BuffyL Fanfiction

Chapter 20

Sign-ups were being taken for the volunteer safety program for Halloween.  Principal Snyder took one of the clipboards and looked around the hall.  He grabbed the next girl that walked by and pulls her aside.

“Hey!” She protested.

“You're volunteering.” He held out the clipboard and pen to her.

Willow, Buffy, and Xander walked in from the other hall as the girl said, “But I have to get to class.” Snyder just shrugged.

“Snyder must be in charge of the volunteer safety program for Halloween this year.” Willow said.

“Note his interesting take on the volunteer concept.” Xander said.

“What's the deal?” Buffy asked.

“Oh, a bunch of little kids need people to take them trick-or-treating.  Sign up and get your own pack of sugar-hyped little runts for the night.”

“Yikes.  I'll stick to vampires.”

Snyder put his hand on Buffy’s shoulder and she spun around to face him. “Miss Summers.  Just the juvenile delinquent celebrity I've been looking for.”

“Principal Snyder!”

“Halloween must be a big night for you.  Tossing eggs, keying cars, bobbing for apples, underage drinking at a Hollywood party…. one pathetic cry for help after another.  Well,” He lead her to the sign-up table. “Not this year, missy.”

“Gosh, I'd love to sign up, but I recently developed carpal tunnel syndrome, and can tragically no longer hold a flashlight.”

Snyder held up the clipboard and pen. “The program starts at four, the children have to be back at six.”

Buffy reluctantly grabbed the pen and clipboard and signed herself up.  Xander thought it was funny and smiled back at Willow who had a concerned look on her face.  Snyder held pens out to Willow and Xander, too.  They both looked at him, begging not to be put through it.  Willow gave in and took the pen.

After signing up, the three walked away. “I can't believe this.” Xander said. “We have to get dressed up and the whole deal?”

“Snyder said costumes were mandatory.” Willow said.

“Great.  Bam and I were gonna stay in and veg.  The one night a year things are supposed to be quiet for me.” Buffy said.

“Halloween quiet?” Xander asked. “Oh, I figured it'd be a big old vamp scare-apalooza.”

“Not according to Giles.  He swears that tomorrow night is, like, dead for the undead.  They stay in.” Bam, who had come to join Buffy and her friends at lunch, was sitting at a table in the student lounge.  Buffy sat down at a table with Willow.

“Those wacky vampires!  That's why I love 'em!  They just keep you guessing!” Xander put his satchel down on the table and headed over to the soda vending machine.

“I have bad news.” Buffy said to Bam.

“What’s that?” Bam asked, picking up a hot pizza box.

“Oh, cheesy goodness.” Willow said.

“Extra cheesy.”

“I have to cancel our veged out Halloween.”  Buffy said.

“What?”

“Snyder wrangled us into some stupid program.”

“We have to get dressed up and take little kids trick-or-treating.” Willow said, taking a bite of pizza.

“God, what an asshole.” Bam said, grabbing his own slice.

“So, our afternoon will be filled with costume shopping.” Buffy said. “Wanna come?”

“Well, I suppose I won’t let you guys go through it alone.  Sure, I’m in.”

“I'm gonna do what any man would do about it,” Xander grabbed Larry by the shirt. “Somethin' damn manly.”

Larry smiled and laughed.  He knocked Xander's hands away and grabbed him by the shirt with his right hand.  He balled his left hand into a fist and drew back for a punch.  Buffy had seen the beginning of the fight and rushed up and grabbed Larry’s wrist, pulling it behind his back and slamming his head into the vending machine.  A Diet Dr. Pepper rolled into the slot.

“Get gone.” Buffy growled.  She pulled Larry back from the machine and shoved him away.  She noticed the soda can. “Ooo!  Diet!” She grabbed the can and headed back to the table.

“Do you know what you just did?” Xander asked her.

“Saved you a dollar?”

“No, but Larry was about to pummel me!”

“Oh, that?  Forget about it!”

“Oh, I'll forget about it.  In maybe fifteen, twenty years when my rep for being a sissy man finally fades!”

“Xander, don't you think you're….”

“A black eye heals, Buffy, but cowardice has an unlimited shelf life.  Oh, thanks!  Thanks a lot for your help.” He grabbed his bag from the table and walked off in a huff.

Buffy moaned and sat back down with Willow and Bam. “I think I just violated the guy code big time.”

“Yup.” Bam said, chewing his pizza.

“Poor Xander.” Willow said. “Boys are so fragile.” She patted Bam’s shoulder. “Speaking of, how was your date last night?”

“Misfire.” Buffy said. “I was late due to unscheduled slayage.  Showed up looking trashed.”

“Was he mad?”

“Actually he was pretty unmad.  Which probably had something to do with the fact that Cordelia was drooling in his cappuccino.”

“Ew, Buffy.” Bam said. “Angel would never fall for her act.”

“Oh, you mean that 'actually showing up, wearing a stunning outfit, embracing personal hygiene' act?”

“You know what I mean.  She's not his type.”

“Are you sure?  I mean, I don't know what his type is.  I've known him less than a year, and if you haven't noticed, he's not exactly one to over share.”

“True.”

“It's too bad we can't sneak a look at the Watcher diaries and read up on Angel.” Willow said. “I'm sure it's full of fun facts to know and tell.”

“Yeah.  It's too bad.” Buffy said. “That stuff is private.”

“Also Giles keeps them in his office.  In his personal files.”

“Most importantly, it would be wrong.”

They looked at Bam. “Don’t let me stop you.  Me?  I’m going to sit here and enjoy my pizza.”

“Meet us at the car?” Buffy asked.

Bam picked up the pizza box and nodded, walking out to the parking lot.

************************

Buffy, Bam, and Willow were sitting in the backseat of Buffy’s convertible in the parking lot looking at a drawing of a noble woman with a tiny waist wearing a billowy gown.  Willow and Buffy had successfully stolen the Watcher’s Diaries.

“Man, look at her.” Buffy said.

“Who is she?” Bam asked.

“It doesn't say, but the entry's dated 1745.”

“Angel was eighteen.  And still human.” Willow said.

“So that's the kinda girl he hung around?  She's pretty coiffed.”

“She looks like a noble woman or something.  Which means being beautiful is sort of her job.”

“And clearly this girl was a workaholic.” Bam said.

Buffy sighed miserably. “I'll never be like this.”

“Please!  She's not that pretty.”

“Yeah, Buffy, look at her.” Willow said. “She's got a funny…. uh, waist.  Look how tiny that is.”

“Thank you.  Now I feel better.” Buffy said.

“No.  She's like a freak.”

“Yeah!” Bam agreed. “A circus freak.  Yuk.”

“Musta been wonderful.” Buffy said. “Put on some fantabulous gown and go to a ball like a princess, and have horses and servants, and yet more gowns.”

“Yeah.” Willow said. “Still, I think I prefer being able to vote.  Or I will when I can.”

Cordelia walked outside to her car, which was parked right next to Buffy’s, and got in the driver’s side.  She started rifling through a bag in her glove compartment and then looked in the rearview mirror. “So, Buffy.  You ran off last night and left poor little Angel all by his lonesome.  But I did everything I could to comfort him.”

