Part 3

Anonymity? What anonymity?

"So is there a reason you decided to come to this club with me tonight, or is my company just so irresistible?" Frannie asked as she and Buffy lined up, in the freezing cold, for entry to Silver - the only club in their area that didn't bother to check anyone's identification.

"I just wanted to get out for awhile," Buffy replied evasively.

Frannie shook her head in disbelief, "Sure you did."

"Okay. So possibly, Aunt Sam is driving me insane over what went on at my therapy session today," Buffy admitted reluctantly, blushing a bight pink colour.

"So what. Just tell her that if you wanted to talk to her about it, you wouldn't be seeing a shrink in the first place," Frannie said casually, as they moved up in line.

Buffy just looked at the ground and shook her head slowly, "I can't do that."

"It's times like these when I can't believe we're actually friends. You do realise that we're teenagers, right? Parents and guardians expect us to be rude, talk back and even lie to them," Frannie replied sarcastically.

"I can't do that. It may be okay for regular teenagers to do that sort of thing, but Aunt Sam was the only one of my *entire* family who wanted me when my parents died... I can't and won't do anything to screw this up."

"Don't worry Buff, it'll all work out," Frannie told her sympathetically as they reached the door and were admitted into the cramped, dingy and yet popular club.

"Sure it will," Buffy said sticking close to Frannie.

They sat down at a tiny table and listened to the band for a few minutes. Anyone that looked at the two girls were as different as night and day and not only in looks. Frannie Malone with her dark hair and eyes was a wild child, out every night and knew where the party was at. While Buffy was small, blond and delicate looking, trying to fit in with a new situation and as an on-looker wouldn't even guess, trying to put the past - all of it - behind her.

Frannie eventually got up and went to get them drinks, leaving Buffy to guard the table. She was happily minding her own business when she sensed something, or rather someone she used to know and had hoped never to run into again. Spike. He hadn't seemed to notice her and she sighed in relief and by the time Frannie returned, he was gone. Pushing thoughts of the annoying bleach-blond vampire from her mind, she concentrated on hanging out with her friend and having a *normal* teenage time.

Everything was fine, at least until after they left the club to head over to the coffee shop where Bailey - Frannie's father - was supposed to pick them up. They had only walked a couple of blocks when she felt Spike's presence again and speeded up her walking pace, with Frannie sub-consciously mirroring hers. She knew that she had to get away from the darkened area and the promise of the coffee shop loomed ahead like a shining beacon. At least until Frannie's heel broke and she fell down, causing Buffy to stop and return to help her friend up. Something then jumped out of the shadows behind them and knocked them down, with Buffy landing on top of Frannie.

"Slayer," it hissed at them as it slid into game face.

Buffy got to her feet and tried to block her friend's view of the creature, an impossible task she knew, but still she tried. "Oh come on, I *so* do not need this," she said.

The vampire moved as if to circle it's prey and Buffy drop kicked it in it's knee, causing it to fall to the ground temporarily.

"What the fuck?" Frannie whispered as she got her first view of the vampire.

"Frannie, just stay back," Buffy yelled as the vampire started to rise to it's feet.

Buffy waited until the vampire climbed to it's feet before judo kicking it in the head, causing it to land against the wall. Then using her right foot to pin it there she reached into her purse - which she was still miraculously carrying - and pulled out the trusty stake she always carried with her. The vampire struggled to get away, but couldn't and a second later Buffy plunged the piece of wood straight through it's unbeating heart, removing her foot and watching in silence as it turned to dust.

"Buff..." Frannie began.

Cutting her off, Buffy said, "Your dad's waiting for us."

Frannie let it go - for now - she was still shook up and desperately trying to process what she had just seen. She simply followed Buffy over to the coffee shop where Bailey was waiting to pick them up and take them home.

Neither girl noticed that they were being watched, Buffy was too distracted and Frannie was in shock. However Spike didn't care about that or them. He had finally spotted his chance, his way to get himself back into Angelus' fold and back to Dru. He was the only one who knew where Fluffy was right now and he was definitely going to use it to his own advantage.

Daytime was definitely a vampire's worst enemy, at least for an ordinary vampire it was. Angelus was no ordinary vampire and he never had been, more so now though since he had been the one to find it, the vampire equivalent to the Holy Grail - the Gem of Amara. However being the tremendously intelligent master vampire that he was, no one but he knew of his discovery, so therefore no one can or would be able to challenge him for it - not that he was afraid of a challenge, it was just he had more important things to do than fight lesser vampires.

