Buffy was pacing in front of Giles.
"I don't know, Giles. I've got a wicked-bad feeling about this."
"I have triple checked all of the signs, Buffy. The alignment of the stars, the birth date, the silver markings, even the near fatal shooting…"
"But the newspapers said she wasn't shot. And the reports that said she was were printed between stories about Bobo the dog faced boy and my stepmother was an alien."
"Buffy, we've seen how people rationalize when they see things that they can't quite believe."
"I just don't want to be wrong, Giles." She dropped down on the bed. "I thought this was going to be easy. Your great book of gloom and doom says we have to come here and stake another apocalyptic love child and I'm thinking 'great, field trip'. But then I listened to Max Evans describe how much he loves this girl and it seems like something so evil would not be able to inspire such devotion."
"You don't think that you are in any way reflecting your own feelings on the situation?"
"This has nothing to do with Angel," she said abruptly.
"I meant Max Evans." Giles said gently. "And his resemblance to Ford. You trusted him and he deceived you. Maybe that is why you want to so eagerly trust this boy and his judgement."
"Don't go all pychobabbly on me, Giles. If she really is going to somehow bring about the end of the world then I'll do what I have to. I'll kill her."
* * * * *
"Fangs?" Isabel repeated.
Max had gone through the school and gathered all of his friends together. They'd found an empty classroom and he'd filled them in on what had happened. Maria, Liz's best friend was looking pale and upset. She'd already lost one of her best friends when Alex died. Michael was, as ever, looking grim and not saying much. Kyle was sitting quietly, taking it all in. Isabel was pacing like a caged panther.
"It's what I saw," Max said. He found it strange that Buffy hadn't even questioned it and his sister and friends who knew him better did.
"So were talking vampire," Michael said after a moment of silence.
"Be serious, Michael." Isabel said.
"What do you think Max just described?" He countered.
"Vampires don't exist," she said.
"I didn't think aliens did either," Kyle replied.
"This is insane! We have enough to deal with without inventing new monsters to fight off."
"Do you think that Max made it up?" Maria asked.
"No, of course not—"
"Then you're willing to say that you believe he saw this thing?"
Isabel nodded.
"Then let's go from there." Max said. "Michael says vampire and since that's our only working theory we need to suspend our disbelief and work with it. What do we know about vampires?"
"They hate garlic, sunlight and wooden stakes." Michael ventured. "They sleep during the day, come out at night."
"They drink blood and sleep in coffins." Maria added.
"None of that tells us why one would kidnap someone." Kyle interjected.
"We need to know more," Max sighed. "Not just stuff we've seen in movies."
"I've know where I can find a few books on the subject," Maria said. Everyone looked at her. "I was toying with a possible Goth thing in middle school but I couldn't handle the clothes. I'll go grab them."
Max nodded.
"See if you can find any reason why they'd kidnap someone and anything else we could use. The rest of us need to break up and start searching. If it's a vampire and he's sleeping right now then we might catch it when it's vulnerable."
"Isabel and I will check the cemetery. Michael and Kyle, check any place that might seem like a place a vampire might find shelter. Kyle, also check in with your dad and see if he's found anything else out on his end. We'll meet back at the Crashdown at sundown."
They all nodded and disbursed to carry out their tasks.
* * * * *
Liz opened her eyes and peered out at her surroundings. It had been quiet for some time and she was feeling better so she opened her eyes without fear of her head falling off. There didn't appear to be anybody around. She sat up as quietly as she could. She looked around and there was no one in the warehouse. She didn't question her good luck; she simply got up and started creeping toward the nearest door. She couldn't tell how long she'd been there because all of the windows were papered over.
She'd almost reached the door when he spoke to her.
"You really don't want to do that."
Liz whirled around and then discovered she wasn't all that much better because she lost her balance and hit the floor. The guy with the gentle voice was standing over her. Liz started to back away on her hands.
"There is someone out there that wants to hurt you."
"Someone in here too," she replied.
"We just want to help you."
"No, you don't."
"I'm sorry that I scared you. I didn't mean to."
Liz stopped momentarily.
"What are you?"
"I'm a vampire."
Liz shook her head in disbelief. She would have laughed out loud if he hadn't looked so serious.
He walked closer to her where there was a thin shaft of light coming in from between the paper on the windows. He stuck his hand into the light and Liz watched as his skin began to sizzle. He gritted his teeth and pulled it back into the darkness. It was still smoking. Liz shook her head again and started backing up. She was almost at the door.
"If you run out into the sun I won't be able to follow you. But I won't be able to protect you either." His voice was strained in pain.
Liz stopped just short of the exit.
"Protect me from what?"
"I don't know."
She scrambled to her feet.
"I'll have to take my chances then," she declared.
"Cordelia had a vision that you were attacked and killed by someone. We don't know by who, only that it was a blonde woman." He shrugged. "It's not a precise science. We think we stopped her from killing you last night but we still don't know why she wanted you dead. We can't guarantee your safety until we stop her for good."
"I'm suppose to believe your friend had a vision?" Liz demanded. "What could be more unbelievable?"
Angel lifted his still smoking hand.
"Right, a vampire and a psychic. And the other two? Are they a wizard and werewolf?" She turned and opened the door. The light made the man shrink back.
"Nothing unusual has ever happened to you before?" He called from the safety of the dark. "You can't think of anything or anyone that might want to harm you?"
Liz stopped.
