Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Note: Italized words are Buffy's personal/Slayer thoughts. Some dialog taken from School Hard by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt.

(O.O)

Darla

Unadulterated anger. That was what I was feeling towards my charge at this very moment. I should've made good on my threat to chain the boy up when he came back from seeing the Slayer last night. Had I done that, this night would be going much better than it was. Only no- I'd had to fall for William's strange, silent and contemplative behavior and had wasted my time actually feeling worried about the boy. God damn him.

I swear if Angelus and the Slayer didn't dust him, then I would! Of course I wouldn't do it before I'd tortured the moronic bastard and made him apologize for making Dru worried and making me walk all around town in six inch heels. I regretted wearing them now, despite how much I loved them when I bought them, and I blame William for it. If they got ruined, I was so going to make William pay for them. Red patent leather and mud were not a good combination.

I'd been searching for him for nearly two hours now, trying to follow his lingering scent. The whole thing was complicated by the fact I had to keep anyone from recognizing me. Preferably they wouldn't even see me. I kept going until I caught a whiff of a stronger and more recent trail from my Great-Grandchilder. I ran, though it was not an easy task in heels, following the scent and making sure I didn't lose the damn thing.

The smell led me to Sunnydale High, which didn't surprise me. After all, he was looking for Angelus, and Angelus was helping out the Slayer, who went to school here. As I got nearer the school's premises I noticed all the lights off. That was odd. Usually at least a few were left on for security, and the parking lot was full of cars, suggesting quite a few people were still at the school. So what'd happened to the power?

I got my answer when I saw three fledges standing guard in front of the school entrance. They were armed with a variety of weapons and their demons were visible on their faces. It was obvious that the school was under attack by vampires, and stupid vampires at that. Why on Earth would they attack the school of the Slayer? Were they suicidal?

I sighed. Vampires were not what they had used to be. Had they started removing the brains along with the soul now?

I didn't want anything to do with these idiots, but I knew William was inside, because his scent was getting stronger as I got nearer. I had no choice but to approach the group standing at the entrance.

I walked gracefully towards the door, swaying my hips and flaunting my assets to get the attention of the three vampires. They were awestruck, I could tell. These boys must not have seen a real woman in their entire existence. They were letting their guards down, lowering their weapons as I got closer. Stupid vampires, indeed.

Their moment of distraction was more enough for me to launch my attack. I took the stakes that I'd hidden at my back and simultaneously dusted the two vamps closest to me. The third one was in too much shock to do anything except gape as he quickly joined his companions.

I returned one stake to its hiding spot and kept the other in my hand while I slowly opened the door and entered the building. Once inside I closed my eyes to get a feel for the demonic signatures scattered throughout the school. It was a skill I had honed over the years. I could tell how many demons and of what kind were in any given area.

I counted fifteen vampires inside the building excluding myself. Two of them had an older, stronger signature indicating that they were master vampires. I immediately knew who they were based on familiarity. William was the hot and erratic signature while I knew Angelus, despite how long it had been since I'd sensed him, owned the cold and smooth one. The two signatures were close to each other. William was either close to Angelus or was already with him.

I cursed loudly and hurriedly walked to their direction.

(O.O)

Buffy

Sheila's a vampire now. Yay. To top it off she was attacking the school with her own little vampire army. I wish I could say I was surprised. My life since I became the Slayer has been nothing but things going bad for me. I'm almost used to it. I just wished that the bad things would never have to involve my mom. I hated it when that happened. Her being there made me ten times more worried and a hundred time more afraid. Tonight was a prime example.

Earlier everything was so going okay-ish. Well not everything. That troll, Snyder, had been able to corner my mom despite the combined efforts of me and friends. My not too terrible night had gone to hell when Sheila, the latest ho-bag…oops, I mean Big Bad…had had to ruin things for me. It was bad enough that I had had to spend three days preparing the lounge for this shindig, without her help, but she just had to go get turned and ruin the night for me too. It just wasn't fair.

