Class of '99
by acs
The New Girl - Pt. I-B
[reviews]
AUTHOR: -Andy- (see2go4me@yahoo.com)
RATING: 18 (For violence and adult themes
DISCLAIMER/Warnings: See part I-A
Author Notes: Feedback always welcome. See the end of Part I-C for any additional info.
[The New Girl - Part I-B. ]
Willow stumbled out into the cold night air, anxiously looking for any sign of Buffy or Mr. Giles. Just down the block she could see Xander. Sighing in relief she hurried over to him. Not really seeing her, he was staring down the street, an odd look on his face.
"Xander!" She said loudly, pulling on his shirt to get his attention after what seemed like an eternity of being ignored.
"What?" He turned around and looked at her in surprise.
"Did you see Buffy Summers go by here?" she asked hopefully.
"No..." He answered, shaking his head at something.
"How about the new librarian?" she asked desperately, not expecting him to be able to answer that question either.
"Yes. He was looking for her too." He waved in the direction he'd been looking before she'd interrupted him. "He went that way. Why?"
Letting go of his shirt, Willow started walking quickly in the direction he'd indicated. "Something's up." She told him over her shoulder. "Something weird is going on between them."
"Why are you interested?" He asked, catching up to her. "Is it because she's a cute blonde cheerleader?" He leered at her.
"Xander!" She said indignantly before admitting, "I don't really know. She says the oddest things but she is cute." She blushed when he laughed at her answer but kept walking.
"That is one strange girl." Xander told her as they continued down the street.
"Strange? What do you mean?" She didn't think he'd even talked to her yet.
"I think she's in some kind of secret cult." He punctuated his statement by jumping up and grabbing a handful of leaves from a low branch they were passing under.
"Huh? Why?" She asked, swatting away the small wadded up bits of leaf he was throwing at her. "And stop that!" she told him, giving him a push.
"I saw her in the library, talking with that English librarian guy." He waved in the direction they were going.
"And that makes her a member of a cult? Maybe she likes books?" She asked him even though she thought it was very unlikely, from what she'd seen so far, that Buffy would ever go into a library on her own. And then it dawned on her what he'd just said. "Hey! I go to the library."
"Have you seen the books he brought with him?" Xander asked her, as if it proved his point.
"Books?" She glared at him. "I didn't know you knew how to open anything that didn't have Batman or Daredevil on the cover."
"Does the librarian talk with you about strange things?" He asked, ignoring her jibe and stepping in front of her and blocking her way for a moment to give her a disturbing look
"What kinds of things?" She asked.
Before answering her he looked around in an exaggerated attempt to make sure no one was listening to them. "Vampires? Monsters? Strange things happening?"
"No..." She wondered what he'd actually heard. They were both too old to believe in things like vampires and monsters.
"See!" He said triumphantly. "Cult! She's in a cult! Probably something satanic. I bet they sacrifice puppies and kittens!" She thought he seemed a bit too enthusiastic about the idea. "Wait till I tell Jesse! We've got our own horror movie right here in Sunnydale."
Willow groaned. That was all she needed. The Jesse and Xander show in full conspiracy mode. She was about to turn around and head home when a strange sound drew her attention. It seemed to be coming from one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries just as they were passing it. Curious, she stopped at the small side gate.
"Willow?" Xander asked, watching nervously as she pushed it open and stepped in.
"Yeah?" She answered, not really paying any attention to him.
"Where are you going?" She could hear the slight hint of fear in his voice.
"I think I see something." She started walking towards several figures she could see in the distance, the moonlight glinting off of the head of the shorter one in the way she imagined it would do if that were Buffy.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea." He mumbled, following her.
"Shh..." She quieted him sternly without turning around. "I think that's Buffy."
They were too far away to see what was going on but Willow took off running, Xander close behind, when one of the taller figures slumped to the ground and another just seemed to disappear. Something seemed to happen between the two remaining figures still standing. One of them ran away before Willow reached them, yelling something unintelligible as it disappeared deeper into the cemetery.
"Buffy!" Willow shouted as she and Xander reached the middle of the cemetery to find Buffy bending down and shaking someone lying on the ground. She ignored them while she helped the person sit up, and guided them over to a tombstone. Willow gasped when she saw it was a disheveled Mr. Giles. Grabbing her arm, Xander pointed out a second person lying motionless on the ground.
--- --- ---
With Giles now propped up against a tombstone rubbing his head, Buffy slipped the stake she'd taken out of his jacket into a pocket before turning to Willow and the person that, from their brief encounter at lunch, she assumed was Xander. She'd seen them headed her way seconds earlier but had been too busy dealing with the vampires intent on feeding on their victims to do anything to stop them.
"Hey guys!" She said as cheerfully as she could manage under the circumstances, as she quickly checked the person she'd been rescuing before Giles got himself knocked out trying to help her. She groaned when she realized it was Cordelia Chase. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be hurt, just in shock.
"Buffy? What's going on?" Willow's surprise was very visible on her face in the moonlit cemetery.
