Leveraging The Council by cjsplace

Leveraging the Council ~ 3 [PG]

I knew the Leverage Team still had reservations about trusting me. They traded off keeping me occupied while they whispered their plans. I played my part without letting it show that I could hear every word they were saying. It's true that I used to fight against my destiny as the Slayer. Right now, it totally rocked. I turned in my seat to smile at Parker, who had drawn the short straw for this leg of the journey, and sat across from me periodically looking back at her team as though wishing she were anywhere but here.

"So, Parker, what do you like to do?" I asked politely, figuring it was a safe topic of conversation.

The other blonde gave me a deer caught in headlights look before she returned the smile with a tentative one of her own. "Uh, I like jumping," Parker said the first thing that came to mind, thinking it summed up the more benign part of her skills.

"Ooh, you mean like horses, where you jump over those little fences? That's so cool," I asked enthusiastically. Finally, something I knew about. I had ridden as a child at the country club my father frequented for business deals, back when we still had money, oh and my father still remembered I was his daughter. Ok, don't go there, remember not his fault. Bad mail and mass confusion. Bygones. "What kind of horse…" I watched Parker's creamy complexion drain to a chalky white. "Uh, Parker are you okay?" I wasn't sure whether to call Nathan or grab the barf bag. My brow scrunched up in confusion, I hadn't felt even the slightest shift in the plane's flight. Was it something I said? I caught the dark swish of Sophie's head jerking up from her position in the strategy huddle with the boys.

She suddenly appeared as if by magic beside me. If I didn't know better, I'd think she had some supernatural powers going for her. I wondered if she was here to rescue Parker from me or me from Parker.

"Hello ladies, is everything all right up here?" Sophie asked as she propped her lush body against the adjacent leather seats. Her dark eyes took in Parker's pale, slightly green face and the glazed look in her eyes. "Parker, I think Nathan had some questions for you. Why don't you go back and see what he needed?"

She sent her that reassuring smile that I'm sure the entire team had come to rely on to get them smoothly out of tight spots. Sophie stepped back just in time to keep from getting run over by Parker. She slipped into the vacated seat as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Her lips turned up into the sweetest Mona Lisa smile. "Have you ever been to London before?"

I wasn't sure what had happened with Parker. I know living on the Hellmouth for the past few years had increased my immunity towards the odd. With the weirdness that seemed the norm in Sunnydale, but Parker barely caused my freak-o-meter to blip.

"No," Like I'd want to rush to the Land of Tea and Tweed. "My Mom talked about taking me to Paris but things were always popping up unexpectedly, [oh like the random apocalypse], and there never seemed to be enough time." We slipped into a comfortable silence for several long minutes. "Have you guys finished your game plan?"

Sophie eyed me for a long time as if she was trying to figure me out. She was probably wondering which personality was the real Buffy Summers: the ditzy blonde that talked a mile a minute, the vengeful daughter, gifted descendant, or if the real me had even shown my true face yet. Maybe when they figured it out they could clue me in. I'm sure Nathan had probably assigned Sophie to Project Buffy after realizing Parker was too much of a feather-weight to handle this part of the job. Well, Good Luck on that one, Sister. She blasted me with the full impact of her mega-watt smile. And I played my part and sent a perky smile back. But, you know, I have to admit that her smile was one mean weapon.

"Nathan always has last minute plans he wants to go over. It's rather boring, but it helps assure him that anyone who runs into trouble will know what to do. He hates trouble and tries to figure out every possible scenario to avoid it. He's really gifted that way." She gave an elegant shrug of her designer clad shoulders.

I didn't know if that meant Nathan was uber-smart or beyond paranoid. I hoped it was the former for everyone's sake, including my own. After having drifted in and out of conversation with Parker and Sophie for the last little while, I suddenly became aware of an itching in the back of my mind telling me the Slayer was antsy and wasn't going to play nice much longer. My toes were starting to tingle and I knew it wouldn't be long before my feet would start their incessant tapping. Glancing down at my watch, I realized there were four more hours before we landed in London. My fingers dug into the armrests as I tried to suppress the caged predator who timeshared my body, hoping to stave off a 'situation beyond my control.'

Refocusing my mind on my surroundings, I contemplated the woman sitting across from me. Sophie was an interesting lady. She was what I wanted to be when I grew up, should I ever get to grow up. I know that sounded weird. I know, I'm already grown according to the law being over eighteen and all that, but I mean with the adulthood part of the plan. Don't really see it happening. Not part of the Slayer package. Death is your Gift, and all that rot. It's a nice dream, though, you know. A Girl's gotta have dreams, right?

