Girl in a Bar - Part V

Chapter Title: Of Lunch and Other Things

Wednesday - continued

Ginny was looking forward to lunch. She'd been working in her father's old department at the Ministry of Magic for almost two years now and she tended to spend almost every day bored. It had seemed like the perfect job opportunity when she'd started. Voldemort had finally been defeated, just before she'd finished Auror training, and spending the next few years chasing former Death Eaters and dark wizards had no longer appealed to her.

If Harry Potter and her brother Ron wanted to skulk about in dark alleys and camp out in ancient dark forests in search of people like Lucius Malfoy it was fine with her. Just don't expect her to join them. Three exhausting years of Auror training had finally cured her of any desire to follow in Harry's footsteps.

And with the Ministry deciding that, with Voldemort really gone this time, it didn't need so many Aurors, she wanted to enjoy life. So when she was given the alternative of taking a different job in the Ministry that might require the skills she'd developed while training as an Auror, without the long hours and constant danger, she'd jumped at it.

Her father had always made it sound glamorous and exciting, going around the country, searching out magiced muggle artifacts. He'd never really mentioned, and she'd been too young to notice, the years he'd spent cataloging the work of others and manning the office before he'd been allowed to become a field agent. And he'd been so proud of her working there that she was reluctant to tell him how unhappy she really was with the situation. Only Hermione, seeing her every day, really knew how she felt.

The only bright part of her day was the thought of spending lunch with the beautiful American she'd met at the Leaky Cauldron Monday evening and gone dancing with the following evening. Ginny was fascinated by how she could appear to be a stereotypical blonde one moment and the next she would be suddenly still and her eyes would shine with a sad wisdom that made Ginny want to just hug her until it went away.

With neither of them having time for a long lunch they'd agreed on an informal picnic in a park midway between their respective offices. It was small and seemed to be bathed in a hushed quiet that lent an air of intimacy to the proceedings.

The park, the cheerful buzz of the sandwich shop Ginny had recommended near the park, Ginny's quiet laughter as she helped Buffy decide on what to get, and the calmness Buffy felt in her presence added up to a moment she wished she could preserve forever. Moments like this had been few and far between since high school, especially in someone else's company.

"You don't get a chance to relax much, do you?" Ginny asked, watching her companion closely as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"No, the past few years have been a bit full. They keep me busy traveling from office to office, dealing with whatever emergency that office can't handle by itself. Doesn't leave much time to relax." Watching the sun coming out of the clouds and covering Ginny in a golden glow, Buffy sighed. "I love my job, and I couldn't escape it if I tried but this..." she gestured at their surroundings, "this is a much welcomed break."

Ginny grinned in pleasure. "We aim to please."

"I would much rather stay here with you than go to the meeting I have this afternoon." Buffy noticed Ginny blushing slightly at this statement as she continued. "But I really need to spend this afternoon and tomorrow with several people in the office before I head back to Cleveland Saturday morning. Would you be interested in dinner tomorrow night?" she asked. "I've been told my cooking should be avoided but we do have a private dining room at the office and an excellent chef so you'd be spared it."

"I'm sure your cooking isn't that bad. You'll have to show me the next time you are in London." Ginny smiled at her. "I would love to have dinner with you tomorrow."

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven."

They spent a few more minutes chatting before they both had to leave.

"Don't forget. Tomorrow, Seven." Buffy reminded her as they reluctantly parted.

Following an intense sparring session with both Fred and Izzy that drew a crowd of amazed watchers who very rarely saw such a display of slayer skills and abilities, the rest of the afternoon was spent reviewing their activities for the last year. She'd found that the younger slayers and their watchers needed such reviews. It'd turned out to be an excellent training tool and Izzy, the tactician of the group, was quick to see the usefulness in future planning.

The old Watcher's Council had never involved the slayer in seeing the larger picture and how it affected the slayer's activities but Buffy and Giles had jointly agreed that knowing how it all fit together was important to the success and ultimately the survival of an active slayer team. And getting another more experienced slayer to look at it all with them was vital to the success of this overview.

