It had only been a few months since they had stopped the world from ending, but they were already bored and restless. Giles had gone off to reestablish the Watcher's Council in England, and had taken Xander to help with the reconstruction, Dawn had gone off to live with her father in L.A. so that she could finally finish high school, and Faith, Buffy, Willow and a newly back-from-the-dead Spike spent their days traveling across the country looking for any vampires or demons to fight.

With so many new slayers their jobs had become less and less difficult. Occasionally there was a vampire or demon that needed a more trained, professional fist to handle, but it was becoming rare. It was therefore quite a shock when Giles said he was flying in to discuss a "mission of utmost importance" with them. Giles had not sounded this tense since they fought the First.

They met on a rather dreary day in a small motel a few miles outside of Albuquerque.

"Giles!" Buffy and Willow both exclaimed, as they entered the motel room, running forward to give him a hug. Faith and Spike followed in somberly.

"I thought Kennedy was coming with you this time?" Willow pouted.

"Unfortunately, we had a new batch of slayers-in-training arrive right before I left. You know how she loves to train. Faith," Giles acknowledged, as the two girls pulled away, "how have you been?"

"Five by five," she answered, sitting in a rather uncomfortable looking chair near a small desk in the corner.

"Spike."

"Rupert."

The two men exchanged disgruntled looks. Spike took a seat on one of the two rickety looking double beds in the room. Buffy and Willow sat down on the other. Giles continued to stand.

"So what's with all the secrecy Giles," Willow started. "How come you couldn't tell us the details of this oh-so-important mission over the phone?"

"Well, this mission is unlike those you have encountered before," Giles began, Faith cut in. "Oh come on Giles. We saved the freakin' world a few months ago, from the First evil! I think we can handle whatever you've got."

Giles gave a pained smile. "I wish I had your confidence."

Typical Giles, Faith thought.

"Long ago," he began, "there was a story about a slayer. She fell in love with a vampire, and betrayed her watcher." Spike looked up from the spot on the ground where he had been staring. He had heard this story before. "This vampire, was one of the first vampires to have ever been created. Not like the Turok-Han, this vampire, and it's brothers and sisters were created from magic alone. This slayer..." he paused.

"What?" Questioned Faith. "Giles, no offense, but we know how these things work. We wouldn't be here unless some slayer along the way had died. So she died. So what?"

"No," Spike turned to look at Giles now. "She didn't just die. She was turned by the vampire she loved."

"What?!" Buffy, Faith and Willow called out practically in unison.

"Hold on," Willow seemed puzzled, "Are you telling me that there was at one point a slayer who was also a vampire in the world? That's gotta be like...uh...a crime against nature!"

"Not at one point," Giles responded, "I believe...well, I came here to tell you...I believe she's still alive." Spike stood up and walked to the window.

"What?" Faith stood up from her chair. "So you're telling me there's an uber-slayer/uber-vampire out there? Or did she just become a vampire? I don't understand."

"As far as I know she retains both sets of skills and power," Giles answered. "I honestly thought she was a myth for decades, or at the very least long dead. But there have been rumors...sightings...the latest report I have puts her somewhere near L.A."

"You're telling me some psycho chick is out running all over L.A. Near Dawn?!" Buffy exclaimed.

"She's not psycho," Spike mumbled a little too loudly. All eyes in the room were now on him.

"Excuse me?" Buffy stood up and crossed the room, walking up to face him. "Are you telling us you've met her?"

"Yes," Spike sat back down on the bed.

"Uh, details?" prodded Willow.

"Spike!" Exclaimed Buffy, "Spit it out!"

"Alright, alright. don't get your pannies in a twist," he began. "It was about a century ago. We crossed paths very briefly, but..." he paused, "I can't really explain very much about her. She's beautiful, she's brilliant, and she was betrayed, not by the vampire she loved but by another member of his family. I only knew her for a month or so, so I don't know much, but she's just as much a slayer as either one of you, only stronger and faster. It's like she walks in both worlds, not fully alive, not fully dead."

"What does that mean?"

"It means..." Spike laid back on the bed now, hands behind his head, his memory was a bit fuzzy and it took him a few moments to find the right words. "Buffy, do you remember what those men told you when you went back to ask them for help with the First?"

"You mean the men that created the first slayer?" Spike nodded. "Yes, they told me the slayer was created out of darkness, out of demons."

"Right," Spike continued. "Well its like that part of her continues to fight off the vampire demon part of her. She can't exist on blood alone, nor on food. She can hold her breath for obscenely long amounts of time, but at some point she has to breathe. Both parts, the human/demon and the vampire/demon exist together as one."

"Wow," Willow stammered.

"Right," Giles continued. "The mission, is for you all to get in contact with her. We need to see whether she stands on our side as an ally or not."

"Sounds easy enough," cut in Faith, "lets roll."

"Wait, that's not all," Giles cut back in. "There also seems to be a large amount of demonic energy coming from a place called Mystic Falls, Virginia. I need you to find this slayer, convince her to join your side, and then continue on to Mystic Falls."

"I don't understand," questioned Buffy, "why do we need her for this mission?"

"I have it on good authority," explained Giles, "that many members of the original family of vampires that turned her, have congregated there as of late. You will need her expertise on the family to suss out the situation and decide what to do."

They said their goodbyes rather quickly, and got back into the car. As they raced along the highway backed towards L.A. they continued to question Spike.

"So what else can you tell us?"

"Not much."

"Oh come on, by the look on your face you had quite a thing for her," Faith smirked.

Spike glared at her. "Well, you know, I've just always had a thing for hot chicks with super powers."

Faith laughed. "We are the best."

"Seriously, Spike, there's nothing else you can tell us?" questioned Willow.

"Yeah Spike, I mean...like...what's her name?" asked Buffy.

"She's been known by many names over the years," Spike sighed. "Kalina, Veronika, Natasha. When I knew her last she was going by Josephine. But I believe her actual name, at least as far as I know, is Eve."