"So, have you guys been friends long?" I asked, deciding to do some info gathering of my own.

My question must have shocked her because the pupils of her eyes dilated slightly before returning to normal. No one with normal eyesight would have caught it, but go-go Slayer powers.

She responded with faux-casualness, "We've known each other for several years, but have only been working together for the past year." Lie. "We decided to pool our talents on a job and it worked out so well that we just stayed together." Half-truth.

"Are you and Nathan dating?"

Wow pupils blown wide and her heart's accelerated, she must really care about him. I wonder if he feels the same or is totally clueless like Xander was about Willow for all those years.

"No, Nathan and I are old friends, nothing more. He's gone through some hard time, but that's his story to tell not mine." Her lips pressed into a hard line letting me know the conversation regarding her and Nathan, and Nathan's past was over.

Damn, what were we going to talk about now with four hours left to go? I had to keep talking or doing something, or Miss Slay Gal was going to come out and it wasn't going to be pretty. She was starting to scratch at the back of my mind like some big kitty sharpening her claws and I was her favorite scratching post. Damn, there went my toe with the tapping. Uh, oh.

I jumped up from my seat, scaring the crap out of Sophie from the way her eyes practically swallowed her face. Can eyes swallow your face? How gross is that? How do people come up with these saying? Did someone's eyes actually do that back in the day and can I just say 'ewe'? Concentrate Summers, move your feet, your mouth, anything just move.

Backing away down the aisle, I said, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. My foot went to sleep."

I sent her what I hoped passed for an apologetic smile, rather than some terrorist grin. From the way I felt, it was a toss up. My Slayer was snarling in my head and Sophie was trailing after me. Help. I was truly in hell. Please, please, whatever she does, don't let her touch me. Just don't let her touch me. The mantra repeated in my head as I rushed toward what I hoped was the bathroom. I saw the teams' worried faces reflected back at me as I hurried by with Sophie hot on my trail. Nothing ever seems to go the way I need it to, especially when I really need it to. Murphy hates me. He does I know he does. He sat up there wherever he ruled over mishap and mayhem and laughed at my life. And of course, I couldn't get to the bathroom without mishap, with mayhem just waiting for the opportunity, but it wasn't Sophie who caused my undoing. No, I forgot about the one I shouldn't have forgotten about, the only other predator on this flying boat - Elliot. He simple stepped in my path. And, all hell broke loose. Looks like mayhem didn't have long to wait.

Elliot put his hand up to stop me. He didn't put his hands on me, he just stood in my way and let me know that he planned to interfere in my plans to go forward. His quiet confidence and stance let me, and more importantly the Slayer, know he thought he had the situation well in hand. It was the wrong move. The Slayer pressed forward before I could push her back, and, without thought, she took him down in a blur of motion that even I couldn't follow, and she was using my body.

Silence filled the plane as everyone stood frozen trying to take in what had just happened, me included. Oh crap, oh crap. I stood over Elliot as he lay beneath my foot staring up at me with incredulous blue eyes. I slowly removed my foot stepped to the side and offered him my hand.

He eyed it warily before taking it. I helped him up, after ensuring my Slayer had gone back to her assigned seat. She seemed strangely content now that she had asserted her dominance. I had kept my back to everyone else as I reassured myself that I hadn't hurt Elliot. His smile and nod told me he was all right, which meant it was time to face the firing squad. I'm not sure if it was the airplane, my emotions being all over the place with the loss of Mom and Dawn or what, but I haven't had this much trouble controlling my Slayer since I was first called. Murphy, he hated me I know it. I think he wrote that rule just for me.

When I turned around, the team was staring at me like I had just farted the lottery numbers, well not really because again with the gross. What was with me today with the gross imagery? I must be missing my daily doss of Xanderisms, either that or my blood sugar was low.

"What the hell was that? I mean, did you all just see what I saw? Nathan, did you know she could do that?!" This from Hardison, their resident Geek-extraordinaire.

Parker was doing some modified version of the Snoopy dance. She clapped her hands as she sent me that quirky smile of hers. "Can you show me how to do that? Please, please, please," she asked, sending me puppy eyes.

I glanced at Nathan and Sophie whose shocked expressions were starting to wear off. Their lips pursed as they readied to bombard me with questions, I could see it on their faces. I know I had to say something, anything.

