Resurrected

by RAC

The story takes place after The Gift, but before season six started. Buffy is brought back with the help of a new character, but, typical of Sunnydale, there are complications...

1. Default Chapter

Resurrected: A Buffy Fanfic

She sat back in her seat, staring out the window of the train. Anyone passing by might think that she was watching the scenery as it passed. In truth, she was hardly even aware that she was moving. Her body might have been on the train, but her mind was elsewhere. Her mind was in the past, struggling to come to terms with what had happened to her.

For three years, she had been held captive by the government of her home country. While she was being held, she was forced to submit to all manner of experiments. She absently rubbed her side where they had poked her with red-hot swords. She remembered the scientists setting up all of the equipment that they would use to torture her for hours at a time. Heat rarely bothered her now, after everything that she had been through. And the amount of chemicals in her body now was unimaginable. She reached out and grabbed the armrest beside her. It bent easily when she remembered the looks on their faces when they threw her naked, battered body out into the snow.

That was when she got the nerve to attempt escape. She had waited until just the right time, and then, she had struck, with the same cold, calculating hatred that they had shown her. She had no feelings of guilt. Remorse had been driven from her mind long ago. Leaving all twelve guards and six researchers dead, she had run. She had to avoid all contact with others until she had escaped the country, and then, after that, she was free to do whatever she wanted.

The one thing that helped her was the fact that she had so many enhanced abilities. If she hadn't been able to withstand extreme conditions, she wouldn't have survived. Having escaped in the middle of a blizzard would have meant instant death to anyone else. And then there was the fire. She should have been ashes, but thanks to the experiments, she was now unaffected by the flames. She counted this as a double blessing. Suddenly, she was aware that someone was talking to her.

"Miss?" asked the conductor. "Miss, the train has stopped."

"Oh. Th-thank you. And, where exactly are we?" she asked.

"In Los Angeles, miss," he said with a chuckle.

"Los Angeles already? I must have dozed off. Thank you again, sir," she told him as she stood up, grabbed her worn backpack and stepped off the train.

The conductor stared after her for a few moments. Then, he sighed and turned around. As he stepped up into the train, he heard a scream. He quickly turned around and rushed toward the noise. When he turned the corner beside the station, he froze. The scene before him was like nothing he had ever seen before. There were two women, a blonde and a brunette, and it looked like they were kissing the men they held in their arms. If that was the case, then, who had screamed, and why? He looked around, trying to find someone else. He looked back at the women, and noticed that one was holding a woman, not a man like he had first believed.

"Well, you are in LA," he said to himself as he turned around to go back to the train. Just then, something else registered in his mind. There was blood. There wasn't supposed to be blood when people kissed. He turned back around, as the women dropped their meals, and turned to face him.

"Ooh!" hissed the brunette. "Look, Grandmum. Dessert!"

"Drusilla!" screeched the blonde. "How many times have I told you about the Grandmum thing?"

"Sorry, Gr—Darla. But, check out this tasty morsel," whined Drusilla as she pointed at the conductor. The man just stood there, unable to move. The two vampires approached him. The only things moving, besides them, were the eyes of the conductor. Those brown eyes moved from one vampire to the other. He finally regained enough control to scream, as each of the vamps sank her teeth into his neck.

"Mmm. Yummy," said Drusilla.

"Yes, that was one of the best, uh, desserts we've had in a long time," added Darla. She was about to say something else, when Drusilla interrupted her.

"What's this?" Dru asked the air. "Someone is close by."

"Dru, we are at a train station! Of course there is someone nearby!" hissed Darla.

"No! Not one of them. One of us! Someone I sired," whispered Dru.

"Spike?" asked Darla.

"Oh! Why do you mention him?" whined Dru as she put her hands to her face. "You know how much he embarrasses me! A vampire in love with a Slayer! What could be worse?"

"Well, his grandsire has a soul, and is in love with the same Slayer," added Darla.

"Stop it! You are just making things worse! At least Angel has an excuse! That cursed soul is what caused him to love the Slayer. Spike has no soul. H-he, he had…me! And he threw it all away for her! For a Slayer! I might as well stake myself!"

"Dru! Snap out of it! If it isn't Spike, then who is it?" demanded Darla.

"Auroura," said the girl from the train as she stepped into view.

"Auroura!" exclaimed Darla. "What are you doing here? We heard that you were killed in Europe. Too bad the rumors were wrong."

"Good to see you too, Darla," said Auroura as she moved closer to Dru. "I heard what you said about Spike. Seems a shame to let a vamp as evil as Spike to, uh, shall we say, cross over. Perhaps I should go try to win him back to our side?"

"No, love. You can't. He has a chip in his head, and he has lost his will to be evil," explained Dru. "I should know. I tried to win him back, but the bloody fool refused to listen." She looked at Auroura, obviously hurt. "He betrayed me. Worse, he threatened to kill me! And for what? For her! I hate the Slayer!"

"Well, mum, that seems really bad, but, let's face it, you aren't what you used to be. Besides, you're old!" Auroura said.

"Old? How dare you!" Dru reached out and slapped Auroura. "I am not that much older than you are! Darla here is the old one!"

"Hey!" screamed Darla. "Don't drag me into your fight! You sired her. You deal with her. Alone!" Darla turned and headed off towards the train.

"Mum, I am sorry. I did not come here to fight with you," Auroura apologized as she stood face to face with the vampire who had sired her. "In fact, I wasn't even aware that you were in this place. I was just…running."

Dru reached out and caressed the girl's cheek. She looked into her eyes, and smiled. It was a very sad smile. "I see. You have been hurt. You were held captive? That must have been awful. Have you come back to join me, like you should have done from the beginning?" She hugged the girl as she spoke.

"Actually, I was looking for Spike," explained Auroura. I had heard from a demon in France that he was in Los Angeles. So, here I am."

"But, you have found your family," pleaded Dru.

"No, I have found the woman who cursed me to eternal solitude! You don't care about me! If you did, you would have killed me when I begged you to. Instead, you selfishly sired me! I wouldn't join you if it was my only alternative to death!" screamed Auroura. She pushed away from Dru and ran in the opposite direction. She was still running when she ran into another blonde, this one human. She looked at the woman for a minute, wondering what she should say. Fortunately, the other woman spoke first.

"Whoa! What's wrong?"

"Uh, nothing," said Auroura.

"It's okay. I'm a cop," said the stranger. She shook her head. "I mean, I used to be a cop. But, I can still tell when someone is running from a bad situation. So, do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"I…I d-don't know," sobbed Auroura.

"You don't know what's wrong?" asked the cop.

"Oh, no. I know what's wrong. I just don't know if I want to tell you," declared the girl.

"Okay. Fair enough. Well, let's start with your name. My name, by the way, is Kate. What's your name?"

"I-I'm Auroura."

"Auroura. That is a very nice name. See? We're off to a great start." Auroura just looked at her. "All right," continued Kate, "if you don't want to tell me anything, you don't have to. But, will you at least let me take you somewhere? It isn't safe out here for a girl your age. You're what? Fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm sixteen. But, I don't have anywhere to go. I am an orphan, you see, and I just got here, on the train, and then, I saw…" Auroura was good at this particular act. She had used it so often in the past two hundred years. It had taken her a while to get it down so perfectly, but now, she could convince just about anyone that she was just a sad little orphan, in need of help. It had gotten her meals more times than she could count. It had also gotten her captured by the government.

"What? What did you see?" asked Kate. Auroura buried her head in Kate's shoulder and began crying. Kate held her for a few moments, and then pushed her gently away. "I know this must be hard for you, but, please, if it was something bad, we should let the cops know."

"But, y-you won't b-believe me!" sobbed Auroura. She looked into Kate's face. The woman believed her!

"Now, just calm down. Tell me the truth, and I will decide what we should do."

"But—"

"It's okay. As long as you tell me the truth, we won't have any problems."

"Well, I was on the train. I-I fell asleep, and, and when we stopped, I didn't w-wake up right away. The conductor, he w-woke me up, and helped me get off the train, but, but there w-wasn't anyone around. I wanted t-to ask him to walk me into the station, but he w-was already back on the train. So, I, I went toward the station, and, and I heard something beside it. I w-went around the station. I, I know I shouldn't have, but—" Auroura broke into sobs again.

"It's okay," said Kate, as she reached out and hugged Auroura. Auroura smiled as Kate held her. Then, as Kate let go, she continued.

"Well, I went around the side of the station, and, and…Are you sure you won't hit me?" asked Auroura as she drew back away from Kate.

"Of course I won't hit you. Why on Earth would I hit you?" asked Kate.

"Well, that's what my foster father would do when he thought I was making things up. And, even though I am not making this up, it sounds like something someone would make up, and I don't want to get hit, so I am not sure if I can trust you even though you said you wouldn't hit me, because he has said that to me, too, and then hit me anyway when I told him."

"Calm down. I am not going to hit you. I am not going to do anything but help you, but only if you tell me the truth," explained Kate.

"Okay. I'll tell you," began Auroura as she took a step away from Kate. "I saw two women, one a brunette, the other a blonde. They were walking along, and this couple approached them. The two women…uh, changed, and began attacking the couple! I was so scared! I couldn't move! My voice wouldn't come out! I was so scared, thinking that they might come after me, as well. Then, the conductor of the train came over, and, and, and the women attacked him, too. They killed him!" exclaimed Auroura as she started sobbing again. Kate reached out and held her again.

"It's okay. I believe you. I've seen similar things, myself. You'll be okay. I think I know of a place where you'll be safe," said Kate.

"I…" said Auroura as she looked up into Kate's face. She was surprised to see a look of concern on the woman's face. No one had ever cared about her before, much less a perfect stranger. She just nodded, and then buried her head in Kate's shoulder. It was nice to have someone hold her.

"I just need you to do something for me, if you feel up to it," added Kate.

"Uh…"

"I will need you to show me where this happened. I know you said by the train station, but I need a more specific location. Can you show me the place where you saw this happen?" Kate asked.

"I…I guess I could. I mean, I don't think they are still there, so it should be okay, right?" Auroura asked in her most innocent voice.

"Well, if they are still there, we will get out of there as soon as possible. Don't worry. I will protect you," Kate assured her.

"Okay, well, if you say so. I'll show you. It's this way." Auroura turned around and started walking towards the train station. She turned often to make sure that Kate was still with her.

***

Dawn sat on the ground beside Buffy's grave. Willow and Tara were off to the side, letting Dawn be on her own. She was aware that the witches were talking about something, but she couldn't hear exactly what was being said. Not that it mattered anyway. Dawn was depressed, and there was nothing anyone could say or do to relive that depression. She hurt more than she ever thought possible. Everything was happening way to fast for her to be able to process anything.

"Dawny," said Willow. "We need to be going now. You are expected in court in about fifteen minutes."

"I am not going," declared Dawn. "I am going to stay here. I am not needed there anyway. I'm just a stupid little kid."

"Dawn, you are not stupid," said Tara. She sat next to dawn, and put her arm around the girl's shoulders. "I…know that I can never truly understand what you are going through. I won't even pretend that I can. I do, however, know that you are not stupid, and that you are needed in the court today. It's all about you."

"Yeah. You are the reason for all of this," said Willow. She flushed as Dawn stared at her in horror. "That's not what I meant!" Dawn stood up and ran off. "Tara, we have to go after her! I didn't mean—"

"Willow, I know. Let's just go after her. I'll try to explain it to her. If we catch her," said Tara as she headed off in the same direction that Dawn had gone. Willow stared after her for a moment, then followed.

***

As soon as they were out of sight, a new figure approached the tombstone. The heavy purple robe covered the person completely. There was no telling whether it was male or female, human or…otherwise. The figure knelt beside the tombstone. It reached out and, keeping it's hand hidden in the sleeve of the robe, stroked the tombstone. It traced the letters of Buffy's name. A noise from nearby startled the figure, and they stood up. The figure seemed to float as it moved along. As it rounded the side of a building, a brown tail escaped from under the robe. The tail was like that of a mouse, only much larger.

"Did you see that?" Anya asked Xander as they approached the stone.

"See what, Anya?"

"There was a, a hooded figure. And, it had a tail!" exclaimed Anya. She was pointing at the corner of the building. Xander looked where she was pointing.

"No, I don't see anything. Why don't you go check it out?" Xander asked.

"Fine. But if it is a monster, and it kills me, then you will really regret sending a girl to do your manly job!" hissed Anya as she headed off after the hooded figure. Xander watched until she had turned the corner, and was out of sight. He shook his head and turned back to Buffy's grave. He knelt beside it and placed a bouquet of roses on the dirt.

"Hey, Buf. It's still weird not having you around. We are all taking care of each other. Your death was hardest on Dawn. She has been staying with Willow and Tara. We are on the way to the court now to see if your father is going to take custody, or if she will be staying with Giles. Well, I had better go get Anya before she gets herself into some trouble. We miss you." He stood up and turned away, a tear rolling down his cheek. He wiped it away as he headed after Anya.

***

He found her just around the corner, waiting for him. She smiled at him, and told him that she knew he would come after her. He told her that they needed to be going, and they left the cemetery. They were almost to the courthouse when Anya smacked him on the shoulder and pointed off into the distance.

"There it is again!" she screamed.

"There what is again?" demanded Xander.

"The, the…uh, thing from the cemetery! It just went into that alley! We have to go after it! It could be a demon!" Anya grabbed his hand and ran after the figure. Xander reluctantly followed. He didn't want to battle a demon. He wanted to go into the courthouse and wait for the judge to make whatever decision he was going to make, and then, depending on what the decision was, either take Dawn out for a celebration, or say goodbye to her forever. Instead, here he was, chasing after some figure that Anya may or may not have actually seen.

