Buffy sighed as she handed Willow yet another tissue. Sad break-up movies like these always made her friend weepy, so she kept a supply on hand. And since Willow was apparently convinced that Buffy was devastated, she'd demanded that they have an all-afternoon sad movie marathon. Thus, tissues.

"I'm fine, Will. The night we broke up, I went though his stuff, and got sniffly. I took it all to his dorm the next day, where Forrest belittled me until I felt bad enough to cry for real when I got home, and when Riley dropped my stuff off the next day, the look on his face made me feel sick." The movies were over, and they were rewinding all the black tapes. "But now, I'm fine."

"I still don't get why you broke up with him- you two were so happy together." Buffy shrugged.

"Riley was a great boyfriend. I loved him. But I felt like it was time." Willow rushed towards her friend and pulled her into a restrictive embrace.

"Let it all out, sweetie."

"Willow, I have nothing to let out. It's been let out, like I just told you."

"But where's the regret? The self-depreciation? The anger? The sadness?"

"There never was any, Will."

"There has to have been! I've seen all the movies, it's always there!"

"Willow, at this point, I think you're more upset than me. Let's get you something to eat." Willow followed her friend into the kitchen, where she leaned against the wall as Buffy took three containers of strawberry yogurt out of the fridge. Dumping all three into a bowl, she removed a bag of fresh strawberries from the fruit drawer, and began to wash them. When she was finished, she cut them up, dropped them in too, and took the bowl, two spoons, and Willow into the dining room.

"This is really good Buffy. Maybe you should be a chef."

"Yes, I can be the next Rachel Ray, only I'll use yogurt in all my recipes."

"Well, if not a chef, then the lady who gives out free samples at the grocery store," Willow said, teasing. Buffy was glad to see that she'd gotten her friend out of her funk, but her mind started whirring with Willow's pseudo career talk.

She had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. And while her counselor said this was normal for a senior, and that she should wait until she'd shopped around college classes before even trying to set her mind in stone, this had always worried her.

That was, it had until yesterday afternoon. Giles had received a call from London, apparently from the Protector's Council. She'd heard him speak of the Council before, and believe he had a grudging respect coupled with a personal hatred for them. He wouldn't go near them, but accepted what they had to tell him with grace. While he'd been on the phone, he'd given her the universal 'shhh!' signal, afterwards telling her it was due to the fact that, if they knew she was being trained, they'd try to officially recruit her. He maintained that she wasn't a Protector, just a girl learning to protect herself.

Well, five minutes later, she'd kicked his feet out from under him, trapped him against the floor with a chair, and 'staked' him. Previous to the scuffle, she'd put a question to him; why would the Council care about some high school girl? Yea, she was being trained, but so could anyone. There were much better recruits out there, all they needed was the time Buffy had had to prepare. Then she'd scored her point, and he whispered from the floor 'because it is no common talent.'

For once, she had a talent. She liked the pretend fights with Giles, and could bring herself to imagine prowling the streets, looking for unwitting Vampires. She'd stake them, extinguishing the evil from their bodies, and making the world safe for other kids like her. It was an honorable purpose, one that Buffy would have already told Giles to put her down for if not for one little detail.

Spike. She hadn't seen him since her breakup with Riley, and didn't think that joining the people whose main goal in life was to end his would further their relationship at all. It would probably set it back at least a little.

"Buffy?" Willow was saying. The blonde shook her head to clear it, and then tried to hone in on what Willow was saying.

"I'm in here, don't worry."

"Good, because it didn't look that way. I was just talking about this spell I'm itching to try out. The only problem is, it has to be done in a graveyard at midnight, and I'm afraid. You hear all those spooky stories about people who go out alone at night..."

"What's the spell for?" Buffy asked, interested. If she indeed became a Protector, she'd be working with magic as well. Willow looked surprised that she'd asked, though, because Buffy had never shown much willingness to believe in 'Willow's witchy hobby.' Little did she know how much had changed in Buffy's formerly normal life since the last time they'd discussed the topic.

"Well, you know how a lot of the graves in the Sunnydale cemeteries get dug up? Jesse from our history class's funeral was today, and I found a simple spell that protects a resting place against pranksters."

"Well, I'll go with you." Willow blinked. "Look, I know you're going to say I'm no match for the evil darkness that creates the material for those spooky stories...but remember, I got kidnapped. I fought my kidnappers, and I'm brave." It was as close to the complete truth as she could tell Willow. Keeping secrets wasn't fun, but even witchy Willow wouldn't believe the truth.

