BTVS & Angel:The Epic New Series
by buffyfaith19
Rating: R

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story. Sadly someone else does, Joss Whedon, WB and UPN among others do, but they simply don't use them quite the way they should.
Author's Notes: There's a lot of em. It's been a year since Buffy went off the air and now with the cancellation of Angel, I felt a strong desire to do something to keep these shows alive in some form.

• What I've come up with is to write a series combing the two shows. Yep, it's a mighty big endeavor, but it's also one that I think could be very fun to write and hopefully equally fun to read.
• The basic premise of this story is a primarily femslash version of the show, with Buffy & Faith as slayers right from the time they move to Sunnydale at the age of 17. They will be the main characters, and while their relationship will be one of the main focuses, the relationships of the other main characters from both shows will have a prominent role in this story as well. As will the many supporting characters from both shows.
• Most every character from BTVS and Angel will change in some way, shape or form. My reasoning for this is simple, without these changes we could just as easily sit and watch Buffy reruns, which can be fun of course, but this is intended to be something new. Some of the changes will be subtle, some will be major, but hopefully they will be interesting ones to read about.
• Obviously, the one thing needed for something like this is an open mind. Sadly, the only thing I can promise is, that you won't like every change I make, but then again, who can say they liked every character, episode or season they saw of BTVS or on Angel? The hope is that you'll give it a read and that it will keep you interested, entertained and wanting to read what happens next.
• I believe with the many sub plots, plot twists and turns in this story, along with the main storyline, that this will more than satisfy fans of the two series.
• I call the story an epic for a very good reason. It's going to be long, but it won't feel long because it does flow very well. Unlike TV, I will have the time to delve into each character more; each couple more as well as the main storyline more and that I hope, will make for fun reading as we learn more and more about each of the characters in the Buffyverse.
  Warning: Characters will die from time to time, just as they did on TV. I want that to be a surprise so there will be no warning about this beyond the one I'm giving now. I believe the unexpected is always the most interesting and allows for suspense and surprises.
  +1=2=3=4=5=6=7=8=9=10+

  CHAPTER ONE

  Sunnydale, March 19, 1997.

  Buffy Summers arrived at her new school not sure what to expect, but happy for a change of scenery nonetheless. After a year of problems at her last school, this was a new start for Buffy, her mom and her younger sister Dawn.

  "I really don't want to go in mom." Buffy said, partially telling the truth and partially just wanting another day off school.

  "It will be fine. Just be yourself and you'll make lots of new friends." Her mom said, and then looked down at her watch. "I have to go. I have a meeting that I can't be late for."

  "But mom…" Buffy said with a nasal whine.

  "I'll talk to you tonight. Be nice to your sister okay. No fighting. Bye." She said sternly and, she was ready to go.

  When Buffy got out of the car she leaned in to say goodbye, but her mom was already driving off, leaving Buffy to pull her head back in a hurry as she watched the car speed away.

  "Fine, just go then. I'll do this on my own. Thanks for nothing." Buffy yelled at the back of her mom's car.

  Still pissed off and wanting to take off and never come back again, Buffy knew that wasn't a very good option, so she turned and started walking up the steps to her new school. Everywhere she looked all she saw were other kids talking, laughing and generally having fun.

  Her only other observation was that out of everyone around, she was the only one who seemed to be alone. It was the curse of being the new kid.

  Inside things were pretty much the same, teenagers mulling around their lockers waiting for the bell to ring. She stopped in the middle of the hallway to look for her locker combination. Opening her purse, she reached in to look for it, but was knocked off balance, sending the contents of purse flying all over the floor.

  Panic was the only emotion she felt as she scrambled to gather up all the items on the floor and was almost finished when a hand reached in and held out her diary.

  "I'm guessing this is yours?" the voice asked politely.

  Buffy took the diary and got to her feet, "Thank you. I can't believe I brought that to school."

  "Let me guess, it's your first day right?" the brunette said, still holding Buffy's hand.

  "Is it that obvious?" Buffy said with a big smile.

  "Afraid so, but you're not alone. It's my first day too."

  "Oh, I never would've have guessed, you seem pretty calm about it then." Buffy said as she studied the brunette closely, "Oh, I'm Buffy, nice to meet you."

  "Hi, I'm Faith." She said, shaking the hand she was still holding.

  Before Buffy could respond, a group of kids knocked her against the locker. As she turned to see what the commotion was, she saw Faith in the middle of a fight with something.

  With the creature leaning down to bite Faith's soft neck, Buffy rushed towards it and knocked it to the ground. She grabbed Faith by the hand and took off with the rest of the kids down the hall.

  They turned left when the others turned right and ended up in the girl's washroom. Turning around to catch their breath, they were more than a little shocked to see two men standing in front of them. Both were much older than they were, and sure didn't look like teachers either.

  Taking a step forward the older of the two men took out a small bag and tossed it towards the two girls, "It's good to see you, but there's really no time for introductions. Open the bag, take out the pretty wooden stake and run back and put it in the heart of that vampire that was chasing you. Excellent, off we go now." He said with a chipper smile.

  Opening the bag the girls picked up the stakes, looked them over and then Faith looked back at the two men, "Just one second here, who the hell are you?"

  "I knew you wouldn't do as you were told." The older man sighed, "Very well, if you must put up a squabble, my name is Mayor Richard Wilkins III and I am your watcher Faith."

  "What's a watcher?" Faith asked.

  "I really don't have time to explain that now." He said in a melancholy tone, "That mangy vampire you saw in the hall is probably killing one of your future classmates as we speak. Why don't you take care of him as I've instructed and we can get into all the formalities after your first day of school? How's that grab ya?"

  "This is crazy." Buffy interjected, staring back at the tall stuffy looking man standing beside the mayor, "What are you staring at? I'm underage you perv."

  His face red from embarrassment, the man stepped forward in a flash. "No, no, no. I was doing no such thing. I assure you, my intentions are truly honorable." He said with a British accent.

  "Cute accent, I always found those sexy." Faith said as she smiled at Buffy.

  "Oh well, thank you. I've had it all my life." The man said with an awkward smile.

  "That's quite enough Wyndham-Pryce, this isn't the dating game. You're a watcher and let's not forget that shall we?" the mayor said, and then turned back to the two girls, "If the vampire kills anyone, you two will be to blame. So, what's it going to be? Heroes or goats? Your choice."

  "This is bull. You could be the killers for all we know." Faith snapped back.

  "Ah yes, but were we the ones chasing the kids down the hall trying to impale our teeth into their necks? I guess you have nothing to worry about then. You caught us. Good job." The mayor said sarcastically.

  Buffy turned to Faith, "He's right, that thing almost bit you. Let's just take care of that guy. I think we can do it together, don't you?"

  "Oh, I was born ready." Faith nodded with a big smile as she held out her stake.

  "Let's go." Buffy said and the two girls marched out into the hall.

  Buffy and Faith followed the screams to see the vamp chasing a young girl towards them. Faith grabbed the girl, made sure she was okay, "Go into the girl's washroom and stay there until we come and get you. Okay?"

  "Okay." She muttered softly and then ran down the hall and out of sight.

  "You'll pay for that." The vampire said and then walked towards Faith.

  "I'm really scared." Faith said.

  "You should be. You have no idea what I'm gonna do to you." Buffy tapped him on the shoulder and as he turned around, she pushed the stake into his heart. Instantly he turned to dust, much to the amazement of both girls.

  "Cool." Faith said with a smile as she gave Buffy a quick hand shake, then pulled her in for a hug as they celebrated something they didn't fully grasp.

  With the hug lingering just a bit too long, they pulled back, turned and walked back to the bathroom. As luck would have it, there was no sign of the two men or the girl.

  "You don't think we just sent an innocent young girl into the arms of two depraved old men do ya?" Buffy asked as she looked around the room.

  "Nah, they seemed on the level to me; a bit dorky, but not creepy. I have a good sense for guys like that." Faith said, trying to smile through some bad memories.

  "Let's hope you're right." Buffy said as she turned and walked out of the bathroom, "Well, there has to be a reason they were at the school. Maybe the mayor is also a teacher or something." Buffy pondered. "That other guy looked like he would teach science or history or walked dogs for a living."

  "Yeah, and to think he's your watcher. Lucky you." Faith laughed as they walked down the hall and into the library.

  Buffy gave Faith a friendly push, "Oh thanks, he looks like he can barely function on his own, let alone 'watch' someone else, whatever that means."

  Inside the library, they were reunited with the two men.

  "You two could've told us to meet you here you know." Faith said with a highly annoyed tone.

  "Ah yes we could've, but what fun would that be?" The mayor said with a smile, "Now, since you're here, let's get down to business. I've got a meeting with the social committee that I just can't be late for."

  "By all means, what business do we have with you?" Buffy asked as she walked around the large library.

  "Well, it's really quite simple young ladies, you are the chosen two. That's right, you are both very special." He said, his face brimming with pride, "You are vampire slayers. I know you have a million questions and we have a million answers, but all in good time. Right now, we are in the middle of a crisis. The hellmouth, which is where this school is located, has seen an increased amount of activity, meaning vampires and other demons are entering Sunnydale at an unheard of pace."

  "That's all fine and dandy, but what do you want us to do about it?" Faith said bluntly as she walked in circles around the two men, "Is there some kind of training for this?"

  "Yes and no." Wyndham-Pryce said as he stepped forward, "The fact is you are born with the tools to help you in your newfound fight against evil. You have strength you never realized and the ability to heal at a very high rate. Some things we can help with, like providing information about the vampires and demons you'll be facing. We can help with your training as well. All this will be explained over time. Our job is to impart our knowledge on you and see that you are prepared for what lies ahead."

  "Is there another name we can call you besides Wyndham-Pryce?" Buffy asked while glancing at an old book on the table.

  "Well I'd prefer you addressed me using my given name, as that is proper protocol, but if you must know, by full name is Wesley." He said with a proud smile.

  "Good, Wes it is." Buffy said and then sat down to look at the book closer.

  "No, it's Mr. Wesley Wyndham-Pryce to you Miss Summers." He said with an agitated voice.

  "Oh stop getting all worked up Wes, it's just a name." Buffy answered shaking her head.

  "That will not be tolerated young lady…"

  "Oh pipe down Wesley." The mayor interrupted, "They can call you Wes, okay? Good. Now, back to the problem at hand. We have information that suggests there is a gathering place for many of these vamps and demons down by the cemetery. It's near an old crypt just to the west of the entrance. We need you to go in there and well, clear the place out. While you're at it, try and find out who's in charge. We've heard rumors, but we need confirmation. If it's who we think it is, Sunnydale is in serious danger."

  "Sounds like fun." Faith said with a smile, sitting up on the table beside Buffy.

  Wesley was stunned at Faith's seemingly cavalier attitude, "Fun? You call this fun? Surely you can understand the seriousness of the situation young lady."

  "Take it down a notch Wesley, we talked about this." The mayor said calmly as he walked over to Faith, "He does have a point though Faith, this is a very serious situation. I know it's only your first day as slayers, which is why you have no way of knowing the kind of danger you are about to face."

  "I don't know what you want me to do then, cry, run away screaming? What?" Faith said loudly, the ever-present smile fading for the first time, "I'm not afraid of death, if that's what you think. I'm more than ready to do this, so you can put your scare tactics away, because they don't work on me. Got it?"

  "Got it." The mayor said with a big smile, "I like you. You've got spunk. It's my job to keep you alive, so you'll have to excuse the kid gloves for now."

  "Okay, I guess." Faith said, her anger disappearing as quickly as it came, "It's nice you care then or whatever."

  Buffy watched intently as Faith went through a roller coaster of emotions and then broke the silence, "We should probably get started. What about school? Are we going to get some free pass or what?"

  "Ah yes, that will be taken care of, this time, but you will be required to do your work, so don't even think of this as your get of school free card, because it isn't," the mayor added with a whimsical smile.

  The two girls grabbed their stakes and took off to the cemetery.

  Winifred 'Fred' Burkle walked out into the library from a secret room in the back, "Have the slayers been found?"

  The mayor walked over to the tall slender brunette, grabbed the folder from her hands and sat down at the table, "Yes Miss Burkle, they are on their first mission as we speak."

  "That's good right?" Fred said as she sat down across from the mayor and crossed her long legs, "They seem like the perfect match from all the research I've been doing on them."

  "I wouldn't be too sure about that." Wesley said as he walked up behind Fred, "I am sensing a lot of anger, rage and unwillingness to follow orders from Faith and a lack of commitment from the Summers girl."

  "Oh you worry too much Wes." The mayor said with a chuckle, "I see good qualities in both these young women. I am actually feeling positive about our chances to ward off the real threat to Sunnydale."

  "You can't possibly expect these two teenagers to be ready in time to fight the Horde? You know what happened to the last two. They need more time to prepare." Fred stated firmly, removing her glasses for effect as she stared back at the mayor.

  "You don't have to tell me the risks involved, Fred. I am reminded of that every time I think of the last dozen slayers who have failed and lost their lives in the process." The mayor got to his feet and walked in a circle around the elongated table, stopping in front of a picture of Fred hanging on the wall, "Let's not forget Miss Burkle that you are still a teenager yourself."

  "Yes, but I'm a couple years older than those two. I'm also not a slayer, so it's not a fair comparison to make." Fred responded as she walked over to the Mayor, "Listen, I know we have to stop the Horde, but we need to give the girls a chance to get some field experience before throwing them to the wolves."

  "I believe Fred is right." Wesley said, lifting his head from the book he was reading, "I think I know just how to get them some experience."

  Fred's eyes lit up and a smile covered her face as she turned and walked over to Wesley, "How?"

  "Bear with me, this text is a combination of ancient Sumerian and well, very poor English, but I believe the gist of it concerns a prophecy regarding the chosen two, who are polar opposites of each other. Does that not sound like Buffy and Faith to you?"

  "Oh my god it does. They are so different it's like night and day." Fred said excitedly. "What else does it say?"

  Wesley put on his reading glasses and continued, "It tells of a great power forged by the bond of the true slayers, a power greater than the sum of two parts. It says that in order to achieve their true power, one slayer must be willing to pay the ultimate price for the other."

  The mayor was anything but excited, "No, I can't allow that. I won't allow that. We've seen enough slayers die and if I understand that prophecy right, it means the death of one slayer, will grant the other the power of two? Am I missing something here?"

  "Perhaps Richard, it is vague and well, you know how prophecies tend to be highly subjective at the best of times, but the way I read it was that it was the bond of the two slayers that gave them their power." Wesley lifted his head up, "I'm wondering if perhaps just the fact one would be 'willing' to do that to save the other is all they mean."

  "That does make sense. It would show the true bond of the slayers." Fred added as she walked over to the mayor, "This could be it. After so much pain and loss, I'm beginning to think we've found the chosen two."

  "I hope you're right Fred, because I don't think I can stand to lose another slayer." The major said, his face said it all as he walked towards the exit, "Oh Wesley, contact Giles would you, I think he's going to want to be apprised of this new development."

  "Yes sir." Wesley said and then walked into the back room and got on the phone.

  "Giles here?"

  "Hello Giles, it's Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. Richard wanted me to fill you in the latest developments."

  "If it isn't about you destroying the Horde then I'm not interested." Giles snapped as he flipped through the web site on his computer.

  "Ah, charming as always Giles. Well, it's a bit premature but…"

  "Do not even start with the premature drivel, call me back when you have something concrete. The Watchers Council deals in fact, not hunches. We gave up that long ago. Is that clear?"

  "Yes, of course." Wesley replied, but soon realized Giles had already hung up on him.

  Back at the crypt.

  There was something very creepy about a cemetery, even in the light of day. Both girls were cautious as they moved closer to the crypt, still no sign of a single demon or vamp. A large concrete slab was covering the entrance, but the girls had little trouble removing it from the picture.

  Faith climbed down a long dark stairway, finally putting her feet on the ground some 50 feet below.

  Buffy joined moments later and the two girls made their way through the first room, pushing crates and cobwebs out of the way, as they came to a large metal door with a note attached to it. Pulling it off the door, Faith opened it up and read it out loud.

  Dear slayers.

  Welcome to my humble home. Don't even think that you're alone.
  I'm the one you're looking for. Gimme a smile and open the door.

  "Well, isn't that a wonderful poem. I see we're dealing with an artsy vamp. That's sweet." Buffy said as she dropped the note on the ground.

  "At least it rhymed, sort of." Faith laughed and then followed Buffy through the door.

  They made their way through a number of long passages before ending up in front of another door with yet another note attached.

  Faith grabbed it and began reading.

  You made it this far, you must feel proud.
  Walk right in and speak out loud.
  This time you'll meet my friend.
  I can't help it if this is your end.

  "Okay, I want to kill this guy for making me read this crap." Faith said as she ripped up the note. They walked into the next room to find a large demon standing against the far wall. It was 7 feet tall and yet skinny as a bone. Pretty much all bone really, as it was nothing more than a skeleton.

  "It doesn't even look alive." Faith said as they moved closer.

  "Maybe not, but let's not wait to find out." Buffy took the lead and lunged towards the large skeleton, but missed with her stake as it stepped to the side. With a demented look on its face, the skeleton then took one long stride towards Buffy.

  Faith moved in, but before she could take a swing at the skeleton, she felt a pain in her leg. Looking down, she saw a piece of bone gnawing away at her ankle. She tried to kick it off, but it had a good hold of her and wasn't letting go.

  Buffy saw Faith grimace in pain and rushed over without hesitation, grabbed the piece of bone and pulled it off.

  With the strange piece of bone turning its attention to Buffy, Faith managed to get to her feet. She looked the situation over and with blood still dripping from her ankle, she leaped up onto Buffy's back, hopped over the skeleton, and as it turned to face her, she lunged forward and staked it, turning both it and the piece of bone to dust in the process.

  Sill reeling from the pain, Faith sat back down on the ground, "Well, isn't this special. Fun place. It's tough getting used to getting attacked by a corpse though. What the hell have we got ourselves into?"

  "I don't know, but it was kind of exciting don't ya think?" Buffy asked as she pulled up Faith's leather pants and saw the nasty cut on her ankle.

  Faith smiled and nodded, "Yeah, it was."

  Buffy smiled back at Faith, and then looked back at her ankle, "I'm going to have to find something to cover your ankle with. Are you going to be able keep going? That's a nasty bite it took out of you."

  "I'll be fine. I'll shake it off and we can get going." Faith said and then tried to stand up, but fell back down, "Maybe I do need it wrapped up for some support."

  "I think so." Buffy said as she looked around the room, spotting something in the far corner.

  She got up and walked over and lifted one crate off another, and opened the one underneath. Inside were boxes of t-shirts, books and other items, all with the same name on them, Sunnydale High.

  Picking a couple t-shirts from the pile, Buffy moved back over to Faith and did her best to clean the wound, cover it up and tie it nice and tight until they could get back and get some real medical attention for it.

  Faith took Buffy's arm and got back to her feet, took a few steps and gave Buffy a thumb's up, "Not bad at all. You do good work. Thanks."

  "Don't mention it; you saved my ass earlier, so I guess we really are a team." Buffy smiled and then moved towards the door.

  As was the case before, a note was waiting for them. "Let me get this one." Buffy said as he pulled the note of the wall and read it.

  You must have killed my skeleton, that's not nice, but you can still come in.
  I will admit to being impressed, I would go on but I do digress.
  I'm getting curious about my guests, I do wonder what'll happen next.
  Through the next door you will come, but heed the warning on the drum.

  "Oh god this is insane." Faith laughed out loud, "It's like we're dealing with some demonic version of The Cat in the Hat? I mean, maybe his plan is to have us kill ourselves to escape the agony of his lame ass riddles."

  Buffy laughed at Faith's sense of humor, "You might be right and they might just succeed if we have to read too many more of these things."

  Their eyes met as they shared a laugh together and they looked deep into each other's souls as time stood still for them. Shaking her head and turning away from Buffy, Faith cleared her head and opened the door. Inside the room were a handful of vamps, standing all in a row, apparently waiting for the slayers to arrive.

  Upon entering the room, the door behind them locked and there were no exits expect the one behind the group of vamps.

  Faith turned to Buffy, "I'll take the two on the right, you can take the two on the left and we'll share the last one. Sound good?"

  "Works for me." Buffy said and then rushed towards to the two vamps on the left side of the room.

  After some routine fighting, they had dispatched all five vamps and once again made their way to the middle of the room, but stopped in front of a large oil drum.

  "Well, what did that stupid riddle say, heed the warning of the drum?" Faith said, repeating the words from the note.

  "Yep, that's right." Buffy agreed as she looked all around the drum for any warnings.

  Faith joined her, but they couldn't find one bit of writing anywhere. "That's just great. Now what?"

  "I'm not sure." Buffy said scratching her head for the answer, "Maybe on the inside of the drum. Not sure what else we can do right now."

  "We might as well try." Faith shrugged and then pulled at the large wooden lid.

  With a little help from Buffy, they pulled the lid off the drum and took a look inside.

  It had no liquid in it, but there was something at the very bottom so Faith dove in and with Buffy holding her legs, she picked the note up and slid back up to her feet. Opening the note, they read it together.

  Isn't it amazing what you have done? I bet ya never thought it would be this much fun.
  Now that you've come closer it's time for you to pay. I do not like intruders getting in my way.
  I hope you learn your lesson, when I take you down. It's really nothing personal, but I will run this town.
  If you dare to open the door, it will be your last. When you see what's inside, I will have the last laugh.

  "Okay, enough with the riddles." Faith said, sitting down beside the drum and staring right at the door ahead of them, "You know, if we're walking into some kind of trap or explosion or something, we better have more than just good healing powers, we better have access to a nice resurrection spell while we're at it."

  "It could be a bluff. Listen, you head back to the entrance and I'll go through the door." Buffy said calmly as she put her arm around Faith's waist and tried helping her up.

  "Get your hands off of me." Faith snapped as she pushed Buffy away, "Who do you think you are deciding who goes and who stays? We're a team. We do this together or not at all. Oh, and by the way, the door behind us is locked, so we're stuck anyway."

  "Fine, no need to get all bent out of shape. Geez, I was just being practical. You have the sore ankle and who knows what lies ahead. I was just trying to help." Buffy took a step closer to Faith, "Well?"

  "Well what?" Faith said as she got to her feet and got right up in Buffy's face, "If you are waiting for some apology for not crawling out the door like a scared puppy, well, you can kiss my ass."

