Buffy watched her friends and Watcher turn to go into the school. She turned away picking up her bag as she headed for the bus station.
"Tough break kid," Whistler said. He stood in front of her blocking her path. Whistler was a balance demon for the Authorities. No one knew how old he was but he talked with a Bronx accent and wore a garish green suit with a bowler hat.
"Get the hell away from me, Whistler. Or I will be wearing what is left of you as a hat." Buffy pushed past him; he simply put out a hand to stop her. She grabbed his hand turning it causing him to go to his knees. She leaned over to growl softly in his ear. "I had to kill Angel, Whistler. Not Angelus, he was Angel. Willow must have tried the spell again." Buffy ignored the lie Xander had told her; it just didn't matter anymore, nothing did.
"I know kiddo; we saw it all the whole fight. You were outstanding. They want you to know that you are the greatest Slayer there has ever been."
"Well stop the presses they like my work. But it is too little too late, I quit. I'm leaving I have no home, no friends and wanted for Kendra's murder. I didn't do it but it is still my fault; Kendra, Jenny and Angel are all dead because of me. So tell them thanks but no thanks. I quit. I'm taking myself off the roster so they should send in a pincher. Someone else is going to have to protect the Hellmouth because I am out of here."
He rushed after her a look of panic on his face. "What Slayer you can't leave! They want to"
Ignoring him, she kept walking. "I don't care what you or anyone else wants right now. Buffy wants to leave so guess what Buffy is leaving." She held on tightly to her bag as she shoved him hard to move by him. Surprisingly, he didn't budge. Buffy sighed as she waited for the mouthy midget to say what he had to say.
"Listen kiddo it is going to follow you wherever you go. You can't run from destiny."
"You just watch me, now do I get a new hat or are you going to get out of my way?" Buffy looked at Whistler, ready to do whatever she had to in order to leave town as soon as possible.
"They told me let you go that you would realize and face your destiny in time." Whistler moved aside with a bow and a sweep of his hat.
"Whatever all I know is that I am leaving Sunnydale and I am not ever coming back."
"Don't make promises you can't keep kid. You will come back; the how and why just aren't yet."
"Don't hold your breath; no hold your breath you and the Powers. I would enjoy thinking of you turning blue." Buffy walked off with her large duffel bag on her shoulder. She never looked back at Whistler, her school, her home, her life, nothing.
"Oh kid, if you only knew where you are headed and who is in your future. You wouldn't be so cocky. Good luck Kid." The balance demon disappeared.
Buffy got on the bus refusing to look out the windows; she let out a sigh when the driver finally called out the next stop - Las Vegas. She could have flown direct to her real destination but she didn't want anyone to find her. Or she wanted to make it harder for them at least if they even looked. New York, surely no one would think to look for her there. She knew her Mom wouldn't snap to the idea that her sister lived-in New York.
Her sister, Buffy shook her head, thinking how different the two women were. Her mom cared about appearances and her artsy-fartsy world. Buffy hated the snobbishness and cattiness of the people her mom called friends. They were friendly to your face, then shred you to pieces when you walked away. Her mother lived for that world, then came home and drank to be able to survive it.
Buffy smiled when she thought of her Aunt Lilly. She was a wild woman, who said what she meant and lived to please only herself. She told Buffy when she was ten; the most important lesson is to learn how to tell the world to 'fuck off.' Lilly's philosophy was if you told it to fuck off first, then it couldn't turn around and bite you in the ass. Buffy decided that was exactly what she needed right now.
She closed her eyes as the bus rolled along; she tried not to think of Angel or Angelus. Tears slid down her face as she whispered a good-bye to her love, her family, her friends and her old life. Eight hours later Buffy finally stepped off a plane in the JFK airport. She couldn't help but grin when she saw her Aunt Lilly standing there in her low-rise leather pants, high-heeled boots and tiny white T-shirt. It had "Coyote Ugly" emblazoned across the front in red letters. Lilly whistled loudly and waved at Buffy.
