Title: Mover and Shaker

Author: Jedi Buttercup

Disclaimer: The words are mine; the worlds are not. I claim nothing but the plot.

Rating: PG

Summary: B:tVS, Push. "Right," the guy snorted, a deeply skeptical expression on his face. "How many people does that actually work on?" 1000 words.

Spoilers: Post-"Chosen" for B:tVS; Push (2009)

Notes: Kind of pointless? I think it would be an interesting crossover to explore, though.

"Whoa," the teenaged girl with the color-streaked hair said, staring admiringly at Buffy as she lowered her stake. "I'd heard about Slayers before-- I mean, mom must have known I'd meet you someday, because she filled me in on the basics-- but it's hard to get a full picture from just a description, and I couldn't See you very well myself. Something about you makes my vision all fuzzy, like you're some kind of a Shade, except you're magic, not psychic, right? Maybe it's that; I don't really understand how magic works."

Buffy blinked at her, startled; she hadn't heard her coming, nor the tall, cute guy around Buffy's age at her side, and there hadn't been anyone visible in the alley when she'd lured the trio of vampires out of the club. The Chief Slayer didn't get much opportunity to simply exercise her original job title anymore-- but she'd been looking for a little stress relief, not an exhibition or a meeting with the Secret Identity Police.

"Excuse me?" she asked, giving them her best deer-in-the-headlights expression. "I'm not sure what you're talking about. Hey, did you see where those guys went? There were three of them, and they were acting kinda weird. I don't know why they ran off, except I guess they must have heard you coming? Thank you so much for stopping!" As she spoke the stake slid smoothly up her sleeve; with any luck, they'd dismiss the dust as a trick of the light.

"Right," the guy snorted, a deeply skeptical expression on his face. "How many people does that actually work on?" Then he shook his head and thrust out a hand. "You'll have to forgive Cassie, she doesn't exactly come with filters, and she was already stealing my chicken ten seconds after she met me. I'm Nick. We're on the run from a group called Division, which I guess is sort of related to a government organization known as the Initiative you ran into a few years back. We were pointed your way by a green guy named Lorne in Vegas."

Well, that earned them a few points; Lorne was good people. Buffy had met Angel's ex-friend a time or two since the baby Slayers started spreading out and making contact with neutral and benevolent demon communities, with the goal of both reducing the Slayers' workload and lightening the Watcher's Council's reputation among the less-evil sections of the underworld. She'd met with Krevlorneswath of the Deathwok Clan herself, given that he already knew Buffy and her group by name and reputation and could tell her a lot about her first love's last few years that she would never hear from any other source.

Still, anyone who was anyone in the supernatural community could have dropped his name and pointed these kids in Buffy's direction, light or dark. "He's anagogic, not clairvoyant," she said, tucking Mr. Pointy safely away. "He might have known you'd meet me, and what city to find me in, but I doubt he told you this alley behind this specific club, at this specific time. Gotta admit, that's a little creepy. Why not just call?"

"Partly for security's sake-- and partially because she's clairvoyant, not anagogic, and did know when and where to show up," Nick said with a slightly smug grin. "Gotta say, I didn't believe her about the vampires at first, even after meeting Lorne, but watching you work? Pretty spectacular. I can't believe Division didn't try to snap up people like you for their projects a long time ago."

If they were right about the Initiative being related to their Division, then-- but that wasn't a story she'd tell strangers. "Well, until the last year or so it would have been kinda difficult," she shrugged. "There was only one of us at a time-- most of the time-- and there's a whole other international organization dedicated to protecting us."

"Right. The Council," Nick nodded. "Lorne said your resources could help us track down which facility they're holding a friend of ours in, and get her out."

"And I Saw you talking to-- our friend," Cassie said. "That could only happen if we got her out, or you got captured and taken to her. We're hoping for getting her out; we have some friends, but no one with the power to get us in and out of one of their prisons safely, like you could. So-- here we are." She shrugged, looking perfectly unconcerned.

Buffy supposed she would look that calm, too, if she already knew the conversation would work out in her favor. "I can't promise anything," she said, frowning at them, a little annoyed that she couldn't think of a reason to deny them out of hand. "I'll have to run this by Giles, at least, and a couple others; and they'll have to check your IDs and your story."

"That's all right, we have time," Nick assured her, then glanced over at Cassie with a furrowed brow. She gave him a hesitant nod in return; then tapped at her watch.

"Right. We can hang around 'til tomorrow night; do whatever you got to do, but then we have to get moving," Nick said.

"Fine by me." Buffy pulled a card with the current ISWC contact info from her pocket and handed it over. "Forgive me if I don't invite you home with me now, but we can meet at the address on the card tomorrow. Say one-ish?"

"Don't order any mayonnaise on the sandwiches," Cassie nodded. "Food poisoning would really ruin my day."

"Right," Buffy blinked. "Okay, then."

"Okay, then." Nick grinned, then turned and left, shepherding Cassie with him.

Clairvoyants and whatever Nick was and jailbreaks, oh my. Buffy just hoped she didn't have to call Riley in-- again. 'Cause that would ruin her day.

With a shake of her head, she went back into the club and sought another target. The night was still young; who knew what other surprises it would hold.

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© 2009 Jedi Buttercup.