“I'll bet.” Buffy said.

“So, what's his story anyway?  I mean, I never see him around.”

“Not during the day, anyway.” Bam said.

“Oh, please.  Don't tell me he still lives at home.  Like, he has to wait for his dad to get back before he can take the car?”

“Cordelia, I think his parents have been dead for a couple of hundred years.” Buffy said.

“Oh, good. I mean…. What?”

“Angel's a vampire.  I thought you knew.”

“Oh, he's a vampire.  Of course!  But the cuddly kind.  Like a Carebear with fangs?”

“It's true.” Willow said.

“You know what I think?  I just think you're trying to scare me off 'cause you're afraid of the competition.  Look, Buffy, you may be hot stuff when it comes to demonology or whatever and acting, but when it comes to dating, I'm the Slayer.” Cordelia got out of her car and walked off.  Buffy just watched her go.

“Don’t listen to her, B.” Bam said. “Angel doesn’t like girls like that.”

“This diary says differently.” Buffy said.

“Where does it say, ‘Angel was madly in love with this girl and not Buffy’?”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “We need to get back to class.”

“I’ll pick you guys up after school.  We’ll go costume shopping.”

**********************

The Halloween store was full of mothers with their kids looking for Halloween costumes.  Buffy was handling a plastic pumpkin when it suddenly lit up and screamed.  She quickly put it back on the counter and smacked Bam’s arm for laughing at her.

Willow came over to them. “What'd you get?” Buffy asked her.

“A time-honored classic!” Willow held up a ghost costume.

“Ok, Will, can I give you a little friendly advice?”

“It's not spooky enough?”

“It's just…. you're never gonna get noticed if you keep hiding.  You're missing the whole point of Halloween.”

“Free candy?”

“It's come as you aren't night.  The perfect chance for a girl to get sexy and wild with no repercussions.”

“Oh, I don't get wild.  Wild on me equals spaz.”

“Don't underestimate yourself.  You've got it in you.  Right Bam?”

Before Bam could answer, Willow spotted Xander. “Hey, Xander!” He came up to them. “What'd you get?” He pulled a toy military rifle out of his bag and held it up for Willow to see.

“That's not a costume.” Buffy said.

Xander gave Buffy a look, then turned to Willow. “I got fatigues from an Army surplus at home.  Call me the Two-Dollar Costume King, baby!” He smiled at Willow and purposely ignored Buffy.

“Hey, look, Xander….” Buffy said.  He pointed the rifle at her. “I'm…. really sorry about this morning.”

“Do you mind, Buffy?  I'm trying to repress.”

“Ok, then I promise, from now on I'll let you get pummeled.” She put her chin on his shoulder and pouted.

Xander rolled his eyes. “Thank you.  Ok, y'know, actually I think I could've t….” Xander noticed Buffy wasn’ listening because she was distracted by a costume.  She slowly started walking over to it. “Hello!  That was our touching reconciliation moment there.”

She kept walking over to a frilly, red, billowy 18th-century gown. “I'm sorry, it's just…. Look at this.”

“It's amazing.” Bam said. “I’m not wearing any tights.”

“You don’t need to match me.”

“Too bulky.” Xander said. “I prefer my women in spandex.”

The store owner noticed her looking at the dress and came over to them. “Please, let me.” He took the dress off of its dressmaker's mannequin.

Buffy was stunned. “Oh, i-it's….”

“Magnificent.  Yes, I know.  There.” He held it up to her in a mirror. “My.  Meet the hidden princess.  I think we found a match.  Don't you?”

Buffy stared at herself in the mirror, taking the dress from the owner, and smiled dreamily as she held it up to her chin.

****************************

The next day after school, Buffy, Bam, and Willow were at Buffy’s house getting ready.  Bam hadn’t bought a costume the day before because he hadn’t found one he liked.  So, he had just put on his normal clothes and grabbed his skateboard and said to pretend he was a dead skateboarder.

“You’re too…. Alive to be dead.  At least let me put some makeup on you.” Buffy said.  She wasn’t paying attention to him, though, because she was standing at her long mirror wearing her gown and a long, dark brown wig with tight curls and a pretty comb holding the hair in place.

“No makeup.  You’ll just have to pretend.” Bam said. “Are you sure that it’s ok if I go with you?”

“Uh, yeah.  Just…. Don’t let Snyder see you.”

Willow, who was in the bathroom changing, called, “Where're you meeting Angel?”

“Here.  After trick-or-treating.  Mom's gonna be out.”

“Does he know about your costume?”

“Nope.  Call it a blast from his past.  I'll show him I can coif with the best of 'em.” Buffy turned to the bathroom door. “Ok, Willow, come out.  You can't hide in there all night.”

“O-ok, but, but promise you won't laugh?”

“I promise.”

“Bam?”

“Why would I laugh?” Bam asked.

Willow opened the door and came out wearing boots, a short, black leather skirt and a burgundy, long-sleeved, V-necked, midriff-baring top.  She was obviously uncomfortable and quickly stepped over to her ghost sheet and picked it up.

“Wow!  You're a dish!” Buffy said.  Willow tried to hide herself with the sheet, but Buffy took it from her and tossed it aside. “I mean, really.  Look, Bam’s drooling.”

“I’m not drooling.” Bam protested. “But really, Willow.  You’re hot!”

Willow was very uncomfortable and tried to cover herself with her arms. “But this just isn't me.”

“And that's the point.” Buffy walked around Willow to show her the mirror. “Look, Halloween is the night that not you is you, but not you.  Y'know?” The doorbell rang. “Oh!  That's Xander.  Are you ready?”

“Yeah.  O-o-ok.”

“Cool!  I can't wait for the boys to go non-verbal when they see you!” Buffy walked down the stairs gracefully, Bam escorting her like a gentleman.  He opened the door for Xander and he entered saluting with his toy rifle in his hand.

“Private Harris reporting for…. Buffy!  Lady of Buffdom, Duchess of Buffonia, I am in awe!  I completely renounce spandex!”

“Thank you, kind sir.” Buffy curtsied playfully and Xander bowed. “But wait till you see….” They turned to look up the stairs at Willow.  She had put on the ghost sheet.

“Hi.” She said.

“Casper.”

“Hey, Will!” Xander said. “That's, ah, a fine boo you got there.”

​

Chapter 21

Bam and Buffy were escorting a small group of kids around town.  They were actually having fun.  The kids didn’t recognize Buffy because they were too young to see any of her movies, so it was nice that they weren’t gawking at her.  Buffy's group came back from a house and Buffy crouched down to see what they got.

“What did Mrs. Davis give you?” She asked.  They all pulled out toothbrushes. “She must be stopped.  Let's hit one more house.  We still have a few more minutes before I need to get you back.” The kids nodded and made their way to the next house.

Bam dropped his skateboard and skated alongside Buffy. “You know, I thought I’d be miserable, but this is actually kinda fun.”

“Don’t tread on my dress.” Buffy took a step to the side and Bam hopped off. “And you’re having fun because the kids are sneaking you candy.”

