Crap, I was hoping to have this up a lot sooner. I am working on it. I've been a bit busy lately on a Covenant Fic. I'm a terrible human, I know. Buuuuuuuut, I bring you this new chapter. And for those of you worried that Graham is just a Riley overlap, don't be worried. Graham is Graham. You'll see.


Graham returned to the university campus earlier than planned on Riley's wishes. He wanted the squad to make another round on campus to look for Spike. He didn't see Buffy once and felt a relief in that. He still had no idea what to say to her if he did see her.

However, he did see Willow and the perky redhead saw him too. Neither of them said anything. She half waved awkwardly with a grimace laced smile and hurried off down the sidewalk and he made his way back to the house. The rest of the evening was filled with studying until he fell asleep.


He awoke with a start, his alarm clock blaring. His physics book landed on the floor with a loud thump/smack. He sighed heavily and picked it up and put on his desk. The morning was eerily quiet. Rubbing his eyes, he looked out into the hallway. A couple guys were motioning at each other. Graham's eyes narrowed. What were they doing? He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and tried again. Still, not a sound. What the hell?

After getting dressed in a plain grey T-shirt and jeans and lacing up his combat boots, he looked for Riley and Forrest. Maybe they knew what was going on. Not finding them, he went to the next place he could think of, Buffy's dorm. Neither she nor Willow were there. He should've went down to the Initiative. Walsh had probably laid out a plan already that went along the lines of "Keep everything under control. Keep the peace. There will be a lot of scared people.". The TV downstairs had the news on, stating that Sunnydale was in quarantine for a sudden outbreak. He was sure that Walsh called that in to cover for whatever was actually happening.

Keeping his head down, he started out toward town. He jumped and spun around quickly, fists clenched and ready to swing, when a hand touched him. Willow jumped back, her hands raised in surrender. A whiteboard hung from her neck. Her brows furrowed with an apologetic greeting. Graham stuck his hand in his pockets awkwardly, unsure of what to say or how he'd say anything. Willow scribbled across her whiteboard and then held it up.

I'm going to meet up with Buffy and the others. Wanna come?

Graham looked around as if expecting somebody to be watching him. He gave a stiff nod. He owed an explanation to everyone, especially Buffy. Before walking off, he rubbed his throat, giving a questioning look. Willow was just as clueless as to why the whole town was speechless.

The Psych classroom that Willow had led him to was dark and saw that Buffy, Xander and the guy he guessed was Buffy's father was there. There was a blonde girl too, munching from a bag of popcorn as if this was some kind of viewing. He met Buffy's eyes instantly. Both of them were frozen. Xander waved awkwardly and then dropped his hand, his face twisting with confusion as to why Graham was there. The father bore a curious look as well.

Graham looked away from Buffy quickly and sat a couple of seats away from her. Buffy looked at him and wrote on the white board that she sported.

Go ahead Giles. He's with us…I think?

She looked to him for confirmation, and Graham nodded without a second's hesitation even though he had no clue what was happening. Xander sneaked side glances at him, but Graham just ignored the scowl.

Giles used the overhead projector to tell a story, a nursery rhyme really. And it was creepy as hell. It was about The Gentlemen and apparently they like to rip out hearts. Shortly after explaining what they were dealing with, Giles pulled up another slide that said Buffy would go patrolling and everyone else would be on research duty. She gestured at herself dramatically, obviously not wanting to go. Graham couldn't help but chuckle, silently, thank god. While research duty sounded like fun, Graham was quick to follow Buffy.

Giles didn't interject, but watched closely as they walked off. He looked over at Xander who was just as worried. Willow shook her head as if to say everything would be okay.


The walk was quiet, not that Graham would've been able to say anything if he did have his voice. Buffy fiddled with her hands. He noticed that she did that when she was nervous. His eyebrows pressed in together as he continued to think himself into a hole. He opened his mouth and tried to speak and then sighed. No voice.

Buffy had ditched her white board with Xander. So they were practically in a boat without oars. Awesome. Though, she didn't look like she was angry with him. Not a bit.

