Wind rustled through the graveyard, sending a tsunami of fallen dead leaves before the three figures ambling through. It caused different feelings in each of the Scoobies, but all of them were uncomfortable and unfriendly. The sensation for Xander was like pins and needles prickling in his back. He winced, remembering that feeling from when Caleb had caught him during their escape from the first battle. Even before the preacher had jabbed his eye out, Xander had known that something was going to happen, something that he could not change once it had happened and could only stand paralyzed in the man's grip as the stinging in his body grew unbearable. It was like this now. Whether or not it was because of his friend's suspicion of his activities or just the atmosphere at the moment, he could not determine.

Willow pulled her rose colored jacket closer to her, which didn't seem to stop the brutal icy wind from reaching her. Coldness was always accompanied with painful realization and truth. She knew that at some point, Buffy and her were going to have to sit down with Xander and discuss what had happened to them all in the wake of the battle against the First. Though she knew her two friends were suffering more from it than herself, the lovers they had lost had also been her friends, and so similar feelings were felt. Her sight glided over to Buffy whose eyes were staring into the tendrils of fog rolling out of the forest across the long stretch of graves from them. If only the slayer could confide in her, then maybe it would be easier for Xander to do the same.

Buffy's deep brown eyes settled on the headstones strewn around them and the fog that had somehow emerged despite the light rain and brisk wind. This right here, was a stereotypical graveyard if she'd ever seen one. Then again she'd been patrolling the Sunnydale Cemetary for years, it had become familiar and almost nostalgic in a way. Tonight it was just plain creeping her out. The chill in the air had caused a nausea to seep into her stomach and wriggle around so that she barely felt like she could take another step. Though the laughter at dinner had been a refreshing break for the threesome, she knew that the time to face each other would have to come soon. Secrets buried deeply always had a way of causing more harm than good. She remembered the secret she had kept about being ripped away from Heaven by her friends when they had brought her back to life. In keeping it, they had all been coerced into a song and dance nightmare by a red faced demon who wanted to marry Dawn. She paused in her thought. It could have been a lot worse, she decided. In the end, it had been Xander whom had summoned the demon after all, but she realized that with everything that had spilled just from not being forthcoming, they couldn't risk doing this to each other again. It was too dangerous. It inhibited them from being a family.

"Xander." Buffy said quietly, stopping in the middle of a row of headstones.

He had almost not heard her over the zephyr, but stopped himself next to Willow and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"You were here." she said strongly, blinking a couple of times. "Weren't you?"

He sucked in a deep breath, and tapped his stake in the palm of his hand absentmindedly.

She started forward, attempting to grab his hand. "I miss her too…"

Xander stepped back, just out of reach, taking another sharp breath. "Please," he smiled without happiness, his eyes somber and begging. "Don't."

"It needs to be said." Willow spoke finally, holding his arm carefully. "You're not the only one who has ever lost someone." Her green irises were dark and wet, staring into his hazel one.

"I never said I was." he retorted, chuckling to himself. His face hardened when he looked back up at her and contorted as his mouth grew straight and lips quivered.

Willow yipped suddenly, topping over into the mist covered grass. Instantly forgetting his sadness, Xander reached down to catch her, noticing a pale hand coming up from the ground, grabbing onto the witch's leg. "Son of a bitch." he growled, ripping the hand off of Willow and dragging her backwards by her shoulders away from the grave.

The vampire's head emerged from the ground, a layer of dirt sliding down through the facial crevices and creases, eyes seemingly black and with its game face in view. "Come back, pretty little girl." it taunted, snickering to itself.

Buffy leapt in to the fray and kicked the vamp's head, causing it to snap back. "Ow!" it complained, another hand bursting through the soil and reached into its mouth, producing a shard of something white. "You chipped my tooth."

"Sorry." Buffy apologized awkwardly, a brow rising.

"Could you at least just let me get out before you start kicking my ass?"

"I'm not exactly trying to make this a fair fight." Buffy informed, twirling the stake in her hand.