They'd been finishing up the review and had started discussing patrolling patterns in and around London for the next six months when they were interrupted by the slight sound of someone clearing their throat. Looking up from the map on the table in front of them, Buffy noticed Giles standing in the doorway.

"Yes? What can we do for you Giles?" By his nervousness Buffy could tell it was something personal and that he would rather be elsewhere. Some things never changed. In the eight years she'd known him he'd never really been comfortable when her personal life collided with her duties as a slayer.

"The Council is sponsoring a reception at the National Maritime Museum tomorrow night and we would like you to make an appearance." He stepped back as if in anticipation of a negative response to the request. He knew what she thought about attending such events.

"And if I already have plans for tomorrow evening? And don't want to spend it in the presence of tweed?"

"Have 'him' wait until after the reception or have 'him' dress appropriately and bring 'him' along. Very few of the people invited have any idea about what the Council does and those who do won't be discussing what you actually do for the Council if they do know, if that is what you are worried about." Giles raised an eyebrow at the younger slayers who had giggled at his pointed references to the gender of Buffy's date for the evening. Jayne just grinned at him and shrugged.

"But we do want you there. For the same reasons you needed to be in the meetings yesterday and this morning. And since you are in London so rarely your appearance at such events is important for moral. And if I can see you for a minute when you are done here to discuss the reception I would appreciate it."

"Okay. I can delay my dinner plans for an hour or so. We were going to eat here anyway." Buffy was sure this was in payment for not telling him yet about how she'd met Hermione before their meeting that morning. Hopefully Ginny wouldn't have any problems with the change in plans "Now, if you'll excuse us..." and she turned back to the map.

Thursday

Ginny was running later than she'd planned. Everything she'd done that afternoon had conspired to keep her in the office minutes longer than normal. If it hadn't been for her ability to apparate she couldn't have gotten home with close to enough time to get ready for dinner with Buffy.

Hermione pounced on her as she walked into the kitchen. "Ginny! You need to give Buffy a call right now. You just missed her. She mentioned something about a change in plans for this evening and wanted to know if you didn't mind doing something else before having a later dinner."

"Did she say anything else? Did it sound like she wanted to cancel dinner?" Ginny could feel herself tense in anticipation.

"No, and no. She said she'd explain."

"Thanks." Picking up the phone Ginny dialed Buffy's cell phone.

"Hey! You called? No, I don't mind, we can do that."
"It sounds like fun."
"Great! I'll see you then."

Hanging up, in near panic Ginny yelled for Hermione, who'd gone into the other room to give her some privacy. "Help! She has to go to a reception at a museum before we can go to dinner, and she wants me to go with her. What do I wear ?"

"What kind of reception? Did she say? Is it people she works with? A business reception? Or something social?"

"Something about her office sponsoring an exhibit of some sort. And it'll be people who helped put it together or lent something for the exhibit. And possibly reporters. She said I could skip it and just meet her for dinner later but she had to go."

"Oh... did you want to skip it?" Hermione asked.

"No... it actually sounds like fun, meeting some of the people she works with. Besides, it's only for a few minutes before dinner."

"Okay. So you need something semi-formal that you can actually relax in. Let's see what we've got to start with." Magic could only do so much if they didn't have a place to start. "You probably don't want something put together with magic, just in case the museum has wards to protect against it. Could be a little embarrassing to have half your dress disappear as you walk in the door." Winking at Ginny, Hermione kidded her, "unless you are alone with her."

"Hermione!" protested a blushing Ginny. "She's just a friend!"

"Well, let's get you dressed before your 'just a friend' shows up." Hermione giggled.

Even though her position gave her more leeway than most, Buffy didn't normally use Council resources for personal activities, agreeing with Giles that an ostentatious display of wealth and power was the wrong approach for the new Council. But on a night like tonight, where Council activities were intruding on her personal life, she was willing to make an exception. Or would have if Giles had given her a choice. He'd insisted that she make use of a Council car and driver for the evening, as if he were concerned that she would deliberately skip the museum reception.

