Who would think fighting vampires would be dull? But it was. Night after night it was the same thing. Dust this, slay that. After going to hell and heaven on a round trip a night in the cemetary just wasn't what it used to be. Besides vamps were like ants, you can keep killing them but there will always be more. It was hard to do a job that no one would ever know about, that no one appreciated, and that would no overall make a difference. Buffy longed almost pitifully for the comfort and structure of a nine to five job with a steady paycheck. Oh, that's right. I do, she reminded herself. When not slaying she worked at Double Meat Palace and even then people were making burgers out of people and she was forced to kill weird creatures. Well, okay it was really vegetables but that didn't make the experience any more disturbed.
They brought me back for this. Couldn't they have handled nightly patrols at least, she thought bitterly and then quickly hated herself for the thought. The Scoobies were all well-intentioned. Spike also seemed to have some misgivings about tonight's slay session.
"...no honor any more. I'm telling you, back in my day we may not have been as well armed as these blood suckers but we bloody well knew our place. We didn't go around all out of sorts biting anything in our way, back then we had integrity. These buggers don't care about anything but getting from one snack to the next, but no long term plans. Hell, even non-vamps don't know what their doing anymore. I'm telling you back in my day if you want to prove your manhood then you go out and you play football. You don't do the dense things you see people doing now." Spike sniffed in what she supposed was a dignified matter.
"Nothing says manly like a bunch of men throwing around a ball and slapping each other's butts." Buffy said coldly, refusing to be impressed as he obviously hoped she would be. It was part of their relationship, the power struggle. Every day she felt thing falling more out of her control and it was nice to know that she could at least control the terms of her relationship with Spike. Usually. Spike gave her an angry and hurt look. Sorry if I don't take time to consider the feelings of vicious serial killer, she justified to herself.
All of a sudden the all to familiar feeling came over her and she knew that yet another vampire was challenging her. Every muscle in her stomach clenched and a feeling of repulsion came over her. It made her feel nauseous, but it was worth what came next. All the hairs stood up on the back of her neck and she felt a burst of adrenaline released into her blood stream. I was how she knew she was going to win. That feeling of immortality and the knowledge that she was about to do the take down. Jesus, she sounded like Faith.
"Our heroine takes on a brave front, but as always she is forever aware of the dangers that lie behind every headstone. Every tree. Ever tense, ever waiting for the moment to pounce. The world depends on her to be alert and ready at all times," Andrew theatrically whispered holding the camera. Buffy scowled at him to which he whined, "Don't look at the camera. You'll ruin the shot! Do you want to have to do it again?"
Finally she saw what had set off her Spidey-senses. Walking through the tombstones was a beautiful young woman, which surprised Buffy. She's half expected a group of muscular and pissed vamps with semi-automatics by the strong sensation in her stomach. The object of her unexplained feelings was wearing a long, white dress and seemed to be swaying to an imagined beat. Most creatures would have immediately noticed the slayer in their presence but the woman seemed indifferent. Focused only on dancing slowly through the graveyard. It gives a whole new meaning to following the beat of your own drummer, the Slayer mused. Even the slowest non-slayer could figure out something was other-worldly about this woman. Her skin was so white that it almost matched her dress, but waves of jet black hair rested on her shoulders. Buffy was mesmerized by the woman, it was like watching two people coexisting in one body. Yet there was no fear, she seemed very familiar. Like an old high school friend buried in your memories who you haven't thought of in years and yet can never completely forget.
"What's that?" Andrew asked loudly, breaking her quiet admiration. "Is it a vampire? Hey, Spike, why is it that you can't see a vampire in a mirror or anything but they show up on cameras?"
"Whatever it is, it isn't a vampire." Buffy said in an angry whisper. Why was she whispering? She sounded almost...reverent. "Spike, have you ever seen anything like this before? She looks almost human." No response, he seemed in a trance and his ivory fangs had curled down over his chin. "Spike?"His hands clutched into fists at his side.