They reached an alley, and Anya stared into it. Xander just stood beside her, waiting for her to decide what she was going to do. She looked at him, then the alley, then back at him. She was trying to decide. She knew that he didn't want to be there. But, she also knew that she had seen something, and that it could very well be a demon. Finally, she decided that a demon was more important. She ran into the alley. She had to find some clue as to where the figure had gone from there. She looked all over, but couldn't find any evidence that anything had been there. She hung her head as she walked back to Xander, who just stood there, patiently waiting for her.

"I didn't find anything. But I know I saw something!" she hissed as she took his hand and headed back in the direction they had come.

"I know," said Xander. "I just…I don't know. Buffy's been gone for less than a week, and I just keep expecting her to jump in and help us. Only, she never does."

"I know what you mean. It's just too weird that we have to do everything. Oh, Xander! What if the judge makes Dawn leave, too?" Anya had stopped. She was staring at him, expecting some sort of answer, and he just didn't have one. He didn't know. He knew that it was possible that Dawn would leave, but, now that the reality had finally hit him, he realized he didn't know if he would be able to accept that. He had imagined saying goodbye to her several times, but suddenly, it was too much for him to even contemplate.

"I…" was all he could say to her. She hugged him, and then they again headed to the court. This time, the figure stepped directly in front of them. There was no mistaking it. Anya looked at Xander, suddenly not as brave as she had been a short time ago. Xander looked back at her, and then faced the figure. He stepped in front of Anya, and the two of them began to slowly back up.

"I mean you no harm," said the figure. "I am only here to perform a simple service, and then I will again be gone. Unfortunately, the person I was sent to meet is nowhere to be found. Do you know where I can find a man named Rupert Giles?"

Xander and Anya looked at each other. They weren't sure what they should do. They had no idea who, or what, was in front of them. The voice sounded sincere, but how did they know they could trust this figure. They stepped back again, and then Xander spoke.

"What business is it of yours?" he asked.

"Don't make it angry," hissed Anya as she hit him on the shoulder.

"Oh, of course. You have no idea who I am," said the figure. It reached up and grasped its hood. "I am going to show you who I am. Don't be alarmed." The hood went down. Xander and Anya just stared. The figure was a girl! She didn't look much older than Dawn. Anya pulled Xander down and whispered something to him. Xander shook his head.

"I am not asking her about a tail!" he whispered to her.

"But, I know I saw one!!" screamed Anya. She turned and looked at the girl in front of them. She blushed immediately, knowing that the stranger must know that she was the topic of the conversation. The stranger, however, seemed not to notice. Anya considered herself lucky, until the stranger spoke.

"I am sure that you'd feel better is I took off my robe," said the stranger. She bent down, grabbed the hem of her robe, and pulled it up over her head. There she stood, a girl, no more than fourteen or fifteen, wearing a pair of jeans, and a white T-shirt. As she spun around, free from her heavy robe, Anya noticed that there was no tail. A fact that Xander made sure she knew.

"See?" he hissed into Anya's ear. "I told you she didn't have a tail!"

"Oh. Hello. I am Anya, and this is Xander," said Anya as an introduction.

"Hello. My name is Beyoncé," said the stranger. "I am a Wicca; sent here to assist a Mister Rupert Giles in a spe…specific um, project. Do you know where I might be able to find him?"

"Oh, sure," began Anya. "He's right over at the—"

"Magic shop. That's right, Anya. We should take her over there right away," interrupted Xander. He grabbed his new acquaintance by the wrist and led her to the magic shop. Anya followed, slowly. When they reached the shop, Xander pretended to be surprised.

"Hmm. I don't see him anywhere. I thought for sure he'd be here. He owns the place, you know?" Xander asked Beyoncé. Then, before she could answer, Xander turned to Anya. "An, hon, why don't you help me look for him in the back room?" He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her along behind him. Once in the back room, he turned to her and angrily began shouting at her.

"Anya! What in the world are you doing? You were going to tell a complete stranger where Giles is? What is wrong with you? We don't know anything about her! She could have been sent here to kill Giles! Or the rest of us! Or all of us for that matter!"

"I…well, you are the one who brought her to the magic shop! If she is here to kill someone, you just invited her to do so! I can't believe you are yelling at me when what you did is so much worse than what I did!" screamed Anya.

"Um," began Beyoncé, stepping into the room. "I am not here to kill anyone. Quite the opposite, I assure you. Do you know Buffy Summers?"

"Why do you want to know?" demanded Xander.

"She's the reason I am here," explained Beyoncé. "You see, I was sent here by…I really should be telling this to Giles. Do you know where he really is? It is vital that I speak with him. Oh, and there is supposed to be a Willow, and a Tara. They are both witches, too. Do you know who they are? Or where they are?"

"Uh," said Xander. He glanced over at Anya, who just shrugged her shoulders and stepped back. "Well, I'll tell you what. Giles really does own this place. He will be here at some point during the day. Anya works here, too. She is a cashier. Willow, Tara and Giles will all be here…some time. I suggest that we just wait here, and that way, we will be sure to find them. Or rather, they will find us."

"Are you absolutely certain that they will be here some time today? It is so important that I find them today. Time is essential for our…uh, project. We must begin within the next" she checked her watch "ten hours. No, actually we should start no later than, uh, eight hours from now. It will take approximately two hours, and it has to be done by midnight!"

"Um, sure. They will definitely be here," said Xander. He glanced at Anya. She smiled at him, and then went into the front of the store. They heard the bell over the front door ring, and Anya asking if she could help. Xander turned to look at Beyoncé again. Her white T-shirt had red sleeves, and a yellow star on the front. Her jeans had a red flower on each leg, with the stems going all the way to the bottom. She looked like a regular, everyday kid. Her brown hair and blue eyes reminded him again of Dawn.

That got him thinking about what he was missing. How far had the hearing gotten? Was it over yet? What had happened? He couldn't wait for Giles to return and tell them the results of the hearing. He hoped that Dawn would be staying, after all, that was what Buffy and Joyce had wanted. Her father didn't even come to town when Joyce died, and didn't even call when Buffy joined her. Xander grew angrier the more he thought of Dawn's father. If he thought for one moment that the courts would agree, he would have petitioned to adopt her himself!

"This is certainly a strange room to be behind a magic shop," Beyoncé observed.

"Uh, yeah. I suppose it is. Um, how much do you know about Giles?" asked Xander.

"Oh, I know enough. I know he is from England. I know he was a librarian at the high school for a while, and then bought this place a while ago. I know he is a good friend to several young adults. I've got a list," said Beyoncé. She fished her list out of her pocket and began reading it. "Oh. I seem to be off to a bad start here. You, Xander, are, uh, were a good friend of Buffy. And Anya, your girlfriend—"

"Fiancée," corrected Xander.

"Hmmm? What?" asked Beyoncé.

"Anya. She is not my girlfriend, she is my fiancée. We are engaged," explained Xander.

"Oh. Excuse me. My list says girlfriend." She took out a pencil and made a few adjustments to her list. "Okay, now. Anya, your fiancée, is a 1,120- year-old ex-demon. A vengeance demon, right? I can see by the look on your face that I am right. Okay. And Willow and Tara are the witches. Says here that they are level 5 Wiccas. They are also lovers? Right? Again, your face answers my questions. Now, I suppose I can tell you that Giles is a member of the Council of Watchers, and that Buffy was the Slayer. Of course, you already know all of this. I suppose I can also let you know the reason that I am here. You see I was sent here to—"

"Xander, they're back! And Dawn is with them!" screamed Anya from the other room. That snapped Xander out of his confusion. He raced into the front of the store. He was rushing over to hug Dawn when he noticed her face. The look of pain on her face froze him in his tracks. He felt as though he had been shot in the stomach. He looked from Dawn to Giles. Giles did not look happy either. Finally, Willow spoke.

"Xander, Mr. Summers never even showed up."

Xander felt even worse now. He thought that he would be happy to find out that Giles was Dawn's new guardian. He never stopped to think what it might be like for Dawn. Having Giles as her new guardian meant that her father wanted nothing to do with her. He stared at her, wishing there was something he could say, something he could do. He went over to her and just hugged her, unsure of what else to do.

Everyone remained quiet for a long time. Beyoncé had entered. No one really noticed her. She stepped up behind Anya and peered out at the people assembled in the front of the magic shop. She recognized Giles right away, since she had been shown his picture before she came to Sunnydale. She was also able to identify Dawn, as she was the only one close to her own age. As Xander stepped away from Dawn, Beyoncé walked up to her. Everyone stared at her as she approached the broken-hearted teen. She stared at Dawn for a moment. Finally, she smiled at Dawn and spoke.

"Hello, Dawn. I have come to help," said Beyoncé.

"H-how?" Dawn asked.

"Well, I'll need some help, which is why I was told about Giles, Willow, and Tara, but I am here to—"

"Who are you?" demanded Giles.

"I am Beyoncé. The Council sent me. I am here to help you resurrect Buffy, the greatest of all the Slayers."

"What? Buffy? But…" began Dawn.

"That's right. I am here to help Giles, Willow and Tara perform the spell to resurrect Buffy," explained Beyoncé.

"Oh," said Giles.

"Beyoncé?" asked Tara.

"Yes?"

"Um, I thought we couldn't resurrect anyone. I tried it before, and…"

"Ah. You must be Tara, then. Well, Tara, you have to have a very specific spell. And, you have to use a resurrect spell, not a spell to simply revive someone who has died." She turned to Dawn. "I am sorry to have to tell you, though, that your mother has been dead too long for the spell to work on her. I wish this was not so, because I know how much she means to you. But, we will be able to resurrect Buffy. As long as everything goes okay." Beyoncé turned to Giles, Willow and Tara. "The spell is very complicated, and will require four people. Giles, you have some experience with magic, right?"

"Uh, a little. Yes," answered Giles.

"Good. The spell requires all four people involved to have experience with magic. Now, I have a list of things we will need," said Beyoncé as she fished another list form her pocket. She handed the list to Willow, and then continued. "I suggest we get started right away. If the spell has not been completed by midnight tonight, then it can never be performed."

Everyone just stared at the newcomer. She was so young, and yet seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. She also knew things about them that she could only have learned from the Council. This helped them to believe that she truly was who she said she was. Willow quickly began gathering the items on the list. Tara decided to help her. Xander, Dawn, and Beyoncé went to the table where so much research had taken place, and sat down.

***

Auroura woke up early, and headed out into the streets of LA alone. She loved being able to walk in the sunshine. That was the one thing that her government had done to her for which she was actually grateful. It had been something of a shock when she had awakened in that barn, and the sun was shining directly on her. She had thought she was safe, with the blizzard raging outside. She never expected the sun to shine before she woke up again. Despite all of the bad things that had happened to her, she was happy. For the first time in over a century, she was happy.

She walked along the streets, just taking it all in. She had never been to the United States before. Her own country had nothing that even remotely resembled Los Angeles! It was even quite a bit different from all of the other places she had visited. She marveled at things others took for granted. A couple of times, she stopped outside a shop to admire things she saw in the windows. Once, she had even entered a shop. That was too much for her to handle, however, and she quickly returned to the streets.

It was almost noon before she came across someone she recognized. At first, she didn't want to be found, so she avoided the woman. As she watched, she became aware that the woman was not interested in finding he. Auroura found this intriguing. She'd never experienced such a thing. Yeah, Anne was nice, but she was also strict. And, she had to admit, a little weird. Of course, most everyone she encountered was weird.

Like Kate. She had turned out to be very strange, indeed. She not only believed what Auroura had told her, but she acted as if she had encountered it on more than one occasion. There was definitely something different about a human that not only knew that vampires existed, but was also unafraid of them. Kate had set about tracking them almost immediately. It had been hours before Kate had finally led Auroura to the shelter, where she met Anne and was given a bed for the night.

"Now, this is a special occasion, and I am doing this as a favor to Kate," Anne had told her. "After this, if you expect to have a bed for the night in this shelter, you will be inside before ten o'clock. I don't allow drugs or alcohol, and I will not tolerate any illegal activities. As long as you agree to abide by these rules, we will get along fine. If you have any problems with these rules, then I will have to ask you to find another place to stay."

That was three days ago. Since then, Auroura had actually begun to like Anne. And the shelter was nice, too. She had been given some clothes. Not anything new, but things that were better than what she had been wearing. She had a place to be. She was making friends, and most of all, she was able to get away from her "creature-of-the-night" ways. She found that she was also able to survive on the meat she got from the kitchen. She always ordered her meat rare, and it usually contained enough blood to keep her going. What she wasn't able to get from the meat, she got from rats in the neighborhood. No one seemed to pay attention to her when she ducked into a deserted alley to grab a meal. Of course, she needed to do that less and less.

So, here she was, out on the streets of Los Angeles, watching Anne as she went about her own business. Auroura watched as Anne went to various places, asking for donations for the shelter. She was certain that Anne had a hidden agenda. People didn't just help others out of the goodness of their hearts. At least, no one she had ever met had been willing to do so. Everyone wanted something in return, and Auroura was trying to find out what Anne wanted. The mystery was what had kept Auroura at the shelter. She was in Los Angeles searching for Spike, and as soon as she was certain of his current whereabouts, she would move on. This, however, served as a good distraction.

Auroura would not be going back to the shelter tonight. Instead, she would be looking for answers. She knew that Kate would eventually catch up with Drusilla and Darla, unless the two vampires left town, and she wanted to make certain she got to them first. Drusilla mentioned that she had seen Spike recently. If the Slayer hadn't killed him, then Dru would know where to find him. If he had been killed, then she would come up with something else to occupy her time. For now, she needed to find a place where she could rest until nightfall.