“They’re cool kids.”

Buffy laughed. “What’d you bribe them with?”

“Five bucks each.”

“Wow.  A few pieces of candy cost you $45.”

“That Milky Way was well worth it.”

The kids came running back and Buffy crouched down again. “What’d ya get this time?” They each held up king size Reeses cups. “Nice.  Ok, it’s time to get you back.” She stood up and the kids started making their way back to the school.  A wind began to blow and Buffy sensed something wasn't quite right suddenly.

“What?” Bam asked.  She stared at him for a long moment and Bam realized she was trying to recognize him.  He took a step forward and she let out a scream.  He flinched and held up his hands. “Hey!  Chill.  I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Who are you?” Buffy whimpered.

“I’m Bam.  Your best friend?” She shook her head. “Who are you?”

Buffy’s face squinched up as she tried to think. “I-I-I…. don’t know.  Where am I?”

“Oh man!” Suddenly, something jumped on Bam’s back and he fell forward onto Buffy.  They both went down, Bam covering Buffy, as the thing clawed at Bam’s head.  He rolled off of Buffy and onto the thing.  It let out a squeal and Bam jumped up.  It was a little monster.  All around them, small monsters roamed free.  Where there had been kids, there were now monsters.  Bam hauled Buffy to her feet. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“To find our friends.” Bam ran off down the street in the direction that he knew Willow was.  He found her standing with Xander who was holding a real M-16.

“Buffy!” Willow cried.  She ran across the street over to Bam and Buffy.  Xander followed. “Bam!  Are you guys ok?”

A monster walked up with a friend and they both roared as they approached.  Xander shouldered his M-16 and took aim. “This could be a situation.”

“Buffy, what do we do?”

Buffy fainted and fell to the ground before Bam could catch her.  Xander fired off a couple dozen rounds at the approaching monsters.  They turned and ran.  Xander lowered his rifle.  Bam and Willow kneeled beside Buffy.

“B, are you alright?” Bam asked.

“What?” Buffy asked faintly.

“Are you hurt?”

“Buffy, are you hurt?” Willow asked.

“Buffy?” Buffy sat up.

“She's not Buffy.” Bam said.

“Who's Buffy?” Xander asked.

“Oh, this is fun.” Willow commented.

“What year is this?” Bam asked Buffy, helping her up.

“1745, I believe.” Buffy said. “I-I don't understand.  Who are you?”

“We're friends.”

“F-friends of whom?” Buffy looked at Willow. “Y-your dress…. Everything is strange!  How did I come to be here?”

“Breathe, ok, breathe.  You're gonna faint again.”

“How are we supposed to get through this without the Slayer?” Willow asked.

“What's a Slayer?” Xander asked.  A monster came around the tree behind Buffy and roared, fangs bared, and claws raised to attack.  Buffy screamed and backs off behind Bam.  Xander jumped in and whacked the monster across the face with the butt of his rifle, knocking it down and out. “I suggest we get inside before we come across anything….”

“A DEMON!  A DEMON!” Buffy screamed from behind Bam. “A DEMON!”

A sport utility vehicle came driving down the street with its headlights on. “That's not a demon.  It's a car.” Bam said.

“What does it want?” Buffy asked.

“Is this woman insane?” Xander asked.

“She's never seen a car.” Bam explained.

“She's never seen a car?”

“She's from the past.” Willow said.

“And you're a ghost.”

“Willow, you’re a…. Oh yeah!  You wore your ghost costume.” Bam said.

“Yes!  Now let's get inside.” Willow said.

“I just want you to know that I'm taking a lot on faith here.” Xander said. “Where do we go?”

“Where's the closest…. We can go to a friend's.”

“Which?” Bam asked.

“Buffy’s house.”

“Oh, that which.”

************************

Xander opened the door and scanned the kitchen. “All clear!”

“Hello?” Bam called. “Mom!” There was no response. “Good, she's gone.” Bam led them into the large foyer.

“Where are we?” Buffy asked.

“Your place.” Willow said. “Now we just need to….” There was a banging at the front door.  Xander went to investigate. “Don't open it!”

“Could be a civilian.” Xander said.

“Or a mini demon.”

Buffy noticed a picture on a table and went over to look.  She picked it up, and saw it was of her wearing a spaghetti strap top.  She turned around as Bam came over to her. “This…. this could be me.”

“It is you.” Bam said. “B, can't you remember at all?”

“No!  I, I don't understand any of this!  Uh, uh, th…. This is some other girl!” She put the picture back. “I would never wear this, that low apparel, and I don't like this place, and I don't like you, and I just wanna go home!”

“You are home!”

Buffy was practically in tears.  Willow turned to Xander. “She couldn't've dressed up like Xena?” Xander scanned the outside through one of the small windows in the door.  He moved away just as a monster punched through the glass and reached for him.  It pulled its hand back as Xander raised his M-16. “Not a civilian!”

“Affirmative!” Xander took aims through the broken portal.

“Hey!  What did we say?!”

Xander let loose a volley of bullets.  Willow winced at the noise and Buffy bowed her head and covered her ears.  Bam just scrunched his eyebrows and glared at the noise.  Xander rolled away from the door when he was finished his burst. “Big noise scare monster, remember?”

“Got it.”

They heard a woman screaming outside and Xander looked out again. “Damn it!” He opened the door and went out to rescue whomever it was, pulling the door closed behind him.  

Buffy looked at Bam. “Surely he'll not desert us!”

“Whatever.” Bam shook his head and moved away from Buffy.  He looked outside to see Cordelia screaming as she ran from a sasquatch.  She was the screaming woman that Xander had gone out to save.  Xander took her by her elbow and led her to the house.

“Cordelia!” Willow cried.

“Wait a…. What's going on?” Cordelia asked.

“Ok, your name is Cordelia, you're not a cat, you're in high school, and we're your friends.  Well, sort of.  Buffy is.”

“That's nice, Willow.  And you went mental when?”

“You know us?”

“Yeah.  Lucky me.  What's with the name game?”

“A lot's going on.”

“No kidding.  I was just attacked by Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy.  Look at my costume!  Do you really think that Partytown's gonna give me my deposit back?  Not on the likely.”

Xander had taken his shirt off and put it around her shoulders. “Here.”

“Thanks.”

“Ok.” Willow said. “You guys stay here while I get some help.  If something tries to get in, just fight it off.”

“Well, i-it's not our place to fight.” Buffy said. “Uh, surely some men will protect us.”

“What's that riff?” Cordy asked.

“I-it's like amnesia, ok?  They don't know who they are.  Just sit tight.”

“Who died and made her the boss?”

Willow walked through the wall behind Cordelia and Buffy stared in wide-eyed amazement.  Bam just shrugged and walked into the living room.  He brought a chair over and placed it in front of the door and Xander went and got a table to place in front of the window.

Xander looked at Cordelia. “You!  Check upstairs.  Make sure everything's locked up.” He positioned a chair from the dining room to help hold the table upended against the window in place.  Cordelia headed upstairs.

“Surely there's somewhere we can go.  A safe haven.” Buffy said.

