Disclaimer and summary on first page.

Thanks to those who reviewed! Here's the next chapter, so enjoy!

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Chapter 2

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"Ouch!"

Buffy woke with a start when she felt the sharp pinch on her arm.

"We're here."

She turned to find the blond man sitting behind her on the bike. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep or when he had stopped to move her in front of him into the safety of his arms.

"A simple shake would do." she grumbled, rubbing at the sore spot on her arm.

"No it didn't. I already tried it, pet." he said as he dismounted the bike, holding out his hand to her. She took it and again shivered at his cold skin.

Once they were off the bike, Buffy turned and found herself in front of a dozen wide, stone steps. She followed them with her eyes, and stared at the huge, brick building. It had multiple stories and many windows, and was quite a bright and pleasant structure. She raised her head and saw gargoyles lining the roof, and from them dangled many green vines that traveled down the building and clung to the bricks. Her eyes followed the vines and then they rested on the huge double doors, the stained glass windows above it and then above that, the brass sign.

"Angel's School for the Gifted?" she asked amazement.

"Yep. Come on, I'm already late as it is." he began to jog up the stairs and after a moment she hurried to catch up with him. They arrived at the doors and he opened a gray box and pushed a small, red button.

Buffy stared at the windows above the door. It was beautiful in a tragic, sorrowful way. Hideous demons and creatures snarled and roared in front of a blood red background, and above them, divine angels aimed arrows and stakes from a brilliant blue sky. It was an eerie picture, but amazing nonetheless.

"Welcome to Angel's School for the Gifted. Please state your name and business." a cheerful female voice floated through an intercom within the box.

"Spike," he said into the box, "I got the new Slayer." Then he turned to Buffy and gestured her forward. "Say your name, love." he whispered.

"Uh...Buffy." she said awkwardly.

She didn't know why she was following this man or trusting him, but the blend of last night's events, her weariness, and her fright made her too confused and tired to question him or try to run.

"Welcome, Spike and Buffy. You may enter." the cheerful voice said.

There was a sound of a mechanical lock disengaging, and then Spike pushed the doors open and walked inside. Buffy hesitated, before stepping cautiously inside.

Just before the doors swung shut, the female's voice floated through the intercom again. "Oh, Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Angel said that you're already late, so you must go to his office straight away." she giggled.

Buffy thought she heard Spike mutter something along the lines of 'bloody poof', but then said aloud of his shoulder: "Sure thing, Fred. Thanks."

"No problem, Spike." the voice replied before the line was disconnected and the door slammed shut behind Buffy.

"Spike?" she asked, as he led her down a long hallway, a small smile coming to her lips. "What sort of a name is that?"

"What sort of a name is Buffy?" he retorted sharply, but there was no anger in his voice. She grinned, and she could see him struggle to conceal his own amusement.

She studied the hallway as they walked down it, noticing the high roof and stone pillars. The walls on either side of them were a dark, polished wood, and they were covered in tapestries and paintings. All the artwork was of fantasy creatures, mainly demonic, and they were all grim portrayals of death and destruction. What kind of a school is this anyway? She thought to herself.

Finally, they arrived at a dead end and she glanced at him expectantly, but he only stared at the wall.

"Peaches." he said, and she knew that Spike was insane. Who the hell kidnaps girls from vampires, drives a motorbike like a stunt man, then talks of fruit to walls?

However, her thoughts of Spike's sanity were interrupted when the wall swung open, to reveal a concealed room. She realized that 'peaches' must be a password of some sort. Spike swaggered inside, and she stared at his back in stunned silence. Then, carefully, she followed his steps and found herself in a comfortably large, but not too large, and homely room. A window looked out into a magnificent garden, and delicate, red velvet curtains were tied back with gold rope. In the center of the room were four luxurious chairs, and beyond them was a grand oak desk. The four chairs were occupied by teenagers that appeared to be her own age, and behind the desk sat a muscular, brunette man. His face was currently set in a stony, annoyed expression that he aimed at Spike as he sauntered into the room.

"Spike, you would do well to knock before you enter." he said in a deep voice.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? I brought her. They'd already found out by the time I got there. The buggers sent some fledgling gang after her." as he said this, the brunette, that Buffy assumed was Angel, turned his attention to her, and the irritation in his eyes disappeared.

"You are Buffy, I assume?" he said and she nodded uncertainly. "I'm Angel, owner and principle of ASG," he said, confirming her previous guess.

