DISCLAIMER: Yes, I'm evil. I left you with a very stressful cliffhanger last chapter. And I'd do it again, I tell you. Mwahahahaha! Ooh, what's going to happen to our hapless hero and heroine next? I can't tell you. Well, okay, twist my arm. Ow, not literally! Geez, I was already planning to tell you....

Sara closed her eyes as the realization hit her that this was the end. It was not a huge surprise. Death came to all slayers, some sooner than others, and now it was her turn. In these last moments, there was no quick montage of her life, no regrets, no pleading with a higher power to be spared. There was only resignation, and the hope that it would be quick.

"Let her go."

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Shaun's voice. There he was, standing in front of them, aiming a gun at the vamp's head.

"I said, let her go," he repeated.

The vamp laughed. "A gun? You think that scares me? I can dodge bullets."

"Oh, yeah," Shaun said. "Well, dodge this!" The pistol shot a stream of water at the vamp. His face burned from the holy water and he released Sara. She delivered a roundhouse kick to his stomach that sent him flying back into the other vampires. Snatching up her backpack, she jumped behind the bar and Shaun followed.

"You hit me," he stated, almost sadly.

"I said I was sorry."

"Why would you hit me? We're on the same side."

"It was for your own good. And I needed you out of my way." She grabbed a seltzer bottle from under the bar and filled it with holy water.

"I brought my own gun, by the way." He held up the water pistol. "Figured it might come in handy. If I'm going to be your trusty sidekick."

"Yes, that's very resourceful of you."

"Look, Sara, I really think we need to talk about your trust issues."

"Maybe now is not the best time to talk about this, Shaun."

"No, I'm serious. You refuse to get close to people because you're afraid that you'll lose them. But if you go through life like that, without feeling anything for anybody, you're no better than a...a zombie."

She looked at him. "I'm a zombie? You're comparing me to a zombie?"

"Yes, I am. Apart from the being alive and not eating people's flesh, you are the equivalent of a zombie."

"Fine, let's talk about you then. Liz left you a month ago, and you're still not over it. You were with her for three years, and she never truly appreciated you. She never made you feel like you were the only person in the world that could truly make her happy, did she? For a while you were there, you were convenient. And then she got tired of you and dropped you. So if you're quite done being Liz's lapdog, I'd appreciate it if you'd cover me." She placed the seltzer bottle full of holy water into his hands. "Because unless you help me fight off all these vamps, we're both going to die tonight without ever knowing where our potential friendship and/or relationship might have gone. Fair enough?"

He considered for a moment. "Yeah, that's fair."

"Right. Count of three. One...two...three!" They both jumped up from behind the bar. Sara fired her crossbow into the nearest vamp, while Shaun fired with his water pistol in one hand and the seltzer bottle in the other. He felt just like Antonio Banderas in Desperado.

She jumped to the other side of the bar, carrying open bottles of vodka and tequila, and ordered Shaun to follow her. Shaun kept them at bay with the holy water while Sara poured alcohol on the floor as they both moved toward the door. Once they'd reached it, she retrieved the lighter that Shaun had given her from her pocket.

"G'night, boys. It's been a blast," she said as she dropped the lighter to the floor. Flames shot up immediately, the fire following the trail of alcohol and engulfing everything, vamps and all, in its path. Shaun grabbed Sara and tossed her through the doorway onto the stairs. He then fell on top of her to shield her from the flames.

"Ow," she squeaked in a small voice.

"Sorry, are you okay?"

"No," she groaned, struggling to her feet. "But I am alive, thanks to you."

"Oh, it's no problem. Guess that makes us even then."

"Yeah, I guess so."

He gently brushed her hair aside to glance at the deep red gash on her forehead. "That's a nasty cut you've got there. Better get it bandaged up."

"I've got plenty of first aid supplies back at my flat. Another perk of the job."

They emerged from the stairway onto the street. An empty street.

"Um, where's my car?"

"Oh my God," Shaun said slowly. "I left the keys in it."

"You what?"

"Well, you were about to be beaten to death and drained of blood by a group of vampires. It was a stressful time. I can't be expected to think of every detail when I'm under such stress, now can I?"

"I think it's a bloody big detail that I have no car, Shaun!"

They stood there on the street in awkward silence.

"Fancy a walk then?" he suggested.

"Yeah, okay."

A few blocks later, they secured a mini-cab and Shaun excitedly uttered the words "Step on it!" after giving him directions to his house in Crouch End, deciding that it was closer than trying to return to Whitechapel.

