. . . the characters from Highlander belong to whomever owns the show.
A semi-quote is from Guilty Pleasures by Hamilton.
The Characters San Salvador, Peter Withers belong to this author
*Peter Withers*
"As you feared sir. The Hellmouth is located under the high school in Sunnydale, Ca. as based on vampire and other negative supernatural populations which are centered in the town. There are over ten times the maximum New York City population of vampires and those are just what we saw in one night. The Immortal, Sandra Salvador, has started her attack on the Sunnydale vampires as of 21:35 PST. Also noted is the residence of the Slayer in Sunnydale."
"Very good, lieutenant. Have our scout continue to only observe Salvador, the Slayer, the vampires, and the Hellmouth until others can arrive."
*San Salvador*
It is my third day of vampire hunting and I've gotten almost nowhere with finding Angelus. I found out a bit about his history in the books that I filched. It took several hours to find out that bit because two of damn things were in an older version of English and one I couldn't figure out because it was in some form of Latin or Greek. (Too bad Methos isn't here to help.) This Angel, or Angelus as the books call him, vampire is one bad vampire from what I have read. Massacres, tortures, and even worse are in his history. As far I can tell, there is only one way to find out where he is and it isn't pretty.
*Later during that night*
Buffy was extremely confused about what was going on. There has been a scarcity of vampire activity in Sunnydale these past couple of days. Usually she stakes 2 or 3 vampires a night. But during these couple of days, there have only been one. Buffy has found some of the dust that is usually left of a vampire but no live ones. Giles only has been able to find a vague prophesy about Immortals, the Slayer, and Armageddon but nothing clear or even if they're one prophesy or two connected ones. Buffy couldn't shake the feeling that Sandra Robbins has something to do with it but she could just be a coincidence. Ha! and Sunnydale is a normal town. She started patrol in the park and ended up by a cemetery. So deep in thought was she that she didn't notice the faint abbreviated scream.
San had found the vampire fairly early in the night. It rushed her and she chopped off it's left hand, which disintegrated into dust. Then the other arm and legs followed in it's fate. She pinned down the vampire by leaning on his chest and slid a tube into its mouth and throat. That is part of the torture as well as to stop the screaming that the vampire because of the loss of it's limbs.
"You're going to die, vampire. If you answer my questions, I will stake you quickly for a quick death. If you don't answer my questions, I will start dripping holy water down this tube until you die. Is that clear?" The vampire nodded its head.
"Do you know of a vampire called Angelus?" A nod.
"Do you know where his residence is?" A nod.
"Will you tell me where it is?" A shake and a few drops of holy water end up in the tube.
A bit of smoke drifts out of the tube. "Will you change your mind about your answer?" A nod. San pulls the tube out of the vampire's mouth. "Where is Angelus' base of operations?"
"A warehouse in the bad part of down. It windows are all boarded up and double painted with black paint," He gasped. He gives her the street address for the place.
"One more thing. Where is Angleus in the town's vampire power structure?"
"He's in charge along with Spike and Drusilla. Kill me or he'll tear me apart slowly."
"Fine with me."" (It would be excessively cruel even for me to leave him alive for sunrise or for other vampires.) She drived the stake into it's heart. San got up from her crouch started jogging toward the nearest way out of the park. Unknown to her several eyes watched her as she left.
"She isn't the Slayer."
"No kidding. What tipped you off, Sherlock?" came the sarcastic reply.
"You know that Angelus isn't going to be happy about this."
"I know. He wanted us to find out what kind of pattern the Slayer has while on her patrols. This person is going to cause problems for us."
"One thing, do you want to tell Angelus or do I?"
Notes of San Salvador
I am having success with hunting vampires. I am taking out 2 vampires a night on average but I was getting nowhere in taking out Angelus. But I figure that if I stake enough vampires, I will get his attention. And when I do, I will kill him.
At a light jog, I quickly starting running out of the park. I headed toward a cemetery again. Considering the number of deaths in Sunnydale, there are a lot of graves. But the place was made up so that the number of them was made to look a lot smaller. I noticed someone sitting near one of the graves. She was short, blond, and twirling a wooden stake slowly in her hand. (Buffy.) I think with surprise. Several thoughts rush through my head, mainly dealing with either leaving, watching her or walking up to her. (I want to find out how she knows Angelus, now I can find out.)