"Well, I guess...but only if we ask Xander too. With three of us, armed with a cell phone and something heavy, no one will mess with us." She was wrong, but Buffy would be brining a stake along as well. So if someone did mess with them, Buffy would take care of the problem.

As the hours passed, and Buffy got ready to go to the graveyard, she caught a look at her nervous face in the mirror. She'd never faced a Vamp before...well, she had, but not with the intention of kicking it's ass instead of running like the wind. She was sure she could handle a so-called 'fledgling', the only kind she could think would be lurking in a graveyard, so she felt fairly confident as she slipped a stake into her sleeve, like Giles had done during her ransom meeting. She considered telling Giles, but he'd forbid it. It would be a very Protectorish thing of her to do, and he was greatly against her becoming one. It was both what had happened to Kendra, and his fatherly spot for her, but she would be the one to make the final call regarding what she did with her life. In the mean time, it was time to roll.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Xander and Buffy, each holding a lit candle, watched in fascination as Willow sprinkled a pale green powder over the grave marker.

"Ground, you have your flesh. Flesh, you have your rest. Let none that seek revenge or mirth intrude upon this holy earth where lie the bones of our dear friend. Rest in peace, departed. They shan't undo what is started. Your remains are free to remain unto the end." She stepped back after placing what looked to Buffy like a hunk of onion on the stone. "There. It's done."

"That was really beautiful, Will," Xander commented. Though he had seen the spell as more of a ceremonial thing, while Buffy and Willow had recognized it for what it truly was, he was greatly impressed.

"Where did you learn that?" Buffy asked, as Willow gathered up the ingredients she'd used.

"Mr. Giles recommended this novice magic shop to me, and I found a book with all sorts of little remedies and cures- I originally bought it because I had a cold, and there was a potion to relieve oneself of cold-like symptoms. This was the last one in the book. If all else fails, protect the grave from robbers."

"Sounds depressing."

"Depressing, but helpful. All the spells had little comments written about them, getting into the minute details of the spell and the effects. This one was a little creepy though; it said that the remains are FREE to remain, but if they wish not to, they are unrestricted."

"Zombies?" Xander asked with his eyes wide. Buffy's eyes widened, but for a different means. She'd just realized a question she should have asked Willow hours ago.

"I don't think Zombies, Xander."

"Willow? How did Jesse die?" Buffy asked bluntly.

"Some animal attacked him, or so I heard." Her heart pounded.

There was no way Jesse would feel like remaining.

She walked along slowly, vowing to call Giles right when she got home. But when she heard noises behind her, she realized there wasn't enough time.

'He's a fledgling. Piece of cake. Once he gets past the heart attack, Giles will be proud.' She had her stake with her, brought along of course in case of nocturnal surprises. She was in the mindset to go turn that sucker into dust. The only thing left to do was give Willow and Xander the slip.

"I see someone, run!" It was dumb, but both her friends had been so jittery since they'd left Xander's house that they obeyed her command without thinking. Waiting until they were several yards ahead of her, she turn and ran the other way.

Jesse must have been waking up as they arrived, and beginning his climb as Willow did the spell. Squatting down on the ground beside the green powder, she watched the dirt move, and slowly a head poked out.

She blinked. It was like watching someone be born, only the opposite. She was seeing a Vamp emerge from his grave for the first time, and something thrilling within her told her that it wouldn't be the last. She wondered if Spike had looked like that when he emerged many years ago; disoriented and excited.

Jesse saw her, and growled. His game face was on, but it wasn't as scary as it normally was. Because this time, she had the power.

"Hey Jesse. Did you study for the History test?"

"Buffy Summers...what the fuck are you doing here?"

"I wanted to copy your notes; I think I missed the day when he talked about the Homestead Act, and I heard there's an essay question on it." Cheek helped ease her nervousness.

"Are you insane? I'm dead, in case you haven't noticed. And you're sitting there, next to my fucking grave, talking about History."

"Well, Jesse, that's because you're about to become history." He laughed at her.

"Wait for me to get out of this hole, and I'll show you how wrong you are."

"Can't wait." She heard voices in the distance, but ignored them. She was focused on her prey. A few minutes later, he had enough room to use his arms and pull out, and they stood up simultaneously. She let the stake slip from her sleeve, into her waiting palm, and he gulped.

