Won't Back Down by Ellie D
Summary: Basically a Spuffy redo of Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest
Categories: General Fics Characters: None
Genres: Romance, Action
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 5 Completed: No Word count: 6237 Read: 6425 Published: 09/18/2004 Updated: 09/18/2004

1. Prologue by Ellie D

2. Chapter 1: Moving? by Ellie D

3. Chapter 2: The Arrival by Ellie D

4. Chapter 3: First Day is Hell by Ellie D

5. Chapter 4: Morbid much? by Ellie D

Prologue by Ellie D
Won’t Back Down

Summary: Back in LA, Buffy Summers was called to be the Slayer. Her watcher died, she had a bad relationship, she was kicked out of school, and her parents divorced. She, her mother and brother move to Sunnydale, to live with Buffy’s cousin, Willow, until they can get a house. Suddenly, Buffy finds herself back to where she started: a new watcher, possibly a new boyfriend, and new friends who have no idea about her ‘hobby’.

A/N: Some of the lines are from ‘Welcome to the Hellmouth’.



Prologue
Los Angeles, California
The night was relatively quiet considering all the activity going on in the city of Los Angeles. The air was chilly, and somewhat foggy, as a figure crept through the dark cemetery. The moon was full, allowing enough light to see the headstones, but there were no stars in the sky.
The figure moved along, winding its way through the maze of headstones. Another figure, smaller than the first, moved to the right of it and crouched down behind a headstone. Just as the walking figure passed the headstone, the crouching figure jumped up and tackled it. There were kicks and punches thrown and in the end, the smaller of the two was on top.
The clouds covering the moon moved, allowing the cemetery to light up, and spreading over the figures. A young girl was straddling a man. A stake was pulled out, and shoved into the heart of the man. The man exploded into a cloud of dust. The girl stood up, dusting herself off, and headed off into the night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sunnydale, California
A boy and girl walk up to the side of a high school. A window breaks, and the boy enters the room, carefully helping the girl inside.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”, the girl asks nervously.
“Of course it is. Come on.”, the boy answers, pulling her into the hallway.
“Do you go to school here?”, the girl asks, looking around.
“Used to. But on top of the gym, you can see the whole town.”
The boy continues to pull the girl down the empty hallway.
“I-I-I don’t wanna go up there.”, the girl stuttered, stopping at an intersection.
“You can’t wait, huh?”, the boy leers, stepping closer to her.
“We’re just gonna get in trouble.”, the girl states, smiling coyly.
“Count on it.”
As they lean in to kiss, the girl gasps, and jumps back.
“What was that?”, she asks, terrified.
“What?”
“I heard a noise.”
The boy scans the area, then turns back to the girl.
“It’s nothing.”
“But maybe it’s something.”, the girl says, wringing her hands together, and glancing around.
“Or maybe it’s some thing.”, the boy said, jumping at her.
“That’s not funny.”
“Come on, babe. There’s no one here.”
“Are you sure?”, the girl asked again, turning around to look down the hall.
The boy rolled his eyes behind her back.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Ok.”
The girl turns, her face contorting into ridges and her mouth showing fangs. The boy’s eyes widen as the girl growls, biting him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Los Angeles, California
Buffy Summers walked into her house. She sighed, hearing the quiet, and came to the conclusion that she and her brother were alone again for the night. She walked into the kitchen and jumped when her mother stood up from behind the refrigerator door.
“Buffy? Did you just get in?”, Joyce Summers asked, a stern look on her face.
“Uh, yeah. I was out with-“
“I specifically told you to come home by ten. It’s midnight, Buffy.”
“I’m sorry, mom. I lost track of time.” Buffy said.
“Well, you seem to be doing a lot of that lately.”
Buffy shrugged, tired of hearing her mother’s scolding, and turned to leave.
“I’m not done with you. I need to talk to you.”
Buffy froze, and closed her eyes, and opened them again, turning toward her mother.
“What is it? Am I grounded again?” Buffy asked.
“I have already talked to your brother about this, but, um, your father and I are getting a divorce.”
Buffy’s looked at her mom with wide eyes.
“What? No, you can’t. It’s because of me, isn’t it?”, she pleaded, not wanting to lose what little connection she had with her father.
“Buffy, it’s not about you. It’s about me and your father. Believe me, Buffy, it’s for the best. Your father has been seeing other women, without my knowledge, for a while now. We agreed together.”
Buffy shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
“No, please. Just work it out.”
Joyce shook her head sadly.
“It won’t work out, Buffy. It hasn’t for a while now. You know that. And besides, the constant fighting has been hurting your grades, Buffy. So, I decided that we should move.”
Buffy glared at her mom.
“Move?”
Chapter 1: Moving? by Ellie D
Chapter 1