***

Once all of the ingredients for the spell had been gathered, Willow, Tara, Giles, Dawn and Beyoncé headed to the graveyard. Xander and Anya were to stay behind and watch the store until closing, and then join the others. Anya waited impatiently for them to leave, and then turned to Xander. Xander was staring off after the others, still concerned for Dawn. He had the distinct impression that something was wrong. That she somehow needed him. Anya walked up to him and kissed him. He returned the kiss, but then pushed her away.

"Not now, Anya. There is something wrong. I don't know what, but I am certain that Dawn is in trouble," he explained.

"No," responded Anya. "She is fine. She has Willow, and Tara. They are very powerful witches. And this new girl, Beyoncé, will not let her get hurt. Besides, they also have Giles. He is old, but he knows how to take care of himself and others."

Xander was still not convinced. There was something that they were overlooking, and he couldn't figure out what it was. Anya went to the cash register, to help a customer, and Xander observed the other customers in the shop. There were several, which Xander found odd. This late on a Monday, the shop was almost always deserted. Besides, how many people in Sunnydale really wanted anything more to do with the supernatural? He decided to meander through the store himself, just to see what these people were so interested in.

A few people were after amulets. Some were just there because they knew that the shop would carry items that were unique, not things that one could find in a department store. He was surprised to discover that only a couple of the customers were truly interested in the magical aspects of the items found in the shop. He was especially interested in a pair of girls. They didn't look to be older than sixteen or seventeen, but the one girl certainly seemed knowledgeable in the ways of magic.

"Oh, this book is great!" said the knowledgeable one. "I have my own copy at home. It has several useful, if only beginner, spells. Oh! In fact, that is the book I used to learn how to do this…" The girl raised her hands and covered her face. When she pulled her hand away, she looked just like the other girl.

"Wow!" exclaimed the friend. "How did you do that?"

"It's called a Glamour," explained the girl. "It tells you how to do it in the book. It's just a superficial illusion, and doesn't last forever, but it would work long enough to freak out your boyfriend!"

Xander had heard enough. He turned away from the girls and hurried over to the cash register. As soon as he could get Anya over far enough that he was certain he wouldn't be heard by anyone other than Anya. He was about to speak, when someone came over and slammed her purchases on the register. Xander sighed as he let go of Anya and she went over to help. When she was done, she hurried over to Xander.

"What is so important?" she asked.

"Have you ever heard of a Glamour?" he hissed.

"Well, yeah. That is one of the most basic spells. Almost anyone can do that spell," answered Anya.

"Okay, now. Think back to the cemetery. What did you see?"

"I saw that girl, Beyoncé," said Anya, with a slight hint of annoyance.

"Right. Sure, whatever. Now, tell me exactly what it was that you saw. When you told me about it in the cemetery."

"I saw a hooded figure, with a tai…oh! I see now! We've got to get to the cemetery and warn everyone!" She turned to the rest of the store. "Excuse me, customers. We are closing. Now! Get out of here!" Then after a moment, "But please come back tomorrow and we'll be glad to take your money!" After the last customer had left the shop, the couple locked up and took off towards the cemetery.

At the cemetery, the others were setting things up. Beyoncé had drawn a series of symbols around the grave. Willow and Tara were lighting candles, and placing them at specific points between the symbols. Giles was getting the rest of the things unpacked, and Dawn was just watching.

"Now," began Beyoncé, "once the spell has been started, we must be very careful to keep going, no matter what. Even a small delay could ruin the entire thing. And, no matter what happens, we can't alter the chant. That is the most important part." She turned to Dawn. "Dawn, I need you to keep a watch, and make sure that no one interferes, okay? Also, there is one more thing I need from you. Come here please."

Dawn stood up and walked over to the new witch. She looked around, making sure that they were the only ones in the area. Beyoncé produced a wand from inside her robe. The wand was made of some reddish wood, and had a gold star on the tip. The star glowed as the witch moved the wand through the air. Dawn was entranced by the wand, and didn't even notice when Beyoncé pulled out the knife.

***

Auroura woke up refreshed. She had been waiting for nightfall, when she knew that Dru would be out. Now that the sun had set, she was ready to make her move. She had to find out where Spike was. Once she had found Spike, everything would be fine. At least, that was what she hoped. She thought of Spike as her brother, and even though Dru had sired both of them, Auroura did not like Dru. She never had.

She had been walking along, looking for some sort of clue to the whereabouts of Dru, when she smelled a familiar scent. She turned wildly as she sought the source of the scent. It wasn't Dru, or even Darla, but it was familiar. After a moment, she dismissed it as nothing, and continued her search. A large warehouse loomed up in front of her as she was searching, and she decided to check it out, even though it wasn't a place where she could see Dru and Darla living. As it turned out, the pair she was tracking had been there. And they hadn't left that long ago, from the looks of things.

She was outside and back on the trail in seconds. She thought about the scene inside the building. Three men had been completely drained. They had taken blood from the fourth, but not enough to kill him. That was what bothered Auroura. She had never seen the girls do anything like that before. If they didn't kill them, they transformed them. The man Auroura had found had just been dropped, like he was an empty glass. That meant trouble.

With the knowledge that some sort of trouble had befallen the pair, Auroura was even more concerned with finding them. She didn't care about their well being, she just wanted to know where Spike was. She knew that Dru was aware of his location. If something should happen to her, then Auroura might never find him. She was thinking about this when she again picked up the familiar scent from before. Now she had enough information to piece together what had happened.

A demon in France had told her a lot of information before she had killed it. It had been a minion for Spike and Dru when they were together. The demon had told her that Angelus, the vampire responsible for siring Dru, had been cursed with a soul, and was now known as Angel. She was also told by the demon that Angel had fallen in love with the Slayer, and had turned his back on his own kind.

Auroura smiled at that thought. Turning her back on vampires was part of her ultimate goal. She was no longer one of them. Sure, she still needed blood to survive, but that was starting to diminish. She had been given blood while held captive, but only enough to keep her alive, and no more. They couldn't have her at full strength, now could they? Slowly, she had become used to it. Perhaps it was her body, or the chemicals, or a combination of the two. Whatever the reason, she was getting to where she needed less and less blood to keep her going.

She was also able to walk in the sun. Something that she still thought was amazing, after having to avoid it for more than a century. And, since they had installed the chip into her brain, she was not able to cause serious pain or injury to humans or animals. But she could still kill vampires and demons. She suddenly laughed out loud as she realized she was very much like a Slayer now. The realization that she was becoming human again was followed by another, darker realization. If she was becoming human, then Spike might not want to have anything to do with her.

The thought came quickly and caused her to fall to her knees. She felt as if she had been hit in the stomach. Spike was the only thing she had that even resembled family. If he didn't want her around, then her life would be empty. Suddenly, the thought of becoming human again wasn't so appealing. She decided to concentrate on locating Spike, and worry about the details later. There was an alley up ahead, and she could smell the fear. Then, she caught the scent of Dru, and she had the strength to stand up and investigate.

"It's Auroura again!" cooed Dru as the younger vampire entered the alley.

"Great, just what we need," sighed Darla.

"I'm not here to fight," said Auroura. Then, as Dru started to brighten, she added: "or join you. I just want some information, and then I'll be out of here. You'll never have to see me again."

"That is the best news I've heard in years," said Darla. Dru just looked at her.

"I want to know where Spike is. That's all. After you tell me, I'll leave Los Angeles and never return," Auroura told them.

"Spike's in Sunnydale!" blurted Darla before Dru could say anything. "Bye! Don't call us, we won't call you!"

"Darla!" hissed Dru as Auroura turned and left. "You frightened her off. She was my baby, and you scared her away!"

"She was bad news, Dru. We're better off without her," concluded Darla. She then turned and exited the alley, going in the opposite direction of Auroura. Dru just stood there, staring.

***

Beyoncé stabbed Dawn in the palm of her hand, and collected the blood in a small bottle. Dawn hardly reacted, and none of the others even saw what had happened. When the bottle was full, Beyoncé touched the cut with her wand. It was healed immediately, without even a trace of scarring. The witch then told Dawn to go back to her seat, and keep watch. The girl did as she was told, and forgot all about the loss of her blood.

Beyoncé took the bottle with Dawn's blood inside it and set it on Buffy's tombstone. When the time was right, the blood must be poured onto the dirt of the grave, but for now, it was out of the way, but easily accessible. She turned to make sure that everyone else was ready. She had already taught them the parts they were supposed to chant. That had been the difficult part. Making certain that they put the accent on the right syllables. She wondered, and not for the first time, why these chants had to be so difficult. They were kept away from the general public, so it wasn't as if they would have been performed all the time.

Finally, it was time to begin the spell. Everyone took his or her place. Beyoncé used her wand to ignite all of the candles simultaneously. She started chanting first. Giles started his a moment later. Willow waited until he reached the right part of his, and then she began hers. Tara had to wait the longest. Her chant was the last to start, and she had to wit until Beyoncé had gone through hers twice. The others had come in before the witch had finished hers the first time. Finally, it was time for Tara to begin her chant.

Meanwhile, Xander and Anya were frantically rushing towards the cemetery. They had encountered Spike, an informed him of the situation, and he had gone ahead. Anya was trying, without much luck, to convince Xander that Dawn was going to be just fine.

"She has Giles, and Willow, and Tara. And, she's been in bad situations before," said Anya.

"That wasn't helpful the first thousand times you said it, so what makes you think it will help now?" demanded Xander.

"Because, now she also has Spike. He made a promise to Buffy. He would die before he would let anything happen to her," explained Anya.

"What if he gets there too late?"

"Then we are also too late, and it isn't going to make a difference." She grabbed Xander and made him turn to face her. "Dawn is going to be okay. I don't think she is going to encounter anything that those with her can't help her get through." They started walking again. "Besides, Willow has been practicing magic more than any of you know. She would probably kill me if I told you, so don't let anyone else know. She has been researching and doing spells in the shop. She knows she a lot of power, and she wants to make sure that she can control it. She is much more powerful than even Tara is aware."

"You're right. What she did to Glory was amazing, but she was using new magic, that she got out of a book just before she attacked," said Xander, still worried. They were in the cemetery, and approaching the grave. They could see the others, and there didn't seem to be anything bad happening, so Xander relaxed a little.

"And what about before she got he book? D'Hoffryn offered her a job as the vengeance demon. That indicates that there is more power there than we know. And, don't forget her other spells. Remember, she was the one who caused Giles to go blind." They were right behind Dawn now, and, as Anya continued, Harmony appeared. "And, Willow was directly responsible for Buffy falling in love with Spike."

That's when it happened. Harmony jumped at Dawn before anyone had a chance to react, and the chanting stopped. All four chanters realized that they had stopped, and continued chanting while Xander and Anya reacted to Harmony. Xander tried to move Dawn out of the way, but it was too late. Harmony crashed into Dawn and knocked her back into Xander and Anya. All four of them fell to the ground. Spike was suddenly beside them.

"What is going on, Harm?" he demanded. Then he stopped and just looked at her. There was blood coming from a wound in her chest. Spike gently moved her off of the others, and knelt beside her. As the chant ended and the others got to their feet, Spike looked from Dawn to Harmony.

"Harm, what is going on?" Spike asked her again.

"Dawn! Is she okay?" demanded Harmony.

"Yes, she is fine. Why do you even care?" Spike questioned.

"She's just a kid. I can kill adults. That is fine, but Dawn is just a kid. And besides, the Slayer is already dead. Dawn is not a threat," explained Harmony.

"But, who did this to you?"

"It was one of Glory's minions," said Xander, as he pointed to a nearby crypt. They all saw the minion frantically trying to reload his gun. Spike jumped up and chased after him. Dawn moved over to Harmony. She knelt beside the vampire and looked at the damage.

"I'm dying," whispered Harmony as the others gathered around her.

"But, you're already dead," said Dawn.

"Oh, yeah," declared Harmony as she sat up. "But it still hurts! Oh! And this was one of my favorite sweaters! Just look at it! Ruined!"

"He got away," said Spike as he appeared behind Giles. The others jumped and turned to face him. He looked around, thinking that they must be looking at something other than him. "What are we looking at?"

"Harmony," began Giles as he shook his head and turned back to face her. "Do you realize that what you did makes you somewhat of a hero? You saved Dawn's life."

"I did?" asked Harmony. "I guess I did. I didn't mean to. I am evil, you know! It's just… She's a kid, you know. And she's already been through so much. So, when I heard that guy talking about killing her, I decided to warn her. I never meant to actually save her." She turned to Dawn. "As reward, you can get me a new sweater, okay? A-a-and tell everyone that I am evil, okay?"

"Right. You are evil," said Dawn as she rolled her eyes. Harmony slowly stood up and wandered off. The others just watched her as she went. Then, Anya turned to Beyoncé.

"So, uh, when exactly is Buffy going to appear?" she asked the witch.

"Oh. I am not certain. She has been dead the longest of all those I have helped resurrect. I think she may not appear for two days. But, I am not certain. I've never tried to resurrect a Slayer before. We'll just have to wait and see," explained Beyoncé. Then, as an afterthought, she added: "And, she won't appear here. She will appear somewhere that holds significant emotional attraction to her. Some place such as her house."

***

Two days later, Auroura managed to make it to Sunnydale. She got off the train and looked around. Having never been to this town before, nothing was familiar to her. She decided that, since it was still daytime, she shouldn't try to look for Spike just yet. She didn't want him knowing her secrets. If he knew, he might not like it; he might not like her. Her top priority right now was finding a place to stay. Once she had established a residence for herself, she would be able to move about without fear of discovery.

