1998

Sunnydale, California

The Bronze

The local small town nightclub, the Bronze was surprisingly hip with the alternative music scene.

Crowds of young people around the club and on and off the dance floor.

Up on the moderately large stage was a long haired, grungy band playing their instruments, exhilarated by the energy.

"Oh, I just want to believe

Can you hear me?

Can you see me?

What's inside of me?

Oh, I just want to believe

If my life can have a purpose

Help me to believe"

Stepping into the dim overhead light, Buffy gathered the nearby attention from a group of college aged boys. Their eyes grotestically rolled over her slim figure. The skimpy spaghetti-strapped black dress with a slit on her left side showed off her thigh. The dress hugged all of her womanly curves. She wore a pair of tall sandal high heels with a black strap that went around her ankle. Her long blonde hair was neatly styled and hung over her shoulders and down her back.

She tossed her eyes towards the college boys and gave them a small seductive smile before turning her attention towards the bar. Her green eyes set on a redheaded girl sitting alone on a stool.

Buffy crossed the small distance to the bar and strategically took a seat next to the girl.

The redhead immediately noticed the hauntingly beautiful woman taking a seat beside her.

Feeling wildly out of place, the teen watched as Buffy ordered a drink with a suaveness that she had only seen in the movies.

Stirring the stick of olives in the martini glass, Buffy shifted her gaze over to the redhead that had been watching her for the last few minutes. "Hey,"

"Oh, hi!" The frumpy redheaded teen replied with a bit too much enthusiasm.

Taking a sip of the drink, Buffy moved her eyes around the girl and asked, "Are you here with someone?"

"No," she answered, "I'm just here." The teen said awkwardly then gathered her Coke and napkin when she suddenly asked, "Uh, did you want me to move?"

Buffy flashed the girl a smile of amusement. "Why don't we start with 'Hi, I'm Buffy,' and, uh, then let's segue directly into me asking you for a favour." She moved a bit closer towards the girl. "It doesn't involve moving, but it does involve hanging out with me for a while."

"Really?" The teen looked genuinely surprised.

Nodding, Buffy then asked, "Since you know my name and you've agreed to hangout with me for a while, let's jump to the next step in our new and budding relationship and you tell me your name."

"Willow," she nervously pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "My mom was a tree hunger." She lamely added and immediately mentally kicked herself for sounding so dumb in front of this seemingly mysterious and gorgeous blonde.

Buffy smiled at the redhead, immediately taking a liking towards her. "So you're here by yourself?"

"Well, sort of… I'm waiting for Xander—"

"—Is Xander your boyfriend?" Buffy asked, taking another sip of her martini.

Willow's eyes widened. "Oh, no, we're just friends. We used to go out but we broke up."

"How come?" Buffy stirred the olive stick around the martini.

"He stole my Barbie." Willow replied much to Buffy's bemusement. "Oh, we were five," the teen quickly added.

Slowly nodding her head, Buffy smirked, "Oh."

"I-I-I don't actually date a whole lot… lately."

"Why not?" Buffy asked with interest.

Willow frowned. "Well, when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool, or, or witty, or at all." Buffy's smirk widened into a smile. "I-I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away."

Raising her brow, Buffy said, "It's not that bad."

"No, i-it is. I think boys are more interested in a girl who can talk."

"You really haven't been dating lately," Buffy cheekily sipped the martini.

"It's probably easy for you," Willow ran her eyes over the attractive blonde.

Buffy shifted, pretending to feel uncomfortable with the attention, "Yeah, real easy."

"I-I mean you don't seem too shy."

"Well, my philosophy—Do you want to hear my philosophy?"

Willow eagerly nodded her head, "Yeah, I do!" She sipped her Coke from the straw.

"Life is short." Buffy said earnestly.

Willow slowly took in Buffy's philosophy and tried not to look as confused as she felt, "Life is short."

With a shrug, Buffy slid one of the olives off the small wooden toothpick with her teeth. "Not original, I'll grant you, but it's true. You know? Why waste time being all shy and worrying about some guy, and if he's gonna laugh at you. Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead."

"Oh, that's nice!" Willow smiled.

