"Buffy." The slightest whisper came from outside her room. There was a tapping on her window, again, accompanied by her name being whispered softly. "Buffy."

"Hmm?" the Slayer stirred in her dreamless sleep.

"Buffy."

"Hmm?"

"Buffy!"

"Huh? Wha-?!" The Slayer tumbled out of her bed and onto the floor in a tumble that was made of herself, a comforter, bed sheets, and her stuffed pig Mr. Gordo. She sat up, pushing her blonde hair out of her hazel eyes and peaches and cream face. She got up lazily slumped over to the window, where she saw large brown eyes looking right into her face. Buffy stifled a scream when she realized it was Pike's eyes staring back at her. She gave him a sweet smile as she opened the window, perching herself on the ledge. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Hey beautiful." Pike greeted her, leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips. Buffy kissed him back and then pulled apart, smiling sweetly as he brushed back a lock of her honey-blonde hair.

"Hey yourself," Buffy greeted back. "What brings you here late at night?"

"Basically you, Buff. Heard you were grounded, and thought I would stop by and see how you're doing. So, how are you?"

"Mmm, bad." Buffy sighed as she stared into her boyfriend's eyes. "Kicked outta Hemery, pretty much no life left, coz, hello, grounded. Speaking of which, how did you know I was grounded anyway?"

"The vampires. You haven't been out for the past couple of nights, and Lothos' followers have been talking. The Slayer's been in hiding, and they're out partying."

"So, what, they're out wreaking havoc?"

"Pretty much, Buff. Only, I'm trying to keep them at bay. I'm just no Slayer."

"No, of course you aren't. That would be me. The Grounded One."

"The Chosen One, Buff. And don't worry, it'll be over soon enough."

"Right, when all of LA becomes New Transylvania. Good show for the Vampire Slayer, don't you think?"

"Buff-"

"No, you know what? I should go, right now, to patrol."

"Buffy, I don't think that's-"

"The best plan?" Buffy cut him off. "It may not be, but I'm the Slayer, so it's pretty much my job. I need to be out there, Pike. I've already missed a few nights of patrol; I can't really afford to skip anymore. God knows how many more people have died already since I haven't been out."

"But your parents-"

"I'll be back before they realize I'm missing. Now, come on."

Minutes later found Buffy, dressed in blue jeans and a navy blue hooded sweatshirt, scouring the streets of LA with Pike in tow. Buffy was heavily armed with wooden stakes and holy water. Pike had pretty much the same, along with a massive wooden cross around his neck.

"So, three vampires already." Buffy ventured forth, as a way of conversation.

"Yeah, they're really out and partying."

"Do you even blame them? I mean, the local Slayer was out of the scene, so, party-time. But still, three? In fifteen minutes? That's a bit much, Pike."

"That is true, but -"

"Ssssslayerrrrrr."

"Oh, god, you know, I really hate it when you people do that," Buffy started to say, turning whipping around, freshly sharpened stake in hand. She stopped for a moment when she recognized the feral yellow eyes of the armless vampire. "Amilyn" she said, not amiably. "Weren't you dusted?"

Amilyn, Lothos' main sidekick, snarled at Buffy. "You killed my master."

"Yeah, he pretty much deserved it. Why are you living?"

"I'm the new king." Amilyn stated, as though it were a matter of fact.

Pike guffawed. "You, a vampire king? Please, Lefty, you made a terrible minion. Dude, how are you going to be a vampire king?!"

"Silence, fool!"

"Oh please. The wannabe regal talk? Lose it. I like you better when you're the newest third party to Beavis and Butthead." She started moving up to him when Amilyn suddenly started to rise up into the air. It was a special power, she had found out, of the followers of Lothos. So far as she knew, no one else had those powers. That much she was thankful for.

Pike stopped him by chucking a vial full of holy water at him. Amilyn fell, face first, right in front of Buffy. The Slayer lifted him up, her face a mask of anger, and demanded, "Okay Lefty, spill it. What's been going down the past few days?"

"N-nothing. Really. I-I..I just wanted to, you know, build a vampiric empire and -"

"You know this is your end, don't you?"

Amilyn whimpered. "Y-yeah."

"Good, coz really, I don't like you. And your plan? Wouldn't have worked anyway. You're pretty much a brainless drone, so.." Buffy slammed the stake home, and watched him crumble into dust and ash.

"Hmm. Easiest kill tonight." Pike remarked.

"Yeah. Guess the rest of the night will go pretty well too," Buffy perkily replied.

"Yeah. So.coffee break?" Pike asked, a mischievous grin spreading across his adorable face.

"Coffee is..good." Buffy smiled back, knowing full well what the seventeen- year-old slacker meant by coffee.

The young couple, holding hands, headed towards their favorite café, beheading one more vamp on the way.