She found a phone and made a call. She had gathered a few trusted employees in her time as a vampire, and she needed them to work for her now. Being new to this place, she would need a list of places to avoid, as well as places she might find a comfortable residence. By the time she had hung up, she had found that there was a mansion for sale. It was old, and would need some restoration, but Auroura felt as though she could manage. Besides, a mansion was exactly the type of place that she deserved. She would have to wait about two hours for her contact to arrive, but after that, she would be set up with IDs, cash, and bank accounts. She would then be able to get her place to stay.

Unfortunately, two hours can be an extremely long time, especially when in a place totally new to you. She had very little money with her, but decided to stop and get something to eat. She chuckled to herself as the thought fled. Here she was, a vampire in a strange town, looking for something to eat. The thing was, though, that she was actually after food, and not a person. She had discovered that she liked a large variety of things, from donuts to pizza. It was still early, and she knew that most places would not be serving anything except breakfast foods. That was fine with her. She had been craving some Belgian waffles with strawberries.

She found a diner close to the train station, and went in. She sat at a booth by the windows. The sun still felt a little weird, but it was a sensation that she enjoyed. When the waitress came over to take her order, Auroura asked for her waffles, bacon, and coffee. Coffee was something else that she had discovered she liked. When she was growing up, she had never even heard of half the foods that were now commonplace. Her coffee arrived first, and, as she was sipping it, someone sat down across from her. She did not know him, and wasn't certain that she wanted to change that fact.

"Hey, babe," said the man across from her. "What's a gal like you sitting all alone for? You should have men waiting in line to sit with you."

"And, yet, you are the only one around," declared Auroura as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. Funny, that. I guess we were just meant to be together, huh?" asked the stranger.

"Well, if I didn't already think that the Fates were against me, you would definitely change my mind." She smiled sweetly as she said this. The man just kind of looked at her for a few moments, uncertain of what she meant. Finally, she decided it was time to get rid of him. "Actually, though, I think that my friends are going to be here shortly, and, I just think that they might get a little jealous if they discovered that I had a catch as fine as you. We can't have that, now can we?"

"Oh! I uh, I guess not." He was beaming at her compliment. "Well, I guess I can understand that. Not everyone can be so lucky, can they?"

"Of course not. I mean, men like you are so rare," she told him. Then, under her breath, she added, "When compared to blades of grass."

"Huh? What was that?" asked the stranger.

"Oh, nothing. Hey, how about you give me your number, and I will call you later? That way, my friends won't have to know."

"Yeah. That would be great!" The man grabbed a napkin and pulled a pen out of his pocket. He scribbled down his number, winked as he handed it to her, and then left. Auroura took the napkin with a smile and waited until the man was out of sight. Then she crumbled the napkin and tossed it onto the table. She then looked around to see if she could find the waitress. She needed some more coffee. The waitress was bringing out her food, and Auroura waited until she had set everything down before asking for more coffee. The waitress smiled and said she would be right back with it.

Auroura took her time eating, for two reasons. The first reason was because she delighted in each bite, and wanted to make the experience last for as long as possible. The other reason was that she had nothing else to do before her contact got to Sunnydale. It took her over an hour to finish eating, and in that time, she also consumed nine cups of coffee. Suddenly, she had to relieve herself. She looked around for the bathroom, and when she found it, she literally ran for it. As she was exiting the restroom, she thought about how long it had been since she'd had to concern herself with bodily functions.

"No wonder vampires stick with blood," she told herself. She went back to her table and sat down. She stared out into the street, wondering what she would say to Spike when she finally found him. Would he even remember her? They hadn't seen much of each other. He had stuck with Dru, and Auroura refused to do that, even for Spike. She remembered how she had had a crush on him when they had first met. Of course, she had still been young then. Over the years, the crush had changed into respect and admiration. Now, she felt that they could be friends, without any awkwardness.

Finally, she decided that it was time for her to go back to the station and wait for her contact. She stood up, grabbed the bill and headed for the cash register. Then she remembered that she was supposed to leave money for the waitress, so she returned to the table and tossed a few ones onto it. She paid her bill and left the diner, walking carefully along the streets. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Fortunately, she managed to get to the train station without incident. She found an empty bench and sat down to wait. Soon, there was a commotion nearby. Auroura tried to ignore it, but her curiosity got the better of her and she wandered over to see what was going on.

***

Xander was sitting at the table, watching Dawn and Beyoncé talk. He was amazed at how quickly the two had bonded. They seemed like old friends, instead of a couple of girls who only knew each other for two days. Anya was working, and since the place was busy, he figured she would be unavailable for quite some time. He decided that he would look around again, and maybe even help a customer or two himself. He walked over to a bookshelf where a girl was checking out several books.

"Can I help you?" asked Xander. The girl looked up at him, and blushed.

"I-I am looking for a book that my friend recommended. But, I can't remember the name of it," she said apologetically.

"Well, don't worry. I am sure I can help you find it. What do you remember about it?" he inquired.

"Uh…" She hesitated, as if she was embarrassed. "It contained a spell that I was wanting to try." She lifted her hand to her face, and turned away. Xander could see that she was blushing.

"It's okay," he reassured her. "We get people in here wanting to try spells all the time. No big deal. However, you are going to have to be a little more specific. Just exactly which spell are you looking for? Love spells?" He reached up and grabbed a book off the shelf. It was a book he was familiar with. He had seen Willow using it several times.

"N-not exactly," stammered the girl. "I-I was looking for…a s-spell to change my appearance, and, and, and she said it w-was called a G-Glamour."

As she said the last word, Xander dropped the book he was holding. He looked down at it, and it was open to the Glamour spell. The girl with whom he had been speaking looked down and, seeing that it was open to the spell she wanted, she bent down and picked up the book. She told him thank you, but Xander didn't hear her. He was staring at Beyoncé. He had completely forgotten about the Glamour spell.

Suddenly, he was aware that there was someone standing next to him. He tried to turn away from the young witch, but found himself unable to do so. There was more to her than she was letting on, and he was certain of it. The problem was, she had become so close to Dawn that he was afraid to say anything. What if she turned out to be evil? Would Dawn understand it if her new friend was taken from her? Xander wondered if the spell they had cast was actually to bring Buffy back. It had been two days, and no one had seen or heard from her. Perhaps it was all a hoax.

"Xander!" Anya exclaimed. She was snapping her fingers in front of his face. He was finally able to turn away from Beyoncé. He looked at Anya. She spoke to him again. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. I was just remembering something. The other night, when we went to the cemetery, it was because we thought Dawn might be in trouble, right?"

"Yes," agreed Anya. "And she was. If Harmony hadn't been there, Dawn would have died."

"I know. That's why I forgot."

"Forgot what? Xander, you aren't making any sense."

"I forgot about the Glamour."

"The Glamour? Oh! You think that…"

"Yes, I do. But I can't ask her about it with Dawn around. The two of them have become so close."

"Well, what are you going to do, then?"

"I don't know, yet. But we have to do something soon. If Beyoncé is evil, then, as much as it might hurt Dawn, she has to be dealt with. I don't know what her plans might be. I am going to have a talk with Giles." He reached out and caressed Anya's cheek. The look of worry on her face lessened. Xander turned away and went to the basement, where Giles had been all day, trying to organize the place.

"Giles, I need to ask you something," began Xander.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I was wondering if you have checked with the Council to verify Beyoncé's story."

"What are you talking about?" asked Giles.

"I think that there is more to that girl than she is letting on," explained Xander.

"Like what?"

"I am not certain, which is why I was hoping you had contacted the Council. I would just feel better about her being here if I was certain that the Council had, indeed, sent her. I know it sounds crazy, but I have this feeling that she keeping something from us."

"And, you have something on which you are basing this?" inquired Giles.

"Uh…sort of. You see, the day she showed up, Anya and I encountered her, or someone in a robe just like hers, at the cemetery. Then, Anya saw that same person, or creature, when we were about to enter the courthouse. We tried to follow them, and encountered Beyoncé."

"Okay. But that still doesn't explain anything."

"The figure Anya saw in the cemetery had a tail. That is what she saw when we were going to the court, and that is what we went after. Beyoncé doesn't have a tail, I know. In fact, I was the one trying to convince Anya that she was human. Now, however, I am not so sure."

"Because of a tail that Anya thinks she saw?" asked Giles. He was giving Xander a look that said he didn't believe. He took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. "Listen, Xander. I am not too thrilled with the idea of contacting the Council. From what I have heard, there is no cause for me to do so."

"The Glamour!" Xander blurted.

"What?"

"The Glamour. It's a spell."

"I know that. But, what does it have to do with anything?"

"Maybe nothing, but maybe everything. I can't believe it is just a coincidence."

"Can't believe that what is just a coincidence? Xander, you aren't making any sense."

"I'm sorry. I'll start over. After we brought Beyoncé back to the shop, Anya went out to deal with customers. Beyoncé and I were left in the back room. She pulled out this list and started spouting off details that made me think she was definitely from the council. I mean, she knew you were Buffy's Watcher, and who Buffy was, and that Willow and Tara were witches, and, and that Anya was an ex-demon. She even knew what type of demon."

"Okay, still not making the connection to evil," stated Giles.

"I didn't either, then. It was later. You had all left to go to the cemetery. Anya and I were left to mind the store. I had this nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen to Dawn. Anya assured me that she was going to be okay, since you and Willow and Tara were with her. I let it go. I was wandering around the shop, waiting for it to close, when I overheard two girls talking about spells. The one girl said that the other should but a book because it contained several basic spells. Then, the girl moved her hands in front of her face, and she looked exactly like the other girl. She said the spell was a called a Glamour."

"Yes, I am familiar with the spell."

"That is when I remembered Anya talking about the tail. I wouldn't have thought anything about it if I had just heard the girls talking, but when I saw her change, I thought about Beyoncé. We already established that she was a powerful witch, and I was certain that we had to get to the cemetery as fast as possible. When we got there, I remained cautious, until after Harmony left, and then I just sort of forgot about it."

"Well, that makes sense. I mean, it was really weird that Harmony showed up like she did, but she did save Dawn's life. That must have been the trouble that you mentioned."

"That's what I thought, too. Until just a few minutes ago." Giles looked at him. "I was trying to help a customer. She said she was looking for a book, but didn't know the title. She was blushing, so I assumed that she was after a love spell. I grabbed a book off the shelf and was leafing through it, to find the love spell, when she said that she wasn't after the love spell."

"She was after the Glamour? Right? Well, that is not surprising. A lot of witches start dabbling in magic because of that very spell. It is a strange coincidence, but still," rationalized Giles.

"Okay. I would have been willing to dismiss it as a coincidence, too, except that the mention of the word caused me to drop the book. I felt like I had been holding fire. When I looked down, the book was open to the Glamour spell. I turned immediately and looked at Beyoncé. I was unable to turn away for several minutes, as Anya can tell you. I am sorry, Giles, but I just can't believe that all of it was just coincidence."

"You're right. There is just too much there for it to be a coincidence. I'll call the Council. Let's go upstairs."

"There's one more thing, Giles."

"What now?"

"It's Dawn. She has become very close to Beyoncé, and I am worried about how she might react if she finds out that the girl is evil. She has had to deal with so much already. I am not certain she could handle this."

"You're right. Well, first thing's first. We'll find out if the Council really sent her. Then, we can go from there." He turned and headed upstairs, then paused. "Xander, what if the Council really did send her? What then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you yourself said that it couldn't be a coincidence that the Glamour spell kept coming up. There is definitely something to that. If the Council didn't send her, then we know she is up to something. However, if the Council did send her, what is the explanation for the spell?"

"I-I never thought about that. If the Council did send her, then you could ask them about it, couldn't you?"

"I could ask. That doesn't mean I will get an answer. You know that."

"Well, we have to try. For Dawn's sake."

Giles nodded and started back up the stairs. Xander walked up the stairs behind him, hoping that the Council could answer the questions that were filling his mind. He didn't hold out much hope.

***

Just as she thought, the commotion was her contact. She didn't understand why they always called attention to themselves. She was trying to remain anonymous, and here they were, making sure everyone knew they were around! Auroura walked over and helped the man stand up. She looked at everyone standing around, and told all of them to move along. She brushed off the man in front of her, and then led him off to the side. Once they were out of the middle of the station, she turned to the man and spoke.

"What was that all about?" she demanded.

"It wasn't my fault, honest!" declared the man.

"I never said it was. I asked what was going on. I don't like having so much attention drawn to me, or those who work for me!" She saw the man cringe, and knew he was frightened of her. The realization caused her to calm down. "I am sorry for the outburst, but I am having a really bad day. Did you bring the things I requested?"

"Uh…yes. They are right here," said the man as he handed her a small package.

"Good. Thank you, uh…what is your name?" asked the vampire.

"I-I-I am Travis," he said as he tried to back away.

"Okay. Good. Thank you, Travis. You are most helpful. I want you to go with me now, I have another task I need for you to perform."

"Y-y-yes, ma'am," stammered Travis.

"Travis, we are friends, you don't have to call me ma'am. I am Auroura. Now, what I need for you to do now is purchase some property for me. As far as anyone here is concerned, I am only sixteen years old, and therefore, not old enough to purchase a mansion. You are to act as the executor of my father's will, and the one responsible for my trust fund, okay?"

"Yes, ma—uh, Auroura."

"Good, now let's go. I have lots to get done. I went and looked at the mansion earlier. It will have to be almost completely renovated. And, it will definitely have to have a few spells cast upon it as soon as possible. I wouldn't want any, uh, past occupants showing up unexpectedly. After that, I suppose you will be in a hurry to get back to…uh, wherever?"

"Um, no offense meant, but, yeah!"

"None taken. And, you have a right to be scared of me. I have done things that you could not even begin to imagine. And, you have no idea when I might suddenly grow hungry." She smiled as his eyes widened. "Don't worry, Travis. I have much need for you. I never get rid of those who do their job. If I did, I wouldn't be able to do much of anything, now would I?"

