Spike and Buffy check into a Bed and Breakfast / An Introduction with the Sheriff / Violence at Mystic Falls High School

Spike stared ahead at the dark road. The mountains here were beautiful when got the chance to see them right at dusk. Even prettier now, as the leaves were already dressed in fall reds and oranges. After the sun faded out into night, pitch trees blotted out the moon and stars. Only a small strip of sky above the road was visible. This mattered little to him; the night sky was a too common sight.

Buffy finished the conversation with her sister. When she flipped her phone shut and set it in the cupholder, Spike tapped his hand impatiently on the wheel. According to the dashboard clock, he had listened to thirty-seven minutes of chit-chat. "Well, what's mini-watcher got to say?" He had overheard the entire exchange, but he wanted her thoughts. Mystic Falls sounded like a bad situation.

Buffy rubbed behind her ear where the phone left a slight indent on her skin. "Dawnie's done her research, and it goes with what Willow told us. In the 1670's, the hellmouth was sealed up by a group of witches. Then it was burned up by the town founders, and recently there's been a whole mess of vamp activity. Some werewolf rumors too, but Oz is still MIA, so no confirm on that. The hellmouth is supposed to be under an old church, so we'll take a look for ourselves and check in with the locals." Her deep-set eyes met Spike's, "Andrew's got connections with family in town, and they have some kind of council to deal with the supernatural stuff." She shrugged, "If they're doing their job, then it's an easy one for us."

He rolled his eyes with a slight shrug. "Yeah, well, they're not. That newspaper we picked up listed five separate 'animal attacks' so I'm not calling it tea and cakes just yet."

"After the last one, I want a vay-cay. Willow said this was the tiniest blip on her astral-dar." Buffy pouted, "Easy work so I don't feel bad about missing Slayer duty, and we get a week or two at a cute little bed-and-breakfast getaway. Don't ruin my fantasy of relaxy time."

His mouth tightened into what would be a smile on any other face. "Then let's not go and say we did."

"Cheater!" She glanced at a road sign. "C'mon, you're so good at closing hell-mouths..."

"I've gotten better at it," he grudgingly smirked. "Only one out of the last six were fatal." Spike enjoyed reminding Buffy that she was not the only martyred hero.

Buffy laughed, "Now that's what Giles calls a success rate. And it's way too late to turn back now – that's our exit." Buffy waved at the road and referenced a printout for the rest of her directions.

...

Buffy slipped out of Spike's arms easily the next morning and found the breakfast station in the lobby. While she ate a cinnamon bun, she picked up The Mystic Falls Daily, a local newspaper from the counter and browsed the obituaries. It seemed like there were the usual number of dead that accompanied a vampire problem. She shook her head at the numerous photos of young people. No headlines seemed terribly important. The big story splashed on the front page were about preparations for a Founder's Party happening tonight. After asking the inn-taker for some directions, she set off on foot for the police station.

Her early morning walk through town was quiet. Mystic Falls was a quaint town with large brick houses, wrought-iron gates, and historical markers everywhere. Old money, Buffy thought to herself. She had never seen a main street that looked like it could have been on a postcard. The lamp-posts were decorated with pristine bows. The police station was at the end of the street, and it was topped with a clock tower. She sighed inwardly, feeling intimidated by the town's ease with its wealth. Sunnydale had plenty of suburban charm, but there were alleys and dark places. This town radiated with cleanliness, too bright and cheerful.

Only a few minutes of waiting inside yielded an escort to the sheriff. Buffy smiled brightly and jutted out her hand, "Hi, I'm Buffy Summers, a friend of Andrew Wells. I'm sure he told you about me."

Sheriff Forbes frowned slightly as she took Buffy's hand and introduced herself. She recognized the name immediately. Liz walked over to the door to her office and shut it quietly, then asked in a low voice, "You're the Slayer?"

"Yu-huh," she nodded, using her bubbliest voice. "And Mystic Falls has a vamp problem. What's the deal?"

Elizabeth Forbes' eyes dropped to the floor, then met Buffy's. "We have it under control."

"Really?" Buffy grinned falsely. "That must be pretty neat, having the police actually know about this kinda stuff. Most places I've visited, the law doesn't even do damage control. But I still want to check out the old church where it all went down. Word is that's a hellmouth in the making. Once it gets clear, I'll be out of your hair."

"A hellmouth?" The sheriff's furrowed brow showed real concern.

Buffy laughed lightly, "There are some places where the boundaries between dimensions blur a bit and let demons and vampires out. My job is to close the gates when we find them. It's no big." She folded her arms, "You know, I also heard that there's a Founder's Council that deals with these sorts of problems. I'd like to sit in on the next meeting."

"I could hardly refuse," Elizabeth inclined her head genially. If she denied the Slayer anything, then her stream of information about the latest strategies in vampire hunting that leaked out of Italy would dry up instantly. Andrew had been very clear about that. "Our next meeting is actually tonight at the Founder's Party and Heritage Display. It's at the Lockwood's... You know what, you'll need a map of the town anyway." The sheriff led Buffy out of the office to a deputy's desk. She instructed him, "Give Ms. Summers a town map, and direct her to some of the landmarks. She's particularly interested in the ruins of the old Fell Church."

After overseeing Buffy's exit, the sheriff went back to her office and glanced worriedly at an old picture of her daughter, Caroline.

...

Buffy spent the rest of the morning wandering through the streets and marveling at the scenery. The map led her around the graveyard, a park, and through more perfect brick neighborhoods. Her breath curled into crystals as she walked, perfect fall weather for large jackets and crunchy leaves. She looked at the sign in front of a large school. Mystic Falls High School.

