1 DICLAIMER: Let's see. Here's a list of things I own…………Wow! Wasn't that a long list?

2

3 CHAPTER 2

It was 8:00 p.m. when the Scooby Gang landed in the Albuquerque airport. They were in a rental car on their way to Roswell, New Mexico. Spike was driving and Giles was navigating.

"So, where are we staying once we get there?" Xander asked, staring out the window at the overgrown sandbox they call the desert.

"The council got us a nice big house in town with four bedrooms and a basement."

"Oh goody, I get to live with you blokes," said Spike sarcastically.

"How long do they expect us to stay here?" Willow asked.

" I don't know."

"Could we go a little faster? This landscape is really boring," Dawn complained.

"We'll be there shortly," Giles answered as they passed the 'Welcome to Roswell' sign.

Ten minutes later, they were in the heart of town in search of food. They passed the Crashdown Café and decided to stop. They walked in to the half empty restaurant and took a seat at one of the booths.

"Cool place," Xander remarked as he took in the décor of the place. Aliens everywhere. To say that this town was obsessed would be putting it mildly.

"Hello. Welcome to the Crashdown where all the food is out of this world," a blonde waitress said, handing them the menus, "I'm Maria. What can I get you to drink?"

"Uh, coffee?" Buffy asked. Xander and Willow nodded in agreement.

"I'll just have some tea." Giles said.

"Blood of Alien," Spike said.

"Dawn and I will have Alien Blasts," said Anya, obviously amused by the names.

"I'll have a coke," Tara said quietly.

"Okay, I'll be back to take your orders in a while."

"So, that's her, eh?" asked Spike, checking her out.

"Yes."

Maria returned with their drinks and took their orders. She regarded Spike suspiciously but then shook off the feeling and went back to work.

"Did you see how she looked at Spike?" Buffy asked.

"She can sense him." Giles said.

Soon it was closing time again and the Pod Squad had just arrived. Michael looked at Spike suspiciously but then shook off the feeling and walked off to meet Maria. The Scooby Gang didn't even notice for they were all watching as Maria broke a glass when one of her more annoying customers called her for the billionth time in the past fifteen minutes. It broke when she squeezed it to release some frustration.

"It's her," Giles said, "she has come into her powers."

"So, when do we reveal this interesting fact to her?" Xander asked.

"I suppose now would be quite all right," said Giles as the last patron walked out the door.

"Hey, can I get you anything else?" Maria asked as she returned to the Scooby Gang's table.

"No, no…it's quite all right."

"Well, actually, we're new in town and I was wondering if you could tell us where all the fun's at?" Buffy said.

"Well," said Maria, "there's the UFO center for all you alien obsessed people, and there's Club ET that just opened."

"Okay, thanks." Willow said.

"Yeah, I'm Buffy by the way."

"I'm Maria."

"I'm Willow, that's Xander, Anya, Dawn, Spike, Tara and Giles."

"Hey."

"So, I guess we'll see you around," Xander said.

"Yeah, bye. Well, I've got to go finish closing up."

"Oh, yeah we'll be going now," Willow said as they walked out the door.

"Weird people," Maria said as she locked the door. She walked over to her waiting boyfriend and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Ready to go?" they had planned on going out into the desert for no apparent reason. Well, actually, they just wanted to go make out, if you want to be accurate. The desert was the only place they could go where they would have no interruptions. The problems? Max and Liz. They were always coming for advice or crying over the phone. It was really hard to continue macking on the couch after hearing your best friend express their doubts of something they were going to do anyway.

"Where's the Jetta?"

"Mom needed it today, so we have to go pick it up at home," Maria answered as they made their way through the empty streets of Roswell. They walked arm in arm in silence for about five more minutes until they could not take the silence anymore. Neither of them were used to it.

"So, how was work?"

"Okay. There were a bunch of new people," Maria said, "this guy! You should have seen him. Total Billy Idol wannabe!"

"Yeah I saw him. What was up with that?"

"I don't know. You know, he gave me this sort of weird vibe."

"Yeah, me too. I can't explain it."

"Think it's a skin?"

"I don't know. Don't really care now though," he said as they walked down an alley.

A man walked out from the other side of the alley. He was pale and he wore dark clothes. He had his head down. Michael and Maria didn't pay much attention to him until suddenly he raised his hand and about five other men jumped out from a dark corner.

"Oh look, it's dinner," he sneered.

"It's a little but, hey who am I to complain," one of the others said. Michael stood in front of Maria protectively.

"Get the hell away from us," he growled.

"No way, I'm hungry," the man growled as his face became bumpy and his eyes became yellow.

"W-what the hell are they?" Michael and Maria asked each other in unison. Suddenly one of the creatures lunged at Maria. Michael held out his hand, focused his energy and the vampire was dust.

"Oh, a challenge."