Willow Rosenberg walked into the cafeteria of Sunnydale High School. She walked towards the usual table, carefully balancing her tray of food in one hand and notebooks in the other. She had almost reached her destination when she was intercepted by Cordelia Chase.
“Excuse me. You’re blocking my path, geek.” Cordelia told her.
“Uh, sorry.” Willow stammered, moving to the side to go past her, just as Harmony Kendall stepped up.
“Now you’re in my way.” Harmony said.
“Oops!” Cordelia yelled, as she shoved Willow to the floor, spilling her food all over her clothes.
The cafeteria erupted into laughter. Cordelia and Harmony grinned.
“You should really be more careful.” Cordelia said, innocently.
Willow sat there, unmoving, until she heard two voices.
“Willow!” Xander Harris called, running over.
“Are you ok?” Tara Maclay asked her.
They helped Willow to her feet and led her out of the cafeteria.
“I-I’m gonna go.” Willow said, tears forming in her eyes.
“Are you sure?” Xander asked her.
“Yeah. I’m just gonna go home.”
“We could walk with you.” Tara suggested.
“No. I’ll be ok. I just need to go cry now. And maybe bury my head in a hole. I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.”
“Ok. Bye Will.” Xander said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Willow turned around and began to slowly walk home.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Willow! Honey, can you come downstairs for a minute?” Mrs. Rosenberg yelled.
Willow walked down the stairs and went into the living room. She sat down in a chair across from her father, who was reading the paper.
“Yeah, mom?”
“Your father and I want to talk to you.”
“Oh gosh! What happened? Did someone die?” Willow asked, slowly panicking, and her voice rising.
“No, no, no! It’s not bad.” Mrs. Rosenberg told her.
“Oh good. Well, what is it?” Willow asked, voice returning to normal.
“You remember your aunt and cousins from LA?”
Willow nodded.
“Well, they are going to be moving in with us. Your aunt just got a divorce, and they are going through a tough time right now. So, they are going to be living with us until they can get a new house. Your cousins will be going to the high school with you starting Monday.”
“Oh my gosh! Really? When are they coming?” Willow asked, bouncing up and down in her seat.
“This weekend. They will be here at six tomorrow night. I expect you to be here to help out.”
“I will!” Willow told her, bouncing up the stairs to clean her room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Willow walked home with Xander after seeing Tara home.
“So, they’re moving in with you?” Xander asked.
“Yep. And they’re going to start school with us on Monday.” Willow said, grinning.
“So, is these are the same cousins we played with when we were five?” Xander asked.
“Yep. Gosh, I haven’t seen them in almost a year.” Willow said.
“Well, I haven’t seen them since your fifteenth birthday party.” Xander said.
“I wonder how much they’ve changed.”
“I guess you’ll find out tonight.” Xander said.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was six o’clock. Willow waited in the living room, fidgeting nervously. She heard a car horn and stood up, running to the front door. A black SUV pulled into the driveway. Willow called to her parents, and ran outside to stand on the front porch.
A woman with sandy brown hair got out of the driver’s side. She leaned over into the car again, obviously talking to someone. She stood up again and shut the door, shaking her head. A boy jumped out of the back, a grin on his face. A girl with blond hair got out of the car, scowling.
Willow watched as the woman and the girl argued. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it probably wasn’t good.
‘This is going to be interesting.’ Willow thought.
Chapter 2: The Arrival by Ellie D
Chapter 2


Willow was still standing on the porch when her aunt walked over.

“Willow!” she said, holding her arms out.

“Aunt Joyce!” Willow said, hugging her, then turning to the boy, who was fidgeting nervously. “Hi Andrew!”