The two women hugged each other with twin smiles on their faces. Lilly was a blond woman in her late mid thirties; her hair was short, coming to just below her chin. She had the same golden skin, as Buffy but her eyes were dark brown; her cheekbones were high and they accented her large full lips. Her body was muscular with a tribal armband leading to a sunburst gracing her upper right arm. Lilly was an attractive woman, but she was not one you would mess with.
Their relationship wasn't apparent other than the smile until they started walking. Buffy and Lilly carried themselves the same; they moved with a slow smooth confidence. They looked at people straight in the face as they passed. These women were far from anybody's victim. Catching a cab, they headed towards the Coyote and Lilly's upstairs apartment.
"Come one sugar; tell Aunt Lilly all about it. Did some asshole treat you bad? I taught you what to do to those kinds of boys. Don't tell me you forgot everything I taught you." Lilly looked at her niece with concern and love. This was the one thing in her life that she loved even more than the Coyote. She never did understand how Joycie gave birth to such a great kid as Buffy.
"No Lilly it wasn't like that. He was - he died." Buffy turned away her voice caught on the sob she tried to hold back.
"Oh baby I'm sorry. What did Joycie do? Don't look at me like that, I know my big sis. So tell ole Lil all about it." She wrapped an arm around Buffy as they sat on the couch.
"She kicked me out after I told her the truth. Lilly, she is drinking a lot now." Buffy had always told her Aunt Lilly everything; Lil knew all about her being a slayer.
Lil simply didn't care as long as Buffy wasn't hurt and she didn't have to kill anyone because it. "Damn it Joycie. Okay sugar let's get you unpacked before it is time to open the bar. You still have that little pig?" Lil smiled as she pulled Buffy along to the spare room.
"Of course I do, my favorite aunt gave him to me when I was a little girl. Mr. Gordo is the best; we have been through a lot together." Buffy hugged the little pink stuffed pig to her breast.
Lil threw an arm around her niece making herself a promise to take care of this tiny beauty no matter what. Lil had never seen someone so young with eyes so old before. She was determined to help her niece start a new life, to forget everything that had caused her to look the way she did when she got here. "Listen, short stuff here is how it is going to go. You will have to work in the back washing glasses with Tony. You are not 18 yet so you can't be in the front."
Buffy's lip jutted out in a pout but there was a determined look in her eyes. "No Lilly I want to be a Coyote. I can do it; I know how to dance you know I do. You can get me papers that say I'm legal. Lilly please I just want to work with you at the bar. Remember how we would always talk about how when you were too old to hold your own beer; I would run the bar for you. Please Lilly let me do this. Let me be a Coyote at night and you can teach me all about running the bar during the day." Buffy's eyes shone with hope as she waited for her aunt's decision.
Lil looked at her niece not sure how to tell her no but she knew that she couldn't afford to lose the bar either. "I will tell you what. If you can keep up with Rachel tonight, you have a deal. I will get you papers and teach you." Buffy squealed and hugged Lilly. "But, but if you can't do it then you have to work in the back until you are legal, deal?"
"Deal, but you can't cheat either Lilly. You can't purposely try to make it even harder than it is." Buffy raised an eyebrow at her aunt.
"Now would I do that Buffy? I am shocked that you would even accuse me of something like that," Lil grinned. She didn't have to make it harder the job would take care of that and Rachel would take care of the rest.
Since Violet had left, every new girl that had entered the club had left in tears after the dark haired girl was through with them. Oh, she wasn't worried about Buffy from that perspective, come on she was her niece, after all. No, she just knew that Rachel would press Buffy hard plus it was a Friday night one of their busiest nights of the week.
"Buffy it's time to get the bar prepped. Are you ready to go yet?" Lil called out in the apartment above the bar. She had been waiting to see what teenybopper outfit Buffy would wear for her first night. Cammie would be sweet like she is to everyone. Rachel will tear the outfit apart in about 5 seconds flat.
