Disclaimer: I'm just taking it out for a spin and hoping that I'm not pulled over.

Rating: Eh… let's call it a PG-13 to be safe.

Feedback: If it's not too much trouble I'd greatly appreciate it!

!!!Author's Note!!!: Hey, this is going to be a short chapter. I had originally planned on making just one long chapter, but then realized that I'd found a good stopping point and that I didn't want to lose track of time and nd up posting it in August. So, in short, this chapter is going to be short, and the next one is going to be short, but hopefully the speedy updates will make up for that.

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Back in Sunnydale…

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"Holy—!" the young man screamed, jumping off the park bench in fright. He'd been deeply involved in necking with his girlfriend, getting to third-base with her the only thing on his hormone-enraged mind, but when he'd seen her eyes go wide and heard her shriek of terror he'd paused and turned around. The thing facing him was something out of a Stephen King movie, but he wasn't going to stick around to question whether or not this creature was real. He wanted to live, thank you very much.

His girlfriend (a blonde who went above and beyond the call of duty as a stereotype) couldn't stop screeching and looked as though she was totally oblivious to the idea of running. She seemed determined to scare this bloodsucker away simply by flailing her arms and legs and screaming bloody murder. But, as all good horror movie watchers know, if that's the best defense you've got then you're going to show up in the credits as "third dead teenager".

The cause of all this commotion was a fledgling vampire that looked as young and untrained as he truly was. He'd been sired only last week by a minion that had been about as smart as a bowl of tapioca pudding. Sadly, his sire was no longer among the living, having been staked by a six-year-old three nights ago. (At the time, the child in question had been wielding a very dangerous Popsicle stick.) Needless to say, the fledgling was not all that great a hunter, and so when he came across the dumb chick and her equally stupid jock of a boyfriend making out in the park, he considered it a stroke of luck. Dinner would be no trouble at all tonight, and if he played his cards right dessert wasn't totally out of the question, either.

Unbeknownst to all of them, however, was the fact that all of the yelling had attracted the attention of the sensitive-eared Slayer, Buffy Summers.

Heaving a sigh, the Chosen One sprinted off in the direction of the noise, whipping out a stake and thinking that this better not be another false alarm. Not even an hour ago she'd heard a similar scream, and had run to the screamer's aid only to discover that it was just some kids playing tackle football. Surprise! But seriously— Who played football at two in the morning?

But it's not like I have anything important to do, right? she grumbled silently, upping her speed another notch. Noooo, it's not like I might actually want to sleep tonight. What sane person would want to do that?

"I would," she muttered quietly as she turned into the park.

She spotted the trouble quickly enough, and had to keep from rolling her eyes in disgust. Before her was a classic-to-the-point-of-being-cliché scene: guy and girl have a make out session in the park, pheromones, hot blood and noises then attract vampire, who scares guy off bench and causes girl to freak out. If this were a TV show, she'd fire the writers.

The "brave" boyfriend was currently scrambling away backwards like a crab, his baggy pants nearly all of the way off and his mouth open like a fish. The vampire seemed to be ignoring him for the moment, however, and was leaning down towards a shrieking ball of pink, fluffy cotton that Buffy could only assume was the guy's girlfriend.

"Duty calls," she murmured, not without a detectable hint of reluctance.

"Hey, dirt-brain!"

The vampire turned in her direction, confused.

Buffy strolled towards him, concealing her stake ever so slightly behind her back. She wouldn't have been able to hide her identity from a Master vampire, but then again this guy didn't look much like a master of anything.

"That's right, big boy— I'm talking to you. Maybe you're not such a large, slobbering idiot, after all."

The fledgling (his human name had been Andy) snarled a little at that, but remained where he was, unsure of what to do. Yes, he should drain this newcomer for talking to him like that, and she was just a girl, but he already had a prime meal curled up before him. If he tried to get this new girl, she might escape him. And if she escaped him, this curled up ball of blood wouldn't be here when he got back. Also, on the other hand…

"I've seen slugs that move faster than you! Are you just going to stand there drooling all night?"

Ah, screw it.

Buffy smirked and crouched low as the fledgling charged her, his game face pulled back in a snarl and his arms out in front of him. She waited patiently until he was right on her, and made like she was going to attack him straight on. At the crucial moment, however, she darted to the left and stuck her right leg out. He tripped over it as she'd known he would, and the second his face hit the dirt she shifted her weight enough to stab her stake through his exposed back and into his heart.

Buffy coughed and waved the resulting dust out of her face, frowning.

Stupid vampires and their vampire-dust, she cursed. I'm going to get a sinus infection one of these days.