The boy gave a tiny wave and smile, and Willow tentatively hugged him.

“Are your parents inside?” Joyce Summers asked her.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Ok then. I’m going to go see them. You two need to catch up.” Joyce told her, nodding towards the girl, who was still standing next to the car.

“Ok.”

Joyce went inside. Andrew followed Joyce into the house.

Willow studied the girl, who was leaning against the car, looking the other way. ‘She has definitely changed.’ Willow thought. Gone was the brown hair she used to have, replaced with shiny blonde. Her clothes were revealing and very dark, a big change from the bright colors she used to love. Dark eyeliner rimmed her eyes, and she had gloss on her lips.

Willow walked over to the girl.

“Hey Buffy.”

Buffy Summers looked at Willow. Willow was unsure of her reaction until she smiled.

“Hey Willow. Long time, no see.”

Buffy hugged Willow.

“How’ve you been?” Buffy asked her.

“I’m good. Friends are good, school sucks. You know the drill.” Willow said, laughing.

“I’ve missed you.” Buffy told her.

“I missed you too, Buffy. So, let’s go inside and catch up.”

“Ok. Lead the way!” Buffy said, hooking her arm in Willow’s.

They headed inside, giggling.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Willow sat on her bed eating cookies and talking.

“So, how many guys have you dated?” Buffy asked.

“Well, none really.” Willow told her, blushing.

“None?”

“None. Every time I get close to a guy I either babble, or don’t say anything at all. So, guys really don’t get near me.”

“What about Xander?”

“Xander? No way! I have never thought about him like that. He’s like my brother.”

“Ok, so do you have any crushes?” Buffy asked, grinning.

Willow smiled.

“Not any major ones. But I do kinda like this guy, Oz. He’s in a band. But he’s part of the popular crowd.”

“Have you tried to talk to him?”

“Buffy, didn’t you just hear me say he is part of the popular crowd? I can’t talk to him.” Willow told her.

“So?”

“So? I can’t talk to him. I’m not exactly the most popular or adored girl in school, Buffy. To him, I’m a loser.” Willow said sadly.

“We’ll see.” Buffy said mischievously.

Willow grinned and shook her head.

“What about you? Any boyfriends?”

Buffy sighed.

“A few. One major one.”

“Tell, tell!” Willow said.

“His name is Angel Salvatore. We dated for about six months. Let’s just say, after him, I’m not gonna let myself get serious with any guy for a while.” Buffy smiled sadly.

“What happened?” Willow asked, concerned.

“Ha! Where do I begin? Well, he stayed drunk all the time, and cheated on me with the school slut, only after sleeping with me. And he was pretty much the main reason for my expulsion from Hemery.”

Willow stared at her, mouth hanging open.

“Will? You ok?” Buffy asked, waving her hand in front of her face.

“Wow, Buffy. You’ve been through hell.” Willow told her.

“Yeah, well, I’m ok.” Buffy said, sounding not too sure.

“Right! Everything will be good here. You can sorta start over, I guess.” Willow told her, beaming.

“Yep. Come Monday, I start over.” Buffy said, then added, “I can’t afford to get kicked out of this school.”

“Can I ask you something?” Willow asked, tentatively.

“Sure.”

“Why were you and your mom arguing?”

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“We were fighting because I didn’t want to move here.”

“Oh.” Willow replied, sounding sad.

“Not because of you or anything. I just-I had to leave behind friends, or what few I had left, and now I have to start all over again, and it sucks. I have almost two months of schoolwork to catch up. I mean my grades were never really outstanding at Hemery, but here? I don’t think I can do it.” Buffy told her sadly.

“Sure you can. I can help you. And maybe Xander and Tara can come over and we could have a study group thing.” Willow said brightly.

“Really? That would be so helpful!” Buffy said, starting to cheer up.

“You betcha. So, what do you wanna know about the high school?” Willow said, grabbing a cookie off of the plate.

Buffy thought a moment, then her face brightened.

“How are the guys?”
Chapter 3: First Day is Hell by Ellie D
Chapter 3


Monday morning, Buffy woke up to a shrill beeping. She groaned and rolled over to smack the alarm clock. There was a knock on the door and Willow bounced in. She greeted the blonde cheerfully.