"Hello, Buffy." She jumped slightly with surprise and dropped into a defensive stance. I walked up to her and sat across from her.
"Hello, Sandra, enjoying Sunnydale's nightlife?" Unlike the daytime and most nights, my sword was only hidden in its scabbard and I had my knives openly sheathed. Also I have a few stakes and holy water in a couple of vials. I am also in blacksuit. This is going to take a lot of explaining.
"Yeah, some of the people around here are so interesting. It's like you tell them you're O positive and they practically slobber all over you."
"What do you want, Sandra?" I slide my hand down toward my left thigh knife. I don't exactly like her tone of voice.
I should get directly down to business. "I want to know where Angelus is."
"How do you know who Angel is?"
"You could say I have to pay him back for something he did to me. Mainly I want to tear his black heart out, burn it, and spread its ashes down a river." I like that book by Hamilton.
"Now that is an image. So for what do you want to pay him back for?"
"It's my time now for questions. Who and What are you? You aren't a normal human, are you? If you don't want to answer my question, we can find out who would win the third match." I decided to refer back to the match on the day we met.
"Do you want to go down that street?"
"Not particularly. I just want to know how you know Angelus?" Buffy relents and tells me the whole story about Angelus, or Angel as she calls him. She tells me about how he had a soul due to a gypsy curse and loved her. When they made love he lost his soul and the old Angelus came back. Buffy told me about Angelus' tortures to her and her friends.
"So why are you mixed up in this whole vampire thing, Buffy?"
"Because I'm the Slayer."
"What is a 'Slayer'?"
"A Slayer is the one girl each generation that fights the vampires, demons and other evils. Or that is what Giles says."
"The Librarian? If that's what he really is?"
"Yes to both. And now who are you?"
"Just your normal substitute High School P.E. teacher?"
"Don't give me that kind of line."
"Okay. But don't tell anyone else about the way I am unless you have to." Without waiting I continued. "I am what could be referred to as an Immortal. I am just like any other person except I don't die except by one means. We fight each other to the death for the Prize, which none of us know what it is." Without waiting for a reply I pull out a small knife and slash it shallowly across my hand. Blood welled up and flowed down my hand. After a minute the skin started to knit together and small bits of lightning flashed dimly across the cut. Buffy looks at me in shock. "See."
"Yes-s-s. That would explain a lot. You are that woman who was keeping Angel off with the cross and in the Bronze looking at the crowd."
I lean down and remove my disguise contacts. "I was at the Bronze a couple of weeks ago to find out some information." I turned slightly so my green eyes faced her.
My eyes tear up a bit and I wipe them off with my non-bloody hand. "He killed my fiancee that night. We weren't doing anything except looking for a PCP gang. You know we found something else." Buffy jerked slightly and I stoodd up quickly. "What is it?" My sense doesn't feel any other Immortals around but something is off.
"Vampires. Don't you hate when they interrupt a conversation?"
"Yes. But fortunately, I've got some aggressions to take out on them." I pull out my katana and drop into a defensive stance.
A smooth voice came out of the dark that was totally evil, "My, my Buffy. You just out here for a little girl talk. And who is this, the new face that I have heard so much about."
"Angel." Three other vampires come out of the dark.
I quipped, "Let me guess, Buffy, vampires don't believe in a fair fight."
"Not in their handbook." Two rushed at Buffy and one at me. I felt insulted. I concentrated on my vampire. My sword was partly hidden behind my back as I approached it. I sweep it up and beheaded the vampire in one smooth motion. I then started walking toward Angelus.
"Angelus, you motherless-son-of-a-bastard vampire, let us finish this." I put the sword in my scabbard, take it off and tossed it a short distance. I then pull up two knives with a quick motion.
"Such foul words from such a pretty face. But anyways, what is your name before you die?"
"The name is San Salvador and I'm here for revenge, beast." With that I throw myself at Angelus. The front kick missed him as he ducked. I turned my momentum into a roll and I brought myself up with a spin. We moved in a motion of brutal strikes, blows, and slashes. I couldn't score any slashes except for one nasty one across Angelus' cheek. But he nailed my in the face with one good blow. I am not seeing much beyond stars. I'm dropping back into a defensive crouch with my knives in front of me as I let the stars get gone.
