The mansions ballroom was decorated to a T, but nothing sort of this was expected of the Order. Unexpectedly the colors where white and gold, Dacius thought that red and black were too 'stereotypical' and that the colors represented her better, ' the one ray of sunshine in their dark world'. She laughed at that but let him go lavish up the room none the less.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Please would you just still yourself or I will never be done with this hem!" Maria the seamstress complained over her pinned mouth.

Buffy just rolled her eyes and laughed with Willow who was in a stunning black number. Everyone was required to wear black and only Buffy would adorn white, she hated all this attention but her father wouldn't hear her pleas for just a little black to her attire. So here she was on a giant stool with three girls running around her trying the bring her to her fathers vision of perfection, which was impossible if you asked her.

"Hey Will's, you want to trade?" She said gesturing to her dress.

"Oh no I will not try Dacius's patience tonight Buffy, you know he's wound tight over this party, no pranks tonight." She said with a stern voice but a soft smile. Sometimes Buffy forgot how much older her friends were to her, centuries older was the youngest. "This is your Inauguration Ball, the day where The Order recognizes you as practically loyalty. There is already rumors of The Master proclaiming you his favored tonight which would seriously piss off some people but a real honor to you."

"Ugh you mean fruit punch mouth was invited? And what do you mean 'his favored' Will?" Said the blond as her head shot up at the sound of one of the oldest vampires known.

"Buffy that's supposed to be vampire perfection!" Willow said in a stern voice before she started to giggle, "But you're right , he does look really funny. Favored means just what it sounds like, he is our leader Buffy and if you're his favored then, you will be next to rule The Order should that Master be dust."

"Willow I don't understand, Dacius or Giles isn't even that close to the Master, why should he pick me?" Buffy was getting upset now, there we're things here that didn't make sense.

"Buffy I don't know, they are just rumors but think about it, a potential slayer turned vampire who then was called. That's a powerful being and someone that powerful deserves a place in the world. The Master knows this and has been watching you, you who beat and retrained the Orders armies, you who even before being turned made vampires fear you not because of lineage but because of you, you who the Council trains Slayers to avoid unless in great numbers. Face if Buffy, whether you like it or not you're very known throughout the world at this point." Willow said almost sympathetically, though with a twinge of jealousy.

"I didn't want this, I don't even know why dad didn't kill me the night he found me Willow so don't hate me because of this." Buffy said with sad eyes.

"No- no Buffy I don't hate you I just wish you could see what a great gift this was or could be…"Willow stuttered, not realizing she let her emotions show.

"Oh yeah well who is his favored right now?" Buffy questioned.

"Umm, I think it is currently Darla but she hasn't shown face in decades and Darla's second is Angelus which the Master truly hates for his inability to be subservient-"Willow rambled on

"Oh and what exactly happens when Darla shows or I'm not subservient which we all know I am not…" Buffy said with a perfectly arched eyebrow

"I umm.. I suppose you're right, if you are picked then you may become more endangered…"Truthfully Willow never thought of that and it made her eyes amber in thought.

"Will's lets not think about it, its just a rumor correct?" Willow nodded "Then lets get the show on the road. How do I look?" Buffy did a small spin to show off her backless, almost showing off her butt, white dress with a high neck front and hair done up in a curly updo with diamond headbands. She looked like a Greek goddess.

"Wonderful, now lets make this entrance before Dacius has my hide." Willow said opening her bedroom suite's door. At the door leaned two men in black on black suites, on wearing converse shoes. That made Buffy laugh.

"Hello Xander, nice shoes Oz" She said pointing to his comfortable footwear. "Dacius might forgive you but Giles will give you hell." She said with a wink. Oz just shrugged his shoulders and gave a kiss to willow.

"Alright Kiddies lets make our entrance." Xander said with a jump.

"Bloody hell what a turn out this came out to be, all for a chit no one has seen, only heard of." Spike said slitting his wrist and adding a few drop to the crystal goblet being magically warm.

"Well I hope she can stand up to her name," Angelus held up his invitation "Elizabeth, not very menacing is it?"

"No not really, oh look Dru is 'ere." Spike said cheering up as he spotted his on again off again girlfriend. "And Willow." He said with another grin, she was his little obsession. "And Oz" he growled as he notice the boy on her arm.

"Down boy, go say hello to Dru." Angelus said to Spike turning his companion on the path towards the dark beauty. "Willow wont even look at you this decade." Spike grudgingly walked on and cursed Angelus.

'Well hello salty goodness' Cordelia said as she spotted Angelus walking in, she has been trying to vie for his attention ever since he fucked her one night about a century ago. He'd said he would write, needless to say she has been following him since. She was the youngest here, next to that slut Bunny or something, but that doesn't mean she didn't earn her place here. Oh she earned it, The Order was almost impossible to, almost, unless you were invited, by being a consort. Well her 'master' conveniently got dusted a few decades ago, and she's still got a membership.

"Hello Angelus…" She purred trying to rub her little black dress against his leather.

"Cordy, you survived." Angelus was seriously surprised she hadn't been dusted yet. He groaned in annoyance as he tried to walk away, but she clung to his arm.

"So are you here with anyone?" Cordy cooed, trying her best to sound seductive but it was too saccharine, too forced.

"Tonight I'm looking forward to a certain Elizabeth…" Angelus said with a smirk and glint in his eye.

"Elizabeth? Eliz…oh you mean Buffy." Cordelia giggled. "Yeah I was screwing Xander for awhile and met her, a butch little thing that loves her leather more than her hair. I mean the girl is a walking female failure."

"Buffy huh? Elizabeth must be her human name, strange that Dacius would still call her that." Angelus mussed to himself.

