Xander walked home with his hands in his pockets. Work had been dull. He
didn't know why, but blueprints just didn't give him the high that they
used to. Oh well. It probably had something to do with the imminent
apocalypse. Xander figured he should probably be more worried about it. It
was just that he'd been through so many, the novelty kinda wore off. The
world is ending? Must be Wednesday. The cold night breeze blew, and Xander
pulled his jacket closed. He stared at the ground while he walked. He
wanted to get home, to see Buffy, Dawn and Willow. Even Anya.
"Oh, Gosh, I'm sorry!" Xander exclaimed, as he walked into someone who had been walking in the opposite direction of him. The tall man turned to him.
"Oh, it's no problem. I should probably watch where I'm going." The man said. Xander was instantly jealous of how good-looking the guy was. His dimples made Xander want to...well, not stand next to him.
"Listen, maybe you could help me," The man continued, "I'm not from here, and I'm looking for directions to the Sunnydale Motel."
"Ooh. That I can help you with. You're way off. It's back that way a few blocks." Xander told him. The man looked over his shoulder.
"Oh. Well, don't I look stupid. I'm Michael, by the way." He said, offering his hand to Xander.
"Xander Harris." He replied, shaking it.
"Well...thanks for the directions." Michael told him, turning in the direction of the hotel.
"Don't mention it." Xander replied, as they both went their separate ways. Nice guy, Xander thought to himself, as he continued on to Buffy's. ********
"Vaughn, you there?" Vaughn heard Sydney say into his earphone.
"Yah, go ahead, Syd." He replied, looking to both sides of him.
"Where are you?" Sydney inquired, sounding impatient. Vaughn laughed to himself.
"Actually, I couldn't find the Hotel. But I got directions. I'm heading there now."
"Good, cuz I'm waiting. Kendall has just contacted me. No sign of Sark as of yet... You know, I don't even think he's here. There's NOTHING in this town. How do you like it so far?" Sydney asked him.
"Nice people, here." He remarked, "Syd, I'm at the Hotel now. I'm coming up."
"See you when you get here." Sydney told him, and his set went quiet. Vaughn took the earpiece out of his ear. In the lobby of the motel he found Jack.
"Agent Bristow." Vaughn greeted him, walking up to him.
"You're late, Mr.Vaughn. Kendall has been calling."
"Sydney told me. I...I got lost." Vaughn said, with his shy smile. Jack didn't reply. He looked distant.
"Fascinating." He remarked, dryly, "Yet I can't seem to get a brandy at this establishment." Vaughn smiled.
"Jack, I don't think that this is the place for that." Vaughn told him. Jack frowned.
"No, this doesn't seem to be the place for much of anything, does it?" He remarked, "Sunnydale. What are we doing here?"
"Looking for Sark, remember?" Vaughn reminded him.
"Ah, yes." Jack replied with a bitter smile, "My idea of fun."
"Well, I'm going to get some sleep. You should do the same. We'll meet in the morning for updates." Vaughn said, turning and heading down the hall.
"Mr. Vaughn?" Jack called after him. Vaughn turned back around expectantly.
"Keep in mind that I'm in the next room, and the walls are paper thin. I think that getting that sleep would be the best idea." Jack warned. Vaughn blushed deeply, before nodding and heading for his and Sydney's room.
******
Stupid Buffy. Stupid Willow. Stupid Spike. Stupid Xander, Dawn thought to herself, as she ran down the street. She hated them all. Buffy for treating her like shit. Willow for always agreeing with Buffy. Spike for loving Buffy and not her. Xander for loving Buffy and not her. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. It wasn't like she was going to get lost in Sunnydale. Suddenly, a person stepped out of the bushes in front of her. Dawn screamed.
"Hey, hey, hey...Slow down, miss. Where are you trying to get to in such a hurry?" Asked the man who held her by the shoulders. Dawn tried to catch her breath, as she looked him over. He was good looking, she decided, a little old for her, but still...he had short blond hair that ended in little curls in the back. He was dressed in a suit. Dawn would have liked to have been able to comment to herself something witty, like "Versatchi", but the truth was, there weren't many people with suits in Sunnydale. This man also had a really sexy hint of a British accent. Suddenly, Dawn remembered what she was doing, and pulled violently out of his grasp.
