Dodging a pair of unfriendly arms, Willow scooted around a headstone, putting it between herself and the vampire in front of her. As it jumped up on top of the headstone, she threw her vial of holy water in its face, feeling just a little smug when it started to scream and claw at its once handsome features.
Daring a quick glance around, she muttered a few words under her breath that would have shocked those who knew the hacker to be sweet and timid. She wasn't either at the moment; she was annoyed and scared as hell. Either the coroner was lazy when he filled out the death toll this afternoon, or a few newbies had decided to check out Sunnydale in the Slayer's absence. Already they had encountered 9 vampires; and they had only been out here for an hour.
As the scarred vampire jumped down to seek revenge on the petite redhead, she picked up the crossbow she had dropped when she had been ambushed earlier and fired point blank at his chest. Showered with ashes, she gagged slightly and pivoted around, seeking her companion.
Willow spotted Xander a few yards away, using some of the defensive moves Giles had taught him over the summer to keep the vampire in front of him at bay. His face was a mask of concentration as he whirled under the vampire's arm, bringing the stake in his right hand up to impale the vampire through the chest. As the dust swirled around him, he bent forward, placing his hands on his knees as he drew in gasping breaths of air.
Feeling Willow's eyes on him, Xander looked up at her through his bangs. A crooked smile graced his lips and he quipped in between breaths, "Why is it I can't get a date for the dance, yet every vampire within a 5 mile radius of the graveyard seems to want me?"
Willow giggled nervously, bending over to retrieve the arrows she loosed in their latest encounter. Watching his petite best friend check the triggering mechanism on the weapon gave Xander a pang of grief and anger. Here she was, a young woman who should be out dating, or at the very least getting ready for school the next day. And yet she was in the middle of a graveyard, making sure her weapon would fire accurately in their next skirmish with a creature that had been a myth to her a year or two ago…all because of one person. He still wasn't sure how to feel about Buffy's betrayal to the Scoobies; hurt was the primary emotion whenever he thought about the blonde. Concern was there as well, although that was rapidly fading as he faced the inevitable conclusion: Buffy wasn't coming back.
From the look on Willow's face, she was thinking similar thoughts. Not liking the sad look in her eyes, Xander opened his mouth to make more sarcastic comments, only to call out a warning as he saw movement directly behind her. "Behind you!"
Willow swiveled around as fast as she could, instinctively firing the crossbow in the hopes of slowing her target down, only to have it slapped out of hands as the arrow was released. She tried to grab another one of her holy water vials, but the vampire was too quick for her. He grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up until her feet dangled a few inches above the ground. Desperately she struggled to breath, twisting and clawing with all her tiny might. Xander shouted once more and rushed forward, only to be blocked by two vampires as they emerged from the nearby shadows. Frantically he threw a punch at one of the two, reversing his arm to elbow the other one in the stomach. Moving just out of range of their hands, he held up his stake and watched the two of them warily, looking for some opening. Every few seconds he glanced up at Willow, silently praying for some way to save his best friend before she suffocated to death.
Meanwhile the vampire that held Willow grew bored with watching her struggles to breathe. He hurled her into the nearest tree trunk, laughing as her tiny body slid down the trunk and crumpled to the ground. Stalking closer, he grabbed her mane of red hair, his fangs glinting maliciously as he crouched down in anticipation of a good meal. Willow moved quickly then; her hand snaked up from under her body, where she had hidden it from sight when she had crumbled at the base of the tree, and she slammed her cross up against his cheek. Her forward momentum, combined with his surprise, propelled them to the ground, rolling over and over in a mass of fangs, screams, and red hair. As they came to a stop, Willow was trapped under a very angry vampire. His eyes glowed violently and he wasn't gentle when he ripped her head to the side, exposing her pale neck.
Xander's eyes widened as he glanced back in Willow's direction and saw the predicament she was in. "Willow!" he screamed, his attention diverted from the two vampires he was still fighting. One of them circled around behind him, preparing to jump the youth.