I had just left my mom, a couple of other parents, a student and Snyder barricaded in the Science classroom. I told them to wait for my signal before coming out and making a run to safety. I silently snuck through the hallways, looking for any signs of the attacking vampires. I peered around a corner and saw only one vampire standing guard over the library entrance. I ducked back out of sight and took out one of the stakes from inside my weapon bag. A squeak came from behind me. I turned, ready to attack, but stopped short when I recognized who was there.

"Jimmy?" I said identifying the boy as a Chemistry classmate of mine. He'd been out sick from class the last three days.

He'd sure picked a great time to show up.

"Hey, Buffy. What the hell's going on? I came here to pick up my missed assignments and saw a bunch of guys outside with really scary faces." He wrung his hands and looked around wide eyed.

"Yeah, well they're trying to kill us," I told him. "Now stay here while I try to find us a way out."

Instead of listening to me he picked up the axe from the weapon bag wearing a very serious expression.

"You're going to need help," he said with a nervous chuckle. It made me smile.

Under normal circumstances, I'd say no, but I need all the help I can get.

I nodded and turned back towards the corner, ready to attack the vamp guarding the library door. He still had his back turn from me, I silently crept behind him, raising my stake preparing to dust him.

Then I heard Giles voice from the library door's porthole, "Buffy look out!"

I immediately spun around and grabbed the ax from Jimmy mid-swing. I reverse the momentum and smack him in the jaw with the butt of the handle. He went down hard. The other vampire standing guard finally noticed me and rushed to attack. He ducked an overhand blow and the ax ends up getting buried in the wall. The vampire smiled as he straightened back up, thinking he had avoided my blow, but then he looked down. There was a stake protruding from his chest. He collapsed to the floor and busted into ashes. I looked over at Jimmy only to watch him as he fled. I saw no point in running after him, so I rushed back to the Science classroom where mom and the others were waiting.

"Mom, now!" I yelled at her from the broken window.

Mom opened the door. "Okay, come on, let's go!"

Everyone rushed out of the classroom and across the hall into the library.

"Get them out!" I hollered to Giles. I needed to know my mom was safe. Giles nodded his understanding.

"You're coming too!" my mom hissed at me while grabbing my arm.

I looked at her, wishing with all my heart that I could just leave the school to its fate, but in the next instant I shook the desire off. I had a job to do.

"In a minute! Now go!" I tell her, gently easing her hand from my bicep. Without a backwards glance I headed back into the bowels of the school.

"Buffy!" She called, her voice breaking. I ignored her. I had to in order to focus, otherwise I'd end up dead.

I ran towards the lounge where I guessed Sheila and the rest of her cronies were holed up.

I steeled myself for the fight ahead, desperately hoping it wouldn't be my last.

Please don't it be my last.

(O.O)

Xander

"I really should have stayed in the library with Giles."

I thought as I pounded down the sidewalk to get Angel like Giles had asked me to. Not that I wanted to invite Dead Boy to the party, but I figured having an old, super strong vampire on our side would be a big plus. There seemed to be a whole Army of Darkness trying to take over the school and we were going to need all the help we could get.

Luckily for me and my lungs I ran into tall, dark, and broody himself not a block from the school. He looked a little pale, even by vampire standards, but it wasn't the time to ask him if he'd been eating well. Instead I told him about the situation the best I could between my gasping attempts to get enough air into my lungs.

"So, um... you got a plan?" I asked after I'd briefed him. He grabbed me by the throat. "Uh, good plan?" I squeaked as he dragged me into the school. We threaded our way through the hallways until we ran into a familiar face. I stared in confusion. It was the guy Buffy had danced with the other night at the Bronze. Weirdly enough it looked like he was fighting a couple of the vamps that'd attacked the school.

"Angelus!" the guy greeted Angel with a smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes.

