The doorbell rang at Revello Drive and Buffy scrambled down the steps to answer it. She was expecting Willow and so was startled that the open door revealed Giles. He was standing in the doorway holding a couple books and a large paper bag. The teen could barely see his head over the brown bag that balanced precariously on the top of the books.
"Uh, hi Giles," the teen welcomed as she stepped back and waved him into the foyer even though she was sure he couldn't see her. She hadn't been expecting the British man for at least another half an hour so was concerned that he was so early. They had made arrangements to meet tonight in order to perform the invitation related ritual because Buffy's mother was working late. She had planned for the arrival of a new shipment of art this afternoon and would need to work well into the night to catalog everything. It had been fortunate in the teen's opinion. Buffy was glad that they only had to wait a single day to perform the spell that Giles had discovered to help her peace of mind. Her home being safe once more from any and all vampires would help her feel just a bit better.
"Everything ok?" she worried as she unconsciously tugged at the bottom of her shirt and then her long sleeves.
"Ah, yes," Giles replied as Buffy then took the precariously perched paper bag from his arms and moved into the dining room to sit it on the long wooden table. "I just wanted to speak to you about something."
Giles watched as Buffy peeked at the different textured mosses and large bottle of holy water inside the bag. She turned her attention back to her guest.
"What's the what?" she inquired as she pulled the three tied packets of greens from the bag and set them on the table. She placed them in a neat row before sitting the large bottle of holy water on the table also. She gently folded the bag and laid it flat on the table with care. The teen was procrastinating in hopes of avoiding whatever dire news her Watcher had to share. Buffy smirked slightly because she refused to see Giles as her ex-Watcher. Even if the Council decided to send her a new one, she had already made up her mind to ignore him or her in favor Mr. Giles. The teen finally stopped fussing with the spell ingredients for the ritual to remove an invitation for a vampire. She motioned Giles towards the living room where he perched on the sofa. Buffy settled in an over-sized stuffed chair positioned at an angle to the couch.
"So, about your workout yesterday," Giles began only to be interrupted by the Slayer's profuse apologizing.
"I'm so sorry about destroying your practice dummy. I was just really, really into the session," the teen stammered with her voice so solemn and contrite that the librarian could not help but wave off the destruction of the expensive padded practice equipment. Buffy offered him her best innocent smile
"At least we have some more quality wood for stakes," she offered in an attempt to make her over-exuberant practice session seem more of a good thing and less of an emotional breakdown thing.
Giles resisted the urge to sigh at the obviously forced statement. He had been startled to see the vicious destruction of his training dummy. He was at once both concerned and impressed with the focus and power his charge had displayed. The gentleman felt the demonstrated skills showed a jump in intensity but he feared that Buffy's narrow focus could be harmful in a real fight. He hoped that her attention did not become so tunneled that she could not see and react to the unexpected. That quick thinking on her feet had always been one of his Slayer's best skills. He pushed aside this concern in order to discuss his intended subject without a cloud of worry in his tone which he figured would only upset Buffy more.
"Be that as it may," the Brit replied as evenly as possible. "I think we still need to discuss how you handled yourself."
Buffy lowered her eyes to the floor and waited for her Watcher to start a tirade about her recent behavior and her lack of control. Instead of the expected harsh comments, the Slayer raised her worried gaze when Giles began to speak about how focused she appeared.
"You seem to have lost nothing in your strength or agility. If anything," he continued in a tone that filled Buffy with a warm pride. "It seems like your hyper-vigilance has actually heightened your speed."
The older man smiled warmly at the teen he still saw as his charge no matter what the far removed Council thought about the situation.
"The way you have physically recovered from your attack would indicate that your Slayer healing is still very much in affect. Since you reported that you felt the vampiric presences when they approached you at the restaurant, it is obvious that you still retain your instincts."