  "Don't flatter yourself, I wouldn't kiss your ass if…" before she could finish her colorful sentence the door in front of them came crashing down and a pack of vamps came stampeding towards them.

  There was no time to think as both girls jumped into action. Slowly, but surely they turned each and every vamp to dust, but only after taking some serious damage and leaving them both out of breath and covered with bruises.

  Faith looked over at Buffy, who was in some real pain, "Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good."

  Buffy struggled to catch her breath, "I'm fine. I just got winded."

  "I hope that fast healing kicks in soon or we'll be no match for who or whatever is in that next room." Faith said, her ankle now the least of her worries.

  A loud noise from the room just ahead got both girls attention in a hurry and they slowly got to their feet and faced the doorway as a shadowy figure moved towards them. It was hard to tell anything about what was actually moving, with the shadow looking more like a big round ball than that of a person of some kind.

  Buffy moved to her left and slid up against the far wall so she could have a better look at was moving towards them, but what she saw was enough to make her freeze in her tracks. Just not from fear. Instead, she saw a tiny little marble sliding forward, a microscopic camera mounted above it, creating an illusion of a giant ball of some kind.

  Faith saw Buffy laughing, knew that was good news and made her way over to her, "What's so funny?"

  Buffy just pointed towards the floor, "That."

  It took a couple seconds to get her eyes to stop blurring, but when Faith finally saw the tiny little gadget, she couldn't help but laugh.

  "Let's hope that's the end of surprises for today." Buffy said as she clutched her ribs.

  "I'm all for that." Faith agreed as she felt pain in her neck, back and her ankle.

  Just as they were relaxing, they heard another noise coming from the same room. This time it sounded mechanical. They had no option but to investigate.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Room 101, Sunnydale High School.

  Willow Rosenberg took her usual route to class, avoiding as many people as she could before settling into her chair in the back of room.

  Next to her was her best friend Xander Harris, who was doing what he did best, checking out the new girls in school, but his eyes stopped when he saw a beautiful blonde in the front row.

  She was reading a book when Xander made his move, "Hi there, you must be new here. I'm Xander; let me be the first to welcome you to Sunnydale High."

  "Thanks, but I already know your name. Curious, last year you didn't say a word to me. I sat in front of you in three different classes and I don't think you even said hi." The blonde girl stood up and stared back at a terrified Xander, "Isn't it funny how even now you are still staring at the only new thing about me, my breasts!"

  Lifting his eyes from the pretty girl's chest, Xander found the whole class was staring at him, "Um, no, no, I think you have me confused with someone else, sorry to bother you."

  "Not so fast." Said the blonde as she pulled Xander back to her, "Since you're here, what did you want to ask me?"

  "Oh, nothing really. I was just wondering if you had the time. My watch is broke and I see you have one right there, so yes, that's what I wanted to ask." Xander said, letting out a sigh of relief at what he felt was a brilliant recovery.

  "Don't you at least want to know my name?" she asked, her hands sliding up Xander's arm.

  "Um, no, I don't think I should. I think I should get back to my desk very fast. It's almost time for school to start." Xander turned and waved to the girl as he rushed back to his seat.

  Willow didn't wait for Xander to get too comfortable before poking him in the arm, "What the heck was that? How can you not know her name?"

  "Oh god, not you too?" Xander said as he put his head on his desk.

  "Yes, me too. My god Xander, we had lunch with her a lot last year. She's a friend of Cordy's. Ring any bells?" Willow asked as she kept raising her eyebrows until a light bulb went off in Xander's head.

  "You mean that's Darla? No way." Xander looked back at the front of the class and then back to Willow, "Come on, look at her now? She's gorgeous. She looks like a model. You can't tell me I would have missed this before."

  "She got some boobs Xander, that's about it. She was always pretty." Willow added as the teacher walked into the room.

  Xander stood up and cleared his throat, "I'd just like to take a moment and apologize to Darla for forgetting her name. I feel terrible and want to make it up to her. So, I've decided to sing her a song to humble myself in her presence."

  Darla was laughing her head off as were all the other kids in the class, but Miss Finkerbud, was not near as enthused, "Xander Harris, you can take your song and sing it to the principle. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, stop interrupting my class."

  "But, class hasn't even started Miss Fingerbutt." Xander said, purposely mispronouncing her name.

  "It's Finkerbud and you know it Mr. Harris." The angry teacher said as she ushered Xander out of her class. "Get down to the principles office this instant."

  Darla gave Xander a smile as he stumbled out of the class, making the stroll to the principle's office fun for a change.

  Back in the crypt.

  The two injured slayers entered the room ready to fight to the death, but were surprised to find it empty but for another note on the floor in the middle of the room. Buffy picked up and read it.

  If you're reading this, I guess you made it through alive.
  Enjoy this feeling while you can, for you will not survive.
  This was merely a beginner's test, but it's nice to know what lies ahead.
  One thing for sure, I shall predict, next time we meet you will be dead.

  The Horde.

  "Well, either our big bad wasn't here or he escaped somehow." Faith said as she scanned the room.

  "I don't think it was here either, but he sure knew we were coming. There's no way he could get all those idiotic poems/riddles made so far in advance. Could he?" Buffy asked, just as she felt a breeze against the back of her neck.

  Faith felt it at the same time and they both slowly turned to see and smell a colored gas being pumped into the room from a small hole in the far wall.

  Buffy took Faith's hand and they ran out of room, closed the door behind them and stood with their backs against the wall staring back at each other.

  "It looks like our friend has one last surprise for us." Faith said, stating the obvious.

  They noticed the boxes in the corner, rushed over, opened them up and grabbed as many t-shirts as they could carry and put them under the door.

  Having bought themselves a little more time, the two girls began searching the room for anything that would help them escape.

  Scurrying around, they overturned every box in the room, pounded on the walls, tried to get through the locked door and generally exhausted every possible option, before they sat down beside the drum and took a break.

  "This is not how I want to die." Buffy said as she kicked the drum out of frustration.

  "We're not gonna die, at least not in this dump." Faith gave the drum a kick for good measure and when she did it began creaking deep inside.

  Both girls stepped back as it began rumbling and then rocking from side to side and after a couple of minutes the top of the drum flew off. Once the drum had landed on the floor and stopped moving, the two girls walked up to where it used to be and looked down into the hole it had left.

  To their delight, there was a light shining up through the bottom and without hesitation they climbed down the narrow hole, ending up somewhere deep under Sunnydale. With only one path to follow, they made their way through the zigzag path until they come upon a small stream of water running down the side of the west wall and then through a small crack in the east wall.

  When they turned to see where they'd come from they found the path was gone and nothing but dirt and rock remained. They focused on the stream of water and with a little teamwork had found a way to reach the top of the stream and as soon as they did a wall opened up and they crawled through it, ending up on a rocky ledge overlooking Sunnydale. It was a long and uncomfortable trek down the rocky hillside, but eventually the two girls made it down.

  "Oh god, I've never been so happy to see a bunch of houses in all my life." Faith said as she looked out at the city in front of her.

  "I know what you mean." Buffy quickly agreed, "Right now I need to go home and have a nice long shower."

  "Lucky you." Faith said with a sigh.

  "Why's that? You can't tell me you don't have a shower where you live?" Buffy asked, curious to hear Faith's response.

  "It's a long story. It's not important at all." Faith said with a fake smile, "You go get cleaned up. You earned it."

  "Wait." Buffy said as she grabbed Faith by the arm. "What's going on here?"

  "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Faith said as she tried to reassure Buffy, "I'm fine, really. I'm just tired is all."

  "I don't think so. Okay, why don't you come back to my place and we can get cleaned up." Buffy said, taking Faith's hand so she couldn't say no.

  "But…"

  "But nothing, you're coming, so you might as well enjoy the walk." Buffy smiled as she started walking back to her house with Faith by her side.

  Deep in the pits of the Hellmouth.

  Spike was standing on a large platform trying to get a very large mob of vamps to listen to him.

  "Alright you useless blokes, it's time to for action. We've been in Sunnydale long enough and now we need to make our move." Spike pulled a cloth up and off a canvas, revealing the pictures of two pretty girls. "These two girls are the future."

  "Hey Spike, those aren't the slayers, you got the pictures mixed up." A vamp said, somewhere in the crowd.

  "Who said that?" Spike asked loudly. "Who the hell said that? It doesn't matter, you're obviously a moron. The slayers are not the key to this plan. They are merely the pawns in the master plan." Spike then pointed back to the picture, "This is Joyce Summers and this is her daughter, Dawn Summers. They are how we control the slayers."

  "I don't understand." Yelled another voice in the crowd.

  "Me either, until we kill the slayers, they will still be on the loose and a threat to all of us." Said another.

  "Why do I get stuck with all the bloody incompetent blokes?" Spike said and then turned and staked the vamp beside him, "Now, if I have your attention, we can move on." The crowd became deathly quiet as Spike went into great detail about his elaborate plan.

  Back at Sunnydale High.

  Lunchtime at any high school could be anything from a quiet boring meal to a massive food fight or some form of humiliation, all depending on who you were.

  In Xander Harris' case, he was close to the inside of many cliques, but never quite made it to the core. So, he usually had his lunch with his best friend Willow, who had much the same problem fitting in.

  On this particular day Xander was in a very good mood and was all smiles when he sat down beside Willow, "Greetings. Isn't it a wonderful day?"

  Willow looked at Xander as if he'd lost his mind, but since that happened a lot nothing he did phased her much, "Well, I guess it's as good a day as any. Why are you so happy?"

  "Oh Willow dear, didn't you see my exit today? It was amazing. Darla smiled at me." Xander said brimming with pride and even a little bit of confidence. "And I don't mean those smiles where they laugh at me, nope, because I'm pretty good at picking those out by now. This one was a sweet genuine smile and I can't get it out of my head."

  "I see." Willow said with a nod, "So what happens next?"

  "Oh, nothing is going to happen, she'll forget she even looked at me and that's fine. This moment should take me through to the end of the year." Xander said as he opened up his lunch and began eating.

  As he took his first bite, Darla walked up to the table with Cordelia and Harmony by her side, "Hello Xander."

  Xander looked up and tried to smile, but had to finish chewing his food before he could even speak, "Hi there. Hi. Darla right? See, I remember. So, how's it going? You girls having fun?

  "Oh you have no idea the fun we have together." Darla said as she smiled at both girls then looked back at Xander, "I wanted to talk to you, do you mind if we sit down?

  "Of course not, sit down. Eat. Drink. Be merry." Xander muttered and then pushed Willow to the end of the table, "Scoot over."

  Willow shook her head at Xander's barbaric behavior, but knew he'd be apologizing later.

  "Thanks." Darla said as she sat down across from Xander, "I was just thinking about this morning and I couldn't stop laughing at your performance today. It was really sweet what you did." Darla was twirling her hair with her fingers and sliding her tongue across her lips as she spoke, "Anyway, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to a party on Friday. It's a big college preview blast, I'd love to go with you."

  "Me? For real?" Xander asked with a look of shock and confusion on his face. "This isn't some kind of joke is it? Cause if it is, just shoot me now and save me the time."

  "Oh Xander, you're such a kidder." Darla smiled and put her hand on Xander's arm, "If you don't want to go, that's okay."

  "No, I didn't' say that. I just…well okay, I'd love to go with you anywhere. To the moon even. Well, if we had a way to get there. I don't think we could just rent a space shuttle…"

  Darla put her finger up against Xander's mouth, "Shhhh, sometimes you just need to nod. There's something to be said for the strong, silent type. You can pick me up at 8. Here's my address." She said as she handed him a piece of paper.

  "I'll be there." Xander said, choosing to keep it short and sweet.

  "Great, I look forward to it." Darla smiled, got up from the table and then walked back over to where she usually sits.

  Cordelia sat opposite Willow, studying the quirky redhead as she sipped her orange juice, "So Willow, I was wondering what you were doing this Friday?"

  "What? Are you talking to me?" Willow asked as she looked around the room.

  "Yes, you are the only Willow aren't you? Yes, you are. Now, back to my question, what are you doing this Friday?" Cordy asked in a matter of fact way.

  "I don't know, I guess I'll probably be studying or maybe I'll watch some TV or something. Why are you asking me and aren't you going to the party with Darla?" Willow said as she looked into Cordy's eyes to see if she'd been taken over by a demon or something.

  "No, I won't be going to that one. Anyway, I was just hoping you might want to come over to my place." Cordy said with a sexy smile.

  "Okay, what's going on here? Do you want something?" Willow said bluntly as she tried to stare Cordy into a confession of sorts.

  "You're as paranoid as Xander." Cordy shook her head in disgust as Willow's suspicious mind, "What ulterior motive do you think I have?"

  Willow tried to read Cordy, but just couldn't tell if she was being sincere, "I have no idea what this is about, which is why I asked what you wanted? Seriously Cordelia, it's not like you and I hang out together, so something must've happened."

  "You're right, but that's before, this is now. I'm not going to beg. If you don't want to come over, that's fine. I was just trying to be nice." Cordelia grabbed her purse and got to her feet.

  "I'm sorry, everything is happening so fast." Willow said, shaking her head and trying to think at the same time, "First Xander gets asked on a date by Darla, now you want me to come to your house? You have to admit, that's a pretty big coincidence."

  "That's fine, but I don't have time for your insecurities. I thought this might be fun, but I can see I was wrong. Have a nice lunch Willow." Cordelia turned and walked back to the table with Darla.

  Xander was still in his own dreamland, but did notice Cordelia talking to Willow, "So, what did she want? Help with her homework?"

  "Oh god, I bet that's it. She wanted me to come over and do her science project. I'm so dumb. I actually thought she wanted to be friends." Willow shook her head and laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh.

  "Hey there, just a second." Xander said as he watched Willow's smile turn to disappointment, "You went from zero to sixty without telling me what the middle part was about."

  "You nailed it. Cordelia asked me to go to her house on Friday. I knew it was too good to be true and now I know why. Anyway, let's not talk about that." Willow said softly and then smiled as she changed the subject. "I guess you and Darla are really going out then?"

  "I still can't believe it and I'm prepared for this being a big joke, but if there's a chance she actually likes me, I can't pass that up." Xander said with a reserved smile.

  "Well, I think she should feel lucky to have you as her date. Once she gets to know you she'll see what I see, a nice guy with a great sense of humor."

  "Oh, don't call me nice. Guys don't like nice." Xander said with a frown, "Oh and by the way, you forgot to say how brutally handsome I am. But, I'll let it go this time."

  "Mighty big of ya." Willow chuckled and then went back to finishing her lunch.

  Outside Buffy's house.

  Buffy and Faith arrived at Buffy's house completely wiped from the fighting and then the long, long walk back home. Inside, Buffy took Faith up to her bedroom and they both sat on the bed and quickly lay down on their backs. It didn't take long before they were both fast asleep.

  Faith woke up first and slowly got to her feet and stretched her muscles and then took a look around Buffy's room. She picked up a picture of Buffy and Dawn with their mom and dad and couldn't help smile and envy what that must be like.

  Buffy got up to see Faith staring at the picture and hopped to her feet and walked up behind her, "That's from an eternity ago. Things were different then."

  "Different? How?" Faith asked as she turned to face Buffy.

  "I haven't seen my father in years. I get a post card here and there from some exotic city, a phone call about once a month, but he's always working." Buffy said as she took the picture from Faith and smiled at a time she'd almost forgotten. "Things just aren't the same now. I know something is going on, but my mom won't tell me. I'm almost afraid to ask. My mom just clams up when I mention my dad anymore. I have no idea what caused it, but we aren't the same happy family you see in the picture."

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Faith turned and walked back over to the bed and sat down.

  "No, it's not your fault. I love the picture because it's such a good memory." Buffy sat the picture back on her dresser and then went and sat down beside Faith, "I don't mean to pry, but how are things with your parents?"

  Faith tensed up at the question and once again got to her feet, "There's not much to tell really. I have no dad and my mom's not really a mom, so I pretty much live on my own now, but I like it."

  "I'm sorry. That must be hard." Buffy said, not really sure what to say.

  "It's fine."

  Buffy walked back over to Faith and touched her shoulder, "Hey, if you want, you could stay here. We do have a spare bedroom. I'd love to have you."

  "No, I couldn't do that. It's too much. I don't like owing people." Faith pulled away from Buffy and looked out her window.

  "I don't look at this as you owing me. I want you to stay here. It's what friends do for each other." Buffy said with a smile as she tried to change Faith's sullen look.

  "It's really nice of you to offer, but I don't think I can accept."

  "Oh well, I wonder how I can get you to change your mind." Buffy said with a grin and then walked into the bathroom.

  Faith followed, her eyes opening wide as she saw the big beautiful shower and the large counter and sink, the huge cabinet for all the many accessories and she looked at Buffy, who was smiling back at her, "This is nice. Oh how I miss a good shower. You are making this hard B."

  "B?" Buffy asked with a grin, "Well B it is, but you have to stay. Whoever gives out a nickname must grant the other a wish. My wish is for you to stay here with me. We are slayers, we will be spending a lot of time together, it even makes sense for that."

  Faith was smiling for the first time since they'd fought the last group of vamps and after opening the shower curtain and looking inside, she turned to Buffy, "Okay, you've gotta deal."

  Buffy ran over and gave Faith a big warm hug, "I'm so happy you said yes."

  "Okay, no need to get all mushy on me." Faith smiled.

  "That's not mushy, that's just being nice." Buffy explained as she looked back into Faith's dark eyes.

  "Are you going to kiss me or let me have a shower?" Faith said with a laugh as the two girls stood eye to eye for the longest time.

  "Um, sorry, I was just…yes, you can have the shower first. Just let me know what you need." Buffy said as she pulled back from Faith.

  "Thanks, I won't take long. I'd suggest we share it, but maybe another time." Faith said with a sexy grin.

  Buffy smiled, but wasn't sure if Faith was joking around or serious, but she sure liked the idea. Her smile was still on her face when her eyes grew big and she turned and rushed back to the bathroom.

  Even though she wanted to say something, as she stared at Faith's half-naked body, she couldn't for the life of her think of what it was. Not able to move or speak, she just stood there as Faith slipped out of her tight pants, taking in her sexy curves as Faith unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor.

  Feeling her pulse racing and her temperature rising, Buffy took one last look at Faith's shapely round ass and started backing out of the bathroom.

  Faith turned around and smiled at Buffy, "Hey, what can I do for ya."

  Buffy was surprised, yet relieved, at Faith's calm reaction and she tried looking her in the eyes as she fought hard to think of why she was in the bathroom to begin with, "Um well, it's just that I was thinking…oh right, you don't have any clothes here."

  "I guess you're right." Faith said as she slid out of her panties, "Well, who needs clothes, right?"

  "I can see you don't, but it might be a bit distracting at school. You know, for the boys." Buffy said as she turned to the side.

  "Oh yes, boys do seem to get all worked up at the sight of a naked girl. It's good you don't or this might be a bit awkward." Faith teased, and then walked up behind Buffy and reached over and pushed the bathroom door closed.

  "Why did you do that?"

  "In case someone came home of course. I wouldn't want your mom or sister to see me like this." Faith said as she slid her breasts up against Buffy's back.

  "I think I better go. I have to go do something." Buffy said as she grabbed the doorknob.

  Faith stepped back and walked over to the shower, "Yes, it is getting a little warm in here isn't it? I'll get washed up and then I'll help you with your shower."

  "What? No, no, no. I don't need any help. It's just standing under water right, so I can do that. Yep, I can." Buffy turned and walked out the door, closed it behind her and let out the biggest smile ever.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Back at the library.

  Fred flipped through the pages of a gigantic old book, taking time to underline selected text as she went. Wesley did the same, as they compared notes from two separate, yet similar prophecies.

  "I need a break. How many differences do we have now? 3 or 4 was it?" Fred asked as she leaned back in her chair.

  "Yes, four differences in a thousand year old prophecy." Wesley got up and stretched his legs and as he did he found himself face to face with a vampire. Fred looked up and screamed as the vampire made a move towards Wesley.

  Wesley backed up, ran over to the shelf, picked up a cross and a stake and took a couple steps towards the vamp.

  "You can put that down. I'm not here to hurt anyone." The tall vamp said as he pulled out a letter and tossed it on the table, "Read it and do what it says or this school is going to have a very big disaster on its hands."

  "Wait! Who are you and who sent you?" Wesley asked as he took the note from the table.

  "That's all explained in the letter. Don't follow me or send the slayers after me or you will be picking up body bags by the truck load." The vamp made his threat and took off out the door. Fred rushed over to Wesley and leaned over his shoulder as they looked at the letter.

  Hello Wesley and Richard.
  There are two ways I can achieve my goals. One is to kill everyone in Sunnydale. The second option doesn't have to be that way, but that's entirely up to you and the Watcher's Council. Within 72 hours, we will have the means to dictate our terms. When this takes place, you will have no bargaining power left.

  If you wish to save the residence of Sunnydale, you will remove the slayers from the picture and have the mayor declare a state of emergency and systematically evacuate the city. Once you have done this we will no longer be a concern for you.

  If however you choose to ignore this warning, we will go on a rampage, the likes of which you've never seen. When we're finished, we will bring the watchers and the slayers to the scene of the massacre and show you what your defiance has caused. You will not receive any further communication from us.
  The Horde.

  Both Fred and Wesley had grim looks on their faces, but soon they both were on the go.

  "I have to go see Richard downtown. Call Giles, tell him about the letter, and find out what he has to say about it. Also, call Buffy or Faith and find out if they are back yet. We are going to need a brainstorming session as soon as possible." Fred nodded yes and Wesley was out the door.

  Moving to the back room Fred called Giles, "Giles, we have a situation on our hands and we are going to need some backup."

  "Slow down Fred, what's the big emergency this time?" Giles asked without the least bit of urgency in his voice.

  "This is not a prank." Fred said loudly and firmly, "We received a warning from the Horde just now. It says to evacuate Sunnydale in 72 hours or they will slaughter everyone. They want the slayers to leave town and they say that's the only way to keep people alive."

  "No need to panic. I'll send an elite tactical support team to Sunnydale immediately. We have one in LA, so they could be there by tomorrow morning." Giles said, his hands now moving at a much faster pace, as he made some calls while continue to talk to Fred, "You do realize you can't do what they are saying. Under no circumstances do we or anyone else deal with threats like this by giving them what they want. It's terrorism plain and simple and it's not an option. Vampires or not, they will be dealt with the same way as all the others, quickly and decisively."

