***A/N***: To my biggest cheerleader, Beckydaspaz: I wrote this many months ago, but I went back in and changed something just for you. Wanted to bring a smile to your day. Thanks for your appreciation of the story!

**BUFFY POV** - Getting Dark

I hate playing hide and seek.

My team made up of Rowena, Becky, and Xochi, and I had been out searching for the three slayers for closing in on seven hours now; I just wanted to be done and get gone. We had come across lots of vamps and demons along the way in our search so I was sweaty, tired, and covered in dust and the general ickiness that goes along with slayage.

God do I need a shower. I just thank Buddha that today isn't my turn to wear the pregnant belly. That thing itches like a mother …

"Ma'am? We've finished sweeping this building and it's the last on the block. No slayers, but we did smoke a nest of something I can't ID. What do we do next?" Becky asked as well all reconvened.

"Let's do one more block before we call in for a transport. I'd really like to get these girls out of here but they must be moving around a lot … if we don't find them today we'll come back tomorrow with a witch who can give us continuously updated locator spells."

The four of us stuck together as we started our search of the next city block, and not having to be extra- vigilant gave me time to think. Maybe that wasn't such a good thing.

The guys had looked good. Too good. With the leather and the hair and the looks and the … damn. My brain is being such a traitor right now. Well, not my brain so much as my body. Stupid, stupid body, get yourself together!

Sending Angel and Spike away had seemed like a good idea at the time. I had felt that they were too much of a distraction; too confusing to be around since I was still extremely unbalanced in my emotions for the two of them. I was worried that I might get myself injured or worse yet someone else if I kept them around while I knew that I was craving the both of them at the same time. Better to just remove the temptation and hope that we could try and maintain an ally's friendship.

Damn what an idiot I am. At least when I was with them every day I wasn't worrying constantly if they were ok or slipping into frequent daydreams that always made me feel the need to find a quite space for some "privet time". I can't believe that I even contemplated what their reactions would be if I asked them both date me, to get to know me all over again … to share me … before quickly ruling that option out. Not gonna happen. The fighting and jealousy is already at a high point ... not to mention that I'm not sure even my slayer stamina can withstand the attention of two guys …

I giggled quietly to myself at that last thought. Ok, so maybe not all of this was a bad thing. The happiness I felt that they were both here and ok was still greater than any anger or annoyance the other issues brought up. Barely.

"Ma'am look, over there in the street," Xochi loudly whispered to me, gesturing towards something moving ahead of us. It was our three slayers, fighting off a small horde of vamps.

"Let's go greet our new sisters ladies," I mumbled as I jumped out from behind the building and ran towards the melee.

As we got closer I realized that something was very off about what was happening in front of us. The group of about fifteen vamps wasn't trying to drink from the slayers, they weren't even trying to kill them. They had actually armed themselves with heavy blunt objects and were trying to hold the girls still as they tried to smack them in the heads.

What are they doing? Why aren't they trying to kill them? It looks more they are trying to knock them out and take them, but why?

Becky, Xochi, Rowena, and I hurried up as we saw what was happening. Using momentum on our side, we rammed into the group and staked a vamp or two before they even knew we had interrupted their little party. As we started to really fight though I heard an odd whoosh noise. Turning to see what it might be I was suddenly tackled from behind, just in time to watch Becky rush me to the ground and get hit in the back with a tranquilizer dart that knocked her out in 5 seconds flat. I looked around and saw that Xochi was staking the vamp with the tranq gun, but not before he had shot two of the three slayers we had come out here to find. The third one ripped herself out of the grasp of a vamp, visibly injuring her shoulder in the process, and she ran to stand behind us while cradling her arm. Before we could stop them the few vamps left un-dusty grabbed Becky and the other knocked out slayers and tossed them into the back of the van before peeling off.

"Yeah you better run," Rowena yelled after the van in her funky German accent, not really getting that we didn't want them to run.

Why are vampires of all things trying to kidnap a bunch of slayers instead of killing them as soon as they can? This is not of the good.

Just then from behind us I heard the stamping of some pretty impressively big feet and the low, carnivorous gurgle that predators make when they are trying to restrain themselves in the hunt. I whipped around to come face-to-ugly-ass-face with something that looked more like a dinosaur than a demon. Something that would definitely fall into the 'reptiles with horns' category. It lacked any human-ish traits on its fifteen-foot tall frame, unless you counted those huge claws on its paws to be a throwback to Edward Scissorhands or Wolverine.

Hhhhhmmmmm …. Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman …. damnit Buffy, focus!

This mud-brown thingy that was staring at us like we were dinner was apparently the real reason those vamps had fled.

Huh, I guess I'm not as intimidating as I thought. That sucks … is it weird that this is the first thing that pops into my head right at this moment?