She pointed off in one direction and then in another, more or less trying tell him that they should split up. Graham didn't want to. He wanted to hash out everything, but how? Reluctantly, he wandered off the opposite direction as her. Buffy watched after him as he walked off with slumped, broad shoulders, knowing that her gut should've been shouting for her beat some answers out of him and to be wary, but there was none of that. Even Willow agreed. He helped them big time and she wasn't used to that. Her lips curved into a frown that desperately tried to cover a smile.

She turned at the sound of scuffling to see Riley breaking up a fight between two men. Her eyes brightened at seeing him. She really liked him. He was kind and sweet and…peculiar. Everything that Angel wasn't. He greeted her in a tight hug, worry radiating off of him. It was like being swallowed by a lumberjack. She reveled in it. This wasn't like that stupidhead, Parker. He pointed one way, emphasizing that he had to go that way and she pointed the opposite direction. She bit her lower lip as she met his eyes, conveying what she hoped was longing. Finally turning away to go, Buffy was spun around fiercely and rather strong—a small ache throbbed at her shoulder—Riley's lips crashed down on hers, sending and incredible rush down to her toes.

After a full sweep of campus, Graham went back to Giles's place—Willow had given him the address. She'd been oddly nice to him—and walked in on an exchange happening between Anya and Xander that he wished he didn't see. The two rushed past him out of the house without even noticing him standing there. Giles stared at him, his eyes narrowed with great suspicion. Graham moved to the couch, throwing a threatening glare at Spike along the way. The vampire just sneered without a single clue that it had Graham who tossed him into the Initiative. Graham picked up one the many books on the coffee table and started reading. Giles looked at his girlfriend and she just shrugged.

Graham did well in keeping to himself until Giles offered him a mug of steaming black coffee. Graham took it, giving a nod in thanks. Giles's eyebrows quirked up once. He picked up the whiteboard on his writing desk a couple feet away and started writing. A knot pinched in Graham's stomach.

Who do you work for?

There was no point in lying now. Plus, he knew about Buffy. He knew everything. Keeping this from her wasn't right. Graham outstretched his hand out and Giles handed him the board.

I worked for a military institution called the Initiative. We study…

He pointed at Spike. He didn't know much more than that. The Initiative was like a rehabilitation center for some evils, like Spike, but in most cases it was so that they could learn how to take down demons and other dark creatures so that people would be safe…like Buffy. Giles stared at him thoughtfully and took the board back.

Buffy trusts you.

Coming from this man, that made Graham feel uneasy. He licked his lips, unsure of how to respond. He more than trusted her, but he wasn't going to tell her Watcher about it. He resigned to the strange, uptight scowl that seemed to be permanently engraved on the man's face. He pursed his lips and then picked up another book.

It was late when a sudden rush of air forced its way into Graham's chest.

"By god." Graham jumped at the sudden sound. Giles smiled and hugged his girlfriend close.

"Exactly," Spike said, rolling his eyes. Then he turned to Graham. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"

His head cocked to the side, his eyes narrowing.

"No," Graham replied tersely. He got up from the couch and gave a nod to Giles.

"Thank you," Giles said and he sounded earnest about it.

Graham just gave another nod. He didn't know what to say. This was all still new to him. And, he wasn't sure how Walsh was going to react. He pictured a nuclear bomb going off in the back of his mind, mushroom cloud and all. That's if he said anything at all. He was pretty good at not saying anything. That wasn't lying. Not really.

Once back on campus, Graham started toward Buffy's dorm, wondering she was alright. He stopped outside her door, hearing her speak. She wasn't alone.

"I guess we should talk…" she said, trailing off. Graham peeked in stealthily. Riley sat across from her.

Graham turned and walked away. Apparently she was fine. His brow pinched together. A small ball of anger flickered in his chest. He was angry at Riley and he shouldn't have been. It's not like he said anything to Buffy. But he was angry.


"Hey Graham!"

Graham heard him. Xander. But didn't slow down. It wasn't that he had any place to be. He just didn't feel like talking. He still harbored mixed feelings and at the moment it was worry that still plagued him. That and he'd been avoiding Riley.

"Hey!" Xander came up next to him, keeping stride. "So, I never got to say thanks for helping out."

"What are you talking about," Graham mumbled.

"You know, losing the voice, doing the research. The thing." Xander juggled with his hands.