  "I feel better already." Fred said as she exhaled, "I'm still not sure the slayers are prepared for this. They've had only one morning to get used to the idea. I have a good feeling about them, but I feel like they need more time to work together and become a team."

  "We don't have that time and neither do they. Either they succeed or they die." Giles showed no emotion as he continued to make his plans.

  The look on Fred's face showed the shock she felt at Giles cold, hard words, "Oh god, that is so harsh. They are just kids. You know, they might last longer if they had some time to train for this job. It's not easy and it's not something all teenagers are mentally capable of at this stage of their lives."

  "Don't you lecture me on how to fight vampires, train slayers or anything else for that matter." Giles yelled at the top of his lungs, "I've been doing this since before you were born and will not let a wide eyed, naïve little girl tell me how to do my job. Is that clear?"

  Fred was furious at how he was talking to her, but held her tongue because she wanted to stay around and help the two slayers.

  "I asked you a question Miss Burkle."

  "Yes, it's clear." Fred said, gritting her teeth the whole time.

  "Good, now get to work and do your job and maybe, just maybe we can avoid any bloodshed. I'll have the tactical unit contact you when they arrive. Just don't forget, these are support people. The slayers are still our main weapons. You better get them ready."

  Fred didn't have a chance to respond as Giles hung up as soon as he'd finished barking out his orders. With no time to be hurt or angry, Fred was back on the phone calling Buffy's house.

  Buffy picked up the phone after a couple rings, "Hello."

  "Buffy, you don't know me but my name is Fred and I work with Wesley and the mayor. We have a serious situation brewing and we need you and Faith to get back here for a meeting. How did things go in the crypt? Did you find anything?"

  "Did you say Fred?" Buffy enquired, not sure if she heard right.

  "Yes, it's a long story and I'd love to tell you all about it, but now is not that time. Is Faith there?"

  "She's in the shower right now. But, she should be done any time, she's been in there way too long. Why?"

  "We got a letter from the Horde and we need to start working on a plan to deal with it. You two are the key, so we need you here. Just get here as soon as possible. Thanks." Fred said politely, knowing she'd probably just terrified the two girls.

  Buffy hung up the phone and knocked on the bathroom door, but Faith didn't answer. With no time for pleasantries, she opened it and walked in.

  What she saw was Faith in a very private moment.

  "What the hell are you doing barging in on me like this?" Faith said, covering up her naked body and getting up from the floor.

  "I'm so sorry. God, I'm sorry, but I just got a call that we are needed back at the school and it's an emergency. The Horde has sent a warning and we are going to work on a plan I guess. I'm sorry, but I need to shower now." Buffy said, looking anywhere but at Faith.

  "I can't say I'm thrilled about staying with you if you're going to keep doing this crap." Faith said as she walked up and then past Buffy and stood in front of her closet, "Hey, I guess I have to wear some of your clothes for now. You don't mind do ya? Good. I'll help myself."

  Buffy wasn't thrilled with the idea, but was in no position to argue, "Sure, take what you want. We can go shopping for you another day."

  "Swell." Faith said as she walked out the door.

  Seconds after Faith left the room Buffy had undressed and stepped into the shower. Turning on the water she began washing her hair and enjoying the feeling of the warm water splashing over her aching body.

  As she reached down to find the soap she felt someone's hand and jumped back screaming. Wiping the water from her eyes she was stunned to see Faith sitting on the edge of the bathtub smiling up at her, "Oh, is this bothering you?"

  "Are you crazy? I'm showering you know. Get out." Buffy screamed.

  Faith stood in front of her, looking her over from head to toe, smiling at the sight of Buffy's firm young body.

  "Stop ogling me. God, do you have any manners?"

  "Actually, I think it was you who barged in on me. Or did you forget that?" Faith asked as she held the soap in hand.

  "Why you little…fine, be this way. It's not my fault you couldn't control yourself had to grind your hot little body all over the bathroom floor. What were you doing with your hands again?"

  Faith was steaming mad by that point and reached into the shower, grabbed Buffy and they started wrestling back and forth until Faith slipped and fell out of the shower and onto the bathroom floor. Horrified at what she'd done, Buffy climbed out of the shower and leaned over Faith to see if she was still breathing. Relieved to see that she was, she began trying to wake her up.

  Finally, she tried pushing on her chest. She's seen it on TV enough and figured it couldn't hurt. Putting her hand just above Faith's ample breasts, she began gently pushing downward. Each time her hand seemed to move lower and lower until she was no longer pushing on her chest, but caressing Faith's breasts.

  Faith opened her eyes and looked up at the naked blonde slayer, "So, do you fondle all your guests or am I just the lucky one?"

  Buffy was just relieved that Faith was okay and leaned down and gave her a hug.

  "Well, I should get hurt more often. You're a very pretty nurse."

  Pulling back, Buffy looked down at Faith, "Oh god, I've made a mess of you now. You're going to have to change."

  "That's okay, I didn't like this outfit anyway. It's way too ugly for me to wear."

  Buffy's smile turned to a much different look in a hurry, "Watch what you call ugly, missy."

  Faith smiled at Buffy's reaction, "Relax B, I was just teasing. Sorry, I do that a lot; must be a defense mechanism."

  "Oh, I guess I'm not used to that." Buffy said softly as an embarrassed look covered her face, "Now can I have the soap please so I can finish this shower?"

  Getting to her feet Faith began to take off her wet clothes as she held the soap away from Buffy.

  "What are you doing?"

  "What does it look like I'm doing? Are you always this slow?" Faith asked with a smirk.

  Buffy stood still and smiled back at Faith, "I haven't had any girls get naked in front of me in my own bathroom, so I guess I'm not sure how to react."

  "Shows what you've been missing." Faith said as she walked past Buffy and stepped into the shower. She turned and held her hand out towards Buffy. "Don't be shy."

  Buffy shook her head, but didn't walk away and finally took Faith's hand and stepped into the shower with her.

  "See, it's not so bad now is it?" Faith asked as she grabbed a washcloth and began washing Buffy's back and shoulders.

  "It may not be bad, but it sure is different." Buffy said, letting out a slight moan as Faith's hands caressed her lower back. "Wow, you sure know what you're doing. That feels so good."

  "I'm glad you like it. You can do me after."

  "Do you?" Buffy said as she again stepped back.

  "Yes, do my back. You sure have a dirty mind. Is sex all you think about?" Faith asked while trying to keep a straight face.

  "No, I just don't know how to deal with you being here like this, all naked and so close." Buffy said, as she moved back and let Faith continue washing her body.

  Faith slid her hands down over Buffy's ass cheeks, slowly moving over each perfectly shaped cheek, before sliding down her slender legs, then moving back up the front of Buffy's knees, thighs and between her legs.

  Buffy was doing her best not to react as Faith's hand slid over her pussy lips, biting her tongue and then licking her lips as she was becoming highly aroused. She felt Faith slide her hands up her tummy and then over her firm round breasts, stopped to look into Buffy's eyes as she cupped her breasts in her hands.

  "Are you always this friendly with people you just meet?" Buffy asked softly, letting her hands slide down Faith's back and over her firm ass.

  "Actually no, I don't really like people that much. I just feel something when I'm with you. I can't explain it…it's just so strong." Faith whispered softly.

  "I know what you mean. I have never been attracted to anyone like this before." Buffy said as she leaned in and kissed Faith on the lips.

  Faith put her arms around Buffy and kissed her back hard. They kissed for the longest time when the phone began to ring again.

  As Buffy pulled back from the kiss, Faith stopped her, "Don't get it."

  "I have to and I think you know that."

  "I know," was all Faith could say as Buffy got out of the shower, rushed into her room and picked up the phone.

  "Buffy, is that you?"

  "Yes, but who's this?" Buffy asked, then got up and looked for a towel.

  "This is your watcher, Mayor Wilkins. I believe you've talked to Fred and know of the situation, but we've moved the meeting to my office. You can't miss it. We'll have a buffet and some snacks for you kids. Be here at 7 PM sharp and don't be late. I believe in being prompt. Right then, you have fun until then. Bye now. "

  Faith put a towel over Buffy's shoulder, "Who was that."

  "Just more slayer stuff I guess. We have a meeting with our watchers at 7 tonight." Buffy said as she tried to dry off, but was distracted with Faith so close to her.

  "That's fine with me. That gives us a couple hours to rest and relax a bit." Faith said, then took a step back and dropped her towel.

  "Okay, this has got to stop."

  "What?" Faith asked with an innocent smile.

  "You being naked all the time, I can't think when I see you like this." Buffy said, once again turning her head.

  "Geez, I didn't know I repulsed you so much." Faith picked up her towel and covered up again.

  "Oh stop it. You know that's not what I meant." Buffy got up, walked over to her dresser and searched for something to wear.

  "Okay, let's just get dressed and go watch some TV or something for a couple hours." Faith said as she looked over Buffy's limited wardrobe, "When do your sister and mom get home?"

  "It's different each night for my mom. It all depends on how busy she is. Dawn gets home around 4 every day." Buffy said as she rummaged through her clothes.

  "How old is Dawn?"

  "She's 15 now." Buffy pulled up her favorite pair of jeans and watched as Faith grabbed her favorite top, "Put that down."

  "What? You actually wear this thing?" Faith said as she tossed the top towards Buffy, "It's a bit blah if you ask me."

  "Thank you little miss fashion critic, but I like it and think it looks great on me. I've been told it brings out my eyes." Buffy said as she looked in the mirror.

  "Sure, because they couldn't see your breasts so what else would they say? You do know black covers up your best assets, right?" Faith said as she picked out a white t-shirt and pulled it on.

  "First of all, that's crude. Secondly, it wasn't a guy who said that about my eyes, geez, it was my mom. She is very honest about how I look. Lastly…" she started to speak and then took another look at Faith in the white t-shirt and shook her head, "Damn it; that does look hot."

  "I told ya." Faith said with a big smile as she strutted out of the room.

  Buffy removed her top and grabbed another of her white t-shirts and pulled it on, looked in the mirror and was very happy about how she looked.

  Out in the living room Faith had the TV on and was sitting curled up on the large loveseat, "You have nothing on your TV right now."

  "Don't yell at me, I'm usually in school at this time of day." Buffy said as she sat down in front of Faith.

  Faith tapped the loveseat, "You can sit here with me you know."

  "I just like the floor." Buffy smiled and turned towards the TV.

  "Suit yourself." Faith said as she began flipping through the channels.

  Meanwhile, down below the earth.

  A group of vamps were hard at work building a strange contraption, while Spike was having a meeting with a stranger.

  "Okay, let's go over a few things here before we begin. Who the bloody hell are you and why did they let you in?" Spike grabbed the person by the neck and pushed them up against the wall, "You better talk fast, because I'm not a patient man."

  With lightning quick reflexes, the tall athletic man had Spike's arm up behind his back and his face against the cold hard rock, "You were saying?"

  "Sometimes I get carried away with all the bravado involved with being a leader. So, who are you?" Spike asked as he tried to break free, then relaxed and looked up at the person, "If you don't kill me now, I will kill you if I don't hear a good explanation."

  "My name's not as important as what I can do for you." The man said, releasing Spike as they continued, "I know of you Spike. Most everyone in this line of work knows of you. You have big plans and lofty goals. So far you've yet to follow through on any of these plans."

  "I've had about enough. I don't know you. I don't like you. Why don't you just sod off." Spike said, turning his back and walking towards the platform.

  "I know you have a temper, so I'll let this slide." The man said, adjusting his suit, "I'm offering you a chance to be part of something bigger than the Horde. How's that grab ya?"

  "You sure do talk a lot, but I've heard nothing that interests me."

  "If you'd stop with the attitude and sit down and hear what I have to say, you might change your mind."

  Spike turned to the man, sat down in his chair and motioned for him to continue.

  "Thank you." He said, pulling out a large piece of paper from his jacket and handing it to Spike, "This is a map of your little area. Just to show you how immense our network is. We have people in your organization and you have no clue about it. They gave us these maps. Pretty darn impressive don't ya think? For vamps that is. You aren't the brightest light bulbs around after all."

  "Again, I give you a chance and you blow it. I don't have any more time to listen to your pointless ramblings. Now get the hell out of my crypt." Spike said without so much as blinking.

  "I wasn't finished." The man said as he took a step towards Spike, "Perhaps I should get to the point. I am part of worldwide conglomerate, the likes of which you can't possibly comprehend. We deal with humans and demons of any kind. We effectively control a vast majority of the world's wealth, oil and land. So why don't you stop thinking so small and join us and be part of the new future."

  "I'm not impressed with all your yammering, especially when you still haven't mentioned who you work for." Spike got to his feet again and walked over to the much taller man, "Besides, I work alone and I do just fine. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. Now get out."

  "Well, don't say we didn't ask. Next time you see me, I won't release you from my death lock. So enjoy your time planning your pathetic little schemes." The man took out his business card and tossed it at Spike's feet. "One last thing, if we didn't know that the slayer was going to kill you, we'd do it ourselves. This will be much more fun to watch. You have a nice day now."

  Spike reached down and picked up the business card, Charles Gunn, Vice President of Wolfram & Hart, L.A. Division. After reading it, Spike tossed it into the pit and went about his business.

  Outside the crypt Charles Gunn made a phone call, "He didn't take the bait, but that's no surprise. He's as arrogant as we were led to believe. Do you want me take him out?"

  A man sitting at a fancy desk with a pretty blonde girl sitting on his lap, "No, let's see how he fairs against the chosen ones. If he dies, he's no longer a threat. If he succeeds, he's still worth another shot at recruiting. Keep an eye on him and let me know if he has any high profile visitors."

  "I take it Spike isn't ready to join forces yet?" the blonde asked as she hung up the phone.

  "It's his loss. I don't care one way or the other, but some of the partners seem to think he'd be a good acquisition." The man said as he dumped the blonde in his chair and got up. "You know, I'm getting real tired of the partners trying to go behind my back just and recruit any old vamp or demon that's still alive. Spike is overrated. He killed two slayers, big deal. In fact, why don't you take your pretty little ass and join Gunn in Sunnydale. I will feel better knowing there's a demon helping Gunn out."

  "Oh Angelus, Gunn is perfectly capable of handling things. He's learned from the best."

  "Anya, I didn't ask." Angelus said as he turned and gave Anya a menacing glare.

  "Okay, okay, lighten up Angelus. We've talked about this. You get careless when you lose your temper. Karma kiddo. It'll bite ya in the ass and we don't want that do we?" Anya asked with a cute smile.

  Angelus walked up behind Anya, put his hands around her tiny neck, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You're cute as a button and a great partner in crime, but when it comes to Spike I will not take any chances. Just go and I won't have to lose my temper."

  "I'm on my way. You know I hate to leave you like this." Anya said as she spun around so she was facing Angelus, "One other thing, I've noticed a good deal of activity in the Portal chamber lately. Most of it has been captured on video, but there are two days of activity that were lost. I'm not sure what this means but you might want to look into it."

  "Good, it'll give me someone to kill while you're away. Thanks for the tip." Angelus said as he walked back to his chair and began surfing through the company's records.

  "Hey, aren't you going to kiss me goodbye? I'm going to miss you." Anya said with a fun smile, but got no reaction from Angelus, "Oh come on, can't you at least pretend to be romantic and say you'll miss me? I know you will, you big lug. Fine, I know you can't express your feelings, so I'll just go."

  Angelus watched Anya as she walked away, her short and very tight skirt clinging to her body like glue, brought a smile to his face, "Hey."

  Anya turned her head to face Angelus, "Yes?"

  "You look damn fine in that skirt." Angelus said with the faintest hint of a smile, "When ya get back, we'll do something special."

  "Thanks." Anya said with a big smile and then walked slowly out of the room.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Outside Sunnydale High School.

  Willow stopped at the bus stop, sat down on the bench and waited for her bus to show up. She got out one of the many books from her bag and began reading to pass the time.

  One of the few things that could distract her was the sound of a vehicle pulling up by the bus stop and as she looked up she saw Cordelia smiling back at her as she pushed open the passenger side, "Well, get in Rosenberg."

  Looking around to see if anyone else could possibly be named Rosenberg, but since nobody was rushing to the car, she knew Cordy was talking to her.

  Not sure what was going on, she put away her books and walked slowly towards Cordy's car.

  Leaning in to see Cordelia smiling still, she sat down in the passenger's seat, buckled up and smiled back at the pretty brunette and watched as she took off.

  "I was on my way to the mall when I saw you sitting there and I couldn't help but think, this girl needs a makeover. So, I'm going to take you to all the best places and we are going to get you a whole new wardrobe and a new hairstyle and I know there's a hot sexy girl just dying to break free."

  "Um, I don't know what to say. I'm kind of torn between being offended and excited."

  "Huh? You are a strange girl Willow Rosenberg." Cordelia said with a rare warm smile, "I don't think you're used to someone being nice to you, so you create some bizarre scenario to explain it. I know it's hard to grasp, but I find you interesting and wanted to get know you better. No secret motive. No big prank planned. Just me being me."

  "Okay, sorry then." Willow said softly, turning away from Cordy and looking out the window.

  "Are you always this shy?"

  "Not always, just when I don't know someone very well." Willow replied, her eyes back to staring at Cordelia, "I'm actually quite talkative around my friends. Xander says I never shut up, but in a good way."

  "Stranger still, I never understood what you saw in Harris. He seems like such a dork." Cordelia said with puzzled look.

  Willow smiled at how blunt Cordelia always was, "Oh, he kind of is, but he's a nice guy. He's a good friend and I think you'd like him if you give him a chance."

  "Maybe I will, if you like him I suppose he can't be that bad." Cordelia made a left turn and parked the car outside the fanciest boutique in Sunnydale. She got out, helped Willow out of the car and led the way inside a store Willow never dared even window shop in.

  "I should tell you that there's no way I can afford to buy a coffee in this place. But, I don't mind helping you shop." Willow said as she looked in awe at the isles and isles of the most famous designer clothes in the world.

  "Don't worry about the money, it's one good thing about having rich parents." Cordelia said with a sweet grin, "Ah, here we go. I just think you would look so good in this. I saw the other day it just screamed Willow to me. Why don't you go try it on?"

  "Me? No, I just…no I can't. I might spill something on it or set it on fire or…"

  "Set it on fire? You kill me Willow, you have such a dry wit. Go ahead; if it goes up in smoke, the bill will be the least of your worries." Cordelia said with a smile as she led Willow to the change rooms and pushed her inside.

  "Um, I guess I'll try it on then." Willow said from the room.

  "Good, I'm going to check some out some other things. Just come on out when you're ready." Cordelia said and then was back checking out the next row of designer outfits.

  Willow slowly began to remove her sweater, then after a bit more time she removed her skirt. Finally, she put on the dress Cordy had picked out for her and when she looked in the mirror she quickly began covering herself up.

  After about 10 minutes Cordelia walked back to the change rooms, "Hey, are you okay in there?"

  "Um, I'm not sure what to do. I think this dress is missing some parts." Willow said as she looked in the mirror at all the skin she was seeing.

  Cordelia couldn't help but laugh, "You are so cute. Come on, let me see how you look."

  "Okay, but don't laugh." Willow said and then put her hand on the door knob, "Oh wait, is there anyone else out there? I can't wear this in front of strangers."

  "It's just you and I, so come on out." Cordelia said and then waited as the dressing room door opened and Willow stepped out. Willow was wearing a Versace original, worn first by the beautiful Christy Turlington and she looked amazing.

  "OMG, I'm in awe. Have you looked in the mirror?" Cordelia said as she put Willow in front of her and facing a large full length mirror, "Even I didn't think you would look this stunning. You need to keep this."

  "No way. I can't wear this." Willow said in a panicked state, "Look, it's not covering much of me at all. I feel all this air on my body and it's freaking my out. I feel almost naked in this."

  "A little modesty is good Willow, but you are overdoing it a bit." Cordelia said as she adjusted the side of her top, brushing every so gently against Willow's left breast, "Nothing is showing that shouldn't be showing. Your breasts are covered nicely and so is your cute little ass, so what is it you don't like?"

  "I don't know. I don't think I'm meant to be sexy I guess. I just don't know if I'm comfortable looking this way. I can't be like you and be beautiful and sexy and poised and confident. I'm going to take this off." Willow turned to walk away but felt Cordelia holding her around the waist.

  "Just one minute okay." Cordelia said as she turned Willow around, "I know we don't know each other like best friends, but I would hope you'd listen to my opinion when it comes to fashion. You're so much prettier than you let yourself be. Let's not forget how good you look in that dress. Every single curve accentuated; I can't take my eyes off you."

  "You're just saying that to be nice." Willow looked in the mirror again as it was one way to look at Cordelia without staring.

  "Oh god girl, you have lower self esteem than anyone I know." Cordelia took Willow's hand and led her back to the change room, walked inside with her and shut the door, "Okay, it's just you and me here. It's not school. There's no pressure. Nobody is watching. Now, what I'm about to do is probably going to make you scream and run away, but if I have to speed things up just to get you to see how pretty you really are, then so be it." Cordelia said with authority, then took Willow's face in her hand, leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

  Willow was more than stunned by the kiss, but not enough to stop kissing Cordelia back. In fact, the more they kissed, the more relaxed Willow became until she was becoming the aggressor and was soon exploring Cordelia's mouth with her tongue, her hands moving up and down her back as she pulled Cordy closer.

  When Cordelia broke the kiss off, she looked back Willow, who was smiling from ear to ear, "Well, since you didn't run away screaming can I assume you enjoyed that?"

  "Oh yes, I loved it. I still can't believe you kissed me." Willow said with a look that was both happy and confused, "Oh please do not tell me this was just a pity kiss."

  "What am I going to do with you?" Cordelia said with a sigh and then leaned in again and kissed Willow hard on the lips.

  This kiss went on even longer than the last. The passion grew and grew, as Cordelia was the one who slipped her hands under Willow's top and over her small yet perky breasts.

  Soft moans escaped Willow's lips as Cordy rubbed her nipples with her thumb and slid her right hand down Willow's stomach and then under her panties, rubbing her pussy, while never breaking the kiss.

