Author's Note: So my update schedule is completely wonky this time… I'm trying to get it back on track though :/ Please bear with me until then :D


"So there might be a new demon in town, eh", Buffy said as a greeting the moment Pat had stepped close enough so she could talk to her without having to shout; to her amusement, the demon raised an eyebrow, then replied, her voice as dry as the Sahara, making the blonde giggle slightly. "Why, hello to you, too, Buffy, I'm fine as well, thanks for asking."

"Don't go all prim and proper on me now", the Slayer gave back, still grinning, "I know you're fine, because you didn't answer when I called to ask if you'll come along tonight."

"I called you back", Pat pointed out at once, throwing the cigarette she had been smoking on the way to the cemetery down on the ground and stepping on it to put it out, "and just because I didn't take a call, doesn't mean that had that certain, special reason you're trying to imply with your words and your impish grin."

"Yeah, I'd believe there was another reason if Willow had taken my call right after I tried your phone", the blonde grinned in reply, "but when she didn't answer, either, I kinda knew what you were up to."

"Psh", Pat let out in reply, making Buffy giggle once more, "we just as well could have been in mortal danger."

"Then you would have kicked that thing's ass and would have told me right away when you called me back", the Slayer pointed out, making the demon realize that she couldn't win this argument; thus, she just rolled her eye, earning yet another giggle for her troubles, and gestured at the cemetery gate, changing the topic by asking if they should get started, then.

"Sure", Buffy gave back, smirking at her once more before she started moving; together, they moved through the rows of graves, both listening keenly for any noise which might indicate a vampire – before the blonde spotted something quite unsettling, gaining her patrol companion's attention by grasping her arm.

"Look over there", she told her in a low voice, gesturing at a grave to her right; they both frowned as they moved closer to it for a better look, studying the earth which had been piled up around the open grave and the broken up casket, the demon then lowering herself into a crouch to get a better look at the corpse – or at what was left of it, since someone or something clearly had used it as a snackbar.

"Ew", Buffy commented next to her, "eating dead people? Well, better than eating alive ones I guess, but still. Gross. That must cause the most horrible bad breath."

"A ghoul, perhaps", Pat pondered out loud in reply, straightening up again, "they eat dead people, don't they?"

"Yup", the Slayer agreed, still eying the corpse, grimacing at the sight of the torn open chest and stomach and the missing organs, "wait, we better take a pic of this to show to Giles, maybe he can confirm it's a ghoul."

With those words, she already got out her phone and leaned closer as well to get a good picture of the teeth marks all over the corpse and of the laid open upper body; then, she tucked the phone back into her pocket and looked around, still listening closely for anything which might indicate that the one responsible for this or a vampire was around.

"It's strangely quiet here tonight", Pat pointed out next to her, looking around with a frown, "normally, we would have run into a vampire by now. Where are they all?"

"No idea", the blonde grumbled, straining her ears to pick up any sound as she kept glancing left and right, "maybe we're at the wrong—oh!" She flailed her arms around wildly as her foot got caught at something, tripping her up, managing to regain her balance in the last second; next to her, she heard Pat snicker slightly, even though that noise died in her throat when she saw what Buffy had stumbled over.

The corpse on the ground was obviously much fresher than the one they had found in the grave, blood still trickling from where the man's chest and stomach had been torn open, the demon's good eye momentarily widening when she took a closer look at his face and recognized him as the one she had chased earlier that day.

"That's him!" Buffy now cried out next to her, having recognized him as well, "that guy with the powder!"

"Yeah", Pat agreed, moving closer to the corpse and studying the claw- and bite marks all over his body, "looks like something ate him, like that corpse back there in the grave. Not a ghoul after all then?"

"At least I never heard of ghouls who attack living people, they usually just run away, as far as I know", the Slayer gave back, looking up at her companion – and frowning when the taller woman suddenly started to sniff audibly, frowning to herself again as she glanced left and right.

"What is it?" Buffy wanted to know, automatically keeping her voice low, by now knowing that it hardly meant something good when the black haired woman did this; before Pat could reply though, dark shapes moved out of the shadows all around them, encircling them, prompting both of them to automatically clench their fists.

"No need to get so tense", a pleasant female voice spoke up, moving out of the circle and gaining the attention of both women, "we are not interested in fighting you. We just ask you to leave."

"Sorry, no can do", Buffy replied at once, as always not liking it when someone told her what to do, "dead guy here, this kind of is part of my job description, you know?"

"We are well aware of this, Slayer", the woman gave back, causing Buffy to gape at her in surprise while Pat took the chance given and studied her intently; she was tall, almost as tall as the demon, with long and flowing brown hair, her strangely yellow eyes now focusing on the black haired woman as a slight smile curled her full lips, exposing unsettlingly sharp teeth for a moment. "And the demon. Is your witch around, too?"

"…no", Pat gave back after a moment, not liking that this woman obviously knew them so well, "but, you know, since you obviously know who we are, it's kinda rude you're not introducing yourself, too."

She had been expecting a lot of responses, knowing that she would have been snarky, had someone spoken that way to her; what she hadn't expected though was that the woman smiled pleasantly again and then introduced herself, the men and women all around them remaining quiet as she spoke, just watching the demon and the Slayer with weary eyes. "Of course, forgive my lack of manners, please. I'm Valeriana, but my friends call me Anna."

"Not sure if we're your friends", Buffy mumbled, looking at the dead guy at her feet again before her gaze focused on the woman once more, "especially because your lackeys here surround us in what might be seen as quite threatening."

"At least we are not enemies", Valeriana gave back at once, "and please, as I said, we don't want to fight you. In fact, we don't want to make any trouble at all for you. We just have some… business her in Sunnydale, and we'd appreciate it if we could stay out of each other's way until it is done."

"Depends what that business is", Buffy replied without missing a beat, eying the woman critically, "if it has anything to do with killing people, I'm afraid we can't stay out of your way."

To her astonishment and slight dismay, one of the men in the circle around them growled audibly at her words, stepping closer to her, baring sharp teeth at her; she automatically slid into a fighting stance, but before anything could happen, Valeriana snapped "Derek! Behave yourself!", and the man moved back again, glaring banefully at the blonde, but not making another move into her direction.

"Please forgive Derek's behaviour", Valeriana then told the two women, looking at them again, "this man here was his mate, and he's been on the edge ever since their bond was cut."

"…I have no idea what you are talking about", Buffy let her know, frowning at her, the demon next to her mimicking her expression, "but it's good to see you got your lackeys under control." She smiled sweetly at the guy named Derek, then Pat spoke up next to her, all eyes focusing on her, the black haired woman not letting this stop her though.

"That's a nice story", she coldly let Valeriana know, ignoring the growl Derek let out just like she'd ignored the stares, "but why should we believe you?"

"We have no reason to lie to you", Valeriana shrugged, as if that would convince anyone that her words were honest, "also, we never would lie to one of us."

"One of us", Pat echoed, raising an eyebrow at her, "so you guys are all demons, or what? I doubt you're all Slayers."

"Not demons", Valeriana gave back, giving them a second to wonder what she had meant with "one of us" then, and to ask themselves if they were witches and warlocks then – before the brunette went on, earning startled looks from both Buffy and Pat in reply. "Shapeshifters."