Buffy looked around the crowded club looking for a patch of dark hair and weird shirt. She spent five minutes looking before she saw Willow, who she had met at school earlier that day. She joined her, knowing Xander would have to come to the bar sometime soon to eat anyway.

"Hey Willow," she beamed excitedly; the nerves the stalker had raised slowly drifted away.

"Buffy? Hey, you found The Bronze."

"Yeah, I heard it was the one cool place in town. So, are you meeting your boyfriend here?"

Willow began to laugh hysterically. She soon saw Buffy's questioning look and tried to contain her laughter.

"It's just that... well, guys like to go out with girls with similar interests... who can speak."

"Willow, you are so un-mute."

"Yeah, that is until I get close to a boy I like. Then I make a few vowel sounds and run away."

"So you're a bit rusty. Isn't there a guy your interested in?"

"Well, yeah... but he would never go out with a nerd like me...."

"Willow, you are such a Betty. Any guy, who doesn't notice that, doesn't deserve you. Come on, we're bonding. You have to tell me this hunk's name."

Willow blushed a bit and shook her head. She looked up to see Buffy's stern face and finally gave in.

"Alexander Harris." Buffy knew this girl had thought her friend was a hottie, she just never new the extent. Until now; which made her stomach fall to the ground.

"Look, there he is." Buffy looked at Willow's big, wide, fawn-like eyes then upstairs to her friend who was watching the band.

"Willow, I... I don't think... you should keep your options open. Xander just came from a really bad break up. I wouldn't want to see you become the rebound. Look, I am sure you can have any guy in this club. In fact, I bet you my new shoes you can get any guy to fall all over himself for you."

Willow just shrugged and went off to prove Buffy wrong. Buffy's eyes turned back upstairs to her friend who still hadn't seen her. She took her drink and went up the stairs to be greeted by his smiling face.

"Did you get a lecture, too?"

"Glad I'm not the only one. Having any fun?"

"Now I am. Actually, that's not true. I watched as that mean girl Cordelia was dancing and slipped on something. She fell right on her ass."

"Sorry I missed it. I got a visit from someone tonight."

"Someone with an overbite?"

"No, just someone who thought stalking girls is a real turn on. He must have been from the council. He said he didn't want to fight. Weird thing was, he said the Harvest was coming. Do you know of any harvests?"

"Only the ones they do for the pumpkins and stuff. I bet Stuffy back at the library would know what it is."

"Good, the stalker he hired can tell him all about it. This was all over Xander! I thought I was out."

"I know. You know if I had anything to do with it- Is that Willow with that... guy?"

Buffy looked down to see Willow smiling at a man who happened to be caressing her face.

"Oh, he's not a-"

"Willow's new guy is a vampire. We have to get to her." They ran down the stairs in the direction Willow was going, but found no sign of her.

"Where do you think an undead would take her," Xander asked a pacing Buffy.

"The cemetery."

"Home sweet home. Come on, we have to hurry."

They ran out of the club, but were stopped when they ran into two people.

"Sorry."

"What's the hurry? Oh. Hey, if it's Vampires, we could lend a hand."

"Buffy, did we not discuss how telling everyone the secret cheapens it for me?"

"We really couldn't put you in danger, it just wouldn't be right." Buffy said.

"I got a van." Oz held up his keys, Buffy and Xander exchanged glances.

*********

"This is some kind of short cut?"

"Yeah, plus it's kinda cool, just us alone in the dark...." The man walked up to a mausoleum, "Have you ever been in one of these?"

"No, I don't plan to either." She started to walk away but was pushed inside by strong overpowering arms.

"Hey!"

"Sit," the man demanded.

"She looks tasty." A female voice came from the doorway. She stepped down to reveal her catholic schoolgirl's outfit.

"She's mine, didn't you bring something of your own?"

"Of course I did."

A very tall figure stumbled down the steps next to Willow.

"That was some hickey you gave me.... I think I'm a little dizzy."

"Jessie!" Willow started to comfort her friend.

"You undeadlies are all the same. You think one teenager here, one there and no one will notice," Buffy starts as she walks calmly down the steps.

"Do we get to go now," Larry asked no one in particular.

"Wait for it," Xander smiled as he watched Buffy just about to lay the smack down.

"You do know the clothes are a dead give-away. The watchers all talk about honing senses blah blah blah. All a person really needs to do is have a good sense of fashion. I mean, please. That outfit.... It would have to be carbon-dated. And trust me, no one believes you could ever be a catholic school girl."

"Who are you?"

"So someone in this town didn't get the memo, that's comforting." The male vampire tried to attack her from behind but was quickly staked. The female then became enraged and went for the girl.

"Alright, all non-superpowered beings back in the van." Xander yelled.

"Don't go far," the female yelled to the retreating teens.

They all ran out leaving Buffy alone with the female vampire.

"Where's the van," Willow asked as she and Larry helped a not-too-coherent Jessie walk.

"It's just a little farther," Oz yelled back to them. He was stopped in his tracks by something with rather large teeth.

The vampire was quickly knocked off his feet and wrestling on the ground with Xander.

"Get the others to the van," he yelled as he kicked the vampire in the side. Willow, Larry, and Jessie made their way to the vehicle while Oz stood above Xander and the fighting vampire.

"You need any help?"

"No, I'm good." Xander pushed the vampire off of him and staked him easily in the chest.

"We better get moving." He dusted himself off.

"What about Buffy?"

"You guys go. Buffy can take care of herself. I'll be back-up guy."

"Cool. See you at school."

Xander smiled and laughed a little under his breath, "Everything's back to normal, all right."

Xander thought for a moment then stopped Oz.

"I've got an idea."

"Should I be afraid?"

**********

A very loud pounding woke the Englishman. He put a robe over himself and went downstairs to stop whoever it was. He looked through the peephole and was so surprised by what he saw; he fully woke in a second and opened the door.

"Hey English, top of the morning to ya," Xander said as Buffy made her way into the apartment followed by the rest of the teenagers.

"Actually, it's the middle of the night. What are all of you doing here?"

"Willow and Jessie got attacked. Look, we are willing to put aside our differences. We need to look something up."

"I thought you had retired."

"She did," Xander interrupted. "But now I've got an idea. It came to me when we were leaving the cemetery. Oz said he'd see us at school the next day. It reminded me of you and your jobs. You get paid to be a watcher.... Then it hit me, if you get paid to watch Buffy kick some ass why can't Buffy get paid to kick some ass? Here is the deal; the check the school pays you goes into an account. Buffy's account. She goes to school, college... anything she wants to do besides slaying. With your support. You do that and you have yourself a slayer."

"You thought of all this by yourself?"

"Naw, just the Buffy gets paid part. Buffy thought of the rest."

The watcher contemplated the deal the teenagers had thought up for a few minutes. He finally came to a conclusion.

"Alright. Now, why are the rest of you here?"

"Jessie is hurt bad. We can't take him to a hospital-"

"We had some bad events happen in Hemery."

Giles nodded in agreement, "I'll look after him. Is there anything else?"

"Can you look up a Vamp party for us? They call it the harvest, I think they may be planning something soon."

The teens left the Englishman and the injured boy and went back to the van.

Buffy's eyes widened as soon as Oz turned the engine.

"Mom is gonna kill us."