"I suppose not. Thanks for the pep talk."

"No problem. Besides, I can't have everyone thinking that you are scared of me, now can I? That just wouldn't look right. And, I need as little attention drawn to me as possible. I am going to have a hard enough time explaining why I am not in school."

"Because you have already graduated. Last year, in fact. Your diploma is in the package." He looked at her, and when she smiled, he continued. "Yeah, Ed thought you would like that."

"Ed? He's still around? He's gotta be, what? Like, eighty?"

"Auroura, he's only fifty-five!"

"What? No way! He has been in my employ for…well, a lot of years now. I can't believe he is only fifty-five! He is one of the few who has seen me."

"Really? Not everyone has?"

"No. They haven't. I don't usually require help like this. I usually just have the contact drop things off, so I can get them when it is convenient. The only reason you are here is because of the real estate purchase. Usually, I just get hotels. But, I am planning on staying in Sunnydale for a while, and I will need someplace to stay."

"Oh. I guess I should consider myself lucky, then?"

"Or unlucky, depending upon how you handle your end of the bargain. As long as you make things believable, and I get my mansion, you will be leaving here just as healthy as you are right now. Mess things up, and I don't think you will be leaving at all."

"Uh…right. I will do my best."

"That's all I ask. You got this job because you are good at some sort of skill. I let Ron handle all of the employees. If he sent you, it's because he knows you can handle the task at hand. If he trusts you that much, then so do I. After all, if you mess up, he knows he will be the next one to go. I do not tolerate insubordination."

"Uh…yes. I don't blame you."

With that, Auroura considered the conversation over. She led Travis out of the station and into the town. She found the real estate office, and as they entered, she felt a chill go down her back. She paused in the doorway and looked around. She saw nothing that she recognized, and stepped into the office. The air conditioning felt good, after being in the hot afternoon sun. She was aware that someone was staring at her. She turned around, and almost screamed when she noticed the guy from the diner staring at her. He winked at her. She clutched Travis's arm and looked away. Fortunately, the agent was ready for them to enter the office.

Once in the office, Auroura played the part of a spoiled, rich heiress. Travis followed her lead, and in no time, they had the paperwork in front of them. Travis said that the mansion was to go into Auroura's name, and the agent quickly agreed. The agent wanted the deal to go through, since they were offering more than what was being asked. As soon as the paperwork was completed, Travis asked the agent when his charge would be able to move in. The agent said that there was no time like the present, and he offered to have a car take them to the property.

They accepted the offer, and as the car pulled away from the mansion, Auroura rushed up to the front doors. She hurriedly unlocked them and went inside. She froze immediately. She was certain that she had been there before. She dismissed it as nothing and searched the house. Travis tagged along behind her, too afraid to leave without her permission. He was in awe of the mansion. It was one of the largest places he had ever been in. He didn't see how she would be able to manage a place this size, but there was no way he was going to voice his opinion.

Finally, after she had him make several lists of things that needed to be done, she told him he could leave. By that time, he wasn't sure that he wanted to. He couldn't believe that she was a vicious killer. She was so…well, human. He knew that she was older than sixteen. That much was obvious to him from the start. But he still found it hard to believe that she would willingly take a human life. She was just so nice to everyone she met, and he had yet to see any evidence of the evil in her. He asked her if she was certain that she would be okay, and after she assured him she would, he finally left.

***

Giles hung up the phone after talking to the Council. He set his glasses on the table in front of him and rubbed his temples. Although he was still a member of the Council, they acted as if he was an outsider. He supposed that it was not too far from the truth. After all, if it hadn't been for Buffy, he would no longer be part of the Council. Now that she was dead, he was in a bit of a jam. He had been sent here for Buffy. He'd been fired because he cared too much for Buffy. At least, that is what the Council had said. Then, Buffy got him re-hired. Now that she was gone, he supposed that the Council was at a loss as to what they should do about him.

He stood up and headed out of the small office. Anya was working the cash register, taking care of a customer. Xander was in the corner, watching Dawn and Beyoncé, who were sitting at the table. The girls were talking about what they planned to do when the weekend came. Giles walked past them and motioned for Xander to follow. Once they were in the back room, Giles turned to Xander and spoke.

"The Council said that they did indeed send her, and that she was free to do as she pleased, once Buffy was back. They said that since she is such a powerful witch, that she might just as well have used Glamour. That was not their concern. She was hired to perform a specific task. Now that the task has been completed, they don't care what happens to her. Of course, she will not be paid until Buffy actually shows up."

"So, we really don't know that much more about her. For all we know, she is still here to cause problems. She could be a danger, and the Council wouldn't care, because Dawn is not their concern," Xander said.

"Basically. The Council is concerned with the return of Buffy, for whatever reason, and the rest of us, including myself, are expendable. I think the best course of action right now would be to separate the girls and speak to each one individually."

"Both of them? Why?"

"Dawn may have seen or heard something that would be helpful. Don't worry, I will be careful. She won't know what is going on."

"Okay. But, how do we get them separated?"

"Um, I was leaving that up to you."

Xander sighed and looked at Giles. Giles shrugged his shoulders and looked away. Xander thought for a moment about how to get the girls in separate rooms. It would be difficult, since Dawn had become so attached to the new girl. Giles turned and headed back into the store.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Giles assured him. Then he was gone.

Xander thought for a moment longer, and then headed out the back. He had an idea, but wasn't sure that it would work. He would have to get help from Spike, and he wasn't certain that he liked that idea. Realizing that he had no choice, he headed for the cemetery.

***

Blinding blue light filled the room. It was gone a second later. Buffy stood in the room, completely naked. She looked around, uncertain what was going on. Finally, she glanced down at herself, and gasped. She grabbed the sheet off of a chair and wrapped it around herself. She didn't know where she was. Cautiously, she walked to the door. She carefully opened it a crack and glanced out into the hall. Suddenly, she knew where she was. The problem was, she still had no idea why she was there. Or, more important, she had no idea where her clothes were. She closed the door and turned to the window. It had been repaired since the last time she was there. She thought about the room she was standing in.

It was the one room she would never forget. So much had happened there. She felt warm, as if she was being held. She closed her eyes and tried to picture the room the way it was, before the window was fixed. Before it had been transformed into what appeared to be a sitting room, it had been another, more intimate room. It had been a bedroom. And not just any bedroom, either. It had been Angel's bedroom. Of course, he had been Angelus when he acquired the mansion, but, she still remembered everything that led to him becoming Angelus. They had slept together, and, as she lost her virginity, he lost his soul.

And she'd had to kill him. A tear streaked down her face as the memories came flooding back. She'd killed him, and it had been the worst thing she'd ever had to do. When he came back, she thought it was because of their love. Later, she had found out that it was just another cruel twist of Fate. He had been sent back because he had a higher calling, and, no matter how much they tried to make their relationship work, they were totally unable to do so.

However, she also remembered finding him in the woods, bringing him back here, and nursing him back to health, only to have Xander see them kissing, and run to Giles. After that, Buffy had had to fight even harder to help him. It was in this mansion that Buffy had cut off the arm of an ex- Watcher, fought her inner desires and impulses every time they were together, and ultimately been willing to sacrifice everything to save him after Faith had poisoned him. She realized that she would always be connected to this place through her emotions and memories.

Suddenly, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu. She was hit with the memories so hard, and so quickly, that she fell onto the chair from which she had taken the sheet. It wasn't something that she had known. It was a memory of a time that had been erased. She had gone to Los Angeles, and Angel had become human. They had spent one glorious night together, as the lovers that they had each believed they were meant to be. However, Fate wasn't done with them yet. Angel knew that there would be problems, and that both he and Buffy would die sooner because of his humanity. He went to the Oracles and had them turn time back one day, and erased their time together.

She realized that she should not ever be able to remember that. She tried to remember how she had gotten there. The last thing she could remember was going up to the top of a tower-like structure for something. It had to do with her family and friends, but the memories were too jumbled and crowded for her to be able to make sense of them.

The door opened, and a female walked into the room. When she saw Buffy, she gasped and backed against the door. Buffy looked at her, without recognition. She was certain that she had never seen this girl before. The girl appeared to be a teenager, not much older than Dawn, but she moved and acted like someone much older. The thought of Dawn made something click inside her head, and some of her memories cleared.

Dawn had been kidnapped by Glory, and tied at the top of the tower to be sacrificed in a ritual that would collapse the walls between all dimensions. It was the only way that Glory could return to her home. Buffy had gotten to the top of the tower and saved Dawn, but… There was more, but those memories still wouldn't come. Meanwhile, she had other things to deal with.

"Wh-who are you?" asked the girl.

"I am Buffy Summers. I… I am a little embarrassed. I can't seem to remember how I got here. Or, uh, where my clothes are."

"I don't know you. You shouldn't be here," said the girl. There was panic in her voice. Buffy assumed that it was because she had caught a stranger in her house, but the truth was, Auroura knew very well that Buffy Summers was a Slayer.

"Um, yeah. Well, the thing is, like I said, I don't even know how I got here." She looked at the panic in the girl's eyes. "I'll leave now," she added. The girl slowly moved away form the door and let Buffy pass. As Buffy walked to the door, the girl stepped into the sunlight and watched. Buffy noticed that the girl seemed to be afraid that she, the girl with a sheet wrapped around her, might attack.

Buffy left the room. She headed down the hall and to the front door. It felt weird. There was something more here than she was able to see. Something that, although it didn't feel evil, felt wrong, somehow. The front door loomed in front of her. She glanced back to see the girl peeking at her from behind the door. Buffy grabbed the doorknob to leave. As her hand closed around it, she felt that she had been given a mild shock. She quickly pulled her hand back and looked at it. Then she examined the door. There didn't appear to be anything wrong. She grabbed the knob again, and, though she again felt the shock, she twisted and pulled anyway. The door opened, spilling bright light into the room.

Buffy looked down at her shadow. It was glowing! She let go of the door and just stood there, staring at her shadow. The girl started moving cautiously up the hallway. She would take a few steps, and then stop, as if trying to determine whether or not to continue. The whole time the girl was moving up the hall, Buffy just stood there, staring at her shadow. It was not only glowing, but also it refused to move when Buffy did. The girl finally made it to the entryway.

"Are you okay?" asked the girl.

"I don't think so," replied Buffy.

"What's wrong?"

"That," replied Buffy as she pointed at her shadow. Again, it refused to move, although Buffy was in a different position. Buffy looked at her arm. The light from outside was touching it, but her shadow was frozen. Auroura kept looking from the shadow to Buffy, and back again.

***

Dawn was sitting at the table, lazily scanning the book in front of her. She had been trying to find something that would catch her interest, but so far, nothing had. She'd read about demons, vampires, werewolves, and witches, but none of it seemed to interest her. In fact, she was on the verge of falling asleep. Suddenly, she jumped, sat bolt upright, and knocked the stack of books onto the floor. Everyone turned to look at her.

"She's here!" exclaimed Dawn. "Buffy's back! I can feel it!"

"She's right," confirmed Beyoncé. "I am picking up her aura. Buffy is back in Sunnydale. We need to find her, before something bad happens."

"Something bad?" asked Xander.

"When she appeared, she was undoubtedly naked," explained Beyoncé. "And, she will not remember how she got to wherever she is. She will be able to vaguely remember her final moments, but won't be able to piece together that she died. That she has been dead for weeks. She'll need help."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Dawn as she jumped to her feet and headed to the door. "We have to find her!"

"Of course, Dawn," stated Giles. "But, someone has to stay here, and we have no idea where to begin looking."

"We'll start at the house, of course," reasoned Dawn. "That place is sure to have some emotional attachment for her. And, then, after that, if she isn't there, we'll check every other place in Sunnydale until we find her!"

"Anya and I can stay here, if you'd like, Giles. We can keep the shop open, and kind of act like a communication point. It will be best if you split up. You and Dawn can go to her house and start there. I'll call Willow and Tara and have them start at the dorm and work there way towards the house," said Xander.

"What about her?" asked Dawn as she pointed to her new friend.

"Uh, she can stay here for a few minutes, and then, when we think of some other place that Buffy might be, she and I can go check it out while Anya stays here."

Everyone agreed to the plan, and after Giles took Dawn out of the shop, Xander went straight over to the phone and called Willow. He told her what was going on, and she agreed to search the area. After all of that was done, he went over to the table and sat across from Beyoncé. He was trying to come up with the words to ask the young witch what was going on when she turned to him and spoke.

"You wanted me separated from Dawn for a reason, didn't you? And it has nothing to do with finding the Slayer. I can't tell exactly what it is, but I am not stupid. You have been acting strangely around me from the beginning, and recently, Giles has been acting the same way. Go ahead, tell me what the problem is."

"Uh… Well, the fact is, the day you first appeared here in Sunnydale, Anya saw you at the cemetery," explained Xander.

"Yes, I had to find the grave, to be certain I was in the right place. So what?"

"She, uh…"

"I saw your tail," interrupted Anya. "I told Xander about it, but he passed it off as nothing until after you had taken Dawn and the others to the cemetery. Then, he had the feeling that Dawn was in danger, and he overheard the girls talking about their Glamours, and we rushed over there to help, and Harmony saved Dawn from getting shot, so he forgot about it again until the book fell open to the Glamour spell and he went and told Giles, who called the Council and found out that they don't care about the safety of anyone except Buffy, so now we wanna know what's up with you and if you are going to try to harm any of us, especially Dawn." She looked at Xander, smiling. "Isn't that about right?"

"Yes, Anya," sighed Xander.