"Sorry. I guess I'm just upset." She remarked, and as she turned to walk away, she felt his hand on her shoulder again.
"Dawn Summers?" He asked her. She stared at him.
"How...How do you know my name?" She stammered. He smiled at her.
"My name is Sark, and I'm going to need you to come with me."
******
"Dawn's been gone for a day!" Willow exclaimed, "How could we have missed that?"
It was the following day, and the gang was at Buffy's house. Dawn hadn't come home.
"We all thought she was at school!" Anya defended herself.
"Where would she have gone?" Xander asked.
"Don't know, don't care." Buffy remarked coldly.
"Buffy, you know that that's not true." Willow insisted. Buffy sighed.
"I know...it's just that, she does this so often, I'm getting so sick of it. I guess... Xander, you check the Bronze, Willow, you check Janice's. Spike, you and I can take the graveyard. Anya..."
"I'll stay here. In case she decides to come back." Anya said. Buffy nodded.
"Ok, let's go."
******
Vaughn, Sydney and Jack met in the lobby.
"Anything?" Vaughn asked, running up.
"Not a thing." Sydney offered, "You?" Michael shook his head.
"I did get a call from Kendall," Jack offered, "It seems that Sloan acquired a Rambaldi manuscript. In it were details about a prophecy...Kendall said that it was unclear, but there was something about Sunnydale and a "Key". They believe that Sark is here to obtain it."
"A key? A key to what?" Sydney asked, confused.
"It's not clear." Jack replied.
"Well...we're all at a dead end, then." Vaughn muttered, frustrated.
"Well, where the hell could Sark hide in a town this small?" Sydney asked. Vaughn shrugged. Jack sighed.
"Syd, your mission is to go to the local location of the teenagers around here. Kendall wants you posing as a juvenile and looking for Sark. If we're lucky, he doesn't even know that we know he's here, and we've got the element of surprise. Agent Vaughn, you'll be checking around town, in the less populated areas. Most likely, Sark will be around people, a fancy hotel would be his style, but seeing as we are in Sunnydale, and there is nothing that can be counted as civilization, he could be anywhere. I'll be checking the more suburban areas, where the majority of people here live." Jack concluded, "Are we clear?"
"Check." Replied Sydney.
"Yes sir." Vaughn said, nodding. *******
Music blared. Xander stepped into the Bronze and was flooded with old memories; the time Buffy had danced illicitly with him on the dance floor, the night when Cordilla broke up with him, the cockroach fumigation parties...Yah, he had some good memories of the place. The lights were dim, and the place was packed with kids.
"God Damn needle in a haystack." Xander muttered to himself. He made his way slowly over to the bar, keeping an eye out for Dawn. All thoughts of her soon vanished, though, when he spotted a woman sitting at a table near the back. She wasn't from around here, you could tell by her style. More sophisticated, worldlier...Xander was impressed. She was hot. Dawn's probably ok, he thought to himself, she's just off with one of her friends. Pushing Dawn out of his head, he made his way over to the girl's table.
"Hi." Xander offered to her, over the music. She smiled a bit. Xander noticed that she had a really beautiful smile. It was kind of shy, and kind.
"Mind if I sit down?" Xander asked her. He instantly saw a look on panic and maybe disappointment in her eyes. Xander Harris, rejected again. Same old song and dance. He sighed.
"You know what, never mind. I didn't mean to intrude..." He started, turning away.
"You're not intruding at all. I'm sorry, I'm just looking for someone." She cut him off. Xander smiled and sat down.
"You know what? Me too." He told her with a smile. The woman laughed.
"Who's your subject?" She asked him, sipping her drink.
"Rebellious angsty teenager." Xander replied, "And yours?"
"Sometimes he acts like a rebellious angsty teenager." She muttered bitterly. Xander laughed.
"Boyfriend?" He asked her. She shook her head.
"You're not from here, are you?" Xander asked her. She shook her head.
"What was your first clue?" She asked him.
