Things change after Willow spends the night with her new girlfriend. Patrick stumbles upon a potential apocalypse, and wants to help Buffy avert it.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2003

Xander stood in the Bronze, looking around at nothing in particular. "Hey there, Xandy" he heard Zooey say from behind, right before she slapped his butt. He jumped, startled, but pleasantly startled, and turned around.

"Zooey! How wonderful it is to see you."

"Whats with the solo act?"

"Elise had to work on a story tonight, so she couldnt make it."

"You seen Willow?"

"No. Not tonight. Not yet anyway."

"Guess shes running a little late. See ya round Xandy." Zooey walked away. Xander took a few deep breaths. Zooey always had a way of making his heart race. And she gave every indication that she knew this and thoroughly enjoyed having this effect on Xander.

A few minutes later, Willow arrived. Zooey was equal parts relieved, delighted, and nervous. This was their first real date. She wasnt the only one who wa nervous. "Your hair," Willow began. "Its different. Its - "

"A lot less purple. Sometimes I get bored and change like that."

"I like it. And I like the changing. Its like something new all the time."

"I think I could try any color, except for that sunset red-orange you have, cause you do that one perfectly, and whats the point of competing with perfection?"

"Wowie," Willow gasped. She was also nervous. It was her first real date since Tara.

Zooey tried more small talk. "You look good, really good. Pants are nice. They new?"

"Oh, these? No. Got them like three years ago."

"Just hadnt seen you in leather before. I feel sorta silly for wearing the same thing."

"Dont. You look great. And besides, yours are different. Theyre darker, shinier, and, well, tighter. Besides, one might say it makes us look more like a couple." Zooey smiled.

Xander watched a young gentleman watch Zooey and Willow. He was about an inch shorter than Xander, skinny, with sideburns and black hair which was fashionably unkept. The sort of careless look it can take an hour to put together if you dont know what youre doing. But he did. Xander approached the stranger.

"Quite the couple, huh," Xander said.

"Zooey knows how to pick em."

"You know Zooey?"

"Used to date her. You?"

"Im best friends with Willow. The woman Zooeys with. The three of us, weve hung out some. Zooeys a real cool, fun, exciting girl."

"Sure was."

Zooey saw the two men talking. "Arent they an adorable couple," she asked, pointing Willows head in that. "What do you think of the guy Xanders with?"

"Hes cute. Kinda sexy, if youre into that kind. But hes definitely not Xanders type."

"Hes Zach."

"Your Zach! The Zack? Old boyfriend Zach?"

"Only boyfriend Zach. Only man I ever loved. God, he still looks good when hes moping." She took Willow by the hand and walked over. Zach and Xander were taken aback by Zooeys brazenness.

"Its a shame to see the two hottest guys in this place going it alone. Hafta wonder whats wrong with the girls in this town."

"Well Zo, I cant speak for Xander, but maybe our standards are just a little too high for our own good."

"Yeah Zachy. Apparently some things dont change." Zooey notices the uncomfortable silence shes plunged everyone into. "Ooh, where are my manners. Willow, this is Zach. I think the rest of us are already acquainted."

"Zach and I were just having a chat," Xander said to break the impasse. "Over what we have in common."

"Me," Zooey joked.

Xander laughed. "Ive never had you."

"Pity," Zooey responded playfully. "But I just realized something funny. The four of us, we could pair off in any possible permutation, and wed still make two great couples. Course that all depends on how adventurous Xandy and Zachy are. From across the room, you looked so right for each other." Xander and Graham looked away from each other nervously. "Kidding guys! Es un chiste!" Then she whispered to Xander. "After all, if I was serious Elise would have my head. Speaking of couples, lets dance. I take Zach, you take Xand?" Zooey took Grahams hand and went off. Xander and Willow shrugged and danced together.

"Shes quite the firecracker," Xander began.

"More like an M-80. But I could use a little explosiveness in my life. Of the non-magical variety."

"Hows it going with you two?"

"Great. I think were at that awkward stage where we want to rip each others clothes off but cant cause were in a public place."

"I for one wouldnt make a fuss."

"Thats sweet. No wait, thats sick. But in a nice, Id slap anyone who said that if he wasnt Xander Harris kind of way. So whats the deal with you and Zachy?"

"Nothing. Just two guys unlucky at love."

Zooey sidled up close to Zach. "You look good. I mean that."