Her feet took her inside without pause, and she found herself in a hallway watching students flow past her during their break. A student jostled her slightly and they exchanged a brief smile before she jerked herself awake. There's no hellmouth under the library or in the basement, Buffy reminded herself. I seriously should have stopped myself before barging into a random high school. Jamming her hands in her pockets, she shook her head out and headed for the exit.

But then she heard it. "Vampire." Not her imagination, she confirmed to herself. That word was definitely a part of a conversation. Buffy narrowed her focus and walked towards the source, a group of girls. Stepping behind an open locker door, she listened for more.

...

Caroline reapplied her lip gloss between classes and kept talking to Bonnie and Elena. "He just didn't get it, you know? He doesn't want to be normal and boring, but then he got all freaked out at the idea of being anything else. He needs to appreciate what he's got. I would give anything to be human again."

Bonnie chimed in, "Matt's just not used to the situation because he isn't immersed in it 24/7 like we are. Give him some time." After switching her schoolbooks to a different hand, she patted Caroline on the shoulder.

Elena nodded her agreement. "The first time each of us got into all this, it took some time to really adjust. Of all the people..."

"I should know," Caroline continued. "See, I get it. He doesn't."

Stefan strutted past the locker that Buffy had hidden behind and joined in their conversation. "I can help you immerse him in our culture. All it takes is a bite," he volunteered.

All of the girls frowned at his presence, and Elena pushed him slightly, "Don't even think about it." Stefan smirked in response, then trailed them to class.

...

Buffy tracked the group, specifically focusing on the boy who joined them, a handsome kid with brooding issues etched into his forehead. "Hey," she called to him in the crowd before he entered a classroom.

He turned to look directly at her and paused in the doorway. Stefan tilted his head, "Aren't you a little old for high school?" he asked. The girl in front of him exuded confidence to rival Rebecca's and style that screamed 90's. If she were human, he'd put her age in the 30's. But he never assumed that newcomers were human.

She smiled, "I guess it takes one to know one, doesn't it?" Her pep took him off guard, and before he could react, she was standing next to him, her arm clamped over his. "Let's go for a walk."
Stefan's jaw set and he looked into the classroom. Elena took her seat next to Bonnie. They would be fine for forty-five minutes while he dealt with this new girl. Even Klaus trusted Bonnie to keep Elena safe. Alaric had already begun scratching out history notes on the chalkboard.

Buffy saw worry in his eyes when he glanced into the room and became curious to know what he was protecting.

...

Once they got a safe distance from the school, Stefan attempted to move quickly to gain control of her grip on him. She was just as fast and kept a tight hold on him. She must be some other vampire or hybrid, he deduced. This town was starting to get lousy with all of the above. "Who are you?" he questioned.

"I'm your friendly neighborhood vampire slayer," Buffy quipped. "My turn. Don't you find the sun annoyingly bright?"

He shook his head and attempted to dissemble. "Guess that means I'm not a vampire. No need for slayers here."

"That was almost like a joke," Buffy's lips quirked. "Are you trying to out-banter me? Because you should know, I'm pretty much the queen of snark." Her arms released him and she began circling him slowly.

His stern face glared back at her as he chanced a look at her eyes. She didn't shield them from him, so he pulled forth the blood to compel her, "Why are you in Mystic Falls?"

Buffy saw his eyes contract and dilate. She'd seen this trick before from Dracula. She let herself answer, deciding to save her energy for the coming fight. Which would definitely happen now. She allowed no one to poke around her head with mind tricks and live. "To slay vampires. Hence the title. Vampire Slayer." She slid Mr. Pointy out of her jacket sleeve. "There's zero point in denying what you are, so tell me, what's your story?"

Stefan felt her resist the compulsion and frowned, then stepped back at the sight of the stake. "We don't need to fight," he put his hands up in surrender, hoping that he could keep her talking.

"Oh yes we do," she insisted. "But I'll let you delay the slaughtering a while longer." Buffy saw a glint of light off the ring on his finger and blinked. "Tell me everything. Like who your little high school friends are and who's been killing people. Oh, and the church - don't leave out any details on Fell's Church, please," she brandished the stake threateningly.

When he kept silent, Buffy shrugged. "Okay, just let me know if I've guessed it right. You're a vampire, that's a gem of Amarra, you're protecting one of those girls in there, and you drained two bodies dry this morning so you wouldn't make a mess at school." All educated guesses, but she was willing to bet heavily on each of those points. Years of watching, stalking, and slaying vampires had taught her more than classes ever did.

Stefan kept his head from nodding along. How many days had this girl been following them? Did she know about Klaus? "I don't know if this ring has a special name, yes, and three," he corrected, referring to his breakfast. Three girls dead in the foyer at the Salvatore boarding house. "Do you-"

"Oh, goody," she interrupted before he could start his own line of questioning. "An unrepentant vampire. Exactly what I specialize in." Buffy's arm came in for a punch, keeping the stake in reserve.

He slid his legs around hers to force her to trip, but she reacted with a flip and was over his chest when he was recovering from the attack. His veins swelled with black blood, a foot knocking the stake out of Buffy's hands. She took a few blows from him while she dove to retrieve the weapon, crying out a few times in pain. As his arms cradled her neck for a quick snap, the stake thrust through his chest, sending him into paralysis.

Standing up, Buffy found herself dusting off imaginary ash from her pants. His body lay still, bloated and discolored in the scattered leaves. "Unusual," she remarked to herself, then looked closer at his blue face curiously. After a moment of reflection, she rolled her eyes and pulled the ring from his hand. The body burned away in the sunlight, darkening and then floating away into the slight wind like paper ashes. She watched the body burn before walking away.