Fourth in the series.
Author: Raven's Bard
E-mail: ravensbard78@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Nothing in the Buffyverse belongs to me. Joss owns it all.
Rating: PG 13 (nothing you wouldn't see on the show)
Spoilers: School Hard
Distribution: Just tell me where it's going.
Summary: A few people from Xander's past show up. Plus a certain couple comes to visit the Hellmouth. Put them all together and what do you get? I don't know yet, but when I do you'll be the first to know. Placed in the New Start Universe.
Notes: Thanks go out to my beta readers for this one (Xandman2000, Tara, and Especially Adam Windsor who gave me some really great ideas on how to fit Buffy into the continuity better and giving me a chance to bounce a few ideas off him).
[ ] denotes thoughts
**********
Prologue
The Summer break passed quickly for the Scooby gang. And since the vamps and demons were lying low it gave everyone the much needed break that they desired. They still researched and trained, but actually got breaks to go out and have fun.
Faith healed quickly, and got back to slaying within a few weeks. She felt stronger and her slayage proved it. Very few vamps or demons lasted very long against her anymore. Those that did just helped her improve her skills when she beat them.
Oz took the break to do a little touring in the neighboring towns with his band. Willow would join him for some of the shorter trips that her parents let her take, but for the most part she stayed back to help keep Faith company.
Research filled most of Giles' vacation, but then none of the others had ever seen him stop. He occasionally disappeared from the library for a short period of time but for the most part he was always there writing, reading, and training Faith.
Xander, however, wasn't in Sunnydale during the summer, but was sent off to visit his Uncle Rory who needed his help with a construction job just outside of LA. He earned a decent amount of money for all his work on the church, after all construction pays pretty well. He still kept up his training regimen as well as running in the morning to keep in shape. He called Giles' house every couple of days to check in on everyone: see how slaying was going, what they've been doing for fun, tormenting Giles... The usual things for him to do if he was there.
Faith was opening back up to him again. Getting them back to the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) banter between them. He was starting to hope there might actually be a chance for them, though Faith didn't offer him any hints that she wanted it to go any further. But he at least had hope again.
***
Summer ended and school came back into session. Everything went back to normal for the Slayerettes but normal for them of course is vamps, prophecies and new enemies.
They got the full run of all three when the Anointed One attempted to resurrect the Master from his leftover bones. While the child-vamp hadn't been a threat when the Master was about, he came to the forefront with his plan to bring his boss back at a certain date. Luckily, the gang caught wind of his plan with Angel's help and stopped it. Ending the possible resurrection by pounding his bones to powder and scattering them.
Shortly after this, a student came up with the brilliant idea of resurrecting his brother who had died while rock climbing last year. Together with the yearbook photographer they started gathering bodies of dead girls. The gang guessed that someone was gathering an army of zombies, but after finding the cast off parts realized that whoever was behind this wasn't making an army, just one zombie.
It took some sleuthing, but the Scoobies figured out that Chris Epps was behind the strange events (along with Eric the yearbook photographer). Faith went over to his house to confront Chris or possibly get some information on what they were really up to. There she discovered that Buffy was the intended target and she was able to get back to the school in time to stop Eric from killing her. She found Chris, who filled her in on Daryl while Buffy was being kidnapped by him at the game. Grabbing the rest of the gang, they tracked Daryl to an abandoned science lab. Faith fought Daryl while Xander got Buffy out of there. The fight caused a fire and when Daryl gained the upper hand Chris stepped in to stop him. As the fire spread the rest of the gang (plus Chris), got out leaving a remorseful Daryl to die with his incomplete bride.
The Scoobies had earned a break, but as usual, life on the Hellmouth wouldn't allow any lapse in the constant battle against the darkness. This is one lesson gang has to learn the hard way...
**********
End Prologue
***