"Explanations can wait?" Buffy told them hurriedly after making sure Cordelia wasn't hurt. "We should get out of here before they come back." She looked at them. "Can one of you help me with Cordelia?" Seeing Willow cringe, she redirected her request to Xander. "Xander?"
"Before who comes back?" Xander asked, as he reluctantly grabbed the moaning Cordelia's left arm and helped Buffy get her to her feet.
"The, uh, gang members that were trying to kidnap Cordelia." She continued quickly, hoping to prevent further questions by her answer with a question of her own. "Willow?"
"Yes?" She visibly started, dragging her attention back from wherever it had gone.
Buffy dismissed the odd expression that crossed Willow's face at seeing Cordelia draped over her shoulder, while Xander just barely kept both of them erect, as a trick of the light. "Can you help me get Giles home?"
Willow nodded, and squatting down, tried to help Giles to his feet.
"I'm quite fine, thank you." He told her, pushing her away and shakily standing on his own. She gave him a concerned look as she stood back up. She tried to grab his arm to help him but he shook her hand off with a frowned.
Buffy shook her head in annoyance. He was just like Merrick. She wondered if all watchers were like that. He needed to be the one in charge. But, after Merrick, stubborn old men she could deal with. "Giles, if you don't let her help I'll knock you out myself and then I'll drag you home!"
"I'm fine." He repeated, glaring at her. "You need to be ready. The vampires will be back." He added groggily. Buffy groaned when she saw the astounded looks on the faces of Willow and Xander. She could see any hopes of having a secret identity disappearing as they stood there.
"Willow, ignore Mr. Grumpy. I think they grow them that way where he's from." She told her.
"Okay." Willow hesitantly grabbed his arm again and guided him towards the exit, ignoring his continued protests.
"Xander?" she looked questioningly him. "Do you know where Cordelia lives? We should get her home."
"Sure. It isn't far from here." He told her as they followed Willow and Giles towards the gate, Cordelia just aware enough of her surroundings to put one foot in front of the other so they weren't completely carrying her.
They'd reached the gate when their progress was stopped by a small group of vampires blocking their way.
"Xander?" She looked around Cordelia at his frightened face. "Can you hang onto Cordelia while I deal with this? It shouldn't take more than a minute. Thanks." she told him with a lot more confidence than she was feeling. Without waiting for an answer, she let go of Cordelia and quickly stepped around Giles and Willow to confront the vampires that were growling at them.
"Where are you going little girl?" the largest vampire asked menacingly as it towered over her.
"Who are you calling little?" Buffy asked, screwing up her face at the smell wafting to her on the small breeze that had sprung up. "Ew... I think you need a breath mint." Before it could respond she'd shoved the small, thin stake she'd taken from Giles minutes earlier through its heart, nearly dropping it in surprise at how easily it went in. "Never mind." She grinned at the remaining vampires through the cloud of resulting dust. "Who's next?"
Not giving them any time to think, she attacked, destroying two more vampires without much effort. Although one had escaped, blurting out a horrified "Slayer!" before running away, Buffy was surprised at how quickly she was able to dust the rest them, even after her surprise attack had killed their leader.
Her attention split between keeping Mr. Giles from toppling over and watching Buffy confronting the scary creatures preventing them from leaving the cemetery, Willow was taken by surprise when something ran into her and knocked her off her feet. Mr. Giles proceeded to fall on top of her, pinning her to the ground. When she managed to gain enough leverage to roll him over and off of her legs, all of the creatures were gone and all she could see was a swirling cloud of dust surrounding Buffy.
"What happened?" She asked breathlessly, getting to her feet before helping Buffy get Mr. Giles back on his feet. "What were those things?"
"What things?" Buffy asked innocently, tilting her head at an angle.
Willow looked at her. She looked at Giles and Xander. And back at Buffy. She shook her head. "I'm not blind Buffy."
"Yeah, Buff!" Xander added.
Willow cringed mentally, anticipating Buffy's reaction to his comment. She hadn't spent a lot of time with Buffy yet, but anyone could tell that she didn't appreciate how he'd shortened her name. Anyone except Xander. She sighed. "Xander?"
"Yes, Willow?" He winked at her.
"Never mind."
"We really need to get you guys home." Buffy reminded them.
"Okay." Willow agreed. "But you still owe us an explanation."
"Giles can do that tomorrow." Buffy volunteered, batting her eyes at him.
"What? Why?" Giles spouted. "No!" he added.
"Yes, Mr. He Who Blabs Secrets in public. You get to explain tonight to Xander and Willow." Buffy told him with a grin as she returned to Cordelia's side to help Xander. "You're supposed to be the expert. Or I can do it for you? If you don't mind them getting my unique view of the whole thing."
"No." Giles protested. "Bossy slayers..." he grumbled under his breath.
Willow could hear Buffy laugh behind them as they headed toward Cordelia's house. She wondered how Buffy had heard his answer. She'd just barely understood it herself and she was inches from him.
--- --- ---
Getting everyone home safely wasn't as difficult as Buffy had imagined it would be. By the time they'd reached Cordelia's house she'd recovered enough to let herself in.