Buffy walked out and Lil choked on her drink of water. A teenybopper didn't walk down the stairs; she at least dressed like a coyote. Buffy had on a pair of tight red leather jeans that sat low on her hips. There was a pair of high-heeled black boots on her feet. She wore a black tank top that skimmed her tummy showing her belly button as she moved. There were red letters and a set of fangs on her chest. The shirt said 'BITE ME'. Buffy had left her hair down and her skin sparkled under the light.
"What do you have on you skin that is making shimmer like that?" Lil looked at Buffy closely and for the first time cursed that she owned a bar with mostly men for customers.
Buffy smiled brightly at her aunt. "It is from Victoria's Secret something called shimmer crème I think. You just rub it and walla instant glowy girl. Do you like?" Buffy whirled for Lil to admire her.
"Come on, come on of course you are gorgeous. You are my niece, brat." Lil pushed her down the backstairs hiding her proud smile. She knew her niece was a pretty girl. Hell, any fool could see that, tonight Lil saw something else; Buffy could be a Coyote. Heaven help us all if she won this bet. Lil was betting allot on how big of a bitch Rachel could be.
Cammie and Rachel were already prepping the bar when they looked up to see their boss enter with a young blonde "Hey Lil we almost have everything ready at least for the first five minutes or so" Cammie smiled brightly. "So did you get your niece all tucked in for the night."
Buffy's eyebrow rose while she waited for Lilly to answer the question. "Uh, Cammie this is my niece Buffy. When I said called her short stuff, I meant because she is short not that she was a little girl." Lil glanced at Buffy to see if she bought it. From the expression on her face, she knew that she was in for some payback later from her niece. "Buffy this is Cammie and Rachel."
Lil pointed to an attractive blonde with big blue eyes and a tall brunette with dark eyes and high cheekbones. "Hi, it is nice to meet you Lilly has told me a lot about both of you." She looked at Lil who only allowed her to call her by Lilly and smiled brightly.
Yep, I knew I wasn't going to get away with that short stuff comment.
Cammie walked forward to shake Buffy's hand. "You sure are pretty. Are you going to be staying with Lil long? What are you going to do at night while she is working the bar?"
"Oh, I'm going to be working with her here. It was always what we had planned as far back as I can remember. So what else needs doing, anything?" Buffy smiled at Cammie who seemed nice. She could already tell Rachel was going to be the hard sell.
She looked under her lashes to notice her aunt looking from her to the dark-haired girl. So, that is what you are banking on is it huh well we will just have to see what we can do about this. Buffy walked over to Rachel and stuck her hand out simply waiting for the other girl to take it.
Rachel looked Buffy over then looked down at her outstretched hand. She turned and walked away hiding her smile. Ah fresh meat there isn't anything like it. Wonder how long this spoiled princess will last. I'll bet she has never had to do anything harder than file her nails and flirt with boys.
Buffy shrugged as if she didn't have a care in the world. "So Cammie do you want to show me the setup?"
Cammie nodded and walked over to the twenty-foot bar. Buffy followed her looking at the bar with a smile. She looked back over to where Cammie waited for her. Buffy stepped up to one of four serving stations and looked over the stock. She smiled inside as she recognized all the bottles. Lil didn't know it but Buffy had been practicing on serving and spinning bottles since she turned twelve. Her slayer powers allowed her to do it at an amazing speed and never spill a drop. Lilly was in for a big surprise, if she thought Buffy wouldn't be able to keep up or know what anyone was asking for. She also didn't think her aunt remembered how much Lilly had told her over the years about how she ran the bar. Buffy knew what the Coyote served and its rules. As for the dancing well she had been doing that for years so she wasn't too worried.
She just had to watch out for whatever Rachel threw at her. It couldn't be any worse than the Master or any of the other ooglies she had fought every night. Maybe it was time that someone taught the other girl a lesson in what being a real hard ass was all about.