"Well, you're sitting here all alone, in the back of the bronze, and frankly, you don't see many classy women here." Xander explained. Oh, there was that smile again.
"Oh, so I have class?" She asked him, grinning.
"Yah...listen, just to be safe, you're not a vampire are you?"
"Excuse me?" She asked with a confused little smile. Xander smiled back.
"Nevermind. Hey, I'm Xander."
"Sydney." She replied, grinning."
******
Graveyards are creepy, Vaughn thought to himself. He couldn't really tell why, but for some reason, especially the ones in Sunnydale. He also couldn't really explain why he was trekking through one, because Sark would never caught dead in a place like this. It was a quiet night, and Vaughn walked along listening to nothing, until he heard shouts.
"Dawn?! Dawn, are you here?" came a voice from the other side of a few trees. The voice sounded like a young woman's, and even though Vaughn was pretty sure that his name wasn't "Don", he thought he'd go and investigate. When he heard the girl scream, he ran faster, through the trees and into the new part of the graveyard. Jeez, how many people die here? He thought to himself as he looked around the new section. Suddenly, he saw them. The girl was on the ground, struggling, underneath a man who looked clearly like he was going to hurt her. Before Vaughn could run over and unleash his CIA combat training on him, a blond man in a long black duster came running over and tackled the guy off of the girl. She leapt to her feet, and ran to the blond guy, who was now punching the assailant very unmercifully. The girl pulled him off the guy.
"This one's personal." She told him.
"Personal?" The man asked her. He had a cocky British accent.
"He ripped my shirt." The girl replied with a shrug. Vaughn watched in awe as the girl ran up a mausoleum, flipped and came down and landed on the other side of the man who had attacked her. Vaughn couldn't believe his eyes. After an amazing hand to hand fight, the girl stabbed the man in the chest with a pointy wooden object. The man exploded into dust. The girl stood up straight and walked back over to her British friend, dusting off her pants as she walked.
"Are you hurt?" He asked her, putting his hand on her shoulder. This is when Vaughn finally got over his shock and went running over. The girl saw him coming and pulled out her sharp wooden thing. Vaughn stopped short.
"Whoa! Whoa, don't stab me, please. I'm CIA.I just.I need to know what the hell you just did." He said, raising his hands in defense. The girl rolled her eyes, and lowered her stake.
"God damn authorities." She muttered to the other man. She looked at Vaughn.
"Well, sorry. What you saw was a figment of your imagination. Or a gang war. Which ever you choose to believe." She turned and started to walk away, but Vaughn stopped her.
"Wait, miss. Listen, I'm not stupid, and I don't need your bullshit. I've had a really hard night, I'm looking for someone, and I can't find him. So I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but I just saw a really weird thing and it would definitely help my ego is you could tell me that it wasn't just my imagination, cuz I think I just saw you kill a vampire. And you are an amazing fighter, the technique. You're really good." He told her, smiling, but still somewhat confused. The girl turned around.
"Do all men think that it's so strange for a girl to actually be able to fight? God, could it be so amazing to see a girl actually be able to defend herself?" She asked, sounding pissed off. Vaughn shook his head.
"No, no. I actually know a girl who could rival you. I was just admiring your skill." The girl sighed.
"Sorry," she said, sounding somewhat apologetic, "It's just that I've had way too many bad experiences with CIA, or police or FBI or whatever. OK, vampires are real, blah, blah, blah, I kill them for a living." The blond man looked impatient.
"C'mon, love. Dawn." He said, nudging her.
"Spike, just a minute." She told him. She turned back to Vaughn, and reached out her hand.
"I'm Buffy. This is Spike. I'm sorry we can't help you, but we're looking for someone, too."
"Dawn, right?" Vaughn asked, shaking her hand. Buffy's eyes widened.
"Yah. How did you."
"I heard you calling her name earlier. I'm Michael." Vaughn replied. Buffy was instantly charmed by his great smile.
"Hi." She said, not letting go of his hand.
"Hi." He said back, grinning. Spike rolled his eyes.
"Earth to Buffy.Dawn, apocalypse.any of this ringing any bells?" He asked her. Buffy let go of Vaughn's hand.
" I have to go." She said. Vaughn nodded.
