"Group Dynamic" -- The White Hats


Giles	Oz	Larry	Kendra


Willow	Spike	Theresa

The night air was filled with the sounds of battle. In the park, where the battle was going on, a Vampire was wishing that he'd not had a better night than usual. Usually there was no one out, not once people learned to go in at night. But tonight he'd counted himself lucky, because he'd found a black girl who looked like she was new in town wandering the park.

Another kick sent him flying back into a tombstone. He groaned and got up. "Who are you?" he asked, trying to preserve some of his dignity, by throwing a punch. It never connected.

"The Slayer." the girl said simply, with a heavy islands accent. His eyes widened with fear, and he tried to run, but she staked him before he got very far.

Kendra nodded in satisfaction, then heard someone shout in alarm. Either more vampires had seen her, or someone had actually been stupid enough to go outside at night.

Running to the source of the shout, she saw that the latter was true. It was one of those that had been with her new Watcher when she'd first arrived. What was he doing out here?

At the moment, he was getting his butt kicked by two vampires. Quickly dispatching them, she shook her head.

"What did you think you were doing?" she asked. When she'd first arrived, she'd been very shy around boys; her previous watcher had not allowed her contact with them, so she didn't know how to deal with them.

But there was something different about Larry. She'd seen it early on, her own Watcher had been like that, and living with him had taught her how to spot it. But she doubted that Larry knew yet. She decided not to press that matter.

"How would you help?" she said reproachfully. "I am the Slayer. It's my duty to kill Vampires. You're just a normal human, no match for the Undead."

"I'll have you know that I've killed plenty of vampires." Larry proclaimed. But Kendra was not listening. She'd already started heading back to the library.

Larry hurried after her, eager to plead his case. But before he got the chance, several more Vampires jumped out of the bushes.

It was Chris Smith and some of his friends from the Drama Club. Mostly though, it was a bunch of people he didn't know. Probably new recruits.

They both put up a good fight, but Larry was only mortal, and Kendra, good as she was, couldn't defeat that many. But just like they were on some strange TV show, help showed up just in time.

Two figures dressed all in black, dropped from the trees. One strafed the surprised Vamps with an automatic rifle, while the other engaged them hand to hand.

He leaped into the air and spun, kicking a vampire in the face. Before he landed, a stake popped from the heel of his boot, and he staked another. Just as the one he'd kicked got up, he landed, and casually brought his arm back, as a blade slid from it's sheath in his sleeve, decapitating it.

While the Vampires recovered from the massive amounts of physical damage done by rapid fire bullet impacts, the other black clad figure staked them at his leisure.

Marty Lynch, one of the Vamps that Larry recognized tried to run. But the one with the gun threw something at him. Something that embedded itself in it's body. And exploded. What didn't go flying was incinerated.

Before they knew it, the entire group of Vampires had been killed, or fled. Larry was impressed. If Kendra was, she didn't show it.

Larry looked astonished. Sure enough, the figure that had done the hand to hand fighting had vanished. Just like last time.

"As for who I am," the young man who'd stayed, pulled of his black mask that had hidden his features. "My name's Pike. You know where I can find Buffy? You know, the Slayer?"

They hold their home in a grip of fear.
They feed upon the innocent.
They are Vampires, Demons, the Forces of Darkness.
Only a few have the courage to face them.
They are the Good Guys.
The ones in The White Hats.

"Willow!" Xander had said, when she sat down at his table. "There you are! Where have you been? I've been looking for you since last night!"

Last night. The night Darla and the other Vampire had taken her and Jesse. The night Jesse became her first meal. She'd thought about changing him, but she'd been too weak. Besides. There was only one that she wanted.

That night, the night of the harvest, she'd turned Xander, even as the Master rose, and Luke provided the power. Then Puppy had come. He'd killed Darla and Luke, but he'd been no match for the Master. That had been nearly a year ago.

And now here she was, getting ready to move on with her life. So to speak. If only Oz would get back.