He laughs at me. At Me. I rushed at him with knife slashing high. Angelus caught my wrist in mid-slash and picks me up. He knocked the knife out of my other hand. I struggle ineffectively as he pried the knife out of my hand, breaking a few of my fingers in the process. He then drove the knife into my chest. Angelus prepared to drink from me when a kick knocked him off balance. He droped me and that dislodges the knife. I think I groan something before trying to look up. Then everything goes black.
Buffy -
Buffy manages to fight off the two vampires and turns to see Angelus drive a knife into Sandra. She kicks him and he disappears laughing. Buffy turns to see Sandra on the ground groaning. "Please get me to a safe place." Sandra then dies. Buffy leans down and picks up her and her stuff up. She carries San to the library.
Giles and Willow looks in shock as Buffy carries a bloody Sandra Robbins into the library and put her on the table. "What is going on? What happened to her?"
"It's a very long story. But this doesn't look at bad as it is."
Willow says, "You do know that she looks pretty dead."
"Wait a little while." After that little while, while watching the wound slowly close, San gasps and jerks up.
Sandra -
"Damn lousy bastard ruined a perfectly good outfit." San looks around and sees Willow and Giles. "You know that this doesn't look as bad as it does."
"You were dead," Giles says.
"It just looked that way. I probably just was close to being dead."
"You didn't have a pulse and weren't breathing."
"Okay, okay. Since you know Buffy, I'll tell you my story." I look at Buffy, "I'll give the longer, less condensed version while I'm at it."
"My real name is Sandra Salvador and I was born in 1926. I am what could be referred to as an Immortal. We are just like any other person except for two things. One is we don't die except for one thing : Immortals fight in the 'Game', in which we all fight to collect 'Quickenings' and try to obtain the 'Prize' by being the only one left. A fair number of us refuse to play except when forced to do so by another Immortal. I don't like to play the Game for my own reasons. My teacher, Duncan MacLeod, taught me and showed me that not playing the Game unless it is necessary is the best way."
Buffy speaks up, "What is the other thing?"
"What other thing?" I knew what she is talking about.
"The other thing the distinguishes Immortals from regular people."
"That is a private thing." None of them continue with that questioning. Not being able to have children hasn't hurt me in a long time until I had gotten to know John.
"What are you doing in Sunnydale?" Giles asks.
"A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I came here to hunt for a PCP gang." They stiffen up. It must have been used as a cover story in this town more than once. "We found our 'gang' and they killed my friend. Now I'm here for revenge against the vampire named Angelus."
"Your friend must have been special."
"Yes. He was my fiancee. But at least everything is going to my plan."
Buffy says loudly, "But Angel 'killed' you."
"I let him 'kill' me. When I try to kill him again, I'll have the advantage of a few seconds due to the disbelief that I'm alive and well. I know where he lives and how he fights. And then I will kill him."
I get up from the table and reach over to where my sword and knife are. Angelus must have taken the other one after the fight. I'm still very weak from the fight and healing. Bleeding to death tends to do that to you. I sheath the knife and sword with slow motions and start walking out of the library with a slow, deliberate motion.
"Are you going up against him again tonight. You just died a few hours ago." Buffy is incredulous.
I am not quite ready yet to go up against that vampire tomorrow night. "Not tonight. I'll be taking Angelus out tomorrow night whether or not I have help or not.
I'll see you tomorrow morning in P.E. class." I walk steadily out of the library.
Vampire Headquarters - need next door blood bank
"See I told you, Spike, this new girl would be no problem at all. Just a quick drive of her own knife into her chest and no more problems from her. Even you could've rolled up to her and killed her."
Spike was getting a bit tired of Angelus' attitude and cutting remarks. "And why exactly did you not make her one of us?"
"Buffy was there and she stopped me." And he pulled out San's knife and looked at the dried blood on the near black wooden blade. "Nice wooden knife, isn't it?"
Drucilla felt the knife with gentle motions. "The knife was given with love. It hums with a loving note that hurts me. The blood's mistress still lives."
"What do you mean Dru?" Angelus said. Before Drucilla could give an answer, three 'pawk' sounds in the night. A pink florescent paint ball inpacted with Drucilla's forehead. Another hit Angelus in the chest and the last one nailed Spike on the shoulder.
"You were saying about no more problems, Angleus." Spike said nastily as five vampires head toward the spot that the shooter was and they found a small note written in a scripted flourish.
Nice Try, Angelus
Now it is my turn.
The Black Rose Assassin