The Fallen Slayer {1}

Those Cursed Three Words

Hours. 

That was how long Buffy spent pacing back and forth in the Boarding House's library.

Hours of endless pacing as her mind ran wild with worried thoughts about her boyfriend, who was currently downstairs in the cellar playing martyr.

She had only left the house a handful of times since the Miss Mystic Falls pageant two weeks ago. She had gone to school for her SAT practice test which she had somehow to her own shock aced and she had gone home to make sure her cousins hadn't killed John.

Luckily, now they were on winter break she didn't have to go to school for classes.

Plus, due to the extra credits she had managed to get this semester she only had three classes on her schedule next semester.

So it wasn't all bad.

It was official, once she passed her finals and her real SATs then she would officially be done with High School. 

As long as she did well that is.

With Stefan on lockdown, Buffy had spent her days taking advantage of the Salvatore library to help her prep for her finals in a couple of months.

Studying was currently the only thing keeping her from going crazy.

Currently, her boyfriend was downstairs, still locked away in the cellar. Which was concerning enough. But the fact that he was refusing to feed or speak was more worrying.

There had been nothing but endless silence from Stefan's cell. He had just been soaking in his own guilt and shame since he had woken up after she snapped his neck.

"You're gonna burn a hole in the carpet." Damon piped up glancing up from his book to watch as  Buffy continued to pace in front of him while flipping through the flashcards that Caroline had made for her.

Caroline was more invested in making sure she graduated than anyone in her life.

Feeling something connect with the back of her head, shaking her out of her frantic study session, Buffy jumped before glaring at the pen Damon had launched at her.

Picking the pen up, she launched it right back at him.

The pen hit him square between the eyes.

Though clearly, Damon was learning as the next thing he did was toss her a bag of flaming hot Cheetos.

Catching the bag, Buffy took that as a sign to halt and moved to sit beside him on the couch.

Tossing a few Cheetos into her mouth, she moaned in delight.

"Ooh, flamming hot yum."

Suddenly she was in a much better mood.

"I just don't like sitting around. I need to do something."

"What did you do last time your boy toy went evil?" Damon asked with a smirk before chuckling "Oh wait...never mind."

Buffy couldn't help but roll her eyes before picking up the throw pillow next to her, and launching it right at his face.

Damon was getting too comfortable around her for her liking. She missed the days when he was constantly worried she was going to stake him.

Ignoring his laughter as he continued to enjoy her misery, Buffy shifted her focus to the Gilbert Watch that Pearl had given Damon.

She had surprisingly been very willing to hand it over as a way of trying to broker a deal so Buffy wouldn't stake her and Anne.

Not that Buffy had actually agreed to that deal.

"We figured out if this is worth me not going Slayer on Miss Pearl yet?"

"If you ask me stake away." Damon argued as he climbed off the couch and moved over to the bar.

Instantly, he started to pour himself a glass of bourbon.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't work." Pausing he turned back to glance at Buffy who was now examining the watch closely.


Unlike Damon, she didn't buy that this watch was useless. It had to do something right?

Spotting a glass being offered to her, Buffy groaned in slight disgust as the smell of bourbon filled her nostrils.

"Ew."

"It's not blood Buffster...it's bourbon, give it a shot. You'll love it."

As he wiggled his eyebrows at her, Buffy just rolled her eyes before shaking her head. She in no way would be drinking bourbon anytime soon.

"Eeewww." She repeated slower only making Damon snort in amusement.

He was determined to make her like bourbon if it was the last thing he did. Just so that he could say 'I told you so' sometime in the future.

As she continued to ignore him and focus on the watch, twisting it between her fingers carefully, Damon rolled his eyes before downing her glass.

"Oh I know, which of us has a designated and paid Watcher who currently isn't doing much watching of his Slayer so has plenty of time to look into old-timey nik-naks?"

Ironically, the 17-year-old girl had better and more useful contacts than he did, despite over a century and a half on this earth.

At the mention of Giles, Buffy sighed loudly and placed the watch back on the table "First of all..." She muttered as she glanced up at Damon "He has Faith. Given that her new Watcher turned out to be not such a Watcher and tried to kill them all with a mythical glove."

That had definitely been an interesting story to hear from Xander who declared very loudly that Giles had been knocked out again.

Another notch on the Giles Knock Out Counter.

"Plus, we have a Mayor that may or may not be trying to end the world. You really want me to bring apocalypse drama here?"

Though the whole Mayor thing was still just a theory...for now.