The next morning Arthur, Anne, Buffy and the Scoobies met at Giles' apartment to discuss Arthur's arrival and how to get him home. Xander and Willow almost fell of their chairs when they were told who Arthur is, while Oz seemed indifferent about the whole situation. "Wait..you're saying, this is the King Arthur?" Xander's eyes were wide with excitement.

"So, he says" Anne shrugged. Arthur glared at her "I am, Arthur Pendragon, thank you very much". Xander swallowed "Oh wow, man, it's an honour to meet you really". "Xander, you're starting to embarrass yourself" Buffy chastised him. Xander quickly shut is mouth and sat back in his chair. Willow smiled brightly "This is so neat! What's it like, over there in Camelot?".

Giles held up his hand "There's time for that later, Willow. First we need Arthur to tell us how he got here". Arthur sat up a little straighter on the couch "I remember tracking a sorcerer on the outskirts of Camelot. I'm not entirely sure what happened but suffice to say I got swept up in the sorcerer's magic when my men and I confronted him and the next thing I knew I woke up here". Giles frowned "Is there anything you remember about this spell? The wording perhaps?".

Arthur furrowed his brow in concentration "I can't remember what he said, but I do remember that the language he spoke in was unlike any I have ever heard. It wasn't Latin or English". Anne spoke up from beside Arthur "When I found him, there was this bright orange light when he appeared". Arthur nodded "Yes, I think I saw an orange flash of light before I disappeared".

"Hmm..I've never heard of anything like this. However there might be something in one of my books. It could take a while before we find out how to get you home, so in the mean time you will stay with Buffy and Anne" Giles polished his glasses. Buffy protested "But Giles, Anne and I have classes and mom has the gallery. We can't babysit him all the time". Arthur's eyebrows shot up "Excuse me, I am seventeen I do not need a babysitter". Anne gave him a look "Yes, you do. I bet you don't even know what three quarter of the stuff in our house is and what it does. I will not let you burn my house down". "She's right" Buffy agreed.

Arthur wanted to protest but Giles quickly shut him up. "I understand that, but you can take Arthur with you to your classes". "Do you really think that's a good idea, Giles?" Oz spoke for the first time. "I don't see how we have any other option" he answered, he cleaned his glasses and turned to Buffy and Anne "Last night, during patrol did you find Spike?". Anne shook her head "No, not a trace". Buffy nodded in agreement "Neither did I. To be honest it was pretty dead last night, Giles. No vampires or anything".

Arthur leaned forward from his place on the couch "Excuse me, did you say vampires?" he looked at them as if they were crazy. Giles sighed and cleaned his glasses "Yes, unfortunately Sunnydale has a vast population of vampires". Arthur snorted "There is no such thing as vampires". "Oh really" Anne shared a smirk with Buffy "Then I'm sure you won't mind accompanying me and Buffy to the cemetery tonight to search for clues to how you got here".

Giles looked expectantly at Arthur. Arthur felt all eyes on him and swallowed, he cleared his throat and shrugged nonchalantly "Yes, uh, no problem. I'm not scared of anything". Buffy smirked at him "Clearly". Willow frowned "Anne are you sure. Don't you think it's a little dangerous for him".

Anne clasped Willow's shoulders "Oh, there is nothing to worry about Willow. Like we said it's just a bloodthirsty vampire looking for a kill, and like Arthur said he's not scared of anything. I'm suuure he can handle it" her eyes twinkled mischievously, while Arthur just glared at her.

Giles cleared his throat "Right. Then that's settled. Meanwhile it might be a good idea to do some research on what we already know". Buffy groaned "I'll pass. You know I'm not research gal, Giles. Besides I've got a lot of homework to catch up on". Giles sighed "Very well, I'll see you after patrol then". "Kay, c'mon Anne, Arthur" Buffy said before leaving. "See you tonight, Giles" Anne dragged Arthur out of Giles' apartment.

The walk home was quite eventful because of Arthur stopping everywhere to ask what it was. He got the scare of his lifetime when he almost got run over by a car. Arthur stared wide eyed after the car and pointed at it "What is that, devil thing? Is it witchcraft?".

Anne chuckled "No, it's not evil. It's called a car. You have carriages where you're from right?". He nodded. "Well, it's like that, only they can drive themselves they don't need horses to pull them forward. They're only dangerous if you don't watch where you're going. So, stay on the sidewalk next time".

Arthur nodded and swallowed down his pride. "Are you okay?" Buffy asked him. "Yes..yes..I'm fine" he scratched the back of his head. "Let's get you home" Buffy suggested. Lucky for Arthur he did not get run over by another car, but he was a bit apprehensive about crossing the road. Anne put her key in the lock and opened the door "Mom, we're home!".

She received no response from her mother. Buffy shrugged and put her own keys on the side table in the hall "She must be at the gallery". Anne opened up the curtains a bit more than they were to let more light into the living room "It feels weird to be back home so much after staying at the dorms for the last few weeks". "Yeah, though I'm glad I get to sleep in my own bed again" Buffy agreed.

"Is that why there were so many boxes in your room?" Arthur asked Anne. She nodded "Yeah, I haven't had the chance yet to move all my stuff to my dorm". Arthur frowned "What's a dorm?". Buffy sat down on the couch "Anne and I go to college and they have dorms there. Dorms are rooms you can stay in to stay close to college, each room usually houses two people".

sat down "Eh..that sounds.." he scrunched up his nose. Buffy and Anne looked at him with raised eyebrows. He cleared his throat and glanced around the room awkwardly. Anne giggled "Okay, it doesn't sound fabulous, but it's really not that bad". Buffy playfully raised one eyebrow at her sister with a smile on her lips "Not that bad? Your roommate is nice, but mine turned out to be a demon".