She could almost get used to being driven places. All she'd had to do was tell the driver the address and sit back and enjoy the ride.

Buffy bounced up the steps to Ginny's flat. Nothing short of an apocalypse was going to ruin her evening, especially not some stuffy tweed-brigade museum reception. She was going to have to remember to ask Willow if Giles had a habit of scheduling such events when she was in London. She hadn't planned on something like this and had had to ransack her traveling wardrobe to find anything remotely formal on such short notice.

Her black leather skirt, embroidered with delicate gold and red Celtic runes meant to bring luck, fell softly to her ankles, just above her small, boot covered feet. She wore a short brown leather jacket over a gray silk blouse. The usual assortment of easy to hide weapons for social occasions were hidden about her person.

Hermione answered the door and ushered her into the living room. "She'll be out in a minute."

Buffy looked around curiously. The flat Hermione and Ginny shared looked lived-in in a comfortable, homey fashion. A place to be with family and close friends, not just a place to sleep at night. She had to shake her head to clear it of the sudden picture of a sleepy, pink cheeked Ginny in the morning getting ready for work, not quite sure where that image had come from.

Ginny wasn't really that tall compared to most of her brothers but in heels she would have towered over the petite Buffy. She'd noticed that Buffy didn't seem to be bothered by the height difference but she had still elected to wear low heeled sandals and assembled her outfit so that it de-emphasized her height while still being elegant. From the way Buffy's eyes lit up when she entered the room she knew she'd been successful.

"Shall we be off? The sooner we get to the reception the sooner we can leave it and go to dinner." a smiling Buffy told her.

Leaving the flat, Ginny noticed the car and driver waiting for them. While her father would have been beside himself at the display of muggle technology this seemed a bit much for what they had planned for the evening. "Buffy, you didn't have to hire a car. It must have cost a fortune. We could have taken a cab."

"Oh, it wasn't a problem. It's a company car. They were only too happy to provide one considering how they decided to rearrange our evening without asking."

Ginny could sense some unhappiness on Buffy's part over this and, as the driver helped them into the car, felt a need to reassure her that it was ok. "Honestly Buffy, this isn't a problem. I'm sure we'll have fun."

Buffy squirmed in her seat. "Ginny..." Damn, she hadn't felt this nervous in years. She'd been avoiding telling Ginny anything about her job or whom she worked for. It hadn't felt appropriate when she'd known her for such a short time. But she was going to have to explain a few things before they arrived at the reception and she hoped it wouldn't ruin their budding friendship.

"Buffy, if you need to tell me something?" It was obvious to Ginny that Buffy was having difficulty with something by the way she kept shifting about in her seat and almost starting to talk.

"Well..." she honestly couldn't think of how to start. "I know I haven't said a lot about it but you should probably know a few things about the people who'll be at this reception and who I work for. While there are some things I can't tell you right now, some things you might hear tonight won't make sense if I don't tell you before we get there. And some day I'll tell you all about the adventure that has been my life for the last nine years. If you really want to know..."

"If there are things you can't tell me, that's fine. I understand." Ginny could understand job related secrets. Hermione couldn't tell her anything about her job, and she couldn't really tell Buffy about her job in the Ministry without explaining about wizards to a muggle and that wasn't allowed without a very good reason. "And I'll look forward to when you can tell me."

"Okay..." Buffy sighed in relief. "So, the Life of Buffy, the Cliff Notes Version can wait. I should warn you though, when you do hear it some of it might seem odd or weird."

"I have six older brothers. I can handle weird."

"If you say so." Buffy smiled at her. "You'll have to introduce me to them the next time I'm in London."

"Sure." Ginny wasn't sure she wanted to share Buffy with her family just yet but Buffy didn't need to know that.