He unlocked the door and let her enter. "First thing we need to do is take care of that cut," he declared. Throwing down her bag, she followed him upstairs to the bathroom. He searched through the cabinets for alcohol, bandages, anything else he'd seen used in movies and on television to treat wounds.

"I think you're obligated to say 'This might hurt a bit' in a condescending tone," she joked, taking a seat on the edge of the bathtub.

"Actually, it will hurt a bit, because I have no idea what I'm doing." He knelt in front of her and cautiously dabbed an alcohol-soaked washcloth at the gash on her head.

"Ow!" she said with a pained intake of breath.

"Look, I'm trying my best not to hurt you. Now hold still."

She pouted but remained still while he cleaned the wound and placed a bandage on it.

"There, all better." He smiled at her and suddenly she felt the pain was lessened. "Anything else I need to take a lot at?" he inquired, looking at the scrapes and bruises on her arms.

"No, Dr. Riley, I'll be fine."

"Well, let's wait till you're properly healed before we start playing 'doctor'," he said with a wink, patting her shoulder and rising to his feet.

"Shaun!?" she gasped. "Filthy bitch..."

"You love it," he replied, putting away the first aid supplies. "I can get you a shirt, if you want something to change into. And I can sleep on the couch if you'd rather have the bed."

"No, no, the couch is fine. That'd be great."

"Okay." He turned and walked through the doorway.

"Shaun?"

"Yeah?"

"What I did tonight was really stupid, wasn't it?"

"You were upset about your friend. You thought you could set things right. Any superpowered female would have done the same," he consoled, leaning on the doorway. "Well, apart from Storm. She would have thrown lightning bolts at them or something. And Rogue, she might have just drained the life out of them. Now Jean Grey might have thrown stakes at them with her mind--"

"Okay, I get it," she interrupted. "Thanks, Shaun."

"No problem. I'll go put the kettle on." He turned and made his way down the stairs.

The next morning, sunlight flooded into Shaun's living room. Sara turned on the couch to escape it. Every inch of her body was racked with pain. Even her eyelids hurt. She didn't want to open them, but she heard Shaun's footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Morning," he greeted, peeking around the corner.

"Hi."

"Did you sleep all right?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Do you want tea or coffee?"

"Tea, please," she requested, and he disappeared into the kitchen. She heard the clank of dishes and utensils coming from the other room. She struggled to sit up on the couch as she heard a knock at the front door.

"I'll get it!" Shaun called. He opened the door to admit a disheveled Michael.

"Neither of you reported to work this morning," he stated.

"Yeah, well, we got a bit sidetracked," Shaun replied, returning to his work in the kitchen.

"Michael, is that you?" inquired a voice from the next room.

He followed the voice into the living room and found Sara, sitting on Shaun's couch wearing one of his white dress shirts. His mind started to leap to conclusions. Surely this was not happening. The last thing he needed was a slayer sleeping around with the new recruit. "What's going on?"

At his shocked expression, she was reminded what the situation must look like. "Michael, it's not what you think. Shaun and I ran into trouble last night. I slept here on his couch because it was closer than going home."

Michael sighed in relief. "Thank goodness for that. The last thing we need right now is an emotionally-conflicted slayer who's more worried about spending time with her boyfriend than preventing the upcoming apocalypse."

"He is not my boyfriend," she protested. Shaun had entered the room with the tea tray and placed it on the coffee table, handing her a cup. "Thanks, babe."

Michael shook his head and took a seat in the nearest armchair. "I suppose you know about Will?"

Sara sadly nodded.

"Yes, well, we don't exactly have time to mourn him. Things have been set in motion. We need to act quickly to stop them."

"Just give me some time," Sara said slowly.

"Time is a luxury we do not have," he insisted. "And no amount of grieving and feeling sorry for yourself is going to bring Will back. Now, you have a job to do. I suggest you get out there and do it."

Shaun stepped in front of him. "Just leave her alone. Have you any idea what she's been through? All the sacrifices she's made for your cause? She nearly died last night!"

"She knew what this life meant when she chose it. She accepted the sacrifices."

"She's just lost her best friend, for Christ's sake!"

"She's lost a lot more than that." Michael leaned forward and spoke directly to Sara. "Davrok attacked the Council last night. He and his makeshift army slaughtered everyone they found. Only a few of us escaped with our lives. Do you see why we don't have time for you to lie there on a couch drinking tea?"

"No, that can't be true," she said in disbelief, looking desperately to Shaun. "That's not possible."

"I assure you it is possible," Michael stated. "And it's only the beginning."