"All we wanted to do was rescue you. If you hadn't injured yourself we would have explained this to you sooner. We've done nothing to harm you so far and we won't. We just want to keep you safe. If you go out there, you won't be."
Liz turned slowly back toward the vampire.
"Pretending for a minute that any of this is true—why are you doing this then? Why do you want to protect me?"
"Because it's what we do."
Liz stared at him, the sun still on her back.
"Why don't you come back in," he said. "You must be hungry. Cordy's bringing some food. In the meantime I think we have some of those stale little biscuits you're suppose to dip in coffee."
He turned and walked toward a card table set up in a corner. Liz looked outside. If they had meant to hurt her they did have plenty of opportunity to do it while she was injured. And the thought that she was being confronted by a vampire was ridiculous and yet—she'd seen his face change. Her scientific urge was itching to learn more. Slowly she followed him back inside. But she walked passed the table and over to the window nearest to it. She ripped one of the sheets of paper off of the window, bathing one of the chairs in sunlight. Then she sat down. He understood the implication and he nodded and sat down across from her.
"My name is Angel," he said.
"Of course it is," Liz said. "After all, Stan or Ralph wouldn't fit would it?"
* * * * *
Maria didn't know where to begin. She was staring at the computer index filing system on the library computer and she was at a loss. The two books that she had at home were pretty useless so she decided to do some research.
Subject: vampires
Subject: Creatures of the night
Subject: what to do when your best friend is kidnapped by a real life vampire
Surprisingly, nothing came up. So she went for the general supernatural phenomenon. It gave her two books and she wrote down the numbers and went in search of them. She found a very small section in the back corner of the building. She turned the corner of the stack and was startled when she found a really good-looking guy with wire rimmed glasses examining the books there with great interest. He didn't even notice her until she said excuse me and nudged him aside to get at one of the books she was looking for.
"This is pathetic," he mumbled with an English accent. Maria found him even more attractive with that.
"I know," she agreed. "I have a bigger collection on my bookshelf at home."
"And I thought it was just me," he said and he smiled at her. "Because I'm use to a much larger collection."
"Well there's a mystic bookshop on Citrus," she said. "I don't know how authentic anything is but it's got to be better then this."
"Thank you," he said, and he left her to her own research.
* * * * *
"OK, Max, this is just creepy and strange," Isabel said for about the tenth time as she and Max walked up to another mausoleum.
"We have to check them all." He insisted as he glanced around to make sure there were no witnesses. When he didn't see anyone, he used his powers to pop the aging lock and then he and Isabel went inside it quickly.
Gunn turned the corner of the mausoleum a second later, muttering angrily to himself.
"We need fresh graveyard dirt for the ritual," he said as he bent down and began shoveling handfuls of the dirt from the grave next to the mausoleum into a bag. "None of this crap ever calls for something nice like a puppy or fuzzy kitten." He stopped and gave that some thought. "Maybe I should be grateful."
He stood up, closed the bag and started back the way he'd come.
Isabel burst out of the mausoleum retching. Max clamored after her, looking around to make sure no one was still around. Thankfully, no one was.
"I am not doing that again Max! He or it is not here."
Max nodded grimly.
"It'll be sunset soon, lets head back to the Crashdown."
* * * * *
Michael and Kyle were already at the Crashdown when Maria walked in.
"Find anything?" Maria asked.
"Zilch," Michael said, plopping down on a counter stool. "We checked everywhere we could think of."
"Getting thrown out of the funeral home was a memorable experience." Kyle added.
"What did your dad say?"
"He hasn't---" He trailed off as he caught sight of the gorgeous brunette who walked in. Michael followed his gaze and seemed equally impressed. "They don't make em like that anymore."
Maria sent an elbow into his ribs.
"Wasn't she in a Coppertone commercial?" Michael said.
"Yeah, like she'd be in Roswell."
The woman walked up to the counter and set down the paper bag she'd been carrying.
"Hi, I'm Cordelia Chase, I called in an order."
Ethel, the mid day waitress, nodded and went in the back. Cordelia reached into her purse to get her wallet and she knocked the paper bag off of the counter.
"Damn it!" She said and Michael and Kyle were at her side faster then a shot.
"Do you need some help?" Kyle asked.
Michael scooped up the bag and gave it back to her.
"Thanks," she said but then she pulled her hand away and found it covered in a red substance. "Oh great, it opened."
Kyle handed her a napkin and Ethel handed her another paper bag. She put the old, wet bag in the new one, looked inside, screwed the top back on whatever was in it and then wiped her hand off.
"Thanks," she said to them, giving then a winning smile.
"You're not the girl from the Coppertone commercial are you?" Kyle blurted.
She gave then a spectacular superstar smile.
"Why yes, I am."
"Wow."
She seemed pleased that they recognized her and continued to smile while she paid for her food. When she walked away from the counter Kyle hit Michael in the stomach.
"I told you," he said.
"You told me?"
Maria walked over and bent down to look at the spots of the red liquid that the woman had dripped on the floor.
"Guys," she said. But they were too busy watching Cordelia climb into the big black convertible parked at the curb. She gave them another winning smile and a homecoming queen wave as she pulled away. They eagerly waved back.
"Guys," Maria repeated and this time she smacked them both in the knees. She looked up at them. "This is blood."
"Why would the Coppertone girl have blood?" Kyle asked.
Like divine intervention, Max walked in with Isabel and suddenly the implication clicked. Suddenly Kyle and Michael looked at one another and then they went sprinting out into the street to see which way she'd gone.