"A demon?" Arthur gave them that look again, the 'where the hell did I end up' look which could also be interpreted as the 'You're all crazy' look. Buffy nodded "It sounds crazy now, but you'll get used to it soon". "Doubt it" he answered. His eyes fell on the TV "What's that?" he looked at it curiously. "Oh, that. That's a TV. You have plays where you're from, right? It's not exactly like that, but it shows moving pictures of people performing realistic looking plays, I guess" Anne tried to explain.

Buffy crouched in front of the TV and turned her head to look at Arthur "Don't freak out", she pressed the on button of the TV. From the moment it flashed on Arthur was enraptured with it. He approached the TV "How is this possible", he touched the screen with his finger and tapped it twice, "This must be magic of some sort". "It's not magic. I'm not sure how to explain how it works exactly". Anne held up the remote "This, is the remote. It controls the TV. You can adjust the sound and channel with it".

Arthur frowned and tore his eyes away from the screen "Channel?". "Here, I'll show you" she pointed the remote at the TV and changed the channel. "This is magic" he stated, "Is it evil?". Buffy looked at him amused "Depends on who you're asking. But no, it's not evil". Arthur looked warily at the TV and took the remote from Anne to change the channel. And that's how he became glued to the TV for the rest of the day, while the Summers sisters did their homework upstairs.

When Buffy and Anne came down they found Arthur leaning on his forearms from his place on the couch staring unwaveringly with his mouth slightly open at the TV. Buffy leaned toward her sister "I think we broke him". Anne giggled and leaned her head towards Buffy to whisper "One would think by his reaction that he's watching porn or something". Buffy slapped her hand to her mouth to smother the loud laugh coming from her mouth. Arthur heard it anyway judging by his startled reaction.

He looked at them while pointing at the screen "What a strange world you live in". "Can't disagree with you there" Anne agreed. Buffy pointed her thumb over her shoulder to the kitchen "We were going to grab something to eat. Would you like some". "Yes, I was wondering when I would get my lunch".

Anne narrowed her eyes at him "Soo.. you were just expecting us to make you breakfast, lunch, make up your bed for you. I have seen the state of my room, you know". Arthur furrowed his brows and looked at her like she was missing the point "Yes" . Anne balled her fists and clenched her jaw. Before Buffy could stop her Anne stormed towards Arthur and pushed him roughly against the wall. A look of surprise marred his face as she kept him pressed against the wall with her hand on his chest "You listen to me. And you listen very carefully" she hissed.

He nodded slightly scared and intimidated by this mere slip of a girl who seemed to possess more strength than he would have expected. "You are a guest in my house. We are not your servants. I know you're used to certain luxuries, but that doesn't give you the right to be so rude. Would it kill you to say please and thank you? Or to help out around the house a little bit? If you don't know how something works or if you need help, just ask nicely, but don't expect us to wait on your hand and foot, your majesty".

His fear and surprise had melted away during her speech. "You can let him go now" Buffy stated calmly. Anne stepped back from Arthur her face still slightly red from anger. Arthur rubbed the spot where her hand had been gently before lowering his hand and looking at her with genuine remorse "You're right. I am a guest in your home and I have behaved poorly. I apologize for my rude behaviour". Anne looked slightly taken aback and Buffy's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"How can I make up for it? Perhaps I could cook you dinner tonight?" he offered. That heightened Anne and Buffy's surprise. Anne smiled at him genuinely "That's nice of you, but I think you could start with something a little simpler than cooking dinner". "Anything" he looked at her expectantly. Anne turned her head to share a look with Buffy before turning back to Arthur "You can make us lunch. Come on, I'll show you how" she took his hand and led him to the kitchen.

She led go of his hand and placed it on the fridge "This is a fridge. It keeps food cold. You'll find most things you'll need in here" she opened the fridge and moved aside so Arthur could look into it. He put his hand in slightly to check if it really was colder in there. "There's cheese, butter, milk, orange juice, ham, jam and eggs in there. Enough to make breakfast and lunch" Anne nudged his arm out of the fridge and closed it again.

Buffy handed her a loaf of bread "The bread's usually on the counter somewhere. We usually put some slices in the toaster". Arthur frowned "Toaster?". Anne smirked "Yep" she put her hand on the toaster "This is a toaster. It makes bread deliciously crunchy. Let me demonstrate". She put one slice into the toaster and set the timer. Arthur looked at it closely and almost jumped ten feet in the air when the bread came flying out "What?!". Anne giggled "Yeah, that was my first reaction too".

Arthur carefully picked up the bread "It's hot" he almost dropped it. Buffy pulled a plate out of the cupboard and held it up for him to place the toast on it. He put the slice on the plate "Can I try?". "Sure" Anne moved away from the toaster so he could reach it "Just put a slice in and set the timer. Don't put it in too long or it will come out burnt. One minute should be fine".

Buffy took out two more plates and set them on the counter before fetching three glasses. Anne added another two slices in the toaster, as Arthur opened the fridge again for a drink. He poked his head out of the fridge to ask them what they wanted to drink. Arthur grabbed the orange juice and milk from the fridge and brought it over to where Buffy had put the glasses down. He filled two glasses with orange juice for the girls while he filled his own with milk after that he put the bottles back into the fridge.

When the toast popped out he froze in surprise for a moment making Anne and Buffy giggle. He glared slightly at them with the corners of his mouth lifting up, he put the toast on the plates "Ehm, how do you like your toast?". "I like mine with butter and jam" Anne said before taking a sip from her orange juice. "Same" Buffy lifted her own glass to her lips. Arthur retrieved the items from the fridge.

Buffy fetched two knives from a drawer "Here, I'll help". Arthur buttered the bread, while Buffy put jam on them. "Arthur, do you want something else on your toast?" Anne asked. "Yes, I would like some cheese", he looked up from his task and smiled gently at her, "Please". Anne smiled back and nodded before getting him his cheese. "Thank you" he handed her the toast he had prepared for her.

