A/N With thanks to all those who responded to my Author's Note, and to my new beta, Production of Punk.

I've also decided to re-enable anonymous reviews - as one flame shouldn't limit kinder readers. Sorry for the temporary bar, guys.

SUMMARY: After failed relationships with both Angel and Riley, Tara and Willow suggest online dating for Buffy. Relunctantly, she signs up, only to receive the biggest shock of her life. Maybe this Slayer is destined to be with a vampire after all...

As Buffy made her way to Xander and Anya's apartment, she began to feel grave reservations. After all, she was a Vampire Slayer, chosen to protect mankind, and not to wreak vengeance upon it. Was one really lousy date worth tarnishing her heroic reputation?

Cemeteries are a real drag, she thought, as she kicked the leaves out of the way. Gravestone after gravestone, the place just screamed horror movie clich? Any minute now there'd be a really scary monster of some kind -

"Hey Slayer, up for a fight?"

Here we go, Buffy continued, rolling her eyes, and extended an arm for a sucker punch. The vamp went sprawling across the ground, kicking up a pile of chestnut-coloured leaves in Buffy's face. She reached inside her jacket for a stake to finish this guy off - this one was so ridiculously easy - when she realised she'd left her leather jacket in Spike's crypt. And denims were just so hard to hide a stake, you know?

She groaned as she dealt the vampire another jump-kick to the groin, and spun around to punch it's face as it bounced up for another attempt. Were there any trees to make a stake?

Buffy glanced at her surroundings to find nothing near. Typical. Trees always seemed to be in the way except for when you really needed them.

"Hey Buffy!"

Buffy turned around, surprised, and caught the stake thrown to her. She plunged it straight to the vamp's heart, who obediently turned to dust. After sticking the stake in the back pocket of her trousers (after much weighing up of the pros and cons) and brushing her hands clean, Buffy swivelled around to see who her convenient rescuer was.

Her heart swelled as she saw the broad, tall, dark-haired figure standing before her, grinning awkwardly. His own leather jacket was stressed and wind-beaten, and he looked so authorative and manly, Buffy could have -

Luckily, she restrained herself.

"Angel," she said, making a special effort to brush mud from her trousers. "What are you doing back in town so soon?"

"I know I was only here a few weeks ago for your mother's death," he replied, with a sympathetic nod to the mention of Buffy's mother. "But something's come up."

"What?" asked Buffy, almost excitedly. "We can fight it, can't we?"

"I'm almost sure of it," he replied, firmly. "We can fight it if we stick together."

Personally, Buffy had no problems with that scenario at all. Close to Angel, their bodies touching, sweating...

OK, back to the real world, and out of Buffy-Fantasy Land!

"Right," she said, with a confident nod. "Back to base, then?"

Not everybody was as pleased to see Angel as Buffy. The next evening, Buffy had called a Scooby meeting - all tag-alongs included - but Willow looked slightly cautious, and Xander's expression didn't change from a dark glare. Dawn was her always-annoying self, clinging to him and asking him questions about L.A that he couldn't possibly answer ("Is it really hot in the daytime?" "What are the malls like?", etc) but she eventually became bored. Even Buffy had to agree that Spike was getting more interesting.

And that frightened her.

"What are we fighting then?" she asked, once Willow had relunctantly broke out the refreshment - not that this bothered Angel anyway. "A huge nest of vamps? A spiky-headed demon? Ooh! A witch?"

This last suggestion earned a glare from both Tara and Willow.

"It's a coqueta," declared Angel.

"Bless you," offered Dawn, but Giles shook his head.

"A coqueta," Giles repeated. "Spanish for flirt - is a little-known demon from South America."

"He's right," replied Angel. "Its often mistaken for a witch, as it takes the form of a beautiful woman, but they're very powerful, and very dangerous."

"A beautiful witchy-like thing?" asked Willow, with a pout. "How can that be dangerous?"

Anya spoke up. "I had a second-cousin by marriage who was a coqueta," she said, pleased to be involved. "She really was beautiful... until she murdered her husband. We were finding his eyeball for days."

There was an echo of "Ugh!", but Tara looked curious.

"So they change shape?" she queried. "Like, any shape?"

"Their regular form is liquid," Angel informed the Scoobies.

"Like mercury?" mentioned Willow.

"It's silvery like mercury, and it can get anywhere," he informed them. "They can get under doors, up walls and in through windows... and they have a miraculous charm to seduce any man - or woman, I guess - and have them under their control. Word is in L.A, one's heading straight for Sunnydale and it's mayor. Never underestimate the lure of an authority figure on a hellmouth."

"I say we stop off at the Magic Shop for weapons and research," decided Buffy, and she rounded all of the scoobies out of the house and into the air. A light breeze tickled Buffy's shoulder, and she shivered.

"You guys go on ahead!" she called. "I'm gonna get my jacket from Spike's first!"

"You O.K to go alone?" asked Angel, and Buffy laughed.

"You forget Spike's neutered now," she replied with a chuckle. "He couldn't hurt me if he tried."

She ran quickly to Spike's crypt, and knocked on the door hurriedly. Who knew how quickly this croquet person would get here?

She expected another episode of Passions to be on, but instead found the door slightly ajar, and voices coming from inside. Buffy prised the door open further, gently, and stepped down the stone steps.

"Hey, Spike, you really shouldn't leave the door op-"

She was struck mid-sentence by the sight she was met with. Slouched in his armchair, was a very pleased-looking Spike, and on his knee was a tall, slender girl about Buffy's age - maybe older. Her stick-like frame draped easily over Spike's form, and her long silvery-blonde hair fell down her back like a waterfall. She opened an eye to examine the intruder, and Buffy saw her eyes were sea blue. Buffy was dumbstruck. She was so beautiful. What was she doing with Spike?

Spike lifted the girl off his lap easily, and turned to see Buffy in the doorway.

"Buff!" he cried happily, and Buffy was uncomfortable with his unformality. "Just the girl I wanted to see. I want you to meet my new bird."

The girl dealt Buffy an icy stare.

"Her name's Coquetta - and she's bleedin' gorgeous isn't she - don't you think so, Buff?" asked Spike, eagerly, while Buffy kept eye-contact with 'Coquetta'. "She's South-American. She wants to meet the new Mayor of Sunnydale."

It was during these words that Buffy decided to forget all about her leather jacket, and lunge.

No flames, please!