Feeling a bit more comfortable, Willow began to relax when she then asked, "Are you a student at UC Sunnydale? You look a bit older than a high schooler—But I'm not saying that you're old!" Willow nervously added quickly. "You're not old at all…" she continued to ramble.

Buffy found the teen very amusing.

"Who the hell are you?"

A voice suddenly interrupted Willow's rambling spree.

Their eyes turned to a dark haired teenager that appeared to be around Willow's age as well. She wore a black mesh top with a black bra underneath. Her dark wash low cut jeans hugged her hips. To complete the biker-punk ensemble with a pair of black Doc Martens combat boots.

A permanent frown was set across the girl's face as she glared at Buffy. But the look in the teenager's dark eyes as they briefly rolled over her amused the vampiress. The stench of arousal invaded Buffy's nostrils.

Faith frowned, having a strange feeling float inside her that felt like attraction. Frowning, Faith shifted uncomfortably never having such a feeling before for someone of the same sex.

"Oh, Faith!" Willow began, wearing a large smile across her face. "This is Buffy. She goes to UC Sunnydale." She looked over Faith's shoulder for Xander. "Where's Xander? I thought we were meeting here?"

"He's at the library with Giles." Faith said, keeping her glaring eyes on the strange blonde.

Cocking a high brow, Faith looked over her once more. Her Slayer senses were not triggered, so she figured this Buffy was probably some waspy Valley Girl.

"Where're you from? I've never seen you before." Faith glared at the beautiful blonde.

Apologetically, Willow looked at her new acquaintance and looked at Faith with a tilted glance.

"What?" Faith's brows pinched together. "It's a simple question. I wanna know."

Shaking her head at her old friend, Willow said, "You're interrogating."

"Maybe I want to interrogate." Faith shifted her eyes back to Buffy and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm from all over… but mostly Los Angeles," Buffy easily lied.

Faith noticed a bit of dried red stains on Buffy's fingers. "Is that blood?"

Buffy lowered her eyes to her hands and realised that her meal from outside was a bit messier than intended. "Oh, this?" She held up her hand, observing the dried stains of blood still on her hand. "Paint. I'm an art student."

"Really?" Willow held her chin in her hand fascinated by the cool and fashionable college student. "What sort of art do you do?"

Thinking on the fly a smile curved across Buffy's lips as she replied, "Mostly abstract. But I do like art installations. There is something about seeing the art piece at full scale that…" she trailed off realising she was becoming too passionate. "Sorry, art makes me excited," Buffy flirtatiously flicked her eyes towards Faith.

Faith shifted on her feet unsure what Buffy's expression meant.

"Excuse me, I need to run to the restroom." Buffy slid off of the stool and smiled at the teens.

Watching her walk away towards the line outside the ladies room, Faith's eyes dropped for a moment to Buffy's backside. She frowned, having a distinct feeling something was off with the beautiful blonde.

"There's somethin's weird about her," Faith said.

Willow cocked a knowing brow which caused Faith to roll her eyes with a scoff.

"No, I mean, there's something off about her," Faith rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"Like demonic? Are your spidey-senses tingling?"

Faith turned her eyes back towards Buffy standing on the line talking to a random pale-faced guy that Faith immediately knew was a vampire. She watched as the guy took Buffy's hand and led her outside of the Bronze and into the alleyway.

"Yeah, somethin' like that." Faith pulled out the wooden stake from the back of her hands and rushed through the crowds with Willow following him in tow.

Alleyway

Rounding the corner, Faith and Willow paused mid step as Buffy grabbed the vampire by the neck and pushed him away with a striking elbow jab into the chest.

The vampire staggered back and regained his balance. Buffy whirled around with a roundhouse kick into the vampire's face, knocking him to the pavement.

Taken aback, Faith watched as the mysterious beautiful blonde handled the vampire with effortless ease.

The vampire moved around Buffy and grabbed her by the shoulders. Buffy snapped her head back to headbutt him in the face. She grabbed on his arms and twisted the vampire around. She shoved him into the section of the chain link fence. She then kneed him hard into the gut.