Beyoncé looked uncomfortable for a few moments, and said nothing. Xander and Anya were uncertain what they should do. They had no idea what would happen next. A customer entered the shop, and Anya went back over to the cash register. Xander watched her go. When he turned back to Beyoncé, he saw that she had tears in her eyes. Her lower lip was quivering, and she looked like she was about to cry. Xander didn't know what to do. Could he believe what he was seeing, or was this all a trick? He looked around for help, but Anya was busy. There was no one there to help him. Beyoncé started crying.

***

Buffy staggered backwards, bumping against the wall. She kept staring at her shadow, which still didn't move. Auroura looked at the shadow again. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Buffy was completely out of the doorway, and her shadow was still in the same place that it had been when she opened the door. Buffy slowly sank to the floor, unable to take her eyes off of her shadow. She was shaking. As she hit the floor, the memories came flooding into her mind.

She thought of Willow casting a spell that made her fall in love with, and want to marry, Spike. She remembered turning to Spike when she was in trouble, and needed someone to protect Dawn. Spike had told her that he loved her, and she had been cruel. Yet, through it all, Spike had continued to help her, continued to look after her and her family. Tears rolled down her face as she thought of how he had let Glory torture him in order to keep her from learning the truth about Dawn. Spike was the one who showed her the truth about Riley, too. He had taken her to the vampire den when Riley was selling his blood.

She realized that Spike was also responsible for opening her eyes about Angel. When he first returned to Sunnydale, he had told her that she and Angel weren't friends; that they never could be. She still loved Angel, and, even though that love was returned, there was no way that the two of them could make it work out. Angel had to leave town, and Buffy knew that, even though she had spent time with him as a human, their relationship was over.

She remembered how Spike was willing to sacrifice himself to help Dawn, the night she died. Buffy stopped crying and looked down at herself. When she looked back at the doorway, the shadow was gone. The young lady who had found her in the house was kneeling beside her, asking her if she was okay. Buffy stared at her.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" asked the girl.

"I… Could you possibly get me a drink?" Buffy asked.

"Uh…" The girl looked around, as if considering what she had gotten herself into.

"Okay. I suppose that would be okay." She stood up and walked away from Buffy. Once she was out of sight, Buffy stood up and walked back to the room in which she had appeared.

"What's going on here? Am I dead?" she asked the empty room. She looked around for something that would help her make sense of things. Everything was so different from what she remembered. Of course, the place had been abandoned when Angel had moved in, and he wasn't much of a decorator. Now, it was obviously inhabited by the girl and her family.

"Spike? Are you around?" she asked. She heard a glass fall to the floor outside the room. She moved to the doorway and looked into the hall. The girl was standing there, with a shocked expression on her face.

"Y-you know Spike?" asked the girl.

"Uh… Yeah. I know Spike. At least, I know a Spike."

"T-tall, bleached hair? Black coat and boots?"

"That's him. You know him too?"

"I've met him. He… He's a…" began the girl.

"Vampire. I know. I am very familiar with vampires. How exactly do you know him?" questioned the Slayer.

"Uh… I met him a while ago. He didn't hurt me, if that's what you mean."

"Yeah, I know. He doesn't hurt people anymore. He… He helps them now. At least, he used to. I hope that part hasn't changed."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the last time I saw him, he was… uh, one of the good guys, I guess you could say. But now, I don't know," explained Buffy.

"Oh. How long has it been since you saw him?"

"That's the weird part. I don't know. I feel… weird. I can't remember much of anything from the last few days or so. Wait a minute! What am I doing? I am telling you some things you shouldn't know about, and I don't even know your name!"

"Oh. I am Auroura. I am new to Sunnydale. I used money from a trust fund to purchase this mansion, and was hoping to make a life for myself here."

"Well, Auroura, I have some advice for you. Sunnydale is a bad place for a young girl to try to make a life for herself. I should know. I have been here for a while now, and I haven't had much peace. I would hate for something bad to happen to you. If you're smart, you'll get out of town while you still can."

"Thanks for the advice, Buffy, but I think I can handle myself. I mean, I may appear to be young, but I am very… uh, mature for my age. Besides, I am not alone. I mean, I live here by myself, but I have connections, and… Sorry. I tend to ramble sometimes."

"Well, just don't say I didn't warn you. If you have met Spike, then you know that vampires are real. I just want to add that vampires are not the only things that are real, and that the other things are much worse."

"Thanks for the concern, but like I said, I can take care of myself."

"You? You can't be more than seventeen years old!"

"And you can't be more than twenty! You said you've been here for a while. You are still alive."

Buffy started to laugh, but caught herself. It sounded rather choked, but she didn't laugh. She studied the girl in front of her. Somehow, she believed that this teen could indeed take care of herself.

"Yeah. I suppose you have a point there. Of course, I have a family, and friends that help me. You say you have connections. Well, for your sake, I hope they are pretty good at whatever they do. Still, if I were you, I'd leave town."

"But, I just bought this place! I can't just sell it! They told me I was crazy to buy it! They told me I wouldn't be able to make here. That I wouldn't last a week. I can't give in to them now! I just can't! They will always believe that I am weak! I refuse to let that happen!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. It was just a suggestion. I know what you mean about proving yourself, too. I just hope it turns out better for you than it has for me." She looked down at herself, still wearing the sheet. "Uh, I better go. I'll return your sheet as soon as I get some real clothes, okay? I need to go."

"Uh… Sure. You can drop the sheet off anytime. If I am not here, just leave it on the front porch." She walked Buffy to the door. As Buffy left, she added: "And, Buffy, thanks for caring."

***

Dawn and Giles searched the house but found no evidence that Buffy had been there. Dawn tried to think of places that might hold significant emotional attachments for Buffy. She had been thinking about it for a while now, using herself as an example. She discovered that she had emotional attachments to some of the strangest places, like the carousel, for example. It meant something to Dawn because of her birthday being celebrated there. However, she knew that is didn't mean much of anything to Buffy.

"Uh, Dawn…" began Giles. Dawn looked up at him, and could tell right away that something was wrong. She stood up and looked around, expecting to see something. Nothing had changed. She stared up at Giles, waiting. He just stared out the window for a few moments, and then stared in her direction. Dawn could tell that he was not actually looking at her, just towards her.

"Dawn, I would like to talk to you about your new friend, Beyoncé."

"Why? What is wrong?"

"Wrong? I didn't say that anything was wrong. I just wanted to talk."

"Oh, please, Giles. I can tell by the way you are looking at me, or rather, the way you are not looking at me, that something is wrong."

"Well, it's just that your friend was sent here to bring Buffy back. Since that is done, she will most likely be moving on. I know that you have gotten really close to her the last couple of days, and…"

"Oh, that. It's okay Giles."

"Really? I mean, oh. Okay. You are okay, then?"

"Yeah, I am fine. Especially since Buffy is back."

"And you don't mind that Beyoncé is going to be leaving soon?"

"Oh, she's not leaving. She's decided to stay in Sunnydale on a permanent basis."

"What?" exclaimed Giles. He was suddenly staring into Dawn's eyes. This gave her a fright, and she took a step back. Giles saw the fear in her eyes, and looked down. "Sorry, Dawn. I didn't mean to scare you."

"But…y-you don't want her to stay."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to! The way you reacted just now…I am not stupid, Giles!"

"Of course not. No one thinks that you are. It's just…"

"Just what? What are you not telling me? Why don't you like her?"

"I never said that I didn't like her. It's just… Some things just don't add up about her, is all."

"Like what? The fact that she is different from everyone else in Sunnydale? That I like her? What?"

"I don't know exactly. That is why I wanted to talk about it. I was hoping that you might be able to help me figure it out."

"Figure what out? I don't understand it. I know that you and Xander don't like her. I can see it when you look at her. And Xander. He won't look at her, but is always watching me when I am around her." Dawn suddenly had a terrible thought. Giles could see the thoughts forming in her mind, because they were reflected in her eyes. She looked him straight in the eyes and asked: "What do you think she is going to do to me?"

***

Willow and Tara left their room and quickly searched the campus. It was harder than they expected, since it was just the two of them, looking for a single girl. They knew from what Xander had told them that Buffy could now be anywhere, since she would have appeared somewhere with no recollection of how she got there. That meant that she would try to find someone who could help her. At least, that is what they hoped would happen. They couldn't be sure, so they had checked everywhere they could think of; all of the classes and dorms, the woods, and every building on campus.

Tara suggested that they go to the roof and check the campus one last time, from overhead, before heading towards Buffy's home. Willow was a bit reluctant, but decided that Tara's idea was actually a very good one. The two of them would be able to see a lot more of the campus without actually splitting up. Once they were on the roof, each girl took one side and began searching. Willow searched the half of the campus that she could see. Buffy was nowhere to be seen. She was turning to see Tara when she spotted the place where the two of them had been stargazing the night that the meteor had crashed. She was staring at it when Tara spoke to her.

"Honey? What is it? Do you see her?" She turned to look in the direction Willow was facing. Willow reached out and grabbed her arm.

"I think I know where Buffy might be. Come on. We have to hurry." Willow pulled Tara along behind her as she left the roof. She had to get to the far side of Sunnydale, and there was no time to waste.

"W-where are we going?" asked Tara, surprised at being pulled along so forcefully.

"We have to get to the mansion where Angel used to live."

"You really think that is where she is?"

"Yes. I believe it is where she would be. She still visited it, even after Angel left, because it helped remind her of him. That is a serious emotional attachment, don't you think?" She let go of Tara, but kept moving.

"Definitely. But, what made you think of it?"

"You."

"Me? How?"

"Well, not you, exactly, but memories of the places I have been the one I love. It made me think of Buffy's attachment to the mansion."

"Oh. Okay. I guess that makes sense. Should we let the others know?"

Willow stopped. She turned and looked at Tara. She wasn't sure what to do. She knew she should tell the others, but, at the same time, she wanted to hurry and see Buffy again. Tara seemed to sense her indecision.

"You go to the mansion. I'll call the magic shop and let the others know, and I will see you when you get back. Now, go. Hurry."

"Thanks!" She kissed Tara on the cheek and then took off again. Tara went to the phone and called the magic shop.

***

Xander had no idea what to do now. Beyoncé was crying, and Anya was just looking at him, like he was supposed to do something. He had never been in this situation before, and had no knowledge of how to handle such a situation. The phone rang, and Anya hurried off to answer it. Xander reached out and put his hand on Beyoncé's shoulder. He could feel her body throbbing as she cried.

"Um… It's okay. Don't cry. Please." It didn't help. The girl just started crying harder. She looked around, but didn't speak. Xander wished that Giles were there. At least then there would be someone else around, even if he didn't know what to do, either. He looked over at Anya, who was nodding her head and talking on the phone. No help there.

"Uh… I don't know what to do. Please stop crying. I only wanted to find out some things about you. I didn't mean to make you cry. Please stop."

The girl started to calm down, and Xander started to remove his hand from her shoulder. As he did, she started crying again, so he put it back. He was uncomfortable doing this, but didn't know of anything else that he could do. With Anya on the phone, she couldn't do anything to help, so it was up to him.

***

"Dawn," began Giles. "We don't know that she is going to do anything to you. We are just concerned. That is all. We discovered that she is not exactly what she appears, and so, we have to be cautious."

"So, why does that mean anything to me? She has never done anything to harm me! She has been the best friend I ever had! She has helped me in ways none of you ever could!"

"I know that, Dawn. That is why I have kept my distance. The thing is, now that Buffy is back, we don't know if that is going to change. I talked to the Council, and they said that they did send her, but that once she brought Buffy back, she was of no concern to them, unless they harmed her. They also told me that the rest of us were expendable. Even me. So, I just want to make sure that you are going to remain safe. That is all."

Dawn was starting to calm down. She thought about everything that had happened since she found out she was the Key. People had treated her differently, and some had even betrayed her. That was one thing she hadn't thought about since Buffy had died. The fact that, through everything, Buffy's friends had taken care of her; sheltered her. But, there were still others out there who wouldn't be so nice. Ben had started out nice, and then turned out to be more of a monster than Glory.

"All right. I understand. We can confront her when we find…Buffy!" exclaimed Dawn as her sister entered the house.

"Buffy? What…" said Giles. He turned around and looked at Buffy.

"Dawn! I am so glad that you are all right! How long has it been?" asked Buffy as she hugged Dawn.

"What do you mean?" asked Dawn and Giles at the same time. Buffy just looked at them.

"Since I died. And, how did you bring me back?" asked the Slayer.

"Uh…" said Giles.

"We were told you wouldn't remember," Dawn said, staring at her sister in awe.

"What? Told? By whom? What's going on?"

"Get dressed," commanded Giles. "We have to get back to the shop. That is where we will find all of our answers."

Buffy and Dawn just stared at him for a moment. Buffy turned to Dawn, who nodded. Buffy glanced back at Giles, and then went upstairs to get dressed, rubbing her head, and wondering what was going on. Dawn just looked at Giles, uncertain what to do. Giles turned and stared out the window. They waited in silence for Buffy to come back.

***

Willow approached the mansion cautiously. It looked different, happier. As she made her way up to the place, she realized that the windows and doors had been replaced. Someone had put a lot of money into the place, and in the last few days. She felt it was even more urgent for her to get inside now. She looked for a way in. She finally found an unlocked window and crawled through.

She was in the same room in which Buffy had appeared, but Willow did not recognize it. She looked around, and noticed that only one piece of furniture was not covered with a sheet. Looking around for evidence that Buffy had already been there, she discovered that the room not only was void of mirrors, but also had no shiny surfaces that might cast a reflection, either. This worried her. She moved to the door, quietly. She stuck her ear to the door and listened for a couple of moments. It wouldn't be good for the new occupants to find her in here.

