Chapter 2.

"Giles, I'm telling you this guy can't be human – he had bullet wounds all over him, and he came this close to killing me," Buffy explained, holding her index and thumb an inch apart.

"And you say he just walked off, left you there?" Giles enquired, looking through a bookshelf in his typical fashion – using his busy watcher brain to consider a book that would have what he was looking for despite the only few details he had to go off on.

"Yeah he just made a comment about having all the time in the world to live and then he walked off with his sword."

"Vampire?" Giles asked.

"Nada. Said something about it not being possible. Ooh, and he had a big scar along his neck, like someone had tried to cut off his head!"

"Like the other man in the alley?"

"Yeah. Did I mention watching a decapitation isn't my idea of a good night's patrol?"

"At least you didn't run into Angel," Giles assured.

"Angelus," Buffy corrected before she could stop herself. She hated when people thought he was one in the same.

"Sorry," Giles murmured awkwardly, wiping his spectacles at the mention of the demon that had killed Jenny Calendar.

"The last thing I need is a new player, Giles," Buffy sighed, wrapping her hands around her legs on her perched position on the oak library table and staring up at the ceiling. "Would finally like to get some peace and quiet around here."

As if on cue, Willow, Xander and Cordelia took the opportunity to enter the library, happy and buzzing in their usual Scooby style.

"Hey, hey, hey, how's my favourite Buffster!" Xander bellowed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Someone wake up on the right side of the bed this morning?" Buffy asked amused, lifting her eyebrows. Cordelia was rolling her eyes as she set her text books on the table.

"Xander's on a testosterone high for beating me in last week's trig exam," Cordelia filled in, unimpressed.

"All those cos, sins and tans just really had my back this time, Cordy. What happened, new issue of Vogue just come out the night before?"

Cordelia didn't even bother with a come back; sometimes no response was the easiest way to ruin Xander's fun.

"I'm not going to bring up what I got," Willow murmured as she occupied herself into a chair next to Buffy.

"I'm so glad I didn't take trig, ex boyfriend vamps and evil dark alley dunno-what's are my main time consumers these days."

"Dark alley-what's?" Willow asked, looking up at her best friend.

Buffy stretched her legs as she got down from the table. "Newbie in town, really strong. Cutting off heads, you know – the usual evil stuff."

"Oh no," Willow groaned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Wills. Nothing I can't handle."

"Well sure, Buff," Xander supported. "And you know the two other musketeers have your back."

"Eh-hem," Cordelia coughed. "What about me?"

Giles, Willow, Xander and Buffy all stared at the May Queen, styling similar, estranged looks.

"Well, okay I don't want to help but when you guys are the three musketeers, what do I get to be?"

"Well let's see here…ah-ha! You can be the groupie," Xander encouraged. Buffy and Willow shot each other grossed out looks, and Cordelia looked up to a show a similar expression.

"I gotta go, I just realised I have other things to not care about." Grabbing her things, Cordelia sauntered off leaving Xander to stare at her backside for a few moments until he realised she was leaving. "Cordy wait!"

"So you didn't catch a name for this unknown enemy, Buffy?" Giles continued, effectively blocking out the couple arguing on their way out of his library.

"Ugh, me and names. He said he was the Kroban? Kurben?"

"The Kurgan?" Giles interjected.

"That's the one. You've heard of him?"

"I've seen some mentions in a few texts back at the Watcher's council. I'd have to do some research," Giles affirmed more to himself than to Buffy as he stared into space, concentrating.

"Okay, you're research guy and I'm…"

"Biology girl," Willow finished for her friend, perfectly in time with the bell indicating fifth period.

Buffy groaned. "Things just keep getting worse."

"Night, mom."

"Goodnight, sweetie."

Buffy kissed her mum on the cheek before walking into her bedroom and closing the door. She wasn't waiting any longer to go out and patrol tonight, a familiar pattern was beginning to form within her – a constant feeling of responsibility to Sunnydale's residents to protect them from all sorts of lurking dangers wandering the streets; biting, killing, raising hell – that kind of thing. She couldn't help feeling responsible for Angelus – it was the happiness she gave him that lifted his curse after all – whether she knew it would happen or not, he was her responsibility. Like she didn't have enough already. She pulled on a pair of denim jeans and a light blue tank top, and added a leather jacket over the top despite Sunnydale's blistering California heat; for protection. Lacing up her boots and slipping a stake in both jacket sleeves, she abandoned her bedroom through her window and jumped gracefully off the roof.

She was unsure of what she was hunting for tonight – she'd think about it properly while she swept over Mosaic Cemetery and go where her instincts led her. Angelus was her main priority at the moment, but she'd like to get the new guy out of the way swiftly and quickly, too. She only fought the one vampire in Mosaic, dusted it, and decided on a plan – Willy's. The dingy demon pub was only a few blocks away – but surprisingly not in the bad part of Sunnydale that The Bronze seemed to occupy. In a typical fashion, a couple of demons and vamps left the bar in compliance to the sight of the slayer- ashamed at their personal choice of dismissal yet hardly in the mood for trouble. An unspoken treaty between the slayer and Willy remained however; she kept his business alive – literally – and he tipped her off with sources of information she might need. Hence the nickname he was forever trying to throw off; Willy the Snitch.