"You look great Zooey. Ive seen you, with your new band. You guys are solid. Girls really seem to dig that Spike guy."

"I still think he could learn a thing or two from you in the getting girls going department. Remember the first time I saw you?"

"You ran up to me after the set and said, you guys suck. Maybe you wont suck if you let me join your band. Didnt seem too blown away."

"It wasnt your music I was blown away by. Thats what made it so perfect. I wanted you, and you needed me."

"You always had that confidence. Even when you were shy and self-conscious and worried about fitting in. Now youre this force of nature."

"You had a lot to do with that, Zach. You brought me out of my shell. Have I ever thanked you for changing my life?

"I think you tried to, but I wasnt paying attention."

"Are you apologizing to me, or to yourself?"

"It wasnt meant to be. Even if I didnt ruin things, sooner or later you would have found yourself."

"And left you for another woman? Wouldnt have needed to. Loves a monopoly. Its not like I wouldve needed to start looking around. Its not like you didnt satisfy me." Graham struggled to maintain his composure.

"Just out of curiosity, when did you get over me?"

"That August. After Wendy and Kaitlin. Round the time I met Elise."

"But Elise Campbells straight. Isnt she?"

"And dating Xander."

"Then whys he so glum?"

"Fear of failure. Boy left a woman at the altar and feels a little gunshy."

"Ouch. And I thought I had some painfuly breakups."

"Anyway, what I meant was after meeting Elise and joining her band, I started getting groupies of my own. So yours didnt make me jealous. I realized I could have plenty of fun without you."

"Funs not the same thing as love."

"Youre damn right about that one, Z. I stopped loving you, but couldnt find anybody new to love. Until Willow."

Graham looked over at Willow. "So shes the one?" He laughed. "I mean shes the fiftieth, or one-hundredth, but shes the one?"

"Gosh Z, you make it sound like Im the lesbian Wilt Chamberlain," she joked about Zachs exaggeration. "Willow makes me crazy. Like you once did."

Xander looked over at Graham and Zooey. "Dont they seem a little too chummy for exes," Xander asked about Zach and Zo, whose bodies were pressed together.

"Shes just toying with him. Its obvious shes faking. Cause when Zooey really gets turned on, she gets this look. This burning hunger." Xander thought he needed a cold drink. "She doesnt have that look," Willow adds dismissively.

"So thats fake friendly. I cant imagine what real friendly looks like. Cause fake friendly would turn me into silly putty. And, while were on the subject, why cant she give me fake friendly like that?"

"Cause Elise would get jealous."

"Of course. Elise friendly is more than enough friendly for me. Shes great. Uses words real well. Not that other women Ive known havent been language proficient. But shes so clever. And witty. Elise makes me feel like a real grownup. I dont know why, but theres something sexy about that."

"Maybe its cause shes the first woman whos never seen you without a steady job. She only knows responsible Xander."

Xanders mind wondered back to Zooey. "So when was the first time Zooey gave you real friendly? I mean the look."

"Couple days after we met. Ive been getting it for three months. Thats why I know it so well."

"And yet youve resisted. That must require some sort of superhuman Willow will power."

"Its been tough. There were moments when I lost my resistance. But Zooey was careful not to take advantage of me."

"Okay, so youre both exerting will power far beyond anything I could ever be capable of. I think weve known for a while how lousy I can be at resisting you. Who could forget - "

"That other dance we had? Right. But thats why Ive stopped resisting. Zooey. Not you. I mean, Im over you. No offense."

"None taken. And of course Im long over you. No offense."

"My point is, there comes a time when you have to give in." The music stopped. Both couples let go of each other. Zooey walked over to Willow. Zach stood for a few seconds, looking at the floor, recovering his composure. Xander left for home.

"Sorry about that, Willow. I just wanted to teach Zach a lesson."

"That youre irresistible? Ive already had that lesson." There were a few seconds of silence.

"So then. What do we do know," Zooey asked.

"Well . . . we could, um - "

"Willow, do you want to - "

"Go back to your place?"

"Youre already finishing my sentences. Thats a good sign." They went back to Zooeys apartment. Zooey was still a little nervous.

"So here we are. Willow, I love you, and I dont want us to do anything youre not comfortable with. So if you want to take it slow, I understand. Its up to you. Whatever you want." After a few seconds of suspenseful buildup, Willow pounced on Zooey.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2003

8:30 AM. Xander was getting ready for work. The phone rang. It was Buffy.