"Listen, maybe you could show me the way to 'The Bronze'? Someone I know is supposed to be there, and I don't really know the way."
"Actually we're headed there next." Buffy told him smiling, "C'mon."
"Thanks" Vaughn told them both, following them out of the graveyard.
"Oh, Gosh, I'm sorry!" Xander exclaimed, as he walked into someone who had been walking in the opposite direction of him. The tall man turned to him.
"Oh, it's no problem. I should probably watch where I'm going." The man said. Xander was instantly jealous of how good-looking the guy was. His dimples made Xander want to...well, not stand next to him.
"Listen, maybe you could help me," The man continued, "I'm not from here, and I'm looking for directions to the Sunnydale Motel."
"Ooh. That I can help you with. You're way off. It's back that way a few blocks." Xander told him. The man looked over his shoulder.
"Oh. Well, don't I look stupid. I'm Michael, by the way." He said, offering his hand to Xander.
"Xander Harris." He replied, shaking it.
"Well...thanks for the directions." Michael told him, turning in the direction of the hotel.
"Don't mention it." Xander replied, as they both went their separate ways. Nice guy, Xander thought to himself, as he continued on to Buffy's. ********
"Vaughn, you there?" Vaughn heard Sydney say into his earphone.
"Yah, go ahead, Syd." He replied, looking to both sides of him.
"Where are you?" Sydney inquired, sounding impatient. Vaughn laughed to himself.
"Actually, I couldn't find the Hotel. But I got directions. I'm heading there now."
"Good, cuz I'm waiting. Kendall has just contacted me. No sign of Sark as of yet... You know, I don't even think he's here. There's NOTHING in this town. How do you like it so far?" Sydney asked him.
"Nice people, here." He remarked, "Syd, I'm at the Hotel now. I'm coming up."
"See you when you get here." Sydney told him, and his set went quiet. Vaughn took the earpiece out of his ear. In the lobby of the motel he found Jack.
"Agent Bristow." Vaughn greeted him, walking up to him.
"You're late, Mr.Vaughn. Kendall has been calling."
"Sydney told me. I...I got lost." Vaughn said, with his shy smile. Jack didn't reply. He looked distant.
"Fascinating." He remarked, dryly, "Yet I can't seem to get a brandy at this establishment." Vaughn smiled.
"Jack, I don't think that this is the place for that." Vaughn told him. Jack frowned.
"No, this doesn't seem to be the place for much of anything, does it?" He remarked, "Sunnydale. What are we doing here?"
"Looking for Sark, remember?" Vaughn reminded him.
"Ah, yes." Jack replied with a bitter smile, "My idea of fun."
"Well, I'm going to get some sleep. You should do the same. We'll meet in the morning for updates." Vaughn said, turning and heading down the hall.
"Mr. Vaughn?" Jack called after him. Vaughn turned back around expectantly.
"Keep in mind that I'm in the next room, and the walls are paper thin. I think that getting that sleep would be the best idea." Jack warned. Vaughn blushed deeply, before nodding and heading for his and Sydney's room.
******
Stupid Buffy. Stupid Willow. Stupid Spike. Stupid Xander, Dawn thought to herself, as she ran down the street. She hated them all. Buffy for treating her like shit. Willow for always agreeing with Buffy. Spike for loving Buffy and not her. Xander for loving Buffy and not her. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. It wasn't like she was going to get lost in Sunnydale. Suddenly, a person stepped out of the bushes in front of her. Dawn screamed.
"Hey, hey, hey...Slow down, miss. Where are you trying to get to in such a hurry?" Asked the man who held her by the shoulders. Dawn tried to catch her breath, as she looked him over. He was good looking, she decided, a little old for her, but still...he had short blond hair that ended in little curls in the back. He was dressed in a suit. Dawn would have liked to have been able to comment to herself something witty, like "Versatchi", but the truth was, there weren't many people with suits in Sunnydale. This man also had a really sexy hint of a British accent. Suddenly, Dawn remembered what she was doing, and pulled violently out of his grasp.
"Sorry. I guess I'm just upset." She remarked, and as she turned to walk away, she felt his hand on her shoulder again.