Angel wrapped his arm around my neck none too gently. "Spike!" he grunted the guy's name.

"Just the guy I was looking for," the blond said while staking one of the vampires.

"What are you doing here, Spike?" Angel's grip on my neck was becoming steadily more uncomfortable.

"Ain't it obvious, I'm killing some vamps." Spike punctuated the statement by slamming his stake into the chest of the second vampire who exploded into a cloud of ash.

Spike made a show of dusting himself off and straightens his black coat before turning to face the two of us.

"I'll ask you again, Spike, what are you doing here?" Angel repeated.

"I already answered your bloody question, Angelus. Now how 'bout answering mine. What are you doing with the whelp in your arms?" he asked, pointing to me. "I thought you're working with the Slayer. So how come you have your arms around one of her mates and are looking like yer 'bout to have yourself a snack?"

Angel was so surprised that it made him ease his grip on my neck a little. I could breathe. Hooray!

"So you finally decided to show your true colors, huh? I knew that Anne Rice vampire routine you've been playing wouldn't last long," Spike continued.

"For the last time, Spike, what are you doing here?" Angel growled.

"You really want to know Angelus?" He paused waiting for Angel to answer but the big guy stayed silent. "Alright. How 'bout letting the boy go first, then I tell you everything."

"How do I know you won't just take him for yourself?" Angel shook me, making my teeth click together.

"Because unlike you Angelus, I actually keep my word. I promise I won't touch the boy once you let him go."

"You're a demon, Spike, you don't keep your word."

Spike's whole body goes ridged. "Do you want answers or not?! Because I assure we don't have all bloody night to stand here and chit chat. The Slayer's going to crash this party anytime now and she'll kill the two of us without batting an eye. So you better decide Angelus, because I need to get back before Great-Grandmum starts looking for me."

"Great-Grandmum? Darla's here?" I can't even begin to identify the emotions rolling through Angel's voice as he asked that question.

"I told you: let the boy go and I'll tell you everything."

Angel released me and pushed me roughly aside, his eyes never leaving the blond guy. I stared at the two of them, not understanding what was happening. They obviously knew each other and the guy knew that Buffy's the Slayer. What the hell was going on?

Whoa. Rewind. Angel had called the other guy a demon.

Blondie was a demon? Since when? Was he already one when he danced with the Buffster last night? How does he know Angel? And who the heck is Darla?

The two guys were doing a Wild West stand off like this was a Clint Eastwood movie instead of a hallway at Sunnydale High. No one talked, no one moved and no one breathed. They just stared.

I was beginning to think of telling the two to start whatever they were planning to start, but I didn't have a chance because the shorter blond guy sucker punched Angel. Under other circumstances I would've cheered brood boy getting staggered like that, but I was too scared to say anything. Spike landed another punch, then another. After being hit several more times Angel finally got his act together and side stepped to launch a counter attack. His fist hit its mark, sending the smaller guy flying towards a row of chairs. Spike landed hard then scrambled up, grabbing one of the chairs and hurling it at Angel. The big guy knocked it out of the air, but it was enough of a distraction that Spike had been able to slip through his defenses and knock Angel off his feet with a roundhouse kick. Blondie didn't hesitate and immediately ran to where Angel had landed. Then he sat on top of him with a stake in his hand and held it to the skin over Angel's undead heart.

"Shit!" I gasped.

I knew I had to do something to help dead boy, because Buffy would never forgive me if I let anything happen to the undead wonder. I looked around for something to hit the guy with and saw another chairs laying knocked over on the floor only a few feet from me. I snatched it up and stole towards where the blond guy was on top of Angel. I raised the chair and braced myself to strike.