She accepted the plate from him "You're welcome. And thank you". He nodded at her with a smile. They all took a seat at the kitchen island and started to eat. Arthur swallowed a bite of his toast "I've been meaning to ask, who is this Spike you were talking about with mister Giles? And what kind of name is Spike?". Buffy and Anne started laughing "That's what we're thinking too".

Anne put her toast down "Spike is a strong vampire who has been causing a lot of trouble lately. We thought he left a year ago, but last week we found out that he was back". Arthur raised his eyebrow "Spike is a vampire? What happened?". Buffy took a sip of her orange juice before putting it down to answer him "He went looking for what according to Giles amounts to the holy grail for vampires. It's called the Gem of Amara and it renders the vampire that wears it invisible. They become resistant to sunlight, holy water and stakes". "Basically they become un-killable" Anne surmised. B

uffy nodded and continued with her story "Spike went digging for it here in Sunnydale and he found it. When he got it he tried to kill me". "He tried to kill you?!" Arthur exclaimed. "Wouldn't be the first time" Anne mumbled before sipping her orange juice. Buffy shot Anne a look "Yes, he did. I fought him and obviously I won or else I wouldn't be here. I took the ring from him, but he got away before I could deal with him. That's why we were looking for him last night. Though instead of him, Anne found you".

Arthur blinked "Wait, you fought a vampire and won?" he looked her over. "You don't believe me" Buffy fixed her eyes on him. "Oh, but he will" Anne smirked from her place at the kitchen island. Arthur was a bit concerned by the look in Anne's eyes "Why are you looking at me like that?". Anne pushed her plate and glass of juice aside and turned in her seat to fully face him "You don't believe women can fight do you?".

"Well..I-" he tried to defend. "No, he really doesn't" Buffy picked up her own glass of juice. "I..uhm" he cleared his throat, "I found your weapons chest last night". "You were snooping through my things". He looked chastised "Yes, sorry. I was curious. I..have never met women who fought like knight's do". "Well, we can. We keep the town safe and tonight we'll show you how" Buffy stated.

"You will have no doubts after tonight" Anne told him. He turned towards her "Really? You sound very confident". "I have reasons to be". "Hmm.. one might call that overconfidence" he toyed with her. "Hmm, nah not possible" Anne finished her glass of juice, "See you tonight" she hopped off her bar stool at the kitchen island and moved back upstairs. He followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight "There is something you're not telling me, aren't you?" he asked Buffy.

She grinned at him highly amused "It will all be made clear tonight" she too finished her glass and went back upstairs. Arthur blinked slightly dazed "What just happened?" he ate the rest of his toast before moving back to the living room to watch more TV. When the sky turned dark Joyce came home and greeted Arthur "Hello, Arthur. I see you have discovered the TV". "Yes, it's amazing. It's teaching me a lot about this century, like cars and society" he stood up and helped Joyce with her coat. "Oh, thank you, Arthur" she was pleasantly surprised by the gesture.

"I learned how to work the toaster today" he hung her coat up on the hook in the hall. "Did you jump?" she shot him an amused look. "What? Oh, the toast. Yes, yes I did" he scratched the back of his head. Joyce chuckles "That still happens to me as well. Are the girls upstairs?". "Yes, I think they're still doing their homework" his eyes flickered to the staircase.

Joyce nodded "I'll start preparing dinner. Could you tell my daughters that supper will be ready in fifteen minutes". "Of course" he bowed slightly out of habit and made his way upstairs to do as he was asked. He knocked on Buffy's door first. When she opened the door he informed her that dinner would be ready in fifteen minutes and that her mother was home. She thanked him before closing the door again. He knocked on Anne's door "May I come in?". "Sure" came the answer from the other side of the door. When he opened the door he was greeted by the side of Anne riffling through her weapons chest. She was throwing certain items like wooden stakes into a gym bag.

Arthur closed the door behind him "What are you doing?". She briefly looked up at him before she turned back to put more things in her bag "I'm preparing for tonight. Making sure we have everything we could need. You see, Spike is not an easy vampire to beat". Arthur moved slightly away from the door "I still find it a bit difficult to wrap my head around the idea that vampires are real like you say. I've never seen anything like that in Camelot".

Anne closed the chest and went to sit on it "That's because Camelot isn't on a hell mouth, I think. The Hell mouth is what attracts all the vampires and demons here". "Wait, we're on a hell mouth?!" Arthur sounded very concerned. Anne nodded "Yes, and most people don't even know it. We try to keep the town as safe as possible but there are too many to prevent anyone from dying. That's why the mortality rate in this town is so high. And as for never having seen a vampire, I'm sure you'll see plenty tonight".

Arthur looked at her incredulously "You're taking me to see vampires?". She leaned forward to pull her gym bag on her lap "We're taking you to the cemetery where I first found you to look for clues. However the cemetery is where you find the most vampires. That's where the new ones rise. Don't worry you'll be perfectly safe. Buffy and I will be there to protect you, and we'll give you the means to protect yourself, like this", she pulled a bottle of holy water out of the bag, "Holy water. It's like acid to vampires, but completely harmless to humans".

Arthur crossed his arms "I don't need protection, certainly not by two women". "Excuse me" she put the bottle back in the bag without taking her eyes off him. "I'm sure you and Buffy do a great job, but I can look after myself perfectly fine and don't see why I would need your help". "Well, for starters do you even know how to kill a vampire?" she wore a hard look on her face. "Well..you stab it like every other thing" he kept his arms crossed trying to look more confident than he actually was.