“Lady said stay put.”

“You would take orders from a woman?  A-are you feeble in some way?”

“Ma'am, in the Army we have a saying: sit down and shut the….” He saw a picture on the floor. “Whoa!” He picked it up.  It was of him, Buffy, Bam, and Xander. “She must be right.  We must have some kind of amnesia.”

“I don't know what that is, but I'm certain I don't have it.  I bathe quite often!”

“How do you explain this?”

“I don't!  I was brought up a proper lady.  I-I wasn't meant to understand things.  I'm just meant to look pretty, and then someone nice will marry me.  Possibly a Baron.”

“This ain't no tea party, princess.  Sooner or later you're gonna have to fight!”

“Fight these low creatures?  I'd sooner die.”

“Then you'll die.”

Angel came in from the kitchen. “Oh, good!  You guys are alright.  It's total chaos out there.”

Buffy and Xander looked at him. “Who are you?”

Angel looked at Bam as he carried in another chair from the dining room. “Ok, you wanna fill me in?”

“Do you live here?” Xander asked him.

“No, and you know that.  Buffy, I'm lost here.  You…. What's up with your hair?”

“They don't know who they are.” Bam said. “People are turning into their costumes.”

Cordelia breezed in and went straight to Angel. “Yeah, everyone's turned into a monster, it's a whole big thing.  How are you?” The lights went out and Buffy grabbed Cordelia in fright. “Do you mind?” Buffy let go of her.

Bam rolled his eyes at Cordelia trying desperately to flirt with Angel. “Angel, bring Buffy and we’ll go secure the kitchen.  Catwoman, you stay with Xander.”

“But I don't want to go with you!” Buffy said as Angel took her arm. “I-I like the man with the musket!  Do you have a musket?”

They went into the kitchen and saw that the door was open.  Angel looked at Bam. “I didn't leave that open.”

Angel quietly moved toward the door as he looked around for an intruder.  Bam poked his head in the dining room from the kitchen, but didn’t see anything.  The pantry door behind Buffy opened, and a vampire attacked her.  She tried to push the door closed on him, but he broke free and sent her crashing into a cabinet.  Angel grabbed the vampire and wrestled him to the floor.  It was a student escort in a vampire costume that Bam recognized.

“A stake!” Angel yelled.

“A what?” Buffy asked.

“Get me a stake!”

“No!” Bam yelled. “He’s human.”

Angel turned to look at Bam and had his game face on.  Buffy saw it and screamed at the top of her lungs before bolting for the door. “Buffy, no!”

“Shit!” Bam yelled. “Knock him out!” Angel punched the kid hard and he and Bam drug him out to the foyer. “Let’s go.  Buffy ran off.” They left the kid laying on the sidewalk outside and the four of them walked briskly down the street.  Xander had his rifle raised and ready.

“Are you sure she came this way?” Xander asked.

“No.” Angel said.

“She'll be ok.” Cordelia said.

“Buffy would be ok.  Whoever she is now, she's helpless.  C'mon!” Angel picked up Buffy’s scent and followed it. 

She was in an alley near the Bronze when they found her.  Buffy was backing away from Larry the Pirate.  She turned to run, but tripped and fell, her gown billowing out around her.  Larry grabbed her as she tried to get up and shoved her against a crate.  He pushed her hair away from her frightened face and moved in to kiss her.

Xander made it to them first and tackled Larry down to the pavement.  He got up and pulled Larry up and into a metal warehouse door.  He punched him in the face and gut.  Larry pushed him off and into the opposite alley wall and punched him back in the gut.  Xander grabbed Larry's arm and pulled it behind his back, forcing him to bend over, and kneed him in the stomach.  

Bam and Cordelia arrived behind Buffy with Angel. “B!  Are you ok?” Bam asked. Buffy saw Angel, yelped, and cowered behind a box.

“What's your deal?  Take a pill!” Cordelia said.

Larry attacked Xander with his pirate's sword and Xander sidestepped him, grabbed him by the wrist, and twisted his arm around, making him drop the sword.  He lifted Larry back up and punched him, sending him sprawling into a pile of trash.

“He's, he's a vampire!” Buffy said.

“She's got this thing where she thinks…. Uhhh, forget it.  It's ok.  Angel is a good vampire.  He would never hurt you.”

“Really?” Buffy slowly stood up.

“Absolutely.  He's our friend.” Bam said.

Angel headed over to Xander fighting Larry.  Xander punched Larry, sending him into the pile of trash and a stack of boxes again.  Several boxes fell off of the top and onto Larry and knocked him out cold.  Xander looked at Angel. “It's strange, but beating up that pirate gave me a weird sense of closure.”

Willow came running down the alley from the other end. “Guys!”

“Willow!” Angel said.

“Guys, you gotta get inside.” She looked back and they saw Spike and a gang of little monsters coming.

“We need a triage!” Xander said.

Angel pointed the other way. “This way!  Find an open warehouse.”

Xander turned and picked up his rifle. “Ladies, we're on the move!” He quickly headed down the alley.

Cordelia, Bam, and Willow followed him.  Angel lifted Buffy in his arms and carried her away. “I hope she gets to remember that.” Bam said as they ran away from Spike and the monsters.

Angel took a moment to chuckle and he and Bam pulled ahead of the others and found an open warehouse. “Over here!”

Bam pushed the door aside, and they all hurried in. “Check if there are any other ways in!” He and Xander slid the door closed again as Angel set Buffy back down on her feet next to Cordelia.

“Just stay here.” Angel said to her.

The monsters arrived and started pounding on the door from outside.  Xander picked up a large grate and set it in front of the door on top of some barrels he and Bam had already moved into place.  Buffy held on tightly to Cordelia and she rolled her eyes. “Oh, faboo, more clinging.”

Xander picked up another grate and set it behind the first one as the monsters get the door open.  They pounded against it as he and Bam tried to hold it in place. “GO!”

They all started running again, and Bam and Xander followed when they could no longer hold the grating against the monsters.  The grates fell to the floor as two monsters came in and pushed the barrels aside.  Spike followed them in and looked around.

There were no other ways out and the monsters held Xander, Bam, and Angel as Spike slowly closed in on Buffy as she backed away, trembling. “Look at you.  Shaking.  Terrified.  Alone.  Lost little lamb.” Buffy had backed up against a crate and couldn't go any further.  Spike slapped her across the face with the back of his hand. “I love it.”

Angel struggled with the two monsters holding him. “Buffy!”

Spike put his left hand around her throat and bent her backward onto the crate.  He stroked her forehead with his right hand.  Bam and Xander struggled with their captors.  Spike grabbed Buffy's hair and closed in for the bite.  Xander got free and punched one of his captors in the face, the other in the gut, and then shoved the second monster into the first which sent them sprawling into Bam’s captors.  Spike closed in on Buffy and Xander turned his attention to Spike.

“Now that guy you can shoot.” Willow said.

Xander grabbed his M-16 and shouldered the now toy rifle. “What the….”

