Monkey Talk

[maevebran]

Title Monkey Talk
Author:Maeve Bran
Summarry: Buffy and Daniel have a late night talk.
Notes:This a part of the New Job series set after 9.9 Prototype
Disclaimer: I own niether Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Stargate SG1 serries. I am just having some unprofitable fun
Raiting: FR13
Word Count:1532



Buffy walked into Daniel's lab without knocking. She knew if given a choice he would avoid her but she wasn't going to let him. Daniel had to be dealing with killing Khalek. Buffy knew what that was like.

"So Daniel, how ya doing?" Buffy opened with as she moved to sit across the counter from where he was pretending to work.

"I'm fine." he said to avoid the conversation.

Buffy wasn’t buying it. "Don't give me that crap. This is Buffy, the girl who has battled the forces of darkness for the last eleven years. I've seen my friends fight battles they weren't prepared for and had to deal with the aftermath. Hell, my high school graduation turned into a giant battle with a large part of the class dieing before getting their diplomas. I know what killing does to a person. Yes, until I joined the SGC I never killed a human but some of the Vampires I staked were once friends of mine. I told you about Angel so do me the favor of being honest."

Daniel had put down his pencil and closed his books as Buffy had started to speak, but his attention snapped fully to her at the mention of her graduation. “Alright, Buffy. I'm not all right. Yes, I've killed before. Mostly it was in the middle of a firefight and I wasn't looking directly at the opponent. But there was this one time that I slaughtered a tank full of Goa'uld symbiotes. But this shouldn't have happened."

"Bad things should never happen but they do." Buffy agreed.

"I hate that I had to be the one to kill Khalek but that is far better than having another Anubis on our hands. You weren't around for him but he was as bad as they come. The only reason he isn't around anymore is because Omar Desala decided to rectify her mistake and fight him forever. I doubt that if Khalek Ascended that another Ancient would chose that course and then we'd be facing both the Ori and another Anubis. That I couldn't allow. Me having nightmares and guilt I can live with. I might not be fine now but I will be." Daniel continued.

"Good. I just wanted to make sure." Buffy gave him her brightest smile.

"So what have you been up to?" Daniel asked.

"The usual, scouting planets that have been converted by the Ori. Oh there was a small nest of really dumb vampires that I slew last week." Buffy said bored. "I mean they had none of the flair of Angelus or Druscilla or even Spike before he got his soul back. They may have been evil but they did it with style."

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked morbidly curious.

"Well, when Angelus killed Jenny, he left her in Giles's bed with opera playing rose petals strewn on the floor and champagne chilling in a bucket. Spike had grand plans that sometimes he got too impatient for but he had them. Druscilla was just plain crazy, taking orders from her doll, Miss Edith. The Scourge of Europe, as they and Angelus's sire, Darla, became known as, were vicious but they were never sloppy." Buffy said somewhat wistfully.

"You are disturbed, Buffy." Daniel said not knowing weather or not to take her seriously.

"I know but after fighting more or less nightly for eleven years you either got to laugh or get hard and bitter." Buffy said sort of joking but then got serious. "Daniel, I've led an army of teenage girls against an overwhelming army of ubervamps and survived. Many of the potentials didn't. I watched as Spike used the amulet to channel the power of the sun to wipe out that enemy army even though the sunlight would turn him to dust. He did it to save me and the junior slayers. As I escaped that cavern I saw him turn to dust with the enemy. Believe me I don't take the fight lightly but at a certain point you have to joke or brake. I chose to be strong like my gift."

Daniel thought about that. He remembered all the times Jack had started joking banter on the way back to the gate after a fire fight. Mitchell seemed to do so as well. It might be something that was unconsciously taught to him because Daniel remembered joining in. "I get that. I just . . . I don't know. Guess it surprised me that one so young would be wise in the ways of warriors."

"I may be young but I've been fighting a while. When did you join this fight?" Buffy asked as a subtle reminder that she had fought longer.

"Nine and half years ago as you well know. I concede the point. I will not bottle it up and become bitter." Daniel said in defeat.

"Good man." Buffy agreed. She stood up and walked around the lab looking at the walls. She spied the wooden practice swords on the wall. "May I?" she asked indicating that she wanted to take one down.

Daniel was reluctant but saw the look of reverence on her face so he nodded his assent. Buffy took down one sword and pulled it down. She handled it with care and started to move as if she were performing a kata. Daniel started to panic, "Buffy be careful. That is a . . . "

"An eighteenth century Samurai training sword. I know Giles made me learn all sorts of weapons in high school. You've seen my weapons wall here on base, including the Scythe of Slayer ness. Let me tell you that is only part of my collection. I may not be very good with guns but I can handle a bladed weapon like nobody's business." Buffy told him. "Don't believe me? Come to the gym with me and bring the other one and I'll show you."

"What? Now? It's like one am." Daniel asked.

"The perfect time. What? I'm a Slayer. We do our best fighting between sundown and sunup." Buffy explained. Daniel thought about what she had said for a minute before lifting down the matching sword and silently leading the way to the gym.

The good thing about doing this at one in the morning was that no one would be a round to watch, Daniel thought. This had to be the craziest thing he'd done in a long while. Well except for having coffee in Buffy's quarters at three am last week. Even that was tame compared to the idea of training in any form of fighting in the middle of the night. He did admit to liking having some one else on base who enjoyed being awake and functioning in the wee hours in the morning.

When they reached the gym, Buffy immediately reverently set the sword on a bench and started stretching. After a few minutes, she stopped, picked up the sword and walked to the center of the mat. Buffy started in an elegant solo kata with the sword. Daniel had sat on the bench, holding his sword across his lap, and watched. She moved with a grace and elegance that Daniel hadn't seen in combat before. He had seen Lt. Col. Samantha Carter fight hand to hand but that was modern combat that had more in common with dirty street fighting than with ballet. What Buffy was doing was like ballet with a sword.

"Daniel, don't just sit there. Come on stretch a little, then join me out here." Buffy said to interrupt his thoughts. She paused what she was doing to obstensively make sure he did as requested, but in reality she was enjoying the view. Daniel took of the jacket of his base uniform to reveal nicely muscled arms. That surprised he because she had thought him an academic like Giles but here he was rivaling Angel in muscles. Then as he started to stretch the pants pulled taught revealing a nicely shaped bum. Buffy took another moment to appreciate the archeologist’s form before bringing her mind back to the lesson she was going to teach. She had thought this would be an easy and purely fun exercise but now she figured it might be more in line with training with Angel her senior year in high school- equal parts training and frustrated sexual tension.

"All right, Buffy, what do I do?' Daniel asked returning Buffy to reality.

Buffy showed him the basic stance and a few moves. They practiced for over an hour before Daniel started yawning. They agreed to continue some other time and each left the gym. Buffy was secretly please to have found something she could teach Daniel and spend more time in his company.

Daniel took the swords back to his office. He was surprised to find himself looking forward to the next session. Buffy had promised to bring her own practice swords so that they didn't have to use his antiques. Out of deference to the value of the artifacts they had been using, Buffy had only showed him the moves to make and they hadn't actually sparred. Daniel was looking forward to next time.