"Graduation Day is tomorrow," Willow smiled. "Are you nervous?"
"Where are all the vampires?" Buffy demanded, ignoring Willow. "Y'know, you wait for them to come out for like, forever..."
"...And then we make you wait some more," Buffy turned around to face Angel, her former lover. "Hello, lover."
"Angel," Buffy said coldly. "Hi hon."
Buffy swung at Angel, but he dodged back, missing her punch.
"Damn!" Buffy cried as Angel grabbed her arm, then tossed her effortlessly into a tree.
Every time she battled Angel, she always underestimated how strong he was...the same went for him also. Buffy bounced off the tree, then cartwheeled into Angel, her foot coming in contact with his chest.
He cried out as he staggered backwards, and Willow tossed Buffy a wooden stake. Buffy wrestled Angel to the ground, then raised the stake into the air.
"Go to hell," Buffy sneered as she brought down the stake.
The stake plunged into Angel's chest, about three inches away from his heart.
"Shit!" Buffy cried as Angel knocked her off of him.
"I've already been there, my love," Angel laughed viciously. "You sent me there, remember?"
"Yeah, well, I've been there too honey," Buffy smiled.
She spun around and performed a roundhouse kick on Angel, causing him to vamp out.
"Wish I could stay," Angel said. "But I've other things to attend to."
Angel grabbed the stake from Buffy's hand, then snapped it in two.
"See how simple that was?" Angel asked her. "You've really fallen of the horse Slayer. If you want to stop the Mayor, you've got to be quicker than that."
Angel turned around, then ran off into the night.
"The worst thing about it..." Buffy began.
"...Is that he's right," Willow finished.
"Graduation Day is tomorrow, honey," Joyce Summers smiled at her daughter.
"Mom, we've gone over this before," Buffy said. "You cannot come. Especially with the Mayor planning his Ascension, Angel on the loose, and Faith to worry about, I just can't risk your life."
"No Buffy. If it means that I have to die along with my daughter, then I will," Joyce said. "As long as you're in danger, I'll be there with you."
"You weren't there when I died," Buffy muttered.
"I know that I haven't always been supportive of you being a...Slayer," Joyce admitted. "But I'm doing the best I can! Please don't treat me like an outsider."
"Mom, I love you," Buffy gave her mom a hug.
"I don't want you to die," Joyce said as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Don't worry," Buffy replied. "I won't."
The next day, Buffy and her friends were all dressed up in their beautiful crimson gowns. In another hour, all of them will have completed high school.
"Here's the plan," Buffy said. "Angel won't be able to get us, since it'll be daytime, which means I can handle Faith."
"That leaves us with the Mayor?" Xander gulped.
"For a while," Buffy said. "Until I'm through with Faith."
"But what if Faith kills you?" Anya asked.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"You know," Cordelia turned to her. "We work very hard around here to shut out those negative vibes."
"It's okay," Xander wrapped his arm around Anya. "We love ya' anyway."
Buffy glanced up and saw that the Mayor was headed their way. When he approached them, he looked at Buffy evilly.
"Hello, Buffy, is it?" The Mayor acted as if he didn't know her.
"Cut the act, Dick," Buffy smiled. "We know all about your Ascension...as if you didn't know."
"And I know that you know there's no way to stop it," The Mayor chuckled. "You can try though, you little bitch. But you'll die. Slowly."
"We'll see about that," Buffy walked away from the Mayor.
Faith stood in front of the school, waiting for the Mayor's signal, when Buffy stepped up to her.
"How's it going, F.?" Buffy smiled.
"Great...Once you're dead, B.," Faith lunged at Buffy and grabbed her, tossing the Slayer onto the stairs leading to Sunnydale High School. "You'll wish you'd never come to Sunnydale."
"Yeah, well, that's something you'll never see," Buffy jumped to her feet then ran towards Faith.
Buffy kicked Faith in the leg, then grabbed her arm and slammed Faith into the sidewalk. Faith grabbed Buffy's leg, then pulled her to the ground also.
"You'll die bitch!" Faith rolled onto her back, then climbed to her feet and jumped onto Buffy.
Faith grabbed Buffy's head, then began to slam it against the sidewalk. Blood trickled down the side of Buffy's head as she knocked Faith off of her.
"Those old tricks won't work against me," Buffy said.
"I know, but this will," Faith whipped out the device that she'd taken from the Mayor's package, then put it on.
Faith grabbed Buffy's hand, and a pulse of light shot through the air. Both of the Slayers were dazed for a moment, but "Buffy" recovered, and knocked "Faith" to the ground.
"It's over, B.," `Buffy' smiled.
"Where's Buffy?" Xander asked Cordelia, who was sitting next to him.
"I don't know," Cordelia said. "But the Mayor sure can talk. He's been going on like this for five minutes already! I wish he would just Ascend already!"
"Hey, Cordy," Xander turned to her. "All things aside...I'm going to really miss you."
"Yeah, yeah, me too," Cordelia smiled.
Willow looked up and saw `Buffy' walking up to the Mayor. But she had no idea that it was not her friend, Buffy. But it was Faith, masquerading as Buffy.
"What is she doing?" Willow wondered aloud.
"You weren't supposed to open that package!" The Mayor hissed at `Buffy', who'd just interrupted his speech.
"But this way, it'll be easier for me to lure Buffy's friends into our little trap," `Buffy' smiled. "They'll never suspect a thing."
Suddenly, the Mayor became faint. He fell forward, and bumped into the podium.
"Are you okay?" `Buffy' cried.
"Yes," He groaned. "But things are happening much too fast. Oh well, I just get to have lunch early today."
The sky began to darken as the moon covered the sun. No one had expected an eclipse. No one expected for night to turn into day...except for the Mayor. Willow stood up and glanced around. She was frightened for her life, and everyone else's lives. Buffy was talking to the Mayor while it had turned from day to night. Cordelia, Anya, Oz, and Xander stood up also.
"Oh my god," Willow gasped as she saw who was headed towards them.
It was Buffy's former lover, Angel...with an army of vampires. And they were moving in for the kill.
TO BE CONTINUED...