The bar opened and they were lining up with their money ready and shouting orders. Lil got on the bullhorn. "How is everybody doing?" Whistles and shouts echoed throughout the bar. "We have a new coyote tonight. Join your hands together and welcome the Slayer. Come on up everybody and give our girl a big. How you doing?"
Lil stepped back as they pushed forward to move in front of Buffy station and began ordering. The broad smile crossing her face fell as she watched her niece. Buffy lined up ten shot glasses like a pro and started to fill the orders. Lil's eyes widened in wonder as she watched her throw a bottle into the air, almost to the ceiling, spin in a circle then catch it behind her back. The crowd went wild as she grinned at them and winked at Lil. A tall man with a thick mustache made his way up to the bar and ordered a scotch and water.
"Uh, Rachel which one of these is the water?"
Rachel walked over hiding her smirk as she pointed to the proper spicket. She turned around to move back to her station when she heard an ear-piercing whistle. "Say everybody this fine gentleman just ordered a scotch and water. What do we do with water here at the Coyote?"
"Wash with it" they roared.
Buffy grinned like a naughty schoolgirl and soaked the man with the water hose. She poured him a Johnnie Walker Red Label with a smile and handed it to him. He couldn't help but smile back as he handed her the money and moved away from the bar.
The crowd started stomping their feet and clapping their hands as they shouted. "Dance, Dance."
Lil started the jukebox putting on "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." It was Rachel's theme song and prayed this would work.
As the music began to play, Rachel jumped up on the bar and began to move her feet to the fast beat of the song. She looked over with surprise when she heard the echo of her steps beside her. There was Buffy, her feet flying on the bar as she kept up with the much taller girl. An evil smile came across Rachel's face as she increased her pace but Buffy easily followed.
Buffy changed the steps and her feet moved in a blur as she tapped heel-and-toe and shimmied at the same time. The next song started. It was a slower song and Rachel decided to try something different. She moved up behind Buffy as she swayed her lanky framed to the beat she brushed the tiny blonde. Her breath caught when Buffy began to move to the slow beat of the music. Her body was fluid almost boneless. She put her arms above her heads as she rocked her hips back and forth then in small sensual circles.
Lil threw a bucket of ice on the girls causing them to stop dancing and the crowd to go wild. Buffy jumped down easily and began once again to take orders. She smiled brightly at her aunt. Lil accepted that Buffy had won and smiled back giving her a wink.
Buffy was the proud owner of a new driver's license and social security card. It proved she was nineteen years old. They were both under the name, Buffy Watson. Lil told her when you have fake papers; it was suspicious to be eighteen. Never do what they expect you to do short stuff. That is when they catch you.
She had been working at the Coyote for almost two months now; she and Rachel had a cease-fire. Since Buffy punched out a guy that grabbed Cammie and Rachel off the bar. Rachel was still pissed about not being able to get away but had to admit short stuff had a hell of a punch. Their rivalry was mostly in fun now. Rachel was just competitive by nature never wanting to admit anyone was better than her.
Lil kept her word and taught Buffy how to run the bar during the day. She loved New York. Buffy spent her days off exploring the city, going to museums and even catching a couple of matinees of the some Broadway shows. She especially loved the nights with all the lights, the rush and excitement of the people. Lil didn't like it but she knew she couldn't keep Buffy inside plus she knew her niece could more than take care of herself and anyone else.
Buffy turned when she felt someone behind her, ducking as an arm came out to grab her. She caught it and pulled, sending its owner into the wall beside her. Looking down she noticed it was a middle-aged man. He didn't look like a mugger or a rapist but she didn't know exactly what a rapist looked like. Taking off at a fast pace she headed for the bar.
She didn't see the other man that watched from across the street. He took out a cell phone and placed a call. "Sir we found her but have been unable to catch her. There was an opportunity tonight but she got away and we have an agent in serious condition. Yes Sir. But what about the other civilians Sir. No, I am not arguing with you Mr. Travers. I just wanted to be sure that I understood my orders. Yes, sir I will take care of it tomorrow night. I will let you know when I've completed the job. Yes sir good day."
