A/N: I don't own the Buffy franchise; it belongs to Joss Whedon, who is a genius. I'm just a fan who's writing some fanfiction who happens to suffer from boredom and inspiration. This maybe an unpopularopinion but I think it would've been wonderful to see how Buffy would duel and strike with a scenario that is going to be involved in this story. I'm aware of how frustratingit would be for her, it's another soul for her to protect I know, but come on, it would've been really cute and humorous too. Also there's a character that is going to make a very centralimpact.Eric Balfour is an utterly gorgeous and extremely underrated actor and I would've loved to have seen what would've become of Jesse if he hadn't been killed off. So these chapters are just my imagination spinning off random ideas. I hope you enjoy, review with your thoughts, I'd love to hear them. -EA.

Consumed By You

Chapter One

Back to the Basics

Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg ambled through the entrance of Sunnydale High School, their faces lit up when a familiar name darted out from the opposing corridor. He was very noticeable, preferably by his orange luminescent t-shirt.

"Hey, hey!" their friend cheered.

"Hey Jesse," Xander said, slapping his hand in the odd way male friends greet each other. "So what's what?"

"New girl," Jesse replied.

"That's right I saw her," Xander said. "Pretty much a hottie."

"I heard someone was transferring," Willow chirped.

"So tell," Xander said dutifully.

"Tell what?" Jesse asked.

"What's the stitch? What do you know about her?"

Jesse shrugged. "New girl."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Well, you're certainly a font of nothing."

Buffy Summers walked along the corridors, this morning hadn't gone as bad as she thought. Sure she'd got a few stares, some whispers and an occasional question about her expulsion but she was dealing with it. She walked out onto the grounds and caught sight of the girl Cordelia had been mean to earlier on in the day, the one with the white tights and virginal shiny black shoes.

"Uh hi, Willow right?" Buffy asked.

The girl with immense long red hair turned around to the new fresh face. "Why?" Willow asked. "I, I mean... hi. Did you want me to move?"

"Let's start with 'Hi I'm Buffy' and let's segue directly into me asking you for a favour. It doesn't involve moving, but it does involve hanging out with me for a while," she said and sat down next to her on the bench.

Willow gaped. "But aren't you hanging out with Cordelia?"

Buffy frowned. "I can't do both?"

"Not legally."

"Look," Buffy started. "I really want to get by here, Cordelia's been really nice, to me...anyway. But um, I kinda have this burning desire not to flunk all my classes and I heard a rumour that you were the person to help get caught up."

Willow smiled. "I could totally help you out!"

"Hey," Xander said, entail by Jesse from behind. "You guys busy? Are we interrupting?"

"Buffy this is Jesse and Xander," Willow said.

The slayer said her greetings, though she'd already met the goofy one a few hours before.

"Oh me and Buffy go way back, old friends, very close. Then there was that estrangement where we were both growing as people but now here we are like old times, I'm quite moved."

Jesse smirked. "Is it me or are you turning into a bibbling idiot?"

"Well it's nice to meet you guys, I think," Buffy replied.

Jesse rummaged through his bag to get his lunch. "Well we wanted to welcome you, make you feel at home, unless you have a scary home."

"And to return this," Xander brought out the pointed stick. "My guess is you're building a really little fence."

Buffy snatched the stake from his hands. "Actually, it was for self defence, everybody has them in La. Pepper spray is just so, passé."

Xander sat down next, far too close too. "So what do you do for fun? What do you like? What do you look for in a man?"

"If you have any dark evil secrets you'd like us to publish?" Jesse asked, with a curious glimmer in his eye.

"Gee, everybody wants to know about me," Buffy murmured.

"Are these guys bothering you?" Cordelia Chase asked.

Buffy looked up at her. "Uh no."

"She's not hanging out with us," Willow said.

Jesse jumped to his feet like a fish on a hook. "Hey Cordelia," he said, trying his hardest to sound swarve and seductive.

The plan was a failure. "Oh please," Cordelia sneered, moving in front of him. "I don't mean to interrupt your downward mobility but I just wanted to tell you that you won't be meeting Coach Foster (the woman with the chest hair) because gym was cancelled due to the extreme dead guy in the locker."

Uh oh, this just what I need. "W-What?" Buffy asked.

Willow grimaced. "What are you talking about?"

"Some guy was stuffed in Aura's locker."

Buffy stared at her. "Dead?"

"Totally dead, way dead," Cordelia said.

Xander resumed his comfort. "Not just a little dead then?"

The head cheer leader shot cold dagger eyes in his direction. "Don't you have elsewhere to be?"

"You know if you need a shoulder to cry on, or just to nibble on," Jesse stumbled to her.

"How did he die?" Buffy interrogated, her voice grew louder.

Cordelia shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, were there any marks?"

"Morbid much," Cordelia snapped. "I didn't ask!"

Buffy stared around at their suspiciously surprised faces; she had to get outta there. "Um, I gotta book. I'll, I'll...see you guys later."

Cordelia watched her disperse into the sea of students. "What's her deal?"

The atmosphere at The Bronze was heating up; people chatted, drank, and danced to the band performing on stage. Everyone was in their own little groups, their own worlds, which was one thing about this club, everybody felt at home.

"So, um, what did you say your name was?" Jesse asked, remembering to place his hand on the pillar next to him.

The hanging chair span and the woman tapped her foot in a soft fluid expression. She had blonde milky hair to her shoulders, pale skin, curled lips and bright eyes. She looked mysterious, and Jesse liked that.

"Darla," the woman replied. Even her voice was mysterious.

"I haven't seen you around before, are you from around here?"