Buffy smiled in relief. She hadn't felt physically any different since the attack last Spring but she had slightly worried that the newly called Slayer might have been absorbing her powers slowly. Although the teen had wanted nothing more than a chance to be normal since the day she was called as the Chosen One, she had abandoned the misplaced dream after her attack. Her encounter with the Entity had changed the way she looked at being a Slayer. She was no longer the victim of fate or circumstance or even some mystical curse. The True Power had given her a choice. It may not have been the best of choices but it had still been hers to make.
For a moment, Buffy wondered if she should speak to Giles about the dreams of the Entity. She contemplated saying she met a True Power while watching the older gentleman move from the living room back to the dining room. He retrieved his supplies in order to start the ritual to remove Angel's invitation to her home. She only partially listened to his words as he moved around the room and the foyer with his moss in one hand and a small book in the other. A tiny smile lifted the sides of her mouth as she listened to Giles' soft voice flow through a series of words in what she figured was some long forgotten language. It sounded almost like a poem or maybe even a song. Giles set aside his book and the smelly moss in exchange for the large bottle of holy water. He then walked through the entire house sprinkling the blessed water on all the windows and doors. Buffy followed in his wake and offered directions on how to reach them.
The pair ended the sprinkling portion of the ritual in Buffy's bedroom. Giles thanked Buffy for already hanging the two crosses on either side of her window. He dropped the last bit of blessed water on the sill and completed a final verse of the spell.
"And we are done. Angel no longer has access to your home," the librarian stated with a nod and an encouraging smile for his Slayer.
Unable to contain her thankfulness, Buffy spontaneously hugged her Watcher. The relief of establishing control over uninvited entry once more filled the Slayer with an almost giddy sense of ease. Giles grunted as the Slayer squeezed a bit too tightly for comfort. The show of affection instantly made Giles feel uncomfortable and he stammered around an assurance that he was happy to help her. As the Slayer released her flustered Watcher, the doorbell rang. Giles took a deep breath in relief. Sure this time that it would be Willow, Buffy scampered from her bedroom leaving Giles without a word.
As the teen thundered down the steps, Giles glanced around the room. He chuckled. His Slayer's room looked much like how he imagined it would appear. His careful eye caught a number of photographs rimming Buffy's mirror. As expected, there were a number of pictures of Xander, Willow and Buffy. There was also one of her new friend Oz as well as one of him and his Slayer in the library. Giles had not even realized someone had taken the picture but he felt proud to know that he warranted a place on her collection. With a soft smile, the Englishman headed towards the excited voice downstairs that he recognized as belonging to Willow.
When Giles joined the two teens, he was forced to apologize for disappointing Willow. She had wanted to help with the ritual spell and was saddened to learn that she had just missed it. The teen's normally peppy demeanor resurfaced though when she explained that she and Buffy were going to go patrol together. Giles was thrilled to hear that Buffy had invited the redhead along on her first official patrol since returning from her summer break. He had planned on insisted he accompany her if she had not arranged for someone else to do it.
When Buffy went to retrieve some weapons as well as an extra cross and holy water for her friend, Giles charged the other teen with watching her friend closely. He suggested that they come home right away if Willow saw Buffy struggling at all. Both were deeply concerned about the Slayer's return to her duties after her trauma. The teen solemnly accepted this responsibility and promised to report any problems to him. Giles practically glowed with pleasure at Willow's willing assistance.
The Slayer reappeared and forced a cross and a bottle of holy water on her friend before hustling Willow out the door. Giles followed the girls. He parted ways by the curb when he reached his car and the girls meandered down the street towards the first cemetery. The older man climbed into his car and attempted to relax his muscles. Although he was anxious about Buffy's first patrol, he was also stressed about his evening plans. Ms. Calender had agreed to join him this evening for a late dinner at his flat. They planned to discuss the results of their research on the prophesy. Giles' stomach did a flip as he turned the ignition and his car sputtered to life. Since he did not need to accompany Buffy on patrol, he had over two extra hours to prepare. He sighed in anticipation; it was almost like he had a date.