"Xander!" Willow called out in warning, closing her eyes as she felt the vampire's breath tickle her throat. 'This is it,' she whimpered at the thought, wishing for some miracle. She didn't see the glint of red eyes above the vampire, or the shadowy figure that leapt down from the nearby tree…
Suddenly, the weight that had crushed her previously was wretched away from her body. Slowly she opened her eyes, trembling as she peered about for the vampire who was about to kill her. A soft breeze swirled the dust in the air, and she was aware of a dark figure dashing away from her, heading in Xander's direction. Willow rolled onto her stomach, sighted the crossbow, and attempted to crawl on her hands and knees over to it. Progress was difficult, as she was still shaking violently from her near miss, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to move faster.
Xander felt a prickling on the back of his neck, and just as he became aware of the fact that one of the vampire's had maneuvered itself behind him, he heard a shout:
"DUCK!"
Wasting no time with questions he dived to the ground, rolling to the side on one shoulder as he felt the air whoosh above him. On his knees, he watched as one of the vampires was tackled in midair, landing on the ground nearby. Its friend, the one that was keeping Xander occupied until the trap was set, hesitated, and then launched himself at Xander. Springing to his feet, Xander lunged forward, stake rushing up to meet the snarling creature. The vampire grabbed his arm in mid swing, attempting to twist the youth's arm behind him. Xander turned around, yelling as he dragged his arm over his body…taking the vampire with it. As the vampire landed on its back Xander knelt down, staking it before it could jump back up. When the vampire burst into ashes, Xander slumped forward onto his hands and knees, his last ounce of strength spent.
The sound of fighting died down in his ears. Guessing that their savior had vanquished the last vampire, he raised his head to thank the person for dropping by. All words died on his lips as he peered at the person standing a few feet away from him. The light of the moon caressed the person's silhouette, making it obvious that this was a young woman. She was slight of frame, and yet the way she pitched in suggested strength as well. She trembled in place, as if she were battling demons within. But what caught him the most was her hair, which was teased by a light breeze. Dark hair, like rich chocolate…
Judging from the slight gasp coming from Willow's direction, Xander guessed she already came to the same conclusion he did. After glancing in her direction to make sure she was ok, he looked back up at the person who had saved them. Taking a shaky breath, he gasped out a name.
"Kat?" The young woman started, turning in his direction. For one second Xander thought he saw her eyes flash, red as blood. As quickly as he saw it, however, she blinked, and her eyes were dark features in her shadowed face. Yet he knew her just the same. From what he could see of her face, she looked rattled…and shocked.
"X…Xander?" Kat gasped breathlessly, darting her gaze between the young man and the redhead she knew was his companion. Narrowing her eyes, she took a few steps towards him, switching the stake from her right hand to her left so she could help him up. As she helped him to stand and lean against her, she called out to Willow. "Are you alright?" The redhead nodded slowly, finally attempting to stand now that the fight was over.
"Yeah, just a little shaken if you know what I mean," she smiled tremulously, and then rushed over to help Kat, worry etched on her face. "Xander? Are you alright?" He chuckled softly, allowing the two women to help him walk over to the nearest bench.
"Me? I'm great Wills; after all, it's not everyday a man gets taken care of by two lovely women." Seeing her frown, he sighed, and then added: "I'm just a little winded; the last vamp took a lot out of me." He sank down onto the bench, closing his eyes in pure bliss. As Willow sat down next to him, he cracked an eye open, peering at Kat as she leaned against a nearby grave marker. Her head moved back and forth as she scanned the area, reminding him of a wild animal searching for predators…or prey. The analogy made him wince inwardly.
A strange thought occurred to him just then. Slowly a smile twisted across his lips. His tone was conversational as he spoke.