  Willow was breathing heavy as Cordelia was rubbing her pussy faster and faster, her left arm now holding Willow up as she leaned back against the wall, legs apart as she closed her eyes and gave herself to Cordelia.

  Holding Willow tightly, Cordelia was rubbing Willow's clit harder and harder, she put her fingers up to her lips, licked and sucked them into her mouth, then quickly went back to rubbing Willow as fast as her fingers could move.

  Unable to control her emotions or her moans, Willow was moaning faster and louder as she squeezed the side railing as hard as she could, her body shaking wildly as Cordy continued her torrid pace.

  With the scent of sex filling the air, it was no surprise when a sales lady abruptly knocked on the door, "Hello? What is going on in there?"

  Cordelia pulled back and put her hand against the door, "Nothing miss, we're just trying on some clothes and had a bit trouble with one of our zippers we're trying to get it unstuck. Sorry for the noise."

  "Okay then, but please, let's keep it down in the future." The attractive woman said and then walked swiftly back to the front desk. Willow and Cordy both started laughing and as their eyes met, Willow again turned away and began changing out of the dress.

  "I want to buy that for you." Cordelia said as she helped Willow out of the dress, "Seriously, if it's a problem with the money, then you can pay me back over time, but I want you to wear this Friday when we go out to dinner."

  "Okay." Willow said with a smile, "But, I will pay you back. I think. How much is it again?"

  "You don't want to know." Cordelia said, then picked up the dress and covered the price tag with her hand.

  "Thank you for this. I had fun. I mean, the dress and well, you know, the other stuff too." Willow said as she made eye contact with Cordy for the first time.

  "Oh, I had a lot of fun too. But, we aren't done yet. That was one dress silly, I've got tons more outfits for you to try on." Cordelia got up and opened the door, "You stay here, I'll just bring you back things to try on."

  Willow smiled and sat back as Cordelia brought her every type of outfit under the sun. By the time she was finished, Willow was so used to having her clothes off, she had become comfortable standing naked in the change room, just waiting for the next outfit.

  "Well, that was so much fun. I can't thank you enough for bringing me here. I owe you so much for this." Willow said as she hugged Cordelia.

  "It was so fun for me too. I love shopping and I loved it even more having you to share it with me." Cordelia added as she helped sort through the clothes she wanted Willow to keep.

  "That's too many. I said one was enough, but I can't take all 5 of these things." Willow said, trying to put her foot down on Cordy's generosity, "Two is the most and only because I love this skirt, even if it is way too short for me to wear to school."

  "Take the dress, the skirt and top and these jeans. They can be worn at school and I don't think you even own a pair do you?" Cordelia asked as she piled the three outfits onto her arm and walked out of the change room.

  Willow began to feel the guilt even more as she saw the final bill for the three outfits Cordy wanted her to have. "OMG. I can't let you spend that much."

  "It's a done deal." Cordy said, grabbing the bag from the saleslady and walking back out to her car.

  Cordelia drove Willow home, parked in front of her house, turned the ignition off and looked over at Willow, "I had a great time today. I hope you did too."

  "Oh yes, it was amazing. I've never tried on so many clothes in my life. I had a ball." Willow said, her face beaming with happiness.

  "Good, I'm glad you did." Cordelia said, letting her right hand slide over Willow's left hand, "I know things got really intense back there, but I want you to know I'm not usually like that. I love it, but I guess what I'm saying is, I don't mind taking things slow. If you want to actually do this that is."

  "Do what? This?" Willow said with a smile and then leaned over and kissed Cordelia softly on the lips.

  "Yep, that's what I mean." Cordelia smiled and the two began kissing again, only this time they were interrupted by something much bigger and uglier than the pretty saleslady. Two vamps stood in front of Cordy's car, not doing anything, just staring at the two girls.

  "This isn't good. What are those things?" Willow asked as she held on to Cordelia.

  "I don't know, but I've heard rumors of vampires in Sunnydale since I was a little girl, but this is the first time I've actually seen one." Cordelia said as she turned the ignition, drove past the two vamps and kept going until they were out of sight.

  Buffy and Faith were walking down the street just as Cordy raced around the corner and put on the breaks and quickly backed up and Cordy rolled down her window, "Hey, you better watch out, we just saw two vampires a couple blocks back. You probably shouldn't be walking the streets right now."

  The two girls walked over to the car and Buffy leaned inside, "Hi there, I'm Buffy and this is my friend Faith. Where exactly did you see the vamps?"

  "Just down the street from my house, straight back on the road." Willow said pointing to where she lived.

  "Thanks, maybe you two should find some place safe to be for now." Faith said as she looked around for any sign of vamps.

  "You don't think you are going to fight these things do you?" Cordelia asked, as she kept an eye on her rear view mirror, "I've heard they are very strong and if they bite you and something about you drinking blood from them, you turn into one. Yuck."

  "That's okay, we'll be fine. It's a long story, but we know how to handle them." Buffy said, not wanting to give too much away.

  "Don't say I didn't warn you." Cordelia said and then turned to Willow, "You can stay at my place until we know it's safe."

  "Thanks, that's a good idea." Willow said as she squeezed Cordelia's hand tightly.

  Buffy and Faith stepped away from the car and watched it take off down the street.

  "Well, did you want to go hunt those vamps?" Faith asked, clearly anxious to do get some fighting in.

  "I guess so." Buffy added without much emotion either way. "We have a couple hours to kill, so why don't we try and find these two and then if we have some time I was going to try out this club I heard some kids talking about called The Bronze."

  "I'm for that. I love to dance." Faith said just as she took a punch across her left cheek.

  Buffy jumped across the fallen Faith and began fighting a rather skinny looking vamp, while Faith hopped back to her feet and did the same with a much stranger looking demon.

  It only took Buffy a couple minutes to turn the vamp to dust, but Faith was having one hell of a time trying to damage the roundish demon with a very hard shell that was doing little more than nudge her with its nose.

  "What is this thing?" Faith asked as she pounded away at the creature.

  Buffy stopped to watch Faith fight, spending less time watching her moves than she was watching how she looked in that white t- shirt, "I'd say this is why we have those watchers. I bet they'd know what it was."

  "You think?" Faith said sarcastically, "Thanks for helping though. I hope you're enjoying the show."

  "Oh, I am." Buffy said with a smile. "You don't need help do you? It's not like it's hitting you or anything."

  Faith turned back to Buffy rolling her eyes, "Very funny." After a few more futile attempts to damage the creature Faith stopped and walked back over to Buffy. "Maybe this isn't even a demon. It looks more like an over sized pet than some scary demon."

  "I agree with that, but what was it doing with the vamp?" Buffy asked as she took a couple steps towards the creature, "Seems almost cruel to kill something that isn't fighting back. Well, we could take it with us to the meeting and see if the two suits know anything about it."

  "Might as well." Faith said with a shrug, "How do we get it to follow us?"

  "Good question." Buffy moved away from the creature, hoping make some kind of move. "Hmm, maybe we try and pick it up and carry it? How heavy does it look to you?"

  "You must be kidding?"

  "Well no, but if you have a better idea let's hear it." Buffy said as she folded her arms waiting for Faith to speak.

  Faith walked in a circle around the creature, even getting down on her knees to look under its shell, but found nothing useful, "Why don't we try and push it first? It looks heavy to me with that hard shell all around it. I'd rather not spend my time carrying a demon around."

  "Sure, let's see what happens." Buffy said and then walked behind the demon, with Faith beside her, the two girls began pushing the creature, and after some serious exertion on both their parts, it actually moved about an inch.

  "I have no idea. Let's forget this thing. It looks harmless." Faith said still catching her breath.

  Buffy sat down on the grass beside the creature, "I guess one of us could stay here and the other could bring the two watchers here to have a look."

  "Okay, how do we decide who does what?" Faith asked while taking a seat beside Buffy.

  "I'll stay here and you can get the watchers. If you want." Buffy said, not wanting to have it sound like an order.

  "That's fine. I just don't like leaving you here alone. We still don't know what this thing is capable of." Faith got to her feet and looked back down at Buffy, "I don't want you getting hurt."

  "I'll be fine." Buffy said as she stood up, "I'll stay far enough away from it. Just hurry and I'll see when you get back."

  "I won't be long." Faith said and took off in a flash.

  Buffy walked back over to the creature, gave it a pat on its shell and smiled, "It's just you and me kiddo. I don't suppose you can talk? No? Do you watch TV? No? Okay, what about hobbies? I bet you sleep a lot. So tell me, how does a nice shelled creature like you get mixed up with a vamp anyway?"

  After she got no reaction from the creature, she let out a disappointed sigh, backed up and sat on a park bench about 20 feet away and waited for Faith.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Back at the Mayor's office.

  Richard Wilkins was on the phone when Wesley and Fred entered his office. He waved them inside and hung up the phone moments later, "I'm glad you're both here. We've uncovered some disturbing information about Angelus."

  "Oh god, is he still on the loose?" Fred asked, her face turning a ghostly shade of white, "I thought the watcher's council had him locked up? They were doing some tests on him the last I heard."

  "It appears that they took the tests one step too far." Said the mayor as he motioned for Fred and Wesley to come look at his computer. "This is the last video of Angelus at the watcher's camp in Liverpool, England."

  Video begins.

  Giles walked into the room where a dozen men and women were scurrying about and walked up to the cage that Angelus was in, "I've been told you've been making steady progress and have shown signs that you'd be willing to accept a new soul. This is good news for all concerned. How do you feel?"

  Angelus looked over at Giles from his bed, "I feel different now. I have so much remorse for what I've done. The guilt is overwhelming. It's almost most too much to take."

  "Well yes, it is long struggle to come to terms with the carnage you've left throughout the land." Giles studied Angelus' every expression, every word, every emotion he'd had since he was brought to Liverpool some 15 years ago. "Tell me Angelus, and don't lie, do you still crave human blood?"

  "I can't lie, I do crave it, but I don't crave the killing. I have gotten used to the pig's blood and I feel no ill feelings towards any of you any longer. I deserve to be in a cage for what I've." Angelus got up and walked slowly towards Giles, "Only thing I haven't figured out is why you haven't staked me."

  "We all felt we could get more information out of you alive. Study you and find out what made you more dangerous, destructive and elusive to capture for all those years." Giles said as he turned, found a chair and sat down, "It seems that your genetic makeup is the tiniest bit different than other vampires. While most vampires lose all capacity for thought, reasoning and emotions, you retained some of this through a genetic anomaly, allowing you to think before you act. In many ways, it has made you a super killing machine."

  "That's fascinating." Angelus said, his face lighting up at this newfound information. "Is there any way you can cure me of this? I know I don't deserve a second chance, but if there was some way I could go out and do good in the world, I would appreciate the chance to make up for all I've done."

  "We've been talking about that, but first, we have one more test to run." Giles said as she got to his feet and walked slightly closer to the cage, still not willing to get within Angelus' reach. "Along with the soul, there's a new drug we've designed that should suppress your vampire urges as well as neutralizing the genes that went untouched when you first became a vampire. Then, as with all tests, it will take months, perhaps years to fully monitor the results."

  Angelus let out a smile just before he turned around, "I see. Well, I'm all for this new test. Anything that helps cure me is what I want."

  "That's good to hear. If we are able to do this, we could help save hundreds and thousands of vampires." Giles said as a woman walked up to him with a large needle and a vial of blood. "Thank you."

  Giles prepped the needle, handed it and the vial of blood to the head technician and backed up out of the room.

  "Angelus, please sit on your bed, put on your shackles and stay still as we proceed." Said the average sized man as he stood in front of the cage, fully covered in a specially designed body suit, able to withstand the piercing teeth of a vampire.

  Hooking himself up to the wall, Angelus then sat on his bed, turned his head and waited for the man to enter his cage. With a wave of his hand, the man motioned for another man in the security booth to open the heavy steel cage. Once inside the man walked slowly towards Angelus, stopping beside him as he put the vial of blood in Angelus' left hand.

  Angelus was quick to drink it up, still savoring the taste and texture of the warm liquid. As the man squirted the needle to make sure it was working, Angelus turned towards him, "Please, could you put it in arm this time, my neck is still sore from the last one."

  Nodding yes, the man moved closer to Angelus, pulled up his sleeve and moved the needled into position. Before he could push it into his arm, Angelus knocked the man to the ground with a quick lunge forward.

  Dropping the key from his mouth onto the bed, Angelus ripped his shackles off the wall, grabbed the man in the suit, took the vial and smashed it on the ground.

  Rushing towards the door, Angelus was outside his cage for the first time in over 15 years. He wasted no time killing, his mission was to escape not feed. Still, anyone who got in the way, was treated as an enemy and tossed across the room with no mercy at all.

  Giles rang the emergency alarm, but it didn't go off. He turned and ran through the corridor and down the hall to his secured room. Closing the door behind him, he could only watch on the monitor as Angelus meticulously made his way through the huge complex, stopping outside the main gate of the Liverpool headquarters', he turned to the camera and smiled, "Hello Giles, you are a very stupid man. You may be alive now, but you won't be for long. I'll hunt you down and when I catch you I won't kill you. No, I've got better things planned for you. How do you like torture? Cause I'm a big fan myself. I've never in my life wanted to hurt someone as much as I want and will hurt you. Take solace in the fact that you have some time to prepare yourself for a very long and painful death. Anyway, I'm off to kill some more and I'll see you soon."

  Shutting off the VCR, Richard sat back in his chair, "This happened over a year ago and we were never informed. Apparently Angelus has been living a very quiet, unassuming life since then. Not drawing attention to himself and yet from all our reports he has become even more powerful than before."

  "Is he behind the Horde?" Fred asked.

  "No, our sources tell us he's changed his ways in order to not only survive, but to flourish in the new and changing world. Something he never did before. Quite the clever lad isn't he? I'm impressed," the mayor said with a hint of.

  Fred was anything but impressed with the mayor's attitude. "How can you say that? He's nothing more than a killer."

  "Ah, that is a bit naïve isn't it Fred?" The mayor said as he sat back down at his computer, "What we have here is an already unique vampire, who managed to survive for hundreds of years, when the vast majority of his kind were eliminated. That alone shows he's got above average intelligence. Add to the mix 15 years where he basically learned how humans work, think and exactly how they planned to 'fix' him. He's only going to be more cautious now, which does make him more dangerous."

  "I see your point." Fred acknowledged as she hopped up on the desk.

  "Yes, we have more than one threat on our hands now and two very inexperienced slayers about to be baptized by fire." Wesley added, leaning down and picking a small piece of paper off the floor.

  "What's that?" Richard asked, stepping up beside Wesley.

  "It's a piece of the dark magic journals. Someone was here."

  "That's not possible. My office has the highest security money can buy." The mayor added as he ran back to the back room, unlocked the door and then had to use a key to enter yet another door, before he got to the safe.

  Fred and Wesley were watching as the mayor opened the safe to find it empty, "No!!! This can't be happening. I want the security tapes of this whole building bought here at once. If there is a traitor in the midst there is going to be hell to pay."

  "I'll get right on it sir." Wesley said as he rushed out the door.

  "What does this mean?" Fred asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

  "The books alone are useless to anyone without the knowledge to use them. Our last estimates had only 3 people with the skill to learn some of the most devastating spells the world has ever seen." The mayor slowly walked back to his desk, pulled up a secured file and pointed at the screen, "Here they are. Two of these people work for us. Enchantress Eelissera, Mistress Helena, but unfortunately the last one does not. Anya is the name, but aside from being a very powerful vengeance demon, she has spent the last 100 odd years learning all she can about magic, specifically the dark magics. She had intended to use them to enhance her vengeance skills, but found them so addictive she began focusing solely on dark magic, thus making her our top priority."

  "Well, if she's this powerful we must have someone tracking her." Fred said, scrolling down the site to read more about Anya.

  "She's not an easy woman to keep track of. She has the ability to orb from place to place seemingly at will," the mayor said, as he paced back and forth at an increased speed. "Our last visual sighting of her was in LA just last year, but she disappeared and hasn't been seen since."

  Wesley ran into the room with a large garbage bin full of video tapes. He looked over at Fred and smiled, "Well, I guess you have some tapes to watch."

  "Hey, how did this become my job? I'm a scientist and researcher. I don't do video." Fred said and then tried to sneak out of the office.

  "Miss Burkle. Stop right there." Richard walked back to his computer and sat down, "We'll take turns. Let's have two people watching the tapes so nothing is missed. The other will do a thorough investigation into this Anya's whereabouts."

  Fred was smiling as she turned around and walked back to the room, "Yes sir."

  Faith walked into the room as they were rearranging the TV and VCR, "Wow, what's playing tonight and please don't say Titanic."

  "Ah, Faith, glad you could make it." Richard said as he walked up and shook her hand, "Where's Buffy? She's supposed to be here too."

  "She's on duty right now." Faith said as she walked over to the corner table, grabbed a muffin and continued, "We found something that we need identified and she's watching it while I come get one of you to have a look at it."

  "Could you be a bit more specific?" Wesley asked as he got out his notebook.

  "It showed up with a vamp. We toasted the vamp and then saw this thing on the ground. It looks like a turtle without a head. A shell that is harder than a rock. It's incredibly heavy. Yet, it doesn't seem to be functioning. We figured if it was sent by the Horde and is just malfunctioning, you guys could find a way to use it to our advantage."

  "That's very wise Faith." The mayor said as he patted Faith on the back, "Let's see, take Fred with you. She's probably the most knowledgeable when it comes to the strange and unexplained."

  Fred walked up to Faith and turned to the two men, "Okay then, we'll have a look at this thing and be back for the meeting when we're done."

  Outside the Summers' home.

  Spike walked up the steps of Buffy's house, peeked in the front window and then went around to the back. Peering in through the kitchen window, he saw the two women he was looking for.

  Dawn was helping get dinner ready, setting the table and even doing most of the cooking as her mom was on the phone non-stop since she'd been home.

  Leaning up against the window, Spike waved across the yard, sending two vamps in motion, which set off a chain of events that would eventually activate a dozen of Spike's men around the Summers' home.

  Joyce got off the phone, put it in her purse and walked up to Dawn in the kitchen, "I'm so sorry sweetheart, I didn't mean for you to get stuff with all the cooking. Have a seat, let me do the rest."

  "Okay, but I don't mind helping you know." Dawn said as she sat down in her usual chair to the right of her mom.

  "I'm glad you are here to help and I appreciate it so much, but where is your sister? She should be here when you get home." Joyce said as she put the food on the table and sat down at the end of the table, "We've talked about this, especially on your first day in a new school. How did that go?"

  "It was fine I guess." Dawn shrugged, "I don't know where Buffy is. She's usually here when I get home. Maybe they have different hours at this school or maybe she actually made some friends and went out."

  "She could still wait until I got home and make sure you are okay before she does anything." Joyce said with a very unhappy tone.

  "Mom, it's okay, I can take care myself." Dawn said, still trying to convince her mom of how grown up she is. "I'm not a kid anymore."

  "I know, but this isn't about you, it's about Buffy." Joyce said just as her cell phone went off. Getting up from her seat Joyce walked over and grabbed her cell phone, "Hello."

  "Joyce, you look pretty tonight. I love that sweater on you."

  "Who is this?" she asked calmly, not wanting to alarm Dawn.

  "You can call me Spike. I've come for you and your daughter." He said, watching Joyce walk over and put her arm around Dawn.

  "I don't know who you are, but you better get lost or I'm calling the police."

  "I'm not so sure you want to do that."

  "Oh and why's that?" Joyce asked, taking a quick look around the kitchen.

  Spike stepped up to the back door, knocked on it and watched as Joyce walked straight towards him.

  As she opened the door she spotted the cell phone in his hand and quickly closed it and put her phone up to her mouth, "I don't know why you are doing this, but you need to leave right now."

  "I'm not leaving and you are going to come with me. It's not a question of choice." Spike said as he stared in through the back window.

  Dawn got up and walked over to her mom. "What's that man doing at our back door?"

  "It's nothing to worry about Dawn." Joyce said with her best attempt at a smile, "Please go up to your room and lock the door and do not come out until I call you."

  "Mom, I'm not leaving you alone. Call the police and they'll take care of it." Dawn said, as she gave Spike a dirty look.

  "Don't argue about this. Not now. I will call the police, but I want you in your room and the door locked." Joyce said and then took Dawn by the hand and led her up to her room so there'd be no more debate about it.

  Dawn reluctantly went into her room and turned back to her mom, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

  "I know, but I'll be fine. I promise." Joyce gave Dawn a hug and then closed the door and waited for it to lock. "Good, I'll be back up to get you soon."

  When she walked back into the kitchen there was no sign of Spike, but she wasn't taking any chances so she got on the phone and called the police.

  Down the street from Buffy's house Spike was walking in the opposite direction with his posse following right behind. One of the vamps decided to say something about what had just took place, "Hey Spike, why are leaving? You didn't get the two girls."

  "Oh bloody hell, I explained this to you at the last briefing. Doesn't anyone pay attention? You're vampires, not morons." Spike chided, "To repeat myself, the point was not to get the women now. The point was to make the slayer aware of this. Once she knows her family is in danger she will be distracted. When that happens, she's going to make a mistake. Mark my words, I will have the slayer's family in my control, but on my terms. Is that clear? Any questions?"

  There was silence in the group for the first minute or so and then one vamp got the nerve up to talk, "I have a question. What about the other slayer? She's not related to the Summers girl. Won't she still be focused on her job?"

  Spike paused before answering as he tried to think of the best response, "From what we know, the slayers act as one. If one is in trouble, the other will feel the pain and try to help. What's most important here is to mess with slayer's heads."

  "Okay, but wouldn't we still mess with their heads if we took the two girls now?" another vamp asked from the middle of the group.

  "Why, why, why do I pick such wankers?" Spike said as he turned and started walking away, then stopped to look at his posse, "Doesn't anyone grasp the concept of time? There is no rush. We have time on our sides. Or do you even realize you can live forever?"

  "Not if we get staked by an angry slayer we won't," said another voice from the crowd.

  "That's it. End of discussion." Spike snapped and took off down the street.

  As he got to the end and began to turn through the park, two figures stepped out from behind a large tree and walked towards him.

  "Spike, we meet again."

  "I don't have time for you Gunn. I have enough headaches already." Spike said as he walked between Gunn and Anya.

  "What's the rush?" Anya asked as she stepped in front of Spike.