"Uh, guess you guys want an explanation, huh?" Inspiration hit me and I started to shuffle my feet in the dance known to round the world. My nose scrunched up in the way my father had found adorable when I was little, here's hoping it was still cute. "Could it wait just a little longer?"

Not waiting around to see if my acting skills were any better than those of Queen C, although, I hoped so since I hadn't seen her name in lights, or flashing across any screens between my favorite shows. I dashed for the bathroom, running by Elliot on my way to the sanctuary that was my original target in the first place. I slammed the door shut behind me and let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. For lack of a better plan, shrugging my shoulders at my reflection in the tiny mirror, I went to the bathroom. My mom's voice echoed in my head the entire time, which was weird. It kept saying - you never know when you're going to get to go again, so you better go now, young lady. I'm pretty sure no matter how weirded out Nathan and the others were they would still let me have potty breaks. What's a girl to do, when your mother's in your head telling you to go pee, you go pee. And, with five people outside the door listening for the toilet to flush, how weird was my life?

I flushed the toilet and watched it do the cool sucky thing. No matter how many times I had seen it, it was still cool. Sue me, I'm easy to please. I washed my hands with the doll-sized fixtures. Remembering when my dad took us on a trip when I was little and he used to tell me that he had the pilot put those in special for me so they'd fit my hands. I thought my dad was the best Daddy in the whole world back then, course I thought I was a real princess too. Growing up sucks sometimes. Guess I can't stand here washing my hands for several hours until they forget about what happened or we land, whichever came first. I stuck out my tongue at my Slayer, although it had no effect since she was happily sitting back to watch the show. Her inner manic calm, but I knew she was ready to flip without a moments notice until we were standing on good old terra forma once again. Goody. Well, here goes nothing. I opened the door and stepped out to find them standing exactly where I had left them. Great, I'm sure they're still all with the being weirded out and wondering just what the hell they agreed to do and with whom.

Three hours later, after roughly what felt like three gallons of coffee running through my veins and babbling out one of the lamest excuses I've ever heard, let alone created on the fly, had us almost to London. Have to say the Sunnydale Syndrome held even in midair. Everyone bought it. It was the babble that flew out of my mouth, which I'm not even sure I could repeat under threat of bodily harm to all I hold dear. My inner Willow took hold and I'm not even sure there was breathing involved for the first ten minutes. I distinctly remembered someone telling me to breathe but that was several hours ago, so I could have just imagined it. Can you get caffeine poisoning?

My toe slowly started tapping again somewhere around hour two and I thought my Slayer was about to appear again. I worked hard to hold it still, with no such luck. It tapped faster and faster no matter what I tried. Funny thing though, I couldn't feel my funny little friend. When I started to giggle around the two and half hour mark, Nathan sent Sophie a look, which she sent to Hardison and well you get the idea. They played pass it on until it got to Parker who sent it to me, which sent me over the edge in a fit of hysterics. The talking broke up after that with everyone slowly finding a seat away from the crazy, heavily caffeinated client.

I leaned my head against the cool window and closed my eyes. The seat beside me squeaked softly as someone braved the crazy to sit beside for the remainder of the flight. I didn't have to open my eyes to know who had come to sit beside me. "Did you draw the short straw?"

"No, I volunteered," Elliott said, his soft Southern accent tickled my ear.

"Glutton for punishment?" His soft laugh answered my question, the one I had left unasked.

So, he was curious about me. I already knew he hadn't bought the story I told the others. What I don't know was why he hadn't called me on it. Guess I'll find out when he's ready to tell me.

"What's your story, Elliott? You're the Hitter, huh? Where do people come up with the names? Is there like an office somewhere with this little bald man with nothing to do but come up with dumb names for what people do? I've ran across some really lame ones too. Is there another guy out there known as the Smacker? Or, ooh, I know the Poker? What about Kicker is that one taken?"

The soft chuckle from the seat beside me stopped me mid-rant. "You sure get riled up easy," he said. "Did you really say the Poker?"

His shoulders shook with laughter, until he couldn't contain it any longer and it burst from his lips. The sound was wonderful. I'm not sure I had heard anything so charming since the last time I had family night with Dawnie and Mom. Ooh, crap, crap, this was so not good. Bad, Buffy he's just being nice because that's his job, and he's a nice guy. Well, nice for a guy whose job it is to hit people. I can't really throw stakes though since my night job's kinda the same, only my 'guys' don't have a pulse, though to be fair some of the demons had pulses, some even had several, wonder if that counted.