Carefully, she opened the door a crack and peeked out into the hallway. She saw a puddle with a towel covering it. She investigated further, and was relieved to discover that the puddle was nothing but water. She looked around again. The windows by the front door were filled with sunlight. Willow sighed as she realized that, if this mansion were to be inhabited by vampires, she would be safe in the entryway.

"Buffy? Are you here?" she whispered. There was some commotion upstairs, and Willow heard a girl scream. Without thinking, she rushed upstairs and burst into the room from which the scream had come. To her surprise, she saw three vampires attacking a girl who looked to be no more than sixteen years old. Willow was about to interfere when the girl threw all three of the vamps off of her. The girl then proceeded to fight them. Willow just stood in the doorway, watching. She still had her hand on the doorknob, and her mouth hung open.

After breaking what looked like a very expensive chair, the girl grabbed one of the legs and staked the first vampire. She then jumped into the air, spinning and kicking. Willow was amazed. She hadn't seen anyone fight like that. Not even Buffy. The girl landed and staked the second vampire in one fluid motion, before turning to face the third one. The remaining vampire stared at the girl, as if contemplating whether or not to attack. Finally, he thought better of it, and started to back away. At first, Willow thought that the girl might let him go. Then, the girl extended her arm, and the vamp turned to dust. Willow had not even seen the stake leave the girl's grasp, but there it was, falling to the ground with the remains of the vampire.

The girl shook herself off, and then looked at the mess in front of her. She walked over to the chair and picked it up. She turned to set it aside, and noticed Willow. The girl gasped. Willow let go of the doorknob and closed her mouth. She opened it to say something, but no sound came out. The girl dropped the chair and looked around. Willow could see that the girl was scared.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" asked the girl. Willow just stood there, unable to speak.

"Did you see what just happened in here?" the girl asked. Willow nodded her head. The girl sighed. "You weren't supposed to see that. No one was. I can't believe this!"

"It's o-okay," stammered Willow. "I already know who you are. And, that was amazing!"

"Y-you know? How?"

"Uh…Well, I know all about your kind. One of my best friends is one of you. In fact, that is why I am here. I was looking for my friend. Have you seen her? She's about my height, blonde, probably has amnesia?"

"There was a girl like that here earlier. I don't know where she went, though."

"Oh. I need to find her. It is important. Um… Why don't you come to the local magic shop and meet some of my friends. I know that they would all love to meet you. By the way, my name is Willow."

"Willow? Uh, hi. I am Auroura. I…"

"Oh, come on. Everyone at the Magic Box knows about your kind. We are quite the group. Besides, Giles will want to hear all about you."

"Uh, okay. I suppose I could do that. Just let me tidy up a bit first?"

"Sure. I'll help. I think you will really like it here in Sunnydale," said Willow as she bent over and picked up some things that had fallen from the desk.

***

Tara entered the magic shop, noticed Beyoncé crying and hurried over to her. She sat next to the girl and held her. She patted the girl on the back.

"Shh… It's okay," she whispered to Beyoncé. Then, she looked up at Xander. "What did you do to her?" she demanded.

"I-I didn't do anything!" said Xander. He sat on the opposite side of the young witch and looked at Tara. "We were talking, and she, she just, burst into tears. I can't get her to stop. I don't know what to do!" Xander looked even more exasperated than ever. Tara hid her smile. She looked down at Beyoncé, who was not crying as hard. She glanced back up at Xander.

"I think she's going to be okay. I am sorry I snapped at you. I should have seen that you were at a loss. I can see it in your eyes, you know."

Xander just looked at the girls. He was envious of Tara's ability to relate to the young girl. He was never very good at dealing with anyone younger than him, with the exception of Dawn. Of course, if Dawn had burst into tears, he thought he would be just as lost. Anya came over and stood next to Xander.

"I thought you and Willow were checking the campus," said Anya.

"We were," said Tara as she stroked the hair of the girl whose head was now buried in her shoulder. "Willow said that she had to go check the mansion where Angel had stayed while he was in town, but she wanted to let you all know what was going on. I told her I could come here and tell you while she went to the mansion."

"The mansion," repeated Xander.

"Oh. Yeah," said Anya. "We should have thought about that a while ago. It is where Buffy would have a lot of emotional attachment. What with her relationship with Angel and all." She lightly hit Xander on his shoulder. "Why didn't you think of that?"

"Uh…" said Xander.

"Yeah, that's about the reaction that Willow had, Anya. She about kicked herself for not thinking of it earlier. I was gonna just call, but decided that I would just come over instead. From the looks of things, it seems I made the right choice."

"Yeah, Xander was having a really hard time trying to get her to calm down. And I was on the phone with a customer, so I couldn't help. Believe me, if I had known that mentioning her tail would create such a reaction, I would never have said anything."

"Her what?" asked Tara. This set the girl off again. She was crying harder now than she was when Tara got there.

The bell above the door rang, and everyone turned to see who was entering. They all leapt to their feet when they saw that it was Buffy, followed by Dawn and Giles. Beyoncé was actually forced to her feet when Tara got up. When she saw Dawn, however, she smiled. The two groups made their way to each other, with everyone smiling. Xander and Buffy were the first to embrace, and Xander kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm so glad you are back," said Xander. "I really missed you."

"It's great to be back, Xan. I can't believe I died again!"

Everyone stopped when they heard this. Beyoncé really looked scared. Dawn and Giles just looked at each other. Anya was staring at Buffy, who was still in the embrace with Xander. Xander looked into Buffy's eyes.

"What did you say?" Xander asked her.

"I think you heard me, Xander." She pushed away from him, saddened that she had ruined their moment. She looked around. "I think you all heard what I said. That is why you are giving me such strange looks. That's why Giles and Dawn here won't look at me. I want to know what is going on." Her gaze landed on Beyoncé. "And, just exactly who are you?"

Beyoncé started crying again, and Dawn rushed to her side. She glared at Giles and Xander as she led the other girl to a chair. Buffy looked on, confused. She hadn't meant to make the girl cry, but she really did want to know who this new girl was. Tara went over to help Dawn calm the girl down, and Giles stepped up to Buffy. He led her off to the side.

"That girl is Beyoncé," he explained. "The Council sent her. She came to do the spell to bring you back."

"So, why did she start crying when I asked who she was?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone else can answer that one. We will find out all that we can, but we need to be patient and… Hey! Where's Willow?"

"Uh, what is that all about?" demanded Buffy. "I thought the two of us were talking?"

"I know, Buffy. But I just realized that Tara is here. And that Willow is not. They were supposed to be searching for you together."

"Willow is still looking for Buffy. She should be back shortly," Tara explained.

"Okay. One question answered," said Buffy. "Only a million to go. And, I suppose we should wait until Willow gets here, so we don't have to explain everything twice." She went to the table and sat down. She folded her arms on the table in front of her and lowered her head onto them. Everyone looked around, feeling slightly uncomfortable. A couple of people entered the shop, and everyone turned to see if it was Willow. It wasn't. Anya went back to the cash register. Giles went over to help the customers. Dawn and Beyoncé went into the back room, so they could talk without interruption. Xander sat across from Buffy. He felt he should say something, but didn't know what that something might be.

***

Spike was sitting in his crypt, waiting for night to come. Passions had gone off hours before, and now there was nothing on. He wondered if the witch could really bring Buffy back. He hoped that she could, because there was still so much that he needed to tell her. He knew that she didn't love him the same way that he loved her, but he felt the need to express his love anyway.

"I am becoming too much like Angel," he lamented. He stood up and walked around, looking at what was in the crypt: a sarcophagus that he used for a bed, the TV, and a chair. That was about it. He wondered why he hadn't brought more into this place. He guessed it must have been because he had always hoped, deep down, that he wouldn't be there for very long. He hadn't planned on staying in Sunnydale, and then he got his chip. Even then he hadn't planned on being in Sunnydale all that long. Something was keeping him here, and that something was Buffy.

Even now, with her dead, she was still the reason he was in Sunnydale. Because he had promised to look after Dawn. And what a great job he was doing, too. She had been targeted for death, and he hadn't been the one to save her. He would have felt better if it had been anyone other than Harmony! That was just too much. And, besides that, it was just wrong for vampires to care about humans. Which, of course, was exactly what he was doing! He punched the wall of the crypt in his frustration. Finally, he decided that he had to get his mind onto something else. He decided to check out the tunnels again.

Once underground, he felt better. He didn't feel confined, like he had before. There was more to do down here, too. All of Sunnydale rested upon these tunnels, and he could get just about everywhere using them. The though made him feel powerful again. Now he was able to go on. He searched the tunnels randomly, just looking for something to get involved in. He found a nest of vampires. He was about to pounce on the closest one, when their conversation stopped him.

"I can't believe that there is already a new Slayer in town!" said one of the vamps.

"It just isn't right, I tell you! They should stay wherever they are called!" complained another.

"I can agree with that. The problem is, this new Slayer is here, and she has obviously had a lot of training! She took out a couple the other night, and three more earlier today. What is the world coming to? We vampires can't even get a good meal without being stalked and killed!" added a third.

"That's because we are evil, you nitwit!" exclaimed the first vamp. "That part is to be expected! But, we came to Sunnydale because the Slayer was dead! I never imagined the new one would show up here, too!"

"So, tell me about this new Slayer, boys," said Spike as he casually entered their lair. "Maybe I can help get rid of her."

"And, who are you?" demanded the vampires.

"He is Spike, and you don't want to mess with him! He has killed two Slayers!" It was harmony. She ran up to Spike and hugged him. Then, regaining control of herself, she stepped back and turned to face the other vampires.

"Harm, what are you doing here?" asked Spike.

"I followed you. And, when I heard these vampires talking about a new Slayer, I knew you would get involved." She smiled sweetly, as if she had just won a beauty pageant. Spike sighed. He looked at the other vamps, who were glancing at each other.

"Uh," began the first vamp. "The new Slayer is a young girl, about sixteen. She has long, dark hair, but not too dark. Like chestnut or something similar. And her eyes, they are hauntingly blue. They also seem to glow in the dark." The vampire noticed that Spike looked distracted. "D-do you know her?"

"No. But she reminds me of someone I used to know," replied Spike.

"She's not like Faith, if that's what you're thinking," added Harmony.

"I know that, you silly bint! I was referring to someone I knew shortly after being sired. But, that was a long time ago."

"Well, I was just trying to help, Spiky. No need to be testy," whined Harmony.

"So, you've seen this new Slayer, too?"

"Well, yeah. How else could I know what she looks like, and where she is staying? God, Spiky! Sometimes I wonder what I ever saw in you!"

"You know where she is staying? Why didn't you say that to begin with?"

"Because you didn't ask! Stop acting like you own me! We broke up, remember? You were too interested in the Slayer!" screamed Harmony.

"All right. Fair enough. Harmony, could you please show me where the new Slayer is staying?"

"Why, yes, Spike. I could. Thank you for asking," said Harmony. "Of course, she isn't there. She has already hooked up with that Willow Rosenberg. Of course. She must be a Slayer magnet, or something."

"What? She's already met the others? Oh, no!" Spike yelled as he took off, heading for the magic shop. He hoped the access in the basement was still uncovered.

***

Willow and Auroura tidied up the room in the mansion, and then set out towards the magic shop. The sun was starting to go down, and the cool breeze was slowly turning into a cold wind. Auroura shivered as the two girls crossed the street. Willow smiled at the girl. She had found out that the girl was from a small country in Europe, near the Mediterranean. She thought the girl would be used to this type of weather, but apparently not. In actuality, Auroura was still getting used to the different sensations that her new humanity was allowing her to experience.

"Is it much farther?" asked Auroura.

"No, it's right over there," said Willow as she pointed to a shop at the end of the block. Auroura looked, and smiled.

"Good. I can't believe I am shivering! It isn't even that cold," Auroura said.

"Yeah, I noticed you were shivering. I didn't want to say anything, though. Didn't you get this sort of weather where you're from?"

"Uh…Of course. All the time," said Auroura, hoping she sounded convincing. Truth was, until she had escaped from her prison, with her new abilities, she had never noticed the weather. "I should be used to it. Maybe I am just nervous about meeting new people. It's been awhile. You know, because of…" She decided that the rest didn't need to be vocalized. Willow just nodded agreement. Auroura was amazed that someone who knew about her could be so nice.

When they reached the shop, Willow just walked in, like always. Auroura, however, hesitated. She wasn't certain that she would be accepted, despite Willow's assurances. She stopped at the door, and thought again about Anne. She had really liked Anne, and after meeting some of the people here in Sunnydale, she was beginning to think that maybe there really are people who help others and expect nothing in return. The concept was still new to her, and she wasn't sure she had enough evidence to support her theory. After all, she herself had deceived people for years before exacting payment. Was that what these people did? Sunnydale was built on a Hellmouth, after all.

Finally, she decided that she couldn't do it. She would have to wait, and see what happened later. She would try to find Willow and apologize to her later. For now, she just wanted to get back home. The sense that she was being watched returned, and she took off running. She didn't stop until she had gotten home and locked her doors. The spells had been performed just after Buffy had left, and the mansion was now more secure than any other building in town.

***

Willow entered the magic shop, and all eyes turned to her. Buffy, who has still been sitting at the table with her head on her arms, looked up and smiled. Xander, sitting across from Buffy, turned to see what had caused her to smile. Anya and Giles were both at the cash register, and looked up expecting to see another customer. Dawn and Beyoncé were still in the back room, where Tara had gone to check on them. Buffy jumped up and hurried over to her friend, hugging her when they finally met.

"Buffy," said Willow. "You're back!"

"Yeah, I am. And, now that you are here, we can all find some answers." She let go of her friend and turned to the back room. "Willow's here! Come on out so we can get to work!"