"ASG?" she asked timidly.

He laughed a deep throaty laugh. "Sorry. It's the abbreviation of Angel's School for the Gifted."

"Oh." she said, feeling beyond stupid.

"Now," he said, turning his attention to the four students in front of him. "I'll get you settled into your rooms and then you can go for the tour. Your classes will commence the day after tomorrow, so I recommend you go through your books and then rest. If you have any problems, find a teacher and they will gladly answer any of your questions. OK?" After receiving four nods and murmured accents, he called out, "Fred?"

A small, petite woman appeared in the door.

"Can you please take these students to their rooms? After they are settled in, they will need the tour."

"Sure thing, Angel." she said, and Buffy recognized her as the cheerful voice in the intercom.

The four students stood and made their way past her, each sending her anxious smiles. The red head smiled and mouthed a quick, silent hello, which Buffy returned. Then they disappeared through the door, and she was alone with Angel and Spike.

"Buffy, why don't you take a seat?" Angel said, motioning for the seats. She walked over and sat on one of them.

"Spike! Window!" she jumped at his irked tone and turned to find Spike lighting a cigarette. He rolled his eyes and strolled to the window.

"Now, Buffy. Welcome. Have you any idea of why you're here?"

She bit her lip. "Uh...no."

"You do know that you are the Slayer, though?"

"Yeah, Spike mentioned something about it. What's a Slayer?" she asked.

His eyes widened in disbelief, then flashed with anger. "Spike, you didn't even explain it to her?"

"Well, I didn't really get a bloody chance now did I?" he replied.

"What do you mean?"

"By the time I got there, the bleedin' gang was already on her street, so I just grabbed her and ran."

"You kidnapped her?" Angel roared, pacing behind his desk.

"It was either that or let her die!" he answered indignantly, obviously unfazed by the owner's ire.

"My God. So, she doesn't know what she is, what she's doing here, or even what this place is? What about her parents? They're going to be frantic, calling the police. We do not kidnap out students."

By this time, Buffy was terrified by the two men in front of her. They continued arguing about her, and she sat rigidly on the seat.

"Spike, get out. Go...do something that's not in this half of the building." Angel grumbled finally.

Spike flicked the cigarette butt out the window and strode from the room, and Angel slumped into his seat.

"Sorry about that. I can't believe he just...You're probably thinking us insane, aren't you?"

"Uh...something along those lines." she replied weakly.

"That is not normal procedure. We usually offer the students a place in our school for free, and the parents usually give their permission. We don't impose a fee, so you can see, our students are often allowed to enroll here."

"Oh, OK."

"I'm going to make an exception for you though, because you are the Slayer, and that requires different obligations on our part."

"Uh...sir?" Buffy said.

"Angel, Buffy."

"Angel? What is the Slayer?" she asked.

He sighed, then leant forward, leaning on his desk. "Buffy, do you believe in monsters?"

She snorted. "No."

"Well, everything you never believed was true, is real. All those monsters under your bed are real. Vampires, werewolves, witches and demons are all real." he paused, taking in her doubtful expression.

"You're crazy." was all she said.

He chuckled. "You may believe so. But I am not. All these things are real. And you, the Slayer, are destined to fight them. Unto each generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and the skill to fight the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers."

Buffy stared at the man opposite her. "What?"

He dropped his head and sighed. "Buffy, you have extraordinary strength and fighting skill. You have been chosen by the powers that be to fight against evil, and it is your destiny. Every time a Slayer dies, a new one is called, and it is your turn."

Buffy swallowed the bile rising in her throat. "I-I have to f-fight vampires?"

"Yes, and many other demons."

"But...if I'm the Slayer, doesn't that mean that another one has...has died?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Kendra- she was the last Slayer- was killed three days ago. She fought over the hell mouth in Jamaica."

"How old was she?"

Angel hesitated, "She was seventeen."

"Seventeen? My God...she wasn't even legitimate. Why...so young?" she asked, ignoring the heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach that deepened with every question.

"Slayers aren't known to have a lengthy life span. Eventually, they will make a mistake, and it will cost them their lives." he said this slowly and morosely, obviously not taking pleasure in telling her this.

Buffy absorbed this information in silence, grateful that Angel allowed her a few minutes to compose herself.

"What if I don't want to be the Slayer?" she asked suddenly.