Sitting in his luxurious den, enclosed by his collections of antique furniture and precious artworks, he was growing increasingly more and more frustrated. He was having no luck - even with his legions of spies - at finding *his* blond slayer. The worst part was his minions and Dru were worried over his fascination with the slayer and that it might make him appear weak in the eyes of other masters. His usual reply was that no slayer got away from him - the slayer killer - and that she was not going to be the first to do so. Angelus stuck to that story unfailingly, there was no way he was going to divulge what that pesky soulful version of him had done - at least not until it was time to do so, when he was at an advantage.

"Master?"

Angelus looked up at the panicky minion standing in his doorway. "What is it?" he growled in response, his eyes flashing gold.

"T-there's someone here to s-see you."

"*I* told you *I* did not want to be disturbed," he growled again.

The minion backed away slightly in fear. "I wouldn't inconvenience you Master, but Spike is here."

"He used my private tunnels, didn't he?"

"Yes, Master."

"Kill him," Angelus ordered quickly.

"B-but Master... he claims that he knows the location of the slayer."

Angelus ceased growling and contemplated fleetingly what the minion had told him. Deciding that his insubordinate grand-childe might truly know something, he whispered menacingly, "Send him in."

Quickly backing away the minion went off to fetch Spike, while Angelus just sat there awaiting what was to come.

"So what was that last night?" Frannie asked as she rushed up to Buffy. She'd been lying in wait at the school gate, so that she could pump Buffy for information about what had really happened the previous evening.

"It was nothing," Buffy replied trying to shrug off the prior evening's unanticipated display of her vampire slaying abilities.

"That wasn't just *nothing*!" When Buffy just kept on walking, Frannie grabbed her arm, "Buffy - please tell me what that was."

"You wouldn't understand."

Frannie merely shook her head, "And all this time I thought that we were friends."

As Frannie went to walk away, Buffy yelled, "Wait!"

"What?"

"I'm just not sure that you'd believe what I'd have to tell you," Buffy said biting down on her lower lip.

"After last night," Frannie replied, "I'm ready to believe anything."

The bell rang and looking hopeful, Buffy asked, "I don't suppose you would wait until after school for an explanation."

"Nope."

"Somehow I knew you wouldn't."

The two girls walked away from the school to go somewhere private to talk about what had occurred the night before and about the things that do actually go bump in the night.

When the door opened once more, Spike swaggered inside, obviously confident over what he knew. Angelus had to bite back the urge to snap the little twerp's neck. If Spike thought that he was going to use whatever he knew to get the upper hand over Angelus, he was sadly mistaken. The only reason that Spike was still wandering the earth was because he was being used as an example of what happened to a stupid vampire.

"Peaches," Spike said smiling. "How's good ol' Sunnyhell?"

"Just forget the pleasantries you worm."

Spike simply laughed, "But Peaches, how can *you* not be pleasant?"

Angelus began to growl, "Spike - if you know what is good for you, you'll..."

"I'll what? Tell you where Fluffy is?" Spike cut him off. "Not until I get some reassurances."

"Like what?"

"Like me being let back in here."

"I'll consider it, "Angelus lied.

"Also you have to stay away from Dru," Spike told him.

Angelus just smirked at that one, "If that's what you want talk to Dru about it. She comes to me, not the other way around."

"You fucking bast..."

Angelus was the one to do the cutting off this time," Chill William. After I get Buffy back here, I won't have time to dally with Dru. I'll be too busy training Buffy to submit and inducting her into the family."

"You're gonna turn Fluffy?" Spike said in shock. "No vamp has had the balls to turn a slayer. Well, not for the last millennium at least." When Angelus didn't say anything, Spike continued, "Why?"

"That is none of your concern."

"But..."

Angelus got up and walked over to Spike, leaning over him, he asked forcefully, "Where is *she*?"

"Atlanta."

Angelus looked at him suspiciously, "You're telling me she is in Georgia."

"No... Atlanta, Texas. Of course she's in Georgia," Spike replied sarcastically.

"What is she doing in Atlanta? What in the hell were you doing in Atlanta?"

Spike coughed clearing his throat, "I was seeing a demon doctor about the chip."

Angelus looked surprised, "Wow. Apparently you do have a brain."

"I'm not as stupid as you think," Spike told him. "Do you want to know what I know about Fluffy or what?"

"Tell me," Angelus demanded as he sat down again.

TBC...