"No, but I have family here."

He frowned. "Have I met them?"

Darla shrugged and preyed her eyes along from his face down to his shoes and back up. "You probably will."

"Oh okay, this is nice...and scary," Willow whined tripping over turfs in the grass. "Are you sure this is faster?"

"Ever been in one of these?" the guy asked pulling the door linked to a mouldy old crypt (who she'd met back at the club and was currently creeping her out).

"No, thank you."

"Come on," the guy teased and pulled her long hair away from her neck. "What are you afraid of?"

Willow sensed his mouth descend. She pushed away from him, he clutched onto her shoulder and shoved her into the crypt in which she smacked into the opposing wall. The floor was just as cold as his skin and his heart.

"That wasn't funny!" she yelled.

The guy smiled, backing her into a corner.

Willow glared at him. "I think I'm gonna go."

"Is that what you think?"

She noticed a woman standing by the entrance; she'd been in the club too.

"Is this the best you could do?" the woman sneered sarcastically.

"She's fresh," the guy said.

"Hardly enough to share."

"Hey!" a voice yelped from outside and cascading shadow dawdled by the door as the woman stepped down. "Wait up!"

"Oh my God, Jesse!" Willow shouted.

Her friend's hand was clamped to his neck and she could see crimson stains splashing on his sweater. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground, Willow swooped and managed to catch him. "You know, she gave me a hickey," he wheezed, his breathing becoming incoherent.

"Jesse let's get outta here," Willow said.

The woman walked towards her. "Oh you're not going anywhere."

Willow stood in front of the injured Jesse. "Leave us alone!"

"You're not going anywhere until we've fed!" the woman roared and her face morphed into hideous bumps.

Willow screamed and a figure rushed into the crypt. "Now," Buffy's confident voice bounced across the space. "We can do this the hard way, actually there's just the hard way."

The guy charged towards her and she shoved her stake into his chest. Willow, Jesse and Xander watched in horror as the guy exploded into dust carrying a painful scream which soon cascaded into silence.

Buffy gleamed. "See what happens when you rough house?"

"He was young and stupid!" the woman spat.

"Xander go!" Buffy yelled.

The woman punched her, but Buffy swayed her elbow in lock, walling the blow. Xander grabbed Willow and heaved Jesse to his feet and out of the crypt.

"We'll get the police, it's just a few blocks up!" Willow instructed.

Vampires were leering by and Jesse was losing blood.

"We don't have time, we need to get Jesse to the hospital," Xander said. "Somebody has to divert them."

Willow started running down another pathway deeper into the graveyards; Xander hauled Jesse into his arms and hid as the vampires zoomed after Willow.

Buffy climbed out of the tomb and raced across the graveyard grounds, she heard Willow scream.

"Hey!" the slayer yelled.

The creature looked up and she kicked him in the head. The vampire scrambled to his feet and Buffy was on his tail. She grabbed at the branch above her head and stabbed it into his chest. She looked up to see the other vampires, their stares locking in at her, and they backed away, disappearing into the mist.

"Where are they going?" Willow asked.

"Retreating," Buffy said. "Where's Xander and Jesse?"

"He's taking him to the hospital, he's hurt real bad."

Buffy grabbed her hand. "Come on."

Buffy, Willow and Giles ran down the hospital corridors, darting into the room. Jesse lay in his bed, a white bandage lashed around his neck, the drip applied to his arm and his eyes closed tentatively.

"Is he okay?" Willow asked.

Xander looked up from his bedside. "He's stable; I had to tell the doctors that he slipped on something sharp. If you hadn't been bait he wouldn't've made it."

Willow collapsed in the chair.

"This is my fault," Buffy sighed.

"If it hadn't've been for you, none of us would be alive Buffy," Xander said. "What about those things that attacked us?"

"Vampires," Giles said.

"They fled," Buffy replied, "and no, no those things weren't vampires, those were just people in need of a facial. Or maybe they had rabies. And the guy that turned into dust, it's just a trick of light."

There was a beat of silence and Xander's eyebrow rose.

"That's exactly the first thing I said the first I saw a vampire, well after I was done the screaming part."

"Whoa," Willow moaned. "I need to sit down."

"You are sitting down."

"Oh...good for me."

"So that was what bit me?" Jesse's weak voice flowed up.

"How are you doing buddy?" Xander asked.

"I'm good, tired, and a little confused but I'm good," Jesse rasped.

"I'm sorry I got you into this mess," Buffy said.

Jesse shrugged tiredly. "It's cool."

"Where do you think these vampires went?" Willow asked, having to hold her head up from the contemplation of fainting.

"Somewhere underground, dark, damp," Giles said, "a place where no light can get through."

"You could look at the sewers," Jesse said.

"Man you need to rest," Xander snapped.

"That's not a bad idea," Buffy said.

"So what's the plan?" Xander asked. "Let's saddle up."

"There's no we okay, I'm the slayer – and you're not."

He glanced to the ground. "I knew you'd throw it back in my face."

Willow looked up. "Buffy, I'm not anxious about going into a dark place full of monsters, but I do want to help. I need to."

"Well you can help me research this harvest affair, it seems to be some preordained massacre. Rivers of blood. Hell on Earth. Quite charmless," Giles said.

"Well, what about me?" Jesse asked grimly.

"You need to sleep," Buffy whispered.

"So I get better, then what can I do?"

"You can help me research," Willow said, her voice grew lighter with enthusiasm.

Jesse nodded dutifully. "Cool," he whispered, coughing from the pain.

"Welcome to the real world, it sucks," Buffy teased.

He looked at her and a small fire of a smile swam onto his face.