She turned around and spotted the couple again. The guy was finally on his feet with his pants up, and he was hugging his girlfriend, who stood beside him. Both were staring at her with wide, amazed eyes. Buffy set her jaw and strode over to them angrily.

"You," she bit out, stabbing an accusing finger at the girl, "are the reason that blondes have stereotypes."

The girlfriend gawked.

"And you," she turned to the boy, "are simply pathetic. The two of you go home right now, and stay there."

The teens looked at each other, seemed to agree that it was indeed time to leave, and turned to do just that… and quickly.

"And no stopping to smooch!" Buffy yelled after their retreating figures.

She watched them for a moment longer, and then sighed. Her shoulders sagged, her eyelids drooped, and her whole body just sort of deflated. She was tired. She was tired, and she wanted to go home. But, casting another glance at her watch, she knew in her heart that she couldn't— not just yet. There were still a good two more hours of darkness left, and some of the more desperate vamps saw this time as perfect for hunting.

But, she thought, brightening, that didn't mean that she couldn't make a quick stop for a pick-me up at one of the twenty-four hour places; coffee sounded really good right about now.

With this cheerful idea in place she made her way out of the park. No more than a few minutes later she was strolling down the empty sidewalk, her heart set on a good cappuccino. Mmmm…. Cappuccino….

"Oof!"

Her glazed eyes refocused and she backed up hurriedly away from the person she'd bumped into.

"Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry, are you o—?" She broke off in recognition. "Clem?"

The fuzzy, dog-eared demon waved at her eagerly, wearing a large and goofy grin. "Hi, Buffy! How did you recognize me?"

"Oh, it wasn't that hard," she said, amused. Clem was wearing a long gray trench coat and a black broad-brimmed hat, but even that wasn't enough to hide his downy puppy ears. Or his face, for that matter.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"I'm just coming back from Willy's. Demons got a free drink tonight and I couldn't resist. So, what are you doing out here?"

"I'm patrolling," Buffy answered, and was surprised to discover that she had to stifle a yawn.

Clem's cheer went down a notch at that, and his ears seemed to droop even more. He was still very uncomfortable at the idea that she was The Slayer— it was instinctive, he supposed. "Oh. I, uh, I didn't know that you worked so late."

"Neither did I," Buffy muttered. "By the way, I've noticed that I never see any of your kind when I go out. Why is that?"

"Oh, that?" Clem responded with a laugh. "My species tends to shy away from hot spots like the Hellmouth. We are soft and covered with fuzz, after all. I just came here because my cousin Benny recommended it as a good place to find some fun. I discovered Parcheesi here, you know."

"Your cousin Benny? Where's he?"

"He's dead," Clem said simply.

She immediately regretted asking. "Oh, I'm sorry, was he…?"

"No, no. He wasn't Slain, if that's what you're asking. He got food-poisoning in Tijuana; my kind have very sensitive stomachs."

Buffy couldn't help thinking that it was a weird way to go.

Clem tilted his head a little, looking so much like a detective from an old black-and-white in that one moment that it was scary. "You look tired," he commented.

"Yeah, I've been patrolling all night and—"

"No, I mean emotionally. Like you've had a lot to deal with." Suddenly, realization (though of what, Buffy couldn't guess) dawned in his eyes. "Oh geez, you must still be feeling sad about Willow. She was a nice girl. It's too bad she left."

Both time and Buffy's heart stopped.

"What do you know about that?" she asked, the smile on her face only there because it had frozen on.

Clem seemed to notice her change and was instantly eager to be anywhere but here. His mouth snapped shut.

"I asked," Buffy reiterated, in a dangerous, sickly sweet tone, "what do you know about that?"

The demon gulped. "I-I heard things… just a few, really! Nothing you'd be interested in…"

"Tell me." The Slayer's voice left no room for arguments.

"Only that Willow had gone through some real bad stuff… That's she'd grown in power too much too fast, and that it had taken control over her when her girlfriend died. That's all."

"No." The Chosen One's cold eyes searched his face. "No, you're lying… that's not all you know."

As a rule, Buffy did not hurt the innocent. Number One: it was wrong, and Number Two: it made her look like nothing more than an assassin or hit-woman for the PTB— neither of which she truly was. On the other hand, however, Buffy wasn't home. The Slayer was, and The Slayer didn't care about Number One or Number Two. The Slayer only cared about getting the information it wanted out of the demon's mouth.

So, know that when she rammed Clem up against the brick wall, her forearm pressing firm against his jugular and her knee inches away from his family jewels, she wasn't Buffy— she was The Slayer.