“Wake up, sleepyhead. Time for school!”

Buffy pulled the covers over her head. Willow walked over and yanked them off.

“Go ‘way! I wanna sleep.” Buffy whined.

“Nope. You gotta go to school. Aren’t you excited?” Willow asked giggling.

“About school? Oh, yeah. Happiness abounds.” Buffy replied mockingly.

“Come on and get dressed! ‘Sides, if you wanna sleep, sleep in class.” Willow told her, then added, “Though I don’t recommend that on your first day.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

“Ok.” Willow replied, leaving the room.

Buffy groaned and got up. She took a shower and dried her hair. She went back to her room, and searched her closet for something to wear. She finally settled on a red plaid skirt and a black halter. She put on her makeup, lining her eyes carefully, and applied a shiny pink gloss to her lips. She examined herself in the mirror. Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her book bag and headed downstairs.

Willow was waiting for her when she got downstairs. She told her mom a quick goodbye and left with Willow.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The A-group sat in the quad around the fountain chatting. The A-group, as everyone in the school called them, consisted of the most popular students at Sunnydale High. Cordelia Chase was the reigning queen, and was constantly followed by Harmony Kendall and Devon McCalister, the king, followed by Charles Gunn and Riley Finn. Then there were Spike and Oz, who did not really follow any of them, but were popular all the same.

Spike walked up and greeted the group. They started talking about Spike and Oz’s gig at the Bronze coming up that night. Devon and Riley jogged over. Devon grabbed Cordelia and gave her a kiss.

“Hey, did you hear? There’s a new girl.” Riley told them.

“Ooh. Really? Maybe we should give her ‘the test’.” Cordelia said.

“Yeah, before the geeks grab her.” Harmony said, giggling.

“Has anyone seen her yet?” Spike asked, curiously.

“No.”, they answered.

“Wait, there she is.” Riley said, pointing to a blonde girl in a plaid skirt walking up the stairs to the building.

“She’s hot!” Devon said.

Cordelia smacked him on the chest.

“Sorry, baby.” Devon apologized, giving her another kiss.

“She has definite potential to be one of us. Harm and I will check her out.” Cordelia said.

The bell rang and they got up to head to their class.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy walked up the stairs towards the office. She had separated from Willow a few minutes ago, to go see the principal for her schedule.

She heard the bell ring, and the hall got empty. Buffy stood there a minute, trying to remember Willow’s directions to the office. She started to move when she heard a voice.

“Are you looking for something?”

Buffy turned around and found herself looking at a pretty brunette and a leggy blonde girl.

“Uh, yeah. I’m looking for the principal. I’m new.” Buffy stated.

“We can show you.”

Cordelia and Harmony grabbed each of Buffy’s arms and headed down the hallway.

“I’m Harmony.”, the blonde introduced herself. She nodded to Cordelia. “That’s Cordelia.”

“So, new, huh. Where are you from?” Cordelia asked.

“LA.”

“LA? That is so cool!” Harmony gushed.

“Well, you’re from LA. So you definitely have coolness potential.”

“That’s so great.” Buffy said sarcastically, almost laughing when she realized the girls failed to catch it. She played along, answering their questions even though she knew there was no way she was going to hang out with them.

“If you hang with me and mine, you’ll be accepted in no time. Well, we have to test your coolness factor. So, let’s see. Vamp nail polish.”

“Over?” Buffy said, tentatively.

“So over!” Harmony said, rolling her eyes, as Buffy had to bite her lip to contain her laughter.

‘God, how stupid are they? Buffy thought.

“James Marsters.”

“Major hottie!” Buffy said, grinning.

‘Well, it’s the truth!’ Buffy thought.

“Frappachinos.”

“Trendy, but tasty.” Buffy answered, now beginning to wonder if they actually knew where the office was located.

“John Tesh.”

“The Devil.”

Cordelia laughed at her answer.

“That was pretty much a gimme.” Cordelia said.

“But, you passed!” Harmony said, giggling.

“Oh goody!” Buffy said, putting her hand on her forehead in mock relief.

The girls finally stopped in front of a door that read, Principal Snyder.

“You should eat lunch with us. Meet the rest of the gang.” Cordelia suggested.