"So….you must be the new Slayer…"
"WHAT!" Willow exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Her earlier fatigue forgotten, she glanced back and forth between Xander and Kat. Her…another Slayer? And yet it seemed such an obvious question to ask that Willow couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. Kat exuded strength, with a grace of movement that was more innate than learned. Add to that her arrival on the Hellmouth, and the ease of which she had dispatched those vampires….yep, she very well could be the newest Slayer.
'But….' Willow thought anxiously, sharing a look with Xander, who was thinking the same thing, 'If she's the new Slayer…does that mean Buffy is…' Her throat starting to close up, Willow whimpered. As she started to sway in place, Xander reached out a hand to steady her. So caught up were they in their own terrifying thoughts that they almost missed hearing Kat clear her throat questioningly. Xander looked at the brunette, who was still lounged against the headstone, eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Um…what exactly is a Slayer?"
* * * * * * * * * *
It took a few minutes of explaining, but with Willow's help Kat managed to convince Xander that not only was she not the new Slayer, but she had no idea what one was. The term sounded somewhat familiar to her however. Crouching in front of them, she twirled a stake in one hand, cocking her head to the side. Willow and Xander squirmed on the bench, looking uncomfortable for bringing up such a sensitive topic. Since neither one of them offered to explain their odd behavior, Kat decided to bring it up.
"Soo…," She drawled out slowly, pausing as both teenagers looked up at her warily. "Would one of you mind telling me what a Slayer is? Oh, and while you're at it," she stopped, standing up to tower over the two of them. A breeze played with the shadows, crossing over her features and making her look more menacing as she continued her question in a falsely light tone. "Maybe you can tell me how two people such as yourselves came to find out about such things as Slayers and vamps…much less what you are doing out in the graveyard, at night, hunting said vampires.
When asked that way, who could refuse to answer? After checking to make sure Xander wanted her to do the talking, Willow took a deep breath and began. "It's kind of a long story…See; we met the Slayer, Buffy, a couple of years ago…" Willow proceeded to launch into an abridged version of their acquaintance with the Slayer; how they met, finding out about vampires, their contributions to saving the world, etc.
Kat's eyebrow rose further as Willow recounted the Scoobies adventures on the Hellmouth. Admiration for the two rose in her chest as she heard about the Master, some evil vampire named Angelus, and all the things they had overcome in the past two years. Shocking her further was the fact that Giles was not just a librarian, but apparently someone who watched over the Slayer, guiding her in her destiny to fight vampires. Something told her that they weren't sharing everything with her, but she felt it best to wait until later to find out the answers to her questions.
However, right now she wanted to take another tour of the graveyard, to clean up any vampires that might still be lurking in the shadows. As Willow's narration wound to a close, Kat's lips quirked into a small smile. "I'm impressed. Most people tend to dismiss vampires as myths, and certainly no one I know volunteers to go after them." Tilting her head back, she looked up at the moon, then back down at Willow and Xander. "Think you're up to another hunt through the cemetery?"
Xander grinned, nodding as he stood up slowly. He was still a little winded, but the time it took Willow to explain about their vampire knowledge gave him enough time to get his second burst of energy back. Turning to Willow, he raised his own stake. "What say you Wills? A little slayage, some Twinkies, and then all good Scoobies go to bed?" Giggling, the redhead agreed, and the trio began to move, eyes and ears open as they searched out any vampires in the vicinity.
An hour and a few vampires later, Kat's estimation of the Scoobies rose another notch. They weren't that bad as slayers; most of the time Xander and Willow fought as a team. Willow would take up a support position, usually somewhere where she could stay a safe distance from the vampire in question. Xander would take point, and engage the vampire so it wouldn't go after the petite hacker. The only flaw Kat could see in their tactics is that it was too easy for the whole thing to fall apart if they encountered too many vampires. Their lack of supernatural senses, combined with the fact there was only two of them, made their attempts very dangerous. And yet it seemed as though they were used to risking their lives every night for the people of Sunnydale. They were truly courageous.