Everyone had all turned back into children and student escorts.  The kids were frightened, and began to cry and complain.  Spike looked back at them and straightened up.  He pulled on Buffy's hair to pull her up and found he just had a wig in his hands.  He looked at Buffy as she got up off of the crate and smiled at him.

“Hi, honey.  I'm home.” She punched him in the gut, twice in the face, and kicked him in the chest, making him stagger back into a set of mobile stairs.  He grabbed a length of pipe that was leaning there and swung it at her.  She caught the end of it and pulled him around and into the crate he had her against.  She used the pipe like a quarterstaff and swung it into his jaw and jabbed him in the stomach.  He doubled over in pain. “You know what?  It's good to be me.” She brought the pipe up into his chin from underneath and Spike flew back onto the crate, then slid off onto the floor.

Spike got up and growled at her, then made a hasty retreat.  Buffy dropped the pipe and turned to the others.  Xander came over to her. “Hey, Buff.  Welcome back.”

“Yeah!  You, too.”

“You guys remember what happened?” Cordelia asked.

“It was way creepy.  It's like I was there, but I couldn't get out.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling.  This outfit's totally skintight.” She looked up at Angel as he came over to Buffy.

“You ok?” Angel asked Buffy, ignoring everyone else but her.

“Yeah.” Buffy said.  Angel put his arm around her shoulders and led her away.

******************************

Angel lounged on Buffy’s bed and looked around the beautiful room.  Buffy opened the door from inside her large, private bathroom and came in wearing a tank top and sweatpants. “Tada.  Just little old 20th-century me.” She said.

“Sure you're ok?” Angel asked.

“I'll live.” She walked over to him and he sat up on the bed.

“I don't get it, Buffy.  Why'd you think I'd like you better dressed that way?”

Buffy sat next to him. “I just wanted to be a real girl for once.  The kind of fancy girl you liked when you were my age.”

“Oh, ho.”

“What?”

“I hated the girls back then.  Especially the noble women.”

“You did?”

“They were just incredibly dull.  Simpering morons, the lot of them.  I always wished I could meet someone…. exciting.” Angel looked her in the eyes. “Interesting.”

“Really?  Interesting how?”

“You know how.”

“Still, I had a really hard day.  You should probably tell me.”

Angel smiled and drew closer to her. “You're right.  I should.”

“Definitely.”

Angel closed the distance and kissed Buffy gently yet passionately.  She cradled his face in her hands and scooted up to sit on his lap. “When does your mom come home?”

“Not till late.  She won’t come in here, though.  Her room’s on the other side of the house.  And it’s a big house.” Angel chuckled and brought Buffy’s lips to his again.

​

Chapter 22

The career fair was going on in the lounge at Sunnydale High School.  Willow came into the hall from outside and looked around at some of the displays being set up on her way to sign up for the career aptitude test.  Buffy and Xander were already sitting at a table filling out their tests.  Willow headed for their table with a test to join them.

“'Are you a people person, or do you prefer keeping your own company?'” Xander read. “Well, what if I'm a people person who keeps his own company by default?”

“So, mark 'none of the above'.” Buffy said.

“Well, there are no boxes for 'none of the above'.  That would introduce too many variables into their mushroom head, number-crunching little world.”

“I'm sensing bitterness.” Willow said, sitting down.

“No, it's just these people can't tell from one multiple-choice test what we're gonna be doing for the rest of our lives.  It's ridiculous!”

“I'm kinda curious to find out what sort of career I could have.”

“What, and suck all the spontaneity out of being young and stupid?  I'd rather live in the dark.”

“You're not gonna be young forever.”

“Yes, but I'll always be stupid.  Ok, let's not all rush to disagree.”

“You're not stupid.” Buffy said.

Xander gave her an acknowledging sarcastic grin, then looked up when he heard Cordelia.  She had a clipboard and was taking her test as she walked into the lounge accompanied by two of her groupies. “'I aspire to help my fellow man.'  Check.  As long as he's not smelly, dirty or something gross.”

“Cordelia Chase, always ready to give a helping hand to the rich and the pretty.” Xander said.

“Which, lucky me, excludes you.  Twice.”

Xander had no comeback, so Cordelia just walked away, followed closely by her cronies. “Is murder always a crime?”

“Do I like shrubs?” Buffy asked.

“That's between you and your god.”

“What'd you put?” Buffy asked Willow.

“I came down on the side of shrubs.” Willow said.

“Go with shrubs!  Ok!  Uhhh!  I shouldn't even be bothering with this.  It's all mootville for me.  No matter what my aptitude test says, we already know my deal.”

“Yeah, exotic locations, great pay….”

“Hot guys, free clothes….” Willow added.

“Unless of course you were referring to the high risk, sub-minimum wage…. Pointy wooden things.”

“Then why are you even taking the test?”

“It's Principal Snyder's hoop of the week.  He's not happy unless I'm jumping.  Believe me, I would not be here otherwise.”

“You're not even a teensy weensy bit curious about what kinda career you could've had?  I mean, if you weren't already a famous actor and the Slayer and all.”

“Do the words 'sealed in fate' ring any bells for you, Will?  Why go there?”

“Y'know, with that kind of attitude you could've had a bright future as an employee at the DMV.”

“I'm sorry, it's just…. unless Hell freezes over and every vamp in Sunnydale puts in for early retirement, I'd say my future is pretty much a non-issue.”

“Well, then you can focus on acting.” Willow said brightly.

“I focus on that already.” Buffy shook her head. “Stupid Snyder.”

“Well, when’s Bam coming back to town?  You’re always happier when he’s around.”

“He won’t be back until Friday.  You know, he’s got a deal with this new company that says they’ll produce his DVD.”

“He’s releasing a DVD?” Xander asked.

“Yeah, a bunch of skateboarding stuff.”

“Cool.”

“I’m proud.”

“You should be.”

“You know, I can’t believe I’ve never asked this before now, but why didn’t you two work out?” Willow asked. “I mean, you guys get along so great.”

Buffy shrugged. “I don’t know, really.  It was sort of like, well, one day we just looked at each other and saw a friendship, not a romantic relationship.  It was like I was dating my older brother.”

Snyder stalked up to them. “Less talk, more writing.”

*****************************

Buffy climbed up to her balcony and looked in her room.  She saw Angel standing there, looking into her bookcase.  He took her stuffed pig from the shelf.  Without a word Buffy tossed her bag loudly onto the floor.  

Angel turned around, startled. “Buffy!  You scared me.”

“Now you know what it feels like, Stealth Guy.” Buffy joked, walking into her room.  She crouched down by her bag and reached into her hair to pull out a few clips. “Just dropping by for some quality time with Mr. Gordo?”

“Excuse me?”

“The pig.” Buffy opened her trunk and dumped the bag in.

“Oh.  I, uh….”

“What's up?”

“Nothing.” He tossed the pig onto the couch and walked to her bed.

Buffy dropped her hair clips into a desk drawer and faced him. “Only you don't have a nothing face.  You have a something face.  And you don't have to whisper.  Mom's in New York till Thursday.  Art buying, or something.”

“Then why'd you come in from the balcony?”

“Habit.”