"Oh it's what people close to her call her." Cordelia said nonchalantly as a hush came over the crowd. "here comes Bunny now…"

"I thought you said her name was…" But Angelus stopped himself mid-sentence as Buffy entered the ballroom looking every bit the legend she was fast becoming "Oh wow, wasn't I just so wrong" he whispered to himself.

Buffy entered at the top of the stairs such a Cinderella moment, though everyone in here is too old to get that pop culture reference she thought as she walked down the steps with her father on her arm and a smile from Giles as she walked by him and Olivia who was visiting. A hush was over the crowd and then fevered whispering and Buffy was so glad she didn't blush any longs. A large dais was in the middle of the floor so she set her sights on that and didn't deter.

Until she saw him.

Angelus.

Well that's what Dacius told her his name was after she stared at him a bit much, going so far as to look back after she walked by. Not too obvious, well yeah it is, but Buffy seemed to do it in a way that made other males around her groan at the steamy look directed at the Scourge of Europe.

"Lets keep those looks a little under control before you start a frenzy in here." Dacius whispered in her as they reached the dais and The Master.

"Welcome, one and all to Buffy's Inauguration Ball tonight is a night for entertainment and surprises, and of course to show off our dear and dangerous Buffy." The Master said around his fangs laying a shriveled hand on her shoulder, she did her best not to give a visible flinch. "Now before the blood bowl, she must first show that she is worthy…"

This statement made Buffy nervous; Dacius never said that there will be trials or worthy-ness tests.

"Bring forth the traitors and their cohorts ." The Master ordered and two vampires and three Slayers emerged from out of the crowd, each with several of The Order's guard. "To be deemed worthy of such a gift you must show me your strength, your agility and your viciousness, then you may get…" He raised his wrist and slashed it letting his blood spill into the goblet, an audible gasp came from the crowd. "my blood."

Buffy took a quick look down at her beautiful dress and looked at Dacius and The Master for permission to change. The Master granted it and she ran to another room with Willow on her tail.

"Well isn't that just a little twist to the fun Angelus." Spike said as he returned to his Sire's side during this brief intermission. "We'll finally see what everyone is so chatty about. Oh and I say we were bloody wrong about Elizabeth…"

"Buffy…" Angelus said, almost in a dazed voice.

"What? I cant bloody well hear you…" Spike said in annoyance.

"Her friends call her Buffy, Elizabeth is her human name. And we were wrong, Spike, very-very wrong." Angelus said catching his voice and staring in the direction that Buffy had exited and then at the ring the guards were constructing.

"Oh bloody hell, Angelus are you fucking going to try and bed this girl?" Spike said incredulously, but Angelus just gave him a small grin. "Do you remember why we aren't allowed in to step foot in Spain? Have you forgotten the wives you slept with?"

Angelus pretended to ignore Spike.

"Oh no, no you listen to me. This is The Order's little golden child, DACIUS'S DAUGHTER! You remember Dacius right? Second eldest that we know…You screw that girl, and then pull one of your 'Ill see you around' acts, our unlives would be truly over."

"Shut up Spike, she's back." Angelus said while Spike just glared and growled.

Buffy returned to the ballroom in black leather pants and a red leather corset, Dacius glared at his daughters apparel but everyone else in the ballroom got slightly hot under the collar, well they would have had they had circulation.

"Slut." Cordelia hissed as Buffy walked past.

This was the first time Buffy noticed that Cordelia showed. Cordelia, or as she liked to call her 'whoredelia' after the way she played with Xander, and half The Order.

"Jealous." Buffy laughed and didn't look back, she wasn't worth her attention.

A ring was constructed, magically, so that the prisoners couldn't escape the blue sand but Buffy could enter.

"Dear Buffy, I like that better than Elizabeth, these beings tried to assassinate some of the higher members of The Order just last night, and I say what timing! Now we may show what happens to traitors… Buffy if you would please…" The Master commanded as he pointed to the worried people in the ring.

She simply stepped into the ring and felt the wave of power, it sent her back a little and she felt the wall of magic to her back. The vampires and the Slayers got into a fighting stance and the room started to hum with excitement. All over vampires were worried that this was too much. Usually a team of vampires would take out a single Slayer but there were three in there, plus a few of their own.

"By Order of The Master you have all been sentenced to death." Buffy said very officially with no emotion in her voice. With that she started to circle like the predator she was.

"Bloody hell, we came to a party where the host gets slaughtered before us…Would be fun if she wasn't so pretty." Spike snorted.

"Beautiful." Angelus said. "Magnificent."

"What?" Spike said trying to keep his eyes on the action.

"The lass is maore tha' pretty boy." Angelus said reverting back to his accent.

'Shit' Spike thought 'His is way deep with her'

Meanwhile Buffy had started in with the vampires since it was just easier, one tried to jump at her but she ducked and easily slid beneath him, sprung up behind him and pulled out her sword (she was a true old weapon girl) and sliced off his head neatly… dust swirled around her which just made the other vampires mad. A slayer was next and after a clumsy attack a swift twist of the neck killed her as well. Twenty minutes later the subjects were killed and Buffy stood in the middle with a slight grin on her face.

"Quite wonderful darling, you truly are magnificent. Come, come drink your fill and lets truly begin this evening." The Master said with a grin on his face.

Finally… Buffy thought as she walked the step to the dais and was handed the chalice. Turning around to face her people she brought the bowl to her lips and as a coincidence, locked eyes with a brown eyed angel… as the first drop touched her lip a fire spread through her body then all was black

WHY WHY WHY?Why would I leave you with such a cliff hanger?..cuz I want reviews… greedy? I know!