"Not even a thank you?" Xander asked, staring at the door she'd shut in their face.
"Don't be surprised if she doesn't remember this in the morning." Buffy told him as they walked back down the long drive to where Willow and Giles were waiting for them.
"Why?" he asked, kicking at a stone and looking back at Cordelia's house.
"It happens." Buffy shrugged. She'd never really thought about such things, she'd just been grateful for it.
"Huh?" He looked at her and then at Giles and Willow.
"The human mind is very complex." Giles began, as they headed down the street, no longer needing any assistance to walk. "But it is very good at ignoring things it doesn't understand. Or things that don't make sense. Her subconscious will try to protect her by sublimating tonight as something else."
"Huh?" Xander repeated.
Willow took pity on him and attempted to put it in words he would understand. "She'll think it was a dream. A nightmare or something. So don't bother asking her about it tomorrow."
"Oh. Why didn't you say that!" Xander looked accusingly at Giles.
"Watchers like the big words." Buffy told him. "Makes them feel all important." She grinned at the now familiar disgruntled look on Giles' face. She was going to have so much fun with him. She could hear Willow suppressing a giggle.
--- --- ---
It wasn't as late as she'd thought it would be when she finally reached home, after making sure Willow, Xander, and Giles were safely home themselves. Just barely past curfew. From the dining room, her mother just gave her a stern look and tapped her watch before shaking her head and pointing towards the stairs and her bedroom. Buffy winced and hung up her jacket before heading to her room.
She wasn't too surprised to find her sister asleep on her bed, one arm wrapped tightly around Mr. Gordo, the small stuffed pig that had been Buffy's most prized possession since she was her sister's age. Dawn had been doing that several times a week for the last year, even more often since their parent's divorce. While she wasn't too thrilled at Dawn's tendency to follow her around like a lost puppy, and she found some of her actions to be downright creepy for a ten year old, Buffy rarely complained to her mother about it. Dawn had been the only one to accept her claims of vampires at face value, unlike her parents who'd been a little too quick to throw her at a psychiatrist.
She quietly changed into her pajamas, covering up Dawn before sliding into bed herself. Wrapping her arms around her sister, Buffy fell asleep wondering what the next day would be like.
--- --- ---
She woke to a shrill, high pitched buzzing sound. Swinging her free arm around in a wide arc without bothering to open her eyes, Buffy tried to stop the noise, not quite ready to start what she was sure was going to be another 'crappy' day. After the third attempt, she succeeded in knocking her alarm under her bed, turning it off in the process. The sudden silence was followed by a small giggle. Opening her eyes as she sat up, Buffy looked over to see her sister sitting in her window, chin on her knees, watching her intently.
"Why do you do that?" Buffy grumbled, rolling out of bed in a single fluid motion she was sure looked a lot cooler than it felt. Glaring at her sister, she grabbed her bathrobe from its hook on her door.
"Do what?" Dawn asked, smirking as if she already knew the answer.
"Watch me all the time." Buffy complained.
"Someone has to." Dawn told her seriously. "Some day you're going to do something that'll make you famous and I'm going to write a book and make a movie about it and make millions!" she declared, waving a pencil in Buffy's direction.
"So watching me get dressed...?" Buffy asked.
"Is very important." Dawn told her haughtily, writing something on a small pad of paper. "No one will ever believe what you're really like in the morning if I don't record it."
"Well, not today!" Buffy announced, pointing at the door. "Out!"
"But Buffy!" Dawn whined.
"Out!" Buffy repeated.
--- --- ---
By third period Buffy was beginning to get tired of the strange looks and the overwhelming feeling she had that people were whispering about her behind her back. She'd thought her first day at Sunnydale was stressful enough, with everyone wondering why she'd transferred there so late in the year and all the wild rumors she was sure were floating around. But today was starting to feel much worse. From the little she'd overheard, she'd obviously been seen with Willow at the Bronze by several very creative and vindictive gossips.
Somehow that friendly gesture had been turned into even more outlandish rumors than she'd thought possible about Hemery and why she'd transferred. She wouldn't be surprised if Cordelia had helped things along. She'd gotten the impression that Willow was a very private person and couldn't even begin to imagine how she was feeling about the rumors.
Grabbing her lunch from her locker, Buffy headed for the quietest place she could imagine, the library. While spending time in the vicinity of Giles wasn't at the top of her list of things to do before her hair needed to be re-dyed, it certainly beat having to ignore everyone while attempting to eat her lunch in public. Hopefully she would have it to herself. She really wasn't ready to be grilled by Willow about the night before if Giles managed to avoid her himself.
That hope was dashed when, as soon as she walked into the library, she was bombarded with questions by an excited Xander. From his position next to Willow at one of the large library tables, he asked her, "Is it true?" as she approached them.
"Is what true?" she asked, keeping her voice calm although she thought she had a good idea what he was going to say.
"Did you get expelled from Hemery because your girlfriend was in a rival gang and you burned down the school gym when she broke up with you?"