"What else do you know?" she snarled. "I suggest you tell me everything, my friend, because if you don't than I'm going to have to get it out of you some other way."

Clem had never been one to get into fights or scuffles for one very good reason— he disliked pain. Couldn't tolerate it, in fact. Perhaps it was just another weakness of his species. Who knew? Clem certainly didn't. All he was sure of was that his privates were trembling in fear and his neck felt as though it had a gods-damned barbell pressing into it.

"O-Okay. I—" he choked momentarily, and Buffy released the pressure just enough for him to regain some air flow. "I heard fr-from the stronger dem-demons around t-t-town, okay? They said that her, her girlfr-girlfriend was killed and that she," another fit of coughs, "she lost it and tried to end the, the world."

Buffy stepped—

(staggered)

—back in shock, and Clem slumped to the ground in relief, massaging his neck.

"You, you heard all of that from just, just various demons?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," he coughed out, before attempting to clear his throat. "I also heard that she went somewhere with Giles, came back, and then left again."

"But how…" she was momentarily at a loss for words. "…How did anyone know that she tried to end the world? There was no one on that cliff but Willow and Xander. I didn't even know until Giles told me, and none of my friends would have talked to the demons about it. Spike couldn't have, either! He wasn't even in town! He went on some failed mission. How could they know?"

For once, Clem looked up at her in astonishment. "Geez… you mean you don't…? Didn't you feel it?"

She was silent, her eyes telling him everything.

"You didn't, did you? Wow…"

"Why?" Buffy nearly shrieked from frustration. "Why is that such a big deal?!"

"Because everyone felt it," Clem said quietly. "It didn't matter if you were a vampire, witch, or halfling. I mean, I felt it, and I'm not even that much of a demon. I can't imagine what the more powerful wizards and demons must have felt."

"Do you mean to tell me," said Buffy with a wide, frightened look, "that any creature of the supernatural knows what Willow tried to do and how much power she has?"

Buffy didn't even wait for his chin to reach his chest in a nod before she took off at a sprint to Giles' house.

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"Giles? Giles!"

"…. The bloody…?" The Englishman murmured as he arose drowsily from sleep. After fumbling for his glasses on the nightstand and plunking them on, he glanced at his alarm clock and clutched his head in irritation and general sleepiness. "I don't know who it is," he muttered, "but if they expect me to answer my door at two in the morning they can go get stuffed!"

"Giles?! Are you up?! It's me, Buffy! I need to talk to you! It's important!"

The Watcher's eyes nearly rolled back in his head and he moaned. Nothing's important at three in the morning unless it involves sleep, he thought petulantly. Go away!

"Look, I'm going to go get Anya and Xander! I'll meet you at the Magic Box around six. Don't forget!"

He listened as closely as his pounding head would allow, and thought he heard the footsteps trailing away from his front door. Then, loosing a relieved sigh, he flopped back down on his pillow and attempted to go to bed once more.

Be there at six. Uh huh.

Not bleeding likely.

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Review Returns:

Sigma1: Lol, I'm pretty sure that you'd have to get in line to beat Snape up… there are a lot of fans ahead of you. :-D. Also, I'm glad that you think I'm getting the hang of these chapters, because sometimes I'm just not so sure. Anywho, thanks for the review!

Cow as White as Milk: Thank you very much for the review, but… what the heck does ROFLMAO mean?!

Kir: Well thanks for joining the crew, Kir! I'm glad that you enjoy the story, and your suggestion had already been twisted into the story plotline… can't say much more on that for now, but you'll probably see what I mean next chapter.

Brandyllyn: Wow, thanks. I feel as though I've received an award of some kind… Wow. Also, as to the hat thing, I too often have trouble finding one when I need it. Thanks for the review, and I hope to receive more from you in the future!

BC1: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this one as well!

Phoenix83ad: -chuckle- Yet another lengthy and pleasant review from you, phoenix. Leave the story on the back burner? Goodness, no! This is positively the most popular story I've ever written, and it would be wrong to abandon it. Also, yes, many DO want to slap Snape silly, so one has to admire Willow's self-control on the matter. As to not doing a Snape/Willow story, no problem. I've never really liked them myself. I can only hope that you will like the person that she'll be paired with, but I'd like to emphasis that the future relationship is NOT the focus of this story, and the decision to even have one was, in my mind, a last minute decision. Anywho, thanks for the lengthy review, and I'm glad that you found my explanation acceptable!

Spearsister: Lol, I like how you think. Thanks for the review!

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Well, I really do hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, and you can probably expect the next one in a week or so. Thanks again for your patience and compliments!

Tootles!