Dusk settled over Sunnydale as Buffy and Willow approached the first cemetery on their intended patrol route. The two girls were comfortably discussing Buffy's back to school shopping spree that her father provided when they passed through the iron gates. Although shoes were not her primary love, Willow enjoyed listening to her returned friend discuss the suitcase full of footwear now in her closet. It made her feel more normal than she had felt in a long time.
The pair of teens stopped walking when they reached their first intended target. Hopping easily onto the top of Stephan Korshak's tombstone, Buffy prepared to wait for the newest suspected fledgeling to rise. With a bit more effort than the Slayer required, Willow joined her friend. For a few minutes, they sat in companionable silence. Willow didn't want to open any discussion that might stress her friend and Buffy felt no need to fill the quiet with babble. Instead, her mind meandered in one of the repeating circles it was prone to do recently. After a few moments of examining the same fruitless thoughts, Buffy posed a question to her friend.
"Do you think a vampire could ever be friends with a Slayer?"
Willow's face scrunched up in confusion.
"Isn't Angel kinda your friend?"
Buffy stiffened.
"No, I don't mean him. I mean just a random vampire. No soul involved. Like Stephan here," Buffy stated as she patted the marble stone she was using as a seat. "What if someone told you that Stephan had potential to be your friend. Would you let him live?"
Willow frowned as she really considered the question. She bit her lower lip slightly nervously before answering her friend with her own question.
"Who told you Stephan was going to be your friend? Was it an oracle or a prophesy or Giles? I mean, wouldn't you need to consider the source? You know, cause if Harmony came up and told me Stephan here was going to be the first vamp president, I would be planning to stake him the moment his chest appeared above the grass."
"What if it was an infallible source?" Buffy countered.
Willow looked incredulously at her friend. Not only was she impressed that Buffy knew what infallible meant, she also doubted there was such a thing as a truly infallible source. They all made mistakes. Buffy's current life was proof that foolproof prophesy could be misinterpreted. Even with all his Watcher training and book knowledge, Giles still made errors in judgment. Willow voiced her concern about there being no such thing as an absolutely trustworthy source of advice. Willow cringed slightly when she noticed the pinched expression on her friend's face. She realized her answer was not the one Buffy was hoping to hear.
"What if God told you?" Buffy finally replied as she stared into the surrounding darkness.
Willow snorted.
"Well, I would look for a burning bush or to see if it was written on stone tablets. If it wasn't, well, I might be more inclined to think the voices were something else entirely. Maybe recommend a visit with a psychiatrist? Perhaps some drug therapy?"
If possible, Buffy's pinched expression became even more pronounced and Willow wondered what landmine she just tripped by mentioning psychiatric intervention.
Buffy muttered something under her breath that her friend could not understand. The redhead asked her to repeat the comment but Buffy's lips just compressed further. Willow swallowed nervously. She tried to re-establish the conversation.
"Um, I guess if I knew for sure that is was God telling me that Stephen was safe and could be my friend, I think... well... I would probably let him live... er... unlive?"
"The problem with letting him live is that you would then be responsible for all the people he killed after you foolishly chose not to slay him," Angel's deep voice called from the darkness as he strode forward.
Willow squeaked and jumped at the unexpected intrusion by the souled vampire. Losing her balance, the teen toppled off the top of the tombstone to land on her back with her feet in the air. The blow as she hit the ground knocked the breath right from Willow's body. She struggled to catch it once more as she heard Buffy harshly address the intruder. The startled girl was floored by her friend's tone. She never remembered Buffy using such an aggressive and almost hateful voice with the soft-spoken vampire. Even before she knew he was a vampire and he was being all mysterious, Buffy had not sounded as cold towards the handsome demon.
"No one asked your opinion," the Slayer informed the souled vampire as she slid gracefully to the ground and glared at the interrupter. She tapped her stake against the denim on her pant leg and narrowed her eyes in obvious annoyance. Her anger practically scalded Angel. Uncomfortable with the unexpected animosity, the vampire took a nervous step back.