As the trio left the graveyard, they headed in the direction of Xander's house. Each was silent, lost in their own thoughts as they walked down the silent streets of Sunnydale. Xander thought about the way Kat had fought with them; she moved like a panther, graceful and deadly. She reminded him so much of Buffy, and yet the two were nothing alike. Where Buffy didn't like the idea of the two helping her patrol, Kat seemed to genuinely applaud their efforts. She even went so far as to suggest alterations to their tactics, putting herself into a scouting position that would enable her to warn the others of oncoming vampires, but still including them in the battle if they wished to. It was as if she understood their reasons for wanting to fight…
Willow kept glancing surreptitiously in Kat's direction, taking in the girl's profile. Her own mind was whirling a mile a minute, questions cascading down like a waterfall. Just who was Kat exactly? She wasn't a Slayer, but her actions suggested she wasn't entirely human either. And then there was that mysterious tattoo, and her obsession with Egyptian curses. Twisting a strand of her hair in her fingers, the redhead didn't seem to realize they had finally reached Xander's house until he waved his hand in front of her face.
"Wills? Xander paging Wills. You still among the living?" Seeing his best friend's wan smile, he shook his head. "Ok, off to bed with you! Kat," turning to address the dark-haired girl, "Think you can get her home before she begins to see pillows at every corner?" After seeing her nod of agreement, he hugged Willow, turning to his front door. As he opened it he hesitated, then turned back to face Kat. "So, like thanks…for saving our lives out there. Think you'd be up to making this patrol thing a threesome?" As the young woman nodded her head, Xander smiled. "Alright then, slaying for everyone. Meet you at the graveyard tomorrow night." Saying no more, Xander waved his farewell and crept into his house.
Kat and Willow walked to the hacker's house, neither one daring to break the silence. Kat thought about the past few days; her dreams were still the same, a warning of something to come. Now that she knew Willow a little better, she was sure that this was no enemy. However, she was not entirely convinced that the redhead was completely innocent; she knew for a fact that Willow was hiding a few things from her. One of them being the mysterious reason why the Slayer was not with them.
Thus they remained as Kat walked her to the door of the empty house. As the brunette headed back up the pathway, Willow dug her key out of her pants' pocket. Slipping the key into the lock, she started over the threshold, only to stop when she heard the older girl call out to her. Turning around, she waited for the young woman to say something.
"What happened to the Slayer?"
Willow swallowed. She had told Kat more or less the whole story; about Buffy, and about Angelus, but she had neglected to mention anything about Angel. Xander had picked up on that right away, and fortunately he hadn't said anything. Hesitating, Willow fought to find the right words.
"She had to sacrifice something precious to her in order to stop Angelus…she left town shortly after that."
Kat blinked in confusion; the Slayer abandoned her duty? Still unsure why this Buffy would run off and leave her friends to the perils of the Hellmouth, without even a goodbye, she frowned softly. So caught up in her musings was she that she barely heard Willow's own question…even with her enhanced hearing. "What?"
"Do you have nightmares Kat?" A sad smile touching her lips, the brunette nodded. "All the time." She turned, heading back to the sidewalk. "Goodnight Willow."
"Goodnight…Kat." The redhead headed inside, closing the door and sagging against it heavily. Gods, she was so tired. She feared going to sleep though, in case the nightmares returned. Whimpering softly in the back of her throat, Willow glanced at her calendar, seeking the day of the next full moon. Saturday…she would do the spell on Saturday.
Five more days until she got Angel out of hell.
* * * * * * * * *
Across town, Kat stared up at the ceiling of her hotel room. Five more days. Just five more days to stop whatever the dream warned her about. Rolling onto her side, she curled into a fetal position and shivered. She didn't want to sleep, not when the dreams were waiting for her. Try as she might, she couldn't keep her eyelids from falling slowly, ever so slowly, until they closed. As the tendrils of her nightmares began to slip into her mind, she shuddered, mewling low in her throat. Once again, she would dream of that horrible night, the night that changed her forever.