He hung up the phone shaking his head. He had signed on to hunt down and capture a rogue slayer not kills her and her aunt after their bar closed. He had his orders and he knew what happened to people who didn't do what the Watcher's Council wanted. Exactly what was going to happen to Miss Summers and her aunt, Miss Watson tomorrow night?
Buffy made it back to the bar pushing open the back door. She climbed the stairs to her and Lil's apartment. She wondered why that creep would grab her like that, especially on that side of town. Normally nothing ever happened over there; he must have been from out of town. She took a shower and went to write in her diary while she looked out her bedroom window.
When she opened her diary, it fell open to the pressed flower from Angel. It was from one of their dates. He had cooked for her and they had fallen asleep in each other's arms. Tears slid down Buffy's cheeks as she thought of her love. How much she missed him. She dreamed of Angel almost every night; he would hold her and tell her he still loved her. Then he would burn up in the sunlight while she screamed helplessly, watching it happen.
"Oh Angel if I could make a wish on a star. I would wish that somehow you could come back to me. I would give almost anything for that to happen." She put her diary away crawling into bed and cried herself to sleep as she did so many nights.
Buffy didn't see the star that glowed brighter than the rest, at her words. She didn't know just how much she would have to give for her wish to come true.
The next night found the bar packed as usual. They had a new girl Lil was trying out. Her name was Lilly, which everyone thought was funny. She was a runaway, Buffy knew from Sunnydale. She wasn't doing badly and Buffy had been working with her on dance steps.
The night had been busy and hectic but there was only about an hour left to go. Buffy dropped a bottle of tequila. She would have fallen if Rachel hadn't caught her. "LIL!" Rachel screamed.
Lil ran over to see what was wrong and found a pale unconscious Buffy clutched in Rachel's arms. "Rachel what happened?"
"Don't know short stuff just dropped the Jose and would have smacked the floor if I hadn't caught her. What do you want me to do with her?" Rachel hitched Buffy's body up higher in her arms.
"Take her out the front Max will call you a cab. Get her to the hospital; I will get there as soon as I can get the bar closed down. Call me if they think it is anything serious and I will just close the bar."
Rachel's eyes widened, Lil had just said the words she never thought she would hear. She took off with Buffy through the front of the club. Max already had a cab waiting with the door open. It was freaky how he was able to do that. It seemed he always knew what Lil was going to say and anticipated it. There were rumors that he used to be an enforcer for a big mafia family. Most people blew that off thinking it was only because he looked the part.
Rachel barked the orders to the cabdriver and they took off. She knew they would get there faster than waiting for an ambulance. She hated to admit her own fear. Stupid little blond with her big green eyes and sunny smile. Damn it why me?
She knew Lil often wondered about her and Cammie. Rachel admitted she used to have feelings for the dingy blonde. They had a short affair until Cammie's boyfriend came back around. Rachel swore no more blondes not ever. Brunettes, Red Heads, hell even no hair was better than a blonde.
In her heart, she knew that she had fallen hard for Buffy and her feelings wouldn't be returned. When the cab slammed on the breaks, it jerked her out of her pondering. "Thanks Bub keep the change, come by the Coyote some night and I will buy you a drink." Rachel jumped out of the cab and ran into the hospital yelling for a doctor to get his ass out here right now.
Lil decided to close up the bar. She couldn't even count money; she was too worried about Buffy. She would never forgive herself if something was wrong and she wasn't there for her niece. Lil loved that little girl with her whole heat. That was why everything she had went to Buffy when she died.
Cammie and Max had already left but Lilly stayed to sweep up so Lil could change her clothes. Neither one of them felt any pain when flames engulfed the Coyote. A man walked away as the building burned. He had set the explosion to burn hot and fast.
In Sunnydale at the old Crawford Mansion, a body fell from a portal onto the floor. It was a naked man. His head came up as he looked around the dark room realizing he was no longer in hell. "Buffy," Angel sighed. He painfully drug himself to his feet as he worked his way over to the stairs. Angel climbed the stairs slowly. It took him forever to reach the upper level. He fell onto the bed into an exhausted sleep.