"Huh?" Buffy stared at him in faux horror. "Where'd you hear that?"
"It's what everyone is saying." Xander said sheepishly.
Buffy noticed that Willow was now staring at her like she was some exotic exhibit, too unusual even for Sunnydale. "No. It isn't true." She told them. "I've never had a girlfriend. Nor do I plan on becoming a lesbian." Noticing Willow's expression changing, she added quickly "No offense, but I'm really not gay."
"No. Of course not." She heard Willow mutter under her breath. Buffy raised an eyebrow in surprise, causing Willow to blush faintly. Not sure if she'd heard disappointment in her voice or not, Buffy shrugged before continuing.
"Is Giles here?" She asked in her best 'happy' voice, in an attempt to change the topic from herself.
"He had to go to the office for a few minutes." Willow told her.
"Good." Buffy said, pulling her lunch out. "Wouldn't want to give the librarian guy a heart attack by being seen eating one of my sister's lunch delicacies in his temple of books."
Xander grinned at her comment and followed her example while Willow just shook her head before taking her own lunch out of her book-bag.
--- --- ---
Giles entered the library in a slight huff. He'd just spent the last ten minutes reassuring Principal Flutie, for the third time in a week, that he would keep the school's precious students away from the more luridly illustrated ancient manuscripts he'd brought with him from London. As if he would actually allow anyone near them in the first place. He wasn't an amateur. He'd placed protection spells on them to discourage any stray students from touching the books as soon as he'd unpacked them.
Looking around, he noticed Buffy, Willow, and Xander sitting at one of the larger tables, eating their lunch and chatting about the things he assumed teenagers chatted about now-a-days. Nodding briefly to them in acknowledgment of their presence, he went into his office to make himself a calming cup of tea.
"That research project you guys talked about last night wasn't real, was it?" Willow asked Buffy and Mr. Giles when he finally joined them, steaming cup in hand. "Because, as excuses go, that was kind of lame. Even Xander can think of better ones than that."
"Hey!" Xander gasped in pretend shock. "I have no idea what you're talking about... but no one has better excuses than I do!"
"Like that one last week?" Willow asked, trying to not giggle.
"Which one?" Xander asked.
"The one where you didn't get your science homework done because you'd been kidnapped by aliens?" She giggled again. There were times when he really frustrated her, but they were more than made up for by his ability to make her laugh when she really needed it.
"Oh! That one. But it could have been true!" He sputtered. "If vampires are real, why not little grey men."
"You mean like in that show you like watching with Jesse?" She gave him what her few friends called her patented stern look, guaranteed to make even the most clueless male quake in fear. "Wormfood something?"
"Wormhole X-treme!" Xander corrected her, shaking his head in mock offense, only slightly bowed by her expression. "It was the best."
"It only lasted one episode." Willow muttered under her breath, but not quite low enough to escape Xander's attention.
"Six! There were six episodes." Xander protested.
"It was bad science!" Willow grumbled half heartedly. "Stupid people traveling all over the universe using wormholes. Doing stupid things." She was never going to admit that she'd recognized one of the technical consultants as a colleague of her one cool relative. She pretended to ignore the amused look on Buffy's face and Giles' baffled expression. "And Jesse never did explain how he got those other episodes that no one else seems to have ever heard of. It was probably something illegal."
Xander slumped in his seat, glaring at her. She stuck her tongue out at him in response.
"Are we done?" Giles asked dryly.
Willow looked over at him, embarrassed, while Xander sunk further into his seat.
"I don't know, this is just getting interesting." Buffy giggled. "What other Xander secrets can you tell us, Willow? We can blackmail him only so much with that bit of evidence of geekdom." Willow groaned and banged her head against the library table.
"I know some stuff about Willow." Xander countered.
"No you don't!" Willow told him, staring at him as firmly as possible, ready to bring out the big guns, her resolve face.
"Ouch! Not that look." Xander pleaded. "Okay, I won't say anything about your cheerleader thing."
"Xander! I don't have a cheerleader 'thing'!" Willow looked at him in horror, before sneaking a glance at Buffy to see her reaction.
"Guys!" Buffy interrupted to Willow's intense relief. "I think Giles is right. I think we've done enough of that."
"Of course I'm bloody right." Giles muttered. Buffy grinned at him cheekily.
--- --- ---
Giles sighed, removing his glasses and methodically cleaning them with the soft cloth he kept in a pocket for just that purpose. Readjusting them nervously, he looked at the three teenagers. The Council was willing to give him only so much independence with this slayer. It had been a close call when they'd discovered Merrick's death. He was sure that if he hadn't pulled a few strings and traded in a few favors the arrogant bastards at the Council would have been all set to rush in and take her away from her family. No matter what the consequences would have been.
Merrick's Watcher diaries certainly hadn't inspired any confidence within the Council for this untrained American slayer. He was sure that the only reason he'd been assigned as her watcher had been the expectation that she wouldn't last a year on the vampire overrun West Coast. And some of them probably hoped she would get him killed in the process.