Two of them went after Michael while the others went after Maria. Much to their surprise the petite blonde kicked one in the nuts while punching another in the face. Michael smacked his two in the head and banged their heads together. He then raised his hands and set them on fire. He was about to help Maria when five more of them appeared out of nowhere. They went into battle.

Meanwhile, Maria knocked one of the vampires into a wall and then ripped the head off of the other one with her bare hands, literally. He turned to dust as she repeated the process with the other.

At the other end of the alley, a certain Californian blonde watched in amazement as the duo pummeled ten vampires in a matter of minutes. It seemed like a second nature to them.

After the dust settled they made their way back to each other clasped hands and continued their journey. They didn't notice Buffy there until they were five feet away from each other.

"How did you do that?"



"I'm telling you, I saw her rip off his head with her bare hands."

Buffy was explaining to Giles how the new slayer faired in her first, though uninformed, battle. She had brought Maria and Michael back to the house with her and they were sitting in the living room talking with Willow as they waited for Buffy to return from Giles' office/bedroom.

"So, what were those things?" they asked.

"Vampires."

"Cool."

"Are demons real too?"

The Sunnydale gang was shocked to say the least. They half expected at least one of them to question their sanity, but here they were taking it as if they said pain hurt.

"Yeah, they are," Spike answered.

"Cool. So why were you guys so shocked?" they asked in unison.

"We expected some laughing, or denial…something," said Willow.

"Oh. We don't surprise easily," they said.

"How do you guys do that?" Dawn asked.

"Do what?"

"That! Talk together. It's like you share a brain or something."

"We don't know…"

"It just…"

"…Happened." Maria finished, intriguing them with their weird…connection. When Giles and Buffy returned, they saw them staring at the newcomers as if they were revealing the secrets to the universe.

"What's up, guys?" asked Buffy.

"Nothing, they're just…interesting." Willow offered.

"Interesting how?"

"They talk…in unison…it's almost…natural to them. And they weren't even surprised by the whole demons thing."

"We're still here you know," Maria said impatiently from the couch. These people just ruined her plans for a romantic evening with Michael. OK fine, a night of making out in the desert, but who's checking?

"Right sorry."

"Well…where do I begin…um…Into each generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to fight the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers."

"So?"

"Well…uh... Buffy here is the Slayer."

"Again, so?"

"Well after a Slayer dies, a new one is called. Buffy died last week but we managed to revive her using a resurrection spell." He paused. "However, during that time, a new Slayer was called. We have reason to believe that you are her."

"What reason is that?"

"You slayed five vampires?"

"So, Michael got eight."

"Yes, well, we don't know why that is. Perhaps that has something to do with this…connection you have."

"What connection?" they asked.

"Nevermind."

"So, why are you guys working with a vampire?" Maria asked, gesturing to the bleached blonde in the corner.

"How did you know?"

"A feeling," Michael answered, "We got weird vibes off him when he was at the Crashdown."

"Oh. He's harmless. There were these army type guys called the Initiative. They dissected demons in their spare time. They put a chip in Spike's head so he can't hurt living things. Well, except demons," Willow answered.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way," Spike said, "What the hell are you?"

"The Slayer," Maria said.

"Not you, your little boyfriend. He smell's funny, not like anything I've ever smelt before."

"Well, wouldn't want to ruin a good mystery," Michael answered nonchalantly.

"Is that all? Because we had plans," Maria asked.

"I guess we could discuss this tomorrow," Giles said.

"Okay, see ya later," she called as she rushed out the door with Michael.

"Well, that went well."

"What do you think he is?" Willow asked.

"Don't know, but I don't think we're finding out soon," Buffy answered.



Michael and Maria finally got to her house to get the means to their sanctuary. It was now ten o'clock but that wasn't stopping them from getting some make-out time in. It was like the only time they felt complete was when they were with each other. In close proximity.

As they made their way out to their spot in the desert they thought about the events of the night. They had found out that demons existed and that Maria was the new Vampire Slayer. It was a lot to handle in one night, but they could deal with it in the morning. Right now, they were going to do what they wanted to do the most, be together.

"So what do you think of those guys?" Michael asked as the drove down the deserted road.

"I don't know. I mean, it explains the new strength," Maria said, "though the ability to kick anybody's butt is extremely cool."

"What about the 'connection' thing?"

"Does it bother you?"

"No."

"It doesn't bother me either so why should it bother anyone else?"

"You're right. Screw them."

"But I thought you wanted to be my one and only," she joked as they arrived at their special spot. It was a cave a few yards away from the Pod Cave. They had food, blankets and…other necessities stashed in there already. It became theirs about a week ago when the whole Tess-being-a-lying-bastard thing came out. The only other person who knew of this cave was Kyle. He was the one voted as the least likely to tell Max or Liz considering the fact that he never really talked to them unless it was necessary. Kyle's only purpose was so that at least one person knew where to find them if there was something really important going on.

They let all their thoughts fly out the window as they made their way over to the makeshift bed in the corner.

A figure engulfed in shadows watched them from a distance.