Once again, she would be forced to relive her mother's death…and her birth into the world of darkness.
Daring a quick glance around, she muttered a few words under her breath that would have shocked those who knew the hacker to be sweet and timid. She wasn't either at the moment; she was annoyed and scared as hell. Either the coroner was lazy when he filled out the death toll this afternoon, or a few newbies had decided to check out Sunnydale in the Slayer's absence. Already they had encountered 9 vampires; and they had only been out here for an hour.
As the scarred vampire jumped down to seek revenge on the petite redhead, she picked up the crossbow she had dropped when she had been ambushed earlier and fired point blank at his chest. Showered with ashes, she gagged slightly and pivoted around, seeking her companion.
Willow spotted Xander a few yards away, using some of the defensive moves Giles had taught him over the summer to keep the vampire in front of him at bay. His face was a mask of concentration as he whirled under the vampire's arm, bringing the stake in his right hand up to impale the vampire through the chest. As the dust swirled around him, he bent forward, placing his hands on his knees as he drew in gasping breaths of air.
Feeling Willow's eyes on him, Xander looked up at her through his bangs. A crooked smile graced his lips and he quipped in between breaths, "Why is it I can't get a date for the dance, yet every vampire within a 5 mile radius of the graveyard seems to want me?"
Willow giggled nervously, bending over to retrieve the arrows she loosed in their latest encounter. Watching his petite best friend check the triggering mechanism on the weapon gave Xander a pang of grief and anger. Here she was, a young woman who should be out dating, or at the very least getting ready for school the next day. And yet she was in the middle of a graveyard, making sure her weapon would fire accurately in their next skirmish with a creature that had been a myth to her a year or two ago…all because of one person. He still wasn't sure how to feel about Buffy's betrayal to the Scoobies; hurt was the primary emotion whenever he thought about the blonde. Concern was there as well, although that was rapidly fading as he faced the inevitable conclusion: Buffy wasn't coming back.
From the look on Willow's face, she was thinking similar thoughts. Not liking the sad look in her eyes, Xander opened his mouth to make more sarcastic comments, only to call out a warning as he saw movement directly behind her. "Behind you!"
Willow swiveled around as fast as she could, instinctively firing the crossbow in the hopes of slowing her target down, only to have it slapped out of hands as the arrow was released. She tried to grab another one of her holy water vials, but the vampire was too quick for her. He grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up until her feet dangled a few inches above the ground. Desperately she struggled to breath, twisting and clawing with all her tiny might. Xander shouted once more and rushed forward, only to be blocked by two vampires as they emerged from the nearby shadows. Frantically he threw a punch at one of the two, reversing his arm to elbow the other one in the stomach. Moving just out of range of their hands, he held up his stake and watched the two of them warily, looking for some opening. Every few seconds he glanced up at Willow, silently praying for some way to save his best friend before she suffocated to death.
Meanwhile the vampire that held Willow grew bored with watching her struggles to breathe. He hurled her into the nearest tree trunk, laughing as her tiny body slid down the trunk and crumpled to the ground. Stalking closer, he grabbed her mane of red hair, his fangs glinting maliciously as he crouched down in anticipation of a good meal. Willow moved quickly then; her hand snaked up from under her body, where she had hidden it from sight when she had crumbled at the base of the tree, and she slammed her cross up against his cheek. Her forward momentum, combined with his surprise, propelled them to the ground, rolling over and over in a mass of fangs, screams, and red hair. As they came to a stop, Willow was trapped under a very angry vampire. His eyes glowed violently and he wasn't gentle when he ripped her head to the side, exposing her pale neck.
Xander's eyes widened as he glanced back in Willow's direction and saw the predicament she was in. "Willow!" he screamed, his attention diverted from the two vampires he was still fighting. One of them circled around behind him, preparing to jump the youth.