Watching her chatting with her new friends, he wasn't sure how long he could keep the Council from interfering if she insisted on having a normal life. Especially if she involved other people with her sacred duty. The only thing in her favor was that the Council tended to leave the current slayer and her watcher alone until her eighteenth birthday, assuming she survived that long. He only had two years to prepare her for the barbaric tests used by the Council to weed out the lucky from the truly talented slayers, while making sure she survived everything Fate threw at her before then. He was already working to secure permission to tell her about the tests so he could prepare her much better for them but didn't really expect it to happen.
"Well?" She interrupted his meandering thoughts. "You promised to explain it to them."
Taking a sip from his cup, he grimaced at the cold tea. Clearing his throat, he began "This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise..."
"Huh?" Xander mumbled in disbelief when he'd finished. Willow just frowned in thought.
"Miss Summers." He gestured towards Buffy. At her glare he corrected himself, "Buffy... is the 'Chosen One'. She has been chosen to hunt vampires and other evil non-human creatures. Don't get in her way. She's been trained by experts to do this. You'll get hurt." He looked at Willow and Xander as he spoke trying to impress upon them the seriousness of what he was saying. "And don't tell anyone."
"I see you left the important bits out." Buffy grumbled. "Like, I have no choice in this. And I'm a huge supernatural weirdness magnet. Evil things think I'm their favorite flavor."
Noticing Willow's shocked expression, he frowned at Buffy. "I didn't believe they needed to know anything more. Especially that."
"Who's the slayer?" She asked him rhetorically. "They should know how dangerous it is to hang out with me."
"Slayer? One of those things.. vampires?" Willow looked at him for confirmation before continuing. "I think one of those vampires last night yelled that."
"That would be me." Buffy admitted with a grimace. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She gave Giles a questioning look.
Giles shook his head but gestured for Buffy to continue. He knew he would have to talk with her later about involving them in Council business so quickly. But that would have to wait until he could talk to her privately.
"My mom doesn't know." She continued. "My parents didn't believe me when I tried to tell them. They thought I made the whole thing up. It didn't go over well. Padded rooms, straight jackets, drugs, that kind of thing."
Willow gave her a horrified look. "Buffy!"
"So no mentioning this stuff around the rents?" Xander asked.
'You aren't likely to meet my father any time soon." Buffy mumbled. "But yeah. No mentioning vampires around my Mom or sister."
Giles sighed. That explained her reluctance to continue slaying. Another thing to blame the Council for. They'd obviously seriously mismanaged this slayer after Merrick's death. And hadn't bothered to inform him of any of it. They were lucky she was still as sane as she appeared.
"Giles?" She interrupted his thoughts again. "You're doing that zoning thing again."
"Oh. Yes." He coughed, slightly embarrassed. "I was just thinking about yesterday's messenger."
"Messenger?" Buffy frowned.
"I was given a note last night at the Bronze. It mentioned something about an event called the Harvest." Giles frowned. "I'm not familiar with it but the messenger wanted to make sure the Slayer knew about it."
"I'm guessing it doesn't involve hay-rides and dunking for apples." Buffy said.
Any further discussion was interrupted by the bell and Buffy, Willow and Xander scrambling to put their things away.
"Giles? Guys!" Buffy turned to Willow and Xander after grabbing her book-bag. "Can we continue this after school?"
"Sure." They both answered. Giles raised an eyebrow at her request.
"Kinda a bad thing to miss a class the first week at a new school." She told him on her way to the double doors.
"They even frown on the rest of us missing classes." Willow told her, grabbing her own bag and following Buffy out into the hall.
"I think it's a plot by Principal Flutie, myself." Xander told them as he hurried to catch up. "So they can do things while we're in class."
"What kinds of things...?" Buffy's voice faded as they disappeared down the hall.
Giles shook his head as he watched them leave, amazed at their resilience after the activities of the night before.
--- --- ---
Buffy threw her bag on the table, narrowly missing a stack of old looking books in front of Willow, startling her in the process.
"Hey! You're here!" She blurted out, her gaze encompassing both Willow and Xander.
"Where else would I be?" Willow asked, a surprised look crossing her face. Xander simply shrugged which Buffy took to mean 'Why not?' in Xander-speak.
"Somewhere that isn't here? Pretending the world is still normal and that you don't know me? Kind of like Cordelia?" She grimaced, thinking about an encounter with Cordelia she'd endured that afternoon between classes. No offense intended!" she added in response to Willow's offended look.
"None taken." Willow told her. "I had a Cordelia drive-by this morning myself. She's in top form today."
"Must be that brush with death." Xander volunteered from his perch on the reference desk. "Gets the snark flowing extra strong."
Willow shook her head. "I couldn't not be here. After last night? Pretending isn't an option. I want to help."
"I just do whatever Willow tells me to." Xander told Buffy.
"Is Giles around?" Buffy asked them. "I need to give my mom a call so she doesn't call out the cavalry to drag me home so she can ground me."
"Here!" Willow pulled a small cell phone out of her bag. Buffy looked at her in surprise as she took it. "You know how to use one? Right?"