"Wrong. There is no use stabbing it, unless you stab the vampire in the heart with a wooden stake, that and sunlight and beheading are the only things that can kill a vampire. Holy water will only repel them" she corrected him. He unfolded his arms "Alright, I don't know how to kill a vampire, but the idea that I need protection is ridiculous I have fought hundreds of battles". "I'm sure you have, but I bet none of them were supernaturally strong" she tried to reason with him.

He sighed "Look, I didn't come here to fight. I only came to tell you that your mother was home and that she said dinner would be ready in fifteen minutes which now is five minutes I suppose". Anne put her gym bag down "Fine, then you can tell my mother that I will be down in five minutes". "Very well" he nodded at her before leaving the room. Anne sighed and zipped the bag shut "Classic Anne" she muttered under her breath before pulling her hair into a pony tail.

When she came down Arthur and Buffy were already seated at the table. Her mother came in with the food "Ah, Anne right on time". Anne took her seat at the table and helped Buffy with her servings before doing the same for Arthur. "Thank you, Anne" Arthur accepted his plate back. "You're welcome" she put some food on her own plate as well. Joyce sat down and accepted the plate of food Anne had made up for her "Thanks, honey".

They all dug into their food. After taking a few bites Joyce asked them if they were going to patrol tonight. "Yes, Giles wants us to find Spike and we're going to look for clues that could help us get Arthur home" Buffy answered. Joyce looked down at her plate thoughtfully "That's good. Do promise you will be careful, all of you?". Anne placed her hand on Joyce's "Of course, mom. We will be extra careful", Buffy and Arthur nodded in agreement. Joyce patted Anne's hand "Good. I want you all back in one piece" and with that they resumed eating.

After they were finished Buffy announced that they should go on patrol now. "Do you want us to stay to help with the dishes?" Anne asked. "No, honey. I'll take care of it" her mother declined the offer. "I'll get my bag" Anne announced before rushing upstairs to get her gym bag. Arthur and Buffy waited in the hall for her. "What do you think we'll find?" he asked Buffy. She shrugged "No idea. With some luck something that can help you get home".

Anne came down the steps with the bag, she reached into the bag and handed Arthur a bottle and a stake "Now, don't attack a vampire, this stake is to defend yourself". Arthur shot her a look. "Alright, we're ready to go" Buffy quickly said before things could escalate and rushed them out of the door before grabbing her keys. The walk to the cemetery was a silent one. When they arrived at the cemetery Buffy immediately began scanning her surrounding for Spike. Anne noticed "Go. Find Spike. Arthur and I will do some investigating".

"I'll catch up with you guys later" Buffy pulled a stake from her back pocket and headed deeper into the cemetery. "Come on, the crypt I found you at is this way" Anne pointed into a different direction than Buffy had. Wordlessly he followed her, he kept looking around him nervously. "Anxious?" she tried to make conversation. "I don't get nervous" his body language on the other hand told a different story. Anne didn't call him out on it, she remembered how nervous she had been when she encountered her first vampire.

"If one gets too close just use the holy water I gave you" she advised him. He pulled the item in question out of his pocket and held it in a firm grip. Anne heard a twig snap in the distance and pulled Arthur to a stop, she signalled him to be quiet before sneaking closer to see what had caused the noise, Arthur followed her soundlessly a skill he had picked up during one of his many hunting trips in the forest by the castle.

When Anne saw the culprit she stood up straight and confronted him "Spike". Arthur came up behind her "This is Spike?". Spike smirked at him "Heard of me have you?", he assessed Arthur from his place next to the crypt Anne had found Arthur, "Taking your boy toys with you on patrol now, Slayer?" he tried baiting her. "He is not my boyfriend" she crossed her arms, "What the hell are you doing here, Spike? I thought you would have run out of town with your tail between your legs after Buffy kicked your ass".

Spike glared at her "I am not going anywhere without my gem, and I am certainly not running away from you or little sis". "Well, you can stop wasting your time. We don't have it anymore". Spike took one step forward intrigued "Oh, really then who has my gem?". Anne barked out a laugh "Please, like I would tell you, Spike". "Well, I can make you" Spike took a step closer with a sultry look on his face, "I can't promise you it will be pleasant".

"Back of Spike!" Arthur held up the bottle with holy water. "Oh, the boy has bite. Your boy is either very brave or very stupid" Spike didn't looked threatened at all by Arthur's display. "Well, he is universally known for his bravery if we have to believe the tales" Anne quipped back, falling into a familiar pattern with Spike. "Tales of bravery?" Spike's voice sounded more than slightly sardonic, "Fancy yourself a hero then? Where did you pick this guy up, Slayer?".

Anne pointed at a spot behind him, Spike turned slightly to look "In a crypt?" he raised his eyebrow at her. "Not in a crypt. By that crypt. I was patrolling and he appeared out of nowhere" Anne placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder, who was still looking warily at Spike, "Spike, I would like to introduce you to Prince Arthur Pendragon, future King of Camelot".

Spike's mouth fell open and he stared at Arthur "You're kidding me right? This is the King Arthur?" a hint of admiration became evident in Spike's eyes. "Pfft, no need to flatter him, Spike. The last thing this guy needs is a bigger ego. And King of Pratcilvania is more like it" Anne tried to wave him off. "Hey!" Arthur shouted, "Yes, I am Arthur Pendragon, thank you very much".

Spike rushed forward before Anne even registered what happened and grasped Arthur's hand and shook it firmly "It is a real pleasure to meet you, sir". Arthur looked more than startled and had no idea how to act "Eh". Spike continued rambling and asking Arthur questions about Camelot, but Arthur was still too shocked to say anything.

"Okay, back of Spike that's enough" she pushed Spike off Arthur making him stumble four paces back, she looked highly amused at him "I never would have picked you to be such a Arthurian Legend fan boy, Spike". He growled at her "Tell no one or I will kill you slowly, Slayer ". She held her hands up in mock surrender "Then what were you trying to kill me for before?". He shot her an annoyed look "Don't give me that cheek".