The vampire twisted around and tried to throw a backhand, but Buffy caught his wrist and retaliated with a hard punch into the gut and again in the face.

Faith and Willow watched the fight in total shock.

Buffy kicked the vampire against the brick wall and turned to Faith. "May I?" Buffy took the stake from Faith's hand.

The vampire charged after the blonde. Buffy threw a powerful punch into the vampire's face and ducked under his swinging arm. She pushed him back into the fence and gave the vampire a shrugging look then jammed the stake into his chest.

The vampire instantly crumbles into ashes at Buffy's feet.

She faced Faith and smirked at girls confused-amazement.

Willow leaned over to Faith and whispered, "I think it's time to talk to Giles."

Faith couldn't stop staring at the unassuming blonde in totally shocking bewilderment.

Sunnydale High School: Library: Main Area

The Scooby gang, which consisted of two other boys, including a middle-aged man, and an attractive popular girl.

They stood together in a small circle across the library while Buffy stood off to the side by the long counter. She eyed the newspaper with a picture that's been circled. The caption about the picture read: 'Local Couple Found Dead and Mutilated'.

Buffy smirked quietly to herself remembering the couple that she and Angelus had feasted on then dismembered and hid away as a very enjoyable weekend with her lover. They had the Sunnydale Police in a tail swing for weeks, creating false leads and dead ends.

"I'm tellin' ya," Faith's voice was clear as day from across the room as Buffy pretended to distract herself. "There's somethin' wicked iffy about this chick, Geeves."

A shaggy dark haired teen ran a hand through his hair as he asked, "You saw her stake the vampire?"

Willow nodded, "She handled him like he was a little teeny-tiny vampire!" She was still reeling from excitement.

"Is she another Slayer?" Oz asked.

Faith shook her head. "No, another Slayer rises when the old Slayer dies. I'm alive."

She explained and shifted her gaze back to Giles. "But she's definitely not human."

The middle-aged man, Giles frowned trying to keep up with the fragmented story. "Buffy is not human?"

"No, she is. I don't get vamp vibes from her but the way tossin' that vamp, it wasn't human." Faith glanced in Buffy's direction and frowned at how she was leaning over the counter. The Slayer's eyes instantly went to the blonde's backside.

"Buffy seems really nice," Willow said. "I think we should give her a chance."

Cordelia examined her nails only half paying attention to the conversation. "Like a trial run before inducting into the 'weirdo gang'?" She rolled her eyes and sarcastically mumbled, "What an honour."

Buffy kept her eyes on the newspaper as she said, "You know I can hear you guys, right?" She looked at them. "You're not exactly whispering." She faced the group. "You have questions, just ask them."

Giles moved around the group to introduce himself. He wore a partially wrinkled suspenders with a button-down shirt tucked into a pair of brown trousers. His tie was loose around his neck, as if he hadn't left this library in hours.

Buffy figured this man was the Watcher.

She plastered a polite smile across her face with the intent of making these people like her.

"You must be Buffy. I apologise for our tactlessness. I'm Mr Giles or just Giles as most prefer." He held his hands into his trouser pockets. "I'm the school's librarian."

"What part of England are you from?" asked Buffy.

Surprised by the question, Giles replied, "Barton."

"Oh, Oxfordshire."

Giles brows raised high up his forehead. "Do you know of it?"

"A bit. My ancestors are from Essex. A little out of the way but then again, England is a small place."

Giles nodded his head with a smile. He ran his eyes over her. There was nothing outwardly alarming about the blonde. She appeared to be like a stereotypical Californian Valley Girl.

"So you're the Watcher?" Buffy watched his face twist with surprise.

Giles eyed her suspiciously. "You know of Watcher's?"

"Of course," Buffy nodded. She then looked over to Faith, "And you're the Vampire Slayer."

Faith grew more suspicious of the blonde every passing moment.

"How do you know of vampires and Slayers?" Giles asked.

Buffy frowned, finding the question a bit lame. "It's Sunnydale. The 'Hellmouth'. How can you not?"

Anxiously moving between Cordelia and Faith, Xander awkwardly asked, "Can I have you?"