  Spike walked right up to Anya, "I don't care who you are. I don't even care if you're a girl. If you don't get out of my way I'm going to tear your head off and punt your head through the trees over there."

  "Don't we have some anger issues? Yes, you do." Anya said with a smile as she walked around Spike with her hands around his shoulders, "But that's fine, I'm not here to shrink you, I'm here because I think you would be a good addition to our team."

  "I know who you work for and I could care less. If I wanted to work for someone else, I'd be one of these flunkies here." Spike said pointing to his posse, "But, I like to be in charge. I know things will work out that way."

  "We all want to be in charge, but that doesn't always work out." Gunn stepped up to Spike and looked down at the much shorter vamp, "We have ways to help you that you've never dreamed about. Nothing has to change about you being in charge. You'd just be working for and with a much larger operation. The main goal of both of us is the same."

  "Oh bugger off, you have no idea what my goal is." Spike pushed Gunn out of the way and began walking away.

  Anya jumped in front of him again, "Listen, you aren't a very easy person to like, but we don't need to like you to work with you. You might want to at least look into what you are turning down."

  "How many different ways do I need to say no before you get a clue?" Spike said as he turned and decked Gunn with a right hand and did the same to Anya, and then stood over both of them, "That's a warning. Next time you die."

  Gunn got to his feet, his blood boiling with rage, but Anya stepped in front of him, "Let me handle this." She said and then walked towards Spike, "We tried and it didn't work out, but you need to learn some manners. Not everyone is afraid of you Spike. Believe it or not, you don't really register in the big picture. I feel it's important to give you a glimpse of what you can expect if you ever touch me again."

  "I'm shaking in my boots." Spike mocked, "I know you. You're nothing more than a vengeance demon. As I see it, you can't touch me unless some girly wishes it. Stop crying to me because you have issues with men."

  Gunn smiled and looked over at Spike, "You really should say you're sorry very quickly."

  "Like that's gonna happen." Spike said with a laugh.

  "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Gunn said with a big smile.

  "Keep smiling there big guy. I just love a big neck to bite into." Spike said with a threatening tone.

  "Oh no, now it's my turn to be shaking in my boots. Bring it on." Gunn said, as he shifted to combat ready

  Spike took that as a challenge and was about to make a move when he saw Anya doing something in the background.

  Anya stepped back and began chanting, her eyes growing darker as she did. With her chanting becoming louder and more intense, everyone around knew something was about to give.

  Spike's posse had taken off through the woods and Gunn knew enough to step back out of the way, as Anya thrust her hands towards Spike. When nothing happened right away, Spike began laughing and started to walk away.

  After taking a couple steps, he stopped and fell to his knees and began shaking uncontrollably. He grabbed his stomach, then his chest and finally his head as he fell to the ground, "What have you done you bitch?"

  Anya hopped on over towards Spike and with Gunn by her side she just shook her head, "This is just a small taste of what you can expect if you ever try anything like that again. Luckily for you, I don't want you dead, yet. So this will wear off in a couple hours. Enjoy the experience, because next time you won't be so lucky." She then walked right up to Spike and patted him on the head, "Oh and don't ever call me a bitch. Bye now."

  Gunn tossed Spike another one of his business cards and then turned and walked away with Anya.

  Spike crawled to his knees and then made it to his feet, but could not understand why he felt so different. He took a few more steps and fell to the ground, this time tripping over his own feet.

  As he looked down to see what he tripped over, his face turned white, then red and he let out a scream the likes of which had never been heard before.

  A young boy came running from the playground when he heard the screams and when he spotted Spike he ran up to him, "Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. Get lost you little brat." Spike said, his voice unrecognizable, which made him scream again.

  The little boy stared at Spike while holding up his little fist, "If you weren't a girl I'd punch your lights out." He said loudly and then walked away shaking his head.

  Spike looked down at the dress he was wearing and moved his hands up his body, and over his now soft pretty skin and he leaned down, pulled up the dress and began running as fast as he could.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Sunnydale Mall

  Xander was walking through the mall doing nothing but killing time when he spotted Darla and Harmony sitting at a diner having a drink. He checked his hair in the window, took a deep breath and walked casually up to them, "Hi there. Fancy meeting you here."

  Harmony looked up from her cappuccino, "What do you want Harris?"

  "I was just walking by and saw two pretty girls and thought I'd come say hi. So hi again." He said, wondering why he could never say what he had planned.

  "Hi Xander. I like that jacket on you." Darla said with a sexy whisper.

  "Oh this old thing?" Xander said grabbing his jacket and for some reason taking it off, "Here, you can have it." He said as he put it in Darla's lap.

  "Um, thanks, but don't you need it?" Darla asked as took a closer look at his jacket.

  "Me? Nah, I have hundreds just like it. I buy them in bulk." Xander said and as he looked at the two confused girls staring back at him, he tried to make things better, "So, what are you two doing here? Shopping I guess. I know girls like to shop."

  "Actually yes, we are doing a little shopping. Did you want to join us?" Harmony asked with the slightest hint of a laugh.

  "I don't know. Is that allowed?" Xander asked, honestly confused by the question.

  "Of course it is." Harmony assured, "Come on, we are going to look for bikinis."

  "Harmony, stop teasing Xander." Darla said as she nudged Harmony's arm.

  Xander let out a sigh of disappointment, "I knew it was too good to be true."

  "Oh it's true Xander, but I don't think it would be fair to make you wait for us as we tried on countless bikinis." Darla added as she looked back at Xander.

  "Well you know; I do have some free time on my hands. If I could be any help I'd sure love to try." Xander added, his fingers crossed as he hoped his dreams were about to come true or at least one of them.

  "Sure, why not." Darla said as she got up from the table and took Xander's hand, "This might just be more fun than I thought."

  Harmony got up and hurried up beside Darla, "I thought you were kidding? I don't want Xander drooling all over the floor through all this. Ewe."

  "I'm sure he won't do that." Darla said as she smiled at Xander.

  "I don't want to answer that on the grounds it might ruin this moment." Xander looked over at Harmony and tried to wish her gone, but alas, it didn't work.

  Darla put her arm around the sulking Harmony, "Be a sport Harmony, Xander will be the perfect person to tell us what's hot and what's not."

  "Fine, but I am not wearing a thong for him." Harmony snapped.

  "Good, I'd like to keep my eyes thanks." Xander shot back.

  "Hey, hey. Let's have a truce or we can call this off." Darla said as she looked at both Xander and Harmony.

  "That's fine with me." Harmony said with a big smile.

  "Maybe you should do this another time." Xander countered, "I'm thinking like never."

  "You're such a pig Harris." Harmony stuck her tongue out at Xander and then put her arms on Darla's shoulders, "Please, let's do this tomorrow."

  Darla pulled Harmony in for a big warm, lingering hug and then ran her hands through her long blonde hair, "I know you can do this, it's really not going to hurt. Ignore Xander if you have to. Don't forget we have that beach party at Cordy's next month."

  Xander was trying to take in everything he'd just seen and heard and was having a tough time finding words to speak. Harmony leaned in and put her head on Darla's shoulder, smiling back at Xander as she hugged Darla very tightly, "Okay, for you I'll do it."

  "That's great Harmony." Darla said and then gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

  Xander did a double take and almost lost his balance, wondering if he had just seen what he thought he'd seen.

  "Xander, are you okay?" Darla asked as she put her arm on his wrist to help steady him.

  "I honestly don't know." Xander said as he turned to see Darla slide her hand up his arm and onto his shoulder. "I think I need to sit down."

  "Well good, let's just head on over to the swimsuit section and you can sit and enjoy the show." Darla said as she took both Xander and Harmony by the hand and led them through the store until they arrived at the far corner of the store.

  Darla sat Xander down in a small chair and then began sifting through the racks of swimwear.

  After what seemed like forever, the girls took their piles of clothes back to the changing rooms and to Xander's surprise walked into the same booth, even though there were 4 other empty ones beside it.

  All Xander could see were clothes falling to the ground along with some giggling before the door opened and Darla walked out.

  In his dreams, the girl was wearing exactly what Darla had on. An itsy bitsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka dot bikini. It was a curious dream no doubt, but the fact Darla was wearing it as surely a sign of destiny to Xander.

  Darla walked out confident as always. She walked right up to Xander, spun around behind and then stood right in front of his feet, "Well, what do you think?"

  Xander didn't have to say anything, his eyes and smile said more than enough.

  When Darla turned to walk away, Xander couldn't hold back, "Wow." Darla looked over her shoulder, smiled and walked back into the changing room.

  Harmony came out moments later. She was wearing a very sexy light blue bikini, showing off her very impressive body much to the surprise of Xander.

  Trying hard not to enjoy Harmony, he had to turn away as she got close and teased him by leaning forward, putting her breasts right up to his face.

  "What's a matter Xander, cat got your tongue? Or does it have something else instead?" she laughed and walked slowly back to the changing room.

  While Xander waited for Darla to come back out, he was stunned to see Willow walking towards him and even more surprised to see Cordelia walking right along with her.

  "Hi Xander." Willow said as she looked around at where Xander was sitting, "What are you doing sitting outside the ladies changing room?"

  Xander stood up and tried to push both Willow and Cordelia as far away as he could, "It's a long story. I'll tell you all about later on. Now, you should go and shop and have fun and do girly things and have lots of fun. Okay? I'll call you later. There's a sale on something good upstairs. You should check it out."

  "What is wrong with you? You're acting crazy and you are making no sense at all?" Willow asked, still unsure what was going on. There would be no more waiting as Darla walked out wearing the tiniest white string bikini ever made.

  Xander stopped to stare at Darla and for a brief moment, he forgot all his troubles, "Wow again. Can I just say you need to buy that one now."

  "I'm glad you like it." Darla said and then walked up to Cordelia, "How are you? I didn't know you were going to be here. I called your place and you weren't home."

  "Oh yes, I was out with Willow. We actually just finished some shopping, but had a run in with one of those vampire things we saw in school today."

  "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Darla asked, giving Cordelia a big hug.

  Xander smiled and looked over at Willow, "She's very friendly."

  "I can see that." Willow said, not overly impressed with Darla's hands being so close to Cordelia's cute ass.

  "We're both fine. We got away and then the two new girls said they'd take care of it." Cordelia said as she pulled back from Darla.

  "I'm glad to hear that." Darla smiled and then turned to Xander, "You both know Xander right? You and Xander are good friends aren't you Willow?"

  Willow nodded and smiled towards Xander, "Yes, we've known each other since we were little."

  "Isn't that nice." Darla said and then was interrupted by Harmony.

  "You better close your eyes Xander, because this is one is going to burn them up." Harmony said as she stumbled out of the change room in a bright red bikini. With everyone staring at her, Harmony suddenly felt uncomfortable, "Well, what is this, a peep show?"

  "No Harmony, Willow and I just dropped by and saw this very bizarre situation and had to have a look." Cordelia explained as she took in Harmony's new look. "Oh, nice bikini by the way."

  "Oh thanks." Harmony said with a shy smile, always happy to hear compliment, "Are you two here for bikinis? Because it's already crowded in our change room."

  Cordelia shook her head no and rolled her eyes at the suggestion, "No, we are just on our way to get something to eat, but I wanted return this dress and well, here we are."

  "I see. So, you and Willow are going to dinner together, how interesting." Harmony said as she looked directly at Willow.

  "Why is it interesting Harmony?" Xander asked, "Weren't you having something to eat with Darla earlier?"

  "Yeah, but that's different." Harmony whined.

  Darla could see where all this was leading and jumped in front of Harmony, "Anyway, it was good to see you both. I think we're done here so I'll call you when I get home." She said as she touched Cordelia's arm.

  "Good, I'll talk to you later then." Cordelia gave Darla another hug and looked back at Harmony, but didn't say a word.

  Xander pulled Willow to the side, "What are you doing with Cordelia?"

  "Not now Xander, I'll call you later. Have fun with your little booty show." Willow said with a smile and then walked over to Cordelia disappeared through the store.

  "Well, I'm done here. No more free show for you Xander." Harmony said in a huff, walked back and slammed the door behind her.

  "Touchy isn't she?" Xander said with a laugh.

  "Oh, don't pay any attention to her. She'll be fine." Darla said, her attention now back on Xander, "So, I hope you had fun before your friend showed up."

  Xander could do nothing but smile, "I had a great time. I'm just sorry it ended so soon."

  "Oh, but sometimes it's good, the anticipation of what might've been gives you something to look forward to." Darla's soft sexy whisper was driving Xander crazy.

  "I'm sure you're right for some things, but I feel like I might've just missed the best part." Xander said, struggling to find the good.

  Harmony walked out and pulled Darla away from Xander, "Can we go now? We were going to do each other's nails tonight, remember?"

  "Yes, I remember and we're still gong to do that." Darla said and then turned back to Xander, "Well, as you see I have to go, but I had fun tonight. I'll see you in school tomorrow. Maybe we can have lunch together."

  "I'd like that." Xander said, then took a big gamble and began to lean forward to kiss Darla when Harmony jumped in the way.

  "Goodbye Xander." She said with a satisfied smile.

  Darla shrugged her shoulder and then walked back and changed out of her bikini.

  "That was really smooth Harmony. What are you, her guardian?" Xander asked, more than a little upset with Harmony.

  "Yes I am. I guard her from losers like you." Harmony said as rudely as she could muster. "Her lips are way too soft and pure to be touched by the likes of yours."

  "Hello? Her lips are too soft and pure? What does that mean?" Xander said, knowing full well what he thought it meant.

  "Nothing, just shut up Xander." Harmony said as she turned her back on Xander.

  Xander stood there with a confused look on his face until he realized what was going on, "OMG. You can't possibly be serious." He stopped, moved forward and put his arm around her. "Well, well, well, Harmony Kendall has a thing for Darla."

  Harmony remained silent, which was a darn impressive trick for her.

  "Okay, you don't have to say anything. It all makes sense now. I'm sorry to say that you're out of your league." He said with a mocking grin, "And if you're my only competition I feel like everything is about to start going my way."

  "Don't be so sure of yourself Xander. You have no idea the bond Darla and I share. So go ahead, put the moves on her, use that ounce of charm you think you have and dazzle her with your sweet talk. In fact, the more you talk, the better my chances get." Harmony let out a spontaneous laugh.

  "Laugh away, but there's more to me than meets the eye. I can be quite dashing, debonair and downright irresistible to women when I want to be." Xander said proudly.

  "OMG, that's hilarious. I guess you just never wanted to be all those things to women before? Yeah right Xander. It's good you have a sense of humor about it anyway." Harmony said, feeling good about herself once again.

  Darla walked out of the change room, picked two of the bikinis out that she was buying, went about putting the rest back on the racks and then stepped in between the two combatants. "I hope you two are getting along."

  "We sure are. I think we both see things much more clearly now." Xander said, putting his arm around Darla's waist.

  "Yes, we sorted out a few things and I think everything will turn out just the way it was meant to." Harmony added as she put her hand below Xander's, resting just above Darla's shapely ass.

  Xander looked down and quickly put his hand even lower, but Harmony did the same thing and soon they were both cupping her firm ass as she looked down at them with a very puzzled look, "Get your hands off my ass, both of you."

  They both pulled away immediately and looked sheepishly at Darla.

  "Okay, I don't know what's going on between you two, but keep me and my ass out of it." Darla said firmly, and then took a breath and smiled at Xander, "I have to go now, but I had fun and I'll see you tomorrow."

  Harmony took Darla's hand and they walked out of the store.

  As they got to the exit Harmony turned to Xander and then put her hand back around Darla's waist, just inches above her ass, and smiled at Xander as they left the building.

  Xander could do nothing but shake his head and think to himself how any other time the sight of the two women together would've turned him on in an instant, yet this time it was making him jealous. As he looked around, he quickly made a hasty dash from of the women's wear section and headed home.

  Sunnydale Park.

  Buffy was sitting quietly on the park bench when Faith and Fred walked up to her. "Hey there. Any movement from the creature?" Faith asked as she stepped in front of Buffy.

  "Not a peep. I think it's broke." Buffy said, getting to her feet.

  Fred moved over to Buffy, "Hi Buffy, we talked on the phone earlier. I'm Fred and I am here to help identify your little friend here."

  "Nice to meet you." Buffy said as she stared up at the tall brunette, "Always nice to put a face to a voice."

  "I hope I didn't disappoint." Fred said with a cute grin.

  "Not at all. You're taller than what I expected, but I'm not the least disappointed." Buffy said as she smiled back at Fred.

  "Um hello." Faith said as she turned back to the creature, "I believe this thing is why we're here."

  "Right you are." Fred said as she turned her attention to the creature on the ground. "It looks like a variation of a tracking device we saw last year. This one is slightly bigger, has a different shell, but let's see if we can turn it on its back."

  Buffy and Faith moved over to the device, grabbed it at opposite ends and slowly but surely turned it over.

  Once on its shell, Fred walked over and began looking at the soft underbelly, "This is very strange. In many ways this does look like a live creature of some kind. I see nothing mechanical on this thing. We need to get this back to the lab. I'm going to call and have a unit come here and haul this away. Excuse me." Fred said as she took a couple steps and made her call.

  Buffy still had her eyes on Fred when Faith moved into her line of sight, "Could you be more obvious?"

  "What?"

  "You're staring right at her." Faith said shaking her head.

  "No, I wasn't staring. I was just waiting for her to make the call." Buffy explained, turning away from Faith.

  Faith stepped back in front of her, "I bet you were. Do you flirt with everyone?"

  "I was not flirting and even if I was, which I wasn't, so what. She's a pretty girl. I said hi. I hardly call that flirting." Buffy said, still avoiding eye contact with Faith.

  "Oh, well that's what it looked like to me. Not that I care, but we are working here so it's just not appropriate. Besides, she's way older than you." Faith added, as she looked over at Fred to see if she was still on the phone.

  "Older? Get out. She's like our age." Buffy said as she took this opportunity to have another long look at Fred.

  "Stop gawking. Geez." Faith said with an annoyed tone, then looked over at Fred, then turned to Buffy, "Besides, I doubt she'd be interested in a little girl like you."

  "What did you call me? A little girl? Okay that's it, you're going down." Buffy said as she lunged at Faith and the two girls fell to the ground, wrestling back and forth until Fred spotted them and rushed over.

  "Stop it. Stop it you two." Fred said as she pulled the two girls apart, "What just happened here? This is not the kind of behavior we need from the slayers."

  "Stay out of it twiggy." Faith snapped.

  "Faith." Buffy said as she looked back at Faith with a very disappointed look.

  As Faith looked at Fred, she felt the guilt start to hit home and she took a moment to compose herself, and then walked over to Fred, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

  "Thank you Faith." Fred said politely, "We do need to focus here and if there's some problem I think we should deal with it now."

  Buffy looked at Faith and then back at Fred, "No, we were out of line and it won't happen again."

  "We are fine. Really." Faith agreed and then changed the topic, "What do you know about the Horde?"

  Fred was happy to take the conversation in another direction, "Well, they are a will organized group of vampires/demons who have set their attention on Sunnydale. Specifically the Hellmouth. They make no secret about what they want and have given us a 72 hour window, which is now down to about 67 hours, to evacuate Sunnydale or they promised to start killing people."

  "Do we know who's behind it?" Buffy asked as she took a seat on the bench.

  Faith was quick to join her, "Yes, it would be good to know a bit more about the boss guy. If we can take out the leader, that should take care of the threat.

  "You're right, the leader is the key." Fred nodded and chose to stand for now, "Our latest intelligence report strongly suggested that a vampire, who calls himself Spike, was responsible for creating the Horde."

  Buffy was listening closely, the tension between her and Faith already a distant memory as she focused on the now, "Who is this Spike character?"

  "He's a vampire, but he's not your run of the mill type. For whatever reasons, which we are still doing research on, he's been able to avoid many of the bad habits and pitfalls a regular vampire has. Spike has a long history of death and mayhem that has seen him kill two slayers, making him a legend amongst his own kind. But, along with his intelligence, cunning and ruthlessness come a few weaknesses as well."

  "I'd say we should be talking about those instead of singing the praises of some dumb ass killer." Faith said, still not quite rid of all her anger.

  "Actually Faith, when dealing with an enemy, it's best to know both the strengths and the weaknesses." Fred said, staring right into Faith's eyes, "By no means was I singing his praises. In fact, I find him to be even more despicable than the rest, because while the others seem to kill out of a primary instinct to obtain blood, Spike and a few like him, seem to have the ability to think, plan and act out their attacks, making them nothing more than serial killers. He's a calculated murderer, who kills more for sport, ego and rarely for blood. Eliminating Spike and others like him is our number one priority."

  Faith again was in the position of having to take back her words, "Okay, I'm sorry, I guess I jumped the gun. I'll be happy to take this guy out for ya, just point me in the general direction and he's gone."

  "I appreciate the initiative Faith and if we knew where he was, we'd be sending you both after him." Fred said just as a large semi- trailer pulled up.

  Fred walked down and gave them men their instructions and after some consulting with each other, used the forklift and put the creature into the trailer, locked it up and away they went.

  "I guess we should get back to the mayor's office. We have a number of things we need go over with you two. Are we ready?" Fred said as she walked past the two girls.

  They nodded and the three of them made their way back to the mayor's office.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Angelus' office at Wolfram & Hart.

  Angelus put the finishing touches on a new proposal he'd created and buzzed his executive assistant, "Come in here. I need you to take something up to the senior partners."

  A couple minutes later, the door opened and leggy brunette walked in, her hips swaying back and forth as she stopped in front of his desk, "You buzzed?"

  "I did indeed." Angelus said with a smile, standing up and moving around to the front of his desk, "You look very nice today Miss Morgan; although, that skirt might be a little too long for company standards."

  "Too long?" Lilah said as she looked down at her short skirt. "It barely covers my ass for god sakes. I find this skirt offensive to all women, especially those with my qualifications. I only wear it because you included that stupid paragraph in my contract somehow. So stop harassing me about my skirts. Now, if you want to kill me for saying this, then fine, I'm not afraid of you so dig in," she said, crooking her neck up towards Angelus.

  "Such passion, such defiance, such lovely legs you have. I was just teasing about the skirt." Angelus said as he grabbed his proposal from the desk, "Here, take this to the senior partners and make sure they look at it."

  "Okay, is there anything I should know about it, in case they ask questions?" Lilah said, pulling down at her skirt.