"Slayer," Willy greeted. Another vampire sitting at the bar spun off his stool and left. "What can I do for you this evening?"

"Newcomer. The Kurgan. Big sword, big guy. What's the word?" Buffy cut to the chase. It was becoming tradition.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm not gettin' involved in this one," Willy defended, wiping lazily at the bench he stood behind and walking over to the other side of the bar. Buffy followed. "Hear this guy's a psycho. Killed a couple of my regulars for getting in his way, you know? I'm not lookin' to be next on his head huntin' list."

"So he kills all his victims that way? Swift old sword to the neck?"

"From what I hear, yeah. He's good with that sword. But dunno nothin else-"

Buffy wasn't always in the mood to punch the runty bar tender, instead grabbing a vamp sipping from some A positive at the bench. Without even taking the stake out of her sleeve, Buffy used her forearm to push the weapon into the blood sucker's back – exploding him into dust. Willy's emptied faster than bee's from a provoked hive.

"Alright, alright. I heard summen' else the other night. The guy's some kind of immortal – can't be killed, drowned, burnt. That kinda thing. He's lookin' for some kinda prize. Can only get a hold of it when these other immortal characters come off the contestant list. Now that's all I know."

"Thanks," Buffy said solemnly, leaving the small building.

"Geesh," Willy cursed as the petite blonde left, and sighed as he looked around at the empty bar. "Dammit."

"Buff."

The voice stopped her in her tracks. Goosebumps swept over her and her hand holding the stake she had just used in the bar twitched. So it'd be Angelus tonight, she thought. "What do you want?"

"You're not the same, baby. Normally you'd be sprinting into my arms, showering me with some love. Something wrong? Is it me?"

Buffy spun around, her expression unamused. "Ever consider being a comedian? You'd be a real laugh."

Angelus chuckled. "I save all my best material for you."

"Is it a fight you're after because my night's just getting started," Buffy dared, pulling her stake high to her shoulder. Adrenalin was quickly setting into her blood, her heart thumping a few seconds faster.

"Easy, Buff, I didn't come here to fight. Just wanted to see how you were, make sure you're not leaving bars with the wrong demon, you know?"

"I don't need this. If you're here to play mind games then go home to your psycho girlfriend, I'll bet she's up for some fun." Buffy spun around to leave. Tonight wasn't her's and Angelus's fight. Not yet.

"I know who you're looking for," Angelus called to her, effectively stopping Buffy in her tracks.

"Why do you care?" The slayer asked suspiciously. "Feeling threatened?"

"Hardly," the vampire snorted, offhandedly inspecting his nails.

"Then what do you know?"

"Now, now. Say 'please'," Angelus smirked.

Buffy rolled her eyes and continued to walk. She'd never beg Angelus. Before she knew what hit her, she was pushed against the wall of a jewellery store that occupied Maple Court, the street she'd been walking on.

"Come on, Buff – no need to be rude. It's not how you play with the other boys and girls."

"Get off me!" She spat, but she was at his full advantage and effectively pinned against the wall with his body; his forearm against her neck and his leg between her thighs. She could smell blood on his breath and it almost made her sick. She'd never smelt blood on Angel before.

"Really, Buffy – don't tell me you didn't miss this. Don't think soul boy ever got this kinky but I can tell you on more than one occasion he was thinking it," Angelus laughed cruelly, pushing his hips into Buffy's.

Energy shot through her at the mention of Angel and she pushed the demon that wore his face off her, She executed a hard punch to his head, followed by a roundhouse kick, and Angelus was already on his knees on the stone footpath.

"Don't ever touch me," Buffy threatened with her stake at the ready.

Angelus laughed and wiped the blood from his lip. "You need me this time, Slayer. None of your friends, none of your books can help you with Victor."

"The Kurgan?" Buffy responded, never lowering her fighting stance.

"Victor Krueger is his real name; The Kurgan is what your little books refer to him as." Angelus rose to his feet and dusted off his leather pants.

"Why are you telling me this?" The blonde Slayer asked, looking him up and down, anticipating any sudden movements.

"He'll come after you," Angelus warned, taking a cautious step forward. "He'll find you, and come into your room in the late hours of the night, and he'll kill you without you even seeing it happen." Another cautious step. "He can't be stopped,"

Left

"Can't be staked,"

Right.

"And slayer-"

Buffy barely registered that Angelus was once again right in front of her, hypnotizing her with his eyes till she was frozen on the spot.

"You're mine."

His eyes shifted into the golden orbs of his demon and his fangs shot through his gums. Like the speed of a cat, he plastered a violent kiss to the slayer's lips and before Buffy had a chance to push him off her a second time, the vampire was already off, his duster flailing in the wind, fog quickly blanketing him till he disappeared.