"Don't even think about it, boy." Spike said without turning around. "Try hitting me with that thing and I might accidentally push this stake into dear old Granddaddy's shriveled up walnut of a heart." I froze in mid-swing. He twisted his head slightly to the side, just enough to for him and me to get a good look at each other, and I nearly needed a new pair of undies. "Now how 'bout you put that chair down and stand over there by the lockers." He gestured towards where he meant with his chin. "Me and Peaches here still need to get a few things straightened out before your friendly, neighborhood Slayer shows up. It'd be a tragedy if anything were to happen to you before then." He watched me to make sure I did as he said, and then centered his focus back on Angel, who hadn't so much as twitched since getting pinned. "Isn't this ironic, Angelus? A hundred or so years ago, I was on the other end of this stake and you were holding it, threatening to dust me if I didn't listen to you. Looks like now I am the Master." He chuckles at his own joke, but I don't think Angel gets it.

"What do you want, Spike?" Angel sounds exasperated.

"What do I want? Ha! Ain't this just neat?" Spike threw his head back and laughed for a second before suddenly becoming deadly serious again. "What I want, Angelus, is to dust your arrogant ass, for everything you've ever done to us, or in recent case, haven't done for us! We were your family! You were my Sire, man! You were like...my Yoda!" He wildly gestures with his free hand for emphasis. "I can't believe you abandon us after what happened! Dru and I nearly dusted ourselves. We were so close to the abyss and you weren't there to catch us! Especially Dru! You made her insane and you couldn't watch over her like a real Sire. You're a bastard, Angelus and you deserve to die."

Spike shook with anger. His free hand had grabbed the one holding the stake and it looked as if he was at war with himself over dusting Angel.

"Then why don't ya, laddie? Put that wee toothpick to good use and end me miserable existance," Angel said in a rough Irish brogue I'd never heard him use before.

"Oh, I'd love to. Believe me I do. Hell, I'd throw a bloody party and use your ashes as confetti, you git. Only I won't, or more accurately I can't."

"Why?" Angel's brow creased.

"Because Dru needs you," he said is so quietly that I almost wasn't able to hear.

Then he stands up, hides the stake and offers a hand to Angel to help him up. I saw dead boy hesitate for a split second before reaching up and grasping it with his own. Spike pulled him to his feet. Once standing Angel turned away from Spike and started straightening out his jacket and dusting off the dirt he'd got on it while he'd been laying on the floor.

I snorted. Leave it to Angel to care whether he had a little dirt on him after nearly being dust himself. I looked at Spike and saw him roll his eyes at Angel's antics. Well at least I wasn't alone with the Angel bashing. It made me crack a little smile. Maybe this mysterious guy wasn't as bad as he looked like. After all, it seemed like he hated Angel's guts as much as I do, and any guy who doesn't fall for the sad puppy dog eyes routine is so okay in my book, even if might be a demon too.

Demon. I took a good look at the guy and I couldn't see anything remotely demon-y about him. No horns, scales, or cloven hooves. I know demons, I've seen a lot of them, and this guy doesn't fit. Apart from the black on black punk look he's rocking and general 'I can kill you vibe,' he looks like your average human guy. Okay, not average. Your very attractive human guy. Well, not that I can say I'm attracted to him, but more like I can understand why Buffy kept calling him Mr. Hottie. Aside from looks he also felt human in some way I couldn't quite put into words, plus there was the bonus Angel hatred. The guy was total confusing.

Angel finally finished beautifying himself and looked like he was close to hitting Spike again when we heard a loud scream coming from the Student Lounge. The three of us looked at each other, but it was Spike that took off running towards the commotion.

Angel and I followed two seconds later, only to come skidding to a stop at the sight of Buffy being held by two vamps while Sheila held a large, bloody knife to the stomach of Mr. McKee, our Algebra professor. Six other vampires were arranged in a semicircle around them. Besides Buffy there was another hostage, but the woman looked like she was already half dead. Then feral yellow eyes all turned towards us.

And the only thought that came to me at the moment was...

"I really should have stayed in the library with Giles."

(O.O)

A/N: Hi. I am so happy I was able to post this chapter and I hope it was in your satisfaction. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.