  "No Lilah, you STILL can't look at my work. You know what happens if you do." Angelus said, reminding Lilah of the last time she snuck a peak.

  "Fine, but one day you are going to see you had a great talent here and wasted it completely. Someone else is going to snatch me up and you'll be left with some bimbo as your assistant. Then again, you already have one, Anya."

  Angelus grabbed Lilah by the throat and put his sharp teeth up against her neck, "You do know you turn me on when you get all bitchy, right? I could just eat you up right now. But, I just ate, so go do your job and if you have a problem with Anya, take it up with her, she's more than capable of dealing with you. Oh and one more thing, she doesn't work here and isn't bound by some idiotic code that says we can't kill our assistants, unless we go through proper channels. God, that is so 19th century."

  "You sure didn't complain this much when you were sleeping with me." Lilah said as she turned and walked towards the door.

  As she turned back to face the door, Angelus was standing in front of her, "I didn't know you missed me so much. That's touching. You served your purpose. You were my ticket to Wolfram & Hart and I will always remember the sacrifice I had to make to get here. Sleeping with you was worse than that time in upper Mongolia when I almost froze my, well, you know what off."

  "Why you arrogant piece of shit, how dare you talk to me like that." Lilah said as she took a swing at Angelus.

  Angelus grabbed her arm with his right hand, "Maybe I was wrong about you. Nah, I love your spirit, just not your mouth. Such a foul mouth for a lady. Do you talk to your mother with that mouth? Tisk, tisk. At least in bed I didn't have to listen to all your ramblings. Ah, those were the days."

  "Maybe not, but since it only last two minutes, I wouldn't even call it sex really. At least not for me." Lilah said with a laugh, snuck under Angelus' arm and left the room.

  Angelus walked back to his chair, sat down and put his feet up on the desk, "It did so last longer than two minutes. Besides, I was tired and damn it, I wanted to sleep."

  Outside Willow Rosenberg's House.

  Cordelia walked Willow to her front door and they sat down on the porch swing and relaxed for a few minutes after a very eventful day.

  "Well, this is a nice little chair. Have you always had it?" Cordelia asked as she admired the wood work.

  "I think so. It's been here as long as I can remember." Willow said as she ran her hand over the back of the chair, "I like to sit out here and read on the hot summer nights."

  "That sounds nice." Cordelia said as she slid over beside Willow, "So why don't you tell me something about yourself that I wouldn't expect?"

  "Oh, I don't know if I have anything like that to tell. I'm a pretty boring girl you know." Willow said with a cutest little grin.

  "I don't buy that. Everyone has a secret." Cordelia added and then looked away in mock sadness, "Oh gosh, maybe you're not ready to tell me yet and that's fine."

  "Now I feel bad." Willow said softly, and then pulled Cordy back towards her, "Okay, but I don't think this is anything you wouldn't expect, if you thought about it a bit anyway. I have this hobby that isn't exactly mainstream. Oh great, now I feel silly even talking about it."

  "I think you just need to relax. You seem tense all of a sudden." Cordelia slid over, turned Willow so she was facing away from her, put her hands on her shoulders and began massaging her slowly.

  "Ooohhhh, that feels so good. Where'd you learn to do that?" Willow asked as she closed her eyes and enjoyed Cordy's magical fingers.

  Cordy smiled at the soft moans Willow would let out each time her hands touched her, "You'd be amazed at the things I know how to do. I'm not just a pretty face."

  Willow felt the need to turn around to respond, "Oh I never thought that. I could tell you were special. I have a good eye for these things."

  "That's so sweet of you to say." Cordelia said, her hands still lightly massaging the front of Willow's neck and shoulders.

  "I mean it." Willow said honestly. "I bet you could tell me a whole lot of things about yourself that I would expect."

  Cordelia rested her hands on Willow's shoulders and looked her right in the eye, "I would love to tell you more about me, but I wouldn't know where to start."

  Willow put her hands on Cordy's shoulders, "Why don't you start with something simple. I'll try and relax you a bit."

  Cordy turned around so Willow could work on the back of her neck, then tried to think of something to share with Willow, "Okay, let's see what I can tell ya. I once went to school with no underwear on a dare from Darla."

  "Oh you didn't? When was this?" Willow asked, her ears perking up the mention of Cordelia's underwear.

  "It was just last month. I know, you must think I'm crazy now." Cordelia said, suddenly wondering if she shared a bit too much too fast.

  "No, I think it's kind of sexy." Willow said with a smile, "I could never do that. I'd be too scared. How did this happen? Do you and Darla do this kind of thing a lot? The dares and stuff?"

  "Sometimes, if we're bored we fool around a bit end up doing things we shouldn't." Cordy said as she turned to Willow, "You know the whole fun with dares is that they are scary. Besides, you really never know what you're capable of doing until the moment of truth arrives."

  Willow was still mildly rubbing Cordy's neck, but was much more interested in the conversation now, "So tell me, how did it feel to do that? What did you wear, pants, skirt, dress?"

  "I had a really hard time deciding that." Cordy said emphatically, "I just thought the dress and skirt were way too risky, so I chickened out and wore the pants. But, Darla and Harmony picked them out for me and had me wearing this really old pair of jeans that were so tight I could barely get them on."

  "I bet you looked great in them. You always do in jeans." Willow said as she tried to picture Cordy in jeans that tight.

  "Thank you, I can't believe you noticed." Cordy said, her eyes looking deep into Willow's pretty brown eyes.

  "I notice a lot of things." Willow replied, her hand moving ever so slightly up the side of Cordy's face, "I notice how pretty your eyes are when you smile."

  "You sure know how to sweet talk a girl." Cordy said with an awkward smile. "You know what I notice about you?"

  "What's that?" Willow asked as she ran her hand through Cordy's long wavy hair.

  "I notice how you always wear jeans on Friday, but never any other day. I notice how you like orange juice with your lunch. I notice how you look so cute in that pink top and cute little butterfly skirt. Most of all, I notice how pretty you look right this second."

  "You never cease to surprise me Miss Chase." Willow said with a big smile and as her eyes met Cordy's they both had the exact same idea.

  This kiss was soft and tender, slow and sweet as they snuggled closer and kissed until the porch light came on, sending both girls to opposite sides of the chair.

  Willow's mom opened the front door and smiled, "I was wondering where you were. But, I see you've been out with a friend. I still think you should've called."

  "I'm sorry mom. I lost track of time and you're right, I should've called." Willow said as she got to her feet.

  "It's okay, I just worry about you." Her mom said with a caring smile, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

  "Oh, of course. Mom, this is Cordelia Chase. She's in a couple of my classes at school."

  "I'm pleased to meet you Cordelia. That's a pretty name." Willow's mom said as she shook Cordelia's hand.

  "Thank you Mrs. Rosenberg. It's nice to meet you." Cordelia said, flashing her million dollar smile.

  "Well, I'll leave you two alone." Mrs. Rosenberg said as she opened the front door and turned back to the girls, "I just thought I heard a noise and thought I better see what it was."

  Willow nodded and smiled and when the front door closed, she leaned up against it, "I am so sorry. I can't believe she came out here like that."

  "Hey, it's fine. It's time for me to be getting home anyway." Cordelia said, enjoying how cute Willow looked when she was nervous or apologetic, "I had a great time today, being attacked vamps not included, but even they can't ruin this day for me."

  "Oh I had so much fun today and I really owe it all to you. Thanks for asking me to come with you today. It couldn't have turned out any better." Willow said, her face positively glowing.

  "I agree completely." Cordelia said with her big smile shining through, "I hope this doesn't get you in trouble, but I can't leave without one last kiss." Cordelia leaned in and kissed Willow in the lips.

  Willow kissed her back hard and deep and almost fell forward as Cordelia pulled away, "I was taught to always keep them wanting more. Goodnight Willow." Cordelia said as she walked down the side walk, her neck turned so she could smile at Willow.

  "Goodnight Cordelia. Sleep tight." Willow said and then blew Cordy a kiss as she slid into her car.

  Cordy returned the kiss and after a longing stare, finally drove away.

  Willow was on the top of the world as she walked inside and went straight up to her room to relive that kiss over and over again.

  The Mayor's Office.

  Buffy, Faith and Fred arrived back at the mayor's office to find Wesley and the mayor watching another security tape.

  "I'm glad you're all here." Wesley said as he stopped the tape. "We found two tapes that show two separate incidents of security being breached. Both took place in broad daylight with numerous security personnel on duty as well as most of the mayor's staff looking on."

  "I don't understand. How did they get into the safe then?" Fred asked a she sat down on the mayor's desk and stretched out her long legs.

  "Both incidents happened slightly different." The mayor said as he put in the first video tape. He then took a pointer from the counter and began the tape. "Okay, let it go Wes until we see the person get close to my office."

  "Right sir." Wesley said, letting the tape continue at normal speed. Buffy and Faith were watching closely as a tall, handsome black man walked up to the mayor's office.

  "Now watch this." The mayor said as Wesley slowed down the tape, "Okay, he takes out what looks like an advanced lock picking tool, but doesn't actually use it and yet the door still opens."

  "What do you think happened?" Buffy asked as she moved in for a closer look.

  "We will have to send these to our lab for a more thorough examination, but our guess is there is someone else in the area that created some kind of spell to open it. The lock was not damaged and when you watch as the man is working on the safe, he isn't actually touching it. It's really hard to tell, but the fact is he is faking it. Something else opened the lock, but it had nothing to do with what this man did."

  "We believe our lab will be able to detect if there is another presence in the office at the time of the theft. If so; we can work on determining who or what it was." Wesley added as he let the tape play again.

  Fred slid down off the mayor's desk and moved directly in front of the TV screen, "Wait, rewind about 10 seconds Wes." She said as she pulled out a magnifying glass from the table, "Okay, play it super slow speed."

  As the tape began moving, Fred put the magnifying glass up to the bottom left corner of the screen and at the precise moment she yelled, "Freeze it now."

  Everyone in the room moved in for a closer look and Fred pointed to an almost invisible shadow, "Look at this closely. It's like someone is either coming out of or just getting into the invisible state. With the magnifying glass I'd bet anything it's a woman's figure as well. The more I look at this, the more I can make out from the shadow. I know the lab will be able to improve this picture, magnify it for us and perhaps even get a face to go with that body."

  "Good job Fred." The mayor said with a relieved smile. "Let's put in the second tape, because there is no mistaking who walks into my office and breaks into my safe here."

  Wesley removed one tape and replaced it with another, hitting play the tape started up just as the man with Billy Idol hair walked into the mayor's office.

  "We know this to be Spike. He doesn't hide who he is, although he did refrain from killing anyone while he was in thief mode." The mayor said with a dry wit, "This only shows you that he is not your typical vampire. He does not kill anyone in sight, but in fact chooses his victims for a myriad of reasons."

  Faith wasn't impressed with the build up Spike seemed to be getting everywhere, "I don't really care how different he is, if he is still toast with a stake in the heart, then he'll die like any other."

  "Yes Faith, he will die like any other vampire, but he's also a formidable opponent in hand to hand combat, so let's not underestimate him." Wesley added, as he fast forwarded the tape.

  "All I hear from you people is how big and tough all the vamps are." Faith snapped, unable to hold in her annoyance any longer, "Well, I don't care how tough. We are slayers, aren't we supposed to be the ones who take these things out? If so, what does it matter who they are. I'd rather not build them up into some unkillable uber vamp. What good does that do?"

  Buffy walked up to Faith, "I have to agree here. I don't mind a little information on some of the so-called special vamps you've talked about, but I do not want to hear a complete history of how brilliant they are. You guys can sit around and trade war stories on these vamps, I just want to kill them all until they are gone and I get on with my life."

  "Those are both very good statements and it shows your dedication and determination perfectly." Wesley said as he walked over to the two slayers, "However, having said that, we must continue to provide you with the best possible information so you can do your jobs better and hopefully easier. I shall try not to give anything more than the bare necessities from now on. How's that?"

  "Much better." Faith said as she smiled at Buffy.

  "Good then, glad we got that settled." Buffy added as she walked up to the TV screen, "I mean, this guy doesn't even look that tough."

  Fred walked over to Buffy, "Well, maybe he won't be for you two. Still, I think it's best to be aware of the vamps who have lasted as long as he has. It's not just luck."

  "I guess, but I don't feel anything when I look at him. No fear. No nothing." Buffy said as she looked back at Fred.

  Faith shook her head at Buffy and walked over to the mayor, "Is that it for the meeting? Can we go now?"

  "Let me think, have we told them everything?" the mayor asked as he looked at Fred and Wes.

  "Oh, do you know about the deadline the Horde has imposed on the mayor to evacuate Sunnydale?" Wesley asked after a moment of thought.

  "Yes, Fred told us." Buffy said, turning towards Fred and smiling as she did.

  "Well, I guess that's all for now. You should go home and get some rest and we'll get back at it tomorrow." The mayor walked back over to his desk, sat down and looked at his calendar, "How about we meet here again tomorrow night around 7 PM again?"

  "Fine by me." Faith said as she took off outside.

  "Yes, we'll be here. Thanks everyone. Bye Fred." Buffy said as she ran after Faith.

  It took Buffy a couple blocks to catch up to Faith and only did because she stopped to help a little girl find her teddy bear in the bushes.

  After Faith had taken the little girl back to her mom, she was quick to come back and get in Buffy's face, "Oh, I wasn't sure I'd see you back at your house. I figured you'd still be trying to get into Fred's pants."

  "Oh shut up." Buffy said loudly and with more than enough anger in her voice. "Is that all you think about? Just because I talk to someone doesn't mean I want to sleep with them."

  "Don't even try and deny it. I saw how you looked at her. You were pathetic." Faith said and then began to mock Buffy, "Oh Fred, you are so tall and pretty. Oh Fred, you are so smart. Oh Fred, you are so sexy. Oh Fred, take me now."

  Buffy started laughing at Faith's little show and couldn't stop long enough to say anything.

  "I'm glad it's funny." Faith said, not sure what to make of Buffy's performance.

  "Was I really that bad?" Buffy asked still laughing.

  "Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little, but yeah, it was pretty obvious you like her." Faith's anger level dropped rapidly as she saw that Buffy wasn't mad.

  "I didn't even notice I was doing it. Yes, she's pretty and smart and all those things, but I wasn't hitting on her. Geez, I thought I was just being friendly." Buffy explained calmly and then looked right at Faith, "One thing still puzzles me, why does this get you so upset?"

  Faith wasn't ready for that question and chose to ignore it and start walking back to Buffy's house.

  "Hey, I asked you a question." Buffy said as she grabbed Faith's arm and spun her around.

  "Don't do that. I don't like being grabbed." Faith said and then kept on walking.

  "Too bad, either you answer the question or I'll do a whole lot more than grab you."

  "Am I supposed to be afraid?" Faith said as she walked up to Buffy and looked her in the eye, "Don't forget that I'm a slayer too, so don't act all superior or I'll kick your ass."

  "You can try." Buffy said as they continued to stare each other down. "Why not just answer the question? Or maybe I'll answer it for ya. You were jealous that I was talking to someone else."

  Faith turned and walked away, "That's ridiculous. Why would I be jealous? It's not like we're together. I just thought it was unprofessional of you, that's all, and pretty desperate the way you threw yourself at her feet. I thought you had a little pride. Guess not."

  "You are infuriating." Buffy said as she spun Faith around again, "I will say this one more time and if you ever bring it up again we will have the biggest fight you've ever seen. I do like Fred, she seems really nice. She is smart, strong, pretty and all those things. What's not to like? I'm not going to date her, god."

  "Okay, okay. I shouldn't have said anything. I don't know what got into me. I'm not usually like this." Faith said, trying hard to explain herself to Buffy and even more so to herself.

  "I just don't want to go through this every time we see her. Okay?" Buffy asked as she put her hand on Faith's arm and gave her a little smile.

  "Okay." Faith agreed and then gave Buffy a big hug.

  Xander walked by at that moment and couldn't help but smile, "Hi, aren't you the new girls?"

  "I guess we are. Who are you?" Buffy asked as she pulled her arms away from Faith.

  "You can call me Xander." He said as he moved in for a closer look at the two new babes.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sunnydale Pier.

  Spike had to walk through the pier area to get back to his crypt, forcing him to walk through a pack of dock workers, drunk outside the local pub and more comments on his legs than he ever wanted to hear.

  A particularly burly man wasn't willing to take no for an answer and followed Spike through the back alley, sending one verbal jab after another about how 'hot she was' and when the man put his large hands on Spike's shoulder, things got ugly.

  Stopping in his tracks, Spike turned to face the large man. "I think it's time I taught you a lesson in manners you big hairy monosyllabic wanker."

  "Oh, is the little girly going to teach me a lesson? I don't think so. I don't fight women. I was only giving you a compliment, no need to get bent out of shape."

  "Well, you don't have to fight; you can just stand still and make it nice and easy for me" Spike said as he hauled off and threw a right hand into the left jaw of the large man.

  Even before the man could react, Spike was screaming hysterically as his hand felt like it had crumbled to pieces.

  The large man didn't even feel it, "What's your problem lady?"

  "Stop calling me lady!" Spike yelled, then and was about to punch the man again but looked down at his hand and began to get emotional, "OMG, I've broke a nail."

  The large man leaned over and handed Spike a tissue, "Oh, it's okay, it's only a nail. My wife has this amazing stuff that hardens her nails and it works like a charm. I can find out what it is for you, if you want."

  Spike looked at his broken nail, then up at the large man and made a beeline towards the hillside.

  "Hey, I'm sorry miss; I didn't mean to scare ya. Can I buy ya a beer to make up for it?" he shouted as Spike fled through the forest and never stopped running until he made it back to the safety of his crypt.

  It wasn't long before he was back at his crypt, doing his best to avoid everyone as he fumed over his highly unpleasant predicament.

  Sneaking into his room, he slammed the door shut, kicked the wooden chair that stood so helplessly in front of him, smashed the garbage can in half and then fell down onto his bed.

  Screaming at the top of his lungs, Spike vowed to get revenge. He was far from giving up.

  It wasn't more than two minutes before there was a knock on the door, "Who is it?" Spike said, but a woman's voice came out of his mouth.

  "Hey, who's in there?" the man's voice asked loudly.

  "It's me you imbecile." Spike said, and then cringed at the voice he was hearing.

  "I don't know who you are, but you are not allowed in Spike's room. Open up." The man said as he pounded on the door.

  Spike was looking through his room, trying to find something to wear, but soon realized he only ever wore one thing and it was gone. Not ready to walk out in a dress just yet, Spike unlocked the door to his room, hopped into his bed, pulled the covers over his head and called the guard in.

  Opening the door slowly, the guard walked cautiously into the room to find someone lying in Spike's bed, "Get up."

  "Watch who you're talking to dumb ass." Spike said, muffling his voice as best he could, "I might have a cold but I can still turn you to dust before you can say, "I'm stupid", so shut up and listen up."

  The guard continued to look around the room as he scratched his head, "I'm sorry Spike, but it sounded like a woman was in here."

  "Do I pay you to talk?"

  "Actually, you haven't paid us in over a month, but we believe in your master plan so it's okay."

  "Right then, well there's been a change in plans. Tell the men who are watching the Summers' house, that I want both Summers women brought here immediately. If you fail, you might as well stake yourself right on the spot, because you can't fathom what I will do to you." Spike said loudly, his voice still not quite as intimidating as he might like.

  "Yes sir, I'll send our best men for the job." The man said as he took one last look at Spike hiding under the covers before walking out the door.

  As soon as Spike heard the guard leave the area, he sat up in bed, adjusted his bra, looked down at his newfound breasts, shouted out, "This can't be happening," and passed out at the sheer insanity of it all.

  Outside Buffy's house.

  Faith couldn't help notice Xander checking her and Buffy out, but was used to that by now, "So Xander, what are you up to?"

  "I just came from a bikini show." He said with a big smile, "Yep, I had a couple lovely ladies trying on the latest bikinis for me. It was one hell of good time."

  "Oh, how much did you pay them?" Faith asked with a straight face.

  "What?" Xander said as he looked back at Faith, "Oh, you're pulling my leg. Actually, it was a surprise to me too, but it did happen and it was very real. I bet the store has surveillance tapes if you want to see. Just ask Darla and Harmony in school tomorrow."

  "We'll see if that comes up if we talk to them." Buffy said, taking her turn watching Xander undress Faith with his eyes.

  "So, what are you two doing at this time of night? You know this place has vampires right? It's not really safe for girls." Xander said as he put his arms around both girls. "I'll get you home safe."

  "Is that right? Cause us girls can't manage on our own?" Faith said as she pulled out from Xander's arm.

  "Oh no, you aren't one of those sensitive girls are ya? I was only trying to help." Xander said, not really liking the look he saw on Faith's face.

  "It's no problem, but we really can take care of ourselves." Buffy said as she patted Xander on the back, "We took some self defense classes and you'd be amazed at how good we've become at dealing with unwanted advances."

  "That's cool. What did you study, Karate, Kung fu, Jujitsu, Tae Kwan Do, Tai Chi? I know a lot about this stuff. I'm a big fan of martial arts movies." Xander said as he got into a martial arts stance.

  "Wow, that is something. You do know your stuff." Buffy said with a reassuring smile.

  "Well, as much as I'd love to stay and spar with you, I'm thinking it's time for us to get to bed." Faith said as she put her arm around Buffy and smiled.

  Xander began to smile as his mind began to wander, "Oh, I see, so you two are like…"

  "Like what?" Faith said before he could finish.

  "Um, like really close friends I guess? You aren't sisters are you?" Xander asked enthusiastically. "Cause I had a dream about twins once. It was really quite interesting. I was a pirate and they were…"

  "No, we aren't sisters. Sorry to disappoint." Buffy said with a laugh.

  "It's okay. It's not your fault." Xander said, trying to console Buffy, "You do live together though, right?"

  "Yes, we do." Faith smiled, "Share the same bedroom and bathroom, although showering is tough, what with the small water tank and all, we have to share the showers. It's so unfair."

  "What? You shower together? No way, you're just teasing." Xander said, convincing himself it couldn't be true.

  "I'll let you make up your own mind on that one." Buffy said as she tried to figure out how the conversation became about her showering habits. "Anyway, we do have to get going so it was nice meeting you Xander."

  "Okay then, well I could walk you two lovely ladies home if you like?" Xander offered with a friendly smile.

