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Author's Chapter Notes:
A/n: This chapter was a little harder to write, simply because I am trying to still introduce and cement my origin stories, or return to other characters. If it is a little long, I apologize. I will also try to put more action into some future chapters.

Spike & Buffy are a little OOC, as are some other familiar faces, but since this is an AU tale, I am not apologizing for that.
XXXXXXXXXXXX

Willow Rosenberg (or, a "White One" as she was known in some circles,) walked into the cafeteria at Sunnydale U the next morning, her mind brimming with excitement over the electric charge she felt whenever something big prophecy wise was happening.

She grabbed her tray with her fruit salad on it, thinking about her place in the events coming together and was so focused on what she needed to do that she didn't see Wesley walking over to where Anya sat. They bumped into each other, the latter dropping his container of milk onto the floor.

"Oh!" Willow cried, bending down to retrieve it. "Sorry. Wasn't looking where I was going."

"That's okay," Wesley told the redhead. He looked at the small book she carried. "Is that yours?" he asked as he stared at the title, "A History of The Chosen."

"W-what?" Willow asked.

She peered at her book, thinking that it might be perceived as a strange tome for a medical student to be carrying. Before her mind could come up with a suitable reply, Wesley spoke again.

"I rather like studying things about otherworldly events in my time," he said softly.

Willow studied the thin, bookish looking man with the deep blue eyes. "You sit behind me in my English class," she remarked. Wesley nodded.
"Yes, I do, although the individual they got to teach English should be flogged for messing up the language," he commented.

Willow laughed. Just then, Anya came up behind him and placed a hand on Wesley's shoulder. She stared pointedly at the White One.

"Wesley," the former Vengeance Demon said in a voice that was deceptively sweet, "aren't you gonna introduce us?"

She sized up Willow, telling herself that there was nothing to worry about. The redheaded woman couldn't possibly interest her would-be boyfriend.

"Actually, though we share the same English class, I'm not sure who…" Wesley answered.

**Even better,** Anya thought, **that he doesn't know her too well.**

"I'm Willow Rosenberg," Willow said.

Wesley and she shook hands. Anya shook hands with the titian haired young woman, but her touch had been cooler than Wesley's was.

Wesley peered at her more closely. "Do you work in the hospital?" he asked.

Willow smiled, answering, "Yes, I work with Doctor Giles. Do you know him?"

"I've heard the name," the British man told her. "I'm an orderly part time."

"I'm a student nurse," Willow responded. Anya found herself wishing that she had her Vengeance Powers so that she could do something to nip this mutual exchange of information in the bud. In the scant hours since she and Wesley had met, the girl wanted him for herself, and no one would come between them, she had decided.

"Do you want me to leave so that you two can get a room?" Anya asked bluntly.

Wesley stared at her, then looked sheepishly at Willow. Willow hid a smile, not in the least embarrassed by her frankness or the little green eyed monster Anya was currently courting.

"Hey, it's okay, nothing personal. Strictly business," she told the potential couple. She moved off, her "Spidey sense" going into overdrive.

Wesley and Anya apparently had their place in the events surrounding Sunnydale in the days to come. Willow would do well to keep a discrete eye on them.
The White One was still sensing something when she was clear across the room. She looked about, trying to see what was making the hairs on her arm stand on end. It wasn't until her eyes scanned the tiny television screen on the wall that more pieces in the "prophecy puzzle" started coming together.

The screen revealed a very young, non-descript looking student in a trenchcoat. His face was somber; his well modulated voice had announced that he was Chet Springley.

"I'm here now at the scene of a real mystery at Sunnydale U. At approximately four PM yesterday, the bus containing the swim team allegedly vanished without a trace. If you will recall, the bus had been sighted just before the possible disappearance at the Sunnydale Gym and Recreation Center, where the swim team was gathering for a match against CU Sacramento.