“Ok. I’ll try.” Buffy answered.

“Bye!” Harmony said, as she and Cordelia walked away.

Buffy looked at the door and took a deep breath.

‘Can’t be any worse than their test.’, she thought as she walked in.

~*~*~*~*~

Principal Snyder sat behind his desk, looking over Buffy’s transcripts. After a few minutes of careful inspection, he placed the papers on his desk and looked at Buffy.

“So, can I get my schedule?” Buffy asked, eager to get away from the weasely man.

“You’re a troublemaker.”, he said simply.

Buffy shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

“That’s your opinion.”, she replied coolly.

“You burned down the Hemery High gym.”

“There was a good reason.” Buffy said.

“Really? And what would that be?”

“It was full of vampi-“ Buffy started, but caught herself. “Asbestos.”

‘That was close. Don’t need the weasel to have a reason to send me to a shrink.’ Buffy thought, mentally scolding herself.

Snyder looked at her, smiling evilly.

“You cause the slightest bit of trouble here, and I will enjoy kicking you out.”

“I just got here, you can’t-“ Buffy started, but was cut off by Snyder.

“I can, Miss Summers, and I will. Now, go. Your schedule is with the secretary. Don’t let the door hit you too hard on the way out.”

Buffy stood up angrily, gathering her things, and stomped out the door.

On her way out of the office, a guy bumped into her, sending the contents of her book bag onto the floor. Buffy sighed, and leaned down to get her things. Another guy walked over and helped her gather her things. Buffy looked up, seeing bleach blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Uh, thanks.” Buffy told him.

“No problem, luv.”

“I’m Buffy, I’m new. As if you couldn’t tell.”, she said, chuckling.

“I noticed. Spike.”, the boy answered.

“Excuse me?” Buffy asked, confused.

“I’m Spike.”

“Oh.”

Buffy shoved her books into her bag and stood up.

“I gotta go. Nice meeting you.” Buffy said.

“Yeah. I’ll see you around then?” Spike answered questioningly.

“Sure.” Buffy answered distractedly, and walked off.
Spike looked down as he turned to leave, and saw a stake on the floor. He picked it up, and started to shout after Buffy, but she had turned the corner. Spike looked at the stake, and shrugged, shoving it in the pocket of his duster.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sat in History class, taking down notes.

“Now, if you would all turn to page 57 in your text…”

Buffy looked around, hoping that a textbook would magically appear at her side.

“Here.”

Buffy looked up at the girl offering to share her textbook.

“Thanks.” Buffy whispered.

The teacher went on, until the bell rang. Buffy stood, and started to head out, but stopped to talk to the girl.

“Oh, hey, thanks for sharing your book.” Buffy said.

The girl looked up and smiled.

“Your welcome. I’m Tara.”

“Buffy.”

“If you’re looking for a textbook, you can find one in the library. I show you, if you want.”

They walked out of the classroom and down the hall. Buffy saw Willow at the other end, and started to call to her, when she saw Cordelia walk up to her. Buffy heard Cordelia make an insulting remark about Willow’s outfit. Willow looked down and made her way down the hall. Cordelia smiled and headed over to Buffy.

“Why are you walking with this loser?” Cordelia asked, pointing to Tara.

Tara’s eyes widened as she looked at Buffy.

“Tara is taking me to the library.” Buffy stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

“She would know where it is.” Cordelia scoffed, glaring at Tara, who was staring down at the floor.

Cordelia grabbed Buffy’s arm.

“I’ll take you.”

By then, a crowd had gathered around the trio, including Spike. Buffy wrenched her arm away from Cordelia.

“No. That’s ok.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, that’s ok. You have trouble hearing?” Buffy said.

“You would do well not to piss me off.” Cordelia answered, voice low.

“Oh, really?” Buffy said, moving closer, so she was inches away from the brunette.

“Really. I have influence and power here. I could make your life a living hell. Don’t. Push. Me.” Cordelia told her, poking her chest.

“Don’t touch me.” Buffy warned.

Cordelia crossed her arms over her chest.

“It’s your choice. Walk with her, and you will spend the rest of your life a loser.”

Buffy looked at Cordelia, then burst out laughing.

“Right.” Buffy said, then turned to Tara. “Let’s go.”

