, and then Xander’s voice replied with, “What?”
Giles shook his head and called back, “Never mind.” Perhaps she had hidden under the couch...
“Do you hear something?” Willow squeaked, clutching Oz’s arm almost violently. “In there?” She pointed unsteadily at the door to Mrs. Gates’ bedroom.
“I think so...”, Oz admitted. “I guess we go look, huh?”
Xander straightened the chair that had nearly knocked him over and looked around. “Nope, not in the kitchen...unless she’s in the fridge...” Stealthily, Xander moved toward the icebox...
Then he heard it. Just outside, a slight clatter at the side door that led into the alley where the garbage was kept. “Aw, man, tell me she didn’t try to take out the garbage.” Xander opened the door and looked out cautiously.
“Mrs. Gates?”
Giles stiffened his lip and checked under the couch. The cat that lay underneath glared threateningly and rolled over. No matter how improbable, he reminded himself... As he began to straighten, he felt a warm rush of air against his neck, and a soft voice asked, “Do you really think you’ll find her under there?”
Spinning around, an unhealthy flush suffusing his face, the Watcher gasped at the sight of his Slayer. “Buffy... You startled me.”
The blond smiled half-heartedly and said, “I guessed that. Nothing in the basement.” She looked around worriedly and inquired, “Giles, where’s Xander?”
“He’s in the kitchen” , Giles answered wearily. “Quite possibly snacking as we speak.” He picked up an open book and set it down on a table, closed.
Buffy nodded sagely, acknowledging the truth of the statement, and wandered toward the kitchen door. “Well, she’s not in here. Better try the pantry.”
Willow bit her lip as Oz turned the knob, and then the door was open, and the teens entered, their eyes drawn to the bed.
“She’s here”, Willow whispered, nearly bouncing in place. “Oh, we were all worked up... She just went to bed!”
“That’s one heck of an anti-climax”, Oz muttered. Willow touched him lightly on the arm, a happy smiled touching her lips, and then she and Oz left Mrs. Gates sleeping peacefully and made their way down the stairs.
They heard voices in the kitchen, and peeked in. Buffy and Giles stood in the middle of the room, staring at the open side door.
“We found Mrs. Gates”, Willow announced, looking between Buffy and Giles nervously as they turned. “Where’s Xander?”
Buffy licked her lips, wrapping her arms around herself, and in a half-sob, managed to gasp out, “Xander’s gone.” Oz’s hands found Willow’s shoulders, and he drew her back against him, holding on to her.
“No”, Willow moaned. “He can’t be...”
“But he is”, Buffy responded gravely. “And that means that you’re next.”
Then the lights came back...
Go on to Day 3