Buffy collapsed at the exact moment that he had returned now that he was asleep she woke up. Her eyes fluttered open then closed again from the bright lights. They flew open when she saw doctors and nurses around her. In a panic, she tried to get off the table.
"Now you just lay back honey and let Dr. Petite look at you. If he hurts you, I will personally kick his shin." A sweet faced woman in her early fifties with kind gray eyes looked at Buffy.
"I'm fine. I just need to go home. I hate hospitals."
"Me too honey and I work in one. We need to make find out what caused you to pass out."
"Do you know where my aunt is? Is she waiting outside? Can she be in here?" Buffy looked at the nurse with pleading eyes.
"A big nasty Amazon with brown hair brought you in. She threatened to castrate the good doctor here if he hurt you. Have to tell you. I never seen him move so fast in my life, was right funny."
Buffy smiled slightly, "Must be Rachel. Can she come in when you are through examining me?"
The nurse brushed Buffy's hair back smiling at the tiny girl. "Yes now lie still. So the good doctor doesn't lose any of his favorite parts."
Rachel paced the waiting room when she spied Cammie come into the emergency exit. Her face was pale and her eyes wide with fright. Rachel quickly made her way over to her friend. "Cam what are you doing here? Did Lil let you off early?"
The other woman threw herself into Rachel's arms with a sob. "Rach it's horrible. The Coyote it, it burned down and Lil was inside. We aren't sure about Lilly yet but there everything went. It went fast. Max said it was a professional job. The fire department called him right away. How is short stuff? How do we tell her Rach?" Cammie clung to her friend as she cried. Rachel pulled the shorter woman closer to her as she tried to hold back her own tears.
"Your friend is going to be all right." The nurse came out to talk to Rachel. "She was asking for you, come with me. She really doesn't like hospitals; I think the doctor's more scared of her than you." The nurse's eyes twinkled at the tall brunette.
Rachel followed the nurse back into the emergency room cubicle and found Buffy already standing by the bed. Rachel turned to the nurse. "Can we have few minutes please? I need to talk to my friend." Buffy didn't like the tone of Rachel's voice it reminded her of when her cousin died. "Short stuff you might want to take a seat. I'm not sure how to tell you this. I'm not sure if I can even say the words." Rachel took a deep breath.
"It's Aunt Lilly isn't it? What happened to her, Rachel?"
She looked down into Buffy's bright green eyes and wanted nothing more than to pull her into her arms. Rachel was only afraid that she would never let her go if she did. She nodded her head. "Cammie just came in it was a fire. It looked like a professional job to Max and from the rumors about him, he would know. What are you going to do?"
"Find whoever is responsible and make them pay." Rachel shivered at the tone of Buffy's voice. She never would have associated a hard edge with the little blonde.
Something told Rachel that whoever was responsible should pray Buffy never found them. "Where do you want to go? The bar is gone and they think that Lilly might have been inside as well. We won't know for sure until they are through going over everything."
Buffy sighed, "Can I go home with you? I am going to need to talk to Max. I need to stay out of sight until I know who is out there."
Rachel put her arm around Buffy as they walked out. "Sure short stuff, come on. I'll get a cab and have Cam be a look out. I'll call Max when we are in the cab."
They went out the front of the hospital to call a cab at the same time the man walked into the emergency room. "I'm sorry Miss could you help me? I got a phone call that my friends had been in a fire; no one could tell me if they were all right. Where can I go to find out that information?"
Max walked up and overheard the man. He noticed a British accent and the man carried himself like a soldier. Max quietly followed him to the information desk. He listened as the man asked about Lil and Buffy. He stepped back so the man couldn't see him and dialed his phone. "Yeah Tony I need a tail and pick up if they look about to take a runner. Have St. John send whoever is closest. Yeah it was Lil and her little girl is in trouble now. Don't worry I'm not about to let anyone touch a hair on her head. You tell Johnny I said with my life, blood vow."