I slid further down in my sit wishing…no nope, nuh huh, nada no words starting with 'W' going on here. Imagining, yep, that's a good word. Imagining I was anywhere but here. Closing my eyes like it would somehow erase the words that continue to erupt from my mouth around these people. Help.

The laughter slowly died down and by the soft sound of hair sliding across leather seats I knew he was staring at me. Oh, brother was I ever in trouble. I peeked open one eye and closed it shut. Man, when did they start making eyes that blue and why was guy's hair so herbalesk-y? He even has dimples. Dimples. I'm in soo much trouble. Snap out of Buffy, think about Dawn and Mom, think about the Council and…

The warm fuzzies slowly burned away and the ever-present anger flooded my system. Elliot was beyond cute, no doubt, but I had more important things than my libido to worry about. I had allowed my personal drama to get in the way before, and my family had paid for it. Not this time. Never again. I felt the Slayer purr in approval. Well, ain't that a kick in the pants. We finally agree on something. Who knew?

I pushed back up into my seat, opened my eyes and sent Elliot a catty smile. He returned it, though his faltered slightly. I could tell my change in demeanor had him slightly off kilter. Good. I'm sure they sent him up here to turn on the charm and see what he could find out about their wacko client. Especially after what happened earlier, and I almost fell for it too. Yeah any other time he would be some distracting salty goodness, but not today. Those handsome bad boys get to me every time, what does that say about me I wonder.

"What now? We've joked around, laughed a little, even flirted some, am I supposed to pour out my heart to you? Though I have to admit those dimples have probably gotten you lots of interesting tidbits from the unsuspecting ladies. Not to mention flashing those baby blues."

I almost burst out laughing at the gobsmaked look he sent me. Gobsmaked, what am I channeling my inner Giles now? Elliott's eyes narrowed the barest fraction and those pretty eyes lost their sparkle. I bet that look had intimidated some pretty tough characters. It was kinda cute. Oops, mental smack! Pay attention, Buffy, he's talking.

"We have to work together and I need to know you're not going to get my team hurt. But," he said, pausing for effect as he sent me another one of those killer smiles. His Southern boy charm was firmly back in place. "There's no reason we can't be friends."

Fine, two could play that game. My smile brightened to the thousand-watt variety, the one that always sent Giles immediately to rubbing his glasses because he knew he was about to agree to something he dreaded.

"Sure, we can have sleepovers, braid each others hair and even trade stories about who we're crushing on. Sounds like fun."

His hands came up in the universal gesture for surrender. "Peace. I told Sophie you wouldn't go for it," he groused.

I couldn't help but smile at the way he said it. He sounded just like Giles when he repeatedly complained about Xander calling him G-man. "Fair enough. I'll let you off on a technicality." Pausing for effect, as the smile faded from my face and I let the Slayer shine through my eyes. "This time!" I leaned closer to Elliot, allowing my voice to go soft and low, down to a soft growl. "Don't try to play me, Elliott, and we'll get along fine. I need your team to help me get justice for my family. My intentions are honorable, and I don't plan on getting in your way, or causing any trouble for you or yours. But, don't get in mine either."

His heart thumped loudly in my ear and I could detect the hitch in his breath that he had taken without even knowing he had done so. Breathing normally, I could smell the slight sheen of sweat that had broken out on Elliot's brow just above his hairline, a tell-tale sign of fear. Though his eyes showed no sign, which was very interesting. It showed that he must either have some training in the field of torture techniques, or experience. I was hoping for the former.

After noting all of these subtle physiological changes and nuances both in Elliot, and previously in Sophie, I realized my senses had gone into hyper-drive, and I was hyper-aware of everything. Making me wonder if it was because my Slayer had no other outlet and had pushed everything into the only place available to her. Or, if something else was happening to me? My Slayer had seemed 'more' ever since I left the Hellmouth. More present, more intense...more everything. I hadn't stopped long enough to take note of it, until now. Too, busy trying to get through each day living without Mom and Dawn. Too focused on revenge. And realizing, I'm the only tangible evidence Dawnie had even existed hadn't helped either.

Thankfully, the Captain came on the intercom to announce our approach into the Heathrow. Fasten you seatbelts and place your seats in the upright positions, boys and girls. Oh, we weren't finished by a long shot, Elliot and I. I knew our conversation was far from over, but for now I had talked enough and was ready to get off this flying sardine can. My Slayer was ready to slay me, the team, hell the seat in front of me, if the damned plane didn't land soon. And, the way I felt right now, I was about ready to let her have her head.

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Leveraging the Council ~ 3 [PG]