"Campus police are here now and we are trying to get a statement," Chet reported as he turned to a Korean man with graying hair. "We're talking now to Campus Police Chief Nguyen Sun, who has not been able to provide any further evidence concerning the alleged disappearance of the swim team students, is that right, Chief?" Chet wanted to know.

"That is correct," the Chief confirmed. "All we know is that at 4:05PM yesterday, the Sunnydale Gym and Recreation Center reported that one of their operatives saw the bus 'disappear'. Another co worker who was with the first witness saw the exact same event."

Chet frowned, commenting, "A bus just disappearing…that's a pretty big supposition. How do they know it didn't just run off the road?"

"Supposedly, another man took a videotape of the occurrence," Chief Sun reported. "We should be able to secure the tape if in fact there is one, and we should also be able to check the evidence; however, I am not at liberty to state what will and will not be released to either the news media or the general public at this time. I will say however that the preliminary evidence we gathered at the scene didn't indicate signs of a crash or an explosion, or any data which is typical in a case such as this."

Chet said, "Thank you, sir. One more question, although this happened during the daylight hours, is there any reason to suspect that this could be tied into the Vampire Beast sightings given that the creature allegedly attacks young people?"

The Chief gave Chet a censuring look. "I am not at liberty to address that question, since at this time, as I am reiterating, we don't have enough evidence," he said. Chet turned back to the camera.

"Well, you've heard it here first, from Campus News. We will continue to update you on the situation. If anyone has any information concerning this ongoing investigation, please call either Campus Security at 508-555-6073, or your local police," Chet instructed.

As the student reporter's image was replaced by a report about an upcoming basketball game's cancellation, Willow's worried look met Anya's and Wesley's equally worried expressions. Her eyes told them that maybe they should all compare notes. The events surrounding Sunnydale were growing exponentially worse.

XXXXXXXXXX

In her dorm room, Cordelia put the finishing touches on her highlighted hair. She prepared to go meet her substitute Math teacher when there was a knock on the door. The brunette opened the door to a crying Harmony, who brushed past her best friend and flopped down on Cordy's bed.

"Harmony," Cordelia asked, "what's wrong?"

"Oh, Cordy!" Harmony wailed. "You didn't see the Campus News? Something happened to the swim team! They just were gone! My boyfriend, Jacques Maracques, was on the bus. He was the one I told you about, whose father was Stefan Maracques, of Maracques Cosmetics in LA and Paris?"

Cordelia cast her mind back to when she and Harmony had discussed Harm's makeup that day, which the brunette had said was "killer". Her rich blonde friend had talked about taking Cordy to Paris as her special guest.

Cordelia was up for any chance she could to elevate herself in the world. Now it looked like, thanks to something happening to Jacques, she would never get the chance to go to Paris.

"What happened, Harm?" Cordy asked, hoping that what her friend had to tell her wasn't too bad.

"He and the other team members vanished!" Harmony shouted. Placing her hands on her hips, she flounced her long, platinum hair as she spoke. "I mean, this is just like him, to pull a stunt like this! He knew I wanted to meet his dad in Paris!"

Cordelia thought about her ex boyfriend, Xander, who was the second-in-command in the team. She hoped that something hadn't happened to him. It would have been bad if the team had initiated a cruel joke, but what if the Vampire Beast had gotten them?

She felt a little guilty just then about ending things with him. If she hadn't broken up with him, he might not have felt the need to go on the swim meet trip. On the other hand, though, things could have happened the same way. Who was to know?

"I know it's hard," Cordelia found herself saying. "But, maybe we could go window shopping. I just saw a dress with your name on it in the boutique where my sister works, and I don't have any other classes. You up for it?"

Harmony considered her best friend's words. Boys could come and go, but like eternal Paris, there was always shopping. "Let's go," Harmony decided. "In fact, I'll treat you to some Maracques makeup!" The two friends linked hands and left Cordelia's dorm room.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Later that afternoon, Riley looked at the display on his GPS screen near his dashboard. It wouldn't be long before he and his men found out where Buffy was headed and, if she was indeed visiting the Vampire Beast, kill the criminal or, his personal favorite, let the scientists at the base insert a chip into his brain then ship him off to some Middle Eastern Diplomat with money and power.