"Yeah! Thanks!" She walked back in the stacks, looking for some privacy for her call.
--- --- ---
"Xander?" she asked after returning the phone.
"Yeah?" He looked up from the comic book he was reading.
"Did your friend Jesse make it to school today?" She asked.
"No." He looked at her, clearly puzzled. "Why?"
"I think I saw him walking out of the Bronze last night with someone who might have been a vampire." She told him. "I couldn't find him, and I ended up rescuing Cordelia instead."
"Oh..." He mumbled, turning pale. "Does that mean he's a vampire now?"
She noticed Willow staring at her in horror and tried to reassure them. "I don't know. He might be okay." She looked at both of them. "But you guys need to be careful until we can be sure. Don't invite him in at night if you see him."
"Why?" Xander asked.
"They can't come in unless you invite them." Buffy told them. "So don't."
"How do we stop him if he is a vampire now?" Willow asked faintly.
"And how do we turn him back?" Xander asked.
"You don't." Giles told them, joining them at the table. "If your friend has been turned into a vampire, that isn't your friend anymore."
"What do you mean?" Willow asked.
"Once a vampire, always a vampire." Buffy told them. "If a vampire drains all of your blood and they force you to drink their blood... it isn't you anymore."
"The vampire kills anyone it drains the blood from." Giles added. "And once someone is dead, they can infect their body with a demon."
"Is that what 'a demon form possessed' means in your speech?" Willow asked.
"Yes, exactly." Giles replied. Buffy smiled at the look of approval he was giving Willow. She'd been worried that he would do everything he could to discourage her new friends from spending time with her.
"How do we defend ourselves?" Xander asked.
"It's actually simple stuff." Buffy told him. "Don't forget the no-invite rule. Never invite anyone into your home after dark. Keep a cross on you at all times. It can't stop them but it might slow them down long enough for you to get away."
"What about other things like a Star of David?" Willow asked. "My father isn't going to be happy if I start wearing crosses."
Buffy looked at Giles for help. "I'm not sure."
"It's a religious symbol. It should work but I've never had an opportunity to try it." He told her reluctantly.
"How do we fight them?" Xander asked.
"You don't." Giles reminded them. Buffy just shook her head and mouthed 'later' to them from behind him.
"So what's the plan then?" Willow asked.
"Plan?" Giles looked at her, mystified.
"What do you want us to do?" Xander asked.
"Do you really want to help?" Buffy asked them.
"Yes." They both nodded their heads.
"Buffy!" Giles protested. "They shouldn't become involved."
"They became involved as soon as they saw me dust those vampires when they helped me with you and Cordelia." Buffy told him firmly. "It's a little late to stop them now."
"Darn right!" Willow blurted out. She cringed at Xander's reaction to her enthusiasm. She just knew he was going to say something stupid to protect her and tried to stop him. "Xander! You can't stop me from helping them!"
"It's dangerous!" He yelled at her. "This isn't some science experiment!" He closed his eyes for a moment, running his hands through his hair. "One of my best friends is missing because of these things. I don't want to lose the other."
"He'll show up." Willow told him with a hopeful expression.
"Well, I don't want either of you to get hurt." Buffy interrupted. "But I'm sure there's a way you can help us out without that happening."
"How?" Willow asked eagerly.
"Yes, how." Giles asked her curiously.
"Well... I don't know!" Buffy muttered. "I may be cute, but I'm just the muscle around here."
Willow stifled a giggle, blushing when Buffy winked at her.
Giles gave the three of them an intense look. "Right. It's simple really. Buffy, if you could look around town and see if there is any suspicious activity. Vampires aren't subtle. If something is happening they should be easy to spot."
"Uh, Giles." Buffy interjected. "I've only been in Sunnydale for a couple weeks. I haven't had time to really learn my way around yet."
"Okay." He looked at Xander. "You've lived here for several years?"
"Born and bred." Xander told him proudly. "I know the town like the back of my hand."
"Good." He turned back to Buffy. "Xander can show you around." He told her.
"Okay." She agreed reluctantly, taking a stick of gum out of a pocket. Before sticking it in her mouth she looked at Xander and told him firmly, "You can be tour guy but no heroics."
"What about me?" Willow asked, slightly jealous that Xander was going somewhere with Buffy.
Giles frowned in thought for a moment before telling her. "We need to know how to stop this Harvest. I have a feeling we don't have that long. You can help me here."
"Okay." She smiled at him.
"Great!" Buffy jumped off of the counter. "We'll be back in an hour or two." She strode out of the library, Xander at her heals.
"She was in a hurry to get out of here." Willow grumbled.
"Understandable." Giles told her.
"What do you mean?"
"She's the Slayer."
"That isn't an answer." Willow told him. "She's the slayer. That's like saying the sky is blue. It doesn't tell me why she was in a hurry to leave."
"It takes years of training to understand how a slayer thinks." Giles told her haughtily. "We don't really have time for me to explain."
"Okay." She sighed in frustration. "But when this is over..." She shook her head. "We are so going to have a long chat."
Giles looked at her like she'd said the moon was made of cheese.