“I wanted to make sure you're ok.  I had a bad feeling.”

“There's a surprise.  Angel comes with bad news.” He exhaled and turned away, tired of the same old reaction from her. “Oh, God, I'm sorry.” Buffy walked over to him. “Look, I've been Cranky Miss all day.  It's not you.”

“Well, what is it then?”

“It's nothing.” Angel wasn't buying it. “Uh, we're having this thing at school.”

“Career week?”

“How did you know?”

“I lurk.”

“Right.  Well, then you know it's a whole week of 'what's my line', only…. I don't get to play.  Sometimes I just want….”

“You want what?” Buffy looked into her long mirror and saw she was alone in the reflection. “It's ok.”

“The Cliff Notes version?  I want a normal life.  Like I had before.”

“Before me.”

“No, Angel,” She touched his cheek tenderly. “It's not you.  You're the one freaky thing in my freaky world that still makes sense to me.  I just get messed sometimes.  I wish we could be regular kids.”

“Yeah.  I'll never be a kid.”

“Ok, then a regular kid and her cradle robbing, creature-of-the-night boyfriend.”

Angel couldn't help but let out a laugh.  Buffy smiled back.  He saw a picture on her desk and picked it up.  It was of her as a child in one of her little ice-skating costumes and her ice skates and she was posing with her gold medal, a huge smile on her face. “Was this part of your normal life?”

“Oh, my God.  My Dorothy Hamill phase.  My room in New York was pretty much a shrine.  Dorothy dolls, Dorothy posters, I even got the Dorothy haircut.  Thereby securing a place for myself in the geek hall of fame.”

“Hmm, you wanted to be like her?”

“I wanted to be her.  My parents were fighting all the time, and skating was an escape.  I felt safe.”

“When was the last time you put on your skates?”

“About a couple of hundred demons ago.”

“There's a rink out past Route 17, it's…. closed on Tuesdays.”

“Tomorrow's Tuesday.”

“I know.”

Buffy sighed. “I don’t know, Angel.”

“Why?”

“Do you know why I quit skating?  Did I ever tell you?” Angel shook his head. “I broke my knee.  No, let me rephrase that.  I shattered my knee.  It wasn’t the same after that.”

“Does it still hurt you?”

“Sometimes.  I could tell you when it’s going to rain.” Angel laughed. “But it’s not the knee hurting.  It’s the fact that I loved it so much and…. I can’t do it anymore because of one tiny mistake that I made.”

“You can’t skate any more?”

“Well, not like I used to, but I can still skate.”

“Then meet me there tomorrow night at eight.  You can teach me.”

Buffy smiled after a moment. “Ok.  I will.” He took her hand and pulled her forward, kissing her gently.

**********************

Willow and Buffy came out of the building and started across the quad. “You and Angel are going skating?  Alone?” Willow asked.

“Unless some unforeseen evil pops up.  But I'm in full 'see no evil' mode.”

“Angel ice-skating.”

“I know.  Two worlds collide.”

Xander met up with them. “Wouldn't you two say you know me about as well as anyone else?  Maybe even better than I know myself?”

“What's this about?” Willow asked.

“When you look at me, do you think 'prison guard'?”

Willow and Buffy giggled. “Um, crossing guard, maybe, but prison guard?” Buffy shook her head.

“They just put up the assignments for the career fair, and according to my test results I can look forward to being gainfully employed in the growing field of corrections.”

“Well, at least you'll be on the right side of the bars.”

“Ha, ha, ha, ha!  Laugh now, missy, they assigned you to the booth for law enforcement professionals.”

“As in police?”

“As in polyester, doughnuts and brutality.”

Buffy whined. “But, doughnuts!” Willow offered.

“Well, I'll just jump off that bridge when I come to it.” Buffy spotted Giles walking along with a tall stack of old books in his arms. “First I have to deal with Giles.  He's on this Tony Robbins hyper-efficiency kick.  Expects me to check in every day after homeroom.” Buffy walked off after Giles. “Police?”

She went into the library where Giles walked to the table, balancing his stack of books.  He carefully set them down and leaned over a bit to straighten the stack, but over-leaned, and the books began to fall over.  He reacted quickly to try to stop them, but Buffy was there.  She put her hand on top of the stack just as he did and they pushed it back up. “Buffy.  Thank you.  I've been, uh, indexing the Watcher diaries covering the last couple of centuries.  You would be amazed at how numbingly pompous and long-winded some of these Watchers were.”

“Color me stunned.”

“So, uh, I trust last night's patrol was fruitful?”

“Semi.  Mm, I caught one out of two vamps after they stole something from this jumbo mausoleum.”

“They were stealing?”

“Yeah!  They had tools, flashlights, whole nine yards.  What does that mean anyway?  'Whole nine yards'?  Nine yards of what?  Now it's gonna bug me all day.  Giles, you're in pace mode.  What gives?”

“Um, this vampire who escaped, did you see what he took?”

“No, but I could take a guess and say it was something old.”

“You made no effort to find out what was taken?”

“Have a cow, Giles!  I just figured it was your everyday vamp hijinks.”

“Well, what if it wasn't?  This could be very serious!  I mean, i-i-if you'd made an effort to, uh, to be more thorough in your observations….”

“Y'know, if you don't like the way I'm doing my job, why don't you find somebody else?  Oh, that's right, there can only be one.  As long as I'm alive, there is no one else.  Well, there you go!  I don't have to be the Slayer.  I could be dead.”

“That wasn't terribly funny.  You notice I don't laugh.”

“Wouldn't be much of a change.  Either way I'm bored, constricted, I never get to shop, and my hair and fingernails still continue to grow.  So really, when you think about it, what's the diff?”

“Do we have to be introspective now?  Our only concern is to discover what was stolen from that mausoleum last night.”

“Well, let’s go.”

“Go?  To the cemetery?”

“No, to Disneyworld.  Yes the cemetery.”

“You just want to walk out?”

“You’re my on-set tutor.  I have to be on-set for an audition.”

“No you…. Oh.  Yes.  I thought your…. Acting would pose a problem, but it seems that it’s making things a little easier.”

************************

Buffy swung open the metal gate and strode into the cemetery holding a flashlight.  Giles was running to catch up with her. “Buffy!  Slow down!  Please!”

“Giles, we have work to do, remember?  Get with the program.” Buffy snapped.

Giles held his chest as he breathed hard to catch his breath from running after her.  They continued walking to the mausoleum. “You're behaving remarkably im-immaturely.”

“You know why?  I am immature.  I'm a teen.  I have yet to mature.”

“I was simply offering some constructive criticism.”

“No!  You were harsh!  God, you act like I picked this gig.  But remember, I'm the picked.”

“What you have is more than a gig.  It's a sacred duty.  Which shouldn't prevent you from e-e-eventually procuring some more gainful f-f-form of employment.  Uh-uh-uh, such as I did.”

“Uh, Giles, it's one thing to be a Watcher and a librarian.  They go together like chicken and…. another chicken, or…. two chickens, or…. something, you know what I'm saying!  The point is, no one blinks an eye if you want to spend all your days with books.  People blink a whole lot of eyes when I show up to set with a bruise on my cheek and they have to spend an extra 30 minutes trying to cover it.  Or I show up to a premiere with a huge gash on my forehead.  The press will catch on sooner or later, so I have to be extra super careful!”