  "Oh why not." Faith sighed, taking Buffy's hand as she looked back at Xander, "If we meet any vamps, I sure hope you can protect us."

  "Not a problem." Xander said firmly, "I've dealt with my fair share of the undead. It takes a little skill and some advanced moves, but I don't think you have anything to worry about with me around."

  "What more could we ask." Buffy said as she led the way back to her house.

  When they got to the top of her street, Buffy noticed a group of three people milling about and she stopped and tapped Faith on the arm.

  Faith saw the group and they both knew they were vamps and turned back and stopped at the street corner, "Well, this is the end of the line. We live just down the street and it looks pretty safe so you're free to go."

  "I was going to walk you up to your door, but okay. You two have a good night and you have fun with that shower in the morning. See ya." Xander said with a chuckle and took off down the street.

  "Goodbye Xander." Buffy said as he waved back at her.

  "That was fun." Faith said with pure sarcasm, "Now he's going to tell everyone that we shower together."

  "I don't think so. I bet he wants to keep that all to himself. We may have just made one of his fantasies come true." Buffy said with a laugh.

  Faith wasn't quite as thrilled about it, "Oh, you like being in his fantasy? There sure is a lot I need to learn about you."

  "Oh Faith, lighten up. He's harmless. I have a good feeling about him." Buffy said with a surprised yet confident look, "I don't know why, but I actually feel like I can trust him."

  "You trust people way too easily. I hope you're right though. Still, he's going to be picturing us naked in the shower doing well… having sex. That doesn't bother you?"

  "Not really." Buffy nodded, "It's not like he's seen us naked or having sex, so it's just his imagination and that's not quite the same as if he were watching us in the shower or having sex."

  "Well, you sure have given this a lot of thought. One thing I do get from it all, is he thinks we are having sex." Faith said, not sure what to make of it.

  "So, he's a guy, he probably thinks all girls are having sex together. Who cares what he thinks?" Buffy said and then noticed three vamps coming towards them, "Get ready, we have company."

  Faith turned to see a pack of vamps walking away from Buffy's house. "Oh, I'm ready." When the vamps got close, instead of attacking, they ran behind the slayers and stopped about 10 feet behind them.

  "Okay, something isn't right here." Buffy said as she slowly turned her head back to her house, "OMG, we need to get home now. Something bad is happening. I can feel it. Run!" she screamed and they both ran back to her place as fast as they could. Seeing the front door open was not a good sign.

  Buffy rushed inside and called out for her mom and Dawn, but there was no answer. She noticed some chairs were on the floor along with some other things and it was clear there was a struggle of some kind.

  "No, no, no, this can't be." Buffy said as she stood in the middle of the living room and fell to her knees.

  Faith knelt down beside Buffy, put her arm around her and held her close, "We'll find them and bring them home. I promise."

  There was silence for the next few minutes.

  Buffy slowly began to move again, wiping the tears from her eyes, she became focused like never before. "We need to get moving. We know who took them. Now we need to go in there and bring them back."

  "Good, I'm ready." Faith said, helping Buffy to her feet, "Should we let our watchers know about this?"

  Buffy wasn't sure how to answer Faith's question, but after a moment's pause she did, "Fine, give them a call, but make sure they know we're going in and we aren't waiting."

  Faith nodded and looked around for the phone and called the mayor's office. Fred picked up the phone on the other end, "Hello?"

  "Fred, we have an emergency situation on our hands. The Horde has taken Buffy's mother and sister and we are going after them now. We are not waiting for anything, I'm just telling you so you know."

  "Oh, I'm so sorry." Fred said as she motioned for Richard and Wesley to come listen, "I know you want to rush in and save the day, but it's not going to be that easy. We can help."

  Faith looked over at Buffy's face and it killed her to see her so sad, which did not improve her mood on the phone, "We're in no mood to sit and wait while you formulate a plan of action. If you have any information we could use, now's the time to tell us."

  "Alright Faith, then at least listen up. They mayor has something he wants to tell you." Fred said and then handed the phone to the mayor.

  "Faith, I'm not going to waste time trying to talk you out of something, but you need to know a couple things about the Horde. One, they are a well-organized machine when they are together, but individually they are not much of a threat at all. Spike is not to be taken lightly, as we've told you, he's a very dangerous vampire and you must be careful if you run into him. No matter how angry or upset you are, if you want to succeed you must have clear minds and remain focused on the job at hand and not revenge. Get her family out and deal with Spike later."

  "We will. I have to go now." Faith said as she saw Buffy getting restless.

  "Did they have anything useful to say?" Buffy asked, not expecting much in return.

  "Just the same old, same old." Faith said as she walked over to Buffy, "Stay alert, get your family out and beware of Spike. Save the revenge for later."

  "Oh, if this Spike character is behind this I want to find out why he did this and then I'll kill him." Buffy said with a cold hard stare.

  "Good, I'll be right by your side when you do it." Faith said with a smile, then spun around in a flash as someone entered the house.

  It was still dark and as Faith grabbed the person around the neck she noticed who it was, "You? What the hell are you doing breaking into someone's house?"

  "Slow down." Xander said with his arms in the air, "That's some grip you have there Faith, I guess those self defense classes paid off."

  "Thanks, now what are you doing here?" Faith asked as she loosened her grip.

  "Look, I saw some vamps on the corner just as I was about to turn down my street and I thought you might be in some trouble so I came to help out." He said, pleading his case quite well, "That's all this is, a guy trying to help out."

  Faith let Xander go and relaxed her stance, "I think he's telling the truth." She said as she looked over at Buffy.

  "I think you're right." Buffy said, walking up to Xander and looked up into his eyes, "I'm impressed. Thanks for wanting to help, but we will take things from here."

  "Hang on, I can help." Xander said, his eyes noticing the mess the room was in, "Something is going on here. Did someone rob you?"

  "It's complicated and we will deal with it. I can't be watching out for you when we do this." Buffy turned and walked out the front door.

  "Do what? Whatever it is I can help. I may seem all awkward and goofy, but I'm really not as inept as you might think." Xander said, his face becoming serious for the first time, "A third person helping can't hurt. Can it?"

  Faith moved behind Buffy, deciding to let her handle Xander.

  "I don't think you know what you're signing up for." Buffy said, knowing full well nothing she could say would change that. "Those vamps you saw were only the tip of the iceberg. They took my mom and my sister. We are going to get them back. It's not going to be a fun place and it will be too distracting to have to worry about you the whole time."

  "I know you're in a hurry, so just take me with you. I'm not your responsibility. You're not forcing me to go. You know what, if something happens to me and it won't, I'd rather go down helping you two than sit back and do nothing." Xander said and started walking towards Spike's crypt, "Oh, and I even know where you're going and how to get there. How about that huh?"

  Buffy and Faith looked at each other and with no time to argue they followed Xander across the street, through the park and all the way through a maze of hills and streams until they came to a side entrance to Spike's crypt.

  "Here we are. Hopefully I've proven I can be useful, so what's the plan?" Xander said, enjoying the surprised look both girls faces.

  "Well, it's not my call, but I think you'd still be best to wait here and tell us if anyone shows up." Faith said, watching Xander's face turn from excited to disappointed, in a matter of seconds.

  "That's bullshit." Xander said, fuming at Faith's comments. "You don't even know what I can do. What, do I have to take on one of you before you deem me worthy? If so, then let's do it."

  Buffy walked over to Xander, gave him a good look and then took a step back, "Fine, let's see what you've got. Before we do this, I want you to promise if you go down in less than a minute, you don't argue and you stay here. Deal?"

  "Deal." Xander said, shaking Buffy's hand as he began to bounce around in some bizarre boxing stance.

  Buffy walked slowly around the bouncing Xander, ducking out of the way of a right jab she decided to get to work.

  Side stepping a couple more jabs from Xander, Buffy planted her left foot and spun and drove her right foot into Xander's side.

  "Ouch." Xander said, blatantly mocking Buffy to her face.

  Confused at why her kick didn't do its usual damage, she continued to move around in a circle as Xander matched her step for step. Like radar, their eyes locked on each other and as soon as one made a move, the other countered.

  After some attempted hits and missed from Xander, Buffy lunged at Xander, grabbed his forearm, twisted in the air and put her right foot right up in his stomach. When he grimaced and grabbed his stomach, Buffy did a two handed smash to the back of his head, knocking him to the ground.

  Standing over him, she looked at her watch and saw that it was well into the 3rd minute, so she leaned down to tell him, but she felt her feet being lifted from under her and she fell on top of Xander.

  With Xander's deliriously happy face peering up between her legs, Buffy shook her head and got to her feet, "Was it worth getting decked for?"

  "Do you have to ask?" he said, his smile growing as he continued, "All fun aside, I did last longer than a minute, so I'm coming with you."

  "I should knock you back on your ass for that last move, but I don't have the time, so you're in for now." Buffy reluctantly said, then added one more thing, "But, if you screw up and die, I'm not going to be happy."

  "Great, I'll be sure not to die." Xander said and then saluted Buffy and then Faith.

  "Now they've we've got that sorted out, let's get down to business." Faith said and the three of them began working on a plan.

  Angelus' office at Wolfram & Hart.

  Anya walked into Angelus' office, fresh from her trip to Sunnydale and was all smiles until she saw who was sitting on Angelus' lap, "Get your skinny ass off his leg before I rip yours off your body."

  "Anya dear, you still have a way with words." Said the slender woman as she hopped off Angelus, walked over and gave Anya a big hug. "You look well. What did you do to your hair this time?"

  "Shut up about my hair." Anya said, putting her hand up over her newly blonde locks, "I told you not to talk about my hair. You promised. I could turn you into a beetle if that'll help you remember?"

  "No, no, no, not a beetle, that is playing dirty my sweet." Drusilla said, hopping up and down on the floor as if she were being attacked by beetles.

  "I know who to play dirty with." Anya smiled as she walked past Drusilla and took her place on top of Angelus, "And I know who to place nice with." She said as she gave Angelus a kiss while Drusilla looked on.

  "Well played as always Anya." Drusilla said, tipping her strange white hat in Anya's direction.

  Angelus was not so impressed and picked Anya up and tossed her across his desk. "I don't know what's going on between you two and I really don't care, but I am in the middle of a meeting with Drusilla and until I say otherwise, get out and stay out."

  "But…"

  "No but's about it." Angelus said with a menacing stare, "Now, since you're back you can go up to personnel and get me the file on the two new slayers. Bring the video too, I do like my visuals."

  "Fine, you can just wait to hear about Spike then." Anya snapped at Angelus and then slowly walked over to Drusilla, "I love this dress. Where'd you get it? Milan?"

  "At the runway show in Madrid last summer. It is exquisite isn't it? If you wish, I could pick you up one in your color." Drusilla said as she watched Anya move closer.

  Anya put her hand on the beautiful satin lace that lined the back of her dress, then with a tug of her hand she pulled them together, squeezing them against Drusilla's tiny neck, "Just so we understand each other, if you hop up on Angelus again, you won't be needing that dress much longer. Oh, and yes, I'd love a dress like this, I'm thinking blood red would look great on me. Bye now."

  Drusilla released the lace and smiled as Anya walked out of the room, "I just got the biggest chill down my spine. I do declare, I think she likes me."

  Angelus rolled his eyes and slammed his hand on the desk, "Oh god, enough with the girl talk. We have business to discuss. Now, my contacts have told me you have intimate knowledge of Spike. Is this true?"

  "Oh yes, Spike is mine. All mine." Drusilla said, brimming with pride, "He's got a thing about women though. He has mommy issues, and a temper the likes of which I've never seen, not a good combination for Spikey and me, it just never worked out. What do you want with Spike?"

  "I'm not telling you my plans. You are here to give me information for a price. Once you give it and get paid, you go away." Angelus said, annoyed that he had to repeat himself. "What does Spike want in Sunnydale? We all know the Hellmouth is there, but it's not something he can control, so I need to know why he is wasting his time there?"

  Drusilla walked up to the front of Angelus' desk, slid her ass up onto it, stretched out her legs and smiled, "All I know is Spike has always wanted to go to Sunnydale. It's all he talked about. He never told me why. It became an obsession and I honestly don't know why. I believe it has something to do with the slayers though."

  "Really, why do you say that?"

  "One night when he thought I was sleeping he had a visitor at the hotel we were staying in. I believe it was in the mid 80's and we were at the Beverly Wilshire, you know, the one on Rodeo Drive. Oh, that is the most beautiful hotel I've ever been to. The pool, I loved that pool. I must've spent hours…

  Angelus dove across his desk and put his hand around Drusilla's neck, "You'll be nothing but dust if you finish that sentence. Now, get back to what I'm paying you for. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

  "Aren't we a little testy? I was just trying to set the mood." Drusilla said, sliding her head out from Angelus' grip, "As I was saying, I followed him down the hall and watched as he walked into some storage closet with an older man. I kept my distance, but I heard Spike talking about a secret that would blow the lid off the Watcher's Council. I could never make out who he was talking to, but it seemed he had inside information at a very high level."

  "That's better." Angelus said as he sat back in his swivel chair, "I need to know more about this man Spike had a meeting with. Everything there is to find out I want on my desk within 48 hours. When you're done, I want you go to do Sunnydale and see if you can learn anything from Spike."

  "I can't do all this in 48 hours. I'm not Superman or is it Wonder Woman, yeah I'd be her, but I'm not, I'm just a vampire like you." Drusilla said, making a move towards Angelus, but thinking better of it.

  "Don't give me excuses, take what you need and go do the job. Unless you have something more to add, you can go away." Angelus said, quickly turning back to his computer.

  Drusilla was more than a little annoyed the way Angelus had just dismissed her and boldly walked right up to him, "What has happened to you Angelus darling? You used to be so much fun."

  "I don't have time for your babbling now. Have I told you how much I hate repeating myself? Have I?" Angelus said loudly, his stare becoming increasingly more threatening.

  "Yes Angelus, I'll go then." Drusilla said softly as she turned and walked towards the door, "But, when I get back you have to promise to tell me what happened to the old Angelus? Does he still come out and play?"

  "If you bring me back what I need I'll answer any questions you have? Fair enough?" Angelus said, remembering the benefits of happy employees.

  "More than fair. Bye bye." Drusilla said with a smile and wave as she slinked out the door.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Back in Sunnydale.

  Willow was still smiling from her kiss with Cordelia as she brushed her teeth and slid under her covers. As she put her finger up to her lip, she remembered how soft Cordy's lips felt against hers, which made her smile even more.

  Her right hand moved down over her breasts, gently caressing first one and then other but quickly letting her hand slide down under her panties. Rubbing her pussy slowly, she imagined Cordy entering her room. Wearing nothing but a sheer nightie, she slid into bed next to Willow and kissed her hard and deep.

  With the kiss growing in intensity, Cordelia pushed Willow's hand away and replaced it with her own.

  Willow's moans filled the room as she felt Cordelia's tongue on her nipple, her right hand still rubbing her pussy faster and faster, sliding one finger up her pussy, she pushed it in as deep as she could.

  Cordelia crawled down between Willow's legs, her tongue eagerly seeking out her clit, licking it, licking it and sucking it over and over again.

  Moving her hands to her small breasts, Willow began rubbing and squeezing her nipples, as moved her hips back and forth and around and around, pushing them towards Cordy's awaiting tongue.

  Every breath was deeper than the last, the moans from both girls filled the room and Cordelia was nowhere near stopping as she hungrily devoured Willow's clit, swirling her tongue over it from every possible angle, never once stopping as she sucked it into her mouth and flicked away at it with her tongue.

  Grabbing her sheets tightly as she screamed out in pleasure, Willow was on the brink of orgasm when a searing pain shot through her head.

  Jumping up in her bed, she grabbed her head and when the pain eased up she was transported to a place she'd never seen before. It was dark and eerie; the passageways, lined with dirt, mud and rock went on forever. There were lanterns hanging out from the side walls every 30 feet.

  Not knowing where she was or what was happening, Willow followed the path until she came across a lever on the far west wall.

  Back at the crypt.

  Buffy, Faith and Xander made their way through the maze of passages, keeping to the left as far as they could go. As they came to an unusual looking enclosure, they stopped to check it out.

  "This is different from the others we've seen." Faith said as she moved her hands over the side walls looking for anything that might help them get through.

  Xander took a closer look at the enclosure, then looked up and down either side of it, "It is slightly different, but I would think there'd be an entrance to the main area that wasn't blocked off."

  While Faith and Xander went in opposite directions, Buffy stopped near the middle section of the wall, "I have a strong feeling this is where we should be." Buffy said, feeling the walls with her hands. Just then, she heard a noise and saw the walls open and she quickly rushed through to the other side.

  On the other side of the wall, Buffy turned to see a young woman standing beside her, "Hi. Am I dreaming?" she asked as she moved her hand towards Willow.

  "Um, I don't know if this is a dream. I'm new at this. Actually, I don't even know what this is." Willow said with a dazed, yet perky look.

  "Who are you?" Buffy asked as she studied the cute redhead.

  "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Willow Rosenberg." She said, holding out her hand.

  "Hi Willow, I'm Buffy Summers." Buffy said as she shook Willow's hand, "I'm here with some friends of mine. I'm not sure where they are though."

  "I wish I could help, but I'm still trying to figure this out myself." Willow said as she hovered in front of Buffy, "I was lying in bed having the most amazing...sleep, yes I was sleeping and all of a sudden I had this sharp pain in my head. I sat up in bed and that's where I think I still am. For real, yet somehow I'm here to. Maybe I'm dreaming. Are you sure you're real?"

  "Yes, I'm very real." Buffy said with a smile; then pinched herself just to be sure.

  "Okay then, I guess. Anyway, I followed this path and stopped here because…I don't know why I stopped." Willow said, still confused about what was going on, but as she turned to her right she saw the reason she stopped, "Oh right, I saw that lever and I just knew I should stop and pull it. I guess."

  "What happened to you?" Faith said as she stepped up towards Buffy to make sure she was okay. "We were talking to you and then you just disappeared."

  "I know." Buffy smiled and then pointed to Willow. "Guys, I want you to meet Willow Rosenberg. She helped me get here."

  Faith walked over to Willow and noticed she wasn't exactly dressed for such a place, "Hi, are you sleepwalking or something?"

  "No, nothing quite like that. I'm just…well, I think I'm home in bed, or I was when this all happened, which reminds me, I'd really like to get back to if you don't need me anymore." Willow said with a smile just as a visual of Cordelia crept into her mind.

  Xander walked over to Willow with a stunned look on his face, "Well I'll be. Fancy meeting you here. It's nice to see you Willow. I like that look for ya. It works." Xander added as he looked over her tiny t-shirt and panties.

  Willow looked down at how she was dressed and tried to cover up, "OMG, I feel so naked. Xander, you can stop staring any time. I gotta go. I'll talk to you all in school or something. Bye." Willow said as she disappeared from the passageway.

  "You know Willow?" Buffy said as she turned to Xander.

  "Sure, I've known her as long as I can remember." Xander said as he recalled that image of Willow yet again. "But, I know one thing; I've never seen her looking so sexy before."

  "Oh god, enough about what she was wearing, let's keep her hot little bod out this." Buffy said, then noticed Xander and Faith both looking at her. "What?"

  "Hot little bod? What's that all about? " Faith asked with an accusing look covering her pretty face.

  "I didn't say that, did I? I just meant her sexy clothes weren't the issue. It's not a big deal. I barely noticed her panties were the exact same as mine."

  "Oh this is getting good." Xander said as her crossed his arms and enjoyed the fireworks.

  "You noticed her panties too? You really are quite the slut aren't you? You're no different than Xander." Faith said, staring right at Buffy the whole time.

  "Hey, that was a compliment Buffy, so it's okay." Xander added as the two girls shook their heads at him. "Sorry, continue on."

  "Faith, I was not checking her out. I just happen to have a very good memory and I notice things. It's just a gift I have." Buffy said, doing her best to look serious the whole time. "Why am I explaining this to you anyway?"

  "You don't have to explain a thing, I have eyes. It's fine. It's nice to know these things before…whatever, you two can trade tips on how to best ogle Willow then. I'll go take care of Spike." Faith turned and starting walking away.

  "Get back here." Buffy said, running after Faith. She grabbed Faith's arm, released and lowered her voice as she continued, "Can we please not do this here? Come on, if you remember, my mom and sister are missing. Some lunatic vampire has them. So you might want to put away your jealousy for just a few minutes, K?"

  Faith let out a deep breath and looked embarrassed as she made eye contact with Buffy, "I'm sorry. I have no idea why I said that. I feel so dumb right now. All I want to do is help you get your family back. Honestly. Nothing else matters right now."

  "Good, because I need you to help. I want you to help. Let's get a move on then." Buffy said as she waved Xander over.

  "I hope you two have kissed and made up." Xander said with a sly grin.

  "You would love to see that wouldn't you?" Faith said as she looked up at Xander.

  "Well duh."

  "At least you're honest." Buffy smiled, then turned, and lead the way down through more long dark passageways.

  Spike's Room.

  Spike woke up at the sound of more knocking at his door, he took a quick look down and let out a sigh of relief to see his leather jacket resting on his body and his breasts were no longer a distraction.

  Getting out of bed with even more determination than usual, he opened his door to see the two Summers women standing in front of him.

  "Come on in. I've been waiting for you." Spike stepped out of the way as his guards brought the two women inside and sat them down on love seat in the corner. "I can take it from here." He said to the two guards, who nodded and left the room.

  Dawn was shaking as she held her mom tightly. "Why are we here? Who is that?"

  "Shh sweety, everything is going to be okay." Joyce said as she held Dawn close to her.

  Spike let out a huge laugh as he pulled up a chair and sat in front of the two women, "I always love hearing that. It's such a cliché. I hate cliché's. Through the years, I've probably heard people tell their friends and family that exact same thing, but it never ends up being true. Mostly because I kill whoever says is instantly. That shows how much I hate cliché's."

  "Shut up. What do you want?" Joyce said, showing no sign of fear in her voice or her eyes.

  "That's another thing I hate, people asking me questions as if they're in charge." Spike said as he got to his feet and took a couple steps towards Joyce, "It's curious, I don't smell fear on you. That makes me very uneasy. Why aren't you afraid Mrs. Summers?"

  "I don't have to tell you anything." Joyce shot back defiantly, "If you just let my daughter go I'll tell you anything you want. Please, just let her go. She's just a child."

