Friday Fanfic

Buffy the Dragon Slayer

(An obvious continuation of last week's story.)

Chapter Eight-Gamma

"Wait a minute," whispered Laurel to Sir Roderick. "Didn't Niccola Wood -- "

"Not now, Laurel," whispered Sir Roderick.

"But Niccola Wood -- " whispered Laurel.

"I said not now, Laurel," whispered Sir Roderick.

"We can hear you, you know," said the man Messalina had called Stake.

"Oh, right," said Sir Roderick. "Of course you can."

Stake turned toward the innkeeper and his wife. "Excuse me, folks, but you mind taking Buffy and Messalina here to one of the back rooms for some tea while me and Sir Roderick have a private conversation?"

"Of course not, sir," said the innkeeper.

And just like that, the dining room was cleared of everyone save for Laurel, Sir Roderick and Stake.

"If your girlfriend does one thing to harm Buffy -- " Sir Roderick started to say, but Stake interrupted.

"Mess isn't going to harm Buffy," said Stake. "After all, she's not a cruel sort. At least not very much. Certainly not compared to the Countess Karnstein or that Hungarian aristocrat who likes to take baths a lot. Anyway, you don't have to worry about Messalina. She has no intention of harming Buffy."

"Then why did she deliberately mislead her about the fate of Niccola Wood?" asked Sir Roderick.

"Frankly, I would like to think that the more important question is how was she able to mislead Buffy about the fate of Niccola Wood," said Stake. "After all, Niccola Wood was a pretty famous dragon slayer in her day. And yet you and your friend Laurel were familiar with her fate -- and Buffy was not. How do you suppose that happened?"

"Well, I don't necessarily tell Buffy everything about past Slayers," said Sir Roderick. "She never asks and I never volunteer information unless it's absolutely necessary."

"In other words, your policy is don't ask, don't tell?" asked Stake with a sneer. "And you people think we have a dubious attitude toward humanity!"

"Nevertheless..." Sir Roderick started to say.

"Nevertheless, your girl is hysterical," said Stake. "The only way she's going to do her job is if somebody calms her down and right now Messalina is the best suited of any of us to do that. I'll admit that I would be a trifle wary of Messalina if I were in your place but you really can't afford to wax all that idealistic right now if you wish to save anyone from this dragon."

"And I suppose you and Messalina will be wanting immunity from the Watchers Council as well?" asked Sir Roderick.

Stake replied with a shrug. "It wouldn't hurt."

To be continued...