"What are you talking about? How do you know all these things about me?" Arthur was beyond confused and wanted answers. Spike wanted to take a step toward Arthur to answer but Anne made sure the same distance between them remained by pulling Arthur two steps back "Don't even think about it, Spike". He glared at her "I'm not going to harm the boy, Slayer". She huffed "And I'm what? Just supposed to take your word for it. Not likely".

"Think what you want, Summers, but I'm not stupid enough to harm the future King of Camelot" he glared back at her. She shot him a look of defiance. He sighed and gave in "Alright, I'll keep my distance, but no cheek from you" he pointed his finger at her. She metaphorically zipped her lips. "Does anyone want to tell me what he was talking about and wasn't Buffy looking for him?" Arthur was mostly just confused and even more wary of Spike.

"The Slayer's looking for me, bollocks. That's the last thing I need two Slayers in one night" Spike looked beyond annoyed. "What did you expect, Spike? You tried to kill her" Anne's voice sounded patronizing to Spike. "That's what vampires do! I know, you're still relatively new to the Slayer gig, love, but vampires kill Slayers. It's what we do" he shot back bitingly. She glared right back at him "And yet you didn't kill me when you had the chance" she spat.

Arthur's eyebrows rose up surprised by this new bit of information and was instantly reminded that while Spike now acted pleasantly that he was still very dangerous. Spike sighed annoyed "I told you. If I kill you I want it to be a fair fight. The council had you drugged up pet, you weren't even close to a fair fight", the look into his eyes turned predator, "But I could do you in tonight, Slayer. No council drug is flowing through your delectable veins tonight, love" he stalked towards her.

Anne put her hands on his chest as if she was caressing him to distract him which worked a little bit, Arthur's eyebrows were practically in his hairline by what he was seeing "But you won't". Spike tilted his head slightly closer to hers "And why is that?". "Because if you kill me tonight. Who is going to get poor lost King Arthur back home, huh?" she pushed him hard away from her. He growled "Well, we wouldn't want that. You're lucky you're you, mate" he growled at Arthur.

He could hear someone else approaching him "We aren't done here, Slayer. One night you and I are going to dance" he curled his tongue behind his teeth as he smirked challengingly at her before running away to one of the exits before Buffy could catch up with him. Buffy came running to them slightly out of breath "Was that, Spike?". "Yes, the peroxide wonder just left" Anne pointed at the exit he had disappeared from.

Arthur stared after Spike "Is his hair supposed to be that colour?". Anne and Buffy burst out laughing. Arthur laughed with them before he sobered up "I thought you said he was a vampire, he looked human to me". "Vampires always look like humans until they're about to feed. Their faces change" Anne tried to explain. Arthur nodded in acceptance. "Are you two okay? What did Spike want?" Buffy asked them concerned.

"We're fine. He just wanted to chat" Anne replied. Buffy gave her a look. "What?". "Well, if I didn't know any better. I would almost think Spike doesn't want to kill you, Anne. He never really tries, now does he?" Buffy explained why she gave Anne that look. Anne shrugged "I don't know. So far, whatever it is has worked out fine for me". "Can we start looking for clues now?" Arthur reminded them why they were here. "Right. We're getting off track here" Anne agreed.

"If you don't mind I'm going after Spike. See if I can still catch him" Buffy started moving into the direction Anne had told her he had gone to. "You lied to Buffy didn't you? You do know why he won't kill you" Arthur tilted his head slightly to the side in curiosity. Anne sighed and put a lock of hair that had fallen out of her pony tail into her eyes behind her ear "Yes, I do. He more or less told me why, but Buffy doesn't need to know that". "Then why?" he was way too curious about the answer to not ask the question.

"Last year I got stuck with Spike in a house. Weakened by a drug, unable to fight him and he told me he wouldn't kill me unless he got a fair fight out of it and I was in no condition to fight. See, my sister doesn't know this but I have more history with Spike than she thinks. I met Spike when he was a boy. Shortly after I was chosen I fell through a time portal much like you did and met Spike when he was ten years old. I saved his life, for him that happened more than a hundred years ago but for me it has been only a year. But I recognized him and we started talking. He told me that he had a wife when he was human and that I reminded him of her. Apparently she and I have a name in common. I think that's why. I think he can't kill me because of her".

Arthur blinked "Oh, okay. I wasn't expecting that. Wait, you said you were chosen. Chosen for what exactly?". Anne gestured around her "For this. Buffy and I are what you call Vampire Slayers. You see there is one girl in all the world chosen to fight the forces of evil. She has enhanced speed, strength and other abilities that help her fight. The next one can only be called when the previous one dies. There are now two of us because Buffy died. She drowned but a friend was able to revive her. She was only dead for a minute but it was enough for the next Slayer to be called. When she died I was chosen" she tried to explain.

Arthur looked flabbergasted "So, you have to do this without really having a choice and your mother is okay with you and your sister risking your lives every night?". Anne shrugged with a slightly sad smile on her lips "That's what it means to have a destiny I guess. As for my mom she's not okay with it but she accepts it which is all we could ask of her I suppose. It's not easy to tell your mom that you'll probably never give her grandchildren or get married because by the time I reach that age I will most likely already be dead. Slayers are known for short life spans" Anne looked at the ground and kicked a patch of grass with the toe of her shoe.

Arthur looked at her with sympathy "I'm sorry". She offered him a smile but didn't reply, instead she chose to crouch down next to the spot he had appeared in the day before and scanned the ground for clues. Her eyes picked up on a light shimmer in the grass "Arthur come take a look at this" she curled her finger at him without taking her eyes of her findings. He crouched down next to her "What is it?".

