Disclaimer: Joss, WB, UPN et al. own Buffy. I do not.

Title: The Prices We Pay

Author: Paradigm Shifter

Rating: R

Feedback: Please?

Thanks: VegaKeep and Teri. Cheers! And all my reviewers for this story.

Amazements: (Is that a word?) Jason Thompson reviewed one of my stories! Wow!

Notes: This is the next chapter… some of the plans I have for this could mean that it goes a bit high for safety on ff.net. I'll try toning them down, but the 'Full Monty' (so to speak) will be available at my website sometime in the future.

*

Giles, Willow and Buffy were all in the library talking about the new Slayer when Xander arrived. Buffy was enthusiastic, but both Giles and Willow had reservations.

"Great!" Buffy practically shouted. "That means she can take over and I can retire and have a normal life!" her enthusiasm dampened down at Giles expression. "Uh… right, Giles?"

Giles cleared his throat. "Um… I'm not quite sure how to put this, Buffy, but no… it doesn't. You are a Slayer, and you will remain so until you die…" he sighed, and removed his glasses to clean then with his handkerchief. "I'm sorry, Buffy."

"You mean… I'll still be a Slayer when I'm in my nineties?" Buffy's screech made Giles wince. "That's… ew…"

Giles shrugged. "I am afraid that is the way the powers work. They inhabit one Slayer until death, at which point they move to the next… if you ever lived to be… um, ninety… yes, you would still be the, or at least, a Slayer."

Just then, Xander walked through the door. Giles turned to him, and smiled slightly. Willow and Buffy both looked over and acknowledged him, but did little else.

"Hello, Xander," said Giles. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh, G-Man? What about?" asked Xander, while having this slow sinking feeling that he knew exactly what Giles wanted to talk about.

Giles looked at Buffy and Willow. "It's… private." He said with finality.

"Oh." Said Xander. "Right." He cocked his head. "Office?" he asked in question.

"Certainly." Replied Giles. "Would you two wait for us for a second?" he asked the two girls.

"Sure…" said Buffy; cracking some gum she had started chewing after finding it in her pocket.

"Alright…" said Willow nervously. "What's this all about?"

Giles shook his head, and Xander said back to her as he shut the door, "Guy stuff."

Buffy snorted. "Right… I can see those two having a male bonding session… they have absolutely nothing in common…"

*

Giles gestured for Xander to sit in his chair, but Xander politely indicated that he wished to remain standing. Giles shrugged, and sat in the chair himself.

"What did you want, G-Man? Its got to be serious if you don't want Buff and Wills to know…"

Giles nodded. "Yes… I have something to tell you… I called the Watchers Council, and they said that at the death of Buffy, another Slayer became active, a Jamaican girl by the name of Kendra. She was killed two weeks ago in Austin." At Xander's blank look, he clarified, "Texas."

Xander rolled his eyes as he leaned on Giles desk. "I might not be passing Geography, Giles, but at least I know where Austin is. What I don't get is: why are you telling me this? Darla is obviously not Jamaican… so what? She's the next Slayer. Even I can work that one out!" he was slowly pacing round Giles' chair as he finished this.

Giles put out a hand to stop him from moving. "Xander, my point is that the Watchers have the new Slayer after Kendra in custody. She is a girl named Faith, who is currently in Boston chasing a very nasty vampire by the name of Kakistos. According to Watcher Chronicles, there was a vampire in Europe, around the same time as Angelus, by the name of Darla. In fact… she was the one that turned Angelus."

Xander stopped and face Giles. "You're wrong."

Giles shook his head slowly. "I'm not, Xander. I'm sorry. Darla is a vampire. And a powerful one at that."

Anger burned strong in Xander's stance. "You are wrong!" he whipped round, grabbing the door and pulling it open. "I've got to get the truth!" he shouted back to Giles as he ran from the library at full tilt.

Giles nearly vaulted out of his chair. He followed Xander to the door, and stopped as he realised the boy would not listen to him. He turned back to Buffy and Willow, who were watching the scene with wide eyes.

Giles pointed to Buffy in a near panic. "Buffy! Follow him!" he calmed slightly. "Don't try to stop him… just… see that he doesn't come to harm…"

Buffy nodded, sure her Watcher knew what he was doing, and bolted out of the door after her friend. Willow was left standing in the library with Giles. Very slowly, she put her hands on her hips, and pursed her lips.

"Alright. What did you do?"

*

Buffy saw Xander race right past his house, and carry on to the older parts of Sunnydale, back when it was mostly fields and posh homes. He reached one, and ran up the steps, pushing the door open only to be met by a beautiful blonde goddess.

Buffy's mouth fell open in shock as she saw her, astounded at her gorgeousness. "Wow." Was all she could say.

The passionate embrace the two shared showed her that Xander was safe, and Buffy turned on her heel and ran back to the library, by way of the cemeteries. She might as well do a bit of patrol since she had to cross the town anyway…

*

Xander practically ran into Darla's embrace, heart pounding from his sprint across town.

Darla couldn't help but feel her demon rise at the sight of Xander's rapid breathing and the sound of his pounding heart.

"Giles…" he stopped speaking to try breathing again. Then he took a deep breath, and said slowly and carefully. "Giles got some information from the Watchers Council…"

Darla felt her heart freeze.

"…about you. They said that you're a vampire." Xander's eyes pleaded with her to deny it. When she did not, he fell backwards with a small cry. Darla just stood there, shell shocked that her plan could have been so savaged in such a short time.

Xander continued, now on the floor with his arms wrapped around his legs, rocking slowly and bouncing his head off of his forearms. "They said that you're a vampire…" he moaned. "God…" the word dragged out over several seconds. "…I'm in love with a vampire…"

Darla felt her demonic features rise to the surface. "Xander," she said softly, forlornly, through the toothy maw of all vampires. She walked softly over to the now sobbing boy, and rested her hand on his shoulder gently. Xander jerked away, but when Darla put a hand on again, he did not move any more.

Darla spoke in hushed tones. "Did you really mean that?"

Xander looked up, and then down again as he saw the irrefutable evidence that Giles was correct. "Mean what?" he said in between shuddered breaths.

"What you said just now… that you were in love with me…"

Xander looked up, and fixed Darla's yellow gold eyes firmly with his. "Yes." He said simply.

Darla struggled momentarily to get her demonic visage under control, and then lifted his face up by his chin. She leaned forward, and kissed away his tears.

Xander blinked in surprise. "What… what are you doing?" he asked in amazement. If Darla was a vampire, and she was, shouldn't he be dead now?

Darla looked into hi eyes in turn. "Xander… why do you think I saved you? Why would I kill you after all of that? I want you, Xander… you're like a drug. And I'm afraid to say I'm addicted."

Xander's ever-present silly grin returned momentarily. "You're serious? Darla… I want you… but I'm scared…"

Darla smiled, and her vampiric features returned as Xander watched, transfixed by the smooth transition between human and demon. "Don't be…" she whispered as she closed in for his neck…

*

Oh! Another cliffhanger! Maybe this is my way of politely asking for reviews? OK, then, REVIEW! PLEASE!