"Xander!" Willow called out in warning, closing her eyes as she felt the vampire's breath tickle her throat. 'This is it,' she whimpered at the thought, wishing for some miracle. She didn't see the glint of red eyes above the vampire, or the shadowy figure that leapt down from the nearby tree…
Suddenly, the weight that had crushed her previously was wretched away from her body. Slowly she opened her eyes, trembling as she peered about for the vampire who was about to kill her. A soft breeze swirled the dust in the air, and she was aware of a dark figure dashing away from her, heading in Xander's direction. Willow rolled onto her stomach, sighted the crossbow, and attempted to crawl on her hands and knees over to it. Progress was difficult, as she was still shaking violently from her near miss, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to move faster.
Xander felt a prickling on the back of his neck, and just as he became aware of the fact that one of the vampire's had maneuvered itself behind him, he heard a shout:
"DUCK!"
Wasting no time with questions he dived to the ground, rolling to the side on one shoulder as he felt the air whoosh above him. On his knees, he watched as one of the vampires was tackled in midair, landing on the ground nearby. Its friend, the one that was keeping Xander occupied until the trap was set, hesitated, and then launched himself at Xander. Springing to his feet, Xander lunged forward, stake rushing up to meet the snarling creature. The vampire grabbed his arm in mid swing, attempting to twist the youth's arm behind him. Xander turned around, yelling as he dragged his arm over his body…taking the vampire with it. As the vampire landed on its back Xander knelt down, staking it before it could jump back up. When the vampire burst into ashes, Xander slumped forward onto his hands and knees, his last ounce of strength spent.
The sound of fighting died down in his ears. Guessing that their savior had vanquished the last vampire, he raised his head to thank the person for dropping by. All words died on his lips as he peered at the person standing a few feet away from him. The light of the moon caressed the person's silhouette, making it obvious that this was a young woman. She was slight of frame, and yet the way she pitched in suggested strength as well. She trembled in place, as if she were battling demons within. But what caught him the most was her hair, which was teased by a light breeze. Dark hair, like rich chocolate…
Judging from the slight gasp coming from Willow's direction, Xander guessed she already came to the same conclusion he did. After glancing in her direction to make sure she was ok, he looked back up at the person who had saved them. Taking a shaky breath, he gasped out a name.
"Kat?" The young woman started, turning in his direction. For one second Xander thought he saw her eyes flash, red as blood. As quickly as he saw it, however, she blinked, and her eyes were dark features in her shadowed face. Yet he knew her just the same. From what he could see of her face, she looked rattled…and shocked.
"X…Xander?" Kat gasped breathlessly, darting her gaze between the young man and the redhead she knew was his companion. Narrowing her eyes, she took a few steps towards him, switching the stake from her right hand to her left so she could help him up. As she helped him to stand and lean against her, she called out to Willow. "Are you alright?" The redhead nodded slowly, finally attempting to stand now that the fight was over.
"Yeah, just a little shaken if you know what I mean," she smiled tremulously, and then rushed over to help Kat, worry etched on her face. "Xander? Are you alright?" He chuckled softly, allowing the two women to help him walk over to the nearest bench.
"Me? I'm great Wills; after all, it's not everyday a man gets taken care of by two lovely women." Seeing her frown, he sighed, and then added: "I'm just a little winded; the last vamp took a lot out of me." He sank down onto the bench, closing his eyes in pure bliss. As Willow sat down next to him, he cracked an eye open, peering at Kat as she leaned against a nearby grave marker. Her head moved back and forth as she scanned the area, reminding him of a wild animal searching for predators…or prey. The analogy made him wince inwardly.
A strange thought occurred to him just then. Slowly a smile twisted across his lips. His tone was conversational as he spoke.
"So….you must be the new Slayer…"
"WHAT!" Willow exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Her earlier fatigue forgotten, she glanced back and forth between Xander and Kat. Her…another Slayer? And yet it seemed such an obvious question to ask that Willow couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. Kat exuded strength, with a grace of movement that was more innate than learned. Add to that her arrival on the Hellmouth, and the ease of which she had dispatched those vampires….yep, she very well could be the newest Slayer.