"Willow didnt come home last night. Did something bad happen?" Xander laughed.

"Quite the contrary. I think she spent the night at Zooeys."

"Oh. Ooooh. Good for Willow. Guess that whole relationship ship set sail after all. This town being what it is, people dont come home, I assume the worst."

"Its understandable, Buffy. Otherwise, is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Dawns at school. I got work in a few hours. Everythings good. And Im happy for Willow. She seems to really like Zooey. What do you think of her?"

"Zooey? Shes great. Lots of fun to be around. Rather flirty, but thats a big part of the fun. Have you met her?"

"Once. Earlier this week at the Pump. Shes definitely flirty."

"With you?"

"I think so." Xanders face brightened when he heard this. Zooey pretending to hit on Buffy was something he had to see. "Kind of freaked me out at first. Shes quite the pistol. But I think its just her way of being friendly."

"Zooeys real good with the friendly."

An hour later, Zooey woke up. The bed was empty. Willow was gone. Zooey checked the bathroom, the kitchen. Nothing. The place was empty. It felt so lonely, so cold. She showered, got dressed, went to Buffys, where she knew Willow lived. She rang the doorbell. Buffy answered.

"Zooey?"

"Oh, you remember me. Good. Buffy, have you seen Willow?"

"I thought she was with you."

"She was. But this morning, she wasnt. So I just was wondering if she came back here."

"No. Havent seen her."

"Do you know where shed be?"

"She has a 9:30 class on Thursdays. Shes probably there."

"Oh. Okay. Makes sense. Sorry to bother you."

"No bother. Ill tell her you stopped by." Buffy didnt know what to make of the visit. Zooey seemed a little paranoid. She checked the police blotter and obits as usual. Another disappearance the previous night. That made four since Monday. Four people gone, but no bodies as of yet. Buffy went off to work a little before ten.

That afternoon, Catherine was all set to leave. "Why are you doing this mom," Amy asked. "Whats the point of running?"

"Its not running. Its escaping. I should have done this a long time ago. You deserved better than to grow up in this place. Sunnydales as boring as Mayberry and as deadly as South Central. Where else can you find such a crummy combination? This isnt a place to live. Its a place to die."

"But where are we going?"

"Ive looked up some business opportunities in Santa Fe, Tuscon, San Antonio. Santa Fe should be fun. You can go to school there."

"And I bet thered be lot of wiccans I can make friends with." Catherine shook her head.

"Amy, I dont understand your generation. You think magics a hobby, a social activity, like Girl Scouts or 4-H. Its not. Its about power. And you cant wield great power unless you use magic in secret. Thats the main reason Im leaving here. My covers blown. At the very least, dont let the other witches know how powerful you are. A lady has to preserve some mystery."

Around noon, Patrick ran up to Buffys door. His t-shirt was soaked in sweat. He rang the doorbell a few times. No answer. No cars in the driveway. So probably no one was home. He jogged away. He would come back and tell her the news that evening, when he had more information.

Patrick Gugan was born in 1974 in Modesto, California. He majored in Biology at UCLA, and graduated in 1996 at the top of his department. When he came to UCLA in 1992, his freshman year roommate was from Sunnydale. He told Patrick strange tales about his town. At first Patrick thought his roommate was trying to pull his leg with these monster stories. But over time he came to suspect his roommate was telling the truth. In the summer of 1995, he took a job as a lab assistant at UC-Sunnydale. What he saw around town astonished him. He was accepted at Stanford, Cal Tech, all the premiere graduate programs. But he inexplicably settled for Sunnydale. He wanted to study life, and Sunnydale possessed forms of life no scientist had ever studied.

In the Summer of 1998, after passing his generals, he took a position as a lab assistant at Cambridge, England. He had learned about the Watchers Council, and wanted to get close to them, maybe even work for them in an advisory capacity. He befriended scientists who, like Patrick, did clandestine work in that field. From them he learned that the Council no longer had any scientists. He learned about the battle within the organization, and about the purges. This was his introduction to the Counter-Council. At first they were distrustful of the upstart American. But Patrick quickly impressed them with the depth and breadth of his research. They realized the curious could be of much use to them.

Willow came home around 5:30. There were two messages on the answering machine for her from Zooey. Around 5:40, the doorbell rang. Guess who it was?