"No, I don't know what that is, love. I don't like it though, it's something bad, really bad. For me at least and let me tell you, when scary things get scared it isn't good." Spike hissed looking like he was either going to run or tear apart the young woman.
"Well, that doesn't exactly apply to you, now does it?"
"Pet, chip or not I'll always be a vampire."
"A vampire who can't bite people," she reminded him, "Where does the scary part come in? All empty threats and theatrics. You're a shell of your former self."
It was rather generous of her undead companion not to bring up the fact that Buffy had just described herself as well, "Slayer, are you listening to me? Are you looking at what is going on here? Something is going to happen here, now. Something big."
With that Andrew was off again with his narrative, "So the Slayer must again face the unknown. This is nothing new as our Slayer tangles daily with death to protect us. With my knowledge, Buffy's strength, and Spike's banter we can face anything."
"Andrew, shut up. It isn't a movie! It's real life."the Slayer snapped.
Slowly and gracefully, the thing approached them without ever touching the ground. As if engaged in a private ballet with elegance that dancers strived for but never truly achieved. With each sway and grand movement of the dancer Spike grew more and more tense, radiating a hatred so fierce that for the first time in a long time Buffy was thankful for the chip. Suddenly the creature's head snapped towards them, acknowledging their presence. The dancing abruptly stopped and she landed like a big, beautiful bird. Approaching them she began to look a lot less like a graceful dancer and more like a warrior. Spike sprung from her side towards the woman with such a fury that she was reminded of a wild animal. Buffy had the unreasonable urge to stop him from attacking her but she kept it under control.
The woman raised her hand so quickly that Andrew's camera probably hadn't even picked it up. It appeared to disappear and then reappear in the air. With a flick of her wrist the vampire was frozen in midair, face twisted in rage and fear. Like a scientist observing an interesting specimen she observed him and then her pretty features twisted into a scowl. And with another flick she sent Spike crashing into a nearby grave site. Okay, this was admittedly bad. What could have that kind of power? A witch perhaps but even then words and rituals were often necessary. Maybe Spike was right (as unlikely as that was) and this thing was wicked. Why hadn't she felt it then? Was she losing her instincts in her old age? Did that happen? It was possible because Slayers rarely lived past nineteen or twenty.
The woman/witch/warrior didn't move any closer to her, it just looked with interest. Buffy felt foolish but she assumed a fighting stance. Although what good that would do against mind powers she had no idea. Her opponent laughed, "We aren't going to fight and you know it. That's not what I came here for."
The woman's voice was soft, gentle and even calming. This was tranquility personafied, "Buffy, it's time. I've been patient but...you need to grow up. Know your place. You've been granted a freedom that most women will never know, a power, a weapon. And what have you done with it? Whined because you can't have a normal life. You are selfish like a little girl and as I said, time for you to grow up."
Buffy felt pissed off and a little embarrased. She didn't enjoy being talked down to by this woman even if there was some truth to her words. All that came to mind was a long forgotten psychology lesson with Maggie Walsh, "Everyone wants. It's only human. You want what you can't have, what is missing from your life."
"You're NOT human Buffy. A Slayer can't afford to want because her life does not belong to her in that sense. You need to –." Suddenly she stopped and her eyes got worse. She began to shake all over and stiffened as if hooked from her torso.
Light seemed to shine from every opening one her body. Mouth, nose, eyes. Her mouth opened wide and a sound issued from it that was ten times worse then nails on a chalkboard. It was a scream but it was unlike anything that Buffy had ever heard come out of a man, woman, or child. Loud, high-pitched, and full of emotion. God, so much emotion. Pain and anger that couldn't possibly be directed into one person or object on Earth. Doubling over the woman looked as if her one body could not possibly hold all of this. More then that the scream seperated into short, emotional cries instead of a solid scream. It sounded somewhat like a defective metronome.In shock Buffy didn't know what to do or what to make of the situation. As horrible as the screams were they somehow lifted her spirit, released something in her. And that was when she felt something hit her in the back of the head. Red invaded her vision but began to clear. However with a second blunt blow she was consumed by a deep darkness.