"Listen wild thing, you can gnash your terrible teeth and show your terrible claws all you want. The girls and I? We are not of the impressed …" I grunted as I leapt up into the air and swung my scythe.

I embedded the blade into its upper arm and it roared in pain, but not before using its other arm to swipe me right out of the air and knock me about thirty feet away. I bounced off the concrete like a basketball, and in that moment of being dazed and confused I watched Rowena, Xochi, and the injured one left behind by the vamps charge the creature.

"Steer clear of the claws!" I yelled as I scrambled back up to rejoin the fight.

Rowena circled around behind the thing as the other two distracted it with a jab-and-retreat method. I was running forward when she suddenly hopped up on the back of the thing's head and shoved a stake into its eye before smoothly pulling my scythe out of its arm and tossing it to me. I grabbed from the air it as I slid down onto my knees and used the momentum to keep going under the demon's body, lifting my scythe and slicing its belly in the process. This did not make it happy.

"Hey! Get off of that thing," I heard the new girl yell before I turned back to watch in horror as the reptile-like creature turned its head and grabbed Rowena's entire arm in its crocodile-like mouth.

Her shriek of pain echoed off the surrounding buildings as the thing swung her back and forth like a dog playing with a chew toy before flinging her to the side. I vaguely registered that Xochi was calling into the base, asking for a chopper's immediate assistance in getting Rowena out of there. Before I could act though she dropped the radio and charged the demon who proceeded to skewer her right through the chest with its claws, killing her instantly. Engulfed in a blind rage, I hoofed it back towards the arm I had already injured and attacked the same wound again with enough strength this time so that the entire arm came flying off the creature's body.

"You should have left them alone you big ugly bully. Now you've joined the club of 'A Buffy Ass-Kicking of the Month Club'. That's going to cost you the down payment of and arm … and here I come for your first month's fee of a leg," I quipped as I aimed for the thing's hip with my blade.

I stopped for quippage a bit too soon though, because as it bellowed in pain it lashed out with its remaining arm. I didn't realize my mistake until five razor-sharp claws shredded through my body armor and sliced me deep over the skin of my torso. In shock I saw the girl who had been left behind by the vamps take the opportunity to take the thing's head clean off with Xochi's dropped sword, but my relief was short-lived. It wasn't until I had collapsed onto the ground that I understood just how bad I was hurt, and I looked down in amazement at the dark red blood rushing out over my hands.

Hey! You stupid blood, get back inside. You don't belong out here, spilled all over the dirty street; you belong in my veins and various organs all safe and warm. I'd really like for that slayer-healing to kick in right about now please.

"Hey! What's your name? Don't go to sleep you hear me? Don't go to sleep," I vaguely heard the pained and panicked voice of the new slayer shouting at me. I felt someone press down on my wounds to try to staunch the flow of blood, but I was already losing too much and suddenly felt very calm in my light-headedness. I knew from experience already just how much blood I would have to lose before I kicked the bucket, and the sensations I was feeling in my body were telling me that I wasn't too far away from that point.

So this is it. I'm dying. Again. Again again … again. Shit why did it have to be now? Does everyone in my life, including me, have to die right when it might be possible that we can find a real piece of happiness? Spike … Angel … I never got the chance to show them how I feel, not really. God I miss them both so … Dawn! Oh god Dawnie, I'm so sorry, I screwed up so much and maybe she was right it would have been better if I had never come here. Hell I had two hot-for-me ex's staying in my camp for days and I denied lusting after them to myself … stopped myself from jumping them … and now look where that's gotten me. Distracted to the point of letting something spill my guts and I'm going to die and it's been almost two years since I've had sex with a man and I might as well be dying a virgin. Wow, even in death I get all rambly.

As I lay there bleeding out I couldn't help but noticing that this was a lot like all of those stereotypical Hollywood death scenes. Everything felt like it was getting dark and slowing down; a dull 'whoomp-whoomp-whoomp' sound was pounding in my ears. I assumed it was my heartbeat petering out.

I've never paid that much attention to heartbeats before … well, not my own anyway ... but it seems so important now.

Then, all of a sudden, a rush of wind blew over me and I'm surrounded by this bright light. All my other times dying were not like this. Dealing with the Master, I was so focused on the pain of the bite and then the gush of water in my lungs that I never experienced this part. My second time all I noticed was the crackle of energy engulfing me as I knowingly leapt to my death. The mere seconds of death I experienced as the result of Warren's bullet, I was in too much shock to really take stock of what was happening I guess.

Wow, now I feel all floaty and weightless and … that must mean I'm leaving. No … not yet … I just found them, I can't leave now … it's not enough time … please …