“Don’t walk away from me!” Cordelia yelled.

Buffy looked at Cordelia one last time, backing away. Just as she started to turn the corner, she gave Cordelia the finger, causing the entire hallway to erupt into laughter and yells. Cordelia stood there, mouth hanging open, as Spike walked up next to her.

“Spike. Do something. Make her pay!” Cordelia hissed at him.

“Sorry, luv.” Spike said, walking away. “Not my fight.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Tara entered the library laughing.

“I can’t believe you stood up to her like that.” Tara said.

“Why wouldn’t I? She was being a bitch.”

“Most people here don’t dare to stand up against her and her friends. They have ways of making your life miserable. Me being a good example.” Tara told her.

Buffy shook her head.

“I knew this place would be horrible.”

“It’s not that bad, Buffy. If you just sorta lay low and all, it’s not bad.” Tara told her, smiling.

Buffy smiled back.

“How can you be so upbeat and calm? If I were you back there, I would have decked the bitch.”

“I’ve learned to ignore it. Try not to let it bother me.”

Buffy nodded.

“Well, I should get to class. The librarian should be in here somewhere.” Tara told her, turning to leave.

“Ok. Thanks a lot.”

Tara waved, and slipped through the double doors. Buffy wandered over to the counter, looking around, when she spotted a newspaper. On the front page was a picture of two little boys, circled with a red marker. Buffy stared at the picture for a minute, then shrugged, turning away.

“Hello? Is anybody here?”

A man walked out from behind the stacks, causing Buffy to jump.

“Oh, anybody’s here.”

The man looked at her a moment, walking down the steps to stand in front of her.

“Miss Summers?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess I’m the only new girl, huh?”

“Rupert Giles. I was told you would be here.”

Giles walked behind the counter, digging through the shelves.

“I’m looking for a book, actually-“ Buffy started, looking at the man curiously.

“Yes. I have what you’re looking for.”, Giles said, standing up, and placing a large book on the counter.

Buffy looked down at the book, the word Vampyre standing out, causing her to back away.

“No. That’s not what I’m looking for.” Buffy said, voice shaky.

“Are you sure?” Giles asked, eyebrows knitted together.

“I’m definitely sure.” Buffy answered, still backing away.

The man shrugged, and bent down to place the book under the counter. He stood up, addressing Buffy, but paused when he realized she had left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two girls walked through the locker room.

“The new girl? She seems really weird to me. And what kind of name is Buffy, anyway?”

Another girl walks by.

“Hey Aphrodisia!”

“Oh hey!” Aphrodisia answers.

The two girls stop in front of their lockers, placing their bags on the bench.

“Well, I hear she was kicked out of her old school for starting fights. I mean, did you hear what happened with Cordelia earlier?”, the other girl, Aura, said.

“Oh yeah. But she was really kicked out for fights?” Aphrodisia asked.

“Yep. And I hear she tried to burn down the school!” Aura added.

“No way!”

Aura started to open her locker door.

“Yes! Well, I heard it from Blu, who said-“

As Aura opened the locker door, a body fell out on top her. Everyone started screaming.
Chapter 4: Morbid much? by Ellie D
Chapter 4
Buffy walked out onto the quad, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. She spotted Willow sitting next to the fountain, and headed over.

“Hey Will.” Buffy greeted, sitting down next to her.

Willow looked up.

“Hey Buffy! So, how’s your first day?”

Buffy grimaced, pulling out a pudding pack.

“It sucks so far. I’m sure you heard about the Cordelia thing.”

Willow nodded.

“Yep. It went around school so fast you wouldn’t believe.”

Tara walked up and sat down beside Buffy.

“Hey Tara.” Buffy greeted.

Tara waved and smiled.

“So I see you two met already.” Willow stated.

Buffy and Tara nodded.

“That’s great! Now, you have to meet Xander and Jesse!” Willow said, excitedly.

Just as Willow spoke, two guys walked over.

“Speak of the devil.” Willow said, grinning.

“Hey Will. What’s up?” Xander said, nodding towards Buffy.

“Xander, Jesse, this is Buffy, my cousin from LA.”

Xander and Jesse waved.

