WHO: Buffy Summers and Eddie Castile WHAT: Meeting at the gym WHEN: Today WHERE: Anytime Fitness WARNINGS: Nah STATUS: Closed/Completed Gdoc
Even though Eddie now had a non-Guardian job in mind with the app he’d posted about on the network, that didn’t mean he was going to let himself get out of shape. For one thing, he needed to be strong in order to protect the people who needed him to walk them home. For another, he was a Guardian, and it was part of his job. Who knew when he’d be sent home back to being Adrian and Sydney’s Guardian and he wouldn’t fail them. Third? He liked being in shape. He liked how he felt and he liked the way Jill looked at him with his clothes off. Ahem.
Anyway, he was just finishing up his workout when he noticed a girl - Buffy, he thought - finishing up hers. He was impressed, and remembered something about her being a Guardian of sorts too.
He waited until she was finished then walked up to her and offered her a hand.
“Nice moves. I’m Eddie. Let me guess - you fight vampires?”
*** Much like Eddie and Rose, Buffy kept herself in shape despite not actively hunting vampires in Madison Valley. As peaceful as Madison Valley was, Buffy knew all too well that it had moments where it was not peaceful or kind to its residents and the refugees. Being in slayer shape meant that she was prepared for whatever this place could throw at her and she could better protect the people she cared about, especially her sister, Dawn. It was not surprising to find Buffy at the gym almost everyday; she did allow herself two days off for her body to recoup after a workout.
During her visits, Buffy did notice Eddie and she recognized him as the young man who had posted about starting a kind of security business in Madison Valley. To Buffy, it sounded like a great way for people like him and herself to put their skills to good use. Even if they were not fighting vampires or evil, they could still help protect innocent people, even if it was simply walking them home at night from work. She was considering approaching him when he beat her to the idea and walked over to her.
As she finished up a particularly rigorous routine, he offered his hand which Buffy took instantly. “Likewise. I’ve seen you a few times here when I’ve come to workout,” Buffy offered with a smile. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Eddie. I’m Buffy and yeah, I fight vampires. All kinds of evil actually, but that was more of a back home thing. Here? Not so much.” She wasn’t complaining; people were safe here and she would never request putting them in danger so she could relive kicking vampire butt...though it was fun from time to time. “Let me guess. You have a knack for vampire butt kicking too?”
***
“Yep, kind of what I’ve been training to do my whole life. Started school when I was like five so I started young.” Most dhampirs were about that age when they started training. It wasn’t out of the ordinary. “We’re a bit different, though. We protect the good vampires from the bad vampires.” Well, the Moroi were mostly good anyway. He’d had to kill one of them once to protect Lissa, and that hadn’t been good for him, over all. He was pretty sure that they’d never fully forgive him and it had kind of derailed his progress with the Guardians.
“Did you see my post on the network?” He asked. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in helping out. I mean, you seem the kind who would be good at it too, since we kind of do the same thing and all.”
*** Unlike Eddie, Buffy had not been born as a slayer. She had been “called” at the age of fifteen when the previous slayer was killed. Until that point, unknown to herself, she was a potential, one of many, and lucky (or maybe unlucky) her, she was chosen. She didn’t have the extensive training Eddie had and a lot of what Buffy knew about fighting evil, she’d learned along the way. As her Watcher, Giles had contributed to her training too, but Buffy had always been resourceful and it was because of her friends that she had survived so long as the slayer. Of course, coming to Madison Valley, she no longer functioned as a slayer really. It was sad in a way even if she was glad that Dawn was not in danger here and could have a normal life.
“Wow. You’ve been at it for a while,” Buffy replied. “I’ve been a slayer since I was fifteen. It was something that just happened. It was not a calling she would have chosen or something she was born into. “It was like fate I guess.”
Buffy had seen his post on the network. In fact, she’d been thinking about it. “Actually, I was thinking about it after I saw the post,” Buffy replied honestly. “It seems like more of something that would play to my talents than working at the stable.”
***
“No more than other Guardians have,” Eddie shrugged. Starting early was just the way their lives worked. There weren’t many other respectable careers for dhampirs, so they threw themselves into becoming Guardians early. He himself had never even considered doing anything else, not that he would have had much of a chance at five years old.
“Do you like it?” He asked. He did like what he did. He liked being a Guardian. He liked protecting people and fighting for their safety. He hadn’t had much choice in profession, but he felt like he’d chosen a good one, one that would give him the satisfaction of a job well done. “I mean, since it kind of happened to you and you didn’t have a choice...would you choose it if you did?”
He nodded with a small smile at her words. “Well, I’ll definitely need more people than me, especially if it gets popular.”
*** “I guess for me it’s early because that’s not how I became a slayer,” Buffy replied honestly. She was given this destiny and she was pretty sure, at fifteen, she would not have chosen it herself. It just showed how different worlds were. Obviously, now, Buffy could not see her life without being the slayer as part of it, but then? She was just a teenager and the wait of the world was on her shoulders. It was crushing. Still, she didn’t regret it either. It had made her who she was now.
Buffy folded her arms upon her chest. “Good question,” Buffy answered with a smirk. “I was only fifteen when I was called. At the time, it was overwhelming. I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. Looking back, I don’t know if I would have chosen it, but at the same time, I wouldn’t change a thing. Well, maybe a few things, but without this destiny, I wouldn't have met the friends I did or the people that I came to love. So I guess I would have.” It was a difficult question.
“Well, I would like to help out,” Buffy added. “I think it could be a business and could grow. As safe as Madison is, I feel people still would appreciate having someone to walk them home at night or during bad weather even.”
***
“Huh. Yeah. I guess I’m kind of the same. In that I wouldn’t change a thing either. It isn’t really like I had a choice, because there aren’t very many career paths available for dhampirs. We can basically….well, be Guardians. Girls can be mothers, but of course guys can’t. I could have gone into the human world and gotten a job...but that’s not something I wanted either. So I became a Guardian. I guess it’s a good thing that I wanted it?”
Most of the guys and girls he trained with had seemed to want it, which made things easier for them at least.
“That would be great. I mean, we’ll share the money between however many of us there are. I don’t expect it to make us millionaires but it might make us a little extra money?”
*** “I’d say yeah, it’s a good thing.” Buffy understood. She had come to like her calling, but it had taken time and experience to get there. “But I guess I only had one option after fifteen too.” At least Eddie liked it. His calling didn’t feel like a job or a duty. It was clear he took it seriously, especially if he was willing to offer his services to others here. “A little extra money is not a bad thing at all. I say we do it,” Buffy replied with a smile. “Let me know what I can do to help with the process.”
***
“I definitely will,” he said. “I’ll keep in touch and let you know when Ned has the app coded.” He didn’t know how long it actually took to do things like that, but Ned was brilliant so he couldn’t imagine it took too long.
“I need to go grab a shower, so I’ll talk to you again soon. Nice to meet you, Buffy.”
*** “Please do. Like I said, it would be nice to put my skills to use in an area where they are more relevant.” Buffy was looking forward to Eddie contacting her about the potential security position. Even if the company did not end up making much money, at least they would be providing a good service and that was what counted the most, right?
“Yeah me too. It was nice to meet you, Eddie.” Buffy offered him a wave over her shoulder before heading for the locker room. ****