'But….' Willow thought anxiously, sharing a look with Xander, who was thinking the same thing, 'If she's the new Slayer…does that mean Buffy is…' Her throat starting to close up, Willow whimpered. As she started to sway in place, Xander reached out a hand to steady her. So caught up were they in their own terrifying thoughts that they almost missed hearing Kat clear her throat questioningly. Xander looked at the brunette, who was still lounged against the headstone, eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Um…what exactly is a Slayer?"
* * * * * * * * * *
It took a few minutes of explaining, but with Willow's help Kat managed to convince Xander that not only was she not the new Slayer, but she had no idea what one was. The term sounded somewhat familiar to her however. Crouching in front of them, she twirled a stake in one hand, cocking her head to the side. Willow and Xander squirmed on the bench, looking uncomfortable for bringing up such a sensitive topic. Since neither one of them offered to explain their odd behavior, Kat decided to bring it up.
"Soo…," She drawled out slowly, pausing as both teenagers looked up at her warily. "Would one of you mind telling me what a Slayer is? Oh, and while you're at it," she stopped, standing up to tower over the two of them. A breeze played with the shadows, crossing over her features and making her look more menacing as she continued her question in a falsely light tone. "Maybe you can tell me how two people such as yourselves came to find out about such things as Slayers and vamps…much less what you are doing out in the graveyard, at night, hunting said vampires.
When asked that way, who could refuse to answer? After checking to make sure Xander wanted her to do the talking, Willow took a deep breath and began. "It's kind of a long story…See; we met the Slayer, Buffy, a couple of years ago…" Willow proceeded to launch into an abridged version of their acquaintance with the Slayer; how they met, finding out about vampires, their contributions to saving the world, etc.
Kat's eyebrow rose further as Willow recounted the Scoobies adventures on the Hellmouth. Admiration for the two rose in her chest as she heard about the Master, some evil vampire named Angelus, and all the things they had overcome in the past two years. Shocking her further was the fact that Giles was not just a librarian, but apparently someone who watched over the Slayer, guiding her in her destiny to fight vampires. Something told her that they weren't sharing everything with her, but she felt it best to wait until later to find out the answers to her questions.
However, right now she wanted to take another tour of the graveyard, to clean up any vampires that might still be lurking in the shadows. As Willow's narration wound to a close, Kat's lips quirked into a small smile. "I'm impressed. Most people tend to dismiss vampires as myths, and certainly no one I know volunteers to go after them." Tilting her head back, she looked up at the moon, then back down at Willow and Xander. "Think you're up to another hunt through the cemetery?"
Xander grinned, nodding as he stood up slowly. He was still a little winded, but the time it took Willow to explain about their vampire knowledge gave him enough time to get his second burst of energy back. Turning to Willow, he raised his own stake. "What say you Wills? A little slayage, some Twinkies, and then all good Scoobies go to bed?" Giggling, the redhead agreed, and the trio began to move, eyes and ears open as they searched out any vampires in the vicinity.
An hour and a few vampires later, Kat's estimation of the Scoobies rose another notch. They weren't that bad as slayers; most of the time Xander and Willow fought as a team. Willow would take up a support position, usually somewhere where she could stay a safe distance from the vampire in question. Xander would take point, and engage the vampire so it wouldn't go after the petite hacker. The only flaw Kat could see in their tactics is that it was too easy for the whole thing to fall apart if they encountered too many vampires. Their lack of supernatural senses, combined with the fact there was only two of them, made their attempts very dangerous. And yet it seemed as though they were used to risking their lives every night for the people of Sunnydale. They were truly courageous.