"Buffy, it is your duty. You have been called..."

"Well un-call me!" she shouted angrily, struggling to keep the tears from falling.

"You can't." Angel said.

"I don't want to fight vampires and demons!" she yelled, "I want to go home, go to school and chat to my friends about makeup and boys! I never asked for this."

She finished by slamming her fist onto the chair next to her. The seat snapped and crumbled to the ground in a pile of wood. She stared at it in horror, then looked at Angel.

"How...what?"

"Slayers have incredible strength. You will find that your speed and instincts will improve drastically over the next few days."

Buffy slumped further into her seat.

"Why am I here?" she asked quietly.

"As you can tell by its name, ASG is a school for the gifted. The students here aren't gifted intellectually, but rather by their unique powers. Did you see the red hair girl who walked by you?" Buffy nodded. "Willow is a witch. She only recently discovered her power, and we brought her here to hone her powers and teach her about magic. I have never seen such power in such a young girl before. Truly, she is gifted. And did you see the pretty brunette? Cordelia is a seer. She receives visions of attacks before they occur. Another exceptional girl. And that short boy? He is a werewolf. He was bitten last week and luckily we found out before he transformed. Other than three days a month during the full moon, he is a normal boy. Xander can move faster than the human eye. Those four are also new to this school."

"What exactly does this school do?"

"We offer the usual classes such as math's, English and science, but we also offer other classes, such as History of Demons, Vampire Study, Self Defense, and other personalized classes. Willow will attend a Wiccan and Witch study, Cordelia will attend a Seer class, and you will attend the Slayer class."

"But how can there be a class if I'm the only Slayer?"

"There are other girls who show signs of being the Slayer. They are called Potentials, and they attend this school in case, uh..."

"In case I die." she said flatly.

"Yes, well, yes. They are trained nonetheless. Anyway classes will resume Monday to Friday as normal schools, and on Saturday and Sunday you are free to do as you please. Most students go home to visit their parents, but now, with the kidnapping, I have no idea what to do."

Buffy felt it necessary to stand up for Spike, "If Spike hadn't I would be dead now."

"Yes, I fear you are right. Nevertheless, I am at a loss as how to proceed. Anyway, we can talk about this later. Are there any more questions?"

"Ah, just one. How am I supposed kill these demons?"

"Ah, good question. Most nights you will go out and patrol, meaning you will search the streets for vampires, demons or any evil creatures, and kill them. Your Watcher will give you more information."

"What's a Watcher?"

"Every Slayer is assigned a Watcher. A Watcher..."

"Watches?" she offered.

"Uh, not exactly. They train the Slayer to fight, guide them and give them instructions and aim to turn her into an unbeatable warrior. I will introduce you to yours once he returns." he said, then once again called out, "Fred!"

The small brunette appeared again.

"Fred will take you to your room so you can...well you can't unpack since you don't have any clothes, but she'll get you settled in. Then she can take you for a tour with the others. Breakfast is at nine in the hall; classes start at ten and finish about three. Lunch is at one and dinner is at six. Since today and tomorrow are the weekend, breakfast will be at ten, lunch at two and dinner at six. OK?"

Buffy nodded, bided him goodbye and followed Fred out of the office. Her mind whirled with the information she had just received, and it was making her dizzy. Fred chatted nonstop about how nice all the teachers and students were, using her arms in exaggerated gestures, and Buffy trudged alone the hall behind her. They turned a corner and Buffy stared at the circling stairway. The steps were marble and twisted in a helix beneath a large dome. It rose all the way to the top floor, and above that floor was a clear dome that allowed the sunlight to enter and give natural light.

She drew in a breath and mounted the first few stairs.

"Slayer."

She spun around and saw Spike leaning against the banister, hands shoved in the pockets of his black jeans.

"You all right?" he asked, and Buffy saw that he was actually concerned.

"Uh...I think so." she answered truthfully. Maybe she could get used to this place.

"You got any problems, you come to me, OK, pet?"

She nodded. "How can I find you?"

He smirked, "You'll find me." Then he quickly sauntered away, and Buffy turned back to the stairs. She saw Fred still ascending the stairs, chatting to herself.

Shaking her head at the weirdness that had been her night and morning, she hurried to catch up with Fred, curious to explore the school.

So what did you think? I had to explain the school in this chapter, and next we meet the gang and the teachers! Review!