  "Again, you're telling me what to do? Maybe I should just talk to Dawn alone. Is that what you want?" Spike asked as he ran his hand through Dawn's long dark hair.

  Joyce got to her feet and pushed Spike to the ground, "Don't you ever touch her again or I'll kill you."

  Getting to his feet Spike had a smile on his face, "Well, well, well, what have we here? I'll be damned; the rumors were true all along."

  Joyce sat back, positioning herself between Dawn and Spike, "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "Oh I think you do." Spike said as he sat back down in his chair, "How did you pull it off? Doesn't matter, I applaud your success at sticking it to the Watcher's Council. I'm not a big fan either. They've pretty much made my life a living hell. Not figuratively of course, but you get the picture."

  "I don't know of any council. You must have me confused with someone else. So, if you just let us go you can get back to finding the right person."

  "You really think I'm that stupid?" Spike said as he again got to his feet, "It's just you and me here. If you need me to put Dawn in a safe place while we talk, that can be arranged."

  Joyce turned and put her arms around Dawn, "No, I want her with me."

  Spike leaned in close to Joyce, "I suggest you start answering my questions before I run out of patience. At which point I will find other ways to get the information I need."

  "Mom, what does he want? Why is he asking you these things?" Dawn asked, still hiding from Spike.

  "Oh, you're in for a real surprise once mommy tells you about her past." Spike replied, then looked at Joyce, "Are you going to tell her or shall I?"

  "I don't know what you want, but this has nothing to do with Dawn. If you want something from me, just tell me. Leave her out of this. Let her go. Please." Joyce said, pleading to get Dawn somewhere safe.

  "We've already been over this. Do you need some names to get you talking? Fine, how about this one, Rupert Giles. Ring any bells luv?" Spike asked, as he watched Joyce's face turn white.

  "OMG, who are you?" Joyce said as she got to her feet, shaking her head in disbelief.

  "Ah, it's nice you didn't insult my intelligence with a feeble denial." Spike said, walking in a circle around Joyce, "Should I go on? Did you need a date to help refresh your memory? I have many that would bring back some very vivid memories for you."

  Joyce didn't say a word, she just stood there in a state of shock, unable or unwilling to speak.

  "Oh come on now, do not pass out on me. I'm just getting to the good stuff." Spike said, not pleased with how things were going. "Why don't I just sit down with your pretty young daughter and have a nice long chat with her?"

  Spike snapped his fingers in front of Joyce a couple time, but there was still no reaction. He started to walk back over to Dawn when there was a knock on the door, "You are a very lucky young girl Dawn. Saved by the knock. You better tell your mommy to start talking or things are going to get very messy in here when I get back." He smiled and walked over to the door and left the room.

  Principal Snyder's office.

  Sitting in his favorite leather chair, the principal sorted through a half dozen boxes on his desk. Then in a fit of anger took a violent swing of his hand and knocked them all to the floor.

  Staring over at the pretty dark haired woman in front of him, he took out lock box, opened it and pulled out a wad of cash and sat it on the desk, "This is $500, you'll get another $500 if you get me the pictures I'm looking for. Not one of those thousand pictures I just looked through was the least bit useful."

  "Don't blame me, you weren't exactly specific about what you wanted." The woman said as she took the money and slipped it into her purse. "You gave me a list of names, said take pictures of them and then told me to bring them to you. I did that. If you want more then tell me or I'm gone."

  "I thought you had enough creativity to figure it out. I wasn't looking for head shots for a modeling campaign." He fumed as he pulled out yet another box from his desk. "Okay, since I have to spell it out for you this is what I need the pictures for…but, before I get into that, I need your pledge of silence. Do you photographer types have any ethics? I guess not considering what you do for a living. Which is good, but I need to have a confidentiality clause put into out agreement. Are you okay with that Miss Calender?"

  "Whatever you want." She said impatiently as she continuously looked at her watch.

  "Am I keeping you from something?"

  "It's fine, but I do have another meeting in an hour and I can't be late for it. It's a possible big job offer. So, if you could get to the point." Miss Calender said bluntly.

  "First off, I need pictures of those people in compromising situations. I need to know who they see and when. I need to keep up on my competitors so I can stay ahead of them. Is that really so hard to grasp miss?" the principal asked, putting his head on his desk out of frustration.

  "You're the principal, you have no competitors." Miss Calender said with a slight laugh, "What are you leaving out?"

  His head lifted up at the question, "Ah, finally, she gets curious. Well, I've been working on a business on the side. It's something I fell into, so to speak, but it's become very profitable and as it's grown, I've been unable to do all the work on my own. I hired a private investigator last month and I'm looking for a creative person to be one part photographer and another part special assistant, which is a fancy term for doing whatever I need you to do."

  "What do you do?"

  "I locate missing persons for distraught parents, friends, and family of those who go missing. Let me tell you this, the missing person's rate in Sunnydale is at an all-time high."

  "I see, well I can't commit to working full time, but I will finish this assignment and we can talk about this later." Miss Calender said as she got up from her chair and shook the principal's hand, "I will be in touch."

  "I look forward to it." He said with his best attempt at a sexy smile, "I don't usually do this, but are you free for dinner tonight?"

  "Um, I'm sorry, I have plans. Bye for now." She said as she quickly ran out the door.

  She ran outside the school, stopped by her car and took out her cell phone, "Are you there? Pick up if you are."

  "I told you not to call me here. What do you want?" replied a man's voice.

  "I wanted to warn you there are people looking into all the missing people in Sunnydale. I don't just mean the cops." Miss Calender said as she kept her eyes open as a car pulled up a couple spaces to her left. "I mean there is a PI on the case and there's only so long I can fake these pictures before Snyder gets suspicious. What do you want me to do?"

  "If need be, I'll take Snyder and this PI out of the picture. Stop bothering me with such infantile details. I don't pay you to worry Jenny, now I have a big meeting in progress, so if you're done wasting my time, I will get back to it."

  "Riley. Riley? Damn it." Jenny said as she turned off her cell and stuffed it back in her purse.

  As she walked around to the driver's side of the car, she heard someone call out her name.

  "Jenny, is that you?"

  When she turned around to see who it was, she was shocked, but more than happy to see her old college roommate walking towards her.

  They hugged at the side of her car and as they broke it off Jenny stopped to look her blonde friend over, "Wow, you look great. I can tell by that gun at your side that you're still in the law enforcement game. How's that treating you Kate?"

  "I can't complain. Well, I could, but I don't to want bore you with my whining." She said with a laugh, "Anyway, I had a tough time at the academy taking orders and dealing with all sorts of crap, so I decided to try a different line of work. Which is why I'm here. I've just started working for the principal of this school."

  "What a small world." Jenny said, not sure how to react to the news. "I just accepted a job from him. I'm taking some photographs for him. It's a long story. I guess that means we might be working together one day."

  "I'd like that a lot." Kate said with a big smile and then paused for a moment before continuing, "I didn't mean to, but when you yelled the name Riley a couple times, I couldn't help overhear. I mention this because I know a Riley and was wondering if it's the same one you were talking to."

  Jenny fidgeted with her purse as she thought of the best way to answer the question, "Oh, I don't think you know this Riley. She's a friend of mine who's an editor for a new fashion magazine in LA. She wanted to offer me a job, but just as she started to make her pitch, the cell phone went dead. Her name is Claire Riley. Do you know her?"

  "Oh, no, I don't know her. Well, I was just checking." Kate said as she felt the deadening silence of an unusual awkward pause, "Well then, I guess I better get to work. It was nice seeing again Jenny. Maybe we could go for coffee one day."

  "Yes, I'm sure we can find a way to make that work." Jenny said and then looked down at her watch, "Well I have to get a move on too. I'm glad we bumped into each other. Bye for now."

  Jenny watched Kate walk into the school and a flood of memories came storming back as she remembered how things used to be.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Back in the Crypt. Spike's room.

  Dawn ran up to her mom, "Are you okay?"

  Joyce turned to Dawn and gave her a big hug, "I'm fine sweetheart. I need you to sit down because I don't know how much time we have."

  "How much time for what?"

  "I have to tell you some things and I know you are going to have so many questions, but I need you to just listen for now. Okay?" Joyce asked as she looked back at the door.

  "Okay, I guess. I don't know what's going on." Dawn said as she waited patiently for her mom to explain things.

  "I wanted to tell you and Buffy both at the same time, but that's not going to be possible right now. I will explain everything in more detail when we get out of here. For now though, I have to tell you something I've kept a secret for over 16 years." Joyce looked over at Dawn's innocent face and had to get up and walk away or she'd break down in tears.

  "Mom, are you crying? Just tell me what's wrong. Please." Dawn said with a pleading voice.

  Joyce took a moment to compose herself and she turned around to face Dawn, "There is no easy way to say this in such a short time, but I promise there is an explanation for everything. God, this is hard. I'm so sorry Dawn." Joyce said, needing another moment to get herself together, "I'm just going to say it, your father isn't your birth father."

  Dawn sat there silent for a long time, not really sure what this all meant, "How can that be? Aren't you married? What about dad?"

  "Your dad loves you so much. He does. He always has. So many things happened before your dad and I got married. It's a long and complicated story, but we did love each other. We got married so we could raise a family. Starting with Buffy, but there were so many things that got in the way and pressures I don't have time to explain, but what I need for you to do when you get out of here, and you will, you have to get Buffy to call a Rupert Giles in England. Here's his number. Put it somewhere safe. He can explain it all if something happens to me."

  "Mom, you're scaring me." Dawn said as she got up and walked over to her mom, "Who is this Giles person?"

  "Oh sweetie, I wish I could tell you all of it now, but I have to go. I'm sorry for everything, but I love you. Don't ever forget that. No matter what happens, I need you to hear this and know I never meant for any of this to happen. I love you. Stay here until it's safe. I have a strong sense that we're not alone in here. You will be safer if you don't leave this room. I love you Dawn. Tell Buffy I love her too. I have to go. I'm sorry." Joyce sat Dawn back down in the chair, walked over to the door, opened it and took off running.

  Spike tried to grab her arm, but she shook him off and ran down the long dark tunnel. He motioned for his guards to chase her, then opened his door to make sure Dawn was still inside, "Your mom just made a very big mistake. Leaving you with a big bad vampire is just not good parenting. I need you to stay here until I find your mommy and bring here back. I will have two big bad vamps outside watching you, so you are much safer inside. Is that clear?"

  Dawn didn't say a word, she just curled up in a little ball, turned away from Spike and stared at the floor.

  "I'll take that as a yes." Spike said as he closed the door and took off down the tunnel.

  Buffy, Faith and Xander were going in circles, hitting one dead end after the other, so they stopped and took a break.

  "This is getting us nowhere." Xander said kicking the ground in frustration.

  "I know." Faith added, We need to try something different. We are just repeating the same path. Somehow we are missing the right turn off because of it."

  Walking towards one of the dead ends to the right of her, Buffy spotted the tiniest little metal object right up in the corner and ran to have a look. It was too high up for her to reach, "Xander, your height is needed."

  "I knew that would come in handy one day." He said and then marched over towards Buffy.

  "What can you make of that?" Buffy said pointing to the object.

  Xander reached up to have a look, made some strange humming sounds and then pushed at the object with his hand. A loud shifting noise behind them got their attention, so they all ran back and saw that a wall had opened up right where they had been standing.

  With three big sighs, they followed the path through some water and then up and under a bridge, before ending up on land again.

  This time there was only one-way to go and that was up and to the left, so that's where they headed. As they approached an open area, they spotted a couple vamps guarding a large metal gate and stopped again to discuss strategy.

  "It looks like we're finally here." Faith said as the adrenaline began kicking in.

  Buffy smiled at the thought they were getting closer to finding her family, "I think so. We don't have a lot of options here either or the time to think of better ones, so the way I see it we just go through this place section by section until we find them. Whoever is in the way is dust."

  "Sounds like a plan." Xander said, jumping up and down and shadowboxing to get ready.

  Both girls looked at him as though he were insane, "Um, you can stop hopping there Ali, because you're staying in the back. We can't afford to have you killed. This is not a debate. You will be the one who takes my mom and sister back through this mess to safety. Okay?"

  After some minor grumbling, Xander nodded his agreement.

  "Good." Buffy said as she moved over to Faith, "Are we ready? Let's go then."

  With those three words, the two slayers made their way along the side of the path, hopped on a couple large crates and then in unison jumped on the two guards. There wasn't much of a fight as the two guards were dust in a matter of seconds.

  Opening the gate, they walked into a small compound with one room to the left and two more to the right. Straight ahead was a larger room that seemed to go on forever.

  "Let's check these side rooms out and then move on to the big one." Buffy said, not waiting for a response as she moved towards the room on the left.

  Carefully, she opened the door, but found nothing but some supplies scattered about on the floor.

  Both Faith and Xander found similar sights in the rooms they checked out.

  Forming back in front of the large building, they used hand signals to set things in motion and Buffy and Faith led the way through the door, catching the first vamp guard unaware, they dispatched him with no resistance.

  Moving forward they took out every vamp they found and continued moving down the long and winding corridor until the came to an intersection. Just before the path went in three different directions, there was a door to the left with two guards in front of it.

  Meticulously, Buffy and Faith took them out and Buffy opened the door and took a peak inside. In the far corner of the room she saw Dawn and with the biggest smile ever, ran over and gave her a big warm hug.

  "I'm so glad you're okay. Did they hurt you? Where's mom? Is she okay?" Buffy said, pummeling Dawn with questions before she had a chance to breathe.

  "I don't know where mom is. She took off. She told me stay here and said she loved me and then she left." Dawn said, still shaken up about the whole mess.

  "Why would she leave? I don't understand." Buffy said, trying to envision a reason her mom would take off like that.

  "She was saying all kinds of things. About dad and about this man named Giles. She said we should talk to him about all this. He's with some council? I don't know, but she said something about dad not being our real dad. That's not true is it?" Dawn asked, hoping Buffy would tell her what she needed to hear.

  "I don't know about any of this." Buffy said, not really understanding most of what Dawn was saying, "I need to talk to mom. Where did she go? She just up and left for no reason?"

  "No, she was talking to this Spike guy. He said he knew a secret and as soon as he mentioned this Giles guy, she freaked out." Dawn said as she tried her best to remember everything that happened, "She also said she sensed that we weren't alone and she was right. You guys are here. She knew that. How?"

  Buffy gave Dawn another hug to comfort here, "I don't know Dawn. I just don't know. She was right and I need to find out how." She turned Dawn towards Xander, "This is a friend of mine, Xander. He's going to take you back out through the tunnels and take you home."

  "Hi Dawn. It's a long way back, but I'll get you home safely. I promise." Xander said in his best reassuring voice.

  "Oh and this is Faith, she's a friend too." Buffy said as she smiled over at Faith. "I have so many things to tell you about this whole day. Faith is going to be staying with us for awhile. But, we can talk about that when we are all back home."

  "Okay, but I don't want to go without mom. Can't I wait until you find her?" Dawn asked as she looked up at her sister with her sad eyes.

  "I'm sorry Dawn, but I need you to be safe now. Faith and I are going to find mom. It's going to be too dangerous for you. So please just go with Xander and I'll see you at home." Buffy asked and then motioned with her eyes for Xander to get going.

  "Why is everyone telling me to do things and not telling me why today? I hate this. I want to see mom. She was so scared for me before and I'm afraid something bad is going to happen now." Dawn said, her eyes filling with tears again.

  "Everything will be fine once you get back home. Please don't argue. I swear to you I will not leave here until I find mom. Okay? I want to bring her home as much as you do. You need to go Dawn. I love you." Buffy gave Dawn a kiss on the forehead, led them outside and watched them as they faded out of sight down the tunnel. Wiping her own tears away, Buffy refocuses and turned to Faith, "This is it. Which way do we go? I say we go straight, and if that doesn't work we double back and check the other two."

  "Okay, I'm ready."

  With that, they were off again. Down the path and through a series of rooms, they cleared out each one and kept moving forward.

  Spike stood across from Joyce, as she stood in a corner of a large dining room, waved his hands at the six other vamps that surrounded her, "Well, you have cost me about 30 minutes of my time. I don't like that. Either come quietly or we can do it the fun way. Your choice."

  "You can save the threats, I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't know how you found about me, but you made a big mistake digging into my life." Joyce said, surveying the room as she took a couple small steps to her left.

  "My, my, look who's making all the threats, the woman hiding in the corner." Spike moved forward and hopped on the extra long dining room table, "You aren't going anywhere. If you insist on making this difficult, it will cost you. I think you know that means."

  "It's just like you Spike to go after the innocent. It is your motto."

  Spike took another step towards Joyce, "I guess you've heard of me. Well, that's good then; there will be no confusion when I tell you what I'll do to your daughter if you don't start cooperating."

  "I'm afraid not, everything is going to end here." Joyce said and then hopped across the table, grabbed the vamp to her left, elbowed him in the midsection, knocked him to the ground with a forearm to the back and then knelt down and staked him as she looked at the others closing in on her.

  "That's one Joyce, but you'll never get us all. Keep going and I'll make you one of us." Spike shouted across the room as he waved his vamps to attack.

  All at once, they rushed towards Joyce.

  A Laboratory somewhere.

  "Hit the kill switch." Riley ordered as he watched the vampires attack Joyce.

  Oz pushed the switch beside his computer and then sat back and watched.

  Spike's Crypt.

  There were bodies flying everywhere. One by one, the vamps slowly began to turn to dust. With only two left Spike began to get impatient and angry and so moved in and just as Joyce staked another vamp, Spike lunged at Joyce.

  Riley's Lab.

  "Hit the kill switch. End the program. Now!" Riley yelled at the top of his lungs.

  "I'm hitting it. It's not responding. Something is jamming the signal. We've lost control of Spike." Oz said, turning back to the monitor.

  "No, no. This is not what's supposed to happen." Riley said, frantically looking for a solution, "Send some men to the crypt."

  "There's no time. He's got a hold of her already." Oz said.

  Spike's Crypt.

  Putting his teeth on her neck, Spike began draining her blood as she fell to her knees.

  Slowly she began to lose the color in her face and with time running out Spike removed his teeth. "Feed. You still have time! Feed off me and you'll live forever."

  With her energy completely gone and her pulse slowing every second, Joyce managed to open her eyes and look at Spike, "This will be the last thing you ever do. I hope you rot in hell."

  Seeing no chance of Joyce changing her mind, he dove back in with his teeth and finished what he'd started and sucked the last breath from her.

  Buffy and Faith burst into the room as Spike stood up from Joyce's body, blood dripping down his face as he stared back at the slayers. "I didn't plan on this, but she gave me no choice."

  Faith looked at Buffy, who was in shock at what she was looking at, and tried to get her attention, "Buffy. Buffy!" With no response, Faith jumped into action.

  The first vamp rushed at her and was dust before he took a swing, leaving Spike the last vamp in the room.

  "You think you can take me down? Think again little girl." Spike said as he stepped back, "Just take the other slayer and leave and maybe I'll let you live."

  "Do you know what it'll feel like when you turn to dust?" Faith said, her eyes boring a hole in Spike. "You better start visualizing it, because you are not leaving this room alive. Words can't describe what I feel right now, but I don't need words to make you pay."

  Spike could tell he was going to have to fight his way out the room. He looked around one last time and then made his move as he rushed towards Faith.

  Moving with precision she didn't know she had, Faith avoided Spike's initial barrage of attacks and with cat-like reflexes, she jumped over his head, put her hand around his neck and with one quick blow she ended the reign of one of the most dangerous vampires to ever exist.

  When she turned around she saw Buffy holding her mom in her arms, tears flowing down her face in a stream that never seem to end.

  Faith walked over and knelt down beside Buffy, rested her hand on her shoulder and waited until she'd let it all out.

  Time stood still as Buffy replayed every good time she ever had with her mother, but couldn't get past how things ended the last time she saw her.

  Looking up at Faith, her face beyond sad, Buffy tried to speak, "I was mad at her this morning. I don't know what I wanted, but I think I wanted her to keep me out school for another day. I knew she had a meeting, but I was still mad when she took off."

  "It's okay." Was all Faith could think of to say.

  "No, don't you see, my last feelings about my mom were anger and bitterness. If only I was a better daughter. If I didn't get in trouble at the other school we never would've moved here and none of this would have happened. It's all my fault." Buffy said, positive she was responsible for her mother's death.

  "We need to get you home. I'm going to call the mayor and have him send a team here to help… to get your mom out of this horrible place."

  "Yes, you're right." Buffy said as she looked around the room, "She should be somewhere warm and safe and not this dark disgusted hell hole."

  "I'm calling them now." Faith said, and then walked away from Buffy and placed the call to the mayor.

  It was 45 minutes before a team burst into the room. Faith filled them in on the situation and then walked back over to Buffy, "Are you okay? They are here to take your mom somewhere safe and warm like you wanted."

  Buffy looked up at Faith, then saw the men behind her and then looked down at her mom one more time, "I'm so sorry. I should've gotten here sooner. Please forgive me."

  Faith fought back her tears as she took Buffy's hand and pulled her back so the men could get the body ready for transport.

  When they were ready, they gave Faith the signal and she turned to Buffy, "It's time to go now. I need to get you home. Dawn needs you right now."

  "Oh god no." Buffy said with a muffled scream, "How am I going to tell her? She's never gonna forgive me for this."

  "It's okay, let's just get you home and we'll deal with that when the time comes." Faith said as she put her arm around Buffy.

  "Okay." Buffy said, too weak to say anything else.

  Riley's Lab.

  Sitting at his chair with his head on the desk, Riley continued to look at the tape trying to figure out what went so horribly wrong. Oz stood beside him still shocked at what he'd just witnessed.

  "We need to find the answer here. Something or more than likely, someone interfered with our program. This is not a mistake; this was deliberate. I want to know who did this. Bring me every single surveillance tape we have. From every single section of the lab as well as the outside feeds. I know we'll find something."

  "I'll get on it." Oz said and then walked towards the door, "You can't blame yourself for this. It was someone else who is responsible."

  "Maybe, but I created the program. I should've thought of a way to scramble the signal better. There are so many things I could've done to prevent this." Riley yelled as he smashed his hand against the desk, "Now I will, but at what cost."

  Oz thought about saying something, but chose silence as he walked out the room to round up the surveillance tapes.

  ...continued in chapter 11...