“Um, point taken.  I must, however, admit, I-I've never really…. Have you ever considered…. Quitting that job?” Buffy glared at him. “Well, now there's a thought, have you ever considered law enforcement?” Buffy stopped in her tracks as Giles turned to face her.  She looked at him like he was crazy.  A moment later her expression changed to exasperation, and she raised her flashlight and jerked it at the mausoleum behind him. “What?” He turned to look. “Oh!” They walked up the steps and went in.  The chamber was bare except for two large stone vases and a pile of rubble on the floor. “May I?” Giles reached for the flashlight.

Buffy handed it to him. “Be my guest.”

He turned on the flashlight and walked over to where the wall had been broken into. “It's a reliquary.  Used to house items of religious significance.  Most commonly a finger or some other body part from a saint.”

“Note to self: religion: freaky.” Buffy leaned against the wall as Giles scanned around the rest of the room with the flashlight.

He spotted a name engraved on a stone high above. “Du Lac.  Oh dear, oh dear.”

“I hate when you say that.”

“Josephus du Lac was buried here.  He belonged to a religious sect that was excommunicated by the Vatican at the turn of the century.”

“Excommunicated and sent to Sunnydale.  There's a guy big with the sinning.”

“You remember the book that was stolen from the library by a vampire a few weeks ago?”

“Yeah.” Buffy nodded, remembering her friend Ford from LA who had tried to trade her life to Spike for his because of a brain tumor.  He had said he killed the vampire that had stolen the book.

“It was written by Du Lac.  Damn it! I  let it slip my mind with all the excitement.”

“I'm guessing it wasn't a 'Taste of the Vatican' cookbook.” They started out of the mausoleum.

“No, the, uh, book was said to contain rituals and spells that reap unspeakable evil.  However, it was written in archaic Latin so that nobody but the sect members could understand it.”

“So, everything's cool then.”

“It's not.  First the book was taken from the library, and now the vampires have stolen something from Du Lac's tomb.”

“You think they figured out how to read the book?”

“Something's coming, Buffy, and whatever it is, I can guarantee it's not good.”

​

Chapter 23

Willow, Buffy, and Xander were sitting at the table in the library. “So Giles is sure that the vampire who stole his book is connected to the one you slayed last night?” Willow asked. “Or is it slew?”

Giles came out of the stacks with a National Geographic magazine. “Both are correct, and, yes, I'm sure. Du Lac was both a, a…. a theologian and a mathematician.  This article describes an invention of his, which he called 'The Du Lac Cross'.”

“So, why go to all the trouble of inventing something, and then giving it a weak name like that?” Xander asked. “I mean, I'da gone with 'The Cross-o-matic', or, uh, 'The Amazing Mr. Cross'.” The girls just stared at him.  He looked up at Giles and nodded.

Giles didn't think his musings were funny either. “The cross was more than a mere symbol, it was used to understand certain mystical texts, to, uh, decipher hidden meanings and so forth.”

“So you're saying these vampires went to all this hassle for your basic decoder ring?” Buffy asked.

“Uh, actually, yes, I, I suppose I am.”

“According to this, Du Lac destroyed every cross except the one buried with him.” Willow said, reading the magazine Giles handed her.

“Why destroy your own work?” Buffy asked.

“Perhaps he feared what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands.” Giles said.

“A fear we'll soon get to experience for ourselves up close and personal.” Xander said.

“U-unless we can preempt their plans.”

“How?” Willow asked.

“Uh, by learning what's in the book before they do.  Which means we can expect to be here later tonight.”

“Goody!  Research party!”

“Will, you need a life in the worst way.” Xander said.

Buffy got up. “Speaking of, I really have to bail, but I promise I'll be back bright and early tomorrow and ready to slay.”

“This is a matter of some urgency, Buffy.” Giles said.

“I realize that.  Well, you have to admit, I kinda lack in the book area.  I mean, you guys are the brains, I'd only be here for moral support anyway.”

“That's untrue, Buffy, you totally contribute.” Xander said. “You go for snacks!”

Buffy looked to Willow for help. “She should go.” Willow said. “Y-y'know, gather her strength.”

“Perhaps you're right.  There may be fierce battles ahead.” Giles said.

Buffy made tracks for the door. “But Ho-Hos are a vital part of my cognitive process!” Xander said.

“Sorry, Xand.  Someplace I have to be.” Buffy called over her shoulder as she walked out the doors.

**************************

The rink was empty except for Buffy skating gracefully by herself.  She had gone early to warm up and make sure she didn’t look like a fool in front of Angel.  She made use of the whole rink, doing practiced turns and spins.  Buffy decided to try a lay-back spin.  She spun gracefully, her muscles remembering their positions.  Getting brave, she set up for a toe loop, but she didn’t land right and wiped out.  She slid backward and hit her back on the boards.  She laughed at herself for getting cocky and started to get up.  Suddenly, a huge arm reached down and wrapped around her neck, lifting her off of the ice.  The thing laid her down on the boards and began to choke her.  Buffy tried to pry his hands from her throat as she struggled to breathe.

Angel came running across the ice, sporting his game face. “Buffy!” He leapt and tackled the thing, knocking it off of Buffy.  She fell from the railing onto the ice, landing hard on the same knee she had broken all those years ago.  She cried out in serious pain as Angel lifted the man that had attacked her to his feet and punched him in the face.  The man wasn't fazed and returned with a double-fisted punch to Angel's stomach, sending him back into the wall.  Angel came off the wall and jabbed him in the face again, but the man just shrugged it off.  He punched Angel in the face and gut, making him stagger into the wall again.  The man grabbed Angel by the throat and lifted him up.

Buffy came skating toward them at a fast pace.  The man turned to face her and she grabbed a net that was hanging there and used it to swing up with her foot and hit him in the throat with the blade of her skate, crushing his trachea and slicing his throat.  He let go of Angel and grabbed his own neck, unable to breathe.  He took a few steps onto the ice and collapsed there, dead.

Buffy rubbed her throbbing knee as Angel crouched over the bounty hunter and lifted his hand to inspect his ring. “The Hellmouth presents: Dead Guys On Ice.” Buffy said. “Not exactly the evening we were aiming for.”

Angel looked closely at the ring. “You're in danger.  You know what the ring means?”

“I just killed a Super Bowl champ?”

“I'm serious!  You should go home and wait until you hear from me.” He dropped the dead man’s hand, taking the ring, and stood up.  He still had his game face on.  Buffy skated over to him, wincing as she put her weight on her bad knee. “Are you ok?”

Buffy ignored the pain in her knee as she put her gloved hand on his cheek and saw the cut above his eye. “What about you?  That cut!”

“Forget about me.  This is bad, Buffy.  We gotta get you outta here.”

“What, you mean hide?”

“Let's just get you some place safe!”