"I was only trying to help," he offered in way of an apology even though he wasn't sure what he had done to anger the Slayer. Angel enjoyed Buffy being soft-spoken and flirty with him. Since her return, the teen had changed in her attitude towards him and he wasn't sure how to help her find her way back to their previous relationship. He missed her attention and her respect. Her attitude had softened after he dusted Darla to protect her and the vampire missed the emotional connection he thought that they shared. How they were connecting now was not a pleasure. The anger directed his way rippled on his skin and made him uneasy. Angel was unsure of himself and he hated feeling that way.
"No one asked your opinion," Buffy countered snidely.
"Well, maybe you should have," the vampire replied with a hint of superiority leaking into his tone. "After all, wouldn't it make more sense if you have questions about vampires to ask a vampire instead of a child?"
Buffy shifted her arms to cross her chest and she cocked her hip. Willow, who had just convinced her body to start breathing once again, stood behind the tombstone. She leaned on the cool marble for assistance while her lungs relearned to work properly. She immediately noticed her best friend's body language. Her eyes widened as she realized that Buffy didn't just sound mad. She seemed livid. Willow could read the tension in her friend's body. Her muscles in her neck were tight and a fine tremble seemed to set across her whole body.
"So Willow is a child?" Buffy questioned sharply.
Willow gasped as she realized the metaphorical pile of dung into which Angel was about to step. She shook her head as he stepped hard.
"Yes, she is," the vampire replied evenly. Compared to the over two hundred year old demon, Giles might even be considered a bit of a child.
"So that makes me still a child, huh?"
Angel froze. He finally realized the corner into which his words painted him. He tried to make amends.
"That isn't what I said," he tried to explain.
Buffy took a step towards him and her voice became steely.
"Yeah, it is," she accused. "Willow and I are the same age. If she's a child then so am I."
Buffy took two more steps forward. She was within reach of the vampire and her muscles practically sang with the desire to attack. For the first time, Angel felt a wisp of fear in the presence of this Slayer. He unconsciously took a step backwards so they were once more outside of striking distance.
"I only want to help," Angel proposed sincerely. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
"Well, I don't want to hear about it no matter how it was meant," Buffy sighed as she lowered her arms. The angry energy seemed to seep from her body and she glanced away from the apologizing vampire. "I just... Angel, I can't deal with this now. I can't deal with you now."
Buffy took a step back towards Stephan's grave.
"I am here to do my job. You should just go."
"But all I want is to help you," stressed the heartsick demon.
Buffy raised her chin and shook her head sharply.
"I do not want nor need your help."
Before Angel can reply, a scream cut the conversation short. Buffy was already moving towards her panicking friend by the time Angel realized that Stephan the fledgeling had finally made an appearance. No matter what hypothetical question was posed about his potential as a friend, the reality was that he was ravenous and redhead seemed to be on the early dinner menu. Luckily, Willow had evaded the fledge's initial attack and was currently attempting to hold back a second one with the aid of a large wooden cross. Angel followed the Slayer towards the threat but quickly froze. He watched as Buffy ripped the hunger-crazed demon from the struggle with Willow. She efficiently tossed the creature against a nearby tombstone and followed the stunning with a swift snap of her stake. Ashes fluttered on the wind as Buffy turned back to her best friend to make sure she was unhurt.
Shaken but unhurt, Willow threw her arms around Buffy. Buffy offered her a quick hug and a quiet reassurance along with the physical affection. For Willow, the moment of terror from the newly risen vampire was worth the sudden feeling of reconnecting with her previously distant friend. Willow babbled her thanks while Buffy turned back to the remaining vampire.
"See," she challenged. "I don't need you here."
Pain flashed in Angel's dark eyes.
"But you do need me. The Master is still..."
"The Master is still corked. Do you have something specific about him to share?"
"Well, no," Angel admitted with what he hoped was an engaging pout. He waited for the teen to soften and offer him an innocent smile.