"Hey Willow. I saw your car, so I thought youd be home. Is everything alright? I mean, is everything alright with us?"

"Of course. Why wouldnt it be?"

"You werent there when I woke up. So I got worried. Thought maybe you were upset, or disappointed."

"Disappointed? Oh no. Absolutely not. Last night was great. Spectacular, actually. I had an early class. Thats why I left."

"You didnt wake me up to say goodbye. That wouldve been nice."

"I tried. But you were sleeping so soundly. Im sorry if I hurt your feelings."

"Its okay. I dont mean to get all crazy and freak you out."

"Youre not freaking me out. But you do seem a whole lot more jumpy than usual. And Ive never seen you so insecure. Are you mad at me?"

"No. No. Its just, Im no good at this love thing. It makes me go a little crazy. I get so scared that you dont feel about me the way I feel about you. I wake up, and youre not in my arms, and I assume the worst. I dont want this to be a one-night stand. Not with you. You mean so much more to me than that."

"Its not, Zooey. I love being with you. I love how you make me feel. And next time, Ill be there when you open your eyes. I promise." Zooey looked relieved. Her fears appeared to have been proven unfounded.

"Im sorry I got all bugged out."

"Dont sweat it. I kinda like how you get all passionate and worked up over me." Zooeys usual confident grin returned. She grabbed Willow from behind. Willow laughed.

"Your hair," Zooey said. "It smells like . . . did you use my shampoo?"

"Not as if I had much of a choice." Willow and Zooey were enjoying their moment in the hallway when Buffy entered. They quickly separated when they saw her.

"Dont mind me. Ill just go on into the kitchen and do something loud."

"We were just talking. I was about to leave," Zooey told Buffy. She looked at Willow, unsure of what was appropriate. Willow kissed her. Zooey grabbed Willow. For a moment Willow was about to pull back, then didnt. A few seconds later Zooey let go and moved to the door. "You free tomorrow night?"

"Absolutely," Willow answered. "Ill call you." Zooey left.

"You two seem blissfully mirthful," Buffy said. "Im glad for you. By the way, Zooey came by this morning looking for you. She acted worried. But I guess everythings okay now."

"I guess," Willow responded dubiously. A few minutes later Xander entered.

"I read about the disappearances and thought we might convene the Scooby Gang to figure out whats causing it."

"Yeah, Ive been thinking about that myself," Buffy said.

"So did I miss anything," Xander asked.

"Nothing much," Buffy replied. "A moment ago Zooey and Willow were making out in the front hallway."

"Buffy please! We werent making out."

"Sorry. Sucking face."

"Oh come on, Buffy! It was just a little goodbye kiss. No need to be all vulgar about it."

"I knew I should have come here straight from work," Xander joked.

"I think you did enough ogling of the two of us last night with your new guy pal," Willow joked back.

"Hey, there was no ogle. Not from me. Zach was the ogler."

"Whos Zach," Buffy asked. "Didnt know you picked up men at the Bronze."

"Very funny. Zachs Zooeys ex. He needed a shoulder to cry on. Except, of course, there was no crying whatsoever. Point is youre a very lucky woman, Willow. And Zooeys lucky too, which goes without saying, cept I just said it."

"Xander, thats sweet," Willow replied. "So instead of ogling lesbians you two manly men were baring your souls to each other?"

"Whats this about Zooey having a boyfriend," Buffy asked.

"That was back in high school," Willow explained. "She says she bi, that shed like men if she could find the right one. I mean, if she hadnt found me first. Weird thing is she says Im bi."

"What would possibly cause her to say that," Xander asked curiously.

"I dont know. Nothing. Shes projecting. Based on her own experience. Zooey thinks you dont just stop liking guys the day you start liking girls, unless you never really liked guys to begin with. Its her little pet theory. I think she was just messing with my head. It was back when we were just friends, and part of a convoluted way to get me to admit I found her sexy."

"Of course, the devils advocate tactic," Buffy realized. "Makes sense."

"No it doesnt," Xander dissented. "The woman resorts to stratagems to get people to reveal the obvious?"

The three of them sat down in the dining room. Willow pulled out her laptop to do some research on the disappearances. As she failed to find any good leads, her thoughts shifted back to Zooey. "Guys, can I tell you something, about Zooey?"

"Of course," Xander eagerly replied.

"Today, she seemed different. She left several messages. Dropped by here twice. Shes gotten kinda clingy."