"Yes we are." She told him, gracing him with the same expression she'd used earlier on Xander. "If we're going to help her out we need to know how the whole slayer thing really works. And not just your corny speech."
--- --- ---
They settled into a deceptively casual pace as they left the library.
"You do that pretty good." Buffy told him.
"Do what?" He gave her a wide eyed innocent look. She could detect a slight twinkle in his eyes as if he already knew what she was talking about. She was sure that, in his own way, Xander was just as perceptive as Willow. They must make a fearsome duo, she thought.
"Harmless but goofy." She shook her head at him, pausing at the entrance to the school to make sure the coast was clear. "But you aren't, are you." It was a statement, not a question.
"I'm just me." He objected. "And Will would never let me get away with not being me."
"Okay." She laughed at his innocent seeming expression. "I can't imagine her being so controlling. She seems kinda shy."
"She's definitely someone you want on your side." He told her. "If you're on her side - she'll do everything she can to make sure you survive, even if she has to get out and help push."
"Huh." Buffy gave him a close look.
He grinned at her. "You haven't seen anything until you've seen her stare down Larry when he gets out of control."
"I can't imagine her getting that butchy." Buffy said. She'd met Larry the day before and couldn't picture Willow stopping him from doing anything she didn't want him to do. "Even with the whole lesbian thing."
"Don't let her hear you say that." Xander warned her. "She hates it when anyone calls her that word."
"Got it. Thanks." She wondered for a moment why Willow hadn't said something the night before. She stopped briefly at the top of the front school steps. Squinting against the late evening sun, she started towards home as quickly as possible, Xander by her side, having quickly adjusted his usual sedentary stride to her quick pace.
"So what's first, hero girl!" He asked.
"I need to get some things at home." She told him. "And then you can show me what's what in Sunnydale."
"Okay." He grinned at her. "So... have you been in Sunnydale long enough to get a boyfriend?"
"That's a bit personal, isn't it?" She gave him a discouraging look.
"Yes. But you didn't answer my question." He continued grinning at her cementing her opinion that he was one of those people happily oblivious to personal boundaries.
"No." she told him. "And I'm not looking." She told him firmly, stopping at a crosswalk to wait for traffic to clear.
"Oh." He stood there, hands in his pockets. She could feel his eyes appraising her more thoroughly than he had earlier. "You aren't doing the 'Willow thing' are you?"
"No." she answered with no hesitation. "I'm not. Not that I have anything against that." She quickly qualified. "I'm just not interested in the whole relationship thing right now."
"How about friends?" He asked, giving her a puppy dog look that she was sure he'd spent a lot of time practicing.
"I thought we were already doing that?" She asked, grabbing his shirt and dragging him after her across the street.
"We are? I don't need five forms of ID and a reference from Father Guido Sarducci?" He asked. "You can't even stand next to Cordelia without that."
She stopped moving forward, and stared at him. "You are a strange person!"
"Says the blonde former cheerleader who has a librarian for a sensei." Xander smirked.
"What did you call him?" She asked, confused.
"Giles is your Obi-wan." He shrugged as if what he'd said was irrefutable.
"Where did you get that idea from?" Buffy glared at him. "I barely know him."
"And Luke knew Obi-wan for less than a week before Vader killed him on the Death Star." He told her smugly. "You guys just click. Even Willow can see it."
"How does Willow put up with you?" She wondered, shaking her head.
"Willow is cool with the wonder that is me." He smiled as she rolled her eyes. "I've known her since kindergarten."
Shaking her head, she just laughed and they continued to her house.
"Why don't you stay out here?" Buffy told him. "It's safer that way."
"Dogs?" He asked nervously.
She shook her head. "No. Mother and nosy little sister."
"I'll just sit here then, if it's okay with you." He sat down on the top porch step. "You go do whatever." He waved her towards the door.
"I'll be right back." She laughed and bounded up the steps past him and into the house.
He sat there, staring out at the yard and street, absorbing the quiet and still present late afternoon heat in the deserted neighborhood.
"Are you going to be her boyfriend?" A little girl's voice asked him from somewhere nearby.
Looking around, he spotted a tiny brunette sitting in a rocking chair deep in the shadows of the porch, gazing intently at him.
"No. We're just plain old friends." Xander told her.
The small girl uncurled herself from her seat, reminded Xander of the delicate movements of a tiny kitten. "I think she needs a boyfriend." she said, coming over to sit next to him on the steps, making him feel like a giant.
"Why?" He looked down at her, wondering what she was thinking that had caused her to ask him that question. His only exposure to little girls had been with Willow, Amy, and Cordelia when he'd been that age himself. And he didn't think they had been typical, even then.
"So he can bribe me so I won't tell Mom when Buffy gets home late or skips school to be with him." She gazed up at him hopefully.
He pulled out his pockets, revealing only lint. "Sorry. I don't have anything to bribe you with, so it wouldn't work anyway." He told her wryly. "But it's creative. It would probably work." He shrugged. "If I were her boyfriend." She grinned at him delightedly.