"Of course not." it growled to itself, working its way out of the soil regardless. Catching a smile from Xander and Willow, Buffy allowed it to fully surface and dusted off her jeans whilst it did so.

"There." the vampire stated, snorting. "Now, you can kick me."

"What ever you say." Buffy smirked and darted forward with her stake at the ready. The creature caught her arm, whipping her around and catching her torso with its other arm.

Xander staggered forward, his eye wide.

"You shouldn't have listened to me." it said deviously, its breath glaring down hot on her neck.

Buffy grimaced and drove her leg up behind her, her boot connecting with the vampire's knee. The audible sound the knee cap crunching resounded through the air and the creature let her go, stumbling backwards.

Xander relaxed from his position and assisted Willow to stand. The redhead was shaking a little but had buried the emotion, holding a determined glare for the beast.

Buffy sauntered over, smiling down at the monster. "You were so worried about your teeth; you should be more worried about your breath." she joked, getting ready to hammer the sharp wooden object into its heart.

Just as she raised it, she watched the vampire's face blanch (if it could get any whiter) and its eyes dart to a spot on their left. "Don't." it spoke carefully, ears on the ready. Confused, Buffy stopped just inches from its heart and let her own slayer senses open up to the world around them. She couldn't hear anything besides the leaves and her own breathing. "Nice try. I don't fall for those easily."

This was when she heard it. A slithering sort of sound, almost as if it had begun to course through the leaves on the ground, from the forest a few feet away. Noticing its opportunity, the vampire surprised her, pushing her back with super strength. Buffy landed next to her friends, rolling in the grass just out of their reach.

"Buffy!" Willow ran to her, assisting her up from the ground.

The vampire stood up, but instead of attacking, it listened to the now quite audible noise emerging from the forest. It focused on it as the three watched. And it muttered something that made Buffy want to throw up. "Something wicked this way comes."

As quick as it had been there, the vampire fled in the other direction across the graveyard. The three Scoobies stood there listening as what ever it was draw closer. A primordial scream echoed from the direction that the vampire had fled followed by the all too farmilliar scent of vamp dust in the wind. It had killed a creature of darkness… but Buffy could tell that this thing was all but good itself. "Great." she spoke beneath her breath. "Another big bad." Her friends stiffened at the words.

Materializing out of the mist around them, several grisly creatures took shape, their faces pulled from the nightmares of adults and small children alike. Long claws protruded from the ends of their fingers and their blood red eyes were ultimately larger than any that Buffy had ever seen on a bi-ped monster. As they opened their mouths to reveal crooked yellow fangs stringed with saliva, they released high pitched screams, causing the Scoobies to clap their hands over their ears.

Breath rolled from their mouths as they surrounded the group, arms taut and ready at their sides as if connecting the ring.

The three friends huddled together in the center. Willow guarded a stake, trying to summon the memory of helpful magic spells to aid them. Xander had ditched his stake and revealed a crossbow, holding it at the ready, swinging to and fro, undecided as to who would get the first arrow. Buffy herself had also given up the stake and resorted to a straight bladed sword which she held expertly and with fortitude. Each of them faced a different direction, waiting for something to give.

"Too bad Faith doesn't know about our little party." Willow commented under her breath to her friends.

Buffy growled quietly at the thought of the other slayer. "She's probably getting into trouble somewhere else."

"Okay." Xander finally chimed in. "Isn't this usually the moment where the uber-scary bad guy in charge shows up and tells us all about his plans and how he wants to kill us?"

"Usually." Buffy agreed. "But I'm not seeing anyone really… intelligent enough here to be able to speak."

The other two nodded in agreement.

The ring began to close in around them, the creatures creeping closer every second. Xander looked at Buffy out of the corner of his eye. "I don't see big bad yet…" he said carefully.

"We can't wait for him to appear." Buffy stated, swirling the sword around and getting ready for a strike. "We should start before they get the chance."

He nodded. "Let the shit hit the fan." he muttered and released the arrow at a monster on his right.