Tara appeared immediately. She rushed over to Willow and gave her a hug. Then she turned to Buffy. Willow was looking around for Auroura, who was nowhere to be found. Buffy stared at Tara, knowing what she was about to say. She raised her hand, motioning for Tara to stay quiet. Tara, startled, shut her mouth and took a step back.

"Dawn, tell your friend that we are not going to hurt her. We are simply trying to find out the whole story. I personally offer her my protection, and anyone who wants to harm her will have to go through me. You can tell her just exactly how much that means. Now, please, come out so we can get started."

When she was done speaking, she turned to the door that led to the back room. Dawn appeared instantly, and she pulled her friend along behind her. As the two girls came into view, Buffy smiled at them. She swept the room, looking for signs of trouble. Before anyone could move, she had bounded across the room to the basement door. Everyone looked at her. She held her finger up to her mouth, motioning for silence. All the occupants of the store froze. Suddenly, and in one motion, Buffy opened the basement door, grabbed something, and flung it across the store. As it hit the wall, there was a grunt of pain. The object was alive.

"Ah, bloody hell!" cursed Spike as he slid down the wall. Everyone sighed and relaxed. "Well, nice to see all of you, too. And, who threw me like that?"

"I did. I didn't know it was you. I just heard someone coming up the basement steps, and… I just reacted. I'm sorry," explained Buffy.

"Buffy? Is that really you?"

"In the flesh. Are you okay, Spike?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just wanted to come and check on things. I heard there is a new Slayer in town."

"Oh, I've met her," added Willow. "She was right behind me when I entered the shop. I don't know what could have happened to her. She told me she wanted to meet all of you. Buffy, you've met her, too."

"What? Me? When?"

"She said you were at her mansion earlier. That you just appeared. When I explained things, she was not surprised, and she was willing to come over and meet all of you."

"So, that was the new Slayer, huh?" asked Buffy. "Well, that would certainly explain a few things. Okay, now I want to start talking about what has been going on. We'll start with how I died, and move on from there, okay? So, who wants to go first?" She spun around. "Giles?"

"Well, I think I should start," said Dawn. Everyone looked at her. "I was the one who was on the tower with you when you jumped."

"I jumped? Why?"

"To close the portal. You figured that it was our blood, and not just mine, that would close the portal that Doc had opened for Glory."

"Okay, I remember the portal part. So, I jumped into the portal, and…"

"You closed the portal, but it cost you your life. The rest of us just had to pick up the pieces and move on," cried Dawn. "You were gone for over a week before I finally heard from Dad. He said that he was trying to arrange things to get back and take custody of me. I didn't want to leave Sunnydale, so Giles petitioned for custody. On the day we went to court for the hearing, he didn't even show up!" Dawn broke down into tears. Buffy rushed over and embraced her.

"Shh, Dawn. It's okay. I'm here now. Everything is going to be okay."

"The day of the hearing is also when Beyoncé showed up," added Giles.

"Beyoncé?" asked Buffy.

"M-m-me," came the response. Buffy looked up from Dawn and stared at the young witch.

"And, what is your part in all of this?" demanded Buffy.

"I…"

"She is the one who performed the spell of resurrection, Buffy." That was Tara. She smiled as Beyoncé turned to look at her.

"Well, then. I guess I owe you a thank you, huh? Thank you," said Buffy. Beyoncé smiled again, and appeared to gain a lot of confidence. She stood up straight, and looked around.

"But, why can I remember my death? And…all the other things?"

"Other things?" asked Beyoncé.

"Well, I remember things that I don't know if they even happened, and, if they did happen, I shouldn't be able to remember them. Does that make any sense?"

"Sort of. It would help if you could give me an example, though," said Beyoncé.

"Well, there was the time I went to LA, to talk to Angel. A demon broke into his office, and…He killed it. Except, that didn't happen the first time. You see, the first time, the demon entered and attacked us. We chased it, and killed it, but some of its blood got on Angel. He became human."

"What?" demanded Spike. Buffy was nodding. Dawn stepped away from Buffy and looked at her.

"Yeah. Angel was human, and we… We were together for a night. But, Angel went to the Oracles and had them turn back time, so that he could kill the demon before it infected him. I can remember our conversation when he told me. Only, I am not supposed to, because the Oracles changed time, and it never happened."

"Uh…" said Beyoncé "I have no idea how you can remember that. You shouldn't be able to. I mean, we know that already, but… You shouldn't be remembering that."

"I know. And, that isn't the only thing." Everyone turned to look at her. "But, I don't want to share all of that… I just want to know what is going on."

"I… I just don't know. It shouldn't be like this. The only possible explanation I can come up with is the fact that you are a Slayer, and that you have powers of your own. Those powers might be responsible for all of this. We can't be certain, because a Slayer has never been resurrected before," explained Beyoncé.

"So, what do we do now? Where do I get the answers? I don't even know if all of this stuff is true," said Buffy.

"Maybe the spell was messed up," offered Tara.

"I… I don't think so. In the past, when the spell has been messed up, the person either comes back as a zombie, or else they don't come back at all. Buffy is here, and she is obviously not a zombie, so I doubt that the spell was messed up," said Beyoncé.

"Well, I was just offering a suggestion. I didn't mean…" Tara cut off her sentence.

"Okay, let's just forget about that for now. Let's move on. Not that I am not grateful, or anything, but… Why was I brought back? I mean, we couldn't bring Mom back, so, why am I standing here when I died over two weeks ago?"

"Because the Council ordered it. I was told to make it happen," answered Beyoncé.

"Okay, so, why you? Why didn't they just give the spell to Willow here, and have her do it?"

"Because… Um, because… Uh…" stammered Beyoncé. Everyone was staring at her. She was so scared she couldn't even think. She could feel everyone staring at her, waiting for an answer. But, how was she supposed to do that? She had never told anyone. The Council didn't even know the whole truth. Tears welled up in her eyes again. Buffy stepped forward and hugged her.

"It's okay, Beyoncé. As long as you tell us the truth, we won't harm you. You can trust us."

"It's about her tail," said Anya.

"Anya! That was totally uncalled for! Can't you see the girl is scared?" Xander scolded. He looked apologetically at Buffy. He was jealous of her ability to calm the girl.

"Well, it's true!" screamed Anya.

"Would you stop helping?" hissed Xander.

"I-it's okay," began Beyoncé. "She's right."

Everyone stared at Beyoncé. She was staring to feel nervous again, but Dawn smiled at her. She turned to look at Buffy, who also smiled reassuringly. Anya was beaming, haven been proven right. Xander had his head in his hands, with an expression of defeat on his face. The young witch stepped away from all of them, and ended her Glamour.

***

Auroura stood at her window, staring out into the darkness. She was thinking about what her life was like before she was sired. She was a princess, betrothed to the prince from a neighboring country. Angered by the fact that her opinions, feelings, and thoughts were ignored, she had taken off. She wandered in the woods beside the castle for the entire night, and, the next morning, found that she was totally lost. She decided to ask for help, thinking that anyone would be anxious to help the princess.

That had been her first mistake. When she blundered out onto the road, she was definitely recognized as the princess. Unfortunately, the first wagon she encountered was that of a slave trader. She was grabbed and rather forcefully put in with the other girls. When she explained who she was, they told her that it would serve to increase her price, and that she was now their property. Being a princess, she was unused to this sort of treatment. She demanded that they take her back to the castle, and they beat her so severely she could hardly move.

A week later, though still in bad shape, she was transferred from the wagon to the ship, which set sail soon after she got on board. As the days passed on the ship, she grew stronger and healthier. She was forced to help out on the ship, made to clean the galley and help serve the men. Once, she was taken to the captain's private chamber, and brutally forced to surrender her virginity to him. Later, she was taken to another chamber, where she was to wait for her companion. While she waited, she searched the cabin for some sort of weapon. She grew frustrated, and kicked the desk that was in the room.

When she did, a hidden compartment opened. Inside that compartment was a knife. That night was the very first time she had ever taken a human life, but it wouldn't be the last. She was punished for her indiscretion, but not with a beating. They were too close to their destination, and afraid that she wouldn't have time to heal. Instead, she was tied up and tossed overboard, so that she could be dragged along beside the ship. She nearly drowned.

A few days later, they arrived at a port the likes of which she had never seen, and the girls were unloaded. She had not made any friends during the trip, and was certain that she was going to die soon. All of the other girls hated her, and with good reason. She had looked down on them, and treated them as if they were her underlings, instead of her equals. Now that they were headed to auction, she deeply regretted that. However, it turned out to be her salvation.

Because the other girls had formed friendships, they forced her to the back, so she was the last to be chained to the others. There was a single guard at the back of the line, and when some of the girls tried to escape, Auroura was able to stop them, making the guard look upon her with a certain amount of favor. She said that they were foolish to try to escape now, since they were so far from their homes. The guard was impressed, and when he tried to get a little personal, Auroura let him. When he leaned in to kiss her, she stole the keys from him.

She didn't get a chance to escape right away. She knew that she had to wait for just the right time, and even then her chances would not be great. When the group stopped for the third time, she made her move. She unlocked her chains, and used them to hit the guard. When he fell to the ground, she took off, tossing the keys to the other girls. The guards were so busy trying to wrestle the keys away from their captives, that they didn't start chasing Auroura until it was too late.

Auroura managed to make her way back to the port, where she crept onto a vessel and made sure she stayed hidden until it was moving. After the ship had been at sea for a day and a half, she finally dared to leave her hiding place. She was searching for food when she was discovered. Fortunately, though, the one to discover her was a young girl, who offered to help her, in exchange for being a friend and playmate. Auroura agreed quickly.

Auroura was then able to get food and fresh water on a daily basis, while the girl helped her stay hidden. They played and talked for several hours a day. One day, the little girl didn't come to see her. She was upset, but figured there had to be a reason. Then, four days passed without a visit from the girl, and Auroura became concerned. The little girl had been the only friend that she knew. No longer caring about herself, Auroura came out of hiding and tried to investigate. She found the girl alone in a cabin. The girl was sick, and Auroura could tell just by looking at her. She rushed to her side, and asked if there was any way she could help.

The little girl was hysterical, telling Auroura that she had to go back to her hiding place, so that neither of them would get in trouble. Auroura refused. She told the girl that she couldn't leave her in that condition. The girl begged, and Auroura finally gave in. She left the cabin and headed back to her hiding place. Before she had made it to her hiding place, though, she decided that she couldn't leave her friend. She turned and ran back to the cabin. When she entered, the girl was dead. Auroura had never been so heartbroken in all her life.

She spent the next two days in her hiding place, afraid to come out, even for food. She had taken a bottle of water from the girl's cabin, and had rationed it out so it would last a week. People came and went, completely unaware that the girl was hiding so near to them. She found out that the girl was the captain's only daughter, and that her mother had drowned a year earlier. These details caused Auroura to cry, but she kept silent, and the hours continued to pass. On the morning of the third day following the death of the little girl, the ship docked.

Auroura waited for several hours before she left her hiding place. She walked through the ship, feeling a strange sense of detachment. She walked to the girl's cabin and looked inside. The place had been emptied. This made Auroura angry, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. Instead, she stood in the doorway and cried. After a few minutes, she wiped her tears and swore that she would not show weakness again.

That night, as she departed the ship, she looked at the place where her friend had been dumped into the cold, cruel waters. They had called it a burial at sea, but Auroura called it dumping her friend into the murky depths of eternal loneliness. She swore to her friend that she would avenge this injustice, and turned to go. She walked right into a man. He was beautiful, thought Auroura. Almost angelic. He asked her if she had a place to stay, and when she said that she did not, he took her to his place. That was when he met Darla and Drusilla.

"Angelus, what is this?" asked Darla. "Did you bring me a present?"

"A present, yes, but not for you, Darla. This little angel is for Drusilla," explained Angelus.

"For me? A gift?" questioned Drusilla as she sat up in the bed. Auroura stared at the three of them, uncertain how to react. She knew by the look on Darla's face that she was in danger, but seemed to be unable to leave. Drusilla got off the bed and moved closer. She stood beside Auroura and stared at her.

"Really?" She looked up at Angelus. "This one is mine? To do with as I please?"

"Yes," replied Angelus. "A gift to lift your spirits. Darla and I will leave the two of you alone. Come on, Darla." With that, Angelus and Darla left. Drusilla sat on the edge of the bed and just stared at Auroura for a few moments.

"You are a princess," said Drusilla. Auroura jumped, both because of the sudden statement, and the fact that it was true.

"Y-yes, ma'am," replied Auroura.

"And polite, too. What are you doing here, then? You are not from here."

"I-I was kidnapped."

"By Daddy? He shouldn't ha—"

"Uh…C-can I go now? I have a long way to go to get home." Auroura cringed as the woman on the bed snapped to attention. More chills raced down Auroura's back as the woman looked at her. There was something in those eyes that Auroura wished she hadn't seen.

"You are home, princess." The voice was different from the one she had used just a moment earlier. Auroura was now totally scared. She slowly backed away from the bed. Drusilla was staring off into space, so Auroura lunged for the door. Drusilla knocked her to the floor before she was even halfway there. And that was when the torture started. Nine horrific hours later, Auroura had been sired.

Now, in Sunnydale, Auroura continued to stand at her window, staring into the darkness, crying. She cried for the girl she once was, and for the monster that she had become. Finally, she turned from the window and headed to her bed. She suddenly had the feeling she was being watched again. She scanned the room quickly, and then went back tot eh window. As she stared out into the night, she noticed a figure in the bushes. She opened the window and leaned out, trying to get a better look. The figure sank back into the bushes and disappeared. Auroura closed the window, got dressed, and went out into the night.

***