She pointed at the shimmer "Do you see that?". Arthur looked at the spot she pointed at "The shimmer?". "Yes", she scraped her hands over the ground to gather the shimmering substance in her hands. She showed her cupped hands to Arthur so he could take a closer look. Arthur raised his eyebrow "Sparkling dirt?". "Yes, it looks like glitter. Could you get the empty bottle from my bag?" she carefully kept her hands cupped.

Arthur stood up and brought the bag open before retrieving and uncapping the bottle for her "You really did come prepared. There is a whole arsenal in here" he sounded slightly awed. She positioned her hands above the bottle and dropped the dirt into the bottle and screwed the cap back on "Well, you never know if you're going to need it at all. She placed the bottle in her bag. She saw Arthur's eyes widen when he looked at something behind her "Anne watch out!" he tried to warn her but he wasn't fast enough.

Something pulled Anne back by her upper arms and threw her into a headstone with a growl. Anne quickly rolled back onto her feet and kicked the vampire back. The vamp stumbled back towards Arthur, who pulled on its shoulder and punched it in the face. Arthur yelped when he got a good look at the vamp's face. The vamp was barely fazed by Arthur's punch and retaliated with an uppercut that made Arthur's back hit the wall hard.

Arthur was shocked by the vampire's strength. The vampire moved toward Arthur to attack again when Anne tackled it and started raining down punches on the vamp's ugly face. The vampire gripped Anne's upper arms and threw her off him. Anne rolled back on her feet and kicked her leg high to connect her foot at the vampires jaw. The vamp's head snapped to the side dazing it and giving Anne the opportunity to kick him down to the ground, retrieve her stake and stake the vampire in its heart.

Arthur stumbled back in shock when he saw the vampire explode in dust. He pointed at the spot where the vampire had been "Is he supposed to do that?" he breathed heavily and his eyes were wide. Anne placed her hand on his shoulder "Breathe Arthur. You don't want to faint again and yes vampires do that when they die. Take it easy alright". Arthur glared at her "I did not faint". Anne rolled her eyes "Fine you passed out". "Do they always do that just attack people without provocation?" he asked.

"Well, yes. They need to eat don't they? They just happen to drink human blood so the attacking is just basic instinct" she calmly explained, "Just be glad I got to you before anything else could. We weren't kidding when we said this town is overrun by vampires and not just vampires we got a lot of evil in this town". Arthur swallowed "Yeah, thanks for that". Anne looked him over "Don't mention it. We can leave. I think we're done here. Let's get the dirt to Giles and see if he knows what it is".

Arthur sighed in relief making Anne smirk. Like a real gentleman he offered to carry her bag for her which she happily accepted. Arthur huffed a little under the heavy weight when he lifted the bag on his shoulder "You really have super strength otherwise you could never have carried this bag". Anne giggled.

Giles looked as if he had been expecting them when he opened the door "Anne, Arthur come in. Did you find anything in the cemetery?". Arthur set Anne bag down next to the door and followed the others to the couch. Anne sat down "Well, we found Spike. Buffy is still chasing him and Arthur and I found something where I found him yesterday". Arthur who hadn't sat down yet retrieved the bottle with their findings from the gym bag and handed it to Giles before going to sit down next to Anne on the couch.

Giles put his glasses on and sank down into his favorite armchair before he started to examine the contents. He held the bottle on eyelevel "It appears to be some sort of glitter. You found this at the site where Arthur appeared, you say?". "Yep, Giles. The exact same spot. Do you know if there are spells that need glitter as an ingredient?" Anne asked. Giles nodded "Yes, there are several spells that require glitter as an ingredient. It is most common in teleportation spells". Anne gazed at Arthur for a moment before looking back at Giles "Well, what happened to Arthur is a kind of teleportation spell, isn't it?". Arthur looked hopeful.

"Quite, however the spell on Arthur wasn't a mere teleportation spell. Not only did it transport him a thousand or so years into the future it also teleported him to another continent" Giles ran a hand over his chin deep in thought, "I will ask Willow to look into it with me". Arthur frowned "Wait, Willow is a sorceress?" he could hardly believe that Willow who had seemed so sweet and innocent could be an evil sorceress and practice magic.

"She's only a beginning witch. She's still learning but she's very interested in this stuff. So maybe she knows more about this" Anne answered. He looked at her as if she had grown a second head "You're friends with a sorceress? Don't you know that magic and the people who practice it are evil? In Camelot the use of magic is punishable by death". Anne stared wide eyed at him "Punishable with death? Arthur, Willow isn't evil. I know evil. I have seen evil. Willow most certainly is not evil" she defended her friend.

Giles cleaned his glasses "Anne is quite right. Willow is not evil, neither is the magic she practices. I will admit that not all magic is good but there is nothing harmful about most basic spells. Why was the law enforced?". Arthur looked down at his hands "My father passed the law when my mother was killed by magic. I never knew her".

Anne squeezed his hands gently "I'm sorry about your mother". "Thank you" he didn't like being reminded of his mother's death, but he knew their intentions were good. "I'm sorry to hear that, Arthur, but I can assure you Willow is a friend not foe" Giles cleared his throat awkwardly. Arthur nodded a little uncertainly. "Did you run into anything else?" Giles asked Anne. "Just one newborn vamp. No trouble" she kept her answer short.

Arthur hid his tired yawn behind his hand. Giles smiled fatherly at them "Good. Go home and get some sleep. I will speak to Willow about what you found tomorrow". Anne stood up and Arthur followed "Good night, Giles". Arthur picked Anne's bag up from next to the door and bid Giles good night as well before following the petite blonde Slayer home for some well needed rest.

When they got home Buffy was already there and told them she had had no luck finding Spike "How about you? Did you find anything?". Anne scratched the back of her head "Yeah, we found some glitter". "Would you mind if I go to bed?" Arthur interrupted her, he looked dead on his feet. "No, not at all. Goodnight, Arthur" she replied. "Goodnight" and with that he was off to bed. Anne turned back to her sister "Like I was saying. We found some glitter that was probably used in the spell. Giles says glitter is common in teleportation spells. He's going to look into it with Willow tomorrow".