Buffy knew what was up. "All because you werent in her bed when she woke up. Spending the night meant something special to her, and she isnt sure you feel the same way. Sound familiar?"

"Omigod. Im a guy! No wait, Im worse. Im Parker!"

"What the hell are you two talking about," Xander asked, fearful of where this conversation was going.

Buffy tried to empathize. "I know what Zooeys going through. You spend the night with someone, you wake up alone, and you freak. But tonight she was all over you and smiling and laughing. So problem solved."

"I hope so. And she wasnt all over me. We were just being playful, yet restrained. Nothing unseemly."

Buffy thought of a paradox. "I have to say, Zooey didnt strike me as the type to get all wigged out after one night together. Thats what you do when youre inexperienced. And I dont mean this the wrong way, but Zooey seems - "

"Oh yeah. And she doesnt try to hide it. Zooeys probably had more women than any guy, any non-immortal guy, I know. One morning, before we started dating, I dropped by her apartment. We start talking, and this knockout steps out of the shower. This total babe comes up to Zooey, tells her how great last night was, gives her a big kiss, and Zooey couldnt even remember her name!"

"Is it getting hot in here," Xander asked. "Maybe I should turn on the air conditioner."

"Very funny Xander. My point is, youre right, Buffy. Zooeys no ingenue. Shes the last person Id expect to feel insecure afterwards. Especially considering how monumentally great she was. Spectacular would be an understatement. The things that woman knows how to do."

"Okay, we get the point," Buffy interrupted, a little grossed out. Xander restraieds himself from asking about details.

"I just dont know whats up with her," Willow concluded.

Buffy continued pressing her previous theory. "Does she love you? Has she told you that?"

"Only every time she sees me. And its not just that. She says Im the only woman shes EVER loved. Hold on, thats it! I just need to let her know how much she means to me. She just needs a little positive feedback. That wont be hard to give her. Thanks Buffy. You were very incisive."

"And what about me," Xander asked, feeling left out.

"Well Xander, your zealous leering reminds me how lucky I am to have a woman like Zooey. Youre kind of like the studio audience, except youre part of the show. Like Greek Chorus. Except youre not Greek, theres only one of you and you hardly ever sing. But you really need to go out more with Elise so you dont have to subsist on vicarious smoochies."

"You make it sound like Im parasitic. Im just curious. I seek knowledge." Speaking which, there was a knock at the door. It was Patrick, carrying lots of papers.

"Glad youre all here," he says as he enters uninvited. "I take it youve noticed the recent disappearances. Im pretty positive Ive discovered the culprit."

"Demon or vampire," Buffy asked.

"Vampires. But a rare and special kind. The Order of Mausolus. Its a kind of secret society which gives its initiates special powers. Superficially theyre a lot like the Freemasons, except theyre evil."

"I thought the Freemasons were evil," Willow joked.

"Unlike the Masons, these guys really do have mystical powers. Like being able to re-sire existing vampires and make them more powerful."

"So these are super-strong vampires," Buffy asked.

"Its a different sort of power. The power to transcend corporeal form, to ascend to a greater reality. They believe the physical realm, and physical desires, are petty and trivial. They scorn normal vampires. Theyre very exclusive about who can enter their little club, so they are supposed to be very few in number, which is good from our point of view. When a vampire proves himself worthy, he is initiated resired or reborn as they say and becomes a member of the First Degree. Each time he is resired, he ascends to a higher degree. There are Nine Degrees in total. The leader, I think I read somewhere his name is Manu, is the only one who has attained the Ninth Degree. Supposedly, he possesses the ability to disappear at will."

"No problem. Ive fought invisible things before."

"Not invisible. Incorporeal. Nothings there. No physical form. Try to kill him, he just vanishes."

"No biggie. Dracula did that. I took care of him."

"Dracula was here! When? Forget it. Wait. I thought Dracula turns himself into a mist."

"Right. Music video dry ice," Buffy recalled. "So tacky in a mid-80s sort of way."

"But you could see the mist, right? You knew where Dracula was going to reappear. Manu is different. He disappears and reappears without warning. He can also make certain parts of his body temporarily vanish. You stake him, the center of his chest goes poof! Try to behead him, his necks gone. But the rest of hims still there." He shows them the material hes downloaded. "And when hes formless, he can travel in the daytime, since theres nothing for the sun to burn."

"And Mister Poofys come here to kill me," Buffy asked insouciantly.

