Hey Willow,
The song goes something like, "LA, Hollywood and the Sunset Strip are something everyone should see..." Well, I've seen them and I'm not impressed. It's been about five months since I left Sunnydale. Five months since Buffy jumped off the tower to close the dimensional rip... Five months since Anya died. I'm very happy that Tara got better. I hope you, her, Dawn and Giles are enjoying England. I can't join you yet, Willow. I have too many other things to do, right now.
I don't even know how I got to LA. And no, I have no intention of meeting Angel. Or Cordelia, either.
I've been hunting the entire time. The vampires off the Hellmouth don't seem as strong or as fast as the ones on the Hellmouth. I've seen other hunters. Some kids who take way to much enjoyment in the killing. Then there's Justine. I hadn't seen her for almost a week, and then she introduces me to some guy who she says is some great hunter.
One look at this guy and I knew more about him than she could ever imagine. His eyes have that same look mine do when I actually choose to look at myself in a mirror. Every other person Justine has recruited, the Captain has made them take a test. Usually involving sticking a spike into there hand and making them leave it there for most of a day. He looked me over as intently as I was him and he smiled.
"Well done, Justine." He told her in his soft, English accent. "Well done. Tell me, young man, where did you learn to hunt vampires?"
I thought about giving him some kind of smart-ass answer. Then my sense of self-preservation kicked in. This guy made me think of Giles when he was in one of his not suffering fool's moods. You know the ones. "On the Hellmouth. Been killing them for the past five years. Vampires and other things."
"So you were still in your schooling when you started?"
"Yeah. You want my resume or something? I could probably list some references, if you want."
"That won't be necessary. I watched you fight. I do have one question, though. Where did you learn to use a sword like that? From what I can tell it is not as widely used as it once was."
"My high school librarian was what you might call a Renaissance man. In his case he would have been happier living in the Renaissance. As for the sword, it's much easier to hide than an axe. I'm much better with an axe. Not to shabby with a wrecking ball either if it comes to that."
The interview pretty much ended after that. I watched the others that Justine brought in and I watched her train them. She was good but if she ever went to the Hellmouth she'd be dead pretty quick. The power that the demons get from the Hellmouth is a small amount but it does make a difference.
I went on some patrols with the others. Sometimes they helped, sometimes they didn't. They did get better, though.
Then I found out why Justine and the Captain wanted an army.
"There is a vampire we are going to hunt. Unlike others, he has humans working for him. They believe him to have a soul. His name is Angelus."
I looked over at Holtz and Justine. I knew this wasn't going to end well.
Then I found out about Connor.