The Commander smiled, thinking about Buffy's show of gratitude. Oh, they hadn't had sexual relations yet, but he had been thinking about that lately. Riley could tell by Buffy's kisses that she had him on her mind, too.

She would be so grateful that he, her knight in shining armor, saved her that she would reward him by molding her naked body to his. He pictured her lips, her whispers, her soft caress and felt himself grow hard.

"Sir!" a Lieutenant's Tennessee drawl came over the loudspeaker. Riley reached over to the "on" switch and activated it.

"Yes, what is it, Lieutenant Townes?" Riley asked.
In the jeep directly behind Riley's, Lieutenant Jeremy Townes said in a somber voice, "We've lost the signal."

"What do you mean, you've 'lost the signal'"? Riley demanded.

The Lieutenant sighed. Computer glitches, though they were commonplace, were always a nightmare. He punched buttons, checking the system as much as he could in a moving vehicle. His surprise was evident as he noticed that the signal was beeping stronger than ever.

"Nothing, sir," the Lieutenant reported. "Just a glitch. The signal is registering again. The town is approximately three-point-oh-five miles from our position."

"Good work, Townes," Riley said in a tone that was neither praising nor censuring the junior officer. "Once we do what we came to do, I want a detailed check of all systems."

The Lieutenant replied in the affirmative and switched off the com link. He sighed again, his eyes falling on the systems that would have to be double and triple scanned for any trouble. He was very much an action man, but Townes hadn't been hired for his brawn so much as for his knowledge of computers and tracking systems. If there was a malfunction, he was duty bound to see what the trouble was and correct it without fail.

Presently, the jeeps turned on the exit to Williamstown and drove around the curving road leading into the area. They turned left, right, and left again, continuing down the only road into town for several minutes.

Riley looked for any signs of houses or the like, but he and his troops only saw trees on the sides surrounding the road. He was frustrated as he remembered that the sign had read that there were only 150 in the whole town. They had driven long enough to find the town's location at least once, so where could it be?

Private Jones, who sat next to Lieutenant Townes, pointed to a sign that read "Williamstown". Finally! Lieutenant Townes thought. He activated his com link.

"Commander! Follow me!" The Lieutenant drove a little past Riley, going down a dirt road on his left. The other three vehicles followed…and promptly found themselves at the location where the exit sign had been.

**What's going on?** Riley thought. **We didn't miss this; I know we didn't!**

Aloud, he barked the order to his officers to find a second exit. After driving for another twenty minutes, the officers found a second exit, and still ended up back at their starting point.

Riley swore, growing more livid with each passing turn. He guessed that someone, or something, was controlling things so that they were missing Williamstown all together. He forced himself to calm down.

"Men!" he barked to his officers. "Return to base! We'll rendevous at the lab at 11:00 hours!" He turned his jeep in the opposite direction from the exit, his men following close behind.

Enjoy your little magic trick, Riley thought. I'll find out what your secret is, and one day soon, Mr. Beast, you won't be so lucky!

Looking briefly at Riley and his men on his rear view mirror, Giles laughed softly. His cloaking spells were second-to-none. His teacher, Merrick, had instructed him well. The British White One thought about his mentor and felt a pinch of sadness. At least Merrick's work had not died with him. Giles continued on to his appointment.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

In Spike's gymnasium, Buffy pulled out a dull object resembling a stake and proceeded to stab the vampire. Spike easily stepped to the side, shaking his head.

The sweating girl wiped a big drop off of her face and fixed him with a glare.

"Now what?" Buffy yelled, exasperated. "We've been doing this for over an hour."

Spike glanced at the clock on his wall. "Beg to differ, pet," he said. "We've only been doin' this for approximately fourty-five minutes an' thirty seconds."