"Dawn Summers?" He asked her. She stared at him.
"How...How do you know my name?" She stammered. He smiled at her.
"My name is Sark, and I'm going to need you to come with me."
******
"Dawn's been gone for a day!" Willow exclaimed, "How could we have missed that?"
It was the following day, and the gang was at Buffy's house. Dawn hadn't come home.
"We all thought she was at school!" Anya defended herself.
"Where would she have gone?" Xander asked.
"Don't know, don't care." Buffy remarked coldly.
"Buffy, you know that that's not true." Willow insisted. Buffy sighed.
"I know...it's just that, she does this so often, I'm getting so sick of it. I guess... Xander, you check the Bronze, Willow, you check Janice's. Spike, you and I can take the graveyard. Anya..."
"I'll stay here. In case she decides to come back." Anya said. Buffy nodded.
"Ok, let's go."
******
Vaughn, Sydney and Jack met in the lobby.
"Anything?" Vaughn asked, running up.
"Not a thing." Sydney offered, "You?" Michael shook his head.
"I did get a call from Kendall," Jack offered, "It seems that Sloan acquired a Rambaldi manuscript. In it were details about a prophecy...Kendall said that it was unclear, but there was something about Sunnydale and a "Key". They believe that Sark is here to obtain it."
"A key? A key to what?" Sydney asked, confused.
"It's not clear." Jack replied.
"Well...we're all at a dead end, then." Vaughn muttered, frustrated.
"Well, where the hell could Sark hide in a town this small?" Sydney asked. Vaughn shrugged. Jack sighed.
"Syd, your mission is to go to the local location of the teenagers around here. Kendall wants you posing as a juvenile and looking for Sark. If we're lucky, he doesn't even know that we know he's here, and we've got the element of surprise. Agent Vaughn, you'll be checking around town, in the less populated areas. Most likely, Sark will be around people, a fancy hotel would be his style, but seeing as we are in Sunnydale, and there is nothing that can be counted as civilization, he could be anywhere. I'll be checking the more suburban areas, where the majority of people here live." Jack concluded, "Are we clear?"
"Check." Replied Sydney.
"Yes sir." Vaughn said, nodding. *******
Music blared. Xander stepped into the Bronze and was flooded with old memories; the time Buffy had danced illicitly with him on the dance floor, the night when Cordilla broke up with him, the cockroach fumigation parties...Yah, he had some good memories of the place. The lights were dim, and the place was packed with kids.
"God Damn needle in a haystack." Xander muttered to himself. He made his way slowly over to the bar, keeping an eye out for Dawn. All thoughts of her soon vanished, though, when he spotted a woman sitting at a table near the back. She wasn't from around here, you could tell by her style. More sophisticated, worldlier...Xander was impressed. She was hot. Dawn's probably ok, he thought to himself, she's just off with one of her friends. Pushing Dawn out of his head, he made his way over to the girl's table.
"Hi." Xander offered to her, over the music. She smiled a bit. Xander noticed that she had a really beautiful smile. It was kind of shy, and kind.
"Mind if I sit down?" Xander asked her. He instantly saw a look on panic and maybe disappointment in her eyes. Xander Harris, rejected again. Same old song and dance. He sighed.
"You know what, never mind. I didn't mean to intrude..." He started, turning away.
"You're not intruding at all. I'm sorry, I'm just looking for someone." She cut him off. Xander smiled and sat down.
"You know what? Me too." He told her with a smile. The woman laughed.
"Who's your subject?" She asked him, sipping her drink.
"Rebellious angsty teenager." Xander replied, "And yours?"
"Sometimes he acts like a rebellious angsty teenager." She muttered bitterly. Xander laughed.
"Boyfriend?" He asked her. She shook her head.
"You're not from here, are you?" Xander asked her. She shook her head.
"What was your first clue?" She asked him.
"Well, you're sitting here all alone, in the back of the bronze, and frankly, you don't see many classy women here." Xander explained. Oh, there was that smile again.
"Oh, so I have class?" She asked him, grinning.
"Yah...listen, just to be safe, you're not a vampire are you?"
"Excuse me?" She asked with a confused little smile. Xander smiled back.