"Okay, I think I've mentioned that it's a family business?" Ginny nodded. "Well... it's more family like the mafia than everyone being related. Not that anything illegal is going on," Buffy hurriedly explained at Ginny's surprise. "and it's more like a secret society than a business. Except without the whole trying to take over the world thing."

"So what does this secret society do when it's not busy avoiding world domination?"

"Research. Mostly. In musty old books and scrolls. Usually in long forgotten languages. And sometimes the research leads to action. Which is what I do. I've been the action part of the research for a long time now. They don't let me near the books anymore. Which took a bit of doing." Buffy grinned slightly at her.

"There probably won't be a lot of people from the office there. Only the important or generally unlucky such as myself get to go to things like this. And I'm usually out of town. You should probably know a few things that might come up in conversation tonight just in case we can't avoid a few long winded librarian types who are going to assume you work for us because you're with me."

"Such as...?"

"Well... the name of the organization. It's called the 'Council of Watchers' and most of the people who work for it are called watchers. There are other job titles but you shouldn't run into any of those tonight. It sort of makes sense, most of the time.

For offices, the largest one is here in London. There's another one in Cleveland, and the other main one is in Los Angeles. We have smaller offices scattered all over the place. We all have our own home offices, you already know mine is Cleveland, but we move back and forth quite a bit.

As far as people are concerned, Giles, the person who sent us on this little evening adventure, will be there. I've worked with him almost since I joined them when I was fifteen. And that's a story for another day. I'll introduce you to him at some point before we leave. I think he would rather be home reading some obscure text than riding herd on the bunch of individualistic egomaniacs he has to deal with every day.

He loves to turn things into educational experiences for some of us. Tonight was my turn."

"The headmaster at the school Hermione and I went to is like that. He doesn't let anything get in the way of teaching his students something."

"Randall, his assistant, should be there. He's someone to know if you want a decent cup of coffee at the office. Took me forever to get him to make it my way but it was worth it.

I'm not sure who else is going to be there. We're sponsoring the exhibit and are paying for this reception and we've lent them a couple things from our own collection of ancient artifacts but I'm not sure we've done much more than that."

"Oh, I should probably also warn you that some people are going to think you are someone else."

"Is that a good or bad thing ?"

Buffy smiled at her, "It really depends on whether you want to answer questions about the girlfriend you didn't know you had. Or about being Wiccan... and working for the Council?"

"Girlfriend? Does she have a name?" Ginny wasn't quite sure where Buffy was going with this but she could tell she was amused by the idea. "And I don't think I've ever met any wiccans..."

Buffy chuckled at the look on Ginny's face. "Yes she does. Her name is Kennedy... Sorry, I should probably explain."

"Please do..." Ginny encouraged her.

"One of the people you won't be meeting tonight is a very old friend of mine, Willow Rosenberg. We've worked together for almost eight years and we often travel together. Her hair isn't quite the same color as yours but it's close so when people see you with me tonight, some of them will think you are her. As for the girlfriend, I can't really explain it and have given up trying. You'll have to see them together. And the wiccan issue... they have philosophical differences with us and don't always approve of our methods. She's the only one who'll work with us but that is because she was ours before she became theirs, if that makes sense."

"Sort of." Nothing Hermione had told her about wiccans explained Buffy's comments. Maybe it would make sense later? "Won't your friend get upset if people think I'm her?"

"Willow? No. As long as you don't pretend to be her she'll get a kick out of it." Buffy felt the car slowing down. "Looks like we're here. We'll call when we want the car back to take us to dinner."

"Great! Shall we go in?"

"Yes!" and Buffy jumped out of the car, pulling Ginny with her.

Notes:

• This is not perfect. Moving the reception to Thursday instead of Wednesday left a big gap in the story but I think it works better this way, spread out more.

© Copyright 2009 Andy Stoffel. Last update: 7/19/09; 10:51:53 PM. This theme is based on the SoundWaves (blue) Manila theme.