Reminder: This is strictly AU. So don't be surprised if some of the Buffy episodes are slightly different.

A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short!!! This one's a bit longer...well not that long...i'm not exactly good at writing long chaps...but anyway...ENJOY!!! Thanks for everyone who reviewed by the way!! :-)

Chapter Thirteen: More Apparitions

Willow raised her eyebrows as she passed by Buffy's bedroom, where Max was presently locked in. Where she was presently screaming her head off, shouting Alec's name. Transgenics sure are strange. She thought absently, making her way into her own bedroom where it was blissfully silent. She shut the door behind her, and collapsed onto her bed with a heavy sigh of relief. Finally, I get a breather.

All the research she had been doing had made both her eyes and fingers sore. At least all of it was finished. Now they could go straight to planning, which was technically, Giles' and Buffy's area. Not hers'. As far as she was concerned, the only task that she had not yet completed was the spell that she would doing tomorrow morning. In Sunnydale High.

She climbed out of bed and started across the room when her open closet door swung shut with a loud bang. And there, reflected on the vanity mirror plastered on her closet door was... "Warren!" She gasped, clutching a hand to her chest, her emerald green eyes wide with shock as she twirled around and saw him.

"Hello, Willow." He smiled.

Guilt and rage coursed through her, as well as the inner 'darkness' that still resided within her. This was the man who killed the only woman she had ever loved. This was the man who had initiated the beginning of her 'evilness', the one whom she had lashed out all her anger on. The man who had driven her into vengeance. The man who she had skinned alive.

The man who she had first killed.

"You- you're not h-him," Willow stammered, feeling more than a bit uneasy. "You're- you're the-the First!"

His smile broadened into an ugly grin. "Ms. Smarty-Pants knows everything."

He advanced towards her with a few steps and she moved backward, her hands trembling.

"But does she really?" Warren winked at her, and vanished into thin air.

At the same time, a blood-curling scream reverberated through the house.

Dawn and Kennedy had withdrawn from the planning meeting at the basement to go raid the kitchen. Fighting evil could take a lot out of a girl. Thus their hefty appetite.

Alec and Jewel sat at the kitchen counter, discussing in low tones. However, when the two girls walked in, they stopped what they were conversing about to greet them. "Hungry?" Jewel asked, cocking an eyebrow as she raised a newly-opened bag of chips.

Dawn grinned. "You can say that again," she said grabbing it from her and tossing a handful into her mouth. Kennedy grabbed a couple of sodas from the fridge and served them quickly. She downed her drink in one large gulp.

The two transgenics stared at them with open mouths. "And they said X5s had large appetites," Alec commented shaking his head.

"You guys do?" Kennedy asked in disbelief. "Then how come you guys have such great bodies?"

"Exercise," Alec replied simply.

Jewel snorted. "Yeah right, the only exercise you do is pressing the remote button. Or so Max says."

Alec mock glared at her. "I do too exercise!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"What was that?" Dawn asked, eyes wide, cutting their childish bickering as an ear piercing scream echoed from upstairs.

"On it," Alec said, blurring up the stairs.

"He probably thinks that it's Max," Jewel said shaking her head. "Max does not scream."

"Let's go find out who it is then," Dawn said moving up the stairs.

Alec skidded to a stop in front of Buffy's bedroom, and was about to fling open the door to find out why Max was screaming her head off –

More screams.

And it was not coming from Buffy's bedroom.

He raced further down the hallway and stopped right in front of one of the guest bedrooms, where some of the potential slayers slept. The door was wide-open. And standing inside was Amanda, a pretty brunette that was currently wearing a horrified, tear-streaked face. She was staring at –

"Oh goddess."

Willow had entered the room along with Dawn, Jewel, and Kennedy. All of them were staring at the dreadful sight in front of them.

It was Vi.

She was hanging from the ceiling.

With a rope secured tightly around her neck.

The night was slowly fading into dawn and Buffy watched the clouds roll past in silent contentment, as she leaned back in Spike's arms, a blissful smile on her face.

"We should start to head in, now." Buffy said, tearing herself away from Spike's embrace, and starting towards the back basement door. "Or you're gonna get fried."

Spike nodded and followed her into the empty basement. Wait – empty basement? Weren't they just here a couple of minutes ago? Buffy thought, baffled. Surely, their planning wasn't over yet. There was still much to go over through.

Spike must've caught her puzzled glance because he said. "Maybe they went to have breakfast?"

Buffy shook her head. "I don't think so. It's only like, 5:30 in the morning. It's not even all that light outside yet. They can't have breakfast yet. We still need to finish the planning!" Without waiting for a response, she jogged up the stairs, the blonde- vampire at her heels.

The living room was vacant as well, so was the kitchen for that matter.

"Upstairs?" Spike cocked an eyebrow.

Buffy said nothing, but she ran up the stairs to see everyone gathered at the guest bedroom. All of them were circled around something that had captured their attention. Gee, must be really fascinating.

"Hey guys," she greeted loudly, breaking the soft murmurs coming from the small group.

Everyone merely stared at her, and they moved out of the way in order for Buffy to see what they were all looking at. The minute she did, her jaw dropped. "Vi?" she asked inaudibly. "Wow, I never knew – out of everyone – I never knew that she'd be the first one to break..."

Jewel nodded sympathetically. "She must've been really depressed to commit suicide."

Amanda, Vi's closest friend was sobbing hysterically into Dawn's shoulder, while the later comforted her gently.

"She wasn't depressed," a girl named Nicole said, her eyes downcast on the floor. Buffy could see traces of tears dotting her cheeks. "She was simply scared."

"Scared?" Buffy echoed. "Scared of what? She's a Potential..."

"Scared of being massacred by vampires...demons...evil," Nicole continued. "She once said to me that she'd rather kill herself than be killed."

"And you didn't tell us?" Buffy asked, breathing in and out, trying to stay calm.

Nicole shrugged. "Well, you know Vi. She says things as if she's joking. Sometimes, you'd think she's just kidding around. When actually, she isn't. We weren't exactly close ya' know. We just had this conversation once, over dinner. And she told me that." Nicole forced out an apologetic smile. "Sorry I didn't tell you guys."

"That's okay," Buffy said through clenched teeth. She couldn't believe that she lost one of 'her' girls. She was supposed to be responsible for every one of them. She was supposed to take care for each of them. They were torn out of their homes and families, the least she could do was be their family while they were here. And losing one of them was like losing one of her family members. It was a painful feeling.

"Funny, isn't it?" a voice spoke from behind them.

Shrieks erupted when they saw who it was.

It was Vi.

Or rather, Vi's ghost. The First.

"A Potential Slayer slays herself out of fear of being killed by the creatures she is supposed to slay" Vi smirked, her dark brown eyes filled with madness. "Goes to show you that no matter how gifted you are. You're still human." She spat out the last word like it was something disgusting. "And humans are, andwill always be weak."

"We are not weak!" Amanda shrieked through her tears. "Vi was not weak! She was just scared..."

The Vi who was not, laughed mirthlessly. "Fear. A human feeling. Fear is weakness, you stupid girl."

And with those final words, she disappeared.

A/N: I know that it wasn't Vi who died in the Buffy episode—but I couldn't remember the girl's name...anyways, I wanna ask you guys somethin', Spike calls Angel 'Peaches' right? Or is it 'Poofster'? (I don't really know much about Angel) Can you guys tell me? REVIEW!