Buffy smiled "That's something at least". Anne nodded "I'm going to follow Arthur's example and get some sleep. Would you switch the lights off here?". "Sure. I was going to bed before you came in away. Mom's already asleep" Buffy answered. "Goodnight, sis" Anne moved up the stairs. Buffy switched off the lights in the living room and the hallway "Goodnight".

When Buffy and Anne came down the next morning with their book bags hung on their shoulders Arthur was already eating breakfast in the kitchen. He swallowed his toast "Good morning". "Morning" Buffy greeted him before moving to the fridge to get some orange juice for herself, "You want some?" she asked Anne. "Sure", Anne placed her book bag on the kitchen island near Arthur, "Hey. So, listen Buffy and I need to go to school today. Would you like to tag along and see what the campus and dorms look like?".

He smiled at her "Yes, I would like that". She nodded with a smile before she got some breakfast for herself while Buffy did the same. Joyce came into the kitchen "Good morning" she kissed her daughters' cheek in greeting and squeezed Arthur's shoulder affectionately. Arthur blinked surprised by the unfamiliar motherly gesture but smile at her brightly "Good morning, Joyce". "Good morning, mom. Arthur is coming with us to school today" Anne informed her mother before taking a bite of her cereal.

Buffy took a sip of juice "We'll give him the full tour". Joyce smiled "Oh, Arthur, you'll like it and it gets you out of the house for a little bit", she grabbed a pear from the fruit-bowl on the kitchen counter "Does that mean you're almost ready to go? I could give you a lift on my way to the gallery". Anne put her finished bowl of cereal in the sink "That would be great".

Not long after the four of them were in Joyce's Jeep on their way to UC Sunnydale. Arthur was intrigued by the car and was pleased to notice how fast it could go. "Here we are. Well, good luck and I'll see you tonight" Joyce sat as the three youngsters got out of the car. Arthur looked wide eyed at the campus "This is a school?". "Yeah, bigger than you expected?" Buffy asked. He just nodded "Are all schools like this?". "A lot of them are" Anne answered before she led them inside.

"We have a poetry class first. Mr Tanner won't mind if you sit in on his classes" Anne told him. Anne and Arthur sat next to each other behind a desk while Buffy took the spot behind them. Tara soon joined Buffy at her desk "G-Good morning" she stuttered. Anne turned in her seat to smile brightly at her "Good morning, Tara", she nudged Arthur so he would turn to look at Tara too, "Arthur this is my dorm roommate Tara. Tara this is Arthur he's a houseguest of ours".

Arthur held out his hand "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tara". She shyly shook his hand "You t-too", she released Arthur's hand and looked at Anne "Is that wh-why you h-haven't been a-at the dorm these p-past few d-days" she blushed and ducked her head down. "Oh! Yes, sorry I should have told you about that. I forgot. I'll be staying at home for at least the rest of the week I think" she apologized to Tara. "Th-that's okay" Tara smiled shyly.

While they had been talking the class started to fill with the rest of the students and by the time the teacher entered the classroom was full. "Good morning class" the teacher put his bag down on the desk. He looked around the room "Well, it seems we have a big crowd this morning. Welcome to those whose first time it is in this class. My name is Mister Tanner. Today, we will be taking a closer look at one of the most famous poets of the nineteenth century; Tennyson".

He wrote Tennyson's name on the board "Can anyone tell me what one of the subjects was that Tennyson liked to write about". A girl in the back raised her hand "Yes, Dana" Mr Tanner gave her the green light to speak. "King Arthur, Sir?" Dana offered. Arthur's head snapped up and stared at her before looking confused but smug at Anne next to him, who silently swore when Dana answered and as an answer to his smug look elbowed him in the ribs. "Yes, that is correct. Thank you, Dana" the exchange between Arthur and Anne went unseen by the teacher, "Now can anyone else tell me what most Arthurian Legends have in common?".

Anne slowly and hesitantly raised her hand. Mr Tanner smiled at her "Good. Anne". She was avoiding looking at Arthur who was now staring very intently at her "Well..uhm..most Arthurian legend stories have the same or similar events that occur throughout the story". Mr Tanner nodded "Very good. Go on, what are these events?".

She kept her gaze fixed on her hands in front of her, feeling more awkward by the minute since Arthur still hadn't looked away or blinked ones "Th-there is the sword in the stone and the way the story tells Arthur's birth. Ehm, his marriage to Guinevere, Mordred and the battle at Camlann of course" she felt way too self-conscious to continue. "Correct. Although a few more events occur in most of them, those were included".

Arthur shifted closer to her "You..you are a fan" he whispered excitedly, "How else would you know that" he laughed silently at her. She tried to give him her best glare which did not amount to much at the moment because of her beet red embarrassed face "Oh, shut up. Yes, I've read the books. That's all". He kept smirking at her. She lightly punched his arm "Shut up". He grinned brighter and his eyes twinkled with mirth "I didn't say anything". She narrowed her eyes at him "You didn't have to".

Mr Tanner decided to add a few to the lists of topics himself "A topic Anne failed to mention is that in every story Arthur fathers a child with his half sister Morgana, although she is sometimes called Morgau-" he didn't get to finish his sentence because of Arthur. "WHAT?!" Arthur exclaimed loudly making everyone look at him, "No. no. no. That is not possible. First of all Morgana isn't my sister, second of all I would never she's like an annoying sister to me. There is no way I would-".