Max saw the man wait for the nurse to look up the information. "Oh here it is sir. They recovered two bodies from that address there isn't any positive identification, yet. So I can't confirm anymore information I am sorry."
The man tipped his head. "That is quite all right madam you have been most helpful." He turned walking back out the way that he had entered.
Max followed from a distance watching the man get into a dark sedan. He scanned the parking lot until he saw what he was looking for and nodded towards the sedan. Just as he took care of that, his phone rang. "Yeah, Rachel is she with you? I'll be there soon and I have some information for you as well. All right honey, you watch over her until I can get there."
He made his way towards his car as he headed towards his newest responsibility. This time not being there to protect her was not an option. He was going to make sure nothing happens to Lil's little girl. Lil had many friends in New York; hell, she was as much an icon as Lady Liberty. Now all of those friends would close ranks to protect Buffy. Max couldn't help but feel she was the key to this. They meant to hit Buffy because no one was after Lil; he would have known. Johnny would have known if somehow it slipped by Max.
Johnny loved Lil deeply even though she refused to marry him. He still asked her the first day of each month. Max shook his head thinking about what Johnny would do once he found out about Lil. He was only glad he didn't have to tell his old friend. Max pulled up to Rachel's apartment looking around before he got out to make sure he no one followed him. Sure, the coast was clear; Max quickly made his way into the building.
Rachel opened the door, her eyes red as she hugged the bouncer. "Max she just looks out the window not saying a word. You should have heard her voice when she heard. It gave me goose bumps. It was so hard and the look in her eyes, Max she meant it. If she finds out who is responsible for Lil's death, she will kill them. I don't doubt it one bit."
Max patted her back. "Don't you worry about it honey. Old Max will take care of her. Lil was my responsibility now Buffy is. So let me talk to her all right." Rachel nodded pointing to the bedroom door.
Max knocked softly then entered. Buffy kept gazing out the window. "Tell me who Max. I know that you know something by now if not then call Johnny." Her voice crisp as she ordered the older man.
A man many men in the city still feared. He moved to stand by her, gently turning her to see her face. Her eyes blazed with a passion for revenge he hadn't seen in a long time. Not a single tear marked her face. He nearly took a step back then wanted to laugh at being frightened of this little girl. "There was a man with a British accent that came in the hospital asking about you and Lil. He asked for any updates on the circumstances but they didn't give him any. What do you know honey?" He noticed Buffy going still.
"Those bastards, I will kill every one of them with my bare hands."
Max saw what Rachel told him, this was no sweet kid. An explosion ready to ignite rippled under her skin and the ability to fulfill her vow. "Who Buffy, tell me? I promise to anything I can to help you make the bastards responsible pay."
Buffy saw his love for her aunt in his eyes and her by default. "Max I can't tell you everything, not yet. I do need your help. I need to leave the city in case they ever figure out I didn't die. Is there away to doctor up the report to show it was me?"
"Consider it done. I should have thought of it myself. My biggest concern was getting to you. What else?" He waited for her to tell him what she needed.
"I need to talk to Johnny. I need somewhere to lay low for a while. Then I am going to open a new club somewhere else - a new Coyote Ugly. The paperwork needs handling plus Lil's stuff. Can you arrange it?" Buffy told him what she needed from him and the biggest mobster in New York and possibly the Coast.
"Sure honey, I know he will do anything he can to help you settle everything. You have to know he will want a piece of the action for who is responsible for Lil." Buffy nodded suddenly her eyes filled with tears. Max picked her up sitting down with her on his lap. "That's right baby girl just cry it out. Get it off your chest. Ole Max is here and I'm not going anywhere. I'll be around to watch out for your babies someday."
Buffy hugged the older man crying out the pain in her heart. He rocked her until she fell asleep. Rachel peeked her head in when he was about to put her in the bed. She entered to pull back the covers. Max kissed Buffy's brow as she sighed in her sleep