"Uh, I'm new at this, but I'm guessing that's bad."

"Good thought. Maybe even worth extra credit." She swung at him, missing just by inches as he sidestepped her, and he managed to get a kick in to her legs.

They circled each other, swinging every now and then. He looked visibly wary of her, but she tried to keep a grin on her face. Let him think she was more experienced at this than she really was.

He connected with her cheek, more of a slap than a punch, and her head whipped sideways. Angry, she stomped on his foot, sending him jumping backwards with a muffled yelp.

"Buffy!" She heard her name screamed, and recognized the close-range voice as Xander's.

"Oh my God, it's Jesse!" Willow screamed. Buffy suddenly placed their voices from earlier, calling her name through the cemetery. Obviously, she wasn't as slippy as she thought.

But there was no time to hide what she was about to do, because Jesse's fangs were very prominent in the moonlight. Landing a kick to his groin, he groaned as he stumbled backwards, and she wasted no time in plunging the stake into his heart.

"Time's up. Pencils down," she quipped, as he burst into dust. Willow screamed, Xander toppled over, and she stood there, panting. It hadn't been a fight even near the difficulty of some of her trials with Giles, but he was a real Vampire. And he was dust. Her first staking.

"Buffy, are you alright?" Willow called, hesitant to approach. Brushing dust off her hands, Buffy headed for her friend, who looked terrified.

"Run across 'Vampire' in your magic books, Will?"

"Yes."

"Still thought they didn't exist?"

"Yes."

"Think so now?"

"I don't know." She stared. "Buffy...how did you know how to kill it?" Xander groaned a few feet away, and both girls quickly made their way towards him.

"Whuz goin' on?" He saw Buffy standing in front of him, clothes dusty and stake in hand, and gasped.

"I'll explain tomorrow guys. Right now, let's get both of you home- you look tired." She, however, felt strangely exhilarated. Both complied wordlessly, looking scared of her. "Guys, its just Buffy. Only with a new talent." They walked on, Willow and Xander practically tiptoeing, Buffy strolling. The only thing that could have made this night better was...

He stood on top of a mausoleum, looking straight at her. From that height, and with Vampire eyesight, he would have seen her fight Jesse if he'd been standing there long enough. And from the look he was giving her, he'd been standing there long enough.

"Guys, I'll still talk to you tomorrow, but I'm gonna cut loose now." Bidding her stunned friends goodbye, she walked to the mausoleum, where he looked down at her. She knew they stared for a little bit, but once she knew they were gone, she called up, "Either give me a boost, or get down here." He jumped, wordlessly, silently. They stood just a foot from each other, looking into each other's eyes, worlds of silence passing between them. Her eyes spoke of Prince Riley's departure, and her newfound strengths. His spoke of disbelief, and he soon said the first verbal words of their conversation.

"I knew you were one we'd have to worry about someday, if we didn't nip you in the bud."

"Was he your Childe?" She'd been doing some research on Vampires, per Giles' request, and knew terms like Childe very well now.

"Minion, but I came to see what was takin' him so long. Had a job for him."

"Sorry. But I'm a double agent, after all." He cracked a smile, warming her heart. She had been afraid he was mad at her.

"That was the worst technique I've ever seen," he said after a few minutes. "Mind you, don't go thinkin' you're high and mighty. You'll be a snack for sure."

"I'll practice," she said, moving closer to him. Speaking of snacks, she was a little hungry.

And there they stood, in front of a mausoleum in a deserted graveyard, under the light of an almost full moon, both wearing black. The Vampire Lord and the Protector-in-training. If indeed these two were fated, fate was cruel.

Standing there, Buffy felt so different from the girl she'd been the first time she'd seen Spike as he entered the library...the first time she'd seen a game face...the first time Giles had told her about the world existing within and beyond their own. She was a new Buffy, the Buffy who staked Vampires and kissed Vampires and did both because SHE wanted to. Not her mom, not her friends, not her guidance counselor, but her.

Her lips caught his first, but he was the one to push her against the stone wall. Higher and higher they soared, as he took her to places she'd never been before, much less while out in the open as they were. She didn't care that the dead could hear her screaming as Spike ran his fingers through her hair (he'd discovered early on that she liked this; it had taken Riley months) as brought her to a deeper ecstasy that she'd thought was humanly possible. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe such a thing was only possible with Vampires. But whatever the case, she'd found two new loves that night; killing Vampires, and being with the exception.