“So, I heard about you and Cordelia.” Jesse said.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Everyone has.” Tara said, smiling.

“So, what happened? Did you really stand up to her?” Xander asked.

“Yeah. Someone had to. She was dissing Tara for taking me to the library. Speaking of library, what’s the deal with the librarian?” Buffy asked.

Willow grinned.

“Oh, he just moved here. He’s from England. I heard he was the curator of a British museum, or the British museum. But he has all these really cool books, and-“ Willow stopped at the looks from the others, then added, “Am I the single most boring person alive?”

“Not at all.” Buffy told her.

“Well, we want to welcome you, make you feel like home…unless you have a scary home…” Jesse said, trailing off.

“So, what do you do for fun? What do you like? What do you look for in a man? Come on, let’s hear it.” Xander said, jumping up on the wall beside the fountain.

“Yeah, like, do you have any deep, dark secrets you’d like us to publish?” Jesse asked, smiling.

“Gee, everyone wants to know about me.” Buffy said sarcastically.

“Well, not much happens here in a one Starbucks town like Sunnydale. You’re big news.” Xander said.

“No, I’m not. Really.”

Buffy turned back to her pudding, trying to get the last bit out, when she realized everyone had gotten quiet. She looked up to see Spike standing in front of her, the others staring at him in shock.

“Hey all.” Spike said.

“Hey.” Buffy replied, and the others nodded and waved.

“Well, I came over to give you this.” Spike said, pulling the stake out of his pocket.

Buffy’s eyes widened, as the others looked at it curiously.

“The only thing I can figure, is that you’re going to build a really tiny fence.” Spike said, letting the stake dangle in front of him.

Buffy snatched the stake from Spike hands, laughing nervously.

“Oh, no. It’s a weapon. Everyone has one in LA. Pepper spray is so passé.” Buffy said, shoving the piece of wood into her bag.

Before anyone had the chance to respond, Cordelia walked up to stand next to Spike.

“Are they bothering you?”, she asked Spike.

“No, Cordy. I came to return something to Buffy here.” Spike told her, rolling his eyes.

“Hi Cordelia.” Jesse said, standing next to her.

“Ugh.” Cordelia scoffed, then turned to Spike.

“Did you hear?”

“Hear what?” Spike asked.

“Aura found a dead guy stuffed in her locker.”

This caught Buffy’s attention, and she looked up.

“Dead?”

“Yeah. Totally dead. Way dead.” Cordelia said, liking the attention the others were giving her.

“So, not just a little dead then?” Xander asked, smirking.

“Don’t you have an elsewhere to be?” Cordelia asked, tossing her hair.

“Look, if you need a shoulder to cry on, or maybe to nibble on…” Jesse said.

Buffy ignored the others and focused on Cordelia.

“What did the body look like?”

“Excuse me?” Cordelia asked, as everyone stared at Buffy.

“Were there any marks?”

“I don’t know! Eww. Morbid much?” Cordelia answered.

Buffy glances around, inwardly wincing at the looks everyone was giving her.

“Uh, I gotta jet. See you guys later.” Buffy said, quickly walking away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The hallway was quiet. Buffy stood in front of the locker room door. She looked around, satisfied that no one was there, and reached out, grasping the door handle, breaking it. She walked inside, and quietly shut the door behind her.

‘Please, please, please don’t let it be what I think it is.’ Buffy thought.

She stood in front of the covered body. She kneeled down, and taking a deep breath, pulled the sheet down to expose the boy’s face and neck. There were two holes on one side of the neck. Seeing this, Buffy sat back, shaking her head.

“Shit!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Outside of the locker room, a figure came out from behind a large potted plant. He watched as she had broken the locked door handle with a flick of her wrist.

When she had entered the room, closing the door behind her, he walked over, and quietly cracked the door open, allowing him enough room to see her. He saw Buffy kneeling over the covered body, and uncovering it. He heard her exclamation at seeing the cause of death.

‘So, she’s not as blind about it as we thought she was.’

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy walked into the library, the doors swinging shut behind her.

“Ok. What’s the sitch?” Buffy yelled.

Giles came out of his office, book in hand.

“Excuse me?”

Buffy tossed her things onto the table.