"Then why are you bother me?" Buffy returned petulantly.
Angel snorted. There was nothing soft for the vampire to see in her expression.
"You know what? I was right the first time. You are a child," he grumbled when Buffy did not respond in the manner he expected. Spinning on his heel, Angel swept swiftly from the cemetery plot without another word.
"Jerk," Buffy muttered as she watched the frustrated vampire disappear into the darkness.
"Um, Buffy?" Willow whispered as she too watched the darkness swallow the souled demon. "I thought, I mean, don't you kinda like Angel?"
Buffy snapped her head to meet the anxious gaze of her best friend. She stared at the redhead for a moment before a sigh leaked from her mouth. Her shoulders slumped slightly. For the first time, Willow noticed how truly different her friend looked. It wasn't just the clothes that were changed. Buffy's outfit was fashionable but nothing like the attention grabbing threads she would have worn to patrol last year. Her new hair style seemed more mature than the ponytails and cute hairpins she wore previously. Beyond these obvious changes, Willow noticed how differently her friend stood and moved. Instead of a casually comfortable demeanor, the Slayer now stood more rigidly. Her feet where in the same position that she normally used when fighting. Her body appeared tense and ready for either flight or fight. As opposed to a few months ago, her care-free friend was unrecognizable under this new person.
It was sobering to see her previously lively friend changed so significantly. Unable to resist, Willow reached out and hugged Buffy again.
"I'm sorry," the teen whispered into the Slayers shoulder even though she couldn't exactly verbalize why she felt the need to apologize.
Buffy took a deep breath before she slipped from the hug. Even if Willow wasn't able to properly express why she felt sorry, Buffy still understood her enough to know what she meant when she said it.
"It's getting better," Buffy promised. "I'm just so not looking for anything remotely romantic."
"But Angel..."
"No, Wills," Buffy interrupted. She closed her eyes and a slight shudder rippled over her skin. "No to anything Angel."
Her eyes reopened but were still shadowed with sadness. Buffy gently touched Willow's arm. She shook her head one more time and Willow nodded in understanding. Buffy offered her still innocent seeming friend a soft smile. She felt old and tired but the Slayer could still appreciate the tendrils of connection she felt for her companion. She still wanted to be best friends with Willow. She was important to her. Something shifted slightly. Buffy gently squeezed her grip on Willow's arm before letting go. A happy light flashed in the redhead's eyes as she smiled widely in return. Friendship still solidly in place despite their now acknowledged differences, Buffy turned. She took two steps and looked over her shoulder to make sure Willow was following her. Before she could turn her head back, she plunged into a hole in the ground.
Hitting something padded and silky, Buffy frowned. She shifted around and glanced to Willow who stood on the edge of the open grave. The redhead confirmed that the Slayer was unhurt before looking around the disturbed plot. She read the tombstone that announced the grave as belonging to Meredith Todd. She repeated this information to her friend after the Slayer popped herself out of the uncovered grave. Willow asked if she was another vampire. Buffy shook her head and pointed to two lines in the grass. Meredith had not escaped her grave on her own. It appeared that her body had been dragged away from the cemetery.
"Well, that's new and interesting," Willow muttered as the two girls began to follow the crushed lines in the turf.
Buffy glanced at her friend.
"I'm sure you mean gross and disgusting, right?"
"Oh yeah... totally, gross and disgusting," amended Willow despite being intrigued by the strange occurrence. Although empty graves were a regular vampire related event, grave robbing was new to the teen's experience. New was always fascinating for the naturally inquisitive young redhead.
Willow's speculations on the empty grave were swiftly sidetracked when Buffy suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
"Vamp," the Slayer called as she took off running towards the edge of the cemetery.
Buffy's feet carried her along the drag lines in the grass but she ignored the physical trail in favor of the strong sense of power she felt rippling over her skin. She skidded to a halt along the treeline where the tombstones gave way to a thickly wooded area. A female body that Buffy assumed was the previous Meredith Todd lay forgotten on the ground. Beside her still form, a male that Buffy estimated to be around her age lay dead and drained.