Buffy placed her hands on her hips and said, "Oh, geez. I'm so sorry about the glaring error in time!"
Spike was in no joking mood. "Yeh?" he countered. "Well, lion cub, they won't give you extra time to make an error like you did!"

"I don't even see what difference this makes!" the girl protested. "It's not like I'll be staking anything unless it attacks my family."

The vampire studied her, cocking his head to one side. Buffy was struck all of a sudden to how similar his gesture was to her handsome dream hero.

"You really don't sense it, do you?" Spike asked her.

"Sense what?" Buffy responded, totally confused.

She glanced around for a towel and, seeing one on the wall, grabbed it. Wiping her face, she watched Spike, who now looked incredulous.

"You," he said. "You're one o' them."

"One of what?" Buffy asked.

"One o' those Forces against Evil, or the like," he said. "Spotted that right off."

He proceeded to tell her about the Legend of the White Ones.

"…although," he finished, "never heard of one of them usin' brute strength like you do."

"But, how do you know I'm one of those White Ones?" Buffy asked, still perplexed.

Spike pointed to his forehead. "C'n sense you, kitten," he said. "Your energy's so powerful, it's downright scary!" He smirked just then.

"Of course, for me, I'm not easily scared," he added, smiling with his mouth closed.

Buffy grimaced, saying, "Attracted, more like."

Spike grinned with full canines that time. "Yeh," he said.

Buffy rolled her eyes, thinking, great, now I have a horny vampire. She found that she wasn't scared or even disgusted, but was wondering what sex with a vampire could be like, even with one who looked as unattractive as Spike with his bumpy game face and sallow complexion. The teenage girl decided that she had best stick to business rather than pleasure.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath, "what exactly was wrong with my stakeage?"

He came behind her and took the hand holding the pretend-stake in his. Although his fingers were cold, Buffy felt a warm sensation radiating up her spine and the most delicious tingling throughout her body.

Not even Riley or her dream man had inspired feelings with such intensity before, though her platinum blond hero came in at a close second.
He pulled the hand higher so that the round-tipped weapon brushed the middle of his chest.

"You want to live an' save everyone, you don't miss where a vampire's heart is," he told her. "You also need to apply a lot more force like you did yesterday if you're gonna kill one."

He demonstrated the swinging motion for Buffy with gusto. After she practiced the movements he was trying to teach her, Spike turned her around so they faced one another. The dead, living being showed her how to initiate a frontal attack. The young woman absorbed his instructions rapidly.

"You got it, pet," he praised, adding, "you remember the techniques we reviewed; you'll live to see the next sunrise."

Buffy started putting the stake back into her pocket, but his voice stopped her. "One more thing, kitten: try to have the stake in your hand, or at least, pick a hiding place for a weapon that's more readily accessible."

The Creature of the Night pointed to her small round pockets in her front denims, commenting, "I noticed you strugglin' to get the thing out of your jeans just now."

"Got it," Buffy said, demonstrating a much faster withdrawing of the stake from her pocket. When she put it back, she showed him some of her boxing moves which, to Buffy's surprise, Spike matched perfectly.

They fought for almost an hour without speaking; then, when he saw that she needed a breather, the vampire said, "Take a break for ten minutes. 'M gonna go get somethin' to eat." He started to leave when her voice stopped him.

"I really felt like I was accomplishing something today," she told him honestly. The revenant turned around, again cocking his head to the side.

"You don't feel that way often?" he asked. Buffy shook her head. She sat down on a nearby mat. Spike sat next to her.

"It's just that I always feel like I'm defined by the people I'm with, rather than being my own…whatever, y'know?" she questioned. "I'm always 'Joyce's younger daughter', or 'Cordelia's younger sister', or 'Riley's girl'," she said dejectedly. "I mean…I'm almost twenty! I'm too old to be anyone's 'girl'"
.
Spike wondered just then who Riley was. Obviously, he was a boyfriend; anyone as pretty as Buffy would probably have dozens of boyfriends. He didn't know how he felt about that just then, but decided not to analyze his emotions too carefully.