As the trio left the graveyard, they headed in the direction of Xander's house. Each was silent, lost in their own thoughts as they walked down the silent streets of Sunnydale. Xander thought about the way Kat had fought with them; she moved like a panther, graceful and deadly. She reminded him so much of Buffy, and yet the two were nothing alike. Where Buffy didn't like the idea of the two helping her patrol, Kat seemed to genuinely applaud their efforts. She even went so far as to suggest alterations to their tactics, putting herself into a scouting position that would enable her to warn the others of oncoming vampires, but still including them in the battle if they wished to. It was as if she understood their reasons for wanting to fight…
Willow kept glancing surreptitiously in Kat's direction, taking in the girl's profile. Her own mind was whirling a mile a minute, questions cascading down like a waterfall. Just who was Kat exactly? She wasn't a Slayer, but her actions suggested she wasn't entirely human either. And then there was that mysterious tattoo, and her obsession with Egyptian curses. Twisting a strand of her hair in her fingers, the redhead didn't seem to realize they had finally reached Xander's house until he waved his hand in front of her face.
"Wills? Xander paging Wills. You still among the living?" Seeing his best friend's wan smile, he shook his head. "Ok, off to bed with you! Kat," turning to address the dark-haired girl, "Think you can get her home before she begins to see pillows at every corner?" After seeing her nod of agreement, he hugged Willow, turning to his front door. As he opened it he hesitated, then turned back to face Kat. "So, like thanks…for saving our lives out there. Think you'd be up to making this patrol thing a threesome?" As the young woman nodded her head, Xander smiled. "Alright then, slaying for everyone. Meet you at the graveyard tomorrow night." Saying no more, Xander waved his farewell and crept into his house.
Kat and Willow walked to the hacker's house, neither one daring to break the silence. Kat thought about the past few days; her dreams were still the same, a warning of something to come. Now that she knew Willow a little better, she was sure that this was no enemy. However, she was not entirely convinced that the redhead was completely innocent; she knew for a fact that Willow was hiding a few things from her. One of them being the mysterious reason why the Slayer was not with them.
Thus they remained as Kat walked her to the door of the empty house. As the brunette headed back up the pathway, Willow dug her key out of her pants' pocket. Slipping the key into the lock, she started over the threshold, only to stop when she heard the older girl call out to her. Turning around, she waited for the young woman to say something.
"What happened to the Slayer?"
Willow swallowed. She had told Kat more or less the whole story; about Buffy, and about Angelus, but she had neglected to mention anything about Angel. Xander had picked up on that right away, and fortunately he hadn't said anything. Hesitating, Willow fought to find the right words.
"She had to sacrifice something precious to her in order to stop Angelus…she left town shortly after that."
Kat blinked in confusion; the Slayer abandoned her duty? Still unsure why this Buffy would run off and leave her friends to the perils of the Hellmouth, without even a goodbye, she frowned softly. So caught up in her musings was she that she barely heard Willow's own question…even with her enhanced hearing. "What?"
"Do you have nightmares Kat?" A sad smile touching her lips, the brunette nodded. "All the time." She turned, heading back to the sidewalk. "Goodnight Willow."
"Goodnight…Kat." The redhead headed inside, closing the door and sagging against it heavily. Gods, she was so tired. She feared going to sleep though, in case the nightmares returned. Whimpering softly in the back of her throat, Willow glanced at her calendar, seeking the day of the next full moon. Saturday…she would do the spell on Saturday.
Five more days until she got Angel out of hell.
* * * * * * * * *
Across town, Kat stared up at the ceiling of her hotel room. Five more days. Just five more days to stop whatever the dream warned her about. Rolling onto her side, she curled into a fetal position and shivered. She didn't want to sleep, not when the dreams were waiting for her. Try as she might, she couldn't keep her eyelids from falling slowly, ever so slowly, until they closed. As the tendrils of her nightmares began to slip into her mind, she shuddered, mewling low in her throat. Once again, she would dream of that horrible night, the night that changed her forever.
Once again, she would be forced to relive her mother's death…and her birth into the world of darkness.