The Fallen Slayer {1}

Shadow

BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA

While Buffy loved having family in her life again, it seemed as though since Jeremy and Elena had moved in with her, she no longer had any alone time to gather her thoughts. Between this demon woman, her friends, work, worrying about Klaus, the Salvatores, and her family, it was just a lot.

Given that she had been stuck taking the bus while her car was in the shop, it had been surprisingly peaceful.

The bus ride had allowed her the extra time alone with her own thoughts.

Now that her shift was finished, Buffy was soaking in the rare silence as she walked toward the bus station.

Silence and peace that she had missed.

Suddenly, she crashed into a firm chest.

Buffy groaned in annoyance at herself, she really needed to start looking where she was going. 

"Dammit, not again." She muttered before glancing up intent on apologizing to the person she had bumped only to pause as her eyes connected with a familiar pair of blue eyes.

"Nik." She breathed in shock as a small smile broke out on her face.

Klaus couldn't help but grin down at the golden-haired Slayer "Buffy, you do remember you have eyes correct?"

Buffy laughed and slapped his chest lightly before arching a challenging brow "Hey, I'm five foot 3 you're like 6 foot. I'm small and dainty, technically you should be the one apologizing to me. You're bigger hence this equals your fault as you can see more."

When he merely grinned down at her clearly amused, she pouted up at him "My logic doesn't make much sense but humor me?"

Klaus laughed lightly as he spotted that adorable pout on her face. It was so hard to say disagree with her when she looked at him like that. Holding up his hands in surrender he quickly nodded his head "Of course." 

Buffy smiled gratefully only to slap her hands to her chest as she remembered what she had planned to do today. It had completely slipped her mind given everything else going on right now "We had lunch plans didn't we?"

"That we do. Come on."

As much as she wanted to, Buffy couldn't "My car is getting serviced. I am bus girl today. Plus, plans with the Watcher for this demon woman. Reschedule? Totally my treat. I'm sorry, I'm kind of---"

She was falling into babble mode which had Klaus fighting back a laugh as he tried to interject "Buffy."

Buffy just kept going, his voice not registering in her mind "I am so sucky, I know we made plan plans, and you are traveling so much so I--"

In order to stop her babble fest, Klaus stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, a small smile on his lips as she froze at the sudden contact "Are you alright, love?"

After months of spending time with Buffy at the Gallery, Klaus had picked up that when she babbled it was typically because her mind was elsewhere.

"Stressed and beyond tired and so many problems. And I'm starving and have to go ugh."

There was a beat of silence before Klaus took her head starting to lead her toward the parking lot by the Gallery.

Buffy inhaled at the skin-to-skin contact. Just his touch made her feel like all her nerve endings were filling with electricity.

Before she could focus on that though, she spotted Nik leading her to a sleek black car "Nik, are you kidnapping me?"

Klaus laughed at the irony of her statement "Not today, I'm driving you home. I will even let you get drive-through."