"Nevermind. Hey, I'm Xander."
"Sydney." She replied, grinning."
******
Graveyards are creepy, Vaughn thought to himself. He couldn't really tell why, but for some reason, especially the ones in Sunnydale. He also couldn't really explain why he was trekking through one, because Sark would never caught dead in a place like this. It was a quiet night, and Vaughn walked along listening to nothing, until he heard shouts.
"Dawn?! Dawn, are you here?" came a voice from the other side of a few trees. The voice sounded like a young woman's, and even though Vaughn was pretty sure that his name wasn't "Don", he thought he'd go and investigate. When he heard the girl scream, he ran faster, through the trees and into the new part of the graveyard. Jeez, how many people die here? He thought to himself as he looked around the new section. Suddenly, he saw them. The girl was on the ground, struggling, underneath a man who looked clearly like he was going to hurt her. Before Vaughn could run over and unleash his CIA combat training on him, a blond man in a long black duster came running over and tackled the guy off of the girl. She leapt to her feet, and ran to the blond guy, who was now punching the assailant very unmercifully. The girl pulled him off the guy.
"This one's personal." She told him.
"Personal?" The man asked her. He had a cocky British accent.
"He ripped my shirt." The girl replied with a shrug. Vaughn watched in awe as the girl ran up a mausoleum, flipped and came down and landed on the other side of the man who had attacked her. Vaughn couldn't believe his eyes. After an amazing hand to hand fight, the girl stabbed the man in the chest with a pointy wooden object. The man exploded into dust. The girl stood up straight and walked back over to her British friend, dusting off her pants as she walked.
"Are you hurt?" He asked her, putting his hand on her shoulder. This is when Vaughn finally got over his shock and went running over. The girl saw him coming and pulled out her sharp wooden thing. Vaughn stopped short.
"Whoa! Whoa, don't stab me, please. I'm CIA.I just.I need to know what the hell you just did." He said, raising his hands in defense. The girl rolled her eyes, and lowered her stake.
"God damn authorities." She muttered to the other man. She looked at Vaughn.
"Well, sorry. What you saw was a figment of your imagination. Or a gang war. Which ever you choose to believe." She turned and started to walk away, but Vaughn stopped her.
"Wait, miss. Listen, I'm not stupid, and I don't need your bullshit. I've had a really hard night, I'm looking for someone, and I can't find him. So I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but I just saw a really weird thing and it would definitely help my ego is you could tell me that it wasn't just my imagination, cuz I think I just saw you kill a vampire. And you are an amazing fighter, the technique. You're really good." He told her, smiling, but still somewhat confused. The girl turned around.
"Do all men think that it's so strange for a girl to actually be able to fight? God, could it be so amazing to see a girl actually be able to defend herself?" She asked, sounding pissed off. Vaughn shook his head.
"No, no. I actually know a girl who could rival you. I was just admiring your skill." The girl sighed.
"Sorry," she said, sounding somewhat apologetic, "It's just that I've had way too many bad experiences with CIA, or police or FBI or whatever. OK, vampires are real, blah, blah, blah, I kill them for a living." The blond man looked impatient.
"C'mon, love. Dawn." He said, nudging her.
"Spike, just a minute." She told him. She turned back to Vaughn, and reached out her hand.
"I'm Buffy. This is Spike. I'm sorry we can't help you, but we're looking for someone, too."
"Dawn, right?" Vaughn asked, shaking her hand. Buffy's eyes widened.
"Yah. How did you."
"I heard you calling her name earlier. I'm Michael." Vaughn replied. Buffy was instantly charmed by his great smile.
"Hi." She said, not letting go of his hand.
"Hi." He said back, grinning. Spike rolled his eyes.
"Earth to Buffy.Dawn, apocalypse.any of this ringing any bells?" He asked her. Buffy let go of Vaughn's hand.
" I have to go." She said. Vaughn nodded.
"Listen, maybe you could show me the way to 'The Bronze'? Someone I know is supposed to be there, and I don't really know the way."
"Actually we're headed there next." Buffy told him smiling, "C'mon."
"Thanks" Vaughn told them both, following them out of the graveyard.