"Doubtful. To kill, to feed, to hurt, he must assume bodily form. And when he does, he can be killed. And killings a very visceral, physical act. Something the unworthy common vampires enjoy. It would go against his philosophy."

"So hes a non-violent vampire," Willow asked incredulously.

"Hes very violent. But in a secretive, Secret Society way. He doesnt like to draw attention to himself or his Order. If hes come here, to the Hellmouth, its cause he wants to pull off something big. I know this sounds crazy, maybe a little self-important and melodramatic, but he may want to end the world."

"Finally, something familiar we know how to deal with," Buffy responded.

Patrick was shocked. "Excuse me? Youve done this sort of thing often?"

"On a fairly regular basis since I moved here."

"How many times?"

"Hard to count," Willow answered. "Thereve been so many."

Patrick didnt like the sound of this. "This is why I didnt want to get to know you guys. Endangering my life, thats scary enough. But a wholesale existential crisis, thats just too much."

"Welcome to the Scooby Gang," Xander told Patrick.

He looked confused. "Whos Scooby?"

"We never really thought of it that literally," Willow replied.

"And do you even have a van?"

Willow thought of something. "Maybe Oz was Scooby. I mean he, was a werewolf. And he had the van. Course Oz never did get along with you, Xander, so there goes that comparison."

"And they only fought fake monsters. That was the whole point!"

"Its just a whimsical metaphor," Xander explained to the genius who thinks things through too much.

Patrick considered this. "I guess it works in a self-deprecating and highly ironic way. Shows you dont take yourselves too seriously, even though you, apparently, carry the world on your shoulders. How do you handle the pressure?"

"It helps to take it one apocalypse at a time," Buffy advised. "But why the massive wiggins? You seem pretty familiar with vampires and demons. Youve captured deadly and dangerous creatures. Youre not exactly new to this world."

"Demons dont scare me. Theyre animals. Humans can use their brains and their tools to kill them, just like any other animal. But the idea of existence not existing. Its like the difference between World War II and World War III. When your lifes at risk, youre scared. But when the survival of the planet is at stake, thats a whole other level of fear. And responsibility."

Buffy tried to end his bellyaching. "Look, if you want to help, you gotta learn to deal. First off, how do you know these Mausolus vamps are in town?"

"I was out jogging this morning and stumbled upon a temple that used to not be there. It had glyphs and symbols carved on it. I went home, got a camera, and took some pictures. Then I scanned them in to my computer, and Im trying to decipher them. From what I found on the web, it looks a lot like Mausolus."

"And how do you know theyre responsible for the missing persons?"

"Their Initiation requires the blood of an innocent. The missing persons are 14, 13, 6 and 4 years of age. The teenagers would suffice for a lower lever Initiations, one of the first three degrees. The children would be used in for the middle degrees, 4 through 6. For the high degrees, a baby would be required. For the Ninth Degree, a newborn."

"So then we should check the hospital, keep watch," Buffy suggested.

Patrick disagreed. "It would probably be a waste of time. Plus, when I say newborn, I mean like a minute after its born. So the babes in the maternity ward arent fresh enough. Before you attempt anything we need more information."

"You need to show me where this temple is," Buffy proposed.

"I was planning on taking you there tomorrow morning."

"I was planning on seeing it tonight."

"Tonight? But theyre vampires. In the daytime, wed have the run of the grounds, and they couldnt touch us. At night theyre probably guarding the property."

"Yes, well, theyre vampires, and Im a Vampire Slayer."

"Granted, theres a certain undeniable logic there. But I dont want to walk into a potential trap. We need to know more."

"And well find it there." Buffy stood up. Patrick quickly relented, since of course he really had no say in the matter. Buffy and Willow each took a crossbow. Xander took an ax. He asked Patrick if he wanted a weapon.

"No point getting weighed down by heavy weapons I dont know how to use," he answered. "I got this." he pulled out a stun gun. "and this." It was a plastic baretta.

"Thats a toy gun," Xander observed.

"Squirt gun filled with holy water. Very efficient vampire repellant."

"That is so cool," Xander exclaimed. "Holy water! Why didnt I ever think of that?"

"It drives them away. But it doesnt kill them. Perfect for protection. But pointless for slaying."

"Like mace. For vampires," Buffy commented.

"Something like that," Patrick responded. "Its a good way to keep safe at night in this town."