Anne clasped her hand over his mouth and stood up and dragged him with her out of the classroom "I'm so sorry mister Tanner, he gets really weird about the Arthurian Legend. They're more than just stories to him you see" she faked smiled and quickly left the classroom and shut the door behind her. She rounded on him in the hallway "What the hell is wrong with you?".

"They're lies! Everything they said about me isn't true!" he yelled at her, making people turn their heads at him. Anne almost growled in anger and balled her hands "Of course, they're lies! How could they not be?! They are stories, Arthur, not a history book. To be honest you're not even in a history book! There is not much known about you other than the poems and ballads written about you, of course they are lies!".

Arthur looked almost pained "I'm really not in any history books? There really is nothing known about my reign other than fairy stories? I must have made a horrible King" he looked down defeated. Anne grabbed his bicep and moved them to a more private hall way.

She lifted his chin up with her index finger so that he had to look her in the eyes "Stop feeling sorry for yourself and listen to me. You are not known to be a horrible King, far from it. In fact, the world knows you as the most legendary and greatest King England has ever known". That brought a smile back on his face, but he still frowned "England? What's England?".

"England is what the land you will one day rule is now called" Anne explained and sighed, "Point is they would not have written ballads of heroism and great kingship that are still widely known today if there was not a small grain of truth to them. So, stop looking at me like I kicked your puppy and get over it. Can you do that?". "Yes" he nodded and cleared his throat the blush on his cheeks told Anne he felt a bit embarrassed about the whole thing, "Yes, I can do that". She smiled at him "Good", she looked around, "Well, we can't go back to class. I can show you my dorm, if you'd like?". "That would be great".

Anne's dorm was not what he had expected the right side was obviously Anne's since it was styled a bit like her bedroom was, but the other side of the room more than surprised Arthur "What is that?" he pointed at some of the things he saw on Tara's dresser, such as a crystal ball and different kinds of herbs. Anne sat down on her bed and waved him off "Oh, that stuff is Tara's. You know, the girl you met earlier? She's a witch and from what I've seen she's pretty powerful".

Her lack of concern baffled and bothered Arthur immensely "You can't stay here! You can't live in the same room as a sorceress! They're evil, what if she bewitches you in your sleep" he pulled her up from the bed and started moving her to the door. Anne looked more than a little amused "Are you worried about me?". "Yes, I'm a little worried about you" he admitted and opened the door. She put her hand on the door and kept it shut, he looked at her surprised with a question in his eyes.

"I am not leaving this dorm room, Arthur. It's spacious, Tara is very nice despite being a sorceress as you so put it, I have complete faith that she will not attempt to hurt me or bewitch me in any way. This may surprise you, Arthur, but I have met many witches. A lot of them were good, and yes some of them were evil. I like to think of myself as a good judge of character and being the Slayer certainly helps with that. Even if she turns out to be evil after all, which I highly doubt, I will be more than able to defend and protect myself. So, no I am not moving out of this dorm". The look in Arthur's eyes told Anne he did not agree "Fine. But I still don't think it's a good idea".

Anne opened the door "I know", she knew Arthur would not feel comfortable in her dorm anymore. Arthur decided to drop the subject "I thought you and Buffy would be sharing a dorm". "Well, we don't really get to choose who we get paired up with. However Buffy gets to share her dorm with Willow. And I like Tara. So it all worked out great" she answered. On their walk back to campus Anne spotted a familiar red head "Willow!". Willow came over with a smile and her arms filled with text books "Hey, guys. I thought you had poetry class".

Anne glanced at Arthur "Yes, I know. We, uh, had a little accident in poetry class. Apparently the universe thought now would be the perfect moment to discuss the Arthurian legend. Safe to say, it did not go well". Willow grimaced "Yikes. Are you okay?" she asked Arthur. He nodded curtly "Fine". Anne frowned because of his weird behavior "Any waaaay, did you speak to Giles yet?". That perked Willow "Oh, yes about the stuff you found the other night. I'm going to check it out with Giles after classes. I'll tell you if I find anything".

The bell rung, Willow glanced around her "Oh, I gotta go. I'll see at lunch". "See ya" Anne greeted, while Arthur stayed silent. Anne wore a contemplating look on her face as she turned to face Arthur and crossed her arms "Okay, what is up with you?". He shrugged innocently "Nothing".

Anne gave him a look "That was not nothing. You don't want to talk to Willow, because she's a witch, do you?" her tone of voice was nothing short of accusing. Arthur didn't know what to say, since he couldn't vocally confirm it because he knew it would lead to another argument, but he could lie and deny it either. It didn't take her long to draw the right conclusion "Oh my god. You totally are. So, you don't care that she's our friend and that she's offering up all her free spare time to help you get home without getting something in return?".

Now he looked a bit chastised "I'm sorry, Anne. But all my life I have been raised to believe that those who practice magic are evil and cannot be trusted. When you've been taught and told one thing your whole life long, it's not easy to let go of those beliefs" he defended himself but still understood her reasons for getting angry with him. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair "You're right. But can you please try to be at least polite and civil to her?". He looked appalled that she could ask him that "Of course. She has done nothing to me. Why wouldn't I be?". Anne smiled "Good".

They had no more arguments about the subject that day, though lunch was a bit of a tense and awkward affair. Especially when Willow later asked Anne and Buffy if Arthur didn't like her. They didn't know what to say. The tension between Arthur and Willow wasn't the only thing that made lunch awkward. It worsened when Buffy spotted Parker.

Arthur, Willow and Anne had to remove Buffy from the cafeteria after telling her it wasn't a good idea to try to talk to him again because it would not end well. Buffy's mood didn't improve during the rest of the day. Willow met with Giles after dinner to discuss the glitter Arthur and Anne had found. After hours of researching they still hadn't found exactly what they were looking for. So far, they could conclude that it was an important ingredient of the spell and that it was linked to the teleportation aspect of the spell. Though they still didn't know what that spell was exactly.