“You heard about the dead guy, right? Cos it’s funny. He has two little holes on the side of his neck and all of his blood’s been drained.” Buffy said, walking up to stand in front of Giles. “Isn’t that bizarre? Aren’t you just going, ‘oooh’?”

Giles nodded, taking his glasses off to clean them.

“I was afraid of this.”

Buffy threw her hands in the air.

“Well, I wasn’t. It’s my first day! I was afraid I’d be behind in all of my classes, that I’d have last month’s hair, or that I wouldn’t make any friends. But I didn’t think there’d be vampires on campus.” Buffy shouted, then added. “And you know what? I don’t care.”

“Then why are you here?” Giles asked, placing his glasses on his face.

Buffy looked at Giles, mouth opening and closing.

“To tell you that…I don’t care. And I don’t! And I have now told you. So I’m gonna go now.” Buffy said, grabbing her bag and turning to leave.

“Will he rise again?”

Buffy stopped, and turned around.

“No.”

“Are you sure?” Giles asked.

“I’m sure. For a person to become a vampire, they have to suck your blood. Then you have to suck their blood. It’s a whole big sucking thing.” Buffy told him, then grimaced. “Why am I still talking to you?”

She turned to leave again, when Giles stopped her.

“You really have no idea what’s going on, do you?”

Buffy looked at Giles.

“You think this is a coincidence? Your being here? That boy is just the beginning.” Giles told her.

“Why can’t you people just leave me alone?” Buffy asked.

“Because you are the Slayer. The one girl in all the world with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires and stop the spread of their evil-“

“Blah, blah, blah.” Buffy said, cutting off Giles. “I’ve heard it already.”

Giles shook his head.

“I really don’t understand this attitude. You-you’ve accepted your duty, you’ve slain vampires…”

“And I have both been there and done that. And I’m not doing it again.” Buffy told him.

“What do you know about this town?” Giles asked, going into his office.

Buffy roll her eyes.

“It’s two hours on the freeway from Neiman Marcus?”

Giles came back out with a stack of books.

“Look into the history of this place and you will find numerous accounts of odd occurrences. Now, I believe that this whole area is a center of mystical energy,” Giles started, setting the books down on the table, before continuing. “Things gravitate towards it that you may not find elsewhere.”

“Like vampires.” Buffy said, picking up a book, and flipping through it.

Giles nodded, coming back from the office with another stack of books, which he began to place in Buffy’s arms.

“Like zombies, werewolves, incubi, succubi, everything you’ve always dreaded was under your bed, but told yourself couldn’t be by the light of day. It’s all real.”

Buffy juggled the books in her arms, and tossed them on the table.

“Ok, first of all, I’m a vampire slayer. And secondly, I’m retired. Hey, I know! Why don’t you kill them?” Buffy asked.

Giles looked at her dumbfounded.

“No. I can’t. I’m a Watcher. A slayer slays, while a watcher…”

“Watches?” Buffy asked.

“Yes. No!” Giles answered, shaking his head. “He trains her, he prepares her…”

“Prepares me for what, exactly? For getting kicked out of school? For spending every moment fighting for my life, and not being able to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Go ahead…prepare me.” Buffy said.

Giles stood silent. Buffy shook her head, and stalked out of the library.

“Damn!”

Giles leaves to go after her. Xander comes out from behind the stacks, book in hand.

“What?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles caught up with Buffy in the hallway.

“It’s getting worse!”, he hissed.

Buffy stopped walking.

“What’s getting worse?”

“The influx of the undead. The supernatural occurrences, they’ve been building up for years. There’s a reason why you’re here, and the reason why is now!” Giles told her in a low voice.

“Yeah, because now is the time when my mom moved here.” Buffy replied.

Giles shook his head.

“Something’s coming. Something…is going to happen here soon.”

“Could you be any more vague?” Buffy asked.

“The signs, as far as I can tell, point to a crucial, mystical upheaval, very soon. Days. Possibly less.” Giles told her.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on. This is Sunnydale. How bad an evil can there be?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Underneath Sunnydale, there is a large cave lit with candles. Vampires with tirches are gathered around. There is another vampire, kneeling in front of a large puddle of water, chanting.

“The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake, and the whole world will bleed. Amen!”
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