“No!  Your eye!” She reached back up to him and he shook her off. “Hey!  Don't be a baby.  I'm not gonna hurt you.”

“It's not that.  I….”

“What?”

“You shouldn't have to touch me when I'm like this.”

She looked up into his vampire features. “Oh.” Buffy removed her glove and reached up to touch his brow and his wound, brushing gently across and down his cheek. “I didn't even notice.” She moved closer to kiss him.  He responded and they kissed gently.  The kiss became more passionate as she reached her hand behind his neck to draw him closer.  Angel put his arms around Buffy and she rose up onto the picks of her blades to get even closer.

After a long, breathless moment, Angel pulled away, but still held her. “You’re beautiful.” Buffy blushed and looked away. “You skated so…. Brilliantly.”

“Yeah, my knee’s killing me.” Angel lifted her up into his arms and carried her over to the bleachers.  She changed out of her skates and back into her boots. “You were watching me?”

Angel looked away, embarrassed. “I always watch you.  I worry.”

“Like with dead guy out there?”

He glanced back at the dead guy on the ice. “You need to take that ring to Giles.” Angel reached inside his pocket. “You’re not safe to go home.  You should stay with me tonight.”

Buffy looked at him nervously. “Oh.  I…. Ok.”

“Come on.  I’ll give you some clothes to sleep in.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and walked out of the rink.

***********************

Buffy lay in Angel’s bed with his arms wrapped tightly, protectively around her.  She couldn’t sleep.  She was freaked out by what had happened at the rink and what Angel had said.  Despite the fact that this was the first time she was sleeping with Angel in his bed, she couldn’t bring herself to be excited.  A growing sense of panic was rising in her from the pit of her stomach.

***********************

Giles inspected the ring under a magnifying lamp on the table in the library.  Buffy was sitting on the steps holding an icepack to her knee.  Willow and Xander were at the table. “This guy was hard-core, Giles.” Buffy said. “And Angel was power-freaked by that ring.”

“I'm afraid he was not overreacting.” Giles said. “This ring is worn only by members of the Order of Taraka.  It's a society of deadly assassins dating back to King Solomon.”

“And didn't they beat the Elks this year in the Sunnydale adult bowling league championships?” Xander asked.

“Their credo is to sow discord and kill the unwary.”

“Bowling is a vicious game.”

“That's enough, Xander!” Xander looked down in shame and Buffy and Willow looked concerned and upset. “Sorry.  It's just not the time for jokes.  I need to think.”

“These assassins, why are they after me?” Buffy asked.

“Cause you're the scourge of the underworld?” Willow asked.

“I haven't been that scourgey lately.”

Giles rubbed his eyes. “I don't know, I don't know.  I think the best thing we can do is to find a secure location.  Somewhere out of the way you can go until we decide on the best course of action.”

“Ok, now you and Angel have both said to head for the hills.  Are you saying I can't handle this, that I'm not strong enough to fight these people?”

“They're a breed apart, Buffy.  U-unlike vampires they have no earthly desires, but to collect their bounty.  They find a target, and, uh…. they eliminate it.  You can kill as many of them as you like, it won't make any difference.  Where there's one, there will be another, and another.  They won't stop coming until the job is done.  Each one of them works alone.  His own way.  Some are human, some…. a-are not.  Y-you won't know who they are until they strike.”

***********************

Buffy was now wigged and tense beyond anything she had ever experienced as she walked down the hall.  She held her hands to the back of her neck and shoulders.  She jumped when a boy barged through the doors in the hall in front of her.  She walked through the doors and scanned the students in the hall, paranoid about them looking at her.  

The police recruiter looked at her, and she stared back.  A teacher came down the stairs in front of her and looked at her as he ran a comb through his hair.  Several students walked past her, giving her the occasional glance.  Behind her, Bam came walking at a quick pace to surprise her, not knowing that she was so tense.  He grabbed her waist and Buffy spun quickly, taking him by the neck and shoving him into the wall.

“Try it!” Buffy realized who he was. “Oh my god!  Bam!” She let him go.

Bam rubbed his neck. “What the hell!?” He noticed that she was near tears and her eyes showed the strain she was under. “What’s wrong?  Come here.” He hugged her tightly.

“Bam, I’m so scared.”

He pulled her into an empty classroom and shut the door. “What’s going on, B?”

“There’s this…. Order of…. something…. They’re assassins.  Apparently they won’t stop coming until I’m…. It’s not even safe for me to go home.”

“Where are you staying, then?”

Buffy looked around and then whispered in Bam’s ear. “Angel’s apartment.”

“Oh.”

“You can’t go home, either.”

“Where am I going to stay then?”

“Uh…. I’m sure…. I’m sure Giles would let you stay at his place.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Uh, I guess just go to the library and help them figure out how to stop them.”

“What are you going to do?”

Buffy shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know.  I guess I’m going to go to Angel’s and stay with him.”

************************

Buffy walked down the dark street towards her home.  She was all alone, arms crossed, and scanning the area around her.  When she reached her house she stopped and just stared at it.  She wanted nothing more than to walk in there and go to sleep in her bed.  She was also very happy that her mother was in New York.  Instead of going inside, she looked around again and continued on.

Buffy headed for the Bronze and then to Angel’s apartment.  She didn’t know if he would be there and she didn’t just want to barge in, even though he had given her a key.  She stood in the hall outside the apartment and knocked softly.  There was no answer. “Angel?” She called softly.  When there was still no answer, she stuck the key in the lock and opened the door.  Buffy stuck her head in and looked around. “Angel?” She slowly walked in, locking the door behind her, and looked around.  She turned on the lights and sighed, wishing he had been here.

Buffy loved Angel’s apartment.  It was sparsely furnished with a modern desk strewn with papers against the far wall.  A dozen pictures hung on the wall around it.  Most of them were drawings of her that Angel had done from memory.  The floor was bare concrete, and her heels clicked quietly as she slowly walked over to the ivory statue enclosed in a glass display case.  She looked at it a moment, briefly wondering where he had gotten it from, before going on and passing the elegant antique armoire.

Finally she made it to his unmade bed and sat down.  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, weary from the day's events.  Once again, she wished Angel was here to hold her and protect her.  Sighing, Buffy laid down, resting her head on his pillow and curling up.  She hugged his pillow against her heart and breathed in his scent.  Before long, she had fallen asleep.

**************************

Giles walked out of his office cleaning his glasses.  Willow was sitting at the counter going through a volume and Bam and Xander sat at the table going through their own volumes.  Bam had come in a couple of days early to surprise Buffy, but a surprise was the last thing she needed right now.

“I wish there was more we could do.” Willow said.

“We're doing all that we can.” Giles said. “The only course of action is to try and find out what was in that stolen book.”

“I've never seen Buffy like that.  She just took off.”

“She didn't go home.” Bam said.

“How do you figure?” Giles asked.

“She wouldn’t let me go home.  Gotta figure if she won’t let me go, she won’t go.”

“Perhaps my words of caution were…. a little too alarming.”

“Ya think?” Xander asked sarcastically.

“It's good that she took you seriously, Giles.” Willow said. “I just wish we knew where she was.”