Tossing him a confused but amused look, Buffy watched him clumsily back track his question. His palms felt sweaty with nerves. His eyes were large, mortified at himself.

Cordelia held her hand at her hip and rolled her eyes, "Smooth Casanova."

"How'd you know how to fight like that?" Faith narrowed her suspicious gaze on the blonde. "What does your family think of your career choice?"

"They're dead," Buffy solemnly answered.

Willow felt a pang of sympathy for the new acquaintance. "Was it… vampires?" She asked with an abundance of sympathy.

"It was," Buffy replied and looked down at her hands, twisting them together to appear mournful at the tragic loss of her beloved parents.

"This is a vengeance gig for you," Faith folded her arms across her chest.

Buffy looked at the haired Slayer and shrugged, "Yeah, something like that."

Later

Crawford Street Mansion: Entryway

As soon as Buffy entered into the twentieth-century styled mansion, Angelus grabbed Buffy by her waist and pinned her against the large squared cinderblock wall.

Buffy reached up and grabbed the neck of an iron candlestick holder as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist.

Angelus' grinned against her mouth as his hands slid up her short black dress and clenched his hands around her buttock. Buffy's hands were threaded into his dark spiked hair as her tongue plunged between his lips and teeth. He tasted of blood.

With his hand, Angelus held her hair off of her face and continued to happily kiss her. He was a bit annoyed at first that she had gone out in search of the Vampire Slayer without him but as soon as she entered the mansion and jumped up, wrapping her legs around him and planted a passionate kiss over his mouth, all of Angelus' frustrations were seized.

"Are you ever going to tell me about her?" He asked, holding the side of her face in his hand. "The suspense is killing me."

Jumping down from him, she landed on her feet. She did not reply to his question as she took his hand, Buffy led him across the large entryway and living room towards the long staircase.

Master Bedroom

Angelus smirked at her, his eyes were fixed on her backside, watching her walk in the skimpy dress.

They entered the twentieth-century styled bedroom with thick black curtains covering the large windows that looked over the small Hellmouth town.

Buffy faced him and smiled when his arms wrapped around her slim waist. He brought her up against his chest and began to nip and kiss at her collarbone then up the column of her neck.

Unbuttoning the front of Angelus' shirt, she shook her hair from her face and described the dark haired Slayer. "She's beautiful… but her biker-trashy chic aesthetic is questionable. A Slayer with a real chip on her shoulder." Buffy lifted her eyes to his face and looked up at him under her long lashes, "You'd hate her." A teasing smile tugged at her lips.

Angelus held the side of her face with his hand and lowered his head, capturing her mouth in a searing kiss.

Their kiss lasted for some time as they took their time to enjoy the tastes of their tongues duelling. Buffy pushed off his opened shirt from his shoulders and slid it down his arms. Her hands laid flat over the breasts of his toned chest.

Holding his hands at her hips, Angelus reached for the small zipper at her side and slid it down.

Grinning against his mouth, Buffy happily shimmied the dress off. Angelus assisted her, by pushing the dress from her hips and let it drop to her ankles.

"You already have a plan," Angelus opened his eyes to her and smirked. "That was quick."

"I met one of the Slayer's friends… a dorky redhead named, Willow. I was going to eat her when the Slayer appeared. They're friends. So it got me thinking." Buffy unfastened Angelus' black trouser pants. "I had Ned attack me… I unfortunately had to kill him when the Slayer arrived."

Angelus toyed with the ends of her blonde hair as she pushed his pants from his hips.

"They invited me back to meet the rest of the Scooby gang. This Slayer has friends."

"How unnatural," Angelus smirked, knowing that the Slayer and her friends wouldn't be a match for them. "A Slayer with ties to the world." He found that particularly interesting.

Buffy looked at him as she ran her hands over his cool body with a wanting desire. "I have plans for us both, lover."

"Oh, I get to get my hands dirty in this?" He smirked.

"I can't have all of the fun, that would be just selfish. Everybody gets to play."

A giggle burst out of her when Angelus suddenly picked her up by the backs of her thighs and laid her down on the bed. He covered her laughter with his as they happily kissed.

Song Used: "Believe" by Sprung Monkey 1995