"She's not corrupting you?" Buffy stepped out of the house and across the porch to where Xander waited.
"Not yet." He gave Buffy's sister a sly wink, causing her to giggle.
"Good." He noticed the exasperated glare Buffy aimed in her sister's direction and didn't elaborate. "Let's get going." And after whispering in her sister's ear and pushing her towards the door, she took the stairs off of the porch two at a time, Xander following her at a slower pace.
"She's cute." Xander told her as they headed up the street, towards the center of town.
"Dawn's ten." Buffy told him, shaking her head. "The cuteness thing goes away pretty quickly if you have to live with her."
"Oh... Willow was cute when she was ten also." He offered up seemingly randomly. "And when she was five." He mused quietly.
"No brothers or sisters?" Buffy asked, glancing at him curiously.
"No. Just a Willow." He grinned. "Sort of like having a bossy sister without the whole living together."
She was silent for several minutes as they walked towards downtown. Looking around, she was surprised at the number of houses. "I thought this was a small town? There seem to be a lot of houses." Buffy murmured.
"It feels small." He told her. "If you're someone like Cordelia." He shrugged. "But Sunnydale is almost a city. There are a couple other high schools across town. And Willow's father teaches at Crestwood College." He grinned. "You got lucky. You could have ended up at Grant or Fonderin and missed out on the real Sunnydale high school experience. Everyone knows everyone else there. That helps make it feel small."
She nodded in response. "You must like it here." She marveled, never having felt connected to anything larger than her parents home.
"It's home." He shrugged. "Harrises have been here since the beginning."
--- --- ---
"Well, that was a bust." Buffy muttered. "A distinct lack of anything unusually vampirish. We might as well head back to the library and see if Giles and Willow have discovered anything."
"That demon bar we passed wasn't unusual?" Xander asked.
"Willy's? Nah." Buffy stepped up her pace. "Not in California. Merrick used to say there was something that attracted demons to the state. Most bigger towns have a bar that allows demons in. LA has a couple. Or so I've heard. Not that he ever let me go in one..." she grumbled. "Seemed to think I would get hurt."
"Merrick?" Xander asked curiously.
"My last watcher guy. He taught me everything I know about vampires." She shook her head. "He got between me and a vampire. The vampire killed him."
"Oh." Xander reached over and squeezed her shoulder.
She gave him a slight grin in recognition of his attempt to comfort her. "And a fun time was not had. Ended up burning down my high school gym to get rid of the vampires." She nodded at his sudden realization. "Yup. That part would be true. Got rid of a vampire by throwing a burning building at it. The school board was not impressed, hence the move here. Not that I could tell them about the vampires."
"Oh." He muttered again.
"A lot of large warehouses around here." Buffy commented,looking around in surprise.
"Lots of businesses think Sunnydale is the perfect spot. Willow says it has something to do with having a couple colleges, the docks, and the airport. Everything a company could want in a tiny package. But they never seem to last." Xander told her. "They build the big factory or warehouse and leave."
"Isn't that the Bronze?" She pointed towards the far end of the street.
"Yup." He looked around. "Main street is over there." He pointed over his shoulder.
Feeling a strange yet familiar feeling growing in her stomach, Buffy pulled Xander into a nearby alley. "Shh..." She put a hand over his mouth to stop his protests at the sudden move. "Vampires."
Hiding in the shadows at the edge of the alley, they watched a group of vampires strolling down the street in the direction of the Bronze, a large one leading the way.
"Xander?" Buffy removed her hand. "I need you to get to Giles and warn him. Tell him we have our suspicious behavior. They don't usually travel in large groups like that. And they seemed a bit too happy with themselves. I think they're up to something."
"What are you going to do?" He asked nervously.
"I don't know. Something Giles will probably think is stupid." She looked at him, hoping her fear wasn't showing on her face. "Go!" She waited until he was headed towards the library before leaving the alley herself. "Hope they're just passing through. So don't want to get killed tonight. That wouldn't make a good impression on the new friends." She mumbled to herself as she cautiously followed them.
--- --- ---
Xander hurried out of the alley, a quick glance towards the other end showing that Buffy was already gone.
The brief moment of distraction was just enough. He completely missed the small girl standing on the sidewalk just past the alley. Until he ran over her, sending them both into a heap on the sidewalk.
"Where are you going?" Dawn squeaked. "Why aren't you with Buffy?"
He stared up at Buffy's sister."What are you doing out here!"
"I wanted to see what you guys were doing." She told him, bouncing back to her feet and watching him get back up. "I know you're up to something!"
"It's not safe out here tonight!" He told her.
"Well, duh!" She told him disdainfully, kicking at the cement. "I saw the vampires too!"
"Does Buffy know you know about vampires?" Xander asked. He shook his head before she could answer. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. I need to get to the library, and then I'm taking you home!"
"What's at the library?" Dawn asked him.
"Help." He grabbed her arm and started walking as quickly as he could with her in tow. He was tempted to just pick her up and run for it, but he didn't think she would appreciate the gesture.
--- --- ---
Continued in: "The New Girl" [Part I-C]