CHAPTER ONE

Buffy tore through the graveyard at breakneck speed. She vaulted over another headstone and was only a few feet away before the thud of the being following her sounded.

Crap. This thing was fast. Too fast. There was no way she'd outrun it.

Her boots skidded to a stop as she spun to face the thing head-on. Some of her blond hair had fallen out of the ponytail she'd secured before her walk and she tossed her head to keep her vision clear.

The man stopped several yards away and began walking toward her. She rolled her eyes.

"Seriously?" she called out, "you're going to do the slow horror movie walk toward me? Oh no. Help." Her voice turned into a sneer, "Maybe you think I'll turn and run some more? Trip over my own feet in the process."

Buffy was pissed. Willow's spell that destroyed Sunnydale was supposed to put her into retirement. With every Slayer being activated, Buffy was supposed to be able to rest. The fate of the world no longer rested on her slim shoulders.

But here she was, in a damned cemetery once again. She'd been out for a walk. Not even patrol, but a stupid fucking walk. Like a normal person.

The man's eyes flashed solid black and Buffy felt a rush of dread. This wasn't a "wooden stake through the heart" kind of situation. This was "pummel into oblivion" right here.

"Screw this," she mumbled to herself and launched at the man. She wasn't about to let a fight to come her if she wasn't sure she'd have the upper hand.

She was rewarded with a sharp backhand across her face that sent her flying. She slammed into the ground, narrowly missing a broken headstone in the process. Good. Large, hard things were hard on the bones no matter how quickly she could heal.

She jumped to her feet and was grabbed by an incredibly tall man.

Awesome. Black Eyes had brought backup. She didn't hesitate to lash out a fist and catch the guy off guard. She caught him in the jaw and watched in satisfaction as he tumbled to the ground. He sat, shaking his head and she knew she only had seconds to act. Her face was sore and it only fueled her fire to destroy the one that caused it.

She heard a grunt of pain and spun around to where the thing had been standing. Only now, there were three men in the open space. She glared at the thinner man in the trenchcoat. Something about him told her he wasn't human. He was obviously just waiting his turn to beat up on the newcomer, who was human. Typical.

Her feet pushed off and launched her in the direction of the brawl just in time to see the human fighter pull out an odd looking blade. Silver and slightly cylindrical, it came to a wicked looking point. Her hands clenched at the rush of power coming off of the weapon. She wanted to touch it.

The man stabbed the being in the gut. There was a flash of light as a dark cloud rushed out of the guy's mouth with a roar. The body slumped to the ground and silence stood heavy over the scene.

Buffy didn't waste any time. She shoved the man out of the way and grabbed the silver blade. Power licked up her arm. Yes. This was a weapon.

She looked at the man she'd just pushed and tried to ignore the confusion in his green eyes, "Stay down." Her voice was sharp. "I'll handle this one."

She had just turned to the man in the trench when she was snatched from behind and picked up. With a growl she slammed her head backward and smiled at the grunt that accompanied the loosening of arms.

Buffy placed herself in front of the human and spun the blade in her hand. "All right, let's dance."

To her surprise, the taller man placed his hands out in a supplicating gesture. "I think you're confused. We don't want to hurt you."

"Bullshit," she spat.

"We do not wish to cause you harm," the slender man in the coat agreed.

She flashed her eyes toward him, "Not human, no opinion."

"Hey!" the voice came from behind her. "Watch it."

"Do you want to die tonight?" she shot back. "Because if that's your kink I'll just leave you to it."

She felt him make a move toward her and stepped out of reach.

"Dean," the one she'd punched warned, "she's strong. Like, demon strong."

"Cas?" Dean questioned.

"She is not a demon," trenchcoat, Cas, said. His head tilted to one side and Buffy's first thought was that he looked like a puppy. "She appears to be human. However, I've never seen a human woman with the ability to knock Sam down with a single punch."

Buffy bristled. "Of course I'm human."

"Look, babe," Dean said, "just give me my Angel Blade back and we'll talk about this."

She could punch him for calling her that. Her hand tightened on the weapon and she considered doing just that. She wanted to ask what the hell an "Angel Blade" was or why he had one in his possession. "Fuck. You." was what came out instead.

Dean made a helpless gesture with his hands. "Have it your way." She felt a moment of triumph until she saw the sympathy in Sam's eyes.

Before she could react, Cas was inches from her. He'd moved faster than any vamp she'd ever encountered and taken her by surprise.

He pressed two fingers to her forehead and muttered, "I apologize."

That was all she knew before sinking into blissful darkness.