The vampire chuckled, keeping his expression light. "You're still young enough to be a girl, pet," he commented.

Buffy didn't like that he thought of her that way. She glared at him, grinding out, "You know what I mean!" When she realized that this was only their first day in each other's company, she amended, "Well, maybe you don't, but I just am so tired about being in everyone's shadow all the time! Why can't I just be 'Buffy, The Whatever the Hell I'm Supposed to be?'"

Spike thought about his younger sister, Dawn, just then, and how she had felt about the same thing. "Had a sister a long time ago," he told Buffy, staring ahead and remembering Dawn's big, innocent eyes and her long, brown hair.

"She felt the same way," he said. "I c'n still hear the Nibblet, complaining to my Mum about bein' in my shadow. I was much older, y' see."

"How much older?" Buffy asked.

"Ten years her senior," he responded. "On top o' that, she couldn't go where I went because she was supposed to be a 'lady', an' ladies didn't go out."

Buffy looked at him, confused.

"She never left the house?" she asked. Spike looked at her.

"When I was human, 'goin' out' referred to unmarried ladies or ladies-in-training not going out to parties without an escort of some kind, like a brother or a father," he explained.

"Ooohh," Buffy said. She studied him, questioning, "So, you're probably, like, old. How old are you, anyway?"

Spike's response was a dare. "How old do you think, pet?" he queried, wondering if she was smart enough to guess his age.

Buffy said, "Maybe two hundred?" Spike looked insulted.

"'Two hundred?'" He echoed. "'M more modern than that!"

"Hundred and sixty?" Buffy tried again. The revenant smiled.

"Have to say now: you're close," he responded. "Next week'll be my hundred an' twenty first birthday."

"A hundred and twenty one?" Buffy repeated, her eyes widening with shock. "Really?"

Spike crossed his unbeating heart and replied, "Honest injun."

Buffy wrapped her mind around that one. What did one get for one's hundred and twenty first birthday? Why did she even want to know? She looked at the clock in the gym just then and stood.

"Wow! That's...OLD!" The comment slipped out from her lips. Spike gave her a look; Buffy straightened up a moment later.

"I have to get home and start dinner," she said.

Spike got up, his disappointment not showing on his face.

"Din't mean to chase you off, pet," he said.

"You didn't," Buffy tried to assure him. "Mom is still weak from her brain surgery, and Cordy sometimes studies really late. Besides, if you tasted my older sister's cooking, you'd wanna be staked because of food poisoning."

Spike laughed, saying, "You do know I don't need to eat human food, right?"

"Yeah, but irregardless," Buffy said, "you still don't want to subject yourself to her food."

"Next time, I'll introduce you to some of my banana bread," he promised. Buffy's brows drew together.

"You can cook?" she asked.

Spike nodded, telling her, "'S mostly for Wesley, an' for any other guests, like your Mum. Sometimes, I mix the food with my blood for variety. Besides, there's somethin' about Rachel an' Nigella that gets me goin'."

"Mom likes Rachel Ray, too," Buffy said, adding, "but she can't stand Martha Stewart."

"Tha' makes two of us," Spike commented. Buffy walked out of the gym to the front door.

"It's a date," she said, then as his glowing eyes shined brighter, corrected herself by saying, well…not a date date."

She took the rest of her paraphanalia and walked through the front door.

"I read you, kitten," he said, his face showing total amusement. "Till nex' time, then."

Buffy tugged her jacket slightly tighter. When Spike closed the door and she was halfway down his driveway, it occurred to her that she had not asked for any payment from him.

**Oh, well,** she thought, smiling broadly as she walked, next time.

She strode on, finding that she was able to reach the boundary between Williamstown and Sunnydale more quickly than her mother had. Buffy entered her tiny house pleased for the first time in a long time at the lessons she had learned.





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