"Let him go, Spike," ordered the Slayer as she moved towards the leather clad vampire who held another limp teen against his chest.
"You remembered me," the blond replied with a smirk as he dropped the already lifeless body to the ground. The vampire raised his right hand to his mouth and wiped the stray blood from his chin. With yellow eyes watching the petite predator before him, Spike licked his fingers clean. His eyes gleamed with delight and he offered the Slayer a vicious smile. The blonde had fed well the last couple days as he created fledgelings to assist the Master so that he did not need to be at his beck and call. The demon felt more than confident in his ability to face the blond warrior stalking towards him with fire in her eyes.
"I remember having chicken pocks too. Doesn't make it a good thing," Buffy replied as she took two more steps and snapped a left jab towards Spikes head.
The vampire chuckled as he easily avoided her first attack and tossed one of his own. The Slayer blocked his return jab with her left forearm. As she swept aside the punch, the teen thrust the stake in her right hand towards the demon's chest. Nimbly, Spike side-stepped the thrust and shoved the attacking stake past his now partially turned body. Thinking his opponent would be over extended, the vampire moved to grab her middle and pull her turned shoulder towards his fangs. Instead of catching Buffy's waist, Spike caught a sharp heel in the hip then a backhand on his chin as Buffy kicked backwards then spun on her other leg.
Spike staggered a step. He wiped at his chin once more. This time the blood he cleaned was from the split in his lip. He skipped back a step to avoid another punch from his opponent. He laughed joyfully as a flurry of punches flew at his face and body. Just as smoothly, Spike blocked and returned his own attacks which Buffy deftly blocked.
The two combatants ranged along the edge of the woods dodging blows and launching attacks. Finally reaching the battleground, Willow froze as she watched her best friend exchange attacks with the fanged demon. Her heart thudded crazily as she watched the well matched pair battle for victory. A yelp escaped her lips as the leather clad vampire caught Buffy in the chest with a snapping kick that sent her sailing over a tombstone and onto her back.
Buffy hit the ground and was already rolling to her feet when Spike vaulted the marble marker and landed where she had previously hit. Spinning from her crouched position, the Slayer swept the vampire's legs and he too hit the ground. Buffy dove towards his downed form with her stake angled for his chest.
Spike rolled towards the attacking teen and avoided her first strike. He then rolled back in the other direction and knocked the girl's supporting arm from its extended position. The vampire grabbed his opponent and dragged her against his chest in an attempt to sink his fangs into her neck. Instead of soft flesh, his jaw met with a sharp elbow that rattled his head and made him momentarily see stars. With a howl of pain, the vampire attempted to roll the Slayer under his weight as he wildly shifted positions. Locked together while they grappled, the pair rolled a number of times until they hitched against the dead body of Spike's first victim.
The abrupt stop allowed Buffy to pull free her right arm. She raised the stake one more time in hopes of plunging the wood into the demon's chest. Spikes yellow eyes widened slightly and he growled as he wretched free his left arm and stopped the blow. His clawed hand tightened around Buffy's right wrist and she uttered a grunt of pain as the vamp attempted to force her to drop her weapon. She could feel the small bones of her wrist crunching together under the demon's powerful grip but she refused to give him the satisfaction of releasing her wooden weapon.
Instead of dropping the stake, Buffy reared her body back slightly and then slammed her head forward into Spikes face. His nose shattered from the force behind her forehead. Blood flowed and pain flared. His vision blanked for a moment. The vampire screamed and shoved the Slayer off his body with all the strength he could muster. Buffy flew six feet until she hit a tree trunk. She took a moment to catch a much needed deep breath as well as a chance to shake off the slightly dizzying affects of the headbutt.
"Buffy!" Willow screamed as Spike staggered to stand.