Giles looked at the young man before him. He seemed ordinary enough. For a young thug. With a name like that how could he be anything else. Actually he kind of reminded him of himself at that age.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you." Giles said. "But Buffy is dead. She was killed not long ago."

Kendra and Larry had brought the boy here, surprised at his question. And Giles had been given the unpleasant task of telling him. That the girl he'd loved was dead.

"I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later." Pike said. There was remorse in his eyes, but acceptance as well. "She told me right off that Slayer's don't have long life spans. I just wish I'd been able to see her one more time. That's all."

Giles could tell that wasn't all. He'd hoped that now that he could fight, he'd be able to stay by her side. But alas, best laid plans...

Meanwhile, Kendra had business to discuss. "Why did you let Larry follow me?" she demanded.

"Larry almost got both of us killed because he went out trying to slay Vampires."

"Yeah that's just what Buffy always said." Pike said. "Right before she almost got herself killed and I had to bail her out. That's probably why she got herself killed this time too."

Spike sighed. He'd gotten a chance to get used to the fact that his new companions were all theater geeks, but he didn't have to like it. At least they didn't quote Monty Python around him anymore. He liked the blokes but they got on his nerves at times.

Now he, Joe, and three others were out looking for food. It was getting harder and harder to find anything these days, what with everyone going in before dark and all.

He wasn't sure whether to be more or less happy when he saw who their quarry was. It was the man in black who had added an unexpected element to their last encounter with the White Hats.

"You know," Spike said, right after finally knocking their opponent out with a lead pipe. "You have to admit, for a mortal he's got guts."

"And a mean right hook." Joe said. He looked at the piles of dust that were the remains of the three others who'd been with them. "He's good. Fortunately for us, not good enough."

"So," Ben said, not sure how to start the conversation. He and Martin were sitting on the swings in the park. Where they'd hung out when they were still alive.

Neither was sure how to probe the other for secrets, or even if they wanted to. They were old friends.

"You, go hunting much?" Ben asked, and inwardly winced. What a pitiful opening gambit.

Pike grabbed his cell phone the moment it rang. It only did that when there was an emergency.

"Micky's been captured." Pike answered, grabbing his equipment and putting his mask back on.

"You know this bloke then?" Spike asked. He dumped the comatose hunter into a chair.

"Yeah we grew up together. He was out of town when Theresa turned us all into Vampires."

"The night after the Master rose. She was at the Bronze and got turned instead of killed."

"Say," Theresa asked, examining the boy. "What's this?" she plucked a small, barely noticeable piece of metal from his mask. It was blinking.

"I don't know." Joe said. He turned and called to one of their techies. "Hey Christie what's this?"

The door burst open and Larry came running in, blasting a machine gun all around the room.

Then two vanished into piles of dust as Pike and Kendra came in through the back way. Chaos ensued. Soon Larry was all but forgotten as the Slayer and the Hunter took the brunt of the attack.

Larry grinned. The plan was working perfectly. He got Micky and began to escape with him. But one of the largest of the group got in his way. Michael Abersheim. "Going somewhere Larry?"

"Larry!" Pike shouted, tossing him a stake. His football training served him well as he caught it, and thrust it effortlessly into his opponent.

Pike nodded in satisfaction when he saw Larry escape with his friend. He and Kendra were fighting back to back. Pike soon noticed that Spike was getting very good at anticipating his moves. "Switch!" he shouted.

He ducked, and kicked Kendra's opponent with a ferocious back kick, while Kendra vaulted over Pike's back and struck Spike with both feet.

"Okay remember the plan." Pike said. "Let's go." He shot a line from the grappling launcher on his wrist, and grabbed Kendra.

"He really is a Batman wanna be." Joe muttered as Pike and Kendra rose to the skylight.

Theresa looked around at the remaining Vampires. Some of their best friends had been killed in this battle. "Maybe you were right." she said to Joe. "Maybe we should move to L.A."

Micky held the icepack on his head and grinned. "So has the Slayer learned the value of teamwork from this little episode?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Larry." she said. "It seems that going it alone isn't always the best way."

Next Time on The White Hats: Giles' experiments with alternate realities take a strange turn.