Graham spun on Xander, grabbing a handful of his shirt in his fist.

"Whoa!" Xander exclaimed.

Graham wasn't usually the researching type. He was a field guy. He let go of Xander and started walking again, mumbling an apology.

"So, you're a soldier boy?" Xander called after him.

Graham turned around and burned an icy glare into the townie.

"What do you want?"

"I want to know why you're after Buffy," Xander said, crossing his arms.

"I'm not. I just want…to help." That sounded stupid, but that was the best answer Graham could manage.

"Riiiiiight," Xander said. "And I'm Madonna's love slave."

Graham's brows furrowed, disturbed by the comment and the sudden vision of Xander in a dog collar that was being pulled on by the pop-star. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't have a chance. The ground shook, starting out like a vibrating and graduating to a violent shake. Graham grabbed the back of Xander's Hawaiian shirt and shoved him to the ground, dropping with him. A tree, not super large toppled over nearby. Students shrieked across the quad, lying flat and covering their heads. There wasn't any serious damage.

After the quake ended, Graham stood up and looked around. That was his first quake, but by the ghostly look on Xander's face, it wasn't his.

"What's wrong?"

"The last time we had an earthquake, Buffy died." Xander looked around, worry creasing his forehead. "I have to go. I have a vampire living in my house and I should probably go make sure he isn't dust…not that I care. You should go see Buffy."

"Why?" Graham asked.

"Because for some reason she likes you. I think you and your soldier buddies are up to no good with all of that slinking around campus. Everyone will be rounding up at Giles's."

Graham sighed. He didn't want to. So he didn't. Buffy probably didn't want to see him. Intruding and trying to help, being a liar. Plus, there was Riley now. Where the hell did he fit?

While visiting the Initiative and receiving an order to be on the lookout for a new hostile, Forrest told him about the Aftershock Party in one of the dorms. Strangely, it sounded appealing. Well, not really, but it was a distraction. Riley joined the two of them after a moment and Graham went rigid.

"What's a Slayer?" Riley asked.

Forrest snorted.

"Slayer? A Thrash band," he replied off-handedly. "Anvil-heavy guitar rock with delusion of Black Sabbath."

Graham smirked, laughing silently.

"No," Riley said, his voice oddly firm. "A girl. With powers."

"Oh," Forrest said with a nod, understanding lighting his eyes up. "The Slayer."

"Fill me in," Riley said.

The three of them paused. Graham looked between them, conveying a look of curiosity as well, even though he knew the Slayer.

"Well, the way I got it figured, the Slayer's like some kind of bogeyman for the subterrestrials. Something they tell their little spawn to make'em eat their vegetables and clean up their slime pits."

Graham resisted a snort and an eye roll. A bogeyman. Well, not far off.

"You're telling me she doesn't exist," Riley said with skeptical eyes. Graham could see it though. Riley knew about Buffy.

"Oh, wait a sec." Forrest scoffed. "Am I bursting somebody's bubble here?"

Graham quirked an eyebrow at Riley, crossing his arms over his chest. All of the attention wasn't directed at him and that was fine. He'd never thought about the perspective the Initiative had on the Slayer.

"Maybe this is a bad time to tell you about the Easter Bunny," Forrest continued.

Both Graham and Forrest laughed.

"It's a myth, Ri," Forrest said. "All part of that medieval folklore garbage kooks dream up to explain things we deal with every day."

Graham shook his head. Maybe folklore, but it wasn't a myth. Riley would see.

"How do you explain the things we deal with, Forrest?" Riley quipped. He looked at Graham, too, for an answer.

"They're just animals, man. Plain and simple," Forrest said.

Graham couldn't devise an answer. Not after what he'd experienced already. It was more complicated.

"Granted a little rarer than the ones you grew up with on that little farm in Smallville, but-"

Forrest's statement was cut short as a guard and doctor passed by with a large demon with large devilish horns and greyish skin. The demon broke free and attacked. The three of them tackled it to the floor, luckily got it indisposed, though with difficulty. Graham knew that Buffy would've had this thing down without breaking a sweat. Forrest grumbled something about the earthquake, causing Graham to flashback to Xander's comment. Going to a party seemed like a great idea now.