The Slayer pushed herself to her feet also. She switched her stake to her left hand and held her injured right arm against her stomach. She cringed slightly when she stepped towards the blonde demon. Movement jostled her injury slightly and Buffy had to refocus her attention on her opponent to force away the pain.
"Bloody Hell, you're a blood thirsty little thing," Spike accused in a voice tinged with just a hint of admiration. "Are you sure you aren't the Slayer?"
"Of course she's the Slayer," Willow piped up as she moved towards her friend and farther away from the deadly vampire. Spike slipped his eyes towards the redhead but dismissed her as no threat. He returned his attention towards the little blonde warrior who had already seemed to recovered a bit from her collision with the tree.
Licking the blood from his upper lip which made both girls exclaim with stereo renditions of ew, Spike chuckled. He shook his head but flinched slightly as pain exploded once more behind his eyes. If he had still been human, the British vamp realized he would have a serious concussion and most likely be unconscious from the blow to his head. Despite his vampire strength and recovery, his balance felt a little off and his vision was a bit blurred as a result. The vampire took a step backwards as he glanced only with his eyes from one girl to the other.
"No, she isn't," the vampire replied as he took yet another step towards the woods. "Dru says that the Slayer is in Italy. She called you the Daughter. Not sure what that makes you are but you ain't the Slayer."
Spike offered Buffy one last growling smile. Between the feral eyes and bloody mouth, the evil grin made the girls shudder in revulsion.
"It's been a romp, Pet," he claimed before turning and sprinting into the darkness of the woods.
Buffy watched his departure as Willow rushed to her side.
"You okay?" her friend demanded as they moved slowly towards the three bodies remaining on the ground.
"Wrist might be broken," the Slayer replied with a flinch as she moved the fingers of her right hand. "Nothing major."
Willow fussed over her friend and her injuries until they reached the fallen victims.
"Oh!" cried Willow as she recognized two of the three bodies. She hurried to the auburn haired teen and checked for a pulse. She found none. Her hand flew to her mouth and she stifled another cry.
"You know them?" Buffy asked as she pulled a little wet wipe packet from her pocket. She absently wiped Spike's blood from her forehead as Willow explained. She cringed a bit as the alcohol came in contact with a cut on her eyebrow.
"This is Chris Epps," Willow said as she lightly touched Spike's second victim on the chest. Her lower lip quivered slightly and she swallowed. "He was in the science club. He was a nice guy. Kinda quiet but nice. I liked him."
Willow lifted her hand and pointed towards the smaller teen laying beside a female body. A shovel was broken in two pieces beside the girl's body.
"That's Eric Gittleson. He's also a fellow science geek. I'm not sure who the girl is."
Buffy squatted near the female body. She placed her stake in the grass at her feet. With her left hand, she moved the brunette's hair from obscuring her face. Her eyes were closed and her makeup remained perfectly applied. Nothing seemed disturbed on her body save for the fact that she was out of her coffin and she was missing a sandal.
"I would put my money on this being Meredith Todd," she answered. Buffy absently wiped her left hand on her pant leg before retrieving her stake. She stood and called to her friend who was still sitting in the dark beside Chris' body.
"Come on, Wills," the Slayer prodded. "Let's go see Giles. He can patch me up and we can figure out what to do about the bodies."
Willow joined Buffy but kept stealing glances behind her to check the dead forms. She felt bad just leaving them exposed to the world. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure what other option they had. They couldn't wait in the dark with the bodies until daylight and she really didn't want to explain the dead bodies to the police. The teen picked up the pace of her stride in anticipation of heading to Giles' flat. He could help them. Willow frowned and stole a quick glance at her silent companion. She bit her lower lip nervously as she wondered what Giles would think of the vampire's claim that Buffy wasn't the Slayer anymore. The redhead watched her friend move down the streetlight lit street. Even with her possibly broken wrist tucked against her middle, Buffy still moved with graceful power. Willow shook her head. She decided that there was no way the blonde vampire knew what he was saying. Willow knew her friend and Buffy was every bit still the Slayer.